RTHK: Emperor Akihito to step down today

Japan's emperor will abdicate today, putting his son on the Chrysanthemum Throne and ushering in a new era. It is the first time in more than 200 years that the country's monarch will step down.

In a set of solemn ceremonies, Emperor Akihito will hand over to his eldest son, 59-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito, also kicking off the new imperial "Reiwa" era - meaning "beautiful harmony" - that will continue for the duration of the new monarch's reign.

The historic abdication has resulted in an unprecedented 10-day holiday for the famously hard-working Japanese, as special days off to mark the new emperor combine with the traditional "Golden Week" celebrations in May.

At precisely 5.00pm (4pm HK time) the 85-year-old Akihito will formally step down in a 10-minute ceremony in the "Matsu-no-Ma" (Room of Pine), considered the most elegant hall in the sumptuous Imperial Palace.

The ritual will be conducted in the presence of the imperial regalia-- an ancient sword and jewel-- considered crucial evidence of an emperor's legitimacy.

However, Naruhito will not become emperor of Japan until the stroke of midnight and he will "inherit" the regalia at a second ceremony Wednesday at 10.30am before making his first official public remarks shortly afterwards.

The popular Akihito stunned Japan when he announced in 2016 that he wanted to give up the Chrysanthemum Throne, citing his age and health problems -- he has been treated for prostate cancer and has also undergone heart surgery.

There have been abdications in Japan's long imperial history, which has mythological origins and stretches back more than two millennia, but the last one was more than two centuries ago.

A more lavish and public enthronement ceremony attended by world leaders will take place on October 22. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Tiete, Sao Paulo State's main river, is filtered by dam reservoirs

In Sao Paulo City, Brazil, the Tiete River is polluted by a vast amount of waste, mainly domestic sewage, but the farther it runs into the interior the better the quality of its water becomes. It is much less murky at Barra Bonita, 294 km from Sao Paulo, and transparent at Buritama (546 km).

A study by Brazilian researchers at Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) in Presidente Prudente and Sao Jose dos Campos shows that this change in water quality as the river crosses the state is due to filtration by a series of dams along the way.

The 1,100 km Tiete rises near the coast, passes through the state capital and flows on to Sao Paulo's western border, where it joins the Parana, a tributary of the Plata. The Barra Bonita reservoir retains part of the algae that feed on nitrogen and phosphorus in the sewage. With fewer of these organisms, the river flows through the turbines and on to the next set of dams, where it is filtered again.

As the study shows, filtration of the Tiete by this series of dams allows more light into the water, which is oxygenated and converts more organic matter from pollutants into inorganic matter, eventually becoming transparent.

The study was part of a project supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP. The results were published in the journal Water.

"We demonstrate that Tiete water quality steadily improves thanks to this reservoir cascade, with exposure to pollution from domestic sewage decreasing as the river flows away from the state capital," said Enner Herenio de Alcantara, a professor at UNESP in Sao Jose dos Campos and one of the authors of the study.

"From one reservoir to the next, the composition of the organic and inorganic matter in the river changes. This affects light absorption in each reservoir," Alcantara told.

The researchers analyzed the light absorption characteristics of the water in four of the six reservoirs that comprise the Tiete dam cascade: Barra Bonita, Bariri, Ibitinga and Nova-Avanhandava. These reservoirs account for more than 90% of the hydropower generated by the cascade.

Chemical composition and turbidity vary in accordance with the type of contamination. Barra Bonita and Bariri are eutrophic - full of algae, hypoxic and murky. Ibitinga (349 km from Sao Paulo City) is mesotrophic, hosting a medium amount of vegetation and with moderately clear water. Nova-Avanhandava reservoir at Buritama is oligotrophic, with low algal production and transparent water.

The researchers analyzed water samples collected during fieldwork to measure the levels of organic and inorganic particulate matter.

Their findings show that Barra Bonita reservoir contains a large volume of algae (phytoplankton), while high levels of dissolved organic carbon are characteristic of Bariri and Ibitinga. These two reservoirs also displayed high variability of particle composition between organic and inorganic within any given year, depending on the period, in accordance with changes in light absorption measured during the analysis. Inorganic matter - minerals and non-carbonated compounds - predominates in the downstream portion of Nova Avanhandava.

These materials absorb light at different wavelengths. Absorption varies in intensity depending on the concentration of optically active components present in the water. As well as absorbing light, they also scatter it. The balance between the amount of light absorbed and the amount scattered by these materials is reflected in the variations in the color of the Tiete's water.

Phytoplankton, for example, absorb more energy in the blue and red wavelengths, and much less in the green, causing more scattering at this wavelength. This is why the water in reservoirs with large amounts of phytoplankton is dark green, the researchers explained.

"We found that the reservoirs' total light absorption capacity reflected the level of pollution fairly accurately. The vigorous phytoplankton growth due to intense eutrophication interfered most with light absorption in the reservoirs closest to Sao Paulo, for example," Alcantara said.

Satellite monitoring

The results of the study will contribute to the development of new mathematical and statistical models that can be used to estimate and monitor water quality in the Tiete cascading reservoir system via satellite imaging, Alcantara added.

Because of the variability of light absorption in these reservoirs, a mathematical model has yet to be developed to assure precise measurement of water quality parameters for the entire system.

"The reservoirs contain high levels of pollution, with large amounts of aquatic plants, for example, so the signals recorded by the sensor on Landsat-8 in space become saturated. As a result, the model eventually falters and supplies incorrect information," he explained.

Landsat-8 is the eighth satellite in the NASA-USGS Landsat Earth observation program, and the seventh to reach orbit successfully. The on-board sensor for its Operational Land Imager (OLI) enables it to record images at different wavelengths.

The organic and inorganic materials present on or near the reservoir surface reflect solar radiation back to the sensor at specific wavelengths. As a result, their distribution in the reservoir can be estimated using these images.

When the mathematical model for variations in light absorption is applied to the surface reflectance parameters obtained from the images, it is possible to estimate the levels of organic and inorganic matter in the water, and hence its transparency.

"The Landsat program has produced images since the 1970s. Once we've validated the mathematical model developed by our group, we'll be able to obtain water quality indicators for the entire Tiete reservoir system in the past 40 years or so," Alcantara said.

"On this basis it will be possible to understand the process of deterioration in the Tiete's water quality during recent decades."

###

About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at http://www. fapesp. br/ en and visit FAPESP news agency at http://www. agencia. fapesp. br/ en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia. fapesp. br/ subscribe .

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Former CEO of Lynch, Jones & Ryan brokerage now works to improve the business district of Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era.

"Today, I am concluding my duties as the emperor,'' Akihito said as he stood in front of the throne, as other members of the royal family and top government officials watched.

"Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so. I sincerely thank the people who accepted and supported me in my role as the symbol of the state,'' Akihito said in his last official duty as emperor.

His reign runs through midnight, when his son Crown Prince Naruhito becomes the new emperor and his era begins.

Naruhito will ascend the Chrysanthemum throne on Wednesday. In a separate ceremony he will receive the imperial regalia of sword and jewel as well as imperial seals as proof of his succession as the nation's 126th emperor, according to the official palace count, which historians say could include mythical figures until around the 5th century.

Many people gathered outside the palace compound hours before the abdication ceremony despite unseasonably wet and cold weather, and even though they are not allowed to look inside.

"We came because today is the last day of (the emperor's era of) Heisei, and we feel nostalgic,'' said Akemi Yamauchi, 55, standing outside the palace with her husband.

"We like the current emperor. He has worked hard for the people, he is very thoughtful, and kind to everyone,'' said her husband, Kaname. The couple came from Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital where emperors lived until about 150 years ago.

Messages have come from global leaders.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed gratitude in a letter to Akihito for his emphasis on peace and contributions to developing relations between Seoul and Tokyo. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed ``appreciation'' for his contribution to the two countries' close relations. Trump had a courtesy meeting with Akihito during his 2017 Japan visit and will be the first foreign leader in May to meet the new emperor.

Japanese television talk shows displayed a countdown to the midnight transition, and programming was dominated by the abdication and looking back at major events in Akihito's era, including the 2011 tsunami, a deadly earthquake in Kobe in 1995, and the Tokyo subway nerve gas attack in 1995 that shook Japan's sense of safety and confidence.

Security was extremely tight around the palace and across downtown Tokyo with thousands of police mobilized. Police arrested a man on Monday night on suspicion of placing a pair of kitchen knives last week on the school desk used by Akihito's grandson.

Akihito, 85, took the throne in 1989 and devoted his career to making amends for a war fought in his father's name while bringing the aloof monarchy closer to the people.

With his commoner-born wife, Empress Michiko, he reached out to the people, especially those who faced handicaps and discrimination, as well as those hit by disasters, illuminating the hardships of people often overlooked by society. Akihito was the first emperor to marry a commoner, one of many changes he brought to the palace. The couple also chose to raise their three children instead of leaving them with palace staff, and decided to be cremated upon their deaths in a smaller tomb side by side, also a tradition-breaking step.

Jeff Kingston, Asian studies director at Temple University, Japan Campus, says Akihito has served Japan's "chief emissary of reconciliation,'' while acting as "consoler in chief'' in reaching out to the people. Akihito was also a ``strong advocate of the vulnerable and the marginalized in the Japanese society, he said. "I think the people really warmed to him and felt that the monarchy was relevant to their lives because of these efforts by Akihito.''

Recent media surveys have shown public support for the imperial family at 80%, the highest ever for the institution.

Such respect did not come overnight. Akihito grew up during World War II and was 11 when his father Hirohito announced the end of the war on radio. Akihito embraced his role as peacemaker and often represented his father on reconciliatory missions as young crown prince, decades before he became the emperor himself.

He is the first emperor in Japan's modern history whose era did not have a war. Though he has avoided outright apologies, he has stepped up his expressions of regret in carefully scripted statements on the war.

Akihito visited China in 1992 and offered what was considered the strongest expression of regret over the war. He has also visited the Philippines and other Pacific islands conquered by Japan that were devastated in fierce fighting as the U.S.-led allies took them back.

That leaves his son Naruhito - the first emperor born after the World War II - largely free of the burden of wartime legacy, allowing him to seek his own role. Naruhito has said he would largely emulate his father's pacifist stance and compassion for the people, but also said he hopes to seek a role of his own, possibly in issues related to water, which he studied Oxford University in the early 1980s. That, or disaster resilience, or environment, could appeal more to his people who are predominantly from postwar generations.

Akihito will be known as the emperor emeritus and will no longer have official duties after he abdicates. He won't even attend his son's succession rituals so as not to interfere with the serving emperor.

Akihito is expected to enjoy his retirement, going to museums and concerts, or spending time on his goby research at a seaside Imperial villa. Akihito and Michiko will move to a temporary royal residence before eventually switching places with Naruhito.
Japanese Emperor Akihito will abdicate on Tuesday in favor of his elder son, ending a three-decade reign during which he sought to ease the painful memories of World War Two and engage with people, including the marginalized in society.

The abdication, the first by a Japanese monarch in two centuries, will be marked by a brief and relatively simple ceremony in the Imperial Palace's prestigious Matsu no ma, or Hall of Pine. About 300 people will attend and it will be broadcast live on television.

Akihito, 85, was the first Japanese monarch to take the throne under a post-war constitution that defines the emperor as a symbol of the people without political power.

His father, Hirohito, in whose name Japanese troops fought World War Two, was considered a living deity until after Japan's defeat in 1945, when he renounced his divinity.

Akihito, together with Empress Michiko, his wife of 60 years and the first commoner to marry an imperial heir, carved out an active role as a symbol of reconciliation, peace and democracy.

"I think the emperor is loved by the people. His image is one of encouraging the people, such as after disasters, and being close to the people," Morio Miyamoto, 48, said as he waited near a train station in western Tokyo.

"I hope the next emperor will, like the Heisei emperor, be close to the people in the same way," he said.

Akihito, who has had treatment for prostate cancer and heart surgery, said in a televised address in 2016 that he feared his age would make it hard for him to carry out his duties fully.

'Sacred treasures

Akihito will report his abdication on Tuesday morning at sanctuaries inside the Imperial Palace grounds, one honoring the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, from whom mythology says the imperial line is descended, and two others honoring departed emperors and Shinto gods.

The abdication ceremony will take place in the afternoon with attendees including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Empress Michiko, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, as well as the heads of both houses of parliament and Supreme Court justices.

Imperial chamberlains will carry state and privy seals into the room along with two of Japan's "Three Sacred Treasures"  a sword and a jewel  which together with a mirror are symbols of the throne. They are said to originate in ancient mythology. Abe will announce the abdication and Akihito will make his final remarks as emperor.

Naruhito, 59, will become emperor in separate ceremonies on Wednesday. Naruhito, who studied at Oxford, is likely to continue an active role and together with Harvard-educated Masako give the monarchy a cosmopolitan tinge.

Police have tightened security near the Imperial Palace, a 115-hectare site that is home to the emperor and empress in the heart of Tokyo. Media said several thousand police officers were being mobilized in the capital over the next few days.

Tuesday marks the last day of the Heisei imperial era, which began on Jan. 8, 1989, after Akihito inherited the throne. The era saw economic stagnation, natural disasters and rapid technological change.

Akihito officially remains emperor until midnight, when the new Reiwa era, meaning "beautiful harmony," begins.

Japanese traditionally refer to the date by the era name, or "gengo," a system originally imported from China, on documents, calendars and coins but many people also use the Western calendar.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday symbolically launched work on a new airport for Mexico City to replace the nearly half-built $13 billion project he cancelled upon taking office.



Lopez Obrador promised the new Felipe Angeles airport northeast of the capital won't exceed its budget and will save the government money even with the cancellation of the partially built airport.



"It's going to resolve the problem of saturation at the current Mexico City airport, but also be an example of how you can carry out a rational, austere policy based on honesty that needs to establish itself as the way to live and the way to govern in our country," Lopez Obrador said.



The new airport  named for a general allied with revolutionary icon Pancho Villa  is at the Santa Lucia military air base and the army is in charge of getting it built for $4.1 billion.



It is supposed to begin operating in mid-2021, though construction has not yet begun.



Two new runways would be added to its existing one and the commercial airport would share the space with the military.

Critics have argued that the new airport will have difficulty operating simultaneously with the existing airport, but in a report by the military, consultant Navblue said they could operate simultaneously in terms of air space.



One of the early hitches pointed out in the military's environmental impact statement is a small mountain named "Paula" that sits beside one of the runways. It would be too close for commercial airliners to use that runway, so the report says it would be dedicated exclusively to military use.



But the biggest concern raised in the report has to do with water. The airport would consume an estimated 6 million liters (1.6 million gallons) per day from an already severely overtaxed aquifer that the capital depends on, and that's not including consumption from hotels and other businesses that will spring up around it, the report said.



Three existing wells on the air base should provide enough water, but that is expected to lower the water table in the aquifer, so some wells could go dry.



The report says that could be mitigated by creating recharge zones in the area to put water back into the aquifer. Another possibility would be bringing water from another, less-stressed aquifer.



On Monday, the Zeferino Ladrillero Human Rights Center called on the government to consult with the more than 20 communities around the airport. The group warned that the water consumption would directly impact livestock and agriculture, and with it the livelihoods of thousands of families.



Lopez Obrador, though, said consultations had already taken place.



"I can tell you now that the consultation with the communities around Santa Lucia happened and what do you think? The people approved the project," he said. There was no description of when or how those consultations were performed.



When the time the airport it begins to operate in mid-2021, it could handle nearly 20 million passengers.



One of the looming questions is how flights will be divided between the capital's main airport, Benito Juarez International, and the new one at Santa Lucia. The environmental impact statement for the project mentions that initially two airlines will be operating there, but it does not say which.



The new airport would connect to the existing one via a 28-mile (46 kilometer) route with dedicated bus lanes to speed passengers to their connecting flights. About 5 miles of that route would actually be along a perimeter road built for the now-cancelled airport at Texcoco.

In October, before Lopez Obrador had taken office, he held an unofficial referendum on cancelling the $13 billion Texcoco project, which was already nearly half completed. He proposed converting the Santa Lucia air base and making improvements at Benito Juarez, which had been targeted for closure. The plan received 70% approval, though critics complained that fewer than 2 percent of Mexico's registered voters took part.

Lopez Obrador complained the Texcoco project backed by the previous administration was drenched in corruption and faced environmental problems because it was being built on a former lakebed. Auditors said in February that they had found some $167 million in questionable costs.



The government says it will build a third terminal at Benito Juarez. That airport, surrounded by residential neighborhoods and with no possibility of adding an additional runway, is beyond capacity. More and more flights are parked on the tarmac with passengers shuttled to the overcrowded terminals on buses.



Arriving flights are increasingly delayed because they can't get a landing slot.



The government announced last week that the nearly 31,000-acre (12,500 hectare site of the scrapped airport would be converted into a park.

The survival of Santa Lucia, which also had been set for closure under the Texcoco plan, is another victory for Mexico's military, which has been tasked with running the project. It also has been given the lead in combating the country's rampant fuel theft problem and a soon-to-retire general will head the newly created militarized police force, the National Guard.



The general in charge of airport construction said Friday that its design would be "austere," in contrast with the elaborate Norman Foster-designed terminal for the now cancelled airport. The government says even factoring in the lost investment in the cancelled airport and the cost of converting Santa Lucia, the total expense will be only slightly more than a quarter of what the Texcoco airport would have cost.
The fate of a Minneapolis police officer, who is charged with shooting and killing an unarmed woman, is now in the hands of a Minnesota jury after lawyers gave closing arguments at his trial.



Mohamed Noor, a Somali American, is charged with killing Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual U.S.-Australian citizen, who had called police in 2017 when she heard a possible rape in the alley behind her home and minutes later approached Noor's police car.



Lawyers for Noor argued Monday that the officer was caught up in a "perfect storm" of events, including hearing a loud bang right before Damond appeared at his partner's car window, followed by the partner struggling to pull out his gun in response to the noise. They said Noor "acted as he was trained. He acted as a reasonable police officer."

Prosecutors said, however, that Noor acted unreasonably and should be held responsible for the death. They questioned the claim that he heard a loud noise before Damond approached the squad car, noting that neither Noor or his partner, Matthew Harrity, reported it until days after the shooting.

The shooting sparked outrage in both the United States and Australia and led to Minneapolis' police chief losing her job.

Noor, 33, became a police officer in 2015, two years before the shooting. His hiring was hailed by Minneapolis leaders who wanted to diversify the police force in a city with a large population of Somali immigrants.

Following the shooting, Noor was fired from his job and charged with two counts of murder and one of count of manslaughter.

The judge told the jury Monday that they need to decide if Noor was justified in using deadly force based only on what he knew when he fired his gun.

The jury is made up of 10 men and two women, with half of the jurors being people of color. Jury members will be sequestered until they reach a verdict.
The United Nations called on all parties in Venezuela to avoid violence Tuesday as opposition leader and self-declared ruler Juan Guaido said he had the support of the military to oust president Nicolas Maduro.

"The Secretary-General urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint and he appeals to all stakeholders to avoid any violence and take immediate steps to restore calm," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, adding that the Secretary General Antonio Guterres was in contact with both sides.

The U.S. government, which has been supporting Guaido and is one of many countries pressuring longtime President Nicolas Maduro to step down, expressed full support for the "Venezuelan people".

President Donald Trump said he is monitoring the situation in the country "very closely."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "Today interim President Juan Guaido announced start of Operacion Libertad. The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated. #EstamosUnidosVE."



Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro expressed his support for Guaido and the Venezuelan people "enslaved by a dictator" in a series of tweets Tuesday.

"Brazil is on the side of the people of Venezuela, President Juan Guaido and the freedom of Venezuelans," Bolsonaro wrote.

Despite widespread food and medical shortages and a failing economy in Venezuela, the socialist Maduro regime has clung to power with the support of most of the country's military. Venezuela's two biggest creditors, Russia and China, also have continued to support Maduro.

Russia urged talks between the conflicting sides Tuesday, but accused Guaido of "fueling violence" in the region.

"The radical opposition in Venezuela has once again turned to heavy-handed methods of confrontation," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Turkish government said opposition calls for an uprising against Maduro threaten the constitutional order.
The father-and-son leaders of a divisive anti-immigrant party were sworn in Monday as Estonia's interior and finance minister.



Prime Minister Juri Ratas presented his 15-member coalition Cabinet on Monday at the 101-seat Riigikogu assembly located in the picturesque Old Town of Estonia's capital, Tallinn.



Earlier this month, Ratas, leader of the left-leaning Center Party, clinched a surprise deal with the nationalist and euroskeptic Estonian Conservative People's Party, or EKRE, as well as with the conservative Fatherland, to create a majority coalition.



EKRE's Mart Helme, 69, was appointed interior minister in the Cabinet, while his son Martin, 43, becomes finance minister.

EKRE's strong rhetoric has divided Estonia ever since the party first entered parliament in 2015. The party has advocated abolishing the law recognizing same-sex civil unions, demanded changes to the country's abortion law and fiercely opposed European Union quotas for taking in asylum-seekers.



It emerged from the election with 17.8% of votes, becoming Estonia's third-largest party.



The three parties will have five ministerial posts each in the government. Fatherland's Urmas Reinsalu became new foreign minister and Juri Luik from the same party continues as defense minister  a key post in this small Baltic nation that neighbors Russia.



The fact that EKRE is entering a governing coalition has caused fierce debates nationwide, with some Estonians blaming it for polarizing society.



In a curious detail, President Kersti Kaljulaid was following the new Cabinet's inauguration ceremonies in the parliament sporting a sweater inscribed with the Estonian words "Sona on vaba," or "Speech is free."



That is seen as a statement on the importance of freedom of speech from the head of state following weeks of public controversy on EKRE, which has accused Estonian media of biased reporting on the party's affairs.



In early April, Peeter Helme  nephew of Mart Helme  was appointed the new editor-in-chief of Estonia's oldest and largest newspaper Postimees. Peeter Helme has worked with the paper earlier.



EKRE claims to defend the interests of ethnic Estonians in the former Soviet republic where some 25% of the 1.3 million inhabitants are ethnic Russians, who have traditionally opted to vote for the Center Party.



Mart Helme told an Estonian radio channel Sunday that it was "wishful thinking" that the party would tone down its strong rhetoric after assuming government power.



A total of five parties are represented in parliament, including the Reform Party that was the biggest party after the March 3 election. Its leader, Kaja Kallas, was first tasked to form a government, but she failed to get sufficient support.
New York's governor assailed President Donald Trump on Monday for backing the National Rifle Association in its dispute with the state, accusing the U.S. leader of being afraid of the powerful gun lobby.

Two days after a gunman sprayed a California synagogue with bullets, killing a worshipper, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged Trump to do more to stop gun deaths.

In a statement directed at the president, Cuomo said 74,600 Americans had died from gun violence since Trump was elected in November 2016.

"You have done nothing but tweet about it," Cuomo said. "Unlike you, President Trump, New York is not afraid to stand up to the NRA."

State Attorney General Letitia James on Saturday confirmed her office had issued subpoenas as part of an investigation related to the NRA. The New York Times reported the probe involved the group's tax-exempt status.

"In any case we pursue, we will follow the facts wherever they may lead. We wish the President would share our respect for the law," James said Monday.

The NRA annual meeting was roiled over the weekend after internal disputes spilled into the open with retired U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North saying he would step down as NRA president. North said he was being forced out because of his allegations that NRA leaders engaged in financial improprieties.

New York efforts

The Republican Trump shifted the spotlight on Monday to Cuomo and James, Democratic officials in his home state, after divisions within NRA leadership surfaced, as evidenced by North's ouster.

"The NRA is under siege by Cuomo and the New York State A.G., who are illegally using the State's legal apparatus to take down and destroy this very important organization, & others," Trump wrote on Twitter without providing evidence.

"It must get its act together quickly, stop the internal fighting," Trump said of the NRA.

New York officials have run up against the gun advocacy organization as the state aims to tighten gun restrictions. The NRA last year sued Cuomo and the state's financial regulator for engaging in what it said was a "blacklisting campaign" aimed at swaying banks and insurers to stop doing business with it.

The state legislature passed gun restrictions this year including prohibiting armed teachers in schools and extending waiting periods to buy guns.

NRA divisions

NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre had accused North of trying to oust him by threatening to release "damaging" information about him, according to a letter from LaPierre to NRA board members that was published Friday by the Wall Street Journal.

North's allegations included that LaPierre had received about $275,000 in wardrobe items paid for by an NRA vendor, the newspaper reported.

LaPierre emerged victorious, winning re-election from the NRA board on Monday as the group's CEO and executive vice president.

The NRA, with more than 5 million members, is the most powerful and well-connected gun lobby in the United States.

NRA officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump has embraced the gun lobby, vowing not to tighten U.S. firearms laws and advocating proposals such as arming teachers as a way of preventing school shootings.

The NRA spent $30.3 million to support Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a group that tracks campaign spending.
Palm oil plantations in Liberia are billed as bringing jobs and development but actually leave locals poorer, said a Liberian lawyer who won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize on Monday.

The U.S.-based Goldman Environmental Foundation gives the prize  often known as the Green Nobel  to six grassroots activists each year for efforts to protect the environment, often at their own risk.

Alfred Brownell was awarded for his successful campaign to protect more than 500,000 acres of tropical forest from palm oil development in the West African country, after which he was forced to flee Liberia in fear for his life.

He now lives in the United States but hopes to return to continue his work, as palm oil development continues to displace farmers without giving them an alternative means to earn a living, he said.

"These forests mean a lot to Liberia. The communities that we supported who live in these areas ... it is their home and their resources and their farms," said Brownell, 53.

"Instead of trying to empower them, (palm oil) causes the impoverishment of those communities. So this is not development at all," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Sometimes palm oil companies offer jobs, but not enough for the number of people who lose their land, he said.

Liberians have protested land grabs by foreign palm oil companies for over a decade, since the former government gave out nearly half the nation's territory in resource concessions.

The World Bank has credited these policies with transforming Liberia into a promising place for investors after a long civil war, but activists say local communities rarely benefit.

"We're talking about lots of communities seeing their customary lands go away, lands they depend upon on a daily basis for their livelihoods," said Patrick Kipalu, Africa Program coordinator for Rights and Resources Initiative, a global network that advocates for indigenous peoples' land rights.

"It's so negative compared to the economic opportunities that those companies can bring," Kipalu said.

Liberian authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.

Brownell helped community members file a complaint in 2012 alleging environmental damage and human rights violations by Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL), a Southeast Asia-based agro-industrial company that had signed a deal with the state to lease 543,600 acres of land for palm oil production.

An industry body responded by halting GVL's work on most of the land - a decision that was upheld last year after a legal battle.

Protests by community members led to violent clashes in 2015, and Brownell said that his home was attacked and family members arrested  leading him to flee.

GVL, still active in Liberia, said in an email that it acknowledged past mistakes and that it created a sustainability action plan in 2018 to resolve grievances with communities.
Victims' relatives say suspected Boko Haram extremists attacked a village in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 25 people who had just returned home from a wedding.

Rebecca Malgwi says two of her brothers-in-law were killed in the attack on Kuda-Kaya village in Adamawa state on Monday night.

She says the attackers went from house to house. She says many people could not escape because the shooting came from all directions.

Former local government official Yahaya Muhammed confirms that 25 people were killed.

While there is no immediate claim of responsibility, Boko Haram is known for attacking villages in the area. The insurgent group is also active in neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
A Nigerian government official and his daughter kidnapped by gunmen on the main highway from the capital Abuja were freed a day later, police said Tuesday.

Mohammed Mahmoud Abubakar, chairman of Nigeria's Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) which works to improve the quality of school teaching, was seized Monday afternoon along with his daughter.

Gunmen ambushed their car and killed their driver. Two other people in a different car were injured in the attack.

"Mohammed Mahmoud Abubakar, the Chairman of UBEC and his daughter, Yesmin Mohammed, who were kidnapped yesterday along Abuja-Kaduna expressway, have been released," police said in a statement.

A man was arrested and an AK-47 automatic rifle seized, but no further details of the release were given.

There have been several recent attacks on the busy 189-kilometer (117-mile) highway between Abuja and Kaduna.
Attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions in the United States remained near historic levels in 2018, with physical assaults on adherents of the Jewish faith doubling, the Anti-Defamation League reported Tuesday.

There were 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents in 2018, down from 1,986 in 2017 but the third-highest level since the 1970s, the Jewish civil rights organization said in its annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents in 2018. The incidents included 1,066 cases of harassment and 774 cases of vandalism. The ADL said 13 percent of the incidents were "attributable" to known extremist groups or individuals.

The year also saw the single deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history as a white supremacist stormed a Pittsburgh synagogue in October, massacring 11 worshippers. The shooter, Robert Bowers, was angry at a local Jewish charity, alleging that it brought immigrants to the United States to commit violence. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue was one of 39 attacks on Jewish individuals in 2018, an increase of 105% over 2017, the ADL said. The assaults targeted 59 victims.

"We've worked hard to push back against anti-Semitism, and succeeded in improving hate crime laws, and yet we continue to experience an alarmingly high number of anti-Semitic acts," Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and national director, said in a statement.

The ADL report comes after a 19-year-old college student killed one person and injured three others during a Passover service Saturday at a synagogue in Poway, California. The alleged shooter, John Earnest, posted an anti-Semitic diatribe online about an hour before the shooting, expressing hatred for Jews and all non-Christians and praising Bowers and Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand last month.

'Emboldened' anti-Semites

White supremacists blame Jews for "white genocide," a conspiracy theory that white people in Western countries are being displaced by non-white races and will eventually become a minority. Earnest echoed the sentiment in his letter.

Brian Levin, executive director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino, called the increase in the number of anti-Jewish assaults and homicides disturbing.

"We are at an interesting crossroads, where Jews, while highly regarded overall, face significant pockets of hardcore anti-Semites who are emboldened toward public, online and even violent displays of bigotry, and the data that captures that shows a clear progression," Levin said.

The Poway synagogue shooting is the latest in a string of white supremacist attacks against Jewish houses of worship that date back more than a decade, according to the ADL.

"It's clear we must remain vigilant in working to counter the threat of violent anti-Semitism and denounce it in all forms, wherever the source and regardless of the political affiliation of its proponents," Greenblatt said.
Russia is getting ready to set up a helicopter maintenance base in Venezuela. The move is yet another sign that Russia continues to pile economic, political and military support for the government of embattled leader Nicolas Maduro. Ricardo Marquina visited the helicopter factory where Russian officials showcased the aircraft and other equipment destined for Moscows allies in Venezuela. Jim Bertel narrates.
Unidentified gunmen killed a pastor and five congregants at a Protestant church in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday, authorities said, the first attack on a church in a country that has seen an upsurge of Islamist violence this year.

Burkina Faso, which boasts of a history of religious tolerance, has been beset by a rise in attacks as groups based in neighboring Mali seek to extend their influence over the Sahel, the arid scrubland south of the Sahara.

The government declared a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali in December because of deadly Islamist attacks, including in Soum, the region where Sunday's attack took place.

Spokesman Remy Fulgance Dandjinou said on Monday that the latest attack was the first to target a church in the majority Muslim country where religious groups have historically lived together peacefully and frequently intermarried.

"Armed groups...have every interest in troubling or going against the good understanding between religions. We have observed this strategy in other countries in the region and in the world," said Rinaldo Depagne, West Africa Project Director at International Crisis Group.

Government spokesman Dandjinou told Reuters the attack took place in the commune of Silgadji. He said he was unable to provide more detail on the attack or the perpetrators.

Around 55 to 60 percent of Burkina Faso's population is Muslim, roughly 20-25 percent are Christian and the rest follow indigenous regions, according to the U.S. State Department.
Much to the dismay of social media followers around the world, the Indian Army wrote on Twitter Tuesday that it found the Yeti.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019, the Indian Army wrote on Twitter.

The Yeti, known in North America as Bigfoot, is a mythical creature often described as ape-like and larger than a human, and living in the Himalayas.

The Indian Army said that the elusive snowman had only been seen at the Makalu-Barun National Park in the past, referring to large footprints reported by a British explorer on the West side of Mount Everest in 1951.

Previous theories of Yeti footprints have been debunked, often using DNA samples to link tracks to brown bears in the region, and experts say that sun and wind in the Himalayas can cause tracks in the snow to become enlarged.

Many Indian Twitter users responded to the armys tweet negatively, indicating disappointment that their military would promote something they found to be ludicrous. But others saw the tweet as an opportunity for some comic relief.

The announcement from the Indian army comes as the worlds largest democracy is holding muti-phase national elections, prompting some Indians online to muse that perhaps the mythical beast had emerged to cast his ballot.

While some commentators suggested that the tracks were laid by a large bear, others noted that by looking at the photos posted by the Indian army, the footprints appear to only be from one leg.
South Sudanese are paying tribute to veteran journalist and politician Alfred Taban, who passed away over the weekend in Kampala, Uganda.

Journalists who worked with him described Taban, 62, as a tireless advocate for freedom of expression in Sudan and South Sudan.

In 2000, Taban launched Sudan's first independent newspaper, the Khartoum Monitor, and later renamed it the Juba Monitor after South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011.

He was appointed a member of parliament for Kajokeji in the National Assembly in 2017, and unsuccessfully contested the governor's seat of the former Central Equatoria in 2010.

South Sudanese commentators on social media remembered Taban as a freedom fighter, statesman, liberator and hero.

Called freedom fighter

Professor Taban Lo Liyong, one of Africa's most respected writers and poets, called his nephew a freedom fighter who criticized the government in Khartoum during the war, which led to South Sudan's independence.

"He did help in the war, and he did fight the war in Khartoum. He even saved some journalists and other people who were caught by the system for having pointed out where the wrong things are done," Lo Liyong said. "So, I am glad that Logune [Taban] had done his share of nation-building.''

Chaplain Kara Yokoju, head of development communications at the University of Juba, described Taban as a man who spoke for the voiceless.

"I remember him as being a fearless journalist who will tell the truth as it is, regardless of what the consequences [are]. So, ever since he has been in Khartoum or even here" in Juba, "I used to come here and take pictures. Even when he was released from prison, I came here sometimes and had a chat with him. So, that is the memory that I will live with until the end."

Taban was repeatedly detained by authorities in Khartoum for criticizing former President Omar al-Bashir. He was arrested in Juba in July 2016 for demanding that President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar step down because, according to him, both leaders failed to implement the August 2015 peace agreement.

Anna Namiriano, editor-in-chief of the Juba Monitor, worked closely with Taban since the newspaper's launch. She said his impact on the media in Sudan and South Sudan looms large.

"There is nobody who stands strong like Alfred," she said. When he was chairman of the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS), "when anything happened to the media houses or journalists, you would see Alfred come immediately and put it in [the] media. But when we compare with the times now, many things happen to journalists.There is nobody coming forward like Alfred."

Challenged other journalists

Irene Ayaa, an AMDISS official, fondly remembered the award-winning journalist.

"My favorite memory was when Alfred was having a meeting with AMDISS, and then he challenged us that we are cowards. He said for him, a journalist cannot be arrested and taken to jail and he is just enjoying his time at his home. He rather preferred him [Taban] to be arrested instead of a journalist."

In 2006, Taban won the National Endowment for Democracy Award, cited as "one of the leading nonviolent voices of Sudan's dispossessed and marginalized communities, as well as an advocate for national reconciliation, human rights and democracy."

He also won Britain's House of Commons Press Gallery Speaker Abbot Award for "bravery in the face of personal risk, including torture, and for his commitment to bring to the wider world the horrors of Darfur."

A social media campaign has been launched to raise money to pay Taban's outstanding medical bills at the hospital in Kampala where he died, and to transport his body back to South Sudan for burial.
The government of South Sudan will pay $3.7 million to Gainful Solutions, a U.S.-based lobbying firm managed by Michael Ranneberger, former U.S. ambassador to Kenya.

In the agreement disclosed by the Department of Justice's Foreign Agents Registration Act, South Sudan employed Gainful Solutions to work to "delay and ultimately block" the establishment of an African Union-South Sudanese hybrid court, which would investigate international crimes and prosecute individuals responsible for violations during the country's civil war.

The $3.7 million promised to Gainful Solutions includes a $1.2 million nonrefundable retainer, according to the disclosure.

Gordon Buay, South Sudan's ambassador to the U.S., who signed the agreement on behalf of South Sudan, distanced himself from allegations that South Sudan wanted to block the establishment of the hybrid court and added the agreement with Gainful Solutions to repair relations with the U.S.

"The U.S. and South Sudan have been friends for a long time. But when the war broke out, the relations went sour, but we are still friends. So, we need to go back to the same relationship between the two countries," Buay said.

Gainful Solutions was hired by South Sudan to open communication channels between President Salva Kiir and U.S. President Donald Trump, and to eventually persuade Trump to reverse current sanctions and block potential sanctions.

"Gainful Solutions, as long as it's going to mobilize American companies to come and invest in South Sudan, then there is no need for sanctions," Buay said. "Because sanctions can prevent American companies from investing in South Sudan. So, the removal of sanctions is part of the business transaction."

In December, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Israel Ziv and Obac William Olawo "for being leaders of entities whose actions expanded or extended the conflict in South Sudan."

Gregory Vasili was also designated under the Office of Foreign Asset Control "for actions that have undermined peace, stability and security in South Sudan."

Buay said his country initiated contact with Gainful Solutions.

Social media anger

The amount of money promised to Gainful Solutions, as well as the involvement of a former U.S. ambassador, struck a nerve with social media users.

Canadian diplomat Nicholas Coghlan, former ambassador to South Sudan, wrote on his Twitter page that the contract involving a former U.S. ambassador to "stymie the hybrid court is utterly shameful."

The signing of the agreement was witnessed by former U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay Timothy Towell, who also came under heavy criticism.

Human Rights Watch researcher Jonathan Pedneault criticized Towell for witnessing an agreement meant to "deny justice to South Sudan's rape survivors. May their memory never let you sleep."

Buay said the anger expressed online is misplaced.

"Who are the people who are frustrated because we want to have diplomatic or financial or economic relations with the United States?" he asked.

Buay added South Sudan has not transferred money to Gainful Solutions.

"We have a timeline of paying them," he said, and the timeline is "confidential."

Ranneberger was sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Kenya in July 2006. He was also ambassador to Mali for three years starting in 1999, and was deputy chief of mission in Mogadishu in August 1994.
Thailand's teeming capital is gearing up for three days of elaborate ceremonies starting Saturday for the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, amid an ongoing tug-of-war among the country's entrenched political factions over the results of the country's first general election since a 2014 coup.

The coronation, estimated to cost upwards of $30 million, will be the first in the lifetime of most Thais. It follows the record-breaking reign of King Vajiralongkorn's father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who took the throne in 1946 and died in October 2016 at the age of 88.

While Thailand's constitutional monarchy wields limited political power, most Thais revere their royals as near-deities. Strict lese-majeste laws also render the king virtually unassailable and have landed many in court or jail.

For the past few weeks, work crews have been sprucing up the routes around the Grand Palace, officials have been collecting and consolidating waters from across the country for the king's ablutions on Saturday  the day his is officially crowned  and major roads have been closed off for rehearsals for the main procession on Sunday. The king will meet the public and foreign dignitaries on Monday, which has been declared a public holiday.

The hundreds of thousands expected to turn out for the ceremonies have been invited to wear yellow, the king's color.

"It's highly important because it's the first coronation in 70 years, since the Second World War, so in this sense it's historic," said Prajak Kongkirati, a political science lecturer at Thammasat University in Bangkok.

"And also it represents [the] beginning of [a] new era, two new eras  not only the change of reign but also real change of new political order," he said.

While the king is meant to float above the country's contentious politics, the monarchy is rarely far from the fray.

The powerful military, which has been running Thailand since it toppled the elected government in 2014, sells itself as a bulwark against those  real or imagined  who would turn the country into a republic. And in the color-coded protests that have periodically rocked Bangkok over the past decade, the "red shirts" of the mostly rural, anti-military camp have faced off against the largely urban, pro-military "yellow shirts" draped deliberately in the royal hue.

King Vajiralongkorn also placed his stamp on the latest election after his elder sister made a surprise bid for prime minister with a party aligned with the anti-military camp.

Only hours after the princess announced her candidacy in February, the king issued a statement calling the move "highly inappropriate" and unconstitutional. The Election Commission soon disqualified her and a court dissolved the party that backed her run.

The commission is due to announce the full official results of the March 24 poll on May 9, three days after the coronation ceremonies conclude.

While the pro-military Palang Pracharat party won the popular vote, with prime minister and coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha vying to hold on to his post on its ticket, control of the House of Representatives remains up for grabs.

Both Palang Pracharat and its main rival, Pheu Thai, which ran a close second, have already claimed the right to form the next government and are cobbling together coalitions hoping to secure enough legislative seats to do it.

Paul Chambers, a political analyst and lecturer at Thailand's Naresuan University, said the coming coronation has helped keep the contest from spilling into the streets as it has in years past, given the reverence most Thais have for the monarchy.

"The coronation is keeping the lid on... pent up frustrations," he said.

"The junta, and its aristocratic allies, realizes that people are not going to be happy with the [election] result that the military wants the outcome to be. But if in the period before the election outcome is announced, if during that period the coronation is going to happen, well, then Thai people are not supposed to create disorder and, you know, break the peace. So in a sense this really helps the military in that they can sort of compel Thai citizens to be peaceful," he added.

"On the other hand, the fact that the election is actually happening is really the result of the king wanting to have a democratic atmosphere prior to his coronation. So it is kind of an interesting confluence."

Though the junta has always promised to return Thailand to civilian control, it has postponed tentative election dates several times. And considering how divided the country remains, as the election proved, there was little pressure on the military to hold a vote any time soon, said Chambers  except from the royal palace.

Many expect Prayuth to secure enough combined votes in the House and the military-appointed Senate to hold on to the premiership. But if he does, he will be doing so after a tainted election and may have to manage with a minority coalition in the House.

"The importance of the coronation is that it forced the election to happen," said Chambers. "And then, after the coronation... and most likely Prayuth is the prime minister, people are not going to be happy, and it's going to create more problems for Prayuth."
U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking changes to the country's asylum system, including a proposal to charge a fee for asylum applications, as his administration tries to stop a recent rise in the number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a memo on Monday, Trump asked the attorney general and the head of the Department of Homeland Security to come up with four regulations within 90 days.

They include:

* Requiring a fee to apply for asylum and the work permit allowed while a case is being reviewed.

* Denying work permits to asylum-seekers who enter  or attempt to enter  the country unlawfully; that could mean restricting asylum-seekers to declare themselves at ports of entry, as the Homeland Security Advisory Council recommended earlier this month.

* Requiring the government to decide on asylum cases within six months. The process currently takes, on average, more than two years.

* Creating a separate path within immigration court for asylum cases. As is stands, asylum-seekers present themselves before an immigration judge and can avail themselves of any other immigration benefit to which they could be legally entitled; this regulation would limit the decision-making to a yes or no strictly on asylum, and eliminate the ability for asylum-seekers to seek other options at that time.

Reaction from critics

Trump's memo also calls for Homeland Security officials to reassign personnel in order to process "credible fear" claims, one of the starting points for asylum-seekers to make their case to U.S. officials.

Testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday, acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan, who this month took over leadership after Kirstjen Nielsen resigned, supported the idea of encouraging more asylum claims at legal border crossings.

"We would like to increase capacity to process people presenting lawfully, even if they don't have documents, at ports of entry," he told lawmakers.

U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, who heads the subcommittee that questioned McAleenan, said Tuesday that "simply making it harder to claim asylum in the United States is not the answer."

Human Rights First warned that Trump's proposed regulations risk "rushing cases through the system."

"Yet again, the Trump Administration is attempting to trample on the law when it doesn't line up with its hard-line immigration policies," a statement from the human rights organization read.

Delayed implementation

The Trump administration has implemented multiple policies and strategies at the border, some of which are facing legal challenges, at a time when an increasing number of families entering without authorization.

Unlike some of Trump's immigration-related executive orders, the latest proposed regulatory changes will not be immediate  the process for establishing new regulations can take years, and will be open to public comment.

U.S. border agents have apprehended more than 100,000 people at the southwestern border this fiscal year, about double the number at this point in 2018, with a particular rise in the number of parents traveling with young children.

Many of those traveling through Mexico to seek entry into the United States are coming from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, and their reasons for doing so vary.

Motivators can include reasons people want to leave their home country (violence, persecution, economic insecurity, natural disaster) or want to come to the United States (to join family, seek safety or asylum, earn more money), and policies in the U.S. and Latin America.
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an effort to resolve escalating tensions after Ankara said it intended to acquire the S-400, an air and missile defense system, from Russia.

In readouts, both leaders acknowledged they discussed the controversial missile system. The statements were devoid of recent fiery rhetoric that has increasingly characterized discussions over the Russian weapon purchase.

During his telephone conversation with Trump, Erdogan proposed setting up a joint commission to resolve the dispute.

"Our honorable president brought up the proposal to establish a working group regarding the procurement of the S-400 defense system from the Russian Federation," the Erdogan statement said.

Ankara's proposal has been met with a lukewarm response from the U.S. Pentagon and the U.S. State Department. There has been no comment on how Trump reacted to Erdogan's proposal.

Throughout the escalating tensions between Ankara and Washington, neither Erdogan nor Trump have publicly attacked one another. An international relations analyst suggests Ankara could be banking on resolving current tensions.

"Trump and Erdogan, only they can solve this kind of problems," said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara's Middle East Technical University. "As long as Trump doesn't say anything hostile, there is always a way out of this."

Economic repercussions

However, time could be running out. The Russian missiles are due to be delivered to Turkey in July, a delivery date confirmed by Moscow this month. Congress is warning the delivery of the missiles could likely trigger significant financial sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

The delivery of America's F-35s to Turkey is also under threat, along with Ankara's role in producing the jets. Turkey is a production partner in the aircraft, which is worth several billion dollars to Turkish companies.

Erdogan played down the threat Tuesday, declaring the removal of Turkey from the F-35 program would result in a collapse of the project. Analysts suggest such claims are exaggerated but admit it would likely result in production delays until alternative producers are found.

Observers say a damaging showdown between Ankara and Washington is looming.

"U.S. Vice President [Mike] Pence said even Turkey's membership in NATO is in question, so we are in very dire straits now," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served in Washington.

The rising tensions are already taking a toll on the Turkish lira, which has suffered heavy falls this year. Dwindling foreign reserves have been depleted by the Turkish Central Bank who used the reserves to shore up the beleaguered lira. That is fueling international investors' concerns over whether Ankara can withstand a showdown with Washington.

"There is a serious question about the central bank's ability to defend the lira against any domestic or foreign policy shock," said analysts Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners.

Concerns regarding Syria

Erdogan and Trump also discussed northern Syria and Turkey's security concerns.

Ankara is threatening to launch a military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish militia the YPG, which is a key American ally in its war against the Islamic State. Turkey designates the YPG as terrorists linked to an insurgency inside Turkey.

Until now, Ankara has held off its threat to attack. Senior U.S. diplomats are visiting the Turkish capital for talks on resolving the current impasse.

Analysts suggest a grand bargain between Ankara and Washington can still be reached.

"I think ultimately Ankara's actions are a move to get more leverage on the United States, but Turkey is making many mistakes now," said Bagci.

"President Erdogan has said the deal is done [purchasing Russian S-400 missiles], but he [Erdogan] can change his mind, in the last minute," Bagci added. "I can still expect Turkey can make a maneuver not to buy the S-400. Turkey cannot afford to confront all the NATO countries; Turkey cannot afford the consequences. However, I don't know what compromise Turkey will have to make Russia."

Moscow has considerable leverage over Ankara. Russian forces held off launching a military offensive with the Syrian regime against the last rebel enclave in Syria's Idlib province. The province borders Turkey, and any attack would likely lead to hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to Turkey.

On Monday, Moscow again raised the prospect of an attack on Idlib.

"We will think [about how to solve the problem]. It may be necessary to use the capabilities of our aerospace forces or international forces. The problem will have to be solved sooner or later," said Alexandre Lavrentyev, Russian presidential envoy for Syria.
As it continues to reel from the impact of the deadly Easter Sunday explosions, Sri Lanka on Monday banned women from wearing face veils.

The ban came in the form of an emergency law implemented by President Maithripala Sirisena.

Officials said the move would help security forces with the identification process as the country continues to search for people responsible for the Easter Sunday explosions that targeted churches and hotels.

The U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz talked with VOA about the veil ban as well as what she considers to be the level of threat that remains in the South Asian country.

VOA: A few days ago you and others said there were still elements of terrorist organizations in Sri Lanka. You said they were all armed and ready to go and they could do harm to the people of the country. Is that still the case?

Teplitz: Well our travel advisory indicates what we know and that is that we still believe there are terrorists actively plotting. I think the good news is that there has been a lot of progress in the investigation. The Sri Lankan authorities have been successful in apprehending suspects and finding safe houses. These are obviously very positive developments with regard to the immediate safety and security in the people and the people of the island. I think the challenge when you're looking at a situation like this is that a lot of coordination has to happen to disrupt these active plots.

And then there's a lot of work that's going to have to go on behind the scenes going forward, coordination between intelligence and law enforcement focused by the government on this global terror threat. So there's always going to be a need to be vigilant. And I think even after the active plot is wrapped up the government foreign partners, everybody, is going to have to remain focused on this as a potential threat.

VOA: What has the United States done so far as far as reaction to the attacks that have taken place and what further can this country do?

Teplitz: The United States has done a couple of things. First we surged support to the government of Sri Lanka to help with the investigation and then apprehension of the of the active plotters. We have an FBI team here on the ground working hand in glove in a joint investigation with the Sri Lankan authorities. We also have been very vigilant about warning American citizens that we take seriously our obligation to protect our public and want to make sure that they have the best information possible so that they can make the best decisions about their environment.

You might have noticed that our travel advisory has been upgraded twice since this event occurred. And that we are poised of course as new information comes in, to share with the public any threat that we might perceive is there. We also have been helping American citizens who were victims of this attack. So many Sri Lankans, so many families impacted by this, and many others from the foreign community. But of course there were four Americans who lost their lives four more who were injured in this. And we did our best to support them in an hour of need.

VOA: So the Sri Lankan government with all of its recent problems is working well with you in helping to solve the problems, is that correct?

Teplitz: That's right. We have a good cooperation and they had welcome to help.

VOA: There's a new development that Muslims in Sri Lanka will no longer be able to build their faces that under emergency law ordered by President Maithripala Sirisena that it bans all kinds of face covering so they say they can see people's identities.

Do you have any reaction to that?

Teplitz: Well the government is looking I think at a number of emergency measures.

They certainly wanted to be able to respond promptly in the wake of this attack.

We have been following their efforts in this regard and encouraging them as President Sirisena himself said to ensure that these measures are very focused and limited to the scope of this particular incident going forward.

The country had been working on revisions of its terrorism laws has been looking at other reform measures and we encourage them to continue to head in that direction.

The government has committed to, um, addressing some of the poor human rights practices of the past.

We've been encouraging them to reform their processes and approaches for the future.

I think this is even more reason why that needs to be done because respecting people's democratic rights respecting the rights of communities is something that can co-exist in a democratic society with efforts to combat global terrorism.

The Sri Lankans can make very good choices about how to approach that and the president's indication that these emergency powers would only be used to, um, focus on the perpetrators of this terrible crime, I think it's an important acknowledgement of that.

VOA: What about the division between the Sri Lankan president and the country's prime minister is that still causing problems as far as politics and programs advancing in that country?

Teplitz: Well you're aware of the constitutional crisis that the country was immersed in at the end of last year.

That crisis was resolved and the president and prime minister have been focused more intently on the needs of the nation.

We certainly encourage them to stay focused on what needs to be done to ensure Sri Lanka security and its prosperity going forward.

Clearly united leadership is going to contribute to security and prosperity.

So that's something that I think, everyone's got to be mindful of. Everybody needs to rise above the politics to a certain degree.

VOA: How did you feel when this attack occurred here you were in a beautiful country, many things to do?

What went through your mind when you heard that this had happened?

Teplitz: Well the first thing that went through my mind with this that it has happened is what can we do to help.

We have obligations on a number of levels.

And it's a responsibility that we're certainly very proud to carry out even while we're terribly saddened by the circumstances that we sometimes have to engage in.

So our first task actually was to find out who might have been caught up in this terrible event.

We had a team, we had teams out searching the hospitals in the morgues to find American citizens who might have been killed or injured in this to make sure that we could support their families.

And then we were simultaneously engaging with our hosts here with the Sri Lankan government to see what we could do to assist and bring our resources to bear.

When something a tragedy of this kind strikes, such a senseless attack our first impulse is to see what we can do to help everybody who's been impacted.

VOA: Any other issues that you feel we should discuss.

Teplitz: Well obviously, we have been very focused also on expressing our support and sympathy for the families of the victims in a very direct way of course supporting the American families.

But more broadly this was such a terrible and despicable act and the people who were victims of it certainly did not deserve this nor did the country here and I want to renew our commitment to pursuing terrorist groups and to pursuing them on a global level not just here in Sri Lanka.

I think that is a challenge that all nations are ready to face.

Indeed to dig in on in order to ensure that this kind of thing doesn't happen again.
Cindy Saine at the State Department contributed to this report.

WHITE HOUSE  U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening Cuba with "full and complete embargo" of the island and the "highest-level sanctions" if the communist government does not immediately cease military and other support for Venezuela.

The tweeted demand comes as the White House anxiously watches what it acknowledges is a tipping point in Venezuela, hoping for a groundswell of support there by citizens and the military that would peacefully allow Juan Guaido to quickly take power from Nicolas Maduro.

Minutes after Trumps tweet, his secretary of state asserted that Maduro had been prepared to depart Venezuela on Tuesday morning but was talked out of it by the Russians.

He was headed for Havana, Mike Pompeo said on CNN.

Asked to say something directly to Maduro, Pompeo replied: Fire up the plane.

Of the Cubans, Pompeo said, It is unacceptable that they are protecting this thug.

Earlier in the day, National Security Adviser John Bolton acknowledged a very serious situation in the South American country and said Trump was monitoring it minute by minute.

The Trump administration blames Cuban and Russian support for maintaining Maduro in power. In 2013, he succeeded the late Hugo Chavez, who had come to power in 1998 by winning an election following his unsuccessful coup attempt.

"We expect the Russians not to interfere in Venezuela," Bolton told reporters Tuesday outside the White House West Wing.

Bolton, further indicating the uncertainty of success for Guaido, who is backed by the United States and dozens of other countries, called for Venezuela's defense minister, its supreme court chief judge and the commander of the presidential guard "to act this afternoon or evening" and support the action to remove Maduro from power.

At a State Department briefing, the agency's special representative for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, said it appears the three top-level Maduro officials are not going forward with what they had promised during internal Venezuelan negotiations.

"If this effort fails, they will sink into a dictatorship from which there are very few possible alternatives," predicted Bolton.

In response to a VOA question about what happens next if Guaido is not able to prevail Tuesday, Bolton replied it is possible the current situation could persist.



"We don't see any indication that there's any substantial part of the military that's ready to fire on innocent civilians, their fellow countrymen," added Bolton.

The national security adviser downplayed a televised scene of a military vehicle running over demonstrators who had been pelting the armored personnel carrier with stones.



"It could be an isolated incident," he said.

Bolton declined to say what kind of support the United States is currently providing on the ground besides humanitarian assistance.

As he and the president have emphasized repeatedly for months, Bolton said all options remain on the table when asked about the possibility of U.S. military intervention.



"I'm simply not going to be more specific to that," he added.

What is happening in Venezuela is confusing, and the U.S. government is receiving conflicting information, according to Abrams.



Administration officials say Guaido's attempt to take power should not be regarded as a coup attempt because the national assembly leader is already recognized as the head of state by Western governments.



Besides Cuba and Russia, countries such as China and Turkey continue to regard Maduro as Venezuela's president.

Watch related video: "Venezuelan Embassy in DC Embroiled in Maduro-Guaido Standoff"
President Donald Trump is considering placing Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood on a U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations, the White House said Tuesday.

"The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders wrote in an email to reporters.

Naming Egypts oldest Islamist movement a foreign terrorist organization would allow Washington to impose sanctions on any individual or group with links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood responded by saying it is stronger than any politicians decision.

"We will remain... steadfast in our work in accordance with our moderate and peaceful thinking in what we believe to be right, for honest and constructive cooperation, to serve the communities in which we live and humanity as a whole," a Brotherhood statement reads.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt more than 90 years ago. It came to power when its candidate, Mohammed Morsi, won the 2012 presidential election. Morsi had led the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak a year earlier.

Current Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi toppled Morsi in 2013, outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, and threw Morsi and many of its leaders in jail.

El-Sissi has shown little tolerance for the opposition and any dissent.

Trump hosted el-Sissi at the White House three weeks ago, praising him as a great president and asserting that U.S.-Egypt relations had never been stronger.

Many U.S. lawmakers and human rights groups have blasted al-Sissi for what they say have been numerous abuses and the recent successful referendum extending presidential terms which could allow him to rule until 2030.

Organized opposition to the referendum in Egypt was almost nonexistent.
The U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, has concluded two days of official discussions in Pakistan on how to advance the Afghan peace process.

Officials said Khalilzad arrived Monday in Islamabad and led delegation-level talks with senior foreign ministry officials before meeting Pakistani military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other military leaders. He was accompanied in these meetings by senior State Department diplomat for the region, Alice Wells.

Ambassador Khalilzad requested and received support for the need to accelerate intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations as well as a reduction in violence, concrete steps necessary for a comprehensive settlement, the U.S. embassy noted Tuesday in a post-visit statement.

The Afghan-born American diplomat heads a team of U.S. negotiators who have held several rounds of direct negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar since late last summer to encourage the insurgent group engage in Afghan-to-Afghan talks for finding a political settlement to the 17-year-old war in the country. Both sides have acknowledged the dialogue is making a steady progress.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi reiterated Tuesday his country has arranged the U.S.-Taliban dialogue by bringing insurgent leaders to the negotiating table to assist in international efforts to establish a lasting peace in Afghanistan.

The progress achieved so for as a result of the ongoing peace process is a welcome development, Qureshi told an unofficial meeting of Pakistani and Afghan experts in Islamabad.

Pakistan has rendered its full support to direct talks between the U.S. and the Taliban. We hope that the talks ... will lead to a comprehensive intra-Afghan dialogue, which is essential for sustainable peace in Afghanistan, he stressed.

Intra-Afghan meeting

An intra-Afghan meeting, involving the Taliban, was scheduled to take place in the Qatari capital of Doha on April 20. But a dispute about who should participate and in what capacity prompted the Taliban to pull out at the last minute.

Qureshi lamented the cancelation of the talks was an unfortunate development.

Intra-Afghan dialogue holds the key to the Afghan peace process. We hope that the meeting will be held at an early date, he said.

The foreign minister, who was out of the country during Khalilzads presence in Islamabad, noted that in his previous meetings with the U.S. reconciliation envoy, both sides agreed that we cannot afford to miss this opportunity of peace in Afghanistan.

Pakistan is believed to have long maintained close ties to the Taliban amid Afghan allegations insurgent leaders are allowed to use the neighboring country for orchestrating cross-border attacks. Islamabad rejects the charges.

US troop withdrawal

Khalilzad has acknowledged that in his meetings with the Taliban in early March, both sides had drafted a preliminary agreement on how and when U.S.-led foreign troops will withdraw from Afghanistan in return for insurgent assurances that transnational terrorist groups will not be allowed to again use the country as a sanctuary.

The chief American negotiator, who is scheduled to hold another round of discussions with Taliban representatives in coming days, has linked a final agreement to cessation of hostilities by the Taliban and their participation in intra-Afghan talks.

The Taliban refuses to stop the fighting and insists it will not engage in any Afghan-to-Afghan talks until Washington finalizes and announces a troop drawdown agreement.
Their iconic blue-colored planters and grain cars are recognizable on many farms across the United States. They are also easily spotted in large displays, some stacked one on top of the other, in front of Kinzes manufacturing hub along Interstate 80, where, inside buildings sprawling across a campus situated among Iowas corn and soybeans fields, the companys employees work with one key component.

Steel is the lifeblood of Kinze, says Richard Dix, a company senior director. Were a factory thats essentially a weld house. We cut, burn, form, shape, cut, paint steel.

WATCH: Kane Farabaugh's video report

Steel now costs more, the result of a 25 percent tariff on the material imported from most countries, including China.

When there is a tariff on steel it cuts rights to the core of our fundamental product construction, says Dix.

In March of 2018, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on aluminum and steel, with the goal of boosting U.S. production and related employment.

While there has been a modest benefit to the domestic steel industry, Dix says increased costs are negatively impacting smaller manufacturing companies like Kinze.

We see the bills that come in from our suppliers are higher based on those tariffs, Dix explains. Not just in steel but also in a lot of the electronics, rubber commodities and other agricultural parts we buy from China as well. Those tariffs take their effect on our cost structure, on the profitability for the family, through our employees, and now to our dealers and on to our customers.

Those customers are mostly U.S. farmers who use some of Kinzes products to put soybean and corn seeds into the ground. Soybean exports in particular are now subject to retaliatory tariffs imposed by the Chinese, one of the biggest export markets for U.S. farmers, which has sunk commodity prices and contributed to another year of overall declining income for U.S. farmers.

That means many are less likely to purchase the products Kinze makes.

The market is substantially down, says Dix. The farmers dont have that level of security they need to go out into the dealerships and buy that equipment. We get a one-two punch. We pay more for the product that comes into us and therefore on to the customer, and then we have a reciprocal situation where we cant export what was advantageous to us.

These are some of the concerns Dix explained to Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst, who participated in a roundtable discussion at Kinze along with farmers and others in Iowa impacted by tariffs. It was part of a Tariffs Hurt the Heartland event hosted by Kinze, and organized by the group Americans for Free Trade along with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

Ernst says the personal stories she gathers from these meetings go a long way in helping President Donald Trump understand the impact on her constituents.

He has a very different negotiating style, she told VOA. He wants to start with the worst possible scenario, and negotiate his way to a good and fair trade deal, but again sharing those stories is very important and yes it does have an impact. I think the president does listen.

Ernst says she is encouraged by news from the Trump administration on developments in negotiations that lead her to believe the trade dispute with China, and the related tariffs, could end soon.

When I last spoke to [U.S. Trade Representative] Robert Lighthizer, he had indicated that the deal with China is largely done, its just figuring out the enforcement mechanism, and that is what the United States and China are really bartering over right now.

But Kinzes Richard Dix says one year under tariffs has already taken a toll on the companys operations.

Were not really that big, so we can say that this impact has been a seven-figure impact for us in the last year, and thats a substantial amount of money.

It's an amount that Dix says, so far, hasnt been passed on to Kinzes customers, or the employees.

We have not actually had any direct layoffs that are attributable to this tariff situation, but were all tightening our belts.
Most American politicians learned how to debate when they were students in school. Class debates are common in American schools, offering students an opportunity to marshal their arguments and defend their point of view. Do children like debates? Anna Rice narrates her story.
Libya is divided by two competing governments, both with international allies and considerable armies after years of consolidating militias on either side. Fighters are attacking the capital Tripoli, and the last round of peace talks has been canceled. Unification seems farther away than ever.
The world has a love-hate relationship with plastic: Its as convenient as it is problematic. Because it degrades incredibly slowly, plastic waste pollutes the oceans and endangers wildlife. A London startup wants to change that, with some help from lobsters. Markus Meyer-Gehlen reports.
Zimbabwe is expected to join other nations Friday in marking World Press Freedom Day being commemorated under the theme: Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation, focusing on current challenges faced by media in elections, along with the medias potential in supporting peace and reconciliation processes. The 26th celebration of World Press Freedom Day is jointly organized by UNESCO, the African Union Commission and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The main event will take place in Addis Ababa from May 1st to May 3rd at the African Union Headquarters. World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, May 3rd, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. In this first edition of a four-piece series on marking World Press Freedom Day, VOA Zimbabwe Services Gibbs Dube speaks with former chief executive officer of the Alpha Media Holdings, publishers of The Standard, NewsDay and The Independent.

Gibbs Dube: Zimbabweans are expected to commemorate World Press Freedom on Friday. The theme for this years event is: Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation. Talking about the media, democracy and disinformation. Do you think the media is doing the right thing?

Raphael Khumalo: Its difficult to say what is right, because remember media is controlled and serves a particular purpose, depending on who owns that media and what their intentions are. And you also have fake news in there. It is possible and its much easier to deal with fake news and to identify the fake news where there is multiplicity of media. Whereas unlike in a situation where for example, there is monopoly over media, and monopoly is either held through those who own, who controlin other words, who are the ruling elite or connected to the elite. Then that becomes very difficult to decipher, which is fake news which is real news.

But in a situation where there is multiplicity of media for example, the situation is different. So yes, democracy will thrive in an environment where there is multiplicity of media, and it will still thrive, even where you still have fake news because people are well informed, have choice of what media to listen to, and therefore they are not easily bamboozled into believing one thing or the other. That is really the issue.

So the theme is quite appropriate, it particularly speaks to those societies where the plurality of media, whether you are talking about radio, in this case commercial radio, or you are talking about community radio stations, where we are still particularly in our environment where we are still stuck in the eras of the 60s where we have one broadcaster, ZBC, one TV broadcaster, ZTV, then you have serious problems.

And then of course someone will then say oh, there are these others  but look at the ownership structure, where do they go to? They go back to the center, so thats where the issue is really.

Gibbs Dube: How is democracy enhanced in terms of having all these kind of fake news, because people actually believe what they read? Its difficult actually to sift some of this information. So does it start from the journalists themselves?

Obviously Mr. Dube, it starts from journalists themselves, and number two, also it goes back to the populace themselves. The population will always go back and say, mmmm, if I have read it in this particular media, I am likely to believe it. And then, mmm, if it is this one, I think I need another source, to cross check. But remember as I said to you, where there is media is in a particular situation is controlled, or a large part of the media is owned by government or pro-government institutions, and theres very little independent media there, it becomes very difficult for the population to actually believe is this fake news or is this for real. So I think this is where there is definitely a challenge in terms of dissemination of information.

And obviously when you have such situations, democracy does not thrive either. But look, fake news thrives in other environments. Check for example in the UK, talking for example in Europe. There is fake news that circulates there, but it doesnt mean that democracy is not thriving. But like I said, the counter to it is the multiplicity of media channels that the people are able to listen to alternative and counter check and cross check.

But look if for example you listen and there was an article that came out which said during the cyclone Idai, for example, there was an earthquake, no one else outside the realm of those who said it, heard or felt the earthquake, but it was all just traditionalists, or those who were passing fake news as real news who started circulating such information to say that there was an earthquake that happened, at the same time that there was a cyclone, but nobody else heard it. But if you are there for the single source of information, then by all means you are going to be taken for a big, big ride.

Gibbs Dube: Media laws, do they actually affect the depth, the width and length of democracy? Do you think good media laws lead to better information being given to the public?

Raphael Khumalo: Dube, I will say to you that one of the major challenges if you operate in Zimbabwe. I will give my own personal experience. Over the year, Ive made sure Id read a South African newspaper, on a weekly basis. And every time you read a South African newspaper, you looked and you saw the depth of information, of just how many access the journalist writing the story has. Compared to the lack there of a journalist here. It speaks volumes about access to information and that access to information is not superficial. It happens because we have AIPPA (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act) here and the South Africans dont.

And that that speaks to just how much do the citizens know about what is going on, whether you are talking about in the army barracks, whether you are talking about in the police camps, how much are the journalists prepared to go and dig in, they wont, because of the existence of the stringent laws, either, they are there in AIPPA, they are there in POSA (Public Order and Security Act) and various other restrictive legislation that make it difficult.

Do you think for example, the new book that came out in South Africa, Gangster State, would ever be written in Zimbabwe, here?
[April 30, 2019] Cubic to Bring Contactless Transit Cards to Apple Wallet - Starting in Chicago Later this Year SAN DIEGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cubic Corporation (NYSE:CUB) today announced it is enabling transit cards in Apple Wallet so passengers can use their iPhone and Apple Watch to ride public trains, subways and buses. Transit cards in Apple Wallet are a convenient and secure alternative to physical cards. Cubic is working with Apple to roll out this technology in the U.S., starting with support for the Ventra card in Chicago later this year. Cubic and Apple are also working to support open-loop transit systems such as the new OMNY system launching in New York later this Spring. Cubic's mobile platform will enable passengers to add transit cards to Apple Wallet on iPhone, eliminating the need for a physical transit card. Cubic's Traveler app provides travelers with new tools to manage their transit cards and enhance their journey. "We are thrilled to be working with Apple to allow customers to ride transit using the Apple devices they carry with them every day, said Bradley H. Feldmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cubic Corporation. "Cubic strives to be at the forefront of creating mobile transit payment solutions and next-generation apps, and we're confident these developments will provide the most efficient way for travelers to pay and go." "This solution will benefit those who use public transportation for their daily commutes, as well as occasional journeys, by creating convenience and flexibility in their payment options and a seamless and frictionless experience as travelers move through the transit network" said Matt Cole, president of Cubic Transportation Systems. "We look forward to bringing these exciting features to travelers." Travelers will be able to add transit cards to Apple Wallet, load transit funds, buy fare products and manage their account from the Cubic Traveler app. Cubic's Traveler app will integrate Apple Pay; reloading funds and purchasing tickets will be secure, private and as simple as a glance with Face ID or the touch of a finger with Touch ID on iPhone. All key ticket and pass types will be available for purchase via the Cubic Traveler app. About Cubic Corporation Cubic is a technology-driven, market-leading provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries' effectiveness and operational readiness. Our teams innovate to make a positive difference in people's lives. We simplify their daily journeys. We promote mission success and safety for those who serve their nation. For more information about Cubic, please visit www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cubic-to-bring-contactless-transit-cards-to-apple-wallet--starting-in-chicago-later-this-year-300840348.html SOURCE Cubic Corporation

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Model D wrapped up our series on Equitable Development this past Saturday with a special event at Marygrove College called ReImagining Equitable Development. The day featured a mix of discussion and activities aimed at sparking productive dialogue about development and building skills related to getting better community benefits outcomes for local residents and stakeholders.



John Goldstein, founder of the activist network Coalitions, Campaigns and Community Benefits (COCACOM), kicked off the gathering that morning with a keynote speech looking at the struggles and successes of the community benefits movement from a national perspective.



After that, participants engaged in a special board game designed by the nonprofit Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit (D4) that encouraged them to take on the role of a local developer. Different players worked together in teams to build their own developments, making decisions with investment chips and responding to chance cards to see who could accrue the most profits and community benefits.



D4's Sam Butler then moderated a panel discussion featuring former Detroit council person and Citizen Detroit CEO Sheila Cockrel, Live6 Alliance founding director and Detroit City Planning Commission member Lauren Hood, IBEW Local 58 business representative Byron Osbern, and Invest Detroit Senior Vice President of Lending Tosha Tabron. The days activities were rounded out by breakout sessions workshops on community-controlled funds and job training/local hiring, followed by closing remarks by Lauren Hood.



Here are five lessons about community benefits organizing we learned from the event:



Tosha Tabron, pictured with microphone.

1. Focus on community needs



During the panel discussion, Tabron remarked she feels theres stigma around doing development in Detroit that often hinders people from enjoying its benefits. Embracing a position of engagement, she highlighted the importance of focusing on outcomes.



"We all want development, [but the issue is] how it looks in your neighborhood," she said. "You want your neighborhood to be reinvested in but in a way that is conducive to what the community is looking for."



Participants raise their hands during the day's keynote address,

2. Raise expectations



When it comes to negotiations, you don't get what you don't ask for. At the event, Hood emphasized the importance of raising expectations.



"Sometimes I think the bars are set really low for what people think they can get," she said. This is especially true for newer organizers who worry that asking for too much might derail a project.



"If you're at the point where you're having conversations with the developer, it's going to happen," she added. "So people need to stop backing down. Ask for everything!"



John Goldstein

3. Find a champion



Passionate leadership is a common denominator that Goldstein has found again and again in successful community benefits campaigns.



"There needs to be a champion leading the work. Someone who believes you can recruit whatever number of people is needed and will go out and defend the program," he says. "Unfortunately it doesn't happen a lot. And without a champion these programs really don't generally work."



Sheila Cockrel, pictured speaking with microphone.

4. Make use of leverage



Context is everything. When Cockrel was growing up, the city of Detroit declared Corktown a slum. In fact, at the time, her activist parents were involved with a community struggle just to preserve the neighborhood. Nowadays, market values in Corktown are way up. So neighborhood residents negotiating for community benefits with Ford over their new R&D campus at Michigan Central Station have a lot more bargaining power.



"When you have something of value, you have more power to negotiate what you want in that area," says Cockrel. "People in Corktown now have some serious leverage."



ReImagning Equitable Development participants play a development-related board game.

5. Think outside of the box



The importance of being creative with organizing is something Goldstein stressed during his keynote. The most memorable example he gave had to do with a community benefits agreement centered around a new cancer center being built in New Haven, Connecticut.



"The way they got the community engaged was by getting a list of every person who owed medical debt to the Yale New Haven Hospital," he said. "They knocked on every one of those doors and made debt forgiveness part of the community benefits agreement. That created a huge amount of energy around that community."



This article is part of our Equitable Development series, in partnership with Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit, where we explore issues and stories on growing Detroit in a way that allows people from all races, classes, and abilities to participate and benefit. Read more articles in the series here.



Support for this series is provided by the Knight Foundation, Knight Fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Im not going to sacrifice the good for the perfect. If this is what we can do, then this is what we must do, Moody said. We cant keep hauling 75,000 Texans to jail every year.

Those found to possess 2 ounces or less or marijuana but more than 1 ounce would be charged with a Class B misdemeanor  punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, jail time or both.

When I first proposed changing our criminal penalty for personal use of marijuana to a civil penalty, there was some support and even more caution, Moody told other representatives.

The revised version of HB 63 would make it so Texans caught with 1 ounce or less of marijuana cant be arrested. Instead, judges would automatically put those offenders on deferred adjudication probation. If an offender successfully completes the terms of his or her probation and does not commit more than one offense in a calendar year, his or her record would be expunged, Moody said Monday. The bill would also ensure that Texans possessing 1 ounce or less of marijuana will not have their drivers licenses suspended.
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The Waco Foundation will provide a $370,000 cash advance to Cultural Arts of Waco to complete funding of the steel ship hull at the Doris Miller Memorial while organizers continue to raise money to finish the project.

The zero-interest loan is in addition to $300,000 that Waco Foundation has already given to the $2.69 million landscape monument on the Brazos River, and the foundation is encouraging Cultural Arts of Waco to apply for an additional $300,000 grant in July to help close the gap.

Doreen Ravenscroft, executive director of Cultural Arts of Waco, said the cash advance from the Waco Foundation will allow contractors who worked on the memorial that was dedicated on Dec. 7, 2018, to be paid and essentially completes funding for the large steel hull in the display.

Two other Waco-based foundations, the Cooper Foundation and Rapoport Foundation also recently made additional donations of $300,000 each, beyond their earlier commitments, to offset the higher-than-expected cost of the project. Ravenscroft estimated that the Doris Miller project still needs about $100,000 to $200,000 beyond the foundations support.
In a victim-impact statement Tuesday, Adlers former girlfriend read a statement from her daughter, in which the girl said she knows now that it is possible to be molested without being touched. She said Adler violated the trust she and her mother placed in him and took advantage of them for your own sick and twisted fantasies.

Adler was not charged with a crime, but the woman and her daughter reported that he placed a hidden camera in a clock that he built into a vanity and mirror that he made for them, allowing him to record them in the womans bedroom, officials said.

The woman said Adlers actions have led her and her daughter to seek counseling and have kept them from trusting others as they should.

We now live in our own prison because of you and it is only fitting that you spend the rest of your days in prison, she said.

Authorities searching Adlers former home on Western Oaks Drive in Woodway also found testosterone and Trenbolone, an anabolic steroid. Prosecutors did not pursue the drug charges but made the judge aware of the discovery Tuesday during the sentencing hearing.
As he said, SIF was notorious on campus, and it had a reputation, said Anna Conner, the groups president, who disputes that notion. No one knows we exist, she said.

The letter, which only includes signatures from signers with ties to Baylor, was delivered to Baylor President Linda Livingstone April 11. Baylor has yet to make a statement about the letter specifically. Baylor spokewoman Lori Fogleman referred back to the universitys Statement on Human Sexuality, found in the student policies and procedures, which states students are expected to not participate in advocacy groups which promote understandings of sexuality that are contrary to biblical teaching.

Conner said over the years, the group has been rejected for a variety of reasons, most often because the university categorizes them as an advocacy group. However, she said the groups primary purpose is to provide community and support for LGBTQ students, not advocacy.
A Tennessee man was arrested after a high speed chase Tuesday morning that started on Interstate 35 in Hill County and ended without incident on the interstate south of Waco, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Ryan Howard said.

Troopers tried to stop Jeremie Simpson, 28, of Lakeland, Tennessee, in a Dodge Ram pickup for a "minor traffic violation" at about 8:40 a.m. at mile marker 372 in Hill County, near Hillsboro, Howard said. Simpson did not stop and threw a weapon out of the pickup near mile marker 364 in Hill County, he said.

Waco police, Hewitt police, Hillsboro police, West police, and McLennan County deputies and constables helped in the chase, he said.

"Simpson traveled at speeds over 110 mph prior to coming to a stop on (I-35) southbound near mile marker 329, south of Waco," Howard said in a statement.

Simpson was arrested without incident, Howard said. He was taken to Hill County Jail on felony charges of evading arrest, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana.

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After a six-hour search, police arrested a man they believe robbed a bank Tuesday afternoon in Marlin.

Ronald James Bryant, 60, was arrested without incident Tuesday evening at a home in Lott, Falls County Sheriff Ricky Scaman said. Bryant is charged with felony robbery of a financial institution, Scaman said.

He and Marlin Police Chief Nathan Sodek received information on Bryant's whereabouts at about 6:30 p.m. and found him at the house, Scaman said. Officers found a BB gun believed to have been used in the robbery, the car used to leave the bank and an undisclosed amount of money in Bryant's possession at the time of his arrest, he said.

Officials released surveillance photos from the bank shortly after the robbery. Officials reported a man used a firearm to rob BBVA Compass Bank, 504 Live Oak St. in Marlin, of an undisclosed amount of money at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Multiple agencies, including the FBI, Waco police, Lott police, the McLennan County Sheriff's Office, McLennan County Constables and Texas Game Wardens helped Marlin police and the Falls County Sheriff's Office in the search.

Bryant was taken to Falls County Jail after his arrest. Bond information was not available Tuesday night.

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I genuinely wish I knew what to say to encourage those who oppose gay rights to at least rethink their opposition. In considering this issue as a moral one, it is crucial to try to see matters from the perspective of the other. In some ways it sounds like such a cliche to appeal to the golden rule, but as Barbara Brown Taylor, Episcopal priest and among the most widely read Christian writers today, points out, some form of the golden rule is the moral heart of all major religious traditions. Judaism: Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. Islam: None of you is a believer until you love for [the other] what you love for yourself. Hinduism: This is the sum of duty: Do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you. And, of course, there is the Christian tenet: Do to others as you would have them do to you.
As for the supposed deal of the century, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Jason Greenblatt are expected to roll out their long-awaited Mideast peace plan in a month or two. But the administration has already sabotaged it by delivering a series of body blows to the Palestinians, from cutting off funding to the Palestinian Authority to moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Trumps team seems to think it has given the Palestinians a necessary softening up. But those who know them better, such as longtime U.S. Mideast negotiator Dennis Ross, say it has merely triggered the deeply ingrained Palestinian penchant for defiance. Their leaders have refused to talk with Trumps envoys since last year  and its probable they never will.

Then there is North Koreas Kim Jong Un, with whom Trump has portrayed himself as negotiating. At their last meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, Trump proposed that the North Korean leader agree to surrender Pyongyangs entire nuclear arsenal, plus its chemical and biological weapons, a whopping nonstarter. When Kim refused and made his own one-sided offer, Trump walked away.
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Genny is en route to Rome carrying enormous cross.

A former prisoner is walking from Milan to Rome, while carrying a wooden cross weighing 40 kg, in a personal road to redemption.

Gennaro Sperio, known as Genny, is currently in the Emilia-Romagna region and expects to reach Rome within a month, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

Genny says he is undertaking the pilgrimage to atone for a misspent youth, including many years in jail.

He says he hopes to be received by Pope Francis and to bring the message of the guests of Area 51, a shelter he established for former prisoners in Rozzano in the outskirts of Milan.
President Trump is fueling the uncertainty in oil markets as the U.S. pressures big oil consumers such as China, India, South Korea and Turkey to stop buying Iranian oil. The Iran sanctions were imposed last fall, but Trump granted waivers to several countries, allowing them to continue buying Iranian crude. At the time, he was using Twitter messages to urge OPEC, and Saudi Arabia in particular, to pump more oil so that prices would stay affordable.
One issue you may confront is the kitchens tendency to leave par-baked slices in the oven a beat too long, turning the bottom of their crusts into blackboards. Such a blackened base put a bitter edge on my otherwise colorful cheese slice topped with torn basil. You wont encounter this problem with the whole pies, whose crusts are better protected from the high heat of the oven floor by a sheet pan (although the pan may rim the edge of your rectangular pie with char, which I dont mind in the least). One night, we had a black ring around our Pizza Don, this giant doormat of a pie covered in arugula, whose bitter personality is countered by the sweet woodsy perfume of fresh oregano.
Since Leonardo da Vincis death 500 years ago, his artwork and sketches have been studied around the world. His painting of the Mona Lisa, which sits in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, is probably the most famous painting in the world. Niccolai is proud that he was able to bring Leonardos inventions to life. He thinks Leonardo would be proud to see his work being passed on in this way.
Buttigieg is captured in profile as he is preparing to knot his tie. Its a preposterous position with his head turned to his right and his torso directly facing the camera as his hands try to make sense of a four-in-hand with its narrow stripes. Its all in service to the angles. Ah, the angles! With his head swiveled to the side, the viewers eyes go to his jawline, the straight line of his nose and the slight cleft in his chin. The lighting highlights a dusting of a beard. But there are no self-conscious or overly dramatic shadows. Everything thats happening is internal, which fits nicely with the idea of Buttigieg as the down-to-earth intellectual.
We certainly want to keep people safe, but, look, this is a bookstore, he said. We are not going to become an establishment where people feel like theyre walking into a prisonlike environment to go hear an author speak. That goes against our very grain, which is to exist as a place for people to gather and ultimately support free speech.
Buprenorphine treatment of the kind now established in three of the citys emergency rooms was supposed to have begun at United Medical Center  the Districts public hospital, and home to the citys busiest emergency room for overdose victims  almost two years ago, The Post reported. But D.C. officials never followed through on that earlier version of the plan.
It is unfortunate for us to be in 2019 and these types of incidents are still happening, Navarro said. In light of this, it is imperative that we continue our work to engage in education and outreach to sensitize our residents on the harmful effects of racism on the residents of our communities.
It was not immediately apparent to the students and a teacher in the class that a weapon had been discharged but there was a recognition of a loud noise occurring near a student who initially was not cooperative with officials, police said.
In the library, he was required to sit at a desk outside the main reading room. In the cafeteria, he had to sit at a designated table and eat at a different time from other students.
Melissa Harris, a doctoral student from Fresno, Calif., has focused on black family communication, police and surveillance in gentrifying areas. We know that with gentrification comes a greater police presence, which many residents, black and white, appreciate, Harris said. But it also leads to racial profiling by police. So how do parents discuss prohibitive spaces with their children? And how are children, who grew up with traditions of the neighborhood, affected by newcomers who dont understand and may even be threatened by some aspect of black culture?
Kravis said that was correct, adding that the government would show the judge redacted language in private for her review if ordered but that it should be withheld from the defense in the same manner that prosecutors withhold written memos that discuss their decision-making on whether to bring charges in a case or decide not to charge.
But her rival, Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince Georges), says he has the votes to win, from a minority of Democrats but also from Republicans, who hold about 30 percent of House seats. He said he will rely on support from both sides of the aisle in his quest to become the first African American House speaker in state history.
In recent years, McIntosh has shepherded legislation to ban questions about criminal history from job applications, co-sponsored the repeal of the death penalty and pushed a 2018 constitutional amendment that requires more money to be funneled to public schools. As House Speaker Michael E. Buschs health was failing this year, McIntosh stepped in to advance a bill requiring several hundred million dollars in school construction each year.
In a straw vote, the council unanimously approved the contracts Elrichs administration negotiated with the countys police and fire unions. But lawmakers balked at the proposed contract for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1994 Municipal and County Government Employees Organization (MCGEO), which included an additional 3.5 percent step increase for about 1,200 workers  intended to make up for an increase they did not get in 2011, when the county was recovering from the 2008 recession.
Qiu Yanpeng (C), chief director of "Joint Sea-2019" exercise from the Chinese side and deputy commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, delivers a speech at the welcome ceremony for Russian navy vessels in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 29, 2019. Russian naval vessels arrived in Qingdao on Monday to participate in the Sino-Russian "Joint Sea-2019" exercise. The exercise will focus on joint sea defense, which aims to consolidate and develop the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, deepen pragmatic naval cooperation, and improve their capabilities to jointly respond to security threats at sea. Two submarines, 13 surface ships, as well as fixed-wing airplanes, helicopters and marines, will participate in the exercise. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

QINGDAO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Russian naval vessels arrived in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on Monday to participate in the Sino-Russian "Joint Sea-2019" exercise.

After the Russian cruiser Varyag arrived, the military band of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy played the Russian and Chinese national anthems.

Qiu Yanpeng, chief director of the exercise from the Chinese side and deputy commander of the Chinese PLA Navy, said in his speech that the Chinese and Russian navies aim to achieve greater breakthroughs in the content, command and organization of the exercise to further deepen friendly cooperation between the two countries and the two armed forces.

Alexander Vitko, chief director of the exercise from the Russian side and deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, said he believed that with the exercise, officers and soldiers of both navies would improve their coordination with each other.

Set for April 29 to May 4 in nearby sea and airspace of Qingdao, the joint exercise will focus on joint sea defense, Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, said earlier.

The exercise aims to consolidate and develop the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, deepen pragmatic naval cooperation, and improve their capabilities to jointly respond to security threats at sea. The exercise does not target any third party, he said.

Two submarines, 13 surface ships, as well as fixed-wing airplanes, helicopters and marines, will participate in the exercise.

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She told the San Francisco Chronicle that amid her recovery, she had fantasized about the demise of her tumor, imagining that the mass of cells was gorging on her toxic chemotherapy treatment. It was really very perverse, she said. Here I am the undersecretary for arms control and national security, and Im basically using a chemical weapon and radiation. Chemical weapons? Im for them! Radiation? Im for that, too!
Ramos planned the attack  in which he barricaded the offices back doors and employed smoke grenades  in the midst of a long-standing grudge with the daily newspaper, prosecutors allege. Ramos began threatening the Gazette in letters and on social media after it published a column about him pleading guilty to harassing a former high school classmate through social media, police and prosecutors said.
That second issue is still to be decided by Moore in Charlottesville Circuit Court. Long after the Lee and Jackson statues were erected, the protection law was amended in 1997 to include cities, and Charlottesville says that it should not be applied retroactively. Lawyers have said privately that whichever side loses, the case will almost certainly be appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court, where the matter will ultimately be decided.
The Montgomery County police were called and helped investigate the use of the racist term, Principal Robert W. Dodd said in a letter to the school community. He said such behavior would not be tolerated at Whitman.
The victim, Barry Holmes, 57, lived in Landover and worked for Capitol Paving, based in Northeast Washington. His sister said he was shot while arguing with a man he had refused to let cross the road because of construction activity. It happened about 4:30 p.m.
Christianity was proslavery, said Yolanda Pierce, the dean of the divinity school at Howard University. So much of early American Christian identity is predicated on a proslavery theology. From the naming of the slave ships, to who sponsored some of these journeys including some churches, to the fact that so much of early American religious rhetoric is deeply intertwined . . . with slaveholding: It is proslavery. Some Christian institutions, notably Georgetown University in the District, are engaged in a reckoning about what it means that their past was rooted in slaveholding. But others have not confronted the topic. In a certain sense, weve never completely come to terms with that in this nation, Pierce said.
And the state is wrestling with how to tell the story of its complicated, diverse history. In the earliest days, free blacks sometimes lived alongside whites and participated in society, but that changed as the system of slavery hardened toward the end of the 1600s. Still, there were periods throughout history when some Virginians of African descent were able to win freedom, and many fought in the American Revolution and for the North in the Civil War.
Sharon Bulova, the boards outgoing chairman, said the fact that the county is able to make those additional investments while still giving county schools $2.3 billion and keeping the tax rate at $1.15 per $100 of assessed value shows that Fairfax is finally emerging from years of disappointing tax revenue that began with the 2008 recession.
The tree where Turner was hanged fell long ago. Francis puts the site in the yard of an old foursquare house on Bride Street in Courtland. A short distance away, around the corner on High Street, is the ditch where Turners torso was said to have been tossed after he was decapitated. Sure enough, Francis said, human remains have been found there. At some point, the county hopes to excavate. In the meantime, the spot is marked by tiny wire flags stuck in the weeds, the sort that might designate a property line or a cable route.
Information sought on missing Sellersville man and co-worker from Royersford
Officials identified the man as Mark Steven Domingo, 26, a recent convert to Islam who, they said, was seeking revenge for the March massacres at two New Zealand mosques that killed 50 people. The FBI had been tracking him for weeks, law enforcement said, and he had spoken to a confidential informant about other possible attacks against Jews, police officers and churches.
Details of Chinas long-term lunar plans are still sketchy, but its space agency has made significant steps toward exploration of the moon. This year, the Chinese successfully landed the unmanned Change-4 on the far side of the moon, and have also placed astronauts aboard two temporary space stations, Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2. Their space agency also plans to put a larger, more permanent station into orbit in the coming years.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has opened an investigation into the tax-exempt status of the organization, which is chartered in New York, though she has not specified what possible violations there might be. James has issued subpoenas as part of the investigation, and sent letters Friday telling the NRA, its charitable foundation and other affiliated organizations to preserve their financial records. James is focused on enforcing the rule of law, her office said Monday. In any case we pursue, we will follow the facts wherever they may lead. We wish the President would share our respect for the law.
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Vatican relaunches women's magazine team: The Vatican announced a new editorial leadership team for its women's magazine, after the exit of its previous editor, who alleged a campaign of delegitimization by the Holy See's communications operation. Lucetta Scaraffia claimed the editor of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano had tried to interfere in Women Church World and planned to take over as editor. Under Scaraffia, Women Church World ruffled Vatican feathers in 2018 and 2019 with articles denouncing sexual abuse of nuns by clergy.
I have never been part of you, but you have been part of my family for decades. I was 10 years old when my father decided to stop being a Democrat and instead become a Republican. From that point on, you were a frequent guest at our dinner table  and an unwelcome one to me. I wanted to talk about my science project on the human heart, or the mean girls at school who teased me for being too tall and for wearing glasses. Instead, much of the conversation was about how the government was taking too much out of peoples paychecks for taxes and how it was up to the Republicans to keep government from getting too big.
Ever the advocate of more government, Sanders proposed hiring hundreds of new immigration judges to help expedite immigration proceedings. Policies that stemmed the flow of illegal border crossings would obviously address the underlying problem and vitiate the need for all these judges. But, admitting there is a problem and offering at least some solution is progress  in February, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) toured the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry in California, along with three of his congressional colleagues, and declared, There is no crisis at the border.
For too long, many white Americans have avoided this conversation, and weve done so for a reason: We dont have to see the color white. Race scholars often argue that white privilege broadly means not needing to reflect on whiteness. White is the default setting, the assumed norm. A white American does not have to think about being white when walking down the street  while people marked as not-white are often noticed and surveilled. White people have the superpower of invisibility.
Like countless people across the country who selflessly put their spouses careers ahead of their own, military spouses will always face some additional employment challenges. Not only are their moves frequent, but also the military bases are often far from urban centers, where jobs are more plentiful. Numerous public and private programs already exist to help overcome some of these challenges. But state legislators can do even more good by eliminating the burdensome state occupational requirements that require military spouses to repeatedly acquire expensive and time-consuming licenses to work legally in their chosen professions.
As with many of my neighbors in the surrounding neighborhood, I was deeply saddened by the loss of life and suffering of the residents left injured and homeless. Now that the NTSB investigation is concluded, I hope the Maryland Public Service Commission, which regulates Washington Gas, will launch its own investigation into the companys role in this catastrophic explosion. The worry is that Washington Gas may have failed to maintain its equipment in a safe manner, and a commission investigation might help to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
The April 24 editorial on abortion legislation offered only one statistic to claim that polling is trending pro-choice and overlooked many other data points that suggest the opposite. In particular, the editorial completely sidestepped the data that shows growing and overwhelming support for ending second- and third-trimester abortions. According to Gallup, only a third of Americans support keeping abortion legal after the first trimester. A Marist poll found that 75 percent of Americans want abortion limited to the first trimester, at most, including nearly two-thirds of those who self-identify as pro-choice and as Democrats. And yet numerous states have recently made moves to legalize abortion until the moment before birth. Further, Democrats in Congress have consistently blocked bills to end abortion after 20 weeks, despite their popularity.
But what an odd selection as representative of Republican policy. In todays terms, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt were both progressives, similar to todays Democrats. To compare any of todays Republicans, since at least the 1970s, with them would be specious, erroneous and foolish. It denigrates the honor of both of them. The two parties have completely switched agendas in the century-plus since Roosevelt, most graphically during my lifetime. (Im 66.)
Like so many others, Rachael and I have had to fight with our insurer, which has issued outrageous denials instead of covering the benefits weve paid for, he said. We have so little time left together, and yet our system forces us to waste it dealing with bills and bureaucracy. That is why I am here today, urging you to build a more rational, fair, efficient and effective system.
Ive always thought that part of leadership, part of politics was listening to people, hearing them, making them feel comfortable, Biden told co-anchor Robin Roberts in an interview, which was recorded Monday. Its my responsibility to be more sensitive to whether or not someone wants me to reassure them or wants to say hello or wants to show affection toward. And thats my responsibility.
A senior Latin American official said opposition talks had been going on with Padrino and the other two for the last several weeks, and that the three had been promised retention in their current positions if they came out publicly in support of constitutional order that would allow Guaido to take power. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the fast-moving and confusing situation, said those involved in the negotiations had no initial explanation for what went wrong, and compared it to an aborted aid convoy earlier this year from Colombia to Venezuela that Guaido backers believed would lead to a nationwide uprising and Maduros departure.
The intensity of feelings about Trumps immigration agenda could be a liability for the president for his 2020 campaign. A 42 percent plurality of registered voters say Trumps handling of illegal immigration makes them more likely to oppose his reelection. An additional 34 percent say it makes them more likely to support him, while 22 percent say his handling of the issue is not a factor in their vote.
If you compare this to proclamations earlier in his presidency, this represents a lot more thought from people who understand the process operationally and regulatorily, Brown said. But she added that it was unclear whether Trump was seeking to expedite rule changes under the national emergency he invoked at the border in February or pursue the more traditional path of allowing public input on proposed rule changes, a process that could stretch well into next year.
Were going to do our job. Were going to walk right down this road step by step by step, she said. If they put up roadblocks, we have constitutional muscle, we have the rule of law that will allow us to get the information . . . and if that road takes us to impeachment, so be it.
In a statement, a lawyer for Prince said there is no new evidence here. Matthew L. Schwartz said: Erik Princes House testimony has been public for months, including at all times that Mr. Prince met with the Special Counsels Office. Mr. Prince cooperated completely with the Special Counsels investigation, as its report demonstrates. There is nothing new here for the Department of Justice to consider, nor is there any reason to question the Special Counsels decision to credit Mr. Prince and rely on him in drafting its report.
Instead, Trump and a dozen senior Democrats merrily debated infrastructure  a topic that has surfaced so often during Trumps presidency that Infrastructure Week has become a running joke in Washington. The two sides agreed to pursue a $2 trillion infrastructure package  although an official White House statement pointedly did not include that figure  and agreed to meet again in three weeks to continue the bipartisan bonhomie.
Well have to cross that bridge when we come to it, Bass said. I think it is critically important that we go through the entire process, in terms of hearings, having people come, and if they dont come, subpoenaing them, and if they dont do that, then taking them to court, and that we educate the public all the way. If we were to jump from the Mueller report into impeachment, I think it would be very confusing.
The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, Alaina Teplitz, said more attacks may be in the planning stages. We certainly have reason to believe that the active attack group has not been fully rendered inactive, Teplitz said in an interview with the Reuters news agency. We do believe that there is active planning underway.
Some, like Katitu, are still holding on to the possibility that the KDF will compensate them or help them in some way. Isaac Heri, who was a lieutenant in Kenyas special forces before he was dishonorably discharged for a violent outburst, said he did not want help; he just wanted the KDF to do better.
The people were also calling for a form of democracy, not necessarily on the Western model but something with much more consultation with the public, Jackson said, adding that the movement was founded on anger toward the ministers of the day. That kind of dissent against the government is obviously not possible now. So theyre just cherry picking the aspects of the movement that suit their own purposes.
Several top officials from Trumps 2016 campaign had business relationships with foreign individuals and groups that later became political liabilities. They included Parscales predecessor, Paul Manafort, who pleaded guilty to lobbying on behalf of the Ukrainian president without properly registering and to hiding money from the Internal Revenue Service. Michael Flynn, a foreign policy adviser for the campaign who went on to briefly serve as national security adviser, admitted to lying about his consulting firms business with the Turkish government. A company owned by the family of Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and adviser, engaged in talks with Chinas Anbang Insurance Group about a major redevelopment project in Manhattan during the campaign. The deal was scuttled after Kushners move to the White House.
From the Sun to distant planets to galaxy clusters and more. Images from our solar system and beyond.
Akihito is a much-loved figure in Japan. With his wife at his side, he humanized the role of the emperor, once viewed here as a living god, by reaching out to vulnerable members of society and victims of natural disasters and by looking ordinary people in the eye when talking to them.
Trump supporters and some White House officials, however, say that foreign leaders ignore Trumps outbursts at their peril. Aides said that the presidents tweets are aimed at his domestic audience and meant to give him leverage. Sometimes, he will poll those around him and ask how a particular line of attack might go over with a foreign leader, sizing up their strengths and weaknesses, current and former officials said.
Weve been very clear: Barr has to come. He has to testify. Its none of the business of a witness to try to dictate to a congressional committee what our procedures for questioning him are, Nadler said. Its not up to anybody from the executive branch to tell the legislative branch how to do our business.
Justice Department officials said Tuesday that they were taken aback by the tone of Muellers letter and that it came as a surprise to them that he had such concerns. Until they received the letter, they believed Mueller was in agreement with them on the process of reviewing the report and redacting certain types of information, a process that took several weeks. Barr has testified to Congress previously that Mueller declined the opportunity to review his four-page memo to lawmakers that distilled the essence of the special counsels findings.
Trump and leading Republican members of Congress have alleged that Obama administration officials abused that process to leak the names of Trump transition officials who were in communication with foreign officials. Defenders of the process say that unmasking only occurs under strict legal review and is not designed to be punitive or to target Americans, but rather to protect U.S. interests.
The regime is afraid of Lopez, which is why they have kept him under arrest, Farnsworth said. He is Guaidos patron and would be a key figure in a free Venezuela.  Springing him from arrest and engaging directly with the military will present the regime with a real dilemma: Let him remain free in defiance of the regime to rally popular support, or attempt to jail him again, which the people may very well resist.
Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Swiss Confederation President Ueli Maurer at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Swiss Confederation President Ueli Maurer at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.

Since establishing diplomatic ties nearly 70 years ago, China and Switzerland have always kept bilateral relations at the forefront of China-European relations, Xi said.

He stressed that the innovative strategic partnership between the two countries is the first of its kind between China and a foreign country, and that the China-Switzerland free trade agreement also took the lead among European countries.

"We shall make the joint building of the Belt and Road a new highlight for China-Switzerland cooperation," Xi added.

China will continue to create an open and fair business environment for foreign-funded enterprises including Swiss companies, Xi said.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will vigorously promote the growth and prosperity of the global economy, Maurer said, adding that Switzerland supports the BRI and is dedicated to pushing the joint construction of the Belt and Road in Europe.

Switzerland hopes to deepen cooperation with China in trade, investment and innovation under the BRI framework, and welcomes the investment of Chinese enterprises, he said, stressing that no restrictions will be imposed on Chinese firms.

Xi and Maurer attended a ceremony for the signing of cooperation documents after their talks.

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Property giant GPT has joined the exclusive club of Melbourne landlords earning millions of dollars in income from heritage building sites that have a nominal value of $1.

ASX-listed GPT has successfully disputed the City of Melbournes most recent valuation for the site of its 34-storey building at 100 Queen Street. The site is home to the ANZ World Headquarters as well as a clutch of Collins Street's most important historic buildings.

The heritage building at 100 Queen Street. Credit:Erin Jonasson

As a result, the landmark National Trust-listed property, which earns GPT an estimated annual income around $14 million, is worth a mere $2 - $1 for each of the two property titles that cover the block.

GPT would not comment when contacted by The Age and Herald.
Vodafone asked Huawei to remove backdoors in home internet routers in 2011 and received assurances from the supplier that the issues were fixed, but further testing revealed that the security vulnerabilities remained, the documents show. Vodafone also identified backdoors in parts of its fixed-access network known as optical service nodes, which are responsible for transporting internet traffic over optical fibers, and other parts called broadband network gateways, which handle subscriber authentication and access to the internet, the people said. The people asked not to be identified because the matter was confidential.

Europe's biggest phone company identified hidden backdoors in the software that could have given Huawei unauthorised access to the carrier's fixed-line network in Italy, a system that provides internet service to millions of homes and businesses, according to Vodafone's security briefing documents from 2009 and 2011 seen by Bloomberg, as well as people involved in the situation.

Now Vodafone has acknowledged to Bloomberg that it found vulnerabilities going back years with equipment supplied by Shenzhen-based Huawei for the carrier's Italian business. While Vodafone says the issues were resolved, the revelation may further damage the reputation of a major symbol of China's global technology prowess.

A backdoor, in cybersecurity terms, is a method of bypassing security controls to access a computer system or encrypted data. While backdoors can be common in some network equipment and software because developers create them to manage the gear, they can be exploited by attackers. In Vodafone's case, the risks included possible third-party access to a customer's personal computer and home network, according to the internal documents.

The Trump administration, arguing such end-runs around security in Huawei's equipment could invite espionage by the Chinese state, is trying to persuade Western allies to block the company from the next generation of mobile networks. Huawei has repeatedly denied that it creates backdoors and says it's not beholden to Beijing.

Huawei's ability to continue winning contracts from London-based Vodafone, despite the carrier's security concerns, underscores the challenge facing the US as it tries to hinder the world's top telecom equipment vendor and No. 2 supplier of smartphones. Huawei is vying against a stable of Western companies including Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB to roll out fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless networks.

Vodafone has defended Huawei against the US onslaught, which has placed Europe-Huawei's largest market outside China-in the middle of a trade battle between two superpowers. At stake is leadership in key areas, principally 5G technology that's designed to support the internet of things and new applications in industries spanning automotive, energy to healthcare. Vodafone Chief Executive Officer Nick Read has joined peers in publicly opposing any bans on Huawei from 5G rollouts, warning of higher costs and delays. The defiance shows that countries across Europe are willing to risk rankling the US in the name of 5G preparedness.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Vodafone said it found vulnerabilities with the routers in Italy in 2011 and worked with Huawei to resolve the issues that year. There was no evidence of any data being compromised, it said. The carrier also identified vulnerabilities with the Huawei-supplied broadband network gateways in Italy in 2012 and said those were resolved the same year. Vodafone also said it found records that showed vulnerabilities in several Huawei products related to optical service nodes. It didn't provide specific dates and said the issues were resolved. It said it couldn't find evidence of historical vulnerabilities in routers or broadband network gateways beyond Italy.
A wages scandal engulfing international beverage powerhouse Chatime has widened to its franchise network, with an internal audit exposing widespread underpayment of workers.

An audit of more than 20 stores in the franchise network last year found 86 per cent were underpaying workers. Other audits in late 2016 flagged potential systemic underpayment issues through the franchise network.

An investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age into the bubble tea operator found that head office had underpaid workers in its corporate stores as far back as 2009 by as much as $6 million. It revealed the Fair Work Ombudsman investigated the organisation and requested it repay $175,000 to underpaid workers. It said the investigation was ongoing.

Chatime is embroiled in underpayment issues. Credit:Simon Schluter

The wages rip-off within the franchise network, which makes up more than 90 of the 111 stores operating under the Chatime banner, brings the total owed to workers to more than $10 million.
One Nation's Queensland leader Steve Dickson has resigned from the party after he was caught making derogatory comments and groping a woman in undercover footage filmed in a Washington DC strip club.

Mr Dickson, a candidate for the Senate in Queensland, was forced from his position in the minor party after the footage aired on Nine's A Current Affair on Monday.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson hit out at the footage  captured in an Al Jazeera investigation that has embroiled her party  but said she was shocked and disappointed by Mr Dickson's "unacceptable" behaviour.

Mr Dickson, who is second on the party's Senate ticket for the May 18 election, was filmed groping a dancer and saying "white women f--- a whole lot better, they know what they are doing" while Asian women don't.
If you are the Liberal Party in NSW, you follow plan B and force him out. Jim Molan is a sitting Liberal senator. When he was a serving officer in the Australian Army, the US had such confidence in him that they put him in operational control of 300,000 troops. Of those, half were American soldiers, the rest coalition forces, including Australia's. Not on a parade ground, in a war. The US and Australian governments decorated him for his performance.

You happen to have one on your backbench. What do you do? Do you make sure to keep him in your ranks? Or do you allow factional hacks to cut deals to look after their mates and force out the qualified expert?

It doesn't matter what your view of that war. In my view, the decision by US President George W. Bush to invade Iraq was a terrible choice, one Australia should not have followed. But Major General Jim Molan was a serving soldier and was given a job. He carried it out with great competence as chief of coalition operations for a year in 2004. No Australian since at least World War Two has been entrusted with operational control of so many US forces.

And Molan hasn't only proved effective with big-picture strategy. He has proved himself in the most delicate of military diplomacy. For instance, he was sent to organise the evacuation of 150 UN personnel from East Timor amidst the bloodshed unleashed after that Indonesian province voted for independence in 1999. Marauding militia gangs had murdered in cold blood seven nuns, a priest and a driver the night before in the town of Baucau and the UN decided it needed to get its people out urgently. Molan, in Australian military uniform and armed only with radios, stood alone on an airstrip at Baucau coordinating the evacuation by Australian Air Force Hercules and choppers. The militia were in control of the airport, armed and present.

Molan, an Indonesia specialist who still speaks the language, negotiated with the militia the safe evacuation first of the UN contingent's children, then the adults. He also managed to negotiate to save the life of Bishop Carlos Belo, an East Timorese Nobel peace laureate who had opposed Indonesia's colonisation of East Timor. He was a special target of the Indonesian-sponsored militia. Molan got him out safely.

The Abbott government called on Molan to help figure out how to deliver its much-ballyhooed policy to "stop the boats" of asylum seekers. The new government had a promise but no strategy to fulfil it. Molan worked with the then immigration minister, Scott Morrison, to develop the plan that became known as Operation Sovereign Borders. It was so successful that Labor eventually adopted all its main elements, and it is now the bipartisan position of the country to maintain it.
Fortescue Metals Group will re-route its proposed 120-kilometre railway in northern Western Australia around sacred heritage sites, but it's not thanks to the Indigenous heritage protection system.

To protect Spear Hill in the Pilbara, near Karijini National Park, the East Guruma people have tried appealing to the state's Indigenous heritage protection committee, Indigenous Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt, the federal Environment Minister, and even the Supreme Court.

Part of the Spear Hill area.

But after all these strategies failed, it was the Environmental Protection Authority that finally secured a solution in which FMG will re-route around sacred rock art and dancing grounds.

Spear Hill, near Karijini National Park, is the subject of a dreamtime creation story about the importance of gathering and sharing resources, one of the few stories in the region to survive the upheaval in the local culture over the past 150 years, and still taught to young men as they 'go through the law'.
Warning: This story contains images that may distress some readers.

A woman has been charged for allegedly trying to blackmail grieving parents over a missing mobile phone as they said goodbye to their dying 11-month-old daughter in a Melbourne hospital.

Malaysian woman, Siti Nurhidayah Kamal, 24, allegedly claimed to have a lost mobile phone belonging to Jay and Dee Windross that held irreplaceable photos of their dying daughter Amiyah.

Ms Kamal, who is a mother herself, allegedly demanded $1000 in exchange for the phone.
A DNA profile and a fingerprint would usually be enough to catch a killer, but in the case of Tracy Connelly, they haven't led to the person who murdered her on a cold winter's night.

The investigation went international with the testing of two backpackers in France and Interpol being called in. Still, the clues left by the killer are yet to find their match.

Ms Connelly was a sex worker in St Kilda when she was stabbed to death in a white Ford Econovan parked in Greeves Street between 1.15am and 2.28am on Sunday, July 21, 2013.

The 40-year-old lived, and worked from, the van with her boyfriend of 19 years, Tony Melissovas.
A Perth bouncer is accused of breaking a teenager's jaw in a violent nightclub attack early Sunday morning.

Nine News Perth reporter Jerrie Demasi said the 48-year-old man put Mitchell Clarke, 19, in a headlock while kicking him out of Coconut Grove bar in Northbridge around 1am.

The bouncer was charged following the alleged assault. (File picture)

"The force of that headlock was so intense the teenager's jaw was allegedly broken in three places and eight of his teeth were shattered," she said.

"Perth detectives say the teenager was not intoxicated and they're still unsure as to why the bouncer decided to kick him out in the first place."
A stalwart building outlet in Perth's northern suburbs will close due to a decline in sales over the past year, with many builders choosing to go online for product rather than transporting product themselves.

Midland Brick in Osborne Park is set to close in the next week after the store was sold about six months ago.

Midland Brick Osborne Park. Credit:Google Maps

Midland Brick sales and marketing general manager Tom Guthrie said the decision to sell off the location was due to a number of reasons, but said there had been a distinct move by Midland Brick customers to the company's online store.

"There had been a steady decline in sales in the store, whcih was accelerated over the last 12 months," he said.
A western suburbs dognapper - charged after the pet's distraught owners offered a $20,000 reward - has made a backhanded apology after confessing to stealing the puppy.

Mark James Dunks, 39, on Tuesday admitted in Perth Magistrate's Court to stealing 10-week-old spoodle, Teddy, from his owner's Swanbourne backyard in March after he was captured on CCTV carrying the dog out of the property.

A campaign to get Teddy back to his owners resulted in a tip-off one week after he went missing, leading to Dunks' and a house in Armadale, where the puppy was found.

Despite Dunks lawyer telling a Magistrate his client was apologetic, Dunks was unable to say sorry to the owners, or offer any insight into why he took the dog to reporters outside court.
Mourners are fundraising for the body of Amy Parsons, 35, to be returned to her family in Melbourne after she was allegedly murdered by her fiance at their London flat.

She was found dead by police in the fifth floor flat she shared with Roderick Deakin-White at Whitechapel in east London on Friday at 1.30pm local time after a call over concerns for her welfare.

Amy Parsons from Melbourne and Roderick Deakin-White Credit:Facebook

Mr Deakin-White, 37, was arrested on suspicion of murder the same day and was charged on Sunday.

He faced Thames Magistrates Court on Monday and the case was adjourned to the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a bail hearing, The Australian reports.
Washington: The Trump administration is pushing to issue an order that would designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organisation, bringing the weight of US sanctions against a storied and influential Islamist political movement with millions of members across the Middle East, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The White House directed national security and diplomatic officials to find a way to place sanctions on the group after a White House visit on April 9 by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, for whom the Brotherhood represents a source of political opposition. In a private meeting without reporters and photographers, Sisi urged President Donald Trump to take that step and join Egypt in branding the movement a terrorist organisation.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pressed Donald Trump to designate the Muslim Brotherhood, a political opponent, a terrorist organisation. Credit:AP

Such a designation imposes wide-ranging economic and travel sanctions on companies and individuals who interact with the targeted group. The President responded affirmatively to Sisi, saying it would make sense. Some of Trump's advisers have interpreted that as a commitment, officials said.

But the proposal has prompted fierce debate within the administration, including at a senior-level meeting of policymakers from various departments convened last week by the White House's National Security Council, the officials said.
Wellington: New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister has criticised suggestions Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bombings were retaliation for the Christchurch mosque shootings, saying his country is being "misused".

Sri Lankan Deputy Minister for Defence Ruwan Wijewardene last week said early investigations had revealed the bombing of churches and hotels that killed 253 people had been in revenge for shootings at two New Zealand mosques on March 15, which killed 50.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters. Credit:AP

But New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Tuesday reiterated his government had seen no evidence of a link.

He said expert advice suggested the Sri Lankan bombings would have been planned well before the Christchurch terror attack.
By: Capitol News Service

April 30, 2019

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CNS) -- With a vote of 73-39, the Florida House approved and sent to Governor Ron DeSantis a massive education bill revamping teacher bonuses and instituting a new voucher program for 18,000 low income students.

Co-Sponsor Chris Latvala of Clearwater says data shows scholarship students out perform their public school peers.

Scholarship students were 11 to 20 percent more likely than public school students to earn a bachelors degree. Those who were on the scholarship for at least four years were 45 percent more likely to get a degree, said Latvala.

Democrats tried but failed to require private schools to meet the same standards as public schools

If were gonna do this, if were going to require our public schools to hold themselves to a level of accountability, then why cant we do the same on the other side, said Rep. Nicholas Duran.
BRIDGEPORT  Being a cop is no picnic.

The current strain of public animosity toward police officers is much like it was in the turbulent 1960s.

Videos routinely run on network news showing officers beating unarmed suspects  although most of the many thousands of officers across the country respect and uphold the nations laws.

So there they were Monday morning, bright-eyed and standing tall, 26 new recruits  including seven women  being sworn in at the citys police academy.

This is an honorable profession, dont ever forget that, Police Chief Armando Perez told the recruits. We exist to serve and protect society.

Anyone who violates that standard, the chief said, he will run out of the Police Department.

Being a police officer is a tall order, but I know you wouldnt be here if you werent cut out for it, Mayor Joseph Ganim told them before administering the oath.

The city has not been an exception to the controversies involving police around the country.

Still fresh in many residents minds is the May 9, 2017, shooting of unarmed 15-year-old Jayson Negron by a police officer. And there was incident in which 17 police officers were cited for lying and using excessive force to break up a party in October 2017  much of it caught on video.

Training for todays police officers has changed to adapt to the problems now being faced by officers.

Police Capt. Rebecca Garcia, the head of the police academy, said among the new training programs recently implemented are de-escalation training for recruits and more programs aimed at forging a bridge between officers and the community.

We want our officers to get acquainted with the people in the community and build a trust in the community, Garcia said. If you dont have a relationship with the community, then the community cant trust you, and thats where problems occur.

Garcia said the citys police academy is the first in the state to start an officer wellness class. She said the six-week, two-hour class teaches new officers to stay healthy both in mind and spirit.

While in the past there have been confrontations over the growing number of citizens video-recording police activity, Garcia said they are now instructing new officers to accept the fact that they could be photographed or video recorded at any time.

We tell our officers that its all about character and they shouldnt do anything out of character whether they are on video or not, Garcia said.

With the new class of recruits, Perez said he is getting closer to his goal of having a 400-member police force.

The academy course is seven months.

When this class is over, I want to get another one, the chief said.
WESTPORT  Against the backdrop of one of Connecticuts structurally deficient bridges, Westports delegation pushed tolls as the best solution to the states infrastructure woes.

Not only is this an opportunity to rebuild Connecticuts economy, to make sure that our drivers are safe as they travel to and from work, but its also an opportunity to tap into the our-of-state revenue that passes through our roads every year, state Sen. Will Haskell said Thursday during a news conference at the Westport Weston Family YMCA.

Just a stones throw away from the building stands the 80-year-old bridge that carries Merritt Parkway drivers over the Saugatuck River, one of over 300 bridges in the state recently deemed structurally deficient by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

Other bridges throughout the state are over 100 years old, state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg said. Theyre miracles that theyre still standing.

The Westport bridge is currently undergoing a $9.6 million reconstruction, but the cost to restore all of Connecticuts transportation infrastructure is in the billions. Begging the question: Who will pay for it?

Both Steinberg and Haskell are behind an proposal in Hartford to install tolls on state highways, its revenue then used to fund infrastructure improvements. The plan includes discounts for Connecticut drivers.

Ive seen spreadsheets that go pages and pages from DOT (Department of Transportation) of things they just cant get to because the money isnt there. The reason why its so pertinent today is that we have dithered as a legislature for several years now in terms of coming up with an effective solution for what is needed in terms of a significant infrastructure investment, Steinberg said, adding safe travel is essential to the states economic vitality.

Meanwhile, Haskell said incorporating tolls would put Connecticut on a level playing field with neighboring states.

Connecticut drivers arent getting a fair deal, he said. We are the only state between Maine and North Carolina that is not asking out-of-state drivers to contribute to the upkeep of our roads.

People living within 10 miles of a certain gantry shouldnt have to pay a toll on that gantry, Haskell added, describing a provision he wants to add to the proposal.

We can do this in a way thats fair, in a way thats safe, he said.

Revenue gathered from tolls could also result in hundreds of construction jobs for years, Steinberg said.

Im sure DOT is doing everything they can to make sure that were not at risk at any given moment ... but the longer we wait to fix bridges like this all over the state of Connecticut, the greater at risk as we all are, he said.

Includes reporting by Sophie Vaughan.

lteixeira@ctpost.com
STAMFORD  Westover Magnet Elementary School is closing early today due to a water main break near 1 Elmcroft Road.

The break is impacting the water at Westover, and the school will close for an emergency early release at 12:20, Stamford Public Schools Public Affairs Officer Sharon Beadle told the Stamford Advocate around 10:45 Tuesday morning.
MERIDEN  A local man faces charges after police said he was found with a loaded handgun with a high capacity magazine on Monday.

The arrest came after a tip that Zaire Kindle, 23, of 59 Springdale Ave., might have a connection to a recent spike in gun violence, according to a police report. Kindle hasnt been charged in any of the incidents. Police spokesman Sgt. Christopher Fry wouldnt comment on whether he is a suspect in any of those investigations.

This is an example of someone in the community taking a proactive measure, trying to help us combat this rise of gun violence, Fry said.

Kindle was charged Monday with criminal weapon possession, not having a pistol permit, possession of a high capacity magazine, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

Police were told Kindle carried a handgun in a fanny pack, the report said. On Monday, police saw Kindle get into a pickup truck wearing the fanny pack. When police approached the truck at a Broad Street gas station, Kindle threw the fanny pack into the back seat, at which point officers drew their weapons and ordered Kindle to keep his hands up, the report said.

Officers removed Kindle from the truck and handcuffed him. Inside the fanny pack they found a Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine, with eight rounds loaded, the report said. The magazine had a capacity of 13 rounds. Police also found 1.5 ounces of marijuana.

Kindle told police he was in possession of the handgun for at least two months, the report said. He is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms.

Fry said Tuesday that investigations into recent incidents of gun violence are ongoing and declined to comment further. Police have received reports of seven incidents of shootings or confirmed reports of gunshots this year, including a homicide in January.

On Feb. 25, one person was shot on North Colony Road and on April 8 two men were shot on Grove Street. On April 19, a man was shot on South First Street and on April 20 police found evidence of gunshots on Springdale Avenue, including damage to a car and a building.

Police also received calls of gunshots late Friday night at City Tavern on Broad Street and early Saturday near Springdale Avenue. No one was injured in either incident.

Kindle was arraigned in Meriden Superior Court on Tuesday. According to statements in court, he was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon in 2017 and interfering with police in 2016. He was also convicted in Pennsylvania for trespass and terroristic threats, the bail commissioner said. The judge set bond at $350,000.

lsellew@record-journal.com

203-317-2225

Twitter: @LaurenSellewRJ
BERLIN  Some local residents say the recent culling of maple trees along Worthington Ridge by Eversource Energy has negatively impacted the character of the neighborhood.

Theyve cut down all these trees and trimmed some others, said Arthur Powers, a Worthington Ridge resident, adding that a number of neighbors have contacted him about the tree removal. Its more like stump ridge than Worthington Ridge.

He estimated that around 20 trees had been removed, many large maples planted after a 1938 hurricane decimated trees in the area.

Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross said the company returns to neighborhoods every four years to evaluate trees, removing or trimming those that pose a threat to power lines. This year, the company is investing $83 million in tree work across the state, with contractors working year round.

Trees are still the number one cause of outages, he said. We also understand our customers love their trees. Its about maintaining a balance.

While he feels not all the trees needed to be culled, Powers lauded Eversource for getting permission from landowners and added that he cant blame the company for trying to prevent power outages. With the trees gone, Powers said the issue is now the stumps.

Public Works Director Mike Ahern said the town isnt responsible for removing stumps on stretches of land between the sidewalk and road, and Gross said its the responsibility of landowners to remove them.

Weve got a mess there thats got to be cleaned up, Powers said.

dleithyessian@record-journal.com

203-317-2317

Twitter: @leith_yessian
Staff members load a transport cage containing Ding Ding, the female panda born in 2017, into a lorry at the Bifengxia base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 29, 2019. Chinese researchers held a send-off ceremony for a pair of giant pandas who are to depart for Moscow on Monday for a 15-year collaborative research. Ru Yi, the male panda born in 2016, and Ding Ding, the female panda born in 2017, are scheduled to board a flight at 1:45 p.m. in Chengdu and arrive in Moscow at 10:00 p.m. Beijing Time the same day, the panda research base in southwest China's Sichuan Province said. (Xinhua/Xue Yubin)

CHENGDU, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers held a send-off ceremony for a pair of giant pandas who are to depart for Moscow on Monday for a 15-year collaborative research.

Ru Yi, the male panda born in 2016, and Ding Ding, the female panda born in 2017, are scheduled to board a flight at 1:45 p.m. in Chengdu and arrive in Moscow at 10:00 p.m. Beijing Time the same day, the panda research base in southwest China's Sichuan Province said.

Li Shuming, deputy director of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, presided over the ceremony at the Bifengxia base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP). Svetlana Akulova, head of the Moscow Zoo, also attended the ceremony.

Staff at the center prepared buns, bamboo sprouts and baby formulas for the pandas in the journey. Caretaker Wang Pingfeng and veterinarian He Ming will travel with the pandas to Russia.

"My job is to keep them calm in case of any stress symptoms. We will make sure they are accustomed to their new life in Moscow," said Wang.

"Ru Yi is outgoing and vivacious, but Ding Ding is quiet. We have carried out quarantine and health checks for them. They are in good shape," said He Ming.

The pair of giant pandas will live in the Moscow Zoo for 15 years, according to the research project.

On February 28, the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Moscow Zoo signed an agreement on the protection and research cooperation of giant pandas.

The Moscow Zoo sent full-time keepers and veterinarians to China in advance to learn about the breeding and medical care of giant pandas.

10

1

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
On spending and taxes, Democratic legislators took their lead Tuesday from the more moderate fiscal positions of Gov. Ned Lamont, less a surrender to the governor than a postponement of a debate still to come.

The legislatures Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee gutted a bill to boost income taxes on Connecticuts wealthiest, siding with Lamont over progressive lawmakers. The new measure makes no change in tax rates, mandating only a study of the capital gains income of the states top earners.

The action in finance came as Democrats on the Appropriations Committee were explaining why tens of millions of dollars in proposed spending increases were being scrapped. The goal, sources said, was to bring spending proposals for each of the next two fiscal years in line with the total amounts the Democratic governor offered in February.

Democrats control the General Assembly with solid majorities, but the House and Senate caucuses have yet to solidify behind the fiscal moderation of a Democratic governor intent on improving the states fiscal and economic standing or the progressives frustrated by years of relative austerity.

The tax and spending packages to be adopted by the finance and appropriation panels are widely seen as the starting point for negotiations with the Lamont administration.

Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, and Rep. Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, co-chairs of the finance panel, insisted the capital gains surcharge proposal hasnt been abandoned.

Once the finance and appropriations panels complete their recommendations this week, legislative leaders and the Lamont administration still must negotiate a final budget plan for the upcoming biennium.

Progressive Democrats, particularly in the House, have been pushing for a capital gains surcharge to counter what they argued were too many tax hikes aimed primarily at low- and middle-income households.

Fonfara and Rojas had raised a bill two weeks ago that would have added 2 percentage points only to income from capital gains by single filers earning more than $500,000 annually and to couples topping $1 million.

Though fiscal analysts had not projected a specific revenue gain, legislative leaders said preliminary estimates held the tax would bring in at least $200 million per year.

Lamont, who has insisted Connecticut not increase income tax rates, still is trying to close projected deficits of $1.7 billion in the upcoming fiscal year and $2 billion in 2020-2.

The new governors solution relies heavily on increasing revenues by eliminating sales tax exemptions and imposing new or increased sin taxes on sugary drinks, plastic bags and vaping products.

These taxes are seen as more regressive. The administration has countered that while its plan is not as sensitive to wealth disparities as an income tax hike would be, it does have progressive elements.

Lamont has called the capital gains measure a really bad idea, and has cautioned repeatedly that he fears such a measure would drive wealthy taxpayers from the state.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we have a lot of work to do as negotiations continue, Lamont said in a statement released Tuesday. I look forward to having more important conversations with my colleagues in the General Assembly in order to craft a final and honest budget which helps Connecticut grow good paying jobs, demonstrates that state government can live within its means and prepares our kids from Danbury to Danielson for a brighter economic future.

Republicans, who lost seats in the last election and hold minorities in the House and Senate, largely have been silent on how to close the projected deficit.

Meanwhile, the Appropriations Committee met Tuesday and the Democrat-controlled panel adopted spending proposals for each of the next two fiscal years in a party-line vote. Committee leaders proposed a $43.3 billion biennial plan that strays very little from Lamonts recommended bottom line.

But, like their counterparts on finance, leaders said they expect discussions to continue on progressive Democrats proposals to spend tens of millions more on health care, social services, education and municipal aid.

Rep. Toni E. Walker, D-New Haven, co-chair of the Appropriations Committee, cast the panels willingness to stay closer to the governors proposal, at least as a starting point, as a gesture to a new administration.

The budget echoes Lamonts plan to replace a major, scheduled tax cut for hospitals with a modest tax hike. Even though the tax is a revenue item, it also triggers state payments back to hospitals, and the Appropriations Committee plan matches Lamonts proposed spending in this area.

It remained unclear whether legislators will back Lamonts plan to bill cities and towns for a portion of teacher pension costs. Sources initially said Democrats would back the bill, but Appropriations Committee leaders said the legislatures position ultimately would be decided later this week by the finance committee.

Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton, a ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, said shell oppose any plan to have cities and towns contribute to the teacher pension costs as long as the cities and towns have absolutely no say in how the pension rates are set. Lavielle, the ranking House Republican on the committee, said the Democratic spending plan has too many uncertainties.

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities said the proposal would be the largest unfunded state mandate in recently memory because it shifts the financial burden to property taxpayers, and does not provide towns with control over teacher contracts.

The committee plan boosts spending 1.9 percent next fiscal year, which nearly matches the 1.7 percent bump Lamont proposed.
NEW YORK - Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily on Tuesday:

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK - Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily on Tuesday:

Alphabet Inc., down $97.24 to $1,198.96

Google's parent company reported a slowdown in advertising revenue growth during the first quarter.

General Electric Co., up 44 cents to $10.17

The industrial conglomerate surprised investors with solid first quarter profit and revenue results.

Trex Co., down $7.26 to $69.27

The maker of fences and deck products reported weak first quarter profit and cited manufacturing problems and higher costs.

Eli Lilly & Co., down $2.56 to $117.04

The pharmaceutical company cut its revenue forecast for the year as its faces drug price declines and more generic competition for its drugs.

WageWorks Inc., up $5.73 to $48.79

HealthEquity Inc. is offering to buy the employee benefits administrator for an undisclosed amount.

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General Motors Inc., down $1.06 to $38.95

The automaker reported a surprise drop in sales during the first quarter.

Cognex Corp., down $3.27 to $ 50.43

The maker of machines for automated manufacturing warned investors about slower growth ahead in 2019.

Texas Roadhouse Inc., down $7.08 to $54.01

The restaurant chain's first-quarter profit and revenue fell short of Wall Street forecasts.
CHICAGO  In a dramatic and tense news conference, his first since two deadly crashes of 737 Max airplanes, Boeing chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg faced sharp questioning but refused to admit flaws in the design of the airplanes systems.

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CHICAGO  In a dramatic and tense news conference, his first since two deadly crashes of 737 Max airplanes, Boeing chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg faced sharp questioning but refused to admit flaws in the design of the airplanes systems.

"We have gone back and confirmed again, as we do the safety analysis, the engineering analysis, that we followed exactly the steps in our design and certification processes that consistently produce safe airplanes," he said.

In the case of the Max, those processes certified as safe a new flight-control system that was triggered on both the Lion Air and Ethiopian crash flights by a single faulty sensor and then engaged repeatedly to push the nose of each airplane down. Boeing is currently flight-testing a software redesign of this system  Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).

Yet Muilenburg would not concede that there was anything wrong with the original MCAS design, saying only that the system is being "improved" with the software redesign.

He said airplane accidents are typically due to "a chain of events," and that "its not correct to attribute that to any single item."

At the brief news conference following Boeings annual shareholder meeting at Chicagos Field Museum, Muilenburg faced one question after another about flaws in MCAS but repeatedly declined to admit that it was badly designed.

His statements hewed closely to the line he followed on an earnings teleconference last Wednesday, when he said the Max crashes were not due to any "technical slip" by Boeing during the jets design or certification.

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He took questions for less than 15 minutes. Finally, after parrying a question about whether he had thought about resigning and a final question about blame for MCAS, Muilenburg walked out grim-faced.

As he strode briskly from the room, many reporters had not been called upon. One of those shouted after him: "346 people died. Can you answer some questions?"

Boeings proposed software fix for MCAS ensures the system takes input from two sensors, not one. It will activate only once, not multiple times, if the sensor reading remains stuck at a high value. And the power of the system will be limited, so that the pilot can always pull back on the control column with enough force to counteract any automatic nose-down movement.

Outside the museum, a small band of relatives of people who died on the Ethiopian Airlines plane protested in the pouring rain. One sign called for the prosecution of Boeing and its executives for manslaughter.

Tarek Milleron, the uncle of 23-year-old Samya Stumo, who was among those killed, said Boeings leadership "should open up on the chain of events that led to these accidents."

 Seattle Times
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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Westman Journal has been shuttered.

An independent weekly newspaper founded in 2002, the company was purchased in 2004 by Glacier Media, which has owned the publication ever since.

In a brief written statement posted to its website, the Westman Journal (once known as the Wheat City Journal) noted that while it has enjoyed reader support, its "business model relies entirely on advertising. General business decline has made it impossible to justify keeping the operation open."

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It went on to cite the reach of massive U.S.-based companies like Google and Facebook in netting the majority of digital advertising revenue.

"It is disappointing that these huge non-Canadian companies, which invest nothing whatsoever in local journalism, make it impossible for us to maintain our local news source even in a digital form."

Thanking its readers and customers for support over the past 17 years, it closed the statement by urging "Brandonites and others to think local when it comes to their media and marketing choices in the future."

In other small-town paper news, the Warroad Pioneer, a 120-year-old weekly paper serving the 1,800 residents of Warroad, Minn., will cease publication on May 7, its publisher announced last week.

And the Crookston (Minn.) Times, which has been published since 1885, will transition from a Monday-through-Friday printed product to a twice-weekly publication starting on May 6.

 Brandon Sun
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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CN Rail President and CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest speaks during a business luncheon in Montreal, Thursday, April 25, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - The head of Canada's largest railway says ferrying crude remains a lucrative, albeit temporary solution to Canada's pipeline quandary.

"The role of the rail industry is a recent role and probably a temporary role. Were not here to replace pipelines; were here to be a compliment for a period of time," Canadian National Railway Co. chief executive Jean-Jacques Ruest told The Canadian Press in an interview.

"We're in a position to be a bridge, if you will, between now and the time that pipelines are being built. We could be a bridge for the next year, two years or three years."

CN Rail ramped up capacity with more track, crews and locomotives, Ruest said, only to see volumes fall this year from record highs last autumn after Alberta lowered the oil production cap to free up export pipeline space and boost the price of Western Canadian Select amid an oil glut.

Attempts to build or expand pipelines have faltered the last few years, leaving railways to pick up the slack. Major projects such as the Northern Gateway and Energy East pipelines were cancelled, and delays continue to snarl the Trans Mountain expansion, Line 3 replacement and Keystone XL pipeline.

Meanwhile CN Rail and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. shipped 23 per cent more oil and petroleum in 2018, according to the Association of American Railways. Crude-by-rail exports hit a record 327,229 barrels per day in October, a 58 per cent year-over-year increase, according to the National Energy Board.

CN's crude-by-rail exports to the U.S. are currently down 40 per cent from December to about 150,000 barrels per day, Ruest said. But year-over-year revenue from petroleum and chemicals still rose 25 per cent last quarter.

"Our assumption at this point is that if the spread goes back to about $15 or higher, then the crude-by-rail business between Alberta and the United States will start to pick up again."

Ruest declined to comment on whether he'd been in contact with Alberta's United Conservative Party, which formed government for the first time after Premier Jason Kenney and his cabinet were sworn in Tuesday.

"Theyre well-positioned to take action, whichever way they want to go," Ruest said a few hours later, after CN's annual general meeting in Montreal. "Time will tell."

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In March, Kenney said a United Conservative government would try to cancel Albertas $3.7-billion deal with CN and CP to ship more oil by rail, calling the plan "a catastrophic mistake by the NDP."

Ruest said private sector producers would likely be ready to pump oil into any void left on the railroad by a potential contract withdrawal or revision by Kenney.

Analyst Cameron Doerksen of National Bank Financial said crude has proven volatile for the railroads due in part to yo-yoing pricing spreads.

"Theyre not dependent on crude-by-rail, but they have the available capacity to participate if there is demand and can make good money off of it," Doerksen said.

"I think its probably the case that theres going to be a rebound in the crude-by-rail volumes, versus what weve seen the last couple months, for the remainder of the year."

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR, TSX:CP)
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's Senate approved a labour law overhaul Monday night aimed at ensuring workers can freely vote for their union representation and contracts.

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This article was published 29/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MEXICO CITY - Mexico's Senate approved a labour law overhaul Monday night aimed at ensuring workers can freely vote for their union representation and contracts.

The new law requires secret-ballot union votes and proof of workers' consent for contracts. The changes are needed to win approval of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which was negotiated to replace the old NAFTA accord.

U.S. and Canadian legislators, angered that Mexico has lured auto manufacturing plants with low salaries, have demanded Mexico change labour laws that encouraged wages as low as $1 or $2 per hour at some plants.

Labour Secretary Maria Luisa Alcalde called it "a historic vote," saying that "Congress has voted in favour of freedom and union democracy."

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Mexico's labour movement has long been stymied, and wages kept low, by pro-government unions that sign contracts and organize plants behind workers' backs.

Because a lack of transparency, companies were often able to sign contracts with compliant union representatives before they ever even opened plants in Mexico. Unions were often so absent that many workers were unaware they even had a union at their plant. Votes were often held by a show of hands, in sight of union enforcers, or workers weren't invited to vote at all.

Old-guard union leaders were often active members of the old ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, and the government allowed their leaders to stay in office for decades with little oversight or scrutiny.

The new law transfers the resolution of disputes over contracts and union representation to special courts.

Since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office Dec. 1, labour unions already have staged a wave of strikes and formed new federations to take advantage of the greater freedom.

The bill now goes to the president to be signed into law.
Americans paid more for some General Motors vehicles in the first quarter, but overall sales declined and the automaker's results fell short of expectations.

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FILE- This Jan. 16, 2019, photo shows a Cadillac ATS V in Detroit. General Motors Co. reports financial results Tuesday, April 30. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Americans paid more for some General Motors vehicles in the first quarter, but overall sales declined and the automaker's results fell short of expectations.

GM delivered more than 665,000 vehicles in the U.S. with the highest average prices for any first quarter in its history. Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty trucks rose 20% year from a year ago, priced nearly $5,800 higher than models they replaced.

But overall vehicle sales in the U.S. dropped. In North America, sales fell to 775,000 vehicles from 827,000 vehicles. In the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region, vehicle sales declined to 947,000 from 1.1 billion.

GM has been attacked by President Donald Trump, who sent off a series of tweets last month condemning the automaker for shutting its small-car factory in Lordstown, Ohio, east of Cleveland. Trump demanded that GM reopen the plant or sell it, criticized the local union leader and expressed frustration with CEO Mary Barra.

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GM did announce plans to add 400 jobs and build a new electric vehicle at a factory north of Detroit. It's also announced plans to spend about another $1.4 billion at U.S. factories but has not released a time frame or details. In addition, GM said Tuesday that it is adding a second shift and more than 400 new jobs at its Bowling Green, Kentucky plant to support production of the next-generation Corvette.

In November, GM announced plans to shut the four U.S. factories and one in Canada. That will cost about 3,300 workers in the U.S. their jobs, as well as 2,600 in Canada. Another 8,000 white-collar workers have been targeted for layoffs. The company said cuts are necessary to stay financially healthy as GM faces large capital expenditures as it shifts to electric and autonomous vehicles.

For the three months ended March 31, GM earned $2.12 billion, or $1.48 per share. A year earlier it earned $1.03 billion, or 72 cents per share.

Removing certain items, earnings were $1.41 per share. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $1.69 per share.

Revenue fell to $34.88 billion from $36.1 billion. Wall Street expected $35.22 billion in revenue.

Shares of General Motors Co. dropped 2.8 per cent before the market opened.
OTTAWA - The head of LNG Canada says Ottawa's trade and diplomatic frictions with Beijing "do not play out" at all in the massive project that will one day ship liquefied natural gas from British Columbia to major Asian economies  including China.

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OTTAWA - The head of LNG Canada says Ottawa's trade and diplomatic frictions with Beijing "do not play out" at all in the massive project that will one day ship liquefied natural gas from British Columbia to major Asian economies  including China.

PetroChina, a state-controlled Chinese energy giant, owns a 15-per-cent stake in the $40-billion project, a Royal Dutch Shell-led joint venture that includes other Asian partners. The project includes an export facility in Kitimat, B.C.

LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz applauds after a final investment declaration was signed by LNG Canada joint venture participants to build an LNG export facility in Kitimat, during a news conference in Vancouver on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The head of LNG Canada says Ottawa's trade and diplomatic frictions with Beijing have had no impact on the massive project that will one day ship liquefied natural gas from British Columbia to major Asian economies a including China. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

In an interview Tuesday, LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz told The Canadian Press the deepening feud between Canada and China has never been raised at any of LNG Canada's executive committee meetings.

"The current tensions between China and Canada do not play out in our project at all," Calitz said in Ottawa after meeting with federal cabinet ministers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "PetroChina is a proud participant."

In recent weeks, China has blocked Canadian canola-seed shipments  which is widely seen as a response to Canada's move in December to arrest senior Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of the United States.

Meng's arrest, and her possible extradition to the U.S. to face criminal charges, has angered China.

Canola is a key export for Canada and China has been a huge market for the product. China imported $2.7 billion worth of Canadian canola seed last year, which ensures any prolonged blockage will hurt farmers, the industry and the broader economy.

(Trudeau has said his government will have "good news" to announce on canola in the coming days. Besides pursuing China for proof of the alleged contamination of Canadian canola, the government has promised to find ways to help affected producers in Canada.)

Since Meng's arrest, China has also detained two Canadian citizens on allegations of endangering Chinese national security and has sentenced two Canadians to death for drug-related convictions.

The second death penalty was handed down Tuesday. The Canadian was among at least six foreigners allegedly involved in what has been described as an international methamphetamine operation.

Chrystia Freeland, Canada's foreign-affairs minister, told reporters in Ottawa that the government firmly opposes the use of the death penalty anywhere.

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"We think that this is a cruel and inhumane punishment which should not be used in any country," Freeland said. "We are obviously particularly concerned when it is applied to Canadians."

On Canada's natural-gas business with the Chinese, Calitz said he's worked on different projects that have taken Australian and Russian gas to China. He suggested the work in B.C. could strengthen the Canada-China connection.

"Every time it leads to trade ties that relaxes the relationship," he said. "It creates a mutual dependency, it creates business understanding."

China, he added, plans to bring in Canadian gas to help it replace its coal power plants, improve air quality and lower greenhouse-gas emissions.

Calitz added that the LNG Canada project, which has faced opposition from some Indigenous communities in B.C., is on track to start transporting gas in late 2023.

with files from The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - U.S. government searches of travellers' cellphones and laptops at airports and border crossings nearly quadrupled since 2015 and were being done for reasons beyond customs and immigration enforcement, according to papers filed Tuesday in a federal lawsuit that claims scouring the electronic devices without a warrant is unconstitutional.

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FILE - In this March 26, 2019, file photo, an airline passenger walk in the arrivals terminal at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va. Newly documents filed in a federal lawsuit claim that U.S. government searches of phones and laptops at airports are on the rise and are being conducted for reasons beyond immigration and customs enforcement. There were 33,295 searches in fiscal 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

WASHINGTON - U.S. government searches of travellers' cellphones and laptops at airports and border crossings nearly quadrupled since 2015 and were being done for reasons beyond customs and immigration enforcement, according to papers filed Tuesday in a federal lawsuit that claims scouring the electronic devices without a warrant is unconstitutional.

The government has vigorously defended the searches, which rose to 33,295 in fiscal 2018, as a critical tool to protect America. But the newly filed documents claim the scope of the warrantless searches has expanded to assist in enforcement of tax, bankruptcy, environmental and consumer protection laws, gather intelligence and advance criminal investigations.

Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement consider requests from other government agencies in determining whether to search travellers' electronic devices, the court papers said. They added that agents are searching the electronic devices of not only targeted individuals but their associates, friends and relatives.

The new information about the searches was included in a motion the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.

"The evidence we have presented the court shows that the scope of ICE and CBP border searches is unconstitutionally broad," said Adam Schwartz, senior staff attorney for the EFF, based in San Francisco.

"ICE and CBP policies and practices allow unfettered, warrantless searches of travellers' digital devices and empower officers to dodge the Fourth Amendment when rifling through highly personal information contained on laptops and phones," he said.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. Both ICE and CBP said they did not comment on pending litigation.

When the suit was filed against the government in 2017, DHS officials said U.S. citizens and everyone else are subject to examination and search by customs officials, unless exempted by diplomatic status. The department has contended that no court has concluded that border searches of electronic devices require a warrant. Searches, some random, have uncovered evidence of human trafficking, terrorism, child pornography, visa fraud, export control breaches and intellectual property rights violations, according to the department.

The original case was filed on behalf of 10 American citizens and a lawful permanent resident from seven states  including two journalists, a NASA engineer and a former Air Force captain  who alleged the searches violated their constitutional rights. They asked the court to rule that the government must have a warrant based on probable cause before searching electronic devices at U.S. ports of entry.

The plaintiffs also are demanding the government expunge from investigatory databases information obtained in past searches. ICE and CBP share information taken from travellers' electronic devices with other agencies and there is control to prevent them from impermissibly retaining it, they argue.

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A year ago, U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston rejected the government's request to dismiss the lawsuit, allowing the case to move forward. The ACLU and the foundation began gathering documents and deposition testimony. Based on the new information, they filed a motion Tuesday asking the judge to rule in their favour without a trial. "Travellers' devices contain an extraordinary amount of highly personal information that the government can easily search, retain, and share," it argues.

"This new evidence reveals that the government agencies are using the pretext of the border to make an end run around the First and Fourth Amendments," said ACLU attorney Esha Bhandari. "The border is not a lawless place. ICE and CBP are not exempt from the Constitution and the information on our electronic devices is not devoid of Fourth Amendment protections. We are asking the court to stop these unlawful searches and require the government to get a warrant."

The court documents claim that the agencies also assert the authority to search electronic devices when the subject of interest is someone other than the traveller, such as the business partner of someone under investigation. Both agencies also allow officers to retain information from travellers' electronic devices and share it with other government entities, including state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies, the court papers claim.

The plaintiffs also say that travellers who have had their electronic devices searched at the border run increased odds of being subject to future device searches as they can be flagged in government databases for additional scrutiny on that basis.

___

Associated Press writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report.
HALIFAX - Canada's new $10 bill featuring Nova Scotia human rights icon Viola Desmond has been named banknote of the year.

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wanda Robson, sister of Viola Desmond, holds the new $10 bank note featuring Desmond during a press conference in Halifax on Thursday, March 8, 2018. Canada's new $10 bill featuring Nova Scotia human rights icon Viola Desmond has been named bank note of the year.The bill, which also shows a map of Halifax's north end and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, was honoured in a vote by the International Bank Note Society. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

HALIFAX - Canada's new $10 bill featuring Nova Scotia human rights icon Viola Desmond has been named banknote of the year.

The bill, which also features a map of Halifax's historic north end as well as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, was honoured in a vote by the International Bank Note Society.

The society says in a news release that the Desmond bill was a favourite of its voting membership right from the start.

The purple polymer bill was the first vertically oriented banknote issued in Canada.

Desmond is the first black person  and the first non-royal woman  on a regularly circulating Canadian banknote.

The bill marks a growing recognition of Desmond's refusal to leave the whites-only section of a Nova Scotia movie theatre on Nov. 8, 1946  nearly a decade before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Alabama  and the seminal role it played in Canada's civil rights movement.

Desmond, a beautician and entrepreneur from north end Halifax who sold her own line of cosmetics, was headed to Sydney, N.S., when her car broke down. Stuck in New Glasgow overnight, she decided to watch a movie at the Roseland Theatre.

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The segregated theatre relegated black patrons to the balcony, while floor seating was reserved for whites. Desmond, who was shortsighted and could not see properly from the back, sat in the floor section and refused to leave.

She was dragged out of the theatre by police, arrested, thrown in jail for 12 hours and fined.

It would take 63 years for Nova Scotia to issue Desmond, who died in 1965, a posthumous apology and pardon.

Desmond's story went largely untold for a half-century, but in recent years she has been featured on a stamp, and her name graces a Halifax harbour ferry. A Toronto park and streets in Montreal and New Glasgow bear her name, and she was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2017.

The bank note society also honoured notes from Switzerland, Norway, Russia and Solomon Islands.

The society says 150 new banknotes were released in 2018, but only 10 per cent of them featured sufficiently new designs to be nominated.
The man accused of killing 21-year-old Christine Wood in his home, wrapping her body in plastic, and burying her in a shallow grave outside city limits told Winnipeg police he didn't know who she was nor what led to her disappearance.

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The man accused of killing 21-year-old Christine Wood in his home, wrapping her body in plastic, and burying her in a shallow grave outside city limits told Winnipeg police he didn't know who she was nor what led to her disappearance.

Brett Overby, 32, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the August 2016 slaying of Wood, who was missing for 10 months until her body was found in the Rural Municipality of Springfield in June 2017. A jury of nine men and three women are tasked with hearing the evidence against Overby.

Christine Wood allegedly met Brett Overby online and used his phone to send Facebook messages the last night she was alive. (Supplied)

As the trial began Tuesday, Crown prosecutors said they expect to prove Wood met Overby through an online dating website, and was killed inside his Burrows Avenue house after sending her last messages while using his cellphone, over his wireless internet connection.

The jury heard Overby deny killing Wood in a video-recorded police interview from January 2017, which was played in court.

"No, I don't even know who she is," Overby said when missing-persons investigators asked him directly whether he killed Wood or had anything to do with her disappearance. He looked at photographs of the 21-year-old former University of Winnipeg student and told police he didn't recognize her.

Investigators asked him about his use of the dating site Plenty of Fish, and Overby gave them his username. He said he'd only met two people through the site, and had never seen Wood nor heard her name.

At the time of the interview, he was a person of interest in Wood's disappearance. It would be another six months until a farmer discovered her remains in a ditch near his field.

Christine Wood's remains were found in June 2017 in a ditch on west side of Spruce Road just south of Highway 15 in Springfield 10 months after she went missing. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

On Tuesday, Wood's parents, Melinda and George, both testified about their only daughter's last days.

They travelled from their home in Oxford House (Bunibonibee Cree Nation) to Winnipeg for Melinda's mother's medical appointments in August 2016, and Christine was staying in a hotel with them during their visit. She had previously lived in Winnipeg while she was a business administration student, and opted to return to the city July 30, telling her mother she was staying with a friend.

On the last day they saw her alive  Aug. 19, 2016  the trio went shopping.

Wood had $200 to replace her broken cellphone, but she didn't buy a new one, Melinda testified. Wood bought denim shorts and white flip-flops, which she was wearing, along with a green bandeau top and a lace overshirt when her parents last saw her.

They had pizza together in the hotel room while Wood was getting ready to go out for the evening, George testified. When he and his wife of 34 years went out to buy cigarettes, their daughter left.

Her mother's text messages to her later went uncharacteristically unanswered, but Wood's parents assumed she'd be back in the wee hours. She'd come home at 2:30 a.m. the day before. They never saw her again.

During her testimony, Melinda was questioned about Wood's drug use and her habit of staying out late.

Melinda said she never saw her daughter use drugs, apart from once in junior high around the time a childhood friend died tragically. Melinda acknowledged she had seen people return to Oxford House from Winnipeg and appear to experience withdrawal symptoms, but she said she never noticed with her daughter, and they spent a lot of time together.

After Wood's parents reported her missing Aug. 22, the Winnipeg Police Service missing-persons unit started an investigation that involved interviewing more than 100 people.

Det. Jean-Guy Roy testified he personally applied for 21 court orders  including search warrants, general warrants and production orders.

Police said Overby's name wasn't mentioned until Wood had already been missing for five months. In January 2017, thanks to a production order for telecommunications company MTS, police learned the internet-protocol address Wood had used when she accessed her Facebook account for the last time was in Overby's home at 341 Burrows Ave.

Shortly before 1 a.m., on Aug. 20, 2016, Wood sent Facebook messages to two men looking to buy drugs, Roy testified.

Later, while talking to police, Overby admitted using cocaine and other drugs in the past, but he said he had never used cocaine with a girl.

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As part of the Crown's case, jurors are also expected to hear from Overby's former common-law partner, police investigators and the farmer who discovered Wood's body.

Crown prosecutor Chantal Boutin warned the jury some of the evidence will be difficult to see and hear.

"You will know the who, the when, the where, the what and the how. The one question that the evidence may not show you is the why," Boutin said. "And I want to be upfront about that, because it's human nature to want to know about, but our law does not require that to be determined.

"People do things for any number of reasons, often known only to them  even murder."

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Relatives in remote northern communities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are at odds over a woman's funeral arrangements, and may be headed to court if they can't settle their differences.

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Relatives in remote northern communities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are at odds over a woman's funeral arrangements, and may be headed to court if they can't settle their differences.

Josephine Rachel Mercredi, 49, was taken to hospital after being found in her tent behind a Royal Canadian Legion building in Thompson more than a week ago. She died April 21. At the time of her death, Mercredi had been homeless for months in the northern city 760 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

SUPPLIED Lizette Denechezhe (left) with sister Rachel Mercredi.

RCMP have an open investigation into her death, pending the result of an autopsy.

In the meantime, a fierce dispute has emerged between Mercredi's family in Lac Brochet and her children in Fond-du-Lac, Sask., over who can legally claim the body and how funeral and wake arrangements should be made.

Until resolved, her remains are being held by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Winnipeg.

"The medical examiner will not release the body unless both families agree. The Fond du Lac band  the chief said, if we do not agree, they will take this to court," Mercredis older sister, Lizette Denechezhe, said Monday.

"I dont want to take this to court. I dont want my sisters remains on top of the earth. I want her to rest in peace."

Denechezhe lives in Lac Brochet, along with Mercredis mother and other siblings. They want the woman's remains for a wake in the community, before a funeral and burial in Fond du Lac Dene Nation, some 60 km south of the Northwest Territories border.

Lac Brochet, a fly-in Dene community and the most northern First Nation in Manitoba, is part of the Northlands Denesuline First Nation, located more than 1,000 km northwest of Winnipeg.

The two communities are separated by some 330 km, but there are no roads.

"All we want as a family is to release the body, take it to Thompson so her friends can say their goodbyes, bring the body back to Lac, where she was raised with the people in Lac Brochet, and say our last goodbyes and then have her taken to Fond-du-Lac and have the burial there," Denechezhe said from her home in Lac Brochet.

"The dispute is over that. The kids want to take her back (to Fond-du-Lac)."

In the last week, the case has come to the attention of lawyers in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but Mercredis siblings say they will sign for the release of her body to her children to keep the case out of court, if thats what it takes.

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Mercredi was born in The Pas, raised in Lac Brochet and married into Fond du Lac First Nation, where her five adult children have their homes.

Fond du Lac Chief Louie Mercredi declined comment on the dispute.

Northlands Chief Simon Denechezhe said his local government is staying out of it. "This is a family matter," he said by phone Monday.

In cases that involve First Nations, often local governments will make funeral arrangements after consulting relatives and pay for the airfare to get remains returned home.

In Manitoba, Perimeter Aviation typically flies remains to northern communities on a donation basis. The costs of shipping remains depend on the distance, weight and other factors, but such flights average $1,200 to Thompson from Winnipeg, and another $1,100 to Lac Brochet from Thompson.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
A former Winnipeg resident who wants to move back into the city is to appear before a council committee this week in a bid to remove a dangerous designation on her two pet dogs.

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A former Winnipeg resident who wants to move back into the city is to appear before a council committee this week in a bid to remove a "dangerous" designation on her two pet dogs.

Kendra Halabicki is appealing the label put by Winnipeg Animal Services on her dogs  Lola, a seven-year-old English bulldog; and, Kloe, a five-year-old American bulldog/boxer cross  for a series of incidents dating to 2014 that include attacking and biting other dogs, chasing people, and running at large.

"The accused has utilized significant City of Winnipeg resources as a result of numerous complaints over the years and has failed to alter her behaviour. As a result, at some point in the future, a resident or animal is likely to be significantly injured by an incident attributed to the accused and her dogs." Leland Gordon, Winnipeg Animal Services

Its also alleged Halabicki assaulted an Animal Services officer, hitting the officer in the chest while an offence ticket was being written.

According to an administrative report to Fridays community services committee meeting, Halabicki had been the caretaker of a Lilac Street apartment building when the incidents with her dogs occurred between 2014 and 2018.

The designation requires the dog owner to keep the dogs confined either indoors or in a secure outdoor pen. If taken off the property, the dogs have to be muzzled and restrained by a 1.8-metre chain or leash. The owner also must show proof of a minimum $1-million comprehensive liability insurance policy for harm or injury caused by the animal.

The report states Halabicki denied all of the incidents, but she took her dogs and moved out of the city after the initial designation was imposed in August 2018.

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A civic spokeswoman said Halabicki has since contacted Animal Services, indicating she planned to move back to the city with her dogs from her current residence in West St. Paul. The notice prompted Animal Services to impose a second "dangerous dog" designation on both animals effective March 1, and gave Halabicki an opportunity to appeal that decision.

"The accused has a significant history of irresponsible pet ownership and is placing the community at risk," Leland Gordon, chief operating officer of Winnipeg Animal Services, stated in a report in support of the most recent designation.

"The accused has utilized significant City of Winnipeg resources as a result of numerous complaints over the years and has failed to alter her behaviour. As a result, at some point in the future, a resident or animal is likely to be significantly injured by an incident attributed to the accused and her dogs."

Halabicki told the Free Press her dogs are victims of mistaken identity, adding they are gentle animals and are regularly around small children without incident.

According to the responsible pet ownership bylaw, city staff can seize a dog when an owner fails to comply with the conditions imposed by a dangerous dog designation. The bylaw authorizes the Animal Services COO to hold a hearing to declare the dog "exceptionally dangerous," which would be prelude to the animal being destroyed.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeg's established neighbourhoods include more than nine million square feet of vacant residential land, according to a Free Press analysis of the city's tax roll data.

Winnipeg's established neighbourhoods include more than nine million square feet of vacant residential land, according to a Free Press analysis of the city's tax roll data. While downtown has seen modest population increases over the last decade, the vast swaths of unused residential land in city-centre neighbourhoods stands in stark contrast to new builds pushing up against the city's outer boundaries. Like prairie floodwaters, residential sprawl has few natural constraints in Winnipeg, and the city -- along with nearly every other mid-size city in Canada -- is grappling with ways to incentivize and regulate infill.

Residential builds, last 20 years Vacant lots Detail McPhillips St. Main St. CP RAIL YARDS Empress St. Portage Ave. THE FORKS POLO PARK St. Marys Rd. Pembina Hwy Osborne St. Corydon Ave. Grant Ave. Vacant lots Residential builds, last 20 years Detail McPhillips St. Main St. Redwood Ave. CP RAIL YARDS Empress St. Notre Dame Ave. THE FORKS Portage Ave. Assiniboine River POLO PARK Red River Assiniboine River Pembina Hwy Red River Corydon Ave. Grant Ave. Residential builds, last 20 years Vacant lots Detail Main St. McPhillips St. Redwood Ave. CP RAIL YARDS Empress St. Notre Dame Ave. Red River Portage Ave. THE FORKS Assiniboine River POLO PARK Portage Ave. Red River St. Marys Rd. Assiniboine River Pembina Hwy Corydon Ave. Osborne St. Red River Corydon Ave. Grant Ave. Grant Ave.

Note: Downtown data not available

The City of Winnipeg has vowed to rewrite its infill rules, which people who have supported and opposed specific infill development projects have complained are too vague.

"Theres no defined process that is unilaterally able to be relied on by the public and the development community," Tim Comack, Ventura's vice president of development told the Free Press last year.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES 390 Beaverbrook St. in River Heights is an infill development.

The city is considering restricting how much land a new home can cover in an effort to curb "skinny" homes.

"People don't like two houses going in where one was before, but they really don't like a wall 35-feet high near the property line and running very nearly to the back," Coun. Brian Mayes, chairman of the cit's property and development committee, said earlier this year.

The average square footage of an infill single-family home -- which make up the vast majority of infill types -- is 1,201, with average lot size at 3,685 sq-ft.

Overall, the size of single-family homes, infill or otherwise, has been increasing over time.

Home size One dot is one single-family home 4,000 sq. ft. 3,000 2,000 Trendline 1,000 0 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Home size One dot is one single-family home 4,000 sq. ft. 3,000 2,000 Trendline 1,000 0 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Home size One dot is one single-family home 4,000 sq. ft. 3,000 2,000 Trendline 1,000 0 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000

Based on the number of homes built in established neighbourhoods in the last 20 years, the most infill activity has taken place in King Edward, William Whyte, Chalmers and Sir John Franklin neighbourhoods.

Despite its rate of infill development, the William Whyte neighbourhood still has the highest number of vacant lots in the city.

Neighbourhoods with the most infill Built in the last 20 years Vacant lot King Edward St. Matthews Ave. Century St. Amherst St. Ness Ave. Route 90 Portage Ave. William Whyte Arlington St. Redwood Ave. Burrows Ave. Main St. Selkirk Ave. Chalmers This strip of land that flanks Chalmers Park and Elmwood High School is designated as vacant residential. Munroe Ave. Henderson Hwy. Redwood Ave. Stadacona St. Gateway Rd. Sir John Franklin This narrow 62-unit single-storey condo development was built atop a former rail line. Academy Rd. Route 90 Kingsway Grosvenor Ave. Corydon Ave. Neighbourhoods with the most infill King Edward St. Matthews Ave. Century St. Amherst St. Ness Ave. Route 90 Portage Ave. William Whyte Arlington St. Redwood Ave. Burrows Ave. Main St. Selkirk Ave. Chalmers This strip of land that flanks Chalmers Park and Elmwood High School is designated as vacant residential. Munroe Ave. Henderson Hwy. Redwood Ave. Stadacona St. Gateway Rd. Sir John Franklin This narrow 62-unit single-storey condo development was built atop a former rail line. Academy Rd. Route 90 Kingsway Grosvenor Ave. Corydon Ave. Neighbourhoods with the most infill Built in the last 20 years Vacant lot William Whyte King Edward St. Matthews Ave. Arlington St. Redwood Ave. Century St. Amherst St. Burrows Ave. Ness Ave. Main St. Selkirk Ave. Route 90 Portage Ave. Sir John Franklin Chalmers This strip of land that flanks Chalmers Park and Elmwood High School is designated as vacant residential. This narrow 62-unit single-storey condo development was built atop a former rail line. Munroe Ave. Henderson Hwy. Redwood Ave. Academy Rd. Route 90 Kingsway Stadacona St. Gateway Rd. Grosvenor Ave. Corydon Ave.

Critics of some infill projects have complained the development doesn't match the character of a street or neighbourhood -- for example, when older single-family homes are replaced by higher-density duplexes, condos or apartments.

In the last 20 years, more than 50,000 single-family homes have been built in established neighbourhoods, compared to 474 condos and row houses.

Types of residential infill built in the last 20 years 0 2,000 4,000 Single-family Multi-family conversion Duplex and side-by-side Row houses and condos Types of residential infill built in the last 20 years 0 20,000 40,000 Single-family Multi-family conversion Duplex and side-by -side Row houses and condos Types of residential infill built in the last 20 years 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 Single-family Multi-family conversion Duplex and side-by-side Row houses and condos MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Armstrong's Point in Winnipeg on Monday, April 1, 2019. Heritage designation for the neighbourhood was unanimously approved by the committee. For Also Santin story. Winnipeg Free Press 2019.

Some Winnipeggers are taking matter into their own hands to make sure infill is to their liking.

Residents of Armstrong Point, an established neighbourhood with a cluster of some of the city's oldest homes, are pushing to have their entire neighbourhood designated as a heritage neighbourhood, which would require any tear-down or new build to be subject to a heritage review process, making new infill more difficult.

How old are the city's existing homes? There are still thousands of turn-of-the-century and post-war residential buildings in the city.

Residential builds over time Great Depression WWII Energy crisis 4,000 2,000 0 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Residential builds over time Great Depression WWII Energy crisis 4,000 2,000 0 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Residential builds over time Great Depression WWII Energy crisis Amalgamation 4,000 2,000 0 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000

Watch Winnipeg grow: From settlement to city, watch 149 years of growth in Winnipeg in 11 seconds. One dot is one property on the city's current tax roll.

Notes and methodology: All data based on City of Winnipeg tax assessment rolls.

We define an established neighbourhood as one with median build year before 1950.

We define recent residential infill as any residential property developed in the last 20 years in those established neighbourhoods.

Data on build year is not available for most downtown properties.

Vacant lots include residential lots designated for both single-family homes and multi-family dwellings.
WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government is eyeing more private-sector involvement in liquor sales and fewer subsidies to some major cultural venues in downtown Winnipeg.

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister speaks to media following the delivery of Manitoba's 2019 budget, at the Legislative Building in Winnipeg, Thursday, March 7, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government is eyeing more private-sector involvement in liquor sales and fewer subsidies to some major cultural venues in downtown Winnipeg.

The two belt-tightening goals are among many marching orders given to the province's Crown corporations on Tuesday.

The letters from Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer come three years into the Progressive Conservative government's eight-year plan to balance the budget and end a string of deficits started in 2009 by the former NDP government.

"Engage with the private sector to identify opportunities for increased participation in the liquor retail and distribution sectors," reads a section of the letter to the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp.

The corporation is also tasked with looking for ways to cut the cost of obtaining alcohol  possibly by shared purchasing with other provinces. It has also been told to generate more profit that can be turned over to government coffers.

"Increase the dividend paid to the province through the development and implementation of operational efficiencies," the letter states.

Mayer said she does not envisage a fully private alcohol retail sector and details are to be determined. The province currently has a combination of government stores with a full line of alcohol products, private wine stores, private beer vendors and small private liquor outlets in some rural communities.

The Opposition New Democrats and the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union were critical of the move to more private-sector involvement.

"Research shows the public liquor sales system works the best. Its the most socially responsible when it comes to ensuring alcohol doesn't end up in the hands of minors or those already intoxicated," union president Michelle Gawronsky said in a written statement.

The Manitoba Centennial Centre Corp., which operates the Manitoba Museum, a theatre and a concert hall in downtown Winnipeg, is being told to find a way to become self-sufficient within five years. In the 2017-18 fiscal year, the corporation received $2.5 million in provincial operating grants and recorded a surplus of $173,000.

Mayer was unable to specify what would be deemed self-sufficient. She said the province is not looking to eliminate the operating grants completely.

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"The board is the ones that are looking at what that looks like for themselves," Mayer said.

"They're going to present some ideas and prioritize what that means specifically."

Crown corporations, which also include Manitoba Hydro, Efficiency Manitoba, and Manitoba Public Insurance, are all being told to keep management costs down, to limit advertising and to look for salary savings.

"We ask you to review all compensation agreements ... to ensure alignment with government policies and practices. The expectation is that compensation practices will reflect the principles of responsible fiscal management and protect the sustainability of services," reads a paragraph repeated in all five mandate letters.

The Tory government has already ordered a wage freeze for public-sector workers as each collective agreement expires. Labour unions are challenging in court the bill that enforces that freeze.

The government is predicting a deficit of $360 million for the current fiscal year  $161 million smaller than the deficit last year.
The prairies experienced the largest increase of antisemitic incidents in Canada last year, says an audit by B'nai Brith Canada's League for Human Rights.

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The prairies experienced the largest increase of antisemitic incidents in Canada last year, says an audit by B'nai Brith Canada's League for Human Rights.

The report released Monday says 2018 was the third year in a row where the record was broken for the highest number of acts of violence, vandalism and harassment towards Jews in Canada.

B'nai Brith's Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2018 says Manitoba and Saskatchewan had 74 reported incidents in 2016, 54 in 2017 and 131 in 2018  an increase of more than 142 per cent, says

"For me it was a bit of a surprise," said Ran Ukashi, the national director of B'nai Brith's League for Human Rights who lives in Winnipeg and grew up in the city. "Historically speaking, the prairie region has had a lower rate of antisemitism than other parts of Canada."

Canada-wide, Bnai Brith recorded 2,041 incidents of antisemitism, a 16.5 per cent increase over the previous year.

The increase is partly due to more people reporting incidents, said Ukashi.

"We're also seeing a substantial increase in harassment," he said. It was the most dominant form of antisemitic expression in Canada, with a 28.4 per cent increase from 2017 and a 61.5 per cent increase since 2015.

In Winnipeg, there were several examples.

The Asper Jewish Community Campus  which last week installed new security gates at its entrance  has received threatening letters, Ukashi said. "More people are receiving threatening calls over the phone and threatening text messages online on social media platforms."

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The report listed a few examples of antisemitism on the Prairies last year, including two Saskatchewan elementary school students being harassed and beaten by their peers. Several were reported in Winnipeg, including a high school student in Winnipeg being mocked for her "Jewish nose" and for her relatives dying in the Holocaust, a flyer sent to the city's Jewish community centre that said "Death to the Jewish Parasite" and a Winnipeg woman got a threatening call saying she should die.

On Nov. 15, two weeks after starting a new job as executive director of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada  and a lifetime of living in Winnipeg without encountering similar verbal abuse Belle Jarniewski took a call from a man that started with him asking her why people hate Jews and ended with him expressing his own vile hatred. "He called me a f-ing Jewish c- and told me that I deserve to die," she told the Free Press in February.

"Often these are targeted messages and not something people can ignore," said Ukashi. said. "We've seen in many cases when an online forums serves as a precursor to vandalism and harassment."

The organization has an eight-point action plan that includes things like making sure every police department has a dedicated hate crimes unit and for government and social media companies to do more to stamp out hatred and harassment on line.

"In Pittsburgh, the man who murdered 11 people at the Temple of Life synagogue began his foray with antisemitic harassment on line," said Ukashi. "It's not as if these incidents are occurring in a vacuum. There are consequences."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Well, so much for the idea of Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) ushering in Canadas first Green provincial government. To be honest, it was never really in the Islands cards. But who knows, going forward?

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Well, so much for the idea of Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) ushering in Canadas first "Green" provincial government. To be honest, it was never really in the Islands cards. But who knows, going forward?

In the meantime, P.E.I. is left with a minority government led by one of the traditional parties  the Progressive Conservatives (winning 12 districts) under the leadership of little-known leader Dennis King. Not unexpectedly, the governing Liberals were reduced to a handful of ridings (six), having failed to secure that elusive fourth consecutive term in office.

This was one of those, as they say here, "quiet" provincial elections on P.E.I., even boring at times. Besides an opening-day flinging of barbs at the Green party leader, Peter Bevan-Baker, by outgoing premier Wade MacLauchlan, there was nary a negative word or attack ad to be heard.

If you didnt know they existed, you could be forgiven for thinking that the parties respective platforms were a figment of our imaginations. They just didnt matter much to Islanders  neither did the tepid debates. And the unusual Easter break and the tragic death of top-flight Green party candidate Josh Underhay only silenced the election campaigns even more.

The central campaign issues were clearly known from the outset: health care and access to mental-health services, affordable housing and governance and issue management. It was most assuredly not about job creation, economic growth, wage hikes or pocket-book issues.

This was really an election about change  a powerful desire amongst the electorate for something different and anything but "politics as usual." It was about an insatiable appetite for something new and fresh.

But the ballot question itself was framed somewhat differently: can I find sufficient change in a Bevan-Baker-led Green government? Put another way, is the Islands economic success under MacLauchlan enough? And the answer  as the election results clearly indicated  was no to both.

In fact, defeated premier MacLauchlan even lost his own seat, after having just secured it in 2015. It was a devastating blow to a proud and hugely successful Islander who began his tenure as premier with such promise. Now his political record and reputation lay in tatters.

Yet voters also showed that they just werent ready to fully break with the past. The old way of doing things  that is, putting their trust in the two traditional political parties here  is evidently still hanging on in P.E.I. But if not now for the Greens, then when?

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The Greens, led by the friendly rural dentist Bevan-Baker, now hold the balance of power by garnering eight electoral districts (an increase of six). But it must come as a bit of disappointment for a party that has led in the polls provincially for well over two years. Still, two or three more years of political seasoning wont hurt them one bit.

Of course, its difficult to imagine the Greens and the Liberals joining forces  as if it were right out of the proportional-representation playbook (ironically, the referendum on electoral reform narrowly failed for the third time)  to cobble together a stable coalition government. The bad blood between Bevan-Baker and MacLauchlan would make a political marriage of convenience out of the question. But that probably wont stop the wily Liberals from trying.

Its also hard to argue convincingly that this P.E.I. election and the performance of the Green party have any broader political meaning. I doubt very much that this portends anything substantive for the future prospects of Green parties at the national or provincial levels.

The success of the Green party on P.E.I. is all about Peter Bevan-Baker. He has performed well in the provincial legislature, shown himself to be in command of the various policy files and is widely viewed as very likable. Most important, he has connected personally with Island voters and they obviously hold him in high regard. They also see him as honest, well-intentioned and utterly incapable of engaging in corruptible practices.

Even so, the citizens of P.E.I. were not quite ready to give Bevan-Baker the keys to the premiers fifth-floor office in the Shaw Building. But he will be in a position of significant authority in the provincial legislature and thus will need to be taken very seriously. And he will undoubtedly look upon this state of affairs as an opportunity to strengthen his partys electoral chances at the next election.

Peter McKenna is professor and chairman of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown.
Regardless of the party in office, when sensitive information is involved, governments prefer secrecy to openness. Politicians and bureaucrats focus on the costs and risks involved with disclosure and ignore or minimize the potential benefits of disclosure. In a self-fulfilling prophecy, they assume that the public is uninterested and ill-informed after they have contributed to this condition by limiting the flow of information.

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Regardless of the party in office, when sensitive information is involved, governments prefer secrecy to openness. Politicians and bureaucrats focus on the costs and risks involved with disclosure and ignore or minimize the potential benefits of disclosure. In a self-fulfilling prophecy, they assume that the public is uninterested and ill-informed after they have contributed to this condition by limiting the flow of information.

Too often, they underestimate the willingness and capacity of the public to wrestle with complex policy issues. The potential benefits of greater openness include a better-informed and engaged public, more intelligent policy-making because more diverse voices are heard, and greater accountability for elected and appointed public officials for their actions and inactions.

I base these generalizations on four decades of study of access-to-information issues and my role leading and participating in public inquiries on various policy issues. That work has brought me into contact with hundreds of individuals and organizations that have sought my advice on how to access information and seek the redress of grievances in such fields as environmental protection, health care, Indigenous issues, land-use planning and, most recently, consumer protection in banking.

Facing large institutions that have a virtual monopoly on information and expertise, it takes courage, ingenuity, patience and perseverance to promote and to protect ones right to information and to obtain the resolution of concerns.

Before taking office in 2016, the Progressive Conservatives led by Brian Pallister issued the "Open Government Initiative," a document that promised a number of reforms intended to promote greater openness. To its credit, the Pallister government did follow through with the release of mandate letters and briefing books prepared for new ministers. Reluctantly and belatedly, two consultants reports on health system reorganizations were also released. Apparently, work is still being done on a promised open-data portal for the government of Manitoba.

Another promise was to conduct a review of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) that is meant, in part, to protect the publics right to know. Passed in 1998 and last amended in 2011, FIPPA is in drastic need of modernization in light of technological change, new approaches to governing and less deferential citizens.

The review was launched in a low-key manner on March 29, 2017. The public-consultation phase of the review was conducted only online, with no public hearings, and lasted only from March to June of 2017. Only eight individuals (including yours truly) filed submissions. The result was that the government heard mainly from more than 340 public bodies, such as health authorities, municipal governments and educational institutions that must comply with the terms of FIPPA, and other stakeholder organizations like the Association of Manitoba Municipalities and Economic Development Winnipeg.

On April 11, 2019, an underwhelming nine-page report on the review was released. The report discusses a number of general themes, but makes no concrete recommendations. Nor does it mention any government plans to introduce legislation to amend FIPPA before the next provincial election.

Having listened mainly to organizations that feel overburdened by the requirements of the law, the main message of the report is the need to limit the number of requests for documents, to increase the time allowed to respond to such requests and to increase the fees that could be charged to applicants seeking access to information. No mention is made in the report of the 50-page submission from the Manitoba ombudsman, the officer of the legislature who exists to oversee the operation of FIPPA.

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That document made 34 valuable recommendations to strengthen the law in ways that would bring it closer to what exists in leading jurisdictions in Canada and elsewhere.

Hopefully, before Pallisters Progressive Conservatives seek another mandate from voters, they will tell us where they stand on a long list of potential reforms to Manitobas FIPPA regime. Do they favour the principle of proactive disclosure, rather than reliance on a complaint-based approach to secure the release of documents? Will they include the authority for departments and agencies to waive fees in the interest of fairness?

Will they introduce into FIPPA a "public interest override" clause that permits the release of documents that fall into one of the categories of protected information? Will they include in FIPPA a duty to document deliberations and decisions in order to curb the defensive strategy of not recording such actions? Will they move cabinet confidences from the mandatory confidential category under FIPPA to a discretionary category to allow for review by the ombudsman?

Will they agree to a documentation format that separates factual background material from the advice to allow for the release of the former? Regarding information from third parties outside of government, will they amend the law to remove almost automatic confidentiality by requiring those parties to demonstrate potential harm to their interests arising from the release such information?

In the interest of greater civic literacy and greater citizen involvement, it is necessary to recognize the hazards of secrecy and the benefits of openness.

Paul G. Thomas is professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
Canadians, most of whom think their province is being short-changed by Ottawa, want to re-elect the Liberal government, but they want Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to lead it. So says the Leger Marketing company after surveying its carefully assembled panel of respondents. If that makes Canadians seem deeply confused and ill-informed, that may simply reflect the limitations of opinion survey science.

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This article was published 29/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadians, most of whom think their province is being short-changed by Ottawa, want to re-elect the Liberal government, but they want Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to lead it. So says the Leger Marketing company after surveying its carefully assembled panel of respondents. If that makes Canadians seem deeply confused and ill-informed, that may simply reflect the limitations of opinion survey science.

It may well be that people in each province think some other province is better treated, just as all the children in a family may think some other child is better loved by the parents. But that just shows that regional jealousy is as common as sibling rivalry, with as little substance behind it. It provides a sore point for local axe-grinders to complain about, but it is not a problem a federal government can solve.

More people thought Conservative party Leader Andrew Scheer would be a better prime minister than Justin Trudeau. (Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press files)

The Leger firm questioned 1,522 Canadians over the internet between April 18 and April 22 and weighted their answers to make them represent the whole Canadian population in age, gender, education, mother tongue and region. The survey found that 30 per cent of the people think Canada will be better off with a Liberal government, while 25 per cent think a Conservative government would be a better choice. But 25 per cent think Andrew Scheer would make a better prime minister, compared to 20 per cent who think better of Justin Trudeau. The question of voting intentions came in at 40 per cent Conservative to 27 per cent Liberal.

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This survey is no ringing endorsement for either leader or either party. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems unsatisfactory these days because ministers have been quitting his government on account of an internal quarrel over a bribery prosecution of the SNC-Lavalin engineering firm. A party leader who cant hold his government together does not inspire confidence.

Opposition leader Andrew Scheer seems equally unsatisfactory. He lets Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney dictate his policy on greenhouse gas emissions  which is no policy at all but mere obstruction of Mr. Trudeaus carbon tax. Mere obstruction is all you might expect from a premier, but someone who wants to be prime minister needs to reach higher.

Canadians favourite candidate for prime minister at the moment is a combination of None of the Above and I Dont Know.

The danger at the moment for Mr. Scheer is that he may latch onto the 40 per cent voting intention number and conclude that his discourse is working, propelling him inexorably toward government. Taken as a whole, however, the Leger survey suggests that Canadians favourite candidate for prime minister at the moment is a combination of None of the Above and I Dont Know (which represent 33 per cent of respondents).

Mr. Trudeau has yet to show the leadership qualities that would keep a government united under his leadership around a single policy  or at least the ability to cow dissidents into silence. While the SNC-Lavalin matter remains unresolved, the suspicion will remain that he is not the leader Canada needs. Mr. Scheer, similarly, needs to show that he is not merely a mouthpiece for regional jealousies and provincial malcontents but has a clear grasp of the Canadian national interest. A prime minister sometimes must disappoint his provincial allies, but Canadians dont yet know if Mr. Scheer is capable of doing that.

In the 5 months that remain until Canadians must pick a prime minister, one of these party leaders might surprise the country with leadership qualities they have been concealing up to this point.

If not, None of the Above and I Dont Know may still lead the field.
TOKYO - Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era.

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This article was published 29/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2018, file photo, Japan's Emperor Akihito, right, accompanied by Crown Prince Naruhito, walks away after greeting well-wishers when they appeared on the balcony of the Imperial Palace to mark the emperor's 85th birthday in Tokyo. Akihito is ending his three-decade reign Tuesday, April 30, 2019 as he abdicates to his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, becoming the first to do so in 200 years, in a step nobody today has witnessed. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

TOKYO - Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era.

"Today, I am concluding my duties as the emperor," Akihito said as he stood in front of the throne, as other members of the royal family and top government officials watched.

"Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so. I sincerely thank the people who accepted and supported me in my role as the symbol of the state," Akihito said in his last official duty as emperor.

People gather near Imperial Palace, background, in Tokyo Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Emperor Akihito is set to abdicate later in the day as Japan embraces the end of his reign with an emotion mixed with reminiscence and hopes for a new era. (Shinji Kita/Kyodo News via AP)

As he walked out of the room following his speech and officials were taking away the imperial regalia in a box, Akihito turned around, paused and bowed to the audience.

His reign ran through midnight, when his son Crown Prince Naruhito, who observed Akihito's abdication ceremony, became the new emperor and his era began.

Naruhito will formally ascend the Chrysanthemum throne on Wednesday. In a separate ceremony he will receive the imperial regalia of sword and jewel as well as the imperial seals as proof of his succession as the nation's 126th emperor, according to official palace count, which historians say could include mythical figures until around the 5th century.

Naruhito's wife Masako and daughter Aiko are barred from the ceremony because they are female members of the royal family, a palace tradition that the government upheld despite criticism that it is out of step with modern values.

Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, in a car, leaves the Imperial Palace in Tokyo Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Emperor Akihito is set to abdicate later in the day as Japan embraces the end of his reign with an emotion mixed with reminiscence and hopes for a new era. (Hiroko Harima/Kyodo News via AP)

The emperor is defined as a symbol of the state and the people's unity and has no political power under Japan's postwar constitution. His official duties are largely managed by a highly controlling Imperial Household Agency. But Akihito's dedication in reaching out to the people, especially those suffering or less fortunate, made him more popular than any politician.

Many people gathered outside the palace compound hours before Tuesday's ceremony despite unseasonably wet and cold weather, and even though they were not allowed to look inside.

"We came because today is the last day of (the emperor's era of) Heisei, and we feel nostalgic," said Akemi Yamauchi, 55, standing outside the palace with her husband.

"He has worked hard for the people, he is very thoughtful, and kind to everyone," said her husband, Kaname. The couple came from Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital where emperors lived until about 150 years ago.

Japan's Emperor Akihito, second from right, walks for a ritual to report his abdication to the throne, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The 85-year-old Akihito ends his three-decade reign on Tuesday when he abdicates to his son Crown Prince Naruhito. (Japan Pool via AP)

Messages have come from global leaders.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed gratitude in a letter to Akihito for his emphasis on peace and contributions to developing relations between Seoul and Tokyo. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed appreciation for his contribution to the two countries' close relations. Trump had a courtesy meeting with Akihito during his 2017 Japan visit and will be the first foreign leader in May to meet the new emperor.

Japanese television talk shows displayed a countdown to the midnight transition, and programming was dominated by the abdication and looking back at major events in Akihito's era, including a massive 2011 tsunami, a deadly earthquake in Kobe in 1995, and the Tokyo subway nerve gas attack in 1995 that shook Japan's sense of safety and confidence.

Security was extremely tight around the palace and across downtown Tokyo, with thousands of police mobilized. Police arrested a man on Monday night on suspicion of placing a pair of kitchen knives last week on the school desk used by Akihito's grandson.

Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako attend the ceremony of Emperor Akihito's abdication at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The 85-year-old Akihito ends his three-decade reign on Tuesday as his son Naruhito will ascend the Chrysanthemum throne on Wednesday. (Japan Pool via AP)

Still, Japan was in festive mood over a change in an imperial era not caused by death. Many people visited shrines and temples to receive stamps dated on the last day of Akihito's era of Heisei, or "achieving peace." Some amusement parks and shops offered free admission and special deals, while customers had their last Heisei meals at restaurants. Naruhito's era of Reiwa, or "beautiful harmony" begins Wednesday.

"The emperor has finished his duties and he is passing the baton to the crown prince, so it's time for celebration," said Mitsuhiro Sugita, a 67-year-old green tea maker.

Akihito, 85, took the throne in 1989 and devoted his career to making amends for a war fought in his father's name while bringing the aloof monarchy closer to the people.

With his commoner-born wife, Empress Michiko, he reached out to the people, especially those who faced handicaps and discrimination, as well as those hit by disasters, illuminating the hardships of people often overlooked by society.

People bow toward the Imperial Palace as Emperor Akihito's abdication ceremony is held in Tokyo Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at the palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era. (Shinji Kita/Kyodo News via AP)

Akihito was the first modern emperor to marry a commoner, one of many changes he brought to the palace. The couple also chose to raise their three children instead of leaving them with palace staff, and decided to be cremated upon their deaths in a smaller tomb side by side, also a tradition-breaking step.

Jeff Kingston, Asian studies director at Temple University's Japan campus, says Akihito served as Japan's "chief emissary of reconciliation," while acting as "consoler in chief" in reaching out to the people. Akihito was also a "strong advocate of the vulnerable and the marginalized in the Japanese society," he said. "I think the people really warmed to him and felt that the monarchy was relevant to their lives because of these efforts by Akihito."

Recent media surveys have shown public support for the imperial family at 80%, the highest ever for the institution.

Such respect did not come overnight. Akihito grew up during World War II and was 11 when his father Hirohito announced the end of the war on radio. Akihito embraced his role as peacemaker and often represented his father on reconciliatory missions as a young crown prince, decades before he became the emperor himself.

He is the first emperor in Japan's modern history whose era did not have a war. Though he has avoided outright apologies, he has stepped up his expressions of regret in carefully scripted statements on the war.

Akihito visited China in 1992 and offered what was considered the strongest expression of regret over the war. He also visited the Philippines and other Pacific islands conquered by Japan that were devastated in fierce fighting as the U.S.-led allies took them back.

That leaves his son Naruhito  the first emperor born after World War II  largely free of the burden of the wartime legacy, allowing him to seek his own role. Naruhito has said he would largely emulate his father's pacifist stance and compassion for the people, but also said he hopes to seek a role of his own, possibly in issues related to water, which he studied at Oxford University in the early 1980s. That, or disaster resilience, or the environment, could appeal more to a people predominantly from postwar generations.

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Akihito will be known as the emperor emeritus and will no longer have official duties. He won't even attend his son's succession rituals so as not to interfere with the serving emperor.

Akihito is expected to enjoy his retirement, going to museums and concerts, or spending time on his goby research at a seaside imperial villa. Akihito and Michiko will move to a temporary royal residence before eventually switching places with Naruhito.

___

Associated Press journalist Kaori Hitomi contributed to this report.

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Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi
Jazz at Saint Marys will host their semi-annual jazz final on Sunday, May 5, at 3 p.m. outside at the Saint Marys University Winona Campus plaza.

Twice each year, all three jazz groups at Saint Marys get together for an informal afternoon of music in a casual setting. The event is free, and the public is invited to bring a blanket or lawn chair and join the musicians as they celebrate the end of the another great year of Jazz at Saint Marys.
The Polish Cultural Institute presents A Traditional Polish Festive Dinner to celebrate the anniversary of Polands Constitution. The dinner will be held at the Polish Museum Annex, 363 E. Third St., on Saturday, May 4. The Social hour begins at 5:00 pm and dinner at 6:00 pm. The Polish Person of the year will be awarded to Councilman George Borzyskowski.
WASHINGTON  Minnesotas most recent Teacher of the Year boycotted a White House visit with President Donald Trump on Monday because, she said, his policies and actions and words defy her core belief that every student matters.

Kelly Holstine, an English teacher at Shakopees Tokata Learning Center, was one of just two out of more than 50 award-winning teachers who skipped the Oval Office meeting and photo shoot with Trump. The group, meeting in Washington this week, is comprised of the most recent teacher of the year award winners from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories.

Winona High teacher named finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year Winona Senior High School teacher Theresa Pearson was named a finalist for the Minnesota Tea

I work with a lot of students who face discrimination and prejudice ever day of their lives, Holstine said Tuesday of her work at the alternative high school. My frustration with the current administration are the messages and the actions and the policies and the words about the population of students I work with. It impacts them and it hurts them. It impacts them both in their hearts, and it hurts them in the world because they have to deal with the fallout of all that discrimination.

Holstine held a news conference in Washington on Tuesday with the other teacher who boycotted the White House visit, Kentucky Teacher of the Year Jessica Duenas. Both cited their own background as an influence in their decisions: Holstine as a gender-nonconforming lesbian, and Duenas as the daughter of a Cuban refugee father and a Latina mother who was at one time an undocumented immigrant to the U.S.

This administrations treatment of the Latino community has really broken my heart, Duenas said.

The White House press office did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment for this story.

Holstine and Duenas said they did not notify the White House of their boycott, but did tell their fellow award-winning teachers. Both said they take no issue with their fellow teachers who did participate in Mondays White House activities, which included meetings with Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Sarahi Monterrey, the Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, decided to participate in the White House meeting despite her own qualms with Trump. An English Language Learner teacher at Waukesha North High School and a native of El Salvador who came to the U.S. with her family as a small child, Monterrey said she talked it over with her father and her students.

El Salvador is among the group of what Trump dubbed shithole countries early last year. He has also recently moved to cut off U.S. foreign assistance to El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemela.

My dad said, I want you to go and I want him to know you were proud to be born in El Salvador, Monterrey said. So Im in there yesterday and he gets to me and I said, Im originally from El Salvador and Im proud to represent Wisconsin. You could tell from his face that he knew what I meant. And he said, Oh, I was just there, because he was just in Green Bay for a rally.

Holstine, who lives in St. Paul, was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year in May 2018. Minnesota works on a different schedule than many other states, so Holstine unlike many of her fellow in Washington this week is nearing the end of her run. Her successor will be named at a banquet this Sunday in St. Paul.

Holstine said she did not make the decision to skip the White House visit lightly or on a whim. She discussed it, she said, with her wife and her students, and notified leaders of both her school and district.

It just feels like were not really going to get a lot of opportunities in our lifetime to be able to speak about our kids and have folks who are really interested in our message, Holstine said. We have a platform we were given through this program that we will probably never have again.

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The Winona public school district is one of 451 entities across the state to be honored with the 2019 School Finance Award from the Minnesota Department of Education.

Those who earn the award are recognized for timely submission of audited financial data and meeting statutory deadlines related to reporting, according to the MDE release. This year, 571 reporting entities were eligible.

Its something were very proud of as a district, said superintendent Rich Dahman. We want to make sure were at the cutting edge of school finance and alert to all the requirements at the state level.

WAPS has received the award seven of the last eight years, Dahman said.

There is no application process for the award. MDE examined financial data from each entitys 2018 Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Standards, better known as UFARS.

In addition to meeting standards in accuracy of reporting and timely submission of data, the school district also had to meet select indicators of financial health, including a zero or positive balance in several specific fund balance accounts.

WAPS fund balance has been the subject of debate as it has slipped to four percent, less than half of the districts goal balance of 10 percent, something they have been warned could further affect their credit rating.

In their most recent round of budget cuts, the school board voted to grow the fund balance by a half a percent for the 2019-20 school year.

Dahman said while growing the fund balance is important, its also important to honor accurate financial reporting. The school districts finance department is made up of six individuals and headed by director Sarah Slaby.

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MAYVILLE  Residents hoped to sway a decision to allow the Glacier Ridge landfill to expand on Monday.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources held a public hearing at City Hall for people to provide comment as it moves towards a final decision about the feasibility of a 100-foot vertical expansion of the landfill site, managed by Advanced Disposal south of the city, which will extend the life of the landfill by a few years.

The state already accepted the feasibility report about the expansion, which the city of Mayville officially opposes, last year.

The hearing in the afternoon saw more than two dozen residents from both in and around the city who are concerned about the impact of the landfill on the water and the air, including the odor from the site.

My quality of life, along with probably every other resident of the city of Mayville, is affected, said resident Thomas Jacquot. We cant hang out our laundry. We cant sit out in our backyards and enjoy the nice summer breeze. We cant have picnics because we just cant stand the stench.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.  Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he is willing to take initial steps toward fortifying a lock-and-dam system on a Chicago-area waterway so it can protect Lake Michigan from invasive Asian carp.

Pritzker, a Democrat, told the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a letter Friday that he had authorized the states cooperation with preconstruction, engineering and design work at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. But he voiced misgivings about the cost and said his state is not in a financial position to commit to the full plan in its current form.

The Corps has proposed installing devices such as an electric barrier, noisemakers and an air bubble curtain in a specially designed channel to deter fish from swimming upstream and remove those that dont turn back. The adjacent lock would be retooled to flush away unwanted species floating on the water.

An updated version of the plan released last November put the price tag at $778 million, which was much higher than an earlier $275 million estimate. That drew criticism from Illinois, which agreed last year to serve as non-federal sponsor of the project.
Two people were pronounced dead on scene and one person was injured Monday morning after authorities say a car fleeing police officers at a high rate of speed crashed into the back of a semi-trailer on Interstate 39 in Columbia County.

The state Department of Justice said in a press release that authorities believed a person inside the vehicle was suspected of a kidnapping attempt in central Wisconsin. The DOJ is investigating the crash as an officer-involved death.

The Sauk County Sheriffs Office is separately handling accident reconstruction from the crash.

Columbia County Sheriff Roger Brandner said at 7:29 a.m. Monday, the Wisconsin State Patrol, Marquette County Sheriffs Office and state Division of Criminal Investigation advised other area authorities of a car traveling south on I-39.

Numerous Portage police officers, State Patrol troopers and deputies responded to the advisory and scrambled to pursue the Nissan Altima, Portage Police Chief Ken Manthey said.

By 7:43 a.m., Brandner said one of his deputies saw the car near mile marker 94 on I-39 just north of Portage. Brandner said the suspect vehicle may have been headed to the Chicago area.
The Progressive National Baptist Convention aims to fight that narrative that Christianity is linked to conservatism.

The Midwest Region of the PNBC gathered the week of April 22 for their 56th annual meeting, this year at the Kalahari convention center. According to Midwest Region Chief of Protocol Merdean Galas, the PNBC has always had a forward-facing outlook.

The credo for our convention is progress, fellowship, service and peace, Galas said So what we do is what one church cant do, and that has to do with creating a community.

PNBC has focused on creating a community since its inception. Founded in 1961 in conjunction with the Civil Rights Movement, the conventions mission was to serve as an opposing force to the overwhelming conservative doctrine that was common in most American Christian sects.

The convention was founded as an African-American group, which continues to this day. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent member of PNBC from its founding in 1961, and continued to preach with the church until his assassination in 1968. According to Galas, the progressive principles King embodied were instrumental in the churchs founding, and have continued to evolve to this day.
According to Johnson, approving this bid package now will significantly expedite the construction schedule, which ought to help meet the districts ambitious timeline.

In order to begin the position that were trying to be in, where we can start working on fittings and foundations in early June, we need to get this rebar going now, Johnson said at the meeting. It takes time to go through that process.

The board voted to award the rebar work to Hatch Building Supply, a Madison-based construction company. According to Gavinski, this is an excellent development for the district.

Were excited that CG Schmidt came to us and asked to pull these items so that we have the opportunity to be five weeks ahead of schedule, Gavinski said. Thats great, because we do have an aggressive timeline for this construction project.

The final order of business at the April 25 meeting was to approve new cameras for the districts buses. According to transportation supervisor Fred Steinhorst, the new cameras will cover both the inside and outside of the buses, especially monitoring any cars that disobey the stop sign when kids disembark.

The new cameras should be fully installed by the start of the 2019-20 school year after the boards unanimous approval.

Contact Peter Culver at 608-393-5777 or on Twitter at @Peter_Culver
Arnold Schwarzenegger is "so proud" of his son, after he graduated college.

The 71-year-old actor took to Instagram on Saturday (27.04.19) to share a picture of himself with his 21-year-old son Joseph Baena at his college graduation, as the youngster celebrated graduating from Pepperdine University.

Alongside the image of himself and Joseph, Arnold wrote: "Congratulations Joseph! Four years of hard work studying business at Pepperdine and today is your big day! You have earned all of the celebration and I'm so proud of you. I love you! (sic)"

The 'Terminator' star has Joseph with his former housekeeper Mildred Baena, and is also father to Katherine, 29, Christina, 27, Patrick, 25, and Christopher, 21, all of whom he has with his wife Maria Shriver.

Despite having just graduated college, Joseph already has ambitions of following in his father's footsteps by taking up bodybuilding, and Arnold - who won Mr. Olympia six consecutive times - said he'd be delighted to see his son take part in the classic physique competition.

He said: "He's very serious about it and I'm very happy about it because I said to him, 'It's important to take care of your body, train hard, if you're passionate about that, but also study hard, because the key is to get your business degree at Pepperdine.'

"He is very serious about this whole thing. He wants to compete in one of the classic physique competitions ...

"He's training very hard ... I'm a big believer in also training for strength ... I put it on 455 and he did two reps. I saw him do one and I was like, 'Go for the second one, Joseph...'"
The following companies are subsidiares of Tenet Healthcare: 1 Subsidiaries of this entity in which Tenet Healthcare Corporation directly and indirectly held a 95% ownership interest at December 31 2020 are set forth in the table below., 25 East Same Day Surgery L.L.C., 300 PBL Development LLC, 45th Street MOB LLC, 601 N 30th Street I L.L.C., 601 N 30th Street II L.L.C., 601 N 30th Street III Inc., AHM Acquisition Co. Inc., AIG Holdings LLC, AIGB Global LLC, AIGB Group Inc., AIGB Holdings Inc., AIGB Management Services LLC, AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #1 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #2 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #3 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #4 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #5 L.L.C., AMI Information Systems Group Inc., AMI/HTI Tarzana Encino Joint Venture, APN, ARC Worcester Center L.P., ASC Old Co. LP, ASC of New Jersey LLC, ASJH Joint Venture LLC, Abrazo Health Network EP Clinical Services LLC, Abrazo Surgical Outpatient Center LLC, Advanced Ambulatory Surgical Care L.P., Advanced Center for Surgery  Vero Beach LLC, Advanced Regional Surgery Center LLC, Advanced Surgery Center of Metairie LLC, Advanced Surgery Center of Sarasota LLC, Advanced Surgery Center of Tampa LLC, Advanced Surgical Care of St Louis LLC, Advanced Surgical Concepts LLC, Advantage Health Care Management Company LLC, Advantage Health Network Inc., AdventHealth Surgery Center Celebration LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Center Mills Park LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Center Wellswood LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Center Winter Garden LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Centers Central Florida LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Centers West Florida LLC, Adventist Midwest Health/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Alabama Cardiovascular Associates L.L.C., Alabama Digestive Health Endoscopy Center L.L.C., Alabama Hand and Sports Medicine L.L.C., Alamo Heights Surgicare L.P., All Star MOB LLC, Allegian Insurance Company, Alliance Surgery Birmingham LLC, Alliance Surgery Inc., Alvarado Hospital Medical Center Inc., Ambulatory Surgical Associates LLC, Ambulatory Surgical Center of Somerville LLC, American Institute of Gastric Banding Ltd., American Institute of Gastric Banding Phoenix Limited Partnership, American Medical (Central) Inc., Amisub (Heights) Inc., Amisub (Hilton Head) Inc., Amisub (North Ridge Hospital) Inc., Amisub (SFH) Inc., Amisub (Twelve Oaks) Inc., Amisub of California Inc., Amisub of North Carolina Inc., Amisub of South Carolina Inc., Amisub of Texas Inc., Anaheim Hills Medical Imaging L.L.C., Anaheim MRI Holding Inc., Anesthesia Partners of Gallatin LLC, Arizona Care Network  Next L.L.C., Arizona Health Partners LLC, Arlington Orthopedic and Spine Hospital LLC, Arrowhead Endoscopy and Pain Management Center LLC, Asia Outsourcing US Inc., Aspen Healthcare, Atlanta Medical Center Inc., Atlanta Medical Center Interventional Neurology Associates L.L.C., Atlanta Medical Center Neurosurgical & Spine Specialists L.L.C., Atlanta Medical Center Physician Group L.L.C., Atlantic Coast Surgical Suites LLC, Atlantic Health-USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Avita/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., BBH BMC LLC, BBH CBMC LLC, BBH DevelopmentCo LLC, BBH Imaging Jasper LLC, BBH NP Clinicians Inc., BBH PBMC LLC, BBH SBMC LLC, BBH WBMC LLC, BCDC EmployeeCO LLC, BHC-Talladega Pediatrics LLC, BHS Accountable Care LLC, BHS Affinity LLC, BHS Integrated Physician Partners LLC, BHS Physician Performance Network LLC, BHS Physicians Alliance for ACE LLC, BHS Physicians Network Inc., BHS Specialty Network Inc., BT East Dallas JV LLP, BW Cardiology LLC, BW Cyberknife LLC, BW Hand Practice LLC, BW Office Buildings LLC, BW Parking Decks LLC, BW Physician Practices LLC, BW Retail Pharmacy LLC, BW Sports Practice LLC, Bagley Holdings LLC, Baptist Accountable Care LLC, Baptist Diagnostics LLC, Baptist Health Centers LLC, Baptist Physician Alliance ACO LLC, Baptist Physician Alliance LLC, Baptist Plaza Surgicare L.P., Baptist Surgery Center L.P., Baptist Womens Health Center LLC, Baptist/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Bartlett ASC LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Baylor Plano LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Blue Star LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Granbury LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Mansfield LLC, Baylor Surgicare at North Dallas LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Plano LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Plano Parkway LLC, Bear Creek Surgery Center LLC, Beaumont Surgical Affiliates Ltd., Bellaire Outpatient Surgery Center L.L.P., Berkshire Eye LLC, Bloomington ASC LLC, Blue Ridge/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Bluffton Okatie Primary Care L.L.C., Bluffton Okatie Surgery Center L.L.C., Bon Secours Surgery Center at Harbour View LLC, Bon Secours Surgery Center at Virginia Beach LLC, Bozeman Health/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Bozeman MOB LLC, Briarcliff Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Bristol Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Broad River Primary Care L.L.C., Brookwood - Maternal Fetal Medicine L.L.C., Brookwood Ancillary Holdings Inc., Brookwood Baptist Health 1 LLC, Brookwood Baptist Health 2 LLC, Brookwood Baptist Health 3 LLC, Brookwood Baptist Imaging LLC, Brookwood Center Development Corporation, Brookwood Development Inc., Brookwood Diagnostic Imaging Center LLC, Brookwood Garages L.L.C., Brookwood Health Services Inc., Brookwood Home Health LLC, Brookwood Occupational Health Clinic L.L.C., Brookwood Parking Associates Ltd., Brookwood Primary Care - Homewood L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Inverness L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Mountain Brook L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Oak Mountain L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Vestavia L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care Cahaba Heights L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care Hoover L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care The Narrows L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Network Care Inc., Brookwood Specialty Care - Endocrinology L.L.C., Brookwood Sports and Orthopedics L.L.C., Brookwood Womens Care L.L.C., Brookwood Womens Diagnostic Center LLC, C7 Technologies LLC, CGH Hospital Ltd., CHIC/USP Surgery Centers LLC, CHN Holdings LLC, CHRISTUS Cabrini Surgery Center L.L.C., CHVI Tucson Holdings LLC, CML-Chicago Market Labs Inc., CRNAs of Michigan, CS/USP General Partner LLC, CS/USP Surgery Centers LP, California Joint & Spine LLC, Camp Creek Urgent Care L.L.C., Camp Lowell Surgery Center L.L.C., Captive Insurance Services Inc., Cardiology Physicians Associates L.L.C., Cardiology Physicians Corporation L.L.C., Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Associates L.L.C., Cardiovascular Clinical Excellence at Sierra Providence LLC, CareSpot of Austin LLC, CareSpot of Memphis LLC, CareSpot of Orlando/HSI Urgent Care LLC, Carmel Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Carondelet St. Marys-Northwest L.L.C., Cascade Spine Center LLC, Castle Rock Surgery Center LLC, Catawba-Piedmont Cardiothoracic Surgery L.L.C., Cedar Hill Primary Care L.L.C., Cedar Park Surgery Center L.L.P., Centennial ASC LLC, Center for Advanced Research Excellence L.L.C., Center for the Urban Child Inc., Central California Healthcare Holdings LLC, Central Carolina Physicians - Sandhills L.L.C., Central Carolina-IMA L.L.C., Central Jersey Surgery Center LLC, Central Texas Corridor Hospital Company LLC, Central Valley Quality Alliance LLC, Central Virginia Surgi-Center L.P., Centura Ventures Surgery Centers LLC, Centura/USP Colorado Springs Surgery Centers L.L.C., Chalon Living Inc., Chandler Endoscopy Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Charlotte Endoscopic Surgery Center LLC, Chattanooga Pain Management Center LLC, Chesterfield Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Chesterfield Anesthesia Associates of Missouri LLC, Chico Surgery Center L.P., Childrens Hospital of Michigan Premier Network Inc., Citrus Heights ASC RE LLC, Clarkston ASC Partners LLC, Clarksville Surgery Center LLC, Coast Healthcare Management LLC, Coast Surgery Center L.P., Coastal Carolina Medical Center, Coastal Carolina Medical Center Inc., Coastal Carolina Physician Practices LLC, Coastal Carolina Pro Fee Billing L.L.C., Coastal Endo LLC, Colorado GI Centers LLC, Commonwealth Continental Health Care Inc., Community Connection Health Plan Inc., Community Hospital LLC, Community Hospital of Los Gatos Inc., Conifer Care Continuum Solutions LLC, Conifer Ethics and Compliance Inc., Conifer Global Business Center Inc., Conifer Global Holdings Inc., Conifer Health Solutions LLC, Conifer Holdings Inc., Conifer Patient Communications LLC, Conifer Physician Services Holdings Inc., Conifer Physician Services Inc., Conifer Revenue Cycle Solutions LLC, Conifer Value-Based Care LLC, Conroe Surgery Center 2 LLC, Coral Gables Hospital Inc., Coral Ridge Outpatient Center LLC, Corpus Christi Surgicare Ltd., Covenant/USP Surgery Centers LLC, CreAtiv Management Company Inc., Creekwood Investors LLC, Creekwood Surgery Center L.P., Crown Point Surgery Center LLC, DH/USP SJOSC Investment Company L.L.C., DH/USP Sacramento Pain GP LLC, DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital Premier Clinical Co-Management Services LLC, DMC Education & Research, DMC Harper University Hospital Premier Clinical Co-Management Services LLC, DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Premier Clinical Management Services LLC, DMC Imaging L.L.C., Dallas Surgical Partners LLC, DeTar/USP Surgery Center LLC, Delray Beach ASC LLC, Delray Medical Center Inc., Delray Medical Physician Services L.L.C., Denton Surgicare Partners Ltd., Denton Surgicare Real Estate Ltd., Denville Surgery Center LLC, Des Peres Physician Network LLC, Desert Cove MOB LLC, Desert Regional Medical Center Inc., Desert Ridge Outpatient Surgery LLC, Desoto Surgicare Partners Ltd., Destin ASC RE LLC, Destin Surgery Center LLC, Detroit Education & Research, DigitalMed Inc., Dignity/Abrazo Health Network LLC, Dignity/USP Folsom GP LLC, Dignity/USP Grass Valley GP LLC, Dignity/USP Las Vegas Surgery Centers LLC, Dignity/USP Metro Surgery Center LLC, Dignity/USP NorCal Surgery Centers LLC, Dignity/USP Phoenix Surgery Centers II LLC, Dignity/USP Phoenix Surgery Centers LLC, Dignity/USP Redding GP LLC, Dignity/USP Roseville GP LLC, Dignity/USP/John Muir East Bay Surgery Centers LLC, Doctors Hospital of Manteca Inc., Doctors Medical Center Neurosciences Clinical Co-Management LLC, Doctors Medical Center Orthopedics Clinical Co-Management LLC, Doctors Medical Center of Modesto Inc., Doctors Outpatient Center for Surgery LLC, Doctors Outpatient Surgery Center of Jupiter L.L.C., EPHC Inc., EPIC ASC LLC, East Atlanta Endoscopy Centers LLC, East Cobb Urgent Care LLC, East Cooper Coastal Family Physicians L.L.C., East Cooper Community Hospital Inc., East Cooper Hyperbarics L.L.C., East Cooper OB/GYN L.L.C., East Cooper Physician Network LLC, East Cooper Primary Care Physicians L.L.C., East Portland Surgery Center LLC, East West Surgery Center L.P., Eastgate Building Center L.L.C., Effingham Surgical Partners LLC, Einstein Montgomery Surgery Center LLC, Einstein/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., El Mirador Surgery Center L.L.C., El Paso Center for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy LLC, El Paso Day Surgery LLC, El Paso Urology Surgery Center Curie LLC, Emanate/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Emanuel Medical Center, Emerson Surgery Center LLC, Encinitas Endoscopy Center LLC, Endoscopy Center of Hackensack LLC, Endoscopy Center of South Sacramento LLC, Endoscopy Consultants LLC, European Surgical Partners Ltd., Eye Center of Nashville UAP LLC, Eye Surgery Center of Nashville LLC, FMC Medical Inc., FMCC Network Contracting L.L.C., FPN  Frisco Physicians Network, FREH Real Estate L.L.C., FRS Imaging Services L.L.C., FSC Hospital LLC, FSH IT Services LP, First Choice Physician Partners, Flatirons Surgery Center LLC, Folsom Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Fort Bend Clinical Services Inc., Fort Worth Hospital Real Estate LP, Fort Worth Surgicare Partners Ltd., Foundation Bariatric Hospital of San Antonio LLC, Foundation San Antonio Borrower Sub LLC, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Fountain Valley Surgery Center LLC, Franklin Endo UAP LLC, Franklin Endoscopy Center LLC, Fresno Surgery Center L.P., Frisco Medical Center L.L.P., Frontenac Ambulatory Surgery & Spine Care Center L.P., Frye Regional Medical Center Inc., FryeCare Boone L.L.C., FryeCare Morganton L.L.C., FryeCare Physicians L.L.C., FryeCare Valdese L.L.C., FryeCare Watauga L.L.C., FryeCare Womens Services L.L.C., GCSA Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Gamma Surgery Center LLC, Gardendale Surgical Associates LLC, Garland Surgicare Partners Ltd., Gastric Health Institute L.L.C., Genesis ASC Partners LLC, Geneva Surgical Suites LLC, Georgia Endoscopy Center LLC, Georgia Gifts From Grace L.L.C., Georgia Musculoskeletal Network Inc., Georgia North Fulton Healthcare Associates L.L.C., Georgia Northside Ear Nose and Throat L.L.C., Georgia Physicians of Cardiology L.L.C., Georgia Spectrum Neurosurgical Specialists L.L.C., Georgia Spine Surgery Center LLC, Glen Echo Surgery Center LLC, Golden Ridge ASC LLC, Good Samaritan Medical Center Inc., Good Samaritan Surgery L.L.C., Grapevine Surgicare Partners Ltd., Grass Valley Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Graystone Family Healthcare - Tenet North Carolina L.L.C., Great Lakes Surgical Suites LLC, Greater Dallas Healthcare Enterprises, Greater Northwest Houston Enterprises, Greenville Physicians Surgery Center LLP, Greenwood ASC LLC, Greystone Internal Medicine - Brookwood L.L.C., Gulf Coast Community Hospital Inc., HCH Tucson Holdings LLC, HCN Emerus Management Sub LLC, HCN Emerus Texas LLC, HCN Laboratories Inc., HCN Physicians Inc., HCN Sunnyvale Holdings LLC, HCN Surgery Center Holdings Inc., HDMC Holdings L.L.C., HMA/Solantic Joint Venture LLC, HMH-USP Surgery Centers LLC, HMHP/USP Surgery Centers LLC, HNMC Inc., HNW GP Inc., HNW LP Inc., HPI Holdings LLC, HPI North LLC, HPI Physicians LLC, HSRM International Inc., HSS Palm Beach Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, HSS/USP Surgery Center LLC, HUG Services Inc., HUMC/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Hacienda Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Hagerstown Surgery Center LLC, Hardeeville Medical Group L.L.C., Hardeeville Primary Care L.L.C., Harlingen Physician Network Inc., Harper-Hutzel AHP Services Inc., Harvard Park Surgery Center LLC, Haymarket Surgery Center LLC, Hazelwood Endoscopy Center LLC, Health & Wellness Surgery Center L.P., Health Horizons of Kansas City Inc., Health Horizons of Murfreesboro Inc., Health Horizons/Piedmont Joint Venture LLC, Health Services CFMC Inc., Health Services HNMC Inc., Health Services Network Care Inc., Health Services Network Hospitals Inc., Health Services Network Texas Inc., HealthCorp Network Inc., Healthcare Compliance LLC, Healthcare Network Alabama Inc., Healthcare Network CFMC Inc., Healthcare Network DPH Inc., Healthcare Network Georgia Inc., Healthcare Network Holdings Inc., Healthcare Network Hospitals (Dallas) Inc., Healthcare Network Hospitals Inc., Healthcare Network Louisiana Inc., Healthcare Network Missouri Inc., Healthcare Network North Carolina Inc., Healthcare Network South Carolina Inc., Healthcare Network Tennessee Inc., Healthcare Network Texas Inc., Healthcare Partners Investments LLC, Healthmark Partners Inc., Healthpoint of North Carolina L.L.C., Heart and Vascular Institute of Michigan, Heritage Park Surgical Hospital LLC, Hershey Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Hialeah Hospital Inc., Hialeah Real Properties Inc., Hickory Family Practice Associates - Tenet North Carolina L.L.C., Hill Country ASC Partners LLC, Hill Country Surgery Center LLC, Hilton Head Health System L.P., Hilton Head Regional Healthcare L.L.C., Hilton Head Regional OB/GYN Partners L.L.C., Hilton Head Regional Physician Network LLC, Hilton Head Regional Physician Network  Georgia L.L.C., Hinsdale Surgical Center LLC, Hitchcock State Street Real Estate Inc., Holston Valley Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Holy Cross Hospital Inc., Home Health Partners of San Antonio LLC, Hoover Doctors Group Inc., Hoover Land LLC, Horizon Ridge Surgery Center LLC, Hospital Development of West Phoenix Inc., Hospital RCM Services LLC, Hospital Underwriting Group Inc., Houston Northwest Partners Ltd., Houston PSC L.P., Houston Specialty Hospital Inc., Houston Sunrise Investors Inc., Hyde Park Surgery Center LLC, ICNU Rockford LLC, Imaging Center at Baxter Village L.L.C., InforMed Insurance Services LLC, Integris/USP Health Ventures LLC, International Health and Wellness Inc., Irving-Coppell Surgical Hospital L.L.P., JFK Memorial Hospital Inc., JFP UAP Sugarland LLC, Jackson Surgical Center LLC, Jacksonville Endoscopy Centers LLC, Journey Home Healthcare of San Antonio LLC, KHS Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, KHS/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Kingsport Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Laguna Medical Systems Inc., Lake Endoscopy Center LLC, Lake Health Care Facilities Inc., Lake Lansing ASC Partners LLC, Lake Surgical Hospital Slidell LLC, LakeFront Medical Associates LLC, Lakewood Regional Medical Center Inc., Lakewood Surgery Center LLC, Lancaster Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Lansing ASC Partners LLC, Lawrenceville Surgery Center L.L.C., Lebanon Endoscopy Center LLC, Legacy Warren Partners L.P., Legacy/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Leonardtown Surgery Center LLC, Liberty Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Lifemark Hospitals Inc., Lifemark Hospitals of Florida Inc., Lifemark Hospitals of Louisiana Inc., Lone Star Endoscopy Center LLC, Longleaf Surgery Center LLC, Los Alamitos Medical Center Inc., Lubbock ASC Holding Co LLC, MASC Partners LLC, MCSH Real Estate Investors Ltd., MH Memorial City Surgery LLC, MH/USP Bay Area LLC, MH/USP Brazoria LLC, MH/USP Kingsland LLC, MH/USP Kingwood LLC, MH/USP Kirby LLC, MH/USP Main Street LLC, MH/USP North Freeway LLC, MH/USP North Houston LLC, MH/USP Richmond LLC, MH/USP Sugar Land LLC, MH/USP TMC Endoscopy LLC, MH/USP West Houston L.L.C., MH/USP Woodlands Parkway LLC, MSH Partners LLC, MSV Health/USP Surgery Centers LLC, MVH/USP Surgery Centers LLC, MacNeal Management Services Inc., MacNeal Medical Records Inc., MacNeal Physicians Group LLC, Magnetic Resonance Imaging of San Luis Obispo Inc., Magnolia Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Manchester Ambulatory Surgery Center LP, Maple Lawn Surgery Center LLC, Marion Surgery Center LLC, Mary Immaculate Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Mason Ridge Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Mayfield Spine Surgery Center LLC, McLaren ASC of Flint LLC, Meadowcrest Hospital LLC, Medical House Staffing LLC, Medical Park Tower Surgery Center LLC, Medplex Outpatient Medical Centers Inc., Medplex Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Memorial Hermann Bay Area Endoscopy Center LLC, Memorial Hermann Endoscopy & Surgery Center North Houston L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Endoscopy Center North Freeway LLC, Memorial Hermann Specialty Hospital Kingwood L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Surgical Hospital L.L.P., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Brazoria LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Cypress LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Katy LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Kingsland L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Kirby LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Main Street LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Memorial City L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Northwest LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Pinecroft LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Preston Road Ltd., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Richmond LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Southwest L.L.P., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Sugar Land LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Texas Medical Center LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Woodlands Parkway LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center  The Woodlands LLP, Memorial Hermann Texas International Endoscopy Center LLC, Memorial Hermann West Houston Surgery Center LLC, Memorial Hermann/USP Surgery Centers II L.P., Memorial Hermann/USP Surgery Centers III LLP, Memorial Hermann/USP Surgery Centers IV LLP, Memorial Surgery Center LLC, Memphis Urgent Care #1 L.L.C., Memphis Urgent Care #2 L.L.C., Merced Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Mercy/USP Health Ventures L.L.C., Metro Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Metro Surgery Center LLC, MetroWest HomeCare & Hospice LLC, Metrocrest Surgery Center L.P., Metropolitan New Jersey LLC, Michigan ASC Partners L.L.C., Michigan Pioneer ACO LLC, Michigan Regional Imaging LLC, Mid Rivers Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Mid State Endo UAP LLC, Mid-State Endoscopy Center LLC, Mid-TSC Development LP, Middle Tennessee Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Midland Memorial/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Midland Texas Surgical Center LLC, Midwest Digestive Health Center LLC, Midwest Pharmacies Inc., Midwest Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Millennium Surgical Center LLC, Mobile Imaging Management LLC, Mobile Technology Management LLC, Modesto Radiology Imaging Inc., Monocacy Surgery Center LLC, Mountain Empire Surgery Center L.P., Munster Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Murdock Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, NHSC Holdings LLC, NICH GP Holdings LLC, NKCH/USP Briarcliff GP LLC, NKCH/USP Liberty GP LLC, NKCH/USP Surgery Centers II L.L.C., NKCH/USP Surgery Centers LLC, NMC Lessor L.P., NMC Surgery Center L.P., NME Headquarters Inc., NME Properties Corp., NME Properties Inc., NME Property Holding Co. Inc., NME Psychiatric Hospitals Inc., NME Rehabilitation Properties Inc., NSCH GP Holdings LLC, NSCH/USP Desert Surgery Centers L.L.C., NUCH of Georgia L.L.C., NUCH of Massachusetts LLC, NUCH of Michigan Inc., NUCH of Texas, Nacogdoches ASC-LP Inc., Name of Entity, National ASC Inc., National Ancillary Inc., National Diagnostic Imaging Centers Inc., National HHC Inc., National Home Health Holdings Inc., National ICN Inc., National Imaging Center Holdings Inc., National Medical Services II Inc., National Outpatient Services Holdings Inc., National Surgery Center Holdings Inc., National Urgent Care Holdings Inc., National Urgent Care Inc., Network Management Associates Inc., New Dimensions LLC, New England Physician Performance Network LLC, New H Acute Inc., New Horizons Surgery Center LLC, New Medical Horizons II Ltd., New Mexico Orthopaedic Surgery Center LLC, New Salem ASC RE LLC, Newhope Imaging Center Inc., North Anaheim Surgery Center LLC, North Atlantic Surgical Suites LLC, North Campus Surgery Center LLC, North Carolina Community Family Medicine L.L.C., North Central Surgical Center L.L.P., North Denver Musculoskeletal Surgical Partners LLC, North Fulton Cardiovascular Medicine L.L.C., North Fulton Hospitalist Group L.L.C., North Fulton Medical Center Inc., North Fulton Primary Care - Willeo Rd. L.L.C., North Fulton Primary Care - Windward Parkway L.L.C., North Fulton Primary Care - Wylie Bridge L.L.C., North Fulton Primary Care Associates L.L.C., North Fulton Pulmonary Specialists L.L.C., North Fulton Womens Consultants L.L.C., North Garland Surgery Center L.L.P., North Haven Surgery Center LLC, North Miami Medical Center Ltd., North Shore Medical Billing Center L.L.C., North Shore Medical Center Inc., North Shore Same Day Surgery L.L.C., North Shore Surgical Suites LLC, North State Surgery Centers L.P., NorthPointe Surgical Suites LLC, NorthShore/USP Surgery Centers II L.L.C., Northern Monmouth Regional Surgery Center L.L.C., Northridge ASC RE LLC, Northridge Surgery Center L.P., Northwest Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Georgia Orthopaedic Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Regional ASC LLC, Northwest Regional Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Surgery Center LLP, Northwest Surgery Center Ltd., Novant Health/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Novant/UVA/USP Surgery Centers LLC, OCOMS Imaging LLC, OCOMS Professional Services LLC, OLOL/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Okatie Surgical Partners L.L.C., Oklahoma Center for Orthopedic and Multi-Specialty Surgery LLC, Old Tesson Surgery Center L.P., Olive Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Olive Branch Urgent Care #1 LLC, Ophthalmology Anesthesia Services LLC, Ophthalmology Surgery Center of Orlando LLC, Optimum Spine Center LLC, OrNda Healthcorp, OrNda Hospital Corporation, Orlando Health/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., OrthoArizona Surgery Center Gilbert LLC, OrthoLink ASC Corporation, OrthoLink Physicians Corporation, OrthoLink Radiology Services Corporation, OrthoLink/ Georgia ASC Inc., OrthoLink/Baptist ASC LLC, OrthoLink/New Mexico ASC Inc., Orthopedic Associates of the Lowcountry L.L.C., Orthopedic South Surgical Partners LLC, Orthopedic and Surgical Specialty Company LLC, PAHS/USP Surgery Centers LLC, PDN L.L.C., PHPS Inc., PHPS-CHM Acquisition Inc., PHS/USP Health Ventures LLC, PM CyFair Land Partners LLC, PMC Physician Network L.L.C., PPRE LLC, PSS Patient Solution Services LLC, Pacific Endo-Surgical Center L.P., Pacific Endoscopy and Surgery Center LLC, Pain Diagnostic and Treatment Center L.P., Paley Institute Global LLC, Palm Beach Gardens Community Hospital Inc., Palm Beach International Surgery Center LLC, Palm Valley Medical Center Campus Association, Palos Health Surgery Center LLC, Paramus Endoscopy LLC, Park Cities Surgery Center LLC, Park Plaza Hospital Billing Center L.L.C., ParkCreek ASC LLC, Parkway Recovery Care Center LLC, Parkwest Surgery Center L.P., Patient Partners LLC, Peak Gastroenterology ASC LLC, Pediatric Surgery Center  Odessa LLC, Pediatric Surgery Centers LLC, Physician Performance Network L.L.C., Physician Performance Network of Arizona LLC, Physician Performance Network of Detroit, Physician Performance Network of South Carolina LLC, Physician Performance Network of Tucson LLC, Physicians Performance Network of Houston, Physicians Performance Network of North Texas, Physicians Surgery Center at Good Samaritan LLC, Physicians Surgery Center of Tempe LLC, Physicians Surgical Center of Ft. Worth LLP, Physicians Surgery Center of Chattanooga L.L.C., Physicians Surgery Center of Knoxville LLC, Piccard Surgery Center LLC, Piedmont ASC LLC, Piedmont Behavioral Medicine Associates LLC, Piedmont Cardiovascular Physicians L.L.C., Piedmont Carolina OB/GYN of York County L.L.C., Piedmont Carolina Vascular Surgery L.L.C., Piedmont East Urgent Care Center L.L.C., Piedmont Express Care at Sutton Road L.L.C., Piedmont Family Practice at Baxter Village L.L.C., Piedmont Family Practice at Rock Hill L.L.C., Piedmont Family Practice at Tega Cay L.L.C., Piedmont General Surgery Associates L.L.C., Piedmont Internal Medicine at Baxter Village L.L.C., Piedmont Physician Network LLC, Piedmont Pulmonology L.L.C., Piedmont Surgical Specialists L.L.C., Piedmont Urgent Care Center at Baxter Village L.L.C., Piedmont Urgent Care and Industrial Health Centers Inc., Piedmont/Carolinas Radiation Therapy LLC, Placentia-Linda Hospital Inc., Pleasanton Diagnostic Imaging Inc., Point of Rocks Surgery Center LLC, Practice Partners Management L.P., Premier ACO Physicians Network LLC, Premier ASC LLC, Premier Adult and Childrens Surgery Center LLC, Premier Endoscopy ASC LLC, Premier Health Plan Services Inc., Premier Medical Specialists L.L.C., Prince William Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Professional Anesthesia Services LLC, Professional Liability Insurance Company, Pros Temporary Staffing Inc., Providence/UCLA/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Providence/USP Santa Clarita GP LLC, Providence/USP South Bay Surgery Centers L.L.C., Providence/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Pueblo Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, R.H.S.C. El Paso Inc., RE Plano Med Inc., RHC Parkway Inc., RLC LLC, Reading Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Reading Endoscopy Center LLC, Reagan Street Surgery Center LLC, Redmond Surgery Center LLC, Renaissance Surgery Center LLC, Republic Health Corporation of Rockwall County, Resolute Health Physicians Network Inc., Resolute Hospital Company LLC, Resurgens East Surgery Center LLC, Resurgens Fayette Surgery Center LLC, Resurgens Surgery Center LLC, Rheumatology Associates of Atlanta Medical Center L.L.C., Richmond ASC Leasing Company LLC, Rio Grande Valley Indigent Health Care Corporation, River North Same Day Surgery L.L.C., Riverside Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Rock Bridge Surgical Institute L.L.C., Rock Hill Surgery Center LLC, Rockwall Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.P., Rocky Mountain Endoscopy Centers LLC, Roseville Surgery Center L.P., Roswell Surgery Center L.L.C., SCNRE LLC, SFMP Inc., SFMPE - Crittenden L.L.C., SL-HLC Inc., SLH Physicians L.L.C., SLH Vista Inc., SLPA ACO LLC, SLUH Anesthesia Physicians L.L.C., SMSJ Imaging Company LLC, SMSJ Tucson Holdings LLC, SPC at the Star LLC, SRRMC Management Inc., SSI Holdings Inc., Sacramento Midtown Endoscopy Center LLC, Safety Harbor ASC Company LLC, Saint Agnes/Dignity/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Saint Agnes/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Saint Francis Cardiology Associates L.L.C., Saint Francis Cardiovascular Surgery L.L.C., Saint Francis Center for Surgical Weight Loss L.L.C., Saint Francis Hospital Billing Center L.L.C., Saint Francis Hospital Medicare ACO LLC, Saint Francis Hospital Pro Fee Billing L.L.C., Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett Inc., Saint Francis Medical Partners East L.L.C., Saint Francis Medical Partners General Surgery L.L.C., Saint Francis Physician Network LLC, Saint Francis Quality Alliance LLC, Saint Francis Surgery Center L.L.C., Saint Francis Surgical Associates L.L.C., Saint Francis-Arkansas Physician Network LLC, Saint Francis-Bartlett Physician Network LLC, Saint Thomas Campus Surgicare L.P., Saint Thomas Surgery Center New Salem LLC, Saint Thomas/USP Surgery Centers II L.L.C., Saint Thomas/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Saint Thomas/USP  Baptist Plaza L.L.C., Saint Vincent Physician Services Inc., Salmon Surgery Center LLC, Same Day Management L.L.C., Same Day SC of Central NJ LLC, Same Day Surgery L.L.C., San Antonio Endoscopy L.P., San Fernando Valley Surgery Center L.P., San Gabriel Valley Surgical Center L.P., San Martin Surgery Center LLC, San Ramon ASC L. P., San Ramon Ambulatory Care LLC, San Ramon Network Joint Venture LLC, San Ramon Regional Medical Center LLC, San Ramon Surgery Center L.L.C., Santa Barbara Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Santa Clarita Surgery Center L.P., Savannah Endoscopy Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Schertz Surgery Center LLC, Scripps Encinitas Surgery Center LLC, Scripps/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Seaside Surgery Center LLC, Shands/Solantic Joint Venture LLC, Shelby Baptist Affinity LLC, Shelby Baptist Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Shore Outpatient Surgicenter L.L.C., Shoreline Real Estate Partnership LLP, Shoreline Surgery Center LLP, Shrewsbury Surgery Center LLC, Sierra Pacific Surgery Center LLC, Sierra Providence Health Network Inc., Sierra Providence Healthcare Enterprises, Sierra Vista Hospital Inc., Silicon Valley Outpatient Surgery Centers LLC, Silver Cross Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Silver Cross/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Sinai-Grace Premier Clinical Management Services LLC, Siouxland Surgery Center Limited Liability Partnership, Solantic Corporation, Solantic Development LLC, Solantic Holdings Corporation, Solantic of Jacksonville LLC, Solantic of Orlando LLC, Solantic/South Florida LLC, South Carolina East Cooper Surgical Specialists L.L.C., South Carolina Health Services Inc., South Carolina SeWee Family Medicine L.L.C., South County Outpatient Endoscopy Services L.P., South Denver Musculoskeletal Surgical Partners LLC, South Florida Ambulatory Surgical Center LLC, South Fulton Health Care Centers Inc., SouthCare Physicians Group Neurology L.L.C., SouthCare Physicians Group Obstetrics & Gynecology L.L.C., Southeast Ohio Surgical Suites LLC, Southern Orthopedics and Sports Medicine L.L.C., Southern States Physician Operations Inc., Southwest Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.C., Southwest Childrens Hospital LLC, Southwest Endoscopy LLC, Southwest Orthopedic and Spine Hospital LLC, Southwest Orthopedic and Spine Hospital Real Estate LLC, Southwestern Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Spalding Regional Medical Center Inc., Spalding Regional OB/GYN L.L.C., Spalding Regional Physician Services L.L.C., Specialty Surgery Center of Fort Worth L.P., Specialty Surgicenters Inc., Spinal Diagnostics and Treatment Centers L.L.C., Spine & Joint Physician Associates, Springfield Service Holding Corporation, St. Augustine Endoscopy Center LLC, St. Christophers Pediatric Urgent Care Center - Allentown L.L.C, St. Josephs Hospital Surgical Co-Management LLC, St. Josephs Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, St. Josephs Surgery Center L.P., St. Louis Physician Alliance LLC, St. Louis Surgical Center LLC, St. Louis Urology Center LLC, St. Lukes/USP Surgery Centers LLC, St. Marys Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, St. Marys Hospital Cardiovascular Co-Management LLC, St. Marys Hospital Surgical Co-Management LLC, St. Marys Levee Company LLC, St. Marys Medical Center Inc., St. Vincent Health/USP LLC, St. Vincent/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Stockton Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Subsidiaries of USPI Holding Company Inc., Suburban Endoscopy Center LLC, Summit View Surgery Center LLC, Sun View Imaging L.L.C., Sunrise Medical Group I L.L.C., Sunrise Medical Group II L.L.C., Sunrise Medical Group IV L.L.C., SurgCenter Camelback LLC, SurgCenter Northeast LLC, SurgCenter Pinellas LLC, SurgCenter Tucson LLC, SurgCenter at Paradise Valley LLC, SurgCenter of Deer Valley LLC, SurgCenter of Glen Burnie LLC, SurgCenter of Palm Beach Gardens LLC, SurgCenter of Plano LLC, SurgCenter of Southern Maryland LLC, SurgCenter of St. Lucie LLC, SurgCenter of White Marsh LLC, Surgery Affiliate of El Paso LLC, Surgery Center at Mount Pleasant LLC, Surgery Center at University Park LLC, Surgery Center of Atlanta LLC, Surgery Center of Canfield LLC, Surgery Center of Columbia L.P., Surgery Center of Coral Gables LLC, Surgery Center of Okeechobee LLC, Surgery Center of Pembroke Pines L.L.C., Surgery Center of Peoria L.L.C., Surgery Center of Richardson Physician Partnership L.P., Surgery Center of Santa Barbara LLC, Surgery Center of Scottsdale LLC, Surgery Center of Tempe Real Estate II L.L.C., Surgery Center of Tempe Real Estate L.L.C., Surgery Centers of America II L.L.C., Surgery Centre of SW Florida LLC, Surgical & Bariatric Associates of Atlanta Medical Center L.L.C., Surgical Clinical Excellence at Desert Regional LLC, Surgical Elite of Avondale L.L.C., Surgical Health Partners LLC, Surgical Institute Management LLC, Surgical Institute of Reading LLC, Surgical Specialists at Princeton LLC, Surgicare of Miramar L.L.C., Surginet Inc., Surgis Inc., Surgis Management Services Inc., Surgis of Chico Inc., Surgis of Phoenix Inc., Surgis of Redding Inc., Surgis of Victoria Inc., Sutton Road Pediatrics L.L.C., Sylvan Grove Hospital Inc., TENN SM LLC, TFPS IV L.L.C., TH Healthcare Ltd., TH International Services Florida LLC, THV Park Cities LLC, THVG Arlington GP LLC, THVG Bariatric GP LLC, THVG Bariatric L.L.C., THVG Bedford GP LLC, THVG Bellaire GP LLC, THVG DSP GP LLC, THVG DeSoto GP LLC, THVG Denton GP LLC, THVG Fort Worth GP LLC, THVG Frisco GP LLC, THVG Garland GP LLC, THVG Grapevine GP LLC, THVG Irving-Coppell GP LLC, THVG Lewisville GP LLC, THVG North Garland GP LLC, THVG Park Cities/Trophy Club GP LLC, THVG Rockwall 2 GP LLC, THVG Valley View GP LLC, TLC ASC LLC, TMC Holding Company LLC, TOPS Specialty Hospital Ltd., TPG Hospital LLC, TPR Practice Management LLC, TPS VI of PA L.L.C., TRMC Holdings LLC, TSPE LLC, Tamarac Surgery Center LLC, Tempe New Day Surgery Center LP, Templeton Imaging Inc., Tenet Business Services Corporation, Tenet California Inc., Tenet Central Carolina Physicians Inc., Tenet EKG Inc., Tenet El Paso Ltd., Tenet Employment Inc., Tenet Finance Corp., Tenet Florida Inc., Tenet Florida Physician Services II L.L.C., Tenet Florida Physician Services III L.L.C., Tenet Florida Physician Services L.L.C., Tenet Fort Mill Inc., Tenet Global Business Center Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Bucks County L.L.C., Tenet HealthSystem Graduate L.L.C., Tenet HealthSystem Hahnemann L.L.C., Tenet HealthSystem Medical Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Nacogdoches ASC GP Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Philadelphia Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Roxborough LLC, Tenet HealthSystem St. Christophers Hospital for Children L.L.C., Tenet Hilton Head Heart L.L.C., Tenet Hospitals Limited, Tenet Network Management Inc., Tenet Patient Safety Organization LLC, Tenet Physician Resources LLC, Tenet Physician Services - Hilton Head Inc., Tenet Rehab Piedmont Inc., Tenet Relocation Services L.L.C., Tenet SC East Cooper Hospitalists L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Gastrointestinal Surgical Specialists L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Island Medical L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Lowcountry OB/GYN L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Mt. Pleasant OB/GYN L.L.C., Tenet Unifour Urgent Care Center L.L.C., Tenet Ventures Inc., TenetCare Frisco Inc., Terre Haute Surgical Center LLC, Teton Outpatient Services LLC, Texan Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Texas Endoscopy Centers LLC, Texas Health Venture Arlington Hospital LLC, Texas Health Venture Baylor Plano LLC, Texas Health Venture Carrollton LLC, Texas Health Venture Centennial LLC, Texas Health Venture Ennis LLC, Texas Health Venture Fort Worth L.L.C., Texas Health Venture Granbury LLC, Texas Health Venture Heritage Park LLC, Texas Health Venture Keller LLC, Texas Health Venture Las Colinas LLC, Texas Health Venture Mansfield LLC, Texas Health Venture Plano Endo LLC, Texas Health Venture Plano LLC, Texas Health Venture Plano Parkway LLC, Texas Health Venture Texas Spine LLC, Texas Health Ventures Group L.L.C., Texas Orthopedics Surgery Center LLC, Texas Regional Medical Center LLC, Texas Regional Medical in Sunnyvale, Texas Spine and Joint Hospital LLC, The 6300 West Roosevelt Partnership, The Ambulatory Surgical Center of St. Louis L.P., The Healthcare Insurance Corporation, The Healthcare Underwriting Company a Risk Retention Group, The Huron Corporation, The Outpatient Center LLC, The Southeastern Spine Institute Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.C., The Surgery Center at Jensen Beach LLC, The Surgery Center at Williamson LLC, The Tresanti Surgical Center LLC, Theda Oaks Gastroenterology & Endoscopy Center LLC, Titan Health Corporation, Titan Health of Chattanooga Inc., Titan Health of Hershey Inc., Titan Health of Mount Laurel LLC, Titan Health of North Haven Inc., Titan Health of Pittsburgh Inc., Titan Health of Pleasant Hills Inc., Titan Health of Princeton Inc., Titan Health of Sacramento Inc., Titan Health of Saginaw Inc., Titan Health of Titusville Inc., Titan Health of West Penn Inc., Titan Health of Westminster Inc., Titan Management Corporation, Titusville Center for Surgical Excellence LLC, Toms River Surgery Center L.L.C., Total Joint Center of the Northland LLC, Tower Road Real Estate LLC, Tower/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Treasure Coast ASC LLC, Trophy Club Medical Center L.P., True Medical Weight Loss L.P., True Medical Wellness LP, True Results Georgia Inc., True Results HoldCo LLC, True Results Missouri LLC, Tucson Digestive Institute LLC, Tucson Hospital Holdings Inc., Tucson Physician Group Holdings LLC, Turlock Imaging Services LLC, Turlock Land Company LLC, Tuscan Surgery Center at Las Colinas LLC, Twin Cities Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Twin Cities Community Hospital Inc., UAP Las Colinas Endo LLC, UAP Lebanon Endo LLC, UAP Nashville Endoscopy LLC, UAP Scopes LLC, UAP of Arizona Inc., UAP of California Inc., UAP of Missouri Inc., UAP of New Jersey Inc., UAP of Oklahoma Inc., UAP of Tennessee Inc., UAP of Texas Inc., UCC Tucson Holdings LLC, UMC Surgery Center Lubbock LLC, UMC-USP Surgery Centers LLC, USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, USP 12th Ave Real Estate Inc., USP Acquisition Corporation, USP Alexandria Inc., USP Assurance Company, USP Athens Inc., USP Atlanta Inc., USP Austin Inc., USP Bariatric LLC, USP Beaumont Inc., USP Bergen Inc., USP Bloomington Inc., USP Bridgeton Inc., USP Cedar Park Inc., USP Chesterfield Inc., USP Chicago Inc., USP Cincinnati Inc., USP Coast Inc., USP Columbia Inc., USP Connecticut Inc., USP Corpus Christi Inc., USP Creve Coeur Inc., USP Denver Inc., USP Des Peres Inc., USP Destin Inc., USP Domestic Holdings Inc., USP Effingham Inc., USP Encinitas Endoscopy Inc., USP Fenton Inc., USP Festus Inc., USP Florissant Inc., USP Fort Lauderdale Inc., USP Fort Worth Hospital Real Estate Inc., USP Fredericksburg Inc., USP Fresno Inc., USP Frontenac Inc., USP Gateway Inc., USP HMH Surgery Center at Shore LLC, USP Harbour View Inc., USP Houston Inc., USP Indiana Inc., USP International Holdings Inc., USP Jersey City Inc., USP Kansas City Inc., USP Knoxville Inc., USP Little Rock Inc., USP Long Island Inc., USP Louisiana Inc., USP Lubbock Inc., USP Maryland Inc., USP Mason Ridge Inc., USP Mattis Inc., USP Michigan Inc., USP Midland Inc., USP Midland Real Estate Inc., USP Midwest Inc., USP Mission Hills Inc., USP Montana Inc., USP Morris Inc., USP Mt. Vernon Inc., USP Nevada Holdings LLC, USP Nevada Inc., USP New Hampshire Inc., USP New Jersey Inc., USP Newport News Inc., USP North Carolina Inc., USP North Kansas City Inc., USP North Texas Inc., USP Northwest Arkansas Inc., USP OKC Inc., USP OKC Manager Inc., USP Office Parkway Inc., USP Ohio RE Inc., USP Oklahoma Inc., USP Olive Inc., USP Orlando Inc., USP Philadelphia Inc., USP Phoenix Inc., USP Portland Inc., USP Reading Inc., USP Richmond II Inc., USP Richmond Inc., USP Sacramento Inc., USP San Antonio Inc., USP Santa Barbara Surgery Centers Inc., USP Securities Corporation, USP Silver Cross Inc., USP Siouxland Inc., USP Somerset Inc., USP South Carolina Inc., USP Southlake RE Inc., USP St. Louis Inc., USP St. Louis Urology Inc., USP St. Peters Inc., USP Sunset Hills Inc., USP TJ STL Inc., USP Tennessee Inc., USP Texas Air L.L.C., USP Texas L.P., USP Torrance Inc., USP Tucson Inc., USP Turnersville Inc., USP Virginia Beach Inc., USP Washington Inc., USP Waxahachie Management L.L.C., USP Webster Groves Inc., USP West Covina Inc., USP Westwood Inc., USP Winter Park Inc., USP Wisconsin Inc., USP-HMH Surgery Center at Central Jersey LLC, USP/Carondelet Tucson Surgery Centers LLC, USP/SOS Joint Venture LLC, USPI Group Holdings Inc., USPI Holding Company Inc.1, USPI Holdings Inc., USPI Physician Strategy Group LLC, USPI San Diego Inc., USPI Stockton Inc., USPI Surgical Services Inc., Ulysses True Results NewCo LLC, Underwood Surgery Center LLC, United Anesthesia Partners Inc., United Real Estate Development Inc., United Real Estate Holdings Inc., United Surgical Partners Holdings Inc., United Surgical Partners International, United Surgical Partners International Inc., Universal Medical Care Center L.L.C., University Surgery Center Ltd., University Surgical Partners of Dallas L.L.P., Upper Bay Surgery Center LLC, Upper Cumberland Physicians Surgery Center LLC, Urgent Care Centers of Arizona LLC, Utica ASC Partners LLC, Utica/USP Tulsa L.L.C., VB Brownsville LTACH LLC, VBOA ASC GP LLC, VBOA ASC Partners L.L.C., VHM Services Inc., VHS Acquisition Corporation, VHS Acquisition Partnership Number 1 L.P, VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 1 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 11 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 12 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 3 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 4 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 5 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 6 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 7 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 8 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 9 Inc., VHS Arizona Heart Institute Inc., VHS Brownsville Hospital Company LLC, VHS Chicago Market Procurement LLC, VHS Childrens Hospital of Michigan Inc., VHS Detroit Businesses Inc., VHS Detroit Receiving Hospital Inc., VHS Detroit Ventures Inc., VHS Harlingen Hospital Company LLC, VHS Harper-Hutzel Hospital Inc., VHS Holding Company Inc., VHS Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Inc., VHS Imaging Centers Inc., VHS New England Holding Company I Inc., VHS Outpatient Clinics Inc., VHS Phoenix Health Plan Inc., VHS Physicians of Michigan, VHS Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan Inc., VHS San Antonio Imaging Partners L.P., VHS San Antonio Partners LLC, VHS Sinai-Grace Hospital Inc., VHS University Laboratories Inc., VHS Valley Health System LLC, VHS Valley Holdings LLC, VHS Valley Management Company Inc., VHS West Suburban Medical Center Inc., VHS Westlake Hospital Inc., VHS of Anaheim Inc., VHS of Arrowhead Inc., VHS of Huntington Beach Inc., VHS of Illinois Inc., VHS of Michigan Inc., VHS of Michigan Staffing Inc., VHS of Orange County Inc., VHS of Phoenix Inc., VHS of South Phoenix Inc., Valley Baptist Lab Services LLC, Valley Baptist Physician Performance Network, Valley Baptist Realty Company LLC, Valley Baptist Wellness Center LLC, Valley Health Care Network, Vanguard ASC LLC, Vanguard Health Financial Company LLC, Vanguard Health Holding Company I LLC, Vanguard Health Holding Company II LLC, Vanguard Health Management Inc., Vanguard Health Systems, Vanguard Health Systems Inc., Vanguard Holding Company I Inc., Vanguard Holding Company II Inc., Vanguard Medical Specialists LLC, Vanguard Physician Services LLC, Ventana Surgical Center LLC, Veroscan Inc., Victoria Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Virtua-USP Princeton LLC, WHASA L.C., Walker Baptist Affinity LLC, Walker Street Imaging Care Inc., Warner Park Surgery Center LLC, Watermark Physician Services Inc., Webster Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Wellington Endo LLC, Wellstar/USP Joint Venture I LLC, Wellstar/USP Joint Venture II LLC, West Boca Health Services L.L.C., West Boca Medical Center Inc., West Boynton Urgent Care L.L.C., West Bozeman Surgery Center LLC, West Palm Healthcare Real Estate Inc., West Suburban Radiation Therapy Center LLC, Westgate Surgery Center LLC, Westlake Hospital LLC, Westlawn Surgery Center LLC, Westminster Surgery Center LLC, Westminster Surgery Centers LLC, White Fence Surgical Suites LLC, Willamette Spine Center Ambulatory Surgery LLC, Wilmington Endoscopy Center LLC, Wilshire Rental Corp., Winter Haven Ambulatory Surgical Center L.L.C., Wisconsin Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Wymark Surgery Center LLC, and YNHHSC/USP Surgery Centers LLC.
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What Should You Invest in During the New Year? Investing Strategies for 2022

Going into the new year, you may wonder what you should invest in: artificial intelligence, cyclical stocks, health care? A combination of these or something else entirely? It's a great question.

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ADLER is one of Germany's leading residential property companies with a focus on affordable housing. Its portfolio is primarily located in A- or on the outskirts of A- large and growing conurbations in northern, eastern and western Germany and has considerable upside potential in terms of revaluation gains, vacancy reduction and rent uplifts. All of the Group's properties and business operations are located in Germany, and benefit from the high employment in the German economy in general and also favourable real estate market dynamics in German A'B cities'. The Group's residential portfolio has been built up over the past five years by acquiring individual portfolios or shares in property holding companies.

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By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Picture this: A lion perched on a wet, slippery bark of a tree, surrounded by 200-odd bloodthirsty buffalos. The lion tries to roar but that does little to ward off the predators. Suddenly, his paw slips from the branch and his face turns ashen as he slips down the tree. Time speeds up again as the large cat comes to his senses, rests his back against the tree and lands softly onto a lower branch  safe for the time being. He waits for 45 minutes; the buffalos patience wears thin and they eventually scatter. The lion jumps down, only to be joined by his two brothers, before he lets out a loud thunderous roar.

No, this is not a scene from a wildlife documentary. This is just Parag Kulkarni (51) describing one of the many memories he made during his first wildlife photography tour in 2018. Now I know firsthand why the lion is called the king of the jungle  it takes valour and brains for that, says the MD of AO Smith India Water Products Pvt Ltd.

Parag Kulkarni

While a camera has always been a part of Kulkarnis travel kit, it wasnt until May last year that he was involved in wildlife photography. In the past 12 months alone, he has planned five trips to Kabini, Tanzania and Kenya, to indulge his passion.

I discovered wildlife photography in Kenya last year and my wife and I loved it so much that eight months later, we took a trip to Tanzania .Every experience from that trip  from watching a cheetah kill a wildebeest to venturing inside a volcanic crater and watching the sun rising behind its rim  feels surreal, he shares. Is Africa on the cards next year too?

Probably. We are hooked onto that place, he says. Kulkarni expanded his toolkit during his Kenya trip and now carries with him a Nikon 750D DSLR camera, a wide lens, a 70-200 mm lens for close up shots and a 200-400 mm lens for zoom shots. He isnt the only one who shares this passion either. Most of these tours are family trips with his wife and son sharing the same interest. Kulkarnis next trip is in May with his son, where the duo hope to capture photographs of tigers at Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

Wildlife photography hasnt just been a passion for this MD,who also chose to make enhanced efforts in protecting nature. I incorporated smaller changes personally and professionally. For example, you wont find dustbins in any of our cabins at work. If we have a centralised waste disposal system, people are more aware of how much they dispose and how much waste is generated. Wildlife photography made me realise its everyones duty to protect our world, he says.
The following companies are subsidiares of Crane: "CPI-Kiev" LLC, ARDAC Inc., AeroHose, Alfa Laval - The Industrial Flow Group, Armature d.o.o., Automatic Products (UK) Ltd., Automatic Products international - Assets, B. Rhodes & Son Ltd., Barksdale GmbH, Barksdale Inc., CA-MC Acquisition UK Ltd., CR Holdings C.V., CashCode Co - Assets, Coin Controls International Ltd., Coin Holdings Ltd., Coin Industries Ltd., Coin Overseas Holdings Ltd., Coin Pension Trustees Ltd., Conlux Matsumoto Co. Ltd., Consolidated Lumber Co, Corva Corp, Crane (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Crane Aerospace Inc., Crane Australia Pty. Ltd., Crane Canada Co., Crane Composites Inc., Crane Composites Ltd., Crane Controls Inc., Crane Currency, Crane Electronics Corporation, Crane Electronics Inc., Crane Environmental Inc., Crane European Financing LLC, Crane Fengqiu Zhejiang Pump Co. Ltd., Crane Fluid & Gas Systems (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Crane Global Holdings S.L., Crane GmbH, Crane Holdings (Germany) GmbH, Crane International Capital S.a.r.l., Crane International Holdings Inc., Crane International Trading (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Crane Ireland Ventures Designated Activity Company, Crane Ltd., Crane Merchandising Systems Inc., Crane Merchandising Systems Ltd., Crane Merger Co. LLC, Crane Middle East & Africa FZE, Crane Ningjin Valve Co. Ltd., Crane North America Funding LLC, Crane Nuclear Inc., Crane Overseas LLC, Crane Payment Innovations GmbH, Crane Payment Innovations Inc., Crane Payment Innovations International Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Pty Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Sarl, Crane Payment Innovations Srl, Crane Pension Trustee Company (UK) Limited, Crane Process Flow Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd., Crane Process Flow Technologies GmbH, Crane Process Flow Technologies Ltd., Crane Process Flow Technologies S.P.R.L., Crane Process Flow Technologies S.r.l., Crane Pumps and Systems Inc., Crane Resistoflex GmbH, Crane SC Holdings Ltd., Crane Stockham Valve. Ltd., Crane Yongxiang (Ningbo) Valve Company Ltd., Croning Livarna d.o.o., Cummis-Allison Corp, Delta Fluid Products, Delta Fluid Products Ltd., Dixie Narco, Donald Brown (Brownall) Ltd., ELDEC Corporation, ELDEC Electronics Ltd., ELDEC France S.A.R.L, Edlon - PSI division, Environmental Products USA, Etex Group - Business, Flow Technology Inc., Friedrich Krombach GmbH Armaturenwerke, General Technology Corp., Hattersley Newman Hender - Assets, Hattersly Newman Hender Ltd., Hydro-Aire Inc., Inta-Lok Ltd., Interpoint S.A.R.L., Interpoint U.K. Limited, Kessel (Thailand) Pte. Ltd., Kontron America - Mobile Rugged Business, Laminated Profiles - Assets, Lasco Composites, Liberty Technologies, MCC Holdings Inc., MEI Australia LLC, MEI Auto Payment System (Shanghai) Ltd., MEI Conlux, MEI Conlux Holdings (Japan) Inc., MEI Conlux Holdings (US) Inc., MEI Payment Systems Hong Kong Ltd., MEI Queretaro S. de R.L. de CV, MEI de Mexico LLC, MOVATS - Nuclear Valve Division, Merrimac Industries, Merrimac Industries Inc., Mondais Holdings B.V., Money Controls, Money Controls Argentina SA, Money Controls Holdings Ltd., Multi-Mix Microtechnology SRL, NABIC Valve Safety Products Ltd., Nippon Conlux Co. Ltd., Noble Composites, Noble Composites Inc., Number One Supply, Owens Corning - FRP Panel Business, P.L. Porter, P.T. Crane Indonesia, Pegler Hattersly Ltd., Resistoflex, Sequentia Holdings, Signal Technology, Sperryn & Company Ltd., Stentorfield, Streamware, Telequip, Terminal Manufacturing Co., The Dow Chemical - Plastic-Lined Piping Products division, The Krombach Group, Triangle Valve Co. Ltd., Unidynamics / Phoenix Inc., Ventech Controls, Viking Johnson Ltd., W.T. Armatur GmbH, Wade Couplings Ltd., Wask Ltd., Westlock Controls, Xomox, Xomox Chihuahua S.A. de C.V., Xomox Corporation, Xomox Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Xomox France S.A.S., Xomox Hungary Kft., Xomox International GmbH & Co. OHG, Xomox Japan Ltd., Xomox Korea Ltd., Xomox Sanmar Ltd., and Yilme Holdings B.V..
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Subhashini By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Four years ago, my husband in his drunken state poured kerosene on me and the moment he threw his cigarette at me, my velvet nightie caught fire. I woke up in the hospital. I knew that I had to get better and live for my children. My husband had borrowed money from many people and blew it all up on alcohol. They began pestering us to repay. He couldnt handle it so he fled three years back and left me and the children to deal with them.

I knew that running away would not help. I had to think of my childrens wellbeing. So I decided to work. I worked at a jewellery store but I realised that the work would not suit me as the timings were not flexible and the pay was meagre.

At this point, I was staying with my family. One day I asked my nephew to teach me how to drive. My uncle overheard this and volunteered to teach me thinking I was learning to pass time. What he didnt realise was I was going to do it as a job.

The moment I learned how to drive, I told my family that I wanted to do it full-time. There was a lot of resistance. They called it a mans job and one that would bring shame to the family. But to me, it was like any other job. If I can clean bathrooms and do housekeeping in someone elses house, why couldnt I drive? I didnt see any shame in doing this.

In fact, everything I am today is because of this three-wheeler. It has given me the confidence to live life on my own terms. It has made me believe that I do not need a man to support me. I am capable of providing for my children and myself. I live away from my family now and have no contact with either them or my husband.

My world now revolves around my children. I wake up every day at 4 am to finish all the household chores and send my kids off to school while also ensuring they have something substantial to eat for lunch. I eat breakfast and leave at around 9 am and try to get home by 8 pm-9 pm. I do not eat anything in between. But what is hard is that there is no bathroom for my use. I have to control my water intake to ensure that I do not have the urge to use the bathroom because public toilets are filthy and I cannot afford to fall sick. But I think my habits recently led to me having appendicitis. It was painful, but again, I knew I had to snap out of it soon because I need to pay back the loans and send my children to school.

I dont get time to do much because of my packed schedule, but whenever I have time, I love to paint my nails. Pink is my favourite colour and it makes me feel fearless and feminine at the same time.

This year, only my daughter will be attending school as she is in class 12. I had to pull my son out of school because I didnt have enough money to spend on both their education. As a mother, it really hurts me to pick between my children because I want to treat them equally, but circumstances are such that I had no option.

I feel God has blessed me through tough times and will help me through this as well. Listening to hymns while driving my auto and fills me with a sense of calm. Maybe he will send us an angel who will help us through these trying times. Even if it is a little bit of monetary help, it will go a long way because I can take care of my other expenses, but repaying the loans takes up a large chunk of what I earn.

I want to urge women who might be in tough financial situations or unhappy marriages to consider taking this as a profession because it is empowering. I will teach them free of charge because it gives a way to earn with dignity and has the potential to change lives, just like it changed mine.

As told to Dia Rekhi
Glencore plc produces, refines, processes, stores, transports, and markets metals and minerals, and energy products in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. It operates through two segments, Marketing Activities and Industrial Activities. The company produces and markets copper, cobalt, nickel, zinc, lead, chrome ore, ferrochrome, vanadium, alumina, aluminum, tin, and iron ore. It also engages in the oil exploration/production, distribution, storage, and bunkering activities; and offers coal, crude oil and oil products, refined products, and natural gas. The company markets and distributes physical commodities sourced from third party producers and its production to industrial consumers in the battery, electronic, construction, automotive, steel, energy, and oil industries. It also provides financing, logistics, and other services to producers and consumers of commodities. The company was formerly known as Glencore Xstrata plc and changed its name to Glencore plc in May 2014. Glencore plc was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.

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Greene King plc operates as a pub retailer and brewer in the United Kingdom. The company operates through three segments: Pub Company, Pub Partners, and Brewing & Brands. Its brands include Greene King Local Pubs, Hungry Horse, Flaming Grill, Farmhouse Inns, and Chef & Brewer. The company is also involved in brewing, marketing, and selling beer under the Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, and Belhaven Best brands. In addition, Greene King plc engages in the employment, financing, pension trustee, and property businesses. As of April 30, 2018, it operated 2,855 managed, tenanted, leased, and franchised pubs, restaurants, and hotels. Greene King plc was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St Edmunds, the United Kingdom.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: (Accenture Endustriyel Yazlm Cozumleri Limited Sirketi), 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Accenture (UK) Limited, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Agencia Interativa Ltda, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture B.V., Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BPS Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A., Accenture Canada Holdings Inc, Accenture Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Limited, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co. Ltd, Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Pty Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SASU, Accenture Customer Services Ltd, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Delivery Poland S.p. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance II Limited, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services S.r.l., Accenture Financial Advanced Solution & Technology S.r.l., Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Global Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Global Engagements Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Limited, Accenture Global Services Limited, Accenture Global Solutions Limited, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc, Accenture Holding Brasil Ltda, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SASU, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services B.V., Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture International B.V., Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea B.V., Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Lithuania UAB, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Marketing Services LLC, Accenture Marketing Services Limited, Accenture Middle East B.V., Accenture Minority I B.V., Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi Pty Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations GmbH, Accenture Operations S.p. z o.o., Accenture Operations Services Private Limited, Accenture Operations Services Sdn Bhd, Accenture Outsourcing S.r.l., Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations B.V., Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru SRL, Accenture Post Trade Processing SASU, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture Qiyun Technology (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture S.p. z o.o., Accenture S.p.A., Accenture SASU, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sdn Bhd, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services and Technology S.r.l., Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Single Member S.A. Organization Information Technology & Business Development, Accenture Solutions Co. Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions S.p. z o.o, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc, Accenture Sub III Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions S.r.l., Accenture Technology Solutions SASU, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures B.V., Accenture Technology Ventures SPRL, Accenture Tecnologia Consultoria y Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co. Limited, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Ltda, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Advoco, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, AlphaBeta Advisors, Altevie Technologies S.r.l., Altima, Altima (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Altima Asia Ltd, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Altius Consulting Limited, Altius Data Solutions Private Limited, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Apis Group Pty Ltd, Appaloosa Technology SASU, AppsPro, Arca, Arca Ingenieros y Consultoria S.L., Arca Telecom S.L., Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Artio People (Payroll) Pty Ltd, Artio People Pty Ltd, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Automation Partners Pty Ltd, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Zhidao Future Consulting Co. Ltd, Benext, Berico Technologies LLC, Bionic, Bionic Solution LLC, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Bow & Arrow, Bow & Arrow Limited, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, Byte Prophecy Private Limited, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CS Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, CS Technology (UK) Limited, CS Technology Group LLC, CS Technology LLC, CadenceQuest Inc., Callisto Integration Europe B.V., Callisto Integration Europe Limited, Callisto Integration LLC, Callisto Integration Ltd, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc, Certus Solutions Consulting Services Limited, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations  Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, TXF LLC, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut.
Just Group plc provides various financial services in the retirement income market in the United Kingdom. It offers de-risking solutions, guaranteed income for life, secure lifetime income, care plans, lifetime mortgages, and protection products. The company also provides professional services, including regulated financial advice and guidance services; and a range of business services, such as consultancy and software development, and outsourced customer service delivery and marketing services. In addition, it engages in writing of insurance products for distribution to the at- or in-retirement market, which is undertaken through the activities of the life company; and provision of licensed software to financial advisers, banks, building societies, life assurance companies, and pension trustees. Further, the company arranges guaranteed income for life contracts; and provides lifetime mortgages through advice and intermediary services. It offers its products and services to trustees and scheme sponsors, individuals, homeowners, and other corporate clients. The company was formerly known as JRP Group plc and changed its name to Just Group plc in May 2017. Just Group plc was founded in 2004 and is based in Reigate, the United Kingdom.

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iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF's stock was trading at $108.64 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, IWD shares have increased by 52.9% and is now trading at $166.11.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
Meng Xiangfei (L) and colleagues examine the prototype of China's new-generation exascale supercomputer Tianhe-3 at the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin, north China, April 24, 2019. 40-year-old Meng Xiangfei has been active for ten years as head of the applied research and development department at the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin. "What we do here is like developing apps for the supercomputers and make full use of their computing capacities," Meng explains. So far, the apps coded by Meng's team have only served really professional purposes, such as precision CT (computed tomography) detection of oil resources and research of state-of-the-art nuclear fusion reactors. "As China carries on research and deployment of its new-generation exascale supercomputer Tianhe-3, we will fulfill our future tasks with greater commitment," says Meng, who has recently received the May 4th Medal, which is recognized as the highest national honour given to a Chinese youth. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

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[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
KV Navya By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: 1968  a year that changed the chapters of history for the United States. With the burgeoning Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement, the country was going through a sweep of socio-political upheaval. In another part of the world, one man was working on setting up a technological groundbreaking device in Chennai. It was the year when a thin-built 26-year-old Ramnik R Shah introduced the city to its first photocopying machine that would deliver a photocopy within two hours. Today, he is the founder of Focus Art Gallery, one of the largest art galleries in India.

Ahead of his times

Born in Ahmedabad, Ramnik and his family moved to Chennai in 1947 when he was five years old. His father set up a cycle shop in Triplicane. Fascinated by his fathers shop, Ramnik never wanted to study. Soon after he finished his third form  equivalent to class five today  he quit school and joined his father to help him with sales.

When I was around 15 years old, my dad gifted me an AGFA camera, which then cost `40. I wanted to do something related to photos some day. By 1965, I was looking to start my own business and a friend suggested that I set up a photocopying company, recalls Ramnik.

Back then, only two companies in Chennai were in the photocopying business  GK Vale and Klein & Peyeral  and it took four hours to deliver a photostat. The machine consisted of a large camera that photographed documents or papers and exposed an image directly onto rolls of sensitised photographic paper, resulting in a negative. They would then wash the negative and deliver photocopy within four days.

Though Vale and Klein were masters in the business, they never tried to upgrade their technology. So they used to wash the negatives and leave it to dry for days. Instead of waiting for the negative to dry, I did a simple innovation. I used a blotting paper and a heater. As a result, I could deliver the photocopy in two hours. Also, while they charged `8, I only charged `4. My first shop at Parrys Corner established in 1968, was Photostat Services and my target customers were all advocates. Not many people needed photocopies back then, he reminisces.

No compromises

After about four years, other companies upgraded their technology, but by then Ramnik had made his mark in the city and was trying to spread his wings in the industry.He opened a branch on Mount Road in 1974. In addition to photostat services, Ramnik also opened a photo studio on the premises. Exactly a year later, there was a major fire at the LIC building and all their documents were destroyed. They asked for quotations from different companies to restore the files. Though the market price of a photocopy was `1 for a copy, back then, companies quoted as low as 60 paise and I quoted 80 paise. Everybody gave samples, except me. When the LIC officials asked me the reason, I said I cannot share some other companys document as a sample as it would be a breach of their privacy and that if they want a sample, they could share their document and I will photocopy that. I got the contact and it took us three and a half years to restore all the documents, he says.

Xerox arrives

By 1981, Xerox machines came to Chennai and photostat machines vanished. In 1984, Ramnik opened another branch at Kodambakkam and this time, he called it, Focus and he also began framing photographs. Again, I cashed in on time. Back then, it used to take ten days to frame a picture and I gave it in one day. Only because there werent many people in the industry, photo frame companies used to delay the frames and I broke the chain, he shares.On Kodambakkam bridge, which was then not even 20 years old stood a huge hoarding that read In the time of instant coffee, why not have instant photoframes? - Focus.

Focus & family

In 1999, he closed all the other shops and moved to TTK Road and named the store Focus Art Gallery. Two years back, he shifted the gallery to Egmore.At 76, Ramnik is fit as a fiddle and actively networks with clients, galleries and artists. Eighteen members of his family, including his son Mayur are involved in the business now.Though my father was from a completely different trade, I learned a lot from him. The most important lesson being to never lose the clients confidence. When orders were huge, our wives helped us. Though it is common now, it was not then. It was the thought that money can be earned anytime, but not time, that brought me here, he shares.
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.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 211 E. Russell Road LLC, Air-Relief, Belliss & Morcom Brasil, Belliss and Morcom, Boardwalk Enterprises, Charm Merger Sub Inc., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Canada, CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir Holman Ltd, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., CompAir UK Ltd, CompAir USA, Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Emco Wheaton, Emco Wheaton GmbH Branch, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton UK, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Propriety Limited (South Africa), GD Aria Holdings #2 Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First UK Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings, GD Global Holdings II, GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SA, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Services Ltd, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Hoffman, Gardner Denver Holdings, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica, Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd. Branch, Gardner Denver International, Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Intl Ltd Middle East Regional Rep Office, Gardner Denver Investments, Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan, Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd South Africa, Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd. Branch (Ireland), Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co, Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oberdorfer Pumps, Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Petroleum Pumps, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia, Gardner Denver SudAmerica S.r.l., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas, Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH, Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver UK, Gardner Denver Water Jetting Systems, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, Indonesia Foreign Trade Representative Office, LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MP Pumps Inc., Mako Compressors, Nash, Nash Elmo, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Robuschi, Rotary Compression Technologies, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Syltone, TCM Investments, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, TODO AB, Tamrotor Marine Compressors AS, Thomas Industries, Thomas Industries Inc., Tri-Continent Scientific, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, and Zinsser NA.
North American Nickel Inc. operates as a mineral exploration and resource development company. The company engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in Morocco and Canada, as well as in Botswana. Its principal asset is the Maniitsoq nickel-copper-cobalt-precious metal sulphide project covering an area of 3,048 square kilometers located in southwestern Greenland. The company was formerly known as Widescope Resources Inc. and changed its name to North American Nickel Inc. in April 2010. North American Nickel Inc. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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5.0 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Phoenix Spree Deutschland has received 137 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

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MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Phoenix Spree Deutschland and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe PSDL will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe PSDL will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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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.

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Sameer Bawa By

Express News Service

Fete des vignerons or the wine growers festival is held once in 20 years in Vevey, Switzerland. This year, it falls between July 18-August 11. Since 2016, Fete des Vignerons has been included in UNESCOs list of intangible cultural heritage. Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is the main partner, and is actively spreading the word about the traditions, the savoir-faire and the terroir of the Swiss country. Paying homage to this living tradition is local Vevey artist Mathias Forbach.

He created a special livery that has been applied to one of SWISS aircrafts to fly-past over the festival arena on the August 1  Swiss National Day. As the [official] Airline of Switzerland, we are proud to play such a part in this once-in-a-generation celebration that so embodies our home country, says Lorenzo Stoll, Head of Western Switzerland, SWISS.

In India, Switzerland Tourism and Swiss International Airlines partnered with Whisky Samba, Gurgaon, for a promotional event on April 26. Chef Vikramjit Roy designed a five-course special menu of cheese platters, cold cuts and fondues and much more, paired with the choicest wines. I enjoyed baked potato with pickled green chilli emulsion bunder barley soup for appetiser, Swiss-style chicken breast stuffed with spinach mountain and blue cheese inspired sauce for entree, and organic saffron risotto with grilled Bengali style Australian lamb chops as the mains.

SWISS is holding a #20SaalBaad contest on flyswiss.co.in till May 22. You stand a chance to win two economy tickets on SWISS Airlines, two passes to the festival and a two-nights stay in Switzerland.
The Howard Hughes Corp. engages in the development and management of commercial, residential, and mixed-use real estate. It operates through the following segments: Operating Assets, Master Planned Communities; Seaport District; and Strategic Developments. The Operating Assets segment consists retail, office, hospitality, and multi-family properties along with other real estate investments. The Master Planned Communities segment focuses in the development and sale of land in large-scale, long-term community development projects in and around Las Vegas, Nevada; Houston, Texas; and Columbia, Maryland. The Seaport District operates an approximately 453,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and entertainment properties situated in three primary locations in New York, New York: Pier 17, Historic Area/Uplands, and Tin Building. The Strategic Developments segment involves in the other real estate assets in the form of entitled and unentitled land and residential condominium developments. The company was founded on November 9, 2010 and is headquartered in Woodlands, TX.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Teledyne Technologies: Alia Corporation Inc, Bolt Technology Corp, Bowtech Products, CARIS, CDL do Brasil Equipamentos e Servicos Submarinos Sociedade Empresaria Ltda., CETAC Technologies, DALSA, Demo Systems, Detcon Holdco Inc., Ensambles de Precision S.A. de C.V., Falcon Analytical, Frontline Test Equipment, GMI Group Holdings Limited, Hafmynd ehf, Hanson Research Corp, IST Oldham Instruments India Private Limited, Industrial Control Machines, Intelek, Intelek Limited, Intelek Pension Trustees Limited, Intelek Properties Limited, LeCroy (Beijing) Trading Co. Ltd., LeCroy Corporation, Lidar Aviation Services Inc., Maple Imaging LLC, Micralyne Inc, Ocean Design Ltda., Oldham Instrument (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Oldham Simtronics SAS, Oldham-Winter GmbH, PDM Neptec, Reynolds Industries Limited, Rhombi Canada LP, Rhombi Holdings Limited, Rhombi Netherlands B.V., Rockwell Scientific Company, Simtronics AS, TDY Jersey Limited, Teledyne Advanced Pollution Instrumentation, Teledyne Australia Pty Ltd, Teledyne BlueView, Teledyne Bogatin Enterprises LLC, Teledyne Bowtech Limited, Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc., Teledyne C.M.L. Group Limited, Teledyne CARIS B.V., Teledyne CARIS Inc., Teledyne CARIS UK Ltd., Teledyne CARIS USA Inc., Teledyne CDL Inc., Teledyne CDL Limited, Teledyne Catalyst Enterprises Inc., Teledyne Computer Access Technology Corporation, Teledyne Controls LLC, Teledyne Cougar, Teledyne Czech s.r.o., Teledyne DALSA (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Teledyne DALSA Asia-Pacific Ltd., Teledyne DALSA B.V., Teledyne DALSA GmbH, Teledyne DALSA Inc., Teledyne DALSA Industrial Products Inc., Teledyne DALSA K.K., Teledyne DALSA Semiconductor Inc., Teledyne Dalsa, Teledyne Defense Electronics LLC, Teledyne Denmark A/S, Teledyne Detcon Inc., Teledyne Digital Imaging Inc., Teledyne Digital Imaging US Inc., Teledyne Energy Systems Inc., Teledyne Europe Holdings C.V., Teledyne France, Teledyne France SAS, Teledyne Gas Measurement Instruments Limited, Teledyne Gavia ehf., Teledyne Germany GmbH, Teledyne Hanson Research Inc., Teledyne ICM SA, Teledyne ICM SPRL, Teledyne Innovaciones Microelectronics S.L.U., Teledyne Instruments Inc., Teledyne Instruments Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Teledyne Japan Corporation, Teledyne Korea Ltd., Teledyne Labtech Limited, Teledyne LeCroy AB, Teledyne LeCroy Delaware LLC, Teledyne LeCroy GmbH, Teledyne LeCroy Inc., Teledyne LeCroy India Trading Private Ltd., Teledyne LeCroy Japan Corporation, Teledyne LeCroy Korea Ltd., Teledyne LeCroy OakGate Inc., Teledyne LeCroy S.A.R.L., Teledyne LeCroy S.R.L., Teledyne LeCroy SA, Teledyne LeCroy Singapore Pte. Ltd., Teledyne Limited, Teledyne Micralyne Inc., Teledyne Monitor Labs, Teledyne Monitor Labs P.R. Inc., Teledyne Netherlands B.V., Teledyne ODI, Teledyne Optech Inc., Teledyne Paradise Datacom Limited, Teledyne RD Instruments, Teledyne RD Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Teledyne RESON, Teledyne RESON A/S, Teledyne RESON B.V., Teledyne RESON GmbH, Teledyne RESON Holding B.V., Teledyne RESON Inc., Teledyne RESON Pte. Ltd., Teledyne RESON UK Limited, Teledyne RISI Inc., Teledyne Rad-icon Imaging Corp., Teledyne Redlake MASD LLC, Teledyne Reynolds Inc., Teledyne SG Brown Limited, Teledyne Scientific & Imaging LLC, Teledyne Scientific Imaging GmbH, Teledyne Scientific Imaging Limited, Teledyne Signal Processing Devices Sweden AB, Teledyne Singapore Private Limited, Teledyne TSS Limited, Teledyne Taiwan Company, Teledyne Technologies (Bermuda) Limited, Teledyne Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Teledyne Technologies International Corp., Teledyne Technologies Israel Ltd., Teledyne Tekmar Company, Teledyne UK Limited, Teledyne VariSystems, Teledyne VariSystems Inc., Teledyne Wireless LLC, Teledyne e2v, Teledyne e2v (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Teledyne e2v (Overseas) Holdings Limited, Teledyne e2v Asia Pacific Limited, Teledyne e2v Limited, Teledyne e2v Semiconductors SAS, and The Oceanscience Group Ltd..
The following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. Ltd., Alfa Aesar (Hong Kong) Limited, Allergon AB, Alphine Mountain Limited, Ambion Inc., Apogent Denmark ApS, Apogent Finance Company, Apogent Holding Company, Apogent Technologies Inc., Apogent Transition Corp., Apogent U.K. Limited, App-Tek International Pty Ltd, Applied Biosystems B.V., Applied Biosystems Finance B.V., Applied Biosystems International Inc., Applied Biosystems LLC, Applied Biosystems Taiwan LLC, Applied Biosystems Trading (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Applied Biosystems de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Applied Scientific Corporation, Avances Cientificos de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Avocado Research Chemicals Limited, B.R.A.H.M.S. Biotech GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. UK Ltd, BAC BV, BAC IP BV, Barnstead Thermolyne LLC, Beijing Phadia Diagnostics Co Ltd, Bender MedSystems GmbH, BioTrove Corporation, BioTrove International Inc., Bioanalysis Labsystems S.A., Biochemical Sciences LLC, Biolab, BmT GmbH Laborprodukte, Bonsai Tecnologies - Sistemas para Biotecnologia e Industria Unipessoal Lda, Brammer Bio, Bumi-Sans Sendirian Berhad, CAC Limited, CB Diagnostics AB, CB Diagnostics Holding AB, CEPH International Corporation, CHK Holdings Inc., CRS Robotics, CTPS LLC, Capitol Scientific Products Inc., Capitol Vial Inc., Cellomics Inc., CellzDirect Inc., Cenduit GmbH, Cenduit LLC, Cezanne S.A.S., Chase Scientific Glass Inc., Chromacol Limited, Clintrak, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services LLC, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services LLC, Cohesive Technologies (UK) Limited, Cohesive Technologies Inc., Columbia Diagnostics Inc., Compendia Bioscience Inc., Comtest Limited, Consolidated Technologies Inc., Consultores Fisher Scientific Chile Ltd, Core Informatics, Core Informatics LLC, Core Informatics UK Ltd., D-finitive Technologies Inc., DCG Systems B.V., DCG Systems C.V., DCG Systems G.K., DCG Systems GmbH, DCG Systems Korea Ltd., DCG Systems LLC, DPI Newco LLC, DSM Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Dharmacon, Diagnostix Ltd., Dionex (China) Analytical Ltd, Dionex (Switzerland) AG, Dionex (UK) Limited, Dionex Austria GmbH, Dionex Benelux B.V., Dionex Brasil Instrumentos Cientificos Ltda, Dionex Canada Ltd., Dionex China Limited, Dionex Corporation, Dionex Denmark A/S, Dionex Holding GmbH, Dionex I LLC, Dionex Pty Ltd., Dionex S.A., Dionex S.p.A., Dionex Singapore Pte Ltd., Dionex Softron GmbH, Dionex Sweden AB, Distribution Solutions International Inc., Doe & Ingalls Investors Inc., Doe & Ingalls Limited, Doe & Ingalls Management LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties II LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties LLC, Doe & Ingalls of California Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Florida Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Maryland Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Massachusetts Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of North Carolina Operating LLC, Doublecape Holding Limited, Doublecape Limited, Drakeside Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Duke Scientific Corporation, Dynal Biotech Beijing Limited, EGS Gauging Ltd., EGS Gauging Technical Services Company, EP Scientific Products LLC, Ecochem N.V., EnviroEquip Pty Ltd, Epsom Glass Industries Limited, Equibio Limited, Erie Electroverre S.A., Erie Finance Limited, Erie LP Holding LLC, Erie Scientific Company of Puerto Rico, Erie Scientific Hungary Kft, Erie Scientific LLC, Erie U.K. Limited, Erie UK 1 Limited, Erie UK 2 Limited, Erie UK Holding Company, Erie UK Senior Holding Limited, European Laboratory Holdings Limited, Eutech Instruments Europe B.V., Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd., Eutech Instruments Sdn Bhd, Ever Ready Thermometer Co. Inc., FEI Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., FEI Australia Pty Ltd, FEI CPD B.V., FEI Company, FEI Company Japan Ltd., FEI Company of USA (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd., FEI Czech Republic s.r.o., FEI Deutschland GmbH, FEI EFA Inc., FEI EFA International Pte. Ltd., FEI Electron Optics B.V., FEI Electron Optics International B.V., FEI Europe B.V., FEI France SAS, FEI Global Holdings C.V., FEI Hong Kong Company Limited, FEI Houston Inc., FEI Italia Srl, FEI Korea Ltd., FEI Melbourne Pty Ltd., FEI Microscopy Solutions Ltd, FEI Munich GmbH, FEI Norway Holding AS, FEI SAS, FEI Saudi Arabia LLC, FEI Servicos de Nanotecnologia Ltda., FEI Technologies Inc., FEI Technology de Mexico S.A. de C.V., FEI Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FEI Trondheim AS, FEI UK Ltd., FHP LLC, FRC Holding Inc. V, FS (Barbados) Capital Holdings Ltd., FS Casa Rocas Holdings LLC, FS Mexicana Holdings LLC, FSI Receivables Company LLC, FSII Sweden Holdings AB, FSII Sweden Holdings I AB, FSIR Holdings (UK) Limited, FSIR Holdings (US) Inc., FSUK Holdings Limited, FSWH Company LLC, FSWH II C.V., FSWH International Holdings LLC, Fermentas China Co. Ltd, Fermentas Inc., Fermentas International, Fermentas Sweden AB, Fermentas UK Limited, Fiberlite Centrifuge LLC, Finesse Scientific Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Finesse Solutions AG, Finesse Solutions Inc., Finnzymes Oy, Fisher Alder S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Asia Manufacturing Ventures Inc., Fisher Bermuda Holdings Limited, Fisher BioImage ApS, Fisher BioPharma Services (India) Private Limited, Fisher BioSciences Japan G.K., Fisher BioServices Inc., Fisher Bioblock Holding II SNC, Fisher CLP Holding Limited Partnership, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 1, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 2, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 3, Fisher Canada Limited Partnership, Fisher Chimica BVBA, Fisher Clinical Logistics LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services (Bristol) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Colombia) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Korea) Co. Ltd, Fisher Clinical Services (Mexico) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Peru) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services Colombia S.A.S., Fisher Clinical Services GmbH, Fisher Clinical Services Inc., Fisher Clinical Services Japan K.K., Fisher Clinical Services Latin America S.R.L., Fisher Clinical Services Limited Liability Company, Fisher Clinical Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Clinical Services Peru S.R.L, Fisher Clinical Services Pte Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services U.K. Limited, Fisher Emergo B.V., Fisher Germany Holdings GmbH, Fisher Hamilton China Inc., Fisher Hamilton Mexico LLC, Fisher Holdings ApS, Fisher Internet Minority Holdings L.L.C., Fisher Laboratory Products Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Fisher Luxembourg Danish Holdings SARL, Fisher Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Maybridge Holdings Limited, Fisher Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific (Austria) GmbH, Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Fisher Scientific (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific (SEA) Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific A/S, Fisher Scientific AG, Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Limited, Fisher Scientific Biotech Line ApS, Fisher Scientific Brazil Inc., Fisher Scientific Central America Inc., Fisher Scientific Chile Inc., Fisher Scientific Colombia Inc., Fisher Scientific Company, Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C., Fisher Scientific Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Fisher Scientific Europe Holdings B.V., Fisher Scientific GTF AB, Fisher Scientific Germany Beteiligungs GmbH, Fisher Scientific GmbH, Fisher Scientific Holding Company LLC, Fisher Scientific Holding HK Limited, Fisher Scientific Holding U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific Holdings (S) Pte Ltd, Fisher Scientific International LLC, Fisher Scientific Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Fisher Scientific Ireland Investments Unlimited, Fisher Scientific Ireland Limited, Fisher Scientific Japan Ltd., Fisher Scientific Jersey Island Limited, Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd, Fisher Scientific Latin America Inc., Fisher Scientific Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Fisher Scientific Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific Mexico Inc., Fisher Scientific Middle East and Africa Inc., Fisher Scientific Norway AS, Fisher Scientific Operating Company, Fisher Scientific Oxoid Holdings Ltd., Fisher Scientific Oy, Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific S.A.S., Fisher Scientific S.L., Fisher Scientific SPRL, Fisher Scientific The Hague I B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague II B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague III B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague IV B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague V B.V., Fisher Scientific U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company 2, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company Limited, Fisher Scientific Unipessoal Lda., Fisher Scientific Venezuela Inc., Fisher Scientific Worldwide (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Holdings I C.V., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Inc., Fisher Scientific de Mexico S.A., Fisher Scientific of the Netherlands B.V., Fisher Scientific spol. S.r.o, Fisher Servicios Clinicos (Chile) LLC, Fisher Servicios Clinicos Chile Ltda, Fisher WWD Holding L.L.C., Fisher Worldwide Distribution SPV, Fisher Worldwide Gene Distribution SPV, Flux Instruments, Fuji Partnership, G & M Procter Limited, G V Instruments Limited, GV Instruments Canada Ltd., GV Instruments Inc, Gatan Inc, General Scientific Company Sdn Bhd (M), Genomed molekularbiologische und diagnostische Produkte GmbH, Gerhard Menzel B.V. & Co. KG, Gold Cattle Standard Testing Labs Inc., Golden West Indemnity Company Limited, Goring Kerr Detection Limited, Greenville Service Company Inc., HENO GmbH i.L., Hangar 215 Inc., Helmet Securities Limited, Henogen, HighChem, HyClone International Trade (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Hybaid Limited, I.Q. (BIO) Limited, IDnostics AG, ILS Laboratories Scandinavia AB, Inel Inc., Inel SAS, InnaPhase Inc., InnaPhase Limited, IntegenX, Intrinsic BioProbes Inc., Intrinsic Bioprobes Inc., Invitrogen (Shanghai) Investment Co. Ltd., Invitrogen Argentina SA, Invitrogen BioServices India Private Limited, Invitrogen Europe Limited, Invitrogen Finance Corp., Invitrogen Holdings LLC, Invitrogen Holdings Ltd., Invitrogen Hong Kong Limited, Invitrogen IP Holdings Inc., Invitrogen Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ion Torrent Systems Inc., Ionalytics Corporation, JSC Thermo Fisher Scientific, Jouan LLC, Jouan Limited, Jouan SA, Kendro Containment & Services Limited, Kendro Laboratory Products Ltd, Kettlebrook Insurance Co. ltd., Keystone Scientific, KonTEM GmbH, Kyle Jordan Investments LLC, LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, LTC Tech South Africa PTY Ltd., La-Pha-Pack GmbH, Lab Vision (UK) Limited, Lab Vision Corporation, Lab-Chrom-Pack LLC, Lab-Line Instruments Inc., Labomex MBP S. de R. L. De C.V., Laboratoire Service International - L.S.I, Laboratory Management Systems Inc., Laboratory Specialties Proprietary Ltd., LambTrack Limited, Laser Analytical Systems Inc., Liberty Lane Investment LLC, Liberty Lane Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Life Sciences International (Poland) SP z O.O, Life Sciences International Holdings BV, Life Sciences International LLC, Life Sciences International Limited, Life Technologies AS, Life Technologies Australia PTY Ltd., Life Technologies BPD AB, Life Technologies BPD UK Limited, Life Technologies Brasil Comercio e Industria de Produtos para Biotecnologia Ltda, Life Technologies Chile SpA, Life Technologies Clinical Services Lab Inc., Life Technologies Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o., Life Technologies DaAn Diagnostic (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Europe B.V., Life Technologies Finance Ltd., Life Technologies Finland Oy, Life Technologies GmbH, Life Technologies Holdings PTE Ltd., Life Technologies Inc., Life Technologies International B.V., Life Technologies Japan Ltd., Life Technologies Korea LLC, Life Technologies Limited, Life Technologies Magyarorszag Kft, Life Technologies New Zealand Ltd., Life Technologies Norway Investments US LLC, Life Technologies Polska Sp z.o.o., Life Technologies SA, Life Technologies SAS, Life Technologies s.r.o, Linkage Biosciences Inc., Linkage Biosciences S.a.r.l., Loftus Furnace Company, Lomb Scientific, Lomb Scientific (Aust) Pty Limited, MTI-GlobalStem, Marketbase International Limited, Matrix MicroScience Inc., Matrix MicroScience Ltd., Matrix Technologies Corporation Limited, Matrix Technologies LLC, Maybridge Chemical Company Limited, Maybridge Chemical Holdings Limited, Maybridge Limited, Medical Analysis Systems Inc., Medical Analysis Systems International Inc., Medical Diagnostics Systems Inc., Metavac LLC, Microgenics Corporation, Microgenics Diagnostics Pty Limited, Microgenics GmbH, Microm International GmbH, Microm Laborgerate S.L.U, Molecular BioProducts Inc., Molecular Probes Inc., Molecular Transfer Inc., NAPCO Inc., NERL Diagnostics LLC, NOVODIRECT GmbH Labor- und Industrie- Megerate, Nalge (Europe) Limited, Nalge Nunc International (Monterrey) LLC, Nalge Nunc International Corporation, Nanjing WeiKangLe Trading Industrial Co Ltd, NanoDrop Technologies LLC, National Scientific Company, Navaho Acquisition Corp., Neomarkers Inc., New FS Holdings Inc., NewcoGen PE LLC, Nihon Dynal K.K., Niton Asia Limited, NovaWave Technologies Inc., Nunc A/S, ONIX Systems Inc., OXOID CZ s.r.o., Odyssey Holdings Corporation, Odyssey Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 1 S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 2 S.a r.l., Odyssey Venture Corporation, Omega Data Systems, One Lambda Inc, Onix Holdings Limited, Orme Scientific Limited, Owl Separation Systems LLC, Oxoid (ELY) Limited, Oxoid 2000 Limited, Oxoid AS, Oxoid Australia Pty. Limited, Oxoid Company, Oxoid Deutschland GmbH, Oxoid Holding SAS, Oxoid Holdings Limited, Oxoid Inc., Oxoid International Limited, Oxoid Investments GmbH, Oxoid Limited, Oxoid N.V., Oxoid New Zealand Limited, Oxoid Pension Trustees Limited, Oxoid Senior Holdings Limited, Oxoid UKH LLC, PAX - DSI Acquisition LLC, PE AG, Pacific Rim Far East Industries LLC, Pacific Rim Investment LLC, Panomics L.L.C., Panomics S.R.L., Patheon, Patheon API Inc., Patheon API Manufacturing Inc., Patheon API Services Inc., Patheon Austria GmbH & Co KG, Patheon B.V., Patheon Banner U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon Biologics (NJ) LLC, Patheon Biologics Australia Pty Ltd, Patheon Biologics B.V., Patheon Biologics LLC, Patheon Calculus Merger LLC, Patheon Cooperatief U.A., Patheon Development Services Inc., Patheon Finance LLC, Patheon France SAS, Patheon Holdings B.V., Patheon Holdings I B.V., Patheon Holdings II B.V., Patheon Holdings SAS, Patheon I B.V., Patheon I Holding GmbH, Patheon Inc., Patheon International AG, Patheon Italia S.p.A., Patheon KK, Patheon Life Science Products International GmbH, Patheon Manufacturing Services LLC, Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Patheon Pharmaceuticals Services Inc., Patheon Puerto Rico Acquisitions Corporation, Patheon Puerto Rico Inc., Patheon Regensburg GmbH, Patheon Softgels B.V., Patheon Softgels Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings LLC, Patheon UK Limited, Patheon UK Pension Trustees Limited, Pelican Acquisition Corporation, Perbio Science (Canada) Company, Perbio Science AB, Perbio Science BVBA, Perbio Science France SAS, Perbio Science Inc., Perbio Science International Netherlands B.V., Perbio Science Invest AB, Perbio Science Nederland B.V., Perbio Science Projekt AB, Perbio Science Sweden Holdings AB, Perbio Science Switzerland SA, Perbio Science UK Limited, Phadia AB, Phadia Diagnosticos Ltda, Phadia GmbH, Phadia Holding AB, Phadia International Holdings C.V., Phadia Korea Co. Ltd, Phadia Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Phadia Malta Holdings Limited, Phadia Oy, Phadia Real Property AB, Phadia Sweden AB, Phadia Taiwan Inc., Phadia US Inc., Phadia s.r.o., Pharmacaps Mexicana SA de CV, Phenom-World B.V., Phenom-World Holding B.V, Phenom-World Innovations B.V., Phinotex, Pierce Biotechnology Inc., Pierce Milwaukee Holding Corp., Pierce Milwaukee Inc., Polychromix, Power Sweden Holdings I AB, Power Sweden Holdings II AB, Power Sweden Holdings III Aktiebolag, Princeton Gamma-Tech Instruments LLC, Princeton Security Technologies, Prionics AG, Prionics Asia Ltd., Prionics Deutschland GmbH, Prionics France SAS, Prionics Italia S.r.l., Prionics Lelystad B.V., Prionics USA Inc., Priority Air Express LLC, Priority Air Express Pte. Ltd., Priority Air Express UK Limited, Priority Air Holdings Corp, Priority Solutions International, Promedica Pty Limited, Proxeon, Proxeon Biosystems ApS, Qiagen, REP GBP I-B Blocker Inc., Raymond A Lamb Limited, Remel Europe Limited, Remel Inc., Richard-Allan Scientific Company, Robbins Scientific LLC, Robocon Labor- und Industrieroboter Gesellschaft m.b.H, Rupprecht and Patashnick, Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P), Russell pH Limited, S.C.I. du 10 rue Dugay Trouin, SCI Inno 92, STC Bio Manufacturing Inc., Samco Scientific (Monterrey) LLC, Samco Scientific LLC, Saroph Sweden AB, Schantz Road LLC, Seradyn Inc., Shanghai Life Technologies Biotechnology Co. Limited, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (C-I) Trading Co. Ltd, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (S) Trading Co. Ltd, Southern Trials (Pty) Ltd., Specialty (SMI) Inc., Spectra-Physics AB, Spectra-Physics Holdings Limited, Spectra-Physics Holdings USA LLC, Spectronex, Staten Island Cogeneration Corporation, Sterilin Limited, Stokes Bio Ltd., Sweden DIA (Sweden) AB, SwissAnalytic Group GmbH, Systems Manufacturing Corporation, TFLP LLC, TFS Breda B.V., TFS LLC, TFS Singapore HK Limited, TFSL Financing GP LLC, TFSL Senior GP Holdings 2 LLC, TK Partnership, TKA Wasseraufbereitungssysteme, TMOI Inc., TPI Real Estate Holdings LLC, TSP Holdings I LLC, TWX LLC, Technology Design Solutions Pty Ltd, Thermedics Detection de Argentina S.R.L, Thermo Allen Coding Limited, Thermo Asset Management Services Inc., Thermo BioAnalysis LLC, Thermo BioAnalysis Limited, Thermo BioSciences Holdings LLC, Thermo CIDTEC, Thermo CRS Holdings Ltd., Thermo CRS Ltd., Thermo Cambridge Limited, Thermo Cayman Holdings Ltd., Thermo Corporation, Thermo DMA Inc., Thermo Detection de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Dutch Holdings Limited Partnership, Thermo EGS Gauging LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings I LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings II LLC, Thermo Eberline LLC, Thermo Electron (Calgary) Limited, Thermo Electron (Chile) S.p.A., Thermo Electron (Karlsruhe) GmbH, Thermo Electron (Management Services) Limited, Thermo Electron (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Electron A/S, Thermo Electron Australia Pty Limited, Thermo Electron Export Inc., Thermo Electron Holdings SAS, Thermo Electron Industries, Thermo Electron LED GmbH, Thermo Electron LED S.A.S., Thermo Electron Limited, Thermo Electron Manufacturing Limited, Thermo Electron Metallurgical Services Inc., Thermo Electron North America LLC, Thermo Electron Pension Trust GmbH, Thermo Electron Puerto Rico Inc., Thermo Electron SAS, Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments LLC, Thermo Electron Sweden AB, Thermo Electron Sweden Forvaltning AB, Thermo Electron Weighing & Inspection Limited, Thermo Elemental Limited, Thermo Environmental Instruments LLC, Thermo Fast U.K. Limited, Thermo Finland Holdings LLC, Thermo Finland Holdings MT1 B.V., Thermo Finland Holdings MT2 B.V., Thermo Finnigan LLC, Thermo Finnigan Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Malta Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN-I) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (CN-II) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings I Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings II Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings 2) LLC, Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) II Limited, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Heysham) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Kandel) GmbH, Thermo Fisher CHK Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust II, Thermo Fisher Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Thermo Fisher Cyprus Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Detection Mexico LLC, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics (Ireland) Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AB, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AG, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Aps, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Austria GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics B.V., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics K.K., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics NV, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.L.U., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.p.A. , Thermo Fisher Diagnostics SAS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Thermo Fisher Eurobonds Ltd., Thermo Fisher Financial Services Inc., Thermo Fisher GP LLC, Thermo Fisher German Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Germany B.V., Thermo Fisher India Divestco Private Limited, Thermo Fisher India Holding B.V., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Thermo Fisher Israel Ltd., Thermo Fisher Production et Services SAS, Thermo Fisher Project Cyprus LLC, Thermo Fisher Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Australia) C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Barbados) Holdings Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Breda) Holding BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (CN) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China-HK) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (DE) Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Ecublens) SARL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance II) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Fuji) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Holding II) B.V. & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Johannesburg) (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mexico City) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Milwaukee) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mississauga) Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Monterrey) S. De R.L. De C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (NK) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) Austria Holding GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-I) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-II) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN1) UK Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) Dutch LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Praha) s.r.o., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) GmbH & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Schweiz) AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Instruments Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Suzhou) Instruments Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific AL-1 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific AU II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Aquasensors LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V.B.A., Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (I) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (II) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics UAB, Thermo Fisher Scientific Beteiligungsverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Biosciences Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brahms LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Instrumentos de Processo Ltda., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Servicos de Logistica Ltda, Thermo Fisher Scientific C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cayman Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chemicals Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific China (C-I) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China (S) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings IV B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings Aps, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus IV C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus V C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Denmark Senior Holdings ApS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie 1 Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Europe GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC Finance C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSUKHCO Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Falcon Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Finance Company BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific GENEART GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Germany BV & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific HR Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) I, Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) II , Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings Europe Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific IT Services GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Pvt Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Malta) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments Malta (Sweden Financing) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Invitrogen Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific K.K., Thermo Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific LSI Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments III S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments IV S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life NL Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Netherlands Holding C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Switzerland Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Tech Korea Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Enterprise Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investments Holding LP, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Luxembourg Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Enterprise Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg German Holdings S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Life Technologies UK Holding S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings I S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings II S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malta Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Messtechnik GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Mexico City S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Middle East Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Milano Srl, Thermo Fisher Scientific NHK Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Holdings, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway Holdings AS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway US Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Operating Company LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 C.V, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Panama I Cayman Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Peru S.R.L., Thermo Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific SL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Financing LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Holdings Australia LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific South Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific SpA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg I S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Investments Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Switzerland Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific TR Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Taiwan Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific West Palm Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Worldwide Investments (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific eCommerce Solutions LLC , Thermo Fisher Senior Canada Holdings LLC, Thermo Foundation Inc., Thermo Gamma-Metrics Holdings Pty Ltd., Thermo Gamma-Metrics LLC, Thermo Gamma-Metrics Pty Ltd, Thermo Holding European Operations LLC, Thermo Hypersil Ltd, Thermo Hypersil-Keystone LLC, Thermo Informatics Asia Pacific Pty Ltd., Thermo Instrument Controls de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Thermo Kevex X-Ray LLC, Thermo Keytek LLC, Thermo LabSystems Inc., Thermo LabSystems S.A., Thermo Life Science International Trading (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Thermo Life Sciences AB, Thermo Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo MF Physics LLC, Thermo Measurement Ltd, Thermo Measuretech Canada Inc., Thermo Neslab LLC, Thermo Nicolet Limited, Thermo Onix Limited, Thermo Optek (Australia) Pty Ltd., Thermo Optek Limited, Thermo Optek S.A., Thermo Orion Inc., Thermo Portable Holdings LLC, Thermo Power Corporation, Thermo Process Instruments GP LLC, Thermo Process Instruments L.P., Thermo Projects Limited, Thermo Quest S.A., Thermo Radiometrie Limited, Thermo Ramsey Italia S.r.l., Thermo Ramsey LLC, Thermo Ramsey S.A., Thermo Re Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Pte Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Sdn Bhd, Thermo Scientific Portable Analytical Instruments Inc., Thermo Scientific Services Inc., Thermo Securities Corporation, Thermo Sentron Canada Inc., Thermo Sentron Limited, Thermo Shandon Inc., Thermo Shandon Limited, Thermo Suomi Holding B.V., Thermo TLH (UK) Limited, Thermo TLH L.P., Thermo Trace Pty Ltd., Thermo-Fisher Biochemical Product (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ThermoLase LLC, ThermoSpectra Limited, Trek Diagnostic Systems LLC, Trek Diagnostic Systems Ltd., Trek Holding Company II Ltd., Trek Holding Company Ltd., Trex Medical Corporation, USB Corporation, Union Lab Supplies Limited, United Diagnostics Inc., VG Systems Limited, Westover Scientific Inc., ZAO PE Biosystems, eBioscience GmbH, eBioscience Ltd, eBioscience SAS, and picoSpin LLC.
The following companies are subsidiares of TransDigm Group: 1711 Waterview Pkwy LLC, ARA Deutschland GmbH, ARA Holding GmbH, Acme Aerospace, Adams Rite Aerospace GmbH, Adams Rite Aerospace Inc., Advanced Inflatable Products Limited, Aero-Instruments, AeroControlex Group Inc., Aerosonic, Aerosonic LLC, Air-Sea Survival Equipment Trustee Limited, Airborne Acquisition Inc., Airborne Global Inc., Airborne Holdings Inc., Airborne Systems, Airborne Systems Canada Ltd., Airborne Systems Group Limited, Airborne Systems Holdings Limited, Airborne Systems Limited, Airborne Systems NA Inc., Airborne Systems North America Inc., Airborne Systems North America of CA Inc., Airborne Systems North America of NJ Inc., Airborne Systems Pension Trust Limited, Airborne UK Acquisition Limited, Airborne UK Parent Limited, Aircraft Materials Limited, AmSafe, AmSafe Aviation (Chongqing) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Private) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport Ltd., AmSafe Global Holdings Inc., AmSafe Global Services (Private) Limited, AmSafe Inc., Angus Electronics Co., Arkwin Industries, Arkwin Industries Inc., Auxitrol SAS, Auxitrol Weston Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Auxitrol Weston Singapore Pte. Ltd., Auxitrol Weston USA Inc., Aviation Technologies, Aviation Technologies Inc., Avionic Instruments LLC, Avionics Instruments, Avionics Specialties Inc., AvtechTyee Inc., Beta Transformer Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Beta Transformer Technology Corporation, Beta Transformer Technology LLC, Breeze-Eastern Corporation, Breeze-Eastern LLC, Bridport Erie Aviation Inc., Bridport Holdings Inc., Bridport Ltd., Bridport-Air Carrier Inc., Bruce Aerospace Inc., Bruce Industries, CDA InterCorp LLC, CEF Industries LLC, CMC Electronics Inc., CMC Electronics ME Inc., Champion Aerospace LLC, Cobham, DDC Electronics K.K., DDC Electronics Ltd., DDC Electronics Private Limited, DDC Electronique S.A.R.L., DDC Elektronik GmbH, Darchem Engineering Limited, Darchem Holdings Limited, Data Device Corp., Data Device Corporation, Dukes Aerospace Inc., EST Defence Company UK Limited, Edlaw Limited, Electromech Technologies LLC, Elektro-Metall Export GmbH, Elektro-Metall Paks KFT, Esterline, Esterline Acquisition Ltd, Esterline Europe Company LLC, Esterline Foreign Sales Corporation, Esterline International Company, Esterline Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Esterline Services China Ltd., Esterline Technologies Acquisition Ltd, Esterline Technologies Corporation, Esterline Technologies Europe Limited, Esterline Technologies France Holding SAS, Esterline Technologies French Acquisition Limited, Esterline Technologies Global Limited, Esterline Technologies Holdings Limited, Esterline Technologies Management France SAS, Esterline Technologies SGIP LLC, Esterline Technologies Unlimited, Esterline do Brasil Assessoria e Intermediacao Ltda, Extant Components Group Holdings Inc., Extant Components Group Intermediate Inc., GQ Parachutes Limited, Guizhou Leach-Tianyi Aviation Electrical Company Ltd, Harco, HarcoSemco LLC, Hartwell Corporation, ILC Holdings Inc., Irvin Aerospace Limited, IrvinGQ France SAS, IrvinGQ Limited, Janco Corporation, Johnson Liverpool LLC, Jupiter SAS, Kirkhill Elastomers, Kirkhill Inc., Kunshan Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Leach Holding Corporation, Leach International Asia-Pacific Ltd, Leach International Europe S.A.S., Leach International Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Leach International UK Ltd, Leach Technology Group Inc., MarathonNorco Aerospace Inc., McKechnie Aerospace, McKechnie Aerospace (Europe) Ltd., McKechnie Aerospace DE Inc., McKechnie Aerospace DE LP, McKechnie Aerospace Holdings Inc., McKechnie Aerospace US LLC, Mecanismos de Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Militair Aviation Ltd., Norco, Nordisk Asia Pacific Limited, Nordisk Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Nordisk Aviation Products (Kunshan) Ltd., Nordisk Aviation Products AS, North Hills Signal Processing Corp., North Hills Signal Processing Overseas Corp., Norwich Aero Products Inc., Pascall Electronics Limited, Pexco Aerospace, Pexco Aerospace Inc., PneuDraulics, PneuDraulics Inc., Pressure Systems International Ltd, Racal Acoustics Inc., Racal Acoustics Limited, Rancho TransTechnology Corporation, Retainers Inc., SSP Industries, Schneller, Schneller Asia Pte. Ltd., Schneller LLC, Schneller S.A.R.L., Schroth Safety Products, ScioTeq LLC, ScioTeq Ltd., ScioTeq Pte. Ltd., ScioTeq SAS, ScioTeq bvba, Semco Instruments, Semco Instruments Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Signal Processing Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Skandia, Skandia Inc., Skurka Aerospace, Skurka Aerospace Inc., Symetrics Industries, Symetrics Industries LLC, Symetrics Technology Group LLC, TA Mfg Limited, TDG ESL Holdings Inc., TDG France Ultimate Parent SAS, TDG Germany GmbH, TEAC Aerospace Holdings Inc., TEAC Aerospace Technologies Inc., TREALITY SVS LLC, TTERUSA Inc., Tactair Fluid Controls Inc., Takata Protection Systems, Technical Airborne Components Industries SPRL, Telair International, Telair International AB, Telair International GmbH, Telair International LLC, Telair International Services PTE Ltd, Telair US LLC, Texas Rotronics Inc., TransDigm (Barbados) SRL, TransDigm Canada ULC, TransDigm European Holdings Limited, TransDigm Ireland Ltd., TransDigm Receivables LLC, TransDigm UK Holdings plc, Transicoil (Malaysia) Sendirian Berhad, Transicoil LLC, Wallop Industries Limited, Weston Aerospace Ltd, Whippany Actuation Systems, Whippany Actuation Systems LLC, XCEL Power Systems Ltd., Young & Franklin, and Young & Franklin Inc..
The following companies are subsidiares of V.F.: 1994 Inc. Ltd., 530 Park Ave 10-F LLC, 530 Park Ave 14-H LLC, ALL'CROWN SA, Administradora Mexicana de Servicios S de RL de CV, Administradora de Servicios Honduras S.A., Altra Footwear, Altra LLC, C.C.R.L. LLC, Chapter 4 Corp, Cherry SAS, Ciliegia Srl, Corporacion Distribiduidora de Dickies S de RL de CV, Cutler de Mexico SA, Czech Distribution Services s.r.o., DSI Enterprises LLC, Dickies de Honduras SA de CV, Dickies de Parras S de RL de CV, EAGLE CREEK EUROPE LIMITED, Eagle Creek, Eagle Creek Inc., GFYS LLC, GREENSPORT MONTE BIANCO, Horace Small, INVERSIONES INMOBILIARIES AUSTRALES SA, INVERSIONES VF CHILE DOS LTDA, INVERSIONES VF CHILE LTDA, IW Apparel LLC, IW Holdings LLC, IW Panama Trading S. de R.L., IceBreaker, Icebreaker Apparel LLC, Icebreaker Australia Pty, Icebreaker Australia Retail Pty, Icebreaker Europe Limited, Icebreaker Holdings Limited, Icebreaker Licensing LLC, Icebreaker Limited, Icebreaker Merino Clothing Europe Ltd., Icebreaker New Zealand Limited, Icebreaker Pure Merino GmbH, Imagewear Apparel Corp., Industrial Laundry Services LLC, Industrias Coahuila de Zaragosa S de RL de CV, JanSport Apparel Corp., Kipling Apparel Corp., Kipling Belgium, Kipling Holdings LLC, Kirsche GmbH, Kodiak Group Holdings CO., Lee Bell Inc., Lucy, Lucy Apparel LLC, Majestic Athletic Official Store, Mo Industries Holdings, NII Sales - Texas LLC, Napapijri, North East Rig-Out Limited, North Elm Properties LLC, RED KAP DE MEXICO S DE RL DE CV, RKI HONDURAS S de RL, Reef Holdings Corporation, Rock & Republic, SERVICIOS Y PROMOCIONES TEXTILES LTDA, South Cone, South Cone Inc, Supreme, Supreme Holdings Inc., Supreme Intermediate Holdings Inc., T.I. Venture Group Inc, TBL INVESTMENTS HOLDING GMBH, TBL Licensing LLC, THE NORTH FACE ITALY SRL, THE NORTH FACE SAGL, THE RECREATIONAL FOOTWEAR CO., TIMBERLAND EUROPE BV, TIMBERLAND HK TRADING LTD., TIMBERLAND LUXEMBOURG HOLDING ASIA S.A.R.L., TIMBERLAND UK LTD., The North Face, The North Face Apparel Corp, Timberland, Timberland Asia LLC, Timberland IDC Ltd., Timberland International LLC, VANS MADEIRA LDA, VANS SPAIN SL, VF (J) FRANCE SAS, VF (J) NEDERLAND BV, VF (J) NETHERLANDS SERVICES BV, VF APPAREL PORTUGAL LDA, VF ASIA LTD, VF Apollo Investments Limited, VF Apollo Singapore Pte. Ltd., VF Asia Sourcing Ltd, VF Austria GMBH, VF BRANDS MALAYSIA SDN BHD, VF BRANDS TAIWAN LTD., VF Belgium BV, VF Brands Pte. Ltd., VF CH Apollo Sagl, VF CH Holdings GmbH, VF CH Imagewear Canada GmbH, VF CH MEXICO INVESTMENTS SAGL, VF CH-MEX Holdings LLC, VF CHINA LTD., VF CIS LLC, VF COMERCIALIZADORA LTDA, VF CZECH SERVICES SRO, VF CZECH SRO, VF Corporation, VF DE ARGENTINA SA, VF DO BRAZIL LTDA, VF EGE GIYIM SANAYI VE TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI, VF EUROPE BV, VF GERMANY TEXTILE-HANDELS GMBH, VF Germany Services GMBH, VF HELLAS EPE, VF HOLDING SAGL, VF HOLDINGS MEXICO LLC, VF Hong Kong Limited, VF IB Holdings LLC, VF IMAGEWEAR DE MEXICO S DE RL DE CV, VF IMAGEWEAR MAJESTIC (UK) LTD, VF INTERNATIONAL SAGL, VF INVESTIMENTOS DO BRAZIL LTDA, VF IP Holdings LLC, VF ISRAEL (APPAREL) LTD, VF ITALIA SRL, VF ITALY SERVICES SRL, VF Imagewear Canada Co., VF Imagewear Inc, VF Intellectual Property Services Inc, VF International Holding GmbH, VF Investments Holding GmbH, VF Investments Netherlands BV, VF JEANSWEAR ARGENTINA SRL, VF JEANSWEAR ESPANA SL, VF Japan KK, VF KOREA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, VF LUXEMBOURG SARL, VF Management Service Italy S.r.l., VF NL Holdings CV, VF NL Imagewear B.V., VF NORTHERN EUROPE LIMITED, VF NORTHERN EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, VF Norway AS, VF OUTDOOR (CANADA) CO, VF OUTDOOR MEXICO S DE RL DE CV, VF OUTDOOR SERVICES S DE RL DE CV, VF Outdoor LLC, VF PANAMA SOURCING SERVICES S. DE R.L., VF PARTICIPACOES DO BRASIL LTDA, VF PERU SA, VF POLSKA DISTRIBUTION SP ZO O, VF Playwear Dominicana SA, VF Playwear LLC, VF Receivables LP, VF Receivables Services LLC, VF SAGEBRUSH ENTERPRISES LLC, VF SALES SAGL, VF SERVICIOS DE HONDURAS SA, VF SERVICIOS EL SALVADOR LTDA. DE CV, VF SHANGHAI SOURCING LIMITED, VF SOURCING THAILAND LTD, VF Scandinavia ApS, VF Services LLC, VF Servicios de Guatemala Srl, VF Servicios de Nicaragua Srl., VF Shanghai Enterprise Company, VF Shanghai Limited, VF Singapore Overseas Services Pte Ltd, VF Solutions LLC, VF Sourcing India Private Limited, VF Sweden AB, VF Switzerland Enterprises GmbH, VF Taiwan Limited, VF Transglobal GmbH, VF Treasury Services LLC, VFSE Investments LLC, VFSLA Commercial Services LLC, VFSLA Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Vans, Vans Inc, W-D APPAREL COMPANY LLC, W-D Licensing LLC, WD Europe SAS, WD Supply Holding Limited (HK), Walls Cayman Limited, Walls Holding Company LLC, Walls Industries LLC, Williamson Industries Ltd., Williamson-Dickie APAC Holding Company Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Apparel Trading (Shanghai) Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Canada Co., Williamson-Dickie Europe GmbH, Williamson-Dickie Europe Holdings Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Europe Ltd., Williamson-Dickie HK Holding Company Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Holding Co-Mexico S de RL de CV, Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company LLC, Williamson-Dickie Middle East FZE, Wooster GK, Workwear Sourcing S. de R.L., World Jeans VF Asia Ltd, Worldwide Workwear Ltd., and Ying Tao Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd..
Medtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiac and Vascular Group; Minimally Invasive Technologies Group; Restorative Therapies Group; and Diabetes Group. The Cardiac and Vascular Group segment consists of products for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. The Minimally Invasive Technologies Group segment focuses on respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, renal system, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, and obesity diseases. The Restorative Therapies Group segment comprises of neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as areas of the spine and brain, along with pelvic health and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. The Diabetes Group segment offers insulin pumps, coninuous glucose monitoring systems, and insulin pump consumables. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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By PTI

LONDON: Netflix and BBC One have announced additional cast members of their new miniseries based on the classic vampire story, Dracula.

The three-episode show is set to feature "The Square" breakout star Claes Bang in the title role.

Mark Gatiss, who co-wrote and created the show with his "Sherlock" partner Steven Moffat, will also feature alongside John Heffernan, Joanna Scanlan, Dolly Wells, Morfydd Clark and Lujza Richter.

New joinees include actors Jonathan Aris, Sacha Dhawan, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Catherine Schell, Youssef Kerkour and Clive Russell.

The show has also found its directors -- Jonny Campbell for episode one, Damon Thomas for second episode and Paul McGuigan for final episode.

The series will re-introduce the world to Dracula, the vampire who made evil sexy.

In Transylvania in 1897, the blood drinking Count is drawing his plans against Victorian London.

And be warned: the dead travel fast, according to the official plotline.

ALSO READ | Thailand cave rescue operation to become a Netflix series

Shooting started at Orava Castle in Slovakia earlier this year and later moved on to England where it continues at the world famous Bray Studios.

"It's seriously delightful that our new Dracula is being shot at Bray Studios - the former home of Hammer Films! This wonderfully atmospheric and legendary studio gave birth to so many famous monsters and stars - most memorably Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

"As we watch Transylvania once again rise on the sound stages of Bray, it's amazing to be able to say that Count Dracula has finally come home," Gatiss said in a statement.

The new show will premiere on BBC One in the UK and on Netflix outside of the UK/Ireland, and China where the service is not available.

Gatiss and Moffat will also serve as executive producers on the project alongside Sue Vertue for Hartswood Films and Ben Irving for BBC.

It will be produced by Hartswood Films and is a co-production between BBC One and Netflix.
The following companies are subsidiares of Lloyds Banking Group: A G Finance Ltd, A.C.L. Ltd, ACL Autolease Holdings Ltd, ADF No.1 Pty Ltd, Addison Social Housing Holdings Ltd, Alex Lawrie Factors Ltd, Alex. Lawrie Receivables Financing Ltd, Amberdate Ltd, Anglo Scottish Utilities Partnership 1, Aquilus Ltd, Automobile Association Personal Finance Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services 2 Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 2) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 3) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland)) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 1 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 2 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 3 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 4 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 5 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 6 plc, BOS (USA) Fund Investments Inc., BOS (USA) Inc., BOS Edinburgh No 1 Ltd, BOS Mistral Ltd, BOS Personal Lending Ltd, BOSSAF Rail Ltd, Bank of Scotland (B G S) Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland (Stanlife) London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Branch Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Central Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Equipment Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Bank of Scotland LNG Leasing (No 1) Ltd, Bank of Scotland London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Nominees (Unit Trusts) Ltd, Bank of Scotland P.E.P. Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Structured Asset Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Transport Finance 1 Ltd, Bank of Scotland plc, Bank of Wales Ltd, Barents Leasing Ltd, Barnwood Mortgages Ltd, Birchcrown Finance Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Financial Services Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Land Development Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Mortgage Services Ltd, Black Horse (TRF) Ltd, Black Horse Executive Mortgages Ltd, Black Horse Finance Holdings Ltd, Black Horse Finance Management Ltd, Black Horse Group Ltd, Black Horse Ltd, Black Horse Offshore Ltd, Black Horse Property Services Ltd, Boltro Nominees Ltd, British Linen Leasing (London) Ltd, British Linen Leasing Ltd, British Linen Shipping Ltd, C.T.S.B. Leasing Ltd, CBRail S.A.R.L., CF Asset Finance Ltd, CF1 Ltd, CM Venture Investments Ltd, Cancara Asset Securitisation Ltd, Capital 1945 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 12 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 3 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 5 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 9 Ltd, Capital Bank Property Investments (3) Ltd, Capital Personal Finance Ltd, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2018-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2019-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Cardnet Merchant Services Ltd, Cashfriday Ltd, Cashpoint Ltd, Caveminster Ltd, Cedar Holdings Ltd, Celsius European Lux 2 S.A.R.L., Central Mortgage Finance Ltd, Chariot Finance Ltd, Cheltenham & Gloucester plc, Cheltenham II Securities 2020 DAC, Cheltenham Securities 2017 Ltd, Chepstow Blue Holdings Ltd, Chepstow Blue plc, Chester Asset Options No.2 Ltd, Chester Asset Options No.3 Ltd, Chester Asset Receivables Dealings Issuer Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings No.2 Ltd, Chiswell Stockbrokers Ltd, Clerical Medical Finance plc, Clerical Medical Financial Services Ltd, Clerical Medical International Holdings B.V., Clerical Medical Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Clerical Medical Managed Funds Ltd, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Spanish Prop Co SL, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Prop Co SA, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Property Company S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Funding S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Investments S.A.R.L., Conquest Securities Ltd, Corbiere Asset Investments Ltd, Create Services Ltd, Credit Card Securitisation Europe Ltd, Dalkeith Corporation, Deva Financing Holdings Ltd, Deva Financing plc, Deva One Ltd, Deva Three Ltd, Deva Two Ltd, Dunstan Investments (UK) Ltd, Edgbaston RMBS 2010-1 plc, Edgbaston RMBS Holdings Ltd, Elland RMBS 2018 plc, Elland RMBS Holdings Ltd, Eurolead Services Holdings Ltd, First Retail Finance (Chester) Ltd, Fontwell Securities 2016 Ltd, Forthright Finance Ltd, France Industrial Premises Holding Company, General Leasing (No. 12) Ltd, General Reversionary and Investment Company, Gresham Nominee 1 Ltd, Gresham Nominee 2 Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 1) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 10) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 11) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 12) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 13) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 14) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 15) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 16) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 19) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 20) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 21) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 22) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 23) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 24) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 25) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 26) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 27) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 28) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 29) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 3) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 30) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 31) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 32) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 33) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 34) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 35) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 36) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 37) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 38) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 39) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 40) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 41) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 44) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 45) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 46) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 47) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 48) UK Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No 3) Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No.11) UK Ltd, HBOS Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS Final Salary Trust Ltd, HBOS Financial Services Ltd, HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Ltd, HBOS International Financial Services Holdings Ltd, HBOS Investment Fund Managers Ltd, HBOS Social Housing Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS UK Ltd, HBOS plc, HSDL Nominees Ltd, HVF Ltd, Halifax Credit Card Ltd, Halifax Financial Brokers Ltd, Halifax Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Halifax Financial Services Ltd, Halifax General Insurance Services Ltd, Halifax Group Ltd, Halifax Investment Services Ltd, Halifax Leasing (June) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (March No.2) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (September) Ltd, Halifax Life Ltd, Halifax Loans Ltd, Halifax Ltd, Halifax Mortgage Services Ltd, Halifax Nominees Ltd, Halifax Pension Nominees Ltd, Halifax Premises Ltd, Halifax Share Dealing Ltd, Halifax Vehicle Leasing (1998) Ltd, Heidi Finance Holdings (UK) Ltd, Hill Samuel Bank Ltd, Hill Samuel Finance Ltd, Hill Samuel Leasing Co. Ltd, Home Shopping Personal Finance Ltd, Horizon Capital 2000 Ltd, Housing Association Risk Transfer 2019 DAC, Housing Growth Partnership GP LLP, Housing Growth Partnership LP, Housing Growth Partnership Ltd, Housing Growth Partnership Manager Ltd, Hyundai Car Finance Ltd, IBOS Finance Ltd, ICC Enterprise Partners Ltd, ICC Equity Partners Ltd, ICC Holdings Unlimited Company, Inchcape Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Software Ltd, International Motors Finance Ltd, Kanaalstraat Funding C.V., Katrine Leasing Ltd, LB Healthcare Trustee Ltd, LB Motorent Ltd, LB Quest Ltd, LB Share Schemes Trustees Ltd, LBCF Ltd, LBG Brasil Administracao LTDA, LBG Capital Holdings Ltd, LBG Equity Investments Ltd, LBI Leasing Ltd, LDC (General Partner) Ltd, LDC (Managers) Ltd, LDC (Nominees) Ltd, LDC GP LLP, LDC I LP, LDC II LP, LDC III LP, LDC IV LP, LDC Parallel (Nominees) Ltd, LDC V LP, LDC VI LP, LDC VII LP, LDC VIII LP, LTGP Limited Partnership Incorporated, Legacy Renewal Company Ltd, Leicester Securities 2014 Ltd, Lex Autolease (CH) Ltd, Lex Autolease (VC) Ltd, Lex Autolease Carselect Ltd, Lex Autolease Ltd, Lex Vehicle Finance 2 Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing (Holdings) Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing Ltd, Lime Street (Funding) Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I Holdings Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I plc, Lloyds (Gresham) Ltd, Lloyds (Gresham) No. 1 Ltd, Lloyds (Nimrod) Specialist Finance Ltd, Lloyds America Securities Corporation1, Lloyds Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Branches) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Colonial & Foreign) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (I.D.) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (International Services) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Stock Exchange Branch) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Asset Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Scotland Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (HP) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.4) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (LM) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds LLP, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 7) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 9) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Holdings Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 11) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 20) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 5) Ltd, Lloyds Bank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Hill Samuel Holding Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank International Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 6) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 8) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank MTCH Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 10) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 13) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No.16) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Offshore Pension Trust Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 1) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 2) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pensions Property (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Properties Ltd, Lloyds Bank Property Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank S.F. Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Subsidiaries Ltd, Lloyds Bank Trustee Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank plc, Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Ltd, Lloyds Capital GP Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Properties Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Property Investments Ltd, Lloyds Corporate Services (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Development Capital (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Engine Capital (No.1) U.S LLC, Lloyds Far East S.A.R.L., Lloyds General Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Group Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Hypotheken B.V., Lloyds Industrial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds International Pty Ltd, Lloyds Investment Bonds Ltd, Lloyds Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Lloyds Investment Securities No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Leasing (North Sea Transport) Ltd1, Lloyds Leasing Developments Ltd, Lloyds Nominees (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Offshore Global Services Private Ltd, Lloyds Plant Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Portfolio Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Premises Investments Ltd, Lloyds Project Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 3 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 4 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Secretaries Ltd, Lloyds Securities Inc., Lloyds TSB Pacific Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Rentals Ltd, Lloyds UDT Hiring Ltd, Lloyds UDT Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Ltd, Lloyds Your Tomorrow Trustee Ltd, Loans.co.uk Ltd, London Taxi Finance Ltd, London Uberior (L.A.S. Group) Nominees Ltd, Lotus Finance Ltd, MBNA, MBNA Direct Ltd, MBNA Europe Finance Ltd, MBNA Europe Holdings Ltd, MBNA General Foundation, MBNA Global Services Ltd, MBNA Indian Services Private Ltd, MBNA Ltd, MBNA R & L S.A.R.L., MBNA Receivables Ltd, Mainsearch Company Ltd, Maritime Leasing (No. 19) Ltd, Membership Services Finance Ltd, Mitre Street Funding S.A.R.L., Molineux RMBS 2016-1 plc, Molineux RMBS Holdings Ltd, Moor Lane Holdings Ltd, NFU Mutual Finance Ltd, NWS Trust Ltd, Nominees (Jersey) Ltd, Nordic Leasing Ltd, Ocean Leasing (July) Ltd, Oystercatcher Nominees Ltd, Oystercatcher Residential Ltd, PIPS Asset Investments Ltd, Pacific Leasing Ltd, Penarth Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Penarth Funding 1 Ltd, Penarth Funding 2 Ltd, Penarth Master Issuer plc, Penarth Receivables Trustee Ltd, Pensions Management (S.W.F.) Ltd, Peony Eastern Leasing Ltd, Peony Leasing Ltd, Peony Western Leasing Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 1) Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 2) Ltd, Permanent Holdings Ltd, Permanent Master Issuer plc, Permanent Mortgages Trustee Ltd, Permanent PECOH Holdings Ltd, Permanent PECOH Ltd, Perry Nominees Ltd, Prestonfield Investments Ltd, Proton Finance Ltd, R.F. Spencer And Company Ltd, Ranelagh Nominees Ltd, Retail Revival (Burgess Hill) Investments Ltd, SARL Coliseum, SARL Hiram, SAS Compagnie Fonciere De France, SCI Astoria Invest, SCI De LHorloge, SCI Equinoxe, SCI Rambuteau CFF, SW Funding plc, SW No.1 Ltd, SWAMF (GP) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (1) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (2) Ltd, Saint Michel Holding Company No1, Saint Michel Investment Property, Saint Witz 2 Holding Company No1, Saint Witz 2 Investment Property, Salisbury II Securities 2016 Ltd, Salisbury II-A Securities 2017 Ltd, Salisbury III Securities 2019 DAC, Salisbury Securities 2015 Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 Holdings Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 plc, Sandown Gold 2012-1 Holdings Ltd, Sandown Gold 2012-1 plc, Savban Leasing Ltd, Scotland International Finance B.V., Scottish Widows Administration Services (Nominees) Ltd, Scottish Widows Administration Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Annuities Ltd, Scottish Widows Auto Enrolment Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Europe, Scottish Widows Financial Services Holdings, Scottish Widows Group Ltd, Scottish Widows Industrial Properties Europe B.V., Scottish Widows Ltd, Scottish Widows Pension Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Property Management Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth (ACD) Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Wealth Holdings Ltd, Scottish Widows Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Funds Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers Ltd, Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society, Seabreeze Leasing Ltd, Seaspirit Leasing Ltd, Share Dealing Nominees Ltd, Shogun Finance Ltd, Silentdale Ltd, St Andrews Group Ltd, St Andrews Insurance plc, St Andrews Life Assurance plc, St. Marys Court Investments, Standard Property Investment (1987) Ltd, Standard Property Investment Ltd, Sussex County Homes Ltd, Suzuki Financial Services Ltd, Swan Funding 2 Ltd, Syon Securities 2019 DAC, The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Plc, The British Linen Company Ltd, The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Mortgage Business plc, Thistle Financing Holdings Ltd, Thistle Investments (AMC) Ltd, Thistle Investments (ERM) Ltd, Thistle Leasing, Three Copthall Avenue Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (10) Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (7) Ltd, Tranquility Leasing Ltd, Trinity Financing plc, UDT Budget Leasing Ltd, UDT Sales Finance Ltd, Uberior (Moorfield) Ltd, Uberior Co-Investments Ltd, Uberior ENA Ltd, Uberior Equity Ltd, Uberior Europe Ltd, Uberior Fund Investments Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments (No.2) Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments Ltd, Uberior Investments Ltd, Uberior Nominees Ltd, Uberior Trading Ltd, Uberior Trustees Ltd, Uberior Ventures Australia Pty Ltd, Uberior Ventures Ltd, United Dominions Leasing Ltd, United Dominions Trust Ltd, Universe The CMI Global Network Fund, Upsaala Ltd, Vine Street IX LP, WCS Ltd, Ward Nominees (Abingdon) Ltd, Ward Nominees (Birmingham) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees (Bristol) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees Ltd 1, Waverley  Fund II Investor LLC, Waverley  Fund III Investor LLC, Waymark Asset Investments Ltd, West Craigs Ltd, Wetherby II Securities 2018 DAC, Wetherby III Securities 2019 DAC, Wetherby Securities 2017 Ltd, Wood Street Leasing Ltd, and Zurich Insurance Group - UK Workplace Pensions and Savings Business.
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.

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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..
HERKIMER, N.Y. -- Herkimer County HealthNet has a new executive director. The board of directors president introduced Elyse Enea at a meeting last week.

Enea succeeds Thomas Curnow, who retired from HealthNet at the end of 2018.

She has been with the organization since February 2013. In that time, she implemented each of the Mohawk Valley Mile programs in Frankfort, Ilion, Mohawk and two in Herkimer. She was certified as a master trainer in the Chronic Disease Self-Management program. She is a diabetes self-management peer leader and teaches the management program, as well as Living Healthy with High Blood Pressure.

I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Herkimer County HealthNet. I look forward to being a part of the effort to bring this non-profit organization to the next level, making a positive difference for even more individuals who live, work, play, and learn in Herkimer County, Enea said in a statement.

Before to returning to Herkimer County to help her father at the Vincent Enea Funeral Serivce in 2011, Enea worked for a private equity investment firm, as well as contributing to the Gaston Alive! Magazine in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A woman in SanDiego gave up her life to save a rabbi during a weekend attack on a temple there. Rabbi Didy Waks joined Callihan Marshall for a NewsTalk segment to speak about the shooting and his personal connections to it.
NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. -- There were no serious injuries after a Cadillac and a dump truck collided in New Hartford, but traffic was tied up.

New Hartford police say a woman was pulling out of the Jay-K Lumber parking lot, and ignored the red light.

The 75-year-old was attempting to cross Seneca Turnpike to Commercial Drive, and passed right in front of the dump truck which hit her.

The driver of the Cadillac was taken to the hospital with aches and pains.

The driver of the dump truck was not hurt.
Rockland County officials made their way to Albany Monday to show support for a new vaccination law.

County Executive Ed Day, was joined by democratic state lawmakers who are supporting a bipartisan bill that would eliminate a section of state law that exempts parents from vaccinating their children because of religious beliefs. This comes as Oneida County stresses the importance of vaccinating children during "National Infant Immunization Week."

"Unfortunately, in New York State, we have have now experienced one of the worse measles outbreaks since measles was irraticated nearly 20 years ago," David Carlucci, New York State Senator said.

Out of the nearly 700 cases reported in the U.S., over 200 of them have been in Rockland County.

"Of the entire population of the country, we have 29% of the measles cases in the United States of America," Ed Day said.

Local and federal officials are urging parents to vaccinate their children.

"Vaccination is very important, the goal is just to protect children as soon as we can," Rebecca Laporte, Oneida County Public Health Nurse said. "We protect our children in so many other way, we protect them using car seats, we give them healthy foods to eat, we don't just let them eat candy all the time. Immunization is just one important part of how we can protect our children."

Health officials say vaccines are among the most successful public health tools available for preventing disease and death. Vaccines not only protect people who are vaccinated, but protect entire communities by preventing and reducing the spread of infecious disease.

"Vaccines are incredibly important to our society," Laporte said. "The important thing with immunization is herd immunity. Herd immunity only works if the vast majority of people are vaccinated, it doesn't work when there are a few or some people vaccinated."

Senator Carlucci says the government needs to do something about it now.

"The CDC is telling us 'hey, we have got to get a handle on these outbreaks or the measles will get a foothold and be a permanent problem with the results being disastrous,'" Carlucci said.

The proposed legislation would eliminate all non-medical exceptions for vaccinations.

"It is necessary for all that are physically able to receive the vaccination do so. this is the only way to protect the health of those who are unable to receive the life saving benefits," Day said.

Local health officials say immunization is a shared responsibility.

"There are people in our communities who can't be vaccinated," Laporte said. "Those who are undergoing chemo therapy treatment, those with compromised immune systems, those with cancer, those people can't be protected, so its up to us as a society to, if we can, be vaccinated to help protect those around us who can't be."

This year marks the 25th anniversary of National Infant Immunization Week, which highlights the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases.

This is also the 25th anniversary of the Vaccines For Children (VFC) program. The VFC program is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to parents who might not be able to afford having their children vaccinated. Laporte says there are places in Onieda County that are a part of the VFC program. She says for help finding a local healthcare professional who participayes in the VFC prgram, contact your state health department or visit https://www.cdc.gov/features/vfcprogram/.
UTICA, N.Y. - If you watched Sunday's The Simpsons episode, you more than likely saw some familiar landmarks.

The video features various landmarks, including depictions of downtown Utica, showing the population declining. The Oriskany Fire Department also made a cameo within the building.

Homer in the video is also seen graduating from Mohawk Valley Community College. He says in the video, "par from the course." We spoke to MVCC President Randall VanWagoner about the cartoon, he said that he saw it for what it was.

"You know its 'The Simpsons' and I think that's where it starts and ends for the most part. I myself was born and raised in the Flint, Michigan area so that kind of humor is not lost on me. I've always used it to rather than try and unpack it and make more if than it needs to be. I just use it to keep working towards positive change," said VanWagoner.

The New York State Fair also responding to the episode by offering the writing team free admission to this year's New York State Fair. They even said they would throw in a basket of Upstate New York Food as well.

Utica Mayor Rob Palmieri also weighed in on The Simpsons episode Monday evening. He says the show's representation of Utica was a little 'off the mark.'

"Our population is increasing, not decreasing. So that was wrong. And the other one was that our downtown, where they said it was still closed, our downtown as the people know, we're open for business. At the end of the day, I'm proud of Upstate New York. I think we're working extremely hard. I can't talk on behalf of Buffalo or anybody else, but I will talk on behalf of Utica, New York. We are an upcoming city, a very great city, and I'm very proud of it."
UPDATE- Officials with New York State Police are saying the driver of the vehicle that crashed into a tree in Deerfield is in critical condition.

Police said 79-year-old, Gerald G. Cady, from Cold Brook was traveling on Route 8 when the truck he was driving crossed over into the other lane, went off the road, and hit a tree.

Cady had to be extricated from the vehicle. He was airlifted to a Syracuse hospital where he's listed in stable condition.

There was also a 7-year-old passenger in the vehicle who was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.

DEERFIELD, N.Y. -- A serious crash shut down part of Route 8 in Deerfield Monday afternoon.

The crash happened just before 2 p.m.

A pickup truck crashed into a ditch and into a tree. The driver was still in the truck when our crews got to the seen.

The person was airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.

WKTV will have more information when it becomes available.
By Online Desk

Trolls are at it again! Swara Bhaskar's tweet on polling day was greeted with barbs by some social media users who referred to her masturbation scene from 'Veere di Wedding'.

Just a reminder that we are living in the 21st century where men claim women are treated equally.

All Swara did was urge people to go out and vote. The actor later came out with a befitting reply.

On the day when 72 constituencies went to the polls in phase 4, Swara took to Twitter to urge people to exercise their vote. But, to everyone's shock, the actor was trolled by people holding a placard with text slut-shaming her.

Here's what the placards read:

'This election, don't be like Swara Bhaskar, use your finger wisely, vote wisely.'

Calling out the misogynistic trolls in a sarcastic tweet, the actor said she is loving the efforts of those who are working so hard to popularise her name.

Check out her tweet here:

Awwwwwww!!!!! My trolls are hard at work again, sweating it out in the heat to popularise my name.. You guys are SO dedicated & sweet!!! dont mind the slut-shaming guys.. their imagination is a bit limited.. but loving the effort you twopic.twitter.com/fRqjGZ3b0q  Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) April 29, 2019

A lot of Twitterati came in support of the actor and gave it back to the trollers.

disgust. more power to you Swara  Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) April 30, 2019

I am stunned at these so-called educated looking people. One is a woman herself! Sure, please oppose @ReallySwara in a civil manner if you disagree with her views but what is this utter nonsense??? https://t.co/0yBygFcPBR  Storywallah (@neeleshmisra) April 29, 2019

Because female sexuality terrifies us.  Kiran Manral (@KiranManral) April 29, 2019

What the what? The regressive lunatics, although urban, apparently educated youngsters are just enraged by a woman speaking her mind? And a masturbation scene in a film is their only reference point? https://t.co/tDaGWRxQMO  Abhishek Baxi   (@baxiabhishek) April 29, 2019

The actor faced the wrath of many for the masturbation scene at the time of the movie's release. Swara has been vocal about her political views lately, for which she was trolled too.

Reports say India ranks third in porn consumption, with the majority of viewers being men. But, when women's desires are shown in a movie, it hurts those holding a patriarchal worldview.

Recalling one of the actor's statements in the past, the attack by trolls appears to be nothing but an attempt to reduce her to her vagina.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Purdue is moving forward with its plan to build a new veterinary teaching hospital. The new building will house state-of-the-art facilities and services, replacing the current hospital.

According to a press release from Purdue, The project, pending formal approval from Purdues Board of Trustees, will cost $108 million. Purdue has committed $35 million, which includes ongoing fundraising by the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the state of Indiana recently approved a $73 million appropriation.

With this support, we can say that the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicines dream of having a new state-of-the-art hospital facility will become a reality, said Willie Reed, dean of Purdues College of Veterinary medicine.

The new hospital, which will be constructed just east of Lynn Hall on Purdues campus, will consist of small and large animal facilities, including a new equine hospital and farm animal hospital. The current small animal hospital will be renovated to modernize facilities.

Building a new teaching hospital will solve an important issue with the colleges accreditation, which was recently changed from full accreditation to probationary accreditation after the American Veterinary Medical Associations Council on Education cited issues with the existing veterinary teaching hospital following a visit last fall by an accreditation review team.

The Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine is the only veterinary college in Indiana.
VIMS christens RV Virginia

Christening: Virginia First Lady Pam Northam christens VIMS' new flagship research vessel Virginia in a ceremony on the Yorktown waterfront. From left to right: William & Mary Rector John Littel, Northam and VIMS Dean and Director John Wells. Photo by C. Katella/VIMS

Storm crowd: Invited guests and members of the public applaud the christening from the shelter of the Yorktown shore as a storm front moves by. Photo by D. Malmquist/VIMS Photo - of - Hide Caption

Ceremony officially launches new era in marine research

William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science christened its new flagship research vessel, the 93-foot RV Virginia, in a ceremony at the Yorktown waterfront on Friday afternoon. Public tours followed on Saturday.

Leading Fridays christening ceremony was VIMS Dean and Director John Wells. Providing remarks were Deputy Secretary of Education Fran Bradford and William & Mary Rector John Littel. Gov. Ralph Northam was also scheduled to speak, but was forced to cancel at the last minute due to travel delays caused by severe weather.

Apropos a research vessel designed to withstand high winds and heavy seas, the ceremony was accompanied by 40-mph wind gusts and intermittent downpours.

Virginia First Lady Pam Northam served as vessel sponsor, breaking a bottle of champagne as per long-standing maritime tradition as a large crowd of invitees and curious passersby looked on and cheered. An educator and environmentalist, Pam Northam has taken a leading role in Virginia to protect water quality and improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Arriving from a different location than the governor, she was able to skirt the storm squalls to make the ceremony.

"It was an honor to be part of this ceremony for such an exciting new chapter in VIMS impressive history, she said. We look forward to new scientific breakthroughs to increase our knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay and our ability to protect it for generations to come."

Prior to the ceremony, faculty, staff and students from VIMS led ship tours and staffed displays highlighting some of the research that will take place onboard. The Virginia Choral Society followed the christening with an inspiring rendition of Voice on the Wind" by composer Sarah Quartel, which one attendee called an appropriate piece for the weather conditions!

A bold vessel

Harkening to W&Ms For the Bold campaign, Wells began his remarks by noting the Virginia is indeed a bold vessel. Our unwavering commitment he said, is to use the Virginia for cutting-edge research and education of unsurpassed quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries  just as we have been doing on other research vessels at VIMS for nearly 80 years.

Our plan, Wells added, was to build a platform that would allow us to also move into offshore waters, spanning the entire East Coast and into the Gulf of Mexico. Innovation is for the bold, and innovation in the design and construction of the Virginia makes it arguably the most sophisticated research vessel in its size class in the United States.

While Bradford described the bipartisan support that led the General Assembly to fund the vessel, Littel extolled the researchers and crewmembers that will truly allow the vessel to earn its expected return on investment.

VIMS has neat equipment  ships and drones said Littel, but what really makes it a jewel in William & Marys crown is the quality of its people.

Wells concluded his remarks with special thanks to those who played especially important roles in helping to fund, design, and build the $10 million vessel. First were Delegate Chris Jones of Virginias 76th District, and Michael Maul and Scott Sandridge of the Department of Planning and Budget, who recognized the importance of this vessel to the Commonwealth and communicated the value of the project in Richmond.

Wells also thanked members of the Vessel Planning Steering Committee at VIMS  co-chairs Jennifer Latour and Durand Ward; faculty researchers Chris Bonzek, Steve Kuehl, Rob Latour and Debbie Steinberg; and operations staff members Joe Martinez, Richard White, Mark Brabham and Ron Herzick. These individuals, said Wells, spent countless hours providing input to the design, reviewing design documents, and reaching out to communicate with the VIMS community and soliciting their ideas.

His closing thanks were to the Virginias Captain, John Olney, Jr., Engineer Keith Mayer and Mate Taylor Moore, who spent weeks at the shipyard, helping bring the vessel to completion and learning its high-tech systems and handling capabilities during the sea trials. He also thanked Carol Tomlinson, Gary Anderson, Todd Nelson and Jim Gartland, who each played a valuable role in technical aspects working tirelessly behind the scenes.

State-of-the-art platform

The RV Virginia will allow VIMS scientists to monitor and study the Chesapeake Bay and its marine life much more effectively than the institutes previous flagship, the 65-foot Bay Eagle, and expands the institutes research footprint into the open waters of the coastal Atlantic.

The Virginia will for the first time allow VIMS researchers to match the geographic range of the fishes they study, many of which use the Chesapeake Bay as a summertime nursery and feeding ground while migrating far offshore at other times of the year, said Wells during his remarks.

The Virginia will support VIMS Multispecies Fisheries Research Program and the Virginia Shark Monitoring and Assessment Program, among others. In addition to its fisheries capabilities, the vessel has the equipment required to perform bathometric and seismic surveys, deep-water plankton surveys and coring operations. Its stern- and side-mounted cranes facilitate deployment of trawl nets and dredges, scientific buoys, and the new generation of robotic vehicles, both tethered (ROVs) and untethered (AUVs).

The vessels lab space  500 square feet in total  is divided into a wet lab for processing samples within a protected area, and a dry lab for conducting experiments with sensitive instruments while underway. Its electrical and networking systems were designed to handle the torrents of data collected by todays high-tech field sensors and lab instruments, and with an eye to the even more voluminous data streams expected for the future. These features, along with the vessels engine and propulsion systems, combine to allow the vessel to operate more efficiently in terms of both fuel and cost.

{{youtube:medium:left|qMxFeKiwulw, Watch as the RV Virginia plies the waters of the Chesapeake Bay}}

When not in use by research teams from VIMS, the Virginia will be available for charter by external parties. The vessel offers opportunities for internal and external environmental research related to offshore sand and mineral resources, offshore energy, and dredging and maintenance of navigational channels.

Designed by JMS Naval Architects of Mystic, Connecticut, and built in Canada by Meridien Maritime Reparation, the Virginia replaces the 65-foot RV Bay Eagle, a converted oil-rig tender that has been in service at VIMS since 1987. The Bay Eagle will be retired after a year of side-by-side comparison tows to identify and correct for any bias in long-term monitoring results occasioned by the switch to the new vessel.

Homeport for the Virginia is the Ampro Shipyard & Diesel in Weems, Virginia, which offers a 50-ton crane for loading and unloading of large equipment and a host of other amenities. The shipyard lies on Carters Cove on the Rappahannock River, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

Learn more about the RV Virginia and its capabilities online.
By PTI

AMARAVATI: The Election Commission Tuesday directed filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma Tuesday not to release 'Laxmi's NTR', the biopic based on the life of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N T Rama Rao RPT Rao, reiterating its April 10 order not to screen it and another movie till further orders.

The biopic was planned to be released on May 1.

State Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi informed Varma, in reply to the latter's letter, that the movie should not be released till the model code of conduct was in force.

Dwivedi cited the Election Commission of Indias April 10 order related to biopics and said it should be adhered to.

The EC had on April 10 ordered the producers of 'Laxmi's NTR' and 'Udyama Simham', the two biopics based on the lives of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N T Rama Rao and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao respectively, not to release the movies till further orders.

READ HERE | Do we need visa to enter AP? Is it North Korea?, asks Ram Gopal Verma

It had said that any biopic material in the nature of biography/hagiography sub-serving the purpose of any political entity or an individual entity connected to it, which is intended to, or which has the potential to disturb the level playing field during the elections should not be displayed in electronic media including cinematography during the operation of Model Code of Conduct.

'Lakshmi's NTR' is based on the life of Telugu Desam founder and former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao.

Following a ban imposed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, the movie could not be released in the state early this month, though it hit the screens in all other places.

"It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that the said movie is publicized as a biopic of late N T Rama Rao, which purported to depict N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and a leader of a recognized political party, in a manner allegedly diminishing the electoral prospect of his party. You are hereby directed not to exhibit the film till further orders," the ECI had said in its April 10 order.

FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

As the general elections in the state were completed on April 11, Ramgopal Varma wrote to the CEO on April 25, requesting exhibition of "Lakshmi's NTR" in Andhra Pradesh.

The CEO, however, rejected Varma's plea and maintained that the film should not be released till further orders.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Former union minister and writer Jairam Ramesh is penning the biography of celebrated Indian nationalist, diplomat, and politician V K Krishna Menon, publisher Penguin Random House has announced.

Titled "Chequered Brilliance: The Many Lives of V K Krishna Menon", the book will hit stands in the first quarter of 2020.

It will chronicle Menon's early life, moving through his agitational career in the UK for a quarter of a century, and his political and diplomatic innings from 1947 to 1974, culminating in his resignation as the country's defence minister in November 1962.

"This new full-length biography of V K Krishna Menon, a compelling political personality in the emergence of modern India, will give me the chance to tell his story in all its complexity and depth through primary sources.

We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of a biography of political stalwart V.K. Krishna Menon to be written by eminent writer-politician @Jairam_Ramesh titled 'Chequered Brilliance: The Many Lives of VK Krishna Menon'!

Read more: https://t.co/BJ4xSzUIDs  Penguin India (@PenguinIndia) April 30, 2019

"It will bring out Krishna Menon in all his various roles and incarnations," Ramesh said.

The book draws extensively, for the first time, on material that has become available in archives in India and other countries including the US, the UK, Russia and China.

It also uses Padma Vibhushan awardee Menon's personal correspondence available only with his family.

"This biography is a portrait of an era that still has a very significant impact on contemporary India.

"An early socialist and a very important influence on Nehru, the story of V K Krishna Menon is going to be an essential commentary on India's freedom struggle and Indian history when Nehru was at the helm of public affairs," said Ranjana Sengupta, Deputy Publisher, Penguin Random House India.

Menon was also one of the founding editors of Penguin.
Russia is the largest country in the world spanning across Northern Asia and Eastern Europe covering an area of 6,612,100 square miles. It is also the worlds ninth most populous country with a population of 146.77 million people as of 2019. Formerly the Soviet Union, Russia gained independence in 1991 but has had a difficult time establishing a clear political system after seventy-five years of Soviet administration. Russias political system showed a sign of settling after a new constitution was adopted in 1993 establishing a strong presidency. The federal subjects of Russia refer to the constituent units of the Russian Federation according to the constitution of Russia. The constitution of Russia recognizes 85 federal subjects since March 18, 2014, although two of the most recent subjects are recognized by most states as part of Ukraine. The Russian constitution recognizes federal subjects as being equal subjects of the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation comprises of republics, cities of federal importance, krais, oblasts, an autonomous oblast, and autonomous okrugs. Each of the subjects has its own leader, a legislative body, and a constitutional court which is supported by the federal subjects constitution and legislation. The federal subjects are each represented by two delegates each in the Federal Assembly, but they differ on the degree of autonomy granted to each subject.

Republics

Out of the 85 federal subjects, 22 are republics. Republics are regions with non-Russian ethnic groups although many republics have Russians as the majority. A republic is named after the indigenous ethnic group common in the area although due to internal migration an ethnic group may not necessarily be the majority in the population of the republic. The republics were established in Soviet Russia when Vladimir Lenin gave Russian minorities the right to self-determination in 1917. However, after a series of wars, reforms, and agreements with the Russian federal government, secession is not an option for the republics, especially under President Putin. Republics are governed by their own constitution and retain the right to come up with their own official language. Republics enjoy extensive powers and have powerful executives who occasionally pass laws contradictory to the federal constitution, but the federal government is keen to quash any secessionist ideas and movements.

Federal Cities

Cities of Federal importance have the status of both inhabited locality and a separate federal constituent. A federal city may constitute other cities and towns within it and maintains older structures of postal address systems. There are three federal cities in the Russian Federation out of the 85 federal subjects. These include the national capital Moscow and Saint Petersburg, two of the largest cities in the nation. The third and latest federal city is Sevastopol which is in the disputed region of Crimea that was annexed in 2014 but is still recognized as part of Ukraine.

Oblasts

Oblasts serve as a first level administrative unit and hold authority over a specific geographic territory. It consists of a state government and a democratically elected state legislature. The highest executive is a governor who is appointed by the President of Russia. Oblasts are the most common type of federal subjects, and there are 46 Oblasts out of the 85 federal subjects. The term oblast, when translated to English, refers to a province. Oblasts are further divided into raions, cities of oblast significance and autonomous okrugs. Raions are similar to districts and cities of oblast significance are district equivalent independent cities. Oblasts are usually named after the administrative center which tends to be the capital city or town of the Oblast.

Krai

Each Krai consists of a state government with authority over a definite geographical region with a legislative assembly and a state legislature. The highest executive is the governor who is appointed by the president. Only nine of the 85 federal subjects are Krai. The only difference between an oblast and a krai is tradition, as Krai was used to refer to territories at the edge of the main Russian state and was traditionally occupied by ethnic non-Russians. Legally there is no difference in status between an Oblast and a Krai.

Autonomous Okrugs

An autonomous okrug is a federal subject consisting of an administrative division. Russia had four autonomous okrugs as of 2014 out of the 85 federal subjects. Three of the autonomous okrugs are subordinate to an Oblast, leaving Chukotka Autonomous Okrug as the only okrug that is not subordinate to an Oblast. Autonomous okrugs were initially established in the 1920s to provide autonomy to indigenous people in the northern areas of the Soviet Union. The 1977 constitution emphasized the use of autonomous okrugs as opposed to national okrugs as used earlier to distinguish them from other territorial and administrative units that did not have autonomy.

Autonomous Oblast

The Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO) is the only Autonomous Oblast in Russia as set out in Article 65 of the Constitution of Russia. It is located in the Russian Far East and was intended as an official Jewish territory in the 1940s when the Jewish people in the region were about 25% of the population. The JAO is the second official Jewish territory after Israel. The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is now mostly inhabited by ethnic Russians who make up 92.7% of the population according to the 2010 census as a majority of the Jews left for Tel Aviv after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Territorial Changes

Starting from 2005, six of the sparsely populated subjects were merged into more populated subjects in the hopes of economic revival. This merge ended in 2008 and the territories became known as "administrative-territorial regions with special status." These territories have been subject to disapproval as they are not recognized by the federal constitution. The current constitution of Russia, adopted in 1993, solved various legal conflicts but also introduced a proper administration system for the constituent subjects by reserving regional rights, introducing local self-government and, eliminated the right to secede from the country that was granted in the Soviet era. Under the policies of the current President Vladimir Putin, the federal legislature has reviewed the distribution of tax revenue and given more power to the federal authorities.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Monday told the Supreme Court that he has been targetted by the CBI as part of the larger conspiracy between two BJP leaders in the Saradha chit fund case.

Kumar in his affidavit 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 heard of speaking "to target" 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.

ALSO READ | SC asks former Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar to reply to CBI plea for arrest

Kumar claimed that he has been targetted 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".

Earlier in the day, Kumar told the apex court that he could not file his response on Saturday to the CBI's plea seeking his arrest in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam and sought an adjournment of the hearing.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of the submission of senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Kumar, and postponed the hearing on the plea of the probe agency till April 22.

"Indira Jaising, senior counsel, submits that the counter affidavit of the respondent No 3 (Kumar) was required to be filed on Saturday (April 13) but Saturday being a holiday for the Registry, she may be allowed to file the same today. The said affidavit may be brought on record during the course of the day. Rejoinder affidavit, if any, be filed on or before April 20. The matter will be listed on April 22," the bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said.

The apex court had sought Kumar's response on April 8 on CBI's plea seeking his arrest in the chit fund scam. 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 central probe agency has sought vacation of the order so that it can arrest and interrogate Kumar.

"This is the interim application (IA) of the CBI seeking custodial interrogation of Rajeev Kumar. Issue notice. Let the matter be listed for hearing on April 15," the bench had said.

The bench had also allowed CBI to file a fresh affidavit regarding its allegations that telecom operators -- Vodafone and Airtel -- were not cooperating with it in the probe.

In its plea to the apex court, the agency has said the recall of the order granting Kumar interim protection from the arrest was necessary "to unravel the entire gamut of the larger conspiracy in the ponzi scam cases".

The CBI also sought the court's directions to West Bengal authorities to comply with the court's earlier orders "in letter and spirit" and not to create any hurdle in the CBI probe or try to "intimidate, harass and scare the agency officials" probing the cases.

"Recall the interim protection granted to Rajeev Kumar for no coercive steps, including arrest, granted by this court by order dated February 5, 2019 to enable the CBI to subject him to interrogation in accordance with the law to unravel the entire gamut of larger conspiracy in these ponzi scam cases and its subsequent investigation," the CBI's application said.

The agency said it needs 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 commissioner and SIT officials in causing concealment of the evidence collected by them during the 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 Rajeev Kumar.
pranab mondal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: As the head or matriarch of West Bengals electorally significant Hindu refugee community, Binapani Devi, known to her minions and legions of followers as Boroma, drew political suitors in election time at her abode in Thakurnagar for a slice of the Matua pie. Now, following her demise last month, its an open contest for the Matua stronghold  Bongaon.

Earlier, it was a straight face-off between the Trinamool and the Left parties when it came to tapping into this significant votebank in the North 24 Parganas district, with sops and promises galore. However, after cutting its teeth into the political landscape of West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now keen to unleash a charm offensive on the Matuas in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in a bid to extend its political footprint in the state.

FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

True to its intent, the BJP sent its biggest poster boy, Narendra Modi, to win over the Matuas. As Modi bent to seek the blessings of the Matua matriarch in February, it conveyed a direct and unambiguous message to the rival camps that the BJP had joined the bandwagon to woo the 7-million strong community.

Keen to wrest the Matua votebank from Trinamool, the BJP has fielded a member of Boromas family from the Bongaon Lok Sabha constituency. Matuas have traditionally been the key to deciding the electoral fate of this seat.

Modis visit to Boromas Thakurnagar residence, in many ways, laid the groundwork for the BJP to make inroads into the Trinamool stronghold. The sight of Modi sitting on the floor, next to Boroma, and seeking her blessings was enough to send the message loud and clear that the BJP was out to breach the Trinamool bastion. Mamatabala Thakur, Boromas dauther-in-law and the sitting Trinamool MP from Bongaon, is up against Shantanu Thakur, son of Manjul Krishna Thakur, her brother-in-law.

Manjul Krishna, the youngest of the matriarchs two sons, was a member of the Mamata Banerjee cabinet before he switched to the saffron camp in 2015, splitting the Matua clan down the middle.Leaders across party lines conceded that the Matuas, who identify themselves as Namashudra Dalit immigrants from Bangladesh taking up residence in the area after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, hold the key to electoral outcomes in as many 70 Assembly seats, which make up 7 Lok Sabha constituencies on the Indo-Bangla border.

The Matuas came into the states political spotlight after the crushing defeat of the sitting CPI(M) MLA in the 2006 state elections. The defeat was largely blamed on a significant Matua vote swing towards the Trinamool. Since then, Boromas residence, which also serves as the sects headquarters, came to witness regular high-profile political visits by heavyweights in the Left and Trinamool.However, eyeing the Bongaon seat this time, the BJP top guns, too, joined the list of high profile visitors to the Matua household this year.

Boromas demise last month set the stage for a split in the Matua first family along political lines. Earlier, political leaders of all hues would meet Boroma in the hope of drawing the Matua votes. With the Boroma gone now, theres no one in the Thakur clan who has the standing in the community to issue a whip to all members to vote en-bloc for a particular political party. So, it will be a tighter contest this time around, as the constituency also has a sizeable contingent of minority voters, a local CPI(M) leader said.

At a rally in February in Thakurnagar, which is barely a few kilometres from the Matua headquarters, Modi spoke highly of the Centres Citizenship Amendment Bill. However, he had to cut short his speech as a near-stampede broke out at the venue.

Playing down BJPs inroads into Bongaon, Trinamools district president Jyotipriya Mullick, said the BJP candidate would be blown away by the development storm unleashed by the Mamata government.

Under Mamata Banerjees leadership, people here have seen development of the kind they couldnt even think of even eight years ago. The BJP is trying to divide the society along the lines of religion and people in Bengal will never accept it, Mullick said.

Boromas elder son Kapil Krishna Thakur won the Bongoan Lok Sabha seat on a Trinamool ticket in 2014. Following his death in 2015, Trinamool fielded his widow Mamatabala in the bypoll. She won by a landslide margin.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Home Ministry notice to Rahul Gandhi on his citizenship status, saying the PM is resorting to a "fake narrative" to divert attention.

Reacting to the notice, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the entire world knows Gandhi is an Indian citizen by birth.

Prime Minister Modi has no answer on unemployment, agrarian distress and black money, and that is why he's resorting to "fake narrative" through his government's notices to divert attention, Surjewala told reporters.

In a letter, the Home Ministry said it has received a representation from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in which it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Gandhi as one of its directors.

The Home Ministry said Swamy's letter also mentioned that in the British company's annual returns filed on October 10, 2005 and October 31, 2006, Gandhi's date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970 and had declared his nationality as British.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this Ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," the Home Ministry notice issued Monday said.
In the federal election campaign, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and its affiliates are spending millions of dollars on a slick advertising operation under the slogan Change the rules.

The Socialist Equality Party and its candidates call on workers to reject this bogus union campaign with the contempt that it deserves.

As they have in every previous election, the unions are seeking to channel mounting social discontent behind the election of a Labor government.

Such a government would be a pro-war instrument of the banks and big business, committed to deepening Australias involvement in predatory US-led military operations and forcing the working class to pay for the deepening crisis of capitalism.

The hypocrisy of the campaign is demonstrated by the fact that the rules the ACTU is claiming to opposeFair Work Australia industrial legislationwere imposed by the last Labor government, with the full support of all of the unions.

In the 2007 federal election, the unions spent $10 million on a Your rights at work campaign, aimed at ousting the Liberal-National government of John Howard. They claimed that the coming to power of Labor would be a blow against Howards hated WorkChoices industrial legislation.

What was the result?

In 2009, the Labor government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd introduced Fair Work, retaining all of the draconian provisions of WorkChoices and introducing new attacks. Labors laws banned virtually all industrial action, created the conditions for the victimisation of militant workers and set in place the framework for a continuous offensive against the jobs, wages and conditions of the working class.

Ever since, the trade unions have invoked Fair Work to suppress industrial and political action by workers, and to enforce countless pro-business enterprise agreements.

It is the unions, and Labor, that are responsible for unprecedented social inequality, exemplified by the fact that the richest 1 percent of the population controls more wealth than the bottom 70 percent. Union-brokered deals have resulted in record low wage growth and wages and salaries as a percentage of gross domestic product falling to its lowest level in history.

The unions are not calling for the abolition of the anti-working class rules, merely for them to be changed.

This is not an accident. The ACTU, while seeking to exploit anger over the growing social crisis and the assault on workers rights, has issued virtually no concrete policies in its Change the rules campaign.

It sheds crocodile tears over falling wages, mounting poverty, growing casualisation and the suppression of strikes, all of which are the result of policies implemented by the ACTU itself.

However, the only specific policies the ACTU has outlined, are aimed at shoring up the wealth and privileges of the union bureaucracy at the expense of workers.

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus has denounced workers who refuse to join the unions as freeloaders. She has called for greater institutional support for the unions, i.e., from the government and corporations. McManus has hailed the German model, where unions are openly integrated into the state and company management.

Amid falling memberships, the unions are calling for the reintroduction of pattern bargaining. They have made clear, this would be aimed at signing pro-company enterprise agreements, covering workplaces at which the unions do not even have any members.

Most significantly, the ACTU has called for the strengthening of the Fair Work Commission (FWC), as an independent umpire. In reality, the FWC is an instrument of the corporations, which has upheld mass sackings, wage cuts and the destruction of working conditions.

This is a warning that the unions are prepared to carry out a deeper assault on the working class after the elections, in collaboration with Labor.

The unions are thoroughly corporatised entities, which have worked with governments and big business, for decades.

The ACTU, and its affiliates, struck a series of Accords in the 1980s with major corporations and the Labor governments of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. These provided for the deregulation of the economy, the shutting down of shop stewards committees and other forms of rank-and-file organisation and the destruction of hundreds of thousands of jobs across manufacturing and other industries.

In the 1990s, the unions supported the Keating Labor governments introduction of enterprise bargaining, dividing workers, employer by employer, and tying them to the speedup and profit demands of their individual companies.

Since then, unions across the board have signed agreements mandating real wage cuts, the elimination of penalty wage rates, and the destruction of long-standing working conditions, resulting in an unprecedented growth of part-time, casual and contract labour, record low wage growth and growing poverty.

Labor leader Bill Shorten, who is being presented by the unions as a champion of fairness and equality, personifies the anti-working class character of the unions. From 1998, he headed the Victorian state division of the Australian Workers Union (AWU), before being appointed its national leader in 2001.

The AWU signed secret deals with major cleaning companies, farming concerns and other corporations, stripping low-paid workers of weekend and overtime penalty rates, abolishing most of their entitlements and placing them on poverty wages. In a number of cases, the companies paid the employees union dues to the union, without the workers being aware.

Similar sordid deals have been carried out by virtually every union.

The record demonstrates that workers can only defend their social rights through a rebellion against the trade unions. The claim that Labor, a party of big business, is a lesser-evil must also be rejected.

Amid a growing upsurge of the working class internationally, new organisations of struggle are required. Rank-and-file committees, independent of the unions, should be established at all workplaces, to coordinate an industrial and political fightback against the corporate offensive, to break the isolation imposed by the unions and to unite all sections of the working class.

Such committees, however, require a new political perspective, that rejects the corporatism and nationalism of the unions.

What is required is nothing less than the fight for workers governments, in Australia and internationally, that would place the banks and the corporations under public ownership and democratic workers control. This is the only way to end poverty and inequality, and guarantee the social right to well-paid full-time employment and publicly funded services to all.

That is the socialist, internationalist and revolutionary program for which the SEP and its candidates are fighting.

Authorised by James Cogan for the Socialist Equality Party, Suite 906, 185 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces the threat of extradition to the United States, after being seized by a police snatch squad from the Ecuadorean embassy in London on April 11.

His arrest was a criminal act by the Conservative government in preparation for a still greater crime. Once in the US, Assange faces the threat of indefinite detention or charges that carry the death penalty.

Chelsea Manning, who courageously provided WikiLeaks with evidence of US war crimes in 2010, had been imprisoned for more than two months for refusing to testify against Assange when she was released Thursday. Manning could be imprisoned again as she faces a subpoena to appear before a new grand jury next week.

Their persecution, involving a conspiracy between the UK and the US, is a fundamental assault on the democratic rights and freedom of speech of all workers and youth. Its aim is to silence anyone who dares speak out against imperialist wars of conquest, war crimes against the oppressed peoples of the world and mass surveillance and other repressive measures used to impose savage austerity against the working class.

The Socialist Equality Party is demanding the withdrawal of all charges against Julian Assange, a guarantee against extradition to the US and safe passage to his home country, Australia, and that the Trump administration frees Chelsea Manning immediately and unconditionally.

The Socialist Equality Party urges the largest possible attendance at this Sundays public meeting in London.

Public meeting details

Free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning!

Sunday, May 12

(Doors open 1:30 p.m. Start time 2 p.m.)

YMCA Indian Student Hostel

Mahatma Gandhi Hall

41 Fitzroy Square

London, W1T 6AQ

Speakers:

Chris MarsdenSocialist Equality Party (UK) National Secretary

Emmy ButlinJulian Assange Defence Committee

Ulrich Rippertchairman of the Socialist Equality Party (Germany)

Oscar GrenfellSocialist Equality Party (Australia)

Alice SummersInternational Youth and Students for Social Equality (UK)

Niles NiemuthSocialist Equality Party (US)

Get tickets here

Facebook event page
Former Vice President Joe Biden held the first public rally of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination Monday, using a Teamsters union hall in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, in the Pittsburgh area, to showcase his support from the union officialdom.

The rally came hours after the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) became the first union to make an official endorsement in the 2020 campaign, after remaining neutral in the 2016 contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. IAFF President Harold Schaitberger announced the Biden endorsement in a video. He stood behind Biden at the Monday afternoon rally.

Biden paid tribute to the IAFF, the Teamsters, the United Steelworkers, the Service Employees International Union, the Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers and the Pennsylvania Education Association, among other unions, in his opening remarks.

Biden addresses the rally in Pittsburgh [credit: C-Span]

He bluntly explained the reason for holding his first campaign rally in the Pittsburgh area: it was Trumps wins in devastated and deindustrialized regions in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and other states that accounted for his Electoral College victory in 2016, and the Democrats needed to win back those areas to defeat Trump in 2020.

While campaign aides and media commentators portrayed his embrace of the unions at a rally in a former steel town as an appeal for the support of blue-collar workers, the reality is that Biden was hailing organizations that are widely hated in the working class because of decades of sellouts and betrayals, in which millions of workers have seen their jobs, wages, benefits and pensions destroyed with the collusion of the unions.

For all his pretended persona as middle class Joe, which he put forward again during his stump speech, Biden is well aware of the social gulf between these rotten organizations and the workers who are trapped in them, to say nothing of the millions more workers who have nothing to do with the unions at all.

He made a passing reference to the reorganization of the US auto industry under the Obama administration, in which he played a critical role as vice president, mentioning the sacrifices made by auto workers and the taxpayer bailout of General Motors. He then criticized GM for its recent announcement of more than 14,000 layoffs.

Those sacrifices included the destruction of far more than 14,000 jobs, the slashing of wages for new-hires by 50 percent, the creation of multiple tiers to divide auto workers in every factory, cuts in benefits, speed-up and plant closures. All of these attacks on workers were carried out with the full support of the United Auto Workers union, which pushed through contracts opposed by the rank and file while highly paid union officials were collecting massive bribes from the auto bosses.

Biden focused his attacks on Trump on his open incitement of ultra-right and racist forces, citing particularly Trumps comments after the 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia riot by neo-Nazis, when Trump notoriously said there were very fine people on both sides in the confrontation between fascists and antifascists. He pointed to the anti-Semitic massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh six months ago and last weeks attack by a fascist gunman in Poway, California.

But he made no reference to the issue of immigration, in regard to which the Tree of Life gunman used Trumps exact language, referring to refugees fleeing violence and poverty in Central America as invaders who had to be stopped.

Instead, Biden made repeated references to the need for national unity, preached the gospel of American greatness compared to all other countries, and ended his remarks with the appeal, God bless our troops, although there had been no previous reference to foreign policy or military operations in the 27-minute address.

One of the most right-wing figures among union officials, with close connections to the military-intelligence apparatus, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, issued a statement praising Biden, although she stopped short of a formal endorsement. The AFT president said the former vice presidents entry into the race gives Democrats a real choice between someone new and someone who has been in the trenches in this fight, including in the White House, for decades. Citing Bidens standing in first place in the polls, she said, If the polls mean anything, there is a great reservoir of goodwill for him.

The bulk of Bidens speech was devoted to contrasting the economic bonanza for corporate America under the Trump administration, particularly from Trumps tax cut for the wealthy, to the meager results for working-class families, although he invariable referred to workers as the middle class, as Democratic politicians have become accustomed to do over many decades in order to blur the reality of class divisions between the proletariat and the financial aristocracy.

If Biden had been honest, he would said that in the 10 years since the 2008 Wall Street crash, the super-rich have recovered everything and more, while the workers have recovered almost nothingand that for eight of those 10 years, the Obama-Biden administration headed the federal government and spearheaded this massive accumulation of wealth at the top of American society. But no capitalist politician, Democratic or Republican, can be honest about such issues.

Perhaps the most revealing fact about the Duquesne rally is that Biden traveled to Pittsburgh to posture as the friend of labor after a fundraiser with multimillionaire corporate executives and lawyers at the Philadelphia-area home of David L. Cohen, executive vice president and chief lobbyist for Comcast Corporation, one of the 30 largest companies in America.

Biden topped the previous one-day fundraising records set by Bernie Sanders and Beto ORourke, raking in $6.3 million in the 24 hours after he announced his candidacy April 25. At least $700,000 came in from corporate fat cats at Cohens home, where Biden and former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell put in appearances. Another attendee was Daniel J. Hilferty, the chief executive of the Independence Health Group, the parent company of Independence Blue Cross, a major health insurer in the state.
On Monday, exactly six months after Lion Air Flight 610, a Boeing 747 Max 8 jet, crashed 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, and just over seven weeks after another 747 Max 8, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg held his first post-crash press conference.

A total of 346 passengers and crew members died in the two disasters, 189 in Indonesia and 157 in Ethiopia. Both crashes occurred under similar circumstances, when a faulty angle of attack sensor, which measures the pitch of the aircraft, fed false data to an automated anti-stall system called Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which repeatedly forced the nose of the plane downward, overriding attempts by the pilots to bring the nose up and stabilize the aircraft.

Before the Indonesia crash, Boeing failed to even inform the air carriers or pilots of the existence of MCAS, which it had installed on its new 737 Max planes to compensate for a tendency in the updated 737, rushed onto market to compete with Europe-based rival Airbus 320neo jet, to stall. Boeing marketed the new 737 with the claim that it was cheaper to put into service than the Airbus jet because it supposedly required virtually no additional training for pilots familiar with the older 737 models.

On March 13, following the Ethiopian Airlines crash, the entire fleet of 737 Max 8s and 737 Max 9s was grounded internationally, although Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration at first refused to go along with international authorities and continued to insist that the plane was safe.

The occasion for Mondays press conference was the annual meeting of Boeing shareholders in Chicago, the headquarters city of the giant commercial jet builder and defense contractor. The event was contentious, with several reporters asking pointed questions about Boeings obvious safety lapses and Muilenburg stonewalling, repeating talking points about a chain of events and multiple contributing factors, defending the companys design and certification process, and finally implying that the pilots were to blame.

He repeatedly referred to the companys design and testing of a software patch it plans to install as soon as it is certified by the FAA, with the aim of getting its 737 Max planesthe companys best-selling model and the major driver of profitsback into service sometime this summer.

However, after taking questions from only six reporters, a grim-faced Muilenburg abruptly ended the news conference and walked out of the room, ignoring the shouted question: Three hundred and forty six people died. Can you answer a few questions about that?

In the course of the briefing, Muilenburg admitted that a common link in both crashes was activation of the MCAS system because of erroneous angle of attack data. But he refused to acknowledge that the company had done anything wrong or that the 737 Max had any design flaws.

One question the company has not addressed is why it designed MCAS to be activated on the basis of data from a single angle of attack sensor. The standard design for systems that are critical to the safety of a commercial aircraft has always included some form of redundancy, so that the malfunction of a single sensor does not lead to disaster.

The Wall Street Journal revealed the same morning in a front-page exclusive report that Boeing never told its air carrier customers or its pilots that it had deactivated for the 737 Max aircraft a safety feature found on previous 737s that warns pilots when the planes two angle of attack sensors are sending conflicting data. The absence of an AOA disagree alert on the Max model is particularly dangerous because, unlike the earlier versions, on the Max model, with MCAS, such a malfunction can suddenly pitch the planes nose downward.

The preliminary report released last month on the Ethiopian Airlines crash stated that it took more than four minutes for the pilots to realize that incorrect data from one of the AOA sensors was prompting MCAS to push the jets nose down.

The Journal also reported that FAA safety officials responsible for Southwest Airlines 737 Max 8 fleet had discussed grounding the carriers Max jets last December after learning that the AOA disagree alert had been deactivated.

For its Max fleet, Boeing, evidently to make more money, activated the alert only as part of a package of additional safety features for which air carriers had to pay extra.

At the press conference, one reporter asked if Muilenburg, who made nearly $18.5 million in 2017, had considered resigning. Another reporter asked: Why did you put an MCAS system in place in the planes without notifying the airlines or the pilots and why did you not tell the pilots that the angle of attack disagree warning light was deactivated?

Muilenburg replied by denying that MCAS was a separate system that required additional pilot training.

Another reporter raised the reliance on a single AOA sensor to control MCAS and noted that whistleblowers at Boeing and the air carriers had said there were problems with the certification process and with MCAS. When Muilenburg suggested there was pilot error, saying, These airplanes are flown in the hands of pilots the reporter noted that MCAS was activated 21 times, pushing the nose of the plane down to the point of an unrecoverable dive.

To this, Muilenburg responded by saying the checklist refers to cutoff switches and adding, In some cases those procedures were not completely followed.

A reporter responded by noting that the Ethiopian Airlines pilots had followed Boeings protocol but were still unable to gain control of the plane.

A Seattle Times reporter then said: Forget about the process. The final design of MCAS was deeply flawed and your engineers are fixing it and testing the fix today. Fixing very specific flaws, which are clear in the flights. So can you admit that the design was flawed?

Shortly thereafter, Muilenburg ended the press conference and stalked off of the stage.

The network evening news reports sought to present Muilenburg and Boeing in the best possible light, hinting at pilot error. The Boeing CEO has been a darling of Wall Street. Since becoming chief executive and chairman in 2015, he has carried out a ruthless cost-cutting drive, slashing the workforce by nearly 7 percent in 2016 and another 6 percent in 2017. He has also squeezed Boeing suppliers, demanding price cuts of 10 percent or more, leading to intensified attacks on the suppliers workers.

The 737 Max 8 accounted for 30 percent of Boeing profits, which grew 24 percent in 2018 to $10.5 billion. The companys stock has nearly tripled since Trumps election, accounting for more than 30 percent of the increase in the Dow since then. Boeing set company records for earnings, cash flow and commercial deliveries in 2017 under Muilenburg.

However, the companys stock has lost 10 percent since the Ethiopian Airlines crash, new orders for the 737 Maxs have dried up and the company recently announced a $1 billion write-off for expenses connected to the fallout from the two crashes. It has also suspended a planned stock buyback. If Muilenburg is in trouble, it is not because his policies have contributed to the death of 346 people, but because he is seen to be costing big investors and banks anticipated profits.
Chinese President Xi Jinping last week hosted the second forum in Beijing of one of his key programsthe Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)a massive infrastructure scheme aimed at linking China throughout Eurasia via land and sea and enhancing Chinas position on the world stage.

Since it was first announced in 2013, the BRI has come under increasing fire from the US, which regards it as a challenge to its own global ambitions. When Italy became the first G7 power to formally sign up to the project last month, the US National Security Council lashed out with a tweet declaring that Rome was legitimising Chinas predatory approach to investment.

US officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, think tanks and the media have repeatedly accused China of using the BRI to create debt traps to pressure countries to meet Chinese demands. The criticism is entirely hypocritical. The US has for decades exploited institutions like the International Monetary Fund to impose its economic and geo-political dictates around the world.

President Xi was anxious to use the BRI forum to counter mounting US criticism and strengthen ties across Eurasia and with Africa. In opening the gathering last Friday, Xi declared that China was committed to transparency and building high-quality, sustainable, risk resistant, reasonably priced, and inclusive infrastructure.

Xi told the audience the BRI would promote open, green and clean development. Without specifically mentioning the US, he declared that we need to build an open world economy and reject protectionism. The remark was not only directed against the Trump administrations trade war measures against China. It was a pitch to the European powers, which also confront the threat of punitive US tariffs.

Amid an increasingly aggressive US stance toward Chinafirst under Barack Obama, then Donald Trumpthe BRI was always designed to strengthen Chinas economic and strategic position, particularly in Europe, by touting the economic benefits of closer economic and political cooperation.

Italy is the only major European power to sign up to the BRI and to send its head of government, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, to the forum. However, other major European countries sent high-level representatives to look for economic opportunities, while attempting to avoid Washingtons displeasure.

UK Chancellor Philip Hammond attended the forum to lobby on behalf of British corporations. A Treasury statement declared there were opportunities for British companies in the fields of design, engineering financing, public-private partnerships and legal services.

In the lead-up to the Beijing forum, despite heavy pressure from the US, the British government gave approval, in principle, for Chinese telecom giant Huawei to assist in building the countrys next generation 5G data network. US State Department official Robert Strayer warned on Monday that any involvement of the untrusted vendor, even in non-core elements of the network, could compromise US-UK intelligence cooperation.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier was also at the BRI forum. He pushed for a multilateral BRI agreement between China and the European Union, which would ensure a greater say for Germany in the implementation of projects. In a thinly-veiled criticism of Italy, Altmaier declared that the EU in its great majority agreed that it did not want to sign any bilateral agreements.

In all, some 5,000 foreign delegates from more than 150 countries and more than 90 international organisations attended the forum, including 37 heads of government or heads of state. Along with the Italian prime minister, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended, along with leaders from Austria, Portugal, Hungary and Greece.

Top leaders from nine of the ten countries in the Association of South East Asian Nations were in attendance, as well as four of the five Central Asian republics. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan took part, but India, which is hostile to Chinas close ties with its regional rival Pakistan, was not represented by its prime minister.

Not only did US President Trump not attend, but there was no senior American representative at the forum.

Before the forum, the Chinese government set out to blunt some of the criticism of the financing of BRI projects. Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who came to power in last years election, was heavily critical of Chinese investment during the campaign and suspended or cancelled several major projects, including a railway line along the countrys undeveloped east coast.

China last month renegotiated the agreement on the $20 billion rail line by cutting the cost of construction by a third. The new deal ensured that Mahathir attended the Beijing forum and gave the BRI his full support.

President Xi told the media that China had signed some $64 billion in deals at the three-day forum. An Al Jazeera report estimated: To date, about $90 billion have been invested in multiple BRI-related projects, but several hundred billion more have been loosely committed and it will be years before all that capital is invested. Overall, China has indicated that over $1 trillion will be invested in various projected.

The communique from this forum identified several key projects that will be fast-tracked, including Pakistans Gwadar portthe starting point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Chinas southwestand Greeces Port of Piraeus, which China regards as a key beachhead into Europe.

The other major project is the China Railway Expressa network of railways linking London to the Chinese city of Chongqing and projected to be used by more than 14,000 freight trains every week. These infrastructure links are expected to cut costs, but from Chinas standpoint also avoid too heavy reliance on sea transport through the Malacca Strait, which could be blocked by the US navy in time of war.

The US is determined to ensure that Chinas BRI plans do not undermine American economic and strategic interests. At the ASEAN summit last November, US Vice President Pence slammed the BRI and declared that a US infrastructure plan for the Asia Pacific provided a better option. We dont drown our partners in a sea of debt, we dont coerce, or compromise your independence  We dont offer a constricting belt or a one-way road, he declared.

The US, which is seeking support from allies such as Australia and Japan, has announced that just over $100 billion will be on offer for infrastructure projects. Not surprisingly, all the ASEAN countries were strongly represented in Beijing last week, as considerably more money is potentially available.

Unwilling to provide greater investment, Washington will undoubtedly ramp up the aggressive methods it has used to date to undermine Chinese influencediplomatic intrigues, including regime-change operations, military provocations in dangerous flashpoints such as the South China Sea, and preparations for war with China.
The growing interest in socialism continues to provoke attempts to falsify its history. This is the aim behind the New York Times publication last week of a column on the pioneering American socialist, Eugene V. Debs. Written by Hamilton College professor Maurice Isserman, the article presents Debs as a tragic figure who attempted to create a distinctly American socialism only to see it fail.

Debss fervent insistence on the centrality of working class revolution, which dominated his writings and speeches, is overlooked entirely. Isserman makes no mention of the Russian Revolution, though Debs enthusiastically supported it. Indeed, in Issermans rendering, Debs was not much of a socialist at all.

Though he admits that Debs certainly read his Marx and Engels, and that he never joined a church and professed no religious faith, Isserman nonetheless argues that Debs really stood in the tradition of Protestant radicalism, tracing this pedigree back to religious dissent in the founding days of Massachusetts Bay Colony. After religious influences, Isserman gives pride of place in Debss political worldview to the concept of citizenship, writing that Debs spoke American, not Marxist.

To Isserman, Debs was, in sum, a moral crusader unwittingly mobilized (whether consciously or not) by religious and patriotic concepts. All Debs really wished for, according to Isserman, was another, more equitable America. This portrayal serves a definite political purpose, revealed by Isserman in the columns last sentence. What is needed today, he argues, is a form of American radicalism that joins the redemptive promise of moral protest and the practical achievements of political action.  One suspects the professor may have in mind Bernie Sanders.

Debs would be horrified. He spent his entire 25-year career as a socialist fighting againstalbeit within the straitjacket of the all inclusive American Socialist Partyjust such anodyne politics and those experts and intellectuals who, like Isserman, espoused them.

In his attempt to discover the real Debs, Isserman is compelled to overlook what Debs himself said and wrote. In answer, it is worthwhile to let Debs speak for himself. In countless speeches and hundreds of articles, Debs railed relentlessly against capitalism and capitalist exploitation in the most searing language.

He could not have been much clearer. The Socialist Party is not a reform party! Debs thundered in a speech to miners in 1902. It proposes to abolish the capitalist system to transfer from private hands all the means of production and distribution and turn them over to the people in their collective capacity.

In his several runs for the presidency, Debs always campaigned on a program of straight class-struggle socialism, in the words of James P. Cannon. Debs traveled the country demanding the expropriation of the capitalist and the liberation of the wage slaves. With such slogans Debs won 6 percent of the vote in the 1912 election. An equivalent outcome in the last presidential election would have meant some 8 million votes.

But Debs viewed elections only as a means of political education. Voting for socialism is not socialism any more than a menu is a meal, he said. Of far greater importance than increasing the vote of the Socialist party is the economic organization of the working class.  Socialism must be organized, drilled, equipped and the place to begin is in the industries where the workers are employed.

The overriding aim of Debss political activity was to wrest workers away from the Democratic Party. This world only respects as it is compelled to respect, and if you working men want to be respected you have got to begin by respecting yourselves, he told striking workers in Philadelphia in 1908. Get out of the capitalist parties. You do not belong there.

To be sure, Debss speeches and writingslike those of Abraham Lincoln whose youth in rural Indiana was only a few decades and 100 miles removed from Debss own in Terre Hautefeature biblical metaphor and invocations of equality and liberty, the revolutionary legacy of 1776. This did not make him a moralizing patriot, as Isserman implies, but a man whose grasp of history and unmatched moral courage cut a path for his revolutionary agitation to the hearts and minds of workers.

In tours of the Deep South at the very height of Jim Crow segregation, Debs refused to appear before segregated audiences and delivered speeches insisting on the equality of all toilers. In the cities and mining towns, Debs spoke before immigrants who, in spite of linguistic barriers, somehow understood his revolutionary message. Debs talks to us with his hands, out of his heart, and we all understood everything he said, a Polish audience member explained in his native tongue. The tenement homes of Jewish immigrants were often adorned with his photograph. Deps, Deps, they called him, one informant said of the Yiddish-speaking socialists.

What made Debs different from the right-wing socialists was his uncompromising view of the class struggle. From the time of his incarceration at Woodstock prison for his leadership of the Pullman Strike of 1894, Debs always credited Marx, Engels, and their great German popularizer, Karl Kautsky, as his primary influences, and forcefully rejected conceiving of socialism as a reformist program. The spirit of bourgeois reform, he warned, would practically destroya revolutionary organization.

Debss hostility to imperialist war was legendary. In 1915, after observing the betrayal of Europes socialists in the defense of their ruling classes, Debs wrote:

I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth; and I am a citizen of the world . ... I am not a capitalist soldier; I am a proletarian revolutionist. ... I refuse to obey any command to fight from the ruling class, but I will not wait to be commanded to fight for the working class. I am opposed to every war but one; I am for that war with heart and soul, and that is the world-wide war of the social revolution. In that war I am prepared to fight in any way the ruling class may make it necessary, even to the barricade.

In 1917, Debs enthusiastically welcomed the Bolshevik seizure of power in Petrograd. In 1919, he wrote an essay defending Soviet Russia and eviscerating the treachery of reformist socialists:

Lenin and Trotsky were the men of the hour and under their fearless, incorruptible and uncompromising leadership the Russian proletariat has held the fort against the combined assaults of all the ruling class powers of earth.  In Russia and Germany our valiant comrades are leading the proletarian revolution, which knows no race, no color, no sex, and no boundary lines. They are setting the heroic example for worldwide emulation. Let us, like them, scorn and repudiate the cowardly compromisers within our own ranks, challenge and defy the robber-class power, and fight it out on that line to victory or death! From the crown of my head to the soles of my feet I am Bolshevik, and proud of it.

Debs wrote these lines weeks before he began a prison term for violating the Espionage Act, in his famous Canton Speech opposing US entry into World War I. This same reactionary law will serve as the legal basis for any prosecution of another class war prisoner, Julian Assange, 100 years later, a fact that Isserman and the Times fail to note.

Lenin and Trotsky reciprocated Debss admiration. In his 1918 Letter to American Workers, Lenin called Debs the most beloved leader of the American proletariat. He went on:

I am not surprised that Wilson, the head of the American multimillionaires and servant of the capitalist sharks, has thrown Debs into prison. Let the bourgeoisie be brutal to the true internationalists, to the true representatives of the revolutionary proletariat! The more fierce and brutal they are, the nearer the day of the victorious proletarian revolution.

Debss own words leave no doubt that he was a revolutionist and committed fighter to the class struggle. There is, however, another side to the story that, in Debss own time, allowed him to be manipulated by right-wing socialists like Victor Berger of Milwaukee and Morris Hillquit of New York--and which today provides the origin of the attempt to manipulate his legacy.

Debs delivered his fierce attacks against the reformist socialists publicly, for all the workers to hear. On speakers platforms and in newspaper articles, he launched fusillades against the labor lieutenants of capital such as Samuel Gompers and the whole American Federation of Labor bureaucracy, as well as the SP right wing--whom after the murders of Luxemburg and Liebknecht in 1919 he referred to as the Scheidemanns.

Yet Debs withdrew completely from the internal party struggle against reform--and in fact refused to attend national conventions and even take a seat on the SPs national committee--thereby ceding the ground to the right wing. He refused to fight it out within the party, believing that ultimately the workers themselves would chase out the Bergers and Hillquits. This was a losing proposition.

Trostky, in only a brief stay in New York, developed a quick appreciation for this dynamic. Hillquits art lay in keeping Debs on his left flank while he maintained a business friendship with Gompers, Trotsky wrote in My Life, memorably adding that while Hillquit was a Babbitt of Babbitts...the ideal Socialist leader for successful dentists, Debs was a sincere revolutionary.

What Debs and many other sincere revolutionists of the Second International did not understand was that the reformist leaders were not simply mistaken. They were a conduit for the pressure of capitalist politics on the workers movement. Of course, the lessons of Lenins world-historic struggle against Menshevism had had but little time to be assimilated before Debs was vindictively imprisoned by order of Woodrow Wilson.

In the balance of history, Debss contributions are the patrimony of the revolutionary socialists. The attempt to harness this heroic figure in the fight for the emancipation of the working class to reformist politics today are best undermined by his own words.

*

References:

Cannon, James P., The First Ten Years of American Communism: Report of a Participant

Ginger, Ray, The Bending Cross: A Biography of Eugene Victor Debs, University of Rutgers Press, 1949

Salvatore, Nick, Eugene V. Debs: Citizen and Socialist, University of Illinois Press, 1982
Thousands of teachers and their supporters are expected to attend protests in the state capitals of North Carolina (Raleigh) and South Carolina (Columbia) on Wednesday, May 1 to demand increases in wages and school funding, the hiring of more staff and other improvements for their students.

The protests in the Carolinas, which take place a year after nearly 60,000 Arizona teachers struck, are part of the wave of strikes and demonstrations by educators in the US and internationally that began in 2018 and are continuing this year.

More than 300,000 Polish teachers returned to classrooms this week after carrying out a 17-day nationwide strike, their first in decades, to demand a 30 percent wage increase. Teachers won enormous popular support. Some 40,000 social workers were set to join the walkout before the main teachers union, ZNP, capitulated to the ultra-right Law and Justice Party government and called off the strike without meeting the teachers demands.

In the North African country of Morocco, thousands of low-paid contract teachers staged an overnight demonstration in front of the parliament building in the capital city of Rabat on April 24 and 25 before security forces used water cannons and batons to disperse them, leaving over 70 injured. The largely young teachers have carried out months of strikes and demonstrations to demand the replacement of their renewable contracts with permanent jobs, along with pensions and benefits commensurate with other public sector workers.

According to reports, protests by North Carolinas teachers will cancel classes for half of the states 1.53 million public school students. Last May, 20,000 teachers rallied in the Capitol, but the meager increases approved by the states Democratic governor and Republican-controlled legislature still leave their pay well below the national average. The state is 39th in the nation in per pupil spending.

South Carolina teachers are demanding a 10 percent salary increase, smaller class sizes and uninterrupted planning time. They have denounced the insufferable and oppressive working conditions endured by teachers whose starting pay is $32,000, not much more than the federal poverty threshold of $25,750 for a family of four.

In addition to these protests, thousands of other teachers are preparing strikes and demonstrations in several US cities.

 In Chicago, City College clerks and technical workers are set to strike Wednesday, May 1, if no agreement is reached for workers who have not had a contract in three years. Another 130 teachers at five charter schools could strike at the end of the school day Wednesday, with teachers at another five charters possibly joining the strike. The labor agreement covering more than 20,000 Chicago Public Schools teachers expires on June 30.

 In New York City, thousands of pre-kindergarten teachers are set to strike on Thursday, May 2, to demand higher wages. The pre-school teachers are in a fight against Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has contracted out early childhood programs to privately run community-based organizations, which pay teachers substantially less than their public-school counterparts.

 In Detroit, teachers are planning to protest the May 14 school board meeting to oppose the addition of five unpaid days to their 20192020 school calendar and district plans to implement a merit pay system. In 2016, hundreds of Detroit teachers launched a series of wildcat sickouts in defiance of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, which brought to national attention the horrific conditions in the schools, including black mold, rodents and crumbling infrastructure.

 In Mississippi, 66 percent of teachers polled by the Mississippi Association of Educators said they would participate in a one-day statewide sickout, and nearly 40 percent said they would join an indefinite strike to improve wages and classroom conditions. One teacher, responding to threats to use anti-strike laws, said, Whats worse? Breaking a tyrannical law to hopefully improve our situation or sitting back and doing nothing while politicians continue to make our jobs more and more impossible?

 In Arizona, a year after tens of thousands of educators conducted a statewide rebellion, teachers are considering action again because the deal signed by the Arizona Education Association with the Republican Governor Doug Ducey failed to address their concerns.

 Anger is growing in the state of Washington, where teachers held a series of strikes in September 2018 that were isolated and defeated by the unions. With school districts preparing mass layoffs and budget cuts, the Democratic Party-controlled state legislature passed a budget Sunday that provides a one-time infusion of cash and lifts the cap on regressive local property taxes. While shifting the tax burden onto the backs of working- and middle-class people, Democratic Governor Jay Inslee handed the largest tax cut in history$8.7 billionto aircraft giant Boeing, while Washington-based Amazon, owned by the worlds richest man, paid $0 in federal taxes on $11 billion in profits last year.

In every country, teachers are fighting the consequences of the sharp increase in social inequality that followed the global financial crash of 2008 and subsequent bailout of the banks and stock markets. In the US, 24 states were spending less on K-12 school funding when President Obama left office in 2016 than they were before the crash. State funding for higher education also declined in 41 states between 2008 and 2015.

While most states modestly increased funding over the last three years, 12 states actually cut funding last year by at least seven percent, according to the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities. Teacher strikes in four of these statesWest Virginia, Arizona, Oklahoma and North Carolinaforced a modest increase in school funding. However, these were financed through temporary fixes, including regressive taxes or cuts to other vital social programs, which did not impinge on the wealth of Americas corporate and financial aristocracy.

The biggest obstacles to unifying educators across the country have been the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and their state and local affiliates. Union officials peddle the lie that the Democrats, who are no less enemies of teachers and public education than Trump, Betsy DeVos and the Republicans, will listen to and address teachers demands.

Referring to efforts to elect more Democrats to the North Carolina legislature, the president of the North Carolina Association of Educators Mark Jewell said Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, can override the anti-public education legislation that may come forward and Democrats and Republicans would have to sit down and negotiate.

Allied with the Democrats and led by union executives whose six-digit incomes put them in the top five percent of income earners, the unions are opposed to the development of a movement of the working class that would challenge the entrenched power of the super-rich and fight for a sweeping redistribution of wealth.

Teachers must draw the lessons of the last year of struggle, which was largely initiated from below by union and non-union teachers in defiance of the NEA and AFT. New organizations of struggle, democratically controlled by rank-and-file educators themselves, including workplace and neighborhood committees, must be built to fight for what teachers, support staff and their children need, not what the big business politicians claim is affordable.

The fight for the broadest mobilization of the working class, including mass demonstrations and a general strike to defend the social right to high quality public education, must be combined with a political struggle for a socialist alternative to the capitalist system.
Hundreds of people gathered April 22 at the central square of Mytilenethe capital of the island of Lesbosfor a silent protest to mark the first anniversary of a far right attack on a group of mainly Afghan asylum seekers.

The asylum seekers, who included women and children, had gathered in the square to protest their internment at the Moria detention camp on the island and the delay in processing their asylum applications. They were then attacked by a fascist mob of around 200 under the nose of police units in the area, who reportedly had orders not to move against the thugs but only to disperse them. As a result, the mob was able to break through a police cordon and throw stones, bottles and flares at the asylum seekers, resulting in 35 people being injured.

The protest was organised by Democratic Mytilene, a local pseudo-left coalition made up primarily of Syriza and Popular Unity members, which was founded earlier this year to contest the upcoming local government elections. The group stated that [a] year on after the events of those days, the culprits as well as their moral instigators remain unpunished. However, with their actions they continue to poison society, divide citizens and provoke hatred with their lies.

In fact, chief among the moral instigators is Syriza.

As far right politics are being ever more openly adopted by the ruling elites of Europe, and fascistic movements encouraged, Syriza has only been too happy to lend its services to this effort.

In the four years since it took power in January 2015, Syriza has not only played a pivotal role in continuing and deepening the EU-dictated austerity that has pauperised millions of Greeks, but has also been at the forefront of cracking down on refugees, asylum seekers and migrants as part of the European Unions (EU) anti-immigrant agenda.

There are currently more than 70,000 refugees interned in Greece in overcrowded camps on the mainland and islands as a result of the filthy deal cut between the EU and Turkey in 2016, which stipulates that all refugees crossing into Greece from Turkey be interned until their case is processedwith the plan that they are ultimately deported back to Turkey. For this, Athens has received more than 2 billion euros from the EU and Turkey is set to receive 6 billion euros.

Over 7,000 of these refugees are detained at the Moria camp, whose capacity is for around 2,000.

The atrocious conditions at Moria were highlighted in an Oxfam report published this January, which included testimonials from aid workers as well as asylum seekers detained at the camp.

Sonia Andreu, who manages Bashira, a refuge for vulnerable women asylum seekers on Lesbos, told Oxfam that she sees Moria as hell.

I know women, she said, who gave birth, they had a C-section delivery and after four days they were returned to Moria with their newborn babies. They have to recover under dirty, unhealthy conditions.

Its really difficult to see a doctor, said Shala, an Afghan refugee in her mid-forties. There is just one doctor for the whole camp. You have to be on your death bed before they take your problems seriously.

According to Oxfam, there was no doctor at all for the whole of November after the camp doctor quit.

The report also highlighted the unsanitary conditions that exist as a result of overcrowding. 70 people have to share one toilet, so hygiene is very bad, said John, an NGO worker in Lesbos. There are many small children and babies in the camp. Sometimes people do not even have a tent and winter is coming. In the Olive Grove, there are snakes, scorpions and rats.

Three days before the silent protest in Lesbos, 60 refugees set up a camp at Syntagma Square in Athens, opposite the Greek parliament. They made handmade placards castigating their treatment, with some reading, Evicted by police government and Why make us live in tents when there are so many empty buildings?

They were protesting their recent forced eviction on April 18 from the Clandestina and Cyclopi squats in the Exarchia district of Athensdriven out by helmeted and masked riot police. The 68 people, including 25 children, had been occupying the squats for around a year. Just one week previously, the Azadi and Babylonia squats, also in Exarchia, were evicted by around 200 riot police on April 11. During the evictions at the four locations, an estimated 200-300 refugees were made homeless.

Quoted in a post appearing on infomobile, a blog reporting on the plight of refugees in Greece, a mother of three children described her eviction from the Clandestina squat: I was sleeping with my children, when I suddenly woke up with guns being held in front of my eyes. There was police everywhere. I tried to collect our most important belongings. The police was shouting: Fast, fast! Two of my kids have heart problems. One of them has asthma.

Another refugee and former resident of Clandestina told infomobile, Everything I had is in that locked building now: My tax number, my social insurance documents, medical papers I am at zero again. They didnt let us take anything.

A statement released by the Ministry for Migration Policy showed the governments contempt for the refugees, stating that by refusing to leave Syntagma Square they were creating a negative image of themselves among Greek public opinion.

The camp at Syntagma was cleared on April 20 after refugees were reportedly transported to different detention centres across the country.

Exarchia has been under what is a semi-permanent occupation by state forces for weeks, with Syriza authorising such operations in order to project itself as the responsible party of law and order. Responding to the evictions on social media, Syriza deputy minister for Citizen Protection, Katernia Papakosta-Sidiropoulou, wrote, Well done to the Greek Police for the latest, well organised operation in Exarchia. Policemen performed a check mate. They proved that they dont wait for the month of August [when most people are on vacation] to ensure the safety of citizens.

The evictions in Exarchia are the culmination of months of saturated reports in the Greek media on alleged criminal activity in the area, such as alleged contraband and drug trafficking operations run by migrant gangs in collaboration with anarchist groups, who have had a long presence in the district. This reportage is solely aimed at demonising refugees and asylum seekers, accompanied by the usual law-and-order chorus to clamp down on the no-go zone of Exarchia.

Behind the evictions there are wider commercial considerations, with the district being part of recently unveiled plans to regenerate the city centre. A February article in the pro-business capital.gr, stated that Anaplasi PLC, whose aim is to implement urban revitalisation works, is investigating in conjunction with Attica Metro, three new scenarios of where to place a Metro stop in Exarchia, aiming to preserve the public space of Exarchia Square, which today is a haven for criminal activities.

Exarchia, along with other run-down areas in the city centre, are seen by many investors as prime real estate and they are snapping up properties there. Speaking to the in.gr website Lefteris Potamianos, president of the Athens-Attica real estate agents association, stated that real estate prices in the district have gone up by 30 percent in the last year: Its not just apartments, but strangely also whole blocks that have been bought up and are being earmarked for airbnb apartments or hotels. All these sales have happened in the last year.
The Pentagon has announced the abrupt firing of the commander of the infamous US prison camp at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

In a statement released Sunday, the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees the extra-legal detention center, claimed that Rear Adm. John C. Ring, the camp commandant, had been relieved of his command because of a loss of confidence in his ability to lead. The facility has a staff of 1,800 troops and civilian personnel deployed to continue the imprisonment of 40 remaining detainees.

The dismissal comes just weeks before Ring was to complete his tour as the 18th commander of the prison camp, which was opened in 2002 as part of the war on terror launched under the administration of George W. Bush. The timing suggests retaliation by the top brass over what it sees as the rear admirals overly frank statements to the media.

Last December, he gave an interview at one of Guantanamos detention centers to NBC News in which he complained about the deterioration of the camp facilities and the failure of Congress to appropriate funds for their replacement or repair. He also warned that the aging of the prisoners could soon turn the notorious site of torture, rendition and illegal detention into something resembling a nursing home.

Ring had estimated last year that $69 million was needed to replace the most dilapidated of the camps facilities, which houses the 15 so-called high-value detainees who were transferred to Guantanamo in 20062007 after being imprisoned and tortured at CIA black sites around the world.

His firing came on the same day that the New York Times published a lengthy article titled Guantanamo Bay as Nursing Home: Military Envisions Hospice Care as Terrorism Suspects Age. Written by Carol Rosenberg, who has reported from Guantanamo since 2002, previously for the Miami Herald, the article included extensive statements made by Ring during a recent press trip to the prison camp.

Unless Americas policy changes, at some point well be doing some sort of end of life care here, the Times quoted the commander as saying. A lot of my guys are pre-diabetic Am I going to need dialysis down here? I dont know. Someones got to tell me that. Are we going to do complex cancer care down here? I dont know. Someones got to tell me that.

The oldest prisoner at Guantanamo is now 71, while the average age is 46. Many have been held since the facility opened in 2002, and the majority of them, 26 in all, have never been charged, much less tried for any crime.

Defense One quoted Ring as stating: Im sort of caught between a rock and a hard place. The Geneva Conventions Article III, that says that I have to give the detainees equivalent medical care that I would give to a trooper. But if a trooper got sick, Id send him home to the United States. And so Im stuck. Whatever Im going to do, I have to do here.

Any US military personnel with serious health problems are airlifted to the US Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Laws passed by Congress, however, bar any Guantanamo detainees from being brought onto US soil for any purpose whatsoever. As a result, detainees who suffer serious medical conditions, in many cases the result of systematic torture, receive either inadequate care or none whatsoever.

The Times article cited the case of Abd al Hadi al Iraqi, accused of leading resistance to US troops who invaded Afghanistan. He was left untreated for degenerative disc disease and back injuries exacerbated by torture until he lost the use of his legs and became incontinent. What followed was a series of botched spinal surgeries performed in the prison camp that has left Hadi, 58, in a wheelchair and dependent upon painkillers. While medical personnel concluded that he needed complex surgery that could not be performed at the camp, the law bars his being transferred to a US military hospital.

The Times article also cited the case of Mustafa al Hawsawi, a Saudi man alleged to have provided assistance with travel and expenses to the 9/11 hijackers. He has for years suffered such chronic rectal pain from being sodomized in the CIA prisons that he sits gingerly on a pillow in court, returns to his cell to recline at the first opportunity and fasts frequently to try to limit bowel movements.

Another prisoner, an Indonesian man known as Hambali, who is accused of being a leader of the Southeast Asian Islamist group Jemaah Islamiyah, requires a knee replacement as a result of injuries suffered during torture at CIA black sites, including being continuously shackled by his ankles.

No doubt Rings statements to the media rankled both the Trump administration and the Pentagons senior command on two scores. First, they gave the lie to the continuous claims made that Guantanamo is needed to house the worst of the worst, rather than an aging and infirm population, and, second, they exposed the fact that Washington is continuing to carry out war crimes against those it subjected to torture, denying them the level of medical treatment required under the Geneva Conventions.

Opened during the Bush administration, Guantanamo was kept in operation under the presidency of Barack Obama, despite his vow to shut it down. Obama codified into law the system of drumhead trials by military commissions, which deny the accused every fundamental right a genuine court affords to a defendant under the US Constitution.

These tribunals are caught in a web of contradictions that have kept the rigged trials from moving forward. Earlier this month, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threw out more than two years of decisions by Col. Vance Spath, a military commission judge who presided over the case of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, accused in connection with the 2000 bombing of the warship USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen. The court found that Spath had a conflict of interest that he should have disclosed. During the proceedings, he had applied for and obtained a job as an immigration judge in the US Justice Department, whose officials were prosecuting the case.

Spaths rulings included the denial of a motion by al-Nashiris defense attorneys that they be allowed to notify their client that their discussions were being bugged by the military. When the civilian lawyers withdrew from the case because of these conditions, Spath convicted the tribunals chief defense counsel, a Marine brigadier general, of contempt for allowing them to do so, ordering him to be fined and confined to quarters, a ruling that was subsequently overturned.

Obama handed over this barbaric legacy to Trump, who vowed during his campaign to fill up the prison with bad dudes and reintroduce waterboarding and worse. In January of 2018, Trump signed an order to keep Guantanamo open and vowed to continue treating captured terrorists as unlawful enemy combatants and send more of them to the Cuban prison camp.

While as yet no new detainees have been transferred to Guantanamo, the Pentagon has been ordered to draw up plans to continue the detention facilitys operations for another 25 years.

It was reported this month that the Department of Homeland Security was reviewing the feasibility of sending immigrant children captured on the US southwestern border to be imprisoned at Guantanamo.

This would not be the first time that Guantanamo has been used for such a criminal purpose. In 1991, some 12,500 Haitians fleeing the repression that followed the 1991 coup that overthrew the elected government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide were imprisoned there. The islands refugee prison camps swelled to 50,000 by 1994 under the Clinton administration. The policy was introduced by then-Attorney General William Barr, who now holds the same post under Trump.

Among the early investigative exposures carried out by WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange in 2007 was the publication of the Standard Operating Procedures for Camp Delta, outlining official US policy at the Guantanamo Bay prison. The document exposed the fact that Washington was preventing the Red Cross from accessing some of the prisoners, a claim Washington had previously denied.

Assange is now being held in Belmarsh prison, dubbed the UKs Guantanamo, facing extradition to the US and into the clutches of the war criminals he has done so much to expose. Chelsea Manning, the courageous US Army whistleblower who provided a trove of evidence to WikiLeaks in 2010 exposing US war crimes, is being subjected to punitive imprisonment for refusing to testify before a grand jury created to fabricate criminal charges against Assange.

Right-wing politicians and government officials have described Assange as a terrorist and an enemy combatant, and WikiLeaks as a hostile non-state intelligence agency.

The order to keep Guantanamo open for another quarter of a century is directed not merely at preparing space for Al Qaeda-connected fighters captured overseas. It is also intended to maintain a prison beyond the reach of any constitutional rights for those--both at home and abroad--accused of exposing the crimes of the US government and opposing the interests of the ruling capitalist oligarchy.
Last week, in response to public outrage over right-wing militias illegally detaining immigrants at the US-Mexico border, the FBI arrested Larry Mitchell Hopkins, leader of the United Constitutional Patriots (UCP). The arrest is a purely diversionary move on the part of the federal government to put fascistic elements patrolling the border at arms length.

After a Facebook video showing members of the UCP, garbed in military-style clothing and armed with semi-automatic rifles, detaining dozens of migrants went viral, US Customs and Border Protection resorted to damage control by stating it does not endorse or condone private groups or organizations taking enforcement matters into their own hands. The video, in which CBP agents are seen shepherding the migrants, implies a direct cooperation between Border Patrol and paramilitary groups on the border.

A 2016 investigative report by Mother Jones cited a CBP agent thanking a militia member and saying, It impresses me that you guys come out and do my job for me for no pay at all, and offering tips on where the group should patrol. A Freedom of Information Act request filed by Protect Democracy uncovered footage of another agent thanking a militia group for their efforts and asking others to do the same.

Although the Trump administration has emboldened right-wing militia groups to operate openly, federal agencies have long known of the organizations and done little to discourage them. Any concern over the legality of militia activity at the border is feigned. The vigilante groups have long been supplementing the anti-immigrant work of the US ruling class.

Armed militias acting as or in cooperation with law enforcement on the US-Mexico border go back as far as the 19th century. From the conclusion of the Mexican-American War, in 1848, militias formed by slave owners patrolled the border to capture slaves attempting to flee to Mexico, where slavery was outlawed in 1829.

After the US passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which outlawed the immigration of Chinese laborers, armed watchmen on horseback patrolled, from El Paso to California, to stop Chinese immigrants from entering the US via Mexico. The CBP is descended from these watchmen.

In 1977, the Ku Klux Klan created its own vigilante groups in California and Texas. David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the KKK, said at the time that the groups aim was to do something about the illegal alien problem. The KKK was only present on the border for a few days, but the resulting news coverage inspired subsequent militia groups.

According to Katherine Belew, a historian at the University of Chicago, a vigilante group formed in the 1980s called Civilian Military Assistance was one of the first contemporary instances of a militia detaining undocumented immigrants at gunpoint. According to Belew, the CMA, which announced itself as anti-communist, set booby traps, fired live ammunition, and detained undocumented immigrants on the Arizona border.

Despite the widespread outrage over the CMAs practices, local authorities decided not to prosecute the militants for criminal activity. Belew stated that local sheriffs had been tacitly accepting of paramilitary actions and sometimes participated in them. Legal action against the CMA was not taken until 1986 when the CMAs leader was arrested on a felony firearms charge, similar to what occurred to Hopkins.

The most prominent anti-immigrant militia group prior to the UCP was the Minutemen, a group of vigilantes that formed in 2004 to stop and detain undocumented immigrants. The paramilitary group originally earned praise from then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, but quickly came under scrutiny after many of its prominent leaders and founders were arrested on charges ranging from murder to child sexual abuse.

One incident involved Shawna Forde, a former member of the border vigilante group Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, who murdered a man and his 9-year-old daughter in 2009. Many Minutemen were also discovered to have neo-Nazi ties.

Federal officials have made clear that Hopkins was not arrested due to his association with the border militia. His arrest was in connection to an incident in 2017 in which a criminal complaint filed by the FBI states that he was a felon in possession of nine firearms, including a 12-gauge shotgun, long rifles and handguns.

According to the US Attorneys office, Hopkins has three felony convictions dating back to 1996, including possessing a loaded firearm in the state of Michigan in 1996, being a felon in possession of a firearm in the state of Oregon and impersonating a police officer in 2006.

The FBI initially began investigating Hopkins after reports suggested the UCP was training to assassinate Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and George Soros. The federal agency has not commented on why so much time elapsed before Hopkins was charged for offenses committed in 2017.

Hopkins arrest only came after the American Civil Liberties Union publicly condemned the UCPs illegal activities and urged New Mexicos new Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to order an investigation.

Emboldened by the Trump administrations racist rhetoric toward immigrants and claims that the US is experiencing an invasion by foreign enemies, illegal paramilitary groups patrolling the border are growing. The Democrats, who echo Trump in acknowledging the supposed border crisis, are complicit in the increased danger migrants face while attempting to flee violence and poverty.
By PTI

AMRAVATI: The Congress Tuesday sought the Telangana Rashtra Samithi's support to enable Rahul Gandhi to form the next government at the Centre after the ongoing general elections to enable the state get Special Category Status.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president N Raghuveera Reddy wrote a letter to TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in this regard.

"I would first like to thank you for categorically extending support to the demand for according Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.

FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

Since the BJP has rejected the SCS demand and Congress president Rahul Gandhi promised to sign the first file granting SCS to AP upon becoming the Prime Minister, I request you to support our party to form the next government at the Centre," Raghuveera said in the letter.

AP would get special status only if a government under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi was formed at the Centre, he said, adding that the Congress had listed this in its election manifesto.

"I have requested the main parties in Andhra Pradesh TDP, YSR Congress and Jana Sena to set politics aside and support the Congress to secure SCS for the state. Since you have already supported the SCS demand, I request you to support the Congress to form the government at the Centre. Please do not support the BJP and let further injustice done to AP," the PCC president pleaded.
Workers and students who joined the Socialist Equality Party (SEP)s rally in the western Sydney working-class suburb of Parramatta last Saturday strongly backed the call for the immediate release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and US whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

Around 100 people participated, and thousands more around the world have watched the Facebook livestream video of the event. The rally was addressed by three of the eight SEP candidates contesting the May 18 Australian federal election, as well as longstanding SEP leader Nick Beams, and James McGlone, a friend of Julian Assanges father.

In interviews, participants passionately defended Assange, as both a journalist and publisher, for courageously exposing the war crimes, anti-democratic conspiracies and mass surveillance conducted by the US and its allies. They added their voices to the demand issued by the SEP for the Australian government to intervene to secure Assanges right, as an Australian citizen, to return home with a guarantee against being extradited to the US on concocted conspiracy and espionage charges.

Further evidence of the developing support for Assange came in a poll conducted by the Australian 60 Minutes television program following the broadcast on Sunday night of an interview with his father, John Shipton, the following night. Shipton warned that his son would be dragooned to the United States and thrown into a jail cell, never to get out in order to demonstrate that publishers and whistleblowers will be destroyed.

The poll asked: Julian Assanges father is urging Australian authorities to step in and stop Assanges extradition to the US, and ultimately, finally bring him home. But does he deserve our support?

Despite the programs own efforts to slander Assange by featuring the smears propagated by the corporate media to justify the illegal termination of his political asylum by Ecuador and the immediate extradition application issued by the Trump administration, the vote was overwhelmingly yes. As of today, the poll stands at 72 percent in favour, after over 10,000 votes.

Adriana

At the SEP rally, Adriana, a high school student, described her response to seeing Assange being dragged out of Ecuadors London embassy. It was very upsetting to see such an excellent journalist, treated in that way, as if he was an enemy. If you go against the government you are seen as a bad person.

Adriana commented: The government and the media had a big role to play in the treatment of both Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. They have influenced social media. The SEP has showed another side of Assange to the one playing out in the mainstream media.

That is why I think is so important to come to these meetings, to be opened up to the truth. I came to the rally today because I felt like it was important, especially now that Julian Assange has been arrested. Its more important than ever to show him our support.

Joseph

Joseph, an unemployed worker, explained why he came to the rally. Julian Assange has told the truth, the whole thing. Big government and organisations, and public relations companies for that matter, are trying to suppress the truth because there is an agenda going on.

People like Julian Assange know how to actually report on what is going on and they get through all the truth-suppression mechanisms. He is being persecuted for doing that, and that is very sad.

They want to put him through the conveyor belt of the US justice system Thats why I fear for Julian Assange. I can imagine what might happen to him and thats why we need to fight on his behalf.

Obviously people like Julian Assange are trying to break through the capitalist system, especially the suppression of truth that goes on via spin from governments Hes up against the capitalist system that is in most, probably all, cases wrong. It needs to be cut back a lot, or shut down, or torn down maybe, so that all people can live with equality, whether theyre from the so-called lower end of society, or the higher end.

Jane, who lives in the western suburbs, said: I came today to support human rights, especially the right to speak the truth. Since I was young, weve always been told to tell the truth. A lot of people who are survivors of any injustice know that when you do get the courage to speak the truth, you are often not listened to.

Those who have carried out the crimes and injustice against us need to face justice. The attacks on Assange are an attack on all of our rights. Ive always been a fan of Assange since I saw the Collateral Murder video showing US troops shooting Iraqi civilians and journalists. It blew my mind. Hes been brave enough to show us all this information, and hes still fighting.

I had to research the issue of the Swedish investigation into sexual assault. I know how mainstream media always lies. I looked at all the documents, because I would not support anyone who had committed sexual assault.

But Assange was never charged with anything, even after Swedish prosecutors interviewed Assange. The UK government was putting pressure on them to continue the investigation, for political reasons. The UK, the US and the Australian government are all in on it together, because they want to cover up all of these wars.

Tony, a retired worker from Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle, said: Journalism today is under terrible assault. All the major media outlets fabricate lie after lie. More broadly, we are living in a world that not only looks like George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four but surpasses it.

Take what was revealed by the Vault 7 files and Edward Snowden. The Pentagon has means of digitally controlling cars and other technologies. Facebook is integrated into the intelligence agencies, handing over tens of millions of peoples information. YouTube and Google are being actively censored and people are actively being spied upon.

Asked about the Australian elections, Tony said: I think people have no choice. The greatest disappointment for me has been the Greens. Like all the other parties, they have exhibited the biggest cowardice when it comes to the American alliance and Assange and Manning.

Moe

Moe, who is looking for full-time work, said that he had been following WikiLeaks for a number of years. He expressed appreciation for Assanges role in exposing the US-led regime-change operation in Syria, where his family is from.

He commented: When Assange was evicted, there was a protest the next day in Sydney. I couldnt go because I had work. I regretted not going, so I wanted to make sure I came to this. I felt like we have to come to events like this.

Its not just about Assange, its about all of our freedom of speech, and the information WikiLeaks has provided us to know what happens in the chambers of our governments, who they work with, and how the military controls us.

During the campaign for the rally, Olivia, who is studying at Western Sydney University to be a primary school teacher, said: The US and Australian governments are wanting to prosecute someone for exposing the horrors these governments have done, but the governments shouldnt have committed the horrors in the first place. How can you prosecute someone else for something you have done? Its not right. People need to know the truth.

I think that, governments that try to prosecute someone for the crimes they have done, says a lot about those governments to be honest. I think the young people are waking up and starting to really stand up, about all sorts of things.

The Socialist Equality Party is making the demand for freedom for Assange and Manning central to its federal election campaign, and holding public meetings in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this weekend, to build a political movement to force the Australian government to secure Assanges return to Australia with a guarantee against extradition.

The fight being conducted by the SEPs internationally to free Assange and Manning will be taken forward in this weekends 2019 International Online May Day Rally organised by the International Committee of the Fourth International and the World Socialist Web Site. We urge everyone to register and participate.

Authorised by James Cogan for the Socialist Equality Party, Suite 906, 185 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
On Thursday, April 25, the student parliament (StuPa) at Berlins Humboldt University (HU) passed a resolution opposing the financing of a right-wing think tank to conduct research on dictatorship. The initiator and driving force behind the project, which has been prepared over the last five years under the title Dictatorships as alternative political orders, is the extreme right-wing professor and Eastern Europe historian at the HU, Jorg Baberowski.

The motion was submitted by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) and adopted almost unanimously. Only two out of three members of the RCDS, the student organisation of the conservative CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union), voted against. The resolution condemns not only Baberowskis project, but also the efforts of the university administration to suppress broad student opposition to it.

The full text of the resolution reads:

The student parliament condemns the political and personal attacks made by the university administration, many media outlets and professors against a student member of the Academic Senate (AS). This person had quite legitimately revealed via Twitter sections of the documents that should serve as a basis for discussion in the public sphere of the AS about the setting up of a Centre for comparative dictatorship research.

The student parliament opposes the use of Humboldt University funds to establish such a centre, which is expressly designed as a think tankbased on the theories of Carl Schmitt, the crown jurist of the Third Reich, and othersto provide policy-makers with possible courses of action. This has nothing to do with scientific research into dictatorships, but rather aims to legitimise authoritarian forms of rule. The StuPa calls on all members of the Academic Senate to refuse to consent to the establishment of such a centre in future.

Helmut Wolff, a member of the IYSSE on the StuPa, moved the resolution and explained the background and significance of the dictatorship centre.

Baberowski had submitted the application for the establishment of the centre along with Anna-Bettina Kaiser, a law professor at the HU, who graduated in 2017 on exceptional constitutional law. Many other professors are involved in the project. They are demanding that the HU sponsor the project to the tune of 50,000 for the next three years, in addition to finances raised from other sources.

The project explicitly seeks to examine dictatorships as legitimate and even popular alternatives to democratic forms of rule without making judgements.

As Wolff quoted in the StuPa meeting, the applicants refer to dictatorships as orders that are not solely based on absence of freedom, violence and oppression, but represent alternative political possibilities, which must be understood. In modern times they have provided alternatives that under certain circumstances have become increasingly attractive.

In addition, the application states: In some countries, citizens could actually benefit from them ideally or materially because, under unstable conditions, open societies cannot achieve what dictatorships are capable of under other circumstances.

The centre is explicitly planned as a think tank with the aim of offering policies to political circles that can be used in everyday decision-making. In other words, Baberowski, notorious for his belittling of the crimes of the Nazis (Hitler was not vicious) and his incitement against refugees (Merkel must close the borders), wants to advise political decision-makers on how best to suppress the growing opposition to militarism, social inequality and the lurch to the right in official politics.

Specifically, Baberowski and his colleagues base their plans on Carl Schmitt, who had already argued for dictatorial forms of government during the period of the Weimar Republic, and then legitimised Nazi rule after 1933. In October 2016, Baberowski gave the Carl Schmitt Lecture held at the invitation of the Carl Schmitt Society at the HU, to honour the memory of the Nazis most important lawyer.

This reactionary project is to be networked and expanded nationally and internationally through a number of partners. Most recently, Princeton University agreed to provide US$300,000 for a joint research project with Baberowski titled From Totalitarian to Authoritarian Rule. Comparing Dictatorships in Transition.

Baberowskis attempt to quietly push the application for his Dictatorship Centre through a meeting of the Academic Senate failed, however, on January 15.

As Wolff relayed to the student parliament, the project had already been the subject of considerable criticismboth in the appraisal process, where it was denounced by two out of four peer reviewers, and also from students. Prior to the AS meeting, a student representative had posted excerpts of the projects documents on Twitter and made critical comments. The IYSSE posted a statement headlined Dictatorships as alternative political orders?We say no! on its homepage. The taz daily newspaper also addressed the issue and published an article criticising the project.

There then followed a storm of indignation led by Baberowski personally. Aping the style of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), he attacked his own students on Facebook and Twitter as criminals and left-wing extremists and denounced the taz journalists as denunciators. A number of the right-wing media outlets, which had previously supported Baberowski, including the magazine Cicero and the right-wing dailies Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Die Welt, once again jumped up to support him.

A hysterical campaign was launched aimed at silencing student criticism, Wolff emphasised. The project was subsequently dropped from the agenda of the meeting and postponed indefinitely due to the broad opposition. Some of the professors who had evidently opted in favour of a speedy adoption of the application, reacted with outrage and verbally attacked the student representative for his tweets, Wolff said.

The university president, Sabine Kunst, a Social Democrat, who had already filed a lawsuit against the student council at the behest of the AfD, reacted with authoritarian measures aimed at suppressing the student opposition to Baberowskis right-wing think tank and the machinations of the HU leadership.

Kunst introduced a motion to amend the procedural rules at the next AS meeting to restrict access to the meetings protocols. Although this proposal met with opposition in the committee and has yet to be adopted, it has a clear goal: to suppress all information about the dubious and right-wing think tanks the university plans to finance in future. All and every criticism on the part of students and the media is to be prevented and intimidated from the outset.

These plans will not succeed. The resolution adopted by the student parliament and the public exposure of the dictatorship centre are yet another blow to Baberowski and the right-wing operations of the university administration.

The powerful vote in favour of the IYSSE motion is indicative of the broad opposition among students to the increasing turn to the right by the political establishment in Germany and internationally. The question of political perspective is decisive. In the final analysis, preventing the return of dictatorship and fascism requires a struggle against the source of this development: the capitalist system. The IYSSE therefore calls on all students and young people to join the building of an international socialist movement of the working class.
Workers in South Koreas auto industry are facing escalating attacks on wages and working conditions as manufacturers demand ever deeper cuts. The corporations and the government, headed by President Moon Jae-in, intend to claw back all of the gains workers won through mass protests, wildcat strikes and plant occupations in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and return the workers to conditions they faced under the military dictatorship.

Automakers pointed to the decline in production and demand in the first quarter of this year compared to last year to justify their attacks on workers in the name of remaining competitive. Production dropped by 0.8 percent while demand fell by 0.3 percent. Exports have also declined to the US, amid threats from the Donald Trump administration to impose tariffs of 25 percent on South Korean-made vehicles, as well as falling demand from China.

Much like their American competitors following the 2008 financial crisis, the South Korean auto companies intend to carry out a drastic redistribution of wealth upwards from the pockets of the working class. However, South Korean workers are looking for ways to fight back.

Workers at Renault Samsung in the city of Busan have been engaged in protracted strike action since last October, at the plant where they produce a variety of SUV models. The company has demanded more cuts to labor costs as part of a new collective bargaining deal, pitting the Busan factory against affiliated plants in countries like Japan and Spain. Unwilling to accept this, workers voted by an 85.1 percent margin last September to go on strike.

Since then, they have staged 62 partial strikes of four hours each, the latest being held on April 19, ahead of the companys scheduled five-day production downtime from April 29 to May 3. However, participation has dropped off, with only 44 percent of the workforce taking part in the latest strike, despite 70 percent participation on April 10.

The prolonged strike shows there is no shortage of willingness to fight the company attacks. However, the isolation and half-measures imposed upon the workers by the Renault Samsung Labor Union have clearly taken a toll. In fact, the partial strike tactic has long been used by the auto unions to allow workers to let off steam and burn themselves out while reducing the impact on the company as much as possible. In the aftermath, the union agrees to a sellout deal.

Facing the duplicity of the Renault Samsung union, autoworkers are increasingly drawing the conclusion that no matter how militant the labor unions may sound, their role is to disarm the working class and impose the demands of big business. That is why autoworkers must turn to their class brothers and sisters in other industries and across borders in Japan, China, and the United States to wage a genuine fight.

GM Korea and Hyundai workers are facing similar corporate attacks and isolation imposed by the unions. In a vote last week, 83 percent of the 2,067 workers at GM Koreas new R&D spinoff GM Technical Center Korea (GMTCK) authorized a strike, demanding that they have the same collective bargaining agreement that their counterparts at GM Koreas main plants work under.

Before GMTCK was established in January, workers rightly feared that the new division would be used to carry out broader restructuring, particularly following the shuttering of GMs Gunsan plant last year. The Korean Metal Workers Union (KMWU) postured as opponents of the spinoff and closure, but ultimately accepted both.

The KMWU built up illusions in the state, appealing to the judiciary over the issue of the GMTCK workers contract. An Incheon court ruled earlier this month in favor of the company, stating that while GMTCK and GM Korea share joint liability, collective agreement, unlike debt, is not a liability that needs to be met. This will only pave the way for the deeper cuts GM has been demanding for years.

Similarly, Hyundai has been looking for a way to impose a two-tier system of wages, following in the footsteps of what the US Detroit automakers have achieved through collusion with the United Auto Workers union. Hyundais chosen method is the so-called Gwangju jobs project, also launched in January.

Backed with funding from the Gwangju city government as well as from the administration of President Moon Jae-in, Hyundai intends to hire 1,000 workers at a new plant, where they would receive only 35 million won ($31,000), less than half the average annual wage and benefits a worker would normally receive. The government claims an additional 10,000 jobs will be created indirectly in and around Gwangju, the second poorest metropolitan area in South Korea, where wages are already 13 percent below the national average.

The project is based on a German model used at Volkswagen from 2001 to 2009, which came to an end after concessions were enforced on autoworkers throughout the industry. As the South Korean government intends to expand this model to two more cities by June, workers must heed the warning that this is what lies in store for all.

The KMWU likewise postured as an opponent of the deal with Hyundai. However, at a signing ceremony to mark the projects inauguration, which included President Moon, two leading officials of the unions Kia branch also took part, providing the KMWUs stamp of approval on the whole affair. Kia is a Hyundai affiliate. The two were later removed from their positions as a face-saving measure, but no strikes have been called in opposition.

As Hyundai moves to create this lower tier of workers, it also intends to slash as many 7,000 jobs by 2025. The leader of the KMWUs Hyundai branch, Ha Bu-yeong, has already accepted this, saying, Even though we accept the management's anticipation of cutting 7,000 jobs by 2025, 17,500 are scheduled to retire by then. Thus, the company has to hire at least 10,000 to keep its plant running. Even if this dubious prospect were to come to fruition, Hyundai would seek the unions support in cutting the wages of new hires, just as it has done in forcing older, higher paid workers out of the industry.
The pseudo-left tendencies within and around the Left Party in Germany are reacting to the growth of the international class struggle with a sharp turn to the right. This was exemplified by the so-called Socialism Event, which was organized last week by Socialist Alternative Voran (SAV), the German grouping of the Committee for a Workers International (CWI). It was held in the editorial office of the Neues Deutschland newspaper in Berlin.

The event had nothing to do with socialism or the construction of an independent revolutionary party in the working class. A more appropriate title would have been Left Party or Trade Union Event. At about 30 separate sessions, leading SAV representatives drummed up support for these thoroughly pro-capitalist and anti-working-class organizations and promoted anti-Marxist theories and policies.

One session on 60 Years of the Cuban Revolution: What did Castro and Che fight for? celebrated the Cuban Revolution and its leaders as an inspiration to many and praised the achievements of the revolution. Another panel, Socialists and Brexit: Can leaving the EU open up perspectives to the left? justified the essentially right-wing and nationalist Left Brexit campaign of the Socialist Party, SAVs English sister party.

One focus of the event was to mobilize support for the Left Party in the European elections in late May. The keynote speaker at the inaugural session was Ozlem Alev Demirel, the Left Partys lead candidate in the European elections. The Left Party is contesting the election on a decidedly right-wing, pro-capitalist programme. Even before the Left Partys own congress in Bonn in preparation for the European elections, its party executive had rejected any criticism of the European Union. A passage in which the EU was called militaristic, undemocratic and neoliberal, was deleted from its election programme. In Berlin, Demirel defended this course and opposed any fundamental criticism of the EU.

The fact that in Germany the SAV promotes the EU and at the same time supports the Brexit policy of its English sister organization is characteristic of the nationalist politics of the CWI. This International is not developing a common international line but sets its flag in every country according to the line followed by the ruling class.

Nearly nine years after the SAV officially joined the Left Party, there is no difference between it and the party leadership. This was particularly evident in a panel discussion with SAV national spokesperson Lucy Redler and Left Party chair Bernd Riexinger, entitled Which way forward for the Left Party: new collective movement, ruling party or new class politics? Redler, who has been a member of the party executive since 2016, agreed with Bernd on almost all issues.

In their remarks, Redler and Riexinger made no secret about the fact that in every state assembly where they are in government with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Greensparties of war and austeritythey too are responsible for ferocious social attacks, conducting brutal deportations and developing a police state.

The Brandenburg Left Partys approval of the police law and agreement to an expansion of the secret service  not only mortgaged the Brandenburg Left Party, but also nationwide, explained Redler. The police law extended stop and search, allowed preventive detention of up to one month on suspicion of terrorism and would in future be used against demonstrators and strikers. Now the SPD-Left Party state government, in coordination with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Greens, even wanted to codify the debt ceiling in the constitution, placing strict limits on public spending.

The situation is hardly better in the other federal states in which the Left Party is in coalition government. In Berlin, under red-red-green [SPD-Left Party-Green Party], even the school buildings are being privatized. Deportations are also continuing in Berlin, admitted Redler.

Riexinger made it clear that the Left Partys demand for expropriations was really a cover for new attacks on the working class. While it supposedly meant transferring real estate companies to the public sector, he had previously spoken out against expropriation without compensation. In other words, the Left Party wants to buy back the same apartments it sold off to speculators at a song between 2001 and 2011 as a member of the SPD-Left Party Senate [Berlin state executive), only now paying billions of euros for them.

By new class politics, Redler and Riexinger mean the suppression of the growing political and social opposition among workers and youth with the help of the Left Party and the trade unions. Redler pointed to left-wing developments in the population. As examples, she mentioned, among others, the anti-deportation demonstrations in Bavaria, strikes at Ryan Air, the mass protests against police laws and the #indivisible mass demonstration of a quarter of a million people against racism and the return of fascism last October in Berlin. She warned, The Left Party has to seize this mood and channel it.

The fear of an independent movement of workers against the capitalist system terrifies the SAV leadership.

In a speech from the floor, SAV national spokesman Sascha Stanicic warned that the phase we had in Germany in recent years, and which was characterized by relative economic stability, is about to end. It was quite clear that the global economy is heading for its next crisis, which is very likely to have far more catastrophic consequences, with all the resulting political upheavals and changes in the party system, but also for a radicalization in consciousness and for the development of struggles. Germany will then possibly be confronted again with things that are from a few years ago.

The SAV fears that the Left Partys openly right-wing and anti-working-class policies mean it will not be able to control the coming revolutionary struggles of the working class. It would be the worst form of preparation for future struggles and fights and developing awareness and polarization, if the party continues this year to participate in government, warned Stanicic. He went on to make clear in the next sentence that he supports his partys government policy. Im not saying anything against it now. I think this has something to do with the strategic direction.

The return of the class struggle is relentlessly exposing the class character and political orientation of all political organizations. Pseudo-left groups such as the SAV, which represent the interests of privileged middle-class layers, can no longer hide the fact that they are actually building parties and organizations on the other side of the barricades in the class struggle. Trotsky once said of the opportunist organizations of his time, The great events which rush upon mankind will not leave of these outlived organizations one stone upon another. The same fate will overtake the Left Party and its pseudo-left appendages.
A tower crane buffeted by strong winds toppled, broke apart and crashed into the roof of a building in Seattle, Washington on Saturday, sending steel sections crashing onto cars on the busy street below. Two iron workers who were disassembling the structure died in the collapse, as well as a college student and the occupant of a car that was crushed in the accident.

Four others were hospitalized, while a 25-year-old mother and her 5-month-old daughter escaped one of the crushed vehicles with only minor injuries. Witnesses reported that the falling steel sent shock waves through the pavement as it struck the ground.

The crane detached itself from the top of the Google building, falling onto the westbound lanes of Mercer Street and landing on top of six cars on the eastbound lanes of Fairview in one of the busiest areas in downtown Seattle.

Andrew Yoder, 31, a member of Iron Workers Local 86, is survived by his wife and infant daughter. Travis Corbet, 32, a member of the same union in Tukwila, Washington, just south of Seattle, is survived by his wife Samantha of just 10 months.

A freshman nursing student at Seattle Pacific University, Sarah Wong, 19, died when the Uber car she was in was hit by a piece of the crane. The fourth person who died, also while in a car, has not been identified.

The crane was being disassembled, a dangerous operation under any conditions, but winds reportedly over 23 miles per hour made it especially hazardous.

Whenever youre bringing a tower crane down, said James Pritchett, CEO of Alabama-based Crane Experts International, its always got to be very low winds. Its really a tender situation. Winds are your enemy. You need to find out beforehand what the anticipated winds are that day. In the event that high winds are occurring, you need to cease operations until they subside.

The US Department of Labor reports that between 2011 and 2015 there were an average of 44 crane-related deaths every year in the US.

Last year, the Downtown Seattle Association reported record growth in city construction, with $4.8 billion funneled into active construction projects. By the end of the year there were 66 projects under construction.

By comparison, 2017 saw $4.3 billion of investment. Since 2010, the areas residential population has increased by 38 percent and employment has grown by 39 percent.

GLY, the general contractor on the site, has been a major benefactor of the boom. The company was named Engineering News Record Contractor of the Year in 2015, with revenue of $569 million, up from $433 million in 2014, which in turn was up approximately $200 million from the previous year.

The contractor made a name for itself at the Lincoln Square project in Bellevue, Washington, which began in June 2014 and included a 41-story hotel, with a residential component and 32-story office tower. Lincoln Square set the table for GLY to begin work on the four-building complex for developer Vulcan and its tenant Google.

Local news reports claim the construction boom has been relatively safe, stating that this was the first deadly crane accident in Seattle in more than a decade.

In 2016, nearly 5,200 US workers died on the job and another 2.9 million suffered serious workplace-related illness, injury or disability, according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The Trump administration has said it wants to cut regulations on business to promote economic development, rolling back health and safety reporting requirements and leaving vacancies in departments that regulate health and safety in the workplace.

The following committees, set up to advise OSHA, have gone dormant under President Trump:

1. Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health

2. National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health

3. Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health

4. Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health

5. Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee.
Ma Zhaoxu (front), China's permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses a Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East at the UN headquarters in New York, April 29, 2019. Ma Zhaoxu on Monday asked the international community to stick to the two-state solution in addressing the Palestinian-Israeli issue, and warned against unilateral action that escalates tension in the region. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday asked the international community to stick to the two-state solution so as to tackle the Palestinian-Israeli issue from the root.

The international community should promote the settlement of the question of Palestine with a view to establishing a fully sovereign state of Palestine, based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital. Any new initiative put forward should be in conformity with the parameters, said Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

He called for unity of the international community in pushing for an early restart of the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

The settlement construction must stop. Parties concerned should avoid any action or rhetoric that may exacerbate the situation, or any move that may undermine trust, so as to create the necessary conditions for the early resumption of dialogue, Ma told an open debate of the Security Council.

Parties that have influence in the Middle East should play a constructive role and refrain from taking any unilateral action that further escalates the tension in the region, said the Chinese ambassador.

He also asked for efforts to promote intra-Palestinian reconciliation and to actively explore new ways to facilitate peace in the Middle East so as to bring the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks out of the deadlock.

He asked the international community to pay close attention to and work to improve the economic and humanitarian situation of the Palestinians.

The question of Palestine is at the core of the Middle East issue and the fundamental question for the region. It is the common responsibility of the international community to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Palestinian people, said Ma.

[ Editor: WPY ]
By IANS

LUCKNOW: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were both in Amethi on Tuesday to campaign for Smriti Irani and Rahul Gandhi respectively. Both the leaders, whose programmes ran hours behind schedule, did not cross each other's path.

Yogi Adityanath addressed an election meeting at Maurya Ka Nagh in Jagdhishpur while Priyanka Gandhi's road show went from Tiloi to Bazar Shukul, Zainabganj, Haliapur, Deokali, Atwara and then to Musafirkhana and then Rae Bareli.

She met people and addressed small 'nukkad' meetings along the route. In Kharawan block, she asked people to vote for her brother Rahul Gandhi and spoke at length about projects that had been initiated by him and were later shelved by the Modi government. She said the BJP was trying to carry out a misinformation campaign about her brother.

ALSO READ: Priyanka Gandhi not to fight Narendra Modi as Congress' to be or not to be politics continues

Yogi Adityanath campaigned for Union minister Smriti Irani in Jagdishpur. He had earlier accompanied her during her nomination in Amethi.

Irani had unsuccessfully contested the Amethi seat in 2014 against Rahul Gandhi who won by over one lakh votes.

The Chief Minister, in his speech, attacked the Congress when he said that it was doubtful whether the Congress would deliver 'Nyay' when it had always done injustice to the people.

'Nyay' is the Congress slogan for its scheme that promises Rs 72,000 per year to the poor families.

FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

"In five years, the Modi government has done more work than what the Congress did in 55 years. In the Modi regime, all benefits go straight to the people and there is no corruption," said Adityanath.

He said during Congress governments, Pakistani terrorists beheaded jawans, but now when soldiers are martyred; it is avenged by going inside Pakistan.

The Chief Minister promised that if the 'lotus' bloomed in Amethi, the constituency would witness rapid development.

Earlier in the day, tension was palpable in the air due to the presence of Yogi Adityanath and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

"We made sure while sanctioning the route of the road show that the Congress workers did not come face-to-face with BJP supporters and both the parties cooperated," said a senior district official.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: With defence choppers taking off and landing frequently and columns of Assam Rifles arriving in batches, a nondescript village in Manipurs Ukhrul district resembles a virtual battlefield.

A standoff between the personnel of Assam Rifles and insurgents belonging to Isak-Muivah, a faction of National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), led to the tense situation in Sihai village, located some 30 km away from Ukhrul town.

The major Naga insurgent group had set up an unauthorised camp at Khamasom village, located around five km away from Sihai and two km from the India-Myanmar border. The move has angered the security forces.

Sihai has remained tense since April 26 when Assam Rifles personnel started arriving there to flush out the group of around 70 NSCN-IM rebels, who have been camping there for the past few months.

The paramilitary force learnt about the presence of the camp during a routine aerial recce on April 25. Subsequently, it urged the locals and church leaders to tell the insurgents to vacate the camp as it violates its ceasefire rules.

The NSCN-IM had signed a peace accord with the Centre in 1997. According to the ceasefire, the rebels cannot move outside their designated camps located in Nagaland.

On April 27, the chairman of the ceasefire monitoring group (CFMG) had passed instructions to NSCN-IM authorities to vacate the camp. However, the insurgents refused to budge.

As the standoff continues, the Assam Rifles has kept rushing in reinforcements to Sihai. It has also kept the rebel camp under constant surveillance by air and other means.

Several Naga organisations of Ukhrul, led by Tangkhul Naga Long, have appealed to both sides to resolve the issue peacefully. They will take out a peace rally at Sihai on Tuesday.

Its a war-like situation and people are panic-stricken. So, we are taking out a peace rally at Sihai on Tuesday, said Mangang Raman, a leader of Tangkhul Naga Long.

Neither Assam Rifles nor NSCN-IM was available for comments.

The Centre and the NSCN-IM have been holding peace parleys for over 20 years now but a solution to the vexed Naga problem continues to elude both sides.
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Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: After five days of a standoff that left people panic-stricken, Assam Rifles personnel and National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) insurgents have agreed to withdraw from two remote villages of Ukhrul in Manipur.

A decision towards de-escalating the tension was taken by Nagalands Kohima-based Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CFMG) and a delegation of NSCN-IM leaders at a meeting held on Tuesday.

The standoff was triggered by the setting up of an unauthorised camp by the rebels at Khamasom village near the India-Myanmar border. The NSCN-IM has been in a peace mode since 1997 following its signing of a ceasefire agreement with the Centre. According to ceasefire ground rules, members of the outfit cannot venture outside their designated camps which are located in Nagaland.

The NSCN-IM said the process for withdrawal of the rebels and Assam Rifles troopers from the two villages had been set in motion.

The matter was amicably resolved today (Tuesday) at a meeting that we had with CFMG chairman Lt Gen (retd) Shokin Chauhan in Kohima. It was decided that both sides will vacate the areas simultaneously. The withdrawal is in the process, NSCN-IMs Ceasefire Monitoring Cell convenor Kraibo Chawang told this newspaper on the phone from Nagaland.

He said the CFMG chairman conveyed the decision to Assam Rifles authorities and similarly, the NSCN-IM communicated it to its members holed up in the camp.

The Assam Rifles started sending reinforcements to Sihai, which is a Naga village located around five km from Khamasom, since April 26 on learning that the rebels had set up an unauthorised camp.

Earlier, the CFMG chairman had passed instructions to NSCN-IM authorities to tell the rebels to vacate the camp but the insurgent group did not budge. The outfit said the ceasefire ground rules apply to wherever it is settled.

The paramilitary force had learnt about the presence of the camp during a routine aerial recce on April 25. Subsequently, it had urged the locals and church leaders to tell the insurgents to vacate the camp as it was set up in gross violation of the ceasefire ground rules.

On Tuesday, various Naga organisations of Ukhrul district took out a peace rally at Sihai where the Assam Rifles personnel were stationed and urged both sides to defuse the tension.
Wyoming prison population third-fastest growing in country

Wyoming prison population third-fastest growing in country

CASPER (WNE)  Wyomings prison population was the third-fastest growing in the country at the end of 2017, according to a government report released last week.

The report, which was authored by two U.S. Department of Justice statisticians and released Thursday, states that Wyomings prison population grew by 4.2 percent between the year-ends of 2016 and 2017. The Cowboy State was outpaced only by Utah, where the incarceration rate grew by 4.3 percent, and Idaho, where the rate grew by 5.1 percent. The three states topping the list were also the only Mountain West states with notable increases.

The report indicates the continuation of a trend a 2018 Star-Tribune analysis noted began more than a decade ago  Wyoming prison population rates as a percentage of the states total population grow while national numbers drop. Nationwide, 390 per 100,000 people were locked in state prisons by the end of 2017 across the country. That number was down 7 from the year prior.

In Wyoming, however, 429 people per 100,000 were in corrections department custody at years end, up more than 20 per 100,000 compared to the prior year.

Because the report analyzes prison populations on the basis of supervising authority, rather than physical location, Wyoming Department of Corrections prisoners held in a Mississippi private prison for space reasons, are included in the total the report attributes to Wyoming.

The report indicates Wyomings prison population increase was the result of both an increase in newly incarcerated people and a decrease in people released from prison.



Woman changes plea in stabbing death

CHEYENNE (WNE)  A Cheyenne woman facing involuntary manslaughter charges agreed last week to change her plea to guilty as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

Tanya Pearson was facing up to 30 years in prison on felony charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault and battery for the fatal stabbing of Jennifer Pratt, 45, in April 2018.

The plea deal limits the Laramie County District Attorneys Office to seeking a sentence of 10-12 years in prison for Pearson. The judge in the case doesnt have to abide by the terms of the agreement, however, and can hand down any sentence within the guidelines they see fit.

According to the Cheyenne Police Department at the time of the incident, the stabbing occurred in Martin Luther King Jr. Park after Pearson and Pratt got into a heated argument. The two women knew each other before the incident.

Pratt died of her wounds before first-responders could reach the park.



Suspected tornado hits Marbleton, no injuries

ROCK SPRINGS (WNE)  There were no injuries after a storm thought to be a tornado was reported in Marbleton on Friday afternoon.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Al Ross said the storm hit around 12:30 p.m.

A Marbleton resident captured the event on video, Sublette County Sgt. Travis Bingham told the Rocket-Miner, but added that he wasnt sure if there was a tornado. The storm moved in from Idaho, but it never made a funnel cloud or picked up dirt. It was more like a microburst, he said.

The Sheriffs Office called the National Weather Service, and it wasnt able to see anything, so we really dont know, Bingham said.

Were just assuming it was a microburst, he added. It wasnt even on the radar.

No one was injured although the 45-60 mph winds tipped over a mobile home and damaged power and gas lines. About 1,800 residents were without power, which has since been restored. The Sheriffs Office is currently conducting a damage assessment, Bingham said.



Jackson airport sees busiest winter

JACKSON (WNE)  It was the busiest winter by a wide margin at Jackson Hole Airport, and passenger numbers are beginning to chart into territory previously reserved for the valleys summer season.

Judging by enplanements  the number of people stepping onto commercial jets  the winter started off stagnant, with Decembers 24,000 air travelers amounting to slightly fewer people than flew the same month a year before.

But every month thereafter, new records were set: Januarys 40,335 passengers exceeded 2018s record count by 10%, and Februarys 38,690 fliers topped the previous high by 17%. March smashed the monthly record, its 47,472 passengers equating to a 27% jump over the previous all-time mark.

That 27% reflects about a 10,000-person enplanement growth, Jackson Hole Airport Director Jim Elwood said. Of that 10,000, not quite half was from American Airlines increased passenger counts. That was American expanding their flight schedule and going to larger airplanes.

Higher load factors  the percentage of seats filled  explained some of the rest of the increase, he said. About 79 percent of seats flying into the valley were occupied in the first three months of 2018, but that figure increased to 82 percent this year. Aircraft flying into the valley are also getting larger, with smaller regional jets gradually being replaced by Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s, Elwood said.



UW to give up to $1 million to Clean Coal Technologies

GILLETTE (WNE)  The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources has awarded up to $1 million to Clean Coal Technologies Inc. to help the company develop technology to commercialize its product.

Clean Coal Technologies uses patented technology to convert run of mine coal into a cleaner-burning and more efficient stabilized solid fuel.

Earlier this year, UW researchers independently verified the performance of CCTIs technology. The outcome from this milestone identified performance improvement areas that are being designed and incorporated into the next stage of field testing scheduled to start in Wyoming.

UW will give Clean Coal a matching grant of up to $1 million. The first $500,000 will be available in May, said Clean Coal CEO Robin Eves. The money has been earmarked for the companys second-generation test facility, which will be located in Gillette.

Our partnership with the University and the state of Wyoming will ensure that the test facility will be ready to commence testing of coal and will help our company move to commercialization in an expedited manner, Eves said.

This second generation plant will include process and engineering enhancements that the universitys simulated modeling study and experimental program advocated, he said. We fully expect it will further increase the plants performance and efficiency and will reduce the overall cost of a commercial unit.

Furthermore, the Universitys work has informed and quantified the potential of manufacturing valuable byproducts as a consequence of the coal-beneficiation process.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Members of the Muslim community in Bengaluru and Mysuru came out in large numbers in a show of solidarity with Christians following the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka that targeted churches and hotels and left over 250 people dead.

Maqsood Imran Rashidi, the Imam of Bengaluru Jamia Masjid, said a large number of Muslims Sunday gathered in front of a church in the city and townhall to show that the community stood by the Christians at this hour of grief.

We want to convey the message that Muslims share the pain of the Christians and we express full solidarity with them, Rashidi said.

Munawwar Pasha, the head of the Mysuru chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, said that following an appeal by him, Muslims and members of other communities Sunday gathered outside the main church of the city, St Philomena, to extend solidarity with the christians.

We want to convey the message that the Muslims and others are with the Christian brothers and sisters, he said.

Pasha said a large number of tourists also gathered at the St Philomena in support.He said when New Zealand had faced the terror attack at two mosques last month, Muslims were overwhelmed with the support received from various communities.

Sri Lanka suffered an appalling attack on Easter Sunday. Churches were attacked while their congregation was in worship, just as those in New Zealand were, he said.

Serial bomb explosions at churches and hotels on the Easter Sunday killed 253 people in Sri Lanka.

Police and security forces in Sri Lanka are on the lookout for members of the National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ), a local terror outfit behind the attack. The mosque attack in New Zealand took place on March 15 in which 55 people were killed when a gunman fired at worshipper inside two mosques at Christchurch.

(With PTI inputs)
Budapest100 is a civil urban festival which was initiated by OSA Archivum and KEK in 2011.

Budapest100 emphasises the common values of the citys inhabitants and aims to bring together people from varied backgrounds in the preparation of the event.



The originators imagined a weekend when everyone has the opportunity to meet and love the city with its buildings and residents. A major purpose of the program is also to bring locals, residents and generations closer to each other already in the preparation phase.



This year Budapest100 is celebrating the centenary of Bauhaus, one of the most defining art schools of the 20th century.



The programs are all free, but to attend some of them you need to register in advance.



Find the list of the programs and the participating houses here.



Photo & more: budapest100.hu
Around the world, Father's Day is celebrated on different dates though the day is celebrated in a similar manner, usually involving giving gifts to fathers and family activities.

In Spain, Italy and Portugal, Father's Day is celebrated on 19 March, which is the Feast of St. Joseph who is the patron saint of fathers.

In Germany, Father's Day is celebrated on the same date as Ascension Day.

Across Scandinavia, the tradition of a Father's Day was adopted in the 1930's. Originally the American date was used, but in 1949 the Nordic countries decided to move it to the second Sunday in November.

This was partly to place it half a year away from Mother's Day but also it was chosen to increase sales in an otherwise quiet trading period before Christmas. The only country who didn't fall in line was Denmark.

They forgot to inform the public and press about the date change, so Father's Day remained on the same day as their other early June holiday, Constitution Day.

In Taiwan, Father's Day is celebrated on 8 August as the Chinese for eight is 'ba', while a colloquial word for father is 'ba-ba' - so the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to 'daddy'. This was also the date for Father's day in China, but the date was moved to the third Sunday in June.

Learn more about the history of Fathers Day here.

More info about Father's Day:
A liberal commentator points out that Hungary has become less dependent on Russian gas imports, and its energy security may improve further if new pipelines are built in Europe.

On 444.hu, Peter Magyari contends that Hungary may become one of the beneficiaries of the international competition over gas imports to Europe.

The liberal analyst recalls that there are several plans to construct new pipelines to Europe that would grant Hungary access to alternative sources of gas. Russia wants to build new pipelines to circumvent Ukraine, the US is trying to deliver liquified natural gas, while Norway and Romania also want to gain access to European markets.

Magyari underscores that the Hungarian government supports all these competing projects. Since the 2015 completion of the Hungarian-Slovak pipeline, funded by the EU, Hungary has become less dependent on Russian gas, he writes.

This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online.

Click here to Share Your Story
The Brain Bar line-up for 2019 is as impressive as ever, gathering together some of the greatest outstanding thinkers, visionary artists, technology experts and business visionaries from all over the globe in Budapest to discuss and debate what the future holds.

How should we use technology instead of getting misused by it? Can we revolutionize modern gastronomy with ancient methods? Will a robot take our jobs in the coming years? All these questions will be answered at this years Brain Bar.

The co-creator of humanoid robot Sophia will arrive to Budapest from Hong Kong. Ben Goertzel, a real super brain not only researches artificial intelligence, but applies it to diverse fields such as linguistics, data mining, gaming and bioinformatics.

Ben is the worlds foremost experts in Artificial General Intelligence, a subfield of AI oriented toward creating thinking machines with general cognitive capability.

What do Jamaican patties and quantum physics have in common? Not much to be honest, but Noma superstar chef David Zilber loves them both.

David is known for his crazy experiments in fermenting, one of the oldest preservation food methods. Besides the dishes, the results of his experiments can be found in the bestselling book, The Noma Guide to Fermentation.

Who said you cant be a polymath in the 21st century? The Tiffany Shlain-Ken Goldberg couple certainly disproves this myth.

Goldberg, robotics professor at Berkeley developed the first robot on the Internet and exhibited in the Venice Biennale and in the Pompidou Center. Tiffany is an award-winning filmmaker and the family is known for their tech shabbats. This is a ritual in which they unplugged technology for a day every week.

Brain Bar also will be joined by:

Kristina Lunz, Co-Founder of Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy

Suhani Jalota, who empowers the women of Mumbais slums by her organization, the Myna Mahila Foundation

Brain Bar will host about 50 speakers: among them a legendary paleontologist, adviser of the Jurassic World series; one of the first female imams in Europe; and a taboo-busting researcher of sextech.

The full list of speakers is available by clicking here.



Venue:

Corvinus University

- the festival is free to attend for students and teachers.

More:

brainbar.com
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: While the Ram temple in Ayodhya is a prominent issue for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to give a miss to the disputed site during his maiden visit to the district in the last five years.

The BJP's 2019 election manifesto promised to explore all possibilities within the constitutional framework and make all necessary efforts to facilitate the expeditious construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The BJP's narrative around Hindutva coupled with the movement for Ram temple in Ayodhya has laid the foundation of the rise of the saffron party to its present stature.

As per the sources, the PM will address an election rally at Mayanagar Bazar in Gosainganj, 27 km away from proper Ayodhya on Wednesday morning. The segment, which he will visit, falls in Ayodhya district but votes for Ambedkar Nagar Parliamentary constituency.

ALSO READ | 'You won't let country live in peace', says SC, rejects plea for 'puja' at Ayodhya

Ambedkarnagar will go to poll in the sixth phase on May 12. However, proper Ayodhya will vote in Faizabad constituency in fifth phase on May 6. Even in 2014, PM Modi had addressed a rally on the periphery of Ayodhya, but he didnt visit the birthplace of Lord Ram at the disputed site.

However, some political observers feel that there is no need to read a political message in PM skipping temple visit. PM Modi doesnt need to indulge in tokenism over temple issue which has always been pivotal to BJPs politics. He doesnt need to prove his Hindu credentials by visiting the disputed site, says JP Shukla, a senior political analyst.

Many feel that while nationalism has been BJPs narrative in ensuing elections, PM may be avoiding the visit to Ram Temple as it may bring the temple issue to the forefront. This may polarise the discourse especially when the SC-appointed mediation panel is at its work to settle the issue.

ALSO READ | Lok Sabha elections: PM Modi to address rally in Ayodhya on May 1

While PMs rally is likely to set the tone for party candidates in adjoining seats including Bahraich, Gonda, Kaiserganj, Barabanki, Faizabad, Lucknow, set to vote on May 6, the saints and seers of Ayodhya have made a fervent appeal to the PM to have darshan of Lord Ram at Janmabhoomi.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas feels that if the PM doesnt have time, BJP chief Amit Shah should offer prayers at makeshift Ram temple and at Hanuman Garhi before Ayodhya (Faizabad) goes to polls in the fifth phase on May 6.

PM should seek the blessings of Ram Lalla to emerge victorious after May 23. It will also send a positive message across the country, said Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas. The Nyas had spearheaded the Ram temple movement across the country in the early 90s.

FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

On the contrary, Sharad Sharma, Vishwa Hindu Parishads regional spokesperson, feels that it is okay so far the temple visit is on PM's schedule and he may decide at the last moment to visit Ram Lala. PM Modi has been in the habit of springing surprises. Maybe after coming till Gosainganj, he changes mind and decides to have darshan of Lord Ram, says Sharad Sharma.

However, he also feels that the PM shouldnt be pressured for a temple visit as currently, he is involved in nation-building. We need to have patience and back him in his endeavour, says Sharma. The VHP has put the Ram temple issue on the back burner in this election. Moreover, he says that the temple issue is in court. The Supreme Court appointed mediation process is going underway. In such a scenario, we have decided not to raise the Ram Mandir issue, said Sharma.

Last month Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi had held a roadshow in proper Ayodhya and visited Hanuman Garhi but skipped makeshift temple calling it disputed site.
One of the oldest and most beautiful cinemas in town, the Urania National Film Theater, is hosting Oscar-winning director, writer and producer Barry Levinson on May 1 at 1 p.m. to talk about his career, filmmaking and current engagements, according to the website of the Hungarian National Film Fund.

Levinson started as a writer in the 1970s. He made his name with his first movie as director, Diner, which had an ensemble cast that made household names of Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke and Kevin Bacon.

His most popular movies include Tin Men, Good Morning, Vietnam, Toys and Wag the Dog. He won the Oscar for Best Director for Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.

Levinson is currently shooting his 24th feature film with Danny DeVito in Budapest. Admission for the event is free of charge, but registration is necessary at the website of mnf.hu.

Venue:

Urania National Film Theater

1088 Budapest, Rakoczi ut 21
2 Test Positive for HIV After Getting Vampire Facials at New Mexico Spa

Two clients of a now-closed New Mexico spa have tested positive for HIV, prompting the state health department to continue its push for previous clients to get tested for HIV and hepatitis.

The New Mexico Department of Health said in a statement Monday it is currently investigating the two cases of infection among clients who had injection procedures done at the VIP Spa in Albuquerque between May and September 2018.

Among the injection procedures offered by VIP was the vampire facial, which pulls, then re-inserts the clients own blood into their face with micro-needling to refresh skin.

Kim Kardashian famously got one in 2013, but said it was really rough and painful, as she had just learned she was pregnant, and was therefore unable to get a numbing cream or pain killer beforehand.

Kim Kardashian West | Kim Kardashian

Additional laboratory testing on specimens from the two clients indicates recent infection with the same HIV virus  increasing the likelihood that the two HIV infections may have resulted from a procedure at the VIP spa, the statement read.

The NMDOH previously said in September that one person had developed an infection, and anyone who received an injection procedure should get tested.

Cabinet Secretary Kathy Kunkel said Monday that more than 100 clients of the spa have already been tested, but that the department wanted to ensure everyone was aware of possibility of infection.

RELATED: Clients Who Underwent Vampire Facials at New Mexico Spa Urged to Get Tested for HIV

VIP Spa was shut down by the NMDOH in September after an investigation found unsafe practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections like HIV, and hepatitis B and C.

First off, she didnt have a license, so that was basically why we were able to close the establishment, Kathy Ortiz, Deputy Director for Boards and Commissions, told KRQE of the aesthetician running the business.

Owner Luly Ruiz told KOAT News in September that she was cooperating with the health department, but only used disposable needles, and took care to open each new needle in front of her client.

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RELATED VIDEO: We Tried It: Vampire Facial

I want everybody to be sure, everybody to be happy, and to know they dont have anything, she said.

NMDOH epidemiologist Dr. Michael Landen, however, told the outlet the health department was alarmed by how VIP stored, handled and disposed of needles.

Thats concerning, because if needles arent handled appropriately, you could potentially increase the risk of a blood-borne infection, he said.

Clients can get tested for free at South Valley Health Commons and Casa de Salud Family Medical Office, both in Albuquerque.
If youve felt stressed, worried or angry in the past 24 hours, your fellow Americans can relate.

A new poll says Americans are some of the most stressed people in the world, with about 55 percent of adults reporting that they had experienced stress during a lot of the day prior.

The annual Gallup poll, released on Thursday, surveyed more than 150,000 people around the world. Based on responses from more than 1,000 adults, the data puts Americans on par with Greece, which has been at the top of the list since 2012. The poll also revealed that about 45 percent of Americans reported that they felt a lot of worry the day before. This is significantly higher than the global average of 35 percent. The number of Americans who reported feeling a lot of anger the day before matched the worldwide average of 22 percent.

To determine these percentages, Gallup asked participants whether they have experienced a handful of positive or negative feelings the day before being interviewed. While 71 percent of people worldwide said they experienced a lot of enjoyment the day before taking the survey (in which Paraguay had the highest Positive Experience Index score of any country), the majority of Americans did not.

What really stood out for the U.S. is the increase in the negative experiences, Julie Ray, Gallups managing editor for world news, told The New York Times. This was kind of a surprise to us when we saw the numbers head in this direction.

However, because people have both positive and negative parts of their day, Gallups study analyzed both answers separately and found that Americans also tested above the worldwide average for positive experiences  measured by asking about whether individuals felt well-rested, felt treated with respect, smiled or laughed, learned or did something interesting and felt enjoyment.

Ray explained the seemingly contradictory information: If you think about how you felt yesterday, you didnt just feel one way the entire day, she said.

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Ray added that she cant confirm the reason for a high percentage of negative experiences among Americans, but said low income and disapproval with President Trump could be contributing.

We are seeing patterns that would point to a political explanation, or a polarization explanation, with the U.S. data, but can we say that definitively? No, Ray said.

And this issue isnt just affecting adults. In 2018, PEOPLE reported that its especially problematic among teenagers. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 62 percent of college students said in 2016 that they feel overwhelming anxiety; up from 50 percent in 2011, based on a survey from the American College Health Association.

Anxiety is probably one of the biggest mental health concerns, period, and yet were much more likely to say well look at depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, Dr. Robin H. Gurwitch professor and clinical psychologist at Duke University Medical Center and the Center for Child and Family Health previously told PEOPLE. We dont give as much attention to stress, maybe because all of us experience anxiety in one way, shape or form. But when it rises to a level where it interferes with daily functioning, it becomes a problem.
Oprah Winfrey knows a thing or two about working in Hollywood, and she had some advice to share with Barack and Michelle Obama.

When they were starting, he called me for names to run [their company], and I offered him some. They ultimately were not the people he chose, but thats fine, Winfrey, 65, told The Hollywood Reporter in a cover story published Tuesday.

Theres nobody like them. Nobody, she continued of the former first couple. Their desire to want to use this medium to tell stories, to show us our history, to bring an informational, inspirational approach to content  Im looking forward to seeing whatever thats going to be.

The Obamas signed an exclusive deal with Netflix last year for an undisclosed sum, in an unusual post-White House phase for a former president and first lady.

Themba Hadebe/AP/REX/Shutterstock

RELATED: The Obamas Reveal Their Netflix Projects: Kids Show, Frederick Douglass Bio, Drama from Nashville Writer & More

On Tuesday their production company, Higher Ground, announced the first slate of projects with the streamer.

The list includes fiction and nonfiction programming  TV series, films and documentaries.

For example, the Obamas will produce a childrens show for preschoolers called Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents, from Jeremy Konner and Erika Thormahlen; a narrative film adaptation of the biography Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom; and Bloom, a new series from Nashville creator Callie Khouri set in the world of fashion in post-WWII New York City that depicts barriers faced by women and by people of color.

From left: Michelle and Barack Obama | JIM YOUNG/AFP/Getty

RELATED VIDEO: Barack Obama Tells Young Leaders Its Time to Take Up the Baton

More titles are expected to be announced in the coming months, according to a news release from Higher Ground.

In a statement, Mrs. Obama, 55, hailed the range of formats and subjects their projects encompass.

RELATED: Oprah Sounds Off on the 2020 Election: Mayor Pete (Buttaboop), Beto  and No, Shes Not Running

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We love this slate because it spans so many different interests and experiences, yet its all woven together with stories that are relevant to our daily lives, she said. We think theres something here for everyone  moms and dads, curious kids, and anyone simply looking for an engaging, uplifting watch at the end of a busy day. We cant wait to see these projects come to life  and the conversations theyll generate.

Speaking with THR, Winfrey, who is partnering with Apple in its own streaming service, echoed that in succinct fashion.

Asked what potential opportunities and potential drawbacks awaited the Obamas with their Netflix work, she replied, Oh, they can do any damn thing they want.
Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea have trademarked the name Why Am I Telling You This? for a new podcast coming later this year. Click here to read the full story.

Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton

Bill Clinton may be getting ready to take his words of wisdom to the airwaves with a new podcast, and its possible hes going to spill all the tea from his time at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

According to documents obtained by The Blast, a trademark application was just filed by the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation in Arkansas for a podcast titled, Why Am I Telling You This?

The filing states the title will be used for, Downloadable podcasts in the field of creating global economic opportunity, improving public health, inspiring civic engagement and service and the presidency of William J. Clinton.

Its unclear if President Clinton plans on hosting the podcast himself, or will just be providing content and occasional quips about his presidency.

Getty

The move is interesting and could explain Bill and Hillary dipping their toes in pop culture recently, like appearing in a YouTube video with political satirist, Jordan Klepper.

As for the name of Bubbas podcast, we can only speculate about the topics hell cover, but were guessing its not going to be about playing the sax.

The post Bill Clinton Prepping for Podcast About His Presidency: Why Am I Telling You This? appeared first on The Blast.
Its National Therapy Animal Day, the perfect time to celebrate the countless critters who dedicate their lives to making hospital patients, schoolchildren, seniors and animal lovers the world over happy.

Pet Partners, the largest non-profit dedicated to registering therapy animals, has helped many of these therapy pets get the training they need to make this possible and has created therapy programs across the country.

Dogs may be the first animal that comes to mind when you think of therapy pets, but Pet Partners knows that therapy animals come in all shapes and sizes; the non-profit has registered rats, cats, llamas and more.

To celebrate National Therapy Animal Day, Pet Partners introduced PEOPLE to some of their non-traditional therapy pets.

RELATED: Therapy Pigs Thunder and Bolt Are Happy to Trade Belly Scratches and Hugs for Smiles

Flight the Senior Llama

Pet Partners

Niki Kuklenski, Flights owner, says the loving llama is perceptive and kind. Also a total ham, Flight adores the time she spends visiting new friends as a therapy animal.

She can always be counted on to work a crowd with her kisses and hugs. Her enjoyment is obvious by her ears being up and the fact she always looks incredibly happy to be doing what she does! the llamas mama added.

Monte the Mini Horse

Pet Partners

Along with Flight and four other llamas, Kuklenski also visits hospitals with Monte the mini horse, who joined her therapy animal team in 2017. Monte mostly does end stage hospice work, which is important to Kuklenski because the horse is able tp provide comfort to someone when they truly need it most.

One of my very first visits with the miniature horse was with a man who dearly loved horses. Upon entering the mans room, I immediately noticed he had horse pictures all over his walls, Kuklenski said. Monte walked right up to his bed without hesitation and all the equipment around. The mans joy was evident, and he struggled to sit up. I moved Montes head toward his to be able to easily interact with him. Monte reached over and began to slowly lick the mans face. The man closed his eyes and said, This is my best day ever! 

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Tommy the Blind Cat

Pet Partners

Christy Santoro knew since she brought Tommy home when he was just four weeks old that this cat was meant to provide comfort.

He was just so mellow and had the sweetest demeanor. Even after losing his eyes, he loved getting out of the house, meeting new people and greeting our house guests at the front door. As soon he heard his leash come out, he was ready to go out and make someone happy. I knew he would make a wonderful therapy cat, Tommys owner said.

Today, Tommy is eight years old and has been registered as a therapy pet for just over a year. He visits senior care facilities, schools, workplaces, community events and hospitals to teach others about the importance of acceptance and kindness.

RELATED VIDEO: Therapy Pigs Bring Cheer to Tampa General Hospital

Stuart and Calvin the Guinea Pigs

Pet Partners

This adorable duo visits adult psychiatric facilities and does stress relief events at many of Bostons colleges and universities, including Harvard. Niki Vettel, the caretaker of the twosome, is a mental health clinician who facilitates animal-assisted therapy groups to help patients discuss issues of trust, responsibility, and unconditional acceptance.

In the course of these visits and work, patients and participants have truly fallen in love with Stuart and Calvin. We enjoy a good laugh from the usual comment Wow, theyre so BIG for hamsters!, which opens the opportunity to share the history, biology, habits, and personalities of guinea pigs, she said.

Oreo the Rabbit

Oreo is happy to hop into the hearts of everyone he meets. The bunny often visits nursing homes and also stops by schools to sit in the laps of kids and encourage them to read.

His first visit was to an elderly man in a nursing home, who needed a friend. I gently laid a white towel over the mans chest as he laid in bed. The gentlemans eye sparkled as he grinned at Oreo; the bunnys wiggly nose inches from his own, his handler, Dr. Elizabeth Lynch, recounts. They talked and snuggled while I stood at the bedside. It was time to leave all too soon, but I sent a poster the next day of the picture I took of the two of them together in conversation with the positive affirmation Some Bunny Loves You written across the top. He had the nurse tape it to his wall opposite his bed, so its the first thing he sees when he wakes up in the morning.

RELATED: Dogs Eye View: See What Its Like to Be a Therapy Dog at a Childrens Hospital

Vincent the Rat

Abby Chesnut brings her therapy rat to schools and libraries to help encourage children to read.

We sit with a child who reads to him and Vincent relaxes and listens to the story, Chesnut says. We also visit college campuses during finals week and help ease students stress. The students really enjoy the uniqueness of having a therapy rat on campus.

Not everyone is a fan of rats when they first meet Vincent, but Chesnut says the therapy pet quickly wins over the doubtful.

Buddy the Macaw

Pet Partners

This 26-year-old bird also helps children learn to read and has been visiting reading therapy programs since 2013.

It turned out that Buddy loves books being read to by the kids and is quite an active listener. His favorite book is probably Dr. Seusss Green Eggs and Ham, although hell sit patiently on a childs lap for just about any book, hanging on every word and studying every illustration, his owner, Dan Lee, says.

Buddy also works with a group specializing in therapy for kids with Autism spectrum disorder and takes part in a monthly birthday party for some incredible foster children and their loving foster families.
Singleton, who was the first African American nominated for the Oscars Best Director, was in a coma after suffering a stroke

John Singleton, director of Boyz n the Hood, has died, Deadline, TMZ, and The New York Times report. Singletons death comes after his familys decision to end his life support following a major stroke that left him in a coma earlier this month. John Singleton was 51 years old.

It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of life support today [April 29], Singletons family spokesperson said in a statement, according to Deadline. This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of Johns doctors.

A native of South Los Angeles, John Singleton attended the Filmic Writing program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Shortly after his graduation, he sold the script for his directorial debut Boyz n the Hood to Columbia Pictures. The 1991 film, starring Ice Cube and Cuba Gooding Jr., earned Singleton a pair of Academy Award nominations: Best Director and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. The Best Director nod made Singleton the first African American and youngest person recognized in the category.

In addition to Boyz n the Hood, John Singleton directed the the iconic music video for Michael Jacksons Dangerous single Remember the Time, as well as 2 Fast 2 Furious and the historical drama Rosewood. In 2017, Singleton co-created the FX television series Snowfall, a show depicting the first crack epidemic that overtook Los Angeles in the early 1980s.
EXCLUSIVE: Greenacre Films, the British drama production company behind Netflixs Michaela Coel-fronted musical Been So Long, is bolstering its TV slate and has set a raft of new projects including the adaptation of Mumbai-set novels The Space Between Us and The Secrets Between Us.

The company, run by Amanda Jenks, exec producer of HBO and BBCs Sienna Miller-fronted Tippi Hedren biopic The Girl, and Nadine Marsh-Edwards, who worked on John Hurts An Englishman In New York, spoke to Deadline for the first of a number of profiles of the leading UK-based drama firms that are working with one eye on the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Related stories

'Been So Long' Producer Greenacre Films Strikes First-Look Deal With Banijay Rights

They have just come off the back of Been So Long, which was the largest single acquisition of a British film by Netflix. The musical, which was written by Che Walker and directed by Tinge Krishnan, is a love story set in Camden Town starring Chewing Gums Coel, Arinze Kene (The Pass), Joe Dempsie (Game Of Thrones) and George MacKay (Captain Fantastic). It was snapped up after the SVOD service saw footage in 2017 and launched at the end of last year.

The pair are now developing a new slate of around ten TV series, as well as a handful of films, to build on this. First up is an adaptation of two novels from Indian author Thrity Umrigar, The Space Between Us and its sequel The Secrets Between Us.

The stories are set in contemporary Mumbai and follow the life of Bhima as she navigates a world she was born into without privilege. She begins as the the servant of her wealthy employer Sera and the story is told between Bhima, who is supporting her orphaned granddaughter, and Sera, a Parsi widow, whose pregnant daughter and son-in-law share her opulent home.

The two women seemingly have a friendship that goes far deeper than that of employer and employee. But Seras privileged life is not as it appears; after enduring years of cruelty under her mother-in-laws roof, she also faces physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband, pain that only Bhima can see and alleviate. However, after speaking truth about a heinous crime, Bhima is cruelly fired and takes work as a cleaner for a young artist Chitra and her girlfriend and grows in confidence before partnering with Parvati, an older woman to sell fruits and vegetables at the local market. As they work together, these two women grow closer, each confessing the truth about the wounds that haunt them and the ambitions that have eluded them.

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Greenacre stumbled across the books after attending the Calabash Literary Festival in Jamaica, having made a number of documentaries with hip hop artist Akala. Because we attend different things and are interested in different things, we went to Calabash and while we were there, we met the author of the books. That was one of the things that if we hadnt done that we wouldnt have known about that or be able to option the book before it came out. Were now working hard on that, said Marsh-Edwards.

Jenks added, We think these two books combined will make a really great high-end international series. Its about class, but its about a friendship between two womens lives that are strangely similar even though they are very different.

They are in talks with writers and are confident of attaching someone soon. Jenks added that they may take the project to Netflix or one of the other streaming services, which are increasingly looking to bolster their Indian offering. Its really important that while it reaches an international market, it is also servicing an Indian market so we can get that authenticity right. Theres something incredibly modern about India while also very old fashioned. It has these social mores and strict class systems that define it but [that doesnt apply to] everyone and those two worlds sit side by side. Its not about the Raj, she said.

It is one of a number of diverse projects that the company hopes to get into production soon.

Greenacre is also working with Misan Sagay (right), the screenwriter behind Fox Searchlights Belle, ABCs Halle Berry-fronted and Oprah Winfrey-produced Their Eyes Were Watching God and Showtime/Sky co-pro Guerilla, on Battersea Rise, on an aspirational period thriller set in the Victorian era about a black family that has money. The series is currently in development and Greenacre hopes that this will be its next project to receive a greenlight.

The companys tagline is authored voices and distinctive worlds. Marsh-Edwards said, Our slate is very diverse. We basically want to make programmes that represent the world we see when we get the bus or walk down the road. Our world view is quite eclectic. Were trying to play our part when it comes to class, race and sex. Its a really practical thing to do because this country is made up of lots of different types of people. Why miss out on those unique voices? Thats a waste of talent, were trying to include those talents going forward.

It recently struck a first-look deal with Banijay International to aid its new slate. Jenks said, Its a really exciting time to be a British drama business and the deal with Banijay [helps] because they are a global company, that has opened up so many doors internationally, we want to reach the U.S. as well as countries like India, which are fantastic markets.

It may also be time for an exciting project that it previously had in development: Arthur Conan-Doyle: Ghost Hunter. The period supernatural adventure series, based on the Sherlock Holmes creator, was written by Gavin Scott, who recently worked on War & Peace. The time is going to come right for that one. Its a great project. Maybe we should open the drawer and get that one back out. We always have one eye on the ones that got away because you never know, said Jenks.

Greenacre is also working to put together a new film slate and the pair are particularly keen to put a new spin on genre films. Jenks said, Wed really like to make a female genre film, a horror/thriller for the UK, something with a bit of adrenaline. Were going to put a call out for female writers, we want to have a female gaze on this male genre.

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It's been three years since Chance the Rapper dropped his last full-length solo project, Coloring Book. Released in May 2016, Coloring Book was a success, both critically and commercially, and it cemented Chances status in rap's upper echelon. He has been relatively quiet in the past few years, but the buzz surrounding his forthcoming album has only grown in recent years, culminating with his string of singles in 2018 (I Might Need Security, Work Out, Wala Cam, 65th & Ingleside, The Man Who Has Everything, My Own Thing).

On April 10, Chance told fans that his wife had given him the blessing to put his full attention on finally finishing the follow-up to Coloring Book. In an Instagram caption, he wrote, My wife gave me the go ahead to put everything else on hold and really go to work on my debut album. Its been a lil hard at times, I obviously miss Chicago and family and working on other stuff, but there is no joy like making a project. Somehow I always forget that Im so, so good at this.

Here is everything we know about Chance the Rappers next album.



Its coming in July

Chance the Rapper teased his upcoming LP on social media in February, sharing an Instagram video to his account in response to constant fan requests about the status of the project. I been making music, and its funny when people get at me in my comments like, Yo, wheres the music at? We need an album now,' he said. You gonna get that shit when Im ready, he concluded with a smile, before saying July, though. For emphasis, he also captioned the post Jooly. Hours later, Chance revealed the release date of his forthcoming album with a pair of cryptic tweets (July and Owbum). His manager, Pat Corcoran, confirming the announcement in a post of his own: CHANCE ALBUM. JULY. Shortly after, a calendar emoji with the date June 17 in it appeared to the right of his Twitter handle. Although, that may not be full confirmation of the date. If you view the emoji on a computer desktop, it displays as March 21. So the album will arrive in June, but the exact date remains unconfirmed.



It will be Chances 1st album

The morning after Chance tweeted the release date for his next full-length project, he took to Twitter to officially reveal that the LP would serve as his proper debut album. This my 1st album so its really good, Chance wrote. I got real famous so I gotta lotta eyes on me that wasnt fans of me they just fans of whats popular. My first album is for my fans. It's unclear if the distinction of a debut album will change his distribution plans, but after eschewing the idea of selling his projects for years, this detail could raise the stakes.



Dont expect it to resemble Coloring Book or Acid Rap

In the same series of tweets where he announced the release of his forthcoming LP, Chance explained what separates his debut album from mixtapes like Acid Rap and Coloring Book: Ill always be immensely proud of what I did with Coloring Book. Same Drugs, Summer Friends and Juke Jam are some the realest songs Ive ever written so u dont have to defend Coloring Book to me. It happened, it made history but I did it already. The album wont be Acid Rap either. So does this mean that the album wont sound like Chances previous offerings? Its tough to say, especially given the variety of singles he dropped in 2018. Sonically, vibrant cuts like My Own Thing, Work Out, and Wala Cam fit right alongside the summery vibe that penetrates Coloring Book. But on the other hand, tracks like I Might Need Security and 65th and Ingleside feature some of the coarser, more combative bars of his career. Only time will tell which path, if any, Chances debut album follows.



Potential features may include Kanye West and Childish Gambino

Last June, Chance the Rapper revealed in an interview with Complex's Open Late, that he enlisted Kanye West for his own seven-track album. Two months later, Kanye was spotted outside of a radio station in Chicago, where he told reporters that he made the trip home to collaborate with Chance. I came out here with Chance to work on his album, and Ive just been hanging out with my friends, West told Fox 32 News. Granted, in no way does this confirm that Kanye is actually featured on or has crafted a beat for the latest version of Chances solo project. Nor does it confirm that he's producing a seven-track LP a la last summers Wyoming sessions. But it would be more surprising if Kanye doesnt contribute at all, than if he does in some way. And we'd love to finally hear the full version of this viral studio clip. In the same conversation with Open Late, Chance also teased a side project with Childish Gambino, revealing, Weve got six songs that are all fire, but I think the album is going to be more than 14 songs. Although it sounds like their collaborations will end up on a joint project, dont be surprised if Childish Gambino, too, appears as a featured guest on Chances next LP.
Like it or not, Ted Bundy is a celebrity again  and hes now in our homes.

With the sudden influx of true crime documentaries, movies, and, of course, podcasts, its no wonder that Netflix is jumping on the bandwagon and feeding into our love of all things macabre by going all in on the cross-country murderer.

In January, they delivered the documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, and now theyre back this Friday with Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, a feature film based on the memoir by Bundys former girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer.

In order to get you ready for the premiere  and prepared to accept Americas sweetheart Zac Efron play one of Americas worst nightmares  here are a few little-known facts about everyones favorite young Republican.

__________________________________________________________

05. No, Its Not Herbie Fully Loaded

ted bundy vw Five Extremely Wicked Facts About Ted Bundy

Bundys notorious 1968 Volkswagen Beetle is available for true crime enthusiasts to see for themselves at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Its part of a new exhibit that opened on the 30th anniversary of his execution this past January. Oddly enough, the car became just as infamous as him in the years that followed his convictions, linking him to important forensic evidence. Items in the exhibit include letters between Bundy and his wife and defense attorney during the trial, as well as photos, cards, and a radio given to him by his mother. The display will only be around for a limited time, so fellow murderinos might want to get a leg on it.

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04. And I wouldve gotten away with it too, if it werent for you meddling police officers!

ShawshankRedempt 184Pyxurz Five Extremely Wicked Facts About Ted Bundy

The Shawshank Redemption

Bundy was first arrested and charged of criminal assault and aggravated kidnapping after being pulled over by an officer in Utah, who found handcuffs, a ski mask, and panty hose with holes cut in them in the trunk of his car. After his trial in 1976, Bundy was then sentenced to one to 15 years in state prison. Not surprisingly, it wasnt long before he escaped by jumping out of a prison window while a nearby guard was out for a smoke break. He even managed to avoid being captured; that is, until he was pulled over again several days later for driving erratically with a stolen car.

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Once captured, Bundy was then moved to Garfield County Jail in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Evidently, the lasagna wasnt as great as the name would suggest because he began to lose an extreme amount of weight (think: Christian Bale in The Machinist). Of course, it was for a purpose, as he later managed to carve an opening in the ceiling above, enough so that his new malnourished body could fit through. To aide in the escape, he arranged some books and pillows to double as his body. From there, he found himself in the jailers apartments, stole some civilian clothes, and escaped into the darkness. You know, sort of like Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption  except he was actually guilty of murdering dozens of women.

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03. Buffalo Bill or Theodore Bundy?

Its no secret that 1991s Silence of the Lambs was influenced by many serial killers, both fictional and non-fictional alike, but a major Bundy-ism was used to help bring Buffalo Bills skin-tingling crimes to life.

Similar to the film, Bundy was known for faking an ailment in order to gain trust from his would-be victims. In fact, witnesses at Lake Sammamish described a handsome young man with his left arm in a sling asking for help unloading his sailboat. Most of the women, after seeing no sailboat, fled back to safety, but young Janice Ott offered to help him and was never seen again.

Sound familiar? It should. In the iconic scene where Buffalo Bill kidnaps Catherine Martin, fresh off of singing American Girl, he feigns sympathy using a sling in a trick thats lifted straight from Bundys How-To book.

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02. Hello, this is Ted.

Zac Efron, Ted Bundy, Netflix,

Zac Efron in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile (Netflix)

Many serial killers find that holding someone elses life in your hands is the closest to godliness any one person can hope to obtain. With that in mind, it makes sense that Bundy volunteered at a Suicide Prevention Hotline as an extracurricular activity during his college years. Whats even more spellbinding is that many of Teds colleagues would go on to say he was actually good at his job.

Nevertheless, this is where Bundy would meet Ann Rule, who would go on to profit off of this chance meeting and become a best-selling author of The Stranger Beside Me. She, along with many others, was truly taken back by his crimes, saying that he took lives, but he also saved lives. You have to wonder, though: Did Bundy take this gig as a way of exploring his darkest fantasies?

Or did it simply delay the inevitable itch he would go on to scratch?

__________________________________________________________

01. Will the real father of Ted Bundy please stand up?

ted bundy in court Five Extremely Wicked Facts About Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy in Court

Like many killers, Ted Bundy did not have a humble beginning. At the time of his birth, Lloyd Marshall, an Air Force veteran and salesman, was Bundys assigned father. However, his mother would later claim that his father was actually a sailor by the name of Jack Worthington, despite further inquiries on the matter finding no record of anyone by that name in the Marine archives.

Those inquiries were hardly relegated to the authorities, either. His own family even speculated that his mothers abusive father, Sam Cowell, may have been his true paternal father. Cowell was a church deacon with a known temper, who may have even introduced Ted to violent pornography as a young child, all of which may have influenced his heinous crimes later on in life.

So, whos the real father? At this point, we will probably never know.

__________________________________________________________

The path to becoming a serial killer in the 70s had not yet been paved. What we know now about human behavior and the psychology behind what makes serial offenders tick has exponentially grown over the past four decades (see: Netflixs Mindhunter). Heres hoping this huge infatuation with true crime leads us to even more discoveries into the minds of killers, why they do what they do, and if nature vs. nurture truly plays a part.
By Express News Service

A sessions court on Tuesday sentenced Narayan Sai, the son of jailed self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, to life imprisonment in a rape case filed against him by a former woman devotee in 2013.Additional Sessions Judge P S Gadhvi handed down the sentence to Sai and asked him to pay a compensation of `5 lakh to the victim.

Besides Sai, lodged at the Lajpore Jail here since 2013, the court sentenced three of his aides, including two women, to 10 years each in jail after holding them guilty of various offences.His driver Rajkumar alias Ramesh Malhotra was sentenced to six months in prison.

The court had convicted Sai in the case on April 26 under IPC sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy).Sais three aides, Dharmishtha alias Ganga, Bhavna alias Jamuna and Pavan alias Hanuman, were sentenced to 10 years each, while his driver was convicted under IPC Section 212 (harbouring an offender).

Of the total 11 accused, the court had acquitted six on April 26. In 2013, after Asaram Bapu was arrested for allegedly raping a girl in Rajasthan, two Surat-based sisters had accused him and his son of sexual exploitation.

(With PTI inputs)
A Georgia woman who was found guilty Monday of starving her 10-year-old stepdaughter down to 32 pounds and setting fire to her emaciated body in a trash can has been sentenced to death.

On Monday, a jury in Gwinnett Countyconvicted Tiffany Moss, 36, of killing her stepdaughter Emani Moss in 2013, multiple outlets including ABC affiliate WSB-TV, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Fox 5 Atlanta report.

Tiffany Moss, 36, of Georgia | Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

She was found guilty on all 8 counts, including murder, malice murder, cruelty to children and trying to conceal a death, ABC affiliate WSB-TV, the AJC, and Fox 5 Atlanta report.

On Tuesday morning, the jury recommended the death penalty for her, WSB-TV and other outlets report.

Moss sat stone-faced when she learned her fate, which is how she reacted during the trial, where she represented herself and said very little, the outlets report.

She made no opening statement or closing argument and called no witnesses, the Associated Press reports.

Before the jury made its decision to sentence Moss to death, Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter argued that she didnt deserve a sentence of life with parole, the AJC reports.

Shes shown you too much of her capacity for cruelty, he said. There will always be that dark side waiting to come out.

 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.

He added: Shes never going to think about that child again.

When the judge asked Moss if she wanted to say anything in her defense while discussing the possibility of the death penalty, she simply said, No sir, WSB-TV reports.

Emani Lived With the Evils of This World

During the trial, jurors learned of the horrors the child endured during her short life and how she died alone in her room while the rest of her family carried on as usual.

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She died on Oct 29 alone in that bed, in her own filth and her own waste while her own brother ran around outside playing, Gwinnett County Asst. District Attorney Lisa Jones said in closing arguments Monday morning, local station 11 Alive reports.

Emani Moss, 10 | Facebook

While this defendant sat watching TV and cooking lasagna, Emani died alone in a room while all that life was going on around her, Jones said.

Emani Moss lived with the evils of this world, Jones said, Fox 5 Atlanta reports. That child was nothing to her.

After Moss and Emanis father, Eman Moss, 35, tried to get rid of the girls body by putting her in a garbage can hed bought at Home Depot, they set her on fire and turned their backs because they couldnt watch what they did to this child, Jones said, the AJC reports.

Eman Moss is serving a sentence of life in prison without parole after pleading guilty in August 2015 for his role in his daughters death and agreeing to testify against his wife in lieu of the state seeking the death penalty against him, the AJC reports.

In the days before the little girl died, her father said he found his daughter in the bathtub, shaking violently with her eyes rolling from side to side, the AJC reports.

He put her on a mattress on a bedroom floor  but did not call for medical help.

Asked why he didnt call 911, he replied, Im not God, the AJC reports.

Police arrested Eman Moss after finding his daughter inside the trash can near their apartment, the AJC reports.
Hillary Clintons dramatic reading of Trumps Im f quote could possibly be the best part of Robert Muellers report.

The former Secretary of State and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, joined Comedy Centrals Jordan Klepper to review some GoFundMe initiatives, including one that is raising money for Clinton, 71, to do an audiobook of the redacted version of the investigation into President Donald Trump and Russia.

Its simple, Im raising money to hire Hillary Clinton to record an audiobook of the Mueller report, Klepper reads the crowdfunding pages description.

Then Klepper brings out his copy of the Mueller report as the former Democratic presidential nominee volunteers to read excerpts aloud. Alright, let me start it. Ill be happy to  sure, she says.

RELATED: The Mueller Report Was Finally Released: What It Says About Donald Trump and Russia

Comedy Central

While Clinton reads pages of the Mueller report, Klepper encourages her to read the excerpts like you mean it and to imagine, like, you have a history with this.

And thats when she gets to the best part.

The President slumped back in his chair and said Oh my god, this is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. Im f,  Clinton reads with a deep voice to imitate Trump.

Even the 43rd president was impressed by his wifes reading as he shakes his head in approval. Id listen to that audiobook, Klepper said, before the former first lady agrees with a smile: Yeah, okay.

According to the report, Trump said Im f when he was informed of Muellers appointment in May 2017 to lead the special counsel by now-former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

RELATED: Trump Initially Said He Was F After Robert Mueller Began His Investigation: End of My Presidency

The full excerpt that Clinton did not read includes Trumps further reaction.

The President became angry and lambasted the attorney general for his decision to recuse from the investigation, stating, How could you let this happen, Jeff?  the report states, adding, Sessions recalled that the President said to him, you were supposed to protect me, or words to that effect.

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Trump correctly believed that Muellers investigation would take years, according to the report. He said, I wont be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me.

Alex Wong/Getty; Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency/Getty

The video of Clintons dramatic reading comes more than a week after the Mueller report was released earlier this month.

In 448 pages, the special counsel laid out in detail the work that led him to a complicated truth.

No, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.

However, the report documents numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump Campaign and describes their passively symbiotic relationship ahead of the 2016 presidential election in stark terms.

[T]he investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, the report states, in part.

RELATED VIDEO: Another Trump Associate Arrested in Russia Investigation: Campaign Allegedly Asked About Damaging Clinton Info

Also in the report, Trump told Mueller that he was joking when he asked Russia to hack Clinton during a July 2016 press conference.

I made the statement  in jest and sarcastically, as was apparent to any objective observer, Trump said, according to the report, obtained by TIME. I do not recall being told during the campaign of any efforts by Russia to infiltrate or hack the computer systems or email accounts of Hillary Clinton or her campaign prior to them becoming the subject of media reporting and I have no recollection of any particular conversation in that regard.

Footage and audio from the July 2016 press conference showed Trump saying: Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.
The first scene of The Hot Zone is a chilling scene-setter, but also a bit of an tonal red herring. Captured with sparse dialogue and plenty of gut-churning close-ups, a sick man struggles to walk out of his house and climb into a cab for the airport. Somehow, he boards the plane, despite giant red welts covering his face and near-constant coughing upsetting his fellow passengers. On his way back from the restroom, the man clings to the backs of each seat just to stay upright, before collapsing into his own chair  and promptly vomiting up a barf-bag full of blood that the attendant dutifully dumps down a toilet.

The man is rushed to a Nairobi hospital, but theres nothing to be done. As a young physician rushes to get air to his clogged lungs, a pocket of bloody discharge pops across the doctors face. Hes taken aback, staring at the nurse and wondering what, if anything, he can do next.

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The audience watching likely feels the same way. Clearly, this man is suffering from a deadly disease, and hes exposed countless people to that disease via a travel scenario were all familiar with  so, thats it, right? Because Patient Zero here decided to hop on a plane, the entirety of humanity is at risk. These stakes are reinforced by what follows, as The Hot Zone jumps forward to another very real viral risk threatening North America rather than Africa, but the relentless tone and pacing slows down a bit to highlight exactly how an outbreak can happen  and how it can be stopped. Engrossing in its specificity, if a bit too cold toward its human subjects, The Hot Zone gets its message across without sacrificing any drama.

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Based on Richard Prestons 1994 best-seller of the same name, Nat Geos limited series adaptation stars Julianna Margulies as Dr. Nancy Jaax, a U.S. Army scientist who encounters the then-unknown Reston virus among imported monkeys in Reston, Virginia. Nearly one-third of the monkeys have died, and Jaaxs team is called on to determine what might be killing off so many apes. Though her colleagues remain dismissive toward any extraordinary causes (they think its Simian fever), Jaax moves quickly to identify an Ebola outbreak.

That includes a lengthy, largely unbroken scene in which Jaax enlists a young sergeant (Lenny Platt) to help her examine the sample, which involves entering the Level 4 Biosafety containment area. Jaax, the experienced officer, walks him through every step of the protective process, doubling to explain the precautions for the audience: Strip off all your clothes and jewelry. Don fresh, white, lab clothes. Squeeze into a bulky, oxygen-free plastic suit. Clip into an outside oxygen source. Enter the decontamination chamber, and, finally, test the sample.

When Jaax opens the freezer in the hot zone, she says bluntly, Do you know how many people would die on this planet if the leftovers of this freezer ever got released? All of us? the young sergeant replies. Nodding, she adds, And theres not a cure on the horizon. This kind of on-the-nose dialogue can get a bit grating at times, as can the pat personal stories built around the scientific threat. Jaaxs marriage is a bit dull compared to her work, and even having her hubby as part of the team  Noah Emmerich plays Lt. Col. Jerry Jaax, who works on the base, too  does little to liven up the role. (Though its kind of nice to see the husband saddled with a naggy lets just save the kids character instead of the wife.)

Still, the core story works very, very well. Audiences should be adequately unnerved by the viral threats to our world and impressed by the scientists behind-the-scenes efforts to save us. Itd be easy to argue that Dr. Jaax is the true superhero of 2019 media, as she disobeys orders and puts herself at risk in order to protect the global population. Margulies does right by the role, dialing things back to a clinical, thoughtful passion for her cause, without going too big, too often in order to convey just how dire this particular circumstance is becoming. The rest of the cast carries their own appeal  Topher Grace is a great wormy villain, and Liam Cunningham continues to excel as the strong, silent type  and even if The Hot Zone cant connect with characters as well as it educates the audience, this limited series is a scary, absorbing thriller you wont easily forget.

Grade: B

The Hot Zone premiered its first two episodes at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Nat Geo will air the six-part limited series over three consecutive nights, starting May 27 at 9 p.m. ET.

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Jay DeMarcus and his bandmates of Rascal Flatts moved millions of fans with their hit Bless the Broken Road  and his faith-based memoir,

Shotgun Angels: My Story of Broken Roads and Unshakeable Hope

, out Tuesday, is just as powerful.

In one of the most difficult moments of the book, the bassist reveals that when he was in his early 20s, his then-girlfriend of one month, Maggie, got pregnant the first time they slept together. They placed the baby girl for adoption, even though DeMarcus wanted to be part of his childs life, he writes.

Wed had sex one time, but I knew it. I knew she was pregnant, DeMarcus writes, describing the scary moment after he realized the condom broke.

Both were in shock when they learned about the pregnancy, and DeMarcus was afraid that the news would impact his career, he writes. (At the time, he and Neal Coomer made up the Christian duo East to West.)

[Maggie and I] discussed many options, including getting married and raising the child ourselves, but we quickly determined wed be making that decision for the wrong reason, DeMarcus, now 48, explains in the book. Abortion was never an option, so we began to discuss adoption.

DeMarcus adds: It became evident that Maggie wanted nothing to do with me. There was no interest in the two of us somehow working things out so we might raise our child together.

Jay DeMarcus | AFF-USA/REX/Shutterstock

DeMarcus did get support from his mom, who offered to adopt the baby herself after she learned the news. But Maggie moved forward with an outside adoption, he writes.

His bandmate, Coomer, also embraced him. But it was the end of East to West.

The bassist explains that, once news of the pregnancy broke, his connections in the Christian music industry virtually vanished.

I understand, I guess, but it does seem that many Christians all too often kills their wounded instead of taking time to be there to help pick someone up, DeMarcus writes.

Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts | Courtesy GreenRoom PR

Most heartbreaking of all, DeMarcus writes that he never got to meet his baby girl, though he doesnt blame Maggie for her decision. (In the state of Tennessee, the mother has all the power, he writes.)

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From the very beginning, I wanted to be in [my babys] life, DeMarcus writes in Shotgun Angels. But her mother, Maggie, didnt want either one of us in her life. That was a hard pill to swallow. I understand that sometimes life sends us reeling because of unexpected situations. But my heart in that moment, though scared, still desired to be in this beautiful childs life.

RELATED: Rascal Flatts Jay DeMarcus Says He Lets His Kids Know Who Jesus Is to Get Right with God

Jay DeMarcus | David McClister

DeMarcus writes that he thinks about his daughter, now in her 20s, every day and wonders if she knows his identity.

My heart finds satisfaction in knowing that she ended up with a wonderful family, but Ive had to live with this my entire life, he writes. The adoptive family was supposed to give her a letter when she turned 14, explaining that I loved her, did not abandon her, and have tried several ways to make it possible to be in her life.

While this dark period sent DeMarcus spinning into depression and challenged his faith, it didnt derail him completely. He went on to form the Grammy award-winning band Rascal Flatts with bandmates Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney.

Beyond music, DeMarcus Christian faith continues to be a guiding force in his life and that of his family. In 2004, he married Allison Alderson, a former Miss Tennessee and CMT personality, with whom he shares daughter, Madeline, 8, and son, Dylan, 6. Theyre busy raising their family in Nashville, Tennessee.

Allison and Jay DeMarcus | John Shearer/WireImage

We live in the Bible belt. I was born and raised in church, DeMarcus told PEOPLE last summer about raising his kids. Thats something that was really, really important to me, to build that foundation with our kids so they at least went to church.

He added: Its really important for me that [my kids are] ingrained in a good church and have that good foundation to build upon. I think thats a core value system that youll find anywhere you go in the south.

Amazon

As much as DeMarcus is steady in his faith now, it wasnt always that easy. In Shotgun Angels, the artist also writes about his humble beginnings in Ohio and the many challenges he faced while pursuing his dream, before he made it big. For DeMarcus, the main lesson hes learned in life is the power of hope.

Im really looking forward to sharing a pretty personal look at my path so far, as that isnt something Ive done yet, DeMarcus said in a statement when he first announced the book, according to Billboard. In Shotgun Angels, readers will hear never-before-told stories and get a glimpse into what it was like for me coming from Columbus, Ohio, and my journey to Nashville. My ultimate goal is that the book will encourage people that no matter where they are in their lives, they can find hope, comfort and strength in their faith.

Shotgun Angels

is available Tuesday.
TORONTO  It wasnt long after Julia Reichert arrived on the campus of Antioch College half a century ago that, she admitted, she got really turned around very quickly. The product of a working-class family from a small Midwestern town, Reichert was thrust into the roiling tumult of 1960s campus life, with anti-war demonstrations and Black Power protests marching in lockstep with the womens liberation movement.

I was engaged in all those as a young person in college, Reichert said Monday in Toronto, where she appeared in conversation with award-winning documentary filmmaker Julia Ivanova during the Hot Docs Canadian Intl. Film Festival.

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On campus Reichert experienced a growing awareness of what she described as all the oppressions and self-oppressions that women experience, something that would fuel a run of groundbreaking films including Growing Up Female  one of the pioneering films of the womens liberation movement  and Academy Award nominee Union Maids.

I feel like those early films set the tone without me realizing it. All about women, womens lives, listening to womens voices, which was in that time a radical act, she said. You never saw that. Just showing womens lives was a radical act.

Reichert and Ivanova shared the stage for a spirited conversation about their experiences across decades-spanning careers as documentary filmmakers. Reichert is the recipient of this years Hot Docs Outstanding Achievement Award, in recognition of a celebrated career thats included three Oscar nominations. Ivanova is the subject of a retrospective from Hot Docs Focus On program, an annual showcase of the work of a significant Canadian filmmaker.

Born and raised in Moscow, Ivanova immigrated to Vancouver in the 1990s. Her award-winning career has included the films Family Portrait in Black and White, which follows a Ukrainian foster mother struggling to raise 16 biracial orphans in a small town, and Fatherhood Dreams, a poignant look into the lives and struggles of four gay dads who adopted children soon after Canada legalized same-sex marriage.

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The director recalled a completely different landscape when she began making documentaries more than 20 years ago. At that time a proliferation of broadcasters offered viable distribution outlets; though her first feature was roundly rejected by festivals, it sold to more than two dozen channels. For now, its an impossible situation, she said, with far fewer broadcasters commissioning and acquiring documentary films.

To have the strength to continuethats a challenge, she continued. We all start with a lot of desire to make stories. And then its a no, a no, a no.Eventually, you start to question yourself, and question also the validity of what youre doing, whether it will change anything.

Reichert reflected on her own hurdles breaking through as a female filmmaker nearly 50 years ago. First of all, it was just feeling like you exist. Showing up at the lab and everyone thinks youre a messenger. No, Im a director, she said. There were lots of those dumb, sexist hurdles that we all faced at that point.

She continued: What really started helping is that we started working together as women. We started realizing that theres strength in numbers, and we had to share each others issues, and support each other.

That collaborative impulse would lead to the launch of New Day Films, a distribution cooperative that in its early days was largely run by women. Even today, Reichert said she feels a responsibility to assist younger filmmakers. Thats a really big thing for me: Not climbing the ladder without reaching behind and pulling people up with youespecially women, she said. The world of filmmaking is so vastly more diverse than it was. But I still think it could be more diverse. There are more voices that need to be heard. I try to help those voices be heard.

Ivanova confessed to bouts of disillusionment with the world around heran impulse she tries to combat through documentaries. I continue to choose topics where I think films can still make a difference, but in many areas I gave up as a human being. Its too much. There are a few areas where I think I can make a difference, but a few areas, I feel that we lost the battle, she said, before adding to laughter: But also, I am Russian, so we are negative.

Reflecting on her selection for Hot Docs Focus On showcase, Ivanova suggested it was too soon to look at her lifes output with a birds-eye view. I hope it will be considered a mid-career retrospective, she said. I have no other passions in life, other than filmmaking.

I definitely want to make films that have people thinking about, What kind of world do we want to live in? said Reichert. The filmmakers next documentary is about the 9-to-5 movement, in which female office workers in 1970s Boston banded together to fight for equal rights for women in the workplace.

Forty years later, Reichert said the story is as timely as ever. If we dont know how the world was changed by people like us, she asked, then how will we know that we can do it now?

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Its almost time to crown the next Miss USA, and what better way to gear up for this years competition than to look back at the most memorable moments of years past  from famous actresses that once competed for the title, to the most cringeworthy answers to judges questions. From the stars that were also beauty queens like Olivia Culpo and The Bachelorette Hannah Brown to the all-time cringe-worthy question-and-answer portions.Nick Lachey and his wife Vanessa will host this years competition at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada.1\. The Bachelorette Hannah Brown Competes for Miss USA 2018 Before Brown found fame on Colton Underwoods season of The Bachelor, and was chosen to be next seasons Bachelorette, Brown was crowned Miss Alabama 2018. But she didnt make it into the top 15 at Miss USA  in fact, she was bested by fellow contestant Miss North Carolina 2018 Caelynn Mill-Keyes. The two were known for feuding on The Bachelor.7\. Olivia Culpo Becomes the First Miss Rhode Island to Win Miss USA in 2012 Culpo, who hails from Cranston, Rhode Island, was crowned Miss USA in 2012, becoming the first contestant from Rhode Island ever to win the title. Before winning Miss Rhode Island, Culpo had never competed in a pageant before  she entered the pageant on a whim. She would go on to become Miss Universe 2012  the last Miss USA to hold the title.Hannah BrownOlivia CulpoRead original story Miss USA: 14 Memorable Moments from Past Pageants At TheWrap

Its almost time to crown the next Miss USA, and what better way to gear up for this years competition than to look back at the most memorable moments of years past  from famous actresses that once competed for the title, to the most cringeworthy answers to judges questions. From the stars that were also beauty queens like Olivia Culpo and The Bachelorette Hannah Brown to the all-time cringe-worthy question-and-answer portions.

Nick Lachey and his wife Vanessa will host this years competition at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada.

1. The Bachelorette Hannah Brown Competes for Miss USA 2018 Before Brown found fame on Colton Underwoods season of The Bachelor, and was chosen to be next seasons Bachelorette, Brown was crowned Miss Alabama 2018. But she didnt make it into the top 15 at Miss USA  in fact, she was bested by fellow contestant Miss North Carolina 2018 Caelynn Mill-Keyes. The two were known for feuding on The Bachelor.

7. Olivia Culpo Becomes the First Miss Rhode Island to Win Miss USA in 2012 Culpo, who hails from Cranston, Rhode Island, was crowned Miss USA in 2012, becoming the first contestant from Rhode Island ever to win the title. Before winning Miss Rhode Island, Culpo had never competed in a pageant before  she entered the pageant on a whim. She would go on to become Miss Universe 2012  the last Miss USA to hold the title.

Hannah Brown

Olivia Culpo

Read original story Miss USA: 14 Memorable Moments from Past Pageants At TheWrap
A group of Norwegian fishermen was left with more questions than answers after repeatedly being approached by a whale they believed to be a Russian spy.

While fishing off the coast of Ingoya  a small Norwegian village  last week, Joar Hesten told a local television station that a large white beluga whale swam up to his crews boat, wearing a harness around its body.

The whale had been following the boat for some time, tugging on loose straps hanging from the ship.

It came over to us, and as it approached, we saw that it had some sort of harness on it, Hesten told broadcaster NRK, the New York Post reported.

Attached to the harness was a GoPro camera mount with a label, tracking it to St. Petersburg, the New York Post reported.

The harness was later removed by one of the fishermen and shown to a Russian scientist, who explained it was not equipment scientist would use, prompting concern the whale is a spy, BBC reported.

beluga approaching Norwegian ship | Jorgen Ree Wiig/Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries/Handout/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Russia has a naval base in the area where the fishermen were when the whale approached their boat, according to BBC.

Marine biologist Professor Audun Rikardsen told BBC the harness was attached really tight around its head, in front of its pectoral find and it had clips.

There was no camera.

A Russian colleague said they dont do such experiments, but she knows the navy has caught belugas for some years and trained them  most likely its related to that, Rikardsen explained to BBC.

RELATED VIDEO: Beluga Whale Sprays Kid

Martin Biuw of the Institute of Marine Research in Norway also spoke on the discovery saying, If this whale comes from Russia  and there is great reason to believe it  then it is not Russian scientist, but rather the navy that has done this, the New York Post reported.

The Russian navy has since denied that the whale was being used to spy on anyone, explaining in a statement to a Russian broadcaster, We have military dolphins for combat roles, we dont cover that up, BBC reported.

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RELATED: Dead Pregnant Sperm Whale Washes Ashore in Sardinia with 48 Lbs. of Plastic in Her Stomach

If we were using this animal for spying do you really think wed attach a mobile number with the message please call this number?'

The use of marine animals for military purposes isnt new.

Since 1959, the U.S. Navy has trained bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to detect, locate, mark and recover objects in harbors, coastal areas, and at depth in the open sea under the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program.
John Singleton loved talking movies. Sometimes it was about the art behind the process; sometimes it was just for the fun of it. Singletons shocking death at 51, after suffering a stroke that put him in a coma, brought the usual pull quotes about Boyz N the Hood, the 1991 film that put the then-22-year-old in the record books as the youngest person  and the first African-American  to be nominated for an Oscar as Best Director. His debut put his subsequent career in the shadows. Yet he persevered, following Boyz with Poetic Justice, Higher Learning and other stinging films about racial violence that reflected his own upbringing in South Central Los Angeles.

John Singleton, Boyz N the Hood and Poetic Justice director, Dead at 51

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The last time I spoke to Singleton, he compared the movie business to the Wild West, a place where you had to fight to make sure your vision came through on screen. To Singleton, all his films were westerns. He even insisted that his go-to fanboy film, Star Wars, was a western disguised as a space opera.

Still, his favorite example of the genre was Henry Kings The Gunfighter, a 1950 western starring Gregory Peck as Jimmy Ringo, a gunslinger ready to hang it up as a killer and settle down with his estranged wife and son. Except the world wont let him, he said. The youngbloods in town want to prove they can outdraw Ringo and take his place on top.

Singleton, talking of his own formative years, saw himself as one of those youngbloods, taking on the Hollywood establishment. The volatile environment of South Central was his training ground. L.A. in the late 80s and early 90s was kind a police state, he noted. So when Singleton entered the USC film writing program, he pursued his goal to become a writer-director. He was even ready to turn down a studio offer for his Boyz script if he couldnt direct it himself. This is the movie I was born to make, he told the suits, who miraculously gave in to a kid whose experience was limited to silent, Super-8 shorts. In interviews, the man could be arrogant: Ive got passion, and for people who dont, I make them see how trite their lives are.

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He claimed that you can see The Gunfighter all over Boyz N the Hood, only the traditional western trappings are replaced by drive-by shootings, chopper surveillance and police harassment. The film opens with a cold statistic: One out of every 21 black males will die of murder. Most of them will perish at each others hands. Frontier justice prevails in the hood. Doughboy, the character played by Ice Cube, is doomed by his gang ethic. Its his friend Tre (Cuba Gooding, Jr) who sees his way out thanks to a hands-on father, Furious Styles (Laurence Fisburne). The older man lectures Tre about how any punk kid can get laid, but only a real man can raise his children. The lecture cuts to the heart of the films theme about fathers and sons. But even Furious, a Vietnam vet, keeps a .357 Magnum handy. And like Ringo in The Gunfighter, hes not afraid to use it. Violence in the hood is inescapable.

The 2011 documentary, Friendly Fire: The Making of an Urban Legend, is a reminder of how Singleton made history with Boyz on a bare-bones budget of $6 million. But theres something more. Ive got these mice in my head, he said, referring to the internal pressures that warned him against letting down his guard so that repetition and formula could seep in and leave no room for improv and rule-breaking. In Higher Learning, which he sets at a fictional university where white and black students are thrown together in alleged Utopian harmony, Singleton refuses to comfort audiences with easy resolutions that Hollywood has favored from Guess Whos Coming to Dinner to the Oscar-winning Green Book. When speaking to young, black filmmakers, Singleton would often advise them: Dont be afraid to be black. Taking risks was an essential to survival: Dont tuck your balls up under your ass to be accepted.

His personal breakthrough, he claimed, came courtesy of 1997s Rosewood, a true story about the predominantly black Florida town of Rosewood that was virtually burned to the ground in 1923 when neighboring townspeople decided that a black man from Rosewood had raped a white woman. Long kept a secret, the destroyed town gave Singleton a chance to strike at the racism festering in America. He wanted that secret out in the open, a drive reflected in Doughboys lines from Boyz about the apathy of the outside world: Either they dont know, dont show, dont care about whats going on the hood.

The man cared, though after the box-office collapse of Rosewood he let his junk instincts hold sway. Nothing wrong with fun, Singleton said at the time. Still, he never turned off his searching intellect. In Shaft (2000), he strained to recapture the blaxploitation energy of the 1971 original even after white screenwriter Richard Price rewrote his script, much to the horror of star Samuel L. Jackson. In 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Singleton was brought in to sequelize the hit 2001 original after star Vin Diesel opted out when his money demands werent met; the director job was mostly to give an edge to costar Paul Walker and bring in new Diesel fuel in the form of newcomer Tyrese Gibson. It almost worked (I made the blackest Fast and Furious). As for Four Brothers (2005), Singletons goal was to make  no surprise  an urban western out of four foster brothers (Mark Wahlberg, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund and Tyrese) seeking revenge for the murder of their foster mother. But he did not write the script. And it shows.

Singletons best work during this so-called commercial period was Baby Boy (2001), an unofficial sequel to Boyz N the Hood which benefits greatly from a script that returns to the themes of rootless black men who fail to live up to their responsibility as fathers. Tyrese Gibson plays the lead role once meant for Singletons friend Tupac Shakur; the rappers murder in 1996 had sent Singleton reeling. It set my life on a whole other trajectory, he said, forcing him to change it up as a filmmakers and as a person who needed to grow up. Singleton had long dreamt of making a Tupac biopic that never came to fruition. Too bad.

Hed had major regrets was turning down the chance to direct the first season of HBOs The Wire  so Singleton was particularly excited about Snowfall, the FX crime series that hed created about the crack epidemic in 1980s Los Angeles. In his vision, it was a plague that affected everyone  blacks, Hispanics, white teens in the Valley. Im not just in a black bubble, I can tell different stories, he said. Was that ever in doubt? Even in his flawed films, you can feel Singleton  ever the youngblood  pushing against studio control in the name of personal expression. Thats the lasting legacy of his films, the work of a cinematic gunfighter who never stopped planning his next move, fighting the power and playing with the mice in his head.

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By Express News Service

NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: Amid the sporadic violence that has become a regular feature on polling day in West Bengal, what stood out on Monday was Asansols Trinamool candidate Moon Moon Sen being literally caught napping.

In all, 64% of the electorate cast their votes in 72 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over nine states in Phase IV of the Lok Sabha elections amid complaints of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in a few states.

FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

While West Bengal did better with 76.44% polling in eight Lok Sabha seats, the car of Asansols sitting MP and Union minister Babul Supriyo was attacked at Barabani and its rear windshield smashed.

But yesteryear actor Moon Moon Sen claimed to have no clue about it because  hold your breath  she was served bed tea very late. They gave me bed tea very late so I woke up very late, was her lame excuse.

For the duration of the campaign, she has been staying in an Asansol hotel and her normal wake up time has been well past 9 am.In Birbhums Dubrajpur, a central force jawan opened fire in the air inside a polling station after a group of Trinamool Congress supporters allegedly stormed a booth and went on the rampage. The jawan was later removed from the polling station by his superiors.

Several incidents of clashes were reported from Birbhum, Bolpur, Asansol and Ranaghat. Supriyo demanded re-poll in all the booths in Barabani and Raniganj seats.Meanwhile, Uttar Pradeshs 13 Lok Sabha seats saw brisk polling, with 57.58% voters exercising their franchise. The BJP had won 12 out of 13 seats in 2014. The SP alleged large scale malfunctioning of EVMs in Kannauj.Odisha recorded 68% polling as against 73.75% in 2014 for six seats. Brisk polling was reported in MP and Rajasthan.

Maharashtra turnout 57%

Over 57% voters exercised their franchise in Maharashtra for 17 Lok Sabha seats with corporate honchos and film stars queuing up at polling booths in Mumbai since morning. Mumbai recorded 55.11%, up from 51.59% in the 2014 poll

Man stabbed to death

A Congress worker was stabbed to death in Balikuda-Erasama are of Jagatsinghpur seat while he was returning from a polling booth. The victim, Lachman Behera, had recently quit the BJD and joined

the Congress
Robin Wright will make her feature film directorial debut with the wilderness drama Land, an indie from HanWay Films in which she will also star.

The House of Cards and Wonder Woman actress will play Edee Mathis, a cosmopolitan lawyer consumed by grief who resolves to remove herself completely from life as she has known it and disappear. With advice from online survivalists, she moves to the most unpopulated area in the U.S., a cabin in the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming, and learns to hunt, fish and grow her food as she faces brutal winters, a challenging landscape and local wildlife that could kill her at any moment.

In crossing paths with Joseph, a First Nations local, Edee begins to confront her demons and surprises herself with her own will to survive.

Also Read: Highest-Paid TV Actresses 2018: Sofia Vergara Made 73 Percent More Than Kaley Cuoco

The film is based on the original screenplay by Jesse Chatham and Golden Globe nominee Liz Hannah (The Post) and will begin production this summer in British Columbia where it will cover the stunning wild landscape over all four seasons.

Robin proved herself a tour de force taking in hand House Of Cards as a director as well as its lead actor, HanWay Films managing director Gabrielle Stewart said in a statement. She speaks very eloquently and passionately about wanting to tell the story of a womans journey through loss and pain, where only by giving herself to nature can she find a path to inner peace and redemption. It is a unique cinematic experience of huge scale, yet speaks to our basic human need for more earthy simplicity in this busy noisy world.

Also Read: 50 Actresses Over 50 Who Still Rule Hollywood (Photos)

Land was developed by Allyn Stewart (Sully, Trial by Fire) together with acclaimed casting director Lora Kennedy (Wonder Woman, Argo) and is financed by New York based production entity Big Beach. It is produced by Stewart, Kennedy, Big Beach co-founder and Academy Award nominee Peter Saraf (The Farewell, Little Miss Sunshine) and Leah Holzer (A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood).

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Marc Turtletaub will executive produce for Big Beach with Cinetic Medias John Sloss and Steve Farneth and Iron Circle Pictures Heather Rae.

HanWay Films has picked up the international sales rights and will commence sales at the Cannes Film Festival. Cinetic Media and CAA will handle North American rights.

Wright is represented by CAA, Sugar 23 and Ziffren Brittenham.

Read original story Robin Wright to Star and Make Feature Directing Debut in Wilderness Drama Land At TheWrap
ConsiderThis

At the big Time 100 gala, Salt Fat Acid Heat host and chef Samin Nosrat wasnt wowed by the celebrities, but instead by the other Most Influential People honorees that arent household names.

There were these two amazing female lawyers from India who were the ones who had overturned the anti-gay legislation there, Nosrat said in an interview with IndieWire. And there were these women from Ireland who had really spearheaded the abortion referendum. Those people were by far, by and large, the most inspirational, the most amazing for me to get to interact with.

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Its this genuine enthusiasm and curiosity about other people that serves Nosrat so well in Netflixs series Salt Fat Acid Heat, which puts a spin on the usual food show. Mixing travel and instruction, the four-part series is unlike any cooking show on TV. This is in large part due to Nosrats warmth and spirit, in addition to her unique take on how to make delicious food.

Although television is a new medium for her, Nosrat is a storyteller whose genre of choice is food, and the Salt Fat Acid Heat elements of cooking are her grammar. Rather than push specific recipes, she uses a more intuitive approach to explain how and why these four principles work, and draws from her writing and journalism background to present these ideas simply and clearly.

Creating narrative is just part of who I am and part of what I do. I am always looking for a different tool to do that with, she said. The first thing I had was food. But very quickly for me, food became less interesting than the story of how the food got to the plate and who are the people who got that there.

Nosrat first conceived of her Salt Fat Acid Heat theories about 18 years ago when she was just learning to cook at Chez Panisse, the restaurant that changed her life in one unforgettable meal  a story she chronicles in the Netflix series. She left her college English classes behind to pursue food, which eventually landed her in Italy, and then back home to work in Berkeley restaurants and teach private classes. She famously instructed Omnivores Dilemma author Michael Pollan how to cook, which in turn landed her on his own Netflix series, Cooked. The path to her own show would also begin with writing.

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When it did come time for me to write a book, I always knew that it would be more than just a cookbook. In the beginning, as I was trying to write down the proposal and figure out how to explain it to people, I was like, Its an un-cookbook, Nosrat said.

I do feel really lucky that I always knew that these four elements were the thing, but then when I sat down to write, I had no idea what it would look like, she continued. My office looked like A Beautiful Mind for six years. It was just paper and drawings on the wall. I think very visually, so theres just a million drawings and notes and diagrams for me to figure out whats the tidiest way to explain something. Im always looking for organizational systems.

Graphic journalist Wendy McNaughton translated this meticulous methodology into colorful illustrations to accompany Nosrats prose for the Salt Fat Acid Heat cookbook, which became a bestseller and won the James Beard Award. Nosrats former Chez Panisse boss Alice Waters observed, There is magic in the way Samin teaches. It was just a matter of time before a TV series came along.

Besides teaching people the whys and hows of building flavor, Nosrats other goal in making Salt Fat Acid Heat is to demonstrate how people all over the world use these same elements of cooking, albeit in different forms. With this intent, she set out to make a show that gives an authentic, rarely seen snapshot of whos doing the cooking in the world.

I knew that [this show] would be about travel and showing that cooking is universal, that wherever you go, the same things appear over and over again, she said. I was so clear about that being my goal to show different kind of people from who arent typically on camera  to bring that to a Mexican grandmothers house, to an Italian grandmothers house, to a guy who is sixth generation on an island making soy sauce. That was really really important to me.

Alex Gibneys Jigsaw Productions is a well-seasoned documentary company, having produced Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Pollans Cooked, and now Salt Fat Acid Heat. However, Nosrats point of view required that the producers reach a little further when it came to researching and finding locals for the series.

Theyre documentarians and so theyre filmmakers; theyre not food people. So the first few treatments for subjects were filled with the usual suspects, said Nosrat. I had to gently guide us away from page one of Google search results. Sometimes you have to work a little bit harder, you have to dig a little bit deeper, but it doesnt mean that the stories are not there.

Caroline Suh of Cooked directs each episode of Salt Fat Acid Heat, which travels around the world to tackle one of the four principles that Nosrat laid out. Salt takes place in Japan, Fat is in Italy, Acid takes place in Yucatan, and Heat takes Nosrat back to Berekley and Chez Panisse, where her food journey all started. Each episode usually begins in the field to explore the origins of the ingredients  such as gathering seaweed in Japan to harvest moshio salt  and then culminates in a congenial sit-down meal that Nosrat and others have cooked together highlighting that key element. By the end of the episode, a fully fleshed story has emerged about that element and its place in communities and cooking.

Its the Acid episode that is the most changed from Nosrats original vision for the show. As an American of Iranian descent, she grew up eating highly acidic foods such as yogurt, pickles, and sour orange, and therefore wanted to set the Acid episode in her parents home country. After some political shifts occurred, the State Department withdrew their recommendation for travel.

I feel like to make good art you have to feel safe. So it just didnt feel like the right thing to do, especially when to tell a story of Iran is such a high-stakes thing for me to tell, Nosrat said. Nobody has really done that in the modern era, from an inside point of view to the West. I didnt want to do anything that would put that in danger. I didnt want to do anything that would risk that we wouldnt be able to tell the best possible story.

Instead, production pivoted to Yucatan in Mexico, where Nosrat makes pavo escabeche using sour oranges, tastes assorted salsas, and even tries a pucker-inducing tart honey.

That meant that this episode that we had worked on producing for many months had to all of a sudden go down the drain, and then we had to all really quickly put together the Mexico episode, she said. Mexico was always the other country I wanted to go to for Acid. Sour oranges come from Iran originally, and so it was nice to carry on that thread and have that continuity in our storytelling. This ingredient that we were going to feature in Iran was now the same ingredient that were going to feature in Mexico.

Of the four principles of cooking, acid also happens to be the one that causes the most confusion.

Acid is, of all of them, the most clinical sounding, something that youd get in a science lab, she said. Were familiar with salt and fat and heat as cooking terms at home. I think acid is not a word most home cooks use.

She also points out that most people only think of citrus foods and vinegars as acidic, while many other foods qualify, such as tomatoes or anything fermented, including yogurt and beer.

Weve evolved to crave these things, Nosrat said. And if you just imagine a tall, cold icy glass of lemonade your mouth will start to water because acid makes our mouths water. Thats the beginning of the digestive process. Its the sign that we are appetized, and you want to eat something. You want the acid. You want to put the salsa on your burrito. You know you do, you just dont know why. And so my job is just to explain why.

Nosrats gift for explanation, clarification, and connection are the secrets to the Salt Fat Acid Heat effectiveness. And yet, theres another aspect of the show that she hadnt counted on to connect with viewers.

When my show came out, we were a little bit surprised by how vehemently and passionately people responded to  the idea of me as a non-white, non-man traveling and getting to experience and work with people from different cultures, said Nosrat. I can only venture to guess that probably part of that has to do with the passing of Anthony Bourdain who passed away after our show was totally done. But I think the timing of [his death] created this space on the roster.

Its not at all how I imagined myself or what my exact work is, but its been interesting to have now projected onto me. I love traveling and I love getting to learn from different people from all around the world, so I think whatever we make next will definitely have some of that in it.

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Recently, we reported that Sepultura had to cancel a scheduled performance in Beirut, Lebanon, after officials in that country refused to grant visas for the band and its crew.

The shows promoter, Skull Session, explained in a Facebook post, We were told that the issue is delicate as it relates to insulting Christianity, that the band members are devil worshipers, that they held a concert in Israel, that they filmed a video clip supporting Israel, and that the decision was issued by the head of the General Security Forces.

The promoter went on to say that the accusations are totally untrue, explaining that Sepultura once filmed a video for the song Territory in Israel and Palestine, and that may have triggered the General Security Forces decision.

Yesterday, the band finally made a formal announcement about the canceled show and have found a way to let their Lebanese fans enjoy a live Sepultura performance.

On the groups Facebook page, Sepultura responded to the ban with the following statement, and revealed that they will stream their Thursday (May 2nd) performance in Dubai for fans who missed out on the Lebanon show:

On behalf of Sepultura and staff, we would like to express to our public in Beirut our deep dissatisfaction with the situation to which we were submitted by the general security office which resulted in the cancellation of our show that would take place yesterday (Sunday, April 28th) at The Palace.

In 35 years of history, it was the first time we had our entry blocked in a country by a false interpretation of our purposes and values since our intention has always been to promote unity and freedom of expression through music, without making any political, racial or religious distinction.

To try to compensate everyone who, like us, are frustrated with what happened, we would like to invite you to watch the live broadcast of our upcoming Dubai concert on May 2 in honor of all Sepultura Lebanese fans who could not watch us in person.

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The Dubai show will stream via the bands YouTube channel and is set to kick off at 10 p.m. local time in Lebanon (3 p.m. ET).

[See Also: 25 Years Ago, Sepultura Release Groundbreaking Chaos A.D.]

The show in Dubai is only one of a handful of remaining concerts on Sepulturas current itinerary. The band plays tonight (April 30) in Turkey at the IF Performance Hall Besiktas in Istanbul, and will be making appearances on July 26th at Festival Les Escales in Saint-Nazaire, France, on August 3rd at Juergas Rock in Almeria, Spain, and on October 4th at Rock In Rio in their home country of Brazil.

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Rob Nassif knew he had a unique challenge when he took on management duties for quartet the Faim. Not only does the band make moody, cinematic alt-rock at a time when rocks share of streaming activity dipped from 19% to 11% in 2018, according to BuzzAngle. Its members also hail from Perth in Western Australia, located nearly 4,000 kilometers away from Sydney and the heart of the countrys music scene.

When youre trying to break a baby band and they come from one of the most isolated cities in the world, it already gets the manager thinking, How are you gonna do that? Nassif says.

Luckily, Nassif had experience from being in an artists shoes, having spent years as a drummer for the band Gyroscope, which spent years paying dues on the Aussie music circuit before a national synch helped the band score a No. 1 album in Australia. Because [the Faim] come from such an isolated place, that means we have to work much harder and be more creative. And synchs are a great way to do that.

A smart, strategic synch strategy became the charge for potential label partners, too, who began courting Nassif and the band in 2017 before ultimately signing globally with BMG. We were very enthusiastic about their synch potential from the jump, says Jonathan Palmer, BMGs senior VP of creative synch. There are no sure things in our world, but this band is as close as it gets. A hint of Imagine Dragons, a little Fall Out Boy, but wholly their own sound. Great for a wide range of opportunities.

But in order to get the Faims music on supervisors radar, they needed a back-door pilot version of a synch  a proof of concept, as Palmer says. So BMGs UK team submitted the Faim for a global Coca-Cola campaign featuring a cover of Blondies One Way or Another, an iconic BMG copyright. Despite the tight one-week turnaround deadline, Nassif prioritized recording sessions for the band in between a frantic tour schedule that had them hopping from eastern Australia to New Zealand to London in a five-day period.

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Two days later, Coke had already got back to us and said, Yes, this is perfect, this is what we want, says Nassif. They were pitching to 56 other bands, but now that synch has been played in 18 European markets and continues to get extensions and earn the band money. But more importantly, its been great exposure.

In the States, the campaign helped open doors to TV music supervisors, including Fusions Chris Mollere, who licensed the Faims original song Make Believe for a recent episode of The CWs Vampire Diaries spinoff Legacies. Says BMGs Palmer, Synch doesnt always beget more synch, but it sure doesnt hurt. We always saw Make Believe as a standout when we got hold of the EP and started sending it out in advance of the release last summer. Make Believe has so many components that make it a perfect synch pitch: a strong lyric, a hook built on a synch-tastic word, and a pumping track that builds to an emotional payoff. Alex Williams, the creative synch manager on my team, pitched to Chris Mollere, who has such a great ear and knows the tone of his shows. You never know whats going to resonate, but this one is.

To date, the Faim has accumulated more than six figures from sync activity, Nassif says, and has toured the States, Europe and Australia multiple times in the past year alone with only an EP to its name. BMG plans to release the bands full-length debut in September, featuring production work from John Feldmann (Blink-182, Goldfinger) and following co-writing sessions with Pete Wentz, Mark Hoppus, Twenty One Pilots Josh Dun and others. And if the synch streak continues, the Faim could be well on its way to following in its famous collaborators footsteps.

Its a case study we use all the time, says Cyndi Lynott, BMGs VP of marketing. In the case of the Faim, its an Australian band that was signed out of Los Angeles but broke out of Germany and is headlining in Europe first. Its such a global band. Theres so much work and time and money that goes into developing a band from the ground up, all the touring and marketing. So for the music to have all this synch revenue is extremely helpful for the longevity of the campaign. A lot of labels reach a point where theyre like, OK, weve spent this much money  are we gonna continue or not? And the Faim has always been a global developing priority, so to be able to tap into this income source that not a lot of our other bands have has been really helpful.

Songs for Screens is a Variety column sponsored by music experiential agency MAC Presents, based in NYC. It is written by Andrew Hampp, founder of music marketing consultancy 1803 LLC and former correspondent for Billboard. Each week, the column will highlight noteworthy use of music in advertising and marketing campaigns, as well as film and TV.

Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North American rights to Frankie, the latest film from director Ira Sachs starring Isabelle Huppert that will make its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the company announced Tuesday.The film is playing In Competition at the festival, and Sony Pictures Classics has also acquired the rights to release the film in Eastern Europe (including CIS), Scandinavia, the Middle East, South Africa, Spain, India and for worldwide airlines.Frankie stars Huppert alongside Marisa Tomei, Greg Kinnear and Brendan Gleeson. Its a story about three generations of a European family who come together in the fabled town of Sintra, Portugal, for one last vacation before the family matriarch faces the next, and last, chapter of her life. Over the course of one crisp October day, the fairy tale setting brings about everyones most romantic impulses, revealing cracks between them, as well as unexpected depth of feeling.Also Read: David Crosby Documentary 'Remember My Name' Acquired By Sony Pictures ClassicsSachs wrote Frankie with Mauricio Zaccharias. The film is produced by Said Ben Said of SBS Productions and Michel Merkt, co-produced by Luis Urbano, Diana Elbaum and Anne Berger, and executive produced by Kateryna Merkt, Kevin Chneiweiss and Lucas Joaquin.Frankie is the third film in which theyve partnered with Sachs, following Married Life and Love is Strange, and also the third collaboration with producer Ben Said, following Elle and Carnage.The experience and sensibilities of the team at SPC makes it a wonderful match for Frankie. I am so pleased their passion for this film means it has now the ability to be seen by audiences in North America and many other countries, Said said in a statement.Also Read: Why the Hollywood Studio Model Is Outdated in the Current 'Arms Race for Talent' (All Things Video Podcast)Ira Sachs once again proves himself to be a major American director with Frankie. We are thrilled to be back together with Ira, producer Ben Said, and the superb cast, Sony Pictures Classics said in a statement.The deal was negotiated directly between Said Ben Said and Sony Pictures Classics.News of the deal was first reported by Deadline.Read original story Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Ira Sachs Frankie With Isabelle Huppert Ahead of Cannes At TheWrap

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North American rights to Frankie, the latest film from director Ira Sachs starring Isabelle Huppert that will make its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the company announced Tuesday.

The film is playing In Competition at the festival, and Sony Pictures Classics has also acquired the rights to release the film in Eastern Europe (including CIS), Scandinavia, the Middle East, South Africa, Spain, India and for worldwide airlines.

Frankie stars Huppert alongside Marisa Tomei, Greg Kinnear and Brendan Gleeson. Its a story about three generations of a European family who come together in the fabled town of Sintra, Portugal, for one last vacation before the family matriarch faces the next, and last, chapter of her life. Over the course of one crisp October day, the fairy tale setting brings about everyones most romantic impulses, revealing cracks between them, as well as unexpected depth of feeling.

Also Read: David Crosby Documentary 'Remember My Name' Acquired By Sony Pictures Classics

Sachs wrote Frankie with Mauricio Zaccharias. The film is produced by Said Ben Said of SBS Productions and Michel Merkt, co-produced by Luis Urbano, Diana Elbaum and Anne Berger, and executive produced by Kateryna Merkt, Kevin Chneiweiss and Lucas Joaquin.

Frankie is the third film in which theyve partnered with Sachs, following Married Life and Love is Strange, and also the third collaboration with producer Ben Said, following Elle and Carnage.

The experience and sensibilities of the team at SPC makes it a wonderful match for Frankie. I am so pleased their passion for this film means it has now the ability to be seen by audiences in North America and many other countries, Said said in a statement.

Also Read: Why the Hollywood Studio Model Is Outdated in the Current 'Arms Race for Talent' (All Things Video Podcast)

Ira Sachs once again proves himself to be a major American director with Frankie. We are thrilled to be back together with Ira, producer Ben Said, and the superb cast, Sony Pictures Classics said in a statement.

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The deal was negotiated directly between Said Ben Said and Sony Pictures Classics.

News of the deal was first reported by Deadline.

Read original story Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Ira Sachs Frankie With Isabelle Huppert Ahead of Cannes At TheWrap
Photo credit: Drew Angerer - Getty Images

From Esquire

The old political cliche about the legislative process and how nobody likes to see the sausage made is correct as far as it goes. I actually buy it as long as somebody's watching the sausage get made. Otherwise, we're all getting a big old bowl of salmonella gumbo for Mardi Gras. In this case, the Center for Public Integrity was keeping an eye on how the administration*'s big old tax cuts were fed into the vertical stuffer and, judging by the CPI's account, I'd rather have a salad, thanks.

But by the time the measure was signed into law 10 months later, it had ridden a roller-coaster ride of flip-flops, exaggeration, hypocrisy, falsehoods and contortions. Rosy estimates of economic growth were summoned from right-wing pro-growth think tanks. Budgeting gimmicks made deficits disappear. Deals were cut. Historic Republican concerns about the long-term debt were abandoned. The result: flawed and ill-considered legislation that disappointed some tax experts like Trier, and utterly flummoxed others.

Try to suspend disbelief. No, really, try. It'll be worth it.

...two main themes emerged.

One is that the bill, with its 21 percent corporate tax rate, was first and foremost a gift to multinationals. They had wanted cuts in the corporate tax rate for foreign and domestic profits for decades. Everything else flowed from that: the tax cuts for smaller businesses known as pass-throughs, which had been their holy grail, and the cuts for individuals, which were needed to sell the bill to voters. The second: All the posturing about tax reform and revenue neutral was meaningless. In fact, the bill had to create a $1.5 trillion 10-year deficit to pay for its generous tax cuts, which some believed would create economic growth. Without the deficit, the corporate rate of 21 percent could never have been achieved, and, more important, the bill could not have passed at all.

A lot of the rest of the report takes in what we know about our most recent Gilded Age: the power behind our politics rests in the hands of a billionaire donor class that wants what it wants and the devil take the rest of us. (There's a guy named Doug Deason in there who is one of a kind.) It tracks through the days of Paul Ryan, the zombie-eyed granny starver from the state of Wisconsin, and his relatively impotent Speakerhood. And, as in all things Ryan, there were magic asterisks.

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Two ideas buried in the Better Way plan, however, would have a huge bearing on what the tax bill would be portrayed as costing. One was called the current policy baseline and the other was dynamic scoring. These bureaucratic-sounding terms would be used much later to mask the bills deficits - and to defend votes by lawmakers. But they were hardly noticed at the time.

Photo credit: Bill Clark - Getty Images

And now we have moved once again into the Happy Gumdrop Fantasyland of conservative economics. And there is no returning from that gauzy realm. First up, cutting the corporate rate down to near invisibility.

And then Trump, who had campaigned on a 15 percent corporate rate, won, changing everything. And once he won, Feehery said, we had to be very much not even talking about a number, not 25 percent, not 20 percent; it was just low as you can go. Among Republicans, a big corporate rate cut was not a tough sell. The RATE coalition had framed the debate well in the preceding years, Roskam told the Center in an interview. And so there was orthodoxy on the Republican side and even assent on the Democratic side.

Then there is the inevitable horse-trading among various Republican horse's arses, and we come to a section called The Death of Revenue Neutral. And we enter Neverland.

On the Senate side, the issue was discussed at weekly member lunches in the Mike Mansfield Room, a grand dark-wood-paneled chamber in the Capitol decorated with a large crystal chandelier, golden sconces and oil paintings. There it was said that dynamic scoring and current policy baseline, those two terms buried in the 35 pages of the Ryan-Brady blueprint, would offset - some would say hide - the deficits in a tax bill.

Tax bills are evaluated by a process known as scoring, which analyzes how much tax revenue a bill will bring in and how much it may lose. It may be done by Congresss official scorer on tax bills, the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), or by any think tank, ideologically tinged or not, that wants to be part of the debate.

Photo credit: Drew Angerer - Getty Images

Static scoring just assesses the actual numbers in a bill: taxes cut, taxes levied. But dynamic scoring tries to predict how much economic growth will be produced by the tax cuts, and how much tax revenue that growth will generate. That projected revenue can make deficits much smaller. Heres what Bruce Bartlett, a senior policy official in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations said about it in 2013: It is not about honest revenue-estimating; its about using smoke and mirrors to institutionalize Republican ideology into the budget process.

And that, of course, has worked splendidly over the past 40 years. Anyway, there was more pulling and hauling, and former Senator Bob Corker folded like a cheap suit, and the "deficit hawks" in the House evaporated, and it was feeding time at the seal tank.

As the tax bill made its way toward a full Senate vote, a special madness ensued. The printed bill, 479 pages and three inches thick, did not even surface until after sunset on Dec. 1, when it first appeared in the offices of K Street lobbyists. Not a single Democrat had seen it. Most Republicans hadnt seen this rewritten version either. Last-minute changes in the legislation were written into the margins. One page literally has hand scribbled policy changes on it that cant be read, tweeted Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana.

Remember Dana Trier, the Republican economist we met at the beginning of the story? He pretty much summed up not only this bill. but where it put us, and where the country in general is heading.

The feeling didnt last long. Six days later, on April 26, President Donald Trump released his one-page plan for Tax Reform, and Trier was aghast. The plan was clumsy, unsophisticated. It was short on specifics - just bullet-points - and some of them in Triers view were crazy. One bullet said: 15% business tax rate. If this meant corporate taxes, which were then at 35 percent, it would be impossible to pay for, Trier thought. It also seemed to include one-owner businesses and partnerships, which would make it even harder. I mean I thought to myself, My God, Im joining this administration? This is lunacy.

Well, yes.

Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook Page here.

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Woman Discovers Her Biological Father Is Her Mother's Fertility Doctor: Everybody 'Trusted Him'

Eve Wiley thought she had pieced together her parentage 14 years ago when she met the man who she believed served as her mothers sperm donor.

Now, the Texas womans life has been flipped upside down with news that her biological father is actually her mothers fertility doctor  who allegedly artificially inseminated her mom with his sperm against her will.

I just want to know why, Wiley, 31, says in an exclusive clip from her upcoming interview on 20/20, which airs on Friday. I dont love this. This sucks. When I tell people my story, their jaws hit the floor.

Wileys mother, Margo Williams, and Williams late husband struggled with infertility before turning to sperm donation at California Cryobank to conceive Wiley, according to The Dallas Morning News. Williams, of Texarkana, tells 20/20 that the fertility doctor she and her husband worked with was highly regarded.

He was that doctor in the community that everybody respected and absolutely trusted him, Williams says in the clip, calling him the go-to doctor for couples experiencing fertility struggles.

Eve Wiley | ABC

He was kind of a hero for my parents, Wiley adds. He gave them the one thing that they wanted  and it was a child.

Fourteen years ago, Wiley was reunited with the anonymous Donor 106 (whose name is Steve Scholl) and the two became close, forming a loving father-daughter bond. Exclusive footage of the pair shows them smiling as they reveled in their happy ending.

I call him dad. We say I love you, Wiley told the Morning News. We spend holidays together and he actually officiated at my wedding.

RELATED: Woman Falls in Love with Sperm Donor 13 Years After Having His Baby: Im So Glad We Found Him

However, a devastating surprise came when Wiley and her husband used genetic testing services 23andMe and Ancestry.com to learn more about their familys health history. It was then that Wiley saw another man listed as her father.

That is my moms fertility doctor, Wiley says of the results.

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Margo Williams | ABC

As it turns out, the doctor allegedly mixed his own sperm in with that of Scholls after Scholls failed five times, holding that Williams and her husband gave him permission to mix in the sperm of an anonymous local donor.

However, Williams denies giving such consent. According to 20/20, the doctor admitted that he never told Williams that it was his sperm he used to inseminate her.

RELATED VIDEO: Sperm Donor Gets to Know 18 of the Kids He Fathered

Since making the discovery, Wiley said she has met other men and women who have a doctor daddy, fertility doctors who used their own sperm for artificial insemination. However, the act is not a crime, as Texas law does not include rape by deception charges, according to the Morning News.

Wiley is looking to change that. She recently lobbied Texas state legislators to categorize fertility fraud as sexual assault. She appeared before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee to support the bill to make unauthorized implantation of human reproductive material a state jail felony. The bill has passed in the Texas Senate and now goes to the House Calendars panel, which decides which measures go to the House floor, according to the Morning News.

20/20 airs this Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
Deaf man adopts deaf rescue puppy and teaches him sign language originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com

A man who was born deaf is now the owner of a sweet puppy who is also unable to hear.

Nick Abbott, 31, of Maine, adopted his dog Emerson through the foster-based rescue, NFR Maine.

At 6 weeks old, Emerson was rescued from a shelter in Florida and later transferred up north.The black lab mix experienced seizures and an infection known as canine parvovirus. He eventually pulled through and was put up for adoption, said Lindsay Powers of NFR Maine.

"Once we got him home from the vet's office from Florida, we realized he had hearing difficulties," Powers told "Good Morning America. "He doesn't let it bother him at all, though he's a typical puppy."

PHOTO: Nick Abbott, 31, of Maine, adopted his dog Emerson through the foster-based rescue, NFR Maine. (Courtesy Richelle and Nick Abbott )

(MORE: Sweet service dog interrupts family member's yoga routine)

"He had such a rough start to life and he ended up with an absolute fairy tale ending," Powers added.

Powers said she's unsure if Emerson was born deaf or if he lost his hearing later on.

PHOTO: Nick Abbott, 31, of Maine, adopted his dog Emerson and teaches him sign language. Both Nick Abbott and Emerson are deaf. (Courtesy Richelle and Nick Abbott )

In March, Powers shared a Facebook post in hopes to find Emerson a forever home. Weeks later, NFR Maine received an application from Abbott.

"Right off the bat he said, 'I'm deaf also and I feel like we'd have a good connection,'" Powers recalled, adding that she processed the application within a day.

PHOTO: Emerson, a black lab mix, was rescued out of a shelter in Florida and brought to the foster-based rescue, NFR Maine where he was eventually adopted. (Courtesy Richelle and Nick Abbott )

Abbott and Emerson soon met in person and hit it off. Richelle Abbott, Nick Abbott's mom, told "GMA" that her son and the pup were "meant for each other."

"It's amazing," she said of their relationship. "Whenever they're together, Emerson is always finding a way to lean on Nick."

PHOTO: Nick Abbott, 31, of Maine, is seen in a recent photo with his mother, Richelle Abbott and dog, Emerson. Both Nick Abbott and Emerson are deaf. (Courtesy Richelle and Nick Abbott )

Richelle Abbott, a mother of two, said Nick has been teaching Emerson sign language to sit, lay down and come.

"If Nick reaches up and shakes his ear lobe, Emerson will bark -- it's so cute," she added.
Venezuela rocked by clashes as US backs uprising, threatens Cuba originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Venezuela was rocked by violent clashes on Tuesday between opposition protesters and security forces still loyal to Nicolas Maduro, the country's socialist president, in a dramatic escalation of the political crisis that has left the country teetering on the edge of violence for months.

The U.S. said that Maduro was prepared to relinquish power and flee the country, but was convinced to stay by Russia. The administration is now threatening Cuba with a full embargo if it does not withdraw support for Maduro and telling the leader's senior advisers they have hours left to abandon him.

....embargo, together with highest-level sanctions, will be placed on the island of Cuba. Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2019

The violence began after opposition leaders Juan Guaido -- who the U.S. and 53 other countries back as the legitimate leader -- and Leopoldo Lopez -- freed from house arrest by deserted Venezuelan security forces called for an uprising early Tuesday morning. They said they had gained military backing and would begin the "final phase" of their push to oust Maduro.

PHOTO:Members of the Bolivarian National Guard run under a cloud of tear gas after being repelled by guards supporting Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido upon arriving to disperse demonstrators, in Caracas, April 30, 2019. (Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

(MORE: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro 'fears' order to arrest interim President Juan Guaido 'would not be obeyed': White House national security adviser John Bolton)

As their supporters poured into the streets, government forces met them with tear gas and heavy weaponry. In addition to reports of gunfire, video showed Maduro's armored vehicles rolling after protesters, in some cases trampling some as they attacked with Molotov cocktails and baseball bats. At least 50 people have been reported injured, according to the Associated Press, including one by gunfire.

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President Donald Trump voiced support for "the People of Venezuela and their Freedom" in a tweet and threatened Cuba with a "full and complete embargo" and "highest-level sanctions" unless it withdrew its military support for Maduro.

I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2019

(MORE: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's defiant interview with Tom Llamas: TRANSCRIPT)

Then, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN that Maduro was in the final stages of exiting, that he had a plane ready on the tarmac to depart for Cuba -- when a last-minute intervention by Russia convinced him to stay. When asked what his message to Maduro was, Pompeo said flatly, "Fire up the plane."

PHOTO: An opposition demonstrator is struck by a Venezuelan National Guard vehicle on a street near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase 'La Carlota' in Caracas, Venezuela, April 30, 2019. (Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

ABC News could not confirm that detail and Pompeo declined to say how the U.S. knew that.

But earlier in the day, the State Department Special Envoy for Venezuela Eliot Abrams told reporters that three senior Maduro officials had been in negotiations with Guaido's government to abandon the socialist leader. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, National Guard chief Ivan Hernandez Dala and Supreme Tribunal of Justice President Maikel Moreno were in talks to recognize Guaido as the legitimate president, he said, but they still hadn't done so by Tuesday evening.

National security adviser John Bolton issued an ultimatum to them: "Your time is up. This is your last chance. Accept Interim President Guaidos amnesty, protect the Constitution, and remove Maduro, and we will take you off our sanctions list. Stay with Maduro, and go down with the ship," he said in a tweet.

The U.S. did not have advanced knowledge of Guaido and Lopez's plans, according to Abrams, but he told reporters the moment was "not done out of the blue," but part of the "long process to restore democracy" in the country. Abrams and Guaido exchanged messages Tuesday, according to the U.S. diplomat, who described the opposition figure as "buoyant and determined."

PHOTO: Members of the Bolivarian National Guard loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro run under a cloud of tear gas after being repelled with rifle fire by guards supporting Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido in Caracas, April 30, 2019. (Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

But so far, security forces seemed to maintain their loyalty to Maduro, with Defense Minister Padrino again reiterating his support and saying Guaido is responsible for any violence or deaths. Dozens of security forces engaged opposition protesters, reportedly firing rubber bullets, deploying tear gas and even using armored vehicles to intimidate and at least at one point run over demonstrators.

"The situation on the ground remains confused, and we have conflicting reports. We urge the Venezuelan military to stand up for the nation and for the constitution and stand behind the people of Venezuela. They will be judged by their actions today," Abrams said.

While Maduro said in a tweet earlier in the day that he had "total loyalty" from military leaders, he has not been seen in public or on state television since the day's protests erupted. Still, his supporters blasted Guaido as a U.S. puppet pushing a coup.

Guaido's representative to Washington fought back.

"This is not a military coup," Ambassador Carlos Vecchio told reporters. "This is a constitutional process led by the Venezuelan people under the leadership of a civilian, the interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaido."

PHOTO: Soldiers loyal to Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido take position in front of La Carlota base in Caracas, April 29, 2019. (Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW: "This is clearly not a coup. We recognize Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim-president of Venezuela," White House national security adviser John Bolton says. "It's not a coup for Juan Guaido to try and take command of the Venezuelan military" https://t.co/6eHPFQFqr8 pic.twitter.com/Mr0Gg6Lc10  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 30, 2019

Describing the current situation as a "very delicate moment," Bolton also insisted the administration does not view the ongoing uprising as a coup.

"This is clearly not a coup, we recognize Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim-president of Venezuela," he said.

PHOTO: Opposition demonstrators face military vehicles near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase 'La Carlota' in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Bolton repeatedly declined to say whether the U.S. would consider taking any military action to support the opposition.

"All options remain on the table, Im simply not going to be more specific than that," he said, even as he also emphasized the administrations desire for a "peaceful transfer of power." Bolton said the president is monitoring the developments on the ground in Venezuela "minute by minute," while Pompeo warned any arrest of Guaido would be seen as a "major escalation" by the U.S.

Support for Guaido and opposition to Maduro has been a rare bipartisan issue in Washington. Democratic lawmakers like Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., again voiced their support, saying they were briefed by Bolton on Tuesday morning.

Maduro has faced protests for months over his economic mismanagement, consolidation of power and crackdown on political opposition. The opposition-controlled National Assembly voted to declare Guaido interim president in January, winning the backing of the U.S., several neighbors like Colombia and Brazil, and many European countries. But Maduro, backed by allies like Russia and Cuba, has maintained his control on power, in large part by sustaining the support of the military chiefs.

ABC News's Aicha Hammar contributed to this report.
For the first time in 36 years, the debate about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) returned to Congress. On Tuesday morning, advocates, including Oscar-winning actress Patricia Arquette, made their case for the 96-year-old amendment before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

The hearing is the latest step forward in the renewed fight to ratify the ERA, which would amend the U.S. Constitution to guarantee equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. Advocates urged the committee to move forward on Congresswoman Jackie Speier's (D-CA) joint resolution to remove the ratification deadline set by Congress back in the '70s.

The ERA was first passed by Congress in 1972, along with a deadline for getting 38 state legislatures to vote to ratify it, as required by the ratification process. Throughout the '70s, feminist activists were able to rally 35 states to pass it, and get the original 1978 deadline extended. But ultimately, when the second deadline passed in 1982, they were still three states short.

Then, in 2017, just two months after President Donald Trump's inauguration, Nevada's state legislature voted to ratify it. One year later, in May 2018, Illinois ratified it. Now, ERA advocates need just one more state legislature to move, and arguably the ERA would immediately become law. After coming extremely close in Virginia earlier this year, they have set their sights on Arizona, North Carolina, and Louisiana, where a ratification bill just got moved out of committee.

WATCH: @PattyArquette opening statement at #ERAhearing: "Women have waited 232 years to be enshrined as full and equal citizens."



Full video here: https://t.co/5COhOGaylo #ERAnow pic.twitter.com/lRZgQ3VbQS  CSPAN (@cspan) April 30, 2019

Today's hearing was the first step to attempt to address where we go from here regarding the deadline. With a crowd of activists dressed in suffragette white seated behind them, Rep. Speier and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who has also introduced a bill to re-introduce and re-start the ERA ratification process as a "fallback," opened the testimony. Rep. Speier called it an "embarrassment" that the United States is the only industrialized nation not to have explicit language declaring equal rights for women in its Constitution.

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"Some have called the ERA just a symbol. Keep in mind that symbols are important. Yes, it is a symbol," Rep. Maloney said. "But women need much, much more than a symbol. We need respect. We need fairness. And we need to be in the Constitution. Not having the ERA has real consequences for real women. We cannot enforce equal pay for equal work unless the ERA is in the Constitution. It's that simple."

Patricia Arquette made an emotional case for the ERA as a citizen, calling attention to dismal statistics related to women's unequal pay, maternal mortality, and the scourge of violence against women.

"In some states today, women must be forced to co-parent with their convicted rapists," Arquette said. "In 98% of all jobs, women are paid less. There are 4 million women over 65 who are living in poverty, and 2.5 million children would be lifted out of poverty if the wage gap were corrected. These are just a few examples of how systemic bias against women is expressed in America. Why? Because women don't have the same value in our country."

If you think were going to stand down and stop fighting for our rights, well, you clearly havent met us.

Kathleen Sullivan, the first female dean of Stanford Law School, and Elizabeth Price Foley, a law professor at Florida International University, each offered their competing views of the deadline question for the committee.

"This Congress absolutely has the power to clear away any impediment that the deadline imposed in the 1970s," Sullivan said. Her argument: Because Article 5 of the Constitution, which outlines the amendment-ratification process, says nothing about deadlines, this opens the door for Congress to simply lift the deadline. "Article 5 says valid when ratified, and that is the end of the matter," Sullivan said.

Foley cited case law that supports Congress' ability to set a deadline for ratification. "Any attempt at third bite at the apple, at extending the ratification deadline, would likely be unconstitutional," Foley said. "It's notable that no amendment has ever been ratified outside of the deadline. The ERA would be the first. The amendment would be birthed under a shadow of doubt."

Regardless of the procedural disagreements, advocates of moving forward argued that while the deadline is an open question, the ERA is too important to give up on. "The road is long and it is full of turns," said Nevada state Sen. Pat Spearman, who pushed through ratification in her home state. "But we must continue to work to get the ERA [to be] part of our Constitution."

According to the ERA Coalition, an amendment for women's equality has broad bipartisan support among voters, with 94% of Americans saying they would support one. There has never been more momentum for the ERA and we are closer than ever to ratification, Carol Jenkins, co-president and CEO of the ERA Coalition, said in a statement provided to Refinery29. This is a new era in the movement, pushed forward by a diverse coalition of women and men of all races and backgrounds who believe discrimination based on sex simply should not take place.

There is also bipartisan support for the amendment in Congress, although it is unclear whether there is enough support to meet the two-thirds majority requirement in the event that we have to start the ratification process from scratch.

We will continue our bipartisan campaign to ensure this historic amendment has a fair shot at being enshrined into our Constitution  not only for the thousands of women who have been discriminated against, but for the next generation of women, Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), who is a co-sponsor of Rep. Maloney's re-start bill, said in a statement to Refinery29.

Regardless of what happens with the deadline, activists and advocates remain focused on the path forward, wherever that leads. [We are] heartened to see the Equal Rights Amendment being discussed on the national stage. It is urgent to raise public awareness and consciousness of this critical amendment," Kamala Lopez, founder of Equal Means Equal, an organization that has led state ratification efforts, told Refinery29. "We urge all unratified state legislatures to pull the ERA out of committee and put it on their floors for a full vote."

"This hearing is the first step in passing legislation to make the ERA reality. I also hope that this spotlight on the issue will show Members and people around the country why we need the ERA now," Rep. Maloney wrote in response to emailed questions after the hearing. "There is no end to the fight for womens equality. If you think were going to stand down and stop fighting for our rights, well, you clearly havent met us."

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By Online Desk

Believe it or not, the Indian Army has discovered giant footprints in the Himalayas, which reportedly belongs to mythical creature Yeti. It is the first time the Indian Army's expedition team has sighted it.

In a tweet, the Indian Army said, "for the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019."

The tweet also had images of the footprints and the Army men who spotted it. "This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past," it added.

This isn't the first time for someone to spot Yeti. Even in the past, sightings of the creature were reported by explorers and locals. The ape-like creature is believed to inhabit the Himalayas, Siberia, Central and East Asia.

Yeti is covered in thick fur and is much bigger than an average human. Even the Army's tweet said that the footprint measured 32x15 inches.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019

Twitterati were quick to react to the Indian Army's tweet on Yeti and here are some of the reactions:

One of the first persons to react was BJP leader Tarun Vijay, who congratulated the Indian Army's Expedition team and called for people to respect the mythical creature.

Congratulations, we are always proud of you. salutes to the #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team. But please, you are Indian, dont call Yeti as beast. Show respect for them. If you say he is a 'snowman'.  Chowkidar Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) April 29, 2019

While some are in support of the Army's claim, others are just skeptical about it.

It also is a result of studying in Himalayan regions like Sikkim (Nepal & Bhutan) too - where Yeti is not a myth - its co-existence with humans is interwoven in our culture and folklore. #shokpa    (@iambhutia) April 29, 2019

Can there possibly be a simpler explanation? pic.twitter.com/fqIuV0Q9Ri  Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) April 29, 2019

Ok, but why only one footstep?  Chowkidar Mritunjay Sharma (@mritunjay2106) April 29, 2019

Uhm, well there's something about this tweet. We just leave it to our readers to decode it.

These reactions will just tickle your funny bones

Sir one temple needs to be constructed  Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) April 29, 2019

The only thing that makes me skeptical about this new is that PM Modi ji didnt come on National TV to announce that He had found the #Yeti



Kyon ki #Mitron Footage khana ke liye #AayegaTohModiHi https://t.co/cLar3TWSNM  Shazia Bakshi  (@Shazia) April 30, 2019

Well, that escalated quickly.

BREAKING: #Yeti has Aadhaar card. Biometrics match with nine other people across the country.  Bhakt avar (@SwearyTweet) April 29, 2019

The events have turned out to be much like the 'Smallfoot' movie, but here it is the humans who are surprised to spot the Yeti. But, unless one gets to meet the giant beast, we can't ascertain if he's a-Migo, like the movie's lead character.
Giacomo Gianniotti

Giacomo Gianniotti is a married man. The Greys Anatomy actor quietly wed fiancee Nichole Gustafson on Sunday, April 28, at the Villa Pocci in Rome, Italy.

Social media posts from the ceremony and reception showed the couple celebrating the night away with their guests. Best day of my life! Gustafson, a makeup artist, expressed on Instagram. Huge thank you to our incredible team that gave us the most magical wedding! We are forever indebted to you for making this day a dream come true. We are still floating. To all our friends and family who came, we love you and we will never forget you. What a dream.

Gianniotti, who plays Dr. Andrew DeLuca on Shonda Rhimess medical drama, also posted the same photo and message.

The bride also thanked her dream team for their work. My floral designer! Who blew my mind wow. You are an artist! @andreapatriziofficial Thank you from the bottom of my heart, she wrote. And to the best wedding planner in the biz. I love you and thank you, its hard to even express in words how thankful we are  @sanda_pandza_events.

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The groom looked handsome in a tux by Armani, while the bride chose an off-the-shoulder, lace, mermaid style gown by Netta BenShabu Bridal. Thank you to @nettabenshabu.official for the most stunning dress! she wrote. And to @Armani for making my husband look oh so handsome.

The Villa Pocci is a scenic location with a view of the Castel Gandolfo.

The pair announced their engagement over Thanksgiving weekend in 2017. See more photos from the nuptials below.

(Credit: Nichole Gustafson)

(Credit: Nichole Gustafson)

(Credit: Nichole Gustafson)

Secure your ideal wedding vision by starting with The Knots Style Quiz, here.

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On Saturday morning, not even six months after the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, a 19-year-old man walked into the Chabad of Poway synagogue in San Diego and opened fire with an AR-15, injuring three people, including an 8-year-old girl, and killing one woman who jumped in front of the rabbi.

There is little confirmed information on the attack out yet. A man with the same name as the shooter reportedly posted a manifesto to social media, claiming responsibility for an attempted arson at a local mosque last month, and stating that he drew inspiration from both the Tree of Life shooting and last month's mass shooting at mosques in New Zealandboth of which drew on right-wing white supremacist ideology that vilified non-white refugees. Yet, on This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Meghan McCain was quick to draw a connection between this most recent attack and Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar, a Muslim refugee herself. In a clip, McCain says:

"When were having conversations about anti-Semitism, we should be looking at the most extreme on both sides. I would bring up Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and some of her comments that got so much attention, and in my opinion Nancy Pelosi wasn't harsh enough on her for trafficking in anti-Semitic language, talking about, All about the Benjamins, and how Jewish people had 'hypnotized' the world."

McCain was not the only conservative figure who rushed to blame Omar. Ted Cruz, for example, tweeted about a New York Times political cartoon on Sunday, writing, "The anti-Semitic Leftwhether @IlhanMN repeated anti-Israel slurs or @nytimes apologizing for Hamas terrorists (eg, on 3/14/18) & running racist cartoonsis getting worse...Responsible Dems need to say Enough is Enough." As of yet, Cruz still hasn't tweeted anything about the San Diego shooting. And McCain, in redirecting the conversation to Omar's comments instead of examining the explicit connection between right-wing anti-immigrant, anti-diversity talking points and the rise in extremist violence, does little to help the cause of fighting anti-Semitism, particularly as they are related to domestic white supremacist threats.

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McCain's refrain reflects Donald Trump's now infamous comments after the 2017 white supremacist Unite the Right rally, during which anti-racist protestor Heather Heyer was murdered, that there were "some very fine people on both sides." This kind of deflection away from white supremacists has only been beneficial for white supremacists. Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security disbanded its domestic terror intelligence unit, which focuses on homegrown extremism. And some Republican rhetoric on immigration and race is so similar to that of white supremacists that Twitter reportedly can't develop an algorithm that can tell the two apart.

Hate crimes have been on the riseand the clearest connections aren't to a freshman congresswoman from Minnesota. Counties that hosted Trump rallies in 2016 saw a 226 percent rise in hate crimes afterward.
Save for hearing his name uttered aloud by a cable news host, there is nothing that perpetually aggrieved president Donald Trump loves more in this world than filing a lawsuit. It is for this reason that on Monday he sued Deutsche Bank and Capital Onewhich received subpoenas from House Democratic leadership last week for the Trump family's financial records since 2010in a preemptive effort to prevent the banking giants from furnishing the requested information to Congress.

The suit's plaintiffs include the three eldest Trump children, a bevy of Trump family businesses, and the president himself, but "solely in his capacity as a private citizen." (The complaint also identifies Ivanka as "the daughter of President Trump," conveniently eliding the fact that she is also a government employee and senior White House adviser.) Its principal theory is that the congressional subpoenas are invalid because they do not relate to a proper "legislative purpose," and thus have no purpose "other than a political one"that is, that they are intended solely to "inflict maximum political damage."

Members of Congress, of course, are perfectly aware of the need to establish a link between a given subpoena and their task of legislating. As the complaint concedes, House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff and House Financial Services Committee chair Maxine Waters specified that they intend their subpoenas to investigate "potential foreign influence on the U.S. political process" and the use of the financial system for "illicit purposes."

If, hypothetically speaking, the records in question would yield information about the Trump family's business interests in Russia during the 2016 campaign, or the president's well-established practice of committing tax fraud, that information would be relevant to matters within the committees' respective jurisdictions. A 1927 Supreme Court opinion sensibly declared that as long as Congress is dealing with a subject area in which it has the power to legislate, it has broad authority to conduct investigations to elicit information that would be helpful to that effort.

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Yet the complaint argues that the legislative branch's oversight of the executive branch's conducta foundational aspect of our system of checks and balancesamounts to an unconstitutional assumption of law enforcement or judicial powers.

A week ago, employing similarly tortured logic, Trump sued House Oversight Committee chair Elijah Cummings over a subpoena of the president's accounting firm, alleging the existence of a secret "all-out political war" against President Trump. (In a perfectly Trumpian touch, the suit also asks the court to require Cummings to pay Trump's legal fees, as if a 12-term United States congressman were a Queens sheet-metal vendor with whom Trump had a billings dispute in 1983.) For the next year and a half, the White House apparently plans to deal with any efforts to investigate the president's potential misconduct by burying House leadership in court filings and paperwork.

Trump's legal theories are novel, but his strategy here is not. The family has a long and proud history of litigiousness that careens between greedily petty and frivolously absurd (suing a small Internet marketing firm called "Trump Your Competition" on the grounds that they were profiting off his name and likeness). In 2017, USA Today surveyed the dockets of five other well-known real estate developers and found that Trump and his business interests had been involved in more lawsuits than all of them combined.

In fact, this is not the first time the president has sued Deutsche Bank, or even the silliest grounds on which he dragged them into court. In 2008, when the bank sued him over a $40 million debt, Trump counter-sued, ambitiously claiming that the contemporaneous economic crisis was an act of Godthis is a real thing he argued, not a jokewhich eliminated his contractual obligation to repay the loan. Because Deutsche Bank had played a role in facilitating the global financial meltdown, he added, it should pay him $3 million for his troubles.

This is roughly the equivalent of a semi truck running over someone in a crosswalk and demanding compensation for the ensuing damage to the paint job. It also sort of worked. The two parties ended up settling their differences, and incredibly, Deutsche Bank thereafter kept lending hundreds of millions of dollars to Trump, for reasons known only to them and hopefully a team of federal law enforcement officials, somewhere, in some capacity.

With this new lawsuit, Trump's objective is less to establish new parameters of congressional power than it is to run out the clock; lawsuits mean courts, courts mean delays, and delays might allow him to get re-elected before facts come to light that might threaten his candidacy. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has already blown off one deadline to provide Trump's tax returns to the House Ways & Means Committee, and appears poised to officially reject the request altogether next week.

The administration has stonewalled in response to congressional inquiries into the West Wing's broken and nepotistic system for distributing security clearances. And last week, it announced that senior White House white nationalist Stephen Miller would not testify voluntarily before Cummings's House Oversight Committee, forcing the chair to decide whether to issue a subpoenawhich would, of course, also immediately end up before a federal judge.

Many Democratic candidates campaigned in 2018 on the promise to act as a meaningful check on Trump, and with the gavel now comfortably in Nancy Pelosi's hand, it makes sense for them to try fulfilling that pledge through the conventional means. But America has never had a president quite like Trump, who has no interest in abiding by constitutional norms and is evidently content to respond with the legalese equivalent of "nah" every time he receives a subpoena between now and November 2020. Should this pattern continue, Congress's constitutionally enshrined power to impeachabout which there exists no arcane legal issue Trump could quibble with in courtmay be the only way left for them to hold this president accountable.
People who visited one spa in New Mexico may have ended up with more than just glowing skinthey might have contracted HIV.

That's the warning coming from the New Mexico Department of Health, who are urging customers of the VIP Spa, in Albuquerque, to consider getting tested for HIV after two clients tested positive for HIV.

"NMDOH is investigating two cases of HIV infection among VIP Spa clients who received injection-related procedures at the VIP Spa between May and September 2018," a statement from the NMDOH says.

Health officials are specifically encouraging people who received a vampire facial at the establishment to get tested for HIV. The two clients who are HIV positive also have the same HIV virus type, which increases the likelihood that the infections are the result of a procedure at the spa they both went to.

"While over 100 VIP Spa clients have already been tested, NMDOH is reaching out to ensure that testing and counseling services are available for individuals who received injection-related services at the VIP Spa. Testing is important for everyone as there are effective treatments for HIV and many hepatitis infections," Kathy Kunkel, cabinet secretary at the NMDOH, said in the statement.

You might be wondering how an unsuspecting person getting a facial at a spa could end up with a blood-borne infection like HIV. First, you need to understand exactly what a vampire facial is.

When you get a vampire facial, small amounts of bloodyour blood, that isare injected into the skin of your face. Other names for the facials are PRP facials (platelet-rich plasma facials) or PRP injections. Kim Kardashian famously posted a photo of herself trying one in 2013.

The treatment seems a little extreme, but it might be helpful to your skin, according to Bruce E. Katz, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist. "[The PRP] stimulates collagen, new blood supply and vessels, and even hair follicles," Dr. Katz previously told Health.

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RELATED: A Facial That Went Horribly Wrong Left Our Beauty Director With Raw Skin for Days

Dr. Katz isn't the only physician who believes PRP facials have benefits. "PRP can be combined with microneedling to improve large pores, acne scars, and fine lines," Debra Jaliman, MD, another New York City-based dermatologist, previously told Health.

If having your own blood injected into your face sounds appealing, make sure you pick the right place to try the treatment. "Any persons desiring cosmetic services involving needle injections should verify the services are being provided by a licensed medical provider," warns the NMDOH statement.

The VIP Spa was closed in September of last year, according to the statement, after inspectors, "identified practices [there] that could potentially spread blood-borne infections, such as HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C to clients."

That said, trying a vampire facial might be worth your while if you're stressing over your skin. But make sure you book an appointment only with trusted, licensed professionals when a treatment calls for needle infections in your face.

RELATED: This Video of Ashley Graham Getting an Acupuncture Facial Is the Best Thing Youll See Today
Its hard to grasp that British visual artist Rhea Dillon is just 23 years old. Weighty references from W.E.B. Du Bois, Kerry James Marshall, and Vanley Burke surface within her multimedia shows, which set out to challenge racial stereotypes head-on. Opening in an intimate space on Batemans Row in London this week is her latest project titled The Name I Call Myself, a multilayered film that provides a tender snapshot of the lives of those who identify as LGBTQ+ within the British black community. From a non-gender-conforming parent and child playing together at home to a drag king transforming into character, Dillons deliberate lens lingers, documentary-style, over her subjects, while string instruments and the voice of African-American poet and speaker Audre Lorde provide ample accompaniment to draw the audience into their world.

Photo: Courtesy of Rhea Dillon

Making searing political statements through powerful art forms may seem like an unconventional m.o. for someone who is studying fashion communication and promotion at Londons Central Saint Martins, as Dillon is (this latest film doubles as her final project). But delve a little deeper into her personal life, and the identity-defining forces behind her current trajectory are hard to ignore. For one thing, shes a second-generation Jamaican living in London navigating the racial tensions that unjustly come with that territory. And for another, shes part of a collective called BBZ, or Babes, a title inspired by Lordes autobiography, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name. Zami is the LGBTQ+ community, and BBZ stands for Bold Brazen Zamis, she explains. Were a group of womxnspelled with an x because it now includes trans folk as wellwho create platforms for queer and trans folk of color in South London. We do exhibitions, throw parties, and curate for Afropunk and Glastonbury.

Photo: Courtesy of Rhea Dillon

But back to her current installation. While shes clearly making waves out in the wider world, Dillon is determined to push the boundaries within her own work. In an unconventional move, shes enlisted the help of perfume brand Byredo; their recognizably intense aroma Bal dAfriquea fusion of notes blending lemon and neroli with African marigold and Moroccan cedarwoodwill fill the performance space to magnify the experience on a sensory level. This fragrance resonated with Dillon in particular because, she says, it reinforces the idea of the African diaspora that is a recurring theme in her work. While Dillons previous projects have challenged long-held stigmas surrounding the black communitySistahs, a photography exhibition celebrating positive female relationships, and Process, a short film about natural hair, for instancethis latest endeavor aims to shine a spotlight on issues closer to home. I was thinking about some of the problems within the black community that need to be addressed before pointing the finger out at the world, she says. As a stereotype, we dont look kindly on those who identify as LGBQT. This film is my response to that. Its a reclamation of myself."

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Photo: Courtesy of Rhea Dillon

Here, Dillon speaks to Vogue about her new work, just ahead of its London debut.

What kick-started the idea for the film, The Name I Call Myself?

I went to Jamaica last year to meet my family for the first time. My aunt there is a police inspector, so I asked her if she could help me to meet up with a Gully Queen. I wanted to find out how life was for them following the shoot with Hood By Air years ago and even the recent [British] Vogue shoot with Tim Walker. I got to talk to an amazing person called Peaches, and they said life was so much better now; they could walk down the street hand in hand. Obviously, there are still problemsthey are still labeled Gully Queens, and they still live in the gully. But I was thinking on ideas like that. Also, Im part of the queer community in London. So all these things came into play.

What is the main message of the film?

Its about allowing people space. Within my own queerness, its a space to call my own where I dont have to present myself to society as one linear frame. When it comes to nongendered folk, that idea goes a little further; its almost as though they dont want to be easily read by societythey want to be known by whatever pronoun they choose. Its about an ownership of something that you yourself know but that society doesnt always know.

Photo: Courtesy of Rhea Dillon

What is one of the most significant moments in the film for you?

In one of the first scenes, you see a child running, and thats an important moment for me in terms of thinking about how black children and black movement is usually portrayed. One of the references for that shot is Mammy Two Shoes from Tom and Jerry. She was the older black lady; you never saw her face, you only ever saw her hands and her plumpish body as she moved across the screen. With that in mind, I wanted to look at how black movement is thought of before you actually think of the subject as being an actual person. Im trying to get the audience to reflect on that scene and think, Okay, so this child is running; maybe theyve stolen something, maybe theyre running away from something, maybe they are running from the police, which we are so used to seeing as a narrative. But then at the end, as we finally go through the process and the shots, they see that its just a kid running down the street being free. So, thats one scene that could be viewed simply, but actually Im trying to push a bigger reference.

Photo: Courtesy of Rhea Dillon

Why did you choose to work in film rather than any other medium?

Where film here is exciting, particularly in this super-connected social media age, is that you can almost pause someone in time and really help the audience to delve into their world. The topics Im referencing are often ones media and society dont have many visuals for yet. In my dissertation for my degree at Central Saint Martins, I talk about Humane Afrofuturism (where black people are depicted in normal, mundane situations), and although its exciting, it actually further alienates black people from society. I feel like there are practitioners right now, like Kerry James Marshall and Arthur Jafa, even designers like Grace Wales Bonner, who are elevating black people in an everyday sense. For instance, one of Kerry James Marshalls superfamous paintings is of a girl walking a dog down the street. Its really just a girl walking a dog down the street, but why were marveled by it is that the visual of a young black girl being so free in society has not existed until now, and thats the problem. Thats also why Process, the film I did at the end of last year, is important. It asks, What do you hope the future of beauty looks like? And the answer for black girls, most specifically, is simple: Its where their hair just gets appreciated and respected.

Photo: Courtesy of Rhea Dillon

Photo: Courtesy of Rhea Dillon

Talk me through the perfume element.

Scent is the strongest of our five senses and helps evoke the best memories. When you recall something with a smell attached to it, the memory comes to life in your imagination. I love when installations and pieces of work push you further, and scent helps make that happen. Much like sound, it can change how the audience perceives things. It takes an idea to a whole new level.

Bal dAfrique is a perfume that mixes scents from Africa and Paris. It works perfectly with the idea of the African diaspora coming together. The other reason I love that crossover is that, in the show, the film is presented across two screens. Duality is a big aspect of this piece. I was looking at the idea of double consciousness put forward by W.E.B. Du Bois and how that could be applied to blackness.

What compels you to be an artist?

I think a common answer for most artists is that it is the one true expression. I dont think its the only thing Im good at, but for me it is a place where you can really conceive and pinpoint something quite special and create a moment.

The Name I Call Myself

Preview May 1; on view from May 2 to 4

RSVP for limited viewing slots as follows: May 2, 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; May 3, 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; May 4, 1:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.

rsvptnicm@gmail.com
Photo credit: Hadley Stambaugh

From ELLE

As a beauty editor, Ive often wondered what it would be like to start my own makeup or fragrance line. With women like Emily Weiss and Zanna Roberts Rassi-of Glossier and Milk Makeup fame, respectively-building Insta-famous beauty empires, its hard not to feel inspired. The crux? Though I have two college degrees, I have absolutely zero experience creating a business plan, sourcing ingredients, or pitching ideas to potential investors, let alone doing so in the beauty space.

This got me wondering: If the global beauty market is so lucrative (its predicted to be worth $750 billion by 2024 and is even recession-resistant), why arent we teaching young women how to get a slice of the pie? Thanks to Savannah College of Art and Designs Business of Beauty and Fragrance major, which debuted fall 2018, a new wave of beauty tycoons is being sharpened for the C-suite every semester. Even more impressive, the major was developed in partnership with Carol Hamilton, group president of LOreal Luxe USA, and features a staff of industry insiders with backgrounds at companies like Estee Lauder and Neiman Marcus.

When the university invited me to their Savannah, Georgia campus to sit in on classes and speak to students, I jumped at the chance-not just for journalisms sake, but also to learn a few tricks of the trade for myself.

Photo credit: Hadley Stambaugh

First up: a Competitive Product Marketing workshop at Morris Hall with professor and Estee Lauder vet Meloney Moore. Looking around the (very chic, very untraditional) classroom, I noticed how much care each of the 11 fully contoured, blown-out students put into their appearance-a far cry from the hungover sorority girls I went to school with. For the first 30 minutes, we compared growth strategies used by classic fragrance brands like Chanel, YSL, and Dior and artisanal brands such as Jo Malone and Le Labo. We didnt just watch a slideshow, though. We passed around fragrance samples and analyzed perfume commercials.

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Then we moved over to the classrooms lab table to partner up and design our own artisanal fragrance collections. With posters of the olfactory pyramid and dozens of fragrance note vials surrounding us, we began testing combinations. After several tries, my partner and I fell in love with a vetiver, musk, and citrus mixture, which we named Celeste (in keeping with the industrys current obsession with all things cosmic). We priced out a product architecture using the scent, including a candle and body lotion, then gathered together as a class to sniff each others creations. After a text message-powered vote for the most well-rounded fragrance, the winners took home-what else?-a beauty product each from SCADs sample locker.

Photo credit: Hadley Stambaugh

Perhaps most evident to me during my trip was the universitys focus on securing jobs for students post-graduation. So the next morning, I toured SCADpro, a program in which the college pairs students with outside companies to develop real products and solutions to real problems. Just a few of the brands students have collaborated with: Delta, Google, NASA, Coca-Cola, and Urban Decay, natch. Meanwhile, within the beauty and fragrance major, students capstone project is the launch of their own brand and product. This includes everything from packaging design to a strategy for maximizing financial outcomes.

Before I headed home to New York City, I grilled a group of students about their goals in the beauty industry. Not one was inspired by vanity or had selfish aspirations.

At the mall growing up, youd be much more likely to find me in the beauty section than looking at clothes, says student AJ Merjan. That was because of how I felt about my weight. Beauty felt more accessible.

I used to suffer from cystic acne, and nothing worked until I started researching ingredients myself, says Morgan McKensey. Then, I started working at Lush and helping other people with their skin. They were so happy seeing a regimen that finally worked-I knew I wanted to do that for a career.

Photo credit: Hadley Stambaugh

I worked at the Macys fragrance counter two years ago, and it was the only job I ever loved, says Red Ambuter. When you help someone find a product that really connects with them, its a very powerful thing.

While I certainly learned a lot about developing a brand at SCAD, the experience ultimately served to open my eyes. Why wasnt a beauty business program available when I was in college just four years ago? Look up the heads of major beauty conglomerates and youll find one type of person: an older, white male with a business background, tasked with dictating what beauty looks like for billions of young people.

Finally, because of programs like SCADs, those same young people are learning that a passion for beauty isnt vain. Its creative, its empowering, and-when fresh faces finally reach the C-suite with aims to shift the beauty standard-it can change the industry.

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Photo credit: ARNE DEDERT - Getty Images

From Popular Mechanics

5G networks are already here, and more are coming. This advanced form off wireless connection could possibly reaching speeds 100 times faster, support 100 times more devices, and feature five times lower latency than today's 4G networks.

Early versions of 5G are rolling out at a small scale with parts of Chicago and Minneapolis playing guinea pigs with mixed results, but there's been an unexpected hitch: some scientists are worried that 5G networks could interfere with weather satellites used for crucial Earth observations.

The closeness of a natural frequency to that of the 5G network could spell massive difficulties for Earth-orbiting satellites. For example, satellites like the European MetOp probes monitor energy radiating off the Earth with the goal of assessing humidity in the atmosphere. Using the 23.8-gigahertz frequency, where water vapor in the atmosphere gives off a feeble signal, these probes give researchers access to data 24/7 and the ability to look through clouds.

While the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA have entered into negotiations with the FCC to help protect these satellites, the commission did attract $702 million through the first auction sales of the 5G network, with one frequency between 24.25 and 24.45 gigahertz and another between 24.75 and 25.25 gigahertz.

"This is the first time weve seen a threat to what Id call the crown jewels of our frequencies - the ones that we absolutely must defend come what may, says Stephen English, a meteorologist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Reading, UK, speaking to the scientific journal Nature.

With 5G frequencies close to the 23.8 GHz mark, wireless equipment working on the lower side of that spectrum could become like a high school party on a Tuesday night: All that noise isn't going to stay contained in a single spot.

There are multiple ideas on how to control 5G from influencing weather satellites. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is recommending -55 decibel watts. In measuring controlled interference, the lower a number the stricter the controls. The U.S. is proposing a weaker -20 decibel watts.

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The numbers are even starker than they seem. Because of the scale's structure, according to Nature, the U.S. plan would allow over 3,000 times more noise than the WMO plan.

There haven't been any formal studies looking at how precisely this interference could interfere with 23.8 GHz weather satellites. But the more we lose, the greater the impact will be, says Jordan Gerth, a meteorologist at the University of WisconsinMadison.

The Department of Commerce also plays a role in the center of the debate. The Department has "some very exciting developments on 5G and wireless issues" coming soon, according to an interview last year with David Redl, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information. But the DoC also controls NOAA, whose satellites could be affected.

In a statement, the Department says that it "strongly supports the administration's policy to promote U.S. leadership in secure 5G networks, while at the same time sustaining and improving critical government and scientific missions."

We'll see if the Department actually follows through on that promise.

Source: Nature

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Algiers (AFP) - Former Algerian prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia was questioned Tuesday over corruption allegations, state TV reported, as the army chief vowed a widening investigation into deposed president Abdelaziz Bouteflika's circle will not descend into score settling.

Algeria's military would ensure judicial investigations were not be subject to "pressure or decrees", nor would they be "arbitrary or (involve) the settlement of scores", army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah said in a speech Tuesday.

Private television channels broadcast footage of the unpopular Ouyahia's arrival at court in the centre of the capital Algiers.

"Take Ouyahia to El Harrach," the prison where five businessmen have been detained since early April on corruption charges, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside chanted.

"They should all go, they should all be held to account," read banners carried by the protesters, as anti-riot police were deployed in strength to guard the court.

Ouyahia left the courthouse on Tuesday afternoon and did not say anything as he departed, an AFP journalist said.

The former prime minister is the latest prominent figure to be caught up in a fraud probe launched by prosecutors since the ailing Bouteflika was forced to step down on April 3 following weeks of mass protests.

Finance Minister Mohamed Loukal, a former central bank governor, was questioned at the same Algiers court on Monday over suspicions of "squandering" public funds.

Salah said the defence ministry was aware of several serious corruption cases, involving "huge" theft of public funds.

He said the security services had left the cases at the "disposal of the justice system".

Ouyahia and Loukal were both summoned on April 20 for questioning by prosecutors.

Ouyahia served four times as prime minister from 1995, three of them during Bouteflika's two-decade rule.

He was finally abandoned by his longtime master on March 11 in a last-ditch bid to hang on to power.

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Loukal was appointed finance minister at the end of March after Bouteflika named interior minister Noureddine Bedoui to replace Ouyahia as prime minister.

- 'Settling internal scores' -

Former police chief Abdelghani Hamel was also questioned separately on Monday as part of a judicial inquiry into alleged bribery, state media said.

Hamel -- once tipped as Bouteflika's successor before he was fired by the veteran leader in June last year -- appeared in a court in Tipaza, west of Algiers, before being released, the official APS news agency said.

Since Bouteflika's ouster, investigators have cracked down on alleged graft, zeroing in on the activities of prominent politicians and businessmen following two decades of cronyism under the veteran president.

High-profile figures targeted in the past week include the North African country's richest man, Issad Rebrab, who was reportedly detained on allegations of false customs declarations.

The head of the vast state oil firm Sonatrach, Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour, has been fired and replaced on the orders of interim president Abdelkader Bensalah.

Four brothers from the influential Kouninef family, close to Bouteflika's brother Said, have been arrested over alleged non-compliance with state contracts, according to official media.

After pushing Bouteflika to quit with mass demonstrations launched on February 22, protesters have kept up their rallies, calling for a complete overhaul of Algeria's political system, improved living standards and the eradication of corruption.

The International Crisis Group think-tank last week expressed scepticism about Algeria's anti-corruption drive, charging that the regime was using it to "settle internal scores".

Algeria ranks 105 out of 180 on Transparency International's 2018 corruption perceptions index.

On Tuesday, it was the turn of thousands of students to hold protest marches through central Algiers and several other cities.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: An alleged victim in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case has turned hostile before a Delhi court, sources said Tuesday.

The alleged victim, who is one of the prosecution witnesses in the case, was declared hostile before Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshtha, after she failed to recognise two of the accused, the court sources said.

The proceedings are being conducted in-camera.

Meanwhile, advocate Pramod Kumar Dubey, appearing for the key accused, Brajesh Thakur, claimed that the CBI was tutoring the witnesses.

The court has recorded the statements of 12 victims, who are also prosecution's witnesses in the case.

On March 30, the court framed various charges, including criminal conspiracy to commit rape and penetrative sexual assault, against 21 accused and put them on trial.

Besides rape and criminal conspiracy, the court also framed charges under various sections of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.

READ HERE | Muzaffarpur shelter home rape cases: Court frames charges against all 21 accused

Thakur, a strongman in Muzaffarpur, was charged with serious charges under POCSO Act, including Section 6 (aggravated sexual assault).

The offence carries punishment of a minimum 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment.

All 21 accused were charged with criminal conspiracy to commit rape and penetrative sexual assault against minors.

The court will hold trial for the offences of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, drugging of minors, criminal intimidation among other charges.

Thakur and employees of his shelter home, as well as Bihar Department of Social Welfare officials, were charged with criminal conspiracy, neglect of duty, failure to report the assault on the girls.

The charges also included cruelty to child under their authority, punishable under the Juvenile Justice Act.

On February 7, the Supreme Court ordered authorities to transfer the case from Bihar to a POCSO court in Saket District Court complex in Delhi, which would conclude the trial within six months by holding, preferably, day-to-day hearings.

Several girls were allegedly raped and sexually abused at an NGO-run shelter home in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

The issue had come to light following a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
By Arathy S Nair and David French

(Reuters) - Anadarko Petroleum Corp said on Monday it would negotiate with Occidental Petroleum Corp over its $38 billion cash-and-stock bid, after determining it could get a better deal than its agreed $33 billion sale to Chevron Corp.

The development represents a breakthrough in Occidental Chief Executive Vicki Hollub's two-year effort to buy Anadarko, one of the top U.S. oil and gas producers in the lucrative Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. Anadarko announced a deal with Chevron on April 12 after snubbing a higher bid from Occidental, prompting Occidental to try to upend the Chevron deal.

"We hope Anadarko will proceed quickly to secure this superior transaction for its shareholders," an Occidental spokeswoman said.

Anadarko said its board had unanimously decided that Occidental's offer could result in a "superior proposal" but added that its deal with Chevron remained in effect until it decided to cut a new deal with Occidental.

Anadarko asked Chevron on Sunday if it wanted to raise its bid and Chevron declined, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.

Chevron is reluctant to pay more for Anadarko and does not want to be drawn into a bidding war, the sources said. Chevron also wants to see if Occidental will manage to ink a deal for Anadarko, and whether Occidental shareholders will support it, one of the sources said.

"We believe our signed agreement with Anadarko provides the best value and the most certainty to Anadarko's shareholders," Chevron said in a statement on Monday.

Chevron and Occidental are vying for one of the biggest prizes in the oil industry: Anadarko's nearly quarter-million-acre holdings in the core of the Permian Basin, the top U.S. shale field.

The two companies each control land adjacent to Anadarko's properties and expect a deal will add deposits that can produce supplies for decades using low-cost drilling techniques.

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Occidental unveiled its bid for Anadarko last Wednesday, offering to pay for it half in cash and half with its own shares. Chevron's deal with Anadarko was structured as 25 percent cash and 75 percent stock. Occidental's stock was down 2.38 percent to $59.85.

Anadarko shares were up 0.4 percent to $73.05, slightly below the value of Occidental's offer.

OCCIDENTAL SHAREHOLDERS GET A SAY

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Chevron has four days after being notified by Anadarko's board to respond with a counter-offer. If Anadarko proceeds with a sale to Occidental, it will have to pay Chevron a $1 billion deal breakup fee.

The acquisition of Anadarko would add nearly a quarter million acres to Occidental's holdings in the Permian shale basin, and double its global oil and gas production to 1.4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day.

A key hurdle that Occidental has to overcome in its negotiations with Anadarko is that its proposed deal is contingent on Occidental shareholders voting to approve it.

These could make a deal more vulnerable to shareholder agitation. For example, activist hedge fund Starboard Value LP tried to shoot down Bristol-Myers Co's $74 billion deal to acquire biotech Celgene Corp earlier this year by trying to convince Bristol-Myers shareholders to vote it down. It was ultimately unsuccessful.

A deal with Chevron offers more certainty to Anadarko in that regard, because Chevron shareholders will not be given a vote. Anadarko shareholders will be given a vote on the sale of the company, be it with Occidental or Chevron.

Chevron and Occidental also have put forward different estimates on the value of the operational synergies they can derive from Anadarko. Chevron projects the synergies to be worth $1 billion a year, while Occidental says it can extract $2 billion annually in synergies.

(Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru and David French in New York; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Bill Trott)
London (AFP) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces sentencing in London on Wednesday for breaching his bail conditions, the whistleblowing site and a court official said.

Assange could face a 12-month prison sentence for the violation, although time already served in prison may be taken into account.

The 47-year-old, who was arrested earlier this month after spending seven years holed up in the Ecuadoran embassy in London, is due to appear in person at Southwark Crown Court for the hearing, a court official said.

Assange, who took refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden on rape accusations, was arrested on April 11 after Quito terminated his asylum.

WikiLeaks exposed everything from US military secrets to tax evasion by the wealthy.

He is also wanted for computer hacking in the United States and faces an initial extradition hearing on Thursday, although the process could last for months or even years.
Montreal (AFP) - Catalonia's former president Carles Puigdemont was denied entry into Canada in March, when he was invited by a Quebec separatist group, the Canadian lawyer challenging the decision said Monday.

"We are challenging this decision, which is obviously unreasonable," his lawyer Stephane Handfield, who has appealed the decision in federal court, told AFP.

He said Puigdemont had requested and obtained an electronic authorization (eTA) in February to travel to Canada, required for travelers from visa-exempt nations.

Puigdemont was scheduled to land on April 2 in Montreal, but an immigration official sent him an email on March 31 "informing him that his eTA had been revoked, without explanation," Handfield said.

A Canadian government official said politics played no part in the decision.

The main figure behind Catalonia's secession attempt in 2017, Puigdemont subsequently fled prosecution in Spain. He currently lives in Belgium.

The move to ban him from Canada was denounced as "shameful" by the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society, a group that promotes Quebec independence. It had invited him to tour the Canadian province.

Ottawa declined to comment on the individual case, citing privacy laws.

"A person can be found inadmissible for criminality, a serious health problem, lying in his application or during an interview," a government spokesman said, speaking in general terms.
A Boeing news conference at the general annual shareholder meeting.





Two men who lost 10 family members in last month's crash of Ethiopian Airlines 302 filed lawsuits Monday against The Boeing Co., manufacturer of the grounded 737 Max 8 aircraft, as well as administrative claims against the Federal Aviation Administration.



Two plaintiffs' law firms, Chicagos Clifford Law Offices and Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy of Burlingame, California, announced the 10 lawsuits at a press conference held hours after Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg apologized to crash victims and attempted to assure shareholders about the safety of its aircraft while skirting calls for his resignation.



I, like many of you today, listened to Boeing and their CEO say as he began his press conference that he was sorry, said Frank Pitre, of Cotchett Pitre. And I think what weve heard today is theres a lot to question about the sincerity that Boeing has when it uses the words, Im sorry. If you look at the actions of Boeing, it portrays a very different picture.



He continued: I question, and I think these families here today, the sincerity behind the words Im sorry.



Pitre called on Boeings entire board to resign, and for Congress to investigate serious problems at the FAA.



The lawsuits involved two Canadian families in the Toronto area: Manant Vaidya, who lost his parents, his sister, her husband and their two children in the crash, and Paul Njoroge, whose wife and three children, including a 9-month-old daughter, died in the crash.



Both gave tearful statements at Mondays press conference.



It is hard to believe that my entire family was wiped out in an incident in such a horrific way, Vaidya said. I lost three generations of my family: my parents, my sister, my nieces. If a person just lost one life, their whole life is shattered, but right now, with me, Im completely lost.



Vaidyas family was on vacation, while Njoroges had planned to visit extended relatives in Kenya.



I was left alone to lead an empty life, with pain and anguish. My life will never be the same, Njoroge said. His other children were ages 6 and 4.



The Ethiopian Airlines flight, which killed 157 people on board after nosediving soon after takeoff, was the second involving the 737 Max 8. An Oct. 29 crash of Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia killed 189 people. The FAA grounded the aircraft days after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, but after 22 other countries had done so.



Earlier this month, the same two law firms filed a lawsuit on behalf of Samya Stumo, a U.S. passenger on the plane and niece of consumer advocate Ralph Nader.



Other lawsuits have been filed against Boeing over the Ethiopian Airlines crash, including one by another firm, Kline & Specter in Philadelphia, on behalf of the estate of Manisha Nukavarapu, a citizen of India. In a footnote in that lawsuit, Kline & Specter indicated it planned to bring an administrative complaint against the FAA.



Boeing became an immediate target following the crash. Lawsuits have linked the crashes to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation Systems, or MCAS, an automated safety mechanism designed to prevent stalling that, under certain conditions, could push the aircraft into a nosedive. Monday's lawsuits also named Rosemount Aerospace Inc., a Minnesota-based unit of Farmington, Connecticuts United Technologies Corp. that manufactured the sensors.



In its quarterly report filed last week with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Boeing acknowledged the suits filed over both crashes and added, we are fully cooperating with all ongoing governmental and regulatory investigations and inquiries relating to the accidents and the 737 MAX program.



Lawsuits also insisted Boeing failed to property train pilots on the new software. Boeing originally had planned to complete a software upgrade by April but has since given no schedule on the fix.



Earlier this month, Boeing issued a statement: We now know that the recent Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accidents were caused by a chain of events, with a common chain link being erroneous activation of the aircraft's MCAS function. We have the responsibility to eliminate this risk, and we know how to do it.



Boeing continued: We're also finalizing new pilot training courses and supplementary educational material for our global MAX customers. This progress is the result of our comprehensive, disciplined approach and taking the time necessary to get it right.



But on Monday, Muilenburg changed his tune, Clifford Laws Kevin Durkin said, noting that the CEO had refused to answer whether Boeing was at fault.



We are going to seek every single email, text message, that was between them and the FAA, Durkin said Monday. It will be our goal in this lawsuit to take that CEOs deposition, ask him questions about his shifting positions on accepting responsibility for this tragedy.
ALAMOSA, Colo. (AP)  Republicans such as Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado are arguing the Senate must stay under GOP control in next year's elections to prevent Democrats from pushing the country toward socialism . A sampling of comments from Colorado residents and others on the subject:

Terry Hammond, chairman of the Alamosa County Republican Party: "People depend too much on government rather than doing for themselves. Next thing you know it'll be paying off people's credit cards and mortgages."

Helen Sigmond, Democrat and member of the Alamosa County Commission: "My goodness, they're trying to make it sound horrible," she said of Republican accusations of Democrats' socialism. "But my goodness, who is Trump's best friend? Putin."

Paul Kelly, 64, accountant and unaffiliated voter from Denver suburb of Westminster: "I don't think they understand where it will lead," he said of Democrats' views of socialism. "Democrats are innocents. They think a utopian world exists."

Nicolette Jones, 20, Democrat, student at Adams State University in Alamosa: "I don't see the possibility of the U.S. becoming a socialist country as a reasonable fear."

Angie Horning, 50, Republican, real estate agent from Colorado Springs: "I don't see socialism as having helped anywhere. It's a concern. People don't understand it. It takes freedom away."

Nick Saenz, 36, Democrat, history professor at Adams State University: Republican warnings about socialism are "a dog whistle" aimed at older voters' Cold War fears of the communist threat.

David Winston, Republican pollster and adviser to congressional GOP leaders, on next year's elections: "In most of these states, it's the political center that's going to decide the outcome, and the political center is not fond of socialism."

Geoffrey Garin, Democratic pollster and adviser to congressional Democratic leaders, on GOP attempts to woo suburban voters by warning about Democrats and socialism: "With suburban voters, Republicans are just playing a losing hand" because of issues like battling climate change and improving health care coverage.

Andrew Romanoff, former speaker of Colorado House and candidate for Democratic nomination to oppose Gardner: "People support Social Security and Medicare, public education and infrastructure. That doesn't make you a socialist. It's just common sense."

Gardner, on his claim that the country faces a threat from socialism: "One of the leading candidates of the Democratic Party is a socialist. That's the threat. One of the leading voices in the House of Representatives is a socialist. That's not made up. That's not pie in the sky." His references were to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a Democratic presidential candidate, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who call themselves democratic socialists.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Emirates Airline President Tim Clark said on Monday he believes Boeing Co will resolve issues with its 737 MAX aircraft, saying the U.S. company has an outstanding track record.

The world's largest planemaker's fastest-selling 737 MAX jets have been grounded after the disasters on Lion Air in Indonesia on Oct. 29 and another on Ethiopian Airlines on March 10, which together killed all 346 on board.

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; writing by Saeed Azhar; editing by Louise Heavens)
It sounds like a horror movie, but it's real life: A second man has now contracted necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh-eating disease caused by a type of dangerous bacteria that destroys skin, muscle, and fat tissues.

The latest victim, Ohio native Barry Briggs, spent 11 days in Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, after developing necrotizing fasciitis during a boating trip in Tampa Bay in March, reported Ohio TV station WKYT. His infection was reportedly caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria.

Its unclear exactly how Briggs picked up the flesh-eating bacteria in Florida, but according to the CDC, group A Streptococcus is believed to be one of the most common causes of necrotizing fasciitis.

Briggs and his family have started a Facebook page to raise awareness about his condition, and they've posted graphic photos showing the frightening spread of the bacteria, which tore off nearly all of the skin on Briggs' left foot.

RELATED: A Hiker Developed a Near-Fatal Infection With Flesh-Eating Bacteria. Here's How to Make Sure This Doesnt Happen to You

Facebook.com/ Nicole Myre Briggs

Fisherman Mike Walton contracted necrotizing fasciitis a week before Briggs did. The Ozona, Florida, native was rushed to the hospital as he developed symptoms of the disease after he cut his hand with a fishing hook.

Necrotizing fasciitis is rare but very serious. The bacteria that cause it typically enter the body through a cut, burn, or insect bite, but the bugs can also get in a person's system via any puncture wound that can allows them access to the bloodstream.

Facebook.com/ Nicole Myre Briggs

Initial symptoms of the infection include red or swollen skin in the affected area, severe pain, and a fever. As it progresses, necrotizing fasciitis can cause oozing pus, color changes on the skin, and skin ulcers.

Antibiotics are used to treat the infection, but if the bacteria have destroyed too much tissue, doctors may need to remove the dead tissue to prevent the spread of the infection, states the CDC. In some cases, necrotizing fasciitis can cause sepsis, organ failure, and death.

RELATED: 6-Year-Old Boy Develops Flesh-Eating Bacterial Infection
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has some seriously dedicated Marvel fans who aren't afraid to go big to show their love for the franchise.

On Sunday, The Boston Globe reported that a group of "pranksters" transformed MIT's Great Dome into Captain America's iconic red, white, and blue shield on Saturday night in honor of Avengers: Endgame.

Now, thanks to a video uploaded to YouTube by MIT sophomore Raymond Huffman, Avengers fans all around the world can see the display.

SEE ALSO: Chris Pratt shares behind-the-scenes footage from 'Avengers: Endgame' set

The dome redecoration was carried out by an ambitious group consisting of dozens of people, who call themselves the MIT "hackers." They reportedly started planning the Captain America tribute about a year ago, after learning when the final Avengers film would be released, and have been hard at work for the past few months making sure everything was set for the big reveal.

One of the members anonymously explained to The Boston Globe that the current generation of MIT students grew up watching the franchise, so they wanted to show thanks for the role it played in their lives. And it looks like the display of gratitude was a real success, and even gained the attention and praise of Captain America himself, actor Chris Evans, who thinks the transformation is "very cool!"

For those unfamiliar with MIT's Dome Hacks, this isn't the first time the building has been tampered with. In the past, the school's Great Dome has been transformed into R2D2, had a fake police car placed on top, a piano, and more.

The Great Dome decorated to look like R2D2

Image: Frank O'Brien/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

A fake MIT Police car atop the University's Great Dome.

Image: David L Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

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The hacker associated with the latest Captain America-themed dome redecoration told The Boston Globe that "putting things on the dome is a big challenge," and, "the priority is safety for people, and safety for MIT structures."

"We hope people look at it and it gets their imagination going," the hacker told the publication.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A jury in Las Vegas flatly rejected former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid's lawsuit against an exercise band maker he blamed for injuries  including blindness in one eye  he suffered when the stretchy device slipped from his grasp and he fell face-first a little more than four years ago.

After eight days of testimony, the eight-member civil trial jury deliberated about an hour before declaring that Reid never proved the first of 10 questions they were asked to decide: that the device Reid used that day was a TheraBand made by Ohio-based Hygenic Corp.

Jurors never saw the actual device because Reid's adult son, attorney Leif Reid, disposed of it soon after Harry Reid was injured.

Reid and his wife, Landra Gould, weren't in the courtroom when the verdict was read. The 79-year-old former Democratic Party leader used a wheelchair throughout the two-week trial, following treatment for pancreatic cancer and back surgery.

Their lawyer, James Wilkes II of Tampa, Florida, said he respected the Nevada jury's decision. "I may not agree with the outcome, but I agree with the way we got there," Wilkes said.

TheraBand lawyer Laurin Quiat was subdued in victory.

"My client always believed in the product, believes that the product is safe, is not unreasonably dangerous for anyone, and they stand behind it," he said. "That's all I have to say."

Reid and his wife sought unspecified monetary damages because they said the product was defective and the company failed to warn the public it was dangerous for elderly people like Reid to use.

Reid's attorneys dropped a negligence claim after several days of testimony that began March 27.

Reid testified last week his injuries were "the main factor" why he decided not to seek a sixth Senate term in 2016. Quiat, however, showed the jury a 2015 video news release in which Reid said his decision not to run had "absolutely nothing to do with my injury."

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Reid, the Democratic Party leader in the Senate when President Barack Obama was in the White House, testified he wanted Senators and voters to know he wasn't incapacitated.

Quiat reminded jurors during closing arguments on Friday that they would never know for sure if the device Reid was using was made by Hygenic. The company attorney also raised questions about Reid's truthfulness.

He noted that Reid at first said the band broke, not that it slipped his grasp, and that it had been attached to a metal hook in the wall of the bathroom in his suburban Las Vegas home.

On the witness stand, Reid testified he looped a band through a shower door handle, not a hook, and that he spun around and fell face-first against hard-edged bathroom cabinets when it slipped from his grip on New Year's Day 2015.

Company experts and witnesses testified that Reid misused the device, making him responsible for blindness in his right eye, broken facial bones, fractured ribs, a concussion and bruises.

"This is not a complicated case. Resistance bands are not complicated," Quiat said. "This case is about taking responsibility for one's own actions."

He said Reid used the wide flat resistance bands for several years without mishap after being given a band by congressional exercise therapists. Quiat said they then tried for months to get Reid to improve his stance, balance and technique when using the device in a rowing-style upper body fitness regimen.

The former boxer, Nevada gambling commission member and lieutenant governor was first elected to the U.S. House in 1983. He was elected to the Senate four years later and served for 30 years.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Two students from Andhra Pradesh - Konda Renu and Bojja Chetan Reddy - secured a 100 percentile in the JEE Mains-April 2019, the results of which were announced on Monday. Overall, 24 students across the country scored a 100 percentile.

17-year old Konda Renu from Anantapur stood top in the State by securing ninth rank in the all-India level. Bojja Chetan Reddy, who secured 100 percentile in JEE Mains January-2019 and JEE Mains April edition, secured all-India rank 21. Speaking to TNIE, Renu said that their family supported her a lot in her studies and the college facult helped her with key techniques and preparation strategies.

It is my second appearance for JEE Mains this year. I have secured 99.99 percentile in the January edition and now it is 100 percentile. I am very happy to achieve this feat and would like to thank everyone who supported me. My ambition is to pursue Artificial Intelligence and If I get a chance, I would like to take Computer Engineering from IIT Mumbai.Renus parents - K Subba Reddy and Neelima - are State government employees. Renu did her Intermediate and prepared for JEE in a college in Vijayawada.

Bojja Chetan Reddy said that with the huge support from his family and college faculty, he was able to crack JEE Mains. In JEE Mains January, I was the topper from the State. I would like to pursue either Electronics and Communications at IIT Delhi or Computer Science at IIT Mumbai. My Father, Ramesh Reddy is a professor, who teaches electronics in an engineering college. He is my biggest support and inspiration. My aim is to start a company on my own and create employment for others.

The JEE Main is an entrance examination for admission into the undergraduate engineering courses at National Institutes of Technology, Indian Institute for Information Technology and other institutions run by some State governments. The top 2.24 lakh students will be eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2019 which is the admission test for the Indian Institute of Technology.The JEE (Main) examination was conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) between April 7 and 12 across 258 cities in the country and abroad.

Number crunching
Espiaa (Libya) (AFP) - Plumes of smoke rise from the plain south of Libya's capital as troops loyal to the UN-recognised government battle to fend off an assault on Tripoli.

On the roof of an abandoned clinic, a fighter surveyed the dry landscape dotted with palm trees some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the capital.

"Over there's the airport," he said, barefoot and dressed in shorts and a black t-shirt.

Tripoli's international airport was heavily damaged in 2014 clashes and has since been out of use, but nonetheless remains a strategic site in the battle for control of the capital.

"And there, is Espiaa" village, he added, after putting down a rocket-launcher on the rooftop strewn with bullet cartridges.

Men loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) have been trying to take ground from forces of commander Khalifa Haftar, who launched an offensive on Tripoli on April 4.

A coalition of Tripoli militias and armed groups from western towns have since April 20 been slowly repelling Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army.

Around Espiaa, which they are fighting to control, the air echoed with the sound of rocket fire and the incessant barrage of gunfire.

Plumes of white and black smoke rose across the horizon, marking out where strikes had set the dry landscape ablaze.

- 'Foreign planes' -

"There!" shouted one of the fighters, as the engine of a plane is heard overhead and the men momentarily freeze.

"During the day, there are Libyan planes. At night, there are foreign planes, they're more advanced, more precise," he said.

The GNA accuses foreign powers -- the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt among others -- of providing Haftar with military support.

At least 345 people have been killed and 1,652 wounded in the Tripoli offensive so far, according to the World Health Organization.

"But the planes can't stop the fighting on the ground. And it's fighting on the ground that can stop a war," said Abdulhamid, one of the leaders of Battalion 166.

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The armed group from Misrata, east of Tripoli, claims to have 700 fighters and took part in the battle that ousted the Islamic State group from the city of Sirte in 2016.

The are now trying to prevent Haftar from "establishing a new military dictatorship", according to Abdulhamid.

Ahmed, dressed in combat fatigues and a t-shirt branded Louis Vuitton, said even though their group was from Misrata "we also have the support of the real revolutionaries of all the towns" who fought against dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

One young fighter said he comes from Haftar's eastern stronghold of Benghazi and described his family as being "on the other side" of the frontline.

Other men backing the GNA come from the desert regions of southern Libya.

They use armoured vehicles, pick-up trucks and civilian cars -- with guns poking out of their windows -- to transport men and weapons to the front.

Close to enemy lines, pick-ups with anti-aircraft guns mounted on the back advanced in reverse firing towards Haftar's forces -- until suddenly the pro-GNA fighters were forced into a hasty retreat.

Wearing trainers or flip-flops, they searched for shelter along the road as tank fire rained down.

The panic passed after the tank fell quiet, but some fighters struggled to hold back tears as they realised one of their number had been killed. At least one more would be injured by rocket fire during the day.

But at the afternoon's close, one of the men announced they had finally advanced.

"We control the centre of Espiaa" he said, after days of fighting.
There is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The Centers for Disease Control has confirmed 704 measles cases since the start of 2019, the highest number since 1994 and since measles was declared eradicated in 2000.

The agency is urging parents to have their children vaccinated, and for those traveling abroad to make sure they are immunized.

In California, universities remain under measles quarantines for students and staff to stop the spread of disease on campus.

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) both announced a quarantine on Thursday.

At Cal State LA, officials suspected that 156 people were exposed to the measles at a school library, and those people are required to stay in quarantine for one week. At UCLA, they originally identified 119 people that they believed were unvaccinated and exposed to the disease, but they later released 40 people from the quarantine after confirming that they have been vaccinated, Reuters reports.

The CDC says that there are currently outbreaks of the measles in several parts of the U.S., including the Pacific Northwest, Michigan and New York City. They believe the outbreaks are due to people traveling to other countries with significant outbreaks, including Israel, the Philippines and Ukraine, and then coming back to the U.S. and infecting people in areas with low vaccination rates, particularly Orthodox Jewish communities.

Despite extensive research proving the safety of the vaccine, people are choosing for themselves or their children to go unvaccinated. This is partially due to the spread of misinformation about the vaccine, which has led parents to opt out of giving children the life-saving protections.

On Friday morning, President Trump urged Americans to get the measles vaccine.

They have to get the shot. The vaccinations are so important, he told reporters outside the White House. This is really going around now, they have to get their shot.

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RELATED VIDEO: Michigan Mom Is Jailed for 7 Days After Refusing to Vaccinate 9-Year-Old Son

Several U.S. politicians are taking steps to slow down the spread of measles. NYC mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency on April 9, and said that unvaccinated people must get the vaccine or be subject to a fine. In Rockland County, New York, another area with a major outbreak, the county executive instituted a ban that disallowed any unvaccinated minors from public areas.

Responding to measles requires a range of approaches to ensure all children get their vaccines on time, with particular attention to access, quality and affordability of primary care services, WHO said in their report. It will also take effective public-facing communication and engagement on the critical importance of vaccination, and the dangers of the diseases they prevent.

Cases of the measles worldwide are up by 300 percent in the first three months of 2019, compared to the same time period last year, based on preliminary data, the World Health Organization says.

This new data indicates a clear trend of rising rates of infection, the organization said in a report released April 15, which comes as several countries are experiencing outbreaks.

While there are continued outbreaks in countries with low vaccination rates the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Myanmar, Philippines, Sudan, Thailand and Ukraine  they are also occurring in countries where the disease was thought to be eradicated, thanks to the measles vaccine. Currently, the United States, Israel, Thailand and Tunisia are all experiencing measles outbreaks due largely to communities where people have resisted vaccinations, typically due to misinformation or religious beliefs.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization named vaccine hesitancy  the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability  as one of the biggest threats to global health in 2019. Thanks to the measles vaccine, 2 to 3 million deaths are prevented each year, WHO said, but that number could be much higher.

A further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved, the group said.
Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday urged the United States to ratify the countries' new trade agreement with Canada after Mexico passed labor reforms demanded by its partners.

"Now it's up to the United States government, to the US legislators, to finish approving the free-trade agreement," Lopez Obrador told a news conference, referring to the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was signed in November and must now be ratified by all three countries' legislatures.

He made the comment after Mexico's Senate passed reforms Monday night intended to boost protections for Mexican workers and increase their wages -- something the US and Canada demanded in updating the three countries' 1994 trade deal, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, President Donald Trump's top negotiator on the new deal, meanwhile praised Mexico's reform as "historic," and vowed the administration would work with Congress and the Mexican government to ensure it was implemented.

NAFTA has helped turn Mexico into an exporting powerhouse, thanks largely to US companies that have moved all or part of their production south of the border to take advantage of cheap labor.

Critics in the United States and Canada complain Mexico's weak union system and low minimum wage give it an unfair advantage and exploit Mexican workers.

In the US, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had said Congress could not even consider the new trade agreement until Mexico had passed new labor laws.

The reform, which overhauls more than 650 regulations and five laws, aims to give workers more say in decision-making by Mexico's unions, which are plagued by corruption and a history of back-room deals with management and government.

Passed by the lower house on April 11, it also establishes a new system for resolving disputes between workers and employers.

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President Lopez Obrador has already increased the minimum wage by more than 16 percent, from $4.65 a day to $5.40 a day -- rising to $9.30 a day along the US-Mexican border, where many international factories are located.

However, critics say Mexican workers still typically earn less in a day than US and Canadian workers in an hour. And unions in both countries have questioned Mexico's capacity to implement the reform.

That has set up a potentially fierce political battle over ratification, especially with opposition Democrats in control of the House of Representatives in the United States since last year's mid-term elections.
Last week, as the NRA's annual convention got under way in Indianapolis, two of its highest-profile executiveschief executive Wayne LaPierre and president Oliver Northeach became embroiled in a complicated tangle of intertwined financial scandals. The fallout from their mudslinging contest could threaten the outsize influence the National Rifle Association has wielded in American electoral politics for decadesand perhaps the organization's very existence.

A few days before the convention began, North suddenly demanded LaPierre's resignation and announced that an internal committee would review "damaging" claims of LaPierre's purported financial malfeasance. In addition to a "devastating account" of the NRA's balance sheet, he threatened to release details of sexual-harassment charges against an unnamed staffer and of LaPierre's allegedly excessive travel expenses, which North asserted could place the organization's tax-exempt status in jeopardy. The Washington Post reports that North's letter covered, for example, "more than $200,000 of wardrobe purchases" on the part of LaPierre, which raises the obvious question of how many frumpy blue suits one man can own.

LaPierre, of course, was having none of this, and responded with his own letter in which he characterized North's gambit as a grand extortion scheme and vowed to "stand and fight." LaPierre won. Over the weekend, North abruptly announced that he would not seek a second term as president, as the NRA's board had "informed" him that it would not endorse his re-election bid. In a prepared statement to stunned members, which NRA vice president Richard Childress read from the podium in Indianapolis, North reiterated his belief that the organization is in "clear crisis" and that its finances require immediate review in order to preserve the aforementioned nonprofit status. On Monday, the board re-elected LaPierre to his position, and selected Carolyn Meadows as its next president.

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Also on Monday, a concerned President Trumpwho delivered a keynote address at the convention last weekurged his pals to "stop the internal fighting" and "get its act together quickly." But his exhortation is a gross oversimplification of the NRA's problems, and it might also be a little too late.

At the root of the drama is the NRA's relationship with Ackerman McQueen, the Oklahoma-based ad agency behind some of the NRA's more memorably terrifying lines of argument over the past few decades. (The agency, according to The New York Times, was behind former NRA president Charlton Heston's famous proclamation that the government would have to pry his guns "from my cold, dead hands.") Ackerman McQueen has played a key role in the production of NRATV, a 24-hour streaming channel that specializes in the production of cartoonish Second Amendment agitprop. The NRA apparently grew uncomfortable with the extremist tone of NRATV, whose on-air hosts occasionally issue calls for open civil and/or race war. Earlier this month, the organization sued Ackerman McQueen in federal court over a raft of alleged over-billing practices and dubious spending habits.

This is where North comes in: As it turns out, he has a side agreement with Ackerman McQueen to host an NRATV program entitled Oliver North's American Heroes that is completely independent of his leadership of the NRA. According to LaPierre, this bit of double-dipping nets North "millions of dollars annually," and yet North would not share with the NRAof which he was, again, the presidentany information about his contract as its lawyers prepared their legal case against its ad agency. "I will not judge Col. North," wrote LaPierre, "but must report what many of you already know: He has contractual and financial loyalties to AM." Two of the gun-rights movement's most successful grifters, in order words, are publicly accusing each other of using their tremendous wealth and power to grift a little too opportunistically.

Much of this diligent executive finger-pointing likely stems from a recent investigation launched by New York attorney general Letitia James, who on the campaign trail referred to the NRA as a "terrorist organization" and vowed to look into its tax-exempt status if she were elected to the office she now holds. Sure enough, on Friday James issued subpoenas to several as-yet-unnamed NRA-affiliated individuals and sent litigation hold letters in which she ordered the NRA and related entities to preserve documents in anticipation of litigation. (As the Times notes, the NRA is incorporated under the laws of New York, which gives her office jurisdiction over its activities.)

NRATV's forays into political advocacyamong the many, many other NRA expenditures that are unrelated to the integrity of the sport of competitive shootingare exactly the sort of thing that might prompt regulators to conclude that a nonprofit is no longer entitled to special legal treatment. This is, in other words, a very bad time for the NRA to keep sloppy books, which is why its leadership team is combing over its relationships with outside vendors, searching for improprieties it could use to shift blame for any improper conduct James's team might find. In the meantime, NRA's higher-ups have every incentive to scapegoat one another for hypothetical damning revelations about how the NRA spends its millions that could soon come to light.

The petty infighting is only the latest embarrassing setback for the NRA, which despite two full years of unified Republican government has failed to advance any of its major legislative initiatives to the president's desk. For the first time in nearly a decade, gun-control groups outspent gun-rights groups in the 2018 midterms, and the resulting Democratic House majority has basically torpedoed the NRA agenda for the next two years. In its most recent financial disclosures, the NRA reported a 22 percent drop in membership revenue, which occurred even though it raised dues twice since the beginning of 2016. Perhaps most troubling of all, though, are poll numbers indicating that clear majorities of both Democratic and Republican voters continue to favor tougher gun-safety laws. If these trends continue, it will be a lot tougher for LaPierre (or anyone else at NRA headquarters) to misappropriate money when there is just not enough money to misappropriate anymore.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Israel's UN ambassador on Monday demanded that the New York Times hold accountable those responsible for publishing an anti-Semitic cartoon, despite an apology issued by the newspaper.

The cartoon, which appeared in the international edition on Thursday, depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a guide dog wearing a Star of David collar and leading a blind Donald Trump -- who was wearing a kippah, or a Jewish skullcap.

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said the cartoon "could have been taken from the pages of Der Sturmer, the Nazi propaganda paper, and yet these actions have gone unpunished."

The newspaper apologized for the cartoon on Saturday, saying: "The image was offensive, and it was an error of judgment to publish it."

"I am not in a position of accepting or not accepting the apology, but if somebody make a mistake, I think somebody should be accountable," said Danon, who added that such images can incite violence against Jews.

On Sunday, the NYT issued an additional statement saying it was "deeply sorry" and committed to "making sure nothing like this happens again."

"We have investigated how this happened and learned that, because of a faulty process, a single editor working without adequate oversight, downloaded the syndicated cartoon and made the decision to include it on the Opinion Page," it said.

The NYT said the matter was under internal review and that they "anticipate significant changes."

"Those who engage in anti-Semitism must be punished, whether it's here at the UN, political leaders, editors, policy pundits or college professors," said Danon, who spoke to reporters ahead of a Security Council meeting on the Middle East.
By Devika Krishna Kumar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices edged higher on Monday, as the market attempted to resume a weeks-long rally that was halted on Friday when U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that producer club OPEC raise output to soften the impact of U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Brent crude futures fell 11 cents, or 0.2 percent, to settle at $72.04 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed 20 cents, or 0.3 percent, to end the session at $63.50.

Both benchmarks fell by about 3 percent on Friday after Trump told reporters that he had called OPEC and told the cartel to lower oil prices, without identifying who he spoke to, or if he was speaking about previous discussions with OPEC officials.

Analysts and market participants downplayed the comments as details were unclear.

"No representative of OPEC or the Saudi government has come forward to acknowledge any discussion in this regard," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates.

"This obvious effort to push gasoline prices down has been attempted previously by Trump and while forcing an initial price decline, such pullbacks have been followed by fresh price highs, sometimes within a matter of days."

Trump's remarks initially triggered a sell-off, putting a temporary ceiling on a 40 percent price rally since the start of the year. The slide was exacerbated by technical factors including an excessive speculative long position in U.S. crude, analysts said.

Speculators raised their combined futures and options net long positions in New York and London by 24,078 contracts to 326,818 during the week to April 23, the highest level since early October. That was the ninth consecutive increase.

The rally in oil prices had gained momentum in April after Trump tightened sanctions against Iran by ending all exemptions previously granted to that major buyers.

U.S. sanctions against Iran's oil industry will damage the stability of global oil markets, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Monday.

Story continues

"These sanctions are an example of America's bullying reaction to the change of the balance of power in the world," Amir Hossein Zamaninia, a deputy oil minister for Iran, said in a report carried by the oil ministry's news website SHANA.

U.S. sanctions on Venezuela are also working to tighten global supply as fighting in Libya threatens to curb output there as well.

Oil output in OPEC member Libya has been repeatedly disrupted by factional conflict and blockades since the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

"We are dealing with a market that's not actually short of supply but is short due to politically-motivated action, and we know how quickly that can be turned around if necessary," Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen told Reuters.

"Being a bear in the market is a very lonely place now."

Traders said the market was shifting focus to the voluntary supply cuts led by OPEC, the de facto head of which is the world's top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia.

"We are of the view that Saudi Arabia will increase output as soon as May, something they were likely to do anyway in the lead up to summer," ING bank said.

It added that Saudi could increase its output and "still be in compliance with the OPEC+ deal for the month of May."

"We believe that the (fall in prices) is probably due to the situation on the futures market being currently overbought," Commerzbank wrote in a note.

"Consequently, even small levels of uncertainty can spark a more marked price response. However, because the supply situation remains tight a renewed price rise is probable."

(Additional reporting by Noah Browning in LONDON and Henning Gloystein in SINGAPORE; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Lisa Shumaker)
Moscow (AFP) - A Moscow court on Tuesday sent a man who attacked a painting of Ivan the Terrible to a penal colony for two and a half years, news agencies reported.

Igor Podporin attacked a work by 19-century artist Ilya Repin showing the 16th-century tsar killing his son, damaging the work in three places.

He used part of a security barrier at Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery to break the glass covering the painting during the last year's attack.

At first, the builder from the southwestern city of Voronezh told police he was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

But in court he said he had wanted to damage the painting because it was "a lie" -- a smear on the reputation of Russia's first tsar.

At Zamoskvoretsky district court, Judge Natalya Cheprasova sentenced him to two and a half years in a "correctional colony," agencies reported.

The Tretyakov is now holding a major exhibition of Repin's works, but without the damaged painting as it is still being repaired.

This was not the first attack on the painting. In 1913, a man stabbed the work with a knife, ripping the canvas in three places. The artist Repin helped restore his painting.

Russian state officials have lobbied for the rehabilitation of Ivan the Terrible. Ivan Vasilyevich, the first of Russia's tsars, who ruled from 1547 to 1584.

He is known as Ivan the Terrible because of his brutal policies including the creation of a secret police that spread mass terror and executed thousands of people.

He also killed his own son, most likely by accident during a violent rage.

In 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the story was a "legend" used by the West against Russia.
Khartoum (AFP) - Sudanese protesters on Tuesday called for a mass rally, insisting the army is not serious about handing power to civilians nearly three weeks after it toppled autocratic president Omar al-Bashir.

The call came as tensions mounted over the make-up of a new joint civilian-military council to run Sudan, with demonstrators reinforcing their barricades outside the army headquarters in the capital.

The two sides have been at odds over their representation in the council supposed to replace the military body that took power after Bashir's ouster on April 11 in the face of mass protests against his three-decade rule.

The military has been pushing for a 10-member council including seven military representatives and three civilians.

The disagreements prompted the Alliance for Freedom and Change to announce a "million-strong march on May 2 to assert our main demand, which is for civilian rule".

"The military council is not serious about handing over power to civilians," said Mohamed Naji al-Assam, a leader from the Sudanese Professionals Association spearheading the protest movement.

"The military council insists that the (joint) council should be military led with civilian representation," Assam told a news conference, adding the army had been seeking to "expand its powers daily".

"The international community should support the choices of the Sudanese people."

- 'Escalatory language' -

Speaking at the same news conference, Madani Abbas Madani, another protest leader, accused the military council of using "escalatory language which does not encourage partnership".

Their statements came after a top Sudanese general announced the new body would be headed by current military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The protesters have called the military council headed by Burhan "a copy cat of the toppled regime".

They want a majority of civilians on a 15-member joint council with seven military representatives.

Story continues

Adding to the deepening discord, the military council said six security personnel were killed in clashes with protesters across the country on Monday.

"In different incidents, six people from the security forces were killed and 16 wounded," said the council's deputy chief Mohammad Hamdan Dagolo, who is widely known as Himeidti.

"There were incidents of burning of markets and looting," he said, adding protest leaders had told the military council any incident that took place outside the Khartoum sit-in site did not represent them.

Thousands of protesters began massing outside army headquarters in the capital on April 6, demanding that the armed forces back them in ousting Bashir.

Five days later, the army took power through a transitional military council, having deposed Bashir, after months of protests that began with unrest over a tripling of bread prices.

Since then the 10-member council of generals has resisted calls to step down.

But in a breakthrough on Saturday, the two sides agreed to form a joint civilian-military body to pave the way for a civilian government.

The joint council would be an overall ruling body, according to protest leaders, who want a separate transitional civilian administration to run the country's day-to-day affairs and work towards elections.

Late Monday, a Sudanese protest group said the army was trying to remove barricades and disperse the sit-in outside army headquarters.

- Military deploys -

On Tuesday, several military vehicles loaded with machineguns were deployed in downtown Khartoum, an AFP correspondent reported.

Dozens of protesters staged a demo in the north Khartoum suburb of Bahari against the military council, burning tyres and blocking roads, an AFP reporter said.

The Sudanese Professionals Association has urged its supporters to gather at the sit-in and to protect the barricades.

But the military council's deputy head insisted it was "not against the continuation of the sit-in".

"We offered to help in providing support for protesters during Ramadan," the Muslim holy month of fasting that starts in May, Himeidti told reporters.

Lieutenant General Salah Abdelkhalik, also a member of the ruling military council, said the army would "never use violence against protesters".

Witnesses at the sit-in said protesters were strengthening some of the makeshift roadblocks.

"These barricades are for protecting us. We don't want any military vehicle to enter the sit-in area. We will not move until we have civilian rule," a protester told AFP.

Some perched on nearby rooftops to keep watch for troops, while others sat on barricades holding Sudanese flags.

The protesters have won support from Western governments for their demands.

But Sudan's key Gulf Arab donors have backed the military, while African states have called for more time for power to be handed over to civilians.
Former Trump adviser Roger Stone arrives for his arraignment at Federal Court in Washington on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi / NLJ

Former Trump adviser Roger Stone arrives for his arraignment at Federal Court in Washington on Jan. 29. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/NLJ



A federal prosecutor argued in court Tuesday that Roger Stone is not entitled to see redacted portions of special counsel Robert Mueller IIIs report, because theyve already provided the longtime Trump ally the underlying documents related to his criminal case.



Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kravis said the government will outline its argument in a response brief due Friday, but he told U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington that the redacted portions of Muellers report Stone is seeking are not discoverable, noting they mostly relate to mental impressions and conclusions of government attorneys.



The exchange came during a brief status hearing Tuesday morning, after Stone asked the court earlier this month for a copy of the report because it contains the governments evidence and conclusions on matters essential to Stones defense. Bruce Rogow, Stones lawyer, said Tuesday they were still seeking the unredacted report even after a redacted version was released.



Jackson said she will rule on the motion after reading both sides briefs. She told Stones legal team she specifically wants them to hone in on why they believed they are entitled to redacted parts of the report if they were already being provided the raw, underlying material, including grand jury testimony of witnesses, for possible cross examination.



Kravis told the judge the government has already begun providing Stone with any material that could bear on the credibility of potential trial witnesses, or potentially exculpate Stone. He said he expected that process to be substantially completed in the next four to six weeks.



Stone has pleaded not guilty to charges he lied to congressional committees probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. His trial is expected to start in early November.
Accordingly, the opening ceremony of the book festival is slated for 6pm on May 2 at the French Cultural Centre (L'Espace) in Hanoi with the participation of representatives from embassies and cultural institutes of European countries.

This will be the ninth time the event is held in Hanoi, the fourth in HCM City and the first time in Da Nang.

Gathering the involvement of ten European countries, the 24-day festival will be a vivid book festival full of activities for book lovers, including book presentations, exhibitions, literature workshops, readings, film screenings, interactive activities, a drawing contest on European characters, and especially a European book honouring and discount week at Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in HCM City.

The books to be introduced and showcased throughout the festival come from the British Council, Germany, Hungary, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Belgiums WallonieBruxelles delegation, promising to satisfy readers of all ages.

The opening ceremony will be followed by a ceremony announcing and presenting prizes to the winners of the drawing contest on European characters, to be jointly held by participating European nations and Nguyen Tat Thanh Secondary and High School.

In Hanoi, all events will take place at the Goethe Institute, LEspace, the Italian Cultural Centre (Casa Italia), Hanoi University and Bluebirdsnest Book Cafe, while the venues for events in HCM City include the British Council, Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Cafe Salon Saturday and the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF). In Da Nang, the events will be held at the Da Nang General Science Library and French Institute.

Since 2011, the European Book Festival has been organised annually in Hanoi by European Union National Institutes for Culture and the Association of European Cultural Institutes and Embassies, with support from the EU Delegation, aiming to honour and introduce Europes cultural quintessence to Vietnamese readers.
By PTI

AMRAVATI: Apprehending that the Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh could create trouble during the counting of votes on May 23, YSR Congress Tuesday requested the Election Commission of India to deploy CRPF at the counting centres to neutralize the impact of the ruling party.

The main opposition party also wanted constant monitoring of the counting process by ECI observers to instill confidence among the Returning Officer and other staff against "intimidation" by the TDP.

YSRC general secretary and Rajya Sabha member V Vijayasai Reddy, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, said there was certain information that the ruling dispensation (in AP) was planning to create disturbances during vote counting at the designated centres.

FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

The TDP, Reddy alleged, might bring forged documents to delay the counting process and also reject the YSRC agents, leaving little scope for substitution.

"We have full confidence in the wisdom and actions of the ECI. We are specifically requesting to avoid disturbances that the ruling dispensation wants to create, as per the ground reports received from our party cadre," the MP added.

Deployment of CRPF, instead of the state police, at the counting centres, would help thwart the TDPs "nefarious plans," he said.

He requested the ECI to take required action and issue appropriate instructions to the authorities concerned.
Brasilia (AFP) - At least 25 Venezuelan troops have sought asylum in Brazil's embassy in Caracas, a senior Brazilian official said Tuesday, after Venezuela's self-declared president Juan Guaido claimed soldiers had joined him.

A spokesman for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said soldiers and lieutenants were among the applicants.

The petitions for asylum came as Bolsonaro threw his support behind Venezuelans "enslaved by a dictator," a reference to President Nicolas Maduro whom Guaido is challenging for power.

"Brazil is on the side of the people of Venezuela, President Juan Guaido and the freedom of Venezuelans," Bolsonaro said in a series of tweets.

"We support the freedom of this sister nation to finally live a true democracy."

Foreign minister Ernesto Araujo reiterated Brazil's support for a "democratic transition" and expressed "hopes that the Venezuelan military will be part of this process."

Brazil is among more than 50 countries that have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's interim president.

An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support on Tuesday, however, disintegrated into rioting in the Venezuelan capital, sparking calls for restraint.
Photo credit: Amy Smith-Morris/Instagram

From Prevention

Just after my wedding, my husband and I went to Italy and Greece for our honeymoon. Were physically active and healthy eaters, but we do like to indulge a bit when we travel, so there was lots of pizza and wine and all that good stuff. When I got home and discovered Id gained some weight, it felt inevitable-thats what happens when you eat pizza all day!

But even after I got back to my regular routine, I still didnt lose the honeymoon weight-in fact, I had gained an additional pound or two. Then came the heartburn. It was so bad, and almost anything I ate set me off. Thats what drove me to make an appointment with my general practitioner.

Photo credit: AMY SMITH-MORRIS/INSTAGRAM

I assumed it would be a quick fix. Maybe I'd get some heartburn medication or find out that I had an ulcer or another treatable condition. But my doctor thought something else was going on.

Checking for fibroids and cysts.

I was so young-just 30 years old-that I dont think anyone was thinking cancer. I wasnt pregnant (my doctors first thought) so she sent me for an ultrasound to check for fibroids and cysts. Both growths are fairly common in young women, and they can become quite large and still be benign.

She called me when the results came in: I had a very large mass-8.2 inches long and 3.9 inches wide. It was a huge shock, but my doctor remained optimistic and didn't feel there was reason to worry just yet.

I'm in healthcare myself-I work as an oncology pharmacist managing medications for people with cancer. I figured, given my age and the large size of the mass, it wasnt cancerous. I clung to these hopes at first.

A CT scan would tell us more.

My doctor referred me to a gynecologist who scheduled me for a CT scan. My appointment wasn't for a couple of weeks, which didn't initially faze me. But that changed with each passing day; I just had a gut feeling things werent right. I thought, I cant sit here with this huge tumor for two weeks waiting for an appointment. I started advocating for myself and got an appointment with a gynecologist the next day.

Story continues

He was wonderful. He said to me, Meet me in the local ER tomorrow morning, and Ill make sure you get an emergency CT scan. After the scan, I sat at the hospital with my mother and husband waiting for the results.

It had been less than two months since my wedding day.

The diagnosis was ovarian cancer.

In that ER waiting room, I felt in the pit of my stomach that it wasnt going to be good news. When the doctor told us it was cancer I had a million questions about the type I had, and what my chance of surviving was.

That's how I was during treatment, too-always asking questions and thinking ahead. As a clinician, Im trained to think about whats next in terms of treatment. You dont stop thinking that way when you become the patient



Unfortunately, there's not too much you can tell about a tumor until you cut into it and look at it under a microscope, so there was a lot I didn't know the day I learned I had cancer, which left me feeling unsettled. The next step was to make an appointment with a gynecologic oncologist for a biopsy.

After the biopsy, I learned that had something called a mixed tumor, which is a rare form of ovarian cancer. This was actually a good thing; it meant I had a 90 to 95 percent chance of living for five years after my diagnosis. (Beyond that, the stats aren't as clear.) Women with epithelial ovarian cancer tumors, for example, have a much lower survival rate.

Having such a good prognosis felt like a miracle.

Going through surgery and chemo.

My doctor told me the tumor had engulfed my left ovary. So during surgery, he removed it along with the tumor, one of my fallopian tubes, and some lymph nodes.

I was lucky: My right ovary was OK. I could keep it and stay out of menopause, which was fabulous. Having my right ovary also meant I still had a possibility of being able to conceive.

After surgery, I had four cycles of chemo, spaced three weeks apart. It was an intense regiment to go through, but necessary to avoid reoccurrence.

Becoming a cancer survivor-and a mom.

After the chemo I got CT scans-first every three months, then every six-to check if the cancer had come back. (So far is hasn't!) Then, a year later, in the summer of 2018, I discovered I was pregnant, and stopped the scans because they aren't safe for unborn babies.

When youre in your 30s and you only have one ovary, youre holding your breath, hoping you can conceive. We were able to do so on our own, without using any fertility measures. It was the best surprise to my husband and me.



Photo credit: AMY SMITH-MORRIS/INSTAGRAM

My son, Max, was born on St. Patricks Day, which some people say is lucky. Through all the lows weve been through, its nice to be able to enjoy such a positive piece of life on the other side of my diagnosis.



Life after cancer.

There are highs and lows of being a cancer survivor.

Some days, the treatment feels like something that happened in another lifetime, but at other moments, its front and center. For example, when I go in for a scan to make sure the cancer hasn't come back, my life pauses. I dont know which direction my life will take until the results come in. While I'm waiting to learn my fate, I worry about what would happen if I became sick again. I find myself thinking: How will we pay the mortgage without my income? What will happen to my son if I'm not around? Its a burden I expect to bear for a long time.

Theres also a real positive side to having had ovarian cancer. Even before I was diagnosed, I worked in cancer care, helping people who were going through chemo manage their symptoms. I stumbled into oncology and discovered that I really like the patients and found the medications fascinating. There was no real reason for working in this area beyond that immediate appeal.

Now, after being diagnosed, I feel that this is what Im supposed to be doing: This is the path Im supposed to be on.

What I tell other women.

Ovarian cancer symptoms are so sneaky. We truthfully need a better way of detecting the disease, like a blood test or a scan. But since those options don't exist yet, its so important to listen to your body.

If you have a feeling that something is wrong, know that its just you-not your doctor-who has to answer to the consequences. So even if your doctors say Looks fine to me, listen to your gut feeling and advocate for yourself.



If I hadn't done that years ago, who's to say where'd I be today.

('You Might Also Like',)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - After a synagogue shooting in the United States and a church attack in Burkina Faso, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the world is nearing a "pivotal moment" in the battle against hatred.

"As crime feeds on crime, and as vile views move from the fringes to the mainstream, I am profoundly concerned that we are nearing a pivotal moment in battling hatred and extremism," Guterres said in a statement.

A teenage gunman opened fire at a synagogue in California on Saturday, killing one person and injuring three others including the rabbi as worshippers marked the final day of Passover.

On Sunday, gunmen killed four worshippers and a pastor in a small town in Burkina Faso, the first attack on a church since jihadist violence erupted in the African country in 2015.

On March 15, 160 people were killed in attacks on mosques in New Zealand.

Guterres deplored a "disturbing groundswell of intolerance and hate-based violence targeting worshippers of many faiths," saying such violence had become "all-too-familiar."

"Houses of worship, instead of the safe havens they should be, have become targets," he said.

The UN chief appealed to religious leaders, governments, civil society and all others to combat hate, saying "this is a job for everyone."
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City contracts

The city of Wapato provided copies of three contracts approved by the City Council earlier this month, following a Yakima Herald-Republic public records request.

 The City of Wapato hired Selah-based attorney Theodore J. Schott to serve as its city and prosecuting attorney on March 25, for three months, at a rate of $50 an hour.

 The city offered a temporary contract to Juan Martinez of Impact Construction to serve as a consultant in the citys building department. The contract, valid until the city hires a permanent building inspector, allows for Martinez to work up to 20 hours a week on building plans, building inspections, and working with contractors on projects, at a rate of $45 per hour.

 The city hired the Seattle-based firm Ogden, Murphy, Wallace to represent its interests in civil legal matters, including an ongoing lawsuit alleging violations of the state open meetings act. The five-year contract requires a firm representative to prepare and review ordinances and resolutions, attend council meetings, and represent the city in civil lawsuits. The hourly pay rate varies depending on the experience of the firms staff members completing tasks, from $90 an hour for paralegals to $238 an hour for attorneys with more than 10 years of legal experience. Those hourly rates are anticipated to increase between 2.5% and 4% each year.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: MDMK leader Vaiko on Monday appeared before the special court in connection with a sedition case filed against him in 2009 during a book launch event. S Jawahar, special judge for the CBI, who was in an additional charge of the special court, adjourned the case to May 6. The police registered a case in 2009 under Sections 124-A (sedition) and 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) against the MDMK leader for his speech in Raja Annamalai Mandram on October 21, 2008. Speaking on Eezhathil Nadapathenna? (What is happening in Eelam?), he had warned that India would not remain a united single country if the war against banned LTTE in Sri Lanka was not stopped.
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The "Eva.Stories", on instagram, an initiative to commemorate the Holocaust in a way that would appeal to teenagers, stirred debate in both traditional and social media around the world.

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The Instagram account set to post short videos and photos, seen as documenting the final months in the life of Eva Hayman, a 13-year-old Hungarian, Jewish girl who perished in the Holocaust, based on her true story as documented in her journal.

Eva Hayman (Photo: Yad Vashem archive)

Eva was born in Nagyvarad, Hungary, and started writing her journal on her 13th birthday, on February 13, 1944. Her last entry was on May 30, three months later, just three days before she was deported to Auschwitz with her family, where she was murdered.

A video trailer was launched on Sunday, and stories will be posted as of Thursday  when Israel marks Holocaust Memorial Day.

Some 78,000 users are already following the account, and many expressed support and enthusiasm for the trailer despite earlier criticism claiming the idea was inappropriate.

The project was initiated and produced by high-tech entrepreneur Mati Kochavi and his daughter, who invested millions of dollars in the filming.

The diary Eva wrote was made into a screen play and filmed in Lviv, Ukraine, with the assistance of some 400 actors, extras and production assistants.

Eva.Stories on Instagram

Instagram stories and photos will showthe Eva's friends and family, the invasion of her town by Nazi forces, racial laws she had to endure.

They will also show her family being moved to the ghetto, the violence she suffered, and finally the train ride that took to the Auschwitz death camp where she died.

"This is the way to make the Holocaust accessible to the young crowd," said Kochavi. "Only 2.7 percent of the total discussion about the Holocaust around the world today, is initiated by the younger generation, which is a significant decline in comparison to previous years."

"In an age when Holocaust survivors are scarce, people's attention span is dropping and thrills are quick to achieve  there is a need to find new models of memory and testimony," said Kochavi, who hopes his initiative will show a new way to commemorate the Holocaust in today's day and age.
LOS ANGELES -- An Army veteran who converted to Islam and discussed launching various terror attacks throughout Southern California was arrested as he plotted to bomb a white supremacist rally as retribution for the New Zealand mosque attacks, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Mark Domingo, an infantryman who served a combat stint in Afghanistan, was arrested Friday after visiting a park in Long Beach where investigators say he planned to plant home-made explosive devices made with nail-filled pressure cookers in advance of a Nazi rally scheduled Sunday.

Domingo, 26, was arrested on a charge of providing material support to terrorists. A criminal complaint said he had been planning since March to "manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction in order to commit mass murder."
By PTI

CHENNAI: The Election Commission Tuesday submitted in the Madras High Court that the security breach in the storage room, where poll related documents of Madurai Lok Sabha seat were kept, has eroded public confidence to a significant extent about the fairness of the election process.

"The incident has created a dent and serious apprehension in the minds of public, media, candidates and political parties," Satyabrata Sahoo, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer said through a counter filed in the plea by CPI-M candidate Su Venkatesan, seeking a probe by a Special Investigation Team.

Sahoo said the lapse shows the need for substantial improvement in the coordination between the police and the district administration.

"For counting and results, one additional counting observer from the state civil service in the rank of additional magistrate will be appointed to report to the general observer for the constituency," Sahoo said.

Earlier, the division bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad refused to vacate the interim order directing the Election Commission (EC) to initiate disciplinary action against the transferred Madurai returning officer S Natarajan and others who were responsible for the security breach.

FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

Technically, it was not the court's direction, while the court was about to pass orders, the EC produced a communication informing their decision to transfer the officials and take disciplinary action against them.

The same was recorded in the order, the bench said, rejecting Natarajan's request.

Senior counsel ARL Sundaresan, appearing for Natarajan, submitted it was only the assistant returning officer who instructed the tahsildar to visit the room which was under his custody without obtaining prior permission from the returning officer.

Claiming that he was facing action for no fault on his part, Natarajan submitted that even the additional chief electoral officer who conducted an inquiry into the incident did not get any explanation from him.

"He had not been given fair opportunities to know the statements of others and to defend the allegations against him," Sundaresan said.

Similarly, M Rajasekaran, Personal Assistant (General) to the Madurai Collector, who was alleged to have instructed the ARO to send the tahsildar to visit the room, moved an impleading petition claiming that he has no role in the election works as it was handled by a separate designated PA.

ALSO READ | Madurai collector transferred as ECI admits to lapses

"My name has been included in the issue and action has been ordered by mistake," he said.

As the petitioners counsel did not object for his impleading, the court added him as a party respondent and posted the plea to June 6 for further hearing.

On Saturday, the court directed the Election Commission to initiate disciplinary action or prosecution against M Rajasekaran and two officials for allowing polling staff to enter a storage room where records of the April 18 polls are kept.

Besides the PA, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime), who was in charge of election duty that day, and police personnel present there reportedly allowed a woman tahsildar and three other polling staff to enter the room.

The tahsildar is now under suspension.

The court had passed the interim order on a petition filed by CPI(M)'s Venkatesan.

According to Venkatesan, the tahsildar allegedly trespassed into the documents storage room on April 20 without any authority and remained there for three hours.

Venkatesan has submitted that three staff members of Madurai Municipal Corporation had also accompanied her.

Alleging that the unlawful incident would not have occurred without the knowledge of District Collector Natarajan, who is the Returning Officer, Venkatesan had sought an interim direction for appointment of a special observer of the rank of an IAS officer for counting the postal ballots.

Besides, the petitioner also sought three-tier security for the counting centre, transfer of the returning officer and appointment of a Special Investigation Team.
A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder in the weekend attack on a Southern California synagogue.

San Diego County prosecutors also charged John T. Earnest on Monday with an earlier arson attack on a mosque.

The murder and attempted murder charges stemming from Saturday's shooting at Chabad of Poway carry special-circumstance allegations of a hate crime.

The District Attorney's Office says in a statement that Earnest will be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

A congregant was slain and a rabbi, another man and a girl were wounded in the attack.

The mosque fire occurred on or about March 23 in the city of Escondido.
Louisiana government agencies would be able to refuse contracts with companies that boycott Israel, under a bill that has won the backing of the House budget committee.

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The measure by Republican Rep. Valarie Hodges, of Denham Springs, is similar to legislation approved or under consideration in other states.

BDS demonstration (Photo: Hagai Dekel)

Hodges proposal would allow public entities to reject a low bid from a vendor or scrap a contract with a company if it boycotts or participates in a sanctions campaign against Israel.

A financial analysis notes that Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards issued an executive order that directs state agencies to disqualify bids from and cancel contracts with some companies if they boycott Israel.

The Appropriations Committee advanced Hodges proposal to the House floor without objection Monday.
Iran will continue to export oil despite US pressure, Iran President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on Iranian state TV on Tuesday.

"America's decision that Iran's oil exports must reach zero is a wrong and mistaken decision, and we won't let this decision be executed and operational" Rouhani said.
Security forces in the West Bank arrested overnight Monday eight people on suspicion of being involved in terror activity.

The suspects were taken for further questioning.

IDF troops along with Israel Police also confiscated tools intended for manufacturing of explosives in the village of Beit Ur al-Tahta on the outskirts of Ramallah.
Israel will release more prisoners in return for the remains of other fallen Israeli soldiers recovered by Russian soldiers in Syria, according to a report in Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat Tuesday.

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Over the weekend Israel released two prisoners - a Fatah terrorist and a drug smuggler - sending them to Syria in return for the body of a long-missing IDF soldier Zachary Baumel, retrieved by Russia earlier this year.

The London-based paper reports that sources tell them the initial prisoner swap was just the first stage of a broader deal, which Israeli officials maintain never took place.

Sidqi al-Maqt and Amal Abu Salah

According to Asharq al-Awsat, two Syrian prisoners currently held in Israeli jails - Sidqi al-Maqt and Amal Abu Salah - which many speculated would be released as part of the swap conducted over the weekend - had apparently been told by the Syrian officials they will be freed in the next installment of the deal.

The paper cites Majdal Shams sources - a druze village north of the Golan Heights - the hometown of the two prisoners.

On Sunday, Hamis Ahmed, 35, and Zeidan Tawil, 57, were transferred from Israel to the Syrian border town of Quneitra.

Prisoners arrive in Syria after being freed by Israel

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Ahmed - released four years early - is a Fatah activist from the Yarmuk refugee camp in Syria, while Tawil is a resident of Khader, who was imprisoned in 2008 for drug smuggling. He was to be released in July.

On Saturday, Israel confirmed it had decided to release the two prisoners. An Israeli official claimed the decision was made over the last few days and it wasnt a condition of Baumels initial release by Russia. Israel has recently decided to release the two prisoners as a gesture of goodwill," he said.
Retail giant Amazon inviting Israelis in Hebrew, to sell their products locally for the first time. This as the company poised to operate locally. No date for the launch given yet.
The Israeli military says it's scaling back the permitted fishing zone off the Mediterranean coast of Gaza following a rocket attack from the strip the previous day.

The military said Tuesday fishing would only be permitted up to 6 nautical miles - about 11 kilometers - until further notice.
Senior Islamic Jihad official on Tuesday denied the claims made by Israeli military that the organization's military wing is responsible for firing a rocket into Israeli territory on Monday evening.

The official added the accusations made by Israel are done in order to incide the Palestinians against the organization.
Israel's Foreign Ministry summoned France's Ambassador Helene Le Gal to reprimand her after following remarks by outgoing French Ambassador to the US, who called Israel an apartheid state. Ambassador Le Gal was told such comments are unacceptable and will not be ignored.
In the past weeks, according to Israeli military sources, there are signs the Islamic Jihad plans to escalate tensions between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

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Notably Jihad's efforts to place a large explosive devise on the border targeting Israeli troops and culminating with the launching of a long-range rocket which landed off the shore of Israel late Sunday night.

Rocket launch from Gaza (Photo: Avi Roccah)

These actions by Islamic Jihad are taken without the knowledge or consent of the Ruling Hamas faction and are in fact meant to impede efforts by Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, with Egyptian mediation, to reach a long-term ceasefire arrangement with Israel, that if reached, will deal with some of the suffering by the civilian population, and is also expected to improve Hamas's dire economic situation.

Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yaha Sinwar

Progress towards such an agreement has been made. As a good will gesture, Israel expanded Gaza's fishing zone considerably, for the first time increasing the numbers and variety of fish, contributing to the local economy.

Islamic Jihad's leadership aims to disrupt this course of events even if publicly they say they support it.

Though a Suni Jihadist movement the Islamic Jihad takes its direction and support from Iran.

Ziad Nahala, Islamic Jihad's chief, is intent on maintaining the organization's relevance as the spear head of resistance to Israel

Ziad Nahala

Islamic Jihad's motivation is twofold. On the one hand it is attempting to foil and long-term ceasefire agreement and on the other, it intends to disrupt Israel's Independence Day festivities and the Eurovision song contest due to take place in Tel Aviv next Month.

Israeli military, Monday, named Islamic Jihad's commander in Gaza city, Baha Abu Al Ata, as personally responsible for the rocket launch on Sunday. Israel wishes to signal to Hamas that as the rulers of Gaza, they too, are responsible for Jihad's actions and cannot claim to be in the dark about who is to blame for the rocket fire.

Islamic Jihad Gaza commander Baha Abu Al Ata

Israelis are also notifying Al Ata directly that he is in the cross hairs and must take into consideration possible retaliation from Israel.

The renewed restriction on fishing, bring home to Hamas, Israel's position, that they, Hamas, are ultimately responsible for everything in Gaza.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: As was expected, four days after Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam and AIADMK Whip S Rajendran submitted a petition to Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal seeking to disqualify three AIADMK MLAs for their alleged allegiance to the AMMK, the Speaker issued show-cause notices to them, seeking explanation of their anti-party activities.

Political observers say the move is an exercise to control damage that the three MLAs may cause to the ruling AIADMK in case of a trust vote. If these three MLAs are disqualified by the Speaker, the mandatory majority mark in the Assembly will come down to 116 even after all 22 vacant MLA seats are filled in the by-elections. If the House reaches its full strength, the majority mark will be 118.

Minutes after the news broke, DMK chief MK Stalin issued notice for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, terming his action as biased.

MLAs have 7 days to reply to Speaker

Secretariat sources told Express that Speaker issued notices to three AIADMK MLAs  Rathinasabapathy of Aranthangi, Kalaiselvan of Vriddhachalam and A Prabhu of Kallakuruchi  asking them to explain their anti-party activities within seven days. The MLAs would be disqualified if they failed to respond within the stipulated time, warned the notice. On receiving explanation from the MLAs, the Speaker will scrutinise it and accordingly will decide on the future course of action, said the sources.

In his petition, the AIADMK Whip had submitted videos of the three MLAs campaigning for AMMK in the Lok Sabha elections.Presently, of the 234 seats in the House, 22 are vacant. While 18 seats went vacant after 18 AIADMK MLAs were disqualified by the Speaker in September, 2017, on the charges of withdrawing support to the government, three more seats fell vacant after the demise of the incumbent MLAs including the late DMK supremo M Karunanidhi and one more due to conviction in a riot case.

The present strength of the AIADMK is 114 including three from the allied parties, who won the elections on the party symbol of Two Leaves. The DMK and its alliance have has 97 MLAs while Dhinakaran is an independent MLA from RK Nagar.

Of the 22 seats, ideally the AIADMK has to win just four seats to reach the majority number of 118 in a 234-member-strong House. However, besides these three MLAs now facing disqualification proceedings, the three MLAs from the allied parties are also not very supportive of the ruling regime. So, considering these factors, the party has a solid support of only 108 MLAs in the House.

Hence in the current scenario, the ruling party has to win at least 10 of the 22 MLA seats in the bypolls to comfortably win a possible trust vote in the Assembly. However, if the three MLAs in question are disqualified, the majority mark will be only 116 and so, the AIADMK can survive the trust vote even if it wins just eight seats in the bypolls. By-elections to 18 Assembly segments were conducted on April 18 and those to four constituencies will be held on May 19.
The move will result in sanctions on the organization. According to the report, Trump decision came after his meeting with Egyptian president el-Sisi's visit to the White house earlier this month.
Ever since the results of the Israeli elections were announced, weve been hearing non-stop about the will of the people. Every ridiculous idea proposed by the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties is met with the same response - the people have decided.

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That notion, however, is incorrect. The people didnt vote to accept a list of demands made by the Agudat Israel or Shas parties. Although its true the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox bloc won some 56.22 percent of the overall vote (including the parties that didnt pass the threshold), it doesnt mean the people have decided against a new IDF draft law, intended to draft the ultra-Orthodox to the military.

MKs Rafi Peretz and Aryeh Deri at the 21st Knesset's opening meeting (Photo: Amit Shabi)

It also doesnt mean the people decided to annex the West Bank, increase budgets for Haredi education, and exempt the ultra-Orthodox from studying core subjects (Math, English, Science and Hebrew). And it certainly doesnt mean the people decided to grant those accused of fraud protection from indictment.

In the existing coalition system, an excessive amount of power is given to small parties that barely pass the electoral threshold, and following the April 9 vote, the amount of such parties has grown significantly. The small parties in Israel are not concerned with preserving a stable political environment and its integrity. These parties have an agenda and they dont really care what the general public wants.

Small parties have the power to impose their will, even if it means going against the popular opinion on certain issues. A unity government (even if its headed by the right-wing), would have reflected the will of the public much better than a right-wing and ultra-Orthodox coalition. Unfortunately, it will not happen even if the majority prefers it.

File photo: MKs Yaakov Litzman and Aryeh Deri; 'the people didn't decide against against a draft law for the ultra-Orthodox'' (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg, Avi Mualim)

The sad truth is that having a consensus within the coalition on certain issues doesnt make it a popular opinion among the general public. That's the flaw in the system. Former center-left coalitions (just like the right-wing ones) were also forced to yield to extortion from small coalition partners, threatening to bring about a collapse of the government. Thus, the people are not the ones who decide. Its the minority that does and imposes it on everyone else.

This issue becomes much more serious when a ruling party proposes restoring legislation granting Knesset members parliamentary immunity in order to protect its leader from an upcoming indictment. This sort of proposal, that would turn the Knesset into a safe haven for criminals - has nothing to do with the will of the people.

Not only did the people not decide on exempting Netanyahu from an indictment. Election contenders themselves said that they won't support bids that would make the Knesset a felon's sanctuary.

The 21st Knesset's opening meeting (Photo: EPA)

Netanyahu said, just a day before the elections, that "there will be no immunity law" on his interview with channel 13 news. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and MK Gideon Saar, both Likud Party members, also said they won't support legislation that proposes immunity. It's true, promises given during election campaigns are often quickly broken, for a million excuses. However, one thing must be clear: the people didnt decide on immunity  not for the prime minister, nor for others.

I must confess. I've been writing against the rule of judges for years, the rule that is supposedly there to save us from dangerous politicians. History shows that when such politicians come to power, no court can save the public from them. And in many cases, politicians are far more enlightened individuals than judges.

But will we be seeing dangerous legislation in Knesset's term to come? Let's hope not. But if we do, we must remember that it isn't going to be because the people had decided on it. It's going to be because dangerous politicians have decided to trample the will of the majority.
Israel's 21st Knesset was ceremoniously sworn in on Tuesday afternoon, including its 49 new members, while President Reuven Rivlin urged for unity and mutual respect.

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Rivlin spoke at the opening ceremony and criticized the heated campaigns that preceded the April 9 elections, and pleaded MKs to put aside all differences, stop slamming their political rivals and have clean and honest debates which he called "the only thing that gives this home (of ours) a right to exist, and its status as a Jewish and democratic country a strong base."

Benny Gantz and other MKs take a selfie during the Knesset's opening ceremony (Photo: Amit Shabi)

"We've been through a rough campaign season. We've slammed others and got slammed ourselves," said the president. "Enough now. We must rise above, put our swords aside and clean the dirt. Political strategy can no longer be the only the sole compass."

Rivlin addressed both the coalition and the opposition and shared from his experience on both sides. "It is a great right to serve the people from the opposition, as much as it is a great responsibility," said the president.

President Rivlin during his speech at the opening ceremony of the 21st Knesset (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Rivlin cited Menahem Begin, who was the opposition leader for several terms before he became prime minister, and told the crowd that during the swearing in of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol in 1963, Begin gave everybody a lesson about the important role of the opposition.

"He (Eshkol) must know that we aspire to move him and his colleagues to the opposition, and it isn't only our right  it is our duty," cited the president.

A parade during the opening ceremony of the 21st Knesset (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

To the opposition Rivlin said they must be "honorable winners."

"You are not in the opposition, you have been holding the reins of power and leadership for a long time now," said the president, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 5th term in office.

"It is your duty to stop trying to finish off you rivals, let go of the victimhood, and reign with respect and love over all the different kind of citizens who live here," Rivlin concluded.

After all 120 MKs stood up and declared their commitment to serve, the national anthem, Hatikva, was sung by all but the Arab parties, who did not participate and left the hall.
The Trump administration is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization, the White House said on Tuesday, which would bring sanctions against Egypt's oldest Islamist movement.

"The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process, a White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an email.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked President Donald Trump to make the designation, which Egypt has already done, in a private meeting during a visit to Washington on April 9, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

After the meeting, Trump praised Sisi as a "great president," as a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers raised concerns about Sisi's record on human rights, efforts to keep him in office for many years and planned Russian arms purchases.

Sisi, who ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 and was elected president the following year, has overseen a sweeping crackdown on Islamist as well as liberal opposition in Egypt.
A group of Jewish students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is asking a judge to order a panel discussion about Palestinian human rights off campus because it is anti-Semitic.

The panel, titled "Not Backing Down: Israel, Free Speech, and the Battle for Palestinian Human Rights" is scheduled for Saturday and features Roger Waters, a member of the rock band Pink Floyd. The panelists are expected to argue that pro-Israel groups have tried to silence Palestinian points of view.

A Superior Court judge heard arguments Monday but did not rule.

The panel is sponsored by an organization run by a UMass faculty member, and co-sponsored by two academic departments.

The university said it allowed the event on campus because UMass is "committed to the principles of free speech and academic freedom."
Venezuelan opposition leaders calling for a military uprising against the government of President Nicolas Maduro gained quick messages of support Tuesday from the Trump administration amid a possible turning point in the South American nation's political crisis.

Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton all expressed support for the opposition as its two most prominent figures, Juan Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez, stood with soldiers and called for the people, and the security forces, to rise up against Maduro.

"We are with you!" Pence tweeted to the opposition, in the most direct message of the three. "America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored."
The United States on Tuesday warned against an escalation of violence in northwest Syria, saying any such action "will result in the destabilization of the region."

"We call on all parties, including Russia and the Syrian regime, to abide by their commitments to avoid large scale military offensives, return to a de-escalation of violence in the area, and allow for unhindered humanitarian access," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
ussian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, in a phone call on Tuesday, called for a ceasefire in Libya and renewal of a political process under the aegis of the United Nations, the Kremlin said in a statement.

They also underscored further close coordination between Russia and Turkey aimed at "normalization" in Syria's Idlib province and agreed on "efficient" measures against militants there, the Kremlin said.
An online censorship-monitoring group says Venezuela's state-run internet provider has been restricting access to YouTube and some Google services.

Europe-based NetBlocks says CANTV also briefly restricted access Tuesday to Twitter and Facebook after opposition leader Juan Guaido and freed colleague Leopoldo Lopez said they were rallying military units to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

NetBlocks director Alp Toker says Google's search engine was not affected, but Microsoft's Bing was.

NetBlocks says the blockages were not fully effective but marked a sudden escalation of censorship.

Google and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The spokesman for Turkey's ruling AK Party said on Tuesday that if the United States designated the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organisation, it would hamper democratisation efforts in the Middle East and serve militant groups like Islamic State.

The White House said on Tuesday President Donald Trump was working to declare the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organisation, a step that would bring sanctions against Egypt's oldest Islamist movement.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked Trump to make the designation, which Egypt has already done, in a private meeting during an April 9 visit to Washington, a senior U.S. official said, confirming a report in the New York Times.

Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK Party, said such a decision by the United States would "undoubtedly yield extremely wrong results regarding stability, human rights, basic rights and freedoms in countries of the Islamic world", he said.

"At the same time, (Trump's move) is the biggest support that can be given to the propaganda of Daesh," he said, referring to Islamic State.

Despite being NATO allies, Turkey and the United States are currently at loggerheads mainly over their opposing interests in Syria and Ankara's plans to buy Russian missile defences.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Protests were staged all over the State on Monday, demanding action from the State government in the Intermediate result fiasco. Only days ago, a three-member panel had submitted its enquiry report to the State government. It had held responsible both the Intermediate Board and Globarena Technologies, the private firm that had been hired for pre-exam and post-exam work.

ALSO READ | Action must be taken, says agonized KTR on Inter exam goof-up

Scores of Opposition leaders, calling for a Maha Dharna, demanded the resignation of Education Minister Jagdishwar Reddy and BIE Secretary A Ashok. Some leaders were arrests, others were detained and some were even put under house arrest. Activists from Congress, Telugu Desam Party, CPI and Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and student from NSUI, TVV, PDSU and AISF tried to stage a sit-in, but were taken into preventive custody.

Senior leaders such as Congress Geetha Reddy and TDP State chief L Ramana were also detained. Senior Congress leaders V Hanumantha Rao and Anjan Kumar Yadav were put under house arrest even before they could participate in a protest. The BIE office had been barricaded from protests and security personnel were deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

ALSO READ | Protests continue over goof-up in Intermediate results in Telangana

Elsewhere in the State, Congress leader Nirmala Jayaprakash Reddy in Sangareddy, Taher Bin Hamdan in Nizamabad and Shajid Khan in Adilabad, were taken into preventive custody by police. In Khammam, CPM activists staged a symbolic protest by tying a noose around their necks. Party district secretary N Nageswara Rao wanted TSBIE secretary A Ashok to be arrested and cases booked against TSBIE. In Nizamabad, CPI (ML) New Democracy leader V Prabhakars house was raided by police.
Leading up to this flooding event, we were hearing everywhere that historical flooding was going to happen, Goedeken added. But, no one had a true sense of what that historical flooding would really look like. We started hearing about people loading cattle and taking them to other places the day before the flood and then it became real that something was really going to happen. Just recently, more people have started to contact our office. There was no way to get here at first and people dealing with the aftermath are not used to having to ask for help. Now they are and thats a good thing.

Goedeken and her husband live north of town, away from the areas where the severe flooding occurred. Her in-laws live just two miles west from where the Columbus farmer was killed when a bridge went out on Shell Creek. The Columbus area experienced two of the three fatalities attributed to the flooding in Nebraska. The other fatality in their area was an 80-year-old woman who died in her home after several attempts to rescue her. As of the writing of this article, Platte County has not been deemed a federal disaster area.
Expert Advice with Ken Raiss.

Labor proposed $200 Billion worth of new taxes. Thats a staggering amount  almost unfathomable.

With the many new taxes and policy changes that Labor will implement if they win the May 18th Federal Election, they will tax your income, your home, your superannuation and your savings.

Many of the changes are difficult to understand and the impact on us is hard to determine.

The numbers are so large they are almost meaningless unless of course they are explained, so Ill try and break them down.

$200 Billion in new taxes

Putting this into perspective this sum is more than the whole tax the government receives from individuals and double what it receives from company tax.

Such a massive and immediate drain on the economy must put pressure on both employment levels and wage rises.

This tax impost is equivalent to increasing taxes on every family by over $1800 per year.

Loss of negative Gearing benefits

This has received a lot of publicity recently and it has been revealed that Labor has made a number of incorrect basic assumptions in formulating the potential benefits of the proposed taxes.

Plus they seem to have forgotten how ordinary mum and dad investors are providing housing for renters.

Some other things they seem to have forgotten include:

 Many property investors are ordinary Australians earning about $80,000 per year. These are not greedy investors.



 The Government spends about the same on Public Housing ($4.7 billion) as they do on Recreation and Culture and the trend is less and less each year. Someone (you and me) has to take up the slack.



 It is said that the loss of negative gearing will benefit the government by $3 billion per year (and this figure now seems to be significantly overstated); but property investors spend $44 billion per year to own and maintain these properties.



 In most businesses the initial years start off with losses and this is the same for property investors. The benefit of negative gearing is what all investors and business owners receive when they spend more than they receive to build up a business which will become profitable and pay tax.



 There are 400,000 public houses in Australia compared to over 3 million properties owned by investors. If 10% of investors leave the market, then the Government will need to step in and spend more than the tax saving from disallowing negative gearing.



 Loss of this tax benefit to investors could add over $5,000 to a property investors cash flow which would require them to increase rents on average by over $100 per week.



 Just talking about this policy has reduced house prices due to the uncertainty. So who knows what eventually implementing the actual policy will do. The policy by Labour is specifically designed to help reduce house prices (your home) so that 10% of housing buyers, being first home buyers can afford to get into the market. The Labour Government is punishing 90% of home owners so 10% first home buyers may be better off.



Electric cars

Labor wants 50% of all cars to be electric within 10 years.

Assuming many cars will not be suitable for electric drive i.e. farm vehicles, long distance driving, utes and 4-wheel drive cars then over 75% of passenger cars will be taxed if not electric.

The proposed tax on petrol cars will be over $2,000 per year as they emit more than the 105 grams of carbon.

A 50% target for electric cars will reduce government excise taxes on fuel by $5.5 billion per year.

This loss of revenue will need to be made up from somehow  maybe by things like road levies, poorer road maintenance, no black spot remedial work, higher registration and insurance costs to name a few. This impost will add over $5,500 per year to every hard-working Australian family.

The loss of the cash back on Franking Credits.

Australian who own shares in public companies have their individual tax on dividends pre paid by the company.

When these share owner receives their dividend (their share of the profits in the companies they partly own), they have the value of the prepaid taxes (paid by the company) taken into account.

If the shareholders tax rate is higher than the tax taken by the company (and paid to the government) they will pay a top up tax. If below they get a refund. It is proposed to take this refund away.

This is the same as denying you a tax refund if you overpay your PAYG on wages.

The Labor Party say this will only impact a small portion of Australians but this is false.

Existing retirees are immediately impacted as this cash refund was money they used to live on.

Everyone with super will also be impacted as the non-refund will reduce the cash within super which will mean less investments and therefore less money in retirement.

Retirees will see the impact immediately, everyone else will not see it until retirement.

This is a tax by deceit and Labor is hoping what you cannot see you will not complain about.

Estimates range from an annual loss of about $500 to $2000 for people still in accumulation.

Imagine what this annual loss adds up to over 20 or 30 years.

A similar impact will occur to people who invest in the share market outside of super.

But theres more

Recent Labor announcements, supported by Treasury, show additional taxes and the burden on hard working Australians amount to $387 billion.

If they come to power Labor will be the highest taxing Government in Australian history where taxes represent 25.9% of our GDP compared to a self-imposed previous limit of 23.9%.

This 2% growth represents an additional $35,000 per Australian Household (or over $15,000 per person) in additional taxes, imposts or reduced business activity.

In summary:

Labour propose to tax an additional:

 $57 billion to retirees

 $31 billion on property investors

 $30 billion on businesses using trusts

 $34 billion on higher superannuation taxes

 $5 billion from halving the capital gains tax discount

 $2 billion by limiting what you can spend on accounting and tax services.

 Plus, many more

Whats next?

The Greens and the ACTU would like the introduction of an inheritance tax.

Whats left? How long before your family home will be taxed?

..........................................................



Ken Raiss is director of Metropole Wealth Advisory and gives independent expert advice for property investors, professionals and business owners. He is passionate about real estate investing and small business and is a regular commentator for Michael Yardney's Property Update.



To read more articles by Ken Raiss, click here



Disclaimer: while due care is taken, the viewpoints expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Your Investment Property.
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey named University of Arizona (UA) student Anthony Rusk as a student regent to the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR).

"Anthony is a talented and dedicated student leader, said Governor Ducey. Through his involvement in various student government roles at the University of Arizona, Anthony has demonstrated impressive knowledge of university policy issues and a commitment to supporting his fellow students. I look forward to seeing him represent the university students of Arizona as the newest member of ABOR."

Originally from Bullhead City, Anthony received the prestigious Flinn Scholars scholarship, a merit-based, 4-year full ride scholarship awarded annually to only twenty of the highest-achieving high school seniors in Arizona. Currently, as a sophomore, Anthony is pursuing dual degrees in neuroscience and cognitive science with a minor in biochemistry as well as a degree in Politics, Philosophy, Economics and Law (PPEL). He currently serves as the Policy Director for the Associated Students of the University of Arizona (ASUA). Through his position in ASUA, Anthony serves on a variety of committees including the University Wide General Education Committee, the UA Strategic Planning Committee and the Faculty Senate Committee.

"Congratulations to Anthony Rusk for his selection as the next Student Regent on the Arizona Board of Regents," said UA President Bobby Robbins. "I have enjoyed working with Anthony through his participation in the University of Arizonas strategic planning process and have been impressed with his knowledge of university policy and his focus on supporting his fellow students."

Anthony will replace Student Regent Aundrea DeGravina on July 1, 2019. Governor Ducey appointed Aundrea, a student from Arizona State University, in 2017. During her time on ABOR, she served on the Finance, Capital and Resources Committee, the Academic Affairs and Educational Attainment Committee and the Regents Executive Committee.

I want to thank Aundrea for her advocacy on behalf of the Arizonas university students, said Governor Ducey. She has made an impactful contribution to the work of the board over the last two years, especially in discussions regarding the strategic future of Arizonas public university system.
By IANS

HYDERABAD: A day after bodies of two girls raped and murdered were recovered from a Telangana village in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, police on Tuesday began search for the skeletal remains of a third girl also raped and murdered by the same man.

Following violent protests, police were forced to launch a fresh probe into all the cases of missing girls from the nearby villages.

Hajipur village was rocked by the sensational revelations that the 27-year-old accused of rape and murder of a girl last week has been involved in a series of such offences over last four years.

Srinivas Reddy, who was in police custody, allegedly raped and killed at least three girls and dumped the bodies of two of them in a dry abandoned well on a land owned by him near the village.

The gruesome details came to light during the investigations into the rape and murder of a Class 10 student.

The 14-year-old victim from Hajipur had gone missing while returning home from her school in Keesara on April 25. The next day police found her bag near the well and her body was found inside the well.

While retrieving her body from the well on Monday, police found skeletal remains of another girl. Investigations revealed that the skeletal remains were of an 18-year-old, who had gone missing since April.

The accused allegedly raped and killed her and later dumped her body in the well.

As the news spread, family of an 11-year-old, who was missing since 2015, approached the police.

The girl from Mysireddypally village had gone missing from Hajipur where she had gone to meet her aunt.

Following Reddy's interrogation, the police then launched a search for third victim's skeletal remains in another abandoned well in the same area.

Angry villagers on Tuesday attacked and set ablaze Srinivas Reddy's house. His family members had already fled from the village.

As tension mounted with the protests demanding stringent punishment to the accused, additional police forces were rushed to the village.

Collector Anita Ramchandran also visited the village and took stock of the situation.

The police also began a fresh probe into cases of missing girls from surrounding villages.

The preliminary investigations also revealed that the accused, a lift mechanic, was also involved in the murder of a woman in Kurnool town of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in 2016.

According to the police, after killing the woman he had dumped her body in an overhead water tank adjacent to a penthouse, where he was residing on rent.
By PTI

Colombo: Public mass in the terror-hit Sri Lanka would resume in certain Catholic churches from May 5 and no bags will be allowed inside as part of the tight security measures, according to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.

All public church services were cancelled after the Easter Sunday bomb blasts that ripped through three churches and high-end hotels, killing 253 people and injuring 500 others.

The prelate said on Monday that vigilance committees formed by the residents of the parish would be responsible to identify individuals who enter their respective churches and parishioners will have to confirm their identity before entering a church.

The cardinal, who conducted a private memorial mass on Sunday fearing a repeat of the Easter attacks, told media that bags will not be allowed to be taken inside the churches owing to security measures.

President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's had also attended the private memorial mass.

Also read: Muslim groups congregate for Lanka victims

Commenting on Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's statement that the bombings could have been averted had the Counter-Terrorism Act been in force, he said that amending the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) is better than bringing in a new piece of legislation to counter terrorism, the Daily Mirror reported.

It is easier to amend the existing legislation rather than bringing in a new one.

Effective measures should be taken to apprehend the individuals and groups responsible for these attacks in order to prevent people from taking the law into their hands," he said.

The religious leader said a new government comprising all parties should be appointed.

"No party should think of elections at this moment.

We will even have to take to the streets and lead peaceful protests if the government continues to handle the situation in the manner it presently does.

Action should be taken against ministers and MPs if they were found guilty of being part of the Easter Sunday bombings," he was quoted as saying in the report.

Cardinal Ranjith said he wasn't consulted prior to the appointment of a presidential commission to probe security lapses that led to the Easter bombings.

We are oblivious to the backgrounds of the members in the commission.

We urge the government to appoint another commission comprising religious leaders.

Buddhist clergy is eligible to lead such a commission as they will look into the matter impartially, he said.

A total of 106 suspects, including a Tamil medium teacher and a school principal, have been arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday blasts.

The Islamic State claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the attacks.
By Associated Press

An Army veteran who converted to Islam and discussed launching various terror attacks throughout Southern California was arrested as he plotted to bomb a white supremacist rally as retribution for the New Zealand mosque attacks, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Mark Domingo, an infantryman who served a combat stint in Afghanistan, was arrested Friday after visiting a park in Long Beach where authorities said he planned to plant home-made explosive devices made with nail-filled pressure cookers in advance of a Nazi rally scheduled Sunday.

Domingo, 26, was arrested on a charge of providing material support to terrorists. A criminal complaint said he had been planning since March to "manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction in order to commit mass murder."

US Attorney Nick Hanna told a news conference that Domingo supported violent jihad and spoke about becoming a martyr and of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group if it established a presence in the United States.

US Attorney Nick Hanna stands next to photos of Mark Steven Domingo | AP

"This is a case in which law enforcement was able to identify a man consumed with hate and bent on mass murder, and stop him before he could carry out his attack," Hanna said. "The criminal case outlines a chilling terrorism plot that developed over the past two months and targeted innocent Americans that he expected to gather this past weekend."

Investigators said Domingo posted an online message March 3 that said "America needs another Vegas event," an apparent reference to the 2017 mass shooting that killed 59. He allegedly said it would spark civil unrest to weaken "America by giving them a taste of the terror they gladly spread all over the world."

After Domingo began to discuss seeking revenge for the March 15 attacks that killed 50 people at New Zealand mosques, a confidential source who has worked with the FBI since 2013 began chatting with him about his plans.

Domingo said he had an assault rifle, semi-automatic rifle and several magazines of ammunition. He discussed picking off Jews walking to synagogue, shooting police officers or attacking a church or military base, according to investigators.

When the source asked him how he planned to carry out violence without getting caught, court records said Domingo replied: "Martyrdom, bro."

He also allegedly discussed killing a neighbor he was upset with as a prelude to broader violence and later contemplated bombing the Santa Monica Pier, where he said a summer attack on the crowded tourist spot would maximize casualties because people wouldn't be able to escape the blast in the enclosed space.

Eventually, he settled on the idea of planting an improvised explosive device that would be remotely triggered or detonated by a timer at a white supremacist event, investigators said. The confidential source connected him with a purported bomb maker who was actually an undercover police officer.

Domingo bought 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) of nails long enough to puncture internal organs and provided them to the bomb maker, though the resulting contraption contained only inert materials, authorities said.

If he survived the planned bombing, Domingo allegedly discussed launching further attacks on the Long Beach Port or on a train.

ALSO READ | IS brought to the knees, now has no territory, claims US-backed Syrian force

The plot was thwarted just two days ahead of the event, investigators said, when an FBI SWAT team arrested Domingo after he was given the pressure cookers and surveyed Bluff Park in Long Beach, where the rally was supposed to happen.

White nationalists, however, never showed up at the park Sunday. Instead, a large group of counter protesters demonstrated for peace.

Phone and email messages seeking comment from the public defender representing Domingo were not immediately returned. A voicemail left at a phone number listed for Domingo was not returned.

A statement from his family asked for privacy.

"We do not know what is going on at this point," the statement said. "We are surprised by all of these events in regard with Mark."

The suspect's younger brother told reporters outside the family's Los Angeles home that Mark Domingo had converted to Islam in recent months.

"Like anybody else, I don't want to assume a thing when someone joins a new religion," James Domingo said. "If anything, I thought it was a good thing. I thought maybe my brother finally found some sort of guidance in this world."

James Domingo declined to speculate on whether his brother was guilty, only saying he would "wait for the trial."

Domingo is believed to have acted alone and authorities said the public was not at risk. After Domingo was identified online by the FBI, he was under surveillance around the clock, said Ryan Young, the FBI special agent in charge of counter terrorism at the Los Angeles office.

"Our biggest fear is this was a rapid what we call 'radicalization to mobilization to violence,'" Young said. "Sometimes we get asked 'What keeps you up at night?' This is a case that keeps us up at night."

ALSO READ | Meaningfully address global concerns on terrorism: India and US to Pakistan

While Domingo had appeared committed to carry out the plot, court papers portray him as suddenly reluctant as the bomb plot came together.

He told the others he thought were his confederates they should consider postponing so he could finish reading the Quran and experience the Muslim holy month of Ramadan beginning in May.

Last Wednesday, he told the confidential source he wanted to think about it for a night.

"Let's just sleep on it," he said, according to court papers. "If we're still as motivated ... I'll give the go-ahead."

The next day he sent a message to the supposed bomb maker that the plan was on. The two referred to the bombs as "presents" they needed to wrap for a party.

"Keep the presents somewhere safe lol," Domingo wrote back Friday morning before making plans to meet that night.
There is a popular saying that behind every a successful man is a woman.

When it comes to the music industry in Ghana many male artistes who are married have kept their marriage from the media.

However, some artistes have always been flaunting their beautiful wives and Ghanaians are familiar with them.

READ ALSO : Fella Makafui jams to Medikal's Father featuring Davido in latest video

YEN.com.gh has put together six photos of the wives behind Ghanas top musicians.

1. Sarkodie and Tracy:

The Ghanaian rapper married Tracy in 2018 . They are blessed with a daughter, Titi.

Sarkodie and Tracy are one of the nicest celebrities couples in Ghana currently.

2. Stonebwoy and Louisa

The dancehall sensation married Louisa who is a medical doctor in 2017. They have two kids Jidula and Janam.

According to Stonebwoy, he met Louisa while performing at KNUST and he fell in love with her.

READ ALSO: Nana Aba Anamoah excites fans with photo of her pretty class 3 teacher (photo)

3. Eugene and Beverly Afaglo:

Eugene of Praye fame tied the knot with actress Beverly Afaglo and they have two wonderful kids.

They celebrated their fifth marriage anniversary on April 13, 2019.

4 Kwaw Kese and Doris Kyei Baffuor:

The controversial rapper married Doris Kyei Pokua in 2016. Kwaw Keses wife is a well known Ghanaian actress.

Doris is popularly known as Pokua because of her role in Ghanaian television series, Efiewura.

5. Edem and Stacy Osekre:

Ghanaian rapper Edem married his wife Stacey Osekere in a private ceremony at the lady's family home in Teshie.

They celebrated their 5th marriage anniversary some weeks ago.

6. Okyeame Kwame and Anica

The renowned rapper married Anica in 2009. They celebrated their 10th anniversary on January 16, 2019.

Their marriage has been blessed with children.

READ ALSO: Moesha Boduong teases fans with 'Osofo Maame' dress-like photos

Ghana News Today: Spokesperson Justifies Chief Imams Visit to Church During Easter| #Yencomgh

Have national and human interest issues to discuss?

Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition?

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Source: YEN.com.gh
New Delhi: A special court on Tuesday allowed Congress leader Shashi Tharoor to travel to the United States after he was prohibited from travelling abroad pending decision in his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death case.

Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj approved Tharoor's plea directing him to provide the travel details to the investigating officer. It also asked him not to tamper with the evidence or influence witnesses in the case.

Tharoor had moved an application seeking permission to visit the US to attend some conferences and events.

Tharoor is an accused in his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death case. He has been charged under sections 498A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), but has not been arrested in the case.

Sunanda was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in Delhi on January 17, 2014. The couple was staying in the hotel as the official bungalow of Tharoor was being renovated at that time.

On July 3, 2018, Tharoor was granted bail on the condition that he will not leave the country without permission.
Indian Coast Guard and Navy have deployed ships and helicopters for relief and rescue operations in the view of cyclone Fani, which is heading towards Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, reports news agency ANI.

The Army and Air Force units in Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have been put on standby. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is deploying 41 teams for prepositioning while states have issued advisories to ensure that fishermen do not venture into the sea.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed total 41 teams - eight in Andhra Pradesh, 28 in Odisha and five in West Bengal. In addition, the NDRF has kept on standby 13 teams in West Bengal and 10 in Andhra Pradesh.

National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) also met with states departments to review the preparedness to deal with the situation. A meeting is also scheduled for Wednesday to take stock of the emerging situation.

Indian Coast Guard & Navy have deployed ships&helicopters for relief&rescue ops. Army&Air Force units in Andhra, Odisha & WB have been put on standby. NDRF is deploying 41 teams for prepositioning. States have issued advisories to ensure that fishermen do not venture into the sea https://t.co/YXtu5mg38d  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

According to the latest advisory issued by Indian Metereological Department (IMD) Kolkata, a very severe form of Fani over Southwest and adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal is moving northwestwards with a speed of about 21 kmph in last six hours and lay centred on Tuesday afternoon over Southwest and adjoining westcentral and Southeast Bay of Bengal, about 1120 km south-southwest of Kolkata and 760 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha).

In the next six hours, it is very likely to intensify further into an extremely severe storm. Fani is very likely to move northwestwards till Wednesday evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards and cross Odisha Coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, to the south of Puri around the afternoon of May 3.

HR Biswas, Director Meteorological Department, Bhubaneswar, told ANI, that cyclone Fani will move along the coast of Odisha and then go to West Bengal. "We have suggested suspension and diversion of railway traffic and advised people to remain indoors."

HR Biswas, Director Meteorological Department, Bhubaneswar: Speed of #CycloneFani at time of landfall will be 175-185 km/h. Cyclone will move along the coast of Odisha & go to West Bengal. We've suggested suspension & diversion of railway traffic & advised people to remain indoor pic.twitter.com/gxIbHYTIfy  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

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The Ministry of Home Affairs earlier today ordered the advance release of Rs 1,086 crore to the State Disaster Response Funds of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
New Delhi: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued an update on cyclone Fani, which is likely to intensify over the Odisha coast on May 1.

NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) India: Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Fani likely to hit Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, south of Puri on 3rd May with wind speed of 175-185 kmph gusting upto 205 kmph.  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

The statement issued by NDMA, reported by news agency ANI, says that an 'extremely severe' form of cyclone Fani is likely to hit between Gopalpur and Chandbali, south of Puri in Odisha on May 3 with wind speed of 175-185 kmph gusting upto 205 kmph.

Fani is very likely to intensify into a severe storm by 1 pm on Tuesday, and thereafter into an extremely severe storm by May 1. It is very likely to move northwestwards till Wednesday evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards towards the Odisha Coast.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at a few places over coastal Odisha and adjoining districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh on 3 and 4 May. Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places is also expected over coastal districts of West Bengal on these days.

In view of the cyclone, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and BrahMos Aerospace have put on hold the testfire of the air-launched version of supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft.

Several high-level meetings are also taking place at the Centre and the states to take stock of the situation.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also ordered the advance release of Rs 1,086 crore to the State Disaster Response Funds of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday paid tribute to late Air Chief Marshal Idris Hasan Latif on his first death anniversary.

Born on June 9, 1923 at Hyderabad, Latif was appointed as Chief of the Air Staff on August 31, 1978. He retired on August 31, 1981.

#Remembering : Indian Air Force pays tribute to late Air Chief Marshal Idris Hasan Latif on his First Death Anniversary. Latif was born on 09 June 1923 at Hyderabad. He was appointed as Chief of the Air Staff on 31 August 1978 and he retired on 31 Aug 1981. pic.twitter.com/041XqFb35K  Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) April 30, 2019

Air Chief Marshal Latif passed away on April 30, 2018 at his residence at the age of 95 years. IAF posted a tweet saying he was a great air-warrior and a true gentleman. IAF also said in its tweet that Air Chief Marshal Latif will always be remembered as a great leader.

Air Chief Marshal IH Latif passed away on 30 April 2018, at his residence at the age of 95 years. He was a great Air-warrior and a true Gentleman. You will always be remembered as a great leader. Jai Hind  Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) April 30, 2019

During his tenure as Chief of the Air Staff, Latif was involved in re-equipment and modernisation of the IAF. He had played an important role in the induction of modern aircraft like Jaguar, MiG-23 & MiG-25.

#DidYouKnow : As Chief of the Air Staff, Latif was involved in re-equipment and modernisation of the Indian Air Force. He was instrumental in the induction of modern aircraft like Jaguar, MiG-23 & MiG-25. pic.twitter.com/OVCDD24rN1  Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) April 30, 2019

After retirement, he has also served as the governor of Maharashtra and later as the Indian ambassador to France. Latif was educated at Nizam College, Hyderabad, at the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in the Nilgiris, and at the National Defence College.

Air Chief Marshal Latif was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force in 1942, and he had participated in the Burma Campaign on the Arakan Front during World War II. He was also a member of the Indian Advisory Group to Indonesia that helped the Indonesian Air Force induct jet fighters. Latif also served as Air Defence commander and as a Senior Air staff officer in the Eastern Air Command. Latif was the air attache at the Indian embassy in Washington from 1961 to 1965. He was Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (plans) during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.

In 1971, Latif was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. Latif was promoted to the rank of Air Marshal in 1974 and posted as air officer in charge, administration, at Air Headquarters. Latif also led the relief operations carried out by IAF during the Patna floods in 1975.
New Delhi: The Indian Navy is in a state of high alertness all along the country's Bay of Bengal coastline as cyclone storm 'Fani' intensifies over the Bay of Bengal.

The coastal states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal could witness heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by high-speed winds by Tuesday evening with the Indian Meteorological Department predicting a severe cyclonic storm. While locals all along the coastline in these states have been warned to get to safer grounds, the Indian Navy too is leaving nothing to chance. The Eastern Naval Command has assumed a high degree of readiness to render necessary humanitarian assistance if, when and where required. Ships in the area have been equipped with additional inflatable rubber boats and relied materials while additional divers and doctors have been put on board as well.

In addition, two aircraft are also on standby at Naval Air Stations INS Rajali at Arakkonam, Tamilnadu and INS Dega at Visakhapatnam. These aircraft have been tasked to carry out reconnaissance missions and may be used for rescue operations, casualty evacuation and airdrop of relief material if and when required.

Indian Naval ships at Visakhapatnam & Chennai are ready & standing-by to proceed to the most affected areas to undertake Humanitarian Aid Distress Relief (HADR), evacuation, logistic support including providing medical aid. 2/n pic.twitter.com/N4laeFJ9zb  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 30, 2019

Naval aircraft are also standing by at the Naval Air Stations INS Rajali at Arakkonam, Tamilnadu and INS Dega at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, casualty evacuation and air drop of relief material to the stranded if required 4/4 pic.twitter.com/OsdawHII50  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 30, 2019

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force is also on high alert while the Home Ministry has assured of all possible assistance to the four states most likely to be affected by the prevailing and upcoming conditions.

The IMD said that wind speeds are currently between 80kmph and 100 kmph over southeast Bay of Bengal and these could rise to 130kmph in the days to come. The sea off north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast is especially expected to be rough.

News agency IANS reported that Fani is expected to move northwestwards till Wednesday and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards towards the Odisha coast.
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested a 29-year-old suspect linked to the Islamic State terror group, for allegedly conspiring to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala.

The anti-terror agency said that during the interrogation, the accused, identified as Riyas A, disclosed that he had been following speeches and videos of Zahran Hashim of Sri Lanka and Zakir Naik for over a year. He also admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala.

Hashim is the mastermind of April 21 Easter Sundays suicide bombings in Sri Lanka.

According to the agency, Riyas had been in touch with Islamic State operative Abdul Rashid Abdulla. Riyas also admitted that he was following Abdulla's audio clips which instigated terror attacks in India. "He revealed that he was also having online chat with Abdul Khayoom alias Abu Khalid, another IS-linked suspect, believed to be in Syria," said the agency.

The accused hails from Palakkad district of Kerala.

A case was initially registered in July 2016 after at least 15 people had disappeared from Kasargod. It was later revealed that 14 of them had left for Afghanistan and one for Syria to fight for Islamic State. Abdulla is believed to be the leader of a group of 22 people, who had travelled to Islamic State held territories in Afghanistan.

The NIA said it had earlier received inputs that a group of four people were in contact with some of the accused including Abdul Rashid, Ashfaq Majeed and Khayoom among others, who have already migrated to Afghanistan and Syria. It added that NIA carried out searched at three places in Kerala's Kasaragod and Palakkad on Sunday.

"At least three people were interrogated by the NIA for their IS-links," said an official.

Riyas A will be produced before the NIA court in Kochin on Tuesday.
NEW DELHI: A day before the UN sanctions committee meeting, China on Tuesday said that it supports the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar at the 1267 United Nations Security Council committee as a global terrorist.

Replying to a question at the daily Foreign Ministry briefing, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Geng Shuang said, "We have stated our position many times. I won't go detail here. I just want to emphasize that.. China supports the issue of listing, which should be resolved through political consultation within the framework of the 1267 Committee."

"I think that is also the consensus of the overwhelming majority of the members of the Council. At present, the relevant consultations are underway in the 1267 Committee. Within the framework. And positive progress has been made," added Geng.

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Wion had reported on Sunday that China is willing to soften its stand on the listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. The remarks from China comes just few days after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Beijing.

In March, China had put a hold on listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the United Nation Security Council.

Last week, the UK had expressed optimism that Jaish chief Masood Azhar will be soon listed as a global terrorist. Speaking to reporters in Delhi, British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith on friday said," We are strong supporters of listing of Masood Azhar for a decade. So that we will get to that conclusion shortly. I do remain optimistic that it will be resolved and very much it will be"

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale was in China last week and during his visit to Beijing, he gave evidence regarding JeM's involvement in terror attacks in India. During his visit, Gokhale met many Chinese officials including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

India's External Affairs Ministry after the visit said, "We have shared with China all evidence of terrorist activities of Jaish-e-Mohammad and its leader Masood Azhar. It is now for the 1267 Sanctions Committee and other authorized bodies of the U.N. to take a decision on the listing of Masood Azhar. "

Jaish was responsible for the February 14 Pulwama attack that resulted in the martyrdom of 40 CRPF personnel. US, along with UK and France had proposed for a listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack.
By IANS

San Francisco: India offers great potential for Google-owned YouTube's growth and the latest in the journey is YouTube Music that has been downloaded more than 15 million times in the country, CEO Sundar Pichai has said.

Admitting that recent ad product changes in YouTube and Search are hurting its top-line growth, the company sounded bullish on YouTube during its first quarter results on Monday.

"YouTube Music and YouTube Premium are now available in 43 countries up from five markets at the start of 2018. In mid-March, we launched YouTube Music in India, one of YouTube's fastest growing markets.

"Since launch, the YouTube Music app has been downloaded more than 15 million times in the country," Pichai told analysts during the company's earnings call.

YouTube's ad business, for both brand and direct response campaigns, continues to grow and support our creators, said the Indian-origin CEO.

Pichai said he is focused towards sanitising the content on YouTube.

"Maybe I will start with the YouTube comments. I talked about in the area of content responsibility, we are definitely focused on making sure we are constantly improving how we are handling both in terms of reducing the content and shouldn't be there on the platform.

"More importantly, making sure when we recommend content that we are recommending high-quality content as well as reducing harmful content or low-quality content being recommended," he emphasised.

The video sharing platform was criticised recently for hosting controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who is banned from several major social networking platforms for his offensive posts, on a two-hour long podcast episode accessible to its 1.8 billion global users.

Earlier this year, YouTube announced changes that reduce recommendations of content that comes close to violating its guidelines or that misinforms in harmful ways.

"There are a lot more improvements, which we will be rolling out in the next few weeks and our work is ongoing," Pichai said.

On Cloud, Pichai said that nine of the world's 10 largest media companies, seven of the 10 largest retailers and more than half of the 10 largest companies and manufacturing, financial services, communications and software use Google Cloud.

"Thomas (Kurian) is really building upon a strong foundation, but we are really accelerating and scaling up go-to-market both internally and through our channel partners has been a huge focus," Pichai noted.

Thomas Kurian, former Oracle President of product development, joined Google Cloud early this year.

"I think we are building a strong business across all our verticals, and we are definitely seeing a strong momentum, and look forward to being able to share more at the appropriate time," Pichai added.
The past several summers have been cruel to Latur in Maharashtra but the city this year faces a bigger water scarcity problem than ever before. While previous years have seen taps going dry in May, locals here have seen water stop flowing in April itself.

Latur is infamous for its woefully scarce water supply in the summer months each year. This year, however, the wrath of the sun has been such that water supply has been reduced to a trickle even before it was expected to happen. The high temperatures in the month of April have resulted in water levels falling drastically in the Manjara Dam - the main source of water for the city. This has forced local authorities to pull back on water supply.

While locals were getting water once in eight days for most parts of April, they will have to wait for ten days starting May 1 before filling their buckets. Even then, the supply would only be for an hour. The city has been divided into ten areas and supply of water would be circulated from one to the other each passing day.

Almost every single house in the city has placed water drums outside while those with access to personal borewells are reportedly selling water to others at high rates. Even owners of water tankers have hiked rates with a 6000-capacity vehicle charging up to Rs 8,000.

Zee News has regularly reported on the water woes of Latur each year but the situation has hardly improved.

This year too, the city has to contend with what the locals say is a result of official apathy and a complete lack of long-term vision to restore groundwater tables here.
Delhi: A 55-year-old man, identified as Dinesh Dixit, was arrested on Monday night for allegedly killing the wife of a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander in Dwarka's Sector-7 area.

Police said that the accused is a property dealer and he entered the IAF wing commander's home on friendly terms. He had met Meenu Jain, the wife of the officer, through a dating app and they were in contact for the past few months.

On Friday morning, 52-year-old Meenu Jain was found lying unconscious at her house in Dwarka. She was later taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

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Her face was smothered and the accused fled with cash and jewellery. The family members said two mobile phones, jewellery and cash worth Rs 50 lakh was also missing from the house.

Police got the leads through the CCTV camera, which showed that Dixit had arrived at Jain's society in a white car. On checking her social media accounts like Facebook and WhatsApp, the police found a Google Map location. Further interrogation revealed that the duo met via the dating app, which also helped police identify Dixit.

Through the map, the police located Dixit in Jaipur and they later verified the different CCTV footages at the different toll plazas. He was then arrested.

As per Dixit, he and Jain had lunch together and then he got her drunk. When she fell unconsciousness, he looted the house and then suffocated her with a pillow. After killing her, he drank the whole night at her home and then fled away.

Police seized three pillows and a towel with blood stains from the room. Three vessels and five cups, used for making and drinking tea, were also seized.
A sessions court in Surat on Tuesday sentenced Narayan Sai to life in prison after he was convicted on charges of rape, unnatural offences, assault, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy last week. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Narayan Sai. Narayan Sai was convicted on Friday under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy).

Narayan Sai, son of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, had been convicted on charges of raping two sisters in a case filed by a former lady devotee in 2013. He had been in jail since December of 2013.

On Tuesday, Narayan Sai's lawyer argued that leniency be shown to his client and that the verdict in the Nirbhaya case cannot be applied here. The public prosecutor, however, argued that nothing short of life sentence ought to be awarded to the convict and that he should also pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the complainant.

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The public prosecutor has urged the court to award life term to Narayan Sai, while the lawyer for disgraced self-style godman had urged the court to give a punishment of four years behind bars.

Narayan Sai's close aides Ganga, Jamuna and Hanuman were awarded jail term of 10 years each and the court has also imposed a fine of Rs 5000 on ech one of them.

Narayan Sai had been arrested by Delhi Police on December 4, 2013, while trying to cross the border of the national capital. He was in disguise when arrested by the police. Both he and his father have been accused of rape of the sisters. The case was registered in 2013.

Last year, the Enforcement Directorate had filed a chargesheet in the money laundering case against Narayan Sai. The EC had filed the chargesheet in a court in Ahmedabad.
Indore: Janaki Harpalani, the wife of Narayan Sai, on Tuesday welcomed the court's decision to award life term to her husband, saying the verdict has given justice to everyone who has been assaulted by Narayan Sai and his father Asaram.

She added that father-son duo has always used religion to fulfil their wrong desires and have cheated those women who used to respect them as their 'guru' and father.

Janaki said that Narayan Sai and Asaram have insulted the pride of women and its a big crime. She remarked that Surat court's verdict will serve as a lesson to those who use religion to sexually assault women. Janaki noted that she had full faith in the judiciary and the verdict should be seen as a victory for justice and truth.

Janaki made the statements shortly after a sessions court in Surat sentenced Narayan Sai to life in prison after he was convicted on charges of rape, unnatural offences, assault, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy last week. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Narayan Sai.

Narayan Sai, son of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, had been convicted on charges of raping two sisters in a case filed by a former lady devotee in 2013. He had been in jail since December of 2013.

On Tuesday, Narayan Sai's lawyer argued that leniency be shown to his client and that the verdict in the Nirbhaya case cannot be applied here. The public prosecutor, however, argued that nothing short of life sentence ought to be awarded to the convict and that he should also pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the complainant.

Narayan Sai's close aides Ganga, Jamuna and Hanuman were awarded jail term of 10 years each and the court has also imposed a fine of Rs 5000 on each one of them. Narayan Sai was arrested by Delhi Police on December 4, 2013.
New Delhi: Coastal states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal will be on high alert as the cyclone storm `Fani` is "very likely" to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm in next 24 hours, the Indian Meteorological Department warned on Monday evening.

Fani is expected to move northwestwards till Wednesday and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards towards the Odisha coast.

Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha on Monday took stock of the situation, arising out of the storm that has been intensifying in the in southeast Bay of Bengal, at a National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting here, a Home Ministry statement said.

The meeting followed directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is closely monitoring the situation.

The IMD has warned of light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy rainfall at isolated places in Kerala on Monday and Tuesday.

There are chances of light to moderate rainfall in north coastal Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh as well.

On Thursday, light to moderate rainfall is "very likely" over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and south coastal Odisha, which is expected to increase in intensity to heavy to very heavy rainfall.

On Friday, light to moderate rainfall with heavy falls is "very likely" to commence over coastal districts of West Bengal.

Strong winds of 80-100 kmph are prevailing over southeast Bay of Bengal and its neighbourhood, the IMD said.

These are very likely to increase gradually, becoming 120-130 kmph gusting to 145 kmph on Tuesday and to 185 kmph on Wednesday, the IMD warned.

Sea conditions are likely to be "rough to very rough" along and off Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts till Wednesday.

The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into deep sea areas of Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.

The NCMC will again meet on Tuesday to take stock of the situation.

"During the meeting, officers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal confirmed their full preparedness to deal with any emerging situation arising out of the cyclonic storm.

"The state governments have adequately warned fishermen not to venture into the sea and highlighted that there is a seasonal ban on fishing in sea up to June 14 due to the breeding season," said the statement.

On a request by the states, the ministry assured them of releasing in advance the first instalment of the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), added the statement.

Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal attended the meeting through video conference. Senior officers from the Central ministries and agencies concerned were also in attendance.

"The government is keeping a close watch on the impact on states on the eastern coast. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert and are coordinating with the state government authorities. They have positioned themselves adequately," the statement said.

Regular warnings have been issued since April 25 to fishermen not to venture into the sea and asking those at sea to return to the coast, said the statement, adding that the IMD has been issuing three-hourly bulletins with latest forecast to all the states concerned.
NEW DELHI: There is need to reshape India's space policy to help the three defence services meet enhanced threat perceptions in its neighbourhood, a senior Army officer said on Tuesday.

Participating in the ORF Kalpana Chawla Annual Space Policy Dialogue here, Lt Gen Taranjit Singh, Director General Perspective Planning at the Army headquarters, said there is an urgent need to restructure and reshape the nation`s space policy in view of the enhanced threat perceptions from China and Pakistan.

Noting that "Pakistan is the proxy space power of China", he said India should tap advanced space technologies to meet its security challenges.

According to an ORF release issued on Tuesday, Lt Gen Taranjit Singh said that potential of space technology should be used not only for military logistics but also for weapons and missile deployment.

He noted that China has integrated its space programme with its security and military requirements which has enhanced capabilities of its People`s Liberation Army.

Lt Gen Singh said the launch of niche quantum satellite by China for communication has given it an edge and there is a need for fast developing such niche satellites by India also.

He also said that China`s anti-satellite weapons capability has increased India`s concerns about its space assets.

Dr. B.N. Suresh, a former Member of the Space Commission, and Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, said that protecting space assets was of vital importance.
The Madurai bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday quashed the order granting special powers to Kiran Bedi as Puducherry Lieutenant Governor. The court said that Bedi cannot interfere in the day to day affairs of the government under the guise of supremacy or public interest, stating technical reasons, when there is an elected government in power.

The HC gave the order on a case filed by Puducherry Congress legislator K Lakshminarayanan against Bedi. Lakshminarayanan on Tuesday said the court ruled that administrative and financial powers are with the elected government and the Lt Governor has to act as per the advice of the Council of Ministers. He also added that the court struck down the clarifications issued by Union Home Ministry in 2017 on the powers of the Lt Governor.

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The decision comes as a huge relief to Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy who has had several face-offs with Kiran Bedi over the extent of her powers in the Union Territory.

In April 2017, the Lieutenant Governor had landed in a major controversy when she said that the free rice distribution would be conditional to the certification of the village being open defecation free. However, she took back the order within days as it drew flak from the legislators.

Later, her nomination of MLAs to the Puducherry Assembly, 2 of whom were part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had also triggered a row.
KOLKATA: Facing criticism from BJP leaders for meeting TMC leader, the saffron party's candidate from Jadavpur seat Anupam Hazra on Tuesday said that his meeting with TMC leader Anubrata Mondal was a courtesy visit and media should not politicise the matter.

It is to be noted that Hazra had joined the BJP from Trinamool Congress in March. Hazra's decision to meet Mondal sparked speculations that he may return to TMC in future.

Hazra met Mondal, TMC's Birbhum district president, at the latter's party office. The meeting took place on a day when polling in two seats of Birbhum district was underway in the fourth phase.

"I had met Anubrata Mandal in a courtesy visit yesterday. It has nothing to do with politics. His mother passed away few days ago so I went to meet him. What's wrong in it? The media has unnecessarily politicised it," he said at a press conference.

Jadavpur is scheduled to witness polling in the last phase on May 19. Hazra tries to defend himself and said that one of the reasons why he decided to snap ties with TMC because of his differences with Mondal.

Senior BJP leader Mukul Roy also defenced Hazra, saying he is a victim of "political conspiracy".

Meanwhile, the BJP had asked Hazra to submit an explanation about his meeting with Mondal. "Anubrata Mondal is the last word in Birbhum district. I came to offer condolences on the demise of his mother," Hazra had said on Monday. He had also remarked that the senior TMC leader is like his "uncle".

For his part, Mondal had said he met Hazra but did not wish him victory in the Jadavpur. "If he (Hazra) accepts his mistake, he may come back to us (TMC). I can make him MP again. I can speak to (TMC supremo) Mamata Banerjee about it," he had said.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, however, appeared upset over the development and said he will talk to Hazra about it, PTI reported. "He (Hazra) has said it was a courtesy visit. But it would have been better had he met Anubrata Mondal on some other day. In our party we have discipline and all of us have to maintain it," Ghosh had said.
The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday banned senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan from campaigning for 48 hours for his provocative remarks against poll authorities in Uttar Pradesh.

This is the second time this month that the poll panel has banned Azam from election campaigning. The fresh ban will come into force at 6.00 AM Wednesday.

"The Commission observes that Sh. Azam Khan has made highly provocative speeches in his public utterances against the district election machinery and also on the religious lines, that have the propensity to polarize the elections, which is not confined to the constituency only where the statement is made, but to the other parts as well due to fast dissemination of information in this digital age," the EC said in its order.

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"The Commission, based on the material facts and evidences, is convinced that Sh Azam Khan in his impugned speeches has appealed to secure votes on religious lines that tantamount to violation of 'General Conduct' of 'Model Code of Conduct'," it added.

Earlier this month, the EC had banned Azam Khan from campaigning for 72 hours for his below-the-belt remark against actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada, the BJP candidate from Rampur.

"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," Azam Khan had said.

While addressing a rally after the ban, Khan had got emotional and had alleged that he was being treated as an anti-national and a terrorist. "The three-day ban by Election Commission just ahead of the elections implies what they want to do. During the ban I cannot go anywhere, I cannot meet anyone, nor participate in rallies and public addresses," he had said.
New Delhi: The Election Commission will take a decision on complaints of model code violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday.

Deputy election commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said Monday that the 'full commission' would meet Tuesday morning and decide on the complaints.

"The secretariat has processed everything and place the details before the Commission," he said.

The Commission meets every Tuesday and Thursday to discuss important issues.

The poll panel is also likely to discuss the possible dates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections on Tuesday. The state elections could not be held along with Lok Sabha polls as the Union Home Ministry had cited law and order problems in holding simultaneous election.

The meeting of the Commission will take place on a day when the Supreme Court will hear a Congress MP's plea seeking direction to the poll panel to decide without any "demur" the complaints against Modi and Shah on their alleged hate speeches and using armed forces for "political propaganda".

Asked whether the meeting has deliberately been coincided with hearing in SC, another deputy election commissioner Sandeep Saxena said the agenda for the EC's meet was fixed last week itself.

Responding to questions on delay on the part of the EC in taking a decision, Saxena said a "comprehensive view" is required for which legal, model code and expenditure divisions are involved.

Addressing a rally in Ausa of Latur in Maharashtra on April 9, Modi had urged young voters to cast ballots in the name of heroes of the Balakot air strike.

The local poll authorities in Maharashtra are learnt to have told the EC here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks asking first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the Balakot air strike, are prima facie violative of its orders, asking parties against using the armed forces in their campaigns.

PM Modi had said, "Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike."

"I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan. Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack)," Modi had said.

On a question about Modi's remarks not being violative of the EC's guidelines because he had not sought votes for any party, an official said the matter is before EC and it would decide on it Tuesday.

A decision on Shah's reported remarks on 'Modi ji ki vayu sena' made in West Bengal on Monday will also be taken on Tuesday.

The EC had sought reports on Modi and Shah in the context of its advisory issued last month asking parties to desist from indulging in political propaganda involving actions of the armed forces.

"...Parties/candidates are advised that their campaigners/candidates should desist, as part of their election campaigning, from indulging in any political propaganda involving activities of defence forces," the commission said on March 19.

Rahul Gandhi's 'chowkidar chor hai' jibe against Modi is also under EC lens and the decision is slated for Tuesday. Transcripts of his two media interactions/interviews in which he had reportedly made these remarks have been obtained and it is under the consideration of the Commission.
By AFP

CARACAS: Venezuela's self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido claimed Tuesday that troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, whose government vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup by the US-backed opposition leader.

An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support disintegrated into rioting as palls of black smoke rose over eastern Caracas.

The government said it was "deactivating" an attempted coup by a small group of "treacherous" soldiers.

And there was little early sign Maduro's iron grip on the military -- which has kept him in power in a months-long standoff with Guaido -- had slipped.

On Twitter, he claimed the military chiefs had assured him of their "total loyalty".

Confusion reigned in Caracas as a crowd that swelled to thousands, many waving Venezuelan flags, flocked onto a highway near a Caracas military base.

Guaido had rallied his supporters with an early morning video message that showed him with armed troops he said had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Maduro.

The 35-year-old National Assembly leader -- recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries -- was filmed outside the La Carlota air base, where he urged the armed forces inside to join him.

Guaido claimed the move was the "beginning of the end" of Maduro's regime, and there was "no turning back".

But as the crowd swelled around the base, police fired tear gas to keep them away from the perimeter.

Later troops in riot gear, backed by armored vehicles and water tankers, lined up against the demonstrators on a highway wreathed in tear-gas.

Several of the vehicles ran into the crowd, injuring some of the protesters. Rioters later blocked the highway with a bus and set it on fire.

A pall of black smoke also rose from an area near a helicopter hangar on the base. Soldiers put out the fire and fired tear gas at demonstrators who were trying to dismantle the steel perimeter fence.

"Today is the day Maduro resigns. Today is the day all the country's drug dealers resign. Today we have a Venezuela. Today we have a nation," said one protester amid the confusion.

As UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed to all sides to avoid violence, Venezuela's army chief and defense minister, General Vladimir Padrino, issued a stark warning of possible "bloodshed" -- adding that he would hold the opposition responsible.

In a message on Twitter, Padrino said the situation in military barracks and bases in the country was "normal."

He later said an army colonel had received a bullet wound to the neck during the clashes in Caracas.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez called on the army "to remain on maximum alert to -- with our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces -- defeat the attempted coup and preserve peace."

US support

The US, meanwhile, threw its full support behind Guaido, with the White House calling on the military to protect the people and support the country's "legitimate institutions," including the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

"The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter.

Russia, Maduro's main backer and creditor with China, accused Guaido of "fueling conflict" in the oil-rich country.

Maduro's leftist Latin American allies Cuba and Bolivia also condemned Guaido.

President Ivan Duque of neighbouring Colombia -- home to more than a million refugees from Maduro's regime -- called on Twitter for "soldiers and the people of Venezuela to place themselves on the right side of history, rejecting dictatorship and Maduro's usurpation."

Internet observatory NetBlocks reported "multiple internet services" were restricted in Venezuela following Guaido's appeal.

ALSO READ | Venezuelan Opposition leader freed from house arrest

'Definitive phase'

In his video, recorded outside the La Carlota base, Guaido said the "definitive phase" had begun in his attempt to oust Maduro -- who has presided over a catastrophic economic implosion since taking over from his late mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013.

"Brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men supporting the constitution have answered our call," Guaido said.

Guaido appeared alongside high-profile opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez who had been put under house arrest by Maduro's regime but who announced he had been "freed" by soldiers supporting Guaido.

Tuesday's call comes ahead of opposition plans to hold a massive Mayday protest in Caracas.

Tensions in Venezuela have been ratcheted up to a critical level this year, after Guaido, who is head of the opposition-ruled National Assembly, announced January 23 that he was the acting president under the constitution. He said Maduro had been fraudulently re-elected last year.

The United States and major Latin American powers including Brazil, Peru and Chile swiftly backed Guaido, followed later by EU nations.

Yet although US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said "all options" are on the table regarding Venezuela -- including, implicitly, military action -- there has been no noticeable US military mobilization.

Instead, Washington has upped the economic pressure, through sanctions aimed at Maduro's regime and by cutting sales of Venezuelan oil -- the South American country's main revenue earner.

It also warned against any attempt to arrest Guaido, who has been left free to roam Venezuela and hold rallies.

Maduro and his government have repeatedly accused the United States of trying to foment a coup, and blame the economic devastation in the country on the tightening US sanctions.
The Election Commission on Tuesday served notice to the Samajwadi Partys candidate from Varanasi parliamentary constituency Tej Bahadur Yadav and asked him to get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Border Security Force (BSF). Over which, Yadav alleged that the government is targeting him for his nomination.

Yadav, a former BSF constable, was dismissed from service two years ago over his viral post on poor food quality for jawans. Yadav has been directed by the poll panel to file his response by Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth want him to cancel his nomination.

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Yadav is challenging PM Modi from Varanasi. He claimed that the Election Commission has served him with notice despite finding nothing wrong in his nomination paper.

He said that he will be a part of the election until the last stage. "I will fight against PM Modi from Varanasi and if need be, I will support Shalini Yadav too or any other leader too."

Shalini was previously fielded from Varanasi by the SP. However, she was on Monday replaced by Yadav as the party's candidate from the crucial Lok Sabha seat.

Yadav has earlier expressed to contest from Varanasi as an Independent candidate against PM Modi, asserting that he wants to question the Prime Minister about the promises he has fulfilled till date.

He had uploaded a video on social media complaining about the poor quality of food being served to the troops posted along the Line of Control (LoC). However, Yadav was immediately dismissed by the BSF on the charge of indiscipline.
New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday released a list of 40 star campaigners who will lead the party's charge in Punjab and Chandigarh ahead of May 19 voting in Lok Sabha election 2019 here.

While Congress president Rahul Gandhi will once again take the pole position in reaching out to voters on behalf of his party, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, state minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and national leaders Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni and Manish Tewari too have been named in the list which includes - as was expected - Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot will also cross the state border to campaign for Congress in Punjab while former Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand CMs Virbhadra Singh and Harish Rawat will hit the campaign trail as well.

Congress has bet big on Punjab, a state where the party registered a sound performance in the 2017 Assembly election. It was being reported that the Aam Aadmi Party wanted an alliance in Punjab as well as in Chandigarh but the Congress took a strong position against it. Amarinder Singh, in particular, has already begun taking aim at rival leaders from BJP and AAP. In particular, he has called out Bollywood actor Sunny Deol who joined BJP recently and will contest the Lok Sabha election from Gurdaspur.

In the 2014 election, Congress had managed to win just three of the 13 seats in Punjab but is looking to set the records straight this time around. It faces a massive challenge from Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP and even AAP here.

As for Chandigarh, Congress would hope it can snatch the solitary seat from the firm grips of BJP. Voting here and in all 13 seats in Punjab is scheduled to take place in the final phase on May 19.
Congress Uttar Pradesh (East) General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she did not contest from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency because she did not want to neglect the 41 seats where she is spearheading the party's campaign in the state.

Clarifying why she did not contest, she said: "I took the advice of all senior leaders of our party and colleagues in UP. They firmly felt that I have a responsibility here to look after 41 seats. I felt that they (candidates) would be disappointed if I focus on only one place."

Full coverage: Lok Sabha election 2019

There were speculations that she may make her electoral debut against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency. Even Priyanka, when asked a few weeks back about the possibility of contesting the election from Varanasi, had not denied the same. Several party leaders had said that the final decision in this regard will be taken by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

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However, on April 25, Congress once again named Ajai Rai, its losing candidate in the 2014 election, as its nominee for the seat. Rai had led the charge of the Congress against Modi in Varanasi in the 2014 election but had lost by a huge margin and even forfeited his deposit.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday apologised for attributing 'chowkidar chor hai' comment to the Supreme Court. Rahul's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the apex court that there were three errors in the affidavit that was filed on the Congress chief's behalf over the issue. Rahul will file an additional affidavit by May 6 after which the matter will be taken up for hearing on the same day.

During the hearing in the case, Mukul Rohatgi on behalf of BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi said: He (Rahul Gandhi) deliberately put words in the mouth of SC, he has only expressed regret. Law is clear in contempt cases the line starts with an unconditional apology."

The SC observations pertain to the top court's April 15 order when they had sought Rahul's explanation on a petition filed by Meenakshi Lekhi, who has sought criminal contempt against the Congress president. She had claimed that Rahul made the remark wrongfully attributing it to the apex court.

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In his second affidavit filed in the SC, Rahul had 'expressed regret' for his remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi but had not apologised for the same.

"The answering Respondent (Rahul) has not done nor remotely intended to do anything to lower the majesty of this Hon'ble Court in any manner whatsoever," he said in his reply. "The answering Respondent's (Rahul Gandhi) brief statement to the mediawalas made in this context of and during hectic political campaigning without having seen, read or analyzed the order at that stage," he had said.

Rahul had also clarified that he "did not have the slightest or remotest intention, desire or even thought process" to disrepute the top court by bringing it into the political battle.
Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday issued notice to Election Commission of India after hearing Congress MP Sushmita Dev's petition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for allegedly violating Model Code of Conduct. The apex court will now hear this case on Friday.

A 2-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi heard the matter on Tuesday and asked the petitioner to wait for the decision of EC in this case.

The SC bench also took note of the submissions made by Congress leader and advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi who filed the plea on behalf of Sushmita Dev.

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In her plea, Dev had alleged that despite several complaints, the poll panel did not take any action on the alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Modi and Shah during their rallies in the run-up to Lok Sabha poll.

Dev also claimed that EC's "inaction" on complaints against PM Modi and Shah was "a sign of invidious discrimination" and was "arbitrary, capricious and impermissible" as it was not doing any favour to the integrity of electoral process.

It is in public domain that they have indulged in hate speeches, repeatedly used the armed forces for political propaganda, despite a clear prohibition on the same by the Respondent/ECI. Furthermore, the Prime Minister in blatant violation of the MCC held a rally on the day of polling in Gujarat on April 23rd, 2019 i.e. date of voting in the third phase of the election, Sushmita Dev said in her plea.

Meanwhile, the EC is expected to take a decision on complaints of model code violations by PM Modi, Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday.

Talking to PTI, Deputy election commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said the 'full commission' would meet Tuesday and take decisions on the complaints. "The secretariat has processed everything and place the details before the Commission," he said.

It is to be noted that the poll panel meets every Tuesday and Thursday to discuss important issues.
New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming that he has support of 40 Trinamool Congress lawmakers and said that the Prime Minister should be banned for 72 years for his 'shameful' speech.

"Vikas (development) is asking... Did you hear the shameful speech of Pradhanji (PM)? After losing the faith of 125 crore countrymen, he (Modi) is now relying on the unethical assurance of defection allegedly given by the 40 MLAs," Akhilesh tweeted.

"This reflects his (Modi) black money mentality. He should be banned for not 72 hours but for 72 years," he said.

On Monday, while campaigning in Serampore Lok Sabha seat in Hooghly, West Bengal, PM Modi had hit out at Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee over her prime ministerial ambitions, saying "Didi, Delhi is far away (Abhi Dilli door hai)." "

Your MLAs will desert you when the results of this election are out. Your 40 MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the election. Political ground has slipped from under your feet. With just a handful of seats, 'Didi' you can't reach Delhi. Delhi is far away. Going to Delhi is just an excuse. Her real intention is to politically establish her nephew," PM Modi had said.

The Election Commission has recently barred several leaders from election campaigning for 72 hours due to poll code violations.

Trinamool was quick to retort, accusing the prime minister of horse trading, and saying it would complain to the poll panel about it.
New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission in which the party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of encouraging horse trading. The party has asked EC to cancel his Lok Sabha election 2019 nomination.

In its letter to EC, TMC said that PM Modi is encouraging horse trading which, in political parlance, refers to unofficial talks with rival politicians. "He is encouraging horse trading by hinting that members of the AITC will cross over to the BJP, and using this lie to influence the voters and using this lie to persuade the voters," the letter reads. "You (EC) are thus requested to ask PM Narendra Modi for evidence in support of his statement, failing which his nomination should be cancelled for violation of the Model Code of Conduct by making such provocative and undemocratic statements."

At an election rally in Sreerampur on Monday, PM Modi had said that 40 TMC MLAs are in touch with him and that all of Mamata Banerjee's MLAs would desert her once Bharatiya Janata Party won the Lok Sabha election. He had also accused the TMC chief and West Bengal CM of having dreams of becoming the Prime Minister despite 'only a handful of seats.'

The political slugfest between BJP and TMC, and PM Modi and Mamata, has reached a crescendo this election season. Several incidents of violence have been reported between BJP and TMC cadres in the first four rounds of voting in the state of West Bengal.

While BJP has accused TMC of stopping its poll agents and of trying to influence voters, TMC has hit back by saying that it is the BJP that is guilty of using undemocratic means this election.
After completion of his upcoming film iSmart Shankar, actor Ram Pothineni will begin shooting for next film which is said to be the Telugu remake of Tamil film Thadam. This film is going to be jointly produced by Sravanthi Ravi Kishore and Tagore Madhu. Sravanthi Ravi Kishore is said to have bought the remake rights of this film. The original film, which released on March 1 has Arun Vijay in the lead role and it is a thriller.

The film is in the pre-production stage and works are going on at a brisk pace. This film is the first ever thriller genre film for Ram. It is said that Ram has watched the movie and has shown interest in it.

Most of Rams films are produced by his uncle only. Details on the cast and crew will be unveiled soon.

Ram has not been part of any thriller till now and this film is going to be special for him, as well as his fans too. Ram himself has a good share of commercial entertainers like Ready, Maska, Kandireega, Pandaga Chesko, Nenu Sailaja and Hello Guru Premakosame.

The actor is currently busy shooting for iSmart Shankar which is being directed by Puri Jagannadh. He also developed six-pack abs for his role in the film. Niddhi Aggerwal and Nabha Natesh are playing the leading ladies of iSmart Shankar. On the other hand, it is also said that Ram will be teaming up with Sagar K Chandra for a commercial entertainer. An official confirmation is awaited.
New Delhi: Sporadic incidents of violence were reported across West Bengal during the phase four polling in eight Lok Sabha constituencies spread across five districts of the state. And though, no major incident of violence was reported, several people were reported to have suffered injuries in the clashes that took place at the time of voting.

News agency ANI on Tuesday reported that New Colony booth president of BJP Uttam Mondal and his brother Gautam Mondal were allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress workers in Siliguri's Matigara area yesterday. The police have registered an FIR in the case.

West Bengal: New Colony booth president of BJP Uttam Mondal and his brother Gautam Mondal were allegedly attacked by TMC workers in Siliguri's Matigara area yesterday. FIR filed. pic.twitter.com/ucg3vFSwWs  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

Violence was reported from several parts of West Bengal where polling for the fourth phase took place. According to a senior election official, clashes were reported between supporters of rival parties in Nanoor, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Siuri areas of Birbhum seat.

Reports of violence were received from Jemua and Barabani areas of Burdwan East (SC). In Barabani, BJP candidate and central minister Babul Supriyo's vehicle was vandalised allegedly by the workers of the Trinamool Congress. In Jemua, voters fled a polling station after they were threatened by miscreants.

In Birbhum constituency, the Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to BJP candidate Dudh Kumar Mondal after he was seen talking over a mobile phone inside a polling booth, just before casting his ballot.

The Election Commission also put Trinamool Congress' Birbhum president Anubrata Mondal under scanner after poll workers complained that they feel 'threatened' by his presence.

A total of 68 candidates are in the fray in eight parliamentary seats -- Baharampur, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat (SC), Burdwan East (SC), Burdwan-Durgapur, Asansol, Bolpur (SC) and Birbhum.

(With PTI inputs)
Donald Trump launched a scathing attack against Democrats on Monday night (US time) for United States' 'dangerous immigration laws' and warned against drug cartels operating in Mexico which, he claimed, pump in drugs across the border.

Trump has been a very vocal advocate of strengthening immigration laws in the United States and had called for a wall on the border with Mexico during the US presidential campaign. While he has had a bitter standoff with Democrats over the issue in recent months, the US President took to Twitter on Monday and said that the drug menace must be dealt with strongly. "The Coyotes and Drug Cartels are in total control of the Mexico side of the Southern Border. They have labs nearby where they make drugs to sell into the U.S. Mexico, one of the most dangerous countrys in the world, must eradicate this problem now. Also, stop the MARCH to U.S." he wrote on the micro-blogging site.

The Coyotes and Drug Cartels are in total control of the Mexico side of the Southern Border. They have labs nearby where they make drugs to sell into the U.S. Mexico, one of the most dangerous countrys in the world, must eradicate this problem now. Also, stop the MARCH to U.S.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2019

In another tweet, he also took potshots at Democrats. "If the Democrats dont give us the votes to change our weak, ineffective and dangerous Immigration Laws, we must fight hard for these votes in the 2020 Election!"

If the Democrats dont give us the votes to change our weak, ineffective and dangerous Immigration Laws, we must fight hard for these votes in the 2020 Election!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2019

The Trump vs Democrats battle over the wall has been raging on for quite some time in the United States with the Republican President accusing House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi of being rigid on the issue of funding. This despite the fact that during his campaigning in 2016, Trump had said he would ensure Mexico pays for the border wall if he is elected US President. It has not been easy going since taking residence at the White House, especially because while Republicans maintain a majority in the Senate, Democrats control the House.
>>> Foreign leaders extend condolences to Vietnam over former Presidents death

In his message addressed to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah expressed his deep sympathy for the death of former President Le Duc Anh, voicing his belief that the late leaders contributions to Vietnams peace and stability will always be respected and remembered.

Singaporean President Halima Yacob sent a letter of condolence to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, in which he expressed deep sorrow at the passing away of former President Le Duc Anh, considering it as a huge loss for the Vietnamese State and people. The Singaporean leader highlighted the important role played by the late Vietnamese President in promoting relations between the two countries, particularly in the construction of the first Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park in 1996, which has become a fine symbol of bilateral ties.

In his message to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha voiced his deep grief over former President Le Duc Anhs death, emphasising the leadership role and contributions of the late Vietnamese leader in the cause of constructing and developing the country. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha affirmed the role of former President Le Duc Anh in facilitating Vietnam-Thailand relations.

The President of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in, also sent a message of condolence to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong. On behalf of the RoK government and people, President Moon extended his deep sympathy to the Vietnamese people and the family of the deceased, speaking highly of former President Le Duc Anhs significant role in the friendly relations between the RoK and Vietnam. President Moon emphasised that the late leaders cause and devotions would be forever memorised in the history of bilateral ties.
By PTI

COLOMBO: The US has warned that the terrorist threat in Sri Lanka still remains as active members of the group that carried out the massive suicide attacks on Easter Sunday may still be at large, a media report said Tuesday.

The US Embassy here has said that at the request of the Sri Lankan Government, US security experts were working closely with their Sri Lankan partners on "fulfilling short term, specific objectives" related to the recent attacks and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Nancy VanHorn, the spokesperson at the US Embassy in Colombo that the US believes active members of the attack group that carried out the terror attacks on Easter Sunday may still be at large. "As the (US) Ambassador (Alaina Teplitz) has previously stated and as reflected in our travel advisory, the terrorist threat is ongoing," the spokesperson told the Colombo Gazette.

ALSO READ | Catholic Church wants more vigorous crackdown on Sri Lankan militants

Sri Lankan authorities said they believed a little-known local militant Islamist group known as National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) was behind the attack that killed 253 people and injured nearly 500 more.

However, the NTJ has not claimed responsibility for the attacks, Sri Lanka's worst. On Tuesday, the Islamic State terror group said it had carried out the attacks, and released video of men it says were the bombers, pledging allegiance to the group. The attackers targetted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels.Ambassador Teplitz has said the attacks are the work of a few individuals and not of an entire community.

As Sri Lanka looks to the future and to implementing changes in security and communications procedures to prevent future atrocities, the US stands ready to assist with lessons learned from our own past tragedies and through our ongoing cooperation with local authorities, the embassy has said. "These terrible attacks are the work of a few individuals and not of an entire community. Sri Lankans of all backgrounds and faiths have come together to condemn these atrocities. Unity is the most powerful answer to terrorism," the ambassador said recently.

Teplitz further underscored that "while we work together to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice, we must remain vigilant in defending the democratic ideals that form the pillars of a strong society."And we must do so without destroying communities of peaceful, innocent people who share the faith of the attackers, but not their warped ideology. We must always respect the wonderful diversity of Sri Lanka and fortify the culture of unity that the country needs to thrive," she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly underlined how India's image in the global arena has seen a massive boost since the NDA came to power. And now, even China appears to be sitting up and taking note.

Global Times, China's state-run media, recently heaped praise on PM Modi for being rational on New Delhi-Beijing issues and maintaining a diplomatic balance between China and India. "Modi is rational when it comes to China issue. During his term in office, Modi played an important role in peacefully ending the Doklam crisis," says Hu Xijin, Editor in Chief at Global Times, in a video posted on Twitter. "During Modi's time as Prime Minister, the US strongly promoted its Indo-Pacific strategy which has the clear intentions of provoking a confrontation between China and India. But Modi did not fall for the trap."

PM Modi has insisted since taking office that India's foreign policy is independent. He has hosted Barack Obama when he was still the US President as well as Chinese Premier Xi Jinping. And while there have been certain points of friction with both the US and China, PM Modi has managed to ensure that India's position remains uncompromised. This is what Xijin recognises too and feels a roadmap has been created since 2014 that would be followed regardless of which party wins the ongoing Lok Sabha election. "I believe that whoever leads India next will maintain Modis China policy."

#Modi is rational when it comes to China issues. He insisted on #Indias diplomatic position as a powerful nation, and maintained diplomatic balance between China and the US. I believe that whoever leads India next will maintain Modis China policy: @HuXijin_GT #VideoFromChina pic.twitter.com/tLq8PosEqp  Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 11, 2019

Global Times' views are almost always seen as the views of Chinese administration in a country where the press is under complete control of the state. And as PM Modi seeks another term in which he promises, among others, to further build India's global image, China seeing him as a strong leader could help build bilateral relations further between the two nations.
A Bengali Islamic State (IS/ISIS)-aligned media group on Tuesday released a poster threatening to carry out terror attacks in Bangladesh and India, stating that the terror group's thirst for revenge against you will never decrease.

The posters released by Al Mursalat in Bengali, English and Hindi names Abu Muhammad al-Bengali as the new leader or 'ameer' of ISIS Bangladesh.

The posters were released just a day after Islamic State`s media network published a video message from its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The 18-minute video from the Al Furqan network shows a bearded man with an appearance like Baghdadi and claiming that the recent Easter bombings in Sri Lanka were a response to the losses faced by the terror group in its last territorial stronghold of Baghouz in Syria.

In the video, the can be heard saying that the group will seek revenge for militants jailed and killed. The video has left everyone surprised because it is believed to the first from the reclusive IS leader since he was filmed in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014. Baghdadi's more recent speeches have been released as audio recordings.

There is a written script at the start of the video which claims that it was recorded in April. In the video, the bearded man can be seen sitting cross-legged on the floor giving an address to aides.

In the latest video, Baghdadi is wearing a black robe and a beige waistcoat. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified. Few months ago it was reported that Baghdadi had died in airstrikes in Syria but security sources recently said he is alive and living in remote areas of either Syria or Iraq.
Activists and animal lovers from around the world who have been actively campaigning against the dog meat industry in China are now even more enraged at the 'double standards' in the country.

China hosts the Shanghai Dog Show from Tuesday in what is advertised as five days of 'joyful gathering for dog lovers and lovely dogs from across the world.' The official website of the event states that the show makes a return to Asia after a gap of 37 years and while it seeks to bring together dogs of different breeds at one location to celebrate them, activists around the world are highlighting the irony because China is also where there is a flourishing dog meat industry.

Days leading into the event, Humane Society International reportedly rescued 22 dogs from restaurants in Shanghai. It also led an investigation into the horrid manner in which dogs meant for human consumption are kept in the country. "Our investigation exposes the horrifying way that millions of Chinas dogs are abused for the meat trade while others are pampered for the pet trade," Dr Pete Li of HSI was quoted as saying by people.com

PETA too has been at the forefront in the fight against dog slaughter and has highlighted the cruelty of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival which is once again scheduled to be held in China later this year.

The contrary voice in support of Shanghai Dog Show however is that such events would highlight just why dogs are best as pets and not on plates in a country where it is reported that the youngsters are anyway avoiding dog meat like never before. In the past, those earning a livelihood in the dog meat industry too have argued that if killing the animal is looked at as a heinous crime in western countries, they should also look down at killing of farm animals like pigs and cows.

While animal activists and those in the Chinese dog meat business continue to argue, the Shanghai Dog Show finds itself caught in the 'ironic' crossfire.
CARACAS: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Tuesday called for a military uprising to oust President Nicolas Maduro and violence broke out at anti-government protests as the country hit a new crisis point after years of political and economic chaos.

Several dozen armed troops accompanying Guaido clashed with soldiers supporting Maduro at a rally outside the La Carlota air base in Caracas, but the incident fizzled out and did not appear to be part of an immediate attempt by the opposition to take power through military force.

Guaido, in a video posted on Twitter earlier on Tuesday, wrote that he had begun the "final phase" of his campaign to topple Maduro, calling on Venezuelans and the armed forces to back him ahead of May Day mass street protests planned for Wednesday.

Protests broke out on Tuesday. A National Guard armored car slammed into anti-Maduro protesters who were throwing stones and hitting the vehicle in Caracas, television images showed.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino called the latest instability a "coup movement" but several hours after Guaido`s announcement there was no sign of any other anti-Maduro military activity and no immediate reports of casualties.

Guaido later left a rally he was holding with military supporters at the air base. Repeated opposition attempts to force Maduro, a socialist, from power through huge protests and calls on the military to act have so far failed.

Maduro said on Tuesday he had spoken with military leaders and that they had shown him "their total loyalty."

"Nerves of steel!" Maduro wrote on Twitter. "I call for maximum popular mobilization to assure the victory of peace. We will win!"

The move was Guaidos boldest effort yet to persuade the military to rise up against Maduro. If it fails, it could be seen as evidence that he lacks the support he says he has. It might also encourage the authorities, who have already stripped him of parliamentary immunity and opened multiple investigations into him, to arrest him.

The United States is among some 50 countries that recognize Guaido as Venezuela`s president, and has imposed sanctions to try to dislodge Maduro, who they say won re-election last year through fraud.

"Whatever happens now, we won`t let ourselves be stopped. Our process is moving on step by step, in accordance with our constitution. We continue to stand for nonviolence," Guaido told German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle in an interview released on Tuesday.

Oil prices topped $73, partly driven higher by the uncertainty in Venezuela, an OPEC member whose oil exports have been hit by U.S. sanctions and an economic crisis.

Guaido`s efforts appeared aimed at building momentum toward the May Day mass street protests and making them a turning point in his push to oust Maduro.

Guaido has said Wednesday`s protests will be "the largest march in Venezuela`s history" and part of what he calls the "definitive phase" of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.

TRUMP BRIEFED

Venezuela is mired in a deep economic crisis despite its vast oil reserves. Shortages of food and medicine have prompted more than 3 million Venezuelans to emigrate in recent years.

The slump has worsened this year with large areas of territory left in the dark for days at a time by power outages, cutting off water supplies and cellphone service.

Guaido, the leader of Venezuela`s opposition-controlled National Assembly, in January invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduro`s re-election in 2018 was illegitimate.

U.S. President Donald Trump "has been briefed and is monitoring the ongoing situation," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Tuesday. The White House declined to comment on whether the administration had been consulted or had advance knowledge of what Guaido was planning.

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton appeared to back Guaido`s actions on Tuesday. "The FANB must protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people. It should stand by the National Assembly and the legitimate institutions against the usurpation of democracy," Bolton tweeted, referring to the FANB armed forces.

Conservative Republicans in Washington welcomed the reports from Venezuela. Senator Marco Rubio, a hard-liner on Venezuela, urged Venezuelans to take to the streets: "Do not allow this moment to slip away. It may not come again," he wrote on Twitter.

Brazil`s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro expressed his nation`s solidarity for the people of Venezuela, who he said were "enslaved by a dictator."

Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez on Tuesday tweeted that the government was confronting a small group of "military traitors" seeking to promote a coup.

Guaido, in the video on his Twitter account, was accompanied by men in military uniform and opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, who had been placed under house arrest.

MADURO SUPPORT

Maduro, for his part, has appeared to retain control of state institutions and the loyalty of senior military officers and has foreign allies such as Russia and Cuba.

Russia`s foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the Venezuelan opposition of resorting to violence in what it said was a brazen attempt to draw the country`s armed forces into clashes.

Maduro has called Guaido a U.S-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. The government has arrested his top aide, stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and opened multiple probes. It has also barred him from leaving the country, a ban Guaido openly violated earlier this year.

Last week, Guaido said his congressional ally - opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro - had been detained, and that 11 members of his team had been summoned to appear before the Sebin intelligence agency.

Lopez, seen with Guaido, appeared to have left his home for the first time since being placed under house arrest in 2017, after three years in jail.

"I have been freed by soldiers on the side of the constitution and President Guaido," he tweeted. All of us have to mobilize. It`s time to win our freedom."

A soldier in the group with Guaido, who identified himself just as Rivas, denied government accusations that they had been tricked into backing Guaido. "We`re all afraid," he told Reuters, "but we had to do it".
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High around 50F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 43F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
>>> Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2019 opens

This was one of the main and most-anticipated activities of the ongoing eighth Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2019.

The event, attracting thousands of visitors, is expected to develop Vietnams traditional cultural values and honour ao dai.

It featured hundreds of ao dai sets from 16 collections of famous designers, namely Cao Duy, Viet Bao, Minh Hanh, and Ngoc Han, among others.

This year, designers use locally-made silks for their products, and decorated them with images of natural landscapes and world heritage sites in Vietnams central region, like Ho Dynasty Citadel in Thanh Hoa province, Phong Nha-Ke Bang cave in Quang Binh, and Hoi An ancient town and My Son Sanctuary in Quang Nam province.

The Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2019, the 8th edition, opened in the former imperial capital of Hue on April 26 with a grand ceremony.

Lasting from April 26 to May 5, the event introduces 60 craft villages and more than 350 artisans from across the country.

The festival is also attended by 70 foreign artisans from eight cities that have twin-city and cooperative relationships with Hue.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said the Government will attentively listen to lawmakers opinions on the proposed amendments to the extradition law.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Executive Council meeting, Mrs Lam said the Government has taken quite a bit of time to come up with the legislative proposals.

This is a very complicated matter so the policy team in the Security Bureau and the legal team in the Department of Justice have been working very hard to study our domestic legislation, to look at overseas jurisdictions practice before they present these proposals to the public and to the Legislative Council.

She said the Bills Committee is the best platform to debate details of the bill and urged lawmakers to begin scrutinising it as soon as possible.

We will listen very attentively to what the members have to say on the content of the bill and if there are good suggestions, practical proposals that could allay the fears and anxiety of some members of the public, but at the same time achieve the two objectives of this legislative exercise, then we would certainly follow up on that score.

The Security Bureau will write back to the Taiwan side in a day or two to discuss matters relating to the Taiwan murder case suspect, Mrs Lam added.
The quality of raw water in Lake Chivero and Manyame has undoubtedly deteriorated over the years owing to various factors which include pollution, disposal of raw sewage and untreated industrial waste into our water bodies. Council is seeking funding to rehabilitate waste water plants to increase treatment capacity and reduce environmental pollution.



We are still waiting for the remainder of the $72 million from the $144 million Chinese loan which was supposed to address those issues. Harare Residents should be rest assured that with the chemicals we are using our water is safe for human consumption and meets WHO standards .





Our compliance level stands at 96 percent. Our water also complies with the Standards Association of Zimbabwe guidelines and standards. We are working with Ministries of Water and Local Government for the Harare water supply augmentation, a plan which encompasses the construction of Kunzvi and Musami Dams.
The suspect was arrested while police were conducting routine searches at the border post, said Cst Manamela. The bus that she was travelling in had just crossed over when it was directed to the searching bay for inspection.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Snow this morning will give way to mostly cloudy conditions this afternoon. High 4F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 90%. About one inch of snow expected..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low -13F. Winds light and variable.
Celebrations in the RoK were held with excitement, featuring art performances by artists from the RoK, China, Japan and the United States, and gathering the attendance of around 500 officials and citizens. In his video message, RoK President Moon Jae-in emphasised that a year ago the inter-Korean summit took place and the Panmunjom Declaration was announced on a day of overwhelming emotions. The RoK leader expressed optimism that the two Koreas would attain an irreversible peace in which everyone prospers together. According to President Moon Jae-in, there still remain obstacles, but on a path towards peace, all must set off together and always find ways to keep going together.

In the DPRK, there were no animated activities or optimistic statements as in the RoK, but instead warnings on the risk of resumed tensions hindering the path towards sustainable peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) cited the message from the DPRKs Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland as emphasising that, one year ago, the inter-Korean summit restarted the process of reunification of the two Koreas, but the USs moves have been hindering the steps towards the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. The specialised agency for inter-Korean relations has called on the RoK to implement more active measures aiming to improve the bilateral ties. The DPRK also condemned the joint exercises between the RoK and the US, and warned that the reckless joint military activities of the two allies would only bring regret and unpredictable consequences.

On this occasion last year, the Truce Village of Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border took centre stage in the world as a senior leader of the DPRK crossed into the RoK territory for the first time since the Korean War nearly 70 years ago. During that summit, RoK President Moon Jae-in and DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un signed the Panmunjom Declaration, agreeing to jointly work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, improving relations between the two Koreas, easing military tensions and expanding cross-border exchanges and cooperation.

The 2018 inter-Korean summit not only brought a new breeze but also helped to ease the tensions shadowing the bilateral relations for many years and restart the inter-Korean relationships and partnerships that have long been delayed. A series of positive progresses followed afterwards, especially including the organisation of two inter-Korean summits and the launch of a number of cooperation projects. Strong improvements in the inter-Korean relations have facilitated negotiations on the nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula, particularly leading to the two DPRK-USA summits in Singapore and Vietnam, which were welcomed around the world.

The atmosphere during the one-year anniversary of the adoption of the historic Panmunjom Statement partly reflects the challenges in relations between the RoK and the DPRK. In fact, the efforts to improve the inter-Korean relations have always faced many difficulties because of the impacts from the issues of denuclearisation and the DPRK-US ties. Therefore, it remains a thorny path towards realising the dream of an era of peace on the Korean Peninsula, requiring greater efforts from the two Koreas, as well as goodwill and support from the international community.
Continuous chemotherapy improves outcomes and quality of life in advanced breast cancer

Lugano, Switzerland, 30 April 2019 - Continuous chemotherapy shows greater benefit in patients with advanced breast cancer by both improving survival and maintaining quality of life compared to intermittent scheduling, according to analyses of the Stop&Go study presented at the ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2019, 2-4 May, Berlin, Germany. (1,2,3)

The phase III study randomised 420 patients with advanced HER2-negative breast cancer to either an intermittent schedule (four cycles - 'treatment holiday' - another four cycles) or a continuous schedule comprised of the same eight cycles administered consecutively. Both first line treatment (paclitaxel plus bevacizumab) and second line treatment (capecitabine or non-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin) followed these schedules. These analyses report on secondary endpoints from the Stop&Go study, with the main endpoint for second-line being progression-free survival (PFS).

Dr Frans Erdkamp from Zuyderland Medical Center - Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands, presented findings related to the survival benefits of continuous scheduling in both first- and second-line chemotherapy compared to intermittent therapy. "Our main focus in this analysis was on the efficacy of second-line treatment, although, interestingly, the updated overall survival results showed that for the whole population (those who received first line only, or first and second lines of treatment) the survival was better with continuous treatment as well," said Dr Erdkamp.

Patients who started second line treatment (n=270; 131 vs. 139 in intermittent vs. continuous arms) demonstrated a median PFS in second line of 3.5 vs. 5.0 months respectively, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.04 (95%CI 0.69-1.57). The median combined first- and second-line PFS for this population was 14.6 vs. 16.6 months with a HR of 1.59 (95%CI 1.04 - 2.45).

The quality of life results were presented by Dr Anouk Claessens, also from Zuyderland Medical Center - Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands. "In clinical practice, we see considerable variation in treatment strategies, so felt it would be helpful to conduct a trial investigating the effect on quality of life of scheduling with modern agents." Claessens hypothesised that treatment holidays incorporated into scheduling would benefit quality of life.

Quality of life was measured every 12 weeks during treatment and follow-up, using RAND-36 questionnaires specifically chosen for their relevance to normal life. The course of both the physical and mental quality of life scores for each sequencing arm were monitored and the difference in course was estimated between arms. Median follow-up was 11.3 months.

"With the physical quality of life scores, we saw a linear decline in the intermittent arm causing a clinically meaningful difference of 5.68 points at 24 months (p

"Comparison of the course of quality of life between the treatment arms (showed the maximum differences were not statistically significant but there was a trend for more favourable scores in the continuous arm," added the researcher.

"Based on our findings, you could hypothesise that the benefits of a continuous approach might be independent of the investigated treatment line and might apply to other lines of treatment as well," said Claessens. "The challenge for clinical practice is to use agents that are well tolerated and can be continued for a prolonged period without interruptions," she added.

Co-investigator, Dr Monique Bos, from Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands, remarked: "We were a little surprised at the findings running contrary to our hypothesis. In explaining therapy schedules to patients we tend to suggest that a 'holiday', by nature of the word, might be beneficial, but this was not the case."

Commenting on the results, Professor Nadia Harbeck from the University of Munich (LMU), Germany, said: "Both studies con-firm the current national and international guidelines (4) that chemotherapy, preferentially monotherapy - at least after first line, should be given continuously, as long as it is well tolerated and effective. Until now, we've only had evidence from older studies, with regimens no longer used, indicating that continuous chemotherapy in metastatic disease is better than shorter. The new Stop&Go data confirm these older data also with more modern regimens."

"The result that continuous chemotherapy is not at all associated with worse quality of life is clinically meaningful," said Harbeck. "and further highlights the importance of preferring to administer chemotherapy continuously for benefiting the most our patients with advanced disease".

###

Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2019

Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMOBreast19

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of these abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References

1 ESMO Breast Cancer Congress: https:/ / www. esmo. org/ Conferences/ ESMO-Breast-Cancer-2019

2 Abstract 158P_PR 'Intermittent versus continuous chemotherapy beyond first-line for patients with HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (BOOG 2010-02)' will be presented by Anouk Claessens during the Poster Display session on Friday 3 May, 12:15 to 13:00 (CEST) in the Exhibition area. Annals of Oncology, Volume 30, 2019 Supplement 3, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz095

3 Abstract 159P_PR 'Influence on quality of life of chemotherapy scheduling for patients with advanced HER2-negative breast cancer' will be presented by Anouk Claessens during the Poster Display session on Friday 3 May, 12:15 to 13:00 (CEST) in the Exhibition area. Annals of Oncology, Volume 30, 2019 Supplement 3, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz095

4 4th ESO-ESMO International Consensus Guidelines for Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC 4): https:/ / www. esmo. org/ Guidelines/ Breast-Cancer/ 4th-ESO-ESMO-International-Consensus-Guidelines-for-Advanced-Breast-Cancer-ABC-4

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 20,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 150 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide.Visit http://www. esmo. org

158P_PR - Intermittent versus continuous chemotherapy beyond first-line for patients with HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (BOOG 2010-02)

F.L.G. Erdkamp1, A.K.M. Claessens1, M. Lopez-Yurda2, J.M. Bouma3, H. van Tinteren2, J.M. Rademaker-Lakhai4, A.H. Honkoop5, H. de Graaf6, V.C.G. Tjan-Heijnen7, M.M.E.M. Bos8

1Internal Medicine - Oncology, Zuyderland Medical Center - Sittard-Geleen, Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands, 2Biometrics, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 3Trial registration, Comprehensive Cancer Centre the Netherlands, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 4BOOG study center, Dutch Breast Cancer Re-search Group, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 5Medical Oncology, Isala Klinieken, Zwolle, Netherlands, 6Medical Oncology, Medical Center Leeuwarden, Leeuwarden, Netherlands, 7Medical Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Center+ (MUMC+), Maastricht, Netherlands, 8Medical oncology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Background: This study investigates efficacy and safety of intermittent versus continuous scheduling of chemotherapy over two treatment lines for patients within the Stop & Go trial.

Methods: Participants were randomized to two sets of four cycles (intermittent) or eight consecutive cycles (continuous) of chemotherapy in two treatment lines. First-line consisted of paclitaxel plus bevacizumab, second-line of capecitabine or non-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin. The primary endpoint of the present study was progression-free survival (PFS) of second-line treatment.

Results: Characteristics at randomization were well-balanced. Patients with a good baseline performance status, only non-visceral metastasis, longer disease-free-interval, and HR-positive disease more often started second-line study treatment. For patients who started second line study treatment (n=270; 131 vs. 139 in intermittent vs. continuous arm) median PFS in second-line was respectively 3.5 vs. 5.0 months with a Hazard Ratio (HR) of 1.04 (95%CI 0.69-1.57), and median OS in second-line was 10.6 vs.12.0 months, with a HR of 1.64 (95%CI 1.08 - 2.48). The median combined first- and second-line PFS for this population was 14.6 vs. 16.6 months with a HR of 1.59 (95%CI 1.04 - 2.45), and median OS measured from randomization was 20.3 vs. 23.0 months with a HR of 1.93 (95%CI 1.26 - 2.95). For all randomized patients (n=420) median combined first- and second-line PFS was 12.7 vs. 13.9 months, with a HR of 1.21 (95%CI 0.9 - 1.63), and OS measured from randomization was 17.1 vs. 20.9 months with a HR of 1.37 (95%CI 1.03 - 1.54) for intermittent vs. continuous scheduling respectively. Selected baseline characteristics and first-line PFS duration were not significantly associated with second-line PFS in exploratory analyses. However, patients with longer first-line PFS more often started second-line study treatment (odds ratio 2.13; 95%CI 1.20 - 3.78) compared to patients with shorter first-line PFS. Details on safety will be presented at the meeting.

Conclusions: In conclusion, considering the overall survival benefits of continuous scheduling in both first- and second-line chemotherapy, we recommend this strategy for treatment of advanced breast cancer.

Clinical trial identification: EudraCT 2010-021519-18; BOOG 2010-02.

Legal entity responsible for the study: Dutch Breast Cancer Research Group (BOOG)

Funding: F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, The Netherlands TEVA Nederland, B.V.

Disclosure: F.L.G. Erdkamp: Has received honoraria from Roche and Novartis and has a consulting / advisory role for these companies. V.C.G. Tjan-Heijnen: Honoraria from E. Lilly and Pfizer. Funding for her institution from E. Lilly, Roche, Eisai, Pfizer and Novartis. Travel expenses from E. Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, and Roche. A consulting or advisory role for E. Lilly, Pfizer, and Roche. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

159P_PR - Influence on quality of life of chemotherapy scheduling for patients with advanced HER2-negative breast cancer

A.K.M. Claessens1, R. Timman2, J.J. Busschbach2, J.M. Bouma3, J.M. Rademaker-Lakhai4, F.L.G. Erd-kamp1, V.C.G. Tjan-Heijnen5, M.M.E.M. Bos6

1Internal Medicine - Oncology, Zuyderland Medical Center - Sittard-Geleen, Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands, 2Psychiatry, section of Medical Psychology & Psychotherapy, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotter-dam, Netherlands, 3Trial registation, Comprehensive Cancer Centre the Netherlands, Rotterdam, Nether-lands, 4BOOG study center, Dutch Breast Cancer Research Group, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 5Medical Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC), Maastricht, Netherlands, 6Medical oncology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Background: The phase III Stop&Go study randomized patients with advanced breast cancer to two times four intermittent cycles or to eight continuous cycles of first- and second-line chemotherapy, yielding inferior overall survival (OS) with intermittent scheduling. Here we report on the prospectively planned quality of life (QoL) analyses.

Methods: QoL was measured by RAND-36 questionnaires every 12 weeks during study treatment and fol-low-up. Physical and mental component scores were calculated and presented as T-scores with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10 for the normal population, with higher scores representing better QoL. All patients who responded to baseline questionnaires with sufficient valid data were included. The primary objective was to describe the course of physical and mental QoL for both treatment arms, and to estimate differences in changes from baseline in physical and mental QoL between arms. These differences were estimated longitudinally with multilevel linear regression analyses with a follow up period of 30 months. An effect size of 0.5 SD (5 points) was considered clinically meaningful.

Results: A total of 398 patients were included with a median follow-up of 11.3 months (IQR 5.6 - 22.2). Mean baseline scores were 37.9 and 38.3 for physical, and 44.7 and 42.5 for mental QoL for intermittent and continuous treatment respectively. Physical QoL declined linearly in the intermittent arm causing a clinically meaningful difference of 5.68 points at 24 months (p Conclusions: Intermittent chemotherapy was less effective and showed a trend for worse impact on QoL compared to continuous chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer.

Clinical trial identification: EudraCT 2010-021519-18; BOOG 2010-02.

Legal entity responsible for the study: Dutch Breast Cancer Research Group (BOOG)

Funding: F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, The Netherlands TEVA Nederland, B.V.

Disclosure: F.L.G. Erdkamp: Has received honoraria from Roche and Novartis and has a consulting / advi-sory role for these companies. V.C.G. Tjan-Heijnen: Honoraria from E. Lilly and Pfizer. Funding for her institution from E. Lilly, Roche, Eisai, Pfizer and Novartis. Travel expenses from E. Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, and Roche. A consulting or advisory role for E. Lilly, Pfizer, and Roche. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Chinese-built Ethiopia light rail transports more than 29 mln people in 9 months

Local residents walk on the platform of a light rail station in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sept. 20, 2015. (Photo: Xinhua)

The Chinese-built 34-km Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (AALRT) network has transported more than 29 million people in just nine months, says the Ethiopian Ministry of Transport(MoT).

In a report submitted to Ethiopian parliament, MoT said the AALRT has earned around 3 million U.S. dollars transporting more than 29 million passengers in Addis Ababa during the first nine months of the current Ethiopian Fiscal Year 2018/19, which started July 8.

Commissioned in September 2015, AALRT is the first light railway in Africa built at a cost of 475 million U.S. dollars, with 85 percent of funding coming from the Export-Import Bank of China.

Photo taken on Sept. 20, 2015 shows a train operating on the light rail in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.(Photo: Xinhua)

The rail project was constructed by China Railway Engineering Corporation Limited (CREC) and is currently operated by Chinese firm Shenzhen Metro Group Company.

It is estimated that AALRT currently transports about 60,000 people daily, significantly reducing traffic congestion in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, home to around 4 million residents.

The Ethiopian government said the project had created 13,000 jobs.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of abandoning governance in the guise of a private trip to t...





The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of abandoning governance in the guise of a private trip to the UK.





The party said the presidents decision to travel to the UK without informing the national assembly suggests he and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are seeking to vacate the 1999 constitution.





Buharis decision to embark on a ten-day private trip to the UK without first writing the national assembly has been condemned by some Nigerians who described it as illegal.





But his aides defended his action, insisting it was not necessary for the president to write the lawmakers about the trip.

However, in the statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP spokesman, the opposition party said the presidents action is an act of dereliction, which confirms that the APC and the Buhari Presidency are not interested in governance.





What else, beside an authoritarian propensity, can explain why the Buhari Presidency relegated our Constitutional Order by declaring the application of Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which directs that the President transmits power whenever he is travelling out of the country on vacation, as a mere convention, read the statement issued on Monday.





Moreover, Mr. Presidents abandoning of governance, particularly at this critical time when our nation is facing grave security and economic challenges, signposts the level of impunity and recklessness that will characterize our nation in the next four years, if the stolen Presidential mandate is not retrieved from the APC.





The PDP said Buharis action has caused the absence of a constitutional command structure which leaves Nigeria at the mercy of the extremely corrupt and vicious cabal with whom President Buhari presided over the most corrupt and most incompetent administration.





It also said the action has exposed the nation to unabated banditry, extra-judicial killings, illegal arrests and looting of the national treasury.




Less than one month to his exit from the seat of governance, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has said he is leaving Lagos bette...





Less than one month to his exit from the seat of governance, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has said he is leaving Lagos better than he met it, as his administration has grown the economy of the state.





Ambode said the economy of Lagos has improved despite recession and that his administration has put parameters in place to make Lagos the third largest economy in Africa.





According to him, he meticulously followed the vision embedded in the Lagos State Development Plan, which elapsed 2025, adding that I am drawing from what has been put there which is also my own dream to make Lagos that financial hub, to make Lagos a safe, secure city, to make it a mega city and also to compare comparatively with all developmental cities.





So, I met Lagos as the fifth largest economy in Africa, my dream, which I have always said, is that we take Lagos to the third largest economy in Africa. Thats the dream. So, in 10 years, is that doable? I believe strongly that all the parameters that can actually grow the GDP of Lagos are in place and only need to be accelerated. We have done it to a particular stage, we have stabilized it from where we have found it and irrespective of the recession and irrespective of the slow pace of the economy, there has been significant growth in the Lagos economy which is visible.





The governor, in an interview published by Business Day, added: But what is the most important part of it also, we have been able to create a night economy which was one of my missions. So, one thing that we should be seeing ahead is an economy that compares comparatively with New York; an economy that actually takes that vantage position right now because we know that the next economic development in the whole global system is in Africa and Lagos is just positioned as a trigger because of its natural advantages not necessarily because of our skill-sets; its just positioned there and so the competencies and the skill-sets that will drawn in terms of governance and leadership is what should see Lagos as the third largest economy and then compare favourably with cities like Mumbai and everywhere that you go. I mean, you want to see Lagos like a Tokyo but you need a lot of investment in technology.





Ambode also spoke on how his administration was able to grow the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of Lagos, saying that one of the strategic instruments in that development plan was to create a financial model for Lagos State, explaining that it was not enough for us to say we are having strategic pillars of development without knowing how to fund it and so in the development plan, a growth plan for revenue generation had actually been embedded in it.





Fortunately for Lagos, you have statistics that favour revenue growth. Lagos is the commercial capital of Nigeria; the business community in terms of population or location is here and this is like 70 per cent of what is happening in Nigeria; we have the market and again Lagos is the most sophisticated. Those indicators were just enough for anybody to carry on from where it stopped and then able to continue.





Remember also when we came in, the revenue that was generated on a monthly basis was about N12 billion and then it moved to almost like N20 billion. Today, we are having an average of N30 billion to N35 billion a month but it is not as if the expansion is based on increase in rate or taxes, what has been done is just improvement in collection machinery and then expanding the tax net and the ability to be able to put people together and run an efficient civil service system that was able to tap into those things; and then more importantly, investing in technology to be able to carry out some of these collections.





Yes, revenue has improved tremendously but obviously it is based on focus, and it is based on the ability to match those needs in terms of development and economic growth with how to fund it. Lagos is also favoured by the fact that because of the dynamics that we have, we are likely to be more attractive to the capital market and also more attractive to commercial banks and the ability to pay back would always give you more resources to be able to get funding for most of these projects that we have done. Remember also that 67 per cent of the total revenue that accrues to Lagos State comes through the IGR so the best model is to continue to expand the IGR base in order for you to be able to cover your fixed cost and also do every other things that we have been able to do.





On why Lagos has always been blessed with good leadership with good vision, the governor said that the state had continually used the same set of objectives and goals in a plan that was consummated into a development plan and that the same set of policy document from one government to the other had remained, asides fact that the same party was still ruling Lagos.





It is the same party that has been able to run the state in the last 20 years using the same set of policy document, the same set of development and the same set of specialists so to speak. Luckily enough, the people who have been governors in Lagos have been people who have actually worked in the system and same for Sanwo-Olu that is coming in, he has worked in the system. So, that could be a positive thing to be able to draw so much of synergy from the policy document and if you dont deviate too much, you are likely to deliver on the set objectives in the policy document.





So, we dont expect anything away from that and Lagos is lucky, the next four years should actually see something better than what I have done because there has been a trajectory that if you are using the same set of policy document, whoever is coming in next should actually build on what you have done and I dont expect anything less from the incoming government, he said.




Dipo Olorunrinu, the lone Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member in the Lagos state house, has defected to the All Progressives Congres...





Dipo Olorunrinu, the lone Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member in the Lagos state house, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).





Olorunrinu, who represented Amuwo-Odofin constituency I, lost his re-election bid to Mojisola Alli-Macaulay, APC candidate, in March 9 house of assembly election with just 278 votes.





He, however, vowed not to challenge the result at the election tribunal.





The lawmaker informed the house of his defection on Monday at the plenary through a letter titled: Letter of Defection from PDP to APC, and addressed to Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker.





The letter was read by Azeez Sanni, the clerk of the assembly.





I have been a young progressive-minded person and I have decided to realign with the APC based on moving trend and party to reckon with taking Lagos State to the next level, the letter read in part.





I will like to appreciate Mr Speaker for his continuous act of service to my constituency. This explains the magnanimity of Mr Speaker.





Olorunrinu had earlier said that in 2015, there were eight PDP members in the house but seven defected, adding that, in all sincerity I made bold to say here that, I have never had any regret.





He said he was happy to still find himself in the midst of great administration.





Sincerely, I said to myself that continuity as a young man in politics is a necessity. I said to myself that I must join the progressives party, which is the APC, he said.





Permit me to say this in this hallowed chamber that the PDP have been discovered by my humble self, as a party that is not to be reckoned with.





Not to be reckon with because it is a party that lacks structure, it is a party that lacks visions for Nigeria of tomorrow.





Thats the more reason why I said to myself that we must start from here and preach the good news of APC. I want to say a very big thank you to Mr Speaker for accepting me.





Olorunrinu apologised to the speaker for his late defection.





He said he has spoken with his constituents, stakeholders of different cadres on the decision to join the moving train.





The speaker welcomed Olorunrinu to APC and commended him for his decision while other APC lawmakers also received the defector into the party.





I thank you for making the decision at last. We welcome you into our midst as members of APC in the House of Assembly, he said.





You have always been part of us save the fact that you refused to dump the leaking umbrella but today you have decided, I welcome you on behalf of our party.





I want to thank you for lending your voice to what have been our position from quite sometime that the best party in Nigeria today is APC.





So there is nothing to gain from PDP, for realising this, I congratulate you.





Distinguished colleagues, we are now 40 members of APC. Thank you for joining us.





NAN reports that eight PDP lawmakers were elected into the 40-member Lagos assembly in 2015 general elections but seven defected into the ruling party in 2017.





The seven lawmakers that defected from the PDP earlier included Akeem Bello, minority leader representing Amuwo Odofin II; Mosunmola Sangodara, minority whip representing Surulere II and Olusola Sokunle of Oshodi/Isolo I.





Others were Jude Idimogu (Oshodi/Isolo II), Dayo Famakinwa (Ajeromi Ifelodun II), Fatai Oluwa (Ajeromi/Ifelodun I) and Victor Akande (Ojo I).





While six of the lawmakers defected on February 16, 2017, Akande, the seventh, moved on July 10 same year, all citing the achievements of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and the leadership quality of Obasa.





Five of the seven defectors got the party tickets to return to the house and won their re-election while two, Akeem and Famakinwa could not get the party tickets.





The candidates of APC won the entire 40 seats in the house of assembly during the 2019 poll, unlike in 2015 general elections when PDP clinched eight seats.




Houston Police Department has arrested Dafe Sejebor, former group general manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services...





Houston Police Department has arrested Dafe Sejebor, former group general manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), over his alleged involvement in human trafficking.





Sejebor was arrested along 46 others in an investigation that lasted 10 days with focus on Fort Bend County and the Katy areas of Texas.





Sejebor was fired from NAPIMS, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), in August 2015.





According to Click2Houston, the 47 suspects arrested include 27 woman and 20 men.

It added that eight were confirmed as victims, including 2 juveniles, another eight charged with sex and human trafficking-related offenses.





Some of those charged with sex and human trafficking also face other charges related to unlawful possession of weapons, and narcotics charges and possession of controlled substances, tampering with evidence and prostitution.





We are here to help, first and foremost. We understand the problem of human trafficking. We understand what it does to the victim, how to fix the victim, said John Wall, an officer with the Houston police department vice-division.





We understand they are scared to come forward, but we are going to do everything in our power to keep them safe, give them the services they need to move forward in life.





If you think about it, children (and) young adults spend and an enormous amount of time on social media, and they are vulnerable. They dont understand the risk involved in talking to individuals they dont know on that type of forum.




The National Assembly, Tuesday, approved the payment of the sum of N23.679 billion severance package for outgoing Senators and Members o...

The National Assembly, Tuesday, approved the payment of the sum of N23.679 billion severance package for outgoing Senators and Members of the House of Representatives as well as their legislative aides.





Substantial part of the money is for the induction and inauguration of Senators-elect and Members-elect of the 9th National Assembly.





The amount was part of the total sum of N8.907 trillion expenditure approved by the parliament for 2019 fiscal year.





The amount is N17 billion above the sum of N8.83 trillion proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint session of the National Assembly.

From the total sum of N502.059 billion approved for statutory transfers, National Assembly gets N128 billion; National Judicial Council gets N110 billion; Niger Delta gets N100.189 billion; Universal Basic Education gets N112.471 billion; INEC gets N45 billion, Public Complaint Commission gets N4.399 billion while National Human Rights Commission gets N1.5 billion, respectively.





According to the budget proposal submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari, N8.83 trillion of the 2019 aggregate expenditure comprises: Recurrent Costs of N4.04 trillion; Debt Service of N2.14 trillion; Statutory Transfers of about N492.36 billion; Sinking Fund of N120 billion which will be used to retire maturing bond to local contractors and Capital Expenditure of N2.031 trillion including capital supplementation but excluding the capital component of Statutory Transfers.




Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has reacted to the release of Zainab Aliyu, the Nigerian student detaine...

Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has reacted to the release of Zainab Aliyu, the Nigerian student detained in Saudi Arabia for alleged drugs trafficking.





Omokri commended Buhari for the timely release of the Nigerian nationale.





In a tweet, Omokri called on Buhari to extend to same gesture towards the release of Leah Sharibu, the Christian schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram in Dapchi.





He wrote: I celebrate the @MBuhari government for securing Zainab Aliyus release in record breaking time. President Buhari is to be commended.

Now, I urge the President to apply the same sense of urgency that he showed for Zainab towards Leah Sharibu and make #FreeLeahSharibu a reality.





The Saudi authority had recently arrested Zainab over alleged drug trafficking.





Buhari had directed that Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to immediately intervene in the case of Zainab.





Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora matters, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement, had said that the President gave the directive two weeks ago when the matter was brought to his attention.





She had said, President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive immediately the matter was brought to his attention about two weeks ago.




The Senate has asked the acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, to appear before it on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. The S...





The Senate has asked the acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, to appear before it on Tuesday, May 7, 2019.





The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, announced this during plenary on Tuesday.





Senator Saraki made the announcement after Senator Ubali Shitu (Jigawa North-East) moved for the approval of votes and proceedings.





Senate President, @bukolasaraki announces that on Tuesday, 7th of May, 2019 the Acting IG of Police is to honour the invitation of the Senate.#TodayInSenatePlenary





The lawmakers had resolved to invite the police boss to brief the Senate on the measures put in place to address the current security situation in the country.





They made the resolution on Thursday last week when they condemned the attack on Kajuru Castle Resort in Kaduna State, where gunmen killed a Nigerian and a British national, Channels Television reports.





The assailants had also abducted three other persons in the process.





Senator Shehu Sani, who raised a motion on the attack last week, also called the attention of the lawmakers to the abduction of Chairman of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Muhammed Mahmood, during Tuesdays plenary.





According to him, suspected bandits blocked the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway on Monday and kidnapped the UBEC boss and several others.





He (Mahmood) was kidnapped with his daughter and his brother was killed immediately, Senator Sani told his colleagues.





He added, Kidnapping along Abuja-Kaduna expressway is something we talk about every day, yet the road is still as dangerous as it has always been. That route has become one of the most dangerous and tragic routes in Nigeria.





In his remarks, the Senate President commended Senator Sani for his observations on the unfortunate situation regarding the abduction.





He noted that the Senate had agreed that the police boss would appear before it and they would put heads together to discuss the series of kidnappings in the country.





Senator Saraki said, I also think there will be an appropriate time to take up some of these issues that you have raised. I think that will probably be the best way forward on this.





Hopefully when he comes here, we will have a more holistic approach to finding a solution to this unfortunate and rampant incident of kidnapping, particularly on this Kaduna-Abuja Road, he added.




On Monday, President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony for Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY

China and Nepal should strengthen cooperation on infrastructure construction and continue to promote the construction of the China-Nepal cross-border economic cooperation zone, President Xi Jinping said in Beijing on Monday.

Xi made the remark during his meeting with his Nepali counterpart, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, who is on a nine-day state visit to China.

China greatly values its ties with Nepal, and supports Nepal in maintaining its national independence, state sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as exploring a path of development that suits its national conditions, Xi said.

Also, China appreciates Nepal's firm and long-standing support over issues related to China's core interests and major concerns and its active participation in jointly building the Belt and Road, Xi said. He added that China will continue to support Nepal's economic and social development.

Xi also called for the two countries to further enhance exchanges between their legislatures, political parties, youth, think tanks, media and local authorities to cement their people's support for friendly bilateral ties.

Bhandari said the joint building of the Belt and Road is a historic initiative and has an important global influence.

The initiative has served as a good platform for Nepal-China cooperation, she said.

The Nepali president expressed her congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and said it is admirable what the Chinese people have achieved under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

China is a true friend of Nepal, and Nepal sees opportunities in China's prosperity and stability, Bhandari said.

She added that Nepal sticks to the one-China policy and will not allow any forces to use its territory to conduct any anti-China activities.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents after the meeting.

China is now Nepal's biggest source of foreign investment, second-largest trade partner and second-largest source of foreign tourists.

Ahead of the First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, China and Nepal signed a memorandum on Belt and Road cooperation in May 2017.
The Supreme Court has made it clear that it does not take orders from President Muhammadu Buhari, as it remained an independent arm of...





The Supreme Court has made it clear that it does not take orders from President Muhammadu Buhari, as it remained an independent arm of government.





The apex court, in a statement signed by the Director, Information and Press, Dr. Festus Akande, also denied reports that six of its directors were behind the exit of former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen.





The statement reads: It is imperative to let the public know that the story is misleading, ill-informed and obviously calculated to fan the ember of discord and as well whip up premature sentiments.





The Supreme Court of Nigeria is an organised and well-structured arm of a government that is governed by well-defined rules and regulations which all staff are expected to observe and align within their daily operations.





The Nigerian state, as it is well known, has three arms of government which evidently make provision for the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary. As it is in practice, these three arms are mutually independent and largely enjoy the separation of powers; thus for anyone to insinuate that the executive or the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is the one dictating to the Chief Justice of Nigeria on how to run the affairs of the Supreme Court or the kind of disciplinary measures to mete out as a form of the internal discipline of the staff for whatever reason is both false and logically defective.





In his capacity as the head of the Nigerian Judiciary and the Supreme Court in particular, as it was then, Hon Justice Walter Onnoghen had no cause to seek external advice or intervention in the discipline of his staff, if such the occasion had arisen. Similarly, the alleged six directors or what the publication referred to as ASCON 6 have no cause or power whatsoever to plot against Justice Onnoghen as reported in the publication.





Let it be noted that the President and Commander-in-Chief has never interfered or meddled into the internal administration of the Supreme Court, let alone granting audience to the six directors with a view to plotting Justice Onnoghens down fall on the grounds that the former Chief Justice of Nigeria allegedly failed to heed to the presidents advice of sacking them for the alleged massive underhand dealings.





As for the Finance and Accounts Department of the Court, there is no power tussle between three directors, as the current acting Director, Alhaji Gambo Ibrahim came in from the National Judicial Institute on secondment for a specified duration which has not yet elapsed.





Once again, it is necessary to caution peddlers of misleading and divisive rumours to always work in tandem with their conscience before hitting the public domain with their usual avalanche of falsehood that will end up doing no one any good. There is no fracture or dislocation in the internal administrative mechanism of the Supreme Court.




Muhammed Mahmood, chairman, board of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and his daughter have been released by their abducto...





Muhammed Mahmood, chairman, board of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and his daughter have been released by their abductors.





Their release was confirmed by Hussain Danladi, one of Mahmoods aides.





Mahmood and his daughter were abducted along Kaduna-Abuja road on Monday afternoon while travelling from Kaduna to the federal capital territory (FCT).





His driver was shot dead when armed bandits opened fire on the vehicle they were travelling in.

Danladi reportedly said no ransom was paid to secure their release.





However, there is no information on the the other travellers who were kidnapped alongside the duo.





Several cases of kidnappings have been recorded along the route in the past months. Many commuters have abandoned the route for the train station as a result of insecurity.




The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, Monday night lambasted the Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, ...

The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, Monday night lambasted the Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, for installing Yoruba Obas who live outside the country.





In a statement he personally signed, Adams called the development desecration of Yoruba culture and tradition.





He urged South-West governors, especially Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, and Yoruba monarchs to call the monarch to order before it is too late.





The statement reads: This impudence is fraudulent, a clear and present danger that can destroy our tradition if something urgent is not done immediately.





In November last year, I was a keynote speaker at an event in Ile Ife, where the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi met over 300 monarchs, while the Alaafin of Oyo, His imperial majesty, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, sent a powerful delegation, to a three-day- meeting, organized under the auspices of Heritage Forum to discuss all the pertinent issues in Yorubaland.





After the meeting, which was held at Ife Grand Resorts, all the royal fathers present at the gathering issued a communique, where they unanimously agreed that nobody should parade himself as Yoruba Oba in the Diaspora. They condemned the act, adding that nobody has the right to install an Oba outside the shores of Nigeria.





What Olugbo did, he did it single handedly, against the wishes of all the Yoruba Obas in Nigeria as a whole.





A good example of this historical hiatus happened not long ago, when some surrogates came from France, asking the Oluwo of Iwo land, Oba Abdul Rasheed Akanbi to install them as a Yoruba Oba in France. But rather than toeing the path to perdition as Olugbo just did, the Iwo monarch resisted, saying he will never go against the wishes of the Yoruba Obas. Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi knew what was right from what was wrong. As a royal father, he does not want to go to golgotha.





I am delighted to say it anywhere that Yoruba history is rich in all ramifications. Nobody has the audacity to distort our history.





For instance, one can only become an Oba either by hereditary or by conquering territories. None of the newly installed Obas in Olugbos Palace has a history of being related to royalty, either by blood (hereditary) or by conquering a territory.





In Yoruba history, Ile Ife remains the cradle of our existence, with over 99 percent of the race migrating from Ile Ife. Apart from Ile Ife, Oyo has always been a foremost institution in Yorubaland, with Oranmiyan being the great progenitor. The two ancient towns occupy the most prominent position in Yoruba history. So, who among the great Yoruba indigines and Progenitors migrated from Ugbo land? It is a story for another day.





If Akinruntan is a student of history, he will know that those who tried to betray the Yoruba race never ended well.Against all known laws and customs of our land, Akinruntan crowned three characters living abroad who are not even known by Yoruba living at home and abroad, as traditional Rulers.The three chiefs have no royalty in their blood.





The three characters are, according to Akinruntan, the Oriade of Georgia, Oba Bernard Shola Akinrimisi; the traditional ruler of Yoruba in Liberia, Oba Omobolaji Ogunkoya,Oodua Gbadewolu I and the traditional ruler of Yoruba in the Republic of Ireland, Oba Saheed Ibrahim Adufe.





As the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, I want to tell Akinruntan that he only crowned these characters as chiefs in his domain, not as Yoruba Obas in the Diaspora, because he doesnt have the power. It is fraudulent, it is an affront on our history and we will not allow anybody to distort our history.





In the same vein, I think all the socio cultural groups in Yoruba land, including Afenifere, Yoruba Council of Elders, Yoruba Unity Forum and other notable groups in the southwest should raise their voices against such fraud. It is our responsibilities to protect our history, and put our records straight.





More importantly, I will like to tell some of the professors Olugbo is using to desecrate the traditional institutions to desist from such acts as that can later hunt them in the future.





For instance, last Wednesday, Oba Bamidele Akinwe, Akogbe of Ajueland in Ondo State, was presented with a staff of office. Ondo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, gave Oba Akinwe the staff of office on behalf of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.





When you install an Oba, government presence must be felt or else, everything is null and void. Who did Akeredolu send to represent him when Akinruntan engaged in that anti-traditional institution action in his palace?





All these characters that Akinruntan installed, how come nobody followed them from where they reside abroad to the so-called installation? What type of business are they engaged him in their places of abode? Are we not preparing the ground for a gigantic embarrassment for Yorubaland? Are they recognised by governments in those countries?





Akinruntan crowned one as king of Georgia, a state in the United States (U.S.) and the other two characters as kings of countries  Liberia and Republic of Ireland.





Do we have any king ruling Ondo State, Oyo State, Ogun State? Do we have any king ruling Nigeria? What an idiotic action from a so-called number one king in Yorubaland?





This is what one of them, the so-called Oba Yoruba in Liberia, Omobolaji Ogunkoya, said after his so-called installation by Akinruntan:





We appeal to the Federal Government to include diaspora traditional rulers in the scheme of things, so as to give them the financial wherewithal and moral rectitude to help the people in the diaspora.





Can you imagine? Financial backing to a so-called Yoruba Oba in the Diaspora? What exactly are they going to do with this money? Which people are they going to help with this financial wherewithal?





There are many foreigners in Nigeria. Have you heard of British Monarch, Netherlands Monarch, Belgian Monarch or Ireland Monarch in Nigeria? What exactly is wrong with Akinruntan?

Since Akinruntan embarked on a fruitless exercise of fighting the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, for no just cause, he has been moving from one mistake to the other. I have this feeling he will soon start fighting the Alaafin of Oyo for no other reason rather than ego.





What is Akinruntans position in Yoruba history? Does he think by parading himself as a rich man, Yoruba will respect him for trying to desecrate the land? Who does he think he is, embarrassing the Yoruba nation at every opportunity?





Which Northern Emir abuses the Sultan of Sokoto, Emir of Kano, Shehu of Borno or Emir of Zazzau? Which Northern Emir distorts history of the Emirate the way Akinruntanis trying to distort Yoruba history? What exactly is the matter with this featherweight who classifies himself as the best thing to have happened to Yorubaland?





Does he learn from history at all? What exactly is responsible for this arrogance coming from an Oba who is, traditionally, constitutionally and spiritually, mandated to protect Yorubaland? Does he think this arrogance will take him anywhere?





At his age, what exactly does he think he will gain by abusing fellow and superior Obas in Yorubaland? The late Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, was not only wealthy, he also played a principal role in the defunct Western Region administration. He never used his wealth to distort history.





His successor, the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, was also wealthy and he never used that position to create crisis in Yoruba traditional institution. So, where is Akinruntan coming from? Who is using him to cause crisis in Yorubaland?





He refers to himself as Chairman, Yoruba Obas Conflicts Resolution Committee. Is it not funny that he is the one creating tension in the land with his attention-grabbing publicity stunt?





I want to tell Akinruntan that nobody can buy the Yoruba, at home and abroad.You cannot gain respect by attacking other Obas, especially those senior to you. One of those characters he installed as Yoruba Oba in Diaspora, Saheed, hails from Ila-Orangun.





The Orangun is one of the sons of Oduduwa. Why didnt Saheed go to the Orangun to instal him as a Yoruba Oba in Ireland. The Orangun will never do such a thing because he knows the implication.





From Ila-Orangun in Osun State, he went to Ugboland in Ondo State to be installed as Yoruba Oba in Diaspora. To all sane Yoruba men, women and elders, that installation is inconsequential, a futility and of little importance.





We all know the history of traitor-Obas in Yorubaland and how they ended ignominiously.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mustapha Sulaiman, has confirmed that Saudi authorities have released the Nigerian...

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mustapha Sulaiman, has confirmed that Saudi authorities have released the Nigerian girl, Zainab Aliyu, and another man, Ibrahim Abubakar, arrested for alleged drug-related offence.





Zainab Aliyu, a student of Maitama Sule University, Kano, who travelled for Lesser Hajj in December 2018, was detained by the Saudi Arabia authorities for allegedly being in possession of banned substance.





The Permanent Secretary, who confirmed her release on Tuesday at a news conference, however said that Abubakar would be released to the mission in the next couple of hours.





I am pleased to inform you that in the last few minutes ago the girl and the gentleman have been released.





I am happy to announce to you that in the last couple of minutes Zainab is with our mission in Saudi and we believe that the other gentleman will be released before tomorrow.





Because by the time they were able to get his file, it was closing hour and before they got to his location, where he was being kept, it was already late.





Sulaiman said that the release was as a result of intense diplomatic engagements between the Nigerian government and Saudi Arabia.





He said that the ministry made great efforts to establish their innocence.





Suleiman noted that the government had raised several notes with the Saudi Embassy in Abuja and their Consulate in Kano over the matter.





We piled up pressure of interventions and there has been discussions at various levels between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi authorities, he said.





He assured that the ministry used all available diplomatic channels to secure her release.





In addition to that our ministry in conjunction with the mission in Saudi has been able to bring to the attention of Saudi the level of innocence of these people.





We have engaged in other diplomatic ways, we have written several note verbal, we have also from here sent the same note to the Saudi embassy here and the consulate in Kano.





We have had several interventions and various discussions between the minister of minister of foreign affairs and attorney general of the federation on this same issue.





We have passed documents relating to the trial of the suspects that were arrested in Kano; we have also passed same information of the judicial process, NAN quoted him as saying.





The permanent secretary said that the news of her release was heartwarming to the Nigerian Government and the family of Zainab Aliyu.





He said that investigations by the Nigerian authorities revealed that a drug cartel in Nigeria packaged drugs in her luggage, which led to her arrest.




President Xi Jinping and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa greet flower-waving children during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. RAO AIMIN / XINHUA

China and Portugal signed a series of cooperation documents on Monday  including a framework agreement on third-party market cooperation  to strengthen their bilateral ties.

President Xi Jinping and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa witnessed the signing of the documents in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

In talks with Rebelo de Sousa, Xi said China and Portugal are important strategic partners for each other, with great convergence in their interests and strong complementary aspects in their economies.

He called on the two countries to deepen all-around cooperation and build the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Portugal to a higher-level, with broader vision and greater vitality.

Xi said the two countries should strengthen high-level exchanges and value their respective core interests and major concerns based on mutual respect and understanding.

Saying China views Portugal as a significant partner in jointly building the Belt and Road, Xi called for the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in fields such as trade, investment, energy and infrastructure.

He also urged the two nations to strengthen coordination on major international issues, firmly uphold the multilateral system and build an open global economy.

Xi added that China stands ready to work with the European nation to advance more productive cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

The Portuguese president is in Beijing on a state visit. He also attended the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which concluded on Saturday.

Bilateral trade reached over $6 billion last year, a year-on-year increase of 7.4 percent, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Rebelo de Sousa said the two countries should translate their long-term friendship into future-oriented partnership, adding that he is fully confident of the prospects of the ties between them.

He said his attendance at the forum demonstrates his country's resolute support for the initiative. Portugal wants to build even closer links with China in trade, investment, science and technologies and culture, and develop the third-party market cooperation, he said.

Portugal supports intensification of European Union-China partnership and jointly safeguarding multilateralism and promoting free trade, he added.
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The second Belt and Road (BRI) Afro-Sino Art Exchange Exhibition opened in Zimbabwe's capital Harare Monday evening with more than 120 pieces of art from China and Africa on display.

A visitor takes a picture of the art works displayed at the Second Belt and Road Afro-Sino Art Exhibition. The exhibition is launched the National Gallery of Zimbabwe on Monday, April 29, 2019. [Photo: China Plus/Gao Junya]

More than 21 artists from China are also participating in the exhibition, the brainchild of Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association headquartered in Kenya.

The three-day event is being held in Zimbabwe after the southern African country won the bid to host the prestigious event in Beijing last year where the inaugural edition was held.

In a speech read on his behalf at the opening ceremony of the second BRI art exhibition, Kazembe Kazembe, Zimbabwean acting minister of youth, sport, arts and recreation, said Zimbabwe was proud to host the event which promotes cultural exchange and cooperation between Africa and China.

"As host, Zimbabwe is proud of this new program which we hope will become a permanent feature on our National Gallery calendar of events every year.

"I gratefully commend them (organizers) for this vision and effort of networking our artists. It enhances their visibility, entrenches them in international cooperation and indeed widens their market," the minister said.

The exhibition is running under the theme: "South Meeting the East: A Tale of Two Communities."

Some of the art works on exhibition comprise paintings depicting the peoples of Africa and China and their culture, and are drawn from such countries as China, Kenya, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Visitors enjoy the art works displayed at the Second Belt and Road Afro-Sino Art Exhibition. The exhibition is launched the National Gallery of Zimbabwe on Monday, April 29, 2019. [Photo: China Plus/Gao Junya]

Kazembe said as part of Zimbabwe government's Vision 2030, the creation of synergies with international organizations through cultural cooperation was important.

"Today we are experiencing South meeting the East, a tale of two communities. This platform helps to create opportunities for the artists from both the South and East to interrogate parallels in their working processes. In addition, artists can exchange information on global discourse."

He said Zimbabwe values the cordial relationship with China while the exhibition at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe further cements cultural exchange programs between China and Africa.

"This privilege affords this second BRI Afro-Sino art exhibition the opportunity to be viewed by a wider audience through educational public programming that involves public and private schools, colleges and universities as well as other international audiences who will visit the gallery to see and experience select art works. This is good for our art," he said.

As part of the event, there will be an art forum for artists to discuss various issues of mutual interest as well as the launch of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chapter of the Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association.

Speaking at the same event, Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Guo Shaochun said the exhibition provides a rare chance for the two sides to showcase their unique strength in art and culture.

He said under the BRI, the Chinese government was attaching greater importance to deepening people to people exchanges, adding that China will in the next five years invite more than 10,000 representatives of political parties, think tanks and NGOs from countries participating in the BRI to share information and experiences.

He said China will engage the Zimbabwe government so that it can in the near future build a Chinese cultural center in Zimbabwe to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

Dean of Academy of Arts and Design at China's Tsinghua University Lu Xiaobo congratulated Zimbabwe for hosting the exhibition, saying China and Africa have great potential to increase cultural cooperation.

Chairperson of the Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association Franklin Asira said the exhibition is a response to China's call for greater cultural cooperation with Africa. He said their organization wants to bring the people of China and Africa more closely through enhanced cultural cooperation.
SHENZHEN, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The People First Party (PFP) opposes "Taiwan independence," and the two sides across the Taiwan Strait have the common aspiration to realize the national rejuvenation, said PFP Chairman James Soong Chu-yu from Taiwan.

Soong made the remarks during his recent visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

"In Dongguan and Shenzhen, I found that the Chinese mainland not only offers funds and jobs for young people from Taiwan to start their businesses, but helps them adapt to the (mainland) society as well, from which I felt the sincerity from the mainland," Soong said.

Soong stressed that the mainland and Taiwan were a family, and people from both sides of the Strait should know about the sincerity and goodwill of each other.

Soong endorsed the idea that representatives from political parties and all walks of life across the Taiwan Strait should have extensive and thorough democratic consultation on the political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence."

"The position of PFP is clear that we insist both sides across the Strait belong to one China, and the pursuit for a reunified China is the shared responsibility of all Chinese," he said.
BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The General Office of China's Central Military Commission has issued a trial regulation on the logistics work of the military, aiming to build a logistic service system that puts priority on helping win battles.

The regulation, the first of its kind since major reforms were introduced to the military's logistics system, takes in experience and achievements from prior trial reforms and practices, according to the office.

The regulation stresses coordinated use of joint logistic resources to the largest extent and clear definition of job assignments of general logistic services and specialized services.

The trial regulation will take effect on July 1, 2019.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Beijing, capital of China, April 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Beijing on Monday.

China and Portugal should deepen all-round cooperation and develop a comprehensive strategic partnership featuring higher level, broader vision and greater vitality, Xi said.

He called on both sides to strengthen high-level exchanges, and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns based on mutual respect and mutual trust.

China regards Portugal as an important partner in the joint building of the Belt and Road, Xi said, adding that the two countries should deepen cooperation in fields including trade, investment, energy, infrastructure and electric vehicles.

He called for firm support for the multilateral trading system and advancing the building of an open world economy.

China is willing to work with Portugal in achieving more outcomes in the cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries including Portugal, Xi said.

Noting that Portugal firmly supports the joint building of the Belt and Road Initiative, Rebelo de Sousa said that his country is willing to deepen ties with China in economy, trade, investment, technology and culture, and expand third-party market cooperation.

Portugal supports deepening Europe-China cooperation, and stands ready to jointly uphold multilateralism and advance free trade, he said.

The two leaders attended a signing ceremony of bilateral cooperation documents after their talks.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Beijing on Monday.

Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, which presents a new opportunity for developing bilateral relations, Xi said.

By actively supporting and participating in jointly building the Belt and Road, Singapore has injected new momentum into the development of bilateral relations in the new era, and played an exemplary role in the high-quality and high-level joint building of the Belt and Road by participating countries, Xi added.

He called on both countries to maintain firm support for economic globalization and multilateralism, create greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, and promote economic integration in East Asia.

Lee said Singapore is willing to continue to be a partner of China's reform and development, and expects to see greater prosperity in China.

Proposing joint building of the Belt and Road Initiative reflects China's fulfillment of its due role in international affairs, he said.

Lee said Singapore is willing to continue deepening cooperation with China in areas including connectivity, investment, and finance under the Belt and Road framework, and jointly push forward regional economic integration and the development of ASEAN-China relations.
BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- China will hold a gathering to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will attend the event and deliver an important speech.

The event will be broadcast live by China Media Group and on www.xinhuanet.com. It will also be rebroadcast simultaneously on major news websites including people.com.cn, cctv.com and china.com.cn as well as on news apps run by People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television.
RAMALLAH, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Despite the severed Palestinian-U.S. ties, Washington is trying to push ahead with its "Deal of the Century," Nabil Shaath, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' foreign relations advisor, said on Monday.

But U.S. President Donald Trump's support has encouraged the Israeli government to take more steps against the Palestinians, including a possible annexation of part of the West Bank to keep only Jewish settlements there, he added.

In response, the Palestinian Authority announced a new diplomatic campaign against the U.S. peace deal, after Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Shaath told Xinhua in a special interview that the Palestinian campaign will target Arab countries and the European Union, as no European leaders have endorsed the "Deal of the Century."

"Our request for the Arab states is loud and clear, that is to stop normalization of ties with Israel and support us financially to show objection to the U.S. peace deal," he said.

The Palestinians are now preparing for joint moves with the Arab states at the United Nations, Shaath added.

Abbas is scheduled to meet French President Emmanuel Macron soon to address the role of France in rejecting Israel's violation of the Paris Protocol, he revealed.

The 1994 Paris Protocol is the agreement stipulating the economic relations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel during the interim period designated under the Oslo Accords.

The Palestinian Authority announced the boycott of the U.S. government since it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017 and moved its embassy to Jerusalem last May.

Since then, the Trump administration has taken several steps that enraged the Palestinians, including shutting down the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington, and cutting aid to the UN Palestine refugee agency.

The Palestinian campaign against the U.S. "Deal of the Century" will be launched on all levels, including politically, diplomatically and legally, said Omar Awadallah, head of UN and Specialized Agencies at Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

Diplomatic efforts will be made at the United Nations, including the Arria-Formula meetings, the UN Security Council meetings, with reports to be made on the illegality of the Israeli annexation of the Palestinian territory, he added.

In addition, efforts to lobby the Europeans will be made through the foreign ministers, and through special presidential envoys to the European countries at the same time, he said.

The main message that the Palestinians want to convey to the European states is "to put an end to the support for Israel at the expense of Palestinian rights," said the senior diplomat, urging the EU to take practical steps to protect the two-state solution instead of mere condemnation.

However, experts argued that the Palestinian campaign may not go so well as the Palestinian Authority expected.

Mohammad Younis, a Ramallah-based political observer, downplayed the role of Arabs in the campaign, saying the Arab states may not support the Palestinian Authority financially under the U.S. pressure.

"The only thing that is holding them together now is Abbas' stubborn rejection to the U.S. deal. This is the main factor that prevents any Arab states from normalizing ties with Israel," he said.

The EU, on the other hand, may not recognize Trump's moves in the region, but "they are far from recognizing Palestine as a state," he added.

Even if the U.S. peace deal does not succeed in the end, the Palestinian Authority remains "in a tough situation," and Israel may declare that the failure of the deal was because of Abbas' rejection and use that as an excuse to annex parts of the West Bank, he said.

Many Palestinians believe the worsening financial situation is a direct result of the Palestinian Authority's rejection to the U.S. sponsorship of the peace process, but more than half of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip support the Authority's boycott of the U.S. government because of its bias in favor of Israel, according to a recent poll.

The poll, published earlier in April by the Jerusalem Media and Commination Center (JMCC), showed 59.3 percent of people supported the boycott of the U.S. government, while 30.3 percent preferred the Palestinian leadership to be involved in diplomatic relations.

The poll further indicated that 65.3 percent of people think the Palestinian leadership should reject the U.S. "Deal of the Century," 6.1 percent believe they should accept it, and 21.3 percent prefer to negotiate over it.
Breast cancer in young women: Good outcomes with advised therapy

Lugano, Switzerland, 30 April 2019 - Breast cancer in young women is characterised by more aggressive biological features as compared to those arising in older patients but outcomes are good when guideline-recommended treatments are given, according to ESMO Spokesperson Dr. Matteo Lambertini from IRCCS Policlinico San Martino Hospital - University of Genoa, Italy, commenting on results of two studies presented during the ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2019, 2-4 May 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (1)

Young age per se is not a reason to give more intensive treatment highlighted Lambertini: "Women under 40 years of age tend to be diagnosed with more aggressive breast cancer types - for example their tumours are more likely to be triple negative and HER2 positive. Despite this, survival and local recurrence rates are similar to those of the general population of breast cancer patients provided they receive appropriate treatment."

The aggressiveness of the tumour

The aggressiveness of tumours is illustrated in a study from Portugal in 207 patients under 35 years. (2) Of all breast cancers, 5% occur in women under 35, making it the most common cancer in women of this age group. Regarding tumour subtypes, 20% were triple negative, 28% HER2 positive, and 4% luminal A versus 67% luminal B, confirming the higher percentages of more aggressive tumour subtypes in young women. After a median follow-up of 53.5 months, 85% of women were alive, 26 patients had developed metastases and three a local recurrence.

Study author Dr. Ines F. Eiriz, of the Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal, said: "Disease-free survival was longest in women with hormone receptor positive tumours, followed by those with HER2 positive disease, and lastly those with triple negative breast cancer. The median survival of patients without metastases was 130 months compared to 37 months for those with metastatic disease." (3)

The recurrence of the tumour

A Swiss study looking at breast cancer recurrence in 359 women aged 50 years or younger, showed that during a median follow-up of 45.6 months, 14 patients developed local recurrence, six developed distant metastases, and nine developed both. (4) The median time to recurrence was 31 months. The three- and five-year risks for local recurrence were 4.7% and 9.5%, respectively. Rates of disease free survival were 94.3% and 91.2% at three and five years, respectively. The rate of overall survival at five years was 93%.

Study author Dr. Simona Cima, of the IOSI - Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland, said: "Most recurrences in these patients were local rather than metastatic. Our study is ongoing, and the next step is to identify predictors of local recurrence. For example, we will examine the likelihood of local recurrence according to HER2 and triple negative status."

Lambertini said: "It's not true that being diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age means poorer survival or higher chances of the cancer coming back, and these studies further confirm that. Proper guideline-recommended treatments should be given to all breast cancer patients regardless of their age. Special attention should be paid in these women on the potential side effects of anticancer therapies including the risk of infertility."

###

Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2019

Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMOBreast19

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of these abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References

1 ESMO Breast Cancer Congress: https:/ / www. esmo. org/ Conferences/ ESMO-Breast-Cancer-2019

2 Abstract 101P_PR 'Breast Cancer in Young Women - a multi-center 10-year experience' will be presented by Ines F. Eiriz during the Poster Display session on Friday 3 May, 12:15 to 13:00 (CEST) in the Exhibition area. Annals of Oncology, Volume 30, 2019 Supplement 3, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz095

3 The data in the press release are the final data reported at the ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2019 and are updated from the initial abstract

4 Abstract 102P_PR 'Breast cancer early recurrences in young women' will be presented by Simona Cima during the Poster Display session on Friday 3 May, 12:15 to 13:00 (CEST) in the Exhibition area. Annals of Oncology, Volume 30, 2019 Supplement 3, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz095

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 20,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 150 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide.Visit http://www. esmo. org

101P_PR - Breast Cancer in Young Women - a multi-center 10-year experience

I.F. Eiriz1, N.G. Pereira2, M.T. Neves3, M.V. Batista1, T.C. Tomas1, S. Braga4

1Unidade Clinica Autonoma de Oncologia, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Lisboa, Portugal, 2Unidade Funcional de Oncologia, Centro Hospitalar Barreiro Montijo, Lisboa, Portugal, 3Servico de Oncologia, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Ocidental, Lisboa, Portugal, 4Unidade Clinica Autonoma de Oncologia, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Hospital de Vila Franca de Xira, Hospitais CUF Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer diagnosed in adult young women in Europe. Although rare (Methods: We present a retrospective multi-center study of women less than 35 years old, diagnosed with breast cancer between 2008 and 2017. A total of 207 patients from 5 centers were included. Thirty five were excluded: 27 due to lack of data, 1 due to two different synchronous tumors and 7 had ductal in situ carcinoma. Data was analyzed using IBM SPPS statistics.

Results: Median age was 31 years and ductal invasive carcinoma was the most frequent histologic subtype (91%). In the analysis of tumor subtype: 4% of tumors were luminal A, 20% luminal B HER2 positive, 47% luminal B HER2 negative, 8% HER2 positive (hormone receptor negative) and 20% triple negative. Forty eight percent of patients were diagnosed with early breast cancer, 45% were locally advanced and 6% had de novo metastatic cancer. Thirty nine percent of patients were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT) and pathological complete response was obtained in 12%. Eighty three percent of patients were treated with adjuvant systemic therapy (CT or endocrine therapy), 18% exclusively with endocrine therapy. The median follow-up time was 53,5 months. Metastatic disease developed in 37 patients: 7 patients with bone metastasis only, 17 with both bone and visceral metastasis and 14 patients with central nervous system in addition to bone and visceral disease. The median survival of metastatic patients was 16,5 months. Local recurrence occurred in 3 patients with a median time of 27 months. Eighty five percent of these women are alive.

Conclusions: As expected, frequency of HER2 positive and triple negative tumors is increased in this age group, and the frequency of locally advanced and de novo metastatic disease is more prevalent. The median survival of metastatic patients is low in this age group as is the median survival. Due to more aggressive biology, initial staging and survival, the group of very young women with breast cancer deserves special treatment approaches.

Legal entity responsible for the study: Ines Fernandes Eiriz

Funding: Has not received any funding

Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

102P_PR - Breast cancer early recurrences in young women

S. Cima, E.K. Cekani, M. Valli, A. Richetti

Radiation Oncology, IOSI - Ospedale Regionale Bellinzona e Valli, Bellinzona, Switzerland

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women worldwide, with more aggressive clinical behavior and poor outcomes in younger patients. This is to their increased risk of presenting with biologically aggressive types of cancer and at more advanced stage. Many studies have attempted to identify risk factors for local recurrence and distant metastases. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze rates of recurrence in young patients with breast cancer treated at Ticino Breast Unit.

Methods: We analyzed medical records of 381 women less than or equal to 50 years old, with stage I-III invasive breast cancer, treated with curative intent, from 2010 to 2017. Demographics, tumor biology, type of surgery, neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy, site of recurrence, time of recurrence and survival were assessed. Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time period from diagnosis to death from any cause. Disease-free survival (DFS) was defined as the time period from surgery to the first loco regional recurrence and/or metastases. Survival curves were calculated using Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: The median age at the time of diagnosis was 45 years (range 23 to 50 years). The median follow-up was 45.6 months (range 1 to 105 months). Twenty-two patients (5.8%) were lost to follow-up. Tumor relapse occurred in 29 cases (7.6%), among which 9 patients died. Fourteen patients (3.7%) developed a loco-regional recurrence, 6 patients (1.6%) developed distant metastases and 9 patients (2.4%) loco-regional plus distant metastases. The most common site of loco-regional failure was the omolateral breast (11 patients). Two patients developed a second tumor in the contralateral breast. The median interval to recurrence was 31 months (range 3 to 87 months). The 3-year and 5-year risk for loco-regional recurrence was 4.7% and 9.5% respectively. The 3-years and 5-year DFS was 94.3% and 91.2% respectively. The 5-years OS was 93.3%.

Conclusions: Loco-regional recurrence and distant metastases rates of our population do not differ from those published in literature. Further analysis is needed to recognize biological and clinical risk factors for recurrence, with the aim of identifying prognostic models and addressing therapies.

Legal entity responsible for the study: Radiation oncology clinic

Funding: Has not received any funding

Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Tarek Milleron (L), uncle of 24-year-old Samya Stumo who was killed on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, protests outside the James Simpson Theatre in the Field Museum of Natural History, where Boeing holds its annual shareholders meeting, in Chicago, the United States, on April 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Joel Lerner)

CHICAGO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Two families filed lawsuits against Boeing in Chicago on Monday over the 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people, the same day when Boeing held its shareholders meeting at the James Simpson Theatre in the Field Museum of Natural History in downtown Chicago.

Manant Vaidya, the plaintiff, lost his father Pannagesh Bhaskar Vaidya, mother Hansini Pannagesh Vaidya, sister Kosha Pannagesh Vaidya, brother-in-law Preritkumar Dixit and two nieces, 14-year-old Ashka Dixit and and 13-year-old Anushka Dixit in the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019.

"I lost three generations of my family, my parents, my sister, my nieces. If a person lost just one life, their whole life is shattered. But right now with me, I'm more like, I don't know. I'm completely lost right now," said Vaidya at a news conference held at the Clifford Law Offices room in downtown Chicago on Monday.

Paul Njoroge, another plaintiff, lost his wife Carolyne Nduta Karanja, mother-in-law Ann Karanja, 6-year-old son Ryan Njoroge Njuguna, 4-year-old daughter Kellie W. Pauls and 9-month-old infant daughter Rubi W. Pauls.

"I stay up all night crying, thinking of the horror that they must have endured as pilots struggled to keep the plane flying for six minutes," he said. "The terror that my wife must have experienced with little Rubi on her lap ... Our two children beside her, crying for their daddy, my mom in law, feeling helplessness, those six minutes will forever be embedded in my mind. I was not there to help them. I couldn't save them."

Njoroge choked several times while reading his statement, Vaidya stood up and walked over to pat him on the back at one point.

Kevin Durkin, a partner at Clifford Law Offices, promised that if Boeing denies its negligence in the crash, his firm would "seek every single email, text message that was between them and the FAA".

Alleged problems with the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) have been widely reported to be a likely contributor to the crashes.

In a written statement published earlier, Boeing President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said, "We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX accidents ... All of us feel the immense gravity of these events across our company and recognize the devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished."

"We've had teams of our top engineers and technical experts working tirelessly in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and our customers to finalize and implement a software update that will ensure accidents like that of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 never happen again," the statement read.

Boeing said it remains confident in the aircraft and has promised software changes to the MCAS function. "It will be among the safest airplanes ever to fly," read the statement from Muilenburg.

Muilenburg disputed the saying that the 737 MAX was rushed to market. "It was a six-year development; 1,600 test-flights of the airplane; 3,700 flight hours of development on the Max, so it was thorough and it was disciplined," he told investors during a Q&A session at Boeing's annual shareholder meeting in Chicago on Monday.

Outside the Field Museum there were six protestors carrying the photographs of crash victims.

Laurie Engel carried photos of Bennet and Melvin Riffel, two brothers from California of the United States who lost their lives during the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash. She told Xinhua that she just wanted to raise the awareness of Boeing and "not to put profit before people's safety".

Tarek Milleron, uncle of 24-year-old Samya Stumo who was killed on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, was among the protestors.

The crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 made headlines around the world, and finally led to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft by European, Asian and American authorities. Boeing's stock lost 20 dollars per share of value since March 11, the day after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, equivalent to a 5 percent drop in the stock price.

The families' lawsuit was filed in the federal district court in Chicago.
The International Road Transport Union (IRU) seeks to forge a new logistics channel by road connecting China and Europe and to facilitate trade in the Belt and Road region, said the IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto.

On top of the sea, air and rail channels already established, the new channel, also called "the Forth Logistics Channel," provides another option by road. It will save logistics costs and boost trade along the way, according to the IRU.

The vision of the Belt and Road Initiative has become a reality, said de Pretto.

The IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto. (Photo: Yan Yiqiao/Peoples Daily)

The IRU has worked with Chinese government on the implementation of the International Road Transports (TIR) system in China with a success, according to de Pretto.

In May 2017, the IRU inked agreements with China's National Development and Reform Commission and General Administration of Customs at the first Belt and Road Forum for international cooperation. In November 2018, the first China to Europe TIR truck arrived in Poland. China now has 10 TIR pilot ports, such as Horgos in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Manzhouli in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

It is expected that China Customs will open more border-crossing points and inland Customs offices for TIR operations later this year, according to de Pretto. "This will show the world that China is really opening up to trade," he said.

"One of the big promises of the BRI is it will be a project that would benefit both sides, not just China, but also those trading with China," de Pretto noted.

Chinese government ensured there would be "reciprocity" by implementing the TIR Convention, because that's what the TIR Convention calls for, he said.

"China would be a game changer in the TIR," said de Pretto.

China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region embraced the first successful TIR transport from Europe to China in February 2019. (Photo provided by the IRU)

After China ratified the TIR Convention in July 2016 as the 70th member, six other countries have joined the system.

The IRU is now working on the digitalization of the TIR system to bring better security and convenience to TIR members, many of which are in the Belt and Road region.

China would be of great help to promote the digitalization process through the UN platform, said de Pretto.

As Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region embraced the first successful TIR transport from Europe to China in February 2019, the channel has gradually started. During the 12-day, 7,400-kilometer trip, the first truck started from Germany and passed through Poland, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan, before entered through China's Horgos.

The TIR is a global customs transit system to help save money and time when moving goods across borders, governed by United Nations and managed by the IRU. With a 70-year history, there are 76 contracting parties with the IRU.
Finally, some good news. Queer emo icon Brendon Urie, frontman of Panic! at the Disco and recent surprise Taylor Swift collaborator, has received the key to his hometown: Las Vegas. Congratulations, Brendon! This should quite frankly have happened sooner.

As a press release notes, the musician now enters the ranks of fellow Las Vegas keyholders Elvis Presley, Madonna , and Britney Spears . Las Vegas Commissioner Jim Gibson bestowed the honor in light of Urie's commitment to representing his hometown through music  recording Pretty.Odd at The Palms, and paying tribute to that famous strip on 2013 track "Vegas Lights." Urie also recently announced a new charity partnership in Southern Nevada that will support local high school students with musical dreams.

After receiving his key this morning, Urie's Vegas celebrations are set to continue at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards tomorrow night. The ceremony will take place in the city's Grand Garden Arena, and Swift is set to join him on stage to perform "Me!" live for the first time. How they plan to recreate the song's pastel-colored Jojo Siwa-esque video clip remains to be seen.
A group of high-profile artists affiliated with the Whitney are calling for the resignation of the museum board's Vice Chairman, Warren B. Kanders, whose company Safariland is known to manufacture tear gas, among other weapons.

The coalition, which includes a number of artists chosen for the prestigious 2019 Whitney Biennial exhibition (which opens May 17) as well as longtime Whitney affiliated artists Dread Scott, Barbara Kruger, Cameron Rowland, Nan Goldin, Yvonne Rainer, Hans Haacke, Andrea Fraser and Laura Poitras, has signed onto an open letter calling for Kanders' removal, published yesterday by leftist publisher Verso Books.

The letter points to claims that Safariland tear gas has been used on migrants at the US/Mexico border (as journalists have documented) as well as against activists at Standing Rock, in Ferguson, Oakland, Palestine, Puerto Rico and Egypt, and to arm the NYPD.

"The stakes of the demand to remove Kanders are high and extend far beyond the art world. Alongside universities, cultural institutions like the Whitney are among the few spaces in public life today that claim to be devoted to ideals of education, creativity, and dissent beyond the dictates of the market. Yet, these institutions have been historically entwined with the power structures of settler colonialism, white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, and capitalism" the letter reads.

Related | Nan Goldin Leads Protests at the Guggenheim and the Met

The Verso letter concedes that "There are no easy solutions to the current crisis of the Whitney, and there is no blueprint for decolonization. However, they propose that this moment is "an opportunity for the museum leadership to do the right thing, to stand on the right side of history, and to participate in a transformative process that could set the bar for other institutions across the country."

The artists expresses solidarity for the 100 Whitney employees who ignited the Kanders controversy, writing open letter in November demanding the the museum consider Kanders' termination and a museum-wide forum to discuss the issue. "We felt not annoyed, not intellectually upsetwe felt sick to our stomachs, we shed tears, we felt unsafe . . . For many of us, the communities at the border, in Ferguson, in the Dakotas, are our communities" the staff letter read.

Ever Friday since the November staff letter, the activist group Decolonize This Place has been staging weekly protests against Kanders, according to ArtNews. The seventh protest will take place this Friday.

Kanders responded to the Whitney staff letter in his own open letter, arguing that he wasn't "responsible for the decision to use these products" and that "the politicization of every aspect of public life, including commercial organizations and cultural institutions, is not productive or healthy." He also claimed targeting him was misguided: "I think it is clear that I am not the problem the authors of the letter seek to solve," and countered the criticism by explaining that Safariland also produces bomb suits and armor.

The Verso letter, which has now been signed by over 100 artists and scholars, argue that a reckoning is underway in the art world, regarding "broader patterns of toxic philanthropy on museum boards, universities, and other public and private institutions." As evidence, they point to the P.A.I.N. Sackler protests which successfully forced the Guggenheim and the Tate to cut ties with the Sackler family, which profited off the sale of OxyContin, as well as movements at MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, and other institutions.

The Whitney Director Adam Weinberg has yet to respond to the artists' demand for Kanders' removal. However, according to the New York Times, Weinberg did not indicate that Kanders' removal was a possibility in his response to the Whitney staff in November, saying "The Whitney is first and foremost a museum. It cannot right all the ills of an unjust world, nor is that its role."

PAPER reached out to The Whitney for a comment, but they declined as of press time.
Iran Sets Stage for More Crackdowns on University Students' Online Activities

04/30/19

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

University students in Iran could be punished for engaging in online activities deemed by the government as "unethical" following the passage of an amendment to the Islamic Republic's academic disciplinary regulations.

"Publishing unethical photos or committing immoral acts in cyberspace and on information-sharing networks will result in disciplinary action against students," said Jamasb Nozari, director of the state-run Academic Affairs Organization, in an interview with the state-funded Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) on April 26, 2019.

The amendment was passed by the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council's Committee for the Islamization of Universities on April 21, 2019.

The new rule does not define what is and isn't "unethical," giving the authorities free rein to make arbitrary decisions.

"The addition of cyberspace violations to the disciplinary rules not only interferes in students' privacy but also undermines their independence and freedom," tweeted Danial Eslamipanah, the deputy chairman of the Union of Political Organizations at Islamic Azad Universities.

"Worse still, it opens the possibility of arbitrary disciplinary decisions and false accusations," he added.

The internet and social media apps in Iran, as well as online user activity, are heavily censored and monitored by the government, so it's not clear what prompted an amendment specifically targeting university students.

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has documented cases of students at Iranian universities, historically hotbeds of political activism, being prosecuted for the content of their peaceful online postings.

On April 13, Hakim Sabzevari University student Mojtaba Dadashi, 23, began serving a three-year prison sentence for sharing a video on social media criticizing the Islamic Republic as "un-Islamic."

Three months earlier, on January 15, the disciplinary committee of the Babol Noshirvani University of Technology suspended an unknown number of students for one semester for posting personal photos from a family gathering on their Facebook pages.

Activists Condemn Restriction of Students' Internet Freedom

Following news of the amendment, some activists took to social media to condemn the government's ongoing crackdown on university students' online activities.

Ghazal Masoum-Shahi, a university student activist at the Amirkabir University of Technology, tweeted:

"In 2012 hardliners reported students who had posted personal photos from camping trips, leisure activities and parties on Facebook and the students were illegally summoned and warned for not wearing headscarves in the photos. Imagine what they will do now that there's a law against it," she said.

Calling the amendment unlawful, human rights attorney Ali Mojtahedzade tweeted, "The... decision to allow disciplinary committees to investigate violations on social media can be nullified by the Administrative Justice Tribunal. Students should defend their rights."
Defense Lawyer To Call For Iran-U.S Dual Nationals Release

04/30/19

Source: Radio Farda

The defense lawyer of two Iranian-American dual nationals sentenced to jail in Iran for "collaboration with a belligerent state," says he is going to demand their "conditional release".

A week after talk of prisoner swap between US and #Iran, lawyer of Baqer and Babak #Namazi held in Tehran says he will ask for their release. https://t.co/P5if5z7fxR  RadioFarda (@RadioFarda_Eng) April 30, 2019

The announcement by the lawyer comes less than a week after Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif put forward the idea of a prisoners swap between Iran and the United States, and one day after Tehran's prosecutor allegedly "resigned."



The United nations had called on Iran last year to release the two dual nationals, Baqer and Siamak Namazi, father and son, as their detainment "violates international laws."



The defense lawyer, Mehrdad Qorbani, told reporters that he is going to call for their conditional release as they have already served four years in jail.



He said he has made the decision after Tehran's prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi announced he is handing over his office to a new prosecutor.



Qorbani said he did not have much hope in arranging a renewed hearing for the case as Iran's Supreme Court has rejected his appeal. "However, we are going to appeal again as Tehran's prosecutor has been replaced."



He said based on Iranian laws, Siamak Namazi, who has been sentenced to 10 years in jail, is eligible for conditional release as he has already served four years.
FM Zarif hails Persian Gulf as Iran's lifeline on national day

04/30/19

Source: Press TV

Iran is commemorating the National Day of the Persian Gulf. Honoring the occasion, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has highlighted the significance of the strategic body of water, describing it as a "lifeline" for the country.

Every year, Iranians observe the Persian Gulf Day on the 10th of Ordibehesht, the second month on the Persian calendar, which usually falls on April 30.



The date coincides with the anniversary of a successful military campaign by Shah Abbas I of Persia in 1622, which drove the Portuguese navy out of the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway which separates the Persian Gulf from the Sea of Oman.



The national occasion is meant to call attention to the fact that the inland sea has been referred to by historians and ancient texts as the Persian Gulf since the Achaemenid Empire was established in what is now modern day Iran.

'Special focus on the word Persian'

Honoring the national day in an Instagram post on Monday, Zarif released a video of his recent interview with the Asia Society last week, in which he underlined the historical identity of the Persian Gulf and clarified that those who use the fictitious name the "Arabian" Gulf to refer to the sea are, in fact, attempting to "revise history."



Zarif was apparently referring to certain Arab states and their allies, which have recently mounted attempts to remove the word 'Persian' from the name of the gulf.



"It's called [the] Persian Gulf and we repeat the word Persian so that people know it's not the Gulf of Mexico. People just call it "the Gulf" because it's easier, and people confuse that it may be the Gulf of Mexico that we're talking about."

The top Iranian diplomat warned the US against any measure to prevent Tehran from using the Strait of Hormuz as a safe passage for the transit of its oil.



"The Persian Gulf is our lifeline ... so stability of [the] Persian Gulf, freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf, [and] free flow of oil in the Persian Gulf [are] in our vital national security interest," Zarif said.



"We guarantee [the security and stability of the Persian Gulf] as long as it is in our national security interest. If we are prevented from using [the] Persian Gulf for our national security, then why should we guarantee it?" he added, noting, "If the United States takes the crazy measure of trying to prevent us from doing that, then it should be prepared for the consequences."



The administration of US President Donald Trump has stepped up its attempts to cut Iranian oil sales, threatening sanctions on countries that continue purchasing Iranian crude after May 1.



The Persian Gulf - which spans some 250,000 square kilometers - is bounded by the Arvand River in the north, which forms the frontier between Iran and Iraq, and the Strait of Hormuz in the south, which links the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean.



The Persian Gulf is also important as an international trade route connecting the Middle East to Africa, India and China.
As the oldest university in Australia, the University of Sydney now has nearly 70,000 international students from 136 countries and half of them are from China. Since 2005, the University of Sydney holds an annual Chinese graduation ceremony in China for students who are unable to attend the graduation ceremony in Sydney Australia.

As the Vice-Chancellor and the Principal of the University of Sydney, Dr. Michael Spence tries to join this ceremony in China whenever he can. Its a tremendous moment in a person's life when they graduate from a university degree. We want to celebrate it not only with the person who's graduating but also with their friends and family. We took the celebration to China so that more friends and family could come, he said.

Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sydney, Dr. Michael Spence

As an alumnus of the University of Sydney, Dr. Spence graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Italian and a Bachelor of Laws. Before leaving for the University of Oxford, he lectured in law at the university and worked for the Australian Copyright Council. In 2008, Dr. Spence was appointed the 25th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney.

Managing 67,000 students and 10, 000 teaching and administrative staffs is not easy. My daily job has a lot of different parts. Partly it's like being the chief executive of a 2.4 billion dollar turnover organization but also a community of scholars in a university. And of course it's also a bit like being a high school headmaster and takes an active interest in our students, Dr. Spence said.

When asked about how to balance family and work as a father of eight children, Dr. Spence told us, The important thing is to focus on what you're doing when you're doing it. When you're at home, concentrating on your family and not being continually distracted. But similarly, making sure you get the job done in as efficient way as possible.

Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sydney, Dr. Michael Spence shares his Chinese collections

As early as the 1960s, the University of Sydney has already started cooperation with universities China such Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Tsing University, where a whole range of partnerships involving dual degrees, joint research programs and exchange programs for teachers and students were set up. Our partnerships with China are very old and very deep and they're sometimes very specialized. We as the institution publish over a thousand academic articles with Chinese co-authors a year and we have 250 staff who work on modern China, he said. 

Dr. Spence travels to China four to six times every year. In recent years, he also sends Chinese New Year greetings messages in Chinese to students, schoolfellow and partners through Peoples Daily Online and Chinese social media platforms. There's a whole variety of reasons that I learn Chinese, I've always been fascinated by Chinese history and culture, and it also was a practical thing for my work as well.

Talking about the achievements of the 40th anniversary of Chinas reform and opening-up, Dr. Spence said, Everybody is impressed by the incredible growth of the Chinese economy and by the remarkable achievement that there has been in China in lifting so many people out of poverty, and the incredible improvements in the Chinese standard of living. China has grown in its confidence and its engagement with the world.

The University of Sydney campus

Dr. Spence thinks that China is now one of the largest producers of scientific research in the world and the University of Sydney are very proud of their current collaboration with Chinese universities.

The Australia-China relationship is longstanding and very deep and it's like a family relationship. It's really important during times when there are pressures on the Australia-China relationship for the friends of China in Australia and for the friends of Australia in China to really keep reminding people of the strength and depth of the relationship, he said. (Peoples Daily Online / Jin Xie)
It has been established after a thorough research and investigation that thousands of Ghanaian employees at the port will lose their jobs with the current MPS deal signed by the past Mahama's government.



Mr Ofosu Ampofo who is currently the Chairman of NDC was the board chairman of GPHA and signed the reckless deal with Meridian Port Services without considering the welfare and plight of the ordinary citizen who works at the port.



In the year 2015, when ex president Mahama's government was making such a move, they were alerted by Ghana Ports and Habors Authority (GPHA) workers of the later consequences, but the then Mahama's government refused to listen to the views of the workers. I wonder why a government who has been tasked to preside over the welfare of his citizens will rather do the opposite.



This deal was rather signed by the past government to enrich themselves rather than the ordinary Ghanaian citizens working at the port. The contract is expected to last for 35 good years where Ghana stands to lose billions of dollars.



It's very pathetic when I hear the ex president saying he cares about Ghanaians and that he wants to come back; was he sleeping when the MPS deal was going on?



Never again Mahama.



.... Signed.....

Edmund Kyei

NPP Communication Member

Asokwa Constituency 1st Vice Chairman







Note: The views of the author do not represent our view









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I have followed the ECG-PDS Transaction for the last 3 years and I am so worried that some of the parties involved are threatening to quit participation in the ECG Concession and return to their country. This is because they feel tricked and betrayed.



As a patriot, I intend to share my musings with the public over a 10 separate articles. Each

of this will expose my findings as I answer the pertinent questions yet to be raised, though

three of such questions I am about to ask now:



1. The Government insisted that 51% of the shares should at all times belong to Ghanaians; though that has happened, some individuals who have not sown anything, anywhere, at any time, want to reap a harvest. Who are those individuals? Is Solomon Asamoah of GIIF willing to participate in the scheme, and what is his professional judgement about it?



In answering this question, I shall make reference to the 40-page Shareholders Agreement, drafted by the Ghanaian SPV brokers and presented to the Ghanaian local investor component of PDS dated April 2019; Cabinet approval of the concession structure of 2016 and its affirmation in 2017 by the NPP administration;



2. Why is it that though the agreement between Ghana and PDS guarantees the ownership

arrangements, some people think that without forming a consortium out of the Ghanaian equity participating entities there will be no safeguarding of Ghanaian ownership of PDS in a unified manner.



Is this a genuine motive? What is the real motive of the many SPVs springing up Nicodemously all over the place? I shall also answer this question by relying on the Government Support Agreement (GSA) of the concession arrangement, and a letter that the Minister for Finance wrote on the 27th March, 2019) to Lawyer Akoto Ampaw.



3. Who are the individuals who want to, by these schemes, force themselves into the business of PDS? How are they related to this South African rich man who expects serious deals in the electricity sector of Ghana, but some people are proving to be stumbling blocks? The public will be informed appropriately on these questions

based on the content of the intercepted letter written by the SPV brokers for the signatures of the Ghanaians in the PDS consortium which is dated 7th February, 2019, the role of Richard Came, and others;



In the coming days, I am inviting all well-meaning Ghanaians to join me as I expose and

fight against conflict of interest and the governments deliberate failure to respect the

agreement terms which may lead to Ghana incurring judgement debt.



Signed

Emmanuel Wilson Jnr.

Director of Communications-PNC

Convenor-COYEES

Source: Emmanuel Wilson Jnr.









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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.
Three accused persons, all in their twenties and believed to belong to a water meters stealing syndicate, have been jailed.



Razak Mohammed, 24, Ali Zakari, 27, and Suleman Mumuni, 20, were arrested at different locations within the Kumasi metropolis, and after police investigations, charged with the offences of stealing and causing damage to government property.



They were convicted on their own pleas of guilty and given sentences ranging from nine months to one year in hard labour by separate courts.



His Worship Stephen Kumi, presiding over the Akropong District Magistrate's Court, sentenced Mohammed to nine months imprisonment each on all six counts of stealing, which was to run concurrently.



"I find the sentence appropriate enough as the appalling acts of some Ghanaians stealing the water meters of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) across the country is well documented and prevalent," the Magistrate stated.

According to the prosecution, Mohammed was arrested at New Suame in October, last year, by a police patrol team, following a series of reported cases of water meter thefts.



"I am hopeful that the sentence would be deterrent enough both to the convict and other criminal elements at and around New Suame," the Magistrate said.



Zakari, who was put before the Asokwa District Court 'Three', presided over by Her Ladyship Rosemary Afia Asante, was sentenced to a years imprisonment in hard labour for stealing and causing damage to government property.

He was arrested at Ash-Town, where he was said to have been operating.



Mumuni, who was arrested at Ahinsan Estates, was also sentenced to nine months imprisonment in hard labour when he appeared before the Asokwa District Court 'Two', presided over by His Lordship Owusu Achiaw.



Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Office of the GWCL has advised the public to be vigilant and assist the company to curb water meter thefts which is on the ascendancy.



"It is a worrying situation," Mr. Sampson Ampah, Communications Manager of the Company, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), saying the media ought to also support the authorities by constantly alerting the public to be on the lookout for such miscreants.

Source: GNA









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Volta Regional Hospital (Trafalgar) has been upgraded into a Teaching Hospital with the name Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) for the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).



Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Minister of Health, who re-commissioned the facility in Ho on Monday said the delay of the inauguration was to amend portions of the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals ACT 525 of 1996, to strengthen governance and management systems of the Hospital.



He said his outfit intended to make the HTH a model Hospital and would first pilot the new governance and management arrangements being proposed in view of problems faced by existing teaching hospitals in the country.

Mr Agyeman-Manu announced that while awaiting amendments of ACT 525, MOH would guide management of the facility to operate appropriately as a teaching hospital.



He said a Memorandum of Understanding had been designed in that effect to enable UHAS and MOH to boost good work relationship for optimum performance and quality care.



The Minister said the MOH was working towards acquiring funds to expand infrastructure for service delivery including additional wards, offices and new equipment, to enhance service delivery according to the Hospital's present status.

He said resourcing the HTH appropriately would make it the premium in innovative tertiary healthcare delivery, world-class medical education and research, to give relief to all who sought tertiary healthcare elsewhere and decongest existing teaching hospitals.



Mr Agyeman-Manu said human resource was critical to the provision of tertiary health service and directed the Health Directorate to give special attention to the HTH in the distribution of qualified nurses and allied health professions.



He said the MOH in consultation with the Chief of Staff was working assiduously to inaugurate the Board of Governors as soon as the amendments to the GHS and Teaching Hospitals ACT had been approved by Parliament to provide direction and guidance to the management of the Hospital.



He said as the status of the Hospital changed to a Teaching one, The Director-General and the Governing Council of the Ghana Health Service was expected to announce a new Volta Regional hospital soon.



I believe when this is done it will improve access to quality health service to the people of the region as well as its adjoining regions including Oti, Eastern and Togo and Benin.



Professor John Gyapong, Vice-Chancellor of UHAS said his outfit and HTH officially began a unique lifelong journey mindful of all potential challenges and that we will work together with the hospital management team to ensure progress and shun mistakes of other older teaching hospitals.



He disclosed that UHAS intended to work with some satellite hospitals in the region and appealed to the Regional Directorate of Health Services to facilitate that initiative.



Dr Archibald Letsa, Volta Regional Minister said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos elevation of the Volta Regional Hospital to a teaching one, was a confirmation of governments commitment to providing a sustainable healthcare delivery for the people.



He said the expansion of facilities and the economics of the region would spiral Ho into acquiring a metropolitan status and invited entrepreneurs to take advantage of the opportunities.



The Regional Minister said the Volta Regional Coordinating Council would support in uplifting the image of the HTH towards making the facility a model medical tourism centre to serve as a pull-factor for clients from within and outside of the region.

Source: GNA









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The Vice President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has, on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, commissioned a number of projects at the Ghana Immigration Service Academy at Assin Foso in the Central Region.



The projects were undertaken in fulfilment of a promise by President Akufo-Addo to revamp the structures of the school to upgrade it to an International Academy for the sub-region, when he reviewed the Graduation Parade of the 9th Cadet Intake on 25th October 2017.



Delivering the Reviewing Officers Address on behalf of the President at the Graduation Parade for the 11th Cadet Intake at Assin Foso on Monday, 29th April 2019, Vice President Bawumia said the significant revamping and construction works undertaken in the ensuing period lends credence to the fact that when President Akufo-Addo promises, he delivers.



Today, history has been made again. We have commissioned, a 221-capacity hostel facility and a 300-capacity lecture hall for the Immigration Academy. The training school has also been upgraded with a 280 capacity hostel as you have all witnessed today.



Ladies and Gentlemen, when the President promises, he delivers! Kindly join me to commission a modern drill square  The Academy Square, where we are now, he declared to loud cheers from the graduands.



The revamping and upgrading of the Academy, as well as the provision of essential logistics for not just the Immigration Service but all other security agencies, form part of a holistic national effort to improve upon their human capital and effectiveness, Vice President Bawumia explained.



Government is determined to rid the country of all types of crimes. To this end, the President has resolved to resource all the security services to enable them enforce the law. Recently, government provided vehicles and other facilities to the Ghana Armed Forces and the Police Service. Government has also procured 150 high-performance vehicles to support the operations of the Ghana Immigration Service.



Let me indicate that the Government will not be complacent in the security management of the country. We are alert and working to ensure that citizens, indeed all of us, are safe and continue to go about our activities without fear. Government is thus committed to ensure the full implementation of the Immigration Service Act, 2016 (Act 908) which is aimed at injecting more efficiency and effectiveness into the Service Vice President Bawumia stated.



Vice President Bawumia urged the 300 graduating officer cadets to be fully committed to the cause of the country and exhibit high levels of integrity, and, let me stress, eschew all forms of corrupt practices in the performance of your duties.



He added, From here on it is your primary responsibility and commitment to hold unto the virtues and high standards of discipline imparted to you.



The Overall Best Cadet Award was won by Officer Cadet Christian Magnusen, who also won the award for the Best in Academics. Officer Cadet Lydia Aboagye-Agyapong was adjudged Best in Drills, Female, while Officer Cadet Mustapha Osumanu Huno won that for Males. Most Disciplined Cadet was Officer Cadet Eric Ato Smith.



The Graduation Parade was witnessed by a number of dignitaries including Mr Muhammed Babandede, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service; Mr Kwame Asuah Takyi, Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service; Lt General Obed Boamah Akwa, Chief of Defence Staff; Mr Patrick Darko Missah, Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service; Hon Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior and his Deputy, Hon Henry Quartey; Deputy Minister for Defence, Hon Maj Derek Oduro (Rtd); Central Regional Minister Mr Kwamena Duncan; and Hon Barbara Asher Ayisi, Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing.









Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Mr Collins Arku, North-Tongu District Chief Executive (DCE) has cautioned men against the habit of detaching emotionally from their wives when they are pregnant.



He said rather bonding between men and their pregnant wives should be tighter in every respect.



Mr. Arku was addressing a durbar to commission a four-unit CHPs Compound with ancillary facilities and an apartment for the resident nurse at Deve, a farming village in the District.



The beneficiary communities besides Deve are, Aglubakpo, Lokokpo, Agbesukpedu, Akuta, Zomayi and Ayigokope.



The DCE, whose appeal drew loud and teasing cheers from the women present, noted that a husband' s affection for his pregnant wife contributed to her sound health and even of the unborn baby.



He said proliferation of facilities and improved access to care alone do not make women in such conditions healthy, and that men have roles such as following their wives to the delivery wards, drew extra cheers from the crowd.



Mr. Arku, reiterating the importance of health of the people to a nation's development, lamented the neglect of the health needs of Deve area for a long time, forcing them to travel long kilometres for such services.



He appealed to the people to assist the facility to run well, promising it will be upgraded to a health centre status if operated successfully.



Mr. Arku, promised to facilitate the repair of the about 15-kilometre road network connecting the area, which was in a deplorable state.



He also said a poly tank will be supplied to aid rain water harvesting at the facility, while efforts were made to trace the contractual history of a borehole at Deve to have it completed for the people or a new one sank for them.



Ms Delali Annie Ofori, District Director, Ghana Health Service (GHS), lamented the shortfall of health facilities and poor access to care in the District and expressed joy for the CHPs Compound for Deve.



She announced that staff, equipment and medicine will soon be dispatched to make the facility fully functional to reduce the headache of the people travelling 15 kilometres or more to Adidome or Battor for care.



"Accessing care here has been difficult as GHS staff visit here only once a month to run child welfare clinics and it is good this facility has come," she said.



She said the facility will help improve counselling of nursing mothers, expectant mothers and the general public.



Ms Ofori said her unit will educate the people on their roles, including voluntary provision of security, to complement the running of the facility.

Source: GNA









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday broke his silence on recent cases of kidnapping in the country and gave an assurance that tough decisions were being taken by the government to deal decisively with the matter.



He stated that unlike Nigeria, Ghana had not known such unfortunate phenomenon of kidnapping, adding that we need to do something about it so that it does not become a feature of our society and that the government was determined to resolutely contain the issue.



President Akufo-Addo declared the resolve of the government to address the situation when a delegation of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition called on him at the Jubilee House yesterday.



Decisions are being taken as we speak that will be a clear manifestation of the determination I have to deal with this matter, he declared.



Vigilantism



The President stated that the trend of vigilantism was of great concern to Ghanaians and the government, especially in view of the greater devastating dimension of the phenomenon in other parts of Africa.



He urged all to support the bill on vigitalism that the Executive had presented to Parliament to deal decisively with the problem. President Akufo-Addo urged all interested parties and individuals to make the law a better one through submissions of their views to support the parliamentary process, adding that with a good law, coupled with firm and consistent implementation, Ghana would make a headway.



Report



Touching on calls by the CSOs for the publication of the Emile Short Commission Report and recommendations, the President explained that the Constitution prescribed how such reports should be treated, including timelines and that he was studying it and would react appropriately.



He said the law was clear as to how a report of such nature should be dealt with, to be published or not to be published, including issuance of White Paper after such documents had been studied.





President Akufo-Addo condemned the leaks of sections of the report in the media and said such irresponsible leaks were unfortunate but insisted that the government would abide by the dictates of the Constitution and do the right thing in the interest of the country.



CSOs



The President said the work of civil society organisations was good for democracy because Ghana had experienced a checkered history, during which some liberties had been stifled and indicated that with the current dispensation, people must have their say, but the majority must decide in line with the tenets of democracy.



He said consulting with people did not mean that the government needed to agree with everything they suggested or argued on but the system of dialogue must be allowed to run because it would allow people to express their point of view free from intimidation.



Sanitation



Reacting to the concerns of the CSOs about sanitation and their call for the establishment of an agency to deal with the problem, the President expressed the confidence that the people he had put in charge of affairs would work for all to be witnesses to the results.



He said he was fully conscious of the commitment he had made to make Accra one of the cleanest cities and that his administration was on course to deliver on that.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Beijing Expo 2019, the worlds largest horticultural exhibition, is expected to focus on innovation in environmental management and global trade relationships as China embraces worldwide cooperation to combat climate change and achieve sustainable economic development.

The five-month long program of activities and exhibitions is expected to attract thousands of visitors and global exhibitors to partake of the joy of nature and share the responsibility under the Expos theme of live green, live better.

Declaring the opening of the worlds largest international horticultural exhibition in Beijing on Sunday, President Xi Jinping expressed his hope that the green development concept embodied by the Expo park would spread to every corner of the world, Xinhua reported.

The UK Pavillion in Beijing Expo 2019. Photo courtesy to British Embassy Beijing.

In a Monday interview with reporters, Richard Burn, the UKs trade commissioner for China, said that the UK identifies China as an important partner of low carbon cooperation, especially in offshore wind power as well as electric vehicles and EV batteries to combat climate change.

The UK and China eyes a collaboration in government-to-government work in environment protection. Also, we are seeking more opportunities to cooperate with Chinese subregional levels on mapping out the potential impact of climate change in different scenarios via a risk assessment model co-developed by Chinese experts and UK climate change committee, added Christina Scott, minister and deputy head of Mission at the British Embassy in Beijing.

Sources of green finance are flowing between China and the UK. Two of the largest investors in the UK, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank, are issuing offshore green bonds to Chinese banks, which helps create a green finance environment for further cooperation between two countries.

In addition, green finance between China and the UK unveils more possibilities to create an ace-class of Belt and Road finance instruments and develop strong trade and investment links among the Belt and Road countries, according to Burn.
A Deputy Minister for Energy, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, has revealed that the previous Mahama administration signed 13 petroleum contracts without securing a single oil well for Ghana.



The companies contracted by the previous Mahama administration spent $95 million without drilling an oil well in the $890 million deal.



According to the deputy minister, These contractors under those 13 PAs were supposed to have drilled 14 wells, and they were supposed to have spent $890 million, but not a single well was drilled.



Dr. Adam disclosed this to the media last week at the Information Ministry in Accra in reaction to claims by IMANI Africa, a policy think tank, that Ghana risks losing $30 million if it fails to negotiate a new deal with Aker Energy.



IMANI had accused Aker Energy of engaging in illegality but the government dismissed claims by IMANI.



According to the deputy minister, all the 13 petroleum contracts entered into between 2013 and 2016 for the exploration of oil were not operationalized.



Dr. Adam stated emphatically that the contracts that have led to discoveries in Ghana were the ones signed under J. A. Kufuor, 13 contracts were signed under our opponents  the highest contracts ever signed under any government in Ghana.



The Tullow Block, Kosmos, which were discovered at the same time; somebody has described them as foundation contracts because they are contracts that have given us our first series of discoveries. So you have the Deep Water Tano, Cape 3 Point, and then we have the Hess.



He said this is why I question our opponents. None of the contracts they have signed has led to a discovery, stressing that 13 companies were given oil blocks and expected to drill 14 wells between 2013 and 2016. We are in 2019 and not a single well has been drilled by them. People are not concerned about that?



The deputy minister, who exposed the NDCs propaganda in the oil industry, explained that and so when Aker is drilling wells and somebody is engaged in semantics that this one is exploration and that are appraisal wells, drilling a well is not easy!



He disclosed that the Akufo-Addo administration had planned to pursue aggressive exploration to increase the countrys oil reserves and production.



Energy Minister John Peter Amewu said the PA covering the DWT/CTP contract operated by Aker Energy was executed on 8th February, 2006 between the Government of Ghana, GNPC and Amerada Hess Corporation.



He stated that the contract area has seven discoveries namely Pecan North, Almond, Cob, Beech, Pecan, Paradise and Hickory North.

Source: Daily Guide









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Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has justified the controversial comments by the senior minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, which many say, suggested the trial of galamsey queen, Aisha Huang, was compromised to save Ghanas bilateral relations with China.



Yaw Osafo Maafo, while addressing a town hall in the US, had said jailing the Chinese national, who was standing trial for illegal mining, would not have made either Ghanaians or the government happy because it would not have solved Ghanas economic problems.



Senior Minister [R] and the Aisha Huang [L]

He noted the two countries had good relations and that when issues of Aishas kind come up a lot goes on in the background.



Critics have consequently chastised the government for letting go a Chinese criminal for favours in the form of deals like the Sinohydro, which the senior minister cited as one of the deals the two countries have reached.



But the Effutu MP contends the comments by the senior minister was taken out of context as can sometimes happen in communication.



Sometimes in communication, the media pick you out of context or sometimes in making a point it could be misconstrued, the MP said on TV3 New Day Tuesday.



He argued Osafo-Maafo never said the government did not want to prosecute Aisha because of the Sinohydro deal.



According to him Osafo-Maafo meant to say that it was not in the interest of Ghanaians for the government to waste time prosecuting Aisha instead of growing the economy.



Osafo-Maafo was saying that us focus on relationships and focus on matters that will put food on our table, than to get into petty issues, he said, claiming the message was clear enough for all to appreciate.



He added that the behind the scenes dealings the senior minister was talking about had nothing to do with the $2 billion Sinohydro deal for which Aisha Huangs case could be linked to.

Source: 3news.com









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The Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng has threatened to shut down a toilet roll manufacturing company at Bawjiase in the Central Region due to its poor waste management practices.



The Minister, on a tour in the area discovered that the factory, which produces Bobo toilet rolls, has been dumping its waste into the Ayensu River. Expressing dissatisfaction with the development, Professor Frimpong Boateng said he would task the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the issue.



Although the factory is offering employment to some Ghanaians it cannot compromise on the processes of disposing waste material, Professor Frimpong Boateng said.



The Minister nonetheless commended the company for relying on local materials to produce the toilet rolls, but expressed discontent with the welfare of workers at the facility adding that the company must make welfare of workers a priority.



Records of patients from Tamale Central hospital, Sunyani Regional hospital, receipts from the Ministry of Health, vouchers from the neonatal departments at the Municipal hospital in Sunyani have all been brought here to be turned into toilet roll, he said.



The boiler that generates steam at the factory must be changed and adopt the modern method of generating steam and the pit latrine toilet facilities is also dirty and its closer to the river. I am sure its been diverted somewhere into the river which we may not see unless we are able to ask questions and people answer them, Professor Frimpong Boateng added.

Source: Daily Graphic









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The National Communications Director of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has called for the arrest and prosecution of former Minister of State at the Presidency, Rockson Bukari, over allegations of complicity in some illegal mining issues.



The former Upper East Regional Minister was heard on tape allegedly scheming to bribe a journalist to drop a story on a Chinese mining firm, Shaanxi Mining Company in the region.He had told the journalist  Starr FMs Upper East Region correspondent Edward Adeti  the publication would affect the relationship between the Chinese managers and the traditional authorities, specifically the Tongorana.



The minister has resigned on principle in the heat of the moment and the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, has accepted same.



But the NDC communicator wants some action taken against the former minister.



Speaking on TV3s New Day Tuesday, Sammy Gyamfi intimated the resignation of the minister does not mean anything.



The resignation of the minister is totally meaningless and useless until it leads to his prosecution and punishment, and the prosecution of all other crooked members of the Akufo-Addo government who have been found to compromise our fight against galamsey, he said.



The mere resignation of Rockson Bukari is no sufficient remedy for his offense, what we want to see is an immediate arrest and prosecution of Rockson Bukari and his punishment, he reiterated.



Sammy Gyamfi questioned why the Chairman of the Inter Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue, who was recently caught on tape, engaging in purported acts of bribery and corruption, is still at post as a public officer while Rockson Bukari resigns.



He stressed that the law is not respecter of persons and ought not be selective in applying it to public officers.







Source: 3news.com









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The Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has charged the Office of Diaspora Affairs to speed up work on the diaspora development policy document aimed at targeting more Ghanaians living in abroad.



He said the policy once introduced will attract and encourage Ghanaians in the Diaspora to bring their technical skills, money and investment opportunities back home for the growth and development.



Mr. Nkrumah was giving the key note address at the 2019 global media launch of the Ghana Diaspora Celebrations and Homecoming Summit in Accra on the theme Recognising Diaspora Contributions towards Nation Building.



He praised the immense contributions of the diaspora community and disclosed that the Akufo-Addo led government acknowledged the potential role that they can play in helping to stimulate the development agenda.



The potential value of the diaspora community to the local economy is immeasurable and helps the Presidents Ghana Beyond Aid vision agenda the Minister said.



The Ofoase Ayirebi legislator said many ideas and feedback from the Diaspora Homecoming summits have been put in good use, for example extending the duration of passports from five to 10 years and the recent measures by government to reduce port charges.



He also encouraged diaspora community to explore how to use technology to impact the growth agenda back home.



Mr. Nkrumah appealed to the community to spread the news globally about the upcoming summit which takes in July this year.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007









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FILE - In this April 12, 2019, file photo the logo for Anadarko Petroleum Corp. appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Anadarko plans to restart takeover talks with Occidental, less than a week after Occidental made a competing bid to ChevronAos deal. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. said Monday, April 29 that itAos resuming talks with Occidental because its board determined OccidentalAos offer could possibly be a superior proposal to the Chevron transaction. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
FILE - In this April 12, 2019, file photo the logo for Anadarko Petroleum Corp. appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Warren BuffetAos Berkshire Hathaway is financing a bid by Occidental Petroleum for Anadarko, potentially upending ChevronAos $33 billion offer for the energy company. Anadarko and Chevron signed a merger agreement earlier this month, but Anadarko Petroleum said Monday, April 29, that it is now considering an offer from Occidental worth about $57 billion in cash and stock. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Melissa Doering (left) and Ivy Allen rehearse their lines after school in anticipation of Pen Highs musical, Guys and Dolls, hitting the Cleland Stage at the end of May.
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CORRECTS SPELLING OF RABBI'S FIRST NAME TO YISROEL INSTEAD OF YISHOEL - Yisroel Goldstein, at podium, Rabbi of Chabad of Poway, speaks Monday, April 29, 2019, during a memorial service for Lori Kaye, in Poway, Calif. Kaye was was killed Saturday when a gunman opened fire inside the Chabad of Poway synagogue, and Goldstein was injured in the shooting. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Sinamale Bridge, developed as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, connects the Capital City Male with Hulhumale and Hulhule of Maldives. (Photo: Courtesy of CSNEC)

In the globalized world, the development of one country is highly dependent on its partnerships and multilateral relations with others. This is a reality, especially, for small island nations such as the Maldives, which is on the cusp of transformation from developing to developed. The world-renowned tourist destination I call home is home to over 380,000 people, which is a small amount compared to giant nations such as China. Nonetheless, China, the worlds second largest economy, has been at the forefront of assisting and aiding the Maldives in its developmental endeavor since as early as I can remember.

My country has 1,200 islands, out of which 190 are residential, 200 resorts and the rest uninhabited. The islands are divided by the ocean, often the only way of connectivity is by boat, while there are some domestic airports which provide air connectivity as well.

The metropolitan or capital area consists of four islands, Male, residential islands of Hulhumale and Villimale as well as Hulhule Island, which is the island allocated for our main airport, Velana International Airport.

One-third of our total population resides in the capital area. As you can imagine, before the bridge, traveling between these islands took a lot of time and money. Land is scarce in the capital Male, so many residents lived on Hulhumale Island and traveled to the capital for employment and other purposes. The airport is a hub from which Maldivian citizens traveled to islands and abroad. Traveling by boat meant a lot of hassle for people, especially if you had to make the journey with children, the elderly or disabled.

Sinamale Bridge, developed as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, connects the Capital City Male with Hulhumale and Hulhule of Maldives. (Photo/Xinhua)

We opened our first cross-sea bridge, Sinamale Bridge, developed as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which connected the Capital City Male with Hulhumale and Hulhule. The bridge was a blessing for those commuting daily, who previously had to endure rough seas and delays in ferry services.

The bridge project was also the first such mega development project to be conducted in the country, bringing in new hope for the country in dire need of connectivity in ways other than ferry and air. Before the Sinamale Bridge, such a project was just a dream for Maldivians.

Now the bridge allows residents to travel spontaneously, in less than half the time, without spending a dime if they have their own vehicles.

CCCC Harbor Engineering of China began construction of the bridge in 2016, and the project was completed in August 2018. The bridge, which is 2.1 km in length and 20.3 meters in width, was funded by the Chinese Government, who helped make the dream a reality.

Besides the bridge, China helped our nation develop housing units on islands to avert much-dreaded congestion, which was making daily life miserable for every Maldivian living in the capital area as well as on some smaller islands. China has helped us develop roads, build government offices, conduct surveys and begin other projects. China remains a country which the Maldives can turn to when in need of development or assistance.

The author is a journalist with the PSM Public Service Media in Maldives. She is a fellow at the China Asia-Pacific Press Center 2019 program.
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Our good friend, Jason Phang is reported by Taiwanese TVBS as a popular figure used as online love scammer in Taiwan. He was a former radio DJ and now a host on Astro Go Shop and also travel influencer. He is our good friend and we travelled together to Thailand twice so far. His photos are used by scammers to scam ladies in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

As reported on TVBS news, online scammer used Jasons pictures on Facebook and Line to scam ladies. Many of the photos are taken from Jasons social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Then scammer will use his photos as their own and uploading new photos to convince the ladies. The scammer will message the ladies a few times a day to comfort them and scammed their money. The victims are usually from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

According to TVBS news, there were scammers using Jasons pictures to cheat HK 160,000 in Hong Kong in the past. You cant blame there as Jason is an eye candy, he is more handsome in real person than the photos.

Let us share some of our recent travel photos with Jason to Hatyai Thailand.

Please vigilant when good looking and pretty stranger added you on social media networks. They might up to no good intentions. Sweet words are nice for once for a while but you had it too much, you will get diabetes.

Please go follow Jasons real Facebook Page here and Instagram here so you wont get cheated by scammers.

Have an awesome day people!

Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S21 Ultra. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts
Ewenny Priory, one of the venues for this years

Vale of Glamorgan Festival

The Vale of Glamorgan Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with concerts in and around the Vale of Glamorgan from 18 to 24 May 2019. Unusually amongst UK festivals, it devotes itself to the work of living composers and this year the festival presents music by 30 composers, including 29 world premieres.

The festival opens with a concert from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conductor Ryan Bancroft, in a programme which includes two world premieres, from festival director John Metcalf and from Mark David Boden whose 50th Anniversary Festival commission is premiered at the concert along with music by Dobrinka Tabakova Peteris Vasks , and Graham Fitkin . Graham Fitkin popus up again at the end of the festival when the composer gives a piano recital of his own music.Visitors to the festival include Sandbox Percussion from New York, which is not only performing at St David's Hall, Cardiff but will be popping up at a number of out-door spaces, and the Berlin-based Armida Quartet, whose concert at Ewenny Priory features music from Azerbaijan, Tatar-Russia and Bulgaria, plus the premiere of Cardiff-based composer Robert Fokkens ' festival commission. In Penarth the quartet will be playing the music of Steve Reich (whose music features across the whole festival), Arvo Part and Peteris Vasks. The Armida Quartet will also be performing works written by participants in the week long Peter Reynolds Composers Studio, which is a residency for emerging composers at the start of their careers to enable them to hone their skills and create genuine career progression.Full details from the festival website
The business programme of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum with the sessions brief descriptions, has been posted on the Forums official website. The Forum is scheduled for 68 June 2019 and its key topic is Creating a Sustainable Development Agenda', according to the official website of the forum.

The programme of the Forum consists of four thematic blocks: The Global Economy in Search of a Balance, The Russian Economy: Achieving National Development Goals, Technologies Shapingthe Future, and People First.

The Forum programme is based on a thorough analysis of current trends in the development of all sectors of the global economy. Thanks to the work of experts, scholars, professional and public associations, the discussions under the SPIEF business programme annually become the key to resolving the most crucial problems of global development. The conclusions drawn from the Forumsdiscussions encourage business and government to take the decisions needed for achieving sustainable development goals, said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation.

The The Global Economy in Search of a Balance track features sessions on the most topical issues of global macroeconomic development, including changes in the structure of the world economy and trade in the era of digitalization, competition and regulation on the consumer market, balance of commercial goals and the objectives of sustainable development in business. Several sessions will be devoted to the impact of climate change on the development of todays world, conservation of the world ocean and ecotourism.

The The Russian Economy: Achieving National Development Goals pillar will focus on ways to stimulate economic growth as a basis for achieving national development goals. The sessions will look at topics such as attracting investment into national projects, the quality of the investment environment, protection of investors' rights and promotion of high-tech Russian exports. Special attention will be paid to regional development, with the agenda including such issues as digital development of the regions, rating of investment attractiveness, specialization of the regions in the innovation sector of the economy, as well as competitiveness of Russian education, immigration policy, public health architecture, and reform of the solid waste management industry.

Sessions within the Technologies Shaping the Future track will concentrate on the opportunities and challenges implied by the development of technology and digital transformation of the economy. Development of artificial intelligence and cyberthreats, digitalization of certain sectors of the economy, as well as international cooperation in science, will be discussed.

The People First pillar will host sessions on the role of education and staff training for the economy of the future, the importance of social communication for sustainable development goals, equality of opportunity in the era of the digital economy and use of technology for transforming health and other areas of human life.

In addition, a number of country business dialogues will be held to discuss bilateral economic cooperation between Russian business representatives and participants from Austria, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Switzerland, the United States, Sweden and African nations. The agenda also includes the EAEUASEAN business dialogues and events dedicated to Russian European cooperation and innovative cooperation within the CIS countries. Among other things, the SPIEF programme involves business breakfasts for the banking sector and pharmaceutical companies, and an IT breakfast.

The B20 Regional Consultation Forum, the Russian-Chinese Energy Business Forum, the World Energy Council session, the Valdai Club session, the International Youth Economic Forum, the SCO Conference, the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Forum, and the BRICS Conference will also make up part of the Forum.

The full version of the SPIEF 2019 programme is available on the Forums official website.

The Roscongress Foundation is a socially oriented non-financial development institution and a major organizer of international conventions, exhibitions, and public events.

The Roscongress Foundation was founded in 2007 with the aim of facilitating the development of Russias economic potential, promoting its national interests, and strengthening the countrys image. One of the roles of the Foundation is to comprehensively evaluate, analyse, and cover issues on the Russian and global economic agendas. It also offers administrative services, provides promotional support for business projects and attracting investment, and helps foster social entrepreneurship and charitable initiatives.

The Foundations events draw more than 80,000 participants each year from 195 countries, with more than 10,000 media representatives working on-site at Roscongress various venues. The Foundation benefits from analytical and professional expertise provided by 2,500 people working in Russia and abroad. In addition, it works in close cooperation with economic partners from 75 countries worldwide.
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US President Donald Trump's administration is pushing to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, which would levy US sanctions against members of the international organisation, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

The White House has directed its diplomatic and national security officials to work on a plan to put economic sanctions on the Islamist group worldwide following a meeting between President Trump and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Washington DC on 9 April.

Sisi asked Trump to make the designation, which Egypt has already done, in a private meeting during a visit to Washington on April 9, a senior US official was quoted as saying by Reuters.

After the meeting, Trump praised Sisi as a "great president".

Egypt designated the Brotherhood a terrorist group in late 2013 following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process.

The Times' report also stated that Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo support the idea, but that the Pentagon, career national security staff, government lawyers, and diplomatic officials had legal and policy objections and wanted to find a more limited step that would satisfy the White House.

The proposed sanctions would include travel and economic sanctions on the group, its branches worldwide, its affiliated groups and its members.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Russia have designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation.

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Advertiser's $14.6 mln claim against Moscow Government dismissed

 flickr.com/Joe Gratz

11:19 30/04/2019

MOSCOW, April 30 (RAPSI)  The Moscow Commercial Court has dismissed a 943-million-ruble ($14.6 million) claim of outdoor advertising operator TRK against the Moscow Governments Department of Mass Media and Advertising, the courts records read on Tuesday.

Earlier this April, the court dismissed two other TRK claims against the Department amounting to over one billion rubles (about $15.5 million at the current exchange rate) and 710 million rubles (about $11 millon).

In June 2018, the Moscow District Commercial Court upheld a lower courts ruling dismissing a 252-million-ruble (about $4 million) claim of the Moscow Governments Department of Mass Media and Advertising against TRK. At that time, the court said the claimant failed to present evidence of repaying the defendant its security deposit and prove that TRK defaulted on its obligations to disassemble advertising structures.

In January 2017, the Department informed TRK that it terminated contracts giving the latter the right to construct and use outdoor advertising structures citing the companys failure to timely make its payments.
Repin painting damage case defendant found guilty

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

13:01 30/04/2019

MOSCOW, April 30 (RAPSI)  The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow has found Igor Podporin guilty of damaging Ilya Repins painting Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan 16 November 1581 at the Tretyakov Gallery, RAPSI reports from the courtroom on Tuesday.

Podporin is to be sentenced later; earlier a prosecutor asked the court to imprison him for 3 years.

On Monday, the court dismissed a motion for a repeated complex psychological and psychiatric examination of the defendant. The defense insisted that Podporin was mentally infirm when committing the crime. However, the court held that the results of an initial exam are enough to have understanding of the defendant's mental condition.

Podporin was charged with damaging or destructing most valuable objects of cultural heritage. In February, his detention was extended until August 14.

The incident took place on the evening of May 25, 2018, just five minutes before the museums closing, the Tretyakov Gallerys press service said. The man ran into the empty hall of works by Repin and bashed the painting using a metal stanchion. Podporin broke through the glass encasing the well-known work of art depicting the horrified tsar and his dying son and ripped the canvas in multiple places, the statement read.

According to case papers, damage caused by Podporin is estimated at around 500,000 rubles (about $8,000); the restoration cost will range from 5 to 10 million rubles ($80,000  155,000).

The defendant pleaded guilty in court.
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Head down to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Melbourne at Chadstone Shopping Centre on May 4th, starting at930 am and lasting until supplies run out, for a free building workshop. Taking place on the balcony outside LEGOLAND Discovery Centre store, kids will get to construct a mini Millennium Falcon set - and as a bonus they will get to keep their creations!The retail store at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre will have 10% savings on the following LEGOsets:Plus there's an awesome 50% off these key rings and bag charms:The re-released Tantive IV (75244) will also be available, from Saturday, for $329.99.As an extra enticement any purchase of LEGOproduct of $199 or more will automatically be rewarded with the 40333 Battle of Hoth set (while stocks last).
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If you want to enjoy May 4th with fellowfans but can't get to a LEGO brand store then head to Smyths Toys who are holding a LEGO event to mark the release newandmodels.During the morning of May 4th, Smyths will be having a LEGO giveaway (while stocks last) which is limited to one per child. Though there is no specific mention ofit's safe to assume that the chance of that a few of the polybags will feature characters or vehicles from a galaxy far, far away.Check out the store locator by clicking on the screenshot below to find out where the nearest Smyth Toys is to you.On top of the giveaway a number of the company's toy stores will be hosting cosplayers dressed incharacters:
The Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) says that high temperatures are expected across Egypt on Wednesday.

The EMA warns that early morning mist will reduce visibility in the Nile Delta and northern Upper Egypt and that the northern coast may witness rainfall.

The Nile Delta, Cairo, and the Red Sea governorate could see dusty winds.

The temperature forecast in degrees Celsius in highs and lows is as follows:

Cairo and the Nile Delta: 3821

Alexandria and North Coast: 3018

Upper Egypt: 4120

South Sinai /Hurghada: 3820

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A Cairo High State Security Emergency Criminal Court sentenced Hassan Malek, a businessman affiliated with the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, to 25 years in prison on Tuesday.

Malek, his son Hamza, and 22 others were accused of joining a terrorist group and plotting to harm the national economy by hoarding hard currency and smuggling it abroad. They were also charged with planning to assault police and army personnel.

Malik, Hamza, and five others were sentenced to 25 years, three defendants were sentenced to 10 years, and 14 were acquitted.

Maleks assets have been frozen since September 2014, when a Cairo criminal court upheld a decision by the prosecutor-general to freeze the assets of prominent Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

Since the 1990s, Malek has been considered one of the most prominent Muslim Brotherhood businessmen along with his business partner, the now-jailed deputy chairman of the Brotherhood in Egypt, Khairat El-Shater.

Maleks commercial and industrial ventures included textile manufacturing, electrical supplies, and furniture.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in Alexandria on Tuesday that the government will be implementing a number of measures to reform Egyptian industry, without providing details.

The president made the comments in a speech at an event celebrating Labour Day, where he discussed issues including economic reforms, education, and public transportation.

El-Sisi said that he hopes Egyptian workers will understand these reforms in industry and stressed that "no one will be harmed" by these measures.

The fruits of the [country's] economic reforms are not yet over, and even greater gains will be made in the future," El-Sisi said, referring to the ongoing economic reform programme adopted by the Egyptian government.

The Egyptian president says that there have already been some good indicators reflected in the increased economic growth rate, increased wages for workers in the state apparatus, and pension hikes.

"These decisions confirm without any doubt that Egypt has overcome a difficult period in its history and reflect an appreciation for the sacrifices the Egyptian people have had to bear," El-Sisi added.

The president added that the Egyptian people have handled the burden of the economic reforms in a way that has helped maintain stability and security.

We should make the children and grandchildren understand that security and stability are the only ways of advancing and developing the state, he said.

El-Sisi also spoke about the importance of the public sector and stressed that it needs reforms to fix its mismanagement.

The president also discussed the transportation system in Egypt.

Why did public transportation fail while Uber succeeded? Why did the railways fail? Because we are not serious and we run the public transportation system badly, he said.

President El-Sisi also said that Egypt has the opportunity to increase local manufacturing and reduce the reliance on foreign products.

Speaking about the current policies to invest in infrastructure in Egypt, El-Sisi said that these are not a luxury, but are rather necessary to attract investments.

El-Sisi spoke also about education reform.

We need the understanding and the support of the Egyptian people, does it make sense to have more than 100,000 graduates with business degrees? he said, stressing that families should understand the importance of technical education.

The Egyptian president made the comments during a speech on the occasion of Labour Day in a celebration held at Ras El-Teen Presidential Palace in Alexandria.

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President in Int'l Workers Day : We depend on human resource's treasure, in will, vision existing to build modern Yemen [30/April/2019] SANAA, April 30 (Saba) - President Mahdi al-Mashat, on Tuesday congratulated the workers in Yemen on the occasion of the International Workers' Day, which falls on May 1, confirming that there is no renaissance or building without freedom and independence.



President Al-Mashat expressed his warm congratulations to the workers of the Republic of Yemen at home and abroad.









"We express to all workers in our country our deep appreciation for their fundamental role in building the nation at this difficult time in the history of Yemen in light of the American-Saudi coalition aggression in its fifth year," he said.















He pointed out that the workers of Yemen were at the forefront of the nation's honorable defenders of Homeland and its dignity, sovereignty and struggle in various fields of struggle and work for the progress and development and construction of the homeland.















"We remember all your struggles and feel your suffering in this economic situation, where you suffer more than others, due to unjust aggression targeting the Yemeni land and its people, all the resources and wealth of the country," he told the workers.















"We also feel the great suffering that our expatriates are facing in some countries, in forefront of which Saudi Arabia, and we condemn priving their rights and ill-treatment they are subjected to and salute their high national feeling and their attachment to the values and principles of this Arab Muslim nation," he added.















He stressed that the steadfastness of the workers and their patience is a key factor of victory, despite the siege and systematic economic targeting for factories and facilities by the enemy, but the workers in Yemen proved in these five years that their determination is greater than the military machine.















He added addressing to workers on their Day : "We assure you that at this stage, after we have launched the National Vision project, we count on you a great deal, and rely on our human strength before any other wealth for this country, and we see that the Yemeni human resource is our most precious treasure."















He added : "we will give this most of our attention within the project (A hand to build our country and another hand to protect it)."















He pointed out that building the homeland is the responsibility of all, and the will and vision are available today to move forward toward a prosperous Yemen, whatever sacrifices or time necessary to do.



He pointed out that the protection and building of the country are close and inseparable paths, there is no renaissance or building without sovereignty and independence.









"Therefore, we call upon all our sons, brothers and sisters from the working class to take a serious step and move in the fields of building and protection side by side ," he said encouraging their will and enhancing their determination to build their prosperous dear homeland.

AA

Saba
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested an Islamic State sympathizer and follower of alleged Sri Lanka bombings mastermind Zahran Hasim, the agency said.

Riyas Aboobacker was arrested from Kerala after he disclosed NIA investigators that he has been following speeches and videos of Hashim, a radical Tamil-speaking cleric who is believed to have masterminded the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka which left 253 people dead and over 500 injured.



The 29-year-old informed the NIA officials that he has been following Hasim for more than a year and has also followed the speeches of Zakir Naik, an absconding Indian Islamic preacher and the founder of the Islamic Research Foundation.





Aboobacker admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala. He was being questioned by the NIA since Sunday when the agency unearthed the Kasargod module of the terrorist outfit in Kerala during multiple raids at the house of three suspects.



Aboobacker alias Abu Dujana, a resident of Palakkad in Kerala, has been arrested on charges for conspiring to commit a terrorist act, an NIA statement said.



The suspect, NIA said, revealed during his interrogation that he had been in online contact with an absconding suspect Abdul Rashid Abdulla for a long time and has been following his audio clips including the clip which he had circulated on social media platform instigating others to carry out terror attacks in India.



Aboobacker revealed that he was also having online chat with Abdul Khayoom, a suspect in Valapattanam Islamic State case, who was believed to be in Syria, said the anti-terror agency.



The NIA had earlier received inputs that a group of four persons has been in contact with some accused identified as Abdul Rashid, Ashfaq Majeed, Abdul Khayoom who had already migrated to Afghanistan and Syria.



After verification, NIA carried out searches at three places (two in Kasaragod and one in Palakkad District) on Sunday.



The agency said three group members have been interrogated for their Islamic State links and their plans and that this case was registered in July 2016 following the disappearance of 15 youths from Kasargod and their subsequent migration to Islamic State (14 persons to Afghanistan and one person to Syria).



Aboobacker will be produced before a special NIA court in Kochin in Kerala on Tuesday, said the agency.
Around 67 per cent voting was recorded in six parliamentary constituencies -- Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat and Chhindwara -- and by-election for the Chhindwara Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, the state Election Commission sources said, here on Monday.

According to the official information, 66.92 per cent voters cast vote in the state. The Chhindwara parliamentary constituency recorded the highest 77 per cent voting, followed by Balaghat 70.42, Shahdol 68.76 per cent, Mandala 67.09 per cent and Jabalpur 64.05 per cent. The lowest 57.32 per cent polling was recorded in Sidhi.





For the by-election to the Chhindwara Assembly seat, 70.49 per cent electorate cast vote. Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who must get elected to the Assembly within six months of assuming office, is in the fray from here. The seat was vacated by Congress MLA Deepak Saxena for him. The BJP has fielded former Youth Congress activist Vivek Sahu against the Chief Minister.



In some places, officials had to replace electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter verifiable paper audit trail devices due to technical glitches.



Three government employees, including a woman, died in the last 48 hours while on poll duty, state Chief Electoral Officer V.L. Kantha Rao said.



Sunanda Kotekar (50), deployed at the Lodhikheda polling booth in the Saunsar segment of Chhindwara, died of cardiac arrest, even before she could be provided medical assistance.



While an Assistant Sub-Inspector died after suffering heart attack in the Sidhi district, another person succumbed to brain haemorrhage in Seoni in the Balaghat Lok Sabha constituency on Sunday evening, Rao said.



In Balaghat, Maoists allegedly set Independent candidate Kishore Samrite's vehicle on fire. Samrite claimed he was also held hostage for some time by them.



Barring the Maoist-affected Baiher, Lanji and Paraswada Assembly segments under the Balaghat parliamentary constituency, polling was conducted from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the Maoist-affected areas, polling was held between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.



In 2014, the BJP had won 27 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Congress later reclaimed the Ratlam seat in by-election, taking its tally to three. Congress veteran Kamal Nath had won from his bastion Chhindwara in 2014, where his son Nakul Nath is the party candidate.



While the success in the Assembly elections held last year has boosted the confidence of the Congress, the BJP is banking on the Narendra Modi wave. To drive home the point, the BJP workers have distributed leaflets listing the Modi government's achievements, including the post-Pulwama show of might.



The Election Commission has barred political parties from using the armed forces' valour for electoral promotions.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "chowkidar" (watchman) who guards the interests of only 15 corrupt persons and not that of the country at large.

Addressing election rallies in Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi said: "I want to make direct relation with crores of farmers, small traders, youth, sisters and mothers, and I won't lie to them as I know that relationships can't be based on falsehood. But Narendra Modi thinks otherwise...he lies and spreads hatred all around.



"He is 'chowkidar' for only 15 corrupt persons and guards their interests. I am yours, while Modi is theirs. He wants to create two Indias -- one of the poor, farmers and unemployed youth, and the other of the corrupt."





The Congress chief also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and the big businessmen who fled the country after taking bank loans. He asked Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath to take action against those ministers of the previous BJP government in the state who allegedly misappropriated the Bundelkhand package funds.



He said: "During demonetisation, it was said that it's a fight against black money. If it was true, then why didn't people like Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi were seen in bank queues? Amit Shah's son Jay Shah makes Rs 80 crore from Rs 50,000 in a matter of three months, Choksi sends money to Arun Jaitley's daughter's account and Vijay Mallya meets Jaitley before fleeing the country. All this must be explained..."



Gandhi maintained that while big businessmen are at large after committing crime, in sharp contrast a farmer is put behind bars if he is not able to pay back 5,000 to 10,000 rupees. "Why this double standard...because farmers are honest people and not thieves?"



The slogan of "achhe din" during the last election has completely changed now, he said, adding: "Now, if I just say mention 'chowkidar', people say 'chor hai'."
Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- The demand for Global Automotive Window Regulator Market is anticipated to be high for the next five years. By considering this demand we provide latest industry report which gives complete industry analysis, market outlook, size, growth and forecast till 2024. This report will assist in analyzing the current and future business trends, sales and revenue forecasts.



Based on vehicle type, automotive window regulator market is classified into passenger cars, light commercial vehicle (LCV), and heavy commercial vehicle (HCV). Passenger cars have major share with its use by public and rapid increase in sales of compact and sub compact cars. Passenger car manufacturers are providing better functionality and services to attract more number of customers. LCV and HCV have nascent share and have slow growth due to their developing usage.



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Window regulator is an automobile component required for controlling glass panel. Technology advancement has led to its transformation from manual to single press regulator. Power window is gaining popularity among consumers owing to its convenience and easy operation. Further, technologies such as central lock and child lock has shifted customer focus from manual to automatic operator. This helps to operate vehicle window with a single switch. However, fluctuation of economies in regions such as Europe may reduce automotive production that may affect automotive window regulator market.



Europe, led by Germany has substantial share in automotive window regulator market owing to well established and booming automobile industry hosting big players namely Audi and Volkswagen. Latin America has witnessed slow growth due to decrease in production and sales of automobile.



Asia Pacific has significant share in global automotive window regulator market owing to increase in automobiles sales in various countries. Purchasing power of people has enhanced with strengthening economy and they are availing the product. Additionally, presence of major manufacturers such as Brose, Shiroki Corporation, Hi Lex, Technico Industries in Japan has fuelled the product demand.



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On the basis of type, automotive window regulator market is segmented into scissor type and cable type. Cable type has larger share as these are compact in size and light in weight. This reduces overall weight of automobiles that improves efficiency of vehicle and reduces emissions. Stringent norms of government organizations such as Environmental Protection Agency norms for vehicular emission have boosted its usage. Further, ease in construction of cable type has augmented its demand.



Advancement in infrastructure and growing consumer sentiments have driven vehicles demand and fuelled automotive regulators usage. OEMs are increasing their market penetration by setting up manufacturing plants in emerging economies. Additionally, banks and financial institutions are coming up with various loan schemes making it easy for people to own a car. Such factors are anticipated to further boost automotive window regulator market in next seven years.



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Major players in automotive window regulator market are Wonh Industries Company, TRAC Auto, Car international, APM Auto Parts, Valeo, CI Car International, Shiroki, I Yuan Precision Industrial Company, Kwanjin India and Columbia Engineers. Companies are indulged in collaborations with automobile manufacturers to increase their long-term business. For instance, Wonh Industries has undergone an agreement and is OEM for Great Wall Motors, Beiqi Group, Lifan Car, Geely and Zoyte Group.



About Global Market Insights:

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.
Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- In order to dissert the market scenario prevailing across the "basalt fibers market" sector, FactMR has evenly presented a new examination titled "Basalt Fibers Market Steady Growth to be Witnessed by 2018 to 2026 | Key Players are BASALTEX NV, Sudaglass Fiber Technology, Kamenny Vek, etc.", to its extensive online repository. With all vital market facets enclosed into this single assessment, readers can learn about different market drivers, opportunities and trends which are likely to influence the overall market space for the basalt fibers market in the coming years. In addition, factors such as market size, Y-o-Y growth and revenue share are investigated so as to make this research highly authentic and reliable.



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From a regional perspective, Europe is projected to lead the global Basalt Fibers Market both in terms of production and consumption. Russia holds a significant share in the European basalt fiber market. The region has witnessed growing demand for basalt fibers from the automotive industry as there are stringent regulations prevailing in the EU regarding vehicle emissions and greenhouse gas amongst others. Moreover, the rising concern over energy conservation has also led to the growth of renewable wind energy generation industry. Thus, creating traction in the global market. North America is also projected to hold a significant share in the global basalt fibers market expanding at a CAGR of 8.3% over the forecast period. China is projected to grow at a relatively higher CAGR over the forecast period. A number of new players have ventured into the market to cater to the growing demand for basalt fibers in China and across other regions. Latin America and MEA are projected to remain low-volume-high-growth regions over the forecast period.



With the increasing use of light-weight composite material for the manufacture of automotive components and aircraft bodies, demand for basalt fibers continues to remain high. Basalt fibers are made by melting the crushed basalt rock in a furnace. This production process is an environment-friendly process without the production of any harmful infrared radiations. Basalt fibers have been widely used as an alternative for conventionally used steel and other fiber reinforcements owing to the superior mechanical, thermal and other properties.



In the present scenario, there are only a few manufacturers for basalt fibers in Russia, China, Ukraine, and the U.S. amongst others. However, capacity additions and establishment of new production plants across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific region are expected to increase in the coming years, especially with the ongoing research and development and investments.



Basalt fibers have exhibited better mechanical strength, chemical and thermal resistance, insulation and other properties. There has been an increase in the use of basalt fibers as an alternative to steel reinforcements owing to a number of properties such as corrosion resistance and light-weight, which allows mounting without the use of lifting or any other specialized equipment. Basalt fibers also outperform e-glass fiber in composites used for construction. In all the forms i.e. roving, chopped strands, fabrics, etc. basalt fibers have witnessed higher breaking load capacity and better durability and stiffness.



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In addition to these, basalt fibers are available at lower price and there has been a relative ease for raw material procurement. Owing to all the above mentioned benefits, there has been an expected upsurge in demand for basalt fibers over the forecast period.



Another major factor significantly driving the growth of global basalt fibers market is the increase in the use of light-weight composite materials in automotive industry. The stringent regulations, especially, in North America and Europe region regarding vehicle emissions has led the manufacturers to focus on reduction of weight of vehicle. Basalt fibers are used as composites for the manufacture of vehicle and aircraft bodies as well as components such as exhaust mufflers and brake pads amongst others.



The growing government spending for infrastructural and industrial development has led to a rise in the demand for basalt fibers as reinforcement material for the construction of roads, pavements and bridges amongst others.



However, there are a few challenges with respect to the production of basalt fibers. For instance, the quality and exact chemical composition of the basalt rock required for the formation of basalt fibers is available at only specific locations in Eastern Europe. Therefore, though the raw material is available at cheap cost, it has to be imported. Moreover, the initial set up and equipment cost are quite high and require capital investment, thus posing a major challenge for the manufacturers.



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Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- As per a report by Global Market Insights, Inc., "bulk container packaging market is poised to chart a double-digit growth rate of 10% CAGR over 2016-2024, with a target revenue of more than USD 6 billion by 2024." The escalating commercialization of Bulk Container Packaging Market is influenced by a wide range of factors, increasing exports of comestible oil from South East Asia being a major one. As the transportation industry is continuously seeking for cost effective and efficient commodity trade, bulk container packaging is becoming the most preferred choice across utility domains.



Indonesia and Malaysia are two main countries where the trend is notably increasing day by day. For instance, in 2007, Indonesia exported palm oil estimated almost around 14 million tons, which in 2013, rose to near about 20 million tons. Another factor which is favoring increasing penetration of the market is technological interventions in terms of packing innovation.



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Food and beverage sector contributed a major chunk toward bulk container packaging market share, covering almost 30% of the overall application landscape in 2015. The demand for food has witnessed a massive increase from the ever-increasing population base which has already crossed the seven billion mark. In addition, increasing consumer spending over beverages such as tea, coffee, wine, juice, have also considerably fueled the application growth



Bulk container packaging industry size from chemical applications will also chalk a profitable growth curve in the years ahead at a projected CAGR of 10% over 2016-2024. Easy availability of raw materials, supportive government policies, and increasing investments by the chemical manufacturers are some of the factors that have significantly augmented chemical trade across APAC belt. This, in turn, is expected to provide a significant push to bulk container packaging market growth over the coming seven years. Overall, with China at the growth front, Asia Pacific market will witness maximum gains with an annual growth rate of 11% over 2016-2024.



Global economy has always been one single common ground influencing the overall packaging market trends. The various products encompassing the bulk container packaging market including flexitanks, bulk container liners, and FIBC are mostly manufactured from petrochemical derivatives, which leads to the industry witnessing a relevant cost structure. Flexitanks have emerged as one of the prominent products that are widely being adopted for the export of wines, fruit juices, and edible oils.



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Some of the value-added characteristics of the product that allows its massive consumption include low weight, cost effectiveness, high payloads, eco-friendliness, and low contamination risks. With the growing regulatory norms subject to the environmental concerns, flexitanks bulk container packaging market is expected to witness the highest growth in the years ahead.



Flexible intermediate bulk container (FIBC) is another major product segment substantially contributing to the overall bulk container packaging industry share. These products are widely incorporated in industrial applications such as transporting building materials, detergents, polymers, non-hazardous chemicals etc. Holding the maximum bulk container packaging industry share in 2015, FIBC market is likely to witness substantial growth in the coming years.



North America bulk container packaging market will also witness commendable gains over the coming years, driven by the growing demand for export of agricultural products including oilseeds, corn, grain, and soya bean. Estimates depict that North America dominated the overall bulk container packaging industry share in 2015, with major contributions from the U.S.



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Worldwide, bulk container packaging market is undergoing a transformation, with the spreading consumer awareness about the importance of sustainable and biodegradable packaging. The industry is highly consolidated with the major players sharing almost 50% of the global business space. Some of the prominent bulk container packaging industry participants include Braid Logistics, SIA Flexitanks, BLT Flexitank Industrial, and MY Flexitank (MYF).
Global HER2 testing survey raises questions about priorities for breast cancer resources

Lugano, Switzerland, 30 April 2019 - A global survey of HER2 testing has raised questions about how resources should be spent on potentially lifesaving HER2 targeted therapies for breast cancer, especially in poorer countries. The results were presented at the ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2019, Berlin, 2-4 May 2019. (1,2)

The ONCOLLEGE-001 internet-based survey of HER2 testing in 45 countries has highlighted major access and affordability issues in low and middle income countries (LMICs), with some issues extending to upper middle income countries (UMIC) too. (3)

"Even when HER2 testing was available, it was too expensive and inaccessible for many women, suggesting that governments need better information to set planning priorities for investing in infrastructure, testing and treatment," said study author, Dr Sara Altuna, Department of Medical Oncology, Unidad Oncologica Venezuela CA and Oncomedica CA, Caracas, Venezuela.

In the survey, 42% of respondents from UMICs and 34% from LMICs reported that HER2 testing was available only in a private setting or abroad, compared to 5% of those working in high income countries (HICs). Thirty per cent of LMIC respondents reported significant affordability issues related to HER2 testing, compared to 12% of respondents from UMICs and none from HICs.

"You can have the microscopes, the antibodies and probes and the certified laboratories, but if patients cannot afford the tests or do not have insurance, they won't be done," added Altuna.

HER2 testing is needed to identify the 15-20% of women with breast cancer who have HER2-positive disease, so they can receive anti-HER2 treatment with trastuzumab - which has been on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines since 2015 - and other HER2 targeted therapies. (4)

Commenting for ESMO, Dr Fatima Cardoso, Director of the Breast Unit of the Champalimaud Clinical Center in Lisbon, Portugal, explained that in recent decades HER2-targeted therapies have transformed the outcomes for women with this sub-group of breast cancer from the worst to some of the best.

"Without accurate, high quality HER2 testing, women with HER2-positive tumours may miss out on potentially lifesaving treatment. There is also a risk that women with HER2-negative tumours may be exposed to the toxicity and unnecessary expense of HER2 treatment they don't need. We don't want to spend resources on treating tumours that won't respond to HER2 targeted therapies," she said.

Cardoso pointed to the lack of basic pathology services in some low income countries, with women undergoing mastectomy for benign breast lumps because biopsy services were not available to make the diagnosis before surgery. She also questioned the wisdom of spending resources on HER2 testing in countries where anti-HER2 therapy is unavailable or unaffordable.

"Testing and treatment must go hand in hand. If you have access to anti-HER2 treatment, it makes sense to spend money on testing. But if you already know there is no access to treatment, it is debatable whether to use resources for HER2 testing. Let's first focus on ensuring that treatment is available as recommended by the WHO, by ESMO's and other international guidelines, for both primary and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer," she said.

"ONCOLLEGE-001 is an important study in raising awareness of the heterogeneity of availability and quality of HER2 testing. The results probably underestimate the access and affordability problems facing many patients, and not just in medium and low income countries. But they remind us of the need for clinicians, regulators and governments to work together in addressing these inequalities," said Cardoso.

An ongoing ONCOLLEGE-001 analysis is investigating global prioritisation and access to anti-HER2 medicines, and, as Altuna concludes, such research demonstrates the value of international cooperation: "We have shown it is possible to create a network of clinicians from very different countries to share practice and experiences and paint a picture of what is really happening in breast cancer care around the globe, so we can identify where improvements are most needed."

###

Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2019

Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMOBreast19

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of these abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References

1 ESMO Breast Cancer Congress: https:/ / www. esmo. org/ Conferences/ ESMO-Breast-Cancer-2019

2 Abstract 42P_PR 'Painting the global picture of HER-2 testing for breast cancer. The ONCOLLEGE-001 survey study' will be presented by Dario Trapani during the Poster Display Session on Friday 3 May 2019, 12:15-13:00 (CEST) in the Exhibition area. Annals of Oncology, Volume 30, 2019 Supplement 3, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz095

3 As defined by the World Bank: https:/ / datahelpdesk. worldbank. org/ knowledgebase/ articles/ 906519

4 World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines: https:/ / www. who. int/ medicines/ publications/ essentialmedicines/ en/

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 20,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 150 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide.Visit http://www. esmo. org

42P_PR - Painting the global picture of HER2-testing for breast cancer. The ONCOLLEGE-001 survey study

S.C. Altuna1, C. Lengyel2, D. Trapani3, E.M. Elfaham4, S. Hussain5, A. Petrillo6, K. El Bairi7, S.A. Mazher8, B.S. Habeeb9, S.Z. Khan10

1 Department of Medical Oncology, Unidad Oncologica Venezuela C.A. and Oncomedica C.A, Caracas, Venezuela, 2Head and Neck Surgery, National Institute of Oncology Hungary, Budapest, Hungary, 3Department of haematology and oncology, new drug development, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy, 4Department of Clinical Oncology, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt, 5Department of Oncology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 6Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (UOC), Napoli, Italy, 7Cancer Biomarkers Working Group, Mohamed Ist University, Oujda, Morocco, 8Department of Oncology, Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock, Little Rock, USA, 9Medical Oncology Department, Shaqlawa Teaching Hospital, Erbil, Iraq, 10Department of Clinical Oncology, Binor Cancer Hospital, Bannu, Pakistan

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer-related death. HER2 is overexpressed in approximately 15-20% of BCs. HER2 expression is not only a prognostic biomarker but a predictive biomarker of response to HER2 targeted therapies. The ONCOLLEGE-001 project addresses the distribution & disparities of HER2-testing (H2T) methods (IHC or in situ hybridization (ISH), which may use either fluorescent (FISH), chromogenic (CISH) or silver (SISH) detection method) in breast cancer, with the aim of painting the global picture (GP).

Methods: A simple, internet-based survey was developed by the international ONCOLLEGE (ONC) working group and the questionnaire was sent to 227 oncology providers by email, was shared on medical social networks (using snowballing as a multiplier effect of promotion and diffusion). Data were analysed per country-income (World Bank groupings) and WHO Regions. Responders authorized for the use of the data.

Results: 210 providers responded, across 45 countries (27% from high-income HIC; 35% upper-middle UMIC; 38% lower-middle and low, LMICs; 50% in the Eastern Mediterranean Region), mostly medical and clinical oncologist (58%; 20%) from research hospitals (52%) and public non-teaching (17%) or private institutions (17%). H2T was available only in private setting or abroad in 5%, 42% and 34% of HIC, UMIC and LMICs responders' institutions. Only IHC (no ISH) may be performed as H2T in 7% & 9.4% of UMIC & LMICs. FISH (54%) and CISH+FISH (14%) were the most common ISH H2T. IHC and ISH were available within 14 days (55%; 29%) and 28 days (38%; 44%) with no dramatic income-restricted patterns of delay. 30% of the responders from LMICs reported affordability issues related to H2T, more for ISH, related to out of pocket expenses and exposure to catastrophic health expenditure, compared to 12% of UMIC and none for HIC (full reimbursement).

Conclusions: The GP of H2T provided by the ONC networking painted a heterogeneous picture, with disparities related to the availability of appropriate cancer testing and affordability with high risk of financial toxicity in the diagnostic phase. An ongoing further analysis addresses also the prioritization and access to HER2 medicines in our ONCOLLEGE-001 project.

Legal entity responsible for the study: All the authors approved the draft

Funding: Has not received any funding

Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Egypt has joined the Valletta declaration on Arab-European cooperation to support persons with disabilities, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in statement on Tuesday.

The declaration was signed during the European-Arab meeting on the rights of persons with disabilities held at the Maltese parliament on 25 April, which was attended by 22 delegations from Arab and European countries.

Ambassador of Egypt in Malta Nada Darraz signed the declaration, which also makes Egypt a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

The Egyptian delegation participating in the meeting included Egyptian MP Heba Hagras, who spoke about the measures taken by the Egyptian government over the past years to support the rights of persons with disabilities.

The meeting, which was organised by ESCWA in coordination with the Arab League, resulted in the launching of the European-Arab Forum on Persons with Disabilities/Valetta to serve as a platform for exchanging experiences and promoting Arab-European cooperation to support the rights of persons with disabilities at the bilateral and regional levels.

Earlier this year, Egypts parliament approved a law establishing the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, as the country continues to execute its plan to empower citizens with disabilities.

The 18-article bill is concerned with integrating and empowering people with disabilities through the newly established council.

Egypt designated 2018 the year of persons with special needs, who are estimated to number 10 million out of Egypt's population of 104 million.

According to Article 81 of Egypts 2014 constitution, the state must provide work opportunities for individuals with disabilities and allocate for them a percentage of job openings, in addition to adequately equipping public utilities and the surrounding areas for use by disabled persons.

In December 2018, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced that the Tahya Misr Fund will provide an EGP 80 million donation to a new EGP 100 million investment fund for people with special needs.

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Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- The report studies the canned motor pumps 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. The intelligent report also anticipates that canned motor pumps market would grow at a constructive CAGR until 2026. In order to study the various trends and patterns prevailing in the concerned market, FactMR has included a new report titled "Canned Motor Pumps Market Estimated to Record Highest CAGR by 2017 to 2026 | Market Players Ryobi Limited, Briggs & Stratton Corporation, Wuxi Kipor Power Co. Ltd, 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.



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Canned motor pumps are advanced centrifugal pumps with an electric motor hermetically-sealed and mounted on a single shaft, which in turn eliminates the requirement for mechanical seals. The entire rotating assembly of canned motor pumps is immersed in liquid, with motor stator and rotor isolated from pumped liquid by using a corrosion-resistant non-magnetic sleeve and liner.



Petrol's energy density makes it an imperative raw material in every combustible, and an irreplaceable raw material utilized in petrochemical industries for manufacturing a wide range of everyday life products. However, the environmental impact including leaks from petroleum extractions, carbon dioxide emissions and degassing effects of petrol has become a major concern among regulatory authorities. Environmental sensibilization has resulted into enforcement of standards with regard to petrochemical installations based on severe security and health protection requirements. Canned motor pumps that are leak-proof contribute significantly to respect of such specifications, thereby witnessing huge demand in the petrochemical industries.



Nuclear power answers several stakes such as the essentiality to reduce CO2 emissions for preventing climate changes, the requirement to cater electricity demand, and the need to strengthen strategic independence. Emerging powers of the globe, India and China, have emphasized on the matter and have been engaging in programs associated with nuclear energy development. Nuclear energy is used widely in France for generation of electricity. The awareness is gradually spreading across other developed and developing countries as well. However, nuclear energy involves handling of radioactive substances, thereby creating demand for measures to protect surroundings through secure installations. In addition the conventional centrifugal pumps utilized in nuclear generation plant involve the risk of leakage. Canned motor pumps therefore are being deemed as worthy alternatives to these pumps. Canned motor pumps have huge potential for adoption, as emphasis on nuclear energy keeps surging across the globe.



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The global market for canned motor pumps is slated to register a splendid growth during the forecast period, 2017 to 2026. Nearly US$ 4,800 Mn worth of canned motor pumps are estimated to be sold around the world by 2026-end. In addition, volume sales of canned motor pumps are forecast to exceed 7,000 Mn units by 2026-end.



Abundant availability of resources and manpower at low cost in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan has made the region most remunerative for the canned motor pumps market. Asian manufacturers are continuously focusing on product differentiation and selling their products at competitive prices. Moreover various international vendors are outsourcing their production of canned motor pumps to APEJ in a bid to leverage from the low-cost manufacturing facilities. In terms of revenues as well as volume sales, APEJ will lead the global canned motor pumps market during the forecast period, trailed by Europe and North America.



Small capacity canned motor pumps will continue to account for the largest revenue share of the market, with sales forecast to exceed 3,000 Mn units by 2026-end. Demand for medium and high capacity canned motor pumps will also remain significant over the forecast period.



Competition Tracking



FactMR's report has identified prominent companies contributing to the market expansion significantly. These companies include Subaru Corporation, Ryobi Limited, Lifan Industry (Group) Co., Ltd., Briggs & Stratton Corporation, Wuxi Kipor Power Co. Ltd., Toshiba Corporation, Hyundai Motor Company, Champion Power Equipment, Inc., Generac Holdings Inc., Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., and Honda Motor Co., Ltd.



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Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- Corn oil (maize oil) is oil extracted from the germ of corn (maize). Its main use is in cooking, where its high smoke point makes refined corn oil a valuable frying oil. It is also a key ingredient in some margarines. Usually, corn oil is produced as a co-product of corn starch. Consequently, corn oil is generally less expensive than most other types of vegetable oils.



Regionally, the production areas of corn oil are mostly corn production areas. The global major corn production zones: USA, China, Brazil, and EU, are also the major production areas of corn oil. USA is the biggest production base of corn and corn oil, followed by China and EU. Large amount of corn oil is produced as co-product of corn starch and ethanol. Also, large amount of corn oil is exported from USA to the Middle East, where is one of the major corn oil consumption regions. Leading players in USA is ACH, the brand of which Mazola, also takes a leading share in Middle East market.



The major raw material of corn oil is corn germ, which is extracted from corn grain. The price of coin oil fluctuates with the market demand instead of corn germ price. As the capacity of corn oil grows rapidly in recent years, the price of corn oil has also been trending down generally, except a little lift in 2015. It is estimated that the price of corn oil would still going down slightly in the coming years.



The global Corn Oil market was 6820 million US$ in 2018 and is expected to 6960 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 0.3% between 2019 and 2025.



This report studies the Corn Oil 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.



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Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share and growth Rate of Corn Oil 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



ACH



ConAgra Foods



Elburg Global



ADVOC



Savola Group



Cairo Oil and Soap



Federated Group



TRIANGULO ALIMENTOS



SAPORITO FOODS



J.M. Smucker



FELDA



NutriAsia



Lam Soon



N.K. Proteins



CHS



ADM



Sunora Foods



Henry Lamotte



Yonca Gida



Cargill



Taj Agro International



Xiwang Group



Shandong Sanxing Group



COFCO Group



Yingma



Changsheng Group



By the product type, the market is primarily split into



Bulk Product



Bottled Product



By the end users/application, this report covers the following segments



Salad or Cooking Oils



Margarine



Baking or Frying Fats



Inedible Products



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- The Counter-UAV Market is further segmented in terms of applications, end-use, geographic presence, products as well as services. In addition, the subject matter experts evaluating the industry provide an all-inclusive category-specific industry outlook. A comprehensive collection of data on major companies occupying a strong foothold in the industry adds immense value to the overall research.



The major manufacturers covered in this report:

Boeing Company, Thales Group, Airbus Group SE, Saab AB, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Selex ES S.p.A., Blighter Surveillance Systems, Raytheon Company, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, Rheinmetall AG



The Counter-UAV report highlights set of information related to pricing and the category of customers who are more than willing to pay for certain products and services. The information on opportunities as well as product features, determine which offerings or benefits command sale and identify the communications channels used by the market leaders to create premium positioning strategies as well as attract broadest share.



Importantly, the research sheds a lot of light on their winning strategies to help stakeholders, business owners, and field marketing executives stay ahead in the competition. Besides, the industry is thoroughly weighed upon on the basis of the total revenue generated as well as the output/volume produced year after year. Other aspects including but not limited to the market drivers, key opportunities and probable restraints are thoroughly assessed during the study.



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Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, covering

- North America

- Europe

- China

- Japan

- Southeast Asia

- India



The assessment of the wining strategies followed by these companies can help business owners not only strategize but also execute business operations by referring the statistics about competitor analysis. Careful assessment of the industry analysis across different regions along with vital information on the market size, share and growth rate makes this report a wonderful resource for business evangelists.



On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into

- Electronic

- Kinetic



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

- Defence

- Commercial

- Others



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Key Stakeholders

Counter-UAV Manufacturers

Counter-UAV Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers

Counter-UAV Subcomponent Manufacturers

Industry Association

Downstream Vendors

Available Customizations



In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Counter-UAV are as follows:

History Year: 2014 - 2018

Base Year: 2018

Estimated Year: 2019

Forecast Year: 2019 to 2026



The study objectives of this report are:

- To analyse and study the global Counter-UAV capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2019-2026);

- Focuses on the key Counter-UAV manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.

- Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyse the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.

- To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.

- To analyse the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.

- To analyse the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.

- To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyse their growth strategies.



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Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- Increasing construction spending across the globe is a major factor driving the crane market growth. Shifting focus of the government entities on infrastructure development coupled with growing consumer preference for aesthetic and luxurious constructions will drive the industry growth. Urbanization, environmental impacts, and population growth have surged the need for sustainable and smart infrastructure solutions. In addition, the growing demand for fuel-efficient and advanced cranes is rapidly gaining popularity due to their cost-effective performance and a high level of safety. Construction companies prefer using fuel-efficient equipment as it emits less carbon and enables fuel savings.



The constantly-growing population in the region has resulted in increased investments in the infrastructure development sector. Rapid urbanization in the country is demanding the faster construction of facilities and buildings for the growing population. In addition, the rising government investments in infrastructural operations have provided a potential for the growth of the crane market. The market is expected to exceed USD 20 billion by 2024.



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Growing adoption of mobile and tower cranes for construction activities is accelerating the U.S. crane market growth. Increasing adoption of the cranes was owing to the rise in home construction, nonresidential building, and government construction activities. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the construction spending rose to 0.9 percent in November 2016 by 0.3 percent.



The rise in the adoption of mobile crane market is expected to accelerate owing to the expansion in the cement plants and infrastructure development. The construction and transportation sectors are the major segments contributing toward the adoption of mobile cranes with many on-going projects. Several major economies across the globe are contributing toward the industry growth, with construction and retrofit market growing at a significantly high pace. The market will witness a growing demand for the upgrading of mobile cranes in the coming years.



Key players participating in crane market include:



- Palfinger AG

- Terex Corporation

- Komatsu Ltd.

- Konecranes PLC

- Liebherr Group

- Tadano Ltd.

- XCMG Group

- Hitachi Sumitomo Heavy Industries

- Manitowoc



The crane industry is highly fragmented and competitive in nature owing to the presence of several regional and international players, who are actively investing in R&D and developing technologically-advanced products to sustain in the industry. There is an inclination toward energy-efficient cranes as they help in reducing carbon emissions. Several players are ensuring new product development initiatives to foster the crane market growth.



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Government initiatives to provide power, electricity facilities, and other utilities to rural and secluded areas are causing heavy investments in the infrastructure development. In addition, the constant upkeep and maintenance of the electric, telecom, and water facilities necessitates cranes that can reach inaccessible and high locations. Government administrations of several countries have largely invested in the construction of buildings, road ways, and transportation points to advance the infrastructure of the country and provide better facilities for the local population. Public infrastructure and government utilities in North America will witness a high adoption of cranes owing to the construction of reservoirs, wastewater treatment plants, and power lines across the region thereby providing an impetus to the crane market.



In Europe, the focus of the crane manufacturers is on implementing new safety standards relating to the assembly and dismantling of the machine. An important product development issue across the entire range of crane types is the reduction of diesel engine exhaust emissions in compliance with Stage V of the EU Regulation on emission limits for mobile machinery. Europe accounted for the second largest revenue in crane market owing to the growing usage of cranes across the construction and oil & gas industries. However, the European market was hurt by changes in subsidies in the wind power market in Germany, resulting in fewer crawler crane sales.



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Selbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- District Cooling Market share is predicted to surpass USD 140 billion by 2024. Escalating demand for space cooling coupled with growing concerns toward carbon emissions will stimulate the district cooling market. Ongoing adoption of sustainable solutions along with rising penetration of renewable technologies will foster the business landscape. Tabreed in 2016, reported elimination of carbon emissions up to 570,000 tons from 66 DC plants deployed across GCC countries.



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Japan district cooling market is projected to surpass 17 PJ by 2024. Stringent environmental regulations pertaining to emission control along with rising concerns toward energy security will foster the industry growth. Ongoing installation of DC systems across Osaka, Sapporo, Yokohama and Tokyo will augment the industry landscape. In addition, technological advancement and R&D activities toward product design and development will complement the product penetration.



Rising average temperature range owing to global warming and changing climatic conditions will stimulate the district cooling market share. In addition, growing residential and urban area development across the emerging economies on account of increase in per capita income and rise in consumer spending will support the product penetration. In 2016, during summers the average temperature across Kuwait was recorded around 300 C.



Growing adoption of sustainable building codes and standards pertaining to energy efficiency coupled with development of advanced energy solutions for environment friendly buildings will stimulate the commercial district cooling market. In addition, the escalating growth of service sector including office buildings, colleges & universities and data centers will further enhance the business landscape. In 4th quarter of 2016, the overall funding for commercial establishment was around USD 107.8 Billion.



The rising adoption of heat pumps on account of their affinity with sustainable and efficient heating technologies will foster the district cooling market. Furthermore, the technology is extensively used for providing heating, cooling and electricity across the residential and commercial establishments. The technology utilizes the waste heat for the production of energy and reduces the carbon emissions effectively when compared with its counterpart.



Sweden district cooling market share is set to increase owing to the growing share of service sector coupled with stringent regulatory norms toward adopting sustainable technologies. Ongoing investments toward development of energy management systems, reliable pipeline network and sustainable energy solutions will boost the product demand. In addition, rising installation of clean energy solutions on account of government regulations toward the decarbonization of buildings will stimulate the industry outlook.



Eminent players serving the district cooling market includes Tabreed, Keppel Dhcs, Singapore District Cooling, SNC Lavalin, Emicool, ADC Energy, Fortum, Vattenfall, Veolia, Shinryo Corporation, Sellar Energy, Ramboll, Alfa Laval, Siemens, Qatar Cool, Empower, Goteborg Energi, Helen, Logstor, Wien Energi and Engie.



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Report Content



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope



1.1. Methodology



1.2. Market definitions



1.3. Market estimates & forecast parameters



1.4. Data Sources



1.4.1. Primary



1.4.2. Secondary



1.4.2.1. Paid sources



1.4.2.2. Public sources



Chapter 2. Executive Summary



2.1. District cooling industry 360 degree synopsis, 2013 - 2024



2.1.1. Business trends



2.1.2. Production technique trends



2.1.3. Application trends



2.1.4. Regional trends



Chapter 3. District Cooling Market Industry Insights



3.1. Industry segmentation



3.2. Industry landscape, 2013 - 2024



3.3. Industry ecosystem analysis



3.3.1. Vendor Matrix



3.4. Innovation & sustainability



3.5. Regulatory landscape



3.6. Normalized price trend analysis



3.6.1. North America



3.6.2. Europe



3.6.3. Asia Pacific



3.6.4. Middle East



3.7. Cost structure analysis



3.7.1. Levelized cost of district cooling



3.7.2. Network cost of district cooling



3.7.3. Comparative cost of district cooling sources



3.8. Renewable energy share in district heating & cooling, 2010 - 2013



3.9. Customer requirement



3.10. Customer group requirement



3.11. Entry barriers



3.12. Opportunity analysis



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- Scope of the Report:

The Drill Bits market report focuses on the economic developments and consumer spending trends across different countries for the forecast period 2019 to 2026. The research further reveals which countries and regions will have a better standing in the years to come. Apart from this, the study talks about the growth rate, market share as well as the recent developments in the Drill Bits industry worldwide. Besides, the special mention of major market players adds importance to the overall market study.



It will not be wrong to say that the Drill Bits market report talks about customer experience that matters to every business owner planning to leverage the strategic insights for their brand growth. The case studies included in the study further demonstrate how recent innovation, mergers or acquisitions, new launches, research and development etc. have enables prominent leaders to curb toughest issues related to production volumes, demand and supply, supply chain management and more.



The major players covered in this report:

BakerHughes, Milwaukee, Rotacan, Gyros, BLU-MOL, Bosch, DEWALT, Makita, Hilti, Vulcan, Archer USA, Ryobi, Klein Tools, Milescraft, Simpson Strong-Tie, RemGrit, Diablo, Eagle Tool US, BLACK+DECKER, Fisch, Vermont American, Tapcon, B&A Manufacturing Company



Furthermore, application of Porters Five Forces Analysis to determine the status of various aspects such as the capability of both the suppliers and customers, threats posed by different substitutes, the intensity of competition and promising new vendors makes the study a valuable resource. The researchers behind the market intelligence report examine the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and restraints expected to shape the progress of the Drill Bits market for the forecast period, 2019 to 2026. The market intelligence report includes detailed statistics on market segmentation based on product value, application, classification, and sale.



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Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, covering

- North America

- Europe

- China

- Japan

- Southeast Asia

- India



Extensive analysis of data pertaining to the current as well as emerging trends offers clarity regarding the Drill Bits market dynamics. Besides, information on the performance of different companies, profit, gross margin, strategic initiative and more are presented through various resources such as tables, charts, and infographic.



On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into

- Metal Drill Bits

- Wood Drill Bits

- Other



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

- Masonry

- Woodworker

- Electrician

- Others



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Relevant data on the sudden shift in consumer preferences, spending power and consumption volume worldwide further makes this study more precise. Special emphasis on recent developments including collaborations, joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions and technology upgrades occupies an important section in the study. The SWOT analysis performed during the study identifies the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities in store for key vendors operating in the Drill Bits industry for the forecast period, 2019 to 2026.



Key Stakeholders

Drill Bits Manufacturers

Drill Bits Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers

Drill Bits Subcomponent Manufacturers

Industry Association

Downstream Vendors

Available Customizations



In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Drill Bits are as follows:

History Year: 2014-2018

Base Year: 2018

Estimated Year: 2019

Forecast Year 2019 to 2026



The research provides answers to the following key questions:

- What will be the growth rate of the Drill Bits market for the forecast period, 2019 - 2026? What will be the market size for the estimated period?

- What are the prominent factors driving the Drill Bits market across different regions?

- Who are the major vendors dominating the Drill Bits industry and what are their winning strategies?

- What are the major trends shaping the development of the industry in the coming years?

- What are challenges faced by the Drill Bits market?

- What are potential opportunities for the industry for the forecast period, 2019 - 2026?



Key Points from TOC:

2 Global Drill Bits Market Competition by Manufacturers

2.1 Global Drill Bits Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.1.1 Global Drill Bits Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.1.2 Global Drill Bits Production and Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.2 Global Drill Bits Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.3 Global Drill Bits Average Price by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.4 Manufacturers Drill Bits Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type

2.5 Drill Bits Market Competitive Situation and Trends

2.5.1 Drill Bits Market Concentration Rate

2.5.2 Drill Bits Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers

2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion

Continue



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Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- According to the new market research report "European Hemostats and Sealants Market by Brand Hemopatch (Baxter), Tachosil (Takeda), Veriset (Medtronic), Avitene (C.R Bard), Sangustop (B Braun) & Lyostypt (B Braun), Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy & Spain), Europe - Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets



Based on focused products, the tachosil is projected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period



Based on focused products, the market is segmented into Tachosil, Lyostypt, Sangustop, Veriset, Avitene and Hemopatch. The tachosil is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Major reason behind the high growth of the brand is increasing demand amongst the end-users



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Browse in-depth TOC on "European Hemostats and Sealants Market"



8  Tables

6  Figures

29  Pages



Germany commanded the largest share of the market during the forecast period



Based on region, the hemostats and sealants (focused products) market is segmented into Germany, UK, France, Italy and Spain. Germany dominated the hemostats and sealants market in 2017. This is mainly due to the large patient population in the country. The favorable reimbursement scenario for the usage of hemostats in various surgeries in Germany is also driving the growth of this market



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Key players operating in the hemostats and sealants (focused products) market include B. Braun (Germany), Medtronic (Ireland), C R Bard (US), Takeda (Japan), and Baxter (US).



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Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- Filter Media is a type of porous material which can make the solid particles separated from the liquid or gas. The commonly Filter Media includes Masks, respirators, vacuum cleaners, Fluid power mobile, Indoor air and gas turbines, Dust collectors and macrofiltration, Filter clothing, Cartridges and so on.



Filter Media industry has much fragmented, manufacturers are mostly in the Europe. Among them, Europe Production value accounted for less than 26.07% of the total value of global Filter Media in 2015. Clarcor is the world leading manufacturer in global Filter Media market with the market share of 3.96% in 2015. Compared to 2014, Filter Media market managed to increase sales by 5.48% to 18.33 Billion USD worldwide in 2015.



In the past few years, as the main raw material price was reduced, with the increasing in production capacity, expected that the Filter Media raw material price will be stable in the future. However, the improvement of energy, transportation costs, and labor costs, will play a significant role in promoting the cost of Filter Media.



The global Filter Media market was 20500 million US$ in 2018 and is expected to 32100 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 5.8% between 2019 and 2025. This report studies the Filter Media 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.



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Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share and growth Rate of Filter Media 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



Clarcor



Dupont



3M



Kimberly-Clark



Honeywell



Lydall



Watts



Ahlstrom



Hollingsworth & Vose



Freudenberg



Omnipure



Toyobo Kureha America Co., Ltd.



By the product type, the market is primarily split into



Fluid Power and Mobile



Indoor Air and Gas Turbines



Filter Clothing



Cartridges



By the end users/application, this report covers the following segments



Industrial



Architecture



Automobile



Biomedical



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- Aircraft tyres are one of the most highly engineered products having significant complexity which require large number of raw materials pertaining to steel, cord fabric, artificial and natural rubber and other chemicals. Aircraft tyres have cords which serve as the reinforcing materials in the tyre that provide dimensional stability, supporting the aircraft weight, as well as keeping the tyres in shape different road conditions. Aircraft tyres play a vital role in the performance of the aircraft. Various reinforcement constructions are needed for different types of aircrafts based on their applications and load bearing requirements. They have different requirements of tyre fabrics and tyre cords as compared to other modes of transport such as light and heavy commercial vehicles, two wheelers, agricultural vehicles as they work on different road conditions, where each tyre has a different load bearing requirement.



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The global demand for aircraft tyres has been significant due to growth from the aircraft industry, particularly commercial aircrafts, which have witnessed huge surge in demand for advanced and new aircraft, which are largely influenced by certain factors such as network expansion by new airlines as well as entry of new airlines. Other prominent factors such as replacing obsolete aircrafts, rise air passenger traffic, growing demand for fuel efficient aircrafts and healthy economic growth shown by emerging markets has also contributed towards the growth of the aircraft tyres market. Large scale corporations such as Goodyear, Bridgestone Corporation, and Dunlop are significantly involved in the manufacturing of aircraft tyres that are eco-friendly, more intelligent, economical, safer and less noisy. They are consumed in significant quantities for various civil and military applications, where military operation hold huge demand on aircraft tyres where loads can be highly substantial with speed going more than 225 miles per hour.



Large scale companies such as Dunlop have been involved in the industry as a key player which manufactures tyres used in military aircrafts from the well known Vulcan and Spitfire to the modern F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Heavy military aircraft such as C-130, the Tornado and the Hawk, and the latest A400M. The company serves various segments of the military aviation industry such as marine corps, naval forces and air forces across the world with tyres designed to give maximum operation characteristics in the fluctuating environmental conditions as well. In addition, Dunlop was awarded three year deal supply of aircraft tyres in July 2014 to China's privately owned airlines for the purpose of expending its footprint in regional airlines. Under the contract, Dunlop would be providing tyres for China Express Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen aircraft. In terms of agreements and joint ventures, The Triangle Group in 2012 collaborated with the Harbin Institute of Technology to design and manufacture arcraft tyres. Regionally, developed regions such as North America accounted for the largest market share in the aircraft tyres market, followed by Europe. Emerging regions such as Asia Pacific is likely to exhibit the fastest growth in the market owing to certain factors such as increasing disposable incomes of the individuals leading to rising air travel expenditures, entry of low cost airlines and infrastructure developments in economies such as India, Singapore and China.



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Bridgestone Corporation, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, Goodyear, Michelin, and The Triangle Group are some of the key players present in the aircraft tyre industry.
Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- Global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market: Segmentation

The chapters of segmentation allow the readers to understand the aspects of the market such as its products, available technologies, and applications of the same. These chapters are written in a manner to describe their development over the years and the course they are likely to take in the coming years. The research report also provides insightful information about the emerging trends that are likely to define progress of these segments in the coming years.



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Global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market: Regional Segmentation

For a deeper understanding, the research report includes geographical segmentation of the global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) market. It provides an evaluation of the volatility of the political scenarios and amends likely to be made to the regulatory structures. This assessment gives an accurate analysis of the regional-wise growth of the global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) market.



The Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries and Egypt)

North America (the United States, Mexico, and Canada)

South America (Brazil etc.)

Europe (Turkey, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.)

Asia-Pacific (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia)



Global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market: Research Methodology

The research methodologies used by the analysts play an integral role in the way the publication has been collated. Analysts have used primary and secondary research methodologies to create a comprehensive analysis. For an accurate and precise analysis of the global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) market, analysts have bottom-up and top-down approaches.



Global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market: Competitive Rivalry

The research report includes an analysis of the competitive landscape present in the global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) market. It includes an assessment of the existing and upcoming trends that players can invest in. Furthermore, it also includes an evaluation of the financial outlooks of the players and explains the nature of the competition.



Key Players Mentioned in the Global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market Research Report:

GE Healthcare

Koninklijke Philips

Illumina

Thermo Fisher Scientific

F. Hoffman-La Roche

Pacific Biosciences Of California

Perkinelmer

Qiagen

Agilent Technologies

Beijing Genomics Institute



Ask our Expert if You Have a Query at: enquiry@qyresearch.com



Strategic Points Covered in TOC:

Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product scope, market risk, market overview, and market opportunities of the global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) market

Chapter 2: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) market which consists of its revenue, sales, and price of the products

Chapter 3: Displaying the competitive nature among key manufacturers, with market share, revenue, and sales

Chapter 4: Presenting global Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) market by regions, market share and with revenue and sales for the projected period

Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions
Sudan's military council said Tuesday that six members of the security forces were killed during protests, as tensions mounted over the makeup of a new joint civilian-military council.

Demonstrators reinforced their barricades outside the army headquarters in Khartoum after the two sides differed in talks Monday on the number of council seats for civilians and military representatives.

The joint body is supposed to replace the military council that took power after the army ousted veteran president Omar al-Bashir on April 11 in the face of mass protests against his three-decade rule.

But the two sides are at odds over its composition, with the military pushing for a 10-member council including seven military representatives and three civilians.

Risking the anger of demonstrators, a top Sudanese general announced Tuesday that the new body would be headed by current military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Protesters have called the military council headed by Burhan "a copy cat of the toppled regime".

They want a majority of civilians on a 15-member joint council along with seven military representatives.

Adding to the deepening discord, the military council said that six security personnel were killed in clashes with protesters across the country on Monday.

"In different incidents, six people from the security forces were killed and 16 wounded," the council's deputy chief Mohamed Hamadan Dagolo, widely known as Himeidti, said.

"There were incidents of burning of markets, looting of money," he said, adding that protest leaders told the military council that anything happening outside the Khartoum sit-in does not represent them.

Thousands of protesters began massing outside army headquarters in the capital on April 6, demanding that the armed forces back them in ousting Bashir.

Five days later, the army took power through a transitional military council, having deposed Bashir, after months of protests that began with unrest over a tripling of bread prices.

Since then the 10-member council of generals has continued to resist calls to step down.

'Copy cat of regime'

But in a breakthrough on Saturday, the two sides agreed to form a joint civilian-military body to pave the way for a civilian government.

The joint council would be an overall ruling body, according to protest leaders, who want a separate transitional civilian administration to run the country's day-to-day affairs and work towards elections.

Late Monday, a Sudanese protest group said the army was trying to remove barricades and disperse the sit-in outside army headquarters, but witnesses said troops had not moved in.

"The military council is a copy cat of the toppled regime. The army is trying to disperse the sit-in by removing the barricades," said the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the group that first launched the protest movement against Bashir's regime.

"We are calling on our people to come immediately to the sit-in area. We are calling on the revolutionaries to protect the barricades and rebuild them."

But the council's deputy head insisted it was "not against" the Khartoum sit-in.

"We are not against the continuation of the sit-in and we offered to help in providing support for protesters during Ramadan," Himeidti told reporters.

Lieutenant General Salah Abdelkhalik, also a member of the ruling military council, said that the army "will never use violence against protesters".

Witnesses at the sit-in told AFP that protesters were building up some of the makeshift roadblocks.

"These barricades are for protecting us. We don't want any military vehicle to enter the sit-in area. We will not move until we have civilian rule," a protester told AFP.

Some demonstrators perched on rooftops of nearby buildings to keep watch for troops, while others sat on barricades holding Sudanese flags.

The protesters have won expressions of support from Western governments for their demands.

But Sudan's key Gulf Arab donors have backed the military council, while African states have called for more time for the army to hand power to civilians.

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Pune, Maharashtra -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- The halibut market has witnessed various stages with its demand and relative supply regarding the changing regulations and allowances defined by the regulatory bodies in respective regions. The halibut market is projecting fluctuations in price and regulations, which are expected to impact the demand for halibut fish on a global level. The halibut catch and allowance regulations related to them are major factors influencing this scenario.



Halibut Market Scenario in the region of Alaska



The increasing prices and declining total allowable catch (TAC) for halibut in the previous decade were hampering the growth of the market, which is now becoming stable compared to the earlier scenario. The halibut market is gaining greater stability owing to the increasing TAC since the year 2017 in the Alaskan region and the increasing demand is resulting in soaring prices with the growing volume of harvest. The halibut market is therefore witnessing changing scenarios with effect to changing regulations and allowances for catching fish.



Despite the fluctuating TAC and surging prices, the Alaskan halibuts find their place in the menu of prominent restaurants, whereas the demand for Pacific halibut is soaring in the sea food menu of the fine-dine restaurants.



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Massive Drop in 'Pacific Halibut Catches' Impeding Halibut Market Growth



The North Pacific commercial halibut fishery continues to remain lucrative, inducing a momentum in the halibut market around the globe. However, after the recent announcements of a major decline in cod stocks, the halibut market is likely to witness sluggish growth with a significant drop in Pacific halibut catches.



At a recent interim meeting for the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) in Seattle, scientists revealed that in 2017, the halibut numbers declined by over 23% as compared to the numbers recorded in 2016. The lack of younger halibut entering the Pacific halibut fishery remains the primary cause behind the sluggish growth of the halibut market. With the fluctuating prices of halibut and decreasing demand among consumers, the halibut market is grappling with some big challenges.



Apart from the dynamic prices and decreasing demand for halibut, the negative growth parameters of Alaska's halibut market can be attributed to the increase in Canadian imports of fresh Atlantic halibut. As the halibut catch continues to increase in New England, the Atlantic halibut market may shape up in the upcoming years. However, declining demand for halibut in the seafood industry is still likely to impact the halibut market negatively in the foreseeable future. Also, changing habitat and environmental conditions are among the prominent causes of the significant decline in Pacific halibut catches, which may result in the below-average growth of the halibut market during the assessment period.



Pacific Halibut vs. Atlantic Halibut  Fluctuating Supply and Price Fatigue Impact the Market Growth



While the total allowable catch (TAC) for Pacific halibut was high in 2016, the catch volumes were observed to be much lower in 2017. Also, following several years of high prices of Pacific halibuts, leading players in the halibut market observe low demand despite the chances of price softening in the upcoming years. Pricing for Pacific halibut is mainly influenced by the increasing availability and strengthening inventories of Atlantic halibut. Also, the International Pacific Halibut Commission could not come to a consensus to set catch limit for halibut, which results in individual countries promulgating catch levels for halibuts themselves. As a result, the halibut market is likely to witness the emerging trend of a marginal drop in prices of Pacific halibut and a rising number of fresh halibut buyers switching their halibut fishery sources.



If the trend of fluctuating prices of Pacific halibut recurs, buyers in the halibut market may shift their demand to Atlantic halibut. Even though the prices of Pacific halibut are declining with the increasing availability of Atlantic halibut, it still is a more expensive fish than Atlantic halibut. Higher catches of Atlantic halibut and relatively higher prices of Pacific halibut is causing a fatigue in the halibut market. In addition, anticipating the reduction in spawning biomass stock, the International Pacific Halibut Commission may reduce the commercial Pacific halibut fishery in the upcoming years.



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However, in mid-2017, Rubio's Restaurants  an American brand known for unique coastal cuisines  announced the addition of wild Alaskan halibut to its menu. Owing to the sweet, delicate flavor and declining prices of Pacific halibut, it is likely to observe rising demand among fine-dine restaurants as an exotic addition to their seafood menu. Ultimately, leading players in the halibut market are putting efforts in creating a balance between selling Pacific halibut and maintaining value as well as profitability by targeting the seafood industry. Nevertheless, attributing to the tension between the price and demand for Pacific halibut and Atlantic halibut, the halibut market is likely to witness sluggish growth in the near future.



This analytical research study imparts an all-inclusive assessment on the market, while propounding historical intelligence, actionable insights, and industry-validated & statistically-upheld market forecast. Verified and suitable set of assumptions and methodology has been leveraged for developing this comprehensive study. Information and analysis on key market segments incorporated in the report has been delivered in weighted chapters. A thorough analysis has been offered by the report on



Market Dynamics

Market Size

Market Segments

Demand & Supply Trends

Current Issues and Challenges

Companies and Competitor Landscape

Value Chain

Technology

Regional Segments Analyzed Include



North America (U.S., Canada)

Latin America (Mexico. Brazil)

Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain)

Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)

Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)

Japan

Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa)

Compilation of authentic and first-hand intelligence, insights offered in the report are based on quantitative and qualitative assessment by leading industry experts, and inputs from opinion leaders & industry participants around the value chain. Growth determinants, macroeconomic indicators, and parent market trends have been scrutinized and delivered, coupled with the market attractiveness for each market segment encompassed. Qualitative impact of growth influencers on the market segments across regions has also been mapped by the report.



Highlights from the Report



Elaborated scenario of the parent market

Transformations in the market dynamics

Detailed segmentation of the target market

Historical, current and forecast market size based on value and volume

Latest industry developments and trends

Competition landscape

Strategies adopted by the market players and product developments made

Potential and niche segments, along with their regional analysis

Unbiased analysis on performance of the market

Up-to-date and must-have intelligence for the market players to enhance and sustain their competitiveness



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Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- HVAC Centrifugal Compressors Market in North America is expected to generate over USD 175 thousand by 2024 owing to the rising industrial sector encouraging high energy expenditures. Moreover, enhanced demand for centralized cooling arrangements to reduce wastage will stimulate market.



Expansion of several industrial and commercial businesses including chemical, construction, energy, food, glass, petrochemical, pulp & paper and textile will augment HVAC centrifugal compressors market share. Growing air conditioning demand in tropical South East Asia countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam will further stimulate industry growth.



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Increasing demand for heating and cooling systems to maintain ideal building temperature by installing heat pumps and chillers will drive HVAC centrifugal compressors market. Changing consumer preferences towards superior energy efficiency, high service, affordability and low running costs will also boost industry share.



Favorable government initiatives to promote clean energy coupled with reducing energy wastage and benefiting in consumer cost savings will foster HVAC centrifugal compressors market expansion. Increasing scrutiny by local governments over product manufacturing to reduce carbon emissions as per Kyoto Protocols will boost product demand. In addition, financial assistances through subsidies on these heating and cooling devices will positively influence demand for energy efficient products.



Global HVAC centrifugal compressors market is fragmented due to the presence of several international manufacturers. Some of the key industry players are:



- SKF

- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

- Danfoss

- Hitachi

- Atlas Copco

- Elliott Group

- GFA

- Ingersoll Rand

- Howden Group

- Celeroton



Rising competition coupled with increasing energy expenses and sustainability initiatives taken up by various governments will support product penetration.



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Introduction of Big 5 Dubai project boosted the sales of entire HVAC machinery by generating USD 1.5 billion in 2016. The total contract value of the Dubai urban development upgradation using entire compressor technology is projected to surpass USD 59 billion by 2021. In addition, government initiatives comprising Dubai 2021 Smart City Plan and UAE Vision 2021 will boost the adoption of efficient energy systems over the forecast timespan.



Chillers are anticipated to witness over 2.3% CAGR up to 2024 due to the development of commercial spaces including corporate offices and retail outlets. Hospitals and hotels are also key application areas for chillers. Widespread enactment of certification requirements comprising Energy Star, WBDG and LEED for buildings will further drive HVAC centrifugal compressors market expansion.



The heat pumps market was worth more than USD 345 thousand in 2016 due to shifting industry trends towards reduction of greenhouse gases by utilizing these standardized pumping machineries. Superior properties including precise pressure control along with enhanced vapor compression technology will boost energy efficient systems demand. Well recognition over traditional heating systems including boilers, furnaces, gas-fired heaters and fireplaces will provide lucrative business opportunities for HVAC centrifugal compressors market growth.



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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- HTF MI recently introduced Global (United States, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2023. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are Tempur Sealy, Mlily, Serta, Simmons, Sleemon, Sinomax, Corsicana Bedding, Kingsdown & Restonic etc.



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This report studies the Global (United States, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global (United States, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.



Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on " Global (, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Market by Type (, Below 10 cm, 10-30 cm & Above 30 cm), by End-Users/Application (Home Use & Commercial Use), Organization Size, Industry, and Region - Forecast to 2023". Early buyers will receive 10% customization on comprehensive study.



In order to get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2013-2018) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future.



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Competitive Analysis:

The key players are highly focusing innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. Company profile section of players such as Tempur Sealy, Mlily, Serta, Simmons, Sleemon, Sinomax, Corsicana Bedding, Kingsdown & Restonic includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.



Market Segments:

The Global (United States, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Market has been divided into type, application, and region.

On The Basis Of Type: , Below 10 cm, 10-30 cm & Above 30 cm.

On The Basis Of Application: Home Use & Commercial Use

On The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of Global (, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress in these regions, from 2013 to 2023 (forecast), covering

- North America (U.S. & Canada) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}

- Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & Rest of Latin America) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis}

- Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden & RoE) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis}

- Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis}

- Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa, RoMEA) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis}

- Rest of World {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}



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Have a look at some extracts from Table of Content



Introduction about Global (United States, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress



Global (United States, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017

Global (, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Market by Application/End Users

Global (United States, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications

(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-users like [Home Use & Commercial Use]

Global (United States, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)

Global (, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application

Global (, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.

Global (United States, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data



Additionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturers



Market Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product type which include , Below 10 cm, 10-30 cm & Above 30 cm

Global (, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Manufacturing Cost Analysis

Global (, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Key Raw Materials Analysis

Global (, European Union and China) Hybrid Mattress Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain Analysis

Market Forecast (2018-2023)

........and more in complete table of Contents



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Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- Hybrid rice seed varieties are the first filial generation of two distinct parent seeds. These hybrid rice seeds demonstrate superior productivity, raising yields above the high yielding varieties of the original Green Revolution. Hybrid rice seeds fit well for a New Green Revolution, which are a must for meeting the rapidly increasing need of the growing population. The quality of seeds largely affects the efficiency of the added fertilizers, pesticides, and other agricultural inputs. Hence, to enhance productivity, quality seeds with appropriate properties are needed to develop and be made available to farmers. Hybrid rice seeds are getting widely acknowledged for their enhanced productivity. Yet, at present, the hybrid rice seeds technology is limited to India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the U.S., while China is cultivating around half of its rice with hybrid rice seeds. Major limitations are generally due to the hybrid rice seed technology being laborious and intensive, besides the high cost of the seeds. Still, hybrid rice cultivation tops other hybrid crops. FMI predicts that the global market for hybrid rice seeds is expected to grow at a rate of 7.5% in terms of revenue during the forecast years.



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Hybrid Rice Seeds Scenario in Developing Countries at a Glance



The hybrid rice seeds market growth in developing countries is varying from moderate to stagnant, owing to the lack of trained human resources, lack of sufficient water, and unfavorable climatic conditions. Rice producing Asian countries, apart from China, which include India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Pakistan, together have 4.5 million hectares of land under hybrid rice seed cultivation. The area contributes to a small percentage in each country. The U.N. FAO's regional office in this region has developed a strategy in collaboration with these countries to move toward sustainable food security in Asia. In African countries such as Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Madagascar, and Tanzania, cultivation with hybrid rice seeds started in the early 2000s. The Green Super Rice (GSR) project, which was introduced in some countries in the African continent cultivating hybrid rice seeds, developed in Asia, coordinated by the Chinese Academy Agricultural Sciences, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Africa Rice, during 2009-2011, succeeded from the yield perspective. However, these hybrid rice seeds are not practical for commercial rice production, since they are susceptible to African diseases. Developing hybrid rice seeds that have better resistance to these diseases as well as high yield potential will be more beneficial. On the other hand, Egypt has succeeded in producing a local hybrid rice seed variety on a commercial scale through a rice breeding program. With strategic programs and support from the private sector, governments, and leading companies, hybrid rice development in Asia and Africa has a great potential to achieve a breakthrough in the technology related to hybrid rice seeds.



Self-Cloning Hybrid Rice  a Milestone in Hybrid Rice Seeds Technology



Hybrid rice seeds are a product of the hybridization of two good parent rice varieties, which are engineered with desirable traits such as higher yield. Such hybrid rice seeds do not pass the same genetic information to the next generation of seeds. Hence, if farmers need to achieve the same yield the next time, buying new hybrid rice seeds is a must. However, a recent study conducted at the laboratory level shows the possibility of preserving genetic information through the self-cloning of hybrid rice seeds. On December 12, 2018, it was reported that, hybrid rice seeds engineered with CRISPR, a gene-editing tool, can produce such a rice plant that can clone their seeds. Successful commercial production of such hybrid rice seeds can lead to a marvelous improvement in hybrid rice seed technology and overall crop development.



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Hybrid Rice Seeds Giving Higher Economic Returns



Rice cultivation using hybrid rice seeds has been reported to produce higher economic returns when compared to the economic returns of conventional rice varieties. This is due to the significant yield the hybrid rice seeds over conventional rice seeds. Also, the milling yield of hybrid rice seeds was found to be the same, or in some cases better than the milling yield of conventional rice seeds. This advantage of cultivation with hybrid rice seeds is likely to encourage poor farmers to shift from conventional rice seeds to hybrid rice seeds.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- Based on the Impeller Pumps for Boats industrial chain, this report mainly elaborate the definition, types, applications and major players of Impeller Pumps for Boats market in details. Deep analysis about market status (2019-2026), enterprise competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise products, industry development trends (2019-2026), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also be included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel will be presented as well. In a word, this report will help you to establish a panorama of industrial development and characteristics of the Impeller Pumps for Boats market.



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This report studies the global Impeller Pumps for Boats market status and forecast, categorizes the global Impeller Pumps for Boats market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in North America, Europe, Japan, China, and other regions (India, Southeast Asia).



The major manufacturers covered in this report

SHERWOOD, Jabsco, Xylem, TF Marine, DJ PUMP, JMP Corporation, GIANNESCHI PUMPS & BLOWERS, SPX Flow Technology Sweden AB, , Johnson Pump Marine, LIVERANI, Marco, KPM Marine D E Ltd, Groco, Jindra Energy Conversions, Raritan Engineering, Reverso, TMC Technology, SPX FLOW



Scope of the market

The research takes a closer look at prominent factors driving the growth rate of the prominent product categories across major geography. Furthermore, the study covers a lot of the sales, gross margin, consumption capacity, spending power and customer preference across various countries. The report offers clear indications how the Impeller Pumps for Boats market is expected to witness numerous exciting opportunities in the years to come. Critical aspects including the growing requirement, demand and supply status, customer preference, distribution channels and others are presented through resources such as charts, tables, and infographics.



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In market segmentation by geographical regions, the report has analysed the following regions-

- North america

- Europe

- China

- Japan

- Middle east & africa

- India

- South america

- Others



On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into

- Centrifugal

- Mixed Flow

- Axial Flow

- Vortex Type



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

- Cargo Boats

- Passenger Boats

- Other



The research provides answers to the following key questions:

- What is the estimated size of the Impeller Pumps for Boats market for the forecast period, 2019 - 2026? What will be the growth rate of the industry during the estimated period?

- What are the prominent driving forces likely to impact the progress of the industry across different regions?

- Who are the major market players occupying a strong foothold in the Impeller Pumps for Boats market? What are the winning strategies adopted by them to stay ahead in the competition?

- What are the potential opportunities for the Impeller Pumps for Boats market for the forecast period, 2019 - 2026?

- What are the key trends expected to shape the development of the industry over the coming years?

- What are the key restraints and challenges likely to hinder the growth of the Impeller Pumps for Boats market worldwide?



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Key point from TOC

1 Impeller Pumps for Boats Market Overview

1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Impeller Pumps for Boats

1.2 Impeller Pumps for Boats Segment by Type (Product Category)

1.2.1 Global Impeller Pumps for Boats Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2014-2026)

1.2.2 Global Impeller Pumps for Boats Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2019

1.2.3 Centrifugal

1.2.3 Mixed Flow

1.2.5 Axial Flow

Vortex Type

1.3 Global Impeller Pumps for Boats Segment by Application

1.3.1 Impeller Pumps for Boats Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2014-2026)

1.3.2 Cargo Boats

1.3.3 Passenger Boats

1.3.4 Other



2 Global Impeller Pumps for Boats Market Competition by Manufacturers

2.1 Global Impeller Pumps for Boats Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.1.1 Global Impeller Pumps for Boats Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.1.2 Global Impeller Pumps for Boats Production and Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.2 Global Impeller Pumps for Boats Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.3 Global Impeller Pumps for Boats Average Price by Manufacturers (2014-2019)

2.4 Manufacturers Impeller Pumps for Boats Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type

2.5 Impeller Pumps for Boats Market Competitive Situation and Trends

2.5.1 Impeller Pumps for Boats Market Concentration Rate

2.5.2 Impeller Pumps for Boats Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers

2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion

Continue



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Maharashtra, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- Mobile Positioning System market

Mobile Positioning System market provides a detailed analysis of the industry for the estimation period of 2019  2025. Mobile Positioning System Market by Reports Monitor report includes market size, growth rate, market share, application, future trends. The market research of Mobile Positioning System is precise but encloses all points in brief which are essential and relevant for a customer of Mobile Positioning System industry.



The research study, titled "Mobile Positioning System Market Research Report 2019," evaluates the historical performance and the current status of this market for a detailed understanding, emphasizing especially on the dynamics of the demand and supply of Mobile Positioning System Market in 2018.



The Mobile Positioning System report offers detailed profiles of the key players to bring out a clear view of the competitive landscape of the Mobile Positioning System Outlook. It also comprehends market new product analysis, financial overview, strategies and marketing trends.



The report consists of a detailed analysis of substantial returns that has been expected to be gathered at the end of the forecasted period of time. The report also underlines the evaluation of materials and markets, technological advancements, unpredictable industry structure, and capacities of the Mobile Positioning System market.



The following manufacturers are assessed in this report in terms of sales, revenue, and market share for each company:

Topcon Positioning Systems, Zebra Technologies Corp, Raytheon Co, Navcom Technology, Ericson, Senion Panasonic Corp, Fei-Zyfer, Freeflight Systems



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Types of Mobile Positioning System covered are:



TOA

E-OTD

A-GPS



Applications of Mobile Positioning System covered are:



Mapping and Surviving

Live Tracking of Objects

Vehicles

Others



Regional Analysis For Mobile Positioning System Market



North America (The 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.)

The Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa)



The analyzed data on the Mobile Positioning System market help you put up a brand within the industry while competing with the giants. This report provides insights into a dynamic competitive environment. It also offers a progressive viewpoint on different factors driving or restricting market growth.



To Check Discount, Click Here https://www.reportsmonitor.com/check_discount/129064



Table of Contents:



Study Coverage: It includes key manufacturers covered, key market segments, the scope of products offered in the global Mobile Positioning System market, years considered, and study objectives. Additionally, it touches the segmentation study provided in the report on the basis of the type of product and application.



Executive Summary: It gives a summary of key studies, market growth rate, competitive landscape, market drivers, trends, and issues, and macroscopic indicators.



Production by Region: Here, the report provides information related to import and export, production, revenue, and key players of all regional markets studied.



Profile of Manufacturers: Each player profiled in this section is studied on the basis of SWOT analysis, their products, production, value, capacity, and other vital factors.



The objectives of the report are:



 To analyze and forecast the market size of Mobile Positioning System Industry in the global market.

 To study the global key players, SWOT analysis, value and global market share for leading players.

 To determine, explain and forecast the market by type, end use, and region.

 To analyze the market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks of global key regions.

 To find out significant trends and factors driving or restraining the market growth.

 To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.

 To critically analyze each submarket in terms of individual growth trend and their contribution to the market.

 To understand competitive developments such as agreements, expansions, new product launches, and possessions in the market.

 To strategically outline the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.



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The growth of this market globally is subjected to various factors, including consumer ace Mobile Positioning System of a lot of Mobile Positioning System products, inorganic company growth models, price volatility of raw materials, product innovation along with economic prospects in both producer and consumer countries.



Conclusively, This report will provide you a clear view of each and every fact of the market without a need to refer to any other research report or a data source. Our report will provide you with all the facts about the past, present, and future of the concerned Market.
Maharashtra, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- Interactive voice response (IVR) is a technology that allows a computer to interact with humans through the use of voice and DTMF tones input via a keypad. In telecommunications, IVR allows customers to interact with a company's host system via a telephone keypad or by speech recognition, after which services can be inquired about through the IVR dialogue. IVR systems can respond with pre-recorded or dynamically generated audio to further direct users on how to proceed. IVR systems deployed in the network are sized to handle large call volumes and also used for outbound calling, as IVR systems are more intelligent than many predictive dialer systems.



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Natural language processing (NLP) is one of the leading technology that has been gaining increased adoption in the past decade of the progression of the interactive voice response (IVR) industry. NLP technology is used to analyze spoken natural language, and the IVRs supporting NLP are able to generate natural language response. This has helped in developing conversational systems. Using NLP technology, the IVR solutions have been designed to be smarter.



On the other hand, IVR analytics plays an essential role in fueling the market growth, as it helps the companies to achieve customer satisfaction by capturing, tracking, and evaluating the entire call experience. IVR analytics solutions address issues such as root cause of common drop-off points and misunderstood menus and prompts, as well as customer reticence in using IVR systems. Once the issues are understood, an organization can make enhancements to its IVR solution, thereby making it easier for customers to use the self-service solution.



The key players covered in this study

Cisco Systems, Avaya, NEC, Enghouse Interactive, SAP, Aspect, West, Voxeo, Altitude Software, Genesys International, Vocalcom, Convergys, Genesys



Market analysis by product type

On-premises

Cloud-based



Market analysis by market

Healthcare

Hospitality

Others



Market segmentation by Zone:

North America (USA, Canada, Mexico)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand)

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, etc.)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, etc.)

Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iran etc.)

Africa (Egypt, South Africa, etc.)



Furthermore, the report provides the core knowledge of the market by analyzing end user's consumption tendency, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems market driving factors, ever-changing market dynamics, and rising development patterns in the market.



Besides, the report focuses on the leading contenders in the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems industry and delivers an all-inclusive analysis considering their market share, production capacity, value chain analysis, size, sales and distribution network, import/export activities, cost structure, and product specification. Due to the changes in world business policies, it is recommended to be always aware of the facts and data about this market.



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The objectives of the Market Research Explore report on the Global Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems Market are:



To study, analyze and forecast the Global Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems Market by segmenting it based on types, application, inventions, time-based performance, and end user.

The report by Market Research Explore analyzes various macro and microeconomic factors impacting the Global Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems Market.

To come up with insights into the major factors affecting the global Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems Market around the world such as Its drivers, hurdles, opportunities, and challenges.

To notify about the dominant players along with their strategies, products/services, research, and development plans.

Conclusively, the report helps a reader to get an absolute understanding of the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems industry through details about the market projection, competitive scenario, industry environment, growth constraining factors, limitations, entry barriers, the provincial regulatory framework as well as upcoming market investment and opportunities, challenges and other growth promoting factors. This report will provide you a clear view of each and every fact of the market without a need to refer any other research report or a data source. Our report will provide you with all the facts about the past, present, and future of the concerned Market.



For more information regarding Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems market, Contact Us @ sales@reportsmonitor.com
Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- The latest report has been added to the wide database of laboratory information system market by Infinium Global Research. This report studies the laboratory information system market by application (drug delivery laboratory information systems, and clinical diagnostics laboratory information systems), delivery (web-based, and on-premise), components (software, and hardware) market status and outlook of global and major regions, from manufacturers, and end industries.



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The objective of the study is to identify market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values for the next six years. laboratory information system Market provides opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape, latest trends, and product offerings of the major companies in the laboratory information system market.



The Technological and Innovative Approach to Data Management to Boost the Growth of the Laboratory Information System



Hospitals and health systems are seeking innovative approaches to segregate and manage data owing to the rise in health problems and geriatric population. The electronic data capture process of an reduces the time spent and cut errors associated with the transcribing process. The improved efficiency, cost reduction, and easy maintenance will boost the growth of the laboratory information system. Reports can be automatically generated and access to information can be quickly gained by using a LIS. An efficient laboratory information system helps to avoid workload and manage stress by automating tasks and processes on the core system. The financial, operational, inventory, reports and tests are available in various formats in a laboratory information system. A modern laboratory information system such as Care Data Informatics helps lab owners mine data, analyze trends and make accurate projections and thereby increases revenue. However, the lack of experienced professionals and high development cost of software hinders the growth of the Laboratory information system. This system also provides the ability to go paperless and ensures compliance through a structured approach. Moreover, the rapid revolutionization in the diagnostic and medical laboratories is creating an opportunity for the growth of the healthcare information system in the emerging laboratory information system.



North America To Remain Dominant in the Laboratory Information System Market During the Forecast Period



North America holds the largest market share in the laboratory information system market owing to the increased adoption of new technologies in healthcare sectors. Healthcare IT systems are widely being implemented in countries such as the U.S. and Canada that boost the market growth in this region. Europe holds the second largest market in the laboratory information system owing to the technological advancements in the healthcare industry and increasing focus on data management and governance. The Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market during the forecast period. The major factor that would drive the market in Asia Pacific regions is the increased efficiency provided by the laboratory information system to manage data in the healthcare sector.



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Scone Equine Group Opts Laboratory Information System for Workflow Management



One of Australia's largest providers of equine veterinary services, the Scone Equine Group, has chosen the Matrix Gemini Laboratory Information System (LIS) from Autoscribe Informatics to handle the workflow and test management of the samples for its hospital laboratory located in Scone, New South Wales. The order follows a LIS configuration requirements workshop held on-site for Scone staff by the company which included detailed discussions of their actual workflows and the benefits that a LIMS could bring.



Bob Blunden, Director Australasia at Autoscribe Informatics, said: "I am delighted that Scone Equine Group has decided to order the Matrix Gemini LIMS from us. It reflects both on the versatility offered by Matrix and the local presence and support being provided by Autoscribe Informatics Pty Ltd as a permanent base in the Australasia region. We have recently taken on additional staff to meet the increasing business opportunities in both Australia and New Zealand.



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Pune, Maharashtra -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- A comprehensive research study on LAMEA Endpoint Security Market introduced by Graphical Research provides insights into the market size and growth trends of this industry over the forecast timeline. The study evaluates key aspects of the market in terms of the demand landscape, driving factors and growth strategies adopted by market players.



The LAMEA endpoint security market is growing due to the rising online data thefts and other network vulnerabilities. For instance, at least 500 companies in Mexico were affected by the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 including companies in banking, telecommunications, and the retail sector.



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Such attacks have prompted government agencies and IT enterprises in the region to undertake measures for preventing such attacks and establish more robust policies for securing the networking infrastructure. For instance, in March 2017, C5 launched its cybersecurity lab in Bahrain to create awareness about the threats and encourage the development of solutions to address the cyber threat landscape in the country.



LAMEA Endpoint Security Market Statistics, By Component

o Software

o Firewall

o Intrusion Prevention

o Antivirus/Anti-Malware

o Endpoint Application Control

o Encryption Technologies

o Mobile Device Security

o Service

o Training & Consulting

o Maintenance & Updates

o Managed Service



The BFSI sector is expected to hold an endpoint security market share of over 26% in 2024. The rise in digital transactions has increased the demand for security solutions to protect the confidential information used & generated during transactions.



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In June 2018, Liberty Holdings, an insurer, was hit by a cyber-attack, where an external third-party claimed to have seized the data and demanded payment. The need for regulations with data disclosure mandates and expenditure on security solutions by organizations will increase the demand for these solutions.



LAMEA Endpoint Security Market Size, By Deployment Model

- On-premise

- Cloud



The Israel endpoint security market is projected to register an accelerated growth of over 8% between 2017 and 2024. The Israeli government is making efforts to promote the development of the country's IT security by launching programs and enabling security companies to test their technologies.



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For instance, in August 2018, the Israeli government launched a three-year program to accelerate investments in cybersecurity companies. The government invested around USD 24 million to bolster its position in the cybersecurity market and make the country an attractive hub for security startups.



Some of the key vendors in the LAMEA endpoint security market include Webroot, Trend Micro, Cisco, ESET, McAfee, Kaspersky Lab, F-Secure, Microsoft, Symantec, VIPRE, IBM, Sophos, Ahnlab, Comodo, and Panda Security.



About Graphical Research

Graphical Research is a business research firm that provides industry insights, market forecast and strategic inputs through granular research reports and advisory services. We publish targeted research reports with an aim to address varied customer needs, from market penetration and entry strategies to portfolio management and strategic outlook. We understand that business requirements are unique: our syndicate reports are designed to ensure relevance for industry participants across the value chain. We also provide custom reports that are tailored to the exact needs of the customer, with dedicated analyst support across the purchase lifecycle.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- Global LED Secondary Optic Market Insights, Forecast to 2025 is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, risk side analysis, and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The study provides information on market trends and development, drivers, capacities, technologies, and on the changing capital structure of the Global LED Secondary Optic Market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Ledlink Optics, Carclo Optics, Auer Lighting, LEDIL Oy, FRAEN Corporation, GAGGIONE (Lednlight), Bicom Optics, Darkoo Optics, Aether systems Inc, B&M Optics, ShenZhen Likeda Optical, HENGLI Optical, Brightlx Limited, Kunrui optical, FORTECH, Chun Kuang Optics & Wuxi Kinglux Glass Lens.



LEDs generally emit light at a 120-degree viewing angle. LED applications that require more focused light often use a secondary optic that is placed over the LED, which internally reflects light into a spot, medium spot, wide spot or elliptical spot pattern. Secondary optics are used to modify the output beam of the LED such that the output beam of the finished signal lamp will efficiently meet the desired photometric specification. In addition, secondary optics serve an aesthetic purpose by determining the lit and unlit appearance of the signal lamp. The primary optic is included in the LED package, and the secondary optics are part of the finished signal lamp. There are two primary categories of secondary optics used, those that spread the incoming light (diverging optics), and those that gather the incoming light into a collimated beam (collimating optics).



The industry is expected to remain innovation-led, with frequent acquisitions and strategic alliances adopted as the key strategies by the players to increase their industry presence. Meanwhile, optimize product mix and further develop value-added capabilities to maximize margins.



Manufacturers can take advantage of this situation by reinforcing their production units and supply-chains to avoid any delay in production turn-around-times (TAT) and supply-lead-times.



Price in US and EU is much higher than that of China and other developing countries due to their high quality and powerful functionalities. Developing countries such as China and India is more likely to attract more investment opportunity for their potential demand.



The LED Secondary Optic market was valued at 690 Million US$ in 2018 and is projected to reach 2990 Million US$ by 2025, at a CAGR of 20.2% during the forecast period. In this study, 2018 has been considered as the base year and 2019 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for LED Secondary Optic.



This report presents the worldwide LED Secondary Optic market size (value, production and consumption), splits the breakdown (data status 2014-2019 and forecast to 2025), by manufacturers, region, type and application.



This study also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.



LED Secondary Optic Market Overview:



If you are involved in the LED Secondary Optic industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Street Lighting, Commercial Lighting, Architectural Lighting, Indoor Lighting, Automotive Lighting & Others, , Reflector, LED Secondary Lens, Others, PMMA LED Secondary Optic, PC LED Secondary Optic, Glass LED Secondary Optic & Others and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.



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LED Secondary Optic Market: Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2023



Research study is to define market sizes of various segments & countries in previous years and to forecast the values to the next 5-8 years. The report is designed to comprise each qualitative and quantitative elements of the industry facts including: market share, market size (value and volume 2012-17, and forecast to 2023) with admire to each of the areas and countries concerned inside the examination. Furthermore, the report additionally caters the detailed statistics about the vital elements which includes drivers & restraining factors which will define the future growth of the market.



Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year  2013-2017

Base year  2018

Forecast period**  2018 to 2023 [** unless otherwise stated]



**Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.



The designated segments and sub-section of the market are explained below:



The Study is segmented by following Product Type: , Reflector, LED Secondary Lens, Others, PMMA LED Secondary Optic, PC LED Secondary Optic, Glass LED Secondary Optic & Others



Major applications/end-users industry are as follows: Street Lighting, Commercial Lighting, Architectural Lighting, Indoor Lighting, Automotive Lighting & Others



Some of the key Manufacturers Involved in the Market are  Ledlink Optics, Carclo Optics, Auer Lighting, LEDIL Oy, FRAEN Corporation, GAGGIONE (Lednlight), Bicom Optics, Darkoo Optics, Aether systems Inc, B&M Optics, ShenZhen Likeda Optical, HENGLI Optical, Brightlx Limited, Kunrui optical, FORTECH, Chun Kuang Optics & Wuxi Kinglux Glass Lens



You can get free access to samples from the report here: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1630057-global-led-secondary-optic-market-11



For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies. If opting for the Global version of LED Secondary Optic Market analysis is provided for major regions as follows:

- North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)

- Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)

- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)

- South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)

- Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)



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Key Answers Captured in Study are

Which geography would have better demand for product/services?

What are the strategies adopted by big players in the regional market?

Which country would see the steep rise in CAGR & year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth?

What is the current & expected market size in next five years?

What is the market feasibility for long term investment?

What opportunity the country would offer for existing and new players in the LED Secondary Optic market?

What is risk involved for suppliers in the geography?

What factors would drive the demand for the product/service in near future?

What is the impact analysis of various factors in the Global LED Secondary Optic market growth?

What are the recent trends in the regional market and how successful they are?



Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1630057-global-led-secondary-optic-market-11



There are 15 Chapters to display the Global LED Secondary Optic market.

Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global LED Secondary Optic market, Applications [Street Lighting, Commercial Lighting, Architectural Lighting, Indoor Lighting, Automotive Lighting & Others], Market Segment by Regions United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea & Other Regions;

Chapter 2, objective of the study.

Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques.

Chapter 4 and 5, to show the Overall Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics;

Chapter 6 and 7, to show the Market size, share and forecast; Five forces analysis (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition;

Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea & Other Regions ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis

Chapter 10, focus on identifying the key industry influencer's, overview of decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers;

Chapter 11 and 12, Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behaviour, Marketing Channels and demand & supply.

Chapter 13 and 14, describe about the vendor landscape (classification and Market Positioning)

Chapter 15, deals with Global LED Secondary Optic Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].
Six Sudanese security personnel have been killed nationwide in clashes with protesters, the ruling military council announced on Tuesday.

Another 16 members of the security forces were wounded in the clashes on Monday, the council's deputy chief Mohamed Hamadan Dagolo, widely known as Himeidti, said.

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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- HTF MI added a new research study in its database with title 'Global Manned Security Services Market Insights by Application, Product Type, Competitive Landscape & Regional Forecast 2025' that includes detailed analysis, Competitive landscape, forecast and strategies. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions like South America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America) , Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) , Europe (Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Rest of Europe) , MEA (Middle East, Africa) , North America (United States, Canada, Mexico) and important players/vendors such as G4S plc (United Kingdom),Securitas AB (Sweden),Allied Universal (United States),US Security Associates Inc.(United States),SIS International S.R.L. (Italy),Tops Security Limited (India),OCS Group Limited (U.K.),Transguard Group (United Arab Emirates),Andrews International Inc.(United States) .The report will help user gain market insights, future trends and growth prospects for forecast period of 2025.



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Summary

Market Snapshot:

Manned security services includes personnel as well as equipment used in upholding the defenses of industrial, commercial, and residential complexes. With high demand for security solutions around the globe, the global manned security services market is likely to grow with highest CAGR over the forecasted period. The relocation to cities by citizens from the rural areas as well as the growing crime rates are boosting the demand for manned security services. Growing populations living in gated communities & arrival of automated systems can further impel market growth over the coming years.



Market Drivers

Growing demand for security solutions around the globe , Growing people migration to cities from the rural areas and Growth in crime rates



Opportunities

Growing development of training centers for security personnel & low armed services in Asia-Pacific



The Vendors Covered in the Study are:

G4S plc (United Kingdom)

Securitas AB (Sweden)

Allied Universal (United States)

US Security Associates Inc.(United States)

SIS International S.R.L. (Italy)

Tops Security Limited (India)

OCS Group Limited (U.K.)

Transguard Group (United Arab Emirates)

Andrews International Inc.(United States)



Available Customization: List of players that can be included in the study on immediate basis are China Security & Protection Group Ltd (China) , Axis Group Integrated Services Ltd. (United Kingdom) and ICTS Europe S.A. (France).



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Table of Contents



1 Market Overview



1.1 Manned Security Services Introduction



1.2 Market Analysis by Type



1.3 Market Analysis by Applications



1.4 Market Analysis by Regions



1.4.1 North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)



1.4.1.1 United States Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)



1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)



1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa



1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)



1.5 Market Dynamics



1.5.1 Market Opportunities



1.5.2 Market Risk



1.5.3 Market Driving Force



2 Manufacturers Profiles



2.1.1 Business Overview



2.1.2 Manned Security Services Type and Applications



2.1.3 Manned Security Services Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)



3 Global Manned Security Services Market Competition, by Manufacturer



3.1 Global Manned Security Services Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)



3.2 Global Manned Security Services Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)



3.3 Global Manned Security Services Price by Manufacturer (2016-2017)



3.4 Market Concentration Rate



3.4.1 Top 3 Manned Security Services Manufacturer Market Share in 2017



3.4.2 Top 5 Manned Security Services Manufacturer Market Share in 2017



3.5 Market Competition Trend



4 Global Manned Security Services Market Analysis by Regions



4.1 Global Manned Security Services Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions



4.1.1 Global Manned Security Services Sales by Regions (2013-2018)



4.1.2 Global Manned Security Services Revenue by Regions (2013-2018)



4.2 North America Manned Security Services Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)



4.3 Europe Manned Security Services Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)



4.4 Asia-Pacific Manned Security Services Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)



4.5 South America Manned Security Services Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)



4.6 Middle East and Africa Manned Security Services Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)



....Continued



View Detailed Table of Content @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1490657-global-manned-security-services-market-5



Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.



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About HTF Market Report

HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the "Accurate Forecast" in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their "Goals & Objectives".
Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS), also known as Medical Emergency Response Systems, let you call for help in an emergency by pushing a button. A PERS has three components: a small radio transmitter, a console connected to your telephone, and an emergency response center that monitors calls. Benefits of Personal Emergency Response Systems include  affordability, privacy, independent, availability, responsiveness, safe, easy setup, easy to use, large cost savings, and data collection unobtrusive and objective.



Research study on the Global Medical Alert System/Personal Emergency Response System Market was performed in five phases which include Secondary research, Primary research, subject matter expert advice, quality check and final review.



Key players in details:



ADT Corporation, Tunstall Americas, Valued Relationships, Inc, Connect America, Critical Signal Technologies, Galaxy Medical Alert System, Numera Inc, Mobilehelp, Koninklijke Philips NV, Guardian Alarm and Others.



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Market is segmented on the basis of Type, Application and Region:



End User: Senior Living Facilities, Assisted Living Facilities, Home-based Users



By Type: Standalone PERS, Landline PERS, Mobile PERS.



Medical Alert System/Personal Emergency Response System market report comprises key factor which can be useful for any new player in the industry. It is possible due to comparative analysis and overview that is provided in the report. By focusing on all the details in the report, it is more than enough for any newcomers entering the industry so that they can get a better knowledge and study the market before making any strategic decision.



Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with Sales, Sales, revenue, Market Share (%) and Growth Rate (%) of product in these regions, from 2019 to 2025 (forecast), covering United States, North America (Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa), RoW (Rest of World).



To know more about this report:



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Table of Contents:



1 Introduction of Global Medical Alert System/Personal Emergency Response System Market



2 Executive Summary



3 Research Methodology



4 Global Market outlook



5 Global Medical Alert System/Personal Emergency Response System Market Overview



6 Global Medical Alert System/Personal Emergency Response System Market by Type



7 Global Medical Alert System/Personal Emergency Response System Market by Application



8 Global Market by Geography



9 Global Market Competitive Landscape



10 Company Profiles



11 Appendix



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- Europe Molecular Diagnostics Market: Snapshot



The demand for molecular diagnostic systems has been increasing owing to the increasing automation in the research process. These systems aid in automating the process of DNA extraction, amplification and recording the analysis data. In addition, these systems offer a range of advantages such as increased efficiency, correctness of the data, and decrease in the time required, which contribute to garner market growth.



View Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/europe-molecular-diagnostics-market.html



Against this background, the Europe molecular diagnostics market is expected to be worth US$769.0 mn by the end of 2025 from US$395.7 mn in 2016. During the forecast period of 2017 and 2025, the regional market is expected to register a CAGR of 6.6%.



On the basis product, the market has been segmented into real-time PCR systems, liquid handling systems, and DNA extraction systems. The market for real-time PCR systems is anticipated to remain strong in the forecast period, both in terms of value and volume. These systems are anticipated to record the strong growth owing to the range of advantages offered by these systems in comparison to the conventional PCR systems. Some of the benefits are analysis of amplified DNA in the exponential stage which provides a better study, decreases the fear of sample contamination as the process of amplification to analysis is done in the same tube along with increase in throughput among others. Furthermore, the market has witnessed an increase in the installed base of these systems, which can be attributed to their declining prices. This segment is anticipated to be trailed by liquid handling systems, whose growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for laboratory automation for effective and correctness in the liquid dispensing process.



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Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies to be Key Users of Molecular Diagnostics



In terms of end user, the Europe molecular diagnostics market has been segmented into hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, academic and research institutes, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are anticipated to be the fastest growing segment, owing to their increasing investments on research that contributes to the growth in adoption of molecular diagnostic devices. This segment is closely trailed by academic and research institutes. The growth in this segment can be attributed to the increasing public and private funding for research. For instance, Europa Organization, the European funding organization, supports innovative companies in the development of new products and conducts annual PCR conferences to identify potential innovators of PCR technology.



Germany to Retain Dominance in Europe Molecular Diagnostics Market



Geographically, Europe region is segmented into five main countries, including the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Spain; and Rest of Europe. Germany was the leading country in terms of revenues in 2016. It is anticipated to maintain its dominance and grow a significantly high CAGR during the forecast period. The strong growth of molecular diagnostics in Germany can be attributed to the government focus on healthcare investments, increased focus on enhancing the biotechnology sector, and the increasing number of biotechnology companies in the country.



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Some of the leading players in the Europe molecular diagnostics market report are Agilent Technologies, Inc., Dickinson and Company, Becton, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Danaher Corporation, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Eppendorf AG, PerkinElmer, Inc., Tecan Group Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., and QIAGEN N.V., among others.



About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.



Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.



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Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- According to a new market research report "Optical Wavelength Services Market by Bandwidth (Less than 10 Gbps, 40 Gbps, 100 Gbps, and More than 100 Gbps), Application (SONET, Ethernet, and OTN), Interface (Short Haul, Metro, and Long Haul), Organization Size, and Region - Global Forecast to 2023", The global OWS market size is expected to grow from USD 3.3 billion in 2018 to USD 4.9 billion by 2023, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.5% during the forecast period. The adoption rate of OWS solutions is expected to grow, owing to the increasing demand for high-speed internet and bandwidth-intensive applications, and a need for minimizing capital expense and IT resource.



The advent of Internet of Things (IoT) and growing automation trends have exponentially increased data traffic thereby creating heavily-increased bandwidth requirements for large enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Further increasing demand for high-speed internet and fiber optics communication has become the backbone thereby increasing the demand for OWS.



Browse and in-depth TOC on "Optical Wavelength Services Market"



43 - Data Tables

34 - Figures

109 - Pages



https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/optical-wavelength-services-market-81649158.html



Among interface areas, the Ethernet segment to hold the highest market share during the forecast period



In OWS, Ethernet carries the highest market share as it is a cost-effective option for server connectivity. As compared to other interfaces, i.e. OTN and SONET, Ethernet has the highest number of installations and offers top cost performance among others. Gigabit Ethernet is the extended version of Ethernet which can offer tenfold speed than the traditional Ethernet. Wavelength services enable high bandwidth gigabit Ethernet network connections to be deployed faster.



Among application, the metro segment holds largest market share during the forecast period



The increasing bandwidth demand and connectivity between Data Centers (DCs) along with adoption of consumer 4K and higher video content and services on n number of devices are major drivers for the adoption of metro applications. Most of the service providers are looking forward to increase the wavelength speed by moving to metro applications.



In terms of regions, North America to account for the largest market size duringthe forecast period



North America is expected to be the main revenue contributor to the OWS market. The growth in this region is expected to be driven by the presence of prominent OWS providers, such as Zayo, Verizon, GTT, CenturyLink, and AT&T. Moreover, the presence of a large number of optical wavelength solution providers in the country creates a healthy competition, which would benefit the growth of OWS in the future.



In the OWS market, the key and emerging market players include Zayo Group (US), Nokia (Finland), Verizon (US), GTT (US), CenturyLink (Louisiana), AT&T (US), Sprint (US), Comcast (US), Colt Technology Solution (UK), Crown Castle (US), Windstream Enterprises (US), Charter Communications (US), Cox Communications (US), Jaguar Network (France), and CarrierBid (US).



About MarketsandMarkets

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Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.



MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- The global market for patterning materials is poised to register a steady growth rate over the course of the forecast period, fueled by the numerous applications they are used in. The emerging, yet highly lucrative, market for nanodevices is a key factor boosting the demand for patterning materials, along with an expanding integrated circuit market.



The report identifies the major driving and restraining forces that impact the patterning materials market and offers sharp insights on its growth trajectory over the coming years. The main geographical markets have been highlighted and the trends that govern these regional markets have also been discussed at length. In a detailed section on the competitive landscape, the leading companies have been profiled, with a focus on their strengths and weaknesses, product portfolio, financial standing, and recent developments.



Read Report Overview @



https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/patterning-material-market.html



Global Patterning Material Market: Drivers and Restraints



The adoption of several development strategies on the part of market players has significantly benefited the patterning material market and an increasing number of companies have been focusing their resources on new technology or product development as well as expansions in smaller companies. A case in point would be Corvallis startup Inpria Corporation, who received a whopping US$7.3 mn investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corp., Intel Capital, and Applied Ventures in 2014.



The emergence of nanotechnology, brought on by the increasing demand for miniaturized components in electronics, is a major trend observed in the semiconductors industry and this is a key factor boosting the demand for patterning technology, materials, and instruments.



The patterning material market is also driven by technological advancements, a booming integrated circuit market, and a rise in the number of end-use industries. Players are likely to make the most of the opportunities presented by emerging economies where the demand for electronics such as tablets, smartphones, and laptops is rather strong. On the down side, however, costs incurred during the lithography process is likely to create a roadblock for many.



Global Patterning Material Market: Regional Outlook



The global market for patterning materials has been geographically segmented to include Latin America, North America, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, and Europe. North America accounts for a significant share in the worldwide market, fueled primarily by the U.S. A massive end-use application base in the country is the main reason behind its strong growth. The patterning materials market in Europe is expected to register a sluggish growth rate on account of the current Eurozone economic crisis that has disrupted the region.



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Asia Pacific is a strong contender in the global market and is expected to exhibit rapid growth over the coming years. Countries such as China, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, India, Australia, South Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia are some of the major markets in Asia Pacific thanks to thriving electronics, semiconductor, and packaging sectors



Companies mentioned in the report



Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd. (Japan), JSR Micro, Inc. (U.S.), Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (Japan), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), Honeywell Electronic Materials, Inc. (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), Brewer Science, Inc. (U.S.), DongjinSemichem Co., Ltd. (China), Applied Materials, Inc. (U.S.), Sumitomo Chemicals Co., Ltd. (Japan), and Microchem Corporation (U.S.) are some of the prominent companies operating in the patterning material market.



The market is dominated by a host of large and medium manufacturing companies in the field of electronics and technology and these players have been investing in strategic mergers and acquisitions in order to sustain themselves in the patterning materials market. Companies are also looking to establish strong and consistent distribution networks to cater to the rising demand across the globe.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/29/2019 -- Polyurethane floor enamel is manufactured to prolong the life of ceramics tiles. Polyurethane floor enamel is ideal for use on above grade wood and concrete floors & porches. Polyurethane floor enamel performs in a variety of areas, such as porches, stairs and boat decks. Polyurethane floor enamel features excellent resistance to oils, abrasion and washing with superior scuff resistance. Polyurethane enamels have easy application, excellent wetting properties, tenacious adhesion and can be applied over painted surfaces. In addition, polyurethane floor enamels have excellent resistance to yellowing in white and pastel shades combined with superior light fastness and hiding power, making it very economical in general usage.



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Polyurethane floor enamels are formulated with urethane-modified alkyd resins and can be applied to exterior or interior ferrous or non-ferrous metals. Polyurethane enamel can be applied by brush, spray or roller. Polyurethane floor enamel are designed as a finish coat on flooring systems used in commercial facilities, pharmaceutical facilities, automobile industry, warehouses and aircraft hangars among others.



The growth in end user industries is expected to increase consumption of polyurethane floor enamels. The growth in ceramic tile industry is expected to boost demand for polyurethane floor enamels. The demand for ceramic tiles is primarily led by an increase in construction activities due to rapid urbanization and population expansion in emerging economies of Asia Pacific and Latin America. However, fluctuating raw material prices, government regulations and availability of substitutes could hamper the growth of this market. Companies manufacturing polyurethane floor enamels have to meet the stringent VOC regulations imposed by countries in North America and Europe.



Polyurethane floor enamel has a global demand due to extensive applications in ceramic tile industry. Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest consumer of polyurethane floor enamels followed by North America and Europe. China and India are the largest consumers of polyurethane floor enamels in Asia Pacific due to presence of an established ceramic tile industry. Polyurethane floor enamel manufacturers are shifting their production facilities to emerging economies of Asia Pacific due to availability of raw materials, cheap labor and local government incentives. Macau, Republic of Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia are other major consumers of polyurethane floor enamels in Asia Pacific. The demand for polyurethane floor enamels in Latin America is expected to increase substantially due to increase in commercial construction activities and rapid economic development. Brazil, Argentina and Peru are major consumers of polyurethane floor enamels in Latin America. Europe and North America are saturated markets and expected to experience moderate growth rate.



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The polyurethane floor enamel market is highly competitive and dominated by large and medium chemical companies. Some of the key players in this market are Yantai Wanhua Polyurethanes Co., Ltd (China), Sherwin-Williams (U.S.), Chemical Strategies Inc (U.S.), Trelleborg AB (Sweden), Shandong Dongda Inov Polyurethane Co., Ltd (China), Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd. (Japan), Kumho Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (South Korea), Huntsman Corporation (U.S.), E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (U.S.), Foshan Nanhai Huaren Chemical Co., Ltd.(China), Emperol Colours Pvt. Ltd (India), Wintech Paints & Chemicals Ltd (India) and BASF SE (Germany) among others. Companies are investing in research and development to manufacture superior grades of polyurethane floor enamels to remain competitive in the market. In addition, companies are expanding their presence in emerging economies of Asia Pacific to increase their market share.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- The global sensors in mobile phones market is prognosticated to witness a significant growth in the forthcoming years, as per the recent report published by a well-known firm, Transparency Market Research (TMR). Some of the leading firms operating in the global smart phone sensors market are Bosch Sensortec, Alps Electric., Fujitsu Limited, InvenSense Inc., Hillcrest Labs, Inc., MEMSVision, Goertek Inc., Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Panasonic Corporation, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Pyreos Limited, and Senodia Technologies.



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According to the report presented by TMR, the global sensors in mobile phone market is expected to flourish at a robust CAGR of 6.01% within the forecast period from 2018 to 2026. The market of smartphone sensors is likely to reach around a value of worth US$ 20,046.0 Mn by the end of 2026 because of growing popularity of smartphone and sensor innovation in the mobile sector. The security sensors have a significant scope of growth in future in the sensor in mobile phone market because of the increasing usage of fingerprint sensors integrated in smartphones. Asia Pacific is leading the smartphone sensors market with over 50% of global share. This is because of increase in advanced technology for sensors and furthermore increased penetration of smartphones in the mentioned region. Moreover, advent of sensor manufacturing players in the region is contributing to development of the market. As China is the leading nation for smartphones manufacturing, Asia Pacific is contributing the most astounding market share in the sensors in mobile phone market.



Rise in R&D Activities to Fuel Market Growth



Key drivers of the sensors in mobile phone market are increase in investments for research and development activities of industrial inventions, popularity of smart phones all over the world, and wide acceptance of sensing applications. Moreover, the demand for smartphones or mobile phones is increasing exponentially because of the innovative features offered by the smartphones. Key players all over the regions are investing more to create more innovative technology for mobile gadgets. Sensors are generally used because of their numerous capacities. For instance, smartphones are produced with different sets of powerful, and affordable embedded sensors, for example, advanced compass, accelerometer, GPS, gyroscope, camera, and microphone which help in making of community scale and personal group level sensing applications.



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Limitations while Import and Export To Hinder Market Growth



If a leaked report is to be believed, Samsung is working on a smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor. Afterward, a report tailed it up and asserted that Samsung's first phone with this innovation would have a place with the Galaxy A Series. Sensors in mobile phones are expected to disrupt economy of various sectors in the market, including healthcare, business, environmental monitoring, social networks, and transportation. The notable hindrance that is being faced by the market is the several difficulties came across by players during the export and import of mobile phones because of the high taxes imposed. The market brings a good scope of opportunities for the players in Canada, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia to grow new mobile sensing applications.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- The report, titled "Specialty Zeolites Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024," gives a thorough account of the present state of the global Specialty Zeolites Market and the industry concerning it. The report presents an expansive account of the crucial elements of the market, the macro and micro factors that are essential for companies to gain competitive advantage in the market, the key factors that will have the most significant influence on the growth trajectory of the market, and several other aspects of the Specialty Zeolites Market from a regional as well as a global perspective.



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Global Specialty Zeolites Market: Overview



Specialty zeolites are types of zeolites that require specialty synthesis, primarily high-pressure synthesis. Some specialty organic additives are also added during crystallization/synthesis. Small quantity of specialty zeolites are used for adsorption purposes in paints & coatings, plastics, personal care, and construction materials.



The report estimates and forecasts the specialty zeolites market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2015 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the end-use segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. The study includes drivers and restraints for the specialty zeolites market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the specialty zeolites market on the global and regional level. Furthermore, the report analyzes substitutes of specialty zeolites. It also provides the global average price trend analysis.



Global Specialty Zeolites Market: Research Methodologies



The report includes Porter's Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the specialty zeolites market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein end-use and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market.



The study provides a comprehensive view of the specialty zeolites market by dividing it into end-use and geography. In terms of end-use, the specialty zeolites market has been segmented into plastics, paints & coatings, construction materials and personal care. End-use segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends, and the market has been estimated in terms of volume (tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) between 2016 and 2024.



Global Specialty Zeolites Market: Regional Outlook



Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for specialty zeolites in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for end-use segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Japan, India, China, Argentina, South Africa, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual end-use in all the regions and countries.



Global Specialty Zeolites Market: Competitive Analysis



The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Tosoh Corporation, Arkema Group, BASF SE, Clariant, W. R. Grace & Co., Albermarle Corporation, Zeochem AG, Zeolyst International, Eurecat and Honeywell UOP. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).



Global Specialty Zeolites Market: Scope of the Study



In-depth interviews and discussions with wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players' product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis team's expertise and market understanding.



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Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.



The report segments the global specialty zeolites market as follows:



Specialty Zeolites Market: End-use Analysis



- Plastics

- Paints & Coatings

- Construction Materials

- Personal Care



Specialty Zeolites Market: Regional Analysis



- North America

- U.S.

- Canada

- Europe

- Germany

- Spain

- Italy

- France

- U.K.

- Rest of Europe

- Asia Pacific

- China

- Japan

- India

- ASEAN

- Rest of APAC

- Latin America

- Brazil

- Argentina

- Rest of LATAM

- Middle East & Africa

- GCC

- South Africa

- Rest of Middle East & Africa



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Selbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- The Asia Pacific structured cabling market is predicted to grow substantially due to the rapid industrialization and urbanization in major economies such as China, India, and Japan. The global companies are expanding their enterprise operations in these countries due to the favorable business environment and economic human resources. Such factors are encouraging these businesses to establish their IT environment for the storage and processing of their enterprise data in these countries. Moreover, the increased government support and initiatives to attract global companies for establishing their business base in the countries is also a major factor propelling the structured cabling market. For instance, in January 2014, India and Globalization Initiative (IAGI) was launched that aims to promote the adoption of globalization factors.



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Structured Cabling Market is expected to exceed USD 25 billion by 2025. Increasing concerns about the network security and the safety of IT devices are encouraging industrial sectors to implement effective cabling infrastructure that will reduce the chances of accidental access or intrusion. The manufacturers in the structured cabling market are offering different types of solutions that allow these customers to protect their devices from unauthorized access. For instance, the policy of color-coding techniques can be effective for stopping such illegal access and will also alert operators about such issues. The structured cabling market is witnessing a high adoption of the fiber networking technology, which will reduce the number of telecommunication rooms, thereby limiting the potential intrusion points.



The structured cabling market is witnessing a high demand for the deployment and maintenance of services. With the rapid increase in network complexities, the industries are shifting toward modern technologies to enhance their network & cable infrastructure. These modern solutions require IT experts for the installation and integration into the IT environment. The effective end-to-end network connectivity and cabling environment will enhance the operators? control over the IT access and monitoring. Moreover, several manufacturers in the structured cabling market are also offering maintenance & support services that will allow customers to manage their cabling infrastructure components and solutions from time to time. For instance, Belden, Inc. is engaged in offering technical and sales support to its customers.



The structured cabling market is witnessing a high adoption of the solutions in the IT & telecom industry. With the increasing installation of computers and storage & networking devices to support business operations, the cabling infrastructure of these sectors needs to be efficient and reliable. These companies are investing highly in modifying their cabling infrastructure to reduce the network errors and system downtime, thereby accelerating the structured cabling market demand. For instance, in January 2018, Global Cloud Exchange (GCX), which is a subsidiary company of Reliance Communications announced that it is planning to lay around 68,000 km submarine cable system that will carry the data across Asia and Europe. The company is going to invest around USD 600 million for this project.



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Key players operating in the structured cabling market are Cisco Systems, Inc., CA Technologies, ABB Ltd., Belden, Inc., IBM Corporation, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., Legrand, Reichle & De-Massari AG, Panduit Corporation, Schneider Electric SE, METZ Connect, The Siemon Company, and TE Connectivity, among others. These companies are engaged in adopting several strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, for capturing large customer base and diversifying their product offerings. For instance, in January 2019, Panduit Corporation announced the acquisition of Atlona, that develops a diverse range of products such as networked AV, wireless signal collaboration, and signal distribution. This acquisition will allow Panduit to expand its product offerings in the structured cabling market.



Table of Content:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope



1.1. Definitions & forecast parameters



1.1.1. Definitions



1.1.2. Methodology and forecast parameters



1.2. Data Sources



1.2.1. Secondary



1.2.2. Primary



Chapter 2. Executive Summary



2.1. Structured cabling industry 360 degree synopsis, 2015 - 2025



2.1.1. Business trends



2.1.2. Component trends



2.1.2.1. Hardware trends



2.1.2.2. Service trends



2.1.3. Application trends



2.1.4. Regional trends



Chapter 3. Structured Cabling Industry Insights



3.1. Industry segmentation



3.2. Industry landscape, 2015 - 2025



3.2.1. Data center infrastructure industry landscape



3.2.2. Data center networking industry landscape



3.2.3. Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) industry landscape



3.3. Industry ecosystem analysis



3.3.1. Raw material providers



3.3.2. Component suppliers



3.3.3. Technology providers



3.3.4. Manufacturers



3.3.5. Distribution channel analysis



3.3.6. Vendor matrix



3.4. Technology & innovation landscape



3.4.1. Impact of Industry 4.0



3.4.2. Fiber optic technology



3.4.2.1. Parallel optical interface



3.4.2.2. Bend-Insensitive fiber optic cable



3.4.2.3. Port replication



3.4.3. Configuration Management Database (CMDB) applications



3.5. Regulatory landscape



3.5.1. North America



3.5.2. Europe



3.5.3. Asia Pacific



3.5.4. Latin America



3.5.5. MEA



3.6. Industry impact forces



3.6.1. Growth drivers



3.6.1.1. North America & Europe



3.6.1.1.1. Rise in number of internet users



3.6.1.1.2. High investment in data center upgrades



3.6.1.1.3. Growth in number of IoT and cloud related technologies



3.6.1.2. Asia Pacific & Latin America



3.6.1.2.1. Growing demand for the high-speed data transmission in telecom sector



3.6.1.2.2. Growth of mega and hyperscale data centers



3.6.1.2.3. Increasing number of colocation service providers



3.6.1.3. MEA



3.6.1.3.1. Rise in adoption of the smart technologies



3.6.1.3.2. Impact of government regulations and policies in Middle Eastern countries



3.6.2. Industry pitfalls & challenges



3.6.2.1. High cost of fiber optic cables



3.6.2.2. Fluctuating raw material prices



3.6.2.3. Rising trend of virtualization



3.7. Growth potential analysis



3.8. Porter's analysis



3.8.1. Supplier power



3.8.2. Buyer power



3.8.3. Threat of new entrants



3.8.4. Threat of substitutes



3.8.5. Internal rivalry



3.9. Competitive landscape, 2018



3.9.1. Strategic dashboard



3.10. PESTEL analysis



Chapter 4. Structured Cabling Market, By Component



4.1. Key trends by component



4.2. Hardware



4.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2015 - 2025



4.2.2. Cables



4.2.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2015 - 2025



4.2.2.2. Copper cables



4.2.2.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2015  2025



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Related Report:



Southeast Asia Structured Cabling Market Report (2014-2024) - Market Size, Share, Price, Trend and Forecast



The Southeast Asia Structured Cabling market size is $XX million USD in 2018 with XX CAGR from 2014 to 2018, and it is expected to reach $XX million USD by the end of 2024 with a CAGR of XX% from 2019 to 2024.



This report is an essential reference for who looks for detailed information on Southeast Asia Structured Cabling market. The report covers data on Southeast Asia markets including historical and future trends for supply, market size, prices, trading, competition and value chain as well as Southeast Asia major vendors?? information. In addition to the data part, the report also provides overview of Structured Cabling market, including classification, application, manufacturing technology, industry chain analysis and latest market dynamics. Finally, a customization report in order to meet user's requirements is also available.



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Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- Vascular imaging tests are used for assess how the blood flows through the veins and vesicles for diagnosis of the disease. Using vascular imaging tests surgeons can gather information required for performing surgical procedures. Vascular imaging procedures are performed by using techniques like ultrasound, CT (computed tomography), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and others which provide detailed images of how the blood flows through the body and enables surgeons to examine blockages in the veins, weakening of the arterial walls, detect blood clots, evaluate the graft surgeries, analyzing the severity of varicose veins, plaque buildup that causes narrowing in the arteries. Vascular imaging techniques are widely used for performing procedures like angiography with ease.



Vascular Imaging Systems Market: Drivers and Restraints



The demand for vascular imaging systems is expected to witness high growth over the forecast period owing to growing number of patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases (CVD). According to the World Health Organization (WHO) cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death globally and are estimated to account for nearly 17.3 million deaths annually. Increasing number of cardiovascular diseases is expected to propel demand for vascular imaging systems required for diagnosis of the CVDs. Introduction of new vascular imaging systems and growing adoption of minimally invasive surgeries is expected to boost demand for vascular imaging systems over the forecast period. Moreover technological advancements in imaging systems like introduction of 3D imaging over 2D imaging is expected to boost adoption rate of vascular imaging systems. Angiography is widely performed in old people, increasing global geriatric population is also expected to increase demand for vascular imaging systems. However the high price of the systems and lack of expertise to handle imaging equipment and pricing pressure on the manufacturers owing to fierce competition among market participants may hamper the revenue growth of the vascular imaging systems market. Moreover owing to large number of hospital network operating under one organization, these networks can leverage the price of the medical devices with the manufacturers of vascular imaging systems and in turn reducing their profitability margins



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Vascular Imaging Systems Market: Segmentation



By Product Type



Computed Tomography (CT) Systems

Magnetic Resonance (MR) Systems

X-ray Systems

Ultrasound Systems



By End User



Hospitals

Specialty Clinics

Diagnostic Centers



Vascular Imaging Systems Market: Overview



The vascular imaging systems market is expected to witness a robust growth over the forecast period. Development of new innovative products and increasing demand from the emerging economies along with growing public expenditure on healthcare facilities is expected to create high growth opportunities for the vascular imaging system manufacturers.



Vascular Imaging Systems Market: Region  wise Outlook



Geographically the global vascular imaging systems market is segmented into seven regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia  Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to be the leading market in global vascular imaging systems market. High capital investment among end users like multi  specialty hospitals in the U.S. is expected to boost demand for vascular imaging systems in the North America region. Western Europe is expected to be the second most lucrative market in the global vascular imaging systems market owing to high investment in healthcare industry. Increase in the number of interventional surgeries and growing number of cardio  vascular diseases in the North America and Western Europe is expected to create high opportunity for vascular imaging systems market. Asia  Pacific excluding Japan market is expected to witness high revenue growth over the forecast period owing to growing geriatric population and increasing awareness about the new technologies in the vascular imaging systems. Growing number of hospitals in countries like China and India are expected to provide high growth opportunities for the manufacturers. Western Europe, Latin America and MEA regions are also expected to witness significant growth in the vascular imaging systems market due to growing public and private healthcare expenditure in these countries.



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Vascular Imaging Systems Market: Participants



Some participants in the global vascular imaging systems market are Siemens Healthineers, GE Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., OrthoScan, Inc., Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, Shimadzu Corporation, Hitachi Aloka Medical America, Inc., Carestream Health and others. The companies are focusing on development of easy to use vascular imaging systems with high image quality in order to compete in the market
Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) said on Tuesday it had accepted the resignations of three of its members.

The members, who resigned last week, include Lieutenant-General Omar Zain al-Abideen who headed the TMCs political committee. The other two are Lieutenant-General Jalal al-Deen al-Sheikh and Lieutenant-General Al-Tayeb Babakr Ali Fadeel.

The Sudanese Professionals' Association, the main protest organiser, had demanded that the three be dismissed, accusing them of involvement in a crackdown that killed dozens of protesters.

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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2019 -- Global Cargo Containers Market Research Report 2019 is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, risk side analysis, and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The study provides information on market trends and development, drivers, capacities, technologies, and on the changing capital structure of the Global Cargo Containers Market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are AAR Defense Systems & Logistics(U.S.A.), AAR Mobility Systems(U.S.A.), Aeronautical Systems, Inc.(U.S.A.), Airglas Inc(U.S.A.), HDT Airborne Systems Europe(U.K.), Jan-Al Innerprizes, Inc(U.S.A.), Nordisk Aviation(Norway), Peli Hardigg UK(U.K.), Peli-Hardigg France SAS(France), The Champion(U.S.A.), TIGHITCO, Inc(U.S.A.) & Zodiac Aerospace(France).



Cargo Containers Market Overview:



If you are involved in the Cargo Containers industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Twin-Aisle Aircraft, Single-Aisle Aircraft & Regional Aircraft, Large Size, Middle Size & Other and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.



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Cargo Containers Market: Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2023



Research study is to define market sizes of various segments & countries in previous years and to forecast the values to the next 5-8 years. The report is designed to comprise each qualitative and quantitative elements of the industry facts including: market share, market size (value and volume 2012-17, and forecast to 2023) with admire to each of the areas and countries concerned inside the examination. Furthermore, the report additionally caters the detailed statistics about the vital elements which includes drivers & restraining factors which will define the future growth of the market.



Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year  2013-2017

Base year  2018

Forecast period**  2018 to 2023 [** unless otherwise stated]



Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.



The designated segments and sub-section of the market are explained below:



The Study is segmented by following Product Type:, Large Size, Middle Size & Other



Major applications/end-users industry are as follows: Twin-Aisle Aircraft, Single-Aisle Aircraft & Regional Aircraft



Some of the key Manufacturers Involved in the Market are  AAR Defense Systems & Logistics(U.S.A.), AAR Mobility Systems(U.S.A.), Aeronautical Systems, Inc.(U.S.A.), Airglas Inc(U.S.A.), HDT Airborne Systems Europe(U.K.), Jan-Al Innerprizes, Inc(U.S.A.), Nordisk Aviation(Norway), Peli Hardigg UK(U.K.), Peli-Hardigg France SAS(France), The Champion(U.S.A.), TIGHITCO, Inc(U.S.A.) & Zodiac Aerospace(France)



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For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies. If opting for the Global version of Cargo Containers Market analysis is provided for major regions as follows:

- North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)

- Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)

- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)

- South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)

- Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)



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Key Answers Captured in Study are

Which geography would have better demand for product/services?

What are the strategies adopted by big players in the regional market?

Which country would see the steep rise in CAGR & year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth?

What is the current & expected market size in next five years?

What is the market feasibility for long term investment?

What opportunity the country would offer for existing and new players in the Cargo Containers market?

What is risk involved for suppliers in the geography?

What factors would drive the demand for the product/service in near future?

What is the impact analysis of various factors in the Global Cargo Containers market growth?

What are the recent trends in the regional market and how successful they are?



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There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Cargo Containers market.

Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global Cargo Containers market, Applications [Twin-Aisle Aircraft, Single-Aisle Aircraft & Regional Aircraft], Market Segment by Regions North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia & India;

Chapter 2, objective of the study.

Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques.

Chapter 4 and 5, to show the Overall Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics;

Chapter 6 and 7, to show the Market size, share and forecast; Five forces analysis (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition;

Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia & India ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis

Chapter 10, focus on identifying the key industry influencer's, overview of decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers;

Chapter 11 and 12, Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behaviour, Marketing Channels and demand & supply.

Chapter 13 and 14, describe about the vendor landscape (classification and Market Positioning)

Chapter 15, deals with Global Cargo Containers Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].
Sudan's ruling military council is "not against" the thousands of protesters holding a sit-in outside army headquarters, its deputy head said Tuesday, dismissing reports it was trying to disperse the demonstration.

"We are not against the continuation of the sit-in and we offered to help in providing support for protesters during Ramadan," Mohamed Hamadan Dagolo, widely known as Himeiditi, told reporters.

Lieutenant General Salah Abdelkhalik, also a member of the ruling military council, said that the army "will never use violence against protesters".

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A man held by Turkey on suspicion of spying for the United Arab Emirates has committed suicide by hanging himself in prison, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said on Monday.

The suspect, named as Zaki Y. M. Hasan, was found hanging from the bathroom door in his one-person cell in Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, when guards arrived to give him food on Sunday morning, the prosecutor's office statement said.

It said the man had been registered in a roll-call that morning. An investigation has been launched and the Istanbul forensics institute has carried out an autopsy, the statement added.

The dead man was one of two suspects charged with international, political and military espionage. The pair were arrested on April 19 and had confessed to spying on Arab nationals, a senior Turkish official said at the time.

UAE officials were not immediately available for comment on the death and there has been no official statement following Turkey's announcement of the arrests.

Investigators are examining whether the arrival in Turkey of one of the detainees was related to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi six months ago.

The United Arab Emirates is a close ally of Saudi Arabia. Relations with Turkey have been strained since the two Arab states launched a blockade of their Gulf neighbour, Qatar, in 2017, while Ankara supported Doha.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE also view Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted ruling AK Party as a supporter of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which they oppose.

Turkey has not identified the nationality of either detainee but Turkish state broadcaster TRT's Arabic service said both were Palestinians and carried Palestinian passports. Hasan was a 55-year-old retired major general and a senior intelligence official, TRT said on its website.

In an interview with Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV, a man who identified himself as Hasan's son said his father had gone to Turkey to search for a job and the family had lost contact with him on April 7.

"We were surprised that he was suddenly arrested after the false accusations against him," the son Youssef said.

He said he wanted Hasan's body sent home and urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and world powers to investigate his father's death.

"I want the creation of a specialized medical committee, including a trusted Palestinian doctor who can go there and do the autopsy on my fathers corpse in order to find the truth himself," he said.

A woman who identified herself as Hasan's sister in the same interview said she was certain her brother would not have committed suicide.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 by a team of Saudi operatives, provoking an international outcry.

According to the senior Turkish official, one of the two men arrived in Turkey in October, days after Khashoggi was killed, while the other arrived later to help his colleague.

The Saudi public prosecutor has indicted 11 unidentified suspects on charges of ordering and committing the crime, including five who could face the death penalty.

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'We want to make the ultimate ship,' SeaDream Owner, Chairman and CEO Atle Brynestad told Seatrade Cruise News.

'Amazing way to see the world'

'Our guests want to see the world. They want to explore new things, not on a big ship but a small ship with high quality and personal service. [SeaDream Innovation] will be an amazing way to see the world.'

With a Polar Class 6 rating, Innovation can 'do any itinerary an expedition ship can do,' but besides Antarctica and the Arctic, it will visit places like Japan, Korea, Bali, Fiji, New Guinea, Sydney and beyond. 'That's why we call it "Global Yachting,"' Brynestad said of the ship's new motto. 'We'll go all over the world with the same level of luxury service' as on SeaDream I and II.

The 15,600gt ship will carry just 220 passengers (200 in Antarctica), with a one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio.

SeaDream Innovation will focus on outdoor life but, true to its yachting style, 'You can be active if you want to be active or relax if you want to relax,' Brynestad said.

Alfresco dining

With an open-air restaurant spread across three levels overlooking the pool, travelers will be able dine outside for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with great views from every table. Heaters will take the edge off cool days.

The ship also has a 'great indoor restaurant,' Brynestad said, 'but for our guests it is so important that they can participate, feel and see amazing nature.'

SeaDream Innovation is bucking the trend of specialty restaurants.

Brynestad thinks it's 'old fashioned that you have to go to a specialty restaurant and book a table and often wait for days to get a table to have a particular cuisine. For us, it is natural that you will have the best cuisine every day. You do not need to go to a meat or fish restaurant to get good meat or fish. All this is available every day at the highest quality whenever our guests want to have their meal served.'

Having a celebrity chef affiiliation isn't SeaDream's style, either.

'Most of the time they do not sail with the ship; they just make the menu and never make the food,' Brynestad said. 'For us, every chef is trained to cook the best cuisine possible for every meal at any time 24/7. The best meat, fish, French or Asian cuisine or whatever our guests want to have at any time, any day. That includes also the best raw food [which SeaDream introduced in 2012] or the best vegan or vegetarian food.'

And alfresco sleeping

Top deck Balinese beds for relaxing by day and sleeping out by night have been a SeaDream signature since the start, and that will be expanded on the new ship to accommodate more than 40 people.

Sleeping under the stars or the midnight sun will be an 'amazing experience ... out in nature but in a very safe environment,' Brynestad said. In cold weather the Balinese beds will have heated blankets.

SeaDream Innovation will offer separate marinas for motorized and nonmotorized water sports, with a third marina for swimming in the ocean in a secure pool.

Suites

Brynestad described the all-suite accommodations as stylish, with Scandinavian decor and light colors, adding: 'We are not competing to have the biggest suites.'

The entry-level Journey Suites have windows and measure 29 square meters/312 square feet. Discovery Suites with balcony measure 31 square meters/323 square feet. Adventurer Suites with balcony have an enclosed bedroom and walk-in closet and are 42.3 square meters/456 square feet.

The premium suites, which add a dining area, powder room, double sinks in the bathroom and other features, are Archer, 46.8 square meters/502 square feet; Sverdrup, 55.8 square meters/600 square feet; Amundsen and Nansen, 56.4 square meters/607 square feet; Eriksson, 91.3 square meters/982 square feet and Heyerdahl, 93.7 square meters/1,008 square feet.

Working with Damen

The Innovation order was a cruise ship breakthrough for Damen Shipyards which, like SeaDream, is a family business and, Brynestad noted, has built yachts of 'extremely high quality.'

The SeaDream vessel will be constructed and outfitted at Damen's large Mangalia shipyard in Romania on the Black Sea, with the engines, other technical components and interiors from 'very experienced suppliers from all over Europe.'

Seasoned newbuild team

Brynestad, who founded Seabourn in 1987 and built its original fleet, said he's 'into every detail' of Innovation's design, and he's got a seasoned team working for him. It's headed by SVP Joonatan Haukilehto, a naval architect who joined this year from Carnival Maritime in Hamburg after earlier experience at AIDA Cruises and Deltamarin.

Other members include Willy Kristensen, who's worked with Brynestad for 30 years and was in charge when he built the Seabourn ships and when he converted the Sea Goddess vessels into SeaDream I and II.

Kjell Sande also has a 30-year association with Brynestad, most of the time aboard ship as chief engineer. And Larry Rapp, who is overseeing the hotel operation plans, was with Brynestad from the early Seabourn time.

Counting Brynestad, the newbuild has a combined 120 years experience operating top-end luxury ships serving 112 to 212 guests.

The expedition team is currently being recruited. As Brynestad put it: 'We are Norwegians. Expeditions are in our bones.'

SeaDream Innovation will be flagged to the Norwegian International Ship Register, and carry a multinational crew. The classification society is DNV GL.

London christening

The ship is scheduled to be christened in London on Sept. 18, 2021, before setting off on a 70-day maiden voyage via Spain, the Azores, Bermuda, Bimini, Miami, Havana, Belize, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Cape Horn, Argentina, the South Shetland Islands and Antarctica, ending at Ushuaia.

Fares start at $41,999 plus government, port, document and service fees of $2,800 per person.

Bookings above expectations

According to Brynestad, there have been 'many bookings' for this odyssey.

In fact, bookings overall have been 'far above expectations,' he said, from both SeaDream Club members and travelers new to the brand.
The divestment of the California-based asset, belonging to OOILs subsidiary Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), is a requirement imposed by the US authorities on Chinese shipping conglomerate Coscos acquisition of Hong Kong family-owned OOIL as the acquisition would allow Cosco to gain indirect control of LBCT.

The sellers (OOCL LLC and LBCT Inc) have entered into the sale and purchase agreement to effect the divestment of the Long Beach Terminal business in accordance with the National Security Agreement, OOIL stated.

The National Security Agreement, which was expressed as part of Coscos announcement in July 2018 to acquire OOIL, requires OOIL to transfer its ownership of LBCT to a suitable, unrelated third party acceptable to the US Departments of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice upon OOIL being majority controlled by Cosco.

Read more: Cosco to sell OOIL Long Beach terminal under US security agreement

The sale and purchase agreement also requires OOCL to commit an annual minimum number of vessel lifts at LBCT for the next 20-year period.

Apart from the mandatory sale of LBCT as required by US authorities, OOIL added that the transaction also represents an opportunity for the group to increase its cash resources for further development and expansion of its remaining container transport and logistics services business.

Commenting on the sale, Andy Tung, co-ceo of OOCL, said: Over the past thirty years, we have developed Long Beach Container Terminal into the safest, most efficient and lowest-emission terminal in the United States. We are confident of the future prospects of the terminal under the ownership of MIP and its co-investors, and we look forward to being a long term strategic customer of Long Beach Container Terminal and the Port of Long Beach.

LCBT is considered a premier terminal in the largest port complex in North America, which serves as a gateway for transpacific trade.

Karl Kuchel, ceo of MIP, said the company is committed to completing the current expansion of LBCT by 2022 which will significantly increase the capacity of the terminal.

The attractive container terminal has attracted a number of bidders through a competitive auction process, with MIP eventually emerging as the preferred bidder.

OOIL said it is expected to pocket a gain before tax of approximately $1.29bn from the transaction, which is expected to be accounted for in the consolidated financial statements of the company for the financial year ending 31 December 2019.

The completion of the sale is currently subject to approvals from the relevant regulatory authorities and other customary conditions.
In Asia Zhejiang Seaport and Ningbo Zhoushan Port inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indonesian port companies.

The MoU with PT Pelabuhan Indonesia I in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II running Tanjung Priok Sea Port, covers jointly developing Kuala Tanjung international transportation hub and industrial park locally.

The parties will extend their cooperation under the MoU to develop more businesses on terminal construction, port management, port logistics, capital and technology cooperation.

Read more: ZPMC inks $580m in port equipment contracts with PSA and TIL

Meanwhile in the Horn of Africa China Merchants Port Holdings and China Merchants Shekou inked co-operation framework agreement with Great Horn Investment Holdings to upgrade the old port in Djibouti.

China Merchants has been operating port projects at Djibouti for several years, and the old port upgrading project will enter into the practical phase following the signing of the agreement, said Li Jianhong, chairman of China Merchants Group.

Moving north to Europ,e Chongqing Liangjiang New Area inked a strategic co-operation MOU with Duisburg port of Germany.

According to the agreement, the two parties will jointly develop multi-model transportation. Duisburg port will share professional knowledge and experiences on port management, and overseas cargo resources to Liangjiang New area, while Liangjiang will provide support locally.

The cooperation will promote inland river port development and strengthen the connection between Europe and Asia, said Yang Lijie, director of Liang Jiang New Area Management Committee.

Read more: Greek PM hails 'new role' for country at China's Belt and Road Forum

Proposed by Chinas President Xi Jinping in 2013, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has extended from Asia and Europe to Africa, Americas and Oceania. More than 150 countries and international organizations have signed BRI cooperation documents with China.
The contract with a value greater than $111.8m was awarded by rsted Wind Power and consists of three export cable circuits with a total length of approximately 380 km.

The project includes the preparation of the offshore export cable route, and the installation and protection of the cables. The three 130km-long export cables will connect the offshore substation to the onshore substation by means of a 300m-long horizontal directional drilling, crossing the sea defense of Horseshoe Point, UK.

The project is expected to commence later this year with a planned completion late 2021.

Boskalis aims to maximise UK local content for its scope of work.

Boskalis will deploy a wide variety of its in-house specialist services and assets including a trailing suction hopper dredger, a geophysical survey vessel and multiple cable-laying vessels.

Read more: Boskalis clinches contract to widen Australian shipping channel

The Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm will consist of up to 165 turbines with a maximum capacity of 1.4GW and is located approximately 90kms off the Yorkshire coast. When complete, it will be able to serve the needs of up to 1.6M homes with clean electricity.

This project is related to the development of generating renewable energy due to climate change and increasing energy consumption.
Press Release

April 30, 2019 Angara appeals to PRRD: Sign bill exempting first-time jobseekers from paying gov't fees Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara is calling on President Duterte to sign into law a measure that would exempt an estimated 1.3 million first-time jobseekers from paying fees on government-issued documents in connection with their job application. These documents include police clearance, NBI clearance, barangay clearance, medical certificate from public hospitals, birth and marriage certificates, tax identification number, community tax certificate, certification of eligibility, multi-purpose ID card, and other documentary requirements issued by the government that may be required by employers. "Searching for a job can be costly and this measure can help to ease a bit the financial burden first-time jobseekers are faced with," Angara said, as he noted that securing all these government-issued documents is inordinately expensive for people without regular income. "The costs of looking for work often lead to perverse outcome where jobseekers, having fallen into debt to meet these costs, find themselves worse off before and even unable to pay for basic like food," Angara pointed out. Data showed that job applicants pay as much as P2,000 for employment requirements, a bulk of this amount is spent on government-issued documents. The enrolled copy of the proposed First-Time Jobseekers Act has already been sent to Malacanang for the President's signature. Angara expressed hope the bill will be enacted soon and its implementing rules and regulations expedited, so that recent graduates who wish to work could avail of the benefits under the measure. Under the bill, those who can avail of the incentive are new graduates who completed the K-12 program, a bachelor's degree or a technical-vocational course from any school, college, university or tech-voc institution in the country. Students taking a leave of absence or those working part-time while enrolled are also qualified to avail of the benefits, he said. Angara said this measure would complement the Free College Education Law, which he co-authored. "Bukod a libreng kolehiyo, dapat ay gawin na rin nating libre ang paghahanap ng trabaho na magbibigay daan upang umangat ang buhay ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino," said the lawmaker from Aurora, who is running under the platform "Alagang Angara." The First-Time Jobseekers Bill mandates Public Employment Service Office (PESO) in every province, city and municipality to assist first-time jobseekers in securing all required documents for their job application, certification or clearance, and in registering or enrolling them with relevant government agencies, such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Social Security System, Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth, among others. "Ang mga PESO sa bawat lalawigan, lunsod at munisipalidad ay dapat magsilbing one-stop shop para sa mga bagong aplikante," said Angara, who sponsored the law strengthening PESO under the Department of Labor and Employment.
The family of a Palestinian man, Zaki Mubarak, who recently died in custody in Turkey has rejected the Turkish government's explanation that he committed suicide in prison, calling for an international probe into the incident.

"We want an international committee to investigate the cause of death, which we think is ambiguous," Mubarak's brother told news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday.

The brother said that Mubarak's family has contacted international organisations over the matter.

According to the pan-Arab newspaper, the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK and Europe alleged that Mubarak was tortured to death by Turkish security forces, and called on the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture to send a committee to examine Mubarak's body.

The organisation also demanded that the UN stop Turkish authorities from burying Mubarak without conducting an impartial autopsy.

The Istanbul prosecutor's office announced on Monday that Mubarak was found by the guards hanging from the bathroom door in his cell in Silivri prison, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the prosecutor's office said it started an investigation and an autopsy was carried out by the Istanbul Forensics Institute.

Mubarak was arrested on 19 April by Turkish authorities due to suspicion that he was spying for the United Arab Emirates.

Mubarakalong with another manfaced charges of international, political, and military espionage, Reuters reported.

On Monday, the Palestinian embassy in Ankara announced that it is following the case as well as the arrest of another Palestinian by Turkish police, reported Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The embassy said in a statement that Mubarak and Samer Shaaban went missing in Turkey on 3 April, and were found "in Turkish custody facing charges and were to be put on trial."

The embassy said that it was informed by Turkish officials that Mubarak committed suicide.

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"Avenge the workers"

Hontiveros calls for "Endgame" to ENDO

A day before the celebration of International Labor Day, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros called on her fellow Senators to set an "endgame" to the country's labor contractualization policy.

"Kailangan nang wakasan ang labor contractualization. Panahon na para ipasa ang Security of Tenure Bill. Kung sa Avengers ay may "endgame," dapat bigyan na rin natin ng "endgame" ang ENDO," Hontiveros said, drawing a parallelism to the Hollywood blockbuster film, Avengers.

"It's time that the government avenge the Filipino workers for this unjust and inhumane labor policy," Hontiveros added.

Hontiveros, who is currently the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, said that the proposed Security of Tenure Bill will protect workers from unscrupulous and discriminatory contracting and sub-contracting and strengthen the security of tenure of workers.

The Senator also said the measure will help in closing the gender gap in the labor sector. Citing data from the International Labor Organization (ILO), Hontiveros said that women in several ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, tend to have a bigger share of vulnerable employment than men.

"Filipino women have a lower labor participation rate compared to men, and those fortunate enough to be employed are more exposed to vulnerable employment like contractual jobs. Mas mahirap makakuha ng trabaho ang mga kababaihan. Kung makahanap man ng pagkakakitaan, kadalasan, ito ay mga trabahong kontraktuwal," Hontiveros said

ENDO: A health risk to workers

Hontiveros, who is also the Vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Health, said that labor contractualization, popularly known as "ENDO,"referring to "end of contract" jobs, is also a public health risk to many Filipino workers.

"Contractual workers are more vulnerable to health risks than regular workers as contractualization is a scheme meant to avoid paying workers the social and health benefits that regular employees are entitled to. Thus, contractual workers are forced to endure precarious working conditions and pay for their own health expenses when they get sick or injured at work," Hontiveros said.
Press Release

April 30, 2019 Stronger Safeguard vs Pork: Lacson Bill Encourages Public to Help Guard Budget Process

More at: https://pinglacson.net/2019/04/30/stronger-safeguard-vs-pork-lacson-bill-encourages-public-to-help-guard-budget-process Taxpayers themselves will soon serve as the biggest safeguard against pork barrel being sneaked into the national budget, with a bill filed by Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson. Senate Bill 2219 institutionalizes the direct participation of people's organizations and non-government organizations in the preparation of the spending bill. "Now is the time for Congress to recognize the importance of the direct participation by people's organizations and non-government organizations in the budget deliberation," Lacson said in his bill. "We should institutionalize the practice of legislature-civil society collaboration in order to achieve a people-oriented budget as well as establish transparency and accountability in the budget process," he added. Lacson noted the standoff that delayed the passage of the 2019 national budget was due mainly to abuse and indiscretions by some legislators from both houses of Congress. He lamented the House of Representatives' leadership even went beyond the mandate of the law and time-honored legislative practice by introducing realignments even after the budget had been ratified - a violation of the 1987 Constitution. President Rodrigo Duterte signed the 2019 spending bill last April 15, but not without vetoing P93.5 billion in questionable items, including the post-realignment manipulations questioned by Lacson and the Senate leadership. In his bill, Lacson emphasized the budget encompasses all aspects of governance and reflects the government's sincerity and political will to achieve social and economic change. "The vital role it plays in the operations of our government, and ultimately in the life of every Filipino, demands that there should be mechanisms in place that will enable citizens to participate in the budget process so as to correct spending priorities and to ensure transparency in the appropriation of valuable taxpayers' money," he said, adding the budget process allows Filipinos to exercise their citizenship through the power to directly influence social and economic priorities. Lacson, who has served as a watchdog of the budget, stressed civil society organization (CSO) participation "shall be a component in the preparation and authorization of the annual national budget," with national government agencies (NGAs) and government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) outlining the relevant mechanisms for their active participation. Under the bill, CSOs such as NGOs and professional and faith-based groups can observe public consultations, and submit position papers for the consideration of the NGAs or GOCCs. However, those that are accredited will have additional privileges and incentives, including being allowed to observe at budget deliberations and at the bicameral conference; and participation as resource persons in budget hearings in both houses of Congress. They shall have access to documents including copies of the budget proposals submitted by NGAs or GOCCs to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and can provide written proposals and position papers to the DBM on the budget proposals of NGAs or GOCCs; and submit their own alternative or proposed budget. For their part, the Senate Committee on Finance and House Committee on Appropriations shall schedule one hearing day for the presentation of the positions of accredited CSOs on the budget. CSOs may apply for accreditation before NGAs, GOCCs, the Senate, House of Representatives, Judiciary and Constitutional Offices. They should provide documents including full disclosure of sources of funds, as well as of service contracts with other NGAs, CSOs, private corporations, other CSOs and other engagements that may result in potential conflict of interest.
Press Release

April 30, 2019 Villanueva pays tribute to Filipino workers on Labor Day, vows to protect jobs and rights Senator Joel Villanueva paid tribute to the resilience and sacrifices of Filipino workers as he expressed his continued commitment to advocate for the country's labor sector by plugging loopholes in the bureaucracy that allow influx of illegal foreign workers in the country. "In the hearings we conducted, we've laid out how foreigners circumvented our labor and immigration laws to seek gainful employment to the detriment of Filipinos. Ngayong Labor Day, umaasa tayo na tutuldukan na ng ating mga kinauukulan ang pagdagsa ng illegal foreign workers dito sa bansa," said Villanueva, chair of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, in a statement. In his message on Labor Day, Villanueva underscored how the influx of illegal foreign workers contributes to the wage disparity among Filipino workers and foreigners, which indirectly triggers a spike in related sectors such as real estate. In urban areas where foreign workers are employed, rent prices shot up as much as three times the going rate since some foreigners are more willing to shell out compared to Filipinos, the senator said citing reports his office received. He also lamented that despite the higher premium on wages of foreign workers, some if not most of them are unregistered properly with the government, resulting to lost opportunities to collect taxes. Earlier this year, the Department of Finance estimated that about P22 billion in taxes were not collected from illegal foreign workers. "Sa ating pananaw, double whammy ito para sa ating mga Pilipino. Nawalan na tayo ng pagkakataon na magtrabaho, hindi pa nakolektahan ng tamang buwis ang mga banyagang manggagawa," Villanueva pointed out. "Masyado naman po ata tayong naging dehado sa sarili nating bayan." "Let me be clear, though. We are not against foreign workers, nor are we singling out a nationality. We have our labor laws that specifically allow foreign workers to seek employment here, provided that no Filipino is capable, able, and willing to do the job," he continued. "Only the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) can vet foreign workers as provided by the Labor Code. No other agency, therefore, can allow foreigner to work on our shores without DOLE's sanction." Putting an end to the proliferation of illegal foreign workers can help ease the burden of Filipino workers, but Villanueva explained that this is just one of the issues facing Filipino workers. He urged stakeholders in the labor sector to press on with the work that has been done to improve workers' safety and health, job-skills mismatch, security of tenure, and wage disparity, among others. "Marami po tayong dapat tugunan at mga gawain, at hinihimok ko ang inyong pakikiisa upang maitawid natin ang mga ito mapaisabatas man o sa maayos na pagpapatupad," he said. He pointed out that the need of Filipino workers to be vigilant on their rights. In light of the recent earthquakes that shook parts of Luzon and the Visayas on April 22 and 23, he said workers could exercise their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Law. "The reports that some employers stopped their employees from evacuating their places of work during the earthquake is disturbing to say the least," the senator said. "Nonetheless, this should be an opportunity to raise awareness on the obligations and duties of employers to their employees, especially in terms of occupational health and safety. Unahin po natin ang kapakanan ng mga taong tumutulong na patakbuhin ang ating mga opisina at negosyo." Addressing unemployment, Villanueva called for the immediate implementation of the Tulong Trabaho law, which he authored and shepherded, to address jobs-skills mismatch. The law provides funds for training in tech-voc courses that are in demand as determined through periodic review of tech-voc jobs. Under the law, scholars have guaranteed job opportunities when they finish their training and certification. Villanueva also highlighted the need for vigilance to ensure compliance with social protection guarantee for workers having a work-from-home employment arrangement with their employers through the law on telecommuting, which he advocated and authored. On the security of tenure bill, Villanueva expressed optimism that the entire Senate will push for the passage of the bill and send it to the bicameral conference when session resumes and heads into the final three weeks of the 17th Congress. The bill is on second reading and under the period of amendments just as the Senate headed to its legislative break in February. "We trust our colleagues will not want to fail the President who certified the bill as a priority measure of the administration," Villanueva said. On the perennial problem of wage disparity, the senator called on government agencies such as DOLE and the National Economic Development Authority to study and present to Congress a policy recommendation on a mechanism that will formulate a living wage that puts premium on proper nourishment. He cited a study on how malnutrition affects workers and their families, with a research showing that stunting among families could impact the next generation of workers. "We agree with the Senate President that the issue on wage increase should be tackled after the elections. We want a reasonable, nuanced discussion on the issue so that we can really do something about it, instead of the usual lip service we hear," Villanueva said.
Villar pushes use of inbred seeds to increase rice production

Sen. Cynthia Villar has pushed for the planting of inbred seeds to help farmers increase their production of rice.

During the graduation ceremonies for farmer leaders who completed the training program on farm mechanization and inbred seed production, Villar said compared to the more expensive hybrid seeds, the inbred seeds will help farmers produce more rice without costing much.

"Kaya gusto ko ito kasi iyong inbred seeds, pwedeng kayo ang magparami nito, hindi kailangang bilhin nyo lagi. Hindi kayo maghihintay sa gobyerno para mabigyan ng seeds dahil hindi naman kaya ng gobyerno na lahat ng magsasaka mabibigyan ng seeds," Villar said.

Thirty-two farmers coming from CALABARZON, Occidental Mindoro, Bicol Region and North Luzon, Central Luzon and Leyte completed the 5-day training program at the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG) Farm School in Bacoor, Cavite.

Under the Rice Tariffication Law, a P10 billion program is created to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Filipino farmers.

Villar said teaching Filipino farmers how to mechanize farm operation will help reduce the labor cost of producing palay by as much as 25 percent. At present, farmers in Vietnam produce palay with a labor cost of 1.20 per kilo, while the Philippines has a labor cost of 4.60 per kilo.

"The use of inbred seeds will increase farmer's yield by as much as 50 percent. This will also provide the opportunity for farmers to become seed growers engaged in trade," Villar said.

One of the trainees is 48-year-old Reynaldo Peja, chairman of a farmers' cooperative in Dapdap Alang-Alang, Leyte. He said the 5-hectare land he is tilling will produce 120 to 150 sacks of palay from the previous 90 sacks only because of the modern technology and practices he learned from the program.

Peja is expected to share his learnings to cooperative members and other farmers in his community when he returns to Leyte.
Almost 2,200 square-kilometres of Taranaki is being offered for oil and gas exploration in the much-delayed 2018 block offer.

The acreage  restricted to onshore Taranaki by the governments decision last year to ban drilling outside Taranaki and any new offshore exploration  is just over twice what was offered in the region in the 2017 offer.

But the latest offer  running about a year late - restricts access to conservation land, except for minimal impact activities, and also imposes an additional engagement requirement on bidders.

The new condition explicitly requires permit holders to engage with iwi on an ongoing basis, with specific early engagement requirements in relation to activities to be undertaken within 200 metres of areas of significance to iwi, says Ilana Miller, national manager for petroleum and minerals at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Oil and gas accounts for about half the countrys primary energy needs, with three of the four biggest gas-producing fields  Maui, Pohokura and Kupe  offshore. Gas produced about 12 percent of New Zealands electricity last year.

Onshore fields produced about 37 percent of the countrys natural gas last year, with Todd Energys Mangahewa field and Greymouth Petroleums Turangi field being the biggest contributors. Canadas TAG Oil, citing the exploration ban, last year sold its business, including the onshore Cheal and Sidewinder fields, to Tamarind Resources.

Exploration interest in New Zealand has slowed sharply since the collapse in oil prices late 2014. Even before then interest in onshore acreage was limited.

Fifteen permits were awarded in 2014, including three onshore Taranaki blocks. But only one permit was awarded in each of the offers since 2016, with no onshore acreage awarded in the 2017 offer.

Firms interested in bidding in the 2018 round need to show they have the financial, technical and health, safety and environmental capability to undertake the work. They must lodge their proposals with the government by Aug. 28.

Awards are traditionally announced in December but can be made any time prior to April 1.

The government announced its offshore exploration ban in April last year, saying at the time the existing acreage was sufficient to ensure security of energy supplies.

OMV, operator of the Maui, Maari and Pohokura fields, earlier this year announced a $500 million programme of work to maintain production from Maui and Pohokura. It is also planning further exploration drilling off Taranaki this summer and has sought a consent to drill off the Otago coast in coming years.

In February, Asia-Pacific senior vice president Gabriel Selischi said the firms exploration efforts in New Zealand are likely to end if there are no significant discoveries from those programmes.

(BusinessDesk)

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NZX companies have more separate board committees than they used to and are increasingly paying directors extra fees for serving on them, according to a recent report.

But companies need to make sure board committees arent making directors too inward-looking, diluting the focus on strategy and returns, one of the reports authors says.

The 2019 New Zealand Corporate Governance Trends and Insights report, produced by law firm Chapman Tripp, suggests paying extra committee fees used to be rare in New Zealand, but has become increasingly common during the past two years.

Two-thirds of top 75 NZX companies paid extra committee fees in 2018, with the chair of the audit committee particularly likely to get additional remuneration.

Chapman Tripp partner Roger Wallis, one of the reports authors, says the extra remuneration largely reflects the increased workload board members have with additional committee roles.

If those are going to require directors spending an additional two or three days a month on their roles - doing site visits, for example - that could increase their workload from three days a month in the past to five days. It makes sense they should be paid more.

In New Zealand, health and safety legislation passed in 2015 has prompted more H&S committees, and financial culture and conduct probes on both sides of the Tasman could potentially spawn risk committees, as has happened in Australia.

Under NZX listing rules, companies on the main board must have an audit committee, and NZX recommends a remuneration committee. Both should have a majority of independent directors.

Otherwise, NZXs corporate governance code suggests only other board committees as the board considers appropriate, depending on the nature of the businesses.

Wallis says there are potential downsides to companies having more board committees - particularly if they are reactionary rather than forward-looking. This could be the case with boards focusing on health and safety, for example, or risk.

Some directors might be spending too much time getting involved in matters that "shouldnt be on the board agenda", he says

You can spend a lot of time focusing on culture, conduct and risks, and those topics are important. But directors need to continue to ensure they are focused on what they are there for - delivering good outcomes for their shareholders. Thats about strategy and return.

Wallis views were backed up by veteran Australian director David Murray. In a hard-hitting speech in August last year, highlighted in the Chapman Tripp report, Murray said excessive use of committees can promote "too much focus on management, risk and external audit issues  distracting the board from taking a broader strategic view, and making it less effective.

Still, committees have their place. In his February judgment in the case against the former directors of Mainzeal, Justice Francis Cooke was highly critical of Mainzeal's governance arrangements, including the lack of audit and risk committees. Nor was there any formal risk register, Cooke said.

"This would not matter if risks were otherwise appropriately addressed. But... they were not."

Chapman Tripp acts for some Mainzeal directors in the court battle with the liquidators, meaning Wallis couldnt comment on the Mainzeal judgment. However, he said as a general principle companies should be more proactive around risk when they are in trouble.

When there is a crisis, you would expect directors to do more and solve the crisis - delve into operational management more. But when thats not happening, theres a worry that boards could spend too much time looking at risk and not looking forward.

The Corporate Governance Trends and Insights report shows the average number of committees for top-75 listed companies in New Zealand is three, with two- and four-committee structures also popular.

Five companies have five board committees and two have six. Five have only one committee and one company, the recently-transitioned Foley Family Wines, had no committees.

Twenty-two issuers had a dedicated health and safety committee in 2018, the report says, and eight had a due diligence committee.

NZX has six committees; soon-to-be-delisted Trade Me had only one. Trade Me was the 18th-largest company on the stock exchange, with revenue of $250 million in the year to June 30, 2018 and net operating profit of $96.6 million. NZX is the 58th largest company, with 2018 revenue of $67.5 million and net profit after tax of $11.6 million.

Why the difference in the number of committees?

It would be a legitimate question to ask [NZX chair] James Miller, Wallis says.

The NZX 2018 annual report notes that each of its six committees reviews its performance at least annually. The board also reviews each committees performance at least annually.

(BusinessDesk)

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Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Tuesday made his strongest call yet to the military to help him oust President Nicolas Maduro, and violence broke out at anti-government protests as the country hit a new crisis point after years of political and economic chaos.

Several dozen armed troops accompanying Guaido clashed with soldiers supporting Maduro at a rally outside the La Carlota air base in Caracas, but the incident fizzled out and did not appear to be part of an immediate attempt by the opposition to take power through military force.

Guaido, in Twitter posts, wrote that he had begun the "final phase" of his campaign to topple Maduro, calling on Venezuelans and the armed forces to back him ahead of May Day mass street protests planned for Wednesday.

"The moment is now!" he wrote. "The future is ours: the people and Armed Forces united to put an end" to Maduro's time in office.

Tens of thousands of people were marching in Caracas in support of Guaido on Tuesday, clashing with riot police along the main Francisco Fajardo thoroughfare. A National Guard armored car slammed into protesters who were throwing stones and hitting the vehicle.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino called the latest instability a "coup movement" but several hours after Guaido's announcement there was no sign of any other anti-Maduro military activity. Guaido later left a rally he was holding with military supporters at the air base.

Doctor Maggi Santi of the Salud Chacao health center in eastern Caracas said there were 36 people injured in Tuesday's incidents, most of them hit with pellets or rubber bullets.

Repeated opposition attempts to force Maduro, a socialist, from power through huge protests and calls on the military to act have so far failed.

Maduro, a former bus driver who took office after the death of political mentor President Hugo Chavez in 2013, said on Tuesday he had spoken with military leaders and that they had shown him "their total loyalty."

"Nerves of steel!" Maduro wrote on Twitter. "I call for maximum popular mobilization to assure the victory of peace. We will win!"

The move was Guaidos boldest effort yet to persuade the military to rise up against Maduro. If it fails, it could be seen as evidence that he lacks the support he says he has. It might also encourage the authorities, who have already stripped him of parliamentary immunity and opened multiple investigations into him, to arrest him.

The United States is among some 50 countries that recognize Guaido as Venezuela's president, and has imposed sanctions to try to dislodge Maduro, who they say won re-election last year through fraud.

"Whatever happens now, we won't let ourselves be stopped. Our process is moving on step by step, in accordance with our constitution. We continue to stand for nonviolence," Guaido told German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle in an interview released on Tuesday.

Oil prices topped $73, partly driven higher by the uncertainty in Venezuela, an OPEC member whose oil exports have been hit by U.S. sanctions and an economic crisis.

Guaido's efforts appeared aimed at building momentum toward the May Day mass street protests and making them a turning point in his push to oust Maduro.

Guaido has said Wednesday's protests will be the largest march in Venezuela's history and part of the "definitive phase" of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.

TRUMP BRIEFED

Venezuela is mired in a deep economic crisis despite its vast oil reserves. Shortages of food and medicine have prompted more than 3 million Venezuelans to emigrate in recent years.

The slump has worsened this year with large areas of territory left in the dark for days at a time by power outages.

"My mother doesn't have medicine, my economic situation is terrible, my family has had to emigrate. We don't earn enough money. We have no security. But we are hopeful, and I think that this is the beginning of the end of this regime," said Jose Madera, 42, a mechanic, sitting atop his motorbike in a protest on Tuesday.

Guaido, the leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, in January invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduro's re-election in 2018 was illegitimate.

U.S. President Donald Trump "has been briefed and is monitoring the ongoing situation," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Tuesday. The White House declined to comment on whether the administration had been consulted or had advance knowledge of what Guaido was planning.

Carlos Vecchio, Guaidos envoy to the United States, told reporters in Washington that the Trump administration did not help coordinate Tuesday's events.

"No. This is a movement led by Venezuelans," he said.

But Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, who is loyal to Maduro, blamed the United States.

"This is directly planned in Washington, in the Pentagon and Department of State, and by (national security adviser John) Bolton," Arreaza told Reuters.

Bolton, a foreign policy hawk, backed Guaido's actions on Tuesday. "The FANB must protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people. It should stand by the National Assembly and the legitimate institutions against the usurpation of democracy," Bolton tweeted, referring to the FANB armed forces.

Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro expressed his nation's solidarity for the people of Venezuela, who he said were "enslaved by a dictator."

MADURO SUPPORT

Maduro has appeared to retain control of state institutions and the loyalty of senior military officers and has foreign allies such as Russia and Cuba.

Russia's foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the Venezuelan opposition of resorting to violence in what it said was a brazen attempt to draw the country's armed forces into clashes.

Maduro has called Guaido a U.S-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. The government has arrested his top aide, stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and opened multiple probes. It has also barred him from leaving the country, a ban Guaido openly violated earlier this year.

Guaido, in a video on his Twitter account, was accompanied by men in military uniform and opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, who had been placed under house arrest in 2017.

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Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, after a high level meeting here on Monday to discuss the 'rebuild Kerala' initiative in aftermath of the worst-ever floods that hit the state last year, indicated that the World Bank will provide a Rs 3,596 crore loan for rebuilding activities covering various sectors.





He said that the World Bank has, in principle, agreed to this sum, provided that state government also chips in 30 per cent which would work out to be around Rs 1,541 crore.



"From what we have gathered is that the World Bank sanction of the loan is expected to come in June, when this would be taken up in their meeting then. In the present fiscal, an amount of Rs 1541 crores would be utilized for rebuilding activities," Vijayan added.



The disaster, which began with rains at the end of May last year and continued in three stages till the middle of August, had claimed 483 lives and at the height of the deluge, there were 14.5 lakh people in over 3,000 relief camps.



Various agencies had assessed the total damages to life and property in the deluge were in excess of Rs 30,000 crore.
According to the Financial Times , the businessman and son of industrialist Nusli Wadia had been found guilty of possessing banned drugs and sentenced by a local court for two years. carrying banned drugs to a Japanese ski-resort hotel.

Industrialist and businessman Ness Wadia may have returned from his latest vacation in Japan with a two year suspended jail term.

Wadia was in Japan, spending time at Niseko, a popular ski-resort. It was here that customs officials alerted by sniffer dogs conducted a search. The team found Wadia possessing 25 grams of Cannabis Resin during their search operations.

Japanese policies are strict over possession of banned drugs. Local broadcaster NHK claimed that Wadia had concealed the banned drug inside his trouser pocket.

The FT report says that Wadia spent a few days in detention and a few more after being held guilty. However the court's order has been suspended for a period of five years.

Wadia is learnt as having returned to India.

An official spokesperson from the Wadia Group said that the judgement was suspended and that it would not affect Ness in his roles and duties.

The Wadia group established in 1736 is India's oldest business house and holds ownership in a number of brands- Britannia Industries, Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Burmah Trading Company, low cost airline Go Air, National Peroxide Limited, Gladrags to name a few. The group's total equity is valued upwards of $8 billion.

It had been previously alleged that Wadia, the co-owner of IPL team Kings XI Punjab had misbehaved with Bollywood Actress Preity Zinta. A case filed in the Bombay High Court to this regards was quashed last year in October.
Suriya is a doting dad that he has always been spending leisure time with his kids Dev and Diya.

The actor was recently in Indonesia for the last song shoot of his upcoming magnum opus Kaappaan which is being directed by KV Anand. After the shoot, the actor took a flight to Delhi to watch his son Devs performance in the Karate competition and together they returned to Chennai.





The audio and trailer launch of Suriyas political drama NGK is all set to be held today at a star hotel today in Chennai. Produced by Dream Warrior Pictures and directed by Selvaraghavan, Yuvan Shankar Raja is composing music for NGK.




It's well known that director Pa. Ranjith of Madras and Kabali fame is working on the biopic of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda who was instrumental in executing guerilla attacks against the British Government who tried to take way the land of tribal Munda community.





At a very young age, Birsa Munda bravely fought against the British Government and died in the prison at the age of 25. Birsa Munda's portrait hangs in the Parliament of India and he is only tribal leader who was honored by the Government.




The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Egypt's exports to remain on an upward track, projecting a boom in the country's tourism sector, alongside an increase in natural gas discoveries.

In a new report on its economic outlook for the Middle East region, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, released on Monday 29/4/2019, the IMF predicted that Egypt's current account deficit will decline by 2% of GDP by 2020.

"Meanwhile, growth for oil importers is projected to slow from 4.2 percent in 2018 to 3.6 percent this year, reflecting the slowing global economy and domestic factors. However, this aggregate projection does not reflect the wide variation among oil-importing countries. Egypt, for instance, continues to perform strongly, while weak growth in Pakistan weighs on the region's aggregate growth rate," the report said.

Meanwhile, the IMF forecasts that Arab countries will see a surge in growth rates from 2.8% in 2019 to 3.8% in 2020.

"Growth in oil importers of the MENAP region is projected to remain relatively modest, constrained by persistent structural rigidities. Elevated public debt in many countries limits the fiscal space needed for critical social and infrastructure spending and leaves economies vulnerable to less favorable financial conditions," the report added.

"The outlook remains clouded by mounting global trade tensions and financial market uncertainty. Social tensions are rising in many countries as unemployment remains high and socioeconomic conditions worsen," the report said.

"Continued growth-friendly fiscal consolidation is needed to rebuild buffers and enhance resilience, along with intensified structural and governance reforms to improve competitiveness, boost private investment, and generate jobs. Increased regional integration will also help support medium-term growth," the report noted.

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Spanish home delivery startup Glovo is shutting down its services in Egypt, the company confirmed to Ahram Online without providing further details.

Ahram Online has obtained a message received by Glovo partners in Egypt on Monday, which read in Arabic, We would like to inform you of a decision to halt our operations in Egypt indefinitely on Tuesday 30 April.

We will send you another message on Tuesday to inform you of further support and to answer any of your inquiries, it added.

The news first surfaced on social media after Glovos delivery partners received a message and a push notification on their app informing them of the decision. Several users also reported the decision on their social media accounts.

In less than one year of operations in Egypt, Glovo was able to acquire a significant share of the food delivery market, which is dominated by the Egyptian food ordering website Otlob.

Glovo reportedly has some 3,000 active delivery partners in their network in Egypt.

Glovo is a Spanish start-up founded in Barcelona in 2015. It is an on demand service that purchases, picks-up and delivers anything that is ordered through the app. It is one of the most downloaded delivery apps with over 16 million installs.

Its service is currently available in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Chile, Argentina, Morocco, Kenya, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Turkey, Panama, Romania, Peru, Egypt, Georgia, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Ukraine.

Reports have also suggested that Glovo is exiting the Chilean market on 30 April.
Your genetic make-up has little impact on your dental health, new study finds

A new study has found genetic makeup does not predispose people to tooth decay, however the research did find that children with overweight mothers are more likely to have cavities.

The paper*, published in the latest edition of Pediatrics, estimates that one in three Australian children have tooth decay by the time they start school.

Lead researcher Dr Mihiri Silva, from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, said the study looked at the teeth of 173 sets of twins (identical and non-identical) from pregnancy through to six years of age.

"How genetics impacts on dental health has not often been studied," Dr Silva said. "This is the first twin study that looks at both genetics and early life risk factors, such as illness and lifestyle.

"We found that identical twins, with identical genomes, have varying degrees of decay. "This means that environmental factors, like a lack of fluoride in water, seem to be the prime cause of cavities not genetic makeup."

However Dr Silva said the research did find a link between the mother's health and lifestyle during pregnancy and the child's future dental health, with obesity in pregnancy a definite marker for increased risk of child tooth decay.

"The relationship between maternal obesity and child tooth decay is complex," Dr Silva said. "Perhaps the mother's weight has a biological influence on the developing fetus or perhaps the risk of decay rises because of increased sugar consumption in that household."

One in three of the twins studied (32.2 per cent) had dental decay, and almost one in four (24.1 per cent) had advanced decay.

Dr Silva said it was important that people don't think of tooth decay as genetic.

"If people think the health of their teeth is down to their genetic make-up, they may not be prepared to make important lifestyle changes," she said.

"Our findings also reinforce how important it is for pediatricians and other health professionals to educate children to start preventive measures early in life, prior to the onset of damage to dental tissues."

Dr Silva said tooth decay was a serious health problem, because there was a clear link between child cavities and developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life.

"Tooth decay is also the leading cause of preventable hospital stays for Australian children," Dr Silva said.

(According to 2011 Victorian (Australia) Department of Health statistics, more than 26,000 Australians under the age of 15 are admitted to hospital to treat tooth decay every year.)

Dr Katrina Scurrah, from Twins Research Australia and the School of Population and Global health at the University of Melbourne (Australia), said the study illustrated the advantages of studying twins to find out about health conditions and the importance of considering the effects of early life risk factors as well as genes.

But she said it's important to try to replicate these findings in other studies that follow children through to adulthood and to explore other risk factors for dental decay.

This latest study in Pediatrics collected data about the twins at 24 and 36-weeks' gestational age, at birth, 18 months and six years of age. This included a dental examination at age six.

Questionnaires about the mother's weight, illnesses, medication use, vitamin D levels, stress, alcohol intake and smoking were collected during pregnancy.

###

* Publication: Mihiri Silva, Nicky Kilpatrick, Jeffery Craig, David Manton, Pamela Leong, David Burgner, Katrina Scurrah. 'Genetic and Early Life Environmental Influences on Dental Caries Risk: A Twin Study', Pediatrics.

Media Contacts:

Bridie Byrne

MCRI communications specialist

+613 9936 6211 / +61403 664 416

bridie.byrne@mcri.edu.au

Christine Tondorf

MCRI communications advisor

+613 9936 6197 / +61413 307 092 christine.tondorf@mcri.edu.au

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Any citizen or group can move to amend the state's constitution by gathering enough signatures for a ballot initiative and letting the voters decide for themselves. Gary Kessler

While a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution can take years to gain the approval of three-quarters of the nations state legislatures, any citizen or group can move to amend Ohios constitution by gathering enough signatures for a ballot initiative and letting the states voters decide for themselves.



Ohio is one of 26 states with some form of initiative process that allows citizens, not just politicians, to propose and change laws. Ohioans can initiate a statute or constitutional amendment by gathering a required number of petition signatures. That can be anywhere from 3 to 10 percent of the votes cast for governor in the last election, depending on the type of measure being proposed.



The fate of the ballot issue is then decided directly by a majority of voters in a statewide vote, says Steven Steinglass, dean emeritus of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law of Cleveland State University and the former senior policy advisor to the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission, an advisory group that met from 2013 to 2017 on ways to improve the state constitution. Since the creation of the constitutional initiative process during a state constitutional convention in 1912, Ohioans have used it 71 times  with 19 amendments approved and 52 rejected.



Notable constitutional amendments initiated in Ohio through direct citizen action include:

In 1936, voters banned sales taxes on the purchase of grocery foods.

In 1949, voters banned voting for a partys entire slate of candidates with a single pull of the voting booth lever.

In 1992, three separate initiatives were approved limiting the terms of Ohios congressional representatives, its state legislators, and executive branch officers (other than the governor who was already term-limited).

In 1997, voters repealed a law passed by the state legislature that allowed citizens to register on Election Day.



But Ohios form of direct democracy also opened the door for private companies to change the laws for their own economic gain, including the creation of state-backed monopolies.



The incentives are great because theres just so much money to be made, says Herb Asher, a professor of political science at Ohio State University and a former member of the modernization commission.



A committee of the commission helped formulate a remedy to the problem in 2015 when state legislators introduced a constitutional amendment making it more difficult for private interests to create monopolies through the initiative process. But that was only after Ohioans had passed Issue 3 in 2009, a constitutional amendment that granted monopoly control of gambling casinos in just four locations in Ohio.



Back then, Ohios legislators were still mostly opposed to legalizing casino gambling, even though nearly every state surrounding Ohio, except Kentucky, had already taken the plunge. State legislators in 2009 were taking their cue from Ohio voters, who had defeated four earlier casino proposals in ballot initiatives over the previous two decades, all of them sponsored and heavily promoted by the gaming industry.



But the Great Recession that began in late 2008 changed the playing field, leaving nearly 11 percent of Ohioans unemployed by November 2009. The timing was perfect for a pro-casino group that called itself The Jobs and Growth Committee to Promote Issue 3  a partnership between Penn Ventures LLC, a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming Inc., and Rock Ohio Ventures LLC, a group led by Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.



The companies gathered 850,000 signatures to place Issue 3 on the November 2009 ballot and pumped $50 million into a statewide advertising campaign. The ads touted that casinos would create 20,000 jobs in Ohio and generate $651 million in annual tax revenues for Ohios counties, cities and school districts. Voters approved Issue 3 by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent.



But the amendment was a guarantee of a monopoly for the ballot sponsors and set in legal stone the four downtown locations for the casinos  Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo. Columbus officials and the majority of Columbus voters objected to the plan, in part because it would place a casino in the citys already-crowded Arena District. As with any constitutional amendment in Ohio, changing the location would require another constitutional amendment to reverse the first.







Did Issue 3 live up to its campaign promises to Ohioans? A 2012 Policy Matters Ohio analysis found that the four casinos generated just $227 million for Ohios counties and cities  about a third of what was promised  and made no significant financial contribution to its schools. In 2014, The Cincinnati Enquirer found the casino properties had created more than 14,000 jobs but that 9,600 of them were temporary construction jobs.



Ohio voters learned their lesson in time for a 2015 ballot initiative that would have legalized the use of marijuana in the state for anyone over 21 but also would have created a cartel with exclusive rights to commercially grow the drug. Despite heavy promotion of the measure by Responsible Ohio, a group of private investors behind the proposed cartel, Ohioans turned it down with a whopping 64 percent majority vote.



On that same ballot in 2015 was Issue 2, the reform measure aimed at preventing constitutionally backed monopolies in Ohio. After squeaking by with a vote of 51 percent to 49 percent, Issue 2 gave the Ohio Ballot Board the authority to determine if a ballot initiative would create a cartel or monopoly or give a particular business special tax treatment. If so, the sponsors of the amendment would have to secure passage of two ballot questions  one specifically asking Ohio voters to approve their monopoly  before it could become law.



Now that we have that in the constitution, its very, very hard for anyone who wants to manufacture for themselves in the bedrock of our constitution a monopoly on widgets or anything else, says Mike Curtin, a former state legislator and editor of The Columbus Dispatch who was a member of the modernization commission.



Private companies arent the only organizations to take advantage of Ohios initiative process. The Humane Society of the United States, the giant non-profit animal advocacy group, had already secured passage of an initiated statute in California on the care and housing of farm livestock and was setting its sights in 2009 to do the same in Ohio with a constitutional amendment. The initiative would be backed with a multi-million-dollar ad campaign.



Can you imagine the emotional impact of that? Asher asks. All the ads showing pigs jammed into tiny cages and chickens smooshed together? The Ohio Farm Bureau knew if they didnt make certain changes to our laws, the humane society would take it out of their hands.



To head off a constitutional amendment over which they had no control, the farm bureau and other agricultural lobbyists approached state legislators with its own set of animal care guidelines to be enforced by a new state agency, the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. With assurances that any complaints could be taken to the standards board, the Humane Society agreed to withdraw its ballot issue in Ohio.



Ohio citizens also have a process, known as statutory initiative, for citizens to initiate new laws without amending the constitution. Its seldom used, however, because it requires a similar effort to gather petition signatures and persuade voters at the polls, but the resulting statute can be modified or reversed by the Ohio legislature after its passage.



Instead, Ohioans have relied far more often on constitutional amendments, which can only be reversed with another initiated amendment, Steinglass says. To encourage greater use of the statutory initiative, a committee of the commission recommended creating a three-year safe harbor during which an initiated statute could only be changed or repealed by state legislators with a two-thirds vote. Another committee recommendation was to make passage of constitutional amendments more difficult by requiring a 55 percent majority vote.



The full commission did not approve either proposal and time ran out as the General Assembly killed the commission in June 2017, four years before its original sunset date.



Unlike previous movements to reform Ohios constitution, such as the constitutional convention in 1912 or the constitutional revision commission in the 1970s, legislators rather than private citizens dominated the 32-member modernization commission of 20132017, Steinglass says. None of the commissions recommendations, even those that were unanimously approved, were placed before voters by the state legislature.
IS chief refers to Syria defeat in first video in five years



Baghdad, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2019



The Islamic State group's elusive supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his first purported appearance in five years in a propaganda video released Monday, acknowledging IS's defeat in the Syrian town of Baghouz while threatening "revenge" attacks.

The world's most wanted man was last seen in Mosul in 2014, announcing the birth of IS's much-feared "caliphate" across swathes of Iraq and Syria, and appears to have outlived the proto-state.

In the video released by IS's Al-Furqan media arm, the man said to be Baghdadi referred to the monthslong fight for IS's final redoubt Baghouz, which ended in March.

"The battle for Baghouz is over," he said, sitting cross-legged on a cushion and addressing three men whose faces have been blurred.

He referred to a string of IS defeats, including its onetime Iraqi capital Mosul and Sirte in Libya, but insisted the jihadists had not "surrendered" territory.

"God ordered us to wage 'jihad.' He did not order us to win," he said.

In a segment in which the man is not on camera, his voice described the April 21 Easter attacks in Sri Lanka, which killed 253 people and wounded nearly 500, as "vengeance for their brothers in Baghouz."

The man insisted IS's operations against the West were part of a "long battle," and that IS would continue to "take revenge" for members who had been killed.

"There will be more to come after this battle," he said.

On Monday IS jihadists claimed their first attack in Bangladesh in more than two years, saying they had "detonated an explosive device" on a group of police in Dhaka, wounding three officers, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.

- 'It's survivable' -



The United States, which has a $25 million bounty on Baghdadi's head, said it was assessing the authenticity of the video but vowed to keep up the battle against the extremist group.

The US-led coalition will "ensure an enduring defeat of these terrorists and that any leaders who remain are delivered the justice that they deserve," a State Department spokesman said.

Even if Baghdadi is alive and well, the spokesman said that the militants, frequently called ISIS, had been battered.

"ISIS's territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria was a crushing strategic and psychological blow as ISIS saw its so-called caliphate crumble, its leaders killed or flee the battlefield, and its savagery exposed," he said.

The speaker identified as Baghdadi referred encouragingly to popular protests in Sudan and Algeria, apparently to demonstrate the video was recent.

"The mention of places like Sri Lanka and Sudan are largely to timestamp the video, to show that it wasn't created a long time ago," said Amarnath Amarasingam, senior research fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

He said the references to lost territory were also an effort to reshape IS's narrative.

"Part of the importance of someone like him is to contextualise the defeat... to show that this was either an expected turn of events, or that it might be unfortunate but that it's survivable," Amarasingam told AFP.

The speaker appeared in a white-walled room lined with cushions, but it was unclear exactly where or when the footage was shot.

He had a long grey beard that appeared dyed with henna and spoke slowly, often pausing for several seconds in the middle of his sentences.

An older-model Kalashnikov assault rifle, similar to those seen in videos of Al-Qaeda's former chief Osama bin Laden, leaned against the wall behind him.

At the end of the video, he appeared to examine monthly reports of IS's global activities, including in areas that have not been officially declared IS "provinces" yet.

The man in the 18-minute video was identified as Baghdadi by both SITE, which tracks IS, and Hisham al-Hashemi, an Iraqi expert on the group.



- 'The Ghost' -



Born Ibrahim Awad al-Badri in 1971, Baghdadi came from modest beginnings in Samarra, north of Baghdad, and chose to study religion.

After US-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003, he was detained in the American-run Camp Bucca, where he is believed to have come of age as a jihadist.

He later rose through the ranks of Iraq's Al-Qaeda franchise and eventually took the helm in 2010, expanding into Syria in the midst of that country's war in 2013.

The following year, Baghdadi declared himself "caliph" of IS's sprawling territory in an infamous sermon from Mosul's famed Al-Nuri mosque.

He then lay low for years, earning him the nickname "The Ghost" amid repeated reports he had been killed or injured as IS's territory shrunk.

His last voice recording to his supporters was released in August, eight months after Iraq announced it had defeated IS and as the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces closed in next door in Syria.
Spain warns against bloodshed in Venezuela



Madrid, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2019



Spain warned Tuesday against "bloodshed" in Venezuela where opposition leader Juan Guaido said he had the support of some soldiers in a move Caracas denounced as an "attempted military coup".

"We strongly hope that there will be no bloodshed," Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa told reporters.

She called for "democratic elections" and said Madrid supports a "peaceful" outcome to the Venezuela crisis.

Spain has thrown its support behind Guaido, whom it recognises as interim leader of economically-strapped Venezuela over President Nicolas Maduro.

Celaa said Madrid thinks he "is legitimate to carry out the transformation of Venezuela".

"Spain is not supporting any military coup," she added when asked to comment about the reaction of Maduro's government to Guaido's claims he has the support of soldiers, in a video recorded at an air force base in Caracas.

At the same time, Venezuela's leading opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez said he had been "freed" from house arrest by soldiers supporting Guaido, whom he joined at the air force base.

Government officials have called for Maduro's supporters to rally at the presidential palace in Caracas.

Guaido has the support of more than 50 states, including the United States, which also recognise him as interim president.
Why has IS chief appeared after a five-year absence?



Beirut, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2019



An Islamic State group video purporting to show supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for the first time in five years may herald a new chapter for the jihadists, according to experts.

The release of the video Monday addresses key issues for IS, analysts told AFP, as the jihadists look ahead following the collapse of their so-called caliphate.



Why now?

Baghdadi has been laying low for years -- earning him the nickname "The Ghost" -- and his whereabouts have never been confirmed.

His last voice recording to his supporters was released in August, eight months after Iraq announced it had defeated IS and as the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces closed in on the jihadists in neighbouring Syria.

Monday's video, released one month after the IS proto-state was declared defeated, "comes at a crucially important time," said Charles Lister, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in the United States.

IS is emerging from a "territorial defeat in its Syria-Iraq heartlands, and (is) attempting to re-assert itself as a global movement capable of conducting major attacks around the world," he said.

Pieter Nanninga, from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, said the difficulties facing IS explains the timing.

Baghdadi wants "to boost morale of his supporters by showing that IS is still a powerful group."

A new era?

In the video released by IS's Al-Furqan media arm, the man said to be Baghdadi acknowledged "the battle for Baghouz is over".

The fight for IS's final redoubt in the Syrian village of Baghouz ended in March.

In a segment in which the man is not on camera, his voice describes the April 21 attacks in Sri Lanka, which killed 253 people and wounded nearly 500, as "vengeance for their brothers in Baghouz."

He insisted IS's operations against the West were part of a "long battle," and that IS would continue to "take revenge" for members who had been killed.

Amarnath Amarasingam, from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, said Baghdadi's speech served to "contextualise... or make sense of the defeat," of the IS proto-state.

"That was largely the point of the speech -- to show that they are going through a transition period, (and that) the defeat is real, that there is focus on places outside of Syria and Iraq in the next few months," he said.

Charlie Winter, a researcher at King's College London, said that Baghdadi wants to demonstrate that the influence of the group's extremist ideology remains dangerously intact even after the collapse of its so-called caliphate.

"Baghdadi wants to show that if the territory has been lost, it doesn't matter," he said.

"The ideology has been globalised in a manner that was never possible before."

At the peak of its military success, IS claimed a string of attacks around the world, from the November 2015 coordinated attacks in Paris to the deadly rampage of a gunman at an Istanbul nightclub minutes into 2017.

The latest video demonstrates that the risk of attacks anywhere in the world remains just as high, even after the territorial defeat of the group.

"Videos like this one won't only serve to remind IS and its support base that the 'Islamic State' project remains alive, but that it's now more important than ever to demonstrate that with violent action," said Lister.

Baghdadi still in control?

Reclusive even when IS was at the peak of its power, the 47-year-old Iraqi, who suffers from diabetes, was rumoured to have been wounded or killed several times.

Monday's video, according to Winter, is "about proving that Baghdadi is alive."

Experts also said the video seeks to demonstrate he is still in control.

"This is illustrated by the final minutes of the video, which feature al-Baghdadi and some men (with blurred faces) sitting next to him" Nanninga said.

"These men hand him some (hard-copy) reports about some of IS's 'provinces' (wilayat), which suggests that these men are updating their leader about the current state of affairs in these regions," he added.

Aymenn Jawad Tamimi, an academic and expert on jihadists, said the video is designed to address internal criticisms after Baghdadi remained distant and absent when his "caliphate" was crumbling.

"The video, at least, attempts to show that he does have control over the organisation and that he is aware of everything that goes on."
Siemens inches forward in race to revamp Iraq's grid



Frankfurt am Main, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2019



German industrial conglomerate Siemens cleared a hurdle Tuesday in its race with US-based General Electric to rebuild Iraq's electricity grid, signing a "roadmap" at a Berlin meeting with top ministers.

Chief executive Joe Kaeser and Iraq's electricity minister Luay al-Khateeb "signed an implementation agreement to kick off the actual execution of the roadmap" agreed last year, the Munich-based group said in a statement.

Under Tuesday's deal, Siemens secured contracts worth 700 million euros ($785 million) to build one power plant, upgrade 40 gas turbines and install substations and transformers "across Iraq".

Speaking to journalists after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said the roadmap included around $14 billion of contracts in total that was "subject to competition" although "Siemens has big chances to secure a large share".

Both Siemens and General Electric signed non-binding memorandums of understanding with the Iraqi government last year on rebuilding and repairing electricity infrastructure.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Iraq's electricity ministry said the deal would be implemented over four years, adding up to 11 MW of electricity to the grid.

"This deal represents the beginning of a strategic relationship between Germany and Iraq," the statement said

But it appeared to leave the door open for amendments or similar agreements with other energy firms.

"Negotiations will continue over specific projects in the roadmap to improve the terms of the deal, including prices," the ministry said.

It said the agreement should not "impede the work of other serious companies or limit their opportunities to invest in Iraq's electricity sector."

The ministry declined to comment on whether a similar deal with General Electric was still on the table, but it had previously indicated it would be willing to sign separate agreements with both companies.

Baghdad is under pressure -- at home and abroad -- to rebuild its energy grid.

Protests over chronic power cuts regularly take place in Iraq, which suffers from insufficient capacity and infrastructure weakened by age and terrorist attacks in recent years by the Islamic State group.

Summer especially is a peak time for electricity usage as air condition units inside buildings battle near-unbearable outside temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).

Meanwhile, the United States has urged Iraq's government to wean itself off the gas and electricity imports from neighbouring Iran that it regularly uses to plug the gaps.

Tehran has been under American sanctions since US President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 deal that eased the economic squeeze in exchange for Iran freezing its nuclear programme.

tgb-mjg/rl

SIEMENS
Kabul on lockdown as assembly discusses peace with the Taliban



Kabul, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2019



Afghanistan's usually bustling capital Kabul slowed to a crawl Tuesday amid massive security for a high-stakes peace summit previously targeted for insurgent attacks.

Police flooded the city and authorities blocked off key roads around the west Kabul venue of the so-called "loya jirga" -- where some 3,000 tribal elders, religious figures and politicians from across Afghanistan are gathering over four days to discuss possible conditions for a peace deal with the Taliban.

Taliban suicide bombers armed with rockets and guns attacked a 2010 peace jirga at the same venue, and in 2011, two rockets were fired into Kabul during a two-day jirga.

Despite such past attacks, Kabul residents are infuriated with the scale of the lockdown, which has already been blamed for at least one death and has paralysed businesses in what would ordinarily be a busy week before Ramadan begins.

Local media reported that a newborn baby died when the father, who was trying to take the infant to a hospital, was blocked by security forces.

"The little baby should not have died," Afghanistan's chief executive Abdullah Abdullah said.

"We are actually here to serve the same people who die because of the roadblocks."

Adding to the slowdown, authorities have declared a weeklong public holiday in Kabul.

"Yesterday, I could only take two passengers from one part of the city to the other. It took me three hours to complete a 15-minute ride," Nasrullah, a taxi driver who gave only his first name, told AFP.

Shopkeeper Taj Mohammad said poor people had been hit particularly hard.

"It is good to provide security for the participants, but that should not cost people's businesses," Mohammad said.

Siam Pasarly, an economics expert, estimated the holidays were costing the business community $1 million a day.

"Afghanistan is a developing country and its economic engine should be running all day," he said. "A weeklong shutdown is like a poison to the economy."



- 'Waste of time' -



The loya jirga -- literally "grand assembly" in Pashto -- is being held as the US and Taliban are discussing a possible foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and various Taliban pledges.

The jirga is seen as an attempt by the Afghan government to influence the peace talks that so far have cut out President Ashraf Ghani, whom the Taliban view as a US stooge.

But some prominent Afghans, presidential hopefuls and government officials, including Abdullah, have boycotted the assembly.

Ahmad Khan, another taxi driver, bemoaned the meeting as a "waste of time."

"Holding this jirga is an economic blow for poor labour like us, who come out in the morning for a morsel of food, and how can we provide food for our families in the next few days," he told AFP.

"Such jirgas have been held in the past with no positive results, and the government have failed to convince the Taliban to join the talks."



- US seeks Pakistan support -



Hoping to build international support for a peace deal, US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad wrapped up two days of talks in Pakistan, which backed the Taliban regime before its toppling by the United States in 2001.

Tensions frequently flare between Islamabad and Kabul, which was enraged in March when Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan offered "brotherly advice" that Afghanistan should form an interim government so as to incorporate upcoming presidential elections into the peace process.

Khalilzad, visiting Islamabad for the second time in less than a month, said he was "encouraged" by Pakistan's position and that the country "is committed to helping reduce violence in Afghanistan."

"Everyone I saw recognised the benefit peace will bring to the region," Khalilzad tweeted after a visit that included talks with Pakistan's powerful military chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
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A total of 15 milking equipment engineers and technicians have achieved Parlour Safe accreditation in 2019 as the latest graduates to complete the training scheme, developed by the Milking Equipment Association (MEA).

The scheme, run in association with Reaseheath College in Cheshire and Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, has been developed to ensure a high and consistent levels of parlour installation, maintenance, testing and repairing is carried out on UK dairy farms.

The training covers all aspects of parlour maintenance and best practice, including health, safety and welfare; legislation and standards; the implications of parlour design; and parlour testing and maintenance. It also provides a deeper understanding of areas such as animal physiology and behaviour.

With milking equipment getting more and more sophisticated, it is important that farmers, the milk processing industry and consumers have the reassurance that they are working with appropriately trained individuals, explains Ian Coleman, Parlour Safe and land-based technology course leader at Hartpury College.

Mr Coleman adds,

The content of the course illustrates the need for a wider understanding of dairy maintenance and management. There are so many factors influencing the efficiency of a milking equipment. These latest graduating engineers are now well equipped to discuss these issues with their clients and consider how systems can be maximised or improved.

Mike Cullen, the course leader for Category 3 candidates, and lecturer in agricultural engineering at Reaseheath College agrees.

It is pleasing to see the latest Parlour Safe graduates qualifying, and by taking the skills and experience they have learned back into the workplace, they will be increasing competitiveness and efficiencies within the units they operate in, while at the same timeimproving welfare and safety standards.

The industry has been extremely supportive, with parlour businesses recognising the need for independent accreditation. We can only anticipate this will encourage more engineers and technicians wanting to enrol to be able to remain competitive and up-to-speedon latest development, he adds.
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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.
RTHK: Dutch report warns of threat from Russia, China

Russia and China are stepping up "worrying" cyber-spying activity, including last year's plot to hack the world chemical weapons watchdog, the Dutch intelligence service warned on Tuesday.

Moscow's expanding conventional and nuclear forces are also a threat to the Netherlands and all of Europe, the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) said in its annual report.

"Offensive (cyber) activities, in particular by Russia and China, are worrying," the MIVD report said, adding it had uncovered "various digital espionage attempts" in 2018.

In April 2018 the Netherlands expelled four alleged agents from Russia's GRU military intelligence agency for trying to hack the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague.

The Dutch broke with their usual practice of keeping such operations secret and revealed details of the plot in October, in coordination with US and British authorities.

"That was necessary to increase the resilience of society, because less naivety means greater alertness to possible unwanted influences," MIVD chief General Onno Eichelsheim said in the report.

The Dutch agency also noted Russia's "growing involvement in conflicts that are outside Russia's traditional areas of interest," as well as the development of medium-range nuclear-capable missiles.

China, meanwhile, was "actively attempting to gather military intelligence in the Netherlands", the report said.

"The threat against defence is the stealing of military technological knowledge and technology that can be used both militarily and for civilian purposes."

Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and Syria were also seeking "knowledge and goods" for their own weapons programmes in the Netherlands and other western countries, the MIVD said.

The service had checked on dozens of defence companies to reinforce their security, it added. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Japan rings in new era as Naruhito becomes emperor



Tokyo, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2019



A new era dawned in Japan on Wednesday as Naruhito officially became emperor at midnight following his father's historic abdication from the Chrysanthemum Throne, the world's oldest monarchy.

The 59-year-old Naruhito will formally take possession of the sacred imperial regalia at a solemn ceremony later Wednesday but he became the 126th emperor at the stroke of midnight, ushering in the "Reiwa" imperial era.

His father, the popular 85-year-old Akihito used his final royal speech to offer his "heartfelt gratitude to the people of Japan" and pray for global peace as the curtain came down on his 30-year reign that saw him transform the role of emperor.

During a 10-minute ceremony in the Imperial Palace's elegant Room of Pine, he stopped to offer a hand to his wife of 60 years, Michiko, as she stepped down from the stage and poignantly paused before exiting the room, bowing deeply to the 300 invited guests.

It was the first time in more than 200 years an emperor had stepped down in Japan and kicks off the "Reiwa" era -- meaning "beautiful harmony" -- that will last as long as Naruhito is on the throne.

Constant rain dampened large-scale celebrations but a few hundred hardy souls gathered outside the palace as the ceremony unfolded while others watched on giant screens around Tokyo.

"I feel overwhelmed emotionally," said a tearful Yayoi Iwasaki, a 50-year-old bank employee, standing outside the palace.

Bowing outside the palace, Miyuki Sakai, a 45-year-old housewife, told AFP: "It's sad I won't be able to see the familiar face on TV, but he's 85. I hope he'll have a quiet life with his wife."

Outside Tokyo, locals wearing kimonos performed a traditional dance in Gifu, central Japan, to mark the imperial transition -- planning to dance all night.

Several couples held their wedding ceremonies at midnight at hotels to join the national celebration.

And crowds braved torrential rain to see in the new era at Tokyo's famous Shibuya crossing.

"The emperor was a good person. He played an important role during the March 11 quake. He was the symbol of Japan. I hope the new emperor will carry on the kindness the old emperor had," said Rika Yamamoto, a 24-year-old company employee sheltering under an umbrella on the crossing.

However, not everything was beautiful and harmonious as minor scuffles broke out near Shinjuku, the world's busiest station, with right-wingers briefly clashing with anti-monarchy protesters.



- 'Lost decade' -



Naruhito will formally "inherit" the imperial symbols of an ancient sword and jewel at a formal ceremony at 10:30 am on Wednesday. The third piece of the imperial regalia -- a mirror -- never leaves the palace.

As Naruhito ascends the throne, he will find a very different Japan than his father took over in 1989.

At the end of the 1980s, Japan ruled the world economically, its technology was the envy of every industrialised nation and its stock market at highs unlikely to be matched again.

But after a "lost decade" when the bubble burst, Japan is still locked in a battle against deflation and sluggish growth while its population ages rapidly and many rural areas suffer from depopulation to the major cities.

Naruhito will also face the challenge of continuing his father's legacy while maintaining Japanese traditions that stretch back centuries.

Akihito changed the role of emperor that remains sensitive in Japan after the country's militaristic past in the name of his father Hirohito.

He was loved for his popular touch and he melted hearts when he bowed humbly before victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, gently comforting them and listening to their tales of suffering.

Waqas Adenwala, an analyst at the Economic Intelligence Unit, said: "Given the standards set by his father, Emperor Naruhito will be expected to maintain a similar approach and extend his outreach to the society through public appearances."

But the Oxford-educated Naruhito has also criticised the sometimes stifling constraints on the imperial family, especially as his wife Masako -- a former diplomat -- has struggled to adapt to life in the palace and has seen her health suffer.

"Masako may have difficulties fulfilling her duties but it will be good if she can participate in imperial tasks, so far as her health allows," Kumio Sudo, a 67-year-old pensioner, told AFP.

The abdication has resulted in a 10-day holiday in Japan, although polls show many famously hard-working Japanese were opposed to such a long break.

They have nonetheless seized on the rare opportunity to travel, with bullet trains and airports overflowing and Tokyo's usually packed commuter trains eerily empty at rush hour.

Meanwhile, entrepreneurs have sold everything from "Reiwa" bottles of sake to $10 cans of air from the "Heisei" era of Akihito's reign.
The ceremony marking the centenary of the May Fourth Movement has begun at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the ceremony and delivered a keynote speech.

Here are some highlights from President Xi's speech.

On concerns for humanity

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on the Chinese youth to work for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, at a gathering to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement.

Xi asks Communist Youth League to mobilize youth for Chinese Dream

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday told the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) to unite and lead Chinese youth of the new era to strive for the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Nurturing young generation is whole Party's political responsibility

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on the Communist Party of China (CPC) to shoulder the political responsibility of nurturing a new generation of capable young people who have a good and all-round moral, intellectual, physical and aesthetical grounding in addition to a hardworking spirit, and who are well-prepared to join the socialist cause.

Chinese youth of new era should bear responsibilities of times

As long as the young people are brave enough to shoulder responsibilities and fight hardships and risks, socialism with Chinese characteristics will be full of vitality, potential and hope, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday.

Xi urges youth to establish great ideals

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged young Chinese of the new era to establish belief in Marxism, faith in socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as confidence in the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Chinese youth are pioneers in realizing national rejuvenation

Chinese young people always play a vanguard role in realizing national rejuvenation, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday.

In the new era, the theme and direction of the Chinese youth movement and the mission of Chinese young people are to uphold the leadership of the CPC, and work along with the people to realize the two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, Xi said.

On Marxism and CPC leadership

History proves that the pursuit of truth and progress by the Chinese people and nation has been made unstoppable since China embraced Marxism, the CPC leadership, and the great awakening of the Chinese people and the nation, Xi said.

Experiencing the May Fourth Movement in 1919, more and more Chinese pioneers gathered under the banner of Marxism, and the CPC announced its establishment in 1921, opening a new page in Chinese history, Xi noted.

Demonstrators gather in front of the Tian'anmen Gate on May 4, 1919. /VCG Photo

The turning point of Chinese history

The May Fourth Movement was an anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism revolution and it promoted the spreading of Marxism in China, marking a turning point in contemporary Chinese history.

Patriotism is the core of May Fourth Movement spirit

"Today we gather together to commemorate patriotism and to draw lessons and wisdom from history," Xi said.

The spirit of the May Fourth Movement is centered on patriotism, progress, democracy and science with patriotism as its core, Xi said, adding that patriotism is also the Chinese national spirit that bonds the nation together.
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Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe delivers a speech during the 16th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, April 29, 2019. The 16th SCO defense ministers' meeting was held here Monday. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Li Xiaowei)



BISHKEK, April 30 (ChinaMil) -- The 16th Defense Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Monday. Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe attended the meeting and delivered a speech.

General Wei Fenghe said that since the establishment of the SCO 18 years ago, it has made significant contributions to promoting world peace and development, and safeguarding international fairness and justice. The defense ministries and militaries of the member states have conscientiously implemented the consensus reached by their heads of state, strengthened strategic communication, deepened pragmatic cooperation, and brought forth fruitful achievements.

General Wei expressed that although the world is facing an unprecedented change during a century, peace and development remain the theme of the times. Due to the multiple unstable and uncertain factors facing mankind now, the member states have to strengthen the sense of responsibilities, work together to meet the complex challenges and safeguard peace side by side.

General Wei also said that upon looking forward to the bright future, the defense ministries and militaries of the member states should stay true to the Organization's original aspiration, hold high the banner of "Shanghai Spirit", constantly consolidate the foundation of mutual trust, and continue to improve pragmatic cooperation. The awareness of a community of shared future for mankind featuring equality, mutual support, solidarity and sharing of weal and woe, should be cultivated, in an effort to create a security pattern of joint participation and shared benefits, and to make new and greater contributions to the construction of the SCO community of shared destiny.

General Wei also met respectively with India's Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Pakistan's Defense Secretary Lt. Gen. Ikram Ul Haq, and Kazakhstan's Defense Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev during the meeting.



Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe (5th L) poses for a group photo with other participants of the 16th Defense Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, April 29, 2019. The 16th SCO defense ministers' meeting was held here Monday. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Li Xiaowei)


Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov (L) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on April 29, 2019. (mod.gov.cn/Photo by Li Xiaowei)

By Guan Jianwu

BISHKEK, April 30 (ChinaMil) -- Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Monday.

Kyrgyz President Jennbekov extended a warm welcome to General Wei for his visit to Kyrgyzstan and asked him to convey the most cordial greetings and best wishes to Chinese President Xi Jinping. General Wei on his part expressed his sincere gratitude to President Jennbekov for sparing the time to meet him and conveyed the sincere greetings and best wishes from President Xi.

President Jennbekov said that Kyrgyzstan and China are important strategic partners, and thanked China for its valuable support. The Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held on April 25-27 in Beijing has attracted worldwide attention and is of historical significance. Kyrgyzstan firmly supports the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by President Xi, and is willing to work with China to fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism and effectively benefit the people of both countries.

General Wei said that China and Kyrgyzstan are good neighbors, good friends and good partners. In recent years, under the strategic leadership of the two heads of state, the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership has developed rapidly. The cooperation between the two militaries has also yielded fruitful achievements in various fields, effectively safeguarding the common interests of the two countries and regional peace and stability. China is willing to work with Kyrgyzstan to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen strategic communication, deepen exchanges and cooperation, and promote sound development of bilateral military ties.

During his visit, General Wei held formal talks with Raimberdi Duishenbiyev, Chief of General Staff of the Kyrgyz armed forces, and reviewed the honor guards of the Kyrgyz armed forces.
QINGDAO, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The China-Russia "Joint Sea-2019" military exercise Tuesday held contests between the two countries' naval marine contingents.

Contestants on both sides took part in competitions including riflery, sniping and steeplechase.

Chen Weidong, vice chief of staff of the Chinese Navy's marines forces, said the contests provided opportunities for mutual learning and exchanges between the two sides, noting that the events also enhanced friendship.

The "Joint Sea-2019" exercise runs from April 29 to May 4 and focuses on joint sea defense.

Zhang Junshe, a researcher with the Naval Research Academy under the Chinese Navy, said the joint exercise showed the high-level strategic mutual trust between the two countries' militaries, as both sides have sent some of their main vessels in service to the drill, and shared some performance information about their vessels and equipment in the drill.

The capabilities of the two countries' militaries to carry out joint operations have been continuously improving and the two navies are also injecting positive energy to world peace and regional stability, Zhang said.

Zhang noted the defensive nature of the drill, which does not target any third party. He said the drill includes basic combat techniques in defensive operations at sea as well as actions to jointly respond to non-traditional threats such as maritime search and rescue, fighting piracy and maintaining the safety of marine traffic routes.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington's decision to end Iran oil waivers to China will not have a negative impact on the latest trade talks between the world's two leading economies.

"We have had lots of talks with China about this issue. I'm confident that the trade talks will continue and run their natural course," Pompeo told an audience in Washington on Monday. China is Iran's largest oil buyer. Pompeo added the U.S. would ensure the global oil markets are adequately supplied.

Last Monday, the United States announced it was ending waivers on sanctions to countries that import Iranian oil, including China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey. Since the sanctions were reintroduced, Italy, Greece and Taiwan have halted their Iranian oil imports.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Beijing on Tuesday, for the latest round of negotiations.

The two sides will discuss intellectual property, forced technology transfer, non-tariff barriers, agriculture, and other issues. Vice Premier Liu will then lead a Chinese delegation to Washington for additional talks on May 8.

Washington and Beijing have held several rounds this year to resolve a trade war that began in 2018 when President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports. He has been trying to compel Beijing to change its trade practices. China retaliated with tariff increases on $110 billion of U.S. exports.
Over 1,100 French and international architects and heritage experts have called on French President Emmanuel Macron to take the necessary time to ensure good reconstruction work on the fire-damaged Notre Dame Cathedral.

In a column published by French newspaper Le Figaro Monday, they urge Macron to "let historians and experts have the time for diagnosis before deciding on the future of the monument."
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Sir,



In the past few weeks I read a column from this publication urging the nation to report any form of corruption. This is highly recommended. Years of mindless stealing and waste of public resources has brought a bad name to Eswatini and reversed the hope and aspirations we had as a country. The hemorrhage of corruption has dragged this country to the brink.



Fighting corruption, therefore, is key to the survival and progress of our country. Corruption is the reason why we are where we are today as a country. It is the reason why we are unable to address a lot of our problems and challenges. Bravo ToS for giving emaSwati the space to do so. Thanks again for becoming adequately prepared to fight corruption.



Role



In the fight to emancipate our country from corruption, you as journalists have a great role to play. Your role in this crusade is conferred by the potent of the weapon that is in your hands as pressmen and women. Journalism, you would agree with me, is a frontline profession when it comes to nation building and development. Throughout history, the media has played momentous roles in different societies to tackle a number of malfeasances, including corruption. Such turning point interventions by the media are recommended.



Values



The Times of Swaziland should continuously rise up and resist the continuous desecration of our country. Corruption desecrated our national ethos and values and inhibits our well-being as a people. As the acclaimed voice of the voiceless, the media should be up against corruption in all forms.



However, for the media to effectively fight corruption, there must be self-purgation. The media should purge itself of corruption and stand up and be on the path of integrity to discharge its function effectively. I always say that corruption cannot fight corruption.



He who is usually challenged has no moral right to sermonise on morality. And when the morally deformed person attempts to rise against immorality, hardly would he ever succeed and often he ends up ridiculing such a moral responsibility.



Platform



Thank you again for this platform. Thank you for championing the anti corruption message and to always stand for what is right. As journalists, always make it a point of principle to never join forces with corrupt individuals. Help the public to fight corruption. Above all, the fear of God should be the guiding principle always.

At points of temptation, always prick your consciences; ask yourselves what is in the public interest. Ask yourselves: what or who is on the side of the truth. Again thank you.



Colleen Matsebula.
MBABANE  Concentrating in class is becoming impossible for University of Eswatini (UNESWA) students who have not yet received their allowances.



The students, mostly first years, who were in the company of student representative Council (SRC) President Sakhile Ndzimandze stormed the Ministry of Labour and Social Security offices yesterday to demand answers on the issue of their allowances.

Ndzimandze said they were worried that the allowances were not issued up to this time of the year. In four weeks time we will be writing our examinations to wrap up the academic year, Ndzimandze said.



According to Ndzimandze, allowances were normally issued on the third week when the university opens.

He said to date, the students had not received anything and were finding it very hard to cope.



Ndzimandze said students felt that they had given the ministry enough time to deal with the matter.

He said most of the students relied on government as they came from very humble backgrounds, while a majority were orphaned and vulnerable.

Ndzimandze said the SRC representatives had been engaging the ministry.



However, he said they were pleased with the ministrys positive response and were hoping that they would speed up the payments.
MBABANE -Bebangibamba ngiyotfula daladi eNgwenyameni!

This is how Lucky Mafu described a scenario he claims to have experienced when he went to present His Majesty King Mswati III with a 510-metre long roll of fence on the Tuesday after Good Friday when pastors had gone to bid their Majesties farewell.

Mafu, who was narrating his story to this publication, stated that he had tried about seven times to get an audience with the King.



He claimed that the circumstances that unfolded when he was stopped did not go down well with him, especially because according to his knowledge, one could present the King with anything.



Allowed



Mafu claimed he was stopped by Bishop Samson Hlatjwako, who stated that such gifts were not allowed in royalty. He further alleged that Hlatjwako even suggested that he should have brought rice or beans instead. He stated that he was a businessman who dealt with making and installing fences in different places.



He mentioned that his only wish was to present the King with what he believed were products of his talent. Mafu further claimed that he was made to look like a lunatic, when he was sound.



He further claimed that there were other people who manhandled him while forcing him out but later came to negotiate prices of the fence at E300 so to give him cash instead.



Narrating about his idea of presenting the King with the fence as a gift, he said he believed that the head of State had cattle fields which needed that very same fence.

He said what worried him was that there were many emaSwati who wanted to bring gifts to the King and were made to believe they were free to bring anything, when that was not the case, according to him. They should make a list of what to bring and not to at once, added Mafu. He alleged that after being forced out, he came across Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku, who he narrated his story of rejection to.
LOBAMBA  A lecturer from the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) yesterday pleaded before the PAC to be allowed to pay back money he owed government, in instalments of E5 000 per month.



The lecturer, Samkelo Tfwala, who is in the Department of Agriculture, was yesterday hauled before the Public Accounts Committee to personally give an account of why he was failing to pay back about E378 000 for salaries he received while he was on an unauthorised study leave.



This was during the appearance of the Ministry of Agricultures Controlling Officer or Principal Secretary Bongani Masuku before the Matsanjeni North MP Phila Buthelezi-led committee.



When he made his appearance, Tfwala informed the PAC that he had gone to further his studies in both a Masters Degree and subsequently a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).



He said as much as he had gone on study leave, he had intended to sign the bonding agreement with government and communicated with his line ministry and the Ministry of Public Service but eventually left without signing one, which he indicated he would sign upon his return.



Letter



He said he further wrote another letter to one of his directors after he had finished his Maters indicating that he had received another scholarship to pursue his PhD and during that time he was employed by the ministry for two months.



However, during this period, the ministry failed to stagger his salary and further there was no letter allowing him to go on study leave, which the PAC stated that he had given himself an unauthorised study leave.



The PS highlighted that Tfwala had already paid about E12 000 of the owed money which left the balance at over E350 000 as he had paid in instalments of E3 000.

PAC Deputy Chairperson and Gege MP Musa Kunene said they were fortunate that Thwala had found a job in Eswatini because it was a large sum of money which he owed to government.



Lobamba MP Allen Stewart said both the ministry and Tfwala were irresponsible in continuing to pay his salary while he was away at school.

This was around the period of 2014-2016.



MP Buthelezi said it was clear that the officer went on an unauthorised study leave and asked when he intended to start paying the money.

I want to ask the committee that from May 2019, I arrange for a stop order where I will ensure that I repay the money in instalments of E5 000, said Tfwala.

The PS said he was positive that they could make an arrangement with the lecturer as of late he was very cooperative with the ministry, which was why he had even agreed to appear before the PAC.








NCABANENI  Hundreds of mourners watched in shock as a well-known clergyman collapsed and died at a funeral he was presiding over.

The uncommon incident left the community of Ncabaneni, in the outskirts of Mankayane, traumatised.



Archbishop Solomon Zakhele Hlatjwako (50) collapsed on the pulpit, while leading a sermon at a well attended funeral on Sunday,, shortly after 5am.

Mourners had gathered at a Maseko homestead around the area for the funeral of the mother of another cleric at the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church (CCAC) in Zion (Genezareth), where Hlatjwako was a leader.



The clergyman had been singing and dancing with other mourners inside a tent pitched at the family compound throughout the vigil, showing no signs of ill-health.

At around 3am, he took to the podium to mark the beginning of the morning service preceding the actual burial. Witnesses said everything went well and people who had been wandering around the family compound began flocking into the tent as the presiding pastor led the proceedings.



It was reported that at around 5am, the man of God reportedly read a few scriptures and began preaching the Word of God, as expected of a presiding pastor. But to everyones surprise, he suddenly collapsed a few minutes into the sermon.

Shocked mourners rushed to give him first aid as his shaken wife also watched in disbelief.



Efforts by church members to resuscitate him outside the tent, where they had taken him in a bid to expose him to fresh air, proved futile.

A witness said everybody in attendance was taken aback by the unfolding events, as the man of God appeared very well throughout the vigil and at the beginning of the main service.



Funeral



A church member who was also at the funeral described the incident as a terrible tragedy.

It is a first of its kind in my history of attending funerals. I had never seen anything like that; everybody was shocked, remarked the church member. It was not immediately clear how the clergyman suddenly fell ill, but church members realised that he needed hospital attention after he failed to regain consciousness.



He was rushed to the Mankayane Government Hospital, where he was pronounced dead by a medical doctor. There was no immediate report from the health facility on the actual cause of death.



A church member, who accompanied mourners to the hospital, including the clerics wife, said when they arrived at the health facility it was already too late because his body had no pulse by then.



An elder brother to the man of God, Dumisani Hlatjwako, confirmed that he died while presiding over a funeral at Ncabaneni.

We received a call from his church members when it all happened. We rushed to the hospital, where a doctor also confirmed the sad news, he lamented.






Suu Kyi arrived from Beijing, where both she and Hun Sen attended a forum about China's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. Representatives of 37 countries were at the meeting on the massive infrastructure-building plan.

The three-day visit is the first since Suu Kyi became her country's head of government in 2016. Cambodia's foreign ministry said she will meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen, King Norodom Sihamoni and other Cambodian officials before visiting the famous Angkor Wat archaeological complex.

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Cambodia on Monday for an official visit to strengthen ties between the countries.

Myanmar and Cambodia have both grown closer to China in reaction to pressure from Western nations over human rights issues. Concerns about Myanmar focused on the military's abuses of the Muslim Rohingya minority, which drove more than 700,000 across the border to Bangladesh, while Cambodia was criticized mainly for choking off political dissent, especially by having the only credible opposition party dissolved before last year's election.

Speaking last September at the regional World Economic Forum in Vietnam, Hun Sen strongly defended Myanmar against accusations that its security forces engaged in genocide against its Rohingya minority, and he hit back at criticism by outsiders of political issues in the Mekong region, saying that the countries should be allowed to solve their own problems.

Hun Sen said other countries do not understand the problems that Myanmar and its neighbors face.

"The situation in Myanmar is more serious because it has been accused of genocide, but do those who might accuse them know about Myanmar and do they know how to solve the situation up there?" he said, as he sat on the stage with Suu Kyi and the leaders of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

Myanmar and Cambodia both have a history of standing apart from the major powers, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. They established diplomatic relations in 1955, the same year both participated in the 29-nation Afro-Asian Conference, a forerunner of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The Bahraini business delegation accompanying His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on his visit to France signed 12 agreements and memoranda of understanding worth $2 billion with French companies and institutions.



The agreements were signed with the aim of strengthening bilateral economic relations between the two countries and increasing investment cooperation in various fields. This brings the total value of the agreements with France up to $4.63 billion.



The agreements signed by the Bahraini business delegation include:



One between Tatweer petroleum and TOTAL S.A. around cooperation for the new oil field exploration.

Five pacts signed by Gulf Air with EPCOR, Thales Inc., Michelin, CFM and SAFRAN Landing Systems.

Two were signed by Osool with Amundi Asset Management and Tikehau. The first agreement is linked to the capital market, while the second one targets alternative investments.

A deal was signed by Yousef Bin Ahmed Kanoo with AXA Insurance Company around the construction of AXAs headquarters in Bahrain.

Three agreements signed by Bahrain Airport Company with Thales, who will be implementing an ICT package under the Airport Modernisation Programme. An agreement was also signed with ADPI which will provide the design and supervision of the Bahrain Airport Modernisation Programme.

Finally, an agreement was signed with JCDecaux around a ten-year advertising concession.



Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, inaugurated the business lunch.

Attended by over 150 Bahraini businessmen and their French counterparts, the meeting aimed to explore opportunities for investment and trade cooperation between the two countries and discuss ways to further develop relations between the Bahraini and French business sectors.



Frederic Sanchez, President of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, delivered a speech in which he commended the growth and development of economic and commercial ties following greater Bahraini-French relations. He also praised the efforts of the Bahraini public and private sectors around furthering these relations.



Following that, Dr Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Electricity and Water, delivered a presentation on renewable energy projects in Bahrain and opportunities for Bahraini-French cooperation in this field.

Khalid Al-Rumaihi, chief executive of EDB, highlighted the investment opportunities and competitive advantages offered by the Bahraini business environment.



Al Zayani said:"The meetings held by members of the Bahraini business delegation with their counterparts from the French side, are part of the objectives of the visit of His Majesty the King, which emphasises the interests of our two countries to enhance economic and trade ties. Both Bahrain and France are already implementing many major development projects that offer significant economic benefits and the agreements signed today will contribute to successfully completing these projects and enhancing the commercial and economic status of Bahrain."



Al-Rumaihi said: His Majestys visit to France has certainly helped enhance investment cooperation between Bahrain and France across various sectors. During our meetings with senior officials and representatives from the private sector, we witnessed a deep level of interest in Bahrain as an ideal gateway to the Gulf region and as a destination with an open business environment that offers competitive advantages. We will be leveraging the investment opportunities arising from this visit so we can attract further French investments to the Kingdom which will contribute to the creation of high quality jobs in the local market."



Bahraini-French economic and trade relations have witnessed remarkable development in recent years. The most important stemmed from the visit of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to France in 2015. That visit resulted in the signing of several landmark agreements, including a framework agreement and three memoranda of understanding between both countries.



Non-oil trade between Bahrain and France reached $507 million in 2018, which is a 105 per cent increase over 2015. Bahrain is home to prominent French companies and banks, including BNP Paribas, AXA Insurance, Fives Group, Thales, Veolia and the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  TradeArabia News Service
Thailand has broken ground for its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, becoming the first South East Asian country to do so.



The ceremony, held on the Thailand Pavilion plot at the Expo 2020 site, officially marks the beginning of construction of the pavilion that will feature contemplative design and construction practices aimed at reducing its environmental impact.



Ajarin Pattanapanchai, permanent decretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and the commissioner general of Section for Thailand Pavilion said: We are proud to participate in the first mega-event to be held in the Middle East, with the theme Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.



Thailand welcomes all participants and visitors of Expo 2020 with great warmth and goodwill to achieve global goals. Construction of the Thailand Pavilion will be divided into three phases including shell and core building, interior works and external works. Construction of the pavilion will include an approximate 250,000 man-hours of work, with the pavilion expected to be completed and operational-ready by September 2020.



The Thailand pavilion will be located in Expo 2020s Mobility District, with a large plot size of 3,606 square meters. To align with the sustainable focus of Expo 2020 and to reduce its environmental impact, the construction and design of the Thailand Pavilion has been carefully planned to use a minimal amount of power and energy. Specially-designed features and solar orientation will maximise the natural shading of the pavilion that will be built using world-class software that applies the value engineering methodology with sustainable materials.



Like a flower in the middle of the desert, the Thailand Pavilion has more to offer than just its unique look. The exterior and interior of the pavilion are designed to ensure the building uses less energy and stays cool. To help reduce the heat transmitting to the building, the pavilion has been designed with two layers.



The first layer, the pavilions delicate woven flower facade, will not only help protect it from the scorching sun, but will also glow beautifully with different colours to draw the attention of Expo 2020 visitors.



The second layer is covered with heat insulation designed to reduce the temperature of the pavilion. It has been designed in an arc shape that will shade the Gathering Plaza area, where most visitors will be, from the sun as it moves across the sky. The interior exhibition area has also been designed to ensure it is not fully exposed to the sun.



Reducing environmental impact will also be a focus throughout the construction of the Thailand pavilion, which will use recyclable materials in its construction. Instead of exporting materials from Thailand to Dubai, all materials will be locally sourced to help reduce the pavilions carbon footprint, with recycled concrete, steel and aluminium used for the structural works.



The Thailand Pavilion, which is managed by Thailands Digital Economy Promotion Agency; the operating arm of Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), will be organised and run by Index Creative Village PCL., a creative business leader in Thailand. The organisation has experience in managing large turnkey projects and has managed Thailand Pavilions at World Expos for over a decade.



At Expo 2020, the Thailand Pavilion will represent the country through its Mobility for the Future theme. The Thailand pavilion is expecting to welcome 1.7 million visitors during the six months of Expo 2020 Dubai.  TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the largest aluminium producers in the world, has registered a net loss of BD15.8 million ($42 million) for the first quarter of 2019 compared to a net profit of BD33.9 million ($90 million) for the same period last year, down 147% year-on-year (YoY).



The company posted a gross profit of BD0.850 million ($2.3 million) versus a gross profit of BD40 million ($106.3 million) for the first quarter of 2018, down 98% YoY.



Announcing the first quarter results, the global aluminium giant said its top-line and bottom-line were primarily impacted by lower LME prices, which fell 14% Y-o-Y ($1,859/t in Q1 2019 versus $2,159/t in Q1 2018) and historically higher Alumina prices respectively [21% of LME price in Q1 2019 versus 18% of LME price in Q1 2018].



With regards to total sales/revenues, Alba generated BD203.5 million ($541.3 million) in Q1 2019 versus BD 221.3 million ($588.5 million) in Q1 2018, thus registering a 8% decline YoY.



In Q1 2019, the company reported a loss per share of fils 11 versus Earning per Share of fils 24 in Q1 2018.



However despite the bearish market sentiment and lower LME prices, Alba's sales volume rose by 2% YoY (257,113 mt) and also the production which surged 5% YoY (272,707 mt)



Albas Total Assets as of March 31, 2019 stood at BD2.26 billion ($6.01 billion) versus BD2.21 billion ($5.87 billion) as of 31 December 2018, up by 2% YoY.



Total shareholders equity fop the period stood at BD1.06 billion ($2.81 billion), down by 1% YoY, versus BD1.07 billion ($2.85 billion) as of December 31, 2018.



The key highlights of Alba first quarter results are:

Continuous improvement in Plant Safety with the launch of Safety Gateway Campaign

The achieved benefits of Titan  Phase IV are $9 million

 Sales volume up by 2% YoY (257,113 mt) and production up by 5% YoY (272,707 mt)

 Alba Value-Added Sales averaged 52% of total shipments in Q1

 Line 6 Expansion Project Milestones:

Line 6 Smelter: 50% of Line 6 capacity in full operation (212 pots out of 424 pots) by 18 April 2019

Line 6 Smelters Overall Progress advanced by > 88%

Power Expansion Project [PS5 > 89% & PDS > 97%]



The top priorities for this year include continued focus on Safety Launch of Safety Gateway Campaign;

delivery of Project Titan - Phase IV [$40 million by end of 2019] and focus on value-added sales besides development of upstream opportunities on alumina and safe ramp up of Line 6 in early Q3.



Addressing the gathering, Chairman of Albas Board of Directors, Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa said: "The board of directors had approved the executive management changes as part of its ongoing succession plan: Under this Tim Murray, the current Alba CEO, will be stepping down on July 31 to relocate to the US and Ali Al Baqali, the current Deputy CEO will take over as acting CEO effective August 1.



As part of this transition, Murray will continue with the company as an advisor to the Albas board chairman.



Shaikh Daij lauded Murray for his many years of service in Alba. "Over the past 7 years as Albas CEO, he has transformed the companys safety culture. Murray also played an instrumental role in the success of Line 6 Expansion Project which started ahead of schedule in December 2018. We wish him all the best as he returns to his family."



Welcoming Al Baqali, Shaikh Daij said: "He brings many years of leadership from within the company and I look forward to a smooth transition."



On the results, Murray said: "Despite the bearish market sentiment and lower LME prices, Alba continues to outperform its industry peers."



"We are also targeting to complete the ramp-up of Line 6 in the third quarter of 2019 which will provide a significant boost to our bottom-line," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
GAC Qatar, a global provider of integrated shipping, logistics and marine services, has inaugurated its full-fledged office at Ras Laffan, one of the worlds largest hydrocarbons export ports, as part of its expansion plans.



The official opening comes as the company celebrates 40 years since its establishment, and confirms its position as one of the leading companies offering full shipping and logistics services as well as support for offshore projects from the port, which is operated and managed by Qatar Petroleum, said a statement from the company.



Previously, GAC handled operations at Ras Laffan in an Owners Protecting Agency (OPA) capacity and, from May 2017, with a team based there to provide ship agency and support services, it said.



GAC Qatar general manager Daniel Nordberg said that the decision to set up an office there was in direct response to growing activity and demand for services at the port.



Ras Laffan is the only port for offshore field support in Qatar, and all the field operators are based there.



In 2018, the number of port calls handled by GAC Qatar increased about 70 per cent from the previous year. Much of that growth was related to Ras Laffan, hence the decision to establish a full operation there, said the statement.



Nordberg said: We have been able to respond to growing demand for our services at the port with the support of the authorities, for which we are very grateful.



LNG is a key driver for growth in Qatar, with exports forecast to increase further by about 40 per cent. We have what it takes to provide the logistics and shipping support for that sector, and we are keen to play our part to support Qatar Vision 2030, both in Ras Laffan and throughout the country, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
The One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative  increasingly known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)  is an integral component of Chinas vision for restructuring the global economy. As the worlds largest planned economic corridor, BRI encompasses over 70 countries and links China to the Middle East, Europe and Africa through ports, highways, bridges, tunnels and rail links along two pathways that cross several regions .



The purpose of the initiative is to improve connectivity, trade routes, trade deals and cooperation across Eurasia and Africa. The Middle East is viewed as a key partner in enabling the global initiative to reach its potential, and the possible payoffs for the region if BRI succeeds could be substantial  fuelling bilateral trade, new trade corridors, improved infrastructure and new opportunities for investment.



To ensure businesses in the region can capture the new trade opportunities, local banks must have the right tools to support the transactions effectively and efficiently. Here partnerships with correspondent banks can be ideal; fusing global reach and expertise with specialist local knowledge and insights.



The strengthening Middle East-China trade relationship



The relationship between the Middle East and China has already strengthened significantly since the turn of the century. For example, bilateral trade between the GCC states and China rose from $10 billion in 2000 to nearly $115 billion in 2016. Over the coming years, there are designs to increase this figure to $600 billion.



Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE already account for at least30 per cent of Chinas imported oil, and with estimates that Chinas oil import dependency could reach 80 per cent by 2040, there is undoubtedly significant potential for increased trade with China . And the potential for increased exports doesnt stop there. BRI could also help to open up greater access to South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific  the fastest growing regions in the world.



These trade opportunities are to be facilitated through routes via both land and sea. There are plans to establish a maritime corridor connecting oil and gas fields in the GCC states to China and East and South East Asia. Meanwhile, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, involving the building of railways, roads and pipelines across Pakistan, could considerably cut the distance that oil currently travels from the Middle East to China: from 16,000km to just 2,500km . This will not only speed up the delivery of oil  and other Middle East exports  to Asia, but the reduction in shipping time could also improve costs. In turn, imports to the Middle East from across Asia will become more efficient and cost effective.



As well as direct trade opportunities, the Middle Easts strategic position between Africa and Europe makes it ideally placed to act as a gateway for trade elsewhere  helping China access other markets. With approximately 60 per cent of China-UAE trade currently re-exported to Africa or Europe, the UAE, for instance, has the potential to become BRIs hub in the Middle East. With Africas largely untapped potential a key market for China, this not only supports a key purpose of BRI, but also simultaneously makes the UAE a vital component of Chinas trade strategy in the Middle East and beyond.



Harnessing opportunities



In recognition of the trade possibilities that BRI could bring, the region is increasingly exploring ways to invest in the initiative and further harness the Middle East-China partnership. Abu Dhabi Ports, for example, has signed a partnership with Cosco, Chinas largest shipping company, to build new terminals to support the increased trade flows that are predicted to be generated by BRI.



Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia is keen to partner with China on the construction of the BRI project  in particular, by developing infrastructure for ports and energy grids. Saudi Arabias King Salman also recently led a trade mission to China that resulted in more than $65 billion worth of economic and trade deals being signed.



China is also a very important market for Lebanon. China is already its largest trade partner, and if Lebanon succeeds in increasing its exports to China, it could have significant benefits for its economy. Lebanon has the potential to act as a logistics, commercial and business hub for China in the Middle East as part of BRI. As such, Lebanon is actively involved in the initiative: the Union of Lebanon's Tripoli Municipalities is a member of China's Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (SRCIC).



Meanwhile, CPEC specifically is presenting investment opportunities for the Middle East. The UAE aims to build an oil refinery near the Pakistani seaport of Gwadar  the gateway to the CPEC route for Middle East exports  to capitalise on the strategic power of this new trade hub. Furthermore, with all GCC states existing sources of FDI for Pakistan, CPEC could provide further investment opportunities in sectors such as infrastructure construction, mining and IT.



There are opportunities for local businesses to tap in to infrastructure investment plans along the BRI route. While these are largely Chinese-led projects, there can be competitive advantages for Middle East companies. And as BRI progresses, more opportunities for trade are likely to open up.



Banks supporting opportunities for growth



While BRI has a long way to go before it reaches fruition, the benefits of a stronger Middle East-China partnership are evident. With China helping to support a range of infrastructure developments across the region  which in turn are helping to act as a catalyst for economic growth across a range of sectors  and with Asia tipped to remain the worlds fastest growing region for the foreseeable future, the Middle East is well positioned  both physically and strategically  to capture new trade opportunities.



As businesses across the region look to harness the ever-strengthening relationship with China, local banks will need to be able to support the new activity effectively and efficiently. A key strategy banks in the region can adopt is to establish non-compete partnerships with specialist global trade services providers, which combine international reach and advanced technological capabilities (to help ensure the finance supply chain can rival the increasing efficiency of the physical supply chain) with region-specific knowledge and in-depth understanding of local client needs.



Through such collaborations, Middle Eastern banks can offer clients the support they need to help them grasp new trading opportunities with China and, moreover, Asia  allowing them to prosper in the dynamic world of trade.



An important element for clients undertaking trade in new territories  including emerging markets in Asia  is local market expertise; the understanding of country-specific rules and regulatory requirements, and an insight into local behaviour. It is through global correspondent banking networks that effective cross-border trade is possible, and Middle Eastern banks can tap into the reach and knowledge of global banks to ensure they can capture trade opportunities in new and established corridors. Rich correspondent relationships could also, for example, be harnessed to help aid the import of flows from Asia into African countries, with Middle East banks as intermediaries.



The strengthening relationship with China and the potential of BRI are sowing the seeds for trade opportunities across the Middle East. Through the mixture of technology and local knowledge, and the incorporation of old and new processing requirements that cater to client needs, banks can position local businesses with the tools they need to capture these growing opportunities, successfully steer their way through emerging trade corridors  and truly harness the evolving trade landscape.



About the author



Bana Akkad Azhari is head of Relationship Management MEA & CIS, Treasury Services, BNY Mellon, a global banking and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City, USA



The views expressed herein are those of the author only and may not reflect the views of BNY Mellon. This does not constitute treasury services advice, or any other business or legal advice, and it should not be relied upon as such.
In their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae the two sides agreed to amend their free trade agreement in a way that reflects the global economy. Trade volume between Korea and Chile increased four-fold to US$6.2 billion since the agreement came into effect in 2004.

President Moon Jae-in on Monday met with his visiting Chilean counterpart Sebastian Pinera.

They will also further boost cooperation in areas like 5G networks and other information and communications technology.

This is Pinera's second visit to Seoul. His first came in 2012 for the Nuclear Security Summit.
Five UW Students Receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Cristilyn Gardner, one of five University of Wyoming 2019 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows, is studying exoplanets. (Jennifer Gardner Photo)

Five University of Wyoming students have received National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships to pursue research in their fields this summer.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is one of the nations most highly competitive awards for graduate studies. It offers, among other things, three years of support -- within a five-year period -- with an annual $34,000 stipend; a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance; international research and professional development opportunities; and the freedom to conduct research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education that recipients choose.

Since 1952, NSF has funded more than 50,000 graduate research fellowships among more than 500,000 applicants.

UW students and their research projects are:

-- Cristilyn Gardner, a first-year doctoral student in physics with a focus in astronomy from Redondo Beach, Calif., will use her fellowship for research, titled Discovering New Worlds and Igniting a New Era of Exoplanetary Science with the Fiber-fed High-Resolution Echelle spectrograph (FHiRE) at Wyoming Infrared Observatory (WIRO).

My research involves study of exoplanets. Using WIROs DoublePrime camera, characterization of an exoplanets atmosphere can be done by looking at a transiting planet in different broadband filters, Gardner says. If the size of the planet changes as we look through different filters, we may be seeing Rayleigh -- the scattering of light off the molecules in the atmosphere -- scattering through the atmosphere.

UW has been funded, in part, by NASA to build and install a FHiRE on its 2.3-meter telescope at WIRO. High-cadence, long-term radial velocity observations with this instrument will play a pivotal role in allowing Gardner to detect smaller planets that orbit stars in significantly longer orbits.

Gardner will have the opportunity to help build, commission and use FHiRE to do impactful science, while also ushering in a new research program that will be one of the centerpieces of UWs Department of Physics and Astronomy.

The impact of this project is far-reaching in terms of advancing knowledge in exoplanetary science, astronomical instrumentation and the fields of chemistry and astrobiology, she says. One of the attributes that sets UW apart from other institutions is that they make it easy for undergraduates, graduates and faculty to access all the available instruments at their observatories for an unprecedented amount of time.

UW Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty members Hannah Jang-Condell and Chip Kobulnicky are Gardners advisers.

Veronica Hanway presented her research focusing on the climate and atmospheric controls of the most recent droughts in California, and the impact droughts have on underrepresented minority communities in the economically and agriculturally important San Joaquin Valley. Hanway presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Geographers in Washington, D.C. (Diane Roberts Photo)

-- Veronica Hanway, a geography masters student from Cheyenne, is in her first year in the program after earning her undergraduate degree in geography from UW last year. Her research is titled No Water? Now What? Understanding the Implications of the Climate-Drought-Water Nexus for Underrepresented Minorities in California's San Joaquin Valley.

Hanways research focuses on the climate and atmospheric controls of the most recent droughts in California and the impact droughts have on underrepresented minority communities in the economically and agriculturally important San Joaquin Valley. The innovative project demonstrates the role of geographical research in integrating the physical and social sciences.

"My research was inspired by the experiences of my family during the 2011-15 California drought and seeks to open up new spaces for voices that have been previously neglected in climate change policies at local, national and international scales, she says. My research would not have been possible without the support of my advisers and department."

A first-generation Latina college graduate, Hanway was an NSF-funded Colorado-Wyoming Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Fellow; was president of the Multicultural Association of Student Scientists; and was co-author of a recently published, peer-reviewed paper, titled The Influence of Atmospheric Circulation on Abnormal Snowpack Melt-Out Events and Drought in Wyoming, in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.

Hanway is advised by UW Department of Geography faculty members Nicholas Crane and Jacqueline Shinker.

UW graduate student Mallory Lambert collars a mule deer as part of her research on how energy development in North America affects ungulates (hooved animals) and their migration routes. (Matt Cuzzocreo Photo)

-- Mallory Lambert, from Layton, Utah, started her master's degree program last August. Her NSF project is titled Quantifying Development Thresholds for Ungulate Migration: How Much is Too Much?

Lambert says energy development is occurring at a rapid pace in western North America, and studies show that ungulates (hooved animals) respond negatively to energy development during migration by moving more quickly through and selecting areas farther away from development.

These studies, however, do not provide wildlife managers with development thresholds -- such as level of development that wildlife can tolerate without experiencing significant consequences -- needed to balance the conservation of migratory ungulates and the energy demands of society, Lambert says.

The objective of her research is to help find this balance by identifying development thresholds in the migratory routes of mule deer, elk and pronghorn. She says the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship will help pay for materials needed to conduct analyses for her project as well as fund travel to scientific conferences.

I am excited to be able to use the grant to help fund the K-12 pen pal and migration education program I am developing with the Wyoming Migration Initiative, she adds. The grant also will pay my salary, which will allow me to focus on conducting this important research without having to worry about funding.

UW Department of Zoology and Physiology faculty member Jerod Merkle is her adviser on the project.

UW graduate student Luke McLaughlin works in the Belmont Energy Research Group laboratory at UW. (Cassidy Enloe Photo)

-- Luke McLaughlin, a mechanical engineering masters student from Rapid City, S.D., will continue researching in a doctoral program in mechanical engineering in spring 2020. He is a part of the Belmont Energy Research Group directed by UW Assistant Professor Erica Belmont, looking at emissions from the burning of biomass. Belmont is his adviser on the project.

Specifically, he will use the NSF fellowship to study the composition and optical properties of emissions from open biomass burning, such as wildfires and cooking around the world. Of the global annual emissions of organic carbon, up to 74 percent have been attributed to open biomass burning. These sources produce significant amounts of organic aerosols and secondary organic aerosols, which are health hazards and absorb and scatter incoming solar radiation.

Absorption of incoming light causes warming of the Earth and atmosphere, while scattering causes cooling, making the optical properties of emissions capable of dramatically different impacts on global radiative balance, McLaughlin says. Throughout this study, our team hopes to obtain an improved understanding of how such emissions vary, including their molecular composition and light absorption properties upon emission, with biomass composition, as well as the transformations in these properties that occur during atmospheric aging.

UW graduate student Q Quallen processes a chipmunk after trapping it at Happy Jack, outside of Laramie, where he and his colleagues conduct research. Students trap the chipmunks and then mark them with microchips to monitor population levels over time in varying habitats. (Sara Locker Photo)

-- Q Quallen, from Farmington, Conn., is a first-year masters degree candidate. He was a dual undergraduate degree student at UW in wildlife and fisheries biology and management, and in environment and natural resources. Quallens NSF project is titled The effects of knowledge transfer among individuals on population dynamics of a small abundant mammal.

His research is to relate social learning in small mammals to changes in vital rates.

This is of particular importance for conservation and management of species that share knowledge with each other in order to enhance survival, Quallen says. I hypothesize that population composition -- such as age structure -- influences the effectiveness of social learning and memory, which is something that is not typically taken into account in current population models.

Quallen says the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship gives him the resources and financial stability to focus on his research at a high level and network with other scientists across the country.

UW Department of Zoology and Physiology faculty member Merav Ben-David is his adviser.

About NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a vital part of NSF efforts to foster and promote excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics by recognizing talent broadly from across the nation. The awards are provided to individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements. Former NSF fellows include numerous individuals who have made transformative breakthroughs in science and engineering; have become leaders in their chosen careers; and been honored as Nobel laureates.

For more information, visit the website at www.nsfgrfp.org/.
UW Extension Sheep Specialist Says New Zealand Trip Galvanizes Focus

University of Wyoming Extension sheep specialist Whit Stewart, center, poses with fellow U.S. sheep industry ambassadors Laurie Johnson, of Minnesota, and Reid Redden, of Texas, during their New Zealand lamb industry tour last month. (UW Extension Photo)

University of Wyoming Extension sheep specialist Whit Stewart says he found inspiration to help U.S. producers and growers deal with challenges they face in the lamb industry after his recent visit to New Zealand.

Last month, Stewart was selected to represent the United States at the 2019 Sheep Industry Ambassadors Program to collaborate with lamb industry leaders. The program was hosted by Beef and Lamb New Zealand, New Zealands extension service. Beef and Lamb New Zealand assesses industry needs, conducts research and creates targeted programs to help producers, according to Stewart.

The five-day program exposed the U.S. and Australia to New Zealand production systems, Stewart says. The group visited university research programs, extension farms that displayed the use of new technology, and lamb packing plants.

This three-country program (New Zealand, U.S. and Australia) was designed to develop leaders in the lamb industry and foster collaboration across countries to increase lamb consumption, says Stewart, a UW assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science.

The other ambassadors selected by the American Lamb Board to represent the U.S. were Reid Redden, a sheep and goat specialist from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; and Laurie Johnson, an instructor in the Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, based in Worthington, Minn.

It was an honor for us, Stewart says.

One of the first stops was a tour of Otitahi Farm, leased by Katey Craig, who shears sheep and has 1,000 ewes of her own on the farm.

Stewart describes Craig as being a young producer who is extremely knowledgeable and one of the hardest-working individuals hes met. Craig managed her grandfathers farm and worked as a part-time shearer to build enough capital to lease her own farm. She provided her outlook on the future of the industry with the group.

She clawed her way into the industry; nothing was given to her, Stewart says.

Stewart says he was overwhelmed, initially, to see how the U.S. would be able to compete with such a large, innovative industry like New Zealands.

If we are going to be competitive as an animal protein, we need to tell our story a lot better, Stewart says. I think we let fear-driven agendas drive our talking points in the industry. But, really, we need to be at the forefront and teaching people about sustainability.

Australia and New Zealand are grass-based programs, explains Stewart. Just because the U.S. uses feedlots does not mean animals are inhumanely treated or that its unsanitary, he says.

Sustainability is really about adapting to your resources, Stewart says. Our resources in the U.S. are dependent on that we have good grass production for a certain part of the year, and then we have to rely on harvested feeds.

Stewart also was inspired by the meat-processing facilities the group visited. He describes the plants as visionary because the operators are forward-thinking when it comes to changes in the industry. As the industry in New Zealand is export-driven, producers are very response-driven because their national economy is at stake.

Stewart says the global perspective this program provided him was important.

Sometimes, we fall in the rut of saying We have it figured out without taking a look at how other countries are dealing with problems, Stewart says.

Stewart says he made many connections and created lifelong friendships during his New Zealand visit.

If we all sat down at the table and talked about our struggles and our opportunities, we could find very little difference, whether we are Australian, New Zealand or American, Stewart says.

This program is of great value for Wyoming because the U.S. is the fourth-largest sheep state, third- largest breeding inventory state and a national leader in the sheep industry, according to Stewart.

Moving forward to develop those collaborations and have that global perspective is going to keep our state at the forefront to be one of the best in the country, Stewart says.
RTHK: North Korea chides 'foolish, dangerous' Pompeo

A senior North Korean official on Tuesday accused US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of having "foolish and dangerous ideas", and warned Washington of an "unwanted outcome" if it does not adjust its stance on economic sanctions.

Pyongyang and Washington have been at loggerheads since the collapse of a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in February with no deal reached on the North's denuclearisation.

Since then tensions have mounted, and Tuesday's comments marked the second time Pyongyang has criticised the top US diplomat this month. The reclusive state has previously demanded the removal of Pompeo from future talks, labelling him as "reckless".

In an interview with CBS last week, Pompeo said the US could "change paths" if Kim did not bring "real conversations" on abandoning North Korea's nuclear arsenal to the negotiation table.

On Tuesday, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said Pompeo's comments were "foolish and dangerous ideas that imply overthrowing our system with military means".

"Our resolution on denuclearisation remains intact and we will do so when time is right," she said, in comments cited by North Korea's official KCNA news service.

"But it will only be possible when the US revises and reshapes its current calculation."

And if the US did not change its stance by the end of this year, it will "face (an) unwanted outcome," she said, without elaborating further.

Washington has blamed the collapse of the Hanoi summit in February on the North's demands for sanctions relief in return for limited nuclear disarmament -- but Pyongyang has denied this, saying it had wanted only some of the measures eased.

Last week, North Korea also slammed John Bolton, the White House National Security Advisor, saying he had a "lack of understanding about the intentions" of Kim and President Donald Trump in an escalation of rhetoric against US officials.

In a speech to the rubber-stamp parliament earlier this month, Kim said he would wait until the end of the year "for the US to make a courageous decision" to change its approach and smooth the path to another meeting.

Meanwhile, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin met last week in Vladivostok for their first summit -- squarely aimed at countering US influence -- where Kim accused Washington of acting in "bad faith". (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Fallen K-pop idol Park Yu-chun on Monday admitted taking drugs after vehemently denying the charges for weeks, according to police in Gyeonggi Province. He finally caved in after hours of questioning.

Park was arrested last Friday and is accused of buying crystal meth three times in February and March of this year and taking it with his ex-girlfriend.

Police quoted Park as saying, "It was difficult for me to let go of myself, but I believe I should take responsibility for my actions and apologize for my wrongdoing."

He claimed to have started taking the drugs again this year after reuniting with his ex-girlfriend, dairy heiress Hwang Ha-na.

Hwang ratted on Park after she herself was arrested on drugs charges, Park then staged a tearful press conference where he staked his professional career on his innocence, but besides CCTV evidence apparently showing him paying for and receiving the drugs on at least one occasion, a drug test of his hair samples also came back positive.

Last week he was still protesting his innocence, saying he "is trying to discover how crystal meth traces found their way into his body."

Park and Hwang split up last year but apparently got back for some more meth sessions early this year.




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North Korea's state media are reduced to stressing the importance of rice farming as international sanctions strangle off the supply of hard currency and the food crisis worsens.

The official Rodong Sinmun in an editorial titled "Let's uphold the party with rice" on Monday said, "The victorious sound of roaring guns that will mercilessly frustrate hostile forces' maneuver to choke us off with sanctions will come first from the agricultural front."

"Rice is more precious than gold," it added.
How do you observe a process that takes more than 1 trillion times longer than the age of the universe? The XENON Collaboration research team did it with an instrument built to find the most elusive particle in the universe  dark matter. In a paper published in the journal Nature, researchers announced that they have observed the radioactive decay of xenon-124, which has a half-life of 1.8 X 1022 years.

Ethan Brown, an assistant professor of physics at Rensselaer, and co-author of the study, said:

We actually saw this decay happen. Its the longest, slowest process that has ever been directly observed, and our dark matter detector was sensitive enough to measure it. Its amazing to have witnessed this process, and it says that our detector can measure the rarest thing ever recorded.

The XENON Collaboration runs XENON1T, a 1,300-kilogram vat of super-pure liquid xenon shielded from cosmic rays in a cryostat submerged in water 1,500 meters beneath the Gran Sasso mountains of Italy. The researchers search for dark matter (which is five times more abundant than ordinary matter but seldom interacts with ordinary matter) by recording tiny flashes of light created when particles interact with the xenon inside the detector.

And while XENON1T was built to capture the interaction between a dark matter particle and the nucleus of a xenon atom, the detector actually picks up signals from any interactions with the xenon. The evidence for xenon decay was produced as a proton inside the nucleus of a xenon atom converted into a neutron.

In most elements subject to decay, that happens when one electron is pulled into the nucleus. But a proton in a xenon atom must absorb two electrons to convert into a neutron, an event called double-electron capture. Double-electron capture only happens when two of the electrons are right next to the nucleus at just the right time, Brown said, which is a rare thing multiplied by another rare thing, making it ultra-rare.

When the ultra-rare happened and a double-electron capture occurred inside the detector, instruments picked up the signal of electrons in the atom re-arranging to fill in for the two that were absorbed into the nucleus. Brown said:

Electrons in double-capture are removed from the innermost shell around the nucleus, and that creates room in that shell. The remaining electrons collapse to the ground state, and we saw this collapse process in our detector.

The achievement is the first time scientists have measured the half-life of this xenon isotope based on a direct observation of its radioactive decay. Curt Breneman, dean of the School of Science, said:

This is a fascinating finding that advances the frontiers of knowledge about the most fundamental characteristics of matter. Dr. Browns work in calibrating the detector and ensuring that the xenon is scrubbed to the highest possible standard of purity was critical to making this important observation.

The XENON Collaboration includes more than 160 scientists from Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, and, since 2002, has operated three successively more sensitive liquid xenon detectors in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy. XENON1T, the largest detector of its type ever built, acquired data from 2016 until December 2018, when it was switched off.

Scientists are currently upgrading the experiment for the new XENONnT phase, which will feature an active detector mass three times larger than XENON1T. Together with a reduced background level, this will boost the detectors sensitivity by an order of magnitude.

Provided by: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute [Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.]

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Chinese President Xi Jinping is considering a two-day visit to Seoul in late June, according to a diplomatic source here Monday.

The source said Xi could meet with President Moon Jae-in before he attends the G20 summit in Japan on June 28-29.

It is also possible that Xi will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang ahead of his trip to Seoul.
At the invitation of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), co-organizers of the 36th International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC), Mr. Ricardo Trevino Chapa, WCO Deputy Secretary General, attended this event held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 15 to 17 April 2019.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Mr. Novruz Mammadov, Azerbaijans Prime Minister, Mr. Safar Mehdiyev, Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, and Mr. Earle D. Litzenberger, United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan. The event was attended by representatives of the police and security agencies from all over the world, as well as representatives of other stakeholders within the drug enforcement community.

During his interventions, Deputy Secretary General Trevino Chapa referred to the Punta Cana Resolution, which was adopted by the Customs Community in 2015 and recognizes Customs authorities as the first line of defence against organized crime and illicit trade. He continued by highlighting the importance of cooperation and information exchange among national security agencies, stressing that Customs should play an active role in this regard.

While acknowledging countries particularities in terms of their own national strategies, Mr. Trevino Chapa pointed out that the WCO promotes the use of advance data and that this forms one the core elements of its SAFE Framework of Standards. He underscored the fact that Customs objectives remain unchanged, namely facilitating trade, ensuring fair revenue collection and protecting society. As the only international organization focused solely on Customs matters, the WCO is working towards the development of international standards to assist its Members in achieving the above-mentioned goals, especially through the delivery of capacity building activities, and towards fostering international cooperation among its membership.

Other key speakers at the Conference included Mr. Uttam Dhillon, Acting Administrator of the United States DEA, Major-General Hazi Aslanov, Chief of the Drug Enforcement Department of Azerbaijan, and Mr. Paul Jenkins, Head of Region for North America and the Caribbean in the United Kingdoms National Crime Agency (NCA).

While in Baku, Deputy Secretary General Trevino Chapa had a meeting with Mr. Safar Mehdiyev, Chairman of the State Customs Committee, during which further areas of collaboration between the WCO and Azerbaijan were discussed, bearing in mind the reforms and innovations currently being pursued by the latters Customs.
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By WestKyStar & Baptist Health Paducah Staff

Apr. 30, 2019 | PADUCAH

By WestKyStar & Baptist Health Paducah Staff Apr. 30, 2019 | 01:09 PM | PADUCAH

Baptist Health Paducah offers classes, events and support groups for healthier living for the month of May.



Parkinsons Support Group

Wednesday, May 1 and May 15

9:30 - 11 am

Atrium Classroom, Medical Park 2, Baptist Health Paducah.

Phone 270-575-2721 for more information.



Multiple Myeloma Support Group

Thursday, May 2

6 pm

Radiation therapy conference room, Ray & Kay Eckstein Regional Cancer Care Center

The group provides support for patients, caregivers, family members and friends and allows them to learn the latest advances in the treatment and management of myeloma.

Phone 270-559-3005 for more information.



Kangaroo Klub for Breastfeeding Mothers

Friday, May 3

1 - 2:30 pm

Classroom A, Medical Park 2, Baptist Health Paducah

Thursday, May 16

10 - 11:30 am

Immanuel Baptist Church, 1119 Market St., Metropolis

Support group for women who breastfeed or expectant mothers who plan to breastfeed.

Phone 270-415-4680 for more information.



Baptist Health Paducah Prepared Childbirth Classes

Saturday, May 4

9 am - 1 pm

May 6 and 13

5 - 7 pm

Meeting Room A, Medical Park 2, Baptist Health Paducah

Free class designed to help expectant parents in their second or third trimester learn about the labor and delivery process.



Baptist Health Paducah Arthritis Support Group

Monday, May 6

Noon - 1 pm

Baptist Heart Center conference room

The group provides support for people living with arthritis.

Phone 270-575-2721 for more information.



Baptist Health Paducah Stroke Support Group

Monday, May 6

3 - 4:30 pm

Carson-Myre Heart Center conference room

The group provides support for stroke survivors and their caregivers, family and friends. Light refreshments are served.

Phone Mary Legge at 270-575-2880 to register.



Season of Honor Support Group

Tuesday, May 7

6 pm

Atrium Classroom, Medical Park 2, Baptist Health Paducah.

Baptist Health Paducah Congregational Network for Healthcare, in partnership with First Baptist Church Paducah, provides this support group to help caregivers through common experiences, emotional encouragement and spiritual support.

Phone 270-415-7695.for more information.



Diabetes classes

Monday, May 13 and Wednesday, May 15

1 - 4 pm

Atrium Classroom, Medical Park 2, Baptist Health Paducah.

Free class with a certified diabetes instructor to assist with any question or concerns about diabetes. A physician order is required.

Phone 270-575-2918 for more information.



Breastfeeding Classes

Monday, May 20

6 - 8 pm

Meeting Room A, Medical Park 2, Baptist Health Paducah

Free class

helps prepare expectant mothers for the breastfeeding experience.

Phone 270-575-2229 to register.



Sibling Class

Monday, May 20

5 - 6 pm

Meeting Room A, Medical Park 2, Baptist Health Paducah

Free class helps prepare children ages 2 to 9 for the arrival of a new brother or sister.

Phone 270-575-2229 to register.



Cancerport Breast Cancer Support Group

Tuesday, May 21

6 pm

Oncology Resource Room, Ray & Kay Eckstein Cancer Care Center.

The group provides support for those diagnosed with breast cancer and living in recovery.

Phone 270-442-1310 for more information.



Safe Sitter Class

Friday, May 31

9 am - 3 pm

Mother & Baby Care conference room, second floor, entrance to Mother & Baby, Medical Park 2, Baptist Health Paducah

Safe Sitter is a medically-accurate babysitting course that teaches young teens life and safety skills. The one-day class is taught by Certified Safe Sitter instructors. Fee is $40, which includes lunch.

Phone 270-575-8444 for more information. Pre-registration is required.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Apr. 29, 2019 | PADUCAH

By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 29, 2019 | 07:05 PM | PADUCAH

A new program starts Wednesday at the McCracken County Jail that will hopefully create new job opportunities for inmates.



Jailer David Knight has held discussions with community leaders and employers for several months, leading to the first series of twenty weekly classes that will teach welding to eight inmates. Each class will last three hours, and will be taught in a secure building by Brandon Wilber, an instructor at the Paducah Technology Center and WKCTC.



Knight said the class will create opportunities for those who complete the course, and he hopes it helps lower recidivism.



"And hopefully give them skills to where they don't come back to jail. To give them some options where they actually have some skills to do something productive when they get out," Knight said.



Through arrangements that have been made, taxpayers won't pay for the program. Any needed materials will be donated, and any other expenses will be funded by the proceeds of the jail's commissary fund, where inmates purchase incidentals while serving their sentences.



Knight said the eight men are, "very excited," to start the classes, so they can earn their American Welding Society certification. Local employers are already interested in hiring those who finish the course, since there is a local need for welders.



He said, "We've talked to National Maintenance, James Marine, Western Rivers. There's several that are interested in employing them, particularly in the river industries."



Knight had worked at the jail for six years when he was elected to his first term as jailer in November. He immediately began discussions about vocational training and educational programs for inmates as ways to bring about positive change.
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By Tim Brockwell

Apr. 30, 2019 | PADUCAH

By Tim Brockwell Apr. 30, 2019 | 12:19 PM | PADUCAH

The McCracken County Jail will soon have a device that Jailer David Knight says will help keep drugs, weapons and other contraband outside the facility's walls.



Knight tells West Kentucky Star the facility recently ordered a $165,000 body scanner that will be able to detect contraband items concealed within body cavities.



Knight said most contraband that makes it into the jail is brought by inmates who conceal it in their body cavities. The new dual-view scanner will make it much easier for jail staff to catch these items before they make it into the facility, he said.



"It's basically a high-tech version of the ones they have at the airport," Knight said. "It takes two pictures; one of your full body, and one of your mid-abdomen area."



Knight said all inmates and visitors will be required to be scanned. He also said anyone else can be required to go through it at his discretion, including jail employees.



The device, which Knight said he ordered on Monday, was paid for by a Combined Public Communication grant. Knight said it should take about two weeks to arrive.



Knight said drug overdoses have been a problem within jails for many years, and the recent case at the Graves County Jail where inmate Rodney Evans overdosed and later died shows how important it is to do everything possible to keep dangerous drugs from making it inside.



"This kind of goes along with the tragedy that affected graves county recently," Knight said. "We've also had several overdoses over the years. hopefully it will save lives and cut down on tragedies that have happened."
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Apr. 29, 2019 | BROOKPORT

By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 29, 2019 | 02:56 PM | BROOKPORT

Three men have been arrested after an armed robbery investigation in Brookport.



Massac County Sheriff's deputies said responded to the foot of the Brookport Bridge on Saturday. Three juvenile victims told officers that they were confronted by three men on Strawberry Road, and that one of the men fired a pistol during the incident. One of the victims also said he had been beaten with a pistol during the alleged robbery.



A Metropolis police officer observed a vehicle matching the juveniles' description, and pulled it over near Huck's in Metropolis. Three men were arrested: 18-year-old Matthew Yates of Paducah, 21-year-old Malik Miller of Metropolis, and 19-year-old Samuel Kralis of Metropolis. Police also seized two guns that they believe were used in the alleged robbery.



Yates, Miller and Kralis were taken to the Massac County Detention Center, pending formal charges from the Massac County State's Attorney. The jail website shows Yates charged with robbery, while Miller and Kralis were charged with armed robbery.



Illinois State Police and Brookport Police also helped in the investigation.
Vets, first responders can get free tickets to Open Season Expo
Gauteng Province releases prime property to Wits for development

The Gauteng Provincial Government has signed a Memorandum of Intent with Wits for the release of properties to meet student housing and research needs.

The five properties are around Constitution Hill and are part of the Gauteng Provincial Government Rapid Land Release Programme.

The agreement which was signed by the MEC for the Department of Infrastructure Mr. Jacob Mamabolo and Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Adam Habib paves the way for the University to conduct due diligence process and feasibility studies, including a financial model, that will see the buildings transformed to meet their institutional needs.

Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the University this morning (30 April 2019) Mamabolo said the signing of the agreement was an important milestone in the journey of the establishment of a student accommodation precinct in the heart of the City of Johannesburg.

We are releasing these properties towards the spatial transformation of the area around Constitution Hill. These properties will help us change the space economy of that area and allow us to bring back these buildings of government to drive the economy, said Mamabolo.

The buildings in the Constitution Hill Precinct (the Transwerke /Queen Victoria Hospital, Nurses residence on Precinct Road and the TMI building) will be developed for student accommodation. The Old Pathology Hospital and The Florence building will be the home of a health and research precinct.

With this partnership between the Provincial Government and Wits we are leading a way and setting a benchmark using the precinct model of development as the best way to optimise land and space, Mamabolo added.

Professor Adam Habib said that the partnership between Wits and the Gauteng Provincial Government was an important one in addressing the challenges faced by institutions of higher learning.

If we are ever going to resolve the student accommodation challenge, then it cant be done institution by institution, it requires a systemic solution. I want to thank the Gauteng government because they recognise that stakeholders across the public divide need to collaborate, said Professor Habib.

Wits SRC President Sisanda Mbolekwa said this is an emotional moment for her following year-on-year requests from students for more housing.

This a very overwhelming and historic moment of what can be achieved when different stakeholders work together. We thank the government and the coming to the party, said Mbolekwa.
Professor Lulama Makhubela to speak at Africa Day celebrations at Wits

The Wits Faculty of Humanities hosts renowned academic and advocate for women empowerment, Professor Lulama Makhubela to speak at the Africa Day celebrations.

In unison with all the African states celebrating Africa Day, the Wits Faculty of Humanities celebrates the resilience of Africa in her struggles against colonialism and apartheid. As it recognises the countless contributions and sacrifices made by women in attaining the African Freedom, the Faculty celebrates Africas transformative journey towards gender equality as illuminated by woman leadership in the African Union (AU). On African Day, the Wits Faculty of Humanities embraces the AUs agenda on Gender Equality and Women Development by dedicating this celebration to African women.

Professor Lulama Makhubela, Research Associate at the Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria, will deliver the Africa Day keynote speech at Wits on 2 May 2019 at 17:00. This will be followed by celebrations at the Wits Art Musuem. View programme.

Makhubelas address will focus on the 2019 Africa Day theme "Are women part of the equation in making Africa work?.

Reflecting on the 56th anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963, Makhubela says that Africa Day symbolises the independence of the continent from its past colonial and apartheid masters.

It acknowledges the progress Africa has made, while reflecting upon the common challenges that the continent faces within itself and in a global environment. The inclusion of women in the independent African continent broadly, and the South African landscape specifically, remain a cause of concern. The under-representation of women in all strata of society including leadership in academia, business, media houses, political activism, publishing; to name a few, requires a sense of urgency to make a meaningful move from thinking and talking, to doing; and to turn intentions into reality. The central question posed in the title seeks significant transformation that engenders not only socio-economic inclusion but also the acknowledgement of women as part of the equation and a formidable force in making Africa work.

Makhubelas illustrious academic career includes her appointment at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) as Deputy Vice-Chancellor in Postgraduate Studies, Research & Innovation (2013-2016); the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) between (2007-2009). Before that, amongst other prestigious appointments she has been Director of Transformation (2006-2007) at Wits University. She has supervised studies on township economies, spaza shops and radical economic transformation among other socio-economic studies. She has served as a member of editorial boards of some accredited journals including the Development Bank of Southern Africa which is one of the refereed journals in infrastructure and development finance. She has moderated high-level dialogues for BrandSA, one of which was on the Life and Times of Rholihlahla Nelson Mandela, as well as the South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID).

As an advocate for women empowerment, she is a long-standing active member of the Development Commission of SAWID since 2006. She currently serves on the Board of Khulisa Social Solutions that seeks to enhance social services to children, youth and families with an orientation towards crime reduction. She has participated in radio talk shows on Kaya, Metro, Motsweding, Power 98.7 radio stations addressing various developmental challenges facing South Africa and the continent as a whole.

She is a business owner, serial entrepreneur, founder and Managing Director of the African Research House. The companys value proposition is in cost efficiency, institutional and individual transformation. The high-quality research consulting work produced over the 12 years include a Five-Year impact analysis of mitigation strategies on Gender Based Violence commissioned by POWA; institutional climate surveys; large-scale national citizen satisfaction surveys; feasibility studies; institutional impact studies; branding surveys; knowledge management scoping exercises and strategy development, as well as individual and institutional research skills development in all science domains.

Makhubela is a recipient of the prestigious 10 000 Women Entrepreneurs training programme facilitated by Gibs and funded by Goldman Sachs in 2013. The programme entailed a one-year intensive classroom and practical-based training in all facets of business coupled with observational visits to firms of successful women entrepreneurs in the Gauteng Province, South Africa.

The Africa Day celebrations at Wits take place ahead of the annual May 25 activities which commemorate the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 25 May 1963. The OAU was later renamed the African Union.

For the full Africa Day Programme please visit www.wits.ac.za/africaday
How South Africa ranks in the press freedom stakes

Its pleasing that the latest World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters without Borders rates the state of press freedom in SA as satisfactory.

Satisfactory is the second best category after good.

South Africa is on par in the satisfactory category with countries like Australia, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, the UK, Austria and Uruguay. In Africa it joins the ranks of Namibia, Burkina Faso and Ghana.

The index was released ahead of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May.

The World Press Freedom Index looks at several factors in ranking countries. It examines whether and how many journalists were killed in a particular country and if journalists have been jailed. It also considers countries legislative framework as well as national debates about the media.

In South Africas case the researchers would have taken into account comments made by the countrys head of state President Cyril Ramaphosa as well as those made by the leader of second largest opposition party, Julius Malema. Malema has a chequered history with the media, openly attacking it at times and threatening journalists on social media.

This could be one of the reasons why South Africa was put in the category of satisfactory. While there has been hostility towards the media, no journalists have been killed or jailed. Nor has Ramaphosa used vitriolic expletives against journalists  as US President Donald Trump has done  when challenged.

I believe South Africa is in the category it deserves, though there are some worrying trends that need to be watched closely. These might explain why the country has dropped three places since last year. Hints of these emerged recently with the deputy secretary general of the African National Congress (ANC) attacked a journalist for asking a questions she didnt like. The other worrying trend has been a rise in misogyny on social media directed at women journalists.

There is an obvious and direct relationship between democracy, freedom of the press, diversity of media, freedom of expression. When democracy gets squeezed, journalists get the backlash. When journalists get the backlash democracy itself is squeezed.

The categories

The index has five categories.

The first is good. Only a few countries are listed here, and most are in Europe. New Zealand is also on the list.

The second category is satisfactory. Again, the list isnt very long. Along with South Africa it includes Australia, Canada and the UK.

The third category is problematic. The US, as well as Brazil, Mongolia and Niger, appear on this list.

The fourth category is difficult. Countries included here are Russia, India, Mexico, Venezuela, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.

The fifth category is very serious. This list includes countries that have been the worst culprits over the past decade when it comes to the mistreatment of journalists. Among them are China, Turkmenistan, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Egypt and Libya.

In terms of first and last out of 180 countries: Norway is number one, Finland is two, Netherlands is number 3. At the bottom end of the list is Turkmenistan, with North Korea second last.

Its interesting, but not surprising, that the US is down from the last index. When Trump took power he labelled any journalist who challenged him as fake news and as fakery.

Venezuela and Russia also lost points on the index from the previous year.

The countries at the bottom  for example, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Vietnam, China, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan  have all variously and to different degrees made it impossible for journalists to do their jobs freely. Journalists have been under surveillance, arrested, jailed, killed and harassed.

African situation

In Africa, Namibia holds its number one place, and makes it to 23 in the world index.

Ethiopia deserves a huge mention for making a 40-place jump up the index.

Africas two really poor performers are Sudan, which stands at 175 out of 180 countries in the world, and Somalia, which is regarded as the deadliest country in Africa for killings.

In the case of South Africa, the report attached to the index notes that the countrys 1996 Constitution protects the freedom of its very diverse media. But, it notes, apartheid-era legislation and new terrorism laws passed in 2004 are used to limit coverage of governments institutions when national interest is supposedly at stake.

The report also notes that the state security agency spies on some journalists and taps their phones. Others are harassed and subjected to intimidation campaigns if they try to cover certain subjects involving the governing ANC, government finances, the redistribution of land to the black population or corruption.

It notes that an increase in abusive language and hate speech against journalists by an opposition leader in 2018 confirmed that press freedom has yet to be consolidated in South Africa.

Whats needed

For democracy to work, the press has to be free  both independent of political party interference as well as free from commercial conflicts of interests as far as possible. Journalists must serve the interests of the public and be conduits of reliable information.

This is an important function. The free flow of information is vital, particularly on the eve of a national election.

Glenda Daniels, Associate Professor in Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Reporting on China in Africa is too binary. What needs to be done to fix it

So its not surprising that this has become an ever-expanding topic for both the media and researchers.

But the accuracy of work being done, particularly in terms of reportage, leaves a great deal to be desired.

Over the past ten years media scholars have increasingly begun to turn their attention to the issue. Its one of the reasons for the 2009 launch of the Africa-China Reporting Project at the University of the Witwatersrand, where Im associated. More recently scholarly work has been produced in a bid to identify whats missing.

In analysis I did for a recently co-authored chapter in New Directions in AfricaChina Studies we argue that a number of factors have contributed to coverage of the relationship between China and African countries, at times becoming a fertile area for propaganda, misinformation and disinformation. The main factors are the pressure on journalists for fast-paced information gathering. And the second is the impact that platforms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter are having on the dissemination of news, including the growing trend of the misuse of information.

Search a topic in the widely reported area of China in Africa, and its clear that many of the facts made available often appear contradictory. China is frequently framed and referred to in binary terms. Its either portrayed as predator, or as a friend.

But the truth is far more nuanced. Individual relationships between China and particular countries differ. Its also true that relationships between Beijing and certain regions have different hues. On top of this, these various relationships have been moulded over time.

There are ways to address the gaps in coverage and dearth of context. But it will require support as well as concerted effort on the part of journalists and media houses in African countries to report on behalf of Africans.

No nuance

The predator coverage portrays African countries as set to burn as debt soars. The friend image is portrayed through coverage of officials rejecting this view, as they did at last years Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Other examples include China being portrayed as grabbing land in Africa, and offering rogue aid. On the other hand reports tend to speak about Chinese-funded transport infrastructure projects without acknowledgement of the fact that a myriad international and local partners are also involved.

These over-simplified and overarching China-Africa narratives are deeply misleading. They make extracting facts about the China-Africa relationship extremely challenging: very often opinion trumps verification.

What affects reporting?

I have established three reasons why certain narratives take hold in the popular psyche and become representative of this complex relationship.

The first relates to the issue of perceptions towards China. Perceptions about China are coloured by social and historical contexts. For example, business or government officials who have engaged with China for a longer period of time are more likely to view it in a more nuanced and even positive way.

The second factor is linked to interest. For example, those who have something to lose from Chinas role in Africa may harbour more negative views. And those who have something to gain are more likely to push a positive line.

The problem is that most of the time reporting doesnt make clear why particular individuals, or groups, hold certain views. For example, those who have a stake in the direction of links between China and a particular country, would want to push their view. Not explaining their particular interest can leave an incomplete and misguided impression. So a single perspective can multiply to become the defining narrative of a story.

The third aspect is related to a lack of understanding. The focus on Asia studies in African higher education institutions remains limited. This includes deeper understanding of the rich history, culture and complexities of the East Asia region. In contrast the US, one of Chinas main global competitors, has a long tradition of Asia studies and exchanges.

Where to from here?

Part of the reason stories may be misreported is that data and information about particular relationships, particularly related to high-level agreements and deals, are missing.

This was highlighted when the Democratic Alliance, South Africas main opposition party, threatened to take legal action against power utility Eskom, if it did not make its 2018 loan agreement with China public. Hence links with China is also at times, a backdrop to deeper domestic interactions.

The advent of technology and the information age has brought societies closer together. But they have also reinforced persistent differences based on perception, interests and limited understanding.

The divisive views and reporting such as the Africa-China example wont dissipate unless journalists continually ask why when they are presented information about China and Africas relations.

They also have a duty to stand back and not perpetuate the preferred flavour of the news cycle.

For their part, media houses should make sure that their journalists are better equipped to cover these complex relationships. Given that one of the trends that stands out is that reporting on the relationship between China and African countries takes place from outside the continent, its imperative that more on-the-ground reporting, verification and support for local journalists is encouraged.

Yu-Shan Wu, Research Associate, University of the Witwatersrand. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
To present contemporary French art and further promote Sino-French cultural ties, the works of 14 winners and nominated artists of the Marcel Duchamp Prize greet art lovers in Beijing on Friday. [chinadaily.com.cn]

The exhibit also kicked off this year's Croisements Festival, a series of events celebrating cultural exchange between China and France, on the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The Marcel Duchamp Prize has become one of the most famous and influential national awards in the world since its establishment by the Association for the International Diffusion of French Art in 2000.
The Red Building of Peking University, where an exhibition commemorates the centenary of the May Fourth Movement. [China Daily]

An exhibition to mark 100 years of the May Fourth Movement opens to the public in Beijing, Cheng Yuezhu reports.

The New Culture Movement Memorial of Beijing is holding an exhibition to commemorate the centenary of the May Fourth Movement, an anti-imperialist campaign in China in 1919.

With historical artifacts, publications and photographs, the exhibition entitled A Panorama of the May Fourth Movement, which opened to the public on April 23, recounts how students and workers at the time got together to demand national independence and seek reform.

On May 4, 1919, more than 3,000 students joined a demonstration in Beijing to oppose the Beiyang government's (1912-28) signing of the unequal Treaty of Versailles. Displaying 180 historical photos and 11 artifacts, the ongoing exhibition comprises five sections in chronological order, from the student demonstrations on May 4, 1919, to China refusing to sign the peace treaty with Germany in June that year.

A group of Communist Youth League members take an oath of allegiance in front of the building. [China Daily]

"The newspapers and magazines at the time sympathized with the patriotic activities of the students and published illustrations advocating the upholding of national sovereignty. They rejected the treaty and criticized the Beiyang government," Qin Suyin, one of the curators, writes in the China Cultural Relics newspaper.

"Such materials are popular with visitors (at the exhibition). They give a vivid picture of the May Fourth Movement and allow people to get a sense of that era," Qin adds.

The Beijing exhibition not only displays Chinese publications at the time but also includes 18 photographs by the late US photographer Sidney D. Gamble, with support from the Duke University Libraries in the United States.

The show runs through June 9 at the exhibition's venue-the Honglou, or Red Building, at the former site of Peking University. Construction started in 1916 and was completed two years later. The building is described as the cradle of the May Fourth Movement, from where the founders and early leaders of the Communist Party of China, including Li Dazhao, Chen Duxiu and Mao Zedong, worked to disseminate Marxism and pushed forward the revolutionary campaign.

The movement also led to the reorganization of the Kuomintang.

Chen and Li founded the Weekly Review magazine in the building in 1918. It published news on the movement. Several editions of the magazine are on display at the exhibition.

According to Qin, the building witnessed the movement in its entirety.

"I believe there is no other venue that can bring the audience into the scene of the May Fourth Movement as realistically."

In 1961, the building was listed in the first batch of major national-level protected historical and cultural sites. It was turned into the New Culture Movement Memorial of Beijing and opened to the public in 2002. As a landmark of China's modern history, the building is also one of the most popular sites.

According to the memorial's administration office, the site has received more than 50,000 visitors so far this year-over four times the number of the same period last year.

The exhibition displays historical photos, publications and artifacts related to the movement. [China Daily]

The memorial saw a surge in visitor appointments after President Xi Jinping's speech about strengthening studies on the movement and its spirit.

The memorial has registered 231 appointments for May, which amounts to an estimated 10,000 visitors.

Apart from visiting the exhibition, students and other groups are also seen taking an "oath of allegiance"-to inherit the spirit of the May Fourth Movement and continue to strive for national rejuvenation-in front of the building.

(Source: China Daily)
A reading-promoter is telling stories to kids. [Xinhua]

The audience of reading promoter Huang Xiaofeng grew from just two children to more than 2,000 in 11 years. "It was a tough start," Huang said.

In 2008, Huang found herself obsessed with picture books while telling stories to her children. "They are creative, beautiful and can help kids form good reading habits," she said.

To get more Chinese children interested in books, Huang, a bookstore adviser, set up a reading corner in 2008 in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, reading carefully selected books.

"I anticipated a lot of kids but was met with a harsh reality. For two years, there were only two children," she said. "It was tough to continue, but I believed I was doing the right thing and that the best was yet to come."

The mother's perseverance finally paid off after more than a decade. On April 14, Huang organized an event and invited three globally renowned foreign authors to talk about their books to more than 2,000 children and parents in one of the biggest theaters in Wuhan. From a community reading corner of about 10 square meters to an international stage of 2,000 people, Huang has witnessed China's development of promoting reading to children.

Since 2004, China's economic takeoff has allowed more people to buy popular picture books, both from home and abroad.

"Meanwhile, more parents began to realize that early reading is much more than simply learning words, and that good books and reading promoters are greatly needed," said Wang Lin, an expert in children's literature and one of China's first batches of reading promoters.

So far, there are about 200 experts in book-related industries, such as publishing houses, bookstores, and libraries, working as reading promoters of children's books, like Huang, in Wuhan.

The latest national reading report published on April 16 shows that reading with young children is a regular practice in about 70 percent of Chinese families with children aged from several months to eight years old.

Insiders say that children who read have a higher development of personal expression, writing abilities, increased knowledge acquisition and a more complete reading framework.

"The children's library of southern Chinese city Shenzhen hosts more than 1,800 reading activities each year with reading promoters involved," Wang said.

Besides telling stories to children based on their ages and interests, reading promoters also give lessons to parents.

"It is very important that parents have good storytelling skills as they have the most direct contact with their children," reading promoter Huang Lei said.

Every year, Huang Xiaofeng participates in more than 80 off-line reading activities and over 20 online lessons targeting children and parents. "I want to tell beautiful stories to every child, guiding them into these stories and giving them a fruitful childhood," she said.

(Source: China Daily)
President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at a ceremony to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. [Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at a ceremony to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. Here are the highlights:

May Fourth Movement inspires confidence in national rejuvenation

The May Fourth Movement, with its mighty force, inspired the ambition and confidence of the Chinese people and nation to realize national rejuvenation.

The movement was a great patriotic and revolutionary campaign pioneered by advanced young intellectuals and participated by the people from all walks of life to resolutely fight imperialism and feudalism.

It was a great social revolutionary movement launched by the Chinese people to save the nation from subjugation, safeguard national dignity and pool national strength together.

It was also a great enlightenment and new cultural movement of disseminating new thought, new culture and new knowledge.

Youths attend a ceremony held to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, April 30, 2019. [Xinhua]

Youths attend a ceremony held to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, April 30, 2019. [Xinhua]

Youth called on to uphold patriotism

As long as the banner of patriotism is being held high, the Chinese people can unleash great powers in the endeavors to transform China and the world.

The May Fourth Movement gave birth to the great spirit centered on patriotism, progress, democracy and science, with patriotism at the core.

Marxism and CPC leadership highlighted

History proves that the pursuit of truth and progress by the Chinese people and nation has been made unstoppable since China embraced Marxism, the CPC leadership, and the great awakening of the Chinese people and the nation.

Experiencing the May Fourth Movement in 1919, more and more Chinese pioneers gathered under the banner of Marxism, and the CPC announced its establishment in 1921, opening a new page in the Chinese history.

The Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. [Xinhua]

Wellbeing of Chinese must be achieved by own efforts

The development of Chinese society, the national rejuvenation and people's wellbeing must be achieved by the Chinese through their own heroic efforts.

A bright China is not a gift that can be given by anybody.

As long as the Chinese people and the nation have the courage to fight and sacrifice themselves for changing their destiny, the country will surely become prosperous and strong and national rejuvenation will be realized.

Chinese youth are pioneers in realizing national rejuvenation

Chinese young people always play a vanguard role in realizing national rejuvenation.

In the new era, the theme and direction of Chinese youth movement and the mission of Chinese young people are to uphold the leadership of the CPC, and work along with the people to realize the two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Student representatives are about to take part in a ceremony marking the centenary of the May Fourth Movement at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. [Xinhua]

Chinese youth urged to establish great ideals

Young Chinese of the new era shall establish belief in Marxism, faith in socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as confidence in the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Young Chinese urged to ardently love country

Chinese youth of the new era shall love their country ardently.

The essence of patriotism is having unified love for the country, the Communist Party of China, and socialism.

Young Chinese of the new era should follow the instructions and guidance of the Party, and remain dedicated to the country and the people.

Chinese youth of new era should bear responsibilities of times

As long as the young people are brave enough to shoulder responsibilities and fight hardships and risks, the socialism with Chinese characteristics will be full of vitality, potential and hope.

Young people urged to promote spirit of arduous struggle

There will definitely be daunting challenges, difficulties and obstacles in the new journey toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The spirit of arduous struggle is especially needed during the process.

The Chinese youth should always maintain their fine tradition of forging ahead.

Student representatives are about to take part in a ceremony marking the centenary of the May Fourth Movement at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. [Xinhua]

Young people urged to hone abilities

Young people shall work hard in learning the Marxist stance, viewpoints and methods, mastering scientific and cultural knowledge and professional skills, and improving their humanistic quality.

Fine morality of young people called for

Chinese youth of the new era should be grateful to the Party, the country, the society and the people.

Young people shall nurture and practise core socialist values, and guard against wrong ideas such as money worship, hedonism, extreme individualism and historical nihilism.

Nurturing young generation is whole Party's political responsibility

Communist Party of China should shoulder the political responsibility of nurturing a new generation of capable young people who have a good and all-round moral, intellectual, physical, and aesthetical grounding in addition to a hardworking spirit, and who are well-prepared to join the socialist cause.

We should listen to young people's views on social issues and phenomena, as well as their opinions and advices on the work of the Party and the government.

Even if they express harsh or partial criticism, we should correct our mistakes when we have made any and guard against them when we have not.

The Party should address young people's concerns in employment, starting business, integrating into the society, love, marriage and making friends, caring for the elderly and raising children, so as to create favorable conditions for their development.

We should educate and guide young people to view the world properly, to understand the national conditions comprehensively, and to grasp the trend of the era.

Communist Youth League asked to mobilize youth for Chinese Dream

The Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) shall unite and lead Chinese youth of the new era to strive for the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

The CYLC should serve their duties of guiding and uniting the youth, mobilizing them, connecting them and providing services.

Youth urged to have concerns for humanity

The Chinese youth should work for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Young people should not only care about their family and country, but also have concerns for humanity.

Young people shall strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and push forward the joint building of the Belt and Road and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
According to Transwestern Commercial Services', as the slow but steady resurgence of the New Jersey office market continues, vacancy has reached its lowest level in nearly a decade. After decreasing by one-tenth of a percentage point for the third straight quarter, the vacancy rate sits at 14.7%.Office vacancy was buoyed during the first quarter of the year by strong absorption: 12 of the state's 21 submarkets reported positive absorption, marking the fourth consecutive quarter in which the state recorded positive net absorption as a whole - a feat that hadn't been achieved since 2014.Although approximately 75 percent of leases signed throughout the state were for less than 25,000 square feet, with business service companies driving the bulk of leasing activity, nearly half of the 21 submarkets recorded more than 100,000 square feet of leasing. Biotechnology company Celularity's 147,215-square-foot lease at 170 Park Ave. in Florham Park represented the quarter's largest lease, and the only one exceeding 100,000 square feet."Due to high prices in walkable downtowns, millennials are expanding their geographical parameters for living preferences to areas just outside downtowns, which can only help suburban business, and consequently, the suburban office market," said Jim Postell, TCS Partner and City Leader. "The Celularity lease, where we're proud to have been the leasing agent for property ownership, is the latest example of a suburban office building gaining successful lease-up following substantial capital improvements."Despite receding slightly during the first quarter, asking rents are still trending upward in New Jersey. Year-over-year rents have increased by 2%, and they are up 8.9% over the past five years. Furthermore, the current average of $26.86 per square foot is the fourth-highest on record for the state. Year-over-year rents in five submarkets - Bergen East, Edison South, Meadowlands, Parsippany Region, and Wayne/Paterson - have increased by more than 5% each."Rents are increasing in buildings that are being upgraded, in part due to increased demand, but also because owners need to recover higher construction costs," said Matthew Dolly, TCS New Jersey Research Director. "Simultaneously, with the business sector prospering, tenants are increasingly competing to attract the best talent by seeking the most desirable workplace amenities: connectivity and convenience."
Are you registered ready to vote in the European Elections in 25 days time?

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Apr 30th, 2019

Have you checked that youre registered to vote?

Its expected that voters will take to the polls on Thursday 23rd May and vote in the European Elections.

In Wales voters will have the chance to elect four MEPs (Members of European Parliament)  with 73 representatives voted for across the UK.

Parties running in Wales include Change UK, Conservative and Unionist Party, Green Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, The Brexit Party and UKIP.

If youre already registered to vote you should receive voting information in the next couple of weeks. If youre not registered you wont be able to take part in these or any other elections that may be called.

Registering to vote takes about 5 minutes and you have until May 7 to do this.

You will need your date of birth and national insurance number so please have them handy before you register. If you cannot find your national insurance number, you can use the HMRC enquiry service here, or ring 0300 200 3502.

Ian Bancroft, the new Returning Officer for Wrexham, said: It is important that people have the opportunity to take part in this election and do not miss out because they are un-registered.

Please dont assume you are registered to vote just because you pay other things such as Council Tax.

If in doubt please call or email them on the contact details above.

You can register to vote online here.

A full list of candidates running in Wales can be found below from the official notice of poll.

We hope to have more information shortly from them!



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Health bosses urged to act like grown-ups to settle Countess of Chester dispute

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Apr 30th, 2019

Health bosses have been urged to act like grown-ups to settle a dispute which is preventing thousands of patients in Wales being treated at an English hospital.

Earlier this month, it was revealed the Countess of Chester Hospital would no longer take in outpatients from over the border after officials said they were not being paid sufficiently to look after them.

The move has sparked widespread anger, particularly in Flintshire where a large number of people are affected, and the situation was branded unacceptable by Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething.

However, with no end to the disagreement in sight, a North Wales Assembly Member has now called for the NHS trust responsible for running the Countess to enter an arbitration process in order to bring it to a close.

Llyr Gruffydd said a similar issue involving Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Shropshire was resolved through the same method.

The Plaid Cymru politician has also challenged the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to drop the bar against patients with a Welsh postcode with immediate effect.

He said: This is the way grown-ups settle disputes  they sit round a table and accept an independent arbitrators decision.

As it turned out, the decision was that Gobowens hospital trust was charging too much for the Welsh patients and the sum was significantly lower than they would have received if theyd taken the Welsh health boards offer.

This is in stark contrast to the behaviour of the Countess of Chester Hospital Foundation Trust, which has decided to unilaterally stop treatment of patients while negotiations are ongoing between the NHS in Wales and England about the levels of payment.

While those negotiations are ongoing, Im urging the Countess management to do the right thing and start admitting Welsh patients again for new outpatient referrals.

A failure to do so would suggest they have another agenda other than ensuring the best possible care for patients.

The previous disagreement over payments involving the Gobowen-based hospital came after officials attempted to charge Powys Local Health Board 1.1m for treatment services in 2005/06.

Representatives said it had treated more patients from Powys than it had been paid for. But an arbitration board ruled that the Welsh health board should pay just 301,451  less than half what it originally offered.

Mr Gruffydds comments were made as a petition launched by his party calling on the Countess to reverse its decision reached around 250 signatures.

Meanwhile, board members from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board which covers North Wales will receive an update on the dispute later this week with payment negotiations ongoing between various bodies.

He added: This is a common-sense approach that would mean patients arent penalised while the authorities on both sides of the border come to an agreement.

With that in mind, Id urge everyone to sign the petition so that we can present it to the Countess of Chester Hospital bosses.

The petition can be accessed by visiting www.wrexhamplaid.cymru/countess_of_chester

The Countess of Chester Hospital Foundation Trust has been asked to comment.

By Liam Randall  BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme).



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Appeal for missing Liverpool man who police say may have travelled to North Wales

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Apr 30th, 2019

Police are appealing for help in tracing a missing man from Liverpool who officers believe may have travelled to North Wales.

Merseyside Police say 47-year-old Steven Westwood is missing from home in Worthing Street, Brighton Le Sands, Liverpool.

He was was last seen at around 4.30am on Monday, 29 April, on East Lancashire Road and has not been seen since.

It is believed, however, that Steven was on Merrilocks Road in Crosby at some point between approximately 5am and 6:50am on Monday 29 April. He may have been in a car at this time but has then parked it up and got out on foot.

Merseyside Police say: He is described as a white male, around 5ft 7in tall, of slim build with mousey grey hair and clean shaven.

When last seen, Steven was wearing black jogging pants, possibly a navy blue polo top, a green bubble jacket, and possibly carrying a black holdall bag.

He is known to frequent Crosby, Formby and the Hightown (not Wrexham) areas.

Anyone who has seen Mr Westwood or knows of his whereabouts is asked to DM @MerPolCC, call 101 or contact the Missing People charity on 116 000.



(Click for large)
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-25 21:12:39|Editor: mingmei

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LUSAKA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Zambia and China's Luoyang city have signed agreements that will see medical institutions from the Chinese city collaborating with the China-aided Levy Mwanawasa Hospital.

The agreements were signed on Wednesday by Zambia's minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya and Deputy Mayor of Luoyang city in Henan Province He Min.

The agreements involve the construction of joint centers of cardiovascular, dermatology, an ears, nose and throat center as well as promotion of traditional Chinese medicine at the Zambian hospital.

The Chinese official said the agreements were based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit for all parties.

He said all parties plan to carry out exchanges and cooperation in specialized subject development, disease prevention and control, personnel training, academic exchanges and other aspects.

On his part, the Zambian minister said the signing of the agreements could not have come at a better time than now when the government has embarked on a program of ensuring universal health coverage for all.

He said the agreement will help the government pursue with vigor the goals it has set up in improving health care services in the country.

He said the partnership with China in the health sector has been fruitful, adding that the agreements will escalate the bilateral relations that have existed between the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-27 12:38:42|Editor: Liu

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SHANGHAI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police busted a criminal gang suspected of manufacturing and selling counterfeit LEGOs worth over 200 million yuan (about 30 million U.S. dollars), according to Shanghai police's statement on Friday.

Four suspects were arrested in a police operation on Tuesday, with more than 90 production molds and 630,000 finished products seized.

In October 2018, Shanghai police found that Lepin, a domestic toymaker, was selling building blocks that were extremely similar to LEGOs. The criminal gang located in Shenzhen was soon tracked down.

Lepin's toys cost about one-tenth of official LEGO products, and there are big differences in the craftsmanship and quality, said Zhong Shikai, one of the police officers responsible for investigating the case.

According to Robin Smith, vice president and general counsel for LEGO China and Asia Pacific, the counterfeit products will not only have a significant impact for companies like LEGO, but the safety of the products is also another concern.

Further investigation of the case is still underway.

China has pledged to strengthen intellectual property rights (IPR) protection through multiple regulations and establishing IP courts in Beijing and Shanghai. The number of IPR trials in Shanghai hit a record high last year, according to a white paper released by the Shanghai High People's Court on Monday.
Chinese doctors are giving Ghanaian workers free physical examination in a ceramics factory in west Ghana's Takoradi, 27 April 2019. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)

ACCRA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- It is a relief for Maurice, a 23-year-old Ghanaian worker, to find out that the possibilities of contracting major diseases related to his high blood pressure had all been ruled out after a series of medical examinations by Chinese doctors.

More surprisingly, all the procedures are finished in the factory where Maurice works in a timely manner, and totally for free.

"I never expect to receive such a professional consultation here before, it's like the doctors actually moved a hospital to our factory," said Maurice.

Chinese medical team in Ghana on Saturday rolled out free service for around 200 local workers in Ghana's KEDA ceramics company, covering many subjects including acupuncture and ophthalmology.

Chinese doctors are giving Ghanaian workers free physical examination in a ceramics factory in west Ghana's Takoradi, 27 April 2019. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)

Maurice said the service is "quite necessary", adding that ordinary people living in the country's remote areas still struggle to pay for their medical bills because of high medication prices despite their medical insurance.

"We give them basic examination such as blood pressure and glucose test, and once we find something wrong with their health, we will send them for further test immediately, " said Zhang Yong, a member of the Chinese medical team.

"We really appreciate all the medical staff's hard work, they are not only giving our workers free physical examinations but also promoting health knowledge among local workers, which come as a comfort to us all ," said Li Wei, manager of the company, adding that the company will do its best to protect the health of local workers.

Chinese doctors are giving Ghanaian workers free physical examination in a ceramics factory in west Ghana's Takoradi, 27 April 2019. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)

China has been sending medical teams to Ghana since 2009, which has been recognized by the Ghanaian government and widely lauded by its people.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-29 22:29:52|Editor: Xiang Bo

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks with Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari in Beijing, capital of China, April 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari in Beijing on Monday.

China highly values the development of bilateral relations, and supports Nepal's efforts in safeguarding national independence, sovereign and territorial integrity, and in exploring a development path suited to Nepal's own conditions, Xi said.

He expressed appreciation for Nepal's long-time firm support on issues related to China's core interests and major concerns, and Nepal's active participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.

China and Nepal should strengthen cooperation in infrastructure construction, and continue to advance the construction of cross-border economic cooperation zone, Xi said, adding that China is willing to continue to support Nepal's economic and social development.

Xi called on the two countries to intensify exchanges among legislative institutions, political parties, youth, think tanks and media, consolidate public support for China-Nepal friendship, and advance the friendly cooperative relations to a new level.

Bhandari said that China's prosperity and stability present opportunities to Nepal, and her country is willing to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China in various fields.

She said that Nepal adheres to the one-China policy, and that Nepal will not allow any forces to engage in anti-China activities by using the territory of Nepal.

The two heads of state attended a ceremony for the signing of bilateral cooperation documents after the talks.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 00:11:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The workplace safety commission of State Council on Monday summoned the leading city officials of Jinan and Ulanqab, admonishing them to take effective measures to ensure the safe production of hazardous chemicals, according to sources with the Ministry of Emergency Management.

The two cities both reported deadly production accidents in April, with 10 people killed in the accident of Qilu Tianhe Pharmaceutical in Jinan, Shandong Province, and another four dead and 35 injured in an accident at the Dongxing Chemical Company of Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia.

The accidents exposed the two cities' main officials lacking safe production awareness, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council require local governments to learn lessons from the deadly blast at Xiangshui Chemical Industrial Park in Jiangsu, the ministry noted.

The blast at Xiangshui Chemical Industrial Park on March 21 killed 78 people and injured hundreds more.

The ministry said that the commission had ordered the leaders of the two cities as well as officials in charge of local emergency management to combine the philosophy of safe development into their decision-making and specific work.

It urged the officials of the two cities to make proper arrangements on safe production, implement the responsibility for supervision, enhance capacity building of supervision over safety in the production of hazardous chemicals, and ward off severe accidents at workplaces.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 00:21:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KATHMANDU, April 29 (Xinhua) -- China's efforts to steer towards green economy will encourage other countries to follow the same footsteps, Nepali Minister for Forest and Environment Shakti Basnet said here on Sunday.

The minister's remarks came on the same day when the world's largest International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 kicked off in Beijing under the theme "Live Green, Live Better", attracting the participation of 110 countries and international organizations.

Talking exclusively with Xinhua, the Nepali minister appreciated the way China has led in promoting green development and supporting ecologically sensitive development.

"For country like China which is moving ahead economically and growing as a global power, the way the Chinese leadership has raised the issue of green economy, it's a positive aspect and in today's need," the minister said.

Stating that China's green economy will contribute to policy formation, technological development and the enhancement of people's livelihood, Basnet said that the concept will persuade other countries, especially neighboring countries in the region, to adopt sustainable green economy and save mother nature.

"Climate change and its adverse impacts are increasing particularly in this region, so the Himalayan-range countries should be more serious and sensitive towards the issue," he said.

The minister is of the view that countries should work together to pursue harmony between human and nature, to maintain ecological balance and to improve the livelihoods of all human beings.

"Nepal is now in the phase of developing infrastructures, which is our national priority. Thus, we are trying to build environment-friendly infrastructures which will make lives easier and happier.

Forests cover 45 percent of the total area of Nepal, and the country has adopted a popular statement of "Green Forest is Nepal's Wealth." The minister said that forest could be a major component of Nepal's prosperity.

"Environment protection, greenery promotion and sustainable development are the important base of our national vision of Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali," Basnet stated.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 00:26:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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HELSINKI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The role of Finnish forest reserves as a key carbon sink remains uncertain as the country's forest industry has published one more expansion plan.

A major biomass production investment plan of Metsa Fibre, Finland's major pulp and paper producer, was released last week. It has split political opinions, which further increases the complexity.

Only two weeks earlier, experts of the European Commission rejected the Finnish way of calculating the carbon sink values and asked for alternatives.

The Commission is to decide later the comparative levels of forest carbon sinks for the EU countries in 2021-2025. The expert group that prepares the decisions concluded that Finland had to revise its plan and submit a new version.

Besides the Finnish plans, the Commission experts also criticized the calculations from Sweden, Slovenia and Latvia.

Antti Rinne, the Social Democratic Party leader currently negotiating the ruling coalition, said over the weekend that the Metsa Fibre's investment plan "would fit" the Finnish climate change policies and his future government would probably improve transport infrastructure in the area.

But Green Party leader Pekka Haavisto said on Sunday that his party did not agree with Rinne's promises.

Internal Finnish pressures were reflected in the Monday editorial of the forest owner affiliated newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus. It noted that the new plan by Metsa Fibre will greatly help the new government's employment policies, but "only if the government understands not to spoil it".

Tuomo Niskakangas, a commentator for the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, said on Sunday the forest industry plan created a problem between the social democrats and the greens "that could have unforeseen consequences".

The Green Party was one of the election winning parties with their climate program. The greens confirmed on Sunday their interest in joining the government, but set effective climate policies as a condition.

Observers have noted the greens will now somehow have to find a way to explain that the planned investment falls within their political limits.

The high profile Metsa Fibre plan to build a plant in the northwestern city of Kemi would increase the annual wood consumption to 82 million cubic meters from the current 76 million. Named Polar King, the plant would produce 1.5 million tons of pulp per year.

Final decision about the investment is to be taken in 2020. Besides the newly announced Metsa Fibre plan, there are several other major projects pending on final decisions.

While the latest plan would not exceed the renewability level of forests, it would have a major impact on the calculation of carbon sink value of Finnish forests.

Sampo Soimakallio, a researcher of the Finnish Environment Center, told national broadcaster Yle on Sunday that the new investment could reduce the carbon sink of Finnish forests by a third from the present level.

Finnish forests are now capturing some 27 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. Accelerated usage of forest for the new investment would reduce the amount by 10 million tons, Soimakallio elaborated.

Soimakallio contested Rinne's view that Finland could offset the impact through absorption of carbon dioxide into earth soil. Soimakallio said that soil absorption of carbon dioxide is at a research stage and there are many uncertainties with it.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 02:32:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KHARTOUM, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) on Monday said it agreed with the Sudanese opposition to open the main roads and bridges near the army's general headquarters where thousands of Sudanese protesters are staging a sit-in.

"The TMC noted the importance of normalizing the life of people, as we have discussed this matter with our partners of the Freedom and Change Alliance," Shams-Eddin Kabashi, the TMC spokesman, said at a press conference in the capital Khartoum.

The TMC decided to open the train tracks from Monday, and open the traffic on the armed forces' bridge and Blue Nile bridge as soon as possible, in addition to removing the barricades in front of the police hospital, Kabashi noted.

He further explained that the two sides have agreed on the need to confront some security disturbances and combat negative phenomena such as theft, robbery and others.

In the meantime, Kabashi declared that the TMC and the opposition would soon reach an agreement on a joint sovereignty council to run the affairs of the country.

"We are optimistic to reach a deal soon regarding the sovereignty council and other structures," he said.

He noted that the TMC proposed the sovereignty council to be of 10 members, seven military representatives and three civilians, while the opposition proposed a 15-member council, with eight civilians and seven military representatives.

The joint committee between the TMC and the alliance is discussing procedures concerning the formation of the mechanisms of the transitional period, including the sovereignty council, appointment of prime minister and formation of a civilian government.

The TMC, chaired by Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, is tasked with running the country's affairs after former President Omar al-Bashir stepped down.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 02:42:47|Editor: Liangyu

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Ma Zhaoxu (front), China's permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses a Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East at the UN headquarters in New York, April 29, 2019. Ma Zhaoxu on Monday asked the international community to stick to the two-state solution in addressing the Palestinian-Israeli issue, and warned against unilateral action that escalates tension in the region. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday asked the international community to stick to the two-state solution so as to tackle the Palestinian-Israeli issue from the root.

The international community should promote the settlement of the question of Palestine with a view to establishing a fully sovereign state of Palestine, based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital. Any new initiative put forward should be in conformity with the parameters, said Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

He called for unity of the international community in pushing for an early restart of the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

The settlement construction must stop. Parties concerned should avoid any action or rhetoric that may exacerbate the situation, or any move that may undermine trust, so as to create the necessary conditions for the early resumption of dialogue, Ma told an open debate of the Security Council.

Parties that have influence in the Middle East should play a constructive role and refrain from taking any unilateral action that further escalates the tension in the region, said the Chinese ambassador.

He also asked for efforts to promote intra-Palestinian reconciliation and to actively explore new ways to facilitate peace in the Middle East so as to bring the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks out of the deadlock.

He asked the international community to pay close attention to and work to improve the economic and humanitarian situation of the Palestinians.

The question of Palestine is at the core of the Middle East issue and the fundamental question for the region. It is the common responsibility of the international community to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Palestinian people, said Ma.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 03:28:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MUSCAT, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Two scientists from the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) received a patent for their new formula for the eradication of HIV virus, the university announced on Monday.

British doctor Sidgi Syed Anwar Abdo Hasson and Omani professor Ali Abdullah Hasan Al Jabri said that they filed the patent application for the invention on Aug. 25, 2017, and the patent was granted by the U.S. Patent Office on April 8, 2019.

The two scientists are from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences with the SQU.

They explained that the invention was a result of more than 16 years of continuous research work involving a wide range of medical-scientific research disciplines accompanied with challenges and disappointments.

They have prepared and tested the HIV therapeutic formula using a female camel as a life factory model for the synthesis of a composition to eradicate HIV.

Both scientists have contributed significantly to the scientific community across the world by publishing papers in well-known journals on HIV/AIDS.

Al Jabri said that the therapeutic formula for eradicating AIDS virus from the body of the patient consists of three main elements in addition to camel milk, which contains antibodies against HIV.

About the possibility of manufacturing, he said there are clinical studies of pharmaceutical companies to examine the effectiveness of treatment, adding that "we are sure 100 percent of its effectiveness and this has already been scientifically proven by experts and committees."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 03:58:20|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday voiced opposition to any unilateral action that escalates tension in the Middle East, either over Palestine or the occupied Golan Heights.

Parties that have influence in the Middle East should play a constructive role and refrain from taking any unilateral action that further escalates the tension in the region, Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told an open debate of the Security Council.

The question of Palestine is at the core of the Middle East issue and the fundamental question for the region. It is the common responsibility of the international community to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Palestinian people, he said.

The international community should promote the settlement of the question of Palestine with a view to establishing a fully sovereign state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital. Any new initiative put forward should be in conformity with the parameters, he said.

"With regard to other hot-spot issues in the Middle East, it is imperative for the international community to remain committed to political settlement, facilitate dialogue and negotiations, manage the situation in a constructive manner, and accommodate the legitimate rights and interests of all parties," he added.

The Syrian Golan is internationally recognized as occupied territory and the UN Security Council has adopted several resolutions calling for Israel's withdrawal from it, said Ma. "China opposes any unilateral action to alter these facts and does not wish to see any further escalation of regional tensions."

U.S. President Donald Trump last month proclaimed the recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981. The move met with widespread international condemnation.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 04:18:24|Editor: Xiaoxia

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Armed personnel in support of the UN-backed Libyan government exchange fire with forces of the east-based army led by Khalifa Haftar, in Espiaa, about 40 kilometers south of Tripoli, Libya, on April 29, 2019. The fighting so far has killed more than 270 people, injured over 1,300 others, and forced more than 38,000 people to flee their homes. (Xinhua/Hamza Turkia)

TRIPOLI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Libya's state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Monday announced that clashes have erupted in Sharara, the country's largest oil field, revealing no details about the fighting parties.

"The NOC strongly condemns the clashes and the attack that took place last night on station number 186 of Sharara field, which involved the use of rocket-propelled grenades," NOC said in a statement.

The corporation confirmed that the attack and clashes caused no casualties, and the daily oil production has not been affected.

NOC demanded an "immediate stop to the violence in all over the country, including in and around the most important energy facilities."

Sharara is located some 900 km south of the capital Tripoli. It has the capacity to produce over 300,000 barrels of crude oil daily.

The corporation's announcement came as the eastern-based army and the UN-backed government are fighting over the control of Tripoli since early April.

The fighting so far has killed more than 270 people, injured over 1,300 others, and forced more than 38,000 people 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 in 2011.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 04:23:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday over the issue of Ankara's purchase of S-400 missile defense system, said the White House.

Trump and Erdogan discussed trade, security concerns in northern Syria, and Turkey's planned purchase of the Russian made S-400 system, according to a White House statement.

Turkish Presidency said in a statement the same day that Erdogan had brought forward the proposal to form a working group concerning the procurement of the S-400 systems from Russia during his phone conversation with Trump.

The White House statement, however, made no mention of the Erdogan's working group proposal.

The United States has been in a feud with Turkey over the latter's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense system.

The United States argued that Russian missiles on Turkish territory could gain valuable intelligence on the technical systems of the U.S.-made stealth F-35 jets expected to be delivered to Ankara in November.

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 system.

On April 3, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned Turkey against purchasing the S-400 system from Russia, despite Ankara's firm stance on the deal.

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.

Washington also reportedly threatened to reject sales of Patriot missiles to Turkey in case of the latter's purchase of Russian systems.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 04:48:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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OTTAWA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Toyota Motor will start to manufacture the Lexus NX SUV in its plant in Cambridge of Canada starting 2022, CTV reported Monday.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada released the news at an event at its Cambridge plant on Monday.

Both a standard and hybrid version of the vehicle will be made in the plant for the North American market.

The company did not specify how much money the company was planning to invest, or how many jobs the new assembly line might mean when it starts.

The new product announcement by Toyota came after Ontario's manufacturing sector had been hit by major job loss announcements in recent months.

General Motors Canada announced last November that it would close its Canada's Oshawa plant by the end of the year at a loss of nearly 3,000 jobs, while Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said in March that it would cut a shift at its Canadian Windsor plant later this year at a loss of about 1,500 jobs.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 04:53:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The head of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Fu Cong on Monday urged the international community to tap the enormous potential of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, at the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

The Chinese envoy said that the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as an inalienable right empowered by the NPT, represent an important means for the international community to meet in unison the challenge of climate change, increase the driving force for global economic development, and achieve green development and the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Promoting cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy is a noble mission in the new era of service development, said Fu, adding that the current round of the NPT review process should step up research on this and try to come up with pragmatic and effective initiatives for cooperation that benefit all parties.

At the same time, such cooperation should not be politicized, and much less should it be used as a tool for major power competition, he noted.

Fu called on all parties to properly balance the relations between nuclear non-proliferation and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and, under the NPT framework, bolster cooperation on nuclear energy and take effective steps to provide developing countries with more resources.

Since 1995, NPT review conferences have produced decisions, action plans, practical steps and measures to improve the effectiveness of the review process itself.

The NPT, signed in 1968 and effective since 1970, is the only treaty that contains legally-binding commitments to pursuing nuclear disarmament. A total of 191 states have joined the treaty.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 05:03:57|Editor: Liangyu

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A visitor views an artwork at the second Belt and Road Afro-Sino Art Exchange Exhibition in National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare, Zimbabwe, April 29, 2019. The second Belt and Road Afro-Sino Art Exchange Exhibition opened in Zimbabwe's capital Harare Monday evening with more than 120 pieces of art from China and Africa on display. (Xinhua/Chen Yaqin)

HARARE, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The second Belt and Road (BRI) Afro-Sino Art Exchange Exhibition opened in Zimbabwe's capital Harare Monday evening with more than 120 pieces of art from China and Africa on display.

More than 21 artists from China are also participating in the exhibition, the brainchild of Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association headquartered in Kenya.

The three-day event is being held in Zimbabwe after the southern African country won the bid to host the prestigious event in Beijing last year where the inaugural edition was held.

In a speech read on his behalf at the opening ceremony of the second BRI art exhibition, Kazembe Kazembe, Zimbabwean acting minister of youth, sport, arts and recreation, said Zimbabwe was proud to host the event which promotes cultural exchange and cooperation between Africa and China.

"As host, Zimbabwe is proud of this new program which we hope will become a permanent feature on our National Gallery calendar of events every year.

"I gratefully commend them (organizers) for this vision and effort of networking our artists. It enhances their visibility, entrenches them in international cooperation and indeed widens their market," the minister said.

The exhibition is running under the theme: "South Meeting the East: A Tale of Two Communities."

Some of the art works on exhibition comprise paintings depicting the peoples of Africa and China and their culture, and are drawn from such countries as China, Kenya, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Kazembe said as part of Zimbabwe government's Vision 2030, the creation of synergies with international organizations through cultural cooperation was important.

"Today we are experiencing South meeting the East, a tale of two communities. This platform helps to create opportunities for the artists from both the South and East to interrogate parallels in their working processes. In addition, artists can exchange information on global discourse."

He said Zimbabwe values the cordial relationship with China while the exhibition at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe further cements cultural exchange programs between China and Africa.

"This privilege affords this second BRI Afro-Sino art exhibition the opportunity to be viewed by a wider audience through educational public programming that involves public and private schools, colleges and universities as well as other international audiences who will visit the gallery to see and experience select art works. This is good for our art," he said.

As part of the event, there will be an art forum for artists to discuss various issues of mutual interest as well as the launch of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chapter of the Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association.

Speaking at the same event, Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Guo Shaochun said the exhibition provides a rare chance for the two sides to showcase their unique strength in art and culture.

He said under the BRI, the Chinese government was attaching greater importance to deepening people to people exchanges, adding that China will in the next five years invite more than 10,000 representatives of political parties, think tanks and NGOs from countries participating in the BRI to share information and experiences.

He said China will engage the Zimbabwe government so that it can in the near future build a Chinese cultural center in Zimbabwe to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

Dean of Academy of Arts and Design at China's Tsinghua University Lu Xiaobo congratulated Zimbabwe for hosting the exhibition, saying China and Africa have great potential to increase cultural cooperation.

Chairperson of the Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association Franklin Asira said the exhibition is a response to China's call for greater cultural cooperation with Africa. He said their organization wants to bring the people of China and Africa more closely through enhanced cultural cooperation.
People carry containers to fill with water from a river in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 31, 2019. (Xinhua/Reuters/Manaure Quintero)

UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Monday that at least 327,000 children from Venezuela are living as migrants and refugees in Colombia, warning that their health, education, protection and well-being will be in jeopardy without increased support.

According to UNICEF's press release, the economic and political situation in Venezuela has caused an estimated 3.7 million Venezuelans to leave their homes for Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and other countries in the region.

Some 1.2 million of them are in Colombia, often living in vulnerable host communities with already overstretched resources, UNICEF added.

UNICEF Director of Communication Paloma Escudero called on the international community to "step up its support and help meet their basic needs" as "more families make the painful decision to leave their homes in Venezuela every day."

Colombia also offered free education to migrant children from Venezuela. More than 130,000 Venezuelan children are enrolled in schools across Colombia today, up from 30,000 in November last year. Nearly 10,000 of these students are in the border town of Cucuta and close to 3,000 of them commute from Venezuela every day to go to school, said UNICEF.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 05:24:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TUNIS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said on Monday that Tunisia will always be the voice of Africa, asserting Tunisia's stance in favor of defending African causes.

"Tunisia is working on consolidating relations of cooperation and partnership between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations," Essebsi said in a statement during a meeting with visiting Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the AU Commission.

According to the statement, Essebsi expressed his thanks to the AU Commission chairman for choosing Tunisia to host the meeting of the members of the Permanent Representatives Committee.

For his part, Mahamat stressed the importance of coordination in resolving conflicts and handling crises in some African countries, including Libya.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 05:54:22|Editor: Xiaoxia

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Rosemary DiCarlo (C, front), United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, addresses a Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East at the UN headquarters in New York, April 29, 2019. Rosemary DiCarlo on Monday deplored the absence of a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warning that the status quo will only lead to further deterioration of the situation. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A senior UN official on Monday deplored the absence of a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warning that the status quo will only lead to further deterioration of the situation.

Under the pressure of violence, settlement expansion, unilateral measures, intra-Palestinian divisions and deepening mutual mistrust, the prospects for a just and lasting peace remains ever more elusive, said Rosemary DiCarlo, UN undersecretary-general for political affairs.

Hopes for the realization of a two-state solution continue to be replaced by the rising fears of future annexation. The possibility of establishing a viable and contiguous Palestinian state continues to be eroded by facts on the ground, she told the Security Council in an open debate.

"The United Nations has repeatedly warned that the conflict cannot be managed in perpetuity. The status quo will only lead to further deterioration of the situation, radicalization on all sides, more suffering and conflict," she said.

DiCarlo reported continued violence between Israelis and Palestinians, a worsening financial crisis for Palestine and a dire humanitarian and economic crisis in Gaza.

"As we mobilize to address the critical needs of the Palestinian population, be it in Gaza or the West Bank, we shall not lose sight of the core political issue, namely the prospect of two peaceful and secure states living side by side in harmony," she said.

"This imperative compels us all to work with the parties, bring them back to the negotiation table and urge them to avoid unilateral actions that undermine the prospect for peace ... However, only determined action by the parties themselves can salvage the two-state solution."

Otherwise, she said, Palestinians and Israelis will continue to live their lives knowing only conflict, mistrust and fear, rather than the infinite possibilities that would come with a just and lasting peace.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 06:24:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who two years ago appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel over investigation into the possible ties between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 U.S. elections, submitted a long-expected resignation letter to Trump on Monday.

His resignation is effective May 11.

"I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education and prosperity," Rosenstein wrote in the letter now widely circulated on the internet. He did not mention the special counsel in his resignation letter.

"Political considerations may influence policy choices, but neutral principals must drive decisions about individual cases," he wrote.

Jeffrey Rosen, currently the No. 2 official at the Transportation Department, is awaiting a likely confirmation by the Senate to succeed Rosenstein.

Local media said Rosenstein had planned to leave the Justice Department shortly after Attorney General William Barr took office in February. However, Barr asked him to stay on for the conclusion of the Mueller probe.

The 448-page redacted Mueller report issued earlier this month stated that there was no evidence that Trump's campaign conspired with the Russian government during the 2016 U.S. presidential election but didn't conclude if the president had obstructed justice.

Mueller instead recounted 10 episodes in his report involving Trump and discussed potential legal theories for connecting these actions to elements of an obstruction offense. It is Barr and Rosenstein who concluded that the special counsel did not have "sufficient" evidence to support a charge in this field.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 06:29:38|Editor: Xiaoxia

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Tarek Milleron (L), uncle of 24-year-old Samya Stumo who was killed on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, protests outside the James Simpson Theatre in the Field Museum of Natural History, where Boeing holds its annual shareholders meeting, in Chicago, the United States, on April 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Joel Lerner)

CHICAGO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Two families filed lawsuits against Boeing in Chicago on Monday over the 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people, the same day when Boeing held its shareholders meeting at the James Simpson Theatre in the Field Museum of Natural History in downtown Chicago.

Manant Vaidya, the plaintiff, lost his father Pannagesh Bhaskar Vaidya, mother Hansini Pannagesh Vaidya, sister Kosha Pannagesh Vaidya, brother-in-law Preritkumar Dixit and two nieces, 14-year-old Ashka Dixit and and 13-year-old Anushka Dixit in the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019.

"I lost three generations of my family, my parents, my sister, my nieces. If a person lost just one life, their whole life is shattered. But right now with me, I'm more like, I don't know. I'm completely lost right now," said Vaidya at a news conference held at the Clifford Law Offices room in downtown Chicago on Monday.

Paul Njoroge, another plaintiff, lost his wife Carolyne Nduta Karanja, mother-in-law Ann Karanja, 6-year-old son Ryan Njoroge Njuguna, 4-year-old daughter Kellie W. Pauls and 9-month-old infant daughter Rubi W. Pauls.

"I stay up all night crying, thinking of the horror that they must have endured as pilots struggled to keep the plane flying for six minutes," he said. "The terror that my wife must have experienced with little Rubi on her lap ... Our two children beside her, crying for their daddy, my mom in law, feeling helplessness, those six minutes will forever be embedded in my mind. I was not there to help them. I couldn't save them."

Njoroge choked several times while reading his statement, Vaidya stood up and walked over to pat him on the back at one point.

Kevin Durkin, a partner at Clifford Law Offices, promised that if Boeing denies its negligence in the crash, his firm would "seek every single email, text message that was between them and the FAA".

Alleged problems with the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) have been widely reported to be a likely contributor to the crashes.

In a written statement published earlier, Boeing President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said, "We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX accidents ... All of us feel the immense gravity of these events across our company and recognize the devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished."

"We've had teams of our top engineers and technical experts working tirelessly in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and our customers to finalize and implement a software update that will ensure accidents like that of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 never happen again," the statement read.

Boeing said it remains confident in the aircraft and has promised software changes to the MCAS function. "It will be among the safest airplanes ever to fly," read the statement from Muilenburg.

Muilenburg disputed the saying that the 737 MAX was rushed to market. "It was a six-year development; 1,600 test-flights of the airplane; 3,700 flight hours of development on the Max, so it was thorough and it was disciplined," he told investors during a Q&A session at Boeing's annual shareholder meeting in Chicago on Monday.

Outside the Field Museum there were six protestors carrying the photographs of crash victims.

Laurie Engel carried photos of Bennet and Melvin Riffel, two brothers from California of the United States who lost their lives during the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash. She told Xinhua that she just wanted to raise the awareness of Boeing and "not to put profit before people's safety".

Tarek Milleron, uncle of 24-year-old Samya Stumo who was killed on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, was among the protestors.

The crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 made headlines around the world, and finally led to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft by European, Asian and American authorities. Boeing's stock lost 20 dollars per share of value since March 11, the day after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, equivalent to a 5 percent drop in the stock price.

The families' lawsuit was filed in the federal district court in Chicago.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 06:34:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday asked the international community to stick to the two-state solution in addressing the Palestinian-Israeli issue, and warned against unilateral action that escalates tension in the region.

The international community should promote the settlement of the question of Palestine with a view to establishing a fully sovereign state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital. Any new initiative put forward should be in conformity with the parameters, said Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

He called for unity of the international community in pushing for an early restart of the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

The settlement construction must stop. Parties concerned should avoid any action or rhetoric that may exacerbate the situation, or any move that may undermine trust, so as to create the necessary conditions for the early resumption of dialogue, Ma told an open debate of the Security Council.

Parties that have influence in the Middle East should play a constructive role and refrain from taking any unilateral action that further escalates the tension in the region, said the Chinese ambassador.

He also asked for efforts to promote intra-Palestinian reconciliation and to actively explore new ways to facilitate peace in the Middle East so as to bring the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks out of the deadlock.

He asked the international community to pay close attention to and work to improve the economic and humanitarian situation of the Palestinians.

The question of Palestine is at the core of the Middle East issue and the fundamental question for the region. It is the common responsibility of the international community to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Palestinian people, said Ma.

"With regard to other hot-spot issues in the Middle East, it is imperative for the international community to remain committed to political settlement, facilitate dialogue and negotiations, manage the situation in a constructive manner, and accommodate the legitimate rights and interests of all parties," he added.

The Syrian Golan is internationally recognized as occupied territory and the UN Security Council has adopted several resolutions calling for Israel's withdrawal from it, said Ma. "China opposes any unilateral action to alter these facts and does not wish to see any further escalation of regional tensions."

U.S. President Donald Trump last month proclaimed the recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981. The move has been met with widespread international condemnation.

Development provides the fundamental guarantee for the realization of peace, said the Chinese ambassador.

In mid-April, China hosted the second China-Arab Forum on Reform and Development, and days ago, it successfully hosted the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, he said. "These events witnessed active participation by the Middle Eastern and Arab countries."

China stands ready to leverage the extensive participation in the Belt and Road Initiative to strengthen cooperation, dock their development strategies, and seek win-win results with regional countries, and to provide opportunities and platform for development in the Middle East so as to jointly build a community of shared future for mankind, said Ma.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 06:49:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ANKARA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- China's commitment at the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing to promote green development is "an inspiring move," said Turkish experts.

"Such a strong commitment by China to the green cause and sustainable development is frankly a real inspiring move," said Selcuk Colakoglu, director of Turkish Center for Asia Pacific Studies.

"China is becoming a model for most of the Asian countries which are struggling for a more viable environment, such as India," said Colakoglu, a professor on international relations.

At the three-day BRF which ended on Saturday, China has made clear its commitments to incorporate green strategies by releasing the Guidelines on Promoting Green Belt and Road and the Belt and Road Ecological Cooperation Plan. These documents outline a vision for sustainability.

China also promised to address climate change with more developing countries, a point welcomed by experts.

"China has made it clear that it sees the green cause as a strategic goal for sustainable development and setting a norm in this field and, in this context, is leading the way for other countries which don't have a good record in environmental issues," pointed out Colakoglu.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa through the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.

Turkey is a keen participant to the massive project and supports the multi-dimensional connectivity network that the BRI promotes.

Many countries are expected to bring up their national climate plans ahead of the 2020 deadline agreed by the international community under the Paris Agreement, and promoting the green cause is an effective way to reach younger generations and explain them the meaning of the BRI in this respect, noted Colakoglu.

"Green policies demonstrate how the BRI is a comprehensive and modern project," remarked this expert, indicating that the "self-confidence that China has demonstrated in this regard is admirable."

While the United States is pulling out from international treaties on environment such as the Paris Agreement, China, on the contrary, is heeding to international concerns and adopting a responsible stance on green growth, said Altay Atli, lecturer at Istanbul's Koc University and an expert on Asia-Pacific.

"We see an important effort by China as the country and its administration are conscious that there can not be sustainable development without clean energy," he pointed out.

The expert also noted that the BRI constituted an opportunity for inclusiveness as it is committed to common development by following established international rules.

"This means that if we want to save the planet, we are obligated to work together, and China is determined to lead the way for environmental issues because it is aware that the green cause is a condition sine qua non for development," added Atli.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 06:54:46|Editor: Lu Hui

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WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. destroyer U.S.S. Ross conducted a joint naval exercise with Turkish vessels and aircraft in the Black Sea on Saturday, the U.S. Navy said in a statement on Monday.

The statement noted that the U.S. Navy routinely practices with allies and partners in the Black Sea, thereby enhancing regional maritime stability, combined readiness and naval capability.

Earlier this month, NATO foreign ministers in Washington agreed on a series of measures to counter Russia in the Black Sea region.

Five NATO warships took part in an annual Romania-led naval exercise Sea Shield 2019 in the Black Sea, which ended in mid-April.

In response, Russia's Black Sea Fleet conducted a series of drills parallel to the Sea Shield 2019.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said earlier that NATO had "gone too far" in forging confrontation with Russia.
File photo taken on June 19, 2017 shows a Boeing 737 MAX 9 at the 52nd International Paris Air and Space Show in Bourget, France. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

CHICAGO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Two families filed lawsuits against Boeing in Chicago on Monday over the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crash, the same day when Boeing held its shareholders meeting at the James Simpson Theatre in the Field Museum of Natural History in downtown Chicago.

Manant Vaidya, the plaintiff, lost his father Pannagesh Bhaskar Vaidya, mother Hansini Pannagesh Vaidya, sister Kosha Pannagesh Vaidya, brother-in-law Preritkumar Dixit and two nieces, 14-year-old Ashka Dixit and and 13-year-old Anushka Dixit in the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March.

"I lost three generations of my family, my parents, my sister, my nieces. If a person lost just one life, their whole life is shattered. But right now with me, I'm more like, I don't know. I'm completely lost right now," said Vaidya at a news conference held at the Clifford Law Offices room in downtown Chicago on Monday.

Paul Njoroge, another plaintiff, lost his wife Carolyne Nduta Karanja, mother-in-law Ann Karanja, 6-year-old son Ryan Njoroge Njuguna, 4-year-old daughter Kellie W. Pauls and 9-month-old infant daughter Rubi W. Pauls.

"I stay up all night crying, thinking of the horror that they must have endured as pilots struggled to keep the plane flying for six minutes," he said. "The terror that my wife must have experienced with little Rubi on her lap ... Our two children beside her, crying for their daddy, my mom in law, feeling helplessness, those six minutes will forever be embedded in my mind. I was not there to help them. I couldn't save them."

Njoroge choked several times while reading his statement, Vaidya stood up and walked over to pat him on the back at one point.

Kevin Durkin, a partner at Clifford Law Offices, promised that if Boeing denies its negligence in the crash, his firm would "seek every single email, text message that was between them and the FAA."

The crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines 302, killing a combined 346 people on board, made headlines around the world, and finally led to the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft by European, Asian and American authorities. Boeing's stock lost 20 dollars per share of value since March 11, the day after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, equivalent to a 5 percent drop in the stock price.



Alleged problems with the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) have been widely reported to be a likely contributor to the crashes.

In a written statement published earlier, Boeing President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said, "We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX accidents ... All of us feel the immense gravity of these events across our company and recognize the devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished."

"We've had teams of our top engineers and technical experts working tirelessly in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and our customers to finalize and implement a software update that will ensure accidents like that of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 never happen again," the statement read.

Boeing said it remains confident in the aircraft and has promised software changes to the MCAS function. "It will be among the safest airplanes ever to fly," read the statement from Muilenburg.

Muilenburg disputed the saying that the 737 Max was rushed to market. "It was a six-year development; 1,600 test-flights of the airplane; 3,700 flight hours of development on the Max, so it was thorough and it was disciplined," he told investors during a Q&A session at Boeing's annual shareholder meeting in Chicago on Monday.

Outside the Field Museum there were six protestors carrying the photographs of crash victims.

Laurie Engel carried photos of Bennet and Melvin Riffel, two brothers from California of the United States who lost their lives during the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash. She told Xinhua that she just wanted to raise the awareness of Boeing and "not to put profit before people's safety".

Tarek Milleron, uncle of 24-year-old Samya Stumo who was killed on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, was among the protesters.

The families' lawsuit was filed in the federal district court in Chicago.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 08:04:54|Editor: Xiang Bo

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A Long March 4B carrier rocket, with two Tianhui II-01 satellites, lifts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, April 30, 2019. China successfully sent two Tianhui II-01 satellites into orbit at 6:52 a.m. Beijing Time Tuesday (1052 GMT Monday) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The satellites will be used for scientific experiments, land resource survey, geographic survey and mapping. (Xinhua/Liu Qiaoming)

TAIYUAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- China successfully sent two Tianhui II-01 satellites into orbit at 6:52 a.m., Beijing Time, Tuesday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province.

The satellites were launched by a Long March 4B carrier rocket, which was the 303rd mission of the Long March series carrier rockets.

The satellites will be used for scientific experiments, land resource survey, geographic survey and mapping.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 08:09:57|Editor: Lu Hui

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RIO DE JANEIRO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Guangzhou Evergrande loanee Ricardo Goulart will be sidelined for at least two months after suffering a knee injury while playing for Palmeiras, the Brazilian club's medical staff said on Monday.

Goulart was forced off the pitch in the first half of Palmeiras' 4-0 home win over newly promoted Fortaleza in the opening round of the Brazilian Serie A season on Sunday.

Scans revealed the 27-year-old requires arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus of his right knee. He underwent keyhole surgery on the same knee late last year for an unrelated cartilage injury.

Goulart's loan spell with Palmeiras - the reigning Brazilian Serie A champions - is due to expire in December.

Capped once for Brazil's national team, Goulart is the only two-time winner of the Chinese Super League's player of the year award, having taken the accolade in 2015 and 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 08:25:05|Editor: Lu Hui

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DHAKA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Members of Bangladesh's major opposition party have, in a surprise move, taken the oath of office.

Bangladesh's Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury swore in the four lawmakers at a ceremony in the capital Dhaka on Monday.

Ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) which suffered the most lopsided loss in its political history since 1978 won only six seats in the December 2018 parliament polls and skipped the Jan. 3 oath-taking ceremony.

Eight MPs from Khaleda Zia's BNP-led major opposition alliance skipped the oath-taking ceremony of new lawmakers.

Also they did not attend a ceremony where Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sworn in on Jan. 7 for her third straight five-year term.

Another BNP-lawmaker elect took oath as MP on April 25 against the party's former decision of not joining parliament.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was the only influential leader of the party who won the election.

Fakhrul, who opted out despite four MPs-elect of his party took oath on Monday, said MPs-elect took oath of office on instructions from BNP acting chief in exile Tarique Rahman, the elder son of BNP chief Khaleda Zia, who has been staying in London since 2008.

BNP rejected the 2018 election results, alleging various irregularities.

According to the Election Commission Gazette, Awami League (AL) led by Hasina won 257 out of 300 seats, more than enough for her party to form a straight third five-year term government since January 2009 after ruling the country in 1996-2001.

BNP was the ruling party in Bangladesh for two terms -- 1991-1996 and 2001-2006 -- since the country's return to civilian government in 1991.

AL's key ally in the elections Jatiya Party won 20 seats while BNP's ally Gono Forum managed only two seats.

Ex-PM Khaleda Zia, also chairperson of BNP, who has been in jail since February last year in a corruption case could not join the polls.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 09:00:12|Editor: Lu Hui

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WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The White House said Monday that it is currently reviewing the past writings of Stephen Moore, who was picked by U.S. President Donald Trump to serve on the Federal Reserve Board.

"Certainly we're reviewing those comments and when we have an update on that front we'll let you know," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters outside the White House, in response to a question about Moore's controversial writings, which have come under scrutiny recently.

CNN, among others, has reported about Moore's past comments disparaging women. In a 2000 column, Moore criticized female athletes advocating for pay equality, saying that they wanted "equal pay for inferior work."

Sanders' remarks came shortly after Moore on Sunday accused several reporters of waging a "smear campaign" against him.

Moore on Sunday told ABC's program "This Week" that he was "apologetic" for the content of some of the humor columns he wrote years ago that have recently sparked controversy, but argued that the focus for the Fed board nomination should be on his economic qualifications.

Larry Kudlow, the director of the White House National Economic Council, reaffirmed the administration's support for Moore on Monday, adding that he is going through the vetting process.

In March, Trump offered a Fed board seat to his former campaign adviser Moore, who has criticized the Fed's tight-money policy, calling it 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, is also the author of the book "Trumponomics: Inside the America First Plan to Revive our Economy."

Some are concerned that the nomination of Moore, who holds similar views with the president, might undermine the Fed's independence.

Moore has also faced mounting criticism after court documents filed in 2018 surfaced in late March showed that he owed 75,000 U.S. dollars in unpaid federal taxes, interest and penalties.

There are currently two vacancies on the seven-member Fed board, and nominations have to be approved by the Senate.

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, also considered a Trump loyalist, withdrew himself from consideration for a spot on the Fed Board last week after a bipartisan pushback.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 10:00:52|Editor: Xiaoxia

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WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday asked the Senate to ratify the treaty protocol confirming North Macedonia as the 30th member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

"I transmit herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to its ratification, the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia," Trump wrote in a letter to the Senate, according to the White House.

Trump noted in the letter that North Macedonia is a security partner of the United States, and its NATO membership will directly benefit U.S. strategic interests and the NATO Alliance.

"I ask that the Senate provide its advice and consent," Trump wrote at the end of the letter.

North Macedonia will become a full NATO member after parliaments of the 29 NATO members approve its entry.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 10:21:54|Editor: Liangyu

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Aerial photo taken on April 29, 2019 shows the box girder installation site of Chengjiang bridge on the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway in Du'an, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. With a total length of 512 kilometers, of which 482 kilometers is newly constructed, the railway line will cut travel time from Nanning to Guiyang from over 10 hours to 2 and half hours. With a designed maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the line is expected to go into service in 2023. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 10:41:26|Editor: Lu Hui

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BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The May Fourth Movement, with its mighty force, inspired the ambition and confidence of the Chinese people and nation to realize national rejuvenation, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday at a gathering to commemorate the centenary of the movement.

The movement was a great patriotic and revolutionary campaign pioneered by advanced young intellectuals and participated by the people from all walks of life to resolutely fight imperialism and feudalism, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

It was a great social revolutionary movement launched by the Chinese people to save the nation from subjugation, safeguard national dignity and pool national strength together, Xi said.

It was also a great enlightenment and new cultural movement of disseminating new thought, new culture and new knowledge, Xi said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 10:46:40|Editor: Xiaoxia

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HAVANA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Cuba and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on mutual visa exemptions, according to Cuban local media.

The MoU was signed by Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anayansi Rodriguez and UAE's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Yacoub Yousef Hassan Al Hosani, said the Cuban News Agency (ACN).

Before signing the memorandum, Rodriguez reiterated Cuba's willingness to develop bilateral ties and strengthen cooperation with the UAE during her meeting with Al Hosani, who is on a work visit to Havana, said the ACN.

Cuba and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 2002.

In 2015, the two sides signed an agreement on air services. Last year, both countries agreed to boost economic and commercial exchanges.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 11:01:57|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged Chinese youth of the new era to love their country ardently, saying the essence of patriotism is having unified love for the country, the Communist Party of China, and socialism.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that young Chinese of the new era should follow the instructions and guidance of the Party, and remain dedicated to the country and the people.

Xi made the remarks in a speech delivered at a gathering to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 11:17:13|Editor: Xiaoxia

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SYDNEY, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Virgin Australia has drastically decreased and deferred its upcoming order of 38 new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, the company's Chief Executive Paul Scurrah informed the Australian Securities Exchange on Tuesday.

Plagued with software faults that are suspected of playing a role in two recent airline tragedies, Virgin Australia will take just 23 of the troubled aircraft with the delivery date pushed back from November this year to February 2025.

"Safety is always the number one priority for Virgin Australia," Scurrah said.

"As we have previously stated, we will not introduce any new aircraft to the fleet unless we are completely satisfied with its safety."

Concerns about the plane were first brought to public light in October last year, when a domestic Lion Air flight in Indonesia crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 189 people on board.

In March 2019, a second Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines in Africa and bound for Kenya's Nairobi also went down moments after takeoff, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew members.

With aviation experts around the world fearing the aircraft's newly installed Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which automatically lowers the nose of the plane in the event of an imminent stall, could be at fault, a number of countries took steps to ground the aircraft in the interest of safety.

Although Virgin Australia has decided to cut their 737 MAX 8 order, the airline has agreed to increase its request for 737 MAX 10 aircraft.

The company is now set to take 25 of the aircraft, bringing forward the scheduled delivery from January 2022 to July 2021.

"We are confident in Boeing's commitment to returning the 737 MAX to service safely and as a long-term partner of Boeing, we will be working with them through this process," Scurrah said.

"The revised timing also results in the number of positive commercial benefits for the Group."

"This includes a significant deferral of capital expenditure by extending the use of existing aircraft given the relatively young age of our fleet along with providing the Group earlier access to the superior operating economics of the MAX 10 aircraft."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 11:17:15|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said Chinese youth of the new era should be grateful to the Party, the country, the society and the people.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a gathering marking the centenary of the May Fourth Movement in Beijing.

He asked young people to nurture and practise core socialist values, and guard against wrong ideas such as money worship, hedonism, extreme individualism and historical nihilism.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 12:17:38|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Rescuers work at the accident site in Qingyuan City, south China's Guangdong Province, April 30, 2019. Four people were confirmed dead and two remained missing after a flood hit a village in Guangdong Monday night, local authorities said Tuesday. A wooden shed was buried by a landslide after a rain-triggered flood hit Niujiao Village in Jitian Township, Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County in the city of Qingyuan around 9 p.m. on Monday, according to the city's emergency management bureau. After receiving the report of the accident, the county government dispatched rescuers to the site at 10:20 p.m. As of 11 p.m., four people were found dead and two injured. The injured are being treated in hospital. Rescuers are still searching for the missing. (Xinhua)

GUANGZHOU, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Four people were confirmed dead and two remained missing after a flood hit a village in south China's Guangdong Province Monday night, local authorities said Tuesday.

A wooden shed was buried by a landslide after a rain-triggered flood hit Niujiao Village in Jitian Township, Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County in the city of Qingyuan around 9 p.m. on Monday, according to the city's emergency management bureau.

After receiving the report of the accident, the county government dispatched rescuers to the site at 10:20 p.m. As of 11 p.m., four people were found dead and two injured.

The injured are being treated in hospital. Rescuers are still searching for the missing.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 12:27:42|Editor: Xiaoxia

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MUMBAI, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Employees of India's embattled airline Jet Airways have put forth a proposal to take control of the ailing airline by infusing 7,000 crore rupees (1 billion U.S. dollars).

Under the proposal submitted to the lead lender - State Bank of India, the employees plan to put up capital through stock options worth 572.8 million U.S. dollars and another 429.6 million U.S. dollars raised from external investors.

The airline, which has an outstanding debt of around 1 billion U.S. dollars, had suspended its operations on April 17 due to fund scarcity to run its operations.

The letter addressed to the bank chairman said, "The contribution from employees would be realized from their future earnings and increased productivity ... As per our initial estimate, the contribution of employees group over a hypothetical 5-year Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) is likely to be upward of 572.8 million U.S. dollars. In addition, we are confident of securing up to 429.6 million U.S. dollars from outside investors."

"It is realistic to understand that the employees would not have the cash or credit needed to buy the company outright. The contribution from employees would be realized from their future earnings and increased productivity, a value that can be quantified in advance with a fair degree of certainty," the letter added.

The last date for submission of bids has already ended on April 12 and the list of shortlisted bidders will be finalized by May 10.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 12:42:52|Editor: Xiaoxia

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SYDNEY, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A state commission into the drug, crystal methamphetamine, has arrived at one of New South Wales hardest hit areas to witness first hand the devastation of small town communities.

Commissioner Dan Howard arrived in Wagga Wagga on Tuesday to visit treatment centers and hear from ex-users and health professionals about their experiences with the drug, popularly known as "ice."

The inquiry began in Sydney last month but Howard says that regional communities have been the most affected.

"It is important that the commission hears directly from people in our regions about the impacts of crystal methamphetamine, the availability of services and strategies to reduce harm to individuals and communities," Howard said.

A 2016 study found that only one in 70 Australians had used methamphetamine in the past year however the drugs unusually severe side effects mean its impact has been widespread.

At the opening of the inquiry last month, counsel assisting the commission, Sally Dowling, described ice as highly addictive and devastating to a person's social, mental and physical wellbeing.

Chronic use of crystal methamphetamine can cause the collapse of the user's health, Dowling said.

It is sometimes associated with amphetamine-induced psychosis that, in extreme cases, may manifest in paranoia and violence and sometimes... tragically, in suicidal behavior."

Members of the public have been encouraged to make submissions to the inquiry based on their experiences and suggestions in fixing the problem.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 12:47:58|Editor: Xiaoxia

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HAVANA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Monday dismissed recent U.S. allegations that Cuba is aiding embattled Venezuela with military troops.

"With nearly 800 bases and hundreds of thousands of troops around the world, U.S. is accusing Cuba of having military personnel in Venezuela," Diaz-Canel said via Twitter.

The accusation makes "a mockery of the world" and is "an insult to two sovereign nations," said the president.

Washington alleges that Havana has thousands of intelligence and security forces in Venezuela to shore up Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government, which Washington is openly seeking to oust from power.

On April 17, U.S. President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a speech in Miami that Cuba had sent special troops to the border between Venezuela and Colombia, an accusation that was categorically denied by the island.

That same day, the White House announced a new round of punitive measures against Havana. Washington also announced a cap on remittances to the island and restrictions on non-family-related travel, a move that could affect American cruise companies and airlines that sail or fly to the island.

Currently around 20,000 Cubans, mostly doctors and healthcare workers, work in Venezuela as part of a cooperation agreement, which dates back to 2000.

U.S.-Cuba ties have deteriorated under Trump, who has rolled back the detente initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 13:38:25|Editor: Lu Hui

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Boeing Company CEO and Chairman Dennis Muilenburg told shareholders Monday that the company is close to completing an update to a flight control software of 737 MAX aircraft following two separate, deadly air crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in six months.

Muilenburg said Boeing engineers and technical experts have been "working tirelessly in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and our customers to finalize and implement a software update" to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a key flight control software on 737 MAX airplanes.

"We're making steady progress on the path to certification, having completed the official engineering test flight of the software -- the final technical flight test prior to the certification flight," he said at Boeing's annual shareholders meeting on Monday.

Muilenburg said the update will prevent 737 MAX from reading erroneous signals from the aircraft's sensors to trigger a stall event caused by activation of MCAS, which was blamed in an initial investigation as one of the factors for the fatal crashes of Indonesia Lion Air Flight 610 on Oct. 29, 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10 this year.

Both accidents killed all the 346 people on board the two flights.

The Boeing CEO promised to hold "the highest standards of safety, quality and integrity in our work," which are the core values of the world's largest aircraft manufacturer.

"We don't make safety features optional. Safety has been and always will be our top priority, and every one of our airplanes includes all of the safety features necessary for safe flight," he said.

He noted that Boeing will do everything possible to win back trust and confidence from airline pilots, other staff members and customers in the safety of 737 MAX aircraft, which have been grounded worldwide since mid-March.

Boeing remains confident in the aircraft, he said. "It will be among the safest airplanes ever to fly."

The Boeing shareholders' event coincided with a meeting of the U.S. FAA in Seattle to review its certification of MCAS with aviation regulators from around the world.

The FAA said the meeting evaluates aspects of the original certification of the Boeing 737 MAX's automated flight control system.

"The FAA will continue to share its technical experience and knowledge to support the international aviation community over the next three months" with representatives of nine civil aviation authorities across the globe, said the U.S. aviation regulator.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 14:18:45|Editor: Liangyu

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HAVANA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- China will assume greater responsibilities with an aim to make more contributions to the improvement of global governance, China's Ambassador to Cuba Chen Xi said on Monday.

"We are aware of our responsibility to contribute to a new world order, just and orderly global governance," the diplomat said in a conference with experts and academics from Cuba's Center for International Policy Research (CIPI). "This is a fundamental principle for Chinese diplomacy."

Chen said that China intends to actively participate in the reform and development of the new global system, and advocates for greater democracy and law in international relations.

According to Chen, China is dedicated to supporting the United Nations to play an active role and encouraging other developing nations to increase their representation and voice in global affairs.

The diplomat said China would continue to follow the path of peaceful development and foster cooperation in search of shared benefits.

"China will work to strengthen unity and cooperation with other countries in order to create a network of comprehensive, diverse and multidimensional global partners," said Chen.

According to the ambassador, China will also uphold the defense of the international system with multilateralism as a premise.

In this sense, said the diplomat, it's important to maintain good relations with developed nations while enhancing links with developing states.

Citing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as the embodiment of China's contributions to the world, he said the BRI's primary goal of interconnecting the world has received widespread acceptance in the international community and already yielded tangible results.

"The cooperation of the Belt and Road Initiative is a new path of state-to-state relations based on dialogue instead of confrontation, partnership rather than alliances and mutual learning and enrichment," said Chen.

The initiative supports a multilateral trading system and embraces more "open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial" economic globalization, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 14:18:47|Editor: Xiaoxia

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TOKYO, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Emperor Akihito will abdicate at the end of Tuesday marking the end of the three-decade long Heisei Era and the first time a monarch here has left the Chrysanthemum Throne within their lifetime in more than 200 years.

Akihito, 85, who performed his last rituals at the Imperial Palace earlier in the day, including reporting his abdication to his ancestors, will make his last speech to the public later in the day.

Prior to this, he will receive words of appreciation from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as representative of the general public.

Crown Prince Naruhito, 59, will accede to the throne on Wednesday.

Some members of the public gathered in front of the Imperial Palace to pay their respects, offer gratitude and messages of good will to the out going emperor.

They gathered despite the inclement weather, with many wishing to mark the last day of the Heisei Era under the current emperor, which will formally end at midnight when the emperor steps down.

Era names, or "gengo" as they are known in Japanese, are used in Japan for the length of a monarch's reign.

The new era name, Reiwa, meaning beautiful harmony, was announced by the government on April 1.

New era names are usually announced after the accession of the new monarch, but the government decided to announce the new name in advance of the accession of the new emperor.

This was so companies and the general public had time to prepare for the change and disruption would be kept to a minimum.

The Japanese premiere at the time said that the government wanted to select a name that conveys the heralding of a "new era full of hope."

Abe said the new era name was decided upon as it connotes "people's hearts coming together beautifully to nurture a culture."

"The name Reiwa means that culture is born and grows when people come together and care for each other beautifully," Abe said.

He also said he hoped the new era ahead would be one that held great promise for the younger generations.

"Heisei," the name of the current era, means "achieving peace" and began on Jan. 8, 1989, the day after Emperor Hirohito, the current emperor's father died.

Emperor Akihito was the first monarch enthroned under Japan's post-war Constitution that defines the role of the monarch as a merely a "symbol of the State."

Japan's 85-year-old emperor, Japan's 125th according to the traditional order of succession, expressed his desire to step down, however, in a rare video message broadcast in 2016.

During the video message he expressed his concern that owing to his age he might not be able to fulfill his official duties.

A year later, the parliament passed a one-off bill enabling him to do so.
NC study: Warmer water linked to higher proportion of male flounder

If southern flounder live in warmer water during a critical window of early development, a higher percentage become male - more than 90 percent in some cases - research from North Carolina State University found. Having a high proportion of adult males over the long term could threaten both wild populations and the valuable commercial fishing industry, which depends on larger female flounder.

Field research and lab experiments showed that a four-degree Celsius difference in average water temperature during juvenile development shifted the male-female ratio from about 50-50 to as much as 94-6, says Jamie Honeycutt, an NC State postdoctoral researcher and lead author of an article about the research in Scientific Reports. That difference is within the range of expected ocean temperature increases under climate change models.

Environmental factors such as water temperature influence sex determination in southern flounder, as well as in other fish and reptiles, Honeycutt explains. Flounder stick to shallow waters that serve as nurseries until after they become male or a female, hanging around estuaries until reaching maturity before returning to the ocean to spawn at about age 2.

"We think that southern flounder have a genetic sex-determining system similar to humans, who have two X chromosomes for a female and an X and a Y for a male. In flounder, if an individual is a genetic male, it is destined to be male," Honeycutt says. "However, if a genetic female is exposed to temperature extremes, then it can develop as a functioning male."

Environmental sex determination could allow flounder to do better under adverse conditions by producing more males, which are smaller and use fewer resources. But if the male bias persists in adult flounder, that could be bad news for wild populations and commercial and recreational fishing.

"Flounder fisheries are really totally dependent on females because males rarely make it to catch and market sizes," Honeycutt says. "Whenever you're eating a flounder in a restaurant, it is almost always a female flounder. So, the concern is that if populations are masculinized there will be fewer females to produce new flounder, further stressing this female-dependent fishery."

From 2014 to 2017, researchers monitored spring and summer water temperatures in three regions: along Pamlico Sound (the northern region), the Neuse River (an intermediate zone) and Mill Creek (the southern region).

Sites in the northern region, where the average water temperature was 23 degrees Celsius, produced the greatest proportion of female flounder, closest to an even number of males and females. Those in the southern region, where the average water temperature was 27 degrees Celsius, had up to 94 percent male flounder. Proportions in the intermediate zone fell in between, showing a temperature gradient from north to south.

Because of the small size of juvenile flounder, scientists used a molecular biomarker developed from previous NC State research to determine sex. A follow-up experiment duplicated those conditions in tanks.

"What we wanted to do was mimic those temperature profiles in the laboratory when everything else was held constant to see if we could produce similar sex ratios," Honeycutt says. "And that's exactly what we found."

Researchers were not able to track flounder through the life cycle in the wild to confirm that the biased sex ratios persist.

"One thing we can't say is exactly how this translates into changes in the adult population, because flounder move around a lot following juvenile development," says co-author John Godwin, an NC State biological sciences professor. "However, the southern flounder fishery has been listed in 'concerned' status for many years, so anything we can do to improve management tools and help it recover will be valuable."

Southern flounder is North Carolina's most valuable finfish, and it and related species are important coastal species in the Atlantic and Pacific, says co-author Russell Borski, an NC State biological sciences professor.

"We want to track the southern flounder population along the north-south gradient across the Southeast United States to see what's happening to the entire population, in Georgia and South Carolina versus North Carolina. We want to see whether the species is able to adapt to rising water temperatures by shifting its habitat."

###

The study appears in Scientific Reports. The work was supported by NC State's College of Sciences and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, N.C. Sea Grant, and private local landowners.

Note: An abstract of the paper follows.

"Warmer waters masculinize wild populations of a fish with temperature-dependent sex determination"

Authors: J.L. Honeycutt, C.A. Deck, S.C. Miller, M.E. Severance, E.B. Atkins, J.A. Luckenbach, J.A.Buckel, H.V. Daniels, J.A. Rice, R.J. Borski and J. Godwin

Published: Scientific Reports

DOI: https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41598-019-42944-x

Abstract: Southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) exhibit environmental sex determination (ESD), where environmental factors can influence phenotypic sex during early juvenile development but only in the presumed XX female genotype. Warm and cold temperatures masculinize fish with mid-range conditions producing at most 50% females. Due to sexually dimorphic growth, southern flounder fisheries are dependent upon larger females. Wild populations could be at risk of masculinization from ESD due to globally increasing water temperatures. We evaluated the effects of habitat and temperature on wild populations of juvenile southern flounder in North Carolina, USA. While northern habitats averaged temperatures near 23 degrees C and produced the greatest proportion of females, more southerly habitats exhibited warmer temperatures (>27 degrees C) and consistently produced male-biased sex ratios (up to 94% male). Rearing flounder in the laboratory under temperature regimes mimicking those of natural habitats recapitulated sex ration differences observed across the wild populations, providing strong evident that temperature is a key factor influencing sex ratios in nursery habitats. These studies provide evidence of habitat conditions interacting with ESD to affect a key demographic parameter in an economically important fishery. The temperature ranges that yield male-biased sex ratios are within the scope of predicted increases in ocean temperature under climate change.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 14:44:00|Editor: Xiaoxia

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WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon confirmed on late Monday that one U.S. soldier has died in a non-combat related incident in Syria.

The soldier, who was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, died on Monday in Kobani, north Syria, of wounds sustained from a non-combat related incident, said the U.S. Defense Department in a statement.

The soldier was in Syria supporting Operation Inherent Resolve by the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS), the statement added.

The U.S. military has seen multiple non-combat related deaths in the Middle East this month. A soldier from the 4th Infantry Division died in Taji, north of Iraqi capital Baghdad on April 23. Days earlier, a soldier from the 101st Airborne Division died in Iraq's Ninawa province.

The Pentagon said that the prior two incidents were under investigation.

Washington claimed the "liberation" of all territories controlled by the IS in Syria and Iraq in late March. U.S. President Donald Trump had confirmed that a small fraction of U.S. forces would remain in Syria with troops from other countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 15:04:06|Editor: xuxin

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WELLINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand police located a package containing a suspected explosive device and ammunition at a vacant address on Newcastle Street in Christchurch, a police statement said on Tuesday.

A 33-year-old man was arrested and is currently speaking to the police regarding the incident.

Houses on Newcastle, Glasgow and Harrow streets were being evacuated as a precaution.

The New Zealand Defence Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, fire, emergency and ambulance services were also in place. A no-fly zone was in place over the area.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 15:14:16|Editor: xuxin

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Boeing Company denied on Monday that it had intentionally deactivated an alert feature linked to the angle of attack (AOA) indicator on its 737 MAX airplanes.

The denial came in the wake of media reports alleging the top U.S. aircraft maker had failed to disclose the sensors were turned off before two fatal air crashes in six months.

Boeing said the disagree alert was included as a standard feature on the 737 MAX aircraft, which has not been considered a safety feature on airplanes and is not necessary for the safe operation of the airplane.

"Boeing did not intentionally or otherwise deactivate the disagree alert on its MAX airplanes," said the company, adding the disagree alert was intended to be a standard, stand-alone feature on MAX airplanes.

It explained that the feature was not "activated as intended," and it is "not operable on all airplanes" unless an airline opts for the angle of attack indicator.

All Boeing-recommended pilot actions, checklists and training are based upon primary indicators available in the flight deck and on the flight deck display, instead of the AOA indicator, Boeing said.

It added that all newly-delivered aircraft in the future will "have an activated and operable disagree alert and an optional angle of attack indicator," while the existing ones will have the same functionality feature via a maintenance service update.

Boeing has been plunged in its deepest crisis in years since initial investigations found erroneous readings from a key flight control software involving AOA sensor information were blamed in part for two fatal air crashes of the 737 MAX airplanes in October last year and in March this year.

The two tragedies killed all the 346 people on board the two separate flights of Indonesia Lion Air Flight 610 on Oct. 29, 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 last month.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 15:19:18|Editor: xuxin

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Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (L) and Myanmar's State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi inspect the guard of honor in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 30, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Lay)

PHNOM PENH, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday rolled out its red carpet for Myanmar's State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi on her official visit to the kingdom in order to boost bilateral ties.

Suu Kyi was warmly greeted by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen with a brass band and guard of honor at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.

The two leaders held talks with a focus on cooperation in economics, culture, tourism, religion and education, Eang Sophalleth, an assistant to Hun Sen, told reporters after the meeting.

"Both sides agreed to promote these important sectors and entrusted the relevant ministers of the two countries to continue working together to boost cooperation in these sectors," he said.

Meanwhile, Hun Sen also announced to provide 10 scholarships to Myanmar students for the academic year 2019-2020 and thanked Myanmar for allowing Cambodia to build a Buddhist monastery there and offering scholarships to Cambodian monks, the assistant said.

To date, 94 Cambodian Buddhist monks have graduated their studies from Myanmar, he added.

Trade and investment relations between the two countries are still relatively weak. In terms of tourism, some 22,500 Myanmar visitors came to Cambodia in 2018, an 18 percent rise year-on-year, according to Cambodian tourism data.

Suu Kyi said this was her first visit to Cambodia and she was confident that through the visit, the bilateral relations would be further strengthened and expanded, according to Sophalleth.

Suu Kyi arrived in Cambodia on Monday for a three-day visit.

She is scheduled to pay courtesy calls on Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and other leaders on Tuesday afternoon before flying to northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, where she will visit the Angkor Archeological Park, a world heritage site.

Cambodia and Myanmar established diplomatic relations in 1955.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 15:34:30|Editor: xuxin

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JERUSALEM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel blamed on Tuesday the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad group of launching a rocket toward Israel on Monday night.

Ronen Manelis, a spokesman with the Israeli military, said the rocket was "a deliberate fire by the Islamic Jihad," adding the rocket landed in the sea, a few km from Israel's shore.

According to Manelis, the Palestinian militant group has been attempting to spark more tensions in order to sabotage the cease-fire efforts between Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian movement that runs the Gaza Strip, and Israel.

Meanwhile, an army statement said Baha Abu al-Ata, commander of Islamic Jihad Movement in the northern region, was behind the attempted attack, in an unusual move in which Israel blames a specific person for a rocket fire from Gaza.

The Israeli army believes al-Ata has been operating under orders from Islamic Jihad's chief, Ziad Nahala.

Following the incident, the office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories ordered to reduce the fishing zone for Gaza's fishermen to six nautical miles "until further notice."

Israel usually responds to such incidents with airstrikes or artillery attacks that target Hamas positions or sites, but this time the army said no counter-attack will be carried out.

Tensions have been high between Israel and Gaza amid a 12-year blockade imposed by Israel and a weekly rally by thousands of Palestinians along the security fence separating the two territories.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 15:34:32|Editor: Xiang Bo

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses a gathering marking the centenary of the May Fourth Movement at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 30, 2019. Xi Jinping called on the country's young people to be patriotic and strive for the bright prospect of national rejuvenation. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on the country's young people to be patriotic and strive for the bright prospect of national rejuvenation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a gathering held at the Great Hall of the People to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement.

The May Fourth Movement started with mass student protests on May 4, 1919 against the government's response to the Treaty of Versailles that imposed unfair treaties on China and undermined the country's sovereignty after the World War I. It then triggered a national campaign to overthrow the old society and promote new ideas, including science, democracy and Marxism.

Wang Huning presided over the gathering. Other Chinese leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng, and Wang Qishan were also present.

Xi said the May Fourth Movement was a great patriotic and revolutionary campaign pioneered by advanced young intellectuals and joined by the people from all walks of life to resolutely fight imperialism and feudalism.

With its mighty force, the movement inspired the ambition and confidence of the Chinese people and nation to realize national rejuvenation, Xi added.

PATRIOTISM

Xi said the May Fourth Movement gave birth to the great spirit centered on patriotism, progress, democracy and science, with patriotism at the core.

"As long as the banner of patriotism is being held high, the Chinese people can unleash great powers in the endeavors to transform China and the world," Xi said.

The essence of patriotism is having unified love for the country, the Party and socialism, Xi added, urging young Chinese to follow the instructions and guidance of the Party, and remain dedicated to the country and the people.

Young people are also urged to establish belief in Marxism, faith in socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as confidence in the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

NATIONAL REJUVENATION

Xi said young people always play a vanguard role in realizing national rejuvenation.

In the new era, the theme and direction of Chinese youth movement and the mission of Chinese young people, Xi said, are to uphold the leadership of the CPC, and work along with the people to realize the two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi said Chinese youth of the new era should bear their responsibilities of the times and carry on the spirit of arduous struggle.

He urged them to hone abilities and nurture fine morality.

Xi also encouraged young people to not only care about their family and country, but also have concerns for humanity.

YOUTH WORK

Xi said nurturing the young generation is the whole Party's political responsibility.

"We should listen to young people's views on social issues and phenomena, as well as their opinions and advices on the work of the Party and the government," Xi said.

"Even if they express harsh or partial criticism, we should correct our mistakes when we have made any and guard against them when we have not," he added.

Xi called on the Party to address young people's concerns and asked the Communist Youth League of China to unite and lead the young people to strive for the national rejuvenation.

"Young friends," Xi said near the end of his speech. "Let your youth shine even more in the sacrifice for the country, the people, the Chinese nation and humanity."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 16:04:53|Editor: Li Xia

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JINAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- East China's Shandong Province has sent a total 214 freight trains to Asian and European countries in the first quarter, up 251 percent year on year, officials said here Monday.

Five new routes linking Shandong with cities in Europe, Mongolia and Southeast Asia such as Duisburg, Ulan Bator and Hanoi were launched in the period, Shao Zewu, deputy head of the provincial state-owned assets supervision and administration commission, told a press conference held by the provincial government.

Shao said so far nine Shandong cities have been connected to 19 freight train routes that lead to 47 destinations, including 39 cities along the Belt and Road in a sea-rail combined transport network.

The network has greatly boosted the efficiency of economic and trade cooperation between Shandong and Asian and European countries, Shao said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 16:40:28|Editor: Li Xia

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ZHENGZHOU, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange (ZCE) in central China's Henan Province on Tuesday launched trading of Chinese jujube futures.

As the world's first futures trading platform for dried jujube, the ZCE has introduced the first batch of jujube contracts CJ1912, CJ2001, CJ2003 and CJ2005.

Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said jujube was an important agricultural industry in China, and the futures could provide benchmark prices and tools to avoid risks for enterprises and farmers.

He said the futures could also help jujube enterprises improve standards and add more value to products.

Jujube trees are indigenous to China, which has 98 percent of the world's jujube plantations. The plant is a source of income for more than 20 million Chinese farmers.

The demand for the nutritious agricultural product has been on the rise in China. Over 5.6 million tonnes of jujubes were sold in the Chinese market in 2017, up from 3.9 million tonnes in 2005, according to the ZCE.

Xu Longzhang, deputy secretary-general of the regional government of Xinjiang, hailed the futures trading for its significance to Xinjiang's jujube industry.

Xinjiang is the largest commercial jujube plantation base in China, with 476,300 hectares of jujube trees in 2017 and an annual output of 3.47 million tonnes.

Xu said at the launch ceremony that despite the rapid growth, Xinjiang's jujube industry had faced problems such as violent price fluctuation and lack of standards.

"The launch of the futures is conducive to forming a fair and transparent jujube market, boosting the jujube industry and stabilizing farmers' incomes," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 16:45:32|Editor: xuxin

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DAMASCUS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army has started sending reinforcements to the northwestern province of Idlib as part of the preparation for a possible operation against the rebels, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported Tuesday.

The report said the new development comes as Turkey has failed to live up to its pledges regarding the rebels' situation in Idlib, as de-escalation zones' deal reached between Turkey and Russia last September is falling apart.

The army started sending reinforcements to the countryside of Idlib and nearby Hama Province after the increase in the attacks by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front on military positions in the region.

The state media in Syria report almost on a daily basis news about the Syrian army responding to attacks by the Nusra Front in the countryside of Hama and Idlib.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog group said the Syrian airstrikes targeted several areas in Idlib and Hama on Monday, adding Russian warplanes joined in striking the rebels' positions.

Turkey and Russia brokered a deal last September to impose a demilitarized zone in Idlib and its surrounding areas. However, violations are still being reported on an almost daily basis.

The extremist groups such as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) refused to withdraw from the zone.

On the contrary, the HTS expanded and controlled the entire Idlib area.

The Syrian government has repeatedly said Idlib would inevitably return under the government control and the government's patience has limits.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 16:45:34|Editor: Li Xia

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HAIKOU, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Auditing and consulting firm Deloitte China will set up its regional headquarters in Sanya, a coastal city in south China's Hainan Province.

Deloitte China will establish a wholly foreign-owned company as the Hainan regional headquarters to provide professional services to clients, the company said. It signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the city government of Sanya Monday.

The company will also support Sanya in cultivating international talent in finance and taxation, according to Deloitte China.

Vivian Jiang, Asia Pacific Clients & Industries Leader with Deloitte, said the company aimed to help Sanya attract global talent and promote the international development of the city.

Striving to become a benchmark in building the Hainan Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), Sanya is developing finance and technology.

Hainan was approved in April 2018 to build a pilot FTZ and explore the establishment of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics.
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Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 17:05:49|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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PHNOM PENH, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese aid and investments are crucial to support social and economic development in Cambodia, Sok Touch, president of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said here on Tuesday.

"China's aid has no strings attached and has an intention to help develop Cambodia with the respect for the country's sovereignty," he said during a roundtable discussion here.

The top academician said Chinese investments in transport infrastructure, energy, real estate, construction, and agriculture as well as a huge influx of Chinese tourists are vital to boost Cambodia's economy and to reduce poverty.

About 2 million Chinese tourists visited the Southeast Asian nation last year, up 67 percent year-on-year, according to tourism ministry's data.

Diep Sophal, a history professor at the University of Cambodia, agreed that Chinese aid, investments and tourists are good for Cambodia's development, and praised China for its Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

"The principles open the way for all countries to unite," he said.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence include mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 17:10:53|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 22 militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group have been killed as security forces stormed their hideouts in Khogiani district of eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, said a statement of the provincial government released here Tuesday.

According to the statement, the special operations were launched in the wee hours of Tuesday against IS hideouts in Khogiani district, killing 22 armed insurgents and capturing two others.

Four hideouts of the militant group have been destroyed and their arms and ammunition were smashed during the raids, the statement said.

No security personnel has been hurt, the statement said, adding that crackdown on militants would continue.

IS group which is operational in Nangarhar and the neighboring Kunar and Nuristan provinces has yet to make comment on the report.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 17:21:07|Editor: Xiang Bo

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DENVER, the United States, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A battle is brewing in the U.S. state of Colorado as more than half of its 64 counties refused to enforce the state's new gun control bill.

Bill 1177, also known as the Red Flag bill, was approved by the Colorado senate after a razor-close vote of 18-17 this March, and will go into effect in 2020. It allows family members and law enforcement to petition to a court to decide whether a person is an "extreme risk," and if that is the case, the person's weapons will be confiscated for a certain period of time.

Last Thursday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser traveled into the heart of the Rocky Mountains to tell law enforcement officials he is confident that they will abide by the bill.

"Your job is to protect people and to enforce the law, and the idea that you could pick and choose what laws you will enforce is antithetical to the rule of law," Weiser said.

Weiser's words have met with widespread opposition within the state. Some 34 Colorado counties and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have publicly refused to obey the law.

"We're working on a lawsuit now that we expect to file before the new Red Flag law goes into effect in 2020," El Paso County Sheriff Spokesperson Jacqueline Kirby told Xinhua on Monday.

Besides, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO), Colorado's largest gun rights organization and an NGO, will also file a lawsuit against the bill by the end of this week, according to its spokesperson Dudley Brown.

While a number of disgruntled counties are joining forces to stop the bill, some are supporting it.

"Military assault weapons have no place in a civilized society," Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo told Xinhua.

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock is also on board after his friend and Deputy Sheriff Zackari Parrish was shot and killed on New Year's Eve by a man law enforcement knew was in crisis and had guns.

"I do hope we can work together to pass a bill that will help save lives and support mental health in the great state of Colorado," Spurlock said.

"The letter of the law sounds very reasonable ... even to someone who may be pro-gun," Denver blogger Leo Barei said.

It was not the first time that the state witnessed a battle on gun control.

Last week, Colorado's supreme court agreed to hear a case to reverse a 2013 law on magazine limits, triggering a heated debate.

"In all the states we looked at, looking at crime statistics, mass shooting statistics, analyzing all the data, we proved beyond a reasonable doubt that, that (limits on magazines) didn't do anything," RMGO's Brown said.

"We love it when law enforcement has a firearm with a large capacity magazine because they can defend us," Brown posted last Thursday on RMGO's website.

Brown's remark was considered absurd by gun control advocates who have been accusing the U.S. National Rifle Association (NRA) of supporting unrestricted use of guns and defeating gun control politicians.

"The NRA has spent millions opposing sensible gun control measures across the country ... The only way to stop them is to vote their puppets out of office," Sandy Phillips, whose daughter was murdered seven years ago, told Xinhua on Monday.

"The distortion of the facts and level of dishonesty with pro-gun forces and the NRA are appalling," Phillips said.

"Citizens must stop NRA politicians who universally oppose measures to protect the American public," Phillips said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 18:16:41|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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MANILA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines recorded a total of 31,056 measles cases since January this year, the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday, adding that the outbreak was almost over as the number of cases was on a downward trend.

Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in a news conference that the number of measles cases nationwide went down to 775 on the third week of April as compared to the peak of 3,743 on the third week of February this year.

Despite the improving trend, Duque said the government has not lifted the outbreak declaration.

Of the 31,056 cases recorded from January to April 2019, Duque said 415 died from the contagious disease.

Duque said the number of cases this year was five times the figure of the same period recorded in 2018 when only 6,641 cases of measles and 59 measles-related deaths were reported.

"It is safer to assume that the number of cases has gone down, and that in many areas... many localities have zero new cases," Duque said.

Duque stressed the need to encourage parents to immunize their children and to be vigilant.

He added that reaching the target of 95-percent immunization coverage for each of the three age groups -- children under five years old, grade-school children, and 12 years old and above -- would be a crucial factor in lifting the outbreak declaration.

On Feb. 6, the DOH declared a "measles outbreak" in Metro Manila. On Feb.7, the DOH announced that the measles outbreak had spread to more areas in the Philippine main Luzon island, Western Visayas and Central Visayas in the central Philippines.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons. Initial symptoms usually appear 10 to 12 days after infection. Common complications include pneumonia and diarrhea.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 18:26:48|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council made public a decree Tuesday to prompt the integrated platform building for e-government services to optimize the business environment and make government services more easily available.

The decree clarifies the goal and overall structure of the integrated platform for e-government services, aiming to standardize the services nationwide, facilitate information sharing and coordinate services among regions and departments at various levels.

The General Office of the State Council will take charge of the task, according to the decree signed by Premier Li Keqiang.

All government services, unless otherwise specified by laws and regulations or involving state secrets, shall be processed online in line with the procedures determined by the State Council, the decree noted.

Government service providers must not require enterprises or individuals to submit information that is already accessible through information sharing. Neither are they allowed to put the submitted information to other uses.

The decree also confirms the legal validity of electronic signatures, seals, certificates and archives.

The decree came into effect the day it was made public.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 18:31:52|Editor: Li Xia

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Passengers aboard the direct flight 3U8187 from China's Chengdu to Turkey's Istanbul arrive at the Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, April 30, 2019. The Sichuan Airlines of China on Tuesday morning completed its inaugural direct flight to Istanbul of Turkey from Chengdu in southwestern China. The Istanbul Airport performed a watergate ceremony for the flight, the first time for the airport to do so on a foreign flight, after it landed with 279 passengers aboard. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

ISTANBUL, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Sichuan Airlines of China on Tuesday morning completed its inaugural direct flight to Istanbul of Turkey from Chengdu in southwestern China.

The Istanbul Airport performed a watergate ceremony for the flight, the first time for the airport to do so on a foreign flight, after it landed with 279 passengers aboard.

Cui Wei, Chinese consul general in Istanbul, welcomed the flight along with airport officials.

In a press release, the Sichuan Airlines, which is operating more than 220 domestic routes and 56 international and regional routes, pledges efforts to promote trade and tourism between China and Turkey.

Two women from Jiangsu Province in eastern China took the inaugural flight with friends in Sichuan, and they intend to stay in Turkey for 20 days.

Turkey has been making efforts, including encouraging more flights to the country, to revive its tourism, an industry which was hit hard over the years mainly by terror attacks and political uncertainty but is now rebounding.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 18:36:54|Editor: Li Xia

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KUNMING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province busted two drug trafficking cases on April 16, seizing about 25 kg of methamphetamine, local authorities said Monday.

Around noon April 16, police at the border checkpoint of Qingshuihe Port in the city of Lincang, seized 10.43 kg of methamphetamine from the backpack of two suspects.

Around 5 p.m. on the same day, police found other two suspects hiding a backpack under a tree and seized 14.53 kg of methamphetamine in it.

The suspects have been put under criminal detention. Further investigation is underway.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 18:51:59|Editor: Li Xia

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QINGDAO, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The China-Russia "Joint Sea-2019" military exercise Tuesday held contests between the two countries' naval marine contingents.

Contestants on both sides took part in competitions including riflery, sniping and steeplechase.

Chen Weidong, vice chief of staff of the Chinese Navy's marines forces, said the contests provided opportunities for mutual learning and exchanges between the two sides, noting that the events also enhanced friendship.

The "Joint Sea-2019" exercise runs from April 29 to May 4, and focuses on joint sea defense.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 18:52:01|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, April 30 (Xinhua) --British car production in March 2019 dropped 14.4 percent,compared with the same period one year earlier, down for the 10th month in a row, according to data published Tuesday by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Figures showed car production in March 2019 in Britain declined by 14.4 percent to 126,195 units.

Car manufacturing for both home and overseas markets decreased in double digits, down 18.1 percent and 13.4 percent, respectively.

SMMT warned that given Britain crashed out of the EU and complied with the WTO rules, car production would be influenced heavily.

"Should Britain crash out of the EU and fall back on WTO rules for a sustained period, output is forecast to fall around 30 percent on recent levels to just 1.07 million units by 2021, a level consistent with the dark days of the mid-1980s,"SMMT said.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of SMMT, said: "Despite the extension, the Brexit clock is still ticking and a devastating 'no deal' remains a threat."

"This new period of limbo does not end the havoc for industry, with investment stopped and expensive factory shutdowns moved to avoid a Brexit deadline that has itself now moved,"he added.

"Just a few years ago, industry was on track to produce two million cars by 2020 - a target now impossible with Britain's reputation as stable and attractive business environment undermined,"Hawes said.

Hawes urged all parties to find a compromise urgently,"so we can set about repairing the damage and diverting energy and investment to the technological challenges that will define the future of the global industry."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 18:52:02|Editor: xuxin

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KHARTOUM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Transitional Military Council revealed on Tuesday that 12 military personnel have been killed and more than 100 others injured since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.

The council also reaffirmed commitment to negotiation with major opposition forces, saying it won't allow chaos in the country.

The ongoing sit-in in front of the army's general headquarters in the capital Khartoum will not be dispersed, it added.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 19:12:12|Editor: xuxin

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Staff members show ivory pieces which will be incinerated during an event against illegal wildlife trade in Seremban, Malaysia, April 30, 2019. Malaysia on Tuesday incinerated nearly four tons of raw ivory and ivory products as part of its efforts to fight against illegal wildlife trade. The ivory, seized in operations between 2011 and 2017, was worth an estimated 13.2 million ringgit (3.2 million U.S. dollars) and was destroyed as part of Malaysia's obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)

KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia on Tuesday incinerated nearly four tons of raw ivory and ivory products as part of its efforts to fight against illegal wildlife trade.

The ivory, seized in operations between 2011 and 2017, was worth an estimated 13.2 million ringgit (3.2 million U.S. dollars) and was destroyed as part of Malaysia's obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Among the items shown to the media were whole tusks which had been sawed into pieces as well as partial and finished items such as beads, figurines and wristbands which were removed from sealed barrels where they had been kept after being seized by the authorities.

Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources Xavier Jeyakumar who briefed the media on the operation said the ivory had been destroyed according to regulations and this had been done in an accountable manner.

"This method of destruction is to ensure that the ivory will not be able to find its way into the black market."

Jeyakumar said most of the ivory was smuggled from Africa through Malaysia for markets in third countries.

He urged the public to play a greater role in supporting the government's efforts in combating wildlife trade and in raising awareness.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 19:17:14|Editor: xuxin

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MANILA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will deploy up to 40,000 troops to help maintain the peace during the country's midterm elections on May 13, a military spokesperson said on Tuesday.

AFP public affairs chief Col. Noel Detoyato said the troops will help the police in ensuring the safety of the voters.

Already, he said the AFP has identified areas described as "hot spots" or where violence is likely to erupt.

"They will be deployed in areas extra security is needed like areas of conflict or insurgency," Detoyato said.

Detoyato said the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) has tapped the military to transport election paraphernalia or materials like ballot boxes.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has also identified at least 701 election hot spots in midterm elections.

The number includes 223 areas of concern, 382 areas of immediate concern, 94 areas of grave concern, and two areas under control of the Comelec, the PNP said.

The PNP said a place tagged as an area of concern means it has a history of election-related incidents in the last two elections and intense political rivalry, and it had been previously declared under Comelec control.

Meanwhile, the PNP said areas of immediate concern are those where there is serious armed threat posed by the New People's Army (NPA), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and rogue elements of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and other lawless elements.

AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo further said that during the conduct of the elections, the counter-insurgency operations will continue.

Dozens of election-related killings have been reported in the run-up to the May 13 elections. Many deaths are triggered by local rivalries in villages, towns, cities and provinces.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 19:22:21|Editor: xuxin

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JAKARTA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian foreign direct investment (FDI) touched 107.9 trillion rupiah (about 7.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year amid weakening global economic growth, the country's investment coordinating board disclosed here on Tuesday.

The figure is bit less than the 108.9 trillion rupiah (about 7.7 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March of last year, according to data from the board.

High investment cost amid trade conflicts had factored to the smaller flows of direct investment into Indonesia in the first quarter, said Thomas Trikasih Lembong, chairman of Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board.

The hawkish policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve last year culminated to the hike of cost for investment, Lembong said.

Lembong's statement came following the downgrade of the global economic growth this year to 3.3 percent by the IMF on April 9, which was 0.2 percentage points lower than its former estimation in January.

In addition to the factors, Lembong said, investors have been in a position of "wait and see" for months ahead of the country's presidential poll's on April 17.

Sectors of transport, warehouse, electricity, gas, waters and property contributed the most to the flows of the foreign direct investment in the three months ended March, said Farah Ratna Dewi Indriani, acting deputy chairman for investment control and implementation of the board.

"For the FDI, the investment flowed the most from Singapore, followed by China," which logged 1.72 billion U.S. dollars and 1.16 billion U.S. dollars respectively, she said.

The Southeast Asia's biggest economy is looked to expand 5.3 percent this year and 5.3 percent to 5.6 percent next year after registering a 5.17 percent growth last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 19:27:25|Editor: xuxin

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Tuesday made it clear that there was no hostility between Tanzania and Malawi, saying the two countries remained as best neighbors as ever.

"During my administration Tanzania and Malawi will always remain best neighboring friends," Magufuli told a public rally broadcast live by state-owned Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) in the southern highlands district of Kyela on the shore of Lake Nyasa in Mbeya region.

He said African countries should unite in their development undertakings and he lashed out at Western countries that were bent on ensuring that the continent was in a shambles.

"We should not allow Western countries (to) derail African countries' efforts toward making the continent prosperous," Magufuli told the rally on his sixth day of his eight-day official visit to the region.

Magufuli made the remarks against the background of reports that Tanzania and Malawi were mired in a long-standing conflict over boundaries on Lake Nyasa.

The neighboring countries have clashed over their border on the lake since independence and reports that the lake had vast oil and gas reserves has reignited the ongoing dispute over the boundaries on Lake Nyasa.

Tanzania's map showed that the east African country owns part of the Lake Nyasa while Malawi's argument was that all the waters between Malawi and Tanzania were theirs.

Last week, the Tanzanian and Malawian leaders directed relevant ministers to urgently sort out challenges that were slowing down trade between the two countries.

"Trade barriers between the two countries should be urgently addressed for the development of people in the countries," said President Magufuli and his Malawian counterpart, Peter Mutharika.

A statement by the Directorate of Presidential Communication said the two leaders raised concerns over trade barriers between the two countries at the end of talks held at the Malawian State House in Lilongwe.

Magufuli was in Malawi for a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Mutharika.

The statement said the leaders had directed the ministers to accelerate construction of a one-stop border post at Kasumulu on the two countries' border post to facilitate trade between the neighbors.

In addition, said the statement, the leaders agreed to look for low interest loans for the development of the Songwe River Basin which was billed to generate 180 megawatts for industrial and domestic use.

Addressing a joint news conference, Magufuli said trade between Tanzania and Malawi was still low where 2018 records indicated a trade volume amounting to a paltry 64 million U.S. dollars.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 19:32:28|Editor: xuxin

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JERUSALEM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel said on Tuesday that it has slashed the permitted fishing zone off the Gaza Strip after a failed rocket attack a day earlier.

Kamil Abu Rokon, Israel's coordinator of the government activities in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, said in a statement that the permitted area will be scaled back to six nautical miles, or some 11 km.

He said the restriction will remain in force "until further notice."

On April 1, Israel extended the fishing zone to 15 nautical miles, the largest range Israel has allowed since it imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007.

The move came amid Egyptian efforts to broker a long-term cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian movement that runs Gaza.

Fishing is estimated as the second most important sector in Gaza, a major food source and an economic engine for Palestinians living in the coastal enclave.

The Gaza Strip, home to about 2 million people, has been under Israeli blockade since 2007. Under the blockade, Israel strictly limits exit and entry of people and goods, inflicting a humanitarian crisis on the territory.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 19:42:37|Editor: Li Xia

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MADRID, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Spain on Monday highlighted a "positive step" forward in forging closer ties with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) after a three-day forum.

"The attendance of Minister Josep Borrell at the second Belt and Road Forum confirms the positive approach towards the initiative," the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation said in a statement.

Borrell attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) on April 25-27 in Beijing.

He met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a meeting on April 25, during which he said Spain appreciates China's contributions to upholding multilateralism and is willing to actively participate in the joint construction of the BRI.

The meeting "highlights the new dimension that the bilateral relationship has acquired," the statement said.

In an interview with Xinhua before leaving for the forum, Borrell reaffirmed Spain's "positive attitude" toward the BRI proposed by China in 2013.

Expressing willingness to strengthen Spain-China cooperation, Borrell said "its full potential has not yet been achieved and we must continue working."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 19:47:42|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- British commercial vehicle (CV) production reached 27,513 units in the first quarter of 2019, hitting the strongest Q1 performance since 2012, according to figures released Tuesday by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Data showed CV production across Britain, including vans, trucks and buses, rose by 41.2 percent year-on-year.

In March, CV production increased by 24.5 percent, compared with one year earlier, to 9,098 vehicles. The hike of the domestic market production made the biggest contribution.

Data showed the number of CV manufacturing produced in March for the domestic market increased by 58.6 percent to 4,010 units, while export increased by 6.5 percent to 5,088.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of SMMT, said, "It's certainly positive to see growth in the commercial vehicle market, but with ongoing Brexit uncertainty and the natural variability of buying cycles, we're likely to see some turbulence in the months ahead."

"With the majority of commercial vehicles we build in the UK going to EU customers, it's crucial that we quickly agree a deal that retains free and frictionless trade with our most important trading partner," said Hawes.

"The sooner a favorable deal is in place, the quicker we can be confident about the future," Hawes added.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 19:52:48|Editor: xuxin

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ULAN BATOR, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's central bank has bought a total of 1.6 tons of gold from legal entities and individuals since the beginning of this year, local media reported on Tuesday.

The figure is a decline of 48 percent compared with the same period last year, the daily newspaper Zasgiin Gazriin Medee quoted the Bank of Mongolia as saying.

The significant decline was directly related to the expiration of the effective period of low royalty taxes on gold with the 2014 amendments to the Minerals Law, according to the bank.

The 2.5-percent of discounted royalty on gold mining ended on Jan. 1. Since then until April 7, 5 to 10 percent royalty taxes on gold mining have been imposed on miners.

During its extraordinary session on March 18-29, the Mongolian parliament has decided to set the gold royalty at a 5-percent rate to revive the central bank's gold purchase.

"The central bank has purchased a total of 837 kg of gold since the new rate came into force on April 8. Thanks to the discounted royalty on gold, gold purchases by the Bank of Mongolia have been reviving," the central bank said in a statement.

Purchasing gold is said to be one of the key instruments for the Mongolian central bank to revive its official foreign exchange reserves.

The Bank of Mongolia purchased only 12.7 tons of gold in 2014. Thanks to the low royalty taxes on gold with the 2014 amendments, its annual gold purchase almost doubled in 2018, reaching 22 tons, according to the bank.
File photo shows a Chinese tourist taking a selfie at an Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 2, 2017. (Xinhua/Sun Ribo)

NAIROBI, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is receiving twice as many tourists from China as it used to some years ago as bilateral ties between the two nations soar.

At least 230,500 Chinese nationals visited Kenya and spend night in various hotels in different parts of the country in 2018, latest economic data released on Monday reveals.

The number is a significant surge from 192,300 in 2017 and 131,900 in 2016, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data indicates.

In 2014, Kenya received some 92,100 Chinese nationals who spend the night in the country, while in 2015, the number declined to 82,600.

China contributed the largest number of visitors coming to Kenya from Asia in 2018, with India producing 167,200, Japan 48,200 and Middle East 54,700.

One of the things that made the east African nation attract more Chinese nationals, besides the growing bilateral ties, include aggressive campaigns to woo more tourists from the Asian nation and other parts of the world.

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) last year unveiled in Beijing a video campaign targeting the Chinese outbound tourists.

The video sought to create awareness on Kenya's tourism products and was hosted on Chinese popular social media sites WeChat, Weibo and Youku.

According to KTB chief executive Betty Radier, a majority of Chinese tourists have been visiting Kenya between July and September to see the wildebeest migration.

But Kenya is working to position the country as an all-year-round tourist destination, marketing its beaches and safari sites, among other products.

"A Chinese tourist has an adventurous spirit and is willing to pay for value for adventurous experiences. They want 'wow, exclusive' experiences in Kenya. These are the experiences Kenya is working to offer," Magical Kenya, a tourism marketing organization, says on its website in an analysis on Chinese tourists.

It adds that Kenya tour firms should consider providing marketing tools like brochures and catalogues written in Chinese to reach more audiences.

A number of Chinese restaurants and hotels have come up in Kenya over the years, providing tourists with 'home away from home' experiences.

"Initially, Kenyan firms were missing business because they could not comprehend how to tap the Chinese market. But currently we have seen Kenyans who have studied or lived in China return home and start restaurants that serve the Chinese, creating not only business for themselves but also for the country," said Ernest Manuyo, a lecturer at Pioneer Institute in Nairobi.

He noted that colleges and universities are teaching students Chinese language enabling companies like banks and hotels to have a workforce that can serve the growing Chinese clientele.

However, even as the number of Chinese tourists surge, there is need to invest in local guides who can speak Chinese language and understand the culture of the travellers, Sandra Rwese, a tourism marketing consultant, who have lived in China, said in a recent interview.

She noted that while traditional marketing strategies like holding exhibitions are paying off for Kenya, the country needs to adopt marketing methods that reach as many potential tourists as possible, which include use of social media.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:03:00|Editor: Li Xia

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BISHKEK, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov on Monday met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe, and discussed cooperation in the field of security between the two countries.

Jeenbekov said China is an important strategic partner of Kyrgyzstan and thanked the Chinese side for its support. He said that China's hosting of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation has attracted worldwide attention and is of historic significance.

The president said Kyrgyzstan firmly supports the Belt and Road Initiative and is willing to work with China to combat the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism and to bring tangible benefits to the two peoples.

For his part, Wei said that China and Kyrgyzstan are good neighbors, good friends and good partners. In recent years, under the leadership of the two heads of state, the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries has developed rapidly.

Wei noted that the cooperation between the two armies in various fields has yielded fruitful results and has effectively safeguarded the common interests of the two countries and regional peace and stability.

Wei said that China is willing to work with Kyrgyzstan to implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' heads of state, to strengthen communication and cooperation, and to promote the sound development of relations between the two armies.

During his visit, Wei also held talks with Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan Rayimberdi Duishenbiev.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:13:15|Editor: xuxin

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KHARTOUM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) on Tuesday reaffirmed commitment to negotiation with major opposition forces, vowing no tolerance of chaos.

"We are committed to dialogue and a solution that is satisfactory to all parties," said Mohamed Hamdan Daqlu, deputy chairman of TMC, at a press conference.

However, the council would not tolerate chaos, as "chaos will be dealt with according to the law," he added.

Meanwhile, Daqlu revealed that 12 military personnel have been killed and more than 100 others injured since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.

"There were attacks against security offices and regular forces, where 12 military men have been killed and more than 100 others injured," he said.

In addition, the ongoing sit-in in front of the army's general headquarters in the capital Khartoum will not be dispersed, the deputy chairman added.

"We have even told them (protesters) that we do not mind their sit-ins and that we will provide food " during the month of Ramadan, Daqlu noted.

On Monday, the TMC and the opposition Freedom and Change Alliance concluded the third round of talks without reaching consensus on formation of a civilian government.

After Monday's talks, the opposition alliance called for continuing the sit-in and holding night protests in the capital Khartoum.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:18:19|Editor: Li Xia

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SUVA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Premila Devi Kumar said Tuesday that the Belt and Road Initiative provides an opportunity for Fiji and the Pacific region to engage with China in a way that creates mutual benefit.

Kumar made the remarks after she attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing earlier this month.

"We believe that Fiji can learn from the Chinese government in areas, such as setting special industrial/economic zone policies and establishing zones that attracts foreign direct investments in specialized areas," Kumar said, according to a Fijian government statement on Tuesday.

The minister pointed out that Fiji needed to capitalize on this initiative for the benefit of Fijians, as Fiji plans to attract foreign direct investment from China. This would in return create employment opportunities and improve the livelihood of all Fijians, she said.

"We are engaging with distributors in China, so that we are able to export more to China," she said.

Fiji is one of the first countries in the South Pacific region to ink with China a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama attended the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in 2017.

From the Fijian government's point of view, the BRI is as an effort by the Chinese government to actively advance cooperation to build inclusiveness, mutual learning and benefits for all participating countries.

As an important nation in the South Pacific region, Fiji is located on the natural extension of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding last November will not only promote exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields, but also mark a new chapter in the relations between the two countries,

The statement said that Chinese companies have since 2013 been actively participating in the construction of roads, port facilities and other infrastructure projects in Fiji. Other areas of focus have been expanding regional cooperation through trade and investment agreements, people-to-people cooperation and development of other trade and investment infrastructure.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:18:22|Editor: Li Xia

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By Misbah Saba Malik

ISLAMABAD, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The second phase of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and China will give a boom to Pakistan's agriculture besides supporting its industry as more Pakistani products are expected to have access to the Chinese market with zero tariff.

China is already investing dozens billion U.S. dollars through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan, and local observers believe that the second phase of the bilateral FTA signed during Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent visit to China will be a step forward by China to support the Pakistani economy.

Under the FTA, China would offer Pakistan 90 percent of its market access and in return asked for only 65 percent of Pakistan's market access for its products. By doing so China will provide a huge opportunity to Pakistan to improve its overall trade performance, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing said recently in a press conference.

Pakistani Prime Minister's Advisor on Commerce and Textile Abdul Razak Dawood also said recently that a list of 313 items is included in the FTA including commodities from agriculture, textile goods, leather and other wide range of goods.

The advisor added that China has provided a great business opportunity to Pakistan through the FTA as it offered an opportunity to the country to increase its export by 500 million U.S. dollars.

"We look towards the West but factually speaking, the 21st century belongs to Asia. Great business window has been open for Pakistanis in CPEC and the FTA with China," said the advisor.

Echoing Dawood's stance, Adnan Khan, a research associate with the CPEC Center of Excellence (COE), an Islamabad-based think tank under Pakistan's Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, said that China has provided an opportunity to Pakistan to maintain a balance of trade with it. Though there is still a long way for Pakistan to go, the recently signed FTA has started the process, said Khan.

Muhammad Muzammil Zia, policy head of the Job Growth and Human Resource Development in the COE, told Xinhua that over 60 percent of the Pakistani population is associated with the agriculture sector and the FTA will benefit the farmers, as their surplus products are likely to be exported to China, giving them good amount of money in return and providing them an opportunity to improve their methods of cultivation.

Pakistan previously exported only up to 600,000 tons of rice to China, whereas the country produced about 5 million tons of surplus rice every year, and under the new FTA Pakistan is in a position to export more rice to China, said Zobair Tufail, vice president of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI).

"Similar is the case of sugar and other commodities, and textiles and fisheries, all these products can find a new duty-free market in China," said Tufail.

As agriculture is the lifeline of the Pakistani economy, local observers believe that its tariff-free access to the Chinese market will not only increase the revenue generation from exports, but also encourage local farmers to acquire modern methods to increase production.

The prime minister's commercial advisor recently directed the FPCCI to establish a think tank on the Pakistan-China FTA to conduct extensive research and come up with capacity building initiatives for its member organizations, according to local reports.

Besides, local watchers hope that the recently signed FTA will also provide an opportunity to strengthen local industry by encouraging local investors to increase their production, and foreign entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan to tap the potential of the market.

Tufail said they are in talks with industrialists who will visit China to have a better understanding of the market and develop their products accordingly, adding that the country's agriculture sector has already got access to the world's largest food market, and the industrial sector will also get a boom under the FTA.

He said the agreement would also be beneficial for Pakistani industrialists as they will be able to import machines and other production materials from China on zero-tariff, decreasing the cost of production.

Muhammad Ashraf, spokesperson of Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce told Xinhua that by giving more market access, China is going to cover more than 80 percent of Pakistan's export basket.

"The market access does not mean anything, unless you have the production capability to supply to the market. We are going to hold a series of awareness sessions with potential businessmen to tell them what kind of opportunities they have, and what products they can produce to tap the Chinese market," said the official.

To tap the maximum potential of the FTA, Pakistan needs a long term and sustainable solution to capture the Chinese market, and CPEC is playing a vital role in this regard in the form of Pak-China industrial cooperation, which is going to be formed in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) proposed under CPEC.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:23:26|Editor: xuxin

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ISTANBUL, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the F-35 fighter jet project without Turkey's contribution is doomed to collapse completely.

"Those who try to exclude us on an issue where we are a project and production partner can't see beyond the end of this," Erdogan said at a defense industry fair in Istanbul.

He said Turkey did not and will not accept any impositions in the defense realm, adding his country is rapidly taking steps to produce its own air defense system.

"I am saying explicitly that the F-35 project is doomed to a complete failure if Turkey is excluded," Erdogan noted.

The Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin earlier said his country is not just a buyer of U.S. F-35 fighter jets but also a technology partner in the production program.

Ankara's decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system has strained its relations with Washington, which has cautioned that the move would jeopardize Turkey's role in the F-35 program.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:28:29|Editor: Li Xia

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BISHKEK, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has made important contributions to promoting world peace and development as well as safeguarding international fairness and justice, a senior Chinese official said here on Monday.

Wei Fenghe, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense, made the remarks while attending a meeting of defense ministers of the SCO member states.

Fruitful results have been yielded as defense ministries and militaries of the member states conscientiously implemented the consensus of the heads of state, strengthened strategic communication and deepened pragmatic cooperation, said Wei.

Wei also said that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century while peace and development are still the theme of the times, adding that since unstable and uncertain factors are still existing, the SCO's member states should strengthen their responsibilities and work together to cope with these challenges.

Wei noted that looking forward to the bright future, the defense ministries and the military of the member states should stay true to the original intention of SCO, stick to the "Shanghai Spirit," and consolidate the foundation of mutual trust, as well as continue to improve pragmatic cooperation.

"We should foster the concept of a community of common destiny featuring equality, mutual assistance, solidarity and shared weal and woe, striving to build a security architecture of joint contribution and shared benefits, and make greater contributions to the building of a community of common destiny of the SCO," Wei said.

On the sidelines of the SCO meeting, Wei also met respectively with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Pakistan's Defense Secretary Ikramul Haq and Defense Minister of Kazakhstan Nurlan Ermekbaev.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:33:31|Editor: xuxin

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JERUSALEM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 536 multinational corporations from 35 countries currently have innovation activities in Israel, an Israeli report said Tuesday.

The report was jointly issued by the Israeli non-profit organization Start-Up Nation Central (SNC) and PwC Israel (PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory), a leading professional services provider.

According to the report, 55 percent of the 536 companies in Israel are headquartered in the United States, 27 percent in Europe, and 15 percent in Asia-Pacific.

In addition, 38 percent are technology companies, followed by pharmaceuticals and healthcare companies with 11 percent, financial services with 10 percent, industry products with 10 percent and telecommunications and media with 8 percent.

The most common innovation activities of these companies in Israel are the running of proof of concepts with startups, balance sheet investing, corporate venture capital, R&D centers, and academic and research collaboration.

The report stated that the key drivers for the companies to establish innovation activities in Israel were open innovation for core capabilities, access to unique talent profile and disruptive business models.

According to the survey, 80 percent of the multinational corporations cited incremental innovation on existing products and services as a key benefit of their Israeli activities.

"Israel is emerging as a leading innovation destination for a growing number of multinational corporations looking to the country's 6,000 plus startups for new ideas, quick prototyping ability, and infectious entrepreneurial culture," the SNC said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:38:37|Editor: Li Xia

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BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Many people drink coffee because it can help them feel less tired and increases energy levels, but a joint research team says that the world's popular beverage is also an amazing material that enhances performance and stability of solar cells, the China Science Daily reported Tuesday.

Perovskite solar cells have been widely used to manufacture flexible batteries. Perovskite is a material with the same type of crystal structure as calcium titanium oxide, which exhibits a high-efficiency conversion of sunlight into electricity.

Scientists from the United States and China working on the study found that caffeine, an active material in coffee, could be an alkaloid compound to interact with the precursors of perovskite materials to improve solar cell efficiency and thermal stability.

They added caffeine to the perovskite layer of forty solar cells. The interaction between the two materials boosted the solar cell efficiency from 17 percent to 20 percent. In addition, the caffeine-based devices were shown to be thermally stable at 85 degrees Celsius for over 1,300 hours.

The perfect temperature to serve coffee is 85 degrees Celsius. In fact, the idea of using caffeine was inspired by a joke over morning coffee.

The newspaper quoted a researcher who recalled the day when they were drinking coffee and joked, "We need coffee to wake up. What about perovskite? Does it need coffee to work better?"

The study, published in the latest issue of academic journal Joule, was led by researchers from the University of California Los Angeles, and China's Soochow University and Jilin University.

Researchers believe using caffeine will be a simple, cost-effective and generalized strategy to increase the commercial prospects of perovskite solar cells.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:38:38|Editor: Li Xia

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BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met here Tuesday with a delegation of former congress members of the United States.

Wang said this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic ties, noting that the past 40 years have proved that cooperation benefits both sides while confrontation only hurts both.

China is willing to work with the U.S. to advance the bilateral relationship featuring coordination, cooperation and stability in order to achieve the goals of no-conflict, no-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, said Wang.

He expressed hope that the two sides will work together to reach a mutually beneficial and win-win agreement based on the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment.

The U.S. delegation members expressed admiration for the tremendous changes in China's economic and social development, saying they hope the U.S.-China economic and trade consultation will be a success.

The two sides also exchanged views over issues including the Korean Peninsula issue.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:48:47|Editor: xuxin

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ARUSHA, Tanzania, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Permanent Secretaries from Tanzania and Uganda on Tuesday met in the country's northwestern region of Kagera to discuss border-related challenges.

Faraji Mnyepe, Permanent Secretary in Tanzania's Ministry for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, said among the key issues to be discussed include ways of reinforcing international borders between the two states as well as sustainable development of Kagera River Basin-a river that drains into Lake Victoria.

Mnyepe said that the two-day meeting is held in Bukoba town located on the western shores of Lake Victoria-Africa's largest lake, which is being shared by Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.

According to him, the meeting involves permanent secretaries in the ministries of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Livestock, and Fisheries, Water as well as Ministry of Energy.

"This meeting is part of the regular meetings organized to address challenges facing the two countries," Mnyepe said, adding that such meetings are also meant to improve trade relations, and smooth movement of goods and people between the two countries.

Faustin Kamuzora, Kagera Regional Administrative Secretary, said that before the meeting, experts from the two countries met and their recommendations are to be presented to the permanent secretaries for endorsement.

He described the meeting as a key platform for the two countries to discuss developmental issues.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:58:56|Editor: xuxin

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DAMASCUS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian and Russian Air Force on Tuesday heavily shelled the rebel positions in the northwestern province of Idlib and nearby Hama Province's countryside amid speculation of an imminent operation against the rebels, a war monitor reported.

The Syrian helicopters dropped 35 barrel bombs on the positions of the rebels in the countryside of Idlib and Hama, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based watchdog said the Syrian and Russian warplanes had carried out more than 20 airstrikes since early morning Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported that the Syrian army has started sending reinforcements to Idlib as part of the preparation for a possible operation against the rebels.

The report said the new development comes as Turkey has failed to live up to its pledges regarding the rebels' situation in Idlib, as de-escalation zones' deal reached between Turkey and Russia last September is falling apart.

The army started sending reinforcements to the countryside of Idlib and nearby Hama after the increase in the attacks by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front on military positions in the region.

Turkey and Russia brokered a deal last September to impose a demilitarized zone in Idlib and its surrounding areas. However, violations are still being reported on an almost daily basis.

The extremist groups such as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) refused to withdraw from the zone.

On the contrary, the HTS expanded and controlled the entire Idlib area, which is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria.

The Syrian government has repeatedly said Idlib would inevitably return under the government control and the government's patience has limits.
File Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving for Alabama to survey areas devastated by powerful tornadoes, in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 8, 2019. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday informed the Senate of his decision to withdraw from the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

In a short letter to the Senate on Monday, Trump noted that the treaty does not serve the interest of the United States.

"I have, therefore, decided to withdraw the aforementioned treaty from the Senate and accordingly request that it be returned to me," he wrote in the letter.

Former President Barack Obama signed the treaty in 2013 and sent it to the Senate in 2016, but the Senate never ratified the treaty.

Trump announced last Friday while attending an annual meeting of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in Indianapolis that his country is withdrawing from the ATT.

The White House said the same day in a separate statement that the pact is "misguided" and constrains U.S. ability to sell arms to its allies and partners.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 21:29:07|Editor: xuxin

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CARACAS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly (ANC) President Diosdado Cabello called on the Venezuelan people to "defend" the government of President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday before the alleged coup occurred earlier.

"We invite all the people of Caracas, come to the Miraflores Palace (seat of government) immediately," said Cabello.

Speaking to the television station VTV, Cabello said that from the "first hour" of Tuesday, President Maduro was checking and reviewing everything that had happened.

"We are already taking corresponding actions. They are fully identified. There are the same coup leaders as always, those who do not respect the rules of democracy," Cabello said.

Local media showed through YouTube images of opposition leader Juan Guaido outside the aviation military base La Carlota, located in Altamira in the east of Caracas.

He called on civilians and military to act against the government and urged Maduro to step down.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 21:44:14|Editor: Li Xia

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BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Writing in reply to a Lao school's letter addressed to him, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed the hope for the Lao village children to take part in enhancing the traditional friendship between China and Laos.

In the reply letter dated Monday, Xi thanked the Lao students and teachers for writing to him, saying he was impressed by their happiness and aspiration for good life and moved by the heartfelt feeling towards the Chinese people demonstrated in their letter.

He wished the children an early trip to Beijing by taking the train on the China-Laos railway, which is under way of construction, as they wished in their letter. Meanwhile, Xi said he hopes that they will study hard to make themselves great contributors to Laos' national development as early as possible, and become successors in promoting the bilateral friendship.

The letter to Xi from the Nongping Primary School, together with an album of student paintings as a present, was taken by the school's representatives to the sub-forum on people-to-people connectivity during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) held on April 25-27 in Beijing, and was later conveyed to the Chinese president.

The school children and teachers in the letter expressed their gratitude to Xi as the proposer of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- a great vision which they said connects the dream of the Lao people to that of the Chinese people, and illustrated in the collection of paintings their own stories related to the Belt and Road.

From their letter, Xi said, he learns that Belt and Road projects have brought many good changes to their school and hometown as well as to their study and daily life.

To achieve common development and to make people's life better in the participating countries of the Belt and Road are what made him to propose the initiative, Xi noted in the reply letter.

Strengthening bilateral cooperation in promoting people's livelihood and that within the BRI framework features in the efforts towards a China-Laos community with a shared future, Xi said, adding that carrying out more cooperation projects can bring tangible benefits to people.

The Nongping Primary School is a demonstration project of China-Laos friendship in recent years, which is funded by the China Foundation for Peace and Development. Xi also said in his letter that he hopes to see more people working like the Chinese foundation to expand cooperation along the Belt and Road to benefit the local people.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 22:09:40|Editor: xuxin

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities said on Tuesday there were no plans to extend maternity leave from the current 84 days.

Faustin Ndugulile, the east African nation's Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, the Elderly and Children told parliament that mothers who give birth to one baby will continue enjoying 84 days of maternity leave while those with twins are entitled to 100 days.

Ndugulile was responding to a question by Grace Tendega, an opposition Member of Parliament, who had wanted to know whether the government has plans of extending maternity leave for mothers who give birth to premature babies.

Ndugulile clarified that a working lactating mother is supposed to be given two hours per day for breastfeeding.

The minister said the government will continue to implement the 2007 health policy on provision of free health services to special groups, including pregnant women.

"The ministry is striving to improve various child delivery services. We are now implementing phase two of a strategy to improve the health of infants including premature babies," he told the House in the capital Dodoma.

However, Ndugulile admitted that medicines for premature babies are expensive, adding that the government is looking forward to addressing the issue to make such medicines affordable for all citizens.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 22:19:48|Editor: xuxin

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AMMAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and the United States signed on Tuesday an economic assistance deal worth 329 million U.S. dollars, Jordan's Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation said.

Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Mary Kawar signed the agreement with U.S. officials, according a statement from the ministry.

Kawar said the deal, part of a U.S. aid package to Jordan, will enhance the kingdom's economic development and ensure its economic stability.

Under the deal, several projects in the fields of health, education, water, women support and youth will be implemented.

The U.S. pledged in 2018 to provide 1 billion dollars in economic aid to Jordan, with an aim to promote trade, investment and increase the competitiveness of Jordan's private sector.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 22:19:54|Editor: Li Xia

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HARARE, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chapter of the Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association was launched here on Tuesday amid efforts to further boost cultural ties between China and southern Africa.

The launch was done under the auspices of the second Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Afro-Sino Art Exchange Exhibition that is underway in Zimbabwe's capital Harare.

The three-day exhibition opened Monday evening with more than 120 pieces of art from China and Africa on display, while more than 21 artists from China are also participating in the exhibition, the brainchild of Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association headquartered in Kenya.

The SADC chapter is the first of five regional chapters that the Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association hopes to establish in Africa by August next year.

Speaking at the launch, Chairperson of the Afro-Sino Cultural Exchange Association Franklin Asira said the association was in response to China's growing call for closer cultural ties between China and Africa under the Belt and Road Initiative.

He said while Chinese and African governments already have agreements on cultural cooperation at government level, the association's aim was to have these cultural ties cascaded down to the grassroots level.

"The idea behind the initiative (association) was to trickle all the way down to the grassroots so that the common you and me will actually share in the beauty of cultural exchange," Asira said.

He said he felt proud on the launch of the SADC chapter, which will be headquartered in Zimbabwe.

The SADC chapter will be led by the director of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Nicholas Moyo, who will be deputized by Chinese entrepreneur Steve Zhao.

Moyo said the launch of the SADC chapter in Zimbabwe was significant.

"Beyond today, we will start organizing ourselves into a formidable body that will push and promote the development of the voice of the artists through various platforms and activities within our country and beyond Zimbabwe," Moyo said.

"There are many Chinese artists and Chinese communities found in southern African countries and our desire is to create a bridge between the two communities and ensure that there are synergies at various levels within those Chinese communities that are in our countries," Moyo said.

He said Zimbabwe will do its best to ensure that arts and culture is brought into the center of economic development in southern Africa.

Chairman of the Afro-Sino Cultural Fund Liu Qitong said his organization is keen to grow synergies between artists from China and Africa.

"We would like to provide a platform to help the artists to do more cultural exchange programs. We wish those kind of cultural exchange programs can promote our arts industry," he said.

Meanwhile, an Afro-Sino cultural forum was also held where artists and officials from the two sides exchanged views and ideas on growing cultural ties.

Dean of Academy of Arts and Design at China's Tsinghua University Lu Xiaobo underscored the need for African artists to produce high-quality art and cultural products for easy marketing in China.

He also spoke on the need for the two sides to continue preserving their local cultures in the face of globalization.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 22:24:59|Editor: xuxin

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MOSCOW, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Four ships of the Russian Northern Fleet have entered the Sea of Japan en route to Russia's port city of Vladivostok, the fleet said on Tuesday.

Frigate Admiral Gorshkov, rescue tug Nikolai Chiker, multifunctional logistics vessel Elbrus and sea tanker Kama will arrive in Vladivostok on Wednesday to take part in the festivities for the 74th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany on May 9.

The naval group, which set out from Russia's Severomorsk on Feb. 26, will continue their long-distance voyage after the celebrations in Vladivostok, home port of Russia's Pacific Fleet.

Moscow and Tokyo have failed to sign a peace treaty following World War II due to their rival claims to four Pacific islands.

There is no sign that they could settle the disputes in the near future, and Russia has stepped up military presence in the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 22:30:04|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Bossier City in Louisiana, U.S. has been confirmed as the final host city for the 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament.

A total of 24 national teams will take part in the qualifiers. They are divided into six pools, with the winner of each group granted a direct ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Group A matches will be held in Wroclaw, Poland, with the host country set to face Serbia, Puerto Rico, and Thailand. Group B will play in the Chinese city of Ningbo, with Turkey, Germany, and the Czech Republic to face China. Bossier City will host games in Group C, which comprises the U.S., Argentina, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan.

Belo Horizonte in Brazil will host Group D games, with the host country facing Cameroon, Azerbaijan and Dominica. Matches in Group E will be held in Kaliningrad, Russia, also featuring South Korea, Canada and Mexico. And finally, Group F games will be played in Italy's southern city of Catania, with the Netherlands, Belgium and Kenya completing that group.

The 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament will be held from August 2 to 4. The winner of each group will be among the first to guarantee a berth at the Olympic Games, joining Japan, who have qualified already as hosts.
File Photo: Russian S-400 air defense mobile missile launching systems take part in a military parade during celebrations marking Independence Day in Minsk July 3, 2014. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday over the issue of Ankara's purchase of S-400 missile defense system, said the White House.

Trump and Erdogan discussed trade, security concerns in northern Syria, and Turkey's planned purchase of the Russian made S-400 system, according to a White House statement.

Turkish Presidency said in a statement the same day that Erdogan had brought forward the proposal to form a working group concerning the procurement of the S-400 systems from Russia during his phone conversation with Trump.

The White House statement, however, made no mention of the Erdogan's working group proposal.

The United States has been in a feud with Turkey over the latter's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense system.

The United States argued that Russian missiles on Turkish territory could gain valuable intelligence on the technical systems of the U.S.-made stealth F-35 jets expected to be delivered to Ankara in November.

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 system.

On April 3, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned Turkey against purchasing the S-400 system from Russia, despite Ankara's firm stance on the deal.

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.

Washington also reportedly threatened to reject sales of Patriot missiles to Turkey in case of the latter's purchase of Russian systems.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 23:00:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- John Hickenlooper, a Democrat and former governor of the U.S. state of Colorado who is running for president in the 2020 campaign, released Tuesday an outline for his "new open and fair trade policy."

Claiming that his plan aims to "ensure open and fair trade for America," Hickenlooper boasts an agenda that "rejects the idea of demonizing private sector to score political points" and "produces both greater economic equality and greater economic growth."

The presidential candidate laid out five key elements to his plan, urging that U.S. trading partners "adopt and enforce fair labor and safety standards," and "enforce environmental and climate standards."

Meanwhile, the plan also focuses on protecting the intellectual property rights of American companies, ensuring that "U.S. firms enjoy equitable and comparable investment rights abroad," and providing assistance for U.S. workers to "adjust to job displacement from trade."

Hickenlooper, who, according to the five-page outline, is set to unveil his broader economic agenda in New Hampshire on Friday, especially took aim at President Donald Trump's trade policy, saying that the president's tariff measures and decision to walk away from trade agreements is one of the "most harmful and short-sighted actions."

In a short video released on March 4, Hickenlooper, 67, announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.

He said in the video that the reason he is running for president is that the American people "are facing a crisis that threatens everything we stand for."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 23:05:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LUSAKA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A peace and development specialist has called on African countries to document stories of China's support to the continent so that younger people and future generations will appreciate the cordial relations long existing between China and their respective countries.

Lawrence Banda, who is Vice Chairperson of Universal Peace Federation Zambia Chapter, said much of the assistance that China has rendered to African countries is not known by the youth because it has not been fully and properly documented.

"Zambia has a lot to show for the friendship that has long existed between China and Zambia. From the building of Tanzania-Zambia Railway line that served as a lifeline for import and export in the region during a difficult period in history to the current infrastructure projects and areas of people-to-people exchange."

"Unfortunately, not many young people are aware of this," said Banda.

According to him, setting up of space in museum depicting the good and long-standing relations between Zambia and China is one way of honoring this great friendship.

Yusuf Dodia, an economic and business development consultant, said the relationship between Zambia and China has been growing from strength to strength as seen by China's increased assistance in infrastructure development.

Dodia, who is Private Sector Development Association President, observed that China has been instrumental in helping the government of Zambia improve health delivery through the building of infrastructure such as the Levy Mwanawasa University Hospital and the Levy Mwanawasa Medical University.

He also pointed out that the putting up of new airports and upgrading of existing airports, which have been on the Zambian government's agenda for some years, as something worth noting.

The Chinese government and the Chinese people have been very good development partners, said Dodia.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 23:10:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JAKARTA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian tourism ministry is planning to hold sales mission to tap market potentialities in southern Chinese cities, an official at the ministry said here on Tuesday.

Besides showcasing variety of Indonesian traditional and cultural performances, the sales mission program slated from May 7 to 9 in Zhuhai and Meizhou would sell tour packages of Bali and the nation's new 10 destinations, namely Tanjung Kelayang, Tanjung Lesung, Thousands Island, Lake Toba, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru volcanoes, Labuan Bajo, Morotai, Borobudur Temple, Wakatobi and Batam-Bintan.

"Focus of the upcoming sales mission is to further promote Indonesia's 10 new destinations. We expect to get optimal package sales so as to significantly contribute to the nation's targets on China tourism market," Assistant Deputy Minister Great China Marketing Development Vincensius Jemadu said.

Indonesia expects to gain significant slice from China's enormous outbound market to plug its foreign tourist arrival target set at 20 million this year.

According to an official report, China's outbound tourists were recorded at 149.72 million ones last year, or 14.7 percent higher than a year earlier.

Continuing their domination in Indonesia's foreign tourist visit in the last several years, arrival of Chinese tourists in Indonesia has grown 2.71 percent in 2018 to 2,137,450 ones from 2,093,171 ones in 2017.

Apart from active sales mission and tourism promotion programs held in China, Indonesia also uses Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand as hubs to maximize arrivals of Chinese tourists into the country.

Establishing cooperation with local tour agents, Indonesia expects to get Chinese tourists wishing to continue their vacations to Indonesian destinations from those three neighboring countries in the region.

Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have recorded tremendous Chinese tourists visit last year. Statistics agencies in the respective countries noted that Singapore received 3.18 million ones, Malaysia 2.2 million ones and Thailand 8.9 million throughout last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 23:15:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Tuesday urged all mobile phone network service providers operating in the east African nation to extend their network to cover all villages by December 2020.

He said access to communication network in rural areas is the government's target, which has support from the Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF).

"The mobile phone network providers have no option but to work in line with the government in making it a reality," said Majaliwa at an event to mark 10 years of UCSAF services in the country.

The premier said communication was vital in accelerating economic growth towards attaining a middle income economy by 2025.

He said the government had enabled 2,501 villages in the country, with five million people to be reached with communication.

"Let all mobile phone service providers work with the government and ensure the remaining Tanzanians who are not currently reached by communication network enjoy the services by the end of next year," appealed Majaliwa.

He expressed appreciation to UCSAF, saying as it marked 10 years of service, many parts of the country were now accessible to communication network.

Majaliwa asked UCSAF to identify areas with communication network challenges in the country for the government to act immediately.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 23:25:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ARUSHA, Tanzania, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Passengers in northern Tanzania were on Tuesday stranded after heavy rains pounded the area, forcing scores of residents to flee their flooded homes.

John Kalupale, Arusha Regional Manager for Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads), said the downpour brought a lot of destruction on infrastructure.

"A section of Moshi-Arusha highway was washed away, leading to disruption of traffic in the area," Kalupale said, adding that passengers plying Moshi-Arusha and Arusha-Namanga highways were affected with the downpour.

Kalupale said that scores of Arusha residents of had fled their flooded homes to elevated grounds.

According to him, the Arusha - Namanga highway was impassable for hours while a strain of destruction could be seen on a number of roads within the Arusha city's central business district.

The downpour which started after midnight continued non-stop for the better part of the day, leaving passengers and motorists stranded for long hours.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 23:51:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAIRO, April 30 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian court on Tuesday sentenced seven prominent figures of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to life in jail over harming the economy, the official news agency MENA reported.

The Emergency State Security Criminal Court sentenced Hassan Malik and his son, top leaders of Brotherhood, along with other five defendants to life imprisonment, which is 25 years in jail in Egypt.

Three other Brotherhood members were sentenced to three years in jail, while 11 defendants were found innocent in the case, the report added.

The prosecution said the defendants were buying the U.S. dollars in large amount from the black market to harm the value of the Egyptian currency. Some printed maps for targeting security forces and tourists, especially Russian and European nationals, were found inside their houses.

The accused persons also incited protests to block the roads and sabotage the public order, the prosecution said.

Thousands of Islamists have been detained and tried since the army-ouster of the former Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi in 2013 in response to mass protests against his rule.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 23:51:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ABUJA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 23 people were killed and many houses burned when Boko Haram militants stormed a village in Nigeria's northeastern state of Adamawa, according to security sources on Tuesday.

Most of the victims were killed while fleeing Kuda village in Madagali area of the state, following the attack on Monday, said a military source who spoke to Xinhua via telephone.

The source, who was not authorized to speak on the attack, said the terror group had wreaked havoc on the villagers, some of whom were killed in their homes, as the Boko Haram militants burned down houses.

A military intervention later led to a gunfight, which lasted more than four hours, with the Boko Haram militants.

Many local residents fled into a thick bush in the area and returned on Tuesday to bury their relatives and count their losses.

Pius Kashanda, a resident who fled the village, said he and other villagers counted at least 23 corpses upon their return Tuesday morning.

"Those terrorists had successfully carried out the attack before troops were deployed from Gulak, a neighboring town, to repel it," Kashanda said.

According to James Bulama who lost three family members to the attack, the Boko Haram militants surrounded the whole village and shot everyone at sight.

They drove into the village with pickup trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns and motorcycles while others carried rocket-propelled grenades, Bulama said.

"There was heavy shooting everywhere. Our homes, foodstuffs, clothes, and livestock were set ablaze. I couldn't even remove anything from my home," he said.

Kuda village is located some 4 km to Madagali and 280 km north of Yola, capital city of the Adamawa state.

The state is one of the three most-hit states in Nigeria's northeast region where Boko Haram has been trying to set up a caliphate.

Boko Haram's militancy has killed about 20,000 people since 2009 and left over 2.6 million homeless.

The extremist group, which is also active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon, announced its allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2015.

Nigeria's military has declined to comment on the latest Boko Haram attack.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 00:06:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JOHANNESBURG, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Africa's Travel Indaba to be hosted in Durban this week is expected to generate over 7.1 million U.S. dollars, eThekwini municipality said on Tuesday.

The municipality said about 7,000 visitors from countries including the United States, China, and India are expected.

"Projections indicate that activities related to the Indaba will generate a direct spending of 2.8 million U.S. dollars and make a gross domestic product contribution of more than 7.1 million U.S. dollars," said eThekwini municipality's acting head of communications Mandla Nsele.

"The event will showcase the widest variety of Southern Africa's best tourism products and attracts international buyers and media from around the world," he added.

Sipho Kaunda, the chairperson of the economic development and planning committee at eThekwini municipality Councilor, said following the floods they have made progress in cleaning the beaches.

Africa's Travel Indaba will be held in Durban from May 1 to 5.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 00:06:24|Editor: zh

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BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- China will finance vocational training with 100 billion yuan (about 14.8 billion U.S. dollars) from the country's unemployment insurance fund balance to upskill the workforce, according to an executive meeting of the State Council.

The meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang Tuesday decided that a special capital account will be established to advance the task of vocational skills upgrading.

Utilization of the fund will be tracked and relevant information will be disclosed to the public, while those who fake training to fraudulently obtain the fund will be punished in line with laws, the meeting noted.

The adjustments of vocational training subsidy policies by local governments will be supported, and all eligible workers can take skill-training programs and receive subsidies, said the meeting.

Vocational schools are encouraged to expand their training to cover more people, while companies and social training agencies will be given support for launching training courses on professional skills.

Privately-run training institutions shall enjoy the same treatment as their public counterparts do when it comes to government-purchased services.

Training quality must be ensured to improve the pertinence and effectiveness of vocational skill-upgrading programs, the meeting stressed.

Under a large-scale training plan, 50 million people will receive vocational skill training within the next three years, with 15 million to be trained this year.

The training will mainly target employees and accommodate the needs of key employment groups and poverty-stricken workers. Support will be granted to small and micro firms to help them stage on-the-job training and upskill the needy workers awaiting job transfer.

Employees in high-risk industries should get more training in workplace safety techniques.

The meeting also discussed and approved a plan to expand the enrollment of higher vocational colleges by 1 million this year to accelerate the training of personnel with diverse technical skills.

Priorities of the enlargement will go to high-quality vocational schools, sectors where skilled workers are in dire shortage and poverty-stricken regions, it said.

Schools on the east coast are encouraged to enroll more students from less developed central and western regions. Special enrollment plans will be made for veterans, laidoffs, migrant workers and new types of skilled farmers.

The meeting noted that enrollment will be further expanded to meet the growing demand for skilled workers in such sectors as pre-school education, nursing, housekeeping, old-age care and other modern services.

Higher vocational schools may adopt a flexible education system and use various kinds of training means to ensure training quality. Graduates of higher vocational schools enjoy the same treatment as college graduates do in seeking urban residency, jobs and career development, it said.

The meeting said achieving relatively full employment is necessary to have the Chinese economy expand within a reasonable range this year.

Large-scale vocational training and enrollment enlargement in higher vocational schools are key measures to stabilize employment and optimize employment structure, which provides significant support to China's economic restructuring and upgrading as well as high-quality development, it said.

Adopting an "employment first" policy in macroeconomic adjustment, China has planned to create more than 11 million new urban jobs in 2019 and ensure around a 5.5 percent surveyed unemployment rate and a registered unemployment rate below 4.5 percent.

To meet the targets, policymakers have taken steps to alleviate company burdens, cut taxes and fees and lower the share borne by employers for the basic aged-care insurance of urban workers.

In particular, small and medium-sized businesses were among the top beneficiaries of favorable measures such as loan increase and tax cuts.

The Chinese economy expanded 6.4 percent year on year in the first quarter, much better than expected, with GDP reaching 21.343 trillion yuan. The growth target for 2019 was set at 6 to 6.5 percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 00:06:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BAGHDAD, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The first appearance of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi since 2014 shows that he is under huge internal pressure as his group faces increasing frustration after its defeat in the Middle East, experts said.

In an 18-minute video posted online on Monday by IS media, al-Baghdadi vowed to continue fighting despite the loss of his group's self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

"The battle of Islam and its people with the Crusader and his people is a long battle," he said in the video, which its authenticity could not be independently verified.

Baghdadi admitted the recent defeat of his group in the Syrian town of al-Baghouz. In a reference to the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 300 and wounded some 500 others, he said the attacks were carried out in retaliation for the loss of Baghouz.

The video also included a message to IS militants, saying "our battle today is a battle of attrition with the enemy, as Jihad continues until doomsday."

In response, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who was in an official visit to Germany, said at a press conference that the IS "will try to restore confidence in its fighters" despite the clear decline in their capabilities.

He said the appearance of Baghdadi does not change things in Iraq. "We have to continue our unity and cooperation to uproot Daesh (IS) remnants, because they are like cancer," he said.

Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi political analyst and researcher of terrorist groups, told Xinhua that Baghdadi's appearance came under rising internal pressure inside his group.

"Baghdadi's appearance at this time was meant to raise the spirit of his remaining supporters," he said, adding that the leader fears a division among the high ranking officials in his organization, especially after its latest defeat in the Syrian town of al-Baghouz.

"Baghdadi wanted to decrease the discontent of his followers after his long public absence, as rumors spread among some of his followers that he was living in rest in safe places, while they were dying in the battlegrounds in Syria and Iraq," he said.

Baghdadi used the term "war of attrition" to signal to his fighters to continue their fighting, but it also shows his group's inability to seize any stronghold, Hashimi noted.

An Iraq-U.S. joint team, which has been looking for Baghdadi, has come very close to locate his whereabouts, as it is believed that the leader is hiding either in Horan Valley in the desert of Iraq's Anbar province, or in the Syrian Homs desert, the expert revealed.

As for the impact of Baghdadi's video on Iraq, Hashimi believed that the Iraqi politicians did not show their typical attitude of exchanging blame and accusation for the security deterioration in the country.

"Maybe it is because this time, Baghdadi's appearance will not threaten their positions like in the past," Hashimi said.

Mohammed al-Qaradaghi, a Kurdish security expert, told Xinhua that he believes Baghdadi's reference to several terror attacks, including the ones in Sri Lanka, is a "serious signal that what is coming is even worse."

"In Iraq, terrorism has not been completely eradicated, and Baghdadi's video is a green light for his remnants to boost criminal activities in liberated areas and in Iraq as a whole, therefore, the security forces have to be on higher alert," Qaradaghi said.

Baghdadi, 48, whose real name is Ibrahim Awad al-Badri, is the caliph of the self-proclaimed Islamic State who announced the establishment of a caliphate in June 2014.

His extremist militant group once captured large swathes of land in western and northern Iraq as well as parts of neighboring Syria, but has been defeated in both Iraq and Syria by an international coalition.

In 2016, the U.S. State of Department offered a reward of up to 25 million U.S. dollars for information leading to his capture or death.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 00:16:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Iran will continue oil exports despite the upcoming total U.S. ban, Press TV reported.

Rouhani downplayed the impact of the U.S. decision to cut Iran's oil exports to zero. "In future months, Americans will see that we will continue our oil exports," he was quoted as saying.

"While the United States is busy blocking one path for exports, Iran will still have multiple other methods at its disposal for crude oil sales, of which the Americans are unaware," he said.

The Iranian president also described the resistance against Washington as the "main duty" of the Iranian government and nation.

To heighten its pressure on Iran, the U.S. government has decided to end the six-month waivers for Iran's oil buyers after the waivers expire in early May.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 00:26:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CARACAS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday via twitter that military commanders from all regions and defense areas of the country have "expressed their loyalty to the people, the Constitution and the country."

Maduro also called for "the maximum popular mobilization to ensure the victory of peace."

"The FANB (National Bolivarian Armed Forces) stand firm in defense of the National Constitution and its legitimate authorities," said Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez earlier in his Twitter account.

He said that "all military units deployed in the eight regions of integral defense report normality in their barracks and military bases, under the command of their natural commanders."

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez also wrote on Twitter that "The U.S. government shamelessly and immorally acknowledges its authorship in this criminal attempted coup in Venezuela."

Rodriguez referred to the message on Twitter sent earlier by U.S. vice president Mike Pence, who openly expressed his support to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.

"To ... all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today in operation freedom, we are with you! America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored," said Pence.

Local media reported that Guaido showed up early Tuesday morning along with some military personnel outside the La Carlota aviation military base, located in Altamira in the east of Caracas.

He called on civilians and military to act against the government and urged Maduro to step down.

He also tweeted that "the end of the usurpation began, and at this moment I am meeting with the main military units of our armed forces, beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom."

Later, president of the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) Diosdado Cabello said that "at this moment the situation is in absolute tranquility in all of Venezuela, including Caracas."

Cabello called on the Venezuelan people to "defend" the government of President Nicolas Maduro.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 00:31:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JOHANNESBURG, April 30 (Xinhua) -- With one week before South Africa's general elections, ruling party African National Congress (ANC) sits at 49.5 percent of the national voter share, said Institute for Race Relations (IRR) on Tuesday.

It said the opposition Democratic Alliance's (DA's) reading was 21.3 percent and the reading for the Economic Freedom Fighters was 14.9 percent.

IRR released the result on Tuesday after interviewing 2,375 registered voters between April 18 and 25.

IRR said ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa managed to consolidate support lost under Jacob Zuma because of good governance and a tough stance on corruption.

"But a combination of factors-primarily load shedding and revelations before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry-directly undermined that offer," said Gareth van Onselen, IRR's head of politics and governance.

Onselen stated that in a 71 percent voter turnout the ANC is likely to get a 51 percent votes.

IRR noted that there are some undecided voters at the moment.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 00:31:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NICOSIA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Unemployment in Cyprus dropped to 7 percent in March, down from 9 percent a year earlier, according to seasonally adjusted data announced by the Eurostat on Tuesday.

The European Union statistical service said this ratio represented 31,000 men and women out of work.

Youth unemployment stood at 20 percent, representing 8,000 people, from 22.3 percent in March, 2018.

Unemployment in Cyprus rocketed up to over 16 percent at the peak of the 2013 economic crisis.

After non-performing loans, unemployment is the second biggest problem facing the eastern Mediterranean island six years after it was bailed out by the Eurogroup and the International Monetary Fund in a 10 billion-euro economic assistance package.

Unemployment of around 5 percent is statistically considered as full employment as this percentage comes from people who for various reasons do not want to work when offered a job.

Eurostat said unemployment in EU28 was 6.4 percent, representing about 15.9 million people, down from 7 percent in March, 2018.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 00:54:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KIGALI, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda plans to increase government budget by 291.7 billion Rwandan francs (about 320 million U.S. dollars) in the next fiscal year, said finance minister Uzziel Ndagijimana on Tuesday.

The budget is projected to increase from 2,585.2 billion Rwandan francs (about 2.9 billion dollars) of the revised budget for fiscal year 2018-2019 to 2,876.9 billion Rwandan francs (about 3.2 billion dollars) in 2019-2020 fiscal year, said Ndagijimana when representing the budget to parliament in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda.

External grants are expected to be at 409.8 billion Rwandan francs (about 460 million dollars) while external loans are expected to be at 497 billion Rwandan francs (about 550 million dollars), he said.

The budget for the next fiscal year will reflect the medium term fiscal path, which allows for an increased spending to reach the National Strategy for Transformation goals while maintaining public debt at sustainable levels, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 01:19:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Olatunji Saliu

ABUJA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian foreign ministry on Tuesday confirmed the release of an innocent girl, Zainab Aliyu, who was detained for an alleged drug-related offense in Saudi Arabia.

Aliyu, a student of Maitama Sule University in Nigeria's northwestern state of Kano, had traveled for lesser hajj in December 2018 and was detained by the Saudi authorities over allegations that a piece of luggage bearing her name tag contained an illegal dose of Tramadol, an unlawful substance.

Nigeria's permanent secretary of foreign affairs, Mustapha Sulaiman, told reporters in Abuja that the government used "all available diplomatic channels to secure her release."

Although detained, she had not been put on trial by the Saudi Arabia government.

Aliyu was released to officials of the Nigerian Mission in Saudi. The girl's release followed intense diplomatic engagements between the Nigerian government and Saudi Arabia, according to Sulaiman.

The innocence of another Nigerian man named Ibrahim Abubakar, also arrested following a similar allegation, has been proved by the Nigerian government, the official said.

"I am happy to announce to you that in the last couple of minutes Zainab is with our Mission in Saudi and we believe that the other gentleman will be released before tomorrow.

Investigations by the Nigerian authorities revealed that a drug cartel in Nigeria packaged drugs in her luggage, which led to her arrest.

It was discovered that the young lady was a victim of the cartel that specialized in keeping hard drugs in travelers' bags.

The suspects had been arrested and made confessions. The government has vowed to prosecute them.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari had on Monday directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to intervene in the case of the Nigerian student and others detained by Saudi authorities.

The news of Aliyu's release was heartwarming to many Nigerians who took to social media to express their feelings.

Defunke Adewumi, a Nigerian netizen, had earlier expressed displeasure over the girl's arrest and detention in a Saudi prison in spite of the recent discovery that she was framed by some drug cartel.

"Zainab has been finally released from the Saudi prison. This is a victory for an innocent girl and others who had been wrongly accused and detained elsewhere," Adewumi wrote on Facebook.

In a statement made available to Xinhua in Abuja, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), decried the unjust imprisonment of innocent Nigerians who have suffered harsh punishment for offenses they have not committed, also gave kudos to the Nigerian government for the role it played in Aliyu's release.

"It is sad that many innocent Nigerians are suffering for a crime they know nothing about," said the statement.

"This prompt effort by government is commendable and should be sustained for all and in the future because this is what we want to see from our leaders in this country," it added.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 01:24:52|Editor: Xiaoxia

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Photo taken on April 30, 2019 shows the United Nations Security Council holding a meeting on the situation in Western Sahara, at the UN headquarters in New York. The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for another six months, till Oct. 31, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for another six months, till Oct. 31, 2019.

Resolution 2468 won the support of 13 of the 15 members of the Security Council. Russia and South Africa abstained.

The resolution emphasizes the need to achieve a realistic, practicable and enduring political solution to the question of Western Sahara.

It calls on the parties to resume negotiations under the auspices of the UN secretary-general without preconditions and in good faith, with a view to achieving a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution that will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

The resolution emphasizes the importance of a renewed commitment by the parties to advancing the political process in preparation for further negotiations, and calls on the parties to demonstrate political will and to work in an atmosphere propitious for dialogue.

Western Sahara was partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania at the end of Spain's colonial rule in 1976. When Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979, Morocco moved to occupy that sector and has since asserted administrative control over the whole territory. Fighting broke out between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which is fighting for the independence of Western Sahara.

A cease-fire was signed in 1991. The UN mission was deployed that year to monitor the cease-fire and to organize, if possible, a referendum on self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 01:29:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GENEVA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday expressed "grave concern" that thousands of civilians remain stranded in conflict-affected areas in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Bachelet, in a statement here, stressed the need for the creation of safe humanitarian corridors for trapped civilians to leave and joined calls for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of political talks.

She called on the European Union and its members to swiftly and collectively implement a coherent, human rights-based response to maritime migration from Libya.

Her call came as the UN refugee agency UNHCR said at a press briefing here that more than 42,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Tripoli since the conflict began earlier this month.

"The escalation of attacks in residential areas, including the use of artillery, rockets, and airstrikes is deeply worrying. Thousands of children, women and men's lives are at risk," Bachelet said.

She noted that while 22 civilian deaths and 74 injured civilians have been documented, the actual number is likely to be higher.

Bachelet also expressed serious concerns about the safety of around 3,350 migrants and refugees, still held in detention centers near the conflict areas.

At least 12 migrants were injured by fighters on April 23 near Qasr ben Gasheer, before being moved to another detention center.

"Migrants should be released from detention centers as a matter of urgency, and should have access to the same humanitarian protection as all civilians, including access to collective shelters or other safe places," Bachelet said.

The high commissioner stressed that Libya is not a safe port of return.

She said there is a need to ensure adequate search and rescue capacity in the Mediterranean and to prioritize the primary obligation to save lives at sea.

UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley said, "Indiscriminate shelling and heavy gunfire are causing destruction and displacement. In the most conflict-affected areas, there is an increasing sense of desperation. UNHCR staff in Libya say people are afraid to leave their homes."

Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 01:29:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ROME, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Fresh data unveiled during the ongoing World Immunization Week (April 24-30) showed upward trends of immunization in Italy, although skepticism towards vaccines remained strong in the country, and health authorities warned measles was still "endemic".

Italy made vaccination compulsory for children aged 0-16 in 2017, after a drop in immunization was recorded in the previous four years.

Under the new rules, 10 vaccines were mandatory -- including those against polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, measles, rubella, and mumps -- and four strongly recommended; all of them were provided freely through the National Health System (SSN).

The law imposed a ban from kindergartens and schools for non-vaccinated children between the ages of zero and six, and a fine for parents of non-vaccinated pupils between 6 and 16.

RESULTS AFTER COMPULSORY VACCINATION

As a result, immunization levels improved among children in the short period, according to the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS).

"With the implementation of the compulsory vaccination law, the vaccination coverage (CV)... has increased since 2017," said the ISS at the opening of the European Immunization Week, which is concomitant with the World Immunization Week.

"A further increase was registered in an extraordinary survey carried out in 2018 in cohorts of children born in 2015, 2014, and 2010," the ISS added.

The CV against polio -- used as a measure for overall coverage of hexavalent vaccine -- reached 94.6 percent in 2015-born children in 2017, and 95.5 percent in the first half of 2018.

A level exceeding the 95 percent threshold, the minimum the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends, was registered in 13 out of 20 Italian regions, according to the institute.

TARGETING MEASLES

A different picture was provided for measles, although progress was registered there as well.

"The national coverage in 2015-born children for the first dose of measles vaccine reached 91.8 percent in 2017, and 94.2 percent in first six months of 2018," the ISS said.

The latter figure especially marked a solid increase, considering that the coverage for the first measles vaccine dose in 24-month-old children was at 87.3 percent in 2016.

An upward trend was registered for the second shot of measles vaccine (at 5-6 year of age) as well, but to a lesser extent. "The coverage... in the cohort of 2010-born children was 85.7 percent in 2017 and 90.1 percent in 2018," the ISS in fact stated.

Despite such improvements, the overall picture still appeared worrying.

On the base of WHO data, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimated that Italy counted 435,000 children not vaccinated with the first measles dose, ranking fifth among the top ten high-income countries after United States (over 2.5 million), France (some 608,000), UK (527,000), and Argentina (438,000).

From Jan. 2018 and Jan. 2019, Italy had 2,632 new infections out of total 12,266 registered in the European Union (EU), according to the EU Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

It made the second-highest number in the EU after France (2,800 new cases), while Greece and Romania -- two other EU members hit by recent outbreaks -- recorded 1,862 and 1,247 new cases, respectively.

There were also 557 new cases in the first three months of 2019, and 31 percent of them suffered complications, the ISS further said.

Not surprisingly, the ISS marked the launch of the Immunization Week by warning that Italy "remains one of the 10 countries (in Europe) where measles is still endemic."

Boosting coverage among children was not enough to stop the transmission, and "additional vaccination activities among adults" were urgently needed, it urged.

ANTI-VAX SENTIMENT STILL STRONG

Despite all efforts, the level of skepticism towards immunization was still high in Italy, where the anti-vaccine movement grew quite large in latest years, influencing politics.

Rightwing League and populist Five Star Movement -- leading Italy's cabinet since June 2018 -- both pledged to cancel mandatory vaccinations, although no such provision has been approved yet.

The two parties have not directly supported anti-vax positions since they were in the government, but said they would rather leave people free to choose on this issue.

Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by the EU and published on April 26, showed 46 percent of Italians still believed vaccines could produce serious side-effects (against 48 percent at EU level), and 32 percent said vaccines could weaken the immune defence system.

The survey was carried out among 27,524 European citizens, of which 1,021, are Italians.

To limit this tide, health authorities in November launched a new awareness campaign involving personalities such as volleyball player Ivan Zaytsev and renowned astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.

Since end of 2018, they also established a National Immunization Information System to facilitate the estimation of vaccine coverage, and better monitor the implementation of the National Immunization Plan 2017-2019.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 01:40:00|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday said that over 42,000 people in and around the Libyan capital Tripoli fled their homes because of the ongoing fighting.

"Indiscriminate shelling and heavy gunfire are causing destruction and displacement ... More than 42,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict began earlier this month," the UNHCR said in a statement.

"In the most affected areas, there is an increasing sense of desperation. UNHCR staff in Libya say that people are afraid to leave their homes," it said.

Water is in short supply, power is regularly cut off and there is scarce access to food, fuel and other key basic items in those areas.

The UNHCR called for "unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to all affected areas and a temporary humanitarian truce to allow for the provision of emergency services as well as the safe and voluntary passage for civilians to leave the affected areas."

The eastern-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over Tripoli where the UN-backed government is based.

The fighting has so far killed 345 people and injured 1,652 others, the World Health Organization said.

Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 01:45:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ROME, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A recent report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) said that a little more than 15 percent of the jobs in Italy are at risk of disappearing because of robotic alternatives. That is higher than the average for the OECD as a whole as well as above the average for European members in the OECD.

Experts have called on Italy to make preparation for the trend.

The OECD said more than a third of the remaining jobs would survive but change substantially.

That means that all told, around half the jobs in Italy will either be phased out or would see dramatic changes.

The statistics are from the wide-reaching "Employment Outlook" report from the OECD based in Paris.

The figures in the report are striking because Italy's employment levels are already lower than in most OECD members.

According to Marco Taisch, a professor of advances and sustainable manufacturing at Milan's Polytechnic University, Italy will be overly effected by the trend toward robotization because a larger percentage of the country's economy is directly and indirectly related to manufacturing, a sector ripe for robotization.

"The manufacturing sector and sectors that depend on manufacturing feel an impact whenever there are new innovations," Taisch told Xinhua on Monday. "This change will mean there will be fewer jobs that depend on manual work, but the balance comes elsewhere."

But Taisch stressed that innovation also creates new jobs, and that using new technologies will help the economy grow, which also creates jobs.

"This kind of progress is inevitable, and the economies that do the best when technological changes come are the ones that embrace the innovations," he said.

Emilio Reyneri, a professor emeritus specializing in sociology of labor in the Department of Sociology and Social Research at the University of Milan Bicocca, said that given the likely trends Italy should start now to prepare for the coming changes.

"It would be wise for Italy to focus on job training and less on worrying about job losses," Reyneri said in an interview. "We have to be prudent, but we can't afford to be too cautious."

In its report, the OECD agreed, saying that job training programs should become "a true national priority" in Italy. It said comprehensive job training makes each worker more productive and makes it easier for them to find new opportunities in the market, helping companies innovate through turnover.

Taisch said the new jobs created in an increasingly high-tech marketplace will be most attractive to young workers, who can learn the new skills required easiest. That could be good news for Italy, where unemployment levels for workers under the age of 30 is among the highest in the industrialized world.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 01:55:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ALGIERS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Army Chief of Staff Ahmed Gaid Salah on Tuesday said that the presidential election should be held on time, as it is the only way to get out of the ongoing crisis.

"In order to respect the Constitution and state institutions, we have to work to create as soon as possible best conditions for holding the presidential election on July 4," Salah said during a visit to the 5th Military Region of Batna.

"The election will elect a legitimate president who will be tasked with the mission of fulfilling the popular demands and putting the country on the track of progress and construction," he added.

Algerian interim leader Abdelkader Bensalah, who replaced former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika who resigned following massive protests against his rule, announced on April 10 that the presidential election will be held on July 4. But there have been calls for delaying the election, as the the protests continue.

Salah also talked about the issue of fighting corruption, saying that several politicians, businessmen and high ranking military officials are involved in "heavy" corruption cases with payment of huge amounts of money.

He urged the judges to speed up the trial process of the involved people in a bid to deter them from escaping justice.

The National Gendarmerie Department last week sent court summons to former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and incumbent Finance Minister Mohammed Loukal, who used to be the governor of Central Bank.

Several prominent businessmen were placed under custody. Other businessmen are banned from leaving the country, awaiting for summons by the court.

These investigations come at the request of Salah.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 02:45:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RIGA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization's (WHO) representative Tamas Evetovits, who visited Latvia on Tuesday, called on the Baltic country to provide all patients with equal access to healthcare services, local media informed.

Evetovits, who heads WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Strengthening, paid the visit to learn about Latvia's health system and discuss possible improvements with Latvian health officials and lawmakers.

The main conclusion drawn by the WHO representative about the Latvian health system was that "the patients are paying too much from their pockets for healthcare."

He also urged Latvia to increase its health budget to 5 percent of GDP, which he said is possible provided that there is political will. The WHO representative advised Latvia to scrap co-payments charged for healthcare services from retired and chronically ill people and to reduce patients' co-payments for government-funded medicines.

At the same time, the WHO representative praised Latvian Health Minister Ilze Vinkele's plan to abolish the healthcare financing system where the full range of services is only available to socially insured patients, saying that the system approved by Latvia's previous government and dividing healthcare services into two baskets would only increase inequality.

Latvia's current government has agreed in principle to cancel the two-basket healthcare system which many have criticized as unfair and even dangerous for public health.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 03:30:55|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TIRANA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Albanian President Ilir Meta held a meeting here Tuesday with the leaders of four small political parties of the center-right to discuss and try to find a solution about the political situation of the country.

The leader of the Republican Party, Fatmir Mediu, the Environmentalist Agrarian Party, Agron Duka, the Party for Justice, Integration and Unity, Vangjel Dule and the Christian Democratic Party, Nard Ndoka joined the meeting with Meta.

The press office of the President said during the meeting, Meta expressed his deep concern for the serious constitutional, institutional, and representational crisis in the country.

Meta underlined that he has made every effort to promote the implementation of the justice reform within the terms and constitutional principles that would guarantee the balance of the system in a functional state of law.

Moreover, Meta expressed his concern that the refusal of all opposition parties of the last parliamentary legislature to participate in the coming local elections risks not only the standards of the elections but also the country's political pluralism.

Meta also urged for dialogue among all parties and declared that "it is never too late for reflection."

In a press statement following the meeting, Mediu thanked the president and expressed optimistic that there will be discussions with other parties on the resolution of the political crisis.

"We need to prevent the country from going into a conflict," Mediu said.

The leaders of the small political parties are trying to get the head of the ruling Socialist Party and Prime Minister Edi Rama and the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party Lulzim Basha to sit down in an attempt to find a solution to the political crisis. However, Basha has said that he is not willing to engage in dialogue with Rama.

Since mid-February, Albania has been going through a political crisis, with the opposition parties holding several anti-government protests -- some turned violent, asking Rama and his cabinet to step down for early elections.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza addresses a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Venezuela at the UN headquarters in New York Feb. 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for "maximum restraint" in Venezuela to avoid violence and restore calm.

"The secretary-general urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint and he appeals to all stakeholders to avoid any violence and take immediate steps to restore calm," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing.

The UN chief is following the latest developments in Venezuela with concern, and the United Nations is reaching out to the parties, said the spokesman.

He said the good offices of the secretary-general are available should the parties request them.

Venezuelan media reported that opposition leader Juan Guaido showed up early Tuesday morning along with some military personnel outside La Carlota aviation military base in the east of the capital city of Caracas.

Guaido called on civilians and military to act against the government of President Nicolas Maduro. He also tweeted that "the end of the usurpation began, and at this moment I am meeting with the main military units of our armed forces, beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom."

In response, Maduro tweeted that military commanders from all regions and defense areas of the country have "expressed their loyalty to the people, the Constitution and the country."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 03:45:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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PRAGUE, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Czech President Milos Zeman Tuesday reiterated his welcome to China's participation in highway construction in the Czech Republic.

He said this when appointing new ministers for industry and trade, justice and transport.

"In the construction of motorways, I will bring the commitment of one of the world's largest construction companies, CITIC Group, to be ready to immediately send a design team to the Czech Republic and participate in this work," he said when talking to the new Transport Minister Vladimir Kremlik.

He said recently he saw nice billboards on which it was written "highway, highway, highway" in the country.

"So I would like this inscription to get down from the billboards to the ground and finally to build the motorways at least as fast as, for example, in neighboring Poland," said Zeman.

He added that the Czech Prime Minister has proposed Chinese companies to take part in construction projects in the Czech Republic on the basis of Public-Private-Partnership model.

Vladimir Kremlik will replace Dan Tok as the new minister of transport, while Karel Havlicek will replace Marta Novakova as new industry and trade minister and Marie Benesova replace Jan Knezinek as new justice minister.

Zeman also appointed Havlicek and Finance Minister Alena Schillerova as new deputy prime ministers after dismissing Environment Minister Richard Brabec from the deputy PM post.
Supporter of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido clash with forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro on April 30, 2019. (AFP Photo)

MOSCOW, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Venezuelan crisis should be resolved via a responsible negotiation process without preconditions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We call on all sides to renounce the use of violence. It is important to avoid disorder and bloodshed," the statement read.

Instead of seeking to settle political disputes peacefully, the opposition in Venezuela has adopted a course of escalating the conflict, provoking violations of public order and staging clashes with the involvement of the armed forces, it said.

Any actions should be taken exclusively within the confines of the law, in strict conformity with the Constitution and without destructive interference from outside the country, the ministry said.

It asked the international community, including Venezuela's immediate neighbors, to reaffirm commitment to the UN Charter and the norms and principles of international law.

It also urged them to support Venezuela's return to the path of stable and steady development via dialogue between all responsible political forces of that country.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido reportedly showed up early Tuesday morning along with some military personnel outside an aviation military base in the east of Caracas. He called on civilians and the military to act against the government and urged President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

Maduro tweeted that military commanders from all regions and defense areas of the country have "expressed their loyalty to the people, the Constitution and the country."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 05:36:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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THE HAGUE, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Dutch police have arrested a man suspected of being involved in terrorism last Friday in Heerlen in the southern Dutch province of Limburg, the Dutch public prosecutor announced on Tuesday.

The investigation into the suspect started on Friday based on information from the General Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (AIVD). The 37-year-old man from Heerlen was allegedly looking for firearms and adhering to jihadist ideas.

The suspect was arrested in his home on Friday evening. During the search of the home the police seized mobile phones, a laptop, documents and three combat and safety vests.

A second suspect was arrested that same evening, a 21-year-old man from Sittard. A third suspect, a 33-year-old man from Sittard, was arrested on Monday evening. These men are suspected of arms trafficking and not of terrorism yet.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-01 06:12:01|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States hopes to see a peaceful transfer of power in Venezuela but keeps all options on the table, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Tuesday amid an attempted coup in the South American country.

"We want, as our principal objective, a peaceful transfer of power," Bolton told reporters, but reiterated President Donald Trump's stance that "all options are on the table."

Bolton called on Venezuelan defense chief and other key officials to support the opposition leader Juan Guaido, and noted that the United States treats Russian's actions in Venezuela with "utmost seriousness."

U.S. Democratic Representative David Cicilline criticized Bolton's remarks as "both dangerous and wrong," emphasizing that "there is no military options for the U.S. And if the President and his advisors want to go down that road, they will need to request authority from Congress."

Venezuelan media reported that Guaido showed up early Tuesday morning along with some military personnel outside the La Carlota aviation military base, calling on civilians and military to act against the government and urging President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

Maduro said via Twitter that military commanders from all regions and defense areas of the country have "expressed their loyalty to the people, the Constitution and the country."

Also on Tuesday, Trump tweeted that he was monitoring the situation in Venezuela closely, while Vice President Mike Pence and State Secretary Mike Pompeo both demonstrated their support to Guaido via Twitter.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez responded on Twitter, saying that "the U.S. government shamelessly and immorally acknowledges its authorship in this criminal attempted coup in Venezuela."

U.S. Southern Command, which oversees U.S. military activities in Latin American and Caribbean, said they are monitoring the recent developments in Venezuela, noting "their mission remains unchanged," Reuters reported citing a military spokesperson.

The United States has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Venezuelan government in support of the opposition leader Guaido.

The U.S. government recognized Guaido as the nation's "interim president" on Jan. 23, days after Maduro was inaugurated for a second term.

In response to Washington's support for Guaido, Maduro announced that he was severing "diplomatic and political" ties with the United States.
Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido clash with forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro in front of La Carlota military base in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 30, 2019. (AFP Photo)

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States hopes to see a peaceful transfer of power in Venezuela but keeps all options on the table, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Tuesday amid an attempted coup in the South American country.

"We want, as our principal objective, a peaceful transfer of power," Bolton told reporters, but reiterated President Donald Trump's stance that "all options are on the table."

Bolton called on Venezuelan defense chief and other key officials to support the opposition leader Juan Guaido, and noted that the United States treats Russian's actions in Venezuela with "utmost seriousness."

U.S. Democratic Representative David Cicilline criticized Bolton's remarks as "both dangerous and wrong," emphasizing that "there is no military options for the U.S. And if the President and his advisors want to go down that road, they will need to request authority from Congress."

Venezuelan media reported that Guaido showed up early Tuesday morning along with some military personnel outside the La Carlota aviation military base, calling on civilians and military to act against the government and urging President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

Maduro said via Twitter that military commanders from all regions and defense areas of the country have "expressed their loyalty to the people, the Constitution and the country."

Also on Tuesday, Trump tweeted that he was monitoring the situation in Venezuela closely, while Vice President Mike Pence and State Secretary Mike Pompeo both demonstrated their support to Guaido via Twitter.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez responded on Twitter, saying that "the U.S. government shamelessly and immorally acknowledges its authorship in this criminal attempted coup in Venezuela."

U.S. Southern Command, which oversees U.S. military activities in Latin American and Caribbean, said they are monitoring the recent developments in Venezuela, noting "their mission remains unchanged," Reuters reported citing a military spokesperson.

The United States has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Venezuelan government in support of the opposition leader Guaido.

The U.S. government recognized Guaido as the nation's "interim president" on Jan. 23, days after Maduro was inaugurated for a second term.

In response to Washington's support for Guaido, Maduro announced that he was severing "diplomatic and political" ties with the United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-30 22:40:14|Editor: Xiaoxia

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Japanese Emperor Akihito (L) and Empress Michiko attend a ritual ceremony for the Emperor's abdication in Tokyo, Japan, April 30, 2019. Japanese Emperor Akihito in his final speech as a monarch on Tuesday declared his abdication and said he sincerely hoped for a stable future for Japan and peace and happiness around the world. (Xinhua/Imperial Household Agency Handout)

TOKYO, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Japanese people, immersed in a jubilant mood to welcome the beginning of a new era, planned on Tuesday to celebrate Reiwa in various activities, starting on May 1 with the ascent of Crown Prince Naruhito to the throne.

Japanese Emperor Akihito in his final speech as a monarch on Tuesday declared his abdication and said he sincerely hoped for a stable future for Japan and peace and happiness around the world.

The Japanese era transition will take place at the midnight Tuesday in an unprecedented 10-day Golden Week holiday, marking the end of the Heisei Era which means "achieving peace" and the start of Reiwa, or "beautiful harmony."

Citizens are keen on attending activities such as countdown events and fireworks scheduled to aid the celebratory mood across the country. Meanwhile, police have beefed up security measures around the Imperial Palace and other major spots.

People planned to celebrate the moment of era change in many different ways. Some Japanese couples planned to get married at midnight, and some elementary school children and their parents in the Okayama prefecture planned to experience the name change "midair" by jumping all at once at a gymnasium, according to local media reports.

On social media, the first change of a Japanese era name in three decades has drawn many people's attention. Instagram users uploaded pictures of themselves holding up a board with the two Chinese characters symbolizing the new era, imitating what Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, nicknamed "Uncle Reiwa" by young people, did when he announced the new era name on April 1.

Many people visited places with names linked to Heisei on Tuesday in a mood mixed with celebration and reminiscence.

A roadside service station in Gifu Prefecture, which is named Heisei, was packed with hundreds of visitors for a whole day since early in the morning.
Since the early hours of April 30, Russian armed occupants twice attacked Ukrainian positions in Donbas. Maksym Prauta, the speaker of Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported that at a briefing, as quoted by the authority's press office.

The ministry specified that both attacks occurred in Donetsk region.

'In the nighttime, the enemy used the automatic mounted and man-portable grenade launchers, shooting at our positions in the area of Pisky. Another long-lasting attack occurred not far from Lebedynske; here the enemy opened fire at about 4 a.m., using automatic grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms', Prauta said.

Ukrainian forces sustained to casualties over the mentioned period, the official concluded.

On April 29, the Russian mercenaries opened fire in Donbas eight times. That included the use of Minsk-banned weapons.
Serhiy Hvozdiyevsky served with the 79th Airborne Forces Brigade; he was wounded in action in Donetsk region and taken to the hospital, but doctors could not save him

Ukraine's Airborne Forces took a casualty on April 30. Sergeant Serhiy Hvozdiyevsky died of the combat wounds at a hospital in Dnipro city April 29. The HQ of the Airborne Forces reported that on Facebook.

The 53-year-old fighter was wounded during the combat mission in Donetsk region. His comrades administered first aid and delivered him to the military hospital in Dnipro.

The doctors could not save Hvozdiyevsky; he passed away.

The command of Ukraine's Airborne Forces expressed their condolences to the family and friends of the perished warrior.

Since the early hours of April 30, Russian armed occupants twice attacked Ukrainian positions in Donbas. Maksym Prauta, the speaker of Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported that at a briefing, as quoted by the authority's press office.

The ministry specified that both attacks occurred in Donetsk region.
Melinda Simmons, British Ambassador to Ukraine 112 Agency

Judith Gough, the ambassador of the United Kingdom to Ukraine will be replaced by Melinda Simmons in summer. The press office of the British government reported this on April 30.

'Ms Melinda Simmons has been appointed Her Majestys Ambassador to Ukraine in succession to Ms Judith Gough CMG who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Ms Simmons will take up her appointment in summer 2019', reads the message.

Previously, Simmons served on a number of jobs in the Office of Foreign Development. In 2017-2018, she worked as the Director of the National Security Secretariat Joint Funds Unit.

The diplomat reported that she has been intensively studying Ukrainian language and 'looking forward to meeting Ukraine and Ukrainians'.
Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. Deputy Attorney General Voice of America

Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. Deputy Attorney General, who appointed Special Attorney Robert Mueller in spring 2017 to investigate relations between the Russian authority and Donald Trump, resigns, as CNN reported.

Resigning since May 11, I am thankful for an opportunity to serve, for politeness and humor, which you showed during our personal interviews and for the goals you defined in your inaugural speech: patriotism, unity, security, education and prosperity, because this state exists to serve to its citizens, Rosensteins letter reads.

As Deputy Attorney General noted the average term for this post is 16 months and a few officials work for over two years.

President Trump has criticized him and other American officials from the U.S. Department of Justice. Yet, it does not look like Trump fired Rosenstein.

Since May 2017, ex-FBI Head Robert Mueller headed the investigation of alleged ties of Donald Trumps entourage with Russia and Moscows interference in the U.S. elections. Within this probe, ex-Advisor of the U.S. President Michael Flynn pleaded guilty for giving false testimony to FBI about meetings with the Russian Ambassador and made a plea deal.
According to his lawyer, Bekirov will not survive it

Crimean Tatar activist Edem Bekirov illegally kept in Simferopol prison said he wanted to start a hunger strike at the session of Kremlin-controlled Supreme Court of Crimea, as his lawyer Islyam Velilyayev reported on Facebook.

He said it on April 26.

Basically, misbehaviour of the workers of the prison led to this. Bekirov receives insulin, but nobody measures sugar level in his blood, Bekirovs lawyer said.

According to him, the relatives of the Crimean Tatar tried to pass rapid tests for measuring blood sugar level, but the workers of Simferopol prison do not accept them.

It might lead to irreversible consequences, to death. Last time I saw him Edem s face was puffy, covered with brown spots. He barely moves, his chest on the left side aches all the time, the lawyer noted.

The lawyer also appealed to all the people who might influence the situation  solve the problem, stop misbehavior of Simferopol prison workers, who, according to Velilyayev, even torture the prisoners.

As we reported earlier, the health situation of Crimean Tatar political prisoner Bekirov is critical.

Russian law enforcers detained Crimean Tatar Edem Bekirov at the entrance to occupied Crimea on December 12, 2018. Edem was heading from mainland Ukraine to Crimea to visit his 78-year-old mother and relatives.

According to Ukrainian MP Refat Chubarov, Bekirov was arrested during passport control on the territory controlled by the Russian law enforcers. Later, Chubarov noted that the detainee was taken to Russias Security Service office in annexed Simferopol.

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Research funding agencies issue global guidelines on societal and economic impact

During the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Global Research Council (GRC) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, leaders of research funding agencies worldwide will endorse guidelines addressing the expectations of grantmaking organisations and governments regarding their support for science and engineering research that contributes to solutions to the world's economic and societal challenges.

The announcement will be made as a Statement of Principles to be released during the GRC's Annual Meeting, which will be attended by heads of research councils from some 50 countries on all five continents. The meeting takes place on May 1-3, 2019.

The organizers of the event are the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Argentina's National Scientific & Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the German Research Foundation (DFG). This will be the GRC Annual Meeting held in Brazil. Previous editions took place in Russia (2018), Canada (2017) and India (2016).

The 2019 meeting is the eighth edition. Its focus will be the growing demands that research funding organisations, governments and grantmaking agencies give more weight to economic and societal impact as a major criterion for selecting research projects to support.

The GRC held regional meetings to discuss this positioning on all five continents during 2018. The Statement of Principles will reflect the results of the discussions. The document will defend a balance between basic research and applied or use-oriented research, the prevalence of merit as a priority in selecting projects for funding, and the need for flexible approaches to the assessment of the societal and economic impact of research.

The Statement of Principles, which will serve as a reference for funding agencies, will also recommend the adoption of more effective communication strategies to raise awareness of the results of funded research projects on the part of the research community, society and government.

Other discussions that will take place during the GRC's Annual Meeting will address open science and Plan S, and gender equality in scientific research funding and execution. Plan S is an initiative led by the European Commission to accelerate the transition to free and open access to scientific articles. It requires researchers who benefit from public funding to publish their work in open repositories or journals by 2020.

The discussion on gender will be introduced by Professor Londa Schiebinger (Stanford University). The Gender Working Group will lead a panel session highlighting the research finding that grave errors and waste can be avoided by taking the gender dimension into account in research and not using only males as models to test hypotheses.

The importance of diversity will also be discussed at the meeting. More diverse groups of scientists achieve research results that have a more significant impact, so much so that most funding agencies have taken steps to try to remove the obstacles to participation by women and other groups in the scientific workforce.

###

About the GRC

Established in 2012, the Global Research Council pursues goals such as improving communication and cooperation among funding agencies worldwide, promoting the sharing of data, and fostering best practices for high-quality research cooperation.

The Governing Board is chaired by Vladislav Panchenko, President of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. Its Vice Chair is Alejandro Ceccatto, President of Argentina's National Scientific & Technical Research Council (CONICET).

The Governing Board also comprises the heads of research funding agencies in Brazil, Canada, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United States, as well as the head of Science Europe.

Press Conference on the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Global Research Council (GRC)

Participation by representatives of the Governing Board of the Global Research Council, who may include:

France Cordova, National Science Foundation (NSF), United States

Molapo Qhobela, National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa

Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil

Digvir S. Jayas, Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada

Peter Strohschneider, German Research Foundation (DFG), Germany

Mark Ferguson, Science Foundation Ireland, Ireland

Anas Al-Faris, King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia

Li Jinghai, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), China

Susumu Satomi, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan

Marc Schiltz, Science Europe, Europe

Yaya Sangare, Strategic Support Programme for Scientific Research (PASRES), Cote d'Ivoire

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Russian Security Service Crimean solidarity

Russian law enforcers raided houses of two Crimean Tatars Rolan Osmanov and Dilyaver Bekirov in annexed Crimea, as Crimean Solidarity reported on Facebook.

Searches began at 6 am. Mother, wife and two young children of Rolan Osmanov were in his house. It is known that in April 2018 Osmanov held a one-person rally in support of Khan's Palace. His poster said: Stop destroying the history of Crimean Tatars under the guise of restoration.

Later, another raid was reported. Russian law enforcers searched the house of Dilyaver Bekirov who lives in Zhyvopysne.

Russian law enforcers left the houses and did not take anything. Allegedly, they were looking for drugs at Osmanovs.

Russia annexed Crimea after the illegal referendum held on the peninsula in March 2014. Earlier, the Russian military captured all strategic military objects and buildings of the key authoritative bodies. Neither Ukraine nor the rest of the civilized countries recognized the results of the referendum. A number of the European and the world countries, including Ukraine, imposed the economic sanctions against Russia.

As we reported, Google corporation began to show occupied Crimea as a part of Russia for Russian users.
The state of one victim is critical

Open source

Shuttle bus from Kyiv and a truck collided in Oryol region, Russia. 21 people got injured in a car accident, as RBK-Ukraine reported.

There are Ukrainians among the victims. The state of one of them is critical, the message reads.

It remains unknown who is responsible for the accident.

As it was reported later, 15 Ukrainians got injured in the car accident.

Two victims were hospitalized, the rest received medical assistance, as Deputy Director of Consular Service Department of Ukraines Foreign Ministry Vasyl Kyrylych said.

In total, 52 Ukrainians were on the bus.

The Consul has regular contact with Internal Ministry and Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Christchurch, New Zealand Stuff

Police found an explosive device in Christchurch, New Zealand. A 33-year-old man suspected in preparing a terrorist attack was detained, as Stuff reported.

A suspected explosive device has been found at an empty section in Christchurch. Police found the package, along with ammunition, on Newcastle St, in the suburb of Phillipstown, the message reads.

Stuff Christchurch, New Zealand Stuff Christchurch, New Zealand Stuff Christchurch, New Zealand Stuff Christchurch, New Zealand

Police, bomb-disposal experts, rescuers and doctors are working at the site.

New Zealand Defence Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit made the package safe, Canterbury district commander Superintendent John Price, stated.

Earlier, a shooting occurred in Christchurch and Linwood mosques. Police defused explosive devices found in the cars after the shooting.

Later, law enforcers detained four participants of the attack  three men and one woman. One of the criminals was recording the shooting.

49 people died, 47 got injured in the terrorist attack.
The President of the European Commission compared the current and the future president of Ukraine in terms of the Russian issue

Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, stated he saw no difference between the current President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and elected President Volodymyr Zelensky concerning the matter of Russia, as he said in an interview for Rzeczpospolita.

I was listening to the statements of the elected President and I did not find any significant difference between his and Poroshenko if we talk about Russia. The fact that he wants to end war in the east of Ukraine does not help Moscow, Junker said.

At the same time, he did not evaluate the future President.

We will see. We will be supporting Ukraine. I always stress that fight with corruption has to be enhanced, the President of the European Commission said.
The second round of elections of the president of Ukraine ended, and we have got the winner  Volodymyr Zelensky. Many spoke and wrote about him, although, unfortunately, he preferred to keep silence until the debates. Thus, no one could predict what kind of policy Zelensky would carry out, one could only guess.

So what should we expect from president Zelensky?

Apparently, we should start from the presidential program of Volodymyr Zelensky, which begins with the words I will tell you about Ukraine of my dreams. He wants Ukraine to be a country where business "can be officially established in an hour, you can get a passport in 15 minutes, and vote in elections in one second."

According to Zelensky, doctors and teachers get real wages, corrupt officials - real penalties and retired people get a decent retirement. However, there is nothing about how he is going to achieve this. The president of Ukraine does not have the power to interfere directly to the payment process of pension and salaries. In Ukraine it is the presidentially-parliamentary form of government, in other words, the powers of the head of state are rather limited. The most important role of the president is foreign policy.

Regarding that plank in the program, here are some main points: For instance, to finish the war in Donbas, to return the temporarily occupied territories to Ukraine, to make Russia compensate damages. Zelensky is not against NATO and the European Union, he believes in this, although this issue should receive confirmation through an all-Ukrainian referendum.

Candidates first bill will be called "On power of people." The essence of the draft law described in the program is as follows: consolidation of the mechanism by which "the people of Ukraine will form the main tasks for the government through referendums and other forms of direct democracy." Besides, he promises to do everything with the maximum use of the latest technologies, but there are no details on how he is going to that.

In addition, Zelensky promises to lift immunity from the president of Ukraine, MPs, and judges.

You can read about the program more detailed here.

Volodymyr Zelensky gave more information in his interview. For example, he said he was not against abortions, as everyone should decide by themselves. He is not against the legalization of medical marijuana. But the President does not support the legalization of weapons.

Surely, no one can predict what will happen next. However, there are several variants of the turn of events, foreseen by analysts both Ukrainian and foreign ones. Those variants are completely different.

Thus, some experts believe that Zelensky should start with:

-Settling down the conflict in Donbas, returning Crimea, in particular, while strengthening the Normandy format with the accession of the USA and the UK. However, no one agrees to the direct dialogue with leaders of the temporarily occupied territories.

- The reform of the Presidential Administration. Zelenskys team believes that the Administration of the President should be an office of the body suggesting new ideas.

- To conduct an audit of Ukraine with the help of international experts.

Nevertheless, any bill risks being disapproved by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Whether Zelensky will gain a majority in the parliament is still a tricky question.

Many questions appear concerning his foreign policy. Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron, French Ambassador in Ukraine Isabelle Dumont and Resident Representative for Ukraine Goesta Ljungman. Zelensky claimed that all the meetings had been successful ones. However, only time will show how good Zelensky is in diplomacy.

Besides, the head of state is not obliged to participate in all those procedures himself. Many tasks can be fulfilled by the good ministers and smart advisors provided Zelensky hires competent stuff. Nevertheless, the search of those brilliant workers is a rather difficult mission as well, which requires experience. And this is one more task Zelensky should do as the President of Ukraine.

Obviously, there are absolutely negative predictions as well. In general, they all touch upon the fact that Zelensky is not only a political novice, but also that he depends completely on his patron billionaire Ihor Kolomoysky. Their claims that they have no relations to each other have not convinced skeptics at all. Some analysts believe that his coming in the office is far from cleaning Ukrainian politics from the systems of billionaires, as Zelenskys patron plays the big part in those systems. According to some experts, even if Zelensky wants to become an independent president indeed, he will have not enough power to do so. Without his own political power in parliament, which at present Zelensky does not have, he will need figures like Kolomoysky for making all important decisions.

In addition, some experts predict the step back in the economy of Ukraine, if the nationalization of the Privatbank to be canceled.

There are even those, who think that Zelensky will be in the office not longer than a year and a half. Basically, the reason for this is that he has no experience in economics, diplomacy or military.

Anyway, experts and analysts may dispute a lot, but only time will show who is right.
PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
MUSC psychologists release results of survey of 'Maria generation' kids

Psychologists from the Medical University of South Carolina have just published one of the largest post-disaster screening projects in U.S. history. The report, available online through JAMA Network Open, measured the magnitude of Hurricane Maria's impact on the mental health of children in Puerto Rico.

Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo, an assistant professor at MUSC in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, grew up in Puerto Rico and led the study. "More than seven percent of youth, 6,900 of the children surveyed by the Puerto Rico Department of Education, reported clinically significant symptoms of PTSD," she said.

Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, affecting their ability to cope with everyday life. PTSD can cause nightmares, flashbacks, the feeling of being always on guard, trouble sleeping and an inability to remember parts of the traumatic event.

Other key findings of the survey, in which more than 96,000 third through 12th graders took part:

-More than 80% saw houses damaged on an island roughly the size of Connecticut. -About 45% had damage to their own home. -Almost 58% had a friend or family member leave Puerto Rico. -About a third had to deal with a lack of food or water. -More than 15% still didn't have electricity several months after the September 2017 storm.

Orengo-Aguayo said the survey also found that more than 6,000 children reported a family member, friend or neighbor may have died as a result of the storm. "What students reported aligns with an article in the New England Journal of Medicine on mortality rates after Hurricane Maria." That article, by researchers at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, estimated there were about 4,600 deaths related to the storm. The government of Puerto Rico puts the death toll at about 3,000 people.

While more than 7% of the children surveyed had PTSD symptoms, that's actually lower than anticipated. Regan Stewart, an assistant professor in MUSC's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, is part of the research team. "I expected it to be higher, based on other studies that have been done in the mainland U.S. in which rates are somewhere between 13 and 30%."

Why would the PTSD rate be lower among the children surveyed in Puerto Rico than their mainland counterparts surveyed after other disasters? Stewart said one potential protective factor may be a concept called "familismo" in Spanish. "It's the importance of family and community. Puerto Ricans place a high value on these social connections. We know from the literature that social support may be a protective factor after a traumatic event."

The PTSD rate might also have to do with the timing of when the Puerto Rico Department of Education conducted the survey, she said. "Most surveys have been done at the six to 12-month mark, given all it takes to get this funded and done. In this case, the department administered the surveys at five to nine months, which is sooner. Many of the students were still dealing with losses of basic necessities-food, electricity. Their focus could still be on getting these basic needs met and mental health difficulties may have developed later at the six to 12-month mark, which was not captured in this survey."

Orengo-Aguayo, Stewart and another bilingual MUSC mental health expert, Michael de Arellano, have been part of the effort to help schoolchildren in the aftermath of Maria almost from the beginning.

Soon after the storm, a friend in Puerto Rico told Orengo-Aguayo that the education secretary was looking for people who could come up with a comprehensive plan to help teachers and students deal with Maria's aftermath. Schools were closed, utilities were out and loved ones were leaving.

Orengo-Aguayo and her colleagues at MUSC, along with a psychology intern from Puerto Rico, sprang into action. They realized they could use a grant they already had from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network to fund the work in Puerto Rico.

They've worked with the Puerto Rico Department of Education to train teachers in how to take care of their own mental health while also caring for the kids who weathered the storm.

Since their first visit in October of 2017, the MUSC psychologists have been back multiple times to continue their work. They emphasize the importance of asking what people need instead of telling Puerto Ricans what to do. They've also worked closely with Joy Lynn Suarez-Kindy, a clinical psychologist who lives there, to strategize and analyze what is needed.

Orengo-Aguayo said the survey shows a few things in addition to data. One, more funding is needed to pay for mental health services in Puerto Rico. Two, the island needs better ways to reach people in rural areas that don't have mental health providers around. Telehealth, which uses technology to connect patients with experts, is one possibility being explored. Three, all storm-prone areas should try to assess what mental health resources they have before a future disaster occurs, not after.

She also wants to make sure people on the mainland U.S. don't forget about their fellow citizens in Puerto Rico, including children. "Puerto Rican youth experienced significant disaster exposure and reported trauma symptoms that warrant evidence-based services. Academics partnering with community stakeholders is the way to go to change the world one child at a time. That is our lab's motto."

###

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: No load shedding in over a month

Eskom has not implemented load shedding for 36 consecutive days, it said on Monday.

The power utilitys Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer said the power utility remains fully committed to working diligently over the coming months to recover the power system through the implementation of the Generation 9-Point Plan which sets out to improve the energy availability factor (EAF).

At a media briefing earlier this month, Eskom and the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) unveiled the Winter Plan aimed at avoiding load shedding or at least limiting it to Stage 1 this winter.

As we continue to perform essential plant maintenance, while carefully balancing the countrys energy requirements with the available capacity, the risk that we may implement load shedding over the next six to 12 months remains. However, this will only be done as a last resort, said Oberholzer.

Oberholzer added that Eskom teams executed daily planned maintenance totalling in excess of 7 000 MW over the Easter weekend, along with improvements at a number of stations.

The unplanned plant failures (UCLF), which at times reached over 12 000 MW, dropped to as low as 5 260 MW over the Easter weekend.

Eskom has seen improvement in plant performance and the recovery of diesel tank levels at open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) as well as better management of dam levels at pumped-storage schemes.

This shift demonstrates Eskoms commitment to the provision of sustainable electricity and is due to the hard work and dedication of Eskom employees, he said.

He added that there has also been a recovery of supply from one of the two Cahora Bassa power lines, which is now contributing up to 900 MW to the grid.

In addition, work on the new power stations (Kusile and Medupi) continues with Kusile Unit 3 successfully synchronised to the national grid for the first time on 14 April 2019.

It has already achieved 400 MW but it must be noted that capability tests and acceptance testing will continue on this unit for the next few months.

The power utility encouraged residents and businesses to use electricity sparingly by switching off geysers as well as all non-essential lighting and electricity appliances to assist in reducing demand. - SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Venezuelans take to street to support Guaido

Venezuela's self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido claimed on Tuesday that troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, whose government vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup by the US-backed opposition leader.

An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support disintegrated into rioting as palls of black smoke rose over eastern Caracas.

The government said it was "deactivating" an attempted coup by a small group of "treacherous" soldiers.

And there was little early sign Maduro's iron grip on the military -- which has kept him in power in a months-long standoff with Guaido -- had slipped.

On Twitter, he claimed the military chiefs had assured him of their "total loyalty".

Confusion reigned in Caracas as a crowd that swelled to thousands, many waving Venezuelan flags, flocked onto a highway near a Caracas military base.

Guaido had rallied his supporters with an early morning video message that showed him with armed troops he said had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Maduro.

The 35-year-old National Assembly leader -- recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries -- was filmed outside the La Carlota air base, where he urged the armed forces inside to join him.

Guaido claimed the move was the "beginning of the end" of Maduro's regime, and there was "no turning back".

But as the crowd swelled around the base, police fired tear gas to keep them away from the perimeter.

Later troops in riot gear, backed by armored vehicles and water tankers, lined up against the demonstrators on a highway wreathed in tear-gas.

Several of the vehicles ran into the crowd, injuring some of the protesters. Rioters later blocked the highway with a bus and set it on fire.

A pall of black smoke also rose from an area near a helicopter hangar on the base. Soldiers put out the fire and fired tear gas at demonstrators who were trying to dismantle the steel perimeter fence.

"Today is the day Maduro resigns. Today is the day all the country's drug dealers resign. Today we have a Venezuela. Today we have a nation," said one protester amid the confusion.

As UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed to all sides to avoid violence, Venezuela's army chief and defense minister, General Vladimir Padrino, issued a stark warning of possible "bloodshed" -- adding that he would hold the opposition responsible.

In a message on Twitter, Padrino said the situation in military barracks and bases in the country was "normal."

He later said an army colonel had received a bullet wound to the neck during the clashes in Caracas.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez called on the army "to remain on maximum alert to -- with our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces -- defeat the attempted coup and preserve peace."

The US, meanwhile, threw its full support behind Guaido, with the White House calling on the military to protect the people and support the country's "legitimate institutions," including the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

"The US Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter.

Russia, Maduro's main backer and creditor with China, accused Guaido of "fueling conflict" in the oil-rich country.

Maduro's leftist Latin American allies Cuba and Bolivia also condemned Guaido.

President Ivan Duque of neighboring Colombia -- home to more than a million refugees from Maduro's regime -- called on Twitter for "soldiers and the people of Venezuela to place themselves on the right side of history, rejecting dictatorship and Maduro's usurpation."

Internet observatory NetBlocks reported "multiple internet services" were restricted in Venezuela following Guaido's appeal.

In his video, recorded outside the La Carlota base, Guaido said the "definitive phase" had begun in his attempt to oust Maduro -- who has presided over a catastrophic economic implosion since taking over from his late mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013.

"Brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men supporting the constitution have answered our call," Guaido said.

Guaido appeared alongside high-profile opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez who had been put under house arrest by Maduro's regime but who announced he had been "freed" by soldiers supporting Guaido. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
John Hansman graduated from the State University of Iowa and subsequently served with the U.S. Navy Submarine Staff Corps. From 1957-1960, he worked in the administration of an economic development program of the Kurdish region, Northeast Iraq. In Iraq, he had been introduced to archaeology when salvage excavating a 6000 year old simple burial site. During the early 1960s, he served two years on the administrative staff in Southwestern Iran. He moved to Britain during the mid-1960s to complete a PhD in archaeology at the School of Oriental Studies, University of London. His thesis required historical surveys of ancient cultural sites in adjoining areas of Southern Iraq and Iran. Following graduation in 1970, Hansman remained in Britain some 20 further years, researching and publishing papers on ancient Middle Eastern cultures and historical geography, while periodically revisiting those regions to excavate and carry out archaeological reconnaissance. His excavations include:

1965  Located Spasinou Charax. Capital of the small Parthian (Iranian) vassel state of Mesene (Characene) located on the Tigres river flood plain of Southern Iraq, a city that flourished ca. 129 B.C.  220 A.D.

1966  Located Hecatompylos, Greek name of an early Persian settlement refounded by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C.; later Iranian Qumis, flourished second and first century B.C. as winter capital of the Parthian empire. Cultural debris of this now isolated site, which extends some 2.5 miles, contains eroded remains of large mud brick structures.

1970  Identified the site of Anshan, a royal capital of the Elamite civilization in South Iran; which flourished ca. 2300-1600 B.C.

During three seasons, Hansman served as co-director, under the British Institute of Persian Studies, at the Hecatompylos site. The last of these operations closed down after four weeks following outbreak, in 1979, of the Iranian revolution.

Over two seasons, he directed archaeological excavations at the medieval Islamic port site of Julfar on the Persian Gulf, in the United Arab Emirates.

In 1971-72, while based at London, Hansman organized an appeal for the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Royal Asiatic Society. He also mounted an exhibition of the Society's history and co-organized a symposium of international scholars on un-deciphered and little understood ancient Asian languages.

In 1977 and 2002 Hansman was commissioned by the successive curators at Iolani Palace (former residence of the Hawaiian kings), Honolulu, to identify ceramic material recovered from utility trenches successively opened on the palace grounds. These pieces consisted mostly of sherds from a variety of formal dinner ware used in two older, smaller palace residences that occupied that property earlier in the 1800s.

In 1980 he was elected a Research Fellow at Clare Hall graduate college, Cambridge University. Hansman was decorated in 1983 by Shaykh Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qasimi, ruler of Ra's-al-Khaimah, of the United Arab Emirates, for excavations undertaken over-several-years at the early, port site of Julfar on the Persian Gulf.

Dr. Hansman is an affiliate of Clare Hall, Cambridge University; a Life Fellow, Society of Antiquaries and Fellow Honoris Causa, Royal Asiatic Society, all in the United Kingdom.

David Stronach (born 1931) is a Scottish archeologist of ancient Iran and Iraq. He is an emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He is an expert on Pasargadae. Stronach was educated at Gordonstoun and Cambridge University. During the 1960s and 1970s he was Director of the British Institute of Persian Studies in Tehran. In the 1990s, he excavated several parts of Nineveh. His scholarship has earned him several honors and awards, including the invitation to deliver endowed lectures at Harvard and Columbia. He is also the recipient of the 2004 Archaeological Institute of America Gold Medal for "Distinguished Archaeological Achievement".

During his time in Iran, he met Ruth Vaadia (19372017), an Israeli archeologist who was also working in Iran, and married her. They have two daughters, The family left Iran at the time of the 1979 Iranian Revolution He became a professor at Berkeley in 1981 and retired in 2004.

Warwick Ball is an Australian-born Near-eastern archeologist. In the past 30 years, Ball has mainly excavated in Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Ball was formerly director of excavations at The British School of Archaeology in Iraq. He currently resides in Scotland.
Segun Atala, en setiembre de 2008, en el contexto de una feria empresarial en Sao Paulo, Luis Nava le dijo que el dinero que estaba depositado en la cuenta de Ammarin Investment INC, por el monto de US$ 1,312,000, era del presidente Alan Garcia. pic.twitter.com/T7ymJ7ZfRH




"The Peruvian Government has the duty to protect its citizens as a priority, and the presence of foreigners with criminal records, who entered the country falsifying their documentation, constitutes a threat," Minister Moran expressed in this sense.





"The majority of the expelled (citizens) lied in their sworn statements by claiming they did not have police records for having committed crimes in their country of origin. A minority were residing illegally in Peruvian territory," the high-ranking official added.





Those deported have a history of robbery, aggravated robbery, and illegal possession of weapons in their homeland.





"We have opened the doors to thousands of Venezuelan citizens, but as a Government we must prioritize the protection of our citizens. These people have police records, and that is a threat," he pointed out.





The corresponding operations were carried out in the following Lima districts: San Martin de Porres, Villa El Salvador, Ate, and Puente Piedra, among others.





Peruvian Air Force (FAP) aircraft transported the Venezuelan citizens back to their country of origin guarded by police officers.





This expulsion was carried out in compliance with international law and within the current legal framework.





Consulted on what happens with other Venezuelans who have committed crimes in the national territory, he said they must be brought to justice, receive a penalty, and once their sentence is completed they must be deported.

The event took place on Monday afternoon at Lima's Air Group N 8.

As is known, Peru has received over 750,000 Venezuelans, who have migrated due to Nicolas Maduro's regime



(END) DTK/MVB

Interior Minister Carlos Moran on Monday informed that over 40 Venezuelan citizens have been expelled from Peru for having police records and entering the country while relying on fake migratory information.Published: 4/30/2019
Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Estamos trabajando coordinadamente con las autoridades locales de #Trujillo, que se han mostrado dinamicas y con ganas de hacer las cosas. Ese entusiasmo debe durar los cuatro anos de trabajo para cambiar y mejorar el nivel de vida de los ciudadanos. pic.twitter.com/XcBQs5TI92
A 14-year-old girl with autism raped in a school stairwell. A 13-year-old with a learning disability reported a boy reached under her skirt and touched her  only to be told by a dean, Oh, he just likes you.

A new lawsuit filed this week accuses the NYC Department of Education of failing to protect students against sexual assaults, file official complaints, conduct proper investigations, and support survivors dealing with trauma.

Legal Services NYC filed the suit on behalf of four girls, ages 12 to 18, who are all New York City public school students of color with disabilities. The allegations included two rapes as well as repeated harassment spanning years. In all four cases, the suit said, students reported incidents to school officials multiple times. Yet school officials did not protect students from accelerating harassment or provide appropriate post-trauma support, according to the plaintiffs lawyers.

Listen to Jessica Gould's report on WNYC:

We wanted to bring this lawsuit not only to address the pervasive sexual assault in NYC schools but the failure of the schools to address the trauma and its impact on students mental and emotional health, said Katrina Feldkamp, Equal Justice Works Fellow, sponsored by The Arnold & Porter Foundation at Bronx Legal Services.

Details of the allegations, summarized below, are disturbing.

Jane Doe, who has autism, was 12 when she was first abused by a classmate at middle school I.S. 584 in the Bronx in 2016. According to the lawsuit, a boy in her grade allegedly began groping her. She and her mother complained  and he was suspended for a while  but the behavior continued off and on for years. Then last fall, the boy allegedly raped Jane Doe in a stairwell. Her grades have suffered and she cries in class. She recently switched schools, the suit said.

Anna Doe has an intellectual disability. Shes 11 and was in sixth grade at I.S. 237 in Queens last June when she was allegedly raped by a fellow student in a shed near school grounds on her way home from school. The suit said her mother reported the rape to the school. But her mother felt administrators questions blamed Anna Doe by asking why she had gone off campus to get a snack and why she had gone with her assailant into the shed. According to the suit, Anna Doe regularly repeats, Its not my fault.

Maria Doe is 13 and has a learning disability. She was a student at Collaborative Arts Middle School in Queens last year when she was taunted, punched and sexually assaulted by a student who reached up her skirt, and another who groped her breast. According to the suit, school staff was dismissive of her reports. Maria Doe has had anxiety and started cutting, the suit said, and is now receiving home instruction.

Lisa Doe is 18 and has a learning disability. She goes to Explorations Academy in the Bronx. Last fall, she was repeatedly groped by another student. The suit said neither she nor her family were informed about how to file an official Title 9 complaint; she has panic attacks and has switched schools.

A spokesman for the DOE issued the following statement: Our schools must be safe and inclusive environments, and there is absolutely zero tolerance for any sexual misconduct. Any allegation must be reported, investigated and addressed, and this work is a shared responsibility of all DOE staff including the Sexual Harassment Liaisons in every school and a Title IX coordinator who oversees DOE compliance. Well review the lawsuit.

According to the DOE, all schools must have a designated liaison in charge of sexual harassment prevention, and regulations outline "strict protocols" requiring immediate reporting and investigation of incidents. Since last year 3,000 school staff members have been trained on harassment, as well as dating violence and gender inclusivity.

New York City Councils education committee is holding a hearing today on the school systems compliance with Title IX, which bars discrimination on the basis of gender in any educational program that receives federal funds. The statute covers a broad range of equity issues from sexual harassment to equity in sports.

Council members said theyre concerned the DOE doesnt have enough staff dedicated to Title IX compliance which may have contributed to the problems outlined in the lawsuit.

Theres only one Title IX coordinator for our whole school system thats comprised of 1.1 million students, said Councilmember Mark Treyger, chairman of the education committee. It's insulting and outrageous that theres only one person in this role.

Attorneys with Legal Services said their analysis of state statistics show an increase in reports of harassment at city schools in recent years. That mirrors a citywide spike in sexual assault complaints to the NYPD in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Law enforcement officials have said generally the overall increase may be the result of additional awareness and reporting; not necessarily more assaults.

Legal Services is arguing that the trauma stemming from assaults should be considered a disability unto itself, and that schools are compelled to address that trauma as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The suit seeks damages for the victims and calls for systemic change at the education department, including more staff, clearer policies, and more help for traumatized students.

Jessica Gould is a reporter in the newsroom at WNYC. You can follow her on Twitter at @ByJessicaGould.
Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Si queremos tener un buen futuro como pais, necesitamos contar con instituciones solidas. Por eso, planteamos la reforma del sistema de administracion de justicia a fin de que la poblacion tenga un servicio oportuno, justo y optimo como merece. pic.twitter.com/QPkFSkq0Mz
"We have always said this. Venezuela's situation worries us ()," the Head of State expressed.

As is known, a group of Venezuelan soldiers rose up against Nicolas Maduro earlier today and in support of opposition leader Juan Guaido , who called for a military uprising.
" " Native to East Asia, the sika deer (Cervus nippon) also goes by the names spotted deer and Japanese deer. Afla/Getty Images

A family dog? Booooring. Maybe a cat? Double boring, and three times as mean! In the quest to spice up domestic life and get a little exotic companionship, people often look beyond the expected when chosing a pet. But for every successful tale of an animal adoption, there are horror stories of animals not well-suited to living alongside humans. So what's the sweet spot between the kitten and the cougar?

Scientists from the Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands recently looked into which animals  specifically, mammals  would make the best pets and for whom life alongside people would be the least difficult and most humane. They published their findings in a new study in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. And their answers will surprise you.

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The researchers assessed nine different criteria to come up with a "suitable" list: Criteria included the average size of the animal in adulthood, how active the animal needs to be, the extent to which the animal needs shelter and the cleanliness of the animal.

The scientists assembled a list of 90 possible mammals by looking at evidence of which species were being kept in the Netherlands, then collected anecdotal evidence from veterinarians and animal rescue shelters. The researchers removed "production" animals like cows, horses, rabbits and guinea pigs, and excluded from consideration dogs and cats, too.

But let's quit beating around the Bactrian and get to the point of what furry friend could take up residence most easily in your abode. The study found that the top five most suitable mammals to assume the role as human companions are:

1. Sika deer (Cervus nippon)

2. Agile wallaby (Macropus agilis)

3. Tamar wallaby (Macropus eugenii)

4. Llama (Lama glama)

5. Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)

Animal cuddlers take note, though  the researchers aren't necessarily recommending that people take on these animals as pets. Their primary goal was to create a framework with which to assess whether an animal could meet the standards of pet suitability under the Dutch Animal Act.

" " An agile wallaby (Macropus agilis) could be well-suited for pethood, according to a new Dutch study. Jochen Schlenker/Robert Harding/Getty Images

"The main influence of this work is methodological. In the Netherlands, many mammal species are kept and for a long time the government wanted to guarantee the welfare of animals," says lead researcher Dr. Paul Koene in a press release, explaining that the study was an aim to better work within the definition of the word "suitable," used in a 2013 Dutch law mandating general care requirements for animals. "Therefore the Dutch Animals Act was made stating that mammals should not be kept unless they are production animals, or are species that are suitable to be kept by anyone without special knowledge or skills."

While the suitability framework and database was particularly designed for the Netherlands, Koene says he can imagine something similar being used in a wider context across Europe, in the United States or other countries. A team is at work on analyzing a larger inventory of 270 more mammals, and may investigate the suitability of birds and reptiles.

Then again, with the entire world turning to creature collection via Pokemon Go, the whole endeavor may be moot as we instead amass a digital poke-menagerie.

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Now That's Cool In 1978 archaeologists discovered a grave in Israel dating back 12,000 years to the Natufian culture, and in it they found the remains of a puppy cradled in human hands. It was the earliest evidence we have of a relationship between humans and pets.
Gold Fever

In 1849, Ann Arborites flocked to the California gold fields. More died than got rich.

by Dave McCormick

From the April, 2019 issue

In late December 1848, Ann Arbor's Michigan Argus carried an advertisement for a "Goldometer." Y-shaped like a dowsing rod, it would be "sent by mail, closely enveloped and sealed, and therefore, not subject to inspection by postmasters, for the sum of THREE DOLLARS." That was a lot of money then--equal to nearly $100 today--but the price included a book called the Gold Seekers Guide.



And with that, Ann Arbor joined the California gold rush. The first discovery at Sutter's Mill had come that January, but it had taken till summer for word to reach the East Coast. It was officially confirmed by president James Polk in a December address to Congress. And now, the frenzy was on.



On January 10, 1849, the Argus explained how to get from New York to San Francisco by sea. The article ended: "So here's a chance for all who wish to try their fortunes in the gold regions."



Forty-three-year-old George Corselius, a newspaper publisher and bookseller, was among the first to depart. According to the April 11 issue of the Washtenaw Whig, Corselius traveled first to New Orleans, where he embarked for the Isthmus of Panama.



According to Russell Bidlack's 1960 book Letters Home: Ann Arbor's Forty-Niners, Corselius had suffered financial reverses, and imagined that a warmer climate might cure his tuberculosis. He promised the editor of the True Democrat that he would send accounts of his trip.



But Corselius never reached California. In an April 11 letter, he wrote that he had made it to Panama, but after trekking overland across the isthmus, found so many gold seekers ahead of him that ships for San Francisco were booked weeks in advance.



Ill and exhausted, with most of his funds depleted, he plodded his way back to the Atlantic coast. He died aboard the steamer Crescent City before it reached New York, and was buried at sea. He left behind a widow and four children in Ann Arbor.



---



In a

...continued below...

1960 "Ann Arbor Yesterdays" column in thelocal historian Lela Duff described the three main routes to California: through Panama's malarial jungle; the long sea voyage around Cape Horn; and overland.In the January 24, 1849Samuel Gould advertised himself as "an experienced guide" for the overland route. According to Bidlack, he'd recently joined the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City, which had sent him back to Michigan for missionary work.Stonemason Robert Davidson set out overland with brothers DeWitt and James Downer, two young farmers. Davidson sold his Ann Arbor home for $1,200, and DeWitt sold his property for $1,300.David McCollum also teamed up with two younger men: Charles Cranson, the son of a farmer, and C.M. Sinclair, a store clerk. McCollum and a former business partner sold two properties for $5,000, and McCollum used his share to finance the trip.The "jumping-off point" for the overland route was Independence, Missouri. But spring came late in 1849, and cholera stalked the camps where the forty-niners waited to depart.When McCollum came down with a "bilious fever," his group decided to throw their lot in with the Pioneer Line wagon train. Thereported that each paid $200 to join the year's first train. It was not a bad price, considering that the going price of a mule in Independence at the time was at least $100.Caleb Ormsby also went overland. A physician, he'd platted the first addition to John Allen and Elisha Rumsey's square-mile city, but like Allen, he suffered in the Panic of 1837 and hoped to repair his fortunes in the gold fields.In September, thepublished a letter from Ornsby describing a "swarm of emigrants of men women and children of all characters and colors with their thousands of mules, horses, oxen and cows, waggons carts and spring carriages ... now putting forward for the great Eldorado of the West."The letter, written on June 30, opened in an optimistic tenor; his small party of four were all in good health, and had eight good animals--four to ride and four to pack. Even so, like many others, they had been forced to discard items they couldn't carry: he described wagons, kegs of powder, guns and ammunition, farming and mining tools, clothing, and cooking utensils all abandoned along the trail. And sickness and accidents were taking their toll. He encountered one man who was dying after a wagon ran over his head, and others shot in quarrels and accidents.A letter from McCollum, also printed in September, painted an even darker picture: both Sinclair and Cranson had died on the trail. In a single day McCollum had counted eighteen freshly dug graves.---Davidson's expedition was the first to reach California, arriving at "Weaver's Diggins," fifty miles from Sacramento, on August 15. By August 18, Davidson had dug $150 in gold. A letter from D.C. Downer, dated September 23, 1849, and published in the March 30, 1850 Argus, tells of more modest finds on the American River.Next to arrive was another former Ann Arbor physician, Thomas Blackwood. He landed in San Francisco on September 15, after a cold, sodden, six-month voyage aboard thearound Cape Horn. McCollum reached Sacramento a month later, on October 14, after his arduous five-month journey from Independence.In a letter printed in the December 19, 1849, Argus, McCollum described bouts of sickness with bilious fever and dysentery that, he wrote, brought him "to the borders of the grave." He survived, only to come down with scurvy. The disease affected half of his fellow travelers, killing four. Along the trail from Independence, he said, 1,500 to 2,000 graves dotted the landscape.Faced with the hard reality of gold mining, McCollum advised that "... all men stay at home and not come here." He vowed that if he made it home alive, he would be happy with any small employment to make a living.Ormsby apparently reached California early in 1850. A letter published in thethat October described a disillusioning scene: thousands digging for gold; many with meager results to show for the grueling efforts. But Ormsby, an ardent observer of human life, was not disappointed in the trip, finding great worth in presenting scenes, both good and evil, to the people of Ann Arbor in his letters home.Ormsby's and McCollum's cautions failed to deter John Allen. Ann Arbor's cofounder left early in 1850 with three friends, traveling via New Orleans and Panama. In a letter dated April 30, 1850, he reported that they'd arrived in San Francisco, where he partnered with William Wilson in the search for gold.By the time Allen wrote home again on August 10, they'd found little success--after three months he and Wilson could not even make $300 between them. In a postscript dated October 24, he added that they had purchased twenty acres outside San Francisco, where they planned to grow vegetables and raise chickens and cows for eggs and milk to sell to the miners. He closed with a note that he had been ill for some days.It was his final message to Ann Arbor. Allen died on March 11, 1851--the cause was listed as "inflammation of the liver"--and was buried in Yerba Buena.---Robert Davidson remained in California but a few months before returning home via Panama. In a March 27, 1850, interview with thehe stated that the "gold in California is inexhaustible." He made a subsequent trip to the West, returned again, then headed west once more. According to the December 6, 1865, edition of thehe finally struck it rich in Montana before returning to Michigan and settling in Grand Rapids.The Downer brothers never returned. They set down roots in one of the richest gold regions in California, Magalia. In 1853 DeWitt sent for his wife and children to join him there. In 1875 the family moved to Condon, Oregon, and James joined them there in 1886.Samuel Gould returned to Utah in 1849, traveled on to California, and was back in Salt Lake City by January 1, 1851, where he took a second wife. Ever on the move, that November he piloted a wagon train west. In the 1860s Gould visited his first wife in Michigan then returned to Utah for good.Blackwood, the physician who'd rounded Cape Horn, joined a consortium constructing a dam across the Tuolumne River. They were so sure that they would find huge gold deposits in the riverbed below the dam that Blackwood declined an offer of $50,000 for his share of the venture. But the rains came early, the river rose, and the uncompleted dam gave way.Blackwood returned to Ann Arbor in the fall of 1850, but the following spring, he packed up his family and returned to California overland. In Sacramento he set up a medical practice but soon died of malignant fever, leaving his wife and four children to return to Michigan.According to Duff, David McCollum spent little time in the gold fields, and as soon as he possibly could he headed home to Ann Arbor. Running in the spring election of 1851 as a Whig, he was elected justice of the peace for Ann Arbor Township. McCollum spent the remainder of his days in Ann Arbor.Bidlack writes that one of the three young men who traveled to California under Dr. Ormsby's wing, his nephew William Barry Mather, died of dysentery in April 1850. His stepson Edward Brown returned home to Michigan. The third, Cyrus Hamilton, stayed in California for years before returning east to enroll in Pennsylvania Dental College. He graduated in 1873 and established a practice in Eureka, Nevada, where he spent the rest of his days.Ormsby stayed in California for seven years. According to Bidlack, in 1857 he "received news from Ann Arbor that caused him to leave California and start for his old home in Ann Arbor." Whatever the news was is lost to time, but clutching his small purse of gold dust, he boarded a steamer for Panama; once across the isthmus, he took passage on theon September 6.According to theof September 30, 1857, a hurricane developed, and thesank two hundred miles off Cape Hatteras. Ormsby was not among the survivors. [Originally published in April, 2019.]
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. US Congressman Adam Schiffs office has denied a recent news item that claimed Saudi Arabias Ambassador to the United States has pledged to Rep. Adam Schiff to work toward the passage of an Armenian Genocide resolution as fake news.

A fake web page impersonating Rep. Schiffs campaign website was recently created, and a press release was posted describing a meeting between Rep. Adam Schiff and the Saudi Ambassador. The website is fake, and the meeting described is completely false. There was no such meeting and Rep. Schiff has never discussed these issues with the Saudi government, said Emilie Simons, a spokeswoman for Rep. Schiff:

Rep. Schiff will take appropriate steps to report this effort to spread disinformation, she added.

The fake news article was titled Riyadh to Take Revenge on Erdogan by Supporting the Congress Resolution Recognizing Armenian Genocide.

The story had also appeared in the ARMENPRESS newsline but was later removed.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Anna Hakobyan, spouse of Armenias prime minister, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of My Step and City of Smile charity foundations, on April 29 attended the opening ceremony of the 20th Yerevan Perspectives International Music Festival, her Office told Armenpress.

The Swingles, 5 time Grammy Award winner, performed during the event.

Anna Hakobyan was accompanied by her daughters Shushan and Arpi Pashinyan at the concert.

The Yerevan Perspectives International Music Festival is being held under the auspices of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. My Step foundation assists the Festival.



Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenian exports to EEU member states grew 20%, while the total turnover 11%, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in remarks at the XVII Session of the Eurasian Economic Unions Inter-Governmental Council in Yerevan. He noted that in 2018 the EEU member countries amounted for 28,5% of Armenias export destinations.

The priorities of our governments actions are harmonious with the philosophy of the unions foundation. As a consequence, we perceive the membership to the union as one of the tools for reaching our governments goals and as one of the factors providing economic growth. I am happy to note that a growth in commodity turnover can be noticed between Armenia and EEU members, PM Nikol Pashinyan said.

He said Armenia will make all efforts during its prudency at the union to strengthen the positive dynamics of integration and finding new mechanisms and paths for cooperation, adding that one of the most important directions is the development of single markets of gas, oil and oil products and the formation of a single electricity market.

We find it necessary to boost the efforts which are aimed at the quick resolution of the delicate issue of price formation of energy resources on non-discriminatory basis, and their transit through the territories on member states of the union, including by taking into consideration transit components. One of the strategic directions of our cooperation, the complete implementation of the EEU digital agenda, is of special interest. Particularly, we believe that the creation of our own Eurasian eco-systems can contribute to the development of digital services, increase of shares of the unions trans-boundary product services and ensuring balance of regulation of digital service and adjacent product markets, he said.

The XVII Session of the Eurasian Economic Unions (EEU) Inter-Governmental Council has kicked off in Yerevan, Armenia.

Prime Ministers of EEU members Muhammetkaliy Abulgaziyev of Kyrgyzstan, Sergei Rumas of Belarus, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Askar Mamin of Kazakhstan have arrived to the Armenian capital for the sitting.

Eurasian Economic Commission Chairman of the Board Tigran Sargsyan is also in attendance.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. The next regular session of the Eurasian Economic Unions Inter-Government Council will take place in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

I am inviting you to Cholpon-Ata on August 9 to participate at the next session of the EEU Inter-Governmental Council, Kyrgyzstans Prime Minister Muhammetkaliy Abulgaziyev told his Armenian, Russian, Belarusian and Kazakhstani counterparts during the XVII session in Yerevan, Armenia.

During the expanded format meeting of the session the prime ministers of EEU member states said that the narrow-format talks proceeded in a constructive atmosphere. They thanked Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the high-level organization and hospitality of the XVII session of the EEU Inter-Governmental Council.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Prime Ministers of EEU member states have approved the decisions made around agenda topics at the XVII Inter-Governmental Council session in Yerevan, Armenia.

Today we held a very productive narrow format discussion. All countries demonstrated constructive conduct. But I think this happened mostly thanks to the fact that you, dear Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, joined us. I hope that in the future we will have such results again. I wish Armenia good luck in the EEU presidency, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Rumas said.

Kazakh PM Askar Mamin noted that Armenias presidency at the EEU will boost the union. This year is a jubilee for our structure. We concluded 2018 with economic growth in a number of sectors, he said.

Kyrgyzstans Prime Minister Muhammetkaliy Abulgaziyev noted the fact that 2019 will mark the 5th anniversary of the unions creation. The EEU is one of the young and rapidly developing integration unions. Development of new partnership formats, as well as the development of the idea of a big Eurasian platform are the main directions of the EEU development. The economic successes recorded within the union speak about a successful and intensive economic cooperation between EEU members, he said.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the integration plan of the EEU is generally accomplished.

Five years isnt a long period, but we can speak about the work that has been implemented. One of the important records is that the integration plan is generally accomplished. It is working, our single market is developing. Positive changes exist in all directions, Medvedev said.

Armenia assumed the EEU presidency in 2019.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is interested in increasing the efficiency of integration processes within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and is ready to make all efforts for reaching this goal, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference summing up the results of the session of the Eurasian Inter-Governmental Council.

Today our meeting agenda covered 13 issues, most of which are very important for deepening our integration. In particular, this relates to the implementation of one of the priorities of our cooperation  the Unions digital agenda. We have discussed the issue of digital ecosystem of trade in the EAEU. This issue is important for the development of online trade, Pashinyan said.

He informed that they have also discussed the use of national standards of online digital signatures used during the cooperation of Armenian, Russian and Kyrgyz businessmen with the executive leadership. This issue has been raised by the Armenian side, and we are happy that our partners expressed their support. We have also discussed the Eurasian network of industrial cooperation and transfer of technologies project. The main goal of the project is to create an ecosystem for the formation of partnership, as well as boost the innovative processes via technological transfer, Nikol Pashinyan said.

The session agenda also included issues on eliminating the barriers for the operation of the Unions domestic market.

The PM also expressed the readiness of the Armenian side to hold events within the EAEU in Yerevan in the future as well. We will be delighted to welcome the heads of state at the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council which will be held in Armenia this year in October, he said.

Pashinyan expressed hope that todays session and the next initiatives to be held under Armenias chairmanship in the EAEU will serve for the benefit of integration and recording of practical results first of all for the citizens of the Unions states.

The session of the Eurasian Inter-Governmental Council was held in Yerevan on April 30.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
The MTAs fleet of express buses, which whisk commuters back and forth between the outer boroughs and Manhattan for $6.75 per trip, are sometimes seen as the luxurious public-transit option. Theyre generally calm, quiet commuter buses, where a congenial atmosphere prevailssome regular riders say theyve seen people share a swipe or spare change with a fellow commuter whos short on the fare.

Another shared trait of many express bus riders: they often live in areas where there isnt a nearby subway station.

That has caused problems for some commuters in light of a new MTA rule that went into effect last week, eliminating cash fares on express buses. Now, the buses accept MetroCards only.

For most regular commuters, who have a weekly pass or auto-refilling EasyPay on their MetroCards, this change wont matter much. But for some express bus riders its a major inconvenience, because until now they could pay the difference in coins when their MetroCards had less than full fare on them. This was a particularly useful feature for occasional riders.

Vittorio Bugatti is a bus commuter who started a Facebook group for fellow express bus riders in all boroughs. He has lived in southern Brooklyn, Staten Island, and now Riverdale in the Bronx, which means hes been taking express buses for about 10 years. He said the handful of stores in his neighborhood that sell MetroCards were often out, and the closest subway station to him a 25-minute walk away.

Mr. Byford takes the subway to work everyday, and he can walk to the subway and refill his MetroCard as many times as he needs to, said Bugatti, referring to the president of New York City Transit. People like myself dont have the luxury.

For some commuters, the deciding factor to take express buses isnt proximity to a subway station, but accessibility and comfort.

Listen to Shumita Basu's report on WNYC:

Veronica White lives in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, about four blocks from the nearest elevated D station. Shes 64 years old and has bone-on-bone arthritis in her knees and ankles. From her quiet seat at the back of a Brooklyn-bound express bus, she said shes been opting for the bus more often these days.

It takes sometimes an hour and a half or two hours to get home by train, with bad legs, no place to sit, White explained. So I pay the $6.75 [for the express bus], just so I can sit.

If she had to walk four blocks and take an elevator to access her nearest subway station just to refill a MetroCard in order to then walk to an express bus stop, she said shed probably just take the subway more.

Bugatti wanted to know why the MTA put this no-coins policy into effect before implementing OMNY, the new contactless fare system which will allow commuters to use a smartphone or contactless card to tap-and-pay. The MTA said it plans to roll out OMNY on all Staten Island local and express buses, as well as some subway stations, in May. But theres no word on when itll come to express buses in other boroughs.

It seems a little bit like youre putting the cart before the horse, Bugatti said.

The MTA also explained this policy change by saying less than 1 percent of fares on express buses were being paid in coins, which does not justify the costly maintenance and upkeep of coin collection in the system. Eliminating coins, the agency said, will also speed up on-boarding.

That rings true to at least one bus operator, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job. He said sometimes the fare box would get jammed while people were inserting coins, and hed have to hold up the line just to fix it.

But would he kick someone off if they only had change? He admitted that he didnt have the heart to do that. On a recent morning shift, when two passengers boarded with the exact fare in coins, he waved them on.

I think a lot of people are gonna try to get on for free now, the bus operator said sheepishly.

Shumita Basu is a host, producer and reporter in the newsroom. You can follow her on Twitter @shubasu.

We the Commuters is a weekly newsletter about transportation from WNYC and Gothamist. Sign up below for essential commuting coverage delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

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YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. The joint project of the European Union, the Armenian government and Initiatives for Development of Armenia (IDeA) Foundation created new employment opportunities in Tavush province and contributed to attractiveness of the province as a tourism destination, IDeA Foundation told Armenpress.

Within the project, tourism and hospitality trainings were organized for over 300 residents of Dilijan and adjacent communities, free manuals and guidebooks were printed and handed over to the participants of the trainings.

Dilijan and Adjacent Communities Development Initiative 2-year project has been implemented by IDeA and co-funded by the European Union and the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development, in the framework of Pilot Regional Development Programme (PRDP).

The results of the project were summed up at a press conference in Yerevan on April 30. At least 340 residents of Dilijan and adjacent communities  Hovk, Aghavnavank, Khachardzan, Gosh, Haghartsin and Teghut  directly benefited from the project, 50 sustainable employment opportunities have been created, over 100 enterprises were supported to develop their tourism, hospitality, arts and crafts local businesses and create the new ones.

Within the project, the first and still only Tourism Information Centre opened in Tavush last August which already welcomed over 1000 tourists. To make leisure and hiking more comfortable and enjoyable in Dilijan National Park, four new hiking trails and one biking trail were built, the already existing eight trails in the park were refurbished and complemented with innovative information desks.

Photos by Felix Arustamyan

For about a year, the masters and artisans of Dilijan and adjacent communities have been benefiting from the opportunities at Arts and Crafts Centre (MADE) launched in the city within the project. Besides providing space, furniture and equipment to artisans and masters, the centre employs specialists who can present and sell their products in various places. To encourage small and medium entrepreneurship in the province, the project also issued a grant to 8 SMEs in Dilijan, Hovk, Aghavnavank, Khachardzan, Gosh, Haghartsin and Teghut creating overall 31 workplaces for the community people.

Within the project, an agricultural pavilion and city market were established and launched in Dilijan for agritourism and ecotourism lovers, where the products of the adjacent communities farmers will be sold.

"The EU is committed to invest more in regional development in Armenia. We started this program in 2016 and allocated more than 10 million to launch several projects in different parts of Armenia. This project was one of the most successful one within PRDP in many ways. I would like to thank our partners for the joint efforts for making Dilijan a touristic centre. But still Dilijan has undiscovered potential and I hope this will be only beginning for the investments in making Dilijan heart of many activities", the EU Ambassador Piotr Switalski mentioned in his speech.

Vache Terteryan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Development of Armenia, welcomed representatives of partner institutions and participants, noting that as a result of joint efforts and professional work, the program implementers managed to realize this important initiative within the set schedule and ensure the expected end result for beneficiaries. We are excited about realization of the initiative aimed at prospective development of Dilijan. We managed to do that through long and persistent work. At the same time, we need to take consistent steps for institutionalization of similar programs with modern approaches and expanding of geography of the communities, said the Deputy Minister.

This was the first example of cooperation between IDeA, the European Union and the Ministry and I want to express our utmost gratitude to all our partners for trusting IDeA and for all the people involved in the successful implementation of the project which has brought hope, jobs and better future to Dilijan and its residents, said Rafi Baghdjian, CEO of IDeA Foundation.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. The European Union launched in 2019 a new regional initiative - EU4Climate, to support the six Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) to develop and implement climate-related policies based on the countries commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Association and Partnership Agreements with the EU, the Eastern Partnership policy initiative 20 Deliverables for 2020, and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The EU4Climate project, with a total budget of EUR 8.8 million, will help the six countries to develop and implement forward-looking climate policies, ARMENPRESS was informed from UNDP Armenia Office.

Today, the European Union, together with the project implementing partner  the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), representatives of the Government of Armenia, and various stakeholder groups got together at the project inception workshop to discuss priorities and next steps for implementation of the EU4Climate project.

With overall funding of EUR 857,000 for Armenia for 2019-2022, the project will support the development of the implementation plan and roadmap for nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement in Armenia. It will also contribute to the alignment with the EU climate legislation, mainstreaming climate change in policy sectors and contributing to Armenias low carbon development future.

EU4Climate project will support the objectives of the Government of Armenia to develop their updated and strengthened Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by the end of this year  aiming at a greater ambition. EU4Climate will feature among key international support mechanisms in the context of the NDC Partnership mapping exercise (joined by Armenia last year: https://ndcpartnership.org/). The EU aims, with the launch of this new programme, to ensure that partner countries already affected by climate change are capable of taking the necessary measures to adapt, said Gonzalo Serrano, Head of Cooperation Section of the EU Delegation to Armenia.

Armenia is actively addressing climate change issues and has ratified the Paris Agreement. The government has developed a national climate change policy, resulting in the adoption of a concept for the implementation of state climate policy by 2030, the development and approval of national adaptation strategy and plan, and other measures in line with resilient and sustainable development of the country. The international partners support, notably, the EU, UNDP and other development partners, has played a crucial role in these achievements. We welcome the launch of the EU4Climate project, which will build on what has been achieved to date in climate policy, but which will also address the emerging need to develop a climate change strategy and implementation roadmap for Armenia, said Irina Ghaplanyan, First Deputy Minister of Nature Protection of Armenia.

As the largest implementer of climate action in the UN system, UNDP works with countries to turn their climate goals into action. Based on the lessons learnt and successful experience of the EU-funded ClimaEast project, UNDP will help identify the climate change mitigation and adaptation approaches to better equip partners, cut greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change effects in Armenia, said Dmitry Mariyasin, UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia.

EU4Climate is based on experience gained during previous and ongoing projects, partnerships and initiatives, as well as on EU and UNDP expertise at both the regional and country levels in climate policy development and governance.

The Member States of the European Union have decided to link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders.

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. UNDP in Armenia was established in March 1993 and supports the government in meeting its development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin, who is in Armenia on a working visit to participate in the session of Eurasian Intergovernmental Council visited TUMO center for creative technologies on April 30, accompanied by Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the ministry, Director of TUMO Marie Lou Papazian presented to the guests the 4 directions of the educational plan  digital media, creation of games, animation and development of websites. It was mentioned that young people aged 12-18 study hear and develop their skills, creating their own projects.

The guests toured in the center and talked to the students.

Askar Mamin got acquainted also with the robotics group activities. The achievements of the group were presented to the high ranking official. It was mentioned that there were international bronze-medalists among the students.

Marie Lou Papazian informed that there are 4 TUMO centers in Armenia. Similar centers have been opened in Paris and Moscow.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
Some were published in the UPNG Enga Students Association Yearbook and the Arts and Culture section of Enga Nius, the provincial newspaper. Other in the collection have never been published.

The stories began to be written in the mid-1980s by Engans studying at the University of Papua New Guinea.

The book is in production for release under the Pukpuk Publishing imprint, the publications arm of the Crocodile Prize Organisation.

I am happy to announce that, very soon, a collection of short stories from Enga Province will be published.

Ok Tedi Mining Ltd Book of the Year Part of the Crocodile Prize Award

I started the Enga Writers Association in 1987 and, under its banner, I tried to publish an anthology of all the short stories and poems written by Engans but never succeeded in finding a publisher who was interested.

Of course I understood it costs money to publish books and, due to the high illiteracy rate in Papua New Guinea, no publishing house saw any profit in spending time and money on a book of short stories from Enga.

When the last rejection letter came, I filed it away together with another manuscript based on my travels and issues that concern people in this country. These manuscripts have been collecting dust for more than two decades.

But now, thanks to Keith Jackson and Phil Fitzpatrick, the short story collection will soon be published in book form.

I just wish hope that it comes out before PNGs 40th independence anniversary celebrations in September. I believe it will be a perfect independence gift for the people of Enga, PNG and the authors who wrote the short stories.

The book presents insights into the lives of Engan people. Some of the narratives are true life accounts of how people in Enga lived before and immediately after independence.

The authors write of education, missionaries, famine, suicide, tribal warfare and kiaps and express their feelings of sorrow, revenge, love and anger about the problems they faced.

All the authors are now senior citizens of this country. Some have passed on. They wrote their stories when they were young. The stories are based on situations experienced by the authors themselves.

In those days alcohol consumption by women in community clubs and village taverns was an issue in Enga. Today its mobile phones, marijuana, pornography, homebrew, corruption, mafia gangs, cults, sorcery and other issues that people have to deal with daily. Fertile ground, I suppose, for aspiring writers.

You will enjoy Robert Kias story, The Ugly Truth, in this new book. It is about a girl who broke through a window to go to a dance at the village night club, became pregnant and tried to commit suicide after she hears her father sobbing in his room.

Her mother was long dead and there was nobody she could seek for consolation. So she made up her mind to kill herself but something disturbed her.

Another interesting story, also by Robert Kia, is entitled Nedipilya the Orphan. Heres an extract -

My sister didnt even attempt to comfort me nor fight her husband. Instead she supported her partner to scold me more.

You are just a good eater. You are eating too much in this house. You must work hard to earn your food. We just cant keep on feeding you.

This was the final straw. How can one not cry when your own blood speaks to you like that? The bitter tears never ran dry that night.

After all these years, it will be great news for Robert Kia, Thomas Neah, Steven Thomas, Nancy Ambis Waim, Silas Mutarane, Br Joe Make and Thomas Pupun who wrote these stories.

I would like readers to contact me on my email address kondowaon@gmail.com or text me on 71105400. Unfortunately, Susan Balen passed on but I would like her two children to contact me and I encourage them to write like their late mother did.

I request my friends and other people to also start writing more stories and poems, starting now. English teachers in our high schools should also get their students to write. The number one priority of our Governor, Peter Ipatas, is education and we, as writers and teachers, can encourage quality education through writing.

When we launch our new book I hope we will re-establish the Enga Writers Association and encourage our people - especially our young generation - to express themselves through writing.

Michael Dom is a young man from Simbu Province. He is a member of the Simbu Writers Association and currently studying in Australia. Michael is a world class poet and has published several books.

He has written: Literature is all about quality in thought and expression  exposing creativity in the use of language, and in writing which reflects and reveals the human experience. Supporting this literature cause, to me, is about meeting quality people.

Michael is petitioning the government to buy PNG-authored books to be made available to 4,000 PNG schools throughout the country. We believe our students will relate much better to books by Papua New Guinean writers and understand the contents thoroughly.

So, my friends, Robert, Thomas, Steve, Ambis, Silas, Pupun and Br Joe, things are looking bright. Lets take up those pens and start writing again.

We cannot hope to write like Joanne Kathleen Rowling and make millions of kina like her creation of Harry Potter. Lets not have such thoughts in our mind. Nobody in PNG has made heaps through writing.

Lets just continue to write and show the way forward for our young generation. They have the potential but need exposure and encouragement. Somebody like JK Rowling might stand out one day, who knows?

There is now hope we will get some of our writing published through the annual literary competition, The Crocodile Prize, with support and encouragement from people like Keith Jackson and Phil Fitzpatrick and the PNG Attitude blog.
Stalin became, as the title of Montefiore's book says, the Red Tsar.

He was also a man of ferocious intelligence, considerable cunning and a great deal of energy, which enabled him to rise through the ranks of the communist party until, ultimately, he achieved total personal dominance over the party and its membership.

Like most of the early Bolsheviks (Russian communists), Stalin was poorly educated but totally committed to the cause of communism.

Montefiore traces the rise to power of Joseph Stalin, who ruled Russia from 1929 to 1953 and effectively created the Soviet Union.

RECENTLY I finished reading Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - an exhaustively researched book of great erudition by the British born, Russian speaking author.

Like virtually all the Bolshevik leadership, Stalin regarded both the Russian middle class and the peasantry with contempt, seeing them as stupid, bovine and a major barrier to the introduction of necessary economic reforms.

So, for example, he and his colleagues ruthlessly implemented the party's plan to collectivize all agricultural production even though this meant the dispossession and relocation of tens of millions of people.

Any resistance to the party's program was regarded as an attack upon the state and mercilessly crushed by force. Very conservative estimates indicate that at least 10 million people died during the collectivisation program, most due to starvation.

The Bolshevik leadership were, to a man, political fanatics. More than a few of them were ignorant, cruel, capricious, depraved, self serving and violent. That said, many were also intelligent autodidacts, who learned to master the intricacies of government as well as survive in the malignant swamp of Bolshevik politics.

Stalin towered over all of them, deeply paranoid and, like his German counterpart Adolph Hitler, a megalomaniac.

As I read the book, I marvelled at how a very small number of Bolsheviks somehow managed to seize control of the apparatus of a huge and diverse state like Tsarist Russia.

They were not the cleverest people in Russia by any means, but they were certainly the most committed, ruthless and violent. Torture, murder, intimidation and lies were simply tools of statecraft, justified by an unwavering commitment to the Marxist-Leninist "science" of history. Nothing could be permitted to impede the Bolshevik revolution.

I am struck by the parallels with the rise of the Chinese Communists and their great helmsman Mao Zedong. Mao was much like Stalin, famously saying that political power grows from the barrel of a gun. Like Stalin, Mao presided over the destruction of a corrupt and incompetent regime.

As in Russia, tens of millions perished in the ensuing Chinese revolutionary struggle, with society being regularly convulsed with violence until Mao's death in 1976, when he was replaced by the pragmatic reformer and true architect of modern China, Deng Xiaoping.

As I contemplated the appalling history of communism, it struck me that there are more than few eerie parallels to be found in recent developments in the USA.

In Donald Trump, we have a president who is petulant, impulsive, egotistical, hypersensitive and narcissistic and displays many of the hallmarks of a megalomaniac. Worse still, he has surrounded himself with people who share many of his outlandish ideas about how the world should be ordered with, of course, the USA calling all the shots.

I think it is no accident that Trump feels instinctively drawn to Vladimir Putin, whom he has admiringly described as strong leader. Putin is, in my judgement, a hugely smarter, more strategic and more cunning political operator than Trump, much more in the mould of Stalin.

An important reason why Trump cannot become a US version of Stalin is that he does not control the whole apparatus of the state, notably the legal system. Nor, in truth, can he control the legislature, many of whose Republican members actively detest him.

Also, while Trump is commander in chief of the US military, he lacks the practical ability to control it, at least in the manner that Stalin did.

Importantly, there is no equivalent to the KGB (Committee for State Security) within the USA. The KGB (now called the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation or FSB) served as Stalin's instrument of intimidation, terror and extrajudicial killing within Russia.

Some people believe the CIA fills this role but this thinking reflects a profound misunderstanding of what it really does.

For all that, the Trump ascendancy is reflective of a situation where the governance of a democratic state can be effectively taken over by a small but vociferous minority (less than 25% of eligible voters actually voted for Trump), whose disregard for truth and evident contempt for much of the population are very evident.

So what has this to do with Papua New Guinea.

PNG is, in my judgement, peculiarly vulnerable to an effective takeover by a small but determined cabal of political activists or opportunists. This is the case because, like in Tsarist Russia and Imperial China, some key institutions such as parliament, police, army, bureaucracy, media and perhaps business, are deeply susceptible to political influence, subversion and intimidation.

I do not think that it necessary for me to recite a litany of evidence that suggests that these institutions have been or are being compromised by PNG's political leadership.

Some people may not even understand that they are undermining these institutions, but some undoubtedly do understand this and are taking full advantage of their positional power to do so.

Also, the huge bulk of the population in PNG are, like the Russian kulaks and Chinese peasants, reliant upon subsistence farming to survive.

Their capacity to exert any truly effective influence over political and economic decision making is severely constrained by a combination of poverty, ignorance and multiple cultural barriers.

Happily for PNG, it has a few things going for it. First and foremost, its government is operating in a relatively transparent environment, where most of the time the world can see and hear what is going on.

This obliges the government to mostly conform to accepted international behavioural norms when dealing with its citizens.

Stalin and his colleagues operated in a closed, secretive society without any effective internal or external scrutiny. The Bolshevik solution to crises such as that in Hela Province would have involved the arrest and deportation or murder of anyone who resisted their plans.

Second, there is at least some overt political opposition to the government which seeks to make it accountable for its actions. While the O'Neill government has done its best to prevent scrutiny of its decision making processes, it has thus far been unable to stop it entirely.

Stalin solved this problem by the simple expedient of defining his opponents as "enemies of the people", having them tortured into confessing to fictitious crimes and executing them.

Third, PNG still has an independent judiciary which, thus far at least, has largely succeeded in resisting attempts to subvert it.

In Stalin's Russia, all members of the judiciary had to be members of the party and conform to the wishes of its leadership. This is the current situation in China, while Russia's judiciary is thought to be largely independent, although sometimes susceptible to political influence or corruption.

Thus it seems to me that, despite its vulnerabilities, PNG is not yet ripe for a Stalinist-style takeover.

However, it is clearly vulnerable to the sort of populist politics that exist in places like Venezuela, where the poor were made extravagant promises by the late and unlamented Hugo Chavez; promises which could never be fulfilled and which had the primary effect of bankrupting the country.

It is possible that Mr O'Neill and his political allies will draw some lessons from Donald Trump's successful demagoguery and run a populist election campaign, promising much that cannot be delivered. The rural population may in particular very well be susceptible to this style of politics. Certainly, more than a few Americans were.

Once reinstalled in power, ONeill and his colleagues will be able to continue their efforts to further bend the apparatus of the state to their will, probably by making additional judicious appointments to critical leadership positions across the important institutions, just like Trump. Who knows where that might lead?

PNG's brightest and best could do worse than read Montefiore's book, in which history delivers an ominous warning about how a very few really determined fanatics or opportunists can first subvert and then overthrow and utterly dominate an ancient and well established nation state.
Why You Should Be Drinking Irish Whiskey

A Deep Dive Into the Rich History of Irish Whiskey

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 you think of a great whiskey neat, what comes to mind? For most, it would be a carefully aged Scotch  drop the e  whisky. But that hasnt always been the case. Before prohibition, Irish whiskey reigned supreme, known in North America and Western Europe as the best distilled spirit available. People loved it because it was good. Its as simple as that, Michael Carr, Global Brand Ambassador for Powers Whiskey, tells AskMen, We had the best production, we used the most expensive ingredients  and Im talking about from the cheapest Irish whiskeys to the top. We refused to cut corners.

RELATED: 5 Whiskies That You Should Just Drink Straight

Irish whiskey came directly from distilleries. All the biggest whiskey families from Jameson and Powers to Cork Distillery took great pride in crafting their own whiskey directly on location. The big brands from Scotland? They were all blends. According to Carr, the famous Scottish brands would get loads of different whiskies from all the distilleries in Scotland and mix them into their own blend.

It wasnt until column stills  which were invented in Ireland  came into the picture in the late 1800s that Scottish whisky brands realized they could make something a lot cheaper and improve the whisky while they were at it. A lot of the whisky coming from The Highlands wouldnt have been aged and would have been very, very peaty and the column stills would have calmed it down, Carr says. So suddenly you have Irish whiskey on the shelf in the British Empire, which would have cost an arm and a leg, and then youd have something mass produced from Scotland thats ten times cheaper.

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By the turn of the century, as cheap Scotch becomes more accessible, Irish whiskey had stopped being one hundred percent of the world market to about fifty percent  and then, World War I happened. You have to remember that the main market for Irish whiskey was the British Empire, Ireland, and America. The Germans had U-boats surrounding Ireland and they couldnt get anything off the island, Carr says, Scotland didn't have that issue. They had ships going to London, and so they started to grow in London.

By the end of the war, Ireland was itching to kick up whiskey production and re-enter the market, but because Europe was devastated in the aftermath of the war, they set their sights on America  until Prohibition happened a few short years later. Prohibition was an absolute disaster on two fronts for Irish whiskey. First of all, the Irish Pot Still Association, which was the umbrella group for all Irish whiskey, decided they would not break the embargo. That decision was not made in Scotland  they didnt have an organization, and they didn't care to play by the rules. Scotland started exporting Scotch whisky into Canada and Mexico, and then it made its way across the US border  but they stamped it as Irish whiskey because they could get more money if it was from Ireland. Unfortunately for Ireland, the quality of the knock-off booze was absolute garbage and that poor reputation stuck.

By the time the prohibition ended, Irish whiskeys reputation had also ended  it was in absolute tatters. Carr admits. The only way you could sell Irish whiskey [real Irish whiskey] by the end of prohibition was thanks to the Irish coffee boom of the 1950s. When prohibition ended in 1933, the Irish couldnt even get a look into the US market.

It didnt get any better from there, either. Throughout World War II, Ireland had civil unrest of its own. Between the turmoil surrounding Europe and the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, distilleries were nearly inoperable and Irish whiskey was really on its knees. By the 1950s we were left with a handful of semi-operational distilleries, Carr says. By the 1960s, Tullamore was gone, Kilbeggan was gone, Cork was doing alright because it had a good market in Munster, Jameson was in awful trouble, Powers had downsized an awful lot, Bushmill was opened and closed, opened and closed.

RELATED: World's Best Whisky

Heres where the tides started to turn. In a hugely visionary turn of events, the three leading distillers  Powers, Jameson and Paddy  sat down in secret and decided to come together to save Irish whiskey as a whole. They founded Irish Distillers in 1966 and vowed to put aside their differences and do whatever it takes to get the industry back on its feet.

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What many people dont realize is that Powers actually bought Jameson and Paddy because they were the only ones in good financial standing at the time. They proceeded to do a survey in the US in the 1970s to decide which brand they would move forward with promoting. Paddy was seen as too quiet man, Jameson had good resonance, and the word Power turned out to be one of the most hated words in America. It was just seen as a relation to communism or the American government, so the distillers decided to move forward with promoting Jameson.

Irish whiskey would not be where it is today if all those guys didnt come together. They were so brave. It was going south, and by coming together and becoming Irish Distillers, they could then grow, slowly but surely, Denis OReilly, a Powers family descendant, tells AskMen, My uncle Frank actually gave up his offices to Jameson and then made another decision a few years later, to build a new distillery for Jameson. They totally took second fiddle to help Irish whiskey, as a whole, grow.

These days, Irish whiskey, especially Jameson, has a distinctly positive association to Ireland, but its still largely overlooked in favor of Scotch whisky because of its rocky reputation of yesteryear. We happen to think that a carefully aged Irish whiskey deserves top spot on your bar cart, not only because of its rich history and inspiring perseverance, but because of its wonderfully smooth taste (Irish whiskey has to be distilled in wooden casks for a minimum of three years, making it much less tumultuous than its Scottish counterpart).

Here, a few of our favorite Irish whiskeys  from top shelf sipping material to the stuff shots are made of.

Powers Johns Lane Reserve

Powers Johns Lane Reserve is meant to be sipped and enjoyed. The savory whiskey is the perfect representation of a traditional Irish pot still spirit. Its robust flavors are largely due to the fact that its aged in ex-bourbon and sherry casks. The soft, velvety mouthfeel will come as a welcome surprise for anyone used to drinking Scotch whisky of the same age.

From $59.77 at Drizly.com

Powers Three Swallow Reserve

Powers Three Swallows Reserve is made in a Single Pot Still from malted and unmalted barley, and then triple distilled. A revival of a similar whiskey from the old distillery in Dublin, Three Swallows is easy-going and relaxed, with notes of oak and sweet spices.

From $41.99 at Drizly.com

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Probably one of the most recognizable whiskies out there, Jameson is a great option for mixed drinks, celebratory shots, or sipping all on its own. With hints of vanilla and fresh herbs, this blended Irish whiskey is a great introduction to the Irish spirit.

From $16.99 at Drizly.com

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COLOMBO, April 28 (Reuters) - The father and two brothers of the suspected mastermind of Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bombings were killed when security forces stormed their safe house two days ago, police sources and a relative of the suicide bombers told Reuters on Sunday.

Zainee Hashim, Rilwan Hashim and their father Mohamed Hashim, who were seen in a video circulating on social media calling for all-out war against non believers, were among 15 killed in a fierce gun battle with the military on the east coast on Friday, four police sources said.

Niyaz Sharif, the brother-in-law of Zahran Hashim, the suspected ringleader of the wave of Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 250 people in churches and hotels across the island nation, told Reuters the video showed Zahran Hashim's two brothers and father.

Three of the 15 people killed were the same people who were seen in the undated video on social media, in which they discus martyrdom and urge their followers to kill all non believers, police sources said.

Sri Lanka has been on high alert since the attacks on Easter Sunday, with nearly 10,000 soldiers deployed across the island to carry out searches and hunt down members of two local Islamist groups believed to have carried out the attack.

(Reporting Shihar Aneez, Shri Navaratnam, Ranga Sirilal in COLOMBO and Alasdair Pal in KALMUNNAI; editing by Richard Pullin)
(Adding more details from gun battle, eyewitness accounts)

* Father, 2 brothers of attacks mastermind killed in gun battle

* The three had called for all out war in undated video

* 15 people, including six children, killed in safe house

*

By Alasdair Pal and Shri Navaratnam

KALMUNAI/COLOMBO, April 28 (Reuters) - The father and two brothers of the suspected mastermind of Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bombings were killed when security forces stormed their safe house on the east coast two days ago, police and a relative said on Sunday.

Zainee Hashim, Rilwan Hashim and their father Mohamed Hashim, who appear in a video circulating on social media calling for all-out war against non-believers, were among at least 15 killed in a fierce gun battle with the military on the east coast on Friday.

Kamal Jayanathdhi, the officer in charge at Kalmunai police station on the east coast, confirmed the three men had died along with a child that appears in the video, and that the undated clip in which they discuss martyrdom, had been shot in the same house where the gun battle took place.

Two people who were inside the house, a woman and a seven-year-old girl believed to be relatives of the men, survived, he said, while a woman was killed in crossfire on a nearby street.

Niyaz Sharif, the brother-in-law of Zahran Hashim, the suspected ringleader of the wave of Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 250 people in churches and hotels across the island nation, told Reuters the video showed Zahran's two brothers and father.

Sri Lanka has been on high alert since the attacks on Easter Sunday, with nearly 10,000 soldiers deployed across the island to carry out searches and hunt down members of two local Islamist groups believed to have carried out the attack.

Authorities have detained more than 100 people, including foreigners from Syria and Egypt since the April 21 bombings.

On Sunday police in the eastern town of Kattankudy raided a mosque founded by Zahran which doubled up as the headquarters of his group, the National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ).

Story continues

HOLY WAR

In the video, Rilwan Hashim is seen calling for 'jihad' or holy war, while children cry in the background.

"We will destroy these non-believers to protect this land and therefore we need to do jihad," Rilwan says in the video, sitting beside his brother and father.

"We need to teach a proper lesson for these non-believers who have been destroying Muslims."

Rilwan, who has a damaged eye and badly disfigured hand in the video, had recently been injured while making a bomb, Jayanathdhi said.

On Sunday, when Reuters visited the house, police were sifting through the wreckage, taking fingerprints and video footage.

Watermelon rinds and a box of dates were still on the kitchen counter, while four pairs of children's flip-flops were by the front door.

But in the main room, where the three men filmed the video, a huge crater had punched a hole in the concrete floor, while bloodstains covered the wall.

LOCAL VIGILANCE

Two men had moved into the three-room rented house in the Sainthamaruthu area of Kalmunai, days before the Easter Sunday attacks, police and locals said. After more people arrived, locals grew suspicious, said Mohammed Majid, the secretary of the Grand Masjid Sainthamaruthu, one of the town's main mosques.

After evening prayers on Friday, a group of men from the local Hijra Mosque came to the house to question the occupants.

When one man brandished an assault rifle, the men fled, alerting police who arrived shortly afterwards. One man was killed after running into the street with a gun to confront police, while a series of explosions came from the house, eyewitnesses said.

DANGER REMAINS

Authorities suspect there may be more suicide bombers on the loose. Defence authorities have so far focused their investigations on international links to two domestic groups they believe carried out the attacks, the National Thawheedh Jamaath and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim.

At a nearby house where police seized more explosives and a flag of the Islamic State on Friday, locals said they feared more violence.

"People were coming and going but we didnt know their names," said Juneedha Hasanar, who runs a shop at the bottom of the street, yards from the house. Now we are afraid.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Easter bombings, and on Sunday the group said three of its members clashed with Sri Lankan police for several hours in Friday's gun battle on the east coast before detonating their explosive vests, the militant group's news agency Amaq said.

The group said 17 policemen were killed or injured in the attack, but the Sri Lankan military has denied this. A police source told Reuters two policemen were slightly injured in the battle.

Police have said six children were among the other 12 people who died in the gun battle, and on Sunday recovered the partial remains of a child no more than a few months old.

(Reporting Shri Navaratnam, Shihar Aneez, Ranga Sirilal in COLOMBO and Alasdair Pal in KALMUNNAI; editing by Richard Pullin and Raissa Kasolowsky)
* Sri Lanka remains on edge a week after suicide bombs

* Islamist militants killed more than 250 on Easter Sunday

* Political infighting, military complacency aided attackers

* Sri Lanka's laid-back tourism reputation in tatters

By Joe Brock

COLOMBO, April 28 (Reuters) - A week ago, Sri Lankan tourist guide Ricky Costa was preparing for a typically easy Sunday ferrying backpackers between Colombo's tea shops and beach bars in his canary-yellow rickshaw. Then the blasts began.

The coordinated suicide bombings by Islamist militants at hotels and churches killed more than 250 people and sent shockwaves through an Indian Ocean island state that had enjoyed relative peace since a civil war ended a decade ago.

How such a sophisticated operation could have been carried out in a country where violence by Islamist militants drawn from the Muslim minority was not high on the list of concerns has left Sri Lankans and foreign intelligence agencies stumped.

President Maithripala Sirisena has announced a total overhaul of the security establishment, blaming them for failing to communicate several warnings they had about potential attacks, including one from India hours before the first bomb.

However, interviews with more than a dozen people with direct knowledge of the Sri Lankan government and security apparatus, including military sources, senior diplomats and intelligence agents, suggest deeper failings that created an ideal environment for extremists looking for a soft target.

Since Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka won a 26-year conflict against mostly Hindu ethnic Tamil separatists, a well-resourced military has failed to adapt to shifting security threats, the sources said.

"The government was asleep. The military was asleep. They've been asleep for a long time," said Costa, perching on his rickshaw as a suspicious policeman peered inside.

Costa's analysis is a simplification, but some experts agree that a lack of preparedness was a significant factor that led to a little-known Islamist group being able to orchestrate the deadliest attack of its kind in South Asia's history.

Story continues

Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have both apologised for any lapses that might have contributed to the attacks. Wickremesinghe said the government and security forces take "collective responsibility".

LONG-TERM DECLINE

There are no official figures on the size of Sri Lanka's armed forces but experts estimate there are around 150,000 active military personnel and 80,000 police officers, both substantial forces for a country of just 22 million.

Despite its size, the military had become "flabby" and "unfocused", according to one Western diplomat. Military personnel with little to do have been conscripted into commercial ventures, including whale-watching tours for tourists, running hair salons and tending to farms.

Military spokesman Sumith Atapattu said it was wrong to suggest that the armed forces had not given sufficient priority to evidence of emerging Islamist extremism, but added they could only take action when there was evidence of criminal activity.

"We have passed the necessary information to the relevant authorities. But what is the legal background the military has to control extremism? A person being radicalised is not an offence in our country," he said.

"We are searching for reconciliation after a long period of war and we cannot use a sledgehammer to kill a fly."

Another foreign diplomat said he spoke to a senior military intelligence official the day before the attacks to warn him of an imminent threat. When he asked the official if he would raise the warning to the top echelons of government, he was told "not during the holidays".

"Ten years of peace breeds over-confidence," the diplomat said. "It's easy to focus on the last weeks and months, but this attack was made possible by a much longer-term decline in the functionality of Sri Lanka's security services and government."

The military has also been more focused on monitoring the country's Tamil population and preventing another separatist insurgency than on a Muslim community that makes up only 10 percent of the population, defence sources and experts said.

"This inattention could have created the opportunity for a local group  perhaps with external encouragement or support  to emerge from obscurity and perpetrate such terrifically lethal attacks," said Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Security experts believe National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NJT), a local Islamist group that has emerged over the last year, was responsible for the attacks, likely with the assistance of outside groups. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the bombings, without providing evidence.

Though Sri Lanka has no significant history of violence between its Muslim and Christian minorities, some say the warning signs of a changing social dynamic were there.

Concerns raised about a more radical strain of Islam emerging over the last five years went unheeded, civil society groups and Western diplomats say.

Hashim Mohamed Zahran, the alleged ringleader of the Easter Sunday blasts, had been flagged to security officials as a threat.

"We had concerns and we raised them. They were not properly considered," said Hilmy Ahamed, vice president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, a civil society group.

"TRAGIC COMPLACENCY"

Zahran, a man in his early 30s who had been preaching an increasingly militant brand of Islam, was one of two attackers who died after detonating their explosives in the luxury Shangri-La hotel, intelligence officials say.

Ahamed said that in February he warned a contact in the intelligence services of the threat posed by Zahran. He received a text message response. "Thank you. Noted," it said.

"There was an overall environment of complacency. That is the tragedy," Ahamed said.

The top civil servant in Sri Lanka's defence ministry, Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, resigned on Thursday, taking responsibility for the attacks after Sirisena pinned the blame on the security services.

Many Sri Lankans believe a deep rift between Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has also undermined national security.

Sirisena fired Wickremesinghe last year, after months of tension, only to be forced to reinstate him under pressure from the Supreme Court.

Since then their relationship has deteriorated further to the point where their factions actively try to undermine each other, including not sharing security information, defence sources say.

"Inefficiency, mediocrity, and infighting within the government contributed to last week's attack," said Iqbal Athas, a defence analyst, adding that vital intelligence-gathering resources had been diverted in recent years to spy on political rivals rather than to monitor extremists.

Presidential aide Shiral Lakthilaka said Sirisena and Wickremesinghe's feuding had come to an end.

"The past is past," Lakthilaka said in response to a question about the impact the rift had on security. "Whatever the setbacks, both have shed their differences and are working towards eradicating this menace and bring all the underground activities to a standstill."

An ally of the prime minister, government spokesman and health minister Rathija Senaratne, blamed the president for the rift. "He by-passed ministers as well," he said.

If there was an element of lethargy in the Sri Lankan state, it has been jolted back to life. One diplomat said the defence forces had "reverted to war mode".

The streets of Colombo are marshalled by hundreds of soldiers and police, as everyone fears the possibility of more attacks or a spike in retaliatory sectarian violence. Nearly 10,000 soldiers have been deployed countrywide.

A gun battle on Friday between troops and suspected militants on the east coast killed 15, including Zahran's father and two brothers, in a sign that Sri Lanka's security crisis is far from over.

Named Lonely Planet's No. 1 travel destination for 2019, Sri Lanka had built a reputation over the past decade as a stable, relaxed island in a chaotic region.

That image has been shattered by Sunday's bombs.

"For 10 years this was a laid-back place," said Costa, as a truck of armed soldiers sped past. "Not anymore." (Reporting by Joe Brock; Additional reporting by Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal; Editing by John Chalmers and Alex Richardson)
New York Citys plan to close Rikers Island has hit a snag: New York States parole system, which sends more people back to prison for petty parole violations than nearly every other state in the country.

The plan to close the infamous jail hinges on reducing its population to under 5,000 people, a number that could fit into four new jails to be built near courthouses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. Since Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the move two years ago, the city has made steady progress, slashing Rikers' average daily population from 9,400 to around 7,000.

But the number of people jailed on Rikers for violating the terms of their New York State parole is going up, according to the Mayor's Office.

Many of these are technical violators, not jailed for new crimes but for allegedly violating parole supervision rules, such as staying out past curfew, missing an appointment, absconding, smoking marijuana and even informal rules that parole officers sometimes just make up.

New York reincarcerates more technical violators than any other state except Illinois, according to a federal Bureau of Justice Statistics report that examined the 42 states that keep the data. Technical violators accounted for 29 percent of the 21,675 people sent to New York State prison in 2016, per the latest accounting available from the state agency that runs both New York's prison system and its parole apparatus, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, known as DOCCS.

"DOCCS is interested in only one thing: making sure they don't get blamed when a case goes bad," said one current New York State parole officer working in the city, who asked that their name not be published because they were not authorized to speak to a reporter.

"So their solution," the parole officer explained, referring to his DOCCS bosses, "is simply to lock everybody up that you can."



Rikers Island (JB Nicholas / Gothamist)

Criminal justice advocates have long argued that the parole system is slanted

toward sending parolees back to prison. Now observers on Rikers Island say the troubling trend is made worse by the Chief Judge of the parole court on Rikers, a Cuomo appointee, who is pressuring her subordinates to send people back to prison.

A Supreme Court decision mandates that parolees taken to Rikers for technical violations are supposed to get impartial hearings before Administrative Law Judges.

But according to a current official on Rikers Island with first-hand knowledge of the parole proceedings, ALJs are afraid of setting parolees free for fear of crossing their superior, Rhonda Tomlinson, the Chief Administrative Law Judge at the Rikers Island Judicial Center, where the hearings are held.

Things changed drastically" when Tomlinson was made Chief Judge at Rikers in 2017, the official told Gothamist. She's stripped the judges of their independence and discretion and biased the revocation system in favor of re-incarceration.

Everyone feels the pressure. And the pressure is on everyone. Violations have been ramped-up," said the insider, who asked to remain anonymous because they are not allowed to speak to the press.

There were 811 New Yorkers held on Rikers for technical violations in February 2019, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services reported. That's 80 more technical violators than were held on Rikers just one month before, and a 7.7 percent increase since February of 2018, according to the Division. In March, the number of technical violators dropped to 781.

Lorraine C. McEvilley, Director of the Legal Aid Society's Parole Revocation Defense Unit, confirmed the insider's account. She said that in February of 2019 the unit's attorneys reported "on several occasions" that ALJs paused on-going hearings "to step out of the hearing room and ask the supervising ALJ on site for permission" to restore parole.

In contrast, McEvilley says, ALJs don't have to ask Tomlinson's permission to impose prison time.

Documents reviewed by Gothamist also show that Tomlinson recently asked an ALJ to justify why they restored a person to parole supervision instead of returning the person to prison.

According to the documents, Tomlinson's order came in response to a complaint the chief ALJ received from Edward Del Rio, Chief of DOCCS' Parole Violations Bureau, whose members act as prosecutors in parole revocation proceedings. A prosecutor from the group asked the ALJ to return the parolee to prison. Unhappy that the ALJ overruled the request, Chief Del Rio complained directly to Chief Judge Tomlinson.

Instead of turning Del Rio's complaint away, Tomlinson took it seriously, and ordered the ALJ to respond, the documents show.

Vincent Schiraldi, co-director of the Columbia University Justice Lab and former Commissioner of New York City Probation, reviewed the documents and said that in his view, "That calls for an Inspector General investigation.

"The judges," Schiraldi noted, referring to the ALJs, "are supposed to be objective."

Legal experts agreed. They said that if a supervising official pressured subordinate ALJs or vetoed decisions outside an agency's ordinary decision-making process it would violate the rule of law.

"That's not the way the process should work. There shouldn't be any lobbying, or discussions off-the-record or outside the hearing process," said Hon. Raymond E. Kramer, an ALJ and director of ALJ training in New York City's Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

"If somebody were to come to me and ask me to justify a decision, and to do that even once but to do that repeatedly, it has a chilling effect on my decisions going forward," Judge Kramer explained.

Louis J. Virelli III, an expert in administrative law and Stetson University law professor, agreed that "independence of ALJs is a very important part of the process" and that when "supervisors who do not have direct review authority interfere with the presiding ALJ's decision, it can do harm to the integrity of the decision and to the system itself."

New York law states that ALJs shall function independently of the department regarding all of their decision-making functions, and that they must have the ability to conduct parole revocation proceedings fairly and impartially.

Asked about the allegations against Tomlinson, DOCCS responded that part of Tomlinsons job is to review the decisions of her subordinates to ensure that the law has been properly applied.

Once a parolee is sent back to jail for a technical violation, they can be held for up to 90 days on Rikers Island while DOCCS hearing officers decide whether to send them back to state prison.

Some are held for longer than 90 days, according to McEvilley of the Legal Aid Society.

"The law currently provides that if the parole officer issues a warrant against you for violating, they get to take you into custody and bring you straight to jail, McEvilley said. "And there you remain, stuck in Rikers Island, waiting for a hearing that could happen in a couple of weeks, or it could happen in a month, or it could happen whenever they feel like scheduling you."



The Rikers Island Judicial Center, as seen from above (Google Maps)

Before 1972, if a parole officer merely alleged a violation, parolees were automatically returned to prison. The Supreme Court's decision in Morrissey v. Brewer did not in practice change that, but it did require "preliminary" probable cause-type hearings soon after a parolee's arrest, followed by a final" fact-finding hearing within 90 days.

The officials who conduct those hearings don't have to be full-fledged, elected judges but they do have to be fair and impartial. On Rikers, ALJs, who are appointed attorneys, conduct final revocation hearings, while former senior parole officers typically conduct preliminary hearings.

All parole revocation hearingspreliminary and finalin New York City are held at the Rikers Island Judicial Center, or RIJC, a secretive, quasi-judicial outpost. Opened at its current location on Rikers in 2012, the squat, square, two-story bunker is sheathed in striated metal and caged windows.

People and paperwork churn through RIJC Monday through Friday. Those mornings, Correction Department buses disgorge shackled prisoners at the base of a ramp in front of the center. The ramp allows them to amble up to the front door, through a sally port and into a bullpen.

Witnesses and other visitors walk up steel steps, through two secure doors and a metal detector before reaching a lobby and two small, cell-like rooms, where they wait for the hearings to begin. Most of the people waiting are parole and police officers. A few are significant others or family of parolees. All sit shoulder-to-shoulder.

Over the course of two days in February, Gothamist was allowed to observe nine hearings at the judicial center for a total of four hours. On the first day, three cases were adjourned without a decision and the parolees were kept on Rikers to be returned for more proceedings at RIJC at a later date. Only one person was restored to parole; another was sent to an inpatient drug treatment program for 15 to 24 months.

On the second day, we witnessed four final hearings that were all adjourned without a decision, all resulting in the parolees being kept on Rikers pending further proceedings. When we asked to observe preliminary, probable cause hearings, we were told that it was time to go.

The chief judge has asked that you leave, a Rikers press officer who had been our chaperone told us.

The New York City Department of Correction declined to comment on why we were asked to leave.

Tom Mailey, the DOCCS spokesperson, told us that Tomlinson did not ask Gothamist to leave, and that she does not have the power to because RIJC is on City property.

We were aware that he was there as an observer and he started asking questions of a lot of people, and that was the issue, I understand, Mailey said, referring to this reporter.

He just started to overstep what he was there for, Mailey said. He came with the understanding that he was there to observe. He was in doorways and placesI mean, he was doing what a reporter does, I get that.

Tomlinson was appointed Chief Administrative Law judge at RIJC in 2017, a taxpayer-funded job that pays her an annual salary of $121,225. Tomlinson also earned $11,000 as an adjunct law professor teaching criminal procedure at CUNY School of Law in 2018, according to Elizabeth Dickinson, a CUNY spokesperson.

The office of Governor Cuomo, who appointed Tomlinson, declined to comment on the allegations that she is placing pressure on her subordinates.

On two separate occasions after our visit, Tomlinson sent emails to Rikers parole judges

ordering them to direct all media inquiries to the public information officer.

You should not be speaking to the press, Tomlinson wrote in one of the emails. If you have been contacted by the press you are directed to notify me immediately.

Tomlinson did not respond to our requests for comment.



Advocates urge the state legislature to pass parole reforms outside the state capital building in Albany in May of 2017 (AP/Shutterstock)

Historically, parole officers have applied a social services model to their work, as this 1974 pamphlet for New York parolees explains. But as the focus of the criminal justice system shifted in the late 1970s from rehabilitation toward punishment, American parole officials likewise shifted their efforts from social work to surveillance.

What masquerades as success is the unobtainable standard of perfection, all the time, Dr. Joel M. Caplan observed in a 2006 report entitled Parole System Anomie: Conflicting Models of Casework and Surveillance. This is true, Caplan wrote, even though there is no evidence that the surveillance style of supervision decreased recidivism."

Active and former parole officers Gothamist spoke to say New York's numbers are being driven up by the way DOCCS is managing the parole system, which encourages parole officers to send people back to jail for minor parole violations.

Supervisors, the current parole officer says, treat "everyone like inmates, including the parole officers. Its this atmosphere, just like a prison, of pervasive bullying and threats."

Leo Fernandez, a state parole officer in the city for 20 years before he retired in early April, agreed: "It's a very hostile work environment."

Referring to his supervisors, Fernandez said, "all they're waiting for you to do is slip, and hang you out there to dry. I can't work in a place like that."

Both agreed that weighing the individual circumstances of their parolees cases was all but impossible because DOCCS assigns officers too many parolees to supervise.

"They give you 70 or 80 cases and they expect you to work magic," Fernandez said. "Some people have a 120, some people have 140."

DOCCS parole "staffing reports" for three separate months of 2019, reviewed by Gothamist, confirmed that some parole officers are assigned more than 100 parolees to supervise. One parole officer was responsible for supervising 139 parolees in February alone, according to the documents.

Another was assigned more than 60 high-risk parolees to supervise in April, even though DOCCS' guidelines call for a maximum of 40 high-risk parolees, according to a written DOCCS policy directive reviewed by Gothamist. When that officer didn't meet with all of them in time afforded by DOCCS' policy, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against them, the active-duty parole officer said.

"It's a disgrace," Fernandez, the recently-retired parole officer, said. "We're not getting the resources we need to get the job done."

DOCCS insists that they use best practices to ensure that a proper the number of parolees are assigned to each parole officer, but that staffing issues sometimes requires officers to take on bigger caseloads. The agency maintains that staffing levels are regularly monitored, and that they maintain a safe and productive working environment.



Rikers Island (JB Nicholas / Gothamist)

Jonathan Lippman, former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals and chair of the independent commission that recommended the closure of Rikers Island, has argued that parole reform, among other criminal justice reforms, could reduce the population of New York Citys jails by 3,000.

"Reforming parole so that significantly fewer people are jailed for alleged technical violations is not only the right thing to do, but it is also hugely important to the goal of putting an end to the misery of Rikers," Lippman told Gothamist.

Lippman added, "Sending so many people back to prison for non-criminal behavior is neither fair nor productive, and only interrupts the already difficult process of rejoining society.

A bill introduced by Manhattan State Senator Brian Benjamin called The Less is More Act, would strip parole officers of the power to take parolees straight to jail for alleged technical parole violations. For serious or non-technical alleged violations that might warrant being sent back to prison, the bill requires that local criminal courts to conduct bail hearings before someone is locked up for a parole violation.

A spokesperson for the de Blasio administration told Gothamist that the City supports parole reform at the state level and the proposed Less Is More Act to further reduce the number of people detained in City jails and create a fairer justice system.

In his 2018 State of the State address, Governor Cuomo pointed out that thirty-three percent of individuals released in 2012 were returned to prison within three years due to technical parole violations.

New York jails and prisons should not be filled with people who may have violated the conditions of their parole, but present no danger to our communities," Cuomo said at the time.

Today, Cuomos office said that while the governor supports parole reform, they could not comment on the Less Is More Act because it was pending legislation.

Donna Hylton knows first-hand what it's like to be under parole supervision in New York. Hylton served 27 years in prison for murder and kidnapping. Since her parole in 2012, she's penned a memoir, collaborated with Rosario Dawson, spoken at the 2017 Women's March in Washington, D.C., facilitated the provision of medical care to the formerly incarcerated and become Director of the Women and Girl's Project of the Katal Center.

But it almost never happened, she said, because New York's parole system seemed designed to create failure: "We're never seen as people who deserved a second chance. We're always seen as a person who has a number."

Parole officers were always threatening to send her back to prison. If I'm five minutes late for my curfew, then I'm being threatened [with a violation].

Perversely, she said, the more accomplishments she racked up the more she was threatened. And one of the things that's disheartening. When you're doing good, they want to threaten you even more, Hylton said.

The constant threat of arrest and reincarceration, Hylton said, "creates a lot of stress. And that's a concern. How much stress can a person on parole take?

"They would trip up even Jesus, Hylton added.

JB Nicholas is a New York City-based reporter, photojournalist and Gothamist contributor.


Shanghai opened one of the world's biggest dog shows on Tuesday but animal activists and online critics have condemned China's hosting of the event due to the widespread consumption of dog meat in the country. The four-day World Dog Show comes for the first time to China, which consumes around one-third of the estimated 30 million dogs eaten for their meat worldwide by humans each year, according to Humane Society International. Britain's The Kennel Club, which calls itself the world's oldest such organisation, has already announced it was snubbing the event, citing the sometimes "brutal" methods used in China to slaughter canines. "The Kennel Club will not be attending the show with its roadshow stand," it said in a statement on its website. Various animal rights organisations have launched campaigns against the decision by the Belgium-based World Canine Organisation, known by its French acronym FCI, to award the event to China, and a petition on social-action site Care2.com has drawn more than 700,000 signatures. Activist groups said they were using the event to highlight the dichotomy between China's love of the dog as a companion and the persistence of the meat trade. "It's a double standard that enrages many dog lovers throughout China, who are frustrated at how this illegal trade is allowed to continue," Humane Society International said in a statement. But some attendees said the show could be a force for change. "There are a lot of conflicting views on this topic, because if the World Dog Show does not come to China then more people won't have the chance to understand these pets," said Bao Zi, a Chinese kennel owner and breeder. "Eating dogs -- I can only say it's for Chinese law to put out a policy as soon as possible to stop these things happening." Campaigners stress that the show is being held just weeks before an annual dog-meat festival held in southern China. Activists say thousands of dogs are killed each year for the festival in the town of Yulin in Guangxi province, where dogs are eaten to mark the late-June summer solstice. - Man bites dog - Humane Society International said Monday that Chinese animal rights campaigners found that three restaurants in Shanghai were serving dog meat and had rescued 22 canines from a slaughterhouse in an adjacent province. Representatives of the show's local organiser, the China Kennel Union, were not immediately available for comment on the criticisms. A range of dog breeds will compete in contests of agility, obedience, and other disciplines in the show. Recent versions of the event claimed to have drawn up to 20,000 entrants. In 2015, after Shanghai's choice drew criticism, the FCI defended it as a way to promote the protection of "man's best friend". Some Chinese dog owners said the critics were barking up the wrong tree. "China is not a country that collectively eats dog meat", the owner of a Chinese kennel said on the popular Weibo platform. "Compared to some regions in Europe that kill seals, keep killer whales in captivity, the Spanish slaughtering of bulls and tormenting of greyhounds, the majority of us Chinese pet owners are much nicer," the post said. The four-day World Dog Show was in China for the first time Dogs took centre stage at the Shanghai show Dogs competed in contests of agility, obedience, and other disciplines in the show Activist groups said they were using the Shanghai event to highlight the dichotomy between China's love of the dog as a companion and the persistence of the meat trade
It was ten years ago Alex Ferguson dubbed them the best team he had ever faced but those left from Barcelona's iconic generation still have work to do. Three remain and when Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique line up against Liverpool on Wednesday, they may wonder if this could be their best chance of another, and perhaps final, Champions League triumph. Pep Guardiola's mesmeric side had just danced around and dizzied Manchester United in 2009, their 2-0 victory completing an historic treble, when Ferguson conceded: "Nobody has given us a hiding like that." But not long after the final whistle at Wembley, Ferguson expressed doubts too, about the longevity of that Barca group and then, whether they could ever be replaced. "Great teams go in cycles and the cycle they're in at the moment is the best in Europe," he said. "How long it lasts and whether they can replace that team...they have the philosophy but it's difficult to say if you can find players like Xavi, (Andres) Iniesta and Messi all the time. Probably not." Xavi and Iniesta have gone, succeeded by the all-encompassing Ivan Rakitic and, more recently, Arthur Melo, who could mature into the kind of player his predecessors would admire. Messi, who turns 32 in June, Busquets, who will be 31 in July, and Pique, already 32, have hung on, driving the club through fresh cycles of success. But in some ways perhaps, Ferguson was right. They could never sustain the Guardiola method in full, in part because pressing began to neutralise possession but mainly because that group of players was unique. In the Champions League, glory came again quickly in 2011, United again the victims, but from 2012 to 2018, it followed only once more, after beating Juventus in 2015. When Barcelona outplayed United in 2009, they had already won La Liga, the first of eight league titles in 11 years, the last of those confirmed by victory over Levante on Saturday, when Messi scored the winner. "Our objective now is the treble," said president Josep Bartomeu. He knows domestic dominance has been tarnished by underachievement in Europe and, regardless of whether they win another double this term, this team's season will be defined by them beating Liverpool, and then either Tottenham or Ajax on June 1. Messi, Busquets and Pique have played in 34 Champions League semi-finals matches between them and while the likelihood is there will be more to come, nothing is guaranteed. If the next takes as long to arrive as this one, Messi will be almost 36. When Ernesto Valverde took charge at the start of last season, Barcelona were wounded by consecutive Super Cup defeats to Real Madrid. "For the first time I feel inferior to them," said Pique. Now they sit 18 points ahead of them in the league, having finished 17 clear of them last season. But inferiority in Europe still rankles. It is Madrid's name on the cup next to four of the last five years. And for the remnants of one of Barcelona's most symbolic eras, time is running out to put it right. There are green shoots emerging, a new cycle - Arthur, Ousmane Dembele, Clement Lenglet and Carles Alena - coming through. "I hope I can be part of the new wave," Lenglet told AFP Sport in February. "There is a regeneration of the squad that is preparing for the future and I hope to be a part of that." Frenkie de Jong could face Barcelona in the final in Madrid, in what would be his last Ajax appearance before joining the Catalans in July. He may not replace Busquets but the 21-year-old will, at the very least, challenge him. Pique has been one of his team's standout players in central defence but there are plans there too. The 19-year-old Jean-Clair Todibo arrived from Toulouse in January and Matthijs de Ligt could follow De Jong from Ajax in the summer. As for Messi, there may never be a successor but four Champions League titles, one fewer than Cristiano Ronaldo, means there is a sense hanging over the club of a record unfinished. In that way, Liverpool could encounter the same problem Manchester United did a decade ago. "We never got control of Messi," Ferguson said. "But a lot of people will end up saying that." Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique are Barca all time greats
The billionaire leader of the newest and most dynamic force in Thai politics says he is "prepared" for jail as legal cases besiege his youth-focused party just weeks after it scooped up millions of votes in a general election. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the charismatic political newcomer whose radical agenda of social and economic reform captured millennial hearts and rattled the ruling junta, will appear at the Election Commission later Tuesday to explain a disputed share transfer. It is the latest of a battery of moves against Thanathorn and his Future Forward Party, which secured over six million votes in March 24 elections but is now hemmed in by 16 separate legal cases. "I knew from the day we launched the party that the threats would come sooner or later," he told AFP on Monday from his mansion in a Bangkok suburb. "It is sooner than we thought." The commission poses a real and immediate challenge. It is expected to rule over coming days on an allegation that Thanathorn breached election rules by owning shares in a media company. The 40-year-old insists the shares were divested weeks before he registered to run, rubbishing the charge as a political hatchet job. The commission can suspend Thanathorn from political activity -- a potential gut punch to his nascent movement, which relies heavily on his star power and the social media conversation he has started with younger voters. It could also forward his case to higher courts which carry heavy jail sentences for breaching election rules and can ultimately disband the party. He also faces a sedition charge with a potential seven-year jail sentence. But Thanathorn struck a defiant note as his powerful political enemies circle. "I'm prepared mentally and physically for whatever comes," the scion of an auto-parts fortune said. - 'Time is with us' - Future Forward has shaken up the Thai political landscape -- long framed by loyalty to the royalist, conservative establishment or the populist and self-exiled ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. March's poll was the first since Thailand's junta seized power in 2014. But a new government has yet to be declared amid allegations of vote-rigging and other political chicanery by the junta-allied party, which is desperate to return to power with a majority of Lower House seats. "The military government will do whatever it takes to stay in power. They are willing to rig the election and use legal threats," Thanathorn said. The junta and its political allies deny the accusations. The pro- and anti-military camps are striving to form a coalition to reach the magic mark of 250 lower house seats -- a majority to form a government. Neither bloc had a commanding lead after preliminary results. The Election Commission has said it will announce near-complete results on May 9. Critics say the inexplicable delay in announcing full results is allowing political loyalties to be traded and seats to be chipped away. Future Forward, now Thailand's third largest party, says several of its candidates have been approached in recent weeks with cash inducements of over $1 million to defect. While the legal assaults have put a pin in the elation that followed their shock poll showing, Thanathorn remains confident of the long game against an ageing out-of-touch junta and its establishment allies. "These people (the junta) don't want to see the future. But time is with us." burs-apj/joe/gle Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit will appear before Thailand's Election Commission to explain a disputed share transfer Preliminary results of Thailand's election on March 24 The Thai junta and its political allies deny accusations they are trying to rig the March poll March's poll was the first since Thailand's junta, led by Prayut Chan-o-cha, seized power in 2014
Surrounded by mottled brown-and-white cows basking in the Normandy spring sunshine, Patrick Mercier admits his prized raw-milk camembert doesn't come cheap, but suggests not everyone should have to make the cheese this way. Few foods are more emblematic of France than the pungent white pucks of camembert. But camembert lovers and producers are currently embroiled in a conflict over what constitutes the real thing. "Other cheeses can be made with pasteurisation, so after all, why not camembert as well?" asked Mercier. A bid to update the rules governing camembert's production by allowing the use of pasteurised milk has opened a rift in France, which this year celebrates the 100th anniversary of its strict food and beverage denomination rules -- originally created for wines but later extended to other foodstuffs. Starting in 2021, cheesemakers hoping to secure the coveted "Camembert of Normandy" label won't have to use only raw milk, as they have been required to do since their rules were introduced in the early 1980s. Instead, they will have the option of pasteurising -- the process of mildly heating a product to remove pathogens and make it last longer. It would be the first appellation d'origine protegee (AOP) -- France's badge of quality for a special product rooted in its region -- to create a two-tier labelling system: one for raw milk camembert, and another for pasteurised versions. Mercier, the AOP Camembert president, who is one of just two remaining producers of raw-milk camembert from his own cows, backed the concession, arguing that it will end decades of declining dairy farming in Normandy. The changes will also require camembert producers to use more of the fat- and protein-rich milk from grass-fed Normande cows, which have steadily been replaced by more productive Holsteins over the years. "We had to reverse this trend of Normande cows disappearing," Mercier said at his Champ Secret (Secret Field) farm outside Flers, on the western edge of France. - 'Battle against standardisation' - Mercier has invested tens of thousands of euros in state-of-the-art equipment that keeps his organic raw milk safe on its way to becoming his daily output of 750 wheels of for early camemberts, but said this outlay is not for everyone. "We're restoring the values of camembert, in terms of quality and quantity, in a way that is going to let everyone -- farmer, big companies and artisans -- exist," he said. But purists are crying foul, saying the rules are being watered down for industry giants like Lactalis, which for years have touted their generic camembert as "Made in Normandy" -- a confusing approximation French officials say has to stop. Top chefs have assailed the changes as well, warning that consumers will find their rich and creamy cheese replaced by chalky bland discs. "At its heart, it's a battle against standardisation, since it's only going to benefit industrial producers that will now have the label," said Veronique Richez-Lerouge, a traditional cheese advocate who has spearheaded efforts to scupper the planned change. "It's not just about camembert," she added. "It's about champagne, or idiazabal cheese in Spain: All the AOPs are going to say, if they can do it, why can't we?" - 'Don't call it camembert' - The famous soft cheese is said to have been created in 1791 when Marie Harel, who lived in the village of Camembert, adapted a recipe for brie she learned from a priest hiding out from the French revolution. Adding a distinctive wooden box made it easy to transport the cheese, and its ubiquitous presence in the trenches of World War I made it "the" French cheese for Americans, Britons and other Allied soldiers who fought in France. Only in 1982 did the government codify its production -- including at least five scoops of curd in a round 11-centimetre mold, one turn only to drain the whey, and at least three weeks of ageing to promote the snowy growth of Penicillium camemberti mold for the rind. But crucially, officials failed to specify that less stringent versions couldn't use the generic camembert name. The result is that dairy giants have flooded the market, crowding out traditional players -- the AOP now has fewer than 10 producers making just 5,500 tons a year, compared to 60,000 tons of generics that cost half as much or less. - 'Future generations' - "Not everyone can afford a camembert that costs 3.50 euros or more," said Nathalie Goulet, a senator from Normandy's Orne region, who says the changes will benefit the entire dairy industry. Opponents say that's wishful thinking. "How can you expect someone working on a tiny scale, all by hand with no corners cut, to make a living -- that cheese has to cost way more in order to be sustainable," said Bronwen Percival, the cheese buyer at Neal's Yard dairy in London and co-author of "Reinventing the Wheel: Milk, Microbes and the Fight for Real Cheese". "It's not to say there's not a place in the world for a pasteurised camembert, absolutely there is," she says. "Just don't call it camembert." The controversy is likely to grow ahead of a November vote on the proposal by France's INAO food origins and quality agency. If approved, the plan still needs the green light from EU regulators in Brussels, which Richez-Lerouge said was unlikely. "An AOP is for passing on a savoir-faire and a tradition, and one only, in a specific territory," she said. "If the AOP can't guarantee that 100 percent, it means future generations won't be able to discover that camembert." The brown and white cows in a field near the northwestern French village of Camembert in Normandy, where the famous cheese originated A bid to update the rules governing camembert's production by allowing the use of pasteurised milk has opened a rift in France, whose strict food denominations go back a century A monument to Marie Harel, in the Normandy town of Vimoutiers. Harel is considered the creator of camembert Cheese buyer Bronwen Percival: 'How can you expect someone working on a tiny scale, all by hand with no corners cut, to make a living?'
Their Uighur wives vanished in 2017, swept up in a Chinese dragnet tackling Islamic extremism, now they've been released -- but the Pakistani husbands left behind say freedom has come at a price: The women must prove their "adaptability to Chinese society", and publicly sacrifice their religious ideals. The group of around 40 women -- all from the western Chinese province of Xinjiang and married to traders from neighbouring Pakistan -- were among some one million people believed to be held in a network of internment camps that authorities downplay as "vocational education centres". But the men say their partners were forced into acts that are haram, or forbidden, to followers of Islam -- both in the camps and now they've been freed. "She said they had to eat pork and drink alcohol, something she still has to do," one merchant, who recently visited his wife at her parents' house in Xinjiang told AFP, on condition of anonymity. "She was told that she had to satisfy the authorities that she no longer possesses radical thoughts if she does not want to go back," he explained, adding that she had given up praying and the Quran had been replaced by books on China at his in-laws home. Some of the traders, who traditionally leave their wives in Xinjiang for weeks or months at a time when they return home to conduct business, believe the women were taken to the camps because of their connection to Pakistan, which is an Islamic republic. Former detainees have said they were held simply for following Islamic traditions, such as having a long beard or wearing a veil. But with the detention centres, part of a security clampdown targeting Muslims including ethnic Uighurs, facing growing international condemnation and China pushing its economic relationship with Pakistan, authorities began slowly releasing the women two months ago. Faiz Ullah Faraq, a spokesman for the government of Gilgit-Baltistan, the Pakistani region which borders Xinjiang, confirmed the "majority" have now been released. - Surveillance and repercussions - AFP interviewed nine of the women's husbands, who confirm their wives are free but cannot leave Xinjiang for three months, during which time they will be closely monitored. "They will observe her adaptability to Chinese society and if they deem her to be unfit she will be sent back," a gemstone trader said of the rules of release. Their initial joy at the release of much-loved wives and mothers has faded because the women who've returned are like strangers. "My wife said she was forced to dance, wear revealing clothes, eat pork and drink alcohol in the camp," he revealed, adding that she now carries with her a book of guidelines, which features illustrations such as a mosque marked with a red cross, and a Chinese flag with a green tick. "She used to pray regularly but now it's gone, and she has started occasionally drinking (alcohol) which she does in the restaurants," he explained, adding that he believed officials required such acts from the women. He too declined to give his name for fear of repercussions from authorities, who make surprise visits to his wife's home in Xinjiang every week. James Leibold, an expert on Chinese security at Australia's La Trobe University, told AFP that stepped-up surveillance policies in Xinjiang gave authorities "increased confidence" in their ability to closely monitor those released from the camps. Since their release, the families of many of the women say they have become paranoid and fear of being reported on. "The worst thing was her silence," the merchant explained, adding: "She suspects everyone, her parents, her family, even me." The seven other traders interviewed by AFP, anonymously, have been in contact with their wives only by telephone and gave similar testimonies. - 'Serious abuses' - The Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing declined to comment on the releases, and a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman did not respond to requests. In an interview with Pakistani TV channel HUM news, Lijian Zhao, deputy head of mission at the Chinese Embassy branded claims the government is forcing Muslims to eat pork and drink alcohol in Xinjiang as "propaganda from the west". He said: "They are trying...to create differences between China and Pakistan and other Muslim countries." Maya Wang, Human Rights Watch's senior researcher on China, said the activist group has heard stories of people being released from the camps and subjected to house arrests or severe restrictions on movement. "These releases may indicate that the Chinese government is increasingly sensitive to heightening international pressure over its serious abuses in Xinjiang," she said. Last month US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed demands China end its widespread detention of Uighur Muslims as he met with Mihrigul Tursun, who claims to be a former detainee, and has spoken publicly about what she said was widespread torture in the camps. Beijing "cannot afford international criticism of its policies in Xinjiang to spread throughout the Muslim world, especially in Pakistan", China security expert Leibold explained. In recent years, China has strongly pushed its relationship with Pakistan, investing heavily in infrastructure projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. For its part, Pakistan has been reluctant to publicly join global condemnation of Beijing's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang. When pressed on the subject in a recent interview with the Financial Times, Prime Minister Imran Khan said: "Frankly, I don't know much about that." But for the merchant and the other traders, it is as though their wives are still lost. He explained: "My wife, a practising Muslim, has been turned into someone I could not even imagine. She has given up her prayers, drinks and eats pork," He added: "I am afraid our marriage will not last long because she is a completely different person, someone whom I don't know." China has freed dozens of Uighur women from internment camps on condition they prove their "adaptability to Chinese society" with acts forbidden to Muslims such as drinking alcohol and eating pork, their Pakistani husbands have told AFP Around 40 Uighur women -- all from the western Chinese province of Xinjiang and married to traders from neighbouring Pakistan -- were among some one million people believed to be held in a network of internment camps In recent years, China has strongly pushed its relationship with Pakistan, investing heavily in infrastructure projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Abdelkader Ouazzani, the last of Morocco's brocade master weavers, has been repeating the same gestures for 63 years in his dilapidated workshop in the heart of the old city of Fes. "This profession is vanishing... There were many craftsmen in Fes, but they all died and only memories remain," says the 79-year-old weaver, the last witness of a bygone era. His skillful hands intricately create shimmering silk fabrics, enhanced with gold or silver thread, for bridal jewellery, designer creations or high-end furnishings. His entire body engages in the delicate job, using a complex drawloom mechanism made up of a large wooden frame topped with beams, rafters, blades, pulleys and counterweights. His feet rest on the wooden pedals, his shoulders are bent forward, his arms move apart with each launch of the wooden shuttle. "It's all a question of calculation, each thread takes its path: it's like mathematics," says the old man. He is secretive about the "rules of the art" which he learnt long ago in his youth, when, he says, "there were no industrial machines" to do the job. - Ancestral know-how - His work is both physical and meticulous: it takes an entire day to weave a metre (three feet) of brocade. "Not everybody is allowed to see that, it's very special, he is the last man working like that," explains a tour guide who has led a group of Thai tourists here. They are visiting on the recommendation of the wife of the head of a major Moroccan bank, herself a client of the workshop. An article in the historical journal "Hesperis", published in 1950 by the Institute of Higher Moroccan Studies, described the weaving of brocades from Fes as a tradition that "disappeared everywhere else in North Africa". It said that the ancestral know-how had its roots in the era of the Merinid sultans of the 13th century. "In the 1950s, there were still four or five workshops left," says Mohamed Akhda, the guide in charge of the Thai guests. "You are now in the last one left in the country." Ouazzani says he can't find a young apprentice to take over his workshop. "People no longer want to learn this profession," he says. "No-one cares." "The future of this refined craft is now threatened," confirms a new panel affixed by the tourist office outside the workshop, hailing Ouazzani as an "undisputed master of the craft". - 'Elite of the elite' - As fashions have changed, the wide, colourful belts that for centuries were the pride of the master weavers of Fes gradually stopped selling. In the age of globalisation, the final blow came with industrial-scale competition. In Fes as elsewhere, some souvenir shops now sell low-end products that are machine woven in China. Ouazzani, on the other hand, works on commission for a clientele he describes as "the elite of the elite". His rare fabrics cost up to 5,000 dirhams per metre (about 500 euros, $560), depending on the complexity of the patterns. A digital tablet he uses to show pictures of his most beautiful pieces -- and of his grandchildren -- is the only modern object in his workshop that is otherwise crammed with ancient furniture. On the high walls of the dark room hang framed diplomas and faded pages from fashion magazines. The master hides his most cherished "treasures" in a small wooden cupboard protected by a dusty tablecloth. With an expansive gesture, he unfolds his "catalogue", a 16-metre-long roll of fabric with motifs that range from the Hispanic-Moorish tradition to Oriental art or European designs. "This one I made for Colette," says the weaver, showing a photo of a caftan with a purple geometric pattern on a black background. His pride and joy, the exquisite work was displayed in the window of the famous French boutique which until its closure in 2017 was one of the most popular addresses in chic Paris. Abdelkader Ouazzani is the last of Morocco's brocade master weavers and has his workshop in the old city of Fes He creates shimmering silk fabrics, enhanced with gold or silver thread, for bridal jewellery, designer creations or high-end furnishings It takes a day to weave a metre (three feet) of brocade at Ouazzani's workshop in Fes "In the 1950s, there were still four or five workshops left," a tour guide tells his Thai group. Now Ouazzani is Morocco's last one Fashions have changed and the wide, colourful belts that for centuries were the pride of the master weavers of Fes gradually stopped selling The ancestral know-how of brocade weaving has its roots in the era of the Merinid sultans of the 13th century, historical journal "Hesperis" has said
Kosovo's president said Tuesday help from the United States was necessary to resolve a bitter dispute between his country and Serbia, as Europe was too "weak and divided". A day after a summit of Balkans leaders in Berlin hosted by both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President Emmanuel Macron, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, told AFP the talks were "disappointing" with "nothing concrete on the table". Thaci's downbeat assessment came just hours after the summit closed with the Balkan foes pledging to "speed up efforts to implement existing agreements and to re-engage constructively in the normalisation dialogue with the mediation of the EU". But for Thaci, "It's clear, without the US, nobody can move forward in western Balkan. "Because, even yesterday, everybody felt that EU is weak and very divided. Speaking partly in English and partly through a translator, Thaci said: "They have no spirit of leading" such a sensitive process, "and it's very difficult at the same time". "The US, they have capacity, they work fast, better and have leadership," he said. Thaci pointed to a letter US President Donald Trump sent to him and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic saying that "it looks they (the US) have ideas and we can find a solution for the final agreement and substance in the framework of this letter". In comparison, Thaci said last night's summit, which ended in the early hours of Tuesday in Berlin, had brought nothing new to the table. Asked if Macron and Merkel had put forward new proposals, Thaci said: "No, zero." "Of course, they wanted to move forward as much as we can, but what really (came out yesterday) is just one point: to continue to sit with each other, to continue in the next meeting in Paris." "I hope in Paris, we will move in substance of things," he said of the planned follow-up meeting in July. - 'Year of agreement?' - EU-brokered talks between Serbia and Kosovo had ground to a halt last year. The nub of the dispute is Belgrade's denial of the independence of Kosovo, a former province of deep historical and cultural significance to Serbians that broke away in the bloody 1998-1999 war. The Brussels-led dialogue collapsed several months after talk of possible border changes between the neighbours triggered a stinging backlash last summer. Critics warned that redrawing the map would be a risky business in the fragile Balkans, a region still recovering from its 1990s wars. Then came a series of diplomatic clashes between Pristina and Belgrade that deepened their hostility, in particular Kosovo's decision in November to levy a 100-percent tariff on Serbian goods. A stalemate ensued. Kosovo has vowed to keep the tariffs until Belgrade shows openness to recognising independence, while Serbia says it will not talk until the tariff is removed. But normalising ties with Kosovo and harmonising its foreign policy with that of the EU, are among key criteria Serbia has to meet to join the bloc. On Monday, Vuvic reiterated that a condition for resuming the talks would be lifting the punitive tariffs -- something firmly rejected by Thaci. "The dialogue has to be unconditioned: it's not so important what President Vucic said, Kosovo is an independent and sovereign state," said Thaci. For him, the idea of border changes is an "idea of opponents of the process". "My idea is very clear: Serbia must recognise Kosovar independence," he said. Despite the entrenched differences, Thaci remained optimistic, saying he hoped 2019 would be "a year of the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia". Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci says the EU is too weak to push forward in his country's bitter dispute with Serbia and US help was required The Kosovar leader said German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron had put forward "zero" new proposals
Preservationists and music history buffs have long been looking to have Tin Pan Alleythe stretch of 28th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues where sheet music publishers, and composers and lyricists who crafted many now-musical standards flourishedofficially landmarked. Last month, the Landmarks Preservation Commission said it began looking to calendar the exteriors of five buildings on the street, all of which were crucial to building out what's now known as the popular music industry.

But the owner of said buildings, Yair Levy, doesn't seem as keen on having them landmarked. Through his representatives, Levy is reportedly trying to halt the landmarking effort, citing that the buildings aren't fit to be given the designation because of racist songs produced there. Ken Fisher, the representative for Levy's family trust, told the tabloid that these songs made bigotry socially acceptable again.

According to the NY Post, Fisher commissioned a report from historian Andrew Alpern that outlines racist songs that several companies printed on Tin Pan Alley, particularly by the publishing house M. Whitmark & Sons. Supporters of the landmarking effort don't deny this, but instead point to the fact that many African American songwriters, including Paul Laurence Dunbar and Noble Sissle, thrived on Tin Pan Alley, writing and performing songs that are critical to the American musical canon.

"Burying history, even ugly history, is not a way for us to learn from and evolve," George Calderaro, Project Director of the Save Tin Pan Alley Initiative of the 29th Street Neighborhood Association, tells Gothamist. "This designation is not intended to celebrate every song published during the era. Its celebrating the birthplace of American popular music in the 20th century. And to learn from our history, we must confront even the most difficult aspects of our past and honor those who overcame and rose above it."

Tin Pan Alley undeniably has a gnarled history when it comes to race, especially regarding the songs produced there that did reinforce racist beliefs and stereotypes. "What we now call Tin Pan Alley depended on a meeting of Jews and African Americans in the modern American city, where the two cultures interacted informally in neighborhoods, music halls and businesses," writes Rachel Rubin, a Professor of American Studies at the University of Massachusetts. "While some commentators find evidence for intercultural sympathy in the sprightly rhythms, blue notes, and vernacular lyrics of Tin Pan Alley songs, it is also important to remember that the music flourished in a context of institutional racism," she adds.

It's worth noting that the five former Tin Pan Alley buildings up for landmarking, located at 7 W. 28th Street, 49 W. 28th Street, 51 W. 28th Street, 53 W. 28th Street, and 55 W. 28th Street, are zoned for commercial use, and under current regulations, replaced by towers. "I have nothing against tall buildingsIm a member of the Skyscraper Museumbut we should not be building tall buildings and sacrificing our really irreplaceable cultural history," says Calderaro, adding that he believes Levy and his team are using this aspect of Tin Pan Alley's past, while true, as an "excuse to stymie landmark designation."

Levy is banned from selling real estate securities for life, after he was found guilty of taking over $7 million from a reserve fund through a condo conversion. At the time, his tenants didn't have heat or hot water during the winter months, according to Crain's. In an interview with the real estate site, Levy said that he could, in fact, sell condos again if he felt like it, but he'd have to go through his family trust.

Updated: The Landmarks Preservation Commission had a hearing today about the possibility of moving the buildings closer to landmark status. LPC is considering these 5 buildings on West 28th Street for their cultural significance, as representatives of Tin Pan Alley and the history of American popular music industry," a spokesperson for the Landmarks Preservation Commission said in a statement provided to Gothamist. "While some of the music published during this era reflects the racism in America at the time, some of Tin Pan Alleys most notable composers were African-American songwriters. The stories behind these buildings allow us to better understand not only the important moment in musical history and popular culture, but also the realities that African Americans faced during this time and their achievements against that backdrop.
Two dozen suspects are set to go on trial in Morocco Thursday for offences linked to the gruesome murder of two young Scandinavian hikers late last year that shocked the North African country. Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland had their throats slit before they were beheaded in December at an isolated site in the High Atlas mountains. Three main defendants accused of direct involvement in the murders and who allegedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group could theoretically face the death penalty. A total of 24 defendants are due to appear before a criminal court in Sale to answer charges including promoting terrorism, forming a terrorist cell and premeditated murder. A Spanish-Swiss convert to Islam is among the suspects who are due to face justice in the city near Rabat. But families of the slain hikers and their lawyers will not attend the trial, according to information obtained by AFP. Nature lovers, the two friends shared an apartment and went to Norway's Bo University where they were studying to be guides. They had travelled together to Morocco for their Christmas holidays. Their lives were cut short in the foothills of Toubkal, the highest summit in North Africa, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the city of Marrakesh, a tourist magnet. - 'Enemies of Allah' - After the bodies were discovered, the Moroccan authorities were initially cautious, referring to a "criminal act" and wounds to the victims' necks. But that all changed when a video showing one of the victims being beheaded -- filmed by one of the killers on a mobile phone -- circulated on social networks. One of the killers refers to "enemies of Allah" and revenge for brothers in Syria. The video did the rounds online in Morocco, Norway and Denmark. Danish police said last month they had launched prosecutions against 14 people suspected of sharing the gruesome video. A separate video in the initial aftermath of the murder showed the alleged killers pledging allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, under the jihadist organisation's banner. Police quickly arrested a first suspect in the suburbs of Marrakesh, and three others were arrested a few days later when they tried to leave the city by bus. Aged from 25 to 33, all had struggled to get by in poor districts of Marrakesh. They made a living from "small jobs" and were educated to a "very low" level, according to investigators. They had recently embraced Salafism, an ultra-conservative branch of Sunni Islam, according to friends, neighbours and some family members. The "terrorist cell" was inspired by IS ideology, according to investigators. But Morocco's anti-terror chief has said the accused had no contact with the jihadist group in conflict zones. And IS has never claimed responsibility for the double-murder. - Death penalty petitions - Abdessamad Ejjoud, a 25-year-old street vendor referred to as the emir of the group by peers, is the suspected ringleader of the operational cell and a wider group he formed in Marrakesh, according to investigators. Twenty others are due to face justice in Sale for links to the alleged killers. Among them is Kevin Zoller Guervos, a Spanish-Swiss citizen living in Morocco. Authorities allege he subscribes to "extremist ideology". He stands accused of teaching the main suspects how to use encrypted communications and how to fire a gun, according to investigators. Suspected of being a recruiter, he denied all charges when brought in front of an anti-terror judge. Another Swiss citizen arrested after the double-murder was tried separately and sentenced in mid-April to 10 years in prison for "forming a terrorist group" and for his links to another extremist network. Until last year, Morocco had been spared jihadist attacks since 2011, when a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square killed 17 people, most of them European tourists. Attacks in the North African state's financial capital Casablanca killed 33 people in 2003. Those attacks -- carried out by 12 suicide operatives who came from one of Casablanca's main shanty towns -- greatly affected public opinion. Morocco has since improved its security and legal framework, alongside boosting supervision of religious affairs and anti-terror cooperation with other states. Petitions on the internet have called for anyone convicted of the Scandinavian hikers' double murder to face the death penalty. Death sentences are sometimes still handed down in Morocco, but a de facto moratorium on carrying out executions has been in place since 1993, and there is an ongoing debate over potential abolition. Moroccans paid tribute to Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen (L) and Norwegian Maren Ueland after they were murdered Rachid Afatti (L), Ouziad Younes (C), and Ejjoud Abdessamad (R) -- three of the suspects in the grisly murder of Scandinavian hikers Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland Mountains near the tourist village of Imlil in the High Atlas range, where the two Scandinavian hikers were murdered in December last year Moroccans light candles and lay flowers by portraits of murdered Danish Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Norwegian Maren Ueland in Rabat, in December last year
Demonstrators clashed with police on the streets of the Venezuelan capital Tuesday, spurred by opposition leader Juan Guaido's call on the military to rise up against President Nicolas Maduro -- who said he had defeated an attempted coup. An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support disintegrated into rioting as palls of black smoke rose over eastern Caracas. Tuesday evening, Maduro declared victory over the uprising -- congratulating the armed forces for having "defeated this small group that intended to spread violence through putschist skirmishes." "This will not go unpunished," Maduro said in an address broadcast on television and the radio. "(Prosecutors) will launch criminal prosecutions for the serious crimes that have been committed against the constitution, the rule of law and the right to peace." Guaido had been immediately backed by the United States, where President Donald Trump said in a tweet Washington was standing behind the Venezuelan people and their "freedom." He rallied his supporters with an early morning video message that showed him -- for the first time -- with armed troops he said had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Maduro. The 35-year-old National Assembly leader was filmed outside the La Carlota air base, where he asked the armed forces inside to join him. The video had the extra shock value of featuring key opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez at his side, saying soldiers had released him from years of house arrest. Guaido claimed the move was the "beginning of the end" of Maduro's regime, and there was "no turning back." "We showed there are soldiers willing to defend the constitution, and there are many more," he said in a video message Tuesday. The opposition plans to hold a massive May Day protest in Caracas, where Maduro will also lead a rival rally. - 'Nerves of steel' - Thousands of opposition supporters flocked onto a highway near the air base, many waving Venezuelan flags, but they were met with gunfire and tear-gas fired by soldiers at the compound's perimeter. Lopez later entered the Chilean embassy with his wife and one of his children to claim asylum, before moving to the Spanish embassy, Chile's Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero announced in Santiago. Soldiers backing Guaido wore blue armbands to demonstrate their allegiance to the opposition leader -- recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries -- but there appeared to be few of them. Brazil said later a number of Venezuelan troops had sought asylum at its Caracas embassy. Brazilian media put that number at 25. But Maduro had called on his forces to show "nerves of steel" and troops in riot gear, backed by armored vehicles and water tankers, lined up against the demonstrators. Several vehicles plowed into the crowd, injuring some of the protesters. Rioters later blocked the highway with a bus and set it on fire. A plume of black smoke rose from an area near a helicopter hangar on the base, where demonstrators who briefly managed to enter were pushed back. As United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to all sides to avoid violence, Venezuela's army chief and defense minister, General Vladimir Padrino issued a stark warning of possible "bloodshed" -- adding that he would hold the opposition responsible. He later said an army colonel had received a bullet wound to the neck during the clashes in Caracas. Health officials said 69 people were injured, including two from bullet wounds. Elsewhere, human rights NGO Provea denounced the death of a demonstrator in northern Aragua state. The US, meanwhile, called on the military to protect the people and support "legitimate institutions" including the opposition-controlled National Assembly. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN he believed Maduro was ready to flee to ally Cuba before he was dissuaded by Russia -- a claimed Maduro later refuted. Speaking late Tuesday to business executives in Washington, Pompeo voiced hope that Maduro would still choose exile in the coming days. "I must say, there will be another sunrise tomorrow. The opportunity for Venezuelan democracy, I am confident, will remain," Pompeo said. Moscow, Maduro's main backer and creditor alongside China, accused Guaido of "fueling conflict" in the oil-rich country. Maduro's leftist Latin American allies Bolivia and Cuba also condemned Guaido. Trump threatened a "full and complete embargo" and tougher sanctions against Cuba if it does not end military support for Venezuela. Late Tuesday, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice banning US airlines from flying below an altitude of 26,000 feet (7,000 meters) in Venezuelan airspace. It also said any operators currently in Venezuela should leave within 48 hours. Pro- and anti-Maduro demonstrations were held outside the Venezuelan embassies in several Latin American and European capitals. Internet observatory NetBlocks reported that "multiple internet services" were restricted in Venezuela following Guaido's appeal. - 'Definitive phase' - The government suspended broadcasts from BBC Mundo, CNN International and a Caracas radio station, local media and the National Union of Press Workers said. The Lima Group of mostly Latin American countries announced an emergency meeting in Lima on Friday to discuss the crisis. Tensions in Venezuela have been ratcheted up to a critical level this year, after Guaido announced on January 23 that he was the acting president under the constitution. He said Maduro had been fraudulently re-elected last year. Although Trump has repeatedly said "all options" are on the table regarding Venezuela -- including, implicitly, military action -- there has been no noticeable US military mobilization. Instead, Washington has upped the economic pressure, through sanctions aimed at Maduro's regime and by cutting sales of Venezuelan oil -- its main revenue earner. burs-ska/mtp An opposition demonstrator walks by a flaming bus during clashes with soldiers loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas An opposition demonstrator passes by a government bus set on fire during clashes with soldiers loyal to Maduro after troops joined opposition leader Juan Guaido in his campaign to oust Maduro's government Members of the Bolivarian National Guard who joined Guaido fire into the air to repel forces loyal to Maduro, near La Carlota military base in Caracas Guaido addresses supporters after members of the Bolivarian National Guard joined his campaign to oust Maduro A member of the Bolivarian National Guard supporting Guaido throws a tear gas canister during a confrontation with guards loyal to Maduro's government A supporter (L) and an opponent (R) of Maduro argue as they demonstrate outside the Venezuelan embassy in Mexico City Map of Venezuela locating the Carlota military base and main buildings in Caracas, capital of Venezuela
Hundreds of Venezuelans rallied in central Madrid late Tuesday in support of their country's self-proclaimed leader Juan Guaido, as riots broke out in faraway Caracas. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government have vowed to put down what they see as an attempted coup by the US-based opposition leader. But as police fired tear gas at the crowds in Caracas, around 300 people gathered in the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid in support of the 35-year-old National Assembly leader, waving Venezuelan flags and brandishing banners with slogans such as "Maduro is destroying Venezuela". "This isn't a state coup," a former mayor of Caracas and opposition politician, Antonio Ledezma, told the small crowd in the Spanish capital, which included Venezuelan opposition figures, as well as officials from Spain's conservative Popular Party and centre-right Ciudadanos. A spokeswoman for the Spanish government had earlier said Madrid "strongly hope(d) that there will be no bloodshed" in Venezuela. Spokeswoman Isabel Celaa called for "democratic elections" and said Madrid supports a "peaceful" outcome to the Venezuela crisis. Spain has thrown its support behind Guaido, whom it recognises as interim leader of economically-strapped Venezuela over President Nicolas Maduro. Separately, Air France on Tuesday said that a passenger plane en route to Caracas was returned to Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport due to "events in Venezuela". "After analysing the situation, it was decided that flight AF368 should return to Paris-Charles de Gaulle," said an airline spokesman, adding that it was "monitoring the situation in real time" and would inform passengers of any future flight changes. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government have vowed to put down what they see as an attempted coup by opposition leader Juan Guaido (C, pictured with high-profile opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez)
AUBURN  In 2017, Kayla McKeon made history. Eighteen months later, she's making progress.

McKeon, a Cicero native, became the first registered federal lobbyist with Down syndrome in October 2017 when she was hired as grassroots advocacy manager for the National Down Syndrome Society.

The National Down Syndrome Society is an organization advocating for relevant legislation to people with Down syndrome and raising awareness about the genetic condition.

McKeon's introduction to the federal government came as an intern for U.S. Rep. John Katko, a Syracuse-area congressman. She interned with Katko's office for two years. That experience prepared her for a career meeting with members of Congress on a regular basis.

"If I can talk to one congressman like Congressman Katko, I can talk to any (representative)," McKeon, 31, said in an interview before her speech at the Unity House of Cayuga County's annual dinner Monday. "We all wear the same pants. When you talk to one person, you can talk to another and another."

As a lobbyist, McKeon aims to end the sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities. While the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and several states, including New York, have higher minimum wage rates, a provision in the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to pay employees with disabilities less than the minimum wage.

Companies may obtain certificates to pay employees with disabilities sub-minimum wages if the disability "impairs the worker's earning or productive capacity for the work being performed," according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

People with needs, McKeon explained, are being paid pennies per hour due to the provision. She supports a proposal that would phase out the sub-minimum wage over a six-year period.

"It's not fair there are those of us who are working and getting paid minimum wage and some of those aren't," she said.

McKeon is also advocating for passage of the Marriage Access for People with Special Abilities Act. The bill sponsored by Katko, R-Camillus, would protect Supplemental Security Income benefits for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities who marry.

Under the existing system, SSI benefits could be at risk because the couple must jointly report their incomes.

"People like me want to get married, but unfortunately we can't because our incomes will come together and we won't have our benefits," she said.

Katko's bill is cosponsored by U.S. Rep. William Keating, a Massachusetts Democrat. The measure has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.

When McKeon isn't lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill, she's pursuing her college degree. The Cicero-North Syracuse High School graduate is taking courses at Onondaga Community College. After completing a course this semester, she will have 40 credit hours  20 short of the 60 needed to earn an associate degree in general studies.

Before speaking at the Unity House event, McKeon said she planned to discuss her position with the National Down Syndrome Society. She urged attendees "not to give up and always persevere."

With more than a year of experience as a lobbyist, McKeon is proud of her work.

"To be able to walk the same steps as many congressmen and women, I feel empowered to talk to such very important and impactful people and helping to pass laws for the differently abled," she said.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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AUBURN  Then-U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis, with encouragement from his son, acknowledged climate change was a problem. He wanted to do something about it, so he introduced a bill in 2009 that would impose a tax on coal, oil and other sources of carbon emissions.

The following year, Inglis  who represented a solidly Republican district in South Carolina  lost in the GOP primary. His congressional career was over, but his advocacy for a climate change solution  a proposal that could appeal to businesses and members of his party  continues.

Inglis joined Kyle Thomas of the Citizens' Climate Lobby for a presentation Tuesday at the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce in Auburn. They outlined the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, a bill that would levy a rising carbon fee on fossil fuels. It's a revenue-neutral proposal because rebates would be provided to households.

If the carbon fee and dividend is adopted, Thomas said it would reduce emissions by at least 40% in 12 years and create more than 2 million jobs in the U.S. over a 10-year period.

There would be a provision to to shield U.S. producers from negative consequences. A border carbon adjustment would apply to imports.

Inglis and Thomas highlighted some of the bill's supporters, including ExxonMobil, General Motors and the National Small Business Association. In Congress, the legislation was introduced by U.S. Rep. Ted Deutsch, a Florida Democrat, and has 34 cosponsors. One of the cosponsors, U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, is a Republican.

One attendee asked how they could persuade U.S. Rep. John Katko, a Republican who represents Cayuga County, to sign on as a cosponsor. Thomas said they have met with Katko about the measure. Katko, he continued, acknowledges climate change is real and has "spoken favorably" about the bill.

Thomas encouraged the audience to contact Katko and show their support for the carbon fee proposal.

"If he believes business is particularly in support of it, we think there's a good chance that he will cosponsor this bill in Congress this session," Thomas said.

Inglis added that there must be support conservative action on climate change.

"We want to be the best friend to Congressman Katko and any other Republican who wants to lead on climate change," he said.

Inglis also discussed the differences between his approach and the Green New Deal backed by, among others, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Inglis recently participated in a climate change-themed televised town hall meeting with Ocasio-Cortez.

He didn't criticize any specific planks of the Green New Deal. Instead, he said they want a "much bolder" proposal than a plan that would be limited to the U.S.

"If America is doing this by itself," Inglis said, referring to combating climate change, "it's a bad deal. In fact, it's probably not worth doing. If the world doesn't do it with us, there's very little reason to do it."

Inglis supports the carbon fee and dividend proposal because he believes it would force other countries, namely China, to take action. The proposed border carbon adjustment would tax goods imported by China. China would likely challenge the adjustment before the World Trade Organization. He thinks they would lose that case.

If the WTO issues a favorable ruling for the U.S., Inglis expects that China and other countries would impose the same carbon tax on imports.

"Use the power of the American market to make it so it's in their interest," Inglis said.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be prepared to assist communities if Lake Ontario levels continue to rise.

Schumer, D-N.Y., wants the Army Corps of Engineers to activate its emergency operations center. The agency activated the center in 2017 ahead of flooding along Lake Ontario. The flooding affected several counties, including Cayuga, and President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration.

Lake Ontario is a foot higher than its average level for this time of year. It's less than a foot below 2017 levels. But state and local officials are concerned that there will be a repeat of what happened two years ago.

With precipitation and warmer temperatures, the forecast suggests lake levels will increase by nearly a foot.

"After experiencing devastating record flooding in 2017, Lake Ontario communities are once again being threatened by rising water levels  so it is critical for the Army Corps of Engineers to get their ducks in a row now, before flooding happens, and stand ready to help," Schumer said in a statement Tuesday.

Schumer has been monitoring lake conditions this year. He joined U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in calling on the International Joint Commission to take action to prevent Lake Ontario flooding.

The commission, through the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board, maximized outflows to prevent flooding. But with flooding along portions of the St. Lawrence River, the board had to reduce outflows last week.

Schumer has also requested action on Trump's nominees for three seats on the six-member, bi-national commission. Two of the U.S. seats are held by former President Barack Obama's appointees.

One of Trump's picks, former New York state Assemblymember Jane Corwin, would serve as U.S. section chair if confirmed by the Senate.

Schumer announced in March that he supports Trump's IJC nominees. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the nominations in April.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will determine when the nominations are considered by the full Senate.

Potential flooding along the lake, though, is Schumer's primary concern. Other elected officials are worried about rising lake levels.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo deployed state resources to communities along the lake to protect against rising water levels. More than 200,000 sandbags and aqua dams will be used to prevent flooding.

Sandbagging machines will be placed at state Department of Transportation facilities in Hilton, Monroe County, and Sodus, Wayne County, to fill additional sandbags.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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May is Older Americans Month, designated by the U.S. Administration on Aging to pay tribute to senior citizens in our communities. Every year since 1963, May has been a month to appreciate and celebrate the vitality and aspirations of older adults and their contributions to our communities. It has been a time to celebrate older Americans, their stories and their contributions. Led by the Administration for Community Living, the annual observance offers a special opportunity to learn about, support and recognize our nations older citizens.

Each year, more and more older adults are making a positive impact in and around Cayuga County. As volunteers, employees, employers, educators, mentors, advocates, and more, they offer insight and experience that benefit the entire community. Thats why Older Americans Month has been recognizing the contributions of this growing population for 56 years.

This years theme, "Connect, Create, Contribute," encourages older adults and their communities to connect with friends, family, and local services and resources. Also, they encourage to create through activities that promote learning, health and personal enrichment and contribute time, talent and life experience to benefit others. Communities that encourage the contributions of older adults are stronger! By engaging and supporting all community members, we recognize that older adults play a key role in the vitality of our neighborhoods, networks and lives.

Every year in May, the Cayuga County Office for the Aging celebrates Older Americans Month by holding a Senior Citizens Day. This is a day that local seniors look forward to, to reconnect with each other after the long winter and to celebrate being an older American! This years festivities will be held on Tuesday, May 28, at the Emerson Park Pavilion on Owasco Lake, 6914 E. Lake Road, Owasco. Join us at noon for lunch with the Cayuga County Legislature. At 1 p.m., the Legislators will hold their meeting right at Emerson Park. The first item on the agenda will be to recite a proclamation and to honor the Cayuga County Senior Citizens of the Year. The award winners will be recognized for their outstanding volunteer contributions to their communities. There will be a reception immediately following the awards before the meeting resumes official business.

Reservations for the May 28 Senior Citizens Day recognition luncheon at the Emerson Park Pavilion can be made by sending your name, address, telephone number and number of people attending to the Cayuga County Office for the Aging. The cost for the luncheon is $15 per person. Make checks payable to the Cayuga County Office for the Aging and send to 160 Genesee St., Auburn, NY 13021 by May 15. For more information, you can contact the office at (315) 253-1226.

The Cayuga County Office for the Aging wishes to focus on how older adults in our community are connecting through work or volunteer interests. How can we inspire older adults to express themselves creatively through art, dance, exercise, or other personal enrichment activities and contribute through their community and advocacy efforts. We can also use this opportunity to learn how we can best support and learn from our communitys older members.

Please join us on May 28 to celebrate Older Americans Month and to honor our Cayuga County Senior Citizens of the Year!

Janet L. Taylor is an aging services specialist with the Cayuga County Office for the Aging.

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A Mentz teenager was charged Monday with raping a child, state police said.

The unnamed 15-year-old was charged with first-degree rape, a class B felony, for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a 10-year-old girl, police said.

State police based in Waterloo, who conducted the arrest, said the alleged rape happened April 13. The incident was reported that same day by a family member of the suspect, police said.

The victim was interviewed at the Childhood Advocacy Center of Cayuga County in Auburn, police said, and based on the interview, the 15-year-old boy was arrested at about 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Police said the incident is believed to have been a one-time occurrence. Police said the suspect was issued an appearance ticket and will return to Cayuga County Family Court, rather than criminal court, as he is a juvenile.

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The state's Supreme Court last week overturned a 2017 conviction that sent a Rochester man to Cayuga County Jail for two years.

On Friday, the Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department in Rochester reversed Sid S. Harrison's most recent drug conviction and dismissed the indictment, according to a press release from the Cayuga County District Attorney's office. Harrison, 39, finished his sentence and was released from Cayuga County Jail Jan. 30, 2018.

Harrison lived in Rochester at the time of his conviction but now lives in Texas, according to his attorney, David Elkovitch, who represented him on his appeal.

In November 2017, Judge Thomas Leone sentenced Harrison, upon jury verdict, to 30 months in jail for four offenses. He was found guilty of three misdemeanors including seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree obstructing government administration and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and a traffic infraction for failing to stop at a stop sign.

Rochester man sentenced for possessing crack cocaine in Cayuga County AUBURN  A two-time convicted drug dealer will spend the next two years in jail for possessi

Originally charged with a felony for possessing crack cocaine  that the jury ultimately acquitted him of  the DA's office had 182 days since the Sept. 30, 2016 crime to announce readiness for trial. The People announced readiness within the statutory time frame, the Appellate Division's decision said, but the court concluded the People should be charged with a period of post-readiness delay which exceeded the 182-day period.

The trial, originally scheduled for Sept. 5 was adjourned to Sept. 18, 2017, by request of the DA's office because one of their critical witnesses, a police officer, had a conflict due to a pre-scheduled vacation. Due to the Cayuga County Court's schedule, the trial was adjourned to accommodate for the officer's testimony. The DA's office said this put the People over the limit by four days.

Although the Appellate Division's decision was unanimous, the DA's office said it "respectfully disagree(d) with it" and are exploring options for further review.

The basis for the reversal was due to the defendant being "denied his statutory right to a speedy trial," according to the Appellate Division's decision.

Speedy trial rights "are written in the statutes so they are not technical errors, they are majors rights that every defendant is given by law," Elkovitch said in an email. "That means that (Harrison) did two years in the county jail for nothing."

The DA's office disagreed.

"The Appellate Division never indicated the defendant was not guilty, that not enough evidence was presented and certainly never indicated Harrison was innocent," the DA's office said. After being convicted by jury, Harrison was sentenced to a maximum sentence. Having previously been convicted of selling crack cocaine twice in Cayuga County in 2001 and 2013, Harrison was on parole from a 2015 sale of cocaine conviction when he sold cocaine to state police in Auburn again.

"So, Harrison served two years in jail because just three weeks after he was released from custody, he was doing the same thing again," the DA's office said.

Elkovitch said the case will return to Cayuga County Court for Leone to dismiss everything. Since a statutory right was violated, he said he'd like to think there should be some compensation but unsure about this matter.

Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart.

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The director of Polands National Museum of Culture has announced that he will temporarily reinstate a classic 1975 work of conceptual art that shows a bare-shouldered woman eating a banana in a rather suggestive fashion, after he ordered the video artwork removed from the museum on the grounds that it might irritate sensitive young people, according to a report by Time.com.

Museum Director Jerzy Miziolek denied that he gave in to the pressure of artists and protesters who ridiculed the decision to take down the work by Natalia Lach-Lachowicz, who goes by the name Natalia LL. Many took to Instagram and other platforms to post photos of themselves eating bananas, including another prominent Polish artist, photographer Sylwia Kowalczyk (who now resides in Scotland), who posted a banana-eating photo of herself on her own Instagram, viewable at this link.

This should not happen to any artist, male or female, Kowalczyk told CNN. "Natalia Lach-Lachowicz is one of the icons of the Polish contemporary art and has her place in art history already."

"For me, Natalia's works are a view on feminism, however the banana that was used in the image is also a symbol of freedom, added photographer Justyna Piechutawho also posted a banana selfie to Instagram. I can't imagine in today's world someone would try to ban art just because of their views on art or sexuality."

The video was not, however, removed from the Polish museums website, and may be viewed by visiting this link. The museum itself, on the site, praises the Natalia LL work.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Natalia LL was one of the first artists to step forward and criticize conceptual art for excessive rationalization and avoidance of physical sensuality, the site says. Combination of a cold film recording with a hot sensual motif stands for a rejection of the purely analytical character of conceptual art.

The video, which was shot on 16mm film, runs about 16 minutes and has no soundtrack. In the video, the model also eats a breadstick and a hot dog, also with what the museum called a strongly erotic edge.

A group of protesters also gathered outside the museum on Monday to stage a live banana eat-in.

Miziolek said that he would reinstate the Consumer Art exhibitbut only for another week, when the museum begins a renovation project. Whether Consumer Art would return after the renovations are complete remained unclear.

Photo By ArteFutura YouTube Screen Capture
CARSON CITY, Nev.Rebekah Charleston has been making quite a name for herself in anti-sex circles such as the National Coalition on Sexual Exploitation, which promoted an article Charleston wrote for the Reno Gazette-Journal, titled "Human trafficking thrives in legal brothels." In the piece, Charleston claimed to have been "trafficked" into the brothels by a pimpthough not once in the article, nor in the lawsuit she filed on February 25 seeking to criminalize prostitution in Nevada, does she name this "pimp" who supposedly forced her to engage in prostitution.

According to Charleston's lawsuit, for which she is represented by Jason Guinasso, a Lyon County official who managed to get an anti-brothel initiative on the November 2018 ballotwhere it was soundly defeatedthe federal Mann Act (H.R. 12315, passed in 1910), whose current version reads, "Whoever knowingly persuades, induces, entices, or coerces any individual to travel in interstate or foreign commerce, or in any Territory or Possession of the United States, to engage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both," is the key to getting rid of the brothels.

As far as Charleston is concerned, that means that even though neither the United States Constitution nor the Constitution of the State of Nevada prohibit any state from setting up a legal brothel system within its borders, where men and/or women can sell sexual services to willing buyers, somehow the Mann Act prohibits it, in part because women who live in states other than Nevada have come to work in its legal brothelsand as far as Charleston is concerned, that's "interstate trafficking," even though the women voluntarily sought brothel work.

Or as Charleston puts it, "Under the cover of Nevada law legalizing prostitution, brothels, brothel owners and operators, and the women bought and sold in brothels for sex, actively and intentionally persuade, induce, entice, and coerce men and women to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution by advertising and marketing brothels and the sale of people for sex to individuals outside the State of Nevada through hundreds of websites, social media accounts, and other mass media."

The lawsuit, which in mid-March added two other plaintiffs, is full of buzzwords like, "women bought and sold"they are, at most, rented, as any contractor would beand "Prostitution is modern day slavery." Charleston also claims that, "multiple brothel owners have brazenly spoken publicly of their efforts to recruit young adult virgins from across all states and/or countries to auction their virginities at their brothels," and charges such as "one brothel owner and manager would send prostituted women out-of-state to California, Illinois, Georgia, and South Carolina to see established sex buyers whose credit cards were processed at the brothels during the time the women were provisioned, though the sex acts occurred, and the buyers were out-of-state. The prostituted women were placed on airplanes to provision sex acts in the state and city where the out-of-state sex buyer was located."

Charleston claims that she personally was trafficked by a pimp into the Moonlight [sic] Bunny Ranch where she was forced to "perform prostitution in the Nevada brothels as a form of punishment," "was not permitted to turn down a sex buyer," "was not permitted to come and go as she pleased," and "was not permitted to turn down a sex buyer"a claim adult actress Nina Hartley described as "crap."

According to the lawsuit, other horrific acts by brothel owners include, "The Moonlight [sic] Bunny Ranch brothel advertised a College Loan Match Funds Repayment Program 'to recruit and entice more educated,' 'wholesome-looking' women to engage in prostitution at the brothel. Under this 'program,' the brothel management promised to match each dollar expended by the women towards repayment of student loans. This advertisement was specifically used to lure women from across the United States to engage in prostitution in the State of Nevada." (Hmmm... doesn't appear that the women expended much beyond food and other daily necessities, so it's hard to understand how the brothel reimbursing them for that would much affect their student loans.)

But other claims in the lawsuitsuch as "Prostitution is inherently an act of sexual coercion, is a form of sexual violence and is integrally connected to sex trafficking, drug abuse, brutality, rape, and murder"that make it clear that Charleston's lawsuit is less about protecting women and more about getting legal prostitution criminalized in Nevada and sending prostitutes back to pimps and back to soliciting on street corners.

Needless to say, the Nevada governor and its legislature don't want that to happen, so they filed a Motion to Dismiss Charleston's lawsuit, and its second paragraph makes the state's position clear: "If Congress desired to criminalize prostitution, it could easily do so. But it has not. Lacking express language from either the Mann Act or the TVPA [Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000] to support their attempt to ban brothels, Plaintiffs complaint relies on a nebulous theory of Congressional intent and conflict preemption. There is no conflict, however. The illegal conduct alleged by Plaintiffs is illegal under both Nevada and federal laws that criminalize sex trafficking."

The Motion also notes that none of the three plaintiffsCharleston, Angela Delgado-Williams and Leah Albright-Byrdface current or future injuries due to Nevada's brothel systema system in which Delgado-Williams never even worked!

The Motion makes fairly short work of the Complaint's allegations. For example, as to the Mann Act claims, "The Mann Act is not inconsistent with Nevada law, since it only applies to conduct 'for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense,'" and prostitution is legal in legal Nevada brothels.

Regarding the plaintiffs' claim that "Nevada created a market for sex trafficking to flourish because Nevada affirmatively authorizes prostitution," the Motion notes, "Nevada, however, like the federal government, takes no affirmative position on the criminality of prostitution. It leaves that decision up to counties whose population meets certain requirements," and such allegations "are not consistent with the text of the relevant Nevada law, Nevada Revised Statute 244.345(8)."

Finally, though the lawsuit claims that "Nevada advertises as a sex tourism state," the Motion to Dismiss states that after examining the numerous exhibits, including many news articles, attached to the Complaint, "Plaintiffs never allege factual allegations demonstrating a nexus between these articles and their allegations against the State. The only relevance these articles could have is to an outright federal ban on legalized prostitution, which Plaintiffs concede is not federal law."

That last point is perhaps the most important, since whatever actually happened to the plaintiffs, the State of Nevada had nothing to do with it.

"This Court only has power to hear 'cases or controversies...,'" the Motion declares. "To seek injunctive relief, a plaintiff must show that he is under threat of suffering 'injury in fact' that is concrete and particularized; the threat must be actual and imminent, not conjectural or hypothetical; it must be fairly traceable to the challenged action of the defendant; and it must be likely that a favorable judicial decision will prevent or redress the injury." As to all of that, the only assessment that can be reached regarding the complaint's allegations is one big FAIL.

"Nevada law did not injure Plaintiffs because the traffickers conduct that injured Plaintiffs was illegal in Nevada as well as federal law. Nevada law, like its federal counterpart, criminalizes sex trafficking...," the Motion states. "Accordingly, Nevada law could not have injured Plaintiffs. It criminalized the very conduct that Plaintiffs complain of. ... Plaintiffs failed to allege any affirmative conduct by the State that placed them in danger. Plaintiffs allegations pertain to conduct by private individuals, sex traffickers, who violated federal law, and (where such allegations have a nexus to Nevada) Nevada law, by using force or threats of force to coerce Plaintiffs into prostitution."

The Motion to Dismiss takes issue with several other claims in the lawsuit, most revolving around the fact that plaintiffs, who haven't shown any state-caused injuries, aren't entitled to any relief under either Nevada or federal lawand an article published on the Nevada Brothel Association website seems to undercut several of the allegations Charleston does make.

"Lets start with the fact that 'Rebekah Charleston' is the name she goes by now," the article states. "Her real name back in 2006when she was busted for money laundering and tax evasionwas 'Rebekah Kay Dean, a.k.a., Nicole A. Wilson.'"

The article goes on to quote from an undated interview Charleston/Dean/Wilson gave to Ft. Worth Magazine, wherein the woman says that "by the time she was 16 shed become a drug abuser and dropped out of school," that she "eventually ran away and moved into a two-bedroom apartment with a half-dozen 'low level' drug dealers and started dealing drugs herself. Around the same time she also began stripping and 'sitting on 50-year-old mens laps accepting shots of Hennessy'," and finally, "One night, at the age of 17, 'she and her friends were looking for men in a strip club parking lot' when she met the guy she now claims 'beat' and 'trafficked' her over the next ten years." (Again, he remains nameless.)

But that's not all: "On March 9, 2006 a United States federal grand jury issued two indictments against her for bank fraud," charging that she "devised and intended to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud Chase Manhattan Bank to obtain money, funds, and credits owned by or under the control of Chase Manhattan Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representation or promises."

But even that's not all: "On August 29, 2006, the United States Attorney also charged Charleston/Dean/Wilson and another woman, Tina Bennett, with "Conspiracy to commit Tax Evasion," alleging that, as part of an illegal prostitution ring they allegedly ran, "During the calendar year of 2004, BENNETT and DEAN deposited $684,541.71 into [several bank] accounts with the intent to share the money between themselves. BENNETT and DEAN thereafter attempted to conceal this income and failed to file tax returns with the IRS." As a result, Charleston/Dean/Wilson was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison.

And to top it all off: "In addition, no one associated with the brothels has been able to find any record of Charleston/Dean/Wilsonunder her current name or any of her known aliasesever working in Lyon County and shes provided absolutely no proof or corroboration that she did."

The earlier version of the Charleston/Delgado-Williams/Albright-Byrd complaint can be read here. The state's Motion to Dismiss may be read here.

Pictured: The Moonlite Bunny Ranch and its former owner, the late Dennis Hof

(H/t to Michael Whiteacre for the info)
Astronomy on Tap Flagstaff is a free night of engaging science presentations, interactive trivia, and prizes. Topics range from telescopes to black holes and galaxies. Presenters include astronomers from area observatories, universities and other scientific institutions.

Mays presentations will be Astronomy Under Arabian Skies by Dr. Danielle Adams and The Living Navajo Constellations by Misha Pipe.

Astronomy on Tap Flagstaff was started in March of 2019 by Lowell Observatory staff with the dream of bringing the awe and wonder of astronomy to the Flagstaff community. The event occurs on the first Thursday of each month at Southside Tavern, 117 S. San Francisco St. from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

All That Dance presents Paquita

All That Dance proudly presents the classical ballet, "Paquita," on Friday, May 3 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Sinagua Middle School auditorium, 3950 East Butler Ave. The show will feature over 70 ballet students from All That Dance. Dancers performing in this show are ranging in ages 3 to adult. Original choreography was created by Lucien Petipa. The score is by French composer, Edouard Deldevez.

Set in Spain during the occupation of Napoleons army, Paquita tells the story of a young gypsy girl who is unaware that she is of noble birth and was abducted by the gypsies when her parents were assassinated when she was an infant. Paquita earns the love of the young French officer, Lucien dHervilly when she saves his life from the gypsy king, Inigo Inigo was hired by the Spanish governor to kill Lucien. Through a medallion that Paquita has had all her life, does she discover her true birth right and identity, thus enabling her the ability to marry Lucien.

Dancing the title role of Paquita, is All That Dance teacher Katie Ellico Lucien is being performed by local physical therapist, Leonard Wood. The Pas de Trois is Hannah Dodt, Jillian Fenley and Johanna Thebert. The Variations are being danced by Helyn Belsanti, Natalie Odem, Tavi Sawulski and Layne Tritle

Tickets are $15 and are available at All That Dance, 5200 E. Cortland Blvd. Suite A 9 or at the door the night of the show. For more information contact Rhonda Harris at (928) 714-9300.

Alexandra Wittenberg can be reached at 928-913-8624 and awittenberg@azdailysun.com.

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Northern Arizona Universitys annual Earth Jam sustainability celebration had a new feature this year: the first bicycle-powered concert in Arizona.

Surrounded by nearly 30 booths hosted by student clubs and community organizations, 10 blue stationary bike stands were placed directly in front of the stage, where they were connected to both a capacitor to store the generated energy and a pedalometer: a vertical light strip showing cyclists the total energy they were generating, ranging from red (not enough) to white (more than enough).

While some students lounged on the grass of the Central Quad in the afternoon sunshine, others fixed their bikes to the stands, spinning with dedication to keep the meter in the desired green zone and the music playing.

If you have enough bikes, you can do some really exciting things with them, said NAU doctoral student Joanna Wheaton, who coordinated the concert.

Wheaton said she got the idea because she had held a similar concert before, while completing her undergraduate studies at University of Californias Los Angeles campus.

It was such a big hit in LA at the time. It was the first bike powered-concert in the county and afterwards it became an annual event, she said. As soon as I came to Flagstaff, I realized this is the perfect place to do this. It matches the bike-oriented culture here.

In the fall, she applied for an NAU Green Fund grant to purchase the bike stands, as well as other bike-powered equipment, including the blender used to make smoothies at the citys Earth Day celebrations last week.

Long before the concert, Wheaton visited practice sessions of each of the four student groups who performed at Earth Jam to measure their energy use. Using factors like bicycle type and anticipated age and fitness level of concert-attending cyclists, she then calculated that 10 bikes would be needed to power each of the groups microphones, speakers and other equipment.

In all, the event featured four hours of continuous pedaling. Individual students and community members, as well as groups like the university Triathlon Club, took turns on the bikes for 30-minute shifts, switching out one at a time.

Wheaton said she was surprised by the support from local businesses: many donated prizes for participants, while others organized teams to help pedal.

Were generating our own power, so were not relying on nonrenewable resources. Its really fun to see, as a group, you can power something together, Prestin Cooke, a waste minimization coordinator with the NAU Office of Sustainability, said during the concert.

Mackenzie Gargano, who planned Earth Jam, said generating the energy was easier than it looked.

It was really just a leisurely bike ride, she said.

Wheaton hopes the concert inspires other universities and community groups to participate in bike-powered events.

Clearly, were not going to stop climate change by having concerts, but its a really cool, fun way to teach people about sustainability. People are excited to learn about it that way, she said.

Kaitlin Olson can be reached at the office at kolson@azdailysun.com or by phone at (928) 556-2253.

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From the New York Daily News:

They have to get the shot. Three cheers for Donald Trump. No, we really mean it. The president is supposed to be the leader of the nation, and on Friday Trump took on the mantle in calling for Americans to get vaccinated as the country is suffering a measles outbreak, much of it here in New York.

Trump, who used to play a dangerous game of footsie with the anti-vaxxer kooks, instead became Public Health Officer No. 1. Vaccines do not cause autism. But measles do cause death.

Measles was once considered wiped out in the United States, but the kooks have had success in spreading their lies into the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn and Rockland County and hundreds have contracted the disease.

Listening to real health experts, Trump said, the vaccinations are so important. This is going around now. They have to get their shots. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Just like Mayor de Blasio has been focusing on measles in Williamsburg and County Executive Ed Day in Rockland, the president needs to help fight this health emergency, which has also produced a quarantine at two California universities. Its not just a harmless childhood ailment of red dots. Measles can, and does, kill.

And the vaccine is safe and effective. And mandatory for kids in school, except those claiming a religious exemption.

The drive in Albany to end that exemption is commendable. No faith believes in spreading disease, Judaism included. A deadly and very contagious plague that can be stopped with a completely benign medicine must be eliminated and stay eliminated. This horrible episode has proved one thing: That the vaccine does work and without it everyone is at risk.

The fight against measles isnt about finding a way to prevent the disease; weve long had the vaccine. Its about finding a way to make people get the shot, as Trump rightly says. Science has succeeded, but public enlightenment has failed. Trumps welcome words can only help rectify that.

Paper receipts may be bad for your health

From the Los Angeles Times:

Many financial institutions, insurance companies, utilities, internet service providers and other businesses that provide services to consumers have wholeheartedly embraced paperless billing. For obvious reasons: Sending bills by e-mail and collecting payments digitally saves time and money.

It makes life easier for consumers as well to settle their accounts without having to dig out their checkbooks, hunt around for stamps and then wander out to the mailbox. To sweeten the deal, paperless transactions are an environmental benefit because they save uncountable tons of water, trees and power that would have gone into producing paper, which has a relatively short useful life.

Businesses that sell things, however, have been slower to adopt paperless technology. Some stores and restaurants now offer email or text receipts to customers, but most still rely on old-fashioned paper proofs of purchase  some of them comically long. CVS drugstore, for example, is so notorious for super-long receipts filled with coupons and promotional come-ons that it has become a social media joke. Cashiers often foist these pieces of paper on customers whether they want them or not.

But there is a good reason to offer customers a non-paper alternative beyond the fact that they produce quite a bit of trash: Paper receipts may be treated with hazardous chemicals.

It seems unbelievable, but its true. Sales receipts handed out by most retailers are usually printed on thermal paper using heat rather than ink. This process results in shiny slips of paper that are coated with bisphenol A or bisphenol S, endocrine-disrupting industrial chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream. These chemicals act like hormones and there is growing concern that they may be causing cancer, infertility and birth defects, among other things. The Food and Drug Administration banned bisphenol A, or BPA, from being used in baby bottles and sippy cups in 2012, and California has added it to the Proposition 65 list of hazardous chemicals that require consumer warnings. Because of BPAs negative press, it has been replaced in many uses with bisphenol S, a chemical cousin. But it may be no safer; studies show it acts the same way in the body.

While many business are moving toward adopting e-receipt technology, this bill would force them to do it faster than may be practical or affordable for some.

These are legitimate concerns, and its important that lawmakers dont ignore them as they move forward. But surely these issues can be worked out. For one thing, the world is heading toward a paperless future. For another, it is obviously not good business practice to expose customers (or retail employees, who unsurprisingly have been found to have higher levels of these substances in their bodies) to potentially harmful chemicals when there are other options.

Remember the heroes  and unite to fight hate

From The San Diego Union-Tribune:

Saturdays horrific shooting at the Chabad of Poway on the last day of the sacred Jewish holiday of Passover  for which a 19-year-old college student from Rancho Penasquitos is expected to be charged  left Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, dead and Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 57, Almog Peretz, 34, and Noya Dahan, 8, with injuries they will survive but never forget. There could have been more victims had the gunmans assault-style rifle not apparently jammed. It was a gut-wrenching reminder to San Diegans that our community is afflicted by the same roiling hatred seen across the nation and the world, especially since the act of terror was foreshadowed by another, a failed attempt to burn down the Islamic Center of Escondido on March 24, reportedly by the synagogue gunman himself.

The heroism of Gilbert-Kaye, who took bullets seemingly intended for Goldstein, and of Goldstein, who delivered a sermon after the gunman fled despite his wounds, should be lasting memories from Saturdays tragedy. So should the immediate response of law enforcement. So should the rapid outpouring of sympathy and grief from so many of our regions churches and civic groups, and the condolences they offered to Gilbert-Kayes family and friends.

But what happened in Poway  and the killings in churches and elsewhere in Sri Lanka on Easter, at Islamic centers in New Zealand last month and at a synagogue in Pittsburgh six months ago, which reportedly inspired the gunman  demand introspection.

The easy dissemination of hate through technology seems to have made irrational fear of the other  the belief that those who look differently or who have different views and priorities are malign threats  more common than ever. This is reflected in government statistics showing a surge in hate crimes, most of which are anti-Jewish, against religious and racial minorities.

Yet the gunman reportedly had no previous criminal history, and one family friend expressed shock at news of his involvement and his anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim views.

This is alarming evidence that online, the most disturbed among us have found secret echo chambers that embolden them.

So what can be done?

Poway Mayor Steve Vaus offered a powerful and appropriate sentiment on Saturday: This is not Poway, he declared. We always walk with our arms around each other, and we will walk through this tragedy with our arms around each other.

But as Rabbi Goldstein said Sunday: Everyone needs to step up and do something in the face of terror. A good start is to be more determined than ever. To limit troubled individuals access to guns. To try to understand those with different views. To appreciate how much we have in common. To show solidarity with and empathy for our neighbors. To recognize the importance of fellowship, social exchange and understanding.

The tragedy in Poway and the near-tragedy in Escondido should unite San Diegans. So far, thats just what seems to have happened. May this resolve and unity endure  and may it help us overcome the hatred that fouls social media and the sunless corners of our communities.

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Broken BowDustin Lynch is hoping youll go Ridin Roads with him on Thursday.

The Tullahoma, Tennessee native is teasing the new video for his latest hit by posting a short clip on his socials.

Much like the cover of his Ridin Roads EP, the visual version of the song features dramatic scenes superimposed with images of Dustin wearing his cowboy hat. In it, we see the sun rise and Dustin ridin roads, before hes joined by a long-haired brunette who seems to be his love interest.

Cant wait to show yall what weve been working on, he added. Ridin Roads official video premieres Thursday on CMT.

Right now, Dustins in Canada working the final leg of the Life Changes Tour with Thomas Rhett. Later this month, the trek morphs into the Very Hot Summer Tour as the two return to the U.S.

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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My two cents: a very disturbing piece. Will countries around the world keep falling for these manipulative and disastrous exploitations?

The Guardian, by Seumas Milne (Read on: Now the truth emerges: how the US fuelled the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq)

The sectarian terror group wont be defeated by the western states that incubated it in the first place





The war on terror, that campaign without end launched 14 years ago by George Bush, is tying itself up in ever more grotesque contortions. On Monday the trial in London of a Swedish man, Bherlin Gildo, accused of terrorism in Syria, collapsed after it became clear British intelligence had been arming the same rebel groups the defendant was charged with supporting.

The prosecution abandoned the case, apparently to avoid embarrassing the intelligence services. The defence argued that going ahead with the trial would have been an affront to justice when there was plenty of evidence the British state was itself providing extensive support to the armed Syrian opposition.

That didnt only include the non-lethal assistance boasted of by the government (including body armour and military vehicles), but training, logistical support and the secret supply of arms on a massive scale. Reports were cited that MI6 had cooperated with the CIA on a rat line of arms transfers from Libyan stockpiles to the Syrian rebels in 2012 after the fall of the Gaddafi regime.

Clearly, the absurdity of sending someone to prison for doing what ministers and their security officials were up to themselves became too much. But its only the latest of a string of such cases. Less fortunate was a London cab driver Anis Sardar, who was given a life sentence a fortnight earlier for taking part in 2007 in resistance to the occupation of Iraq by US and British forces. Armed opposition to illegal invasion and occupation clearly doesnt constitute terrorism or murder on most definitions, including the Geneva convention.

But terrorism is now squarely in the eye of the beholder. And nowhere is that more so than in the Middle East, where todays terrorists are tomorrows fighters against tyranny  and allies are enemies  often at the bewildering whim of a western policymakers conference call.

The campaign isnt going well. Last month, Isis rolled into the Iraqi city of Ramadi, while on the other side of the now nonexistent border its forces conquered the Syrian town of Palmyra. Al-Qaidas official franchise, the Nusra Front, has also been making gains in Syria.

Some Iraqis complain that the US sat on its hands while all this was going on. The Americans insist they are trying to avoid civilian casualties, and claim significant successes. Privately, officials say they dont want to be seen hammering Sunni strongholds in a sectarian war and risk upsetting their Sunni allies in the Gulf.

A revealing light on how we got here has now been shone by a recently declassified secret US intelligence report, written in August 2012, which uncannily predicts  and effectively welcomes  the prospect of a Salafist principality in eastern Syria and an al-Qaida-controlled Islamic state in Syria and Iraq. In stark contrast to western claims at the time, the Defense Intelligence Agency document identifies al-Qaida in Iraq (which became Isis) and fellow Salafists as the major forces driving the insurgency in Syria  and states that western countries, the Gulf states and Turkey were supporting the oppositions efforts to take control of eastern Syria.

Raising the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality, the Pentagon report goes on, this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered the strategic depth of the Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran).

American forces bomb one set of rebels while backing another in Syria

Which is pretty well exactly what happened two years later. The report isnt a policy document. Its heavily redacted and there are ambiguities in the language. But the implications are clear enough. A year into the Syrian rebellion, the US and its allies werent only supporting and arming an opposition they knew to be dominated by extreme sectarian groups; they were prepared to countenance the creation of some sort of Islamic state  despite the grave danger to Iraqs unity  as a Sunni buffer to weaken Syria.

That doesnt mean the US created Isis, of course, though some of its Gulf allies certainly played a role in it  as the US vice-president, Joe Biden, acknowledged last year. But there was no al-Qaida in Iraq until the US and Britain invaded. And the US has certainly exploited the existence of Isis against other forces in the region as part of a wider drive to maintain western control.

The calculus changed when Isis started beheading westerners and posting atrocities online, and the Gulf states are now backing other groups in the Syrian war, such as the Nusra Front. But this US and western habit of playing with jihadi groups, which then come back to bite them, goes back at least to the 1980s war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, which fostered the original al-Qaida under CIA tutelage.
We have extended the deadline for Baking Industry Awards entries for one more week  so dont delay in telling us about your stellar products, people and businesses!

You now have until midnight on Tuesday 7 May to get your entries in and have a chance to win one of the most coveted industry accolades.

The awards ceremony is the biggest night in the baking industry calendar and, by winning a Baking Industry Award, your business can benefit from publicity, recognition from your peers and a massive boost for yourself and your staff.

We are once again seeking businesses at the top of their game across categories including Bakery Manufacturer of the Year, Craft Bakery Business of the Year and Supermarket Bakery Business of the Year. Other categories also recognise stand-out individuals and products. There is no charge to enter.

Entries will be examined by a panel of judges, including representatives from the sponsoring company, plus an independent expert judge. They will draw up a shortlist of entrants who may, depending on the category entered, meet judges face to face, be asked to send products to the judging panel, or judged on the merit of their online entry. A representative of the British Baker team then joins each of the final judging panels to agree the winners.

If selected as a finalist, you and a partner can join us free of charge at the 2019 awards ceremony at the Royal Lancaster, London.

This years event will feature an Intergalactic theme, and will start with a champagne reception, followed by dinner, then the awards ceremony itself, hosted by a celebrity presenter.

Entering the awards is simple, using our online system. Entries from any professional bakery business are welcome, but if you have won a Baking Industry Award last year, you may not enter the same category again.

How to enter

Go to www.bakeryawards.co.uk and click on the Enter button

On the next page is the Enter Now button. Click on that and follow instructions.

If you have any queries, email Rebecca.George@wrbm.com or call 01293 610422.

Entry deadline is Monday 29 April 2019.

To book tickets to the ceremony

When: Wednesday 4 September 2019

Where: Royal Lancaster, Lancaster Terrace, London

Tickets: 295 a ticket, table of 10: 2,690

Tickets sell out fast, so apply early to elizabeth.ellis@wrbm.com or call 01293 846593.

(Finalists and partners attend free)
In the 22 years that Gage County has held a Relay for Life, more than $1 million has been raised for the American Cancer Society.

The Relay for Life movement is American Cancer Societys signature fundraiser dedicated to helping communities attack cancer through providing resources for cancer patients and their families.

This year, Gage County raised over $42,500 to fund potentially lifesaving cancer research grants.

Wind didnt keep cancer survivors and their families away from the festivities at the Gage County Fairgrounds.

The American and Relay for Life flags were raised by the Beatrice Police Department, as the Star Spangled Banner was sung by Reed Pazour.

A cancer survivors message was given by Cori Moss, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.

Moss described receiving a phone call urging her to get an ultrasound, as there were areas of concern.

Then I heard three small tumors found through the ultrasound, and spaced far apart, Moss said. An aspiration biopsy soon followed. The wait for the results were the worst days of my life.

Moss said that while she waited for the results, she worried that the cancer would be incurable, and that other lumps on her body could be cancerous, as well.

A few days later, my phone rang, Moss said. You have cancer. See your surgeon. All highly invasive. Dont delay this. Oddly, I felt a great sense of relief. I had answers. I could fight, and I had hope.

Moss received a mastectomy in Colorado, where she was told shed have a high survival rate with chemo.

Moss recalled going Christmas shopping that winter with a bag of peas in her bra, because she hadnt been fitted for a prosthesis yet.

[During chemo], my doctor said you Nebraska gals are tough old birds, Moss said. I replied yes, it takes a lot to bring us Nebraska girls down.

Moss told the crowd at Relay for Life that since recovering, she has achieved her dream of owning horses. She showed everyone the horse tattoo she has above her heart to remind me daily that we are survivors. We are strong as a horse, and proud of it.

Moss said shes been to several Relay for Life events in Nebraska and Colorado, and has told her story at different venues.

I get a sense of renewal, I think, every time I speak in front of others and share my story, Moss said. It makes me appreciate the fact that I survived.

She stressed that her story is different than many others, and implored people to ask for help when needed.

Cancer survivors then made the initial lap around the track, which was followed by a lap to acknowledge their caregivers and everything theyve done to help.

The track was bordered by luminarias: paper bags with colorful drawings, stickers and pictures commemorating those who lost their lives to cancer. At 8 p.m., the luminarias were lit with glow sticks to light the evening festivities. A luminaria ceremony at 8:30 p.m., with a cancer survivor message by Judy Knispel.

Beatrice Community Hospital sponsored a survivor meal, while Back Alley Eatery, Mike Gay Ice Cream and Deans Gourmet Popcorn had food stalls set up.

The community was welcome to join in the silent and live auctions, games, a photo booth and, of course, a one-mile or 5K noncompetitive run/walk around the track.

A video tribute of individuals who have battled cancer, compiled by Zach Coffin, also played throughout the event.

Corinne Koch, one of the event leaders, said she was thankful for everyone that came to support the event.

I think its just important that we recognize everybody thats survived, and we remember everyone that has died from cancer, Koch said. There is still so much we can do, as far as raising money for the American Cancer Society. Not only the research, but they have a lot of other programs they need money for to do patient and family services.

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Vaccines help keep you safe at home as well as overseas. Many contagious diseases are no longer as prevalent as they once were, but they can still have devastating consequences. So far, there have been no reported cases of measles in Montana. But through April 24, the CDC reports 695 cases of measles in 22 states. This is the greatest number of cases reported in the United States since measles was eliminated from the country in 2000. The increase in the United States is partly due to an increase in the number of travelers who bring the virus to the U.S. from other countries. The disease spreads in communities with pockets of unvaccinated people. Vaccination is the best protection against this highly contagious disease.
ECI makes an effort to get families connected with one another, Meier said. The organization will even set up play dates for the children or meet ups for parents.

Parents struggle to learn about different healthcare options just like they struggle to meet other parents. Parents often rely on doctor's recommendations for all care needs, she said. Meier thinks parents should know about all the available options not just a doctor's recommendation.

"Ive been in pediatrics for 11 years and in no other time has there been more pediatric sub-specialties and services for families in Montana and Northern Wyoming than there are right now," Ben Tougas said. Tougas is the pediatric manager for St. Vincent Healthcare. St. Vincent will also be at the fair.

Families don't need to travel to Denver, Seattle or other major cities to get the care they need, he said, but they need to know those resources are available in Montana.

In order for families to learn about all the resources available Tougas thinks the organizations need to be able to inform them of their options.
Authorities have identified the woman found dead late Sunday afternoon below the Rimrocks in Billings.

Julie Kibler, 60, died of multiple blunt force trauma injuries, according to Deputy Coroner Rich Hoffman. She was from Billings.

Hoffman could not say how Kibler sustained those fatal injuries because her death remains under investigation by the Billings Police Department.

A citizen discovered Kibler's body, BPD Sgt. Ben Milam said Sunday.

Afterwards, responders were sent to an area between the top of the Rims and the Henry Road neighborhood shortly before 5:20 p.m. Sunday.

They found Kibler's body in a rugged area among large rocks that appeared to be more than 50 yards from Henry Road. That area was north and east of Henry Road's intersection with Illinois Street.

The Billings Fire Department helped carry Kibler's body down the rocky slope.

Police did not believe there was any threat to the public related to Kibler's death, Milam said early Sunday evening.

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In a phone interview with the Missoulian, Randazza said he had little interest in continuing his representation of someone unwilling to follow a federal judge's order.

"My client made the decision years ago he was going to expatriate himself and never return," Randazza said. "When a federal judge tells you to do something and you refuse, you put your lawyer in a difficult position."

Randazza's filing to withdraw as counsel indicates the motion was sent to his client at an email address as well as four different physical addresses in Ohio.

Randazza on Monday filed a legal response to the case on Anglin's behalf  a document typically filed at the beginning of a case. Randazza said he plans to fully represent Anglin until they part ways, but did not anticipate any major plays from the defense before the May 13 withdrawal date.

"At this point, there isn't much left for us to do," Randazza said. "I'm disappointed that it came to this. I really wanted to see this case through."
Lyn Kahn, Thompson said, manipulated her husband for years and is now lying to prosecutors to protect herself. The defense attorney said he did not know what she would say in her testimony, before characterizing his expectations.

"I promise it will be whatever she thinks is in her best interest," Thompson said.

Thompson said Vargas avoided prosecution altogether by blaming Kahn for his girlfriend's death. The defense attorney said Kahn plans to take the stand in his own defense, look jurors in the eye and tell them the truth -- that he had been taken advantage of by his wife and a host of addicted patients. He said Jessica Burch and the rest of Kahn's patients made their own choices to lie to the doctor, telling him they were not abusing the prescriptions.

Kahn, who was raised in a sheltered environment, fell for it, Thompson said.

"Shakeel Kahn always acted in good faith to do what he thought was best for his patients," the defense attorney said.

An attorney for Nabeel Khan, the doctor's brother, who faces two felonies in the case, declined to give an opening statement Monday, saying she would make remarks before the defense begins its case.

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The recent gutting and ultimate death of Senate Bill 331, aka the Save Colstrip Bill, convinces me that at least some folks on both sides of the aisle didnt sleep through their Montana history class. The perils of allowing large corporations to write favorable legislation have way too many uncomfortable antecedents in Montanas past.

It started in 1889 when the Copper King, W.A. Clark and his mining associates who dominated the first state constitutional convention, wrote a mining-friendly document that for the most part exempted mining companies from paying anything remotely resembling their fair share of taxes on the wealth they generated. That first constitution saddled Montanans for generations with the effects of naked, corporate greed and a taxation policy that was the most inequitable in the country.

But an even more alarming case study of sledgehammer corporate political tactics came just a few years later. In the fall of 1903, Butte courts had ruled consistently against the Amalgamated Copper Company in a series of lawsuits brought by the last of Buttes Copper Kings, Fritz Heinze. The giant mining firm retaliated by shutting down its sprawling mining and smelting operations in Butte and Anaconda. The action had the effect of immediately laying off 15,000 Butte miners and Anaconda smelter workers and sent ominous seismic tremors through a Montana economy completely harnessed to the fortunes of Butte mining. The majority of Montana working men and their families faced the grim prospect of no paychecks as they headed into a long Montana winter. Newspapers around the state proclaimed it The Great Shutdown. It was a first: a corporation going on strike against the working class.
A 76-year-old man died from injuries suffered in a crash on Tuesday in Bismarck.

The Bismarck Police Department responded to the crash at about 2 p.m. on the 3400 block of Nebraska Drive, according to a news release.

Upon arrival, officers found the Bismarck man unconscious, who had been riding his bicycle on the sidewalk. The man was transported to a local hospital and later pronounced dead from his injuries.

According to police, a 17-year-old girl drove a vehicle onto the sidewalk and struck the bicyclist.

Police continue to investigate the crash. The man's name will be released after family members are notified, and police say they will not be releasing the girl's name.

Bismarck police Lt. Luke Gardiner said it is not known what the contributing factors to the crash are, and if the investigation will lead to charges. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.

(Reach Blair Emerson at 701-250-8251 or Blair.Emerson@bismarcktribune.com)

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A flag-raising ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon after North Dakota lawmakers passed a bill requiring the POW/MIA flag to be displayed in front of the state Capitol.

Gov. Doug Burgum is expected to sign the bill Wednesday that requires the flag honoring prisoners of war and service members who are missing in action to be flown in front of the Capitol daily.

The ceremony is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the south entrance of the Capitol.

Rep. Pat Heinert, R-Bismarck, the primary sponsor of the bill, said veterans asked him to introduce the bill.

I think its important that we recognize and continue to recognize the people who gave or could be still out there giving, Heinert said last week.

The bill also puts into law that the flag is to be displayed in front of the All Veterans Memorial and on the east side of the Heritage Center, locations where it is already displayed.

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North Dakota lawmakers struggled to reach consensus in their 2019 session on ideas for spending earnings of the Legacy Fund.

General agreement is to preserve the oil tax savings principal, while Gov. Doug Burgum and lawmakers tossed around a number of ideas for the earnings, which were either killed or funded by other methods.

Lawmakers have so far used the earnings to help balance the state's two-year budget, including $200 million last session and $100 million for the coming cycle. About $64 million in earnings were also approved to backfill a shorted state fund for school aid in a general fund transfer.

Now a study in the 2019-20 interim will take public input on potential uses of the earnings off the $5.4 billion fund voters approved in 2010. The Legacy Fund Earnings Committee will comprise House and Senate majority and minority leaders and other lawmakers.

Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, said lawmakers have grappled with the Legacy Fund earnings because weve never had this kind of revenue before.

Were used to dealing with income, sales tax and things of that nature, Wardner said. But now we have the opportunity to make sure we invest in the future of this state and make legacy investments.

The study may look at potential uses, such as tax relief, research advancement and workforce development.

"As we look at things that we might spend this money on that will lift the entire state, that's where the debate comes in," said Sen. Dwight Cook, R-Mandan.

Burgum proposed nine legacy projects in his budget blueprint using $300 million in Legacy Fund earnings. He pointed to two of those concepts  a Theodore Roosevelt presidential library and a statewide network for unmanned aircraft systems  as having set a high bar."

Those two projects were passed but funded with other resources. An endowment fund for the library is built from $50 million comprising combined excess funds and loan authorization, while the UAS network uses $28 million in leftover general fund money.

I think, again, both of those hit the criteria that we talked about, of multi-generational impact, leveraged, one-time spending that spurs other stuff," Burgum said.

Rep. Corey Mock, D-Grand Forks, said this session could have been one to set a precedent or find direction for using earnings off the Legacy Fund, which he noted as not even a decade old.

"It's still very, very, very young and very much in its infancy," Mock said.

He had brought a resolution for a constitutional amendment requiring Legacy Fund earnings be reinvested in its principal rather than transfer to the general fund every two years, and require a two-thirds legislative vote to use the earnings. His resolution was rewritten with the study and eventually killed before legislative leaders amended the study into a separate bill.

About $415 million of earnings as of March are eligible for transfer on June 30, which include the $200 million earmarked from last session to help balance the 2017-19 budget.

House Majority Leader Chet Pollert, R-Carrington, said there was "give and take" on proposals from each chamber of the Legislature, such as an unsuccessful House plan for income tax relief. He said he hopes the study can find consensus for "a good purpose" to spend the earnings.

State Treasurer Kelly Schmidt said she's pleased for the study and hopes for a "dedicated" idea to spring forth.

"We could come to a point where we have $1 billion in earnings, and that's why the conversation and the information is so important because a plan really has to be set in place," Schmidt said. "I think that the people of North Dakota are expecting a plan."

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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MINOT -- A couple is facing child neglect charges after they allegedly forced a girl to drink beer and vodka and smoked marijuana with her on Sunday night.

The girl was found in a car in the Rock n' Horse parking lot in Minot at 11:46 p.m. Sunday. The woman, WillieJo Francis Knight, 30, was in the driver's seat and had a breath alcohol content of 0.19%, more than twice the legal limit. The girl told police that they started drinking at about 6 p.m. that day and Knight and her husband, Collin Jarrett Knight, 37, made her keep drinking even though she wanted to stop.

The mother, WillieJo Francis Knight, formerly known as WillieJo Starr, has a long history of alcohol-related offenses.

In 2015 she was convicted of child abuse for beating, scratching and biting her 11-year-old daughter when she was very drunk.

In addition, in November 2009, when she was 21, WillieJo Knight drove drunk, crashed into a house in Minot and seriously injured a teenage girl who was sleeping there. She was convicted of Class A misdemeanor DUI and Class A misdemeanor aggravated reckless driving following that incident.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed with the court in the latest case, an employee at the liquor store called police after the child went up to the drive-through window looking for her mother on Sunday night. Police found them in a vehicle parked in the handicapped parking space in the Rock n' Horse lot on Burdick Expressway.

WillieJo Knight acknowledged that she had been drinking, according to police, and the girl had a breath alcohol content test of 0.164%. She also told police that she had smoked some marijuana with the adults. The girl told police that WillieJo Knight hadn't wanted to go to the liquor store alone, so the girl went with her.

According to the affidavit, the liquor store employee told police that WillieJo Knight had come into the store with a partially empty bottle and asked if she could take it into the bar area. She left when they told her no. She then used the restroom, came back and tried to buy more alcohol, but left when she realized she had forgotten her money. The employee knew something was wrong when the girl came up to the window and the employee then called the police.

The girl told police that WillieJo Knight had earlier kicked Collin Knight out of the residence and younger children had been left home alone at the home in the 1300 block of 27th Street SE. Police didn't find any other children when they went to the residence, but they smelled a strong odor of marijuana. Collin Knight was also not immediately located on Sunday. WillieJo Knight told police that the younger children were with Collin Knight.

Child Protective Services took custody of the girl who was with WillieJo Knight on Sunday and placed her in a foster home. The girl told an officer that the Knights drink frequently and she does not believe she or the other children are safe in their home.

In the latest case, WillieJo Knight is charged with Class C felony child neglect and Class A misdemeanor actual physical control with a minor present. She made an initial appearance in district court in Minot on Monday. She is being held at the Ward County Jail on $10,000 cash or corporate surety bond and has been ordered to participate in the 24/7 Sobriety Program if she is released on bond.

Collin Knight is charged with Class C felony child neglect in district court in Minot and was detained on Monday. He made an initial appearance in court on Tuesday before Judge Richard Hagar. The state asked for a lower bond for Knight because he does not have an extensive record and, unlike his wife, was not alleged to have been intoxicated and in actual physical control of the motor vehicle with the juvenile present.

Knight told the judge that he works as a security guard for the Three Affiliated Tribes in New Town and provides support for his children. Hagar set bond at $5,000 cash or corporate surety or $1,000 cash bond. Hagar also ordered that Collin Knight undergo twice weekly urine testing while out on bond.

A preliminary hearing for both Knights is scheduled for June 6.

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The North Dakota Legislatures moves to trim retirement benefits for future government workers are expected to help ensure the states pension plan is fully funded in almost a century, a state official said Tuesday.

Scott Miller, executive director of the North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System, said lawmakers approved legislation eliminating a retiree health insurance credit and reducing a multiplier used to calculate retirement benefits. Both changes, which have already been signed by Gov. Doug Burgum, apply to employees who are hired starting next year.

The multiplier change is expected to reduce benefits for new hires by 12.5%, according to Miller's written testimony. A new employee who retires with 25 years of service and a final average salary of $50,000 would receive $21,875 in benefits per year, compared to $25,000 for a current worker with the same pay and experience.

The changes were meant to address the main PERS plans underfunded status that put it on a track to run out of money in 2106.

Burgum pitched a fix during his budget address to lawmakers before the legislative session, which ended Friday. Along with trimming benefits for new hires, the Republican governor suggested bumping up state and employee contributions as well as a one-time injection of $265 million, both of which the Legislature rejected.

Burgum predicted his proposals would have made the plan solvent in less than two decades. The changes lawmakers actually approved are expected to fully fund the plan by 2110, Miller said.

In written testimony, Miller told lawmakers the changes would help "guarantee the thousands of retirees across the state that they will continue to receive the benefits they were promised in exchange for their careers in public service."

There are about 46,000 members in the main PERS plan, according to data Miller provided. It covers state and many local government workers.

Sen. Erin Oban, D-Bismarck, whose district is home to many state workers, said the Legislature could have pursued other options to address the retirement plan's funding issues. She worried the changes would make government work less appealing.

That concern was echoed by North Dakota United President Nick Archuleta, whose organization represents public workers and educators.

"If you're looking for committed people to come and work for the state, that retirement (benefit) has been really enticing ... when we know that we can't pay you what you could make in the private sector," Oban said.

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The conservative media world, along with all but a few Republican members of Congress, are in the process of handing Vladimir Putin his greatest victory yet. They are ignoring the copious evidence in the Mueller report that Russia interfered in our election -- and continues to do so. Pace Jared Kushner, it was a whole lot more sinister than a "couple of Facebook ads."

The narrative has now taken hold that the Mueller investigation originated with the Steele dossier. On Fox News, Ed Henry said that the FBI relied on the dossier to "get this whole thing going." Breitbart referred to the debunked "Russia hoax," and a Wall Street Journal editorial demanded to know how "the partisan propaganda known as the Steele dossier become the basis for an unprecedented FBI probe of a presidential campaign ..."

As the Mueller report makes clear, and as even the infamous "Nunes memo" of 2018 conceded, the investigation did not begin with the dossier. It began when a foreign government (believed to be Australia) "informed the FBI about its May 2016 interaction with (George) Papadopoulos and his statement that the Russian government could assist the Trump Campaign."

Sixteen members of the Trump campaign had direct ties with Russians or Russian agents, including President Donald Trump. Some of these were benign. Some were not. Paul Manafort was sharing polling information and plans for winning midwestern states with Konstantin Kilimnik, who has ties to Russian intelligence. Is it the received Republican wisdom now that this was not, at the very least, eyebrow raising?

As for Trump's connections to Russia, we now know that they existed throughout most of the campaign, even as he was issuing tweets like this one on July 26, 2016: "For the record, I had ZERO investments in Russia." And saying that it was crazy to suggest that Russia was "dealing with Trump." In fact, he had been negotiating one of his largest real estate projects ever, for a Trump Tower Moscow, until just the previous month.

But even if the investigation had begun with the Steele dossier, so what? As they say in legal circles: res ipsa loquitur -- "the thing speaks for itself." The Mueller report is sober and meticulous. The dossier is hardly mentioned. If Republican partisans skip over the documentation of Russian meddling because they've internalized Trump's sense of grievance, they are disserving the nation.

The Russian interference was and is far more extensive than a few Facebook and Twitter posts, though those were noxious enough. The IRA (Internet Research Agency), an arm of the Russian intelligence services, along with the GRU (Russia's foreign intelligence service), also organized "dozens" of actual rallies, hacked into the computers of the Democratic Party, maliciously spread falsehoods, stoked already existing divisions between Americans of different races and ethnicities and planted malware. More worrying, the report notes that the Russians aimed at actual voting infrastructure:

"Victims included U.S. state and local entities, such as state boards of elections, secretaries of state, and county governments, as well as individuals who worked for those entities. The GRU also targeted private technology firms responsible for manufacturing and administering election-related software and hardware, such as voter registration software and electronic polling stations.

"In August 2016, GRU officers targeted employees of (redacted), a voting technology company that developed software used by numerous U.S. counties to manage voter rolls ..."

The independent counsel did not further investigate these attempts to subvert elections because the "Office understands that the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the states have separately investigated that activity."

Or perhaps not. According to The New York Times, former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen wanted to make blocking Russian interference in the 2020 election a top priority. She was warned off by Trump's chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who made it clear that the president still regards any mention of Russia as a personal slight.

In a continuation of patterns established under communism, Russia has exerted malign influence on elections in many nations. Throughout the democratic world, they seek to sow the kind of division and distrust they enjoy in mother Russia. Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Hungary and other former Soviet captives have been particularly hard hit, but the Russians have also stirred the pot of Catalan succession in Spain, boosted Marine Le Pen in France, and helped Brexit in Great Britain. In 2017, the Netherlands switched to all paper ballots to prevent Russia from hacking its election.

What is the difference between other democracies and the U.S.? Only here does dismissing the threat of Russian interference now equate with loyalty to the president.

Mona Charens syndicated column appears in the Tribune on Tuesdays.

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ARUBA ENSURES DAMAN NETWORK ACCESS COMPLIANCE AND SECURITY INNOVATION

Daman is a leading specialist health insurer in Abu Dhabi. As a semi-government entity headquartered in the UAE, it was imperative for Daman to comply with a new electronic governmental standard for information security.

To do this, Daman needed to implement a Network Access Control (NAC) solution. After some searching, the insurance company decided to implement a platform by Aruba, which enabled them to:

Enhance security with automated device compliance verification

Establish BYOD and Wi-Fi self-registration support for employees, contractors and guests

Monitor and control network access across 12 locations via a single centralized dashboard

Find out more about Damans experience with Aruba in this case study.
BLACK REPUBLICAN BLOG - The Republican Party is the party of civil rights and the four Fs: faith, family, freedom and fairness. The Democratic Party is the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and socialism (Quote By Author Michael Scheuer).
Reading George Wills latest article in National Review online Praising the normalcy of the former Vice President Joe Biden, I couldnt help whispering to myself: What is properly normal about Uncle Joe?

I am totally aware of his record as a moderate liberal in the Senate. He was against busing children to distant schools and supported a law-and-order policy to fight crime. However, I am also aware of his claim that a Mitt Romney victory in 2012 would have meant blacks back in chains, along with his defense of abortion and affirmative action, and the millions made by his sons business with China while he was VP. Today, he has a developing Ukrainian nightmare.

Biden is no Mr. Normalcy. On the contrary, he is a professional politician ever seeking a radical cause to call his own. But moving to a more liberal position will undoubtedly be hard to achieve since he will run against figures like senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

In a year when liberals are looking for someone who can punch President Donald J. Trump in the mouth, being Mr. Normal is a liability  even if this is a misconception. And Biden knows it. The first thing the now-candidate has done is disown his more than 45 years of political history  or at least trying to reframe it all.

Candidate Biden says he is deeply sorry that Senator Biden did not play a more significant role in Anita Hills campaign to destroy one of the greatest Americans of our generation, Justice Clarence Thomas. Candidate Biden is also keen to show how he was always a friend of the cultural left and prayed for the gospel of the politically correct, which may have him disavowing the eulogy he did in memory of Senator Storm Thurmond. Im counting down the days to see Candidate Biden denying three times his association with his former patrons, the State of Delaware financial services industry, which had had him on a short leash for nearly half a century.

Despite all that can be said about the progressive credentials of both Senator and candidate Biden, Uncle Joe has already proven that he has embraced the agenda of the radical left and that, once in power, will do everything to destroy the old America. Did Barack Obama not do the same? In 2008, the then-candidate Obama was in favor of restricting immigration, dubious about his position on gay marriage and preaching a post-racial society. In the White House, President Obama did the opposite of what he said he would do.

When I look at Uncle Joes alleged moderation, the only thing that comes to my mind is Virginias Democratic governor Ralph Blackface Northam. Elected as a moderate against the hatred that Trump it was claimed spreads across the country, the main job Northam nowadays seems to have is to make infanticide legal in the Old Dominion.

More than ten years after Obamas election, the Democratic Party is now to the left of many European Social-Democratic parties. On economic issues, the Green New Deal  endorsed by all candidates for the Democratic nomination  would cause deep embarrassment to many die-hard socialists in Europe. Can you imagine the Swedish Social-Democrat Party trying to destroy all of those Volvo jobs?

As far as cultural issues are concerned, modern American liberals would be uncomfortable with comrades Lenins and Stalins selective respect towards Russian national history  which they tried to appropriate for political ends and do not entirely destroy. The American cultural lefts hatred for everything that can symbolize the tradition or history of the United States, on the other hand, has no parallel in the old European communist guard of the Italian Palmiro Togliatti or the Frenchman Maurice Thorez, for example. Indeed, the electoral bases of the communist parties through the Cold War were so socially conservative and many of their leaders so opposed to sexual liberation that, following standards of modern America, they would be considered the most reactionary among reactionaries.

If you do not believe me, watch the debate between Jordan Peterson and Slavoj Zizek. According to the last, the word communism is a sort of provocation  without real meaning  after the disasters of the 20th century. Regarding economics, the content of Zizeks speech was the old social-democratic chant that one must regulate capitalism, not subvert it or destroy it.

Speaking about culture, Zizek spared no criticism of the millennial leftism advocated by the Ocasios-Cortezes and Ilham Omars that seeks refuge in the micro causes of identity and the moralisms of politically correct thinking. According to him, this leftism is a form of political withdrawal, impotent moralism, of marginal narcissism. In the past, the idea was to change the world. Now, the revolutionary desire is to change the words, the pronouns, the genres, the bathrooms.

From any perspective, Uncle Joe, as well as the entire Democratic Party, is on the left of the old Stalinist Zizek. When George Will  who was once known as the dean of the conservative columnists  praises the moderation of someone more radical than Zizek, this must be understood as a sign that conservatives have lost the culture and political wars and the Republican establishment has lost its shame.

Homepage picture: WikiCommons
In the Wests various efforts to alleviate global poverty, we continue to see the promotion of top-down solutions at the expense of bottom-up enterprises and institutions. Yet despite the setbacks and slowdowns caused by various governments and foreign aid, the entrepreneurs and workers on the ground arent sitting idly by.

Across the developing world, people arent waiting for policies to change, conditions to improve, handouts to be given, or risks to evaporate. They are actively transforming their environments and creating value with creative visiondemonstrating the power of what William Easterly has called searching vs. planning.

In an excerpt from their new book, The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty, Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon point to a striking example of this, telling of the story of the rise of Indomie instant noodles in Nigeria.

In 1988, an Indonesian food company called Tolaram decided to bring the noodles to Nigeria, seeing an opportunity to bring a low-cost food item to a struggling nation. At the time, Nigeria was far from a stable economic environment, burdened under military rule after a recent coup. Life expectancy for its 91 million people was 46 years, the authors explain. Annual per capita income was barely $257 (approximately $535 today)a staggering 78 percent lived on less than $2 a day.

But while some might have seen such a nation as poor and not investable, Tolaram spotted the ultimate economic resource: the Nigerian people. Tolaram has shown that out of very little, a market can be createdand with the birth of a market comes the benefits that can lead to development, the authors explain. The companys growth track turns the conventional wisdom about development on its head in that, there was little attractive about investing in Nigeria when Tolaram decided to enter the country.

Whereas Nigerias corrupt government and foreign powers had narrow vision, one business searched and saw an opportunity to build something new. Yet even Tolaram didnt foresee how much external impact the business would have on Nigerian society and culture as a whole.

At the time of initial introduction, such noodles were not by any means part of Nigerian cuisine, but by 1995 they had become so popular that Tolaram began to move many of its manufacturing operations there, as well. Given the severe lack of basic infrastructure in the area, this meant taking a broad approach to local development.

Tolaram has invested more than $350 million to create hundreds of thousands of jobs, developed a logistics company, and built infrastructure including electricity and sewage and water treatment facilities, they explain. Tolaram has also built educational institutions, funded community organization programs, and provided millions of dollars in tax revenues. Without overstating it, Indomie noodles is development.

Similar to the companies that founded Indias infamous private city, Tolaram quickly became more than simply an employer. Not only were they providing jobs and delivering their product; they were also weaving basic community needs like electricity, waste management, and water treatment into their business model, making the fruits accessible to local residents, as well.

The results for Tolarams bottom line have been positive, to be sure, with more than 4.5 billion packs of their Indomie noodles sold annually in Nigeria. But in providing its product and services, Tolaram has also proven to be a substantial benefit for the Nigerian people as well, leading to new roads and power sources, job opportunities, education, andof coursea beloved, inexpensive food.

The authors summarize the scope of these improvements as follows:

When Tolaram pulls a recent graduate from a local university into its operations and provides employment and training for the new employee, it first, increases the productivity of its own operations and, by extension, that of the region. Second, it reduces unemployment and, as a result, indirectly reduces crime since people with jobs are less likely to engage in criminal activities to try to meet their basic needs. Third, it contributes additional income taxes and consumer spending. All of these things might have been core regional development objectives, but for the executives at Tolaram, they were just the natural result of operating their growing business.  Tolaram directly employs more than 8,500 people, has created a value chain with 1,000 exclusive distributors and 600,000 retailers, and has revenue of almost $1 billion a year, all the while contributing tens of millions of dollars in taxes to the Nigerian government. Tolaram also created a logistics company that owns and operates more than 1,000 vehicles. The logistics company now serves both Tolaram and other Nigerian companies, with 65 percent of its revenues coming from external clients.

Tolaram offers yet another example of how ordinary businessesfueled by the risk-taking of their leaders and the diligent creative service of their workerscan have powerfully transformative social and economic effects, even amid government turmoil and constant barriers and distortions.

But while these investments may be possible despite local political turmoil and interventionist planners, and though they remind us of the resiliency of entrepreneurs and the power of basic value creation, such successes also indicates how much untapped creative potential remains. Its through this process of making ones product available, affordable, and therefore accessible, that innovators create the right solutions for new markets, the authors conclude. A market-creating innovation then, isnt simply a product or a service, it is the entire solution.

That entire solution doesnt rely on distant planners devising efficient schemes. It emerges when we further allow and empower the searchers to get to the searching.

If we were to set our focus on removing barriers and including others in circles of exchange, whether through freer trade or the improvement of property rights, we would not only see new enterprises. We would also see new public, common-good improvements, flowing from the resources, virtues, and innovative attitudes that are cultivated and reinforced therein.

Image: Indomie Mie Goreng Iga Penyet, (CC BY-SA 3.0)
This is another ownership dispute over a Twitter account. We last blogged this topic several years ago, and none of the disputes weve seen have resulted in any definitive rulings.

Plaintiff publishes trade publications in the agricultural sector, including The Packer and Produce Retailer. Defendant Gregory Johnson served as editorial director for these publications. He left to join the Produce Blue Book as its new Director of Media Development. The Produce Blue Book competes with the plaintiffs titles. Before his last day, Johnson changed his Twitter account handle from @gregofthepacker to @gregofthebluebook. Hes also allegedly downloaded some 11,000 files from plaintiffs network to his personal Dropbox account.

Plaintiff sued, asserting claims based on misappropriation of the trade secrets and alleged conversion of the twitter account.

The court rejects the challenge to the trade secrets claims. Johnson argued that his employment agreement did not have a survival clause, so he could treat any confidential information as non-confidential upon termination of his employment, but the court rejects this argument. Among other things, the alleged download of files occurred while Johnson was still technically employed by plaintiff. The court also finds that the allegations adequately amount to a breach of the duty of loyalty.

The court also finds that plaintiff states a claim for conversion of the Twitter account. Plaintiff alleges that it owns the account, it is the only one entitled to use it, and defendants interfered with plaintiffs ability to use the account. This is sufficient. As to Johnsons new employer, the court says that plaintiff need not allege that new employer actually stole the account; its sufficient to state that the new employer used the property (the account) and refused to give it up. The same facts support a replevin claim.

Finally, the court also refuses to dismiss the claims for unfair competition and conspiracy. The unfair competition claim is supported in part by the allegation of unauthorized use of plaintiffs Twitter account and confusion regarding possible affiliation between the Blue Book and Plaintiff. This last conclusion seems flimsy, given that its based on content that remains linked through the former The Packer account which is now publicly affiliated with The Blue Book, but the court doesnt delve into the details.

__

Dropbox and similar services should really have a prominent warning that asks departing employees whether on the eve of their departure they really want to copy thousands of files from their employers network to their personal devices:

ARE YOU SURE you want to create a bullet-proof record of a breach of confidentiality claim for your employer that they can use if they decide to sue you?!?! Disclaimer: we cannot provide you with legal advice, but this seems like a bad idea.

It appears that the employment agreement between Johnson and plaintiff actually mentioned the Twitter account, but surprisingly it did not actually say that plaintiff owned all of the content and the account itself. The agreement could have also said that, upon termination of employment, the employee should turn over passwords to any official Twitter accounts (which would ideally be specified).

The account profile seems to be a mix of the employees and the employers namesimilar to what you see with respect to many news stations. The court doesnt talk about whether any personal content was posted by Johnson on the account, but that could of course complicate plaintiffs effort to get the account back. Many states enacted social media privacy legislation restricting when employers could demand passwords from current or future employees. Washington passed one in 2013. Neither Kansas nor Missouri have such a law on the books. One of the main issues with such laws is the difficulty in defining what constitutes an employer account versus a personal one. The courts order in this case doesnt place the account in question clearly into one category or another, but my sense is that its a company-focused account.

Some plaintiffs have used trade secrets and confidential information as a way to argue that the social media account (and its followers) should remain with the employer. That seems like a way to shoehorn an argument into a context that does not cleanly fit, and the plaintiff does not take that route here.

Case Citation: Farm Journal v. Johnson, 2019 WL 1795945 (W.D. Mo. Apr. 24, 2019)

Related posts:

Kurt The CyberGuy Loses Publicity Rights Claims Against TV StationCyberGuy v. KTLA

Do Employers Own LinkedIn Groups Created By Employees?CDM v. Sims

Another Set of Parties Duel Over Social Media Contacts  Eagle v. Sawabeh

Ex-Employers Hijacking of a LinkedIn Account Is a Publicity Rights ViolationEagle v. Morgan

Employer Fails to State Stored Communications Act Claims Absent Allegations That Employees Interfered With Company Accounts  Castle Megastore v. Wilson

Facebook Posts and Twitter Invites Dont Violate Non-Solicitation Clause  Pre-Paid Legal v. Cahill

Washington States Proposed Employer Social Media Law: The Legislature Should Take a Cautious Approach  SB 5211

Employee/Ex-Employer Lawsuit Over Twitter Account Settles  Phonedog v. Kravitz

Social Media Producers Counterclaims Based on Website Ownership Rejected  Ardis Health v. Nankivell

Battle Over LinkedIn Account Between Employer and Employee Largely GuttedEagle v. Morgan

Big Problems in Californias New Law Restricting Employers Access to Employees Online Accounts (Forbes Cross-Post)

Fight Over Access to Log-in Credentials for Blog Does not Trigger Copyright Preemption  Insynq v. Mann
This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. It is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way.


Vodafone discovered that the home routers that Huawei provided for its Italian residential broadband business had a "backdoor"  an open telnet interface that could allow attackers to take over the router and surveil the user's network  and after they complained to Huawei about it, Huawei released an update that they claimed removed the interface, but that this was a lie.



Bloomberg's Daniele Lepido broke the story, and it's a little confusing. The term "backdoor" implies that Huawei left an interface open so that it could do something nefarious, like conducting surveillance on Vodafone's customers, but Huawei's statements about the interface imply that it was a sloppy mistake  they say that the telnet interface was used as part of the setup and configuration process, and that they couldn't remove it altogether without making it hard (or maybe impossible?) to set up their routers.





If Huawei is to be believed, then they are guilty of terrible security practices (that's a really stupid way to design a router), but not necessarily guilty of a "backdoor" in the customary sense of the word. But as one expert quoted by Bloomberg notes, if you were going to design a deliberate backdoor, you'd be smart to disguise it as a programming error.





Much more damning (and somewhat buried in the Bloomberg reporting) is the presence of telnet interfaces in "optical service nodes" (which are used for managing fiber optic traffic) and "broadband network gateways" (which bridge between customer equipment like home routers and internet backbones). A criminal or state actor who compromised these systems could conduct mass surveillance, as opposed to merely spying on (or compromising the devices of) a single household.





Vodafone told Bloomberg that it discovered these defects (or backdoors, or whatever) in 2011 and 2012, and that Huawei fixed them. But unnamed Vodaphone sources told Bloomberg that this is a lie: when Vodaphone checked to verify whether Huawei had patched its equipment, they discovered that it was still vulnerable.





Vodafone has recently taken up a vigorous defense of Huawei, whose equipment will be used in Vodafone's UK 5G rollout. Bloomberg's sources said that Vodafone's defense of Huawei was motivated by cost-savings, because Huawei is cheaper than its competitors.

Vodafone managers had concerns with the security of the routers almost right away. They were the topic of an internal presentation from October 2009 that pointed to 26 open bugs in the routers, six identified as "critical" and nine as "major." Vodafone said in the report that Huawei would need to remove or inhibit a so-called telnet servicea protocol used to control devices remotelythat the carrier said was a backdoor giving Huawei access to sensitive data. In January 2011, Vodafone Italy started a deeper probe of the routers, according to an April report from the year. Security testing by an independent contractor identified the telnet backdoor as the greatest concern, posing risks including giving unauthorized access to Vodafone's broader Wide Area Network (WAN is a network that spans a large footprint). Vodafone noted that it's an industry practice by some router manufacturers to use a telnet service to manage their equipment, but the company said it didn't allow this. The document chronicles a two-month period during which Vodafone's Italian unit discovered the telnet service, demanded its removal by Huawei and received assurances from the supplier that the problem was fixed. After further testing, Vodafone found that the telnet service could still be launched. Vodafone said Huawei then refused to fully remove the backdoor, citing a manufacturing requirement. Huawei said it needed the telnet service to configure device information and conduct tests including on wifi, and offered to disable the service after taking those steps, according to the document.



Vodafone Found Hidden Backdoors in Huawei Equipment [Daniele Lepido/Bloomberg]





(Image: Mystica)
Military coup supported by Trump admin appears under way in Venezuela.

Juan Guaido, the opposition leader in Venezuela who is supported by the Trump administration, published a video message online on April 30 that calls for a military-backed challenge to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

#UPDATE Venezuela's government has vowed to put down what it called an "attempted coup" as opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan #Guaido said troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas #Maduro https://t.co/Q3nixWv5mU pic.twitter.com/ZNvX27s7Dw  AFP news agency (@AFP) April 30, 2019

NetBlocks, an organization that tracks connectivity and electricity in Venezuela, tweeted this morning that "multiple internet services" are currently being "restricted."

VPN use is highly encouraged for those in Venezuela.

Update: VPN services currently remain effective as a means to access social media in #Venezuela, amid severe ongoing platform disruptions #KeepItOn #30Abr https://t.co/9qTM20Ps62  NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) April 30, 2019

Vice President Mike Pence tweeted "vayan con Dios," which probably means the U.S. is itching to get our military involved.

Anyone recall exactly what Russia's foreign policy goals are in Venezuela?

Be a good time to brush up on that.

I would imagine Trump's response will be aligned with whatever Putin needs.

The Army has been using rubber bullets and tear gas until now, for the most part, when shooting at protesters. Today they are using live ammunition.

Right now: Gunfire on the streets of Caracas Venezuela as members of the military supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido battle those backing President Nicolas Maduro. An attempted coup underway. pic.twitter.com/XYb12Kl2YW  Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) April 30, 2019

Venezuela's Maduro announced that he has spoken with military leaders and 'they have shown me total loyalty'

#UPDATE Venezuela's government has vowed to put down what it called an "attempted coup" as opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan #Guaido said troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas #Maduro https://t.co/Q3nixWv5mU pic.twitter.com/ZNvX27s7Dw  AFP news agency (@AFP) April 30, 2019

Mariana Zuniga and Anthony Faiola in the Washington Post, with live updates:

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido appeared Tuesday with troops at a Caracas military base to announce a "final phase" to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office. This is what we know:  Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton expressed U.S. support for the opposition.  Guaido urged supporters to take to the streets for "nonviolent" action, and claimed to have a list of names of military officials who support him.  Maduro's government denounced a "coup" attempt by a "reduced group of military officials," called on supporters to surround the presidential palace and warned of "counterattack."  The military presence in Caracas increased, and tear gas was fired outside La Carlota military base.  "Multiple Internet services" are being "restricted," according to a monitoring service.

#Venezuela: Live pictures from Caracas as authorities say they are "putting down a small coup attempt", apparently led by opposition leader Juan Guaidohttps://t.co/tVg9QVBmHw pic.twitter.com/5G1KC1k7XH  BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) April 30, 2019
Ayanda Dlodlo is a fierce lady who has successfully become a political leader and influencer in an otherwise male-dominated arena. She is an inspiration to many women who are now coming out of the private spheres and facing the world with confidence. She is also a mother who proves that a woman can indeed have it all. She deserves recognition and appreciation for her work.

Image: twitter.com, @MinAyandaDlodlo

Source: Twitter

Miss Ayanda Dlodlo is currently serving as Minister of Public Service and Administration at the National Assembly. She successfully contested and won a seat in the current Parliament before this appointment. Who is Dlodlo? She is a South African citizen who was born on the 22nd of May 1963. Ayanda Dlodlo is 55 years old. When she was a toddler, her parents relocated to Swaziland to escape the harsh reality of the apartheid rule.

READ ALSO: 4 facts about the beautiful Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, SA's new Minister of Communications

Early life

Most of her formative years were spent in Swaziland. Later on, her parents dissolved their marriage, and then she moved to Johannesburg with her mother. She did not live very long in the city because she had to leave for Angola. At only 17, she was bold enough to become an active member of uMkhonto weSizwe. This was in 1980 while she was still living in Angola.

Education

While she was in Angola, Dlodlo underwent military training. She obtained more military training in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. She later pursued postgraduate studies in Management Development, Shipping and Transport Management, and Business Management and Executive Development Programme in England.

Family life

Dlodo got married in her younger years. Ayanda Dlodlo also had a cousin called Theophilus Dlodlo, who unfortunately, was murdered in 1987. She barely talks about her late husband in the media. In the marriage, Dlodo and her husband were blessed with a son named Thabang Mnisi.

Image: twitter.com, @MinAyandaDlodlo

Source: Twitter

Career

Following the military training she received, Ayanda Dlodlo served in several camps across Angola. She then flew to England to study before coming back to her homeland in 1994. Ayanda Dlodlo Cape Town job experiences included working for Telkom, Sanlam and Portnet. It was not long before she followed her dream of joining politics. She bagged the position of secretary general of uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association.

Since then, this fierce lady who is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) has held different positions in her political career. Starting with her current positions, these are;

Current positions

She is the Minister of Public Service and Administration at Parliament (National Assembly.) She was appointed to this position on February 26th, 2018.

She is a member of parliament (National Assembly.) She has held this position since May 21st, 2014.

She is the contact of her constituency at the African National Congress Constituency Office since May 21st, 2014.

She is an active member of the African National Congress.

Image: instagram.com, @minayandadlodlo

Source: Instagram

Her former positions were:

She was the Minister of Home Affairs at National Executive. She held this position starting 17th October 2017 to 26th February 2018.

On 30th of March 2017, Ayanda Dlodlo was appointed Minister of Communications at National Executive, a position she held until 17th October 2017.

Dlodlo was also Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration in the Executive wing of government from 26th May 2014. She left this post on the 30th of March 2017.

She served as an elected member of the National Assembly until 21st May 2014. Her constituents had selected her as their representative in Parliament on the 16th of May 2014.

Dlodlo was the 45th Candidate of the African National Congress election that was held nationally in 2014. She remained on this election list from the 22nd of April 2014 until the 7th of May 2014.

She was also the contact of the constituency in the ANC Constituency Office 337 (Fetakgomo) from the 10th of May 2014 until the 6th of May 2014.

She was also a member of the parliament from the 6th of May 2009 until the 6th of May 2014.

She served as an active member of the Ethics and Members Interest Joint Committees. She left this position on the 6th of May 2014.

From 31st October 2010, she was the Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration at the Executive until 24th April 2014.

She was also a member of the former National Executive Committee of the African National Congress before the current 80 members took up the role.

She has previously served as the chair of the Legislature and Governance subcommittee.

She was also the National Deputy of the Directorate for Special Operation in the Law enforcement unit.

She previously headed the Department of Safety and Security in the Gauteng Province.

Image: instagram.com, @minayandadlodlo

Source: Instagram

Controversies

Minister Dlodlo faced a lot of backlash on social media after it was reported that she implied that Cape Town is a country. Through the Department of Home Affairs, she denied the claims and called out reporters for defaming her. In March 2019, she was also found in breach of the code of ethics. In 2015, she stayed at a luxury hotel in Dubai but did not disclose all the details. Her action was rebuked, and she accepted the penalty that was issued by the relevant authorities.

Ayanda Dlodlo Cars

Similar to all other ministers in government, Dlodlo's job affords her a lavish lifestyle. Despite this fact, Ayanda Dlodlo uses only department's official vehicle. Thus, it is not known whether she owns any brands of luxury vehicles.

Social media

Dlodlo has active pages on Twitter and Instagram. She often uses these platforms to update the public on significant political developments. She also educates the people about South Africa's history. Her Twitter account has about 23.2k followers whereas the Instagram account has over 1k followers.

Ayanda Dlodlo is a tough woman who has carved out her path as a political leader in South Africa. Her strength and determination have seen her holding positions of power and might in the government. Despite being widowed at a young age, Dlodlo is raising her son in the best way she can. May she prosper in her future endeavours.

READ ALSO:

How much do the politicians in South Africa take home each month?

Nzimande to be acting home affairs minister after Gigaba's resignation

Source: Briefly.co.za
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Leader of Divine Kingdom Ministry Pastor Ian Ndlovu has released a prophetic message warning Zimbabweans against engaging in demonstrations and mass protests.Said Ndlovu, "Let us continue to pray for this country. There are people who are planning strikes and demonstrations. My advise is that when you hear calls for strikes and demonstrations just ask God whether you should participate in those things."The economy is very tough on everyone and people are very tense so I saw something in a vision along the lines of massive demonstrations, added Ndovu, God said demonstrations and strikes will worsen our problems."They will not take our nation forward but will worsen the political situation which will cause the nation to collapse far much faster when people start to engage in acts of violence."I am seeing people becoming extremely militant so we need to watch and pray. If you hear invitations that you must participate in strikes and demonstrations know that they wont work for us. They will cause so much violence that what we saw in January will be child's place."Ndlovu further invited all Christians to be peacemakers and pray for peace to reign upon the country.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa has dismissed reports by Home Affairs Minister Ambassador Cain Ndabazekhaya Ginyilitshe Mathema that foreign elements working with civic society organisations in Zimbabwe were plotting to oust President Emmerson Mnangagwa through illegal means."It's unfortunate that the government is again resorting to conspiracies about individuals and organisations seeking to overthrow it as Cain Mathema has been saying. We have been down this futile path before with people like Joyce Mujuru and even myself accused of the same." Mliswa said.In a press briefing held on Monday Mathema said, "We have received information to the effect that a group of foreign nationals wants to organize a 3-day civic organization workshop in Bulawayo in May 2019. The main agenda of the workshop is to mobilise and capacitate civic organisations and individuals to stage effective demonstrations and disturbances to overthrow the ZANU PF government."Mliswa added that, "No opposition has the capacity to do what Mathema is saying, only ZANU PF can overthrow itself due to the economy not functioning. Let's deal with the economy and not resort to these now usual conspiracies."It's also high time we agreed the economy is failing due to corruption & not sanctions. Scapegoating inconsequential or secondary factors delays progress. These old men in ZANU need to learn to live by the truth that's why I am out. Mnangagwa should watch out for these chameleons."
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

The Ministry of Information Publicity and Broadcasting Services says sanctions are the reason behind government's failure to repair the three radiotherapy machines in Mpilo and Parirenyatwa hospitals.Said the Ministry, "Government has noted reports that Parirenyatwa and Mpilo Hospitals are failing to repair broken down radiotherapy machines due to forex challenges. The US$53 000 needed was availed last week, but the hospitals are failing to transact owing to sanctions restrictions on the banks they use."The three radiotherapy machines were bought in 2011 at a cost of about US$13 million each.Acting Parirenyatwa hospital CEO Noah Madziva said,"When the money was finally released on 17 April, it was a little too late as things had gone from bad to worse, with the third machine having also succumbed. The South African company demanded US$70 000. Even though we managed to raise the extra US$17 000, they soon fell into another quandary with their bank failing to transfer the money into the South African company's account,"The machines treated an average of 60 patients a day.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

A footage of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his inner circle packed like cows and being taken to prison has resurfaced online.The video shows cars carrying Al-Bashir and his team being paraded in a convoy which is heavily guarded by armed soldiers.The masses throw stones at the cars as they are passing.Al-Bashir was ousted after demonstrations started in late December by university students who were angry with the government for tripling the cost of bread. When the ATMs ran out of cash shortly after, the Sudanese Professionals Association, a national union group, redirected the protests to call for the end of al-Bashir's reign.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Air Zimbabwe has purchased a new plane, an Embraer ERJ-145, bringing the number of planes owned by the company to two.The Post Cabinet briefing on Tuesday reported that Zimbabwe has taken note of the delivery of an Embraer plane, which landed at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on Tuesday.The acquisition of the plane is part of efforts to revive the national airline, Air Zimbabwe Cabinet said.Air Zimbabwe was put under construction in 2018 after it was diagnosed to be a failing parastatal.The new plane is branded Zimbabwe Airways which is the name of a failed airline that was fronted by Simba Chikore.Aviation expert Jerry Haas said, "The Embraer E145 will be branded to Air Zim livery in the coming days and registered with CAAZ. Air Zimbabwe trained 8 pilots in South Africa for the E145 rating. It's expected to be in service for mid to end of May."
News / National

by Staff reporer

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has been sucked into the Makoni chieftainship wrangle after a clan member dragged him to the High Court, accusing him of neglecting his constitutional duties to resolve the issue.In the application filed by Philip Muswere last week, Mnangagwa, Local Government minister July Moyo, the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs for Manicaland Province and chief Makoni Colgan Gwasira, are cited as respondents."Plaintiff (Muswere) is a member of the Muswere clan, a clan which was supposed to have provided a candidate for the appointment of the current chief Makoni. Following the death of Naboth Nyakurerwa Gandanzara, the Muswere clan was supposed to provide the next chief Makoni in terms of the customs and practices of the Makoni people," Muswere said.However, according to Muswere, contrary to these customs and practices, Gwasira was appointed chief Makoni. "In terms of the customs and practices of the Makoni people, a substantive chief was supposed to be appointed by the family of Mukuwapasi in consultation with the spirit mediums.The Mukuwapasi family was not involved in the appointment of fourth respondent (Gwasira). "The Mukuwapasi(s) in consultation with the spirit mediums nominated the Muswere clan as next in line of succession to provide a candidate for appointment to chieftainship," the court was told.Muswere told the court that Gwasira's house was not eligible to provide a candidate for Makoni chieftainship and that his appointment was in contravention of a court order directing that the chief was to be appointed from the Muswere clan."Plaintiff requested the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs, Manicaland Province to resolve the dispute pertaining to the appointment of fourth respondent but third respondent neglected to solve the dispute. "Second respondent who is also responsible for traditional leaders also neglected to cause the provincial council of chiefs to solve the dispute when the issue was brought to his attention by plaintiff," Muswere said.He said Mnangagwa also neglected his constitutional duty to solve disputes pertaining to the chief's appointment, when the matter was brought to his attention. "The failure by the first, second and third respondents to solve the chieftainship, was wrongful and unlawful. Plaintiff now seeks a declaratory order compelling the first, second and third defendants to solve the Makoni chieftainship dispute," Muswere said.He is now seeking the issue to be resolved within 60 days from the date of the court order if the court rules in his favour, failure of which he said Gwasira's appointment must be nullified.
Opinion / Columnist

It is with enthusiasm that we express our support for the Economic Freedom Fighters in the coming general elections in South Africa. We as the Zimbabwe Economic Freedom Fighters endorse and share EFF's vision to deliver hope and inspiration to the people of South Africa, the continent and beyond. The struggle for economic freedom and economic emancipation is for all black people in the continent and beyond. We believe that EFF is dedicated to changing the economic and social lives of the people of South Africa. It is 25 years since South Africa attained political independence, tragically the political freedom has not translated into visible economic emancipation for the majority of South African particularly Black South Africans. The majority of South Africans, mainly black people remain dispossessed economically with the vast tracks of land still in the hands of those who benefitted through the evils of the "baasskap" system.The people of South Africa have had ample opportunities in the past weeks to listen to and ask politicians questions about their vision and plans for the future of the country. We believe that EFF has shown great concern and understanding of the problems that face the underprivileged, dispossessed and downtrodden people of South Africa. Too many Black South Africans are landless and jobless. The economic deprivation among Black South Africans has become a source of shame and humiliation across the continent and beyond. Notwithstanding that most African countries have similar problems moreso in our own country Zimbabwe. We as Zim EFF, without fear, stand shoulder to shoulder with EFF calling for land expropriation without compensation in South Africa. It is inconceivable to see how those who benefitted from a system which allowed for the domination of Black people by White people , a system that legalised the theft of Black people's natural wealth and their natural dignity - it will be a shame and humiliation of the highest order to compensate or pay to take back what was stolen from our people . If that were to happen, it will be the greatest betrayal of all those who died fighting for Black emancipation and economic freedom in South Africa.South Africa is at the crossroads, the country is at the cusps of history. The people of South Africa have clear choices in this election. They can choose more of the same represented by the underachieving ANC, nolstagic of the basskaap years DA or the progressive, transformative and radical EFF. The choices cannot be clearer. It is up to the people of South Africa to exercise their democratic rights to vote for the political party of their choice on the 8th of May. We as Zim EFF fully endorse EFF for their visionary , people-driven policies which are clearly designed to address issues of social justice , economic justice , improve education , health care delivery , fight corruption , expropriate land without compensation , create jobs , drive inclusive development for the benefit of many , preserve the dignity of the Black people in South Africa who have for many years suffered shame and humiliation .Zim EFF , here and now call upon , compatriots of Zimbabwean origin eligible to vote in South Africa in the coming elections to VOTE for EFF. EFF is for : black empowerment , black people's economic emancipation , dignity for all black people in the continent and beyond , pursuing regional economic integration with a view to easing economic trade within the African continent , rejection of xenophobia and promotion of peaceful co-existence of all people who live in South Africa and EFF will fight for a boarderless Africa and a single currency in the medium to long term .We therefore strongly recommend that a VOTE for EFF is an investment for South Africa and the continent as a whole . EFF is well led by fearless, visionary, hardworking, selfless and inspirational leadership under the capable command of Commander in Chief Julius Malema.Zim EFF commends and applauds EFF for conducting a peaceful, enthusiastic and people-driven election campaign! We would also like to thank other political parties for showing tolerance of divergence of views during this election campaign. We hope that this will translate into the post-election period. We would also like to thank the people of South Africa who have shown and continued to show great enthusiasm in this election campaign and who have shown tolerance to each other.Zim EFF Commander in Chief Innocent Ndibali will be attending the EFF Tshela Thupa rally on the 5th of May  to offer support and solidarity to EFF on behalf of Zim EFF.
One of the 20th centurys most iconic textile designers might never have gotten started, save for a lucky gap in his knowledge. I studied interior architecture with a great teacher at a good school, but I couldnt draw very well, Jack Lenor Larsen tells host Dennis Scully on this weeks episode of the Business of Home podcast, sponsored by The Shade Store. When we had to learn a little about weaving, that I liked. And I was good at it.

Jack Lenor Larsen

And so began one of the most legendary careers in fabric. Larsen went on to deepen his skills at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan before moving to New York, where his young firm met almost overnight success, earning a project at the Lever House, a piece for the Museum of Modern Art, and a commission for an icon: I also did a collection for the Siamese company that was importing, Jim Thompson. They were afraid theyd lose Thailand as a source to the communists, so would I do an American collection? I did it, and my first buyer was Frank Lloyd Wright, who bought 200 yards for Taliesin.

Architects became a key early audience. Marcel Breuer said, Thats the kind of fabric we use at home, and he became our good client. And [Louis] Skidmore and the others all wanted to look like Marcel, so soon I had a huge market of great architects primarily doing executive offices. Later, Larsen would count the temperamental neo-futurist Eero Saarinen as a key client: He barked at people, he always seemed to be uncomfortable, says Larsen with a laugh. I accepted it. And he was very loyal.

Though Larsen started as a weaver, his business grew by leaps and bounds, taking him all over the world, to Bali, Morocco and Peru (among dozens of other destinations). Credited with bringing ikats and bakits to an American audience, Larsens company at its peak was manufacturing in more than 30 countries globally. Some of his tales are downright swashbuckling, like the time he barely escaped imprisonment in Myanmar (then Burma) while working to set up shop there. Burma has the best weaving in Asia, Larsen. Their communists were like the North Koreansvery tough. I would have been in jail if I had stuck it out.

I knew more ASID interior designers than anyone in America. Jack Lenor Larsen

Along with a reputation for its global outlook, Larsens company became known for more than just woven fabricsit started working in printed fabrics, leather and furnishingsat one point Larsen, Knoll and Herman Miller were all competing for the top of the market. Larsens company, however, was the only one to work both sides of the coin: commercial and residential. He attributes this reach to great personal relationships. I knew more ASID interior designers than anyone in America, says Larsen. At one point I was writing 200 letters to designers a month. We would go to Europe together.

They also partied together. It was a different time in the design world, when product launches would see 500 people crammed into a Larsen showroom for black tie dance parties. Eventually we figured out that if we had openings at 5 p.m., only staff would come. But if we did them at nine, only principals would come.

It wasnt all Champagne, disco balls and toile. A shaky business manager, a fraudulent accountant and a series of recessions eventually saw the contraction of Larsens business, and in the 90s he sold to New York firm Cowtan & Tout. However, Larsen didnt slow down much: He continued to serve on various boards, write books, and develop his Easthampton estate, Longhouse, into a public trust.

Even at 92, Larsen hasnt fully retired: Hes got an upcoming collaboration through Cowtan & Tout with Burlington, North Carolinabased performance fabric brand Sunbrella, alongside a new book about his celebrity collaborators and clientsand Larsen has no shortage of those, including Marilyn Monroe. But youll have to listen to the podcast to find out about the time Frank Lloyd Wright dunked on Dorothy Draper, then asked her for money. (No one said the design business was all pretty.)
By Arundhati Sarkar

(Reuters) - Canadian National Railway Co on Monday became the latest railroad operator to blame higher operating expenses due to prolonged extreme cold weather for a lower-than-expected quarterly profit.

Rail traffic in Canada was dented by a severe winter, forcing rail operators to cease work.

Operating expenses jumped 14 percent in the first quarter, also due to a crude oil train derailment in Western Canada.

CN Rail's operating ratio, a closely watched productivity metric that measures expenses as a percentage of revenue, rose to 69.5 percent in the first quarter from 67.8 percent a year earlier. The lower the ratio, the more efficient a railroad.

Last week, smaller rival Canadian Pacific Railway missed analysts' estimates for quarterly profit as it spent heavily to combat a harsh winter that impacted its operations.

CN Rail also bore the brunt of Alberta's OPEC-style decision to force production cuts to deal with a glut. As a result, demand for crude shipment took a nosedive in February, the company said.

Total carloads, the amount of freight loaded into cars, rose less than a percent in the March-ended quarter.

However, CN Rail and Canadian Pacific are set to benefit from Canada's oil-producing province of Alberta's move to buy rail cars to transport 120,000 barrels per day of crude oil after congested pipelines stranded much of Western Canada's expanding crude output.

This comes as a lack of pipelines to the United States and oversupply have led Canadian energy producers to look for alternatives such as railroads to ship crude.

"Crude-by-rail is an opportunity that we expect at this point will produce growth in the second half," Chief Executive Officer Jean-Jacques Ruest said on a post-earnings conference call.

The company said it expects North American industrial production to increase by about 2 percent this year.

Excluding one-time items, the railroad company earned C$1.17 per share, missing the analyst average estimate of C$1.18, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

(Reporting by Arundhati Sarkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
Burning gas and electric cooker rings

Oil has pulled back slightly in recent days as energy markets digest the threat to higher oil prices of OPEC and Russia reducing or removing the production caps that have been in place since 2016. These have been crucial to balancing oil supply with demand and supporting firmer prices for some time.

Growing disquiet

Even Trumps plans to reduce Iranian oil exports to zero, sharply deteriorating output in Venezuela and the renewal of conflict in Libya will be incapable of supporting higher prices should OPEC and Russia decide to open the spigots. The International Energy Agency believes that OPEC spare capacity could be a high as 3.3 million barrels daily, while some analysts believe that Russia can pump up to an additional 500,000 barrels daily.

Those fears caused crude to pullback sharply, with the North American benchmark falling to under US$64 per barrel and the international price Brent pulling back to around US$70. While prices have moderately recovered since then, there is still considerable uncertainty surrounding energy markets.

This has been a roller coaster ride for the energy patch, which, when combined with the headwinds facing the oil sands has deterred mainstream investors from committing large amounts of capital to investing in domestic energy stocks. That has created an opportunity for investors seeking the opportunity to double or triple their money.

Opportunities abound

Many Canadian oil companies have failed to keep pace with oils latest rally, with many trading at significantly less than their book value, thereby creating an opportunity for investors to acquire quality energy companies for less than the value of their assets. Intermediate oil producer Whitecap Resources (TSX:WCP) is one of the few Canadian upstream explorers and producers to have retained its dividend since the slump in crude began.

Despite cutting its dividend several times since the oil slump began, Whitecap is yielding a very juicy 6%. There are concerns that Whitecaps monthly dividend payment is unsustainable because on an annual basis, its roughly double the drillers trailing 12-month net income.

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Firmer oil and lower costs will help enhance the sustainability of Whitecaps dividend, but the uncertain outlook surrounding crude and lower production for 2019 could impact the dividends sustainability. Its earnings are also shielded from weaker natural gas prices, as 85% of its forecast 2019 production of 70,000 to 72,000 barrels daily is weighted to oil and other petroleum liquids.

Whitecap has also established a series of commodity hedges to offset the risk of weaker crude. For 2019, 45% of the drillers production is hedged at an average price floor of $71.70 per barrel, which mitigates much of the financial risk associated with weaker oil and further supports the sustainability of that juicy dividend.

It should be noted that Whitecap has a forecast 2019 total payout ratio as a proportion of funds flow of 85% indicating that the payment along with other expenses including capital spending is sustainable.

Why buy Whitecap?

Whitecaps copious oil reserves totalling 489 million barrels have a fully diluted value of $15.37 per share, which is almost three-times greater than Whitecaps current market value. This highlights the tremendous potential upside on offer to investors and that once oil prices normalize that they could double or even triple their investment. Investors will be paid to wait for this to occur by Whitecaps regular monthly dividend yielding a very juicy 6%.

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
Khiron Life Sciences (TSXV: KHRN) (OTCQB: KHRNF) has entered into a non-binding letter of agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding securities of Canapalife S.r.l. and a 100% stake interest in Campodoro S.r.l.  collective Canapalife Group  from shareholders Alvaro Garro and Paolo Puggioni.

Khiron Seeking Opportunities in Europe

Canapalife is a prominent hemp product company based in Italy with licenses for the cultivation, research, production and marketing of hemp-based products.

The company operates a cultivation site in Padua, near Venice, Italy, and conducts research in partnership with prominent universities and has registered three CBD consumer brands, including, Bloom CBD e-liquids, Canvax nutraceutical products and Legal Seeds, a brand designed to market EU approved seeds to the consumer market.

Italy represents the fourth largest economy in Europe and is the second largest cannabis market in Europe, with a projected medical cannabis market value of 7.5 Billion by 2028.

The proposed transaction offers Khiron an entry to the European market and expansion of our global footprint. In addition to increasing our multi-jurisdiction cultivation and production capacity, Canapalife offers the addition of dynamic brands to our product portfolio, access to key retailer partners and relationships with Italys leading research facilities, Khiron CEO and Director Alvaro Torres said in a statement.

Acquisition Terms

Mr. Garro and Mr. Puggioni are the sole shareholders of Canapalife Group. Upon completion of the acquisition, they are expected to continue working as key employees with Khiron. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of this year.

As consideration for the acquisition of Canapalife Group, Khiron will issue such number of common shares as is equal to C$10.50 million at a deemed price per share equal to the trailing 20-day volume weighted average closing price of its common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange.

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An earn out of additional common shares for up to C$4,50 million, will be payable by Khiron to the shareholders over the course of two years, subject to Canapalife Group attaining certain revenue milestones.

Hillcrest Merchant Partners acted as advisor on the agreement, Khiron said, noting that completion of the transaction is subject to the execution of a definitive agreement and receipt of all required regulatory approvals, including final acceptance of the TSXV.

The post Khiron Life Sciences to Acquire Italian Hemp Company appeared first on Market Exclusive.
By Collin Eaton HOUSTON (Reuters) - Oil prices pared their gains on Tuesday, after global benchmark Brent crude rose above $73 a barrel, as the market grew less worried that a rebellion against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would hit the country's crude exports. Prices rose after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called for military backing to end Maduro's rule, but pared gains after the government said state-run oil company PDVSA's operations were not disrupted and top military leaders remained loyal. "The possibility that Guaido will take control of the situation isn't as strong as perceived this morning," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York. "If Maduro hangs on, you'll see the market stay lower." Brent crude futures hit a session high of $73.27 per barrel and settled 76 cents, or 1.1 percent, higher at $72.80. Last week, Brent hit a six-month high above $75. U.S. crude futures closed at $63.91, up 41 cents, or 0.7 percent, on the day, after hitting a session high at $64.75. Prices pared their gains further in post-settlement trade after industry group American Petroleum Institute reported that U.S. crude inventories rose 6.8 million barrels last week, more than analysts' forecasts for a 1.5 million-barrel build. Official government data is due on Wednesday. OPEC member Venezuela's oil exports have already been reduced by U.S. sanctions on PDVSA and an economic crisis, helping to curb the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' production to a four-year low, according to a Reuters survey. If Maduro's government remains in power for much longer, Venezuela's crude exports and output will continue to decline as the OPEC producer wrestles with power outages and other problems, analysts said. "The situation appears to be getting much worse, rather than better," said Phillip Streible, senior commodities strategist at RJO Futures in Chicago. "Their oil production is going to continue to slide." Earlier, crude prices drew support when Saudi Arabia Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said a deal between producers to cut output could be extended to the end of 2019. U.S. President Donald Trump has pressured OPEC to raise output as Washington has tightened sanctions against Iran. OPEC and other allies led by Russia have agreed to cut output by around 1.2 million bpd for six months until the end of June. The group meets in Vienna on June 25-26 to decide on next steps. Also supporting prices was government data showing that U.S. crude production fell in February for the second month in a row, sliding 187,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 11.7 million bpd. "That's modestly supportive of prices," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC in New York. "We saw a pullback in operations in reaction to lower prices from last year. It shows the march forward to ever-higher production isn't limitless." Rising output to record levels has made the U.S. the top global oil producer, helping to boost domestic crude stocks to their highest since October 2017. (GRAPHIC: U.S. crude oil production & exports link: https://tmsnrt.rs/2ULQiTd). (This story corrects to read in paragraph 12, 187,000 barrels per day instead of 87,000). (Additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov and Ahmad Ghaddar in London; Henning Gloystein in Singapore and Shadia Nasralla in London; editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)
(Bloomberg) -- UiPath, a closely held New York-based software maker that helps companies automate routine processes, said its valued at $7 billion following a new funding round.

Coatue Management led the $568 million investment. Coatue was joined by Dragoneer Investment Group, Wellington Management, Sands Capital and funds managed by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. Previous investors, including Accel Partners, CapitalG, Sequoia, IVP and Madrona Venture Group, also participated, UiPath said.

The company, which was founded in Romania in 2005, said it has grown rapidly in the past two years, expanding its annual recurring revenue to more than $200 million from $8 million and employing more than 2,500 people. UiPath has more than 400,000 users, with customers including Duracell, McDonalds Corp., Nippon Life Insurance Company, NTT Communications Corp. and the U.S. Navy.

UiPaths software performs many low-skilled tasks that businesses once outsourced to humans in cheaper-wage countries such as India or the Philippines. Known as robotic process automation, the technique uses software to take over repetitive, routine data entry and processing tasks.

Business leaders everywhere are augmenting their workforces with software robots, Daniel Dines, UiPaths co-founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

UiPaths software initially worked much like the macros found in programs like Microsoft Corp.s Excel spreadsheet software. It could copy a series of steps performed by a human and then repeat them -- making it much easier to move data from one database or field to another and complete routine tasks, such as issuing invoices or making accounting entries.

More recently, the company has added machine-learning modules capable of image recognition to its software.

UiPath competes with other software vendors such as Pegasystems Inc., Blue Prism Group Plc, Kofax, and Automation Anywhere Inc.

The industry has achieved rapid growth in such a short time, with UiPath at the head of it, said Greg Dunham, vice president at T. Rowe Price Associates.

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To contact the reporter on this story: Jeremy Kahn in London at jkahn21@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Molly Schuetz, Andrew Pollack

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Parliament Hill and the Ottawa skyline are seen as the Ottawa River churns underneath Portage Bridge, which connects Ottawa and Gatineau, on Sunday, April 28, 2019. Rising water levels have contributed to flooding on both sides of the river. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

As many areas in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick continue to fight with historic levels of flooding, an active weather system is still on the horizon for many of these flood zones.

The first real storm that were going to see starts tonight and then into tomorrow across southern Ontario, perhaps into far southern Quebec as well, Steve Travis, meteorologist with AccuWeather tells Yahoo Canada.

This storm also has the potential to bring some mixed snow and rain to this area, particularly around the Ottawa region, but that shouldnt stretch farther north than Montreal.

Travis anticipates 10 to 30 mm of rain in the Toronto area into the evening on Wednesday, with accumulation amounts possibly reaching 50 mm in some areas between Toronto and Montreal. People around the Montreal area should expect a lighter but steady rainfall on Wednesday.

In terms of temperatures, southern Ontario is expected to see some drastic differences. AccuWeather is projecting a high of 9 C for the Toronto region, while areas south of the city will be in the mid-teens. The weather forecaster predicts a high of 19 C on Wednesday around the city of London.

Moving to Friday and into the weekend, another round of rain will come in with some milder air.

It does look like, although were going to see a few rain opportunities, we will warm up towards the end of the week, Travis said.

Farther east, it looks like the bulk of these storms dont get quite as far as Nova Scotia and New Brunswick but Travis expects the storms could bring some rain to those areas as well.

Still snow potential in the Prairies

This active weather system on Wednesday will stay south and east of the Prairies, but there is a storm on the horizon for Thursday into Friday for this region.

It looks like that could bring some rain to at least southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba, Travis said. Its not out of the question that theres even a little bit of snow mixed in on Thursday or Friday, and that could reach Edmonton and Calgary.

Temperatures on Wednesday across much of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are expected to stay fairly uniform, around 10 C. Milder air is anticipated to make an appearance on Thursday with a few areas increasing to 15 C. But according to Travis, the colder air comes back around for the weekend.

Beyond Friday and into Saturday, it actually might get quite cold there, Travis said. It doesnt look like any real heavy rainfall there, Id say at least through the weekend, I think any rain that falls will be quite light.
Severe spring flooding that has forced thousands of residents from their homes in Canada's eastern half refuses to let up in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

Environment Canada has issued heavy rainfall warnings and special weather statements  with a mess of rain, sleet, snow and ice pellets possible across a wide section of the flood zones starting Tuesday night and continuing Wednesday.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said at a news conference in Ottawa Tuesday that there are now 2,600 Canadian Forces personnel deployed across the three provinces, with more on standby. He said about 1,000 of those are in Quebec.

Another 1,500 have been authorized to be sent to Ontario to help with historic flooding along the Ottawa River and in central Ontario cottage country towns like Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes.

Annual flooding in the Kashechewan First Nation in northern Ontario remains a concern. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the vast majority of the 1,600 evacuations in Ontario are from that region, with the remainder mostly from the Ottawa area.

Late Tuesday, the transport minister announced additional navigational restrictions in flooded areas. Marc Garneau also urged people to stay off all flooded waterways in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick  including those not currently subject to restrictions  to prevent environmental damage.

Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press

While many in these areas have been deploying sandbags to help cope with the flooding, researchers and consultants say they aren't necessarily the best solution.

They say the sacks can be effective in flash floods or other situations where they won't be in contact with water for too long, but sandbags lose their effectiveness as soon as they become saturated with water, meaning they have limited impact during prolonged floods.

Here are the latest developments in each affected region.

Ottawa

Mayor Jim Watson pleaded Tuesday for more people to help with flood-prevention efforts, as water levels are expected to peak in Ottawa-Gatineau on Wednesday.

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Some communities along the Ottawa River are already seeing waters higher than they saw in the 2017 flood.

In Constance Bay, to the west, 150 homeowners have been urged to voluntarily evacuate their homes as floodwaters rise around them. Power is being shut off to part of the community on Tuesday evening, said Pierre Poirier, the city's head of emergency management.

Albert Leung/CBC News

Approximately one million sandbags are standing between the Ottawa River and residences and businesses in Ottawa, and more are in place across the river in Gatineau, Que.

But they may not be up to the task of holding back the water, which in Ottawa-Gatineau could rise 50 centimetres above 2017 flood levels. Municipal officials in Ottawa don't expect to be near cleanup mode until the Victoria Day long weekend.

Watch aerial footage of the flooded Ottawa River:

Goodale also flagged another source of concern.

"The water level now in Lake Ontario is just to about its maximum normal run off," he said. "All of that obviously has to flow east. Combining with the flow coming down the Ottawa [River], that presents significant potential issues in relation to Montreal and places further downstream."

The weather could also make things difficult for those working to shore up properties against the floodwaters on Wednesday. Ottawa-Gatineau and areas to the west as far as Algonquin Park on the Ontario side of the river are expected to get two to five centimetres of snow, mixed with ice pellets, then 15 to 25 mm of rain.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday these extreme weather events will happen more often, and the government is fighting climate change and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada predicts the record flooding will push losses for homeowners from extreme weather to more than $1 billion this year.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in light of record flooding this spring, the federal government is talking with the provinces about investments in disaster mitigation and prevention efforts.

Increasingly, communities are looking at relocating people living in high-risk areas instead of paying year after year to help them rebuild.

Quebec

Officials partially lifted an evacuation order in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que., on Tuesday, allowing hundreds of residents  but not all  to return to their homes.

The evacuation order was put in place after floodwaters breached a dike Saturday and forced about 6,000 to flee.

Residents who do return home, however, will not have access to potable water or electricity.

Mayor Sonia Paulus said they "will need to present identification and receive clearance before returning home."

The order excludes a section of Sainte-Marthe that remains submerged. It's unclear when residents in the hardest hit areas might be able to go home.

One resident kayaked through her home and shared emotional video:

The island of Montreal and Laval remain in states of emergency, a measure giving authorities the power to seize property and force evacuations, while officials in Quebec say the data available suggests the risk of flooding on several rivers across the province remains high.

An additional 34 local states of emergency are still in effect around the province.

The province reported over 6,400 flooded homes, a further 3,500 surrounded by water and more than 10,000 evacuees  most of them from Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac.

New Brunswick

The St. John River from Fredericton to Saint John is still above flooding levels, but emergency officials said the river system is expected to recede to near or below flood stage before the week ends.

The entire river basin is steadily declining, according to Greg MacCallum, director of the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (EMO).

EMO is now turning its focus to cleanup measures. Residents, however, are warned to avoid contact with floodwater, which can contain sewage and other waste.

The Trans-Canada Highway remains closed between Oromocto and River Glade, N.B., but the province's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said it could reopen this week.

This is the second year in a row the major highway has closed due to flooding.

Despite the turn in events, strong winds in the forecast remain a concern.

New Brunswick power crews have been inspecting downed lines:

Sajjan visited the Saint John area yesterday to view the activities of military personnel helping in the response effort.

He says if the impact of climate change disasters continues to worsen, he may have to increase the number of Canadian Forces personnel available.

Goodale said 9,200 residences and cottages have been affected by the flooding in New Brunswick, along with another 7,000 buildings.

Kashechewan First Nation

First Nations leaders called on the Ontario and federal governments Monday to help relocate the community of Kashechewan as it deals with annual flooding  a problem one said would have already been solved if it involved a non-Indigenous population.

Community members rallied on Parliament Hill on Tuesday.

The northern Ontario community of 2,500 first flooded in 1976 and has been evacuated annually for the past several years while it waits for the federal government to fulfil its promises to move residents to a permanent new location.

"Both levels of government  Ontario and Canada  has allowed this to be normalized," said Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Derek Fox. "I believe personally that if these were non-native, non-First Nations people, action would have happened a lot sooner. I sincerely believe that."

Giacomo Panico/CBC

Central Ontario cottage country

The mayor of Bracebridge said he's hoping tomorrow's weather forecast doesn't play out as expected. Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for the swath of central Ontario that's been struggling to cope with flooding in recent days.

Mayor Graydon Smith said 25 to 30 mm could fall on Bracebridge tomorrow, with the possibility of a little more rain on Thursday. Smith says an additional 60 military personnel are coming to the region today to help with flood conditions, making a total of 160 soldiers in the area.

Four municipalities have declared states of emergency in central Ontario, while further east the Ontario government has activated disaster recovery assistance for the county of Renfrew and the city of Pembroke.
LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani signed a bill into law on Tuesday declaring all U.S. forces in the Middle East terrorists and calling the U.S. government a sponsor of terrorism. The bill was passed by parliament last week in retaliation for President Donald Trump's decision this month to designate Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards a foreign terrorist organization. It was not clear what the impact of the new Iranian law might have on U.S. forces or their Middle East operations. Rouhani instructed the ministry of intelligence, ministry of foreign affairs, the armed forces, and Iran's supreme national security council to implement the law, state media reported. The law specifically labels as a terrorist organization the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan. "These two forces (Guards and CENTCOM) that are designated as terrorist groups reciprocally might confront (each other) in the Persian Gulf or any other region. The United States will surely be responsible for such a situation, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA on Tuesday. The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the Guards, but until Trump's decision not the organization as a whole. Comprising an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) also command the Basij, a religious volunteer paramilitary force, and control Iran's ballistic missile programs. The Guards' overseas Quds forces have fought Iran's proxy wars in the region. Long-tense relations between Tehran and Washington took a turn for the worse in May 2018 when Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, reached before he took office, and reimposed sanctions. Revolutionary Guards commanders have repeatedly said that U.S. bases in the Middle East and U.S. aircraft carriers in the Gulf are within range of Iranian missiles. Rouhani said on Tuesday the Islamic Republic will continue to export oil despite U.S. sanctions aimed at reducing the country's crude shipments to zero. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Peter Graff and Frances Kerry/Mark Heinrich)
As the water levels rise perilously close to the electrical system in Constance Bay, hundreds of people living on Bayview Drive are being asked to voluntarily evacuate 300 homes on Tuesday evening, as Mayor Jim Watson warned that "the worst is yet to come."

In an update at Ottawa City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, Watson beseeched more volunteers to help the thousands of residents, students and military members currently involved in the effort to shore up sandbag dikes and watch over pumps in flood-prone areas of the city.

'It's an emotional decision to move out of your home, but it's the right decision to make at this time.' - Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson

Pierre Poirier, the city's head of emergency management, announced power will be shut off to a stretch of Bayview Drive in Constance Bay, where residents in 150 homes have been advised to leave, as water fills their street.

Later in the evening Coun. Eli El-Chantiry revised the estimate, telling CBC News that residents from 300 homes from for 600 to 956 Bayview Drive were being asked to evacuate.

The road will be closed to traffic at 9 p.m.

Evacuation is voluntary, but Poirier said he hopes residents will heed the advice of city officials and leave an area now deemed "unsafe."

"We will continue to use the power of persuasion, and also the rational thought that you're putting your life at risk," Poirier said

"We strongly recommend for their own health and well-being that they move out," Watson echoed. "It's an emotional decision to move out of your home, but it's the right decision to make at this time."

The area's community support centre for evacuees has been moved from Constance Bay to the Richcraft Recreation Complex at 4101 Innovation Dr. in Kanata, officials said.

Peak coming Wednesday

So far, 21 homeowners have chosen to leave their homes in flood-stricken areas, Poirier said.

The river is still expected to peak in the Ottawa-Gatineau area on Wednesday, in some areas 50 centimetres above levels reached during the devastating flooding of May 2017.

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"The worst is yet to come," Watson warned Tuesday.

According to an update issued at 5 p.m. Tuesday by the Ottawa River Regulating Committee, which controls reservoir levels along the length of the river basin, the water level at Britannia, the nearest monitoring station to Constance Bay, was at 60.67 metres above sea level, up 12 centimetres from Monday morning, and is expected to rise another 18 centimetres to a peak of 60.85 metres on Wednesday.

At the same time, Environment Canada has issued a severe weather statement for the area, warning of a messy mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain changing to rain, with up to 40 millimetres predicted in some areas.

City officials don't know what impact that will have on water levels, Poirier said.

Poirier said city drinking water has not been affected by the flooding, but residents of 40 homes at the northern end of Churchill Avenue are being asked to conserve water to ease the strain on the local storm water system. Washroom facilities and porta-potties will be made available, city officials said.

Giacomo Panico/CBC

The Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board, which measures water levels, said in a Tuesday morning update that anticipated peak levels have dropped west of the capital.

Water levels went up another nine centimetres over 24 hours in Gatineau, which has seen another approximately 200 people register as flood victims in the last 24 hours for a total of 1,593, according to the city.

It's caused a westbound lane of Highway 50 to be closed around Lac Leamy, meaning severe headaches for people heading downtown.

In west Ottawa's Britannia neighbourhood, water levels rose 11 centimetres over 24 hours.

Levels are expected to peak in Ottawa, Gatineau, Pembroke, Ont., Thurso, Que., and Hawkesbury, Ont. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Poirier told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Tuesday it's hard to say how long it could be before levels start to drop.

"Once it peaks it may sustain that level for several days," he said.

"Depending on what happens upstream, if there's significant rain or significant snowmelt, the peak can be sustained or there can be a second peak."

In Ottawa, nearly 1.2 million sandbags have been made for flood-affected residents, with the help of hundreds of troops and more than 10,000 volunteers, according to the city. Staff are co-ordinating an evacuation plan for homes under "imminent threat."

CBC News captured drone footage of flooded areas in Clarence-Rockland, Ont., about 40 kilometres downstream of Ottawa, late Tuesday morning. Can't see the video below? Click here to watch the footage.

CBC received special permission from Transport Canada and local officials for the flight. Drones are normally not allowed within nine kilometres of flooded areas.

Areas along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, which are seeing some flooding but not at historic levels, could get 20 to 40 millimetres of rain.Reinforcements for property owners across the region include volunteers, the military in some of the hardest-hit areas and, in a few cases, high school students in communities such as Cumberland in eastern Ottawa and, as of today, from West Carleton Secondary School in the west end.

A home in the flooded area of Constance Bay in western Ottawa caught fire late Monday night, according to Ottawa Fire Services.

Nobody was injured.

Albert Leung/CBC

Speaking on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the federal government is keeping a close eye on the situation.

"Here in the National Capital Region we're watching the bridges and the ferry crossings in this part of the Ottawa River," Goodale said.

"There are some properties in Ottawa that we're keeping a very close eye on  the War Museum for example, the Museum of History. There are also dams downstream and there are municipal water systems and power systems that we are keeping a very close eye on in terms of local critical infrastructure."
A Saint John man accused of letting his dogs run wild on the city's west side, where they allegedly attacked four people last year, has elected to be tried by judge alone in the Court of Queen's Bench on criminal charges and has a trial date on charges under the city's dog bylaw.

Michael Edmond Kirby, 56, is facing four counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and one count of breaching a court order to keep his dogs on his Winslow Street property, except when walking them one at a time on a leash and securely muzzled.

Four male individuals made separate complaints about Kirby's four dogs  Louisiana Catahoula leopard mixes  between August and December last year.

Kirby is accused of failing to prevent his dogs  Allis, Frank, George and Danny  from biting, or attempting to bite the complainants. The nature of the complainants' alleged injuries were not discussed in court on Monday.

The dogs, a muscular working breed originally used to hunt wild boar in the Catahoula Lake region of Louisiana, have since been seized by the SPCA, along with a fifth dog.

Kirby, sporting faded blue jeans and a blue sweatshirt, appeared in provincial court on Monday with his defence lawyer, Brian Ferguson, who is representing him only on the criminal matters. A preliminary inquiry on those charges will be held Sept. 26 at 9:30 a.m.

33 dog bylaw charges

On Sept. 27, Kirby will stand trial on 33 charges under the city's dog control bylaw for alleged incidents between June and December, including failing to prevent his dogs from running at large and failing to license and tag them.

Kirby told Judge Kelly Winchester he plans to represent himself on those charges, which he previously pleaded not guilty to.

He is seeking further disclosure, including any outstanding police incident reports or emails between police and the Crown, he said, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

A pre-trial conference will be held July 26.

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CBC

Crown prosecutor Orlando Lineros, who is handling the bylaw charges for the city, has said he expects to call 10 or 12 witnesses during the full-day trial.

Kirby remains under a court order not to possess, acquire, own, co-own, or have control or custody of any dog, or to have any contact with the alleged victims.

He is also under house arrest, allowed to leave only for work, medical or legal appointments or for personal reasons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between noon and 4 p.m.

Kirby is prohibited from possessing any weapons, must keep the peace and be of good behaviour and must allow police to enter his residence at any time without a warrant to ensure he's complying with the court-imposed conditions.

The alleged incidents occurred on:
Just days before a Tennessee teenager died after a long-term battle with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, his dream of graduating high school like the rest of his peers was fulfilled.

Earlier this month, Dakota Johnson was admitted to the hospital for heart failure, WJHL reports. Because of his condition, Johnson was unable to walk across the stage at his high school graduation  something he had set out to accomplish this year.

Instead of missing out on graduation altogether, Johnsons homeschool teacher Allison Russell had the ceremony come to his hospital room at Johnson City Medical Center last Wednesday, the outlet reports.

Two days after receiving his diploma, Johnson sadly died at age 19, according to WJHL.

For Russell, the moment was particularly bittersweet, as she recognized how important graduating was for her student, who had suffered from the muscular degeneration disorder for quite some time.

What mattered most to me is that I wanted Dakota to experience that and his grandmother [who raised him] to experience that, Russell told WJHL. His grandmother told me that it was probably the happiest day of his life to get that diploma, so I am happy we were able to do that for him.

WJHL

RELATED: Alabama Ninth-Grader Dies by Suicide After He Was Bullied for Being Gay: He Was Full of Light

Since Johnson was in seventh grade, he had been homeschooled through the Johnson City School District, the outlet reports. As he entered his senior year, Johnson told Russell that his goals were to attend the prom and graduate from Science Hill High School.

On April 19, however, the teenager was admitted to the hospital for heart failure. Despite doing all of his required coursework, his illness prevented him from walking across the stage at graduation like most of his peers and Russell began to realize the severity of her students medical situation.

At that point, I thought, Goodness, you know, Im not sure whats going to happen here,' Russell admitted to WJHL.

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Knowing how important graduating was to Johnson, Russell organized for the school ceremony to come to him on April 24.

While sitting in his hospital bed that Wednesday, Johnsons room was filled with family, friends, medical staff, Science Hill High Schools principal, and even school superintendent, Dr. Steve Barnett, who personally presented Johnsons diploma to him.

RELATED: University of Miami Student Dies in Everglades Boat Crash One Day After Graduation

The teen, who was dressed in his graduation cap and gown, then snapped photos with his loved ones as he proudly held his new diploma.

Speaking to WJHL after the ceremony, Johnsons aunt Susan Breeden expressed her appreciation for the kind gesture and said the ceremony meant a lot to his family.

Thank you for honoring him, the nurses at the hospital, and the school system. We are forever grateful for their kindness, she said to the news station.

Johnson was only able to achieve one of his senior year goals, however, as on Friday morning at 5:20 a.m., he sadly passed away from his battle with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, WJHL reports.

RELATED VIDEO: Teen Tourists Stunned Family Shares Heartbreak After She Dies in Times Square Crash That Injured 22

After his passing, Dr. Barnett issued a statement to WJHL on behalf of the school district, highlighting Johnsons persistence and hard work.

We were very saddened to learn of the passing of Dakota Johnson. Our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies go out to the family during this very difficult time. Dakotas persistence and hard work earned him his degree and we were honored and grateful to bring graduation to him to allow him and his family to enjoy a very special moment.

Dr. Barnett did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.

Russell also touched on Johnsons personality and told the news station that it was part of what she would remember and miss most about the teen.

[He was] a very funny young man, had a wonderful sense of humor was very caring, very loving, he loved the people around him, she said. Im really proud of him and what hes accomplished, and Ill miss him for a lifetime.
By Steve Holland and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), the White House said on Tuesday, which would bring sanctions against Egypt's oldest Islamist movement. "The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern and this designation is working its way through the internal process, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an email. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked Trump to make the designation during an April 9 visit to Washington, a senior U.S. official said, confirming a report in the New York Times on Tuesday. After the meeting, Trump praised Sisi as a "great president" while a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers raised concerns about Sisis human rights record, his efforts to stay in office until 2034 and Egypt's planned Russian arms purchases. The White House did not say on what basis it might label the group a terrorist organization and former officials questioned whether the group met the legal standard of engaging in "terrorist activity" that threatens U.S. citizens or national security. The Brotherhood, which estimates its membership at up to 1 million people, came to power in Egypts first modern free election in 2012, a year after long-serving autocrat and U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular uprising. As Egypt's army chief in 2013, Sisi engineered the removal of elected President Mohamed Mursi, a senior Brotherhood figure, and a subsequent crackdown on its supporters as well as liberal opposition in Egypt. Sisi was then elected president in 2014. After Mursi's overthrow, the Brotherhood was swiftly banned in Egypt. Authorities declared it a terrorist organization and jailed thousands of followers as well as much of its leadership, including Mursi. The Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, says it is a non-violent movement and denies any relationship to violent insurgencies waged by al Qaeda and Islamic State militants. "We will remain ... steadfast in our work in accordance with our moderate and peaceful thinking," the Brotherhood said in a statement on its website. INTERNAL U.S. DEBATE It was not clear if the administration was considering blacklisting only the Egyptian branch as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) or all regional offshoots of what analysts say is a heterogeneous group with no central authority. The proposal to designate the group set off a debate within Trump's national security team, the senior U.S. official said. White House national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo support the designation but officials at the Pentagon and elsewhere have been opposed and want more limited action, the senior official said. "The President has heard the concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood from our friends and allies in the Middle East, as well as here at home," said a second senior U.S. official. "Any potential designation would go through a robust, deliberate, and inclusive interagency process." Former U.S. officials were skeptical that the Brotherhood met the U.S. legal standard to be designated an FTO. Daniel Benjamin, the State Department's former top official for counterterrorism who teaches at Dartmouth College, called the idea "mystifying," saying the agency considered the designation in 2017 but concluded there was no basis. Benjamin said U.S. domestic political considerations could be at play with Trump facing re-election in 2020. "There is no question that there has been an effort to meet the appetites of Trumps very Islamophobic base," he said. Jason Blazakis, a former State Department official who oversaw the FTO designation process, voiced concern that U.S. right-wing groups would be encouraged to call for legal action against domestic Muslim advocacy organizations. "It will be used to go after organizations inappropriately within the United States," said Blazakis, head of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies' Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counter-Terrorism. Analysts said the designation also could complicate U.S. dealings with officials across the Middle East. Under U.S. law, someone who provides "material support" to terrorist groups is subject to extensive penalties. Material support is defined widely and can cover anything from providing funds, transportation or counterfeit documents to giving food, helping to set up tents or distributing literature. Foreign nationals who deal with such groups can be denied U.S. visas or removed from the United States if in the country. Istanbul-based Yehya Hamed, who served as investment minister in the Mursi government, said Trump is "trying to fight with the wind," pointing to the prominent role of Islamist political parties in Tunisia and Morocco. "What Trump is doing is bringing more instability to the region," Hamed said. Formally designating the Brotherhood could also worsen the U.S. relationship with NATO ally Turkey. The organization has close ties with President Tayyip Erdogans ruling AK Party and many of its members fled to Turkey after it was banned in Egypt. (Reporting by Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu, Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Landay in WASHINGTON; additional Reporting by Omar Fahmy and Aidan Lewis in CAIRO; editing by Franklin Paul, Bill Trott and David Gregorio)
A Canadian $10 bill featuring Nova Scotia civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond has been named the best in the world.

The International Bank Note Society has announced the Desmond bill won the coveted Bank Note of the Year Award for 2018, beating out top designs from places like Switzerland, Norway, Russia and the Solomon Islands.

In March 2018, the federal government unveiled the vertical banknote design featuring Desmond's portrait and a map of her north-end Halifax neighbourhood. The bill went into circulation in November.

Desmond played a seminal role in Canada's civil rights movement when, on Nov. 8, 1946, she went to see a movie at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, N.S., while her car was getting fixed.

Desmond, 32, was dragged out of the theatre by police and jailed for defiantly sitting in the "whites only" section of the film house. At the time, black people could only sit in the balcony.

Her ensuing legal fight against that injustice helped end segregation in Nova Scotia. In 2010, she was posthumously awarded an apology and a free pardon.

Bank of Canada

Desmond is often described as Canada's Rosa Parks, even though Desmond's act of defiance happened nine years before Parks refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus.

Desmond's trailblazing efforts received little attention until recent years, but her legacy is being increasingly recognized. Her name now graces a Halifax Transit harbour ferry, a Canada Post stamp, a commemorative coin, a children's book, and streets named in her honour.

The Bank Note Book/IBNS

The $10 bill also features an image of Winnipeg's Canadian Museum of Human Rights, as well as part of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

According to the International Bank Note Society, there were 150 new banknotes released in 2018 but only 10 per cent of those were considered to be of sufficiently new design to be nominated.

The Bank Note Book/IBNS

The society said in a news release the Desmond bill was the front-runner from the beginning.

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It's not the first time Canada has won. In 2004, Canada won the inaugural Bank Note of the Year Award, placed second three years in a row (2011, 2012 and 2013) and finished in third place last year.

Canadian master engraver Jorge Peral's 2015 design for New Zealand's $5 note also won world's best that year.
Photo credit: Handout - Getty Images

From Town & Country

After serving for 30 years as emperor of Japan, 85-year-old Emperor Akihito has abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne-becoming the first Japanese emperor to do so in 200 years.

In the morning, he took part in a Shinto ceremony, which was followed by the main event in the Imperial Palace's the Matsu-no-Ma state room. There, Akihito delivered a short address, standing beside his wife, Empress Michiko. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other important figures were in attendance.

Photo credit: Handout - Getty Images

"I am deeply grateful for the people that accepted me as a symbol and supported me," he said, per the BBC. "I sincerely wish, together with the Empress, that the Reiwa era which begins tomorrow will be a stable and fruitful one," he added. "I pray, with all my heart, for peace and happiness for all the people in Japan and around the world." (Akihito's reign, dubbed the Heisei era, ends with his abdication.)

Photo credit: KAZUHIRO NOGI - Getty Images

Shinzo Abe spoke as well, noting that Japan had endured some hardship during Akihito's time on the throne. "In such cases, His Majesty the Emperor, together with Her Majesty the Empress, have stood close to the people, and encouraged the victims of disasters," Abe said, per the New York Times. "He gave people courage and hope for the future."

Akihito will remain emperor until midnight in Japan, at which point he will become Emperor Emeritus Akihito. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend the throne in a ceremony tomorrow, alongside his wife, Crown Princess Masako. Naruhito will be Japan's 126th emperor.

('You Might Also Like',)
Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

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..Beyond the Great Divide..29 April '19..The 29th April is always a sombre day for me. Sixteen years ago today (29th April 2003), I was talking to a friend of mine Dom, about a new business adventure she was starting. I was eating a cake, a sample that she had brought me to taste. Dom came to pay for a flight I had sorted out for her. She had been to France to see her family and when she wanted to return from Paris, shed call, Id book the flight, and wed settle once she had arrived. We chatted, I told her the cake was delicious and then we said our goodbyes. It must have been about 11am. See you later I think I said to her. I wouldnt though, in fact I never saw her alive again.I had known Dominique (Dom) for about six years. Like many from Western Europe trying to find their way in Tel Aviv, Dom was part of the tourist crowd. A few hostels and pubs littered the Ben Yehuda, Allenby area and were full of working travellers. Thousands of young Europeans gravitated towards Tel Avivs Mediterranean shore. The hostels supplied the work, the pubs the recreation. Dom had been part of the scenery for a long time. I had first met her in the late 1990s and if I remember rightly, at the time she worked in a launderette that doubled as a billiard/pool hall. We had been in touch ever since. Dominique was extremely popular and since I had my own tourism related business, Dominque was always sending me new customers.Dom worked for a while at a beachfront pub called the Buzz Stop. Originally sited near the dolphinarium on the Southern beaches of Tel Aviv, the owner Eli, eventually moved it to the centre of town, near what was then the American Embassy. In 2001 another pub opened next door -a live blues music bar called Mikes Place. Dominique switched from working at the Buzz Stop to Mikes Place. She worked at Mikes Place from the day that it opened. I frequented both. They were my local hang-outs and I knew most of the regulars.The 29th April 2003 arrived and the second Intifada was still going strong. In January there had been a massacre in Tel Avivs Central Bus Station  a double suicide bombing. March saw a suicide bomb massacre in Haifa and another bombing in Netanya. In April Kfar Saba was the target of a suicide bombing. There were going to be four additional suicide bombings in May.But Mikes place was a pub on a beach front and full of tourists. It was a world away from the conflict. The evening of the 29th had been busy. It was Tuesday night- Jam night for the Blues bar and everyone inside was having fun. Yet just a few hundred yards away in Hayarkon Street, two men were busy getting ready to kill.
A business is expanding to Chippewa Falls to help preserve and celebrate an overlooked aspect of the citys culture.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for Chippewa Valley Tours at the Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce building downtown Monday night to celebrate the expansion of the organization to Chippewa Falls. Over 50 attendees, including area business leaders and Chippewa Valley Tours staff, attended the event to announce the company is open for business.

Chippewa Valley Tours began in 2018, giving food and history tours throughout downtown Eau Claire. Now Three Foodies LLC (operating as Chippewa Valley Tours) is expanding its business to Chippewa Falls. Its current tour plan is to start at Brewer Bros. and Chippewa River Distillery, then go to Lucys Delicatessen, Maxs Bistro and Bar and Wissota Chophouse before ending with desert at longstanding ice cream shop, Olsons Ice Cream.

Co-founder of Chippewa Valley Tours Michelle Lien said she is thankful the Chippewa Valley has supported the company up to this point and is excited to see how the tour is received in Chippewa Falls.

I really appreciate the community in the Chippewa Valley and were very excited to expand here, Lien said. Were all foodies, which is someone who has an extreme interest in food. So, thats really where all of this started. But we couldnt do this all on our own, we need partners in this business, so we are really thankful for the Chippewa Falls businesses as well.

Representing the Chippewa Falls City Council member Paul Nadreau said this is a unique idea to bring to the community and it will be a great way to see downtown in a new light.

This is a great way to experience our downtown area, Nadreau said. There is no better way than to smell it, see it and taste it. I think this sounds like a great idea we look forward to this being a successful venture.

The idea to found Chippewa Valley Tours was forged in 2015 when sisters Amanda Olson and Michelle Lien went on a European vacation. Their trip included a food tour highlighting historical and culturally significant culinary hot spots in London, Paris and East France, leaving the duo with the idea to bring a similar experience to the Chippewa Valley. From there, the sisters approached their friend Nick White about investing in the idea and Chippewa Valley Tours was established quickly thereafter.

White said the business success wont only benefit the company itself, as giving back to the community is a top priority as well. In under two years the two has already hired a Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) intern to help with multiple aspects of the business, established a scholarship at CVTC for an outstanding individual in the schools culinary management program and donates all of the tips received on the tours to the Feed My People Food Bank.

Were really excited to be part of the Chippewa Falls area with our business, White said. We also want to thank our family and friends for all of their support as we grow our business. We believe in this community and want to see our business grow, but that also comes with giving back to our community and making it a better place.

Now that Chippewa Valley Tours has expanded into multiple cities, the three co-founders are already working on plans to expand the business even further. White said the business wants to expand to more locations, offer different varieties of touring experiences, offer food excursions, have private chefs among other things.

Teri Ouimette, director of Chippewa Falls Main Street, said the idea is going to be a hit in Chippewa Falls.

We are so excited about this, Ouimette said. The feedback is already awesome. Were really excited about another layer of what Chippewa Falls really is being celebrated.

For more information the experiences offered by Chippewa Valley Tours you can visit their website https://www.chippewavalleytours.com/.

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Wisconsins house sales numbers reportedly fell last month compared to the year prior, despite high housing demand.

The Wisconsin Realtors Association reported 5,235 existing home sales this March statewide, down 14% from last Marchs 6,094 sales.

Chippewa County saw a much less significant decrease, from 46 last March to 41 this March.

So far the realtors association has reported 114 home sales in the county in 2019, with the median price so far being $155,000.

Holly Bowe, realtor and managing broker at Coldwell Banker Brenizer Realtors in Chippewa Falls, said that while the weather may have been a factor in a slowdown in home sales from February to March this year, weather can always have an effect on the number of homes coming onto the market.

Bowe noted that more likely the small number of homes on the market contributed to the drop in sales.

Theres definitely people out there looking to buy homes, Bowe said.

In addition to the number of homes for sale compared to last year at the same time decreasing, the limited supply and continued demand pushed median home prices up 6.3% over last year in March to $185,000.

In their analysis of the housing numbers for their first quarter report, the WRA said indicators show the tight housing market and economic factors are what likely pushed down home sales, more so than the weather.

Jean Stefaniak, WRA chairman, said in their quarterly report that low unemployment and a job growth are likely contributing to higher demand and lower numbers of homes staying on the market.

The economy is in good shape, and that puts a lot of pressure on a housing market with limited supply, Stefaniak said.

The WRA noted in its report that though they expect the market to stay tight, its more exacerbated in cities, and around the state the rural, less populated counties are maintaining a more balanced market.

As spring continues and moves towards summer the demand for housing will continue and price increases are also expected to continue.

The WRA noted that there are mitigating factors like slight reduction in mortgage rates and moderate growth in family income which are helping people find some deals.

Bowe said that as the weather gets nicer, she expected to see more houses listed and advised that buyers try to be patient and work with their realtor to get up to date information about what is available.

She said the competition has continued to keep everyone on their toes looking for newly available homes.

Agents and buyers are getting very creative, Bowe said.

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Madison and Dane County are neglecting to use readily available tools for tracking down significant sources of toxic pollutants in the fish and waters of the Yahara chain of lakes, a conservation group says.

A two-year study by the Madison-based Midwest Environmental Justice Organization found that local governments arent fully using their powers to find sources of industrial contaminants, including PCBs and metals that have impaired the use of the lakes and made eating too many fish a health hazard.

MEJO executive director Maria Powell said that if the city and county traced the paths contaminants take through storm drains, they would document the sources of the pollution and trigger costly cleanups for businesses  and for the local governments themselves.

They dont really want to go up to the source, Powell said. If you dont find it you dont have to clean it up.

Contaminants that pose serious health risks  including chlorinated and fluorinated chemicals, petroleum compounds and metals have been found since at least the 1980s on sites the city and county have owned and used.

Several are on Madisons North Side  including a closed landfill, a former wastewater treatment plant, the Dane County Airport, and Truax Air National Guard base  on land that drains into the lakes.

County and city administrators of local stormwater systems didnt dispute MEJOs finding that they dont systematically trace those pollutants back to their sources. They didnt respond to requests for comment about Powells charge that they dont want to find the sources.

A spokesman for the city-county public health department said many contaminant sources are already known, and the result of contaminants that were released many years ago.

Powell said that if historic pollution in soil or groundwater is still being carried into lakes by stormwater, it may mean that old contaminated sites havent been cleaned up properly by the state Department of Natural Resources. In any event, the law requires stronger efforts to sample waters like Starkweather Creek and find pollution sources, she said.

A Madison spokeswoman and the state DNR regulator who oversees local stormwater discussed their efforts to prevent nutrient pollution, which contributes to unnatural growths of weeds and bacterial algae, and responding to isolated incidents of illicit dumping.

Under a DNR permit that requires efforts to control pollutants that flow through stormwater into lakes and streams, local governments have focused on limiting the volumes of leaves and soil that wash off streets, and on addressing dumping of things like engine oil and food waste into storm drains typically by small businesses.

MEJOs 54-page report acknowledged that Public Health Madison and Dane County has tested stormwater for certain pollutants, but sampling isnt typically being used to find sources.

The public health department has tested several locations in Starkweather Creek, which carries stormwater from the North Side to Lake Monona. One reason for the testing was to learn how county airport operations affected water quality.

The department has found metals, but reports dont attempt to document sources or provide a complete picture of results.

The department also tested the creek for nutrients, bacteria, road salt and dissolved oxygen. But reports from the last five years dont show testing for chlorinated and fluorinated chemicals, petroleum compounds or other hazardous contaminants that have been found in soil, groundwater and surface water at the North Side sites.

The department tests based on what the DNR tells it about pollution sources, said environmental health director Doug Voegeli, said.

Voegeli said many of the contaminants polluting local waters were released long ago and are now in soil, groundwater and sediment. The health department hasnt tried to find sources of metals because they probably didnt come from a single source and were detected far below the acute and chronic toxicity criteria. However, the DNR has classified the creek as impaired because of acute and chronic aquatic toxicity due to unspecified metals.

Madison-Kipp president and CEO Tony Koblinski said Monday that despite complaints from MEJO and others, it is clear to him that local, state and federal governments have held the company accountable with fines and required cleanups.

They are adequately holding me accountable to the applicable laws and regulations, Koblinski said.

If you are trying to figure out why that stretch of the creek is so toxic, why dont you look at whats around that area and measure it? Powell said.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the DNR have issued guidance documents on how to find pollution sources through steps such as examining state wastewater permits and pollution prevention plans for older industrial areas, the MEJO report says.

Powell said state and local officials told her their budgets wouldnt allow them to do that work.

Invisible hazards

The MEJO report focuses on Starkweather Creek, which runs through two low-income neighborhoods before it empties into Lake Monona. Health risks from the pollution fall most heavily on low-income people, including those who depend on fishing for food, the MEJO report says.

DNR lists Starkweather Creek as impaired by metals and other contaminants.

MEJO vice president Touyeng Xiong grew up near the creek. He and his father caught fish from lakes Monona and Mendota  which is also impaired because of PCBs that accumulate in fish flesh  that provided several meals a week for the family of 16 children.

Xiong, 24, said he remembers playing in Starkweather Creek with a boyhood friend. They gathered a bucketful of crayfish, boiled them and ate them, he said.

As he grew older he learned that the waters carried invisible hazards. The state advises limiting the number of fish eaten from the lakes. It wasnt easy persuading his father and others to eat less, said Xiong, who graduated from UW-Madison and now works as a laboratory technician.

With my science background, he kind of believes me more now than he did a few years ago, Xiong said. I can explain it to him in depth.

No violations issued by DNR

The MEJO report says that the city, county and smaller communities covered by their state stormwater permit fell short of meeting important permit requirements, including:

Informing and educating the public;

Submitting timely, accurate and complete reports on illicit releases of pollution into stormwater and biennial reports for review by the public and elected officials;

Posting meeting agendas and minutes from meetings where stormwater protection practices are discussed.

Jeremy Balousek, Dane Countys water resources manager, referred questions to land and water department director Laura Hicklin, who wasnt available. A spokeswoman for county executive Joe Parisi didnt respond to emailed requests for comment.

Hannah Mohelnitzky, a spokeswoman for the city engineering department, declined to make Greg Fries, the administrator who runs the stormwater program, available to answer questions from the Wisconsin State Journal, but she said that members of the public could contact him with their questions.

Mohelnitzky provided a recently created document that includes an account of illicit discharge detection and elimination program activities. The report describes a Starkweather Creek sampling program similar to one in a 2014 report, except testing results werent included in the recent version. The IDDE information is required to be filed with the state, but it wasnt included when the city filed its 2018 stormwater report.

Mohelnitzky acknowledged the city hasnt promptly posted meeting minutes. The city should hold itself to a standard of making meeting minutes available to the public every three months, she said.

Commenting on other MEJO findings of shortcomings, Mohelnitzky said the DNR hasnt cited the city for noncompliance with its stormwater permit and it believes itself to be in compliance.

The citys DNR stormwater permit expired five years ago. The state recently began work on issuing a renewal. A public comment period for the new permit ends May 3.

Eric Rortvedt, the DNR stormwater engineer responsible for the permit, said he didnt renew the permit earlier because his department has been swamped with permitting requests for construction projects since the end of the recession that began in 2008.

The new permit adds required written plans for preventing runoff from government maintenance yards, and minimum standards for how often stormwater outfalls are sampled, but the testing frequency is less than what the city and county have been doing, Rortvedt said. It doesnt address the issues raised by MEJO, he said.

Rortvedt said that theoretically the local governments could take steps to trace stormwater pollution back to its sources, and that the DNR could require property owners to take steps to clean up toxic spills and to limit rainwater running over contaminated equipment and land.

But the state has chosen to focus on the broader problem of nutrient pollution, he said. Local governments take actions such as sweeping streets and encouraging residents to prevent leaves from washing into storm sewers.

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Imperial Brands PLC has announced it is selling its worldwide premium cigar business. The move comes almost one year since the company first announced plans for divestiture opportunities.

Imperial Brands premium cigar business includes brands of Tabacalera Premium Cigars, Altadis U.S.A., JR Cigars, Casa de Montecristo retail operations, Santa Clara Cigars, and Imperials 50% stake in Habanos S.A. The company also owns two factories, Tabacalera de Garcia in the Dominican Republic and Flor de Copan in Honduras, both of which will be a part of the sale.

Imperial Brands will remain focused on its cigarette business.

According to a press release by Imperial Premium Cigars has performed well over a number of years with good revenue and profit growth; however, it is a unique luxury business with a different consumer base and route to market relative to Imperials other businesses. The sale of the business provides an attractive opportunity to realize shareholder value.

Imperial says the divestment program will pay down debt, and where appropriate invest in its own growth agenda. Under the program, Imperial expects to generate proceeds of 2 billion by May 2020, if not earlier.
Foxconn to Receive Subsidies from Beijing Published: 29 April 2019 by Chelsey Drysdale by Chelsey Drysdale

TAIPEI  Foxconn is among Taiwanese companies that will receive substantial subsidies from Beijing.

Grants provided over several years make up more than half of profits for one Foxconn subsidiary, according to reports.

The grants are creating controversy after Foxconn founder Terry Gou said he intends to run for the presidency, intensifying suspicion over China's influence in Taiwans businesses. The government plans to determine if China's funding could be used to influence politics.

According to reports, subsidies and grants to two of Foxconn's subsidiaries operating in the mainland since 2006 amounted to more than $430 million.

Foxconn said its mainland subsidiaries had legally won industrial development incentive benefits and not violated any laws related to the cross-strait relationship in Taiwan.
Members of the community celebrated the one-year anniversary of Schuyler Public Library's new building April 25 with a spirited celebration, featuring music, cookies and some balloon-bending.

Library Director Jenny White said she is proud of what the library accomplished during its first year, noting she wanted to do something that would thank the residents of Schuyler for their support after the library's first year in its current facility, 108 E. 18th St.

I think getting the first year under our belts is something to celebrate, White said. I just wanted everyone to come to the party and enjoy themselves at the library."

Included within the ceremony was a performance by the Schuyler Central High School band, capped by the playing of the school's fight song, Go Schuyler." White said she was appreciative of the bands presence at the celebration, considering the busy schedules of the students in the band.

I know that there are a lot of commitments (for the band) at this time of the school year, but the fact that they gave their time and came to the library to blow the roof off of it, I really appreciate them doing that, White said.

The library also hosted a preview of a new episode of the PBS show Wild Kratts," a series follows the adventures of animated versions of brothers Chris and Martin Kratt, who are hosts of such educational shows as "Kratts' Creatures" and "Zoboomafoo." The library has a partnership with Nebraska Educational Television (NET) and PBS Kids that allows it access to never-before-seen episodes of shows that will air on the public television stations in the future.

Dr. John Jackson of CHI Health Schuyler was also on hand to perform balloon-bending tricks. Unfortunately, his obligations as a physician prevented him from arriving until later in the day.

Cookies and other refreshments were also provided, with extra reinforcements to prevent a situation like what happened at the librarys grand opening.

I made sure to order extra this time, White said. We have a local baker, Mindy Perrin, who did the cookies for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and we ran out of cookies. Theyre very good. Theyre sugar cookies with some nice spring frosting and theyre just delicious.

Many of the librarys loyal visitors joined in on the fun, alongside some people who had never visited the library but were willing to experience what it is like for the first time.

One of those people was Day Hefner, who serves as the pastor of St. Johns Lutheran Church. Hefner moved to Schuyler shortly after the library was opened and wasnt even inside the library until the day of the celebration.

Ive been meaning to get over here anyways, Hefner said. This will probably be a new sermon-writing spot for me.

Gail Fickle has lived in Schuyler her entire life. She and her adult child, D.G., are regular visitors to the library and enjoy the atmosphere and the support that the library provides.

Im very proud we are already at the one-year anniversary of this beautiful facility, Fickle said. Its such an advantage for the town, and to be able to get this library is just a miracle.

D.G. is autistic and Fickle said she is proud that the library is so accommodating of her child.

Its kind of a comfortable place to read my books on my Kindle, D.G. said. (They are) very accepting of me (and) other people with disabilities.

White said she hopes that the current library will last longer than the previous library, which was carved out of an abandoned grocery store. She would like to see the library become a place for the community to gather and enjoy a good book.

I would like for the Schuyler library to be considered a community resource, White said. The library is here for them.

Zach Roth is a reporter for the Schuyler Sun. Reach him via email at zach.roth@lee.net.

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Certainly one of the very best parts of working for and with local funds in the Nebraska Community Foundation is the opportunity to watch volunteer community leaders in action. This week, I had the opportunity to do just that in Platte, Boone and Butler counties. I recently spent time with the Lakeview Education Foundation Fund and was in St. Edward and in David City to meet with the Butler County Area Foundation Fund.

What is great about each of these instances is that the local volunteers took the lead in initiating these conversations. Its one thing when those of us on the staff at NCF arrange a meeting or training, but it demonstrates another level of ownership when volunteers take that initiative. And it is that ownership, that sense of responsibility for our own destiny, that will drive success for these places in rural Nebraska. Sure its rewarding for those of us at NCF to help facilitate and supportbut its still not our community, its a community that belongs to those who live, work, play, and sleep there.

In each of the cases this week, those citizen-owners took the lead in a conversation designed to help them create impact in their place. The Lakeview Fund spent time dreaming about what they might do in an even bigger way to impact future Lakeview students. The team in St. Edward is getting together to start down a path toward building a community center (thats right, just a month after devastating floods they are thinking not about that, but about building for the future). The Butler County Fund decided it was time to have a very intentional discussion about how to create even more impact through their grant-making.

So in each case, these volunteers arent satisfied with the status quo or just doing things the simplest way they can. No, they are willing to put in the hard work and spend the energy to be true local leaders and leave a legacy in their place. That is why these three places and hundreds like them across the NCF network have a bright future. Not because they have some unique natural asset, more money, a four-lane highway, or more money than the next town over. What they have is human capital: great local leaders invested in their future!

I would suggest to you we have exactly that same asset all across Nebraska, east to west. In the past few weeks Ive been able to sit in a regional training session with leaders from Palisade and another with folks from Wallace. Now Id hazard a guess many of havent been to either town, or perhaps havent even heard of them. But leaders from both of these towns of 350 population (give-or-take) drove a distance and spent an evening becoming better community leaders. And as they sat in that session making an inventory of all their towns assets, you could see the pride and confidence in their hometowns grow in them.

I would further suggest to you that the time is now for you to join that movement. If you want your hometown to prosper, theres never been a more critical time for you to get off the sideline and become a citizen-owner of your place, too. The NCF network can provide you a platform from which to launch, but the initiative has to be yoursjust as it is this week for three funds in our neighborhood. If you want to become part of something special, look me up  or better yet, look up the leaders from Butler County, St. Ed and Lakeview and ask them about their experience becoming engaged owners of the destiny of their place!

K.C. Belitz is the chief operating officer of the Nebraska Community Foundation.

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A Nebraska City judge has ordered the suspect in the slaying of a Douglas couple in March to be held without bond on murder and gun charges.

Brindar Jangir, 36, is accused of two counts each of first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony for the March 23 shooting deaths of Annette and Randal Grimes.

Jangir made his first court appearance on the allegations at a hearing Monday, where he was advised of the charges, and Otoe County Judge Robert C. Wester appointed a public defender to represent him.

The Nebraska Attorney General's office, which is prosecuting the case, isn't seeking the death penalty at this point but could once the case reaches district court.

Thursday, Jangir was in Lancaster County Court on allegations he stole a shotgun and a sword from a friend's home in Lincoln while his friend slept.

According to court documents, Randal Grimes, 56, and Annette Grimes, 51, were the parents of a woman Jangir was living with in Sioux City, Iowa, until she moved out March 12. Court records also indicate that Jangir lived in Lincoln for several years before moving to Sioux City in 2017.

Wednesday, Jangir was brought back to Nebraska from San Diego, where he had been held since U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested him March 30 at a border crossing. He had been in Mexico and was attempting to regain entry into the U.S. on foot.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger.

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When Jesus Bello was told he would be receiving Central Community College-Columbus Spirit of Excellence award, he couldnt help but feeling surprised.

I was shocked, Bello said. I didnt expect it. Im very proud. I feel like I have been continuously ongoing (in school) and that (the award) made me realize that my hard work is being recognized.

Bello was named the 2019 award winner during an April 16 ceremony after previously being nominated by fellow students and professors. The award is designed to celebrate a student who has shown character, integrity, commitment and perseverance.

These are qualities Bello possesses in spades, having spent some eight years working toward a career in nursing while holding down various jobs in order to pay for his classes.

Ive usually had two or three jobs to pay for my education, Bello said.

Bello began school in 2011, going up through the ranks of the nursing department for the next few years before taking a year off to focus on other activities. Since his return, he has received an associates degree in nursing, worked at Columbus Community Hospital, tutored other nursing students and served as a substitute nurse at Columbus High School.

Bello said that he has found working at a hospital, college and a school to be three drastically different experiences.

Its way different than the hospital setting or even my tutoring settings, Bello said, referencing working at CHS as a substitute nurse. Its very fast-paced and you interact with a lot of students. Its kind of interesting. Sometimes, a lot of students just want to go in and talk with someone, so its cool to interact with them.

Bello has become a regular at CCC-Columbus library, where he can be found tutoring other students and also acting as a mentor for people in the health studies program.

They see him in here studying, and theyll just migrate to him, said Dee Johnson, director of library resources at CCC. Hes always working with them, helping them and saying, Dont be afraid of this test, this is what you need to study for, etc. You can just tell that he helps them along, eases their mind (and) that theyll get through the program just fine.

Johnson was one of four faculty members who nominated Bello for the award. Every single one of them sung high praises regarding Bellos work ethic and willingness to help others, while also marveling at the many different tasks that Bello has managed to juggle.

Sometimes, this Spirit of Excellence award goes to students who you know just get it, Johnson said. He just quietly goes about his work here as a student and as a tutor. Hes deeply committed to his goals for himself. Its amazing that you can do all of that and still have a life.

After eight long years, Bello is moving on to bigger and better things in the coming weeks. On May 13, he will begin classes at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Bello is excited to progress into the next stage of his life.

I looked into different (nursing) programs, and what caught my eye about this one is that I could achieve it in a shorter amount of time, Bello said. Plus, it was more affordable.

Bello only has six more classes left before he gets his bachelors degree. After college, Bello is looking forward to working in an Intensive Care Unit.

Thats something that I have been geared to in my nursing career, Bello said.

In addition, Bello said he looks forward to relaxing a bit more when he isn't so bogged down with studies. At least for a little while, anyway.

(Im going to) start enjoying life, Bello said. I think I put myself through so much work in education. After a while, Im going to start traveling more. Maybe (Ill) work on my master's (degree), Im not sure yet.

Zach Roth is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at zach.roth@lee.net.

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1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
" " Lori Drew (R) and her daughter Sarah Drew, who was Megan Meier's former friend, leave the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles in 2008. The jury returned three guilty verdicts against Lori Drew, but a federal judge later overturned them.  Ted Soqui/Corbis

Back in 2006, 14-year-old Megan Meier began chatting on MySpace with a boy named Josh Evans. Meier, who suffered from depression, was excited that an older boy was talking to her. But soon Evans started sending messages that said he didn't consider her a friend. These escalated to calling her "slut" and eventually writing, "The world would be a better place without you." Sadly, Meier hanged herself. Afterward, it came to light that was no "Josh Evans." The account had been created by a former friend of Meier's who lived on her street, with help from her mother, Lori Drew. Drew was convicted of three misdemeanor charges of computer fraud in the U.S.'s first cyberbullying verdict. Her daughter Sarah was not indicted. A federal judge later acquitted her [sources: Megan Meier Foundation, Steinhauer].

Not all online harassment ends with someone's death or conviction, but the trauma can still be there all the same. "Just when I think I've seen it all, someone will find a new, creative way to harass somebody," says Jayne A. Hitchcock, cybercrime and cyberbullying expert, and president of volunteer organization Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHOA). Her group gets about 70 cases a week. Usually they file a complaint with the social media company where the offensive comment was posted to have it taken down, but they will file police reports as well, depending on the incident.

Advertisement

Internet harassment takes on many incarnations, but the core concept is fairly simple  a person uses online avenues like email, social media, apps and websites to cause emotional distress. Usually, it's just hateful words, but sometimes it spills over into physical threats or worse.

So how do these harassers do their dirty deeds? Some of them might be new to you. Let's count the ways, starting with the most serious type of harassment.
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Goma, Congo, April 30, 2019  Beninese authorities should drop their investigation into Casimir Kpedjo, editor of the privately owned daily Nouvelle Economie, and allow him to report and publish news without fear of harassment or being jailed, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On April 18, police arrested Kpedjo at his home in Cotonou, Benins economic capital, and held him at a local police station until April 23, when the countrys special prosecutor for economic crimes and terrorism accused the journalist of violating Article 550 of Benins digital code by allegedly spreading false information about the Beninese economy on social networks, according to the journalist and his lawyer, Renaud Abgodjo, who both spoke with CPJ.

Kpedjo was released later on April 23, Abgodjo told CPJ. The journalist has technically not been charged with a crime, but is required to appear in court on May 2 to offer his defense against the accusations, Abgodjo said.

The accusations stem from two articles concerning the countrys economy that were featured in the April 17 edition of Nouvelle Economie and published on the newspapers and the journalists Facebook pages, Abgodjo told CPJ.

Kpedjo told CPJ that Beninese authorities confiscated his phone and computer upon his arrest. He said that police copied the data from his computer and later returned it, but have not returned his phone.

Authorities in Benin should drop all legal proceedings against Casimir Kpedjo, return his phone, and ensure that journalists in Benin are able to report the news freely, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa Program coordinator, from Johannesburg. This arrest and detention are clearly meant to intimidate Kpedjo into silence, and the ongoing legal proceedings send a chilling message that journalists in Benin are not safe to cover the economy.

If found guilty, Kpedjo faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison or a fine of one million CFA francs ($1,692), according to Blanche Sonon, the president of Social Watch Benin, a local development and justice organization, who spoke with CPJ.

Kpedjo told CPJ that he was denied access to a lawyer and was cut off from communication with his family during his detention.

When contacted by CPJ, Oswald Homeky, Benins minister of tourism, culture, and sports, who also functions as a government spokesperson, declined to comment because of the ongoing legal proceedings.

On April 28, Benin held legislative elections, during which access to the internet and social media services was blocked, according to the internet freedom and governance organization NetBlocks.
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Miami, April 30, 2019  The Committee to Protect Journalists today renewed its calls for Nicaraguan authorities to immediately released detained journalists Lucia Pineda and Miguel Mora. Their trial, which was scheduled to begin yesterday, was instead postponed without a new date set, according to local news reports.

Mora and Pineda, journalists at the independent cable and digital channel 100% Noticias, have been held in pre-trial detention on charges of inciting violence and hate and promoting terrorism since their arrests during a police raid on their Managua newsroom on December 21, 2018, as CPJ reported at the time.

Miguel Mora and Lucia Pineda remain in prison on absurd charges and without any trial date, which confirms what we have known from the start: their detention is arbitrary and political, said CPJ South and Central America Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick in New York. There has never been a valid reason for Nicaraguan authorities to detain Lucia and Miguel, and they should be released immediately.

Julio Montenegro, the journalists lawyer, told CPJ via phone that this is the third time the trial has been delayed, but it is the first time that the court has not rescheduled it.
Kraken Has a Plan for the United Arab Emirates

One of the top 50 cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume, Kraken could be looking to strengthen their positions in the United Arab Emirates, if a job posting for a UAE-based managing director is any indication. The company also advertised a vacancy for a compliance officer in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, around three months ago.

Source: iStock/Jetlinerimages

Krakens current vacancy, advertised as onsite and full-time, includes responsibilities such as, responsible for the overall success of Kraken within the UAE market, provide leadership and guidance to the Kraken UAE team, and Interact with UAE regulators as necessary to ensure appropriate regulatory standing and compliance.

The job requirements also show that the company is looking for a candidate with ten or more years of experience in business development, operations, or general management, as well as experience in Crypto/Blockchain, FinTech, Brokerage/Exchange, Financial Services, Technology and knowledge of financial regulatory compliance.

The exchange declined to comment.

A previous job posting for a compliance officer shows that Kraken has been working with its undisclosed UAE plan for a while now, and trying to do it in a manner compliant with any regulations. According to the listing, the job would require the employee to be the primary point of contact for regulators and banking partners in UAE and regionally (Middle East and North Africa - MENA) including, but not limited to, the ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market) and FSRA (Financial Services Regulatory Authority) as well as coordinate with Corporate Compliance to ensure compliance policies are in alignment with both UAE and corporate expectations, identify potential areas of compliance vulnerability and risk, and assess general compliance risks for all new products and services offered to the MENA market, and recommend appropriate risk mitigation strategies.

The exchange, that was founded in San Francisco in 2011, and is ranked 46th (10:43 UTC) by trading volume (USD 95 million in the past 24 hours) claims it has more than 4 million clients "all over the world." It's not available in seven countries (Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Japan, North Korea, Tajikistan) and Washington State and New York.

Trading volume on Kraken:

Source: coinpaprika.com

In February, the company reportedly was on the cusp of completing a USD 100 million funding round financed by its larger customers.

Meanwhile, the Emirates seem to be entering the crypto game as a force to be reckoned with. For example, in the last six months, the UAE was second in the world by amount raised during token sales (USD 228 million, or 12.9% of the total amount,) according to token sale data provider CoinSchedule. However, by the number of token sales, the UAE was outside the top 10 countries.

Token sales in the past six months:

Source: CoinSchedule

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Weekly LocalBitcoins, a peer-to-peer bitcoin marketplace, volume (in bitcoin) in the UAE:
"Game of Thrones: Season 8" continues disappointing its audience in the third episode, which is only saved by the fact that it is the first episode where anything with long-lasting effects happens in the new season.

The episode follows the joint-coalition of the living, of course excluding the armies promised by the selfish-minded Cersei, and the defense of Winterfell against the hordes of the undead and White Walkers. While the action is visceral and surreal, the overall narrative fails to please. Most of the action that was filmed, and not computer-generated, looked great, but the computer-generated images looked like hand-puppets made out of Play-Doh  especially the undead giant.

Our heroes begin the episode with a foolish battle plan that involves leaving the walled-protection of Winterfell to face the armies of the death on equal turf: the fields outside the city. There, the hordes of dead easily overwhelm most of the living army, while the cold, invited by the Night King, blisters away in the sky, providing a smokescreen against the draconic incursions of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) who ride atop the dragons Drogon and Rhaegal, respectively.

With the support of the red witch Melisandre, the main characters manage to hide behind trenches of fire, but the dead easily throw themselves over the pits to form bridges for their brethren. Body after body falls during the admittedly expertly filmed action sequences. Fan favorites such as Jorah (Iain Glen) and Lyanna Mormont (Bella Ramsey), as well as Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) and countless other living characters die sacrificing themselves to kill the undead.

Much of the second episode featured characters overstating the security of Winterfell's crypts. Fans accurately predicted that these foreshadowed the dead rising and attacking civilians hiding from the conflict. Meanwhile, above ground, the living all but perished.

After several scenes of deftly sneaking around Winterfell (presumably with a concussion, a la the blow she suffered to the forehead and the blurry camera-effects that followed) to evade the dead that have overrun it, Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) is confronted by Melisandre. She asks, What do we say to the god of death? in a clear call-back to Aryas mentor, Syrio Forel, from the first season of the show. Arya replies in kind, Not today, as she takes off.

Meanwhile Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are vastly rendered useless. While some scenes of their dragon rides are heart-racing, the two fail to have much of an effect on the larger battle or against the leader they need to defeat to stop the undead horde. As the Night King sets off through the burning rubble to capture Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Jon follows, as if foreshadowing a confrontation. After several high-stakes chase scenes involving Jon, he is finally impeded by the undead Viserion, Daenerys third dragon enthralled to the Night King. Jon tries to get past but is ultimately unable to pursue the Night King as he approaches.

The White Walkers trap Bran within the Godswood, a secluded grove. Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) is the last left to defend Bran, and Theon, in the ultimate sacrifice, redeems himself for any slight against the Starks as he single-handedly charges the Night King with a spear. Of course, the Night King bats him aside like hes nothing, and advances on Bran without much in the way to stop him.

It seems as if it is the end of the line  the living are dead, and the dead are winning.

Suddenly, Arya Stark drops out of nowhere, halting the death and destruction at the last minute by stabbing the Night King in the stomach with her dagger. The entire army of the dead, including Viserion, disappears into dust, and Melisandre, seeing that her mission is complete, walks off into the rising sun of dawn as the ghastly blizzard clears up. Just like that, the longest episode in "Game of Thrones" eight-season history is over with one little stab eliminating all the conflict at once.

While its easy to cheer for Arya and her victory, audiences should instead be shaking their fists at the showrunners for building up an impossible scenario for the heroes to escape from and at the last second saving them because the enemy, who was superior in every way, is defeated by a last-minute hero appearing out of nowhere.

The victory is undeserved. The entire episode accentuated the stupidity of characters that should have been written to know better than to make the mistakes they did. The Stark-Targaryen coalition essentially threw their army away to build onto the numbers of the dead. Their defenses were poorly thought-out and their plan had enough holes to pictorially represent Swiss cheese.

Who would ever think that the Night King, who can raise the dead, would raise the dead trapped underground where the most vulnerable occupants of Winterfell are housed? Not our heroes, it seems.

Now, our heroes are once again poised to take the Iron Throne, but this time, they are tired, bruised and battered, and most importantly without an army. How ever will they depose Cersei and her Golden Company of mercenaries? Probably through plot-armor, heavy-handed writing, a convenient disposal of a character or two for dramatic effect, and hasty CGI.

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WAYNESBORO  A 20-year-old man entered a homes unlocked front door, snatched a 4-year-old girl from her bed and bound and stuffed her into a wooden trunk at his grandparents house, telling police hed been scoping out children who he thought lived in deplorable conditions, according to a criminal complaint.

The child was reported missing at 3:30 a.m. Thursday and was found that morning near the house where Thomas Dewald had been staying in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania State Police said.

No parent or child should ever have to worry about whether theyre safe in their homes, State police Lt. Mark Magyar said late Monday.

On Monday, a state trooper investigating the kidnapping spoke to Dewalds grandmother, since her red brick house matched the childs description. The woman told the officer she had entered her grandsons room in previous days to see if he had made his bed, and thought she heard a baby crying near a wall air conditioning unit, the affidavit said. She said she couldnt find the source of the crying, and Dewald had already left for work. The woman told police hed been staying with her for about four or five weeks.

Troopers searched the home and found a wooden trunk under the air conditioning unit. Inside it was black tape covered in blond hair, dirt and grass, the affidavit said.

Dewald returned home as the troopers wrapped up the investigation and police say in the affidavit that he admitted to taking the girl.

He told troopers he had been canvassing neighborhoods, looking for unsupervised children who seemed to live in deplorable conditions and in homes with no video surveillance nearby, the affidavit said. He went on to tell them he entered the 4-year-olds home and after an hour inside decided to take her based on the condition of the house, according to the affidavit. Police allege he told them he considered taking the girls brother, but decided he was too heavy to carry down the stairs.

According to the affidavit, he told police he might have touched the girl inappropriately once in his room at his grandparents house. Police say he told officers he then taped the girls wrists, ankles and mouth and put her in a wooden chest, telling her he would be home from work around noon.

About 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the girl somehow escaped the residence, police said.

According to the affidavit, Dewald told troopers he broke into another home on Sunday, intending to take one of the three children residing there, but decided their living conditions were acceptable. State police also say he was frightened by the family dog. He also put tape on the bottom of his shoes so he wouldnt leave shoe prints, the affidavit said.

Dewald was arrested and faces multiple charges in both incidents, including kidnapping, criminal attempt kidnapping, burglary, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint, criminal trespass and indecent assault.

Dewald remains in Franklin County Jail.
I dont have any student debt and it isnt because I was born into a wealthy family.

My father was an accountant. We lived in a middle-class neighborhood. My parents paid for my college education because my mother, who guarded the family finances like a team of Akitas, had a very simple spending policy: Dont buy anything you cant afford.

To this day, my widowed mother carries no mortgage, car payment or credit card debt.

By todays standards, such frugality is revolutionary.

Each household in the U.S. with a credit card carries $8,284 in credit card debt and Americans owe $1.5 trillion in student loans, according to debt.org.

But buck up. If you attended one of those super expensive  and therefore best  universities you couldnt afford, and took out loans that you wouldnt be able to repay if you lived to be 150, theres hope.

Yes, its Christmas morning again in the Democrats enchanted village and another presidential candidate is wearing the Santa suit.

Today, its Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) who wants to cancel student debt for 42 million people and, while were at it, make tuition free for all Americans.

That all sounds fantastic.

But before I go on, lets establish that college tuition is out of control. In fact, the price of college is increasing almost eight times faster than wages, according to forbes.com.

Of course, a big part of the reason for this is that the government will loan tremendous sums of money to anyone with a pulse. Colleges are going to get their money one way or the other, no matter what they charge.

Now that thats out of the way, Warrens loan forgiveness proposal, not-so-thinly disguised as yet another wealth redistribution program, will cost $640 billion.

Warren wants to pay for this giveawayand stop me if this sounds familiar  by taxing rich people, as if its their fault people took out loans they either couldnt afford or had no intention of paying back.

Speaking of taxing rich people, theyre also supposed to pay for the Green New Deal, proposed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and would, among other things, do away with fossil fuels in 12 years and eventually eliminate the need for air travel. The sticker price for such fantasmagoria is somewhere in the neighborhood of $51 trillion and $93 trillion, depending on whose numbers you believe.

Sen. Bernie Sanderss (D-VT) Medicare for All proposal would increase federal spending by about $32 trillion over the next decade.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) wants to give a tax credit to Americans who dont owe taxes  $3,000 for singles and $6,000 for married couples. This would cost about $3 trillion over the next 10 years. Of course, if youre married and make over $100,000 per year, forget it. Not only will you not get the credit, your taxes will increase because she wants to reverse President Trumps 2017 tax cut.

There are other, equally unrealistic ideas on the table.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) wants to give every U.S. born child a $1,000 savings account.

Warren is also a proponent of universal child care.

I often wonder if the Democrats running for president are really serious about these proposals.

Its entirely fantasy, its unrealistic. These are just talking points designed to appeal to the fringe of their party, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Politico in February.

He might be right. After all, you can propose anything and if it doesnt work, blame someone else.

If I ever decide to run for office I have a few ideas.

I call for the funding of flying cars.

I plan to arrange for the personal delivery of a turkey to every American family on Christmas morning.

And furthermore, I propose that we fund research to develop Milk Duds as a source of fuel for automobiles, thus eliminating the need for gasoline by 2025. This will dovetail nicely with my Pixy Stix resolution.

I dont know what any of this is going to cost or whos really going to pay for it but that doesnt seem to bother the Democrats.

Never let reality stand in the way of a good pipedream.

Rich Manieri is a Philadelphia-born journalist and author. He is currently a professor of journalism at Asbury University in Kentucky. You can reach him at manieri2@gmail.com.

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Question: Regarding my posts about the terrible perversion of Torah and halacha that Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky has engineered with his prod...

Absolute proof that the Vaccines are an intentional Bio weapon foward this to your Doctor Inbox PATTERNS IN THE DEPLOYMENT OF TOXIC COVID ...

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Several firefighters and other emergency personnel were dispatched to an overturned fuel tanker truck on Old Highway C near Route 21 in Washington County on Monday.

According to the accident report, at 11:40 a.m., a 2019 Freightliner pulling a 2009 Heil tanker trailer and driven by Terrence Schreiber, 56, of Festus, was traveling westbound on Old Highway C when the right rear tire of the vehicle traveled off the roadway causing the truck to overturn and land in a ditch on the right side of the road directly in front of Valley High School.

A Washington County deputy was the first on the scene and quickly called for firefighters and HAZMAT crews to respond to the incident. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources was also contacted to address the incident.

Belgrade Fire Department was the first responding fire department and coordinated the scene. A request for additional manpower was dispatched about 3 p.m. to aid in the efforts.

Belgrade Assistant Fire Chef Ryan Hagermann said that an estimated 300 gallons of unleaded gasoline had leaked out of the tank but was contained.

A wrecker tow truck was called to pull the tanker from the ditch. The crews then sprayed the ground and the tanker with fire retardant foam while other crew members began prepping for the truck to be overturned by rigging cables and draining the remaining fuel from the tanker. The effort took several hours and continued into the evening.

Schreiber was taken to Washington County Memorial Hospital by Washington County Ambulance where he was treated for minor injuries.

Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3628, or at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com.

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The Mineral Area College Fine Arts Show is happening now, and the Mineral Area K-12 Art Show is on its way. Both events are free and open to the public.

First, MAC student artwork from both the fall and spring semesters is currently on display in the Fine Arts building on campus. The display runs until Friday and is a collaboration between the Mineral Area College Art Department and the MAC Art Club.

On Saturday, an explosion of artwork from local K-12 students will be on full display from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Bob Sechrest Field House on the MAC campus.

At 1 p.m. ribbons and cash prizes will be presented in an awards ceremony. A duo of art educators from outside of the Parkland area will serve as judges to determine prize winners at this years event.

The K-12 event is sponsored by the Mineral Area Council on the Arts (MACOA) and Mineral Area College. It is a cooperative effort between instructors who inspire Parkland area students. Last years event had 1,560 art entries representing 15 public districts, private schools, and home schools.

MACOA Director Danielle Basler said they are always impressed with the creativity of student artists and the volume of high-quality artwork being produced at our local schools.

Our annual art show is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the creative accomplishments of students in our area and is the perfect way to cap off our season each year, said Basler.

Instructors select the artwork from their students according to grade and media (oils, water color, clay, fabrics, photography, etc.). In addition, the instructors are responsible for transporting the pieces to the campus and setting up displays. Basler said each teacher is limited to how many pieces may be entered so it is quite the honor for a student to have work selected for display.

The K-12 Art Show is always an exciting conclusion to our season, said Basler. A great amount of passion, skill and creativity will be on display, and we take pleasure in seeing the students satisfaction and pride as they present their artwork to family, friends, and the community.

Financial assistance for the Mineral Area Council on the Arts annual arts series is provided by the Missouri Arts Council. For more information on this or other Arts Council programming and volunteer opportunities, contact Danielle Basler at 573-518-2125 or visit www.mineralareaarts.org

Matt McFarland is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3616, or at mmcfarland@dailyjournalonline.com.

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DEAR HARRIETTE: A co-worker informed me that his 13-year-old daughter is having suicidal thoughts. He asked her if she was facing bullying at school, but she denies it. He does not know where these thoughts are coming from. He is thinking about therapy, but that is it. It is a difficult situation to hear. How can I take action to support his family? -- Suicidal Thoughts

DEAR SUICIDAL THOUGHTS: Sadly, teen suicide rates have risen alarmingly in recent years. One study suggests that teens die by suicide in greater numbers than by car accidents. Apparently, social media is part of the problem. The false sense of connection can actually prove to be quite lonely for teens and does not help them navigate these difficult years.

You can help your friend by being an active listener and suggesting reading materials that may help him to make smart choices to support his daughter. If you ever hear something that sounds particularly alarming, suggest that your friend take his daughter to the hospital at once. Potential suicide is an emergency. Suggest that your friend read up about suicide at suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Another source of information is this helpful article from USA Today: bit.ly/2XjEqbS.

For anyone, teenager or otherwise, who is feeling vulnerable and having suicidal thoughts, there is a hotline you can call where a real person will talk to you and listen to you so that you don't have to feel alone. That number is 1-800-273-8255.

DEAR HARRIETTE: When I am busy, I often rely on my boyfriend to watch our daughter. He always agrees to watch her if I am away handling business for a couple of days. However, I found out that he usually passes her off to his mother instead of watching her himself. I am not sure how to feel about this. Should I be grateful that I have someone to watch her for the weekend or complain to him about being responsible for her? -- Who's Watching My Baby?

DEAR WHO'S WATCHING MY BABY?: Check in with his mother to make sure that she is comfortable taking care of her grandchild during the times that you are away. If she is fine with it, you can feel some relief. If she needs help, find out what it is, and see if you can provide it somehow. That would be the time to sit down with your boyfriend -- not to scold him, but to let him know that this is a strain on his mother.

If grandma is enjoying spending time with her granddaughter, don't jump in and complain. It is fairly common for male partners to get other family members to help with the children when mom is away. Is it fair? No. Is it real? Yes. Complaining about him and putting him down for not accepting his responsibilities will not suddenly make it better. More likely, the outcome will be that he will resent you. Hopefully he will grow to have a close relationship with his daughter, and he will choose to spend more time with her. Your positive input can help to foster that bond.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been in a relationship for 26 years, but I am still not married. I have built a life, a home and a family with this man, but we have not taken the next step. I am waiting for him to show me that he appreciates me by marrying me. It just isn't happening. I am tired of waiting. Is it worth staying, or should I finally move on? -- The Next Step

DEAR THE NEXT STEP: You have stayed in this relationship for nearly 30 years. Why? It's time for you to assess your reasons for remaining committed to this union and for creating, as you say, "a life, a home and a family with this man."

To walk away now because he has not married you seems illogical. You should have put your foot down years ago to make it clear that being married to him was a requirement in order for him to get the rest of the package. You cannot blame him because you did not enforce the requirements that live in your heart.

Tell him that you love your life, but there is a big part missing for you -- the formal step of legally getting married. Ask him to marry you. Tell him that you have wanted to be married to him for all these years, and you don't want to wait any longer. See if that gets him to budge. If not, you may be disappointed, but ask yourself, is walking away really what you want?

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am considering having children in the near future. Several issues regarding parenting choices have made headlines recently, particularly about vaccinations. I have seen good reasons for vaccinating and good reasons not to. I want to make the best choices for the family I create. I am leaning more against vaccinating, but I understand that society would shame me. How do I deal with the decision I make in a society that revolves around western medicine? -- Vaccinations and Social Pressure

DEAR VACCINATIONS AND SOCIAL PRESSURE: Vaccinations are one of many hot-button issues for parents. As you can see right now, however, the question about vaccinations has a lot to do with the bigger issue of public health. What you must do is research the pros and cons of vaccinating your child. It is a no-brainer for me; so many children are vulnerable and ill because they were exposed to measles without their bodies having the protection offered by vaccinations, which has been routinely required for generations.

I have traveled a lot and witnessed communities without access to the vaccinations that we in the United States consider standard medicine. Routinely, their children and elderly succumb to illnesses that are easily preventable. I would not put my child at that type of risk.

If you choose to skip vaccinations, you will need to figure out where your child can be educated and engage others in order to protect him or her from exposure to a host of germs. Many parents make that choice. If you do, you will face certain scrutiny. Your response should be grounded in the facts and figures you are using to support your decision, not emotion.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am what we call middle-aged. I just turned 50, and it is unnerving me. I thought my life would be different than it is. Don't get me wrong -- things are OK. I am a single mom of an irritable teenage daughter. I have a good job and a nice home, but I am kind of bored with my life. When I was younger, I thought I would be living very differently by now.

I hate that I sound like I'm having a midlife crisis. I've heard about that, of course. Now I'm thinking there must be some truth to it. I am stressed and sad most of the time. I snap at my daughter on a daily basis, and I don't know how to get out of this spiral of emotions. -- SOS, Dallas

DEAR SOS: Questioning your life's choices and value is common for men and women around your age. And, yes, it can be daunting to live through a period when things seem hopeless, stagnant or boring. Add to that a child who is discovering herself and pushing the boundaries, and you have a recipe for daily discomfort. One thing that could make you feel somewhat better is acknowledging that you are not alone. Many people suffer from similar feelings and attitudes at this stage in their lives. That said, if you cannot shake off the negativity, get some help. That can include professional support, like going to a therapist. You can also add an activity to your schedule that you consider fun. Pick a hobby, class or outing that you can do every week, either alone or with a friend that will break your current patterns and get you to think differently about your life.

DEAR HARRIETTE: Mostly I communicate with people via email or text. I realized recently that I hardly ever talk to people on the phone.

Given that, I don't understand why people who know me hardly ever spell my name right. I have a slightly different spelling than the average person, but some of the people who misspell my name have very unusual names that I get right. I find this annoying. It is my name, for crying out loud. I often send a little reminder note at the end of a communication pointing out the correct spelling of my name. Even then, people often don't take the time to spell it right in the next communication. What can I do to get people to care? -- Spell My Name Right, Cleveland

DEAR SPELL MY NAME RIGHT: I suffer from the same problem. There are three ways to spell my name, mine being the longest and most old-fashioned, I think. I have done the same thing as you: In a pleasant FYI, I tell the person my correct spelling followed by a smiley face. It works less than half the time.

Here's something you can test out. For someone who is not a business associate -- as you don't want to beta test with your livelihood -- misspell that person's name in your communication. Hopefully the person will notice and say something, to which you can say, "See how it feels?! Now, would you please try to spell my name right?" It's worth a shot.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm feeling very sad and a little scared right now. I just learned that a man I used to know many years ago died from the flu. He was in his mid-50s.

I've read about the flu being lethal this year, but this has hit close to home. Like so many people, this guy didn't have insurance, so he was trying to heal at home. He didn't go to the doctor when he was feeling sick because he couldn't afford it. I'm told that he was resting at home trying to get better, but he ended up dying in his house. I feel so bad about this. Sad for him that he died alone, even though he had a lot of friends.

Also, it's scary. I don't have insurance. When I get sick, I go to the doctor only if it's really bad. I'm guessing he had no idea he could possibly die. How can you know that for sure? I am feeling my mortality and not knowing what to do right now. -- Fearing Death, Milwaukee

DEAR FEARING DEATH: It has been reported that this year's flu epidemic rivals that of 2009, when our country battled swine flu. Many people are suffering, and quite a few -- from children all the way to elders -- have died. The threat of this illness is real.

For people who do not have insurance, you can still get medical help if you feel you are in a life-or-death situation. You cannot be turned away at a hospital emergency room. You will be treated and will be able to pay later for the service. Obviously, you don't want to do that unless it's necessary. Warning signs that you could be in trouble, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, include difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, severe or persistent vomiting or flulike symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough. For more information about the flu, go to cdc.gov/flu/takingcare.htm.

You are also grieving. Even though you were not close to this man, his death has stirred a lot of concerns in you. This is normal. Consider attending a grief workshop. You may be able to find a free one at a local house of worship.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My sister was recently diagnosed with cancer, and it sounds like it's pretty bad. She has decided not to tell anyone about her illness because the doctors have told her that there's nothing she can do about it, and she doesn't want to worry her husband or friends. I think this is crazy. Her husband is going to be devastated and angry if he doesn't find out before she dies. I also think he will be angry with me for keeping my sister's secret. Do you think I should tell him? I know this is my sister's life, but I feel like I'm caught in a terrible situation. -- Should I Tell?, Aberdeen, Maryland

DEAR SHOULD I TELL?: You should not tell anyone without your sister's permission. You do have a heavy burden to bear since she told you, but your duty is to stay true to her. Do your best to tend to her needs. Ask her what she would like you to tell them when the time comes. Perhaps you can get her to write something or talk it through with you.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband and I just had our first child. We are loving being parents so far, but are having a serious debate about whether we should be teaching our daughter how to swim. My husband was trained to swim as an infant by his parents and supervised by an instructor. He explained to me the process of infant swim training. He says he is glad his parents made him go through this, and he wants to put our daughter in these classes. I have looked up online what the training entails, and I am disturbed by it. There has been controversy about whether it is good for the child. My husband is very set on this, but I am not 100 percent comfortable with it. How do I get him to change his mind about the swim classes? -- Not for Swim Training My Infant, Washington, D.C.

DEAR NOT FOR SWIM TRAINING MY INFANT: Full disclosure: I learned to swim at age 4. My younger sister was a few months old. I got my daughter swim lessons starting at 11 months old. In other words, I am a believer in early swim training. That said, I feel strongly that you should find a certified swim teacher for your infant. What you can do to feel more comfortable is to identify a class that is focused on infants. We used the YMCA, which has swim programs across the country.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a 28-year-old woman who is in a steady relationship. I am currently on birth control (an IUD that lasts three years at a time). I am due to have it removed next month. I have discussed it with my partner, but I have not asked him if I should be getting another IUD that lasts three years. I don't want to assume that we will be having a child anytime soon, but I also don't want to automatically throw it off the table by getting another birth control device put in. Should I discuss this with my boyfriend, and if so, how? -- Birth Control Confused, Charlotte, North Carolina

DEAR BIRTH CONTROL CONFUSED: Given your age, the status of your relationship and the parameters of your birth control method, it is time for you to have a serious talk with your boyfriend about the future. If you get the IUD now, you will be 31 before you remove it. Do you want to wait that long to consider having a child? Decide for yourself what you think about your future, and then broach the topic with your boyfriend.

Birth control can sometimes make a couple feel like the pressure to make decisions about the future has been removed, but that should not be the case. Now is a perfect time for you to talk about your plans. What do the two of you want for your lives? This should include whether you think you are in the relationship for the long haul, whether you want to have children and, if so, when. If your boyfriend gets agitated when you bring this up, remind him that there is a natural reason for it. You have to decide about the IUD.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My birthday is coming up, and I am torn about what I should do. My friends from college want me to come back and celebrate with them, my boyfriend wants me to visit him for the weekend and my friends from home want me to stay at home so I can celebrate with them. Ideally, I would love to see all of these people on my birthday or that weekend, but I know how unrealistic that is. Is there any way I could make a decision that hurts the fewest number of people? I'm not sure what I want to do, so any advice on how I should weigh the pros and cons of each situation would be much appreciated! -- Birthday Plan Problems, Sarasota, Florida

DEAR BIRTHDAY PLAN PROBLEMS: Sit back and think about what you would most like to do for your birthday -- and with whom. Next, analyze if it's possible for any of your friends to come together so that you can be with some or all of them. Talk to your boyfriend and tell him your dilemma and your desire to celebrate with everyone. Ask him to come to wherever you will be.

If not everyone can travel to be together, choose where you want to go for your birthday, and tell the others that you will make a plan to see them in the near future. Do not discuss every detail with all of your friends, as that will get them too involved and lead to unmanaged expectations.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a college student who still lives in the dorms on campus. My roommate just got sick, and I am worried I am going to get sick. I have a ton of exams next week and cannot afford to catch anything. I have done all the proper precautions, like taking vitamin C drinks and washing my hands constantly.

I feel bad for my roommate and try to help her as much as I can, but I try to stay out of the room as much as possible. Whenever I come home, there are always tissues all over the room. I know that she can't help being ill, but I think she could be a little more considerate and try to keep her dirty tissues in one place so the sickness is not being spread around even more. Should I bring this up to her now while she is sick, or just forget about it and deal with the dirty tissues? -- Tissue-Monster Roommate, Cambridge, Massachusetts

DEAR TISSUE-MONSTER ROOMMATE: You should speak to your roommate immediately. Ask her to put her tissues in a closed garbage can or bag right after use. Tell her how sorry you are that she is sick and that you are working overtime not to get sick yourself. Ask her to support the health of your room by keeping it as tidy as possible. Be kind and acknowledge that you know she doesn't feel well. Point out that this year there are record numbers of people getting the flu and other illnesses. Ask her to help you by not spreading her germs.

You should keep up with your preventive regimen, especially keeping your hands and surfaces clean, not touching your face or mouth and keeping your home tidy.

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106

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The Wi-Fi on my flight from Rome to Newark wasn't working, so phones were buzzing about Notre Dame as soon as we hit the runway. After the initial shock and sadness, gratitude was expressed. There are upsides to being disconnected: At least we didn't have to watch something we couldn't control on live television. Before we knew much of anything, including the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage, that seemed to be an instant lesson.

I've never been to Paris, so I've never been to the cathedral there. But on Monday I did the closest thing I could after I cleared customs: I went to the cathedral in Newark. The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is an under-appreciated treasure. It's safe to say that most people do not travel to New York City only to hop on the train to Newark to pray. More should. As it happens, the Mass schedule was changed up for Holy Week, so my visit was short that day. But had I stayed on, I may have run into the man who would later be arrested in my home cathedral of Saint Patrick's on Fifth Avenue. He had to be removed by police at the Sacred Heart cathedral for refusing to leave on Monday. On Wednesday, he was caught trying to set fire to "America's Parish Church" over the Hudson.

I mention this all not only because it hits a little close to home, but because the reactions people have had to the Notre Dame fire are a sign of hope in the world. We live at time when so many of us seem to be living lives as partial spectators, upset about things we have no control over, letting our moods and even health be impacted by politics and the churning tides of the news cycle. Not only is there more to life than the Mueller report, there's even more to life than people's takes on it.

Churches are full of stories -- about the people who gave from their earnings to help pay for them, about the skill that created a gift to God and man to help us reach to heaven. They continue to be full of stories. It seemed to me a miracle of God that during Holy Week so many people on both sides of the Atlantic were talking about "Our Lady" and were transfixed by a church.

Questions remain -- not about whether or how France will rebuild, because money is clearly being raised and I assume the pressure will be high to not mess with something so seemingly close to perfection -- but about whether this shared experience people had of watching the burning of Notre Dame will keep us from falling into the false security and complacency that can dominate our lives.

One thing that strikes me about churches in Rome is that you always run into someone looking for money outside them. This happens in urban areas in America, but in Rome the churches are tourist attractions (even more than they are places of worship these days, sadly). The beggars we see sitting outside churches should not be considered nuisances. They should be opportunities to learn about and help another human being, chances to reflect on the shared miracle of life and the obligations that miracle brings with it.

We can build great cathedrals with the way we live our lives, by how we love. Next time you are in a church with even an inch of beauty -- maybe it can be today -- don't miss the opportunity to remember that it could be your last chance to really begin to live by the measure of love, reaching high above the muck of social media and the outrage machine of cable news. So many people seemed to have their selfies to show from Notre Dame, but what about the stories of conversion?

The smoke and flames at Notre Dame, the scare at St. Patrick's -- these can light a fire under us. We won't be here forever, and there's much work to be done on the infrastructure of love in our lives.

Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review Online and founding director of Catholic Voices USA. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com

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Everyone eligible should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

Vaccination should be voluntary but those who don't get vaccinated should be frequently tested for COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel and employment.

Both vaccination and testing should be voluntary and not required as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

I defer to the judgment of lawmakers as long as they base their decisions on a consensus of medical professionals.

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He has been cited by Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed on radio, TV and in social media.





For many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.





Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications.



A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.



He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and was inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame. He received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. The Award is the Section's highest honor. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.









Cirucci's passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel. In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, Matt Rooney's sidekick on Save Jersey's weekly videocast and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.
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.
Staytion takes out the middleman. Instead of a property owner or manager having to meet with a client to give them the key or take back the key to a property, Staytion installs a smart lock device and then sends the renter the code, so the property owner or manager doesnt have to take out the time to meet the renter.
Bangladesh: Oil spills into canal as freight train derails in Chattogram

April 30,2019 | Source: United News of Bangladesh

Oil spilled into a canal after a freight train carrying furnace oil derailed in Egaromile area of Hathazari upazila on Monday afternoon. Md Ruhul Amin, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Hathazari, said three tanks of the furnace oil-laden train veered off the tracks around 3pm.



One of the tanks fell into a canal, he said, adding that the canal meets the Halda River. He, however, said they erected an embankment along the canal instantly to prevent the spillage of oil into the Halda River, the largest fish spawning ground in the country. Manager of Bangladesh Railway East Zone Borhan Uddin said there were around 75 tonnes of furnace oil in the three tanks. The seven-tank freight train carrying furnace oil was going to Hathazari 100 MW Power Plant, he said, adding that work began to salvage the derailed tanks.

 United News of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: Boats, dredgers endanger Halda's broodfish

by Anwar Hussain

April 30,2019 | Source: Dhaka Tribune

Broodfish are dying from traumatic injuries in the Halda riverBangladeshs largest natural breeding ground for carps. Halda researchers and local spawn collectors attributed the deaths to engine-run boats and dredgers engaged in extracting sand from the river. The repeated incidence of fish deaths, particularly during the spawning season, have turned out to be a big cause for concern for local spawn collectors. In 2010, the government had declared 40km of the Halda riverfrom Nazirhat to Kalurghatas a sanctuary for aquatic animals. Plying of mechanized boats in the river is prohibited between March and July every year.



From April to May, different species of mother fish, like the catla (South Asian carp), rui (labeo rohita), mrigal (cirrhinus mrigala) and kalbaoush (labeo calbasu) migrate to the spawning grounds of Halda. On April 27, a mrigal fish weighing around 12 kg was found floating on the river, and later handed over to the Halda River Research Laboratory to determine the cause of death. Speculating about its cause of death, Prof Manzoorul Kibria, coordinator of the Halda River Research Laboratory, said: "Three wounds were found on the 104-centimetre-long mrigal fish, which might have died after being hit by the propeller of an engine-run boat or a sand-extracting dredger.



"Unfortunately, the gonad of the 10-year-old fish was found to be full of eggs. The broodfish would have laid them in the river within a few days," he added. Kibria also informed that the district administration had stopped leasing out the sand quarries following the deaths of 18 dolphins, between September 17, 2017 and February 1, 2018. "The ban on mechanized boats and dredgers during spawning season should be enforced strictly for the sake of conserving the river's ecosystem. The Department of Fisheries, Department of Environment and local administration should strictly monitor this," Kibria added. Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ruhul Amin said they are constantly on the lookout for ensuring a safe spawning environment in the river.



"Recently, we seized 10 engine-run boats from the Halda river. We also jailed and fined three offenders. In most cases, the mechanized boats travel the river at night, making them difficult to apprehend," Ruhul explained. Azharul Islam, a Hathazari upazila fisheries officer, claimed that they have been regularly conducting drives to ensure a safe environment for aquatic animals in the river. On April 9, a mrigal weighing 8kg was found dead in the river's Khalifaghona point. Bruises were found on the body of the broodfish. On March 4, a 12-kg catla fish and a long-whiskered catfish were found floating on the river at Gorduara point.



Additionally, the survival of critically endangered dolphins is also at stake in the Halda river. On April 16, a six-month-old dolphin was found floating at Madunaghat point of the river with scars. A total of four broodfish were found floating dead on the river between March 4 and April 27. Mahbubul Alam, president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), said the livelihoods of a huge number of people, including fry collectors and hatchers, depend on spawn from the river. "The direct contribution of the river to the national economy is worth about Tk800 crore every year, he said. However, he claimed, the river is now in poor condition due to various reasons, including untreated industrial effluent, sand extraction, encroachment and discharge of domestic waste. "As a result, death of broodfish have now become a regular phenomenon. The natural resource will no longer exist if the current scenario continues, the CCCI president added.

 2012-2019. 2A Media Limited
Pakistan: Glacier Watch: Indus Basin

April 30,2019 | Source: Geopolitical Monitor

Many of the worlds most iconic river systems  the Mekong, Indus, Yangtze  are fed by glaciers that both supply and modulate their water flow. Now these glaciers are melting due to climate change, threatening irrigation systems, electricity generation, and drinking water reserves in some of the most densely populated areas of the planet. No two glaciers are exactly the same. Theyre melting at different rates, with some entering their terminal decline sooner than others. The repercussions vary as well. In some cases, reductions in glacier runoff have a negligible effect on downstream flow. In others, they can severely disrupt local water systems, particularly those with antiquated and wasteful extraction methods.



The concept of peak water is key to understanding glacier decline. As overall glacier mass shrinks, higher-than-average run-off is produced during the melt season. However, these run-off levels will eventually peak, and a period of terminal  and essentially irreversible  decline will follow. Every glacier has a unique peak water threshold. According to a study published by Nature Climate Change, around 45% of the worlds glacier-fed basins have already passed this point, including the source of the Brahmaputra. Another 22% of basins are predicted to be trending up in run-off through to 2050, including the Indus and Ganges headwaters, which are expected to peak in 2070 and 2050 respectively. The threat of glacier melt is difficult to assess in isolation. Water systems across the globe are already being taxed by other stressors such as dam construction, irrigation, and extraction for municipal or industrial use. Its widely accepted that glacier melt will exacerbate these problems, albeit to differing degrees. This series will examine some of the worlds most vulnerable glacier-fed water systems.



One of South Asias iconic water systems



The Indus Basin covers an area of around 1.1 million square kilometers, starting in the Hindu Kush, Karakorum, and Himalaya mountains before draining into the Arabian Sea in a vast 600,000-hectare delta. Upstream portions incorporate parts of China, Afghanistan, and India, while most of the downstream area falls within Pakistan. The system feeds the 3,000 km-long Indus River, which is the 8th longest in the world.



Its hard to overstate the importance of the Indus Basin system to the 237 million people who live within it. The basins waters are essential for drinking, food security, and the health of local, fishing-based economies in Pakistan. Fish production (which is 63% marine and 37% inland) accounts for one of Pakistans top-10 exports. The health of these communities is an important and oft-unquantifiable consideration; their economic collapse generally leads to rapid urbanization, sectarian conflict, and popular upheaval against the state authorities.



Aquaculture is one economic standout, as the industry is one of the fastest growing in the world and it already contributes 1% of Pakistans GDP. Yet the industry is already in trouble: its growing at just 1.5% per year, far behind the rate in neighbors like India and Bangladesh, and some are even predicting the collapse of aquaculture in Pakistan within 20 years. At fault is years of unregulated overfishing, along with dam-building and climate change which are destroying species diversity. The problem is especially pronounced in the 600,000 hectares of mangrove forests in the Indus Delta. The unique mangrove ecosystem is ideal for shrimp farming, one of the most value-added fields of aquaculture. But the mangrove forests have been dying out as the Indus flow weakens; its estimated that some 86% of mangrove cover has been lost between 1966 and 2003  and its likely that the trend has progressed since then.



Reduced flow along the Indus has allowed saltwater to slowly creep upstream, rendering previously arable land unusable and forcing locals to uproot and move in search of greener pastures. Theres some 33 million hectares of cultivated cropland within the basin, served by an irrigation system of 40,000 miles of canals and 90,000 watercourses, all drawing water from the Indus along with other rivers like the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej.



Agriculture is a major part of Pakistans economy: some 24 million people are engaged in cultivation  or 40% of the economically active population  and the sector accounted for 22% of Pakistans GDP in 2009. Agricultural products are also lucrative export goods for Pakistan  a country that is currently grappling with a severe balance of payments crisis. Food exports account for around 13% of Pakistans total exports, and are a rare case of year-on-year growth. Rice is of particular importance, representing 60% of Pakistans food exports. It is one of the main crops thats cultivated in the Indus Basin, which, along with wheat and cotton, represent 77% of the total irrigated area. It is also an extremely water-hungry crop, making it reliant on heavy water extraction.\



A familiar array of water stressors



The pressures bearing down on ecosystems and livelihoods throughout the Indus Basin are the same as those elsewhere in the world. Broadly they can be divided into three categories: dam construction, water overuse and mismanagement, and the impacts of climate change, namely in the forms of increased evaporation from man-made reservoirs and glacier melt.



Dam-building started in the 1930s and continues to pick up pace despite flashing ecological warning signs. An economic rationale for dams is always close at hand in the form of Pakistans chronic electricity generation gap and the centrality of agriculture to the Pakistan economy. Two of the largest in Pakistan are the Mangla and Tarbela dams, but both are in decline due to silt build-up in their water storage facilities (the Indus and its tributaries are famously silt-heavy rivers). There are also plans to build at least two more massive dams on the Indus: a 4,500-megawatt dam in Gilgit-Baltistan and a 2,160 megawatt project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.



Most of the irrigation infrastructure in Pakistan dates back to the colonial era and is unsurprisingly not fit for purpose in the age of climate change. As a result, it extracts more than the water system is able to replenish and, given the stresses of population growth and economic development, withdrawals are growing with each passing year. This inefficiency is laid bare in the fact that Pakistan has the highest water intensity rate (water used per unit of GDP) in the world.



Pakistan isnt the only country that falls within the Indus Basin; in fact, as a downstream country its at a distinct geopolitical disadvantage vis-a-vis upstream actors like India, Afghanistan, and China. Regional cooperation mostly takes place under the umbrella of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between Pakistan and India, but the agreement is far from perfect. For one, it doesnt manage the system as a holistic whole, instead dividing up the major rivers between India and Pakistan (India gets the eastern three tributaries and Pakistan the western three). Second, it doesnt include other players like Afghanistan  which is starting to build its own upstream dams with the help of India  and China, which controls the Indus Basins headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau. China has been building its own dams in the area, sometimes without even informing its all-weather ally in Islamabad. And finally, the agreement has proven itself susceptible to the wax and wane of bilateral tensions between its two signatories. During the Kashmir crisis of early 2019, Indias transport minister threatened to divert water guaranteed to Pakistan under the treaty into India-controlled Kashmir.



Aquifer depletion is another factor that could accentuate water stresses in the region. Agricultural activities in the Indus Basin are fed by water from two sources: underground aquifers and the overland river system. The largest of these aquifers is shared between India and Pakistan, and it spans territory with a dense and fast-growing population. Unsurprisingly, extractions from this aquifer have been well over the rate of replacement, and it has been singled out by some studies as being one of the most overstressed groundwater reservoirs in the world.



The effects of water overuse are so pronounced that theyre now impacting the lives of ordinary citizens. Pakistan is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world according to a recent report from the IMF, and it continues to trend in the wrong direction, with some predicting that Pakistan could run dry (reach absolute water scarcity) by 2025. Supply-side fluctuations are made worse by Pakistans woeful storage capacity. In the words of Muhammad Khalid Rana of the Indus River System Authority: [Pakistan] has only two big reservoirs and we can save water for 30 days. India can store water for 190 days whereas the US can do it for 900 days.



The statistic that best encapsulates the severity of Pakistans water crisis is per capita water availability. In 2009, Pakistans water availability was about 1,500 cubic meters per person according to the IMF. Now, just ten years later, that number is 1,017  perilously close to the IMFs scarcity threshold of 1,000. Given the impact of climate change and lack of political will to adopt new measures in Islamabad, the problem will only be getting worse in the near future:



Glacier melt will exacerbate these pressures going forward



The Indus Basin is fed by glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau, and these glaciers are melting due to climate change. Glacier melt first produces an increase in water volume as long-frozen reserves are released, before entering into a permanent decline of reduced water volumes. Every glacier has its own peak water inversion point  some, like those feeding the Brahmaputra, have already passed this point and entered into long-term decline. The Indus Basin is expected to reach peak water around 2070, but these projections are based on future warming patterns that are difficult to predict. Current projections envision 36% glacier melt by 2100 in the event of 1.5C warming, and 65% in the event of a 6C warming. More certain is the effect on downstream volume once peak water is reached. Downstream runoff in the Indus Basin, along with that of its neighboring Balkhash, Tarim, Issyk-Kul, and Aral Sea basins, has been identified as particularly susceptible to the effects of glacier melt.

Forecast



Glacier melt in and of itself is not a portent of disaster. However, when added to an already tumultuous mix of ecological, economic, and political stressors it risks tipping the scales toward widespread displacement and upheaval. Pakistan in particular is already highly vulnerable due to its diminishing drinking water and irrigation resources, moribund fishing industry, electricity generation shortfall, and failing-yet-rapidly-expanding dam network. But perhaps the most troubling feature in Pakistans water crisis is the complete lack of political will in Islamabad to do anything about it. Against a growing chorus of domestic and international warnings, recent administrations were passing the buck forward until the National Water Policy was passed in 2018. But even this policy has been panned by experts as largely inadequate. The inconvenient fact of the matter is that Pakistan, a country that is already severely water-stressed, faces the near-term prospect of increased demand from a growing population along with decreased supply due to exhausted resources. If internal conflict is to be avoided, its going to take bold policies, infrastructure investments, and renewed cooperation on the regional level.So far were seeing none of it.

 2019 Geopoliticalmonitor Intelligence Corp.,
Andhra Pradesh: Freshwater fish prices soar as supply dips due to ban

by Nalla.Babu

April 30,2019 | Source: The Times of India

It is that time of the year again. Prices of fish are up owing to the annual 61-day fishing ban, leaving fish lovers disappointed at markets and restaurants. Prices of freshwater fish and prawn, for instance, in Visakhapatnam and parts of north Andhra Pradesh have gone up by 30% to 40% in the last few days. Fish sellers say that the prices will continue to rise in the coming days. The reason is not just the ban, but the high temperatures are also leading to the death of several species.



Prices of freshwater fish such as Koramenu (snakehead murrel) and Matta Gidasa (spotted snakehead), which costed Rs 450 and Rs 200 a kg, respectively, around two weeks back is now selling for Rs 600 and Rs 300 a kg, respectively. Similarly other freshwater fish such as catla, rohu, mrigala and rupchanda among other freshwater fish are priced at Rs 150-Rs 300 a kg depending on their size and availability. We have switched over to freshwater fish and also cut down on the quantity of purchase owing to the high prices, said Raghu D, a buyer.



Restaurants across the city, have either chosen to raise the prices of seafood dishes or have switched to freshwater fish and prawn only. We appeal to customers not to order seafood dishes during summer, said president of Andhra Pradesh Hotels Association (APHA), T Satyanarayana. Fish vendors, however, pointed out that prices of freshwater fish will also soar in the coming days owing to tanks and reservoir drying up in the north Andhra region. Prices will stabilise only after June, they said.

 2019 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd
When the state of Texas tried to execute Patrick Murphy on March 28, the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in. The high court ruled that the execution was unconstitutional. But it wasn't because of any concerns about due process or the morality of the state taking a life. The issue was religious freedom.





On the day of the execution, Murphy said he was ready to die.





Because ... when I went into the death house, I was fully prepared for death. Okay. I was mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepared to die.





Murphy was sent to death row for his role in the Texas Seven escape. In 2000, the group of Texas inmates managed to slip out of a maximum state prison. While on the run they committed numerous robberies, and on Christmas Eve they killed Irving Police Officer Aubry Hawkins as they stole guns from a sporting goods store. Murphy said he did not participate in the killing of Hawkins. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to die.





But when the appointed hour of his execution came and went, he was still alive and sitting in the death house cell. He figured something was happening.





Well, I knew that we were still waiting on ... the courts because ... they won't actually take us into the death chamber until all your legal actions are finished.





He sat waiting for two hours until ...





The assistant warden walked in, came through the door," Murphy said, "and said I had a stay. He remembered how the warden delivered the news in a straightforward business-like manner.





My first reaction was that I, I kind of covered my face with my hands ... [and] I said, 'oh, thank you.' ... I did weep a little bit. And then ... after that, my emotional state was pretty much turmoil. You know, I was kind of in shock. Yeah. Because I really wasn't expecting it.





Few were expecting the Supreme Court to hit pause on the execution. All the more surprising was the reasoning for the stay; religious freedom. Murphy is a Buddhist, and he requested that a Buddhist spiritual advisor accompany him in the death chamber.





Its a request that Texas routinely accommodates for Christian and Muslim inmates. Traditionally those religious advisors, who are employees of the prison system, stand at the foot of the execution gurney. After the prisoner is strapped in, they place a hand on his leg and silently pray as the lethal injection is delivered.





Murphy said, as a Buddhist, having a spiritual guide present at that final moment is critical.





We believe that at the time of death, if we can focus our attention, our meditative, that focus on the Buddha," he explained, "it will help us transition to our next life."





The Texas Prison system said because Murphys Buddhist advisor isnt a prison employee, they turned him down. The Supreme Court said that was unconstitutional.





But what was unusual about that is a similar case went before the Supreme Court just the month before and with a different outcome. Dominique Ray asked for a Muslim adviser for his execution in Alabama. The state turned him down, and the Supreme Court did not object. Ray was put to death.





Robert Dunham is the director of the Death Penalty Information Center.





I don't think there's any way that you can look at Dominique Ray's case and Patrick Murphy's case," he said, "and see one execution go forward and one execution not go forward ... and say that there's anything but inconsistent judgements by the court of the issues that were presented in the two cases were legally identical.





He added that this inconsistency has opened the Supreme Court to harsh criticism about how it handles death row appeals and the courts overall attitude about the death penalty  including another recent decision that ruled there is no right to a painless execution.





I think what we're seeing is in particular hostility to method of execution challenges that death row prisoners are bringing," he said, "but that's part of a general hostility to all the litigation that the court is seeing that they had been asking for stays of execution.





In the Patrick Murphy stay the Supreme Court ruled that for Texas to comply with the Constitution, it needed to allow all religions or none of them.





So the Texas prison system has now banned all religious advisors from the death chamber. Murphy said he found that decision cruel and reactionary, and that Texas could do better than that.





Texas more or less prides itself as being part of the Bible belt and being very, very religious state, he said.





Murphys stay did not stop Texas from executing others. In mid-April 2019, John William King was put to death for his role in the notorious dragging death of James Byrd Jr.





According to the Texas prison system, King did not request a religious advisor during his execution. And that was troubling to Father Ronald Foshage, a Catholic priest who ministered to Kings father and reached out to the convicted killer.





He wasnt a Catholic," Foshage said, referring to the death row inmate. "He believed in the Norse religion. He worshiped the warriors.





Nevertheless, Foshage said it was troubling that Texas had banned religion from the death chamber. He said the condemned deserve that last chance to ask for forgiveness, which is something King never did.





I told Bill King you have to ask for forgiveness or else the devil wins, he recalled.





As for Murphys date with death, he is waiting for a new execution warrant. That could be issued in a matter of months or years.





And when it does come, Murphy said hell be ready to die again.

 | 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



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Tiffany Moss convicted of murdering stepdaughter





It will likely go down as one of the least-surprising verdicts in the history of Georgia jurisprudence.





After deliberating just short of three hours, a Gwinnett County jury on Monday found Tiffany Moss guilty of murdering her stepdaughter Emani, starving the 10-year-old and then trying to burn her emaciated body. Moss, who took the unusual step of representing herself in a capital case, mounted no defense. She didnt ask a single question of the witnesses who testified against her and offered no opening statement or closing argument.





Upon hearing the guilty verdicts  for murder, felony murder, cruelty to children and trying to conceal death  Moss showed no emotion. But the jury of six men and six women appear conflicted over whether Moss, 36, should be sentenced to die.





At days end, they sent Superior Court Judge George Hutchinson a note saying they were at an impasse and wanted to go home and sleep on it. He granted the request and they will return Tuesday morning to continue deliberating.





In asking for a death sentence, Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter described in harrowing detail how how the body shuts down when denied food. Who in the world conceives of or executes a plan to starve a 10-year-old to death? he asked.   There are some crimes that are so horrible, so heinous, the only balance you can pay is with your life. Justice demands the proper payment.





It likely took weeks for Emani to die of starvation, Porter said. This meant Moss woke up every morning deciding, Im going to kill that baby (and) she did it without a second thought.





Moss does not deserve a sentence of life with parole because shes not going to change, Porter said. Shes shown you too much of her capacity for cruelty. There will always be that dark side waiting to come out. Some may think life without parole is worse than a death sentence because theyll think a killer will think about what he or she did every day for the rest of their life, Porter said. Not Moss, he insisted. Shes never going to think about that child again.





Hutchinson told Moss she could address the jury, present mitigating evidence, even have her relatives whove attended the trial testify on her behalf. He also asked Moss if there was anything he could do to help her in the sentencing phase. Moss declined all offers, and when Porter finished his closing, Moss once again passed up the opportunity to address the jury.





Earlier Monday, Assistant District Attorney Lisa Jones said Emanis tortured life began three years before her death in the fall of 2013. Thats when Tiffany Moss lashed the then six-year-old child with a belt for not doing her homework. After a teacher saw Emanis bruises, Moss was charged with child cruelty. She pleaded guilty, was placed on probation and lost her job.





After that, Moss despised Emani because of what happened, Jones said. She wasnt a child to her. She was a nuisance and she was a pain. Over the next few years, when the Moss family lived with relatives, Emani thrived because there were others keeping an eye on her. But when the family lived on its own, Emani suffered at Mosss hands, Jones said.





In mid-2013, the family moved into a three-bedroom apartment in the Lawrenceville area. By now, Moss had two children of her own with Emanis father, Eman Moss. And the couple decided to home school Emani. That was the beginning of the end for Emani, Jones said.  Home schooling was code words for isolate and hide. She will not have a teacher who can save her and protect her.





Emani pretty much disappeared from view after that, kept inside her bedroom which Jones described as her own personal prison. The prosecutor recounted testimony by a medical examiner who described how Emani wasted away with no food or drink, living in filth and waste in her own bed because shed become too weak to move. She was just 32 pounds when she died.





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Then Jones reminded jurors of messages Moss had sent her husband during this time while he was at work. On at least two occasions, she texted him photos of dishes shed prepared that day. On another occasion, Sexy Wifey, Mosss contact name on her husbands phone, told Eman Moss she had a craving for chocolate and asked him to pick up some cookie dough on the way home.





To this, Jones asked jurors to imagine what it must have been like for Emani to have smell of the cookies wafting through the apartment as she was starving to death. Emani lived with the evils in this world, Jones said, looking at Tiffany Moss at the defense table. The evils in the world and in her life lived in the next room.





To Moss, Emani was disposable, Jones said. She was trash. But Emani was a daughter, a granddaughter, a friend and a friendly girl with an easy smile who brought happiness to her teachers, Jones said. She was Emani and she mattered, said an impassioned Jones, holding up a photo of the smiling young girl to the jury. She mattered. Also Friday, Hutchinson held a brief hearing to consider a motion filed last week by state capital defenders seeking to represent Moss in the sentencing phase of her trial.





Capital defender Brad Gardner told Hutchinson that because Moss has done nothing in her defense during the guilt-innocence phase of the trial, there was no reason to believe she would change her strategy during sentencing.





Gardner and defender Emily Gilbert were appointed standby counsel and have been sitting in the gallery behind Moss, who has occasionally sought their advice.





In prior court filings, the defenders have said Moss suffers from brain damage.





Hutchinson questioned whether he had the authority to grant such a request. Youre asking me to impose representation on someone who doesnt want it, Hutchinson told Gardner. Porter objected to the defenders motion. We cant interfere with this in the absence of her request for counsel, Porter said. Its not their case. Its her case. Its her decision.





Before ruling, Hutchinson asked Moss if she continued to want to represent herself. I do, Moss said.





The judge then denied the defenders motion.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Mataram (Indonesia) (AFP) -- Indonesian prosecutors Monday demanded a 20-year jail term for a French man accused of drug trafficking, a crime punishable by execution under the country's tough smuggling laws.





Felix Dorfin was arrested in September carrying a false-bottomed suitcase filled with four kilogrammes (8.8 pounds) of cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines at the airport in Lombok, a holiday island next to Bali, authorities said.





Lead prosecutor Ginung Pratidina told a court in Lombok Monday that Dorfin, 35, had been "legally and convincingly" proven guilty.





But he asked for a 20-year prison sentence and that Dorfin pay a whopping 10 billion rupiah ($700,000) fine or serve an additional year in jail.





Indonesian courts have been known to go beyond prosecutors' demands, so Dorfin could still be at risk of execution by firing squad if convicted.





A date for the verdict has not been set.





The accused drug trafficker looked down and shook his head as he listened to the sentencing recommendation.





"Dorfin told me that 20 years in prison is too hard," his lawyer Deny Nur Indra told AFP after the hearing.





"But ... considering all the facts presented in court, I expect he would serve less than 15 years."





The Frenchman made headlines in January when he escaped from a police detention centre and spent nearly two weeks on the run before he was captured.





A female police officer was arrested for allegedly helping Dorfin escape from jail in exchange for 14.5 million rupiah.





Indonesia has executed several foreign drug smugglers in the past including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran -- the accused ringleaders of the Bali Nine heroin smuggling gang.





Its only female member was released from jail last year.





Indonesia has not executed anyone since 2016, but a number of foreigners are still on death row including a cocaine-smuggling British grandmother and Serge Atlaoui, a Frenchman who has been on death row since 2007.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Agence France-Presse, Staff, April 29, 2019
The elusive leader-at-large of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) has appeared in a new clip released by the jihadi organization, appearing to disprove long-standing rumors about his death or failing health.





In a roughly 18-minute video released by the ISIS-affiliated Al-Furqan media outlet, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi could be seen seated on a mattress in front of a plain white background and beside an Kalashnikov-style assault rifle. Speaking to followers whose faces are obscured, Baghdadi proclaims that "the battle of Islam and its people against the cross and its people is a long battle," but concedes his group's loss against a U.S.-led coalition and mostly Kurdish allies in a small town in Syria's far east.





"The battle of Baghouz is finished, but it demonstrated the barbarity and savagery of the crusader community towards the Muslim community," said Baghdadi, adding that "at the same time" the battle proved the "courage" and "resilience" of his hard-line Islamist followers in the face of Christianity.





"There will be more to come after this battle," he said, vowing to "drain" his enemies "of all their capabilitieshuman, military, economic, logistic, in everythingtoday's battle is a battle of attrition."





The tape, whose authenticity could not be confirmed, included text suggesting it was recorded this month. It was released on the sixth anniversary of ISIS' founding in April 2013 and would be the first time Baghdadi has been seen since he announced he was expanding his jihadi outfit on a global scale during a sermon delivered at Grand al-Nuri Mosque in Iraq's second city of Mosul in July 2014.





That same year, ISIS would become the target of a multinational coalition assembly by the U.S., which began bombing the group across large parts of Iraq and Syria under Baghdadi's command. At the same time, Iran pursued its own campaigns in support of both countries' governments, and Russia launched an intervention backing Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran and target of the U.S.





In the years since, ISIS' so-called caliphate has been physically destroyed by various forces on separate, sometimes rival fronts. As the U.S.-led coalition and its Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces took the final town of Baghouz last month, Baghdadi's whereaboutsinformation now worth about $25 million to the State Departmentremained a mystery.





Numerous reports emerged suggesting he was killed by airstrikes or that his health had deteriorated to the point where he was no longer in control of his global jihadi network; the only evidence of his continued survival were several audio messages attributed to him. A month before his August message, Baghdadi's son was reported to have died in a suicide operation in Syria.





Late last month, James Jeffrey, U.S. special envoy for Syria, admitted, "We dont know where he is, and finding the top leadership of ISIS or other terrorist groups is always a priority."





As recently as Friday, Russia's military intelligence chief offered a similar response. Vice-Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the Russian general staff's Main Intelligence Department, told the state-run Tass news agency that Baghdadi's "whereabouts are unknown" but "he is definitely not in Idlib" and "on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river, only 'sleeper' IS cells remain."





Idlib, the last bastion of the 2011 Islamist-led insurgency in Syria that predated ISIS' formation, remained dominated by other jihadi groups ideologically closer to ISIS' parent group, Al-Qaeda. The northwestern province has seen low-level fighting between those groups and the Syrian military, but the latter was restrained from waging an all-out offensive by a September ceasefire agreement signed by Russia and Turkey, which continued to support the armed opposition against Assad.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Petitions on the internet have called for anyone convicted of the Scandinavian hikers' double murder to face the death penalty. Death sentences are sometimes still handed down in Morocco, but a de facto moratorium on carrying out executions has been in place since 1993, and there is an ongoing debate over potential abolition.





Rabat (AFP) -- Two dozen suspects are set to go on trial in Morocco Thursday for offences linked to the gruesome murder of two young Scandinavian hikers late last year that shocked the North African country.





Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland had their throats slit before they were beheaded in December at an isolated site in the High Atlas mountains.





Three main defendants accused of direct involvement in the murders and who allegedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group could theoretically face the death penalty.





A total of 24 defendants are due to appear before a criminal court in Sale to answer charges including promoting terrorism, forming a terrorist cell and premeditated murder.





A Spanish-Swiss convert to Islam is among the suspects who are due to face justice in the city near Rabat.





But families of the slain hikers and their lawyers will not attend the trial, according to information obtained by AFP.





Nature lovers, the two friends shared an apartment and went to Norway's Bo University where they were studying to be guides.





They had travelled together to Morocco for their Christmas holidays.





Their lives were cut short in the foothills of Toubkal, the highest summit in North Africa, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the city of Marrakesh, a tourist magnet.





'Enemies of Allah'





After the bodies were discovered, the Moroccan authorities were initially cautious, referring to a "criminal act" and wounds to the victims' necks.





But that all changed when a video showing one of the victims being beheaded -- filmed by one of the killers on a mobile phone -- circulated on social networks.





One of the killers refers to "enemies of Allah" and revenge for brothers in Syria.





The video did the rounds online in Morocco, Norway and Denmark.





Danish police said last month they had launched prosecutions against 14 people suspected of sharing the gruesome video.





A separate video in the initial aftermath of the murder showed the alleged killers pledging allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, under the jihadist organisation's banner.





Police quickly arrested a first suspect in the suburbs of Marrakesh, and three others were arrested a few days later when they tried to leave the city by bus.





Aged from 25 to 33, all had struggled to get by in poor districts of Marrakesh.





They made a living from "small jobs" and were educated to a "very low" level, according to investigators.





They had recently embraced Salafism, an ultra-conservative branch of Sunni Islam, according to friends, neighbours and some family members.





The "terrorist cell" was inspired by IS ideology, according to investigators.





But Morocco's anti-terror chief has said the accused had no contact with the jihadist group in conflict zones.





And IS has never claimed responsibility for the double-murder.





Death penalty petitions





Abdessamad Ejjoud, a 25-year-old street vendor referred to as the emir of the group by peers, is the suspected ringleader of the operational cell and a wider group he formed in Marrakesh, according to investigators.





Twenty others are due to face justice in Sale for links to the alleged killers.





Among them is Kevin Zoller Guervos, a Spanish-Swiss citizen living in Morocco.





Authorities allege he subscribes to "extremist ideology".





He stands accused of teaching the main suspects how to use encrypted communications and how to fire a gun, according to investigators.





Suspected of being a recruiter, he denied all charges when brought in front of an anti-terror judge.





Another Swiss citizen arrested after the double-murder was tried separately and sentenced in mid-April to 10 years in prison for "forming a terrorist group" and for his links to another extremist network.





Until last year, Morocco had been spared jihadist attacks since 2011, when a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square killed 17 people, most of them European tourists.





Attacks in the North African state's financial capital Casablanca killed 33 people in 2003.





Those attacks -- carried out by 12 suicide operatives who came from one of Casablanca's main shanty towns -- greatly affected public opinion.





Morocco has since improved its security and legal framework, alongside boosting supervision of religious affairs and anti-terror cooperation with other states.





Petitions on the internet have called for anyone convicted of the Scandinavian hikers' double murder to face the death penalty.





Death sentences are sometimes still handed down in Morocco, but a de facto moratorium on carrying out executions has been in place since 1993, and there is an ongoing debate over potential abolition.

 | 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



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Agence France-Presse, Staff, April 30, 2019
Stephen Nasser, a Hungarian Jew who was the lone Holocaust survivor among 21 family members, mesmerized a crowd of 750 witnesses Monday night at the La Sells Stewart Center.

Nasser was 13 when he was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in occupied Poland. Wearing a sweatshirt that was emblazoned with the words NEVER AGAIN, Nasser spoke for 72 minutes in a presentation that he accompanied with slides, some of them poignant images of family and others showing unspeakable acts. Nasser also answered questions from the audience and signed copies of his book, My Brothers Voice, which he also has been adapted into a play called Not Yet, Pista.

The book and play are built on the diary that Nasser kept during his detention. He wrote the diary on empty cement bags with a pencil a Nazi officer gave him after seeing  and admiring  sculptures Nasser had created from sandstone. Nasser cut up the bags into sheets for his diary, and he sharpened his pencil with a little knife he had smuggled into Auschwitz by rubbing it with saliva and putting it where the sun doesnt shine and where the Nazis didnt look.

The diary did not survive Nassers incarceration, but the memories did. Nasser was liberated April 30, 1945, the lone survivor from a boxcar that contained 64 dead bodies  and an unconscious Nasser. He arrived at a hospital in Seeshaupt, Germany, weighing 72 pounds. He was fed intravenously at first because solid food was too dangerous. Once he was feeling better Nasser asked about the whereabouts of the diary, noting that he was clutching it in the boxcar. But he was told that the boxcar had been steamed to sterilize it, and the diary was gone.

But Nasser rewrote it. And published the book. He lived. He survived. He married a French Canadian woman named Francoise and eventually found a home in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has spoken out. And he continues to speak out. He has told his story more than 1,100 times to audiences such as the one Monday at Oregon State University.

And the story winds up seared into your brain. Pictures of Nasser, nicknamed Pista, after catching fish with his older brother Andris, who died just before the liberation by Gen. George Pattons 3rd Army. Pictures of Nassers aunt and her baby. The child was brutally beaten to death by a Nazi when the family arrived at Auschwitz. Pictures of the house in Hungary where Nasser grew up. It has been preserved and there are six memorial stones embedded into it that honor Nasser and his family members.

Nasser used a laser highlighter to point out which stone honors which family member, including their dates of death. He is quick to point out that the stone with his name does not include a date of death.

You are not looking at a ghost, he said. I am still here.

Contact reporter James Day at jim.day@gazettetimes.com or 541-758-9542. Follow at Twitter.com/jameshday or gazettetimes.com/blogs/jim-day.

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Janet Jackson with John Singleton in 1993; Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImageThere's been an outpouring of grief, respect and thanks in the wake of groundbreaking Boyz n the Hood filmmaker John Singleton's death Monday at age 51 following a stroke last week. Here's a sampling of a few of the reactions from some of music's biggest stars:

Singleton directed Janet Jackson in the 1994 film Poetic Justice, in which she starred opposite Tupac Shakur. "You gave me my first movie role, my first Oscar nomination and so much more," Janet wrote on Instagram, along with a photo of her and Singleton from back when the film was made. "Thank you for all you have given to the world through your work and all you have done for Black culture, women and young filmmakers. I will miss you John. Keeping your family in my prayers."

"I honestly can't even find the words right now," wrote Ludacris, whom Singleton directed in 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious. "This one Hurts Bad. Signing off social media for while." Luda also posted a photo of him and Singleton together.

Janelle Monae: "I am so thankful as a kid that my parents took me to the theaters to see your films (Boys n the hood , higher learning , poetic justice , rosewood , baby boy to name a few. You captured our culture so damn well & taught the world about the MANY complex black experiences. Earth was blessed to have you."

Chance the Rapper: "Rest up John Singleton. We never met, but Remember The Time literally changed my life. Thank you so much. God Bless you."

Ice Cube: "I was discovered by a master filmmaker by the name of John Singleton. He not only made me a movie star but made me a filmmaker. There are no words to express how sad I am to lose my brother, friend & mentor. He loved bring the black experience to the world."

DJ Pooh: "Rest in paradise John."

RZA: "For me its A very sad day in all reality. We Love you John Singleton and appreciate all youve done and will continue to do through your art."

Q-Tip: "Deeply saddened by this news... a great friend to me... he pushed me into acting and gave me my first role... always was in my corner... i cant express how much this hurts #ripjohnsingleton #blackexcellence #bigbro gonna miss u john."

Juicy J: "R.I.P John Singleton thank you for helpling me if It wasnt for you I wouldnt be a Academy award Winner I gonna miss you bro I love you my prayers for your family we will never forget! YOU ARE LEGENDARY."

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Areas of fog early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 76F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 60F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Wendell Ray Branton, 74, of Lebanon, passed away April 16, 2019 at Samaritan Albany General Hospital. A celebration of life will held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 4 at Brantons Arena in Jefferson, Oregon. Huston-Jost Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Virginia Claire Stratton, 88, died on Thursday, March 14, following a year-long illness. A celebration of her life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, in the First Presbyterian Church in Lakeview. Please share your thoughts and memories for the family at www.demossdurdan.com.

Robert Henry Williamson, of Lebanon, died January 8, 2019. A memorial service will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, at the American Legion Post 51, 480 Main ST, Lebanon.
May 28, 1944  April 16, 2019

Wendell Ray Branton, 74, of Lebanon, passed away April 16, 2019, at Samaritan Albany General Hospital.

Wendell was born at home in Soper, Oklahoma, to Choice and Alice Branton. When he was two years old, the family moved to California, then returned to Oklahoma.

In 1948, they moved to the Jefferson, Oregon, area. Wendell started school in Sydney, Oregon, then attended Jefferson Elementary. He got his start training numerous ponies for a neighbor in exchange for his pick of the ponies. The family moved to Lebanon where Wendell attended Sodaville School (he rode his horse to school), Lebanon Junior High and Lebanon High School, graduating in 1963.

Wendell was a third-generation farrier and shod horses for 27 years. He also trained horses. Wendell wanted to be the best horseman and cowboy he could be. He sought out the best to learn from and became a well-respected horse trainer.

His skills as a cowboy in the rodeo arena as well as the horseshow arena are well known. Wendell bulldogged and roped calves, but is best known for his team roping. He and his partners won many rodeos including Sisters, Vale, Philomath and many more. He later became a heeler and with his partners achieved great success.

Wendell and Marcia Bates were married July 1, 1985, in Lebanon. Together they operated C&W Tack & Ropes in Lebanon, where Wendell was able to apply the saddle-making and leather-crafting skills he learned from his dear friend, Lawrence DeWitt.

Wendell is survived by his beloved wife, Marcia; sister, Reba Blair; son, Casey and wife, Dusty; and grandsons, Scott and Chase Branton.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Choice and Alice Branton; brother-in-law, Dean Blair; and nephew, Beau Blair.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to your local horse rescue, dog pound, or cat adoption organization.

A celebration of life will held at 2 p.m. on May 4 at Brantons Arena in Jefferson.

Huston-Jost Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
A Sacramento man has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for his role in the armed robbery of an Albany cellular phone store in February 2017.

Christopher Orlando Rodriguez, 34, pleaded no contest on Friday in Linn County Circuit Court to second-degree robbery and, in a separate case, to unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Several other charges were dismissed as part of the negotiated settlement, which wraps up the prosecutions connected to the robbery.

Rodriguez was scheduled to start a four-day jury trial on Monday.

In November, Rodriguezs two co-defendants, Vitaliy Derkach and Yuriy Mischcuk, were sentenced to nearly nine years in prison after being convicted of first-degree robbery, second-degree kidnapping and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

The robbery occurred at the Verizon Go Wireless store at 1365 Clay St. SE on Feb. 27, 2017. A Verizon employee was confronted by men who wore masks and sunglasses and pointed pistols at her.

They forced the woman to walk back to the store office and told her to open a safe. They stole $25,000 worth of items, but also took a GPS tracker that activated after it was lifted and removed from the safe area.

After the suspects left, the woman set off a store alarm and called police.

The suspects switched cars on nearby Davidson Street, but police were able to follow them to a Salem apartment complex.

Police contacted Rodriguez walking outside the complex and he began having reactions from an apparent heroin overdose, according to authorities.

Kyle Odegard can be reached at kyle.odegard@lee.net, 541-812-6077 or via Twitter @KyleOdegard.

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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




NY Times quoted Trump's big abortion lie: "The baby is born. The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby. They wrap the baby beautifully. And then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby." Disgusting, right? And dangerous. But this was anything but the first time he fed this line of bullshit to his hateful supporters. The video up top? That was from his hate rally in Virginia last month. On Saturday night, in Green Bay, Trump was lying again about abortions. Chris Cameron, reporting for thequoted Trump's big abortion lie: "The baby is born. The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby. They wrap the baby beautifully. And then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby." Disgusting, right? And dangerous. But this was anything but the first time he fed this line of bullshit to his hateful supporters. The video up top? That was from his hate rally in Virginia last month.





You can watch what Trump said in Green Bay here . He'll rot in hell for lies like this, although not soon enough; soon enough would mean I was speaking the the past tense.





Cameron noted correctly that this poisonous refrain "is fast becoming a standard, and inaccurate, refrain about doctors 'executing babies.' During a more than hourlong speech at a rally in Green Bay, Wis., Mr. Trump admonished the Democratic governor, Tony Evers, for vetoing a Republican bill that could send doctors to prison for life if they fail to give medical care to children born alive after a failed abortion attempt. The comments are the latest in a long string of incendiary statements from the president on abortion."





He's been howling about this since January, embelishing the ugly, purposefully divisive narrative along the way-- he even used it in his State of the Union addres-- and tweeting that Democrats "dont mind executing babies AFTER birth." His rallies are like someone screaming "fire" in a crowded theater. Television stations are doing the nation a disservice to broadcast them.





New York Times has Thehas previously fact-checked these claims , finding that late-term abortions are rare. In Wisconsin, only 1 percent of all abortions in 2017 occurred after 20 weeks of pregnancy, according to the most recent annual report from the states Department of Health Services. The numbers are similarly low at the national level.

Wrong to wish him rotting in hell? OK, fair enough. How about wishing he were indicted and awaiting trial instead? Yesterday, writing for the Daily Beast, Mimi Rocah and Renato Mariotti noted that if Senor Trumpanzee "were not now president he would have been indicted on multiple counts of obstruction of justice." They, like many Americans, are counting on him being charged after he's finally driven from the White House. "Mueller," they wrote, "collected a stunning array of evidence that clearly shows that from 2017 until 2019, Trump engaged in a persistent pattern to try to end, or at least limit the scope of, investigations surrounding him and his [completely disgusting] family."
It is a noodle dish that seems simple to make but has unexpected layers of complexity.

The owner said he gets most of the ingredients from Cambodia, especially the spices. Photo by VnExpress/Ai My

Prohoc noodles are known among Saigonese as num-bo-choc noodles or simply referred to as Cambodian fish noodles.

The dish first made its appearance in Saigon in the 1970s, with a small shop in Le Hong Phong Market in District 10 being one of the first places to sell it.

Ngo Van Hoa, 63, said the shop was opened by his father. "Two years after he returned to Vietnam from Cambodia, in 1972, our familys life started to become more stable thanks to the business. My grandparents, my mother, Tu Xe, and now me, the third generation, have taken care of the restaurant."

Tu Xe, the name of the restaurant, comes up whenever Saigon foodies have a craving for the Cambodian soup.

The owner said he gets most of the ingredients from Cambodia, especially the spices.

"The key ingredients that give the dish its characteristic flavor is prohoc sauce (fish sauce made with beef), bamboo fruit and wormwood."

For first-time eaters, it could be daunting because prohoc sauce has a strong odor. The dish seems simple but is very difficult to master. The main ingredients of the dish are copper snakehead fish and broth.

Adding herbs, spinach, banana leaf, and so on is strongly recommended for maximum enjoyment  and they must be raw.

Raw vegetables are served with the dish. Photo by VnExpress/Ai My

A regular serving costs VND45,000 ($2). The fish must be a solid meaty snakehead piece, which will also be the centerpiece of the broth. What makes the broth rich is the combination of spices, including fresh turmeric which gives it its characteristic golden hue.

Every day Hoa and his family start their day at 4 a.m. with preparations for the restaurant. The fire is lit, an aroma wafts around the market from a pot of broth, enticing customers to come from 6 a.m. onwards. Customers sit at plastic tables and chairs like at many Saigon street food restaurants.

The owner said the recipe has remained the same for almost half a century. "If I change it, I will lose customers immediately."

But now, by around 10 a.m. there is usually nothing left to sell.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Tuesday called for a military uprising to oust President Nicolas Maduro and armed factions exchanged gunfire outside a Caracas air base.

The country hits a new crisis point after years of political and economic chaos.

Several dozen armed men in military uniform accompanying Guaido clashed with soldiers supporting Maduro at a protest outside the La Carlota air base, Reuters witnesses said, but the incident fizzled out and did not appear to be part of an immediate attempt by the opposition to take power by force.

Guaido, in a video posted on Twitter earlier on Tuesday, said he had begun the "final phase" of his campaign to topple Maduro, calling on Venezuelans and the military to back him.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino called the latest instability a "coup movement" but several hours after Guaidos announcement there was no sign of any other military activity and there were no immediate reports of casualties. Guaido later left a rally he was holding with military supporters at the air base.

Maduro said he had spoken with military leaders and that they had shown him "their total loyalty." "Nerves of steel!" Maduro wrote on Twitter. "I call for maximum popular mobilization to assure the victory of peace. We will win!"

The move was Guaidos boldest effort yet to convince the military to rise up against Maduro. If it fails, it could be seen as evidence that he lacks the support he says he has. It might also encourage the authorities, which have already stripped him of parliamentary immunity and opened multiple investigations into him, to arrest him.

The United States is among some 50 countries that recognize Guaido as Venezuelas president, and has imposed sanctions to try to dislodge Maduro who they say won re-election last year through fraud.

Oil prices topped $73, partly driven higher by the uncertainty in Venezuela, an OPEC member whose oil exports have been hit by U.S. sanctions and an economic crisis.

A former U.S. official said that while it was unclear whether Guaidos efforts would touch off a broader military uprising against Maduro, it appeared aimed at building momentum toward May Day Street protests planned for Wednesday and making them a turning point.

Guaido has said Wednesdays protests will be "the largest march in Venezuelas history" and part of what he calls the "definitive phase" of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.

Trump briefed

Venezuela is mired in a deep economic crisis. Shortages of food and medicine have prompted more than three million Venezuelans to emigrate in recent years.

Guaido, the leader of Venezuelas opposition-controlled National Assembly, in January invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduros re-election in 2018 was illegitimate.

U.S. President Donald Trump "has been briefed and is monitoring the ongoing situation," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Tuesday. The White House declined comment on whether the administration had been consulted or had advance knowledge of what Guaido was planning.

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton appeared to back Guaidos actions on Tuesday. "The FANB must protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people. It should stand by the National Assembly and the legitimate institutions against the usurpation of democracy," Bolton tweeted, referring to the FANB armed forces.

Conservative Republicans in Washington welcomed the reports from Venezuela. Senator Marco Rubio, a hardliner on Venezuela, urged Venezuelans to take to the streets: "Do not allow this moment to slip away. It may not come again," he wrote on Twitter.

Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez on Tuesday tweeted that the government was confronting a small group of "military traitors" seeking to promote a coup.

Diosdado Cabello, head of the Constituent Assembly, a legislative body that acts in support of the government, said the opposition had not been able to take over the air base. He urged Maduros backers to rally at the presidential palace in Caracas to support him.

Guaido, in the video on his Twitter account, was accompanied by men in military uniform and opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, who had been placed under house arrest.

"The national armed forces have taken the correct decision, and they are counting on the support of the Venezuelan people," Guaido said.

Maduro support

Maduro, for his part, has appeared to retain control of state institutions and the loyalty of senior military officers.

He has called Guaido a U.S-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. The government has arrested his top aide, stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and opened multiple probes. It has also barred him from leaving the country, a ban Guaido openly violated earlier this year.

Last week, Guaido said his congressional ally - opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro - had been detained, and that 11 members of his team had been summoned to appear before the Sebin intelligence agency.

Lopez, seen with Guaido, appeared to have left his home for the first time since being placed under house arrest in 2017, after three years in jail.

"I have been freed by soldiers on the side of the constitution and President Guaido," he tweeted. All of us have to mobilize. Its time to win our freedom."

A soldier in the group with Guaido, who identified himself just as Rivas, denied government accusations that they had been tricked into backing Guaido.

"Were all afraid," he told Reuters, "but we had to do it".

Spain, instrumental in setting the European Union line, said that, although it considered Guaido the legitimate leader of Venezuela, it did not support a military coup and wanted to see elections.
The Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Irene Muloni, has said Uganda will launch the second licensing round of oil exploration following the first phase that saw Tullow Oil, Total E&P Uganda and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) licenced, though Tullow Oil is to exit.

Minister Muloni said the second licensing round will be launched during East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition (EAPCE) to take place at the Pride Inn Paradise Beach Resort, Convention Center and Spa in Mombasa on May 8, 2019 in Mombasa, Kenya.

The Conference will delve into four main themes: Exploration and Development, Commercialization and Infrastructure Development, Economic and Financial Aspects of Petroleum Projects.

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Ugandas proven oil reserves were estimated by the Ugandan Petroleum Exploration and Production Department to be 3.5 billion barrels, which are expected to yield at least US$2 billion per year for 30 years once oil production commences.

EAPCE is also aimed at promoting investment in the oil and gas sector by demonstrating to the world the potential that lies within the region and sharing information on the status of development of the sector in each Partner State.

She said given the importance of energy in realizing this vision, the EAC Partner States have agreed to cooperate in joint exploration and development of energy resources found within the Community and to promote investment within the sector. The EAC Partner States seek to promote exploitation of both renewable and non-renewable energy sources in the most optimal way for the mutual benefit of East Africans.

I want to invite the international and regional community to take off time to come and see what we have as the regional block, how to build synergies and come together and see how we can maximize opportunities that we have in oil sector in the east African community, Muloni said.

The minister said the second round will be launched for companies interested in taking part in Ugandas oil industry.

The East African Community (EAC) has been holding the East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition biennially since 2003 to promote exploration, development and production of oil and gas. The main objective of the Conference and Exhibition is

The Conference offers a wide range of technical presentations reflecting developments in the oil and gas industry in East Africa and around the world. The Conference provides a forum for discussing the legal and policy framework and the overall business environment prevailing in the region.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in its ongoing efforts to assist the state in mitigating catastrophic wildfires that have devastated California in recent years, today (4/29) issued a series of Proposed Decisions on the 2019 Wildfire Mitigation Plans of three large California investor-owned electric utilities, three small and multijurisdictional utilities, and two independent transmission owners.

In the Proposed Decisions issued today, the CPUC determined that the 2019 Wildfire Mitigation Plans filed by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric, Liberty Utilities/CalPeco Electric, Bear Valley Electric Service, Pacific Power, Trans Bay Cable LLC, and NextEra Energy Transmission West, LLC, contain the elements required under Senate Bill 901.

To ensure that the Wildfire Mitigation Plans actually reduce the risk and occurrence of catastrophic wildfires, the Proposed Decisions direct electrical corporations to track data and assess outcomes so that future plans reflect this year's lessons. The Proposed Decisions also require reporting this year on 2019 Wildfire Mitigation Plan achievements. Further the Proposed Decisions require electric companies to take formal actions and file reports to the CPUC if the companies have concerns about the effectiveness of any program in their individual Wildfire Mitigation Plans. The reports must clearly describe the concern and contain a specific proposal for action, including, if applicable, a recommendation to reduce or end the specific mitigation identified.

Senate Bill 901 required electric utilities to prepare and submit Wildfire Mitigation Plans that describe the companies' plans to prevent, combat, and respond to catastrophic wildfires affecting their service territories. Electrical corporations are but a piece of the puzzle to mitigating catastrophic wildfires, and the problem of wildfires will not be solved in one year. But the CPUC is diligently focused on ensuring improvements in the utility Wildfire Mitigation Plans each year through engineering, technological advances, and lessons learned from previous years.

The Proposed Decisions are set for CPUC Commissioner consideration on May 30, 2019.

The Proposed Decisions are available at http://cpuc.ca.gov/SB901.

The CPUC regulates services and utilities, safeguards the environment, and assures Californians' access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.
Wello, the leading technology company in ocean-wave energy conversion, announces a brand new funding campaign on Invesdor.

Starting March 28th and until April 23, 2019, Wello is looking to raise 1M- 2.5M in exchange of equity between 4.34% and 10.18%. Through Invesdor, Wello is offering its shares at a minimum investment of 140 shares, at a share price of 3.73 per share.

"It's been calculated that by 2050 wave energy could fulfill one-tenth of the world's clean energy needs (source, source, source). That potential is nowadays practically unexplored", says CEO Heikki Paakkinen.

With over 75% of the planet's surface covered by water, wave energy holds huge promise. Today, the technology to harvest wave energy is ready for deployment, and with scale, its cost will soon be lower than that of other renewables. Wello has already deployed and tested the first iteration of its Penguin technology in Orkney, Scotland. WEC1, as the device is called, has just passed the two years mark of continuous deployment in the water.

WEC2, the newest Penguin model, will soon depart its Tallinn shipyard to be added to the Orkney grid, while WEC3, fully designed and under negotiations with the shipyard, has shown massive power output promise, allowing the company to offer competitive solutions in every corner of the world.

In the past two years, Wello has received many inquiries for commercial wave parks (arrays of grid-connected devices) from all around the world. One of them, located in Indonesia, has been approved and is currently in the design phase. With 10 MW of installed capacity, the Nusa Lembongan site is presently the largest in-the-works wave-energy park on the planet.

"After much research, prototyping, and field testing we can say that everything works perfectly, the technology and survivability of the devices are proven and the Penguin is ready for commercial use,\" adds Mr. Paakkinen. \"Wello is the leader in wave energy - there's no comparable technology out there. We believe we can grow fast all over the world\".

PRESS CONTACTS: CEO heikki.paakkinen@wello.eu | +358 40 757 5469

PRESS KIT: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9y9nxi7a1rgxc1a/Wello%20Press%20Kit.zip?dl=0

CAMPAIGN URL: https://www.invesdor.com/en/pitches/981

CAMPAIGN VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVLQ7QhvxYE

ABOUT WELLO

Wello Oy was established in 2008 with the development of the Wello Penguin product line. Over the years the company has secured several essential patents and has grown, getting new partners on board. Among Wello's lead investors: Fortum Oyj, VNT Management, Innovestor Ventures, and Estlander Holdings Oy. Find out more at https://wello.eu

ABOUT INVESDOR

Invesdor is the online investment platform connecting ambitious European growth companies with investors worldwide.
Idaho National Laboratory has been honored with a 2019 Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) National Award in the Technology Focus category for the successful transfer of small-scale waste-to-energy technologies to Cogent Energy Systems. The FLC is a formally chartered organization mandated by Congress to promote, educate and facilitate technology transfer among more than 300 federal laboratories, research centers and agencies nationwide. Honorees are recognized in eight categories.

The Technology Focus award recognizes technologies that have demonstrated innovation or creativity in the transfer of an energy product, technology or service. The award was presented at the FLC National Meeting in Orlando, held April 23 through 25.

The story starts at INL with research being conducted on the creation of nanoparticles. The modular hybrid plasma reactor that originated from this research evolved into a gasification system for Waste to Energy (WTE) applications. The resulting proprietary ionic gasification process embodied in Cogent's HelioStorm Gasifier involves the direct-contact processing of combustible feedstock waste, such as biomass and municipal solid waste, inside an active plasma field at temperatures of 3,000 to 10,000 degrees Celsius. The result is a clean, high-energy synthesis gas (or syngas) that can be used to generate electricity or converted into many valuable end products, including hydrogen, liquid fuels, and chemical precursors.

Read the full press release.

NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:

Leslie Wright, 208-526-2926, leslie.wright@inl.gov

Sarah Neumann, 208-526-0490, sarah.neumann@inl.gov
McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR) announced today it has recently successfully completed the final offshore campaign for the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project, located offshore Western Australia.

This was the second of two remaining work packages left under McDermott's contract, which was the largest subsea contract ever awarded at the time. Most of the EPCI for the SURF contract awarded in January 2012 was completed by the end of 2017.

The final offshore campaign involved subsea tiebacks to new drill centers and was executed by McDermott's Lay Vessel 108 (LV 108). The vessel has recorded 813,694 hours without any lost time incidents (LTI) since its first campaign in 2015.

"The final campaign was executed in a live producing field, and as such, we put in place additional risk and controls management that ensured our success and met all of the customer expectations. This has demonstrated McDermott's execution capability on a large-scale, complex SURF EPCI scope," said Ian Prescott, McDermott's Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific. "Our outstanding record of accomplishment confirms our expertise and ability to execute one of the world's largest subsea contracts to date."

McDermott recorded more than 500,000 engineering workhours from offices across the world, including a Perth led Project Management team that was in place from 2012 and consisted of 160 personnel at its peak in 2017; procured over USD $600 million in-field equipment; built 48 subsea structures weighing a total of approximately 28,660 tons (26,000 metric tons) that included one of the largest riser support structures in the world at the time and used three of the company's deepwater installation vessels (DLV 2000, LV 108 and Intermac 650) and other contracted vessels to execute the project.

McDermott has a small fabrication scope remaining to be completed at its fabrication yard in Batam, Indonesia, which will conclude its work packages for the Ichthys LNG Project in its entirety in 2019.

About the Ichthys LNG Project

The Ichthys LNG Project is one of the largest and most complex resource developments in the world. Located about 136 miles (220 kilometers) offshore Western Australia, it lies in an average water depth of 820 feet (250 meters). The Ichthys LNG Project is effectively three mega-projects rolled into one, involving some of the largest offshore facilities in the industry, a state-of-the-art onshore processing facility and a 553 mile (890 kilometer) pipeline uniting them for an expected operational life of 40 years.

The project involves liquefying natural gas lifted from the Ichthys gas-condensate field offshore Western Australia at an onshore gas liquefaction plant constructed in Darwin, Northern Territory, and producing and shipping approximately 8.9 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and approximately 1.65 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per year, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak. Approximately 70 percent of the LNG produced by Ichthys LNG is scheduled to be supplied to Japanese customers. Ichthys LNG will help to meet growing energy demand in the region, while contributing to the Australian way of life.

About McDermott

McDermott is a premier, fully integrated provider of technology, engineering and construction solutions to the energy industry. For more than a century, customers have trusted McDermott to design and build end-to-end infrastructure and technology solutions to transport and transform oil and gas into the products the world needs today. Our proprietary technologies, integrated expertise and comprehensive solutions deliver certainty, innovation and added value to energy projects around the world. Customers rely on McDermott to deliver certainty to the most complex projects, from concept to commissioning. It is called the "One McDermott Way." Operating in over 54 countries, McDermott's locally focused and globally-integrated resources include approximately 32,000 employees, a diversified fleet of specialty marine construction vessels and fabrication facilities around the world. As used in this press release, McDermott includes McDermott International, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. To learn more, visit www.mcdermott.com.

Contacts:

Investor Relations

Scott Lamb

Vice President, Investor Relations

+1 832 513 1068

Scott.Lamb@McDermott.com

Global Media Relations

Gentry Brann

Global Vice President, Communications and Marketing

+1 281 870 5269

Gentry.Brann@McDermott.com

Asia Pacific Media Contact

Miki O'Farrell

Manager, Marketing APAC

+60 12 305 3609

mofarrell@mcdermott.com
Enel Green Power ("EGP"), the Enel Group's global business line dedicated to renewable energy, has started operations of the 34 MW1 Ngonye solar PV plant, which is the Group's first power plant in Zambia. The PV facility, which is located in Lusaka South Multi-Facility Economic Zone in the country's south, is part of the World Bank Group's Scaling Solar programme carried out by Zambia's Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), which awarded EGP in June 2016 the right to develop, finance, construct, own and operate the plant.

"With the connection to the grid of Ngonye in Zambia, we are reconfirming our commitment to helping the country leverage on its vast wealth of renewable resources, which poses a great opportunity for growth," said Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel Green Power. "Through this project we are boosting the government's ambitious push to improve access to electricity throughout the country, while diversifying its generation mix to hedge against severe drought and climate change effects. This successful project also confirms that effectively-designed development programmes, like Scaling Solar, are key to attracting private renewable investments in Africa."

The Ngonye solar plant, which is owned by a special purpose vehicle 80% held by EGP and 20% by IDC, is supported by a 25-year power purchase agreement signed with Zambia's state owned utility ZESCO. Once fully up and running, the facility is expected to produce around 70 GWh per year, while avoiding the annual emission of over 25,600 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

The Enel Group invested approximately 40 million US dollars in the construction of Ngonye. In June 2018, Enel signed a financing agreement with IDC of around 34 million US dollars for the construction of the PV plant, involving senior loans of up to 10 million US dollars from the International Financing Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, up to 12 million US dollars from the IFC-Canada Climate Change Program and up to 11.75 million US dollars from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Zambia has a significant need to diversify its energy generation mix, currently dominated by hydro, with the aim to increase the security and quality of supply by meeting the country's growing electricity consumption while encouraging the electrification of rural areas. For this reason, Zambia's government launched a series of initiatives to promote the development of renewables, with a particular focus on photovoltaic power, setting the goal of installing up to 600 MW of solar power within the next two to three years. In this framework, IDC launched a tender for the development of two PV projects with a total capacity of up to 100 MW structured according to the World Bank Group's Scaling Solar programme, with the International Finance Corporation acting as advisor. At the same time, Zambia's Government launched another tender for an additional 100 MW of PV to be awarded under the GET FiT solar framework.

In Africa Enel Green Power is currently the largest independent renewable energy player in terms of MW installed. The Enel Group is investing around 700 million euros in the continent, building 900 MW of wind and solar capacity over its 2019-2021 strategic plan. The Group currently operates in Zambia, as well as South Africa where it has over 500 MW in operation and more than 700 MW in execution. Additionally, Enel Green Power was awarded 100 MW of solar capacity in Ethiopia and has 180 MW of wind capacity in execution in Morocco, out of a total of 850 MW awarded in the country.

Enel Green Power is the Enel Group's business line dedicated to the development and operation of renewables across the world, with a presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Enel Green Power is a global leader in the green energy sector with a managed capacity of over 43 GW across a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower, and is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into renewable power plants.

[1] DC capacity, equivalent to 28 MWac.
WINNEMUCCA  Nevada Outdoor School announces a $5,000 grant from NV Energy to support youth education programs in rural northern Nevada.

Education programs include classroom lessons: monthly standard-aligned, hands-on, inquiry-based supplemental science education and ecology-based field trip programming in Humboldt and Elko counties.

All NOS education programs help develop scientifically and STEM literate, life-long learners with a connection to the natural world and open spaces. NOS education programs instill in youth the desire, aptitude and critical thinking skills necessary to take on careers in natural resources and science while also preparing them to address the complex environmental issues facing our society.

Recognized nationally with a White House Champions of Change award, Nevada Outdoor Schools education programs provide underserved rural Nevada students supplemental science and environmental education and active learning opportunities they would not otherwise receive.

As a 501(3) non-profit organization, corporate giving programs such as the NV Energy Foundation make a big difference in helping Nevada Outdoor School accomplish their mission and provide programs in our communities.

With a passion for the outdoors and a desire to make a meaningful difference, Nevada Outdoor School relies on consistent corporate giving partners like NV Energy, to enable us to continue to expand the reach of our programs to more rural Nevada communities and share the desire to care for our communities and environment with northern Nevada students, said Melanie Erquiaga, executive director at Nevada Outdoor School.

The NV Energy Foundations support of Nevada Outdoor School is helping instill a lifelong love of science and the outdoors in our next generation, said Carolyn Barbash, VP of Community Relations and Business Development at NV Energy. Education and programs focusing on environmental stewardship are vital to our state and its resources.

To find out more information about Nevada Outdoor School and programs in your area, go to: www.Nevadaoutdoorschool.org or call (775) 623-5656.

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Vietnam was not a conventional war like other generations faced during World War II or even Korea. Although Explosive Ordnance Disposal evolved during World War II, American troops quickly discovered Vietnam required EOD personnel who encountered a dangerous job in an unforgiving, hot, humid tropical environment during the 1960s.

Carson Citys Jim Bagwell served as part of a U.S. Air Force EOD team in the late 1960s when he deployed to Vietnam, and whether the teams consisted of two men or larger, they had to clean up ordnance that didnt explode or destroy munitions from falling into the enemys hands.

Bagwell, who spent five years in the military, grew up in Hawthorne and graduated from Mineral County High School in the mid-1960s. He later served in law enforcement, beginning with the Nevada Highway Patrol in 1978 and finishing a 10-year career with the Douglas County Sheriffs Office in 2002, retiring as a sergeant. He also served two terms as Humboldt Countys sheriff in the 1980s.

Along with two other speakers, Bagwell recently offered insight into reducing veteran suicides at the second annual Reaching for Zero: A Veteran Appreciation and Veteran Suicide Prevention and Awareness Brunch sponsored by the Nevada Rural Counties Retired and Senior Volunteer Program at the Governors Mansion. The three-hour brunch focused on awareness of veteran issues and to provide veterans with suicide prevention resources, emergency transportation, wellness checks and a wide-ranging support system. RSVP provides services and outreach to most counties in Nevada except Clark.

EXPERIENCING WAR

Bagwell focused on his war experience first.

War is not a lesson in civility, he said. Youre exposed to horrific acts and expected to do things that basic beliefs tell you not to do, he said. The greatest stress that a person can experience is life and death experiences in that environment and seeing the consequences.

Being in EOD during a war tests the raw courage and nerves of a technician. One mistake in defusing a booby trap or other devices couldve either maimed or killed Bagwell or his team. He said Charley, the nickname given to the Viet Cong, always kept EOD teams on edge. To illustrate his point, he said the enemy devised a device, for example, by placing explosives in a cardboard box. If a soldier stuck a knife in the box, Bagwell said the puncture shorted the wiring, and the box exploded. Compared to todays military personnel in EOD, the teams serving during Vietnam had basic equipment.

Although the movie The Hurt Locker gives a viewer a look at modern EOD operations, Bagwell said his experience was less sophisticated.

We did not have the exotic equipment the military has now, he said. Could you imagine 110-degree heat, 100 percent humidity wearing a blast suit, he described.

The goal of any war in any environment is to kill or maim the enemy. Bagwell was well aware of those consequences.

I cant explain the terror you feel, he said of performing EOD duties. Bagwell paused, and then added the suicide rate in EOD is one of the highest in the military.

How did Bagwell and others cope in a war environment? They used alcohol to dull their senses or leaned on each other for emotional support. Each day in country, though, thickened the stench of war with the EOD teams. They were tested both mentally and physically with each assignment. When helicopter pilots or a truck driver ferried killed soldiers or Marines to camp in body bags, Bagwell said the bags contained not only the body but also weapons and possibly other dangerous items. EOD personnel then searched each bag by removing and destroying items that could cause harm.

TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN LIFE

When Bagwell departed Vietnam in the early 1970s and returned to Reno, he stepped into a different world. He was late to register for the spring semester at the University of Nevada, Reno, and had difficulty finding a job, because, as he said, he was a Vietnam vet.

I didnt understand. I was gone one year, and I came home to a country I didnt know, he lamented.

His life hit a brick wall, causing Bagwell to think there was no way out: Basically, I thought I had two choices: re-enlist or suicide. For many young men returning from Vietnam, he said they operated at a high military level, and when they came home they tried to blend back into the world they left. For many, they had to process their experiences alone  family and friends didnt understand.

Why cant you make the transition to civilian life, Bagwell said, referring to a common question many civilians asked.

Despite leaving Vietnam almost 48 years ago, Bagwell said he still has difficulty watching war movies. When he was Humboldt County sheriff, he remembers an incident at the theater when a scene from a war movie showed a soldier who took out his knife to open a cardboard box.

I blurted out, dont open the F-in box, Bagwell recalled. He opened up the box, and yep, he blew himself up.

Over the years in law enforcement, Bagwell said other causes to make people desperate and upset with living are isolation, loneliness, failure to re-enter society, physical pain and disability. Sometimes, he said veterans find themselves in compromising situations or their spouse leaves them. Sometimes, the strain of coping finally overtakes the individual. He reflected on another story involving a veteran.

One evening he came home from work. His wife was fixing dinner. He patted her on the butt, told her he loved her, kissed her on the cheek, walked into the bedroom and put a shotgun in his mouth.

Attendees at the RSVP event gasped. Others looked down, shaking their heads. Bagwell said once people decide to die by suicide, they have a huge mental relief because of their decision. Bagwell then released suicide statistics involving veterans. On the average, about 20 veterans die from suicide daily, and six of each 20, for example, had been to a Veterans Affairs facility.

Within a matter of a few days, they commit suicide, Bagwell said.

Earlier in April, however, three veterans in two states  Georgia and Texas took their lives within a span of five days at VA sites. Bagwell added the veteran/military suicide rate is about twice as high as for nonveterans. Then he took the government to task. In 2016, Bagwell said Congress allocated $6.2 million for suicide and prevention, but only $57,000 was spent.

HEALING

In closing remarks, Bagwell said more must be done.

How do you get a vet like myself to admit and seek treatment? he quizzed. Get him past that resistance.

Bagwell continually faces his own feelings. When his wife Lori and him visited Washington, D.C., he couldnt walk to the Vietnam Memorial Wall, yet a few years ago, the strength of comrades from Vietnam allowed him to gain additional closure. He was on an Honor Fight Nevada with fellow Vietnam vets including Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell. While in the nations capital, Bagwell visited the wall with other veterans from western Nevada.

That was a healing situation, said the former EOD sergeant.

Yet, for many veterans who have difficulty finding closure, they still are a ticking time bomb.

Vets build a cocoon around themselves, Bagwell pointed out. A cocoon is like an oven. It heats up and heats up to the point of destruction.

THE MAYORS CHALLENGE

Nevadas suicide rate among veterans is one of the highest in the nation, said Kim Donohue, program manager of Veterans Suicide and Homelessness Prevention with the Nevada Department of Veteran Services in Reno.

Donohue is concerned with the high rate and vows to help reduce that number.

I am really dedicated to making Nevada stand out, she explained, not for our high rate but for making a change in the state.

Donohue pointed to a program she said should make a difference in helping veterans and their families and to reduce the number of deaths from suicide. She said the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs developed the Mayors Challenge program and announced in late 2017 the first seven cities, including Las Vegas, to participate in the first group. According to SAMHSAs website, SAMHSA and VA identified these cities based on veteran population data, suicide prevalence rates and capacity of the cities to lead the way in this first year of the Mayors Challenge. The Mayors Challenge provides a roadmap for how communities can contribute to the national effort of preventing Veteran suicide.

This has allowed the state to build from these foundations, Donohue said.

Recently, the two agencies identified the next seven cities to participate in the program, one of which is Reno.

Were building off what were doing in Southern Nevada and doing it in the north, Donohue said. We have the mayor of Reno and Sparks on our team.

Donohue also said her team is including local tribal leaders.

Suicide is preventable with all of us working together collaboratively, she added. The Mayors Challenge allows us the platform for all veterans to pull together and worked on projects together.

She said the more people talk about suicide, the more they can make change.

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LAS VEGAS (AP)  Conservationists say they will fight a federal government proposal to allow oil and gas drilling in remote northeast Nevada, including open range thats home to a dwindling species of ground-dwelling bird.

A Center for Biological Diversity official threatened lawsuits after the U.S. Bureau of Land Management opened a one-month comment period on Thursday about plans to lease eight parcels totaling about 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) west of Ely in White Pine County.

If it goes forward with this plan, the BLM will end up in court yet again, said Kieran Suckling, executive director of a center that frequently takes the government to court over conservation issues.

Covering 25 square miles of Nevadas last, best sage grouse habitat with oil rigs, roads and fences ... will push the grouse closer to extinction, worsen our climate crisis and cause massive air pollution, he said.

The government acknowledged in its announcement of a planned September land lease that the patchwork of parcels includes habitat for the imperiled greater sage grouse.

It called plans to lease land in the West for drilling part of a Trump administration effort to promote American energy independence.

The oil and gas industry on public lands in Nevada contributed $2.7 million in total economic output in fiscal 2017, the bureau said.

However, Andy Maggi, executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, put the value outdoor recreation in Nevada, including in greater sage grouse habitat, at $12.6 billion a year according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

This move simply makes no sense, Maggi said Monday. Nevadans ... have repeatedly said they do not want to see sensitive and treasured areas harmed by extractive industries.

The leasing plan announcement came just days after four conservation groups asked a federal judge in Boise, Idaho, to block a Trump administration plan to allowing drilling, mining and other activities they say will harm sage grouse in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, California and Oregon.

Western Watersheds Project and other groups sued Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service over changes to land-management plans involving sage grouse.

Last month, the Trump administration finalized plans to ease land-use restrictions on energy companies and other industries in a way officials said would still protect the chicken-sized bird.

Sage grouse range across parts of 11 Western U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Theyre known for an elaborate mating display that includes puffing out air sacs in their chests as they strut around breeding grounds known as leks. Their numbers have plummeted due to energy development, disease and other factors.

In Nevada, the U.S. Forest Service concluded in March that oil and gas leasing was not suitable in a northeast Nevada mountain range that is popular with hunters, fishermen and conservationists.

The agency said the potential for significant economic benefits was outweighed by grave concerns about the potential impacts on wildlife and the environment in the stream-laced Ruby Mountains  home to mule deer, sage grouse and numerous trout species.

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RENO (AP)  The National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning early Wednesday for much of the Sierras eastern front, including Reno-Sparks and Carson City where overnight lows are expected to dip into the 20s.

Fernley, Fallon, Gardnerville, Yerington and Susanville, California are included in the warning that is in effect Wednesday from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m.

The National Weather Service in Reno said Monday a strong cold front will push Wednesdays lows below freezing across much of the region.

Icy spots are possible in the valleys and freezing fog is expected to form north of Lake Tahoe around Truckee, California.

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It was supposed to be the biggest feat of the 2019 legislative session  an ambitious overhaul of Nevadas 52-year-old education funding formula that once and for all would ensure schools are paid more for the extra cost of educating students with extra needs.

But with a little more than a month left in the 120-day session, the bill implementing the formula is still nowhere to be found. Its agitating legislators and observers who fear that theyre missing a window of opportunity and that  with huge tasks such as finalizing a budget and passing a criminal justice reform measure yet to be done  they will not be able to put together a formula that will work for students and stand the test of time.

Were losing accuracy. Were losing input. Were losing understanding and comprehension. Were losing deliberation, debate. Were losing all of the things we should be doing when were talking about a policy change this dramatic and this significant, Republican Sen. Ben Kieckhefer said about the delay. We can have two joint hearings for five hours, right? But that doesnt mean we actually considered this proposal with the diligence that its warranted.

In a brief interview on Friday, Democratic Sen. Mo Denis said he still didnt have a date for when the bill would drop. The process has been slowed by the fact that legislative staff had to finalize amendments on hundreds of bills before the Tuesday deadline to pass legislation out of its first house, he said.

And then there are technical concerns. Denis said he has help from some consultants and has looped in the chief financial officers of school districts, but there are a lot of moving parts that bill drafters are still refining.

When youre changing something thats been in that long, that needs to be fixed, we want to try to get it as right as possible and also try to find a way moving forward to be able to make changes, he said.

Some observers say the rub is that aside from promises for a 3 percent pay raise for school staff and 2 percent merit increases, there are no plans for a major infusion of cash into public education and Gov. Steve Sisolak has no plans to raise taxes. Denis has repeatedly said the size of the pie will not be growing but the distribution formula will change, which could create winners and losers, even though he has said his intent is that all districts are financially held harmless through the transition.

Id say theyre in a pickle  I mean, if its about not expanding the pie but changing the size of a slice  I dont know how you please everybody. I just dont know, said John Vellardita, executive director of the Clark County Education Association.

In recent years, big goals have met their demise when the legislative clock ran out. In 2013, Democratic leaders including then-Senate Majority Leader Denis promised big tax overhauls but had not even introduced some of the key elements by mid-May, with three weeks left in the session.

And it seemed so late to be able to really vet through something so critical, so important, said Republican Sen. Scott Hammond. It just never went anywhere because it took so long. Im so afraid that this is also headed that way.

Why the new funding formula?

The states existing funding formula, created in 1967 and called the Nevada Plan, is a complicated calculation that combines state and local revenues and doles money out based on each countys demographics, transportation costs and other factors. (For more details, check out our explainer on the Nevada Plan.)

Critics say the distribution model is too confusing, is structured so that more education funding doesnt always increase the total amount of money destined for education and doesnt reflect the actual costs of educating children. A key criticism is that it does not apply more funds to students who need more resources to get up to speed  such as English language learners or children with disabilities  and thus does not reflect the demographics of a state thats become far more diverse since 1967.

The state has taken steps towards a weighted funding formula that would supply schools with more money for each student they educate who has special needs. Categorical programs such as Zoom Schools, which get extra money because they have a high percentage of English learners, brought Nevada closer to that goal in 2013 and 2015, and SB178 of the 2017 session took another step forward by giving schools a $1,200 weight for each low-achieving student in a mid- to low-achieving school.

Last summer, legislators reviewed a study from the consulting firm Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA) that offered two possible solutions: a successful schools model that involves base funding of $5,988 per student, which is close to what Nevada offers now before adding any weights, or base funding of $9,238 per student, a figure derived from research and expert recommendations about adequate funding.

The latter recommendation is projected to cost at least $1.5 billion more each calendar year than the state is currently spending, and that is before factoring in any additional weights. Although that high price tag is daunting, groups including the Clark County School District and Educate Nevada Now said revamping the formula is their top priority for the session, and Sisolak has voiced support for the changes.

The governor acknowledges that the decades-old Nevada plan no longer seems suited to meet the growing, fast-changing educational needs of our students as our state has experienced unprecedented growth, his spokeswoman, Helen Kalla, said in a statement on Friday. His administration continues to work with legislative leadership on immediate and long-term solutions for Nevadas K-12 education system, including on developing legislation this session to begin to address our education funding formula.

But the process is moving too slow for education advocates, who had higher expectations of what would be accomplished by this point because Democrats  many who have promised more money for schools  have control of both houses of the Legislature and the governors mansion for the first time in 20 years and dont have to navigate a divided government.

I think everyone thought that this would be the session to see a major step forward, to see a new funding formula, said Rebecca Garcia, president-elect of the Nevada PTA. Instead it feels like were not even staying stagnant, it feels like were reverting. I mean, more was done in 15 and 17 under a Republican governor than whats happening so far.

Felicia Ortiz, a member of the Nevada State Board of Education, said she worries political considerations are preventing leaders from acting more boldly.

I realize that some of these folks are just playing the political game because they want to get reelected in 2020 for redistricting purposes, she said, referring to the Democrats wanting to retain control when new lines are drawn in the 2021 session. But I feel like thats putting adult priorities over children.

Challenges

For some, the first red flags were when Sisolak said in his State of the State address that there would be no new taxes. Since then, the promises that he did make for education  including a 3 percent raise for all school staff  have come into doubt.

The Clark County Education Association is now calling for an additional $120 million annually to be poured into the district. That demand was front and center at a rally Saturday in downtown Las Vegas, timed to put pressure on lawmakers as the session heads to a close.

Vellardita said CCEA wants, at a minimum, any budget surplus projected from the Economic Forum on Wednesday to be applied to that issue. As for other places to find the money? He wants to look at whether some of the categorical programs launched by Gov. Brian Sandoval in 2015 that are funded outside the Nevada Plan and are restricted in nature can be swept to cover the other needs. His ideas included a new teacher bonus program and the Great Teaching and Leading Fund.

Critics of the categorical funding, like Vellardita, say they are inefficient because they provide funding to an entire school. All students at a Zoom School have access to extra interventions, even if they are not English learners, while English learners in schools with lower concentrations of students like them do not access Zoom services.

Sisolak articulated that position at an event with The Nevada Independent in January. Denis said in the new funding formula, categoricals wont function like they do today, outside the funding formula.

Still, the idea of reshuffling money going to Sandovals education initiatives, and sweeping the hundreds of millions of dollars each biennium from those programs into the base funding where it could be redistributed, strikes a nerve for some who point to their successes so far.

My bottom line is that I dont want to see any child get impacted by this, said Ortiz, who said that while she supports a gradual and strategic move from categoricals to weighted funding, she fears too sharp a transition would reduce services to needy children and could constitute a civil rights violation. I dont want a kid whos used to having a summer program or getting the benefit of a longer school day or a wellness center or some wraparound services, to suddenly come back to school next year and not have those services anymore.

Hammond, a Republican and former school administrator, likes the concept of weighted funding but worries the state will get less bang for its buck if the categoricals disappear.

The staff thats in the Zoom Schools, they know whats going on. They become very good at implementing the programs and thats the essential part  making sure that youre implementing with fidelity, Hammond said. Thats what I worry about when you start to disperse all that institutional knowledge on how to do that program across a very large district like Clark County I worry that were diluting the impact.

Aside from concerns about the fate of existing education initiatives, the formula could have geographical winners and losers. If more money flows to populous Clark County, would it be at the expense of smaller rural counties?

While its unclear how such adverse consequences can be avoided long-term without an infusion of new revenue, Denis and Sisolak have signaled its on their minds.

The governor also recognizes the challenges of trying to implement comprehensive changes to the long-established funding formula, and remains committed to making sure that students do not face unintended negative impacts as a result of such a large-scale change, Kalla said. He is committed to making decisions that move us toward a new statewide funding structure that is equitable for every student in every county.

Moving forward

In the meantime, education leaders say theyre working on the much-anticipated bill.

We are consistently in contact with Sen. Mo Denis, Sen. Joyce Woodhouse and other legislative leaders who are supportive of modernizing Nevadas 52-year-old funding formula, Clark County School District spokeswoman Kirsten Searer said in an email. We remain encouraged that a bill to update the funding formula will be introduced so we can have this important conversation statewide.

In a talk with reporters on Wednesday, Democratic Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson disputed the characterization that the bill was late. He said its hard to finalize such a huge project before the Economic Forum, in which economists predict how much revenue the state will collect in the next two years. In 2017, the forums projection gave lawmakers $140 million more to work with than they expected at the start of the session.

You dont change, you know, 50 years of funding practices overnight  we have an obligation to be thoughtful and careful about it to make sure that if were going to make that change, were going to do it in a way that will sustain for the next 50 years, he said.

But he also suggested the forthcoming Senate bill is not the end-all, be-all.

Were not putting all our eggs in that basket, he said. We are assessing ways to improve support for education. Im moving forward and I think that we have to be fluid.

Democratic Assembly Floor Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson also pushed back on the notion that legislators are shying away from ambitious legislative projects this session.

I look at each one of my members, and I dont see them as wallflowers, she said. I think theyre smart, theyre intelligent, theyre advancing good public policy and I think the notion that they are doing anything but working their hardest to get good policy in place is  anything less than that is lost on me.

Still, advocates are anxious as the clock counts down.

Were very interested in seeing whats in the bill, said Chris Daly of the Nevada State Education Association. NSEA is concerned about the chronic underfunding of public education in the state. We think that revisiting the funding formula is an excellent opportunity to take a look at whether [there is] sufficient funding of public education while also addressing issues of education equity.

As for Ortiz  she hopes that if nothing else, concern about their legacy will motivate lawmakers to finish strong on one of the most consequential pieces of legislation theyll ever work on.

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RENO (AP)  A lawyer for a Salvadoran immigrant charged with four Nevada murders says Washoe County prosecutors have no authority to try him in Reno for two killings that occurred outside the county and that his confession should be thrown out of court.

Public Defender John Arrascada told a judge Monday he has filed motions to dismiss four of the charges filed against 20-year-old Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman in a 10-count indictment last month.

They include two first-degree murder charges tied to killings in Douglas County south of Carson City.

District attorneys in Washoe and Douglas counties said earlier they believe they have the authority to try Martinez-Guzman on all charges in Reno because the crimes occurred during the same 10-day rampage in January. Theyre seeking the death penalty.

Judge Connie Steinheimer set a May 20 hearing on the motions to dismiss and prohibit use of the confession as evidence to prove at least some of the crimes.

A Washoe County detective testified before a grand jury in March that Martinez-Guzman told her he robbed and killed his elderly victims because he needed money to buy methamphetamine. She said he broke into tears and repeatedly called himself an idiot before confessing to the murders.

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April 29

Alexis M. Acevedo, 21, of Winnemucca was arrested at Elko County Courthouse on a drug court hold. No bail

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Ricky Fazzary, 62, of Spring Creek was arrested at Elko County Jail on a Nevada State Prison hold. No bail

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Brandon E. Long, 30, of Lincoln, Nebraska was arrested on Interstate 80 for nonresident driving when privileges are suspended, revoked or canceled; and speeding 1-10 mph over limit. Bail: $470

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Christopher W. Melendez, 28, of Carlin was arrested for driving under the influence, second offense. Bail: $1,640

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Oscar Rosas, 31, of Elko was arrested at Elko County Jail on a warrant for four counts of failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $500

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Shannon S. Vance, 27, of Carlin was arrested in the 1100 block of Fir Street on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $655

The charges above do not imply guilt. Under the law, everyone is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

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The formation of a new government in Spain is going to depend on a long arm-wrestle between the Socialist Party (PSOE), the winner of Sundays general election, and the leftist Unidas Podemos, which came in fourth place.

There is a lot at stake for both of its leaders. Pedro Sanchez is ecstatic about a victory that puts the PSOE back in the lead after losing the last three elections. The win will probably allow him to remain in office, where he arrived in June of last year after leading a successful no-confidence vote against Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party (PP).

Sanchez wants to try to lead a minority government all by himself on the strength of his 123 seats in Congress. But this is not enough to get himself reinstated  it takes 176 deputies for an overall majority  and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias has clearly stated that this time he is not ready to provide free support for Sanchez as he did after the no-confidence motion.

This time, Iglesias wants to be part of government, although he knows its going to be a long battle to get there. The Socialists are in no hurry, and everything seems to indicate that little progress will be made on this front until after the local, regional and European elections of May 26.

Fragmentation

Unidas Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias. CURTO DE LA TORRE (AFP)

Fresh in everyones mind is the fact that Spain was forced to hold an election in June 2016, just six months after the previous one, because of the failure to produce a parliamentary majority to form a government. Spaniards are hoping that this latest vote  held ahead of time because of the governments failure to secure support for the 2019 budget  will not result in similar deadlock.

But Spanish parliament today is even more fragmented than it was in 2016 following the emergence of Vox, a far-right party that secured 24 seats on Sunday. The PP came in second with 66 seats and Ciudadanos (Citizens) third with 57. While a PSOE-Ciudadanos coalition would be enough for a majority, the center-right party says it refuses to team up with Sanchez. And even a PSOE-Podemos alliance still falls short of the 176 threshold, which means further support will be required from smaller, regional groups  potentially including the Catalan separatist parties.

Good relations

Relations between Sanchez and Iglesias are better than ever. Practically all relevant matters of the last few months have been negotiated smoothly and discreetly. Both leaders even managed to close a detailed budget deal containing dozens of progressive measures, a feat that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. The budget plan fell apart due to lack of support from the Catalan separatist parties in Congress, but the initiative showed a way forward for a leftist government in Spain, much like in Portugal.

But the shared interests stop at a governing coalition. Sanchez is very comfortable with the single-party minority government that he has headed for the past 10 months. The feeling in La Moncloa, the seat of government, is that the fact that the prime minister was able to choose all of his ministers freely has contributed to the smooth running of government affairs. Sanchez does not want to lose that control. Besides, a governing coalition with Podemos represents a problem for other potential partners such as the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) or the Canaries Coalition.

Iglesias wants the exact opposite: a place in government and a say in the make-up of the Cabinet. Many at Unidas Podemos feel that the loss of 35 seats on Sunday is partly due to the groups recent support for the Sanchez administration. For instance, the decision to raise the minimum wage to 900 was the brainchild of Podemos, yet it was Sanchez who benefited the most politically, because many citizens viewed it as a government initiative, and Podemos is not in government.

There is no question that both want to reach a deal. The question, rather, is how much each is willing to yield. Podemos cannot afford to withhold support for Sanchezs reinstatement bid, as its voters would not understand such a move. Sanchez needs 53 seats for an absolute majority, and Podemos has 42 of them, which it is not going to give away for free.

Coalitions are normal

Podemos notes that governing coalitions are the norm in other European countries, and even in Spains Valencia region, where the winner in Sundays regional elections, Ximo Puig of the Socialist Party, has already offered top positions to members of Podemos and the regional Compromis party.

Meanwhile, Ciudadanos has made it clear it has no interest in joining the PSOE in what would be the only coalition that does not require support from third parties. Instead, its leader Albert Rivera is hoping that his partys upward trend  on Sunday it gained 25 seats from 2016  will continue on May 26. If the party beats the PP in key places like Madrid, Ciudadanos could replace the conservative party as the Socialists main rival at the next general election.

In the meantime, everyone is taking a break. The Friday Cabinet meeting has been moved to today because of the May 1 public holiday, when many politicians will go off on vacation until next week. Soon after that, a new campaign will begin for the May 26 vote. And after that, parties will finally get serious about reaching governing deals. Its going to be a long power struggle.

English version by Susana Urra.
Campaign posters for (l-r) Gabriel Rufian, Raul Romeva, Oriol Junqueras, Carolina Telechea and Montse Bassa. David Zorrakino (Europa Press)

Five jailed Catalan separatists were elected into office at the Spanish general election on Sunday, but cannot be sworn into their roles unless the Supreme Court gives them permission to attend a ceremony in Congress on May 21.

Jordi Sanchez, Jordi Turull and Josep Rull of the Junts per Catalunya party (Together for Catalonia) and Oriol Junqueras, the leader of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), were elected as deputies in Congress, while Raul Romeva from the ERC won a seat in the Senate.

Supreme Court sources said the separatist leaders will get permission to attend once formalities are out of the way

But the five separatist leaders are currently being held in custody while they are tried for their involvement in the 2017 secessionist drive in Catalonia. They face charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds, among other offenses.

According to congressional rules, deputies do not need to personally collect their congressional certificate or hand it in to Congress, but they do need to physically be present at the session where they will be officially sworn into office. Supreme Court sources said the separatist leaders will get permission to attend this ceremony on May 21 once formalities are out of the way.

Supreme Court Judge Manuel Marchena explained on Monday that the court is waiting for Congress to confirm the appointments. The separatists defense lawyers are expected to ask the Supreme Court to give their defendants permission to leave prison and attend, at the very least, the session on May 21, where newly elected deputies will promise to observe the Constitution.

After this point, it is unclear whether the Catalan leaders will be able to remain in public office. Once they are formally sworn in, the Supreme Court will notify Congress and the Senate that all five have been temporarily suspended from office, under Article 384 of the Criminal Prosecution Law, which automatically suspends any public official accused of rebellion.

If, as is likely, the Supreme Court confirms the suspension, it will be up to congressional leaders to decide whether the deputies should be temporarily replaced by others, or if the number of seats in Congress should be reduced to 346. Given that the Supreme Court does not want to alter government majorities, it is expected to let Congress find the best way to apply the suspension.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
Miguel Abellan and Salvador Vega, who were PP candidates for Congress. EFE | GARCIA SANTOS

The big news on Sunday was that the Socialist Party (PSOE), led by Pedro Sanchez, won the highest number of seats at the Spanish general election. But the outcome of the vote also had an impact on other issues. Here is a roundup of other important news concerning the results that you might have missed.

High-profile losses

The outcome of Sundays vote has meant that some well-known figures are losing their congressional seats, particularly within the Popular Party (PP), which lost 71 seats on Sunday  a historically poor result for the conservative group. These include Mari Mar Blanco, sister of Miguel Angel Blanco, a PP councilor who was kidnapped and executed by the Basque terrorist group ETA in July 1997. Blanco, who now heads the Terrorism Victims Foundation, had been a PP deputy since 2016.

Podemos candidate Rita Bosaho, Spains first black member of Congress, lost her seat on Sunday. Pepe Olivares

Also out is Rita Bosaho, a Podemos deputy who gained media attention in December 2015 when she became the first black person to sit inside Spanish Congress. Bosaho was running as number three for Alicante province, where Podemos only earned two seats.

No bullfighters in Congress

None of the bullfighters who were running with the PP and Vox have made it into Congress. The far-right Vox, whose defense of hunting and bullfighting has been one of its key policies, had a matador named Serafin Marin on its Barcelona list. Instead, Voxs only seat representing Barcelona province will go to an atypical party member: Ignacio Garriga,whose father is Catalan and mother is from Equatorial Guinea.

The PP had also enlisted toreros: Salvador Vega for Malaga and Miguel Abellan for Madrid. Neither one has made it into the lower house.

Valencia election

Besides voting in the general election, residents of the Valencia region also cast their ballots for their regional representatives on Sunday. The Valencia branch of the Socialist Party, the PSPV-PSOE, received the highest number of votes, representing its first victory in 28 years in a region that had been long run by the PP. In 2015, the PP won the most seats but an alliance between the Socialists, Podemos and the regional Compromis ushered in a leftist executive. Regional premier Ximo Puig has opened talks in a bid to renew the alliance.

PSOE premier Ximo Puig celebrates after win at regional elections in Valencia. GTRES

Historic win in the Senate

The Socialist Party won an absolute majority in the Senate, breaking 25 years of PP control. The PSOE now holds 121 seats in the upper house, a significant rise from the 43 the party took at the 2016 polls. In addition to the senators elected by popular vote, the PSOE has 18 others who were appointed by the regional legislatures. This gives Sanchezs party a total of 139 seats in the 266-seat Senate, where the absolute majority is 134. Not since 1993 has the PSOE been the most-voted party in the Senate.

As in Congress, the PP suffered a crushing defeat in the Senate vote, losing 74 seats to be left with just 56 seats. The remaining seats were won by the Catalan Republican Left-Sovereigntists (ERC-Sobiranistes) (11 seats), the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) (9), Ciudadanos (Citizens, 4), Navarra Suma (3), Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) (2), Gomera Socialist Group (ASG) (1) and EH Bildu (1) from the Basque Country.

Animal-rights group misses out on a seat

The Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA) once again missed out on a seat in Congress. Although the group won 1.25% of the vote, the equivalent of more than 300,000 ballots, the party did not win a seat in Congress because support was spread out across the country. Spain uses the DHondt method of proportional representation, according to which some votes carry more weight depending on where they are cast.

PACMA office on election night. KIKE PARA (EL PAIS)

How can you justify the fact that the 50,000 people who voted for the Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) have representation and the 300,000 who voted for PCMA are left out again? asked PACMA candidate Laura Duarte.

Despite the disappointing result, the party is optimistic about their chances at the upcoming European elections.

English version by Susana Urra.
Mikhail Matskevich. Photo of the "EuroBelarus" information service Mikhail Matskevich. Photo of the "EuroBelarus" information service

To achieve changes, you need to be interested in them and stop pinning all hopes on the state.

For the fourth year in Belarus, the Agenda 50 campaign has been implemented, the goal of which is to consolidate at the local level the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Belarus signed this international document in 2015 and ratified it in 2016. During the campaign, pilot agendas were written in Stolin, Scucyn, Valozyn and Stoubtsy, which were based on the local issues and took into account the Convention principles. The signing of the agenda in Babruysk is coming. These are step-by-step plans that all the campaign participants have signed and undertaken to fulfill in order to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities in their cities.

To reformat the dialogue

Now, the experience of writing local agendas is told of in regional cities - with the hope that people there will take up the baton. In an interview with the "EuroBelarus" information service, Deputy Director of the Office on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Mikhail Matskevich spoke about the main challenges that were encountered with during the work on the local agendas design.

- In most cases, the communication between public organizations of people with disabilities and local authorities is as follows: the organizations representatives come to a local Executive Committee and ask for something. But after the adoption of the Convention, it became clear that the solution of problems related to disability is not the goodwill of the state or a particular official person, but the right of people with disabilities, starting from an accessible environment, ending with accompanied living.

According to Mikhail Matskevich, the form of relations in the request-alms style is widespread, with the exception of those rare areas where public councils have been created with the participation of public organizations. Well, often in such collegiate bodies as well, due to association with stakeholders from other areas, representatives of public organizations have practically no voting rights. Moreover, the discussion of problems in such councils is very often chaotic, they lack culture of dialogue, analysis of achievements and failures.

In our mindset, we dont have this structured communication when people come together to understand that each interested party can invest in a common cause, Mikhail Matskevich notes.

As a rule, government programs are formed at the level of ministries, and then process top down - and the local community can no way influence them.

Another difficulty is the lack of necessary competences among representatives of organizations of people with disabilities. For example, a chairman of an organization can be an excellent architect or teacher in the past, but the issues of interaction with the authorities lie, as a rule, in a political field - and these people often have no skills in this area. Thus, you have to either learn social work, or continue to act as you used to.

You can't act in an old way

In the near future Belarus is to adopt a law On the rights of persons with disabilities and their social integration. It will include some concepts that are new to the Belarusian legislation - for example, terms discrimination, smart devices, etc will be mentioned there. In addition, the new law provision will state that a disability council should be established in every district.

- This opens up great opportunities, because such councils will be headed by chairmen of executive committees or their deputies. And naturally, chairmen of people with disabilities public organizations should become headliners of such a process. The law provides for the possibility of participation of people with disabilities in an individual capacity in such councils, and this is very good, because they can be good sources of feedback and expertise, explains Mikhail Matskevich.

As the Belarusian practice shows, a public council can be created, but nothing says that it will function systematically. Therefore, they say that You can't act in an old way at the seminars that the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities holds in regional cities. To achieve changes, you need to stop placing expectations on the state and get rid of the illusion that it will solve everything for us, and we only need to point out problems.

The mechanism of how public councils should work can be an example of the local agendas work, namely, the 22 steps methodology, designed by experts from the Polish TUS Foundation. It provides for the preparation of plans for two to three years period - after all, the usual five-year plans in the context of the rapid turnover of local government is a lot. By the way, the recommendations below will be useful and relevant while forming local agendas, not only on the topic of disability, but also on any other topic.

Step by step actions

It is necessary to begin work in public councils with diagnosing problems, says Mikhail Matskevich. They need to be divided into those that can be solved at the local level and those which can be solved at the national level. For example, issues of being classified per invalidity degree, rehabilitation, employment, and some others need to be addressed at the national level, since they often require making changes to regulatory documents. And issues regarding a living place and social services that a person needs can be solved on the spot.

After diagnosing problems you need to prioritize them.

Its impossible to change everything at once, notes the Deputy Director of the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Tasks can be distributed as follows: administrative tasks (those that are solved using simple communication); tasks without additional financial costs (thus allowing to invest in the budget which an Executive Committee has at its disposal); tasks requiring financial investments and other resources (foreign aid, business partners, human resources, etc.).

The Agenda 50 campaign showed that in different regions of even our small country people identify different problems and have different views on their solution. Moreover, local agendas are not always designed on the problems base.

- For example, the chairman of the Support center for young people with disabilities in Stolin, Mikhail Skrebeyko is replicating the Latvian experience, and thanks to this, the creation of an independent living center for people with disabilities was reflected in the Stolin agenda. Therefore, the third point of the plan to identify problems is to discover what you want to do. A local agenda should not only reflect the problems, but also put the interests of different subjects in one piggy bank.

Another important point is the discussion of problems in public councils. Often it turns into a farce and does not bring results. Therefore, any discussion needs a moderator. In addition, the council should strive to remove shoulder straps - that is, to come down on the same level with the people, says Mikhail Matskevich.

- When problems are identified, people often make another mistake: they immediately switch to the language of the activities. Now public organizations of people with disabilities and executive committees are creating joint action plans, and this is worth welcoming. These usually include activities, persons responsible for them, dates and funding. But they rarely indicate goals from which to proceed. For example, in the Joint Work Plan for 2019 between the Committee on Labour, Employment and Social Protection and public organizations of Minsk there is an event: holding seminars on teaching blind people Braille language. Well, we can have a workshop, but will that solve the problem? First, you can participate in the workshop, but learn nothing. Secondly, if we solve a problem, we need to conduct a test. Thirdly, if the aim of a training is to facilitate communication with the outside world, then we need to answer the question whether the Braille language is present in the environment of those we want to teach: is it on the buttons of elevators and in the city in general, does literature exist in Braille, and where to take it?

Mikhail Matskevich draws attention to the fact that after identifying problems, it is necessary to formulate quantitative and, most importantly, qualitative indicators for measuring achievements. Returning to the same Braille language, you can find out how many people mastered it and how it helped them.

Involvement is important

One of the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is nothing for us without us. You can not make decisions without the participation of those whom they have been developed for. Therefore, it is important to hold public consultations and discuss plans to address the problems of people with disabilities. Our discussions often take place in the form of informing - and this is wrong. It is necessary to ask the opinion of the people themselves, and it is better to conduct polls in different groups, conditionally speaking - people in wheelchairs, visually impaired, hearing impaired, people with limited mobility, etc. And you also need to honestly respond to people, which proposals are accepted and which are not, and why. To do this, you can connect local media and online resources. An important detail: in small cities, when designing local plans, it is important to take into account interpersonal relations of people as these can affect work.

You can not create a local agenda without local authorities participation. The coordinators of the Agenda 50 campaign planned that action plans designed in the pilot cities could become decisions of local councils of deputies. But it turned out that local councils of deputies do not have the practice of adopting such documents. Such plans, as a rule, are formed at the regional level. Despite the fact that the agendas created are not regulations, but rather gentlemen's agreements, it is important that the signatories see these documents as personal plans for implementation. Otherwise, there is a danger that they will be forgotten in a month.

And finally: we need to constantly update the agendas and reflect them out. They should be easy to update to meet new challenges.

***

The material was prepared in the framework of the international project "Rights of People with Disabilities: agenda for Belarus (Agenda 50)".

The campaign "Agenda 50" is being implemented with the support of the European Union in partnership with the Fundacja TUS (Poland)and the PA "European House" (Denmark). Office for the Rights of People with Disabilities, International Consortium "EuroBelarus" and Center for European Transformation participate in the campaign implementation in Belarus.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has cautioned President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky's team against meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin without prior consultations with Kyiv's international partners.

"If anyone makes any decision in favor of Ukraine, we will certainly support if. If anyone needs advice, we will give it. But the risks that are facing the world and the country today are off the scale. If you go to a meeting with Putin, no one from the world coalition that we have carefully created for five years will ever come to you again. You will ruin it and will leave Ukraine on its own with the aggressor. And then the only thing you can do is to go down on your knees and admit surrender. And this is something that we surely can't allow to happen," Poroshenko said at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv on Monday.

Poroshenko also confirmed that he stands ready to help his successor with advice and support his decisions adopted in Ukraine's favor.

"We will timely give him a clue as to how to avoid going down on his knees, because we know how to do it - not to go down on our knees. We will also timely prompt him how to keep his allies and partners. And we will timely prompt him how not to sell himself for '30 pieces of silver' of gas," Poroshenko said.
Outgoing Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has spoken up against granting Ukrainian citizenship to the Russians.

"And we will not accept that someone will be granting the holy Ukrainian citizenship to the Russians now. As they will accept that [the Ukrainian citizenship], all of the 140 million. This is because it's better in our country. This is because Ukrainian citizenship is a high honor," Poroshenko said at a meeting with members of the scientific community at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv on Monday.

The president also said that he will not allow anyone to buy [Ukraine] for gas." "As the most important thing is what they are now trying to suggest that the gas will be cheaper in Ukraine," Poroshenko said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said that Russian citizenship would be granted in accordance with facilitated procedures not only to residents of Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine, but to all citizens of the country.

Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky in his turn said Ukrainians are free people and they know the price of Russian passports well.

"Firstly, I would not advise the Russian authorities to waste their time trying to lure citizens of Ukraine with Russian passports. Probably there are some people who are still under the influence of propaganda. We can even provide Vladimir Putin with a list of citizens of Ukraine who will start feeling very uncomfortable in the country, which they cynically robbed, abusing their high posts, in the near future. Let Russia decide again where it needs such 'professionals' more, in Rostov or in Magadan," Zelensky said in his statement released by his press service following the statement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin about the idea of giving Russian citizenship to all citizens of Ukraine who want it, using simplified procedures.

Zelensky also declared his readiness to grant Ukrainian citizenship to the Russians "We will provide Ukrainian citizenship to representatives of all peoples who suffer from authoritarian and corrupt regimes. First of all, to the Russians, who today suffer almost more than everyone," he said.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has said that he intends to visit the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on May 6.

"The army will increase its strength, and on May 6 I am going to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, because I am Commander-In-Chief. And we will continue the steps that we must take before the end of my term," Poroshenko said during the meeting with representatives of the cultural, public and business areas of Lviv region in the Ukrainian Catholic University on Monday.

He also recalled that he would sign the law on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language, as soon as the document from the head of the Verkhovna Rada is tabled to him.

"And our government, Ukrainian, and Stepan Kubiv [First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economic Development and Trade] remains a powerful and worthy representative of this government. And our team will be preserved," Poroshenko stressed.
Fifteen Ukrainian citizens were injured in a collision between a KamAZ truck and a passenger bus in Russia's Oryol region, the deputy director of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's Department of Consular Services, Vasyl Kyrylych, told the Ukrayinska Pravda ezine.

According to Kyrylych, one passenger is currently in a serious condition in a district hospital and another two are in the Oryol region's hospital. The other injured passengers were provided with medical aid and were then discharged from the hospital.

The bus was carrying a total of 52 Ukrainian citizens, he said.

"The consul is keeping in touch with on-duty officers at the regional branches of the Interior Ministry and the Emergency Situations Ministry. Relatives of the injured passengers have been informed of what happened," he said.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's branch for the Oryol region has said it was alerted about a road accident involving a passenger bus and a truck at the 423rd kilometer of the M-2 motorway in the Kromy district at around midnight. Doctors examined 21 people injured in the collision. Five of them were in need of medical care.
The Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) has arrested Andrei Vtyurin, a deputy state secretary of the Belarusian Security Committee, who had served as the head of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's security before 2014.

"The KGB has detained Andrei Vtyurin, deputy state secretary of the Security Committee, former head of Alexander Lukashenko's security. A criminal case has been initiated," the website of the Nasha Niva newspaper said, citing "credible sources."

The press service for the Belarusian KGB refrained from any comments on the reports about the detention. "We're not commenting," a representative of the press service said, replying to an Interfax question about the reports on Vtyurin's detention.

According to the newspaper, Vtyurin's cottage in the village of Drozdy-2, where high-ranking officials live, has been sealed.

The official was detained for bribery a week ago, the newspaper said.

Vtyurin worked in Lukahsenko's security for almost 20 years, including as its head in 2007-2014. Vtyurin has been serving as a deputy state secretary of the Belarusian Security Committee, following a presidential decree, since 2014.

Vtyurin is a Penza native and graduate of the Russian Interior Ministry's Saratov Higher Military Command School and the Academy of the Belarusian Interior Ministry.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has called on Ukrainians around the world to support the petition, which appeared on the website of the German parliament, recognizing the Holodomor in Ukraine of 1932-1933 as the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

"A petition appeared on the website of the German parliament recognizing the Holodomor in Ukraine of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people. Thanks to the Munich community for the initiative and to all Ukrainians in Germany for its support. I urge Ukrainians all over the world to support this appeal - everyone can sign the petition, and who knows German language - join its discussion," the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

He also posted a link to the petition published on the website of the Bundestag.

"Friends, I see our moral duty to millions of innocent victims of the Holodomor in the memory of them, the tragedy of the Ukrainian people living in the world. The world must know the truth about the bloody, cannibalistic crimes of the Soviet regime in order to be able to respond to modern manifestations of Stalinism, which the current Russian authorities cherish," Klimkin wrote.
Early on Tuesday, Russian security forces conducted searches of two Crimean Tatars, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelyal said.

"Rolan Osmanov said that the searches are underway in his house. The village of Urozhayne, Simferopol District," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Later, the public organization "Crimean Solidarity" reported that the investigative actions in the house of activist Osmanov were completed. "The law enforcers left his home after informing that they were allegedly looking for drugs. Rolan's freedom of movement after the search is not limited," the message said.

Dzhelyal also informed about the searches in the house of Dilyaver Bekirov (Zhyvopysne village, Simferopol district) and in the house of his son Ruslan Bekirov in Simferopol.

"According to relatives, the Interior Ministry officers arrived at six in the morning when everyone was asleep. They went into the garage, where they allegedly found papers with separatist statements. Then they opened the door to the house. A bottle of some powder was allegedly found in one of the rooms. After the search Ruslan was taken away," the deputy chairman of the Mejlis wrote.

Later, relatives found out the whereabouts of Bekirov. "After the search, he was taken away to give medical samples, apparently, on drugs. After that, he was taken to the Kyiv District Department of Internal Affairs of Simferopol and was allowed to call his relatives. According to them, they will take explanations from him and release him," added Dzhelyal.
Law enforcement officers of Ukraine and the Czech Republic have agreed to cooperate in some areas of the fight against crime.

In the Czech Republic, representatives of the Ukrainian police signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Czech police, deputy head of the National Police Viacheslav Abroskin said on his Facebook page.

According to the signed memorandum, police officers of these countries will cooperate during investigations of crimes "associated with organized criminal groups, illegal migration and human trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering, illegal arms trafficking and manifestations of transnational crime."

"I can only say that the leaders and members of criminal organizations who built their houses and hid their money in banks outside our country will live worse, and perhaps they will not be able to get to this money and houses," wrote Abroskin.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said he doesn't see a fundamental difference between incumbent President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky, in the case of Russia, the European Pravda said referring to Rzeczpospolita.

I listened very carefully to the statements of the president-elect and did not find any significant difference between him and Poroshenko, if we are talking about Russia. The fact that he seeks to end the war in eastern Ukraine does not help Moscow, said Juncker in an interview with Rzeczpospolita.

However, he did not give any assessments to the future president.

We will continue supporting Ukraine. I always in contacts with the Ukrainians, I emphasize that the fight against corruption should be strengthened, said the president of the European Commission.

No other state outside the EU has received so much help from us! The Ukrainians carried out fundamental, complex reforms. But the elected president is not against Ukraine's European integration, Juncker said.
President-elect of Ukraine following the second round of presidential elections, Volodymyr Zelensky, whose results were previously announced by the Central Election Commission, now has the status of "newly elected President of Ukraine," and his official taking the office will occur after the inauguration in the Verkhovna Rada, head of the CEC Tetiana Slipachuk has said.

"Now we call Zelensky "the newly elected president" in accordance with article 87 of the law "On the election of the president of Ukraine." This is analogous to the internationally accepted English-speaking "president-elect," which is functional before the president has gained authority. He [Zelensky] is the newly elected president of Ukraine, who becomes empowered after taking the oath at the ceremonial meeting of the Verkhovna Rada," she said at a briefing on Tuesday after the announcement of the official results of the presidential elections.

Slipachuk noted that this meeting of the parliament should take place within 30 days after the official announcement of the results of the election of the head of the Ukrainian state in the newspapers Holos Ukrainy and Uriadovy Kurier.
The European Commission intends to study and give its assessment to the law on the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, said Maya Kocijancic, spokeswoman for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the EU Commission Federica Mogherini.

We know that the Ukrainian parliament adopted a new law on language. Now we are waiting for the publication of the final version of this law in order to study its content, she stated at a briefing in Brussels on Friday.

At the same time, Kocijancic reminded that the EU constantly said that the Ukrainian authorities should send a law on language to be assessed by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe before it comes into force.

As reported, on April 25, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed as a whole a draft law on the Ukrainian language, which provides for the mandatory use of the national language by government agencies, local self-government and in other spheres of public life. Corresponding bill No. 5670-d on ensuring the use of Ukrainian as the national language passed its the second reading and was generally supported by 278 lawmakers at a plenary session of the parliament on Thursday.
Linkevicius to raise issue of Russia's responsibility for facilitation of obtaining Russian citizenship by ORDLO residents at meeting of EU FMs

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius will raise the issue of Russia's responsibility for the decision on the simplified granting of Russian citizenship to Ukrainians in certain regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO) at the next meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union.

"Now we are working to organize an international response [to the decision of the Russian Federation on the simplified provision of Russian passports to the residents of ORDLO]. Linas will talk about this during the next meeting of EU foreign ministers. We are unanimous with him that not only political pressure on the Russian Federation is necessary, but also additional sanctions," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told journalists in Kyiv on Friday.

He noted that in this case it is necessary to consider economic and sectoral sanctions against Russia.

"This decision was made because Moscow stopped thinking that they would be able to establish a pro-Russian reality there. They will systematically continue to interfere in our internal affairs, and this concerns not only the occupied territories," Klimkin added.

In turn, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania stressed that such a decision of the Russian authorities is a bold violation of international law.

"It will have legal, financial and political consequences ... Is it possible? Yes. Is it simple? No, it isn't," noted Linkevicius.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin did not rule out the possibility of discussing joint work with President-elect of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, if principles and beliefs are the same.

"I have my own principles, values and beliefs. If they coincide and there is a joint desire, then we will talk. But I will not to retreat from what we have been doing these five years, and I personally believe in what I was doing, of course," the minister told reporters in Kyiv on Friday.

According to him, teamwork will depend on two things: mutual desire and priorities and ways to achieve them.

At the same time, Klimkin conveyed to Zelensky's side the opportunity to comment on their potential meetings.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has protested the fact that centers for issuing Russian passports to residents of districts of Donbas not controlled by Kyiv have started operations in Russian territory and called on the international community not to recognize such documents.

"Ukraine is urging its international partners not to recognize and not to accept documents issued by Russia in violation of the Ukrainian constitution and laws to citizens of Ukraine living in the territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine that are temporarily occupied by Russia, as well as any transactions carried out with such documents," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"In taking such steps, Russia is manifestly demonstrating its absolute disregard for the norms and principles of international law, and having deliberately chosen a course toward escalation, it is also fundamentally undermining the Minsk Agreements, a party to which it is," the statement said.

Russia's decision to issue its passports to Donbas residents is "legally null and void and will not be recognized by Ukraine," it said.

These decisions "can have no effect on the fact that the residents of the Donbas territories temporarily occupied by Russia are citizens of Ukraine, as is stipulated by the constitution and Ukrainian law," the statement said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry once again strongly called for "stepping up consolidated political-diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin to compel it to honor the norms and principles of international law; for instance, by expanding personal and sectoral sanctions against the aggressor country."

On April 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order facilitating the issuance of Russian passports to permanent residents of the self-proclaimed republics in Donbas. On April 29, the first office for issuing Russian passports accepted 80 applications from residents of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in Novoshakhtinsk, Rostov region. On April 30, an office for issuing Russian passports to residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) was opened in the community of Pokrovskoye in Rostov region.
The defense lawyer of two Iranian-American dual nationals sentenced to jail in Iran for "collaboration with a belligerent state," says he is going to demand their "conditional release".

The announcement by the lawyer comes less than a week after Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif put forward the idea of a prisoners swap between Iran and the United States, and one day after Tehran's prosecutor allegedly "resigned."

The United nations had called on Iran last year to release the two dual nationals, Baqer and Siamak Namazi, father and son, as their detainment "violates international laws."

The defense lawyer, Mehrdad Qorbani, told reporters that he is going to call for their conditional release as they have already served four years in jail.

He said he has made the decision after Tehran's prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi announced he is handing over his office to a new prosecutor.

Qorbani said he did not have much hope in arranging a renewed hearing for the case as Iran's Supreme Court has rejected his appeal. "However, we are going to appeal again as Tehran's prosecutor has been replaced."

He said based on Iranian laws, Siamak Namazi, who has been sentenced to 10 years in jail, is eligible for conditional release as he has already served four years.
Iran on April 29 announced the establishment of a company designed to match a mechanism European countries have set up to facilitate trade despite U.S. sanctions.

Earlier on March 20, the Governor of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnaser Hemmati had announced that a mechanism similar to Europes Instrument for Trade and Exchanges (INSTEX) has been registered.

The mechanism, called the Special Trade and Finance Institute (STFI) was introduced after technical and expert negotiations between Iranian delegations and representatives from three European countries (Britain, France and Germany).

STFI has been devised to work in tandem INSTEX, designed to alleviate facilitate limited trade with Iran.

The newly established Iranian company has started its activity with one billion rials (about $24,000) capital.

France, Germany and the UK set up INSTEX on January 31, 2019, following the U.S. withdrawal from the deal with Iran in 2018, to help Tehran with limited trade despite U.S. sanctions.

However, the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called INSTEX a "meaningless" measure and "a bitter joke," adding that "Europeans should have stood up to the U.S. after it left the JCPOA and should have lifted all sanctions against Iran."

The U.S. Representative to the EU, Gordon Sondland, also reiterated on April 11, that the era of the U.S.-Europe dispute over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers is over.

"The SPVs (INSTEX) are Europe's attempt to appease Iran by showing that they are still trying their very best to facilitate proper transfers of payments to Iran. We believe that those SPVs are really nothing more than, and I've said it before, a paper tiger," said Gordon Sondland.

The formal announcement of STFI's establishment has been followed by another round of attacks by Iranian officials on the EU and on what they describe as the "EU3 procrastination."

Parliament speaker Ali Larijani insisted on Monday, April 29, that Iran no longer cares about Europes demands as European governments have let it down in countering "hostile U.S. policies".

We are trying to find out why European leaders and the European Union only support us in rhetoric or only express regret at Americas actions, Larijani said during a meeting with Wolfgang Gerstl, the head of Austria-Iran parliamentary friendship group in Tehran on Monday.

Sure, you might say there are problems because of U.S. pressure and it might sound logical, but we look at this from our own point of view and the most important thing for us is that this behavior has raised questions about EUs credibility and it means that the EU lacks the weight to solve problems, local news outlets cited Larijani as saying.

Larijani expressed his dissatisfaction with the EU3 to the extent that he stressed, "We do not need Europes help in getting back at Washington. We will get even with America."
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 22 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said April 30, Trend reports.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

At this stage, it cannot be said that the policy of the current leadership of Armenia regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is fundamentally different from the policy of their predecessors, well-known Russian expert Georgi Fedorov told Azernews, Trend reports.

"Unfortunately, distrust remains the main obstacle to resolving the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan," he said. The Russian expert positively assessed the results of the meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow on April 15 this year.

"The fact that the meeting took place in this format is already good. Dialogue has been established and continues. Moreover, a noticeable achievement at this stage was the preliminary agreement on establishing contacts between people including mutual visits of media representatives, as well as measures for the admission of relatives to the persons held in detention on the territories of the sides," the expert said. "Yes, there are still many unresolved issues; however, there is already noticeable progress in relations between the two countries. On the other hand, no one says that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved in an instant. This is a long process that requires great efforts by the parties."

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 Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Details added (first version posted at 12:54 on April 29).

Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine National Congress Emilio Monzo.

Highlighting cooperation between Azerbaijan and Argentina in a number of areas, President Ilham Aliyev hailed the role of reciprocal visits at different levels. The head of state stressed the importance of expanding economic cooperation.

Thanking for the reception, Emilio Monzo extended President of the Argentine Republic Mauricio Macri's greetings to the head of state. He said that President Ilham Aliyev has great influence beyond the borders of Azerbaijan including Argentina, and noted with pleasure that Azerbaijan has established good friendly relations with other countries thanks to the policy of the head of state. Emilio Monzo underlined that his country is interested in developing relations with Azerbaijan in all areas.

The sides praised the development of political ties between Azerbaijan and Argentina, and noted the significance of expanding cooperation in economic, trade, tourism, humanitarian and other spheres.

The head of state thanked for President Mauricio Macri's greetings and asked Emilio Monzo to extend his greetings to the Argentine president.
Details added (first version posted at 12:18 on April 29).

Baku, Azerbaijan, April 29

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia Marija Pejcinovic Buric.

Recalling his visit to Croatia, the head of state noted that negotiations and discussions held there were fruitful, adding that this trip made a significant contribution to the development of the bilateral ties. Underlining the two countries` cooperation in a variety of fields, President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that the bilateral relations will continue to expand. The head of state expressed hope that Marija Pejcinovic Buric`s visit to Azerbaijan will contribute to the strengthening of the bilateral ties.

Marija Pejcinovic Buric extended Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic`s greetings to the head of state. She said that President Ilham Aliyev`s visit to Croatia was very successful and fruitful discussions were held during the trip in terms of further strengthening the bilateral relations. The deputy prime minister mentioned that as part of her visit, she will attend the inauguration of the Embassy of Croatia in Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked for Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic`s greetings and asked Marija Pejcinovic Buric to extend his greetings to the Croatian prime minister.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Gabriela Cuevas Barron on April 29, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Gabriela Cuevas Barron noted that during the current visit to Baku she attended in the "Formula 1 SOCAR Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2019", witnessing the organization of this important world-class sporting event at a high professional level. According to her, such memorable events are a wonderful opportunity for Azerbaijan to further increase the countrys image in the world.

Minister Elmar Mammadyarov welcomed the active participation of Latin American countries in the IPU, organization that unites the representatives of the world's parliaments, focusing on close contacts between the Azerbaijan and IPU. In this regard, the minister said that Azerbaijan will start its presidency in the Non-Aligned Movement this year, and invited Gabriela Cuevas Barron to the Non-Aligned Summit to be held in Baku.

The sides expressed hope for further development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and exchanged views on the processes taking place in Latin America.

The sides also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
Laetitia Benard

Tom Mitcheson

Views from the SPC panel

was the inevitable session on Supplementary Protection Certificates. As conference organiser Hugh Hansen had joked earlier in the day: All I know is they must be important because every year people push for them to be included on the program here!Over to guest Kat,who reports on the session:"The SPC panel was moderated byand first to take the stage waswho presented on SPC Reform in the EU. The Max Plank Institute (MPI) Report published on 28 May 2018 (at no less than 700 pages and 7 annexes) was a comprehensive legal review of the SPC system. It involved fact finding through consultation of all stakeholders and made a total of 33 recommendations:The MPI report found that the purpose of the SPC legislation was to compensate patent holders for the time lost in obtaining regulatory approval for products containing new active substances. The original intention of lawmakers was to grant one SPC per product or combination, authorised for the first time. Further, it found that the CJEU has extended the scope to more SPCs per product, SPCs for new formulations and second medical indications, not insisting on the first MA. This calls for a political decision which, according the MPI, could be achieved by (i) amendment of the SPC Regulation, (ii) Implementing Regulations (EC) and/or (iii) soft law in the form of guidelines, although query what weight mere guidelines would have?In Marleens view the response of the European Commission had been sub-optimal. They commissioned the MPI report and then decided to ignore all but one of its recommendations: the SPC manufacturing waiver, which is expected to enter into force in July 2019 and will apply to all new SPC applications. The waiver allows making of medicinal products (i) for export to non-EU countries, (ii) for stockpiling in the EU 6 months prior to SPC expiry and (iii) any related acts necessary to achieve the same. This will be strictly regulated and product will need to be labelled as for export.then moved to Recent Developments on SPCs, in particular the CJEU decision in the Teva v Gilead case. In that case Gileads SPC was for tenofovir plus emtricitabine, whereas the relevant patent claimed tenofovir and optionally other therapeutic ingredients. There was no other SPC on tenofovir and emtricitabine had only been disclosed after the patent was filed. Tevas invalidity claim was referred to the CJEU and, somewhat unsurprisingly, the meaning ofremains unclear as the extent of protection is referred to and not the infringement test. This is disappointing as this was the first time the Grand Chamber of the CJEU had heard such a case; this was their chance to clarify Article 3(a) once and for all. Instead they set out two instances where the Article 3(a) requirement would be met, namely when the product is either expressly mentioned in the claims of the patent or those claims relate to that product necessarily and specifically.The subsequent decisions of national courts show the lack of clarity as to how to apply the CJEUs decision, starkly illustrated by those concerning an SPC held by Merck for the combination product of ezetimibe and simvastatin. The French court found the SPC to be valid in light of the CJEUs judgment in, as there is now no requirement that the combination should be the subject matter of the invention, and found that the CJEUs judgment had no impact on Article 3(c). The German (Dusseldorf) and Dutch courts found the opposite and concluded that Article 3(c) was not met. It is concerning that after the CJEUs decision - which is meant to harmonize the law - we are seeing extremely diverging decisions in Europe in relation to the validity of SPCs.dealt with Canadas Certificates of Supplementary Protection (CSP): One Year Later. Prior to 2017, Canada had been the only G7 nation not to provide patent term extension for pharmaceutical products and was pressured into adopting this by the EU. Major differences between Canada's regime and other SPC regimes are that protection is capped at 2 years, the application must be filed within one year of the first regulatory submissions and that there can only be one CSP per drug.The first case concerned GSKs CSP application for the vaccine Shingrix, which was rejected because the claim covered adjuvants, which were deemed to be non-medicinal ingredients. The same result is likely in the EU but Brian queried, where the composition gives practical effect to a beneficial medicinal composition, is there any compelling reason not to allow patent term extension? The second case was, where a judicial review was filed earlier this year. ViiV obtained an MA to market a combination of two separately patented drugs. This is a different concern to Shingrix where the claim did necessarily and specifically (i.e. the test set down by the CJEU in) cover the product but included non-medicinal ingredients. Brian again queried if it can be right not to allow an SPC for combination products in this scenario. Surely this is discouraging parties from combining to create inventions? The system now is not protecting what the patentee actually invented due to Canada adopting the same stupid rules as Europe!Panellistoffered three reasons as to why there is so little harmonisation: (1) the drafters of the original legislation simply didnt have any of the issues we are currently facing in mind; such as vaccines, combinations, antibodies/breadth limitations and the third party issue, (2) the CJEU is not at all familiar with patent law and is reluctant to cast aside previous judgments  as has been shown in relation to Article 3(a), and (3) as is clear from the MPI report, many of the issues are policy issues and which should be dealt with by legislation and not by judges. The original legislation should have been clear and we now need revised legislation. It is not possible for judges to square the circle and come up with a solution. Whilst the unitary patent and SPC will help, further legislation is needed as an impossible task exists as things stand.Fellow panellist, speaking in his personal capacity, commented that the situation is certainly not clear yet in light of the CJEUs decision. What necessarily and specifically means  nobody is 100% sure. Another issue is that the new test requires the product to be identifiable on the basis of the prior art. This would seem to be a slip of the pen and surely should instead read on the basis of the CGK. If prior art is correct then that would mean many more SPCs could be issued  it is a very different thing. It is also unclear how SPCs could now be granted on the basis of Markush formula claims  how should such claims be drafted to allow applicants to get an SPC?Final panellistexplained that, going back to basics, the SPC is meant to be a reward for R&D and there should be legal certainty and a harmonised situation for the international market. As the legislation is written it covers every type of industry whereas in reality different issues arise. For example, for vaccines and agriculture, combinations are hugely important for the majority of products, but that is not the case for everything.Each time the CJEU looks at things they tend to add a new point of lack of clarity! They have now said that they dont want the infringement test, which was by far the clearest and easiest option. Part of the reason why it is so difficult to apply their decisions is that the CJEU is frankly not very diligent in choosing their words. Analysing what they meant by stated vs specified in the claim is unlikely to assist at all.Perhaps a better option is to return to the origins of only having one SPC per product and that an SPC should only be allowed with the agreement of the MA holder  i.e. so there would be no third party SPCs without consent. For second medical use and combinations, which are of course valuable inventions, perhaps SPCs are just not the best instrument and something else is needed such as regulatory data protection.In some ways it is not surprising that the European Commission only took the SPC waiver forward from the MPI report recommendations. Many parties are concerned about re-opening the SPC Regulation in an era when IP is under attack in the event that the result is even less protection.responded that, whilst he agreed that the CJEU case law is not yet clear, it is in his view getting clearer. The CJEU itself now thinks that the situation is perfectly clear, to the extent that they actually recently asked German and Dutch courts to withdraw pending referrals  which they both refused to do.From the audience,, speaking in her personal capacity, noted that at the MPI meeting in November, the long term SPC CJEU advisor had commented that as far the CJEU is concerned there should be no need for any further referrals. In response to Hans earlier point, it seemed that the CJEU was not completely clear on patent concepts - having asked what the difference was between prior art and common general knowledge. Amidst this background, it was commented during the session, that the re-introduction of the infringement test seemed sensible.agreed with this: the infringement test is by far the easiest test for the non-specialist CJEU judges to apply.asked if simply the best way forward is for a group of European patents judges to agree the position and effectively side line the CJEU? Hans did not think this would be possible. Instead questions will just need to continue being referred  including setting out how the various courts think Article 3(a) is best applied  until the position does finally become clear.explained that he was never convinced by the infringement test, instead preferring the approach taken by Sir Robin Jacob in the originaldecision and also the approach put forward by Peter Meier-Beck relating to applying Article 69 as a scope of protection test (although asnoted, this approach was in fact raised inand still the diverging decisions followed). This is clearly a very difficult issue but introducing a further definition, or extra wording into Article 3(a), would be likely make the confusion even worse. Klaus remained of the view that eventually we will get the clarity that is needed."
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

The 2nd International Parliamentary Conference of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Silk Road Support Group "One Belt, One Road: strengthening cooperation for sustainable development and prosperity" kicked off in Minsk, Trend reports referring to the website of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, Member of the Council of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Vladimir Andreichenko said that the Silk Road is a powerful channel for exchange of new ideas, knowledge and technologies, a space for dialogue of civilizations and a new way of interaction between countries with different levels of economic development.

We are promoting ideas for the formation of a common economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok on the world stage, Andreichenko said.

After the opening ceremony, the conference continued its work in the format of discussions on the following topics: "The implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative as a factor of economic growth and increasing investment attractiveness of the participating states: problems and ways of development", "The implementation of international infrastructure projects as the basis for the success of the Belt and Road Initiative", "Using the Belt and Road Initiative's potential to increase humanitarian cooperation and the tourist attractiveness of the participating states," the report said.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assemblys Silk Road Support Group was established on July 8, 2017 at the 26th annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Minsk. It includes MPs from Austria, Azerbaijan, Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Georgia, Spain, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, France, Croatia, Montenegro and Switzerland.

The Groups activities as part of the OSCE PA are aimed at expanding the areas of cooperation and strengthening political, economic and cultural ties between the OSCE participating states. The group is intended to play the role of a platform that promotes mutually beneficial economic and trade relations through the development of transport corridors, adoption of transport and trade procedures facilitation measures, promotion of the free and safe movement of persons, goods, services and investments.

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Details added (first version posted on 14:51)

Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani presidential press-service on April 30.

President Aliyev hailed the development of cooperation between the two countries, and noted that the bilateral relations are expanding in political, economic, trade, energy, security and other areas.

Underlining that Azerbaijan intends to continue its bilateral ties with the US in the format of partnership, the president stressed the importance of mutual contacts and events between the two countries over the past years. President Aliyev expressed hope that this positive dynamics will be maintained.

Recalling his visit to Azerbaijan last October, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent said his visit Azerbaijan aims to continue this positive dynamics in the bilateral relations.

He noted the significance of the U.S. Presidents National Security Adviser John Bolton`s visit to Azerbaijan and the negotiations held following his trip.

The president praised U.S. President Donald Trump`s support for the Southern Gas Corridor project.

Kent thanked for Azerbaijan`s transit and logistical support for NATO member and partner countries, including the U.S., under Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.

The sides exchanged views over the democratic development of Azerbaijan, the judicial system and ongoing socio-economic reforms.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Samir Ali  Trend:

Azerbaijan is represented at the IDEF-2019 14th International Defense Industry Fair in Turkey, which was opened on April 30 with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense Industry.

Over 500 official delegations and 1,061 companies from 53 countries are participating in the exhibition.

Deputy Minister of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan Yahya Musayev also attended the opening of the exhibition.

On the first day of the exhibition, the visitors got acquainted with the pavillion of the Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan, where sniper rifles, assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars, pyrotechnic equipment, optical systems, combat vehicles, drones, ammunition of various calibers and other military products were put on display.

The Azerbaijan Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov and representatives of other security agencies participating in the event visited the pavillion of the Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan and got acquainted with the products demonstrated.

During the exhibition, meetings will be organized between Deputy Minister Yahya Musayev and official delegations of friendly and allied countries as well as with representatives of leading companies in this sector.

The exhibition will continue until May 3.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

A tourism zone and a zone of scientific importance are planned to be created on the Agsu Pass (143-157 kilometers of the Baku-Shamakhi-Yevlakh highway), Anvar Aliyev, Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, head of the department of ecogeography at the Institute of Geography of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, told Trend.

Agsu Pass is extremely dangerous in terms of landslides and it is possible to build a road in the lowlands of Agsuchay River, which will be twice as short, he said.

Aliyev stressed that natural anthropogenic factors greatly affect the territory of the 14-kilometer Agsu pass, located at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level.

There are ancient platforms (cratons) at Agsu pass, he said.

"A scientific zone may be created here, Aliyev said. Tourists can come here to see this uniqueness. Scholars may do research. The most important thing is that unique nature will be preserved."

He added that if a new road is built, then the year-round recreation zones for people, especially in summer, may be created on the Agsu pass.

There is an opportunity to shorten the way along the Baku-Shamakhi highway, Aliyev said.

"This route can be shortened by 20-30 kilometers, which will allow getting from Baku to Shamakhi within an hour, Aliyev added. Along with creating favorable conditions for people using this road, it is also attractive from an environmental point of view."

He added that the corresponding proposal will be sent to the Cabinet of Ministers.

The proposals for the construction of the Baku-Agsu highway were submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers in 2017, Anar Najafli, head of the PR department of the Azerbaijani State Agency of Highways, told Trend.

"The proposals envisage the construction of a road along the Agsuchay River without using the Agsu pass, as well as the reconstruction of the Muganli-Ismayilli road, he said. The proposal has been accepted by the Cabinet of Ministers. Its implementation will begin immediately after the state allocates funds."
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

Haemophilia patients are covered by Azerbaijan government not only through providing free of charge medicines but also being supported to have healthy and high quality of life.

This topic was highlighted at World Haemophilia Day event initiated and organized by Novo Nordisk on 17th of April during the launch of Changing Haemophilia with presence of Parliament members, Ministry of Health and representatives of other state authorities, Haemophilia Centre & Healthcare professionals, Republic Association of Haemophilia Patients & haemophilic patients.

Arash Nosrati Heravi, head of Azerbaijan Representative Office of Novo Nordisk RIO A/S, the worldwide pharmaceutical company, informed about the companys projects related to haemophilia during his presentation at the event.

He mentioned that, Novo Nordisk has developed new generation of haemophilia medicines, in the result of recent clinical researches and innovative investigations. The collaboration of the Ministry of Health and Novo Nordisk resulted in delivery of these new generation medicines to the country for patients access.

Supply of medicines is not the only need of the patients. We hope Changing Haemophilia works as a platform for collaboration of all related local and international stakeholders Arash Nosrati Heravi, head of Azerbaijan Representative Office of Novo Nordisk said.

Establishment a new Haemophilia Centre in Nakhchivan and new physiotherapy centres in Baku, Shirvan and Nakhchivan were those projects supported by Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation, an independent organization of Novo Nordisk, the purpose of which was helping patients with haemophilia and improving physiotherapy service together with Republic Association of Haemophilia Patients.

Ministry of Health currently not only prioritizing haemophilic patients, but also will focus more on better diagnosis, joint health management and increase the access for new treatments in the future. Dr. Anar Israphilov- chief consultant of healthcare organisation from Ministry of Health answered a question from patients.

Elmira Gadimova, head of the Republic Scientific and Practical Haemophilia Centre, expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Health for providing new generation medicines and informed how it helps patients therapy outcomes.

At the end of the meeting following a panel discussion of health authorities, parliament and haemophilia specialists, some plans were developed for better haemophilia management and all the parties agreed to report the results at the next year event.

Novo Nordisk, a Danish company with the history of more than 95 years, is a world leader in development and production of diabetes & haemophilia medicines. The headquarter of the company is located in Denmark. The company has 80 affiliates with more than 43 thousand of employees worldwide and has been operating in Azerbaijan by more than 19 years.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Sara Israfilbayova  Trend:

The election of Azerbaijan as deputy chairman of the Customs Cooperation Council of the World Customs Organization (WCO) and head of the Europe Region is the result of the successful policy of President Ilham Aliyev, Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan Igbal Babayev told at a press conference in Baku, Trend reports.

"The Europe Region includes 53 countries, and Azerbaijan will chair the region," he said. According to Babayev, the country will lead the Europe Region for two years. "The reforms carried out under the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan in the customs system as well as in all other spheres are of a comprehensive nature," Babayev noted.

He stressed that the fact that Azerbaijan holds events such as the Annual Assembly and Conference of the International Association of Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) Customs and Logistics, and the 36th International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) testifies to the reputation of Azerbaijans customs authorities in the international arena.

Babayev emphasized the importance of the forthcoming international conference in the field of information technology planned for June this year, which will also be held in Baku.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 30

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received a representative of the ruling dynasty of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Ashgabat, Trend reports via the TV channel "Turkmenistan."

The meeting participants noted the existence of broad prospects for the development of trade and economic partnership, as well as effective business contacts in various sectors, the report said.

The parties expressed confidence in the intensification of interstate dialogue.

Turkmenistan is interested in the participation of large financial and investment of Qatar in the implementation of the transnational project of the TurkmenistanAfghanistanPakistanIndia gas pipeline (TAPI).

The construction of the Turkmen section of the Trans-Afghanistan pipeline was started in December of 2015. It is planned to supply raw materials in the annual volume of up to 33 billion cubic meters of gas from the Galkynysh field in Turkmenistan, the second largest in the world.

This is while in Ashgabat, Qatar Al Qamra Holding and the government of Turkmenistan signed a Memorandum of understanding on financing potential projects in Turkmenistan on June 20 last year.

In this regard, the Turkmen bank held a presentation of major investment projects implemented in the country for the representative delegation of Qatar headed by the Director of Al Qamra Holding Hamad Saleh al Qamra. The parties paid special attention to the expansion of the domestic market, the introduction of innovations and the increase in the volume of exports of goods.

The fuel and energy complex, transport and communication sphere, and chemical and medical industry were named among the main vectors of interaction.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Fakhri Vakilov  Trend:

Monolith Group of Companies (Germany) plans to set up import of agricultural products from Uzbekistan, Trend reports via Uzbek media.

The volumes and range of supplies will be expanded as the demand for goods will be revealed, the company said.

The companys management plans to establish direct contacts with producers and suppliers of melons and gourds, as well as to organize trial combined deliveries of Uzbek melons, pomegranates, onions, persimmons, spices and wine products to the German market.

The Monolith group of companies has 160 stores in Germany and 10 stores in the Netherlands.

With round about 2,000 customers the Monolith group ranks among the leading wholesalers for the import and distribution of selected East European specialties.

Since the foundation in 1997 the company has entered constant growth. At six locations the Monolith group engages 300 employees who earned up to 260 million euro in recent years.

The expert in wholesale, consisting of Monolith International, North, South, Middle plus Monolith West and East, provides its customers with foods as well as non-foods all over Europe.

The exclusive assortment covers about 2.000 items and offers a choice from original Russian sweets and drinks to meat, sausage and fish. In this manner the Monolith group meets the requirements of the consumers who consist of Russian Germans as well as emigrants from the Eastern Europe states.

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Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

In March 2019, the volume of cargo transshipment from Russia and Iran through the ports of Turkey amounted to 13,688,726 tons, Trend reports referring to the Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Ministry.

During this period, the volume of cargo transshipment from Iran through the ports of Turkey amounted to 1,461,308 tons.

In March 2019, the volume of cargo transshipment from Iran by ships sailing under the Iranian flag amounted to 1,004,104 tons, and ships sailing under flags of other countries accounted for 457,204 tons of cargo.

During this period, no ships flying the Turkish flag transshipped cargo from Iran through Turkish ports.

According to the ministry, in March 2019, the volume of cargo transshipment from Russia through the ports of Turkey amounted to 12,227,418 tons.

During the reported period, the volume of cargo transshipment from Russia by vessels flying the Turkish flag amounted to 779,096 tons.

The volume of cargo transshipment from Russia by ships sailing under the Russian flag amounted to 1,620,618 tons, and the amount of cargo transshipped by ships sailing under flags of other countries was 9,827,704 tons.

In March 2019, 4,200 ships arrived at Turkish ports, according to the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

The gross registered tonnage of all vessels in March 2019 amounted to 69.218 million tons.

In March 2019, 1,500 ships sailing under the Turkish flag and 2,700 ships sailing under flags of other countries arrived at Turkish ports. The gross registered tonnage of ships arrived at Turkish ports under the Turkish flag in March 2019 amounted to 10.799 million tons, and the gross registered tonnage of ships under flags of other countries was 58.419 million tons.

According to the ministry, in the 1Q2019, Turkish ports received 11,700 ships with the gross registered tonnage of amounted to 190.350 million tons.

In the 1Q2019, most of the ships were received by the port of Izmit (1,400 vessels) and the port of Aliaga (861 vessels).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:

Azerbaijan may begin exporting milk to Saudi Arabia, the Azerbaijan Milk and Dairy Products Producers and Exporters Association (ASEB) Chairman of the Board Samir Eyyubov told Trend.

Eyyubov noted that the main task of the association is to meet the demand for milk and dairy products at the domestic market.

"We also plan to introduce new standards and are taking steps to stimulate the development of dairy farming in Azerbaijan," he said.

The Azerbaijan Milk and Dairy Products Producers and Exporters Association was established on January 26, 2018. Presently, the association brings together 20 companies. The negotiations are underway with new companies.

Milk production in Azerbaijan in the 1Q2019 amounted to 467,500 tons, which is 2 percent more compared to the 1Q2018.

Whole milk production amounted to 236,300 tons, which is 2.8 percent more than in the 1Q2018.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS
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Details added (first version posted on 13:48)

Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

The Board of Directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved anew strategy for Azerbaijan which will guide the Banks investments and policy work in the country for 2019-2024, Trend reports referring to EBRD on April 30.

The 2019-2024 strategy sets out the following priorities:

The Bank will continue its efforts to help diversify Azerbaijans economy by supporting the development of the private sector in non-oil sectors and strengthening governance of private and state-owned companies.

The EBRD will work to further expand access to finance for local businesses by encouraging lending by banks and non-bank financial institutions as well as by helping develop local currency and capital markets.

The Bank will step up its support to the countrys green economy, including financing for renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency and cleaner transport and sustainable infrastructure.

The new strategy gives a fresh impetus to our engagement in Azerbaijan, Ivana Duarte, Head of the EBRDs office in Baku, said. The EBRD stands ready to help Azerbaijan develop its non-oil sector, strengthen local lenders and boost investment in the green economy. We see a huge potential in the renewables sector and aim to make a real impact in this area. Continued efforts by the authorities to reform the energy market and improve the business climate will be important in helping to unlock our own funds and mobilizing financing from other sources.

The EBRD is a leading investor in Azerbaijan. To date, the Bank has invested almost 3.3 billion euro in various sectors: energy, infrastructure, banking, industry and commerce.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

Kazakh Senate has ratified an Agreement on Prevention of Incidents in the Caspian Sea, which was signed on August 12, 2018 in Aktau, Trend reports citing Kazakh media.

The main purpose of this agreement is ensuring safety of navigation of military ships and flights of aircraft of the armed forces of the states of the Caspian region including Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan with security while in the Caspian Sea area, reads the news report.

According to the document, the actions of military ships and aircraft of the signatory states of the Caspian region should be carried out with the provisions of the agreement and in line with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (1972).
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:

Azerbaijan should create more attractive conditions for attracting investors from China, Akif Mustafayev, Azerbaijans national secretary in Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA) program, expert in the field of transport and logistics, told Trend.

He said that attracting investors from China may contribute to an increase in cargo traffic from China through the territory of Azerbaijan.

It is necessary to simplify border crossing procedures, modernize equipment, introduce favorable tariffs and ensure digitalization, Mustafayev said.

The expert noted that Azerbaijan has achieved success in the One Belt One Road (OBOR) project thanks to infrastructural opportunities.

There is modernized infrastructure in Azerbaijan, he added. But the modernization continues. There is still need to improve the infrastructure.

Further, the expert stressed that Azerbaijan is the transport and logistics hub of the region, and, first of all, the favorable geographical location of the country contributes to this.

He noted that in recent years, cargo traffic along the territory of Azerbaijan has almost doubled.

The indicators are growing every year, but the potential isnt fully used, said Mustafayev.

The national secretary noted that it is very important to accelerate the creation of the Free Economic Zone (FEZ), as this will further increase the volume of freight traffic.

Mustafayev also noted the importance of the Green Corridor checkpoint system, saying that 70 percent of exports along the territory of Azerbaijan pass through the Green Corridor.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Matanat Nasibova - Trend:

A decrease in demand for aluminum and PVC profiles for door and window systems is observed in the Azerbaijani market, a source in the company Alprof, engaged in the production of such products, told Trend.

According to the source, since early 2019, the company's sales, compared to the last years four-month figures, have decreased by 3540 percent.

"Last year there was also a decrease in demand in this market segment, and sales did not exceed 15 percent. At the same time, from the beginning of the current year there has been a steady downward trend in sales," the source said.

The source also noted that the company is engaged in the production of plastic profiles of different colors within the price range between 2.8 manats and 4.65 manats per linear meter.

Alprof is the first manufacturer to supply PVC profiles for door and window systems to the Azerbaijani market, whose products meet the requirements of the construction market.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @MatanatNasibova
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Fakhri Vakilov Trend:

The Power Uzbekistan forum will allow Uzbekistan to discuss a number of areas of cooperation with partner countries in the field of the fuel and energy complex, among which Azerbaijan occupies a worthy place, a spokesperson of Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan told Trend in an interview.

It was said that the meetings and negotiations will help identify ways of bringing positions closer together on a number of issues and determine prospects for further building up joint plans and projects of the two countries.

On May 15-17, 2019, Uzbekistan will host the largest International Exhibitions of the energy and oil and gas sectors: Power Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan International Oil & Gas (OGU) Exhibition & Conference. For the first time, Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan and the Agency Uzatom will provide support to both events. Also for the first time, "nuclear power engineering", which is a new direction for Uzbekistan, will be included in the sections of the International Exhibition "Power Uzbekistan 2019 - Energy, energy saving, nuclear energy, alternative energy sources."

The Power Uzbekistan 2019 will bring together leading companies representing a wide range of areas of the energy complex including energy, nuclear energy, energy saving, electrical equipment, alternative energy, power electronics and heat and power equipment.

About 50 companies from 11 countries including the USA, Korea, European states, China, Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Italy, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, have already been announced on Power Uzbekistan. As the Ministry's spokesperson noted, the high interest of international participants in the exhibition is primarily caused by the positive changes that are taking place in the energy sector of Uzbekistan. Measures are being taken to progressively modernize and retool the electricity and gas supply system, to improve the fundamentals of energy saving and the mechanisms of mutual settlements for the supplied electrical energy and natural gas.

It was emphasized that comprehensive development of the energy sector in Uzbekistan is of paramount importance for sustainable socio-economic growth of the country, as it increases business activity and improves investment climate, living standards and well-being of the population.

Speaking about the International OGU Exhibition and Conference OGU, which traditionally raises high interest of the players in the global oil and gas market, the Ministry representative said that this year event would be held for the 23rd time. It will bring together over 100 companies from 20 countries, including Austria, Azerbaijan, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, China, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea, Monaco, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, Ukraine , Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Poland, USA, France, and Switzerland.

Representatives of OPEC, BP, CNPC, InternationalGasUnion (IGU) ExxonMobil, Air Products, Honeywell UOP, HIS Markit, Nexant, GECF, Kazenergy, Indorama Corporation, ITPS, DOW Europe GmbH, Haldor Topsoe, Linde Group, Siemens Oil & Gas, EBRD, Turboden, GEGas Power, Sedmax, White & Case, Deloitte, Platts, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and "Financial Times Group" publication are invited to participate in the forum.

Within the framework of the OGU 2019 forum, technical sessions are also scheduled. The participants of the biggest session entitled "Petrochemistry and gas chemistry in Uzbekistan: large-scale modernization and new challenges" will discuss the development of the global olefin market and modern technologies with the purpose of obtaining high-quality fuels, oils and raw materials for petrochemical processes.

The conference will also focus on the use of renewable energy sources and the investment attractiveness of Uzbekistan exemplified by a number of joint projects. This topic will be discussed at the special session of the OGU 2019 conference under the title: "Energy of the Future. A look at the progress in energy saving: renewable energy," the spokesperson said.

It is planned that the Director for Energy and Natural Resources for Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia, EBRD Aida Sitdikova, Director of the Board of TurbodenRus and Sales Manager of Turboden Nikola Rossetti, and others will speak on the issue of using clean energy sources. As expected, the discussions will reveal current trends in the use of renewable energy and identify global trends in this direction, allowing Uzbekistan to identify ways to further develop cooperation in the field of renewable energy with global market players and various countries of the world.

Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Elnur Baghishov  Trend:

Iran will not allow the US to cut the sales of Iranian oil to zero, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on April 30 at the national festival of Iranian laborers, Trend reports referring to the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) TV channel.

According to Rouhani, the primary goal of US sanctions is to reduce Iran's currency reserves. "A major part of Iran's foreign exchange revenues comes from the sales of oil, gas condensates and oil and gas products," he said.

Rouhani added that sanctions put direct pressure on Iranians, especially on workers and the middle and low-income groups of the population.

The US imposed sanctions on Iran in November 2018. The US exempted eight countries for six months from oil sanctions imposed on Iran. These countries continue to buy oil from Iran. The US announced that it will not extend the exemption period, which ends on May 2, 2019.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

Rovnag Abdullayev, President of Azerbaijans state-owned SOCAR oil company, received a delegation led by Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee bin Wan Ariffin, CEO and President of Malaysias Petronas oil and gas company, who is in Azerbaijan in connection with Formula 1 SOCAR Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2019, the company's source told Trend.

Rovnag Abdullayev congratulated guests on the success of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport at the Formula 1 SOCAR Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2019. In their turn, the top managers of Petronas expressed their gratitude for the annual organization of Formula 1 competitions at a high level.

At the meeting, the parties discussed current issues of partnership including the high level of development of the Shah Deniz project. It was noted that the 2nd stage of development of the Shah Deniz field and sections of the Southern Gas Corridor are carried out in a timely manner, sometimes even ahead of schedule.

The parties also discussed prospects for cooperation in production and sales, among other areas. It was noted that opportunities for cooperation will be identified in other spheres of mutual interest. Having emphasized benefits of such high-level meetings, President of Petronas Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee bin Wan Ariffin shared his opinion about future meetings to be held in Baku and Malaysia.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 30

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Kyrgyzstan is negotiating the possibility of receiving natural gas from a future branch of the Turkmenistan-China pipeline for providing the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan with gas, Zhyrgalbek Sagynbayev, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Industry, Energy and Subsoil Use of Kyrgyzstan said, Trend reports referring to Kyrgyz media.

"However, it is necessary to conduct additional negotiations with all the countries participating in the project in order to resolve this issue," he said.

The length of the section of the gas pipeline passing through the territory of the country (Alay and Chong-Alay districts of Osh Region in southern Kyrgyzstan) will be 215 kilometers.

The total cost of the project is $1.2 billion. Kyrgyzstan expects to receive about $2.15 billion in taxes for 30 years of its operation, as reflected in the agreement signed September 11, 2013 with the Chinese government on cooperation in the construction and operation of the Kyrgyzstan-China gas pipeline.

It was reported earlier that the construction of the 4th branch "D" of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline via Kyrgyzstan is scheduled to commence by late 2019.

The State Committee for Industry, Energy and Subsoil Use of Kyrgyzstan stated that, with an estimated cost of $1.2 billion over this segment of the pipeline, the project will have a 3-year implementation period.

Overall, the new branch "D" is intended for the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan-China route.

At present, three branches of the pipeline on the route Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China (branches "A", "B", "C") have been built and functioning. They are to supply 40 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year altogether.

The agreement on the construction of the fourth branch "D" of the "Turkmenistan-China" gas pipeline was signed during the talks between the Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping in September 2013. The additional branch's rate of flow is expected to be 25 billion cubic meters of gas, which will allow Turkmenistan to bring the volume of its natural gas exports to China to 65 billion cubic meters annually.

It was earlier reported that, as of December 2018, more than 250 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas had been exported to China since December 2009.

The deposits of Bagtyyarlyk and Galkynysh in Turkmenistan are used as sources for raw materials.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Fakhri Vakilov  Trend:

Kyrgyzstan sold electricity to Uzbekistan at a price of 72.30 soums per kilowatt-hour, while the tariff for the population was 84.35 soums per kilowatt-hour, Trend reports via Russian media outlets.

The annual meeting of shareholders of the company Kyrgyz "Electric Power Stations" OJSC negotiated on this topic.

General Director of "Electric stations" Askar Kaybaliyev noted that Kyrgyzstan was selling to Uzbekistan surplus electricity, that is available only in summer.

However, he noted that the specified cost of electricity is the average selling price, but then there is a surcharge of intermediaries who supply electricity to consumers.

The the pricing policy in this case is important. No one except them buys it from us. It is impossible to jump above it, Kaibaliyev said.

Moreover, the head of the Electric Power Stations also announced that this year Kyrgyzstan will not export electricity to other countries, because of the next low-water period.

It has again become necessary to save water in order to generate electricity for the countrys own needs.

($1- 8445.95 soums on Apr. 30)

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Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Fakhri Vakilov - Trend:

Stone City Energy company is negotiating with the Government of Uzbekistan on investing in the energy sector, Trend reports with reference to Uzbek media.

At the first stage, the amount of investment may be about $ 700 million.

As reported, Uzbek Ambassador to Belgium Dilyor Khakimov met with company representatives in Brussels. General Manager of Stone City Energy informed the Ambassador about the results of the visit to Tashkent and thanked the Embassy for the assistance in arranging meetings in Uzbekistan. The parties also discussed further steps and issues related to the implementation of the project.

Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri
It sounds so simple. Pass reasonable gun laws and the mass shootings will end. In the twentieth century, more than a hundred million unarmed civilians were murdered by their own government. "...an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."  Thomas Jefferson. Gun-free zones guarantee unarmed victims.

Everyone in the gun control debate cherry-picks statistics. Some comparing us to small countries use absolute numbers, larger countries percentages, or cultural definitions that make the data fit the opinion.

America is a complex country. Of 196 countries on Earth, only three have larger area, and two have larger populations. China has a mostly homogeneous population: 91 percent Han Chinese. The Chinese have known revolution, genocide, famine and invasion but never liberty. Multi-ethnic Russia, like China, has never known freedom as we understand it but only as having nothing left to lose. Russians have survived revolutions, genocide, invasions, four hundred years of Tsars, 80 years of communist dictatorship and 20 years of kleptocracy. Democratic India  aka Hindustan  79 percent Hindu, has only known self-government since 1947. The people in most frequently cited gun-safe developed-countries have a history of being obedient subjects. .....
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

Starting from May 1, citizens of Azerbaijan, who have a right for compensation on problem loans worth over 500 manats, will be able to receive it by a card and cash it out in specially allotted post offices, Trend reports with reference to Azerpoct LLC, Azerbaijans postal operator.

Only owners of problem loans of non-bank credit organizations and closed banks can apply to Azerpoct LLC. Compensation will be issued through cards in 77 post offices of Azerbaijan.

On the basis of the decree by the Azerbaijani president on additional measures in connection with the resolution of the issue of problem loans of individuals dated February 28, 2019, the clients of non-bank credit organizations and closed banks can receive compensation on problem loans in 1,497 branches of Azerpoct LLC since April 22.

Today is the ninth day of payment of compensations on problem loans. Over the past eight days, 43,350 citizens received compensation worth less than 500 manats. For seven days, clients of non-bank credit organizations and closed banks received compensation worth 11,347,668 manats in Azerpoct LLC.

In accordance with the list submitted by the Financial Market Supervisory Authority of Azerbaijan (FIMSA), the operations to be carried out by Azerpoct LLC will cover 121,000 people.

About 45,000 citizens entitled to compensations above 500 manats will receive them through Azerpoct cards, and about 77,000 citizens whose compensations worth less than 500 manats will receive it in cash.

The website of Azerpoct LLC (http://www.azerpost.az/en/index) contains all the information about citizens who can receive compensation in cash or through cards. On this website, a citizen receives information about the loan amount, bank or non-bank credit organization where the loan was issued, and the amount of compensation.

The website also shows address where a citizen can get a card for compensation payment. After that, the citizen approaches the post office with the original and a copy of ID, signs necessary documents and then receives a plastic card and PIN code.

Clients will be able to receive compensations at ATMs and terminals of Azerpoct LLC and all ATMs of MilliKart LLC without being charged the commission fee. The terminals that are part of the MilliKart LLC network include ASB (Azerbaijan Industry Bank), AccessBank, Bank Melli Iran, Bank of Baku, ExpressBank, Gunay Bank, NakhchivanBank and Unibank.

If the owner of the problem loan is not in Azerbaijan, or in the case of his or her decease, while the payment was made by a guarantor, as well as in certain disputable issues, only in cases stipulated by law can payment be made by inheritance or by power of attorney.

Services for payment of compensations on problem loans are rendered by Azerpoct LLC free of charge.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Sara Israfilbayova  Trend:

The Financial Market Supervisory Authority of Azerbaijan (FIMSA) has lifted restrictions on the license of Ateshgah Insurance Company for compulsory civil liability insurance for vehicle owners, Trend reports referring to the insurance company on April 30.

FIMSA restricted Ateshgah Insurance Companys license on April 12. The decision was made because the insurance company violated the law "On insurance activity" when concluding contracts on compulsory civil liability insurance for vehicle owners.

Ateshgah Insurance Company has been operating in Azerbaijan since 1996.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

In March 2019, 60,900 tourists from Azerbaijan visited Turkey, which is 5.35 percent more compared to March 2018, Trend reports referring to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The share of Azerbaijani citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey in March 2019 was 2.73 percent.

In the 1Q2019, 158,400 tourists from Azerbaijan visited Turkey, which is 2.69 percent more compared to the 1Q2018.

The share of Azerbaijani citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey in the 1Q2019 was 2.91 percent.

According to the ministry, in March 2019, 2.746 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 6.39 percent more compared to March 2018.

During this period,984,000 tourists visited Istanbul, while 135,000 visited Antalya.

In the 1Q2019, 6.859 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 7.07 percent more compared to the 1Q2018.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 30

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

A meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Tunisian Republic in Turkmenistan (with residence in Moscow) Mohammed Ali Sheehi was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Trend reports referring to the ministry.

During the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the intensive development of the dialogue between the two countries, particularly in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian fields. It was noted that there is a need for exchange of delegations between the relevant agencies of the two countries and joint participation in international events involving business circles.

Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov was received by Tunisian President Mohamed Beji Caid Essebsi in early 2019. During the meeting, special attention was paid to the development of relations in the trade and economic spheres. In addition, the Tunisian president initiated the creation of a joint working group to expand bilateral cooperation.

During the visit, the Turkmen delegation also met with Tunisian Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation Ziad Al-Azari. The sides stressed that there are ample opportunities for establishing ties in many spheres including investment, industry, trade and agriculture. It was also agreed to develop a legal framework governing the relations between the two countries in the investment and tax spheres.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 30

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

The Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan held a meeting with Ambassador of Georgia Mamuka Murdzhikneli, Trend reports referring to the ministry.

The Ambassador particularly stressed importance and the prospects for the Lapis Lazuli project, which runs along the route Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey and noted that Georgia is actively involved in the development of this project.

During the talks, the parties also discussed issues of further development of bilateral cooperation in the transport, energy and education sectors.

According to the project of Lapis Lazuli, railway lines and highways will connect the city of Turgundi (Afghan province of Herat) with Ashgabat first and then 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. The project budget, which aims to facilitate transit logistics and simplify customs procedures in the region, is estimated at $2 billion.
Tehran, Iran, April 30

Trend:

Iran's Minister of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) asked Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Mehmet Cahit Turhan to pursue the multilateral treaty between the countries of Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia in order to develop the technology market between neighbors.

At a meeting with the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi stated that the visit aims to address some barriers between the two countries in the field of information and technology cooperation.

"The most important issue which was addressed during the meeting was pursuing the multilateral treaty between Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia to develop the technology market between neighboring countries, the ICT Minister Azari Jahromi said, Trend reports citing ILNA.

"We have reached an agreement with Turkey on cybersecurity, and we are now working on the issue," he said. Jahromi emphasized that the Ministry is looking forward to further development of communications and technology market between the two countries.

In the near future, we will announce good news about the investment of the two countries in this area. As for the information transit from east to west and from south to north, our relations with Turkey are expanding," he added.

Jahromi also announced that startup companies in Turkey are invited to attend ELECOMP exhibition in Iran. "In its turn, Iran has promised its Turkish counterpart that Iranian start-up companies and representatives of the private sector will participate at the technology exhibition in Turkey.

After intensification of the sanctions, Iran faced a lot of problems due to its limited cooperation with a number of foreign Internet companies, said Jahromi. Referring to the latest development of cooperation between Iran and Turkey in the field of information technologies, he said, Iran has decided to boost its cooperation with neighboring countries to overcome the sanctions.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Elnur Baghishov  Trend:

If export of Iranian oil drops to zero, the government's currency revenues will decline, Alirza Shakibai, dean of the faculty of economics of the Shahid Bahonar University in Irans Kerman province, said.

Therefore, the government should have an alternative to oil revenues, Shakibai added, Trend reports referring to ISNA.

As for the change in the price of energy carriers as an alternative to oil revenues, Shakibai said that of course, an increase in the cost of energy carriers is not a good sign.

However, if the government's revenues in the national and foreign currencies decline due to the decline in oil export, there is no other way to manage the country, he said.

The government should control the currency market and avoid currency shock, Shakibai said.

If the government can do this, citizens will be pleased because the currency shock is higher than the changed price of energy carriers, he said.

"There is a non-oil export infrastructure. Taking into account the US sanctions, Iran may focus on non-oil export. The country may increase export and address the key problems in the Iranian economy," Shakibai said.

He went on to say that unfortunately, the structure of the Iranian economy depends on oil.

"This has always been a weak point in the Iranian economy," Shakibai added. "Presently, the only limitation for Iran is oil export. There are no restrictions on export of other products and there is the trade turnover with many countries."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow next week, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, Trend reports citing IRNA.

The two foreign ministers are expected to meet next Wednesday (May 8), according to the statement.

Zarif and Lavrov meet regularly to discuss issues of bilateral and multilateral importance.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said last week that the two ministers had exchanged views, in a telephone conversation, on a different range of issues, including Iran nuclear deal and Astana Troika meeting, which is aimed at finding a peaceful settlement to the Syrian crisis.

The two foreign ministers also talked about mutual cooperation and timetable for future meetings.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

Chairman of Irans Islamic Culture and Relations Organizations (ICRO) Abuzar Ebrahimi Torkaman has arrived in Baku, Trend reports with reference to Irans Embassy in Azerbaijan.

He came to Azerbaijan upon the invitation by Azerbaijani Culture Minister Abulfas Garayev to attend the 5th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue.

The 5th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue will be held May 2-3 in Baku.

The forum is organized by the Azerbaijani government and the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, with its partners including UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the Council of Europe, ISESCO and the World Tourism Organization.

The forum will be held under the motto Building dialogue into action against discrimination, inequality and violent conflict.
Iran will continue to export oil despite U.S pressure, Iran President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on Iranian state TV on Tuesday, reports Trend with reference to Reuters

Americas decision that Irans oil exports must reach zero is a wrong and mistaken decision, and we wont let this decision be executed and operational Rouhani said.

In future months, the Americans themselves will see that we will continue our oil exports.
Response to 'Gun Control' Advocates

By Ken Obenski. April 27th, 2019

It sounds so simple. Pass reasonable gun laws and the mass shootings will end. In the twentieth century, more than a hundred million unarmed civilians were murdered by their own government. "...an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."  Thomas Jefferson. Gun-free zones guarantee unarmed victims.

Everyone in the gun control debate cherry-picks statistics. Some comparing us to small countries use absolute numbers, larger countries percentages, or cultural definitions that make the data fit the opinion.

America is a complex country. Of 196 countries on Earth, only three have larger area, and two have larger populations. China has a mostly homogeneous population: 91 percent Han Chinese. The Chinese have known revolution, genocide, famine and invasion but never liberty. Multi-ethnic Russia, like China, has never known freedom as we understand it but only as having nothing left to lose. Russians have survived revolutions, genocide, invasions, four hundred years of Tsars, 80 years of communist dictatorship and 20 years of kleptocracy. Democratic India  aka Hindustan  79 percent Hindu, has only known self-government since 1947. The people in most frequently cited gun-safe developed-countries have a history of being obedient subjects.

In Latin American, only Brazil is of comparable size; Latin populations are multi-ethnic. Many have a dominant minority caste of mostly European origin and an evangelized underclass descended from slaves and indigenous people. Most have strict gun laws and lots of crime.

Our population is unusual. While shamelessly slaughtering native peoples, America became a magnet for malcontent immigrants from around the world. Early policies limited immigration to northern Europe, but gradually opened to most countries. Africans were "admitted" prior to 1808.

America has been selectively populated by people who were not content with their status and were willing to take significant risks in the hope of betterment. My ancestors, for example, after lifetimes of oppression, packed up their meager possessions and walked many miles to get on a cattle boat going to a place they had only heard of, hoping it existed. They took the risk. My mother's brothers were born in Russia, England, steerage class and Philadelphia. They worked, survived the Depression and wars  not that unusual. Family that stayed in Europe probably did not survive the Holocaust.

Natural selection by emigration has evolved Americans reluctant to accept what has always been. Baron Von-Steuben commented that American soldiers were different. They would not follow orders until they were told why. Once they understood why, they followed. We're people whose ancestors took action. Alexis de Tocqueville noted in 1835 that Americans differed from Europeans in that they would not wait for a bureaucrat to remedy a problem, like a pothole or a troublemaker, but would deal with it directly. General Rommel said he had never seen soldiers more ignorant than Americans or that learned more quickly. Many people imported as indentured labor become entrepreneurs.

If you eliminated all guns, would America be as peaceful as Tibet, as orderly as Japan, or as genocidal as Rwanda, where 70 percent of the Tutsis were slaughtered without firearms? No-one knows, probably somewhere between. On Wikipedia's list of recent murder rates in 219 countries the US ranks 126th. Not all countries have the same method or criteria for reporting. Some low rates may indicate no objective reporting system. Deaths by police or military may not be counted. What about the "disappeared?" Many countries that outlaw firearms have high criminality, including killing.

Sadly there will always be bullies, and other miscreants who need to be restrained. Sometimes the culture keeps them in check; in some countries it's law enforcement, or armed responsible citizens. Sometimes the bullies are the government. Tajikistan and Iran have low murder rates  but would you want to live there? Costa Rica has twice our murder rate, yet many Americans retire there. As you read this unarmed civilians are being terrorized by their governments, or other criminals. The Mujahidin say "A man with a gun is a free man." Be careful what you wish for.

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Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was hospitalized with severe kidney pain on Tuesday but his political party said the 82-year-old planned to quickly resume campaigning for European Parliament elections due next month, reports Trend citing to Reuters

Berlusconi has faded as a political force since being forced to quit as prime minister in 2011 but he still leads his conservative Forza Italia party and his family holding group, Fininvest, controls Italys largest private media group, Mediaset.

He has been dogged by health concerns in recent years, undergoing open heart surgery in 2016, but he has never indicated he is ready to retire from politics and is standing as a candidate for the May 26 European elections.

Forza Italia described his complaint as renal colic, a severe pain caused by kidney stones. The party said he wanted to return to the campaign trail immediately.

As soon as checks currently been carried out are over, he has promised to be present at the Forza Italia event scheduled for this afternoon with the European election candidates, a spokeswoman for Forza Italia said in a statement.
Sudans military rulers said they were ready to negotiate with the opposition over the political future of the country but there should be no further unrest beyond Tuesday, a reference to protests disrupting trains and bridges, reports Trend with reference to Reuters

Opposition groups and protesters have been pressing the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to speed up the move to civilian rule since the army ousted former president Omar al-Bashir on April 11.

We are ready to negotiate but no chaos after today, said the TMCs deputy head Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who goes by the nickname Hemedti. We told them, continue with the sit-in, but the train is connected to delivering fuel, he added.

The main organisers of the protests - the Sudanese Professionals Association - called on Monday for civil disobedience and a general strike as meetings with the TMC failed to provide any breakthrough on the creation of a joint civilian-military transitional council.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the military said it would not disperse a protest sit-in that has been taking place outside the defence ministry since April 6.

The sit-in, the culmination of months of demonstrations against Bashirs three-decade rule, carried on after the army removed him from power, as protesters demanded civilian rule.

We have no interest in dispersing the sit-in but its in the interest of the Sudanese people to open the roads, said Lieutenant General Salah Abdelkhalek, a TMC member.

He also distanced the TMC from the previous government.

We are part of the revolution and not part of the former regime as people view us.

During the press conference, the TMC also said it had accepted the resignations of three TMC members. The SPA had demanded that the three be dismissed over their alleged role in a crackdown that killed dozens of protesters.

One of the three members, who resigned last week, was Lieutenant-General Omar Zain al-Abideen who headed the TMCs political committee. The other two were Lieutenant-General Jalal al-Deen al-Sheikh and Lieutenant-General Al-Tayeb Babakr Ali Fadeel.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday that Islamic State remained a potent threat around the world despite reduced capabilities and that its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had made his latest video appearance in a remote area, reports Trend referring to Reuters

Abdul Mahdi did not say what country that area was in. He said Baghdadis purported video appearance, which was released online late on Monday, was an attempt to boost IS militants and that the group would attempt to carry out more attacks.
Ford Motor Co said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with the workers union at a historic Brazil plant it plans to shutter by the end of the year, paving the way for a friendly shutdown or potential takeover by a local buyer, reports Trend citing to Reuters

The agreement would allow for Fords workers to transition from employment with the U.S. automaker to a potential buyer, if a deal closes. The pact includes an exit package for workers, although the details have not been disclosed, as well as psychological support.

Ford had announced earlier this year it would shut its Sao Bernardo do Campo plant, the company's oldest in the country, and exit the heavy truck business in South America, which is based in that factory.

The decision left the future uncertain for some 3,000 workers and triggered long strikes, paralyzing production for weeks at the sprawling plant. It also prompted the governor of the state of Sao Paulo, where Sao Bernardo is located, to act as a broker to try to find a buyer for the plant that might be able to maintain the jobs.

Local manufacturer CAOA, which already produces cars for Chinas Chery and Koreas Hyundai, has said it is in talks to buy the plant. A representative for CAOA said on Tuesday the company had no further updates on the negotiations.

Ford has also announced layoffs at a separate plant, located in Camacari in the northeast state of Bahia, where the company has said it has 700 workers in excess of its needs.
Czech President Milos Zeman Tuesday reiterated his welcome to China's participation in highway construction in the Czech Republic, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

He said this when appointing new ministers for industry and trade, justice and transport.

"In the construction of motorways, I will bring the commitment of one of the world's largest construction companies, CITIC Group, to be ready to immediately send a design team to the Czech Republic and participate in this work," he said when talking to the new Transport Minister Vladimir Kremlik.

He said recently he saw nice billboards on which it was written "highway, highway, highway" in the country.

"So I would like this inscription to get down from the billboards to the ground and finally to build the motorways at least as fast as, for example, in neighboring Poland," said Zeman.

He added that the Czech Prime Minister has proposed Chinese companies to take part in construction projects in the Czech Republic on the basis of Public-Private-Partnership model.

Vladimir Kremlik will replace Dan Tok as the new minister of transport, while Karel Havlicek will replace Marta Novakova as new industry and trade minister and Marie Benesova replace Jan Knezinek as new justice minister.

Zeman also appointed Havlicek and Finance Minister Alena Schillerova as new deputy prime ministers after dismissing Environment Minister Richard Brabec from the deputy PM post.
Cyclone Kenneth, the second in a month to hit the same region of southern Africa, has killed at least nine people and affected more than 59,000 others in the Comoros and Mozambique, a UN spokesman said, Trend reported citing Xinhua.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said four people were killed, 182 injured and more than 41,000 people affected in the Comoros.

Humanitarian colleagues of the United Nations also reported at least five fatalities in Mozambique and more than 18,000 people displaced and now sheltering in accommodation centers as a result of the cyclone that hit late last week, Dujarric said. At least 3,380 houses have been destroyed and schools and health facilities have been damaged in the country.

Under-Secretary-General Mark Lowcock, the UN humanitarian chief, unlocked 13 million U.S. dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund to provide food, shelter, health, water and sanitation assistance to people impacted both in the Comoros and Mozambique, Dujarric said. "The UN and our partners are continuing to support the government-led humanitarian responses to both Cyclone Kenneth and Cyclone Idai."

Idai slammed into Mozambique's mid-section near Beira, one of the country's four largest cities, roared across to Zimbabwe, its outer winds and rain also flooding southern Malawi. The area is still recovering from that disaster.

Kenneth targeted Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado.
The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for another six months, till Oct. 31, 2019, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Resolution 2468 won the support of 13 of the 15 members of the Security Council. Russia and South Africa abstained.

The resolution emphasizes the need to achieve a realistic, practicable and enduring political solution to the question of Western Sahara.

It calls on the parties to resume negotiations under the auspices of the UN secretary-general without preconditions and in good faith, with a view to achieving a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution that will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

The resolution emphasizes the importance of a renewed commitment by the parties to advancing the political process in preparation for further negotiations, and calls on the parties to demonstrate political will and to work in an atmosphere propitious for dialogue.

Western Sahara was partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania at the end of Spain's colonial rule in 1976. When Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979, Morocco moved to occupy that sector and has since asserted administrative control over the whole territory. Fighting broke out between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which is fighting for the independence of Western Sahara.

A cease-fire was signed in 1991. The UN mission was deployed that year to monitor the cease-fire and to organize, if possible, a referendum on self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
An estimated 1,800 employees are trapped underground in South Africa's Sibanye-Stillwater gold mine in Rustenburg, said the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

"Some rails which were being transported underground at the Thembelani shaft, Rustenburg, whilst being slung under the conveyance, came loose and fell down the shaft. Approximately 1,800 day shift employees are currently waiting at the shaft stations. There have been no serious injuries reported and all employees are safe," DMR spokesperson Ayanda Shezi said.

Sibanye is sending down food and blankets to the areas where there is water and ventilation so the employees are comfortable while waiting, according to multiple reports quoting Sibanye spokesman James Wellsted.

"Mine management is assessing damage to the shaft which may have occurred during the morning shift. Updates will be provided as the situation unfolds," Shezi said.

Wellsted said the company is assessing the situation. He said the shaft personnel are removing the rails from the shaft and conducting an inspection to determine if there has been any structural damage to the shaft.

Wellsted said a decision will be made later to either use the Thembelani shaft, should it be safe to do so, to remove employees from underground, or the employees should walk several kilometers to the second outlet at the adjacent Khuseleka shaft.
Russia has sent several dozens of new S-400 Triumf missiles to China in place of those damaged in 2017 on a ship that got into a storm, a military-diplomatic source told TASS on Tuesday, Trend reported.

"At the start of April, several dozens of new S-400 missiles were sent by maritime transport from the Baltic to China to replace those damaged in a storm in the English Channel," the source said. 0sap

Rosoboronexport refused to provide any comments on this matter.

The first batch of S-400 missiles was sent to China at the end of 2017 on three ships, one of which got into a storm in the English Channel and had to return to the port. Rostec head Sergey Chemezov said in February 2019 that S-400 missiles on that ship were damaged.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, in a phone call on Tuesday, called for a ceasefire in Libya and renewal of a political process under the aegis of the United Nations, the Kremlin said in a statement, Trend reports citing Reuters.

They also underscored further close coordination between Russia and Turkey aimed at normalization in Syrias Idlib province and agreed on efficient measures against militants there, the Kremlin said.
Can the internet be policed?

In Nepal, the decade-old Electronic Transaction Act (ETA), enacted in 2006, was formed when the internet was not as widespread as it is today and fails to take into account many contemporary web security and privacy issues.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Joel Rayburn, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs and Special Envoy for Syria in the US State Department, will visit Ankara, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media.

It is reported that Rayburns visit to Ankara starts on April 30 and will last two days.

According to media reports, "A number of issues are expected to be discussed with the Turkish side as part of Rayburns visit to Ankara, including the creation of a security zone in northern Syria."

The security zone in northern Syria consists of an area of 32 kilometers and a length of 460 kilometers along the Syrian-Turkish border. In case of the creation of the zone, it shall be divided into two parts. The first part will start from the Iraqi-Syrian border to be extended to the Syrian city of Qamishli, because the city is controlled by the Syrian government forces.

The second part of the security zone will start from Qamishli,. It will be extended to Jarabulus city, which was liberated from the terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) as part of the Operation Euphrates Shield conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces in 2016.

Manbij city, where Turkey had previously intended to conduct new anti-terrorist operations, will not be a part of the security zone.

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The US doesnt realize where ignoring Turkey may lead to, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish media.

Erdogan made the remarks during the opening of the IDEF 2019, the 14th International Defense Industry Fair in Istanbul.

He noted that the US unilaterally and, without taking into account the needs of Ankara, intend to exert political pressure on Turkey on the issue of purchasing Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.

Erdogan noted that at the time when Ankara asked its NATO allies to sell them anti-aircraft missiles, they turned away from Turkey.

On April 29, it was reported that Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems will be delivered to Turkey in two cargoes.

The first cargo of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems will be delivered in June this year, and the second one in July, according to the report. It is expected that in November 2019, the first F-35 fighters will be delivered to Turkey.

As was announced earlier, Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems may be installed in the south and west of Turkey. According to preliminary reports, they may be installed in western Turkey and the provinces bordering the Aegean Sea as well as in the province of Hatay on the border with Syria.

On April 11, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that specialists from the US and NATO could come to Turkey to make sure that Russian S-400 air defense systems do not pose a threat to NATO. He noted that Turkey is in dire need of the S-400 air defense system.

"Although the US urges Turkey to abandon the purchase of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems, it does not guarantee that it will sell us Patriot air defense systems," Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo stated that the US believes that Turkey would not be able to have both US 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 not possible to launch the F-35 in the space where the S-400 is operated, he said.

Initial reports of negotiations between Russia and Turkey on the supply of S-400 surfaced 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 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 said in December 2017. Turkey is the first country, a NATO member to receive the S-400 air defense systems from Russia.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has urged the EU to decide on the status of Turkey in the union, Trend reports referring to Turkish media on April 30.

The foreign minister noted that full EU membership is one of the important priorities for Ankara.

But if the EU doesnt intend to accept Turkey into the EU, it should openly say it, Cavusoglu added.

On April 27, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the EU must decide on Turkeys membership in the EU.

He noted that if the EU doesnt need Turkey, it should openly declare this.

Erdogan added that Turkey has fulfilled all the conditions for full membership in the EU.

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.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

A Turkish serviceman was killed in northern Syria in the territory liberated as part of Euphrates Shield Operation, Trend reports referring to Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

The serviceman was killed as a result of shelling of a convoy by PYD / YPG, the Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist group. As a result of the incident, three more Turkish servicemen were injured.

On August 24, 2016, units of the Turkish Armed Forces launched the Euphrates Shield Operation against the "Islamic State", and liberated, with the support of the Syrian opposition, Al-Bab town and the border town of Jarablus in northern Syria.

On January 20, 2018, Turkish Armed Forces together with the Free Syrian Army launched the Olive Branch Operation in Afrin, Syria.

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The Turkish Armed Forces shelled the positions of the Syrian branch of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) terrorist network - PYD/YPG in the north of Syria in Azaz and Tall Rifat towns, Trend reports referring to Turkey's Ministry of National Defense.

The operation to eliminate terrorists began after an attack on a Turkish military convoy, as a result of which one Turkish soldier was killed and three got injured.

On August 24, 2016, units of the Turkish Armed Forces launched the Euphrates Shield Operation against the "Islamic State", and liberated, with the support of the Syrian opposition, Al-Bab town and the border town of Jarablus in northern Syria.

On January 20, 2018, Turkish Armed Forces together with the Free Syrian Army launched the Olive Branch Operation in Afrin, Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced during a televised speech that Warsaw and Washington had decided to increase the US military presence in the country, Trend reported citing Sputnik.

"We can say: the decision to increase the number of American troops in Poland has been made," Blaszczak said.

Poland currently stations around 4,000 US troops, which were deployed in the country as part of NATO's mission.

During Duda's visit to Washington in September, Trump announced that the United States was considering establishing its permanent military base in Poland. The Polish president offered to pay around $2 billion of the total costs and suggested that the base should be named Fort Trump.

US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher said in February that Washington could increase its military presence in Poland by hundreds of troops.
President Donald Trump has approved North Macedonia joining the NATO alliance as its 30th member state and has sent the treaty protocol confirming entry to the US Senate for its ratification, the White House said in a statement, Trend reported citing Sputnik.

"I transmit herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to its ratification, the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia," Trump said in the statement on Monday.

US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison has said the United States expects N. Macedonia to join the alliance in the fall of 2019.

In June, Macedonian government of Zoran Zaev and Greek government of Alexis Tsipras reached the so-called Prespa agreement on changing Macedonias name, identity and history.

The Macedonian parliament approved amendments to the countrys constitution on January 11 in line with the Prespa agreement despite the fact that the vast majority of Macedonians rejected the agreement in a September 30, 2018 referendum, in which they also rejected Macedonias membership in NATO and the European Union.

The Greek parliament ratified the Prespa agreement on February 8.
The Trump administration has reversed its decision to give the USS Harry S.Truman aircraft carrier an early retirement, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

US Vice President Mike Pence announced the move Tuesday during a speech aboard the warship in its home port of Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.

"I know that the future of this aircraft carrier is the subject of some budget discussions in Washington, DC," Pence said. "As we continue to fight Congress to make sure that our military has the resources you need to accomplish your mission, President Donald Trump asked me to deliver a message to each and every one of you on the deck of the USS Truman."

"We are keeping the best carrier in the world in the fight. We are not retiring the Truman. The USS Harry S. Truman is going to be giving 'em hell for many more years to come," Pence said, referencing the ship's battle cry of "give em hell."

At a press conference following his speech, Pence told reporters that US President Donald Trump had "made the decision on the spot" that morning, following a discussion about the ship and its sailors' contributions to the Navy.

"The budget is always a deliberative process," Pence said. "People bring their best ideas forward. This is a president who committed our administration to rebuilding our military after years of budget cuts in the last administration."

The Pentagon had initially floated the idea in February of slashing its aircraft carrier fleet from 11 to 10 ships  a move expected to save $3.4 billion by retiring the Truman only halfway through its life instead of overhauling it. That plan would have seen the Truman put into mothballs in 2024, and the it closely followed a controversial decision by the US Department of Defense to buy two new Ford-class carriers at once. One government watchdog called the $15 billion decision "acquisition insanity," Sputnik reported.

The decision to mothball the Truman also ran counter to the US Navy's own force assessment in 2016, which reaffirmed the need for a 12-carrier fleet. The massive, 100,000-ton floating airfields are the backbone of US power projection around the world.
MUMBAI: A week after actor Sunny Deol joined the BJP, his father and veteran actor Dharmendra - a former BJP leader himself - said that while his family was not very well versed in politics, patriotism ran in their blood. The 83-year-old actor said "We don't know the ABC of politics but patriotism is in our blood, we will serve the nation,". Dharmendra told "See the work that I did in Bikaner. Sunny will also serve the nation,". Dharmendra had contested the 2004 national election on a BJP ticket from Bikaner and won.

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Here it is to be noted that Sunny Deol, who will contest the Lok Sabha Election from Punjab's Gurdaspur, also had something to say along similar lines. "Look, I do not know much about politics but I am a patriot," Mr Deol said in a rally after filing his nomination in Gurdaspur on Monday. To be noted that Sunny Deol is the third in his family to take the plunge into politics. Apart from Dharmendra, his stepmother Hema Malini is a sitting BJP lawmaker who is currently seeking re-election from Uttar Pradesh's Mathura. She said "The BJP and my Prime Minister have my support, but at the same time I have to insist that what has happened with me can absolutely not happen again,". Despite her protests, however, she clarified that she was not going to take advantage of the situation. She had said "I want Gurdaspur to go to the Prime Minister's kitty,".

However it is worth mention here that Sunny Deol had mentioned Dharmendra when he joined the BJP. "Like my father joined Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I have decided to go with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I want PM Modi for the next five years," he told reporters after the BJP announced his induction into the party. Sunny Deol is up against Congress candidate and sitting MP Sunil Jhakhar, who is also the president of the grand old party in Punjab. It is to be noted that in his short time in politics, the 62-year-old actor has already become involved in a controversy. The Gurdaspur seat, a BJP stronghold, was represented by the late actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2014. After his death in 2017, there was speculation that his wife Kavita Khanna would get the party's nomination from the seat, but after the BJP announced Mr Deol's nomination, Ms Khanna made her reservations clear. Punjab will vote on May 19 in the last phase of the national election. Results will be out on May 23.

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In a first, the Indian Army has said that a massive footprint of a 'Yeti' was sighted near the Makalu base camp earlier this month. In a tweet, the Indian Army informed that a Mountaineering Expedition team had spotted the giant footprint - measuring 35X15 inches - in the snow on April 9. It also informed that the 'elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past.' The tweet was accompanied by several photos showing the massive footprint. The army said it discovered the footprints of the "mythical beast" on April 9 at Makalu Base Camp in Nepal. It also claimed that the "elusive snowman" has also only been sighted nearby at Makalu-Barun National Park. However, in the images, the prints appear to be of a single foot.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (adgpi) April 29, 2019

Here it is to be noted that the Yeti is also known in popular culture as 'The Abominable Snowman', owing to descriptions and first person accounts of its large size and terrifying nature. The jury is still out, however, on whether Yetis exist indeed or if they are part of a legend. While many claim to have spotted the snow giants which reportedly have an ape-like structure and a massive body frame, others say that there is no undeniable proof that has ever been presented.

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However it is worth mention here that footprints in the Himalayan snow have been observed by mountaineers and scientists over the past several decades, and it is believed they belong to the rare mystical creature. Several expeditions with the specific aim to spot a Yeti and prover its existence have been undertaken since the 1950s. Concrete proof backed with scientific evidence, however, remains missing despite the use of modern DNA technologies and high-end recording devices.

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Google Street View(BETHESDA, Md.) -- Two students at Walt Whitman High School in Maryland posted photos of themselves on social media in blackface and used the "n-word" in describing the picture over the weekend, according to Montgomery County Police.



Capt. Tom Jordan, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Police, said a school resource officer was notified Monday about the image of the students who appeared to be wearing what looks like mud on their face. The two students have been identified in what police consider a noncriminal "bias incident" and any disciplinary action will be left to the school, Jordan said.



Since the 1830s, blackface has projected gross, animalistic representations of African Americans, often using black face paint and exaggerated red lips. It has historically been used as a tool to maintain racial boundaries and reinforce the notion that black people were ultimately inferior, experts say.



In a letter sent to parents and students that was posted by a WJLA-TV reporter on social media, Robert Dodd, the principal of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda said that the image was posted on a private social media account and was seen by many of our students and has been deeply disturbing.



I want to emphasize as strongly as possible that this type of behavior will not be tolerated at Walt Whitman High School, Dodd wrote. Every student deserves to feel like Walt Whitman is their school. Racist incidents have a profoundly negative impact on how our students of color and their families perceive the safety, education, and support of school has to offer.



According to the Maryland Department of Education's website, the school is predominately white, with about 66 percent of students identifying as white and only 4 percent identifying as black in 2018. Students who were involved will receive significant consequences, Dodd wrote.



Over 500 miles away in Flossmoor, Illinois, four Homewood-Flossmoor High School students were depicted in a photo and video wearing blackface and going through a drive-thru while making derogatory comments about African-American girls, according to ABC station WLS-TV.



Some students have planned a walkout in response, WLS-TV reported Tuesday. According to the Illinois State Board of Educations website, the school is predominately black with nearly 69 percent of the schools students identifying as such in the 2017- 2018 school year.



In a letter posted to the schools website, District Superintendent Von Mansfield and Homewood-Flossmoor High School Principal Jerry Lee Anderson said they received word of the posts Sunday and met with the students and families involved.



The social media postings that were seen and heard were not representative of the high expectations we have for all students that attend our school, Mansfield and Anderson wrote.



Due to student privacy laws, the identities of the students and actions taken in the wake of the incident wont be discussed, the letter said.



Homewood Mayor Richard Hofeld and Flossmoor Mayor Paul Braun said in a joint statement Saturday that the two villages condemn the behavior.



No matter the age or the action of the person, hurtful and offensive behavior is neither accepted nor condoned, Hofeld and Braun wrote.

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Monitoring of private health facilities halted for months

Monitoring of private health facilitieshospitals, nursing homes, polyclinics operating in the districts of Province 3 has been halted since the beginning of the ongoing fiscal year.
International Labour Day 2019 will be celebrated by the people (socialists and labour unions) all over the world on 1st of May, at Wednesday. International Labor Day theme 2019 is Sustainable Pension for all: The Role of Social Partners. There will be various events and programmes which will be organized by the industries and trade unions across the globe to celebrate the occasion. The programmes will mostly focus on the improvement of the conditions of the workforce.

Hind Mazdoor Sabha and Building & Woodworkers International organized a blood donation camp ahead of May Day where the workers donated around 45 units of blood. A free health checkup camp was also organized on the occasion where health checkups were conducted by the doctors and free medicine were also distributed to the workers and their families. Various awareness campaign drives will be organized on Labor Day across the nation to make the workforce aware about the laws and policies of the government so that they can utilize it for their betterment.

HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY

International Workers Day is the big celebration on the world level and it is celebrated to commemorate the 4th of May of 1886, the Haymarket affair (Haymarket Massacre) in the Chicago. It is the big event of that year when workers were on the general strike for their eight-hour workday and police were doing their job of dispersing the general public from the crowd. Suddenly, a bomb was thrown over the crowd by an unidentified person and then police started firing over the workers and four demonstrators were killed.

Here is a real statement about the event: Reliable witnesses testified that all the pistol flashes came from the center of the street, where the police were standing, and none from the crowd. Moreover, initial newspaper reports made no mention of firing by civilians. A telegraph pole at the scene was filled with bullet holes, all coming from the direction of the police.

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It was decided to be celebrated on annual basis as an May Day in the meeting (in 1889) of Paris through a proposal by the Raymond Lavigne that international demonstrations is required to celebrate the anniversary of Chicago protests. In the year 1891, May Day was officially recognized by the Internationals second congress to be celebrated as an annual event.

International Labour Day themes are planned by the members of the International labour day. Some of the themes are mentioned below:

The theme of International Labour Day of 2019 is Sustainable Pension for all: The Role of Social Partners.

The theme of International Labour Day of 2018 was Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement.

The theme of International Labour Day of 2017 was Celebrating the international labour movement.

The theme of International Labour Day of 2016 was Celebrating the international labour movement.

The theme of International Labour Day of 2015 was Construct the Future of Cameroon in Peace, Solidarity and Decent Work.

The theme of International Labour Day of 2013 was Lets value work by providing the jobless with start-up capital support.

The theme of International Labour Day of 2012 was Promote Employment by Supporting Prospective Entrepreneurs.

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Pakistani batsman Shahid Afridi said that Kashmir do not India or Pakiatn but it belongs to the people of the Valley. He further added that both countries should resolve the issue through a Kashmiri-owned, Kashmiri-led peace process.

Afridi in his autobiography titled Game Changer asserted that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan must do more about Kashmir. In the book, he wrote, Kashmir belongs to the Kashmiris. Not to Indians. Not to Pakistanis. That debate comes later. But first and foremost, Kashmir is for the Kashmiri people themselves.

Priyanka Gandhi came forward to defend his Brother Rahul Gandhi over his Citizenship; says this

He also praised Pakistan PM Imran Khan and said that he was a big admirer of his idea of Naya Pakistan.From his peace overtures (I quote his first speech, about Pakistan taking two steps towards peace if the Indians take one step - an approach I personally believe in too) to opening the Kartarpur corridor and releasing the Indian Air Force pilot shot down by the Pakistanis in February 2019 - peaceful relations with India are essential. Both countries, even the subcontinental region, will flourish, Afridi writes in the book that released today.

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He further added that However, Imran Khan must do more about Kashmir. We have to resolve that issue. We have to save the Kashmiri people, and we must involve them in the peace process. Nobody in the Indian subcontinent has suffered or struggled more than Kashmiris.
1. Poor sense of smell associated with nearly 50 percent higher risk for death in 10 years

Dementia, Parkinson disease, and weight loss are possible drivers, but about 70 percent of the higher mortality not explained

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M18-0775

Editorial: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-1013

Free Summary for Patients: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/P19-0005

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

Poor sense of smell may be an early warning for poor health in older age that goes beyond neurodegenerative diseases. In fact, dementia or Parkinson disease explained only 22 percent of the higher death risk and weight loss 6 percent, leaving more than 70 percent of the higher mortality associated with poor sense of smell unexplained. Findings from a prospective cohort study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Many studies with 5 years or less of follow up have shown an independent association between olfactory impairment and increased all-cause mortality among older adults. However, these studies did not examine whether there are differences by race or sex or the factors that might explain the relationship.

Researchers from Michigan State University studied more than 2,000 adults aged 71 to 82 years to determine the relationship between poor sense of smell and mortality and to investigate potential explanations for the connection. Participants completed a Brief Smell Identification Test (BSIT) of 12 common odors and were asked to identify each odor from 1 of 4 options. Each correct response was given a point. Using the BSIT scores, the researchers classified the participants as having good, moderate, or poor sense of smell. The researchers found that poor olfaction was associated with 46 percent higher mortality at year 10 and 30 percent higher mortality at year 13 compared with good olfaction. The association was robust and could not be explained by measured confounders, such as demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and comorbid conditions. Furthermore, the association was present in both men and women and in both black and white participants, suggesting broad generalizability. The association, however, was largely limited to participants who reported good-to-excellent health at study baseline, suggesting poor sense of smell may be an early and sensitive marker for unrecognized deteriorating health among older adults.

The authors of an accompanying editorial from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine note that many older adults are unaware that their sense of smell is declining and they are rarely screened for poor olfaction in clinical practice. The authors hope that this study will inform whether and how assessment of smell should be incorporated into routine exams for older adults.

Media contact: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To speak with the lead author, Honglei Chen, MD, PhD [hchen@epi.msu.edu], please contact Sarina Gleason at Sarina.Gleason@cabs.msu.edu. 2. Patients give high rating to convenience and quality of primary care video visits

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M18-3081

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

A survey of patients participating in primary care video visits found that patients gave the encounters high marks for convenience and quality of care. Such visits have the potential to improve patient access to care. Findings from a brief research report are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Real-time patient-provider video visits have the potential to engage patients by allowing them to access a clinical encounter without arranging transportation, taking time off from work, or spending time in a waiting room. Although millions of U.S. patients have used direct-to-consumer telemedicine services, evidence is limited from large-scale implementation that is integrated with ongoing health care delivery and providers in community primary care.

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Division of Research surveyed 1,274 adults who had a scheduled video visit with a primary care provider in September through December 2015 to assess their in-person visit barriers, technology access and experience, visit experience, and sociodemographic characteristics. The participants scheduled primary care video visits with their own physicians (whom they also could see in-person) and reported that they valued the convenience and quality of the video visits and that they strengthened their patient-provider relationship. Patients who had to take time off from work or other responsibilities for an in-person visit reported more often that the video visit reduced their in-person visits. According to the researchers, video telemedicine may be a transformative tool in increasing patient-centered access to health care.

Media contact: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To interview the lead author, Mary E. Reed, DrPH, please contact Janet Byron at Janet.L.Byron@kp.org or Heather Platisha at Hplatisha@webershandwick.com. 3. Physicians should be prepared for questions and concerns related to DTC genetic test results

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M18-2356

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

Consumers looking to make critical decisions, such as family planning, based on the results of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing may need guidance to determine what actions to take, or not take, based on their results. A DTC genetic test case scenario designed to educate physicians for this increasingly likely occurrence is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing is becoming increasingly popular, and clinicians should be prepared to provide guidance to their patients when presented with results from these tests. To do so, physicians need to be able to communicate to patients about what the results of these tests mean, and what they do not mean.

Authors from Columbia University presented a case scenario of a couple using 23andMe to test for specific disease risks before starting a family. According to the authors, these patients need to be careful about how they interpret their results. DTC tests can provide genetic information to a much broader audience than might otherwise be reached because of difficulties assessing clinical genetic testing, but they are not diagnostic and offer information on a limited number of genes and diseases. In addition, their findings may have limited value and sensitivity for patients who are not of European or Ashkenazi Jewish descent. The authors note that the positive predictive value of many 23andMe genetic tests is limited because risk is often modified by interacting genes, environment, lifestyle, and family history, which are not included in the risk predictions. Patients need to be aware of these limitations and should be referred to a genetic counselor or another qualified provider who can take their individual characteristics into consideration within the context of their findings.

Media contact: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To interview the lead author, Wendy K. Chung, MD, PhD, please contact Lucky Tran at lt2549@cumc.columbia.edu. 4. Mavacamten shows promise for treating patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M18-3016

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

Data from Phase 2 of the PIONEER-HCM study shows that mavacamten may reduce left ventricular outflow tract gradient and improve exercise capacity and symptoms in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Findings from an open-label, nonrandomized, phase 2 trial are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Mavacamten, an orally administered small-molecule modulator of cardiac myosin, targets underlying biomechanical abnormalities in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Earlier phase 1 studies of healthy volunteers and patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy showed a favorable safety profile and informed dose selection in phase 2.

Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University and four other academic centers (Duke University Medical Center, Yale New Haven Hospital, Mayo Clinic, and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania) studied 21 symptomatic patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to characterize the effect of mavacamten on left ventricular outflow tract gradient. They found that after 12 weeks of treatment, mavacamten reduced mean postexercise left ventricular outflow tract gradient from 103 mm Hg at baseline to 19 mm Hg with an associated improvement in exercise capacity and symptoms. The resting left ventricular ejecting fraction was also intentionally reduced. The most common adverse events related to treatment were decreased left ventricular ejection fraction at higher plasma concentrations and atrial fibrillation. If confirmed in larger studies, these data suggest a potential role for mavacamten in treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Media contact: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To speak with the lead author, Stephen B. Heitner, MD, please contact Kate Natoli at gellerk@ohsu.edu.

Also New in this issue:

The Chylomicronemia Syndrome Is Most Often Multifactorial: A Narrative Review of Causes and Treatment

Alan Chait, MD, and Robert H. Eckel, MD

Review

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-0203

Precision Medicine in Internal Medicine

Krzysztof Kiryluk, MD, MS; David B. Goldstein, PhD; John W. Rowe, MD; Ali G. Gharavi, MD; Ronald Wapner, MD; and Wendy K. Chung, MD, PhD

Precision Medicine

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M18-0425

Editorial: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-1034

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It's been a towering landmark in the world of English literature for more than two centuries, but Beowulf is still the subject of fierce academic debate, in part between those who claim the epic poem is the work of a single author and those who claim it was stitched together from multiple sources.

In an effort to resolve the dispute, a team of researchers led by Madison Krieger, a post-doctoral fellow at the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics and Joseph Dexter, who received a Ph.D. from Harvard, turned to a very modern tool - a computer.

Using a statistical approach known as stylometry, which analyzes everything from the poem's meter to the number of times different combinations of letters show up in the text, Krieger and colleagues found new evidence that Beowulf is the work of a single author. The study is described in a April 8 paper published in Nature Human Behaviour.

In addition to Krieger, the study was co-authored by Leonard Neidorf from Nanjing University, an expert on Beowulf whose numerous studies include a book on the poem's transmission, as well as Michelle Yakubek, who worked on the project as a student at the Research Science Institute, and Pramit Chaudhuri from the University of Texas at Austin. Chaudhuri and Dexter are the co-directors of the Quantitative Criticism Lab, a multi-institutional group devoted to developing computational approaches for the study of literature and culture.

"We looked at four broad categories of items in the text," Krieger said. "Each line has a meter, and many lines have what we call a sense pause, which is a small pause between clauses and sentences similar to the pauses we typically mark with punctuation in Modern English. We also looked at aspects of word choice."

"But it turns out one of the best markers you can measure is not at the level of words, but at the level of letter-combinations," he continued. "So we counted all the times the author used the combination 'ab', 'ac', 'ad', and so on."

Using those metrics, Krieger said, the team combed through the Beowulf text, and found it to be consistent throughout - a result that lends further support to the theory of single authorship.

"Across many of the proposed breaks in the poem, we see that these measures are homogeneous," Krieger said. "So as far as the actual text of Beowulf is concerned, it doesn't act as though there is supposed to be a major stylistic change at these breaks. The absence of major stylistic shifts is an argument for unity."

The study is just the latest effort to pin down Beowulf's often-mysterious background.

"There are two big debates about Beowulf," Krieger explained. "The first is when it was composed, because the date of composition affects our understanding of how Beowulf is to be interpreted. For instance, whether it is a poem near or far in time from the conversion to Christianity is an important question."

The second debate among Beowulf academics, Krieger said, is related to whether the poem was the work of one author, or many.

"The first edition that was widely available to the public was published in 1815, and the unity of the work was almost immediately attacked," Krieger said. "From high school, everyone remembers the battle with Grendel and Grendel's mother, and maybe the dragon, but if you go back and read the whole poem, there are weird sections about, for instance, how good Beowulf is at swimming, and other sections that go back hundreds of years and talk about hero kings that have ostensibly nothing to do with the story. So the way we read it now... seems very disjointed."

One piece of evidence that has factored into debates about unitary composition can be seen just by looking at the text.

"The handwriting is different," Krieger said. "At what I would call a random point in the poem, just mid-sentence, and not really an important sentence, the first scribe's handwriting stops, and somebody else takes over. It's clear that the second scribe also proofread the first scribe, so even though currently nobody really things that these two guys were different poets, or were joining together parts of a poem at this random mid-sentence location, it has helped contribute to a narrative according to which the writing of Beowulf, and maybe its original composition, was a long and collaborative effort.

For the nineteenth century, the prevailing view among academics was that the poem must be the work of multiple authors. It wasn't until the early 20th century that another author - one whose name is all but synonymous with epic storytelling - began to challenge that idea.

His name? J.R.R. Tolkien.

"Tolkien was one of the greatest champions of single authorship," Krieger said. "He was a very prominent Beowulf scholar, and in 1936 he wrote a landmark piece, "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," that really revived the idea that it was the work of a single person."

At the heart of Tolkien's argument, Krieger said, was the way in which Christianity is reflected in the text.

"The Christianization of Beowulf is very interesting, because every single character in it is a pagan, even in these odd digressions" Krieger said. "Beowulf is from southern Sweden and goes to Denmark to help other pagan Germanic peoples fight monsters...but it's overlaid throughout with a Christian perspective and infused with Christian language." Computational evidence from the study supports Tolkien's view, from a new perspective. "Arguments based on the poem's content or its author's supposed belief system are vital, of course, but equally important are arguments based on the nitty-gritty of stylistic details. The latter also have the merit of being testable, measurable."

Though he acknowledged it's unlikely the new study will be the end of the debates about Beowulf's authorship, Krieger believes it can shed important new light on English literary traditions.

"If we really believe this is one coherent work by one person, what does it mean that it has these strange asides?" he asked. "Maybe one of the biggest takeaways from this is about how you structured a story back then. Maybe we have just lost the ability to read literature in the way people at the time would have understood it, and we should try to understand how these asides actually fit into the story."

Going forward, Krieger and colleagues are hoping to apply the stylometry tools developed for the study to other literary traditions and other landmark works.

"Even works as well-studied as the Iliad and the Odyssey have yet to be analyzed using a full array of computational tools," Krieger said. "The fine-grained features that seem to matter most have never been examined in a lot of traditions, and we're hoping to spread these techniques that we think could change the way similar problems are approached."

Krieger also hopes to use the techniques to understand the stylistic evolution of English across history.

"Putting Old English in context is the springboard," he said. "This is the birth of English literature. From here, we can look at what aspects of style evolved - not just grammar, but at the cultural level, what features people enjoyed, and how they changed over time."

Aside from their ability to shed new light on works of literature, Krieger suggested the stylometry tools used in the study might also have some thoroughly modern uses - including spotting troll farms and fake news online.

"In retrospect, we know many thousands posts on Facebook were written by the same Macedonian troll farm during the 2016 election," he said. "If we had some way to identify that posts were likely written by the same author, that would obviously be very useful in deterring misinformation campaigns."

Ultimately, though, Krieger believes the study is a prime example of how ancient texts still hold secrets that can be uncovered through the use of modern tools.

"This is the first step in taking an old debate and refreshing it with some new methodology," he said. "It's a new extension of the whole critical apparatus, and it's exciting that an area probably assumed to be very traditional can in fact be at the cutting edge of work that spans the humanities and sciences."

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This research was supported with funding from a Neukom Institute for Computational Science CompX Grant, a National Endowment for the Humanities Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant, a New Directions Fellowship from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, and a Neukom Fellowship.
By protecting concrete pillars with a ready-to-stick wrap developed by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and JTC, existing structures can be easily repaired and reinforced to extend its lifespan.

This new technology is especially useful for urban cities to rehabilitate ageing infrastructure including buildings and bridges that may have developed issues such as cracks and delamination of concrete.

This new wrap called FasRaP - short for Fast Wrapping Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) - is jointly developed by scientists and engineers from NTU, JTC and Prostruct Consulting Pte Ltd.

Key benefits of FasRaP

FasRaP is created using commercially available glass fibres, but with a proprietary glue-like resin developed by NTU materials scientists which acts as an adhesive for the wrap.

The unique feature of the resin is that it will harden only when exposed to light, making it possible for it to be pre-applied in the factory and packaged into a ready roll of sticky wrap, similar to double-sided tape.

When brought to the work site, FasRaP is ready to be applied directly on the wall or pillar. Only three workers are needed to complete the job, compared to FRPs currently available in the market which typically require a team of up to six workers to install, as the conventional resin needs to be manually applied on site.

Apart from halving the time and effort needed for installation, prefabricating FasRaP with resin glue in the factory also ensures consistency in quality since conditions can be better controlled and monitored compared to manual application of resin on-site.

In industry-standard blast tests and load tests, FasRaP has proven to be just as strong as conventional FRP. Comparing a bare concrete pillar without reinforcement and a pillar wrapped with FasRaP, the tests show that the latter can withstand an additional 80 per cent load.

Assoc Prof Ng Kee Woei, lead project investigator from NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering said, "Our invention allows companies to save on manpower costs, increase efficiency and make structural reinforcement much easier to execute. This will help them to meet future building standards and prolong the life of older buildings and structures as Singapore and other urban cities age." He is also the Principal Investigator at the NTU-JTC Industrial Infrastructure Innovation Centre (I3 Centre).

Mr Calvin Chung, Group Director of Engineering at JTC, said, "By combining our engineering knowledge, NTU's research expertise and Prostruct's industry know-how, we can address real challenges faced by the construction industry such as manpower constraints and quality control. The development of new advanced materials such as FasRaP will help us meet the growing demand for the repair and rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure in Singapore by significantly reducing the time and improving the quality of installation, thereby increasing productivity and cost efficiency."

Dr Ang Choon Keat, founder of Prostruct Consulting Pte Ltd, a specialist professional engineer and certified blast consultant, was involved in the project as a co-investigator. He added, "Besides reinforcing existing structures, we have also conducted blast tests and demonstrated that FasRaP is suitable for strengthening any structure against blasts. This is an important application in view of the Infrastructure Protection Act passed by the Singapore Parliament in October 2017."

The joint research team is now working to commercialise their technology, which has intellectual property protection in the form of a technology disclosure filed through NTUitive, NTU's commercialisation and innovation company.

They are in talks with both manufacturers of FRPs and industry contractors using FRPs. To accelerate the adoption and commercialisation of this new technology, JTC will identify suitable infrastructure projects to deploy FasRaP.

This invention highlights the capability of the tripartite research partnership between a government agency, industry and academia, to generate new solutions to tackle challenges in the building and construction sector.

Established in 2011, the NTU-JTC I3 Centre aims to pioneer cutting-edge industrial infrastructure solutions to address challenges faced by Singapore and its companies in areas such as safety, productivity, as well as manpower and resource constraints.

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Media contact:

Lester Kok

Assistant Director

Corporate Communications Office

Nanyang Technological University

Tel: 6790 6804

Email: lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg

Rachel Pan

Manager, Communications

JTC

Tel: +65 6883 3623

Email: rachel_pan@jtc.gov.sg

About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London.

NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes - the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering - and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).

Ranked 12th in the world, NTU has also been placed the world's top young university for the past five years. The University's main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and it has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) building projects comprising more than 230 buildings, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Singapore's healthcare district.

For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg

About JTC

Set up in 1968, JTC is the lead government agency responsible for the planning and development of industrial infrastructure to support and catalyse the growth of industries and enterprises in Singapore. Landmark projects by JTC include the Jurong Industrial Estate; the Jurong Island for energy and chemical industries; business and specialised parks such as the International and Changi Business Parks, Seletar Aerospace Park and Tuas Biomedical Park; a work-live-play-&-learn development called one-north; next generation districts including Jurong Innovation District and the Punggol Digital District, as well as the Jurong Rock Caverns, Southeast Asia's first commercial underground storage facility for liquid hydrocarbons. JTC also develops innovative space such as the JTC Surface Engineering Hub, JTC MedTech Hub, JTC Food Hub @ Senoko, and TimMac @ Kranji which incorporate innovative features and shared infrastructure and services to enable industrialists to start their operations quickly and enhance productivity. JTC is the Centre of Excellence for building & infrastructure, underground caverns and facilities management, to share technical expertise and optimise deployment within the public sector. For more information on JTC and its products and services, please visit http://www.jtc.gov.sg.
NEW YORK (AP)  Viji Devadas hasn't heard from her nephew in Sri Lanka on her family WhatsApp chat group since he reached out just after the Easter Sunday bomb blasts that tore apart churches and hotels and killed hundreds in the South Asian nation.

It's unsettling, but she knows he's ok, and the Sri Lankan government's decision to block most social media, citing concern over "false news reports," makes sense to her.

In "one way, it's good because so many rumors and so many things, everybody gets scared," said Devadas, whose family runs a restaurant named after the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, in a tiny strip of New York's Staten Island borough known as "Little Sri Lanka." At the same time, she hoped it wouldn't be in place for long, since "people like to see what's going on and happening."

The block on social media including Facebook and its WhatsApp and Instagram services was announced by the Sri Lankan government's official news portal, which cited the spread of misinformation online. The NetBlocks observatory said it detected an intentional blackout of the popular platforms, as well as YouTube, Snapchat and Viber. Twitter appeared unaffected.

Officials likely feared that the spread of inflammatory content could provoke more bloodshed in Sri Lanka, a Buddhist-majority island nation that has large Hindu, Muslim and Christian minorities and a long history of ethnic and sectarian conflict. At least 290 people were killed and 500 people injured in the bombings.

That made sense to Devadas. The government doesn't "want to get new rumors, they don't want to get riots," she said.

James Moses agreed. "I think it's a good thing, what they have done because ... a lot of people give misinformation, and spread that which is not accurate," said the Sri Lankan immigrant, who also lives on Staten Island. "I see sometimes hatred, violence ... put up on social media. That's not going to help anybody. That's going to be really a mess."

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The decision by Sri Lankan authorities to flick the off switch on most social media after the attacks was a lightning fast reaction that also reflects accumulated distrust in the capability of American internet companies to control harmful content.

It wasn't the first time Sri Lanka has blocked social media. The government imposed a weeklong ban in March 2018 because of concerns that WhatsApp and other platforms were being used to fan anti-Muslim violence in the country's central region.

Ivan Sigal, head of the internet and journalism advocacy organization Global Voices, said the country's rapid action after Sunday's attack was a "telling moment."

"A few years ago we'd be using these platforms to help each other and coordinating assistance. Now we view them as a threat," he wrote on Twitter.

"If I were Facebook and WhatsApp I'd take a moment to ask myself where I'd gone wrong," he added. "Cannot think of a clearer signal for lack of platform trust."

In the past, blocking social media would have been seen as "outrageous censorship," Sigal said, highlighting the shift in attitudes toward social media sites. "Now we think of it as essential duty of care, to protect ourselves from threat."

Sri Lanka's defense ministry said the shutdown would extend until the government wraps up its investigation into the bomb blasts. Sri Lanka's U.N. ambassador, Amrith Rohan Perera, said in a statement Monday that the blocks aim "to prevent speculative and mischievous attempts to spread rumors." He also cautioned expatriates to use social media responsibly to support one another but not to inadvertently spread "panic and mistrust."

NetBlocks, however, said post-attack blackouts can be ineffective.

"What we've seen is that when social media is shut down, it creates a vacuum of information that's readily exploited by other parties," said Alp Toker, executive director of the London-based group. "It can add to the sense of fear and can cause panic."

"That's going to be a problem for people trying to communicate with friends and family," Toker said.

Some internet users are circumventing the social media blocks by using a virtual private network, which masks the location of a computer, Toker said. An analysis by Sri Lankan researcher and author Yudhanjaya Wijeratne of thousands of Facebook posts made during last year's ban found that many Sri Lankans simply found ways around it.

Others, like Staten Island resident Dhannitha Meemanage, turned to old-fashioned means of getting news about loved ones after Sunday's attack  a landline phone.

"Everything is shut down because of this problem," he said as he bagged cashews in his family's grocery story in Little Sri Lanka.

__

Associated Press writers Matt O'Brien, Stephen Wright and Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.
Canopy Growth, Canadas largest cannabis company, announced a blockbuster $3.4 billion deal to buy Acreage Holdings, the largest U.S. cannabis operator, on April 18, but Acreage shares continue to relatively underperform. Acreage shares have only traded higher by about 3% since the announcement, whereas Canopy shares have gained roughly 20%.

On Monday, Acreage Holdings CEO Kevin Murphy defended the deal that gives Canopy the right to acquire his company when the sale of cannabis becomes permissible on a federal level in the U.S.

You can choose your opportunity in business, you just cant choose when it comes, Murphy told Yahoo Finance YFiPM, adding that it was a deal he was obligated to take. With Constellation and Canopy knocking on our door, as the CEO and Chairman of this company it was my obligation to not only the shareholders, but the future of this company to accept that invitation.

Mainly, Murphy emphasized that the deal will help his company gain international exposure through Canopy and that it will help hedge any downside that could come from competitors consolidating in the cannabis space. While the deal might not secure his place as the top cannabis name in the world, Murphy indicated the deal would ensure a place on the podium.

Not all the companies in cannabis today need to exist and they wont exist, said Murphy, whose comments follow Canopy Growth CEO Bruce Lintons appearance last week on YFiPM. Linton predicted Acreage shares will eventually trade closer to the 40% premium laid out in the agreement.

Bruce Linton, chief executive officer of Canopy Growth Corp., stands for a photograph in the Mother Room at the Canopy Growth Corp. facility in Smith Falls, Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. Canadian medical marijuana is setting the stage to go global. The country's emerging legal producers have a chance to seize opportunities in other countries that could make them worldwide leaders, according to Linton. Photographer: Chris Roussakis/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Murphy also pointed to his more optimistic timeline for the sale of cannabis becoming federally permissible sometime in the next 18 months as one potential reason that could explain why shares werent more reflective of the deals terms. Analysts, like Piper Jaffrays Michael Lavery, for example, believe that it could take more than four years for that scenario to play out.

I think the trouble people are having is, how long is it going to take for it to be [federally] permissible in the US, Murphy said. We have a view, given we have a number of board members who are cued into Washington... in regards to it being permissible we believe it's 12 to 18 months out, not four to six years out.

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Acreage boasts both former Speaker of the House John Boehner and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld as board members. The Acreage board unanimously approved the deal, but it is subject to shareholder votes from Acreage and Canopy in June.

Zack Guzman is the host of YFi PM as well as a senior writer and on-air reporter covering entrepreneurship, startups, and breaking news at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @zGuz.

Read more:

Blue Moon's creator launched a cannabis beer that sold out in 4 hours

Constellation Brands shareholders are getting Canopy Growth almost for 'free': Canopy CEO

Exclusive: Canopy Growth to invest up to $500 million in hemp production in U.S. states
Atlanta, GA, April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI:NYSE) announced today plans to work exclusively with OLEDWorks, a leading manufacturer of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting technology, on an expanded product portfolio of OLED luminaires. Acuity Brands, using OLEDWorks technology, intends to develop a series of affordable and innovative OLED luminaires for architectural lighting applications.



OLEDs are a thin sheet of light that create a gentle and diffuse illumination that is calm, soft and comfortable to view. Their ultra-thin form offers excellent visual quality and they are a natural fit for interior applications that can help enhance the occupant experience and the aesthetics of the space itself.

We have worked with OLEDWorks and their OLED technology for years, and weve found it to be the superior OLED technology in the market. Were excited about our collaboration, said Rick Earlywine, Acuity Brands Lighting Senior Vice President, Architectural Lighting Solutions. Over time, we see an advent of even higher luminance OLED panels and more form factor choices that will create interesting options for specifiers to light architectural spaces. This is a major step forward in forging new paths for OLED lighting.

Acuity Brands has been able to anticipate trends in the general lighting industry, and it was an early adopter of incorporating OLED technology for luminaires, capitalizing on the unique benefits OLEDs offer, said Dave DeJoy, CEO of OLEDWorks. They continue to be the leader in developing and delivering innovative, impactful lighting solutions. We are proud to be a partner with Acuity and look forward to advancing OLED lighting technology together. We bring to the table our innovative manufacturing facilities in Rochester, NY and Aachen, Germany, coupled with an exceptional concentration of pioneering OLED talent and proven technology advances in research and development.

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Acuity Brands will be showcasing the Olessence Slim luminaire from Peerless, a new OLED product featuring OLEDWorks technology, at the 2019 LIGHTFAIRO International trade show, May 21-23, in Philadelphia, PA (Booth #1201). Olessence Slim luminaires balance OLED and LED lighting technologies to maximize beauty and performance in lighting while optimizing energy savings and cost.

About Acuity Brands

Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) is the North American market leader and one of the worlds leading providers of lighting and building management solutions. With fiscal year 2018 net sales of $3.7 billion, Acuity Brands currently employs approximately 12,000 associates and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with operations throughout North America, and in Europe and Asia. The Companys products and solutions are sold under various brands, including Lithonia Lighting, Holophane, Aculux, American Electric Lighting, Antique Street Lamps, Atrius, DGLogik, Distech Controls, DTL, eldoLED, Gotham, Healthcare Lighting, Hydrel, Indy, IOTA, Juno, Lucid, Mark Architectural Lighting, nLight, Peerless, RELOC Wiring, ROAM, Sensor Switch, Sunoptics and Winona Lighting. Visit us at www.acuitybrands.com

About OLEDWorks

OLEDWorks is a global leader in the development and production of innovative organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting solutions. Founded in 2010 in Rochester NY by many of the original pioneers in the OLED industry, OLEDWorks creates reliable, beautiful and cost-effective OLED light engines that inspire architects, designers and manufacturers around the world.

By producing the worlds best performing OLED panels and combining rapid product innovation, OLEDWorks simplifies and enriches your illuminated space. Free from blue light hazards, OLED is the healthy and beautiful light solution. Sustainable and environmentally responsible, OLEDWorks OLED light engines enhance the well-being of our world and its inhabitants. www.oledworks.com

# # # #

Media Contacts:

Neil Egan

Director, Communications

Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc.

Neil.Egan@acuitybrands.com

770-860-2957

Ashley Romano

Director of Marketing

OLEDWorks

ARomano@oledworks.com

585-645-9168
1980s Vehicle Refurbished to Spotlight Critical Need for Curb Data

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



Allvision, a geospatial analytics startup providing insights and business intelligence to verticals such as infrastructure management, insurance, advertising, and security, announces the launch of Allvision Parkview, a turnkey high definition mapping solution for city planning and maintenance thats scalable, economical, and accessible to all. Cities can inventory, inspect and monitor roads, curbs, and sidewalks accurately, affordably and fast (daysnot months). On May 2 the Allvision team will be exhibiting and demonstrating Allvision Parkview at TechDay 2019 in New York City.



Urban centers are experiencing increasingly intense demands for curb use. Space traditionally reserved for parking, transportation, and deliveries are now competing with new mobility options including ride-hailing services, bikeshares, rideshares, and even scooter shares. As a result, cities need frequent street-level information to develop pricing and policies that ensure equitable use of the curb.



Allvision Parkview was created to provide scalable, affordable street-level analytics in near real-time, said Aaron Morris, CEO at Allvision. We partner with fleet operators and autonomous vehicle companies to source streams of rich 3D and image data and then turn that data into actionable insights to improve urban design, transportation planning, curb management and more.



Allvision is currently piloting in Pittsburgh, PA. The City of Pittsburgh approached Allvision to analyze parking patterns in the Strip District, a historic market district and one of Pittsburghs most crowded and merchant-diverse neighborhoods. The City sought to better understand the impact of parking on residents and local merchants. We are excited to be partnering with Allvision on a pilot addressing urban mobility challenges, starting with curb space management, notes Karina Ricks, Director, Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, City of Pittsburgh.

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To celebrate the launch and to illustrate that any vehicle can map like an autonomous vehicle, Allvision has kitted out a 1980s Pontiac Firebird with 3D capture technologies as a mapping vehicle. The car will be center stage during TechDay taking place in the Javits Center in New York City and will showcase the machine learning technology powering Allvision Parkview. Allvision will be located at Booth 301, at the entrance of the exhibit hall.



About Allvision

Allvision develops the platform to enable street level analytics at global scale. We provide the means to make sense of our dynamic environment to solve the worlds most pressing problems from the human point of view. With a digital platform that makes previously inaccessible 3D data accessible and affordable, Allvision levels the playing field for cities of all sizes to compete in a dynamic, diverse, and increasingly complex world.

Allvision founders, veterans of Autodesk and Bentley Systems, focus their expertise on the intersection of the digital and physical worlds, making high-def navigation information available for countless applications. Allvisions HQ is in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. www.allvision.io.

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Attachments

Jackie Erickson

Jackie Group

412-606-7302

jackie@jackiegroup.com


Bob Carlson. Photo: David Handschuh.



The American Bar Association has overhauled its membership structure in a bid to reverse years of declining participation and falling revenue, with the changes going into effect May 1. The change is intended to simplify the complex dues structure, reduce costs for members, and make the association more relevant to attorneys through targeted content. The ABA hopes to have all members renewed under the new structure by September.



ABA leadership signed off on the overhaul last August amid mounting challenges. It has lost about 56,000 dues-paying members in the past 10 years and fewer than 200,000 of its approximately 424,000 members pay dues. Less than 13 percent of the nations lawyers are dues-paying members. The associations general budget declined by 22 percent between 2014 and 2018, and last year it projected an additional $15 million annual loss in dues revenue without making changes. The changes are expected to result in short-term financial losses that will recover in time with membership gains.



Annual membership costs will go down for all members, but the savings will be the highest for attorneys in the early stages of their careers. For example, those with five years or less of experience will pay $75 annually, down from between $146 and $250, depending on their experience. All members can access the Law Practice and GP Solo Divisions at no additional cost, but membership to most of the individual sections will cost between $10 and $105 annually. More content on the ABAs website will be restricted to members and members of individual sections, though all members will have access to a library of free CLE courses.



Law.com talked with ABA president Bob Carlson, a partner at Corette Black Carlson & Mickelson in Butte, Montana, about the new structure and why members have been fleeing the group. His answers have been edited for length.



Why do you think ABA membership has been declining? I think that there has been a change across the board with associationsnot just the ABA and not just professional associations. Were trying to figure out a way to meet the evolving need of this profession and the changing needs of the next generation of lawyers. Its something weve been looking at for quite a while. We think weve found the right recipe, if you will, to reverse that trend and move forward with a benefits package and membership model that will meet not only the needs of lawyers who have been practicing for 15, 20 years or more, but also those in law school and younger lawyers.



Some critics say membership has been waning because ABA has become too political. Whats your response to that? I dont think it has become too political. First, you have to look at where our statements come from. They come from policies that have been developed by our House of Delegates, which has at least three people from each state. We have people in the house who are liberal. We have people who are conservative. Probably most fit into where most people are, which is that middle ground of moderates one way or another.



We do speak out on issues related to due process, the rule of law, an independent judiciary and access to justice. In my mind, those arent liberal. Those are fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Were the perfect organization to speak out on those.



Why should people join the ABA? It sort of depends on who you are and what point you are at in your career. I think the selling point is that people need an association that will speak out on behalf of the profession and on behalf of the judiciary. A lot of people go to law school for that very reason and will gravitate towards an association that has that national voice. Second, our association is designed to make you not only a better lawyer, but really a better person and contributor to society. People look for networking and substantive practice information. By and large, people want an association that speaks with a national voice and stands up not just for the legal profession but for the justice system.



Whats the strategy to make the ABA more attractive to younger lawyers? Younger lawyers want to give back. They want to make a difference. So we have plenty of coordinated opportunities to allow them to provide pro bono assistance and get involved in activities to help their communities. We also provide the connectivity that allows them to experience a broad base of legal experts in every field. It gives them a way to connect with their peers and lawyers and judges who are exceptional in their fields.



Tomorrow is Law Day, and the ABA has selected free speech as its theme. Why? Its definitely timely. We wanted to make sure we have a dialog across the country to tell people how important it is to have not just free speech but a free press, and inform them about whats going on and encourage a civil dialog among people who may have different views. We want to encourage people to listen to each other and respect each others freedoms under the Constitution.
By Jennifer Hiller

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Anadarko Petroleum Corp has become the biggest prize in the energy industry in part because of lagging oil production despite large land holdings in the top U.S. shale field.

Occidental Petroleum Corp and Chevron Corp, two of the largest oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin shale field by production volumes, argue they can best squeeze more oil from Anadarko's 240,000 acres.

On Monday, Anadarko agreed to start negotiations with Occidental over a bid that valued the company at $38 billion in cash and stock. It earlier struck an agreement to sell itself to Chevron for $33 billion.

Anadarko became the prize because of its large holdings in the southwestern U.S., and their lack of development. It holds "some of the best undrilled well locations in the basin," estimates energy researcher Drillinginfo.

Shares in The Woodlands, Texas-based company rose slightly on Monday to close at $72.93. That was up from $46.80 on April 11, the day before the Chevron deal was announced. However, the shares were down nearly 26 percent in the year prior to the deal.

The company's Permian wells produce less oil and gas per-foot drilled than either Chevron or Occidental, according to consultancy Rystad Energy, leaving room for both to increase its output.

Each Anadarko well delivered $1.6 million in revenue in the first three months of its production in the region, compared with $4.5 million for Occidental and $3.5 million for Chevron, according to analysts at Robert W. Baird.

The company ranked 48 out of 50 oil producers in the Delaware portion of the Permian by average revenues per well. It "has consistently ranked as one of the worst productivity per well companies in the Delaware," Baird analysts wrote this month. Anadarko did not respond to a request for comment.

Chevron has targeted Anadarko for its shale assets, deepwater Gulf of Mexico properties and a liquefied natural gas project off the coast of Africa. But Occidental Chief Executive Vicki Hollub last week said that for Occidental, the value of this is in the shale."

Analysts say Anadarko's Permian drilling has not made the shift to what the shale industry calls manufacturing mode, or drilling and connecting many wells at once, said Kris Nicol, a research director at Wood Mackenzie.

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That lack of activity means a buyer has plenty of space to drill more, Nicol said.

"It's not like it's been manufactured already," he said.

Both suitors hope their greater efficiency will lead to cost savings. Occidental last week estimated it could squeeze $2 billion per year in cost synergies from the deal; Chevron said it would save $1 billion a year.

Both Occidental and Chevron have proven to be efficient at shale production, and either would create synergies in a merger with Anadarko, said Artem Abramov, head of shale research at Rystad Energy.

"It is a value creation regardless of how it eventually evolves."

Occidental holds around 2.7 million acres in the Permian Basin and divides its business between shale and conventional well production. Chevron holds around 2.3 million acres in the Permian Basin and owns much of the underlying mineral rights as well, according to Drillinginfo, another cost savings.

Anadarko's acreage is next to Chevron's on the Texas-New Mexico state line. Occidental holds Permian land just to the north and south. Whichever company completes the deal would become the Permian's largest producer, said Ted Hall of researcher Kayrros SAS.

(Reporting by Jennifer Hiller; Editing by Chris Reese)
Counting of tiger prey species begins in Chitwan, Parsa

Chitwan National Park and Parsa National Park started counting prey species for tigers on Monday.
Australia's tax man is cracking down on cryptocurrency investors. | Source: Shutterstock

By CCN.com: It will now be harder for Australians to under-declare or over-declare the taxes they owe on their crypto holdings or transactions.

This follows an announcement by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) that it will collect bulk records from cryptocurrency businesses in the country. In a statement, the tax collection agency indicated that this will be done to enhance accuracy in tax compliance:

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is collecting bulk records from Australian cryptocurrency designated service providers (DSPs) as part of a data matching program to ensure people trading in cryptocurrency are paying the right amount of tax.

Some of the information that the ATO will obtain from Australias crypto-related businesses will include purchase and sale records.

By law, cryptocurrency businesses in Australia are required to keep certain critical records. These include digital wallet records and keys, exchange records, and receipts of transfer or purchase of crypto assets.

Prior to any compliance action being taken, the relevant tax payers will be contacted by the tax collection agency after the data matching exercise to verify the information obtained.

Australias law on crypto taxes

Read the full story on CCN.com.
Dublin, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "How to Avoid Common Pitfalls in Combined EU/US Patent Applications" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





How to Avoid Common Pitfalls in Combined EU/US Patent Applications. This seminar addresses the parallel, but substantially different, rules for drafting and prosecuting patents required by the Examiners and Appeal Boards of the EPO and USPTO.

Course Overview



This course addresses the parallel, but substantially different, rules for drafting and prosecuting patents required by the examiners and Boards of Appeal of the EPO and USPTO.



You will study the contrasting approaches of the EPO and USPTO and learn the experts' techniques for drafting an application for, and responding to, rejections issued by the two offices.



Practical applications

You and the other delegates will be invited to correct and modify a sample application to be filed with both the EPO and USPTO

You will be asked to develop effective arguments for the EPO and USPTO with respect to hypothetical patent office rejections

Who Should Attend:



Patent professionals and other executives who are responsible for patent applications that are filed in, and prosecuted before, both the European and US Patent Offices

Managers overseeing and evaluating the multinational patent prosecution

Agenda:



Programme Day One



Review of the similarities and differences in the statutory systems of the EPO and USPTO

Legal aspects

Procedures

Formalities

Best practices' for preparing one specification to comply with the European and US requirements for:

Priority

Added subject matter/new matter

Industrial application/utility

Novelty

Inventive step/non-obviousness

Description and sufficient basis/enablement and written description

Claim clarity and conciseness/distinct claiming'

Limiting estoppel and implications of the AIA

EPO/US: Prosecution and appeal procedures

Likely timelines and statutory deadlines

EPO

Euro-PCT

USPTO

Burdens of proof

Use of provisional and non-provisional applications

Objections and rejections

Non-final and final Office Actions

Interviews

Patent Office appeals

Judicial appeals

EPO/US definitions of prior art and priority

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EPO Article 54 definitions of state of the art'

US Definitions of prior art' for anticipation and obviousness



Question and answer session



Programme day two



EPO/US: Rejections and responses



Inventive step (EPO) vs obviousness (USPTO)

EPO/US: Strategies for persuading the examiner and Board

Prosecution history estoppel in the US



Estoppel variants

Controlling the adverse impact of arguments to the USPTO

Effect of representations made in corresponding, non-US applications

Disclosure obligations after

Therasense

Arguments on non-technical (EPO) and subject matter (US)



Article 52(2), (3) exclusions - Technical' Two hurdles Potential technical effect T26/86 Koch & Sterzel Computer program/signal claims

Arguments to the USPTO after Alice Abstract vs structural limitations USPTO Examination instructions



Worked examples



Delegates will be invited to analyse and modify sample applications suitable for the EPO and USPTO

Delegates will be asked to develop effective arguments for the EPO and USPTO with respect to a series of hypothetical office actions

Plenary session



Delegates and speakers will discuss the worked examples with the aim of optimising specifications acceptable to both the EPO and USPTO

For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i54liz





Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.



CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

Related Topics: Patents


Bayer Chief Executive Werner Baumann has nine months to prove he shouldnt be kicked out as a result of last years Monsanto acquisition, a corporate law expert warned Tuesday.

Professor Christoph Schalast, a mergers and acquisition specialist at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, said Fridays unprecedented rebuke of Bayers management was in part caused by Baumanns overconfidence in the companys handling of glyphosate lawsuits that have already lopped two-fifths off Bayers value. The nine-month timescale he laid out refers to the timing of when Bayer sets the agenda for its next annual general meeting, after which dissident shareholders can file counter motions against management.

Baumann, for his part, has insisted that management acted conscientiously in assessing the liability risk around Monsanto.

There have so far been two multi-million-dollar verdicts in the U.S. that held Monsanto liable for plaintiffs cancers, on the basis that those cancers were caused by years of using the glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup. There are another 13,400 such claims waiting in the wings. Bayers shareholders do not believe the company adequately assessed this financial risk when buying Monsanto for $63 billion last year in an effort to become a leading player in agriculture.

Extraordinary pressure

At Bayers annual general meeting last week, 55.5% of investors voted against dischargingor ratifyingthe board of managements actions over the past year. This does not have direct legal implications, but it certainly sent a message.

Ordinarily, German shareholders discharge management by 90% or more, and anything less is seen as a stain on managements reputation. Deutsche Banks co-CEOs were forced out several years ago after 39% of investors refused to back them in such a vote. Baumann now has the distinction of being the first CEO of a DAX-listed company to have a majority of investors vote against him.

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Just as unusually, many of those voting against Baumann and his team said they did not want Bayers management to go just yet, due to the added chaos that would introduce into the situation. As Janne Werning of shareholder Union Investment put it to the Financial Times, management now gets a second chance to get to grips with the risks and take the company back on to a path of stable growth.

Schalast said Baumanns situation was not directly comparable with that of ousted Deutsche Bank chiefs Anshu Jain and Jurgen Fitschen, because their defenestration was the result of generally poor performance at the bank.

It is the one deal. Thats why [Baumann] is under such strong pressure, said Schalast. [The AGM vote] is a wake-up call for both the supervisory board and board of management, but [Baumann] is in the spotlight.

Germany has a two-tier system for boards of directors in corporations, with the supervisory board being responsible for monitoring the board of management. Immediately following Fridays vote, Bayers supervisory boardwhich itself only won 66% approval from shareholdersexpressed its support for Baumann. However, supervisory board chair Werner Wenning is known to see Baumann as his protege, so this support is less than surprising.

Bayers route to change

If the board of management does not prove in the next nine months that it is capable of getting a handle on the legal situation in the U.S., Schalast said, shareholders will need to apply pressure to the supervisory board. This may involve calling for a new supervisory board member who has expertise in U.S. litigation of the sort Monsanto faces.

If they want a change and the supervisory board is not open to such a change, then they have to vote in a new supervisory board, Schalast said, explaining that in Germany supervisory boards are generally responsive to pressure from shareholders, to whom they are ultimately responsible. You usually talk to them and they resign and then you have the possibility to vote for a new member, he said. If that doesnt happen, then you need an extraordinary general assembly.

Investor pressure could be accelerated if there are more major verdicts that go against Bayer/Monsanto, Schalast said.

A Bayer spokesperson said shareholders decision not to discharge management was a new situation for us, but highlighted the fact that investors had also said there is no real alternative to the current management.

There was nobody who asked the board or the CEO to step down, said the spokesperson. There is no real basis for speculation about Mr. Baumanns future as CEO.
By Andrei Makhovsky and Katya Golubkova

MINSK/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Months of work are needed to restore clean oil supplies via a key Russian pipeline to Europe, Belarus said on Tuesday, as Moscow suggested a deliberate act was behind the contamination that prompted some countries to release state oil reserves.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Slovakia and other countries halted oil imports via the Druzhba pipeline last week after finding contaminants that can damage refinery equipment.

A long outage could force refineries in Eastern Europe and Germany to cut operations and prompt Moscow to reduce oil production. It could also trigger claims by Western oil buyers against Russian producers and pipeline monopoly Transneft for lost profits as they struggle to sell contaminated oil.

Nikolai Tokarev, head of Transneft, told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the contamination had been deliberately conducted by a private firm in the Russian region of Samara, on the Volga river.

The company "accumulates oil from small producers in the Ulyanovsk, Orenburg and Samara regions ... and is transferring it to the pipeline system", said Tokarev, a close ally of Putin, without identifying the company.

"This company ... has deliberately injected oil that was not properly prepared (for entry to the pipeline system)."

Tokarev added that Belarus had received clean oil from Russia on Tuesday, while contaminated oil was being returned from Belarus to Russia by rail.

"We will later mix it with regular oil in (the Russian Black Sea port of) Novorossiisk and sell it onwards," he told Putin. "We expect the situation to improve in the near future and will resume working on a regular schedule."

Russia's Energy Ministry said talks were held on Tuesday with oil pipelines operators in Hungary and Slovakia. It said parties involved planned to resume the transit of oil as soon as possible and oil quality at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga would be back to normal before May 7.

Slovak oil refinery Slovnaft said supplies of clean oil transported via the pipeline should be restored from mid-May.

Story continues

Ukraine's Ukrtransnafta said parties in the Budapest talks agreed to remove about 400,000 tonnes of low-quality oil from Druzhba in Ukraine and Belarus and store it in reservoirs. It said clean oil was expected to reach the European Union on May 18.

DAMAGE ESTIMATES

The significance of any damage is not yet clear, nor is it known who will foot the bill. Belarus, which processes Russian crude into refined products for sale abroad, estimated its loss from a reduction in product exports at $100 million.

Pipelines in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland are estimated to contain 5 million tonnes of contaminated Russian oil, Belarus's state news agency Belta cited the operator of Druzhba's Belarusian section as saying.

"They (the private company in the Samara region) have cheated (by supplying contaminated oil). For us, this is very serious damage from an economic, material and image point of view," Putin told Tokarev.

Russia and Belarus - where Druzhba splits into the southern leg that goes to Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic and the northern spur routed to Poland and Germany - held a second day of talks on Tuesday in Moscow.

Belarusian state energy company Belneftekhim said its Mozyr refinery was expected to receive clean oil on May 4 at the earliest. The Russian energy ministry put the date at May 3-4.

Some 50,000 tonnes of contaminated oil should be forced out in Russia and 120,000 tonnes on the Belarusian side, Belneftekhim said in a statement. Belarus will store its contaminated oil at Mozyr.

"The measures taken would allow for the restoration of only one of Druzhba's lines. Full restoration will take a couple of months of heavy work," Belneftekhim said. It did not specify which parts of Druzhba would be immediately decontaminated.

Andrei Verigo, first deputy head of Gomeltransneft Druzhba, operator of Druzhba's Belarusian section, said the pipeline would reach 60-65 percent of its average annual capacity on May 10-11, Belta reported.

It could take up to six months before the pipeline starts operating at full capacity, he added.

Druzhba can pump up to 1 million barrels per day (bpd), amounting to 1 percent of global crude demand. In total, Russia is exporting around 4 million bpd and other destinations in the south, northwest and east are unaffected, traders said.

Hungary and Poland will tap their state strategic oil reserves at least to partially replace Russian supplies.

(For a graphic on 'Druzhba Pipeline Map' click https://tmsnrt.rs/2DytnnM)

HIGHER EXPORT PLANS

The contamination comes as Russia plans to boost monthly Urals exports to five-year highs in May, a preliminary schedule showed, before the expiry of a deal on output cuts agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Traders said on Tuesday there was no change so far to the plan.

Transneft said that in May, state-run Russian Railways might transport 100,000 tonnes of oil by rail. It did not specify the oil quality.

Putin said on Saturday the investigation could lead to a wider inquiry, possibly including law-enforcement agencies.

The pipeline problem has cut off a major supply route for Polish refineries owned by PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, as well as plants in Germany owned by Total, Shell, Eni and Rosneft.

(Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky in MINSK; Maria Kiselyova, Maria Grabar, Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Olga Yagova, Gleb Gorodyankin, Vladimir Soldatkin and Gleb Stolyarov in MOSCOW; Natalia Zinets in Kiev; Marcin Goclowski, Anna Koper and Joanna Plucinska in WARSAW; Marton Dunai in BUDAPEST; Writing by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Dale Hudson and Edmund Blair)
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2019) - Benchmark Botanics, Inc. (CSE: BBT) (FSE: BBW) (OTC Pink: BHHKF) ("Benchmark" or the "Company"), a cannabis producer, today released its financial and operational results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.

"2018 was a truly pivotal year for Benchmark Botanics. We were issued our License to Import and License to Sell from Health Canada. The Company completed a $2,000,000 Private Placement and entered into a Trademarks License Agreement for use of the "The Bulldog" trademark in Canada. In addition, Benchmark signed a definitive agreement for the development of 4 acres of greenhouse operations in Pitt Meadows, BC and strengthened the leadership of the Company with the addition of a high-profile director and a well know industry leader," said William Ying, Benchmark Botanics President and CEO. "With this foundation in place, the Company is transitioning into a period of significant expansion with product sales, facility expansion, additional facilities being constructed, and the Asia Pacific Nutraceutical strategy being implemented. Taken together, we have strengthened our value proposition in 2018, and will be well positioned for the next stage of our growth in 2019."

2018 KEY DEVELOPMENTS

License to Import

On July 8, 2018, the Company was issued a License to Import by Health Canada. This import license allows Benchmark, through its 100% owned subsidiary Potanicals Green Growers, access to limitless genetics and strains for production. With this approved permit in hand, in July 2018 Benchmark has executed a purchase order with Dutch Passion from the Netherlands to import over 200 seeds that represent 70 different strains. This will enable Benchmark to custom produce exactly what the off-take markets are asking for. Further to this, the medical profile of the strains we are importing ranges from very high Cannabidiol (CBD) low THC, to high-THC/low-CBD, 1:1 THC: CBD strains, as well as, others. This will position the company to have many options for production when looking to service the current and future market demand.

Story continues

License to Sell

On August 31, 2018, Potanicals was issued a license to sell dried cannabis under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (the "ACMPR") by Health Canada.

Non-Brokered Private Placement

On September 5, 2018, the Company closed a non-brokered private placement of 2,666,667 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.75 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $2,000,000 (the "Private Placement") with an arm's-length party (the "Investor"). Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company ("Shares") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant shall be exercisable into one common share at a price of $1.20 for a period of 24 months from the closing date of the Private Placement.

License of "The Bulldog" Trademark

On September 19, 2018, the Company entered into a Trademarks License Agreement (the "Agreement") with Leidseplein Beheer B.V. (the "Licensor"), a company incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands, in which the Licensor has agreed to grant the Company use of "The Bulldog" trademark in Canada upon the terms and conditions set out in the Agreement.

Definitive Agreement with 1139000 B.C. Ltd.

The Company, together with Benchmark's wholly-owned subsidiary, Potanicals, signed a binding definitive agreement on August 30, 2018 (the "Agreement") with 1139000 B.C. Ltd. ("1139") to supersede the letter agreement with 1139 for the development of approximately 4 acres of greenhouse operations to be located in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia (the "Property") beneficially owned by 1139.

Under the terms of the Agreement, Benchmark has agreed, through Potanicals, to apply for a license under the ACMPR for the Property, and upon receipt of a license under the ACMPR will earn a 25% interest in 1139, the owner of the Property. Upon the Property being developed to a commercial stage, Benchmark will have the right to increase its ownership to 51% of 1139 in consideration for the issuance of common shares of Benchmark, such number of shares to be based on the then fair market value of 1139.

Pursuant to the Agreement, 1139 is responsible for construction of the necessary facilities on the Property for a license under the ACMPR to be obtained. Benchmark has agreed to indemnify 1139 for certain expenses relating to the acquisition of the Property and construction of the facilities if Potanicals fails to obtain a license under the ACMPR for the Property by June 30, 2019, subject to extension in certain circumstances.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS OCCURING SUBSEQUENT TO DECEMBER 31, 2018

Strengthening the management team:

Appointed Hon. James Moore as a Director.

James Moore is a Senior Business Advisor at the multinational law firm Dentons and a Public Policy Advisor at the global firm Edelman. He also serves as Chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia, is the national vice-chair of the Canadian Cancer Society, a member of the NAFTA Council for the Government of Canada and a corporate director. Previously he served as Canada's Minister of Industry, Minister of Canadian Heritage & Official Languages and Secretary of State for the Asia Pacific Gateway and Minister for the 2010 Olympics over a 15-year career as a Member of Parliament.

Appointed of Mr. Hua Zhang PhD as Vice President of Production.

Mr. Zhang has a long and extensive history of agricultural growing and production experience. Most recently he was Head Grower and Director of Production for Hortalizas Argaman in Jalisco, Mexico where he oversaw the 135-acre farm including cucumber and tomato greenhouse production. Prior to Hortalizas Agraman, Mr. Zhang worked in Canada for 18 years which included being the Head Grower for Amoco Farms and Enns Plant Farms. He managed year-round production planning, climate and irrigation controls, labour budgeting, developing and implementing IPM strategy, personnel training and development. In 1997, he graduated with a PhD in Horticulture from Kansas State University.

OVERVIEW OF 2018 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $6,077,509, compared to a net loss of $4,437,847 for the year ended December 31, 2017. The increase in net loss for the year ended December 31, 2018 is due to the increase in operation expenses of $3,621,323, the write-off of deposit of $500,000 and the write-off of inventory of $122,450, offset by the unrealized gain on changes in fair value of biological assets of $424,259 and a reduction in an RTO list expenses of $2,179,852.

EBITDA before listing expenses, share-based compensation expenses, write-off of deposit, write-off of inventory and unrealized gain on changes in fair value of biological assets ("Adjusted EBITDA") for the year ended December 31, 2018 decreased to a negative $3,319,204 from a negative $1,656,275 for the same time period of last year.

At December 31, 2018, the Company had working capital of $793,516 (December 31, 2017-$3,069,384).

OUTSTANDING SHARE CAPITAL

As of April 29, 2018, the number of issued and outstanding common shares was 142,595,594, the number of stock options outstanding was 10,046,666, and the number of outstanding warrants was 2,666,667.

The corporation's audited annual consolidated financial statements for 2018 and the related management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) are available on SEDAR.

About Benchmark Botanics Inc.

Benchmark Botanics is a diversified multi-licensed cannabis producer focused on a three-way vertical business model targeting the medical, pharmaceutical, and recreational markets in Canada and the EU. The Company's business plan also includes a strategy to become a Canadian licensed producer to pioneer selling medical cannabis and hemp in China and throughout Asia.

Benchmark Botanics is focused on producing the highest-quality, indoor-grown cannabis for patients and adult recreational consumers, as well as developing international business partnerships to extend the Company's global footprint.

Benchmark Botanics' 100% owned subsidiary, Potanicals Green Growers Inc., is a Health Canada licensed producer under the Cannabis Act and its regulations (formerly ACMPR). The Company is producing at its indoor Peachland Cannabis Complex and is in the design stage for a Phase II expansion there. Along with cultivation and production, the company's Peachland BC facility also provides propagation, cultivation, cloning, storage, research and development, genetics and is progressing towards CBD oil extraction and an EU-GMP certification.

As part of its expansion strategy the company is building a second facility, a 4-acre Pitt Meadows Greenhouse Operations in BC through a joint venture (earn-in agreement) with 1139000 BC Ltd.

The Company has established several European Union partnerships including the rights to "The Bulldog" trademark in Canada. The Bulldog trademark has a long-established successful history as one of the most well-known cannabis cafe brands in Amsterdam and around the world.

Benchmark Botanics has also established German commercial partnership to potentially export the Company's products into the EU markets.

For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.benchmarkbotanics.com or the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

If you would like to be added to Benchmark Botanics' news distribution list, please sign up at this link https://benchmarkbotanics.com/signup/ Investor Relations info@bbtinc.ca

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF

BENCHMARK BOTANICS INC.

/s/ "William Ying"

William Ying

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 604-238-0005 (ext. 101)

www.benchmarkbotanics.com

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release.

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, the news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to Company's corporate strategy. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company, including, without limitation, the Company's ability to carry out its business plan. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to several factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to identify and complete additional suitable acquisitions to further the Company's growth as well as risks associated with the medical marijuana industry in general, such as operational risks in development and production delays or changes in plans with respect to development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of the capital markets; the uncertainty of receiving the required licenses, production, costs and expenses; health, safety and environmental risks; marketing and transportation; loss of markets; environmental risks; competition; incorrect assessment of the value of the potential market; ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; failure to obtain required regulatory and other approvals and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws and regulated regulations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.

The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws or the Canadian Securities Exchange. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44413
CPN district in-charge Ghalan arrested soon after his release

Police arrested Bir Bahadur Ghalan, in charge of the district committee of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal, immediately after he was released on bail by the Makwanpur District Court on Monday.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg takes questions at a news conference in Chicago. (AP via YouTube)

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg stuck to his positions on the safety of the 737 MAX airplane today during a contentious annual shareholder meeting and news conference in Chicago.

Muilenburg took questions in a face-to-face public forum for the first time since last months grounding of the 737 MAX due to concerns raised by two catastrophically fatal crashes last October and this March.

At one point, a reporter asked Muilenburg whether hed resign.

My clear intent is to continue to lead on the front of safety and quality and integrity, he replied. Thats who we are as a company.

Muilenburg said that hes been talking with factory workers in Renton, Wash., and with Boeing test pilots over the past few weeks.

To the core of our people, they care about this business and the safety of our airplanes, he said. Thats what Im focused on.

Investigations into Octobers Lion Air crash in Indonesia, and Marchs Ethiopian Airlines crash in Ethiopia, have focused on an automatic flight control system known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS.

The system was designed to replicate the operating conditions of previous-generation 737 planes on the 737 MAX, which is equipped with bigger jet engine. But preliminary findings suggested that during each fatal flight, spurious data from an angle-of-attack sensor repeatedly forced the plane into a steep dive.

Boeing had laid out procedures to regain control, but in the two tragedies, the procedures either werent followed to the letter or didnt work.

Muilenburg resisted characterizing the MCAS issue as a design flaw or a mistake. Instead, he said the issue was a link in the chain that will be broken thanks to a software update thats being tested for certification by the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulatory agencies around the world.

Story continues

The process by which the 737 MAX was originally certified for flight in 2017 is currently under investigation by an internal Boeing team and the FAA, as well as by the Justice Department and the FBI. Muilenburg insisted that MCAS system was designed per our standards and followed proper certification procedures.

We havent seen a technical slip or gap in terms of the fundamental design and certification of the approach, Muilenburg told reporters. That said, we know this is a link in both accidents that we can break. Thats a software update that we know how to do. We own it, and we will make that update, and this will make the airplane even safer going forward.

During todays meeting, Boeing shareholders voted down a proposal to remake the companys chairmanship as an independent position that would rule out Muilenburgs dual role as CEO and chairman.

Relatives of some of the victims of the 737 MAX crashes traveled to Chicago to take part in a news conference aimed at drawing attention to lawsuits being filed against Boeing. One of the speakers was Manant Vaidya, a Canadian of Indian descent who lost six family members in the Ethiopia crash.

Vaidya was sharply critical of Muilenburgs comments.

He said that all design and certifications were followed. At the end of day, if all certifications were done, how could the crash still have occurred? he said. I am completely lost right now. I want to make sure this doesnt happen to anyone else in the world.

Over the weekend, a number of media outlets reported that some 737 MAX planes didnt have an indicator known as a disagree alert, which might have given pilots an early indication that an angle-of-attack sensor was feeding bad data to the MCAS system. Today, Boeing provided a response to those reports:

Boeing included the disagree alert as a standard feature on the MAX, although this alert has not been considered a safety feature on airplanes and is not necessary for the safe operation of the airplane. Boeing did not intentionally or otherwise deactivate the disagree alert on its MAX airplanes. The disagree alert was intended to be a standard, stand-alone feature on MAX airplanes. However, the disagree alert was not operable on all airplanes because the feature was not activated as intended. The disagree alert was tied or linked into the angle of attack indicator, which is an optional feature on the MAX. Unless an airline opted for the angle of attack indicator, the disagree alert was not operable. [The angle-of-attack indicator is a software-based information feature thats distinct from the angle-of-attack sensor hardware. For more on the distinction, check out this earlier story.] On every airplane delivered to our customers, including the MAX, all flight data and information needed to safely operate the aircraft is provided in the flight deck and on the flight deck display. This information is readily accessible to pilots, and it always has been. The air speed, attitude, and altitude displays, together with the stick shaker, are the primary flight information indicators in the flight deck. All recommended pilot actions, checklists, and training are based upon these primary indicators, not on the AOA disagree alert or the angle of attack indicator. As the MAX safely returns to the air after the software modifications are approved and certified, all MAX production aircraft will have an activated and operable disagree alert and an optional angle of attack indicator. All customers with previously delivered MAX airplanes will have the ability to activate the disagree alert per a service bulletin to airlines. We are confident that when the MAX returns to the skies, it will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly.

Also today, Boeings board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $2.055 per share. For what its worth, Boeings shares finished the trading day down 0.46%, at $379.05.

More from GeekWire:
By Chen Aizhu and Florence Tan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Some 20 million barrels of Iranian oil sitting on China's shores in the northeast port of Dalian for the past six months now appears stranded as the United States hardens its stance on importing crude from Tehran.

Iran sent the oil to China, its biggest customer, ahead of the reintroduction of U.S. sanctions last November, as it looked for alternative storage for a backlog of crude at home.

The oil is being held in so-called bonded storage tanks at the port, which means it has yet to clear Chinese customs. Despite a six-month waiver to the start of May that allowed China to continue some Iranian imports, shipping data shows little of this oil has been moved.

Traders and refinery sources pointed to uncertainty over the terms of the waiver and said independent refiners had been unable to secure payment or insurance channels, while state refiners struggled to find vessels.

The future of the crude, worth well over $1 billion at current prices, has become even more unclear after Washington last week increased its pressure on Iran, saying it would end all sanction exemptions at the start of May.

"No responsible Chinese company with any international exposure will have anything to do with Iran oil unless they are specifically told by the Chinese government to do so," said Tilak Doshi of oil and gas consultancy Muse, Stancil & Co in Singapore.

Iran previously stored oil in 2014 at Dalian during the last round of sanctions that was later sold to buyers in South Korea and India. https://reut.rs/2yo9Se6

China last week formally complained to the United States over the unilateral Iran sanctions, but U.S. officials have said Washington is not considering a further short-term waiver or a wind-down period.

The 20 million barrels is equal to about a month's worth of China's imports from Iran over the past six months, or about two days of the country's total imports.

Iran says it will continue to export oil in defiance of U.S. sanctions.

Story continues

A senior official with the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: "We will continue to sell our oil."

"Iran is now desperate and will deal with anyone with steep discounts as long as they get paid somehow," said Doshi.

GRAPHIC: Iran crude oil shipments to China http://bit.ly/2ZGNlWZ

MAP: Iranian supertanker frees some oil from China storage in March http://bit.ly/2ZMAylU

SOME OIL TAKEN

Some Iranian oil sent to Dalian has moved, according to a ship tracking analyst at Refinitiv.

Dan, a supertanker owned by NITC moved 2 million barrels of oil from Dalian more than 1,000 km (620 miles) to the south to the Ningbo Shi Hua crude oil terminal in March, according to Refinitiv data.

Ningbo is home to Sinopec's Zhenhai refinery, one of the country's largest oil plants with a capacity of 500,000 barrels a day and a top processor of Iranian oil.

Sinopec declined to comment.

The Iranian tanker was chartered by state-run Chinese trader Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, according to Refinitiv analyst Emma Li. The NITC official confirmed the oil was taken by Zhuhai Zhenrong.

Zhenrong was started in the 1990s and brokered the first oil supply deals between Iran and China. At that time, Iran was supplying oil to China to pay for arms supplied by Beijing during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Zhuhai Zhenrong still specializes mainly in buying Iranian oil.(https://reut.rs/2IHlvEx)

An official at the general manager's office with Zhuhai Zhenrong's office in Beijing said he could not immediately comment. The company did not reply to a fax seeking comment.

For now, more Iranian oil is heading to China, with the supertankers Stream and Dream II due to arrive in eastern China from Iran on May 5 and May 7, respectively, Refinitiv data showed.

Some of this crude may be from Chinese investments into Iranian oilfields, a sanctions grey area.

Whether China will keep buying oil from Iran remains unclear, but analysts at Fitch Solutions said in a note "there may be scope for imports via barter or non-compliance from ... China."

Muse, Stancil & Co's Doshi said the only way to get the Iranian oil out of Dalian now was by cheating.

"Only rogue parties might try to cheat the system and try to pass the Iranian oil at Dalian as something else via fraudulent docs. But I doubt this is easy or can amount to much in terms of volume."

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Florence Tan in Singapore; additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai and Min Zhang in Beijing; Editing by Henning Gloystein and Richard Pullin)
* Canadian dollar rises 0.1% against the greenback * Canada's economy shrinks 0.1% in February * Price of U.S. oil increases 1.4% * Canada's 10-year yield touches a one-week high at 1.745% TORONTO, April 30 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar strengthened against its U.S. counterpart on Tuesday, but was trading below an earlier six-day high as data showing a surprise contraction in the domestic economy offset higher oil prices and broad weakening of the greenback.

The Canadian economy shrank by 0.1% in February, pulled down in part by weakness in the mining sector and bad weather that hurt rail transport, Statistics Canada data indicated. Analysts in a Reuters poll had expected no change from January, when the economy grew by 0.3%.

The price of oil, one of Canada's major exports, rose as Venezuela's opposition leader called on the military to back him to end Nicolas Maduro's rule and after Saudi Arabia said a deal between producers to curb output could be extended beyond June to the end of 2019.

U.S. crude oil futures were up 1.4% at $64.41 a barrel.

The U.S. dollar fell against a basket of major currencies as data showing stronger-than-expected first quarter growth numbers for the euro zone boosted the euro.

At 9:17 a.m. (1317 GMT), the Canadian dollar was trading 0.1% higher at 1.3446 to the greenback, or 74.37 U.S. cents. The currency touched its strongest intraday since last Wednesday at 1.3426.

Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz and Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Wilkins will testify to the House of Commons finance committee at 11:00 a.m. (1500 GMT).

Canadian government bond prices were lower across much of the yield curve, with the two-year down 1.5 Canadian cents to yield 1.571% and the 10-year falling 12 Canadian cents to yield 1.735%.

The 10-year yield touched its highest level intraday since April 23 at 1.745%.

(Reporting by Fergal Smith; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Deuba and Dahal discuss ways to take transitional justice process forward

Amid confusionand growing pressureover the future course of the transitional justice process, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Nepal Communist Party Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal have expedited discussions to find a meeting point to take forward the process, which has been dragging on for more than a decade.
French liner giant CMA CGM asserted near-full control over Swiss third-party logistics provider Ceva Logistics today by installing Chairman and CEO Rodolph Saade as CEVA's new chairman and naming Nicholas Sartini, Ceva's chief operating officer and deputy CEO, as its new chief executive, effective June 1.

The reshuffling came as Ceva reported broad-based declines in its first quarter results in what will be one of its last quarters, if not its last quarter, as an independent company. CMA CGM, which said in February it would launch a $1.65 billion tender offer for the two-thirds of Ceva's shares it didn't already own, told Ceva last week that it now owns 98 percent of Ceva's shares and voting rights. Ceva said today that CGM will proceed with a "squeeze-out" procedure under which the remaining shareholders tender their shares for what is deemed to be fair cash compensation.

Sartini will replace Xavier Urbain, who will become Saade's executive advisor, Ceva said. Urbain has held the CEO position at Ceva since 2014. In addition, four board members, including former Chairman and CEO Marvin O. Schlanger, did not stand for re-election at the company's annual general meeting held toady in Switzerland.

The tie-up between the two companies dates back to April 2018, when Ceva filed a $1.3 billion initial public offering on the Swiss stock exchange and announced that CMA CGM would take a roughly 25 percent stake in Ceva and enter into a strategic operational partnership. CMA CGM, in an effort to diversify away from commoditized ocean shipping services, wants to integrate third-party logistics services to add value to its customer relationships.

Ceva reported that first-quarter revenue rose, in constant currency, by 1.1 percent over year-earlier figures. Adjusting for currency fluctuations, revenue declined 5.1 percent year-over-year. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) came in at $134 million, a drop of 28 percent in constant currency and down 32 percent adjusted for currency fluctuations. Margins shrank year-over-year on both measures.

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Ceva said it performed in line with its first-quarter targets despite a "challenging" global environment. It also affirmed its 2021 revenue target of above $9 billion, reflecting 5% annualized organic growth, and EBITDA to between $470 and $490 million from $380 million.

Ceva's two divisions, contract logistics and freight management, reported year-over-year declines in revenue and, in the case of freight management, currency adjusted EBITDA. Freight management's revenue rose 3.1 percent in constant currency, CEVA said.

Freight management's results were hit hard by weakness in air freight volumes, which more than offset gains in ocean tonnage. Ocean yields were solid at $288 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU), compared with $226 per TEU in the year-earlier quarter. Yields on air freight traffic, measured in net revenue per ton, rose 2.2 percent year-over-year, Ceva said. The drop in air tonnage and a corresponding rise in yield marks what Ceva called a "more selective approach to new business."

Contract logistics was plagued by slight year-over-year revenue weakness and unfavorable currency impacts in markets like Australia, Brazil and Turkey. In particular, the unit continues to struggle in Italy due to contract disputes that have required the company to set aside tens of millions of dollars to resolve.

New business increased by 12 percent in the quarter, while the company reported an increase in retained business. Net debt, which had also been a problem for Ceva, declined by 43 percent from March 2018 due to significant de-leveraging efforts, Ceva said.

Ceva said it would open an operational center in Marseilles, France, to centralize the company's management teams and support functions.

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Now available nationwide, Corona Refresca  a premium alcohol-spiked refresher  is bright and flavorful with a taste of the tropics

CHICAGO, April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The maker of the No. 1 import beer brand family in the U.S.1 is bringing its tropical and carefree attitude to a new category  Flavored Malt Beverages (FMB)  with the launch of Corona Refresca, a premium alcohol-spiked refresher. This is the first flavored malt beverage in the brands 37-year history, which will enable the brand to capture new, flavor-seeking consumers.



The strong brand equity of Corona allows us to keep the iconic lifestyle at the heart of everything we do. We are propelling Corona forward to address consumers desire for flavorful experiences with new innovations, like Corona Refresca, said Ann Legan, Vice President of Marketing for Corona. This expansion of the brand is anchored in Coronas carefree lifestyle and inspired by the tropics, helping fans pause and celebrate the moments that truly matter with a new flavor-forward beverage in-hand.

Research shows that consumers are seeking a flavor-forward, alternative malt beverage experience2 and in one year, the brand has significantly expanded to proactively meet the diverse and changing needs of beer drinkers  with Corona Refresca as well as Corona Premier that launched nationally in 2018. To support this innovative launch, Corona Refresca will implement marketing support through new national TV spots, digital, out-of-home, social media and public relations.

Corona Refresca has a refreshingly delicious taste and comes in three tropical flavors: Passionfruit Lime, Guava Lime and Coconut Lime. With an ABV of 4.5%, Corona Refresca offers a crisp and flavorful taste with 199 calories per 12-ounce serving. Guava Lime and Passionfruit Lime flavors will each be available in six-packs for an SRP of $9.99. A 12-pack that include all three tropical flavors  Guava Lime, Passionfruit Lime and Coconut Lime  will be available for an SRP of $16.99.

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For more information or to find Corona Refresca nearby, visit www.CoronaUSA.com .

About the Corona Brand Family

The Corona brand family is home to Corona Extra, Corona Light, Corona Premier, Corona Familiar, and in 2019, the national launch of Corona Refresca- the first FMB to join the lineup. Corona Refresca brings the flavor and the feeling of the tropics with a premium, alcohol-spiked refresher. Corona Extra continues to be the No. 1 most loved brand among Hispanic and total population drinkers ages 21-54 and has been helping consumers Find their Beach in the U.S. since 1981. The Corona portfolio is brewed in Mexico by Constellation Brands and imported and marketed exclusively to the U.S. by the company.

About Constellation Brands

Constellation Brands (STZ) (STZ-B), a Fortune 500 company, is a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, Italy and Canada. Constellation is the third-largest producer and marketer of beer for the U.S. market and the worlds leading premium wine company with a leading market position in the U.S. Constellations wine portfolio is complemented by select premium spirits brands. Constellations brand portfolio includes Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Pacifico, Ballast Point, Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, Mark West, Franciscan Estate, Ruffino, The Prisoner, SVEDKA Vodka, Casa Noble Tequila and High West Whiskey. We express our company vision: to elevate life with every glass raised. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @cbrands and visit www.cbrands.com .

1 According to IRI volume CY17 and Millward Brown Beer Brand Equity Tracker, FY18 YTD

2 According to The Sound Unpacking the ABA Category, Online Diary Research, 2017

MEDIA CONTACT:

Stephanie McGuane

stephanie.mcguane@cbrands.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/08eb51f7-2434-4d2e-b16f-bd230aac5149
FILE PHOTO: The logo and ticker for Eli Lilly and Co. are displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 18, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

By Saumya Joseph and Julie Steenhuysen

(Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co on Tuesday reported lower-than-expected first-quarter sales for its top-selling diabetes drug Trulicity, and the U.S. drugmaker said the need to offer rebates and discounts were taking a toll and likely to weigh on revenue growth for the year.

Lilly has been banking on newer drugs such as psoriasis treatment Taltz and migraine treatment Emgality to grow revenue and help offset pricing pressures and sales declines for other products. However, sales of both fell short of Wall Street estimates in the quarter.

Emgality, which won U.S. approval late last year, brought in sales of just about $14 million, half of what analysts were expecting, as a program that allows patients to try newer drugs at little or no cost limited sales revenue.

"We've got lots of programs in place to bridge patients who may not have adequate insurance coverage or are in a high deductible phase of their plan. It's having a negative headwind," Chief Financial Officer Joshua Smiley told Reuters.

Similar new migraine treatments from Amgen Inc and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries have created fierce early competition and allows insurers and pharmacy benefit mangers (PBMs) to demand steep discounts to cover them, a Reuters analysis showed.

Smiley said about two thirds of Emgality prescriptions were being reimbursed. Just based on the access decisions that PBMs and insurers have made, we expect that number to increase throughout the year, he said.

Lilly said it expects Emgality to overtake Amgen's Aimovig in new prescriptions in the current quarter.

Amgen on Tuesday reported first-quarter Aimovig sales of $59 million, below Wall Street estimates of $83.3 million.

Lilly also cited a number of other near-term challenges it faces, such as cheap generic competition for erectile dysfunction treatment Cialis, the recent global withdrawal of cancer drug Lartruvo after it failed to prove its benefit in a confirmatory clinical trial, and intense political pressure to lower insulin prices.

Lilly plans to offer a half-priced version of its widely-used Humalog insulin.

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Eli Lilly shares closed down 2.1 percent at $117.04.

Trulicity sales of $879.7 million in the quarter fell well short of Wall Street estimates of $952 million, while sales of $252.5 million for Taltz also fell short of analysts' estimates.

Lilly said it now expects 2019 revenue of between $22 billion and $22.5 billion, down from its prior forecast of $25.1 billion to $25.6 billion. The forecast takes into account the spin-off of animal health unit, Elanco.

Excluding items, the company earned $1.33 per share, 2 cents higher than the average analyst estimate of $1.31, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Revenue rose nearly 3 percent to $5.09 billion, but missed Wall Street estimates of $5.13 billion.

(Reporting by Saumya Sibi Joseph in Bengaluru and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Bill Berkrot)
(Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc. unveiled a redesign that focuses on the Groups feature of its main social network, doubling down on a successful but controversial part of its namesake app  and another sign that Facebook is moving toward more private, intimate communication.

The changes, announced Tuesday at the annual F8 conference in San Jose, California, make Groups a bigger part of the Facebook user experience. A new design for the mobile app highlights the Groups that users have joined, and now shows a personalized feed of activity across all the groups people are part of in a special tab. The service long known as the "big blue app" is also getting a color change -- it will be framed in white instead of the companys traditional hue.

The changes are Facebooks biggest in five years, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said onstage at F8. The company has been pushing more aggressively into groups for the past two years as people shy away from posting things publicly and look for more intimate ways to connect with friends and family. Fast-growing meme and community groups have been a recent bright spot for Facebook amid a series of privacy scandals, and the company is also shifting its focus to deal with its own projections that people are spending less time on its namesake site.

It has a much bigger focus on communities and making communities as central as friends," Zuckerberg said.

The CEO opened his remarks by reiterating Facebooks plan to build a privacy-focused social platform. We dont have the strongest reputation on privacy right now," he said. We need to change the way were running the company today."

Groups, which can be public or private on the social network, can be used to help keep long-distance friends in touch, connect people with similar interests or passions, and organize events. Facebook is also making it easier to discover new Groups based on users interests, and will recommend relevant groups to people when they are in other parts of the app, like Marketplace, the Gaming tab and its Watch video service. People will also be able to share content directly to their Groups from the share button on the main News Feed, the same way they do with friends and family, Facebook said.

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The company is even rolling out specific features for different types of groups. For example, members in health-related groups can ask the group administrator to post on their behalf to better protect their privacy. Facebook is also adding more chat features for groups focused on gaming.

The growth of groups makes it more urgent for Facebook to reckon with the spammers, manipulators and hackers that exploit them to spread misinformation and conspiracy theories, among other things. In special counsel Robert Muellers indictment of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for allegedly interfering in the 2016 U.S. election, several Facebook groups were cited as tools to support President Donald Trumps campaign or oppose Hillary Clintons. More recently, Facebook groups have been blamed for amplifying anger and spreading misinformation during violent protests in France. On WhatsApp, an encrypted Facebook messaging service, private groups have been used to spread dangerous misinformation that has led to physical violence and even deaths.

In March, Zuckerberg said Facebook is undertaking a massive overhaul to focus on private, ephemeral and encrypted communication, recognizing that more people want to interact privately or in more intimate groups -- rather than the open-sharing model he built the company around. The company also aims to integrate Facebooks different online properties, allowing users to send messages between WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger.

Facebook will unveil a slew of other new features on Tuesday. The companys Dating service is getting a new feature called Secret Crush that lets people "express interest in" up to nine of their Facebook friends. If one of these users has opted into Facebook Dating, they will get a notification saying someone has a crush on them. If that person adds the original admirer to their Secret Crush list, Facebook makes a match -- digitally, at least. Facebook Dating, which was announced at last years F8, is still free to users.

Menlo Park, California-based Facebook is also trying to facilitate non-romantic relationships. A Meet New Friends feature will make recommendations based on some shared connection  like living in the same city or working at the same company. Its opt-in, so users will only see other people who are open to meeting new friends, and vice versa, the company said. It will also be integrated into Facebook Groups.

Read More: Instagram Tests Removing Number of Likes on PostsOculus to Ship New VR Headsets May 21

The social networks e-commerce service, called Marketplace, also got an upgrade. People who sell goods on Marketplace will soon be able to take payment directly through Facebook, including shipping costs, the company said. Today, people who sell goods have to arrange payment outside of Facebook, though they can do so via Facebooks messaging app, Messenger.

PayPal Holdings Inc. will process payments for purchases made directly inside Marketplace, according to a company spokesperson. Thats the same payments partner Facebooks Instagram is using to process in-app purchases. Facebook also says it is considering charging sellers a fee for facilitating these deals.

We are evaluating a selling fee that is in line with competitive platforms to help cover payment processing and programs such as purchase protection, a spokesperson said.

(Updates with details on redesign starting in second paragraph.)

To contact the reporters on this story: Kurt Wagner in San Francisco at kwagner71@bloomberg.net;Selina Wang in San Francisco at swang533@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Alistair Barr, Andrew Pollack

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Erstwhile dacoits from the Dusadh community turn over a new leaf

The people of Dusadh community in Dhanusa district of southern Nepal, just 15 years ago, were known for their infamous profession of thievery and robbery. But now, the Dusadhs from Akauda and Jhijha in the district have turned away from their earlier ways and have opted to receive an education and work white collar jobs to sustain their livelihoods.
Anonymous survey feedback determines best workplaces in Finance and Insurance

MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Horizon National Corporation (FHN) today announced that it has been named to Fortunes annual list of the 60 Best Workplaces in Finance and Insurance . Employees anonymous responses to a survey coordinated by Great Place to Work determined the rankings. First Horizon ranked #20 in the Large Companies category.



First Horizons workplace culture is our vision and philosophy of putting employees first and providing them with the benefits, tools and resources necessary to support them and their families needs, said John Daniel, chief human resources officer at First Horizon. We are honored to be named one of the nations top workplaces, particularly since the rankings are based on feedback from current employees.

To determine the 2019 Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance, Great Place to Work analyzed anonymous survey feedback from more than 726,000 employees working in the Financial Services & Insurance industry in the United States. Companies with 1,000 employees or more were considered for the Large Companies category.

First Horizon is consistently recognized for its strong corporate culture and employee benefits. Earlier this year, First Horizon was named a top company for executive women by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE). It has also been honored by Forbes, Working Mother, and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, among others.

To learn more about First Horizon, please visit careers.firsthorizon.com .

About First Horizon

First Horizon National Corp. (FHN) provides financial services through its Capital Bank, First Tennessee Bank, FTB Advisors, and FTN Financial businesses. The banking subsidiary was founded in 1864, has the 14th oldest national bank charter in the country and the largest deposit market share in Tennessee. The company operates more than 250 bank locations across the Southeast and 28 FTN Financial offices across the U.S. FTB Advisors wealth management group has more than 300 financial professionals and about $4.8 billion in assets under management. FTN Financial is a capital markets industry leader in fixed income sales, trading and strategies for institutional customers in the U.S. and abroad. The company has been ranked by American Banker magazine among the Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. banks and as one of the nations best employers by the National Association for Female Executives and Fortune magazine. More information is available at www.FirstHorizon.com .

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FHN-G
FILE PHOTO: The logo of BP is seen at a petrol station in Kloten, Switzerland October 3, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

BANJUL (Reuters) - Gambia's government said on Tuesday it had signed a contract with BP to explore oil and gas off its coast.

Minister of Petroleum and Energy Fafa Sanyang said BP would first carry out an environmental impact assessment at the A1 offshore block.

"After all that they will work on a two-year programme for drilling," Sanyang told Reuters. "After a specific time, they will work on the financial terms."

BP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The A1 block was one of two that President Adama Barrow's government stripped from Norwegian-listed African Petroleum Corporation in 2017, saying the licenses had expired.

The company disputed that and launched arbitration proceedings in October 2017. No resolution has been announced in the case.

The two blocks are thought to contain up to 3 billion barrels of oil and lie next to licences in neighbouring Senegal, where big discoveries have been made.

Barrow's government is trying to build up Gambia's oil and gas sector as a way of reviving an economy gutted by more than two decades of autocratic rule under former President Yahya Jammeh, who fled the country in 2017.

Barrow's office said in a brief statement on Tuesday that he had met BP representatives at the presidential palace but provided no further details.

(Reporting by Pap Saine; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and James Dalgleish)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of U.S. conglomerate General Electric is pictured at the company's site of its energy branch in Belfort, France, February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/File Photo

By Alwyn Scott and Rachit Vats

(Reuters) - General Electric Co said on Tuesday it generated more profit and lost less cash than expected in the first quarter, suggesting an improving outlook under its new leader that sent its shares and bonds higher.

New Chief Executive Larry Culp cautioned, however, that the results stemmed largely from the timing of payments to suppliers and from customers, and did not alter GE's financial outlook for the year.

"One quarter is a data point not a trend," Culp said on a conference call with analysts.

GE's profit from continuing operations more than tripled as sales rose in GE's aviation, oil and gas, and healthcare units. At the same time, negative cash flow from industrial business was $1.2 billion, much less than the $2.16 billion outflow that analysts, on average, were expecting.

Culp had set low earnings targets in March and warned that GE's industrial cash flow could be negative by as much as $2 billion.

GE's shares rose 4.5% to close at $10.17, after the call. They had risen more than 10% before the market opened.

GE bonds also rallied, extending a recovery in more than $100 billion of GE debt. Yields on dozens of longer-dated issues were at their lowest since Nov. 1. A $1 billion GE Capital bond with a 4% coupon due in July 2035 was up more than 1.5 cents at nearly 87 cents and a yield of 5.2%, compared with a low of 63 cents on the dollar last November to yield more than 8%.

Investors have been keen for a turnaround since GE named Culp last October to restore earnings and improve a stock price that has fallen by more than two-thirds since 2016.

GE took a string of multibillion-dollar writedowns last year, so the slowing in cash outflows in the latest quarter raised hopes that its fortunes have started to improve.

GE's industrial free cash flow showed a "much smaller outflow than we expected," said Julian Mitchell, an analyst at Barclays, and "should drive a positive reaction in the stock."

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But while the Boston-based conglomerate stuck to its full-year financial forecast, it noted "new risk" from Boeing Co's 737 MAX jet, for which GE engines with partner Safran SA of France. The plane model was grounded worldwide last month after a second fatal accident in less than five months.

Profit margins also contracted at GE's aviation, power and renewable energy businesses, the three core units that GE plans to retain as it undergoes a break-up announced last year.

A 1.6 percentage point drop in GE's industrial margins in the quarter is a "stark reminder of the challenges that the company still faces," said Rene Lipsch, lead GE analyst at Moody's. He added that he expects margins to be flat or slightly improved by year-end.

GE's cash balance was boosted mainly the $2.9 billion sale of locomotive business to Wabtec Corp.

Culp has said the 2019 "reset" of GE would result in negative cash flow at its most-troubled business, power, through 2020 before turning positive in 2021. GE wrote down $22 billion in goodwill at the unit last year.

In the latest quarter, power orders fell 14% and profit fell 71% to $80 million on revenue of $5.7 billion, down about 22% from a year earlier, GE said.

Some saw signs that the power unit's prospects will improve. "This was a business that everyone gave up as dead ... but (it) is more than able to fend for itself," William Blair & Co analyst Nicholas Heymann told Reuters.

Earnings from continuing operations attributable to GE shareholders rose to $954 million in the first quarter ended March 31 from $261 million a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, GE earned 14 cents per share. Analysts had expected 9 cents per share, on average.

Total revenue fell 2% to $27.29 billion, above analysts' average estimate of $27.05 billion.

(Additional reporting by Dan Burns in New York; Editing by Bill Rigby, Nick Zieminski and Richard Chang)
Malaria is spread to people by mosquitos, which transfer the parasite while sucking blood from humans (AFP Photo/PHILIPPE HUGUEN)

Cape Coast (Ghana) (AFP) - Ghana on Tuesday rolled out the world's only proven malaria vaccine for infants as part of a landmark campaign against the deadly mosquito-borne disease, one week after Malawi became the first country to do so.

Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, mainly in Africa, and it is hoped a vaccine will bring down the toll.

Children are especially at risk, and babies were Ghana's first vaccine recipients Tuesday in the town of Cape Coast, 150 kilometres (90 miles) west of the capital Accra.

"I hope this will help us to be able to eliminate malaria, so Ghana can be a malaria-free country," said Justice Arthur, the doctor running the clinic.

The vaccines will be given to children between the ages of six months and two years, in a project run by Ghana's health ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO).

"I am really hopeful that the vaccine is going to help me and my family," said Abigail Aguanyi, a woman waiting to get her child, Blessing, vaccinated. Many of her family members had previously been stricken.

The vaccine, known by its lab initials RTS,S, has passed lengthy scientific trials which found it to be safe and effective at preventing about four in ten cases of malaria in infants -- the best ever recorded.

To achieve this level of partial protection, four successive doses must be administered on a strict timetable -- a challenge for rural Africa.

- 'Exciting' -

The rollout in Ghana, Malawi, and soon also Kenya, will seek to evaluate the vaccine's effectiveness as a complementary tool, augmenting -- but not replacing -- measures such as insecticide-treated bed nets and the use of sprays.

It will also test the feasibility of administering the four required doses in children in areas of the world with limited access to healthcare.

Data from the programme will inform a WHO policy on the broader use of RTS,S.

Malaria is spread to people by mosquitoes, which transfer the parasite while sucking blood from humans. RTS,S is effective against the Plasmodium falciparum parasite most prevalent in Africa.

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In Ghana alone, there were 5.5 million confirmed cases of malaria last year, and many more suspected.

Worldwide, the WHO says malaria killed 435,000 people worldwide in 2017.

The number of cases climbed to 219 million in 2017, two million more than in 2016. Over 90 percent of cases occurred in Africa.

"This is an exciting and long-awaited step forward to fight malaria and its devastating effects on the most vulnerable," said WHO boss in Ghana, Owen Kaluwa.
Health system signs strategic agreement to deploy suite of solutions including Allscripts Sunrise Ambulatory EHR, Sunrise Financial Manager, Sunrise Health Information Manager, FollowMyHealth and Allscripts Patient Flow

CHICAGO, April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hendrick Health System, a not-for-profit healthcare provider in Abilene, Texas, extended and expanded its relationship with Allscripts (MDRX) to create one single integrated clinical and financial patient record. With this expansion, the organizations portfolio will now include the Sunrise suite of solutions, including Sunrise Ambulatory Care, Sunrise Financial Manager, Sunrise Health Information Manager, Sunrise Abstracting, Knowledge Based Charting, consumer/patient engagement platform FollowMyHealth, Allscripts Identity Manager and Allscripts Patient Flow with Census Logic. The combined technology and single platform will help deliver the health system physicians patient information across the ambulatory care continuum.



Hendrick Health System serves a 24-county region in the Texas Midwest and houses more than 500 beds. It provides a comprehensive range of healthcare services, including a neuroscience center, rehabilitation center, cancer center, hospice center, NICU and other innovative services, with more than 3,500 team members on staff. The health system currently uses Allscripts solutions, such as Sunrise Enterprise Reg/Sched, Sunrise Clinical Manager, Allscripts Clinical Performance Management, Sunrise Surgery and FollowMyHealth Mobile platform.

Used by healthcare organizations across the globe, Allscripts Sunrise is an integrated electronic health record that connects all aspects of care, including ambulatory, surgical, radiology and laboratory services. Built to enable efficient and safe care, Sunrise is a physician-friendly, evidence-based single platform with integrated analytics that helps deliver true personalized medicine. Sunrise supports all core care venues across the enterprise by delivering a single patient record, and features patient-centric capabilities that increase access and convenience for the consumer.

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FollowMyHealth offers a mobile, enterprise patient engagement platform for providers, hospitals and health systems to promote healthy patient populations and manage quality by creating an experience where patients can participate actively in their care on the devices. Its customizable platform helps organizations adapt to the evolving healthcare environment by redefining how healthcare professionals interact with their patients. FollowMyHealths technology enables timely and relevant conversations that make the patients an active part of their care, equipping them to deliver a patient experience that includes personalized content throughout the entire care journey  dramatically improving the quality of care, improving outcomes and increasing patient satisfaction.

Our partnership with Allscripts will continue to enable our care providers to harness the power of an open IT infrastructure and true interoperability to deliver the care our community deserves, said Brad Holland, Chief Executive Officer of Hendrick Health System. The robust integration between Sunrise Ambulatory Care and Sunrise Clinical Manager will provide a single database and patient record. These are top priorities for the health system, and will lead to improved outcomes for our patients and our organization.

Our Sunrise platform is the best market option for clinician experience, which extends to the experience of patients in the care they receive, said Paul M. Black, President and CEO of Allscripts. It enables physicians and nurses to keep patients and their caregivers informed and offers a single billing experience that frees all involved to focus on care and healing. Hendrick Health System has been a great partner over the past 8 years and the expansion of solutions will help the organization improve performance, drive value and enable positive patient outcomes.

About Allscripts

Allscripts (MDRX) is a leader in healthcare information technology solutions that advance clinical, financial and operational results. Our innovative solutions connect people, places and data across an Open, Connected Community of Health. Connectivity empowers caregivers and consumers to make better decisions, delivering better care for healthier populations. To learn more, visit www.allscripts.com , Twitter , YouTube and It Takes A Community: The Allscripts Blog .

 2019 Allscripts Healthcare, LLC and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Allscripts, the Allscripts logo, and other Allscripts marks are trademarks of Allscripts Healthcare, LLC and/or its affiliates. All other products are trademarks of their respective holders, all rights reserved. Reference to these products is not intended to imply affiliation with or sponsorship of Allscripts Healthcare, LLC and/or its affiliates.

For more information contact:

Investors :

Stephen Shulstein

312-386-6735

Stephen.Shulstein@allscripts.com
ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Tuesday, April 30

Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (April 30, 2019).
Imperial Oil Limited IMO reported first-quarter 2019 earnings per share of 29 cents, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 38 cents. The underperformance can be attributed to weaker contribution from the downstream segment. The Canadian integrated oil and gas players bottom line also reflects a decline from the year-ago figure of 49 cents.

Notably, another integrated Canadian firm, Cenovus Energy CVE missed first-quarter earnings estimates but swung to profit after reporting losses over the trailing five quarters. After earnings miss by both Imperial Oil and Cenovus, investors are keenly awaiting the results of Canadas premier integrated energy company, Suncor Energy SU, one of the largest owners of oil sands in the world. Per our model, the firm is powered by the perfect combination of the two key elements to deliver an earnings beat this quarter to be reported. Suncor Energy has an Earnings ESP of +2.56% and a Zacks Rank #3. The firm is expected to come out with quarterly numbers on May 1.

Meanwhile, Imperial Oil generated first-quarter revenues of $6,004 million, surpassing the Zacks Estimate of $4,392 million. However, the top line plunged from the year-ago figure of $6,278 million.

Bringing in pleasant news for investors, the company announced a 16% hike in the second-quarter dividend. The company declared a dividend of 22 Canadian cents a share, payable on July 1, 2019 to its shareholders of record as of Jun 3, 2019.

Imperial Oil Limited Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Imperial Oil Limited Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Imperial Oil Limited Quote

Segmental Information

Upstream: Revenues from the segment came in at C$3,188 million, increasing from first-quarter 2018s C$2,647 on higher output levels. As such, the segment swung to profit of C$58 million against C$44 million loss in the year-ago period.

Net production volumes during the quarter under review averaged 353,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Boe/d) compared with 337,000 Boe/d in the year-ago period. Total oil and NGL output amounted to 329,000 barrels per day (BPD) versus 318,000 BPD in first-quarter 2018. Net output from Kearl and Cold Lake totaled 124,000 bpd and 123,000 bpd, respectively. Syncrude output averaged 78,000 BPD, rising 20% on stronger asset reliability. Net natural gas production came in at 143 million cubic feet per day.

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The company received average realized price of C$69.34 per barrel of synthetic oil compared with the year-ago quarters C$77.26. For conventional crude oil, it received C$52.11 per barrel compared with the year-ago figure of C$63.70. Prices of NGL and gas declined on a y/y basis to C$34.39 a barrel and C$2.88 per thousand cubic feet, respectively.

Downstream: Revenues from the downstream segment totaled C$5,932 million, declining from $5,991 million in first-quarter 2018. The segmental net income totaled C$257 million, decreasing from C$521 million on lower margins.

Refinery throughput in first-quarter 2019 averaged 383,000 BPD, depicting a decline from the prior-year level of 408,000 BPD. Capacity utilization came in at 91% versus 96% in the corresponding quarter of the last year. Petroleum product sales were 477,000 BPD compared with the prior-year level of 478,000 BPD.

Chemical: The segment generated revenues of C$323 million versus C$377 million in first-quarter 2018. Net income from the segment was recorded at C$34 million compared with the year-ago figure of C$73 million. The decline came on the back of lower industry margins.

Total Costs & Capex

Total expenses during the quarter were C$7,584 million, higher than the year-ago level of C$7,237 million.

In the quarter under review, the companys total capital and exploration expenditures were C$529 million, higher than the year-ago level of C$274 million. Of the total expenditure in first-quarter 2019, 70% was allotted to the upstream segment.

Financial Performance

Imperial Oil generated cash flow from operating activities of C$1,003 million in the quarter under review. The figure improved from the year-ago level of C$985 million.

Importantly, in the quarter under review, it paid back C$510 million to its shareholders through dividends and share buyback. The company paid 19 Canadian cents as dividend per share in the reported quarter compared with 16 Canadian cents in the year-ago period. Imperial Oil bought back around 10 million shares in the quarter for C$361 million, including those bought from Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM.

As of Mar 31, the company held C$1,011 million in cash and cash equivalents. Its long-term debt amounted to C$5,174 million, representing a debt-to-capital ratio of around 17.5%.

Guidance

For full-year 2019, the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) companys total capital expenditure is now expected in the range of C$1.8-C$1.9 billion versus prior guided range of C$2.3-C$2.4 billion, as it has decided to decelerate the development of Aspen in situ oil sands project amid pipeline crisis and market uncertainty in Canada.You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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FILE PHOTO: The Carige bank logo is seen in Rome, Italy, April 16, 2016. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini/File Photo

By Gianluca Semeraro

TURIN, Italy (Reuters) - A rescue plan for Italy's Carige by U.S. asset manager BlackRock would allow a fund financed by Italian lenders to take part in a cash call at the Genoa-based bank, the chief executive of Intesa Sanpaolo said on Tuesday.

Carlo Messina said the BlackRock proposal was consistent with a restructuring plan drafted by Carige's temporary administrators which allowed the Italian banking fund to take a stake by converting debt into equity.

Italian banks propped up Carige in November by buying a 320 million euro (276 million) hybrid bond to beef up its total capital via the voluntary-contribution arm of a depositor guarantee fund.

Messina told shareholders that Intesa indirectly held 25.3 percent of that bond through the fund.

"It appears the deal proposed by BlackRock is in line with the relaunch plan drawn up by the bank's commissioners," Messina said at Intesa's annual general meeting.

The European Central Bank (ECB) appointed temporary administrators to run Carige at the start of the year after the top shareholder in Italy's 10th-largest bank in December blocked a 400 million euro cash call.

The cash call was part of an industry-financed rescue that would have seen lenders convert the 320 million euro bond.

The commissioners are now looking for a buyer to fill a capital shortfall which has swelled to 630 million euros.

However, sources have said the BlackRock plan may envisage an even bigger cash call to build up a capital buffer.

The ECB has extended until mid-May a bid deadline to give more time to BlackRock, the only known potential buyer through one of its funds specialising in restructuring.

(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro, writing by Valentina Za, editing by Maria Pia Quaglia and Alexander Smith)
TUNIS, April 30 (Reuters) - The Italian government is assessing new offers from potential suitors for flagship carrier Alitalia, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Tuesday during a visit to Tunisia.

Alitalia, which has been under special administration since 2017 when workers rejected the latest in a long line of rescue plans, needs to find investors ready to inject fresh funds by the end of the day.

However, the government could decide at the last moment to extend the deadline for final offers.

State railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato and U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines have said they are ready to contribute to a rescue bid worth around 1 billion euros, but they need to find another industrial partner to pursue the offer. (Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
California Senator Kamala Harris (D) is taking aim at right to work laws.

At a Service Employees International Union event in Las Vegas on Saturday, Harris said, "It comes with the President of the United States to speak up about the needs and the rights workers have to be able to organize and fight for their rightsIt has to be about banning right to work laws.

Right to work laws are put in place so that employees of a company cannot be forced to join a union or pay union dues.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there are 27 states that have passed Right to Work laws.

The Hill contributor Kristin Tate said Harris call to end right work is an attempt to pander to unions in order to get their financial backing for the 2020 presidential race.

Like so many of her left wing colleagues, Kamala Harris is just proving herself to be an authoritarian, she said on FOX Business Making Money with Charles Payne on Monday. Last week, she said that she would override Congress to get away with gun laws. Now, shes saying she would use executive powers to ban state laws just because she doesnt like them.

While Tate acknowledges that Democratic candidates always get backing from unions in presidential elections, she said President Trump has made incredible end roads with the rank-and-file union workers.

Hes been such a fighter for the American worker, and hes been strong arming companies to bring union jobs back to AmericaI just dont see how any worker union or not could support the Democrats in their anti-business agenda.

FOX Business Charles Payne said that there was a time where unions were "an absolute must but now he believes that they may have overplayed their hand.

If you look at how much loss theyve had in the private sector, its pretty clear to me that maybe Alabama wouldnt have those companies coming there, these auto plants and other companies, if they werent right to work states, he said.

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Payne said it is dangerous to suggest to doing away with right to work laws because there is evidence suggesting it is benefitting people.

If you say to someone youve got to pay dues, it defieswhats happening on the ground economically, Payne said. Youve got swing states, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin that are right to work states. So, its a dangerous path to go down when these states have some pretty low unemployment rates [of] 2.4, 2.9, [and] 2.3 percent.

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Dewey Square Group Principals Mary Anne Marsh disagrees, saying, that many people view right to work as a conservative way to try to trample out unions. She said that ultimately, a ban on right to work, comes down to fairness.

If youre working in a place and getting the benefits from an organized union that make sure you get a certain salary, certain work conditions, healthcare and everything that goes with that job then why shouldnt you participate, why shouldnt you contribute to the overall reason you get these benefits? Its the unions that built the middle class. Unions are the reason that people have these jobs, with great salaries, great benefits, five days a week, eight hours a day and overtime.

Related Articles
Arpan Shrestha is a national reporter for The Kathmandu Post. Before joining the Post in 2018, he was a freelance news and documentary producer and a former editor of Republica's The Week. Shrestha has a background in media production and programming.
The Kroger Co. KR successfully concluded the sale of Turkey Hill to an affiliate of Peak Rock Capital. The proceeds from this deal will be utilized to lower the companys debt level, which stands at $15,229 million as of Feb 2, 2019.

Last August, the company had announced its plans to divest Turkey Hill business. In line with the same, it inked a definitive deal worth $215 million with Peak Rock Capital in March 2019. It was earlier notified that post this divestiture, Turkey Hill business will continue to operate from its Conestoga, PA location under its own brand name. Additionally, all 800 full-time, part-time and seasonal associates of Turkey Hill will be retained.

Turkey Hill, which is part of Krogers Our Brands (owned brands), is one of the companys popular ice-cream brands. Apart from ice creams, Turkey Hill produces a complete line of popular iced teas, fruit drinks, milk and other frozen desserts.

This move is in sync with the companys plan to narrow its non-grocery footprint and make investments in expanding the grocery offerings and e-commerce presence. In this regard, the company divested its convenience stores to U.K.-based EG Group in April 2018.

The company is aggressively working toward enriching customers shopping experience via innovations and enhancement of e-commerce capabilities. To this end, Kroger partnered with the British online grocery delivery company, Ocado, and expanded its Home Chef Express meal kits nationwide.

Apart from these, the company started using Nuros fully autonomous driverless vehicles for grocery delivery services. Additionally, it launched Kroger Pay, a mobile payment app. The company also partnered with Microsoft to use Azure, its most preferred cloud platform for Retail as a Service (RaaS)  a Kroger solution.

The above-mentioned strategies are in response to stiff competition from the companys rivals, namely Walmart WMT, Target TGT and Amazon AMZN that are increasing investments in the grocery space. We note that although this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has declined 9.7% in the past three months, it has gained 4.5% in the past 30 days, outperforming the industrys growth of 3.7%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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INCLINE VILLAGE, NV / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / LithiumOre (http://lithiumore.net) (the ''Company''), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oroplata Resources, Inc. (OTCQB: ORRP), a lithium resource exploration and development company, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Doug Cole was recently interviewed by Proactive Investors, a UK-based online investor services company that provides analytics, market reports, and company and industry profiles.

Doug Cole tells Proactive Investors that the Nevada-based lithium explorer has drilled down to 2,500 feet at its lithium project in Railroad Valley, Nevada. Cole says the Company is looking to drill to 3,000 feet by next week, and is pleased with the progress its drilling partner Welsco Drilling has made thus far.

To see the video interview in its entirety, please visit:

https://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/stocktube/13138/lithiumore-drills-down-2500-feet-at-its-project-in-railroad-valley-13138.html





Made in America, LithiumOre holds 1,300 lithium mineral claims, totaling 26,000 acres, located in Railroad Valley of Nye County, Nevada. Railroad Valley is approximately 112 miles northeast of Clayton Valley and can be accessed by paved highway directly from U.S. Route 6. Railroad Valley is one of Nevada's largest trapped basins and is noted to hold all the necessary commercial and engineering prerequisites for a massive lithium brine deposit. The Company's claims have been evaluated by experts and the BLM and are in planned on-site exploration.

LithiumOre, Corp.

LithiumOre (http://lithiumore.net), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oroplata Resources, Inc. (OTCQB: ORRP), is a lithium resource exploration and development company, whose primary focus is the establishment of a low cost production base to supply the rapidly growing lithium-ion battery industry for both mobile devises and laptops, as well as the burgeoning EV (electronic vehicle) industry. LithiumOre is focused on becoming a substantial, profitable lithium producer via the timely development of valuable production-grade lithium brine deposits in Nevada.

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For more information, please visit: http://lithiumore.net

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 expected project economics for Western Nevada Basin (Railroad Valley), including estimates of life of mine, average production, cash costs, AISC, initial CAPEX, sustaining CAPEX, pre-tax IRR, pre-tax NPV, net cash flows and recovery rates, the impact of self-mining versus contract mining, the timing to obtain necessary permits, the submission of the project for final investment approval and the timing of initial gold production after investment approval and full financing, metallurgy and processing expectations, the mineral resource estimate, expectations regarding the ability to expand the mineral resource through future drilling, ongoing work to be conducted at the Western Nevada Basin (Railroad Valley), and the potential results of such efforts, the potential commissioning of a Pre-Feasibility study and the effects on timing of the project, 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 a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information, unfavorable exploration results, inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices, final investment approval 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 Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018. The Company assumes no obligation to update any of the information contained or referenced in this press release.

Contact Information

Corporate:

p775-434-4744

info@lithiumore.net

Investors:

p917-658-7878

IR@StratConAdvisory.com

SOURCE: Oroplata Resources, Inc.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/543464/LithiumOre-Drills-Down-2500-Feet-at-its-Project-in-Railroad-Valley-Nevada




COLUMBUS, Ohio - April 29, 2019 - Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (MTD) today announced it will host a conference call to discuss the Company`s first quarter results on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To hear a live webcast of the call, visit www.mt.com/investors on the Company`s website. A replay of the webcast will be available until May 13, 2019.

METTLER TOLEDO (MTD) is a leading global supplier of precision instruments and services. We have strong leadership positions in all of our businesses and believe we hold global number-one market positions in most of them. We are recognized as an innovation leader and our solutions are critical in key R&D, quality control, and manufacturing processes for customers in a wide range of industries including life sciences, food, and chemicals. Our sales and service network is one of the most extensive in the industry. Our products are sold in more than 140 countries and we have a direct presence in approximately 40 countries. With proven growth strategies and a focus on execution, we have achieved a long-term track record of strong financial performance. For more information, please visit www.mt.com.

Contact: Mary T. Finnegan, Treasurer / Investor Relations, +1-614-438-4748







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: Mettler-Toledo International Inc. via GlobeNewswire

HUG#2242931


Tika R Pradhan is a senior political correspondent for the Post, covering politics, parliament, judiciary and social affairs. Pradhan joined the Post in 2016 after working at The Himalayan Times for more than a decade.
By Andrei Makhovsky and Katya Golubkova

MINSK/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Months of work are needed to restore clean oil supplies via a key Russian pipeline to Europe, Belarus said on Tuesday, as Moscow suggested a deliberate act was behind the contamination that prompted some countries to release state oil reserves.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Slovakia and other countries halted oil imports via the Druzhba pipeline last week after finding contaminants that can damage refinery equipment.

A long outage could force refineries in Eastern Europe and Germany to cut operations and prompt Moscow to reduce oil production. It could also trigger claims by Western oil buyers against Russian producers and pipeline monopoly Transneft for lost profits as they struggle to sell contaminated oil.

Nikolai Tokarev, head of Transneft, told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the contamination had been deliberately conducted by a private firm in the Russian region of Samara, on the Volga river.

The company "accumulates oil from small producers in the Ulyanovsk, Orenburg and Samara regions ... and is transferring it to the pipeline system", said Tokarev, a close ally of Putin, without identifying the company.

"This company ... has deliberately injected oil that was not properly prepared (for entry to the pipeline system)."

Tokarev added that Belarus had received clean oil from Russia on Tuesday, while contaminated oil was being returned from Belarus to Russia by rail.

"We will later mix it with regular oil in (the Russian Black Sea port of) Novorossiisk and sell it onwards," he told Putin. "We expect the situation to improve in the near future and will resume working on a regular schedule."

Russia's Energy Ministry said talks were held on Tuesday with oil pipelines operators in Hungary and Slovakia. It said parties involved planned to resume the transit of oil as soon as possible and oil quality at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga would be back to normal before May 7.

Slovak oil refinery Slovnaft said supplies of clean oil transported via the pipeline should be restored from mid-May.

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Ukraine's Ukrtransnafta said parties in the Budapest talks agreed to remove about 400,000 tonnes of low-quality oil from Druzhba in Ukraine and Belarus and store it in reservoirs. It said clean oil was expected to reach the European Union on May 18.

DAMAGE ESTIMATES

The significance of any damage is not yet clear, nor is it known who will foot the bill. Belarus, which processes Russian crude into refined products for sale abroad, estimated its loss from a reduction in product exports at $100 million.

Pipelines in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland are estimated to contain 5 million tonnes of contaminated Russian oil, Belarus's state news agency Belta cited the operator of Druzhba's Belarusian section as saying.

"They (the private company in the Samara region) have cheated (by supplying contaminated oil). For us, this is very serious damage from an economic, material and image point of view," Putin told Tokarev.

Russia and Belarus - where Druzhba splits into the southern leg that goes to Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic and the northern spur routed to Poland and Germany - held a second day of talks on Tuesday in Moscow.

Belarusian state energy company Belneftekhim said its Mozyr refinery was expected to receive clean oil on May 4 at the earliest. The Russian energy ministry put the date at May 3-4.

Some 50,000 tonnes of contaminated oil should be forced out in Russia and 120,000 tonnes on the Belarusian side, Belneftekhim said in a statement. Belarus will store its contaminated oil at Mozyr.

"The measures taken would allow for the restoration of only one of Druzhba's lines. Full restoration will take a couple of months of heavy work," Belneftekhim said. It did not specify which parts of Druzhba would be immediately decontaminated.

Andrei Verigo, first deputy head of Gomeltransneft Druzhba, operator of Druzhba's Belarusian section, said the pipeline would reach 60-65 percent of its average annual capacity on May 10-11, Belta reported.

It could take up to six months before the pipeline starts operating at full capacity, he added.

Druzhba can pump up to 1 million barrels per day (bpd), amounting to 1 percent of global crude demand. In total, Russia is exporting around 4 million bpd and other destinations in the south, northwest and east are unaffected, traders said.

Hungary and Poland will tap their state strategic oil reserves at least to partially replace Russian supplies.

HIGHER EXPORT PLANS

The contamination comes as Russia plans to boost monthly Urals exports to five-year highs in May, a preliminary schedule showed, before the expiry of a deal on output cuts agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Traders said on Tuesday there was no change so far to the plan.

Transneft said that in May, state-run Russian Railways might transport 100,000 tonnes of oil by rail. It did not specify the oil quality.

Putin said on Saturday the investigation could lead to a wider inquiry, possibly including law-enforcement agencies.

The pipeline problem has cut off a major supply route for Polish refineries owned by PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, as well as plants in Germany owned by Total, Shell, Eni and Rosneft.

(Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky in MINSK; Maria Kiselyova, Maria Grabar, Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Olga Yagova, Gleb Gorodyankin, Vladimir Soldatkin and Gleb Stolyarov in MOSCOW; Natalia Zinets in Kiev; Marcin Goclowski, Anna Koper and Joanna Plucinska in WARSAW; Marton Dunai in BUDAPEST; Writing by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Dale Hudson and Edmund Blair)
Students in California, Hawaii, and Washington Service Areas Eligible for Sixth Annual Program

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- California Water Service Group (Group) (CWT) today announced it has officially opened its annual College Scholarship Program. Eligible students residing in areas served by the utilitys California, Hawaii, and Washington subsidiaries may now apply online for one of the scholarships under the $60,000 program, which provides two $10,000 grand-prize awards and additional, smaller awards for college and higher-education expenses.



Through the California Water Service Group Scholarship Program, we hope to support the next generation of leaders in the communities we serve, said Martin A. Kropelnicki, President and Chief Executive Officer. As they embark upon the next stage of their lives, we want to help young scholars who are bright, hard-working, and ambitious  those who share our commitment to making good things happen in their communities.

To apply to the 2019 College Scholarship Program, students must be pursuing a degree in higher education and plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate study program at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the upcoming academic year. Scholarships will be awarded based on academic achievement, community service, and financial need.

The annual scholarships are part of Groups stockholder-funded philanthropic giving program and are not paid for by customers rates. The program is administered by Scholarship Management Services, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. To date, Group has provided $300,000 in scholarships to students through the program.

To learn more about the scholarship program or to apply, California students can visit www.calwater.com/scholarship . Hawaii students may visit www.hawaiiwaterservice.com/scholarship , and Washington students should go to www.wawater.com/scholarship . The application period for the sixth annual program will close at 1 p.m. PT on Monday, June 17, 2019. Winners will be announced in August.

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About California Water Service Group

California Water Service Group is the parent company of California Water Service, Washington Water Service, New Mexico Water Service, Hawaii Water Service, CWS Utility Services, and HWS Utility Services. Together, these companies provide regulated and non-regulated water service to nearly 2 million people in California, Washington, New Mexico, and Hawaii. California Water Service Groups common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CWT. Additional information is available online at www.calwatergroup.com .
OSLO, April 29 (Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, will vote in favour of a shareholder proposal on reducing water pollution at poultry-maker Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, the $1.1 trillion fund's manager said on Monday.

"We will support the shareholder resolution asking for a report reviewing how Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is responding to increasing regulatory, public and competitive pressure to significantly reduce water pollution from the company's owned facilities; facilities under contract; and suppliers," it added.

The annual general meeting is due on May 1. (Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)
EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands, April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NXPI) today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2019, ended March 31, 2019.



NXP delivered revenue of $2.1 billion during the first quarter, just above our guidance. Due to a richer mix of sales and good expense control, we successfully delivered improved profitability toward the higher end of our guidance range. Additionally, during the quarter we returned $788 million to our shareholders consistent with our long-term capital return policy. Looking forward, our second quarter guidance reflects the successful design win momentum and traction we have achieved with our customers. We continue to believe the demand environment in the second half of 2019 should improve versus the first half, but the macro-economic environment is still uncertain, especially in China. said Richard Clemmer, NXP Chief Executive Officer.

First-quarter Key Highlights

Revenue was $2.1 billion, down 8 percent year-on-year;

GAAP gross margin was 51.2 percent, and GAAP operating margin was 2.6 percent;

Non-GAAP gross margin was 52.7 percent, and non-GAAP operating margin was 26.7 percent;

Cash flow from operations was $296 million, with net capex investments of $144 million, resulting in non-GAAP free cash flow of $152 million;

Summary of Reported First Quarter 2019 ($ millions, unaudited) (1)

Q1 2019 Q4 2018 Q1 2018 Q - Q Y - Y Total Revenue $ 2,094 $ 2,403 $ 2,269 -13 % -8 % GAAP Gross Profit $ 1,072 $ 1,243 $ 1,172 -14 % -9 % Gross Profit Adjustments (i) $ (32 ) $ (32 ) $ (28 ) Non-GAAP Gross Profit $ 1,104 $ 1,275 $ 1,200 -13 % -8 % GAAP Gross Margin 51.2 % 51.7 % 51.7 % Non-GAAP Gross Margin 52.7 % 53.1 % 52.9 % GAAP Operating Income / (Loss) $ 54 $ 224 $ 138 -76 % -61 % Operating Income Adjustments (i) (505 ) (507 ) (479 ) Non-GAAP Operating Income $ 559 $ 731 $ 617 -24 % -9 % GAAP Operating Margin 2.6 % 9.3 % 6.1 % Non-GAAP Operating Margin 26.7 % 30.4 % 27.2 % Additional Information Automotive $ 1,036 $ 1,112 $ 1,131 -7 % -8 % Industrial & IoT $ 368 $ 435 $ 426 -15 % -14 % Mobile $ 241 $ 344 $ 266 -30 % -9 % Comm. Infra. & Other $ 449 $ 483 $ 407 -7 % 10 % Manufacturing Services ("MSA") $ - $ 29 $ 39 NM NM DIO 113 102 106 11 7 DPO 74 80 83 (6) (9) DSO 35 30 32 5 3 Cash Conversion Cycle 74 52 55 22 19 Channel Inventory (months) 2.4 2.4 2.4 - - Financial Leverage (ii) 1.7x 1.4x 0.8x 0.3x 0.9x





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Additional Information for the First Quarter 2019 :

For an explanation of GAAP to non-GAAP adjustments, please see Non-GAAP Financial Measures on page 2 of this release. Financial leverage, is defined as net debt divided by trailing twelve months adjusted EBITDA.

During the first quarter of 2019 NXP repurchased 8.5 million shares for a total cost of $715 million.

Weighted average number of diluted shares for the three month period ended March 31, 2019 was 287.2 million and as the company reported a net loss, it excludes the incremental impact of dilutive potential common shares of 1.6 million shares.

Cash paid for income taxes related to on-going operations was $17 million. Items not related to on-going operations resulted in additional cash payments of $192 million, which was mainly due to the termination fee associated with the terminated Qualcomm transaction, offset by a benefit associated with the divestment of the Standard Products business.

Guidance for the Second Quarter 2019: ($ millions) (1)

Guidance Range GAAP Reconciliation non-GAAP Low Mid High Low Mid High Total Revenue $ 2,150 $ 2,200 $ 2,250 $ - $ 2,150 $ 2,200 $ 2,250 Q-Q 3 % 5 % 7 % 3 % 5 % 7 % Y-Y -6 % -4 % -2 % -6 % -4 % -2 % Gross Profit $ 1,107 $ 1,145 $ 1,183 $ (27 ) $ 1,134 $ 1,172 $ 1,210 Gross Margin 51.5 % 52.0 % 52.6 % 52.7 % 53.3 % 53.8 % Operating Income (loss) $ 95 $ 123 $ 150 $ (494 ) $ 589 $ 617 $ 644 Operating Margin 4.4 % 5.6 % 6.7 % 27.4 % 28.0 % 28.6 % Financial income (expense) $ (78 ) $ (78 ) $ (78 ) $ (14 ) $ (64 ) $ (64 ) $ (64 )

Note (1) Additional Information:

GAAP Gross Profit is expected to include Purchase Price Accounting (PPA) effects, ($17 million); Stock Based Compensation, ($10 million); GAAP Operating Income (loss) is expected to include PPA effects, ($378 million); Stock Based Compensation, ($86 million); Merger related costs ($10 million); Restructuring and Other Incidentals, ($20 million); GAAP Financial Income (expense) is expected to include Other financial expense ($14 million); Net cash paid for income taxes related to on-going operations is expected to be approximately ($38 million); Non-controlling interest is expected to be approximately ($6 million); Weighted average diluted share count is expected to be approximately 287 million.

NXP has based the guidance included in this release on judgments and estimates that management believes are reasonable given its assessment of historical trends and other information reasonably available as of the date of this release. Please note, the guidance included in this release consists of predictions only, and is subject to a wide range of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond NXP's control. The guidance included in this release should not be regarded as representations by NXP that the estimated results will be achieved. Actual results may vary materially from the guidance we provide today. In relation to the use of non-GAAP financial information see the note regarding "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below. For the factors, risks, and uncertainties to which judgments, estimates and forward-looking statements generally are subject see the note regarding "Forward-looking Statements." We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, including the guidance set forth herein, to reflect future events or circumstances.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In managing NXP's business on a consolidated basis, management develops an annual operating plan, which is approved by our Board of Directors, using non-GAAP financial measures. In measuring performance against this plan, management considers the actual or potential impacts on these non-GAAP financial measures from actions taken to reduce costs with the goal of increasing our gross margin and operating margin and when assessing appropriate levels of research and development efforts. In addition, management relies upon these non-GAAP financial measures when making decisions about product spending, administrative budgets, and other operating expenses. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures, when coupled with the GAAP results and the reconciliations to corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide a more complete understanding of the Companys results of operations and the factors and trends affecting NXPs business. We believe that they enable investors to perform additional comparisons of our operating results, to assess our liquidity and capital position and to analyze financial performance excluding the effect of expenses unrelated to operations, certain non-cash expenses and share-based compensation expense, which may obscure trends in NXP's underlying performance. This information also enables investors to compare financial results between periods where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management.

These non-GAAP financial measures are provided in addition to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. The presentation of these and other similar items in NXPs non-GAAP financial results should not be interpreted as implying that these items are non-recurring, infrequent, or unusual. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most comparable measures calculated in accordance with GAAP are provided in the financial statements portion of this release in a schedule entitled Financial Reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP Results (unaudited). Please refer to the NXP Historic Financial Model file found on the Financial Information page of the Investor Relations section of our website at https://investors.nxp.com for additional information related to our rationale for using these non-GAAP financial measures, as well as the impact of these measures on the presentation of NXP's operations.

In addition to providing financial information on a basis consistent with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), NXP also provides the following selected financial measures on a non-GAAP basis: (i) Gross profit, (ii) Gross margin, (iii) Research and development, (iv) Selling, general and administrative, (v) Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, (vi) Other income, (vii) Operating income (loss), (viii) Operating margin, (ix) Financial Income (expense), (x) adjusted net income, adjusted EBITDA and trailing 12 month adjusted EBITDA, and (xi) free cash flow and free cash flow as a percent of Revenue. The non-GAAP information excludes the amortization of acquisition related intangible assets, the purchase accounting effect on inventory and property, plant and equipment, merger related costs (including integration costs), certain items related to divestitures, share-based compensation expense, restructuring and asset impairment charges, non-cash interest expense on convertible notes, extinguishment of debt, and foreign exchange gains and losses.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

NXP will host a conference call on April 30, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Central European Time) to discuss its first quarter 2019 results and provide an outlook for the second quarter of 2019.

Interested parties may join the conference call by dialing 1  888  603  7644 (within the U.S.) or 1  484  747 - 6631 (outside of the U.S.). The participant pass-code is 4776928. To listen to a webcast of the event, please visit the Investor Relations section of the NXP website at https://investors.nxp.com . The webcast will be recorded and available for replay shortly after the call concludes.

About NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NXPI) enables secure connections and infrastructure for a smarter world, advancing solutions that make lives easier, better, and safer. As the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is driving innovation in the secure connected vehicle, end-to-end security & privacy, and smart connected solutions markets. Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, the company has approximately 30,000 employees in more than 30 countries and posted revenue of $9.41 billion in 2018. Find out more at www.nxp.com .

Forward-looking Statements

This document includes forward-looking statements which include statements regarding NXPs business strategy, financial condition, results of operations, and market data, as well as any other statements which are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected. These factors, risks and uncertainties include the following: market demand and semiconductor industry conditions; the ability to successfully introduce new technologies and products; the end-market demand for the goods into which NXPs products are incorporated; the ability to generate sufficient cash, raise sufficient capital or refinance corporate debt at or before maturity; the ability to meet the combination of corporate debt service, research and development and capital investment requirements; the ability to accurately estimate demand and match manufacturing production capacity accordingly or obtain supplies from third-party producers; the access to production capacity from third-party outsourcing partners; any events that might affect third-party business partners or NXPs relationship with them; the ability to secure adequate and timely supply of equipment and materials from suppliers; the ability to avoid operational problems and product defects and, if such issues were to arise, to correct them quickly; the ability to form strategic partnerships and joint ventures and to successfully cooperate with alliance partners; the ability to win competitive bid selection processes to develop products for use in customers equipment and products; the ability to achieve targeted efficiencies and cost savings; the ability to successfully hire and retain key management and senior product architects; and, the ability to maintain good relationships with our suppliers. In addition, this document contains information concerning the semiconductor industry and NXPs business generally, which is forward-looking in nature and is based on a variety of assumptions regarding the ways in which the semiconductor industry, NXPs markets and product areas may develop. NXP has based these assumptions on information currently available, if any one or more of these assumptions turn out to be incorrect, actual results may differ from those predicted. While NXP does not know what impact any such differences may have on its business, if there are such differences, its future results of operations and its financial condition could be materially adversely affected. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak to results only as of the date the statements were made. Except for any ongoing obligation to disclose material information as required by the United States federal securities laws, NXP does not have any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after we distribute this document, whether to reflect any future events or circumstances or otherwise. For a discussion of potential risks and uncertainties, please refer to the risk factors listed in our SEC filings. Copies of our SEC filings are available on our Investor Relations website, https://investors.nxp.com or from the SEC website, www.sec.gov

For further information, please contact: Investors: Media: Jeff Palmer Jacey Zuniga jeff.palmer@nxp.com jacey.zuniga@nxp.com +1 408 518 5411 +1 512 895 7398





NXP Semiconductors Table 1: Condensed consolidated statement of operations (unaudited) ($ in millions except share data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 April 1, 2018 Revenue $ 2,094 $ 2,403 $ 2,269 Cost of revenue (1,022 ) (1,160 ) (1,097 ) Gross profit 1,072 1,243 1,172 Research and development (415 ) (403 ) (426 ) Selling, general and administrative (248 ) (251 ) (248 ) Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets (357 ) (364 ) (360 ) Total operating expenses (1,020 ) (1,018 ) (1,034 ) Other income (expense) 2 (1 ) - Operating income (loss) 54 224 138 Financial income (expense): Extinguishment of debt - - - Other financial income (expense) (83 ) (77 ) (68 ) Income (loss) before taxes (29 ) 147 70 Benefit (provision) for income taxes 9 141 (2 ) Results relating to equity-accounted investees 4 1 2 Net income (loss) (16 ) 289 70 Less: Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests 5 13 12 Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders (21 ) 276 58 Earnings per share data: Net income (loss) per common share attributable to stockholders in $: Basic $ (0.07 ) $ 0.94 $ 0.17 Diluted $ (0.07 ) $ 0.94 $ 0.17 Weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period (in thousands): Basic 287,227 293,170 343,661 Diluted 287,227 294,947 346,899





NXP Semiconductors Table 2: Condensed consolidated balance sheet (unaudited) ($ in millions) As of March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 April 1, 2018 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,192 $ 2,789 $ 3,983 Accounts receivable, net 800 792 791 Inventories, net 1,241 1,279 1,251 Other current assets 387 365 536 Total current assets 4,620 5,225 6,561 Non-current assets: Other non-current assets 699 545 888 Property, plant and equipment, net 2,407 2,436 2,307 Identified intangible assets, net 4,094 4,467 5,494 Goodwill 8,852 8,857 8,877 Total non-current assets 16,052 16,305 17,566 Total assets 20,672 21,530 24,127 Current liabilities: Accounts payable 815 999 984 Restructuring liabilities-current 66 60 67 Other current liabilities 1,264 1,219 865 Short-term debt 1,117 1,107 1,249 Total current liabilities 3,262 3,385 3,165 Non-current liabilities: Long-term debt 6,223 6,247 5,329 Restructuring liabilities 4 5 15 Deferred tax liabilities 390 450 650 Other non-current liabilities 862 753 1,078 Total non-current liabilities 7,479 7,455 7,072 Non-controlling interests 190 185 201 Stockholders equity 9,741 10,505 13,689 Total equity 9,931 10,690 13,890 Total liabilities and equity 20,672 21,530 24,127





NXP Semiconductors Table 3: Condensed consolidated statement of cash flows (unaudited) ($ in millions) Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 April 1, 2018 Cash Flows from operating activities Net income (loss) $ (16 ) $ 289 $ 70 Adjustments to reconcile net inullncome (loss): Depreciation and amortization 502 503 491 Stock-based compensation 86 93 69 Amortization of discount on debt 11 11 10 Amortization of debt issuance costs 3 3 3 Results relating to equity accounted investees (4 ) (1 ) (2 ) Changes in deferred taxes (63 ) (52 ) (42 ) Changes in operating assets and liabilities: (Increase) decrease in receivables and other current assets (42 ) 51 81 (Increase) decrease in inventories 38 5 (36 ) Increase (decrease) in accounts payable and other liabilities (250 ) (188 ) (26 ) Decrease (Increase) in other non-current assets 20 4 - Exchange differences 6 13 5 Other items 5 - (3 ) Net cash provided by (used for) operating activities 296 731 620 Cash flows from investing activities: Purchase of identified intangible assets (28 ) (4 ) (18 ) Capital expenditures on property, plant and equipment (144 ) (170 ) (156 ) Proceeds from sale of interests in businesses, net of cash divested 37 - - Purchase of available-for-sale securities (2 ) (2 ) - Proceeds from the sale of securities 1 2 - Other - - - Net cash provided by (used for) investing activities (136 ) (174 ) (174 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Repayment of Bridge Loan - (1,000 ) - Proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt - 1,997 - Cash paid for debt issuance costs - (12 ) - Cash paid for terminated acquisition adjustment event - (60 ) - Dividends paid to common stockholders (73 ) (74 ) - Proceeds from issuance of common stock through stock plans 32 3 20 Purchase of treasury shares (715 ) (424 ) (30 ) Cash paid on behalf of shareholders for tax on repurchased shares - (142 ) - Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities (756 ) 288 (10 ) Effect of changes in exchange rates on cash positions (1 ) - - Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (597 ) 845 436 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 2,789 1,944 3,547 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 2,192 2,789 3,983 Net cash paid during the period for: Interest 25 74 21 Income taxes 209 61 44 Non-cash adjustment related to the adoption of ASC 606: Receivables and other current assets - - (36 ) Inventories - - 22





NXP Semiconductors Table 4: Financial Reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP Results (unaudited) ($ in millions except share data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 April 1, 2018 Revenue $ 2,094 $ 2,403 $ 2,269 GAAP Gross profit $ 1,072 $ 1,243 $ 1,172 PPA effects (17 ) (19 ) (19 ) Restructuring (4 ) - - Stock Based Compensation (10 ) (12 ) (9 ) Merger-related costs (1 ) (1 ) - Non-GAAP Gross profit $ 1,104 $ 1,275 $ 1,200 GAAP Gross margin 51.2 % 51.7 % 51.7 % Non-GAAP Gross margin 52.7 % 53.1 % 52.9 % GAAP Research and development $ (415 ) $ (403 ) $ (426 ) Restructuring (11 ) - - Stock based compensation (35 ) (36 ) (31 ) Merger-related costs (3 ) (3 ) (1 ) Non-GAAP Research and development $ (366 ) $ (364 ) $ (394 ) GAAP Selling, general and administrative $ (248 ) $ (251 ) $ (248 ) PPA effects (1 ) (2 ) (3 ) Restructuring (10 ) (1 ) (1 ) Stock based compensation (41 ) (45 ) (29 ) Merger-related costs (9 ) (11 ) (25 ) Other incidentals (6 ) (13 ) - Non-GAAP Selling, general and administrative $ (181 ) $ (179 ) $ (190 ) GAAP amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets $ (357 ) $ (364 ) $ (360 ) PPA effects (357 ) (364 ) (360 ) Non-GAAP amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets $ - $ - $ - GAAP Other income (expense) $ 2 $ (1 ) $ - Other incidentals - - (1 ) Non-GAAP Other income (expense) $ 2 $ (1 ) $ 1 GAAP Operating income (loss) $ 54 $ 224 $ 138 PPA effects (375 ) (385 ) (382 ) Restructuring (25 ) (1 ) (1 ) Stock based compensation (86 ) (93 ) (69 ) Merger-related costs (13 ) (15 ) (26 ) Other incidentals (6 ) (13 ) (1 ) Non-GAAP Operating income (loss) $ 559 $ 731 $ 617 GAAP Operating margin 2.6 % 9.3 % 6.1 % Non-GAAP Operating margin 26.7 % 30.4 % 27.2 % GAAP Financial income (expense) $ (83 ) $ (77 ) $ (68 ) Non-cash interest expense on convertible notes (11 ) (11 ) (11 ) Foreign exchange gain (loss) (7 ) (5 ) (3 ) Other financial expense (4 ) (1 ) (3 ) Non-GAAP Financial income (expense) $ (61 ) $ (60 ) $ (51 )





NXP Semiconductors Table 5: Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow (unaudited) ($ in millions) Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 April 1, 2018 Net Income (loss) $ (16 ) $ 289 $ 70 Reconciling items to adjusted net income Financial (income) expense 83 77 68 (Benefit) provision for income taxes (9 ) (141 ) 2 Depreciation 124 124 116 Amortization 378 379 375 Adjusted net income $ 560 $ 728 $ 631 Reconciling items to adjusted EBITDA Results of equity-accounted investees (4 ) (1 ) (2 ) Restructuring 25 1 1 Stock based compensation 86 93 69 Merger-related costs 13 15 26 Other incidental items 6 13 1 Adjusted EBITDA $ 686 $ 849 $ 726 Trailing twelve month adjusted EBITDA $ 3,111 $ 3,151 $ 3,176 ($ in millions) Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 April 1, 2018 Net cash provided by (used for) operating activities $ 296 $ 731 $ 620 Net capital expenditures on property, plant and equipment (144 ) (170 ) (156 ) Non-GAAP free cash flow $ 152 $ 561 $ 464 Non-GAAP free cash flow as a percent of Revenue 7 % 23 % 21 %








Investing.com - Oil prices bounced on Tuesday, reversing earlier losses on a combination of supportive comments from Saudi Arabia's oil minister and political upheaval in OPEC member Venezuela.

U.S. crude prices added 1.5% to trade at $64.47, up 97 cents from their previous settlement, amid reports that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido had called on the military to overthrow the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Prices had already been supported earlier in the day by comments from Saudi Arabias Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih indicating that the global deal to coordinate oil production levels could be extended after June.

London traded Brent crude futures climbed 1.4% to $72.48 by 07:46 AM ET (11:46 GMT), up 98 cents from their last close.

Al-Falih told Russian state news agency RIA in an interview that the kingdom will not rush to increase oil supply to replace supplies from Iran due to the U.S. tightening sanctions, and that the kingdom had the space to replace any shortfall in Iranian supplies without breaching the ceiling agreed between OPEC, Russia and others at the end of last year.

He said the existing deal on oil production could be extended to the end of the year.

We will look at (global oil) inventories - are they higher or lower than the normal level and we will adjust the production level accordingly. Based on what I see now ... I am eager to say that there will be some kind of agreement, he said.

The Saudi statements appear to defy calls by Trump late last week for OPEC and its de-facto leader Saudi Arabia to raise output to meet the supply shortfall caused by the tightening Iran sanctions.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch said "Iranian oil production will fall to 1.9 million barrels per day in 2H19 from 3.6 million barrels per day in 3Q18 as U.S. sanctions kick in and waivers eventually expire".

Despite this, the bank said it expected "a nearly balanced market in 2019" as output from OPEC and the U.S. will rise.

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Prices had been pressured lower earlier after disappointing Chinese manufacturing data dampened hopes that the worlds second largest was regaining momentum. Losses were reversed after slightly better-than-expected growth data from the euro zone.

Despite a shaky global economy, oil prices have surged by almost 40% since January, lifted by supply cuts led by the Middle East-dominated producer club of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as well as by U.S. sanctions on producers Iran and Venezuela.

French bank BNP Paribas said it expected oil prices "to rise in the near-term" as crude producers were "over-tightening the market in the face of unplanned supply outages and resilient oil demand".

The bank said it expected crude markets to climb until the third quarter of 2019, adding that prices would then "start to become vulnerable to a sharp rise in U.S. exports of light crude thanks to pipeline and terminal capacity expansion".

U.S. exports exceeded 3 million barrels per day (bpd) for the first time in early 2019, as output rose to a record of more than 12 million bpd.

BNP Paribas said it saw WTI averaging $63 per barrel in 2019, up $2 from its previous forecast, while Brent will average $71 per barrel, up $3 from an earlier estimate.

--Reuters contributed to this report

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Investing.com - Oil prices continued to drop on Tuesday in Asia amid pressure on OPEC from U.S. President Donal Trump to raise output to offset a supply shortfall expected from tighter sanctions on Iran.

U.S. Crude Oil WTI Futures dropped 0.2% to $63.46 by 12:05 AM ET (04:05 GMT), while international Brent Oil Futures fell 0.2% to $71.38.

Last week, oil prices rallied after Trump tightened sanctions against Iran by ending all exemptions that major buyers previously had.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a research note that was cited by Reuters that "Iranian oil production will fall to 1.9 million barrels per day in 2H19 from 3.6 million barrels per day in 3Q18 as U.S. sanctions kick in and waivers eventually expire". Despite this, the bank said it expected "a nearly balanced market in 2019" as output from OPEC and also the United States will rise.

Meanwhile, BNP Paribas upgraded its price forecasts for WTI to $63 per barrel in 2019, up $2 from its previous forecast. The bank said Brent will average $71 per barrel, up $3 from an earlier estimate.

In other news, Russian leader Vladimir Putin surprisingly reminded his allies in Riyadh on Monday about Moscow's commitment since December to stick to OPEC+ production cuts, and hoped the Saudis would also honor their part in keeping to the deal.

"Theoretically speaking, we have agreements under OPEC+, Putin said. We have not received any information from our Saudi partners or anyone else, any OPEC members, indicating they are ready to quit the agreements."

Meanwhile, a below-forecast China PMI data also dented investor sentiment and weighed on oil prices.

Both official PMI and non-manufacturing PMI were lower than expected for the month of April, the National Bureau of Statistics showed. The private Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI also came in lower than expected.

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Ncell and Axiata go for international arbitration on their capital gains tax determined by Nepal

Ncell and its parent company, Axiata, have knocked the door of International Centre for Settlement of Investment Dispute, a body under the World Bank, claiming that Nepals conduct in relation to capital gains tax imposed on the mobile company is against the Bilateral Investment Treaty between Nepal and the United Kingdom
By Barani Krishnan

Investing.com - Looks like the Saudis didn't get the phone call from Trump.

Crude prices rose as much as 1% on Tuesday after Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih told Russian state news agency RIA that Riyadh won't rush to fill a supply shortage caused by the U.S. ban on Iranian oil exports. President Donald Trump said on Friday he had "called" OPEC and was getting their cooperation for lower gasoline prices, suggesting more barrels were coming from the Saudi-led cartel.

West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for U.S. crude, settled up 41 cents, or 0.8%, at $63.91 per barrel. It gained 6% in April and remains 41% higher on the year. But WTI is also nearly $3 off from the six-month highs of $66.60 hit last week after Trump announced an end to all sanction waivers for buyers of Iranian oil.

London-traded Brent, the benchmark for global crude was up 40 cents, or 0.6%, at $71.94 per barrel by 2:57 PM ET (18:57 GMT). Brent rose as high as $75.60 last week, hitting its highest level since the end of October. It was up 5% in April and is nearly 34% higher on the year.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch (NYSE:BAC) projected Iranian output will fall to 1.9 million bpd in the second half of this year from 3.6 million bpd in the third quarter of 2018 from the impact of U.S. sanctions. Yet the bank expected "a nearly balanced market in 2019" from a rise in U.S. and, eventually, OPEC production.

While Tuesday's rebound was a relief for oil bulls after Friday's 3% tumble and the sluggishness of the previous session, oil's path forward looks less certain than it did in the first quarter when WTI rose 32%.

As late as a week ago, oil prices appeared destined to go up, with the ban on Iranian oil, along with separate U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and unplanned outages in Libya and Angola all coming together to bear maximum upward pressure on the market.

Falih was in concert with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday when he stiffed Trump's hopes of getting the kingdom to cover any Iranian shortfall in the market. Putin said on Monday Moscow and Riyadh had a deal to cut output until the next OPEC+ meeting in June. Falih went a step further, saying cuts may be extended until year-end.

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A Reuters survey found that OPEC pumped 30.23 million bpd in April, down 90,000 bpd from March, making it the lowest total from the cartel since 2015.

We will look at (global oil) inventories - are they higher or lower than the normal level and we will adjust the production level accordingly. Based on what I see now ... I am eager to say that there will be some kind of agreement to extend cuts," the Saudi energy minister said.

Olivier Jakob, who runs the PetroMatrix oil consultancy in Zug, Switzerland, said Falih has further muddied the outlook for crude. "Saudi Arabia is not giving up its support for a stronger flat price; the ball is now back into the hands of President Trump," he said.

One big negative for oil has been rising U.S. crude stockpiles. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has reported four crude builds in the past five weeks that has raised storage levels by a net of more than 21 million barrels since the week ended March 20.

The EIA is expected to announce another crude increase of around 2 million barrels for last week in data due on Wednesday. The American Petroleum Institute will provide a snapshot at 4:30 PM ET today of what the EIA will likely report.

But from a technical perspective too, oil seems to be under pressure.

"If history were to repeat itself, WTI could be on the verge of a massive slide," said Fawad Razaqzada, technical chartist for commodities at FOREX.com

"But before we get too bearish, the U.S. oil contract needs to break last weeks low at $62.30 for the selling to accelerate. By doing so, it will also take out its bullish trend line that is visible on the daily chart, thus further confirming the bearish reversal."

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(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump often hurls insults at internet companies Facebook Inc., Alphabet Inc.s Google and Twitter Inc., accusing them of bias against him and others with conservative views.

While the platforms are some of the presidents favorite corporate targets, another group of older tech companies is working the back channels in some of the White Houses most powerful offices -- and often getting results.

International Business Machines Corp., Oracle Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have scored wins including an executive order on artificial intelligence and an anti-sex trafficking bill that stung the internet platforms. These legacy tech titans -- all founded before 1980 -- have also succeeded in avoiding the presidents Twitter wrath.

Longtime government contractors with strong bipartisan ties in Washington, the three companies got their start in computer hardware, operating systems software and database management. Now theyre striving to preserve their existing government contracts while also seeking to compete in such future areas as cloud services and artificial intelligence.

The legacy tech companies enjoyed broad access to the White House in 2018, according to lobbying disclosures that show communications with the Executive Office of the President, an umbrella White House entity that includes many of the presidents senior technology, national security and economic policy advisers.

Younger internet platforms like Google and Facebook, the darlings of official Washington in the Obama years, had fewer White House contacts than the legacy tech companies did in 2018.

Influence Peddling

Sometimes technology companies from both camps joined forces to battle the White House over trade, climate change and immigration policies. But as companies of all stripes grapple with an unpredictable president -- and throw out their usual playbooks on influence peddling in Washington -- the legacy tech companies seem more adept, possibly because theyre more accustomed to the fluctuating politics of presidential administrations.

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E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. falls into a camp by itself. Though its newer to the lobbying game -- it didnt disclose any White House contacts before 2013 -- its 68 last year outpaced all of its tech peers. While Amazons lobbying reflects its broad business concerns, the number seems to belie the way Trump publicly treats Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as his chief corporate nemesis.

Data Analysis

These findings emerge from a Bloomberg analysis of 10 tech companies lobbying disclosures from 2000 through 2018. They reveal whos wielding influence, where, and on what issues in the nations capital. The filings show if lobbyists made contact with a White House office to advocate at least once a quarter on an issue, but dont say how often the lobbyists and officials spoke or whether they met in person. A single chat can also look like multiple contacts if it involved several topics.

As a group, the three legacy tech companies and their outside advisers disclosed 104 contacts at the Executive Office of the President and such components as the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Economic Council and the U.S. Trade Representative. Thats up from 88 in 2016. Google, Facebook and Twitter disclosed 41 contacts last year, up from 29 in 2016.

The lobbying disclosures for the first three months of this year showed a continuation of the broad trends, with the exception of IBM, whose contacts declined. Amazon was the top spender on lobbying in the first quarter, pulling ahead of all its tech rivals, including outspending Google for the first time in more than a decade.

Representatives from the White House, Microsoft, Amazon, Twitter and Airbnb Inc. declined to comment. Google, Facebook and Uber Technologies Inc. didnt respond to requests for comment.

IBM Accelerated

IBM emerged from the analysis as the tech company that most accelerated its door-opening at White House offices last year. It disclosed 31 White House contacts in 2018, up from 22 in 2017 and 14 the year before that.

An executive order on artificial intelligence that Trump signed in February followed a White House meeting on the topic with IBM, Microsoft and Google chief executives. The order made AI research and development a federal funding priority, will make agencies data accessible for research, and recommended government money for workforce education and training -- key priorities for IBM as it expands into AI and the cloud.

Theyve actively sought us out, and weve been happy to talk to them, said Christopher Padilla, IBMs vice president of government and regulatory affairs. Their discussions have also included China tariffs and Trumps executive order that allows the U.S. to ban entry to people from seven countries, five with Muslim majorities -- issues on which IBM has criticized the administration, Padilla said.

Oracle Relationship

Oracle Executive Vice President Kenneth Glueck, who leads the companys Washington policy shop, described Oracles relationship with the Trump administration as "positive" adding that they "largely agree" on major policy issues such as trade and taxes. The companys chief executive officer, Safra Catz, "talks to them about workforce. We talk to them about modernization. We talk to them about cyber a lot.

Facebook, Twitter and Google, meanwhile, are facing a backlash from politicians in both parties who accuse them of being too big, biased and unaccountable. Last week, Trump accused Twitter of discriminating against him and other Republicans. Within hours, Jack Dorsey, Twitters chief executive officer, showed up in the Oval Office to explain that the presidents Twitter-follower count had declined, not from political bias, but because the company was systematically purging fake accounts, causing him to lose hundreds of thousands of followers.

@WhiteHouse with @Jack from @Twitter. Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform, and the world of social media in general. Look forward to keeping an open dialogue! pic.twitter.com/QnZi579eFb

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2019

Backed Legislation

Legacy tech companies have found ways to differentiate themselves. When the social-media giants dragged their feet in supporting anti-sex-trafficking legislation that eroded their liability protections, Oracle and IBM urged passage of the bill. To push the measure over the finish line, Ivanka Trump, the presidents eldest daughter and senior adviser, convened a meeting in March 2018 with anti-sex-trafficking advocates, IBMs Padilla and the Internet Association, a trade group of platform companies. Trump signed the bill the next month.

Internet platforms might not have suffered that kind of political blow in the years when Googles former chairman and chief executive officer, Eric Schmidt, was a fixture in Washington, advising Barack Obamas 2008 campaign as well as Hillary Clintons 2016 effort. Obama also named a former Google vice president, Megan Smith, as the U.S.s chief technology officer.

Google had taken over the White House, said Larry Downes, project director at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy. They had successfully gotten some of their employees either to be appointed to committees or advisory groups still as Google employees or to leave Google and go work for the administration.

White House Staffer

Now the legacy tech titans have one of their own in the White House with Chris Liddell, a deputy White House chief of staff who was Microsofts chief financial officer.

While Googles clout has declined in Washington under Trump, the company may be poised for a comeback. In March, Google CEO Sundar Pichai spent two days in Washington, where he met with Trump to discuss the U.S. military as the company faced political furor over its work in China.

He was also among the tech executives who met with Trumps daughter in December -- a one-off appearance that doesnt show up in the 16 disclosed contacts, but indicates he still has White House access.

Legacy tech companies dont always get what they want. During a private White House dinner in April 2018, Oracles Catz criticized the bidding process for a huge Pentagon cloud computing contract, complaining to Trump that it seemed designed for Amazons cloud unit. Earlier this month, the Pentagon knocked Oracle out of the competition in favor of Amazon and Microsoft.

Transition Team

Catz had served on the presidents transition team, as did several people employed by one of its outside lobbying firms, Navigators Global. In the 27 contacts it disclosed last year, Oracle lobbied the White House on national defense and taxes, among other matters. Microsoft disclosed 46 contacts on intellectual property, education, rural broadband and budget matters, in addition to technology issues.

While companies traditionally have focused their lobbying on Congress rather than the White House, Trumps unpredictability and capacity to set his partys agenda may have changed their approach, said Steven Billet, a former AT&T Inc. lobbyist who is now a George Washington University professor.

They probably understand that on the Republican side of the aisle, the only people that are really controlling the agenda are in the White House, not on Capitol Hill, Billet said.

--With assistance from Hannah Recht and Bill Allison.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ben Brody in Washington at btenerellabr@bloomberg.net;Naomi Nix in Washington at nnix1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net, Paula Dwyer

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Strategically Strengthens Parkers Portfolio of Attractive Margin, High Growth Businesses



Adds Approximately $1.1 Billion in Annual Sales to Engineered Materials with Complementary Products

Expected to Be Accretive to Parkers Organic Growth, EBITDA Margin, Cash Flow and EPS

Culturally Aligned with Rich History of Innovation and Product Reliability

Strengthens Materials Science Capabilities, Electrification and Aerospace Product Offerings

Parker to Host Conference Call Today at 8:30 AM ET

CLEVELAND, April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parker Hannifin Corporation (PH), the global leader in motion and control technologies, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire LORD Corporation for approximately $3.675 billion in cash. The transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors of each company and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals.

LORD, headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, is a privately-held company founded in 1924 offering a broad array of advanced adhesives, coatings and specialty materials as well as vibration and motion control technologies. LORDs products are used in mission-critical applications in the aerospace, automotive and industrial markets. LORD has annual sales of approximately $1.1 billion and employs 3,100 team members across 17 manufacturing and 15 research and development facilities globally.

This strategic transaction will reinforce our stated objective to invest in attractive margin, growth businesses, such as engineered materials, that accelerate us towards top-quartile financial performance, said Tom Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Parker. LORD will significantly expand our materials science capabilities with complementary products, better positioning us to serve customers in growth industries and capitalize on emerging trends such as electrification and lightweighting.

This transaction will meaningfully transform our portfolio. We anticipate a smooth closing of the transaction and integration of our two businesses, and through adoption of The Win Strategy we believe we can capture significant operational synergies. The combination of Parker and LORD is expected to drive significant value for Parker shareholders and be accretive to organic growth, EBITDA margins, cash flow and EPS, excluding one-time costs and deal related amortization.

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Ed Auslander, President and CEO of LORD, commented, With complementary business segments, coming together with Parker enables LORD to carry out our grander vision. Parker is already a large tier one supplier in many areas, allowing our business lines immediate access to growth, additional markets, applications and new customers. In addition, the two companies are very much aligned when it comes to core values, great business acumen and cultural fit.

Delivers Compelling Financial and Strategic Benefits

Greatly Expands Parkers Engineered Materials Business Adding Strong Brands: LORDs unique and proprietary products, solutions and technologies for mission-critical applications will increase Parkers overall engineered materials product and solutions offerings to enable a stronger value proposition for customers. LORDs portfolio includes strong brands such as LORD, Chemlok, FUSOR, Maxlok, LORD Adhesives, Versilok, LokRealease, CoolTherm, LORD High Capacity Laminate (HCL) Elastomeric Bearings, Dynaflex, and SensorCloud. These brands reflect trusted, safe and reliable products that deliver critical solutions at a high value.



Complementary Products and Markets: LORD will strengthen Parkers offering of complementary products in core aerospace and defense, high-value automotive and industrial markets and enhance opportunities to capitalize on emerging electrification and lightweighting trends. LORD serves a global, blue-chip customer base and consistently serves partners through the entire product lifecycle.



Substantial Synergy Potential: Parker expects to realize approximately $125 million in pre-tax run-rate cost synergies by full-year 2023. The cumulative cost to achieve these synergies is expected to be approximately $80 million. Synergies are expected to come from implementation of Win Strategy initiatives such as supply chain and lean productivity, and SG&A. Cross-selling opportunities and global market distribution are expected to provide incremental revenue synergies over time.



Adds Significant Shareholder Value and is Accretive to EBITDA Margins: The transaction is expected to be accretive to Parkers organic growth, EBITDA margins, cash flow and EPS within the first 12 months, and to achieve high single-digit ROIC by year five, after adjusting for one-time costs and deal related amortization.

Organization and Leadership

Upon closing of the transaction, LORD will be combined with Parkers Engineered Materials Group.

Williams added, We look forward to joining our teams and cultures, each of which places significant focus on safety, engaged people participating in high performance teams, customer experience, profitable growth and top quartile performance. Our shared values, built over the long histories of both companies, make our two companies an ideal match.

Financing and Dividend

Parker plans to finance the transaction using new debt. Following the completion of the transaction, Parker expects to maintain a high investment grade credit profile.

The transaction is not expected to impact Parkers dividend payout target averaging approximately 30-35% of net income over a five-year period, while maintaining its record of annual dividend increases.

Approvals and Time to Closing

The transaction is expected to be completed within the next four to six months and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals.

Advisors

Barclays is serving as financial advisor and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is serving as legal counsel to Parker. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as financial advisor and Jones Day is serving as legal counsel to LORD.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Parker will host a conference call today, April 29 at 8:30 AM Eastern Time, to discuss the transaction. Interested parties are invited to listen to the webcast of the conference call, which can be accessed by visiting the Investor Relations section of Parkers website at www.phstock.com .

A webcast replay will also be available on Parker's website in the Investor Relations section.

About Parker Hannifin

Parker Hannifin is a Fortune 250 global leader in motion and control technologies. For more than 100 years the company has engineered the success of its customers in a wide range of diversified industrial and aerospace markets. Parker has increased its annual dividend per share paid to shareholders for 63 consecutive fiscal years, among the top five longest-running dividend-increase records in the S&P 500 index. Learn more at www.parker.com or @parkerhannifin.

About LORD Corporation

LORD Corporation is a diversified technology and manufacturing company developing highly reliable adhesives, coatings, and vibration and motion control technologies that significantly reduce risk and improve product performance. For more than 90 years, LORD has worked in collaboration with its customers to provide innovative aerospace, defense, automotive and industrial solutions.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements contained in this and other written and oral reports are made based on known events and circumstances at the time of release, and as such, are subject in the future to unforeseen uncertainties and risks. These statements may be identified from the use of forward-looking terminology such as anticipates, believes, may, should, could, potential, continues, plans, forecasts, estimates, projects, predicts, would, intends, anticipates, expects, targets, is likely, will, or the negative of these terms and similar expressions, and include all statements regarding future performance, earnings projections, events or developments. Parker cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. The risks and uncertainties in connection with such forward-looking statements related to the proposed transaction include, but are not limited to, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could delay the closing of the proposed transaction; the possibility of non-consummation of the proposed transaction and termination of the merger agreement; the failure to satisfy any of the conditions to the proposed transaction set forth in the merger agreement; the possibility that a governmental entity may prohibit the consummation of the proposed transaction or may delay or refuse to grant a necessary regulatory approval in connection with the proposed transaction, or that in order for the parties to obtain any such regulatory approvals, conditions are imposed that adversely affect the anticipated benefits from the proposed transaction or cause the parties to abandon the proposed transaction; adverse effects on Parkers common stock because of the failure to complete the proposed transaction; Parkers business experiencing disruptions due to transaction-related uncertainty or other factors making it more difficult to maintain relationships with employees, business partners or governmental entities; the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from the proposed transaction will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; the parties being unable to successfully implement integration strategies; and significant transaction costs related to the proposed transaction. Readers should consider these forward-looking statements in light of risk factors discussed in Parkers Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 filed on August 24, 2018 and other periodic filings made with the SEC. Parker makes these statements as of the date of this disclosure and undertakes no obligation to update them unless otherwise required by law.
MicroStockHub/iStock(AURORA, Ill.) -- The man who allegedly shot to death five coworkers at an Illinois manufacturing plant in February told a colleague on the morning of the shooting that he would kill everyone if he got fired, according to a newly released report.



An employee at Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora, Illinois, told authorities that Gary Martin vowed to kill other employees and "blow up police" if the company terminated him over a safety violation, prosecutors revealed in a report on Monday.



"If I get fired, I'm going to kill every motherf***** in here," he allegedly told his co-worker. "I am going to blow police up."



The unidentified employee said they didn't think to report the comments on Feb. 15 because Martin frequently made "off the wall" comments, according to the Kane County State's Attorney's office review. The employee was aware that Martin kept a gun in his vehicle, but they said they had no idea that he brought it into the facility that morning.



Martin, 45, opened fire a few hours later during a disciplinary meeting over his refusal to wear safety glasses, according to the nine-page review. Police said he died in a gunfight with officers after killing five colleagues, including the company's human resources manager.



Police previously characterized Martin as a disgruntled employee, but the report released Monday showed the first details of events leading up to the mass shooting.



Martin allegedly brought the gun and ammunition into the plant when he clocked in that morning, prosecutors said, noting that he didn't appear to return to his vehicle prior to opening fire.



Witnesses said Martin retrieved an unknown item from his work station, put on a hoodie and stopped at the restroom just before he went into a private meeting to address the safety incident at around 1 p.m., according to the report.



Martin entered the meeting and was "immediately presented" with a write-up, the report said. Human resources manager Clayton Parks then told Martin they would begin the termination process.



Martin began using profanity and Josh Pinkard, a plant manager, told him "it's over." Martin replied, "Yeah, it's over" and began to shoot, according to the report.



Parks, Pinkard and two other employees at the meeting, Russell Beyer and Trevor Wehner, were among those killed. Union steward Timothy Williams was wounded trying to escape the room.



"Mr. Williams started to get up, and then he noticed rapid movement and heard gunshots," prosecutors said. "Mr. Williams ran toward the door and was shot in the wrist. He ran out of the room and down the stairs, yelling, 'Gary is shooting.'"



Employees said they saw Martin chasing Williams with a gun in his hand and yelled for him to stop. Martin continued to pursue Williams and eventually shot him twice more in the back, the report said. He then went to a loading area where he fatally shot Vincent Juarez, a stock room attendant and fork lift operator who he was seen speaking with earlier in the day.

"It is apparent from the evidence that he specifically targeted Mr. Juarez," the report said.



The Kane County State's Attorney's office also laid out a detailed account of the police response, beginning with officers being dispatched to the active shooter scene at 1:24 p.m. and ending with the gunman being fatally shot by police at 2:59 p.m.



After reviewing the case, the office concluded that the officers who fired at Martin were justified in using deadly force. Five officers sustained gunfire-related injuries.



"The offender fired multiple gunshots at police officers arriving at the location of the incident without provocation or legal justification," the report said. "The offender did not respond to multiple verbal commands to cease his actions and surrender at any time."



Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Nepal signs deal with China to access seven Chinese sea and land ports

Nepal and China on Monday signed the Protocol on Implementing Agreement on Transit and Transport and six other agreements in Beijing after delegation level talks between President Bidya Devi Bhandari and her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - Pure Nickel Inc. (TSXV: NIC) (the "Company" or "Pure Nickel") announces that it has signed an Agreement (the "Agreement") with 2176423 Ontario Ltd., a company controlled by Eric Sprott ("Sprott Mining") outlining the arm's length terms for the acquisition by the Company of an initial 51% of the Neal Development Limited Partnership ("Neal LP") from Sprott Mining together with an option to acquire an additional 27% of the Neal LP and 7 unpatented mining claims. The Neal LP holds a lease to operate the Neal Project, which is a gold project comprised of 5 patented and 7 unpatented lode mining claims located 27 kilometers southeast of Boise, Idaho.

There are currently 200 outstanding limited partnership units in Neal LP of which Sprott Mining owns 142 units and has the option to acquire another 54 units (total of 196 units or 98% of the units). Four units are held by a separate party. All dollar figures in the release are US$.

Under terms of the Agreement Pure Nickel would:

Acquire 102 units of Neal LP (51%) in consideration of the issuance to Sprott Mining of 10,221,731 shares of the Company or approximately 15% of the currently issued and outstanding shares of the Company. Upon completion of the share issuance, Pure Nickel will become the operator of the Neal Project.

Have an earn-in option to acquire an additional 54 units (27%) of Neal LP and 7 unpatented mining claims by raising between $1-$1.5 million for an exploration drill program. Upon completion of this future financing, Pure Nickel has the option to pay Sprott Mining $84,706 ($1,568.63 per unit) causing Sprott Mining to exercise its option to acquire the remaining 54 units and assign them to the Company, it will also transfer its interest in the 7 unpatented mining claims to the Company. Upon completion of this earn-in option, Pure Nickel will own 156 units or 78% of Neal LP, while Sprott Mining will retain 40 units or 20%. A separate party will continue to hold the remaining 4 units or 2%.

The Neal LP currently leases the core patented private property at the Neal Project from Daisy Mining & Land, LLP, and the underlying claim holders. Under the lease agreement, Neal LP may remove, extract, ship and sell all ores, minerals and material from the property. In exchange, Daisy Mining will be paid lease payments equal to $3.00 per ton for all material removed from the property. If the annual lease payment is less than $10,000, Neal LP will pay Daisy Mining a cash top-up to meet the $10,000 annual payment minimum. Daisy Mining will also receive production payments on any future production in the form of a 3% NSR.

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The completion of the transaction is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.

Pure Nickel's President and CEO, R. David Russell, commented: "We are very pleased that Eric Sprott has agreed to allow Pure Nickel to become the operating partner in the Neal Project, while at the same time becoming a significant shareholder of the Company. With the acquisition of a controlling and operating interest in the Neal Gold Project in Idaho, we believe we have made the first key strategic step for Pure Nickel to expand the Company's focus to include gold and silver exploration and development."

ABOUT THE NEAL PROJECT

Geology-

Neal is a high grade gold-dominant discrete vein system with at least 5 veins known to date. Test mining in recent years from the top of the historic vein zones exploited near surface stockwork veining left behind by previous operators. Most of the veins are parallel and strike north-easterly with moderate southerly dips within a regionally extensive fault system, probably related to the nearby Trans-Challis fault zone. Veining consists of quartz- white mica- clay, with the better gold grades directly related to iron oxides after pyrite near surface and pyrite at depth. The primary host rock is a fairly uniform Cretaceous-age biotite granodiorite that is part of the southern margin of the extensive Atlanta Lobe of the Idaho Batholith. Tertiary-age bi-modal lamprophyre and rhyolite dikes intrude the same faults that host the vein zones at Neal; a common theme in many other gold mines in the region.

Property Description-

The Neal Project is located near Boise, Idaho and has excellent access via 20 kilometers of improved gravel and dirt roads from Interstate-84. A 25-minute commute from Boise provides easy access to the many private and government services available in Idaho's largest city. The rolling hills in the area are part of the Danskin Mountain Range, but are arid and mostly covered by sage and scrub-brush. Although one small underground gold mining operation is located approximately 4 miles on strike to the southwest from Neal, most of the industry in the immediate area is ranching related. Neal private property consists of 5 patented mining claims covering approximately 22.4 hectares (55.38 acres) and another 7 unpatented lode claims covering about 52.6 hectares (130 acres) located on Forest Service administered public lands.

Historic Underground Gold Mining-

The project site was the most productive gold producer in the Neal Mining District, with underground production from 1889 through 1941 sourced mainly from the Hidden Treasure, Homestake and Daisy Mines. According to US Bureau of Mines records, the Neal Mining District is estimated to have reported production of at least 30,000 ounces of gold, with most of this coming from the Neal property1. Table 1 provides a summary for a select range of historic underground production years for which data is available.

Table 1 Neal Project: historic gold/silver production for select years Mine Production (from Bennett) Calculated from

Production Figures





Mine Short Tons

Mined Gold

(troy ounces) Silver

(troy ounces)

Gold Grade

(oz per ton)

Production

Years Homestake- Hidden Treasure



35,644



13,961



10,219



0.392



19021941 Daisy 1,888 1,121 1,260 0.594 19021906 Note- Neal historic underground production years are reported as 1889-1941 1

Historic Exploration Drilling and Trenching-

In the 1989-1990 time period, Centennial Mining completed a reverse circulation drill program targeting near surface oxide gold mineralization that consisted of 190 vertical and 18 angle holes totaling 47,655 ft (14,525 m). Although this drilling was not the first at Neal, it was the first extensive program intended to define a resource for a contemplated open pit heap leach gold operation. The program was generally successful in identifying five vein zones and accessing near surface oxide potential.

Later work in the 2007-2013 timeframe by Aquasolum Consultants followed up key intercepts (Table-2) from the earlier Centennial program with additional trenching. This detailed surface trench work better defined vein and stockwork gold mineralization found in the earlier drilling and produced samples for metallurgical and mine development studies.

Table 2 Neal Mine Project: Centennial Mines 1989 Key Drillhole Intercepts RC Drill Hole

Depth to Top

Interval (ft) Depth to Top

Interval (m) Intercept

(ft) Intercept

(m) Gold

(opt) Au (g/t) DH # 89-43 265 80.8 5 1.5 0.972 33.32 DH # 89-104 50 15.2 5 1.5 0.813 27.88 DH # 89-166 60 18.3 5 1.5 0.664 22.78 DH # 90-87 75 22.9 5 1.5 0.615 21.08 DH # 89-116 N 140 42.7 5 1.5 0.605 20.74 DH # 89-117 150 45.7 5 1.5 0.555 19.04 DH # 89-20 80 24.4 5 1.5 0.417 14.28 DH # 89-154 25 7.6 5 1.5 0.397 13.60 DH # 89-170 265 80.8 5 1.5 0.377 12.92 DH # 89-116N 135 41.2 5 1.5 0.357 12.24 Intercept length from reverse circulation drilling only. True width unknown.









Recent Bulk Sampling-

In 2015, Neal Development LP started development work on an open cut exploration program at the Neal mine. This program was designed to provide adequate sample volume for further metallurgical and mill recovery work. The open cut produced a 12,900 ton sample of gold mineralized material that averaged 0.140 troy ounces per short ton (opt) (4.375 g/t)2. The qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify this historical estimate as current mineral resources or reserves and the Company is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. This stockpile remains onsite and under terms of the Agreement, Sprott Mining retains the rights to the stockpiled material.

The Neal Mine Project is a fully permitted Mine Operation. An environmental reclamation plan approval, which becomes the operating permit, was issued for the Neal Project on April 20, 2017 and a surety bond of $175,000 must be posted under the current permit for the full mine project which allows for drilling, exploration and mining (Atlanta Gold Inc. press release2). Of this $175,000 total bond, an initial $87,500 is in the process of being posted by the Neal Development LP. Any additional mining of the open pit will require an additional $87,500 be added by the operator to complete the full bonding at $175,000.

Plans for 2019-2020-

In the near term, Pure Nickel technical personnel will organize and assess existing exploration data from past operators and complete an updated geologic map and surface sampling program. Historic data will be combined with surface geology/geochemistry and any new drill data to better define underground vein targets. This is expected to allow for selective targeting during a follow-up drilling program later in the year.

Comments on Historic Drilling and Sampling-

The Company has not done sufficient work to verify historic drilling or sampling results. However, the Company considers that the historic information is relevant for early-stage project assessment based upon Pure Nickel's due diligence work, which includes property visits and the review of historic reports, maps, and technical data.

Sources Cited-

1 Bennett, Earl H., 2001. The Geology and Mineral Deposits of Part of the Western Half of the Hailey 1o x 2 o Quadrangle, Idaho, USGS Bulletin 2064-W, prepared with Idaho Geological Survey, Idaho State University and the University of Idaho: with a section on the Neal Mining District by Thor H. Kiilsgaard and Earl H. Bennet (pp 24-29).

2 Atlanta Gold Inc. news releases dated Dec 9, 2015 and April 26, 2017.

ABOUT PURE NICKEL INC.

Pure Nickel is a mineral exploration company with a focus on exploration and development projects in North America. Pure Nickel owns William Lake, a nickel exploration project in northern Manitoba. The Company recently sold two of its nickel assets and is now gearing the exploration portfolio to also include gold and silver exploration and development.

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Thomas H. Chadwick, BSc., CPG, a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure Standards for Mineral Projects.

For further information:

Pure Nickel Inc.

R. David Russell

Chairman and CEO

T. (416) 644-0066

info@purenickel.com

www.purenickel.com

Forward Looking Statements

Some of the statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, expectations, plans, and objectives of Pure Nickel are forward-looking statements that involve various risks. The following are important factors that could cause Pure Nickel's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: changes in the world-wide price of mineral commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risks associated with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of future exploration activities and cash flows, and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events may differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Pure Nickel undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44429
A border patrol agent said radio advertising in Central American countries promises help to those looking to achieve the American dream by crossing the southern border.

The word is definitely out, CBP Assistant Chief Border Patrol Agent Jose Martinez told FOX Business Maria Bartiromo on Monday, during a ride along tour of the border in El Paso, Texas.

He said most of the people attempting to enter the U.S. illegally come from the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Others are making their way from Nicaragua and Cuba. After they make it onto U.S. soil, Martinez said, the illegal immigrants are headed to major metropolitan areas such as Atlanta Dallas, Houston, Boston, and New York.

This area is probably the busiest area in the country at the moment, with illegal entries, he said of the El Paso region.

Most of the illegal immigrants making it pass the southern border are looking to find an agent to turn themselves in for processing, according to Martinez.

They want to get processed, given the papers, then they go north and they have legal papers to be wherever theyre going to be at, he said.

Several people crossed over during Bartiromos tour of the border, including families with children, and two sisters aged 8 and 10, travelling alone. They told Martinez their mother left to get food and never returned.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP

Martinez said the Mexican drug cartels are winning because they are familiar with the border and its vulnerabilities.

All I can do, is do my job and do it to the best of my ability, Martinez, a father of two, said on Mornings with Maria.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein submitted his resignation Monday after a two-year run defined by his appointment of a special counsel to investigate connections between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia.

His last day will be May 11, ending a tumultuous relationship with Trump and a tenure that involved some of the most consequential, even chaotic, moments of the president's administration.

When Trump wanted to fire then-FBI Director James Comey, who was overseeing the Russia probe, Rosenstein wrote the memo that the White House used to justify the dismissal. But eight days later, Rosenstein took a step that Trump feared would end his presidency: appointing Robert Mueller as special counsel. The move made Rosenstein the frequent target of Republican wrath and angry Trump tweets and left him repeatedly appearing on the verge of being fired.

Yet in the end, he was largely in Trump's corner.

He joined Attorney General William Barr in determining that Trump had not obstructed the Mueller investigation  reaching a conclusion that Mueller himself pointedly did not make. He defended Barr against criticism that he was spinning Mueller's findings in the president's favor and stood silently behind him as Barr praised Trump's cooperation at a news conference before a redacted version of the report was released.

In his resignation letter to Trump, Rosenstein paid tribute to the Justice Department's accomplishments and to Trump himself, even praising the sense of humor of a man who once retweeted an image that showed Rosenstein and other officials jailed for treason.

"I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education, and prosperity, because 'a nation exists to serve its citizens,'" Rosenstein wrote to Trump.

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Rosenstein's departure had been expected following the confirmation of William Barr as attorney general. Barr praised Rosenstein on Monday for having "navigated many challenging situations with strength, grace, and good humor." The White House nominated a replacement for the No. 2 slot, Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen, weeks ago.

In his resignation letter, Rosenstein said the median tenure for the position is 16 months; Rosenstein will have served about two years by the time he leaves.

Rosenstein had intended to leave around mid-March but stayed on for the completion of Mueller's investigation. He was part of a small group of department officials who reviewed the report and helped shape its public release after Mueller submitted the document last month. Integral to the start of the probe, Rosenstein was also present for the very end. After Mueller didn't reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed the investigation, Barr and the deputy stepped in and determined the evidence wasn't enough to support such an allegation.

The deputy attorney general position is a hugely significant job, responsible for overseeing the Justice Department's daily operations and the work of United States attorneys across the country. But it's largely an anonymous, behind-the-scenes position. Rosenstein even joked about telling one of his daughters when he took the job not to expect to see his picture in the newspapers.

That wasn't the case, though, for Rosenstein, who was thrust into Justice Department drama even before his arrival on the job because of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' earlier recusal from the Russia probe.

The tumult continued in May 2017 when his memo lambasting Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation laid the groundwork for the FBI chief's firing, though Rosenstein privately made clear that he was unhappy that the White House publicly characterized the termination as his idea instead of Trump's, according to Mueller's report. Trump later said he would have fired Comey even without the Justice Department's recommendation and that he was thinking of "this Russia thing" at the time.

Rosenstein appointed Mueller one week later, supervised his work and routinely defended the investigation against attacks from congressional Republicans and from Trump, who often blasted the probe as a "witch hunt."

Over the next two years, with Sessions recused from the Russia investigation because of his work on the Trump campaign, Rosenstein set the boundaries of Mueller's investigation, approved investigative steps and, in place of the rarely seen special counsel, twice announced criminal indictments from the Justice Department podium against Russians accused of election interference.

The investigation overshadowed the rest of Rosenstein's work even as he talked up the president's agenda, including announcements on combating violent crime and opioid addiction.

"The Department of Justice made rapid progress in achieving the Administration's law enforcement priorities  reducing violent crime, curtailing opioid abuse, protecting consumers, improving immigration enforcement, and building confidence in the police  while preserving national security and strengthening federal efforts in other areas," Rosenstein wrote in his resignation letter.

Though Rosenstein's exit was orderly, and he endured in the job well beyond Sessions, his relationship with the president waffled over time and his job often appeared in the balance.

That was especially true last September after The New York Times reported that he had discussed secretly recording Trump and invoking a constitutional amendment to remove him from office.

The Justice Department issued statements disputing the reporting, but former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe  who was in the room  has said he got the sense that Rosenstein was "counting votes" about which Cabinet members he could enlist in the effort to oust Trump. Rosenstein arrived at the White House days after the news reports expecting to be fired, but he was instead allowed to stay on after private conversations with Trump's then-chief of staff, John Kelly, and the president himself.

The president also lashed out in April 2018 after the FBI raided the office of his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and months later retweeted the image that showed Rosenstein, Comey and other investigators behind bars.

In his resignation letter, Rosenstein made a perhaps oblique reference to those chaotic moments and the media attention surrounding them.

"We enforce the law without fear or favor because credible evidence is not partisan, and truth is not determined by opinion polls," Rosenstein wrote. "We ignore fleeting distractions and focus on the things that matter, because a republic that endures is not governed by the news cycle."

____

Read Rosenstein's resignation letter: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5982854-Deputy-AG-Rod-Rosenstein-s-resignation-letter.html
Achyut Wagle holds PhD in economics and is currently a professor at the Kathmandu University School of Management. He is an econo-political analyst, writing for The Kathmandu Post for many years.
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) - Ryanair aims to double the number of routes and passengers it flies to Jordan next year following rapid growth since launching flights to the country last year, the head of Europe's biggest budget airline told Reuters.

The Irish airline, which began flying to Jordan in February 2018, currently operates 14 routes to the capital Amman and the Red Sea port city of Aqaba, and will add four new routes for the winter season in Europe.

After talks with Jordanian officials, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said he expected to reach around 1 million passengers in 2020 from the roughly 500,000 expected this year.

"We could double the number of routes to 40 routes connecting other cities in Germany, Poland, Italy, Greece and others to Jordan," O'Leary said in an interview in Amman, urging the government to waive a $56 (43) visa at the airport to help boost passenger numbers.

O'Leary said Ryanair in total expected to carry almost 150 million passengers this year, the vast majority on routes in the European Union, although it also flies to some non-EU countries, including Israel and Morocco.

Jordan has courted Ryanair, which flew 300,000 passengers in the first year of its launch, a key factor behind the 13 percent rise in tourism receipts last year to a record $5.2 billion.

The recovery in tourism has been a major economic boost to the cash-strapped country that has been forced to adopt IMF-guided austerity measures, sparking major protests last year.

Jordan's open skies agreement with the EU in 2010 that abolished all restrictions gave the country an edge over other Middle Eastern countries that have sought to protect their national carriers.

"Jordan is Ryanair's by far fastest (growing) winter sun destination. It's growing faster than Morocco, Canary Islands, Southern Italy and Greece. You have an enormous potential here for inbound tourism," O'Leary said.

Morocco is Ryanair's biggest market in the Middle East, with 2.5 million passengers annually, followed by Israel which gets 1.3 million to Tel Aviv airport alone.

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In European tourists' minds, Jordan and Israel are less of a security concern than other destinations in the Middle East, such as Tunisia and Egypt, O'Leary said.

"Jordan is very much ahead of Middle Eastern destinations ... In European minds there are no security or safety issues visiting Jordan and Israel," he said.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Mark Potter)
Insider sources at Samsung have revealed that the South Korean tech giant is readying a new public-private blockchain equipped with its own cryptocurrency in a move that could hasten adoption of distributed ledger technology. According to the source, Samsung Coin is currently in development but the timing and direction of the new product has not been confirmed. The source did confirm that it will be powered by Ethereum.

Samsung has made several forays into the blockchain arena. The companys new Galaxy S10 smartphones have in-built crypto wallet features that support Ethereum and hundreds of ERC-20 tokens. According to French business magazine, Capital, Samsung has invested nearly $3 million in Ledger, one of the leading cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturers.

CEO Mortiz von Widekind addressed the various rumours connecting Samsung to cryptocurrency at the recent Blockchain Expo in London. Speaking to Decrypt Media, he said:

Samsung is a huge organisation and everyone within the organisation works with blockchain, to a certain extent.

If anything, this is an endorsement of Ethereum as a reliable blockchain with solid plans of scaling and further developing the network to handle all the heavy lifting from an established electronics giant. Add that to the Samsung Galaxy S10 Blockchain Store wallet supporting Ethereum (ETH) and ERC-20 tokens, and investors dont need other signals for what the future holds.

Mortiz comments suggest that blockchain adoption is an organisational effort and not just limited to one particular unit. After all, Samsung is just one of the several big-tech firms pivoting toward blockchain. Facebook, for example, is also rumoured to be creating their own coin.

But more importantly, there are two other players I would like to focus on.

Looking at IBM & Stellar

IBM Blockchain World Wire

In March 2019, IBM launched World Wire  an international payments solution based on Stellars decentralised ledger technology. It is available in 72 countries and 47 different currencies.

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The blockchain-based platform offers an elegant solution that simplifies international settlements. Before World Wire, cross-border transactions had to go through messaging, clearing, and settlement before funds appeared in the recipients account. This is a complicated and lengthy affair that requires a number of intermediaries, which adds time and cost to the whole process. World Wire eliminates these intermediaries by relying on the Stellar protocol.

The key to this elegant solution is the use of a stablecoin that is backed by fiat currency. For example, if bank A in the UK wants to send money to bank B in the Philippines, both banks will agree to come up with a new stablecoin (UKPH coin for instance). The bank in Brazil will buy UKPH using the Brazilian Real and then send it to the Stellar network. Stellar will forward UKPH to bank B in the Philippines. Bank B will then convert UKPH into Philippine Peso.

Since World Wire uses the Stellar network, the transaction happens in seconds with almost no loss of value other than the 0.00001 XLM network fee. With this solution, six international banks have already provided letters of intent to issue stablecoins on World Wire.

Also, while it is not explicitly stated, it is safe to assume that you dont need a bank account to use World Wire. Partner banks can simply access the World Wide platform by plugging into a set of provided APIs. Thus, it is an additional service that doesnt require users to have accounts in participating banks.

With this development, Stellars road to mass adoption appears to be clearing. IBMs World Wire is just the beginning.

Not only that, but IBM Blockchain is also partnering with German automotive giant Volkswagen to track strategic minerals used throughout the manufacturing supply chain. IBMs blockchain unit has more than 1,500 industry and technical experts.

Lets hope fundamentals keep improving!

The post Samsung and IBM going all-in to Ethereum and Stellar? appeared first on Coin Rivet.
By Niklas Pollard and Anna Ringstrom STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Scandinavian airline SAS canceled more than 500 flights scheduled for Wednesday, which will ground some 47,000 passengers, as a strike by pilots entered a fifth day with no sign of talks between management and unions. More than 300,000 travelers have been hit by the stand-off over wages and other pilot demands which analysts estimate could cost SAS $10.5 million a day, threatening to wipe out the airline's annual profit. SAS, which is part-owned by the Swedish and Danish governments, said that union demands entailed "significant cost increases" that would threaten competitiveness and jobs. "SAS has clearly stated that we are prepared to continue negotiating and find a solution," SAS Chief Executive Rickard Gustafson said on Tuesday. Pilots at the airline went out on strike on Friday as wage talks broke down, grounding around 70 percent of SAS flights. The SAS Pilot Group, a union body representing 95 percent of the airline's pilots in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, has said the dispute concerns more than simply wages, pointing to demands for more predictable and transparent working hours. "The unions have not yet indicated that they are ready to release their ultimate demands and return to the negotiating table, which means that we remain in a deadlock," Gustafson said in a statement from the airline. STRIKE TAKES TOLL As the strike dragged on, DNB Markets lowered its rating on SAS shares, sending them 3.9 percent lower by 1034 GMT, and estimated the strike could cost the airline as much as 100 million Swedish crowns ($10.5 million) per day. DNB Markets lowered its rating to "hold" from "buy" after nearly halving its 2019 earnings per share estimate for SAS due to the strike and high fuel prices, and said it may cut estimates further unless the strike is ended by Wednesday. "We believe investors will remain lukewarm as long as the earnings trend remains negative and as the pilots' strike puts the targeted 3 billion crown cost savings by 2020 in jeopardy," it said in a note. The aviation industry's employer body in Sweden has said pilots sought a 13 percent wage hike despite what it called already high average wages of 93,000 Swedish crowns ($9,777 ) a month, demands it labeled as "extreme". The SAS strike does not affect flights operated by its partners, which make up roughly 30 percent of all departures. Rival Norwegian Air said separately it would add 35 extra flights from May 1-3 to meet additional demand during the SAS strike. (Reporting by Niklas Pollard and Anna Ringstrom, additional reporting by Johan Ahlander in Stockholm and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; editing by Ed Osmond and Alexander Smith)
SAS airplanes are seen parked on the tarmac as SAS pilots go on strike at Oslo Airport in Gardermoen, Norway April 26, 2019. NTB Scanpix/Ole Berg-Rusten via REUTERS

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The CEO of Scandinavian airline SAS has told negotiators to thrash out what concessions the company could make to end a pilots strike that has disrupted travel plans for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Well into the fourth day of the strike, neither SAS nor unions in Sweden, Denmark and Norway have contacted the other side, and no new talks are scheduled, SAS and the unions said.

SAS pilots went on strike on Friday as wage talks broke down, grounding around 70 percent of the airline's flights and affecting about 280,000 passengers, including cancellations set for Monday and Tuesday.

SAS Chief Executive Rickard Gustafson told Reuters the dispute was damaging the airline, which is part-owned by the governments of Sweden and Denmark, with big financial consequences.

"We simply have to put an end to this conflict. It is deeply damaging to the company, and it erodes our customers' confidence in the company," Gustafson said in an interview.

"I have instructed our negotiation team to continue to work on (our proposals) and see what more we can do to find constructive solutions within reason. We also need to survive after the conflict," he added.

Sydbank analysts have estimated the strike is costing the airline 60-80 million Swedish crowns ($6.3-$8.4 million) per day, a rate that would wipe out the expected net profit this year in just two weeks.

SAS shares were down 1.8 percent at 1250 GMT, while the broader market in Stockholm was roughly unchanged.

SAS pilots in the three countries went on strike after talks over wages, careers and work schedules broke down. The Swedish union has said pilots were seeking around a 13 percent pay hike.

The aviation industry's employer body in Sweden says pilots already have high wages, averaging 93,000 crowns last year. The Swedish pilots union disputes the figure, saying salaries start at 34,000 crowns, rising over 25 years to 98,000.

SAS has been cutting costs for years amid competition from low-cost rivals such as Norwegian Air and Ryanair

Story continues

Close to bankruptcy in 2012, SAS sold assets and cut wages and thousands of jobs in return for a life-saving credit facility. It has been profitable in the last four years but fuel costs are rising and overcapacity is still squeezing the sector.

"We can't have a cost explosion in the company. That would leave us with no competitive power," Gustafson said.

A growing global pilot shortage has meanwhile bolstered pilots' bargaining power, as seen at other airlines including Ryanair, Lufthansa and Air France.

The Cockpit Association of Norway and the Swedish Airline Pilots Association said they were willing to resume negotiations if approached by the employer.

Meanwhile, regional rival Norwegian Air said it was adding flights to its schedule in response to extraordinary demand.

A search on Norwegian's booking site showed flights to many destinations were sold out, while others cost three to four times more in the coming days than in subsequent weeks.

($1 = 9.5076 Swedish crowns)

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm, Terje Solsvik and Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo and Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen; Editing by Niklas Pollard, Louise Heavens and Mark Potter)
Washington, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum conferred its 2019 Elie Wiesel Award, the institutions highest honor, on two recipients at its National Tribute Dinner on Monday, April 29. Both recipients have advanced our common humanity in exceptional ways: Serge and Beate Klarsfeld through their extraordinary contributions to Holocaust memory, education and justice; and the Syria Civil Defence, commonly known as The White Helmets, through their remarkable courage, saving lives at enormous personal risk.



Elie Wiesel said indifference always benefits the aggressor  never his victim, said Museum Chairman Howard Lorber. After World War II, when many in Europe wanted to avoid discussing their culpability during the Holocaust, the Klarsfelds refused to remain silent and sought to bring Nazi perpetrators to justice. Today, as the Assad regime ruthlessly targets its own citizens, the White Helmets risk their lives to save their fellow citizens. The courageous actions of all the honorees are the embodiment of Elies warning about the perils of indifference.

Established in 2011, the Elie Wiesel Award recognizes internationally prominent individuals whose actions have advanced the Museums vision of a world where people confront hate, prevent genocide and promote human dignity.

Elie Wiesel, the Museums founding chairman, was the first recipient of the award, which was subsequently renamed in his honor. Engraved on the award are words from Wiesels Nobel Prize acceptance speech, One person of integrity can make a difference.

The awards were presented during the Museums annual 2019 Days of Remembrance, when the Museum leads the nation in remembering the victims of the Holocaust. At the dinner, the Museum also presented its National Leadership Award to two visionary leaders from the Mid-Atlantic region for their contributions to preserving Holocaust history and its relevance for new generations: Shelley and Allan Holt. The son of Holocaust survivors, Allan Holt serves as the vice chairman of the Museum and chair of its Strategic Advancement Committee. More than 1,200 people, including some 45 Holocaust survivors, attended the event, which raised $3.1 million.

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The Klarsfelds

Serge and Beate Klarsfeld have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the cause of Holocaust remembrance and singular leadership in combating the impunity of perpetrators of the Holocaust era and advancing Holocaust memory and education.

Serge played a key role in the prosecution of high ranking Nazi officials and French collaborators including Klaus Barbie, Rene Bousquet, Jean Leguay, Maurice Papon, and Paul Touvier. Beate Klarsfeld boldly confronted former Nazis serving in the West German government, and Serge Klarsfeld conducted path-breaking research on child deportees and the Holocaust in France and Romania, including documenting the stories of thousands of French Jews sent to the gas chambers. The Klarsfelds have aggressively campaigned against antisemitism in Europe and the Middle East, and to confront massacres elsewhere, such as Sarajevo and Burundi.



Syria Civil Defence (The White Helmets)

The largest civil society organization operating in areas outside of government control, the White Helmets is a volunteer organization comprised of people from all backgrounds  bankers, tailors, engineers, pharmacists, painters, carpenters, students, and many more  that operates in parts of Syria and Turkey. They conduct search and rescue operations in response to bombing and gas attacks, medical and other evacuations, and essential service delivery including reconnecting electrical cables, providing safety information to children, securing buildings and more. At enormous risk to themselves and their families and in the face of horrific attacks by the Syrian government, the Syria Civil Defence have courageously saved lives and delivered critical services to a desperate population.

Their motto is To save one life is to save all of humanity. To date, 261 members of the White Helmets have been killed while saving more than 115,000 lives.

Previous recipients of the Museums Elie Wiesel Award can be found here: https://www.ushmm.org/information/about-the-museum/the-elie-wiesel-award.

The Museums National Tribute Dinner was held on Monday, April 29 at the Washington Hilton. The events co-chairs were Pamela Kurland and David Marchick.

The National Tribute Dinner supports the Museums $1 billion campaign, Never Again: What You Do Matters, which allows the Museum to make critical investments to keep Holocaust memory alive as a relevant force for change  inspiring people worldwide to confront hate, prevent genocide and promote human dignity.



About the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors. For more information, visit www.ushmm.org.

###





Attachments

Raymund Flandez

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

2024279946

rflandez@ushmm.org


NEW ORLEANS, April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors of pending deadlines in the following securities class action lawsuits:



Weight Watchers International, Inc. (WTW)

Class Period: 5/4/2018 - 2/26/2019

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: May 3, 2019

SECURITIES FRAUD

To learn more, visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nasdaqgs-wtw/

American Renal Associates Holdings, Inc. (ARA)

Class Period: 8/10/2016 - 3/27/2019

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: May 27, 2019

SECURITIES FRAUD

To learn more, visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ara/

Amyris, Inc. (AMRS)

Class Period: 3/15/2018 - 3/19/2019

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: June 3, 2019

SECURITIES FRAUD

To learn more, visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nasdaqgs-amrs/

Apple Inc. (AAPL)

Class Period: 11/2/2018 - 1/2/2019

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: June 17, 2019

SECURITIES FRAUD

To learn more, visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nasdaqgs-aapl/

If you purchased shares of the above companies and would like to discuss your legal rights and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner, Lewis Kahn, toll-free at 1-877-515-1850, via email (Lewis.Kahn@KSFcounsel.com), or via the case links above.

If you wish to serve as a Lead Plaintiff in the class action, you must petition the Court on or before the Lead Plaintiff Motion deadline.

About

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC, whose partners include the former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com .

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com

1-877-515-1850

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163
Chase L. Stobbe Joins as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer

Elaine M. Cheng Joins as Vice President and Chief Information Officer

EDINBURG, Va., April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel) (SHEN) announced that Chase L. Stobbe has joined the Company as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer (CAO), and Elaine M. Cheng has joined as Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO).



Mr. Stobbe will be responsible for the leadership of Shentels Accounting function. Previously, he was a Senior Manager in the audit practice of KPMG, LLP where he focused on serving public telecommunications companies over the last twelve years. Mr. Stobbe has led diverse engagement teams and has extensive knowledge of U.S. GAAP and internal control over financial reporting. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and is a Certified Public Accountant. As previously announced, the Company has initiated and is continuing an open and comprehensive search for a Chief Financial Officer.



Ms. Cheng will be responsible for the leadership of Shentels Information Technology function. For the past eight years, she has served as Chief Information Officer & Managing Director, Global Strategic Design, for CFA Institute in Charlottesville, VA. Prior to her time at CFA Institute, she held a number of different roles over 13 years with M&T Bank in Buffalo, NY, most recently as Group Vice President, Technology Business Services.



We are pleased to welcome Chase and Elaine to the senior leadership team at Shentel. Both individuals bring a wealth of experience and expertise to our organization, and further enhance the depth of our management team. Both will be a tremendous asset as we continue to build on our successful growth, said Christopher E. French, President of Shenandoah Telecommunications Company.

About Shenandoah Telecommunications

Story continues

Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel) provides a broad range of diversified telecommunications services through its high speed, state-of-the-art network to customers in the Mid-Atlantic United States. The Companys services include: wireless voice and data; cable video, internet and digital voice; fiber network and services; and regulated local and long distance telephone. Shentel is the exclusive personal communications service (PCS) Affiliate of Sprint in portions of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and portions of Kentucky and Ohio. For more information, please visit www.shentel.com .

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of unforeseen factors. A discussion of factors that may cause actual results to differ from management's projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations is available in the Companys filings with the SEC. Those factors may include changes in general economic conditions, increases in costs, changes in regulation and other competitive factors.

CONTACTS:

Shenandoah Telecommunications Company

Christopher E. French, President and Chief Executive Officer; or,

David L. Heimbach, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

540-984-4141



Or
Scenery is not enough

Here are a few things Karnali Province needs to do to boost the local tourism sector.
(Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley will get the high-profile job of advising market maker Citadel Securities LLC as it helps Slack Technologies Inc. go public through a direct listing, according to a regulatory filing.

Morgan Stanley is also one of the three general advisers -- not underwriters -- listed in the workplace-messaging companys filing Friday for a direct listing of its shares rather than an initial public offering. The other two advisers are Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Allen & Co.

The San Francisco-based company will list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SK.

Morgan Stanleys role in the listing comes as one of its even bigger clients is heading to the public markets. Based on the roster of banks winning the coveted lead left advisory role, Morgan Stanley is the No. 3 adviser on U.S. technology IPOs this year by market share, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Thats set to change in the next few weeks as Uber Technologies Inc. firms up plans for its trading debut. Uber is seeking to raise $9 billion in a listing that could value the ride-hailing company at as much as $84 billion, according to a filing Friday. Morgan Stanley is leading that IPO, alongside Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Corp.

Simultaneous Auctions

As the named adviser to the designated market maker for Slack, Morgan Stanley will determine the price and share count to begin selling the stock. The other financial advisers may also provide input on their recommendations for price and share count, according to Slacks filing.

The shares are expected to begin trading in May, according to people familiar with the matter.

Most companies go public to raise cash. But in the past few years, private capital has been easy to come by for technology startups. Airbnb Inc. is among other tech unicorns that have considered a direct listing, said people familiar with the matter.

In a traditional IPO, the opening share price and number of shares sold are determined by the banks that underwrite the stock and collect orders from buyers in the days leading up to the listing of the shares.

Story continues

Spotifys Listing

Last year, Morgan Stanley was the named adviser to the designated market market for music-streaming company Spotify Technology SA in its direct listing. As with Slack, the bank advised Citadel Securities on the price of the companys first trade after gathering indicative prices at which investors wanted to buy and sell shares.

For Morgan Stanley, being the named adviser to the designated market market is a coveted role because investors typically prefer to trade through the bank named as the adviser in the prospectus.

In a direct listing, a company transfers its shares to an exchange and lets them trade publicly without an underwriter -- and without typical underwriter fees. A direct listing allows companies that dont need to raise capital to create an opportunity for their employees and early investors to sell their holdings. Because shares are merely exchanged without the company raising money by issuing new stock, investors holdings arent diluted.

Cashing Out

Direct listings also make it easier for existing shareholders to cash out immediately, avoiding a typical lockup period designed to protect new investors by making insiders wait to unload shares.

Its certainly a friendlier situation for the employees, said Barrett Daniels, a Deloitte partner who advises companies on going public. Investors who buy into direct listing stocks tend to do so because they believe in the long-term value of the company as opposed to the potential to make money flipping the stock for a higher price.

In theory, its possible that many traditional IPO investors are just in it for the price pop, Daniels said.

Direct listings, in the eyes of fans including Daniels, are a purer form of trading because banks dont create IPO orders or artificial purchases to boost the stocks price or popularity. The price at which shares change hands is the true market price as determined by separate supply- and demand-side auctions.

Smaller Investors

Slack chose a direct listing, in part, because the process doesnt allow the underwriting banks to favor larger investors over smaller ones, said people familiar with the matter. Representatives for Morgan Stanley and Slack declined to comment.

In a traditional IPO, the underwriting banks can dole out shares to their best clients, keeping smaller investors out of the process. In a direct listing, anyone can trade at the price established through the adviser to the market maker.

Listing without underwriters doesnt come without risks. As much as direct listings can avert volatility created by traders flipping the stock, they can encounter greater uncertainty because the process doesnt employ a bank to act as a stabilization agent, to prop up the stock if it plunges.

The lack of underwriters also means a lack of coverage by research analysts. In a traditional IPO, banks pay large teams of analysts to produce content about the company theyre underwriting. With no research being generated by underwriters, a company must be well known enough on its own to attract research independent of the underwriting banks. Company management isnt involved in the pricing and cant influence it.

Bloomberg Beta, the venture capital arm of Bloomberg LP, is an investor in Slack.

(Corrects story originally published April 26 to clarify description of Morgan Stanleys role.)

--With assistance from Ellen Huet.

To contact the reporter on this story: Olivia Zaleski in San Francisco at ozaleski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Fournier at efournier5@bloomberg.net, Michael Hytha

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SoOum Corp (OTCPINK:SOUM), a Physical Commodities Arbitrage Trading and e-Commerce Company, announces it completed negotiations, and secured a US$20,000 contract to export out-of-shell medium-size California almonds to Afghanistan.



Currently, the contract remains indefinite in duration with almond shipments recurring on a monthly basis. The first US$20,000 shipment commences this month, increasing 2-4 containers per delivery until the buyer receives the desired quantity per month. SoOum's business development team meets with the buyer and supplier next week to address further shipments and business possibilities.

Furthermore, SOUM recently completed its first delivery and sale of 100% USDA beef directly to the Island of Malta where it will act as a wholesale distributor of the beef and other meat products. Currently, SOUMs professional team continues to work to grow the beef distribution network on Malta and in the surrounding regions.

SOUMs management currently continues to work diligently in completing all its US SEC filings to become a current fully reporting issuer.

About SoOum

SoOum Corp, (SOUM:OTCPINK) an international trading firm, conducts its own in-house, arbitrage and order based transactions of physical commodities, and offers an international trade platform called - SoOum.com - The platform automatically discovers price discrepancies of any given physical commodity in different regions, allowing anyone to easily build a transaction and facilitate trade. The platform provides and aids the professional Arbitrage trader, Importer, Exporter and other international traders to enhance their business by creating a central interface to conduct and negotiate trade in real time. The Companys Website traffic increased over 400% in the recent months.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements in this press release regarding the Companys business which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve some risks and uncertainties. The Company cautions that various factors, including the factors described under the caption forward-looking statements in the Companys annual report on Form 10-K, could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements contained herein. These factors include the following: business conditions and volatility in the commodities market, and the general economy; competitive factors including compressed gross profit margins; shifts in market demand; product availability; reliance on key customers; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; income tax legislation; and the risk factors listed from time to time in the Companys reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Steve Messina

646-801-3772

investors@sooum.com


(Adds al-Baghdadi video, U.S. travel advisory)

By A. Ananthalakshmi and Alexandra Ulmer

COLOMBO, April 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka said on Tuesday that some of the Islamist militants behind Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people were likely still at large and could be planning more attacks.

Sri Lankan security forces also said they were maintaining a high level of alert amid intelligence reports that the militants were likely to strike before the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which is due to begin next Monday.

"Tremendous progress has been made towards apprehending those plotters but I don't think the story is over yet," Ambassador Alaina Teplitz said in an interview.

"We do believe that there is active planning under way," she said, referring to the possibility of more attacks.

Scores of suspected Islamists have been arrested in the multi-ethnic island nation since April 21 suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches. Among the dead were 42 foreign nationals.

"Security will stay tight for several days because military and police are still tracking down suspects," a senior police intelligence official said.

Another government source told Reuters security authorities had ordered police and other security forces across the Buddhist-majority country to remain on high alert because the militants were expected to try to strike before Ramadan.

Teplitz told Reuters the risk of more attacks remained real.

"We certainly have reason to believe that the active attack group has not been fully rendered inactive," she said.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting Sri Lankan authorities in the investigations but Teplitz declined to give more details.

The State Department has issued a travel advisory suggesting people reconsider plans to travel to Sri Lanka.

SOCIAL MEDIA BAN LIFTED

The government has lifted a ban on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber, a source at the president's office said. The ban was imposed immediately after the attacks to prevent the spread of rumours.

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The government has also banned women from wearing face veils under an emergency law invoked in response to the blasts.

Authorities suspect members of two previously little-known groups - National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim - of carrying out the attacks, although the Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility.

Authorities believe Zahran Hashim, the founder of NTJ, was the mastermind and one of the nine suicide bombers.

Islamic State released a video after the attack through its AMAQ news agency, showing eight men, with all but Zahran with their faces covered, standing under a black Islamic State flag, declaring loyalty to its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The Islamic group's media network published a video on Monday purporting to come from al-Baghdadi, in which he said the Sri Lanka bombings were Islamic State's response to losses in its last stronghold of Baghouz in Syria.

In India, police said they had arrested a 29-year-old man in the southern state of Kerala, close to Sri Lanka, for planning similar attacks there. The man had been influenced by speeches made by Zahran, India's National Investigation Agency said in a statement.

Sri Lanka's 22 million population is mostly Buddhist but includes minority Christians, Muslims and Hindus. (Additional reporting by Ranga Srilal and Shri Navaratnam Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan Editing by Paul Tait and Nick Macfie)
Sen. Victor Torres, D-Orlando. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

Sen. Victor Torres, D-Orlando. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)



The Senate passed legislation outlawing so-called sanctuary city policies in Florida, reversing course on a politically charged issue that it has blocked for the past three years.



In a nod to one of Gov. Ron DeSantis top legislative priorities, a sharply divided Senate voted to force local law enforcement agencies to fully comply with federal immigration authorities, and to punish officials who fail to do so.



Democrats and Republicans squared off during the two-hour debate, as immigrant families opposed to the proposal watched from the public gallery.



Hispanic Democrats, some of them speaking in Spanish and in English, tried to convince their Senate colleagues that the legislation is an affront to immigrants.



We are from this country. We are from this land of God, Sen. Victor Torres, D-Orlando, said in both languages.



The support of the Republican governor and the political clout of Sen. Joe Gruters, who doubles as the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, propelled the measure over the finish line with just a single Republican, Sen. Anitere Flores of Miami, joining Democrats in opposition to the proposal.



Under the Senate plan, local law enforcement agencies would be forced to share information with federal immigration authorities when they detain undocumented immigrants. The immigrants would not need to be convicted of a crime, but would have to be in the custody of law enforcement officials, including campus police.



Gruters said he worked to narrow the scope of the bill to ensure it only dealt with "criminal illegal aliens who are in the judicial system."



"As long as they are not arrested, there should be zero fear about being impacted by this bill," Gruters, R-Sarasota, said.



But Torres took umbrage at Gruters repeated use of the words illegal aliens.



Ladies and gentlemen, we are not aliens. We are human beings, Torres said.



Democrats argued the Senate proposal is an un-American and mean-spirited approach to ensuring public safety.



In the past the Senate has been the one to block these sorts of policies, said Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami. The anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy is really politically motivated. I am convinced by that.



Raising flags about the partisan politics that have engulfed the proposal, Republican Sen. Tom Lee said he was conflicted and confused about what the actual consequences of the bill would be if the Legislature passed the measure and DeSantis signed it into law.



I am really on the fence here as to whether we are just picking on somebody, when we could be solving this problem globally or comprehensively, said Lee, a Brandon Republican and former Senate president who ultimately voted in favor of the bill (SB 168).



Under the Senate plan, local governments would be required to use their best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.



If a local or state official prevents participation in the program, the governor would have authority to remove that person from office, thanks to a recent change to the bill that DeSantis worked to have adopted.



The measure requires local law enforcement officials to participate in programs such as the 287(g) program, named after a section in a federal immigration law, that allows them to train and authorize personnel to identify and process undocumented immigrants.



Currently, there are five counties in Florida that participate in the program. According to the agreements between the counties and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the local law enforcement agency is in charge of covering the costs of out-of-state training, such as travel expenses.



There are many reasons why local governments dont enter into these agreements, and one of those reasons is because they are expensive, Rodriguez argued.



Other programs local officials could participate in include the Basic Ordering Agreement program launched early last year, in which 34 Florida counties now participate, according to a staff analysis of the measure. Under the agreements, ICE pays the local governments $50 to house inmates for up to 48 hours.



During his short time in office, DeSantis has made a hard push for all 67 sheriffs offices in the state to participate in federal immigration enforcement programs. In February, the governor also directed the Florida Department of Corrections to have a strategy in place to have the 287(g) program in state prisons.



Other costs associated with the bill include the costs county correctional facilities must pay for temporarily housing undocumented immigrants who are the subject of an immigration detainer. The bill does not include any money for those costs, Gruters said. Each county jail would be responsible for entering into a reimbursement agreement with the federal immigration agency.



All local law enforcement agencies would be required to honor immigration detainer requests under the Senate proposal. If federal immigration authorities want to deport that individual, county jails would be required to hold them for up to 48 hours.



The House and Senate have each passed their own version of a sanctuary city bill. Both chambers will now have to work out the policy differences before they can send it to DeSantis, who will almost certainly sign it into law.



Currently, the House version of the bill includes tougher sanctions for local and state officials who violate the provisions of the bill.



The House plan also would allow individuals to file wrongful death lawsuits against a local government, if a family member is killed or injured by an undocumented immigrant as a result of a sanctuary city policy.



Ana Ceballos reports for the News Service of Florida.
TORONTO, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tanzanian Gold Corporations, formerly known as Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation (TNX.TO) (NYSE American:TRX) (the Companys) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the entering into subscription agreements for the sale of 2,316,084 common shares at $0.6609 per share raising $1,530,700 in the aggregate with certain investors.



The proceeds from the sale of common shares will be used in furtherance of the Companys Three-Phase Drill Program at the Buckreef Project previously announced.



The common shares are being offered pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form F-3, which was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and declared effective on September 5, 2018. The sale of the common shares is expected to close on or around May 2, 2019, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including acceptance of the listing of the common shares by the NYSE American and the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Respectfully Submitted,

James E. Sinclair

James E. Sinclair

Executive Chairman

For further information, please contact Michael Martin, Investor Relations, m.martin@tanzaninaroyalty.com , 860-248-0999, or visit the Company website at www.tanzanianroyalty.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

Certain of the statements made herein may contain forward-looking statements or information within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Often, but not always, forward- looking statements and forward-looking information can be identified using words such as plans, expects, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, or believes or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, ,occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information herein include, but are not limited to the Positive Feasibility Study on Buckreef, the timing and the results of the proposed drilling program.

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Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. We have made certain assumptions about the forward-looking statements and information and even though our management believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statement or information will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the following: gold price volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; mining operational and development risk; litigation risks; regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability; risks of sovereign investment; currency fluctuations; speculative nature of gold exploration; global economic climate; dilution; share price volatility; competition; loss of key employees; additional funding requirements; and defective title to mineral claims or property, as well as those factors discussed in the sections entitled Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors in the Companys Form 20-F Annual Report dated November 29, 2018.

There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements or information contained herein. Except as required by law, we do not expect to update forward- looking statements and information continually as conditions change and you are referred to the full discussion of the Companys business contained in the Companys reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and the U.S.

Cautionary Note Regarding Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources

The terms Mineral Reserve, Proven Mineral Reserve and Probable Mineral Reserve used in this release are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the CIM) Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council on August 20, 2000 as may be amended from time to time by the CIM. These definitions differ from the definitions in the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Guide 7. In the United States, a mineral reserve is defined as a part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time the mineral reserve determination is made.

The terms Mineral Resource, Measured Mineral Resource, Indicated Mineral Resource, Inferred Mineral Resource used in this release are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with National Instruction 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the CIM Standards. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

For a detailed discussion of Buckreef resource and reserve estimates and related matters see the Companys reports, including the Form 20-F Annual Report dated November 29, 2018 and technical reports filed under the Companys name at our website at: www.TanzanianRoyaltyExploration.com.

Cautionary Note to US Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources

Note to U.S. Investors. While the terms mineral resource, measured mineral resource, indicated mineral resource, and inferred mineral resource are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, they are not defined terms under standards in the United States and normally are not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. As such, information contained in this report concerning descriptions of mineralization and resources under Canadian standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S companies in SEC filings. With respect to indicated mineral resource and inferred mineral resource there is a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and a great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an indicated mineral resource or inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves.
UN Capital Fund launches Nepal Innovation Challenge

The United Nations Capital Development Fund on Monday launched Nepal Innovation Challenge: AgriTECH, an initiative to promote the use of technology and innovation in the agricultural sector.
Wellness room at Texas Tech University School of Law.



As future lawyers stress out in May preparing for law school final exams, coincidentally, the nation is also observing Mental Health Awareness Month.



One Texas law school, fully aware of students struggles, has been a trendsetter when it comes to taking care of law students' mental health. Yet again, Texas Tech University School of Laws most recent initiative is unique: It created a "wellness room" for students to decompress, de-stress, and rejuvenate for 30 minutes to one hourno studying allowed.



Such an initiative is sorely needed in law schools, considering that 37 percent of law students screen positive for anxiety, said the 2014 Survey of Law Student Well-Being. Other Texas law schools have also implemented programs to help, yet The National Law Journal has reported that Texas Techs program is particularly robust, including a student support and emergency team, an anonymous reporting system for students and faculty to flag problems, discussions about coping with stress from grades, and surveys to measure students feelings about their educational experience.



Texas Lawyer spoke with Gunnison Matula, president of Texas Techs Student Wellness Advisory Committee, about how students are digging the new wellness room. Here are his answers, edited for brevity and clarity.



Im assuming you have used the wellness room yourself. Tell me all about the experience!



Its located in our library in a room that used to be a professional office. We focused on making it look different from the school. You kind of leave the more functional brown and gray school-type atmosphere and go in, and its very nice. We have a light gray couch and a lot of light colors. We have lamps in there: its very soft, almost like a living room. Its really calming, its quiet. We have a sound machineyou can turn on white noise or waves. You can separate yourself from the school environment, and it feels like you are home.



From what I understand, Texas Tech is the only Texas law school that has a wellness room like this. Im interested to hear how this idea came to be. Will you tell me the story of creating it?



My 1L yearIm a 3L nowwe had an organization started by a student, the Student Wellness Advisory Council. The idea was to have students act as liaisons between the actual student population and the Office of Student Life and administration, to get an idea of what people are feeling about things, how we can improve, how we work on student wellness from a grassroots standpoint. One of the main problems we experienced is it was difficult to access the student health services on campus as a law student because we are separate from the main campus. We thought, Lets bring the therapy environment to the law school. The more we looked into it, we found out there is a lot of red tape when it comes to getting counselors to go somewhere. There is a lot of HIPPA stuff to consider. We thought if we cant do this immediately, then lets set up the roominstead of as a counseling roomlets introduced it to students as a wellness room.



What problem is this meant to solve? In other words, what are the reasons that law students need a wellness room?



I heard about a study the other day talking about when you look at law students and medical students, its even harder for law students, because the way the grades work. Its based on a curve: you are competitive with other students. Its easy to get caught up in the competitive aspect. You constantly think, Am I doing good enough and spending enough time studying? You get caught up in those things, and get anxious. Everybody universallywhether you want to admit it or notyou definitely have the point you are anxiety ridden. Youve got so many deadlines you have to keep track of and stuff to do in a single day. You face depression, for any number of reasons: induced by anxiety, or you are naturally prone to it or you have something come along. We were just thinking, Whats the easiest thing to do when you start those feelings? For a lot of us, its to find something else to do: distraction or walk out of the schooldo anything else. We thought, How do we give that to students? We can go in this room and just relax.



Many people fear being stigmatized if they admit to having problems. How have you gone about ensuring people feel comfortable using the wellness room?



Its definitely a concern of ours. When we started the whole process, we were like, Are people really going to use it? I would be a little intimidated having to go ask to use the room. The first thing we thought to do is allow it to be as private as possible. To check it out, you go to an online portal we use to check out study rooms. There are two doors to it: one door from the back of the library, and one door in a study commons area. If a student is concerned, you can enter through the back. You dont have to walk by anyone. We want privacy. Thats why the sound machines are there. You can make a phone call. Some people talk about going in and crying for a little. I think the normalization and removing the stigma of mental health care is an ongoing task for the council. We are constantly doing other events in addition to things like this.



Is this something that youd recommend for other law schools to establish, and why or why not?



I would definitely think so. For something like this, even if it can only help a small population of students, its worth it. For us, its not a huge resource drain. Were not constantly having to pay a bunch of money. Just go do itIts super simple. We hoped being a school in Texas, and being the first to put this on, that it would lead other campuses to say, Hey, Tech did it, we can do it, too.



Angela Morris is a freelance journalist. Follow her on Twitter at @AMorrisReports.
Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card!

While not a mind-blowing move, it is good to see that the Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited (HKG:1114) share price has gained 18% in the last three months. But in truth the last year hasn't been good for the share price. After all, the share price is down 39% in the last year, significantly under-performing the market.

View our latest analysis for Brilliance China Automotive Holdings

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Even though the Brilliance China Automotive Holdings share price is down over the year, its EPS actually improved. It's quite possible that growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past. The divergence between the EPS and the share price is quite notable, during the year. So it's well worth checking out some other metrics, too.

With a low yield of 1.3% we doubt that the dividend influences the share price much. In contrast, the 17% drop in revenue is a real concern. If the market sees the weak revenue as jeopardising EPS, that could explain the lower share price.

Depicted in the graphic below, you'll see revenue and earnings over time. If you want more detail, you can click on the chart itself.

SEHK:1114 Income Statement, April 30th 2019

Brilliance China Automotive Holdings is well known by investors, and plenty of clever analysts have tried to predict the future profit levels. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

Investors should note that there's a difference between Brilliance China Automotive Holdings's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. Brilliance China Automotive Holdings's TSR of was a loss of 39% for the year. That wasn't as bad as its share price return, because it has paid dividends.

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A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 3.4% in the twelve months, Brilliance China Automotive Holdings shareholders did even worse, losing 39% (even including dividends). Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 4.9% over the last half decade. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality businesses. Before deciding if you like the current share price, check how Brilliance China Automotive Holdings scores on these 3 valuation metrics.

But note: Brilliance China Automotive Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.






Donald Hayden, of Mark Migdal & Hayden.

Donald Hayden, of Mark Migdal & Hayden.



Recently, the Trump administration announced its plan to, for the first time, enforce a controversial provision of the Helms-Burton Act signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. In doing so, the Trump administration will be breaking with the precedent set by every president since its enactment, who have consistently suspended the implementation of Title III of the act. Title III of the act, also known as the Libertad Act will be fully implemented effective May 2, and will permit U.S. citizens to file lawsuits in U.S. federal courts against businesses that operate on property the Cuban government appropriated after the 1959 revolution. Every administration before Trump has waived enforcement of Title III, in large part to avoid trapping companies from many of the closest U.S. allies in years of complicated litigation as well as to avoid a wave of retaliatory trade-related legal claims against the United States. Besides the anticipated retaliatory actions by Canada and the European Union(EU) before the World Trade Organization, it has always been assumed that implementing Title III would open the floodgates to reparations claims against several major multinational companies doing business with Cuba, even some U.S. companies like Delta, Jet Blue and Marriott.



The reparations claims could number into the hundreds of thousands because of the broad language of Title III, which gives U.S. citizens a private cause of action to recover compensation for confiscated properties that were once theirs from persons or entities that may be trafficking in that property. Title III defines trafficking quite broadly to encompass not only those who own the property, but also those who profit from the use of the confiscated properties. A broad array of companies from a myriad of industry sectors could be exposed to civil lawsuits because of this broad definition. For example, cruise ships calling at expropriated ports or using expropriated port facilities could be found to be trafficking as Title III defines it.



As applied, Title III would allow U.S. citizens to sue for three time the current value of confiscated property worth more than $50,000. Billions of dollars could be at stake as many of the targeted Cuban properties identified by Trump administration officials last year include large multinational holding companies, some of the premier resort properties on the island like Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski and Iberostar Grand Packard Hotel in Havana, large joint venture companies owned in part by major Canadian or European Union multinationals and even a pair of rum companies, Ron Caney and Ron Varadero. In addition to claims against Canadian and European companies which have significant business holdings in Cuba, it could also affect some U.S. companies who have begun investing in the island since former President Barack Obama attempted to normalize relations with Cuba during his administration.



The U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission has already certified more than 6,000 cases, but that number could be the tip of the iceberg of the potential number of new filings that we can anticipate will congest South Floridas federal court system if Title III is fully activated given our large Cuban population here. One recent State Department report to Congress predicted between 75,000 and 200,000 potential lawsuits will be filed when Title III is activated. Some Miami legal commentators have opined that while we may see a flood of lawsuits, the claimants will have difficulty collecting on their judgments as Cuba has no property in the United States, and the primary countries with companies heavily invested in Cuba already have laws in place blocking efforts to enforce Cuban reparation judgments in their jurisdictions. However, in our modern global economy, Canadian and European multinationals have assets here in the United States that claimants might seek to attach to satisfy judgments obtained for these claims. It remains to be seen what the full impact of activating Title III for the first time in over 30 years will be. Given the savvy and creative plaintiffs bar of South Florida, look to see some significant reparation claims on file in the Southern District in a matter of weeks. Stay tuned.



Donald J. Haydenis a partner of Mark Migdal & Hayden. He was lead counsel for AT&T in the supplementary proceedings to attach blocked accounts held for Cuba to satisfy a $200 million default judgment obtained by the families in the Brothers to the Rescue lawsuit seeking damages for the wrongful deaths of pilots shot down by the Cuban air force.




VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Trifecta Gold Ltd. (TG.V) ('Trifecta' or the 'Company') announces a series of corporate changes undertaken to preserve working capital as the Company seeks partners and evaluates transactions to benefit Trifecta shareholders. First, Dylan Arnold-Wallinger is stepping down as President and CEO of Trifecta effective April 30, 2019. Second, the Company has agreed to settle an amount of $75,000 by the issuance of 1,500,000 common shares of Trifecta at deemed price of five cents per share, pending TSX Exchange approval. Third, Trifecta has withdrawn from its option agreement with Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V:PEX) covering the Eureka Dome property (see Trifecta news release dated April 26, 2018).

The debt settlement was negotiated as part of a severance package with Dylan Arnold-Wallinger. Richard Drechsler, a Director of Trifecta, will assume the role of Interim President and CEO of Trifecta.

'The Board wishes to thank Dylan for his efforts on behalf of Trifecta and wishes him success in his future endeavors,' states Rosie Moore, Director.

Trifecta retains four highly prospective 100% owned gold projects in Yukon which include Eureka, Trident, Triple Crown and Treble, as well as an option to acquire a 75% interest in the past producing Yuge gold project located in northern Nevada.

Trifecta's 100% owned road accessible Eureka Property lies directly on the proposed haulage road for Goldcorp's Coffee Deposit, between Klondike Gold Corp.'s Klondike project and White Gold Corp.'s Black Hills property. The property straddles the headwaters of Black Hills and Eureka creeks, two of the most productive placer creeks in the southern part of the Klondike Goldfields and has many geologic similarities to White Gold's nearby Vertigo discovery. The property hosts multiple drill ready targets and drill confirmed mineral showings within an 8 km long by 2.5 km wide gold-in-soil geochemical anomaly.

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The Yuge Property covers the historical Columbia and Juanita Mines, which produced high-grade gold on a small scale between 1870 and 1937 from strong veins located more than 1,000 m apart within the same structural corridor. Historical mining only extended down to the bottom of the oxidized zone. Diamond drilling by previous operators below the Columbia workings produced a true-width sulphide intersect, which graded 9.70 g/t gold over 3.3 m starting 49 m below surface. This drilling was conducted in 1981 and no drilling has been completed since. Recent work by Trifecta has indicated that gold mineralization at Yuge is more widespread than documented in the limited historical data and may occur in undocumented structural settings.

Technical information in this news release has been approved by Jackson Morton, P. Geo., a geologist with Archer, Cathro & Associates (1981) Limited and a qualified person for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101.

About Trifecta Gold Ltd.

Trifecta is a Canadian precious metal exploration company dedicated to increasing shareholder value through the acquisition and development of attractive exploration projects in Canada and other mining-friendly jurisdictions.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

'Rosie Moore'

Director

For further information concerning Trifecta or its various exploration projects please visit www.trifectagold.com or contact:

Corporate Information

Trifecta Gold Ltd.

Richard Drechsler

Interim President & CEO

Tel: (604) 687-2522 ext. 262

This news release may contain forward looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of exploration and other risk factors beyond its control, and actual results may differ materially from the expected results.

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.

SOURCE: Trifecta Gold Ltd.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/543441/Trifecta-Gold-Implements-Corporate-Changes




Trump sues banks

President Donald Trump, his family, and his businesses have filed a suit to block Congressional Committees from accessing his financial records.

The suit, filed against the presidents longtime lender Deutsche Bank (DB), as well as Capital One (COF), seeks to prevent the banks from complying with subpoenas from Congress. It argues that the subpoenas goal is to harass the president and his family.

This case involves congressional subpoenas that have no legitimate or lawful purpose, the suit states. The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses and the private information of the president and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage. No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one.

The suit has been categorized as an attempt to prevent House Democrats to investigate Trump and his presidency.

Foxconns Wisconsin plant

FILE - In this June 28, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump, center, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, left, and Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou, right, participate in a groundbreaking event for the new Foxconn facility in Mt. Pleasant, Wis. Walker is leaving a fundamentally altered Wisconsin after eight years as governor on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

The chairman of Foxconn (TPE: 2354) is reportedly traveling to the United States for a meeting at the White House. This meeting is said to be related to the major Apple suppliers plan to invest in a Wisconsin plant, according to reports.

Foxconn released word that it remains committed to its $10 billion investment to create a plant and facilities in Wisconsin, despite the U.S. state governor wanting to renegotiate the deal. The company pledged to ultimately create 13,000 jobs.

Crocs goes fanny

CROCS x BEAMS

You can now buy Crocs (CROX) with a built-in fanny pack for about $53!

These new Crocs are the result of a new collaboration between the Colorado-based footwear brand and Beams, a Japanese fashion brand. The interesting combination has gone viral.
(Reuters) - The United States has made a bad mistake by politicizing oil and using it as a weapon, Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said in a parliamentary session on Tuesday, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

Oil prices on Tuesday hit their highest level since November after Washington announced all waivers on imports of sanctions-hit Iranian oil would end next week, pressuring importers to stop buying from Tehran and further tightening global supply.

Zanganeh added that the United States will not be able to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero.

"With all our power, we will work toward breaking America's sanctions," Zanganeh said in parliament, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA).

The United States on Monday demanded that buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers which allowed Irans eight biggest buyers, most of them in Asia, to continue importing limited volumes.

The White House said after its Iran move it was working with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to ensure oil markets were "adequately supplied" but traders worried about tight supplies.

Zanganeh said that "America has made a bad mistake by politicizing oil and using it as a weapon in the fragile state of the market."

He added that the oil market is unpredictable and the announcement by the United States and its regional supporters intended to keep oil prices stable is a sign of their concern, ISNA reported.

"You can't be assured that enough oil can be produced to meet demand," Zanganeh said, according to IRNA. "Because some regional countries announce production capacities higher than their real levels."

Separately, Zanganeh said during the parliamentary session that Iran's daily gas production has grown 30 percent in the past six years, according to IRNA.

Iran produced a daily average of 620 million cubic meters of gas in the Iranian calendar year which ended in March 2013 and that grew to 850 million cubic meters per day in the year ending in March 2019, he said.

The average daily gas production at South Pars, the worlds largest gas field, was 240 million cubic meters in the Iranian calendar year which ended in March 2013 and grew to 532 million cubic meters in the year ending in March 2019, Zanganeh said.

(Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh in Geneva; editing by Jason Neely and Louise Heavens)
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the "State of the International Financial System" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday that he hopes to make "substantial progress" with Chinese negotiators in the next two rounds of trade talks, as the world's two largest economies look for ways to end their bruising trade war.

Mnuchin was speaking in Beijing, where he and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will hold talks this week, before Chinese Vice Premier Liu He goes to Washington next week for another round of talks in what could be the end game for negotiations.

"We've a meeting here, and then the vice premier and team will be coming back to Washington D.C., and we hope to make substantial progress in these two meetings," Mnuchin told reporters.

Beijing and Washington have cited progress on issues including intellectual property and forced technology transfer to help end a conflict marked by tit-for-tat tariffs that have cost both sides billions of dollars, disrupted supply chains and roiled financial markets.

But U.S. officials say privately that an enforcement mechanism for a deal and timelines for lifting tariffs are sticking points.

"Enforceability is key - it's easy to sign a document if you have no intention of complying with it," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters in Washington, adding that there a few "still lingering" issues that need to be resolved.

"Consequences of lack of compliance need to be very tight in that agreement," Perdue said.

Chinese officials have also acknowledged that they view the enforcement mechanism as crucial, but say that it must work two ways -- and cannot put restraints only on China.

"There must be guarantees for implementation. This is an important part of the negotiations. We must, to the greatest extent possible, lower and prevent the chances of going back on promises," one Chinese official close to senior leaders told Reuters.

A second Chinese official with knowledge of the situation said it was too early to say work was in the final stages, but that both sides were "sprinting".

Story continues

In Washington, people familiar with the talks say that the question of whether and when U.S. tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods will be removed will probably be among the last issues to be resolved. Trump has said that he may keep some tariffs on Chinese goods for a "substantial period."

Erin Ennis, senior vice president of the U.S.-China Business Council, said the deal needs to address U.S. complaints about Chinese theft of intellectual property and forced technology transfers, but it also must resolve tariffs.

"Whatever the resolution is it has got to have a plan of action for the ultimate removal of tariffs, because if it's an input for a product made in the United States or something a U.S. company ships to China, the tariffs inflate costs and make their products less competitive," she said.

Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida who has taken a hawkish stance on China trade and security issues, warned that a deal based on Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products or a deal that cannot be effectively enforced was unacceptable.

"If you're not addressing the key industries of the 21st century, in five or 10 years, it's going to not just going to be a bad deal, it'll be a catastrophic one," he said. "They will de-facto dominate those industries."

U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 4 that a deal might be worked out in about four weeks. Last week, he said he would soon host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. A meeting between the two leaders is seen as needed to cement an agreement.

Mnuchin, speaking to Fox Business Network in an interview that aired on Monday, said the trade negotiations aimed at enforcement were close to finished.

The Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi on Tuesday told a separate group of former U.S. lawmakers that the two countries' interests were deeply connected.

"In recent months, both countries' economic and trade teams have held many rounds of high-level consultations and achieved much positive progress," China's Foreign Ministry paraphrased Wang as saying.

China hopes that both sides can "work hard, exclude disturbances, and reach a mutually beneficial, win-win agreement," he added.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Michael Martina and Xu Jing in Beijing and Humeyra Pamuk, David Lawder and Alexandra Alper in Washington; writing by Se Young Lee and Ryan Woo; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Nick Macfie and Lisa Shumaker)
The CDC has confirmed 704 cases of measles, the largest number of measles cases since 1994.

Nearly three-quarters of this year's measles cases were in unvaccinated people, the CDC said.

Health officials urge people to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

U.S. health officials confirmed another 78 cases of measles last week, urging people to get vaccinated as they battle the worst year for the disease in 25 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday said it has confirmed 704 cases of measles this year as of Friday, the largest number of cases in the U.S. in a single year since 1994 and the largest number of cases since measles were considered eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.

Cases have been reported in 22 states this year. Most of the new cases were reported in New York, where outbreaks are occurring in New York City and Rockland County.

Nearly three-quarters of this year's measles cases were in unvaccinated people, the CDC said. The measles, mumps and rubella shot is the best way to prevent the disease, which is one of the most contagious in the world. Measles infects 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed to it, according to the CDC.

"Vaccine-preventable diseases belong in the history books, not our emergency rooms," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters on a media call Monday. "Vaccination is a simple, safe and effective way to protect our loved ones and neighbors from the scourge of measles, and the suffering we're seeing today is completely avoidable."

Six of the 13 outbreaks were associated with close-knit religious or cultural communities with lower immunization rates, the CDC said. Yet they accounted for 88% of all cases this year, highlighting how easily the disease can spread among people who are not vaccinated.

New York City health officials earlier this month mandated people get a measles, mumps and rubella shot or else be fined. They also closed one Jewish school that allegedly would not provide immunization records as the city tries to vaccinate people in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, which outside groups have targeted with misinformation about vaccines.

Story continues

Two Los Angeles universities last week quarantined more than 700 students who may have been exposed to the measles after an outbreak was declared in the county.

"Really, this should be a wake up call," said Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease doctor at Johns Hopkins University. "We're dealing with a disease that should have been taken off the table in the 1960s, and now in 2019, when we're planning a mission to Mars, we're dealing with it because we're allowing it to be here."

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Before the measles vaccine became available in 1963, nearly all children got the disease before they turned 15, the CDC said. Every year, an estimated 400 to 500 people died, 48,000 were hospitalized and 1,000 experienced brain swelling that can occur in people infected with measles.

Measles is still common in other parts of the world. Fourty-four of U.S. cases this year were directly imported from other countries, including the Philippines, Ukraine and Israel, the CDC said. Nearly all of the people who became ill were not vaccinated.

Receiving both recommended doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97% effective in preventing the measles, according to the CDC. Health officials declared the disease eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, thanks to vaccination efforts.

However, more parents are refusing to vaccinate their children. Reasons vary, but some point to false information that vaccines cause autism. President Donald Trump has peddled this misinformation in the past, though last week he reversed course , saying people "have to get the shots."

The longer the current outbreaks in the country continue, the greater the chance that measles will "again get a sustained foothold" in the U.S., the CDC said. The agency defines outbreaks as three or more cases.





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For months, Huawei Technologies Co. has faced U.S. allegations that it flouted sanctions on Iran, attempted to steal trade secrets from a business partner and has threatened to enable Chinese spying through the telecom networks its built across the West.

Now Vodafone Group Plc has acknowledged to Bloomberg that it found vulnerabilities going back years with equipment supplied by Shenzhen-based Huawei for the carriers Italian business. While Vodafone says the issues were resolved, the revelation may further damage the reputation of a major symbol of Chinas global technology prowess.

Europes biggest phone company identified hidden backdoors in the software that could have given Huawei unauthorized access to the carriers fixed-line network in Italy, a system that provides internet service to millions of homes and businesses, according to Vodafones security briefing documents from 2009 and 2011 seen by Bloomberg, as well as people involved in the situation.

Vodafone asked Huawei to remove backdoors in home internet routers in 2011 and received assurances from the supplier that the issues were fixed, but further testing revealed that the security vulnerabilities remained, the documents show. Vodafone also identified backdoors in parts of its fixed-access network known as optical service nodes, which are responsible for transporting internet traffic over optical fibers, and other parts called broadband network gateways, which handle subscriber authentication and access to the internet, the people said. The people asked not to be identified because the matter was confidential.

Opinion: The West Finally Has Its Huawei Smoking Gun

A backdoor, in cybersecurity terms, is a method of bypassing security controls to access a computer system or encrypted data. While backdoors can be common in some network equipment and software because developers create them to manage the gear, they can be exploited by attackers. In Vodafones case, the risks included possible third-party access to a customer's personal computer and home network, according to the internal documents.

Story continues

The Trump administration, arguing such end-runs around security in Huaweis equipment could invite espionage by the Chinese state, is trying to persuade Western allies to block the company from the next generation of mobile networks. Huawei has repeatedly denied that it creates backdoors and says its not beholden to Beijing.

Read more: The U.S. Is Losing a Major Front to China in the New Cold War

Huaweis ability to continue winning contracts from London-based Vodafone, despite the carriers security concerns, underscores the challenge facing the U.S. as it tries to hinder the worlds top telecom equipment vendor and No. 2 supplier of smartphones. Huawei is vying against a stable of Western companies including Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB to roll out fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless networks.

Vodafone has defended Huawei against the U.S. onslaught, which has placed EuropeHuaweis largest market outside Chinain the middle of a trade battle between two superpowers. At stake is leadership in key areas, principally 5G technology thats designed to support the internet of things and new applications in industries spanning automotive, energy to healthcare. Vodafone Chief Executive Officer Nick Read has joined peers in publicly opposing any bans on Huawei from 5G rollouts, warning of higher costs and delays. The defiance shows that countries across Europe are willing to risk rankling the U.S. in the name of 5G preparedness.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Vodafone said it found vulnerabilities with the routers in Italy in 2011 and worked with Huawei to resolve the issues that year. There was no evidence of any data being compromised, it said. The carrier also identified vulnerabilities with the Huawei-supplied broadband network gateways in Italy in 2012 and said those were resolved the same year. Vodafone also said it found records that showed vulnerabilities in several Huawei products related to optical service nodes. It didnt provide specific dates and said the issues were resolved. It said it couldn't find evidence of historical vulnerabilities in routers or broadband network gateways beyond Italy.

In the telecoms industry it is not uncommon for vulnerabilities in equipment from suppliers to be identified by operators and other third parties, the company said. Vodafone takes security extremely seriously and that is why we independently test the equipment we deploy to detect whether any such vulnerabilities exist. If a vulnerability exists, Vodafone works with that supplier to resolve it quickly.

In a statement, Huawei said it was made aware of historical vulnerabilities in 2011 and 2012 and they were addressed at the time. A company spokesman said the flaws in the equipment related to maintenance and diagnostic functions common across the industry, as well as vulnerabilities. There is absolutely no truth in the suggestion that Huawei conceals backdoors in its equipment.

However, Vodafones account of the issue was contested by people involved in the security discussions between the companies. Vulnerabilities in both the routers and the fixed access network remained beyond 2012 and were also present in Vodafones businesses in the U.K., Germany, Spain and Portugal, said the people. Vodafone stuck with Huawei because the services were competitively priced, they said.

While backdoors are common in home routers, they are usually fixed by manufacturers once disclosed, said Eric Evenchick, Principal Research Consultant at Atredis Partners, a U.S. based cybersecurity firm. Evenchick called the situation with Huaweis equipment very concerning.

Founded in 1987, Huawei entered the European market in 2000. Landmark contracts with Britains BT Group Plc and Norways TeliaSonera helped Huawei win market share fromand eventually surpassNokia and Ericsson.

Vodafone started buying wifi routers from Huawei in 2008 for its Italian business and, later, for the U.K., Germany, Spain and Portugal. Routers are specialized machines that assist in directing voice and other kinds of data coursing over the internet.

Vodafone managers had concerns with the security of the routers almost right away. They were the topic of an internal presentation from October 2009 that pointed to 26 open bugs in the routers, six identified as critical and nine as major. Vodafone said in the report that Huawei would need to remove or inhibit a so-called telnet servicea protocol used to control devices remotelythat the carrier said was a backdoor giving Huawei access to sensitive data.

In January 2011, Vodafone Italy started a deeper probe of the routers, according to two reports from April of that year. Security testing by an independent contractor identified the telnet backdoor as the greatest concern, posing risks including giving unauthorized access to Vodafones broader Wide Area Network (WAN is a network that spans a large footprint). The telnet had undocumented functionality inserted by Huawei without notifying Vodafone, including a hidden Telnet daemon program giving anyone aware of the backdoor's existence the ability to take administrative control of a router. Vodafone noted that its an industry practice by some router manufacturers to use a telnet service to manage their equipment, but the company said it didnt allow this.

The documents chronicle a two-month period during which Vodafones Italian unit discovered the telnet service, demanded its removal by Huawei and received assurances from the supplier that the problem was fixed. After further testing, Vodafone found that the telnet service could still be launched.

Vodafone said Huawei then refused to fully remove the backdoor, citing a manufacturing requirement. Huawei said it needed the telnet service to configure device information and conduct tests including on wifi, and offered to disable the service after taking those steps, according to the document.

QuicktakeHow Huawei Became a Target for Governments

Unfortunately for Huawei the political background means that this event will make life even more difficult for them in trying to prove themselves an honest vendor, Vodafone said in one of the April 2011 documents authored by its chief information security officer at the time, Bryan Littlefair.

What is of most concern here is that actions of Huawei in agreeing to remove the code, then trying to hide it, and now refusing to remove it as they need it to remain for quality purposes, Littlefair wrote.

Huawei declined to comment on the concerns raised by Littlefair. Littlefair didnt respond to requests for comment.

Theres no specific way to tell that something is a backdoor and most backdoors would be designed to look like a mistake, said Stefano Zanero, an associate professor of computer security at Politecnico di Milano University. That said, the vulnerabilities described in the Vodafone reports from 2009 and 2011 have all the characteristics of backdoors: deniability, access and a tendency to be placed again in subsequent versions of the code, he said.

Huawei called software vulnerabilities an industry-wide challenge. In a statement, it said: Like every ICT vendor we have a well-established public notification and patching process, and when a vulnerability is identified we work closely with our partners to take the appropriate corrective action.

Huawei has expanded its relationship with Vodafone well beyond routers and is now its fourth-largest supplier behind Apple, Nokia and Ericsson. Huaweis gear is found across Vodafones wireless networks in Europe; in the U.K., equipment from Huawei accounts for about one-third of the radio-access network, a critical piece of the infrastructure.

Some telecom companies have taken steps to limit Huaweis exposure from the most sensitive parts of their networks, amid the added government scrutiny. In January, Vodafones CEO Read said the company had paused purchases of Huawei equipment for the core of its mobile networks in Europe, citing too much noise around the situation.

Still, carriers including Vodafone are fighting against the threat of Huawei being banned in Europe because theyve come to rely so heavily on the supplier. Abandoning Huawei for 5G, with Europe already lagging behind China and the U.S., could force them to rip out the suppliers 4G gear, a process that could take years and cost billions of dollars.

(Updates with comment from Huawei in eleventh paragraph.)

--With assistance from Tommaso Ebhardt, Tom Giles, Thomas Seal, Frank Connelly and Patricia Suzara.

To contact the author of this story: Daniele Lepido in Milan at dlepido1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong at kwong11@bloomberg.net, Rebecca PentyBrian Bremner

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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WestJet announced Friday it has expanded partnership with Air France. (Getty)

WestJet Airlines Ltd. has expanded its partnership with Air France, giving passengers flying from Canada access to seven additional cities in Europe.

WestJet announced Friday that it had expanded its codesharing agreement with Air France, which allows passengers to access flights operated by the foreign carrier with their WestJet ticket. As of Friday, guests booking WestJet flights to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris will now be able to connect to Brest, Biarritz and Montpellier in France, as well as Venice, Milan, Rome in Italy and Athens, Greece.

WestJets deepened codeshare relationship with Air France means guests of both airlines will now enjoy more opportunities to travel between the fantastic destinations in Canada and Europe, Brian Znotins, WestJets vice president of network planning, said in a statement.

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Codeshare agreements allow airlines to sell tickets on a partner airlines flight as if it were operated by their own airline.

WestJet said there are plans to expand the codesharing partnership to additional countries, including Austria, Germany and Portugal.

The expansion comes as WestJet pursues an ambitious strategy that includes capturing growth internationally  an area of the market that Air Canada has dominated among Canadian carriers.

WestJet has purchased 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and will begin offering non-stop service from Calgary to London (Gatwick), Paris and Dublin in May. The airline is also trying to attract higher-paying premium passengers through new offerings, including business class service on the Dreamliners, which will feature amenities such as on-demand dining, lay-flat mattresses, bedding and turn-down service.

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PLATTSMOUTH  Employees at Cass County Bank went back in time this past Monday.

On April 29, 1999, a new addition to the bank at 2020 W. Eighth Ave. was dedicated with a time capsule placed in a wall as part of the ceremony.

On Monday, 20 years to the day, it was taken out and reopenedand old memories came back to life.

Doug Duey, whose family founded the bank in 1966, discussed the contents, which included some interesting tidbits about the banks history.

For example, there was a newspaper article about gas pumps installed at the banks downtown branch during the oil crisis of the mid-1970s. It was the suggestion of his late father, David Duey, who considered it a convenience for bank customers, worried about gas shortages.

The gesture made national news, his son said.

Banks on the East Coast then started doing this, Duey said.

Other items from the capsule, a large safety deposit box, included old bank photos, a silver dollar, samples of wall coverings, a key chain, a watch, even an invitation to the 1999 dedication.

The year 1999 was of great concern for banks and businesses in general because of the feared computer malfunction, known as Y2K, on Jan. 1, 2000.

I was very concerned about Y2K, Duey said.

Banks everywhere went through rigorous training to avert a computer disaster, he said.

We worked all that year. We feared the power grid would go down.

Had that happened, banks would have been susceptible to robbers. On New Years Eve, Duey spent that night inside the bank with guns to ward off any robbers.

I remember that so distinctly, he said. I took it seriously.

Fortunately, for him, and the world, Y2K ended up much ado about nothing.

The new addition dedicated 20 years ago features 8,900 square feet of banking space, including five offices, two conference rooms, and a plush waiting area.

Just inside the entrance are two columns from the citys old First National Bank building and rescued from a salvage yard.

That 1999 dedication doesnt seem that long ago, Duey said.

Standing here now, it seems like we just drove the last nail in the building.

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PLATTSMOUTH  A Lincoln woman learned Monday morning that she would spend multiple years in prison for sexually assaulting an underage boy in Plattsmouth.

Janelle L. Carlson, 40, appeared in Cass County District Court for sentencing on a Class II felony charge. She pled no contest in March to attempted sexual assault of a child-first degree-ages 12-15.

Authorities had originally charged her with a Class 1B felony of sexual assault of a child-first degree-ages 12-15. Carlson accepted a plea deal in order to reduce her mandatory prison time.

Cass County Sheriffs Office authorities learned about an alleged sexual event that had taken place between Carlson and a teenage boy in late 2016. The boy was 14 when the incident happened.

Authorities interviewed both Carlson and the boy about the illegal sexual activity. Both people said they had been smoking marijuana before going into the bedroom of a Plattsmouth residence. Authorities decided to press charges after hearing from both of them.

Deputy County Attorney Richard Fedde told the court he felt a prison sentence was the only appropriate outcome of the case. He felt Carlson had not been forthright about her actions that day to investigators. He also said Carlson had tried to say the juvenile was the one who was at fault for the sexual activity.

Ms. Carlsons statements in this matter are somewhat suspect, Fedde said. It appears she is trying to avoid responsibility here. What is most concerning is that Ms. Carlson tries to assign blame to the juvenile even though she was in her late 30s at the time and the juvenile was 14.

Defense attorney Stephen Kraft told the court he felt probation would be appropriate. He said Carlson had no prior criminal history and had been involved with the boy only once.

There wasnt a pattern of conduct that occurred here, Kraft said. There was a single, isolated incident.

Kraft said Carlson felt marijuana had been a primary factor in her decision to go into the bedroom. He also said Carlson had been diagnosed with several medical conditions that impacted her ability to make sound judgements.

My client isnt fully cognizant of everything that is going on, Kraft said.

Judge Michael Smith said Carlson was not a suitable candidate for probation because of the nature of the crime. He ordered her to serve 8-12 years at the Nebraska Department of Corrections. She will begin serving her sentence immediately.

Carlson will spend a minimum of four years in prison before she is eligible for parole. Her name will also be placed on the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry.

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A bill that would require doctors to tell women having medication abortions about the possibility of continuing their pregnancies, even after taking the first of two abortion drugs, hit a wall in the Legislature on Monday.

The bill (LB209) as amended would have doctors inform women that the Department of Health and Human Services publishes materials that provide information on finding immediate medical assistance if they change their minds about aborting a fetus after taking that first drug, mifepristone.

Fifty-five percent of abortions in Nebraska are done with RU486 pills. Up to half of women who take only mifepristone continue their pregnancies, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The organization said legislative mandates based on unproven, unethical research are dangerous to womens health.

Supporters of LB209 believe treatment with progesterone after taking mifepristone can save a pregnancy. Opponents believe taking large amounts of progesterone can be dangerous, and letting nature take its course would be a better choice if a woman decides to continue her pregnancy.

Debate on Monday hit the three-hour mark with no vote, but Sen. Joni Albrecht, the bill's sponsor, said she has more than the 33 votes required to break a filibuster. Albrecht said she hoped the bill would come back sooner rather than later in the session to finish up debate  possibly three more hours  and get to a first-round vote.

The Judiciary Committee amended the bill before sending it for debate in order not to force doctors to give information to women that is not scientifically proven. Chairman Steve Lathrop said there was a constitutional problem with the language, since the state cannot force someone to say something they don't believe to be true.

Senators also amended the bill to have the Department of Health and Human Services require a reporting form on every attempt at continuing a pregnancy after taking mifepristone.

The form would require the age of the woman, facility where the procedure was performed, type of service given, any complications, name of the medical professional and other information.

Opponents of the bill, including Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, said women are not free until they can make all decisions about their futures and not have the heavy hand of government weighing in, having doctors tell their female patients "what's what."

"Why aren't we telling the men what's what? What about vasectomies?" she said. "I think we'd better have informed consent on vasectomies pursuant to our laws, and require each man to fully understand that vasectomies are reversible."

It's audacious to say women can't make their own medical decisions, or that they need to be helped along by the government, she said.

Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt said the number of people in the Legislature who are qualified to decide what should happen between a physician and patient is zero.

Omaha Sen. Sara Howard expressed her "deep, deep disappointment" with the Nebraska Medical Association for changing its opposition to the bill to a neutral position.

Last year, she said, bills that required physicians to talk to patients about the addictive nature of opioids, and to limit prescription of opioids to minors, were opposed by the medical association because doctors said they did not like legislative mandates.

"If you have a position about mandates, you should stick to it," Howard said. "Either something has merit or it doesn't."

Amy Reynoldson, Nebraska Medical Association executive vice president, said the association did oppose LB209 in a letter sent March 19 for the hearing. The letter said abortion "reversal" treatments are not based on science and do not meet clinical standards.

"No reliable medical evidence supports the claim that a medication abortion can be 'reversed,' and no major medical associations have endorsed such a process," the letter said.

Laws that undermine the physician-patient relationship or subject people to medical care that is not evidence-based threaten public health and compromise a doctor's ability to practice medicine according to the standard of care, the association said.

Reynoldson said after the committee amended the bill, the association changed its position on the bill to neutral, and informed senators of that on April 24.

"That mandate changed, and it now contained medically accurate, mutually agreeable language related to the drug that they've been talking about, that LB209 really centers on," she said.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSLegislature.

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Lindsey Andersen thought it was just a wrong number when her phone rang so early in the morning.

But it was just the right number for the Fremont woman, whod waited 15 years for a kidney transplant.

That day  April 7  Andersen learned a donor kidney had been found and shed receive that long-awaited transplant.

Weeks after the procedure, Andersen looks forward to returning to work, traveling to see family with her husband, Jeff Waters, and swimming.

I was beginning to wonder if Id ever get a transplant, but we got the call, Andersen said. Im so happy my husband answered the phone at 4:40 in the morning.

Now 35 years old, Anderson was just 12 when the symptoms of kidney disease emerged. Shed had headaches and vomited and a doctor noticed she had unusually high blood pressure for someone so young.

A nephrologist (a kidney disease specialist) made the diagnosis.

Andersen had membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, a disease that destroys the filtering function in the kidneys.

Within a couple months, Andersen was put on a transplant list. Andersen was in seventh grade when she started dialysis, which filters fluids and toxins out of the blood.

Because there wasnt a dialysis clinic in Fremont back then, her mom, Teresa, took her to dialysis in Omaha. She went three times a week, 4  hours each treatment.

Andersen was on dialysis a short time when a kidney became available and she had a transplant. But she was frequently ill and in and out of hospitals.

That kidney lasted almost four years before her body rejected it.

Anderson received another kidney when she was about 16 years old. She graduated from Fremont High School in 2002.

Life went well for a while, then Andersen learned her body was rejecting this kidney, too.

So she started dialysis right before her 21st birthday and had done it ever since.

In 2017, Andersen was featured in a Fremont Tribune article in which she asked for a donor kidney, knowing she wouldnt live as long of a life on dialysis as she would with a transplant.

I guess what Im looking for is somebody to save my life, she said.

Due to the high level of antibodies built up from the two previous transplants, finding a donor kidney hasnt been easy.

Andersen and her mom even planned to go to Sioux Falls, S.D., this summer and see if she could get on a list there.

Then the call came.

How would you like to get a kidney transplant today? asked a Nebraska Medicine transplant coordinator.

I was in shock, Andersen said.

Uncertain about how recent flooding might affect their travel into Omaha, Andersen said she thought it could take 1  to two hours to reach the city.

It took a little over an hour and she reached the hospital by about 6:30 a.m.

She went into surgery at about 3:30 p.m. and estimates she probably didnt get out until around 11 p.m.

Surgeons removed the kidney transplanted in 2001, because they thought it was causing high blood pressure, she said.

They left the kidney transplanted in 1997 and her original kidneys which she said have shrunk to the size of peas due to lack of use.

She and her doctors faced some challenges after the new kidney was transplanted.

The morning after the procedure, Andersen could tell something was wrong. Shed have three ultrasounds and head back into surgery.

Andersen said doctors told her the kidney had flipped over and wasnt getting the blood flow it needed. Surgeons remedied that during a procedure that took almost as long as the first.

I went through a lot within the first 24 hours, she said.

That night, she was transferred to the surgical intensive care unit when her oxygen level went down and was on a CPAP machine until it rose again.

Andersen said doctors told her it would take a couple days for her new kidney to wake up and put her on a long, slow, 24-hour dialysis treatment. Four hours before it was set to end, the machine clotted off.

Doctors still thought shed had a good treatment and she was put on blood thinners to prevent clotting.

Andersens condition improved and she was transferred out of the ICU and shed start producing more urine _ something her body hadnt done in years. She added that her bladder had shrunk to the size of an acorn and was re-inflating.

What I drink kinda goes through me real fast, but its getting better every day, she said.

After 15 days in the hospital, she was discharged on April 22.

I spent 15 days in the hospital. I told my mom  15 days for 15 years, she said.

Since going home, shes been taking it easy. She cant lift anything that weighs more than 5 pounds and wont be able to drive until three weeks have passed since her surgery. Shes dealt with swelling.

Im pretty swollen in my legs and in my stomach, which makes you feel miserable on top of everything else, but over time it will get better. All that swelling will go down. I need to be patient with that, she said.

In the meantime, she appreciates not having to get up at 4:30 a.m., three days a week to go to dialysis.

In the last two years, I was getting really, really sick and my condition was getting kind of critical. My health was really going downhill, she added.

In February, Andersen said her oxygen level was low. She was hospitalized, put on a ventilator and then flown by medical helicopter to Bergan Mercy hospital in Omaha.

That was a scary situation, she said. They almost lost me.

She looks forward to a better future.

Im going to be a lot healthier and its almost like getting a whole new life, she said. Im getting 16 hours a week of my life back from not having to go to dialysis.

She wants to return to her job as a certified nursing assistant at Nye Pointe.

I cant work that much because of my Medicare and Medicaid, but I still want to work, she said.

She commends her workplace.

Nye Pointe  they have been awesome  they have been great with me when it comes to my kidney disease and when I get sick and all the surgeries Ive been through, she said. Ive been there over 10 years now. Theyve been really, really great with me and understanding. Theres been periods when Ive not been able to work for six months and they still allow me to keep my job there. You dont find that a lot anymore.

Andersen wants to travel.

Shes like to go to Montana, where her grandma, Delores Drew, lives.

Its been over 15 years since Ive seen her, Andersen said.

Shed also like to drive through the mountains and maybe go horseback riding while there. She wants to go with her husband to California to see his family and to Colorado to see a Denver Broncos game.

Even going swimming with her nieces locally and not having to worry about getting a chest catheter wet will be a blessing.

I look forward to having energy, being able to be outside and do yard work and decorate the house, stuff like that, she said.

She encourages other people waiting for a transplant to not give up hope.

Andersen said the kidney she received was a perfect match.

They (doctors) said it was like I had a twin, she said. I truly think somebody was definitely watching out for me. It was kind of God saying, Its her time. It was definitely was a miracle.

After a year, Andersen will be able to write a letter to the family of the deceased person whose organs  including her kidney  were donated.

They are heroes in my eyes, she said. They saved my life, and others too, making the choice to have a loved one be a donor.

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The Fremont City Council will hear and consider several items related to recent flooding during its meeting on Tuesday.

After approving an interlocal agreement to create a Joint Water Management Advisory Board during its meeting on April 10, the council will consider a new resolution which would rescind the previous agreement to include more local entities on the proposed board.

The originally proposed Joint Water Management Advisory Board included the City of Fremont, Dodge County, Village of Inglewood and the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District (LPNNRD).

The amended interlocal agreement would expand the board to also include: the city of North Bend, the Cotterell Diking and Drainage District, the Ames Diking and Drainage District, the North Bend Diking and Drainage District, Elkhorn Township, Platte Township, Sanitary and Improvement District No. 3 near Lake Ventura and Sanitary and Improvement District No. 5 near Timberwood.

The new board will address drainage issues and other water management vulnerabilities throughout the county. It was approved by the Dodge County Board of Supervisors on April 24.

While the idea to create such a board has circulated between local governing bodies for decades, City Administrator Brian Newton said recent talks about the proposed Joint Water Management Board heated up in 2016 after heavy rains flooded streets in Fremont.

This conversation really started a couple of years ago particularly after we had that huge deluge of rain and were battling a lot of surface water drainage, he said. Little did we know that we would be coming before you right after this flood  but it seems particularly relevant that we set this up.

During the Dodge County Board of Supervisors meeting on April 24, Chairman Bob Missel said the board will help the region gain better leverage as it seeks to improve drainage issues and address issues brought in as a result of last months historic flooding.

That includes in discussions with entities like the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages levees along area rivers.

The idea of all this is that as we collaborate and come together, our voice becomes a little louder because were a larger pool of governments, Missel said.

On Tuesday, the council will also consider a separate interlocal agreement with the City of Lincoln for mutual assistance to help inspect flood-damaged homes and businesses following the flooding last month.

According to a staff report prepared by Chief Building Inspector Don Simon, a temporary memorandum of understanding was signed between Fremont and Lincoln for mutual assistance, knowing that an interlocal agreement would be brought to the governing bodies for consideration and approval.

One of the final items on the agenda will also provide the council with an update on emergency flood measures, relief efforts and floodplain management requirements.

Other items on the councils agenda for Tuesday include:

- Receive and file 2018-2019 Tax Increment Financing Annual Report

- Resolution awarding bid for Johnson Road South pavement improvements project

- An ordinance to create Temporary Drone Zones in two areas of Fremont

- Resolution authorizing the mayor to execute the contract with Nebraska Department of Economic Development for the Civic and Community Center Financing Fund award for renovation of the City Auditorium

The city councils full agenda can be found online at fremontne.gov/agendacenter. The city council meeting is set for 7 p.m. with an open public comment period beginning at 6:30 p.m. within the City Council Chambers at 400 E. Military Avenue.

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A Fremont man admitted to violating the terms of his probation in Dodge County District Court on Monday. He was ultimately placed back on probation.

Charles J. Logrande, 43, had been serving a term of probation since 2017 on charges of strangulation and terroristic threats, both related to a 2016 incident.

While a motion to revoke Lograndes probation filed in court noted that he was doing very well while on probation, he was ultimately arrested on Jan. 1, 2019 in another incident involving a charge of terroristic threats.

In court on Monday, Logrande admitted that he had violated the terms of his probation, waived his right to a pre-sentence investigation and ultimately agreed to be sentenced on the same day. His probation was reinstated as previously ordered.

The motion to revoke his probation noted that he had been scheduled for an early release from probation in March at the time of his arrest.

Court records show that Logrande will reappear in court to address the newer charges from the January incident in June.

In other district court news on Monday:

Adrianne E. Mott, 37, pleaded no contest to a charge of possession of a controlled substance, a class IV felony punishable by zero to two years in prison. Mott was arrested in June of 2018 after she was discovered in her vehicle with a marijuana pipe, according to a police affidavit from the III Corps Drug Task Force. A subsequent search turned up a baggie containing methamphetamine. District Court Judge Geoffrey Hall ordered a pre-sentence investigation and set the case down for sentencing on June 10 at 9 a.m.

Tanya Brainard, 47, failed to show up for court in regard to a motion to revoke her probation. A bench warrant was issued for her arrest. Brainard had been serving probation since 2017, in relation to a 2016 charge of possession of a controlled substance.

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The Fremont Coin Club will be hosting its 60th Annual Coin Show, continuing a tradition that goes back to 1959.

The annual event features a collection of coin dealers who can help coin enthusiasts sell, purchase or appraise valuable coins and other currency.

This years event will feature a change in venue: for the first time in at least 20 years, the show will move away from its regular home at the Fremont City Auditorium, and instead be held at the Christensen Field Main Arena from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 5.

That change had been made in anticipation of the City Auditoriums voter-approved renovation, said show chairman Bob Missel, who is also the chairman of the Dodge County Board of Supervisors.

The event will feature about 20 coin dealers from a six-state area around the Midwest, Missel said.

This is an opportunity for people to come in and see quite an array of offering and everything from United States coins to world coins, gold and silver bullion, rare currency, old currency  just the full gamut of product available, Missel said.

The dealers who will be in attendance can also help guests appraise coins that they be holding onto.

I always tell people, even if youre not a coin collector, its something worth just taking a walk through to see all this stuff, Missel said.

Missel says that the event will give opportunities for those interested in learning more about investing in silver or gold, a hot topic right now.

Internets great, but youre not always dealing with people face to face, he said. This is a real opportunity to make a purchase in those types of opportunities.

Last years event brought out about 300 people, Missel said, with many coming from all over. The event tends to overlap with the annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting in Omaha. Missel said hes already gotten one call from someone who lives on the west coast, wholl be attending the meeting. That individual is hoping to rent a car and attend the event in Fremont while hes in town.

Its surprising how far people drive, Missel said.

The event is free to attend and open to the public. Refreshments will be available.

Additionally, the Fremont Coin Club has issued a commemorative $1 Historical Bank Note, and the club is holding a raffle for a genuine U.S. $5 gold coin, minted in 1903. Those tickets can be purchased at the show.

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Leaders of a civil rights movement demanding security and rights for Pakistans ethnic Pashtun minority have largely been denied any media coverage after the countrys powerful military accused them of being funded by foreign spy services.

In a telling example of the blanket censorship on the coverage of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, commonly known by its initials, PTM, Pakistans top military spokesman told journalists to refrain from giving the movements leaders any coverage.

When we straighten their language and when they [the PTM leaders] are exposed, then you can keep them on TV 24/7, Asif Ghafoor told journalists on April 29.

Would you host someone on the television who says that the uniform is behind terrorism? he said while repeating the PTMs signature slogan.

Ghafoor, a major general in the army, is director general of the Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani militarys media wing. He was responding to a question by leading Pakistan journalist Hamid Mir, who thanked him for acknowledging that a free press could have prevented the dismemberment of the country in December 1971, when the former East Pakistan became an independent country, Bangladesh.

Earlier that year, Pakistans military dictator General Yahya Khan launched a military operation against the Awami League, the Bengali majority party in East Pakistan, that had swept the election in 1970. Khans regime imposed complete censorship on the Pakistani press. Most of the countrys newspapers were claiming victory even on December 16, 1971, when Pakistani forces surrendered to the Indian military and Bengali rebels after the fall of Dhaka.

The creation of Bangladesh often echoes in Pakistans handling of grievances championed by ethnic movements and political parties.

The questions you have raised about the PTM are very valid, Mir told Ghafoor. Wouldnt it be appropriate to invite the PTMs leadership to the electronic media to ask them these questions? he asked. [This would also help answer] their accusations that the DG (Director General) ISPR is behind denying us any media coverage and has imposed restrictions [on the coverage of the movement].

Dozens of Pakistani television stations carried Ghafoors nearly 90-minute press conference live, and it became the lead story in many newspapers and news websites. Only Dawn, the countrys leading English-language daily, carried a response from the movement.

In what is considered the most forceful statement by the military against the PTM, Ghafoor said time is up for the movement because it is playing into the hands of the others. He blamed Afghanistans National Directorate of Security and Indias Research and Analysis Wing intelligence services for funding the PTM. Since its emergence in February 2018, the movement has held dozens of major protest rallies across Pakistan.

"No one will be hurt, and nothing illegal will be done, he told journalists. Everything will be done according to the law. Whatever liberties you could take, you have taken."

Hours later, PTM lawmakers Ali Wazir and Mohin Dawar held an impromptu press conference inside the parliament building in Islamabad.

We are ready to face any accusations, be they inside the parliament or a court of law or any other institution in this county, Wazir told journalists late on April 29. Such accusations were leveled against the Bengalis and leaders of other ethnicities such as [Pashtun leaders] Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai, [Sindhi leader] Ghulam Murtaza Sayed, and [Baluch leader] Nawab Akbar Bugti.

Not one Pakistan television stations broadcast the PTM press conference.

Wazir and Dawar represent the western Waziristan region in the parliament. Home to major Pashtun tribes including the Wazir, Mehsud, Dawar, Bhittani, and Sulaimankhel tribes, the region was the epicenter of Pakistans domestic war on terrorism.

Pashtuns make up more than 15 percent of Pakistans 207 million people. Beginning in 2003, attacks by the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and allied militants and military operations killed tens of thousands of Pashtuns in Waziristan and other districts of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and some regions of predominantly Pashtun-populated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Last year, FATA was merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Estimates by aid agencies and officials suggest the conflict also displaced more than 6 million Pashtuns in the decade following 2004.

PTM leaders say their movement is a reaction to such suffering.

The movement campaigns for an end to illegal killings, forced disappearances, harassment by security forces, accountability for their losses, and clearing landmines from Waziristan and other conflict zones.

PTM leaders and activists have faced police investigations, arbitrary arrests, detention, and treason allegations since the emergence of their movement in early 2018.

Lawmaker Wazir said they are ready to face all obstacles on the path to gaining rights.

While they malign us in any possible manner to pave the way toward targeting us, cant we just reply to their allegations? he asked.
A video camera balances on a bright orange skateboard in Anthony Szpaks language arts classroom. Students slowly roll the makeshift rig across a tabletop toward a scale model of San Francisco in December 1941.

Lights flicker in the small replica buildings before going dark, signifying the rolling blackouts that followed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, launching the United States into World War II.

Yay, it works! students cheer.

The scene took four months to build and five minutes to shoot. Eight seconds of the footage will appear in the student-produced documentary, As They Were.

Its intense and stressful to get this done, but the first time I saw the trailers, it really hit me, like, Wow, were really making a difference,  said Elanor Fugate, an eighth-grader at the Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning, a charter school for gifted students in Colorado Springs School District 11.

The film premieres publicly Friday with two showings at the school, 2510 N. Chestnut St.

This is the fourth year that eighth-graders at Academy ACL have produced a short film from script to screen. As They Were is the latest project by the schools GeekThink Films. Szpak, a former Hollywood scriptwriter, opened the studio  and the nations first fully integrated film program in a middle school  in the fall of 2015.

At this age, theyre breaking ground with each one of these films, Szpak said.

Students write the script, draw the storyboards, act, shoot the cinematography, craft the animation and create original scores of music.

I ask that they find their strengths and work from that, Szpak said.

The project began in October and continues until the red carpet rolls out Friday night.

Students dressed in finery will arrive for the premiere in fancy cars donated by Red Noland Auto Group in Colorado Springs.

This is the schools first documentary and, at 17 minutes, the longest. Its also the first to feature Colorado Springs residents.

Students interviewed seven senior citizens about the challenges they faced and recreated stories of the Holocaust, the assassination attempt on President Gerald Ford, the seven-year drought in Texas, the impact of the Pearl Harbor attack on ordinary life and others. Miniature sets, real-life shots and animation tell the stories.

Nancy Hitlin Jackson, one of the films subjects, said she likes that students have a way to keep in mind that older people have lots to offer, and everyone has stories to share.

Students worked hard to portray peoples fear that their city would be bombed next after Pearl Harbor, for example, and the awfulness of being one of two survivors in a village during the Holocaust.

Student Lina Guerra rode her bicycle for miles in the rain for a shot of her whizzing by a stationary train.

Huddling in the schools boiler room in the middle of the pack during a World War II bombing scene was one of Gabi Rielanelsons most challenging roles. She much preferred running in the snow outside.

I remember the first movie the school made, and I couldnt wait to be a part of it, said 13-year-old Jack Markowitz. This year I got to be one of the directors, and this movie is our movie. Its a source of pride: I did this. This is a lot of work.

Two of the 15 students in the class, Mason Marcy and Katie Champlin, used a keyboard and fiddle to create original music.

Were both very A-types, and I decided we had to split the power, Katie said, because we werent making any progress.

Chocolate helped them focus, she added, along with studying preliminary scenes and listening to every kind of music, from classical to Elton John, to develop their own.

Four editors watched, rewatched and clipped 52 hours of footage down to 17 minutes.

The project helps students learn how to succinctly communicate a message, work as a team and learn different aspects of writing, analyzing and creating, Szpak said.

This is a shared experience that will never be repeated, said Elanor, the executive producer.

And its beneficial to adults and students.

Film is the one thing that everybody speaks the language, and it keeps kids engaged in school, Szpak said.

Tickets are free but need to be reserved. Go to academy acl.networkforgood.com/events/12505-geek-think-film-premiers-as-they-were or call the school at 434-6566.

Contact the writer: 719-476-1656
Outlying neighborhoods that are organized as state-registered HOAs (Homeowners Associations) will be able to stay R1-single-family if the City Council adopts an ADU law for Colorado Springs, but older neighborhoods closer to downtown will be forced to change to de facto R2-two-family zoning whether they want to or not.

This will in effect create two unequal classes of neighborhoods in Colorado Springs. On the one hand, neighborhoods registered with the county clerk as legal HOAs will be able to amend their covenants to ban the construction of ADUs (second homes on single-family lots). Older neighborhoods without HOAs, however, will have their single-family zoning automatically turned into two-family zoning the day the proposed ADU law takes effect.

ADU stands for Accessory Dwelling Unit. A proposed law for Colorado Springs provides that owners of single-family homes can build a second home in their backyard and either rent it out or subdivide it and sell it to strangers. The second home can be about one-half the size of the original home, but it can be two stories high and include a one-car garage. The second home will be adequate for a new family of four persons.

In those cases where there is inadequate room in the yard for a second house, the main home can be enlarged for a second family by putting on a second story, knocking out a side or back wall, or creating or enlarging the basement. Parking for the new residents can be provided in the front yard of the home and paved.

The ADU law was approved unanimously by the City Planning Commission on March 21 and referred to City Council for final passage. The council is scheduled to have a work session on the controversial proposal on May 13 and hold an initial public hearing and vote on May 28.

The Colorado Springs ADU law is the local version of a movement sweeping the nation called densification. The idea is to increase population densities in city neighborhoods so as to increase the number of housing units available for sale in the community. At the same time, densification increases the population in a neighborhood, it simultaneously increases the number of automobiles and results in more traffic and congestion.

We think it is unfair to force a long-term doubling of population and automobiles in one set of neighborhoods and let an arbitrary group of other neighborhoods  those with legal HOAs  escape these requirements if they choose to do so. Single-family zoning, with its strict limits on the number of households and motor vehicles in a neighborhood, thereby is made available to one special group of homeowners, yet not to others.

It has long been an axiom of sensible urban planning that single-family zoning, with lowered densities and lighter traffic, preserves city neighborhoods and makes them much less subject to urban blight.

Homeowners groups come in two forms. Most neighborhoods are organized on a volunteer basis and have no official legal status. Neighborhoods with such volunteer associations include the Old North End, Broadmoor, Skyway, the Mesa and Ivywild, to name just a few. It is in these neighborhoods that the proposed ADU law will go into full effect and will likely increase the number of people and automobiles.

But there is another kind of homeowners association, generally referred to as an HOA. These are created by state law and used by housing developers to provide services for new housing. HOAs have governing boards, and these boards are empowered under the new law to vote ADUs, both backyard, and in-house, in or out of the neighborhood.

As the ADU portion of the densification movement has spread across the nation, it has generated supporters and opponents.

Supporters hope the creation of this new housing on existing single-family lots will relieve upward pressure on housing prices. They also claim that more citizens will ride mass transit if neighborhoods are forced to become more crowded.

Critics claim that ADUs will just make existing neighborhoods less pleasant to live in and thus will increase the movement of well-to-do citizens to the suburbs and start neighborhood decay.

Historic preservation supporters across America are particularly fearful that all those newly constructed and modified dwellings units in older neighborhoods will destroy their historic character.

One of the charms of Colorado Springs is its low population density and the large number of neighborhoods close to downtown that have, thanks to single-family zoning, remained highly desirable places to live.

We think legalizing ADUs, with the increases in the density of people and automobiles, is a mistake. When neighborhoods close to downtown are a big success already, why change them?

Isnt it unfair to let one set of neighborhoods  legal HOAs  vote themselves out of the new densification law but leave all other neighborhoods subject to its onerous provisions?

We believe every neighborhood in Colorado Springs should have the privilege, just as legal HOAs have, of deciding whether it wants to have Accessory Dwelling Units within its boundaries. The council should craft a mechanism by which neighborhoods can organize, establish their boundaries, and outlaw ADUs within those boundaries.

Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy are political scientists at Colorado College.
During the lucid moments, when she was out of meds and walking the streets of Colorado Springs for days and nights on end, too afraid to sleep, Cait Pfeifer would often ponder the seemingly random domino fall that brought her down.

Born to a solidly middle-class family, shed had a healthy childhood and incredible, loving and devoted parents who valued education and encouraged advocacy.

But, as a young teen, she was sexually molested and suffered a breakdown that led to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and PTSD. She fought her way back with the help of her parents, doctors and medications, and by her mid-20s, she was working as a consultant and pursuing her second masters degree.

It took just months, and a cascade of health and life misfortunes, to wipe out all that progress.

The girl whod been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, who at 25 was not only managing her illness but launching a career and planning a startup, found herself homeless, sick and running out of hope.

I was cold and hungry and so afraid. I did spend a lot of time out there, walking and thinking, trying to blame one person, Pfeifer said. Sometimes Id blame myself, and it would really weigh heavy on my shoulders that I did this.

Sometimes it was the ripple effect and that theres this overall system here that really let this happen.

And if it could happen to her, she reasoned as she trod alone and terrified, it really could happen to anyone.

So many people with depression and anxiety dont reach out because theyre embarrassed, ashamed or lonely. When they do, we should be doing everything we can to help them. And were not.  Karen Fallahi, Depression and Biopolar Support Alliance

Despite 300 annual days of sun, a booming economy and an unparalleled reputation for physical fitness, Colorados residents rank among the most mentally ill people in the country.

Its estimated that about 20 percent of the states adult population  about 832,000 people  is living with some kind of mental health condition, according to a 2019 report from Mental Health America, and nearly 450,000 of them arent being treated for that illness. That singular crisis lies at the root of so many others: homelessness, poverty, substance abuse and violence, as well as harrowing episodes of personal and family ruin.

Colorados efforts to make health care effective, accessible and affordable have been inconsistent at best and a failure at worst.

Scores of interviews by The Gazette with mental health experts, counselors and people struggling with mental health diagnoses and their families revealed:

 Hospital emergency rooms have become the primary first stop for mental health crises in Colorado, in large part due to a lack of accessible providers. Across the state, mental health crises resulted in more than 112,000 emergency room visits and 11,600 inpatient hospital stays over a recent 12-month span, the Colorado Hospital Association reported.

 Pikes Peak region children who require inpatient mental health care are routinely sent hours away to clinics elsewhere in the state because there arent enough open psychiatric beds locally to meet their needs. Whats more, Colorado children are routinely transferred by expensive ambulance or airplane trips to institutions in other states because of a lack of in-state beds, according to Childrens Hospital Colorado.

 Many people simply cant pay for mental health care, and a decade of attempts by state and national lawmakers to make that care more affordable and accessible still precludes thousands.

 More often than not, the destination for those who fall through the wide cracks is the criminal justice system. More than one-third of all prison inmates have moderate to critical mental health needs  a far higher rate than that of society as a whole.

More than half a century after the deinstitutionalization movement began in the 1960s, jails and state prisons have effectively become warehouses for the mentally ill. For a time this year, demand for beds led the states psychiatric hospital system to temporarily freeze all new admissions of patients who werent already facing criminal charges. The freeze ended in February, with the state opting instead to pay what could be millions of dollars in fines.

Residents who arent inmates and seek treatment often are forced to navigate a system so confusing and costly it can be overwhelming for those facing it in an emotionally stable state.

It is a ruthless cycle, said Sgt. Jason Garrett, a negotiator who leads crisis training for the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. And it destroys families. It destroys the people.

Even the suggestion of a coherent mental health system is a fallacy, experts say. Heidi Baskfield, vice president of population health and advocacy at Childrens Hospital, points out, for example, that the states system for juveniles does not interface with adult care. At 18, the mentally ill child ages out.

There really is not a mental health system in Colorado, said Nancy VanDeMark, interim president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado and former director of the states Office of Behavioral Health. Especially if we think of mental health as including substance use services.

The problem is they emptied out the hospitals, but they didnt always have the support that the person needed to be able to live in the community.  Carl Clark, president and CEO of Mental Health Center of Denver

To understand mental health care today is to go back more than 60 years, to a time when care was centralized in large state institutions rife with abuse. Patients were severely stigmatized.

President John F. Kennedy sought to change that, spurring a movement that promised better care and less stigma, with people seeking treatment in their communities while living at home and managing their symptoms with new and game-changing psychiatric drugs.

But the money to fully realize that dream of transforming care never followed, advocates say. Outpatient and community-based treatment centers never received enough funding to become viable options for the tens of thousands nationally packed behind hospital walls. The results were predictable.

In 1961, more than 6,100 people were treated at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, a state psychiatric hospital that more closely resembled a village, with 75 buildings spread across a 300-acre compound and a 5,000-acre dairy farm. Over the next five decades, the number of patients there dropped more than 90 percent. By 2008, that number had dwindled to fewer than 500 people.

By the numbers View more statistics on mental health treatment throughout Colorado

The history is clear: Without a robust system to ensure the mentally ill received care upon their release from the sprawling state hospitals, many ultimately were swept into the criminal justice system.

Today, roughly one-third of imprisoned men in Colorado  and four out of every five women inmates  say they have some type of moderate to critical mental health need, according to the Colorado Department of Corrections. State prisons house 13 times more mentally ill people than do the states psychiatric hospitals, though not all prisoners require such high levels of care.

We just switched institutions, said Clark, of the Mental Health Care Center of Denver and a decadeslong practitioner in the state. We went from asylum care to prison care.

Thats the nature of mental illness. Its like the universe knows youre sick and your plate just piles up with a bunch of stuff.  Cait Pfeifer

For someone living with a mental health diagnosis or mood disorder, the line between thriving and crisis can seem like a fine one.

For Pfeifer, whos now 32, the tumble into despair began in 2013, when she learned shed be aging out of the insurance coverage shed had through her fathers policy.

At the last minute, Pfeifers parents were able to get a temporary emergency extension to the coverage, but that adjustment came with a new doctor who wanted to change her medications and get her off lithium, which is the only drug Pfeifer says has ever successfully managed the dramatic mood swings that are a symptom of bipolar disorder.

Pfeifer started rationing her pills, and thats when things got very scary, very quick.

I was trying to apply for Medicaid for working adults with disabilities  but nobody was really helpful in terms of how do you get this insurance. All my phone calls were unreturned, Pfeifer said. And I didnt know what I was doing. Nobody prepares you for this.

She accepted a job in California with the hope of restarting her life, and her treatment, after the move. But then came a battle with hypomania brought on by the opiates prescribed in the wake of elbow surgery. And then the job in California fell through.

Too ashamed to skulk back to her parents for help, Pfeifer stayed in hotels until her money ran out. She moved to a shelter but lost that bed after an emergency room visit led to a two-week stay at Cedar Springs Hospital.

A 4-month odyssey, living in shelters and on the streets, came to an end after a nine-week inpatient stay at Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, during which Pfeifer reconnected with her parents  and rediscovered her voice.

Were down and out, were exhausted, were sick, and the onus is on us to shout louder than ever  to get the care, respect and dignity we deserve, said Pfeifer, whos now back on her feet and her meds and happily married to Nick, who also serves as her in-home caregiver.

Need help or support? View a list of resources for mental health care services in Colorado Springs

Most people arent like me, and they give up, or turn to suicide, addictions or chronic homelessness. The cycles of social illness are pervasive and keep the mentally ill both disenfranchised and chronically sick.

Every community that we go to identifies mental health or behavioral health as one of the top health-related challenges that they are dealing with.  Jeff Bontrager, director of research and evaluation, Colorado Health Institute

Pfeifer was one of the lucky ones: able to access help and survive the moments, days and weeks when help was out of reach.

In a single hour manning the phone on a mid-February afternoon, Karen Fallahi took two calls from Springs residents hoping the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance could connect them with a local psychiatrist for an emergency appointment.

One caller was a woman, in the depths of depression and desperate for an alternative because her usual provider couldnt fit her in until late May. Fallahi gave the woman names and numbers for five local psychiatrists who accept Medicare.

Hopefully they will be able to fit her in  but you cant just call a therapist and get an appointment. Theyre all booked up, Fallahi said. What does that lady do between now and May, if no one can get her in?

On paper, Colorado ranks well for residents ability to access care, coming in 10th among the states in the recent Mental Health America report. Thats due, in part, to the states rock-bottom uninsured rate of 6.5 percent.

But the challenges described to The Gazette in a wide range of interviews also show that such rankings can be deceiving.

About 382,000 Coloradans living with mental illness said they couldnt get the treatment they needed, according to the 2017 Colorado Health Access Survey by the Colorado Health Institute.

Its not that Colorado is doing a good job, period  its just that there are so many other states that are doing a worse job, said Theresa Nguyen, Mental Health Americas vice president of policy and programs.

In addition to the states discouraging statistics about those who suffer from mental health issues, 67,000 more people reported an inability to get the substance abuse services they need.

Colorado had 560 opioid-related deaths last year, 92 of them in El Paso County, as part of a national epidemic involving prescription painkiller and heroin use. That, combined with a rise in methamphetamine deaths, pushed Colorados drug fatalities above 1,000 in 2017 for the first time on record.

To Ted Ulibarri, substance abuse is a feeder, and outcome, of the failures in mental health care.

What comes first, the chicken or the egg? The trauma or the substance abuse? We need to focus on the individual struggling with addiction and mental illness in their families, and their families need just as much support as the individual, said Ulibarri, an addiction counselor and clinical supervisor at Rocky Mountain Behavioral Health in Canon City. If we as treatment providers, medical and mental health, if we cant all get together and work on this together, were going to lose this battle.

Half the states population lives in areas without enough mental health care providers, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Health Workforce. Forty-nine of Colorados 64 counties do not have a single mental health inpatient bed as of 2017.

One reason Colorado has so many mental health care deserts, even in its cities, is because insurance reimbursement rates for behavioral appointments typically pay less than treatments for physical ailments, experts say.

That means new psychiatrists and therapists can still expect loads of student debt but less income to help pay it off.

In my case, I used my military GI bill  but a lot of my peers are going to be in $80,000 worth of debt, said Mari Moxley, a clinical social worker and volunteer with Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention. Theyre not lawyers, who can do pro bono work. They cannot get out of school and offer free counseling.

A stigma, it seems, still looms not just over those with mental health diagnoses but over the industry itself.

Mental health isnt valued, and social services arent valued, at all, in our culture. So what theyre experiencing is the cause and effect of a cultural problem, Moxley said.

Coverage is good. Now we need to work more on access.  Nancy VanDeMark, Mental Health Colorado

Even when insurance covers treatment, it often does so at only a fraction of the actual  and practical  costs.

When Daleth McCoys then- 8-year-old daughter, Emma, began throwing herself down the stairs and off the top of her bunk bed, McCoy knew there was more going on than the autism Emma had been diagnosed with as a toddler. A third trip to the emergency room at Childrens Hospital in Aurora, and a 24-hour suicide watch, led to eight days of inpatient treatment for Emma in the hospitals Neuropsychiatric Special Care unit, which serves children up to age 18 who have autism spectrum disorders and neurodevelopmental disabilities, in addition to medical or psychiatric conditions.

Emma then transitioned to the Aurora hospitals outpatient therapeutic program, the only location in a five-state radius offering such treatment. It meant a 160-mile daily commute and temporary leave of absence for McCoy, who had just finished her masters degree and was working part time for the Fountain-Fort Carson School District.

Like a growing number of people, McCoy turned to GoFundMe, a fundraising website.

If you have a child who has to be inpatient, like Emma has, obviously you cant work at the same time  and theres no not doing it. Its not elective, said McCoy, whose daughter is now 11. Going three weeks with no pay is really impacting when youre living month to month. We didnt have any savings, and that GoFundMe account allowed us to pay for those trips and also make our car payment and not have the electric cut off at home.

For many families, when moneys tight and insurance doesnt pay  or doesnt pay enough  mental health treatment is a luxury.

My family has had a lot of hard financial situations, so when you need therapy, its the cost, how many times, can insurance cover it, all of that, said 17-year-old Karolina Vida, a student at Pikes Peak Community College. It became, like, You can only go to therapy if we have the resources for it. We will not pay if insurance doesnt cover all of it. It was really hard, and I know a lot of teenagers out there who need therapy cant get it.

Health policy experts say laws designed to make sure insurance companies adequately cover therapy and other mental services have yet to fill gaping holes in many consumers plans  private insurance or government-sponsored coverage.

Called parity laws, they are meant to ensure that behavioral health benefits are covered at the same level as physical benefits. But protections still aren't mandatory for Medicare or half of all employer-based plans  specifically, plans offered by large companies that insure themselves. And the issue is especially pressing for substance abuse coverage.

A study by the Seattle-based actuarial firm Milliman found that mental health professionals receive 30 percent less from insurers than other health care providers. Also, patients in Colorado are forced to go out of network for mental health and addiction treatment seven times more often than for physical care, according to Mental Health Colorado.

Enforcement of the parity laws appears to be severely lacking, said Jalyn Ingalls, a policy analyst with the Colorado Health Institute.

Rather, the onus is on people needing care  even if theyre psychotic or in a crisis  to make sure their insurance company is following the rules.

Theres a lot of research showing that people arent necessarily willing to do that, Ingalls said. They just want to get treatment and figure out how to get better. Theyre not thinking Oh, my insurance company isnt doing this for me; were going to file a lawsuit. 

Thats the whole other side of the work that were doing from the education and awareness piece of it  changing the way people view and think about and see mental health.  Jarrod Hindman, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Even the man in charge of the Colorado Department of Human Services Office of Behavioral Health admits: We could do better.

There are many components of our system that work well, said Robert Werthwein, the agencys director. The bigger question is do they work well together. And the goal really needs to be that every Coloradan gets the behavioral health services they need.

Im not sure thats happening today. And I think its time for us  for everybody  to sort of reevaluate the system as a whole.

Still, state officials say there are glimmers of hope amid this crisis.

Reeling after the mass shooting at an Aurora theater in summer 2012, Gov. John Hickenlooper and lawmakers set aside $20 million to create the states first crisis response network for people in a mental health emergency.

The system included the establishment of a crisis hotline, for people to speak with someone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Eleven walk-in centers called Crisis Stabilization Units opened up and down the Front Range, along with one in Grand Junction and two in Alamosa  allowing people in crisis to connect with a mental health provider and talk through a problem, get a referral to a therapist or submit to a 72-hour emergency hold at a psychiatric hospital. Two of the centers are in Colorado Springs.

And in some jurisdictions, small teams of law enforcement officers and mental health professionals were formed to respond to 911 calls fueled by a person having a psychotic breakdown. The goal: respond in a more empathetic and understanding way, rather than escalate the situation into a shootout.

The money for those programs has steadily grown, topping $31 million this year.

The new emergency programs have been busy.

In a one-year span that ended June 30, 2018, more than 163,000 people  448 a day  called, texted or messaged the states 24/7 crisis hotline and support line.

Walk-in centers across the state saw more than 31,200 visits during that time  nearly 40 percent of which came in Colorado Springs and southern Colorado. And those mobile law enforcement teams responded nearly 25,600 times to people in crisis throughout the state, or 70 times a day.

Other state agencies are working to keep people from disintegrating into crisis in the first place.

A few years ago, Colorado used a $65 million federal grant to place more psychiatrists and behavioral health specialists in the offices of family doctors across the state in a bid to better coordinate physical and mental health care. The goal: help doctors catch mental health issues early, during patients annual physicals, for example, or treat them more holistically whenever they have a major medical issue  one that often has an underlying mental condition to blame.

In late March, lawmakers in Denver introduced legislation that would crack down on insurers that skimp on behavioral health benefits.

And in March, after facing a lawsuit by a Denver-area nonprofit, the Colorado Department of Human Services agreed to reform its evaluation and treatment of criminal defendants who are mentally unfit to stand trial  in a bid to keep them from languishing in county jails.

Hindman of the state's Health Department said Colorado and states across the nation can do a better job of addressing mental health concerns when they first start. So often, people are proactive about their weight, heart disease and diabetes, exercising more, reducing their cholesterol intake and limiting sugary foods. But that same preventative mindset has yet to become mainstream for addressing mental health concerns.

The mental health field needs to shift some of its focus to the preventative framework, just like health care has, said Hindman, who oversees the CDPHEs suicide prevention efforts. Obesity prevention, heart disease prevention, primary care is so hyper-focused  in a good way  on what are the things you could do now to prevent negative outcomes later. We havent done that as much in the mental health field.

When you call different facilities  theyre going to list off for you all these great things that are available. The challenge is: Go ahead and access those things and see how easy it is.  Cassandra Walton

For people like Cassandra Walton, the ideal of easy access to care remains out of reach. The day she saved her daughters life completely by chance burns in her mind.

Walton was forgetful that day a couple of years ago  leaving something behind on her way to work, forcing her to turn around and head back home.

But when she walked inside, she interrupted her daughters first suicide attempt. At first, the girl tried hiding it. But later that day, she admitted to the attempt.

I said that I was so glad that she didnt do it, Walton said. And I was so grateful that she was still with us and that I had found her alive when I came home.

Walton was among the lucky ones  able to save her daughter, a mere 12 years old, before it was too late.

Far too often, the consequences of Colorados disjointed behavioral health care system are deadly.

Colorados suicide rate was ninth highest in the nation in 2017  a rate that has slowly been on the rise over at least the past 15 years.

Unlike in other areas of the state, including the Denver metro area, suicides in El Paso County have nearly doubled over the past decade.

More people have killed themselves in El Paso County from 2004 through 2017 than any other county in the state, and the numbers arent even close. In that time, 1,785 people completed suicide here  384 more people than Denver County, despite similar population numbers.

Roughly once every other day, someone intentionally kills themselves in this region. Such completed suicides routinely account for more deaths every year than automotive crashes and homicides combined.

However, the people who killed themselves here arent much different by demography or method than those elsewhere in the state. About three-quarters of that death toll were men, and slightly more than half of the people who died here used firearms  both similar to state averages.

Where a difference emerges is their ages. The people who kill themselves in El Paso County are generally younger than those in the rest of the state, and the county exceeds the state average in people ages 15 to 35 who died.

In the 15 years, 24 of them were ages 10-14 years old. And 118 of them were ages 15-19.

It has to be a real thing that is actually accessed by someone under stress. Because just imagine being a parent whos working, probably raising more than one kid, and one of their kids is in this situation. It has to be more user-friendly.  Cassandra Walton

When the moment of crisis does happen, trying to get help can be frustratingly difficult.

For those who need inpatient treatment, there are too few psychiatric beds in the Pikes Peak region and across Colorado.

The first time Michelle Kemps daughter voiced suicidal thoughts, the girl was sent to a facility in Westminster, north of Denver and 80 miles away. The second time, Kemps daughter was sent even farther: Greeley. That week, Kemp drove nearly 1,000 miles back and forth to the hospital caring for her daughter, logging more than two hours in the car each time.

It was a hell year, Kemp said. Being the second-largest city in the state, I shouldnt have to be driving 200 miles for care for my kid.

Numerous other parents of suicidal teens said they had to seek care at psychiatric hospitals hours away from home because they were the only ones available. The situation is even more dire for people needing care lasting several weeks or longer.

Most of these kids are being shipped at a very high expense out of state, said Baskfield of Childrens Hospital Colorado. And when youre talking about kids experiencing anxiety, symptoms related to PTSD, things that come up as a result of bullying, the system doesnt effectively address their needs, either.

Waltons daughters first hospitalization was an eye-opener  a crash course in the Pikes Peak regions safety net for people at their most vulnerable. She went to AspenPointes Crisis Stabilization Unit off Parkside Drive in southeast Colorado Springs, and the entire hourslong stay made her feel like a prisoner  kept behind bulletproof glass in a sterile, uninviting atmosphere.

Over the next two years, Waltons daughter was hospitalized four times  once in Denver because there werent enough beds in Colorado Springs, twice at Peak View and, most recently, at Cedar Springs.

Were like veterans at it now, Walton said, speaking of psychiatric hospital stays. But that first one was terrifying. You feel so in the dark to whats happening. And unfortunately, all the staff you run into are disenfranchised. For them, its like their 20th intake of the day. For us, it was the first of our life.

Between high insurance deductibles and inadequate mental health benefits, Walton estimates she has paid at least $20,000 out of pocket for that care, and an $8,000 bill is pending.

These days, Walton knows how to deftly navigate the system. But she also knows many parents dont have that same experience to draw upon when their child first shows symptoms.

Thats a problem, especially considering many parents are juggling their own jobs, other children in the household and the incredible stress that comes with trying to save their childs life.

Its going to be probably a lifelong thing for us, and for her and our family, Walton said of her daughter. Its something she is working to live with every single day.

Im proud of her every moment of every day because I know that she is trying every day. And she has become much more skillful in how she deals with her feelings.

But shes still just a baby, and she has other developmental steps to fight her way through. And thats exactly what its going to be the whole way  its going to be a fight.

People with mental illness arent the other. This is everybody or someone they love.   Jeff Venable, 35, a volunteer with Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Colorado Springs

Jeff Venable was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as an older teen, after a summer of severe depression. He then spent a month in inpatient treatment at Cedar Springs, during which he celebrated his 18th birthday.

Cedar Springs had to reintake me, and there was all this paperwork and all the rules changed, said Venable, whos now 35. At that point, I decided I didnt want my parents to be part of my treatment, but I was not making good decisions at the time. I was impaired. I think the laws, the HIPPA (privacy) rules, did me a disservice.

Perhaps the states failing system could take a cue from the charity self-help realm, specifically the Springs chapters of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.

On most any night of the week, small groups of people battling the same conditions and the same broken system huddle in commune with one another  sharing their stories and gathering strength from each others fights. Through those shared bonds, they gain strength and, often, tips on how to get help, said Lori Jarvis-Steinwert, the local NAMI chapters executive director.

It speaks to the need for the state to do a better job helping people navigate the system.

When you have a mental illness, probably more so than other illnesses, you tend to isolate, Jarvis-Steinwert said. So having a community when you live with a mental illness can make a huge difference in the course of that illness. We create  street knowledge or street savvy. Its what its like to live day in and day out with these illnesses.

When Karen Fallahi hears her 25-year-old nonprofit, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, referred to as the best-kept secret in the Springs, its a compliment that stings.

It means not enough people with mood disorders, their friends and families are aware of what the alliance is doing and what it might be able to do for them, said Fallahi, who founded the nonprofit in 1994 after the death of her son, Erik, who suffered from bipolar disorder.

Fallahi spent the early years operating the nonprofit from the trunk of her car before setting up in the old St. Francis Medical Center on East Pikes Peak Avenue, where the alliance was part of a health delivery ecosystem that, she said, was a model of how things could, and should, be.

Theres not a metal plate between the head and the body. Mental health should always be a major part of the equation when were considering a persons overall health, Fallahi said.

St. Francis closed in 2010, and Fallahi said she was told there was no room for her group at the hospitals new building on Woodmen Road. After a year of searching, Fallahi finally found affordable space and a wonderful landlord who really understands what were trying to do in an office complex off East Bijou Street.

That building sold this year, and Fallahi now worries one of the nations older and larger chapters of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance may once again get squeezed out of a home.

If he raises the rent, I dont know what well do, Fallahi said. But you know? We will do. Were growing, adding more groups. This problem isnt going anywhere, and neither are we.

 Data journalist Burt Hubbard contributed to this project.
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With days to go and a still-packed agenda, Democrats at Colorado's Capitol are talking about the possibility of a special session to take up business that doesn't get done before the General Assembly's Friday deadline.

Majority Democrats blame Senate Republicans for stalling progress on legislation with various slowdown tactics that continued Monday. Republicans have said they are responding to Democratic overreach on controversial legislation.

By late Monday afternoon, two bills had passed the Senate during the day, versus dozens in the House.

At this rate, say Democratic leaders, many of the 128-plus bills left on the Senate calendar could die when the General Assembly adjourns, as required by law, by midnight Friday.

When Gov. Jared Polis mentioned the possibility of a special session a couple of weeks ago, it was speculative, said House Speaker KC Becker, a Democrat from Boulder.

Now, "there's a good possibility of it," she told Colorado Politics on Monday.

Senate President Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, said he has been talking to Gov. Jared Polis about a special session, topics to be announced.

Democrat Polis has the authority to call lawmakers back for a special session, and must dictate what issues would be covered in that special session.

That call could include anything that dies on the calendar on Friday.

Asked late Monday about the possibility of Polis calling a special session, a spokesperson for the governor said: Colorado voters expect lawmakers to do their jobs. There is still plenty of time for the legislature to accomplish what they came here to do.

Colorado's Constitution also allows the legislature to call a special session itself, but that would require a two-thirds vote in each chamber, meaning some Republican votes would be needed.

Under Senate rules, each member to speak for up to 20 minutes on any bill up for a final vote.

"It's difficult when you're seeing hours and hours of debate, and [then] bills pass 35-0," Garcia said. "It's uncustomary to spend six or seven hours on third-reading debates. On seconds, that's fair. On thirds, you usually say why you're a 'no vote' and move on. This is unprecedented."

"We should be able to accomplish what we need to in 120-day legislative session, but that's more of a philosophical perspective" at this point, Garcia said.

Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, a Republican from Parker, could not be reached for comment Monday but said last week that there's a different dynamic now that Democrats are in charge of both chambers.

"We have one-party control, and we don't control what's introduced or what's on the calendar," he said. "When we have a second or third reading calendar with 30 bills, we're going to talk about this. We're not having bills read at length. We're debating."

"The tide has come in," Holbert added. "We're getting hit with a tsunami of bills from the House, but we're way behind, even with fewer bills introduced this year. We're not responsible for that."

Among the bills awaiting action in the Senate are several sponsored by Becker, including a bill on climate change.

"We'll just see where we end up on Friday, but there's a pretty decent chance there could be a special session," the speaker said.

Even bills with Republican sponsors in the Senate are caught up in the slowdown.

"They are just slowing down the process," Becker said. "It's not debating bills; it's slowing down, and there's not much that can be done."

House Republicans have engaged in slowdown tactics, but not to the degree that such tactics are being used in the Senate. Becker attributed that to two factors: the close margin the majority holds in the Senate as opposed to the House's wide 41-24 difference, and the relationship she and her majority leader, Rep. Alec Garnett of Denver, have with their minority counterparts in the House.

"When I was majority leader, I constantly checked in" with House Republican leader Patrick Neville of Castle Rock, a practice continued by Garnett, Becker said, and that has meant keeping the minority party apprised, informed and, most of all, included.

Neville on Monday said he hadn't heard about discussions on a special session.

The Senate "has 120 days like they always have, and if they can't get it done in 120 days, that's pathetic," Neville said.

The Senate needs to make choices, he added. "In the House, we're not debating things or using procedural moves because the House is actually prioritizing bills ahead of other pet projects. I don't see the same happening on the Senate."
Early Tuesday, the Colorado Senate gave the first of two votes approving a plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

That gives the upper chamber three days before Fridays adjournment to get the bill to Gov. Jared Polis desk to be signed into law.

The bill sets goals to reduce emissions that fuel climate change by at least 26% by 2025, at least 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050, based on 2005 levels.

The time we have to address climate change is quickly passing by, said Sen. Angela Williams, D-Denver, one of the sponsors of House Bill 1261.

There is a sense of urgency. We want to make sure our state addresses it, so that we have more clean air and climate protection.

The high-priority bill for Democrats was introduced in the House by Speaker KC Becker of Boulder on March 21, and its languished in the Senate since April 16.

Becker said the bills introduction was delayed because of the need to vet it and get it right.

She also was busy working on Senate Bill 181, the legislation signed into law to give local government more say on oil and gas operations.

RELATED: Polis signs major oil-and-gas reform bill

I think climate change is so important, because I really believe we have a limited amount of time to address it  so losing a year is very real, Becker said.

Republicans, however, said the bill was an ineffectual proposal designed more to score people points than to save consumers money on energy usage.

The pollution and elements that are considered as being a reason for manmade climate change really arent from around here, said Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins. And yet were penalizing citizens of the state of Colorado to be, in essence, kind of the climate regulators of the world.

We cant do that. Well never meet the goals, because of the winds and the jet stream.

Republicans warn of higher costs to consumers and setbacks for the oil and gas industry, which they say would damage Colorados economic vitality.

My concern is this bill is too far-reaching, said Sen. Ray Scott, R-Grand Junction.

Its going to hurt consumers, Scott said.

Its going to hurt businesses in the name of doing something politically popular.
With a theme of Love One Another, based on the New Testaments book of John, organizers of National Day of Prayer events Thursday are hoping this 67th annual observance will help unify a divided country.

Some would argue that were having an undeclared civil war between different factions, and the only way weve ever settled anything in the history of the United States is people decided to pray and seek God and ask for wisdom on how to deal with the differences between us, said Cheryl Steen, a chiropractor leading Woodland Parks observance Thursday night. Thats on my mind this year.

The National Day of Prayer is observed on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to mobilize unified public prayer for America. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by President Harry S Truman. President Ronald Reagan set the date.

The Colorado Springs-based National Day of Prayer Task Force is calling on participants to ask God to bless the U.S., pray for Americans to love one another, pray for centers of influence in America and ask God for the National Day of Prayer to become a catalytic spiritual movement across America.

This years theme is intentional, said Dai Sup Han, who is helping Colorado Springs coordinator Valle Gabriel, pastor of Venga Tu Reino (Thy Kingdom Come).

Because of the political atmosphere, the things media are putting out and recent shootings, people get very discouraged, Han said. The reality is Americans, including Christians, are very loving. The theme inspires us to be who we are.

The evangelical Christian task force had called on all 50 governors to declare Thursday a day of prayer in every state as well. Gov. Jared Polis, who is Jewish, first said he was concerned about the legalities. But after pushback from some lawmakers, he signed and issued a day of prayer proclamation April 19.

One event will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday at the State Capitol, 200 E. Colfax Ave., room 357. Free tickets are available at eventbrite.com/e/national-day-of-prayer-tickets-60219969550.

The national observance in Washington, D.C., will be live-streamed from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at livestream.com/accounts/ 2710702/2019nationalday ofprayer.

Local events are:

 A Christian expression of the National Day of Prayer, hosted by Compassion International. Seating starts at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Compassions Global Ministry Center Auditorium, 12290 Voyager Parkway.

The program starts at 9 a.m. with 35 pastors and ministry leaders. Speakers include Compassion International Vice President Silas Balraj; Yemi Mobolade, co-founder of COSILoveYou; and the Rev. Valle, event coordinator. Prayers for the nation, military and others will be offered between speakers. The event will be live-streamed at cosndp.com.

 Cowboys for Jesus Church, 11 N. 22nd St., will pray for the nation from 3 to 4 p.m. as the biggest, friendliest little church in town.

 Church for All Nations, 6540 Templeton Gap Road, will hold worship and prayer from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the nation, state, city and churches that as we grow together, we also learn to love one another.

 Heritage Baptist Church, 4808 Palmer Park Blvd., will offer prayer from noon to 7 p.m.

 Woodland Park church leaders will gather from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ute Pass Cultural Center, 210 E. Midland Ave., for speakers, prayer and fellowship.
A controversial state bill, which would require parents to submit a state form to exempt their children from vaccinations, might not have time to get through the Senate, as the legislative session had only about 108 hours left as of midday Monday.

The bill, as approved by the House on Saturday, is intended to discourage Coloradans from opting their children out of inoculations. It still allows children to be opted out for medical, religious or personal reasons, for those who believe government shouldnt have any say in parents decisions involving their children.

Gov. Jared Polis has voiced concerns about the bill, chiefly because parents would have to visit a local health department or the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to get the form to exempt their children.

Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert of Parker said he suggested the Senate Democratic leadership postpone the bill in its first committee hearing to ward off potentially hundreds of opponents showing up to testify on it.

The Senate, which on Monday still had 128 bills pending action, doesnt have 20 hours or more to spend on one bill in a hearing, plus floor debate, Holbert said.

Thats what happened April 15, when a hearing by the House Health & Insurance Committee drew about 575 people, most with the anti-vaccine Colorado Health Choice Alliance, for 14 hours of testimony. The group reportedly hopes even more people show up for the Senate committee hearing.

Thats time the Senate doesnt have. Its 128 remaining bills would get about 15 minutes each, said Sen. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village.

But the bills Senate sponsor, Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, said he hadnt heard that argument.

Said Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg of Boulder: We dont make decisions based on threats.

Only four of 10 committees  State, Veterans and Military Affairs; Judiciary; Finance; and Appropriations  still are scheduled to meet this week. If theres a bill coming over from the House, itll get its due time, Fenberg said.

Would the Senate spend 20 hours on one bill? If thats what it takes, he said.

The Senate received the bill Saturday and must introduce it in the next chamber within three business days.

When the Senate convened Monday, Republicans began making their point about time, debating for 20 minutes a bill reauthorizing professional review committees within the Department of Regulatory Agencies. Seven Republicans spoke on the bill, every one in favor of it. Then Fenberg asked that it be laid over until later that morning.

The Senate spent 45 minutes on its first two bills Monday; the House passed six bills in that time.
From the Editor: A few days in our nation's capital
This is some drone footage of MIT's Great Dome, which was recently covered with a giant fabric Captain America shield by pranksters to celebrate the release of Avengers: Endgame. Some more info while I cover myself with Post-Its and pretend I'm an 8-bit video game character:

One of the jokesters -- they cheekily call themselves "hackers" -- reached by the Globe Sunday said dozens of people worked on the project for months, which they started planning about a year ago after learning a new Marvel movie was going to be released.

The hacker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the secretive nature of the pranks, said the current generation of MIT students grew up with the "Avengers" franchise, and that the shield was a symbol of their gratitude toward the series.

You know, I too played some pretty serious pranks when I was in college. Perhaps the biggest and best of all was the one I played on myself by not going to class and failing out senior year. Did you know they don't give your money back if you fail? *sadly glances at most recent student loan statement, which is somehow an even higher balance than it was ten years ago* I did not.

Keep going for a couple more pictures and a drone flyover video while I admire the ductwork on the roof of that other building.

Thanks to Irina A, for the surprisingly not cat related tip.
By Ruth Anderah.

Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu alias Bobi Wine has been remanded to Luzira prison for allegedly disobedience of statutory duty by Buganda Road court .

Grade one magsirates Esther Nahilya has ordered that Bobi Wine goes on remand fir a short while till 2nd /May 2019 as his lawyers organise his sureties .

This is after his lawyer AsumanBasalirwa reported to court that Bobi Wines surities had been booked from accessing court premises and one of them Hon Francis Zaake had been taken to Nagalama police station in Mukono.

Bobi Wine arrived at Buganda Road court at 3.45pm and was whisked straight away before Grade one magistrate Esther Nahilya where he found his lawyers led by Asuman Basalirwa and other people already waiting .

However court could not entertain his bail application as the magistrate ordered that he goes on remand for a short while for his defence team to organise his sureties .

According to the amended charge sheet tendered before court , Bobi Wine has faced charges he allegedly committed on 11th/July 2018 at City square with in Kampala city where he is said to have Held a public meeting without giving notice to any authorized officer or police who would ensure that all participants of his meeting are unarmed and peaceful .

Prosecution contends that the actions of Bobi Wine were contrary to sections 5 and 10 of the public Order Management Act of 2013.

Bobi Wine has pleaded not guilty to the charge which is already under trial since the other 4 suspects ; David Lule, Julius Katongole, Edward Sebuufu and Fred Nyanzi Sentamu were charged last year. .

The 5 suspects allegedly held the unlawful meeting as they were opposing the then newly introduced OTT tax .

Bobi Wine arrived at Buganda Road court at 3.45pm and was whisked straight away before the magistrate where he found his lawyers led by Asuman Basalirwa and other people already waiting .

Inside court, the magistrate has stood over Bobi wines case for 45 minutes while she asked that the head of the courts security, defence Lawyers and his sureties.

However before accepting to go on remand, Bobi Wine told the magistrate that he is neither corrupt nor a murderer but he is being remanded over fighting for peoples rights
CEDAR RAPIDS  Maybe the third times the charm, Charles Menge hopes.

He liked Joe Biden in 1988 and 2008 and Menge, of Cedar Rapids, is backing the former vice president in the race this time for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

He has the grasp of what American is all about, Menge said after attending Bidens Iowa campaign kickoff Tuesday in Cedar Rapids. Hell repair the damage thats been done and make sure it doesnt get worse with four more years.

That was at the core of Bidens message to about 300 people at Veterans Memorial Building where he spoke for about 30 minutes and didnt take questions.

The 2020 election will be different because the very core values of our nation, our standing in the world, our very democracy, everything thats made America America is at stake and we know why, Biden, 76, said as he kicked off his first campaign swing through the first-in-the-nation caucus state. He made stops in Monticello and Dubuque, and will be in Iowa City on Wednesday. Doors open at 12:15 p.m. for a rally at Big Grove Brewery and Taproom, 1225 S. Gilbert St.

Elizabeth Warren to visit Mason City Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will make her first stop, as a presidential candidate, to Mason City this Saturday, May 4. The senior senator from Massachusetts is speaking at Fat Hill Brewing, starting at 1:30 p.m, and the event is free and open to the public but RSVPs are encouraged.

If limited to four years, Biden said, Donald Trumps presidency will go down in history as an aberrant moment in time. Give eight years to this administration, were going to forever and fundamentally change the character of the country.

Its not too late to repair the damage done by a Republican president who embraced so many autocrats and dictators and stiff-armed our friends, Biden asserted.

Thats uppermost in the mind of Ambassador Swati Dandekar of Marion. Not only would Biden unite the country with the dignity Americans expect of their president, but the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has the relationships with and respect of world leaders, said Dandekar, a former legislator and ambassador to the Asian Development Bank.

He exemplifies what leadership is all about, she said.

Biden talked about his blue-collar roots and said there is a moral obligation to build the middle class.

The country was not built by Wall Street bankers and CEOs and hedge fund managers, Biden said. It was built by ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. You built America.

There will be time for details later, Biden said, but his priorities call for allowing people, regardless of where they get their health insurance, the opportunity of buying into a public option; making community college education free; creating millions of jobs by rebuilding the nations infrastructure; and by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

He would pay for his agenda by eliminating unnecessary loopholes that, he said, have grown from $800 million under President Ronald Reagan to more than $1.6 trillion under Trump.

But the political system has been broken by a president who wakes up every day to wage war on Twitter  while the rest of the world competing with us is waging the war for the future.

Americans must demonstrate their belief in the American dream, in possibilities, he said.

The only thing that can tear America apart, is no foreign enemy, is America itself, Biden said. Weve got to stop.

Everybody knows who Donald Trump is. I want to make sure they know we are. We choose hope over failure. We choose unity over division. We choose truth over lies. We choose science over fiction, he concluded.

Like Menge, Emily Krall Wieseler of Cedar Rapids has been a Biden fan a long time. I can relate to him, she said while draping her 4-week-old son, Atlas, with a Biden T-shirt.

She and her husband, Ryan Wieseler, are educators  he was at the rally on his lunch break, and appreciated Bidens support for education at all levels.

Vickie Rutan of rural Mount Vernon also is a Biden fan from way back. Im definitely going to vote for him, Rutan said as she waited to shake his hand.

Others were more circumspect. Elizabeth Egan of Marion also has seen Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who also are running for the Democratic nomination, because as an Iowan, I take my responsibility to see the candidates seriously. I think highly of him, but I want to see others, she said.

Mike Nunemaker of Cedar Rapids, a former Republican, is leaning toward Biden, whom he believes he has the best chance against Trump.

I cant imagine four more years, he said.

Jacy Ahmed of Cedar Rapids isnt ready to commit to Biden, but was encouraged by his comment that climate change is an existential threat and that he talked about details like noncompete agreements suppressing low-wage workers.

She likes South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Texas congressman Beto ORourke, too.

But I vote blue. Ill vote for whoever the Democrat is, she said.

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Officials have started evacuations of some buildings and cars after a flood barrier break along the Mississippi River sent floodwaters rushing into downtown Davenport.

The National Weather Service sent an alert around 4 p.m. Tuesday of a flash flood emergency, urging people downtown to immediately seek higher ground. Television reports public works officials said a temporary barrier had broken and that many people sought shelter on the rooftops.

The floodwaters have overtaken dozens of vehicles and the first floors of several buildings, and rescues crews could be seen launching boats into the floodwaters to retrieve people stranded by the sudden surge.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

As barriers on River Drive failed, Kathleen Vondran, a vice president at Tag Communications, was in her office at Second and Pershing streets. She saw water coming up the street.

"It was like this little wall that kept growing and growing. It was incredible," she said.

Around 3:30 p.m., the levees began to break. Just hours earlier, Davenport Police and Fire were walking East Second Street, urging people to evacuate. The flood barriers haven't been used in a flood higher than 21.5 feet, according to Nicole Gleason, assistant city administrator and public works director, and there was a risk they wouldn't hold. During the day, they had been reinforced with sandbags on the tops and backs of them, because having the river at 21 feet was a "milestone," she said.

If the flood wall goes, we will not have time to evacuate anyone," Police Chief Paul Sikorski told business owners.

Tim Schiffer, executive director of Figge Art Museum, had only returned from the Figges' trip to France on Monday. He was one of the people evacuated from the Peterson Paper Co., building, at Second and Pershing streets.

"I don't know what happened, I wasn't watching the window," he said. But within minutes, he was being evacuated by boat. He said the Figge was safe from the floods so far.

Jeanine Johnson lives on the fifth floor of the Peterson Paper Building.

"I heard one of the city workers say it burst and everybody should run," Johnson said. "I just threw on my boots and ran down the stairs."

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National Alliance on Mental Illness North Iowa will offer a free adult mental health first aid training session held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 14, at the North Iowa Area Community College campus in Recreation Center room 112.

Attendees will learn how to help those experiencing mental health challenges or crises.

The training is open to anyone who wants to learn more about mental health and how to offer mental health first aid. Registration is limited to 30 participants in each class.

Those who wish to attend should register by sending their name, address, email and phone number to naminorthiowa@gmail.com.

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Anne Mary Sullivan

July 22, 1964 - April 28, 2019

Anne Mary Sullivan, 54, formerly of Des Moines, died April 28 at Osage Municipal Hospital, following a courageous battle with ALS. She was born on July 22, 1964 in Charles City, the daughter of Mark and Helen Sullivan. A visitation will be held on April 30 from 4-6:30 pm and a Celebration of Life in Anne's honor will be held on May 1 from 4:30-6:30 pm. Both the visitation and Celebration of Life will be held at McLaren's Resthaven Chapel and Mortuary in West Des Moines.

Anne graduated from Osage High School in 1982. She went on to earn an Associate of Arts (AA) degree from North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Masters of Science (MS) degree from Iowa State University, and Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) and Doctorate in School Administration (Ed.D.) degrees from Drake University.

Anne started her career in education as an elementary teacher in both the Greene and West Des Moines school districts in the 1990s. She served as an elementary principal at both Martensdale-St. Mary's and Norwalk schools where she later became superintendent. Anne went on to become the associate superintendent at Ankeny Community Schools before taking a position at Area Education Agency 267 as the assistant chief administrator. In 2013, she became the chief of human resources with the Des Moines Public Schools. In addition, Anne served as an adjunct professor at various institutions of higher education including the University of Iowa, Drake, and Viterbo.

A fierce advocate for Iowa's students, Anne served on a number of boards and professional committees and associations including the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (former chair), School Administrators of Iowa, Iowa Association of School Personnel Administrators, Iowa Association of School Boards, and American Association of School Administrators. Anne received the Outstanding Alumni award from both Osage Community School District and NIACC.

Anne's work in school leadership is recognized both statewide and nationally. Perhaps her greatest gift to the profession was mentoring young leaders and encouraging and elevating those who she felt had the highest potential to serve on behalf of Iowa's children. Those who had this honor will remember her most for her integrity, wisdom, drive, and unparalleled work ethic. The impact that Anne had on education and the careers of others in the state of Iowa will reverberate for many generations. Her mantra was truly doing what was best for students in word and action.

Despite her many professional accomplishments, Anne's greatest blessings were her daughters, Madison and Kaitlin. Her love for her girls and dreams for their future were always at the forefront of her life. Her greatest memories include traveling together and watching them grow into the beautiful, strong young women they are today.

Anne had many close friends who cherished her. If you were in Anne's circle, you enjoyed her dry sense of humor, love of great wine and travel, and eternal loyalty. Anne was the once-in-a-lifetime friend that everyone deserves. She leaves behind a strong, protective group of friends who will honor her memory by continuing to work on behalf of others and rallying around her daughters.

Anne was preceded in death by her parents, Mark and Helen Sullivan. Left to cherish her memory are her daughters, Madison (Des Moines) and Kaitlin (Iowa City) Laing; special friend, Michael Gillen; sister, Madonna (Greg) Kolakowski, New York, NY; brothers, Tim (Jennifer) Sullivan, Osage; and Kevin (Pilar) Sullivan, Farmington, MN; and youngest sister Colleen (Josh) Byrnes, Osage, who lovingly served as her caretaker in the final months of her life. Anne will also be remembered by her ten nieces and nephews including Chloe Kolakowski ; Emily, Claire, and Joe Sullivan; Ryan, Tyler and Alicia Sullivan; and Alex, Nolan, and Scarlett Byrnes.

A memorial fund has been established in the family's name with proceeds to benefit the national ALS Association.
Quote:

Personal items, including watches, wallets, purses, bags, hats, large jewelry and hair clips, and coats are not permitted in the testing room; limited storage space is available. No devices or testing aids may be used or accessed during the test session or during breaks. Prohibited items and conduct include, but are not limited to: ear plugs, pens, pencils, calculators, lip balm, watch calculators, books, pamphlets, notes, including writing on articles of clothing or on ones body, blank sheets of paper, rulers, stereos or radios, digital music players, telephones or cellular (mobile) phones, stopwatches, watches (including digital, analogue, and those with flashing lights or alarm sounds), and any other electronic or photographic devices or potential aids of any kind.

Congrats on your score! That's a great day when you can walk away with a better score than Mocks.Sorry about the pen issue.... You can always bring this issue up to the GMAC, but I am not sure if that will earn you any friends at the base. And 730 is a pretty darn good score - most schools are below that and the top 10 are at about that level, so it won't hold you back from any of the programs. There may be a reason to get a higher score to be able to apply to some of the consulting firms that do ask high scores or to be a GMAT instructor in one of the cool companies. However, if you don't reach a 760, you are really not missing a whole lot on your applications as a US-person and a military applicant. Note that everyone who walks out of the test center, feels they could have done better but it does not mean they do the next time. I hope you will, though. Good luck!Back to your question, per the rules, you can't bring anything really with you to the center. I can see you donating them potentially (a few days before your test) a set of markers for general use. I can't see that being against the rules.Source: https://www.mba.com/exams/gmat/plan-for ... nter-rules P.S. It did not say you could not bring a stereo, PlayStation, or a TV, however_________________
Grand Old Partisan lauds Henry Starkweather, born in Connecticut this day of 1826. He farmed during summers and taught school during winters, then studied law.

Age thirty, Starkweather served in the state house. He was delegate to the 1860 and 1868 Republican National Conventions. President Abraham Lincoln made him postmaster of Norwich. In 1866, this stalwart opponent of Democrat President Andrew Johnson first won election to the U.S. House of Representatives. For several years, he was GOP state chairman. He died during his fifth term.

"Mr. Starkweather gave his best years to the service of his country, and died a poor man; but he has left to his dear wife and children that precious legacy, a good name and the memory of a well-spent life."

Here is a Video Version of this article on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VePNo4abT-U

Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.

Each day, Michael Zak's grandoldpartisan YouTube channel and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than sixteen decades of Republican heritage. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states so far.

He also wrote the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar.

Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision.

Buy the book at Amazon

"This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!"

"Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before."

and

"one of the best books I ever read"
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Technology in the livestock industry is catching up to our brethren on the cropping side. We can now point to livestock activity monitors, robotic milkers, GPS livestock tracking systems, and pasture biomass readers as breakthroughs for the way livestock are managed.

All technology has growing pains, but a recent news release from The Ohio State University (OSU) regarding a grazing technology still in womb really caught my attention. If it works, rotational and strip grazing will take on a whole new dimension of easier.

This new technology is an invisible fence for cows  think about an invisible fence for pets without the buried wire.

Anthony Parker, an animal science professor at OSU, is the lead researcher who is testing the virtual fence.

Each cow (or other animal) wears a solar powered, GPS-enabled collar. With the collar, animals can easily be tracked. The technology being used was developed and patented by Australias Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and is licensed to Agersens, an Australian-based company. Its marketed as eShepherd.

In addition to OSU, Agersens also has memorandums of understanding with Kansas State University and the University of Idaho to test the technology in the U.S.

Tracking animals with GPS is not unique, but the technology also allows the farmer to draw grazing boundaries on a laptop computer or tablet. If it works, this will reduce the need for moving portable fence.

When the animal approaches the boundary, they hear a warning sound first. If they continue forward, a shock is felt, similar to the pet fences used by many homeowners.

Will cattle cooperate?

When it comes to livestock behavior and handling, what looks good on paper doesnt always translate to reality. How well the cattle heed the warning sound and shocks is fundamental to this systems effectiveness. Also, Parker points out that the behavior and tolerance to shock will likely differ among animals.

The eShepherd testing at OSU will be done after the researchers receive the approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of OSUs Office of Responsible Research Practices.

Parker will investigate whether the shock provided through the collar is sufficient to keep cattle within the designated boundaries.

According to the news release, they plan to do this by placing hay and additional feed just outside the boundary of the invisible fence. They then will monitor animal behavior to see how many shocks, if any, a cow will tolerate to get to the feed.

If the eShepherd system is able to contain livestock to a designated area, it would be huge benefit for managing pasture growth, rest periods, and allow for more frequent movements without taking multiple trips to the pasture or range. It would also provide an easy mechanism for keeping livestock out of environmentally sensitive areas and water sources.

Where the technology will go from here is anybodys guess, but the concept is intriguing. It wont replace the need to monitor pasture forage growth and livestock with boots on the ground. I also would be hesitant to rip out boundary fences.

Nevertheless, its good to see that technology is making strides in the most basic of livestock systems  that of grazing.

Below is a video that originates from the Agersens website that demonstrates the technology.
" " Can clearing the bats out of the belfry actually be good for your health? Tom Shaw/Getty Images

Have you ever met a kid who didn't pick his or her nose? They're tough to find! It's a common habit  and not just among children. Scientific surveys found that 90 percent of adults and about 96 percent of teenagers engage in this behavior at least occasionally [source: Abrahams].

With so many people manually clearing out their nostrils on a regular basis, it's probably a safe bet that it's not a particularly harmful activity. In fact, it may actually be good for you. Dare we say there could be a health benefit to  wait for it  eating the boogers you find? Seriously.

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Scott Napper, a Canadian biochemist and professor, believes that eating what you pick from your nose can strengthen your immune system. His theory rests on the idea that allowing small particles of bacteria into your body helps your immune system undertake more effective germ-fighting responses. And, maybe this benefit is why humans evolved to pick our noses in the first place.

To test his theory, Napper asked his students to take part in an experiment. He wants to add a harmless molecule to the volunteers' nose. Afterwards, he plans to ask half of them to pick their boogers and eat them. (The other half doesn't have to go searching for snot.) When that's done, he'll run tests to check the participants' immune system reaction to the molecule. He wants to know if the ones that ate the contents had a more robust reaction. As of the date of this article, the experiment has not been officially concluded." [source: Burdeniek].

Other medical experts are a little more skeptical. They believe that eating your own dried mucus offers little additional health benefits, since we already swallow our own mucus unconsciously.

However, if such a theory makes sense to you, and you're a fan of booger eating, keep these things in mind. First, we don't want to know about it. Second, when you put your fingers in your mouth, you also bring along any other germs that may be on your hands. If you plan on practicing this habit, it's a smart idea to wash your hands regularly (but not excessively).

On the next page, you can learn lots more about the amazing human body.
Apr 29, 2019 12:00 AM

Bethany* was a happy, healthy mother of two with a slim physique many would envy. However, like many women, there was one part of her body that didnt make her happy. I thought I cant get rid of my belly, she said. Looking back though it probably wasnt really that in the first place.

She decided to get liposuction, choosing a popular company promising a quick surgery, excellent results and low prices. After being given what she calls a hard sell Bethany decided to have liposuction done on several parts of her body including her stomach. But the results werent what she expected. It looked uneven and like they had taken too much out, she said. At first they told me I just needed more time to heal, but then they called me in for a touch up and took even more out.

I felt horrible, Bethany said. I was very self-conscious.

It looked like she had pebbles under her skin on her abdomen, said Courtney Crombie, MD, a plastic surgeon with University of Utah Health. Bethany was referred to Crombie after seeking help to fix the damage done by the two liposuction procedures. This was the first time I had ever seen anything like this and it was a big problem, said Crombie.

The bumpy, uneven appearance of Bethanys stomach was caused not only by taking out too much fat, but also taking fat from the wrong layer. People have two layers of fat: superficial and underneath the fascia. Skilled plastic surgeons know its best to take from the fascial layer. It is not recommended to suction right underneath the skin, said Crombie. That way you dont ceate defects where you might create a divot or a tunnel or make it uneven.

Some surgeons had suggested Bethany get a tummy tuck to fix the problem, but Crombie saw that wouldnt fix the problem. With an abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, excess skin would be removed to make the stomach flatter. However, that wouldnt change the bumpy appearance. Pulling the skin tighter might even make it worse, said Crombie.

Instead Crombie decided to do a procedure known as fat grafting. She would take the fat that was left on Bethanys abdomen and from other sites on the body and then inject it back in to create a smoother look. However, there was problem: Bethany didnt have all that much fat. Even after taking from her back, legs, and arms more was still needed. She had nothing to give up without creating more defects, said Crombie. We decided to also inject platelet rich plasma.

The plasma, which was also taken from Bethany, would act as a booster for the fat encouraging it to take after being injected. In all surgeries there will be some of the injected material that wont take, and since Bethany had so little fat to graft every effort had to be taken to make sure as much took as possible.

Bethany has now had two fat grafts, and says she can see a difference. She is also planning to have another graft done next year to further improve the look of her stomach. Its better, but it is not totally corrected, said Crombie. I will do as much as I can until she feels satisfied. I wouldnt offer her another session if I didnt think it would help. 

Crombie also wants to others avoid the problems Bethany has faced. Make sure the plastic surgeon you are seeing is board certified, she said. The problem comes when you have non-certified surgeon doing this work.

You can determine if your surgeon is board certified by checking with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Where they perform surgery is also an indicator of whether or not they are certified to perform plastic surgery procedures. Make sure your procedure is done in a hospital or other accredited facility, said Crombie. They have to check that surgeons are board certified.

Crombie said that by choosing a board certified physician you are not only protecting your health, but your finances as well. Plastic surgery is expensive and usually not covered by insurance, she said. If you have to have more procedures to fix defects made by someone who didnt know what they were doing thats even more money out of your pocket.

Bethany has her own advice for those seeking plastic surgery. Do your research on who is going to perform surgery on you, she said. Get recommendations and know as much as you can about them before going in.
By Damali Mukhaye.

The opposition Forum for Democratic Change has lashed out at Members of Parliament for always increasing their allowances at the expense of other civil servants in the country.

This follows reports that the MPs had increase their benefits by 40% due the high cost of living.

Speaking to KFM, the FDC deputy spokesperson John Kikonyogo says the sky rocketing cost of living does affect all Ugandans and not just MPs so they should not be selfish.

However, Peter Ogwang, a parliamentary commissioner earlier blamed the reports of finance ministry officials whom he accused of using the media to blackmail parliament.

While Jim Mugunga, the Ministry of Finance spokesperson says he is not aware of any such development.
Melissa Romano, a Helena Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the superintendent of public instruction position in 2016, is seeking the job again in 2020, she announced in a press release Tuesday.

The superintendent is one of five statewide elected officials and heads the Office of Public Instruction, which oversees K-12 education in Montana. Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, a Republican, has not yet said if she's running for re-election.

As a Montana teacher leader and proud public school educator, I believe all children deserve the opportunity to be prepared for the future with a quality education. Montana students need a fierce leader in their superintendent, who will advocate every day on their behalf, Romano said in the press release Tuesday.

Romano is a fourth-grade teacher at Four Georgians Elementary School and was named Montana Teacher of the Year in 2018. She has served on local, state and national education committees and has received the National Science Foundations Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

In her press release, Romano was critical of the job Arntzen has done in office, citing performance during the recently ended legislative session. Under Arntzen, the Office of Public Instruction did not weigh in on a proposal that would have used some public money for private preschools and was silent on a bill that would have made public education voluntary. OPI did support legislation that would ban sex between teachers and students.

In 2020 all of the elected statewide offices are up for election. The governor's race is open, as Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat is termed out. The attorney general is an open seat, as Republican Attorney General Tim Fox is also termed out and has announced a bid for governor. Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, a Republican, could run for his job again but is running for governor instead. Arntzen and Republican state Auditor Matt Rosendale, who both could run for re-election, have not announced their 2020 plans yet.

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I would like to thank representatives Moffie Funk and Connie Keogh for making the unbelievably difficult decision of voting against HB 755. I know they have taken a great deal of heat for standing up for the students and teachers of this state. They saw the irrefutable damage to our public institutions that HB 755 would have caused. They recognized this bill would establish precedent for the privatization of education in Montana and Montanans should not have to settle for preschool that is also a vehicle for public funding of private schools. Additionally, the creation of an unelected position that has the unilateral authority to regulate schools creates an unnecessary burden for our current education system.
DECATUR  The Black Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and Greater Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce are calling on the city of Decatur to offer more support of African American organizations.

The groups in a statement said less than .01 percent of the city budget is spent on African American publications and organizations. Twenty-percent of Decatur's population is black, the statement said.

The letter asks the city the consider supporting the following organizations: the Greater Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce, Decatur Branch of NAACP, Metro Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce, African-American Cultural and Genealogical Society of Illinois and the Chambers Publication.

"We at BCCI and GDBCC believe that diversity and inclusion is very necessary and important to bridging gaps and working together to change the climate of the city," the statement said.

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DECATUR  Artwork from the Barn Colony Artists has been seen throughout Decatur and surrounding areas for 80 years.

Paintings, sculptures and photography have decorated the halls of businesses and other public areas. The group has also created its own displays and events.

Barn Colony has a booth at Arts in Central Park in September and also shows at Rock Springs in November and December, as well as at the Decatur Public Library on occasion, said Cheryl Durban, Spring Show committee member.

This month, the Decatur Area Arts Council will highlight the Barn Colony Artists and the group's anniversary in the Anne Lloyd Gallery at the Madden Arts Center in downtown Decatur.

They are celebrating their 80th anniversary as Decaturs oldest artist organization, said Sue Powell, Decatur Area Arts Council gallery director.

Members of the group will be available at the First Friday Gallery Walk from 5 to 7:30 p.m., May 3. A few of the groups history books will be on display during the First Friday reception.

Visitors throughout the month will be able to cast their ballot for the People's Choice Award.

For our Spring Show, members will display all types of media, Durban said. Oil and acrylic painting, black and white as well as colored pencil/pastel drawing, photography and 3-D works.

Along with current pieces will be paintings from past members. Some well-known Barn Colony Artists include Emily Ann North, Marianna Anderson, Joyce Matteson, Bob McLean and Helen Hamilton.

A group of local artists began meeting in 1939 for the purpose of learning more about the arts as well as providing education to the community. They met in the James Millikin Homestead barn or carriage house, adopting the name Barn Colony. They met regularly in the barn for the next 30 years.

Members of the nonprofit organization continue to offer instruction to beginners and advanced artists. The Barn Colony Artists meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday evenings, October through May on the second floor of the Madden Arts Center.

Anyone interested in joining Barn Colony is welcome to come to one of our sessions and get information regarding dues, shows, Durban said.

May Art Exhibits

ANNE LLOYD GALLERY. The Barn Colony Artists will be featured in the Decatur Area Arts Council gallery celebrating the groups 80th anniversary. A reception will be during the First Friday Gallery Walk Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3. The event will feature the Barn Colony opening as well as the Decatur Public School Annual Middle/High School Art Show on the third floor of the Madden Arts Center.

ART FARM. The downtown art store will feature the artwork of Shari Mullinax. The gallery will also participate in the First Friday Gallery Walk.

BICENTENNIAL ART CENTER. The Paris art center will display will feature the Painting the Prairie Juried Exhibition. The reception will begin at 5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 17.

BLUE CONNECTION. Millikin University's student-run art gallery will feature paintings by Stephen Gardner. The gallery will also participate in the First Friday Gallery Walk.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS TITLE COMPANY. The artwork of Mike Delaney and Shirley Buescher will be featured at the business until the end of June.

DECATUR AIRPORT GALLERY. Artwork by Sue Goodpaster will be displayed at the Airport Gallery throughout May.

FLOURISHES GALLERY AND STUDIOS. The downtown Shelbyville gallery will feature the fiber artwork of Alma Petry in the Gallery. Her pieces will include sculptures relying on texture, color and shapes. Three-dimensional pieces will be displayed in the library. The Beaux Arts Ballroom will display student work from the Shelbyville Schools. Artwork by Carol Kessler, Dan Modzelewski and Jamie Rutherford will be in the upper lobby. More of Kesslers work will be displayed in the hall. The exhibits will be on display until May 18. For an appointment, call (217) 827-5690.

GIERTZ GALLERY. Parkland College Gallery will feature the Graphic Design: Parkland College Student Juried Exhibition beginning May 13. A reception will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, with awards at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.artgallery.parkland.edu.

HISTORY ROOM. Decatur Public Library history room will feature historical pictures and memorabilia on local subjects, including vintage advertisements, photos from the library archives, Dr. Barnes photos, Tollys Market Part Three, Moose Country Club, Romanos Pizza and Bill "Mad Dog Madlock."

ILLINOIS ART GALLERY (formerly Gallery 510). The downtown gallery will feature the watercolors of Sue Watts. A reception will be open to the public during the First Friday Gallery Walk from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3. An artists talk will be at 6:30 p.m.

KRANNERT ART MUSEUM. The University of Illinois art museum Gelvin Noel Gallery on the main level will display Renaissance to Modern Remix: Highlights from the European and American Art Collection until May 12.

From Hand to Hand will be on display in the West Gallery also until May 12.

LINCOLN ART INSTITUTE. The Logan County Artists exhibit will feature the Young Artists Show May 9 through June 8.

For future visits, call (217) 651-8355 for an appointment.

PERKINSON ART GALLERY. Kirkland Fine Arts Center's art gallery will feature the Annual Student Art Show will be held until Thursday, May 9. A reception will be from 5 through 6:30 p.m. on May 9 with an awards ceremony at 6 p.m.

ROCK SPRINGS NATURE CENTER. The center's north wing art gallery will display the photographs of Alan and Chris Perry.

Photography by Kattina Williams will be featured in the south gallery of the nature center.

Both exhibits will be on display until the end of the June.

TARBLE ARTS CENTER. The Eastern Illinois University gallery will feature the 2019 Graduate Exhibition until May 19.

Tours are available by appointment only. To schedule a tour, call (217) 581-2787 or email tarble@eiu.edu.

UNIVERSITY GALLERIES. The Illinois State University art gallery will feature the 2019 Student Annual exhibit until May 12.

UPSTAIRS GALLERY. The artwork of Nicole Christison will be featured at the Decatur Public Librarys second floor gallery throughout May.

WILDFLOUR ARTISAN BAKERY AND CAFE. The artwork of Jessica Disbrow will be featured at the artisan cafe throughout the month.

Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR

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They come from all walks of lives, from small towns and larger cities. They are members of our families, the sons and daughters of family members and friends.

Joining the military is a commitment like no other because the future of our nation, and our freedom, is at stake.

Their stories  why they joined the military, their experiences in times of war or peace, their return to their families, are stories we want to tell.

They are stories that demand our respect and gratitude. And, they are a way to say "Thank you."

4 ways you can help the Herald & Review cover your community You can help us improve our coverage and deliver the news important to you. We need your help.

"The brave men and women who join the service dont do it for money or fame, and often their service goes unnoticed," said Herald & Review Publisher Michelle Pazar.

"Stories of Honor allows our readers the opportunity to recognize our local military personnel and gives Herald & Review the privilege of sharing their stories."

So, now we need your help.

We are asking our readers to nominate Decatur-area veterans who have served, or are currently serving, at home or overseas.

The program is accepting nominations of these local veterans and active-duty military personnel from all branches of the armed forces through June 16.

Select stories will then be featured every Sunday in the Herald & Review and at herald-review.com starting on May 26 and continuing through July 28.

At the end of the program, each honoree and his or her family will be recognized at an event hosted by the newspaper.

"Like many Central Illinois residents, members of my family proudly served their country," said Pazar. "My grandfather served in the Navy and their core values of honor, courage and commitment speak to the traits that all service men and women embody. I am looking forward to reading our 'Stories of Honor' and recognizing the sacrifice and dedication of our service men and women.

Nominations also can be dropped off at the Herald & Review office at 601 E. William St. in Decatur.

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DECATUR  A traditional lesson plan for a kindergarten class might involve working on concepts like counting to ten.

In Decatur public schools classrooms, Instructional Technology Coordinator Scott Davidson takes things a step farther: Beyond math, kindergartners are also learning basic coding and biology skills by using an iPad and a robotic bumblebee.

This innovative style helped Davidson became one of 2,447 educators worldwide who have been named an Apple Distinguished Educator. The global title was created in 1994 to recognize K-12 and higher education pioneers who incorporate Apple technology into teaching and learning.

The Decatur Board of Education announced last week Davidson, 41, is the first in Central Illinois to hold the title and one of 943 the United States.

We cant thank Scott enough for the amazing work he has done for our kids, Superintendent Dr. Paul Fregeau said.

Davidson applied for the title and program earlier this year with a video submission showcasing Decatur schools and how the technology helps students.

"This is not something for me," he said. "This is for Decatur as a whole."

Davidson started with DPS seven years ago as a health teacher. He said he noticed the grading system for physical activity did not make it easy for students to succeed if they struggled, despite putting genuine effort toward the class. Davidson decided it would be best to incorporate pedometers and heart monitors to measure the effort the child takes to run a mile, rather than how long it takes for them to complete the run.

"The kids could see their effort and have a better idea of their progress rather than feel like a failure because they couldn't finish the run," he said. "These were the first tools I used to have an instructional impact on changing a kid's life."

Davidson began using iPads in health lessons and then expanded into other areas. When he became the instructional technology coordinator, he was able to help teachers use technology across different subjects.

All K-12 students have various generations of iPads and most staff members have iPads and MacBooks. Davidson said the district has helped immensely in acquiring funds for technology. In his seven years as a DPS educator, Davidson said he has played a role in gaining over $80,000 in grant money and donations for more technology in schools.

The iPads allow students to take full advantage of applications such as Keynote, a presentation software developed for students to complete activities in the most productive, effective way. Keynote has functions that allow students to read, write, hear and see concepts in ways that would simply not be possible otherwise.

Take Sara Kelly's kindergarten class at French STEM Academy, for example. Kelly worked with Davidson to design a curriculum that incorporated Keynote and various other Apple appls.

"Scott was great at helping my visions become a reality," she said.

Last week, Kelly's class of roughly 20 students participated in an Intro to Coding lesson with Davidson. This was an extension of a multi-week agriculture unit in which the students, ages 6 and 7, have learned about farm animals, their functions, what they eat and more.

The vocabulary word of the day was "algorithm," which is a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations.

The students used dry-erase boards to write algorithms based on directional patterns outlined in painters' tape on the floor. They counted the steps to get a toy car from point A to B, then saw those concepts applied using technology.

Davidson used the iPad's application, a graph paper mat and a robot bumblebee to show students basic concepts of coding. The bee had to get from where it was on the mat to another point so it could harvest honey  a reiterated concept from their agriculture lessons. Students counted how many spaces the bee had to move and created a pattern so the bee could get there. They could watch the lesson on the mat, or see the scene from the iPad fed into a television above them for an overhead view.

"Seeing the bee move was really cool," said Zyimauri Byars, 6.

The lesson incorporated previous ideas and the new coding concept in an easily digestible format so students could let the information sink in. Next, the students will use the same Bee-Bot and coding lesson to create their own farms, where they will have to tell the bee where to go using coding strategies.

"Scott is amazing with the students, and every time I work with him I learn something new," Kelly said.

Davidson plans to bounce ideas off of other Apple Distinguished Educators to continue to improve technology in Decatur schools.

"My favorite moment as an educator was when we used technology to give a nonverbal student a voice using an iPad," he said. "Those moments are few and far between, and that is something I really want to focus on, and now I can do just that."

Contact Analisa Trofimuk at (217) 421-7985. Follow her on Twitter: @AnalisaTro

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DECATUR  Boat owners and other Lake Decatur users could see fee increases as city leaders contemplate how to make revenue for recreation on the lake cover the cost of supporting those services.

During a study session at the Decatur Civic Center, council members directed city staff to look into how a gradual recreation fee increase could be implemented at the lake in the near future. No action was taken on the issue Monday, but City Manager Scot Wrighton staff will work to have a proposal for council to consider finalized "fairly quickly."

"There are no specific rate hikes at this time," he said before the meeting. "We're at the broad policy stage of this."

Wrighton said dealing with recreational fees is just one aspect of a larger conversation surrounding the city's stewardship of the lake and how it should manage costs and keep it clean in the aftermath of the $91 million dredging project that ended last year.

In a memo to city council members, Wrighton said revenue from boat, dock, waterfowl hunting permits and other recreational fees does not cover the cost of expenses such as lake patrol, trash removal, barge deliveries, boat towing services, buoy placement and other services. Instead, he wrote, many of those costs are subsidized through the city's water fund. "City water customers are subsidizing about 51.5% of the city's recreational services whether they use the lake or not," he wrote.

In 2018, city estimates show that recreational costs from the lake services division were $420,077, while recreational revenues were $203,762. The city also spent $556,591 on non-recreational expenses related to water quality and watershed management, such as testing fees, tree and brush removal, shoreline erosion control and mowing.

Councilwoman Dana Ray said the discussion on how to make the lake fees equitable has been brought up before, but no action has been taken on it yet.

"This is something that has been long coming," she said. "It's been tabled long enough."

Councilwoman Lisa Gregory and Councilman David Horn agreed with Ray, saying the water fund subsidy should gradually be reduced or eliminated.

Councilman Pat McDaniel urged staff to be cautious when discussing any further fee increases at the lake, as "we don't want to drive more people away. But again, we've got to cover costs. It's a tightrope to walk."

The council also directed Wrighton and his staff to work toward developing a natural resources plan for the lake in regards to protecting its watershed, continuing to prevent siltation and studying the potential benefits of lowering the nitrate level in the lake water by five milligrams.

Councilman Bill Faber suggested that outside experts, such as the Agricultural Watershed Institute and the Macon County Soil and Water Conservation District, should be included in developing such a plan.

The city will also move forward with creating a joint-service agreement with the Decatur Park District to keep gas sales at the Nelson Park shoreline.

The fuel sales discussion continues from last year, when the park district and city worked together to bring back fuel sales on the lake a few weeks after the park district said they would be discontinued. The decision to end the sales was met with an outcry from boaters, even though the park district only sold about 5,000 gallons a year from the pump.

The district had offered fuel for boaters since 2013 out of its Snack Shack building on the Nelson Park shoreline. The building had previously served as a restaurant for more than 30 years and was leased by the district to various operators until it took over operations six years ago.

Last May, the city agreed to share expenses of operating the docks as a temporary solution so that boaters could still pump gas on the lake.

Wrighton said the city will work with the district to continue this agreement, while looking into the possibility of hiring a third-party marina operator to oversee the fuel sales in the long-term. He said both government bodies are still working on the details of the agreement. The city and park district have collaborated since 2011 on the long-term Nelson Park lakefront development plan, which calls for new docks and a number of amenities in the park and along the shoreline.

In other business, city leaders will also look into annexing about 400 properties along Decatur's municipal boundaries as a way to bolster its population totals for the 2020 Census.

According to a memo provided to city council members, results of the Census directly affect the budgets of various organizations that provide services to Decatur, such as federal funding for food stamps, the National School Lunch Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The Census findings will also be used to distribute some Medicaid programs, WIC, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, highway construction funds and other programs.

An estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau also shows that local communities can lose about $1,800 in federal funding for each undercounted person.

Population also determines local allotments for state income taxes, motor fuel taxes, state use taxes and personal property replacement taxes. The memo said that by using current distribution data from the state, city officials estimate Decatur will lose $171,540 yearly for every 1,000 people that leave the city come Census time.

Wrighton said the issue of dual responses from area fire protection districts and the Decatur Fire Department would also be tied into future annexing discussions. Some people who live near the edge of the city pay taxes for both the Decatur Fire Department and the volunteer stations, a situation the city hopes to correct.

The city manager said the fire protection districts have been alerted of the city's desire to annex certain properties ahead of Monday's study session.

"Why should you pay twice?" Wrighton said. "It's not fair."

Contact Jaylyn Cook at (217) 421-7980. Follow him on Twitter: @jaylyn_HR

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Let's clear the air about cow farts.

In the climate change debate, some policymakers seem to be bovine flatulence deniers.

This became apparent in the fuss over the Green New Deal put forward by some liberal Democrats. More precisely, the fuss over an information sheet by the plan's advocates.

With tongue in cheek or foot in mouth, depending on whom you ask, the statement's authors said that despite the plan's proposals for strong limits on emissions over a decade, "we aren't sure that we'll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast."

Airplanes don't fart. But cows?

Exasperated by merciless mocking from Republicans on this matter, Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan lectured the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, on the floor of the chamber last month.

"The Republican majority leader said that we want to end air travel and cow farts," Stabenow said. "By the way, just for the record, cows don't fart. They belch."

The Associated Press surveyed global experts on global warming on this question, as well as an author who wrote the definitive science book on gassy animals, which comes with funny pictures.

THE FACTS

Cows fart. That contributes to global warming. But cow burps are worse for the climate.

"Cows are pretty disgusting eaters, with methane coming from both ends," said Christopher Field at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. "But most of it comes from burping."

Field cited the "classic quote from the technical literature" on the topic: "Of the CH4 (methane) produced by enteric fermentation in the forestomach 95% was excreted by eructation (burp), and from CH4 produced in the hindgut 89% was found to be excreted through the breath.'"

In a nutshell, belches are bad news.

At Tuscia University in Viterbo, Italy, environmental scholar Giampiero Grossi said methane emitted by ruminant livestock accounts for about 5.5% of the greenhouse gasses that come from human activity. More than 70% of livestock emissions are from cattle, he said.

"Ruminants are a significant source of methane," which traps more heat than carbon dioxide but doesn't last as long in the air, said Kristie Ebi, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the University of Washington in Seattle. "The belches have to do with digesting their food" in the stomach compartments, not intestines, and that fermentation produces methane.

Warming from the burning of fossil fuels is roughly 10 times to 17 times greater than warming caused by livestock burping and farting, Field said.

GASEOUS POLITICS

For all of that, the Green New Deal does not seek to ban cows or planes as it sets ambitious targets to eliminate most greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming by 2030.

The deal, introduced in the House by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as a nonbinding resolution, not legislation, proposes massive spending on clean energy and energy efficient buildings and transit. It proposes working "collaboratively with farmers" to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture "as much as is technologically feasible."

"It's not to say we're going to force everybody to go vegan or anything crazy like that," Ocasio-Cortez said in a Showtime interview.

Democratic leaders in Congress have largely shunned the plan, considering it politically fraught. Many Republicans are a hard sell on the reality of human-caused climate change at all and apt to be dismissive about livestock's part in it.

Politicians and other nonscientists who reject mainstream climate science cite cow farts and airplane travel as "a go-to rhetorical weapon they use against having a serious discussion" about how climate change is already causing dramatic and deadly changes, such as the extreme weather of 2018, Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb said.

"It's a form of mockery," said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. "They're trying to whip up their own base's opposition to any kind of action."

According to the U.S. government's 2018 National Climate Assessment report: "Climate change is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us."

WHAT FARTS, WHAT DOESN'T?

"Does It Fart?" a book by Dani Rabaiotti of the Zoological Society of London and Virginia Tech conservationist Nick Caruso, answers the question it poses about dozens of species.

Millipedes fart, no doubt discreetly.

Several species of herring communicate with each other that way. If you startle a zebra, says the book, it will fart with each stride as it runs away. Flatulence signals a baboon is ready to mate.

For the Bolson pupfish, found in Mexico, it's fart or die. They feed on algae that make them buoyant, easy prey near the surface. Farts sink them to safety. Similarly, manatees may let loose when it's time to dive deeply.

Whale farts are, of course, epic.

Birds and most sea creatures don't. Clams clam up, though they've been known to throw up.

The jury is out on spiders: More research is needed.

From London, Rabaiotti said methane emissions from cattle are belch-focused because the gas is produced near the start of their digestive system and comes up when they regurgitate their food to chew the cud.

One answer, she says: "Just cut down beef to, say, once a week or once a month and replace it with chicken or pork or options without meat. Emissions from dairy are lower per food serving than emissions from beef so cutting down dairy will reduce your carbon footprint less but it's another area where people can easily lower their emissions, particularly for people that are already vegetarian."

And for the record, says this authority on the animal kingdom's ruder moments, "Yes, cows do fart."

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BLOOMINGTON  Kirk Zimmermans alibi that he was home resting after a day of yard work around the time his ex-wife was killed in November 2014 was challenged in testimony Monday by an FBI agent.

Special Agent Greg Catey was the states final witness in Zimmermans murder trial on charges accusing him of shooting Pam Zimmerman.

Catey reviewed 37 pages of cell tower data during his three hours on the witness stand. In addition to Zimmermans travel on Nov. 3, 2014, the day his former wife was killed, Catey also reviewed cell tower records for Oct.25, 2014, that show Zimmerman allegedly went to Crawfordsville, Ind., where the state claims he may have bought a gun.

The 9 mm gun used to kill the 53-year-old victim at her east Bloomington office was not recovered.

Looking at records showing communication between a device in the defendants car and cell towers, Catey testified Zimmermans car was not at home at 6:31 p.m. but was identified by a cell tower as being near the victims office at 2103 E. Washington St. in Bloomington.

It's possible Zimmermans vehicle had returned to his home on Park Ridge Road by 6:55 p.m., according to the report.

Zimmermans car also moved from his home around 10:28 p.m. and traveled to several east-side areas for about an hour, said Catey. The locations of the cars path may have included an area near the victims office where several items from her purse and office were found the following day.

An area east of Central Illinois Regional Airport also was recorded by a cell tower during the later trip, said the witness.

In his statement to police after his ex-wife was found with four gunshot wounds, Zimmerman claimed he did not leave his home after completing yard work and a nap.

Zimmermans former girlfriend Kate Arthur has testified she went to Zimmermans home around 6:30 p.m. for a scheduled visit but he did not answer the door. He returned her call shortly after 7 p.m. and she went to his home for about two hours, she said.

On Oct. 25, 2015, the day after Zimmerman received a FedEx package from his ex-wife demanding $4,000 in past-due child support, he made the trip to Indiana, according to Careys report. The report shows Zimmerman turning around and returning after a brief stop in the Indiana town.

Jurors heard testimony last week from an expert on illegal gun sales who opined Indiana is a major source of such weapons that end up in Illinois.

The defense has argued Cateys report is based on junk science and is unreliable.

In earlier testimony Monday, Bloomington police detective Bill Lynn showed jurors analysis of Zimmerman's computer that found records of a search he conducted about 10 days before his ex-wife was shot. Lynn said Zimmerman he searched the internet for information on how to disable tracking capabilities on his car.

The timeline of activity from Zimmermans home computer showed a Google search for Can I suspend Sirius?

Police contend Zimmerman wanted to avoid the ability of authorities to trace his travel to Indiana.

The jury also saw three short surveillance videos of the parking lot of Pam Zimmerman's office building. The videos, taken by nearby State Farm cameras, show vehicles, including one the state claims is similar to the defendants 2013 silver Hyundai Sonata.

Lynn was not allowed to point out a specific image on the videos, but he confirmed the displays contained images of interest to police.

The first video showed a car with a sun roof, one feature of Zimmermans car, in the parking lot at 4:32 p.m. and remaining there for several minutes.

Portions of the video also show a car with a sun roof parked there at 4:37 p.m.

The state has argued that other silver vehicles also were in the area around the time the victim was killed.

First Assistant State's Attorney Brad Rigdon said the state expects to rest its case this morning (Tuesday).

Defense lawyer John Rogers told Judge Scott Drazewski he will offer arguments in support of a directed verdict. That could end the trial if Rogers can convince the judge the state has failed to make its case.

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SPRINGFIELD  Illinois officials are urging motorists to be cautious around agricultural equipment after a release of anhydrous ammonia last week in suburban Chicago.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture on Monday issued an anhydrous ammonia safety video produced with the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association. It outlines proper safety procedures that farmers should take when handling these products.

Agriculture Director John Sullivan says drivers of other vehicles must be extra cautious in maneuvering around slow-moving farm vehicles.

Anhydrous ammonia can cause burns or other health problems when it's inhaled or comes in contact with skin.

Authorities say 37 people were sickened Thursday in Beach Park, Illinois. A tractor driver was towing tanks of anhydrous ammonia from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, to an Illinois farm when the chemical leaked, creating a toxic gas cloud.

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Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) -- Former Vice President Joe Biden opened his third presidential campaign his native state of Pennsylvania by setting a pro-labor tone early in the marquee battleground state.



"I am a union man," Biden said to a crowd chanting "we want Joe" at a union hall in Pittsburgh. "If I'm going to beat Donald Trump in 2020, it's going to happen here. With your help, I think we're going to be able to do that."



Taking the stage in the heart of the Keystone state, Bidens message is one of inclusivity for the middle class. The former Delaware senator brings with him a decades-long career as a fixture in American politics -- that led him to one of the highest offices in the country as vice president under former President Barack Obama -- and a long-standing bipartisan appeal among working-class and Midwestern voters.



"Let me say this simple and clearly, and I mean this, the country wasn't built by Wall Street bankers, CEOs, and hedge funds managers," Biden told the crowd. "It was built by you. It was built by America's middle class."



Biden also took aim at Trump economic policies and Republican tax cuts.



"The middle class is hurting. 53 percent of the folks in America don't think your children have the same standard of living they had," Biden told the crowd. "There was a $2 trillion tax cut last year, did you feel it? Of course not."



And, in rhetoric reminiscent of Obama-era campaign language with an appeal for a more hopeful and inclusive vision of America, Biden sought to appeal to diverse coalitions.



"The major moral obligation of our time is to restore, and rebuild, and respect the backbone of America, the middle class," he said. "As we rebuild it we need this rebuilding to be all inclusive, opening the doors to opportunity for all Americans no matter their race, their gender, who they love. No matter who or where they're from, no matter whether or not they have a disability. All America has to be included as we rebuilt."



For Biden, courting the union vote will be crucial to clinching the Democratic nomination. Long known as middle-class Joe, Bidens strategy centers on striking a chord with the core of his base: working-class America. He also seeks to reclaim those voters who stood behind both Presidents Barack Obama in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016 -- including in Pennsylvania, a must-win for Democrats in the upcoming presidential election.



Bidens overtures to labor began far before he formally entered the 2020 field, but last month, he emphasized his support for workers when he stopped at a Stop & Shop employee rally in Massachusetts during the strike and before the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference.



Monday's rally is Bidens first as a presidential contender -- after he jumped into the race last week. The event, against the backdrop of a local union banquet hall, comes on the heels of Biden securing the first major labor union endorsement of the 2020 race, from the International Association of Firefighters Monday morning.



He's one of the staunchest advocates for working families, IAFF President Harold Schaitberger said in a video. We know as president he will stand up for all the patriotic Americans who want nothing more than to earn a decent pay, send their kids to college, have affordable health care and a decent and secure retirement.



Trump immediately ripped into the endorsement, claiming that the union is exploiting their members with high dues in a series of tweets earlier Monday.



IAFF endorsed Trump in 2016 but Schaitberger told ABC News Senior Washington Reporter, Devin Dwyer, Biden wasnt in the ballot. Thats a big distinction from then and now.



Biden dismissed the presidents criticisms of labor leader, writing in a tweet, I'm sick of this President badmouthing unions. Labor built the middle class in this country.



Biden formally entered the race last week, releasing a video posted on social media in which he sought to carve out his own lane amid a crowded Democratic primary by taking direct aim at President Donald Trump and staking his candidacy on a "battle for the soul of this nation."



In the most recent ABC News/Washington Post poll released Sunday, Biden wades into the 2020 field as the early frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, but with a decided tilt toward older voters that could define the partys 2020 contest as a generational showdown.



In an open-ended question, 17 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents support Biden, with 11 percent for Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and 5 percent for South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg.



Biden topped his Democratic rivals with an impressive fundraising haul in the first 24 hours of his campaign, raising $6.3 million in the first day, his campaign announced in an email to supporters.



The campaign said 96,926 people donated to the campaign from all 50 states. The average amount of online donations was $41, and 97 percent of online donations made were less than $200. Biden's campaign declined to say how many of their donations were made online.



In the lead up to his formal entry, Biden faced controversy after several women accused him of making them uncomfortable with what they considered inappropriate touching. He posted a video acknowledging that "social norms are changing" and promising he would be "much more mindful," calling it his "responsibility."



On Friday, Biden was asked about the allegations during an appearance on ABCs The View.



"Here's the deal. I have to be much more aware of the private space of men and women," he told the co-hosts Friday. "And I am much more cognizant of that."



Biden told Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts during an interview on Monday which will fully air on Tuesday that he takes responsibility for Anita Hills treatment when she testified before the Senate Judiciary committee during Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomass confirmation hearing.



I believed her from the very beginning, but I was chairman. She did not get a fair hearing. She did not get treated well. That's my responsibility, Biden said.

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
By Damali Mukhaye.

The ministry of finance has instructed the Uganda Revenue Authority to start collecting tuition fees for all public universities across the country.

The ministry spokesperson Jim Mugunga says the new system is intended to establish how many students each university has and how much money they collect every academic year.

Mugunga explains that the move is intended to address the issue of ghost students, bureaucracy and inflated cost of administration in these institutions.

The move comes days after officials from Makerere University management failed to answers to queries raised by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on why they did not collect tuition fees from more than 80 students and rent from several tenants.
SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Department of Transportation once again distributed 5,000 seedlings to schools throughout the state in cooperation with Living Lands & Waters in honor of Earth Day on April 22. The Trees to Schools initiative helps offset the loss of trees removed or otherwise affected by construction and maintenance activities.

Each of the nine IDOT highway districts is receiving 550 trees to distribute to local schools. Participating schools use the trees on their grounds or distribute them to students as a learning opportunity about the importance of trees to the environment.

One tree can produce as much oxygen in a single season as 10 humans consume in one year. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide and release oxygen in return. Trees also reduce erosion, filter chemicals, produce shade and provide habitat and food for birds and other animals.

The trees were provided for free to IDOT as part of Living Lands & Waters Million Trees Project. Varieties included red oak, swamp white oak, bur oak and redbud.

Since 2009, IDOT has distributed approximately 50,000 seedlings through Living Lands & Waters, a nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in East Moline.

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PARK FOREST(AP)  Records show a man who was exonerated after spending 29 years in prison for a 15-year-old girl's rape and murder is to receive a nearly $14 million settlement.

Christopher Abernathy left prison in February 2015 when a judge vacated his life sentence at the request of prosecutors. The now 52-year-old was convicted in the 1984 death of Kristina Hickey, who had gone missing after a choir concert at Rich East High School in Park Forest. Her body was found two days later.

Abernathy's lawyers said he has learning disabilities and was coerced into signing a statement implicating himself.

The Chicago Tribune reports an agreement signed last month shows two insurers agreed to pay $13.5 million on behalf of the village and its police. Records show the village will pay $200,000.

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AT&T May Offer Investors a Gift That Goes Beyond its Juicy Dividend

Analysts are taking a more favorable view of T stock as the TimeWarner nears completion AT&T (NYSE:T) stock is enjoying its best week since early summer. T stock is up 6.5% since December 16.

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From libraries to used book stores, books get passed from hand to dirty hand. How safe are they to handle?
Hope College will present its annual Tulip Time organ recitals on Wednesday-Saturday, May 8-11.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

Occurring every half-hour in Dimnent Memorial Chapel, the 20-minute performances begin at 10 a.m. with the last performance starting at 1:30 p.m.

Check out the Tulip Time Organ Recitals Schedule of Performers and Programs

Two organs will be used in the recitals: the Chancel Organ, which was built in 1929 by the E.M. Skinner Organ Company of Boston, Massachusetts, and renovated in 2005 and 2006, and the Gallery Organ, built in 1970 by Pels and Van Leeuwen Organ Company of Alkmaar, the Netherlands.

Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., at the corner of College Avenue and 12th Street.
Here's your one-stop shop for innovation events in Houston in May. Getty Images
Guest column

Houston social media expert urges startups and companies to establish a sharing policy and strategy
By Damali Mukhaye.

Public universities have spoken out on the move by the Uganda Revenue Authority to start collecting their students tuition across the country on behalf of the government.

This is after the ministry of finance instructed the tax body to collect tuition citing misuse of funds and failure to effectively collect these monies from defaulters among other issues.

Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe says if URA takes over fees collection, management will be relieved.

He however questions how the authority will manage fees defaulters since the URA officials do not know the students academic status to ensure they pay.

Meanwhile, the Academic Registrar Gulu University Jerry Bagaya and KCCA council member representing Kyambogo University Buruhani Byaruhanga say they have not been briefed about how this new system will ork.

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URA to start collecting tuition for all public universities
My names Will Capers. For almost nine years, Ive blogged on various topics. I blogged as Blaque Ink first, and as Brotha Wolf second. The latter had a mu...

2 years ago
Australias Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne has said there will be no change to Australias stance on banning Huawei from supplying any part of the countrys 5G network.

Last week, UKs Daily Telegraph reported the National Security Council, which is chaired by UK Prime Minister Theresa May, may allow the Chinese telco to take part in building non-core components of the UK 5G network, according to a leak.

Countries will make their own decisions, but the position that Australia takes is a very clear one, said Payne.

Its a position which we have taken based on security advice given to us by national agencies. Its not a position that we intend to change.

Australia and the Australian government, the Morrison government, will always act in Australias national interest.

Australia is one of the Five Eyes (FVEY) countries  along with the New Zealand, UK, US and Canada  which share signals intelligence.

The US has already warned that there is no safe level of involvement with Huawei, and may have to re-evaluate the intelligence it shares with the other Five Eyes countries if the UK goes ahead with the plan.

Meanwhile, China has urged the UK to ignore pressure by other countries to boot out Huawei from participating in 5G builds and make decisions independently.

The BBC is reporting an inquiry will be held into how the controversial information was leaked from the National Security Council meeting.

Huawei has long-denied it is controlled by the Chinese government.
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
As this Kat reported in At last, the sun rises , since 1 January 2019, China has had an IP Tribunal within the Supreme People's Court (the SPC IP Tribunal), serving as the national IP appeals court. On 27 March, this IP Tribunal opened its first trial of an appeal case over an invention patent. (case reference: No. 2, [2019], Final, Civil Division, IP, SPC)





The 1st instance: The Shanghai IP Court





Valeo Systemes d'Essuyage (Valeo, the plaintiff in the original trial ) is a global automotive supplier headquartered in France and owns the invention patent for a wiper connector of motor vehicle and the corresponding connecting device (No. ZL200610160549.2) in China.





Valeo initiated proceedings before the Shanghai IP Court, claiming that the three Chinese defendants, namely Xiamen Fu Ke Auto Parts Co., Ltd. (Fu Ke Auto), Xiamen Lucas Auto Parts Co., Ltd. (Lucas Auto) and its general manager Shaoqiang Chen, had been manufacturing and selling three specific models of windscreen wipers which fell within the scope of Valeos patent claims 1-10. Valeo thus requested an order that the defendants must cease and desist from their infringing activities and compensate for the loss and the reasonable expenses for deterring the infringement in the amount of CNY 6 million. Further, considering the ongoing nature of the infringements, Valeo petitioned to the Court to take immediate measures to prevent the infringing activities whilst the trial proceeded.





The Shanghai IP Court acknowledged the infringement but reserved the issue of damages, so on 22 January 2019, it issued an interim judgment, requiring Fu Ke Auto and Lucas Auto to immediately cease and desist from infringing the plaintiffs patent rights (the evidence was not sufficient to prove that also Shao Qiang Chen had committed infringing acts). Fu Ke Auto and Lucas Auto lodged an appeal against the decision to the SPC IP Tribunal.





The 2nd instance: the SPC IP Tribunal





On 15 February 2019, the SPC IP Tribunal accepted the case, and formed a collegiate panel of five judges, four Doctors of Law and one Master of Science, all with extensive judicial experience. Mr. Dongchuan Luo, one of Chinas top IP judges, presided the collegiate panel. The hearing was held on 27 March 2017, and the final judgment was rendered right after the hearing.





The functional features





See below the side-by-side comparison of the plaintiff's patent and the defendants' alleged infringing products (unfortunately this Kat could only find the information of two relevant products from the defendants website).





Katfriend Yifeng She (Fangda Partners, Valeo's attorney team ) provided some more details:

The key of the patented invention lay with the connector connecting wiper blade to wiper arm, in particular, the safety fastener that would prevent deformation of securing elements, so that wiper blade would not be detached from wiper arm.

* Infringement analysis and redundant feature:

... the SPC judges clarified that the subject matter of patent infringement assessment should be a technical comparison between the patent claim and the accused infringing product, rather than between products manufactured by the patentee and the accused infringer. Associate Justice Luo made it clear, during the reasoning part of the hearing, that whether the product had manufactured by the patentee or whether the patentee had manufactured any patented product was irrelevant.

The SPC judges also refuted the defendants argument that the allegedly infringing product contained a central pin, in addition to the safety fastener, as defined by the patents claim 1, and thus should perform a superior function in terms of securing. The judges reiterated the all-elements rule, which meant, as long as all features of a patented claim could read on the infringing product, there should be patent infringement. Any additional feature, other than the features claimed by the patent claim, should be regarded as redundant for technical comparison purpose, regardless of whether the additional features can improve the function of the patented product.

* Means plus Function Claiming:

While the IP Court of SPC sustained the first-instance interim judgment of the Shanghai IP Court, it slightly disagreed with the trial court in the claim construction. The difference was so subtle but so important that it would be entirely wrong to neglect it. As we see it, it could be even regarded as one of the crown jewelleries of the said IP hearing.

The SPC judges overruled the Shanghai IP Courts finding and indicated that the safety fastener, which is an essential feature of the patent in dispute, was not a means plus function claim. According to Article 8 of the SPCs Second Judicial Interpretation for Application of Law in Adjudicating Patent Infringement, Chinese courts need to carry out a two-step test with respect to means plus function claiming. First, the court needs to identify the indispensable, essential functional feature that may achieve the claimed function. Second, the court should compare the accused infringing product against the patent claim to determine whether the accused infringing product contains said indispensable, essential functional feature or feature that is equivalent to it. Despite the two-step test set forth by the SPC, the concept of means plus function claim is quite controversial under Chinese law, as some courts are over-cautious in interpreting a means plus function claim, so that the protection scope is unreasonably narrowed down.

The ruling of the IP Court of SPC that the safety fastener, though apparently containing description of a function (i.e., safety), is not means plus function claiming, indicates a clear, positive sign that the IP Court of SPC will probably unleash the yoke fastened over the necks of inferior courts in claim construction. In the field of mechanics, such as, in the art of the patent in dispute, it is more likely that Chinese courts would be more lenient toward technical features, whose structures can be easily understood to the person skilled in the art, even if the features, from their wordings, may appear descriptive.

Interim judgement v. Preliminary injunction v.





In the first instance, the plaintiff requested both a preliminary injunction and an interim judgment, but the Shanghai IP Court only rendered an interim judgment.





Article 153 of the Civil Procedure Law of the Peoples Republic of China provides that where a portion of the issues being tried are already evident, the court may firstly entry an interim judgment on such portion of issues, while the remaining issues can be decided at a later stage.





The interim judgment, as a significant part of the diversified dispute resolution mechanisms promoted in China in recent years, is especially conductive to define and stabilize part of the legal relationship at the early stage, so as to give remedies in a timely manner, and to accelerate resolving the remaining part of the disputes, thereby to enhance the overall trial efficiency. In essence, an interim judgment is a final judgement with independent legal force and is capable of being challenged separately on appeal (comparable to Endurteil, in contrast to Zwischenurteil).





For all its merits, the interim judgment is still extremely rare in Chinese IP trials. The interim judgment issued by the Shanghai IP Court was the very first one since this court's establishment in 2014.





One core issue that was expected to be clarified by the SPC was how to deal with the preliminary injunction issued by the first instance Court in the context of interim judgment. Whilst the academia was abuzz with discussions, instead of offering a direct answer, the SPC IP Tribunal opined that the permanent injunction issued in the final judgment made it needless to render any preliminary injunction -- t he question therefore remained unanswered. The Court did point out that the preliminary injunction and interim judgment were two procedural tools that had their respective values and they could co-exist.





Observations





The SPC IP Tribunal completed the whole procedure (15 Feb  6 April, from case-filing to serving the written judgement) in 50 days (incl. festivals and holidays).
A "wisdom" of judges

for the report on the judge's panel:





the largest panel of the Fordham IP Conference was not the first of their day, but for those who were bleary eyed following the Thursday evening socializing it was sure to have woken them up.Over to guest Kat,"Day 2 of the Fordham IP Conference had a great start with a panel full of IP judges from all over the world. Although some of the judges were skeptical about whether or not to enjoy this session, the audience certainly appreciated the entertaining cross-examination by Hugh Hansen (Fordham University School of Law). A warning from Hugh before reading any further: this is purposefully non-substantive!. The report below includes some of the highlights of the session.After congratulatingon his birthday  and after Robin Jacob informed Hugh that a collection of judges is known as "a wisdom  Hugh asked him about the future of the UPC. According to Robin it is still on at the moment. Unless it becomes impossible, it will happen. Robin further stated I predict you will have it on the program next year. It is this year or not at all. During a later part of the sessionnoted that he is still confident that the UPC is going to happen. He expects a decision about the complaint launched at the Federal Constitutional Court to be rendered this year.Next in line was, who was asked about what efforts he takes to ensure uniform application of the law. Gordon indicated that this is one of the big challenges we have. He further indicated that together with TM5 and ID5 groups he has been looking into international exchanges between decision makers (in for example Europe, China, Japan, and South Korea), developing contacts with trial and appeal boards in those countries. Internet evidence in the context of trademarks and designs was mentioned as an example of topics on the agenda.Hugh then moved on towho was questioned about the pros and cons of having a chemistry degree as an IP (mainly patent) judge. Throughout the conference criticism was raised regarding the functioning of the patent system and Edger commented that one of the problems may be that people envisage patents in combination with the pharma industry and high health bills. It is hard for people to understand why patents are necessary. Maybe industry should try a little bit more to explain why drug prices are high, for example.agreed that the patent system is under pressure due to drug prices. We dont have a proper system for determining how much new pharmaceutical treatment should cost. What is a fair price? That is the main problem, but that is not particularly a patent problem.started out by stating: I resigned my lifetime appointment in order to redeem my first amendment right of free speech. Paul spoke about his efforts to try to create a more informed discussion about the facts and realities of patents instead of propaganda that often finds its way into (public) debates. According to Paul, things will continue to get worse until they get so bad that high level policy leaders will see they have to revise the patent system an example of which would be the relocation of jobs to other countries.could not have been clearer about her views on this this session: I hate this panel, we all do. Hugh responded you know that just makes me feel good inside, which according to Annabelle is exactly the problem. Annabelle spoke briefly on her role as chair of WIPO, explaining that the idea is to bring IP judges together to be able to talk to each other on the concept that judges will talk more freely with other judges and be more open to express their concerns. She deems this particularly helpful for judges in developing countries who can borrow expertise by reaching out to more experienced IP judges.The most memorable quote of the session perhaps came from, who proposed Hugh to ask him whether he still takes an interest in IP. After following up on this request, Lord Hoffman responded I am just interested in my successors [messing] up various bits of the law which I thought I had straightened out. A surprisingly funny ending to a highly entertaining  despite being purposefully non-substantive  session."
Thats why Iranian Resistance President Maryam Rajavi has proposed a third option: regime change by and for the people of Iran.

Maryam Rajavi explained that the mullahs will never be convinced reform because their entire Regime is predicated on the principle of absolute clerical rule.

Maryam Rajavi said: Let there be no doubt: European policies such as critical dialogue, constructive engagement and human rights dialogue will not change anything as far as the regime is concerned. Appeasement is not the way to contain or change the regime. Nor is the path to avoid another war. Appeasement only emboldens the mullahs. The answer to fundamentalism is democracy.

She explained that Iran saw three major people-led revolutions in the 20th century, but that the last one had been usurped by the mullahs, and advised that Iranians will never submit to the cruel Regime.

Maryam Rajavi said: Despite brutal crackdowns, uprisings have continued to erupt across the nation. The presence of protests in society reflects the Iranian people yearning for regime change. The presence of an organized resistance with 120.000 martyrs and more than half-a-million prisoners is indicative of the depth and the intensity of societys rejection of the regime.

She advised that the Iranian Resistance is perfectly capable of taking down the Regime, noting that they brought down the Shah in 1979 and have been fighting fascists since the 1960s. Maryam Rajavi said that the mullahs know this to be true. Why else would they demand that other countries put pressure on the Resistance, such as giving them a terrorist designation?

The Iranian Resistance is organised, enjoys the support of the Iranian people, and has revealed Irans secret nuclear, missile and terrorist projects to the West on multiple occasions. However, the Resistance has time and time again vowed to give up fighting for Regime change if the mullahs would hold free elections under the United Nations auspices. The Regime has never agreed, knowing they would lose.

Maryam Rajavi said that the resistances parliament, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, is a democratic coalition that seeks a republic based on the separation of religion and State.

She said: The NCRI represents a majority of the Iranian nation and is the guarantee for Irans unity after the toppling of the mullahs and the peaceful transfer of power For us, democracy is not merely a political program, but an ideal for which 120.000 members of the resistance, including six members of my family, have sacrificed their lives.

Maryam Rajavi notes that the NCRI wants to bring about a free and peaceful Iran, free from the death penalty and weapons of mass destruction.

Maryam Rajavi said: We seek neither the Wests money nor weapons. We want them to remain neutral between the Iranian resistance on one hand and the ruling regime on the other.
Sanctions waivers for eight crucial importers of Iranian oil are set to expire before the end of this week, less than three weeks after sanctions went into effect on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a newly designated foreign terrorist organization under US sanctions law. But as of Monday, Irans Foreign Minister Javad Zarif would only say, The Islamic Republics choices are numerous, and the countrys authorities are considering them.

In keeping with his role, Zarif floated the idea of an ostensibly diplomatic response, albeit a comparatively aggressive one consisting of withdrawal not only from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal but also from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Although US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, its other signatories have been working to keep it in force to the greatest extent possible without incurring serious American penalties. Tehran has frequently threatened to cancel the JCPOA if it does not receive sufficient economic incentives from the other five remaining parties to the agreement. But withdrawal from the NPT would reach well beyond this relatively mild provocation, effectively declaring the regimes unwillingness to comply even with universal restraints on nuclear weapons work.

This could easily be regarded as a dangerous gambit by a regime that has struggled under the weight of large-scale international isolation. Notably, Zarifs latest threat comes only days after he suggested that while President Trump may be interested in settling disputes with Iran via negotiation, other entities in his administration could push him into conflict.

The Trump administration has largely sought to disengage from military entanglements in the Middle East, and its Iran strategy has largely focused on supporting the prospect of vigorous domestic opposition to the theocratic regime. But at the same time, the latest sanctions are part of a declared strategy of maximum pressure that compels some observers to worry about the possibility of serious escalation.

Tehran certainly lacks the strength to face the American military head-on, but its state propaganda revels in making statements that suggest otherwise. And there has been an outpouring of these statements in the wake of the latest moves by the US. Representatives of Irans armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arguably give the impression that the regime is deliberately courting escalation or attempting to call what it perceives to be a bluff by the Trump White House.

Many of these statements suggest the latter interpretation by specifically pushing the onus of potential conflict onto the United States, suggesting that if escalation occurs it will not be at Irans hands. On Sunday, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, the Iranian armed forces chief of staff, declared for instance: We dont intend to close the Strait of Hormuz unless hostilities reach a level where this cannot be avoided. If our oil does not pass, the oil of others shall not pass the Strait of Hormuz either.

But this statement merely reiterated a warning that Iran has made on many previous occasions, and in less qualified terms. The rhetorical function of Baqeris statement was strengthened by accompanying remarks that suggested the IRGC was controlling the situation in the vitally important waterway, as by enforcing the notion that the US Navy is obliged to respond to directives and questions from the IRGCs naval forces whenever transiting the Strait.

These kinds of remarks reinforce longstanding narratives about the IRGCs strength, and specifically about its readiness to confront American forces. In service of that narrative, Iranian propaganda networks have disseminated animated films showing Iranian vessels sinking US Navy flotillas, and the IRGC itself has sent fast-attack boats into the path of passing warships, sometimes refusing to disengage until warning shots have been fired.

Although the implication is that Iran is confident in its self-described swarm tactics for confrontation with the US Navy, this is not considered credible by most military analysts. Yet provocative Iranian gestures continue and may in fact be accelerating in the wake of the latest sanctions measures.

On Saturday, Irans Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, released drone footage purporting to show a successful flyby of an American aircraft carrier and its escort. Tasnim did not, however, indicate when the footage was captured, and spokespersons for the US Navy later reported that the carrier in question  the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower  had not been in the Persian Gulf since 2016.

In an e-mail to Agence France-Presse, the Navy reported went further by stating that the footage appears to be several years old. The language underscores the apparent deception involved in Irans efforts to portray itself as being prepared for open confrontation with US forces as presently constituted in nearby waters.

But this is not to say that Tehran can be trusted not to act upon the implication of its propaganda, either wittingly or unwittingly. US-allied countries in the region have already become extremely concerned about Irans growing influence beyond its borders, and some of them are beginning to express concern about the possibility of the IRGC or the regular armed forces following through on frequent, boastful threats to close the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday, Reuters quoted Kuwaits Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled al-Jarallah as saying, We are looking at these threats with concern, and hoping as always to distance our region from this tension. But at the same time that such statements underscore the potential seriousness of Irans provocations, they also highlight the potential for the US to leverage regional partnerships in order to prevent those provocations from escalating to the point of direct clashes.

Meanwhile, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other US partners are presumably growing increasingly confident in the American governments commitment to offering them similar support.

Were going to continue to reach out to our partners and friends in the region to ensure that we make common cause against the threat of Iran, said General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, on Saturday before declaring that in spite of a pending draw-down of US forces in Syria and elsewhere, the American government and military will still have the resources necessary to deter Iran from taking actions that will be dangerous, for as long as necessary.
Pompeo said that it would be a costly mistake for countries and companies to violate US sanctions by continuing to import Iranian oil after Wednesday, when the six-month waivers expire for eight importers  China, India, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Taiwan, Greece, and Italy.

China, India, and Turkey are currently Irans largest oil importers, with China and Turkey offering pushback on the US decision. However, the sanctions waivers were only designed to give the countries time to find alternative supplies.

Pompeo, speaking at an event by news outlet The Hill, said: We have had lots of talks with China about this issue. Im confident that the trade talks will continue and run their natural course.

These comments came as US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin flew to Beijing for the remaining two rounds of talks to finalize a trade deal between the two economic powerhouses.

Pompeo also noted that the US has worked hard to find alternative oil suppliers to boost the global oil market when Irans exports are cut to zero.

He said: We are convinced we can make sure the markets are adequately supplied. We are continuing to work on that. Companies that choose to violate the sanctions  we will pursue and we will ensure they are held accountable for the violations they engage in.

On Friday, an official from the Donald Trump administration said that the US was not considering offering a wind-down period for the eight importers of Iranian oil or giving a short-term waiver for Chinas oil purchases.

US sanctions law does allow the Trump administration to give Iranian oil importers a wind-down period before getting to zero oil purchases, including a short-term waiver, which is different from the 180-day exemptions offered by the US in November.

However, the Trump administration considers that the eight importers should have used the six-month period to look for other suppliers. Indeed, Greece, Italy, and Taiwan have already cut their imports from Iran to zero, while Japan and South Korea slowed down their imports recently while waiting to hear the US decision.

The US reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil in November after Trump pulled out of a 2015 accord between Iran and six world powers to curb Tehrans nuclear program last May.
URBANA -- Illinois farmers planting corn and soybeans this season will want to keep a sharp eye out for pests and diseases that made headlines in 2018, according to University of Illinois crop scientists.

Tar spot reached epidemic proportions in Midwest corn fields in 2018, says Nathan Kleczewski, field crop pathologist in the Department of Crop Sciences at U of I. He says scouting will be critical, especially in areas north of I-90 in Illinois, where the disease was most severe last year.

Increased severity likely means increased local inoculum for this season, he says. If you are planting corn in a region that was hit hard by tar spot last season, your risk for disease is elevated compared to areas where disease was sparse or absent.

Kleczewski notes that planting corn after soybean or into tilled fields could reduce the incidence of the disease, compared with planting into corn residue. He also emphasizes that scouting will be most important in the days and weeks approaching tasseling, when fungicides can still be effective.

If you notice tar spot showing up prior to tasseling, a fungicide may help. There are several products with a label or 2ee recommendations for tar spot suppression. Like rusts, this is an obligate fungus, and you want to ensure that the ear leaf and leaves above are protected during the critical periods of grain fill. You do not want to chase this disease; revenge sprays will not work, he says.

Although tar spot was the big news in 2018, Kleczewski notes that grey leaf spot was by far the most severe and widespread disease in corn last year. He cautions that farmers should not lose sight of this disease and others that are encountered more frequently and consistently in Illinois.

Nick Seiter, field crop entomologist in the Department of Crop Sciences at U of I, cautions farmers to keep an eye out for a pest that wreaked havoc in 2018.

Grape colaspis is a common insect, but it only occasionally affects corn and soybean production in Illinois. However, 2018 was that rare year where outbreak levels of infestation occurred in parts of the state, resulting in stand reductions and, in some cases, replanting of damaged areas, he says.

Adults, which resemble bean leaf beetles, lay eggs in the soil in soybean, alfalfa, and legume fields in the summer. Larvae overwinter and do the greatest damage to roots in the spring, leading to stand reduction.

Seiter says chemical control measures for grape colaspis must be applied at planting. Insecticide seed treatments have been used successfully for grape colaspis control in rice in the southern U.S., but he says there is little information to assess the effectiveness of these treatments in the Midwest.

Because of the sporadic nature of this pest in corn and soybean, there are limited data available for at-plant control options here. Consider soil insecticides or insecticide seed treatments on fields that have a history of grape colaspis damage, referring to the label for correct use, he says.

Seiter notes there are no viable rescue treatments for grape colaspis; instead, once damage has occurred, the only management decision is whether or not to replant.

Remember, this insect is sporadic in Illinois; history suggests that issues in 2018 do not necessarily translate to another big year in 2019, he says. Hopefully, this one will pass us by this season, but learn to recognize this insect and its damage just in case.

Read more about tar spot, grape colaspis, and more in the Bulletin, a pest management and crop development publication from the University of Illinois at bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu/

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CHARLESTON  Police have arrested the juvenile they say shot a man Sunday in a Charleston apartment building after he walked in on a burglary in progress.

The arrest brings to three the number of people in custody in connection with the shooting of 20-year-old Trevor Pinkstaff at 24 Buchanan Ave.

Charleston police in a statement said Mattoon police located the juvenile on Tuesday and made the arrest. The release states the juvenile has been transferred to the Vermilion County Juvenile Detention Center.

Police aren't releasing the name of the alleged shooter because he is a juvenile.

Also in custody are Shannon M. Barnes, 18, and Alyssa A. Jenkins, 19.

Preliminary charges of residential burglary and aggravated battery with a firearm have been filed against Barnes.

Jenkins has a preliminary charge of aggravated battery with a firearm.

Barnes and Jenkins were taken into custody in Mount Vernon and questioned. Charleston police concluded they assisted the primary juvenile suspect.

Investigators believe Pinkstaff returned home Sunday afternoon to find his residence being burglarized by the shooter and Barnes. As the two parties fought, Pinkstaff was shot in the abdomen. Police said Pinkstaff knew the person who shot him.

Charleston Police Chief Chad Reed said they can put Jenkins at the scene, but did not elaborate on her involvement.

Reed said police are investigating others who may have been involved.

Police have yet to confirm whether the firearm was legal.

It had been believed the juvenile fled toward Mount Vernon in a silver GMC Envoy. The vehicle was found in Mount Vernon late Sunday.

It was previously reported that Pinkstaff was airlifted to Carle Foundation Hospital, but hospital officials said they had no information on this person.

Mount Vernon, Mattoon and Eastern Illinois University police departments; the Coles County Sheriff's Office; and states attorneys office have assisted with the investigation.

This story will be updated.

Contact Jarad Jarmon at (217) 238-6839. Follow him on Twitter: @JJarmonReporter

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CHARLESTON -- The first volunteer organizational meeting for the inaugural Coles County Truck Convoy for Make-A-Wish Illinois is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in the 4-H Building at the Coles County Fairground in Charleston.

Event co-organizer Joy Eggers of Mattoon said they will provide details at this meeting on the roles volunteers can play in the convoy that is set for June 29 at the fairground. A convoy of at least 100 semitrailers and other large trucks will drive from Charleston to downtown Mattoon and back to raise money for Make-A-Wish Illinois' efforts to grant wishes for critically ill children.

"This will be an informational meeting (Thursday) and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at all we have planned that special day," Eggers said of the convoy.

Volunteers are needed on June 28 to help set up for the convoy and on June 29 to help clean up afterward.

Other volunteer tasks during the convoy day will include inflating helium balloons, monitoring bounce houses, face painting, staffing children's games and "touch-a-truck" activities, and assisting with food and drinks in the dining area.

"We are also looking for eight businesses to come and set up booths and provide games for children to play and give a handout of some kind for the children," Eggers said.

Registration for the convoy will start when the fairground open at 8 a.m. June 29. The send-off ceremony will be held at noon and the trucks will head out from the fairground at 2 p.m.

More information on volunteering for the convoy or signing up trucks for this event is available at the Coles County Truck Convoy page on Facebook.

Contact Jarad Jarmon at (217) 238-6839. Follow him on Twitter: @JJarmonReporter

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CHICAGO  A former Cook County prosecutor has withdrawn his petition for a special prosecutor to investigate the surprise dismissal of charges against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, saying it would be redundant to pursue his request since a former state appellate judge filed similar paperwork.

Saani Mohammed, who left the state's attorney's office last month to enter private practice, was the first to file a petition to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the sudden reversal by Kim Foxx's office. Sheila O'Brien, a former state appellate judge, made a similar request a day later.

In a brief telephone interview Monday, Mohammed told the Tribune that he recently read O'Brien's petition and found it substantially similar to his own. He also noted that she had already served subpoenas and other supporting paperwork.

"If she's going to get the result that I'm looking for, I don't think there's any need for my petition," he said after LeRoy Martin Jr., presiding judge of Circuit Court's Criminal Division, let him formally withdraw the petition earlier Monday. "... I just hope the right thing will be done for the people of Cook County."

The first hearing on the special prosecutor request is scheduled for Thursday before Martin, though O'Brien is asking that a judge from outside Cook County, not Martin, make the decision.

O'Brien has subpoenaed Foxx and her top deputy to appear at the hearing and filed a "notice to appear" to Smollett himself.

Smollett, who is African-American and openly gay, found himself at the center of an international media firestorm after he reported in late January being the victim of an attack by two people shouting racist and homophobic slurs.

But after Chicago police investigated, Smollett was charged with 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct alleging he staged the attack. In a stunning about-face last month, however, Foxx's office abruptly dropped all charges against him, sparking furious public backlash and even calls for her resignation from the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police.

Both the petitions by Mohammed and O'Brien -- filed the week after charges were dropped -- raised questions about Foxx's involvement in the case.

In her petition, O'Brien wrote that Foxx's actions "create an appearance of impropriety, a perception that justice was not served here, that Mr. Smollett received special treatment."

O'Brien said she had no agenda "other than seeking the truth and restoring public confidence" in Foxx's office and Cook County courts.

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The Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development has awarded grants to three startup companies.

Canary Sound Design, Sapahn and BasicBlock all received $25,000 LaunchLNK grants, which are designed to help startups grow and thrive in Lincoln.

In addition to the grant money, the companies also receive free services from accounting firm HBE, law firms Cline Williams and Suiter Swantz and services from Eakes Office Plus, as well as connections to mentors and potential corporate partners.

We are thrilled to help these founders take their companies to the next level, while also continuing to build and support our local startup community, Christina Oldfather, director of innovation and entrepreneurship with LPED and the LaunchLNK program, said in a news release.

Canary Sound Design, which was founded by doctors in Lincoln and Missoula, Montana, plans to use its grant money to establish its corporate office in Lincoln. The company offers a product called CanaryBox, which links to patient monitoring devices and automatically lowers volume or mutes music if those vitals move outside a preset level.
That proposal has been spotlighted as the alternative if the Legislature does not act.

Linehan said the tax reform proposal would move Nebraska from 47th to about 20th among states in providing state support for schools, supplying strong state funding assistance for every student whether he or she lives in Omaha or the Sandhills.

"It's tax-neutral," Linehan said, "and it will depend on the people to help us get this across the finish line.

"We are trying to fix the property tax, not raise more taxes," she said.

During Tuesday's sometimes tense and occasionally volatile committee discussion, it was noted that agricultural interests may be willing to accept a decrease in the current $224 million state property tax credit fund to a $115 million minimum in order to help finance the legislative plan for property tax reduction.

Although the bill has been amended to address urban school concerns, some of them still remained.

The amended bill would raise $372 million in new revenue atop the $224 million already in the state property tax credit fund.
Federal prosecutors say 60-year-old Robert Goldman of Palm Desert, California, was sentenced Monday to 27 months in prison. He also was ordered to pay restitution of more than $221,000. U.S. District Court records say he'd pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
OMAHA  Native education advocates are raising concerns that Nebraska's proposed social studies standards fall short of teaching a comprehensive history of Natives.

The newly formed Nebraska Indian Education Association wants the statewide standards that were unveiled this month to better disprove misconceptions about Natives and emphasize local tribes.

The Nebraska Department of Education is seeking public input on the drafted education guidelines.

Derek LaPointe, executive offic er of the Santee Sioux Nation tribal council, said Nebraska schools focus on teaching the period of disruption, relocation and war after 1850.

"That's a blink of an eye in the lifetime of the tribe," said LaPointe, who's also an organizer for the association.

The group wants schools to teach about tribal sovereignty and Indian science and horticulture. It is also pushing for more instruction about the centuries before European settlement when Natives' civilization thrived.

LaPointe said teachers focus on certain events such as the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 in South Dakota, without considering tragic events that occurred closer to home.
But for all the damage Trump has done, and will do, the United States remains a better place today than it was. My family began our tour of the South in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, where in 1963 a bomb killed four girls at the 16th Street Baptist Church, and where Eugene "Bull" Connor turned his dogs and fire hoses on children. We stood at the cell door that confined Martin Luther King Jr. when he wrote his immortal "Letter from Birmingham Jail" ("Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere") -- 56 years to the day earlier.

We ended in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel, where an assassin's bullet killed King. In between, we saw Oxford, Mississippi, which rioted over integration, and Selma, Alabama, where Sheriff Jim Clark's men cracked young John Lewis' skull as they used clubs and tear gas to stop the peaceful march Lewis led over the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Today, 79-year-old Lewis, a longtime member of Congress from Georgia, leads another cause. In January 2017, he became the first prominent Democrat to call Trump's presidency illegitimate because of Russian interference. As the one man who stood against both Clark and Trump, Lewis has unrivaled authority to compare the two movements.
That statistic may seem perplexing, considering alcoholic beverages have not been allowed to be lawfully sold, consumed or possessed in Pine Ridge for more than 120 years. It was perplexing until you drove 2 miles south of Pine Ridge, to the small border town of Whiteclay, Nebraska, where tribal members, including pregnant mothers, routinely went to consume beer on the streets and behind the buildings.

For the parents and caretakers of those whose lives were lost or permanently harmed by Whiteclays beer sales, we knew Nebraska should have shut down those beer stores a long time ago. There was no legitimate reason a community with no law enforcement was allowed to sell 3.5 million cans of beer a year to a nearby dry reservation.

The closure of Whiteclays beer stores on April 30, 2017, was nothing short of a miracle. But the store closures were only the first step.

Today, there are literally thousands of Pine Ridge residents who are suffering from FASD. Three to four generations of children have been impacted by FASD, and little has been done to diagnose or treat those who struggle with this disorder.

This can change. This must change.
In America, no one should be afraid or suffer discrimination because of who they are.

The government should honor the dignity of every human being under its protection by upholding due process, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Furthermore, all public officials must continually earn the public trust by respecting law, regulation and custom.

The federal government is betraying our trust in many ways. Ill focus on just one: targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for harassment. President Donald Trump and allies in Congress and the media have ganged up on her, and she reports receiving more and more death threats. Thats wrong!

I have asked Rep. Don Bacon, Sen. Deb Fischer and Sen. Ben Sasse to tell them to knock it off. As far as I can tell, they have refused even to say that the death threats should stop.

I also asked my representatives to attend at least one Holocaust commemoration because anti-Semitism is still with us and because the ongoing hate campaign against Rep. Omar and Muslims reminds me of pre-Holocaust anti-Semitism.

They havent yet told me whether they will. But all Americans  Jewish or not  should.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Racine Honda is working through village approvals to begin construction of a new, 43,850-square-foot sales and service dealership along the East Frontage Road.

The Mount Pleasant Plan Commission last week recommended approval of a rezoning of 13.1 acres at 1701 S. East Frontage Road from Business Park to General Business. The site lies between Brooks Tractor, 1609 S. East Frontage Road, to the north; and Thomas Hribar Truck & Equipment Co., 1821 S. East Frontage Road, to the south.

The future Racine Honda site  to replace the existing dealership at 9501 Washington Ave.  involves two parcels that will be combined. The southern parcel is currently vacant, and the northerly parcel is currently occupied by Car Castle, 1701 S. East Frontage Road, which will be demolished.

The project is slated for completion in spring 2020.

The Plan Commissions recommended approvals of the final certified survey map and rezoning action are scheduled to go to the Village Board May 13. Honda has also submitted a site plan which is scheduled to go to the Plan Commission May 22.

This would be the third time that Home Run Auto Group, which owns Racine Honda, has moved a local dealership toward Interstate 94. Home Run first built a new, $6 million Racine Toyota on 9 acres at 13348 Washington Ave. That 32,000-square-foot dealership, which replaced the old one at 6801 Washington Ave., opened it in spring 2016.

That August the company broke ground on a new, $6 million Racine Hyundai on 6 acres at 13313 Washington Ave. The new 22,000-square-foot Hyundai replaced the old one at 9503 Washington Ave., adjacent to the present Racine Honda.

Location, location, location

At almost 44,000 square feet, the future Racine Honda will be the largest of the three newest Home Run Auto Group dealerships and twice the size of Racine Hyundai.

Calls on Monday to Racine Honda were not returned. However, when Racine Toyota opened its new dealership in 2016, General Manager Pat Carr said the new location  easily visible from I-94  was selected partly to reach out to the countys west end.

The western county was not really aware of us; this is more central, Carr said. We want people to understand they dont have to go to Milwaukee to buy a car.

Initially, access to the future Racine Honda will be from the existing East Frontage Road. But at some point, when the Frontage Road is rerouted, it will flow along the east side of the future Racine Honda and access will be from that side, said Sam Schultz, Village of Mount Pleasant community development director.

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KENOSHA  Latora Lezotte came into Carthage Colleges costume design program with only basic sewing skills, and fewer than three years later she won a national award for costume design.

Lezotte, a 21-year-old junior from Green Bay, received a Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival national distinguished costume design award in Washington, D.C., on April 19.

The Carthage student was honored for her work on Up and Away, a new play commissioned by the college and first performed on campus last November. The play is set in modern-day rural Wisconsin and focuses on two budding YouTube stars and their struggles with opioid addiction.

Lezotte said costuming is essential to any show.

While students create clothing for many of the schools shows from scratch in Carthages costume shop, Lezotte purchased most of the costumes worn by the actors in Up and Away. This gave her the option to create two versions of the main characters outfits so each of them had a clean version and a dirty, distressed version. Their clothes became rattier as they fall deeper into addiction.

I wanted to show how their life around them changes based on where they are in their addiction, Lezotte said.

Lezotte especially wanted to show the humanity of the drug dealer, instead of portraying him like a stereotypical villain.

Hes a nice guy whos trying to raise a family and hes caught in the position that he doesnt want to do this because it hurts people, but he has to do it because its how he makes a living, she said.

Kim Instenes, associate professor of theater and costume design at Carthage who lives in Racine, said it was interesting that Lezotte won a national award for a show with modern dress, as many times period pieces with flashier costuming get more attention.

I think its because she did so much work on the research and of not just the costumes but the area the play takes place, drug addiction and what that does to your family and your life and your look, Instenes said.

Lezotte said it reaffirmed that she was on the right path when she became a Kennedy Center regional finalist and then went on to win the national award.

Up and Away was Lezottes first costume design to be fully realized on the stage. This means she worked with the production team from the beginning to form ideas for costumes and then make them a reality.

I was not expecting to get a national award, Lezotte said. I was extremely surprised and I was pretty ecstatic that I had gotten it.

The costume design program

Instenes began to create Carthages costume design major when she came to the college 11 years ago, but it took her about three years to get it up and running. There are currently six declared costume design majors, with four more considering it for next year.

Although Lezotte came into the program with limited skills, Instenes said, she quickly took to pattern-making and design.

Shes the kind of student you dream about having because they are engaged and they want to get what we are trying to offer them out of this program, Instenes said.

Although she purchased most of the clothes for Up and Away, Lezotte has learned a lot about creating a costume from scratch during her time at Carthage. Shes learned about draping costumes, or placing fabric on a dress form to develop a structure for a garment and developing a pattern to build the outfits.

Ultimately its about choosing the best things to ensure the audience understands the character within the play and what the play is about through that character, Instenes said.

Lezotte is currently assisting Instenes with costuming for two plays that are set to be performed this summer at Door Shakespeare, in Baileys Harbor. After that, the cast and crew of Up and Away are heading to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland at the end of July where they will perform the play 19 times over three weeks.

Lezotte hopes to eventually make it as a costume designer on Broadway.

I have fun coming into work every day and I realize thats something I want to do forever, she said.

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MOUNT PLEASANT  Mount Pleasant Police are investigating Jim Svoboda, the former co-chairman of Kraut Music Fest and former director of Caledonia-Mount Pleasant Memorial Park, according to Caledonia Village Administrator Tom Christensen.

I am aware of an ongoing criminal investigation, Christensen said.

Christensen declined to comment further but did confirm that Kraut Music Fest is canceled for this year. He referred any further questions related to the investigation to the Mount Pleasant Police Department.

We cant legally discuss an ongoing criminal investigation; however, once the investigation is concluded we will release further information, an email from Matthew Soens, interim police chief of the Mount Pleasant Police Department, stated.

During a special meeting of the Joint Park Commission on March 21, commissioners put Svoboda on unpaid leave and converted his pay to "an hourly rate when needed and designated by the Joint Park Commission President or Caledonia Village Administrator or designee," according to meeting minutes. The commission then voted to terminate Svoboda's employment effective March 25. He resigned as Memorial Parks director on March 22.

When asked about Svoboda leaving the village and involvement with Kraut Fest, Maureen Murphy, Mount Pleasant village administrator, stated: The village cannot legally discuss ongoing criminal investigations.

Village President Dave DeGroot said Svoboda did resign from the village and added Svoboda was a big part of the organization of Kraut Fest.

Its kind of a delicate situation, DeGroot said.

Kraut Fests website appears to have been largely erased, and the festivals Facebook page has been wiped of any mention of Kraut Fest 2019, other than a post made Friday afternoon announcing this years cancellation.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, as well as the untimely resignation of the parks supervisor and Kraut Music Fest Chair, weve lost too much valuable time to continue planning and secure adequate sponsorship for the festival, the post read.

It continued, As they say, we are down but not out. We will be exploring all options to bring a bigger and better Kraut Festival back for 2020.

Any mentions to Kraut Fest 2019 have also been removed from Memorial Parks Facebook page.

Founder: Svoboda dismissed me

Ray Stibeck, who brought Kraut Music Fest back in 2015, said Svoboda dismissed him in the latter part of 2016, after that years event. Svoboda was then chairman of the Joint Caledonia-Mount Pleasant Parks Commission. Since Svobodas March 22 resignation as director of Caledonia-Mount Pleasant Memorial Park, Stibeck said he has been talking with trustees of both villages about the Svoboda/Kraut Fest situation.

At the time, Stibeck was the founder of the resurrected event and chairman of the Kraut Fest Committee.

Stibeck said Svoboda had ousted him from the music fest that Stibeck restarted by telling the Parks Commission that Ray didnt want to do it anymore.

He wanted to handle everything, Stibeck added.

Knowing now that Svoboda is under investigation for possible embezzlement, Stibeck said, It adds up.

Im hearing tens of thousands of dollars (are involved), he said.

As of midday Monday, Stibeck said he had not yet been interviewed by police, but he was expecting that may be likely.

All my money and investment was basically for nothing, said Stibeck, owner of the Route 20 bar, restaurant and concert venue.

The worst thing, Stibeck said, is that a good event that I started is going to be shadowed by this scandal.

Lori Giese, co-owner of Perfecturf Lawn Care, one of Kraut Fests sponsors, said she sent a sponsorship check to the festival in February. She said that as of two weeks ago, the check had not been cashed, but it has not been returned to her.

Festival officials never contacted Giese to alert her to any ongoing issues, she said, and she only found out about the cancellation through Facebook. Svoboda also did not reply to an email she sent in March, she said. The Journal Times has also not been able to contact Svoboda.

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Jonathon Sadowski Reporter Jonathon Sadowski covers the greater Union Grove and Waterford areas, entertainment and odds and ends for The Journal Times. Follow Jonathon Sadowski 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. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Ricardo Torres Reporter Ricardo Torres covers federal, state and Racine County politics along with the Village of Mount Pleasant. He bleeds Wisconsin sports teams. Follow Ricardo Torres 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. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Michael Burke Reporter Michael "Mick" Burke covers business and the Village of Sturtevant. He is the proud father of two daughters and owner of a fantastic, although rug-chewing, German shepherd dog. Follow Michael Burke 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. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
Last Wednesday's mass shooting at the Molson Coors brewery in Milwaukee, which left six people (including the shooter) dead, was the deadliest mass shooting in Wisconsin since the 2012 shooting at the temple.
UNION GROVE  Shepherds College, a post-secondary school for students with intellectual disabilities at 1805 15th Ave., is scheduled to hold a community open house from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 4.

Tours of campus will be given every 30 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. People should arrive at the Findley Center at the front of campus to begin the tour.

There will be opportunities to meet the students, talk with staff, learn about their groundbreaking program and shop in the campus store. The Shepherds College greenhouse will be open for the Spring Plant Sale during the tours.

Visitors will receive a coupon for a free 12-ounce drip coffee at Shepherds Community Cafe at the end of the tour.

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UNION GROVE  The Village Board has approved a contract with GRAEF, a nationwide engineering, planning and design firm, to act as an as-needed planning and zoning consultant.

GRAEF planner Craig Huebner, who currently serves a similar role for the Village of Bristol in Kenosha County and had a hand in planning Drexel Town Square in Oak Creek, will be a point of contact for large developments that come forward in the village, according to Village Administrator Michael Hawes. Applicants will reimburse the village for Huebners services but, Hawes said, it is not meant to give applicants headaches.

Were not trying to create hurdles for developers, but in fact may be trying to enhance our customer service and ability to serve those projects efficiently, just to be able to provide good service by having a professional planner speaking on the same terms as the applicant, Hawes said.

The contract comes at a time when several multimillion-dollar single- and multifamily housing developments are proposed in the village, which could collectively add hundreds of new village residents over the next decade.

GRAEF has offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Chicago, Minneapolis, Miami and Orlando, Fla. Huebner said the companys wide presence helps each community it works with because GRAEFs planners know what has worked and what has not in others.

Union Grove is not the only community that is seeing an influx of development proposals, so Im working in multiple communities where there is new development occurring, Huebner said. I can reference how those developments compare to what Union Grove is seeing. Im obviously going to push for the highest and best quality for Union Grove.

Expanding the tool box

Village officials settled on GRAEF instead of four other applicants. Hawes said officials were impressed with the GRAEF team and Huebners experience with similar communities.

As time goes on, Huebners role in the village will become clearer, Hawes said. Applicants of smaller developments may be more in contact with village staff than with Huebner, he added.

Its never going to be something where we have regular hours here, Hawes said. Were still a small organization, but were just making sure we have good planning help in our back pocket to call on as we need to.

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Who was our most environmental president? The obvious answer is Theodore Roosevelt, but that is incorrect. Surprisingly, it was his later relative, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was inspired by Theodore Roosevelt, and came to office during the Great Depression in 1933.

FDR's great passion was not politics, but planting trees. Douglas Brinkley tells us in "Rightful Heritage" (2016) that he quickly developed a plan to put thousands of unemployed men to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps to rehabilitate America, while living in outdoor camps. Between its origin in 1933 and Congress' defunding it in 1942, it employed 3.4 million young men. They rehabilitated 40 million acres of eroded farmland, conserved over 18 million acres, many of which were made national forests, other of which were in 711 new state parks. FDR also made a multitude of national parks, national forests and national wildlife refuges  for which Brinkley provided three maps indicating their locations.
To ironically quote Ronald Reagan: There you go again! Mr. Robin Vos. Why this paper continues to print this mans opinions without noting that his facts are nonsense is beyond me. You give him a measure of credibility that he does not deserve.

Mr. Vos April 7 opinion on choice and voucher schools does not stand up against objective reality, his test results relying, rather, on analyses compiled by such groups as Wisconsin School Choice or the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty, both with extreme right-wing biases. He also fails to mention that private school/choice students opted out of taking the test at more than three times the rate of public school students.

As for costs: Again, over 80 percent of the students taking vouchers were already in private schools and did not cost the taxpayers a cent prior to the voucher program. Also, while I do not know the current numbers, even 10 years ago, Kenosha Unified was losing over $600,000 a year in state aid to fund the Parental Choice program in Milwaukee, as was Racine and every other district in the state, in proportion to its size.

I wonder if Vos has explained to his constituents west of Interstate 94 that their schools are losing funds to pay for voucher schools in Milwaukee and have been since 1990. Millions have been wasted on a program that has never been found to outperform the public school system in this state.

Stop wasting our money, and our time, Mr. Vos.

Scott Farnsworth

Racine

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William Barr is supposed to be the attorney general for the nation, not for the president. Apparently, he did not get the memo. He released a summary which misstated the report conclusions and basically was a spin in favor of the president. He then held a press conference which seemed to demonstrate how the poor clown was picked on by the bad media. Give me a break.

What the report showed was that had the clown not been president, he would have been charged with multiple counts of obstruction of justice. Assuming he is not impeached, hopefully, he is charged after the 2020 election. In addition, there are many other investigations ongoing which may provide additional criminal acts. Also, there were questionable acts which did not rise to being unlawful, but still should not have been done. Just because you can do something that is not illegal, doesnt mean you should do it.

The clown has made a big deal about how successful a businessman he was. The report showed that he was ignored when he gave orders which were illegal or just stupid. In my opinion, the clown could not manage a one-car funeral without messing it up. He still does not seem to realize that he was elected president, not tyrant.

Unfortunately, as Thomas Paine wrote; Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered.

Drew Sobota, Racine

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Lets make something clear: Peter Barca is not currently the secretary of the state Department of Revenue. He is the secretary-designee. While he has been appointed by Gov. Tony Evers, the Republican leadership in the state Senate has refused to give Barca or any of Evers cabinet appointees a confirmation vote. This is due to vindictive, mean-spirited, partisan politics at its worst.

Republicans in the Legislature, upset about losing the governors race in 2018, first attempted to kneecap the new administration before it even took office with a package of legislation in a lame duck session stripping the governors powers, and now they are refusing to even hold a vote on confirmation of his cabinet appointees.

The Walker years were highlighted by a bitter partisan divide. Wisconsin needs to come together to move forward, but the actions of the Republicans in the Legislature keep holding us back.

Sen. Bob Wirch, Somers

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Sanjeeb Phuyal is the online editor for The Kathmandu Post. He oversees breaking news reports on the web and produces content for The Post's digital platforms.
Saturdays snow didnt stop walkers and runners and a few dogs from participating in the seventh annual 5-K-9 Run/Walk and Kids Fun Run to support the Vernon County Sheriffs Office K-9 Unit.

About 16 children 11 and younger took part in the quarter-mile kids fun run, while 60 people participated in the 5-K run/walk.

At the end of the races, which began and ended at the Sheriffs Office in Viroqua, trophies and medals were awarded, and Deputy Mark Bellacero and K-9 Myk gave demonstrations of how they work together.

As Bellacero and Myk demonstrated how they search for drugs in suitcases, Lt. Jason Crume told the audience that Myk is trained as a dual purpose K-9 certified in patrol work, including narcotics, tracking/searching, obedience and apprehension. Crume said Myk can alert on the following drugs: marijuana, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine and their derivatives.

Myk alerted Bellacero when he detected drugs in two suitcases  27 grams of meth in one and 27 grams of heroin in another.

There was also a demonstration of how Myk can protect Bellacero if needed on patrol. A volunteer wearing a bite suit acted agitated toward Bellacero and on command, Myk was released from his leash and took down the volunteer. Myk didnt release the volunteer until Bellacero gave another command.

Following the demonstrations, Myk was presented a raw ground beef cake in celebration of his ninth birthday, which was April 26. While Myk ate his cake, runners and walkers sang Happy Birthday.

According to the Sheriffs Office website, Myk is a German Shepard Sable who started training at 6 weeks old in Germany before being imported to the United States in April of 2012 by Steing Tal K-9 Academy. K-9 Myk was assigned to Bellacero in October of 2016, after Deputy Sheriff Adam Malin was no longer able to be Myks handler. Bellacero attended K-9 Handler training at Steinig Tal K-9 Academy in November of 2016.

Next years run/walk will be held the last Saturday of April, with a start time of 9 a.m.

Angela Cina can be reached at angie.cina@lee.net.

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It's now no secret that secret cliques within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have been a major source of controversy over the years.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors fired the latest salvo Tuesday, unanimously voting for an exhaustive accounting of liability tied to behavior by known clique members.

The motion by Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis calls for staff to compile a "chronological list of all claims, lawsuits, and other settlement agreements" brought against deputies who are alleged to be members of a clique or secret society, dating back to 1990.

The county counsel's office must note the amount of any settlements or jury awards in cases that went to trial. It must also provide a detailed accounting of each incident, including deputies' names and which clique they allegedly belonged to, along with descriptions of any known tattoos or disciplinary actions taken against them.

The report is due within 90 days.

Kuehl, Solis and Supervisor Janice Hahn stressed the importance of informing the public about how much misconduct on the part of clique members is costing the public.

The report will help the board determine its next steps in the effort to deal with cliques, said Kuehl. She expressed hope that the supervisors will work with Sheriff Alex Villanueva and his senior staff, who she said have indicated interest in the issue.

'GANG-LIKE GROUPS'

The motion also sharply criticized Villanueva and his predecessors for failing to deal with "violent, gang-like groups" of deputies it said have fostered a "toxic dynamic" within the sheriff's department.

The nine-page document reads like a history lesson on the department's long and troubled history with these groups. It also offers six different definitions of the groups, from "cliques" to "secret societies."

The motion calls out behavior described as "intimidating" and "gang-like," involving reports of the "use of street-gang lingo, flashing hand symbols and violence in the communities they serve."

The motion names eight current or historical groups: Banditos, Little Devils, Vikings, Regulators, Grim Reapers, Jump Out Boys, 2000 Block (or Boys), 3000 Block (or Boys) and identifies more than $12.5 million in payouts tied to behavior by members of the cliques.

"Unfortunately, LASD management through the years has not been particularly effective in investigating, or thwarting the rise of sheriff gangs," the motion reads, "and this ambivalence has likely enabled their continuation and expansion."

CONCERNS ABOUT LACK OF URGENCY

The oversight commission has sought to confront the issue of alleged deputy gangs since former Sheriff Jim McDonnell's tenure. While the commission was frustrated with what its members saw as a lack of urgency on the then-sheriff's part, McDonnell did take steps to tamp down on the cliques.

The Fort Apache logo on the back door of the East L.A. Sheriff's Station. (Frank Stoltze/LAist)

Three years ago, McDonnell banned a controversial logo on the East L.A. station that portrayed riot gear and the words "Fort Apache," words that suggested links to the 1948 John Ford Western about a lone U.S. Army post in Native American territory. In April, newly elected Sheriff Alex Villanueva restored the logo, despite its association with violent clashes with civilians during anti-Vietnam War protests.

Villanueva has acknowledged the deputy cliques, but referred to the behavior as "hazing run amok" amid "intergenerational rivalry."

Last month, deputies who work out of the East L.A. station filed claims against the county alleging a hostile workplace. Specifically, the seven deputies said they'd been harassed, bullied, intimidated and physically attacked by fellow deputies who are members of the Banditos.

Last week, a member of the oversight commission argued that the First Amendment does not protect deputies' right to form cliques or wear tattoos associated with those cliques.

The oversight commission continues to seek public input. On Tuesday night, they're asking members of the public to share their thoughts about and experiences with the sheriff's department at a town hall in Carson Tuesday night. The meeting is being held at the Carson Community Center at 801 E. Carson Street from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

UPDATES:

2:21 p.m.: This article was updated with the vote.

This article was originally published at 12:15 p.m.

READ THE SUPERVISORS' MOTION BELOW:

UPDATES:

2:10 p.m.: This article was updated with information on the supervisors' vote on the motion.

Megan Garvey, Ryan Fonseca and Paul Glickman contributed to this story.
John Singleton Found a Perfect Marriage of Movie and Moment

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Rarely have a filmmaker and a moment been so perfectly matched as John Singleton and the summer of 1991.

When Boyz N the Hood was released that July, Singleton took what had become a cultural obsession  South-Central Los Angeles and the young black men growing up in it  and imbued them with a depth, humor and humanity lacking in the scare stories and songs that up to that point had defined them to much of the world.

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Singleton died Monday at age 51, after having a stroke earlier this month.

Nearly 30 years earlier he was fresh outta film school and in his early 20s when he took elements of his own upbringing, bathed it in the hip-hop culture of the late 80s and early 90s, and emerged with Boyz N the Hood, which would give him a groundbreaking Academy Award nomination and a permanent place in the American film pantheon.

Stories about gang violence and the drug trade were a constant on newscasts at the time, and in the developing 1992 presidential race candidates angled to show they would be toughest on street crime.

N.W.A, with its explosive beats and stinging rhymes, told such tales from the inside. The group was breaking up in 1991, but its influence was at its apex. Singleton took his title from a song by one member, Eazy-E, and cast another, Ice Cube, as one of his three leads in his acting debut.

ingleton took yet another approach to the same stories. He was as interested in boys as the hood. He begins with his central characters as grade-schoolers trying to exist in an environment that refuses to let them be kids.

The first act plays like an urban version of Rob Reiners Stand by Me from five years earlier, with kids walking along railroad tracks and trying to out-swear one another. One line, yall wanna see a dead body? suggests the similarity was deliberate.

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Seven years later we see the same boys as young adults. Ice Cube is a Crips gang member who plays dominoes and speaks wisdom: Either they dont know, dont show, or dont care about whats going on in the hood, he says as the film ends.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is a standout at school and work who navigates a neighborhood that threatens to pull him down.

Lawrence Fishburne as Goodings stern, politically woke father, Jason Furious Styles, made for one of the more memorable dads in screen history, his angry gaze making for many memes two decades later.

It also featured a small role for young Regina King, who would shine alongside Janet Jackson in Singletons follow-up, Poetic Justice, in 1993, and like Gooding would go on to win an Oscar.

Singleton made all of them both feel real, sympathetic and lovable, without sacrificing any of the harshness of their lives or the ways some had to lash out against their circumstances.

It was the first look at this world for some audiences. For others, it was the first time they saw themselves.

Boyz N The Hood was a seismic event, filmmaker Brandon David Wilson said on Twitter. I literally saw friends from elementary and middle school in the film playing bit parts. It was filmed in my neighborhood. Im an L.A. native, but it wasnt until BNTH that I saw (asterisk)my(asterisk) L.A. onscreen.

Less than a year after the movie came out, the 1992 LA riots broke out, making the circumstances shown in the movie feel all the more vital. Singleton was outside the courthouse at the time of the Rodney King beating verdict, which triggered the riots, and told local news cameras that trouble was likely to follow. He died April 29, the 27th anniversary of that day.

Ice Cube made note of the date in paying tribute to Singleton Monday.

Your passion for telling our stories from our point of view was more than an obsession, it was your mission in life, Ice Cube said in a statement. On April 29, 1992 you were on TV warning the world what was to come. Im sad today, cause on this April 29th who will warn the world whats to come?

That same year, Singleton became the first black filmmaker, and the youngest person ever, to be nominated for an Oscar for best director. It appeared that recognition for and support for black filmmakers was a burgeoning trend.

But nearly 30 years later only five more  Lee Daniels, Barry Jenkins, Jordan Peele, Steve McQueen and Spike Lee  had been nominated, and none had won.

Most of those men paid effusive tribute to Singleton on social media Monday.

John Singletons Films Will Live On Forever, Lee said on Instagram.

Dozens of copycats of Boyz N the Hood would come in the ensuing years, with none finding its balance of grit, craft and heart.

Singleton didnt quite find it either. As with Orson Welles and Citizen Kane half a century earlier, it can be difficult for a filmmaker who finds a perfect moment to find another one, and no other Singleton film would get close to the same adulation.

But Boyz N the Hood has never left the publics memory.

In 2002, it was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, which called it an innovative look at life and the tough choices present for kids growing up in South Central Los Angeles.
Over six days in late April and early May 1992, hundreds of fires burned in the heart of Los Angeles. The acquittal of police officers charged with using excessive force against Rodney King had sparked the L.A. Riots or L.A. Uprising, one of the most destructive episodes of urban violence in U.S. history. The unrest left 55 people dead and more than 2,000 injured.

On Sunday, May 3, 1992, the Rev. Cecil Murray addressed his congregation from the pulpit of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME). As the fires burned, the church had opened its doors to the community, media and officials, providing services and mediating between various stakeholders. Rev. Murrays sermon in the midst of the civil unrest combines a brilliant critique of the structural inequalities that spawned the violence with a humor-inflected balm for those in need of comfort and reassurance.

During his 27 years as the pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME), Rev. Cecil Chip Murray transformed a small congregation into a megachurch that brought jobs, housing and corporate investment into South Los Angeles neighborhoods. After the 1992 civil unrest, FAME Renaissance, the economic development arm of the church, brought more than $400 million in investments to L.A.s minority and low-income neighborhoods.

Rev. Murray remains a vibrant force in the Los Angeles faith community through his leadership of the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement. The Murray Archive preserves Rev. Murrays sermons and interviews in order to inspire the next generation of pastors, activists and scholars.

Please visit the Murray Archive: http://crcc.usc.edu/murray-archive
Monday, April 29, 2019

Guest blogger: Nancy Giesel, Masters in Migration Studies, graduate student, University of San Francisco

Last summer, I lived and worked in the Dominican Republic in an area known as the bateyes. Historically, the bateyes were settlements that were built around sugar cane fields to house Haitian migrant workers. These migrant workers ended up settling in the Dominican Republic without documentation and have continued to live in these now-abandoned settlements for generations, often isolated, both physically and socially, from society. My time in these communities made me question: what does being Dominican mean for the descendants of migrant workers, living outside the traditional definitions of citizenship?

The sugar cane industry is the cause of much of the migration from Haiti to the DR, and also a central reason for the success of the Dominican economy. Haitian labor migrants were a critical part of the development of the Dominican Republic, but their status as migrant workers meant they were seen as less than by the general population. As General Rafael Trujillo took office in 1930, the leader used anti-Haitian sentiments as a political tool. Trujillo wanted to Dominicanize (read: de-haitianize) the sugar cane industry. This strategy was almost impossible considering the dependence on cheap migrant labor within the industry. This did not stop Trujillo from massacring Haitian migrants by the thousands. Although Trujillo is generally considered a violent and evil dictator, the nativist values that he instilled are still prevalent today.

Understanding nativism in the Dominican Republic is dependent on this historical context, but is not contained by history itself. These attitudes have continued into the modern age. In 2013, a ruling known as La Sentencia passed in the Dominican Republic. It revoked birthright citizenship for anyone born on Dominican soil and did so retroactively. This means that many Haitian migrants who had been living in the Dominican Republic for generations were suddenly stateless people because they did not possess the documents necessary to prove Dominican residency. Many of these migrants were stripped of their citizenship because they could not regularize their status by showing proof of their birth on Dominican soil. In my time at the legal aid office in the DR, I met many people living in the bateyes who had no formal record of their birth, which is needed to prove that they were born in the Dominican Republic. Many of the people who came through the doors of our office would never think to label themselves as Haitians or even Haitian Dominican. In their eyes, they were Dominicans, just as their parents and grandparents were. Even though they had been living in the Dominican Republic for their whole lives and for generations before them, they were being threatened with repatriation to a country that most of them had never been to before, Haiti.

These people who were once Dominican citizens were now stateless people in a limbo of citizenship between Haiti, a place where many had no familial ties, job prospects, or language skills, and the Dominican Republic, where institutional barriers and nativist attitudes prevented them from living freely in the only country they had ever known. By stripping these sugar plantation workers of their citizenship, the Dominican Republic was only further legitimizing the anti-Haitian sentiment that has prevailed in the country for decades. These sentiments have not only been normalized, but formalized into the legal system of the Dominican Republic.

bh

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2019/04/how-nativism-became-the-norm-in-the-dominican-republic.html
Tuesday, April 30, 2019

The Tennessee Court of Judicial Conduct has imposed an interim suspension of a judge charged with a felony.

Clarksville Now reported

Judge Woodrow Adams was charged with three counts of rape of a child. Tennessee Ridge Mayor Stony Odom said Stewart County deputies took Adams into custody.

The Mayor said that while the judge serves in Tennessee Ridge, which is in Houston County, he lives in Stewart County. Prior to his move to Stewart County, he lived in Dickson County.

Mayor Odom says the town is in shock and that Judge Adams is very well known and liked in the area. Adams has served as a city judge and recorder for over 20 years.

(Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2019/04/clarksville-now-reported-judge-woodrow-adams-was-charged-with-three-counts-of-rape-of-a-child-tennessee-ridge-mayor-stony-o.html
At about 9 oclock on Saturday night, Noppadol Long Tirataradol walked quickly out of Alices Jazz and Cultural Society, a jazz club in Washington, DC.

Tirataradol, a musician and educator from Thailand, looked up and down the street. He was looking for a tall man carrying a musical instrument.

There he was! Tirataradol ran across the street and caught up to Percy White, a bassist and member of the DC Jazz Collective.

The men shook hands and exchanged kind words about each others performances earlier that night. Man, you are a beast, White said, praising Tiratardols musical skills.

Today, we will explore that warm exchange between the two men one that took place across the borders of culture and language.

International Jazz Day

April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and April 30 is International Jazz Day. On this day, musicians, educators, and fans celebrate the music at festivals, shows, and other events around the world.

In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month and International Jazz Day, VOA Learning English talked with jazz musicians and educators who took part in an international exchange between two cities: Washington, DC and Bangkok, Thailand.

Cultural Exchange  DC to Bangkok

The exchange project started with an arts grant from the DC city government. Will Stephens, a lawyer and musician, organizes a non-profit group that runs jam sessions in Washington, DC. The grant money he received from the city helped send musicians from Washington, DC to Thailand. It also paid for a visit by professors from Thailands Mahidol University to America's capital.

In January, Stephens traveled to Thailand with four other musicians. The group, called the DC Jazz Collective, performed in Bangkok and at the Thailand International Jazz Conference, a large and important jazz education meeting hosted by Mahidol University. Just over ten years old, the conference hosts thousands of educators, students, and listeners each year.

The trip gave the American musicians a chance to see similarities and differences in jazz culture between the two countries. Stephens noted that jam sessions in Thailand were similar to the ones he organizes in Washington

One of the activities we did when we were in Bangkok was we sat in as the house band at a local joint that has a weekly jazz jam session. And the tunes that they call at the local jazz jam session in Bangkok are all the same tunes that would get called at our jazz jam session on U Street So, it was fun. Its like we were sharing the same book.

Stephens also noted important differences. He said, for example, that many more women were studying jazz in Thailand than in the United States. It is not very common, Stephens added, to see female instrumentalists playing at jazz jam sessions in the United States.

Lionel Lyles is a saxophonist and educator who traveled to Thailand with the DC Jazz Collective. Lyles described his first experience in the Southeast Asian country as amazing, and explained that he considers these kinds of exchanges necessary.

Music is a universal language, Lyles said. As a musician, what we are doing is having a conversation.

Stephens shared Lyles ideas about music and language. He noted that jazz especially is a good genre for these exchanges because it is its own language, because it is a way of communicating with someone, even if you cant communicate with them in speaking.

Exchange Part Two  Bangkok to DC

The second part of the exchange project took place this past weekend. Teachers from Mahidol University, including Darin Joe Pantoomkomol, David Parente, Krit William Buranavitayawut, and Noppadol Long Tirataradol came to Washington DC.

Here, they played in several shows and at Stephens jam session.

On Saturday evening, they played a joint show with the DC Jazz Collective.

The event, at Alices Jazz and Cultural Society, started with a DC Jazz Collective performance. The group played their own pieces and some older well-known jazz tunes. The musicians also performed songs written by the former King of Thailand, who was a noted saxophonist and composer.

Then, the visiting musicians from Thailand performed.

Like the Collective, the Mahidol group also played songs members had written, famous jazz pieces, and arrangements of other songs. They played ballads and fiery, fast tunes.

The group also performed music that drew from Thailands rich history of traditional music.





The crowd watching the show included Americans of all ages and backgrounds. They applauded loudly after each song.

Elizabeth Singletary, a DC resident, was in the audience. In this day and age, she said, there is too much talk about this culture against that culture  in music, it just doesnt matter.

Why are these exchanges important?

Both the American musicians and the Thai musicians said they felt cultural exchanges are important. They serve as a reminder of how small the world is, noted Stephens.

Pantoomkomol highlighted the importance of information sharing in the modern world. He added that he and his fellow musicians wanted to see what jazz culture is like in the country of its birth. The Thai musicians hope to take ideas back home with them. The new information will help Thai music culture develop, as well as that of nearby countries.

Buranavitayawut said cultural exchanges are true to the earliest spirit of jazz. He explained that the development of jazz, the music that connects us together, was the result of a melting pot -- a mix of people, ideas, and cultures in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Buranavitayawut said he and his colleagues from Mahidol University were proud to be part of the melting pot. They were proud, he added, to be making that melting pot bigger.

I'm John Russell.

And Im Ashley Thompson.

John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

grant -- n. an amount of money that is given to someone by a government, a company, etc., to be used for a particular purpose (such as scientific research)

beast  n. informal  a person who is very skilled or talented

jam session  n. a gathering or performance in which musicians play together informally without any preparation : a session in which musicians jam with each other

tune -- n. a song or composition

amazing -- adj. causing great surprise or wonder : causing amazement

conversation  n. a talk between people in which ideas are exchanged

genre -- n. a particular type or category of literature or art

arrangement -- n. a piece of music that has been changed so that it can be performed by particular types of voices or instruments

ballad  n. a slow song

applaud  v. to strike the hands together over and over to show approval or praise
The Army Corps of Engineers is considering opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway for a second time this year, with the river again set to rise to 16.9 feet in New Orleans on May 11. It would be the first time the spillway was opened twice in the same calendar year since it was completed in 1931. While the official flood stage at the Carrollton Gage in New Orleans is 17 feet, floodwalls and levees in the New Orleans area protect from water heights of at least 20 feet.

One of the embarrassing facts of American political life is that most of us only pay attention when the debate is about so-called kitchen table issues. Our lives are so busy and hectic, researchers claim, we dont get involved at the ballot box until a topic might cost us money or safety.

Thats one of the excuses given to explain why so many south Louisiana voters continue to send people like Steve Scalise, Clay Higgins and Garret Graves back to Washington even as those congressmen vote against their constituents best interests by steadfastly fighting regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The science may show those pollutants are the main driver of rising seas that will drown much of the states bottom third within 40 to 50 years, but that seems like a long way off, these politicians say. No need to pay for it now. Youre still safe. And maybe it wont happen!

Well, maybe the new storm surge risk maps issued by the National Hurricane Center last week will finally bring this issue to your kitchen table.

In almost all of the cases in which conservative politicians are cautiously staking out territory on climate change, they still do not acknowledge the extent of mans responsibility for causing it. Putting a price on emitting carbon into the atmosphere is verboten. And they insist solutions do not need to include eliminating or even curbing the use of oil, coal and other dirty energy sources primarily responsible for heating the planet.

If we can find strategies that allow us to reduce emissions while continuing to use fossil fuels, I dont think thats necessarily a bad thing, Mr. Graves said in a recent interview.

Today, there is a proposal to place a massive oil terminal  the Plaquemines Liquids Terminal  on the Mississippi River directly in the footprint of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. This terminal would provide a connection from a not-yet-built oil pipeline to large tankers on the river, storing as much as 20 million barrels of oil on site for loading onto these ships directly upriver of the intake structure of the diversion.



What could go wrong? Unfortunately, a lot. First, the terminal and the ships using it will decrease the land-building power of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, as the tankers block sediment from being captured by the diversion, resulting in less land. In effect, well be making a $1.4 billion project investment far less effective than it could be.

Given the importance and urgency of coastal restoration and protection, that in itself would seem to make this a very bad idea.

why would we take the risk of a catastrophic failure that could ruin the very effort we need to sustain ourselves here? Beyond that, virtually any spill, however small or large, will risk fouling the wetlands that are being created and sustained by the diversion. At a time when our state is losing its wetland buffer and wildlife habitat faster than anywhere else on Earth, why would we allow something to compromise or corrupt the wetlands that remain? In a post BP world

I suppose that last question is rhetorical. As we well know by now none of this is about choosing to "sustain ourselves" in South Louisiana because there is no "ourselves" to sustain. There are, instead, the competing interests of varies "selves" to consider. And some of those are more valuable than others.

Seems like the river is pretty much always in flood this time of year now.That's probably bad. Maybe just leave the thing open for a few months.While they're at it, maybe it's time to get some of these lower river diversions up and running while they still might do some... well I hesitate to say some good since we're probably past that point but, you know.Bob Marshall is correct to call out Louisiana's congressional delegation for its dismissal of the threat climate change poses to the majority of their constituents. But he'd be kidding himself if he actually believes the new flood maps will change anyone's position. At the most all they're likely to do is tweak the marketing pitch for continuing the same destructive policies. Here is a NYT article about some Republicans who are doing just that, in fact. Among them is LA Congressman Garret Graves.See we gotta figure out how to compromise and balance between having a coast and supporting the industry that has ripped it to pieces. Simple. Sensible sounding. The stuff of editorial page legend.Of course, here is what that looks like in real life.
Facebooks Portal line of smart displays/video chat devices are getting support for new apps and features and theyre going to new places.

Less than a year after Facebook launched the 10 inch Portal and 15 inch Portal+ devices in the United States, the company says theyre heading to Canada in June and theyll be available in Europe this fall.

At launch, Portal was basically a platform for making video calls over Facebook Messenger, watching videos, listening to music, and a few other things.

This year Portal is is gaining support for:

WhatsApp

End-to-end encryption

Private video messages

Facebook Live (letting you stream video to a group of friends in real-time)

Amazon Prime Video support

Alexa flash briefings

Instant Games (including multiplayer AR games)

Ability to display Instagram images as well as Facebook pictures to SuperFrame

A new mobile app will let you add photos to SuperFrame from your camera roll

Incidentally, while Portal still has a list price of $199 and Portal+ is priced at $349, both Amazon and Best Buy are currently selling them for $100 off their list prices.

That means you can pick up the larger model for $250 or the smaller version for just $99).
This post has been sponsored by Herzog Wine Cellars and Superior Farms Lamb. All opinions expressed are my own.

In our household Easter is a month-long celebration as we observe both Catholic Easter and Greek Easter. Today were recapping our Greek Easter dinner with this Roasted Bone-in Leg of Lamb served alongside Herzog Wines.

In true Napoleonic style, lets start with a pair of maxims. The first being Everythings better with friends, since todays post features a trio of products, one from a longtime friend of the site  Herzog Wine Cellars, and two from a pair of new faces here on Living the Gourmet, Superior Farms and Vitkin Winery; more on them later.

The second maxim is Everything old is new again. I say this because as early as 2014, one of Italys top rose regions was selling off as much as 25% of its vineyards according to a December 3rd 2014 Winefolly article by Madeline Puckette, signaling the high-water mark of Roses doldrums. However, less than two years later Fortune would run an article celebrating how Millennials have made Rose mainstream again. Then, in Businesses Insider article published just last year, Sarah Jacobs quoted master sommelier Alana Singh as saying The millennial obsession with Rose wine isnt going anywhere anytime soon, explaining that the generation has rocketed rose back into the mainstream.

Ive always loved rose as part of any complete spring or summer pairing. Granted, growing up the story was much different. Rose wine was unequivocally the fashionable drink of the young and suburban at the time. The young American wives of my then-young Italian brothers would bring it over, and the familys old guard would politely tolerate it with feigned smiles and forced compliments. In our house, sturdy reds such Sangiovese and Sagrantino were the order of the day, with Sambuca and Anisette serving as our aperitifs of choice.

Thankfully, I didnt let that taint my view of this particular type of wine.

With that being said, were featuring a 2018 Herzog Lineage Rose Clarksburg. Off the nose, the wine greets with initial hints of citrus and zest set over ripe summer fruits, with just a hint of toasted wood notes in the background. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied, carrying the flavor and aromatics of blood orange mixed with cherry and red fruit essences. Overall, this is a very, very pleasant bottle.

For pairing, Im going to side with the winemakers themselves, who use imagery of sunshine and time spent out on the porch. To my mind, this is quintessential Spring drinking. Think light salads, fruit, perhaps sliced oranges topped with balsamic vinegar and feta cheese.

Far from everything old being new again, we now head over to some Old Vines, which we received courtesy of Vitkin Winery, which is based in Sharon, Israel on the slopes of Carmel. The wine introduces itself with a bouquet of mixed berries, chiefly ripe red cherries, hints of currants, and perhaps just a touch of blackberry or black cherry in the background. Theres also a faint bit of herb or tobacco leaf lurking in the mix, but its tad bit hard to pin down. On the palate, the wine is medium to soft bodied, with chewy tannins, and medium acidity. The fruit from the bouquet largely carries over, with the herbal notes becoming more prominent, but also slightly more earthy. Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience.

For pairing, think meaty entrees such as roast pork with garlic and herbs, or if you prefer poultry think on the heavier and richer side of things. However, since its spring, and with Orthodox Easter just a few days away, I decided to pair this wine with a traditional leg of lamb, which comes to us courtesy of Superior Farms Lamb. In case you missed my previous feature on them from last week, they produce only sustainably raised, American sourced lamb, which are set to pasture on naturally maintained grasslands. This combination of natural raising and feeding, with sustainable resource management, means that you can feel good about youre eating, and that, most importantly, its absolutely delicious.

That, of course, brings us to todays recipe  Roasted Bone-in Leg of Lamb.

To start, begin by preparing a rub with Italian parsley, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and caper juice, Romano cheese, black pepper, cumin, and coriander, mixed in a base of extra virgin olive oil. Then give these ingredients a few good chops in the food processor. You want them to form a paste rather than a liquid or a loose marinade.

Now, before rubbing the leg of lamb down, you want to score the meat. To do this, simply make precise, sharp cuts into the lambs outer layer of fat. Space the cuts about an inch apart, and cut diagonally across the lamb. Then, in the opposite direction, repeat this process. You do not want to cut too deeply, otherwise all of the juices will spill out of the lamb during cooking, and youll end up with a dry, oversized piece of a jerky.

The end result should be as pictured below, a diamond pattern running across the other layer of the lamb.

Then, gently rub the lamb down with the mixture we prepared before. Be sure to rub the mixture between the lines of the scoring, but be careful not to separate or tear the fat from the meat. Again, if you do this, the meat will be very dry after cooking.

After rubbing the lamb down, let it sit out for about two hours before cooking. You want it to be roughly room temperature. Once the meat is room temperature, cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about twenty minutes per pound, or until the meat has reached an internal temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit at its thickest point.

Once cooked, let it rest for about fifteen minutes before serving.

clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon heart heart icon heart solid heart solid icon Roasted Bone-in Leg of Lamb featuring Herzog Wines Author: Living the Gourmet

Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Yield: 1 leg of lamb 1 x Print Recipe Pin Recipe Ingredients Scale 1x 2x 3x 8  9 lb. bone-in leg of lamb  scored For the Rub: 1 bunch of Italian parsley

bunch of Italian parsley 1 head of garlic

head of garlic 4 sun-dried tomatoes

sun-dried tomatoes 1 tbs. capers plus tbs. of caper juice

tbs. capers plus tbs. of caper juice 1  inch piece of Romano cheese

inch piece of Romano cheese 1 tsp . black pepper

. black pepper 1 tsp . cumin

. cumin 1 tsp . coriander

. coriander 4 tbs. olive oil Instructions Combine all of the ingredients for the rub in a food processor and give a few good chops to form a paste. Score the fat of the leg of lamb with a sharp knife  inch deep forming diamond shapes. Rub the lamb under and over with the rub mixture. Let the lamb rest at room temperature for 1  to 2 hours before cooking. Preheat Oven 350 degrees F. For a medium rare leg of lamb cook 20 minutes per pound. For medium-rare to medium doneness, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 135 degrees F. Let the lamb rest after it is taken out of the oven for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Notes Prep Time does NOT include Inactive Prep Time. Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes Nutrition Serving Size: 8-10

Recipe Card powered by

That said, I was very pleased with todays wines, and can wholeheartedly recommend Superior Farms to anyone looking for delicious, sustainably sourced American lamb.

This post is intended for persons 21+. Please enjoy responsibly!

Enjoy with Love!
Kyle Velte (University of Kansas School of Law) has posted Straightwashing the Census on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

The Trump Administrations recent decision to reject proposed sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) questions from the 2020 Census and the American Community Survey  a component of the Census  received widespread attention. Many critics of this decision focused on the symbolic effect of the decision  when one is not counted as a matter of data, one does not count as a matter of morality or humanity. While visibility is important for such symbolic reasons, it is also important as a matter of policy, power, and economic justice.

The U.S. government uses population data to drive policy decisions about the allocation of $675 billion in federal funds, most of which is apportioned to anti-poverty programs. It uses this data to assess the effectiveness of these anti-poverty programs vis-a-vis different demographic groups, including race, ethnicity, and gender. But two population demographics  sexual orientation and gender identity  are not considered when the federal government makes policy decisions or tracks program efficacy, because SOGI is largely absent from government population surveys. This Article examines the straightwashing of the census through the Identity Undercount  the failure of the state to collect SOGI population data. The Identity Undercount, while counting the literal bodies of LGBT people, erases their lived identity.

For many in the LGBT population, their lived identity and reality is one of poverty and powerlessness, a reality contrary to the widely accepted narrative that the LGBT population is more affluent and powerful than the rest of the population. The limited data that is available demonstrates that LGBT people live in poverty at rates disproportionate to the non-LGBT population and fare more poorly than their non-LGBT counterparts on other measures including health outcomes, homelessness, and employment discrimination.

Because federal and state governments rely on population data to inform a multitude of policy and programmatic decisions, the straightwashing of government data does real harm to LGBT people in poverty. If policymakers cannot see the problems, they cannot craft meaningful policy solutions or modify existing policies to meet the needs of the LGBT population. Because data are tied to resource allocation, the Identity Undercount results in resource deserts  where LGBT people do not get critical and necessary services. As a result, the Article argues that the government should collect SOGI population data and that the near-complete failure to do so makes the state an active participant in creating and sustaining institutionalized poverty for LGBT people.
A local 33-year-old woman has been arrested by the Judiciary Police (PJ) suspected of having scammed at least 13 people out of MOP8.95 million, the PJ spokesperson reported yesterday during the joint press conference of the police forces, held at the Public Security Police Force (PSP) facilities.

According to the report, the victims, 13 in total, include 12 local residents and one mainland resident. All of the victims had made contact with the woman through her previous job at a luxury boutique.

The PJ spokesperson said that the police had been receiving complaints on the case starting February 21, with the last complaint recorded on April 25. During this period, the woman made use of contracts acquired from her previous job to offer the victims two kinds of supposedly-profitable ventures.

In the first, she offered to exchange HKD currency into RMB at a very favorable rate. Ten of her victims agreed and transferred high sums to the suspect through several means.

According to the PJ, the woman never transferred any funds to any of the victims, making use of her friendly relationship and the fact she was known by the victims to delay the payments.

Another three victims claimed she offered them a different scheme, based on a short-term money deposit that would allegedly lead to high-interest returns of up to 10% in 10 days. The woman never repaid any of the investors.

The PJ says that the details in the case unfolded on April 26, the day that the suspect went by her own initiative and will to the PJ.

According to her testimony at the force, she said she had no intention of scamming anyone. Instead, she was using the funds in another investment that would grant her enough money to return what she had promised to the investors.

She claimed that because she put all the money in the investment, she has no way to return it at the moment to the people involved. The police did not believe her and forwarded the case to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on April 27.

SEXAGENARIAN VICTIM TO LOVERS SCAM

In another case of scam, the same police force spokesperson said that a non-resident woman, over 60 years old, had been reportedly involved in a social network scam perpetrated by an unknown man.

The woman that presented a complaint at the PJ only recently said she had met the alleged man on a social network back in 2014 and that they had been communicating over several channels and online platforms over the past five years in a long-distance relationship.

After almost one year of communication, the woman said that the man informed her he needed to move to Malaysia to work and live but he had difficulties establishing himself there, requesting money from the victim to allegedly settle in the new country and promising he would return it as soon as possible.

From 2015 and until the start of 2019, the woman claims that she transferred a total of USD89,400 (over MOP720,000) in several installments to an account in a Malaysian bank indicated by the man.

On February 28, the same man contacted her again saying that he had sent a parcel with gifts to the woman, which included an iPhone, an iPad, and several valuable jewels. Unfortunately, the parcel had been retained by the customs in Malaysia because of its value and he had to pay a high amount in taxes in order to get it back.

The woman again believed his story and transferred an additional amount of $27,945 (around MOP226,000) to the same bank account.

In total, and taking into account the different rates, she has calculated losses of over MOP913,000.

PARTNERS PART WAYS OVER MISSING CHIPS

Two women from the mainland said to be friends decided to come to Macau to gamble on April 24.

According to the PJ, one of them that had a high sum in cash and gaming chips and asked her friends help to look over a portion of them for some time.

After claiming to visit the bathroom, the friend disappeared taking with her about HKD200,000 in cash and chips.

The victim finished gambling in the afternoon of the same day and called her friend to arrange to meet inside a hotel room at the central Macau casino resort in which they were staying.

The suspect agreed but when she arrived at the hotel room she immediately told the victim she had gambled all the money and chips away.

The victim then called the PJ from the room to request their assistance. She claims to have lost a sum of about HKD200,000. Her former friend is now being charged over the crime of breach of trust.

TOURIST CAUGHT WITH BLUE-CARD FORGERY

The PSP spokesperson informed yesterday that an officer on duty caught a tourist from the mainland on April 26 during a routine operation of identification checking.

According to the police, the man was acting suspiciously at Rua de Lei Pou Chon in the northern district. His behavior prompted the officer to ask for his identification.

The suspect presented a valid travel document for Macau and Hong Kong but he was very nervous and, suspecting that something was not right, the officer performed a body search that found one non-resident worker permit (commonly known as a blue-card) that appeared to be a poorly-made forgery, using even the wrong colors for this type of document.

Further investigation revealed that the man had acquired the forgery in the city of Zhuhai for the price of RMB150 with the purpose of trying to find a job in Macau.
The Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) is planning to launch four Postgraduate Diploma for the new academic year after approval is obtained from relevant authorities.

The four Postgraduate Diploma programs are in International Hospitality and Tourism Management, Tourism Management, Hospitality Management and International Food and Beverage Management.

Meanwhile, four MSc programs will also be launched, namely in International Hospitality Management, International Tourism Management, Hospitality and Tourism Management and International Food and Beverage Management.

One PhD program is planned in Hospitality and Tourism Management.

The IFT will launch the new programs according to enrolment situations from the academic year of 2019/20 onwards.

According to the IFT, these programs will help Macau to develop into the tourism education and training base of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, cultivate high-caliber talents, and improve the service and management capacity of Macau as a destination.
Tao Group, the U.S.-based nightlife and restaurant company, this month opened Singapores biggest night club  with an indoor ferris wheel and three-story slide  as its partner Las Vegas Sands Corp. gears up to invest more than USD3 billion in the city-state.

The 2,300-square meter club located at the iconic Marina Bay Sands resort is Taos attempt to establish itself in a country thats seen record tourist numbers boosted by the Hollywood blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians. With its carnival theme and gilded cage bars, the venue can accommodate about 2,000 party-goers.

This is a booming country in so many ways, we should be here, Jason Strauss, Taos co-founder said in an interview on Friday at the new Marquee club in Singapore. Its a big plus too to have a partner like Marina Bay Sands to give us the support to enter a new market.

Marquee is the second of Taos four planned ventures in Singapore, after opening Italian restaurant Lavo on the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands in January last year. Next will be Avenue, a speakeasy-style lounge and Koma, a Japanese eatery and sushi bar.

Earlier this month, Las Vegas Sands and Genting Singapore Ltd. pledged to invest SGD9 billion ($6.6 billion) in Singapores tourist attractions. Las Vegas Sands is planning to add a fourth tower to the Marina Bay Sands hotel while Genting will expand Resorts World Sentosa over five years.

Tao, whose U.S. nightclubs and high-end restaurants were said to once be frequented by the fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low, is now focused on building its brand in Singapore. In the Asia Pacific region, the city state is its only presence outside of Sydney and the one place, according to Strauss, where its expanding.

Weve had incredible energy in here, he said. To build our most dramatic, our most beautiful and our most technologically-advanced nightclub in the entire portfolio, that was super exciting for us.Ranjeetha Pakiam, Joyce Koh, Bloomberg






John Walker, chairman of Macquarie Korea, gesticulates during a recent interview with The Korea Times. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



By Oh Young-jin



The story about Macquarie's logo sounds like one about the egg of Columbus. The Italian explorer was the first westerner to discover the Americas, and how he made an egg stand is one of the best known stories about him.



Although not so well known, Macquarie's coin shares the same spirit of ingenuity  when short of coins, Macquarie, an early Australian leader, imported 40,000 coins and punched holes in them, making two coins out of one  the Holey and the Dump  to produce 80,000.



John Walker may have used much of that Macquarie spirit, when he came to Korea 21 years ago to set up the Korean operation of the world's largest infrastructure asset manager. Under Walker, the operation has grown, covering extensive portfolios ranging infrastructure to securities.



Now Walker's Macquarie may be looking at another big opportunity in North Korea, a nation with a great deal of natural resources at the crossroads of China, South Korea, Japan and Russia as well as of interest to the United States. What this totalitarian country needs is a lot of infrastructure to replace the existing one which has been in disrepair under decades of isolation.



How does he see it  an opportunity that is too good to pass or poisoned chalice?



He keeps his card close to his vest. So one could only follow his thought process on it, which comes down to "no hurry."



About a solution to the problem of fine dust in Korea, he talked about setting up a skyscraper as one huge purifier in the middle of the city. A cynic in me suggested (with immediate regret) that the people may make their own contributions by using their own portable purifier  their lungs. Again, his advice is that it is a long game and needs patience to resolve it.



"We're we're watching what's happening in North Korea. So it's really hard to tell," Walker started.





Macquarie's John Walker Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



His assessment reflected the fluidity of the situation in North Korea. Although it has come out to engage with the outside world under its young leader Kim Jong-un, the North has shown its unpredictability or more preciously the lack of ability to deal with the changing external environment.



Kim was caught off guard in February when U.S. President Donald Trump short-changed him in their second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. Kim appears to be at a loss, not knowing whether to continue negotiations with the U.S.



Walker obviously captured the mixture of North Korean ambivalence and inexperience that combine to make it look untrustworthy in outsiders' eyes, when he said, "I am worried about things like sovereign risk."



"A lot of companies are looking at the South Korean government and asking it what support it will give," he said.



But Seoul has its hands tied.



President Moon Jae-in is trying to help the North open up but he has time and again found out how little he can do between the North and the U.S., the two old foes that demand the other make the first move: the U.S. wants the North to denuclearize first, while the North wants the U.S. to provide it with survival guarantees.



So far, the two have run parallel and will likely continue to do so for some time to come.



Moon has tried unsuccessfully to reopen the closed industrial complex in the North Korean city of Gaeseong and tourism to Mt. Geumgang to ease a chokehold on its cash flow in the face of U.S. opposition. Meanwhile, international sanctions have been tightened on the "Stalinist" state with some predicting if they are kept on, Kim may not last for long.



Then, Walker offered measured optimism.



"Developing economies are always difficult at first for foreign investors because they don't have developed systems, but over time with the support of multinationals and other governments eventually, that sort of development will happen."





Macquarie Korea Chairman John Walker Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has issued its first temporary restaurant operation license after the new catering and restaurant license issuing administration regulation came into effect recently.

The license offers applicants an easier and faster document reviewing process, and applicants can obtain temporary permits in turn, allowing them to operate their restaurants as early as possible.

The new policies are said to properly balance the public interest while relieving pressure on applicants when starting a business.

The temporary license is valid for four months. The applicant can submit their application first and wait for approval. In the meantime, applicants will be asked to submit documents related to the restaurants facilities to receive a temporary license.

Specific documentation should include documents describing space requirements for public safety, public hygiene and for environmental protection.

In order to get a temporary license approved, the applicant must present documents signed by qualified individuals or entities to prove that their operating space meets fire service standards, among others.

The first four-month temporary license was issued on April 10.
Hong Kongs government said it would press ahead with legislation to end a ban on extraditions to mainland China, despite opponents staging one of the largest mass protests since the 2014 Occupy movement.

The government said in a statement late Sunday that the bill was necessary to plug the loopholes in laws governing the transfer of criminal suspects between the former British colony and other jurisdictions. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam is seeking to pass the legislation, which would allow for one-off deals with places including mainland China, Macau and Taiwan, before the current legislative session ends in July.

The government understands that there are different views in the community on the proposed legislative amendments, the government said. The government hopes that the Bills Committee can start its work as soon as possible during which we will continue to explain the legislative proposals in detail to the Legislative Council and the public and exchange views.

The comments came after as many as 130,000 marched to the citys Legislative Council building Sunday to protest against the legislation, with many participants calling for Lams resignation. Although police estimated the crowd at less than 23,000, the demonstration was among the largest since months-long pro-democracy rallies in 2014 ended without securing any concessions from the Beijing-backed government.

Lam argues the law is needed to bring fugitives to justice, citing difficulties in pursuing murder charges against a Hong Kong man over the death of his girlfriend while the pair were vacationing last year in self-ruled island of Taiwan. But the push has prompted new concern about the legal autonomy guaranteed to Hong Kong before its return to China in 1997, as well as the risk of Hong Kong citizens and foreign residents being subject to prosecution on the mainland.

Besides local activists fears of political persecution, foreign business groups have warned that the legislation could reduce Hong Kongs appeal as a global financial hub. While Sundays march was estimated the largest since as many as 200,000 people joined the Occupy demonstrations, an annual vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown drew an estimated 135,000 in 2015, according to that events organizers.

The sentencing of leaders of the Occupy protests last week to prison terms of up to 16 months might have contributed to the larger turnout Sunday. An upcoming event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen incident on June 4 will present another opportunity for pro-democracy forces to show their numbers.

In response to criticism, Lam has already removed nine categories of business-related crimes from the potential offenses eligible for one-time extradition decisions. The government has so far given no indication that it could scrap the proposal, like it did for a controversial national security bill after a half million protesters took the streets in 2003.

The Taiwan murder case has clearly shown that serious crimes can happen in any place and at any time. It is just a question who the unfortunate victim may be, the government said Sunday. Hence, we have to plug the loopholes in the current mechanisms as quickly as possible. Natalie Lung & Blake Schmidt, Bloomberg
A beluga whale found with a tight harness that appeared to be Russian made has raised the alarm of Norwegian officials and prompted speculation that the animal may have escaped from a Russian military facility.

Joergen Ree Wiig of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries says Equipment St. Petersburg is written on the harness strap, which features a mount for an action camera.

He said Monday fishermen in Arctic Norway last week reported the tame white cetacean with a tight harness swimming around. On Friday, fisherman Joar Hesten, aided by the Ree Wiig, jumped into the frigid water to remove the harness.

Ree Wiig said people in Norways military have shown great interest in the harness.

Audun Rikardsen, a professor at the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe, northern Norway, believes it is most likely that Russian Navy in Murmansk is involved. Russia has major military facilities in and around Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula, in the far northwest of Russia.

It wasnt immediately clear what the mammal was being trained for, or whether it was supposed to be part of any Russian military activity in the region.

Rikardsen said he had checked with scholars in Russia and Norway and said they have not reported any program or experiments using beluga whales.

This is a tame animal that is used to get food served so that is why it has made contacts with the fishermen, he said. The question is now whether it can survive by finding food by itself. We have seen cases where other whales that have been in Russian captivity doing fine.

Hesten told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the whale began to rub itself again his boat when he first spotted it.

Russia does not have a history of using whales for military purposes but the Soviet Union had a full-fledged training program for dolphins.
Cheung Po Tsai  literally Cheung Po the Kid, like many an outlaw before and after him  packed a lot into his short life: 15 years as a commoner, 12 years as a pirate, and 12 years as a pirate catcher in the Qing navy. Traces of the 19th-century pirate can still be found today, in the landscape of Hong Kong and the stories told on screens big and small.

AN UNLIKELY BEGINNING

Born in 1783 in the Xinhui district of Jiangmen, Cheung came from humble beginnings, the son of a fisherman.

That all changed when, at the age of 15, he was abducted by a powerful local pirate named Cheng I. Forced to join Chengs fleet, the young Cheung soon impressed the pirate and began to rise up through the ranks. He became heir to Cheng I after the pirate and his wife adopted him as their stepson.

When Cheng died in Vietnam on 16 November 1807, Cheung was the obvious successor. His widow, Ching Shih, while formidable could not command the Red Flag Fleet herself. But her cleverness ensured that she and Cheung retained the loyalty of Chengs relatives who led other pirate vessels, effectively stifling any threats to their power.

The two soon became lovers, sharing control of the new fleet: Ching Shih handled business affairs while Cheung was responsible for the military side of the operation, with Cai Qian serving as a loyal lieutenant. His wife, a weapons expert who spoke fluent English, had enabled the pirates to acquire weapons from Western arms dealers.

Based on outlying islands in the South China Sea, the Red Flag Fleet was one of several pirate groups that made their living targeting the Pearl River Delta, then (and now) the most prosperous region of China. They exploited the decline of the Qing dynasty, its navy unable to effectively protect the commercial vessels and ports in the Delta.

Delta residents were forced to pay protection money to the fleet, while merchant vessels wanting to pass through the area paid a tax. Not content with these schemes, Cheung and Ching Shih expanded into blackmail and extortion, developing an extensive spy network in the mainland.

Ching Shih used the profits from their various ventures to create a supply chain, contracting with farmers to supply them with food, and build the fleet to the point that it surpassed many navies. At its peak, they numbered an estimated 1,800 vessels and 80,000 followers, operating along the coast of the South China Sea and as far south as Malaysia.

Like many pirates, Cheung and Ching Shih operated under a complicated code of ethics. While Cheung sometimes gave food and money to the poor, making him something of a Robin Hood figure in their eyes, he also oversaw horrific violence. Raided towns were subjected to rape and murder, and female prisoners were often sold to the crew as wives.

Their massive crew faced similarly harsh justice for most infractions, with death sentences issued for everything from stealing loot to going ashore without permission. The pair ruled with an iron fist, and for years it served them beautifully, adding to their numbers  and their treasure.

Then the fleet suffered a heavy blow in 1809. When the Qing navy discovered that Cai Qian had docked in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, they blockaded him inside the port. The Qing were not about to waste an opportunity to retaliate against the pirates who had harried their waters for so many years. Cai likely died during the attack when canon fire sunk his ship, although the more colourful stories claim he committed suicide  a single shot to the head with a golden bullet.

As much as they frustrated the Qing government, the Red Flag Fleet had left European vessels alone. But the temptation became too great, and in early September 1809, the pirates seized a Portuguese trading ship travelling from Timor to Macau, then both Portuguese colonies. They killed the entire crew before making off with their loot.

BATTLE OF THE TIGERS MOUTH

In response to the massacre, the Leal Senado ordered Captain Jose Pinto Alcoforado e Sousa to lead three armed vessels to attack the Red Flag Fleet. At the governors request, a British fleet anchored in Macau agreed to join the attack.

The first battle took place on 15 September 1809. The Portuguese vessels confronted the far larger contingent of the Red Flag Fleet, numbering 200 ships, in the Humen Strait of the Pearl River. The promised assistance from the British fleet never came, yet with 39 artillery pieces, the Portuguese managed to win the day, forcing the pirate ships to scatter.

While not a total victory, the outsized showing by the Portuguese caught the attention of the Qing government. Emissaries arrived in Macau on 23 November, proposing a joint operation against the Red Flag Fleet comprised of six Portuguese and 60 Chinese vessels.

The governor of Macau agreed, ordering the formation of a larger fleet, and in less than a week the six Portuguese ships set off from Macau to join the Qing fleet. Within hours of leaving, however, the Portuguese flotilla was intercepted by the Red Flag Fleet.

With 120 artillery pieces and 760 men, roughly three times what they had in the September clash, the Portuguese once again came out on top. After some nine hours of fighting, they had sunk 15 pirate ships and badly damaged several others. The Red Flag Fleet fled, regrouped, and attacked again only to incur more losses.

With aid from the much larger Qing fleet not forthcoming, the Portuguese decided not to push their luck and returned to Macau rather than pursue the pirates.

On 11 December, Cheung launched an attack against the Portuguese flotilla, striking closer to Macau than any previous clash. His attempt to bring a decisive end to the battle failed utterly. Not only did he lose a further 15 ships, his failed attempt at negotiating a peace deal with Alcoforado cost him a valuable ally, the Black Flag Fleet. With those pirates now firmly on the governments side, Cheungs supporters began to lose confidence in their commander and the likelihood of success. Many deserted.

Clashes in early January inflicted further losses on the dwindling Red Flag Fleet before the final and decisive battle on 21 January 1810. Cheung threw every resource available  over 300 ships, 1,500 guns and 20,000 men  against the Portuguese flotilla, anchored near Lantau Island. It backfired horribly: the massive number of pirate vessels struggled to maneuver around each other, offering up a slow, heavily clustered target for the superior Portuguese artillery.

When Alcoforado spotted an extremely large junk, transformed into a floating pagoda, at the center of the pirate fleet, he ordered artillery to fire on it until the badly damaged vessel sank beneath the waves. Seeing that, the pirates retreated into the shallow Hiang San River where they were trapped by a Portuguese blockade.

Known collectively as the Battle of the Tigers Mouth  taken from the Portuguese name for the strait, Boca do Tigre  these clashes brought Cheungs short but successful career in piracy to a close.

After holding out for two weeks under blockade, Cheung sent a request to the Portuguese commander for an emissary to negotiate the pirates surrender. Alcoforado chose instead to go himself, taking a small vessel to meet Cheung aboard his flagship. Impressed and flattered by his bravery, Cheung abandoned his original plan  using negotiations to buy time  and immediately capitulated to the Qing authorities.

On 21 February, the pirates signed a peace treaty under which they agreed to submit to the Qing emperor and Cheung, to become an officer in its navy with the mission of fighting pirates. He and his lover bargained well: less than 400 of their men were punished and only 126 executed, a tiny fraction of those under their command at the time. The rest were allowed to keep their booty, and most were offered jobs in the Qing military.

Two months later, on 20 April 1810, Cheung formally handed over his fleet and weapons: 280 ships, 2,000 guns, and more than 25,000 men. Zhang Bailing, governor of Guangdong province, accepted his surrender and to the surprise of everyone, the Portuguese navy made no claim on the booty  greatly impressing the Qing officers.

Cheung became a colonel in the Qing navy and was assigned to the Penghu Islands, an archipelago in the Taiwan Strait. The Qing gave him command of 30 ships and allowed him to retain 30 of his own as a private fleet. He spent the rest of his life fighting pirates, helping the Qing to cripple piracy in the region by the 1820s.

Cheung and Ching Shih were married, their nuptials witnessed by the same Governor Zhang who had overseen the pirates surrender earlier in the year. In 1813, she gave birth to their first child, a boy named Cheung Yu Lin, and later, a daughter.

During his naval career, Cheung made several formal visits to the Leal Senado where he met several of the Portuguese officers who took part in the Battle of the Tigers Mouth. Among them Goncalves Carocha, a Macanese pilot whose ship provided critical supplies and nimbly avoided capture while inflicting damage on the pirates.

Cheung earned a promotion following the successful capture of the wanted pirate Qu Shi Er. In 1819, Cheung was appointed deputy general in Fujian, where he served until his death in 1822.

Dead at 39 years old, Cheung had served 12 years with the Qing navy  the same amount of time he spent as a pirate after being kidnapped as a teenager. Now twice widowed, Ching Shih moved to Macau where she opened a gambling house and a brothel. She died peacefully in 1844, a grandmother of 69 years old; her descendants still live in the city today.

LASTING LEGACY

While his blood may be in Macau, it is Hong Kong that still bears the influence of Cheung Po Tsai. He built several temples to the deity Tin Hau, goddess of seafarers, in Stanley, Ma Wan, and Cheung Chau  which is also home to Cheung Po Tsai Cave, a small, natural cave said to be where Cheung stored his loot during one episode in the fateful Battle of the Tigers Mouth.

Perhaps it is this historical connection that makes the site such a popular attraction for trekkers and treasure hunters today  after all, Cheung utilised many caves throughout the outlying islands of Hong Kong during his time as a pirate. Visitors to the Cheung Chau site enter via a ladder, descending 10 metres to a path that extends another 90 metres before reaching the exit. The space is so narrow visitors can only move one by one, with nothing but their own flashlights to illuminate the darkness.

Cheung Po Tsai left his mark on popular culture as well, his thrilling life story inspiring many Hong Kong films, including the 1973 film The Pirate, as well as television dramas like the 2015 series Captain of Destiny. He even inspired a character, Sao Feng (played by Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat), in the Hollywood blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. Mark ONeill, MDT/Macauhub/Macau Magazine
Spains political future is no clearer after a third election since 2015, with experts saying yesterday that it wont be anytime soon before the muddle is resolved.

The incumbent prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, celebrated after his Socialist party won the most votes in Sundays ballot. But Spanish politicians were doing the math on how Sanchez might survive the next four years without a parliamentary majority.

Spains political right is fractured. The traditional conservative Popular Party suffered a humiliating defeat. On the other hand, though, the election marked the rise of the far-right and a high point for an expanding center- right party.

All in all, the result did little to dispel government uncertainty in the eurozones No. 4 economy.

It could take weeks or months for Spains political future to be clarified, according to Andrew Dowling, an expert on contemporary Spanish politics at Cardiff University in Wales.

If the Socialist party wants to stay in power for the next four years, it needs to find mechanisms of accommodation to ensure a degree of stability, he said.

Sanchez hailed the center-left Socialists victory as an antidote against a reactionary wave of national populism, pledging to help strengthen the European Union.

But the Socialist party won only 29% of the vote, and it still needs to make tough political decisions in order to govern.

With only 123 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies, Spains parliament, the Socialists will need to negotiate the support of smaller rival parties to pass legislation.

Even an alliance with the far- left, anti-austerity party United We Can  the most obvious potential partner  wouldnt give the Socialists the key number of 176 seats.

There are other options, however.

Incumbent deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo said she believed the election result, which increased the Socialists parliamentary seats from 85 to 123, was more than enough of a public endorsement to allow her Socialist party to rule alone as a minority government.

Spains socialists have noted the success of the Socialist administration in neighboring Portugal, where the minority government has an understanding with other left-of-center parties which provide support by often voting with it in parliament.

However, the Socialist party came to power in Spain last June in a minority government and lasted less than a year after opposition parties, including Catalonias separatists, refused to endorse its public spending plan.

Another possibility is a broad centrist alliance with the center- right Citizens party, which shot from 32 to 57 parliamentary seats in the election.

Citizens partys leader, Albert Rivera, has in the past ruled out any arrangement with Sanchez and has in many aspects been hostile to the Socialists political agenda.

The centrist Citizens party says it wants to lead Spains political opposition, ruling out entering a governing alliance with the Socialists who won Sundays general election.

Speaking on the day after the ballot, party Spokeswoman Ines Arrimadas again rejected talks to back Sanchez, while presenting Citizens as the leading force in the opposition.

Another unpredictable path that Sanchez could consider is to seek the support of secessionists in Catalonia.

The unflagging demands of separatists for that wealthy regions independence brought in 2017 Spains worst constitutional crisis in decades, and the price of their support may be too high for Sanchez.

Much of the uncertainty stems from how Spains political landscape has fragmented in recent years, after decades in which the Socialist party and the conservative Popular Party took turns in power.

Forging cross-party alliances has proved difficult for political negotiators and has unsettled Spanish governments. In 2015, a splintered parliamentary outcome from a general election led to inconclusive negotiations and a repeat election the following year.

The country has endured an excessive amount of instability, La Vanguardia newspaper said in an editorial Monday. That is never good. And its even worse when the European Union has the same problem, due to Brexit and the rise of populism.

The Popular Party lost more than half of its parliamentary representation as it fell to 66 seats.

Adding to the parliamentary makeover, the far-right Vox party claimed 10% of the vote and 24 seats. It is the first time since the 1980s that a far-right party will sit in the national parliament, albeit the national-populists didnt score the higher results that some polls had forecast.

In all, five parties got more than 20 seats.

Referring to the anti-migrant nationalist party Vox, Sanchez said the elections message to Europe was that you can win against authoritarianism and regression.

He vowed: We will form a pro-European government to strengthen Europe, not weaken it.

Amid all the party-political considerations, the new government faces the daunting task of cutting chronic unemployment and keeping the public pension system from collapse. The Spanish jobless rate in February was almost 14%  compared with an average of just under 8% for eurozone countries.

No immediate progress on forming a government is likely. Spain is due to elect regional and local governments, as well as its European Parliament deputies, in four weeks time in what will be another test of political strength. Barry Hatton & Aritz Parra, Madrid, AP
The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka urged the government yesterday to crack down on Islamic extremists with more vigor as if on war footing in the aftermath of the Easter bombings.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, said the church may not be able to stop people from taking the law into their own hands unless the government conducts a more thorough investigation and does more to prevent further attacks.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Easter attacks, which killed more than 250 people, and investigators are looking into the extent of the extremist groups involvement with the local radicalized Muslims who carried out the suicide bombings.

But the cardinal said he is not satisfied with how the government has conducted its investigations so far. All the security forces should be involved and function as if on war footing, Ranjith told reporters.

I want to state that we may not be able to keep people under control in the absence of a stronger security program, he said. We cant forever give them false promises and keep them calm. He urged the government to implement a proper program in order that the people dont take the law into their own hands.

Ranjith, however, said the church assures Muslims that it will not allow any revenge attacks against them.

He also said church services would be held this coming Sunday after necessary precautions are taken. The number of Masses will be reduced at every church, with police and parish committees entrusted with the task of looking out for strangers.

Churches were shut across the nation on Sunday, a week after the bombings, for fear of another attack by Islamic State group-linked militants. Sri Lankas Catholics celebrated Mass in their homes as Ranjith presided over a televised service.

The closing of the churches came after local officials and the U.S. Embassy in Colombo warned that more militants remained on the loose with explosives.

Even though all of the island nations schools  which have been closed since the attacks  are to reopen May 6, Ranjith said Catholic schools could be kept closed after that date if the church is not satisfied with security.

Meanwhile, the government banned all kinds of face coverings that may conceal peoples identities. The emergency law, which took effect Monday, prevents Muslim women from veiling their faces.

The decision came after the Cabinet had proposed laws on face veils at a recent meeting. It had deferred the matter until talks with Islamic clerics could be held, on the advice of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Easter attacks were carried out by seven suicide bombers who blew themselves up targeting three churches and three luxury hotels. Two other suicide bombers died triggering blasts, one to avoid capture by the police and another at an inn where he was staying.

On Monday, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed former army commander Shantha Kottegoda as the top official in the defense ministry after requesting the resignation of his predecessor, Hemasiri Fernando, for intelligence failures that led to the bombings.

The government is accused of not acting on near-specific information from a foreign intelligence agency over several weeks about an imminent attack. Krishan Francis, Colombo, AP
Lawmaker Ella Lei has confirmed to the Times that she and the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM) are currently working on the case of a woman who interrupted the Chief Executives policy address at the Legislative Assembly last month saying she was desperate for help with a labor dispute.

During the policy address, a rather peaceful protest occurred in the plenary room, whereby the woman rose from her spectator seat, stood next to the main door, holding an envelope that she claimed contained documents proving she had been unfairly dismissed by her employer.

She told the media that she had been fired by her previous employer on unreasonable grounds, leaving her with zero compensation.

Legislators Ella Lei and Leong Sun Iok intervened and promised to hear her case after the AL meeting session.

During her protest, the woman explained that she had filed complaints with the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL), but she did not receive the help she requested from the bureau.

Yesterday, lawmaker Lei confirmed that the woman had been in touch with several entities, the DSAL being one of them, and the FAOM another. Lei said that the case was proceeding according to the FAOMs existing procedures.

According to Lei, the procedures include meeting with stakeholders in the case, such as the DSAL and the employer, as well as inspecting evidence provided by the client, which, in this case, are communications between the woman, the DSAL and other concerned entities.

The legislator could not provide a number as to the frequency of such cases in Macau, but she noted that laborers have become more aware of their legal rights in recent years, and are more prepared to use legal procedures to protect their rights.

However, the lawmaker commented that the labor law of Macau could not cope with the variety of new situations. For example, theres no provision in the law regarding compensation leave. Some companies even deliberately arrange regular days off to a statutory holiday [to take advantage], Lei explained.

The incident at the AL occurred less than a week before the trade union law proposal was voted down by the citys legislature for the 10th time. Ella Lei and Leong Sun Iok were two of 13 lawmakers that voted in favor of the proposal. Staff reporter
Long Chen Paper Co. has made and sold cardboard packaging in China for more than two decades, and had never made a loss there until presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping began their face-off over trade.

Caught in the tariff cross-fire, Long Chen and other Taiwanese companies like it suddenly found that the proposition for doing business across the Taiwan Strait looked a lot weaker. That adversity has been seized as an opportunity by President Tsai Ing-wen, whose government last year started an Invest Taiwan campaign to lure companies away from China.

This year, her government has focused specifically on Taiwanese companies with operations in China, helping them overcome the islands shortages of land, electricity, water, labor and talent. So far, it appears to be a hit. As of April 26, 40 companies, from a maker of network devices to a producer of bathroom fittings, have committed to investing a combined USD6.7 billion and creating 21,200 jobs  on track to exceed all the governments targets.

The biggest single pledge so far this year is from Delta Electronics Inc. The power-component maker has applied to invest $1.8 billion in production, research and design in Taiwan, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as they are not authorized to speak publicly.

The additional homecoming investment in combination with overseas flows could propel all investment from abroad to a new high this year, surpassing the previous record of $15.4 billion made in 2007 under President Chen Shui-bian. Overall investment data for the first quarter is due for release on Tuesday along with the gross domestic product reading for the same period.

INSTANT MATCH

We have been affected by the trade war, and at the same time Taiwans government launched this project, so it was an instant match, said Danny Chou, chief finance officer at Long Chen Paper, Taiwans biggest industrial-used paper company. He said Chinas retaliatory tariffs on U.S. recycled paper imports and business closures affected the companys business on both cost and revenue sides. China accounted for 80 percent of its sales in 2018, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Its cardboard boxes are widely used in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces for shipping the likes of refrigerators, TVs and bottled water.

Headquartered in Taipei, Long Chen Paper is one the first Taiwanese companies to take advantage of the governments new program. It plans to invest TWD7 billion ($226 million) locally over the next three years, its biggest investment since it was founded 41 years ago.

WAKE-UP CALL

The government has tried to lure Taiwanese companies to move back before, but with very little success, Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin said. The trade war is a wake- up call, he said. A 25 percent tariff eats up the entire benefits of moving production to China.

In addition to Long Chen, Giant Manufacturing Co., Quanta Computer Inc. and Yageo Corp. are among the companies to have taken advantage of the program. Several companies have requested the government not reveal their names for fear of angering China.

Investments by Taiwanese companies in China have fallen each year since Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, when the president introduced a policy encouraging companies to invest in Southeast Asia rather than the mainland.

Although the government didnt routinely track the numbers of homecoming investments previously, Alex Chen, chief operating officer of Invest Taiwan, is in no doubt the latest campaign has sparked the biggest wave of repatriations ever.

Taiwan first allowed companies to invest in China in 1991. Helped by similar language and cultural background, China quickly became the favored investment destination. The island has been governed separately from the mainland for most of the past 120 years, and while Beijing claims it as part of Chinese territory, Taiwan has never been controlled by the Peoples Republic. Tsais Democratic Progressive Party advocates formalizing Taiwans independence.

Meanwhile, Taiwans economy is slowing, its population is rapidly aging and the birth rate is among the lowest in the world. Taiwans lack of readily available land, labor and qualified talent, as well as tight supplies of electricity and water, have posed impediments to investment by foreign and local companies over the past few decades.

REPATRIATION

With signs that a detente between China and the U.S. is emerging that could lead to the removal of some tariffs, there are grounds to expect that the impetus for companies to move back to Taiwan will fade. Overall, the trade war has hurt Taiwans export-led economy. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg forecast growth to slow to 1.4 percent in the first quarter, the weakest pace since 2016.

Yet there are analysts who see the trade war as a trigger for a long pent-up force, rather than a one-time event. Rising labor costs and government regulation mean China is no longer a cheap place for manufacturing.

The manufacturing environment in China and its friendliness toward Taiwanese business people are not what they were 10 to 20 years ago, said Samson Tu, a fund manager at Uni-President Assets Management Corp. in Taipei. The repatriation trend will last for the next 10 years. Chinmei Sung, Bloomberg
American naval vessels transited through the Taiwan Strait for the seventh time since July, highlighting the U.S.s strategic rivalry with China as Taiwanese presidential hopeful and Foxconn founder Terry Gou called for the island to adopt high-tech defense mechanisms.

The destroyers USS Stethem and USS William P. Lawrence sailed through the waters Sunday and then yesterday, U.S. Seventh Fleet public affairs officer Clay Doss confirmed to Bloomberg News in an email. It was the seventh such trip reported since the U.S. Navy conducted a similar mission in July 2018, which was then first transit in a year.

The ships transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, Doss said. The U.S. Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows.

At an event last weekend, Gou said Taiwan should focus its military spending on areas including unmanned weapons, the Taipei Times reported. He added he had developed technologies like artificial intelligence applications and wireless networks, it said.

We should increase strategic and technical investments in the U.S. and other advanced countries, and bolster our own strategic and technical research and development capabilities with cutting-edge technology, Gou wrote in a Facebook post. Taiwan should develop its thinking on asymmetric warfare, he added, and strengthen its defensive capabilities in order to avoid an arms race and uphold peace.

Gous comments shed light on the defense policies of the most prominent candidate for the opposition Kuomintang partys presidential nomination, in a race that will determine whether Taiwan moves closer to China. The 2020 election will pit the KMT nominee against President Tsai Ing-wen, whose Democratic Progressive Party advocates a more decisive break from the mainland.

Tsai said yesterday Taiwans defense measures are primarily for self-defense and that its working to boost its manufacturing capabilities. We are seeking arms procurement only when we cannot meet our demand with domestic production, she said.

Gou would agree with me that no country should use force to undermine peace, she said. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has not given up on use of force against Taiwan. Chairman Gou should have aimed his comments at China.

Tsai said many countries were active in the strait, which she called international waters, and that Taiwans military had been monitoring those activities.

TRADE VISIT

The latest U.S. passage through the strait comes ahead of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizers arrival in Beijing for trade talks yesterday, continuing a recent pattern under the Trump administration. All four visits by U.S. trade delegations since President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart declared their Dec. 1 tariff truce have been presaged by U.S. naval patrols through territory claimed by Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said yesterday the country had expressed its concern to the U.S. side about the transit. The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive one in the China-U.S. relationship, Geng told a regular briefing, urging Washington to deal with Taiwan-related issues with caution, so that it does not negatively impact China-U.S. relations

The U.S. has increased its naval transits through the 180-kilometer (110 mile) wide strait separating Taiwan from the Chinese mainland over the last year. Two American vessels mostly recently entered Taiwanese waters off the islands southwest coast in late March.

China last week accused France of illegally entering its waters after a French naval vessel sailed through the strait, the Financial Times reported. Bloomberg
Three of the nations most influential activists are launching an organization that aims to harness the political power of women to influence elections and shape local and national policy priorities.

Dubbed Supermajority, the organization is the creation of Cecile Richards, the former head of Planned Parenthood; Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter; and Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. The group, which describes itself as multiracial and intergenerational, has a goal of training and mobilizing 2 million women over the next year to become organizers and political leaders in their communities.

The effort comes at a moment when women have emerged as perhaps the most powerful force in politics.

Millions of women marched in cities across America to protest President Donald Trumps election. Women also comprise the majority of the electorate in the 2018 midterm elections, sending a historic number of female candidates to Congress and helping Democrats retake control of the House. A record number of women are also seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, including four senators.

Richards, who has long been a force in Democratic politics, said women feel newly empowered and frankly motivated to take action, including so many women who never thought themselves as an activist before.

Richards, Garza and Poo spent the past year traveling the country talking to women about how to harness their activism. They found that despite increased energy, many women find getting involved in politics intimidating and are unclear about how to do more than just march or protest.

Women are mad as hell and weve been in resistance mode for two years, Garza said. Now its time to equip people.

Supermajority isnt expected to endorse individual candidates. But the group will help educate women about candidates positions on issues including pay equity and affordable child care and push politicians to adopt an agenda akin to what Richards called a womens new deal.

The effort will be aided by Libby Chamberlain and Cortney Tunis, co- founders of the Facebook group Pantsuit Nation, which was started in the closing weeks of the 2016 election for supporters of Hillary Clinton. The online community now has more than 3.5 million female members. Julie Pace, Washington, AP
By Lee Min-hyung





U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton
Between 2011 and 2017, six different national surveys by the Pew Research Center produced similar results. Democratic voters said they liked elected officials who would compromise with opponents. Republican voters said they preferred officials who wouldnt compromise.

As recently as July 2017, the contrast was stark. Among Democrats, 69 percent said they liked officials who compromised. Among Republicans, only 46 percent did  a 23-point gap.

Between July 2017 and March 2018, a time-lapse approximation of Donald Trumps first year as president, Democratic support for compromise plummeted. In the 2018 Pew poll, only 46 percent of Democrats said they supported officials who compromise, roughly equal to the 43 percent of Republicans who said so.

Former Vice President Joseph Biden launched his presidential campaign last week with an appeal to the shrinking ranks of Democrats who can imagine a Republican Party capable, and worthy, of compromise. In announcing that we are in the battle for the soul of this nation, Biden established political time as Before Trump and After Trump. Before, America was a land of decency. After, Nazis were called very fine people from the highest office in the land.

If Trump is re-elected, Biden warned, He will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation.

The myth that Trump has single-handedly degraded the nation is a comforting one. If the U.S. survives his sustained assault on democratic law, norms and culture  Trumps thuggish calls to arrest his political opponents are now standard presidential rhetoric  that myth may even become necessary as the nation attempts to stitch democratic life back together.

In that case, the news media will pretend, as Biden does, that Trump was an aberration from, rather than a culmination of, Republican politics. Republicans will pretend their support for Trump was qualified and their criticism of him was vocal and constructive. And to help the nation move on, some Democrats (surely not all) will pretend to believe it all.

This is a highly unlikely course of events; Biden surely understands that. He was in the White House when Republicans decided, quite consciously, that they would prefer a second Great Depression to a successful economic intervention by President Barack Obama.

He was there when Republicans manufactured bogus scandals to achieve purely partisan ends  Benghazi to undermine Hillary Clintons electoral prospects and the two-fer of the Internal Revenue Service imbroglio, which successfully shielded conservative political groups from oversight while battering the federal tax bureaucracy.

And Biden was there when Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell decided that, with the balance of the court on the line, Supreme Court justices shall be named by Republican presidents only.

Along the low road from Newt Gingrich to Bush v. Gore, from birtherism to the white-power programming on Fox News, the GOP concluded that the nation was moving faster than it could successfully adapt. The party could sustain white Christian dominance or it could sustain democracy.

The greatest challenge for the Democratic presidential field is not choosing Medicare for some or all. It is figuring out how to chart a viable national path in a fractured nation. What is the proper course of democratic politics when vengeance is destructive, compromise is unobtainable, and political power, at least in the near future, will rest on narrow, and likely unstable, majorities? What agenda can overcome obstruction without negating, and further radicalizing, the obstructionists?

All of this, of course, presumes that the wounds inflicted on democracy by a vicious presidency are not fatal.

On the hustings, many of Bidens opponents skip forward to a time when Democrats have the power to overwhelm Republican opposition. Democratic Congresses will pass their legislation, and they will sign it into law.

Instead of skipping forward, Biden skips back. He will find a constituency among Democrats of goodwill who wish to follow him back to an era of compromise, calm and bipartisan comity. Its an appealing, sentimental journey, and millions would love to take it. But it ends in the smoldering ruins of a 20th century Pompeii. Francis Wilkinson, Bloomberg
The Madison Metropolitan School District plans to rely solely on renewable energy by 2040, according to a resolution adopted at Monday nights School Board meeting.

The nonbinding resolution calls for half of the districts energy needs to be met using renewable energy by 2030 before increasing to 75 percent by 2035 and then 100 percent in 2040. It also calls on MMSD to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy sources into the districts facility planning.

The resolutions adoption is the culmination of months of activism from students, parents, community members and the group 100% Renew Madison, who wanted the school district to make renewable energy pledges similar to Madison, Middleton, Fitchburg and other local municipalities. Organizers of the campaign to get the energy resolution passed said MMSD is the largest school district in the country to have made such a pledge.
The incidents have renewed calls from students who want the School Board to take more preventative steps to address sexual violence, including increasing the prominence of education around consent and interpersonal relationships.

Many youth have already endured sexual abuse or rape by the time they are 12. Having the Rape Crisis Center come in during 10th-grade health classes is not enough, Memorial High School senior Kari Larson said. In addition, these presentations must be improved or extended to not only cover healthy relationships or consent as they do now, but also a detailed plan about how to get help at school if one has been sexually assaulted.

Kari and several fellow Memorial students said they want to see MMSD inform students on how to file a Title IX complaint and other procedures to take if an assault occurs. Students also want policies to be put in place that would remove alleged perpetrators from being in the same classrooms and same school as survivors.
"As the owner and operator of 1,245 restaurants across the country including over 450 Applebees locations  all with full-service liquor licenses  Flynn Restaurant Group has an outstanding reputation of owning and operating safe, orderly and compliant concepts nationwide and we pride ourselves on responsible service," the statement said.

The license would allow Taco Bell to serve beer and alcohol until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and no later than 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Food must be available at all times and establishment staff are required to discourage loitering, according to conditions of the license.

The citys Alcohol License Review Committee is scheduled to take up the settlement agreement May 15. A decision from the City Council is expected May 21.

Why would the city want to pursue a settlement agreement?

The city wants to avoid the possibility of Court of Appeals decision with statewide precedential value that could limit the authority of issuing future liquor licenses, according to the resolution.
Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden, in a column that appears on the WisOpinion website, says that the "more exports" mantra isn't getting the job done for the state's farmers. Rather, he says, the government needs to look at supply-side management options to help dairy farmers who are at critical juncture in Wisconsin. Relying on plans to increase exports isn't working, he adds.

In another WisOpinion column, Bill Kaplan notes that Donald Trump was far from exonerated in the Mueller report. Yet, he says, the answer isn't impeachment, but rather congressional oversight of Trump's actions for the next year and a half when the voters can send him packing.

The conservative Dan O'Donnell of the MacIver Institute proclaims "bring on impeachment," because it will backfire like the recall of Scott Walker did in 2012. The MacIver mouthpiece claims that impeachment would be an unmitigated disaster for Democrats.
Bernie Sanders is already running against Donald Trump.

Even as he competes with a crowded field of contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, the senator from Vermont is focusing considerable time and energy on upending the best-laid plans of the Republican he hopes to defeat in November of next year.

No matter who the Democrats nominate when they convene their national convention in Milwaukee during the week of July 13-16, 2020, the route to victory will be the same. It runs through the Great Lakes states that have long patterns of backing Democrats for president but failed to do so in 2016. The list includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Sanders has visited them all in recent weeks  along with Indiana, a state that backed Barack Obama in 2008 and that strategists believe could be competitive in 2020.

As Sanders said, "You've got to show up." That's especially true in Wisconsin, a state that went Democratic in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012.
At the time, Stibeck was the founder of the resurrected event and chairman of the Kraut Fest Committee.

Stibeck said Svoboda had ousted him from the music fest that Stibeck restarted by telling the Parks Commission that Ray didnt want to do it anymore.

He wanted to handle everything, Stibeck added.

Knowing now that Svoboda is under investigation for possible embezzlement, Stibeck said, It adds up.

Im hearing tens of thousands of dollars (are involved), he said.

As of midday Monday, Stibeck said he had not yet been interviewed by police, but he was expecting that may be likely.

All my money and investment was basically for nothing, said Stibeck, owner of the Route 20 bar, restaurant and concert venue.

The worst thing, Stibeck said, is that a good event that I started is going to be shadowed by this scandal.
PLEASANT PRAIRIE  Three men from Zion, Ill., have been arrested in Pleasant Prairie after they allegedly kidnapped a 32-year-old man at gunpoint.

The men were taken into custody by the Pleasant Prairie Police Department, assisted by investigators from the Zion Police Department, according to a news release.

According to the release:

Just after midnight Sunday morning, Pleasant Prairie police responded to a call regarding a civil disturbance in the 7800 block of 88th Avenue (Highway H). During the investigation, police spoke with a 32-year-old Zion man, who said he had been kidnapped by three men in Zion.

He told police that his alleged kidnappers believed he had been involved in a theft of their property in a Pleasant Prairie home, and the three men took the 32-year-old to retrieve their property from Pleasant Prairie.
PARDEEVILLE  A teacher accused of making insensitive remarks to students about police violence is no longer employed by the Pardeeville Area School District.

Kathryn David had been out on family medical leave since Jan. 22 and resigned April 1 after eight years of teaching English and social studies to freshmen at Pardeeville High School.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is investigating what happened Nov. 2 in Davids English classroom, when she reportedly read aloud to her students from the book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, a young adult novel about a teenager whos drawn to activism after witnessing a police shooting.

Within the context of the book, the teacher used an analogy concerning police violence against African-Americans to make a point as one of her students was misbehaving, Superintendent Gus Knitt said last year. The teacher said if she were a police officer, she would shoot misbehaving students. She later didnt deny making the comment when she met with administrators.

The school district will issue a statement concerning David and its own investigation at the conclusion of the DPIs investigation, Knitt and School Board President Margo Pufahl said Monday.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- For the second time this month, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg met with the Rev. Al Sharpton in New York City, as the rising Democratic presidential candidate seeks to gain the support of the influential civil rights leader in the African American community.



The two had lunch at Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem on Monday and discussed "the need to confront homophobia in the faith community as well as the Mayor's policy agenda for the black community in Indiana and around the country," according to a statement from his campaign.



Over lunch, the reverend asked the Afghanistan war veteran about his decision to come out as gay while mayor in South Bend.



"How did you get the courage to decide, 'I'm just going to go ahead and be open?'" Sharpton asked.



"Well, part of it was the deployment," Buttigieg said, "I was pretty good at living separate identities until I got to Afghanistan."



Reflecting on the dangers of war, Buttigieg said, "You only get to be one person, especially if your life ends."



Sharpton has only hosted one other 2020 candidate for lunch at Sylvia's so far this year -- Sen. Kamala Harris, in February. He vowed not to endorse anytime soon, but said, "I am going to endorse at some point."



On the menu for Buttigieg was fried chicken, collard greens and macaroni and cheese. Sharpton opted for just a small plate of toast, but both said their blessings before eating.



The civil rights leader who ran for president in 2004 gave Buttigieg some tips about the campaign trail, which the New Yorker described as a long road.



"Nobody can prepare you for the grind, and I think that the thing that is the most important is being authentic," Sharpton said.



On April 4, Buttigieg spoke at Sharpton's National Action Network Conference, where he said five areas needed to be addressed to help the black community: justice, entrepreneurship, education, health care and home ownership.



"It's not enough to say we want home ownership for all when we know that it's not automatic that that will make families of color better off," Buttigieg said. "Families of color have been systematically excluded."



At the conference, Sharpton complimented Buttigieg for offering "substance not sound bites" but had trouble saying his name, joking that he was still learning to pronounce it and not to take it personally. It took him time to learn former President Barack Obama's name in 2008, he said. Sharpton ultimately endorsed Obama.



Buttigieg has not formally released any detailed policy proposals, but he's thrown support behind some key agendas for black voters, including as criminal justice reform, legalizing marijuana and approving a bill that would study reparations for descendants of slaves.



In the latest national ABC News/Washington Post poll, Buttigieg received 5% of support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, trailing only former Vice President Joe Biden, who polled at 17%, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, at 11%.



Next week, Buttigieg is scheduled to visit South Carolina, the first primary state in the South, where African Americans make up nearly 30% of the population.



Additionally, their largely Democratic voting base is expected to compose of 12.5% of the national electorate in 2020, according to Pew Research Center.

Buttigieg, who made his first trip to the state last month, will be in Charleston on May 5, according to his campaign, and hold a roundtable event at South Carolina State University, a historically black college, the following day.

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According to the lawsuit, the state Parole Commission also violates the Sixth Amendment by relying on facts that were not vetted by a jury or admitted by the defendants at the time of their convictions.

Two of the plaintiffs committed first-degree intentional homicide at age 14. One of them, Thaddeus Karow, who was convicted in Winnebago County, was at the time of his trial in 1988 the youngest person to be tried as an adult in Wisconsin history. He has been denied parole six times.

Defendants in the case include the three-member state Parole Commission, along with Kevin Carr, secretary-designee of the DOC, and Mark Heise, director of DOCs Bureau of Classification and Movement. A DOC spokeswoman said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit cites scientific studies noting differences between children and adults and showing childrens culpability is diminished. Lack of maturity, studies show, often results in impetuous and ill-considered actions and decisions leading to reckless behavior.
A woman faces tentative charges of second offense operating while intoxicated after Madison police say she crashed her car into a utility pole on Madison's Southwest Side Tuesday morning.

The 33-year-old woman was driving south on South Whitney Way when she crashed her Toyota Camry into a utility pole at the intersection with Crabapple Lane near Raymond Road at about 5:15 a.m., Lt. John Radovan said.

The driver was not injured, Radovan said.

Madison Gas and Electric responded to the crash and damaged utility line, Radovan said. South Whitney Way from Barton Road to Crabapple Lane were closed for repairs.

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Virginia Henderson, a longtime Madison school psychologist, philanthropist and advocate for the African American community, died Saturday. She was 87.

Henderson spent two decades in the Madison School District as a psychologist and later served as the districts diversity consultant. She helped establish the African American Ethnic Academy  a program to teach black children about African American culture and heritage  and was a founding member of Women in Focus, an organization for female professionals that provides scholarships to children of color.

She has been very active in this community and has been a role model for many people for many years, said Ruben Anthony, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison.

Henderson and her husband, Dr. Perry Henderson, were active philanthropists and volunteers in the Madison area, including in their retirement. She received a doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of New Mexico.
Hagedorns 6,000-vote win means he will replace the liberal-backed Justice Shirley Abrahamson, a prolific force during her four decades on the court.

That outcome will likely extinguish the possibility of expanding voter rights, revisiting controversial cases such as Act 10  the 2011 law that limited the power of public-sector unions  or tempering the Republican advantage over drawing the states political maps in 2021.

Conservative control could also mean the court will prioritize religious interests over public education, and would be unlikely to prioritize cases alleging discrimination.

Karofsky won a seat on the Dane County Circuit Court in 2017, defeating municipal judge Marilyn Townsend.

She was an assistant and deputy district attorney in the Dane County District Attorneys Office from 1992 to 2001. For nine years after that, she was the director of education and later the general counsel for the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Karofsky has held two posts in the state Department of Justice, as Violence Against Women prosecutor and as head of the Office of Crime Victim Services.

Editor's Note: The story has been updated to reflect that Karofsky was previously head of the Office of Crime Victim Services.

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Foxconn Technology Group CEO Terry Gou was headed to the White House for a meeting Tuesday, but it's unclear why.

Foxconn has committed to building a $10 billion display screen manufacturing facility in Wisconsin that the company says will employ 13,000 people.

Foxconn said in a statement Tuesday that it "regularly engages with its stakeholders in state and federal government." The company said it doesn't provide details of such interactions for privacy reasons.

Gov. Tony Evers said Gou was meeting with President Donald Trump, but he didn't know what they were talking about. No one from Wisconsin was to be at the meeting.

Evers has said Foxconn wants to renegotiate its contract with the state.

A White House spokesman did not return a message seeking comment on the meeting.
WENDELL  Two Gooding residents were killed after their vehicle hit a semi head-on Monday afternoon on Idaho Highway 46 north of Wendell, Idaho State Police said.

Melvin Brooks, 87, was driving north in a 2003 Mercury Marquis near milepost 106, about 6 miles north of Wendell, when he drove over the center line into oncoming traffic, ISP said in a statement. The car hit a 2019 Peterbuilt semi-tractor hauling a milk tanker driven by Jaime Perez-Aguilar, 41, of Jerome.

Brooks and his passenger, Nacoma Brooks, 87, died at the scene, ISP said.

ISP did not say if either Brooks was wearing a seat belt, but said Perez-Aguilar was.

The highway was closed for about 4 hours while crews cleared the scene.

Idaho State Police was assisted by the Gooding County Sheriffs Office, Wendell Police Department, Gooding County EMS, Gooding County Fire Department, Gooding County Coroners Office and the Idaho Transportation Department.

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WENDELL  A crash blocked traffic for about four hours Monday on Idaho 46 north of Wendell, Idaho State Police said.

The crash is at milepost 106, about six miles north of town, according to ISP.

The highway was blocked between Wendell and Shoestring Road in Gooding County from about 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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TWIN FALLS  The county prosecutor on April 29 said he has seen a proliferation of misinformation on social media since telling the press on April 26 that there will not be any charges at this time in the deaths of two Twin Falls babies.

Twin Falls Prosecuting Attorney Grant Loebs said he felt the need to clarify some aspects of the case to combat the spread of totally misleading and erroneous rumors and false assumptions.

The cause of death for 7-week-old twin babies found dead in a Twin Falls home in October was officially declared as asphyxia during co-sleeping with their mother  meaning it appears that the babies accidentally ended up a position where they could not breathe while sleeping with their mother. Because the evidence indicates that the infants deaths were an accident, there will be no charges for now.

In cases like this, which seem so senseless, there is a strong desire to hold someone criminally responsible, Loebs said in a statement Monday. My office, the police, and the Coroner, though, are bound to gather the evidence and follow where it leads. In this case, the evidence tells us this was a horrific accident.

Police were called to a house in the 200 block of Morningside Drive on Oct. 12 for a report of unresponsive children. First responders provided lifesaving measures but were unable to save the twins.

A subsequent search of the home turned up methamphetamine. Two women living with the family, Haley Miller and Sylvia Tapia, were charged with drug trafficking in a separate investigation as a result and later pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Autopsy reports for the twins found small amounts of methamphetamine in the babies systems  11 ng/mL in one infant and 9.5 ng/mL in the other  likely from being in a house where methamphetamine was used, Loebs said. But he stressed that the methamphetamine did not cause the infants death.

While it is always disturbing to find children being raised in a home where drugs are used  indeed, it often justifies the removal of children from such homes  the pathologist and the coroner concluded that meth was not cause of the deaths of the children in this case, Loebs said.

The case was investigated over the course of several months by the Twin Falls Police Department, the Twin Falls Prosecuting Attorneys Office, the Twin Falls County Coroner, and the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsies.

After conferring with each of these agencies and examining all the evidence collected in this case, we have decided that the evidence we have is not sufficient to charge anyone in the tragic deaths of these infants, Loebs said.

Cases like this take a profound toll on all who work on them, he continued. I am thankful for the unbiased professionalism shown by those who worked on this investigation.

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TWIN FALLS  The Jerome School District and College of Southern Idaho will each receive a planning grant from a statewide nonprofit organization to help explore how to launch or expand high-quality, affordable preschool programs.

Theyre among 15 recipients statewide of a Preschool the Idaho Way grant, announced last week by the nonprofit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children.

We are so impressed by the dedication of these collaboratives, and were excited to work with them as they develop preschool opportunities that fit the unique needs of their communities, Idaho AEYC executive director Beth Oppenheimer said in an April 23 statement. Preschool the Idaho Way is all about creating local solutions for local families, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Preschool the Idaho Way grant recipients include school districts, colleges and universities, child care providers and nonprofit organizations.

Grant amounts range from $5,000 to $10,000 and each recipient has already identified at least three collaborative partners  other community groups that will help them plan for a future preschool program.

Idaho AEYC kicked off the two-year statewide project, Preschool the Idaho Way, in October 2018. Its funded by a $500,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The initiative is designed to help fill a gap and expand the number of 4- and 5-year-olds who are able to access preschool. Idaho is among four U.S. states that dont have publicly funded preschool.

This really is a first step in a long-term Idaho solution, Oppenheimer told the Times-News on Monday.

She said the goal is to build a flexible model for communities to design a preschool program that works in their own backyard and hopefully, public dollars will be allocated in the future.

The price tag of a private preschool education is out of reach for some families. Advocates say the lack of state-funded preschool is holding children back. But opponents say its the responsibility of parents, not the government, to prepare children for school.

Here in the Magic Valley, school districts often provide preschool for children who have disabilities, but not for all students  with a few rare exceptions, such as the Murtaugh School District, which provides preschool to its incoming students. CSIs Head Start program offers free preschool for families living in poverty, but theres a waiting list.

Ellen Neff, associate professor of early childhood education at CSI, wasnt available to comment Monday on the colleges plans for using the Preschool the Idaho Way grant.

The Jerome School District received a $6,000 grant for planning, which will take place over the next four months with at least six meetings. No decisions have been made about what type of preschool program may be created.

The school district has several firm commitments from other organizations  including United Way of South Central Idaho, Lee Pesky Learning Center in Boise and CSIs Head Start center in Jerome  wholl be involved in planning.

After the planning process, the Jerome School District plans to apply for an implementation grant for between $40,000 and $90,000, federal programs director and grant writer Kim Lickley said Monday.

Just because a group receives a planning grant doesnt guarantee theyll receive an implementation grant. Theyll have to apply for additional funding.

If the school district and its community partners receive an implementation grant, theyd have to match the funding amount. And the preschool program doesnt necessarily have to be housed within the Jerome School District.

Possible proposals could include adding general education preschool students  those who dont have a disability  to the developmental preschool program at Horizon Elementary School, which currently enrolls children who have developmental delays, Lickley said. Ideally, it would be a 50/50 combination.

But that would be difficult, and would require a lot of space and money, Lickley said.

Another option could be providing services to the young children of teenage parents in the Jerome School District, she said. The school district plans to launch a standalone alternative high school next school year.

In the Jerome School District, 23% of incoming kindergartners for the next school year tested as kindergarten ready this spring during kindergarten registration. Thats up from 19% last year.

But among children who attended preschool, the percentage who are kindergarten-ready was higher, at 33%.

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RIGGINS (AP)  Authorities say a man is presumed to have drowned in an Idaho river after he jumped in to try to rescue three children and an adult from a capsized canoe.

The Lewiston Tribune reports Idaho County authorities have been searching for the 35-year-old man after he went missing Saturday in the Salmon River east of Riggins.

Idaho County Sheriff Doug Giddings says the man was pulled under the current after he entered the water to reach the canoe that overturned near the Twin Beaches campground.

He says the adult and children were wearing life jackets and made it to shore.

Authorities have not named the missing man.

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PITTSBURGH  Joe Bidens decision to kick off his presidential campaign in Western Pennsylvania Monday shows that he is not just in a battle for the soul of the country; he is in a battle for the soul of his party.

That battle begins and ends with long primary contests that many Democratic experts and officials believe will be decided exactly one year from now, on Pennsylvanias April 29 primary voting day.

This nominating process certainly has all of the ingredients to go long, and the Democratic voters in this state hold the key to help defining our party as being the party of the working class, said Harold Schaitberger, the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, in an interview with The New York Post.

The IAFF, which represents more than 316,000 full-time firefighters and paramedics, announced its endorsement of Biden in Pittsburgh, something Schaitberger said is one of the earliest endorsements its ever done, and one it did not give Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

That marked the first time weve ever not endorsed in a presidential election, he said.

Schaitberger bluntly admits Clinton just did not connect with labor, but Biden does.

Were also responsible to make sure that, quite frankly, the nominee isnt a nominee that is gonna take the party off the left cliff, he said. It seems that too many candidates have high-minded, aspirational ideals, but its not a recipe for winning and succeeding. And it doesnt really reflect in many ways the heart and soul of workers, middle-class workers.

If you think the IAFFs influence in the Democratic primary process is not of significance, a moment in the 2004 election cycle is often overlooked, when former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean had captured the imagination and speculation among the press and pundits.

As you know, Howard Dean was gonna be the nominee. It was that simple  at least, that is what everyone said, until all of a sudden, we snuck up and literally carried John through Iowa and through New Hampshire, Schaitberger said of John Kerry. And then he was off and running in the rest of the world.

The decision to back Biden has already annoyed President Trump, who tweeted Monday, The Dues Sucking firefighters leadership will always support Democrats, even though the membership wants me. Some things never change!

Often, where the firefighters go, so do other union workers.

Harold McDonald, a Democratic committee man from Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, and retired council representative for the Carpenters Union, is convinced this race is going long: This is truly the battle for the soul of our party. You have pundits and reporters on the national news saying our party is one thing, and then you have the rank and file voters here saying thats not what we are voting on at all.

McDonald, who is African American, said voters here worry about health care and education. That is what is important to me as well, he said. That is why I am supporting Biden already.

The same goes for 22-year-old Hannah OToole, who sang the national anthem at the Workers Memorial Day celebration in Pittsburgh ahead of Bidens visit along with her father, 60-year-old Marty OToole, who is the business manager for Plumbers Local 27.

Joe Bidens been a big part of the way we think and want to go and he has always been a front runner for us here in Pennsylvania, said Marty OToole, who is personally supporting the former vice president.

Hannah OToole is also leaning toward Biden. Ive liked him since Obama, she said.

Darrin Kelly, president of the powerful local labor council here in Western Pennsylvania and a city firefighter, said the Party has drifted too far left. And this is the state where, not just in the general but mostly in the primary, that will be decided.

Today is an important reminder of what is important to voters in Pennsylvania in a Democratic primary and we expect the Democratic Party to truly start listening to what our message is, stop polarizing us and start welcoming us back, we want FDR style politics, Kelly said. If our strength is truly our diversity then the party has to start listening to the working class, they have to welcome us back and our voice will be heard in the primary in this state and that the message we want about job creation, health care and pension security is what will bring us out in a general.

Salena Zito is a CNN political analyst, and a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner.

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Idaho has more than 7,000 registered nonprofit organizations that add over $2.81 million to Idahos economy and employ more than 55,000 Idahoans. The value of these organizations and their efforts is immeasurable in their support of families, youth, seniors, animals, the arts, education, the environment and community endeavors around Idaho.

On Thursday, I encourage you to support Idaho Gives  the states largest day of online giving where any nonprofit that has signed up to participate can receive donations. The campaign brings awareness and critical funds to these groups who are helping to meet needs in our communities. Last year, Twin Falls nonprofits raised more than $32,000 of the $1.7 million donated statewide. Nearly $150,000 was donated to dozens of non-profits across the Magic Valley.

I take great pride in the fact that our Twin Falls and Magic Valley citizens are engaged in various public, private, civic, arts and religious institutions serving the area through volunteerism and involvement in neighborhood and local government activities. As outlined in the Twin Falls Community Strategic Plan, communities function best when supported by a committed and involved citizenry working in tandem with responsive and transparent community institutions including nonprofit organizations.

Idaho Gives focuses on what matters to Idahoans. You can donate to whatever cause matters most to you.

Please support this amazing and important effort. Go to IdahoGives.org on May 2 and search for your favorite nonprofit or choose one from the list. You can search by location or mission.

Your donation of any amount will go a long way in supporting Twin Falls, the Magic Valley and our state.

Shawn Barigar is mayor of Twin Falls.

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Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco put to task the Department of Energy (DOE) and industry players to ensure that there will be sufficient power supply not only during Election Day, but all throughout the counting and transmission of votes so as not to cast doubts on the credibility of the poll results.
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Surprisingly complex movements in an important neurotransmitter receptor may help explain the brain's unpredictable response to drugs, according to a new study. New research from an international team, published this week in the journal Neuron, has revealed that the resting state of signaling proteins are much more dynamic than previously thought.

In the brain, most drug targets consist of signaling proteins that go awry in central nervous system diseases, for example with autism in childhood, schizophrenia in adolescence, or Alzheimer's disease in old age. The aim of drug treatment is to correct the inappropriate behavior of these proteins and restore normal brain function.

Correctly identifying drug targets is a major challenge for modern medicine. Although a lot of time, effort and money has been dedicated to the development of drugs for neurological disease over the years, the failure rate has been significant. "One of the main reasons for failure is due to the lack of drug efficacy and off-target effects," explains Dr. Derek Bowie, Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, and one of the paper's senior authors. "These outcomes, in particular, have put into question the validity of strategies used by pharmacologists to identify and target signaling proteins. An understated concern is that the basic tenets of drug targeting may be flawed."

An exciting but unexpected discovery

Through a collaborative effort consisting of scientists from McGill, the University of Cambridge, the University of Copenhagen and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, the researchers uncovered an important property of the ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) protein, which they believe will have important ramifications for biomedical research as well as for future drug development.

Though traditionally drug developers have targeted proteins in an active state, the researchers found that iGluRs in a resting state are highly mobile and dynamic, which profoundly affects how they respond to drugs. "Importantly, this behaviour is regulated by our genes which act as a master-switch to turn the effect of the drug on or to switch it off completely," says Prof. Bowie.

A major drug target for decades, despite their importance, few drugs targeting iGluRs have reached the clinic for the treatment of neurological disease. "Our recent findings introduce a new complexity into our understanding of iGluRs, which may explain previous disappointments while also shedding light on how to best move forward," adds Bowie.

A series of fortunate events

The discovery came about serendipitously, spawning from an unplanned discussion between Bowie and Dr. Jette Sandholm Kastrup in Copenhagen in 2013. "Our collaboration was initiated at a Benzon Symposium in Copenhagen when Dr. Bowie and I discussed the idea that AMPA receptorsthe most common type of receptors found in the nervous systemmight be modulated by anions," says Dr. Kastrup, Professor at the University of Copenhagen and one of the study's senior authors. "At that time we did not imagine that this collaboration would extend to combine efforts of four universities. Our work, using X-ray crystallography, allowed us to locate the anion binding site in the atomic structure of the AMPA receptor."

Dr. Kastrup thought that this new crystallized AMPA-type ionotropic glutamate receptor her lab had developed could help shed light on an observation Dr. Bowie had made in 2002. Upon his return to McGill, Dr. Bowie's lab used the crystallized structure to help identify that a single amino acid was responsible for determining whether different genetic isoforms of the same AMPA receptor could be either fully regulated or not regulated at all.

The next important breakthrough then came, again by chance, when Dr. Bowie visited Cambridge in 2015 and met with Dr. Mike Edwardson, who had been working with Dr. Nelson Barrera from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile to use atomic force microscopy to study protein movement in real time. Dr. Bowie shared some of the unpublished data and Dr. Edwardson agreed to run a few experiments. "To our surprise, we found that the key amino acid that conferred different properties on the same AMPA receptor was due to changes in the (nanoscale) mobility or movement of the protein's resting or apo state," explains Dr. Edwardson, the Sheild Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge and senior author on the paper.

The impact of the findings have broad appeal to many other signaling proteins inside and outside of the brain. Consequently, the study uncovers an important aspect of biology that may need to be considered when developing drugs in the future. "I cannot stress how unexpected this finding was to us since most of the field had overlooked that the resting protein can have complex dynamics," notes Dr. Bowie. "This oversight can also be extended to almost all biomedical research on signaling proteins where the underlying assumption has been that only the active form of the protein is worthwhile studying and not the resting or apo state. Our recent study shows that assumption needs to be revised, which opens up an entirely new area of study that could have impact on other areas of investigation such as in cancer, heart disease in addition to our findings on an important brain neurotransmitter receptor. "

Explore further What makes the brain tick so fast? Study sheds light on the workings of brain neurotransmitter receptors

More information: G. Brent Dawe et al, Nanoscale Mobility of the Apo State and TARP Stoichiometry Dictate the Gating Behavior of Alternatively Spliced AMPA Receptors, Neuron (2019). Journal information: Neuron G. Brent Dawe et al, Nanoscale Mobility of the Apo State and TARP Stoichiometry Dictate the Gating Behavior of Alternatively Spliced AMPA Receptors,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.03.046
Micrograph showing a lymph node invaded by ductal breast carcinoma, with extension of the tumour beyond the lymph node. Credit: Nephron/Wikipedia

A breast cancer test has been found that helps doctors make treatment decisions for some breast cancer patients, following research carried out at Queen Mary University of London and funded by Cancer Research UK.

The test was successful in predicting whether chemotherapy would be beneficial for patients with the most common type of breast cancer (oestrogen-receptor positive, HER2-negative), thereby helping to direct patients with a high-risk of metastasis to chemotherapy, while allowing lower-risk patients to opt out of the treatment and its potential side effects.

Approximately 85 per cent of breast cancer patients are now diagnosed as oestrogen receptor positive, which means that the cancer grows in response to the hormone oestrogen. Doctors treating the majority of these women increasingly use multigene tests to determine each patient's prognosis and risk of metastasis, and advise on the best suitable treatment.

The new study, published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment and carried out in the UK, Austria and Spain, has found that a multigene test called EndoPredict (Myriad Genetics) is able to predict whether chemotherapy will work for an individual patient.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London, the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Group and the Spanish Foundation Research Group in Breast Cancer performed a combined analysis of three large clinical trials, including a total of 3,746 women, who received treatments including hormone therapy and chemotherapy.

The study results showed that patients with a high EndoPredict test resultindicating a high risk of metastasiswho received chemotherapy in addition to hormonal therapy had statistically better 10-year outcomes than those who only received hormonal therapy.

The study was therefore able to show that EndoPredict is not only a prognostic test, but for the first time was able to demonstrate that EndoPredict also has predictive abilities with regards to chemotherapy.

Traditionally clinical features such as tumour size, grade and nodal involvement are used to determine prognosis and treatment. In cases where it is unclear from these clinical features whether a woman is at high enough risk to receive chemotherapy, the EndoPredict test can give additional prognostic and indirectly predictive value in terms of chemotherapy benefit.

Multiple guidelines, as well as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regulations, recommend multigene tests to be used by oncologists around the world to aid in their decision-making process about treatment for women with the most common type of breast canceroestrogen-receptor positive, HER2-negative.

With the added predictive benefit of EndoPredict demonstrated by this study, use of this test might become more commonly used to determine whether chemotherapy will effectively treat a patient, bringing enormous benefit to women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Lead author Dr. Ivana Sestak of Queen Mary University of London commented: "Our new results give clinicians good quality data to inform specific treatment recommendations for women. Our data shows that using the EndoPredict test to assess the risk of metastasis can spare women unnecessary chemotherapy if the test results show that a woman is at low risk of recurrence by the test."

Professor Miguel Martin is the Chairman of GEICAM, the leading academic group in clinical epidemiological and translational breast cancer research in Spain. He commented: "The Spanish group GEICAM is very proud of having contributed to this analysis that can help clinicians select the best adjuvant therapy for their breast cancer patients. In the era of personalized medicine, avoiding chemotherapy when it is of little or no value is a need for the patients".

Dr. Sestak added: "It is clinically important to determine which women with hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative breast cancer need chemotherapy in addition to standard 5-years of hormonal treatment. We have shown that EndoPredict has the ability to predict chemotherapy benefit, which will ultimately help clinicians in their decision-making process about adjuvant treatment."

Professor Daniel Rea, Cancer Research UK's breast cancer expert, said: "This important study is one of the few to provide not just information on the risk of a patient's breast cancer coming back, but also whether their cancer is likely to be sensitive to chemotherapy. The Endopredict test has the potential to help some women diagnosed with early hormone receptor positive, HER-2 negative breast cancer, avoid needless chemotherapy, and may reassure those where it's needed.

"This research highlights the progress being made in genetic testing and could be a valuable addition to the current tests available to doctors, helping them advise patients on the best treatment. Trials in the UK are ongoing to provide more evidence to help us make the best use of these tests."

Explore further Three breast cancer relapse tests recommended for NHS use

More information: 'Prediction of chemotherapy benefit by EndoPredict in patients with breast cancer who received adjuvant endocrine therapy plus chemotherapy or endocrine therapy alone'. Ivana Sestak, Miguel Martin, Peter Dubsky, Ralf Kronenwett, Federico Rojo, Jack Cuzick, Martin Filipits, Amparo Ruiz, William Gradishar, Hatem Soliman, Lee Schwartzberg, Richard Buus, Dominik Hlauschek, Alvaro Rodriguez-Lescure, Michael Gnant. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. DOI: 10.1007/s10549-019-05226-8 Journal information: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 'Prediction of chemotherapy benefit by EndoPredict in patients with breast cancer who received adjuvant endocrine therapy plus chemotherapy or endocrine therapy alone'. Ivana Sestak, Miguel Martin, Peter Dubsky, Ralf Kronenwett, Federico Rojo, Jack Cuzick, Martin Filipits, Amparo Ruiz, William Gradishar, Hatem Soliman, Lee Schwartzberg, Richard Buus, Dominik Hlauschek, Alvaro Rodriguez-Lescure, Michael Gnant.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Researchers have discovered differences in fat cells that could potentially identify people predisposed to metabolic diseases such as diabetes and fatty liver disease.

The world-first discovery also identified 'fast burning' fat cells that if unlocked might help people lose weight.

About 70 per cent of Australians are overweight or obese, which has been linked to metabolic disease risk. The University of Melbourne, Australia, research found that an individual's level of risk might depend upon the type of fat they store.

Published in Cell Reports, the study took samples from human volunteers and discovered three specific subtypes of precursor cells that went on to become fat cells.

The first released lots of fat into the bloodstream, the second burned energy at a high rate and the third was 'rather benign' and did what a fat cell should normally do but slowly.

All three cell subtypes were present in fat tissue throughout the body, and not confined to a particular part. All were present in all fat samples. Some people had more of some cell subtypes and less of others.

Senior author Matthew Watt, who is Head of Physiology in the University of Melbourne's School of Biomedical Sciences, said the results indicated that the makeup of these cells in a person's body could help to determine their health.

Professor Watt said the first subtype might increase the risk of fatty deposits around the body and on organs, regardless of whether they were overweight or not, while the second could possibly prevent weight gain. The third was neutral.

While it is early days, he said further research could potentially determine ways to 'switch off' the fat releasing cells and 'switch on' the fat burning cells. This would involve developing drug therapies and could take at least 10 years.

Professor Watt said if developed, such treatments could help prevent some illnesses and and be less invasive than bariatric surgery. But they should also involve lifestyle changes.

"Whilst we advocate new discoveries to inform the development of anti-obesity therapies, a healthy lifestyle, including daily activity and reduced food intake, is also important," he said.

Professor Watt's team separated different cell types, investigated their genes and assessed proteins and metabolism. They found three subtypes of fat cells, which are also known as adipocyte progenitor cells (APCs).

"The discovery is important because it tells us that not all fat cells are the same and that by understanding the fat subtypes in a human, we might be able to predict their future metabolic health," Professor Watt said.

While the results indicated certain cell subtypes might increase risk of metabolic disease, Professor Watt said a clinical trial was now needed to accurately answer that question. At this stage it was not practical to routinely test fat composition.

"This requires very detailed and expensive tests," Professor Watt says. "Until we show a link between certain fat cells and health traits this will not be a useful test.

"We first need to determine whether the number of the fat cell subtypes affects disease development. Then we can work out ways to decrease or increase a certain type of fat cell type to improve health, but again this will require further experimentation."

Explore further Prostate cancer: Starving out the enemy
Three-dimensional culture of human breast cancer cells, with DNA stained blue and a protein in the cell surface membrane stained green. Image created in 2014 by Tom Misteli, Ph.D., and Karen Meaburn, Ph.D. at the NIH IRP.

A global survey of HER2 testing has raised questions about how resources should be spent on potentially lifesaving HER2 targeted therapies for breast cancer, especially in poorer countries. The results were presented at the ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2019, Berlin, 2-4 May 2019.

The ONCOLLEGE-001 internet-based survey of HER2 testing in 45 countries has highlighted major access and affordability issues in low and middle income countries (LMICs), with some issues extending to upper middle income countries (UMIC) too.

"Even when HER2 testing was available, it was too expensive and inaccessible for many women, suggesting that governments need better information to set planning priorities for investing in infrastructure, testing and treatment," said study author, Dr. Sara Altuna, Department of Medical Oncology, Unidad Oncologica Venezuela CA and Oncomedica CA, Caracas, Venezuela.

In the survey, 42% of respondents from UMICs and 34% from LMICs reported that HER2 testing was available only in a private setting or abroad, compared to 5% of those working in high income countries (HICs). Thirty per cent of LMIC respondents reported significant affordability issues related to HER2 testing, compared to 12% of respondents from UMICs and none from HICs.

"You can have the microscopes, the antibodies and probes and the certified laboratories, but if patients cannot afford the tests or do not have insurance, they won't be done," added Altuna.

HER2 testing is needed to identify the 15-20% of women with breast cancer who have HER2-positive disease, so they can receive anti-HER2 treatment with trastuzumabwhich has been on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines since 2015and other HER2 targeted therapies.

Commenting for ESMO, Dr. Fatima Cardoso, Director of the Breast Unit of the Champalimaud Clinical Center in Lisbon, Portugal, explained that in recent decades HER2-targeted therapies have transformed the outcomes for women with this sub-group of breast cancer from the worst to some of the best.

"Without accurate, high quality HER2 testing, women with HER2-positive tumours may miss out on potentially lifesaving treatment. There is also a risk that women with HER2-negative tumours may be exposed to the toxicity and unnecessary expense of HER2 treatment they don't need. We don't want to spend resources on treating tumours that won't respond to HER2 targeted therapies," she said.

Cardoso pointed to the lack of basic pathology services in some low income countries, with women undergoing mastectomy for benign breast lumps because biopsy services were not available to make the diagnosis before surgery. She also questioned the wisdom of spending resources on HER2 testing in countries where anti-HER2 therapy is unavailable or unaffordable.

"Testing and treatment must go hand in hand. If you have access to anti-HER2 treatment, it makes sense to spend money on testing. But if you already know there is no access to treatment, it is debatable whether to use resources for HER2 testing. Let's first focus on ensuring that treatment is available as recommended by the WHO, by ESMO's and other international guidelines, for both primary and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer," she said.

"ONCOLLEGE-001 is an important study in raising awareness of the heterogeneity of availability and quality of HER2 testing. The results probably underestimate the access and affordability problems facing many patients, and not just in medium and low income countries. But they remind us of the need for clinicians, regulators and governments to work together in addressing these inequalities," said Cardoso.

An ongoing ONCOLLEGE-001 analysis is investigating global prioritisation and access to anti-HER2 medicines, and, as Altuna concludes, such research demonstrates the value of international cooperation: "We have shown it is possible to create a network of clinicians from very different countries to share practice and experiences and paint a picture of what is really happening in breast cancer care around the globe, so we can identify where improvements are most needed."

Explore further Surgery is associated with increased survival for patients with HER2+ stage 4 breast cancer

More information: Abstract 42P_PR 'Painting the global picture of HER-2 testing for breast cancer. The ONCOLLEGE-001 survey study' will be presented by Dario Trapani during the Poster Display session on Friday 3 May 2019, 12:15-13:00 (CEST) in the Exhibition area. Annals of Oncology, Volume 30, 2019 Supplement 3, Journal information: Annals of Oncology Abstract 42P_PR 'Painting the global picture of HER-2 testing for breast cancer. The ONCOLLEGE-001 survey study' will be presented by Dario Trapani during the Poster Display session on Friday 3 May 2019, 12:15-13:00 (CEST) in the Exhibition area., Volume 30, 2019 Supplement 3, DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdz095
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.
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The first reported instance of germline gene editing in humans was bad science as well as bad ethics, according to a commentary publishing April 30 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Haoyi Wang of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Hui Yang of the Institutes of Neuroscience, CAS, both well-known experts in gene editing.

The authors critique the work of Jiankui He, presented last fall at the second World Summit of Gene Editing, where He described using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to alter a gene (CCR5) that encodes a receptor required for HIV to enter white blood cells. The gene was modified in two embryos, leading to the birth of two baby girls. He argued the gene-editing project was necessary to make the children, whose father is HIV-positive, immune to HIV infection.

But the project was misconceived on multiple levels, Wang and Yang argue. HIV infection can be avoided during conception by established assisted reproductive technology, and after birth by common risk-avoidance measures. While a naturally occurring CCR5 mutation is associated with some resistance to infection in European populations, the mutation does not block all HIV strains, and its potential health effects in Chinese populations have not been studied. He presented no detailed plan to track the babies to assess long-term effects.

Wang and Yang also argue that He's work relied on specific assumptions about the molecular processes and outcomes of gene editing that is controversial. What's more, they argue, the quality of the science was "substandard," some experiments lacked appropriate replications and the off-target analysis is inadequate.

The behavior of He and his team "represents a gross violation of both the Chinese regulations and the consensus reached by the international science community," Wang and Yang conclude. "We strongly condemn their actions as extremely irresponsible, both scientifically and ethically." They recommend that authorities investigate the case and release data to the wider scientific community, and that "clear and strict laws" be passed to regulate future human germline editing experiments.

More information: Wang H, Yang H (2019) Gene-edited babies: What went wrong and what could go wrong. PLoS Biol 17(4): e3000224. Journal information: PLoS Biology Wang H, Yang H (2019) Gene-edited babies: What went wrong and what could go wrong.17(4): e3000224. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000224
Megan Leibowitz, a doctoral student in physical therapy, demonstrates motion capture technology used to study how people walk. Credit: University of Delaware

A tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in a knee isn't just painful in the momentthe injury also increases a patient's risk of developing osteoarthritis later.

At the University of Delaware, a research team led by Tom Buchanan, the George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Delaware Rehabilitation Institute, is teasing out what exactly happens to cartilage as a result of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The team hopes that this insight can be utilized in the development of improved osteoarthritis prevention strategies.

The team uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test results, finite element models, gait analysis and biochemical analysis to study ACL injuries and determine which stresses on cartilage may be indicative of osteoarthritis. To complete this research, they utilize facilities at the UD's Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging as well as UD's Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. At STAR, the team collaborates with UD's top-ranked Department of Physical Therapy to collect data from patients and understand the clinical aspects of the injuries they study. "Based on what we identify, maybe physical therapists could treat patients differently," said Buchanan.

Tom Buchanan (second from right) is the George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Delaware Rehabilitation Institute. His research group includes undergraduate and graduate students from engineering and health sciences disciplines. Pictured here from left to right: Megan Leibowitz, a doctoral student in physical therapy; Jack Williams, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering; Buchanan; and Kelsey Williams, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering. Credit: University of Delaware

The results of one recent paper, published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, were surprising. The team studied knee gait variables, muscle co-contraction and knee joint loading in young people with a history of ACL trouble. They found that high muscle co-contraction does not always result in high knee joint loading, thought to be associated with arthritis.

"This suggests that arthritis isn't just caused by really high forces, but can also be caused by too low forces on the joint," said Buchanan. The ideal range of forces may in fact be a very narrow window.

Laura Sturgill, a biomedical engineering undergraduate in the class of 2019, joined Buchanan's lab as a research assistant in 2018 because she wanted more experience studying the mechanical aspects of biomedical engineering. "These applications of statics and dynamics are especially interesting," she said.

Sensors capture how subjects move during motion analysis. Credit: University of Delaware

Kelsey Neal and Jack Williams, doctoral students in mechanical engineering, use motion capture and MRI to assess the effects of ACL tears. Neal chose to study in Buchanan's lab because she wanted to work on rehabilitation engineering and was impressed by the unique setup that allows her to work so closely with clinicians. "We can see how we are affecting patients' lives," she said.

Neal was also drawn to UD because of the Perry Initiative, a nonprofit organization co-founded by associate professor Jenni Buckley to inspire young women to be leaders in orthopedic surgery and engineering. As a program specialist for the organization, Neal runs programs across the country to introduce high school girls to surgical techniques that were pioneered by engineers. Buchanan is a member at large of the organization's board of directors.

Buchanan is also the program coordinator for Delaware's Center for Translational Research ACCEL Program to support and expand clinical and translational research in the state. In October 2018, officials announced that UD and four other institutions will receive $25 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health and the state of Delaware to continue these research programs for improved patient care and public health.

"Engineers play an important role in the expansion of health-related research at UD and beyond," said Buchanan.

Explore further Investigating connection between ACL surgery and osteoarthritis
Credit: CDC/ James Gathany

Malaria is a leading cause of death and illness around the world. Over 200 million cases are reported every year, and more than 400 000 people die. More than 90% of cases are reported in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists have spent decades searching for an effective vaccine. Hence the recent excitement when Malawi's government announced it had launched a pilot programme for the world's first malaria vaccine, RTS,S (also known as Mosquirix), produced by the pharmaceutical company, GSK. It's the first vaccine to demonstrate significant reduction in malaria in children. The Conversation Africa's Ina Skosana asked immunologist Faith Osier about RTS,S.

Why is this vaccine a big deal?

This marks a major milestone in the history of malaria vaccine development. Although many strategies are under investigation, few have been successful enough to get tested in early clinical trials in humans.

RTS,S is the first malaria vaccine that has shown some protection in large scale clinical research studies. Almost all the previous vaccine candidates that have previously made it to clinical trials in humans failed to induce sufficient levels of protection.

Now that it's jumped through the initial hoops, RTS,S will be tested in an implementation trial. This will involve making it available to 360 000 children: first in Malawi, and later in Kenya and Ghana. Malaria is endemic throughout Malawi, Ghana and parts of Kenya.

This next phase of the trial process will be used to further monitor the efficacy  as well as any potential adverse effects  of the vaccine in the context of routine use within national immunisation programmes.

Normally after the third phase of a clinical trial, one could consider licensing it if the results were good. In the case of this product, the results weren't conclusively positive enough to proceed to licensing just yet. There was a lot of debate in the scientific community about whether it should be licensed or not.

This next phase of the trial process (implementation) will be used to further monitor the efficacy  as well as any potential adverse effects  of the vaccine in the context of routine use within national immunisation programmes.

It's important to point out that there's been a long process before this. RTS,S has been put through clinical trials  which usually consist of three phases.

Those trials showed that the vaccine only had modest efficacy: it protected on average four of every 10 children who had been vaccinated. The trial also showed that this level of efficacy waned rapidly and was practically undetectable 18 months after the last immunisation.

There were also potentially concerning adverse outcomes that need to be monitored further. These included a higher rate of meningitis and a higher mortality rate in girls. It's important to point out that these were not necessarily caused by the vaccine, so more investigation will be needed to understand this issue.

Nevertheless, given the high burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, a partially effective vaccine is considered better than none, and it is better to save some lives, than none at all.

What happens next?

Scientists now keenly await the results of the trials in Malawi, Ghana and Kenya. This is expected to give results within three to five years.

While we wait, the scientific effort to develop a more effective vaccine will continue as vigorously as ever. Researchers like myself are energised by the limited success of the current vaccine and are convinced that we can do better.

So where are we in terms of finding a malaria vaccine?

The development of vaccines against malaria is complex and challenging. The parasite responsible for the most severe disease complications in humans, Plasmodium falciparum, infects mosquitoes and humans and has distinct life-cycle stages in each of these hosts. It has evolved over millions of years to employ a myriad of strategies that enable it to evade destruction by the host immune system.

The parasite contains over 5000 proteins and displays variable proportions of these proteins to the immune system at different times. And the genes encoding these proteins can be cleverly switched on and off, or mutate in the course of an infection. It's an ever-changing coat of many colours.

Scientists are tackling this problem from every possible angle.

Explore further Malawi to pilot groundbreaking malaria vaccine

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Scientists have long known that the support of friends and family plays a key role in protecting people's physical health.

But a new study suggests that the benefits don't go to people who may really need itthose with low self-esteem.

Results showed that perceived social support didn't help people with low self-esteem when it came to one measure of physical health: inflammation. But it did assist those with a more positive attitude about themselves.

"People with high self-esteem already have advantages compared to those with low self-esteem, and social support only helps them more," said David Lee, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at The Ohio State University.

"It's a case of the rich getting richer."

Lee conducted the study with Baldwin Way, professor of psychology at Ohio State. Their research appears online in the journal Health Psychology and will be published in a future print edition.

Previous research has shown that chronic inflammation is a potent driver of diseases, including cancer and heart disease. This research examined one marker of inflammationa protein in the blood called C-Reactive Protein (CRP) - to determine how it was related to levels of self-esteem and perceived social support. Higher levels of CRP indicate higher levels of dangerous inflammation.

Data from the study came from the Survey of Midlife Development in the United States and included 1,054 healthy adults.

Participants rated how much support they felt from those closest to them, including family, friends and spouse. They also completed a 7-item questionnaire that measured their levels of self-esteem.

About two years after the survey, the same participants gave a blood sample in which they were measured for levels of CRP, the marker of inflammation.

Results showed that increased levels of perceived social support were linked to lower levels of CRP, an indicator of harmful inflammationbut only in people with higher self-esteem.

People with low self-esteem did not get the expected health boost from more perceived social support.

Way said that social support may not work in the same positive way for people with low self-esteem as it does in those with a healthy view of themselves.

"People with a negative self-view may actually feel more stress when people try to help them," Way said.

"They may feel they don't deserve the help or they worry that they're asking for too much from their friends and family. The result is that they may not get the benefits of social support."

These findings could contribute to developing more effective intervention strategies to reduce stress-related inflammation in those who have low self-esteem, the researchers said.

More information: David S. Lee et al. Perceived social support and chronic inflammation: The moderating role of self-esteem., Health Psychology (2019). Journal information: Health Psychology David S. Lee et al. Perceived social support and chronic inflammation: The moderating role of self-esteem.,(2019). DOI: 10.1037/hea0000746
A classroom in Puerto Rico shows the damage from Hurricane Maria, which was a category 4 storm when it struck the US territory on September 20, 2017. Credit: Provided by Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo

Psychologists from the Medical University of South Carolina have just published one of the largest post-disaster screening projects in U.S. history. The report, available online through JAMA Network Open, measured the magnitude of Hurricane Maria's impact on the mental health of children in Puerto Rico.

Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo, an assistant professor at MUSC in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, grew up in Puerto Rico and led the study. "More than seven percent of youth, 6,900 of the children surveyed by the Puerto Rico Department of Education, reported clinically significant symptoms of PTSD," she said.

Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, affecting their ability to cope with everyday life. PTSD can cause nightmares, flashbacks, the feeling of being always on guard, trouble sleeping and an inability to remember parts of the traumatic event.

Other key findings of the survey, in which more than 96,000 third through 12th graders took part:

More than 80% saw houses damaged on an island roughly the size of Connecticut.

About 45% had damage to their own home.

Almost 58% had a friend or family member leave Puerto Rico.

About a third had to deal with a lack of food or water.

More than 15% still didn't have electricity several months after the September 2017 storm.

Orengo-Aguayo said the survey also found that more than 6,000 children reported a family member, friend or neighbor may have died as a result of the storm. "What students reported aligns with an article in the New England Journal of Medicine on mortality rates after Hurricane Maria." That article, by researchers at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, estimated there were about 4,600 deaths related to the storm. The government of Puerto Rico puts the death toll at about 3,000 people.

Dr. Regan Stewart, Dr. Michael de Arellano, Dr. Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo and psychology intern Freddie Pastrana-Rivera arrive in Puerto Rico in October of 2017 to train teachers in how to help traumatized students -- and themselves. Credit: Researchers

While more than 7% of the children surveyed had PTSD symptoms, that's actually lower than anticipated. Regan Stewart, an assistant professor in MUSC's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, is part of the research team. "I expected it to be higher, based on other studies that have been done in the mainland U.S. in which rates are somewhere between 13 and 30%."

Why would the PTSD rate be lower among the children surveyed in Puerto Rico than their mainland counterparts surveyed after other disasters? Stewart said one potential protective factor may be a concept called "familismo" in Spanish. "It's the importance of family and community. Puerto Ricans place a high value on these social connections. We know from the literature that social support may be a protective factor after a traumatic event."

The PTSD rate might also have to do with the timing of when the Puerto Rico Department of Education conducted the survey, she said. "Most surveys have been done at the six to 12-month mark, given all it takes to get this funded and done. In this case, the department administered the surveys at five to nine months, which is sooner. Many of the students were still dealing with losses of basic necessities-food, electricity. Their focus could still be on getting these basic needs met and mental health difficulties may have developed later at the six to 12-month mark, which was not captured in this survey."

Orengo-Aguayo, Stewart and another bilingual MUSC mental health expert, Michael de Arellano, have been part of the effort to help schoolchildren in the aftermath of Maria almost from the beginning.

Soon after the storm, a friend in Puerto Rico told Orengo-Aguayo that the education secretary was looking for people who could come up with a comprehensive plan to help teachers and students deal with Maria's aftermath. Schools were closed, utilities were out and loved ones were leaving.

Orengo-Aguayo and her colleagues at MUSC, along with a psychology intern from Puerto Rico, sprang into action. They realized they could use a grant they already had from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network to fund the work in Puerto Rico.

They've worked with the Puerto Rico Department of Education to train teachers in how to take care of their own mental health while also caring for the kids who weathered the storm.

Since their first visit in October of 2017, the MUSC psychologists have been back multiple times to continue their work. They emphasize the importance of asking what people need instead of telling Puerto Ricans what to do. They've also worked closely with Joy Lynn Suarez-Kindy, a clinical psychologist who lives there, to strategize and analyze what is needed.

Orengo-Aguayo said the survey shows a few things in addition to data. One, more funding is needed to pay for mental health services in Puerto Rico. Two, the island needs better ways to reach people in rural areas that don't have mental health providers around. Telehealth, which uses technology to connect patients with experts, is one possibility being explored. Three, all storm-prone areas should try to assess what mental health resources they have before a future disaster occurs, not after.

She also wants to make sure people on the mainland U.S. don't forget about their fellow citizens in Puerto Rico, including children. "Puerto Rican youth experienced significant disaster exposure and reported trauma symptoms that warrant evidence-based services. Academics partnering with community stakeholders is the way to go to change the world one child at a time. That is our lab's motto."

Explore further Landslides triggered by Hurricane Maria
In this Oct. 22, 2018 file photo, visitors try out a pen-like "heat-not-burn" device at an IQOS store at Ginza in Tokyo. On Tuesday, April 30, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it will allow Philip Morris International to sell the cigarette alternative that heats tobacco without burning it. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

U.S. health officials on Tuesday said Philip Morris can sell a cigarette alternative that heats tobacco without burning it, opening the door for the company's effort to shift smokers toward newer products.

The Food and Drug Administration has not yet decided whether to allow the device, IQOS (EYE-kose), to be advertised as less harmful than cigarettes. A decision on that key marketing pitch could come later this year.

The cigarette alternative is the centerpiece of Philip Morris International's effort to move the shrinking number of U.S. smokers toward other products, including heating and vaping devices.

FDA regulators stressed that IQOS is neither safe nor "FDA approved." But they acknowledged that studies submitted by the company did show IQOS produces fewer toxic byproducts than traditional burning cigarettes.

"All tobacco products are potentially harmful and addictive and those who do not use tobacco products should continue not to," the FDA said in a statement.

Altria, maker of Marlboro cigarettes, will sell IQOS in the U.S. for Philip Morris International. The device will be subject to laws that ban television and radio advertising of cigarettes. The FDA said it will impose extra restrictions on online and social media advertising to discourage use by teenagers.

Philip Morris said in a statement it will comply with FDA restrictions "so that IQOS is reaching the right audiencecurrent adult smokers." The product is already sold in over 40 other countries.

Tobacco control experts have long argued that products like IQOS will only benefit public health if they are solely used by smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit cigarettes.

Eric Lindblom of Georgetown University law school said the FDA could have made more explicit that IQOS is only to be used as a smoking substitute.

"Instead of requiring constructive labeling and preventing harmful advertising, FDA is hoping that Altria and (Philip Morris) will market IQOS responsibly," said Lindblom, who previously worked in FDA's tobacco center.

About 14 percent of U.S. adults smoke despite decades of tax hikes, smoking bans and public health campaigns aimed at reducing the deadly habit. Smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year.

The battery-powered IQOS heats sticks of tobacco but stops short of burning them, producing a tobacco aerosol that includes nicotine. This is different from e-cigarettes, which don't use tobacco at all but instead vaporize liquid usually containing nicotine. Philip Morris argues its product is closer to the experience of smoking a cigarette and will therefore help more smokers switch.

But the product will come under intense scrutiny from anti-smoking groups and public health advocates amid a recent surge in underage vaping by high school and middle school students.

The American Lung Association said it was "deeply concerned," by the decision and stated: "FDA must take steps to protect youth from beginning a tobacco addiction with this product."

Recently departed FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb spent the last year of his tenure at the agency trying to reverse the trend, while acknowledging that underage vaping could climb even higher.

The company's U.S. partner, Altria, said Tuesday it will begin selling IQOS in Atlanta at a specialty store. The tobacco sticks will be sold at convenience stores and other retailers in the region.

Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog called the FDA decision a "big win," for the tobacco giants and predicted annual sales of $4.5 billion by 2025.

Philip Morris had hoped to launch IQOS as the first "reduced risk" tobacco product sanctioned by the FDA. But regulators are still reviewing the company's data and proposed claims. Congress gave the FDA the power to regulate key aspects of the tobacco industry in 2009, including designating new tobacco products as "reduced risk."

Last year, a panel of FDA medical and scientific advisers delivered a mostly negative review of IQOS. The panel said the company had not shown that using IQOS reduced the deadly diseases associated with smoking.

An endorsement from the FDA would mark a major milestone in efforts by both the industry and government to provide less harmful tobacco products to smokers who can't or won't quit cigarettes.

Shares of Altria Group Inc. rose 84 cents to $54.35 in trading.

Explore further US panel rejects marketing plan for heated tobacco device

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Miami Herald file photo TALLAHASSEE  Florida lawmakers said they were finished negotiating the preK-12 education portion of the budget during a Sunday evening meeting, closing out one of the largest and typically one of the most contentious areas of the states massive funding plan. If the session is to finish on time, the entire state budget must be finished by the end of the day Tuesday.

Highlights of the preK-12 education budget include a $248 per-student increase in state funding thats distributed based on enrollment, also called the FEFP. However, its important to note that lawmakers have also boosted the number of programs that are funded through the per-student pot, so comparing that to last years $101 per-pupil increase is not completely representative.

The best measure, perhaps, is the portion of that increase dedicated to flexible district spending, in a category called the base student allocation. This year, lawmakers have agreed to a $75 per-student boost to that portion.

Last years increase to the base student allocation was only 47 cents, which sparked outrage among districts and superintendents demanded that the Legislature reconvene to redo their education funding after the session had ended.

This years amount elicited a much warmer response from school leaders.

Pinellas County schools superintendent Mike Grego, who was a vocal critic of last years budget, praised the agreement, saying he was very much more excited about the budget this year than last.

Its obviously moving in the right direction, said Grego, vice president of the state superintendents association.

He said this increase to the base student allocation could help the district cover retirement costs, electric bills and health insurance benefits  all of which are rising. At $75 per student, Pinellas schools would get about $7.3 million, Grego said.

Other than the base student allocation, there are other important categories within the per-student funding that are dedicated to certain expenses, such as school safety and mental health services offered in schools by counselors and school psychologists. The breakdown of those categories was not yet released as of early Monday evening.

Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho noted that this $75 boost represents the highest increase in the flexible district spending, which he called the clearest indicator of state education funding, since the 2015-2016 budget.

We certainly should celebrate a $75 increase to the BSA, he said. We could very well see ourselves in a position where  in this next year, we would not have to make reductions to balance the budget as was the case in the last four years.

Pasco County superintendent Kurt Browning, president-elect of the state superintendents association, got word of the base-student allocation amount while traveling abroad. He was among the superintendents who most loudly criticized the Legislature's 47-cent increase a year ago.

The additional $75 in BSA is welcomed, Browning said via text message, noting he had not seen all the other details in the budget. Grateful, but hoping for more for teacher raises.

Hillsborough County School Board chairwoman Tamara Shamburger said she viewed the budget as more of a mixed message.
The 18-year-old charged in the shooting of two people he says jumped him in a bad drug deal near Sentinel High School has agreed to plead guilty in the case.

A plea agreement filed in Missoula District Court on Monday shows Dylan Conat will plead guilty to felony criminal endangerment in exchange for a five-year commitment with the Montana Department of Corrections, subject to adult probation.

All five years would be suspended, and he would be given credit for eight months already served at the Missoula County jail.

On Tuesday, Judge John Larson filed an order setting the change of plea hearing for May 16.

Conat was charged with assault with a weapon after allegedly shooting two other juvenile boys on the Sentinel High School campus last year. In some remarkable testimony during an October hearing, Conat described the entire event in detail, painting a picture of self-defense in a drug deal gone awry.

From the witness stand, Conat said he walked up to two boys he did not know at Southgate Mall and asked if they wanted to buy some marijuana. The boys, whose names the Missoulian is withholding because they are under 18, said they didnt, but knew someone who did, and they were waiting at the high school nearby.

As the trio walked toward the school, Conat said he felt the other boys acting shifty, walking behind him in a suspicious manner. When they got to the school grounds, he said they jumped him. Now, the first teen said, according to Conat, as the second punched him in the head and knocked him down.

There were two against one, so I didnt necessarily think they would stop when I told them to stop, Conat said in the October hearing. I retrieved my firearm from my pocket and aimed in the vicinity of (the second teen).

Conat said two shots fired from the pistol when the teen closest to him tried wrestling it away; prosecutors, however, contend law enforcement found four rounds from the gun when processing the scene.

After the shots, Conat said he dropped the gun, pushed his backpack toward the teens since the gun was now aimed at him, and ran. The two boys were taken to the hospital, one shot in the face and the other in the chest. Both survived, and one was arrested after release from medical care on an out-of- state warrant, the Missoulian reported at the time.

Conat was arrested several weeks later at an apartment building on the 2300 block of 55th Street.

As part of the agreement with prosecutors, Conat would be required to enter and remain in an aftercare program after taking a chemical dependency evaluation by a state-approved treatment provider. He also would have to obtain a mental health evaluation and counseling.

The recommended sentence in the plea agreement would run concurrent to the sentence coming in a juvenile case. In that matter, Conat allegedly showed another person a gun and pepper sprayed that person when they threatened to report him to the police.

The change of plea hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. May 16.

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Missoula may be a beautiful city, but it has one of the worst air quality ratings in the country.

Most Missoulians are well aware that smoke in the summer combined with inversions lead to a high number of pollutants. However, indoor air quality is just as important to keep in mind. Students at Big Sky High School have become keenly aware of this as theyve tracked indoor air conditions throughout the year.

Grayson Hall and Everett Freds, both juniors at Big Sky, are tracking particulate matter (or dust) in the air at Big Sky and analyzing how the levels change during passing periods.

The two placed a monitor that measures particulate matter behind a trash can in the hall to collect data continuously during the day. The monitor plots the data on a graph the students use to check their hypotheses and make conclusions.

Hall pointed to the chart on their computer. The highest spikes occurred before the morning bell, at the beginning and end of lunch period and the end of the day, in addition to passing periods.

We think this spike is the janitors, Hall said, tracing a spike late at night long after students have cleared the building.

Freds and Hall said the data theyve collected thus far backs up their hypothesis that human traffic stirs up particulate matter. They said the monitor they used tracks both small and large particulates which have different implications for humans.

The smaller it is, the more harmful it is because you breathe them in, it goes into your bloodstream and it can get into your tissue, Freds said.

The large ones usually dont go into your body, but they can irritate your eyes, Hall added.

Hall and Freds are two of about 60 Big Sky students who designed experiments measuring different indoor air conditions. In May, the students and their teacher, Dave Jones, will present their findings at an air quality symposium at the University of Montana.

Kids in Missoula have even more of a reason to look at air quality, Jones said. Its kind of an issue in Montana with particles and inversions here in the winter.

Jones said the goal of the project is to get students thinking about how they can quantify air quality.

Jones was recently awarded a $5,000 grant through the Society for Science & the Public Grants to purchase monitors that can measure volatile organic compounds, another type of indoor pollutant commonly found in things like varnishes, paint and house cleaners. Jones said students can begin tracking volatile organic compounds next year when the monitors arrive.

Another group of students tracked levels of radon, a gas that forms in rock layers in the ground and can seep into the cracks in the basement foundation of homes. Humans can't see, taste or smell radon, but it has dire effects on human health, including an increased risk of lung cancer.

The students placed monitors in their homes and the homes of relatives and found that radon levels varied throughout Missoula.

The groups findings didnt support their original hypothesis, which was that radon levels would be higher in more rural neighborhoods. Instead, it found that levels varied widely for homes they measured in Big Flat, Linda Vista, 44 Ranch, Ranch Club and Orchard Homes.

Emily Hale and Madison Edwards, two students in the group, said high levels of radon in their homes and relatives homes alarmed them since radon is linked to cancer.

Hale said she didnt know much about air quality before the project. Now, she said she'll think more about radon levels and even consider them down the road when shes looking at purchasing a property.

In May, the students will present their findings at the environmental symposium at UM, along with students from other schools in the greater Missoula area.

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Close to 350 people turned out Saturday in Stevensville to offer emotional and financial support to help shooting victim Casey Blanchard and his family.

The spaghetti dinner benefit and auction raised over $26,000.

Blanchard was one of four people shot March 14 in Missoula. The shooting claimed the life of his friend, Shelley Hayes, and injured his mother, Julie Blanchard.

Montana Highway Patrol trooper Wade Palmer, also from the Bitterroot, was shot and critically wounded hours later, allegedly by the same man, near Evaro. A fundraiser for Palmer at Stevensvilles Super One grocery store two weeks ago raised more than $36,000.

Casey Blanchard was shot eight times, with bullets hitting his left arm, right chest, spine, abdomen and both legs. He has undergone 10 surgeries so far. On April 16, he was moved to rehabilitation, which his family called a big step in this journey that we have been put through.

Stevensville native Jessica Hals was one of several friends of the Blanchard family who helped set up Saturdays fundraiser at St. Marys Parish in Stevensville.

I was actually hoping that a few more people would come, but then I realized there were a ton of other things going on that night, Hals said. Considering that, we really did have a good turnout.

More than 300 items were donated to the fundraisers auction, which went on for two hours. Some of those items will be auctioned at the next fundraiser for both Casey and his mother, Julie, which has been dubbed Boost for Blanchard. That event will happen Saturday, May 18 at Missoulas Big Sky Brewery from 2 to 8 p.m.

It was obvious that people wanted to do what they could to help, Hals said. We were still getting calls Saturday morning asking us if it was too late to donate something for the auction. People were bringing us things that same day.

Hals said one of the organizers video-chatted with Blanchards wife, Leah, during the event.

It was a chance for her to see what was going on, Hals said. She was so grateful to those who were there and just so thankful. It was hard for her to put into words.

"Its one of those things that if any one of us was in that situation, they would be right there doing the same thing for us.

Blanchard was shot after he got out of his vehicle to check on a motorist who he thought needed assistance.

Palmer was shot several times in the head and neck later that night while waiting in his patrol car near the Evaro Bar and Casino. A Montana Department of Justice press release earlier this month said Palmer has shown signs that he recognizes certain people and things while recovering in a Salt Lake City hospital.

Johnathan Bertsch, 28, of Arlee was charged with one count of deliberate homicide and three counts of attempted deliberate homicide. He is being held without bond.

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HAMILTON  The Montana Supreme Court granted former Florence physician Chris Christensen a second extension Monday to file the opening appeal brief on his 2017 conviction of 22 felonies, including two counts of negligent homicide.

Christensen, 70, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 10 suspended, in February 2018 following a three-week trial on charges that he over-prescribed opioids to patients, including two who died from overdoses.

At sentencing, the judge stayed his trip to prison pending resolution of the expected appeal. Christensen remains free on bail.

Since the sentencing hearing, there have been series of missed deadlines and extensions on both providing the court transcripts and the appeal brief needed by the high court to consider Christensens appeal.

The opening brief was originally due May 3. The first extension pushed that back a month. Mondays extension will give Christensens attorney, Josh Van De Wetering, until June 19 to complete the document.

Missoulas Van De Wetering asked for the extension Friday, saying the case was large, complex and novel.

Christensen was originally charged with 400 separate felonies for the treatment of 11 different patients. Prosecutors later condensed the felony charges to 22. The trial lasted nearly three weeks, generated nearly 3,000 pages of transcript and thousands of pages of medical records and documentary evidence, Van De Wetering wrote.

The case alleged that Christensen didnt meet established medical standards.

Therefore, the testimony and records were dense with medical terms, procedures and evidence, Van De Wetering said, which is why its complex.

Van De Wetering said it was also the first time the state used three statutes to allege criminal behavior focused on a physicians prescribing practices.

In 25 years of practicing and teaching criminal law and procedure in Montana, I have never seen these statute(s) used this way in Montana, he wrote. Because of that, it has been necessary to research law in a wide variety of jurisdictions outside of Montana, both state and federal, and to analyze that law in light of established Montana law.

Van De Wetering told the court that he had been working diligently on the case while maintaining his solo law practice. He said hes hired an additional lawyer to aid in research and writing the brief and has completed about 17 pages of its draft.

I will continue to work diligently, and have selected the requested due date, June 19, 2019, carefully and with an expectation that I can be finished by then, he wrote.

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In a 4-3 ruling, the Montana Supreme Court said nurses in Montana could continue to provide early term abortions while a lawsuit plays out in court.

The order, filed Friday, comes after two advanced practice nurses sued the state in 2018, saying a Montana law limiting who could provide abortions only to licensed physicians and physician assistants violated a woman's right to privacy and severely limited access to abortions in a geographically large and rural state.

A Helena District Court judge found in favor of the nurses last year, putting a block on the law that prevents nurses from providing abortions. The state of Montana, under Attorney General Tim Fox, appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court.

The state's appeal, in part, said the nurses who filed the suit didn't have standing. The appeal also claimed the District Court did not establish irreparable harm nor was it seeking to preserve the status quo.

The Supreme Court disagreed, saying irreparable injury was possible and that the nurses are not barred by the Montana Board of Nursing from performing abortions. The Helena District Court still must consider and issue a final decision on whether Board of Nursing rules would authorize abortion services for Montana advanced practice nurses.

This ruling reaffirms what the Montana Supreme Court recognized 20 years ago, that the state constitution protects the right of pregnant people to access abortion care from a qualified health care provider of their choice. The state needs a compelling reason to restrict that right, which it cannot show in this case, said Hillary Schneller, staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The center, along with ACLU of Montana, filed the lawsuit in 2018 on behalf of Helen Weems, a certified nurse practitioner who co-owns a primary care clinic in Whitefish, and a womens health nurse practitioner referenced as Jane Doe, who practices midwifery in Montana.

Before 1995, physicians and one physician assistant provided abortion services in Montana. That same year the Legislature passed a law that only allowed physicians to perform the procedure.

The Montana Supreme Court in 1999 struck down that law, saying keeping a woman from having a legal medical procedure, like an abortion, from a medical provider of her choosing was unconstitutional because it infringed on her right to individual privacy.

But in 2005, the state Legislature changed the law again to restrict those who could perform abortions to licensed physicians and physician assistants, which limited access to providers around the state.

According to the 2018 lawsuit, 93% of the counties in Montana do not have an abortion provider. Those counties are home to 55 percent of the state's women.

Abortion services are available at four clinics in the state's larger areas: Missoula, Billings, Helena and Great Falls. The state has lost two abortion providers since 2013. From Whitefish, the location of Weem's clinic, a person would need to travel about 2.5 hours to Missoula for an abortion.

"Montana is a geographically large state with great distances separating its four abortion clinics," according to the lawsuit.

"As a result, vast expanses of the state lack adequate access to abortion services. Accordingly, pregnant people seeking abortions must travel significant distances to find their nearest provider, face delays as a result of inaccessibility or carry a pregnancy to term."

The nurses said they routinely perform procedures that are more complex than early term abortions and carry more risk. Advanced practice nurses provide care for people experiencing miscarriages, which can be nearly identical to abortion care, the lawsuit reads. That can include management by medication or a surgical procedure, "essentially the same procedures as an early abortion," according to the lawsuit. These types of nurses can also deliver babies, which the lawsuit notes carries a greater risk to the patient.

In 2015, nearly half of Montana residents who had an abortion in the state had medical abortions, a method that is available up to 10 weeks from a womans last menstrual period.

Ween has been performing abortions since the District Court's ruling, while she is training Doe to perform them.

Susan Cahill, a licensed physician assistant, is co-owner of the Whitefish clinic with Weem. A 2015 story by Montana Public Radio says that Cahill had a clinic in Kalispell that shut down after it was vandalized by a man who was sentenced to five years in prison, and 20 years total. Cahill had provided abortions since 1976 and a previous location of her clinic was lost to arson, MTPR reported.

The lawsuit estimated Cahill would provide abortion services two days a week and Weem would provide services four days.

Ten states, including Montana, protect a woman's right to an abortion in their state constitutions. Those include Alaska, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and New Mexico. The Center for Reproductive Rights says nine other states  Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington  have laws protecting access to abortion.

Earlier this month the Kansas Supreme Court blocked a law that attempted to ban second trimester abortions, saying that right was laid out in the state's constitution.

Abortion opponents in Kansas decried the ruling, saying they would try to amend the state's constitution, while those who support access to abortions say the ruling should set a benchmark for courts around the country.

The Washington Post reported last week that 11 states have backed laws that would ban abortion after six weeks, a point at which many women don't know they are pregnant, and that many of those bans are being challenged in court.

Montana's Republican-dominated Legislature, which adjourned last week, passed three abortion laws aimed at restricting or limiting access to the medical procedure. That includes the Montana Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would outlaw abortion after 20 weeks.

All three are expected to be vetoed by Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat who has vetoed similar bills in the past.

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One person died and five were injured as two boats capsized in the Upper Holter Lake area Sunday, according to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office Capt. Alan Hughes.

"One boat capsized and then the other boat came back to help them and then also capsized," Hughes said.

It is unclear why the boats capsized, but Hughes said he doesn't believe they collided with each other.

Five people were taken to St. Peter's Health and a male died at the scene.

Hughes said the coroner's office will determine the exact cause of death, and an investigation will be carried out by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Hughes couldn't say for certain but suspected the wreck may have been weather-related. The area was under a National Weather Service advisory, and temperatures hovered around 32 degrees in Helena.

While it was initially reported that a third boat was involved, Hughes said, officials learned that only two of the boats had capsized. The third boat was in the same party as the two boats that capsized, but left earlier than the rest of the group and became stranded.

Hughes said it was his impression that the occupants of the boats were on the lake to fish.

Officials are waiting for calmer weather to attempt to retrieve the capsized boats, he said.

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office, its wet team, Montana Highway Patrol, West Valley Volunteer Fire Department, Lewis and Clark Search and Rescue, emergency medical technicians and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks all responded to the Gates of the Mountains boat launch to assist.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct some details that were provided in initial reports.

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Did you see reporter Eve Byron's story this week about Bryce Christiaens?

He's the Missoula County Weed District Manager and, believe it or not, the story addresses one of those questions that comes up when people talk about the value of a liberal arts degree.

Christiaens studied philosophy at the University of Montana, not biology, and he's doing great work for county residents with his degree. From the story:

"Are we morally obligated to be stewards of our natural resources and work to conserve, protect and restore damage that we cause to our natural environment? I believe we are," Christiaens said.

The man who hired Christiaens talked about the contributions he makes to the weed district, but I'll let you read more in the story.

"Brazils president ... Bolsonaro, has many deplorable policies, but targeting philosophy and sociology in universities kind of sums them up. An antipathy towards deep knowledge is characteristic of a certain kind of right-wing populism."

Probably, Bolsonaro would not want to contribute to Jessie Kwasney's education at UM. The UM Gallery of Visual Arts posted a warning sign because of the graphic nature of his show, and the gallery director estimated it's just the second time in 25 years such an advisory has been placed.

Kwasney was exploring the influence of religion on American society, and he also wanted to question ideas of morality. He deals with some tough subjects, post-traumatic stress disorder in an earlier exhibit.

"People are so scared of difficult ideas, and they're just so afraid to be uncomfortable, people as a whole."

Speaking of degrees, happy graduation. Commencement comes early this year, Saturday, May 4. Hooray, grads!

Back to regular programming, I told you reporter Cameron Evans, photographer Tom Bauer and I are working on some stories about economic mobility in education, and Bauer and I visited Montana State UniversityNorthern as part of our reporting.

We learned about a program that's helping Northern make huge strides in retaining Native American students. It's called the Little River Institute, and get this: Northern's retention of Native American students has gone from 57% to 86%. (By comparison, the average for everyone in the Montana University System is 70%.)

The Little River Institute directors also told us the federal program is not directly funded in President Trump's 2020 budget.

The people I talked with don't think Congress will eviscerate that line from the U.S. Department of Education budget, but they're paying close attention and concerned about possible consolidations for funding streams that support minority students.

Here's the story with remarkable data. Margarett Campbell, director for American Indian Education at the Little River Institute and tribal liaison for the campus, said this:

These are scary times for educational budgets that deal with minorities.

The Montana Kaimin pointed out some other issues with personnel at UM. In this story, the Kaimin noted the tiny portion of deans at UM with permanent status.

Interim deans hold seven of the Universitys 12 dean positions, according to the Universitys website. The College of Business and the School of Extended and Lifelong Learning could increase that number to nine interim deans.

Gender plays a role in those jobs, too. So far, women have been tapped to serve temporarily. Recruitments are underway.

Also, straight from UM:

Career Services Opens Survey for Spring Graduates Apr 23, 2019 Career Services opened the UM Graduation Survey on April 17. Made available through Handshake, the survey is available for all students graduating in May 2019.

All for now. Thank you for reading.

- Keila Szpaller

Stay current on the University of Montana and other higher education news in Montana with the Missoulian's weekly email, Under the M. This newsletter will land in your email box on Tuesdays. Got a news tip? Want to hear more about something at UM? Missoula College? The Commissioner's Office? Shoot a note to keila.szpaller@missoulian.com. Thank you for reading, and please sign up here if you'd like to subscribe.

Please sign up on Missoulian.com to subscribe to Under the M, the weekly email about the University of Montana and higher education news in Montana.

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" " Items like these Jordanian bills are part of the collection of unclaimed property at the Chief Financial Officer's office in downtown Washington D.C. Rich Lipski/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Imagine that your reclusive old uncle living in California turns out to be a brilliant treasure hunter. In fact, he has millions of dollars in rare diamonds and jewelry stashed away in his safe deposit box. When he dies, the bank has no contact information for next of kin, so it passes the unclaimed riches along to the state, where they sit waiting for a rightful heir to claim them. The only thing standing between you and a one-way ticket to rich-ville is a phone call. What are you waiting for?

While it's unlikely that any of your distant relatives are secret billionaires, the truth is that $58 billion of unclaimed cash and property are out there waiting for their rightful owners. Most of it  around $42 billion  is held by individual states, but other unclaimed funds sit in pensions, insurance policies, class-action legal settlements and even forgotten U.S. savings bonds [source: Hicken]. In most cases, not only the account owners, but also their rightful heirs can claim the marooned money. So we ask again, what are you waiting for?

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We've assembled a list of the top 10 sources for digging up unclaimed money. Let the treasure hunt begin!
" " A lot of people give gift cards as presents during the winter holidays. Starbucks, for example, sold almost 2.5 million gift cards in the U.S. and Canada on Christmas Eve in 2014. Richard Levine/Corbis via Getty Images

The Wall Street Journal revealed on June 1 that Starbucks holds as much money for its customers as a bank  and not even a small bank. Starbucks gift cards and mobile debit accounts stored $1.2 billion in customer funds during the first quarter of 2016. According to Shane Ferro on the Huffington Post, "that amount of deposits would make it a respectable midsize institution." Industry numbers put it somewhere between The Bancorp ($2.68 billion) and Mercantile Bank ($680 million).

Starbucks has pretty much mastered the prepaid realm. On Christmas Eve 2014, Starbucks sold almost 2.5 million gift cards in the U.S. and Canada alone. The company says one in seven Americans received a Starbucks card for the holidays that year. It's "Starbucks' secret sauce," writes James Sullivan on The Motley Fool  a wildly successful networking of gift cards, mobile debit app and customer loyalty program that's creating a prepaid empire.

Advertisement

Sharing the Spoils

Starbucks is noteworthy, but it's not alone. U.S. consumers bought 2 billion gift cards in 2014, "depositing" a total of $124 billion in businesses like Visa, American Express, Amazon, iTunes, Walmart and Target, all of which sold more gift cards than Starbucks that year, according to CardHub.

And of that $124 billion, $750 million, or 0.6 percent, was never redeemed. The industry jargon is "breakage"  money left on gift cards indefinitely, which the issuers eventually claim as revenue. It's a huge moneymaker. In 2008, the year before the CARD Act established new regulations for expiration dates and fees, gift-card breakage was about $7 billion, or roughly 7 percent of total purchases.

People leave so much money on gift cards that the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an update in 2014 to offer clearer guidelines on what to do with it. Abraham Fried, Mark P. Holtzman and Aliza Rotenstein write in the Journal of Accountancy that "Financially, a gift card is essentially an interest-free loan from the consumer to the retailer"  but it's a loan that may never come due. Accountants weren't sure when they could move the unredeemed value of a gift card from the liability column to the revenue column.

That move, notes Sullivan, "helps with margins."

"A person with a $100 gift card may purchase a $98 item and throw the card away," he writes. "When this happens, the retailer delivered $98 of products for $100 in revenue."

The fact that 65 percent of people end up spending 38 percent more than the card's value probably helps with margins, too.

Even More of a Good Thing

The gift-card market will likely continue its rapid expansion. There's just no downside for businesses, and analysts expect spending to hit $160 billion by 2018.

The digital realm offers plenty of room to grow: Consumers spent $5 billion on e-gift cards in 2013, $5.5 billion in 2014 and $7.1 billion in 2015, and CEB Financial Services projects an $18 billion digital gift-card market by 2018.

Some see the gift card replacing the coupon.

Gift cards have a higher redemption rate than promotional coupons. So instead of receiving, say, a "$4 off your next visit" coupon when your latte comes out soy instead of skim again, you get a $4 Starbucks gift card.

"It feels like free money," a marketing executive explained to CNN Money in 2015, "but you have to go back in and spend it."

Now That's a Well-guarded Secret In 11 states, a customer has the right to cash-out a closed-loop gift cardone redeemable only at a specific store  when it drops below a certain balance. It's $10 in California, $1 in Rhode Island and 10 percent of the face value in Massachusetts.
As most people do, we have our family traditions around the holiday. Tim's birthday is Christmas Eve so we are always careful to celeb...
Staff members from the Missoula City-County Health Department were recently attending a training session in Helena, when they were called back to Missoula to assist with an outbreak of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough.

Thats what happens in the public health field when a pertussis outbreak  or any communicable disease outbreak for that matter  occurs. Its all hands on deck to ensure that those who are infected get treated and to prevent the disease from spreading further.

As of six days ago, the Missoula health department was investigating six cases of whooping cough and had identified 300 close contacts who may have been exposed to the disease. The six cases involved children with ages ranging from pre-school to teens. One patient was sent to the hospital. A news release indicated that a mix of unvaccinated and vaccinated children were among the cases.

Missoula Countys health officer is Ellen Leahy, who told the citys newspaper that the vaccine that is available for the prevention of pertussis is not as highly effective as some other vaccines, so those who are vaccinated can still become ill.

Of course, also playing into this scenario is the fact that fewer people are vaccinating, and many people dont realize that the vaccine related to whooping cough has an effective booster for adults.

Why do we care about pertussis? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whooping cough prompts uncontrollable, violent coughing, which often makes it hard to breathe. After cough fits, someone with pertussis often needs to take deep breaths, which results in a whooping sound. Pertussis can affect people of all ages, but can be very serious, even deadly, for babies less than a year old and for those with compromised immune systems.

Pertussis symptoms include a severe cough, runny nose, and apnea in infants. Disease complications include pneumonia and death.

According to the CDC, people of all ages need the vaccines that focus on pertussis and other diseases. The DTaP vaccine helps very young children develop immunity from three bacterial diseases  diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. The DTaP can be administered at two, four or six months, 15 through 18 months (the recommended range) and four through six years. The Tdap vaccine, which is a booster vaccine, is recommended for those 11 to 12 years old.

The Tdap vaccine also is recommended for pregnant women wanting to protect their baby from whooping cough. This is recommended during the 27th to 36th week of pregnancy.

For adults, a Tdap booster is recommended every 10 years.

Those wishing to check their immunization status should call their physician or the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department at 497-5020. Adults who cant afford vaccines for themselves or their children should ask Health Department personnel about options.

We wish our colleagues in Missoula County the best of luck in their work to keep people healthy during this outbreak, and prevent the spread of further disease. We in Butte-Silver Bow know such an occurrence could happen anytime here. We fervently hope against it, but we are ready.

Karen Sullivan is Butte-Silver Bow Health Officer and Director of the Health Department. Her column, The Public's Health, appears weekly on The Montana Standard's health page.

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Forest seeks advisory applicants

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is soliciting applications to fill positions on two Resource Advisory Committees. RACs provide recommendations for how to allocate a portion of federal funds that can be spent on projects such as road, trail and infrastructure maintenance; improvements ecosystem health; restoration of wildlife and fish habitat; and reestablishment of native animals and plants.

There are two RACs serving the BDNF. The Southwest Montana RAC covers Madison, Beaverhead, Jefferson and Silver Bow counties. The Tri County RAC covers Powell, Granite and Deer Lodge counties. In the past five years, the RACs have approved more than $3.5 million in funding for projects that benefit National Forest System lands.

To apply, contact Jeanne Dawson at jeanne.dawson@usda.gov or 406-683-3987.

Postal carriers food drive set

Butte letter carriers will gather non-perishable food throughout the community on Saturday, May 11, for the 27th straight year.

Residents are asked to place a bag of non-perishable food, such as peanut butter, ramen noodles, jelly, canned vegetables, canned fruit, pasta and canned meat, near your mailbox by 9 a.m. that day. Volunteers are also sought to sort and box food after 11:30 p.m. on May 11 at the Food Bank, 1019 E. Second St. Details: 406-782-3814.

Special hunt drawing deadline is today

The deadline to apply with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for special license drawings for bison, moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat is May 1. The deadline to apply for elk B, deer B and antelope license drawings is June 1.

Resident hunters applying for bison, moose, sheep and goat licenses need only submit a nonrefundable $10 application fee per license and then pay the full license fee of $125 if successful.

Nonresident hunters need only submit a nonrefundable $50 application fee per license and then pay the full license fee of $1250 if successful.

In order to apply, an applicant must purchase his or her 2019 conservation and base hunting license. Residents and nonresidents can also participate in the bonus point system to increase their chances of success in the drawing. Bonus points are $2 per species for residents and $20 per species for nonresidents.Apply online at fwp.mt.gov.

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A Butte native who now directs Amazon Global Air will serve as Montana Tech's commencement speaker on Saturday in the Butte Civic Center.

As director of Amazon Global Air, Sarah Rhoads leads Amazons expanding air-haul network, which includes Boeing 737 and Boeing 767 aircraft operating out of 27 airports globally.

Rhoads joined Amazon in May 2011 as an Operations Manager in Lexington, Kentucky. In early 2012, she was promoted to Senior Operations Manager, leading teams in Lexington and Columbia, South Carolina, before relocating in 2013 to Fort Worth, Texas, to lead the launch of the outbound operation in the largest, robotics-ready facility in Amazons world-wide network.

She relocated to London in January 2016 and assumed the role of regional director of operations, responsible for leading thousands of Amazon employees and fulfillment center operations throughout northwest England and Wales.

Rhoads returned to the United States and was named director of Amazon Air in September 2017. And just this month, she assumed world-wide responsibility of Amazons air network as director of Amazon Global Air.

Prior to joining Amazon, Rhoads served in the U.S. Navy as an F/A-18 E/F fighter pilot, holding qualifications as a designated combat section lead, division lead, functional check flight pilot, and instructor pilot, accumulating over 250 day and night carrier arrested landings on four different aircraft carriers, and executing 37 combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Rhoads attended Butte High, the United States Naval Academy and the United States Naval War College. She is an avid downhill skier, world traveler, outdoor enthusiast and runner.

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Boaters, anglers and hydropower producers will all keep paying for Montanas fight against aquatic invasive species.

Last week, the Legislature passed House Bill 411, sponsored by Rep. Willis Curdy, D-Missoula, which is expected to raise between $6.5 and $8 million annually through fiscal year 2023. Those funds will pay for the boat inspection stations, water-quality monitoring and public-awareness campaigns that Montana has deployed to prevent invasive zebra and quagga mussels from entering the Columbia River Basin.

The fundings going to allow us to keep doing what weve been doing, said Greg Lemon, a spokesman for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Since 2017, Montana has funded its aquatic-invasive species programs through about $6.5 million worth of fees on anglers, hydroelectric facilities and the utilities that use their power.

Invasive zebra and quagga mussels travel between water bodies by attaching to boats hulls and riding in their ballast tanks. When they infest a water body, they can devastate its infrastructure by clogging pipes and intakes. That makes the mussels a major threat to the Columbia Basins hydroelectric dams.

The session saw much back-and-forth over who should pay prevention costs: all Montana taxpayers via the general fund, the boaters and anglers whose vessels might carry the invaders, the dams that need to be protected from them, or the utilities that buy their power.

The final funding package leaves out the utilities and general fund, and places the funding burden on dam operators, boaters and anglers. Members of that last group will have to buy an aquatic invasive species pass with their fishing licenses, priced at $7.50 for nonresidents and $2 for residents. Nonresident boaters will also have to buy a pass, at $30 for motorized boats or $10 for nonmotorized boats. The state will also add between $35 and $75 to boat registration fees, funds that will be deposited in an invasive species account.

On the hydroelectricity side, the bill allows a fee on utilities to expire, while changing those applied to hydroelectric facilities. Previously, they had to pay $796 per megawatt of capacity each quarter. Moving forward, those fees will range between $275 to $825 per megawatt, depending on the size of the facility.

The bill also shifts about $500,000 annually in state lodging tax revenues from the Montana Department of Commerce to the states invasive species account, and projects between $1.4 million and $2.2 million in federal revenue for each of the next four years.

The bills fiscal note projects that these measures will raise $8 million in fiscal year 2020, and almost $6.6 million in each of the next three fiscal years. The state should spend $7.3 million next fiscal year and almost $6.2 million for each of the following years.

This is on par with previous years funding, Lemon said. On the ground, the average Montana watercraft owner really isnt going to see a lot of difference based on the funding package. But he did say the agency is trying to use its funds more efficiently by collaborating with partners.

Those partners include the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which operate inspection stations in Plains and Ravalli under contract with Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Erik Hanson, the tribes aquatic invasive species coordinator, predicted the latest funding package will aid their efforts.

The tribes are looking at developing permanent inspection stations, he said. Now that we know we have funding in place, we can go after additional funds to build an inspection station.

That way, instead of the inspectors having to do inspections out in the weather, they would be able to do inspections underneath a covered building.

The payers, meanwhile, continue to differ over the proper funding mix.

Im pleased that theyve secured funding for this important program, said Jim Vashro, president of Flathead Wildlife, Inc., and Im pleased that they spread out the funding base to capture fees [from] other than just boaters and anglers, because all Montanans have a stake in the outcome.

The fee on nonresident boats seems to be fair, because thats the most likely source of invasive mussels, he added.

Vashro noted that the early versions exempted hydropower, and I think hydro has a tremendous amount at stake in terms of how it would impact their facilities, and Im pleased to see theyll be part of the funding package still.

Tom Ebzery disagrees. Ebzery is a lobbyist for Spokane-based Avista Corporation, which owns the Noxon Rapids Dam on the Clark Fork River. He predicted the company, not taxpayers, would shoulder the costs of an infestation.

Should mussels get into the generators or into the turbines, I believe that Avista would be the first one to come clean it up, because it would be affecting our customer base and our ability to operate the dam.

Ebzery said Avista plans to ask the Legislatures Environmental Quality Council to revisit the issue during the interim. He predicted that under this bill...were going to go from [paying] $1.5 to $1.65 million annually and we did not feel that was fair. Whether or not that increase gets passed on to consumers is up to out-of-state regulators. Noxon retails almost all of its electricity in Washington and Idaho, he said.

In Northwest Montana, meanwhile, the Flathead Electric Co-Op does not expect the bill will directly affect its wholesale or retail power rates, its public relations officer, Wendy Ostrom Price, wrote in an email.

She said the Co-Op generally supported HB 411, and was pleased that this bill removes the two-year funding commitment put on hydro purchasers as part of the 2017 Legislature.

The funding package passed that year had assessed fees on utilities that purchase hydropower, in addition to the dams themselves. Ostrom Price maintained hydropower is not a cost causer when it comes to infestations.

She did not specify which funding sources the Co-Op would like to see. She did, however, make clear that we support AIS prevention efforts, but feel its an issue for all Montanans and should be funded as such.

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'Showdown in the sea': Orcas swarm and attack gray whale right in front of Monter LoP Guest

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04-30-2019 08:05 AM











Post: #1 'Showdown in the sea': Orcas swarm and attack gray whale right in front of Monter

Advertisement 'Showdown in the sea': Orcas swarm and attack gray whale right in front of Monterey whale watchers



It was a "rollercoaster of emotions" on board a Monterey Bay Whale Watch trip Saturday, the company said, after a boatful of tourists witnessed a gruesome killer whale hunt up close.



A pod of five transient killer whales surrounded a gray whale mother and her calf, working together to attack and kill the baby.



"It really was a showdown in the sea," the whale watching company said on Facebook. "Though it can be sad to think of the gray whales becoming prey, we must remember that the killer whales have to eat in order to survive."



Orcas often come to Monterey Bay as a prime hunting ground in the spring, as gray whales are migrating from Baja California to Alaska for the summer. The mothers and their calves typically remain fairly close to the shore on their migration up the California coast because it's safer and food is more abundant.





'Showdown in the sea': Orcas swarm and attack gray whale right in front of Monterey whale watchers



By Alix Martichoux, SFGATE Updated 2:12 pm PDT, Monday, April 29, 2019



18



A pod of five killer whales hunted a gray whale calf in Monterey Bay on April 27, 2019.

Media: Monterey Bay Whale Watch



It was a "rollercoaster of emotions" on board a Monterey Bay Whale Watch trip Saturday, the company said, after a boatful of tourists witnessed a gruesome killer whale hunt up close.



A pod of five transient killer whales surrounded a gray whale mother and her calf, working together to attack and kill the baby.



"It really was a showdown in the sea," the whale watching company said on Facebook. "Though it can be sad to think of the gray whales becoming prey, we must remember that the killer whales have to eat in order to survive."



Orcas often come to Monterey Bay as a prime hunting ground in the spring, as gray whales are migrating from Baja California to Alaska for the summer. The mothers and their calves typically remain fairly close to the shore on their migration up the California coast because it's safer and food is more abundant.



A pod of five killer whales surrounded and attacked a gray whale calf in Monterey Bay on April 27, 2019. Photo: Daniel Bianchetta / Monterey Bay Whale Watch



Photo: Daniel Bianchetta / Monterey Bay Whale Watch

Image 1 of 8



A pod of five killer whales surrounded and attacked a gray whale calf in Monterey Bay on April 27, 2019.



However, as they come across Monterey Bay, the geography makes it harder for them to stay close to the coast. Orcas hang around the bay waiting to take advantage of the young calves' vulnerability in deep, open water.



ALSO: Record number of killer whales show up to feast in Monterey Bay



Gray whale moms will often do everything they can to protect their young, but, as was the case Saturday, it's often not enough.



The killer whales were spotted in the area again Sunday, foraging after their successful hunt.



Gray whale calves are expected to keep coming through the Monterey Bay over the next month, so it's likely hungry orcas will be spotted off the central coast through the end of May.



Meanwhile, further north, it's the start of humpback season near San Francisco. Six humpbacks were seen in the San Francisco Bay and just west of the Golden Gate Bridge over the weekend.



https://www.sfgate.com/whales-sharks/art...804532.php It was a "rollercoaster of emotions" on board a Monterey Bay Whale Watch trip Saturday, the company said, after a boatful of tourists witnessed a gruesome killer whale hunt up close.A pod of five transient killer whales surrounded a gray whale mother and her calf, working together to attack and kill the baby."It really was a showdown in the sea," the whale watching company said on Facebook. "Though it can be sad to think of the gray whales becoming prey, we must remember that the killer whales have to eat in order to survive."Orcas often come to Monterey Bay as a prime hunting ground in the spring, as gray whales are migrating from Baja California to Alaska for the summer. The mothers and their calves typically remain fairly close to the shore on their migration up the California coast because it's safer and food is more abundant.'Showdown in the sea': Orcas swarm and attack gray whale right in front of Monterey whale watchersBy Alix Martichoux, SFGATE Updated 2:12 pm PDT, Monday, April 29, 201918A pod of five killer whales hunted a gray whale calf in Monterey Bay on April 27, 2019.Media: Monterey Bay Whale WatchIt was a "rollercoaster of emotions" on board a Monterey Bay Whale Watch trip Saturday, the company said, after a boatful of tourists witnessed a gruesome killer whale hunt up close.A pod of five transient killer whales surrounded a gray whale mother and her calf, working together to attack and kill the baby."It really was a showdown in the sea," the whale watching company said on Facebook. "Though it can be sad to think of the gray whales becoming prey, we must remember that the killer whales have to eat in order to survive."Orcas often come to Monterey Bay as a prime hunting ground in the spring, as gray whales are migrating from Baja California to Alaska for the summer. The mothers and their calves typically remain fairly close to the shore on their migration up the California coast because it's safer and food is more abundant.A pod of five killer whales surrounded and attacked a gray whale calf in Monterey Bay on April 27, 2019. Photo: Daniel Bianchetta / Monterey Bay Whale WatchPhoto: Daniel Bianchetta / Monterey Bay Whale WatchImage 1 of 8A pod of five killer whales surrounded and attacked a gray whale calf in Monterey Bay on April 27, 2019.However, as they come across Monterey Bay, the geography makes it harder for them to stay close to the coast. Orcas hang around the bay waiting to take advantage of the young calves' vulnerability in deep, open water.ALSO: Record number of killer whales show up to feast in Monterey BayGray whale moms will often do everything they can to protect their young, but, as was the case Saturday, it's often not enough.The killer whales were spotted in the area again Sunday, foraging after their successful hunt.Gray whale calves are expected to keep coming through the Monterey Bay over the next month, so it's likely hungry orcas will be spotted off the central coast through the end of May.Meanwhile, further north, it's the start of humpback season near San Francisco. Six humpbacks were seen in the San Francisco Bay and just west of the Golden Gate Bridge over the weekend.

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Volunteers swarmed around the hillside just below the Lexington Mineyard to plant native trees and shrubs on Saturday for the annual Plant A T
Important stuff you won't get from the liberal media! We do the surfing so you can be informed AND have a life!
Alan Barrett will be leaving his role as AFRINIC chief executive officer on 26 July 2019, the organisation has announced.

I have taken the difficult decision to leave AFRINIC, after four years as CEO. I have been both proud to serve the African community, and humble to realise how small my own contributions have been, Barrett said.

Any success that AFRINIC has enjoyed has been the result of a joint effort by many people, including the previous CEO, our dedicated and talented staff, board members past and present, our vibrant community, and volunteers who serve on various committees.

Barrett said that much work remains to be done to make Internet access affordable, open, and available throughout Africa.

I firmly believe in AFRINICs vision to be the leading force in growing the Internet for Africas sustainable development, and I have every confidence that the board and staff will continue to work towards that goal.

Internet pioneer

Alan Barrett is an Internet pioneer in South Africa, and was part of the group of people who helped establish South Africas first TCP/IP link to the United States in 1991.

Barrett later cofounded the countrys first Internet service provider  The Internetworking Company of Southern Africa (TICSA).

TICSA later became UUNET Internet Africa, which was acquired by Verizon in 2006 and traded as Verizon Business. MTN bought Verizon Business South Africa in March 2009.

AFRINIC thanked Barrett for his dedication, commitment, and outstanding contribution to the global and African Internet community.

It will launch a search process for a new CEO as soon as possible, it added.

Now read: A plan to stop governments from shutting down the Internet
I'm with the NPP to help ...
With her two legs and uncanny powers of articulation, Sylvia is not your typical dog  and Sylvia is not your typical play.

A.R. Gurneys comedy features a human actress playing an eager-to-please stray mutt who upends the lives of Greg and Kate, an empty-nest couple whove recently moved to Manhattan.

UpStage Napa Valleys production of Sylvia, opening Friday, May 10 at Grace Episcopal Church, stars Alexis Forni as Sylvia, Fred Ireland as Greg, and Megan Whyte as Kate, whos exasperated by the puppy love developing between Sylvia and her husband. The play continues Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through May 26. Friday, May 10 is sold out.

Its a smart, witty, funny play, said Jack Stuart, who plays a sketchy fellow dog owner with a New Yawk accent who meets Greg and Sylvia at a dog park. Its about a love triangle, except that in one corner theres a dog.

Its the most challenging play Ive ever done, said Ireland, performing in his 10th show with UpStage Napa Valley. I have two women onstage  ones my wife and ones my pet. ... Its also an emotional play for me because Im an animal lover.

Early scenes show Sylvia making herself at home on the couch, sitting on command, sniffing a nonplussed Kate, prancing around after a grooming session, and using human speech to express unmistakably canine sentiments like When do we eat? and I love you  I think youre God (to Greg).

The play premiered off-Broadway in 1995, with Sarah Jessica Parker playing Sylvia. Forni, who last appeared in UpStage Napa Valleys 2018 production of Clever Little Lies, said the role challenges her to mimic doglike mannerisms without surrendering her essential humanness.

I have to be a dog but also be a human at the same time, Forni said. Its a chance to be silly and approach things with the innocence and wonder that an animal would have.

Forni played Snoopy when she was 11, so this is technically her second canine performance. She prepared for this one by observing real dogs, including her sisters new puppy and Renaults poodle, Duchess.

Sylvias anthropomorphized antics  imagine her reaction when Greg or Kate say the word outside  account for many of the plays laughs, but the production also explores more serious territory with its human characters.

Greg is experiencing a classic midlife crisis. His relationship with Sylvia gives him the love and sense of purpose he craves, in contrast to the cold abstraction of his work as a banker dealing in currencies and money markets.

Meanwhile, Kate wants to start her own career teaching Shakespeare to urban kids. Finally free to pursue her professional ambitions now that their children are grown, Kate sees Sylvia as an unwelcome burden and a rival for her husbands affection.

Kate is very excited about starting a career in the public classroom and she doesnt really want to be bothered with animals and tied down to a dog, said Whyte, adding that as a real-life animal lover she finds some of Kates lines difficult to say.

The play will naturally appeal to animal lovers, but the cast and crew think audiences in general will appreciate its humor and characterizations.

For such an unconventional production, the rehearsal process has been smooth. Director Sharie Renault said the entire cast was off-book for the very first rehearsal, meaning the actors had already memorized their lines.

Renault previously directed Sylvia in 2011, and she decided the time was right to do it again.

I knew Alexis would be a dynamite dog, Renault said.

The cast also includes Elizabeth Stokkebye as Phyllis, a socialite who shares Kates aversion to Sylvia, and Deborah Todd as Leslie, a psychiatrist who dispenses extremely bad advice.

In keeping with the animal theme, UpStage Napa Valley is collaborating with Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch, We Care Animal Rescue and Wine Country Animal Lovers to feature adoptable pets at each performance.

(Sylvia contains adult language and themes.)

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St. Helena officials are eyeing a new financing tool that could help fund infrastructure and housing.

An Enhanced Infrastructure Finance District (EIFD) allows local governments to leverage future revenue from increased property taxes in order to issue bonds and otherwise pay for infrastructure projects.

EIFDs dont raise taxes. They merely allow governments to borrow against future property tax revenue from land that is being developed in a way that will increase its assessed value.

EIFDs can fund water and wastewater improvements, affordable housing, transportation projects, parks and open space or city buildings. With the construction of a new City Hall and other expensive projects on the horizon, St. Helena officials are considering whether an EIFD could be useful.

It could be spent on housing, open space  virtually everything thats sitting on our menu that we have to do, City Councilmember Mary Koberstein said during an April 24 special meeting.

City staff, working with the economic consulting firm Kosmont Companies, have identified 13 non-contiguous properties around town that have development potential and could be included in the district. They include Vineland Station, the Castellucci properties along Pope Street, the Adams Street property, City Hall, the former St. Helena Catholic School, and the Toogood and Harold Smith properties along Sulphur Creek.

Together, those properties account for $300-$530 million in potential new project value. That would translate into as much as $5.3-$6.4 million in bonding capacity for the city over the next 10 years.

The California legislature authorized EIFDs in 2014, in part to compensate for the loss of Redevelopment Agencies, which were eliminated in 2012. Only three cities have created EIFDs, although dozens of others are looking into it, according to Ken Hira of Kosmont Companies.

Voter approval isnt necessary to form an EIFD, although property owners within the district could mount a protest. However, EIFDs have no real impact on property owners because they will have to pay the additional property taxes anyway once their land is developed and reassessed, Hira said. An EIFD would just allow the city to leverage that additional revenue in advance.

An EIFD would be overseen by a five-member Public Financing Authority. Any bond issuance would require the approval of 55 percent of the affected landowners or registered voters, although pending legislation would eliminate that requirement.

Im open to looking at it more, Mayor Geoff Ellsworth said. Weve got a lot of projects coming up, so keeping everything on the table (makes sense).

Councilmember David Knudsen cautioned that EIFDs are still new and relatively untested, and a St. Helena EIFD would cede control of city money to a new agency. He also questioned whether St. Helenans would support the volume of development contemplated by an EIFD.

City staff will continue investigating EIFDs and report back to the council in a few weeks.

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Three-time James Beard Award-winning food writer David Leite recently joined The Washington Post Food section staff in answering questions about all things edible. Here are edited excerpts from that chat.

Q: So, given that I live in a small house with zero space for book shelves, I depend on the internet for new recipe research. But leading up to Easter I wanted to scream. Why can't food "bloggers" just let me see the darn recipe? I really don't care how they were "inspired" to come up with this recipe when they were contemplating their navel in the early spring mist! I now try to completely avoid clicking on anything that looks like a food blog and just go to the main recipe sites. Occasionally a blogger will have something that look's different - but if it take's me more than a second or two to see the actual recipe you're off my list!

A: I have to say I must respectfully disagree with you. Especially as someone who is a food blogger essentially who writes sometimes longer headnotes.

Yes, sometimes you want to write about your inspiration, sometimes you want to write about what you learned or tips to help others. But you know what? It's their blog, which I'm assuming you are accessing for free, and they can write however long they want.

I really don't think it's that big of a deal to scroll down to the recipe if you don't want to read the intro material, and anyway, I think some people do enjoy that kind of thing. The writers are people with lives, interests and experiences, not just recipe machines - like you said, if all you want is a recipe, feel free to go onto an aggregation site, but I do think those are totally lacking in the human element.

- Becky Krystal

A: I agree with Becky. Someone put in the time, care and effort to build, test and organize a recipe for you to consume for free. It's not an easy task to come up with a recipe from scratch or translate an old family recipe into something that can be replicated. Scrolling is not as arduous as recipe developing, testing and photography.

- Kari Sonde

A: I'll add that some sites offer printing options that allow you to check off what you want (and therefore don't want) to print, and that can include the photo, the intro, the nutritional information, etc. I love that feature. You might not be able to skip the overview when you're first going to the page, but when you print you can.

A: I hear you! And I have done the same on occasion. That's why I've added a "Jump to Recipe" button at the very top of every post. So if you're up a little bit of storytelling, great. If not, and you're hangry, hit that sucker and you're all set! More bloggers should use that!

- David Leite

Q: For the past few months, the garlic I buy has shrivelled up and dried out before I get a chance to use it. I keep it inside a cabinet, usually in the small stoneware garlic keeper inherited from my MIL. I have not been cooking as much lately but previously garlic would sprout or get brown spots when it got old. I select firm, well-formed heads and try to get ones with the root still attached. Do you guys have any ideas to keep garlic heads from drying out too soon?

A: Garlic will keep best and longest when it's stored at 60 to 65 degrees in moderate humidity. Most kitchens are too warm for that. You can try the fridge, but they will sprout. Also you can puree the cloves, spoon the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze.

- David Leite

Q: I have some leftover sour cream and creme fraiche from other recipes. Can I sub them for heavy cream (along with milk) in scalloped potatoes, or will the sauce break?

A: Creme fraiche should be fine to use, as it won't break cooked in sauces, but sour cream will likely do so. Still, it will taste delicious, so if you don't mind slightly unattractive look, sour cream will work for you in that role.

- Olga Massov

Q: We are having a square party soon. Everyone in our household will be at a square age (16, 49). I'm trying to come up with ideas for food to serve. So far, everything I've come up with is some version of bread. Any ideas of something impressive we can make that is square shape?

A: First of all, I love that idea! How cool! And happy birthdays to all. Secondly, the first thing that popped into my head was lasagna, and the second -- brownies. But why stop there, why not make frittata in a square dish?

- Olga Massov

Q: Carrot top greens are often a large part of the plant and it seems a shame to waste them. Any ideas?

A: Funny you should ask, because I just (two days ago) made carrot tops salsa verde and it's now hanging out in our fridge ready to top whatever we feel like: steak, salad, matzo with cream cheese, or (next week) a piece of bread. You can also make pesto with it.

- O.M.

I've also chopped them up and added them into a chimichurri sauce.

- D.L.

Q: I need an easy dessert for an event that does not need refrigeration and incorporates the jar of lemon curd I made with the lemon juice leftover from making limoncello. Any Ideas?

A: Make shortbread sandwich cookies! Pick any vanilla shortbread cookie recipe, make sure you make them all equally-sized, and then sandwich them together with lemon curd. Yum.

- K.S.

Q: Is there an art to reheating things in the microwave? I feel like I'm either nuking dense things (casseroles, lasagna, etc.) to high heaven to get the center warm while the outside is re-cooked, burn-your-tongue hot, or I just end up settling for a cool center. At home I always default to the oven but that's not really an option at work. I've accepted the stop-and-stir for my soup, but there has to be some techniques for other things, right?

A: There are certain things you can do. I find that covering things in the microwave somehow gets the center to cook, if not as fast as the outside, at least faster than it usually would. A friend of mine likes to dampen a paper towel and drape that on top, and somehow that seems to work for her. That paper towel method is great for reheating rice & pasta, which tends to dry out when you store it and dry out even more in the microwave.

Almost forgot: You can use a knife or fork and poke holes in a dense casserole or something, sprinkle a little water, cover and that should also help.

- K.S.
When Californias Democratic Party selects a new leader at this years annual convention, a barrage of presidential candidates will be on hand to make their case to voters.

Ten Democrats running for president are confirmed to speak in San Francisco between May 31 and June 2, according to an announcement from the state party of Monday.

The candidates include California Sen. Kamala Harris and other top-tier campaigners like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Others scheduled to attend the convention are New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and California Rep. Eric Swalwell.

The convention will be held at the Moscone Center. Specific times for the appearances have yet to be determined.

The list of speakers is not final, as other high-profile candidates may choose to join. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Texas Rep. Beto ORourke have not yet confirmed their attendance.

Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the California Democratic Party, said by text that the group is still waiting on a few pending confirmations.

Harris has received the backing of many prominent California Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, five congressional representatives, five statewide elected officials and five mayors of large cities. Sanders and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney each have the support of one California congressman, while Sen. Dianne Feinstein said earlier this year that shed support Biden.

California will be an important early battleground for the field of 20 Democratic presidential candidates, given it has the most number of delegates. The state hosts its primary on March 3, 2020, and mail-in voting begins Feb. 3  the same day as the Iowa caucuses.

Eighteen of the 20 candidates currently running have either visited the state or are scheduled to visit. Of the 60 total visits that have already happened, 14 were fundraisers.

Despite the frequent travels to the Golden State, most trips have been held in two of the states largest cities: Los Angeles and San Francisco. No candidate has held a public rally in the Central Valley, which party officials and political consultants consider a mistake.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
PG&E has no estimate when it might establish a temporary housing assistance fund for victims of the Northern California infernos of recent years, the company conceded during an acrimonious bankruptcy hearing Monday that included fresh criticism of how the disgraced utility is treating fire victims.

The unsettling revelations about the special fund to assist wildfire victims arose during a meeting of creditors on Monday that is one of the proceedings connected to PG&Es $51.69 billion bankruptcy filing, which arose from the companys responsibility for causing infernos in 2015, 2017 and 2018 .

We are looking to provide relief for those most in need from the fires, PG&Es Chief Financial Officer Jason Wells testified during the meeting of creditors. Its our intention to file as quickly as possible. I cant give you any kind of timetable.

One wildfire victim, Bryan Montgomery, a resident of Mountain House in Calaveras County at the time of a lethal inferno in 2015, told the hearing that hes been waiting for more than three years to be compensated by PG&E, which caused that deadly blaze.

Its been 3 and a half years. I lost everything. I have no property left, Montgomery told a silent hearing room. All I want is what I lost, to get back the life I was living.

Montgomery, 62, was forced to dive into a his swimming pool to escape a wildfire that roared through Calaveras County and Amador County in 2015, a disaster referred to as the Butte Fire.

I apologize, Wells said in response to Montgomerys circumstances.

Montgomery expressed skepticism about the repeated claims by PG&E during the hearing that its too soon for the company to specify the scope or timing for establishing the housing assistance fund or compensating victims.

You keep saying its premature, Montgomery said. How is it premature?

PG&E filed for bankruptcy on Jan. 29 after its finances buckled beneath the weight of mounting liabilities and wildfire-linked claims.

PG&Es equipment caused, or was directly connected to, a string of fatal wildfire catastrophes in 2015, 2017 and 2018. These disasters include some of the October 2017 infernos that scorched the North Bay Wine Country and nearby regions and a wildfire that roared through Butte County in November 2018 that essentially destroyed the town of Paradise.

In 2016, PG&E became a convicted felon when a federal jury found the utility guilty of crimes it committed before and after a natural gas pipeline exploded in San Bruno, a blast that killed eight people.

Creation of an assistance fund must skirt some roadblocks, Wells of PG&E warned. PG&E must navigate the bureaucratic mazes of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure that a special fund doesnt duplicate the governments efforts and prompt FEMA to curb or cancel disaster relief funds.

Gerald Singleton, an attorney for numerous wildfire victims, grilled PG&E executives about the companys financial status and its ability and commitment to repay wildfire victims.

At times during the proceeding, PG&E attorneys sparred with attorneys for wildfire victims in what has become an increasingly testy set of hearings related to the companys bankruptcy case.

Several times, PG&E bankruptcy attorney Stephen Karotkin ordered Wells and another company executive, PG&E controller David Thomason to not answer questions regarding PG&Es finances and other matters.

Hes not going to answer, Karotkin, referring to the PG&E chief financial officer, told an attorney for the fire victims. Move on.

After the hearing, Singleton suggested that PG&E is attempting to evade its responsibilities for causing multiple fatal infernos in recent years.

My view is PG&E categorically is not moving quickly enough and they are not treating the victims fairly, Singleton said. PG&E is using the wildfire victims as pawns so they can get a bailout from the state and try to avoid liabilities for future fires. All of those are outrageous.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Turkish court rules to leave Osman Kavala in custody

Anti-Corruption Committee: Armenia Prosecutor General's Office's instruction under Aghvan Hovsepyan's case is groundless

Dollar drops in Armenia

Tumo mobile center to be built in Armenia's Kapan

Price of Russian natural gas being supplied to Armenia to remain stable for 10 years

Armenia FM presents to Stanislav Zas situation on country's eastern border

Putin lets reporters shout from their seats at his press conference

More exchange of fire on Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border

Stanislav Zas visits Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex

French presidential candidate visits Artsakh

Biden states condition under which he will run in 2024 presidential elections

Armenia premier receives CSTO Secretary General

Turkish minister informs which airline company of Turkey will carry out flights to Armenia

Iranian FM: New chapter has begun between Azerbaijan and Iran, with positive effects

Armenian deputy parliamentary speaker: Armenia reaffirms its support to India regarding Jammu and Kashmir

Biden says those responsible for storming US Congress must be held accountable

Armenia PM to answer media, NGOs questions live on Facebook

275 million people test positive for COVID-19 globally

Armenias Pashinyan: Next wave of Covid will inevitably come

Death penalty abolished in Kazakhstan

White House says the time to restore the deal with Iran is running out

Biden will enjoy Christmas evening at White House with his family and friends

Health minister on Covid inoculations: 1,591,809 people vaccinated so far in Armenia

Armenia Police special forces forcibly apprehend Parakar village residents who closed off motorway

Armenia health minister: We have pretty good epidemic situation at the moment

Residents of Armenias Parakar block motorway

Armenia premier: Many historical, cultural masterpieces are endangered

Azerbaijan demands removal of Armenian place names in Karabakh from Google Maps

1 more person dies of coronavirus in Artsakh

Social affairs minister: There is natural increase in Armenia due to birth of 3rd child in families

129 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia legislature opposition on proposal to meet with PM Pashinyan: Closed-meeting format unacceptable

Explosion takes place at garbage processing plant in Turkey

Russia peacekeepers congratulate, give presents to Karabakh children on upcoming holidays

Azerbaijan which destroys monuments is attempting to conceal its vandalism

Newspaper: Armenia PM proposes parliament opposition to meet, discuss Artsakh negotiation topic

Situation tense in Armenias Parakar

Newspaper: Next step is to launch criminal case against now ex-mayor of Yerevan

Armenia opposition MP on Security Council chief statement: He has lied

Armen Grigoryan clarifies why Ruben Rubinyan was appointed Armenia's envoy for negotiations with Turkey

Armenia Security Council Secretary on '3+3' format: If there is opportunity, we will go to Baku and Ankara

Armenian Security Council Secretary: There is still no Armenia-Turkey agenda, we need to sit at table and talk

Security Council Secretary: Document signed by Armenian, Russian MODs was not about pullout of Armenian troops in Syunik

Yerevan Council of Elders member Lilit Pipoyan also drops mandate

IRGC uses suicide drones during drills in southern Iran

U.S. diplomat arrested on suspicion of selling fake passport to Syrian citizen for $10,000 in Turkey

Iran FM: '3+3' format may contribute to strengthening of peace and stability in the region

Robert Kocharyan expresses condolences over the death of National Hero Karen Demirtchyan's wife

Baku admits that it is blocking opening of communications in region by setting forth different conditions

Member of 'My Step' faction of Yerevan Council of Elders applies to leave, but says he won't drop mandate

Armenia President: Azerbaijan has been using its position of victory to impose that game

17-year-old boy commits suicide in Armenia's Ararat Province

Russian companies have pretension to participate in development of Karabakh's sector occupied by Azerbaijan

Iranian FM reminds Aliyev about Iran President's invitation to visit Tehran

Body of 34-year-old citizen of Russia found at parking lot of Dvin Hotel in Yerevan

Russia MOD: Russian Armed Forces are guarantor of peace in Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh

Yerevan mayor's spokesperson Hakob Karapetyan quits

NEWS.am daily digest: 22.12.21

Lavrov, Mirzoyan agree on steps to launch practical activities for demarcation of Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Turkey hopes construction of Igdir-Nakhchivan natural gas pipeline is launched as soon as possible

Inter-agency task force holds first session at Armenia Emergency Situations Ministry

Armenian and Russian FMs hold phone talks

Georgian and Azerbaijani MODs sign 2022 Bilateral Cooperation Plan

Deputy PM: Armenia seeks to diversify its energy system

Analyst: At this rate, Armenia's authorities might refuse to visit Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex soon

Papikyan, Zas discuss CSTO priorities during Armenia chairmanship

Iran-Armenia Friendship Group member: Tehran won't tolerate any territorial change in the region

Armenia opposition party leader is arrested

One dollar falls below AMD 480 in Armenia

Erdogan rejects possibility of snap elections in Turkey

Iranian FM: Iran welcomes further economic and trade cooperation with Azerbaijan

Peskov says Putin-Biden video call might be held before end of the year

Lavrov urges NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to resign

Saakashvili to not attend trial in Tbilisi court today

Azerbaijan extends special lockdown regime

Peskov: Russia has informed Turkey that it doesn't approve of naming of a park after Dudayev

Yerevan has new mayor

Yerevan hosts meeting of Armenia-Russia intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation

Armenia Deputy PM: Most realistic projects are being considered in this stage

Armenia PM expresses condolences over death of wife of statesman and National Hero Karen Demirtchyan
YEREVAN.  The indictment on the criminal case against second President Robert Kocharyan and some other former officials has been posted on the website of the Judicial Information System of Armenia.

Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the Judicial Information System that capital city Yerevan Judge Vardan Grigoryan will be presiding over the trial on this criminal case.

As reported earlier, the prosecutor has confirmed the indictment on the part that has been separated from the criminal case on the events of March 2008 in Yerevan, and regarding Robert Kocharyan, Seyran Ohanyan, Yuri Khachaturov, and Armen Gevorgyan.

The Special Investigation Service had 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.
Pashinyan should get down to work and stop playing politics with the US. This is what senior fellow of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Paul Stronski wrote on Twitter as he commented on Pashinyans criticism of the US.

Stronski states that the US was highly critical of Kocharyan and Sargsyan in 2008 and that is why it pulled the Millennium Challenges Corporation funding. The analyst also reminded that the US increased its assistance significantly to Armenia after the transfer of power. Unlike the EU, which pledges money, but delivers slowly, $14 million in additional assistance flowed into Armenia from US within 6 months, writes the analyst.

Stronski also touched upon Armenias humanitarian mission in Syria. The US understands Armenian interests in Syria because of diaspora. But Armenian deployment of deminers in Syria alongside Russia is a big deal to the US, he said.

According to Stronski, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus long resisted Russian pressure to deploy to Syria to support Moscows efforts to prop up man who used chemical weapons on own people, but Armenia is so far only one that has.

Stronski stressed that there seemed to be no messaging strategy to the West, nor did there appear to be an understanding of how this would appear to Armenias European and North American partners. US-Armenia relationship is strong, and this is an unforced error. But, Pashinyan has work to do and he should do it, instead of blaming the US, he concluded.
YEREVAN.  Participation in the Eurasian Economic Union is one of the priorities for the Armenian government, PM Nikol Pashinyan said during the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Yerevan (PHOTOS).

Welcoming the participants, PM emphasized that the Armenian government is seeking efficient participation in the organization and is taking efforts to improve mechanisms and increase the efficiency of the organization. Pashinyan noted that Armenia is facing major transformation which impacts nearly all aspects of life. The ultimate goal of major reforms is creation of competitive, technologically developed economy and the society based on universal principles of equality and rule of law. There are also tax reforms as well as optimization of public management.

Efforts are taken to create conditions for implementation of creative, intellectual and business potential, and to attract foreign investment. Armenia is a dynamically developing country which is showing political stability and predictability, he added.

Pashinyan stressed that the government enjoys high level of legitimacy and unprecedented public confidence.

Government priorities are in harmony with the philosophy envisaged by the Unions charter. Participation [in the Union] is considered as an instrument of reaching goals and tasks of the government. There is a steady increase in trade with countries. The proportion reached 28.5%. Exports grew by 20%, trade in general by more than 11%, he said.

According to him, an important point is the issue of common markets for oil, gas and oil products. It is necessary to intensify efforts to address the issues of pricing for energy carriers, taking into account the transit of components.

Armenia is ready to make all efforts aimed at expanding the geography of free trade agreements and attracting new partners, Pashinyan added.

He also touched upon importance of diversification of the Eurasian transport infrastructure, financial services, expansion of the regulatory framework for protection of the rights of migrant workers, using the potential of domestic tourism within the Union and providing conditions for business development and healthy competition.
YEREVAN.  The results achieved since the launch of the Eurasian Economic Union prove that the project has hit the target, and the organization is developing, Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev said during a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Yerevan.

Russian PM said the economies have to feel confident and the citizens have to feel the favorable consequences of the integration.

GDP of the Union has increased by 2.5 percent. The goal to ensure GDP not lower than 2% has been achieved, he added.

Trade turnover with the third states has increased by 10 percent, and mutual trade grew by 9%.

However, Russian PM believes there are still task to focus on, including introduction of digital technology, services for business, innovation processes in the economics, strengthening of the internal shape of integration.

We are working according to a roadmap, but implementation is not at a very fast pace, this has an impact on entrepreneur activities, he added.

Russian PM touched upon creation of free economic areas with Vietnam, and ongoing talks with Singapore, India, Egypt, Servia and Israel.

We have to continue working especially in the Asia Pacific as well as Latin America. This will give a significant advantage to promote Eurasian goods, Medvedev said.
The attorney of former Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Armen Gevorgyan (Gevorgyan is charged with assistance in overthrow of constitutional order in the case of the events of March 1, 2008) has become familiar with all the materials of the criminal case related to Gevorgyan and has come to the conclusion that the charge brought against Armen Gevorgyan and his connection to the committal of the criminal acts ascribed to him are not corroborated in the criminal case.

Touching upon the episode of assistance in overthrow of constitutional order (ascribed to Armen Gevorgyan), the attorney said the following: The body implementing proceedings links the assistance to Armen Gevorgyans impact on former member of the Constitutional Court Valery Poghosyan (Valery Poghosyan was supposedly supposed to participate in the examination of the application filed by Levon Ter-Petrosyan and vote against, but according to the defendant, Valery Poghosyan didnt participate in the examination of the application), he said.

The attorney noted that the decision on the charge brought against Gevorgyan doesnt clearly state the other ways in which his client assisted Robert Kocharyan in overthrowing constitutional order. As far as the episode of receiving a bribe with the help of Samvel Mayrapetyan is concerned, Eric Alexanyan said the following:

The part about the bribe only includes the testimony of Silva Hambardzumyan. During the preliminary investigation of the case, Silva Hambardzumyan testified nearly five times, and all the testimonies are mutually exclusive, he said. The attorney also stated that there was no cross-examination between his client and Silva Hambardzumyan, but according to him, the body implementing proceedings had to ensure the accused-on-trials right to that.
YEREVAN.  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is satisfied with the results of the April 30 meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.

We hope that the meeting, just as other initiatives within Armenias presidency in the Eurasian Union bodies, will contribute to further development of integration and achieving practical results, first of all for the citizens of our countries. Armenia is interested in increasing efficiency of integration processes within the Union and is ready to spare no effort to achieve this goal. We had 13 issues on the agenda, and many of them are very importance for deepening of integration. In particular, this refers to implementation of digital agenda, which is one of the priorities of our cooperation, he said.

According to him, the meeting participants discussed the development of a digital ecosystem in the EAEU, and this issue is important for the development of online commerce. The issue of using national cryptographic standards, electronic digital signature in the interaction of economic entities of Armenia, Russia and Kyrgyzstan with the executive authorities of the parties was also discussed.

The discussion was initiated by the Armenian side and we are glad that our colleagues expressed their readiness to support us, Pashinyan said.

The issues aimed at removing obstacles and barriers to the functioning of the EAEU internal market are on the agenda. He noted the decisions aimed at the development of a single window mechanism in the system of regulating the foreign economic activity of the member states.

In conclusion, Pashinyan stressed the readiness to welcome colleagues in Yerevan again: We will be happy to welcome the heads of state at the next meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which will be held in Armenia in October.
State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) Grigory Martirosyan convened a working consultation with Minister of Agriculture Zhirayr Mirzoyan, the heads of regional administrations, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the State Service for Emergency Situations to consider the issues on organizing the anti-fire and anti-hail preventive actions during the spring sowing.

Minister of Agriculture Zhirayr Mirzoyan delivered a report, presenting the spring sowing indicators and stating that the provision of the required seeds is in the final stage. Talking about anti-fire and anti-hail protection, Mirzoyan particularly stated that the chemical process will end on May 6 and the mechanical process will end in early June, depending on the weather.

Receiving additional clarificatinos from the heads of regional administrations, Martirosyan stated that it is necessary to do everything possible to make sure there is minimum loss of crops caused by fires in sowing areas.

Deputy Director of the State Service for Emergency Situations Vladik Khachatryan provided details about the past and upcoming activities.

At the end, the State Minister urged to explain about the right and safe use of seeds and fertilizers on the spot.
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Dannit Saporta woke up with a start Tuesday morning.

My dad was screaming that something very big was happening in Venezuela. I was so surprised, said Saporta, a senior majoring in finance and business technology in the University of Miami Business School. Everyone in my community has a lot of hope, and we have a lot of expectations that something good could happen from this.

Saporta spent hours watching television reports about the uprising and possible coup underway Tuesday in her native country. Opposition leader Juan Guaido urged soldiers and civilians in Venezuela to take to the streets and rise up against the government of Nicolas Maduro.

Its not like other manifestations in the past, she said.

With graduation on the horizon, Saporta said the news has been overwhelming to keep up with during a time she is supposed to be studying for finals.

Its very hard because my mind is somewhere else, she said. My school has turned into my family. Im always in school, and it feels amazing to feel the support from a place I spend most of my time, she said.

In an effort to help them continue their studies, Saporta and two UM graduate students from Venezuela recently received a $5,000 grant each from the Institute of International Education (IIE) to help pay for their last semester of college. The IIE distributed $250,000 in one-time grants to 59 Venezuelan students enrolled at U.S. institutions who are experiencing financial hardship due to the political situation in their home country. The grants are through IIEs Emergency Student Fund (ESF), which can be used to cover tuition, room and board, and other expenses necessary for their studies.

The available grants were brought to the attention of the students by UM's International Student and Scholar Services, which worked with Financial Aid and the students to file the applications and promote their nominations.

It was a very exciting moment when I found out I was a recipient, said Saporta. I knew it was going to be very helpful for my family. It feels like a relief, because I know it will greatly reduce economic stress.

Saporta said the grant has been instrumental in helping her achieve her goal to finish her studies at UM and graduate in May. That is not the only goal she has in mindSaporta has her sights set high after graduation. She has already accepted a job at Norwegian Cruise Line as a revenue management coordinator.

My goal is to learn as much as I can. I eventually want to go back to my country and apply all my knowledge to help rebuild the economy there, Saporta said.

Saporta thanks the University of Miami community for helping her get through hard times.

The counseling center has been very supportive. They make it known to students that if we ever need to speak to someone, theyre always available, said Saporta.

It has been two years since she visited her home. She said It was a sobering reminder of how the country has headed toward a downward spiral.

It was not the same country I knew growing up. Theres a lot of scarcity. I saw people looking for food in the garbage, and that was something I didnt see as much before, Saporta said.

She continues to hold on to hope.

I am very proud of my culture. I hope Venezuela can overcome this with help from the international community, Saporta said. I hope countries like the United States can act on their statements and help Venezuela transition into a more stable country.
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Mario Tama/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., plans to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department about Trump campaign supporter Erik Princes congressional testimony, arguing he willingly misled the committee.



Schiff accused Prince, a military contractor who founded Blackwater and whose sister, Betsy DeVos, serves as President Donald Trumps secretary of Education, of making false statements to Congress about his meeting with a Russian banker in January of 2017, shortly before Trumps inauguration.



The meeting in the Seychelles Islands raised suspicions with investigators that the two were trying to set up a back-channel between the Kremlin and the Trump administration.



Both publicly and before the House Intelligence Committee during testimony in November of 2017, Prince has sought to paint the meeting as a chance encounter over a beer, insisting he didn't fly there to meet any Russian guy.



He testified that he traveled to Seychelles for a meeting with United Arab Emirates officials about possible business opportunities, and they introduced him to Russian investment fund manager Kirill Dmitriev.



But Schiff, after reviewing a redacted version of special counsel Robert Muellers report on Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, suggested otherwise.



We know from the Mueller report now that it was not a chance meeting, that he had preparatory materials about him before he left, Schiff said Tuesday. He was also asked whether he was attempting to establish a backchannel for the Trump transition or campaign, which he also denied.



So in very material ways, I think the evidence strongly suggests that he willingly misled our committee and the Justice Department needs to consider whether to make a prosecutable case, Schiff added.



Last year, Dmitriev, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggested to ABC News that he had wanted to meet with Prince in order to improve relations between the U.S and Russia.



I cannot comment much more on this meeting all I can say is that we are meeting hundreds of business people throughout the year and we believe that the goal of restoring U.S.-Russia relations is a good one, its a noble one and we want to unite different people who want to restore U.S.-Russia relations, Dmitriev told ABC News.



Prince has said that the Seychelles meeting was leaked to the news media in an illegal unmasking of his identity. A spokesman for Prince did not immediately comment on Tuesday.



Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
NYC natural history museum to showcase geology researchers exhibit

by Tim Crosby

A geology researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has quite a story to tell: the history of minerals in the universe.

Daniel Hummers exhibit, which will go on display in 2020 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, will tell the story of the original 12 minerals in the universe, and how they evolved into thousands over billions of years.

Hummer, assistant professor in the geology degree program at SIU, received the offer to design the exhibit late in 2018 and began working on it in 2019. He is the lead designer on the project.

The exhibit describes how key events in geologic history gave birth to new minerals. Some such events include the universes first supernovae, the formation of Earth, the development of plate tectonics, the origin of life, and the development of photosynthesis.

Museum is leader in natural history education

Since its founding 1869, the AMNH has become one of the worlds preeminent scientific and cultural institutions and is renowned for its exhibitions and scientific collections, which serve as a field guide to the world and present a panorama of its cultures. Hummers exhibit will be located in the museums Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, which is currently under renovation.

The approach of mineral evolution, which looks at the way Earths minerals have changed over time instead of simply analyzing present-day content, is relatively new, Hummer said, and was first proposed about a decade ago by Robert Hazen, Hummers former postdoctoral adviser.

Since that time, weve discovered a great deal about how minerals have changed over time, but the field is still very much in its infancy, he said.

Minerals and life are interrelated  theory

One of the key messages in the exhibit, which incorporates a fairly new understanding of the subject, is that the story of life and the story of minerals are interconnected in ways that researchers never previously imagined, Hummer said.

Minerals may have played a role in creating life by allowing new interactions of molecules on their surfaces, and in turn, life alters the environment enough to allow the formation of new minerals, Hummer said. So the evolution of both life and minerals rely on each other in ways that we're only beginning to understand. They are not separate systems. They are all parts of the same system that continually influence each other over Earth's history.

Exhibit will have long life

The exhibit may be on display more than 20 years and is quite detailed and elaborate in design. For instance, the anchor graphic of the exhibit is a spiral timeline of the entire history of the universe. The earliest history will begin at the bottom of the spiral in more compressed fashion, with the more recent history expanded near the top.

Each color-coded portion of the graphic will represent a particular stage of mineral evolution, while each mineral evolution stage will be accompanied by an enlarged blowup visual information box. Each box will contain a title for the stage, a brief explanation, and samples of representative minerals and/or rocks that formed during that stage.

The visual and video portions of the mineral evolution exhibit will be under design until spring of 2020. Those exhibits will go on display in the newly renovated area of the museum that summer.

Opportunity for public outreach

Hummer said being approached by one of the world's most prestigious museums to design an exhibit is a bit surreal and more than just a professional honor.

It's also an incredible opportunity to show parts of my research to the public, in a place and format where it can be viewed by millions of people, he said. I've always felt that science education and outreach is one of the keys to society's future, and I'm excited to have a chance to show the general public how fascinating, and how important, the story of minerals is to life and to our planet as a whole.
(Adds Taliban statement)

By Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Ahmad Sultan

KABUL, April 30 (Reuters) - Afghan government forces have launched attacks in a bid to clear rival militants who have been battling each other for territory near the Pakistan border in fighting that has forced thousands of villagers from their homes, officials said on Tuesday.

Taliban and Islamic State militants have been fighting for more than a week in the eastern border province of Nangarhar, since Islamic State fighters seized six villages in an area where the mineral talc is mined.

There has been no comment from Islamic State or information about casualties it has sustained in the clashes, some of the heaviest between the rival Islamist factions over the past year.

The Taliban said in a statement on Tuesday that Afghan soldiers backed by U.S. forces had killed seven civilians in raids in Nangarhar, decrying their "ruthless savagery." The statement did not give details about the continuing clashes.

Late on Monday, Afghan government forces launched attacks including air strikes to push the militants out of the area, officials said.

The main government intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, said in a statement that 22 Islamic State fighters had been killed and two of their weapons caches destroyed.

The provincial governor's spokesman, Ataullah Khogyani, said that while Monday night's attacks were aimed at "eliminating" Islamic State in the area, the government wanted to clear out the Taliban too.

"The government is fighting both militant groups," Khogyani said.

Sohrab Qaderi, a provincial council member in Nangarhar, said more than 9,000 families had been displaced by the clashes between the militant groups.

Qaderi also said the government strikes did not appear to have ended the fighting between them, and that some villagers' homes had been damaged in the air strikes.

Nangarhar province has large deposits of talc and other minerals such as chromite and marble, and sits on major smuggling routes into Pakistan.

Illegal mining of talc, used in products ranging from paint to baby powder, is a major source of revenue for insurgents in Nangarhar, where Islamic State has its stronghold.

Islamic State fighters first appeared in eastern Afghanistan in around 2014 and have battled the Taliban as well as government and foreign forces. The U.S. military estimates there are about 2,000 Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan. (Writing by Rupam Jain Editing by Robert Birsel and Catherine Evans)
* China April factory growth unexpectedly slows

* AMS hits near 6-month high on upbeat outlook

* Euro zone GDP data better than expected (Updates prices, adds comment)

By Agamoni Ghosh and Medha Singh

April 30 (Reuters) - European shares fell on Tuesday weighed down by banks as investors parsed through a mixed bag of earnings, while sentiment remained fragile over growth worries after weak factory data from China clouded modest economic growth numbers from the Eurozone.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index edged lower by 0910 GMT as most major indices remained in negative territory with France's CAC underperforming.

Banks were the biggest weight on the STOXX 600 with Danske Bank, caught up in a money-laundering scandal, falling over 6 percent after reporting first-quarter pretax profit below expectations and lowering its outlook for 2019.

Santander, the euro zone's biggest bank by market value, also slipped after first-quarter net profit dropped. Nordea Bank and BBVA also reported lower profits and fell between 1 percent and 3 percent.

Standard Chartered, however, advanced after the bank announced plans for up to $1 billion of share buybacks, its first in at least 20 years.

The disappointing data from China, a big consumer of metals, weighed on basic resources stocks, which were the biggest percentage losers. Glencore's move to cut its copper output forecast also weighed on the sector.

In contrast, markets did not react to the Euro zone economic growth data which was stronger than expected in the first quarter, rebounding strongly from a slump in the second half of 2018, while unemployment fell to its lowest rate in more than a decade.

"The stuff that matters the most for long term demand - the services, labor market - that in eurozone is in good shape," said Kallum Pickering, senior economist at Berenberg.

"The Eurozone slowdown highlights the risk in the global economy which has spread to the domestic economy."

Story continues

Orange's shares hit the floor of CAC 40, after the telecoms group's quarterly revenue in France fell for the first time in two years, highlighting the tough competitive environment in the country.

Airbus slipped after the European planemaker reported a heavy drain on cash, which overshadowed slightly higher-than-expected core first-quarter profits.

Rising fuel costs and excess capacity in Europe dragged German airline Lufthansa into a first-quarter loss. The stock shed 3 percent.

Among the bright spots, chipmaker AMS jumped 20 percent, to touch a near six-month high after it beat forecasts for first-quarter profit and gave an upbeat outlook for the second quarter.

An Apple supplier, the AMS results came before Apple's quarterly report which is due late on Tuesday.

Also helping the chip sentiment was an upbeat forecast from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd for the second half of the year.

Apple, General Electric and McDonald's are due to report their earnings later in the day. (Reporting by Agamoni Ghosh and Medha Singh, editing by Ed Osmond)
(Adds expert, paragraphs 6-8; picture tag)

By Devjyot Ghoshal

NEW DELHI, April 30 (Reuters) - Mountaineers from the Indian army on a expedition in Nepal have found mysterious large footprints in the snow that they think belong to the Yeti, or the abominable snowman, the military said on Tuesday.

Largely regarded by the scientific community as a myth, the Yeti is part of Nepali folklore and is said to live high in the snow-capped Himalayas.

In a tweet accompanied by pictures, the Indian army said it had sighted footprints measuring 32 by 15 inches (81 by 38 cm) close to a camp near Mount Makalu on April 9.

"For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti'" it said in a tweet, not explaining how a mythical beast could leave footprints.

Located on the border between Nepal and China, Makalu is among the highest mountains in the world and stands near the Makalu-Barun valley, a remote wilderness that has also been surveyed by researchers hunting for the Yeti.

Daniel C. Taylor, who has extensively explored the Makalu-Barun area and written a book on the mystery of the Yeti, said the footprints were likely those of bears.

"If that is the footprint of an animal or a single animal, it's the size of a dinosaur," he told Reuters, adding that repeated measurements of the footprints were required to ascertain their origin.

"One needs to really confirm those measurements of the footprint size because we know for sure that there are no dinosaurs living in the Barun valley."

Tales of a wild hairy beast roaming the Himalayas have captured the imagination of climbers in Nepal since the 1920s, prompting many, including Sir Edmund Hillary, to go looking for the creature.

In 2008, Japanese climbers returning from a mountain in western Nepal told Reuters they had seen footprints, which they thought belonged to the Yeti.

And although they carried long-lens cameras, video cameras and telescopes, they hadn't seen or taken any photographs of the creature.

But scientists have found little evidence of the Yeti's existence so far. In 2017, a group of international researchers studied multiple purported Yeti samples collected from across the Himalayan region and concluded they belonged to bears.

In 2008, two men in the United States said they had found the remains of a half-man, half-ape, which was eventually revealed to be a rubber gorilla suit. (Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Nick Macfie)
(Recasts headline; adds report on T. Rowe Price opposition)

By Arathy S Nair and David French

April 30 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc committed $10 billion on Tuesday to Occidental Petroleum Corp's $38 billion cash-and-stock bid for Anadarko Petroleum Corp, boosting its chances of snatching a deal from Chevron Corp.

Occidental and Chevron are locked in the biggest oil-industry takeover battle in years as they eye Anadarko's prized assets in West Texas' huge Permian shale oilfield.

Anadarko on Monday agreed to start negotiations with Occidental, saying its bid may potentially be superior to Chevron's existing deal to buy Anadarko for $33 billion in cash and stock.

Berkshire's cash provides Occidental with flexibility to fund and even increase its proposal. Anadarko has previously expressed reservations about the risk of Occidental having to get any deal voted through by its own shareholders.

Occidental could now use the majority of the Berkshire investment to add cash to its bid and remove the requirement for a vote, if it so chooses.

T. Rowe Price Group, an influential Occidental shareholder, said on Tuesday it was "very concerned" about the deal, and that it could vote against the board at Occidental's upcoming shareholder meeting if the company tried to circumvent giving stockholders a say on the Anadarko transaction, according to a report on Barron's website.

T. Rowe Price is Occidental's sixth-largest shareholder, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.

The Berkshire investment, contingent on Occidental completing its proposed acquisition of Anadarko, could also repay some of the debt being taken on to finance the deal's cash portion, or cover the $10 billion to $15 billion of proceeds from asset sales which Occidental plans in the two years after closing the acquisition.

Analysts said Buffett's endorsement supports Occidental's push to get the deal done but comes at a high cost.

Story continues

Berkshire Hathaway will get 100,000 preferred shares and a warrant to purchase up to 80 million shares of Occidental at $62.50 apiece in a private offering, a statement from Occidental said.

The preferred stock will accrue dividends at 8 percent per annum, compared with about 5 percent yield on common equity and 4 percent on term debt, Tudor Pickering Holt analyst Matthew Portillo said.

"For Occidental shareholders, our view is this is a fairly expensive cost of financing for the transaction even though it carries a kind of nice headline of having Berkshire Hathaway participate in the potential financing here."

It is rare for Buffett to participate in a bidding war for a company. The last time he did this was in 2016, supporting a consortium including Quicken Loans Inc founder Dan Gilbert that tried unsuccessfully to buy Yahoo Inc's internet assets.

Shares of Occidental closed 2.1% lower at $58.88, while Anadarko shares were down about 0.1% at $72.85. Chevron shares rose 2% to $120.06.

A Chevron spokesman reiterated that the San Roman, California-based company believes its "signed agreement with Anadarko provides the best value and the most certainty to Anadarko's shareholders."

Occidental and Chevron, two of the largest oil and gas producers in the Permian by production volumes, argue they can best squeeze more oil from Anadarko's 240,000 acres (97,120 hectares)in the area.

The two companies control land adjacent to Anadarko's properties and expect a deal will add deposits that can produce supplies for decades using low-cost drilling techniques.

(Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru and David French in New York; Additional Reporting by Jennifer Hiller in Houston Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Shinjini Ganguli and Jonathan Oatis)
* Belgium brought case after resistance from Wallonia region

* Protection of foreign investors at center of protests

* EU changed system to settle disputes

* Canada, Singapore sign up to new system, Japan hesitant (Adds comment from Canadian trade minister)

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS, April 30 (Reuters) - The European Union won backing from the bloc's top court on Tuesday for its system to protect foreign companies, which proponents say is essential for future trade agreements but critics say unfairly favors multinationals.

As the EU prepares to start negotiations with the United States, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled as lawful the mechanism to settle disputes between investors and states in the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada.

Belgium had asked the court to give its view on that mechanism, under which tribunals with publicly appointed judges resolve disputes brought by foreign companies.

Critics had said the special courts undermined the supremacy of the ECJ and discriminated by only allowing foreign investors, not domestic investors, to bring cases.

The system of using tribunals to settle such disputes became a focal point of mass demonstrations against the "TTIP" EU-U.S. trade talks, which are now frozen, and CETA, when EU countries were deciding whether to back the latter in 2016.

The protests forced the European Commission, which negotiates trade deals for the 28-nation EU, to rethink its preference for the much-used investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system, with private arbitrators.

The EU has convinced Canada, as well as Singapore and Vietnam, to sign up to the new court system. It would also have to be part of a future comprehensive trade agreement with Britain after it leaves the EU.

But it has yet to persuade Japan after their trade deal provisionally went into force in February. The United States has also been critical, although investor protection does not feature in the slimmed-down industrial tariff agreement the EU has proposed.

Story continues

Canada's Trade Minister Jim Carr welcomed the ruling and said that CETA is generating more commerce.

"The numbers show that CETA is working on both sides of the Atlantic," Carr said in a statement. "In the first year of provisional application, we have seen an increase in bilateral trade of 9.4 percent."

BELGIAN BLOCKADE

The ECJ case came after the Belgian region of Wallonia, then led by Socialists, threatened to block CETA in 2016. The federal government persuaded it not to do so in return for concessions. Those included a request for an ECJ opinion.

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, whose liberal MR party will be fighting to stay in power in an election in May, said he was pleased with the ruling, adding in a statement that Belgian businesses had done well in the first year of CETA.

Environmental group Friends of the Earth said CETA was "legal but unfair."

CETA took effect on a provisional basis in September 2017. Its full implementation, including the investor protection parts, requires approval by all 28 EU member countries and, for Belgium, also of its regional parliaments.

The court ruled that an international agreement, such as CETA, could lead to the creation of a tribunal to rule on matters related to it. The deal did contain provisions preventing investors from challenging public decisions on issues such as consumer or environmental safety, it said.

It also said CETA did not infringe the principle of equal treatment, since Canadian investors with interests in the EU were not comparable with EU investors with interests in the bloc. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, additional reporting by Steve Scherer and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; editing by Robin Emmott, Larry King and Bernadette Baum)
(Adds WageWorks' statement, changes sourcing)

By Greg Roumeliotis

NEW YORK, April 29 (Reuters) - WageWorks Inc, an administrator of employee benefits, confirmed on Monday that HealthEquity Inc, a U.S. custodian of health savings accounts, had offered to acquire it.

A deal would represent the boldest bet yet of HealthEquity Chief Executive Jon Kessler, a benefits taxation specialist who founded WageWorks in 2000 before joining HealthEquity in 2009. It would create a larger administrator of consumer-directed health, commuter and employee benefit plans.

There is no certainty that talks between HealthEquity and WageWorks will result in a deal, said people familiar with the matter, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Details of HealthEquity's offer could not be learned.

"The WageWorks Board of Directors, in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, will continue to carefully review the proposal," WageWorks said in a statement, after Reuters first reported of HealthEquity's bid.

HealthEquity, which has a market capitalisation of $4.6 billion, did not respond to requests for comment. WageWorks is valued at about $1.7 billion.

WageWorks shares jumped 18 percent to $51.02 in afterhours trading in New York on the news on Monday. HealthEquity shares dropped 4.1 percent to $69.94.

Based in Draper, Utah, HealthEquity offers a platform that connects 141 health, retirement and other benefit plan providers with employees at more than 45,000 companies. It is responsible for about 4 million health saving accounts.

Based in San Mateo, California, WageWorks administers pre-tax spending accounts, such as health savings accounts, as well as commuter benefit services, including transit and parking benefits and wellness programs.

Last year, WageWorks replaced its CEO and top management after announcing it had improperly reported some earnings figures and had to restate its financial results. The CEO role is now held by Edgar Montes, who joined WageWorks in 2006 from American Express Co. (Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York, additional reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bangalore; editing by Bill Rigby, Sonya Hepinstall and Rashmi Aich)
* FTSE 100 down 0.3 pct, FTSE 250 down 0.4 pct

* StanChart gains on results, buyback

* Whitbread, Glencore hit after downbeat forecasts

* Mining cos slip on disappointing China data

* Sirius Minerals tanks on share offering (Adds news items, analyst comment, updates with closing prices)

By Shashwat Awasthi and Yadarisa Shabong

April 30 (Reuters) - An unexpected slowdown in China's April factory activity coupled with a firmer pound weighed on the FTSE 100 as miners and exporters weakened, even as Standard Chartered surged on buyback plans.

Dim outlooks from Glencore and Whitbread added to woes as the main index closed down 0.3 percent. The FTSE 100 nevertheless managed to clock in a fourth consecutive month of gains.

The domestically focused FTSE 250 lost 0.4 percent on Tuesday.

Glencore dropped 2.6 percent as severe flooding in Australia led it to lower its 2019 copper output target.

Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn, fell 6.2 percent on its worst day in more than two years after forecasting weak room revenue growth in the UK.

Mining shares were at over a month-low, hit as most industrial metals weakened. Data showed factory activity in China, the world's biggest copper consumer, unexpectedly slowed in April.

"Chinese recovery may well take longer than expected, and it is premature to hang out the bunting for a Chinese-led global recovery in economic activity over the rest of the year," CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said.

But that didn't deter Asia-exposed Standard Chartered . The bank's London-listed shares jumped 4.6 percent to a 10-month high after it announced plans for a share buyback of up to $1 billion, its first such in at least 20 years, and posted higher earnings.

The pound ultimately decided the FTSE 100's fate on Tuesday, however, rising on media reports that the tone of cross-party Brexit talks had improved.

AstraZeneca was the biggest drag on the index.

Packaging firm DS Smith's shares slipped 4.2 percent after a full-year update. "There were no fireworks in the pre-close," Jefferies analysts noted.

Story continues

The mid-cap index also booked monthly gains but Sirius Minerals slumped on its worst day in nearly 2-1/2 years, losing 20.5 percent after a discounted share offering.

Pub-operator Greene King shed 7.5 percent, its biggest one-day fall since late June, despite forecasting annual pre-tax profit above analysts' expectations.

"Although this is a good result, we think it will have largely been priced in given the weak comparable and the favorable Easter weather," JP Morgan analysts wrote of Greene King update. (Reporting by Muvija M and Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; editing by Larry King)
(Adds Breakingviews link, closing share price)

By Alwyn Scott and Rachit Vats

April 30 (Reuters) - General Electric Co said on Tuesday it generated more profit and lost less cash than expected in the first quarter, suggesting an improving outlook under its new leader that sent its shares and bonds higher.

New Chief Executive Larry Culp cautioned, however, that the results stemmed largely from the timing of payments to suppliers and from customers, and did not alter GE's financial outlook for the year.

"One quarter is a data point not a trend," Culp said on a conference call with analysts.

GE's profit from continuing operations more than tripled as sales rose in GE's aviation, oil and gas, and healthcare units. At the same time, negative cash flow from industrial business was $1.2 billion, much less than the $2.16 billion outflow that analysts, on average, were expecting.

Culp had set low earnings targets in March and warned that GE's industrial cash flow could be negative by as much as $2 billion.

GE's shares rose 4.5% to close at $10.17, after the call. They had risen more than 10% before the market opened.

GE bonds also rallied, extending a recovery in more than $100 billion of GE debt. Yields on dozens of longer-dated issues were at their lowest since Nov. 1. A $1 billion GE Capital bond with a 4% coupon due in July 2035 was up more than 1.5 cents at nearly 87 cents and a yield of 5.2%, compared with a low of 63 cents on the dollar last November to yield more than 8%.

Investors have been keen for a turnaround since GE named Culp last October to restore earnings and improve a stock price that has fallen by more than two-thirds since 2016.

GE took a string of multibillion-dollar writedowns last year, so the slowing in cash outflows in the latest quarter raised hopes that its fortunes have started to improve.

GE's industrial free cash flow showed a "much smaller outflow than we expected," said Julian Mitchell, an analyst at Barclays, and "should drive a positive reaction in the stock."

Story continues

But while the Boston-based conglomerate stuck to its full-year financial forecast, it noted "new risk" from Boeing Co's 737 MAX jet, for which GE engines with partner Safran SA of France. The plane model was grounded worldwide last month after a second fatal accident in less than five months.

Profit margins also contracted at GE's aviation, power and renewable energy businesses, the three core units that GE plans to retain as it undergoes a break-up announced last year.

A 1.6 percentage point drop in GE's industrial margins in the quarter is a "stark reminder of the challenges that the company still faces," said Rene Lipsch, lead GE analyst at Moody's. He added that he expects margins to be flat or slightly improved by year-end.

GE's cash balance was boosted mainly the $2.9 billion sale of locomotive business to Wabtec Corp.

Culp has said the 2019 "reset" of GE would result in negative cash flow at its most-troubled business, power, through 2020 before turning positive in 2021. GE wrote down $22 billion in goodwill at the unit last year.

In the latest quarter, power orders fell 14% and profit fell 71% to $80 million on revenue of $5.7 billion, down about 22% from a year earlier, GE said.

Some saw signs that the power unit's prospects will improve. "This was a business that everyone gave up as dead ... but (it) is more than able to fend for itself," William Blair & Co analyst Nicholas Heymann told Reuters.

Earnings from continuing operations attributable to GE shareholders rose to $954 million in the first quarter ended March 31 from $261 million a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, GE earned 14 cents per share. Analysts had expected 9 cents per share, on average.

Total revenue fell 2% to $27.29 billion, above analysts' average estimate of $27.05 billion.

(Additional reporting by Dan Burns in New York; Editing by Bill Rigby, Nick Zieminski and Richard Chang)
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I was thinking again and remembered this... THE MESSIAH

EL CHRIS

User ID: 459987

05-01-2019 12:05 AM



Posts: 3,806









Post: #1 I was thinking again and remembered this...

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The word terrorism means the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.



The Governments of America and Canada use their armed forces and police to terrorize other nations and their own citizens. They are terrorists.



The word molest means to bother, interfere with, or annoy.



The Governments of America and Canada constantly interfere with the natural development of children by exposing them to various forms of sexuality. They are child molesters.



The word retarded means:



1. characterized by a slowness or limitation in intellectual understanding and awareness, emotional development, academic progress, etc.

2. Slang.stupid or foolish



Given that the Governments of America and Canada still cant understand that its wrong to terrorize and molest children, you can say that they are mentally retarded.



So one can easily say that the Governments of Canada and America are bad as they cant comprehend that its wrong to molest children and terrorize others.



These governments only exists because the citizens created them and continue to support them. Therefore, the citizens of North America are paying retards to terrorize and molest children.



The people of North America are bad



Now that you know that they are bad, If you provide goodness to them than you are being worse than them and will become worse.



Since they are the worst in the universe, that means you will be one of the worst people in the universe.



When you buy products from bad people and/or pay taxes to bad people, you are improving the life of them all and will become worse than them all.



If you are American or Canadian it would be best to renounce your citizenship and never help them.



Just by reading this you are at a very important part of your life...



Either keep paying retards to terrorize and molest children and become one of the worst in the universe or renounce your citizenship and stop supporting them and become better than them all The Hammer of the Gods!







Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of the Gods



https://1drv.ms/w/s!ApisPjBNTnfKr34umfD42O5g9nb3



https://the-messiah.ca If you know someone is bad, but choose to provide them with pleasure, happiness or an improved quality of life anyway, then you are being more bad than them. More bad is worse which is inferior.The word terrorism means the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.The Governments of America and Canada use their armed forces and police to terrorize other nations and their own citizens. They are terrorists.The word molest means to bother, interfere with, or annoy.The Governments of America and Canada constantly interfere with the natural development of children by exposing them to various forms of sexuality. They are child molesters.The word retarded means:1. characterized by a slowness or limitation in intellectual understanding and awareness, emotional development, academic progress, etc.2. Slang.stupid or foolishGiven that the Governments of America and Canada still cant understand that its wrong to terrorize and molest children, you can say that they are mentally retarded.So one can easily say that the Governments of Canada and America are bad as they cant comprehend that its wrong to molest children and terrorize others.These governments only exists because the citizens created them and continue to support them. Therefore, the citizens of North America are paying retards to terrorize and molest children.The people of North America are badNow that you know that they are bad, If you provide goodness to them than you are being worse than them and will become worse.Since they are the worst in the universe, that means you will be one of the worst people in the universe.When you buy products from bad people and/or pay taxes to bad people, you are improving the life of them all and will become worse than them all.If you are American or Canadian it would be best to renounce your citizenship and never help them.Just by reading this you are at a very important part of your life...Either keep paying retards to terrorize and molest children and become one of the worst in the universe or renounce your citizenship and stop supporting them and become better than them allThe Hammer of the Gods!Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of the Gods THE MESSIAH

EL CHRIS

User ID: 459987

05-01-2019 02:45 AM



Posts: 3,806









Post: #2 RE: I was thinking again and remembered this...

I thought it was interesting...







The Hammer of the Gods!







Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of the Gods



https://1drv.ms/w/s!ApisPjBNTnfKr34umfD42O5g9nb3



https://the-messiah.ca

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(Adds quotes, details throughout)

By Letitia Stein

April 30 (Reuters) - Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, a rising Democratic Party star who narrowly fell short of becoming the first female black U.S. governor, said on Tuesday she would not run for the U.S. Senate in 2020 because it was not "the best role" for her.

"The fights to be waged require a deep commitment to the job and I do not see the U.S. Senate as the best role for me in this battle for our nation's future," Abrams said in a video posted on Twitter, adding she would work to ensure the state elected a Democrat to the seat.

Abrams stands at the forefront of a diverse and younger generation of Democratic Party leaders catapulted onto the national stage in last year's midterm elections, and has been discussed as a possible 2020 White House candidate.

Her profile continued to climb when party officials picked her in February to deliver their response to Republican President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech.

The 45-year-old former Georgia state legislative leader, demonstrated how Democrats could compete in a Southern state that had been voting reliably Republican. She came closer than any Democrat in years by rallying African-American voters, while drawing stronger support from white voters than Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, according to exit polls.

Abrams lost the governor's race by about one percent of nearly 4 million votes cast in a Nov. 6, 2018 election that drew national scrutiny for voter suppression amid widespread complaints of ballot box irregularities, which Abrams blamed for eroding her margins.

"There's been a lot of doubt about Georgia's competitiveness that I think has now evaporated," Lauren Groh-Warren, who managed Abrams' 2018 campaign, said in an interview with Reuters prior to Tuesday's announcement.

After her defeat, Abrams founded the voting rights nonprofit, Fair Fight Action, which aims to end state practices that have drawn criticism from national voting rights advocates. These practices range from purges of the voter rolls and stringent rules requiring signatures on mail-in ballots, to exact-match official records.

Story continues

Such requirements can disproportionately affect minority voters who often favor Democratic candidates.

"Bad policies are a direct result of people not being heard because their votes were not counted," Abrams said in the video, adding she would continue to fight voter suppression.

Abram's 2018 opponent, Republican Brian Kemp, ignited further controversy for overseeing the election as Georgia's then secretary of state. Kemp, who has denied nefarious action, stepped down from his post only after winning the governorship.

Despite her loss, Abrams' candidacy is widely credited with helping to turn out Democratic voters who enabled the party to pick up a congressional seat in the Atlanta suburbs and come close to wresting a second seat away from the Republican Party.

(Reporting by Letitia Stein in Tampa, Florida, additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Scott Malone and Bernadette Baum)
(Adds details on the deal)

April 30 (Reuters) - Ingersoll-Rand Plc said on Tuesday it would spin off its industrial business and merge it with industrial pumps and compressors producer Gardner Denver Holdings Inc, creating a company valued at about $15 billion.

The move would allow Ingersoll to focus on its larger, higher-margin business that makes Trane and Thermo King brand of heating, air conditioning and transport refrigeration systems.

The combined company would have a 2019 pro forma revenue of about $6.6 billion, Ingersoll said.

Existing Ingersoll-Rand shareholders will receive 50.1 percent of the shares of the newly formed company, valued at $5.8 billion.

Ingersoll's industrial business, which makes products including industrial pumps and power tools, when combined with Gardner Denver, would have a 2019 pro forma revenue of about $6.6 billion, the companies said.

The remaining climate business, which will be renamed with a new stock ticker, will receive $1.9 billion in cash. The business is expected to have a pro forma revenue of about $12.9 billion. (Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
(Adds oil sales on IRENEX)

GENEVA, April 30 (Reuters) - Iran will continue to export oil despite U.S. pressure aimed at reducing the country's crude shipments to zero, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday.

"America's decision that Iran's oil exports must reach zero is a wrong and mistaken decision, and we won't let this decision be executed and operational," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television.

"In future months, the Americans themselves will see that we will continue our oil exports."

Oil prices hit their highest since November in recent days after Washington said all waivers for sanctions-hit Iranian oil would end this week, pressuring importers to stop buying from Tehran and further tightening global supply.

The United States demanded on April 22 that buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers that had allowed Iran's eight biggest customers, most of them in Asia, to import limited volumes.

Rouhani said if the United States can block one method for Iran to export oil, Tehran will find other ways to do so.

On Tuesday, National Iranian Oil Co offered 1 million barrels of heavy crude on the Iran Energy Exchange (IRENEX) in an attempt to attract new, private buyers.

Trading in crude oil is state-controlled in Iran, but to try to work around U.S. sanctions, the government last year started selling to private buyers through the exchange.

Fars news agency reported that 70,000 barrels were sold at $60.68 a barrel. Iran does not reveal the identity of private buyers on the energy exchange because they might be targeted by U.S. penalties. (Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh, additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London; Editing by Tom Hogue and Dale Hudson)
* Akihito hopes for peace as three-decade reign nears end

* Japan's first abdication in two centuries

* New era begins when Naruhito becomes emperor on Wednesday

* Abdication marked by brief and simple Imperial Palace ceremony

* Trump sends "heartfelt appreciation" to royal couple (adds details of ceremony, countdowns to new era)

By Linda Sieg and Kiyoshi Takenaka

TOKYO, April 30 (Reuters) - Japanese Emperor Akihito, in his final remarks as his three-decade reign drew to a close on Tuesday, thanked the people for their support and expressed hope for a peaceful future.

Akihito, 85, the first monarch to abdicate in two centuries, had sought to ease the painful memories of World War Two and bring the monarchy closer to the people, including those marginalized in society.

The popular Akihito was the first monarch to take the Chrysanthemum Throne under a post-war constitution that defines the emperor as a symbol of the people without political power.

His father, Hirohito, in whose name Japanese troops fought World War Two, was considered a living deity until after Japan's defeat in 1945, when he renounced his divinity.

"To the people who accepted and supported me as a symbol, I express my heartfelt thanks," Akihito, wearing a Western-style morning coat, said at a brief abdication ceremony in the Imperial Palace's Matsu no ma, or Hall of Pine.

"Together with the empress, I hope from my heart that the new Reiwa era that begins tomorrow will be peaceful and fruitful, and pray for the peace and happiness of our country and the people of the world," said a solemn Akihito, referring to the new imperial era.

Standing on a white dais flanked by Empress Michiko, who wore a long white and grey dress, Akihito bowed after he spoke.

About 300 people attended the ceremony broadcast live on television. They included Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, as well as the heads of both houses of parliament and Supreme Court justices.

Story continues

Akihito, together with Michiko, his wife of 60 years and the first commoner to marry an imperial heir, carved out an active role as a symbol of reconciliation, peace and democracy.

Akihito, who has had treatment for prostate cancer and heart surgery, said in a televised address in 2016 that he feared his age would make it hard for him to carry out his duties fully.

At the start of the ceremony, chamberlains carried the state and privy seals into the hall along with two of Japan's "Three Sacred Treasures" - a sword and a jewel - which together with a mirror are symbols of the throne. They are said to originate in ancient mythology.

"While keeping in our hearts the path that the emperor has walked, we will make utmost efforts to create a bright future for a proud Japan that is full of peace and hope," Abe said ahead of the emperor's remarks.

At the end of the ceremony, Akihito descended from the dais and took Michiko's hand as she stepped down. Before exiting the room, he paused, turned toward the audience and bowed again.

Earlier, Akihito performed a ritual announcement of his abdication in three palace sanctuaries, including one honoring the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, from whom mythology says the imperial line is descended, and two others for departed emperors and Shinto gods.

NHK television showed Akihito, wearing a dark orange traditional robe and black headdress, walking slowly into the first sanctuary with a white-robed courtier holding the train and another carrying a sword. Naruhito conducted a similar ceremony.

NEW ERA

Crowds gathered outside the Palace, a 115-hectare compound in the heart of Tokyo protected by moats and walls, that is home to the emperor and empress. Security was tight with several thousand police officers on duty in Tokyo, media reports said.

"I think the emperor is loved by the people. His image is one of encouraging the people, such as after disasters, and being close to the people," said Morio Miyamoto, 48.

"I hope the next emperor will, like the Heisei emperor, be close to the people in the same way," he said.

The Heisei imperial era, which began on Jan. 8, 1989 after Akihito inherited the throne, saw economic stagnation, natural disasters and rapid technological change.

Not everyone was excited by the imperial changeover.

"It's a normal day. That kind of political stuff is irrelevant to us ordinary people," said Masato Saito, a 40-year-old construction worker.

"As long as they make our lives easy to live, that's all I care."

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania offered their "heartfelt appreciation" to the royal pair in a statement.

Naruhito, 59, will inherit the throne in ceremonies on Wednesday. He studied at Oxford and together with his Harvard-educated wife, Masako, will give the monarchy a cosmopolitan flavor.

Akihito officially remains emperor until midnight, when the new Reiwa era, meaning "beautiful harmony," begins. Informal countdown events for the start of the new era were scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Japanese traditionally refer to the date by the era name, or "gengo," a system originally imported from China, on documents, calendars and coins but many people also use the Western calendar. (Additional reporting by Malcolm Foster and Elaine Lies Editing by Robert Birsel, Paul Tait and Darren Schuettler)
(Adds protests in Beirut, details, context)

BEIRUT, April 30 (Reuters) - Lebanon's President Michel Aoun urged ministers on Tuesday to speed up discussions on the 2019 draft budget so that parliament can approve it by the end of May.

Wrestling with one of the world's heaviest public debt burdens and years of low economic growth, the Lebanese government has vowed to carry out overdue reforms.

But it risks facing public anger at potential cuts to the massive public wage bill, including salaries, pensions and benefits - the Lebanese state's biggest expense. Retired army officers who fear pensions cuts protested on Tuesday as ministers convened at the presidential palace to start debating the draft budget.

The budget will test the government's will to enact reforms, which economists say are more pressing than ever. State finances are strained by a bloated public sector, high debt servicing costs and hefty subsidies spent on the power sector.

Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has said Lebanon faces catastrophe if the government does not carry out what may be the most austere budget in its history.

A few hundred retired army officers gathered in front of the central bank, the finance ministry, and Beirut port on Tuesday, rallying against any potential cuts to their pensions. (Reporting by Ellen Francis Editing by Andrew Heavens and Susan Fenton)
(Adds details, background)

By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL, April 30 (Reuters) - North Korea's vice foreign minister said on Tuesday the United States will face "undesired consequences" if it fails to present a new position in denuclearisation talks by the end of the year, state media reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has set a year-end deadline for the United States to show more flexibility after his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump failed to produce a deal to end Pyongyang's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

But Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have brushed aside the deadline, calling for Kim to take action on his pledge to denuclearise after years of pursuing nuclear and rocket programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.]

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui singled out Pompeo's interview last week with CBS in which he said the United States may have to "change paths" if the negotiations break down.

"Changing paths is not a privilege that only the United States has, but it could be our own choice if we make up our mind," Choe said, according to the official KCNA news agency.

"If the United States fails to reestablish its position within the timeline we gave, it will see truly undesired consequences."

She also said North Korea's determination to denuclearise remained unchanged. It would happen "when the come comes," but only if the United States changed its current calculations.

"We know the path we will take, but we're just hesitating to choose as we have set the deadline for the United States," Choe said.

The North had been seeking a deal to ease sanctions in exchange for dismantling some of its nuclear facilities, but Trump called for a "big deal" in which sanctions would be lifted if Pyongyang handed over all its nuclear weapons to the United States.

Choe's remarks continue the North's attack on Trump's point person on the nuclear negotiations, after another foreign ministry official rejected Pompeo as a counterpart, demanding a switch to someone "more careful and mature." (Reporting By Hyonhee Shin and Jane Chung; Editing by Nick Macfie)
(Adds context, details)

MOSCOW, April 30 (Reuters) - Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday accused the opposition in Venezuela of resorting to violence in what it said was a brazen attempt to draw the country's armed forces into clashes.

The ministry made the allegation after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a military uprising to oust President Nicolas Maduro and armed factions exchanged gunfire outside a Caracas air base as the country hit a new crisis point after years of political and economic chaos.

Russia, which has supplied weapons to Venezuela and acted as a lender of last resort, has accused the United States of trying to undermine Maduro, someone Moscow counts as one of its closest allies in Latin America.

"The radical opposition in Venezuela has once again returned to violent methods of confrontation," the foreign ministry said. "Instead of peacefully settling political differences, they have taken a course designed to whip up conflict, and provoke breaches of public order and clashes involving the armed forces."

The ministry called on the opposition to renounce violence and embrace negotiations instead, saying it was vital to avoid bloodshed.

President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Venezuela at a meeting of his Security Council earlier on Tuesday.

Russia has sent nearly 100 military personnel to Caracas, a contingent the Kremlin has described as military specialists. Russian news agencies cited the Russian embassy in Venezuela on Tuesday as saying the Russian personnel were not involved in the clashes between the opposition and the authorities. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Vladimir Soldatkin Editing by Vladimir Soldatkin)
* Riyadh ready to meet demand after Iran oil waivers expire- Falih

* Saudi won't voluntarily exceed output target under OPEC+ deal

* OPEC+ pact could be extended till end of 2019- Falih

* Global oil deal output levels might be adjusted (Adds details, oil price)

By Katya Golubkova

MOSCOW, April 30 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will not rush to boost oil supply to make up for a loss of Iranian crude due to U.S. sanctions, and will stick to a global deal on oil production, which could be extended to the end of 2019, Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told RIA news agency.

The United States decided last week not to renew exemptions from sanctions against Iran granted last year to buyers of Iranian oil, taking a tougher line than expected. Oil prices rose on concerns of a tighter oil market.

Falih was speaking to Russia's RIA news agency on Tuesday, without specifying whether, or by how much, output levels could change after June.

The Saudi minister's comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump said last week he had called OPEC and told the group to lower oil prices, without specifying to whom he spoke or whether he was referring to previous discussions with OPEC officials.

Oil prices have surged by almost 40 percent since January, lifted by the OPEC+ supply cuts as well as by U.S. sanctions on producers Iran and Venezuela. Brent crude futures were trading at $72.40 at 0855 GMT on Tuesday.

Falih, commenting on Trump's statement, told RIA that the world's top oil exporter was ready to meet consumer demand after the Iran oil waivers expire in early May, including by replacing Iranian oil with Saudi supplies.

But Riyadh will not voluntarily exceed output levels set by the global oil reduction deal, Falih added.

"I confirm our commitment to meet all these requests (to replace Iranian oil). But at the same time, we will do this remaining part of the OPEC+ deal, we will stick to it. We do not need to voluntarily exceed the limits set," he said.

Story continues

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia and other producers, an alliance known as OPEC+, agreed to cut output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) from January for six months in an effort to boost oil prices.

The oil producers meet on June 25-26 to decide whether to extend the pact or adjust supply targets.

Earlier in April, Moscow signaled OPEC and its allies could raise oil output from June because of improving market conditions and falling stockpiles.

"We will look at (global oil) inventories - are they higher or lower than the normal level and we will adjust the production level accordingly. Based on what I see now ... I am eager to say there will be some kind of agreement," Falih RIA.

"It may remain the same, or could change up or down, I don't know."

One of the key players on Moscow's policy towards OPEC is Igor Sechin, head of Russian state oil company Rosneft .

Sechin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, says Russia is losing market share to the United States, which is not participating in production cuts and has boosted output to record levels of some 12 million bpd.

Last week, Sechin signaled Russia would not help replace Iranian oil on the market after the expiration of waivers on U.S. sanctions against Tehran's crude exports.

Iranian exports were not significant, Falih said.

"The only indicator I have is consumers' demand for Saudi oil ... These figures are moderate at the moment, the demand is healthy, there is nothing to worry about... There is no shortage on the (global oil) market," he said.

Saudi oil production until the end of May would be below the level set in the global deal: "significantly less" than 10 million bpd, with exports below 7 million bpd next month, Falih said. Under the OPEC+ deal, Riyadh can pump up to 10.3 million bpd.

"We are comfortable with the overall situation on the (global oil) market: it is healthy, it is well-supplied, nothing to worry about," he added.

A panel of energy ministers from major oil producers, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, known as the JMMC, meets on May 19 to discuss the oil market and make recommendations before the June meeting, OPEC sources said. (Writing by Rania El Gamal and Katya Golubkova; additional reporting by Maria Kiselyova and Anton Kolodyazhnyy Editing by Dale Hudson and Louise Heavens)
(Adds comments by acting government)

MADRID, April 30 (Reuters) - The leader of Ciudadanos, the third-biggest group in parliament after Spain's election, said on Tuesday the party will not form a coalition with the winning Socialists but intends to play a responsible role in opposition.

With Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's center-left Socialist Party seeking allies after Sunday's vote that left it short of a parliamentary majority, the center-right Ciudadanos, which won 57 seats in the 350-seat assembly, had already ruled out a partnership.

Such a deal would be welcomed by many in business and financial circles. Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera reiterated there would be no coalition, while promising not to block major international or terrorism-related legislation.

"On issues of terrorism, on issues of Europe and international politics, on state issues, I am going to play for Spain," he told Telecinco television.

Ciudadanos' seat total is up from 32 in the previous legislature and Rivera is jockeying with the conservative People's Party leader Pablo Casado, over who will be leader of the opposition. The PP won 66 seats, less than half what it had before.

Speaking after a weekly cabinet meeting, Isabel Celaa, a spokeswoman for the outgoing government, welcomed Rivera's remarks but noted that tensions had been high between the Socialists and Ciudadanos.

"If Rivera wishes to be more reasonable, well that's very welcome," Celaa told reporters.

The Socialists are pondering options on how to form a government, something that is not likely to be resolved before EU, local and regional elections on May 26.

"We, the Socialists, are open to talks with everyone ... to explore any (potential) agreements. We have time" before the local elections, Celaa said.

The Socialists increased their seats to 123 from 84 in the previous parliament, meaning that if they joined forces with Ciudadanos they would have enough seats to form a government.

But until now both parties have rejected a coalition and relations between Rivera and Sanchez were particularly tense during the campaign.

Jose Luis Abalos, a high-ranking Socialist, said on Monday that Rivera had not phoned Sanchez to congratulate him on his victory. Ciudadanos said later that Rivera had congratulated Sanchez publicly in a Sunday evening speech and had sent him a message on Monday. (Reporting by Sabela Ojea Additional reporting by Belen Carreno Writing by Ingrid Melander and Andrei Khalip Editing by Frances Kerry)
(Adds al-Baghdadi video, U.S. travel advisory)

By A. Ananthalakshmi and Alexandra Ulmer

COLOMBO, April 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka said on Tuesday that some of the Islamist militants behind Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people were likely still at large and could be planning more attacks.

Sri Lankan security forces also said they were maintaining a high level of alert amid intelligence reports that the militants were likely to strike before the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which is due to begin next Monday.

"Tremendous progress has been made towards apprehending those plotters but I don't think the story is over yet," Ambassador Alaina Teplitz said in an interview.

"We do believe that there is active planning under way," she said, referring to the possibility of more attacks.

Scores of suspected Islamists have been arrested in the multi-ethnic island nation since April 21 suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches. Among the dead were 42 foreign nationals.

"Security will stay tight for several days because military and police are still tracking down suspects," a senior police intelligence official said.

Another government source told Reuters security authorities had ordered police and other security forces across the Buddhist-majority country to remain on high alert because the militants were expected to try to strike before Ramadan.

Teplitz told Reuters the risk of more attacks remained real.

"We certainly have reason to believe that the active attack group has not been fully rendered inactive," she said.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting Sri Lankan authorities in the investigations but Teplitz declined to give more details.

The State Department has issued a travel advisory suggesting people reconsider plans to travel to Sri Lanka.

SOCIAL MEDIA BAN LIFTED

The government has lifted a ban on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber, a source at the president's office said. The ban was imposed immediately after the attacks to prevent the spread of rumors.

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The government has also banned women from wearing face veils under an emergency law invoked in response to the blasts.

Authorities suspect members of two previously little-known groups - National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim - of carrying out the attacks, although the Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility.

Authorities believe Zahran Hashim, the founder of NTJ, was the mastermind and one of the nine suicide bombers.

Islamic State released a video after the attack through its AMAQ news agency, showing eight men, with all but Zahran with their faces covered, standing under a black Islamic State flag, declaring loyalty to its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The Islamic group's media network published a video on Monday purporting to come from al-Baghdadi, in which he said the Sri Lanka bombings were Islamic State's response to losses in its last stronghold of Baghouz in Syria.

In India, police said they had arrested a 29-year-old man in the southern state of Kerala, close to Sri Lanka, for planning similar attacks there. The man had been influenced by speeches made by Zahran, India's National Investigation Agency said in a statement.

Sri Lanka's 22 million population is mostly Buddhist but includes minority Christians, Muslims and Hindus. (Additional reporting by Ranga Srilal and Shri Navaratnam Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan Editing by Paul Tait and Nick Macfie)
(Adds additional Wicker comment)

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is set to meet with Republican senators on Wednesday over a proposal to waive rules that only U.S.-flagged ships can move natural gas from American ports to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Northeast.

The nearly 100-year-old Jones Act mandates the use of U.S.-flagged vessels to transport merchandise between U.S. coasts. Bloomberg News reported last week the administration was seriously considering waiving the requirements for some energy shipments and that Trump was leaning in favor of some kind of waiver.

"I am going to go to the White House tomorrow to try to talk to the president out of doing something foolish and that is trying to curtain the Jones Act protections," Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, told Reuters on Tuesday. "If that is his inclination, then (Trump) has been receiving some bad advice."

The White House declined to comment.

In 2017, the Department of Homeland Security waived the requirement for one week to allow oil and gas operators to use often cheaper, tax-free, or more readily available foreign-flagged vessels to ensure enough fuel reached emergency responders during Hurricane Irma and following Hurricane Harvey.

A person briefed on the matter confirmed that administration officials were divided on the issue.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who chairs the Commerce Committee, and a number of other Republicans are set to attend the meeting that had not previously been made public, he said.

"There is massive support in the Congress for keeping the Jones Act as it is. We don't need to tinker with it," Wicker said on Tuesday, saying it had strong "across-the-board" bipartisan support.

At the White House meeting, Wicker said: "We'll be talking policy and politics." Any changes would not go over well in Congress "at all, in either party," he said.

In February, leaders of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure wrote DHS to oppose a request from Puerto Rico to waive the Jones Act for 10 years to allow foreign tankers to move liquid natural gas to the U.S. island territory. Puerto Rico is still recovering from devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio, who chairs the committee, and Sam Graves, the panel's top Republican, said in the letter the Jones Act "has promoted economic growth and national security, and created hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs in our domestic maritime trades and shipbuilding industries." (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Peter Cooney)
(Updates with statement from Deutsche Bank in the 11th graph)

By Rich McKay

April 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, three of his children and seven of his companies filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Deutsche Bank and Capital One Financial Corp to block the banks from complying with federal subpoenas investigating his financial dealings.

The federal lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court's Southern District of New York, contended that demands for records by Democrat-controlled House committees have no legitimate or lawful purpose.

"The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family," the lawsuit said.

It also complains that the Democrats are hoping "they will stumble upon something they can expose publicly and use as a political tool against the President."

Representative Maxine Waters, the chairwoman of the Financial Services Commission and Representative Adam Schiff, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, both Democrats, called the lawsuit "meritless" in a joint statement, the New York Times and other media reported.

On April 15, two U.S. House of Representatives committees issued subpoenas to multiple financial institutions for information on Trump's finances. Both banks have been involved in Trump's real estate empire.

"The potential use of the U.S. financial system for illicit purposes is a very serious concern. The Financial Services Committee is exploring these matters, including as they may involve the president and his associates, as thoroughly as possible," Waters, said in a statement earlier.

Schiff said previously in a statement the subpoenas issued included a "friendly subpoena to Deutsche Bank."

Trump recently has said that he intends to defy any efforts from the Democrats to dig into his affairs. Among other things, the Democrats have been looking into possible dealings Trump might have with Russia.

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The suit, which includes The Trump Organization Inc. and Trump's three eldest children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, states that the court has the power to declare the subpoenas invalid.

A representative of Deutsche Bank said in a statement: "We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations."

Attorneys and representatives for the two sides were not immediately available to Reuters late Monday. (Reporting by Rich McKay; editing by Richard Pullin)
(Adds quotes and details)

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday singled out three senior aides to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who he said must make good on commitments they purportedly made to the opposition for a peaceful transition away from Maduro's rule.

Speaking at the White House during a day of anti-government protests in Venezuela, Bolton named Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, Supreme Court chief judge Maikel Moreno and presidential guard commander Ivan Rafael Hernandez Dala as having told the opposition that Maduro needed to give up power to opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Bolton offered no evidence that three of Maduro's top loyalists had expressed a willingness to turn against the socialist president, except to say the opposition had kept the Trump administration well informed about their discussions.

"Its still very important for three figures in the Maduro regime who have been talking to the opposition over these last three months to make good on their commitment to achieve the peaceful transition of power from the Maduro clique to interim president Juan Guaido," Bolton told reporters.

"All agreed that Maduro had to go," Bolton said. "They need to be able to act this afternoon and this evening to be able to bring other military forces to the side of the interim president."

Guaido on Tuesday made his strongest call yet to the military to help him oust Maduro, and violence broke out at anti-government protests as the country hit a new crisis point after years of political and economic chaos.

Several dozen armed troops accompanying Guaido clashed with soldiers supporting Maduro at a rally outside the La Carlota air base in Caracas, but the incident fizzled out and did not appear to be part of an immediate attempt by the opposition to take power through military force. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick, Roberta Rampton and Tim Ahmann in Washington Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and James Dalgleish)
(Adds details from Mulvaney interview)

By Matt Scuffham and Svea Herbst-Bayliss

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., April 30 (Reuters) - Talks between the United States and China aimed at resolving their trade dispute will likely be resolved "one way or the other" in the next two weeks, White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on Tuesday.

"It won't go on forever. I think, at some point, in any negotiation you realize we're close to getting something done so we're going to keep going," Mulvaney said at the Milken Institute Global Conference. "On the other hand, at some point, you can think this is not going to get anywhere. I think you will know, one way or the other, in the next couple of weeks."

Mulvaney spoke only days after data came out showing that the United States economy grew a stronger than expected 3.2 percent during the first three months of the year and said that strong growth is going to help support President Donald Trump as he prepares for the 2020 election.

"We think the economy has been good for everyone," Mulvaney said. "We can ride that to the 2020 election. People know what is good for them."

Mulvaney said policy makers are focusing on solving wage inequality.

He said the White House plans to make strong economic growth, at a time the expansion is well into its 10th year, healthcare and trade into key topics for the campaign. He also said Trump, a Republican, will benefit from the fact that Democrats have more than a dozen candidates running for president and "we have weak competitors."

Mulvaney currently is acting chief of staff but he said he expects to keep the job permanently and that he has improved morale in the White House since replacing John Kelly in the job in January.

He said he does not expect a lot of change in top administration positions before the election. The Trump administration has had an especially high rate of turnover with his homeland security secretary being among the most recent to leave. (Reporting by Matt Scuffham and Svea Herbst-Bayliss Editing by Bill Trott)
SAN JUAN, April 30 (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday it will ask the U.S. Senate to confirm the current members of Puerto Rico's federally created financial oversight board after creditors of the bankrupt island successfully challenged the appointments on constitutional grounds. The move lifts a cloud over the board as it attempts to restructure Puerto Rico's core government debt under a form of bankruptcy after winning court approval for deals involving the U.S. commonwealth's sales tax-backed bonds and Government Development Bank debt.

The First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Feb. 15 that the board had been unconstitutionally appointed because its seven members are principal U.S. officers and should have been selected by the president "with the advice and consent of the Senate."

The court set a 90-day deadline to allow President Donald Trump and the Senate to constitutionally validate the current members' appointments or reconstitute the board.

The oversight board last week filed a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to overturn the ruling. The board also asked the Boston-based court to stay the 90-day deadline.

The lawsuit over the board members, which was filed by creditors of the U.S. commonwealth, including Aurelius Investment LLC and bond insurer Assured Guaranty Corp, also sought a dismissal of Puerto Rico's Title III bankruptcy cases - a move the appeals court rejected.

On Monday, those plaintiffs objected to the board's motion to stay the court's deadline, saying the move would be "a travesty of both justice and our Constitution," and that the board failed to establish probability that the Supreme Court would reverse the appeals court ruling.

Under the 2016 federal PROMESA law, then-President Barack Obama appointed six board members from lists of candidates recommended by Congress, as well as a seventh member. Under that process, PROMESA did not requrie the appointments to be sent to the Senate for confirmation.

PROMESA gave the board the authority to push Puerto Rico and its approximately $120 billion of debt and pension obligations into a court-supervised restructuring akin to bankruptcy in May 2017. (Reporting By Luis Valentin Ortiz in San Juan and Karen Pierog in Chicago; editing by Richard Pullin)
MELBOURNE, Fla.  A 100-year-old man died Sunday following a Florida traffic crash involving sandhill cranes crossing a road.

"In my 25 years, I've heard of people stopping for turtles or cows, but I've never seen this, a fatality involving sandhill cranes," said Lt. Kim Montes, a spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol, the agency investigating the deadly Melbourne crash.

A specially equipped 2016 Chrysler Van  fitted for the driver who is paraplegic  was traveling west approaching a 2010 BMW and a 1996 Toyota Avalon. Both the BMW and the Avalon were stopped in the westbound lane as a family of sandhill cranes began crossing the busy roadway.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers said that Suzanne Clark of Melbourne, the 39-year-old disabled driver of the van, was approaching the BMW when Clark suddenly moved to the right to avoid the car. Troopers said Clark, who then spotted the cranes in the roadway, then veered back into the left lane, striking the rear of the BMW. The BMW was then pushed into the back of the Toyota Avalon.

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The van then also struck the rear of the Avalon. The centenarian, identified as Clark's grandfather, Robert Schantz of Osprey, was a passenger in the van. The Osprey, Florida, man suffered a severe leg injury that required a tourniquet, Montes said. Brevard County paramedics arrived within moments and treated the man. Schantz was later pronounced dead at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.

A total of five people were transported to area hospitals, Montes said, but none of the drivers was seriously injured. The birds  two adults and one baby sandhill crane  were not injured.

An investigation is ongoing.

Follow J.D. Gallop on Twitter: @JDGallop

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 100-year-old man dies after birds crossing the road trigger bizarre crash
Steve Allen/Shutterstock

They do way more than host blood drives

Let's be honest: "When people think about the Red Cross, they usually think of the organization responding to large disasters like hurricanes or hosting blood drives in their local communities," says Greta Gustafson, spokesperson for the American Red Cross. "However, the Red Cross does much more than just that." From providing CPR and first aid training courses to sending specialists to work with disaster survivors, to preparing families for military service, the Red Cross's impact reaches far beyond your local blood drive. These are the surprising things doctors want you to know, too.

You don't need to know your blood type to donate

Over 53 percent of people believe they need to know their blood type before giving blood, a 2018 national survey found. But according to Jessa Merrill, spokesperson for the American Red Cross, that is simply not true. "We need donors of all blood types to ensure a sufficient supply for patients," she says. Once you donate blood, you can learn your blood type by creating a profile through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or requesting to receive a blood donor card. Whether you're a type A or O, don't miss the secrets your blood type reveals about you.

Alexa can schedule your next blood donation appointment

Signing up to give blood has never been easier. Long gone are the days of putting pen to paper; now, eligible donors can make an appointment from the comfort of their own homes. Schedule a blood donation by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). According to Merrill, you can also enable Amazon Alexa's "Red Cross Blood" skill via the Alexa app and find a nearby blood drive by saying "Alexa, find a blood drive." From there, you can book an appointment.

They install free smoke alarms

At the Red Cross's "Sound the Alarm" events, volunteers team up with local fire departments to canvass neighborhoods in at-risk communities across the country, installing free smoke alarms, replacing dead alarm batteries, and teaching fire safety to residents. This effort has already saved over 580 lives nationwide, Gustafson says, and that number will only grow as the word spreads. She suggests visiting SoundTheAlarm.org to learn how you can join this year's campaign in all 50 states. These are the useful ways you can help after a natural disaster, toobesides donating clothes.

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Their apps could save your life one day

Emergency situations can occur when you least expect themand unless you are a medical professional, it's not always clear what you should do if you encounter one. Luckily, both the Red Cross First Aid app and the Emergency app can deliver lifesaving information right to the palm of your hand. These tools offer step-by-step first aid instructions, safety tips for severe weather like tornadoes and hurricanes, and more. To download them, search for "American Red Cross" in your phone's app store or go to redcross.org/apps.

Always keep an emergency preparedness kit handy

Don't have an emergency kit? It's time to make one. Not only can it store first aid items like band-aids when you're in a pinch, but it could also save your life in a true emergency. According to Gustafson, "your emergency preparedness kit should contain food, water, and other basic supplies for each family member to last at least three days." She also suggests including medications, copies of important documents, and special items like toys for children and pets. Don't forget these 10 crucial things to always have in your home emergency kit, too.

Donating money is the best way to help in a disaster

While disasters can strike anywhere and at any time, most won't reach your own backyard. That doesn't mean you can't make a difference, though. With a financial donation, you can help the Red Cross provide relief to disaster victims around the world. "Donations are used to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from disasters big and small," Gustafson says. "This includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning, and other assistance as well as supporting the vehicles, warehouses, and people that make that help possible."

Only 3 in 100 Americans give blood

When it comes to giving blood, "the most frequent mistake that people make is that they simply don't," according to Merrill. In fact, only three out of 100 people in the United States donate blood, she says. Yet the Red Cross estimates that one in seven hospital patients need a blood transfusion, from kids battling cancer to new moms recovering from complicated childbirths. That can add up to nearly 13,000 units a day, according to their website. When push comes to shove, every drop of blood countsand yours really can make a difference.

plenoy m/Shutterstock

Sleep and eat well before donating blood

Before arriving at your local blood drive, experts say it's important to rest up and chow down. Getting a good night's sleep, eating a heart-healthy meal, and hydrating ahead of your scheduled appointment will help the entire process go more smoothly. Merrill suggests that donors drink an extra four 8-ounce glasses of fluids and eat nutritious foods rich in iron and vitamin Csuch as red meat, fish, poultry, beans, and spinachbefore giving blood. Check out more tips you should know before donating blood.

You're more likely to lose your home in a fire than win the lottery

Two in five people believe they are more likely to win the lottery than lose their home to a fire, according to a recent survey by the Red Cross. But the reality is quite the opposite: The odds of winning the lottery are one in millions, while the chance of dying from exposure to fire or smoke is nearly one in 1,500, Merrill says. To keep you and your family safe, Gustafson recommends checking your smoke alarms once a month and practicing a fire escape plan at least twice a year.

Plan and practice a family emergency procedure

Most people don't think about preparing for an emergency until it's too late. That's why Gustafson recommends reading up on common disasters or emergencies in your area, finding out how to get in touch with local officials for information, and taking first aid and CPR courses ahead of time. You should also make a plan with your family in case you are separated, coordinating it with your child's school, your work, and your community's emergency plans, she says. To get started, learn how to save your life in these 12 scary emergencies.

Got the sniffles? It might prevent you from giving blood

If you wake up the morning of the local blood drive with a telltale tickle in your throat, consider calling to cancel your appointment. The Red Cross will turn away donors who are not feeling well, and even "seasonal illnesses like the flu can affect a blood donor's ability to give," Merrill says. It's an added precaution to keep both the people receiving the blood, as well as the other donors at the blood drive, healthy and disease-free.

Give your time as well as your blood

Donating blood is not the only way you can make a difference through the Red Cross. "Another way to help is by signing up to volunteer," Gustafson says. Volunteers make up about 90 percent of the American Red Cross workforce and respond to an average of more than 62,000 disasters every year, according to Gustafson. If you're interested in volunteering, visit redcross.org/volunteer to learn more.

Come to your blood donation appointment prepared

The process of donating blood takes approximately one hour from start to finish, according to Merrill. With that in mind, arriving prepared for your appointment is key to making the experience more comfortable for you. Merrill suggests wearing a t-shirt or top with sleeves that can be rolled up easily, in addition to bringing along your favorite book, movie, or music to help you relax.

You're never too old to donate blood

Most states require blood donors to be at least 17 years old, but there is no upper age limit for donating, according to Merrill. "In fact, many elderly individuals are some of our most dedicated blood donors, and we encourage others to join them in helping ensure blood products are available for people in need," she says. If you are a regular blood donor, you might be surprised by what happens to your blood after you donate it.
The Hill

Rep. Madison Cawthorn and his wife are divorcing after less than a year of marriage, with the North Carolina Republican citing his job in Congress as part of the reason for the split."When my wife Cristina and I were engaged, I was not a member of Congress," Cawthorn, 26, said in a statement posted by his spokesman on Wednesday. "I felt called to serve and we both agreed that I should run. Our victory was unprecedented. But overnight, our lives...
(Adds comments from Saskatchewan premier)

By David Ljunggren and Rod Nickel

OTTAWA/WINNIPEG, Manitoba, April 30 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said Ottawa would soon announce help for canola farmers hurt by a China ban on imports of the oilseed but brushed off calls to pull funding for a Chinese-led investment bank.

China and Canada are locked in a diplomatic and trade dispute that has resulted in China blocking imports of canola seed from two companies. China, Canada's biggest export market for canola, cited the discovery of pests, a charge Canada dismisses.

Trudeau, under increasing political pressure to settle the matter, made his remarks in the House of Commons. The Liberal government has already dropped big hints that it will boost programs that compensate farmers in times of hardship.

"We're going to continue to stand up for Canadian producers ... (and) farmers and we will have good news to announce in just the next few days," he said.

The opposition Conservative Party, leading in the polls ahead of a federal election in October, urged Trudeau to strike back by withdrawing Canada's C$256 million ($191 million)contribution to the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

"We believe in Canadian leadership around the world," Trudeau said in response, saying the AIIB was focused on clean, green infrastructure throughout Asia.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, whose Canadian province grows the most canola, said he has asked Trudeau to increase the limit on a federal loan program for farmers.

Canola is crushed mainly to produce vegetable oil for use in foods such as salad dressing and margarine.

Moe, whose Saskatchewan Party is often allied with the federal Conservatives, said Trudeau should retaliate against China.

"A reciprocal trade relationship means we will treat our trading partners in the same way they treat our products. We have a challenge with canola right now sitting in boats in the harbor in China," Moe said in an interview, adding he did not have specific Chinese products in mind for retaliation.

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"We need to capture the attention of our trading partners."

A trade war would pose further risks to Moe's own province, as mining companies export large volumes of Saskatchewan uranium and potash to China.

The list of Canadian farm exports hitting obstacles at Chinese ports has expanded to peas and soybeans.

($1=1.3392 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg; editing by Chizu Nomiyama and James Dalgleish)
Two former clients of a New Mexico day spa that offered trendy "vampire facials," or Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy, were recently diagnosed with HIV, according to health officials.

The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) said in a Monday press release that two people who had "received injection-related procedures" at VIP Spa in Albuquerque in 2018 were diagnosed with the same strain of the virus. Both clients reportedly visited the now-shuttered spa between May and September of last year.

The spa was permanently closed on September 7, 2018, after an inspection by the NMDOH discovered issues with how needles were handled and disposed of at the facility that "could potentially spread blood-borne infections, such as HIV , hepatitis B, and hepatitis C to clients."

Typically, during a "vampire facial," a client's own blood is drawn from their body and spun in a centrifuge to extract platelet-rich plasma, which is then re-injected into the facial skin to "replenish" it and make it look younger.

The treatment was partially made popular by Kim Kardashian West in 2013 when she posted a bloody selfie on Instagram following her own "vampire facial."

She took to her beauty website in 2018 to inform her fans that she regretted getting the procedure and would never try it again.

"A few years ago, I heard about a 'vampire facial,' and I was so intrigued," the star wrote.

"Before I got the procedure, I just found out that I was pregnant, so I couldnt use numbing cream or a pain killer and both are suggested," she continued. "It was really rough and painful for me. It was honestly the most painful thing ever! It's the one treatment that I'll never do again."

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Anyone who visited the VIP Spa for injection-based treatments is urged to undergo free testing services.

RELATED: See other products Kim Kardashian West has endorsed on Instagram:
(Adds finance minister, details)

By Ellen Francis

BEIRUT, April 30 (Reuters) - Lebanon's president called on Tuesday for approval of the 2019 draft budget by the end of May in order to launch long-stalled economic reforms, though military veterans fearing pension cuts took to the streets.

Wrestling with one of the world's heaviest public debt burdens and years of low growth, the Lebanese government has promised reforms which economists deem more pressing than ever.

But it risks public anger if it trims wages, pensions or benefits in its massive public sector bill.

There have been some protests in recent days.

"President (Michel) Aoun urged hurrying up discussions on the budget so that it is approved in parliament before the end of next month," his office tweeted on Tuesday.

After ministers met to discuss the budget at the presidential palace, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said on television there would be daily meetings to send the budget to parliament, but no salary or pensions cuts were contemplated.

Earlier this month, he told Reuters the budget would include wide spending reductions.

As well as the bloated public sector, state finances are also strained by high debt servicing costs and hefty subsidies in the power sector. Promised reforms include starting work to reduce the deficit in the state-subsidized power sector and managing public debt to lessen its cost, as well as cutting waste and corruption.

"OUR SWEAT AND BLOOD"

Government officials from Lebanon's rival political parties have all stressed the need to enact immediate reforms to prevent an economic crisis.

Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has said Lebanon faces "catastrophe" if the coalition government - formed in late January after months of negotiations - does not agree what may be the most austere budget in its history.

Jason Tuvey, Middle East economist at Capital Economics, said it would be extremely difficult for politicians to agree enough austerity measures, which are deeply unpopular.

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"We still think the Lebanese authorities will ultimately be forced to turn to some sort of debt restructuring," he said.

In Tuesday's protest, a few hundred veterans gathered in front of the central bank, the finance ministry, and Beirut port, rallying against any potential cuts to their pensions.

"This is our right, our sweat and blood," former sergeant major Khodr Noureddine said. "Our salaries can't even feed us for a day, there's no school funding, no good healthcare."

A spokesman for the protesters, retired brigadier general Ali Omar, vowed they would remain in the streets to ensure they keep their pensions. He said cuts would hit tens of thousands of people, including wounded or handicapped soldiers, and families of killed soldiers. (Additional reporting by Issam Abdallah Editing by Andrew Heavens, Susan Fenton and Andrew Cawthorne)
(Adds quote on military support for Guaido)

By Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Tuesday denied there was a military coup attempt underway to oust President Nicolas Maduro and accused opposition leader Juan Guaido of operating under orders from Washington.

Guaido called for a military uprising and armed factions exchanged gunfire outside a Caracas air base on Tuesday, although the incident fizzled out and did not appear to be part of an immediate attempt by the opposition to take power through military force.

"It is not a coup attempt from the military. This is directly planned in Washington, in the Pentagon and Department of State, and by Bolton," Arreaza told Reuters in a phone interview from Caracas, referring to U.S. national security adviser John Bolton.

"They are leading this coup and giving orders to this man (Juan) Guaido," he said.

The latest violence comes after a months-long political standoff between Maduro, backed by Russia, China and Cuba, and Guaido, who is recognized by the United States and about 50 other nations as the country's interim president.

Arreaza said Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was in full control of the country with the backing of the military.

"He is in his place of command as always, and he is in control of the situation. He is making government decisions every day," said Arreaza, adding that he had spoken to Maduro four or five times on Tuesday.

Asked why Maduro had not been seen in public on Tuesday, Arreaza said: "You will see President Maduro with his people in Miraflores (presidential palace) sooner (rather) than later."

He estimated that around 30 or fewer members of the military had sided with Guaido, who was accompanied at a rally in Caracas with several dozen armed troops. "This is 30 out of about 200,000, so it is almost nothing," he added.

Maduro has called Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup.

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Washington has imposed sanctions to try to dislodge Maduro. Arreaza, who was himself targeted with sanctions by Washington last week, said the Venezuelan government would act to maintain peace and security.

"We are not threatening anyone with the use of violence. It's the United States, it's the opposition," said Arreaza, who is married to the eldest daughter of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's former president who died in 2013 of cancer.

Arreaza said he had spoken to representatives from countries in the region and in Europe who were concerned about the situation and urged dialog. He declined to name the countries, adding that the government was open to dialog. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Jonathan Oatis)
* Man arrested after police respond to threat in NZ's Christchurch

* Police located suspected explosive device

* New Zealand on edge after March mosque attacks killed 50 (Recasts with discovery of suspected explosive device; adds bylines)

By Charlotte Greenfield and Praveen Menon

WELLINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - New Zealand police said on Tuesday a man was arrested and bomb disposal officers found a package with a suspected explosive device at a vacant property in Christchurch, where 50 people were killed in attacks by a lone gunman on two mosques in March.

Police cordoned off streets in the Phillipstown area of the city on New Zealand's South Island, with a bomb disposal team, ambulance and fire and emergency crews sent to the scene.

"Police have located a package containing a suspected explosive device and ammunition at a vacant address ... in Christchurch," district police commander Superintendent John Price said in a statement.

An explosives disposal unit rendered the package safe and a 33-year-old Christchurch man was arrested, the statement said. The police cordon was later lifted.

The New Zealand Herald said police were called due to "threats about an explosive device."

Fifty people were killed and dozens wounded in attacks on the Al Noor and Linwood mosques during Friday prayers in Christchurch on March 15, the worst peace-time shooting in New Zealand history. Tuesday's incident was about a kilometer from the Linwood mosque.

Authorities have charged Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, with 50 counts of murder.

The mosque attacks shook New Zealand to its core and prompted the government to quickly tighten gun laws. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and Praveen Menon Editing by Paul Tait)
Advanced Placement courses have become an integral component of the college admissions process for high school students. Naturally, students must achieve high grades and test scores in AP classes to earn the attention of colleges.

An overlooked factor for success in AP courses is enrolling at the right moment. Consider these three positive indicators to evaluate whether you are AP-ready:

-- You have completed all the necessary prerequisites without significant difficulty.

-- You do not feel adequately challenged by standard-track courses.

-- You are passionate about the subject.

You have completed all the necessary prerequisites without significant difficulty. Both the College Board, which administers the AP program, and individual high schools establish prerequisites that students should meet before enrolling in certain AP courses. The previous coursework and skills necessary for success are outlined in the course descriptions on the College Board's website.

To enroll in AP Statistics, for instance, students should have successfully finished a second-year algebra class. On the other hand, there are no official prerequisites for AP Spanish Language and Culture, but it is recommended that students take this course during their fourth year of high school Spanish.

[Read: How to Master AP Courses in High School.]

Aside from the College Board's prerequisites, high schools may implement additional requirements that must be satisfied before students register for AP classes. These extra requirements are upheld to ensure students are adequately prepared for the rigors of AP-level courses. Consult with your guidance counselor to determine if you have met both the College Board's and your school's requirements.

It is worth noting that having satisfied the prerequisites alone may not be a positive indicator of your readiness for AP classes. Students should have also completed said requirements without significant difficulty earning a final grade that reflects success in the course.

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You do not feel adequately challenged by standard-track courses. A student who feels bored in and passes standard-track courses with minimal effort may find more gratification in an AP-level course. AP classes, after all, often provide deep analysis and discussion of topics.

Furthermore, assignments in AP courses may allow students to engage with class content in different ways. AP courses provide opportunities for independent research, which can satisfy the curiosity of students who report being under-challenged in regular classes.

[Read: What to Do If Your High School Doesn't Offer AP Courses.]

Dissatisfaction with standard-track classes can imply that a student's potential may be better invested in a challenging AP course. Due to the speed, complexity and homework load of classes at this level, feelings of under-stimulation are rarely experienced by AP students. It is important to note, however, that AP courses also involve dedication and real work.

This is not to say only students who feel bored or unchallenged in standard-track courses would be good candidates for AP-level classes. Some students who feel comfortable in standard-track classes also excel in carefully chosen AP courses.

You are passionate about the subject. Students with a strong passion for a subject and, therefore, an impulse to explore it further may be well-suited for AP classes. This passion may be the result of a previous course taken in the area, or it may have grown out of independent study that prompted the student's interest.

[Read: How to Determine the Right Number of AP Classes to Take.]

Students often choose to pursue careers related to subjects they are highly interested in. Taking an AP class is one way for students to test their passion before they must select a major in college. Upon finishing an AP course, students will most likely have confirmed or invalidated their attraction toward a subject. This realization then permits students to make more informed enrollment decisions in college.

There is good news for students who enroll in AP classes they find intriguing: Fascination with a subject usually translates to academic success. Truly enjoying a subject can sufficiently motivate you to excel, even when the content is difficult.

Due to the various benefits they can offer, AP classes are a popular option for high school students. Students are encouraged to enroll in these more challenging classes, as long as they are appropriate in level and timing.
Photo: Horton Events/Yelp

Looking for something to do this week? From a book signing to a bar crawl, here are some solid options to help you get social around town.

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.

Meet the Astronomer with Book Signing - Dr. Paul Sutter

From the event description:

Have you always wanted to meet an astronomer? If the answer is yes, come to the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory on Friday to meet Dr. Paul Sutter. This event runs from 7-9 p.m. and admission is $5.

When: Friday, May 3, 7-9 p.m.

Where: Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory, 1000 Oman Drive

Admission: $5

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Tacos and Tequila (Cinco De Mayo Edition)

From the event description:

What is better than tacos and tequila on the weekend? Come join the masses as both tacos and tequila will be available for consumption on Saturday from 2:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets range from $35-$55, so check the website for additional details.

When: Saturday, May 4, 2:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Horton Events, 660 Lafayette St.

Admission: $45 (General Admission Presale Ticket); $55 (General Admission Ticket)

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

May The Fourth Be With You Bar Crawl

From the event description:

On Saturday, a bar crawl will take place on Demonbreun Street starting at 3 p.m. Tickets for the pub crawl are going for $15 and you are encouraged to dress up in your favorite Star Wars garb.

When: Saturday, May 4, 3-8 p.m.

Where: Demonbreun Street

Admission: $20-$25

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Town Talk Diner & Gastropub. | Photo: Kailee C./Yelp

Looking to try the best cocktail bars in town?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top cocktail bars in Minneapolis, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fill the bill.

1. Ike's Food & Cocktails

Photo: Holly N./Yelp

Topping the list is Ike's Food & Cocktails. Located at 50 S. Sixth St. in downtown, the cocktail bar, traditional American and breakfast and brunch spot is the highest rated cocktail bar in Minneapolis, boasting four stars out of 339 reviews on Yelp.

2. Town Talk Diner & Gastropub

Photo: Town Talk Diner & Gastropub/Yelp

Next up is Longfellow's Town Talk Diner & Gastropub, situated at 2707 E. Lake St. With five stars out of 165 reviews on Yelp, the gastropub, cocktail bar and New American spot has proven to be a local favorite.

3. Young Joni

Photo: Mikayla H./Yelp

Sheridan's Young Joni, located at 165 13th Ave. NE, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the cocktail bar, which offers pizza and more, 4.5 stars out of 515 reviews.

4. Hai Hai

Photo: Anne J./Yelp

Hai Hai, a cocktail bar, Vietnamese and breakfast and brunch spot in Northeast, is another go-to, with four stars out of 370 Yelp reviews. Head over to 2121 University Ave. NE to see for yourself.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Photo: Bovine Metropolis Theater/Yelp

Wondering where to find the best comedy clubs in town?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top comedy clubs, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to venture next time you're in the market for some laughs.

1. Bovine Metropolis Theater

Photo: bovine metropolis theater/Yelp

Topping the list is Bovine Metropolis Theater. Located at 1527 Champa St. in the Central Business District, the comedy club, art school and performing art spot is the highest-rated comedy club in Denver, boasting 4.5 stars out of 63 reviews on Yelp.

2. Voodoo Comedy

Photo: Voodoo comedy/Yelp

Next up is Five Points' Voodoo Comedy, situated at 1260 22nd St. With four stars out of 88 reviews on Yelp, the comedy club and karaoke spot has proven to be a local favorite.

3. Dangerous Theatre

Photo: Dangerous Theatre/Yelp

Moving on to Valverde, the Dangerous Theatre, located at 2620 W. Second Ave., Suite 1, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the comedy club and performing art spot 4.5 stars out of 28 reviews. The theater's tagline says, "Daring audiences since 2007."

4. The Dinner Detective

Photo: the dinner detective/Yelp

The Dinner Detective, a comedy club and dinner theater in the Central Business District, is another go-to, with four stars out of 24 Yelp reviews. Head over to the Embassy Suites at 1420 Stout St. for a meal and a murder mystery.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Looking to satisfy your appetite for Southern fare?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top Southern spots around Miami, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fill the bill.

1. Sparky's Roadside Barbecue

Photo: SparkY's ROADSIDE BARBECUE/Yelp

Topping the list is Sparky's Roadside Barbecue. Located at 204 N.E. First St. downtown, the traditional American spot, which offers barbecue and more, is the highest rated Southern restaurant in Miami, boasting four stars out of 611 reviews on Yelp.

3. Bar Nancy

PHOTO: VANESSA V./YELP

Little Havana's Bar Nancy, located at 2007 S.W. Eighth St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the cocktail bar and music venue, which offers barbecue and more, 4.5 stars out of 128 reviews.

4. LOBA

LOBA, a New American, Southern and Latin American spot, is another go-to, with four stars out of 272 Yelp reviews. Head over to 7420 Biscayne Blvd. to see for yourself.

5. Ikrave

PHOTO: KANESHA P./YELP

Finally, there's Ikrave, a Liberty City favorite with four stars out of 64 reviews. Stop by 4799 N.W. Seventh Ave. to hit up the Southern, traditional American and breakfast and brunch spot next time the urge strikes.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Photo: Louis Reed/Unsplash

There's a little something for everyone coming up on the events calendar this week. From a college fair to a medical seminar, here are a few top options to help you get off the couch and out into the world.

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.

Black and African-American Town Hall and College Fair

From the event description:

The Black and African-American Advisory Panel of the California Community Colleges invites you to a Fresno Town Hall and College Fair. Hear first-hand from parents, students, educators and community leaders about improving access to college enrollment, removing barriers to success and improving graduation and completion rates.

When: Tuesday, April 30, 4:30-8 p.m.

Where: Westside Church of God, 1424 W. California Ave.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Dinner Seminar

From the event description:

You and a guest are cordially invited to attend a two-hour educational seminar to hear about the latest breakthrough in regenerative pain relief. You'll learn about the latest scientific developments in regenerative medicine for orthopedic and nervous conditions, how regenerative medicine works and how it could be a safer and more effective option.

When: Tuesday, April 30, 6-8 p.m.

Where: The Old Spaghetti Factory, 1610 E. Shaw Ave.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Cinco De Mega 'Rewind'

From the event description:

This year's Cinco De Mega lineup is stacked with some of the top hit-makers from the '80s and '90s. Jody Watley, Color Me Badd, The Jets, Digital Underground, Tone Loc, Rob Base and Connie are scheduled to perform.

When: Friday, May 3, 6:30-10 p.m.

Where: Rotary Amphitheatre at Woodward Park, 7775 Friant Road

Admission: $36

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

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Fresno State Pre-Health Conference

From the event description:

The Fresno State PreMedical Club will be hosting the annual Pre Health Conference highlighting medicine within the Central Valley. Our conference will provide Fresno State University students, as well as community members, the opportunity to engage and learn about the challenges of medicine in the Central Valley while exploring future careers in the area.

When: Saturday, May 4, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Where: California State University, Fresno, 5241 N. Maple Ave.

Admission: $5. More ticket options are available.

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Photo: Nicola Tolin/Unsplash

From bar crawl to a business opening, there's plenty to enjoy in Las Vegas this week. Read on for a rundown of ideas for how to fill your calendar.

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.

SBA Office of Advocacy - Regional Regulatory Roundtable

From the event description:

Please join the Office of Advocacy for a roundtable discussion of federal regulatory issues impacting your small business. Advocacy is also inviting Nevada Congressional offices and key federal agencies to hear your concerns about federal regulations and other issues you may be facing with your small business.

When: Thursday, May 2, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where: JW Marriott, 221 N. Rampart Blvd.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Youth of Color Restorative Practices Mentorship Summit

From the event description:

A day of critical mentorship, leadership, youth-led advocacy, and justice.

When: Saturday, May 4, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: Charles I West Preparatory Academy, 2050 Sapphire Stone Ave.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

2019 Cinco De Mayo Fremont Street Bar Crawl

From the event description:

Grab your amigos, and let's get day drunk. This Cinco De Mayo party in Las Vegas lets you make the rules! Run around from bar to bar in Downtown Las Vegas, partaking in epic drink specials from a variety of venues. On May 5 you will check in at Mickie Finnz (located at Fremont St and Las Vegas Blvd) between noon-5 p.m., where we'll provide you with a map and a wristband before you begin your adventure through the city.

When: Sunday, May 5, 12 p.m.-2 a.m.

Where: Mickie Finnz Fish House & Bar, 425 Fremont St.

Admission: $10-76

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

ROCK4HEALTH

From the event description:

Please join us at Tivoli Village as we celebrate womens health and educate the community about a wide variety of health topics. We will have speakers including Emily Simpson from Bravo's Real Housewives of Orange County. Other attractions include booths, special guests, food and drink specials, giveaways and more! Topics include but are not limited to: cancer prevention, infertility, surrogacy, adoption, mental health, dental/vision/skin health and general womens health.

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When: Sunday, May 5, 1-3 p.m.

Where: Tivoli Village, 400 S. Rampart Blvd.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Nourish Wellness Center - Business Launch & Open House!

From the event description:

We are so excited to be launching the passion project, Nourish Wellness Center. Join us as we celebrate the opening of the new collective space focusing on the modern woman's wellness and empowerment. Come connect with local wellness enthusiasts, enjoy delectable bites and beautifully curated drinks!

When: Sunday, May 5, 3-6 p.m.

Where: Nourish Wellness Center, 7390 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 230

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Congrats. You filed your 2018 tax return. But dont stuff it in a file cabinet just yet. Instead, look it over to uncover steps you can take right now to lower your 2019 tax bill.

The IRS revised the withholding table early in 2018 which resulted in less withholding for most taxpayers and consequently smaller refunds or even balances due at tax time, says Robert Westley, a CPA and member of the AICPAs Personal Financial Specialist Credential Committee.

His advice: Check to see if you may need additional withholdings from your paycheck. The IRS calculator can help you with that. Use IRS Form W-4 to indicate any additional amount you want to be withheld.

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Evaluate your filing status

Choosing your filing status is generally a straight forward decision, but it can pay to compare the filing statuses you are eligible for each year, says Westley.

A married couple can file jointly or separately, but in most cases filing separately is unlikely to decrease the overall tax bill, he says.

If, however, one spouse has substantial unreimbursed medical expenses, filing separately will lower their adjusted gross income and allow the spouse with significant unreimbursed medical expenses to obtain a higher deduction amount, says Westley.

Maximize chances for pre-tax dollars

Maximizing the use of pre-tax dollars is a smart way to lower your 2019 tax burden. Ask your human resources department about any your pre-tax employee benefits, says Westley. Those might include health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits; a Section 125 premium-only insurance plan, and a health savings account (HSA).

Maximize chances to defer income

Maximize how much you contribute to your employer-sponsored retirement plan. Employees who participate in 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the federal governments Thrift Savings Plan can contribute $19,000 this year. Plus, those aged 50 and older can contribute an additional $6,000 to their retirement plan.

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Once you maximize your 401(k), consider funding your IRA. There are income limitations if you are a participant in a 401(k) and want to do an IRA but the limits are getting higher, says Ted Sarenski, the CEO of Blue Ocean Strategic Capital.

Review investments for tax efficiency

Search for ways to harvest tax losses to offset any gains you may have recognized or will recognize during 2019. Tax loss harvesting, for example, is the practice of selling a security that has experienced a loss as a way to offset taxes on both gains and income.

When harvesting tax losses, be sure to keep in mind the wash-sale rules when buying back into the market says Westley.

According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, a wash sale occurs when you sell or trade securities at a loss and within 30 days before or after the sale you buy substantially identical securities. Internal Revenue Service rules prohibit you from deducting losses related to wash sales.

Westley also says fixed-income investors ought to review their 2018 marginal tax bracket and calculate whether taxable or tax-exempt fixed income offers a higher after-tax yield.

Jonathan Gassman, a CPA, and CEO of the Gassman Financial Group, recommends rebalancing your investment portfolio to provide additional tax-advantaged cash flow. He suggests adding more dividend-paying stocks, which are taxed at preferential rates, and investing in bonds issued by the federal government, which may be exempt from state and local taxes.

Control what you can

Westley says those who are under the standard deduction threshold because of the new $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions should focus on what they can control.

Since charitable deductions are fully controllable, bunching your charitable contributions into a single year, rather than contributing smaller sums over serval years, may put you over the new standard deduction hurdle, he says.

For 2019, the standard deduction amounts are $12,200 for individuals, $18,350 for heads of household, and $24,400 for married couples filing jointly and surviving spouses.

The new SALT cap will further increase the tax savings for taxpayers who can move their domicile lower tax states, says Gassman. Low state and local tax states include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and South Carolina.

Robert Powell is the editor of TheStreets Retirement Daily www.retirement.thestreet.com and contributes regularly to USA TODAY. Got questions about money? Email Bob at rpowell@allthingsretirement.com.



This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 ways to cut your 2019 tax bill now
Photo: Matthew Schwartz/Unsplash

There's a little something for everyone coming up on the events calendar this week. From Star Wars themed May the Fourth events to a yoga class to Beyonce and Drake tunes, here are some solid options to help you get social around town.

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.

Future Student Evening 2019



From the event description:

Craven College is hosting Future Student Evening on Thursday to provide all the essential information incoming students will need for the school year in September. The event, which is also open to parents and guardians, includes interactive activities across all subject areas and student ambassadors speaking about their experiences.

When: Thursday, May 2, 6-7 p.m.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Base Camp Cyclery's One-Year Anniversary Party

From the event description:

The Base Camp Cyclery bike shop is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a May the 4th Be With You party on Saturday. There will be food, drinks and prizes, as well as specials on the purchase of a new bike or accessories.

When: Saturday, May 4, noon-5 p.m.

Where: Base Camp Cyclery, 1869 S. Pearl St.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Denver Derby Day at Four Seasons Hotel Pool Terrace

From the event description:

The Four Seasons Hotel is hosting a viewing party to watch the Kentucky Derby on Saturday on the Pool Terrace. Televisions around the pool will be tuned to the race and expect food and drink specials.

When: Saturday, May 4, 2-7 p.m.

Where: Four Seasons Hotel Denver, 1111 14th St.

Admission: $80. More ticket options available.

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

May The Fourth Be With You Art War Party

From the event description:

Local artists are displaying their original Star Wars themed art on Saturday at The Curtis Hotel to celebrate May the Fourth. It's a themed party, get into it or come appreciate the fan made costumes.

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When: Saturday, May 4, 8 p.m.

Where: The Curtis Hotel, 1405 Curtis St.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

NamasBey VS. NamasDrake



From the event description:

Join yoga instructor Kady, of Big Booty Yoga, for a yoga class to the sounds of Beyonce and Drake. Following the all-levels vinyasa class are complimentary drinks, vendor goodies and giveaways.

When: Sunday, May 5, 10-11:30 a.m.

Where: 2191 S. Broadway

Admission: $20

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Photo credit: TRACY MAXWELL/JENNIFER GARAM

From Prevention

This year, about 22,530 women will receive a ovarian cancer diagnosis and about 13,980 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society . And while you can find plenty of articles on the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options, there's no way to prepare for facing ovarian cancer head on.

Hearing from survivors can help, though. That's why we asked five women to share their cancer journeys with us, and reveal what they wish people knew about fighting for your life. Each story is unique, but many spoke about the importance of trusting your body, finding support, and the realities of infertility after treatment.

If you or someone you love is facing ovarian cancer, consider calling the Cancer Support Community Helpline at 888-793-9355 or SHARE helpline at 844-275-7427 for support.

Marcia, diagnosed at age 27

Photo credit: Marcia Donziger

At age 27, Marcia Donziger was newly married and ready to start a family. But her entire life changed after a trip to the gynecologist for what she thought was a UTI. After hearing a bit about her symptoms, her doctor decided to do an ultrasound and discovered a tumor, which she thought was benign and recommended having removed. OK, but be sure I can still have children, Donziger told her.

She woke up from the surgery to the terrible news that they found cancer spread throughout her abdomen and had to perform an emergency hysterectomy.

It was devastating to hear it was ovarian cancer and I was now infertile. My life changed forever, she says. I lost the ability to have children just as I was preparing to start a family.



My friends were getting married and starting to get pregnant, she continues. When one of my best friends got pregnant two months after my diagnosis, I was happy for her, but it brought up tremendous feelings of grief.

Donziger, now 49, met with an oncology social worker to help work through what she was feeling. I didn't realize that I needed to systematically experience the stages of grief for an unborn child. Doing this under the guidance of a social worker was a healthy part of the recovery process that I recommend to anyone experiencing deep loss, she says.

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She later used a surrogate and egg donor and now has twin 13-year-old boys.

Tracy, diagnosed at age 36

Photo credit: TRACY MAXWELL

Tracy Maxwell arrived in the emergency room around 3 a.m. on New Year's day in 2006 with severe abdominal pain. Doctors found a cyst on her ovary that had burst, so her gynecologist monitored it for a few months before removing it.

The day after surgery, the doctor's office called: The doctor wants to talk to you about the pathology of your cyst, they said. I knew it was bad news, says Maxwell, then 36. When she met with her doctor, she learned she had granulosa cell ovarian cancer, a rare form that accounts for 2 to 5 percent of ovarian cancers .

She's since faced three more occurrences of the cancer. One of the toughest things, she says, is being single. For one, I was the CEO of a small company when I was diagnosed. I didn't know how I would keep doing my job, which I needed for health insurance, and go through cancer treatment without someone there to care for me, she says. Other women quit their jobs or go on disability leave. I couldn't do that.

And while work was a nice distraction and her network of friends and family helped, it was harder that I didn't have those options, explains Mawell, who wrote Being Single With Cancer to help others.

Now self-employed, the 49-year-old continues to face financial stress. It's incredibly difficult to pay for health insurance, and if I don't work, I don't have any money. I'm in a massive amount of debt. I'm very lucky that I own my home and it's almost paid off. I have it so much better than others. But it feels unfair to not only have to deal with this disease but also worry about how to pay for it. I find myself wondering What if I lose my house because I can't pay my mortgage? she says.

Susan, diagnosed at age 35

Photo credit: Susan Chinn

Back in 2006 when Susan Chinn was 35 years old, a routine trip to the obstetrician saved her life. Her OB was out of the office so she saw a nurse practitioner who ran some tests that revealed she had a blockage in her fallopian tubes.

Knowing IVF would be her only way to get pregnant, Chinn decided to see a fertility specialist, but they couldn't see her ovary with a transvaginal ultrasound. So Chinn's obstetrician performed surgery to remove a cyst, which burst during the procedure and had cancer inside.

Chinn took four months off from work to have a radical hysterectomy performed by a gynecologic oncologist and four rounds of chemotherapy. I was super positive throughout and focused on myself, she says.



But that changed when she returned to work. I became severely depressed, I had panic attacks, and I couldn't sleep at night. It was very difficult to concentrate or multitask. My brain was different-it didn't work how it used to work, she says.

Plus, there was the fear of the cancer returning. Cancer turns you into a hypochondriac, says Chinn, now 47. It doesn't stop with the treatment. After treatment, you have this sense of feeling lost. You are not getting checkups anymore. You get scared. There are excruciating days where your mind goes crazy. I had anxiety, depression, survivor's guilt.

Eventually she went to therapy, joined a support group, and began taking an antidepressant. It was a shitty deal, but I had it so easy and so good compared to others, and I'm alive, she says.

Jennifer, diagnosed at age 42

Photo credit: JENNIFER GARAM

Over the course of a week last fall, Jennifer Garam, 43, experienced a slew of symptoms out of the blue: fever, chills, stomach and shoulder pain, a splitting headache, bloating (to the point her belly button popped out as if she were pregnant), and light bladder leakage.



A doctor at a local urgent care facility told her it was gastritis or colitis and gave her an antacid. But that night she wet the bed, so she called the urgent care facility for a follow-up. They sent her to get a CT scan, which showed masses on both ovaries, fluid in her abdomen, and another tumor near her liver.

Urgent care sent Garam to the ER, where she was then admitted to the hospital for a week and had a laparoscopic biopsy which revealed she had stage 3 ovarian cancer. She had nine weeks of chemotherapy, a hysterectomy and oophorectomy to remove both ovaries and both fallopian tubes, and then nine more weeks of chemotherapy.

Throughout all of this, the unknown scared her the most. Once I'm in a routine, having my weekly chemo, and I know when the side effects will hit, it's fine, she says. But anytime there's something unknown [such as her prognosis or going into surgery], the fear of death comes in.

She finds support from loved ones and openly shares the triumphs and struggles on Instagram so others know what it's really like having ovarian cancer.

And while it might sound surprising, Jennifer says now that shes found a new purpose.

Getting cancer has been the best thing to happen to me. It completely changed my life for the better, she says. I'm so much happier. I really struggled with persistent feelings of loneliness, and now I feel so much love from my friends and community and so much more connection than I ever felt in my life. I have a lot more love for myself and stand up for myself in ways that I didn't before.

Rhonda, diagnosed at age 49

Photo credit: Rhonda Burke

During an annual pap smear, a doctor told then-49-year-old Rhonda Burke that her uterus was prolapsed, a condition that occurs when the uterus slips down into or protrudes out of the vagina due to weakened pelvic floor muscles.

In retrospect, it really didn't make sense, she says. I've never had children and much of my life involved core work, as I exercised quite frequently. But she didn't think much of it at the time.

About five months later, she began peeing so often that she woke up at least four times a night to use the bathroom. Burke had a number of doctors appointments and went through a series of tests, including a transvaginal ultrasound. After three and a half months of waiting for her test results (due to a lab error), she finally received the shocking news: She had multiple tumors and stage four ovarian cancer.



We could have caught my cancer about 9 months sooner-and prevented ascites, a buildup of fluid in the abdomen, and a painful paracentesis procedure-had we investigated [my prolapsed uterus] a bit further, Burke, now 54, says. It was a tumor pressing on my uterus.

She encourages women to be aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and advocate for themselves. Many of the symptoms-bloating, fullness, urinary issues, pelvic pain-are issues women have dealt with their entire lives, she says. Plus, we're all so busy and we work, so we sometimes don't put our health first until we're knocked in the teeth.

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A 6-year-old Baltimore County student claims an older student threw him out the window of a moving bus. (Photo: WBFF)

A Maryland father is taking drastic measures, including quitting his job to relocate his family and withdrawing his six children from their school, after his 6-year-old son was allegedly thrown out of a moving school bus window by an older bully.

I just wish this would've never happened, Brian Kight, the boy's father, told WBFF. It has turned our world upside down. We're moving. We're relocating. We're taking our kids and leaving."

According to Kight, who plans to take his children to West Virginia, the past six months have been a nightmare for his kids, especially his 6-year-old, Jacion, at Featherbed Lane Elementary in Gwynn Oak, Maryland.

Earlier this month, Kight was surprised when his first-grade son didn't arrive home after school. According to Jacion, an older student called him to the back of the bus, where the student then "pushed the emergency button to open the window, and he throw me out the window," Jacion said.

He dumped me out the window, and I landed on the street, Jacion told WBFF. No car didn't run me over.

Kight says that Jacion fell head first out of the moving bus and was knocked unconscious.

I'm scared to death, Kight says. I show up, and he's already in the back of the ambulance. And I didn't even get to talk to nobody because the ambulance was in a very big rush to pull off. So, I jumped in the ambulance. I was thinking I might be losing my child. And it was terrifying.

Jacion spent three days in the hospital; according to medical reports he suffered "frontal skull fractures with small head bleed."

Kight says it was frightening to see his child completely unconscious, unresponsive. He added: My children actually approached me and said that, We are scared to go back to that school. Do we have to go? And I'm a parent. I love my children. And with them saying that and the look on their faces, I can't send them back there. I can't."

While police have yet to watch the surveillance video and the police report is ongoing, Kight says that he saw the incident and confirmed Jacion was pushed out the window. And all I could think about was, God, please help my son,' he said.

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While waiting in the hospital, Kight reached out to an attorney, Ivan Bates, who believes the incident could lead to a possible lawsuit against Baltimore County Schools and will be conducting his own investigation.

It could have been avoided, it should have been avoided, Bates said.

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The ancient hatred has migrated to the Internet.

The San Diego synagogue shooter was self-radicalized on a right-wing message board on the website 8chan, posting before he went on his rampage a thank-you to the boards users: What Ive learned here is priceless.

The attack, which killed one and injured three, came six months to the day after the shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue that killed eleven. The San Diego shooter declared the Pittsburgh shooter  also a creature of fringe internet culture  one of his heroes.

Anti-Semitism is a millennia-old phenomenon, and anti-Jewish shootings in the U.S. arent new either (several occurred while George W. Bush and Barack Obama were president).

Whats disturbing about the latest spate of violence is the common thread of white-nationalist ideology, propagated and readily available on the Internet and developing its own twisted culture of mass shootings. What happened two decades ago with the Columbine shooting  which set the predicate for years of copycat killers, each soaked in the iconography of Columbine and seeking his own moment of notoriety  is being replicated by a loose collection of sick racists.

The San Diego shooter attested to how quickly hed been prepped for mass murder by 8chan, where white nationalists push one another to undertake acts of violence that they call real-life effort-posting. He said he never could have imagined killing even a few months ago, and that he planned the attack in four weeks.

He explained that he was inspired by the Christchurch mosque shooter, who killed 50 in New Zealand and came from the same white-nationalist 8chan sewer. The San Diego shooter aped his hero by also posting a similar long manifesto to the site and attempting to livestream his crime.

Todays Internet anti-Semitism is based on very old lies, at the bottom of which is the belief that the Jews are an alien, parasitic force conspiring against their host, in this case supposedly the white race. The San Diego shooter even cited a notorious lie dating from the 15th century that Jews had used the blood of a Christian boy to bake their Passover matzos.

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The addition the 8chan haters make to the anti-Semitic oeuvre is their very Internet in-jokes and memes, underscoring their rancid nihilism.

Because everything must be about Donald Trump, the Left blames him for Pittsburgh and San Diego. His critics point to his shabby response to Charlottesville (Trump actually did condemn the white nationalists and neo-Nazis, but posited fine people on their side who didnt exist). Yet Trump was explicitly rejected by the San Diego and Pittsburgh shooters, precisely because hes so pro-Israel.

His State of the Union address earlier this year was notably philo-Semitic. We must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed, he said while recognizing a hero of the Pittsburgh massacre. With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs.

At the same time that an extreme fringe on the right marinates in its own malice, a different sort of anti-Semitism, rooted in hatred for Israel, is getting normalized on the left. It can be seen in the refusal of House Democrats to forthrightly condemn Representative Ilhan Omar for her anti-Semitic posts and comments, and in the astonishing publication by the international edition of the New York Times of a political cartoon worthy of Der Sturmer.

Its not the 1930s again, but the elite atmosphere is becoming more hostile to Israel than it has been for many decades, and the physical threat to Jews is growing. According to news reports, the San Diego shooting might have been much worse if the Poway Chabad congregation hadnt recently practiced shooter drills, and other synagogues will have to take note. If the freaks on 8chan have anything to say about it, there will be a next time.

 2019 by King Features Syndicate

More from National Review
OSLO (Reuters) - Greenpeace activists climbed down from a Seadrill drilling rig in Norway on Tuesday and are no longer occupying it, the environmental group told Reuters.

The rig, which was boarded by four activists on Monday, will be used next month by Equinor to explore for oil and gas in the Arctic.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Writing by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Paul Tait)
WASHINGTON  Attorney General William Barr had hoped that briefing reporters just before he finally released the report detailing an investigation into Russian election interference and President Donald Trump's attempts to thwart it would put to rest questions about his handling of the probe.

It did not. Since leaving the Justice Department podium that morning, the political firestorm surrounding Barr has only intensified. Now he is set to face a restive Congress whose members remain bitterly divided over how special counsel Robert Mueller's report should guide their parties' political futures.

Barr is scheduled to appear Wednesday before the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee, and on Thursday before a Democratic-controlled panel in the House. But even the seemingly routine matter of arranging his testimony has proved contentious, and Barr and lawmakers had yet to reach an agreement on Wednesday evening on the format for how he would be questioned by the House committee.

The House dispute, with Democrats threatening to force Barr's testimony by subpoena and Republicans seeking to move on from an investigation that has largely consumed Trump's presidency, has only underscored the harsh partisan backdrop to what could be the most consequential days of Barr's short tenure as attorney general.

The Senate panel, chaired by staunch Trump ally Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, is the friendlier of the two venues. But even there, lawmakers have said they expect to grill him on his views on whether the president's conduct amounted to obstruction and whether he misrepresented the substance of Mueller's report to favor Trump in a summary of the report's findings about a month before it was released to the public.

"It seems clear from what Ive read of the special counsels report and what Ive been briefed on, that President Trump repeatedly attempted to obstruct justice and only the refusal of his core team to carry out his directives prevented him from being successful in doing so," said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a Judiciary panel member. "That raises pretty basic questions that I think the American public and Congress should have been alerted to rather than having that buried in the summary of the report."

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Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., meanwhile, cast the dispute over Mueller's report as a clear attempt by the Democrats to damage the president in the run-up to the 2020 election.

"I think the report speaks for itself and its 448 pages," said Kennedy, who also sits on the Judiciary committee. "Muellers gone home; hes gone back to the house or his job... I think the American people think its finished. I think the only people who think it isnt finished are the members of the House and a couple of members of the Senate who just hate Trump."

(Mueller remained at work Tuesday and is expected to complete his service soon, his spokesman, Peter Carr, said.)

More: Trump took steps to fire Mueller, stop probe after campaign welcomed Russian dirt on Clinton, Mueller report says

Read the report: Read special counsel Robert Mueller's report into President Trump, Russian interference

More: Did Trump encourage Michael Cohen to lie? ... And other mysteries the Mueller report didn't resolve

Obstruction

In both the Senate and the House, Democrats have signaled that they will press Bar on his decision to effectively clear Trump of criminal liability in the face of substantial evidence that the president sought to reign in the 22-month investigation that clouded the first years of his administration or shut it down, altogether.

Mueller's report detailed 10 episodes of possible obstruction, including efforts by Trump to dismiss Mueller and order then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to make public statements characterizing the probe as unfair.

None of the attempts succeeded, largely because White House Counsel Don McGahn declined to carry out Trump's directive to sack Mueller, while political adviser Corey Lewandowski never successfully passed the president's message to Sessions.

In a summary of Mueller's conclusions published March 24, Barr said that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein took action to clear the president because Mueller's team did not reach a conclusion on whether the president's actions constituted a crime. Barr later claimed during the Justice briefing earlier this month that "there is substantial evidence to show that the president was frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency."

Democrats, meanwhile, have asserted that any decision on obstruction should have been left to Congress, not the Trump-nominated attorney general. They pointed to a passage in Mueller's report that they contend implied that lawmakers could take up the matter in a possible impeachment proceeding.

The report stated that Congress "can validly make obstruction-of-justice statutes applicable to corruptly motivated official acts of the president without impermissibly undermining his (presidential) functions."

Everybody is asking about that," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the panel's ranking Democrat, said. "I think the most important thing for me is that this is a man (Barr) guided by the Constitution and the law not the president."

Attorney General William Barr

The Barr press briefing

Mueller's final report was just a couple of hours from public release when Barr took the stage at the Justice Department and offered a ringing defense of the president.

Most striking were the echoes of a Trump stump speech embedded in the text.

While Mueller's report examined the central question of whether Trump conspired with the Russian government to tilt the election in the Republican's favor, Barr repeatedly chose a familiar refrain used by the president to deny any wrongdoing.

"So that is the bottom line," Barr declared at one point. "After nearly two years of investigation, thousands of subpoenas and hundreds of witness interviews, the special counsel confirmed that the Russian government sponsored efforts to illegally interfere with the 2016 presidential election but did not find that the Trump campaign or other Americans colluded in those schemes."

The choice of language immediately raised questions among some Democrats about the purpose of the briefing. The report detailed numerous contacts between Trump aides and Russians and a campaign eager to benefit from Russian support, and pointedly declined to use the word "collusion" to describe the investigation.

Barr also acknowledged that Justice Department allowed Trump's personal attorneys to read a final version of a "redacted" report before its public release.

"The president's personal lawyers were not permitted to make, and did not request any redactions," Barr said.

Nonetheless, the acknowledgement has raised increasing suspicions among Democrats about Barr's impartiality.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tuesday asked the Justice Department's inspector general to review whether Barr's handling of the matter breached department guidelines.

"Attorney General Barr's decision to hold a press conference to assert his own views regarding the report well before releasing the reacted report...warrant serious scrutiny as to whether they were proper and consistent with Justice Department policies and practices," said Hirono, another Judiciary panel member.

Kennedy, the Louisiana Republican, said the questions raised by Democrats in both the Senate and House amounted to "legislative oversight in bad faith."

"This is all about the 2020 election and I dont blame the president for pushing back," Kennedy said, referring to Trump's recent vow to challenge Congress' every request for information and testimony.

"I just want to hear what he (Barr) has to say," Kennedy said.

Access to the Mueller's full report

The day after Barr released a redacted version of the Mueller report in April, House Democrats raised the ante: they issued a subpoena for the complete versions, with no information blacked out.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., dropped the demand on Barr, expressing his dissatisfaction with the partly blacked-out copy that the attorney general delivered to Congress and the public.

Among the redacted material were references to a dozen still-secret investigations that were spun-off from Mueller's probe and now are being handled by federal prosecutors in other offices.

While Mueller's conclusions were largely confined to whether Trump or others committed federal crimes, Congress has broader options, ranging from holding hearings to amplify the report's findings, passing legislation or potentially pursuing impeachment proceedings.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said impeachment  the political equivalent of bringing charges against the president  is not yet in the cards.

Short of providing the un-redacted version to Congress, Barr had offered to allow some lawmakers limited access to a less-edited version of the report. Republicans agreed, but Democrats have so far refused.

"Given the comprehensive factual finding presented by the special counsel's report, some of which will only be fully understood with access to the redacted material, we cannot agree to the conditions you are placing on our access to the full report," Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a letter to Barr following the report's release.

Barr's spy review

In the days before Mueller's report was made public, Barr told a Senate panel that he was reviewing whether federal authorities improperly spied on Trump's campaign during the early stages of the investigation into whether any of his aides participated in Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election in Trump's favor.

"Spying on a campaign is a big deal," Barr told a Senate panel Wednesday. "I think spying did occur. The question is whether it was adequately predicated."

The attorney general said he planned to examine the "genesis and the conduct" of the FBI's investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, launched in the midst of the 2016 presidential run. The inquiry was ultimately turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller to complete, and Barr has said it concluded that Trump's campaign did not conspire with the Russian government.

"I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred," Barr told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee. "I am concerned about it. There is a basis for my concern."

Barr's statement was lauded by congressional Republicans who have pressed for such a review, often claiming without evidence that Mueller's investigation was illegitimate because it was based on surveillance abuses by the FBI.

Among those who have pushed for such a review is Graham, head of the Senate panel.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 09: Attorney General nominee William Barr (L) poses for photographs before a meeting with Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in his office in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill January 09, 2019 in Washington, DC. Barr's confirmation hearing is scheduled for next week. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775279432 ORIG FILE ID: 1091785708

In an interview Tuesday with USA TODAY, Graham said little about what he expected from Barr.

"Just show up and youll hear," Graham said. "Show up. Show up. Show up.

He offered more to CBS News on Sunday, declaring questions about Trump's conduct closed and saying it was time to look more closely at the investigation.

"I think the idea that this president obstructed justice is absurd," Graham said. "He turned over a million documents to the special counsel. Almost everybody around him testified. I can't think of one thing that President Trump did to stop Mueller from doing his job. He never claimed executive privilege. From my point of view I've heard all I need to really know. Now I want to look at it and find out how all this happened."

USA TODAY App: Like what youre reading? Download the USA TODAY app for more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AG William Barr steps into Russia probe firestorm with two Congressional appearances
Marriott is hitting back at Airbnb, which has been expanding its reach into the hotel industry, by rolling out its own home-rental service.

Next week, Marriott said it would start renting 2,000 homes in 100 cities across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. Its expansion into the home-rental space coincides with Airbnbs expansion into the hotel industry, transportation, and a new category of short-term rentals that offer hotel-like services including housekeeping and a concierge.

The launch of Homes & Villas by Marriott International reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation as consumer travel needs evolve, Stephanie Linnartz, Marriotts global chief commercial officer, said in a statement. What started out as a pilot a year ago is now a global offering.

Marriotts announcement about pushing into Airbnbs turf comes as Airbnb readies for an initial public offering. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has said the company will be prepared to go public this year, but he did not say if or when the company would file the paperwork to do so.

When it comes to the home-rental business, Chesky said that hes not worried about Marriott.

I dont think anyone is going to be so large that theyre a major threat, he told CNBCs Squawk Box on Monday.

Airbnb declined to comment further on the matter.

During a test of its home rental service, Marriott said the average guest stayed three times as long as those who stay in hotels. The target market is clearly upscale.

Some of Marriotts luxury home rentals include a six bedroom villa in Sorrento, Italy with an infinity pool overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and a wood-fire pizza oven; an oceanfront villa in Anguilla with private beach and a personal butler and house staff; and a 18th century Irish Castle that sleeps 17 and features a private lake for boating and fishing.

Although Marriott wields deep pocketsit generated $20.76 billion in revenue in 2018, up 1.5% from the previous yearand a big consumer name in hospitality, it has a long way to go to compete with Airbnb or Booking.com in home rentals. Airbnb has more than 6 million listings including hotel rooms while Booking has 28 million places to stay, 5.7 million of which are apartments and homes.

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Meanwhile Airbnb, most recently valued at $35 billion, has been adding to the number of hotel and hotel-like listings on its service in recent months.

The company bought last-minute hotel booking app HotelTonight for an undisclosed amount and today announced plans to develop a new type of accommodation that combines the comforts of a home with the hospitality of a hotel. The new suitessimilar to those offered by Lyric, the startup in which it recently investedwill be the result of a partnership with New York-based RXR Realty. The first project will occupy 10 floors of 75 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan when completed.

During its expansion, Airbnb has faced push back from regulators. Some of it was spurred on by the hotel industry, which felt threatened.

In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission began investigating how Airbnb affects rising housing costs. That same year, New York passed a law to fine Airbnb hosts who break local housing rules. The American Hotel Lodging Association, which includes Marriott, called both moves notable accomplishments.

Chesky said that Marriotts move into home rentals validates Airbnbs business. He also suggested that Airbnb is diversifying its revenue to build a multigenerational company that could soon go public.

The sooner you can get your vision out before you go public, the sooner investors know what theyre buying, he told CNBC.
By Lamine Chikhi and Hamid Ould Ahmed ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerias ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) party has elected businessman Mohamed Djemai as its new leader, state television said on Tuesday, a month after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika quit in the face of mass protests. Bouteflika's exit has not quieted protesters, who are now demanding the dismantling of an entire ruling elite entrenched for decades, a shift toward more democracy and a crackdown on systemic corruption and cronyism. The 50-year-old Djemai, whose business interests have included smartphones, is a relatively youthful figure atop the FLN, most of whose senior officials are in their 70s and have dominated Algeria since independence from France in 1962. Djemai replaces Moad Bouchareb. The FLN, which has ruled since independence in 1962, will lead Algeria to a position of security, Djemai was cited as saying by the private Ennahar TV. Until presidential elections on July 4, Algeria - a major oil and gas producer - will be run by Abdelkader Bensalah, head of the upper house of parliament, as caretaker president, although he has also faced demands to resign. Many Algerians hardly took notice of the FLN leadership change as they pressed for bigger changes. The army remains the most powerful institution in Algeria, having swayed politics from the shadows for decades. It has so far patiently monitored the mostly peaceful protests that at times have swelled to hundreds of thousands of people. Earlier on Tuesday, the army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah - who helped push out Bouteflika after having him declared unfit for office - said several big corruption cases would come to light in a crackdown on graft, Ennahar TV reported. A number of figures from the ruling elite including the finance minister, former prime minister and several oligarchs have come under investigation in recent weeks. "The judiciary has been freed from all pressures," Salah said in a speech at a base in the eastern city of Constantine. "The country will be cleansed of corruption and corrupt people." Salah spoke hours after former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, who was sacked as part of a Cabinet reshuffle two days before Bouteflika resigned, appeared in court as part of a corruption investigation. There was no immediate comment from Ouyahia or his lawyers. It is up to the court to decide whether there is enough evidence for him to face a formal charge. Ouyahia later left the court after being questioned by a prosecutor, state TV said. "Put Ouyahia in prison," read a banner held up as dozens of protesters gathered near the court in the capital, Algiers. On Monday, Finance Minister Mohamed Loukal - a former central bank governor who only got the job from Bouteflika last month - appeared in court in relation to an investigation into suspected misuse of public funds, state TV reported. At least five tycoons, some close to Bouteflika, have been detained and accused of involvement in corruption scandals. (Reporting by Lamine Chikhi and Hamid Ould Ahmed; Additional reporting by Hehsm Hajali; Editing by Peter Cooney; Editing by Ulf Laessing and Mark Heinrich)
* Eastern Libyan forces have been unable to take Tripoli

* State oil firm NOC facing divisions

* Eastern Libya tried before to sell oil bypassing Tripoli

By Ulf Laessing

TRIPOLI, April 30 (Reuters) - With the frontlines around Libya's contested capital Tripoli stalemated, the two rival factions are bringing oil and money supplies into the firing line of their battle for power.

Khalifa Haftar, chief of the eastern-based forces which are attacking the city, is putting pressure on state oil firm NOC and its operations in his fiefdom, diplomats and analysts say.

In response, the internationally-recognized government in Tripoli is limiting his access to hard currency, the sources said.

The moves mark a new turn in a war which started in early April when Haftar, who is allied to a parallel administration in eastern Libya, mounted a campaign to capture Tripoli.

His Libyan National Army (LNA) fighters have been unable to advance into the city center and costs are piling up as ammunition and other supplies need to be brought in from their home base in Benghazi 1,000 km (600 miles) away.

This has prompted Haftar to use oil as a strategic asset.

The LNA controls areas surrounding most of Libya's oil infrastructure but it does not benefit directly from oil and gas sales, which go through NOC in Tripoli managing the day-to-day operations.

NOC has tried to stay out of the conflict but it distributes energy revenues to the Tripoli-based central bank, which only works with Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

In recent days, Haftar has met with two executives working for NOC in the east in his base outside Benghazi.

The first was the chairman of NOC subsidiary AGOCO, which produces a third of Libya's output. Then Haftar met NOC board member Jadallah al-Awakli.

His office released pictures of the meetings showing the general dressed in military uniform.

Asked by Reuters about his meeting, Awakli said oil operations were benefiting from security provided by the LNA.

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"I congratulate the LNA on its victories," he said.

Another NOC unit in east Libya, Sirte Oil firm, also expressed support for the Tripoli offensive on its website.

The meetings took place days after the LNA sent a warship to Ras Lanuf port -- 600 km (400 miles) from the frontlines.

At the same time NOC said soldiers had entered Es Sider port and seized its air strip. It condemned what it called a "militarization" of oil facilities but did not name the LNA, which controls the area.

LNA officials denied this and said oil ports work normally.

Diplomats and analysts saw the move as a sign that Haftar wants to remind Tripoli he can stop oil exports as a way to pressure Serraj into a deal to share oil revenues should he not win on the battlefield.

The LNA last year tried to export oil bypassing NOC via a parallel NOC entity which has some 500 staff on duty.

"NOC is concerned by renewed attempts to divide the corporation," a spokesman for NOC Tripoli said. "It is particularly alarmed by evidence of staff coercion and is attempting to clarify the circumstances behind recent statements in support of the armed assault on Tripoli."

GUNS, OIL AND MONEY

Analysts said Haftar is under financial pressure because Tripoli has limited his access to hard currency.

The LNA needs to import gear via merchants as its main foreign backers, Egypt and United Arab Emirates, have provided heavy equipment such as helicopters but have been reluctant to provide cash, Western and Gulf diplomatic sources said.

"Haftar appears to be contingency planning for how he will continue funding his growing operation and what will likely be a prolonged conflict," said Tarek Megerisi, a European Council policy fellow.

Diplomats said Haftar is trying gain the upper hand in the Tripoli war before the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan next week, when life slows down. The LNA would still need to maintain costly supply lines if a long stalemate occurs.

Haftar could try to force Tripoli into a deal by blocking oil exports, which would end funding for the government, or he could even consider trying to sell oil again, analysts said.

Washington stopped previous such attempts, even despatching Navy SEALs to storm a tanker which had set off from a port run by a rogue commander in 2014.

"Given he currently enjoys the backing of President (Donald) Trump, Haftar may now feel emboldened to try again and create a reliable revenue stream for himself," Megerisi said.

Trump told Haftar in a phone call he "recognized" his efforts in securing oil facilities, the White House has said.

Libya's output has been so far unaffected, remaining at about 1.1 million barrels a day though the conflict has divided even technocrats. An oil manager in Tripoli joined the front as well as engineers in the east.

An armed group on Monday attacked the southern El Sharara oilfield, which pumps 300,000 bpd, exploiting a vacuum as the LNA has moved troops north.

BANK SEIGE

Tripoli has responded to Haftar's moves with the central bank (CBL) on Monday imposing special checks on four banks, three of them in Benghazi, before they can get hard currency.

It cited "suspicions of corruption" but the east said this was just an excuse.

"CBL...has opened a frontline of war and a siege on banks in Barqa," said Ramzi al-Agha, head of the liquidity committee at the eastern parallel central bank.

"Barqa" is a term for the east often used by activists demanding secession or at least autonomoy from the west.

Jalel Harchaoui, research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, said Haftar felt emboldened by a paralysis of U.N Security Council which has been unable to even call for a ceasefire.

"Using the counter-terrorism argument many profound changes could be implemented especially with foreign support," he said. "A big chunk of at oil exports is at risk owing to political reasons." (Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Shanghai (AFP) - Shanghai opened one of the world's biggest dog shows on Tuesday but animal activists and online critics have condemned China's hosting of the event due to the widespread consumption of dog meat in the country.

The four-day World Dog Show comes for the first time to China, which consumes around one-third of the estimated 30 million dogs eaten for their meat worldwide by humans each year, according to Humane Society International.

Britain's The Kennel Club, which calls itself the world's oldest such organisation, has already announced it was snubbing the event, citing the sometimes "brutal" methods used in China to slaughter canines.

"The Kennel Club will not be attending the show with its roadshow stand," it said in a statement on its website.

Various animal rights organisations have launched campaigns against the decision by the Belgium-based World Canine Organisation, known by its French acronym FCI, to award the event to China, and a petition on social-action site Care2.com has drawn more than 700,000 signatures.

Activist groups said they were using the event to highlight the dichotomy between China's love of the dog as a companion and the persistence of the meat trade.

"It's a double standard that enrages many dog lovers throughout China, who are frustrated at how this illegal trade is allowed to continue," Humane Society International said in a statement.

But some attendees said the show could be a force for change.

"There are a lot of conflicting views on this topic, because if the World Dog Show does not come to China then more people won't have the chance to understand these pets," said Bao Zi, a Chinese kennel owner and breeder.

"Eating dogs -- I can only say it's for Chinese law to put out a policy as soon as possible to stop these things happening."

Campaigners stress that the show is being held just weeks before an annual dog-meat festival held in southern China.

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Activists say thousands of dogs are killed each year for the festival in the town of Yulin in Guangxi province, where dogs are eaten to mark the late-June summer solstice.

- Man bites dog -

Humane Society International said Monday that Chinese animal rights campaigners found that three restaurants in Shanghai were serving dog meat and had rescued 22 canines from a slaughterhouse in an adjacent province.

Representatives of the show's local organiser, the China Kennel Union, were not immediately available for comment on the criticisms.

A range of dog breeds will compete in contests of agility, obedience, and other disciplines in the show. Recent versions of the event claimed to have drawn up to 20,000 entrants.

In 2015, after Shanghai's choice drew criticism, the FCI defended it as a way to promote the protection of "man's best friend".

Some Chinese dog owners said the critics were barking up the wrong tree.

"China is not a country that collectively eats dog meat", the owner of a Chinese kennel said on the popular Weibo platform.

"Compared to some regions in Europe that kill seals, keep killer whales in captivity, the Spanish slaughtering of bulls and tormenting of greyhounds, the majority of us Chinese pet owners are much nicer," the post said.
Washington (AFP) - France's most famous Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld on Monday slammed the resurgence of "anti-Jewish hate," days after a teenage gunman's deadly attack on a synagogue in California.

"There is no safe place on earth right now for Jews," the 83-year-old told AFP in an interview in Washington.

John Earnest, 19, posted a virulently anti-Semitic letter on right-wing internet forums and armed himself with an assault rifle before carrying out the attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue, near San Diego, on Saturday.

He killed a 60-year-old woman and wounded three others, including the rabbi and a young child -- and would have likely claimed more lives had his weapon not jammed.

It came exactly six months after a similar shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue left 11 dead, the worst attack against Jews in the history of the United States.

- Trump 'fails to see the danger' -

"It's tragic to see that on both sides of the Atlantic there has been a resurgence in attacks," said Klarsfeld, who is also a noted historian. "Anti-Jewish hate lives on."

Klarsfeld, who dedicated his life to bringing former Nazis to justice, was speaking alongside his equally celebrated wife Beate, who is 80.

The couple are in Washington to receive the Elie Wiesel Prize, the highest award given out by the United States Holocaust Museum.

Klarsfeld, who like the late Wiesel was born in Romania, said he was disturbed by the sometimes ambiguous stance of President Donald Trump on the rising tide of white supremacy in the US.

"I have not heard President Trump take a strong position against the far right here, whereas in France, in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, leaders of states always have a firmer response," he said.

"Either he fails to see the danger, or he doesn't believe it is dangerous," added Klarsfeld.

"I think that the Jews of the United States, who are very grateful to him for what he did for the Jewish state, that is to say Israel, expect him to react against those who threaten the wellbeing of American Jews," added the historian, referring to the recognition by the Republican billionaire of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

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The New York Times on Saturday apologized for publishing a cartoon that showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a guide dog, wearing a collar with the Star of David, leading a blind Donald Trump who wore a kippah.

Klarsfeld said the cartoon was "insulting," for Trump as much as for Netanyahu who was "treated like a dog."

"It is an anti-Semitic cartoon, that is to say that Jews are guiding the world and that corresponds to a stereotype very common among the far right, which one also finds on the far left," he said.

Klarsfeld, who spent decades working to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, is worried about the future of Europe and called on centrists to mobilize ahead of the next European elections.

"Never has a far-right or far-left regime made its people happy and prosperous, inevitably the extremes of power lead to misery and barbed wire."
WASHINGTON  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to be the parent in the room Tuesday when Congressional Democrats met with the president at the White House to discuss a fix for the nation's crumbling infrastructure.

Pelosi, attempting to interrupt a side conversation between the president and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, called the pair "kids," according to a Democratic source who requested anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door meeting.

"If I may have your attention Mr. President Chuck Kids...," said Pelosi, the only woman to become speaker of the House  not once but twice, according to the source.

By the end of the meeting, Democrats and the president agreed on a $2 trillion infrastructure investment. But, it wasn't clear if there was an agreement on how to pay for the proposal, which would represent about half the government's annual budget.

Tuesday's meeting came with a backdrop of intensifying Congressional investigations centered on the president, his business and his finances, along with continued talks about impeachment in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the Trump campaign and Russian election meddling.

Pelosi described the highly anticipated meeting as "productive" and said Democrats are "very excited" about moving forward on an issue that many feel has been ripe for compromise. On the other hand, talk of fixing highways, bridges and airports has in the past broken down over disagreements about how to pay for those investments.

In this file photo taken on December 11, 2018, Vice President Mike Pence listens while Democratic incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Donald Trump and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argue about the impending government shutdown during a meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C.

More: Democrats say Trump agrees to $2 trillion for infrastructure, but details unclear

More: How Nancy Pelosi is leading divided Democrats through political turmoil, Trump's administration

During the meeting, the source said, Trump pulled out a box of Tic Tacs, the white "freshmints" flavor, and offered the box Pelosi after taking one for himself.

The last time Trump met with top Democrats he made a similar offering, but a tad sweeter. In January, during what became the longest government shutdown on record, Trump offered M&M's, Skittles and Butterfingers to Pelosi and Schumer.

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The candy didn't seem to help, though, as the meeting ended when Trump walked out amid an impasse over funding for a wall along the southern U.S. border.

More: Tic Tacs, featured in Trump video, calls comments 'unacceptable'

Trump has a history with Tic Tacs, though. He mentioned popping a Tic Tac during the infamous Access Hollywood tape, where he talked about kissing women and that his fame allowed him to "do anything."

Ive got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her," Trump said about the actress who was on her way to pick him up for a Days of Our Lives appearance. You know Im automatically attracted to beautiful  I just start kissing them. Its like a magnet. Just kiss. I dont even wait.

In response, the mint company issued a statement saying it "respects all women" and found Trump's comments "completely inappropriate and unacceptable."

Contributing: John Fritze, David Jackson and Eliza Collins

Tic Tac respects all women. We find the recent statements and behavior completely inappropriate and unacceptable.  Tic Tac USA (@TicTacUSA) October 8, 2016

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'If I may have your attention': Pelosi calls Trump, Schumer 'kids' to get a word in on infrastructure
The 2019 Social Security Trustees report was recently released, and we got an updated look at the financial condition of Social Security as well as the latest projections for the future of the program.

As you might expect, the prognosis is not good. Although the report was generally a bit better than last year's, Social Security is still projected to run out of money in 2035. If this happens, a 20% across-the-board cut would be required for all current and future Social Security beneficiaries.

Obviously, nobody wants that to happen. However, getting Congress to agree on a solution to the problem is easier said than done. There are several different ways to tackle the problem, and not surprisingly, some are more popular with Democrats while others are more widely preferred by Republicans.

Having said that, one of the most easily quantifiable ways to solve Social Security would be an increase to the Social Security payroll tax rate. Currently, American workers and their employers each pay 6.2% of compensation, up to an annual maximum ($132,900 in 2019). Self-employed workers pay both sides of the tax -- employer and employee -- for a total rate of 12.4% of income, up to the same maximum that applies to employees.

So, let's take a look at how much we'd need to raise the Social Security payroll tax in order to fix the program once and for all, as well as some alternative solutions that could be considered.

A man holding a wallet with cash money flying out of it.

Image source: Getty Images.

How much of a tax increase would it take?

The short answer is that it depends if we decide to increase payroll taxes now or later. Keep in mind that Social Security gets income from three main sources: payroll taxes collected from American workers and their employers, interest income on reserves, and taxation of Social Security benefits paid out to retirees with certain income levels.

With that in mind, the Social Security Trustees estimates that in order to keep the program solvent for at least the next 75 years (the extent of the projection period), an immediate 2.70% increase in the Social Security payroll tax is needed. This would bring the total rate to 15.1%, up to the annual wage cap, or 7.55% each for employees and employers.

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However, keep in mind that this makes certain assumptions. It assumes that the increase would be implemented immediately, as opposed to phased in over a period of years as many proposals have suggested. It also assumes that we're starting with about $2.9 trillion in reserves, which is currently the case. Remember that these reserves generate interest income for the program, and it's not an insignificant amount. In 2018, $83.3 billion of Social Security's income came from interest on the reserves. If we wait to implement a fix until these reserves are depleted, we would need a steeper tax hike to compensate for the lost interest income.

Over the long run, it's estimated that the costs of Social Security will exceed income by as much as 4.11% of taxable payroll if no changes are made. So, if we wait until the reserves run out before we fix the problem, we'd need a payroll tax increase of more than 4%, or 2% each for employees and employers. That's a big difference, and illustrates the need to act sooner rather than later to fix the problem.

Other ways to fix the problem

To be perfectly clear, there are additional ways to fix Social Security other than an immediate increase to the payroll tax. I already mentioned a gradual phase-in of a payroll tax increase (say, by 0.1% per year until the desired level is reached). In addition, some of the possible ways we could fix Social Security include, but are not necessarily limited to:

Increasing or even eliminating the maximum taxable wage cap. In other words, make more of high earners' income subject to Social Security taxes.

Raise the full Social Security retirement age, which is currently set at 67 for Americans born in 1960 or later.

Reduce benefits for high-income retirees.

Change the way cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are calculated to an index that rises more slowly.

Some combination of the methods discussed here.

The sooner, the better

While a payroll tax increase is the example I've illustrated here, the most likely way Social Security will ultimately be fixed is by some combination of reforms. Even so, the point is that any of these fixes will be easier to swallow if they are implemented sooner rather than later. Social Security currently has almost $3 trillion in reserves and 16 years until it runs out of money, not to mention a projected surplus in 2019. It would be a smart idea to take advantage of this cushion while it's there.

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A tour helicopter crashed in a suburban Hawaii community on Monday, killing all three people aboard.

Witnesses said they saw fire and parts of the Robinson R44 aircraft plummet onto a two-lane road amid homes in Kailua, about a 30-minute drive from downtown Honolulu.

Resident Sommer Birkett told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that she had a clear view of the crash from her second-floor living room.

It sounded like a missile hit a plane, Birkett told the Star-Advertiser. I heard this loud sshhhh-boom! I was like, 'What the hell is that?' I looked out the window and I saw the helicopter nose-dive onto Oneawa Street.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why the four-seat aircraft crashed. The names of the crash victims have not been released.

Neighborhood residents did not report any injuries, Shayne Enright, a spokeswoman for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Services, told the Star-Advertiser.

As she drove down the street, witness Melissa Solomon said she looked up and saw the burning helicopter fall in front of her. She said she turned onto another street in case debris fell on her and her daughter.

We could have been smashed by it, she said.

Crash victims: Former New York mayor's great-granddaughter among 6 dead in Texas plane crash

Boeing 737 Max: Southwest preps for return, expects some traveler anxiety

The helicopter may have clipped power lines, Honolulu police Lt. Wayne Wong told the Star-Advertiser.

"It could have impacted a bigger part of the community," Wong said. "So, were just fortunate that it (was)  isolated in that one area.

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The helicopter was built in 2000 and is registered to United Helicopter Leasing LLC of Honolulu, according to FAA records.

State Rep. Cynthia Thielen, who represents Kailua, said she wants the FAA to prohibit tour flights over Hawaiis residential areas and national parks. She also called for helicopter tours to be put on hold until the crash investigation is completed.

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Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'It sounded like a missile hit a plane': Hawaii tour helicopter crashes near Honolulu, killing 3
Reproducao

Apple could be about to add a feature standard to many top Android models to its latest crop of iPhones, rumour suggests  fast charging.

Appple is widely expected to launch three iPhone models at its usual September event this year, and rumour suggest that an 18W fast USB-C power adaptor could come in the box.

The devices will still use Apples classic Lightning port, and will come with a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box, Japanese blog Mac Otakara claims.

Read more

Dead people will outnumber the living on Facebook within 50 years

Drivers are being tricked into thinking a bird box is a speed camera

Teen robber who went on 24-hour crime spree with machete is jailed

Android phones such as Googles Pixel phones and OnePlus devices come with fast chargers as standard.

Until now, Apple users have had to pay extra to buy fast chargers and adaptors for their devices.

For several years, Apple has stuck with the same 5W power adaptor for iPhone, despite adding capabilities such as wireless charging to newer devices.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Apple Inc on Tuesday forecast stronger-than-expected third-quarter revenue and Chief Executive Tim Cook said iPhone sales had started to stabilize in China, a sign that Apple's price cuts there are helping limit sales declines. IPhone sales marked their steepest decline ever, falling 17 percent in the fiscal second quarter from a year earlier and slightly missing analyst expectations. But Apple executives said a pickup in iPhone sales toward the end of the second quarter, along with growth in sales of services and wearable devices, made them optimistic about the current quarter. Apple beat analyst expectations for its wearable business, bringing in sales of $5.13 billion compared with estimates of $4.79 billion, according to FactSet data. Wearables include the Airpods wireless headphones and the Apple Watch. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri told analysts on a call that 75 percent of Apple Watch buyers were new to the product. Shares rose more than 5 percent in after-hours trading after Apple announced the results and plans for a new $75 billion share buyback. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2WdDgyh) Apple said it expects revenue between $52.5 billion and $54.5 billion for the current quarter ending in June, above analysts' average estimate of $51.93 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. In an interview, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said that iPhone sales started to strengthen during the last few weeks of the fiscal second quarter. "As we look at the iPhone results through Q2, the results were stronger on a year-on-year basis for the last few weeks of the quarter. We also saw a similar result in China," Cook told Reuters in an interview. "These, along with the continued success with wearables and so forth, give us some confidence that things are getting a bit better." Apple reported net earnings per share of $2.46 for the March quarter, compared with Wall Street's average estimate of $2.36. Apple said iPhone revenues were $31.05 billion, slightly below analyst estimates of $31.10 billion, according to data from FactSet. Services revenue, which includes sales from Apple Music, the App Store and other businesses, reached $11.45 billion, compared with analyst estimates of $11.32 billion, according to FactSet. Apple has wrestled with a slowdown in iPhone sales in key markets such as China and saw its first ever year-over-year decline in iPhone revenue for the holiday shopping season. The slowdown stemmed in part from the iPhone's high cost and competition from rivals such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Xiaomi Corp, Oppo and Vivo - all of which sell cheaper phones with features similar to the iPhone. But Cook said price adjustments in China, along with lower Chinese taxes on the iPhone and the trade-in and financing deals Apple offered, helped iPhone sales start to recover toward the end of the quarter. Cook also said he is "optimistic" that the United States and China will soon reach a trade deal. "The trade relationship, versus the previous quarter, is better. The tone is better," Cook told Reuters. "The sum of all of this together, it helped us." Investors are looking to Apple's services business to fuel growth as iPhone sales slow. Last month, Apple revealed a new credit card offering and subscription services for news, television and gaming, though only the news subscription is currently available to purchase. Apple on Tuesday said it has 390 million total subscribers to both its own and third-party services on its devices. The company has set a goal of 500 million by 2020. Tom Plumb, founder of Wisconsin Capital Management and an Apple shareholder, said the results looked good, especially the uptick toward the end of the quarter. But other shareholders such as Brian Pirri, a principal at Apple shareholder New England Investment and Retirement Group, said they took the results with a "grain of salt" because expectations were low heading into the report. "I don't think the phones are the answer. (Apple) is going to need to continue to innovate, and I don't see a ton out of this report that excites me," Pirri said. For its fiscal second quarter ended in March, Apple reported revenue of $58.02 billion, above analysts' average estimate of $57.37 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Apple said it spent $27 billion on share buybacks and dividends during the fiscal second quarter, which is a record for the company. Apple also said its board had authorized an additional $75 billion in share repurchases and raised its dividend by 5 percent. "I imagine people are extrapolating the positive developments in China near quarter end and looking forward to a better environment there," said Hal Eddins, chief economist at Apple shareholder Capital Investment Counsel. "For me, the driver for tonights (share price) move is the dividend hike ... and more importantly the $75 billion buy back. Either way, Ill take it." (Graphic: Apple earnings link: http://graphics.reuters.com/1/1419/2253/index.html) (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Sayanti Chakraborty in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Protesters loyal to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido were crushed under armored cars driven by pro-government forces during a violent uprising that racked the streets of Caracas on Tuesday after Guaido launched a push to end socialist president Nicolas Maduros regime.

Violent clashes ensued Tuesday morning after Guaido, who declared himself interim president of the nation earlier this year, finally called on his supporters to take to the streets in response to the starvation and poverty that have taken root under Maduro.

One video of the violence showed pro-government forces in an armored car accelerating into a crowd of protesters who had breached a barrier surrounding La Carlota air base, where soldiers rebelled to join the opposition Tuesday morning.

 | REBELION EN VENEZUELA: Tanquetas militares arrollan a grupo de manifestantes en Caracas: pic.twitter.com/BLirOAoFkP  Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) April 30, 2019

Local authorities have not yet reported any fatalities, but many are said to be injured.

Maduro and his defense minister, Vladimir Padrino, have stated their intention to put down the rebellion by force. They remain in control of much of the countrys military leadership, though initial reports suggested more rank-and-file soldiers had begun defecting as the day went on.

A mediocre coup detat attempt has failed, Padrino said Tuesday on a local radio broadcast.

Guaido declared himself the rightful president of Venezuela earlier this year after being chosen to lead the opposition by the National Assembly. He took to the streets Tuesday with his top deputy, Leopoldo Lopez, who had just been freed from house arrest, to march with anti-government protesters.

Guaidos spokesman disputed the regimes claims that the days events amounted to a coup attempt, casting the rebellion instead as an effort to implement the will of the Venezuelan people.

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This is not a military coup. This is a constitutional process led by the Venezuelan people under the leadership of a civilian, the interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaido, he said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence expressed the Trump administrations enthusiastic support for the protesters in a series of statements released Tuesday morning.

More from National Review
College Park (United States) (AFP) - Here's a hypothetical: a telescope detects an asteroid between 100 and 300 meters in diameter racing through our solar system at 14 kilometers per second, 57 million kilometers from Earth.

Astronomers estimate a one percent risk the space rock will collide with our planet on April 27, 2027. What should we do?

It's this potentially catastrophic scenario that 300 astronomers, scientists, engineers and emergency experts are applying their collective minds to this week in a Washington suburb, the fourth such international effort since 2013.

"We have to make sure people understand this is not about Hollywood," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine as he opened the sixth International Planetary Defense Conference at the University of Maryland's campus in College Park.

Countries represented include China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Russia and the United States.

The idea that the planet Earth may one day have to defend itself against an asteroid used to elicit what experts call a "giggle factor."

But a meteor that blew up in the atmosphere over Russia on February 15, 2013, helped put an end to the sneers.

On that morning, a 65-foot (20-meter) asteroid appear out of nowhere over the southern Urals, exploding 14 miles (23 kilometers) above the town of Chelyabinsk with such force that it shattered the windows of thousands of buildings.

A thousand people were injured by the shards.

But "the positive aspect of Chelyabinsk is that it made the public aware, it made the political decision makers aware," Detlef Koschny, co-manager of the Planetary Defence Office of the European Space Agency (ESA) told AFP.

- How many? -

Only those asteroids whose orbit around our Sun brings them within 31 million miles of our planet -- defined as "near Earth" -- are of interest.

Astronomers are finding new ones each day: more than 700 so far this year, for a total of 20,001, said Lindley Johnson of NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which was created in 2016.

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Among the most risky is a rock named 2000SG344: 165 feet in diameter, with a one in 2,096 chance in striking the Earth within a hundred years, according to the ESA.

The majority are very small, but 942 are more than 0.6 miles across, estimates astronomer Alan Harris.

The scientist told an audience that some large ones are probably still out there: "A fair fraction of the biggest ones are hiding... basically parked behind the Sun."

They are found mainly by two US telescopes, one in Arizona and the other in Hawaii.

The ESA has built a telescope for this purpose in Spain and is planning others in Chile and Sicily.

Many astronomers are demanding a space telescope because terrestrial telescopes are unable to detect objects on the other side of the Sun.

- Deflecting an asteroid -

This week's exercise seeks to simulate global response to a catastrophic meteorite. The first step is aiming telescopes at the threat to precisely calculate its speed and trajectory, following rough initial estimates.

Then it boils down to two choices: try to deflect the object, or evacuate.

If it is less than 165 feet, the international consensus is to evacuate the threatened region. According to Koschny, it is possible to predict the country it will strike two weeks ahead. Days away from impact, it can be narrowed down to within hundreds of kilometers.

What about bigger objects? Trying to nuke them to smithereens like in the movie Armageddon would be bad idea, because it could just create smaller but still dangerous pieces.

The plan, instead, is to launch a device toward the asteroid to divert its trajectory -- like a cosmic bumper car.

NASA plans to test this idea out on a real asteroid 492 feet across, in 2022, with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission.

One issue that remains is politics, says Romana Kofler, of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

"Who would be the decision making authority?" she asked. "The consensus was to leave this aspect out."

The United Nations Security Council would likely be convened, but it's an open question as to whether rich countries would finance an operation if they themselves weren't in the sights of 2000SG344 or another celestial rock.
Hbeit (Syria) (AFP) - Shelling of areas in northwestern Syria in the past three days has damaged a medical centre and put two hospitals out of service, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

"The UN is deeply disturbed by three separate reported attacks on hospitals and health facilities in northwestern Syria, depriving thousands of people of their basic right of health," said David Swanson of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

"Such violence is completely unacceptable," he told AFP.

The UN did not specify who was behind the attacks but the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights blamed the Syrian government and its ally Russia.

On Tuesday, a medical centre in the town of Hbeit in the south of jihadist-held Idlib province was "severely damaged" in artillery shelling, Swanson said.

Regime shelling blew a crater into the walls of the centre, said an AFP correspondent who visited the facility.

Its interior was littered with rubble, he said.

Earlier on Monday, an air strike hit a hospital in the town of Latamna in neighbouring Hama province, putting it out of service, Swanson said.

The hospital used to carry out 1,300 outpatient consultations and more than 300 operations a month before it was attacked, he said.

A third facility -- The Madiq Castle hospital in Hama-- was also put out of service when it was hit by an air strike two days ago, causing heavy damage to its outpatient clinic, pharmacy and laboratory, Swanson said.

The hospital had served about 8,000 people a month, he added.

"All three incidents further limit civilians' access to basic health care in northwest Syria," he said.

"The UN continues to call on all the parties to the conflict to end the destruction of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure that is essential for the civilian population."

Russia and rebel-backer Turkey in September inked a buffer zone deal to prevent a massive regime offensive on the Idlib region, near the Turkish border.

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But the region of some three million people has come under increasing bombardment since former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took full control of it in January.

The escalation has killed more than 200 civilians since February, the UN said last week.

The Observatory said two civilians were killed in Tuesday's shelling on Idlib and neighbouring Hama.

Despite the low casualty count, it said Tuesday's attacks were the most intense since the September truce.

The civil war in Syria has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it began with the bloody repression of anti-government protests in 2011.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  A candidate in Australia's upcoming general election quit his anti-Muslim political party on Tuesday after video of him groping and propositioning dancers in a U.S. strip club was broadcast on national television.

Steve Dickson had been Queensland state president of the One Nation Party and a Senate candidate in May 18 elections.

The 56-year-old resigned from the party after Nine Network television on Monday night broadcast his antics in the Washington, D.C., club in September that were secretly videoed by Al Jazeera.

It was the second time that Dickson and his party have been embarrassed and politically damaged by the Qatar-owned broadcaster.

Dickson said in a statement Tuesday that his political career was over. He said the strip club video "shows a person who was drunk and not in control of his actions and I take full responsibility for allowing that to happen."

An Al Jazeera documentary broadcast in March reported that Dickson and One Nation official James Ashby flew to the United States for meetings with pro-gun interests including the National Rifle Association and political donors Koch Industries seeking money to undermine Australian gun laws. Dickson visited the strip club during the same trip.

One Nation's leader, Pauline Hanson, who was criticized for once wearing a burqa in the Senate, said Dickson's behavior was unacceptable for a candidate for her party.

"Steve is a family man. He is deeply upset about this," Hanson told reporters. Dickson is married with two adult sons.

Hanson also accused Al Jazeera of trying to hurt her party, which opposes Muslim immigration, three weeks before an election.

Al Jazeera said it did not give consent for its video to be broadcast.

"Al Jazeera did not consider it in the public interest to broadcast the material," the broadcaster said in a statement. "Al Jazeera condemns the unauthorized use of its material."

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Nine said in a statement that the video was "leaked" to the program that broadcast it, "A Current Affair." No money was paid, Nine said.

"We stand by the story and Mr. Dickson's resignation this morning highlights the public interest in broadcasting the footage," the statement said.

While Dickson has quit the party, it is too late for his name to be removed from ballots. Voting started on Monday for Australians who will not be able to vote on May 18.

Analysts agree that Dickson would have little chance of winning a Senate seat even without the latest scandal.

One Nation's popularity has slumped in opinion polling since March, when the party was accused of trying to sell out Australia's strict gun laws. The party leaders accuse Al Jazeera of taking their comments, which were secretly recorded by a journalist posing as a gun lobbyist, out of context.

One Nation had four senators after the last election but has been left with two after defections. Such minor parties are influential in the Senate, where governments rarely hold a majority of seats and need to bargain to get legislation passed.
Baltimore, a once-great American city, has all but imploded thanks to decades of corrupt leadership, crime, and the progressive policies now trumpeted by Democratic presidential hopefuls as solutions to the countrys cultural and economic divisions.

The latest dramatic, if not unique, chapter in Baltimore politics is the still-unfolding story of Democrat Catherine Pugh, the long-time state senator who won the citys 2016 mayoral election. Pugh is taking an indefinite leave of absence (but will still collect her $185,000-per-year salary) following news that she had received $500,000 from sales of self-published childrens books to the University of Maryland Medical System, where she was until recently a board member, and $300,000 from other businesses and organizations, some of which had won multi-million-dollar contracts from the city and state during her tenure in Baltimore and Annapolis. She also bought her house below market value and renovated it at a deep discount thanks to one of the businesses that bought her Healthy Holly books, which teach, according to one Amazon reviewer, that Exercising is fun, but money laundering is funner.

Pugh, whose homes and City Hall office were raided April 25 by the FBI amid calls from Governor Larry Hogan and other elected officials to resign over her book deals, won a tight primary race in 2016 against former mayor Sheila Dixon, who had been convicted of stealing gift cards meant for poor residents. At the time Pugh was, by comparison, the clean candidate. Which is not to say she was an exemplar of high characterin 2010 as a state senator she was the lead sponsor of the first law in the nation requiring the census to count inmates as residents of their last permanent, address rather than of their prison. This law boosted Baltimores declining population by some 12,000 peopleand saved the citys powerful delegation from losing seats in the state legislature. Perhaps Bernie Sanders and other Democrats should tap her for insight on the hot topic of felons and terrorists voting from prison if she is unemployed thanks to the self-dealing noted above.

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Baltimore has seen better days. Established in 1729, it was the first boom town in the United States, home to an expansive shipbuilding sector and the nations first common-carrier railroad (B&O) connecting Baltimore with cities as far-flung as St. Louis and Chicago. Today it is known to Americans via The Wire, HBOs 20022008 television series that viscerally captured the hopelessness of the citys drug-infested streets, failing schools, corrupt police department and power-hungry City Hall.

Crime is so pervasive today that Johns Hopkins University, the citys largest private-sector employer, won approval this year from the state legislature to create its own armed police force to protect students, faculty, and its medical campus. The rate of violent crime has been terrible for years and last year Baltimore topped the FBIs homicide list at a time when violent crime has been decreasing nationally. Security company ADT just ranked Baltimores residents the most robbed in the United States. This, four years after former mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a Democrat like every Baltimore mayor since 1967, told residents they needed to give looters space to destroy during riots following the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who died in police custody in 2015, and earlier told residents who complained about spiking crime during her tenure that they were part of the problem. (She decided not to run for a second term, by the way.)

But crime is only one of Baltimores many problems. The vast majority of the citys public-school children cant read or write at grade level. When they graduate from high school, 70 percent of Baltimore City public school students who enter a two- or four-year college need remedial help in basic reading and math. And then there are the massive water-main breaks that regularly halt commerce, and the 17,000 vacant houses pockmarking the city like ghosts of the citys past stature.

No wonder so many people are voting with their feet and leaving. Last years census figures showed that, of the 30 largest cities in the United States, only Baltimore and Detroit lost population. Baltimore had shrunk to a population not seen for 100 years. This years census figures show another population decline of 1.2 percent to just over 600,000 residents and no signs of stopping.

What makes a bad situation worse are decades of economic policies that by design create two Baltimoresone for the connected, and one for everyone else. The citys 2.248 percent property tax rate, more than twice as high as that of other counties in the state, drives people and businesses away from a city that desperately needs new families. Owning a $500,000house costs $11,240 per year in city property taxes, as opposed to $5,500 in the surrounding county. As more and more people leave, those same beleaguered taxpayers are forced to shoulder a larger share of the tax burden for city services. Connected developers, on the other hand, regularly receive massive tax breaks to build luxury developments like the Four Seasons, hotels like the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, and myriad other projects that continually drain city coffers of millions without boosting employment, while homeowners effectively pay tax rates sometimes 16 times higher.

Amid these ashes, what do elected and appointed officials think will ignite Baltimores economy? A bigger convention center and new horse track for the Triple Crowns Preakness, businesses with such vibrant futures that both must be massively subsidized by state taxpayers to survive. Securing public funds for both was the main focus of Ms. Pughs administration before she went into hiding.

And nothing is going to change soon. The acting mayor, Democrat Jack Young, is content to act as a place holder for Ms. Pugh until she decidesif everto return to office before the 2020 election. As he told the Baltimore Sun, People should understand were still moving the city forward with a steady hand. This particular steady hand has spent 20-plus years on the city council, overseeing its decline.

With the FBI probe casting a wider net than Ms. Pugh, the city needs to eject her from office along with the corruption and mismanagement that has plagued it for decades. The people of Baltimore deserve better.

They need someone who did not learn the Baltimore Way from their mentors and who knows how to earn the city money, not redistribute it to friends, family, and his or her own bank account. They need someone willing to make schools compete for students by becoming places where those students learn, and brave enough to make streets safe and neighborhoods thrivenot someone who will do anything to cling to power. And they need someone willing to make the structural economic reforms necessary to create jobs and lure businesses over the long-term instead of someone who can only recycle ideas that have been failing for decades.

Long-time city politicians need not apply. The city needs someone with courage, not connections. May the 2020 mayoral race, for the first time in a long time, draw candidates devoted to securing the citys future, not their own.

More from National Review
Bananas have become a protest symbol for feminist Polish activists. [Photo: Instagram]

Several hundred Polish women are sharing photographs of themselves eating bananas on Instagram  together with the hashtag #bananaselfie.

The social media activists are protesting the removal of feminist artwork from Polands National Museum in Warsaw last week.

One of the pieces is a video installation entitled Consumer Art, which was produced by artist Natalia LL  dubbed a Polish-born pioneer of feminism  in 1973.

READ MORE: Man seeks Tinder dates to turn vaginas into art

The artwork in question features a woman eating a banana, and has been in the gallery for several years.

The removal of the artwork occurred after the new museum head, Jerzy Miziolek, was summoned to the Ministry of Culture.

Another video by a different female artist, which shows a woman walking two men who are dressed like dogs, has also been removed.

READ MORE: Topless activists stage London Fashion Week protest

Last week, in an interview with Polish publication Onet.pl, Miziolek said he was opposed to showing works that could irritate sensitive young people.

However, the removal has prompted a stir, with Instagram users campaigning for free speech and anti-censorship.

The backlash isnt limited to Instagram only. Protesters yesterday gathered in front of the museum, brandishing the bananas which have become symbolic of the anti-censorship protest.

This isnt the first time bananas have been used as a political symbol this year.

Back in February, Meghan Markle wrote inspirational messages on bananas to sex workers  although some later branded them offensive.
By Devjyot Ghoshal

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Mountaineers from the Indian army on a expedition in Nepal have found mysterious large footprints in the snow that they think belong to the Yeti, or the abominable snowman, the military said on Tuesday.

Largely regarded by the scientific community as a myth, the Yeti is part of Nepali folklore and is said to live high in the snow-capped Himalayas.

In a tweet accompanied by pictures, the Indian army said it had sighted footprints measuring 32 by 15 inches (81 by 38 cm) close to a camp near Mount Makalu on April 9.

"For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti'" it said in a tweet, not explaining how a mythical beast could leave footprints.

Located on the border between Nepal and China, Makalu is among the highest mountains in the world and stands near the Makalu-Barun valley, a remote wilderness that has also been surveyed by researchers hunting for the Yeti.

Daniel C. Taylor, who has extensively explored the Makalu-Barun area and written a book on the mystery of the Yeti, said the footprints were likely those of bears.

"If that is the footprint of an animal or a single animal, it's the size of a dinosaur," he told Reuters, adding that repeated measurements of the footprints were required to ascertain their origin.

"One needs to really confirm those measurements of the footprint size because we know for sure that there are no dinosaurs living in the Barun valley."

Tales of a wild hairy beast roaming the Himalayas have captured the imagination of climbers in Nepal since the 1920s, prompting many, including Sir Edmund Hillary, to go looking for the creature.

In 2008, Japanese climbers returning from a mountain in western Nepal told Reuters they had seen footprints, which they thought belonged to the Yeti.

And although they carried long-lens cameras, video cameras and telescopes, they hadn't seen or taken any photographs of the creature.

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But scientists have found little evidence of the Yeti's existence so far. In 2017, a group of international researchers studied multiple purported Yeti samples collected from across the Himalayan region and concluded they belonged to bears.

In 2008, two men in the United States said they had found the remains of a half-man, half-ape, which was eventually revealed to be a rubber gorilla suit.

(Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Cotonou (AFP) - Voter turnout in elections in Benin was potentially the lowest in decades, as people waited Tuesday for results from controversial polls without any opposition candidates.

While no fixed time has been set for the release of results of the vote on Sunday, one Election Commission official said that first results could be announced by Thursday.

The results themselves are in little doubt.

All candidates contesting for the 83 parliamentary seats come from just two parties, the Republican Bloc and the Progressive Union, and both of them are allied to President Patrice Talon.

The small West African state was long held up as a model for democracy, but the main opposition parties were effectively barred from fielding candidates by tough new eligibility rules.

With many people apparently heeding opposition party calls to boycott the polls on Sunday, the big question is not so much the result, but rather the turnout of the five million registered voters.

- Vote boycotted -

Initial estimates from civil society groups monitoring the polls said turnout ranged from as low as 1.25 percent to up to 63.27 percent, depending on the polling stations.

"It is an unprecedented situation," said Fatoumata Batoko, who heads a coalition of civil society groups.

Their work on polling day was hampered by the shutting down of the internet, which was cut on Sunday for the voting, but has since been switched back on.

"It is likely that the participation rate remains the lowest since the beginning of democratic renewal" in 1990, she told a press conference.

Before that, 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.

But this year, lawmakers from the ruling party pushed through a new electoral code that meant there was not a single opposition candidate to choose from.

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On voting day, civil society groups recorded a total of 206 incidents, according to Joel Atayi Guedegbe, another member of the coalition of activists.

Those include the reported death of one man, wounded in scuffles between protesters and security forces, as well as the destruction of election materials, Guedegbe said.

Two ex-presidents have condemned the polls and called for them to be annulled.

"The people demand the return of democracy," Thomas Boni Yayi, who preceded Talon as president from 2006-2016, told reporters on Monday.

"The institutions are no longer credible," Yayi said, calling on people to resist the current president. "Talon will walk over our dead bodies."

Nicephore Soglo, president from 1991-1996, called on Talon to "annul the vote".
New York (AFP) - American mega-investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway will invest $10 billion in Occidental Petroleum as the company battles to acquire rival Anadarko Petroleum, Occidental announced Tuesday.

Anadarko's board had already approved an offer from Chevron when Occidental unveiled a higher bid last week, beginning a tug-of-war over the assets in the shale-rich Permian Basin in Texas.

"We have long believed that Occidental is uniquely positioned to generate compelling value from Anadarko's highly complementary asset portfolio," Vicki Hollub, Occidental's president and chief executive, said in a statement.

"We are thrilled to have Berkshire Hathaway's financial support of this exciting opportunity."

Occidental's proposed takeover valued Anadarko at $76 a share, compared to the $65 offered by Chevron on April 12. Occidental said it was disappointed that Anadarko had ignored its previous bids.

Anadarko on Monday agreed to resume talks with Occidental, after the board of directors declared that the rival offer "could reasonably be expected to result in a 'Superior Proposal'" to Chevron's offer.

Berkshire Hathaway is to receive $10 billion in Occidental shares, with the option to buy 80 million more at $62.50 a share, according to the Occidental statement.

But Chevron said Tuesday it stood by its initial offer.

"We believe our signed agreement with Anadarko provides the best value and the most certainty to Anadarko's shareholders," a Chevron spokesman said.

But the company indicated last week it could walk away from the deal if bidding drove the price up too high.

"We can practically say Chevron will get out of the race," Gregori Volokhine of Meeshaert Financial Services told AFP.

"It's not that it's hard to fight Warren Buffett but this maneuver will give Anadarko a lot of confidence to accept the offer" from Occidental, he added.

Shares in Anadarko were 0.5 percent lower toward 1500 GMT while Occidental had fallen an even steeper 1.7 percent. Chevron was up 3.1 percent.
Caen (France) (AFP) - Bernard Dargols, the only French soldier to fight in an American uniform as Allied forces stormed the coast of Normandy at Omaha Beach in a battle heralding the end of World War II, has died aged 98, the Caen Memorial war museum said Tuesday.

"We are deeply saddened by Bernard's passing... surrounded by his loved ones, a few days from his 99th birthday. We will miss him terribly," the museum said on Twitter.

His death comes just a few weeks before France is hosting ceremonies to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, which are to be attended by US President Donald Trump.

Dargols had left France in 1938 for an internship in the United States, and after seeing France's Vichy leader Philippe Petain shake hands with Adolf Hitler, he enlisted in the US Army, later obtaining joint French-American citizenship.

He was just 24 when he crossed the Channel from England to France on June 8, 1944, two days after Operation Overlord was launched to help wrest back France from Germany.

"Some GIs were killed in the water. By what miracle was I going to make these last few metres" to the beach, he recalled in a 2012 memoir written with a grand-daughter.

"If the Liberty Ship had been able to quickly go into reverse, I think I would have asked them to do it," he said.

- A jeep named Bastille -

A few hours later, aboard a jeep nicknamed "La Bastille", he found himself surrounded by his fellow Frenchmen who couldn't believe their ears.

"What a feeling to hear French spoken, to be taken in the arms of all these people older than me, calling me their liberator," he recalled.

"If I had kept all the bottles of calvados brandy they were giving me, I think I could have opened my own specialist shop!"

Dargols, whose family had Jewish origins, had an aunt and uncle who were deported to the Nazi death camps where they died, though his mother managed to remain in Paris during France's occupation.

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After the war he took over his father's sewing machine shop, but he often spoke about the bloodshed he witnessed, giving interviews to ensure younger generations never forgot the high price paid.

"Today we're seeing the signs of anti-Semitism," he told AFP in a 2014 interview.

"I want young people to fight back against it."
More Americans have retired abroad in Mexico than any other country. The low cost of living, sunshine, accessibility, established expat communities and diversity of lifestyle options draw many retirees south of the border.

Here are the 10 best places to retire in Mexico in 2019:

-- Playa del Carmen

-- Mazatlan

-- Ajijic, Lake Chapala

-- Puerto Vallarta

-- San Miguel de Allende

-- Alamos

-- Morelia

-- Tulum

-- Hualtulco

-- Durango

From relaxing beach towns to cosmopolitan cities, the challenge is deciding where to retire in Mexico. Consider these potential retirement spots in Mexico where you can seek adventure overseas, but don't have to give up all the comforts of home.

[See: The 10 Best Affordable Places to Retire Overseas in 2019]

Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen is a little beach town an hour south of Cancun on Mexico's Riviera Maya. Once a sleepy fishing village, the port was inadvertently put on the map by Jacques Cousteau in 1954 when he filmed an underwater documentary on the Great Maya Reef just offshore. Today Playa is home to more than 10,000 foreigners, including young couples, families with small children and retired folks. At the center of it all is La Quinta Avenida, the pedestrian street that runs parallel to the beach. All along 5th Avenue, music rolls out of the open storefronts, including Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Buffett, salsa and Latin ballads.

Mazatlan

Mazatlan is one of the few places in the world where you can walk for miles on an uncrowded beach within the city limits. Mazatlan has beautiful beaches and a walkable colonial center that manages to be both a popular expat choice and an authentic Mexican resort town. Located midway along Mexico's Pacific coast, Mazatlan's historic center has undergone an impressive facelift. Mazatlan lies about 720 miles south of the Arizona border, making it a 13-hour drive down highway 15D. What a luxury to be able to throw everything you need in the car and drive to your new life overseas.

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Ajijic, Lake Chapala

The Mexican government estimates that nearly 20,000 expats reside full time in the state of Jalisco. The area around Lake Chapala is home to an organized and developed expat retiree community. The Lake Chapala Society reports about 4,000 American and Canadian residents. Moving here, you could set up a lifestyle that isn't dramatically different from the life you left behind in the U.S. You don't have to worry about learning the local language if you don't want to, because this is an entire community of non-locals. Retiring to Ajijic, you could make a comfortable life for yourself in a place that's beautiful, safe, affordable and also exotic. Over the past four decades, Ajijic has attracted such a volume of foreign retirees that it's become very friendly to foreign residents.

[Read: 8 Reasons Mexico is America's Favorite Place to Retire Abroad.]

Puerto Vallarta

Until the 1950s, Puerto Vallarta was a small fishing village along a spectacular bay on the Pacific that was modestly popular among Mexicans as a beach resort. Then, in 1963, John Huston filmed "The Night of the Iguana" in Mismaloya, a seaside village just south of Puerto Vallarta. The film's star, Richard Burton, was involved with actress Elizabeth Taylor at the time, and the paparazzi tracked them both. Suddenly, Puerto Vallarta was in the American newspapers. Around the same time, the Mexican government began to invest heavily in infrastructure in the area, including highways, roads and public utilities, which made Puerto Vallarta a more accessible and attractive destination. Puerto Vallarta is now one of the most sophisticated resorts in Mexico. You will find cosmopolitan cultural activities including plays, films, jazz and classical concerts, gourmet restaurant festivals and gallery openings.

San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende is both the geographic and cultural heart of Mexico. About equidistant from Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Ocean and Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico, San Miguel is also just a day's drive from the Texas border. At an altitude of 6,200 feet, it's warm and dry during the day and cool at night. Founded by the Spanish nearly 500 years ago, San Miguel was an important town on the route for transporting Mexican silver. Wealthy businessmen and ranchers built beautiful Spanish-colonial homes on the cobblestone streets of this picturesque hillside town. This well-preserved Spanish-colonial city is now home to one of the biggest communities of foreign retirees in Mexico.

Alamos

This small colonial town of fewer than 25,000 is nestled in an inland valley surrounded on all sides by mountains and wild countryside. Alamos was founded in the late 17th century after silver was discovered in the area. The huge wealth generated by the mines allowed residents to build dozens of colonial mansions and hundreds of colonial homes throughout the downtown. The city is walkable and safe, and there are many opportunities for volunteering. The expat community is cohesive, active, welcoming and artistic. Newcomers stay in touch with each other, hang out together and support one another when they need it.

Morelia

Built in the 16th century, Morelia was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991. When you've seen it, you'll wonder what took them so long. Adding to its architectural charm, Morelia's beautiful Spanish Renaissance buildings are all colored the region's trademark warm pink, thanks to the locally quarried cantera stone. This is a center of music and home to the oldest music conservatory in the Americas. This picturesque town is the capital of the central Mexican state of Michoacan. Few foreign tourists visit Morelia, but Mexicans are frequent visitors. The few expats and foreign retirees who have discovered Morelia try to keep the secret to themselves. The quality of life available in this city of 600,000 is special and unique.

Tulum

Just 20 minutes south of Playa, Tulum feels a world away. This tranquil area is home to about 18,000 people. The location of important ancient sites and natural attractions, the focus in Tulum is more on preservation than development. The path of progress is rolling down this coast, just a bit more conscientiously in Tulum. Thanks to the long-standing tourism industry, English is commonly spoken. This part of Mexico is decidedly first world. The infrastructure is as good as the best of the United States. If you're not up for immersing yourself in another culture, the Riviera Maya could make for a welcoming place to retire.

[Read: 3 Seaside Retirement Towns in Mexico Within Driving Distance of the U.S.]

Hualtulco

Huatulco is situated on Mexico's Pacific coast at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains. It's about an hour south of Mexico City by plane. This master-planned community has a total area of about 50,000 acres, with 90% protected for ecological conservation and the remaining 10% used for tourist and residential development. Compared with other Mexican hotspots such as Cancun and Los Cabos, Huatulco has a more small-town feel and offers a more authentic experience. The area boasts 36 white sand beaches that span 20 miles of Mexico's Pacific coastline. Just inland from the beach areas is La Crucecita, Huatulco's main town, where you find grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants. Huatulco has been awarded the Green Globe certification as a sustainable tourist area. Much of Huatulco's energy is wind-driven, and hotels, restaurants and nightclubs operate using renewable energy.

Durango

Durango is not an expat destination, but a large, sophisticated Mexican city with great weather and a high standard of living. Nestled in a valley high in Mexico's western Sierra Madre range, the city's surroundings look like what we think of as the Old West, and many Hollywood movies have been filmed in the surrounding mountains, valleys and deserts. The city boasts clean, safe streets, good infrastructure, a thriving central market and architecture reminiscent of Europe. The almost complete absence of foreigners means no tourist pricing and a low cost of living. However, you'll find almost no expat community and few English speakers. Spanish lessons should be a priority for anyone planning to relocate to Durango.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

Dermatologists always say that the best sunscreen is the one youll actually useso how to choose one youll like that really protects you? Consumer Reports ratings of 48 lotions and sprays will help you find a product that protects you against the effects of overexposure to the suns ultraviolet rayssunburn, skin cancer, and wrinklesand that has a scent and feel thats right for you.

Three productsa lotion and two spraysscored well enough in CRs tests to be recommended. There are a few others that, while not at the top of the ratings, still provide adequate protection. Keep in mind, though, that using any sunscreen on exposed skin is better than no sunscreen when youre spending time outdoors.

But sunscreen shouldnt be the only sun-savvy step you take. You also need to cover up with clothing, wear a hat and sunglasses, and stay in the shade or indoors when the suns rays are the strongestfrom 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

How We Test Sunscreens

CR uses a testing protocol that is modeled on the one the Food and Drug Administration requires sunscreen manufacturers to use. But as is the case with other products we test that have government or industry standards, we use those standards as benchmarks and develop our own methodology to identify differences in performance and give consumers a comparative evaluation.

We buy the sunscreens for our tests off the shelf, the way consumers would, says Susan Booth, the project leader for our sunscreen testing. We use three samples, preferably with different lot numbers, of each product. All the products are tested for SPF and ultraviolet A (UVA) protection.

SPF stands for sun protection factor and is a measure of how well a sunscreen protects against sunburn, which is mostly the result of exposure to the suns UVB rays.

To check SPF, a standard amount of each sunscreen is applied to 2x3-inch rectangle on panelists backs. Then they soak in a tub of water. Afterward, smaller sections of that area are exposed to five to six intensities of UV light from a sun simulator for a set time. About a day later, a trained technician examines the areas for redness. The resulting SPF ratingsExcellent to Poorreflect each products effectiveness after water immersion and are based on an average of our results for each sunscreen. We also calculate a score for variation from SPF. This is a measure of how closely a sunscreens tested SPF matched the SPF on the label.

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In order to be labeled broad spectrum, the FDA requires that a sunscreen protect against UVB and UVA rays. UVA rays penetrate deeply into the skin and cause damage that can lead to skin cancer and skin aging.

To test for UVA protection, we smear sunscreen on plastic plates, pass UV light through, and measure the amount of UVA and UVB rays that are absorbed. That information is used to calculate our UVA score.

This test is similar to the critical wavelength test the FDA requires sunscreen manufacturers to do in order to label their products broad-spectrum. This is a pass/fail test, and just as you can pass a test with either an A or a D grade, some sunscreens do a much better job of defending against UVA than others. Thats why, for our ratings, we also use a test that allows us to measure the degree of UVA protection a sunscreen provides.

Our sunscreen ratings, updated now for the second time in 2021, currently have fewer products than in past years, primarily because of the pandemics impact on our testing schedule, and because some previously tested sunscreens have been reformulated or discontinued. We plan to update our sunscreen ratings in the coming months.

Finding a Sunscreen Youll Want to Use

For many people, the way a sunscreen smells and feels on their skin is as important as the UV protection it provides. So in addition to our performance tests, our trained sensory panelists also evaluate sunscreens for scent and feel. The sensory testing isnt factored into our Overall Scorewhat people prefer is subjective, so we cant say, for instance, whether a sunscreen that has a tropical aroma is better than one with a classic beachy aroma. But our panelists objectively describe the scent and feel of every sunscreen we test so that you can pick the best product for you.

We also include the price per container and the price per ounce so that you can weigh all the factors when youre choosing a sunscreen.

Below are some of the top-performing sunscreens in our tests, listed in alphabetical order within their category. CR members have access to our full ratings.

Best Lotion Sunscreens

Its easier to make sure youre getting adequate coverage with a lotion than with a spray because you can see how much youre applying. Use about a teaspoon per body part or area thats not covered up with clothing: 1 teaspoon for your face, head, and neck; 1 for each arm; 1 for each leg; 1 for your chest and abdomen; and 1 for your back and the back of your neck. If you are in a bathing suit, youll need about an ounce of lotion to cover your body. Thats about the amount that fills a shot glass.

Best Spray Sunscreens

Our tests found that if you apply spray properly, you can cover your skin adequately in one pass, but proper application isnt always easy, especially when its windy. Oftentimes you end up protecting the air more than your skin. The proper way to use a spray is to hold the nozzle close to your skin and spray until your skin glistens, then rub it in. Do this even if a spray is labeled no rub; smoothing it into skin increases its protection. Then repeat, just to be safe. Never spray your face because you could get it in your eyes or inhale it. Instead, spray the sunscreen into your hands and rub it onto your face.

Consumer Reports recommends using a lotion on kids rather than a spray, but if you choose to use a spray, be very careful when applying it. Children are more likely to inhale the mist, which could cause lung irritation. The best thing to do is spray it into your hands and rub it onto your childs skin. At the very least, have children close their eyes and mouth and turn their heads while you spray. And sprays can be flammable when they are wet, so be sure to keep yourself and kids away from any heat sourcesuch as a grilluntil the product is thoroughly dry on the skin.

Best Mineral Sunscreens

So-called mineral or natural sunscreens are those that contain titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or both as the active ingredients. Many people prefer them because they dont contain chemical active ingredients such as avobenzone or oxybenzone. However, in CRs testing over the years, mineral sunscreens have consistently performed less well than those that contain chemical active ingredients. Some provide adequate SPF protection but not enough UVA protection, or vice versa. If you are concerned about chemical exposure and prefer to use a mineral sunscreen, our testing found that these two provide acceptable protection, although they arent among the top performers in our tests.
Presidential candidate Beto ORourke defended his ambitious proposal to tackle climate change on Monday amid criticism that the $5 trillion plan is overly vague and that his past action to address the growing crisis hadnt gone far enough.

Speaking with MSNBCs Chris Hayes, ORourke spoke about the plan he unveiled earlier that day at Yosemite National Park in California. The pitch calls for sweeping new federal policies that would see net-zero emissions by 2050, the re-signing of the Paris Agreement and $5 trillion in spending over 10 years that would go toward investments in clean energy and extreme weather preparation.

Its hard to argue that theres anything more important facing this country, this generation today, ORourke told Hayes on Monday. This is not caused by God, this is not an act of Mother Nature, this is due to our own emissions, our own excesses and our own inaction in the face of that.

.@BetoORourke on why he chose climate change as his first major policy agenda #innerspic.twitter.com/XiMKBLETko  All In w/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) April 30, 2019

Though the proposal is diametrically opposed to the policies of President Donald Trump, it drew some immediate criticism from fellow Democrats.

The 2020 presidential campaign of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee lambasted ORourkes proposal in a statement shortly after it was announced. Inslee is one of 20 Democrats running to unseat Trump but is the only one who has launched a campaign focused solely on climate change.

Voters have a right to look closely at Democratic candidates plans to separate rhetoric from results on climate change, Inslees campaign manager, Aisling Kerins, said in a statement. We will not defeat climate change with empty rhetoric, borrowed rhetoric, or by taking fossil fuel money. Beto ORourke will need to answer why he did not lead on climate change in Congress and why he voted on the side of oil companies to open up offshore drilling.

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The message leveled a direct criticism at Betos failed 2018 bid to oust Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), during which he received around $430,000 in donations from employees of the oil and gas industry, according to The New York Times.

Hayes asked ORourke several times how he hoped to appeal to voters in his home state of Texas, a major energy producer, and if his policies would mandate phasing out of oil and gas production. ORourke sidestepped the questions but said he had no intention of ignoring Republican voters in his quest to address climate change.

Those who work in the oil and gas industry, those who work in the fossil fuel industry [need to be] brought along as partners to make sure that we make this transition  to make the kind of bold change that we need, ORourke said. He later noted that Democrats had largely ignored rural Republican voters.

We cannot afford to alienate a significant part of this country. We cannot do this by half measure, or only by half of us, he said. We all have a shared interest in a cleaner future in this country.
Beto ORourke unveiled a $5 trillion plan to work against climate change, his first major policy proposal since announcing his candidacy to be the Democratic 2020 contender.

The "historic" cost includes $1.5 trillion in direct federal funding. The remaining $3.5 trillion will be "funded with the revenues generated by structural changes to the tax code that ensure corporations and the wealthiest among us pay their fair share and that we finally end the tens of billions of dollars of tax breaks currently given to fossil fuel companies".

Like many other Democratic candidates, Mr ORourke pledged to sign executive orders to fight climate change on his first day in office, should he win the presidency. This includes rejoining the 2016 Paris Agreement, from which President Donald Trump withdrew.

The four-part plan detailed on Monday, emphasises responsibility to impoverished communities that often bear the brunt of climate change, with the fourth part focusing on areas that are already facing extreme weather and change. It is consistent with Mr ORourkes somewhat low-key campaign, which has been focused on immigration since the Texan native began his run.

The plan draws inspiration from and even name-checks the Green New Deal, which Mr ORourke has been supportive of in conversation. However, Mr ORourkes plan hopes for the US to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 - a major departure from the Green New Deals 2030 deadline for the same goal. The Sunrise Movement, the grassroots mobilisation behind the Green New Deal, released a statement expressing their disappointment in this aspect of the plan, which they did say "gets a lot right"

"Beto claims to support the Green New Deal, but his plan is out of line with the timeline it lays out and the scale of action that scientists say is necessary to take here in the United States to give our generation a livable future," the statement read.

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Mr O'Rourke's plan seeks to hit the halfway point to its 2050 goal by 2030 instead.

Mr ORourke announced the plan at Yosemite National Park. This week also marks his first campaign appearance California, which has been harshly affected by wildfires as a result of climate change.
Joe Biden has pledged to take on Americas broken political system" as he hit out at Donald Trump for "abusing the power of office" during his first major campaign speech.

Speaking in Pittsburgh, the former vice president said that Mr Trump was more interested in his own hardline supporter base than the rest of America. With too many people left out or left behind... Were tearing America apart rather than lifting it up, he told the crowd, who chanted we want Joe.

The country was suffering from a broken political system thats deliberately being undermined by our president to continue to abuse the power of the office, Mr Biden added.

The choice of Pennsylvania was significant, with Mr Biden acknowledging how crucial the state is to Democrat chances of taking back the White House. If Im going to beat Donald Trump in 2020, its going to happen here, he said, adding that the party has had a little bit of trouble in the state in 2016. Hillary Clinton lost Pennsylvania to Mr Trump, a key win on the path to the Oval Office.

Mr Biden, the current Democrat frontrunner, made clear that he was ready to go toe-to-toe with Mr Trump. He invoked the deadly synagogue attack in Pittsburgh last year and another last week in California to say that there is now a battle for Americas soul.

That echoed a refrain that Mr Biden has used repeatedly over the last couple of years, having made oblique references to Trump. His rally speech also included many of the key themes that the former vice president has used on the stump over that time, such as the economy and the middle classes.

The middle class is hurting. Its hurting now, Mr Biden said. The stock market is roaring, but you dont feel it. There was a $2 trillion tax cut last year. Did you feel it? Did you get anything from it?

Mr Trump believes that the economy is one of his strong points, and it is true that unemployment is down. However, that trend had started during predecessor Barack Obamas time in office.

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Ill never get the support of Dues Crazy union leadership, those people who rip-off their membership with ridiculously high dues, medical and other expenses while being paid a fortune. But the members love Trump. They look at our record economy, tax & reg cuts, military etc. WIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2019

Mr Trump will not give up on Pennsylvania without a fight and was quick to tweet about Pittsburghs jobless rate hitting a low point not seen since the 1970s. He also used his mocking sleepy Joe moniker to criticise Mr Bidens work during the Obama presidency.

The Media (Fake News) is pushing Sleepy Joe hard. Funny, Im only here because of Biden & Obama. They didnt do the job and now you have Trump, who is getting it done - big time!

Mr Trump lashed out at Mr Biden targeting unions, whose support will be crucial for Mr Biden in a crowded Democratic primary before he even gets to face Trump. With Mr Biden receiving an endorsement from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the first major labour union to throw its support behind a candidate in the 2020 race, Mr Trump tweeted he would never get support from union bosses but members love Trump.

The president sees Mr Biden as a clear threat, having told aides of his concern of beating beaten by a man who has a history of gaining support from white, working class voters in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Working class, high-school educated white voters are a key part of Mr Trumps base and those states will be an important part of his re-election strategy.

However, Mr Biden will have to concentrate on rivals like Bernie Sanders first. The Vermont senator sees Mr Biden as his main obstacle to the Democrat nomination and has issued a thinly veiled attack on the former vice presidents support for the North American Free-Trade Agreement (Nafta) with Canada and Mexico as he too targets gains in regions hit hard by manufacturing losses.
By John Whitesides

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - The 2020 Democratic White House race, until now a cordial affair with no personal attacks and few policy disputes, is starting to get scrappy.

Since former Vice President Joe Biden entered last week as the front-runner to win the Democratic nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has taken a swing at Biden's support for global trade deals and his 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq war.

Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas questioned Biden's backing from big-money outside political groups, and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has noted Biden's work "on the side of the credit card companies."

Washington Governor Jay Inslee took aim at a different rival, criticizing O'Rourke's congressional record on climate change after O'Rourke unveiled a $5 trillion plan to invest in clean energy technology and infrastructure.

With 20 Democrats vying for attention in the battle for the right to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in 2020, some in the party said it was only a matter of time before they began to turn on each other.

And Biden, clearly in the lead in polls, provides an easy target for the herd now that he has formally joined the race.

"It's just the beginning," said Jennifer Palmieri, a senior adviser to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. "In a big field, there will be some early skirmishes as people position themselves."

The criticism of Biden, a centrist who spent eight years as President Barack Obama's No. 2, is an early glimpse of the sort of attacks he is likely to face from his more liberal rivals in a race that will be heavily influenced by the party's progressive activists.

Sanders, the independent who challenged Clinton from the left during the 2016 Democratic primary, criticized Biden's past support of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other trade deals that he says have cost Americans jobs.

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"When people take a look at my record versus Vice President Biden's record -- I helped lead the fight against NAFTA, he voted for NAFTA," Sanders said on CNN on Monday night, adding that he also helped lead the fight against permanent normal trade relations with China, which Biden supported.

"I strongly opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership; he supported it. I voted against the war in Iraq; he voted for it," Sanders said.

"I like Joe Biden; Joe is a friend of mine," he said. "I think what we need to do with all of the candidates is have an issue-oriented campaign, not personal attacks."

BIG MONEY

In a fundraising appeal on Tuesday, O'Rourke's team noted Biden's support from a super PAC, one of many outside groups that can raise and spend unlimited sums of money but are not affiliated with the campaign.

"We're trying to campaign the right way  the real way  by traveling across the country and listening to Americans, and by relying on the support of regular, everyday people chipping in what they can afford," the O'Rourke fundraising appeal said.

Warren said at a campaign event after Biden's entrance in the race last week that Biden had taken the side of credit card companies in a 2005 vote on a bill that made it harder for some people to file for bankruptcy.

Biden, who spent more than three decades as the U.S. senator from Delaware, has long been criticized by liberals for his ties to the financial industry, which is prominent in the state.

Inslee, who has put his efforts to fight climate change at the forefront of his long-shot campaign for the White House, criticized O'Rourke and his climate change plan.

"Beto O'Rourke will need to answer why he did not lead on climate change in Congress and why he voted on the side of oil companies to open up offshore drilling," he said in a statement on Monday.

Palmieri said the attacks were flying early in a Democratic race that will not have its first nominating contest until early February 2020 in Iowa, but that was to be expected in a historically crowded field.

While Sanders has always been willing to confront those he disagrees with, she said, some other top contenders might hold off until later in the year on drawing contrasts with their opponents.

"Right now, no one is fighting for their life," she said. "Those who see themselves as more viable contenders can have some caution about picking a fight too early." (Editing by Kieran Murray and Jonathan Oatis)
Agentis, a Moroccan company distributor and manufacturer of medical devices has won a $97-million contract in Cote dIvoire to build two regional hospitals.

Under the deal signed by Agentis boss Adil Mesfioui and Kobenan Koussi Adjoumani, minister of animal and fisheries resources on behalf of the Health Minister, the Moroccan company will build and equip two regional hospitals in Aboisso and Adzope towns.

The projects will take 16 months for completion and will soon kick-start according to Adjoumani.

Several Moroccan companies are operating in Cote dIvoire where the kingdom is the leading African investor.

Aside from the construction of the two hospitals, Agentis will also build five specialization centers in existing hospitals.

Founded in 2008, Agentis is based in Casablanca.
Bitfinex is planning the possible issuance of an exchange token. | Source: Shutterstock

By CCN.com: According to a statement released by Dong Zhao on Weibo, a billionaire investor in Bitfinex and a widely recognized trader, bitcoin exchange Bitfinex is planning to create an exchange-based token following the Tether scandal.

Some local sources have said that investors in Asia have shown interest in the exchange token proposal made by Zhao, with one miner based in China suggesting that investors have already pledged $300 million in Tether.

According to @zhaodong1982 theres a high possibility that @bitfinex is going to do an IEO, and some big whales already reserved $300m of the allocations in #USDT pic.twitter.com/oXfbrGk2Cg  Zirui  (@zirui_z) April 29, 2019

While the $300 million figure is unconfirmed and it remains uncertain whether Bitfinex is currently garnering investors, the crypto market, especially the Asian market, was generally said to have been unphased by the Tether controversy.

The market just doesnt care. This community has an immense tolerance for pain, one crypto trader asking for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject told the WSJ.

Why Bitfinex Token 2.0?

In 2016, after suffering a high-profile security breach that led to the loss of user funds, Bitfinex released BFX tokens. The tokens represented shares in iFinex Inc., the parent company of Bitfinex and Tether Inc.

In April 2017, Bitfinex said in a statement that it redeemed 100 percent of outstanding BFX tokens, compensating all users who were affected by the hack.

Read the full story on CCN.com.
In an affidavit released Tuesday, Stuart Hoegner, general counsel for Tether, revealed that only 74% of its stablecoins were backed by its cash reserves, claiming the company knowingly did not disclose this information to its customers.

Hoegner wrote that Tether currently has cash or cash equivalent of around $2.1 billion, representing around 74% of its current outstanding stablecoins. The remaining 26% is held by Bitfinex, the crypto exchange that was charged by the New York Attorney General's office for draining $700 million from Tether to cover its alleged $850 million loss.

Hoegner wrote that Tether intentionally decided not to disclose to its customers that tethers are not 100% fiat backed. Although he said the practice was nothing new, in the affidavit, he drew on the example that traditional commercial banks operate under a similar fractional reserve system where only a small portion of customers deposits are backed by cash reserves.

However, as of Feb. 19, Tether's company website still said that its stablecoins are 100% backed by traditional currency held in our reserves. So 1 USD is always equivalent to 1 USD. Interestingly, around Feb. 27, Tether quietly added some language to this statement, an apparent attempt to obscure the definition of "100% backed".

The additions hedge on the initial claim slightly, stating that every tether is always 100% backed by our reserves, which include traditional currency and cash equivalents and, from time to time, may include other assets and receivables from loans made by Tether to third parties, which may include affiliated entities (collectively, reserves).

In a Feb. 21 meeting with NYAG, Tether and Bifinexs lawyers, David Miller and Jason Weinstein stated that Tether's reserves had previously been encumbered and that the Companies intend to enter into an agreement in the future to provide the Bitfinex platform with a line of credit from Tethers reserves.

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NYAG immediately followed up with Miller and Weinstein for more details, requesting all documents related to the issuance and redemption of tether and transaction records between Tether and Bitfinex. It specifically asked for records dated between Aug.-Oct. 2018, regarding $400 million in tethers redemption via Bitfinex.

However, the two companies apparently didn't provide NYAG with satisfactory answers, according to a March 22 email from NYAG to Miller and Weinstein in which NYAG said, "the Companies have failed to produce a single such contract or other documentation to the OAG, noting they tried instead to offer verbal responses.

In Weinstein's response, he argued that NYAGs requests were overly burdensome, complaining that they had been "voluminous and have had unreasonably tight deadlines." He also mentioned that the companies were simultaneously dealing with a substantial number of requests from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). However, the disclosed correspondences do not specify why the DOJ and the CFTC made these requests.

It was not clear what kind of information Weinstein eventually provided to NYAG, but it seems from the April 24 lawsuit NYAG presented that the office never received the documents it needs to lift the cloud around Tether's reserves.
The Liquid CEO says he's making the U.S. push in response to institutional demand. | Source: Shutterstock

By CCN: Liquid, a Bitmain-backed Japanese cryptocurrency platform operated by Singaporean crypto exchange Quoine, plans to expand into the United States. Liquid hopes to on-board U.S. clients by January 2020.

In an April 29 statement, Liquid said it partnered with a consortium of crypto and fintech investors called Virtual Currency Partners (VCP). The two entities then launched a joint venture called Liquid Financial USA, which will manage the U.S. expansion.

Liquid Co-Founder and CEO Mike Kayamori says hes making the move into the United States in response to widespread expressions of interest from Liquids corporate and institutional customers.

Liquid USA, which has offices in New York and Atlanta, is currently working on getting U.S. regulatory approvals.

Liquid claims its a tech unicorn

This American build-out comes three weeks after Liquid closed on financing that it claims raised its valuation to more than $1 billion.

In an April 3 statement, Liquid said the latest round of funding was led by investment firm IDG Capital, with participation from Bitmain, the worlds largest maker of cryptocurrency mining rigs.

Read the full story on CCN.com.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Boeing Co said an alert for angle-of-attack (AOA) sensors on its 737 MAX jets was "not activated as intended" for some customers, responding to reports it failed to tell Southwest Airlines Co and the U.S regulator that the optional feature was deactivated before a crash in Indonesia in October.

Erroneous AOA sensor readings that led to aggressive nose-down inputs by a computer have been linked to deadly 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, according to preliminary reports from investigators.

Boeing offered customers two optional paid features relating to AOA. The first was an AOA DISAGREE alert when the two sensors disagreed and the second was an indicator giving pilots a gauge of the actual angle.

Southwest, the largest 737 MAX customer, in November told Reuters the alert was installed and it planned to add the indicator as well following the Lion Air crash in Indonesia.

The Wall Street Journal on Sunday reported that unbeknown to Southwest and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the alerts were not activated on the carrier's 737 MAX jets.

"After the Lion Air event, Southwest was notified by Boeing that the AOA disagree lights were inoperable without the optional AOA indicators on the MAX aircraft," a Southwest spokesman said on Tuesday.

Boeing said on Monday that the disagree alert had been intended to be a standalone feature on the 737 MAX, but it was "not operable on all airplanes because the feature was not activated as intended".

"The disagree alert was tied or linked into the angle-of-attack indicator, which is an optional feature on the MAX," the manufacturer said in a statement. "Unless an airline opted for the angle-of-attack indicator, the disagree alert was not operable...Boeing did not intentionally or otherwise deactivate the disagree alert on its MAX airplanes."

When Reuters contacted several 737 MAX operators about the optional features in November, only American Airlines and Singapore Airlines Ltd offshoot SilkAir confirmed they had installed both the alert and the indicator.

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Canada's WestJet Airlines Ltd and Dubai's flydubai said they had installed the alert and Air Canada said it planned to install the indicator. Boeing said the disagree alert was not considered a safety feature and was not necessary for the safe operation of the plane. However, the company said following software modifications all new 737 MAX aircraft would have an activated and operable disagree alert and an optional angle-of-attack indicator, while current 737 MAX planes would have the ability to activate the disagree alert.

Boeing CEO and Chairman Dennis Muilenburg promised on Monday to win back the public's trust after facing tough questions following the two crashes.

A FAA spokeswoman declined to comment.

(Reporting Jamie Freed in Singapore; additional reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Nick Macfie)
By Chen Aizhu and Florence Tan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Some 20 million barrels of Iranian oil sitting on China's shores in the northeast port of Dalian for the past six months now appears stranded as the United States hardens its stance on importing crude from Tehran.

Iran sent the oil to China, its biggest customer, ahead of the reintroduction of U.S. sanctions last November, as it looked for alternative storage for a backlog of crude at home.

The oil is being held in so-called bonded storage tanks at the port, which means it has yet to clear Chinese customs. Despite a six-month waiver to the start of May that allowed China to continue some Iranian imports, shipping data shows little of this oil has been moved.

Traders and refinery sources pointed to uncertainty over the terms of the waiver and said independent refiners had been unable to secure payment or insurance channels, while state refiners struggled to find vessels.

The future of the crude, worth well over $1 billion at current prices, has become even more unclear after Washington last week increased its pressure on Iran, saying it would end all sanction exemptions at the start of May.

"No responsible Chinese company with any international exposure will have anything to do with Iran oil unless they are specifically told by the Chinese government to do so," said Tilak Doshi of oil and gas consultancy Muse, Stancil & Co in Singapore.

Iran previously stored oil in 2014 at Dalian during the last round of sanctions that was later sold to buyers in South Korea and India. https://reut.rs/2yo9Se6

China last week formally complained to the United States over the unilateral Iran sanctions, but U.S. officials have said Washington is not considering a further short-term waiver or a wind-down period.

The 20 million barrels is equal to about a month's worth of China's imports from Iran over the past six months, or about two days of the country's total imports.

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Iran says it will continue to export oil in defiance of U.S. sanctions.

A senior official with the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: "We will continue to sell our oil."

"Iran is now desperate and will deal with anyone with steep discounts as long as they get paid somehow," said Doshi.

(GRAPHIC: Iran crude oil shipments to China, https://tmsnrt.rs/2DzAegN)

SOME OIL TAKEN

Some Iranian oil sent to Dalian has moved, according to a ship tracking analyst at Refinitiv.

Dan, a supertanker owned by NITC moved 2 million barrels of oil from Dalian more than 1,000 km (620 miles) to the south to the Ningbo Shi Hua crude oil terminal in March, according to Refinitiv data.

Ningbo is home to Sinopec's Zhenhai refinery, one of the country's largest oil plants with a capacity of 500,000 barrels a day and a top processor of Iranian oil.

Sinopec declined to comment.

The Iranian tanker was chartered by state-run Chinese trader Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, according to Refinitiv analyst Emma Li. The NITC official confirmed the oil was taken by Zhuhai Zhenrong.

Zhenrong was started in the 1990s and brokered the first oil supply deals between Iran and China. At that time, Iran was supplying oil to China to pay for arms supplied by Beijing during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Zhuhai Zhenrong still specializes mainly in buying Iranian oil.(https://reut.rs/2IHlvEx)

An official at the general manager's office with Zhuhai Zhenrong's office in Beijing said he could not immediately comment. The company did not reply to a fax seeking comment.

For now, more Iranian oil is heading to China, with the supertankers Stream and Dream II due to arrive in eastern China from Iran on May 5 and May 7, respectively, Refinitiv data showed.

Some of this crude may be from Chinese investments into Iranian oilfields, a sanctions grey area.

Whether China will keep buying oil from Iran remains unclear, but analysts at Fitch Solutions said in a note "there may be scope for imports via barter or non-compliance from ... China."

Muse, Stancil & Co's Doshi said the only way to get the Iranian oil out of Dalian now was by cheating.

"Only rogue parties might try to cheat the system and try to pass the Iranian oil at Dalian as something else via fraudulent docs. But I doubt this is easy or can amount to much in terms of volume."

(MAP: Iranian supertanker frees some oil from China storage in March, https://tmsnrt.rs/2W1FJvK)

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Florence Tan in Singapore; additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai and Min Zhang in Beijing; Editing by Henning Gloystein and Richard Pullin)
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's right-wing government threw its support behind Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido's push to oust President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday, and called on other nations to do the same.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, a former army officer, wrote on his official Twitter account that the people of Venezuela are "enslaved by a dictator" and that he supports "freedom for our sister nation to finally become a true democracy."

His security adviser, retired general Augusto Heleno, said he was shocked by an image of an armored car of Venezuela's National Guard apparently running over protesters.

But he said the situation was not clear, Guaido's support among the military appeared to be "weak" and it was uncertain whether military officers were abandoning Maduro.

Guaido called on Tuesday for the military to help him oust Maduro and asked Venezuelans to take to the streets on a day he vowed would be the last for Maduro's stay in power.

However, by the evening Maduro was still in charge, and there was little sign of the military leadership abandoning him.

Guaido is recognized as interim head of state by Brazil, the United States and dozens of other Western nations, but his backers say they want to see a peaceful transition.

Presidential spokesman General Otavio Rego Barros told reporters Brazil had completely ruled out intervening militarily in Venezuela and was not planning to allow any other country to use its territory for any potential intervention in its neighbor.

Barros read out a statement expressing support for the "Venezuelan people fighting for democracy" and called on other nations to support Guaido's effort to end the "Maduro dictatorship."

Earlier, Brazil's foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo said it was "positive" to see movement of some Venezuelan military toward recognizing Guaido as the legitimate president of their country.

"Brazil supports the democratic transition process and hopes the Venezuelan military will be part of that," Araujo said.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia, Eduardo Simoes and Tatiana Bautzer in Sao Paulo; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Rosalba O'Brien)
Scott Olson/Getty Images(CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa) -- Former Vice President Joe Biden took his message of rebuilding the middle class to Iowa voters.



Scores of voters packed into the Veterans Memorial Building in Cedar Rapids to hear "Middle Class Joe" speak.



Biden's emphasis on organized labor is a significant part of his campaign thus far and he was introduced by a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters. In the crowd some attendee's donned shirts emblazoned with "#UnionsForAll" and "IAFF Fire Fighters for Biden." This after, the IAFF formally endorsed Biden Monday.



During his remarks, Biden made his support of unions clear.



"I'm a union guy," said Biden. "You folks built the middle class."



Biden, not unlike his Monday speech in Pittsburgh, spoke about restoring the dignity of work and to offer middle class families economic security. He called out employers who force employees to sign non-competes, the Trump administration's tax cuts for the wealthy and companies who ship jobs overseas. He called for a $15 minimum wage.



Biden also tried to position himself as the antithesis of President Donald Trump. He continued to harp on Trump's response to Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and again spoke about this campaign as a "battle for the soul of this nation."



"Give eight years to this administration in the White House," said Biden. "We're going to forever and fundamentally change the character of the country."



On health care, Biden said "we have to finish the job." The former vice president said that the Affordable Care Act should be preserved and built upon, calling for a public-option.



"We have to keep them from eviscerating the Affordable Care Act, but we've got to make sure that whether you're covered by your employer or not at all. You should have a choice to buy into a public option."



On Tuesday, Biden also laid the groundwork for policies that he said his campaign would soon flesh out on education.



"They said we need a more educated workforce. Come on man, more educated workforce? We know how to do that. And give people an opportunity to get the education they need, and I'm talking about post high school. I'm talking about trade school. I'm talking about short-term programs. I'm talking about people being able to work with their hands."



The Cedar Rapids event was the start of a two-day, four-stop swing through Iowa. He's slated to deliver remarks to voters in Dubuque, Iowa Tuesday night. He heads to Iowa City and Des Moines on Wednesday.



Biden has been busy since announcing his candidacy last Thursday. On Friday, he appeared on ABC's "The View" where he that he is "more cognizant" of people's private space after being accused of inappropriate behavior.



On Monday, he and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, sat down with ABC's "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts. Biden, in the interview which aired Tuesday morning on GMA, said he took "responsibility" for Anita Hill's treatment when she testified before the Senate Judiciary committee during Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's confirmation hearing.



"I believed her from the very beginning, but I was chairman. She did not get a fair hearing. She did not get treated well. That's my responsibility," Biden told Roberts during the interview on Monday. "As the committee chairman, I take responsibility that she did not get treated well. I take responsibility for that." Biden apologized again to Hill "because, look, here's the deal. She just did not get treated fair across the board. The system did not work."

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Gunmen have killed one pastor and five congregants in an attack on a Protestant church in northern Burkina Faso, government spokesman Remy Fulgance Dandjinou said on Monday.

According to local media, the attack took place on Sunday in the small northern town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province.

The attackers were on motorbikes. They fired in the air before aiming at the members of the congregation. The number of attackers involved or their possible affiliation is not clear.

The West African nation has been plagued by rising Islamist violence this year. Government spokesman Remy Fulgance Dandjinou said it was the first attack on a church since sectarian violence erupted in the country.

Fighters affiliated to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group as well as the local Ansarul Islam have been active in the country.

In February, a Spanish priest, Father Cesar Fernandez, was killed in a raid attributed to armed groups in Nohao in the center of the country.

About 55 to 60 percent of Burkina Fasos population is Muslim, roughly 20-25 percent are Christian and the rest follow indigenous religions.

Since 2016, over 200 attacks by armed groups on villages, schools and hospitals have forced thousands of people to abandon their homes.
LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - Britain's main opposition Labour Party meets on Tuesday to hammer out its position on whether to demand a second referendum on any Brexit deal as part of its campaign for the European parliament election next month.

With Britain's delayed departure from the European Union far from clear, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is under pressure from many lawmakers and party members to throw his support behind a second referendum, or confirmatory vote, on a Brexit deal.

So far, the party has stuck to its position that it would only back such a vote to prevent what it calls a "damaging Tory (Conservative) Brexit" or to prevent Britain leaving without a deal - a prospect that businesses increasingly fear.

A Labour source said Tuesday's meeting of the party's National Executive Committee was not likely to agree something beyond the current stance, which would mean Labour would not hold another vote if it secured its Brexit plan.

That could further infuriate Labour lawmakers, including deputy leader Tom Watson, who have been pushing for a second referendum, a rift that fueled the breakaway of eight Labour politicians who have formed a new party called Change UK.

Nearly three years after voters backed exiting the EU by 52 to 48 percent, the main parties, like much of the country, are deeply divided over Brexit, leaving it unclear when, and even if, Britain will leave the bloc.

Prime Minister Theresa May's deal has been rejected three times by parliament, forcing the Conservative leader to open talks with Labour to try to find common ground and win approval to avoid taking part in the European elections.

After nearly four weeks of the talks, Labour sources said Monday's talks with the government were better in tone than before and that ministers had shown some willingness to move, declining to offer specifics.

But with time ticking down and a new Brexit deadline set for Oct. 31, parties are readying themselves for the May 23 elections, offering those wanting to remain in the EU and others supporting a clean break another potential battleground. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Gone are the days of criminals living outside of the law on the Costa del Crime.

Stricter international treaties mean it is increasingly difficult for criminals to flee court, or escape from prisons and live on the run overseas.

But despite increasing difficulties there are still criminals who chose to chance life on the run rather than face justice.

As a British man has been added to Europes most wanted list we take a look at some of the most wanted violent criminals in the UK, according to the National Crime Agency.

Ferguson is sought in connection with the murder of Thomas Cameron on June 28 2007 at the Auchinairn Tavern, Bishopbriggs near Glasgow. (NCA)

Derek McGraw Ferguson

Ferguson is wanted in connection to the murder of Thomas Cameron in 2007 in Glasgow.

Foster is alleged to have murdered David 'Noddy' Rice at the Marsden Bay Car Park, South Shields on 24th May 2006. Foster is also wanted for two offences of conspiring to supply controlled drugs and also for the theft of a diamond ring.

Allan Foster

Foster is alleged to have murdered David Rice, known as Noddy, at the Marsden Bay car park in South Shields on May 24 2006.

He is also wanted in relation to the theft of a diamond ring, and on drug conspiracy charges.

Kevin Thomas Parle is wanted in connection with the murders in Liverpool of Liam Kelly, 16, in 2004 and Lucy Hargreaves in 2005.

Kevin Parle

Parle is wanted in connection to two counts of murder, both carried out in Liverpool, in 2004 and 2005 respectively.

Christopher More is wanted in connection with the murder of a man in Cheshire, United Kingdom in June 2003. He is also wanted for the attempted murder of a second man and for the false imprisonment and assault of other victims present during the incident.

Christopher More

More is wanted in connection with the murder of a man in Cheshire, United Kingdom in June 2003. More and a number of accomplices travelled to a remote farmhouse in Cheshire where, after their demands for money were refused, they assaulted the five people in the house, beating one so badly that he died at the scene. He is also wanted for the attempted murder of a second man and for the false imprisonment and assault of other victims present during the incident.

A number of Mores accomplices have been arrested in relation to the incident however More left the United Kingdom in June 2003 and is believed to have flown to Spain. Information suggests that More has links to Spain and Malta. His current location is not known.

Fatah Benlaredj is wanted for the rape of a seven-year-old girl.

Fatah Benlaredj

Benlaredj is wanted following the rape of a seven-year-old girl. The NCA has few further details.

On the 10 December 2006 at Argyle Street, Glasgow, Zengana posed as a private hire taxi driver to pick up his 25 year old female victim before driving her to a private dwelling where he raped his victim. He was convicted of the rape but is still to be sentenced for this offence.

Read more from Yahoo News UK:

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Story continues

How many Brits believe climate change threat is exaggerated

Rezgar Zengana

On the 10 December 2006 at Argyle Street, Glasgow, Zengana posed as a private hire taxi driver to pick up his 25 year old female victim before driving her to a private dwelling where he raped his victim. He was convicted of the rape but is still to be sentenced for this offence.

Costos Sampson, wanted on suspicion of rape and theft.

Costos Sampson

On 25 August 2012 Sampson was convicted of raping a girl he met at a nightclub in London in February 2010. The girl was taken unwell after accepting a drink from a stranger, and Sampson and a friend offered to take her home. Sampson told one of the girls friends that he was a medical expert. He later raped the girl at her flat while she was incapacitated. Sampson was also convicted of stealing her mobile phone, plus her flatmates laptop and games console.

David Ungi, is wanted in connection with murder.

David Ungi

In July 2015, Ungi and two associates were in a vehicle on Banks Road in Garston, Liverpool, which police believe rammed a motorcycle carrying two males. A single shot from a 12-gauge shotgun was fired inflicting a fatal injury to one of the men and injuring the other. The murder victim was Garston teenager Vinny Waddington.

Jonathan Kelly, wanted for a series of violent assaults.

Jonathan Kelly

Wanted by Police Scotland on recall to prison to serve remaining sentence of 9 years 10 months for a number of serious assaults. Kelly, who is extremely violent and poses a high risk to both police and members of the public, was convicted at various courts of a number of offences between 2002 and 2010. He received sentences in excess of 16 years, and in September 2013 he was released on licence but failed to adhere to conditions set.
By Krishna N. Das

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's government has asked Rahul Gandhi, the president of the main opposition Congress party, to respond to a complaint by a lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party accusing him of holding dual British citizenship against Indian law.

Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has dominated Indian politics for much of its history since independence from Britain in 1947, is the main challenger to Modi in the 39-day general election that began on April 11. Results will be known on May 23.

Congress dismissed a notice sent to 48-year-old Gandhi, who has studied and worked in England, by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday as a "pathetic stunt that is not just frivolous but downright stupid".

The notice was based on a letter from Subramanian Swamy, an outspoken member of parliament from Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Swamy has for long cited what he calls annual reports and other documents from 2005, 2006 and 2009 of a UK-registered company, at which Gandhi was a director, as mentioning his nationality as British.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," B.C. Joshi, a director in the Indian interior ministry, said in the notice to Gandhi.

Federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh, also a senior BJP leader, told reporters his ministry was following due process.

India's constitution says that any person voluntarily acquiring a foreign passport automatically loses Indian citizenship.

Congress said the BJP was making fake, personal attacks on Gandhi after sensing defeat in the election. Gandhi has been a member of India's lower house of parliament since 2004 and is contesting this election from two seats.

"This is outrageous, outlandish and obtuse," Congress spokesman Sanjay Jha said. "The people of India can see through these malicious and malevolent personal attacks."

The BJP earlier protested against any constitutional post for Gandhi's Italian-born mother, Sonia Gandhi, who famously gave up on the chance to become India's prime minister despite Congress winning the 2004 election under her presidency. She became an Indian citizen in 1983.

(Reporting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Nick Macfie)
By Krishna N. Das

NEW DELHI, April 30 (Reuters) - India's government has asked Rahul Gandhi, the president of the main opposition Congress party, to respond to a complaint by a lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party accusing him of holding dual British citizenship against Indian law.

Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has dominated Indian politics for much of its history since independence from Britain in 1947, is the main challenger to Modi in the 39-day general election that began on April 11. Results will be known on May 23.

Congress dismissed a notice sent to 48-year-old Gandhi, who has studied and worked in England, by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday as a "pathetic stunt that is not just frivolous but downright stupid."

The notice was based on a letter from Subramanian Swamy, an outspoken member of parliament from Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Swamy has for long cited what he calls annual reports and other documents from 2005, 2006 and 2009 of a UK-registered company, at which Gandhi was a director, as mentioning his nationality as British.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," B.C. Joshi, a director in the Indian interior ministry, said in the notice to Gandhi.

Federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh, also a senior BJP leader, told reporters his ministry was following due process.

India's constitution says that any person voluntarily acquiring a foreign passport automatically loses Indian citizenship.

Congress said the BJP was making fake, personal attacks on Gandhi after sensing defeat in the election. Gandhi has been a member of India's lower house of parliament since 2004 and is contesting this election from two seats.

"This is outrageous, outlandish and obtuse," Congress spokesman Sanjay Jha said. "The people of India can see through these malicious and malevolent personal attacks."

The BJP earlier protested against any constitutional post for Gandhi's Italian-born mother, Sonia Gandhi, who famously gave up on the chance to become India's prime minister despite Congress winning the 2004 election under her presidency. She became an Indian citizen in 1983. (Reporting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Nicosia (AFP) - British police experts on Tuesday joined Cypriot counterparts in investigating a number of gruesome murders carried out by a suspected serial killer on the Mediterranean island.

Police spokesman Andreas Angelides told reporters the British team met police chief Zacharias Chrysostomou and were briefed by local investigators.

The experts, who came at Nicosias request, would assist in a complex case dubbed Cyprus's "first serial killings.

"There was a meeting with the heads of the investigations, where a first presentation of the findings, details and background was given," Angelides said.

British police experts - including a forensic specialist and clinical psychologist -- later visited the scene where the search for bodies is under way.

Tuesday's search ended without results but it is to continue in coming days, Angelides said.

The remains of an adult woman were found Sunday stuffed inside a suitcase at the bottom of a toxic man-made lake southwest of the capital Nicosia.

The suspect, a 35-year-old Greek Cypriot army officer, has allegedly confessed to killing five foreign women and two of their daughters in a crime spree that went undetected for nearly three years.

Angelides said the woman pulled from Red Lake, the fourth body recovered so far, has yet to be identified.

Police are still searching the waters at another lake for the body of a six-year-old Filipina girl, daughter of one of the murdered women.

Authorities have called for more sophisticated equipment to search the two lakes.

Police are also probing the cases of a missing Romanian mother and her young daughter as well as unidentified Asian woman also on the list of victims.

The case came to light two weeks ago when tourists spotted the first body, that of 38-year-old Mary Rose Tiburcio from the Philippines brought to the surface of a disused mine shaft by unusually heavy rains.

That triggered a murder investigation which led to the army captain's arrest on April 18.

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Days later, authorities found the body of a second woman in the shaft believed to be Arian Palanas Lozano, 28, also from the Philippines.

The suspect last Thursday led investigators to a well near an army firing range outside the capital where police found the body of the unidentified woman.

Police have been criticised for not following up leads when the women were first reported missing.

"Unprecedented indifference was shown simply because these people were not of Cypriot origin but came from foreign countries," according to opposition AKEL party leader Andros Kyprianou.
LONDON (Reuters) - British holidaymakers are favouring destinations outside the European Union after repeated delays to Brexit discouraged travellers from booking early and prompted them to look further afield, travel firm Thomas Cook said on Monday.

Turkey and Tunisia are among the biggest beneficiaries from the trend towards non-EU bookings, the firm said in a report, with demand for both recovering after security concerns curbed bookings in recent years.

Britain was due to leave the EU on March 29, but an impasse in parliament over the terms of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal has delayed departure. A new deadline of Oct. 31 was agreed with Brussels.

Thomas Cook, the world's oldest travel company, said it was "clear that the prolonged uncertainty around the manner and timing of Britain's exit from the European Union has led many to delay their decision on when and where they book for their summer holidays."

But a majority of the 3,422 UK holidaymakers surveyed by the company nevertheless said they were more likely to holiday abroad than last year, with a quarter saying that a foreign holiday was higher in their spending priorities than in 2018, compared to just 8 percent who said it was lower.

"Britain may be living through unique times from a political perspective, however our desire to holiday abroad is clear," said Will Waggott, Chief of Tour Operating for Thomas Cook.

"The political turmoil is having an impact in other ways, revealing itself in a clear shift to non-EU countries."

Thomas Cook said 48 percent of its UK package holiday bookings for this summer so far were to non-EU destinations, up 10 percentage points on the same time last year.

Turkey has overtaken Greece to be the second most popular destination, with Spain remaining in top spot.

And a slight increase in "all-inclusive" holidays could reflect a desire for travellers to "lock in" food and drink costs given the possible volatility in the pound, the company said.

Earlier this month easyJet warned that travellers were holding off booking their summer holidays due to uncertainty over how Brexit would go, weakening demand for tickets and thus prices.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. BIP is set to release first-quarter 2019 results on May 3, before market opens. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered positive earnings surprise of 1.23%.

Lets see how things are holding up prior to the announcement.

Factor to Consider

The partnership aims to expand through acquisition of higher growth businesses, where it can apply operational expertise to earn higher returns. We believe that the buyout of U.S. data center on Dec 31, 2018 and Asia Pacific Data Center business in January 2019 will boost first-quarter results.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings is pegged at 84 cents, which indicates year-over-year rise of 100%.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP Price and EPS Surprise

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP Price and EPS Surprise | Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP Quote

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model does not show that Brookfield Infrastructure is likely to beat estimates in the upcoming quarterly results. That is because a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold).

Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: The partnership carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), which when combined with 0.00% ESP makes earnings beat uncertain. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.

Stocks to Consider

Investors may consider the following companies from the same industry that have the right combination of elements to beat estimates in the quarter to be reported:

Story continues

Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PNW has an Earnings ESP of +1.41% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to release first-quarter 2019 results on May 1.

PPL Corporation PPL has an Earnings ESP of +0.28% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release first-quarter 2019 results on May 2.

Exelon Corporation EXC has an Earnings ESP of +0.46% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release first-quarter 2019 results on May 2.

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NEW YORK (AP)  From lunch with a civil rights leader in Harlem to meetings at a historically black university in South Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is making a new, concerted effort to appeal to African American voters and put behind him criticism of his record on race.

His main strategy: Talk less, listen more.

"I know what I believe, I know what my values are, I've got policy ideas," the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana said. "But I know I've got a lot to learn and I'm ready to make sure I'm understanding the concerns that are top of mind for the different audiences I speak to, to make sure what I have to say rhymes with what they're most concerned about."

The approach is aimed at addressing one of the biggest questions about Buttigieg's upstart campaign : Can he win over black voters who are key to a Democratic victory in 2020?

As he's risen to the top tier of candidates in the crowded 2020 field , the growing crowds at Buttigieg's events have been overwhelmingly white. That included rallies with hundreds of people in South Carolina, where black people make up the majority of Democratic voters, and at his campaign launch in South Bend, a community of roughly 100,000 people that's about 27% black and 13% Hispanic.

Buttigieg also has faced growing scrutiny of his record leading the city since 2011. Critics, including many residents, have blasted him for firing the city's first black police chief shortly after taking office, for prioritizing South Bend's downtown over its neighborhoods and for issues of housing, crime and inequality.

Buttigieg said Monday his campaign is now "working to broaden our coalition."

He had lunch at the iconic soul food restaurant Sylvia's with the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights leader, who encouraged him "to engage with people who may not find their way to me who I need to go out and find my way in front of," Buttigieg said.

Story continues

He'll spend May 5 and 6 in South Carolina, where he'll meet with African American leaders in Charleston and participate in a round-table discussion at South Carolina State University, the state's only public, historically black university. A stop also is planned at a conference of clergy focused on equity and justice in Columbia. Buttigieg's campaign says he won't have a speaking role.

South Bend resident Bobbie Woods, whose son was shot and killed in 2003, was part of an anti-violence group Buttigieg created early in his first term in response to the rising number of murders in the city. Like many other black residents, her opinion of the mayor is mixed.

The anti-violence initiative, which included face-to-face meetings between victims and inmates, gave offenders second chances but didn't do enough to help families and neighborhoods dealing with the trauma of violence, and who feel forgotten, she said. The revitalization of downtown was good for the city but needs to be extended to black neighborhoods as well.

But the biggest lingering issue has been the firing of the police chief, whom Buttigieg said was under federal investigation for improperly recording several white officers' phone conversations. A police employee who heard the tapes described them as including "discriminatory racial comments."

"You had some people really angry about that, and who are still angry," Woods said of the firing. "I don't know if he can say enough or do enough to ever justify that."

How does Woods think Buttigieg would do as president?

"I think he will have good intentions," she said. "Will he be able to make those come to pass is a good question."

Solomon Anderson, a banker from South Bend, said he didn't like what happened with the police chief but he likes what Buttigieg is doing with his hometown, and he believes the mayor has learned from his mistakes. He's leaning toward supporting Buttigieg in 2020, but still wants to hear more from him, as well as some other candidates.

"Irrespective of who's in office, no one is going to be everything to everybody," Anderson said. "I like how the city has moved forward. We're turning the page on a new era."

Buttigieg also has had to explain his use of the phrase "all lives matter" in the early days of the Black Lives Matter movement. He said at a meeting of Sharpton's National Action Network that he meant to show solidarity with the movement. He said he stopped using it when he realized it was seen by some as minimizing black people's specific grievances, and that some who opposed the Black Lives Matter movement used it to antagonize supporters.

Charlene Carruthers, an activist from Chicago who helped form Black Youth Project 100, said she's troubled by Buttigieg's focus on data when making political decisions, including the signature project of his first years in office: Fixing or demolishing 1,000 vacant and abandoned properties in his first 1,000 days as mayor.

Buttigieg says the large number of vacant and abandoned homes was the main issue he heard from voters as he campaigned. But critics have said the process, particularly early on, was too aggressive and displaced some property owners who didn't have the money to quickly fix the homes.

"This is a politician who's driven by data. When I hear that . that automatically, for me, sends a red flag that they may not actually look at the people and the systemic issues that underlie the data," Carruthers said. "Being president of the United States and being mayor of a small-sized city, the impact is exponentially greater. Frankly, our people can't afford to deal with more mistakes from elected officials."

Buttigieg said he learned early on in his political career that "having good intentions is not enough and that things don't look the same depending on your life experience."

He said racial justice and quality are important to him, and he believes his easy re-election to a second term "was the result of a lot of listening, learning and willingness to adjust on things."

Buttigieg says he will speak in South Carolina about his agenda for America as a whole and black Americans in particular, ranging from home ownership to health, criminal justice reform and voting rights.

"But I'm also there to listen, especially in this relatively early stage," he said.

___

Burnett reported from Chicago. Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard contributed to this report from Columbia, South Carolina.
The government of Botswana has recently reached an agreement with the World Bank to develop a national strategic plan for the development of renewable energy in the southern African nation.

The announcement was made by President Mokgweetsi Masisi last weekend in capital city Gaborone.

The government would make massive investments in solar energy in order to position the country as a global promoter of renewable energy, he said.

The country is the largest diamond miner in Africa and imports almost half of its electricity needs from neighboring countries such as South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia.

The agreement signed with the World Bank will provide Botswana with technical expertise to develop a National Renewable Energy Strategic Plan.

According to President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the partnership with the World Bank will not only enable the country to fight climate change by unlocking its solar potential, but also to boost the economy and create jobs.

Botswana will need to add up to 500 MW of committed, dispatchable electricity generating capacity by 2040, in order to keep pace with the demand, a report by Tlou Energy in association with the Mott MacDonald Group revealed last year.

The national power supplier, Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) recently vowed to reduce the power import to four percent.

Electricity access deficit in sub-Saharan Africa has more than doubled between 1990 and 2016, according to the World Bank.

Over the period 2014-2018, the Bank has provided more than $11.5 billion in financing for 25% of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in developing countries.
Shares of Square SQ have climbed over 30% in 2019 to outpace the S&P 500s 17% climb and nearly match fellow fintech power PayPals PYPL jump, which was driven by its recent quarterly earnings beat. Despite the climb, Square stock still has plenty of runway before it comes close to its 52-week highs.

With that said, lets see if investors should think about buying Square heading into its first quarter fiscal 2019 earnings release that is due out after the closing bell on Wednesday, May 1.

Overview

Square helped kick off the current fintech revolution back in 2009, when it launched its first credit card processor and software aimed to help micro-businesses and entrepreneurs adapt in an ever-more cashless society. Since then, Square, with the help of CEO Jack Dorseywho also runs Twitter TWTRhas transformed into a well-rounded financial services firm. The San Francisco-based company now offers business loans, peer-to-peer payment options, debit cards, and more.

SQs P2P payment platform, the Cash App, boasted more than 15 million monthly active users at the end of December 2018, which doubled the year-ago quarters total. The Cash App helps Square stands out against rivals like JP Morgan JPM and PayPals Venmo. Meanwhile, Squares back-end, in-app payment infrastructure offerings could become more important as some estimates suggest that mobile will account for almost half of all digital retail sales by 2020.

On top of that, the firms hardware business skyrocketed 51% last quarter, fueled by new Square Terminal. Going forward, Square is set to roll out more financial service offerings in an effort to further challenge the traditional banking and credit card industries. Even Apple AAPL has bet on the future of fintech in an effort to monetize its massive install base as iPhone sales slow.

As we mentioned at the top, shares of SQ have climbed 30% this year. Yet, thanks to its massive late-2018 selloff, alongside much of the market, Square stock rests roughly 28% below its 52-week intraday high of $101.15 per share. This gives the stock plenty of room to run if Square is able to impress Wall Street Wednesday. Plus, investors will note just how strong SQs three-year run has been, easily crushing FAANG standout Netflix NFLX.

Story continues

Q1 Outlook & Earnings Trends

Square is coming off a better-than-expected Q4 2018 that saw its gross payment volume, a widely tracked Wall Street metric, surge 28% to reach roughly $23 billion. Overall, the companys quarterly revenue surged 51%, with fiscal 2018 revenue up 49%.

With this in mind, our current Zacks Consensus Estimate calls for Squares first quarter fiscal 2019 revenue to jump roughly 41% to reach $942.62 million. This growth would come on top of the year-ago periods 45% revenue growth.

More specifically, Squares gross payment volume is projected to soar approximately 51% from $17.83 billion in Q1 2018 to reach $27.07 billion, based on our NFM estimates. Inventors should note that this would blow away last quarters 28% GPV growth and crush Q1 2018s 31% expansion, which could signal Cash Apps strength and the continued rise of larger sellers.

At the bottom end of the income statement, SQs adjusted quarterly earnings are projected to surge 33.3% to hit $0.08 per share. On top of that, the companys full-year EPS figure is projected to soar 57.5%. However, Squares earnings estimate revision picture has trended more heavily in the wrong direction recently.

Bottom Line

Despite its recent earnings estimate revision trends, the companys Q1 consensus has remained the same over the last 60 days. Plus, the company has a solid history of quarterly earnings beats, which includes an average surprise of 16% over the trailing four periods.

Square is currently a Zack Ranks #3 (Hold) and investors might want to wait to see how Wall Street reacts to the companys earnings report before they buy SQ stock. But in the end, Square is a growth stock within a larger growth industry that could be solid longer-term buy.

Square is scheduled to report its first quarter 2019 financial results after the closing bell on Wednesday, May 1. So, make sure to head back to Zacks for a complete break down of the firms actual quarterly metrics.

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Los Angeles (AFP) - The teenager accused of shooting dead a worshipper and wounding three others in a shooting at a California synagogue pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and hate crimes charges.

John Earnest, 19, stood motionless and silent for much of the hearing as his lawyer entered his plea.

He is accused of opening fire with an assault rifle on the congregation of the Chabad of Poway synagogue, near San Diego, on Saturday -- the final day of Passover.

He will remain behind bars until his next court appearance, set for May 30.

Lori Kaye, 60, was killed, while 57-year-old rabbi Yisroel Goldstein lost an index finger.

Almog Peretz, 34, and his eight-year-old niece Noya Dahan were also wounded, and have since been discharged from hospital.

Earnest also faces charges over an arson attack on a mosque in nearby Escondido, for which he claimed responsibility in an online manifesto. Nobody was hurt in the fire.

The attack in Poway came exactly six months after a white supremacist shot dead 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -- the worst attack against Jewish people in the modern history of the United States.

Kaye's funeral was held Monday with a service led by Goldstein.
By Tim McLaughlin and Ross Kerber

BOSTON, April 30 (Reuters) - The gunmen accused of attacking U.S. synagogues and New Zealand mosques over the past six months brewed their ideas on online hate sites, pulling U.S. cyber-defense firm Cloudflare Inc into a debate on the balance between online speech and security.

The attacks have prompted some investors to ask fresh questions about the company's services allowing the sites to mask their real locations on the Internet to thwart hackers. That is one of the core services used by clients that have more than 12 million Internet properties, including government agencies and major ecommerce operations.

"The temperature has turned up," said Doug Kramer, general counsel for the privately-held San Francisco-based company.

Investors ask questions after Cloudflare's services were linked to reports about shooters' activity on hate sites, Kramer said in an interview this week.

"They understandably want to know how we think about these things," Kramer said, declining to name investors.

Fidelity Investments and Franklin Resources Inc's Franklin Templeton funds hold stakes in Cloudflare. Both declined to comment.

The alleged gunman who killed one person and wounded three at a San Diego synagogue on Saturday, as well as one who massacred 50 people at New Zealand mosques in March, had posted hate-filled screeds on the 8chan message board, a Cloudflare client. The man accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October did likewise on Gab, also a Cloudflare client, according to Internet records.

Cloudflare helped both those sites mask their real Internet protocol addresses. The service obfuscates where its customers are hosted, making it more difficult to hold them accountable, said Micah Schaffer, a technology policy consultant and former Snap Inc executive.

'CLOAKING' PEOPLE

Cloudflare does not passively move information, said Alex Stamos, a Stanford University professor who previously served in top cybersecurity roles at Facebook Inc and Yahoo.

Story continues

"They are cloaking these companies and cloaking the people behind them," Stamos told the information security "Risky Business" podcast shortly after the New Zealand shootings.

Stamos squared off against Islamic State terrorists as Facebook's chief security officer and said, compared to ISIS, white supremacist terrorists can more easily find a home on sites like 8chan.

"Nobody was willing to be the official ISIS chatboard, but 8chan is willing to be that (for white supremacists), and that changes the entire texture of the effort to fight it," he said in a phone interview. Officials at 8chan did not respond to requests for comment.

But Kramer said Cloudflare treats all clients the same, citing far more banal content.

"It's stuff like cat photos and family reunion photos," Kramer said, adding that Cloudflare does not believe its role is to monitor the legality and appropriateness of content on client sites. "If we do that, it gets messy really quickly."

One notable exception came in 2017 when Cloudflare stopped routing the traffic for neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer after the site falsely labeled the company as a secret supporter of the hate ideology.

Cloudflare is private, but the company is interested in an initial public offering that could value it at more than $3.5 billion, Reuters reported in October, citing people familiar with the matter.

Fidelity funds, including Contrafund, value their investment in Cloudflare at more than $100 million, according to disclosures with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cloudflare said it has never provided law enforcement with a feed of customer content. However, should law enforcement contact the company about unlawful activity, it will provide information about the hosting provider, as needed, the company said in an email.

Brittan Heller, a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, said Cloudflare is in an awkward position dealing with clients that run hate sites.

"Sometimes they have to hold their nose at the clients," she said.

(Reporting By Tim McLaughlin and Ross Kerber; Editing by Scott Malone and Nick Zieminski)
London (AFP) - The University of Cambridge on Tuesday announced an investigation into its historic links to slavery, looking at bequests from traders and how its academics might have influenced "race-based thinking".

The two-year project will seek "appropriate ways to publicly acknowledge past links to slavery and to address its impact", the British institution said.

It is the brainchild of Canadian vice-chancellor Professor Stephen J Toope, and will be conducted by two full-time doctoral researchers, overseen by an advisory panel.

"There is growing public and academic interest in the links between the older British universities and the slave trade," Toope said in a statement.

"It is only right that Cambridge should look into its own exposure to the profits of coerced labour during the colonial period.

"We cannot change the past, but nor should we seek to hide from it."

The chairman of the advisory panel, Professor Martin Millett, said the probe would look at bequests to departments, libraries and museums.

"But the panel is just as interested in the way scholars at the university helped shape public and political opinion, supporting, reinforcing and sometimes contesting racial attitudes which are repugnant in the 21st century," he said.

Universities in Britain and the United States have in recent years faced protests by students over their past associations.

In 2016, Cambridge's Jesus College removed from its main hall a bronze cockerel statue stolen with other artefacts from the West African kingdom of Benin in the 19th century.

Around the same time, rival Oxford University faced an angry but ultimately unsuccessful campaign to remove a statue of 19th-century British imperialist Cecil Rhodes.
Frontier. | Photo: Sheena M./Yelp

It's the United States' favorite day to celebrate Mexican culture, but it's not, as many believe, Mexico's Independence Day  that comes Sept. 16.

Cinco de Mayo instead commemorates a significant military victory, in which the Mexican army defeated French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Want to celebrate the occasion and show off your newfound knowledge of Mexican history? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best Mexican restaurants in Albuquerque, using both Yelp data and our own methodology. Use our list to score a delicious Cinco de Mayo meal.

1. Frontier

Photo: trung n./Yelp

Topping the list is Frontier. Located at 2400 Central Ave. SE in University Heights, the Mexican breakfast and brunch spot, which offers sandwiches and more, is the most popular Mexican restaurant in Albuquerque, boasting four stars out of 1,737 reviews on Yelp.

2. Tia Betty Blue's

Photo: erika v./Yelp

Next up is South San Pedro's Tia Betty Blue's, situated at 1248 San Mateo Blvd. SE. With 4.5 stars out of 472 reviews on Yelp, the breakfast and brunch Mexican restaurant, which offers coffee, tea and more, has proven to be a local favorite.

3. Backstreet Grill

Photo: benjamin l./Yelp

Backstreet Grill, located at 1919 Old Town Road NW, Suite 6, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the Mexican bar and New American ea four stars out of 854 reviews.

4. Mac's La Sierra Family Restaurant

Photo: guignard t./Yelp

Over in West Mesa, check out Mac's La Sierra Family Restaurant, which has earned 4.5 stars out of 133 reviews on Yelp. You can find the steakhouse and Mexican spot, which offers seafood and more, at 6217 Central Ave. NW.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Pueblo Viejo Mexican Restaurant. | Photo: Michaela A./Yelp

It's the United States' favorite day to celebrate Mexican culture, but it's not, as many believe, Mexico's Independence Day  that comes on Sept. 16.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates a significant military victory, in which the Mexican army defeated French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Want to celebrate the occasion and show off your newfound knowledge of Mexican history? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best Mexican restaurants in Colorado Springs, using both Yelp data and our own methodology. Use our list to score a delicious Cinco de Mayo meal.

1. Hacienda Colorado

Photo: Sam R./Yelp

Topping the list is Hacienda Colorado. Located at 5246 N. Nevada Ave. in northeast Colorado Springs, the cocktail bar, New American and Mexican spot is the highest rated Mexican restaurant in Colorado Springs, boasting four stars out of 365 reviews on Yelp.

Yelp user Enrique O., who visited in March, wrote, "The food was delicious, and the margaritas were strong and flavorful as they should be."

2. T-Byrds Tacos & Tequila

Photo: T-Byrds Tacos & Tequila/Yelp

Next up is T-Byrds Tacos & Tequila, situated at 26 E. Kiowa St. downtown. With four stars out of 200 reviews on Yelp, the bar, Tex-Mex and Mexican spot, with tacos and more, has proven to be a local favorite.

3. Rudy's Little Hideaway Restaurant

Photo: Liz L./Yelp

Rudy's Little Hideaway Restaurant, located at 945 S. Eighth St. in southwest with mountain views, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the breakfast and brunch Mexican spot four stars out of 157 reviews. The restaurant also has a catering service.

4. Pueblo Viejo Mexican Restaurant

Photo: Niki S./Yelp

Pueblo Viejo Mexican Restaurant, which has other outlets in Colorado Springs, offers fajitas, combination plates, desserts, salads and more at 5598 N. Academy Blvd. in northeast. With four stars out of 155 Yelp reviews, it's popular with locals.

5. Western Omelette

Photo: Arron P./Yelp

Another spot to check out in southwest is Western Omelette, which has earned four stars out of 111 reviews on Yelp. You can find the breakfast and brunch place, featuring traditional American and Mexican food, at 16 S. Walnut St.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Taqueria El Bronco. | Photo: Vazz Z./Yelp

It's the United States' favorite day to celebrate Mexican culture, but it's not, as many believe, Mexico's Independence Day  that comes Sept. 16.

Cinco de Mayo instead commemorates a significant military victory, in which the Mexican army defeated French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Want to celebrate the occasion and show off your newfound knowledge of Mexican history? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best Mexican restaurants in St. Louis, using both Yelp data and our own methodology. Use our list to score a delicious Cinco de Mayo meal.

1. El Burro Loco

PHOTO: CAPRICE F./YELP

Topping the list is El Burro Loco. Located at 313 N. Euclid Ave. in Central West End, the Mexican spot is the highest rated Mexican restaurant in St. Louis, boasting four stars out of 342 reviews on Yelp.

2. Taco Circus

PHOTO: BRIAN M./YELP

Bevo Mill's Taco Circus, located at 4258 Schiller Place, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the Mexican spot four stars out of 232 reviews.

3. Taqueria El Bronco

Photo: SYLVESTER N./Yelp

Taqueria El Bronco, a Mexican spot in Benton Park West, is another go-to, with four stars out of 204 Yelp reviews. Head over to 2817 Cherokee St. to see for yourself.

4. Lily's Mexican Restaurant

PHOTO: MARK P./YELP

Over in South Hampton, check out Lily's Mexican Restaurant, which has earned four stars out of 104 Reviews on Yelp. You can find the Mexican spot at 4601 S. Kingshighway Blvd.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
By Jennifer McEntee SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A 19-year-old man accused of killing one worshipper and wounding three others in a shooting spree in a California synagogue pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to murder and attempted-murder charges in an attack prosecutors are treating as a hate crime. John Earnest, arrested shortly after Saturday's bloodshed at the Chabad of Poway synagogue north of San Diego, also pleaded not guilty to a single count of arson on a house of worship stemming from a nearby mosque that was set on fire in March. Appearing behind a glass partition for his arraignment in San Diego County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon, Earnest stood expressionless and spoke faintly as he gave one-word answers to procedural questions put to him by the judge. The lanky defendant - a nursing student enrolled at California State University at San Marcos - wore dark-rimmed glasses with his hair combed straight forward. Ordering him to remain held without bail, Judge Joseph Brannigan said Earnest would pose "an obvious and extraordinary risk" to the public if he were to be released pending trial. The proceeding was attended by six Hasidic Jewish men who sat in the front row of the courtroom, dressed in the traditional dark garb of the Jewish ultra-Orthodox faithful. Authorities said Earnest stalked into the Poway synagogue during Sabbath prayers on the last day of the week-long Jewish Passover holiday and opened fire with an assault-style rifle, killing 60-year-old worshipper Lori Gilbert-Kaye Three others were wounded in the attack, including the rabbi, who was shot in the hand and lost an index finger. RAMBLING MANIFESTO The gunman, whose weapon apparently jammed, was chased out of the temple by a former Army sergeant in the congregation, then sped away in a car, escaping an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent who shot at the getaway vehicle but missed the suspect. Earnest pulled over and surrendered to police soon afterward. Authorities said later they believed Earnest was the author of a rambling, violently anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim "manifesto" found posted on the internet under his name. In it, the writer claimed responsibility for a pre-dawn arson fire on March 24 that damaged the Islamic Center of Escondido, a town about 15 miles (24 km) north of Poway, and professed to have drawn his inspiration from the gunman who killed 50 people at two mosques earlier that month in New Zealand. Saturday's bloodshed near San Diego came six months to the day after 11 worshippers were fatally shot at a Pittsburgh synagogue in a massacre that ranks as the deadliest ever on American Jewry. The accused gunman in that attack was arrested. Authorities said Earnest had no prior criminal record. Besides the charge of committing arson at a place of worship, he is charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. The criminal complaint, filed on Monday, also alleges the synagogue shooting was perpetrated as a hate crime. His public defender entered not guilty pleas to all charges on his behalf during Tuesday's hearing. If convicted, he would face life in prison without parole, or the death penalty, the district attorney's office said. District Attorney Summer Stephan told reporters afterward Earnest had legally purchased the murder weapon, although current California law generally prohibits rifles and shotguns from being sold to anyone under 21. The state's legal age limit for such firearms was raised from 18 starting this year. In addition to the murder weapon, Stephan said, police found five loaded ammunition magazines and another 50 rounds of bullets in Earnest's vehicle when he was arrested. (Reporting by Jennifer McEntee in San Diego; Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Peter Szekely in New York; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Bill Tarrant, Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  An estimated 45,000 children in Iraq who were born under the rule of the Islamic State group are being excluded from society because the government denies them documentation and ID papers, an international charity said Tuesday.

Jan Egeland, the Norwegian Refugee Council's secretary general, is warning that these children  most of whom are in camps for the displaced today  are a "possible human time-bomb."

"Undocumented children risk remaining left on the margins of society if this issue is not addressed immediately. This seriously undermines future prospects of reconciliation efforts," said Egeland.

"We urge the government to ensure that undocumented children have the right to exist like any other Iraqi citizen," he added, citing the organization's 38-page report "Barriers from Birth."

The children were born during IS's 2013-2017 rule, when the militant group controlled nearly a third of Iraq. The Iraqi government today considers their birth certificates invalid because they were issued by IS.

After U.S.-backed forces defeated the IS and the militants lost their self-styled "caliphate," many IS families and those of civilians who lived under the group's rule were put in camps for the displaced.

The Norway-based group said its legal teams receive on average 170 requests for help each month in cases of unregistered children, children whose fathers are undocumented, are on one of the government's security databases or are perceived to be affiliated with IS.

Egeland said the chance of obtaining ID documents for children from families accused of IS affiliation is nearly impossible, resulting in collective punishment of thousands of innocent children.

"Children are not responsible for crimes committed by their relatives, yet many are denied their basic rights as Iraqi citizens," he said.

Without ID papers, these children have no access to education or health care, they are not allowed to enroll in schools and their mothers cannot get badly needed aid  they are denied "simply the right to exist," Egeland said.

Providing these children with such basic rights to education and health care is "key to ensuring a sustainable future for them and for the country," he said.

"A society cannot be at peace if it allows a generation of stateless children in its midst."
Flers (France) (AFP) - Surrounded by mottled brown-and-white cows basking in the Normandy spring sunshine, Patrick Mercier admits his prized raw-milk camembert doesn't come cheap, but suggests not everyone should have to make the cheese this way.

Few foods are more emblematic of France than the pungent white pucks of camembert. But camembert lovers and producers are currently embroiled in a conflict over what constitutes the real thing.

"Other cheeses can be made with pasteurisation, so after all, why not camembert as well?" asked Mercier.

A bid to update the rules governing camembert's production by allowing the use of pasteurised milk has opened a rift in France, which this year celebrates the 100th anniversary of its strict food and beverage denomination rules -- originally created for wines but later extended to other foodstuffs.

Starting in 2021, cheesemakers hoping to secure the coveted "Camembert of Normandy" label won't have to use only raw milk, as they have been required to do since their rules were introduced in the early 1980s.

Instead, they will have the option of pasteurising -- the process of mildly heating a product to remove pathogens and make it last longer.

It would be the first appellation d'origine protegee (AOP) -- France's badge of quality for a special product rooted in its region -- to create a two-tier labelling system: one for raw milk camembert, and another for pasteurised versions.

Mercier, the AOP Camembert president, who is one of just two remaining producers of raw-milk camembert from his own cows, backed the concession, arguing that it will end decades of declining dairy farming in Normandy.

The changes will also require camembert producers to use more of the fat- and protein-rich milk from grass-fed Normande cows, which have steadily been replaced by more productive Holsteins over the years.

"We had to reverse this trend of Normande cows disappearing," Mercier said at his Champ Secret (Secret Field) farm outside Flers, on the western edge of France.

Story continues

- 'Battle against standardisation' -

Mercier has invested tens of thousands of euros in state-of-the-art equipment that keeps his organic raw milk safe on its way to becoming his daily output of 750 wheels of for early camemberts, but said this outlay is not for everyone.

"We're restoring the values of camembert, in terms of quality and quantity, in a way that is going to let everyone -- farmer, big companies and artisans -- exist," he said.

But purists are crying foul, saying the rules are being watered down for industry giants like Lactalis, which for years have touted their generic camembert as "Made in Normandy" -- a confusing approximation French officials say has to stop.

Top chefs have assailed the changes as well, warning that consumers will find their rich and creamy cheese replaced by chalky bland discs.

"At its heart, it's a battle against standardisation, since it's only going to benefit industrial producers that will now have the label," said Veronique Richez-Lerouge, a traditional cheese advocate who has spearheaded efforts to scupper the planned change.

"It's not just about camembert," she added. "It's about champagne, or idiazabal cheese in Spain: All the AOPs are going to say, if they can do it, why can't we?"

- 'Don't call it camembert' -

The famous soft cheese is said to have been created in 1791 when Marie Harel, who lived in the village of Camembert, adapted a recipe for brie she learned from a priest hiding out from the French revolution.

Adding a distinctive wooden box made it easy to transport the cheese, and its ubiquitous presence in the trenches of World War I made it "the" French cheese for Americans, Britons and other Allied soldiers who fought in France.

Only in 1982 did the government codify its production -- including at least five scoops of curd in a round 11-centimetre mold, one turn only to drain the whey, and at least three weeks of ageing to promote the snowy growth of Penicillium camemberti mold for the rind.

But crucially, officials failed to specify that less stringent versions couldn't use the generic camembert name.

The result is that dairy giants have flooded the market, crowding out traditional players -- the AOP now has fewer than 10 producers making just 5,500 tons a year, compared to 60,000 tons of generics that cost half as much or less.

- 'Future generations' -

"Not everyone can afford a camembert that costs 3.50 euros or more," said Nathalie Goulet, a senator from Normandy's Orne region, who says the changes will benefit the entire dairy industry.

Opponents say that's wishful thinking.

"How can you expect someone working on a tiny scale, all by hand with no corners cut, to make a living -- that cheese has to cost way more in order to be sustainable," said Bronwen Percival, the cheese buyer at Neal's Yard dairy in London and co-author of "Reinventing the Wheel: Milk, Microbes and the Fight for Real Cheese".

"It's not to say there's not a place in the world for a pasteurised camembert, absolutely there is," she says. "Just don't call it camembert."

The controversy is likely to grow ahead of a November vote on the proposal by France's INAO food origins and quality agency.

If approved, the plan still needs the green light from EU regulators in Brussels, which Richez-Lerouge said was unlikely.

"An AOP is for passing on a savoir-faire and a tradition, and one only, in a specific territory," she said.

"If the AOP can't guarantee that 100 percent, it means future generations won't be able to discover that camembert."
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation PPC is scheduled to release first-quarter 2019 results on May 2, before market open. The companys earnings have lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average negative surprise being 28.9%. Lets discuss the factors that are likely to make an impact on the upcoming quarterly results.



A Few Factors at Play



The Prepared Food unit is a key upside to the companys performance. The category gains from the presence of strong brands like Premium Pilgrims and Del Dia. The unit is expected to sustain its performance in the quarter to be reported.



We note that Pilgrim's Pride is undertaking some major initiatives to augment brand strength. The companys focus on key customers is a pathway for refining portfolio. Apart from these, it has been steadily augmenting marketing support of brands through expansion into new regions. The company also resorts to frequent supply chain improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce costs. Such prudent efforts along with its zero base budgeting and positive impacts from acquisitions are likely drive the upcoming quarterly results.



On the flip side, Pilgrim's Pride is prone to certain headwinds that might make matters sour. The Company is struggling against a tough commodity chicken market condition in the United States. In fact, the United States Department of Agriculture predicts total chicken industry production growth in 2019 to be lower than the last year, which is likely to weigh on the forthcoming quarterly results. Moreover, expanding cost of sales is likely to impair results.

Pilgrim's Pride Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Pilgrim's Pride Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Pilgrim's Pride Corporation Quote

How are Estimates Faring?



The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings is currently pegged at 37 cents per share, which suggests a decline of almost 30.2% from the prior-year quarters reported figure. The current estimate has been stable in the past 30 days.



Further, the consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $2.75 billion, calling for rise of 0.5% from the year-ago quarters figure.



What Does the Zacks Model Predict?



Our proven model doesnt show that Pilgrim's Pride can beat bottom-line estimates this quarter. For this to happen, a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold).



Although Pilgrim's Pride carries a Zacks Rank #3, its Earnings ESP of 0.00% makes us less confident about an earnings surprise. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



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Zacks Investment Research
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean bishops and prosecutors signed an agreement to streamline criminal investigations of sexual abuse committed by members of the Catholic Church, the public ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The cooperation agreement facilitates the exchange of information around cases involving the abuse of children and handicapped people, while protecting the identities of victims and witnesses.

Chile's Bishops Conference, the church's leadership arm in the South American nation, agreed to send evidence of any abuse-related crime to prosecutors within 24 hours provided state investigators protected their identities, according to the statement.

The Chilean Catholic Church was engulfed by scandal after a visit by the pope in January last year that brought to the surface a string of abuse allegations now being investigated by criminal prosecutors.

Chile's public ministry said it is currently investigating 166 cases of sexual abuse or cover-up involving 221 suspects and 248 victims.

(Reporting by Natalia Ramos; Writing by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Sandra Maler)
China Tuesday rejected "any interference" in its internal affairs after UN chief Antonio Guterres raised the plight of ethnic Uighurs in the restive Xinjiang region during a visit to Beijing.

Guterres had been under pressure from rights groups to publicly confront Beijing over the mass detention of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking minorities in Xinjiang during his trip.

The was no public denunciation, but UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres raised the issue during talks with Chinese leaders when he attended a summit Friday and Saturday on Beijing's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

The UN chief delivered a three-point message that stressed human rights must be upheld in the fight against extremism, while recognising China's sovereignty and condemning terrorism.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China was willing to discuss human rights issues with all parties on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

"At the same time, we firmly oppose any interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues," Geng said at a regular press briefing.

"Xinjiang affairs belong to China's internal affairs. Terrorism and extremism are wanton violations of basic human rights," he said.

Upwards of one million Uighurs and other minorities are being held in internment camps in Xinjiang, according to estimates cited by a UN panel.

China says the camps are "vocational training centres" to steer people away from extremism and reintegrate them, in a region plagued by violence blamed on Uighur separatists or Islamists.

"The preventive anti-terrorism and anti-extremism measures taken by China in Xinjiang are carried out in accordance with the law, and human rights are also respected and protected," Geng said.
China's factory activity softened in April, official data showed Tuesday, in the latest sign that the world's second-largest economy remains on uneven footing despite a raft of government stimulus measures.

The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), a key gauge of factory conditions, came in at 50.1 for the month, down from 50.5 in March, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

The reading is below analyst forecasts but remains above the 50.0 level separating expansion from contraction.

"The latest survey data disappoint hopes for a further recovery," said Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics.

"The official PMIs suggest that (the second quarter) got off to a weaker start and reinforce our view that there are still some downside risks to near-term activity," he said in a note.

Growth in factory activity from last month and new orders softened, while raw material inventories declined.

Tepid global demand and a trade war with Washington that has seen tariffs slapped on more than $360 billion in goods has weighed on China's manufacturing sector.

The new export and import orders sub-index rose from March, but remained in contraction territory.

Beijing has announced a raft of stimulus to cushion the impact from its cooling economy, with spending on roads, railways and other big-ticket infrastructure projects picking up early this year, and tax cuts worth 2 trillion yuan ($297 billion) kicking in this month.

Economic growth in the first quarter stabilised at 6.4 percent.

NBS analyst Zhao Qinghe credited government policy for improving small business conditions.

"It shows that a series of precise and effective tax and fee reduction policies and measures have gradually appeared to support the healthy development of small and micro enterprises," Zhao said in a statement.

Data from independent data provider Caixin released Tuesday also showed growth in China's factory activity softening from last month.

The figures come as top US trade negotiators arrive in Beijing later Tuesday for the latest round of negotiations aimed at resolving the thorny issues riling relations between the world's top two economies.
Islamabad (AFP) - Their Uighur wives vanished in 2017, swept up in a Chinese dragnet tackling Islamic extremism, now they've been released -- but the Pakistani husbands left behind say freedom has come at a price: The women must prove their "adaptability to Chinese society", and publicly sacrifice their religious ideals.

The group of around 40 women -- all from the western Chinese province of Xinjiang and married to traders from neighbouring Pakistan -- were among some one million people believed to be held in a network of internment camps that authorities downplay as "vocational education centres".

But the men say their partners were forced into acts that are haram, or forbidden, to followers of Islam -- both in the camps and now they've been freed.

"She said they had to eat pork and drink alcohol, something she still has to do," one merchant, who recently visited his wife at her parents' house in Xinjiang told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

"She was told that she had to satisfy the authorities that she no longer possesses radical thoughts if she does not want to go back," he explained, adding that she had given up praying and the Quran had been replaced by books on China at his in-laws home.

Some of the traders, who traditionally leave their wives in Xinjiang for weeks or months at a time when they return home to conduct business, believe the women were taken to the camps because of their connection to Pakistan, which is an Islamic republic.

Former detainees have said they were held simply for following Islamic traditions, such as having a long beard or wearing a veil.

But with the detention centres, part of a security clampdown targeting Muslims including ethnic Uighurs, facing growing international condemnation and China pushing its economic relationship with Pakistan, authorities began slowly releasing the women two months ago.

Faiz Ullah Faraq, a spokesman for the government of Gilgit-Baltistan, the Pakistani region which borders Xinjiang, confirmed the "majority" have now been released.

Story continues

- Surveillance and repercussions -

AFP interviewed nine of the women's husbands, who confirm their wives are free but cannot leave Xinjiang for three months, during which time they will be closely monitored.

"They will observe her adaptability to Chinese society and if they deem her to be unfit she will be sent back," a gemstone trader said of the rules of release.

Their initial joy at the release of much-loved wives and mothers has faded because the women who've returned are like strangers.

"My wife said she was forced to dance, wear revealing clothes, eat pork and drink alcohol in the camp," he revealed, adding that she now carries with her a book of guidelines, which features illustrations such as a mosque marked with a red cross, and a Chinese flag with a green tick.

"She used to pray regularly but now it's gone, and she has started occasionally drinking (alcohol) which she does in the restaurants," he explained, adding that he believed officials required such acts from the women.

He too declined to give his name for fear of repercussions from authorities, who make surprise visits to his wife's home in Xinjiang every week.

James Leibold, an expert on Chinese security at Australia's La Trobe University, told AFP that stepped-up surveillance policies in Xinjiang gave authorities "increased confidence" in their ability to closely monitor those released from the camps.

Since their release, the families of many of the women say they have become paranoid and fear of being reported on.

"The worst thing was her silence," the merchant explained, adding: "She suspects everyone, her parents, her family, even me."

The seven other traders interviewed by AFP, anonymously, have been in contact with their wives only by telephone and gave similar testimonies.

- 'Serious abuses' -

The Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing declined to comment on the releases, and a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman did not respond to requests.

In an interview with Pakistani TV channel HUM news, Lijian Zhao, deputy head of mission at the Chinese Embassy branded claims the government is forcing Muslims to eat pork and drink alcohol in Xinjiang as "propaganda from the west".

He said: "They are trying...to create differences between China and Pakistan and other Muslim countries."

Maya Wang, Human Rights Watch's senior researcher on China, said the activist group has heard stories of people being released from the camps and subjected to house arrests or severe restrictions on movement.

"These releases may indicate that the Chinese government is increasingly sensitive to heightening international pressure over its serious abuses in Xinjiang," she said.

Last month US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed demands China end its widespread detention of Uighur Muslims as he met with Mihrigul Tursun, who claims to be a former detainee, and has spoken publicly about what she said was widespread torture in the camps.

Beijing "cannot afford international criticism of its policies in Xinjiang to spread throughout the Muslim world, especially in Pakistan", China security expert Leibold explained.

In recent years, China has strongly pushed its relationship with Pakistan, investing heavily in infrastructure projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

For its part, Pakistan has been reluctant to publicly join global condemnation of Beijing's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang. When pressed on the subject in a recent interview with the Financial Times, Prime Minister Imran Khan said: "Frankly, I don't know much about that."

But for the merchant and the other traders, it is as though their wives are still lost.

He explained: "My wife, a practising Muslim, has been turned into someone I could not even imagine. She has given up her prayers, drinks and eats pork,"

He added: "I am afraid our marriage will not last long because she is a completely different person, someone whom I don't know."
BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian national to death on Tuesday for producing and trafficking the addictive stimulant methamphetamine, amid heightened tension between Beijing and Ottawa over the arrest of a Huawei Technologies executive.

Canadian Fan Wei was a leader in the production and trafficking scheme, the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court said in a statement.

In response, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland condemned the use of the death penalty, calling it "cruel and inhumane punishment which should not be used in any country."

"We're very concerned by this sentence. Canada stands firmly opposed to the use of the death penalty everywhere... We are obviously particularly concerned when it is applied to Canadians," she told reporters in Ottawa.

Another suspect, Wu Ziping, was sentenced to death but Wu's nationality was not given. The court did not specify the gender of either Fan or Wu.

The court also issued judgments against nine other people, including one American and four Mexicans.

It did not specify what sentences five of the nine received, though it indicated the minimum they got was life in prison. It said the other four were jailed but did not say for how long.

Court officials could not be reached for comment.

All 11 can appeal their sentences.

Fan is the second Canadian to be sentenced to death for drug offences in China this year, during a period of escalating tension between the two countries.

In December, Canadian police arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, at the request of U.S. prosecutors.

U.S. prosecutors have portrayed the company as a threat to national security and alleged it conspired to violate U.S. sanctions. Both Meng, who is out on bail, and Huawei deny the allegations.

China recently arrested two Canadians on national security grounds.

China has also canceled Canadian agribusiness Richardson International Ltd's registration to ship canola to China this year.

(Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Robert Birsel and Bernadette Baum)
By Tom Daly and Yilei Sun BEIJING (Reuters) - Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), China's biggest maker of batteries for electric vehicles, has begun mass production of high-nickel batteries, its chairman told investors last Friday. The so-called NCM 811 battery, which contains 80 percent nickel, 10 percent cobalt and 10 percent manganese, has a longer lifespan and allows electric vehicles to go further on a single charge, a key point of EV performance. "The company's 811 products are already being mass-produced and the rate of progress will be based on customer demand," CATL Chairman Zeng Yuqun said during an investor question and answer session on April 26, according to a transcript of the session sent to Reuters by the company on Tuesday. Zeng added that CATL, which is building a battery plant in Germany, is expected to further expand battery production capacity in the next two years. CATL said in an internal presentation in August last year that it planned to begin production of the next-generation NCM 811 batteries in 2019. At that time, prices for cobalt were then almost double their current level of $34,500 a tonne. That prompted battery makers to seek to reduce their exposure to cobalt, most of which is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including by switching from a NCM 532 composition in battery cathodes to the high-nickel 811. Delegates at the Fastmarkets Battery Materials conference in Shanghai earlier this month expected the trend toward higher nickel content to continue even with cobalt prices tanking, while securing enough supply of nickel has now become a major concern. Ken Hoffman, leader of the McKinsey EV battery materials research group, told the conference that battery companies and automakers were "petrified about supply." (Reporting by Tom Daly and Yilei Sun in BEIJING; Editing by Brenda Goh and Christian Schmollinger)
By David Lague and Benjamin Kang Lim

TAIPEI, April 30 (Reuters) - China's navy, which is growing faster than any other major fleet, has now amassed sufficient firepower to control the seas off its coast, forcing the United States and its regional allies to sail warily in these waters, Reuters reports today.

This expanded Chinese naval power is altering the strategic balance in the Western Pacific where the United States, along with allies like Japan and Australia, has long ruled the waves. For Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a strong fleet is central to his bold plan to replace America as Asia's dominant force.

A former U.S. naval officer says his country has been caught napping by Beijing. "We thought China would be a great pushover for way too long, and so we let them start the naval arms race while we dawdled," James Holmes, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College and a former U.S. navy surface warfare officer, told Reuters.

U.S. and Chinese military officials say that as China's fleet grows in confidence, it plans to challenge the supremacy of the U.S. Navy deeper at sea  in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Today's special report is part of "The China Challenge," a Reuters series on Xi Jinping's bold bid to make China's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the dominant power in Asia.

Previously in the series: Xi's Rocket Force is ending the dominance of U.S. carriers: https://reut.rs/2Z8DetC

For Xi Jinping, the regular launch of new warships  all enthusiastically covered in China's state-controlled media  serves to buttress his political standing. Since taking power in 2012, he has made a series of highly publicized visits to naval bases and ships at sea.

By 2030, some American naval experts tell Reuters, China could attain rough parity with the U.S. navy in terms of both the quality and number of its warships.

Over the past two decades, China has built the world's biggest navy, amassing 400 warships and submarines. The United States is still the world's dominant naval power and retains a clear advantage over China in areas like anti-submarine warfare, but its fleet is overworked and has shrunk to about 288 vessels.

Story continues

Where the American navy once enjoyed unchallenged superiority in the waters off China's coast, the Reuters report makes clear that the outcome of a conflict in these seas is no longer a foregone conclusion. In November, a bipartisan commission set up by the U.S. Congress to review national defense strategy reached a shocking conclusion: In a war with China over U.S. ally Taiwan, it said, "Americans could face a decisive military defeat."

China's Ministry of National Defense, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the Pentagon did not respond to questions from Reuters.

The full article can be read here: https://reut.rs/2GLrwNe

(Reporting by David Lague and Benjamin Kang Lim. Edited by Peter Hirschberg and Elizabeth Culliford.)
BEIJING, April 30 (Reuters) - President Xi Jinping appealed to China's youth on Tuesday to love the country and dedicate themselves to the Communist Party, warning on the centenary of student-led protests there was no place for those who ignored the country's needs.

The May 4 Movement of 1919 started out as anti-imperialist student protests against a decision at the Paris Peace Conference, after World War One, to award Japan control of German concessions in China's Shandong province.

It soon encompassed a broader debate about how China should modernize, having only just overthrown the emperor and ushered in a republic in 1911.

The issue of student protests is especially sensitive in China this year, which also marks three decades since the bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests on and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4.

Speaking to officials and youth delegates at the Great Hall of the People, Xi said China's young should be grateful to the party, the country, the society and the people.

"Tell every Chinese person that patriotism is one's duty, is an obligation," Xi said, in comments carried live on state television.

"For Chinese youth of the new era, ardently loving the motherland is the foundation of building the body and of talent," he added.

Xi also warned about the need for young people to be morally upstanding and avoid what he termed "mistaken thoughts."

"In the new era, Chinese youth should consciously establish and practice the core values of socialism, and be good at drawing morality from the traditional virtues of the Chinese people," he said.

"Consciously resist mistaken thoughts such as the worship of money, hedonism, extreme individualism, and historical nihilism," Xi added, referring to attempts to reevaluate core events and personalities of the party's revolutionary past.

Despite the optimism the May 4 Movement brought at the time, the period following it was marked by turmoil and civil war in China, which eventually lead to the overthrow of the Republican government which fled to Taiwan after the Communist revolution in 1949.

Xi said that China had to make achievements on the back of its own work, and not rely on anyone else. "A bright China is not a gift that can be given by anybody," he said. While May 4 remains widely discussed in China, June 4 is taboo in China and it will not be marked by any officially approved events.

Xi is expected to be outside the country in early June this year, on a state visit to Russia and Central Asia. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; editing by Darren Schuettler)
Berlin (AFP) - A German pensioner had a lucky escape Tuesday after crashing his car into a Hamburg mall, the vehicle ending up precariously balanced on the edge of an atrium -- its front tyres suspended in mid-air.

The 85-year-old man drove the SUV vehicle up a flight of five stairs, smashed into closed glass doors and through the handbag department of a major store in north Hamburg, then breached the glass barriers surrounding the atrium before finally stopping.

"For an unexplained reason, an elderly man drove his SUV through the main entrance of the mall before stopping right on the edge," a spokesman for Hamburg firefighters told AFP.

Despite the drama in the Galeria Kaufhof store, no one was seriously hurt, the spokesman told AFP, adding that two people taken to hospital were not in serious condition.

"It could have ended much more dramatically -- 50 centimetres (20 inches) further and the car would have fallen over the edge and we could have expected a lot more injuries," a senior firefighter told German newspaper Bild.
LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - British climate-change activists said a meeting with the environment minister Michael Gove was disappointing because he failed to declare a climate emergency after weeks of protests put the issue at the heart of political debate.

Members of the Extinction Rebellion group met with Gove after orchestrating the biggest civil disobedience protests in Britain in decades by blocking some of London's most iconic locations including Marble Arch and Oxford Circus.

"The fact that Michael Gove cannot even commit to declaring a climate and ecological emergency at the moment is not only a political failure, we believe that's a moral failure on behalf of our politicians," said Sam Knights, a 22-year-old Extinction Rebellion activist after the meeting.

Extinction Rebellion is demanding the government declare a climate emergency and to allocate resources to tackling the issue. They want greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced to net zero by 2025 and create a citizen's assembly of members of the public to lead on decisions to address climate change.

Gove said climate change is a "grave" challenge, but stopped short of calling it a climate emergency.

"Politicians should be judged on actions not words," he said. "We should show that we're making a difference rather than simply telling everyone how important it is to change." (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
BOGOTA (Reuters) - A multinational anti-narcotics operation led by Colombia has seized up to 94.2 tonnes of cocaine in the past 105 days worth some $3.2 billion, President Ivan Duque said on Monday Joint operations involving 18 countries from Latin America and Europe as well the United States and Canada took part in the seizure of the cocaine as well as 26.7 tonnes of marijuana valued at $133.7 million, Duque said. "The head-on fight against drug trafficking is multinational, a coordinated and shared responsibility among all countries," Duque said in a statement. "Today, almost all countries are consumers and producers in some way." Duque did not provide details on where the drugs were seized, but a naval source said it was mostly in the international waters of the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The United States has expressed concern about an increase in coca cultivation in Colombia, the world's top cocaine producer, but has said it will work with the Andean nation to cut production of the raw material for cocaine in half by the end of 2023. Coca acreage expanded 17 percent to 171,000 hectares (422,550 acres) in 2017, according to the United Nations. The increase was due to increased productivity and growers eager to expand in hopes of getting more aid to switch to legal crops. (Reporting by Helen Murphy and Luis Jaime Acosta; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Here are the companies Yahoo Finance is watching today.

A tough quarter at BP (BP). The oil giant reported profit roughly in-line with expectations despite rising oil prices. The company says adverse weather helped contribute to a slower start to the year. However, it benefited from stronger results in oil and gas trading.

A big quarter at pharma giant Merck (MRK). It posted beats on earnings and sales, driven in part thanks to strong results from its cancer drug Keytruda. Merck's CEO says the report shows its investments in research and development are paying off, especially in oncology and vaccines.

A better-than-expected quarter at Blue Apron (APRN). The meal kit company posted a narrower loss than many expected, but revenue slid 28% year-over-year. Blue Apron has been struggling to re-claim market share and recently brought in a new CEO to try to reignite growth.

Europe's biggest phone company now says it's found vulnerabilities in Huawei equipment. Bloomberg says Vodafone (VOD) found hidden back doors that could have could have given Huawei access to the carrier's network in Italy. The issues have been resolved, and Vodafone continues to resist calls to ban Huawei equipment from Europe.

The future of retail is now on display at a Walmart (WMT) here in New York. The Neighborhood Market, in Levittown, uses artificial intelligence to keep track of perishable items like produce and meat. It has more than 1,500 cameras in the 50,000 square foot store. It's a test run before Walmart takes the technology to other stores.
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congolese prosecutors have dropped an investigation into allegations opposition leader Moise Katumbi hired mercenaries, a document showed on Tuesday, opening the door for him to return home from three years in exile.

Katumbi, the former governor of Democratic Republic of Congos copper-mining Katanga region, fled Congo in May 2016 in the face of accusations he had hired mercenaries, including a former U.S. soldier, as part of a plot against former President Joseph Kabila's government.

Katumbi denied the charges, which he said were aimed at preventing him from running in an election to replace Kabila. The poll was meant to take place in 2016 but was delayed by two years amid accusations Kabila was trying to cling to power.

Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi was declared the winner of a Dec. 30 vote and has moved in the first three months of his presidency to reverse prosecutions of several politicians that Kabila's opponents said were politically motivated.

"Given that the president of the republic has made easing political tensions his priority ..., we consider it inopportune to continue the investigation," Congo's top military prosecutor, Timothee Mukuntu, wrote in a formal decision abandoning the probe into Katumbi.

The document was dated March 1 but was only made public on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, an appeals court overturned Katumbi's conviction in 2016 for real estate fraud, for which he was sentenced in absentia to three years in prison.

His lawyer said at the time his client could soon return to Congo, although Katumbi has yet to comment on the decisions.

Katumbi was blocked from re-entering Congo last year to file his candidacy for the presidential election  a race polls showed him leading. He ended up backing opposition leader Martin Fayulu instead.

Fayulu finished second to Tshisekedi, although multiple sources told Reuters the results were rigged in favor of Tshisekedi, who was seen by Kabila as less of a threat to the outgoing administrations interests.

Kabila and Tshisekedis camps deny the vote was rigged.

(Reporting By Aaron Ross; Editing by Chris Reese)
PRAGUE (AP)  Czech President Milos Zeman has sworn in a new justice minister amid street protests against her appointment.

Thousands have ralled in Prague and elsewhere to protest the appointment of Marie Benesova, who they say might compromise the legal system as prosecutors decide whether to indict Prime Minister Andrej Babis over alleged fraud involving European Union funds.

Babis denies wrongdoing and his close ally Zeman has repeatedly criticized the prosecution. The justice minister has significant control over the prosecution.

As a lawmaker, Benesova voted against a police request to strip Babis of parliamentary immunity to face investigation. The protesters and the opposition say she might try to influence his case.
By Ankur Banerjee

(Reuters Health) - Unborn babies are at higher risk of heart defects not just when mothers smoke, but when fathers smoke, too, a new study suggests.

"Fathers-to-be should quit smoking," said study coauthor Dr Jiabi Qin, of Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China. "Fathers are a large source of secondhand smoke for pregnant women, which appears to be even more harmful to unborn children than women smoking themselves."

Smoking by pregnant women has long been known to increase the risk of health problems for developing babies, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and birth defects. But the risk of heart defects in particular has been less clear, as have the potential effects of smoking by expectant fathers.

To assess the risk to the fetal heart when either parent smoked, Qin and colleagues re-analyzed data from 125 previous studies that altogether involved nearly 8.8 million parents from around the world. The studies looked at smoking by pregnant mothers, smoking by fathers while mothers were pregnant, and mothers' exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy.

Among all the babies born to the parents in the studies, roughly 137,600 had congenital heart defects.

The new analysis, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that parental smoking was significantly associated with risk of congenital heart defects in newborns, with an increased risk of 25 percent when mothers smoked while pregnant.

The link was even stronger when fathers smoked. Compared to babies whose parents didn't smoke, babies of fathers who smoked when mothers were pregnant had a 74 percent higher risk of heart defects at birth, while second-hand smoke exposure for mothers-to-be more than doubled the risk.

Women's exposure to secondhand smoke was risky for their offspring during all stages of pregnancy and even prior to becoming pregnant, Qin said in an email.

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While women who smoked during pregnancy had a higher likelihood of bearing a child with a congenital heart defect, smoking before pregnancy did not affect risk, the author said.

The exact mechanisms involved in the association between parental smoking and CHDs among offspring are still unclear. And observational studies such as this one can't prove that smoking by parents actually caused heart defects in babies.

Another limitation of the analysis is that data were lacking on duration and intensity of parental smoking, the authors acknowledged.

Still, they conclude, given the study's findings, "Preventing parental smoking during peri-pregnancy is a priority for (congenital heart defect) prevention."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2ZUM6DE European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, online March 23, 2019.
Human error may be to blame for the Seattle crane collapse on Saturday that killed four people and injured four others, experts said Monday.

Based on videos of the collapse, experts believe the workers who disassembled the construction crane were too quick to remove pins holding sections of the crane together.

The reason this tower fell over is ironworkers and the people working on it did not follow the manufacturers instructions for disassembling the crane, said South Carolina crane accident investigator Tom Barth. If the pins had been in, that crane would not have fallen over."

The crane's mast fell Saturday afternoon as workers took it apart. Sections landed on top of the new Google building it was working on and other pieces hit six vehicles on the busy street below.

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The two ironworkers on the crane died; they were identified by King County as Andrew Yoder, 31, and Travis Corbet, 33. Retired city employee Alan Justad, 71, and Seattle Pacific University freshman Sarah Wong, 19, died after the crane crushed them in cars.

Washington Department of Labor and Industries inspectors were expected to finish work at the scene Monday, said Tim Church, a department spokesman. He said it was too early to speculate on a cause.

But Barth, who has been a tower crane operator, inspector and accident investigator for 38 years, said workers did not safely disassemble the tower crane by sections.

An iron cross bearing the numbers of Ironworkers Local union chapters from Portland and Seattle stands next to flowers, Monday, April 29, 2019, at a memorial on a median across the street from where a construction crane collapsed and fell Saturday, killing four people, two of whom were ironworkers.

Crews shouldn't have taken out the bolts holding together one section to a section below it, Barth said, until they secured line from another crane to the top of the section getting removed.

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Videos show sections of the crane separating cleanly, suggesting crews likely removed pins early, said Dave Kwass, a trial attorney who handles crane accident lawsuits.

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Where I would be starting as an investigator is getting a better grasp of what these two ironworkers who tragically were killed may have done in removing the pins, Kwass said. What Im seeing is a crane that looks as though the pins were popped all the way down to the pedestal section.

Investigators previously concluded that removing securing pins too early caused a 2012 crane collapse at the University of Texas at Dallas.

The Washington state investigation covers five companies involved in the construction: general contractor GLY, Northwest Tower Crane Service Inc., Omega Rigging and Machinery Moving Inc. and Morrow Equipment Co. LLC and Seaburg Construction Corp.

GLY and its sub-contractors involved with this tower crane accident are doing everything we can to investigate the incident, the company said in a written statement. We are cooperating fully with investigators and assisting the local authorities. At this early stage of the investigation, we have no further details.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deadly Seattle crane collapse was likely caused by human error, experts say
DETROIT (AP)  Lawyers for Michigan's former health director are firmly opposing an effort to put his Flint water criminal case on hold for six months, saying it's a sign of "dysfunction" by prosecutors.

In blunt language, Nick Lyon's defense team urged Judge Joseph Farah to reject a timeout and instead decide whether involuntary manslaughter charges will stick.

Lyon has been ordered to trial on charges related to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area in 2014-15. He's accused of failing to timely inform the public about the outbreak, which has been tied to Flint's use of the Flint River. Farah is considering an appeal.

The attorney general's office said it wants a six-month stay so it can dig through 23 boxes of records found in the basement of a state building. But defense attorney Chip Chamberlain doubts the records are relevant to Lyon's case. He also notes that prosecutors were aware of the boxes in February.

"The stay request is worse than meritless; the motion invites the court to rescue the prosecution from its own team's dysfunction, all at the expense of Mr. Lyon, who has been vigorously proclaiming his innocence by diligently seeking relief from the courts," Chamberlain said in a court filing.

He filed a response Monday, the same day the attorney general's office announced the April 16 firing of special prosecutor Todd Flood, who for three years had led the investigation of Legionnaires' and Flint's lead-tainted water. Fifteen people have been charged ; seven have pleaded no contest to misdemeanors.

Flood, hired by a previous attorney general, fell out of favor after the election of Attorney General Dana Nessel. She put another attorney over him after taking office in January. Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud appeared to blame Flood for the cache of records.

Flood declined to comment about the specific allegation but said he followed "professional standards that justice demands."

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Defense attorneys in a criminal case typically cry foul when learning that evidence hasn't been timely shared by prosecutors. But Chamberlain doesn't seem concerned about what's in the boxes.

"What evidence is there that the boxes hold documents that are not merely duplicative of what (Flood) previously produced to the defense team? ... And what possible 'new' evidence is there that would contradict the testimony of more than 20 witnesses over the course of 10 months to the District Court during the preliminary hearing?" Chamberlain and co-counsel John Bursch wrote.

Farah will hold a hearing Friday.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap
Since the beginning of the year, the stock price for Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) has appreciated almost 40%, an incredible rise for the credit ratings agency. When the company reported its first-quarter earnings last month, the results did little to slow Moody's momentum, even as revenue growth dropped.

In Q1, Moody's revenue rose to $1.14 billion, a tepid 1% increase year over year. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) grew to $2.07, a 2% boost from last year's first-quarter results, helped slightly by a lower tax rate and a reduced share count. Moody's adjusted operating margin, one of its most important metrics, slightly decreased to 45.4%.

Moody's Metrics 2019 Q1 2018 Q1 Change (loss) Revenue $1.14 billion $1.13 billion 1% Adjusted EPS $2.07 $2.02 2% Investor services division revenue $670 million $720 million (7%) Analytics division revenue $472 million $407 million 16%

Data source: Moody's Corporation.

Despite the slowing growth and slimming margins, this boring company still enjoys a wide economic moat due to its well-known brand and strict regulations that keep would-be competitors at bay. Let's take a closer look at the company's two divisions, Moody's Investor Services (MIS) and Moody's Analytics (MA), to see why this company can continue to reward investors with market-beating returns.

Three capital letter "A"s made of dollar bills spelled out in a row.

Moody's rates corporate and government bonds, an industry that is highly regulated. Image source: Getty Images.

The debt ratings agency

MIS is the larger of Moody's two business segments, contributing $670 million, or about 59% of the total, to Moody's top line. This segment is responsible for providing credit ratings and research for debt investments and securities, such as corporate and government bonds. In Q1, revenue declined in this segment by 7%, driven by a 14% decrease in global debt issuance. Unfortunately, much of this segment's revenue depends on macroeconomic trends far outside of Moody's control.

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The good news is that while revenue growth from this segment will always be lumpy and a bit unpredictable, it's extremely profitable. The operating margin for this segment was 54.9% this quarter, a margin nearly any company would be absolutely thrilled with and few industries can afford.

Beyond the profitability of this segment, it also enjoys a wide economic moat, or competitive advantage. Strict regulations at home and abroad limit the number of companies that can provide credit ratings by providing high hurdles companies in the sector must clear. Moody's reputation -- deserved or not -- also carries clout with clients, as it is one of the credit ratings agencies in the "Big Three," which combined hold a huge market share in North America and Europe.

A growing secondary business

The MA business segment provides economic and financial software, research, and advisory services. In Q1, revenue from this segment grew 16% to $472 million, representing about 41% of the company's total. The operating margin from this segment, while not nearly as high as the MIS segment, still clocks in at a respectable 28.1%. Better yet, the MA segment is much more predictable and less dependent on external factors.

The high margin from MIS allows Moody's to heavily invest in the MA side of the business, bolstering the offerings and services it can provide its clients. This includes the recent acquisitions of:

Reis, a leading provider of commercial real estate data;

Team8 Partners, a cybersecurity think tank; and

Vigeo Eiris, a global provider of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data analysis.

These investments help MA appeal to a broader set of clients and give MA a deep set of data that other financial research providers find hard to match. For instance, consider Moody's plans for Vigeo Eiris, which CEO Raymond McDaniel provided during the company's conference call:

Vigeo Eiris is a leading global provider of ESG research, data and assessments and is a foundational asset for our broader efforts in this space. ... Vigeo Eiris brings Moody's an extensive database, a long established presence in the ESG space and a wide product offering, which will help Moody's and its goal to become a global standard setter in ESG. Vigeo Eiris, will be an affiliate of MIS and continue to operate from its headquarters in Paris. This investment is consistent with Moody's strategy of serving the evolving needs of financial market participants beyond the credit risk.

A proven investment

Based on the midpoint of its full-year 2019 EPS guidance, Moody's shares are currently trading at a forward P/E ratio of about 24.5. While that might seem high for a company growing its top and bottom lines by so little, I think that might be shortchanging the large competitive advantages that lead to Moody's sky-high margins. Because of these advantages, investors might want to ignore short-term noise surrounding global debt issuance and macroeconomic concerns that sometimes weigh on Moody's shares and, instead, focus on the long term and its competitive advantages to lead the stock to become what I suspect will be one of the top financial stocks in 2019.

More From The Motley Fool

Matthew Cochrane owns shares of Moody's. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Moody's. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Alistair Phillips-Davies became the CEO of SSE plc (LON:SSE) in 2013. This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at other big companies. After that, we will consider the growth in the business. And finally we will reflect on how common stockholders have fared in the last few years, as a secondary measure of performance. This process should give us an idea about how appropriately the CEO is paid.

View our latest analysis for SSE

How Does Alistair Phillips-Davies's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

According to our data, SSE plc has a market capitalization of UK12b, and pays its CEO total annual compensation worth UK2.7m. (This is based on the year to March 2018). While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at UK864k. We looked at a group of companies with market capitalizations over UK6.2b and the median CEO total compensation was UK3.8m. Once you start looking at very large companies, you need to take a broader range, because there simply aren't that many of them.

So Alistair Phillips-Davies receives a similar amount to the median CEO pay, amongst the companies we looked at. Although this fact alone doesn't tell us a great deal, it becomes more relevant when considered against the business performance.

The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at SSE has changed from year to year.

LSE:SSE CEO Compensation, April 30th 2019

Is SSE plc Growing?

SSE plc has increased its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 8.4% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). It saw its revenue drop -16% over the last year.

I generally like to see a little revenue growth, but it is good to see EPS growth. It's hard to reach a conclusion about business performance right now. This may be one to watch. You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings.

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Has SSE plc Been A Good Investment?

With a three year total loss of 7.5%, SSE plc would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. It therefore might be upsetting for shareholders if the CEO were paid generously.

In Summary...

Alistair Phillips-Davies is paid around what is normal the leaders of larger companies.

The per share growth could be better, in our view. And it's hard to argue that the returns over the last three years have delighted. So many would argue that the CEO is certainly not underpaid. CEO compensation is one thing, but it is also interesting to check if the CEO is buying or selling SSE (free visualization of insider trades).

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
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If you want to know who really controls Smiths Group plc (LON:SMIN), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned.

With a market capitalization of UK6.1b, Smiths Group is rather large. We'd expect to see institutional investors on the register. Companies of this size are usually well known to retail investors, too. In the chart below below, we can see that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about SMIN.

See our latest analysis for Smiths Group

LSE:SMIN Ownership Summary, April 30th 2019

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Smiths Group?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

As you can see, institutional investors own 83% of Smiths Group. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Smiths Group's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

LSE:SMIN Income Statement, April 30th 2019

Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Smiths Group is not owned by hedge funds. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

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Insider Ownership Of Smiths Group

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Smiths Group plc in their own names. Keep in mind that it's a big company, and the insiders own UK4.8m worth of shares. The absolute value might be more important than the proportional share. It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a 17% stake in SMIN. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too.

I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can access this interactive graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow, for free .

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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.
In a second lawsuit responding to a U.S. House investigation, President Donald Trump and three of his children have sued a pair of banks to prevent them from providing Trump family financial records to Congress pursuant to subpoenas.

While Democrats cast the lawsuit as another effort to thwart investigations of Trump's activities, the president's private attorneys said they are seeking to protect the "privacy rights" of the president and his family.

Democratic subpoenas "seek information going back decades from anyone with even a tangential connection to the President, including children, minors and spouses," said the statement from Trump attorneys Will Consovoy, Patrick Strawbridge and Marc L. Mukasey.

Trump and three children  Ivanka, Eric and Donald, Jr.  are suing Deutsche Bank and Capital One. In the lawsuit filed late Monday in New York City, Trump asked the court to declare the subpoenas invalid and prevent the banks from complying with the congressional orders.

The complaint is the latest in a series of disputes between the White House and congressional Democrats over investigations targeting the president. Trump filed a federal lawsuit last week to block the Democratic-controlled House from obtaining financial records from his business longtime accountant.

'All the subpoenas': Congress and Trump prepare to battle over wide-ranging probes

Complaint: President Trump and his businesses ask a court to block Congress from obtaining accounting records

The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage, the lawsuit states.

The chairs of the House Financial Services and Intelligence committees, Reps. Maxine Waters and Adam Schiff, respectively, said in a joint statement that the lawsuit was meritless.

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This lawsuit is not designed to succeed; it is only designed to put off meaningful accountability as long as possible, they said.

At least six congressional committees are investigating Trump's personal finances, his inauguration committee, his business practices before he took office and his conduct since assuming the presidency for evidence of corruption or abuse.

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Trump has told reporters he will resist every subpoena. He has refused to provide his tax returns, breaking from more than 40 years of tradition by presidents and nominees.

"We're fighting all the subpoenas. These aren't like impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020," Trump said last week. "The only way they can luck out is by constantly going after me on nonsense."

House Democrats are particularly interested in Deutsche Bank, a longtime lender to Trump and his company even after a series of defaults and bankruptcies by the real estate mogul.

Congress is seeking a long list of records related to the bank's support of Trump and his family, loans that some critics believe may have been used to launder money from Russia and Eastern Europe.

Deustche Bank has said it plans to comply with the subpoenas.

Trump's lawyer described the subpoenas as "unlawful and illegitimate," and "every citizen should be concerned about this sweeping, lawless, invasion of privacy. We look forward to vindicating our clients rights in this matter."

Democratic lawmakers are also seeking documents from Mazars USA, the presidents longtime accounting firm. Last week, Trump filed a lawsuit to prevent Mazars from providing records subpoenaed by the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

Legal analysts noted that during his business career, Trump often filed lawsuits as a way to drag out disputes, seeking to exhaust his opponents.

Stephen I. Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law, said the lawsuit against the banks is "such a long shot on the merits" that it's hard to imagine Trump's lawyers think they can win.

"It may be that the purpose is to try to delay these third parties from complying with the subpoenas, perhaps until after the 2020 elections," he said.

Vladeck added, however, that such a long delay "seems unlikely."

Contributing: David Jackson, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump sues Deutsche Bank, Capital One in 'long shot' attempt to block congressional subpoenas
In his latest attempt to slow the flood of Central American migrants pouring across the southern border, President Donald Trump proposed sweeping new rules for asylum-seekers that would make it more difficult, and more expensive, for them to seek refuge in the U.S.

In a presidential memorandum signed Monday, Trump gave the departments of Justice and Homeland Security 90 days to implement the changes in an effort to stem what he described as an asylum "crisis" that has been plagued by "rampant abuse."

"This strategic exploitation of our nation's humanitarian programs undermines our nation's security and sovereignty," Trump wrote.

The rules would, for the first time, require asylum-seekers to pay an application fee, deny work permits for asylum-seekers who enter the country illegally and require government officials to fast-track new asylum hearings to complete them within 180 days.

Critics say those changes would unfairly punish the most vulnerable people in the world, those who are fleeing violence, poverty, and food insecurity as Central America is gripped by a widespread, persistent drought.

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Homeland Security subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, opened a Tuesday hearing by decrying Trump's memo as "another tragic step in the wrong direction."

And Eleanor Acer, director of the refugee protection program at Human Rights First, called them a "clear attempt to rig the system" to block as many asylum-seekers as possible.

"It is a disgraceful continuation of his years-long campaign to punish refugees for seeking asylum," Acer said.

Families hoping to seek asylum in the United States wait on the bridge connecting Reynosa, Mexico, to Hidalgo, Texas, on March 15, 2019.

Whenever the new rules go into effect, they're sure to face immediate lawsuits, as have other attempts by the White House to get a handle on the southern border.

In December, a federal judge struck down the Department of Justice's attempt to cut off asylum for victims of domestic abuse and gang violence. In November, another federal judge struck down Justice's attempts to cut off asylum for people who crossed into the country illegally, which is allowed under U.S. law.

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On April 8, yet another federal judge blocked Homeland Security's plan to require asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases in the U.S. are decided. But four days later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit overturned that decision, allowing the administration to continue sending asylum-seekers back to Mexico while the lawsuit proceeds.

Monday's memo lays out several changes that could have a big impact on people trying to request asylum.

The memo says the application fee required of asylum-seekers would not exceed the cost of processing applications, but officials did not immediately provide an estimate for what that might be. By comparison, the application fee for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is $495, the fee for green card holders to become U.S. citizens is $725, and the fee to apply for a green card can be as high as $1,225, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Trump wrote that the fee is required to add some integrity to an out-of-control system. But critics say alerting criminals throughout Mexico and Central America that asylum-seekers will have to be carrying large amounts of cash will make them walking targets.

"Asylum seekers are fleeing persecution, and have left their families, communities, homes, jobs, and possessions behind in order to save their lives," read a statement from the Tahirih Justice Center, a group that has been part of lawsuits challenging Trump's immigration policies. "Instituting a new fee for asylum applications and work permits will simply drive asylum seekers deeper into poverty and leave them more vulnerable to victimization and predation by unscrupulous representatives, traffickers, and abusers."

"Like Disneyland": Trump calls for changes to immigration laws, says the border is 'like Disneyland'

Trump also wants to bar anyone who has entered or tried to enter the country illegally from receiving a provisional work permit and is calling on officials to immediately revoke work authorizations when people are denied asylum and ordered removed from the country.

That change is very likely to be challenged in court because it closely mirrors another change Trump tried to implement. In November, his administration published new rules that barred migrant who enter the country illegally from requesting asylum. But that ran afoul of both federal and international law and was blocked by the courts.

The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act states that any foreigner who arrives in the USA, "whether or not at a designated port of arrival," may apply for asylum. A United Nations treaty signed in 1951 by the United States says "refugees should not be penalized for their illegal entry" because extreme situations sometimes "require refugees to breach immigration rules."

It's unclear whether denial of a work permit would be considered an undue punishment against those asylum-seekers, but that will likely be decided in court.

Trump's memo also calls on Homeland Security to reassign immigration officers and any other staff to speed up asylum applications. But it's unclear how many officers would be reassigned, and who will do that work.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers currently conduct interviews of asylum-seekers, since they are trained and experienced at interviewing people in those situations. But the Trump administration has considered granting that power to Border Patrol agents in an effort to speed up the process, a move that has been bashed by immigration advocacy groups since Border Patrol agents are not trained to conduct such sensitive inquiries.

Acer of Human Rights First described the idea as "absurd."

"Just as a hospital would not assign security guards to triage incoming patients, border officers should not make life-or-death decisions about refugees seeking protection at the border," Acer said.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump wants to charge asylum seekers to process applications as migrants seek U.S. entry
The Hague (AFP) - Former Dutch queen Wilhelmina tried to broker a deal through the Vatican to help senior Nazis flee Europe in exchange for the release of Belgium's King Leopold III, according to a report Tuesday.

The revelation, a sensitive one for a country still wrestling with the legacy of World War II, comes in the newly released diaries of her foreign minister Eelco van Kleffens, Trouw newspaper said.

The queen acted because she feared that Leopold III, who was being held by the Nazis in Austria, would be killed, according to the book "Your Majesty, You Do Not Know Real Life".

Despite being "anti-papist and anti-German", queen Wilhelmina asked van Kleffens in March 1945 to "sound out" a possible swap with senior Nazis.

But she was ready to do the deal to help a fellow member of a royal family, Trouw reported.

Wilhelmina was living in exile at the time following the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940. She abdicated for health reasons in 1948 and died in 1962.

She decided to take action after a conversation with the Belgian Queen Mother Elisabeth in Brussels who feared that her son and his family would be "liquidated", Trouw reported.

The Belgian royal family was eventually freed by US troops in May 1945.

Some Belgians opposed Leopold III's return home after he was accused of pro-German sympathies. He moved to Switzerland after the war and abdicated in favour of his son Baudouin in 1951.

The Netherlands suffered bitterly under the Nazi occupation, but in recent years has had to come to terms with its failure to prevent -- and in some cases with its complicity in -- the extermination of around 110,000 of its pre-wartime population of 140,000 Jews.

Perhaps the best known was the diarist Anne Frank, who hid in an Amsterdam house from the Nazis before being betrayed and sent to the Bergen-Belsen, where she died in 1945.
Cairo (AFP) - An Egyptian court Tuesday sentenced Muslim Brotherhood business tycoon Hassan Malek to life in prison on terrorism charges and for "harming the national economy", a court official said.

He said the state security court handed down the same sentence to his son, Hamza Malek, another prominent businessman, Abdul Rahman al-Seoudi, and to four others.

Three defendants were sentenced to 10 years in jail and 14 others were acquitted. Tuesday's rulings can be appealed.

"The prosecution found organisational material of the Muslim Brotherhood with plans to harm the national economy by creating a continuous demand for US dollars to devalue the Egyptian pound against foreign currencies," said the official.

The court also found the main defendants guilty of "plotting terror acts targeting military and police forces as well as the tourism sector, including European and Russian visitors".

Malek, a mogul who was an informal advisor to Egypt's Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, before he was deposed, built his fortune through a chain of computer, electronics and furniture stores.

Seoudi, also sentenced to life, owns a large chain of supermarkets operating throughout Egypt.

Authorities led a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members after the military overthrew Morsi in 2013. Thousands have since been jailed.

The Brotherhood was outlawed and branded a terrorist organisation in December 2013, just months after Morsi's ouster.
Hurghada (Egypt) (AFP) - In serene turquoise waters off Egypt's Red Sea coast, scuba divers ease among delicate pink jellyfish and admire coral -- yet a rebounding tourism sector threatens the fragile marine ecosystem.

The Red Sea is a top scuba diving destination, but Egypt's tourism sector was buffeted by a wave of security shocks through much of this decade, before a partial recovery since 2017.

A diving instructor in the town of Hurghada, a top resort, warned that the rebound brought dangers for the corals.

Before the decline in visitors "there was way too much activity because it was so cheap" he said, asking to remain anonymous.

"In some areas, they've disappeared -- although in others we see they're coming back".

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says coral reefs are among "the most beautiful, biologically diverse and delicate ecosystems in the world".

It describes these resources as vital to maintaining food supply and protecting the shorelines of low-lying island nations.

Along the seafront in the town of Hurghada, bazaars and resorts offer unbeatable prices to attract budget-conscious European visitors to a country whose vital tourism sector was battered by a 2011 uprising and multiple jihadist attacks.

Following the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, tourist arrivals in Egypt plunged.

The sector took a further beating in 2015, when jihadists blew up a Russian plane that took off from another major Red Sea resort, Sharm al-Sheikh, killing 224 people.

But the contribution of Egypt's tourism sector to GDP rose 16.5 percent last year to $29.6 billion (26.5 billion euros), the highest level since 2010, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Egypt has not published its own official statistics for the year.

German tourist Daniel, 29, said he was partly attracted to Egypt by the low prices.

"It's a lot cheaper than the Caribbean," he said as he tanned his pale skin on a private beach in Hurghada.

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- 'Tourism revival good' -

Flippers on their feet and air tanks on their backs, the mostly European tourists swim in tranquil waters just off Hurghada.

Ten metres below the surface, clown and butterfly fish swim among green and purple corals.

It's "very beautiful," said an Estonian tourist as she clambered back onto the boat, her blond wet hair protruding from her black wetsuit.

UNEP estimates that about 20 per cent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and a further 60 per cent are under threat -- from climate change, overfishing and tourism.

Many people who live close to reefs depend on them for a living, and Egypt's resort towns are no exception.

Scientists consider the Red Sea's reefs the most climate change-resilient corals but say they are still under threat.

"The revival of tourism in Egypt is a good thing, but it has increased pressure" on the reefs, said Heba Shawky, managing director of the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association.

The campaign group was founded in 1992 by diving professionals who were worried about the potential impact of mass tourism in the region.

Around 1,700 tourist boats operate along Egypt's Red Sea coast, according to the Red Sea province, while the Suez Canal Authority says 18,174 commercial vessels passed through the Suez Canal last year.

Shawky said the NGO has set up around 1,200 buoys on various dive sites to prevent the use of anchors, which damage corals.

But, she added, much remains to be done -- such as reducing the number and size of dive boats, which can be up to 50 metres (55 yards) long.

"It's about limiting the number of users per day to tackle the problem of the growing number of boats," Shawky said.

General Ahmed Abdallah, governor of Egypt's Red Sea province, agreed.

"We are making every effort to preserve the marine environment and stop any pollution affecting the reefs," he told AFP.

Abdallah pointed to the absence of highly polluting industries such as steel, cement or ceramics production in the region.

He also noted the province's recent decision to ban single-use plastics, which are highly damaging to marine life.

- 'Need to do more' -

With up to 12 million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans every year, the UNEP believes marine plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

"We are making a lot of effort, but we need to do more," said Mahmoud Hanafy, a professor in marine biology at Suez Canal University and an advisor to Shawky's association.

He urged authorities to declare some reefs protected sites to prevent them being "over-exploited".

He also suggested following the lead of Australia and the Maldives by creating artificial reefs, sometimes with 3D printing, to ease the pressure on natural corals.

Shawky contended that there is no contradiction between protecting the environment and supporting tourism.

Unlike other parts of Egypt, "we don't have pyramids or temples," she said.

"We have living resources under water. So by preserving the environment, we support the tourism industry."
Equity Commonwealth (NYSE: EQC) maintained its multiyear strategy of monetizing its commercial real estate portfolio during the first quarter. The REIT closed the sale of another property and made progress on two more sales. If those close, the company will be down to just seven properties.

While the company continued its hunt for value-enhancing opportunities, it's allocating the cash from real estate sales to bolster shareholder value as it waits for the right one to emerge.

Equity Commonwealth results: The raw numbers

Metric Q1 2019 Q1 2018 Year-Over-Year Change Normalized FFO $23.1 million $17.5 million 32% Normalized FFO per share $0.19 $0.14 35.7%

Data source: Equity Commonwealth. FFO = Funds from operations.

What happened with Equity Commonwealth this quarter?

Smart capital allocation is boosting results:

Equity Commonwealth sold another property during the first quarter, bringing its retained portfolio to nine, which had 3.8 million square feet of rentable space. That's down from 13 in the year-ago period. Those sales reduced the company's normalized FFO by $0.07 per share compared to the prior-year period. However, Equity Commonwealth more than offset that lost income by putting its cash to work. The company paid off debt, which saved it $0.05 per share in interest expenses. In addition to that, it invested some of the proceeds into income-generating assets, which provided an additional $0.06 per share of interest income.

The company's nine retained properties performed well during the quarter. They were 94.4% leased, which was an improvement from 92.3% in the year-ago period. The company not only increased occupancy, but also signed new and renewal leases for rates 8% higher than the previous leases on the same space. Those two factors helped boost the net operating income (NOI) from these properties by 9.7% year over year.

The company signed leases totaling 108,000 square feet during the quarter, including 95,000 square feet of new agreements and 13,000 square feet of renewals.

Equity Commonwealth completed one property sale during the quarter, for $435.4 million of total proceeds. The company sold another building shortly after the quarter ended for $195 million. It had one more up for sale, which had 1.1 million square feet of rentable space.

The company is planning to return more of the cash proceeds from asset sales to investors by authorizing a $150 million share-repurchase program.

Two people shaking hands with a skyline of office building in the background.

Image source: Getty Images.

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What management had to say

CEO David Helfand commented on the quarter during the accompanying conference call:

We had a solid first quarter. The same-property cash NOI was up 9.7%. We also completed the sale of our last asset in downtown Philadelphia, 1735 Market Street, for a gross sales price of $451.6 million. Pricing was in the 6% cap rate range. Subsequent to quarter-end, we closed on the sale of Bellevue Corporate Plaza, a 97%-leased 255,000 square foot office building, as well as additional development rights, for a gross sale price of $195 million. In addition, we continue to work on the sale of Research Park in Austin, a 1.1 million-square-foot flex property on 188 acres of land. As mentioned previously, we are evaluating the sale of Tower 333 in Bellevue, Washington, and the Green [and] Harris buildings in Washington, D.C. Since we took responsibility [for] the company, we sold 160 assets for $6.7 billion in 66 transactions. In doing so, we've created optionality due to the conversion of an undervalued portfolio of assets to cash.

Equity Commonwealth continued its strategy of working to maximize the value of its real estate portfolio. It has taken a two-pronged approach by leasing up available space to increase the income generated by its assets, and then unlocking the value created by selling the properties.

Looking forward

Equity Commonwealth is still waiting for the right opportunity to put its financial flexibility to work. Helfand noted on the conference call: "Our strategy will continue to be informed by market conditions, and we'll be patient and disciplined in our evaluation of a broad range of investment opportunities, including non-office asset classes. With $3.3 billion of cash, we're uniquely positioned to combine our capacity and talent to create long-term value for shareholders."

More From The Motley Fool

Matthew DiLallo owns shares of Equity Commonwealth. The Motley Fool recommends Equity Commonwealth. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
TALLINN (Reuters) - Estonia's President Kersti Kaljulaid said on Tuesday she had relieved a minister from the far-right party EKRE of his duties, just a day after the new government was sworn in.

The president said she removed the IT and foreign trade minister, Marti Kuusik, at the request of the prime minister and gave no more details of the reasons.

But the move came after police said they were investigating Kuusik following an Ekspress Group news report linking him to domestic violence. He has denied any wrongdoing.

"In addition to a horrible media attack against me the prosecutor's office decided to start a criminal investigation. In this situation I cannot work as a minister. Also the rest of the government cannot work normally," he said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

Prime Minister Juri Ratas echoed his comments.

"In the current situation, the government could not really start its work and fulfil its programme. Hence foreign trade and IT minister Marti Kuusik requested to leave his duties today," Ratas said in a statement.

Kuusik was one of five ministers of EKRE, whose anti-immigrant message helped the party more than double its support in a March election, winning broad support in poorer rural areas.

EKRE is the second largest partner in Estonia's new government which agreed in April on the 36-page coalition plan that includes some of the party's strict immigration policies and pledges that Estonia will not take in any refugees as part of a European Union-wide quota system.

(Reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
* Federal Reserve tests expected within weeks

* ECB fears another fail could pressure fragile Deutsche

* Investors, ratings agencies worry about U.S. arm

By Tom Sims and John O'Donnell

FRANKFURT, April 30 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank is in danger of failing U.S. stress tests, a European bank supervisor told Reuters, adding to pressure on Germany's biggest lender to make changes to its investment bank after failed merger talks with Commerzbank.

European Central Bank regulators are concerned that Deutsche Bank's standing has weakened since it flunked U.S. stress tests in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and a repeat would cause a bigger dent in confidence among customers and business partners.

The Federal Reserve, which will complete its examination of Deutsche Bank's U.S. operations in the coming weeks, could also impose conditions curbing its Wall Street investment bank, further undermining its earning power, the official said.

A spokesman said Deutsche Bank had "invested heavily to ensure that the bank meets regulators' demands and has made significant progress." The Federal Reserve, which is expected to announce the results by July, and the ECB declined to comment.

While Deutsche Bank had made significant improvements in recent years and eased relations with the Federal Reserve, systems it uses to monitor its business and risks, which determine how much capital it needs, remained weak.

Deutsche Bank's future in the United States, where it opened 40 years ago with just 76 employees before expanding rapidly in 1999 by buying Bankers Trust, is already in doubt.

Investors and credit rating agencies have expressed worries about Deutsche Bank's investment bank, which accounts for most of the 9,000 people it now employs in the United States, after last week's collapse of merger talks with Commerzbank.

"The key challenge for Deutsche Bank remains to demonstrate that the investment bank can effectively compete ... and earn acceptable and stable returns," ratings agency Moody's said.

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Rating agency Fitch said Deutsche Bank's investment bank "has yet to show that it can recover lost market share and navigate an uncertain market environment."

Both agencies have the group tagged for a possible credit-rating downgrade.

In the first quarter revenue at Deutsche Bank's investment bank, which accounts for more than half its overall revenue, slid 13 percent from a year ago. Costs were higher than its income.

Nonetheless, Deutsche Bank's management is signaling no major changes as it aims to be a credible competitor to U.S. powerhouses JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs.

Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Christian Sewing told analysts last week that he would continue to review strategic alternatives but that it was "non-negotiable" that the bank remains "globally relevant," including in the U.S. and Asia.

Soon after assuming office in a sudden management reshuffle last year, Sewing made cuts at the investment bank, mainly affecting the loss-making equities division and the business that serves hedge funds in New York and London.

But some investors have been calling for more drastic measures, with concerns heightened after six weeks of frantic yet fruitless merger talks.

Berlin had pushed to create a national champion and end questions over the future of the banks.

But management on both sides called off talks, blaming a need for capital, restructuring costs and difficulties implementing a deal. (Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by Alexander Smith)
(Refiles to fix typo in the first paragraph)

By Aram Roston and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - Erik Prince - the founder of the controversial private security firm Blackwater and a prominent supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump - has been pushing a plan to deploy a private army to help topple Venezuelas socialist president, Nicolas Maduro, four sources with knowledge of the effort told Reuters.

Over the last several months, the sources said, Prince has sought investment and political support for such an operation from influential Trump supporters and wealthy Venezuelan exiles. In private meetings in the United States and Europe, Prince sketched out a plan to field up to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire on behalf of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, according to two sources with direct knowledge of Prince's pitch.

One source said Prince has conducted meetings about the issue as recently as mid-April.

White House National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis declined to comment when asked whether Prince had proposed his plan to the government and whether it would be considered. A person familiar with the administration's thinking said the White House would not support such a plan.

Venezuela opposition officials have not discussed security operations with Prince, said Guaido spokesman Edward Rodriguez, who did not answer additional questions from Reuters. The Maduro government did not respond to a request for comment.

Some U.S. and Venezuelan security experts, told of the plan by Reuters, called it politically far-fetched and potentially dangerous because it could set off a civil war. A Venezuelan exile close to the opposition agreed but said private contractors might prove useful, in the event Maduros government collapses, by providing security for a new administration in the aftermath.

A spokesman for Prince, Marc Cohen, said this month that Prince has no plans to operate or implement an operation in Venezuela and declined to answer further questions.

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Lital Leshem - the director of investor relations at Princes private equity firm, Frontier Resource Group - earlier confirmed Princes interest in Venezuela security operations.

He does have a solution for Venezuela, just as he has a solution for many other places, she said, declining to elaborate on his proposal.

The two sources with direct knowledge of Prince's pitch said it calls for starting with intelligence operations and later deploying 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire from Colombia and other Latin American nations to conduct combat and stabilization operations.

DYNAMIC EVENT

For Prince, the unlikely gambit represents the latest effort in a long campaign to privatize warfare. The wealthy son of an auto-parts tycoon has fielded private security contractors in conflict zones from Central Asia to Africa to the Middle East.

One of Princes key arguments, one source said, is that Venezuela needs what Prince calls a dynamic event to break the stalemate that has existed since January, when Guaido - the head of Venezuela's National Assembly - declared Maduros 2018 re-election illegitimate and invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency.

Maduro has denounced Guaido, who has been backed by most western nations, as a U.S. puppet who is seeking to foment a coup. Key government institutions  including the military  have not shifted their loyalty to Guaido despite increasing international pressure from sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies.

Guaido has stressed that he wants a peaceful resolution, and Latin American governments recognizing his authority have urged against outside military action. Senior U.S. officials, without ruling out armed intervention, have also emphasized economic and diplomatic measures to pressure Maduro.

CLOSE TIES TO TRUMP

Prince was a pioneer in private military contracting during the Iraq war, when the U.S. government hired Blackwater primarily to provide security for State Department operations there.

In 2007, Blackwater employees shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians at Nisour Square in Baghdad, sparking international outrage. One of the Blackwater employees involved was convicted of murder in December and three others have been convicted of manslaughter.

Prince renamed the Blackwater security company and sold it in 2010, but he recently opened a company called Blackwater USA, which sells ammunition, silencers and knives. Over the past two years, he has led an unsuccessful campaign to convince the Trump administration to replace U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan with security contractors.

Since 2014, Prince has run the Hong Kong-based Frontier Services Group, which has close ties to the state-owned Chinese investment company CITIC and helps Chinese firms operating in Africa with security, aviation and logistics services.

Prince donated $100,000 to a political action committee that supported Trumps election. His sister, Betsy DeVos, is the administrations education secretary.

Princes role in Trumps campaign was highlighted in the report by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, released this month, on alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The report outlined how Prince financed an effort to authenticate purported Hillary Clinton emails and how in 2016 he met in the Seychelles islands, off east Africa, with a wealthy Russian financial official on behalf of Trumps presidential transition team.

Prince spokesman Cohen declined to comment on the Mueller report.

TARGETING FROZEN ASSETS

The two sources with direct knowledge of Princes Venezuela plan said he is seeking $40 million from private investors. He also aims to get funding from the billions of dollars in Venezuelan assets that have been seized by governments around the world imposing sanctions on the OPEC nation, a major oil exporter.

Its unclear, however, how the Venezuelan opposition could legally access those assets. Prince told people in pitch meetings, the sources said, that he believes that Guaido has the authority to form his own military force because he has been recognized internationally as Venezuelas rightful leader.

Prince envisions a force made up of Peruvians, Ecuadoreans, Colombians, Spanish speakers, one of the sources said, adding that Prince argued that such soldiers would be more politically palatable than American contractors.

(Reporting By Aram Roston and Matt Spetalnick Editing by Kieran Murray and Brian Thevenot)
By Aram Roston and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Erik Prince - the founder of the controversial private security firm Blackwater and a prominent supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump - has been pushing a plan to deploy a private army to help topple Venezuelas socialist president, Nicolas Maduro, four sources with knowledge of the effort told Reuters. Over the last several months, the sources said, Prince has sought investment and political support for such an operation from influential Trump supporters and wealthy Venezuelan exiles. In private meetings in the United States and Europe, Prince sketched out a plan to field up to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire on behalf of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, according to two sources with direct knowledge of Prince's pitch. One source said Prince has conducted meetings about the issue as recently as mid-April. White House National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis declined to comment when asked whether Prince had proposed his plan to the government and whether it would be considered. A person familiar with the administration's thinking said the White House would not support such a plan. Venezuela opposition officials have not discussed security operations with Prince, said Guaido spokesman Edward Rodriguez, who did not answer additional questions from Reuters. The Maduro government did not respond to a request for comment. Some U.S. and Venezuelan security experts, told of the plan by Reuters, called it politically far-fetched and potentially dangerous because it could set off a civil war. A Venezuelan exile close to the opposition agreed but said private contractors might prove useful, in the event Maduros government collapses, by providing security for a new administration in the aftermath. A spokesman for Prince, Marc Cohen, said this month that Prince has no plans to operate or implement an operation in Venezuela and declined to answer further questions. Lital Leshem - the director of investor relations at Princes private equity firm, Frontier Resource Group - earlier confirmed Princes interest in Venezuela security operations. He does have a solution for Venezuela, just as he has a solution for many other places, she said, declining to elaborate on his proposal. The two sources with direct knowledge of Prince's pitch said it calls for starting with intelligence operations and later deploying 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire from Colombia and other Latin American nations to conduct combat and stabilization operations. DYNAMIC EVENT For Prince, the unlikely gambit represents the latest effort in a long campaign to privatize warfare. The wealthy son of an auto-parts tycoon has fielded private security contractors in conflict zones from Central Asia to Africa to the Middle East. One of Princes key arguments, one source said, is that Venezuela needs what Prince calls a dynamic event to break the stalemate that has existed since January, when Guaido - the head of Venezuela's National Assembly - declared Maduros 2018 re-election illegitimate and invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency. Maduro has denounced Guaido, who has been backed by most western nations, as a U.S. puppet who is seeking to foment a coup. Key government institutions  including the military  have not shifted their loyalty to Guaido despite increasing international pressure from sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies. Guaido has stressed that he wants a peaceful resolution, and Latin American governments recognizing his authority have urged against outside military action. Senior U.S. officials, without ruling out armed intervention, have also emphasized economic and diplomatic measures to pressure Maduro. CLOSE TIES TO TRUMP Prince was a pioneer in private military contracting during the Iraq war, when the U.S. government hired Blackwater primarily to provide security for State Department operations there. In 2007, Blackwater employees shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians at Nisour Square in Baghdad, sparking international outrage. One of the Blackwater employees involved was convicted of murder in December and three others have been convicted of manslaughter. Prince renamed the Blackwater security company and sold it in 2010, but he recently opened a company called Blackwater USA, which sells ammunition, silencers and knives. Over the past two years, he has led an unsuccessful campaign to convince the Trump administration to replace U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan with security contractors. Since 2014, Prince has run the Hong Kong-based Frontier Services Group, which has close ties to the state-owned Chinese investment company CITIC and helps Chinese firms operating in Africa with security, aviation and logistics services. Prince donated $100,000 to a political action committee that supported Trumps election. His sister, Betsy DeVos, is the administrations education secretary. Princes role in Trumps campaign was highlighted in the report by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, released this month, on alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election. The report outlined how Prince financed an effort to authenticate purported Hillary Clinton emails and how in 2016 he met in the Seychelles islands, off east Africa, with a wealthy Russian financial official on behalf of Trumps presidential transition team. Prince spokesman Cohen declined to comment on the Mueller report. TARGETING FROZEN ASSETS The two sources with direct knowledge of Princes Venezuela plan said he is seeking $40 million from private investors. He also aims to get funding from the billions of dollars in Venezuelan assets that have been seized by governments around the world imposing sanctions on the OPEC nation, a major oil exporter. Its unclear, however, how the Venezuelan opposition could legally access those assets. Prince told people in pitch meetings, the sources said, that he believes that Guaido has the authority to form his own military force because he has been recognized internationally as Venezuelas rightful leader. Prince envisions a force made up of Peruvians, Ecuadoreans, Colombians, Spanish speakers, one of the sources said, adding that Prince argued that such soldiers would be more politically palatable than American contractors. (This story has been refiled to fix typo in the first paragraph.) (Reporting By Aram Roston and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Kieran Murray and Brian Thevenot)
By Alastair Macdonald

BRUSSELS, April 30 (Reuters) - In three weeks, Europeans will vote for a new European Parliament but the real struggle for power over the bloc will begin only after votes are counted. Here's why?

WHO'S VOTING AND FOR WHAT?

More than 400 million people in the European Union's 28 member states can vote from May 23 to 26, including nearly 50 million Britons who were due to leave the bloc in March. Their votes for 73 lawmakers who may have to quit within weeks has upset some calculations after a delay to Brexit agreed in April.

By proportional representation, Europeans will elect 751 members to the European Parliament, which divides its time between Brussels and Strasbourg. Ranging from Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus with six seats each to Germany with 96, for five years Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will pass laws proposed by the European Commission, subject to approval by national governments in the EU Council.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Issues range from spending - though the EU budget is just 1 percent of members' gross domestic product - to climate change and labor rights. But some who want the EU broken up see it as a Brexit-style referendum on the EU's survival, pitting advocates of historic, ethnic-based nations against the idea of pooling sovereignty to defend Europe's wealth and values in a world of rising authoritarian powers and global corporations.

Caught up in this center-versus-states debate are refugees. Nationalists blame the EU for a surge in arrivals in 2015. Federalists say only cooperation can control migration.

Leaders of some eastern states such as Hungary and Poland criticize Brussels over migrants and its complaints that they are undermining EU rules on democracy in Warsaw and Budapest; some westerners speak of cutting their EU subsidies in retaliation.

The election in Britain is seen by some as a new referendum on Brexit, one that could help block withdrawal - or accelerate it - as Britons go on debating how, and whether, to leave.

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ARE THERE EU POLITICAL PARTIES?

Yes. And no. Eight party groups sit in the chamber. The center-right European People's Party (EPP) has 217 seats and ensures an establishment majority by often cooperating with the center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D - 186) and ALDE liberals (68). Two right-wing, anti-EU groups led by Britain's UKIP and France's National Rally share 78 seats.

But all the groups are unruly and EU elections are mainly contested by national parties on issues familiar to voters.

IS BRITAIN A PROBLEM?

Some EU officials suggest a delay in approving key post-election appointments until after British MEPs leave, to avoid accusations parliament's decisions will lack legitimacy.

The British vote will favor eurosceptics, Socialists and Greens but hurt the EPP, which has no members in Britain since the ruling Conservatives quit the group to form their own bloc.

By taking part, Britain has forced the EU to postpone the redistribution of 27 of 73 UK seats to other countries. France, for example, will elect 79 MEPs, five more than it has now, but those five will not be able to take up their seats until after Britain leaves and parliament shrinks by 46 members to 705.

DOES THE WINNER GET TO RUN THE EU?

Not really. Well, maybe. Parliament's leaders say they are the heart of European democracy. National leaders scoff at the 43 percent turnout in the 2014 EU elections. In practice, states wield most power and little happens that big countries dislike.

The EU executive Commission is led by Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg. A historic power struggle between Parliament and Council will get an airing in the election. Parliament has pledged to force the Council to nominate as Juncker's successor a lead candidate from a winning party in the vote. Leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron say they won't be bound by that. Parliament could reject the Council's Commission nominee.

I'M CONFUSED. SO WHO REALLY RUNS THE EU?

It's complicated. But the voting and lead candidate rumpus is part of horse-trading among governments to get compatriots or allies into top positions, not just in the Commission and Council but also in the European Central Bank.

Germany and France, the two biggest states, have the most clout, but even the smallest can play. Juncker is the third EU chief executive from little Luxembourg.

SO WILL THE ELECTIONS CHANGE MUCH?

A push by eurosceptics could mean a bigger, more cohesive minority to disrupt EU legislation. But EU optimists say a campaign that grabs more people's attention could reinvigorate post-Brexit efforts to pull the EU together.

Polls suggest the far-right could increase its share but probably not enough to sound the death knell of the EU. It seems improbable that either camp, for or against closer integration in Europe, can land a knockout blow.

(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
By Mica Rosenberg

April 30 (Reuters) - Grappling with a ballooning number of mostly Central American families seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Donald Trump has suggested increasingly bold steps to limit protections for this group and stem their entry into the United States.

Yet many of his administration's ideas have been hindered by legal, practical and political obstacles.

Increasingly frustrated, Trump on Monday issued a presidential memorandum directing officials to make it harder for asylum seekers to apply for work permits and to charge them application fees - drawing immediate fire from the United Nations.

The proposals face a potentially lengthy regulatory review and once rules are issued they may be subject to legal challenges. Many asylum protections are codified in U.S. and international law.

Meanwhile, the flow of migrants continues to swell. In March, the monthly number of people apprehended and deemed inadmissable at the U.S.-Mexico border surged to more than 100,000, the highest level in more than a decade.

Migration is largely driven by poverty, corruption, crime and other factors in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador where the bulk of people are coming from.

Some examples of administration proposals or policies that have run or may run into trouble:

INCREASE BARRIERS FOR ASYLUM APPLICATIONS

Monday's presidential memorandum directed the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to introduce new regulations tightening asylum policy within 90 days.

In addition to setting a fee for asylum applications, which are currently free to file, the memo ordered officials to issue rules to ensure claims are adjudicated in immigration court within six months. That provision already exists in U.S. law but has been hampered because of a crushing backlog of more than 800,000 immigration court cases.

The president of the immigration judges' union said the goal is not feasible without a significant increase in resources for the courts.

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DETAIN ASYLUM SEEKERS INDEFINITELY

U.S. Attorney General William Barr recently issued a ruling that allows asylum seekers who cross the border illegally to be held without bond as they challenge their deportation  a decision affecting perhaps tens of thousands of migrants. . It was the latest move by top justice officials seeking to reshape legal precedent in the country's U.S. immigration courts.

Rights groups have already threatened to sue over the measure - which goes into effect in 90 days - and as a practical matter, additional detention space would be needed, requiring funding from Congress. Until that happens, many migrants are likely to continue to be released with an order to appear in court.

BAR GANG AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

Before leaving office, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions intervened in an immigration case to overturn asylum protections for a domestic abuse survivor. His opinion sought to narrow protections for migrants fleeing sexual and gang violence perpetrated by private actors.

In December, however, a Washington D.C. District court judge struck down the policy change and ordered the government to bring back six deported asylum seekers who sued the administration seeking reconsideration.

PREVENT ASYLUM BETWEEN PORTS OF ENTRY

In November, Trump issued an order that would prevent migrants who cross between official U.S. ports of entry from applying for asylum. The administration has implemented a policy of "metering" how many applications can be processed at legal border crossings. Advocates say that has pushed more large groups into the hands of smugglers who drop them off at illegal entry points with instructions to turn themselves into border agents.

Migrant rights groups rushed to court to block the policy and a San Francisco-based federal judge temporarily halted it the same month it was issued. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to immediately overturn that ruling.

MAKE ASYLUM SEEKERS WAIT IN MEXICO

One of the boldest proposals by the Trump administration has been to tap a little-used clause in immigration law to send hundreds of asylum seekers back to often dangerous border towns in Mexico to wait months - or potentially years - for their cases to be resolved in U.S. courts.

Local Mexican officials say their towns already are overwhelmed with migrants who have nowhere to live and few job prospects, while immigration advocates say those who are stuck in Mexico often have trouble finding lawyers and receiving proper notice for their U.S. hearings.

A federal judge ordered a halt to the policy but an appellate court said it could continue while the administration appeals. Since the policy went into effect in late January through April 22, nearly 2,000 Central Americans have been returned to Mexico to await their hearings, according to Mexican immigration officials. Many remain there with their status in limbo.

(Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York; Additional reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware and Yeganeh Torbati in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
By Linda Sieg

TOKYO (Reuters) - Emperor Akihito, 85, will step down on Tuesday, almost three years after he first publicly hinted he wanted to retire and hand over to his heir, Crown Prince Naruhito. It is the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in two centuries.

SHOCKING NEWS

Public broadcaster NHK stunned the public in July 2016 when it reported that Akihito, then 82, intended to abdicate "in a few years", an unprecedented step in modern Japan.

Akihito, who had heart surgery and was treated for prostate cancer, had earlier privately expressed a desire to retire and had been reducing his official duties.

A month later, Akihito said in a rare video address to the nation that he worried age might make it difficult for him to carry out his duties fully.

Akihito was Japan's first emperor to inherit the throne under a post-war constitution that defines the monarch as a symbol of the people without political power.

He has carved out a role as an advocate of reconciliation, peace and democracy and associates say he believes only an active monarch can fulfil his true obligations.

CONSERVATIVE OBJECTIONS

Many ordinary Japanese sympathised with Akihito's desire to step down, but the idea met opposition from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative base.

Some opponents of the abdication have raised the possibility of disagreement between the old and new emperors, and they fear the next reform could allow a woman to ascend the throne. It is currently restricted by law to males.

A shortage of male heirs has led to calls to change the succession rule but the reform is anathema to traditionalists.

PRECEDENT SET

After discussions among experts, parliament in June 2017 enacted a special law to allow Akihito to step down, the first abdication of an emperor in about 200 years.

Although the law applies only to Akihito, it was seen by scholars and some officials as setting a precedent.

The last Japanese monarch to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku, who ruled from 1780 until 1817, when he handed over to his son.

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After abdication, Akihito will be known as "joko", or emperor emeritus and Michiko will be known as "jokogo", or empress emerita.

Akihito and Michiko will leave the Imperial Palace and stay in another imperial residence until they move into the Togu Palace, where they lived before he inherited the throne and which will be renovated for their use.

(Reporting and writing by Linda Sieg; editing by Darren Schuettler)
April 30 (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido appeared alongside armed, uniformed men on Tuesday in his strongest call yet to the military to abandon President Nicolas Maduro, a day before planned mass protests aimed at toppling the socialist leader.

In the more than three months since Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, citing fraudulent elections, Maduro has so far kept a grip on the levers of power including the military and security forces.

Guaido says Maduro must step aside for a transitional government to organize new elections. Maduro has resisted calls for an early vote or that he leave power early before his six-year second term ends in 2025.

Below are some of the factors that could decide who prevails:

THE MILITARY

Venezuela has a long history of military rebellions and coups, notably the 1958 overthrow of dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez, and the failed attempt by Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez, to take office by force in a 1992 army coup. After being elected to office, Chavez himself survived a putsch a decade later.

Now Guaido is seeking a widespread army uprising against Maduro, who has overseen a 50 percent collapse in the economy and shortages of food and medicine that have led more than 3 million Venezuelans to leave the country since he took office in 2013.

Although the young opposition leader was accompanied at a rally in Caracas on Tuesday by several dozen armed troops, it did not immediately appear that he had won much support from the country's 200,000-strong armed forces, and 25 of the soldiers with him later sought refuge in the Brazilian embassy.

Since declaring himself interim president in January, Guaido has repeatedly made overtures to the military, offering an amnesty from prosecutions if they join him, with only marginal success.

Several hundred soldiers have defected and left the country for Brazil or Colombia in recent weeks but not in numbers high enough to threaten Maduro's grip.

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One risk is that a military split leads to prolonged violence among different armed factions.

NEGOTIATED TRANSITION

Maduro's offer of negotiations with Guaido, moderated by the Vatican, Mexico or Uruguay, has been rejected by the opposition, which says previous rounds of talks allowed the government to stall for time without making any real concessions.

While some 50 nations, including the United States, have declared support for Guaido, Maduro still has powerful backers, notably Russia and China. Others allies include Cuba, Iran and Turkey.

U.S. national security advisor John Bolton has called on Russia to drop its support for Maduro, which includes military advisers. While some believe Moscow could negotiate an exit and safe passage out of Venezuela for the president, there are few signs Putin is willing to give up on the government that gives him most geo-political clout in the Americas.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN on Tuesday that Maduro was prepared to leave Venezuela on Tuesday morning but reversed his plan after Russia said he should stay.

Bolton said on Tuesday the opposition had won commitments from leading members of Maduro's administration that the president had to go, but there was no public sign of high-level splits within the government that could lead to a transition.

U.S.-BACKED MILITARY OPS

Erik Prince - the founder of private security firm Blackwater and a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump - has been pushing a plan to deploy a private army to help topple Maduro, sources told Reuters.

Prince's pitch will only add to speculation that the United States, while unlikely to invade Venezuela to bring down Maduro, might resort to irregular military action, such as the kind of intelligence service-backed covert operations used by Washington a number of times in 20th-century Latin America.

A person familiar with the Trump administration's thinking said the White House would not support such a plan.

Although some former Venezuelan security officials opposed to Maduro are now based in Colombia and have claimed involvement in a drone attack on the president last year, there is little evidence that such operations are being prepared at the moment.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen, Vivian Sequera, Angus Berwick in Caracas; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick, Aram Roston, Eric Beech and Jonathan Landay in Washington; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Peter Cooney)
(Corrects to amend definition of mining worker conditions in paragraph 4, gender of spokeswoman in paragraph 9)

April 30 (Reuters) - The University of Cambridge will conduct a two-year academic study of how much it benefited from the Atlantic slave trade and whether its scholars reinforced race-based thinking during Britain's colonial era.

Following is what some major British universities have done so far.

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

In 2016, Britain's oldest university decided not to remove the statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes, who bequeathed a large sum to Oriel College, despite a campaign by students who believe his legacy should not be celebrated.

Rhodes, of De Beers diamond company, is considered one of the founders of South African racial segregation. He made his fortune from African mines where workers were "forced to accept what are now recognized as exploitative forms of employment" and locked in for the duration of contracts, according to Oriel College.

He also endowed the Rhodes Scholarship which has allowed thousands of foreign students to study at Oxford in the last century.

Oxford has since launched several projects aimed at tackling its relationship and links to colonialism.

The Working Group on Oxford and Colonialism, one of these, aims to deal with historical legacies in an "open, scholarly and creative way - while also acknowledging and honoring past initiatives undertaken at the university and activist groups herein."

A spokeswoman for the university said: "The only way to heal from the wounds of the past is to face them head on, and Oxford University is involved in a number of ongoing projects that will help us to achieve this over time."

UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW

Last year the University of Glasgow said it had received up to the equivalent of 198 million pounds ($258 million) in today's money from people who derived their wealth from slavery.

Glasgow said it deeply regretted this part of its past which clashed with its parallel history of support for the abolition of slavery, and had started a program of reparative justice.

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Glasgow professors John Millar, Patrick Wilson (1743-1799), and John Young (1747-1820) were all active participants in Glasgow's abolitionist movement. Millar sent two anti-slave trade petitions to parliament in 1788 and 1792.

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

The University of Bristol rejected a petition to change the name of its Wills Memorial Building in 2017. The building honors its first chancellor whose family profited from tobacco farming using enslaved labor.

In 2018 Bristol estimated that 85 percent of the wealth used to found the university depended on slave labor.

The funding was linked to all three of the names on the university crest: slave-trader Edward Colston, Henry Overton Wills - who ran the company that merged to become Imperial Tobacco - and Joseph Fry, of Fry's Chocolate.

Bristol is in the process of making its links to slavery more explicit and is exploring its response with other universities studying slavery as part of a project led by the University of Virginia.

That project includes the University of Liverpool.

UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON

The chair of the University of East Londons Board of Governors (UEL), Geoff Thompson, called in 2018 for universities to set up a 100-million-pound fund for Black Asian Minority Ethnic students from the money repatriated from the donations given to higher education institutions during the slave trade.

($1 = 0.7688 pounds) (Reporting by Elisabeth O'Leary Editing by Alison Williams)
(Adds more quotes)

TOKYO, April 30 (Reuters) - Japan's Emperor Akihito will step down in favor of his elder son, Crown Prince Naruhito, on Tuesday, ending the 31-year Heisei era during which he sought to bring the monarchy closer to people.

Here are some of their reactions:

- "I think the emperor is loved by the people. His image is one of encouraging the people, such as after disasters, and being close to the people," said Morio Miyamoto, 48.

"I hope the next emperor will, like the Heisei emperor, be close to the people in the same way."

- "Heisei had a lot of disasters and the economy stagnated. It was a period of transition from the high-growth era, with its 'can-you-work-24 hours' mentality. Young people these days don't think that way. Now it's more, 'what can I do to survive?' said Kaori Hisatomi, a 47-year-old woman.

"Now thinking patterns have changed. There's not much confidence the economy will grow in a healthy way. Reiwa is starting at a time when older thinking patterns are mixing with newer ones," she said, referring to the new era.

- "It's a normal day," said Masato Saito, 40-year-old construction worker. "This kind of political stuff is irrelevant to us ordinary people. As long as they make our lives easy to live, that's all I care about."

- "A lot of things happened in Heisei, including disasters and sad things, so I have mixed feelings," said Masatoshi Kujirai, 56, on his way to a Shinto shrine to mark the day with his wife.

"I'm sad but also hopeful about the next era. I hope it will be a peaceful, gentle period for the second half of my life."

- "It's a change of era so I am looking forward to it and hope that it will be an era in which young people can be happy," said a 50-year-old illustrator who declined to give his name.

"The current emperor has been excellent. Thanks to his diplomacy, the negative image of Japan improved. I hope the new emperor will, like his father, continue this peace diplomacy."

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- "The emperor worked very hard for 30 years so I hope the handing over of the baton to the new emperor will go smoothly," said Mikiko Fujii, 67, a housewife.

"If our expectations for the new emperor are too high, it would be hard on him, so I'd like him to do his job bit by bit."

- "It's a turning point," said Eiji Kaneko, 44, an Osaka restaurant owner visiting Tokyo with his wife and 4-year-old son.

"Heisei came at a time when I was looking for a job. I'm part of the second baby boom, and competition for jobs was intense then. I decided to quit university after two years and start a cafe. Now I've got 12 restaurants and also some real estate business.

"Now Japan is facing a shrinking population, which is going to be tough. But as the number of Japanese decline, I wonder if we won't be happier.

"More foreigners are coming to Japan, and that's helping the economy and starting to change attitudes. Japan is opening up, and Asia is opening up." (Reporting by Linda Sieg and Malcolm Foster Editing by Paul Tait and Darren Schuettler)
TOKYO, April 30 (Reuters) - Japanese Emperor Akihito was to step down in favor of his heir, Crown Prince Naruhito, on Tuesday. Below are some comments by ordinary people.

- "I think the emperor is loved by the people. His image is one of encouraging the people, such as after disasters, and being close to the people," said Morio Miyamoto, 48, waiting near a train station in western Tokyo. "I hope the next emperor will, like the Heisei emperor, be close to the people in the same way," he said.

- "It's a change of era so I am looking forward to it and hope that it will be an era in which young people can be happy," said a 50-year-old illustrator who declined to give his name.

"The current emperor has been excellent. Thanks to his diplomacy, the negative image of Japan improved. I hope the new emperor will, like his father, continue this peace diplomacy."

- "The emperor worked very hard for 30 years so I hope the handing over of the baton to the new emperor will go smoothly," said Mikiko Fujii, 67, a housewife. "If our expectations for the new emperor are too high, it would be hard on him, so I'd like him to do his job bit by bit." (Reporting by Linda Sieg Editing by Paul Tait)
By Sonia Elks

LONDON, April 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Japan's emperor will pass the Chrysanthemum Throne to his son Crown Prince Naruhito after his abdication on Tuesday.

The monarch's decision to stand down has sparked discussion over whether the country's male-only succession rules should be changed to allow women to inherit the throne.

Here's a look at which countries allow their princesses to become queens in their own right and which have kept it a boys' club.

* Bhutan allows male heirs to leapfrog over their younger sisters to take the throne under laws that also require the king to retire at age 65.

* Britain dropped rules that had for centuries given sons preference in inheriting the throne in 2011. However, the next three monarchs will all be men.

* Morocco only allows men to rule: according to the country's constitution, the crown passes to the eldest son unless the reigning monarch names a younger son as his heir.

* In the Netherlands, the crown passes to the eldest child of the previous monarch. The country changed its rules in 1983 to give women an equal right to inherit the throne.

* Norway changed its laws in 1990 to allow the throne to pass to the eldest child, regardless of gender. However, it included a transition period where male royals born before 1990 still take precedence over their female relatives.

* Absolute monarchy Oman only allows male heirs to take on the role of sultan.

* Saudi Arabia has no clear line of inheritance, but the throne is only passed to men. The king and senior family members from each branch of the royal House of Saud decide which of hundreds of princes should be chosen to lead.

* Spain has a system of male preference, meaning a woman can inherit the throne but a younger son will take precedence over any elder sisters.

* Sweden in 1980 became the first modern monarchy to change its succession rites so that the first-born child of the monarch is heir to the throne, regardless of gender.

* Thailand's constitution in 1974 changed the rules of succession to allow the possibility for women to inherit the throne. (Reporting by Sonia Elks @soniaelks; Editing by Jason Fields. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
Following yesterdays reports of the impending resignation of Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore, the mobile telco has released a statement.

The news, first reported by Reuters, revealed that the CEO will step down this August at the end of his contract. The decision has been guided by health reasons. Collymore is battling cancer, and had taken a 9-month leave in 2018.

The report further stated that there has been a delay in making the news public, following disagreements on who should succeed Collymore.

The Kenyan government is said to be insisting on a Kenyan taking the seat, but the board had apparently settled on a foreigner seconded by majority shareholder Vodafone.

Safaricom has today released a statement stating that the board is yet to make a decision. Chairman Nicholas Nganga goes on to praise the boards robust recruitment process when it comes to appointing the senior leadership team.

He further points out that the current CEO has shown great recovery, and continues to be firmly in charge.

Heres the statement.
PHOENIX (AP)  Attorneys for a man convicted of providing guns to two Islamic State followers killed as they tried to attack a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas claim authorities didn't reveal until three years after his trial ended that the FBI placed a surveillance camera outside the plotters' Phoenix apartment.

Attorneys for Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, who is serving a 30-year prison sentence for providing the guns, are seeking a new trial, arguing that authorities withheld key evidence.

"There can be no doubt that the government intentionally failed to disclose the existence of the pole camera and its tape and the only explanation is because it was and is beneficial to the defense," attorneys Daniel Maynard and Daniel Drake wrote in a court filing Friday.

The attorneys said the camera was installed on a pole outside the apartment shared by Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi on the day they left for the anti-Islam event in Garland, Texas. The lawyers say the video doesn't contain any footage of Kareem, who was accused of being the trainer and providing financing for the attack.

The footage "shows that he was not participating in the planning of the attack at the crucial time when Simpson and Soofi are getting ready to leave," the attorneys said.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office declined to comment.

Kareem, who was in Arizona at the time of the 2015 attack, also was convicted of conspiring with Simpson and Soofi to provide support to the Islamic State terror group. He was one of the first people brought to trial in the United States on charges related to the Islamic State.

Simpson and Soofi were armed with semi-automatic weapons, body armor and had a copy of the Islamic State flag when they arrived at the event near Dallas. They were killed in a shootout with local police officers assigned to guard the event. A security guard was shot in the leg.

Investigators said Kareem, who wasn't there, had trained Simpson and Soofi on how to use the guns and watched jihadist videos with them. Kareem testified he didn't know his friends were going to attack the contest and didn't find out about the shooting until after they were killed.

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The existence of the camera outside the apartment isn't the first surprising disclosure made by federal authorities since Kareem was convicted in March 2016.

In the months after his trial, authorities revealed for the first time that an undercover FBI agent had exchanged social media messages with Simpson days before the attack and was sitting in a vehicle outside the Garland convention center when the attack began.

As the agent drove around Simpson and Soofi's car, which had stopped abruptly, the attackers got out and opened fire with military-style rifles. The agent drove away and was stopped by police. Prosecutors said the information about the undercover officer was classified at the time of the trial.

In the days after the shooting, then-FBI Director James Comey said federal investigators learned only hours before the contest that a man under investigation for extremist activities might show up and alerted local authorities. Comey also said investigators had no indication that the man planned to attack the event.

A judge who rejected an earlier request by Kareem for a new trial had noted Simpson didn't reveal to the agent that he wanted to go to Texas to launch an attack.

___

Follow Jacques Billeaud at twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud
Paris (AFP) - A hit documentary about how some Catholic priests allegedly abused nuns in different parts of the world has been pulled from the Franco-German television channel Arte after a priest complained to a German court.

The big-budget media investigation, "Sex Slaves in the Catholic Church", was broadcast in March and has been sold widely internationally since.

Its broadcast came weeks after Pope Francis admitted that some rogue priests had used nuns as "sexual slaves" and that the Vatican had to dissolve a French order because its founder was preying on its sisters.

The Vatican's women's magazine, Women Church World, also reported that some nuns had been forced into having abortions.

Arte told AFP Tuesday that it was forced to pull the documentary from its replay site earlier this month after a press tribunal in Hamburg slapped a temporary injunction on the film following a complaint from a priest.

The tribunal told AFP the priest complained that, while he was not shown in the documentary, he was "recognisable" from an interview given by a nun.

In the interview, the nun "gave the impression that the priest had forced a nun into sex against her will".

The priest was not identified in publication of the complaint.

The channel said it was challenging the decision.

The film has been the most-watched documentary of the year so far on the French arm of the channel, seen by 1.5 million people live and a further 1.7 million on replay.

The film was made over three years by French director Marie-Pierre Raimbault and investigative journalist Eric Quintin, who collected the testimony of nuns whose allegations had been ignored or hidden by the hierarchy across four continents.
Johnny C. Taylor Jr., a human-resources expert, is tackling your questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world's largest HR professional society.

The questions are submitted by readers, and Taylor's answers below have been edited for length and clarity.

Have a question? Do you have an HR or work-related question youd like me to answer? Submit it here.

Question: What is a companys responsibility for providing time off for jury duty? Can I be fired for missing work to serve on a jury?  Anonymous

Johnny C. Taylor Jr.: Employees have the right under federal and state law to take a leave of absence to serve as a juror.

Youve probably heard people grumbling about trying to get out of jury duty. But, as anyone who has served knows, jurors play a vital role in our legal system. Because of the roles importance, the right to serve as a juror is protected.

Most states prohibit an employer from terminating  or even threatening to terminate  an employee for serving on a jury. At the end of their jury service, employees must be reinstated to their position. Employers that dont comply with state laws can be subject to fines and penalties.

For their part, employees in some states may have to show proof of a jury summons before taking time off.

To ensure that the responsibilities of employers and employees is clear, most employers have a jury duty policy that outlines whether leave will be paid, how much notice is required before taking time off and how the company handles requests from those with nontraditional work schedules.

This civic duty comes with modest pay from the courts, which is generally $10 to $60 a day. Federal law does not require employers to pay workers for time off to serve on a jury, but some state laws require at least partial pay by employers. Keep in mind, however, that jury duty laws vary by state.

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require that nonexempt (generally hourly) employees be paid for time not worked, including while serving jury duty. Rules for exempt (salaried) employees are different: Employers may not deduct pay because of jury duty absences unless an employee did not work the entire week.

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Q: My boss has made the reading of a book a requirement as part of our metrics for the quarter. I am expected to read it on my own time. I am salaried and do not get paid overtime. Does the company owe me comp time for this? Please let me know what the company's obligation is.  Anonymous

Taylor: Before answering your question, let me say that you should consider yourself lucky to have a leader who wants to infuse employees with new business ideas and perspectives. Its a good way for leaders to get employees on the same page as the company moves forward.

As a salaried worker who does not earn overtime pay, you are likely an exempt employee.

Working from home: How can I get my company to let me telecommute?

Bad bosses: What can I do if my supervisor is a bully?

Under FLSA, exempt employees are usually paid a fixed weekly salary, and there is no limit to the number of hours they may be required to work.

However, many managers try to limit excessive work hours for exempt employees so they dont become dissatisfied or burned out or leave the company.

When an employee is nonexempt (generally hourly), an employer must pay the employees for all hours worked, even time spent for required reading, regardless of whether the work time was outside normal work hours.

Heres the bottom line: Unless you have an employment contract stating otherwise, your employer can require you  as a salaried, exempt employee  to read a book outside normal work hours, and it does not have to provide comp time or additional compensation for doing so.

If you are concerned about your ability to read the book in the time allotted, speak with your boss.

With that question settled, I encourage you to consider this assignment professional development. The book may provide you additional insight into your work, performance or department accomplishments.

And if all members of your team are reading the book, consider it something of a workplace book club. You and your co-workers might want to discuss the book and consider the following:

Do the ideas in the book make you rethink how you do your job? What are you doing thats already effective? Are there new principles or practices that could be incorporated into your work?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can I be fired for missing work to serve on a jury? Ask HR
DUBAI (Reuters) - Flydubai's Chief Executive Ghaith al-Ghaith said on Tuesday he is very confident that Boeing will take the right decision regarding the grounded 737 MAX.

"I trust that the relevant authority will ensure the Boeing 737 MAX is the safest," Ghaith said at a CAPA Aviation Summit in Dubai.

Flydubai is one of the largest customers of 737 MAX, and has ordered 250 of the new model narrow body jets.

Ghaith said those aircraft will be delivered until up to 2030.

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
Faneuil Hall Marketplace. | Photo: Dan R./Yelp

If you love to eat and drink, this week offers a great chance to explore the world of food and beverage beyond restaurants and bars. From a Kentucky Derby party to a Cinco de Mayo cruise, there's plenty to explore and enjoy if you're hungry for something new.

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.

Wine Tasting with B Corps

From the event description:

Join the B Local Boston Board and the Impact Hub Boston for a B Corp Wine Tasting.

When: Wednesday, May 1, 5-7 p.m.

Where: Impact Hub Boston, 50 Milk St., Floor 20.

Price: Free (Impact Hub, must show membership card); $9 (General Admission)

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Margarita Madness Bar Crawl

From the event description:

We've partnered with over 20 of Boston's most historic bars in downtown Faneuil Hall to offer up their most delicious, signature margaritas. Don't like margaritas? Multiple bars will be offering $1 draft beers, as well as specials on food.

When: Saturday, May 4, 12 p.m.- Sunday, May 5, 2 a.m.

Where: Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 4 S. Market St.

Price: $20-$30

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Patio Opening Derby Party

From the event description:

Come drink mint juleps in the sunshine, as we celebrate and officially kick off patio season on the best patio in Boston. Redemption Whiskey craft cocktails will be served, locally made floral fascinators will be sold, the Royal Furs will be playing and the Derby will be on our TVs outside (and in).

When: Saturday, May 4, 3-8 p.m.

Where: The Bowery Bar, 2261 Dorchester Ave.

Price: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Cinco De Mayo Cruise on Northern Lights

From the event description:

Join Boston Sailing on the water this weekend for the best way to kick off the summer season by cruising Boston Harbor. This cruise will feature a festively decorated boat, a fully stocked taco bar and a specialty drink menu.

When: Sunday, May 5, 2 p.m.

Where: Northern Lights, 60 Rowes Wharf

Price: $34.65

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with the workers' union at a historic Brazil plant it plans to shutter by the end of the year, paving the way for a friendly shutdown or potential takeover by a local buyer.

The agreement would allow for Ford's workers to transition from employment with the U.S. automaker to a potential buyer, if a deal closes. The pact includes an exit package for workers, although the details have not been disclosed, as well as psychological support.

Ford had announced earlier this year it would shut its Sao Bernardo do Campo plant, the company's oldest in the country, and exit the heavy truck business in South America, which is based in that factory.

The decision left the future uncertain for some 3,000 workers and triggered long strikes, paralyzing production for weeks at the sprawling plant. It also prompted the governor of the state of Sao Paulo, where Sao Bernardo is located, to act as a broker to try to find a buyer for the plant that might be able to maintain the jobs.

Local manufacturer CAOA, which already produces cars for China's Chery and Korea's Hyundai, has said it is in talks to buy the plant. A representative for CAOA said on Tuesday the company had no further updates on the negotiations.

Ford has also announced layoffs at a separate plant, located in Camacari in the northeast state of Bahia, where the company has said it has 700 workers in excess of its needs.

(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
The pickup segment has been one of the engines driving the U.S. new vehicle market and it's likely to get a lot more crowded over the next few years, with Mitsubishi(8058.T-JP), Volkswagen(VOW3-DE) and Hyundai(538-KR), among others, considering adding the utility trucks back to their lineups.

Senior officials with Mitsubishi and Volkswagen say they are currently exploring different options, with both expected to make their moves before the middle of the coming decade, according to industry analysts. Hyundai, meanwhile, is already at work on a production version of the popular Santa Cruz concept it first revealed at the 2015 North American International Auto Show.

Still other manufacturers, ranging from mainstream Fiat Chrysler(FCA-IT) to highline Mercedes-Benz, are considering their own pickups, said Augusto Amorim, a senior analyst with LMC Automotive. Most of the new entrants will target the midsize truck market, he said, "which we expect will be one of the fastest growing segments" in the U.S. between now and mid-decade.

Before Mitsubishi locks down plans, North America COO Mark Chaffin said "[we] have to have one that's the right fit for Mitsubishi, for our demographic, and something that's really competitive in the market," according to trade publication Ward's.

Mitsubishi has offered several pickups to U.S. buyers over the years, most recently going with a rebadged version of the Dodge Dakota it called the Raider. It now has several alternatives after being absorbed into what has become the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. It could update the pickup it now sells in over 150 global markets under a mix of names including Triton, L200 and Strada. But as part of the Alliance, Amorim said in an interview that he expects a U.S. truck would likely be based on the same platform as Nissan's current midsize model, the Frontier.

"We expect them to use the Frontier platform to enter the U.S. market in 2024," the analyst said, as a 2025 model.

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VW is going through a similar exploration process, Scott Keogh, the CEO of Volkswagen Group of America told another industry trade publication, Automotive News, this week. In its case, however, it has even more options:

The German automaker showed off one possibility at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, a midsize concept based on the same platform as its three-row Atlas SUV;

At this year's New York show, VW revealed a downsized truck concept dubbed Tarok, which offset its short stature by using a creative approach to turn its rear seat into part of the pickup's bed;

With VW already partnering with Ford(F) on light commercial vehicles and discussing a variety of other joint ventures, it could try to negotiate a deal which would let it build a version of the new Ford Ranger that just recently returned to the American market after a lengthy absence.

VW previously built a compact pickup in the U.S. during the late 1970s and early 1980s, based on the same platform as its Rabbit hatchback. It is generally expected to lean towards using a car-based platform for an American model, and going with a version of the Tarok concept could be particularly appealing, as Keogh told Automotive News a production model "will be made for the South American market [in 2020]. The question we have is, could something like this make sense, with modifications, in the U.S. market?"

Whatever approach they ultimately take, both Mitsubishi and Volkswagen are projected to enter the midsize pickup market in the U.S., rather than the full-size segment. Domestic automakers overwhelmingly dominate that market  which provides General Motors(GM), Ford and Fiat Chrysler with the bulk of their earnings. The two foreign players, Toyota(7203.T-JP) and Nissan(7201.T-JP), have repeatedly failed to gain more than a toe-hold in the market for bigger, full-size pickups that can to toe to toe with the Ford F-150 or GM's Chevy Silverado.

It's another story in the midsize segment which has long been dominated by imports. Once larger than the full-size segment, demand for model's like the Toyota Tacoma began to lose steam in the early years of the new millennium and, by the time the industry hit bottom during the Great Recession, Honda and all three of the Detroit manufacturers started to pull out.

General Motors decided to give the midsize market another try, however, for 2015 returning with the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon models. Demand proved so solid that Honda rushed out a new version of its own midsize truck, the Ridgeline. Ford, which continued to produce a version of its Ranger for overseas markets, initially hesitated but, for 2019, it returned with an Americanized version of the truck. And Jeep, which hasn't offered a pickup since 1992, has just staged its own comeback with the midsize Gladiator.

The flood of new products is clearly paying off. The U.S. full-size pickup sales have been hovering at a steady 2.3 million to 2.4 million a year, a figure LMC Automotive expects to hold through mid-decade. Sales of midsize models, meanwhile, jumped from 452,000 in 2017 to 524,000 last year, with the consulting firm predicting that will top 600,000 this year and hit 714,000 by 2025.

That's the sort of lure that has other brands considering their options. That includes Fiat Chrysler, which could revive the Dakota under its Dodge brand or the Ram division, which produces the company's full-size 1500 and heavy-duty models. Either way, a second midsize model was included in the five-year corporate plan the automaker's late CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed last June. The problem, Ram brand boss Reid Bigland said in an interview, is coming up with the right business model and choosing the best brand to market it under.

Yet another entrant could be Mercedes which launched its first-ever pickup, the X-Class, in 2017. Initial plans didn't include the U.S., but a number of analysts now have a version of the luxury truck on their product forecasts.

"The challenge is positioning: should it be a luxury truck or a commercial vehicle," said Amorim. "I don't think they know how to sell it and who they would sell it to."

As with almost every other vehicle segment in the U.S. market, pickup trucks have grown steadily larger over the years. The current version of the midsize Chevrolet Colorado is nearly as large as the full-size Chevy Silverado of three decades back.

Some in the industry believe that could create a new and even smaller option that could serve as a replacement for the compact pickups that proved particularly popular when Baby Boomers were just starting to take to the highways.

Ford, for one, has indicated it is working up a truck that would be smaller than the Ranger. And Hyundai's Santa Cruz also is expected to fall into the compact category, at least if it stays close to the original concept model.

But buyers shouldn't expect the sort of bargains that were offered back in the 1960s and 1970s. Models like the old Chevrolet S10 could be purchased with a minimum of creature comforts, no power windows and mirrors, for example, and certainly not the touchscreen-controlled infotainment systems that millennials crave. Today's vehicles also have to meet government emissions, mileage and safety standards that drive up prices.

To hold down costs, Volkswagen's Keogh indicated any future pickup would likely be built in Mexico, a path other manufacturers likely would take. That approach would not just save them on labor costs but would also sidestep the "chicken tax", a tariff put into place more than 40 years ago that would put a 25% surcharge on imported pickups.
By Jonathan Stempel and Saeed Azhar

NEW YORK/DUBAI, April 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. district court has granted bail to a former managing partner of collapsed private equity firm Abraaj, Mustafa Abdel-Wadood, on condition that he sign a $10 million bond and remain confined to a New York apartment, court documents showed.

Abdel-Wadood and Arif Naqvi, founder of Dubai-based Abraaj, were arrested earlier this month on U.S. charges that they defrauded their investors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

A bail order from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, dated April 29, said Abdel-Wadood's personal bond would be co-signed by four individuals and secured by an apartment in New York and a home on Long Island, owned by two of the co-signers.

Abdel-Wadood would be subject to home "incarceration" in New York and wear an electronic monitoring device.

Naqvi was arrested in London in the same case and has been remanded in custody there until a May 24 hearing for his extradition to the United States.

Naqvi had pleaded his innocence through a statement by his PR firm, while Abdel-Wadood could not be reached for a comment.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that Naqvi and his firm raised money for the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund, collecting more than $100 million over three years from U.S.-based charitable organizations and other U.S. investors.

According to the SEC's complaint, Naqvi misappropriated money from the health fund and commingled the assets with corporate funds of Abraaj Investment Management Ltd and its parent company, and used it for purposes unrelated to the health fund. (Reporting by Saeed Azhar and Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Susan Fenton)
In another classic example of going after the small thieves, police in Eldoret have arrested 4 workers at Deputy President William Rutos Sugoi farm.

The four are suspected to have stolen 10 crates of eggs, valued at about Sh2500. They are being held at Turbo police station.

According to Eldoret West police boss Zachariah Bitok, the four were arrested at their houses near the farm, and the crates of eggs recovered. The farm manager had reported the eggs missing, when the police launched investigations.

We launched investigations and found the eggs in their houses, said the police boss. We recovered trays from various suspects. Some had two, three and so forth. We are questioning the suspects, he added.

The suspects had earlier denied being in possession of the stolen goods. They will be arraigned in court later today.
By Uday Sampath Kumar and Paresh Dave

(Reuters) - Google parent company Alphabet Inc said on Tuesday former Chairman and Chief Executive Eric Schmidt and former Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene will step down from the search company's board in June.

Robin Washington, chief financial officer of biotech firm Gilead Sciences Inc, will join the board.

The changes follow scandals involving Google's handling of sexual misconduct cases and other situations that have led employees and shareholders to question the board's oversight.

Schmidt, who was instrumental in Google's growth for a decade, will remain a technical advisor to Alphabet. He had stepped down as chairman about a year ago.

"After 18 years of board (meetings), I'm following coach Bill Campbell's legacy & helping the next generation of talent to serve," he said in a series of tweets, referring to a late tech executive who is the subject of "Trillion Dollar Coach," a new book which Schmidt co-authored.

He said he would continue to serve on government technology advisory boards and teach.

Greene did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Google hired Oracle Corp veteran Thomas Kurian to lead its cloud computing unit late last year.

An employee involved in managing worker demands did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Washington has been an executive at Gilead for about 11 years and worked at business software companies before that, Alphabet said.

Thousands of Google employees in recent months have urged the company to make corporate governance changes after it acknowledged mistakes in its handling of sexual misconduct allegations and other employee grievances. Multiple shareholder lawsuits against the board and executives stemming from those cases have also called for changes to the board and company rules.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru and Paresh Dave in San Francisco; Editing by Bernard Orr and Richard Chang)
By Joey Peters

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty on Tuesday of murder for fatally shooting Australian woman from his patrol car while responding to her 2017 report of a possible sex assault near her home.

Mohamed Noor, 33, was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for killing 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond outside her home near Minneapolis, in an incident that drew international criticism including from Australia's prime minister, who called the incident "shocking."

He was acquitted of second-degree intentional murder.

Noor sat silently through the entire reading of the verdict with his hands cupped, breathing heavily. The packed courtroom remained silent.

Noor was handcuffed and taken into custody.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he expected Noor to face 12-1/2 years in prison for the murder charge and four years for the manslaughter charge when he is sentenced.

A wave of killings of black men and teens by U.S. police prompted street protests with this case providing a mirror image since Damond was white and Noor is a black Somali immigrant.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo apologized to Damond's friends and family in a statement released after the verdict was read.

"This was indeed a sad and tragic incident that has affected family, friends, neighbors, the City of Minneapolis and people around the world, most significantly in her home country of Australia," Arradondo said.

Noor and his partner drove to Damond's home the night of July 15, 2017 to respond to her report of a possible sexual assault outside her house, and when Damond approached the patrol car, Noor fired a shot across his partner through the passenger-side window to kill her.

The shooting led to the resignation of Minneapolis' police chief and the creation of stricter police body camera policies, after Noor and his partner failed to turn on their body cameras and provide video evidence to investigators.

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Noor testified in Hennepin County District Court on April 26 that he shot Damond in an act of self-defense after he and his partner Matthew Harrity, who was driving, heard a loud noise.

Harrity had trouble removing his gun from its holster and, Noor said, "he turned to me with fear in his eyes."

Prosecutors called Noor's shooting of Damond, who was unarmed, "reckless" and the prime minister of Australia at the time, Malcolm Turnbull, said it was "inexplicable."

Damond was engaged to be married that summer and owned a life-coaching company, according to her personal website.

(Reporting by Joey Peters in Minneapolis; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Amboise (France) (AFP) - Five hundred years after the death of Italian master painter Leonardo da Vinci, the Loire Valley town where he spent his last three years will host top-level festivities celebrating his life.

The Renaissance genius died in the French town of Amboise in 1519, at the age of 67. And France's Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella are travelling here on Thursday to mark the anniversary.

Leonardo was 64 when he was invited to France by the young Francis I, at a time when rivals Michelangelo and Raphael were rising stars on the Italian peninsula.

And with his own commissions drying up, it came as a great relief and no small vindication for the Tuscan artist, who received a handsome stipend as the "first painter, engineer and architect of the king".

He brought with him three of his favourite paintings: the Mona Lisa, the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, and Saint John the Baptist -- all of which today hang in the Louvre museum in Paris.

The joint celebrations come after months of mounting diplomatic tensions between Paris and Rome over the hardline policies of Italy's populist government and its support for France's anti-government "yellow vest" protesters.

The anniversary also has raised tensions over the works of Leonardo that are owned by France after Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said the Mona Lisa should be brought home to Rome. He has since brushed the comment off as a joke.

- 'Fascinated with Leonardo' -

Known as the "Sun King of the 16th century", Francis I was widely seen as bringing the Italian Renaissance to France, extending his patronage to both artisans and architects.

Arriving in 1516, Leonardo was installed at the Clos Luce, a sumptuous manor house just a stone's throw from the royal chateau in Amboise where the king had spent part of his childhood.

At the time, Francis I was barely 23, and his ambitious mother Louise of Savoy "knew that Leonardo would be the man who would allow her son to flourish," Catherine Simon Marion, managing director of the Clos Luce, told AFP.

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"As for the young king, he was fascinated by (Leonardo's) knowledge of anatomy, botany, spirituality. He came to see him almost every day, calling him 'my father'," she said.

"Leonardo gave him a kind of apprenticeship in knowledge."

An underground tunnel was dug through the soft limestone between the Clos Luce and Amboise's chateau to facilitate these frequent visits.

During his three years in the riverside town, Leonardo organised lavish parties for the court and worked to design an ideal city for Francis at nearby Romorantin -- one of the polymath's many unrealised projects -- all while continuing his research.

"He would follow his intense curiosity until the end," Simon Marion said.

- 'Genius and mysteries' -

His right arm was paralysed, but as Leonardo was left-handed, he was able to continue work, adding the finishing touches to the Mona Lisa, historian and television personality Stephane Bern says.

But whether he considered the painting finished by the time of his death, "we will never know," he says.

"What is pleasing about Leonardo da Vinci is both his genius and his mysteries."

On Thursday, after visiting Leonardo's grave at the royal chateau and then lunching at the Clos Luce, Macron and Mattarella will travel to the sprawling chateau of Chambord, whose central double-helix staircase is attributed to Leonardo -- though the first stone was not laid until four months after his death.

"It's not often that we have a chance to celebrate Franco-Italian friendship, especially these days," Bern said, in an allusion to the ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours.

The commemorations have sparked a further dispute after Italy baulked at the idea of its museums loaning their Leonardo works -- including the iconic Vitruvian Man drawing -- to the Louvre for a blockbuster show in October.

Although no longer in the headlines, the dispute has yet to be settled with the two sides still to agree on a definitive list.

With fewer than 20 Leonardo paintings and 22 drawings still in existence, many Italians are resentful that the Louvre possesses five of them.

The Mona Lisa and two others were sold to Francis I by Leonardo's muse and probable lover Gian Giacomo Caprotti, better known as Salai or Little Devil, even before the master's death.
PARIS, April 30 (Reuters) - Intelligence services are checking the authenticity of a video which Islamic State said showed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but if real it would reinforce that fact that the group is still active, France's defense minister said on Tuesday.

"The video of al-Baghdadi - the Caliph without a caliphate - is to be considered with caution at this stage. French services are analyzing it," Florence Parly said on Twitter.

"If this video is authentic, it confirms what we have repeated: Daesh (Islamic State) has no territory, but Daesh has not disappeared." (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
* Macron sets lofty climate goals for future presidents

* New law has few measured to address climate change now

* Macron changed key element of Hollande's climate law

* Planned wind-down of nuclear put back a decade

By Geert De Clercq

PARIS, April 29 (Reuters) - France has set more ambitious targets to cut carbon emissions by 2050 but few measures will take effect on President Emmanuel Macron's watch as the "yellow vest" protest movement limits his scope for environmental protection.

A draft new "energy transition law," presented to cabinet on Tuesday and seen by Reuters, pledges to reduce carbon emissions by a factor of more than six by 2050 compared to 1990. That increases the emissions' reduction target from a factor of four stipulated in a 2015 energy law introduced by Macron's predecessor Francois Hollande.

Months after coming to power in 2017, Macron dropped that law's key provision - despite a pledge to respect it - to reduce nuclear energy's share in French electricity production to 50 percent by 2025, from 75 percent currently.

The new law will delay the 50 percent nuclear target to 2035, transfer the European Union's 2018 "Winter Package" energy targets into French law and will also form the framework for a detailed "PPE" 2019-2028 energy strategy.

However, it includes no landmark measures to reduce CO2 emissions now, and replaces an election promise to close coal-fired power stations with a CO2 emission cap that would not take effect before Jan. 2022, just before the end of Macron's term.

"This government systematically makes vague and very long-term commitments, but never any concrete, short-term policies that would be implemented during this president's term," Greenpeace energy campaigner Alix Mazounie said.

Macron was breaking his promise to close coal-fired plants by 2022, she said, adding that under the new system their life spans could be extended forever.

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A senior environment ministry official denied the president was backtracking on environment pledges but acknowledged that no major new measures would be implemented on Macron's watch.

"Energy policy must balance constraint with encouragement, and as we saw with the carbon contribution, going too fast and too hard is not necessarily the road to success," she said, without wishing to be identified.

Late last year, Macron's centrist government dropped planned fuel tax increases after protests by irate motorists turned into a nationwide movement by so-called "yellow vests" against his reforms.

Asked why Macron was setting targets for more than three decades away while he had undone the key element of his own predecessor's energy law, the official said that was a normal process.

"Anything one government decides, another government can change, that is the principle of democracy," she said.

Climate Action Network campaigner Anne Bringault said France has fallen behind on eight of nine key climate targets.

"The state is not respecting its own climate objectives, and since the energy law states that the PPE must respect these objectives, they are now changing the law," she said.

Environment lawyer Arnaud Gossement said the new law was necessary after Macron had extended the lifespan of state-controlled utility EDF's nuclear reactors by a decade.

"Once you reserve a huge place for nuclear for another 10 years, that changes everything for the place you leave for other forms of energy," he said.

Macron is an ardent supporter of nuclear energy, which he sees as France's answer to climate change, Gossement said.

The draft law is due to be submitted to parliament in late June and then head to the senate for final approval later in the summer.

WWF France's Pierre Cannet said he hoped that lawmakers would force changes to the new law to make it more effective in fighting climate change.

"We hope that they will at least make sure coal plants are closed and that we do more to insulate buildings," he said.

(Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Susan Fenton)
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - For Warren Buffett, when all else fails, repeat what works.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc's plan to inject $10 billion into Occidental Petroleum Corp's takeover bid for Anadarko Petroleum Corp extends Buffett's strategy of extracting high-yielding preferred shares and stock warrants to fatten his company's bottom line.

The move came as the billionaire slogs through the fourth year of a drought in finding major acquisitions for Berkshire, which ended 2018 with nearly $112 billion of cash.

Berkshire already owns more than 90 businesses such as auto insurer Geico, BNSF railroad and Dairy Queen ice cream.

"This is one of the best things Berkshire could do," said Steven Check, president of Check Capital Management Inc in Costa Mesa, California, which invests one-sixth of its $1.5 billion of assets in Berkshire. "This is a template for a model that has been very good for the company."

Berkshire did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Occidental offered last week to buy Anadarko for $38 billion, topping the $33 billion that Chevron Corp had agreed to pay.

The companies are battling for Anadarko's prized assets in West Texas' Permian shale oil field. Anadarko said on Monday it had agreed to start negotiations with Occidental.

Buffett entered the battle two months after he said in his annual shareholder letter that acquisitions of whole companies did not look imminent because prices were "sky-high for businesses possessing decent long-term prospects."

He will likely be questioned about Occidental and Berkshire's cash at his company's annual meeting on Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska, which typically draws more than 40,000 people.

"This transaction falls short of an outright acquisition by BRK, something the market is craving," CFRA Research analyst Cathy Seifert wrote. She rates Berkshire a "hold."

LENDER OF LAST RESORT

Buffett has been seen since the global financial crisis as a lender of last resort to blue-chip companies desiring a financial boost and his imprimatur.

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From 2008 to 2011, Berkshire invested more than $25 billion in high-yielding stocks and bonds of such companies as Bank of America, Dow Chemical, General Electric, Goldman Sachs and Harley-Davidson.

Occidental follows that template.

Berkshire would buy $10 billion of preferred stock throwing off $800 million of dividends annually for at least 10 years.

The 8 percent payout is roughly double the yields on Occidental's longer-term debt.

Buffett would also get warrants to buy up to 80 million Occidental shares at $62.50 each, 4 percent above their Monday closing price.

Analysts said Berkshire's financing looked expensive for Occidental but could help it buy Anadarko without taking on too much leverage.

"We are thrilled to have Berkshire Hathaway's financial support," Occidental Chief Executive Vicki Hollub said.

And for Buffett, fear of overpaying may be allayed by the dividends and the knowledge that as a preferred shareholder he ranks ahead of common stockholders if something goes wrong.

The Bank of America investment has been among Berkshire's most lucrative in recent years.

In 2017, Berkshire exercised warrants to acquire 700 million common shares, which it paid for by swapping $5 billion of preferred shares it had bought six years earlier.

By the end of 2018, Berkshire owned 918.9 million Bank of America shares worth $22.6 billion, its largest common stock investment other than Apple, and sat on an $11 billion profit.

Other investments have been less successful.

Berkshire received since-redeemed preferred stock in Kraft Heinz when that packaged food company was created in a 2015 merger.

But in February, Berkshire took a $3 billion writedown on its 26.7 percent stake in Kraft Heinz, which failed to adapt to changing consumer tastes. Buffett has said Berkshire overpaid in the merger.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Logo of jester cap with thought bubble.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Glatfelter (NYSE: GLT)

Q1 2019 Earnings Call

April 30, 2019, 11:00 a.m. ET

Contents:

Prepared Remarks

Questions and Answers

Call Participants

Prepared Remarks:

Operator

Good morning. My name is Shelly and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Glatfelter's First Quarter Earnings Conference Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speakers' remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session. (Operator Instructions) Thank you.

Ramesh Shettigar, you may begin the conference.

Ramesh Shettigar -- Vice President and Treasurer

Thank you Shelly. Good morning and welcome to Glatfelter's 2019 First Quarter Earnings Conference Call. This is Ramesh Shettigar and I'm the Company's Vice President and Treasurer. On the call today to present our first quarter results, we have Dante Parrini, Glatfelter's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; and Sam Hillard, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Before we begin our presentation, I have a few standard reminders. During our call this morning, we will use the term adjusted earnings as well as other non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of these financial measures to our GAAP-based results is included in today's earnings release and in the investor slides. We will also be making forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Our 2018 Form 10-K filed with the SEC and today's release, both of which are available on our website, disclose factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of today, and we undertake no obligation to update them.

I will now turn the call over to Dante.

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you Ramesh. Good morning and thank you for joining us today. I'm pleased to report that we're off to a solid start in 2019. In the first quarter, we delivered $229 million of revenue, nearly $26 million of EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share of $0.16, a significant improvement over the first quarter of 2018 by all three measures.

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The key drivers were strong performance in our Airlaid business and corporate cost reduction initiatives. At an individual business unit level, Advanced Airlaid Materials delivered its first $10 million operating profit quarter with revenue growth of 49% on a constant currency basis including Steinfurt and organic sales growth of 19%. EBITDA margins expanded 90 basis points driven by higher asset utilization as successful customer qualifications from last year were converted into increased shipments this year.

In Composite Fibers, although results improved on a sequential quarter basis, the year-over-year metrics for the first quarter were challenged by weak shipments as overall volumes declined 13% driven by lower demand in non-woven wallcover and metallized paper. Food and beverage products posted growth of 4.5% in the year over year quarter following a relatively flat 2018. And while meaningful cost reduction actions were taken to mitigate the impact of lower demand it was overshadowed by higher raw material and energy prices.

Outside of the business unit performance, we lowered corporate costs by almost $5 million compared to last year, placing us well on track to achieving our reduction target of $14 million to $16 million by the end of 2020. And we finalized the legal settlement related to the Fox River environmental matter, ending years of litigation as the court approved the consent decree in March.

At this point, I'll turn the call over to Sam Hillard to provide a more in-depth review of our first quarter results. Then, I will offer some closing comments before opening it up for questions. Sam.

Samuel L. Hillard -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thank you Dante. I'm looking forward to walking through our first quarter results in more detail as well as providing some color on what we're seeing in our markets of both businesses and updating you on our progress on the corporate side of the equation as well. First quarter operating profit improved when compared to the year ago quarter, driven by increased Airlaid shipments, the Steinfurt acquisition and significantly lower corporate costs. However, Composite Fibers results were down on weak wallcover and metallized demand as well as higher raw material and energy prices.

Slide 4 shows the bridge of adjusted earnings per share of $0.09 from the first quarter of last year to this year's $0.16. Composite Fibers results reduced earnings per share by $0.05, driven primarily by lower shipments and elevated raw material and energy prices. Advanced Airlaid Materials results increased earnings per share by $0.04 driven by strong legacy volume growth and the addition of the Steinfurt acquisition. Corporate costs improved results by $0.06 driven by focused efforts toward cost reduction and headcount rationalization following the divestiture of Specialty Papers and taxes improved results by $0.02.

Side 5, shows a summary of the first quarter results for the Composite Fibers business. Total revenues were 3% lower compared to last year on a constant currency basis due to volume declines across the various segments, apart from our food and beverage category. Following a flat 2018, food and beverage posted meaningful volume growth this quarter of 4.5% driven mainly by single serve coffee. Wallcover shipments decreased to 27% primarily due to further deterioration in the Russia-Ukraine relationship and overall subdued consumer demand.

Metallized product shipments were down 22% reflecting industry overcapacity, however we were successful in securing meaningful new volume from a large wet glue label customer with qualifications occurring in Q2 and shipments slated to begin later this year. We are experiencing modest success in our price increase initiatives with first quarter results reflecting just under $1 million of benefit. Considering the market dynamics of wallcover, we now expect the full year benefit from price increases at the lower end of the previously communicated range of $7 million to $9 million. Operating income for the quarter declined by $4 million primarily as a result of higher raw material and energy prices, machine downtime and the impact of lower demand on shipments.

On the raw materials side, wood pulp prices remained high compared to the first quarter of 2018. However forecasts are showing signs of downward trends. The cost of Abaca fibers, synthetic fibers and energy all negatively impacted results. Availability of Viscous fibers continues to be a challenge as one of our key suppliers is still in the process of bringing their facility back online to full scale following a fire last October. We experienced a significant increase in fiber sourcing costs of approximately $1 million compared to last year. At this time, we don't anticipate a material improvement in this situation until the latter part of this year. We achieved a meaningful $2.3 million benefit from rigorous cost reduction actions, which helped offset the $1.5 million impact from market related downtime and lower depreciation contributed an additional $700,000 to operating profit.

Furthermore, the impact of foreign exchange on our results was a favorable $1 million due to timing of hedging activity. For the second quarter, shipments are expected to be 5% higher compared to the first quarter. However as wallcover volumes continue to be impacted by macroeconomic and geopolitical factors, we are revising our full year volume guidance for composite fibers to be flat versus the prior year. Food and beverage as well as technical specialties products are expected to provide meaningful growth as well as better mix to help mitigate wallcover and metallized volume declines. Selling prices are expected to be slightly higher compared to the first quarter. And while raw material prices are expected to come down, we expect them to be offset by energy price increases. We expect the impact of machine downtime in Q2 will be similar to the first quarter as we continue to manage inventory levels.

Slide 6 shows a summary of the first quarter results for the Advanced Airlaid Materials business. Including Steinfurt, total revenues for the first quarter set a new record crossing $100 million for the first time. For the legacy business, net sales increased 19% on constant currency basis with shipment growth of 13%. The business posted yet another strong quarter led by wipes volume growth of 56% and tabletop shipments doubled compared to the first quarter of last year. Hygiene products also posted attractive growth of 6%. As seen in our results the Fort Smith Facility and the addition of Steinfurt are serving as strong growth catalyst for the business. Raw material and energy price increases were mostly neutralized by selling price increases through the contractual pass-through arrangement with customers. Operating profit grew by $2.8 million and was largely driven by the addition of Steinfurt to the portfolio and growth in our legacy volumes.

Depreciation expense was $900,000 higher as a result of the Fort Smith investment and EBTIDA margins expanded 90 basis points with better fixed costs utilization of the related capacity. For the second quarter, we anticipate total shipments to increase 5% compared to the first quarte. Selling prices and raw material prices are expected to decline slightly, while energy prices are expected to increase slightly. We now expect total annual shipment growth in the legacy business to be at the higher end of the previously, communicated range of 8% to 10%. And operating profit guidance for Steinfurt remains in the $7 million to $9 million range.

Slide 7 shows corporate costs and other financial items. Following the divestiture of Specialty Papers and its results being recognized as discontinued operations in our consolidated financials, corporate costs have been adjusted accordingly for all periods shown to include corporate shared service costs that were previously allocated to Specialty Papers. We have made meaningful progress toward delivering on the corporate cost reduction target of $14 million to $16 million by the end of 2020. As corporate costs declined $4.8 million in the first quarter of this year. This was achieved through a combination of headcount right sizing initiatives and tight control on spending including professional services. In Q1, we also recorded a reversal of $2.5 million from our Fox River reserves, given court approval of the consent decree and an updated assessment of our remaining obligations. This one time benefit has been excluded from adjusted earnings. We expect second quarter corporate costs to be in-line with the first quarter.

Finally consistent with the corporate cost actions we initiated late last year to adjust to our new scale, we have decided to freeze and terminate our qualified pension plan, although our traditional pension plan has been closed to new entrants since 2007, the plan continued to accrue benefits with pension liabilities growing with increased exposure to market volatility, thereby creating greater risk for the Company. And while we have an over funded qualified pension plan with adequate pension assets to fund these plan obligations, we reduce this exposure with the sale of Specialty Papers and believe this next step is an important one to further de-risk our balance sheet.

Our goal is to reduce the risks associated with a defined pension by terminating the qualified pension plan, settling the liabilities with an insurance company and using the excess assets from the qualified plan for other benefits such as funding the 401(k) replacement plans for the next several years. We intend to freeze the qualified plan at the end of May and anticipate settling all qualified plan liabilities and distributing assets before the end of 2019. For 2019, we expect no net impact to our adjusted earnings from these actions. However we will incur a one time non-cash charge toward the end of this year for the final settlement of the pension liabilities. This amount will be finalized later this year.

Slide 8 shows our free cash flow. During the first quarter, adjusted free cash flow was negative $30 million, which was lower than first quarter of last year by $14 million, primarily driven by the payment of the Fox River liability settlements. Excluding the Fox River payment free cash flow was favorable compared to last year on account of improved earnings and the lower CapEx. We expect total capital expenditures to be in the range of $23 million to $28 million for 2019. Depreciation and amortization expense is projected to be $52 million for the year. We expect significant improvement in our cash flow profile going forward as earnings grow and all major capital projects are now behind us.

Slide 9 shows some balance sheet and liquidity metrics. Our net debt on March 31st was $314 million reflecting the recent refinancing of our debt capital structure. We renewed our five-year revolving credit facility and redeemed our 5.375% notes on February 28th through the use of a euro-denominated term loan resulting in significant interest expense savings going forward.

Our leverage at quarter end was 3.5 times and we had available liquidity of about $94 million. The temporary uptick in leverage compared to year end was driven by the $20.5 million Fox River payment in January and higher working capital use typically seen in the first quarter including some additional build related to precautionary Brexit planning. We expect our liquidity and leverage to improve by the end of 2019 as earnings and cash flow increase.

Slide 10 provides a summary of our projected tax rate. We now expect 2019 full year tax rate to be approximately 38% on adjusted earnings. The first quarter's tax rate of 24% benefited from onetime discrete items such as prior year audits that have now closed and certain tax return true ups. However, as we project out the rest of the year for changes in the mix of pre-tax income between the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions, we believe a 38% tax rate is appropriate for 2019. As a reminder with the continued utilization and eventual exit from the use of NOLs, we expect the effective tax rate will gradually step down, ultimately getting to 30% by 2021.

This concludes my comments and I will now turn the call back to Dante.

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks Sam. With a solid start to the year, we're encouraged that our transformation efforts are gaining traction. The actions taken last year to redefine Glatfelter's portfolio are enabling us to pivot to a leaner, more focused Engineered Materials Company with a path for profitable growth and value creation.

As discussed last quarter, we are focused on the few things that matter most for advancing our strategy in 2019, which are outlined on Slide 11. For our Airlaid business after a strong start to the year, we expect the legacy business to deliver volume growth of approximately 10% for the full year, driven primarily by the Fort Smith investment. And for Steinfurt, we expect to meet the operating profit target by capturing synergies, improving our sales mix and producing more efficiently across the entire portfolio of Airlaid assets.

For Composite Fibers managing the commercial risks in wallcover and metallized products continues to be a key focus area. For a metallized business, we were successful in securing substantial volumes from a large customer with qualifications expected to be completed during the second quarter of this year and shipments to commence in the second half of the year. In wallcover, volumes remain volatile in Russia given the geopolitical backdrop for this large market. We will continue to work closely with our customers to mitigate some of these risks.

The Food and Beverage segment continues to provide growth opportunities with single serve coffee expected to post strong growth in 2019. And while we continue to pursue our cost increase initiatives to help offset rising input costs, our cost reduction actions are expected to deliver meaningful benefits like we saw in the first quarter. Our corporate shared service cost reduction actions are on track as demonstrated by the first quarter results and we remain committed to delivering on the savings targets previously communicated. As you just heard we successfully completed our debt refinancing in February, substantially reducing our interest expense.

Finally as communicated in our March 1st, press release we're in the process of migrating to a functional operating model as a Company. This will allow us to become a leaner, more agile and efficient Company, while adjusting to our new scale. We expect to provide additional information about this migration this summer. I'll now open a call for your questions.

Questions and Answers:

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

(Operator Instruction). Your first question comes from one is Steve Chercover from Davidson. Your line is now open.

Steven Chercover -- D.A. Davidson & Co. -- Analyst

Thank you. Good morning everyone. Two quick questions. First of all, can you elaborate a little more on what's going on in the metallized products. I mean, it generally -- we think of beer and wine label as the end market, but is the market shrinking or is jostling with market share?

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Yes. So you broke up a little bit Steve on your question, but I believe you want some clarity on what's going on in the metallized market and underlying demand. So I would say that the demand across the three different categories of wet glue label, self adhesive labels and inner liner are in the 2% to 3 % growth range. We have experienced a little bit more competitive intensity from some Chinese suppliers at the lower end of the market. And so this is what's introduced a little bit of inconsistency in demand patterns over the last several quarters.

So as we looked at marrying up our value proposition and our selling price strategy for volumes, we have had some customer transition and this is what precipitated us landing a rather large piece of business that we made reference to during our Q4 call, that is now in the qualification process and is expected to have a rather substantial impact on our overall volume performance for metallized in the second half of this year and should get us much better on track in terms of expected levels of performance.

Steven Chercover -- D.A. Davidson & Co. -- Analyst

Okay. And sticking I guess in Europe, I mean what will it take for Ukraine and Russia to resume as growth markets -- dissipation of the typical discord or --

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

I'm sorry. You're breaking up.

Steven Chercover -- D.A. Davidson & Co. -- Analyst

I don't know why, I'm breaking up. But no, I'm just wondering like if they had somehow harmony in Eastern Europe, would that address it or is it more of an economic issue?

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Well, I think there are a few important factors, but certainly more harmony, at least as it pertains to trade between Russia and Ukraine would have, I think a materially beneficial impact on our overall business. So at the consumer level, consumers are still preferring and using non-woven wallcover. Clearly, there's some currency sensitivity, but right now, the euro-ruble relationship is at a very manageable level at just over 72 to 1.

So, it's really in December of 2018, when the Russian Federation placed the ban on several imported goods from the Ukraine that included wallpaper that created this near-term challenge. I would say that the demand pattern that we saw from our Ukraine and Russian customers was very weak in Q1 as evidenced by the year over year decline. We are seeing some improvement in Q2, but it's not at normalized levels. So, we'll continue to be aggressive at managing our cost profile. We'll continue to work collaboratively with our customers. In some cases we're able to modify recipes and change basis weights and we still have the leading share position in these markets. So I would say that we have the best purview as to what's going on in this particular area.

Steven Chercover -- D.A. Davidson & Co. -- Analyst

Okay thanks. And my last question is on the migration to the functional model. I know it's early days, but is there anything that you've seen that encourages you or otherwise?

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Yes, I would say that the work is progressing according to plan, I'm encouraged by what I'm seeing. There's a lot of energy and engagement among our broader leadership team, as we continue to put more definition and specificity into role mandates and how we're going to operate in this functional model. But really I think we're all seeing the benefits of creating a wider and flatter organization that's built for greater speed and efficiency.

And so, we're going to complete the process of consolidating roles and positions and increasing spans and reducing layers and I think we'll build a much more integrated and synergistic Company, that is a better fit for the new scale and the strategic focus of being a more stable performing Engineered Materials Company.

Steven Chercover -- D.A. Davidson & Co. -- Analyst

Thank you.

Operator

(Operator Instructions) And our next question comes from the line of Debbie Jones from Deutsche Bank. Your line is now open.

Deborah Jones -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Hi, good morning.

Samuel L. Hillard -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Hi Debbie.

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Hi Debbie.

Deborah Jones -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

I also wanted to ask you questions on volume, it does sound like Airlaid is tracking at the high end of the range, you just talked about some of the composite fibers headwinds. You mentioned that you took some downtime in the quarter and I'm just curious, it looks like annualized that would be something like $6 million if you were to do it for the full year. I'm just trying to think through, one, how long do you continue to kind of wait to see if things improve? And then two, if you could just tell us a little bit more about where the downtime is being taken. I didn't actually catch it, this is kind of across different platforms, we're just one line or something like that?

Samuel L. Hillard -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes sure, Debbie. So you're right that the downtime impact in Q1 was $1.5 million and we guided that impact would be similar in Q2. So kind of $3 million for the first half. If you were to annualize it, yes, it would be a $6 million impact. I think that's coming across a variety of lines, but largely on the wallcover metallized products where you saw the largest decrease in the volumes and we'll continue to monitor that situation.

Deborah Jones -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Okay. My other question is kind of looking at your guidance. The sequential improvement in Airlaid actually seems like your typical seasonal, but maybe a couple of -- a bit of a benefit from the ramp up. Can you just confirm that? And then again on the volume side of things for Airlaids, can you just talk us through how much of your expectation for the full year again is related to the ramp up in customer qualification and how much of it is just kind of like the underlying growth that you're seeing in those markets?

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Sure Debbie, I'm happy to answer those questions. So the continuation of the successful qualifications and ramp up of the new products and customers that we saw in Q4, continue to build momentum in Q1 and we're expecting that for the remainder of the year, which is why we're confident guiding to the high end of the range for our legacy business, 10% or so. I would say that we're making very good progress with Fort Smith in general and in getting that facility up its learning curve and getting more efficient at moving between grades and doing this in a way that has less waste and less downtime through changeovers and things that are pretty typical when you're starting up a new facility and getting crews used to the nuances and specifics of different products that we make.

I would also say that the integration of our colleagues from Steinfurt has also been additive because they have been experts in things like tabletop for many many years and so now we have an even larger collection of assets know-how engineering and technical prowess that we can redeploy to all parts of our business to help us more proactively and pre-emptively improve. So, I would say that overall the investment in Fort Smith, contributions from our broader team across the Airlaid business are all contributing to this growth markets that we're serving, growing in the 46% range. And some of the relationships that we were able to foster to get support for the overall investment in Fort Smith are also holding up their end of the bargain in terms of entrusting us with greater volumes.

Deborah Jones -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Okay. Is (inaudible) final clarification question with Steinfurt $2.1 million benefit, is that showing up in volume mix in the bridge Advanced Airlaid?

Samuel L. Hillard -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes.

Deborah Jones -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Okay, And then when we think about FX, because I think that it was a little bit better than we had modeled. You mentioned some hedging. Is there a benefit at current rates that would continue in Q2 or should we just start going back to looking at your currency exposure as we look at our model?

Ramesh Shettigar -- Vice President and Treasurer

Yes. So just to clarify the benefit was noted in CFB. It was about a $1 million benefit on a year over year quarter basis. So basically that was driven by about a $0.5 million hurt in Q1 of '18, compared to $0.5 million gain in Q1 of '19. And that's driven largely from the timing of some of the buying forward of the euro. So, it's not $1 million that you're going to continue on, but as you know the rates have moved down.

Deborah Jones -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

All right, thanks. I'll pass it over.

Operator

There appears to be no further questions at this time. I would now like to turn the call back over John.

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Okay. Well thank you for joining us on our call today and we look forward to speaking with you again next quarter. Have a great day.

Operator

This concludes today's conference call you may now disconnect.

Duration: 28 minutes

Call participants:

Ramesh Shettigar -- Vice President and Treasurer

Dante C. Parrini -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Samuel L. Hillard -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Steven Chercover -- D.A. Davidson & Co. -- Analyst

Deborah Jones -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

More GLT analysis

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Glossier is disrupting the beauty world once again, with the launch of its debut eye cream.

The cult beauty brand has unveiled 'Bubblewrap,' a hybrid product designed for use on both the eyes and lips. Described as a "one-of-a-kind eye + lip plumping cream" by the brand, it boasts an antioxidant-rich formula that aims to hydrate and protect the delicate skin around both areas.





The cream contains hyaluronic acid, squalane and avocado oil to moisturize, as well as blueberry extract, to act as an antioxidant. Its lightweight water-in-oil emulsion formula means it can be worn under makeup.

According to Allure, Glossier fans have been hankering after the product for a long time. "This was our No. 1 requested skin-care product - an eye cream," Melissa Souto, Glossier's director of product marketing and development, told the publication.

'Bubblewrap' is the latest in a string of major beauty launches for Glossier, which unveiled a whole new color cosmetics line called 'Glossier Play' earlier this year. The line, which was two years in the making, comprises playful makeup solutions in vivid hues, spanning everything from lipstick and highlighter to gel eyeliner. The brand, which was founded in 2013 and became an instant hit with beauty buffs for its skincare solutions, also hit multiple major milestones last year, raising $52 million in Series C fundraising and opening a new brick-and-mortar flagship boutique in New York.
Zari Hassan is seemingly unbothered after her nemesis, blogger Mange Kimambi, unearthed an old sex tape of the Ugandan businesswoman pleasuring herself.

The online war of words between Zari and Mange started over the weekend when the blogger accused the South Africa based businesswoman of living a fake life that included renting cars to show off on Instagram.

In her rant, Mange alleged that Zari spreads her legs in exchange for money and gifts. She further posted Zaris old bedroom video before Vanessa Mdee asked her to pull it down.

But Zari in her response described the tape as old news and took shots at Mange accusing her of being an escort in the USA and living in the ghetto.

In her clap back, Zari shared a beautiful scenery taken from the balcony of her home and captioned it Where to watch beautiful sunsets. Sio ghetto za trump nausaidizi wa food stamps.

She added, Nasubiri jibu, K*** yako imekupa nini? Iyo tape ni old news. Usiponipa jibu ongeza kunya packet ya omo this time add jik.

View this post on Instagram Gucci lane???..??To whom.!?? A post shared by ZARI?NILLAN (@zarithebosslady_snapchat) on Apr 28, 2019 at 11:59am PDT



In a past interview, Zari revealed that the tape was leaked by a former lover who tried to extort money from her.

Im not ashamed of my past, you dont plan a sex video to come out. The time I left Ivan I was dating a person and because it was a long distance relationship thing, we would get on the phone and do whatever we have to do, we were adults and we had our intimate moments. It came to a point where this person had recorded a session. It came to a point where I decided to leave the relationship and he blackmailed me that I should pay him. I said its fine, you wanna release this video? Its fine. You cannot blackmail me for having a relationship with you. You wanna blackmail me by releasing my sex video that you recorded? Its fine go ahead and he did. Its in the past, said Zari.
By Arjun Panchadar and Paresh Dave

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google on Monday saw its slowest revenue growth in three years from increased competition in advertising, stumbles in its smartphone business and disruptive changes at YouTube that left the leading internet ad company lagging rivals.

Shares of Alphabet dropped 7.5 percent after hours, setting them up for the biggest one-day drop since falling 8 percent in October 2012. They had closed Monday at a record-high of $1,296.20.

Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat attributed slower revenue growth to currency fluctuations, competition and unspecified product changes.

The company is facing continued pressure from advertisers to tighten controls on its fast-growing YouTube video service so that they not appear to be sponsoring adult or offensive content.

Google also is struggling to find the right mix of ad formats to use on mobile devices, voice assistant-enabled home speakers and in emerging markets.

Eight of the 11 analysts who questioned executives on a call on Monday asked about the revenue issues, an unusual level of shared interest. But the executives offered limited new details, prompting Barclays' analyst Ross Sandler near the end to preface a question by saying he was just beating a dead horse.

Reflecting on the sales growth slowdown, Porat said unspecified changes at YouTube had boosted first-quarter revenue a year ago, with nothing delivering a comparable bump this year.

About 85 percent of Alphabet's revenue comes from Googles ad business, which sells links, banners and commercials across its own websites and apps and those of partners.

Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said revenue slowdowns should be expected as the company focuses on the long term.

"You are going to have quarter-to-quarter variations once in a while, but we remain confident about the opportunities we see," he said on a conference call.

Major competitors for ad spending such as Facebook Inc, Snap Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Twitter Inc all reported last week quarterly revenue above or in line with analysts' expectations.

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Alphabet said its quarterly revenue rose 17 percent from a year ago to $36.3 billion, about $1 billion short of Wall Streets average estimate, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

The company said it would have met expectations, adjusting for currency fluctuations.

The growth was the slowest since 17 percent in the first quarter of 2016 and compared with 26 percent for the same quarter in 2018.

Facebook, the No. 2 internet ad company, posted 26 percent growth to $15.1 billion in quarterly results last week.

"Google ad revenue growth has been slowing amid downward pressure on ad prices, especially for revenues coming from international markets," Monica Peart, senior forecasting director for ad research firm eMarketer said in a statement.

RISING COSTS

Alphabet's quarterly costs rose about the same as revenue, up 16.5 percent from last year to $29.7 billion.

Expenses have surged faster than revenue for much of the past two years as it adds data centers, offices and YouTube content licenses, concerning some investors amid increased scrutiny on the company's privacy practices and the advertising restrictions at YouTube.

More advertising controls are coming to YouTube in the coming weeks that could affect sales, Pichai said.

In the first quarter, sales of Google's Pixel phones also struggled from intense competition in the premium smartphone market, Porat said. The company is expected to introduce lower-priced Pixel devices next month.

Alphabet has yet to tout significant revenue from its spending on ventures such as self-driving cars and its AI helper Google Assistant.

Newer units that are producing noticeable revenue have lagged in market share, including Google's consolidated hardware unit and Google Cloud, which sells computing and data storage services to businesses.

And Google's costs could jump further if governments globally follow through on threats to rein in the ability of apps to track users for advertising purposes. Other regulators have discussed forcing companies to step up monitoring of user content. Cost will rise in the current quarter as Google resumes some marketing efforts, Porat said.

Shares of Alphabet have gained 23 percent this year as positive macroeconomic signals had given investors reason to bet on it. But it is the least growth among the so-called FAANG group, with Facebook at 48 percent, Netflix at 39 percent, Apple at 30 percent and Amazon at 29 percent.

EUROPEAN FINE

Alphabet's expenses included a $1.7 billion fine from the European Commission for having placed anticompetitive advertising restrictions on websites using its searches.

Google's 3 billion users help make it the world's largest seller of internet ads, capturing nearly a third of all revenue, according to research firm eMarketer. Facebook is at about 20 percent.

Including the European fine, net income was $6.7 billion, or $9.50 per share, compared with analysts' average estimate of $7.3 billion, or $10.48 per share. Earnings excluding the fine were $8.3 billion, or $11.90 per share, beating analysts' estimates $10.61 per share for adjusted earnings.

Operating margin excluding the fine was 23 percent, up from 22 percent in the year-ago period.

(Reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru and Paresh Dave in San Francisco; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Lisa Shumaker)
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)  Authorities in Haiti say they have killed the leader of a gang suspected of fatally shooting five people and injuring seven others last week.

Police director Joany Caneus told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Jean Sony died after exchanging gunfire with police in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Sony was known as "Tije" and is suspected of leading the Savane Pistache gang.

Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin said police are still pursuing other suspected gang members. He issued a statement praising Haitians for following authorities' instructions during the operation to capture those responsible for the recent killings in the Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood.
Photo: Herson Rodriguez/Unsplash

From a documentary screening to a Kentucky Derby party, there's plenty to enjoy in Atlanta this week. Read on for a rundown of ideas for how to fill your calendar.

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.

'One Nation Under Stress'

From the event description:

Dr. Charles Moore, Director of Emory Universitys Urban Health Initiative is featured in HBOs upcoming documentary, One Nation Under Stress. In the 1960s, Americans had among the highest life expectancy in the world. Today, the U.S. ranks near the bottom of major developed nations. Following the viewing will be a panel to discuss the systemic and structural issues of chronic stress, distrust of the medical system and historic discrimination particular to communities in the south.

When: Thursday, May 2, 6-9 p.m.

Where: ZuCot Gallery, 100 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Kentucky Derby Party

From the event description:

Join us at The Southern Gentleman on Saturday for our annual Kentucky Derby Party. In addition to watching the excitement on multiple screens and the opportunity to win prizes in a Derby Day hat contest and best dressed competition, the ticket includes small bites and two Kentucky Derby-inspired beverages.

When: Saturday, May 4, 3:30-7 p.m.

Where: The Southern Gentleman, 3035 Peachtree St. NW

Admission: $35

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

The Rum Punch Brunch

From the event description:

The Rum Punch Brunch presents Scramble Brunch Fest  Soca De Mayo Block Party. Scramble will feature brunch/street food items from the Caribbean, while paying special homage to our neighbor Mexico in honor of Cinco de Mayo  items include breakfast burritos, ackee and saltfish tacos, Mexican street corn, fish and chips, jerk wings and doubles, Jamaican fried chicken and more.

Story continues

When: Sunday, May 5, 1-4 p.m.

Where: The Sound Table, 483 Edgewood Ave. SE

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

An Afternoon with Ryan Gravel

From the event description:

Join us for an engaging conversation with founder of the Atlanta Beltline, Ryan Gravel. As an important innovator, urban planner and contributor to the the Atlanta cityscape, Mr. Gravel will talk about the power of development and its resonance with innovation, transformation and equity.

When: Sunday, May 5, 4-7 p.m.

Where: Charles R. Drew Charter School, 300 E. Lake Blvd. SE

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Photo by NOAA Photo Library from Flickr

Arts and culture  such as the local museum, music, arts and food scenes  help give a distinctive feeling to Atlanta and other cities.

Hoodline reviewed the city's past week on Twitter, paying the greatest attention to users that are dedicated to arts and culture issues. Our goal was to discover and share the tweets that inspired your social media conversations on those topics.

Music

If you want to keep up with Atlanta's music community, Hoodline has you covered.

The city had a rise in Twitter conversations regarding music last week  436, compared with 383 the past week.

One of them with good local interest was this tweet by @HoodStarzMusic:

YNW Melly Mom Is Going Thru It Imagine Hearing Your 19 Year Old Son Is Facing The Death Penalty.. Lets Pray For Her https://t.co/JW88h0NhTp  Hood Starz  (@HoodStarzMusic)

The tweet got some attention, with 752 local retweets, 1,526 local quotes and 13,137 total retweets, quotes and favorites.

Then there was this tweet from @sirHASHington on Friday:

THE FIRST VIDEO FROM PURP SEASON IS HERE Watch It here: https://t.co/rF9wQ8LyKb @sirHASHington x @Dubz_of_HaSh #PurpSeason #TheHASHClub #THC #HASH #NYC #ATL #MUSIC #HIPHOP #RAP #WEED https://t.co/DJHZdFYY7X  IM A SEX SYMBOL (@sirHASHington)

Twitter users rewarded that with 14 local retweets, four local quotes and 40 total retweets, quotes and favorites.

Another that got attention locally was this, from @POWERATL on Wednesday:

Win passes to our Q&A with @NCTsmtown_127 in our Power 96.1 lounge on 4/26 from 12-1pm! https://t.co/bAcgYqNd79 https://t.co/SZ23EUUyAt  POWER 96.1 (@POWERATL)

As of this publication, the tweet had garnered 12 local retweets and 159 total retweets, quotes and favorites.

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Food and dining

Running the gamut from restaurants and sustainability to producers and security, tweets about food were a fixture of the city's Twitter timelines last week.

Atlanta had a slide in Twitter conversations around food last week  41, compared to 70 the past week.

Despite that, some local tweets did get amplified locally. One was this tweet by @AtlantaEatsTV on Tuesday:

What happens when you take two Happy Brothers and give them each $10 and drop them off at a @racetrac? Watch and let us know who you think walked away with the best haul. https://t.co/nUIhJXa3Dv  Atlanta Eats (@AtlantaEatsTV)

Twitter users gave it six local retweets and 10 total retweets, quotes and favorites.

Museums

Here are the most popular recent tweets from the city's local museums.

Atlanta experienced about the same volume of Twitter conversations around museums last week compared with the previous week.

Yet some tweets got traction locally. For example, this tweet from @HighMuseumofArt:

Degas tells the truth about toe-dancing and the illusion and the disillusion of it. Duncan Phillips https://t.co/6JpEtjnnGn  High Museum of Art (@HighMuseumofArt)

In all, the tweet received eight local retweets and 46 total retweets, quotes and favorites.

On Sunday, @KarinJurick tweeted:

Just finished for show - my painting "Ageless" featuring Johannes Vermeer's portrait "Girl with a Pearl Earring" which resides in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague. https://t.co/Klj40JwuIL  Karin J (@KarinJurick)

The total impact from that was two local retweets and six total retweets, quotes and favorites.

Libraries

Catch up with news from the city's libraries that you might have missed on Twitter recently.

Atlanta had essentially the same volume of Twitter conversations about libraries last week compared to the past week.

Yet some tweets proved popular. One was this tweet by @EmoryLibraries:

Join us on May 8 for a free talk moderated by WABEs award-winning journalist @wabeRoseScott. #Emory Professor Kimberly Wallace-Sanders and @SpelmanCollege's President Mary Schmidt Campbell will discuss African American photography. Register: https://t.co/ORG5GDWMVb https://t.co/WWHpEOpzvN  Emory Libraries (@EmoryLibraries)

In all, the tweet received four local retweets and 13 total retweets, quotes and favorites.

The arts

Hoodline collected the top tweets of the past week from and about the city's arts community.

Atlanta witnessed approximately the same volume of Twitter conversations about arts last week compared to the previous.

Despite that, some local tweets did get attention locally. One was this tweet by @emiliabrock:

Ive seen all of the bands mentioned in this piece multiple times and and theyre all fun and raucous live shows. And they all call Atlanta home. @TheCoathangers gave us their recommendations for @OSTtalks #GeorgiaPlaylist: @TheBlackLips and Subsonics. https://t.co/q4yTStvQUX  Emilia Brock (@emiliabrock)

In all, the tweet got four local retweets and 12 total retweets, quotes and favorites.

This story was created automatically using data from Twitter, then reviewed by an editor before publication. Click here for more about how and why Hoodline is automating local news. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.
Photo: Miguel Henriques/Unsplash

Looking for something to do this week? From an explanation of your rights as a renter to a seminar over breakfast, here are the best options to help you get social around town.

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.

Evictions: Politics, Policy and Possibilities

From the event description:

Maricopa County Justices of the Peace signed 43,800 eviction judgments in 2018 alone. These judgments resulted in the displacement of individuals and families, which affected nearly every aspect of their day-to-day lives. Join us for a community dialogue on the evictions epidemic in Arizona. Engage in productive dialogue and meaningful discussions with legal experts, state officials, advocates, journalists and peers. Learn more about the eviction process, resources for those affected, and the opportunities for positive and supportive interventions.

When: Monday, April 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: South Mountain Community College, Student Union, SU100, 7050 S. 24th St.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Clinical Breakfast Series

From the event description:

Please join us to learn more about trends and treatments in the behavioral health field, network with your peers and obtain one CEU credit at any of our free Clinical Breakfast Series seminars. Each seminar is held on the first Wednesday of the month from 8-9 a.m. in the St. Luke's Behavioral Health Center Auditorium. Continental breakfast will be served.

When: Wednesday, May 1, 8-9 a.m.

Where: St. Lukes Behavioral Health, 1800 E. Van Buren St.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Maricopa Law Day 2019

From the event description:

Join us for a panel discussion on journalism, the law and related issues in today's America. Featuring panelists such as former justice of the Arizona Supreme Court Rebecca Berch; Dan Barr, attorney; Mary Jo Pitzl, state government reporter; and Vanessa Ruiz, professor at ASU Cronkite School of Journalism.

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When: Wednesday, May 1, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Where: Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, 111 E. Taylor St.

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

4th Annual ABRC Research Conference

From the event description:

This all-day conference brings together grant awardees from the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre, Flinn Foundation and the Valley Research Partnership program. The day is open to the public and will close with an interactive poster presentation session. Catered breakfast, lunch and cocktail reception will be provided. Oral presentations will be given by researchers throughout the day.

When: Thursday, May 2, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Where: 475 N 5th Street, Biomedical Sciences Partnership Building

Admission: Free

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

Timeless Phoenix

From the event description:

Timeless Phoenix is back for its annual tour of the Tovrea Castle, Pueblo Grande Museum and dinner at the Stockyards Steakhouse. Attendees begin the evening at the Stockyards Steakhouse for an appetizer buffet and history lesson of Arizona's first steak house in the historic "Rose Room." From there, our local Ollie the Trolley will ferry guests to the Pueblo Grande Museum for an exclusive after-hours tour of the archived pottery (not usually seen by museum attendees).

When: Friday, May 3, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: The Stockyards Steakhouse, 5009 E. Washington St., #115

Admission: $50-60

Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Fes (Morocco) (AFP) - Abdelkader Ouazzani, the last of Morocco's brocade master weavers, has been repeating the same gestures for 63 years in his dilapidated workshop in the heart of the old city of Fes.

"This profession is vanishing... There were many craftsmen in Fes, but they all died and only memories remain," says the 79-year-old weaver, the last witness of a bygone era.

His skillful hands intricately create shimmering silk fabrics, enhanced with gold or silver thread, for bridal jewellery, designer creations or high-end furnishings.

His entire body engages in the delicate job, using a complex drawloom mechanism made up of a large wooden frame topped with beams, rafters, blades, pulleys and counterweights.

His feet rest on the wooden pedals, his shoulders are bent forward, his arms move apart with each launch of the wooden shuttle.

"It's all a question of calculation, each thread takes its path: it's like mathematics," says the old man.

He is secretive about the "rules of the art" which he learnt long ago in his youth, when, he says, "there were no industrial machines" to do the job.

- Ancestral know-how -

His work is both physical and meticulous: it takes an entire day to weave a metre (three feet) of brocade.

"Not everybody is allowed to see that, it's very special, he is the last man working like that," explains a tour guide who has led a group of Thai tourists here.

They are visiting on the recommendation of the wife of the head of a major Moroccan bank, herself a client of the workshop.

An article in the historical journal "Hesperis", published in 1950 by the Institute of Higher Moroccan Studies, described the weaving of brocades from Fes as a tradition that "disappeared everywhere else in North Africa".

It said that the ancestral know-how had its roots in the era of the Merinid sultans of the 13th century.

"In the 1950s, there were still four or five workshops left," says Mohamed Akhda, the guide in charge of the Thai guests.

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"You are now in the last one left in the country."

Ouazzani says he can't find a young apprentice to take over his workshop.

"People no longer want to learn this profession," he says. "No-one cares."

"The future of this refined craft is now threatened," confirms a new panel affixed by the tourist office outside the workshop, hailing Ouazzani as an "undisputed master of the craft".

- 'Elite of the elite' -

As fashions have changed, the wide, colourful belts that for centuries were the pride of the master weavers of Fes gradually stopped selling.

In the age of globalisation, the final blow came with industrial-scale competition. In Fes as elsewhere, some souvenir shops now sell low-end products that are machine woven in China.

Ouazzani, on the other hand, works on commission for a clientele he describes as "the elite of the elite".

His rare fabrics cost up to 5,000 dirhams per metre (about 500 euros, $560), depending on the complexity of the patterns.

A digital tablet he uses to show pictures of his most beautiful pieces -- and of his grandchildren -- is the only modern object in his workshop that is otherwise crammed with ancient furniture.

On the high walls of the dark room hang framed diplomas and faded pages from fashion magazines.

The master hides his most cherished "treasures" in a small wooden cupboard protected by a dusty tablecloth.

With an expansive gesture, he unfolds his "catalogue", a 16-metre-long roll of fabric with motifs that range from the Hispanic-Moorish tradition to Oriental art or European designs.

"This one I made for Colette," says the weaver, showing a photo of a caftan with a purple geometric pattern on a black background.

His pride and joy, the exquisite work was displayed in the window of the famous French boutique which until its closure in 2017 was one of the most popular addresses in chic Paris.
iStock/graphixel(NEW YORK) -- This week, Indonesia's president announced that the capital Jakarta was sinking at an alarming rate -- and that the capital needed to be relocated.



Jakarta, where former president Barack Obama spent some of his formative years, is one of the worlds fastest sinking cities, but the crisis is not a new one, and -- while many have attributed the impending disaster to climate change -- rising sea water is the least of the citys many worries.



Indonesias massive capital was officially founded in the 16th century, and was chosen by Dutch colonists as their established base in the country for its strategic location -- central, near the coast on an estuary of the huge Ciliwung River. Jakarta was the capital of the Dutch East Indies. But the city was built on a swamp, and poor management and lax regulations have turned the capital into a ticking time bomb, upon which its more than 10 million residents live. The crisis hits the poorest residents in the city and the surrounding region the hardest.



What is wrong with Jakarta?



A lot. One of Asias most dynamic and vibrant cities, home to a young and increasingly plugged-in middle class, Jakarta is one of the world's biggest cities in terms of active users for many companies including Blackberry and Facebook. Indonesia is home to more than 260 million people spread across a vast archipelago. But despite its scale, there is an unsustainable pull to the capital for citizens. More than just its administrative capital, Jakarta is the center of Indonesias economy, its education institutions and culture.



Overpopulation



A 2010 government-commissioned study found that 474 new cars and 2,946 motorbikes joined Jakartas chaotic traffic each day - bringing the total to about 14.4 million cars and motorbikes on the streets of Jakarta and its satellite cities. A staggering statistic, given the capitals population estimated at just over 10 million residents.



President Joko Widodo earlier this year said the legendary traffic in the Greater Jakarta region costs the country around $4 billion in wasted fuel, health problems and low productivity.



Various schemes and initiatives to combat the traffic have been proposed. A monorail was first proposed in 2004, before being cancelled and revived twice, before finally being abandoned in 2015. A scheme to empower the bus network saw the outside lane on most central Jakarta streets blocked off by the building of a short curb -- squeezing commercial traffic into two lanes, and exacerbating the chaos.



Many of the citys "bus" routes are actually served by private vehicles. Thousands of unlicensed minivans and motorbike taxis are a frequent sight on the citys streets -- and residents can hop in and out anywhere along the road for a handful of cents.



Pollution



Indonesia is one of the worlds biggest producers of waste -- creating several million tons of plastic waste each year. After China, Indonesia is the worlds biggest marine polluter, dumping millions of tons of garbage into the sea. Jakarta is also home to the largest uncovered landfill site in all of Southeast Asia.



Despite the monstrous scale of the filth in the Bantar Gebang landfill site, it is still home to thousands of poor families who live amongst the garbage, many of whom salvage among the scraps. Earlier this year environmental campaigner and actor Leonardi di Caprio shared an image on his Instagram of the landfill sight, to highlight the crisis.



A tax on plastic bags was cancelled in 2016 after a backlash from the public and shopkeepers and the government has not been able to come up with a realistic plan to tackle its waste crisis.



The government in 2018 found that 96% of the citys rivers were polluted with highly toxic wastewater - putting peoples health at risk. This has forced many of the citys residents to take their water sources into their own hands - and also contributing to the citys problems.



Lax regulation



One of the main issues contributing to Jakartas instability and its sinking levels is the lax regulation that does little to combat the many instances of residents using their own groundwater extraction units, since water from the river is too dangerous to drink. Only 35% of Jakartas annual water needs were met by the national water provider -- the remainder comes from private firms and residents digging up their own ground wells. This, among other factors, are the biggest contributors to the citys increasing flood risk. Despite wells being illegal, there were more than 4,700 counted in 2016 and the number continues to grow.



Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The Russian Navy and the Chinese Navy will hold joint Naval Interaction-2019 exercises from May 1 to May 4, the Russian Defense Ministry recently said in a statement. This annual bilateral drill will be about joint manoeuvring, organization of communication, missile and artillery firing, as well as search and rescue support.

The Russian Navy and the Chinese Navy will hold joint Naval Interaction-2019 exercises from May 1 to May 4, the Russian Defense Ministry recently said in a statement. This annual bilateral drill will be about joint manoeuvring, organization of communication, missile and artillery firing, as well as search and rescue support.

Chinese sailors awaiting for Russian ones during a Chinese-Russian naval exercise (Picture Source: Russian MoD)

"A gala ceremony was held in the port of Qingdao where Pacific fleet warships arrived to open the bilateral Naval Interaction exercise. The Russian group includes the Varyag cruiser, the Admiral Vinogradov and the Admiral Tributs big antisubmarine warfare ships, the Oslyabya amphibious assault ship, the Sovershenny corvette, the Igor Belousov rescue vessel and the Irkut tanker.

During the drills, the Russian and Chinese sailors will practice joint manoeuvring, organization of communication, missile and artillery firing at sea and air targets, as well as search and rescue (SAR) support missions.

The Chinese Defense Ministry said last December that mutual political trust and military cooperation between Russia and China had reached record levels, as evidenced by the numerous bilateral military exchanges and joint participation in major drills. The ministry also praised Russian-Chinese cooperation on maintaining regional stability, as well as on vital international issues.

Russia and China maintain close cooperation in several areas including defence, energy and the economy, as well as a regular political dialogue at the UN Security Council and other international platforms. The Chinese Foreign Ministry defines Beijing's ties with Moscow as a "comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination".

The Russian group of the Pacific Fleet includes the Varyag, the Admiral Vinogradov and the Admiral Tributs, the Oslyabya, the Sovershenny corvette, the Igor Belousov rescue vessel and the Irkut tanker.
By Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional committee on Tuesday formally asked the Justice Department to investigate Trump backer Erik Prince for possible crimes, charging he made repeated false statements under oath to U.S. lawmakers probing Russia's 2016 election interference. The Democratic-run panel's request represented the latest shot fired in an escalating battle between congressional Democrats and the Trump administration over findings of the report that Special Counsel Robert Mueller released on April 18. Perjury before Congress is a crime that can carry a punishment of up to five years in prison and a fine. In a letter to Attorney General William Barr, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said that Prince's "false statements" impaired the panel's efforts to "fully understand" Russia's meddling and develop remedies to "counter future malign operations." Russia denies interfering in the election in which President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, defeated his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. "We refer this matter to the (Justice) department to consider whether criminal charges should be brought," Schiff wrote. "I believe there was very strong evidence that he (Prince) willingly misled the committee, made false statements to the committee," Schiff told a Washington Post event earlier on Tuesday, citing a January 2017 meeting between Prince and a Russian banker in the Seychelles. "The evidence is so weighty that the Justice Department needs to consider this." The Department of Justice declined to comment. At issue are discrepancies between Prince's testimony to Schiff's committee in November 2017 and what Mueller's report detailed about Prince's contact with Kirill Dmitriev, who reports directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin as head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund. In the letter to Barr, Schiff said the committee identified "six different categories of materially false statements" by Prince. Those statements, he wrote, included Prince telling the panel that he and Dmitriev had one chance encounter when both were staying at the same Seychelles hotel, whereas the Mueller report said an adviser to the ruler of the United Arab Emirates arranged for them to meet and that they saw each other twice. Schiff charged that Prince also misled the panel about the topics of the pair's discussions, including setting up a U.S.-Russia communications channel, and that Prince told lawmakers he did not brief former Trump aide Steve Bannon about the meetings with Dmitriev, whereas the Mueller report said he did. Matthew L. Schwartz, a lawyer for Prince, rejected Schiff's allegations. There "is nothing new here for the Justice Department to consider, nor is there any reason to question the special counsel's decision to credit Mr. Prince and rely on him in drafting its report," he said in a statement. Prince "cooperated completely" with Mueller's investigation, said Schwartz, a partner at the firm of Boies, Schiller, Flexner, LPP. Separately, Prince has been pushing a plan to deploy a private army to help topple Venezuela's socialist president, Nicholas Maduro, four sources with knowledge of the effort told Reuters. U.S. Representative Mark Meadows, head of House Republicans' Freedom Caucus, separately told the Post event that Republicans were considering sending their own criminal referrals for two to three individuals. He declined to name them or give many details, but said two of them were linked to Fusion GPS. Fusion GPS is a research and intelligence consultancy that hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to investigate Trump and Russia. "There are two or three individuals that we believe could have potentially given false testimony to Congress," said Meadows, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform panel. That committee and the Intelligence Committee are among several congressional panels examining Russian interference in American politics, including in the 2016 presidential election. Meadows added that Trump had not personally encouraged House Republicans to make any referrals to the Justice Department over congressional misstatements, and that he had not spoken to the president about the issue "from a criminal referrals standpoint." (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Writing by Jonathan Oatis; Editing by Howard Goller and Tom Brown)
By Lawrence White

LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC has reshuffled its global banking division as former JP Morgan banker Greg Guyett put his stamp on the business, which has been under pressure in recent years.

Under Guyett, who took on responsibility for the business in February, HSBC has appointed Patrick Nolan, vice chairman of global banking, to global head of corporate banking, following a turbulent period for HSBC's investment banking business.

The division, which advises clients on finance and mergers, has lost senior dealmakers and slipped down the rankings in merger advisory and equity capital markets amid internal questions over its strategic direction.

Hugo Heath moves to the vice chairman role, while Peter Enns and Matthew Wallace become global co-heads of corporate finance coverage, overseeing HSBC's teams of sector coverage bankers, an internal memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday showed.

A spokesman for HSBC confirmed the contents of the memo, which also showed that among the 16 appointments mentioned in Friday's reshuffle, only one went to a woman, Katia Bouazza, who became head of global banking for Latin America.

HSBC has faced criticism from insiders for the male-dominated nature of its investment bank, and the lender has the worst gender pay gap among major British firms at 61 percent.

The bank said it is working to address this by including gender-balanced shortlists and promoting more women.

Robin Phillips, a former co-head of the division along with Guyett, left in February.

(Reporting by Lawrence White. Editing by Jane Merriman and Alexander Smith)
By Gabriela Mello SAO PAULO (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on Tuesday launched two high-end smartphone handsets in Brazil, making its second attempt to penetrate the world's fourth-largest smartphone market, broadening its footprint in Latin America. "We are in a very different market share position than we were five years ago and we're seeing tremendous brand momentum," Ketrina Dunagan, Huawei's vice president of marketing for the Americas, said in an interview on the sidelines of the launch event in Sao Paulo. Both devices, the P30 Pro and P30 Lite, will be available through eight online and brick-and-mortar channels as of May 17, she said, adding suggested prices are 2,499 reais ($638) and 5,499 reais ($1,403), respectively. Local retailers Magazine Luiza, Via Varejo, B2W, Fast Shop and wireless carrier Telefonica Brasil will be among those selling the phones, according to Dunagan. P30 Series handsets will be imported from China at first, but Huawei is considering local production to match demand if needed. "Our first priority is delivering this latest innovation to the Brazilian consumer as fast as we possibly can, but we are hiring people locally to manage the business here and establish what is necessary to ensure our success in Brazil," Dunagan said. The world's third largest smartphone manufacturer first launched a smartphone in Brazil in 2014, but the simpler Ascend P7 handset met with weak demand and the project was discontinued. Dunagan refused to provide projected sales estimates for the P30 Series in Brazil, but said marketing efforts will be initially focused in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. Smartphone sales in Brazil are expected to fall 4.3 percent to 42.5 million units this year, according to research firm IDC Brasil, after a 6.8 percent drop in 2018. But Huawei is betting these new models can lure increasingly sophisticated buyers, potentially challenging Samsung Electronics Co and Lenovo Group's Motorola brand, which currently dominate the local smartphone market. "Brazil is very unique and a huge market for smartphones ... Although the overall market size is not growing, the premium segment over 3,000 reais is growing," Dunagan said. (Reporting by Gabriela Mello; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
By Alasdair Pal and Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, April 30 (Reuters) - Both the United Nations and the International Criminal Court consider the way civilians said they were used by the Indian army to search houses in south Kashmir to be illegal under international law, experts said.

However, the soldiers involved were unlikely to have committed crimes under Indian law, they said.

Many residents of Pinglan village in south Kashmir told Reuters they were used as shields for soldiers as they searched for militants during a crackdown in February.

The UN's Geneva Convention states that "the presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations."

The ICC's Rome Statute, that covers armed conflict "not of an international character," states that "utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations" constitutes a war crime.

Human rights and legal experts said that taken as a whole, the army's behavior in Pinglan was illegal under international law. The military denies the charge.

"These are extremely serious allegations," said Aakar Patel, the head of human rights group Amnesty International in India, in response to Reuters' findings in Pinglan.

"Actions which deliberately endanger the life of ordinary persons  for example, by using them as 'human shields' - can amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international human rights law."

But India denies that the Geneva Convention, designed for international conflicts, applies to its operations in Indian-controlled Kashmir, and it is one of the few major countries not party to the Rome Statute.

Experts in laws governing Indian military operations said that soldiers were allowed to use a range of powers  including lethal force  with impunity in Kashmir.

"If it is used for the public (good) at large then it can be justified," said Ajit Kakkar, a military lawyer who formerly served as a judge advocate general, one of the top legal roles in the Indian armed forces, regarding the army's use of human shields.

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The laws, known as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), have been the subject of furious debate in India because they also protect soliders from arrest or any proceedings in a civilian court.

Kakkar said any soldiers at the Pinglan encounter would likely be protected from prosecution by AFSPA.

"This law in Indian context has been through judicial scrutiny and upheld by Supreme Court of India," said Dinkar Adeeb, a lawyer who has also served as a judge advocate general.

India's opposition Congress Party has pledged to rewrite the act if it wins power to protect the human rights of Kashmiris. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party says the law is essential to maintaining order in the disputed territory.

"Sometimes army officers overuse it to get results, but it is very difficult to distinguish whether he has used the power as he is required to," Kakkar said.

Lieutenant Colonel Mohit Vaishnava, an army spokesman, said AFSPA had checks built in to ensure no human rights abuses take place. "It only provides soldiers working in difficult circumstances certain operational legal safeguards," he said. (Reporting by Alasdair Pal and Fayaz Bukhari Editing by Martin Howell and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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Milan Station Holdings Limited (HKG:1150) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 12% in the last month. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last three years have been stomach churning. Indeed, the share price is down a whopping 86% in the last three years. So it sure is nice to see a big of an improvement. Only time will tell if the company can sustain the turnaround.

We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson.

See our latest analysis for Milan Station Holdings

Milan Station Holdings isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

Over the last three years, Milan Station Holdings's revenue dropped 10% per year. That's not what investors generally want to see. The share price fall of 48% (per year, over three years) is a stern reminder that money-losing companies are expected to grow revenue. This business clearly needs to grow revenues if it is to perform as investors hope. Don't let a share price decline ruin your calm. You make better decisions when you're calm.

The graphic below shows how revenue and earnings have changed as management guided the business forward. If you want to see cashflow, you can click on the chart.

SEHK:1150 Income Statement, April 30th 2019

If you are thinking of buying or selling Milan Station Holdings stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Milan Station Holdings shareholders are down 28% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 4.3%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Unfortunately, longer term shareholders are suffering worse, given the loss of 33% doled out over the last five years. We would want clear information suggesting the company will grow, before taking the view that the share price will stabilize. Shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
A redacted version of special counsel Robert Muellers report has been released, but its contents have refueled a longstanding debate over whether or not the House should begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) introduced a resolution co-signed by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) in late March proposing an inquiry into whether Trump has committed impeachable offenses. Tlaib has long been an advocate of impeaching the presidentmost vocally for not separating himself from his businesses, a possible violation the Constitutions emoluments clause.

The president of the United Statesafter he took the oath of office, after he said hes going to uphold the United States Constitutionstill to this day hasnt divested in his businesses and has made profits, Tlaib told MSNBC earlier this week. I dont care if youre a Republican or Democrat. You should be worried about this, because this sets a precedent.

Muellers investigation, while focused on matters outside the emoluments clause, gives the House plenty of fodder for potential proceedings, specifically in regard to obstruction of justice. Since the reports publication, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) have voiced support for Tlaibs resolution. Others, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), have also come out in favor of impeachmentbut the House must make the first move.

This is because the U.S. Constitution gives the House of Representatives the sole Power of Impeachment, meaning only they can launch the proceedings. The Senate, meanwhile, has the sole Power to try all Impeachments, with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presiding over the matter.

Only two presidents have ever been impeachedAndrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998but both were acquitted (Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 before impeachment proceedings could get past the House). In all of U.S. history, the House has initiated impeachment proceedings against federal officials more than 60 times, with less than a third leading to full impeachments, and only eight (all against federal judges) actually leading to convictions and removal from office.

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In the case of Clinton, the House Judiciary Committee voted to pursue four articles of impeachment surrounding perjury and obstruction of justice. The full House voted to continue with just two of these: alleged perjury in a grand jury testimony and obstruction of justice, both occurring in relation to a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones. The Senate began trial less than a month later in January 1999.

The constitution dictates that two-thirds of the members present must agree on a conviction; Clinton was acquitted by a vote of 55-45 on perjury and 50-50 on obstruction of justice.

In Trumps case, the Mueller investigation looked into 10 possible instances in which the president could have obstructed of justice. Although the special counsel eventually determined that it could not conclude Trump committed any crime, the report does not exonerate him.

Columbia University professor and political author Robert Shapiro noted that while the Clinton case is similar to Trumps in the amount of partisan polarization present, the current situation is of a slightly different caliber.

Its one thing to obstruct the investigation of sexual misbehavior. Its another thing to obstruct justice in the context of Russian involvement in the election, he told Fortune.

The more than 400-page document says no collusion between Trumps 2016 campaign and Russian election meddling could be established, but notes that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts. Moreover, Trump was worried about the effect Muellers investigation would have on his presidency and actively tried to stop it, according to the report.

These instances have led even a former Trump transition team member to come out in favor of impeachment, tweeting: Its time, it really is.

In the face of a Department of Justice policy that prohibited him from indicting a sitting president, Mueller drafted what any reasonable reader would see as a referral to Congress to commence impeachment hearings, wrote J. W. Verret in The Atlantic.

Whether or not Democrats catch Muellers toss is another question.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has argued that the facts regarding holding the president accountable can be gained outside of impeachment hearings.

We must show the American people we are proceeding free from passion or prejudice, strictly on the presentation of fact, she wrote in a letter to her colleagues.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has also spoken out against impeachment. At a recent CNN town hall, Sanders suggested that impeachment proceedings would ignite a media storm to overpower 2020 policy coverage in a way that actually works to Trumps advantage.

Others feel thats beside the point.

We cant focus around political strategy, Tlaib told MSNBC. Its around putting our country first.

Warren, too, has said lawmakers need to set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty.

The political argument can sway in favor of or against impeachment, said Shapiro. On one had, impeachment proceedings are a way of keeping trumps misbehavior very visible ahead of the 2020 election. This serves both Democratic candidates and Republican primary contenders.

They dont necessarily have to impeach, said Shapiro. They just have to keep investigating him. That could make the difference in the election.

The counterargument is that it might mobilize Trumps base, Shapiro said. Impeachment could also dissuade voters fed up with the bickering in politics from turning out at the polls.

In truth, impeachment has a history of backfiring.

Clintons approval rating reached an all-time high during his own impeachment proceedings. According to Gallup, Clintons average job approval rating in 1998 was 63.8%, or 10 points higher than his overall administration to-date average.

Trumps average approval rating rests around 43.5%, but a Politico/Morning Consult poll recently found it fell as low as 39% following the Mueller reports publicationequal to his lowest-ever rating on the poll in August 2017, just after the Charlottesville protests.

Even so, just 34% of voters from this poll believe Congress should begin impeachment proceedings, meaning the majority of the U.S. doesnt want to see Trumps future tried in Congress.

The indication of the lack of public support for the moment tells the Democrats they should not vote to impeach him immediately, but they should try to gather more information and evidence to make a stronger case, said Shapiro. The Democrats will know that they have enough evidence to impeach him if public opinion changes, and the evidence plus the change in public opinion is able to convince Republicans in the Senate to vote to convict him.
Investors in California Resources Corporation CRC need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the May 17, 2019 $19.00 Put had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.



What is Implied Volatility?



Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell-off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.



What do the Analysts Think?



Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for California Resources shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, California Resources is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) in the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry that ranks in the Top 25% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 30 days, two analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while none have dropped their estimates. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from a loss of 40 cents per share to a loss of 31 cents in that period.



Given the way analysts feel about California Resources right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Oftentimes, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.



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Incyte Corporation INCY reported strong results for the first quarter of 2019, wherein both earnings and sales beat expectations. Shares rose in pre-market trading.

Incytes stock has gained 21.9% in the past six months against the industrys 3.6% decline.

The company reported earnings of 62 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 40 cents. Incyte reported a loss of 7 cents in the year-ago quarter.

Including milestones and contracts, revenues came in at $497.8 million, which increased 30% year over year and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $475.6 million.

Quarter in Detail

Total product-related revenues came in at $457.8 million, up 20% from the year-ago quarter. Of these, Jakafi revenues came in at $375.6 million, up 20% from the year-ago quarter. However, Jakafi revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $379 million. Net product revenues of Iclusig amounted to $20.6 million, down from $20.8 million in the year-ago quarter.

Product royalty revenues from Novartis AG NVS for the commercialization of Jakafi in ex-U.S. markets grew 10% to $45.6 million. Olumiants product royalty revenues came in at $16 million.

R&D expenses were $243 million, down from $279 million in the year-ago quarter. SG&A expenses amounted to $124 million, up from $121 million in the prior-year quarter.

2019 Outlook Updated

The company expects Jakafi revenues of $1,580-$1,650 million (same as before). Iclusig revenues are expected to be $90-$100 million. R&D expenses are expected to be $1,020-$1,070 million compared with the earlier estimate of $1060-$1,130 million. SG&A expenses are anticipated to be $420-$470 million.

Pipeline Update

Pipeline progress in the first quarter was impressive. The global phase III GRAVITAS-301 trial on itacitinib for the treatment of patients with steroid-naive acute GVHD has completed enrollment. Results from the study are expected later in the year.

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Incyte expects to submit the NDA for pemigatinib as a second-line treatment for patients with FGFR2 translocated cholangiocarcinoma in the second half of 2019. The company plans to initiate a phase III trial for the first-line treatment of patients with cholangiocarcinoma in the coming months.

The primary endpoint was met in the phase II trial of ruxolitinib cream in patients with vitiligo.

Incyte has elected to no longer co-fund the development of baricitiniband in order to reallocate the capital to develop its pipeline. However, Incyte will continue to receive royalties on global net sales of Olumiant (baricitinib), per the terms of its agreement with partner Eli Lilly LLY.

Our Take

Incytes performance in the first quarter was impressive. Label expansion of Jakafi will further boost sales. The FDA is reviewing the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Jakafi to treat patients with acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), who have had an inadequate response to corticosteroids. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date is May 24, 2019.

The companys efforts to diversify its revenue base are encouraging, but pipeline setbacks are a concern.

Zacks Rank & Stock to Consider

Incyte currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

A better-ranked stock in the same space is Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD, which carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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More than 100 Emory students presented their research last week at the Spring 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium, held for the first time in the Woodruff Library.

For three hours on April 24, Level 1 of the library was a beehive of activity as about 30 undergraduates simultaneously gave poster presentations each hour. Their research areas included biology, psychology, sociology, theater studies, linguistics and history.

Supporters, faculty and visitors moved among the presenters, listening to presentations and asking questions. Upstairs on Level 3 in the Jones Room, 10 students took their turns giving 15-minute oral presentations on their research projects.

In previous years, the symposium was held at the Math and Science buildings atrium, but the event has outgrown that space.

This space in the library is perfect, says Cora MacBeth, interim director and assistant dean of sciences of the Office of Undergraduate Education, which coordinates the Undergraduate Research Symposium. In the past, due to the number of students, we had to split it over two days, which lessens the impact. But because we had enough space to accommodate everyone, it allows us to make it a more celebratory one-day event.

The event, showcasing mostly students affiliated with Emory College, was part of Undergraduate Research Week, during which school and academic programs across the Emory campus hosted research symposia for their students to present their work.

Elayna Goodman, a sophomore in Emory College, presented her research on the feasibility of remotely monitoring the heart rates of senior citizens in an exercise program using Apple watches and an iPhone app. Her faculty mentors are assistant professors in the neurology department at Emory School of Medicine and work in research health science at the Atlanta Veterans Administration Hospital.

Goodman says she enjoyed giving her presentation.

I think its a really good opportunity, especially because they reached out to the first- and second-year students, Goodman says. Im also part of the Research Partners Program, and for the last two semesters weve gone to class once a week and learned how to write abstracts and present research in a professional manner and interact with mentors.

Roger Deal, associate professor of biology, attends the symposium every year to support the students. Its a really important experience for their development, he notes. It helps to have them explain concepts and think about the things they take for granted mentally. Its a good exercise in scientific communications. And its fun.

It wasnt all scientific research at the symposium. Ramsey Baden, a senior majoring in creative writing, presented his research on the White Terror, a period of history in which thousands of Taiwanese citizens suffered under an oppressive military dictatorship in the mid-20th century. Baden, who traveled to Taiwan on a Rose Library grant, intends to turn his research into a graphic novel.

We see so little of the humanities represented in the research community, says Baden, whose research touched on areas of history and art history, writing and visual arts. It feels good to represent a different type of research that has very different methods that in so many ways are just as valuable. I think people may not realize you can get grants to do research in the humanities.
MUMBAI (Reuters) - An Indian appellate tribunal has lifted a stay on insolvency proceedings against business tycoon Anil Ambani's debt-laden Reliance Communications, the Economic Times reported on Tuesday.

The decision by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) could potentially force Sweden's Ericsson to return 5.5 billion Indian rupees ($79.06 million) in dues and interest that RCom paid the telecoms equipment maker last month.

Ericsson dragged RCom to the National Company Law Tribunal last year over unpaid dues from a deal it had signed in 2014 to deliver and operate RCom's network, but the proceedings had been stayed as the two sides negotiated an out of court settlement.

India's bankruptcy code though does not allow an appellant to withdraw a case once admitted, as other creditors stand to lose out if one party reaches a private settlement in such cases. Also, financial creditors like banks typically would get precedence over operational creditors, such as Ericsson, in debt payments, according to India's insolvency laws.

The NCLAT this month said Ericsson would have to refund that money back to RCom if insolvency proceedings against the telecoms company begin, the Economic Times earlier reported.

RCom did not respond to requests for comment while the tribunal does not usually comment on its proceedings. Ericsson said it won't comment since the matter is sub judice.

RCom, once India's second-biggest phone carrier, will now move back into the insolvency process at the National Company Law Tribunal, India's bankruptcy court, in the country's financial capital of Mumbai.

($1 = 69.5700 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
New Delhi (AFP) - Photos of "Yeti footprints" posted online by the Indian army triggered a social media storm on Tuesday, with users ridiculing the military for propagating theories debunked by science.

The army tweeted three images late on Monday showing a series of foot-shaped impressions, each almost a metre (yard) long in the snow in the Himalayas near the Nepal-China frontier.

"For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti'," the apparently serious tweet on the army's official account said.

It added the "elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past", referring to footprints reported by British explorer Eric Shipton in 1951 on the west side of Mount Everest.

Legend has it the "Yeti" or "Abominable Snowman" lives in the Himalayas -- but no proof of the large creature has ever been produced.

Social media users were quick to jump on the Indian military for its tweet, while scientists said the prints were probably made by a bear and elongated and misshapen by the elements.

"With all due respect, institutions such as yours should be more responsible and careful before going ahead and declaring the sighting of any footprints as 'Yeti's'!", said Kushal Prajapati.

"There's been lots of research done on Bigfoot/Yeti (including sighting/footprints) with none proving its existence," he added.

"Seriously disappointing to see Army propagating such foolish myths into reality. Expected better from you guys," said another comment.

Several Twitter users asked why there was a series of only one footprint when the beast would probably have had two feet.

Others, were apparently more forgiving, though still tongue-in-cheek.

"Congratulations, we are always proud of you. salutes to the #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team," wrote Tarun Vijay, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

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- Gorilla suit -

The army said the footprints measured 32 inches by 15 inches (81 centimetres by 38) and were spotted by a team on April 9 close to the Makalu Base Camp.

An army official told AFP the pictures were released to "excite a bit of a scientific temper".

"We will share whatever we get with the domain experts to analyse. We will be contacting the team on the satphone in the evening for more details about it. The idea is to find out more, to look for an answer," the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Yeti is traditionally described as an ape-like creature, taller than a human, that lives variously in the Himalayas, Siberia and parts of Central and East Asia. The North American version is known as Bigfoot.

Most scientists have written the creature off as a centuries-old myth originating in Tibet.

Forensic results of previous samples have proved to be from prehistoric bears and one purported piece of evidence turned out to be a gorilla suit made of rubber.

"This is probably a footprint of a brown bear," Sathyakumar Sambandam, a professor at the Wildlife Institute of India, told AFP.

"The footmarks get enlarged due to strong sun and winds in the heights and the overlapping of hind and front legs gives an impression of single giant mark," he said.
* More than 700 foreign children held in Baghdad prison

* Many mothers convicted for IS links

* Some want children to go home but repatriation slow

By Raya Jalabi

BAGHDAD, April 30 (Reuters) - The children ran along the narrow enclosure, screaming, fighting and crying for the attention of the prison worker distributing sweets and balloons. Bug-bitten toddlers, too small to walk, clung to the sides of the chain link fence, staring blankly.

Through the fence of their makeshift playground, the older children held out dirt-covered hands for the balloons; two of them said they were the only toys they have at the Rusafa women's prison in central Baghdad.

"Please, I want to go home, please help us. This is not a good place for us," one Azeri girl said through the chain link fence, surrounded by about 100 other children.

The visit by Reuters was one of very few times the prison has allowed media access. The jail is at the heart of the issue of what do with captured women and children of Islamic State.

The ultra-hardline group carried out mass killings, torture, sexual enslavement and indoctrination in areas it captured in Syria and Iraq in 2014 and staged attacks around the world, meaning captives pose a security risk and are also vulnerable to reprisals.

"At first, trust was very difficult for us and them," said the prison director, requesting that her name not be used. "Many even tried to kill themselves and their children."

The prison holds 1,241 foreign women and children of suspected IS fighters from more than a dozen countries, 774 of them aged from nine months and 15 years old, the director said.

Brought here in November 2017, two months after being captured while fleeing Tal Afar in northern Iraq, most of the children who qualified for possible prosecution in Iraq have been moved to a juvenile detention facility.

A handful have been prosecuted for carrying out attacks but most are tried for crossing the border illegally, including some as young as nine. In either case it is not clear how much say they would have had.

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The other children stay in Rusafa with their mothers, who are either already serving long jail terms or awaiting trial.

Having held them for two years with limited resources, Baghdad is keen for those who cannot be prosecuted to be sent home, but the issue is legally complicated and politically toxic, and many nations have so far refused to take them.

HUNGRY, BORED AND SICK

Dynamics at the prison, located within the interior ministry's heavily-guarded compound, have improved since the early days, the prison director said during the April 11 visit.

No access was granted to the cells in which groups of women and children spend close to 20 hours a day and no photography was allowed. This reporter was accompanied by at least three government officials for most of the time, but spoke briefly to four of the children in the enclosure unsupervised.

"Did you bring us clothes or medicine?" the Azeri girl, wearing a blue hijab, asked. "We really need medicine."

She was among a group identified by the prison director as having mothers sentenced to life in prison, serving at least 20 years for their membership of IS and illegally entering Iraq, a common fate for the women held at the jail.

The girl is too young to be prosecuted under Iraqi law. It is unclear how long she will remain behind bars.

Azerbaijan is one of the countries with the highest number of citizens imprisoned in Iraq, along with Russia and Turkey. Others come from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Syria, France, Germany, Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Azeri Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on its policy on repatriating children linked to IS.

The children are allowed into the enclosure for about two hours a day, but otherwise spend their days in cramped cells or watching cartoons on television. They sleep on thin mattresses, bored, hungry and often sick, with little medical attention, according to some 20 sources familiar with the prison and their cases who were interviewed by Reuters before the visit.

Half a dozen of the sources said poor conditions had led to the deaths of at least seven children. Diplomatic and intelligence sources also said several women had died.

The director, interviewed with four other officials in the room, declined to comment beyond saying that inmates were well looked after under her care. Iraqi government officials declined to comment.

Three female detainees selected by the prison director said they had consented to be interviewed. They spoke in front of five officials - from the prison, the interior ministry, the justice ministry and national security service.

"For me, prison is prison, whether in Tajikistan or Iraq," said a 28-year-old Tajik woman who was sentenced to life in prison for belonging to IS and has her two children in jail with her.

"But I want my kids to go home and live with my mother."

Reuters did not use the women's names because of the risk of reprisals.

Tajikistan recently said it would begin repatriating some children, and Russia, Turkey and France are among a handful of countries to have already taken some, but the process is slow.

"Security and accountability must be balanced with providing these children the opportunity to rebuild their lives back home," said Katharina Ritz, Iraq's head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which visits the detainees, provides assistance and helps restore contact with families.

"WHY HAVE THEY JUST LEFT US HERE?"

The problem goes beyond Rusafa jail.

Across the border in Syria, thousands more foreign women and children have been lingering in detention camps  their numbers swollen since last month's recapture of IS's last enclave in Baghouz.

"Why have they just left us here?" said an Uzbek boy held in the Rusafa prison. "I just want to go home. I could live with my grandparents."

Uzbekistan's foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment on its policy towards detained children.

Some 225 children were born at the Baghdad prison, its director said, as many of the women arrived pregnant.

Three sources familiar with the matter have said some of the women were subjected to sexual abuse, both after their chaotic capture and detention by various forces in northern Iraq and in Rusafa. Asked about the allegations, the prison director said that the detainees had always been treated well under her care.

For some women, legal about-turns have compounded their suffering.

A 29-year-old Swedish woman, who had been living with her three children in prison, was acquitted of all terrorism charges during her trial in October, but sentenced to six months in prison for entering Iraq illegally.

With the help of the Swedish government, she sent her children to live with relatives, afraid of their possible radicalisation in prison while she served her time.

Days before completing her sentence, she was told the judiciary had overturned her acquittal and was reopening her case with a view to prosecuting her on the same charges.

The Swedish government said it was aware and monitoring her situation but would not comment further on an individual case.

"I thought I would only be apart from my kids for six months," the woman said, choking back tears. "And now ... I don't know what's going to happen to us." (Reporting and writing by Raya Jalabi; additional reporting by Olzhas Auyezov and Margarita Antidze; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Logo of jester cap with thought bubble.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I)

Q1 2019 Earnings Call

April 30, 2019, 8:30 a.m. ET

Contents:

Prepared Remarks

Questions and Answers

Call Participants

Prepared Remarks:

Operator

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Q1 2019 Intelsat Earnings Conference Call. (Operator Instructions)

It is now my pleasure to hand the conference over to Dianne VanBeber, Vice President, Investor Relations. Ma'am, you may begin.

Dianne VanBeber -- Vice President, Investor Relations

Welcome, everyone and thank you for joining Intelsat's First Quarter 2019 Earnings Conference Call. Earlier this morning, we issued our earnings release and published a quarterly commentary, both of which are available at www.intelsat.com. The quarterly commentary supplements are released in our 6-K filing and provides information and context that you need to analyze our results in advance of our earnings call.

During today's call, we'll discuss adjusted EBITDA and other financial metrics not prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, including EBITDA, related margins and free cash flow from operations. We provide reconciliations of these metrics to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures in the earnings release and on our website. Earlier today -- later today, we expect to file our quarterly report on form 6-K with the SEC. You can find the link to the filing on our website.

Additionally, our conversation today will include forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations for future industry conditions as well as our business strategy, market trends and positioning and expected future financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control. Please refer to the safe harbor statement included in our Quarterly Report on Form 6-K for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, once filed, and our other SEC filings for information about some of the factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our expectations.

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Finally, be aware that our conference call today is open to the investment community and media, with the media invited to participate in listen-only mode. Members of the media are not authorized to quote either directly or in substance any participant in the call who is not a representative of Intelsat.

Our call today is hosted by our CEO, Stephen Spengler; and our Executive Vice President and CFO, Jacques Kerrest. Following opening remarks by Steve, we'll open the call for questions. Steve?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Dianne. Our first quarter activities reflect the increasing role of managed services and our go-to-market strategy. In the first few months of this year, we advanced the commercialization of our managed services offerings for maritime, aeronautical and enterprise applications. Working with our partners, we introduced managed services for wireless infrastructure. We expect these sectors to provide $4 billion of increased revenue opportunity industry wide through 2023.

In the past few weeks, we introduced a new managed service for the media sector, is a blended, satellite wireless Internet service that provides reliable cloud access regardless of location to give content owners the confidence to implement cloud-based applications for content delivery. Managed services are embedded in our high throughput offerings and embed us in our customer service delivery chains. Managed services will be an operational priority throughout 2019.

To briefly highlight Intelsat's financial performance. In the first quarter, we generated revenue of $528 million, a decline of $16 million or 3% as compared to the prior year period. Our revenue in the quarter included the benefit of an additional $14 million related to accounting for leases under ASC 842, which we described fully in the quarterly commentary.

Adjusted EBITDA declined 9% to $380 million or 72% of revenue. The adjusted EBITDA margin percentage trend primarily reflects two elements increasing our operating costs, which we discussed in the year-end call.

First, our cost base is increasing because we're investing in our managed services delivery chain. As we enhance our services infrastructure, we will commission new sites more quickly. We will also operate our managed services more cost effectively as they grow into larger and more complex networks.

Second, adjusted EBITDA reflects higher direct costs of revenue from our two newest satellites entering service. We use alternative commercial structures for these new satellites avoiding capital expenditures, but increasing OpEx instead.

Turning to our operations. On April 18th, we reported a loss of a satellite. The quarterly commentary provides as much detail on the financial impact as we can provide at this time. Losing a healthy satellite in-orbit is an extremely rare occurrence. We are fortunate that out of the last 92 satellites placed in the service, we have only experienced three unexpected complete losses of otherwise healthy satellites, including the recent loss of Intelsat 29e.

The protocol for satellite failures is to rely upon a comprehensive analysis of a failure review board, comprising members of our company, our manufacturer Boeing and independent experts. We will not speculate about the nature of the anomaly until the board has done its work. This could take several months. So we must ask for your patience on this front.

That said, we note that the previously reported thruster anomaly on Intelsat 33e satellite was due to the failure of the main engine thruster used only for orbit-raising. This is a different system than that involved in the Intelsat 29e event, thus we believe there to be no relationship between the two anomalies.

Following the anomaly, we immediately implemented our network continuity plan. We set into motion the actions necessary to restore customer traffic on our fleet as well as on third-party satellites for which we had prearranged reciprocal terms. Although the restoration is not yet fully complete, we are satisfied that we've done our best on the most important task. We've identified capacity that is technically comparable getting our customers' networks back on the air as quickly as possible. This is a testament to the depth and robustness of the global Ku-band ecosystem. We've been able to restore the majority, but not all the services on this satellite. Today we are providing our best estimate of the financial impact of the satellite loss.

Today, we have updated our 2019 revenue guidance to a range of $2 billion to $2.06 billion. This reduction primarily reflects the multiple revenue impacts of the satellite loss, which we described in detail in the quarterly commentary. The revenue guidance update also reflects a downward adjustment due to first quarter 2019 non-renewals in our media and government businesses.

Our updated adjusted EBITDA guidance is a range of $1.43 billion to $1.48 billion. This reflects the impact of the lower revenues as well as the increased cost of sale related to third party services needed for service restoration. It also reflects two accounting changes related to the Horizons 3e satellite and a new accounting standard for leases. The updated guidance is described fully in the quarterly commentary. But we know you will have some questions, which we will get to in a moment.

Before we move to Q&A, just a few words on the C-Band Alliance proposal to the Federal Communications Commission. Our FCC proposal outlines a market based framework for clearing a portion of the C-band spectrum within 18 months to 36 months following the receipt of a final order from the FCC. Since our last call, we continue to build consensus with the various stakeholders who are party to the C-band proposal. We are also collaborating with those in the U.S. government who understand the critical role of C-band clearing to 5G.

Our filings at the FCC in the past month increase transparency on two important fronts. The first was increased detail on our ongoing commitment to our customers in the C-band ecosystem. The second was our transition implementation plan. This plan details the sequence of actions required to clear spectrum within 18 months to 36 months from a final order from the FCC. We believe the timing is the differentiating feature of our proposal and one that creates great benefit for the US government in its goal to win the race for 5G. The sooner the U.S. service providers have access to cleared spectrum, the sooner the wheels of economic development and innovation will begin to turn. This will increase capital investment in the U.S. and create high technology jobs. The era of 5G will unlock significant GDP growth and innovation as the Internet of Things becomes a reality.

Based upon comments made by the FCC, accelerating the deployment of 5G remains a top priority for the administration. The FCC controls the timing of the order, be it a month from now or later this year. Regardless, we're completing all of the work necessary to implement our proposal the moment the FCC issues an order. As we said in our last quarter call, we'll be ready to deliver on our commitment.

So let's move to Q&A, so we can discuss this topic and address your questions on the business.

Questions and Answers:

Operator

Thank you, sir. (Operator Instructions) And our first question will come from the line of Jason Kim with Goldman Sachs. Your line is now open.

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Hey, good morning. To start off on the revenue guidance change first, can you help us bridge the guidance change to both the revenue and EBITDA for this year? And if you don't mind, we can start with the revenue guidance. So the revenue guidance change, it's $60 million reduction, but of that you called out $45 million to $50 million in terms of impact from IS-29E and then the rest seems like a mixed impact from lower core business trends on the one hand and positive accounting benefit from ASC 842, so I was hoping you can provide some incremental color on those items, core business and the accounting impact.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah. Thank you, Jason. This is Jack. As you noted, it's -- we've said the impact of 29e is between $45 million and $50 million for the year and this is made up of a number of items. One is the current loss of revenue on the satellite itself. Also, we had anticipated new revenue on this satellite, which we won't be able to deliver this year as well as the capacity that we anticipated to sell on other satellites on the Intelsat fleet. Added to this, as you know, we have some repointing costs and in that case we count that as a credit, so it's a decrease in revenue. And I think the last item on this to make up the $45 million to $50 million is the balance sheet acceleration of the straight line balances that we have.

Now, you also pointed out that we had some non-renewals in a couple of our customer set for the first quarter. So if you add all this, it's basically a number between $60 million to $70 million, and this is why if you look at the midpoint of our new range compared to the midpoint of the old range, it's about $60 million in terms of revenue.

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

And then -- sorry go ahead.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No go ahead, if you have a question on this.

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

So I was wondering what the positive impact would be from the accounting change.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, the accounting change, you mean on the lease and the 842?

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Correct.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes. So we obviously benefited from $14 million of extra revenue in the first quarter, which will not be repeated for the rest of the year. It's just anticipated revenue that we were planning on recording over the life of the contract. Obviously, if you look at EBITDA, we are also getting a cost of that lease acceleration. And beside this, we had a change in accounting in the joint venture that we have on H3e with our partner JSAT. Added to that, in terms of the cost I could also add that we have extra direct cost of revenue associated with third-party costs obviously for restoring some of our customers on some of our friendly operators.

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Got it. And then moving on to the EBITDA side of things, so there seems to be some accounting impact, that's again looks like a non-cash in nature. But when we look at the -- when you look at the IS-29E impact, how much of the costs are there that are transitory in nature versus ongoing? And by that I mean, other costs associated with issuing credits to customers and just repointing the beams that hit your costs right now, but it's more of a one-time in nature versus having to pay third-party operators to move customer traffic over, but those costs are ongoing. Just trying to figure out what the sort of the ongoing impact on EBITDA will be from IS-29E versus sort of a short-term impact.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah. So I think the non-recurring cost, the one that you mentioned, the credit issue for repointing cost, but also the second one might be to balance the balance sheet acceleration of the straight line balances because that will not occur since we have basically written down these numbers. But the rest of it --

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Can you quantify the number?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Sorry.

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Can you quantify the number?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

It's maybe 10% of the total of the $45 million to $50 million.

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Got it. Then one question on the C-band side, from all we can read, it appears that a 300 megahertz number keeps coming up in terms of what others would like to see free up and we saw the ex parte filings from CBA detailing its plans for vacating 200 megahertz. But if you were to go for 300 megahertz theoretically what are the practical issues you will need to deal with versus 200 megahertz and how much more time will be required?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah. Thanks, Jason. So yes, I mean, it's pretty clear -- it should be clear to everyone that we have proposed clearing 200 megahertz and we said that we could do that in a 18-month to 36-month time frame. We have not done any analysis or extra work to see what we can do beyond that. But we do know that there is a potential path to clearing more in the future. That path requires that new technology be implemented in our customers' networks, specifically HEVC, which is a higher efficiency coding method for television in content transmission. That technology is not necessarily viewed mature and we understand that there are also some intellectual property challenges with its implementation. So programmers, broadcasters are looking at this technology, but they have not proceeded to implement this technology yet. When that does happen there would be further compression in the networks and we could look at the potential to clear more, but we're talking about a time frame past the 36 months that we've noted and it's more in the five-year plus time range for that to happen.

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Thank you very much.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

You're welcome.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Jason, maybe a clarification, if you're still on the phone. When I was talking about the 10% of the total cost, I was referring to the balance sheet acceleration of the straight line balances. But if you look at the total non-recurring, it's about one-third of the total of the revenue impact.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question will come from the line of Simon Flannery with Morgan Stanley. Your line is now open.

Simon Flannery -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst

Great. Thank you. Good morning. On the 29e, could you just talk about the orbital slot and what are your plans and what the timeline is related to that? And how should we think about any of the potential causes and what the impact or the risk might be to the other Epic satellites? And then on C-band, where are we on the band plan? One of your discussions being with the CBA, with the FCC and are you likely to propose a band plan to the FCC in the coming weeks and months? Thanks.

Dianne VanBeber -- Vice President, Investor Relations

To other satellite.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Simon. First of all, the slot is 310 degrees East, which is a long-term Intelsat slot. We have the ability to continue to develop that slot. There's not an unlimited time, but we're working on plans right now to see how we bring some additional capacity or satellites or capabilities to that slot to protect it for the long-term. So we understand very clearly what the rules of the ITU are and the FCC in this regard and we're working toward actions to make sure that we comply with those rules.

Dianne VanBeber -- Vice President, Investor Relations

Second, knock-on (ph) effects for other satellites.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, in terms of effects on other satellites, at this point in time, Simon, it's too early to say anything really about whether there's any impact on any other satellite or any other satellite manufacturer by our manufacturer of this 29e satellite. It's just too early to tell. Right now, there are no indications that would tell us that there would be some other effects. But we really can't confirm any of that until we get through the failure review process.

In terms of the band plan status, you're right, this was one of three transparency filings that we have said that we will be filing with the FCC. The first two that relate to our customer commitment in terms of supporting them over the long-term, covering their costs and getting the job done has been filed. The second one related to our transition plan that details how we would actually free up the capacity and what sequence, launching the new satellites, implementing the filters, that has been filed. The third one in that sequence is intended to be the band plan itself. So that effort is being refined right now. We're engaged with various participants and stakeholders in that effort. We are seeking to develop a band plan that's inclusive, that's fair, that's transparent to make sure that the various market participants have the opportunity to compete and we believe these are characteristics that are important to the FCC as well. So we're trying to complete that work as quickly as possible with dialogue with the FCC to make sure that we've approached this the correct way. And so you know that should be coming in future weeks.

Simon Flannery -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst

And just to be clear on that, I think you already, in some of your prior filings suggested you might be able to make 60 megahertz available within -- at the 18-month mark, is that still the plan?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, that's correct. That was in our transition plan filing a few weeks ago where we have indicated that we believe we can clear an early tranche of spectrum 60 megahertz at the early end of our time frame. Yes.

Simon Flannery -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst

Okay. So that might be factored into the band plan as -- do you think that would be one particular block or that would be each block would have a piece that would come early?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Those are the exact questions we're examining with different parties.

Simon Flannery -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst

Great. Thanks a lot.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

You're welcome.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question will come from line of Mike Pace with J.P. Morgan. Your line is now open.

Michael Pace -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst

Thank you. Just some follow-ups from earlier questions, and apologies with the math here, some of them might be simple, but trying to understand it. So to get back to the revenue guidance, you said $45 million to $50 million is from 29e. I think Jack, you also said that the 842 accounting benefit would be $14 million in Q1 and for the full year. So is that math implying that there's roughly $30 million to $35 million of core business pressure versus your prior expectations?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

If you add all the numbers, you can see that we have been a little bit more conservative on the guidance range because in fact we are not completely finished with the numbers on 29e as you can imagine. It only happened two-and-a-half weeks ago. So I think, you know, we are going to be off by $5 million or so maybe at the end of the day. But the difference between, as I indicated, between the midpoint of the two guidance is $60 million. So you know because we wanted to give ourselves a little bit of room here.

Michael Pace -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst

And I'm sorry, the $5 million off, what did that mean? I'm sorry.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No, I mean that it's very hard today to estimate exactly the cost related to the 29e until we have all the customer contracts and amendment resigned and in place. And as you know, we've been working on this and it's a matter of daily work and we don't have all the contracts yet in place.

Michael Pace -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst

And to get back to 29e and I get that this happened just weeks ago. I guess the $45 million to $50 million revenue impact estimate was a little more than just I was thinking. And I guess, can you just walk us through, is this just really a timing issue? And I guess, the way I think about it, there's kind of three sets of customers. There's one set that you were able to transfer over to your other satellites. Does that take time? How quickly can customers be restored on third-party satellites over SES? Again, does that just take time? And then do you have an estimate yet on what percentage of revenues or customers that are just be unable to get services back?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, well, I'm going to give you a general answer because we can't give you the exact answer of how many of the customer will not be restored anywhere, but there's a couple of buckets that I indicated before. One, we are losing current customer on the -- exist on the 29e customer -- 29e satellites. Two, we had some revenue -- new revenue expectation on that satellite. So that's the second bucket of loss. Then the third bucket of losses, we are obviously using capacity on our own satellites to restore our customers and therefore we will not be able to sell this. And that was in the plan. So these are the three big buckets of revenue. The other one that I mentioned a few minutes ago is the credits that we have to give for repointing our customer to different satellites. And finally again, there was -- there is a balance sheet impact on the fact that we have to accelerate some of the straight line balances that we have outstanding. So these are the buckets. And as I indicated a few minutes ago, we estimate today that the non-recurring part of that will be about a third of that total cost. And you have to obviously annualize the rest of the cost if you take that one-third out because the numbers that we gave you are only for nine months.

Michael Pace -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst

Understood. And then just a follow up on the cost side of the equation, I guess, the $20 million to $25 million of changes to accounting for Horizons 3e and ASC 842, is this all non-cash OpEx? And then maybe just explain the difference in H3e accounting now versus what I thought was just a 50% kind of gross margin?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Good question. This is in addition -- on H3e, this is in addition, it's an accounting change that has to do with H3e, but not related to the 50% cost of sales. In terms of cash and non-cash, it's not non-cash, a big part of it. So that's the answer.

Michael Pace -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst

Okay. Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question will come from the line of Anthony Klarman with Deutsche Bank. Your line is now open.

Anthony Klarman -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Hi, thanks. A couple of questions. In the section of the quarterly commentary on media, one of the issues that you cite were reduced collections on services primarily in the Middle East and Asia. And I guess, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about whether that was actually bad debt that you were seeing and if the bad debt provision has gone up. And then further in media, if you could just remind us on what the renewal headwind looks like as we proceed through the rest of the year and we think about the cadence of the revenue in media for the remainder of 2019.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

So, thank you, Anthony. The first question related to our media customers and collections, we refer to collections here. We're primarily talking about delayed revenues. These are customers that are on a, call it, a cash basis payment scheme and so we don't recognize those revenues until they pay. So we do expect those revenues to come in, but they're delayed. We also mentioned some foreign exchange challenges and that's sometimes it shows up on the revenue side because it relates to contractual or statutory adjustments to pricing based on particular countries and markets based on changes of exchange rates et cetera.

The second question related to the quarters in the non-renewals, we're seeing pretty much the same trends that we have seen across the media sector in recent quarters. Our customers across the globe are looking for economies and ways of operating their networks more economically. So they've moved in some places to implement some compression technologies, in other cases, they're reducing their transmission of standard definition channels. They're moving to more variable cost models, in some cases that have fixed costs meaning instead of buying a full transponder, they'll buy services from us on demand. When there's been some M&A, there's been some consolidation of traffic and capabilities. And so all those things are occurring. I would just say the one other outside trend to that is in some cases some of our free-to-air DTH platforms are under some pressure and that's probably the only place that we've seen a real impact on over-the-top delivery or some of these free-to-air either religious or ethnic content neighborhoods and again a couple of spots in the world. So we do expect that these trends will continue throughout the year. And that's why we made some adjustment in the revenue guidance as a result of this to take that into consideration. So it's a little bit softer than we anticipated when we built the guidance several months ago.

Anthony Klarman -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Thanks. And then similar line of questioning. On the government side, I think you had previously called out some renewals that were happening in the first quarter of 2019. But you mentioned two sizable contracts that did not renew. Were those things that were in the guidance that you actually had expected to be renewed. So those were surprises to the original guidance build in terms of what you called out in the government section?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Yes, that's correct. And these are two off-net contracts, meaning, we're using third-party capacity for these contracts. We did not lose it competitively. The end customer decided that they wanted to change their mission and they didn't need this particular capacity in that part of the world anymore. So this happens from time to time. It's not always with government customers. You don't always get visibility on when they're going to make these decisions. Sometimes it benefits us with new services that pop up quickly. In other cases like this, it causes some non-renewals that weren't expected. So because of those two contracts in the year -- the full year impact of those not renewing, we felt it best to incorporate this impact into our revenue guidance change as well.

Anthony Klarman -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Thanks. And then just a question on the EBITDA guidance. So obviously, Jack, you walked us through a bunch of the puts and takes with the EBITDA guidance for Jason and Mike on H3e and ASC 842. I guess, the other impact sounds like it's going to be in terms of the provisioning of off-net services from other carriers to support customers who you've transitioned to an off-net solution. Can you remind us of what the margin differential kind of looks like there? Obviously, we're familiar with what sort of the on-net looks like and I think in the past, you've seen some EBITDA margin dilution as you provisioned off-net. But can you give us a quantum as to what you would expect the mix to be in terms of customers who will be on-net versus off-net? And then just what that margin differential looks like on an off-net basis?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

The margin off-net is obviously minimal compared to the margin on-net. We don't want to give exactly the number, but as you know, we have agreement with some of our friendly operators and that's pretty well spelled out in these agreements. So -- and I think it's reciprocal anyway and everybody does it over time. So -- but it's -- our margin obviously going to be impacted.

Anthony Klarman -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Do you have a sense or an understanding yet as to what the ultimate mix will be in terms of customers who are transitioned to one of your other two primary satellites that took some capacity versus SES type capacity solutions? Just to get an understanding we can make our own estimates as to what the potential margin impact will be.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, the thing that we can say today, and Steve will add something, I'm sure, the majority of our customers have been restored on our fleet. But to go beyond that, it's is difficult.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, I think once the -- all the restorations are done, it may not be the majority, but it may be slightly less to give you an indication, but there's still a lot of work to be done. In getting back to one of the earlier questions, you know, these transitions and restoration efforts are very complex. In some cases, if the customer is -- either has a small network or a mobility network, the switch over to another satellite can be rather quick. In other cases, it requires some pretty extensive engineering moving from one high throughput solution to another or a high throughput solution on Intelsat 29e to a wide beam solution or when a customer has hundreds or thousands of sites in very remote areas that takes some time for repoint. So that's why it's hard for us right now to be definitive about a lot of this. It's still very much in process. We're working with our customers around the clock to get these transitions and restorations completed.And then we'll be able to understand the impact on contracts and amendments that we need to execute with them through this process.

Anthony Klarman -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Thanks. And the final for me, I was wondering if you could give us a sense as to what the time frame is around when you will make a decision on the potential for a 29e replacement and if that would potentially include things like hosted payloads or other things that could be faster than just a greenfield build or whether there was the potential that perhaps you would maybe do nothing at all and just sort of go with the current on-net and off-net setup that you have in place for the customers?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, I think it's a little bit early to say anything definitive regarding that. We're assessing all the options and you touched upon a number of them. Whether we can do things within our fleet in terms of moving satellites is under study. Can we work with more third-party off-net type solutions as part of that, that's also under study. What options we have to assess replacement capacity, that is new, we're looking that as well. And obviously on that last point, you know, we want to be able to take advantage of technological advancements in the spacecraft that are under development today versus timing and all of that. So we want to look at all those options. So it's probably going to be a combination of all those, but we're too early to make any specific comments. We'll have to update you later on, on the plan.

Anthony Klarman -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

All right. Thanks very much.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

You're welcome.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question will come from the line of James Ratcliffe with Evercore. Your line is now open.

James Ratcliffe -- Evercore -- Analyst

Thanks. A couple if I could. First of all, just housekeeping. Jack, did you say that the bulk of the H3e and 842 impact was non-cash or that was not non-cash? And secondly --

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

It's non-cash.

James Ratcliffe -- Evercore -- Analyst

It's non-cash, OK.

Dianne VanBeber -- Vice President, Investor Relations

It's not non-cash.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Sorry, that's what I said. Not non-cash. Apologize.

James Ratcliffe -- Evercore -- Analyst

Okay. It is not non-cash. Okay. And the -- for the 29e migration in the near-term, how do we think about this from the revenue front if traffic is migrated over to friendly provider and the like, does that stay as revenue and then much higher OpEx for you folks or does it just disappear off the income statement?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes, it will.

Dianne VanBeber -- Vice President, Investor Relations

If we retain the business.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes, that's right.

James Ratcliffe -- Evercore -- Analyst

So it basically becomes a low margin revenue as comparing to -- as compared to interest income.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Absolutely, that's correct.

James Ratcliffe -- Evercore -- Analyst

Great. And just third, it looks like the first MEV deployment may have been pushed back a little bit. Just give a little color on that. And is this plan still to deploy two of those? Thanks.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, sure. The plan is still to deploy two. The program is going well, but taking a little bit longer than planned and so we also had to sync it up with a launch vehicle. So we have pushed that into the future a little bit and we don't expect to have MEV expenses in 2019.

James Ratcliffe -- Evercore -- Analyst

And were there any expected expenses in the prior EBITDA guidance for 2019?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No, I think we have mentioned that in the last call, we had anticipated just a month of expenses in our guidance anyway. So we have pushed this out now to 2020.

James Ratcliffe -- Evercore -- Analyst

Great. Thank you.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

You're welcome.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question will come from line of Lance Vitanza with Cowen. Your line is now open.

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

Hey, thanks guys. I mean, if we could start, I just wanted to go back to the guidance for a second. Revenue guidance down $60 million, $45 million to $50 million related to the satellite failure. Is there any variable cost that goes along with that $45 million to $50 million? Or should we assume that that particular revenue decline falls straight to the EBITDA line?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

I think you have to anticipate the whole number going straight to the EBITDA line.

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

Okay, great. So then if we turn to the $100 million reduction in the EBITDA guidance, we can assume that that $60 million -- the $45 million to $50 million from the satellite and then roughly -- I mean, I guess then the other half would just sort of be the organic pressure from the non-renewals and so forth?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes, that's correct. And also the increase in third-party cost as we discussed and the two accounting changes that we talked about in terms of the H3e joint venture and the -- obviously we have now the ASC 842 for the full year.

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

Well, I guess what I'm trying to get at is, of that $100 million reduction, how much of that pressure is really the organic pressure that you're seeing as opposed to the accounting change and the satellite related issues, meaning, both the revenue loss, but also the replacing the revenues with the lower margin revenues?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Well, yeah, I think we've talked about that non-renewables in a couple of our customer set. So you have the impact of that directly and you have the impact of the third-party cost.

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

So it would be about $30 million, $35 million, is that sort of the rate -- sort of ballpark?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

That's high, but -- because again we wanted to be -- if you add all these numbers, it's a little more than this, but we have a midpoint as I indicated of $100 million, the same way we have a midpoint of $60 million on the revenue side because we want to be a little bit (inaudible).

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

Okay. Thank you. So on the CBA process, if I -- Steve, if I heard you right, going to -- you know, eventually going to 300 megahertz would not only take another couple of years beyond the 36 months that we need for the existing 200 megahertz plan, but it sounds like it would also correspond with just generally lower revenue from the media segment today, did I interpret that correctly?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Not necessarily. I mean, I think that we -- this is predicting what they're going to need in the future. And it could be this efficiency allows -- sorry media companies to add in Ultra HD type content, 4-K type content, for example, much more efficiency -- efficiently. You need to have HEVC to do 4-K. So there would be compression and more efficiencies for these customers, but it would provide more capability for 4-K. Those are the conversations that we would have to have with all of our media customers to determine what is their timeline for implementing this next generation of compression and encoding technology and what the impact will be for their channel distribution at that point in time and their channel plans. So I think we will cross that bridge when we come to it. But it is going to be a number of years before this technology is fully implemented in a way that the customers are comfortable with.

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

Understood. Back to the here and now, I was encouraged to see you recently amend your plan such that you could get the 60 megahertz out more quickly than the balance. But what did you make of Ericsson's recent filing where they basically -- they complained that you know that the sort of the phasing, if you will, of the -- making the spectrum available would cause problems with filtering and so forth. I couldn't tell if that was sort of a strawman filing or if that's a real concern -- I mean, I'm sure it's a real concern, but it seems like it's a little bit of a whack-a-mole right where you try to address one constituent's concerns and then another constituent's concern sort of pop up in its place. Is that -- could you give us any color on that?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, look we've been spending a lot of time, months -- months and months, working on the engineering and the technology required to implement this transition and to create a interference free environment once it is implemented. And we've actually done extensive testing with the wireless equipment companies to prove out the -- this particular fact. So we would not have come forward with this early tranche of 60 megahertz if we weren't confident that this can be done safely, interference free and can be implemented as well as it can be.

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

Okay, thank you. My last question -- sorry, go ahead. Yeah, my last question is just on the satellite failure. Could you discuss the decision to not maintain in-orbit insurance on the Epic class satellites in particular? I mean, let me just play devil's advocate for a second. You know, those satellites are not really interchangeable with the other 45 to 50 satellites that you have. You only have a handful of the Epic class. There have -- the two failures that have been recently were both in that class. And then at least if I remember correctly in-orbit insurance is typically much less expensive than launch insurance. So I'm just wondering what the sort of the thought process was there and if that might change going forward given the recent events?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Well, the answer to the last part of your question is obvious, we will obviously be looking at this going forward. We have looked at this and we review this on an annual basis as you can imagine. You know, just want to remind you this is only the third failure that we've seen in 92 launches since 1992. I understand you're specifically mentioning the Epic satellites as opposed to the others. But you know, an analysis so far has shown that it was not cost effective to buy in-orbit insurance. Again, as I said, when I started to answer your question, we're obviously going to look at this going forward.

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

Will Boeing provide any compensation for your loss? I mean, it seems -- I mean, warranty is probably not the right the term of art, but it seems like there should be some make-good there given that they've had some problems and it was relatively early in the life of the satellite. But what does that arrangement look like if any?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

I think it's probably not appropriate to comment on that at this point in time. We're in the failure review process to assess this and it's really a contractual item between us and our manufacturer.

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

Okay. Thanks guys. I very much appreciate it.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Okay. You're welcome.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question will come from line of Chris Quilty with Quilty Analytics. Your line is now open.

Chris Quilty -- Quilty Analytics -- Analyst

Thanks. Just wanted to follow up, there was some commentary or within the commentary -- in network services, there was a discussion there about non-renewal of contracts due to fiber, but there was also language about other satellite services, which is new language, I don't recall. Are those just lost competition? And was that based on price or were there other factors at play?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, I mean, we've been talking for a while about our point-to-point services moving to fiber. So you know, that particular point as you know is pretty consistent with what we've been talking about in the past. There are some other impacts that we occasionally see in network services and other places. You know, one of those is a situation where in some countries they have a domestic satellite network and by decree almost they mandate some of our customers to move on to those fleets. It's something that we are always trying to resist and to help our customers avoid that because we can deliver very high quality service and that's why they're on our network. But that occurs from time to time as well. So that's probably the other factor that's been -- that's referenced in that commentary.

Chris Quilty -- Quilty Analytics -- Analyst

Understand. And also during the quarter it looks like OneWeb got another funding round done. You're an investor in there. Can you talk about how that funding round might impact your sort of intermediate to longer term planning for capacity and other issues?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, I think there are couple of milestones with OneWeb. One was that funding round that they announced, which was a good boost for them because it allowed them to continue their network build and the construction of the satellites, which is an important milestone. The other key event for them is that they had a successful launch of their first six satellites. And so those satellites are operating now and are moving to their operating orbit as we speak. So you know, these are two important milestones for OneWeb. I think it demonstrates that by far they're in the lead of all of the LEO players in terms of building a network and bringing it into reality in space. And so you know, we applaud them for all their efforts in that regard. We still very much believe that our services in the future will be a multi-layered infrastructure, multi-band infrastructure. And so having the capability in our partnership with OneWeb to provide our customers LEO services as well as hybrid LEO/GEO services we believe is very important. So we're pleased to see the progress they've made and we continue our engagement with our customers in OneWeb on the commercial side.

Chris Quilty -- Quilty Analytics -- Analyst

Got you. And final question related to the CapEx plan, I think you mentioned that there is an expectation that you could order your first software defined satellite this year. Presumably that's in the CapEx guidance. But can you talk about both cost and capability, obviously not specifics, but sort of ballpark of what you would expect from those satellites as compared to perhaps the current Epic fleet?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

This is the next generation of spacecrafts that we're very excited about. A number of the manufacturers have development programs under way and are moving toward being able to take commercial orders for this next generation of capability. They are by definition high throughput satellites that are very flexible from an operating standpoint. We would have the ability through the software on these satellites to reconfigure beam coverage, power, bandwidth to places on the earth that have the demand and the need for growth and we can change that over the life of the satellite. So it creates incredible operational flexibility for us and for our customers. At the same time the design of these satellites are such that we can get sizable capacity in space at a lower CapEx cost per bid, so it's a lower CapEx investment for each individual unit of capacity and it allows us to stay competitive from a cost basis as well for the delivery of services. So we are working with manufacturers now, and if all plans continue as we expect, we hope to be able to embark on that later in the year.

Chris Quilty -- Quilty Analytics -- Analyst

Great. Thank you.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

You're welcome.

Operator

Thank you. (Operator Instructions) And our next question will come from the line of Ric Prentiss with Raymond James. Your line is now open.

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

Thanks. Good morning.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Good morning.

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

Hey, couple of questions, on 2019 guidance has been pretty common theme. First, just want to triple check, I guess, the ASC 842 impact of $14 million, that had not been in the previous revenue guidance right? So that's one of the changes, the positive $14 million?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Correct.

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

Okay. And then when we think about you laid out nicely the big buckets of the I-29e issue, current customer loss, new revenue opportunity loss, other satellite capacity loss. Can you kind of help us frame how big those buckets are, not with dollars, but maybe just rough percentages, how much are in each of those buckets?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Okay. I would say about -- since we said -- I said before that one-third is non-recurring out of the $40 million to $45 million, the rest is recurring and that's the three buckets that you just mentioned. And it's about -- you know, obviously the growth capacity that we are now using on our other satellite for restoration is the biggest bucket of that two-third.

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

Okay. And obviously then it also is just nine months impact, so we take (ph) forward into 2020.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

That's correct. That's correct.

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

And then also in the previous guidance, you had provided network services would be down 3% to 6% year-over-year, media down 3% to 6% year-over-year, government down 1% to up 2%. Have you updated the media and government portions of the guidance, so we could kind of understand what the core business impact was?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

So Ric, that guidance by customer set, we do once a year at the beginning of the year as an indication of how we expect those business units to perform over the course of the year. We don't update that on interim basis. But you know, I think it's correct to assume given that we've mentioned here some softness in our media business and softness in our government business that the expectations for those two customer sets are lower than we had originally anticipated when we started the year and we had to -- we decided to incorporate that in this guidance adjustment as a result.

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

Got you. Okay. And then maybe an update. Good talking with Jack. But I think the CFO transition roles, you originally thought maybe in the spring there would be a successor appointed here in Florida (inaudible) in the summer, but you guys are still -- got the cherry blossoms, but just wondering what's the update around CFO search.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, we have springtime until mid to late June, so that was the time frame. So we're still on track and working through that process. I would say that we're probably closer to the end of the process than the beginning at this point.

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

And what are the key features you're looking forward in the new CFO? What do you think the top two or three items that that person would bring to the role that would be important?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, I'm not going to give you the entire spec, but I think there's obvious -- couple obvious ones. One is, we have a very complex capital structure. We certainly need someone that is comfortable with managing that, has the experience and that can help us continue to execute on that. The second part is growth. You know, our business needs top line growth as we all know and we're working hard to generate that. Having a CFO in the seat that is supportive of that and is part of the team to make that happen is the other priority.

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

Okay. And the final one on the C-Band Alliance you mentioned you're ready to go as soon as you get the final word from the FCC, whether it's one month or later this year. Are there any firm dates on the calendar we can watch and point to as we kind of monitor the process?

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

It's very hard to do. We -- the FCC itself has not stated and the Chairman's office in particular who sets the agenda has not stated a specific timeline. You know, all we do know is that the Chairman wants to get this right. I think he recognizes the importance of this and he said they're deliberating as -- deliberating as fast as they can within the FCC to move this forward. So I think like us, we monitor what the FCC, the commissioners in particular are saying, get some indication as we build consensus across the sector. I think that will help bring things more toward the end of the process. But it's hard to say when it would be.

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

Okay. Very good (ph). We'll keep our eyes out. Thanks so much.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Okay. You're welcome.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question will come from the line of David Phipps with Citi. Your line is now open.

David Phipps -- Citigroup -- Analyst

Hi, thanks for taking my question. And Jack, if this is your last call, it's been a memorable one, and good luck in your new life. Coming back to the 2019 guidance. So the guidance range is wide. And then there was another line in there you talked about potential field service expenses that you're unclear on. So I'm not sure if that's incorporated in the wide guidance for 2019, or if that could be another impact to 2019 guide?

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No, it's incorporated in the guidance and it's part of the credit that we issue for repointing basically. And it's cost that we're going to incur in terms of field services and things like this. So it will be all in there and it was already incorporated in.

David Phipps -- Citigroup -- Analyst

Another thing I'm getting asked about is, given that you took the reset for IS-29E and you're lowering some of the other items, have you really just taken a very conservative stance on this? And potentially the upcoming launch of IS-39 and Horizons 3e could have some benefits that might help the year be a little bit better than the midpoint of the guidance.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

So Horizons 3e is obviously in-orbit and operating. We're -- that started service in January, so we've been adding and building customer networks on that satellite. We have a good pipeline and growth expectations, but that of course is incorporated into our view of guidance for the year, that pipeline on that satellite. Likewise, for Intelsat 39 that launches later this year, we've incorporated the transition revenue and growth revenue on that satellite into our revenue as well. Of course, we're going to do everything possible to maximize upside across those two assets as well as our entire fleet as we go through the year.

David Phipps -- Citigroup -- Analyst

Those were all my questions. Thank you.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Okay, you're welcome.

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. And our last question will come from the line of Arun Seshadri with Credit Suisse. Your line is now open.

Arun Seshadri -- Credit Suisse -- Analyst

Hi. Thanks for sneaking me in here. Just one question from me. Just wanted to get a sense for mechanically or sort of in terms of upside for next year 2020, what are you able to say in terms of the ability to claw back some of the EBITDA headwinds for 2019 into 2020? I guess, there's two parts to it. One is simply in terms of opportunity for potential claw back, in terms of either stuff that you can move off-net, on-net. And then secondly just mechanically speaking, are there certain costs that you'll be carrying this year that will not recur next year in terms of a full year number? Thanks.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Arun, on the first topic, I mean, you know, like, we don't obviously look so far into 2020 and share that information publicly yet, because we're still a ways off. But you know, the key for 2020 and addressing both revenue and EBITDA is having a strong finish to the rest of the year. Intelsat 29e obviously gives us a little bit of a delay and a hit regarding our plans. But building services on our new satellites, focusing on our managed services in particular and ramping up the base of terminals that are on those platforms, whether it be maritime or aeronautical or even our new services and media and networks, you know, building up the run rate at year end is absolutely critical, so we hit next year as strong as possible. So that's really the focus. And when I touched upon what do we do about the Intelsat 29e slot and what kind of capabilities we bring in, that's all to be determined, the impact of that, but we believe for this year we've incorporated everything in our guidance and we'll look at next year later on.

Arun Seshadri -- Credit Suisse -- Analyst

Got it. Fair enough. Thank you very much.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Okay. You're welcome.

Operator

Thank you. And this concludes our question-and-answer session for today. So now, it is my pleasure to hand the conference back over to Stephen Spengler, Chief Executive Officer, for any closing comments and remarks. Please proceed sir.

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Okay. Thank you everyone for joining our call today. And thank you for your questions. We look forward to meeting with investors at upcoming investor and industry events occurring over the next several weeks. Thank you.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your participation on today's conference. This does conclude the program and we may all disconnect. Everybody have a wonderful day.

Duration: 61 minutes

Call participants:

Dianne VanBeber -- Vice President, Investor Relations

Stephen Spengler -- Chief Executive Officer

Jason Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Jacques D. Kerrest -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Simon Flannery -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst

Michael Pace -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst

Anthony Klarman -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

James Ratcliffe -- Evercore -- Analyst

Lance Vitanza -- Cowen -- Analyst

Chris Quilty -- Quilty Analytics -- Analyst

Ric Prentiss -- Raymond James -- Analyst

David Phipps -- Citigroup -- Analyst

Arun Seshadri -- Credit Suisse -- Analyst

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GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran will continue to export oil despite U.S. pressure aimed at reducing the country's crude shipments to zero, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday.

"America's decision that Iran's oil exports must reach zero is a wrong and mistaken decision, and we won't let this decision be executed and operational," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television.

"In future months, the Americans themselves will see that we will continue our oil exports."

Oil prices hit their highest since November in recent days after Washington said all waivers for sanctions-hit Iranian oil would end this week, pressuring importers to stop buying from Tehran and further tightening global supply.

The United States demanded on April 22 that buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers that had allowed Iran's eight biggest customers, most of them in Asia, to import limited volumes.

Rouhani said if the United States can block one method for Iran to export oil, Tehran will find other ways to do so.

On Tuesday, National Iranian Oil Co offered 1 million barrels of heavy crude on the Iran Energy Exchange (IRENEX) in an attempt to attract new, private buyers.

Trading in crude oil is state-controlled in Iran, but to try to work around U.S. sanctions, the government last year started selling to private buyers through the exchange.

Fars news agency reported that 70,000 barrels were sold at $60.68 a barrel. Iran does not reveal the identity of private buyers on the energy exchange because they might be targeted by U.S. penalties.

(Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh, additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London; Editing by Tom Hogue and Dale Hudson)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State remains a potent threat around the world despite reduced capabilities, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday, adding its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had made his latest video appearance in a "remote area". Abdul Mahdi did not say which country that area was in. A video released late on Monday by Islamic State's media network showed a man it said was Baghdadi in what would be his first appearance since he declared the jihadists' now-defunct "caliphate" five years ago. The authenticity and date of the recording could not be independently verified. Abdul Mahdi said Baghdadi's appearance was an attempt to boost militants and that Islamic State would attempt to carry out more attacks. "Regarding the location of Baghdadi, we can't give intelligence information right now but it's clear from the video that he's in a remote area," Abdul Mahdi said at a news conference on a visit to Berlin. Baghdadi, an Iraqi, is believed to be hiding out in an isolated area of either Iraq or Syria, part of vast desert regions Islamic State once held and from where it is thought the jihadists are now waging regular insurgent-style attacks against security forces in both countries. Hisham al-Hashemi, a security adviser to the Iraqi government, said officials had narrowed his whereabouts from 17 to a possible four locations. "These are in the desert of Iraq's Anbar (province) or in the (eastern) desert of Homs in Syria," he said. Abdul Mahdi said Islamic State's capabilities had "greatly reduced" but that the group still posed a threat. "Daesh (Islamic State) is not just a small organization, it's widespread and will try to put confidence back in its militants and carry out acts such as those in Sri Lanka," he said, referring to the Easter Sunday attacks claimed by the group which killed more than 250 people. In the 18-minute video from the Al Furqan network, a bearded man with Baghdadi's appearance says the bombings in Sri Lanka were Islamic State's response to losses in its last territorial stronghold of Baghouz in Syria. The video would be the first from Baghdadi since he was filmed in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014. More recent speeches have been released as audio recordings. A U.S.-backed campaign ended Islamic State's control of territory in Iraq in late 2017 and in Syria last month, nearly five years after the group took over vast areas in both countries. (Reporting by John Davison and Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel reduced the offshore fishing limit it imposes for vessels operating out of Gaza from Tuesday following rocket fire from the territory by Palestinian militants, officials said.

A number of fishing boats came under Israeli naval fire early Tuesday, the fishermen's union said, after the military said they breached the fishing boundaries.

The union statement did not report any casualties.

Gaza fishermen will now be able to operate no more than six nautical miles into the Mediterranean, down from up to 15 nautical miles Israel had allowed since April 1.

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees civil matters in the Palestinian territories, said the new limit would be in force "until further notice."

A COGAT spokeswoman said the decision was taken in light of a rocket launch from Gaza late on Monday.

A military spokeswoman said the rocket fell into the Mediterranean, a few kilometres (couple of miles) off the Israeli coast.

An army source told AFP that the rocket was fired by Gaza's second largest militant group, Islamic Jihad, an ally of the territory's Islamist rulers Hamas.

The source alleged that in recent weeks Islamic Jihad had been "taking steps to harm" efforts to maintain a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

But the source underlined that the evidence Islamic Jihad had fired the rocket would not affect Israel's longstanding policy of holding Hamas responsible as Gaza's de facto ruler.

"We still consider Hamas responsible for whatever happens in the (Gaza) Strip," the source said.

Zakaria Bakr, an official on the fishing union in Gaza, confirmed the reduction and accused Israel of attacking several boats in recent days, including Tuesday morning.

"A number of boats were sunk along with their fishing nets after being shot," he said in a statement, accusing Israel of breaching the terms of a recent truce agreement.

It was not immediately possible to confirm the claim.

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An Israeli army spokeswoman said that a number of boats "deviated from the designated fishing zone" and the navy used "standard operating procedures" to push them back, without giving further details.

Israel had extended the fishing limit to 15 nautical miles in some areas from April 1 as part of a package of measures intended to calm a flare-up of violence with Hamas ahead of the April 9 Israeli general election.

The Gaza fishermen's union said the limit was then set at 15 nautical miles in the south near the Egyptian border, at 12 off central Gaza and at six in the north near the Israeli border.

Israel has fought three wars with Gaza militants since 2008 and has blockaded the territory for more than a decade.
Milan (AFP) - Former Italian prime minister and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, 82, was hospitalised in Milan on Tuesday, reportedly with kidney stone pain.

Sources within his Forza Italia party told Italian media the three-time prime minister was not suffering from anything more serious than renal colic and was "talking on the phone and coordinating."

He had been due to attend a Forza Italia meeting Tuesday ahead of next month's European parliamentary elections, in which he is standing, but doctors at Milan's San Raffaele hospital had prevented him and he was expected to spend the night in hospital.

A former crooner turned property and media magnate, Berlusconi was Italian prime minister for his centre-right Forza Italia on three occasions between 1994 and 2011.

Despite his regular brushes with the law and health concerns, the man known as "the immortal" for his longevity in politics led the Italian right for more than two decades.

Berlusconi has faced a string of charges over the so-called Rubygate scandal linked to his parties and the underaged prostitute Karima El-Mahroug, also known as "Ruby the heart-stealer".

The billionaire businessman is currently on trial for paying a witness to give false testimony about his notoriously hedonistic parties.

Berlusconi is also being investigated or prosecuted for witness tampering in Milan, Sienna, Rome and Turin, each time for allegedly paying people to keep quiet about his so-called bunga-bunga parties.

Forza Italia is currently in opposition, with 105 MPs in Italy's 630-seat lower house.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will move the assembly of its Land Rover Defender to its plant in Slovakia to make room for newer models at its factory in Britain, the company said on Tuesday.

The Defender 4X4, which is designed and engineered in Britain, will be unveiled later this year, JLR, owned by India's Tata Motors, said.

"This decision is in parallel with plans for significant investment at the company's Solihull plant in the UK to support the production of the next generation of flagship Range Rover and Land Rover models," JLR said.

This is the second model to be built at the Slovakia plant, which was officially launched in October, where JLR expects to hit annual production of 100,000 cars by 2020.

The plant was built with an initial capacity of 150,000 vehicles and started by taking over production of the carmaker's Discovery model.

The British government has been wary of carmakers moving production outside the country after the industry warned that it would face possible risks if Britain's impending exit from the European Union is disorderly.

The risks, including delays to the supply of parts and finished models, new customs bureaucracy, the need to re-certify cars and an up to 10 percent tariff on finished vehicles, have forced carmakers to draw up contingency plans and even briefly shut production at their plants.

Together JLR, Mini, Rolls-Royce and Peugeot's Vauxhall, branded as Opel in the rest of Europe, built over 750,000 of Britain's 1.52 million cars last year.

(Reporting by Kate Holton in London and Aditi Shah in New Delhi, editing by Louise Heavens)
Moscow (AFP) - Maria Butina, the only Russian arrested and convicted in the three-year investigation of Moscow's interference in US politics, on Tuesday called her conviction absurd and a "disgrace" for American justice.

Butina, a 30-year-old gun activist, spoke to Russian reporters by phone after she was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Friday.

"I did not expect such a severe punishment," she said.

"This is absolutely absurd. This is a huge disgrace for the US justice system."

Butina's lawyer, Robert Driscoll, confirmed Butina's participation in the news conference.

She had admitted one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without registering -- a so-called "espionage-lite" charge the US has used before against alleged Russian spies.

US prosecutors said that although she worked openly and was not tied to any Russian intelligence agency, she was sending back reports to a high-level Russian official, Alexander Torshin, and posed a threat to the United States.

On Tuesday, Butina said fellow gun activist Torshin "was and remains a dear person to me" even though he had gone incommunicado once her troubles began.

"My parents have tried to reach him unsuccessfully," she said. "He has not gotten in touch."

The redhead also said her trial has saddled her family with a whopping debt of around 40 million rubles ($618,000)and she needed help in paying that money back.

"We need money very much," she said, asking Russians for their help.

"I know that Russians are kind at heart. Please support your compatriot," she said.

Her case played out against a backdrop of tension between Moscow and Washington over what US intelligence says was a concerted effort by Russian spies to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, using hacking and social media manipulation to help President Donald Trump to victory.

Special counsel Robert Mueller charged 25 Russians with conspiracy for those activities, but, with all of them believed to be in Russia, none have been arrested.

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US prosecutors acknowledged that Butina had nothing to do with those cases but alleged that she was part of a "spot-and-assess" operation to identify potential recruits.

- 'Love my country' -

Butina said US officials working on the Mueller report had spoken to her for "all of five minutes".

"I have nothing to do with this report," she added.

She again denied she was a pro-Kremlin political activist, saying she was a gun campaigner and worked towards better US-Russian relations.

"I was in favour of improving ties between Russia and the United States. I love my country," she said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the weekend slammed Butina's jailing as "arbitrary", adding that he did not understand why she had been incarcerated.

Butina said she had had to cooperate with US authorities or would have faced between 5 and 15 years in prison.

She was given credit for nine months already served and will be deported when she is released.

A gun rights campaigner who attended NRA events and invited top gun lobby officials to Russia, Butina lived as a graduate student in Washington with her boyfriend, a Republican and NRA activist.

Her activities brought her into contact with top Republicans, including Trump at a rally in 2015.

Butina said that while in prison she would work and read classic literature including Dostoyevsky.
By Malcolm Foster TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese expressed warmth and gratitude toward Emperor Akihito ahead of his abdication on Tuesday, but judged his three-decade Heisei era as a period of difficulty and transition for Japan after the economic boom and confidence of the 1980s. More than anything, people said they hoped peace would define the reign of Crown Prince Naruhito, who will become emperor on Wednesday, ushering in the Reiwa era. "Heisei had a lot of disasters and the economy stagnated," 47-year-old Kaori Hisatomi said in the capital Tokyo, where ceremonies were underway at the Imperial Palace. "It was a period of transition from the high-growth era, with its 'can-you-work-24 hours' mentality. Young people these days don't think that way. Now it's more, 'What can I do to survive?'" Japan is marking the transition to 59-year-old Naruhito, who will ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne on Wednesday, with an unprecedented 10-day holiday. The Heisei era began in early 1989, just before the collapse of Japan's "bubble economy," when sky-high stock and land prices plunged. The decades of tepid growth and deflation that followed have tempered expectations about the economic future and Japan's place in the world. "Thinking patterns have changed," Hisatomi said. "There's not much confidence the economy will grow in a healthy way." Japan suffered several tragedies in the past three decades, including a huge earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that led to a nuclear crisis. In 1995, a quake devastated the port of Kobe, and sarin attacks launched by a cult in Tokyo's subway system shattered the myth of public safety. Visits to disaster areas by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, and their efforts to connect with ordinary people, have made them a popular royal couple. TURNING POINT Standing outside the Imperial Palace in a drizzle, 64-year-old Naoomi Kuroshima, from the northern island of Hokkaido, said he was there to "pay my last respect, to say my 'thank you.'" He recalled the couple's visit to Hokkaido after it was hit by a quake last year. "I'm so grateful for that." Walking to a Shinto shrine to mark the day with his wife, 56-year-old Masatoshi Kujirai said he had mixed feelings. "I'm sad but also hopeful about the next era," he said. "I hope it will be a peaceful, gentle period for the second half of my life." Masato Saito, a 40-year-old construction worker, said he had not given the abdication or the coming new era much thought. "It's a normal day. That kind of political stuff is irrelevant to us ordinary people," he said. "As long as they make our lives easy to live, that's all I care." Eiji Kaneko, a restaurant owner from Osaka, said the abdication was a turning point for Japan in becoming a more open country and accepting of foreigners. "More tourists and foreigners are coming to Japan and that's helping the economy and starting to change attitudes," he said, visiting Tokyo with his wife and 4-year-old son. "Japan is opening up, and Asia is opening up." (Reporting and writing by Malcolm Foster; Additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Darren Schuettler)
Japans Emperor Akihito today abdicated after 30 years at the helm of the Chrysanthemum Throne, paving the way for his son to take over and heralding a new era.

On a historic day for Japan, Emperor Akihito, 85, completed the nations first abdication in more than 200 years during a brief ceremony in a state room of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

During the ten-minute ceremony at 5pm local time, Emperor Akihito addressed the nation for the last time in the Heisei era, a period spanning three peaceful decades that ends at midnight tonight.

A new era called Reiwa  meaning beautiful harmony will then commence and his son Crown Prince Naruhito will assume step into his position, with an ascension ceremony tomorrow morning.

The emperor, dressed in formal black tailcoat and a grey tie, was accompanied by his wife Empress Michiko in a long white silk dress and white gloves, as he made his way into the Matsu no Ma Pine Hall for the abdication ceremony.

In his final speech as emperor, while flanked by hinoki cypress wood stands carrying the Imperial Regalia and Privy and State Seals, he said: Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so.

I sincerely thank the people who accepted and supported me in my role as the symbol of the state. I sincerely wish, together with the empress, that the Reiwa Era, which begins tomorrow, will be a stable and fruitful one, and I pray, with all my heart, for peace and happiness for all the people in Japan and around the world.

The abdication ceremony was attended by nearly 300 guests, including senior members of the Imperial family, heads of both chambers of parliament, chief justices of the supreme court and local government leaders.

As brief as it was historic, it was the culmination of years of planning, with the emperor last month commencing a string of more complex Shinto prayers, rituals and offerings for his abdication at key sites across the country.

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Todays final abdication proceedings began shortly after 10am, when the emperor, dressed in traditional dark orange robes and a black headdress, walked slowly into an Imperial Palace sanctuary to inform Amaterasu, the mythical sun goddess and ancestress of all emperors, of his plans to abdicate.

He went on to perform ceremonies at two other key shrines in the Imperial Palace, followed by his son and heir Crown Prince Naruhito, who also worshipped at the three sanctuaries, ahead of his accession.

His distinct traditional attire, including an unusually tall headdress, is known as Korozen no Goho, an imperial outfit that dates back to the 9th century and is worn only by the emperor when performing important rituals.

Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attend a ritual called Taiirei-Seiden-no-gi Credit: Japan Pool/Pool via REUTERS

Despite drizzly weather on and off throughout the day, crowds of Japanese and foreign tourists gathered near the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo, where several thousand police personnel had reportedly been deployed amid heightened security.

Among them was Kimiyo Miyagawa, 68, a housewife from northern Japan who had travelled to the palace with her daughter to pay tribute to the outgoing emperor.

I wanted to come to the Imperial Palace as they (emperor and empress) are like the father and mother of the country, she said.

I would like to tell them Thank you so much for your hard work. Im full of gratitude.

At midnight on Tuesday, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will cease their roles, making way for Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife Crown Princess Mashiko to take their place at the helm, as the new Reiwa era commences.

On Wednesday morning, a special accession ceremony known as Kenji-to-Shokei-no-gi will take place, enabling the incoming emperor to inherit the Imperial Regalia  a sacred trinity consisting of a sword, a mirror and a gem  to confirm his sovereignty.

Emperor Akihito walks to the Kasukodokoro, one of the Imperial Sanctuaries for the 'Taiirei Tojitsu Kashikodokoro Omae no Gi' ceremony Credit: The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

The festivities will not end here, however, with the new emperors Enthronement Ceremony due to take place in October, attended by dignitaries from nearly 200 countries.

It was in 2016 that Emperor Akihito, who previously underwent treatment for prostate cancer and heart surgery, expressed his wish to abdicate in a televised message in which he cited concerns about fulfilling his duties due to his advancing age.

He was the first emperor to be enthroned under the nations pacifist post-war constitution and took painstaking steps to carve out his official role as symbol of the state.

During Emperor Akihitos tenure, he emerged as a symbol of reconciliation, repeatedly seeking to make amends for the Second World War as he travelled overseas as a neutral figurehead of Japan on dozens of visits.
A new era dawned in Japan on Wednesday as Naruhito officially became emperor at midnight following his father's historic abdication from the Chrysanthemum Throne, the world's oldest monarchy.

The 59-year-old Naruhito will formally take possession of the sacred imperial regalia at a solemn ceremony later Wednesday but he became the 126th emperor at the stroke of midnight, ushering in the "Reiwa" imperial era.

His father, the popular 85-year-old Akihito used his final royal speech to offer his "heartfelt gratitude to the people of Japan" and pray for global peace as the curtain came down on his 30-year reign that saw him transform the role of emperor.

During a 10-minute ceremony in the Imperial Palace's elegant Room of Pine, he stopped to offer a hand to his wife of 60 years, Michiko, as she stepped down from the stage and poignantly paused before exiting the room, bowing deeply to the 300 invited guests.

It was the first time in more than 200 years an emperor had stepped down in Japan and kicks off the "Reiwa" era -- meaning "beautiful harmony" -- that will last as long as Naruhito is on the throne.

Constant rain dampened large-scale celebrations but a few hundred hardy souls gathered outside the palace as the ceremony unfolded while others watched on giant screens around Tokyo.

"I feel overwhelmed emotionally," said a tearful Yayoi Iwasaki, a 50-year-old bank employee, standing outside the palace.

Bowing outside the palace, Miyuki Sakai, a 45-year-old housewife, told AFP: "It's sad I won't be able to see the familiar face on TV, but he's 85. I hope he'll have a quiet life with his wife."

Outside Tokyo, locals wearing kimonos performed a traditional dance in Gifu, central Japan, to mark the imperial transition -- planning to dance all night.

Several couples held their wedding ceremonies at midnight at hotels to join the national celebration.

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And crowds braved torrential rain to see in the new era at Tokyo's famous Shibuya crossing.

"The emperor was a good person. He played an important role during the March 11 quake. He was the symbol of Japan. I hope the new emperor will carry on the kindness the old emperor had," said Rika Yamamoto, a 24-year-old company employee sheltering under an umbrella on the crossing.

However, not everything was beautiful and harmonious as minor scuffles broke out near Shinjuku, the world's busiest station, with right-wingers briefly clashing with anti-monarchy protesters.

- 'Lost decade' -

Naruhito will formally "inherit" the imperial symbols of an ancient sword and jewel at a formal ceremony at 10:30 am on Wednesday. The third piece of the imperial regalia -- a mirror -- never leaves the palace.

As Naruhito ascends the throne, he will find a very different Japan than his father took over in 1989.

At the end of the 1980s, Japan ruled the world economically, its technology was the envy of every industrialised nation and its stock market at highs unlikely to be matched again.

But after a "lost decade" when the bubble burst, Japan is still locked in a battle against deflation and sluggish growth while its population ages rapidly and many rural areas suffer from depopulation to the major cities.

Naruhito will also face the challenge of continuing his father's legacy while maintaining Japanese traditions that stretch back centuries.

Akihito changed the role of emperor that remains sensitive in Japan after the country's militaristic past in the name of his father Hirohito.

He was loved for his popular touch and he melted hearts when he bowed humbly before victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, gently comforting them and listening to their tales of suffering.

Waqas Adenwala, an analyst at the Economic Intelligence Unit, said: "Given the standards set by his father, Emperor Naruhito will be expected to maintain a similar approach and extend his outreach to the society through public appearances."

But the Oxford-educated Naruhito has also criticised the sometimes stifling constraints on the imperial family, especially as his wife Masako -- a former diplomat -- has struggled to adapt to life in the palace and has seen her health suffer.

"Masako may have difficulties fulfilling her duties but it will be good if she can participate in imperial tasks, so far as her health allows," Kumio Sudo, a 67-year-old pensioner, told AFP.

The abdication has resulted in a 10-day holiday in Japan, although polls show many famously hard-working Japanese were opposed to such a long break.

They have nonetheless seized on the rare opportunity to travel, with bullet trains and airports overflowing and Tokyo's usually packed commuter trains eerily empty at rush hour.

Meanwhile, entrepreneurs have sold everything from "Reiwa" bottles of sake to $10 cans of air from the "Heisei" era of Akihito's reign.
JERUSALEM, April 30 (Reuters) - Hoping to enliven fading Holocaust memories, Israeli entrepreneurs have dramatized the plight of a Jewish teenager murdered by the Nazis by imagining her documenting her final months over social media.

"What if a girl in the Holocaust had Instagram?" asks a trailer for the "Eva Stories" project that launches ahead of Wednesday's annual Holocaust memorial observances in Israel.

Dozens of Instagram video posts will show a cast in period costume and locations acting out passages from the diary of Eva Heyman, a 13-year-old Hungarian deported to her death in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944.

The vignettes, between three seconds and three minutes, were the brainchild of hi-tech and media entrepreneur Mati Kochavi and his daughter Maya.

"In the digital age, when the attention span is low but the thrill span is high, and given the dwindling number of survivors, it is imperative to find new models of testimony and memory," Mati Kochavi said in a statement.

The project was endorsed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who saw a means of bolstering Israel's role as both haven and historical homeland for Jews.

"Every day, episode by episode, the great tragedy of our people is essentially exposed through the story of one girl," Netanyahu said on Twitter.

Such projects, he said, are important "so that the world will understand, so that we will remember what we lost and what was restored to us with the foundation of the State of Israel."

There has been some criticism that an Instagram version of the Holocaust was not an appropriate approach.

"The path from 'Eva's Story' to selfies at the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau is short and steep," Yuval Mendelson, a civics teacher, wrote in Israel's Haaretz newspaper this week.

Such controversy over historical representation of the Holocaust is not new, said Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann of the Hebrew University's communication department, who supported using social media to reach younger generations.

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"This is an interesting approach ... to somehow create an interactive way of engaging with this history. Not only learning about it but somehow responding to it," said Ebbrecht-Hartmann.

Maya Kochavi said day-to-day troubles Eva dealt with, such as her parents' divorce, a crush on a boy, and hopes of one day being famous, would likely strike a chord with young people and draw them in as the war gradually closes in on her.

"There's a lot that young kids will really feel and relate to and hopefully this continues as her journey becomes more difficult and she starts to experience some of the more horrific parts of the story," Kochavi said. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
The job market in the U.S. has been incredibly strong, with more openings than workers available to fill those jobs. There are currently 5.6 million open positions, a number that's slightly down (0.4%) from April 2018, according to Glassdoor's 2019 Job Market Report.

While the number of openings has decreased very slightly, wages have continued to inch up. Pay has increased by 1.4%, with the average full-time worker in the U.S. earning a median base pay of $52,807.

"Job openings are like a crystal ball into how employers are hiring and a major indicator of the health of the U.S. economy," said Glassdoor Chief Economist Andrew Chamberlain in a press release.

Employers can open or close job postings instantly in response to fast-changing economic winds or world events. However, it can take weeks or even months to hire or layoff workers in response to changing business strategy, the economy or other news.

A man holds a sign saying join our team.

The job market has shown a slight slowdown. Image source: Getty Images.

Where is the biggest job growth?

Job growth varies depending upon the market you live in. Atlanta saw the biggest increase with 7.9% more openings than the same time last year, while wages grew by 2.2%. Houston saw the largest decline in job growth of the ten metro areas tracked by Glassdoor. Job openings in Houston dropped 5.1% year-over-year, while wages fell by 0.6%.

"What this month's Glassdoor Job Market Report shows is yet another clear sign pointing toward a slow down in the labor market. This isn't a cause for alarm, but it is a splash of cold water on the labor market compared to the blazing job growth we saw through most of 2018," said Glassdoor Senior Economist Daniel Zhao.

Job-seekers need to put the slight slowdown in perspective. Yes, there are fewer openings, but the market remains strong for people looking for a job.

"This slowdown in job growth is likely due to the missing burst of hiring in the first quarter of 2019," said Zhao. "The first quarter is when we traditionally see a surge in hiring to kick off the new year, but this year, that didn't happen. That is one reason why we're seeing more stunted hiring now."

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What should workers worry about?

The job market remains strong, but there are some trends workers should worry about. Job automation may not be common, but some companies have begun testing and using technologies that could eliminate some lower-level positions.

At the moment, automation has not majorly cut into the number of openings that need to be filled. That could change, however, if companies can't find the employees they need. In many ways, the rise of automation will happen not as an attempt to eliminate human workers, but as a response to the workforce not having enough available bodies.

The problem is that once a warehouse or cashier position has been automated, it's not coming back to human workers. That makes it especially important for anyone looking to remain employed to develop skills that aren't easily automated. That means not relying on the fact the job openings remain plentiful, and instead continuing to develop skills even while employed.

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PITTSBURGH  Joe Biden upped the pressure on his progressive Democratic rivals on Monday by calling for a $15 federal minimum wage, a Medicare public option and a tax code that is less favorable to the rich.

While sometimes using the brash language associated with organized labor, a tieless Biden revealed the details to a crowded union hall just hours after exchanging barbs on Twitter with President Donald Trump.

Biden's remarks at his first 2020 campaign stop echoed previous speeches that paired attacks on Trump with calls for greater worker dignity: How can a person have dignity without health care? How do you have dignity if you can't afford college?

While the speech revealed some new details about his policy positions, it still lacked many specifics, which Biden said he would address in "a couple of weeks."

Still, Biden did call for giving all Americans the option to buy into Medicare, a federal program that today provides health insurance to people 65 years old and older.

Trump on 2020 Democrats: 'Rooting' for Pete Buttigieg, Beto O'Rourke is 'fading' and more

The speech, which organizers say was attended by more than 600 people, also included crowd-pleasing comments in support of unions, a critical part of his base for decades.

"I make no apologies," he said. "I am a union man."

Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during his first public speech since announcing his candidacy for president Monday afternoon at the Teamsters Temple No. 249 in Pittsburgh.

The event, Biden's third hosted by organized labor in the past two months, was his first outside of the Mid-Atlantic since he announced last week that he would join a crowded field of Democrats vying to unseat Trump in 2020.

By holding the speech in Pittsburgh, the former vice president sought to target voters at the doorstep of the industrial Midwest. The region, which helped decide the 2016 presidential race, has suffered heavy losses of manufacturing jobs in recent decades.

Biden supporters say his strength in Pennsylvania  perhaps the most consequential swing state  demonstrates an electability that voters are seeking in early-primary states.

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"The candidate who can win. The candidate who will be our next president is Joe Biden," International Association of Fire Fighters President Harold Schaitberger said while introducing Biden on Monday.

Some voters in attendance on Monday echoed the electability sentiment. They also said they would be voting for Biden because of his role as President Barack Obama's No. 2 and because they believe he is the antithesis of Trump.

They also were not worried by Biden's age, 76, or by his long voting record, which has come under scrutiny in recent months.

Former Vice President Joe Biden meets with supporters after his first public speech since announcing his candidacy for president Monday afternoon at the Teamsters Temple No. 249 in Pittsburgh.

"It's not very often you see a politician that presents themselves as trustworthy and compassionate and caring. And I just get that from Biden," said Laina Sundry, a Kutztown, Pennsylvania, resident who celebrated her 31st birthday by attending the event.

Although he was wearing a Biden 2020 shirt and two pins with the former vice president's face on it, Brandon Groves said he hasn't thrown his full support behind any candidate quite yet. Right now, Biden is the strongest candidate, he said, because he was the "vice president to the best president of my lifetime so far."

"The person in office right now has more skeletons than probably any candidate," said Groves, of Wheeling, West Virginia.

Monday's speech was Biden's latest in a string criticizing companies' concentration of bargaining power at the expense of workers.

In likely anticipation of Biden's speech, Trump on Monday called the former vice president "sleepy" in a tweet, and claimed that he doesn't "know that Pennsylvania is having one of the best economic years in its history."

Trump also complained that "union leadership" supports Democrats, even as he insisted that their membership "wants me."

Just after noon, Biden responded to the barbs on Twitter: "I'm sick of this President badmouthing unions."

"Labor built the middle class in this country. Minimum wage, overtime pay, the 40-hour week," he said.

By 2 p.m., firefighters and members of the public flooded into the modest Teamsters Local 249 union hall, about six blocks from the Allegheny River.

Asked about the Twitter comments earlier in the day, one firefighter, who voted for the president in 2016, said he tended to agree that many members of his union are Trump supporters. Another firefighter rejected the assertion.

Both said they will vote for whoever becomes the Democratic nominee in 2020.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Joe Biden calls for $15 minimum wage, Medicare public option at first 2020 campaign stop
The parents of a 19-year-old college student suspected of attacking a Southern California synagogue said Monday that they are shocked and saddened that he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries.

John T Earnests parents said they raised him and his five siblings in a family, faith and community that rejected hate.

Our sons actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold, the parents said in a statement, which didnt include their names.

A gunman on Saturday burst into the Chabad of Poway near San Diego on the last day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday that celebrates freedom, and opened fire with an assault-style rifle, killing a woman and wounding a rabbi and two others.

How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us, though we are confident that law enforcement will uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act, the statement said.

The suspects parents, who are cooperating with investigators, said their sadness pales in comparison to the grief and anguish our son has caused for so many innocent people.

Earll Pott, a family attorney who issued the statement, said the parents will not provide a legal defence for their son, who will likely be represented by a public defender. They asked for privacy and do not plan to make additional comments until the criminal case is resolved.

The FBI said Monday that it received tips on a threatening social media post about five minutes before the attack.

The tips to the FBIs website and phone number included a link to the anonymous post but did not offer specific information about its author or the location of the threat. The FBI said employees immediately tried to determine who wrote the post, but the shooting occurred before they could establish his identity.

The shooting happened around 11.30am, and police arrested Mr Earnest moments afterward. He is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

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The online manifesto written by a person identifying himself as John Earnest was an anti-Jewish screed posted about an hour before the attack. The poster described himself as a nursing school student and praised the suspects accused of carrying out attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month and at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue that killed 11 on 27 October.

About 100 congregates were worshipping when the gunman killed Lori Kaye, 60, and wounded the synagogues rabbi, Yishoel Goldstein; Noya Dahan, 8; and her uncle Almog Peretz.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Suspected rapist Joseph McCann (PA)

Police have offered 20,000 as they hunt an on-the-run rape suspect.

Detectives said McCann, 33, has a slight Irish accent and is also known to use false names, including Joel.

The women, in their 20s, were snatched separately on Thursday, the first shortly after midnight from a street in Chingford, and the second around 12 hours later at 12.15pm from a street in Edgware, Metropolitan Police said.

The suspect drove the women to a hotel and attempted to book a room at around 1pm, but left when this was unavailable.

The women escaped after a struggle in Osborne Road, Watford, at about 2.30pm, police said.

Police have released CCTV footage of a suspected rapist (Picture: PA)

The suspect is described as a white man of muscular build, in his late 20s or early 30s, with a bald head or shaved blond hair and a light-coloured short beard.

It has also emerged he allegedly raped a 21-year-old woman at knifepoint in Watford days before in an incident police are treating as linked.

Scotland Yard said the 33-year-old has links to Watford, Aylesbury and Ipswich.

People have been warned not to approach him.

Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin, from the Mets Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: We would ask anyone with any information about McCanns whereabouts to contact us immediately  McCann is considered extremely dangerous and a risk to the public and we ask people not to approach him, but instead call 999.

He is described as having a distinctive tattoo of the name Bobbie on his stomach.

The car he was driving is believed to be a silver or grey Ford S-Max people carrier, with false registration plates.

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Detective Chief Inspector Goodwin, also said: "We believe he travelled around north London and Hertfordshire in his car from the early hours of Thursday and he may have come into contact with other members of the public.

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CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police of the car that was driven by the suspect in the abduction and rape of the two women

"Equally he may have abandoned his car somewhere - if an unfamiliar car of this description is now parked on your street, call police straight away.

"We would ask anyone with any information to contact us immediately."

A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to rape. The hunt for the rapist continues.
Afghanistan's usually bustling capital Kabul slowed to a crawl Tuesday amid massive security for a high-stakes peace summit that has previously been a target for insurgent attacks.

Police flooded the city and authorities blocked off key roads around the west Kabul venue of the so-called "loya jirga" -- where some 3,000 tribal elders, religious figures, and politicians from across Afghanistan are gathering over four days to discuss possible conditions for a peace deal with the Taliban.

Taliban suicide bombers armed with rockets and guns attacked a 2010 peace jirga at the same venue, and in 2011, two rockets were fired into Kabul during a two-day jirga.

Despite such past attacks, Kabul residents are infuriated with the scale of the lockdown, which has already been blamed for at least one death and has paralysed businesses in what would ordinarily be a busy week before Ramadan begins.

Local media reported that a newborn baby died when the father, who was trying to take the infant to a hospital, was blocked by security forces.

"The little baby should not have died," Afghanistan's chief executive Abdullah Abdullah said.

"We are actually here to serve the same people who die because of the roadblocks."

Adding to the slowdown, authorities have declared a week-long public holiday in Kabul.

"Yesterday, I could only take two passengers from one part of the city to the other. It took me three hours to complete a 15-minute ride," Nasrullah, a taxi driver who gave only his first name, told AFP.

Shopkeeper Taj Mohammad said poor people had been hit particularly hard.

"It is good to provide security for the participants, but that should not cost people's businesses," Mohammad said.

Siam Pasarly, an economics expert, estimated the holidays were costing the business community $1 million a day.

"Afghanistan is a developing country and its economic engine should be running all day," he said. "A week-long shutdown is like a poison to the economy."

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- 'Waste of time' -

The loya jirga -- literally "grand assembly" in Pashto -- is being held as the US and Taliban are discussing a possible foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and various Taliban pledges.

The jirga is seen as an attempt by the Afghan government to influence the peace talks which so far have cut out President Ashraf Ghani, whom the Taliban view as a US stooge.

But some prominent Afghans, presidential hopefuls, and government officials including Abdullah have boycotted the assembly.

Ahmad Khan, another taxi driver, bemoaned the meeting as a "waste of time".

"Holding this jirga is an economic blow for poor labour like us, who come out in the morning for a morsel of food, and how can we provide food for our families in the next few days," he told AFP.

"Such jirgas have been held in the past with no positive results, and the government have failed to convince the Taliban to join the talks."
A safe deposit box is typically a well-secured storage box housed at your banking institution. Consumers lease them to store valuable objects or important paperwork.

"The main purpose of safe deposit box is to store confidential or valuable materials or documents that may be needed after your passing or that you want to keep secure and safe," says Dawn Fabian, senior vice president and retail transformation manager at PNC.

In the age of cloud storage and digital record-keeping, a safe deposit box may seem like a relic from another era. But many consumers are responsible for certain financial papers that are difficult or expensive to replace, so having them stored somewhere safe is smart, experts say.

Considering opening a safe deposit box? Here's what to know.

[Read: 7 Pesky Bank Fees and How to Avoid Them]

What's a Safe Deposit Box?

A safe deposit box is a small, secure container that's housed at a bank. The boxes can range in size from 2 inches by 5 inches to 10 inches by 15 inches or even larger. Costumers typically rent, and prices vary according to the bank and box size. To open the box, you typically need a key. Oftentimes, the banker also has a key that is used simultaneously with yours. You'll only be able to access your safe deposit box during bank hours.

Safe deposit boxes are a secure way to store your belongings, but they aren't immune to major natural disasters, such as a massive flood, experts say. Plus, the contents are not FDIC-insured, Fabian says, so carrying separate insurance on your valuable belongings is a smart idea.

How Much Does a Safe Deposit Box Cost?

When it comes to safe deposit box costs, "it's really a mixed bag," says Simon Zhen, research analyst at MyBankTracker.com. Expect to pay anywhere from $40 per year for a smaller box to a few hundred dollars for larger boxes. Discounts are sometimes available for those who open a checking or savings account with the bank. For example, PNC Performance Select Checking members get a $100 annual discount on safe deposit boxes.

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[Read: How to Choose a Bank]

What Should I Keep in a Safe Deposit Box?

"The general rule is to protect documents that are difficult to replace, but you don't need to access them regularly," Zhen says. Some documents to consider keeping a safe deposit box are:

-- Birth certificates.

-- Marriage certificates.

-- Title papers for your vehicle.

-- Deed to your home.

-- Important legal documents.

-- Paper bond and stock certificates.

You may also want to keep valuable jewelry or a coin collection in the box. But don't forget to make sure they're insured by your homeowners insurance or a separate rider since they won't have FDIC insurance.

Additionally, make sure that your spouse, heirs or financial team know about the existence of the safe deposit box and what it contains, so they can make plans to access it after your death.

What Shouldn't I Keep in a Safe Deposit Box?

There are some documents you may not want to keep in a safe deposit box in case you or your heirs need to access them quickly. Don't keep these documents in a safe deposit box:

-- Cash.

-- Passports.

-- Drivers' licenses.

-- Social Security cards.

-- The original copy of your will.

-- Health care directives, such as a living will.

First, you don't want to store documents that you may need unexpectedly, such as your passport or Social Security card. The risk is that, at the moment you need one of these documents, the bank won't be open, and you'll have to wait until the next morning or the start of the next week to get access.

When it comes to estate-planning documents, such as your will, the decision to keep them in a safe deposit box is a bit more complex. "We do not recommend to clients to keep wills in safe deposit boxes," wrote Gerry Joyce, managing director and national head of trusts and estates at Fiduciary Trust Company International in New York City, in an email. Doing so may cause a "chicken and egg" scenario in which the safe deposit box can only be opened by the executor, but the executor can't be appointed by a probate court without the original will, Joyce says. "We often prefer to see the client leave the original will with their attorney or in a fire-proof safe at home," Joyce says.

State law determines how banks provide safe deposit box access to heirs or executors, says Jennifer Guimond-Quigley, an attorney in Chicago. "As long as the process is followed, the bank is supposed to remove the will and file it with the court," she says. It's worth it to check with your bank or estate-planning attorney to verify that your heirs will be able to find and access your will if it's in a safe deposit box. She agrees that keeping a will in a sturdy safe at home, or even at your attorney's office, may make accessing it more simple for your heirs.

The same logic applies to documents your family may need if you fall seriously ill. Living wills and medical powers of attorney should be stored in a secure place to which your family has ready access.

[See: 10 Ways to Save More in 2019.]

What Are Alternatives to a Safe Deposit Box?

If a safe deposit box is too expensive or old-school for your taste, consider using an alternative. A fireproof and waterproof safe can protect your documents from a disaster or a nosy houseguest. These are available for as little as $50. Experts note, however, that unless it's bolted to strong surface, a thief could run off with your safe and figure out how to open it off-site.

There are also ways back up the documents stored in a safe deposit box or home safe. Consider storing copies of your original documents on a safe online storage platform. Take a photo of the contents of your safe deposit box, so you or your heirs can easily reference what's stored within, Fabian says.

The bottom line is that your heirs should be aware of -- and know how to access -- whichever secure method you use to store your important documents and paperwork.
By Nia Williams CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney was sworn in as the 18th premier of Canada's main crude-producing province Alberta on Tuesday, and named a cabinet he says will champion the beleaguered energy sector. Kenney, a former conservative federal cabinet minister, won the election with a landslide victory against Rachel Notley's New Democratic Party after promising to reverse years of economic stagnation and decline. "We will focus relentlessly on creating good jobs, growing the economy and building pipelines west, east and south to get our products to market and secure full value for our resources and future prosperity," Kenney said at the swearing-in ceremony in the provincial capital Edmonton. Alberta is home to Canada's vast oil sands but has struggled with a lackluster economy since the 2014-15 global oil price crash, as well as steep discounts on its crude because of congestion on oil export pipelines. Key cabinet appointments include former lawyer Doug Schweitzer as Solicitor General, Travis Toews as Finance Minister and Sonya Savage, who used to work for pipeline company Enbridge Inc as Energy Minister. Kenney has pledged to challenge Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other politicians he says take Alberta's oil and gas industry for granted. The Alberta legislature convenes for the first time in May and Kenney has said its first order of business will be scrapping Alberta's carbon tax, a move that promises to put the province on a collision course with Ottawa. Last year Notley's government imposed temporary oil production cuts to ease a buildup of crude in Alberta storage tanks and boost prices, and also signed C$4 billion contracts to start shipping crude by rail. Kenney is expected to keep curtailments in place but has vowed to cancel the rail contracts, and the oil industry is watching closely to for his government's next move. (Reporting by Nia Williams)
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is under pressure to commit to a referendum on any Brexit deal (Picture: PA)

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is under pressure to commit to a referendum on any Brexit deal when his party meet later.

He has been accused of causing a Brexit fudge by grassroots party members on the issue of a second referendum.

The partys National Executive Committee meets on Tuesday to agree its European election manifesto, amid calls to deliver a pledge to a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal.

Mr Corbyn has been accused of causing a Brexit impasse by members within his own party.

Bermondsey and Old Southwark Labour MP Neil Coyle said: Ive lost 500 members since the peak at the end of 2016.

That's not just because of Brexit but the vast majority have left because of the European fudge. Members are saying they want us to oppose Brexit full stop, and they want a confirmatory vote as a minimum.

Labour is debating whether to include a public Brexit vote in its manifesto (Picture: PA)

Mr Corbyn did not speak to waiting reporters as he arrived by a side entrance at the partys HQ in London.

Deputy leader Tom Watson said: "We always have lively discussions at the National Executive Committee, but I don't think there will be a row.

"These are very serious matters."

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Tony Lloyd told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was "seriously damaging to the whole country" that the UK is "so divided" over Brexit.

"Labour has worked very hard over the past months to try to find policies that can bring people together. That is difficult. That is what the NEC will try to do today, he said.

"We have got a policy, we established that very definitively. Labour has made it clear that there are circumstances when we would have a second referendum. That has been party policy definitively since last October.

"It is important the public does know that we will prevent crashing out and prevent Theresa May's bad deal. Part of the way we are trying to do that is that if Parliament - and I don't think it will - did vote for them, we most certainly would want to put those to the public."

The crunch Labour meetings comes as cross-party talks aiming to break the Brexit deadlock continue, with the de facto deputy prime minister David Lidington describing discussions on Monday as "positive" and "productive".

Story continues

However, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said questions remained as to whether Labour was "serious about delivering Brexit".

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said he hoped to see results this week from the talks, and reiterated a call to "fix Brexit quickly".

Read more

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Ahead of the NEC meeting, Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson wrote to Mr Corbyn and all NEC members urging them to ensure that a confirmatory ballot is in the manifesto.

Mr Wilson said a referendum was backed by the majority of Labour MPs, MEPs, members and supporters and had featured in the policy approved by conference last autumn.

Labour MPs had twice been whipped in the Commons to support a motion tabled by the pair to require any Brexit deal to be subject to a public vote, he said.

"Three years on, we know more about what Brexit means and people should be allowed to compare what the deal is with what they were promised and decide whether they want to go ahead," said Mr Wilson.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, left, and shadow chancellor John McDonnell leave the Cabinet Office after the latest round of Brexit talks (Picture: PA)

"If we don't do it, the coming years will be divisive because people will be turning round and saying 'Hang on, I didn't vote for this'."

Some 115 MPs and MEPs signed a letter to NEC members organised by the Love Socialism, Hate Brexit group urging them to explicitly back a referendum in the manifesto.

Mr Watson used his Twitter account to urge followers to lobby NEC members to back a public vote.

And 22 Labour candidates in the European elections have pledged to campaign for a referendum and then back efforts to remain in the EU.

On Monday, Mrs May's effective deputy David Lidington and chancellor Philip Hammond led the government side in talks in Whitehall with a Labour team including shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
Larry King was hospitalized last week but did not have a heart attack as early reports said, according to a rep for the legendary talk show host.

On the morning of Thursday, April 23, Larry King was scheduled for an angioplasty. Before his scheduled procedure, he experienced angina and went to the hospital early to be examined, a spokesperson for King said. His doctor successfully performed the angioplasty and inserted stents to reopen the previous bypass from 1987. He has been recuperating in the hospital and is scheduled to be released soon. His doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

The spokesperson also disputed an early report that the 85-year-old Larry King Now host went into cardiac arrest before his hospitalization.

Also Read: Larry King Slams Former Network CNN: 'Stopped Doing News a Long Time Ago'

TMZ was first to report the news on Monday, but the gossip site misidentified the cause of Kings hospitalization as a heart attack. King had been having trouble breathing for months prior to his hospitalization, the gossip site wrote.

To be clear, and contrary to published reports, his doctors say he did not have a heart attack and he did not go into cardiac arrest, the spokesperson said. Larry is in good spirits and thanks everyone for their concern. Hes expected to be back to work on his shows, Larry King Now and PoliticKING with Larry King soon.

King has been outspoken about his history of heart disease, including co-authoring the book Mr. King, Youre Having a Heart Attack in 1989 about surviving his first heart attack and subsequent quintuple-bypass surgery two years prior.

In 2017, the legendary talk show host was diagnosed with stage 1 Adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, during a routine chest X-ray and had the upper lobe of his lung and lymph node removed.

Read original story Larry King Hospitalized but Did Not Suffer a Heart Attack, Rep Says At TheWrap
Larry King is recovering from heart surgery.

The 85-year-old TV broadcaster underwent the emergency procedure last week, according to TMZ. At the time, King was reportedly on his way to his doctor for an angiogram. But after feeling a shortness of breath, King was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where doctors performed an angioplasty.

TMZ reports that King spent several days in intensive care, but he is expected to be released from the hospital on Monday.

Update: According to a statement released by Ora TV, which produces Larry King Now, King did not actually suffer a heart attack, nor did he go into cardiac arrest. Rather, his doctors inserted sents to reopen a previous bypass from 1987. He is in good spirits and expects to be back to work soon.

King suffers from heart disease and regularly receives angiogram to monitor his hearts health. In 1987, he underwent a quintuple-bypass surgery following a major heart attack. In 2017, he underwent a successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his lung.

King currently hosts the weekly interview series Larry King Now, which aires on Hulu and RT America. Watch a recent episode featuring Killer Mike.
STERLING, Kan. (AP)  The Latest on a shooting that wounded a Kansas sheriff and undersheriff (all times local):

12:30 p.m.

Authorities say a woman and child were with a man when he shot and critically wounded a Kansas undersheriff.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation senior special agent Steve Rosebrough says the woman and a child left 37-year-old David Madden on Monday night before he shot the Rice County sheriff in the leg and killed himself. The KBI says Madden also killed his father, 65-year-old Thomas Madden.

The KBI says it's unclear whether the woman and child accompanied Madden willingly. The relationship between Madden and the woman wasn't known. Madden also is a suspect in the 2015 disappearance of his girlfriend.

Rosebrough said the undersheriff's injuries aren't believed to be life-threatening. He is in critical but stable condition. The sheriff has been released.

____

11:30 a.m.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says one of two bodies found at a rural Kansas home was a man apparently involved in the shooting of a sheriff and undersheriff.

Senior special agent Steve Rosebrough said Tuesday at a news conference that the bodies of 37-year-old David Madden and his father, Thomas Madden, were found after a standoff at the home. He says it appears David Madden shot his father and then killed himself.

The agency said a Rice County undersheriff was shot Monday evening after trying to stop a car in which David Madden was an occupant near Sterling. The sheriff and another deputy then went to his father's home, where the sheriff was shot in the leg during a gunfight.

Rosebrough said the undersheriff's injuries aren't believed to be life-threatening. He is in critical but stable condition. The sheriff has been released.

_____

7:25 a.m.

Authorities have found two bodies in a Kansas home after a standoff that followed the shooting of a sheriff and undersheriff.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that the Rice County undersheriff was shot and critically wounded around 5 p.m. Monday after attempting to stop a car north of the small town of Sterling, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of Wichita.

Story continues

The release says the sheriff and a deputy then pursued the suspect to a home in a nearby town, where the sheriff was shot in the leg in an exchange of gunfire.

KSNW-TV reports that a KBI official said at the scene early Tuesday that two men's bodies were found at the home after a standoff. Authorities haven't released their identities, but the bureau says there is no risk to the community.

___

3:57 a.m.

A Kansas sheriff and undersheriff were shot, one during a traffic stop and one during a shootout at a home.

According to a Kansas Bureau of Investigation statement, the Rice County undersheriff attempted to stop a car driven by 37-year-old David L. Madden just north of the Sterling city limits Monday at about 5:10 p.m. Madden, of Alden, had a warrant.

The release says that within thirty seconds of initiating the car stop, the undersheriff radioed dispatch that he'd been shot. He was shot four times and is in critical, but stable condition.

Following that shooting the Rice County sheriff tracked Madden to a residence in rural Rice County, southeast of Raymond. He and another sheriff's deputy exchanged gunshots with the suspect and the sheriff was struck in the leg. He's listed in good condition.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Melissa Underwood says law enforcement officers think they have the suspected shooter surrounded at the home.
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is currently struggling to remain close to its 20-day EMA, around $240.

My medium-term bet is that the entire cryptocurrency market will continue to turn profits, at least until there is some uncertainty in the economic panorama. As some experts point out, a shift in economic conditions could offset the market, even though there is little correlation between altcoins and other financial assets. This means Bitcoin Cash could continue to see minor pumps-dumps until it goes below its 50-day EMA. If volume continues to drop, I really dont see any way BCH will recover soon.

Lets take a dive into whats going on with Bitcoin Cash.

Bitcoin Cash crashed from $316 as it was trading last week to about $235, representing a 15% fall. After a major pump where volume spiked to yearly highs during early April, BCH was unable to remain above the key $300 support level, just above the 200-day EMA.

As we can see from the chart above, the 200-day EMA has now been crossed by BCH and, even more interestingly, the 20-day EMA has already crossed the 50-day EMA, which is a really bullish long-term signal.

If this trend continues and the 20 and 50-day EMAs cross the 200-day EMA, we could definitely see price dancing between $350 and $400 soon. However, by looking at BCHs price action between September and November last year, there are some indications of price resistance around these levels.

Volume-wise, it seems most traders are still betting heavily on a downtrend and buyers are still in control.

Fundamentals remain strong

I recently spoke with Bitcoin Cashs strongest advocate, Roger Ver, and discussed the most recent developments on the horizon for BCH. You can find all the details here, but the most juicy news seems to be the recent spike in adoption due to the implementation of smart contracts. Roger, like myself, believes key components for mass adoption are speed and flexibility. What Bitcoin Cash Oracles offers is a way for any user to easily deploy an escrow transaction that can be used to trade globally  without the hassle of trusting the other party.

Story continues

I personally think those trade escrows will be key in terms of adoption, especially for work-related tasks. In a way, they do enable milestone-based funding which may be the new and better way of conducting ICOs instead of simply creating an extra layer of complexity with STOs that require KYC and accreditation  something that goes against what we should be promoting within the crypto ecosystem.

I try not to bet against the momentum, so for now, I would stick with riding the wave upwards.

Current live BCH pricing information and interactive charts are available on our site 24 hours a day. The ticker bar at the bottom of every page on our site has the latest BCH price. Pricing is also available in a range of different currency equivalents:

US Dollar  BCHtoUSD

British Pound Sterling  BCHtoGBP

Japanese Yen  BCHtoJPY

Euro  BCHtoEUR

Australian Dollar  BCHtoAUD

Russian Rouble  BCHtoRUB

Bitcoin  BCHtoBTC

About Bitcoin Cash

Bitcoin Cash was born out of the idea of making Bitcoin more practical for small, day-to-day payments. In May 2017, Bitcoin payments took about four days unless a fee was paid, which was proportionately too large for small transactions. A change to the code was implemented and Bitcoin Cash was born on 1st August 2017.

More Bitcoin Cash news and information

If you want to find out more information about Bitcoin Cash or cryptocurrencies in general, then use the search box at the top of this page. Heres an article to get you started:

By Scott Thompson  April 30, 2019

As with any investment, it pays to do some homework before you part with your money. The prices of cryptocurrencies are volatile and go up and down quickly. This page is not recommending a particular currency or whether you should invest or not.

You may be interested in our range of cryptocurrency guides along with the latest cryptocurrency news.

The post Latest Bitcoin Cash price and analysis (BCH to USD) appeared first on Coin Rivet.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  The Latest on North Dakota's reaction to a Washington state bill targeting Bakken oil patch crude (all times local):

6 p.m.

North Dakota intends to sue Washington if that state's governor signs legislation requiring oil shipped by rail to have more of its volatile gases removed.

Proponents of the bill say it would boost safety. The volatility of oil trains drew widespread public attention following several explosive derailments, including one in 2013 in Quebec that killed 47 people.

North Dakota officials worry the bill could hamper the nation's No. 2 oil producer. About one-tenth of North Dakota's daily oil production is shipped to Pacific Northwest refineries.

North Dakota's Industrial Commission believes the bill is an unconstitutional violation of interstate commerce law. The regulatory group is comprised of the governor, attorney general and agricultural commissioner.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is still reviewing the bill but indicated to The Associated Press that he's likely to sign it.

___

12:50 p.m.

North Dakota officials are pressuring Washington's governor to veto legislation requiring oil shipped by rail to have more of its volatile gases removed.

The bill awaiting Gov. Jay Inslee's signature requires a lower vapor pressure limit for crude shipped by rail than either North Dakota requirements or industry standards.

Proponents say it will boost safety. North Dakota officials worry it could hamper the nation's No. 2 oil producer.

North Dakota's three members of Congress have asked Inslee to veto the bill, and state regulators are considering a lawsuit.

Inslee has made climate change a focus of his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign. His spokeswoman says he's still reviewing the bill.

The volatility of oil trains drew widespread public attention following several explosive derailments, including one in 2013 in Quebec that killed 47 people.
BEIRUT, April 30 (Reuters) - Lebanon's President Michel Aoun urged ministers on Tuesday to speed up the debate over the 2019 budget so parliament can approve it by the end of May.

Ministers convened at Baabda Palace to start discussing the draft budget, which the finance minister has said includes wide spending reductions. The Lebanese government, wrestling with years of low economic growth, has vowed to carry out overdue reforms. (Reporting by Ellen Francis Editing by Andrew Heavens)
One of Lee Rigby's killers, Michael Adebowale, reportedly wants a prison transfer (Picture: PA)

One of Lee Rigbys killers has made a bid to be transferred to a prison in Nigeria, it has been reported.

Michael Adebowale, 37, is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 45 years in HMP Wakefield for the murder, but has asked for a prisoner-swap deal.

The Sun reported that Adebowale has told friends he intends to seek a transfer to a prison with a VIP wing in Nigeria, and that he has written to immigration experts for advice.

Lee Rigby was murdered in May 2013 (Picture: PA)

A source told the newspaper: Michael hates Wakefield. Its stuffed full of lags who see him as a top target.

He thinks he can spend the rest of his sentence in Africa.

Read more

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However, it is thought Adebowales attempt to swap prisons would fail because he wasnt born in Nigeria.

Adebowale was born in Britain but has Nigerian parents.

He was moved to HMP Wakefield last year, but wants to finish his sentence in Kirikiri jail in Lagos, where former foreign secretary Boris Johnson pledged 700,000 of UK money for a new prisoner wing.

Lee Rigby's killers Michael Adebolajo, left, and Michael Adebowale, right (Pictures: PA)

He and his accomplice Michael Adebolajo murdered Fusilier Rigby, 25, outside his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London, in May 2013.

Mr Rigbys mother Lyn told The Sun: This is a disgrace and an insult to Lee. Im sure he doesnt like Wakefield Prison but he has the luxury of being alive unlike my son who he stole from me.

He should serve his sentence here and not try to exploit the law for a cushier life.
By Ulf Laessing

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - With the frontlines around Libya's contested capital Tripoli stalemated, the two rival factions are bringing oil and money supplies into the firing line of their battle for power.

Khalifa Haftar, chief of the eastern-based forces which are attacking the city, is putting pressure on state oil firm NOC and its operations in his fiefdom, diplomats and analysts say.

In response, the internationally-recognised government in Tripoli is limiting his access to hard currency, the sources said.

The moves mark a new turn in a war which started in early April when Haftar, who is allied to a parallel administration in eastern Libya, mounted a campaign to capture Tripoli.

His Libyan National Army (LNA) fighters have been unable to advance into the city centre and costs are piling up as ammunition and other supplies need to be brought in from their home base in Benghazi 1,000 km (600 miles) away.

This has prompted Haftar to use oil as a strategic asset.

The LNA controls areas surrounding most of Libya's oil infrastructure but it does not benefit directly from oil and gas sales, which go through NOC in Tripoli managing the day-to-day operations.

NOC has tried to stay out of the conflict but it distributes energy revenues to the Tripoli-based central bank, which only works with Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

In recent days, Haftar has met with two executives working for NOC in the east in his base outside Benghazi.

The first was the chairman of NOC subsidiary AGOCO, which produces a third of Libya's output. Then Haftar met NOC board member Jadallah al-Awakli.

His office released pictures of the meetings showing the general dressed in military uniform.

Asked by Reuters about his meeting, Awakli said oil operations were benefiting from security provided by the LNA.

"I congratulate the LNA on its victories," he said.

Another NOC unit in east Libya, Sirte Oil firm, also expressed support for the Tripoli offensive on its website.

Story continues

The meetings took place days after the LNA sent a warship to Ras Lanuf port -- 600 km (400 miles) from the frontlines.

At the same time NOC said soldiers had entered Es Sider port and seized its air strip. It condemned what it called a "militarization" of oil facilities but did not name the LNA, which controls the area.

LNA officials denied this and said oil ports work normally.

Diplomats and analysts saw the move as a sign that Haftar wants to remind Tripoli he can stop oil exports as a way to pressure Serraj into a deal to share oil revenues should he not win on the battlefield.

The LNA last year tried to export oil bypassing NOC via a parallel NOC entity which has some 500 staff on duty.

"NOC is concerned by renewed attempts to divide the corporation," a spokesman for NOC Tripoli said. "It is particularly alarmed by evidence of staff coercion and is attempting to clarify the circumstances behind recent statements in support of the armed assault on Tripoli."

GUNS, OIL AND MONEY

Analysts said Haftar is under financial pressure because Tripoli has limited his access to hard currency.

The LNA needs to import gear via merchants as its main foreign backers, Egypt and United Arab Emirates, have provided heavy equipment such as helicopters but have been reluctant to provide cash, Western and Gulf diplomatic sources said.

"Haftar appears to be contingency planning for how he will continue funding his growing operation and what will likely be a prolonged conflict," said Tarek Megerisi, a European Council

policy fellow.

Diplomats said Haftar is trying gain the upper hand in the Tripoli war before the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan next week, when life slows down. The LNA would still need to maintain costly supply lines if a long stalemate occurs.

Haftar could try to force Tripoli into a deal by blocking oil exports, which would end funding for the government, or he could even consider trying to sell oil again, analysts said.

Washington stopped previous such attempts, even despatching Navy SEALs to storm a tanker which had set off from a port run by a rogue commander in 2014.

"Given he currently enjoys the backing of President (Donald) Trump, Haftar may now feel emboldened to try again and create a reliable revenue stream for himself," Megerisi said.

Trump told Haftar in a phone call he "recognised" his efforts in securing oil facilities, the White House has said.

Libya's output has been so far unaffected, remaining at about 1.1 million barrels a day though the conflict has divided even technocrats. An oil manager in Tripoli joined the front as well as engineers in the east.

An armed group on Monday attacked the southern El Sharara oilfield, which pumps 300,000 bpd, exploiting a vacuum as the LNA has moved troops north.

BANK SEIGE

Tripoli has responded to Haftar's moves with the central bank (CBL) on Monday imposing special checks on four banks, three of them in Benghazi, before they can get hard currency.

It cited "suspicions of corruption" but the east said this was just an excuse.

"CBL...has opened a frontline of war and a siege on banks in Barqa," said Ramzi al-Agha, head of the liquidity committee at the eastern parallel central bank.

"Barqa" is a term for the east often used by activists demanding secession or at least autonomoy from the west.

Jalel Harchaoui, research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, said Haftar felt emboldened by a paralysis of U.N Security Council which has been unable to even call for a ceasefire.

"Using the counter-terrorism argument many profound changes could be implemented especially with foreign support," he said. "A big chunk of at oil exports is at risk owing to political reasons."

(Editing by Angus MacSwan)
By Ulf Laessing TRIPOLI (Reuters) - With the frontlines around Libya's contested capital Tripoli stalemated, the two rival factions are bringing oil and money supplies into the firing line of their battle for power. Khalifa Haftar, chief of the eastern-based forces which are attacking the city, is putting pressure on state oil firm NOC and its operations in his fiefdom, diplomats and analysts say. In response, the internationally-recognized government in Tripoli is limiting his access to hard currency, the sources said. The moves mark a new turn in a war which started in early April when Haftar, who is allied to a parallel administration in eastern Libya, mounted a campaign to capture Tripoli. His Libyan National Army (LNA) fighters have been unable to advance into the city center and costs are piling up as ammunition and other supplies need to be brought in from their home base in Benghazi 1,000 km (600 miles) away. This has prompted Haftar to use oil as a strategic asset. The LNA controls areas surrounding most of Libya's oil infrastructure but it does not benefit directly from oil and gas sales, which go through NOC in Tripoli managing the day-to-day operations. NOC has tried to stay out of the conflict but it distributes energy revenues to the Tripoli-based central bank, which only works with Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. In recent days, Haftar has met with two executives working for NOC in the east in his base outside Benghazi. The first was the chairman of NOC subsidiary AGOCO, which produces a third of Libya's output. Then Haftar met NOC board member Jadallah al-Awakli. His office released pictures of the meetings showing the general dressed in military uniform. Asked by Reuters about his meeting, Awakli said oil operations were benefiting from security provided by the LNA. "I congratulate the LNA on its victories," he said. Another NOC unit in east Libya, Sirte Oil firm, also expressed support for the Tripoli offensive on its website. The meetings took place days after the LNA sent a warship to Ras Lanuf port -- 600 km (400 miles) from the frontlines. At the same time NOC said soldiers had entered Es Sider port and seized its air strip. It condemned what it called a "militarization" of oil facilities but did not name the LNA, which controls the area. LNA officials denied this and said oil ports work normally. Diplomats and analysts saw the move as a sign that Haftar wants to remind Tripoli he can stop oil exports as a way to pressure Serraj into a deal to share oil revenues should he not win on the battlefield. The LNA last year tried to export oil bypassing NOC via a parallel NOC entity which has some 500 staff on duty. "NOC is concerned by renewed attempts to divide the corporation," a spokesman for NOC Tripoli said. "It is particularly alarmed by evidence of staff coercion and is attempting to clarify the circumstances behind recent statements in support of the armed assault on Tripoli." GUNS, OIL AND MONEY Analysts said Haftar is under financial pressure because Tripoli has limited his access to hard currency. The LNA needs to import gear via merchants as its main foreign backers, Egypt and United Arab Emirates, have provided heavy equipment such as helicopters but have been reluctant to provide cash, Western and Gulf diplomatic sources said. "Haftar appears to be contingency planning for how he will continue funding his growing operation and what will likely be a prolonged conflict," said Tarek Megerisi, a European Council policy fellow. Diplomats said Haftar is trying gain the upper hand in the Tripoli war before the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan next week, when life slows down. The LNA would still need to maintain costly supply lines if a long stalemate occurs. Haftar could try to force Tripoli into a deal by blocking oil exports, which would end funding for the government, or he could even consider trying to sell oil again, analysts said. Washington stopped previous such attempts, even dispatching Navy SEALs to storm a tanker which had set off from a port run by a rogue commander in 2014. "Given he currently enjoys the backing of President (Donald) Trump, Haftar may now feel emboldened to try again and create a reliable revenue stream for himself," Megerisi said. Trump told Haftar in a phone call he "recognized" his efforts in securing oil facilities, the White House has said. Libya's output has been so far unaffected, remaining at about 1.1 million barrels a day though the conflict has divided even technocrats. An oil manager in Tripoli joined the front as well as engineers in the east. An armed group on Monday attacked the southern El Sharara oilfield, which pumps 300,000 bpd, exploiting a vacuum as the LNA has moved troops north. BANK SEIGE Tripoli has responded to Haftar's moves with the central bank (CBL) on Monday imposing special checks on four banks, three of them in Benghazi, before they can get hard currency. It cited "suspicions of corruption" but the east said this was just an excuse. "CBL...has opened a frontline of war and a siege on banks in Barqa," said Ramzi al-Agha, head of the liquidity committee at the eastern parallel central bank. "Barqa" is a term for the east often used by activists demanding secession or at least autonomy from the west. Jalel Harchaoui, research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, said Haftar felt emboldened by a paralysis of U.N Security Council which has been unable to even call for a ceasefire. "Using the counter-terrorism argument many profound changes could be implemented especially with foreign support," he said. "A big chunk of at oil exports is at risk owing to political reasons." (Editing by Angus MacSwan)
ZURICH (Reuters) - Logitech International Chief Executive Bracken Darrell said it was too early to consider upgrading the keyboard and mice maker's sales and profit outlook for its 2020 business year. "Our guidance is completely our expectation of what we will reach for the year," Darrell told Reuters. "We will only raise if we had something that warranted it, but...we are in the first quarter and only just coming into the second month of that. "It's too early to say about raising our guidance, which we just set about four weeks ago," he added. "I am optimistic, I think it's going to be an interesting year." Some investors were disappointed that Logitech, announcing its results on Tuesday, confirmed the guidance it gave last month for mid- to high-single-digit sales growth in the year to the end of March 2020, and non-GAAP operating income of $375 million to $385 million. During its previous financial year the company, which also makes mobile speakers and video conferencing devices, raised its outlook twice. Darrell said Logitech's business had been affected by U.S. tariffs on China, and had responded by shifting production of some products, like remote controls, out of China to Malaysia. (Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Michael Shields)
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How far off is InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (LON:IHG) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. I will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for InterContinental Hotels Group

Step by step through the calculation

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow are will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Levered FCF ($, Millions) $488.11 $598.67 $656.71 $872.00 $988.11 $1.08k $1.16k $1.22k $1.27k $1.32k Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x6 Analyst x7 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ 13.32% Est @ 9.69% Est @ 7.15% Est @ 5.37% Est @ 4.13% Est @ 3.26% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 8.43% $450.15 $509.19 $515.13 $630.83 $659.25 $666.90 $659.03 $640.45 $615.05 $585.71

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF)= $5.93b

Story continues

"Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St

After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the intial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 10-year government bond rate of 1.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 8.4%.

Terminal Value (TV) = FCF 2029  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$1.3b  (1 + 1.2%)  (8.4%  1.2%) = US$18b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV) = TV / (1 + r)10 = $US$18b  ( 1 + 8.4%)10 = $8.23b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is $14.16b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. This results in an intrinsic value estimate in the companys reported currency of $78.38. However, IHGs primary listing is in United Kingdom, and 1 share of IHG in USD represents 0.774 ( USD/ GBP) share of NYSE:IHG, so the intrinsic value per share in GBP is 60.64. Relative to the current share price of 49.92, the company appears about fair value at a 18% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

LSE:IHG Intrinsic value, April 30th 2019

The assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at InterContinental Hotels Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.4%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.083. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Next Steps:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldnt be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For InterContinental Hotels Group, There are three additional factors you should further examine:

Financial Health: Does IHG have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk. Future Earnings: How does IHG's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Are there other high quality stocks you could be holding instead of IHG? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every GB stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card!

Today we are going to look at Luoyang Glass Company Limited (HKG:1108) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires.

First, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Then we'll compare its ROCE to similar companies. Then we'll determine how its current liabilities are affecting its ROCE.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

ROCE measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that 'one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar'.

How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?

Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

Or for Luoyang Glass:

0.042 = CN84m  (CN4.5b - CN2.5b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.)

So, Luoyang Glass has an ROCE of 4.2%.

Check out our latest analysis for Luoyang Glass

Does Luoyang Glass Have A Good ROCE?

ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. We can see Luoyang Glass's ROCE is meaningfully below the Building industry average of 7.1%. This could be seen as a negative, as it suggests some competitors may be employing their capital more efficiently. Regardless of how Luoyang Glass stacks up against its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms is quite low (especially compared to a bank account). It is likely that there are more attractive prospects out there.

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Luoyang Glass delivered an ROCE of 4.2%, which is better than 3 years ago, as was making losses back then. That implies the business has been improving.

SEHK:1108 Past Revenue and Net Income, April 30th 2019

When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. ROCE is only a point-in-time measure. If Luoyang Glass is cyclical, it could make sense to check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Luoyang Glass's Current Liabilities And Their Impact On Its ROCE

Current liabilities include invoices, such as supplier payments, short-term debt, or a tax bill, that need to be paid within 12 months. The ROCE equation subtracts current liabilities from capital employed, so a company with a lot of current liabilities appears to have less capital employed, and a higher ROCE than otherwise. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets.

Luoyang Glass has total assets of CN4.5b and current liabilities of CN2.5b. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 56% of its total assets. Luoyang Glass has a fairly high level of current liabilities, boosting its ROCE.

The Bottom Line On Luoyang Glass's ROCE

Luoyang Glass's ROCE is also pretty low (in absolute terms), making the stock look unattractive on this analysis. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's government defended its ally President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela on Tuesday, saying opposition calls for a military uprising against him threatened the constitutional order.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido urged the military to help oust Maduro and violence broke out at protests in a new crisis point after years of chaos and divisions.

The United States is among some 50 countries recognising Guaido as Venezuela's president and has imposed sanctions to try and dislodge Maduro whom they say rigged an election last year.

But Turkey is among nations, including China and Russia, backing Maduro since Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January.

President Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he said was a coup attempt, adding that the whole world should respect the democratic choices of Venezuelans.

"Those who are in an effort to appoint a postmodern colonial governor to Venezuela, where the President was appointed by elections and where the people rule, should know that only democratic elections can determine how a country is governed," he tweeted.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey always sides with the people of Venezuela and favoured dialogue.

"We are worried about reports that there are certain attempts against the constitutional order in Venezuela. We are against anti-democratic methods to change legitimate governments," he said in a tweet.

Turkey has a long history of coups, most recently a failed putsch in 2016, thwarted by Erdogan supporters who took to the streets to fight the putschists. About 250 people were killed.

More than 77,000 people have been jailed pending trial since then and widespread arrests are still routine.

Authorities have also suspended or sacked 150,000 civil servants and military personnel.

(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Dominic Evans and Andrew Cawthorne)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was prepared to leave the country on Tuesday morning in the face of a call for an uprising by opposition leader Juan Guaido, but reversed his plan after Russia intervened, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a U.S. television interview on Tuesday. "They had an airplane on the tarmac. He was ready to leave this morning, as we understand it. Russians indicated he should stay," Pompeo said in an interview with CNN. (Reporting by Eric Beech and Makini Brice; Editing by David Alexander)
With events for designers happening daily, and new projects cropping up all over the city, keeping track of all the goings-on in Atlanta can be a tall order. Thats why AD PRO is here to keep you informed for the week.

Local Design Stars to Gather for ASIDs Magnolia Ball

American Society of Interior Designerss annual Magnolia Ball will be held on Tuesday, May 7, at the Atlanta History Centers newly renovated ballroom. This year marks the 39th Annual Design Excellence Awards ceremony, with nearly 400 designers, industry leaders, and their guests in attendance. More than 45 residential and commercial designers, including Melanie Turner Interiors, Harmonious Living by Tish Mills, Barclay Stone Interiors, Susan Currie Design, Victoria McClure Interiors, and Stuart Pliner Design, have submitted their work for award consideration, and winners will be chosen by a jury panel made up of other ASID chapters from around the country. ASID Georgia President Kristin Kong will preside over the awards ceremony, which is sponsored by industry partners AmericasMart and ADAC.

2019 Southeast Designers and Architect of the Year Award Winners Announced

To close Design ADAC, the Atlanta Decorative Arts Centers annual spring market last week, the Atlanta design community turned out en masse to celebrate the finalists for the 2019 Southeast Designers and Architect of the Year Awards. Held at The Estate in Buckhead, the gala revealed that the winners for Architect, Contract Design, and Residential Design are Summerour Architects, Michael Habachy of Habachy Designs, and Karen Ferguson of Harrison Design, respectively. All of the winners are Atlanta-based, and the judges included AD100 designer Bunny Williams, among others. Its inspiring to see the unique, beautiful work happening in the Southeast, and continue to celebrate and recognize this sense of community, said Katie Miner, ADAC general manager, in a statement.

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Verde Home Hosts CEU Event with Moore & Giles and American Leather

Verde Home by Laura Walker plans to host a day of learning on Thursday, May 2. In the morning, Moore & Giles will host Leather 101, an educational presentation, over breakfast. Then, in the afternoon, the natural leather company will host a lunch seminar, The Designers Guide to Specifying Leather. Each training session is worth one CEU credit for further education. From 4 to 6 p.m., the showroom invites guests to preview American Leathers new Style in Motion collection and stop by the Moore & Giles Airstream for a cocktail.

Andrea Henzlik Design Welcomes Taylor Olson as Associate Designer

Taylor Olson joins Buckheads Andrea Henzlik Design full-time as an associate designer. Though shes been working with the firm on a part-time basis as a project manager for more than five years, the shift means she will take her own clients and continue working closely with lead designer Andrea Henzlik, who has been crafting custom interiors for clients since 2004.

TSW Hosts Pro-Bono Open Studio to Create Multidisciplinary Design Solutions for Locals

Atlanta-based design studio TSW hosted an all-day intensive brainstorming session at its Midtown office last week to create pro-bono design solutions for the cities of Clarkston, Brookhaven, and Atlanta/West End CID. Each team included staff from the firms three in-house design studios: architecture, planning, and landscape architecture. Bryan Bays, TSWs senior principal and director of landscape architecture, who coordinated the event, explained that the motivation for creating the Open Studio day was twofold: First, to offer TSWs design services to organizations that might not have the budget for a full-blown planning process, and second, to give TSW staff who dont usually work together the opportunity to collaborate.
Japanese police on Monday arrested a 56-year-old man in connection with two paring knives found at the school desk of Prince Hisahito, grandson of Emperor Akihito, local media reported.

The incident comes as authorities were beefing up security ahead of the popular emperor's abdication on Tuesday after a 30-year reign, the first monarch to relinquish the throne of the world's oldest imperial family for two centuries.

Akihito's eldest son, 59-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito, will take the throne on Wednesday in a series of ceremonies.

Hisahito is the son of Naruhito's younger brother and the last eligible male heir.

Japan's centuries-old succession would be broken if Hisahito does not have a male child as the Imperial Household Law, in place since 1947, does not allow women to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Japan's centuries-old succession would be broken if Hisahito does not have a male child - AFP

The suspect, identified as Kaoru Hasegawa, was arrested on suspicion of illegally entering the premises of the junior high school the 12-year-old prince attends on Friday, public broadcaster NHK and other news reports said.

His motive was not immediately clear.

NHK said police officials were questioning him and suspected he placed the knives at the desk, while Nippon Television said he admitted the allegations.

A police spokesman declined to comment.

Hisahito, who began attending the school this month, was not in the classroom when the knives are believed to have been left.

There were no reports of any injuries or damage at the school, while police did not find any threatening note related to the case.

Security camera footage showed a man with a helmet trespassing on the school grounds at around noon, they said.

Police had been searching for the middle-aged man who was dressed as a construction worker.

Threats to the imperial family are relatively rare. In 1975, Akihito was almost hit by a Molotov cocktail in Okinawa, a major World War II battlefield where there was strong anti-emperor sentiment.
LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - A 50-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the bodies of two women were found in a freezer in an apartment in east London.

The grim discovery was made by police after officers were called to the ground floor apartment due to concerns about an occupant.

"A 50-year-old man was arrested on Monday, April 29 on suspicion of murder following the discovery of two bodies at an address in Canning Town," British police said on Tuesday.

"Enquiries continue to carry out formal identification on the females found, and trace and speak to their next of kin." (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Michael Holden)
When AirBnB was founded in 2008, the first market it attacked was the hotel industry. Now, it appears the industry is punching back.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Marriott (MAR) International Inc.  the owner of Sheraton, W Hotels, and Ritz-Carlton Brands  is entering the home-rental business, the first of the major hotel companies to do so. The venture positions Marriott against a notorious foe of the hotel industry  home-sharing companies, such as AirBnB, that have successfully infiltrated and undermined the hotel world for over a decade.

Booking Holdings (BKNG) CEO Glenn Fogel, whose company operates as the parent of sites like Booking.com, spoke to Yahoo Finance about Marriotts segue into the home-rental business.

Its not surprising, Fogel said. Weve always had hotels and homes on our search pages. When a customer comes to us, they want to stay somewhere; weve always provided them the choice.

Amsterdam, Netherlands - December 13, 2017: Entrance of Marriott Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

But the choices are increasingly in AirBnBs favor: data from AirDNA shows the home-sharing platform now lists nearly five million rooms as of Q1 2019  practically four million more than Marriott hotels.

AirBnb is prepared to file to go public within the year, CEO Brian Chesky told CNBC, offering the hotel industry little time to act aggressively and diversify its businesses.

Olivia Balsamo is a producer at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @BalsamoOlivia.

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and reddit.
Paris (AFP) - French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner on Tuesday said more than 7,400 police and security forces would be deployed in Paris for Wednesday's May Day marches in case of violence by protesters.

The government is bracing for a repeat of last year's May 1 violence, when the government was caught off guard by some 1,200 trouble-makers who ran amok in the capital, vandalising businesses and clashing with police.

Castaner said the authorities had found several groups on social media urging protesters to turn Paris into "the capital of rioting" on Wednesday.

"Based on the information we have, 1,000 to 2,000 radical activists, potentially reinforced by individuals coming from abroad, could try to spread lawlessness and violence," he told a press conference.

Nearly 200 motorcycle units will be deployed across the capital to respond quickly to flare-ups of violence, and drones will be used to track protesters' movements.

Castaner said police would also avail themselves of a new law allowing pre-emptive searches of anyone planning to march, saying a handful of individuals had already been detained Tuesday.

One man was found with a backpack containing "an extendable truncheon, a switchblade and protective gloves," Castaner said.

French security forces have already been on high alert for nearly six months over the weekly "yellow vest" demonstrations that have often spiralled into rioting and running battles with police.

Many of the violent protesters are anti-capitalist youths dressed in black and wearing face masks, often called "black blocs".

Adding to the risks, police worry that yellow vests may turn out for the traditional May Day march for workers' rights.

Though so far, union leaders have been eclipsed by the grass-roots movement, many of whose leaders have rejected calls to make common cause to secure improved living conditions and spending power.
On The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, otherwise known as Mayor Pete, acknowledged that he and his campaign have benefitted from white privilege. Buttigiegs star has risen faster than even he expected, as he told Al Sharpton over lunch on Monday, and Noah asked his thoughts on the opinion of some that its due to heavy media coverage because hes a white male. Well, Id like to believe its my qualities and my message, but I have been reflecting on this because one of the things about privilege, especially things like white privilege or male privilege, is that you don't think about it much, Buttigiege said. Its being in an out group where you are constantly reminded of it. Its not when youre in a majority or privileged group. So I try to check myself and make sure I understand the factors that help explain why things are going well. Buttigieg isnt the only candidate to speak about white male privilege. Beto ORourke admitted in March that hes been afforded certain privileges because hes a white man, and Joe Biden recently lamented white mans culture while speaking about violence against women. Buttigieg, Biden, and ORourke will be facing off against the most diverse field in history in the 2020 Democratic primaries, and the mayor admitted that some of his competitors will have a tougher road ahead than he will. I do think that there's a media environment that kind of pushes people into lanes whether they comfortably fit there or not, Buttigieg said, and I do think it's simply harder for candidates of color or female candidates, and I'm very mindful of that.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A teary-eyed Hameed Rafi said he'll never forget the day he joined a panel of civilian war victims and family members and spoke about the suicide bombing in Kabul that killed his sister last August.

Sharing his story with them in March at the Afghanistan Center for Memory and Dialogue, Rafi recalled how all of the wounded in the attack had been taken to hospitals, so he began searching lists of wounded hanging on hospital walls. But he couldn't find the name of his sister, 18-year-old Rahila, who had been studying in an education center for her college entrance exam when the attack happened.

Then, a doctor suggested Rafi also search lists of those killed.

"That shocked me, I had never considered that my sister wouldn't be alive anymore," he said. But as he learned later, Rahila had perished, he told those who attended the panel discussion.

Rafi's chance to share his story is at the heart of the memory center's mission. Launched in February by the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization, it seeks to salvage, protect and share memories and stories of civilian victims of the country's four decades of war.

The center, located in a small basement of a rental house in west Kabul, contains exhibits reminding visitors of the years of carnage and loss, including drawings, garments, photos and toys with accompanying personal information such as names, places and causes of death or injury.

But the center is also a safe space for family and friends of civilian victims like Rafi to share their stories and preserve the memories of their loved ones. Each family has its own story, but when they listen to the narratives of others they realize they're not alone in their pain.

Afghanistan has experienced some 40 years of continuous wars and the center has divided them into periods, starting with the former communist regime from 1978-1992, which led to the 1979 invasion by the former Soviet Union to support the government and Afghanistan's subsequent spiral into war.

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That period was followed by the civil war in the Islamic State of Afghanistan, from 1992-1996. During these years, many of the warlords, who were later returned to power by the international community in 2001, waged a brutal war against each other for power, killing 50,000 people in Kabul alone.

The Taliban regime, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, ruled the country from 1996-2001. The years 2002-present represent the current period that followed the collapse of Taliban rule.

More than 2 million civilians are estimated to have been killed in the fighting in Afghanistan between 1978 and 2001, with thousands more killed and wounded in the past 17 years, since the U.S.-led NATO intervention.

The center grew out of the concept of the "memory box," in which survivors or family members would bring favorite items of victims and put them in boxes of different sizes and materials, many of them ornately decorated. As they met other victims' family and friends, they began to exchange stories.

Later, the center asked survivors to write letters to their lost loved ones and to the larger Afghan community to let them know about their pain. This took place over about eight years, during which hundreds of memory boxes were constructed with more than 4,000 personal objects and stories.

Strolling through the memory center, visitors see in one exhibit a Barbie doll and accompanying make-up table that belonged to a young girl named Saima, who was killed in a suicide car bomb attack near the former parliament building in April 2015.

In another exhibit, a wristwatch still shows the time for visitors, but not its owner, who is unidentified. The watch belonged to the victim of suicide bombing attack in Kabul that killed and wounded dozens. Center organizers were unsure of the date of the attack.

In yet another exhibit, a small piece of paper has a handwritten note from a prisoner to his family, who has not seen or heard from him in decades. Family and friends still hope he will return home one day.

"Unfortunately, in Afghanistan there was not a policy of remembrance for thousands of war victims that we have in this country," said Hadi Marifat, the human rights organization's director.

The memory center is "a tribute to the war victims and it is for them (and survivors) to come here and share their stories and to, of course, at the same time get acknowledgement, which is very, very important in a context like Afghanistan," Marifat said.

Rafi, whose sister was one of 50 students killed in the Islamic State group's suicide attack on the Mawood Educational Center in western Kabul, understands the need to pay tribute to the lost.

Upon returning home a day after Rahila's burial, he went through her diary and discovered her love for books and education. In a short note, she writes that education is the only way out of the crisis in Afghanistan.

The note inspired Rafi to establish a library on Oct. 25 in Dasht-e Barchi neighborhood in west Kabul, not far from where Rahila lost her life, to encourage a culture of reading and studying among youths. The Rahila Library has more than 7,000 books with a separate reading space for visitors. So far, more than 4,000 people have visited the library since it opened.

"We lost Rahila, but we hope Rahila's name and kindness will be remembered by people through this library," he said.
MEXICO CITY, April 30 (Reuters) - Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday urged U.S. lawmakers to ratify a revamped North American trade pact a day after the Mexican Senate paved the way by passing a bill to strengthen the rights of trade unions.

The leaders of Mexico, the United States and Canada signed the trade agreement at the end of November after a long negotiation, but it requires ratification in each country's legislature to take effect and replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), in force since 1994.

"When the labor reform is approved, two purposes are accomplished: the main one is that it benefits Mexican workers... but it also fulfills the commitment that was made with the government of the United States," Lopez Obrador said during his daily morning press conference.

"Now it is up to the U.S. government, the U.S. legislators, to finish approving the free trade agreement," he added. "We are fulfilling (our obligations) and we want that free trade agreement with the United States and Canada."

U.S. Democratic lawmakers have said the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) must ensure workers in Mexico have the right to unionize, a step that requires new labor laws.

Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, leader of the House of Representatives, has said that U.S. lawmakers should not endorse any agreement to replace NAFTA unless Mexico passed a law to protect labor rights.

On Monday, the Mexican Senate approved a reform that enshrines the right of Mexican workers to organize and gives them more control over their contracts.

The bill, which was passed by the lower house earlier in April, aligns Mexico with international treaties, according to Mexican lawmakers. It awaits the signature of the president to enter into force. (Reporting by Diego Ore; Editing by David Gregorio)
By Zachery Fagenson

DORAL, Fla., April 30 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Venezuelans packed into a Miami-area restaurant on Tuesday, their eyes fixed on television images of violence in their home country, yet hopeful that the unrest spelled the beginning of the end of President Nicolas Maduro's rule.

Today is the day, said Erica Rodriguez said as she dined with her daughter and parents at El Arepazo in Doral, Florida.

Nobody here is working. Everybody is glued to the television waiting for more information about when Venezuela will be free, said the 40-year-old Uber driver, who fled Caracas for Miami last year.

Rodriguez was part of a throng of Venezuelans, many of them draped in their flag's yellow, blue and red, who turned up at El Arepazo on Tuesday after opposition leader Juan Guaido's call for the military to rise up against the government. The popular eatery is a little piece of home to many of Venezuelans who came to South Florida to find a better life.

Amid conversations about their hopes for the South American country's future, patrons enjoyed traditional dishes like the sweet braised beef called asado negro and white cornmeal cakes filled with chicken salad, or salty cheese and black beans.

According to a 2018 study by the University of Miami, more than 200,000 Venezuelans now live in Florida in communities such as Doral, a fast-growing suburb near Miami, and Weston, which lies about 20 miles (30 km) west of Fort Lauderdale.

The influx of Venezuelans has altered the face of towns like Doral. Many brought their families in search of a new life while others came with little more than the clothes on their backs, fleeing a country in the midst of political and economic collapse after three decades of socialist rule.

The influx has meant consistent, fast growth as well as a lot of investment for businesses and other projects, said Manny Sarmiento, president and chief executive of Dorals Chamber of Commerce.

Story continues

At the same time, it has also put pressure on this bedroom community, clogging the streets with nearly impassable traffic during rush hour and pushing rents up to levels only seen in downtown Miami or on Miami Beach.

Unlike the Cubans who fled the Communist-controlled island in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, many of the Venezuelans living in Miami say they will return the moment Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is out of power.

Ive been here for 20 years but Ive always felt Venezuelan," said Raul Leoni, 66, who owns an import-export company and whose father was president of Venezuela from 1964 to 1969. "Thats where I want to be and I think the country will need the help of many people to reverse the damage done over the last three decades.

Leoni said he has been in contact with members of the Venezuelan military since before daybreak, urging them to support Guaido, who has been recognized as the president by 50 countries, including the United States.

Should Maduro leave office, Leoni said he would work to redirect people and investment back to Venezuela after being drained for decades.

For those Venezuelans who have recently arrived in Miami, the urge to return is even greater.

In Venezuela I was a travel agent, I made a good living, said 44-year-old Laura Quintero, who survives by driving for Uber and working odd jobs whenever she can get them. This time its different, the protests are different and we have to get back so we can start rebuilding our country. (Reporting by Zach Fagenson; Editing by Frank McGurty and Jonathan Oatis)
By Zachery Fagenson

DORAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Hundreds of Venezuelans packed into a Miami-area restaurant on Tuesday, their eyes fixed on television images of violence in their home country, yet hopeful that the unrest spelled the beginning of the end of President Nicolas Maduro's rule.

Today is the day, said Erica Rodriguez said as she dined with her daughter and parents at El Arepazo in Doral, Florida.

Nobody here is working. Everybody is glued to the television waiting for more information about when Venezuela will be free, said the 40-year-old Uber driver, who fled Caracas for Miami last year.

Rodriguez was part of a throng of Venezuelans, many of them draped in their flag's yellow, blue and red, who turned up at El Arepazo on Tuesday after opposition leader Juan Guaido's call for the military to rise up against the government. The popular eatery is a little piece of home to many of Venezuelans who came to South Florida to find a better life.

Amid conversations about their hopes for the South American country's future, patrons enjoyed traditional dishes like the sweet braised beef called asado negro and white cornmeal cakes filled with chicken salad, or salty cheese and black beans.

According to a 2018 study by the University of Miami, more than 200,000 Venezuelans now live in Florida in communities such as Doral, a fast-growing suburb near Miami, and Weston, which lies about 20 miles (30 km) west of Fort Lauderdale.

The influx of Venezuelans has altered the face of towns like Doral. Many brought their families in search of a new life while others came with little more than the clothes on their backs, fleeing a country in the midst of political and economic collapse after three decades of socialist rule.

The influx has meant consistent, fast growth as well as a lot of investment for businesses and other projects, said Manny Sarmiento, president and chief executive of Dorals Chamber of Commerce.

At the same time, it has also put pressure on this bedroom community, clogging the streets with nearly impassable traffic during rush hour and pushing rents up to levels only seen in downtown Miami or on Miami Beach.

Story continues

Unlike the Cubans who fled the Communist-controlled island in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, many of the Venezuelans living in Miami say they will return the moment Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is out of power.

Ive been here for 20 years but Ive always felt Venezuelan," said Raul Leoni, 66, who owns an import-export company and whose father was president of Venezuela from 1964 to 1969. "Thats where I want to be and I think the country will need the help of many people to reverse the damage done over the last three decades.

Leoni said he has been in contact with members of the Venezuelan military since before daybreak, urging them to support Guaido, who has been recognized as the president by 50 countries, including the United States.

Should Maduro leave office, Leoni said he would work to redirect people and investment back to Venezuela after being drained for decades.

For those Venezuelans who have recently arrived in Miami, the urge to return is even greater.

In Venezuela I was a travel agent, I made a good living, said 44-year-old Laura Quintero, who survives by driving for Uber and working odd jobs whenever she can get them. This time its different, the protests are different and we have to get back so we can start rebuilding our country.

(Reporting by Zach Fagenson; Editing by Frank McGurty and Jonathan Oatis)
Victims of a Microsoft Outlook hack say the tech giant had a laissez-faire response to the bitcoin theft. | Source: (i) Shutterstock (ii) Shutterstock; Edited by CCN

By CCN: Hackers infiltrated Microsoft Outlook email users accounts in order to steal crypto, including bitcoin. The scope of the cyber-theft is still as-yet undetermined, but it appears to be more expansive than first thought.

One victim is Dutch engineer Jevon Ritmeester, who says a hacker gained access to Microsoft customer support workers login credentials.

The hacker used this information to pore through Ritmeesters Outlook emails to reset passwords and withdraw bitcoin from his accounts on cryptocurrency exchanges.

Ritmeester is furious at Microsofts casual reaction to this egregious negligence.

Crypto theft was apparent motive for hacks

So far, Ritmeester says he only lost one bitcoin (roughly equivalent to $5,200 using todays bitcoin price).

The hackers also had access to my inbox, allowing them to password-reset my Kraken account and withdrawal [sic] my bitcoin, Ritmeester told Motherboard via email.

Ritmeester says the hackers devised a forwarding protocol so that anytime one of his emails mentioned the word Kraken, his Microsoft Outlook would automatically forward that email to a secret Gmail account controlled by the hackers.

Read the full story on CCN.com.
By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday that he hopes to make "substantial progress" with Chinese negotiators in the next two rounds of trade talks, as the world's two largest economies look for ways to end their bruising trade war.

Mnuchin was speaking in Beijing, where he and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will hold talks this week, before Chinese Vice Premier Liu He goes to Washington next week for another round of talks in what could be the end game for negotiations.

"We've a meeting here, and then the vice premier and team will be coming back to Washington D.C., and we hope to make substantial progress in these two meetings," Mnuchin told reporters.

Beijing and Washington have cited progress on issues including intellectual property and forced technology transfer to help end a conflict marked by tit-for-tat tariffs that have cost both sides billions of dollars, disrupted supply chains and roiled financial markets.

But U.S. officials say privately that an enforcement mechanism for a deal and timelines for lifting tariffs are sticking points.

"Enforceability is key - it's easy to sign a document if you have no intention of complying with it," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters in Washington, adding that there a few "still lingering" issues that need to be resolved.

"Consequences of lack of compliance need to be very tight in that agreement," Perdue said.

Chinese officials have also acknowledged that they view the enforcement mechanism as crucial, but say that it must work two ways -- and cannot put restraints only on China.

"There must be guarantees for implementation. This is an important part of the negotiations. We must, to the greatest extent possible, lower and prevent the chances of going back on promises," one Chinese official close to senior leaders told Reuters.

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A second Chinese official with knowledge of the situation said it was too early to say work was in the final stages, but that both sides were "sprinting".

In Washington, people familiar with the talks say that the question of whether and when U.S. tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods will be removed will probably be among the last issues to be resolved. Trump has said that he may keep some tariffs on Chinese goods for a "substantial period."

Erin Ennis, senior vice president of the U.S.-China Business Council, said the deal needs to address U.S. complaints about Chinese theft of intellectual property and forced technology transfers, but it also must resolve tariffs.

"Whatever the resolution is it has got to have a plan of action for the ultimate removal of tariffs, because if it's an input for a product made in the United States or something a U.S. company ships to China, the tariffs inflate costs and make their products less competitive," she said.

Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida who has taken a hawkish stance on China trade and security issues, warned that a deal based on Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products or a deal that cannot be effectively enforced was unacceptable.

"If you're not addressing the key industries of the 21st century, in five or 10 years, it's going to not just going to be a bad deal, it'll be a catastrophic one," he said. "They will de-facto dominate those industries."

U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 4 that a deal might be worked out in about four weeks. Last week, he said he would soon host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. A meeting between the two leaders is seen as needed to cement an agreement.

Mnuchin, speaking to Fox Business Network in an interview that aired on Monday, said the trade negotiations aimed at enforcement were close to finished.

The Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi on Tuesday told a separate group of former U.S. lawmakers that the two countries' interests were deeply connected.

"In recent months, both countries' economic and trade teams have held many rounds of high-level consultations and achieved much positive progress," China's Foreign Ministry paraphrased Wang as saying.

China hopes that both sides can "work hard, exclude disturbances, and reach a mutually beneficial, win-win agreement," he added.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Michael Martina and Xu Jing in Beijing and Humeyra Pamuk, David Lawder and Alexandra Alper in Washington; writing by Se Young Lee and Ryan Woo; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Nick Macfie and Lisa Shumaker)
On September 4, 1991, Warren Buffett sat before members of Congress and apologized.

My job is to deal with both the past and the future, Buffett told a House subcommittee.

The past actions of Salomon are presently causing our 8,000 employees and their families to bear a stain. Virtually all of these employees are hardworking, able and honest.

Buffett was not apologizing on behalf of actions taken by himself, but those taken by members of investment bank Salomon Brothers, a New York-based firm that had been caught rigging Treasury bids.

Buffett, who joined the firms board of directors in 1987, was named chairman and CEO of Salomon Brothers in 1991 after John Gutfreund resigned. And Buffetts most famous words from his prepared remarks came with his kicker.

If [the employees of Salomon Brothers] follow this test, they need not fear my other message to them, Buffett said. Lose money for the firm, and I will be understanding; lose a shred of reputation for the firm, and I will be ruthless.

Warren who?

On Saturday, thousands will gather in Omaha, Nebraska for the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting.

Buffett and Berkshires vice chairman, Charlie Munger, will hold court inside the CHI Health Center Omaha  an 18,000 seat arena in downtown Omaha  to field questions from shareholders, analysts, and the media.

Yahoo Finance will host a livestream of the event, which will be seen by millions around the world. Buffett, now 88, is perhaps the most famous investor in the world. He is definitely the wealthiest.

But when Buffett sat down before lawmakers in 1991, he was well-known in investing circles but more-or-less anonymous to most Americans. Because while Wall Street attained some cultural cache in the 1980s  books were written, movies made, criminals jailed, and a market crash caught the publics attention during the decade  finance as a dominant theme (perhaps the dominant) of American capitalism had not yet flourished.

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Washington DC. Sept. 4, 1991: Warren Buffet testifies before The House subcommittee on the Salomon brothers scandal. (Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

When Buffett was called before the House, shows like Shark Tank and Billions were still decades off. And while Michael Lewis Liars Poker had been published and Michael Douglas had won an Oscar for his portrayal of Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, it wasnt yet cool or sexy or a widespread aspiration to be an investor, an entrepreneur, to attach yourself to an idea or a portfolio of ideas and offer to the world, before anything else, something like your intelligence.

Before all of this, there was Warren Buffett.

Having a good reputation is really helpful in life

On August 18, 1991, the Treasury Department banned Salomon Brothers from bidding at Treasury auctions.

In the end, the Treasury slightly modified the order, allowing Salomon to bid on behalf of clients, but only after Buffetts personal plea to then Treasury Secretary Nick Brady.

Nick Brady went with Warren because he trusted him, said Munger in the recent HBO documentary Becoming Warren Buffett.

It shows how having a good reputation is really helpful in life.

Carol Loomis, long-time Fortune reporter and friend of Buffetts, wrote in a 1997 article that Buffett called the day, the most important day of my life.

It was a huge turning point for Warren, Loomis said in the documentary. And he believed that at that particular point, his reputation was on the line.

And while Buffetts actions in the summer and fall of 1991 may have saved Salomon Brothers from collapse, Buffetts time at the firm was not all smooth sailing.

Viewing Salomon as a long-term owner, writes Roger Lowenstein in his biography Buffett, Buffett saw a picture that was anything but pretty. Its assets had ballooned, yet its return on capital had vastly diminished Buffett was convinced that the problem was rooted in Salomons extravagant bonuses.

In response to this, Buffett took an axe to Salomons bonus pool for the year-end 1991, taking $110 million off the total package for the firm despite profits increasing from 1990. Bonuses were slashed for some 70% of the firms managers, and investment banking bonuses were cut by 25%, according to Lowenstein. Two-hundred and eighty people were laid off from the firm.

Quite quickly sentiment toward Buffett soured, Lowenstein writes. As one analyst told Lowenstein, Some of us who have been [at Salomon Brothers] a long time felt a certain affection  a strong one  for John Gutfreund. Warren was a savior. You know how you feel about saviors. You love em but you also resent them.

John H. Gutfreund arrives for an emergency board meeting at Salomon Brothers offices in downtown Manhattan early Sunday, Aug. 18, 1991. (AP Images)

In his 1992 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Buffett made but a passing reference to a period he called The Salomon Interlude.

Last June, I stepped down as Interim Chairman of Salomon Inc after ten months in the job, Buffett wrote.

You can tell from Berkshires 1991-92 results that the company didnt miss me while I was gone. But the reverse isnt true: I missed Berkshire and am delighted to be back full-time. There is no job in the world that is more fun than running Berkshire and I count myself lucky to be where I am.

Rarely at a loss for words, Buffetts brevity on his time at Salomon speaks volumes about how hard the experience was. Or as Buffett wrote, The Salomon post, though far from fun, was interesting and worthwhile.

The dream that honesty is rewarded

In her Buffett biography The Snowball, Alice Schroeder writes that, Buffetts testimony in Congress as the reformer and savior of Salomon had turned him from a rich investor into a hero.

The success of his open and principled approach to a scandal touched the yearning for nobility in many peoples hearts: the dream that honest is rewarded; that the besmirched can be redeemed through honor.

Buffett, in this moment, first embodied the American ideal that hard, honest work will be rewarded. This is the legend that lives on today. And Schroeder also captures how the Buffett we know today came of age  in his early 60s  in the years after the Salomon debacle.

When Buffett walked into a room, the electricity was palpable, Schroeder writes. In his presence people felt brushed by greatness. They wanted to touch him. They became dumbstruck before him, or babbled inane remarks.

This weekend, Buffett and Munger will hold court and answer questions. Many of these questions will be posed by journalists  including Loomis  and analysts, people unlikely to be intimidated by Buffetts success or riches.

But a number of questions will also be asked by shareholders, Buffett disciples that feed the electric current which will no doubt run through Omaha on Saturday. The shareholders perpetuate the myth of Buffett as a small-town investor who does things the right way.

Of course Buffett, then and now, is not without his detractors. And the myth that Buffett is merely a small-town stock-picker is just that. But when the public gets ahold of your story arc, few developments will derail the narrative. Buffetts first major foray into the public eye back in 1991, is its creation story.

NOTE: A version of this story was originally published on May 4, 2017.



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TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA - 2015/05/28: Moosehead beer billboard advertisement with two women and two men holding Moosehead beer bottles. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Moosehead Breweries Limited has struck a joint venture deal to develop cannabis beverages.

The New Brunswick-based brewer will produce non-alcoholic cannabis-infused drinks with Sproutly Canada Inc. (SPR.CN).

Moosehead and Sproutly will each hold a 50 per cent interest in the new venture, and have the right to nominate three directors. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

The companies expect to form the new entity before the end of May, with the aim of having product ready for the market when edibles and beverages are expected to become legal in October.

We looked around, and we had a lot of discussions with a lot of different companies, Sproutly CEO Keith Dolo told Yahoo Canada Finance in an interview on Tuesday. Theyre the fourth-largest brewery in all of Canada, and the oldest independent beer company across Canada. They look to be the perfect size and the perfect match for us.

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Earlier this month, Dolo told Yahoo Canada Finance that Sproutly would strike a deal similar in structure to the Molson Coors Canada Inc. (TPX-B.TO) partnership with Gatineau, Que.-based licensed producer HEXO Corp. (HEXO.TO).

Sproutly is a small Vancouver-based licensed producer with a Toronto subsidiary sanctioned by Health Canada to research and develop cannabis beverage products. The company said it will grant exclusive rights to its Infuz20 technology for five years under the deal, with a possible two-year extension. The technology allows cannabis beverages to take effect within five minutes of consumption, and wear off after 90 minutes.

Moosehead will provide infrastructure support such as research and development, operations, finance, and distribution, according to Sproutlys news release.

With the anticipated legalization of edibles in Canada later this year, Moosehead has made the strategic decision to enter the cannabis beverage market, said Andrew Oland, chief executive officer of Moosehead, said in the release. As one of the oldest brands in Canada and a leader in the beer category, we believe we are uniquely positioned to be a leader in the cannabis beverage category.

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Dolo said he expects the yet-to-be-named joint venture to release eight or nine different beverages, and is working to determine the right mix of THC and CBD-based product offerings.

In order to comply with Health Canada rules, the joint venture will require a stand-alone production facility separate from Mooseheads beer and Sproutlys cannabis operations. A location has yet to be determined.

Matthew Oland, one of Mooseheads senior executives and a member of the family that founded the 152-year-old brewery, will step down to lead the joint venture as chief executive officer.

That showed a lot of good faith, Dolo said. Rather than being a business to support their breweries, it is very much going to be a focus for both organizations.

Sproutlys Canadian Securities Exchange-listed shares fell 5.31 per cent to $0.90 at 1:23 p.m. ET.
By Andrei Makhovsky and Katya Golubkova

MINSK/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Months of work are needed to restore clean oil supplies via a key Russian pipeline to Europe, Belarus said on Tuesday, as Moscow suggested a deliberate act was behind the contamination that prompted some countries to release state oil reserves.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Slovakia and other countries halted oil imports via the Druzhba pipeline last week after finding contaminants that can damage refinery equipment.

A long outage could force refineries in Eastern Europe and Germany to cut operations and prompt Moscow to reduce oil production. It could also trigger claims by Western oil buyers against Russian producers and pipeline monopoly Transneft for lost profits as they struggle to sell contaminated oil.

Nikolai Tokarev, head of Transneft, told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the contamination had been deliberately conducted by a private firm in the Russian region of Samara, on the Volga river.

The company "accumulates oil from small producers in the Ulyanovsk, Orenburg and Samara regions ... and is transferring it to the pipeline system", said Tokarev, a close ally of Putin, without identifying the company.

"This company ... has deliberately injected oil that was not properly prepared (for entry to the pipeline system)."

Tokarev added that Belarus had received clean oil from Russia on Tuesday, while contaminated oil was being returned from Belarus to Russia by rail.

"We will later mix it with regular oil in (the Russian Black Sea port of) Novorossiisk and sell it onwards," he told Putin. "We expect the situation to improve in the near future and will resume working on a regular schedule."

Russia's Energy Ministry said talks were held on Tuesday with oil pipelines operators in Hungary and Slovakia. It said parties involved planned to resume the transit of oil as soon as possible and oil quality at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga would be back to normal before May 7.

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Slovak oil refinery Slovnaft said supplies of clean oil transported via the pipeline should be restored from mid-May.

Ukraine's Ukrtransnafta said parties in the Budapest talks agreed to remove about 400,000 tonnes of low-quality oil from Druzhba in Ukraine and Belarus and store it in reservoirs. It said clean oil was expected to reach the European Union on May 18.

DAMAGE ESTIMATES

The significance of any damage is not yet clear, nor is it known who will foot the bill. Belarus, which processes Russian crude into refined products for sale abroad, estimated its loss from a reduction in product exports at $100 million.

Pipelines in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland are estimated to contain 5 million tonnes of contaminated Russian oil, Belarus's state news agency Belta cited the operator of Druzhba's Belarusian section as saying.

"They (the private company in the Samara region) have cheated (by supplying contaminated oil). For us, this is very serious damage from an economic, material and image point of view," Putin told Tokarev.

Russia and Belarus - where Druzhba splits into the southern leg that goes to Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic and the northern spur routed to Poland and Germany - held a second day of talks on Tuesday in Moscow.

Belarusian state energy company Belneftekhim said its Mozyr refinery was expected to receive clean oil on May 4 at the earliest. The Russian energy ministry put the date at May 3-4.

Some 50,000 tonnes of contaminated oil should be forced out in Russia and 120,000 tonnes on the Belarusian side, Belneftekhim said in a statement. Belarus will store its contaminated oil at Mozyr.

"The measures taken would allow for the restoration of only one of Druzhba's lines. Full restoration will take a couple of months of heavy work," Belneftekhim said. It did not specify which parts of Druzhba would be immediately decontaminated.

Andrei Verigo, first deputy head of Gomeltransneft Druzhba, operator of Druzhba's Belarusian section, said the pipeline would reach 60-65 percent of its average annual capacity on May 10-11, Belta reported.

It could take up to six months before the pipeline starts operating at full capacity, he added.

Druzhba can pump up to 1 million barrels per day (bpd), amounting to 1 percent of global crude demand. In total, Russia is exporting around 4 million bpd and other destinations in the south, northwest and east are unaffected, traders said.

Hungary and Poland will tap their state strategic oil reserves at least to partially replace Russian supplies.

HIGHER EXPORT PLANS

The contamination comes as Russia plans to boost monthly Urals exports to five-year highs in May, a preliminary schedule showed, before the expiry of a deal on output cuts agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Traders said on Tuesday there was no change so far to the plan.

Transneft said that in May, state-run Russian Railways might transport 100,000 tonnes of oil by rail. It did not specify the oil quality.

Putin said on Saturday the investigation could lead to a wider inquiry, possibly including law-enforcement agencies.

The pipeline problem has cut off a major supply route for Polish refineries owned by PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, as well as plants in Germany owned by Total, Shell, Eni and Rosneft.

(Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky in MINSK; Maria Kiselyova, Maria Grabar, Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Olga Yagova, Gleb Gorodyankin, Vladimir Soldatkin and Gleb Stolyarov in MOSCOW; Natalia Zinets in Kiev; Marcin Goclowski, Anna Koper and Joanna Plucinska in WARSAW; Marton Dunai in BUDAPEST; Writing by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Dale Hudson and Edmund Blair)
1260 Broadway. | Photos: Zumper

According to rental site Zumper, median rents for a one-bedroom apartment in Russian Hill are hovering around $3,395, compared to a $3,376 one-bedroom median for San Francisco as a whole.

So how does the low-end pricing on a Russian Hill rental look these daysand what might you get for your money?

We took a look at local listings for studios and one-bedroom apartments to find out what price-conscious apartment seekers can expect to find in the neighborhood, which, according to Walk Score ratings, is extremely walkable, is bikeable and boasts excellent transit options.

Read on for the cheapest listings available right now. (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.

1632 Mason St.

Listed at $2,295/month, this studio apartment, located at 1632 Mason St., is 6.3 percent less than the $2,450/month median rent for a studio in Russian Hill.

The unit boasts hardwood flooring. Pet owners will be sad to hear that cats and dogs are not permitted here.

(See the complete listing here.)

1730 Jones St.

This one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, situated at 1730 Jones St., is listed for $2,550/month.

In the unit, you're promised hardwood flooring and a balcony. Neither cats nor dogs are welcome.

(See the complete listing here.)

Polk and Francisco streets

Here's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment at Polk and Francisco streets, which is going for $2,850/month.

When it comes to building amenities, expect on-site laundry. In the unit, anticipate carpeted floors, stainless steel appliances and a breakfast bar. Neither cats nor dogs are welcome. There isn't a leasing fee associated with this rental.

(See the full listing here.)

1260 Broadway

Next, there's this 470-square-foot unit with one bedroom and one bathroom at 1260 Broadway, listed at $3,195/month.

In the unit, the listing promises hardwood flooring, a dishwasher and in-unit laundry. When it comes to pets, both meows and barks are permitted. There isn't a leasing fee associated with this rental.

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(See the listing here.)

Larkin and Union streets

Check out this 1,000-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment at Larkin and Union streets, also listed at $3,195/month.

The building features garage parking, an elevator and on-site laundry. In the unit, you'll find carpeted floors, a walk-in closet and a dishwasher. Pet owners, inquire elsewhere: this spot doesn't allow cats or dogs. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

(Here's the listing.)

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.
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The call for help came from half a world away to a windowless room at a remote airbase in South Dakota.

An American military advisor was calling from eastern Syria, asking the team at Ellsworth Air Force Base to deploy a drone to hunt down a small group of ISIS gunmen harassing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the U.S.-backed force fighting in the region. In a series of hit-and-run attacks, the ISIS gunmen had turned the SDFs makeshift outpost into a shooting gallery, injuring several Syrian troops and putting the U.S. advisors at-risk before melting into the nearby civilian population.

Within minutes, the operators directed a MQ-9 Reaper drone on-station in the eastern town of Baghouz to wait for the gunmen to return. But when they appeared, the operators held fire. Rather than launch an airstrike, the operators watched the suspects mount another attack, speed away in a tan vehicle, and then drive to a low-slung building with a thatch-roof on the outskirts of town. There, the drone operators quietly surveilled the suspected terrorists from above.

For two days, the operators watched as the militants brought in more vehicles and weapons. They watched as other people came and went, and gathered intelligence on the visitors. But when the gunmen started preparing for another attack, the operators were cleared to strike.

The drone launched two missiles  first one, then another  which obliterated the building destroying the weapons cache and killing the fighters believed to be inside. After that, there werent any other attacks in the area, says an Air Force intelligence analyst, who, like others spoke to TIME on the condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

The airstrike described here occurred in November, but similar events have become routine in recent months, indicative of a new phase of the U.S.-led effort against ISIS. While the high-tempo, street-by-street fight against the militant organization is over, it has been replaced by a deliberative hunt for ISIS leaders, underground cell commanders and other so-called high-value individuals.

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Indeed, ISIS leadership ranks have proven resilient despite the five years of war. The group, analysts say, has been quick to adapt to new circumstances. No longer capable of seizing and holding territory, the surviving foot soldiers have instead gone back to its guerrilla roots, carrying out ambushes, bombings and assassinations.

ISIS has morphed into a less pressing force, but it has not completely gone away, said Col. Julian Cheater, 432nd Wing commander, who oversees Air Force drone operations. While caliphate has been defeated, we still need to work with our ground partners to make sure that the remaining embers dont flare up again.

No figure is more sought after than Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the mercurial ISIS leader, who appeared in an 18-minute propaganda video Monday after a five-year absence from public view. His appearance, clad in a black tunic with a Kalashnikov rifle at his side, comes after years of erroneous reports that he was seriously wounded or killed. Baghdadi stated that ISISs fight against the West is far from over. Our battle today is a war of attrition to harm the enemy, and they should know that jihad will continue until doomsday, he tells a roomful of followers who are all seated on the floor with their legs-crossed.

The video footage is now being scrutinized by U.S. intelligence analysts for the smallest detail  such as the ornate embroidery on the pillows at Baghdadis feet and the design on his followers headscarves  that might provide a clue to betray his location.

Capt. Derrick, 46th Expeditionary Attack Squadron pilot, and Staff Sgt. Marcus, 46th EATKS MQ-9 sensor operator, check aircraft system operations during preflight of an MQ-9 Reaper at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Feb. 21, 2019. | Staff Sgt. Arielle Vasquez386th Air Expeditionary Wing Pub/U.S. Air Force

The U.S. also relies upon airborne surveillance, captured communications chatter, signals intelligence and information gathered by allied forces in Iraq and Syria. Despite the unceasing flow of information, finding and tracking ISIS operatives is a painstaking task. ISIS isnt brazenly waving black flags or openly brandishing Kalashnikovs on their backs unlike in the early days of the war. Leaders eschew cell phones, emails and computers out of fear theyre being traced. Drone operators tell TIME that theyre now watching scores of locations for days, even weeks, to ensure the identities of those inside.

American drone pilots and intelligence analysts primary mission is to find ISIS operatives before they attack or mount an effort to reestablish power in recently liberated territory. This requires that drone operators fly above recaptured ISIS territory  all day, every day  looking for the faintest indication of the groups resurgence. Much like a detective on a stakeout, a single piece of evidence could result in a break through. The militarys ability to connect dots from these disparate scraps of information could be the difference in whether the battlefield victory over ISIS endures or is short lived.

Were focusing on those ISIS remnants, sleeper cells and small pockets that may try to resurge and conduct an isolated attack, the intelligence analyst tells TIME. For us, its going to be watching compounds that are suspected and taking the time and persistence to verify what exactly is going on in these areas where they have this ability to regroup.

This mop-up work could prove critical. The Pentagon, after all, has squandered hard-fought gains before. ISIS only rose to dominance after U.S. troops left Iraq in December 2011 at the end of an eight-year occupation. By 2014, the Sunni extremist group launched a lightning offensive in Iraq and Syria that resulted in the seizure of territory the size of Britain. Similarly, in Afghanistan, the Taliban was able to reconstitute after being toppled from power just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The Taliban regrouped while Washingtons focus shifted to the war in Iraq. The insurgents now hold more territory now than at any time since the U.S.-led invasion.

Just last week, U.S.-led military coalition announced a new wave of airstrikes in Iraqs northern town of Wadi Ashai where fighters have been attempting to move munitions, equipment and personnel to exert influence and stage a comeback. The Institute Study of War (ISW), a Washington think tank, recently identified nine regions across Iraq and Syria where ISIS still has support and conducts operations. The group has more clout today than when U.S. forces initially pulled out of Iraq in 2011.

Absent sustained pressure, the U.S. military predicts that the terrorist group would re-emerge in Syria within six to 12 months, according to a recent Department of Defense Inspector General report. The group remains a potent force of battle-hardened and well-disciplined fighters, the report said.

The new role of drone surveillance and intelligence in the counter-ISIS mission marks a shift in the long fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Since August 2014, American drone operators on the virtual front lines supported the advance of foreign ground forces in a high tempo war. Over that period, U.S. warplanes unleashed more than 100,000 bombs and missiles on militant targets in non-stop combat missions.

The air strikes played a vital role in dislodging and killing ISIS fighters in densely populated cities, where snipers, booby-traps and car bombs threatened allies and civilians on a daily basis. U.S. counter-insurgency efforts exacted a high price, however. The Pentagon acknowledges that U.S. airstrikes have killed at least 1,291 civilians across Iraq and Syria, since operations against ISIS began. Non-governmental organizations, such as Airwars, puts the figure much higher. It estimates that at least 7,742 innocent people have been killed by U.S.-led air strikes.

Any significant reduction in strikes in Syria is likely to benefit local populations, says Chris Woods, director of Airwars. However, even low intensity  campaigns carry risk.

Todays quieter battle against ISIS hinges in part on past U.S. intelligence work gleaned from interrogations of captured fighters and commanders as well as paperwork, laptops and cellphones gathered by Iraqi security forces and U.S.-backed Syrian militias.

The counter-ISIS battle in Syria is different in many ways than past U.S. wars. There are few U.S. troops on the ground actually fighting or providing targeting information. American Special Operations forces coordinate with local forces to gather intelligence from information and material gathered from the battlefield, but also a wide-range of informers with firsthand knowledge about ISIS operations.

If we get intelligence that a particular ISIS leader or facilitator is in a specific area, we watch that area for days on-end until we can have the correct degree of certainty that theyre there, another intelligence analyst says. So whether thats SDF rolling up an individual or U.S. conducting an airstrike or someone else conducting an airstrike thats what were doing.

Drone pilots shifts can be mind-numbingly dull, circling over a house or a vehicle for hours, waiting to observe something that could make the difference in launching an airstrike. Were staring at the same buildings or tents for long periods of time, a drone pilot said. It can be difficult to motivate guys to stare at the same building for eight hours, but its rewarding when you see the pay off.

The operators continue to hunt for new targets. And the closer they look, the more they find. Thus, the mission remains open-ended.
A mother of a 15-year-old boy with autism claims that Ryanair wouldn't allow him and his carer to board the plane and told them his doll would be subject to a hand luggage fee. (Photo: Facebook)

A mother of a 15-year-old boy with autism took to Facebook to share her son's experience with Ryanair staff members at the Alicante airport in Spain, calling the incident a "disgrace."

Helen Estella wrote that her son, Leo, experienced a "meltdown," which resulted in airport staff calling four to five police officers.

Leo, who, according to Estella has severe autism and the mental capacity of a three-year-old, was traveling with his caretaker when he attempted to board the UK-bound flight on Saturday evening.

Estella wrote that Ryanair "refused to let fly home because he was distressed when they [wouldn't] let him have his doll and demanded payment for it as hand luggage," adding that Leo's caretaker did not refuse to pay the fee.

Estrella went on to claim that Ryanair staff called the police on her son, and he was surrounded by police officers, who physically touched him and his doll, which exasperated his meltdown.

"Special assistance had been requested as not all disabilities are visible but we were told no by Ryanair because Leo can walk, Estella wrote. He had to be then taken to the airport Doctor and medicated as he was so distressed. Ryanair off loaded the luggage and offered them no other way to get home, shrugging shoulders saying no flights til next Tuesday."

Estella went on to explain that Leo's carer, "in desperation," went to the Jet2 desk to "beg for help," and praised the way staff at Jet2 handled the situation. "They stayed with Leo from when they bought new tickets at the desk and have been sat on the floor with him as he was so frightened to board the plane trying to calm and reassure him." Estrella shared photos of one Jet2 staff member, identified as Ellie, as she sat on the floor with Leo and put "his babies to bed for him" which helped to calm the teenager.

"Jet 2 I cannot [thank you] enough for getting my disabled vulnerable boy home, the mother wrote on Facebook, and treating him with kindness ... dignity and respect, and most of all time ... autistic children need extra processing time ... not spanish Police threatening him with injections!"

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While Estella says she will not be patronizing Ryanair again, the airline claims Leo and his carer were not "denied boarding" and were not charged for their hand luggage.

Ryanair provided the following statement to Yahoo Lifestyle: "This teenage passenger and his carer were provided with special assistance by Alicante airport after checking in. (All such assistance in Alicante is provided by the Airport Authority).

"At passport control, the teenager became agitated and aggressive towards his carer and the carer took the decision not to travel. The passengers were then taken to the airport medical assistance team where the upset passenger received sedation.

"As these two passengers never arrived at the Ryanair Boarding gate, their luggage was offloaded at the request of Alicante passport control staff, who advised Ryanairs gate agents that they had decided not to travel. These two passengers did not arrive at the boarding gate, and therefore, they were not 'denied boarding' and neither were they charged for any hand luggage."

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

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Pemba (Mozambique) (AFP) - The people of Chibuabuar, an informal settlement of modest wooden homes perched on a hillside between a highway and the coast of Pemba in north Mozambique, thought they had escaped the worst of Cyclone Kenneth.

But on Sunday night, the vast rubbish dump that towers over their informal neighbourhood gave way, sending mounds of trash crashing into the valley, demolishing five houses and pushing another metres downhill, still intact.

Residents told AFP that four people died and one was still missing, while the local council warned that as many as seven people may have been killed in the landslide of waste.

"It happened at 8.00 pm and two houses fell initially," said local resident Celso Carlinho, 37, whose house sits atop the valley, next to the rubbish mound, from where he had a clear view of the destruction.

With neighbours, Carlinho went down to lend a hand.

In one house, "we found a man, his wife and two daughters", all dead, he told AFP.

It took a Brazilian rescue group, initially deployed after Cyclone Idai devastated Mozambique six weeks earlier and now responding to the aftermath of Kenneth, to extract the four bodies.

- Searching with a digger -

The team was led by captain Kleber Castro who confirmed to AFP that four corpses were recovered, "unfortunately".

Castro's team have been working around the clock to pull survivors from flooded areas and some of the almost 35,000 houses partially or totally destroyed by Cyclone Kenneth, according to official numbers.

In Cabo Delgado, the region around Pemba, as many as 168,000 people have been affected by the cyclone and its aftermath.

"They searched with a digger for other bodies and didn't find any," said Carlinho.

"The trash piled on top of the two houses. These two houses -- that one, and this one," he said gesturing down into the valley with the ocean visible in the background.

Young men, one in white Wellington boots, stood high up on the recently dislodged mound, sifting through the black pile.

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But only broken appliances, potato chip packets, glass beer bottles, food waste and plastic shopping bags were to be found.

- No money -

Residents complained that the dump has been a threat and a blight on the community for years.

"In 2014 this happened and the government didn't do anything. Three people died then -- a man, a woman and a child," said local woman Rose Augusto, 29, whose home is situated precariously close to an eroding cliff edge, across the valley from the dump.

The city had planned a new landfill site 20 kilometres (12 miles) away, outside the city, but could not open it as it failed to raise money for a fence.

Augusto has become reluctantly accustomed to living in constant danger, even though disaster struck just inches from her own home this time.

"I'm not afraid," she insisted, sporting purple leggings, black flip-flops and a shawl wrapped around her head to keep her hair dry amid continued rain that has frustrated aid efforts.
Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card!

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 before you buy or sell Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands) Limited (HKG:1560), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.'

View our latest analysis for Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands)

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands)

The Executive Chairman & CEO, Man Fai Chan, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for HK$1.8m worth of shares at a price of HK$0.99 each. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take price at a lower price. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of HK$0.70. So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 574k shares for HK$560k. But insiders sold 5.2m shares worth HK$5.0m. In total, Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands) insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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SEHK:1560 Recent Insider Trading, April 30th 2019

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insiders at Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands) Have Sold Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen notably more insider selling, than insider buying, at Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands). We note insiders cashed in HK$5.0m worth of shares. Meanwhile insiders bought HK$560k worth, as we said above. The share price has moved a bit recently, but it's hard to argue that the selling is a positive.

Insider Ownership of Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands)

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands) insiders own 74% of the company, currently worth about HK$332m based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands) Tell Us?

Unfortunately, there has been more insider selling of Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands) stock, than buying, in the last three months. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. But since Star Properties Group (Cayman Islands) is profitable and growing, we're not too worried by this. While insiders do own a lot of shares in the company (which is good), our analysis of their transactions doesn't make us feel confident about the company. To put this in context, take a look at how a company has performed in the past. You can access this detailed graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow .

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.
Scattered across the 448-page report released by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller are noteworthy findings about the extent of the Russians machinations, the ploys they used to insinuate themselves into the voting structure of a battleground county, and the ways in which Kremlin-tied saboteurs interacted with reporters. These disclosures contain cautions. For the social media platforms: Imposters lurk in unexpected places. For our nations secretaries of state: The Russians made greater inroads into our voting systems than we thought. And for the press: Some of you were the object of special Kremlin attention. The relevant Mueller passages should be seen as both a forewarning and an invitation to action.

Contrary to presidential son-in-law Jared Kushners pooh-poohing of the Russian intervention as a couple Facebook ads, the Special Counsels report confirms that the Kremlins efforts were sweeping and systematic. This finding comports with the one I advanced in Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President

Importantly, the sweeping and systematic Russian sabotage involved the theft of hundreds of thousands of documents as well as infiltration of social media platforms from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to Reddit, Tumblr, and 9GAG. From cyberspace, Kremlin-tied players instigated rallies, sold merchandise, and even created a video game called Hilltendo. The lessons? In the run-up to the 2020 elections, campaign operatives should safeguard their digital musings and the social media platforms should look for interventions in any venue harboring an audience.

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Like the story of the Russian social media manipulations, the extent of Russian intrusion in our electoral infrastructure went unrecognized for too long. Although in September 2017, 21 states were notified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that the Russians had targeted their voting systems, not until April 2019 did the FBI and DHS report that there was related Russian research and reconnaissance in all 50 states. To that, the Mueller Report added a chronicle of Kremlin spearphishing of over 120 email accounts of Florida county election officials and of Russian insertion of malicious software (commonly referred to as a Trojan) that permitted the GRU to access the infected computer. To that tale of subversion, the Special Counsel then adds an ominous coda. The Russian saboteurs may have accessed the network of at least one Florida county government. Not only should any anomalies in registration or voting in that locale be scrutinized, but our news feeds should now be clogged with accounts of secretaries of state vigilantly hacker-proofing our elections. The lesson: forewarned is forearmed.

An additional take-away lurks nearby: appearance can have a reality of its own. The legitimacy of an election can be undercut without changing the outcome or mangling ballots. All that is needed is the assumption that a malign force may have done so. This dynamic comes alive in Muellers revelation that President-Elect Trump considered the intelligence community assessment about Russian interventions his Achilles heel insofar as [E]ven if Russia had no impact on the election, people would think Russia helped him win, taking away from what he had accomplished.

At the same time, for media outlets that have disregarded Matthew 7:5s injunction to cast out the plank in their own eyes before focusing on the speck afflicting others, a cornea-stabbing sliver in the Special Counsels report indicates that Russian intelligence agents cloaked in their DCLeaks persona gave certain reporters early access to archives of leaked files by sending them links and passwords to pages on the dcleaks.com website that had not yet become public.

Those unnamed journalists might ask whether their hack-based stories withstand the test of time. Across the country, newsrooms should consider the possibility posited by the New York Times Amy Chozick that hurried and largely uncritical coverage of stolen Democratic missives may have made journalists, as Amy Chozick writes in Chasing Hillary, puppets in Putins shadowy campaign. Theres been little public evidence of the kinds of introspection that would suggest that, confronted with a similar situation in 2020, the press would respond differently.

If my argument in Cyberwar is correct, that debate matters. Evidence offered there suggests that the medias use of the Russian-hacked private emails probably altered the electoral outcome by changing the news agenda during the Democratic convention, the weekend of the disclosure of the Access Hollywood tape, and the final four weeks of the campaign. In that closing month, coverage of the WikiLeakd releases plausibly explains an October erosion in public confidence in Clintons qualification to be president.

The press, the platforms, and those safeguarding our electoral processes exist in a moment that may determine whether the words Winston Churchill spoke to the House of Commons in May 1935 will apply to them. When the situation was manageable it was neglected, he said, and now that it is thoroughly out of hand we apply too late the remedies which then might have effected a cure.
Photo credit: Daniel Pludowski / EyeEm - Getty Images

From Popular Mechanics

On February 15, 2013, a massive explosion rocked the Russian province of Chelyabinsk. Felt for hundreds of miles and causing considerable property damage, the explosion was caused by a meteor that had entered the Earths atmosphere seconds before. But surely such an event couldn't happen again in our lifetime, right?

According to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, these sorts of meteor impacts could happen much more frequently than we might realize. In a statement made at the annual Planetary Defense Conference on Monday, Bridenstine quoted a paper estimating that a Chelyabinsk-type event could happen once every sixty years.

These events are not rare; they happen, said Bridenstine. This is about ultimately protecting the only planet we know, right now, to host life and that is the planet Earth.

NASA has spent years attempting to catalogue all of the asteroids in the solar system that could pose a threat to us. Thats an extremely daunting task, considering that some asteroids still manage to sneak up on us sometimes. Many of these asteroids are small and tough to spot, so its very possible for a Chelyabinsk-type asteroid to hit us without much or any warning.

If that does happen, theres a decent chance that the asteroid will explode harmlessly over the ocean or in an unpopulated area. But theres also a chance that an asteroid could hit a major city, and Bridenstine thinks that chance is large enough to worry about.

At the Planetary Defense Conference happening this week, experts from around the world will come together to discuss the best methods for protecting the Earth from a possible meteor impact. As part of that conference, experts from multiple different agencies will get the chance to react to a simulated asteroid threat as a practice run for a real threat they may soon have to face.

Source: CNET

('You Might Also Like',)
Umami. | Photo: Tina L./Yelp

In search of a new favorite Thai spot?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top Thai spots around Nashville, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to meet your needs.

1. Umami

Photo: Tina L./Yelp

Topping the list is Umami. Located at 6900 Lenox Village Drive, Suite 28 in Lennox Village, the sushi bar, Korean and Thai spot is the highest rated Thai restaurant in Nashville, boasting 4.5 stars out of 214 reviews on Yelp.

2. The Smiling Elephant

Photo: Anna M./Yelp

Next up is Historic Waverly Place's The Smiling Elephant, situated at 2213 Eighth Ave. South With four stars out of 486 reviews on Yelp, the Thai and Chinese spot, offering seafood and more, has proven to be a local favorite.

3. Siam Cafe

Photo: Paolo B./Yelp

Over in Glencliff, check out Siam Cafe, which has earned four stars out of 109 reviews on Yelp. You can find the Thai spot, which offers seafood and chicken wings, at 316 McCall St.

4. Lemongrass Thai

Photo: Oscar H./Yelp

Last but not least, there's Lemongrass Thai, a White Bridge favorite with 4.5 stars out of 14 reviews. Stop by 73 White Bridge Road, Suite 107 to hit up the Thai spot next time you're in the mood.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn into Israel's new parliament on Tuesday following his victory in April 9 elections and will seek to form a governing coalition in the days ahead.

Netanyahu was among the 120 members of the Knesset, or parliament, sworn in during an official ceremony.

Stormy sessions could be in store for lawmakers, as they work to resolve key religious and state issues, and await a possible proposal that would shield Netanyahu from prosecution.

The premier faces potential indictment in the months ahead on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.

Netanyahu's Likud party won 35 seats in the election, the same as his main opponents from the centrist Blue and White alliance, led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz.

But support from smaller right-wing parties allied to Likud led to a majority of 65 lawmakers backing Netanyahu to remain as premier for a fifth term.

On April 17, President Reuven Rivlin tasked Netanyahu with building a government.

He has 28 days to do so, with a possible extension of a further two weeks.

Netanyahu said in remarks to party members on Tuesday ahead of his swearing in that tough negotiations meant he may have to request the two-week extension.

After being sworn in, Netanyahu, who faced criticism during the campaign for comments seen as demonising Israeli Arabs, said "we shall continue to act for the benefit of every Israeli citizen without exception."

"We live in a rough environment which does not cease to make noise," he said in a speech.

"The Arab spring -- that's what they call it -- has not brought an end to instability, which strikes not only at our region but broad swathes of territory around us."

Rivlin in his speech before the new parliament urged lawmakers to move past the divisive election campaign.

"We have disparaged and been disparaged. We have distorted. We have worked overtime in the service of delegitimization, hatred and execration," he said.

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"Now, it's over. Enough. Time to climb up."

- Immunity proposal -

Netanyahu's support comes mainly from the nationalist right and the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.

Among issues likely to be tackled in the new parliament is the fierce debate over whether ultra-Orthodox Jews should perform mandatory military service.

The strengthening of the two ultra-Orthodox parties -- to a combined 16 seats, up from 13 in the outgoing parliament -- increased their clout and their opposition to the draft is central to their demands in the ongoing coalition negotiations.

Disagreement on the issue contributed to Israel holding early elections.

In addition, Netanyahu made a last-minute pledge ahead of the elections to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that could end remaining hopes for a two-state solution if carried out on a large scale.

Beyond that, Netanyahu faces the prospect of becoming the first sitting prime minister to be indicted.

The attorney general has announced -- pending a hearing -- he intends to indict the premier for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Netanyahu is not required to resign if indicted, only if convicted with all appeals exhausted.

Bezalel Smotrich, a potential member of the premier's coalition, has said he wants to propose a law that would automatically shield lawmakers from prosecution, with a caveat that parliament would still be able to lift immunity in individual cases if a majority was in favour.

It is unclear whether the proposal will gain traction.

Netanyahu's outgoing government was considered the most right-wing in Israel's history and his next is expected to be at least as hawkish, if not more so.
The car industry is suffering from Brexit uncertainty. Photo: Reuters

British car production fell for the 10th consecutive month, tumbling by 14.4% in March, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The major trade association said that production for both home and overseas markets crashed by double digits, down by 18.1% and 13.4% respectively.

Chart: SMMT

The group warned about the impact Brexit uncertainty is having on car production already, and said the worst-case scenarioBritain leaving the EU without a dealcould send the industry back to the dark days of the 1980s.

Brexit uncertainty has been rife since the UK voted to leave the European Union on 23 June 2016. There has been little progress in the three years since in establishing what a new deal with the EU will look like, or if the UK will leave with a deal at all. Britain originally was meant to leave the bloc on 29 March this year.

By default, if the UK fails to agree to a new agreement by the deadline for Brexit, then the country will crash out under a no-deal Brexit. Despite UK prime minister Theresa May sealing a deal on the terms of the divorce with the EU, the UKs parliament rejected the agreement several times.

This forced May to ask the EU for a Brexit extension, meaning Britain is now due to leave the EU by 31 October at the latest. However, there is still a chance the UK could leave without a deal.

READ MORE: Uncertainty deters Brits from EU travel as Thomas Cook holidays drop

The SMMT said that if Britain left without a deal, it would have to trade with the EU on World Trade Organization rules. It forecasts that car production in that scenario would fall around 30% on recent levels to just 1.07 million units by 2021, a level consistent with the dark days of the mid-1980s.

Despite the extension, the Brexit clock is still ticking and a devastating no deal remains a threat. This new period of limbo does not end the havoc for industry, with investment stopped and expensive factory shutdowns moved to avoid a Brexit deadline that has itself now moved, said Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT.

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Just a few years ago, industry was on track to produce two million cars by 2020  a target now impossible with Britains reputation as stable and attractive business environment undermined.

All parties must find a compromise urgently so we can set about repairing the damage and diverting energy and investment to the technological challenges that will define the future of the global industry.

READ MORE: Key UK investor Japan is bewildered and disappointed by Brexit




WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - The Trump administration does not have any active plans to provide more aid to farmers at the moment but can consider the option if the trade negotiations and weak commodity prices linger, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said on Tuesday.

"We have been very clear to the agriculture community that we did not anticipate nor should they anticipate a 2019 Market Facilitation Program," Perdue told reporters, referring to nearly $12 billion in aid the administration rolled out to farmers last year to compensate for their losses from U.S. trade conflicts with other countries.

On Monday, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the administration was ready to provide more aid if necessary. But Perdue said he was not aware of any such plans at the moment.

"As these trade negotiations go longer and prices remain low, we will look at that as we go forward," he said. "But we don't want to raise expectations that anything's under consideration at this point," he added.

A constituency that helped carry Republican President Donald Trump to victory in 2016, U.S. farmers have been among the hardest hit from his trade policies that led to tariffs with key trading partners such as China, Canada and Mexico.

While farmers have largely remained supportive of Trump, many have called for an imminent end to trade disputes, which helped propel farm debt to the highest levels in decades and worsened credit conditions for the rural economy.

Beijing imposed tariffs last year on imports of U.S. agricultural goods, including soybeans, grain sorghum and pork as retribution for U.S. levies. Soybean exports to China have plummeted over 90 percent and sales of U.S. soybeans elsewhere failed to make up for the loss.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture had previously ruled out a new round of aid for 2019. As of March, more than $8 billion was paid out as part of last year's program. On Monday, the department said it had extended the deadline to apply to May 17. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk Editing by Tom Brown)
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- North Dakota officials are pressuring the state of Washington to back off from legislation requiring oil shipped by rail to have more of its volatile gases removed, urging the governor to veto the bill and promising a lawsuit if he doesn't.

The bill awaiting Gov. Jay Inslee's signature requires a lower vapor pressure limit for crude shipped by rail than either North Dakota requirements or industry standards. Violations could result in fines of up to $2,500 per day per rail car.

That "would result in a de facto ban of crude-by-rail traffic from North Dakota to refineries throughout the Pacific Northwest," North Dakota's three members of Congress said in a letter sent Friday imploring Inslee to veto the bill that North Dakota officials worry could hamper the energy industry of the nation's No. 2 crude producer.

Inslee, who has made climate change a focus of his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, indicated in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday that he's likely to sign the bill.

"It's pretty striking that the governor of the state of Washington is seeking to protect the people of North Dakota from oil spills, more than their members of Congress," he said.

North Dakota's Industrial Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry, discussed its options on Tuesday. The group comprised of the governor, attorney general and agriculture commissioner intends to sue if Washington's bill becomes law because the commission believes it would violate interstate commerce law.

"The likelihood that this law if signed is unconstitutional is rather high," Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said.

The volatility of oil trains drew widespread public attention following several explosive derailments, including one in 2013 in Lac-Megantic, Quebec that killed 47 people. Washington's bill is aimed at boosting safety for schools and homes that are near passing oil trains, according to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, the sponsor.

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"These large shipments of extremely flammable fuel run through the heart of our state, starting with my community in Spokane," he said in March after the Washington Senate gave initial approval .

The bill sets a vapor pressure limit of less than 9 pounds per square inch for oil unloaded from trains, lower than North Dakota's limit of 13.7 psi and what is considered the national standard for stable crude of 14.7. North Dakota's limit, implemented in 2015 , builds in 1 psi as a margin of error.

About 150,000 barrels of North Dakota crude, or about one-tenth of the daily production in the state, is shipped to Washington refineries. Lowering that oil to a vapor pressure below 9 psi would require the removal of components such as butane, which is needed as an additive for winter gasoline blends so vehicles start in cold weather. That would devalue the product, said Kari Cutting, vice president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, a trade group representing about 500 energy companies.

Council President Ron Ness said the Washington bill is "frankly scary" and the group "will be looking at all of our legal options."

The Washington bill would require new refineries to adhere to the new vapor pressure standard. Existing facilities would have to follow the rule beginning two years after increasing their oil volume by more than 10 percent from 2018. Cutting said some of the refineries had "major maintenance downtime" in 2018 and that they could trigger the requirement simply by resuming their normal volumes.

North Dakota Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said West Coast markets offer the best price for North Dakota crude, and as pipeline capacity in the state continues to shrink, "there is a lot of potential growth in the crude-by-rail industry."

The West Coast "is the prime growth market for North Dakota crude oil, and by capping it like this they're without question harming the state," he said.

North Dakota produces more oil than any other state but Texas, accounting for about 12 percent of U.S. production. The state saw record production in January of 1.4 million barrels daily.

If Bakken crude is cut off from the Pacific Northwest it ultimately will find other markets, though "there will be some time that it will be restrained," Cutting said. But she said the pressure on Washington to backtrack on the oil train rule is important because "it can't be allowed (for) one state to hamper commerce for other states."

___

Follow Blake Nicholson on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/NicholsonBlake
A senior North Korean official on Tuesday accused US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of having "foolish and dangerous ideas", and warned Washington of an "unwanted outcome" if it does not adjust its stance on economic sanctions.

Pyongyang and Washington have been at loggerheads since the collapse of a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in February with no deal reached on the North's denuclearisation.

Since then tensions have mounted, and Tuesday's comments marked the second time Pyongyang has criticised the top US diplomat this month. The reclusive state has previously demanded the removal of Pompeo from future talks, labelling him as "reckless".

In an interview with CBS last week, Pompeo said the US could "change paths" if Kim did not bring "real conversations" on abandoning North Korea's nuclear arsenal to the negotiation table.

On Tuesday, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said Pompeo's comments were "foolish and dangerous ideas that imply overthrowing our system with military means".

"Our resolution on denuclearisation remains intact and we will do so when time is right," she said, in comments cited by North Korea's official KCNA news service.

"But it will only be possible when the US revises and reshapes its current calculation."

And if the US did not change its stance by the end of this year, it will "face (an) unwanted outcome," she said, without elaborating further.

Washington has blamed the collapse of the Hanoi summit in February on the North's demands for sanctions relief in return for limited nuclear disarmament -- but Pyongyang has denied this, saying it had wanted only some of the measures eased.

Last week, North Korea also slammed John Bolton, the White House National Security Advisor, saying he had a "lack of understanding about the intentions" of Kim and President Donald Trump in an escalation of rhetoric against US officials.

In a speech to the rubber-stamp parliament earlier this month, Kim said he would wait until the end of the year "for the US to make a courageous decision" to change its approach and smooth the path to another meeting.

Meanwhile, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin met last week in Vladivostok for their first summit -- squarely aimed at countering US influence -- where Kim accused Washington of acting in "bad faith".
Photo: Laura M./Yelp

A new sushi bar has opened its doors in the neighborhood. Called Ginza Sushi Fusion Cuisine, the new arrival is located at 13216 N. Seventh St., Suite B2, in North Mountain.

Ginza Sushi Fusion Cuisine serves up classic sushi, bowls of ramen and other Japanese and Asian fusion favorites. Keep an eye out for the calamari salad and the specialty cocktails.

The new sushi bar has gotten an enthusiastic response thus far, with a 4.5-star rating out of seven reviews on Yelp.

David G., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on April 23, wrote, "Just had lunch at Ginza. I had the Shrimp Kung Pao. One of the best I've had. Flavorful and lightly spiced, with perfectly cooked shrimp. ... An incredible value."

Yelper Silvana M. added, The salmon teriyaki was my favorite! Grilled to perfection, with the right amount of teriyaki sauce. The spicy tuna was perfect, and I will probably order it every time I go there. Service was great too."

Head on over to check it out: Ginza Sushi Fusion Cuisine is open from 11 a.m.9:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m.midnight on Friday and Saturday.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Janay Flowers of Texas says a nurse and crew members of American Airlines saved the life of her baby, who experienced a seizure during a flight. [Photo: Facebook/Janay Flowers]

Words by Elise Sole.

Mother Janay Flowers says she is indebted to a rock star nurse for saving her babys life on an airplane.

On Thursday, Flowers, a model from Florida was flying with her infant Nevaeh on American Airlines to Texas where her husband, a member of the U.S. Air Force, will be stationed, reported The Dallas Morning News.

Nevaeh, who had a slight fever, mostly slept on the three-hour flight. But 15 minutes before landing, the 11-month-old woke up crying.

Suddenly, she started jolting in my arms, Flowers, 28, tells Yahoo. I stood up and pressed the call button and a woman ran over to my aid.

Tiffany Lehman, 37, a registered nurse from Kansas, was traveling with her chiropractor fiance Alvin Dodson, after attending a medical convention in Tampa.

They heard Nevaehs cries, and then, after calling for ice packets, stripped Nevaeh of her onesie and diaper and applied the cold packs to the back of her neck, groin and armpits.

Nevaehs seizure lasted seven-and-a-half minutes. I laid her sideways on my lap because she was vomiting, Lehman tells Yahoo. Alvin ran to get oxygen and alert the pilots.

But when the couple administered the oxygen, Nevaehs heart rate dropped to 60 beats per-minute half the normal heart rate of a comparably-sized baby and she stopped breathing.

Nevaehs tongue was rolled back and blocked her airway, so I reached inside her mouth and swept the area with my finger, Lehman tells Yahoo. I thought she was going to die in my arms.

Janay Flowers says a nurse traveling onboard an American Airlines flight treated her baby Nevaeh's seizure. [Photo: William Stambaugh]

With the crew keeping passengers calm and Flowers standing by her daughter singing, You are my Sunshine, Nevaeh started breathing again. However, another seizure came on and Nevaeh clenched her fists, turning blue and foaming at the mouth.

Lehman administered more oxygen and the plane landed in Dallas, where Nevaeh and Flowers were taken to Baylor Regional Medical Center in Grapevine.

The doctor said Nevaehs seizure was isolated due to how fast her fever spiked, Flowers tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Her risk for future seizures has doubled, but its still low.

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An American Airlines representative tells Yahoo, We are grateful that Nevaeh is doing better and wish her and her family the best. This medical emergency last week highlights the tremendous care and professionalism of Americans team members, and specifically, in this situation, our flight attendants and DFW team. We are proud of our colleagues and are grateful to them and our customers, who also stepped up to help a family in need, for their quick actions.

Flowers and Lehman befriended each other on Facebook over the weekend and will FaceTime on Monday evening, so Flowers can meet Lehmans 13-year-old son and Dodsons three-year-old daughter.

The family and crew members from American Airlines are all invited to Nevaehs May 19th birthday party.

Tiffany is a rock star, Flowers tells Yahoo. God put us together.

- Watch the latest videos from Yahoo -
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens issued a forceful denunciation of his own paper on Sunday, calling out their decision to publish an anti-semitic cartoon in their international edition last Thursday.

How have even the most blatant expressions of anti-Semitism become almost undetectable to editors who think its part of their job to stand up to bigotry? Stephens asked in his piece A Despicable Cartoon in The Times. The reason is the almost torrential criticism of Israel and the mainstreaming of anti-Zionism, including by this paper, which has become so common that people have been desensitized to its inherent bigotry.

The columnist said he was particularly concerned by how the cartoon could have slipped by editors at the paper which is otherwise hyper-alert to nearly every conceivable expression of prejudice, from mansplaining to racial microaggressions to transphobia.

Also Read:New York Times Introduces Gender Neutral Bathrooms

The original cartoon showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a dog with a Star of David collar leading around a blind President Trump, wearing a yarmulke. The image prompted swift outcry on social media after it was published, with a broad swath of critics saying the image played into long-running anti-semitic stereotypes.

We stand with Israel and we condemn antisemitism in ALL its forms, including @nytimes political cartoons, vice president Mike Pence said in a tweeted statement.

Though the Times ultimately issued an apology, Stephens said it was not enough and called on the paper to offer one explicitly to Netanyahu himself.

NY Times Columnist Calls Out Paper Over Despicable Anti-Semitic Cartoon

The publication of the cartoon isnt just an error of judgment, either. The paper owes the Israeli Prime Minister an apology, Stephens said. It owes itself some serious reflection as to how it came to publish that cartoon.

Also Read:Trump Rips NY Times Columnist Paul Krugman: 'Obsessed With Hatred'

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Reps for the Times did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap over the matter. In an initial statement the paper called the cartoon an error of judgement  but notably included no apology. A second statement hours later offered more profuse contrition and blamed the cartoon on a single editor working without adequate oversight.

We are deeply sorry for the publication of an anti-Semitic political cartoon last Thursday in the print edition of The New York Times that circulates outside of the United States, and we are committed to making sure nothing like this happens again, the paper said Sunday. The matter remains under review, and we are evaluating our internal processes and training. We anticipate significant changes.

Read original story NY Times Columnist Calls Out Paper Over Despicable Anti-Semitic Cartoon At TheWrap
South Africa: Seven depart for SA-China exchange programme

The Department of Science and Technology will today bid farewell to seven South African students, who will soon leave for China as the first recipients of the South Africa-China Young Scientists Exchange Programme.

In 2017, the department signed a five-year agreement with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology establishing the exchange programme to give young researchers from both countries an opportunity to share knowledge and develop skills.

The programme will promote the development of scientists, scholars and researchers, focusing on various scientific fields including biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, ICT systems, green technologies, the exploitation of mineral resources, and space science and astronomy, the Science and Technology Ministry said.

The Young Scientists Exchange Programme is jointly funded with the aim of cultivating future leading scientists by promoting the exchange of researchers between research institutes, universities and enterprises in an effort to advance research and development, and produce academic papers, new patents and innovative products.

The majority of the successful students, selected through a call issued by the National Research Foundation earlier this year, come from historically disadvantaged institutions.

The students are Nokuthula Peace Mchunu (Durban University of Technology), Lizelle van Dyk (University of the Witwatersrand), Ndanduleni Lesley Lethole, Peace Prince Mkhonto and Winston Nxumalo (University of Limpopo), and Wynston Ray Woodenber and Anthony Walters (University of KwaZulu-Natal).

They will spend up to 12 months at universities across China including Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan University Beijing, the Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Tongji, the National Astronomical Observatories of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
adam smigielski/iStock(CARACAS, Venezuela) -- Venezuela on Tuesday was rocked by violent clashes between opposition protesters and security forces still loyal to Nicolas Maduro, the country's socialist president, in a dramatic escalation of the political crisis that has left the country teetering on the edge of violence for months.



Government forces fired tear gas and clashed with some of his supporters in the streets of Caracas. In addition to reports of gunfire, video showed Maduro's armored vehicles rolling through the streets after protesters, in some cases trampling some as they attacked them.



President Donald Trump weighed in hours after the protests began, voicing support for "the People of Venezuela and their Freedom," but stopping short of endorsing the uprising of the day.



Earlier Tuesday, opposition leaders Juan Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez announced a new effort to oust Maduro, saying they had some military backing to push him out of power after months of protest against his increasingly hard line rule that Maduro has dismissed as a U.S.-backed coup.



Beyond the president's tweet, senior Trump administration officials were quick to boost Guaido and the opposition, issuing statements of support.



Guaido, the president of the country's National Assembly who was sworn in as interim president in January, was joined by Lopez, a leading opposition figure who had been under house arrest, but was freed Tuesday by deserted Venezuelan military officers. Near a major military base in the capital Caracas, he announced the "final phase" of their effort to remove Maduro from power.



Guaido's representative to Washington fought back, telling reporters, "This is not a military coup. This is a constitutional process led by the Venezuelan people under the leadership of a civilian, the interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaido."



U.S. leaders, from Vice President Mike Pence to Democratic lawmakers like Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., again voiced support for the opposition and its stated push for democracy. The U.S. and more than 50 other countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader and called for Maduro to exit, exerting increasing economic pressure on his government to force him to do that.



"To [Guaido], the National Assembly and all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today ... We are with you!" tweeted Vice President Mike Pence. "America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored."



The U.S. "fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy," tweeted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.



Maduro has faced protests for months over his economic mismanagement, consolidation of power, and crackdown on political opposition. The opposition-controlled National Assembly voted to declare Guaido interim president in January, winning the backing of the U.S., several neighbors like Colombia and Brazil, and many European countries. But Maduro, backed by allies like Russia and Cuba, has maintained his control on power, in large part by sustaining the support of the military chiefs.



Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino again reiterated support for Maduro Tuesday, saying Guaido is responsible for any violence or deaths.



U.S. officials have said they've been in talks with some high-ranking military officials to peel away their support, but it was not apparent Tuesday if there had been any major new defections.



It's also unclear if the U.S. had advanced warning of Guaido and Lopez's plan. The State Department did not respond to request for comment.



But Durbin said that National Security Adviser John Bolton called him early Tuesday morning to brief him on what was happening, and as soon as the events began to unfold, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., weighed in on Twitter: "Liberty & freedom is never easy. But it is always worth it. #Venezuela." Rubio has been a vocal supporter of Guaido and a key adviser to the Trump administration on Latin America policy.



He said the uprising now had the support of at least some military officials, but it's unclear how many.





Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The U.S. health-care law known as Obamacare turns 10 next year but still finds itself at existential risk both politically and legally. Millions of Americans owe their health coverage to the law enacted under President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats, even as opponents have successfully trimmed its scope. It remains a target for elimination by the Republican Party and Obamas successor, President Donald Trump, who calls it really bad health care.

1. How much of Obamacare still exists?

Most of it, including tax subsidies to help people afford coverage and, in 37 states as of April 2019, expanded eligibility for Medicaid, the U.S. health insurance program for low-income Americans. Key Obamacare consumer protections that also remain in place allow children to stay on a parents policy until age 26, require insurance companies to treat people with preexisting conditions equally and prohibit the imposition of annual or lifetime coverage limits.

2. How many Americans are covered because of Obamacare?

Roughly 20 million. About two-thirds of them joined Medicaid as a result of the expanded eligibility. The rest found coverage by comparison-shopping among private insurers at government-run online marketplaces, which provide subsidies for people who make up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level. (The expanded version of Medicaid enrolls people earning up to 138 percent of the poverty line.) Even with Obamacare in place, 28.5 million Americans lacked coverage in 2017. The U.S. is an outlier among developed countries by not having universal health coverage.

3. Which parts have been eliminated?

Obamacare originally required all states to participate in the expanded Medicaid program; the Supreme Court, in a 2012 split ruling that upheld most of the law, struck down the requirement, saying the federal government cant threaten to withhold funds from states that dont comply. The law as written also required all Americans to buy health insurance  the so-called individual mandate  at risk of a tax penalty. A tax overhaul passed by Republicans and signed by Trump in 2017 eliminated the penalty for noncompliance, rendering the mandate moot. The Trump administration has further whittled away at Obamacare with executive actions, including one that cut funding for navigators that help sign people up.

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4. Wasnt Obamacare supposed to be dead by now?

It might have seemed so in 2017, when Republicans took control of both chambers of Congress and Trump became president. But after their repeal measure failed by one vote to advance in the Senate, party leaders moved on to other issues. With Democrats now in the majority in the House, Obamacare is safe from legislative attacks, though its still vulnerable on the legal front.

5. What legal threats does it face?

The main one at the moment is a lawsuit brought by 20 states arguing that when Congress voided the penalty for not having insurance, all of Obamacare was rendered unconstitutional. In December, a U.S. judge in Texas sided with the challengers in an explosive ruling that Trump celebrated on Twitter but is on hold pending further appeal. With the Trump administration refusing to defend Obamacare, the state of California stepped up to do so. Many legal scholars describe the lawsuit as far-fetched and unlikely to prevail should it reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Five justices who voted to uphold Obamacare against major challenges in 2012 and 2015 remain on the nine-member court.

6. What happens if Obamacare is struck down by the courts?

An adverse Supreme Court ruling would cause a thermonuclear meltdown on the health policy front that would throw the U.S. system into chaos, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an economist with the conservative think tank American Action Forum. It would instantly rescind coverage for millions of Americans as well as undo consumer protections and regulations that have reshaped the business models for insurers, drug companies, hospitals and doctors.

7. What could replace it?

For now, theres no viable replacement plan in Congress and little chance the two parties could agree on something new. After Trump encouraged fellow Republicans to propose an alternate vision and become the party of health care, Republican leaders in Congress showed no appetite  and the president had to punt his goal to 2021. An added challenge is clearing the very high bar Trump set while running for president in 2016: He promised not only to repeal Obamacare  a goal shared by virtually every Republican in Congress  but to replace it with a plan that will broaden health care access, make health care more affordable and improve the quality of the care available to all Americans.

8. Is Obamacare viable for the long term in its current state?

Some health economists worry about a death spiral of rising costs without a mechanism to force healthy Americans to get covered. (Healthier people buying coverage keeps costs down for sick people.) Another Obamacare weakness is the limited coverage options available to Americans in rural and remote parts of the country. And in the mostly Republican-led states where elected leaders have declined to expand Medicaid eligibility, many residents fall in a coverage gap, earning just enough income that they dont qualify for subsidies.

9. Do Americans wants Obamacare to stay or go?

U.S. public opinion of the law was mostly negative from its passage in March 2010 until Trump became president and moved to repeal it, according to tracking surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The threat of elimination put a spotlight on popular provisions of the law, notably its prohibition on insurers charging sick people more for coverage and its list of essential health benefits, like hospitalization and maternity care, that must be covered. (Republicans pushed legislation in 2017 that would let states waive those rules and devise alternate systems.) Kaisers tracking survey found in March 2019 that 50 percent of Americans viewed the law favorably, while 39 percent viewed it unfavorably.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., lashed out at White House aide Kellyanne Conway after Conway accused her of being silent about the Sri Lanka "massacre of Christians."

CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer initially tweeted that Conway said Ocasio-Cortez didn't tweet anything about Saturday's synagogue shooting, prompting Conway to correct the record and say that she was slamming the freshman congresswoman for her silence about the Sri Lanka massacre of Christians (not Easter Worshippers as Obama and Hillary oddly said). Try listening before spewing.

Zelizer has since deleted his original tweet.

"I see officials who get a lot of airtime and ink, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, congresswoman, who tweets many times about the mosque but never once about Sri Lanka, said Conway appearing on CNN's State of the Union Sunday.

Hello Ms. Conway, On Easter I was away from tech visiting my grandmother in Puerto Rico, which continues to suffer from the White Houses incompetent disaster response, responded Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter. Are you trying to imply that I am less Christian? What was the point of you bringing this up on national TV?

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York attends day three of the 2019 National Action Network Convention at the Times Square Sheraton Hotel on April 5, 2019, in New York City. (Photo: Mpi43 /MediaPunch /IPX)

I chose to use the word incompetent when it comes to Trumps response to Hurricane Maria & the 3,000 Americans who died on his watch, but thats only because I had 280 characters, she continued. There are plenty of other words too: Negligent, Inept, Inhumane, Predatory. Take your pick.

Corrupt is a good one, too, she added. Im curious, how do you spin ignoring and neglecting the largest mass death of people on American soil in decades, @KellyannePolls? After all, the official count of 3,075 people is much bigger than the 64 number your admin clung to for so long.

Ocasio-Cortez called the series of bombings in Sri Lanka, which death toll has risen to 290, horrifying.

Saying Easter worshippers matters bc Easter is the holiest day of the year for Christians, & to be targeted on Easter highlights how heinous the attack was - just as saying yesterdays #SanDiego shooting was on Passover, she tweeted.

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You are using this as an excuse to stoke suspicion around my Christianity + faith life, @KellyannePolls, Ocasio-Cortex added. The Sri Lanka massacre was horrifying. No one should be targeted for their religion. If youre so moved, lets do more to welcome immigrants fleeing religious persecution.

Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President Trump, speaks to reporters outside the White House April 18, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Ken Cedeno/Sipa USA)

Conway was defending President Trumps response to the summer of 2017 white nationalist rally that turned violent in Charlottesville, Va., and his stance on hate crimes when she brought up Ocasio-Cortez.

"Whether they are Muslims in the mosque in New Zealand, whether they're the worshipers in Charleston, South Carolina, at the AME church several years ago, whether you're in Sutherland Springs at a Christian service, whether you're our friends at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, and now in California  we condemn it, and I'm glad that the president, as the leader of this country, is out there condemning, unequivocally, hate crimes," she said.

"He called it a hate crime, I think before the officials had in California. And we have to speak out about it; we have to be honest about it, and we have to condemn hate in all of its forms."

"Was his response perfect?" asked State of the Union host Jake Tapper.

"That is darn-near perfection, said Conway, when you're calling out KKK, neo-Nazis and you're saying there were people there who hadn't signed up for that. I think anytime a president is willing to condemn people who hate other people based on their race or their religion, it's a great day for America and that's what he did and he did it several times."

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
Joe Bidens announcement of his candidacy for president must be seen as the last stand of forces trying to prevent the Democratic party from descending in a power dive into a mighty bonfire of the far Left. That partys only plan of action since Election Day 2016 has been to attempt to destroy Trump, and that tactic survived even the complete dismissal of the TrumpRussia collusion canard and the declination of leaders of the Justice Department to accuse the president of obstruction of justice (for the reason that no ingredients for a prosecution existed). The replacement tactic was to invent the argument that Special Counsel Mueller had invited the House of Representatives to consider whether there was a case for obstruction, which was all they needed to fill the calendar from now to the next election with antagonistic hearings with Trump-administration and Trump-entourage witnesses who would be taunted and baited and harassed as if being turned on a spit. The administration has announced that none of the House subpoenas will be honored, and no more administration witnesses will be permitted to appear.

Few media commentators seem to notice the pattern that has developed, of Trumps enemies taking very declarative positions in opposition to the administration and then being outmaneuvered. It was only a few months ago that the official Democratic position from Speaker Pelosi was that the illegal-immigration crisis was a fake crisis made up by the president and a border wall was immoral. There was a government shutdown over funding for the wall. The president declared an emergency and took all the money he said he needed to build the wall amid Democratic howls of impending vengeance in the courts. The consensus seems to be that the administrations legal case is a strong one and the courts may not be so amenable to litigious Democratic congressmen.

Attempted illegal entries across the southern border have soared; Obamas homeland-security secretary, Jeh Johnson, has endorsed the President Trumps view; and even Tom Friedman of the New York Times, one of the presidents harshest critics, agrees that there is a crisis. He continues to attack the president for not producing comprehensive reform, though Trump has advocated substantial improvements to the immigration system (the quotation marks are Friedmans). This will presumably await the next election. In the meantime, the wall is being built. This was Trumps most memorable election promise, and, according to polls, its the first priority of voters.

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Now the promise, touted across the media for a febrile ten days following release of the Mueller report, for a profound examination of the virtues of impeachment of the president, while the scores or even hundreds of witnesses interviewed by the Mueller inquiry are recycled through the Schiff-Nadler baiting pits in the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, has also vanished. The initial, customary cry of recourse to the courts has subsided, as the president has a strong case there also. President Eisenhower took a similar position opposite Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, and his witnesses had not been vetted and examined, as this presidents have. Schiff and Nadler are in no higher category of legislative and judicial distinction than was McCarthy. Trump is pushing the Democrats impeachment threat back in their faces. They can impeach (if they are insane), make an unpromising trek to the courts, or move on to the next source of confected outrage.

As is almost always the case, I was in some agreement with my esteemed friend Peggy Noonan when she wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday that Trump might have got half of Washington on his side if he had made any overtures to it and shown any deference or even interest in the retired Washington establishment, which does have a collective influence in establishing the ambiance of the capitals political community, which in turn is somewhat reflected in the media. Peggy has the experience of President Reagan, who was dreaded and disparaged before he arrived, but who, as only he could do, charmed most of the Washington establishment. Something similar, in a much less hostile atmosphere, was achieved by President Eisenhower. But it never clicked for President Nixon, even when he dazzled Washington and the country with his achievements and made a conciliatory effort, all well before the Watergate debacle got any traction.

I am no authority on the inner workings of Washington, and I defer to those who are. But Donald Trump didnt arrive in Washington as those others did, and he is the tip of the spear of much greater public discontent than those former presidents. President Eisenhower was a world historic figure before he took the oath. He had a mandate to end the Korean War and run a scandal-free government; he did that. Richard Nixon was inaugurated president of a very divided and angry country, and he addressed the sources of the unrest: He completed desegregation and avoided busing schoolchildren into remote neighborhoods for court-ordered racial balance, and he withdrew from Vietnam while preserving a non-Communist government in Saigon. President Reagan had a mandate to reduce taxes, rebuild defense, and end the perceived appeasement of the USSR, and he did so.

Donald Trumps right to govern has never been conceded by the Democrats or much of the media, and for the first six months of his term, the Republican congressional leadership seemed to be waiting to see if he really was likely even to serve out his term. I certainly am one of those who wish that the president would be more emollient at times, and perhaps more fluent. But he is a more articulate speaker than Truman, Eisenhower (though Ikes verbal confusion was frequently deliberate), Johnson, Ford, Carter, and the Bushes. My suspicion is that if he had made peace offerings to the old Washington hands, it would have been scorned as the inelegant self-ingratiation of a preemptively compromised president, not as an olive branch from the incoming rightful leader.

We are where we are, and if Joe Biden isnt the nominee, the Democrats are almost certainly going to go into the deep end and not be seen again for at least two years. Parties often rebuild themselves well after such total-immersion experiences, as the Republicans did after 1964, and the Democrats did after 1972. The sensible Democrats should not imagine that Biden is any world-beater, or that he is likely to win. His launch was a fiasco, beginning with I was thinking, in my mind . . . (the usual locus for thinking), and he bobbled the whole question of being overly tactile with women. But at least he didnt grovel about it and continue his toe-curlingly awful apology tour in the footsteps of Kamala Harris and others. And he didnt really apologize to Anita Hill. The truth is, Clarence Thomas is a distinguished Supreme Court justice, and the Hill attack on him was as Thomas described it, a national disgrace . . . a high-tech lynching of an uppity nigger. Bidens apology should be to the memory and family of Robert Bork, whom he and Teddy Kennedy defamed unforgivably when he was a candidate for the high court in 1987.

Trumps policies are forcefully presented, but only a little right of center; Biden is wobbly, but no extremist. With the end of any notion of impeachment (unless the Democrats have an uncontrollable death wish), although there will be great election fireworks, American politics may be inching back toward normalcy at last.

More from National Review
Anh Hong Restaurant. | Photo: Walter S./Yelp

Craving sandwiches?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable sandwich spots in Orlando, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to fulfill your cravings.

1. Pom Pom's Teahouse & Sandwicheria

Photo: Vyvy v./Yelp

Topping the list is Pom Pom's Teahouse & Sandwicheria. Located at 67 N. Bumby Ave. in East Central Park, this sandwich shop offers vegetarian options and more. It's the most popular affordable sandwich spot in Orlando, boasting 4.5 stars out of 1,111 reviews on Yelp.

On March 27, Yelper Amanda M. wrote, "Sandwiches are big enough to split with sides or big enough to fill you for a long time. We ordered three different sides to taste, and by far the German potato salad was my favorite. The peanut noodle salad was good as well."

2. The Pastrami Project

Photo: jamie g./Yelp

Next up is The Pastrami Project, situated at 175 E. Par Ave. in College Park. With 4.5 stars out of 44 reviews on Yelp, the food truck and deli, which offers sandwiches, sides and more, has proven to be a local favorite for those looking for an affordable option.

Yelper Daphne W. wrote on Jan. 18, "I had the pastrami sandwich and it was really good! It was very moist and flavorful. The coleslaw might be the best coleslaw I've had. I also had the french fries, which were perfectly salty. All around a delicious lunch!"

3. Banh Mi Nha Trang Subs

Photo: Mira /Yelp

Colonialtown South's Banh Mi Nha Trang Subs, located at 1216 E. Colonial Drive, Suite 9, is another top choice. Yelpers have given the affordable Vietnamese spot, which offers sandwiches, bubble tea and more, 4.5 stars out of 372 reviews so far.

On Jan. 16, Sheryl W. wrote on Yelp, "Best banh mi in town. If you're looking for a good make-to-order banh mi, this is the place to go. The boba tea is a plus as well."

4. Achilles Art Cafe Coffee Shop

Photo: Lisa C./Yelp

Achilles Art Cafe Coffee Shop offers coffee, juice, snacks and sandwiches. It's another much-loved, inexpensive go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 219 Yelp reviews. Head over to 2869 Wilshire Drive, Unit 103, in West Orlando to try it for yourself.

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Yelper Bryce P. wrote on March 22, "They have a little bit of everything for every crowd with beer, wine, coffee, food and even hookah. As far as the food goes, we always get two bowls of the tomato soup, which is fantastic. We then follow it up with a couple sandwiches, and everything we have tried so far has been great!"

5. Anh Hong Restaurant

Photo: Michael P./Yelp

Finally, there's Anh Hong Restaurant, a Lake Eola Heights favorite with four stars out of 478 reviews. Stop by 1124 E. Colonial Drive to hit up the Vietnamese and vegetarian spot, which offers sandwiches and more, next time you're looking to satisfy your cravings on a budget.

On April 6, Yelper Don L. wrote, "My favorite bahn mi! Classic flavors without the pate, and quite affordable. Haven't tried much else on the menu, but they are accommodating and even pack my banh mi with the veggies separate for a next-day-lunch order."

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Washington (AFP) - The US Defense Department announced Monday it would deploy around 320 additional troops to the southern border with Mexico to support immigration officials.

The troops, set to deploy until the end of September, will add to around 2,900 active duty military and 2,000 National Guard members currently posted to the border.

Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis said the troops would assist with transporting migrants, monitoring the welfare of migrants in custody and providing heating and meals.

The troops are not tasked to perform any law enforcement functions.

"In any situation that requires DoD personnel to be in proximity to migrants, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) law enforcement personnel will be present to conduct all custodial and law enforcement functions," Davis said.

In recent months, thousands of migrants have arrived in Mexico, primarily Central Americans fleeing poverty and violence at home. US President Donald Trump has described them as a threat to national security.

He also said last week that the United States would send armed soldiers to the southern border after Mexican soldiers recently "pulled guns" on US troops, escalating his war of words with Mexico on immigration.

The president, who has made immigration the core of his message to his conservative base, said on Twitter that "a very big Caravan of over 20,000 people" is making its way through Mexico toward the United States.
Members of the Bolivarian National Guard who joined Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido fire into the air to repel forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro who arrived to disperse a demonstration near La Carlota military base in Caracas on April 30, 2019. (Photo: Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images)

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido took to the streets with a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold and risky attempt to lead a military uprising and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.

The early-morning rebellion seems to have only limited military support. But it was by far the most-serious challenge yet to Maduro's rule since Guaido, with the backing of the U.S., declared himself the country's interim president in January in rejection of a government he accused of "usurping" power.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country's rightful interim ruler, talks to supporters in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

The dramatic events began early Tuesday when Guaido, flanked by a few dozen national guardsmen and some armored vehicles, released a three-minute video filmed near a Caracas air base in which he called on civilians and others in the armed forces to join a final push to topple Maduro.

In a surprise, standing alongside him was Leopoldo Lopez, his political mentor and the nation's most-prominent opposition activist, who has largely been unseen since he was detained in 2014 for leading anti-government protests. Lopez said he had been released from house arrest by security forces adhering to an order from Guaido.

Opposition demonstrators take cover from tear gas on a street near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

"I want to tell the Venezuelan people: This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers," Lopez declared.

As the two allies coordinated actions from vehicles parked on a highway overpass, troops loyal to Maduro sporadically fired tear gas from inside the adjacent Carlota air base. A crowd that quickly swelled to a few thousand scurried for cover, with a smaller group of masked youths reassembling outside the air base's gates where they lobbed rocks and other heavy objects.

"It's now or never," said one of the young rebellious soldiers, his face covered in the blue bandanna worn by the few dozen soldiers who stood alongside Guaido and Lopez.

A Venezuelan National Guard member gestures, after joining anti-government protesters in a march, showing his support for opposition leader Juan Guaido in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Manaure Quintero/Reuters)

Read more of this story by The Associated Press. >>>

GRAPHIC WARNING:

THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH.

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A government security forces member fires his weapon during clashes with protesters in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Manaure Quintero/Reuters)

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez raises his fist to the crowd of supporters in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Manaure Quintero/Reuters)

Members of the Bolivarian National Guard loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro run under a cloud of tear gas after being repelled with rifle fire by guards supporting Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido in front of La Carlota military base in Caracas on April 30, 2019.(Photo: Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

An opposition demonstrator crouches down, holding rocks, on a street near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

A member of the Bolivarian National Guard supporting Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido throws a tear gas canister during a confrontation with guards loyal to President Nicolas Maduro's government in front of La Carlota military base in Caracason April 30, 2019. Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

An opposition demonstrator bleeds from his head as he is carried by fellow protesters after being run over by a Venezuelan National Guard vehicle on a street near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

An opposition demonstrator is struck by a Venezuelan National Guard vehicle on a street near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

An opposition demonstrator gestures in front of a burning bus, while holding a rock, near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

Opponents to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro confront loyalist Bolivarian National Guard troops firing tear gas at them, outside La Carlota military airbase in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. (Photo: Fernando Llano/AP)

Opposition demonstrators help an injured fellow near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Opposition demonstrators clashes with soldiers loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after troops joined opposition leader Juan Guaido in his campaign to oust Maduro's government, in the surroundings of La Carlota military base in Caracas on April 30, 2019. (Photo: Matias Delacroix/AFP/Getty Images)

Soldiers are seen inside the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" as an opposition supporter takes cover, in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

An opposition demonstrator throws back a tear gas canister on a street near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

Soldiers and people react to the sound of gunfire near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

People react to tear gas near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota", in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

An opposition demonstrator peers out from behind a concrete divider as others take over on a street near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota" in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

Defected Venezuelan Bolivarian National Guards and soldiers shout slogans against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in La Parada near Cucuta, Colombia, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan GuaidA took to the streets in Caracas with activist Leopoldo Lopez and a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. (Photo: Fernando Vergara/AP)

A military member aims a gun near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota", in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Manaure Quintero/Reuters)

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country's rightful interim ruler, talks to supporters in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

An opponent to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro returns a tear gas canister to soldiers who launched it at a small group of civilians and rebel troops gathered outside La Carlota air base in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan GuaidA took to the streets with activist Leopoldo Lopez and a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. (Photo: Ariana Cubillos/AP)

A military member aims a weapon near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota", in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Manaure Quintero/Reuters)

People react to tear gas near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota", in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Pro-coup supporters affected after an intervention with tear gas near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota", in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Blanco/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

A military member throws a tear gas canister near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota", in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Soldiers loyal to Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido take position in front of La Carlota base in Caracas on April 29, 2019. - Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido said on Tuesday that troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro as the government vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup. (Photo: Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

Supoprters of self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido hug members of the security forces in Caracas on April 30, 2019. - Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido said on Tuesday that troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro as the government vowed to put down what it said was an attempted coup. (Photo: Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

Opposition supporters take cover near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota", in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, center, is seen surrounded by supporters outside La Carlota air base in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Lopez, who had been under house arrest for leading an anti-government push in 2014, said he had been freed by soldiers and called for a military uprising. (Photo: Ariana Cubillos/AP)

An opponent to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro high fives a rebel soldier on a highway overpass outside La Carlota air base amid tear gas fired by loyalist soldiers inside the base in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaida took to the streets in Caracas with activist Leopoldo Lopez and a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. (Photo: Boris Vergara/AP)

A supporter of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido clashes with security forces in Caracas on April 30, 2019. (Photo: Matias Delacroix /AFP/Getty Images)

An opposition supporter waves a Venezuelan flag near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota", in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.

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In this article:

The Pittsburgh Pirates reinstated center fielder Starling Marte from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Marte had been out since April 19 with contusions to his ribs and abdominal wall, suffered in a full-speed outfield collision with shortstop Erik Gonzalez. Gonzalez suffered a broken collarbone.

Marte, 30, is batting .203 with two homers, nine RBIs and three stolen bases in 16 games this year.

Outfielder Jason Martin was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room on the 25-man roster.

Martin, 23, made his major league debut on April 6 and batted .229 with two RBIs in 17 games.

--Field Level Media
New Zealand police found a suspected bomb and ammunition Tuesday in a vacant lot in Christchurch, the scene of last month's mosque shootings which killed 50 Muslim worshippers.

Police cordoned off streets late Tuesday afternoon in the Phillipstown area just outside the central business district and evacuated local houses.

Shortly after 6:00pm (0600 GMT) they said a military bomb squad had rendered a suspicious package safe and a 33-year-old man had been arrested and was "assisting police with inquiries".

"Police have located a package containing a suspected explosive device and ammunition at a vacant address on Newcastle Street in Christchurch," superintendent John Price said in a statement.

"The NZDF EOD (NZ Defence Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team have rendered the package safe."

Price did not provide any background about the man or his possible motivations.

Christchurch remains on alert after the March attacks in which a self-styled white supremacist shot dead 50 people and injured another 39 in attacks on two mosques.

Just last week, the South Island city hosted a massive security operation as Britain's Prince William visited survivors of the atrocity and praised the country's response to the massacre.

While the cordons prompted by the latest scare had been lifted, Price urged residents to remain vigilant.

"Members of the community are asked to continue to report any concerning behaviour or activity in their neighbourhoods as we all work together to ensure the safety of our community," he said.

The gunman allegedly behind the mosque shootings, 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant, is in a maximum-security prison in Auckland has been ordered to undergo psychiatric tests.
CINCINNATI (AP)  Three women and a man found dead in their home in a suburban Ohio community died of gunshot wounds, a coroner ruled Tuesday.

Butler County's Dr. Lisa Mannix said all four deaths were homicides. Meanwhile, Tuesday, police were continuing to search for clues and hadn't identified any suspects.

Members of a nearby Sikh faith temple said the four family members had worshipped there, and the Indian consulate in New York said it was in close communication with police.

West Chester Township spokeswoman Barb Wilson said in a statement Tuesday that while "many questions have been raised about Sunday's homicides and a connection to the victims' faith/nationality," ''there is no reason to believe that this is a hate crime."

The consulate's statement also said the slayings weren't believed to be a hate crime. The consulate said it was in touch with family members and the community, "closely following up (and) extending all help."

The coroner listed the victims as: Shalinderjit Kaur, 39; Amarjit Kaur, 58; Parmjit Kaur, 62, and Hakiakat Singh Pannag, 59. Their relationships weren't specified.

As part of a property-wide search, divers returned Tuesday to a pond near the home in an apartment complex. Wilson said no new information was available on the search.

A man who called 911 late Sunday said he found the four "on the ground and bleeding." Police Chief Joel Herzog said police had interviewed the caller, but he wasn't in custody. Herzog also said Monday that there apparently were other people who lived at the residence, including children who weren't there at the time and are currently staying with relatives.

According to a police report, the discovery of the victims was reported by Gurpreet Singh, 36, a resident of the apartment.

Such violent crime is rare in the township of some 62,000 people roughly 20 miles (323 kilometers) north of Cincinnati.

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Herzog reassured residents Monday that he didn't think there was a threat to the community and that the killings appear "isolated."

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Follow Dan Sewell at https://www.twitter.com/dansewell
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claims that embattled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro was planning to flee the country amid a violent coup attempt that began Tuesday morning, but was convinced to cling to power by Russian authorities, who continue to support his socialist regime.

Its been a long time since anyone has seen Maduro. He had an airplane on the tarmac, he was ready to leave this morning as we understand it and the Russians indicated he should stay, Pompeo told CNNs Wolf Blitzer. We think the situation remains incredibly fluid. We know that there were senior leaders inside the Maduro government that were prepared to leave. They told us as much over the past few weeks and were convinced that the Venezuelan people are going to get their democracy back.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says it's time for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to "leave," adding, "He has no answers for the Venezuelan people and the United States is determined to assist the Venezuelan people in restoring democracy." https://t.co/2HqNiWl5mI pic.twitter.com/ABKymlOarn  CNN International (@cnni) April 30, 2019

Pompeo, who expressed the Trump administrations enthusiastic support for the anti-government protesters Tuesday morning, said Maduro initially planned to flee his home country to Cuba, where he enjoys support for the communist government.

Weve made clear all along, Wolf, that Maduro is surrounded by Cubans and has been supported by Russians there in Venezuela. And weve told the Russians and weve told the Cubans, thats unacceptable. Its unacceptable to starve people, its unacceptable to not allow sick children to get their medicine, he said.

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White House national security adviser John Bolton also cautioned Russia against continuing to provide economic and military aid to Maduros forces in comments to reporters on Tuesday.

Weve made it clear to Russia in both public and private statements . . . that we regard the actions theyve taken in Venezuela as something we regard with the utmost seriousness Bolton said.

Bolton and Pompeo were joined in their condemnation by Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who said the U.S. would hold Russia and Cuba accountable if any harm comes to Guaido.

Anything that happens to Guaido, by the Maduro government, we hold you accountable, Graham told reporters Tuesday. Maduro would be gone a long time ago if it werent for the Russians, and we need to make a very firm statement that Maduro is going to go, and that Im glad were behind this uprising. But we need to put Cuba and Russia on notice that if any violence is directed toward Guaido to try to arrest him or kill him, then were going to hold Russia and Cuba liable, and we will respond appropriately, and all options are on the table.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, has blamed the anti-government protesters led by Guaido for the violence and disorder that seized the country on Tuesday.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido, who was elected interim president by the countrys National Assembly earlier this year, called on his supporters to take to the streets Tuesday to protest the starvation and poverty that have taken root under Maduros socialist regime.

The call to action prompted violent clashes between protesters and pro-government forces who, in at least one instance, used an armored vehicle to run down unarmed Guaido loyalists in the streets of Caracas.

More from National Review
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the U.S. supports Operation Liberty, a new movement by Venezuelas civilian opposition to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro.

Today interim President Juan Guaido announced start of Operacion Libertad, Pompeo wrote in a tweet. The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated.

Guaido, the opposition leader whom the U.S. recognizes as Venezuelas rightful head of state, was joined by recently released activist Leopoldo Lopez as they called on citizens in a video message to take to the streets to consolidate the end of usurpation.

En el marco de nuestra constitucion. Y por el cese definitivo de la usurpacion. https://t.co/3RD2bnQhxt  Juan Guaido (@jguaido) April 30, 2019

At this moment, I am with the main military units of our armed forces, starting the final phase of Operation Liberty. People of Venezuela, we will go to the street with the armed forces to continue taking the streets until we consolidate the end of usurpation, which is already irreversible, Guaido said in the video.

Operation Freedom has begun! Guaido told a crowd of supporters. Were going to stand here together asking and demanding the military to join.

Melees broke out in Caracas after Guaidos call to action, and shots were heard as crowds of citizens carrying Venezuelan flags assembled outside the La Carlota air-force base near the city. There were reports of gunfire exchanges between the soldiers backing Guaido and troops loyal to Maduro on the military base.

Venezuelans have made clear that the current path toward democracy is irreversible, U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton wrote in a tweet. Venezuelas military has a choice: embrace democracy, protect civilians and members of the democratically-elected National Assembly, or face more man-made suffering and isolation.

More from National Review
PPL Corporation PPL is set to release first-quarter 2019 results on May 2, before market opens. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered positive earnings surprise of 6.12%.

What Does the Zacks Model Say?

Our proven model shows that PPL Corp is likely to beat estimates as it has the right combination of two key ingredients. A stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Earnings ESP: The company has Earnings ESP of +0.28%.

Zacks Rank: PPL Corporation currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. The combination of a Zacks Rank #3 and +0.28% ESP makes us confident of an earnings beat in the quarter to be reported.

We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions.

PPL Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

PPL Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | PPL Corporation Quote

Factors to Consider

Based on impressive performance in 2018, the company expects a strong start for 2019 with 5-6% growth. Consistent investments in smart technology as well as shift in focus on grade resiliency and modernization are expected to boost first-quarter results.

Expansion of rate base and the ability of the company to recover nearly 80% of its investment with 12 months are likely to boost earnings. We believe that constant investments, better service quality and steady currency hedging will make positive impact on the upcoming quarterly results.

Q1 Estimates

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter revenues is pegged at $2.20 billion, suggesting an increase of 3.30% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 73 cents, calling for a decline of 1.35% year over year.

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Other Stocks to Consider

Investors can consider other stocks from the same industry, which also have the right combination of elements to beat estimates in the to-be-reported quarter.

Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PNW has an Earnings ESP of +1.41% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to release first-quarter 2019 results on May 1.

NiSource, Inc NI has an Earnings ESP of +0.97% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release first-quarter 2019 results on May 1.

Exelon Corporation EXC has an Earnings ESP of +0.46% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release first-quarter 2019 results on May 2.

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Parents of students attending Warren Elementary School in Cockeysville, Maryland, are claiming that the school's principal ignored a tornado warning issued by the National Weather Service and dismissed students during the storm. The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado, which traveled three miles and had a path 150 yards wide, touched down on Friday afternoon in the nearby town of Monkton.

Jenn Reedholm, one of the irate parents, was waiting outside of the elementary school when she received the tornado warning on her phone, according to WBALTV.

"I got the alert on my phone that said, 'Tornado warning, take shelter now,'" Reedholm told the outlet.

Reedholm entered the school's office to take shelter where she asked the principal, Lisa Dingle, if she would delay the afternoon dismissal.

"She said, 'It's just a warning.' I said, 'No, it means imminent danger, and it says take shelter now,' and she ignored me and carried on the dismissal as usual," Reedholm claims. "[It] was down-pouring and lightning really bad, really dark, and the teachers decided to take some of the kids back in, and then chaos became more chaotic at that point when kids were crying, screaming, 'It's very scary.' I was scared, I was shaking."

Kids were soaked to the bone. A school with mostly walkers, they sent everyone outside into wicked lightning and did not allow parent to come in out of the storm during the emergency, one woman shared on Baltimore County Public Schools Facebook page. They put every single person on campus in harms way including students, staff, parents and others...The school board really needs to take some disciplinary action this time.

Dingle did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyles requests for comment.

According to WBALTV, district officials are looking into the incident and protocol is to hold students at the school during a tornado warning. Nearby schools halted dismissal of their students until the warning expired.

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"The weather blew in very quickly and at the school, they didn't have the warning that they needed to pull everybody back in, but then it was too late," said Brandon Oland, the Communications Specialist serving Baltimore County Public Schools. "We're looking to see what could've been done better. The community is right to be concerned, that's an important thing."

Parents told WBALTV that they received an automated phone call from the principal in which she explained her decision to dismiss based on the information she had at the time. She informed parents she would meet with internal stakeholders to assess their dismissal policy and safety procedures for severe weather.

Brandon Oland provided the following statement to Yahoo Lifestyle:

Severe weather pushed through portions of Baltimore County during afternoon dismissal Friday afternoon. A tornado warning was issued just as students were dismissing at Warren Elementary. Despite the inclement weather, all students returned home safely, and we did not have any reports of transportation-related incidents. Some nearby elementary schools in the area dismiss later than Warren Elementary. At the discretion of school principals, they chose to delay their dismissal until the storm passed. This storm occurred after high school and middle school dismissal.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

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The vast majority of consumer products in the United States are safe. This is a testament to our infrastructure and the network of governing agencies tasked with making sure everything meets strict criteria (Theres a reason you dont really worry about a glass of milk making you sick or a lawnmower exploding when you start it up.) Still, no system is perfect, and hundreds of product recalls occur each year, including plenty of toys and baby products that kids and parents might use every day.

The same agencies that promote and enforce the standards that make most consumer products quite safe also handle processes designed to inform the public about dangerous products and remove them from circulation. With the notable exception of car seats, which are regulated by the National Highway Transportation Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the regulator for toys and baby products in the United States.

While product recalls are relatively rare, they still happen, and its especially important that parents are aware of how the process works and what they can do to make sure the stuff their kids use is safe. What standards are toys and baby products held to? What, exactly, is a recall? What do you do when a product is recalled? Heres what parents need to know about product recalls.

What Standards are Toys and Baby Products Required to Meet?

First things first. Every product category has its own set of safety standards that are usually based at least in part on the work of ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) an impartial international standards organization headquartered in Pennsylvania. The standards can get very specific.

Ride-on toys, for example, have dimensional spacing requirements for wheels on the same axis in order to ensure theyre stable. Sound-producing toys can only make noises up to a certain decibel level. A ride-on toy that also makes sounds would be subject to both sets of rules.

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Infant nursery products across categories are subject to more than 20 mandatory safety standards, covering everything from lead content to package labelling to product registration practices. That makes them one of the most heavily regulated product categories under the CPSCs jurisdiction.

Who Makes Sure That Products Have Met Safety Standards?

Companies are responsible for designing their products to meet these standards, but theyre not allowed to be the sole entity evaluating their products. The 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act requires childrens products to be tested and certified to applicable safety standards by an independent third party testing lab, according to Patty Davis, Deputy Director of Communications and Press Secretary for the CPSC. Those labs have to pass through a separate inspection and certification process administered by the CPSC.

The commission also has a presence at the nations ports to prevent products manufactured abroad  that have not gone through the same regulatory process  from reaching American consumers. So even though your stroller was probably made overseas, it has to be as safe as one made in the United States.

So, What, Exactly, Is a Product Recall?

A product recall occurs when a company discovers dangerous safety issues or product defects and requests the return of said item. According to the CPSC Recall Handbook, the CPSC uses the term recall externally because consumers and media outlets recognize and respond to it. Internally, its come to describe any corrective actions  refunds, replacements, repairs  a company takes to remedy a situation in which a potentially dangerous product is being used by consumers.

What Causes a Product Recall?

The most common way recalls are triggered is mandatory reporting from companies.

Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and/or retailer of consumer products, have a legal obligation under federal law to immediately report (generally within 24 hours) certain information to the CPSC, says Davis.

There are three categories of mandatory reports: a defective product that could create a substantial risk of injury to consumers, a product that creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death, and a product that doesnt comply with any rule, regulation, standard, or ban enforced by the CPSC.

An injury is not a precondition for this kind of reporting. In other words, companies are required to be proactive and not just reactive to consumer injuries.

There are other special circumstances that trigger a mandatory report: Choking incidents that cause serious injury, products that have been subject to three judgments, settlements in the previous two years, or any other information that indicates has or could contribute to the cause of death or grievous bodily injury.

Companies that fail to report under these rules face steep civil penalties.

How Else Does the CPSC Learn About Defective Products?

The CPSC also runs two projects that proactively gather information on consumer product-related injuries and deaths.

Theres the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which collects data on consumer product-related injuries from emergency room visits. This data is used to provide nationwide estimates of such injuries and is also an important tool in identifying potentially dangerous problematic products.

Then theres the Medical Examiners and Coroners Alert Project, which gathers timely information from hospitals and coroners, sources that report potential product-related deaths directly to the commission. The CPSC screens every report it receives through this project, and assigns investigative resources when it deems necessary.

And of course, the commission also hears directly from consumers, through a telephone hotline and a form on its website.

What Happens When the CPSC Thinks There Might be a ProductSafety Issue?

The commission has considerable resources to investigate, and none of the reporting protocols above automatically triggers a recall. Staff at the CPSCs National Product Testing and Evaluation Center complete product safety assessments that, along with other information gathered during the investigation, are reviewed by compliance staff at the commission. Its up to them to decide if a corrective action, including non-recall options like repairing or destroying unsold stock and halting future production, is warranted.

The CPSC makes a preliminary determination of a substantial product hazard and asks the firm to initiate a corrective action plan negotiated behind closed doors by representations of the company and the commission. How the firm reacts determines the kind of recall that will be implemented.

What Are the Main Types of Product Recalls?

There are two kinds of recalls. Mandatory recalls occur when the manufacturer doesnt comply with the preliminary determination. The CPSC then has to sue to gain judicial approval to implement a mandatory recall.

Mandatory recalls are exceedingly rare  there have only been six in the past 19 years. Its a backup mechanism in terms of consumer protection, Kelly Mariotti, the executive director of the Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association (JMPA), says. Its very, very, very infrequently, and in childrens products, its virtually unheard of. Nobody wants a product that, even if its being used inappropriately, is out on the market thats hurting kids. Thats certainly not anybodys goal or good for anybody.

Voluntary recalls are far more common. In a voluntary recall, the manufacturer acknowledges the potential safety issue outlined in the preliminary determination. The two parties enter closed-door negotiations to come up with a corrective action plan, which includes both the corrective action(s) a company promises to take and a strategy for notifying the public.

This is what the recall is going to do, and this is how were going to communicate it. Those two parts they will hash out and agree before the actual official notice is presented, Mariotti says. She describes the process when it reaches this point as generally amicable, as the company has already acknowledged the need for some kind of action and both sides have an incentive to resolve the matter promptly.

What Should Parents Do If a Product They Own Is Being Recalled?

Nearly every recall advises consumers to stop using the product immediately. The next step is to check the CPSC website for the proper recourse, which can vary even within the same category. For instance, owners of a LILLEbaby baby carrier recalled last year received a free replacement baby carrier and a full refund when they contacted the company, while those who used an Osprey carrier that was recalled in 2017 simply received a seat pad insert that made it safe to use.

What Should Parents Do If They Think a Toy or Baby Product They Own Is Unsafe?

The best steps a parent should take if they think a toy or baby product is unsafe is to stop using it and alert the CPSC at the website (SaferProducts.gov) or hotline (800-638-2772) the commission has set up for the purpose.

The commission is eager to hear from consumers, so you shouldnt hesitate to report a potential issue even if youre not sure it will be widespread. As with any kind of safety protocol, an abundance of caution is not a bad thing.

Related Articles:

The post Product Recalls: What Every Parent Needs to Know appeared first on Fatherly.
By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors on Tuesday opposed a bid by President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone to obtain unredacted portions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election to help his defense against criminal charges brought by Mueller.

"The government does not intend to provide that portion of the report to counsel for Mr. Stone absent an order of the court to do so," prosecutor Jonathan Kravis told U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson during a hearing in the case due to go to trial on Nov. 5.

Jackson said she understood why Stone should not get a copy of the entire report but raised questions about why he might not be entitled to parts that relate to him directly, especially because some already is in the public version of the report.

"We're in a situation where 500 pages of analysis has been made public," the judge said. "Is there a different standard that applies once that door is open?"

Mueller's investigation led to criminal charges against 34 people including Stone, a self-proclaimed Republican political "dirty trickster" who pleaded not guilty in January to seven counts including lying to Congress, obstructing an official proceeding and witness tampering.

Tuesday's hearing marked the first time Stone appeared in court since Mueller ended his 22-month inquiry on March 22.

Attorney General William Barr on April 18 released a version of Mueller's report with portions blacked out to protect certain types of sensitive information.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia has taken over handling Stone's case from Mueller.

Stone's attorneys have asked the judge to order the prosecution to provide an unredacted copy of Mueller's report, saying in a court filing that it "contains the government's evidence and conclusions on matters essential to Stone's defense."

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Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives separately have subpoenaed the Justice Department for an unredacted copy.

Kravis told Jackson during the hearing that Stone is not entitled to receive an unredacted copy, even for portions related to his case. The prosecutor said redacted parts concerning the Stone case "relate to mental impressions and conclusions of government attorneys" that are exempted from disclosure rules.

A more detailed response opposing Stone's request will be filed with the court on Friday, Kravis said.

Stone also is seeking to have his indictment thrown out on a number of legal grounds including constitutional arguments and because he was not charged with an underlying crime of conspiring with the Russian government. His attorneys are expected to present arguments for dismissing the case at a May 30 hearing.

Mueller's report detailed numerous contacts by Trump's campaign with Russia and that the campaign expected to benefit from Moscow's actions, but found insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Will Dunham)
SAN DIEGO  Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life without parole or the death penalty for John T. Earnest, the 19-year-old man accused of killing a woman and wounding three others in a synagogue attack outside San Diego on Saturday.

At his first court hearing Tuesday, Earnest pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder with a special circumstance of a hate crime. He also faces three charges of attempted murder.

Sitting behind glass panes and wearing glasses, Earnest appeared to be looking straight at Judge Joseph Brannigan of San Diego County Superior Court, showing no emotion.

Brannigan said Earnest would be held without bail, calling him "an obvious and extraordinary risk to public safety.''

Authorities say Earnest burst into a Passover service at the Chabad of Poway synagogue and started shooting, killing 60-year-old Lori Gilbert Kaye and injuring Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein and two worshippers.

Leonard Trinh, hate crimes prosecutor for the district attorney's office, said a determination on whether to pursue the death penalty would be made later by DA Summer Stephan. There is currently a moratorium on capital punishment in California.

Stephan said at a news conference that hate crimes are especially heinous because they victimize all members of the religion, race or sexual orientation under attack.

Asked about the possibility of the death penalty, she said, "We consider this to be an atrocious crime for which there must be accountability.

Stephan said Earnest is believed to have purchased the weapon legally but was unable to provide details on how or when that occurred.

He is slated to have a May 30 readiness hearing and a July 8 preliminary hearing.

Hannah Kaye hugs her father, Howard Kaye, while her slain mother, Lori Gilbert Kaye, was laid to rest Monday. Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, right, addresses mourners during the burial. Goldstein was one of three people who were injured but survived Saturday's attack at a synagogue outside San Diego.

Trinh provided more details about the assault, saying Earnest fired eight to 10 rounds before his AR-style rifle jammed. Trinh also said Earnest had a tactical vest, helmet and 50 bullets at the time of his arrest.

When his rifle malfunctioned, Earnest was chased away by a congregant with military experience who began yelling at him.

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"It could have been such a bloodbath," said Goldstein, who sustained wounds to both his hands and lost his right index finger in the assault.

More: Family of girl injured in Poway synagogue shooting: We fled violence in Israel. We thought it was safe here

Related: 'It could've been me': Hundreds turn out at Poway synagogue to mourn Lori Gilbert Kaye, denounce hate

Earnest shot Kaye twice before firing at Goldstein, according to Trinh. He said the suspect fired several additional rounds and shrapnel struck a man and his 8-year-old niece, wounding both.

When Earnest returned to his car, Trinh said, an off-duty Border Patrol Agent fired several rounds in his direction, striking the vehicle once. The incident was captured on surveillance tape.

After he fled, the defendant called 911 and told the dispatcher his location about two miles away. He was wearing the vest, and a rifle with five loaded magazines and a tactical helmet were found in the car, Trinh said.

San Diego Sheriff William Gore said Earnest posted an online manifesto in which he criticized Jews and also celebrated the slaying of 50 Muslims at shootings at two mosques last month in Christchurch, New Zealand. The manifesto echoes common white supremacist themes.

Earnest, a nursing student at nearby Cal State San Marcos, was an accomplished scholar, athlete and piano player whose embrace of white supremacy and anti-Semitism has dumbfounded those who thought they knew him well.

His family released a statement Monday decrying Earnest's actions, distancing themselves from the horror he had caused and expressing condolences to the people he had harmed at the synagogue in Poway, 20 miles north of San Diego.

"Like our other five children, he was raised in a family, a faith and a community that all

rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do,'' the statement said. "How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us, though we are confident that law enforcement will uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act."

Stephan said it's not surprising the suspects family may not have noticed their son radicalizing because the process often takes place in privacy online.

Earnest apparently became radicalized sometime over the last two years. Before that, he counted Jews and black people among his friends. His father, John A. Earnest, is a popular physics teacher at Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego, which his son attended.

Owen Cruise, 20, said saw he saw the younger Earnest at school every day during their senior year when they took calculus and physics together. They were also in the schools amateur radio club.

He was very close to his dad, Cruise said. He always hung out in his classroom, came to see him at lunch. He always seemed like a nice guy  He didnt seem like the type of person who would go off the deep end.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prosecutors seek life without parole or death penalty for teen accused in San Diego synagogue attack
By Luis Valentin Ortiz

SAN JUAN, April 30 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico's federally created financial oversight board on Tuesday began filing the first round of scores of lawsuits seeking to recover money the bankrupt U.S. commonwealth paid to bondholders, businesses and others.

The board has until the end of this week to file certain claims after the U.S. judge hearing Puerto Rico's bankruptcy cases declined to extend an expiring two-year statute of limitations.

More than 230 complaints were filed in U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico targeting about $4.2 billion in payments made by the island's government, according to the board. Defendants include pharmaceutical maker Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico Inc, as well as individuals and local companies that provide educational, health, IT, security, construction and communication services.

The oversight board has a responsibility to the people of Puerto Rico to recover any payments in contravention of bankruptcy or Puerto Rico law made prior to the commonwealths bankruptcy, board executive director Natalie Jaresko said in a statement.

The legal actions cover a period dating back as far as four years before Puerto Rico filed for bankruptcy on May 3, 2017, in an effort to restructure about $120 billion of debt and pension obligations.

Legal arguments for the claims include that these payments "deviate from historical payment patterns," were made "in the absence of a contract," or do not correspond to existing contracts. Claims would be dismissed against defendants who can show "a proper basis for the payments."

There was no immediate comment from Bristol-Myers.

The board contends that Puerto Rico was insolvent at the time these payments were made. The parties being sued "knew or should have known that the commonwealth was insolvent, in the vicinity of insolvency, or unable to satisfy its obligations as they became due," the fiscal panel argues.

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A deluge of lawsuits is also expected this week against owners of general obligation bonds the island issued in 2012 and 2014. The board wants to recoup payments made to bondholders if the court grants its motion to invalidate the bonds because they were issued in violation of a debt limit in Puerto Rico's constitution.

On Monday, the board informed the court it is targeting investors who owned $2.5 million or more of the bonds any time between May 3, 2013, and May 21, 2017.

Claims would also be pursued against 27 bond underwriters, nine law firms, and five accounting firms, according to an attorney for the oversight board. (Reporting by Luis Valentin Ortiz in San Juan and Karen Pierog in Chicago Editing by Matthew Lewis)
WEST CHESTER, Ohio  By the time Jasminder Singh finally sat down on the basement floor, most people had left. The worshippers and the news crews.

After four people from the same family had been shot and killed a mile away, the message at the Monday prayer service was about trusting God. Singh looked down the white wall he sat against and pointed.

Thats where he normally sits. And thats where the 46-year-old sat on Sunday morning with Hakikat Singh Panag, one of the first friends he made when he moved from Kentucky to West Chester Township 11 years ago.

Most Sundays, before the Sikh place of worship fills with up to 700 people, Singh would sit with Panag in the basement and drink tea. On this Sunday, they talked about work.

He seemed happy, said Singh.

Singh is the executive committee president of the Guru Nanak Society of Greater Cincinnati. Like he usually does, Singh arrived early that day because he had work to do.

His workday would end with him answering questions about his dead friend. Why, he was asked, did he think someone would kill Panag, his wife, daughter and sister-in-law?

That Sunday night, a man believed to be Panags son-in-law returned to his West Chester Township home and found much of his family on the floor bleeding to death.

The man called 911, yelled for help and banged on his neighbors door at the Lakefront at West Chester apartment complex.

West Chester Police Chief Joel Herzog confirmed the caller was related to the victims and also lived at the residence. He said the man has spoken to investigators and is not in custody. Police did not confirm the victims identities in a news conference Monday morning.

Singh identified the other victims as Panags wife, Paramjit Kaur, his adult daughter, Shalinder Kaur, and his sister-in-law, Amarjit Kaur. Panag had three grandchildren who lived at the apartment, but they were not home at the time, Singh said.

Herzog said it was too early to discuss a motive and that police are still searching for a suspect.

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It was almost 9 p.m. Monday. The media had arrived more than three hours ago for the prayer service.

But journalists first started showing up Monday morning after reports about where the victims of Ohios first mass shooting of 2019 worshipped.

Jasminder Singh, president of the executive committee of Guru Nanak Society of Greater Cincinnati West Chester said one of the people found dead Sunday night was Hakikat Singh Panag, who heas known for 11 years. Police have not confirmed Panag's name. Four people were found dead at Lakefront at West Chester apartment complex, according to police. Photo shot Monday, April 29, 2019.

Singh says he spoke to at least 20 different reporters in one day, but he couldnt understand why. Cincinnati only has four local television news stations.

Still, he invited them all inside for prayer service and made sure when cameras started rolling there was enough room left for worshippers to walk downstairs to get food.

At the service, there was singing and praying and music. Afterward, there was talk about shock and sadness.

Singh said if Panag was a good person, then his wife and his daughter were even better. But he didnt know how to get that message across.

And he had run out of things to say.

Because he had questions, too. He wanted to know what happened, too. But he was the person fielding questions now.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: After a quadruple homicide, an Ohio faith leader was left to explain what happened
Extinction Rebellion has vowed to continue its protests.

Members of campaign group Extinction Rebellion said "the rebellion has to continue" after a "disappointing" meeting with Environment Secretary Michael Gove.

Five members of the group met with Mr Gove and ministers from other departments, including the Treasury, in Westminster to discuss demands for change.

They include declaring a national emergency on climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025 and establishing a Citizens Assembly for people to make decisions and suggest policies.

However, they said they were left frustrated with Mr Gove, who said in an interview afterwards that he felt the talks went well.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove (left), Former Labour leader Ed Miliband (2nd right) and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (right) at the House of Commons in Westminster, London, to discuss the need for cross-party action to address the climate crisis.

He said: "We had a good conversation with the Extinction Rebellion team. I explained to them that I'm not a fan of direct action, some of the steps they've taken in order to get their argument across are steps that I deprecate, but I also said that I believe that they're motivated by high ideals I share.

"I think, yes, that is absolutely important that we raise the level of knowledge that people have about the climate challenges we face. Their first point, their first argument they've raised is on the money. I think we do need to deliver a wider level of public understanding.

"Their second point, about the need to reduce emissions to zero, I think is right as well. I think the key question there is timescale, what is achievable?

"And on the third point, a citizens' assembly, I'm open minded. My view is we need to involve as many people as possible in shaping solutions to the challenges we face, and are committed to exploring with the Mayor of London and others, how we can make sure that the public voice is heard even more resonantly in the future."

An artwork which appears to be by street artist Banksy has appeared near the former location of the Extinction Rebellion camp in Marble Arch, London.

However, the MP for Surrey Heath refused to declare a climate emergency, despite the Welsh and Scottish governments doing so.

Asked if he felt there was a climate emergency, Mr Gove said: "I think the situation is certainly a grave one, and I think that the most important thing is to ensure that our government acts. Politicians should be judged on actions not words.

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"We should show that we're making a difference rather than simply telling everyone how important it is to change.

"And that's why I think it's critically important we take the advice from the Climate Change Committee, the independent body that holds this government and future governments to account for reducing carbon emissions by making sure we do everything possible to deal with climate change."

Member of the youth branch Felix Ottaway O'Mahony, 14, from Lambeth, south London, said: "This meeting has been very disappointing, we've set no concrete demands, he hasn't accepted any of our demands, he's avoided our demands as a whole, he isn't going to declare a national emergency.

"However, something has to be said for the fact he has recognised there is an issue."

Anti-Brexit protestors joined forces with Extinction Rebellion in Berkeley Square where hundreds of people had gathered to sing a song from 1939 called A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

He added: "He is going to meet us again in a month's time, which is a step forward that we will now be regularly meeting with political members.

"However, the rebellion has to continue because our demands have not been met."

Farhana Yamin, 54, a prominent climate change lawyer who glued herself to Shell's London headquarters during a week of protests, said: "I definitely think he could have taken the initiative to say Defra will show leadership that was necessary for the nation to come together, I was expecting a little bit more."

Read more from Yahoo News UK:

Dead people will outnumber the living on Facebook within 50 years

Drivers are being tricked into thinking a bird box is a speed camera

Teen robber who went on 24-hour crime spree with machete is jailed

Earlier in the day, another meeting took place, with Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell at Portcullis House, which resulted in Extinction Rebellion being asked to address the shadow cabinet.

The meeting, which lasted more than an hour, concluded with claims some progress had been made.

Former Green Party county councillor for Stroud Sarah Lunnon, 54, who attended the meeting, said: "They gave us a concrete commitment to actually go and talk, McDonnell will ask for Extinction Rebellion to address the shadow cabinet, the shadow environment committee and also the Treasury Committee.

"I think it's really fair to say the Labour Party are listening to Extinction Rebellion, I think they've heard the voices of all those people who got arrested on the streets."

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Butembo (DR Congo) (AFP) - Twenty-six people died of Ebola in a single day in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province, the highest daily toll since its outbreak nearly nine months ago, the health ministry said Tuesday.

The current outbreak is the second deadliest on record, after the epidemic that struck West Africa in 2014-2016 and killed more than 11,300 people.

The health ministry it had counted 957 deaths in the country, of which 891 were confirmed cases and 66 suspected ones.

"There were 26 deaths from confirmed cases" on Sunday, April 28, in the northeastern North Kivu province, the ministry said in a statement.

It said of the total deaths of 957, 33 were health workers who had succumbed to the disease.

The DR Congo declared a tenth outbreak of Ebola in 40 years last August in North Kivu before the virus spread into the neighbouring Ituri region.

The epicentre was first located in the rural area of Mangina, but then switched to the town of Beni.

Local organisations say the number of Ebola deaths is rising.

Adding to the logistical hitches are a string of assaults on teams fighting the disease.

A Cameroonian doctor working for the World Health Organization (WHO), Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung, was shot dead on April 19.

"We will not be intimidated... we will finish our work," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a visit to Nord-Kivu on Monday.

"Your security is our priority. We will do everything to protect you," he added.
GENEVA, April 30 (Reuters) - The U.N. refugee agency said on Tuesday that seeking asylum was a fundamental right and that people lodging applications should not be made to pay a fee, as proposed by the Trump administration.

U.S. President Donald Trump directed officials to toughen rules for asylum seekers on Monday, including by introducing a fee for their applications and barring those who entered the country illegally from working until their claims are approved.

UNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley, asked about the U.S. move, told Reuters: "People shouldn't be charged financially to exercise that right."

He told reporters in Geneva he had no specific information about Trump's move, but said: "Seeking asylum is a fundamental human right. People should be allowed to exercise those rights when seeking to seek asylum."

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) upholds compliance with a 1951 treaty, ratified by the United States, that says people fleeing conflict and persecution deserve international protection and safe refuge in another country.

The moves are the latest effort by the Trump administration to stem a growing number of Central American migrants crossing the U.S. southern border with Mexico, many of whom then seek asylum in the United States.

Many of the changes would be dramatic shifts in how asylum seekers are treated, but would also require time-intensive regulatory procedures before they go into effect, which will likely take months.

Trump administration officials have repeatedly blamed U.S. laws protecting asylum seekers for encouraging fraudulent or non-deserving claims.

But immigrant advocates say the Trump administration's efforts to restrict asylum protections harms people legitimately seeking refuge from violence and persecution.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alison Williams)
547 W. Addison St., #3S. | Photos: Zumper

Curious just how far your dollar goes in Chicago?

We've rounded up the latest rental offerings via rental site Zumper to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to hunting down a place in Chicago with a budget of $1,800/month.

Take a peek at what rentals the city has to offer, below. (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.

1122 N. Clark St., #3110 (Near North)

Listed at $1,800/month, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo is located at 1122 N. Clark St., #3110.

When it comes to building amenities, expect on-site laundry, a swimming pool and a roof deck. The apartment boasts air conditioning, heating and basic cable. Pet owners take note: animals are not allowed.

According to Walk Score's assessment, the area around this address has excellent walkability, is convenient for biking and boasts excellent transit options.

(Take a look at the complete listing here.)

547 W. Addison St., #3S (Lake View East)

Here's a 970-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom spot at 547 W. Addison St., #3S that's also going for $1,800/month.

In the unit, you'll get hardwood floors, new granite countertops and plenty of closet space. The apartment building, which is less than a block from the lake, offers assigned parking. Pet owners, inquire elsewhere: this spot doesn't allow cats or dogs. There isn't a leasing fee associated with this rental.

According to Walk Score, this location is extremely walkable, is quite bikeable and boasts excellent transit options.

(See the full listing here.)

60 E. Scott St., #404 (Gold Coast)

Located at 60 E. Scott St., #404, here's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit that's listed for $1,800/month.

In the unit, you can expect hardwood floors, high ceilings and an open kitchen. The building features on-site laundry and outdoor space. Pets are not permitted, and future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

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Per Walk Score ratings, the surrounding area is a "walker's paradise," is convenient for biking and boasts excellent transit options.

(Take a gander at the complete 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.
Nogales Street. | Photos: Zumper

According to rental site Zumper, median rents for a one-bedroom in Sacramento are hovering around $1,205. But how does the low-end pricing on a Sacramento rental look these days  and what might you get for the price?

We took a look at local listings for studios and one-bedroom apartments to find out what price-conscious apartment seekers can expect to find.

Take a look at the cheapest listings available right now, below. (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.

Nogales Street

Listed at $725/month, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, located at Nogales Street in Hagginwood, is 39.8 percent less than the median rent for a one bedroom in Sacramento, which is currently estimated at around $1,205/month.

When it comes to building amenities, expect on-site laundry. The unit boasts hardwood flooring. Pets are allowed.

According to Walk Score's assessment, the area around this address requires a car for most errands, has some bike infrastructure and has some transit options.

(See the complete listing here.)

1305 24th St.

This studio apartment, situated at 1305 24th St. in Capital Avenue, is listed for $850/month.

Building amenities include on-site laundry, on-site management and assigned parking. In the unit, you'll find hardwood flooring. Pets are not permitted. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

According to Walk Score's assessment, the area around this address is friendly for those on foot, is great for biking and has good transit options.

(See the complete listing here.)

2511 F St., #2511FB

Here's a studio apartment at 2511 F St., #2511FB in Marshall School, which, at 450 square feet, is also going for $850/month. In the unit, you'll find both air conditioning and central heating, a dishwasher and hardwood flooring. Animals are not welcome.

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Walk Score indicates that the area around this address is quite walkable, is easy to get around on a bicycle and has some transit options.

(See the full listing here.)

2030 15th Ave., #3

Then there's this 700-square-foot apartment with one bedroom and one bathroom at 2030 15th Ave., #3 in Carleton Tract, listed at $949/month.

On-site laundry is listed as a building amenity. In the unit, the listing promises both air conditioning and central heating. Good news for animal lovers: both dogs and cats are allowed here.

According to Walk Score's assessment, this location is quite walkable, is convenient for biking and has some transit options.

(See the 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.
2510 E. Houston St. | Photos: Zumper

Curious just how far your dollar goes in San Antonio?

We've rounded up the latest rental offerings via rental site Zumper to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to finding a place in San Antonio if you've got a budget of $800/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.

2510 E. Houston St., #A (Jefferson Heights)

Listed at $800/month, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 2510 E. Houston St., #A.

In the furnished unit, expect hardwood flooring. Animals are not welcome.

Walk Score indicates that the surrounding area is moderately walkable, is fairly bikeable and has good transit options.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

East Houston Street (Downtown)

Next, check out this 300-square-foot studio apartment that's located at East Houston Street. It's also listed for $800/month.

In the unit, anticipate hardwood flooring and a ceiling fan. Pets are not welcome.

Walk Score indicates that the area around this address is a "walker's paradise," is convenient for biking and has excellent transit.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

7918 Jones Maltsberger Road, #B8 (Shearer Hills - Ridgeview)

Then there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment located at 7918 Jones Maltsberger Road, #B8. It's listed for $800/month for its 700 square feet of space.

In the unit, the listing promises hardwood flooring, built-in shelving and air conditioning. Neither cats nor dogs are welcome. There's no leasing fee required for this rental.

According to Walk Score, the area around this address is car-dependent, is relatively bikeable and has some transit options.

(Take a gander at the complete listing here.)

8800 Starcrest Drive

Next, check out this 747-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom that's located at 8800 Starcrest Drive. It's listed for $800/month.

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In the unit, you'll have a dishwasher, in-unit laundry and a pantry. The building has a swimming pool, storage space and a fitness center. Pet owners, take heed: cats and dogs are welcome.

Per Walk Score ratings, this location is car-dependent, is relatively bikeable and has some transit options.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

235 E. Mulberry Ave. (Monte Vista)

Finally, located at 235 E. Mulberry Ave., here's a 675-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that's listed for $800/month.

In the unit, you can anticipate hardwood flooring, air conditioning and a ceiling fan. The building offers on-site laundry. If you've got a pet, you'll be happy to learn that cats and dogs are permitted. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee, but there is a $30 application fee.

Walk Score indicates that the area around this address is somewhat walkable, is relatively bikeable and has some transit options.

(See the complete 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.
253 Tenth Ave., #433. | Photos: Zumper

Curious just how far your dollar goes in San Diego?

We've rounded up the latest rental offerings via rental site Zumper to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to finding an apartment in San Diego if you've got a budget of $2,100/month.

Take a peek at what rentals the city has to offer, below. (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.

321 Tenth Ave., #1104 (East Village)

Listed at $2,100/month, this 670-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom residence is located at 321 Tenth Ave., #1104.

When it comes to building amenities, anticipate garage parking, a fitness center and on-site management. In the unit, you will find a balcony, bamboo flooring and in-unit laundry. Pet owners, take heed: cats and dogs are permitted. There's no leasing fee required for this rental, but there is a $35 application fee.

According to Walk Score, the surrounding area is a "walker's paradise," is relatively bikeable and has excellent transit.

(Take a look at the complete listing here.)

253 Tenth Ave., #433 (East Village)

Next, there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom spot located at 253 Tenth Ave., #433. It's also listed for $2,100/month for its 808 square feet of space.

In the unit, look for carpeted floors, air conditioning, in-unit laundry and a balcony. Pet owners, inquire elsewhere: this spot doesn't allow cats or dogs. There's no leasing fee required for this rental.

Walk Score indicates that this location is extremely walkable, is relatively bikeable and is a haven for transit riders.

(Take a gander at the complete listing here.)

425 W. Beech St., #953 (Little Italy)

Here's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom spot at 425 W. Beech St., #953 that's going for $2,100/month.

Building amenities include assigned parking, a swimming pool and a fitness center. In the furnished unit, you'll get a balcony, in-unit laundry, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. When it comes to pets, both meows and barks are welcome. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

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According to Walk Score, the surrounding area is extremely walkable, is relatively bikeable and boasts excellent transit options.

(See the full listing here.)

1435 India St., #219 (Little Italy)

Next, check out this 648-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom residence that's located at 1435 India St., #219. It's listed for $2,100/month.

When it comes to building amenities, anticipate assigned parking, outdoor space and secured entry. In the unit, you'll get hardwood floors and in-unit laundry. Pets are not welcome. There's no leasing fee required for this rental.

According to Walk Score, this location is extremely walkable, is quite bikeable and has excellent transit.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

445 Island Ave., #710 (Gaslamp)

Located at 445 Island Ave., #710, here's an 807-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit that's listed for $2,100/month.

Amenities offered in the building include outdoor space, a swimming pool, a fitness center and an elevator. In the unit, you can expect a dishwasher, air conditioning and in-unit laundry. If you've got a pet, you'll be happy to learn that cats and dogs are welcome. There's no leasing fee required for this rental.

According to Walk Score's assessment, the area around this address is extremely walkable, is very bikeable and is a haven for transit riders.

(Take a gander at the complete 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.
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. measles outbreak hits 'completely avoidable' 25-year-high: officials

The number of measles cases in the United States has reached a 25-year peak, propelled by the spread of misinformation about the vaccine that can prevent the disease, federal health officials said on Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 704 cases as of April 26, a 1.3 percent increase since the most recent tally of 695 reported on Wednesday. The vast majority of cases have occurred in children who have not received the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, which confers immunity to the disease, officials said.

Factbox: What you need to know about the U.S. measles outbreak

The United States so far this year has recorded 704 cases of measles in 22 states, its largest outbreak since public health officials in 2000 declared the disease eradicated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC on Monday released updated figures on the number of cases recorded so far this year, which have hit a 25-year-high.

Trump tells Americans: Go get your measles vaccination

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday urged Americans to protect themselves with the measles vaccination as the number of cases of the once-eradicated disease in the United States hit the highest levels since 2000. The growing outbreak in pockets across the country has triggered multiple public health efforts seeking to limit exposure to measles, including quarantines at two California universities.

Congo registers record of 27 new Ebola cases in one day

Democratic Republic of Congo registered a one-day record of 27 new confirmed Ebola cases on Sunday, raising last week's number of cases to 126, the biggest since the current outbreak was declared last August, the health ministry said. The previous record was 110 confirmed cases a couple of weeks ago.

U.S. youth suicides up after Netflix show, cause unclear: study

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Suicides by young Americans rose by nearly a third in the month following the 2017 debut of popular Netflix television drama series "13 Reasons Why," in which a teenage girl kills herself, a U.S. study showed on Monday. The researchers said the study had limitations and they could not make a direct causal link between "13 Reasons Why" and the increase in suicide rates or rule out other factors. Another, previous study had found watching the program was associated with a reduced risk of self-harm for some young adults.

Indoor tanning may trigger gene mutation that boosts melanoma risk

Indoor tanning is associated with a higher risk of developing the deadly skin cancer melanoma at younger ages, and a recent study suggests the ultraviolet (UV) light in tanning beds may be triggering genetic mutations that can lead to skin malignancies. Researchers examined data on 114 melanoma patients who had a history of indoor tanning and 222 melanoma patients who did not. After accounting for several factors that can impact melanoma risk - like gender, skin type, hair and eye color, sun exposure, and family history - researchers estimated that melanoma developed about a decade earlier when patients had a history of indoor tanning.

Patients value convenience of telemedicine

Patients who have real-time video visits with their primary care providers instead of in-person exams are generally satisfied with the convenience and quality of their checkups, a new study suggests. There's a lot about these telemedicine visits that can sound appealing: no need to get stuck in traffic on the way to the doctor; no long stretches in the waiting room before the exam; no missing half a day of work for an appointment that's over in the blink of an eye. But research to date hasn't offered a clear picture of how the reality of virtual visits matches up with patients' expectations

Atrial fibrillation patients often overestimate risk of stroke, bleeding

Patients with the irregular heart rhythm atrial fibrillation may overestimate both their risk of having a stroke and their risk of bleeding as a side effect of medication prescribed to prevent strokes, a recent study suggests. Researchers surveyed 227 patients with atrial fibrillation about their perceived risk of stroke or bleeding. Many of these patients had an annual estimated stroke risk of less than five percent - and most had an estimated risk of less than 20 percent.

The obscure advisory committees at the heart of the U.S. drug pricing debate

Expectations were high last year for three new migraine drugs hitting the market from Amgen Inc, Eli Lilly and Co and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Priced around $7,000 each, the drugmakers called them "breakthrough" treatments designed to prevent migraines when taken year-round, and estimated that millions of patients could benefit. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration said Amgen's Aimovig  the first of the three drugs approved  was an "important addition" to available treatments.

Keen sense of smell linked to longer life

Older adults with a poor sense of smell may die sooner than their counterparts who have keen olfactory abilities, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers asked 2,289 adults, ages 71 to 82, to identify 12 common smells, awarding scores from zero to as high as 12 based on how many scents they got right. When they joined the study, none of the participants were frail: they could walk a quarter mile, climb 10 steps, and independently complete daily activities.
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. measles outbreak hits 'completely avoidable' 25-year-high: officials

The number of measles cases in the United States has reached a 25-year peak, propelled by the spread of misinformation about the vaccine that can prevent the disease, federal health officials said on Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 704 cases as of April 26, a 1.3 percent increase since the most recent tally of 695 reported on Wednesday. The vast majority of cases have occurred in children who have not received the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, which confers immunity to the disease, officials said.

Factbox: What you need to know about the U.S. measles outbreak

The United States so far this year has recorded 704 cases of measles in 22 states, its largest outbreak since public health officials in 2000 declared the disease eradicated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC on Monday released updated figures on the number of cases recorded so far this year, which have hit a 25-year-high.

Congo registers record of 27 new Ebola cases in one day

Democratic Republic of Congo registered a one-day record of 27 new confirmed Ebola cases on Sunday, raising last week's number of cases to 126, the biggest since the current outbreak was declared last August, the health ministry said. The previous record was 110 confirmed cases a couple of weeks ago.

U.S. youth suicides up after Netflix show, cause unclear: study

Suicides by young Americans rose by nearly a third in the month following the 2017 debut of popular Netflix television drama series "13 Reasons Why," in which a teenage girl kills herself, a U.S. study showed on Monday. The researchers said the study had limitations and they could not make a direct causal link between "13 Reasons Why" and the increase in suicide rates or rule out other factors. Another, previous study had found watching the program was associated with a reduced risk of self-harm for some young adults.

Story continues

Novartis's Sandoz strikes deal for biosimilar of Herceptin

Novartis's Sandoz division has struck a deal with Taiwan's EirGenix Inc to market a biosimilar version of Roche's Herceptin that is now in late-stage development to treat some cancer tumors. Novartis said the accord covers the trastuzumab biosimilar in Phase III development for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+) breast and gastric tumors.

Indoor tanning may trigger gene mutation that boosts melanoma risk

Indoor tanning is associated with a higher risk of developing the deadly skin cancer melanoma at younger ages, and a recent study suggests the ultraviolet (UV) light in tanning beds may be triggering genetic mutations that can lead to skin malignancies. Researchers examined data on 114 melanoma patients who had a history of indoor tanning and 222 melanoma patients who did not. After accounting for several factors that can impact melanoma risk - like gender, skin type, hair and eye color, sun exposure, and family history - researchers estimated that melanoma developed about a decade earlier when patients had a history of indoor tanning.

Patients value convenience of telemedicine

Patients who have real-time video visits with their primary care providers instead of in-person exams are generally satisfied with the convenience and quality of their checkups, a new study suggests. There's a lot about these telemedicine visits that can sound appealing: no need to get stuck in traffic on the way to the doctor; no long stretches in the waiting room before the exam; no missing half a day of work for an appointment that's over in the blink of an eye. But research to date hasn't offered a clear picture of how the reality of virtual visits matches up with patients' expectations

Atrial fibrillation patients often overestimate risk of stroke, bleeding

Patients with the irregular heart rhythm atrial fibrillation may overestimate both their risk of having a stroke and their risk of bleeding as a side effect of medication prescribed to prevent strokes, a recent study suggests. Researchers surveyed 227 patients with atrial fibrillation about their perceived risk of stroke or bleeding. Many of these patients had an annual estimated stroke risk of less than five percent - and most had an estimated risk of less than 20 percent.

The obscure advisory committees at the heart of the U.S. drug pricing debate

Expectations were high last year for three new migraine drugs hitting the market from Amgen Inc, Eli Lilly and Co and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Priced around $7,000 each, the drugmakers called them "breakthrough" treatments designed to prevent migraines when taken year-round, and estimated that millions of patients could benefit. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration said Amgen's Aimovig  the first of the three drugs approved  was an "important addition" to available treatments.

Keen sense of smell linked to longer life

Older adults with a poor sense of smell may die sooner than their counterparts who have keen olfactory abilities, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers asked 2,289 adults, ages 71 to 82, to identify 12 common smells, awarding scores from zero to as high as 12 based on how many scents they got right. When they joined the study, none of the participants were frail: they could walk a quarter mile, climb 10 steps, and independently complete daily activities.
Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Fly me to the moon: Germany eyes slice of lucrative space market

Facing tough competition from China, the United States and even tiny Luxembourg, Germany is racing to draft new laws and attract private investment to secure a slice of an emerging space market that could be worth $1 trillion a year by the 2040s. The drive to give Germany a bigger role in space comes as European, Asian and U.S. companies stake out ground in an evolving segment that promises contracts for everything from exploration to mining of outer-space resources.

Scientists say they're closer to possible blood test for chronic fatigue

Scientists in the United States say they have taken a step toward developing a possible diagnostic test for chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition characterized by exhaustion and other debilitating symptoms. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine said a pilot study of 40 people, half of whom were healthy and half of whom had the syndrome, showed their potential biomarker test correctly identified those who were ill.

China's rocket start-ups go small in age of 'shoebox' satellites

During initial tests of their 8.1-meter (27-foot) tall reusable rocket, Chinese engineers from LinkSpace, a start-up led by China's youngest space entrepreneur, used a Kevlar tether to ensure its safe return. Just in case. But when the Beijing-based company's prototype, called NewLine Baby, successfully took off and landed last week for the second time in two months, no tether was needed.
Mercenaries linked to Frontier Services Group, a security company based in Iraq and UAE, have been fighting on the side of military commander Khalifa Haftar whose forces have launched an offensive to seize the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Under a secret deal, Frontier Service Group, run by American Businessman Erik Prince, had recently flown private fighters from Iraqs Kurdish region to Libya to fight alongside Haftar, London-based media Middle East Eye reports.

It is unclear whether the companys UAE office was involved in the recruitment. Erik Prince is the founder of the famous Blackwater security company.

Haftar launched early this month a military campaign to seize Tripoli from UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) arguing that the Libyan capital is in hands of terrorist groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhoods.

Haftars forces have met a strong resistance from the GNA-affiliated militia groups. The fighting, which focuses on the Southern part of the capital, caused the death of over 260 people according to UN figures. Thousands of people have been displaced.

The involvement of foreign fighters on Haftars side confirms reports on foreign support to the campaign.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, France and Egypt have been accused of providing financial and logistical support to the east-based army.
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. measles outbreak hits 'completely avoidable' 25-year-high: officials

The number of measles cases in the United States has reached a 25-year peak, propelled by the spread of misinformation about the vaccine that can prevent the disease, federal health officials said on Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 704 cases as of April 26, a 1.3 percent increase since the most recent tally of 695 reported on Wednesday. The vast majority of cases have occurred in children who have not received the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, which confers immunity to the disease, officials said.

Charges filed in deadly California synagogue shooting

The 19-year-old accused gunman in a deadly California synagogue shooting is due in a San Diego court on Tuesday for arraignment in Saturday's attack, with officials adding a hate crime to his offenses. John Earnest faces one count of murder, with a hate crime added as a special circumstance, as well as three counts of attempted murder and one count of arson, the San Diego District Attorney's Office said on Monday.

Wayne LaPierre re-elected NRA chief, survives power struggle

Wayne LaPierre was re-elected chief executive and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association on Monday, surviving a power struggle in which he was challenged by former NRA President Oliver North, who stepped down over the weekend. The NRA board voted unanimously in favor of LaPierre, who has been with the NRA for 40 years and has helped convert it into one of the most powerful lobbies in the United States, expanding gun rights even as the United States has endured multiple mass shootings.

Senators urge regulators to quickly approve drone identification rules

Two U.S. senators on Monday urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to finalize a long-delayed rule that would require the remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems, or drones. The U.S. Congress tasked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2016 with issuing regulations or guidance by July 2018 that could permit the public, the FAA, law enforcement, and others to remotely track and identify drones and their operators during flight.

Story continues

New York officials hit back at Trump over backing NRA

New York's governor assailed President Donald Trump on Monday for backing the National Rifle Association in its dispute with the state, accusing the U.S. leader of being afraid of the powerful gun lobby. Two days after a gunman sprayed a California synagogue with bullets, killing a worshipper, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged Trump to do more to stop gun deaths.

Trade war and sagging prices push U.S. family farmers to leave the field

Shuffling across his frozen fields, farmer Jim Taphorn hunched his shoulders against the wind and squinted at the auctioneer standing next to his tractors.After a fifth harvest with low grain prices, made worse last fall by the U.S.-China trade war, the 68-year-old and his family were calling it quits. Farming also was taking a physical toll on him, he said; he'd suffered a heart attack 15 months before. It took less than four hours to sell off all the tractors, combines and other farm equipment at the Taphorn retirement sale, ending a family tradition that had survived nearly a century.

U.S. Army veteran charged with plotting to bomb white nationalist rally

A U.S. combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan who prosecutors say plotted to detonate multiple nail bombs at a Los Angeles-area white nationalist rally, seeking to cause mass casualties, was arrested in an FBI sting operation, federal prosecutors said on Monday. Mark Steven Domingo, 26, a U.S. Army infantryman who recently converted to Islam, was taken into custody on Friday after undercover FBI operatives furnished him with what he thought were live bombs to be used in the attack, law enforcement officials said.

Pentagon approves 320 more personnel to Mexico border

The U.S. military said on Monday it would send about 320 Defense Department personnel to the border with Mexico in roles that would increasingly put them in contact with migrants, including driving them in vehicles and "monitoring" their welfare. The Pentagon's statement said the latest deployment would alone cost about $7.4 million through September and broadly confirmed details of the deployment previewed on Friday

Trump directs officials to toughen asylum rules

U.S. President Donald Trump directed officials to toughen rules for asylum seekers on Monday, including by introducing a fee for their applications and barring those who entered the country illegally from working until their claims are approved. The moves are the latest effort by the Trump administration to stem a growing number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border, many of whom then seek asylum in the United States. Many of the changes would be dramatic shifts in how asylum seekers are treated, but would also require time-intensive regulatory procedures before they go into effect, which will likely take months.

White House says will reappoint Puerto Rico oversight board

The White House said on Monday it will ask the U.S. Senate to confirm the current members of Puerto Rico's federally created financial oversight board after creditors of the bankrupt island successfully challenged the appointments on constitutional grounds. The move lifts a cloud over the board as it attempts to restructure Puerto Rico's core government debt under a form of bankruptcy after winning court approval for deals involving the U.S. commonwealth's sales tax-backed bonds and Government Development Bank debt.
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

FBI says received vague tips ahead of deadly California synagogue shooting

The FBI on Monday said it received multiple tips about a security threat minutes before a gunman opened fire in a California synagogue, killing a woman and wounding three others, but did not have enough detail or time to prevent the attack. Police are investigating what motivated a 19-year-old suspect to open fire on the Chabad of Poway synagogue in suburban San Diego on Saturday, including whether to bring hate crime charges against the man who surrendered to police shortly after the attack.

U.S. film director John Singleton dead at age 51

John Singleton, who made his directorial debut with the acclaimed film "Boyz n the Hood" about young men struggling in a gang-ridden Los Angeles neighborhood, died on Monday at the age of 51, his family said, days after he suffered a stroke. "We are sad to relay that John Singleton has died," the family said in a statement. "John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends."

U.S. measles outbreak hits 'completely avoidable' 25-year-high: officials

The number of measles cases in the United States has reached a 25-year peak, propelled by the spread of misinformation about the vaccine that can prevent the disease, federal health officials said on Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 704 cases as of April 26, a 1.3 percent increase since the most recent tally of 695 reported on Wednesday. The vast majority of cases have occurred in children who have not received the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, which confers immunity to the disease, officials said.

Wayne LaPierre re-elected NRA chief, survives power struggle

Wayne LaPierre was re-elected chief executive and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association on Monday, surviving a power struggle in which he was challenged by former NRA President Oliver North, who stepped down over the weekend. The NRA board voted unanimously in favor of LaPierre, who has been with the NRA for 40 years and has helped convert it into one of the most powerful lobbies in the United States, expanding gun rights even as the United States has endured multiple mass shootings.

Story continues

Senators urge regulators to quickly approve drone identification rules

Two U.S. senators on Monday urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to finalize a long-delayed rule that would require the remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems, or drones. The U.S. Congress tasked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2016 with issuing regulations or guidance by July 2018 that could permit the public, the FAA, law enforcement, and others to remotely track and identify drones and their operators during flight.

New York officials hit back at Trump over backing NRA gun-rights group

New York's governor assailed President Donald Trump on Monday for backing the National Rifle Association in its dispute with the state, accusing the U.S. leader of being afraid of the powerful gun lobby. Two days after a gunman sprayed a California synagogue with bullets, killing a worshipper, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged Trump to do more to stop gun deaths.

The obscure advisory committees at the heart of the U.S. drug pricing debate

Expectations were high last year for three new migraine drugs hitting the market from Amgen Inc, Eli Lilly and Co and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Priced around $7,000 each, the drugmakers called them "breakthrough" treatments designed to prevent migraines when taken year-round, and estimated that millions of patients could benefit. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration said Amgen's Aimovig  the first of the three drugs approved  was an "important addition" to available treatments.

U.S. combat veteran charged with plotting to bomb white nationalist rally

A U.S. veteran of the war in Afghanistan who prosecutors say plotted to detonate a nail bomb at a Los Angeles-area white nationalist rally, hoping to cause mass casualties, was arrested in an FBI sting operation, federal prosecutors said on Monday. Mark Domingo, 26, a U.S. Army infantryman who fought in Afghanistan and recently converted to Islam, was taken into custody on Friday after being given what he thought was a live bomb to use in the attack by an FBI informant, law enforcement officials said.

Pentagon approves 320 more personnel to Mexico border

The U.S. military said on Monday it would send about 320 Defense Department personnel to the border with Mexico in roles that would increasingly put them in contact with migrants, including driving them in vehicles and "monitoring" their welfare. The Pentagon's statement said the latest deployment would alone cost about $7.4 million through September and broadly confirmed details of the deployment previewed on Friday

Leader of New Mexico armed group denied bail

The leader of a paramilitary group that has detained undocumented migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border pleaded not guilty to federal weapons charges on Monday and was denied bail. Larry Hopkins, 69, commander of the United Constitutional Patriots, has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm after the FBI said it found guns during a 2017 visit to his home.
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Sudan protest group calls for strike amid transition stand-off

Sudan's main protest group called on Monday for civil disobedience and a general strike as meetings with the country's military rulers failed to provide any breakthrough on the formation of a joint civilian-military transitional council. As tension between the two sides rose, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) said in a statement that the military had tried to break up a sit-in in the capital Khartoum where protesters are demanding a handover to civilian rule.

Sri Lanka on alert for attacks as archbishop slams poor church security

Sri Lankan security officials have warned that Islamist militants behind Easter Sunday's suicide bombings are planning attacks and could be dressed in uniform, as the archbishop of Colombo complained about insufficient security around churches. The militants were targeting five locations for attacks on Sunday just passed or on Monday, security sources said.

Islamic State airs video purporting to be leader al-Baghdadi

Islamic State's media network on Monday published a threatening video message purporting to come from its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in what would be his first appearance since declaring the jihadists' now-defunct "caliphate" five years ago. In the 18-minute video from the Al Furqan network, a bearded man with Baghdadi's appearance says the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka were IS's response to losses in its last territorial stronghold of Baghouz in Syria.

U.N. chief raises issue of Xinjiang's Uighurs during China visit

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the plight of Muslims in China's Xinjiang region during a visit to Beijing last week, a U.N. spokesman said on Monday. China has faced growing international condemnation for what it calls re-education and training centers in the remote western region. Activists say they are mass detention camps holding more than 1 million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims.

Story continues

Specter of extradition law spreads as Hong Kong bookseller flees to Taiwan

A Hong Kong bookseller who was detained by China is seeking refuge in Taiwan, saying his home city will no longer be safe when new laws are enacted allowing extradition to China, which could drive even more emigrations from the financial hub. Lam Wing-kee, 63, worked at a bookshop owned by a publishing company that printed books critical of China's leaders and their private lives. He found himself at the center of a political storm in 2015 when he and five other Hong Kong booksellers were detained by Chinese agents.

Global military spending at new post-Cold War high, fueled by U.S., China: think-tank

Global military expenditure reached its highest level last year since the end of the Cold War, fueled by increased spending in the United States and China, the world's two biggest economies, a leading defense think-tank said on Monday. In its annual report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said overall global military spending in 2018 hit $1.82 trillion, up 2.6 percent on the previous year.

Explainer: Japan emperor abdication rare, but could set precedent

Emperor Akihito, 85, will step down on Tuesday, almost three years after he first publicly hinted he wanted to retire and hand over to his heir, Crown Prince Naruhito. It is the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in two centuries. SHOCKING NEWS

South Sudan hires U.S. lobbyists to help block war crimes court: contract

South Sudan has hired U.S. lobbyists to help it reverse U.S. sanctions and stop the establishment of a court meant to prosecute war crimes, a document showed - a move rights groups said could undermine victims seeking justice. Under the contract, signed on April 2 and published on the U.S. Justice Department website, South Sudan's government agreed to pay California-based Gainful Solutions $3.7 million over two years.

Japanese Emperor Akihito abdicating after three decades on throne

Japanese Emperor Akihito will abdicate on Tuesday in favor of his elder son, ending a three-decade reign during which he sought to ease the painful memories of World War Two and reach out to ordinary people, including the marginalized in society. The abdication, the first by a Japanese monarch in two centuries, will be marked by a brief and relatively simple ceremony in the Imperial Palace's prestigious Matsu no ma, or Hall of Pine. About 300 people will attend and it will be broadcast live on television.

An armed group tried to attack Libya's El Sharara oilfield: engineer

An armed group tried to attack Libya's El Sharara oilfield, the country's biggest, but there was no impact on production, a field engineer said on Monday. The gunmen were stopped outside the field, he said, asking not to be identified.
By Tom Hals

WILMINGTON, Del., April 30 (Reuters) - U.S. officials at ports of entry improperly contend they are entitled to confiscate and search travelers' cellphones and other devices without warrants to enforce laws that cover more than customs and immigration, according to a court filing by civil rights groups on Tuesday.

According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, top immigration and customs officials take the position that they have broad investigative authority.

For instance, David Lee Denton, an official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said in a deposition that border officers could look through emails, social media posts and text messages to help in a range of investigations.

"So perhaps in a fraud investigation, one business might want to report their competitors for engaging in fraudulent business practices," Denton said in his deposition. "And that would be a factor that might give an agent reasonable suspicion for a border search."

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy group, are suing the U.S. government and challenging that authority, which they say could lead to unconstitutional warrantless searches of devices at borders and airports.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The civil liberties organizations represent 11 plaintiffs who sued in 2017 alleging searches of their electronic devices at ports of entry violated the U.S. Constitution's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Generally in the United States, law enforcement is required to obtain a warrant before it can search an American's electronic devices.

But a so-called border search exception, which dates to the early days of the United States, allows authorities to conduct searches at a port of entry without a warrant. That exemption has been repeatedly upheld by the courts.

Story continues

The rights organizations said customs and immigration officials also act on requests from other agencies as well as state and local police and foreign law enforcement agencies, according to the court papers.

The groups asked U.S. District Judge Denise Capser in Boston to order a halt to such practices without going to trial.

Customs and Border Patrol searched 33,295 electronic devices in fiscal year 2018, up from 5,085 in fiscal 2012, according to the court documents. (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; editing by Jonathan Oatis)




The deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, has resigned, after a fraught two-year relationship with a president who resented his decision to appoint a special counsel to investigate possible ties between Donald Trumps presidential campaign and Russia.

His last day will be 11 May.

I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education and prosperity, Rosenstein said in a letter delivered to the White House.

Resignation letter

His departure was expected  Rosenstein had said he intended to step down after the conclusion of the Mueller investigation. The man nominated to succeed him, Jeffrey Rosen, is currently awaiting confirmation by the Senate.

Rosenstein, 54, who worked at the justice department for nearly 30 years, came under an unusually bright spotlight because of his role initiating the special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the US election. He assumed oversight of the investigation after the former attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself following reports that he had not disclosed meetings with Russian officials during his Senate confirmation hearing. After Trump fired the former FBI director James Comey, Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel to continue the investigation.

Related: Barr threatens to skip House hearing on Mueller report over format dispute



Rosenstein had long been a target of Trump and the presidents allies, who attacked the investigation as a witch-hunt working within a department rife with anti-Trump bias. At one point, House conservatives had drafted articles of impeachment against Rosenstein while Trump lashed out at him on Twitter on multiple occasions.

The deputy attorney generals tumultuous relationship with Trump frayed further after the New York Times reported that he had discussed the possibility of removing Trump from office under the 25th amendment and also of wearing a wire to secretly record the president. Rosenstein has called the report inaccurate and said he never authorized recording Trump.

Story continues

In the ensuing fallout, Rosenstein was summoned to the White House for a meeting with Trumps then chief of staff, John Kelly.

I can go. Im ready to go, Rosenstein reportedly told Kelly, according to a report last week in the Washington Post. I can resign. But I dont want to go out with a tweet.

In the letter, Rosenstein defended the decisions he made while in office while also praising the integrity and independence of the justice department.

We enforce the law without fear or favor because credible evidence is not partisan, and truth is not determined by opinion polls, Rosenstein said. We ignore fleeting distractions and focus our attention on the things that matter, because a republic that endures is not governed by the news cycle.

In a statement, the attorney general, William Barr, who took the reins at the justice department in February, praised Rosensteins long career with the department.

His devotion to the department and its professionals is unparalleled, Barr said. Over the course of his distinguished government career, he has navigated many challenging situations with strength, grace, and good humor. Rod has been an invaluable partner to me during my return to the department, and I have relied heavily on his leadership and judgment over the past several months.

The Mueller report, a redacted version of which was released to the public earlier this month, found insufficient evidence to prove that Trump and his campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election though it did not conclude whether the president obstructed justice. In a summary of the report delivered to Congress, Barr and Rosenstein concluded that Trump had not committed a crime.
A portion of the worlds largest ice shelf is melting 10 times faster than the overall ice shelf average due to warming surface water, according to a new report that emphasizes the impact such warming has on ice melt.

Researchers studying data taken at Antarcticas Ross Ice Shelf over the last four years reported on Monday that warming ocean water thats heated by the sun is causing the rapid melting that intensifies risks of long-term rising sea levels.

The findings, which were discovered in part by researchers at the University of Cambridge, were published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

A portion of the Ross Ice Shelf is melting 10 times faster than the average ice shelf, said researchers who have been studying its temperatures, salinity, melt rates and ocean currents for the last several years. (DE AGOSTINI PICTURE LIBRARY via Getty Images)

The stability of ice shelves is generally thought to be related to their exposure to warm deep ocean water, but weve found that solar heated surface water also plays a crucial role in melting ice shelves, the reports leading author, Craig Stewart from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand, said in a release. Stewart conducted the work while a Ph.D. student at the University of Cambridge.

The area with higher melt rates was found beneath the shelf where the ice pushes against Ross Island. This pressure slows the flow of the entire ice shelf, according to the universitys release.

Though the ice shelf is considered to be relatively stable, the new findings suggest that it may be more vulnerable than previously believed.

The ice shelf, which is about the size of France, stabilizes the West Antarctic ice sheet and blocks ice that flows into it from some of the worlds largest glaciers. Should it weaken, it could significantly increase the risk of instability in surrounding glaciers, including those more than 500 miles away, and lead to rising sea levels of several meters or more, the researchers warned.

The Ross Ice Shelf stabilizes the West Antarctic ice sheet and blocks ice that flows into it from some of the worlds largest glaciers. The Beardmore Glacier, pictured in 1956, carries countless millions of tons of ice down to the Ross Ice Shelf. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Previous studies have shown that when ice shelves collapse, the feeding glaciers can speed up by a factor of two or three, said co-author Poul Christoffersen from Cambridges Scott Polar Research Institute. The difference here is the sheer size of Ross Ice Shelf, which [is] over one hundred times larger than the ice shelves weve already seen disappear.

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The researchers carried out their study by measuring the temperature, salinity, melt rates and ocean currents beneath the ice with instruments that were deployed through a 260-meter-deep borehole.

Data obtained by these instruments found that in the summer months the melt rates nearly tripled when this solar-heated surface water flowed beneath the shelf into its cavity, according to the report.

K061 Through the Ice from Ross Ice Shelf Project on Vimeo.

The findings suggest that conditions in the ice shelf cavity are more closely coupled with the surface ocean and atmosphere than previously assumed, implying that melt rates near the ice front will respond quickly to changes in the uppermost layer of the ocean, according to a release on the study from the University of Cambridge.

The ice shelfs location was also found to be a factor in the rapid melting, with it being near a large area of open ocean, known as the Ross Sea Polynya, that is empty of sea ice due to offshore winds. Because of its lack of ice, the waters surface absorbs solar heat quickly in the summer.

Stewart warned that global warming is likely to amplify this process.

Climate change is likely to result in less sea ice, and higher surface ocean temperatures in the Ross Sea, suggesting that melt rates in this region will increase in the future, he said.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated that the entire Ross Ice Shelf is melting rapidly. It is just a portion beneath the shelf.
Fans think they have guessed the royal baby name. [Photo: Getty]

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their royal baby any day now.

But ahead of the regal tots arrival, some fans are convinced they have discovered the infants name and gender thanks to a telltale glitch on the Royal Family website.

When you type /prince-arthur, /prince-alexander, or /prince-james after the pages main homepage address, you are taken to the websites main page, reports the Daily Star.

However, if you do the same with other prospective royal baby name choices  such as /princess-grace, you are met with a page not found message.

READ MORE: Doria Ragland definitely in the UK

This has led some fans to conclude the baby is a boy and will be called one of these names: Arthur, Alexander or James.

However, a Palace spokesperson has confirmed to Yahoo UK this is not the case.

A large number of search term redirects were set up some time ago on royal.uk. This was in order to improve user experience. For guidance you will note that other names preceded by prince or princess produce the same result.

This isnt the first time royal fans have come to such a conclusion.

In April last year, ahead of Prince Louis birth, fans were convinced the Duchess of Cambridges third baby would be called Prince Albert.

This was down to an Access denied message which came up whenever people searched for a Prince Albert page on the website.

However, this theory clearly did not hold up to be true  as it became clear when Prince Louis was named.

READ MORE: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry await arrival of first child

While there may or may not be some significance to the latest theory, suffice to say there is a lot of speculation about the royal baby name.

In fact, the unborn child has broken a record for the most bets placed on any royal baby in the run-up to its birth.

According to Bookmakers, more than 9 million euros (approximately 8 million) has already rang through the register with punters speculating on everything from the babys name, gender and location of birth.
(Repeats with no changes to text)

* Oil stored at Dalian for six months

* Zhenrong moves some Dalian oil to Ningbo in March - data

* Iran oil exports to China: https://tmsnrt.rs/2DyxSP3

By Chen Aizhu and Florence Tan

SINGAPORE, April 30 (Reuters) - Some 20 million barrels of Iranian oil sitting on China's shores in the northeast port of Dalian for the past six months now appears stranded as the United States hardens its stance on importing crude from Tehran.

Iran sent the oil to China, its biggest customer, ahead of the reintroduction of U.S. sanctions last November, as it looked for alternative storage for a backlog of crude at home.

The oil is being held in so-called bonded storage tanks at the port, which means it has yet to clear Chinese customs. Despite a six-month waiver to the start of May that allowed China to continue some Iranian imports, shipping data shows little of this oil has been moved.

Traders and refinery sources pointed to uncertainty over the terms of the waiver and said independent refiners had been unable to secure payment or insurance channels, while state refiners struggled to find vessels.

The future of the crude, worth well over $1 billion at current prices, has become even more unclear after Washington last week increased its pressure on Iran, saying it would end all sanction exemptions at the start of May.

"No responsible Chinese company with any international exposure will have anything to do with Iran oil unless they are specifically told by the Chinese government to do so," said Tilak Doshi of oil and gas consultancy Muse, Stancil & Co in Singapore.

Iran previously stored oil in 2014 at Dalian during the last round of sanctions that was later sold to buyers in South Korea and India. https://reut.rs/2yo9Se6

China last week formally complained to the United States over the unilateral Iran sanctions, but U.S. officials have said Washington is not considering a further short-term waiver or a wind-down period.

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The 20 million barrels is equal to about a month's worth of China's imports from Iran over the past six months, or about two days of the country's total imports.

Iran says it will continue to export oil in defiance of U.S. sanctions.

A senior official with the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: "We will continue to sell our oil."

"Iran is now desperate and will deal with anyone with steep discounts as long as they get paid somehow," said Doshi.

SOME OIL TAKEN

Some Iranian oil sent to Dalian has moved, according to a ship tracking analyst at Refinitiv.

Dan, a supertanker owned by NITC moved 2 million barrels of oil from Dalian more than 1,000 km (620 miles) to the south to the Ningbo Shi Hua crude oil terminal in March, according to Refinitiv data.

Ningbo is home to Sinopec's Zhenhai refinery, one of the country's largest oil plants with a capacity of 500,000 barrels a day and a top processor of Iranian oil.

Sinopec declined to comment.

The Iranian tanker was chartered by state-run Chinese trader Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, according to Refinitiv analyst Emma Li. The NITC official confirmed the oil was taken by Zhuhai Zhenrong.

Zhenrong was started in the 1990s and brokered the first oil supply deals between Iran and China. At that time, Iran was supplying oil to China to pay for arms supplied by Beijing during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Zhuhai Zhenrong still specializes mainly in buying Iranian oil.(https://reut.rs/2IHlvEx)

An official at the general manager's office with Zhuhai Zhenrong's office in Beijing said he could not immediately comment. The company did not reply to a fax seeking comment.

For now, more Iranian oil is heading to China, with the supertankers Stream and Dream II due to arrive in eastern China from Iran on May 5 and May 7, respectively, Refinitiv data showed.

Some of this crude may be from Chinese investments into Iranian oilfields, a sanctions grey area.

Whether China will keep buying oil from Iran remains unclear, but analysts at Fitch Solutions said in a note "there may be scope for imports via barter or non-compliance from ... China."

Muse, Stancil & Co's Doshi said the only way to get the Iranian oil out of Dalian now was by cheating.

"Only rogue parties might try to cheat the system and try to pass the Iranian oil at Dalian as something else via fraudulent docs. But I doubt this is easy or can amount to much in terms of volume."

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Florence Tan in Singapore; additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai and Min Zhang in Beijing; Editing by Henning Gloystein and Richard Pullin)
(Repeats item carried late on Monday)

* Lam fears wave of emigrations from Hong Kong when laws enacted

* Tensions brewing as protesters plan to "escalate" actions

* Hong Kong leader won't back down on laws

* Taiwan authorities say Lam may seek lawful employment on island

By James Pomfret

TAIPEI, April 29 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong bookseller who was detained by China is seeking refuge in Taiwan, saying his home city will no longer be safe when new laws are enacted allowing extradition to China, which could drive even more emigrations from the financial hub.

Lam Wing-kee, 63, worked at a bookshop owned by a publishing company that printed books critical of China's leaders and their private lives. He found himself at the center of a political storm in 2015 when he and five other Hong Kong booksellers were detained by Chinese agents.

After being held in China, he was allowed to return to Hong Kong on bail for a brief visit, but stayed and lived there as a fugitive protected by Hong Kong's lack of an extradition law. Last week he left for Taiwan.

"There's a 99 percent chance that they would catch me and send me back to China. They (Chinese authorities) have already explicitly said that I'm a fugitive," he told Reuters in a basement bookshop in Taipei.

His decision to flee comes three months before the controversial laws are expected to be passed by Hong Kong's legislature that would allow individuals, including foreigners, to be sent to a number of countries including China for trial.

The law is seen as a test of the autonomy of Hong Kong, which is ruled by China but has inherited a separate legal system from British colonial rule.

Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam says extradition laws are necessary to prevent Hong Kong from becoming a haven for fugitive criminals. She has repeatedly cited the case of a Hong Kong man suspected of killing his girlfriend in Taiwan last year, who has been tried in Hong Kong for money laundering but cannot be sent off to face trial for murder.

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"We have to ask ourselves whether we will continue to tolerate this loophole in our system...we will be making Hong Kong a haven for all these offenders of serious crime," she has said. Hong Kong officials have made repeated assurances that no one will be extradited for political crimes, and that Hong Kong courts must approve every extradition request.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang re-iterated the extradition law is a necessary step for legal cooperation with Hong Kong, and would ensure the city doesn't become a haven for criminals.

But many Hong Kong activists say the aim of the change is to tighten China's grip on Hong Kong, in violation of promises made when it was handed over from Britain in 1997.

On Sunday, more than 100,000 people marched against the bill -- the city's biggest street demonstration in several years .

The bookseller said his "heart is in pain" at having to leave his home city. He said he was now striving to find a job, while raising funds with a Taiwanese partner to open up an independent bookstore there.

The government push on extradition rules comes as critics say freedoms have been corroded further by China's Communist leaders in Hong Kong. A British editor was expelled, democratic activists jailed and barred from contesting local elections, and opposition lawmakers disqualified from public office.

"Hong Kong isn't just changing into a city of sadness, it is becoming a tragic city," said the silver-haired bookseller. "If the new laws are enacted, you will see a wave of emigrations, or refugees from Hong Kong."

ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS

His incarceration was part of a coordinated operation by China's security apparatus that led to five booksellers disappearing from locations in China, Hong Kong and Thailand in late 2015, and later showing up in Chinese detention where they were forced to make confessions on public television.

The case generated huge controversy, and undermined public confidence in China's commitment to preserving Hong Kong's freedoms under a so-called "one country, two systems" arrangement guaranteeing it a high degree of autonomy.

Since returning to Hong Kong, he laid low, taking precautions in case Chinese agents target him again, but also speaking out for democracy and fundamental rights.

"My dream is to have a free life now here in Taiwan," said Lam who wore a brown cardigan and a cap with the United Nations logo knitted onto it.

"There's no way I can remain in Hong Kong. But later, I will use my methods to retaliate against them (China), to undertake resistance. I hope to use a bookshop to struggle against them.

"We can help people know what's going on in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China ... A lot of other people can protest, demonstrate, write essays to resist China's oppression. We will use a bookshop. The means is different but the goal is the same."

Taiwan authorities acknowledged Lam's case, and said that he could, like all others, seek legal employment which would entitle him to a residency period of 1-3 years.

"Taiwan is a society that protects human rights and stresses the rule of law. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure the personal safety of all visitors to Taiwan," a representative of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council wrote to Reuters. (Reporting by James Pomfret in Taipei, additional reporting by Jessie Pang, Greg Torode and Donny Kwok in Hong Kong, Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Greg Torode and Peter Graff)
Agentis, a Moroccan company with proven expertise in the field of health infrastructure and Medical equipment manufacturing, has won a $97 million contract in Cote DIvoire to build two regional hospitals.

The contract signed last weekend in the West African nation concerns the construction and equipment of two Regional Hospitals in the cities of Aboisso and Adzope for an estimated total cost of $97 million.

According to Ivorian Minister of Animal and Fisheries Resources, the facilities are expected to be commissioned in 16 months.

The Director General of Agentis, Adil Mesfioui, welcomed this new example of South-South cooperation, and expressed satisfaction for the deployment of Moroccan expertise in Cote dIvoire.

In addition to the two regional hospitals, Agentis will also build specialty centers in some existing hospitals.

A medical imaging center is expected to be built at Abengourou, an emergency service in the hospitals of Daoukro and Seguela, and a trauma department in Toumodi.

Agentis will also build a laboratory, a theater, an emergency facility, and a maternity and pediatric dispensary in the city of Bouna.

Cooperation between Morocco and Cote dIvoire business communities mirrors an exemplary model of South-South cooperation and Moroccan companies are strongly present in the West African nation where the kingdom is the leading African country in term of investments.

In 2017, fourteen public-private and private-private economic partnership agreements were signed in the presence of King Mohammed VI and Ivorian President Alassane Dramane Ouattara.
THANNAMUNAI, Sri Lanka (AP)  The checkpoints started just outside of an east Sri Lanka village, the strictest seen in the days after Islamic State-aligned militants launched suicide attacks that killed over 250 people.

The trucks stopped first, soldiers digging through crates and produce. Buses disgorged their passengers. Cars lined up single file so soldiers could open their hoods to inspect engine blocks and pull everything out of trunks.

The reason became clear soon after, as the sound of hymns filled the air of Thannamunai.

The small village in eastern Sri Lanka held likely the first Mass since Catholic leaders closed all their churches for fear of further attacks. Under incredibly tight security, worshippers watched a priest be ordained as they hoped for a future when Mass wouldn't require hundreds of troops armed with assault rifles to defend it.

"People wanted to celebrate Mass, they wanted to participate in this, but they  even myself  were afraid," Father Norton Johnson told Associated Press journalists who witnessed the Mass. "However, security personnel gave us good protection."

The Mass in Thannamunai, about 225 kilometers (140 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, had been planned at least two weeks earlier to mark the ordination with the participation of some 200 priests. They had expected thousands to attend the ceremony at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

Then came Easter. The morning of April 21, suicide bombers attacked three churches and three hotels. Soon after, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo warned against attending services at any place of worship in the multiethnic nation of 21 million Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims.

Catholic leaders closed all their churches. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, celebrated Mass this past Sunday at his residence, with the country's leaders attending. The faithful prayed on their knees at home, watching his homily on television.

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Ranjith said Tuesday that parishioners would form "vigilance committees" to check IDs at church doors and keep anyone with a bag from entering when some Masses resume this weekend.

But the invitations for the ordination in Thannamunai already had been sent out. After confirming with the military, Johnson and other Catholic leaders agreed to quietly hold the Mass for the community. Johnson said he believed it to be the first Mass held in the country, outside of small gatherings for prayers quietly held at believers' homes.

What had been expected to be a crowd of 3,000 turned into several hundred. The 200 priests expected instead became 80. But still they came Tuesday morning, the priests laying their hands on the new priest's forehead as he knelt before them.

Security personnel remained tense, in part because Thannamunai is wedged between Muslim neighborhoods and authorities believe militants remain at large. The alleged mastermind of the Easter bombings also preached a violent interpretation of the Quran nearby, promising heaven to those who killed nonbelievers. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who hasn't been seen in nearly five years, appeared in a video Monday and praised the Sri Lankan attackers, who earlier pledged their loyalty to him.

During the service Tuesday, a Muslim woman rode past sitting side-saddle on a small motorbike, her black abaya billowing in the wind. Johnson made a point to say that those behind the Easter attacks were "only a few terrorists."

"In every religion, every race, there are extremists. They do certain things. But we can't blame one community for these problems," the priest said. "The Muslim community, they are afraid, and they are sorry about this incident. And what I can say is we are with them."

Police officers arranged separate lines for men and women outside of St. Joseph's. The officers carefully patted down those entering the service. Around 300 soldiers, 60 police officers and special commandos stood guard, some behind the church looking at the blue still waters of a nearby lagoon.

"It's a very risky thing," said one army officer, smiling.

But inside, worshippers prayed with their eyes closed, some barefoot. A choir sang hymns backed by a synthesizer and drums, their Tamil verses peppered with hosannas, an exclamation to give praise to God. Orange streamers hung from the rafters. Bouquets of flowers ringed its chandeliers.

St. Joseph's earlier was near the front lines of the government's decades-long civil war against the Tamil Tigers. Mortars once struck the church, damaging it, Johnson recounted. But it was rebuilt, as he hoped peace would soon be across all of Sri Lanka.

"We are all the same," he said before walking back into the church. "All of our blood is red."

___

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP
MOSCOW, April 30 (Reuters) - Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday accused the opposition in Venezuela of resorting to violence in what it said was a brazen attempt to draw the country's armed forces into clashes.

The ministry made the allegation after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a military uprising to oust President Nicolas Maduro and armed factions exchanged gunfire outside a Caracas air base as the country hit a new crisis point after years of political and economic chaos.

"The radical opposition in Venezuela has once again returned to violent methods of confrontation," the ministry said. "Instead of peacefully settling political differences, they have taken a course designed to whip up conflict, and provoke breaches of public order and clashes involving the armed forces." (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin Editing by Andrew Osborn)
By Olga Yagova, Gleb Gorodyankin and Dmitry Zhdannikov

MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) - It was a quiet Easter holiday at the offices of major European oil companies and refiners when an email in Russian landed. "What the hell does it say?" one manager recalled thinking as he sent it to his Moscow office for translation.

He was in for a shock.

The letter was from the state pipeline company in Belarus, Gomeltransneft, telling oil refiners and pipeline operators in Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic that the crude heading toward them from Russia down the 5,500 km (3,400 mile) Druzhba pipeline network was heavily contaminated.

"We ask you to immediately take all measures to avoid potential losses and other negative consequences," said the Gomeltransneft letter dated April 19 and seen by Reuters.

For the next 10 days, refiners and oil firms in Europe cut purchases of Russian oil by up to a million barrels a day - or 10 percent of European oil imports - in a major disruption to supply from the world's second largest oil exporter.

The disruption sent oil to a six-month high above $75 a barrel, tarnished Russia's reputation as an exporter at a time of rising competition with U.S. oil sales and triggered a Russian probe into whether the pipeline had been sabotaged.

As the crisis entered its 11th day on Tuesday, oil buyers had yet to hear directly from Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft, the owner of the network that exported the tainted oil, 10 sources at Western oil firms and trading houses said.

"I have to rely on gossip and rumor to get an idea when clean oil will resume flowing," said a trading manager at a Western oil company which had to suspend purchases of Russian oil in Germany, which is connected to Druzhba via Poland.

Transneft, the world's largest pipeline company run by Nikolai Tokarev, declined to comment.

Transneft moves about 10 million barrels of oil a day in Russia and exports more than 4 million barrels a day.

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Managers at all large Russian oil producers also said their attempts to get information from Transneft had failed and it remained a mystery as to how the oil had been contaminated or who was to blame.

For Russian oil pipeline map, see: https://tmsnrt.rs/2DytnnM

'HUGE PROBLEM'

Oil contamination is not unique to Russia - European and Asian buyers of U.S. oil have rejected a number of cargoes from Texas over the past year citing poor quality - but the scale and severity of the problem is rare, industry sources said.

Before the incident, Transneft, which operates 68,000 km of pipelines - enough to go almost twice round the world - was considered very reliable.

"It poses a huge problem for European refineries dependent on Russian pipeline flows," said Amrita Sen at the think-tank Energy Aspects. "While this looks like a one-off, it does raise the question of the need to look for alternative suppliers as a back-up."

The oil was contaminated with organic chlorides, compounds used in the industry to boost extraction from oilfields by cleaning oil wells and accelerating the flow of crude.

The compounds must be removed before oil enters pipelines as they can destroy refining equipment or, at high temperatures, create the poisonous gas chlorine.

Tests by Belarus on oil from Druzhba showed organic chloride levels of 150-330 parts per million (ppm) between April 19 and 22, according to Gomeltransneft documents seen by Reuters, well above the maximum 10 ppm allowed by Transneft.

The state oil company in Belarus said on Tuesday it was not expecting to get clean oil before May 4 and said it might take months to resume normal operations.

CLEAN-UP COSTS

Contaminated oil has been found in Belarus, Poland, Germany, Ukraine and the Baltic port of Ust Luga, all of which are served by the Druzhba network, said multiple sources involved in trading Russian oil said.

"This oil is not sellable. You cannot just dump the price and sell it at a discount. No one wants this oil," a second source at a Western oil company said.

Buyers who have received contaminated oil now need to store it somewhere and dilute it with cleaner crude to lower chloride levels, an operation that could costs millions of dollars for each large crude tanker, according to oil trading sources.

The oil at the Ust Luga port, for example, could gradually be loaded onto ships mixed with better quality crude but solutions are less obvious for oil still in the pipeline.

Germany and Poland would need to reverse the flow and pump the crude back to Russia, or ports in Poland, as the refineries in those countries lack sufficient storage tanks to keep it until it can be diluted.

"This will take months and Russian exports and even production may have to fall," said Sen at Energy Aspects, adding that European countries might have to tap strategic oil stocks if the outage lasts longer.

'IN PARALYSIS'

Taken by surprise and left in the dark by a lack of communication from Transneft about how long the crisis will take to resolve, Western buyers of Russian oil have started looking at ways to shield themselves from further losses.

Last week, the world's biggest oil trader, Vitol, refused to take a cargo from Ust Luga saying it was contaminated, forcing the port to shut down for 24 hours, according to several sources at Western oil companies and trading houses.

Vitol and Transneft, which owns the port, declined to comment.

Ust Luga reopened for crude loading on April 26 but as of April 29, the levels of chloride were still at about 80 ppm, according to two industry sources.

"Even though Russia says it has resumed shipments of clean oil, we are still very much in paralysis as the quality is bad," said a major Western buyer of Russian oil.

Belarus has given a preliminary estimate of its losses from contaminated oil at $100 million, according to Gomeltransneft.

At least 10 tankers with a combined 1 million tonnes of contaminated oil - worth more than $500 million at current prices - have already sailed from Ust Luga, according to a dozen traders.

The buyers of the shipments - Total, Vitol, Glencore and Trafigura among others - will now have to store the oil somewhere in Europe and gradually dilute it, according to trading sources.

Total, Vitol, Glencore and Trafigura declined to comment.

SABOTAGE?

For now, there is no explanation as to how the oil was tainted. The scale of the contamination suggests corrupted crude could have been pumped into the pipeline for days, if not weeks.

Belarus said on Tuesday that the volume of contaminated crude could be as high as 5 million tonnes - equivalent to a month's exports via Druzhba of about 1.2 million barrels a day and worth $2.7 billion at current prices.

In a news briefing on Friday, Igor Dyomin, an aide to Transneft's Tokarev, told Russian media "the contamination was intentional".

The pollution was detected at the private Samara Transneft-terminal, where oil is pumped into the Transneft network by several small producers, Dyomin was quoted as saying.

He did not name the producers and said investigators were searching several private companies in the Samara region.

Anton Tomilov, first deputy director at the Samara Transneft-terminal, said his company had sold the crude oil loading terminal in 2017 and he didn't know who owned it now.

Reuters was unable to identify the current owner.

Tokarev told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the oil had been contaminated deliberately by a private company. Putin said the crisis had caused very serious economic, material and reputational damage.

"This company ... has deliberately injected oil that was not properly prepared," said Tokarev, adding that the unnamed company accumulated oil from small producers in the Ulyanovsk, Orenburg and Samara regions of Russia.

Putin said on Saturday that law enforcement agencies could step in if Transneft's internal investigation failed to provide enough answers.

(Additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin, Alexander Ershov, Luydmila Zaramenskikh, Alla Afanasyeva, Katya Golubkova; Olesya Astakhova and Maxim Nazarov in Moscow; editing by David Clarke)
Vannes (France) (AFP) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny told a French judge Tuesday he sought "real and fair justice" with a lawsuit against a French cosmetics firm linked to his 2014 fraud conviction in Russia.

Navalny and his brother Oleg were found guilty of fraud and money laundering via their transport and logistics firm which was working with Yves Rocher, one of the first foreign cosmetics brands to enter Russia in 1991, after the Soviet Union's demise.

Navalny was given a suspended sentence, but his brother was jailed for three-and-a-half years in what critics said was a politically-motivated case influenced by the government of Vladimir Putin.

Oleg Navalny was released last June.

In late 2014, Yves Rocher eventually acknowledged it had sustained "no damage".

In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights denounced the Russian court for a ruling which was "arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable", ordering that the brothers be paid 83,000 euros ($93,000) in damages and costs.

The pair filed their lawsuit last year in Vannes, nor far from Yves Rocher's headquarters, and a judge was appointed to the case in February.

"We do believe that we will find here a real and fair justice which unfortunately we cannot find in Russia," Navalny said on Tuesday, speaking in English.

Navalny, who has long been one of Putin's most outspoken critics, has served repeated short jail sentences in connection with his political activities.
MOSCOW (AP)  A court in Moscow on Tuesday sentenced a Russian man to 2 1/2 years in prison for vandalizing a famous painting by the renowned Russian artist Ilya Repin.

The court found Igor Podporin guilty of damaging the painting, which depicts Russian czar Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son after striking him in a fit of rage.

Podporin attacked the iconic "Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on November 16, 1581" with a metal stanchion at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow in May last year. He claimed that he damaged one of the gallery's most famous exhibits because he thinks it's historically inaccurate.

Repin's 1885 canvas suffered several holes through it, but the faces of the czar and his son were undamaged. The restoration work is expected to take several more months.

The attack, which raised concerns about security at one of the most famed galleries in Moscow, echoed an attack by an unstable man on the same canvas more than a century ago.

Back when it was first unveiled, Repin's painting triggered a storm of criticism for its macabre portrayal of one of the darkest episodes of Russian history. It became the first painting in the Russian empire in 1885 to be officially banned from being displayed. It was allowed back into the gallery several months later.

In 1913, a mentally unstable man attacked the painting with a knife. The then-curator of the Tretyakov Gallery was so distressed by the vandalism that he threw himself a under a train.
KIGALI, April 30 (Reuters) - Rwanda has detained a rebel leader from a group responsible for deadly attacks and the government has accused him of being complicit in committing terrorist acts, foreign affairs minister Richard Sezibera said on Tuesday.

The Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) arrested Callixte Nsabimana, popularly known as Sankara and a spokesman for the National Liberation Front (FLN), which is the militant arm of political party the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD). The FLN has said that it was attacking Rwanda to oust long-serving president Paul Kagame.

In December, the FLN claimed responsibility for an attack on passenger buses in Nyungwe forest near the country's border with Burundi. The incident led to the deaths of two people and eight others were injured, according to the Rwandan government, which blamed an unknown group for the attack.

"He has been arrested and brought back here," Sezibera told reporters in Kigali.

"The so-called Major Sankara Callixte Nsabimana, who had been claiming fatal attacks in Nyungwe and elsewhere, who has been saying on radio stations that he was planning other attacks, we will not tolerate that," he added.

Sezibera did not give details of where and when Sankara was arrested.

The RIB said Sankara is accused of forming an armed group, complicity in committing terrorist acts, conspiracy and incitement to commit terrorist acts, taking persons hostage, murder and looting.

It said Sankara's case file is being processed and will be submitted to the National Public Prosecution Authority in accordance with Rwandan criminal procedure law. (Reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana; Editing by Omar Mohammed and Ed Osmond)
San Diego-based analytics company LeadCrunch has secured $11 million in Series B funding, according to company database Crunchbase, topping the citys recent funding headlines. The cash infusion was announced on April 12 and financed by Bow Capital.

According to its Crunchbase profile, "LeadCrunch unifies high-quality data sources in an artificial intelligence-powered platform that can help you discover your customers key attributes. LeadCrunch's platform then generates a lookalike audience based on these attributes. This allows LeadCrunch to run intelligent demand gen campaigns targeting this audience with measurable content engagement that is human verified."

The six-year-old company has raised five previous funding rounds, including a $4.1 million Series A round in 2018.

The data analytics industry has produced 13 funding rounds over the past year, capturing a total of $245 million in venture funding.

In other local funding news, big data company Perspectium announced a $8 million Series B funding round on April 23, financed by TVC Capital.

According to Crunchbase, "Perspectium offers comprehensive systems and application integration solutions to the enterprise. They solve data integration, monitoring and replication problems with the lowest impact and highest data throughput  all the while retaining control of the data with the data owner. Architected from the ground up with high availability and throughput in mind, Perspectium solutions power the most intricate integrations of some of the worlds largest enterprises."

The company also raised a $8 million Series A round in 2017.

This story was created automatically using local investment data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
The Libyan crisis has been at the focus of talks Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte held on Tuesday in Tunis with President Beji caid Essebssi as well as with his Tunisian peer Youssef Chahed.

Giuseppe Conte, who is in Tunisia to take part in the 1st session of the Tunisian-Italian Higher Council of Strategic Partnership, voiced profound concern at the open military conflict in Libya.

Conte reiterated, in a statement to the media alongside the Tunisian Premier, that there is no room for a military solution: a political process is needed in Libya, reported the Italian news agency ANSA.

Commander of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar launched early April a military campaign to seize Tripoli from the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) arguing th0at the Libyan capital is in the hands of terrorist groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

However, Haftars forces have met a strong resistance from the GNA-affiliated militia groups. The fighting, which focuses on the Southern part of the capital, caused the death of over 260 people according to UN figures, while Thousands of people have been displaced.

During his talks with the Tunisian President, Giuseppe underlined the need to stop fighting in Libya and to prioritize dialogue and the diplomatic channels to settle the crisis.

Dialogue is the only means to avoid the escalation and guarantee the unity and stability in Libya, he was quoted by Tunisian news agency TAP as saying.

President Essebssi on his part said that Tunisia is following with great concern the latest developments in Libya, given their direct fall-out on the stability and security of the country and the whole region.

Tunisia supports any initiatives aimed to put an end to fighting, he affirmed, urging the Libyan protagonists to resume dialogue under the United Nations auspices as soon as possible.

During these talks, the Italian Premier commended the steps made by Tunisia on the path of democratic transition, in spite of the numerous difficulties, saying that this democracy is a factor of stability and balance in the Mediterranean space.

He indicated that Italy supports Tunisia in its development efforts and in the fight against irregular immigration, terrorism and extremism, said TAP.
DUBAI, April 30 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia advised its nationals to leave Sri Lanka, Al Ekhbariya state TV said on Tuesday, citing the kingdom's embassy in Colombo.

"Due to the current security situation in the Republic of Sri Lanka, the embassy advises citizens in Sri Lanka to leave," the embassy said in a tweet.

The advice follows suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches that killed more than 250 people, including 42 foreign nationals, on April 21. (Reporting by Tuqa Khalid, Editing by William Maclean)
EDINBURGH, April 30 (Reuters) - Glasgow airport briefly suspended all flights on Tuesday after a report of a security alert on an inbound easyJet flight from London Gatwick.

"There were reports of a security alert on an inbound easyJet flight from Gatwick," said a spokesman for Glasgow airport. "The aircraft landed safely and without incident and was met by emergency services."

"Operations were temporarily suspended. The incident was stood down and we are now operational." (Reporting by Elisabeth O'Leary; writing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Now that the weather is finally warming up, it's a good weekend to get outside and look for shooting stars. The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, often the best shower of the spring, will be at its peak Sunday morning.

For the prime view, get up early or stay up late, since the "Eta Aquarids are best visible in the hours before dawn," according to Elizabeth Howell of Space.com.

The shower is of medium brightness, and the darker your skies, the more you'll see, NASA's Bill Cooke told Space.com.

There's good news on the dark sky front: The new moon on Saturday will provide inky black skies for viewing, EarthSky.org said. "The moon will not interfere with the peak this year," Cooke said.

Astronomy magazine said an observer at a dark site can expect to see up to 20 meteors per hour  an average of one every three minutes

If you don't have a chance to look up at the sky Sunday morning, there's a good chance for meteors during the predawn hours of Saturday and Monday, too, Earthsky.org reported.

Eta Aquarid meteors, also known as the Aquarids, are known for their speed, according to NASA. These meteors are fast  traveling at about 148,000 mph into Earth's atmosphere.

Meteors shooting across the sky at such speeds can leave glowing "trains" (bits of debris in the wake of the meteor) that last for several seconds to minutes.

So you're a skywatching newbie: What should you do to see the spectacle?

"Give yourself at least an hour of viewing time for watching any meteor shower," said Bruce McClure of EarthSky.org. "Meteors tend to come in spurts that are interspersed by lulls. Also, it can take as long as 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark.

"You need no special equipment to watch a meteor shower, but a little luck always helps."

The name of the Eta Aquarid meteors comes from tracing their paths backward. They seem to radiate from the constellation Aquarius, according to EarthSky. In particular, they come from the faint star Eta Aquarii; the meteor shower is named in honor of this star.

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The Eta Aquarids are one of Earth's two meteor showers that come from the debris trail of the famed Halley's Comet. The other is the Orionid meteor shower, which occurs each October.

The meteors are pieces of dust and ice from the comet.

Weatherwise, the best viewing conditions are expected across the Pacific Northwest into the southern Plains, where cloud-free conditions will bring uninterrupted views of the meteor showers, AccuWeather said.

Unfortunately, folks in the East probably wont be able to see this years Eta Aquarids because of a far-reaching storm spreading clouds and rain across the region.

Clouds and spotty showers may hinder stargazers across the northern Plains and California, according to AccuWeather.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shoot for the stars this weekend: Spring's best meteor shower will peak with the Eta Aquarids
Showers are supposed to keep people clean, but your shower head may not be on board with that.

Inside Edition recently tested 11 different shower heads for germs and discovered many are hotbeds for bacteria and fungi.

Virginia Tech University microbiologist Joseph Falkingham, who oversaw the testing, was surprised by the results, saying the findings worry me.

The key offender? A type of bacteria called mycobacteria associated with lung infections, as well as fatigue, fever and night sweats.

If youre worried your own shower head could make you sick, Falkingham suggests soaking it in bleach for 30 minutes once a month and thoroughly rinsing it off.

If you do that once a month, the mycobacteria are very low, Falkingham told Inside Edition.

The risk may actually be low, since this type of bacteria is present in all kinds of common water sources and most of us dont get sick. Those who do tend to be middle-aged and have other preexisting conditions like lung disease, esophageal disorders and weakened immune systems.
Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - German industrial conglomerate Siemens cleared a hurdle Tuesday in its race with US-based General Electric to rebuild Iraq's electricity grid, signing a "roadmap" at a Berlin meeting with top ministers.

Chief executive Joe Kaeser and Iraq's electricity minister Luay al-Khateeb "signed an implementation agreement to kick off the actual execution of the roadmap" agreed last year, the Munich-based group said in a statement.

Under Tuesday's deal, Siemens secured contracts worth 700 million euros ($785 million) to build one power plant, upgrade 40 gas turbines and install substations and transformers "across Iraq".

Speaking to journalists after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said the roadmap included around $14 billion of contracts in total that was "subject to competition" although "Siemens has big chances to secure a large share".

Both Siemens and General Electric signed memorandums of understanding with the Iraqi government last year on rebuilding and repairing electricity infrastructure.

Baghdad is under pressure -- at home and abroad -- to rebuild its energy grid.

Protests over chronic power cuts regularly take place in Iraq, which suffers from under capacity and infrastructure weakened by age and terrorist attacks in recent years by the Islamic State group.

Summer especially is a peak time for electricity usage as air condition units inside buildings battle near-unbearable outside temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).

Meanwhile, the US has urged Iraq's government to wean itself off the gas and electricity imports from neighbouring Iran that it regularly uses to plug the gaps.

Tehran has been under American sanctions since US President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 deal that eased the economic squeeze in exchange for Iran freezing its nuclear programme.
The UN Security Council decided on April 30 to extend the MINURSO mandate for six months, while it once again recognized the credibility of the Morocco-proposed autonomy initiative to settle the Sahara conflict.

The Security Council decides to extend the mandate of the MINURSO until 31 October 2019, reads the text of resolution 2468.

The resolution, draft by the United States, was approved by 13 votes. Two countries abstained, namely Russia and South Africa.

The UN executive body has enshrined, once again, the credibility and pre-eminence of the autonomy initiative, presented by Morocco in April 2007, and commended he serious and credible efforts made by Morocco to move forward the settlement process.

The resolution underlines, once again, that Algeria is a main party to the process seeking to find a realistic, practical and lasting political solution to the Sahara issue.

The text also calls for showing political will and working in an atmosphere conducive to dialogue with the aim of advancing talks, and thus ensuring the implementation of Security Council resolutions since 2007 as well as the success of negotiations.

The Security Council acknowledges, in this regard, that a political solution to this long-standing dispute and the strengthening of cooperation amongst Arab Maghreb Union member states would contribute to stability and security, which will boost the creation of jobs, growth and opportunities for all the peoples of the Sahel region.

The resolution insists on the need for realism and a spirit of compromise to move forward in the negotiations.

The UN Security Council also voiced concern over violations by the Polisario of military agreements in the Sahara and urged the separatist movement to respect fully the related commitments it made to the UNSG personal envoy Horst Kohler.

The UNSC resolution reaffirmed the need to respect fully the military agreements concluded by the MINURSO on the ceasefire and called on the parties to adhere to these agreements, honor their commitments to the personal envoy and refrain from any action that would jeopardize the UN-brokered talks or further destabilize the situation in the Sahara.

In resolution 2440, adopted last October, the Security Council had urged the polisario to halt all activities in Bir Lahlou, Tifariti, and the buffer zone in Guergarate and had, unequivocally, pressed the polisario to stop moving some of its so-called administrative facilities to this zone.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Siemens is well placed to win the bulk of orders flowing from a $14 billion scheme to rebuild Iraq's electricity infrastructure following years of war, the country's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said in Berlin on Tuesday.

The announcement, at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is a blow to arch-rival GE, which has also been in the running to upgrade the country's power grid

The U.S. company later said it expected to win other projects in the country and said it was in talks with Baghdad on electricity projects.

"We expect to deliver a number of other key power projects, including 750MW of additional power by the end of the year," GE said in a statement.

Abdul-Mahdi, speaking after bilateral talks between the two leaders, said Siemens had a good chance of being awarded a majority of contracts generated by the project.

Siemens said it had already signed three contracts worth a total of $700 million - one to build a 500 MW gas-fired power plant, one to upgrade 40 gas turbines and another to install dozens of substations and transformers across Iraq.

Last year, Iraqi officials said they had come under heavy pressure from the U.S. government to choose GE over the German company.

As part of the deal, Siemens has committed to building a health clinic, donating $60 million dollars of software to Iraq's universities, and providing training to 1,000 Iraqis.

Over the longer term, the roadmap signed between Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser and Electricity Minister Luay al-Khateeb, envisages building new generation capacity, upgrading existing power plants and expanding transmission grids.

"We are also committed to supporting Iraq in arranging financing for the projects, creating attractive jobs and opportunities for small and medium enterprises," Kaeser said in the company's statement.

Iraq was engulfed in the overspill from Syria's civil war in 2014, when Islamic State militants grabbed large swathes of the country.

Since the militant group's loss of its last piece of territory in March, Iraq has become a target of Western and Gulf investment and aid interest, as Riyadh and Washington seek to counter Iran's growing influence in the country.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Michelle Martin. Additional reporting by Alexander Hueber. Writing by Thomas Escritt. Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Jane Merriman)
As first reported by TechCrunch, Daimler announced that its compact all-electric car brand Smart will be pulled from the US and Canada after the 2019 model year, following poor sales.

Yesterday, TechCrunch reported Daimler's plans to discontinue Smart in North America, as it prepares instead to launch the brand in China. The 2019 model year will be the final model to be available in the US and Canada.

"A number of factors, including a declining micro-car market in the U.S. and Canada, combined with high homologation costs for a low volume model are central to this decision," said a Daimler spokesperson.

In Januray, February, and March of this year, the company was unable to sell even 100 units from the brand in the US. During all of last year, monthly sales rested around 100. Since the brand's US launch in 2008, sales have been steadily decreasing, and Canada has seen a similar trend.

Recently, Daimler announced that it is forming a joint venture between Smart and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, a Chinese auto company -- the owner of Volvo -- that will help build Smart into an all-electric brand based in China, to launch globally in 2022.

Though Smart will be pulled from the North American market, Daimler will continue to produce electric models for the US and Canada through Mercedes-Benz.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - South Africa on Tuesday chastised the UN Security Council after it adopted a resolution on Western Sahara that it said was unbalanced and ignored African concerns.

The US-drafted resolution extending the observer mission in Western Sahara was adopted by a vote of 13 in favor in the 15-member council. South Africa abstained along with Russia.

South African Ambassador Jerry Matjila told the council his government had considered opposing the measure that renewed the MINURSO mission until October 31 and called for negotiations on ending the conflict to resume.

"The current text as it stands is not balanced," said Matjila.

He appealed for support for Western Sahara's people, drawing a parallel with his own country for which international solidarity "brought down the repressive system of apartheid".

South Africa is a supporter of the Polisario Front, the movement seeking a referendum on independence from Morocco for the north African territory.

The African Union recognizes the self-declared Sahrawi Arab republic, which claims authority over Western Sahara, but Morocco is also an AU member.

South Africa complained that only a handful of European countries and the United States had been involved in the first stages of the drafting of the text and that human rights concerns were not addressed.

"This is again an example of an African issue being decided by those that are not from the continent," said Matjila. Russia also said it considered the resolution unbalanced.

- Two rounds of talks -

The resolution calls on parties to resume negotiations to achieve a "just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara."

It comes after the United Nations held two rounds of exploratory talks between Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania on ending the decades-old conflict.

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The meetings in Switzerland in December and in March marked the first time in six years that the sides sat down at the negotiating table, but little concrete progress was achieved.

UN envoy Horst Koehler is planning to convene a third round of talks, but no date has been set.

The United States hopes an extension of the 500-member MINURSO mission for six months instead of a year will put pressure on the sides to make progress toward a political solution.

The resolution was adopted just weeks after the resignation of long-serving Algerian leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika, whose ruling party has supported the Polisario in their call for independence.

The United States dispatched Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale to Morocco, France and Belgium earlier this month for talks on the way forward.

The Polisario fought a war with Morocco from 1975 to 1991, when a ceasefire deal was agreed and MINURSO was deployed to monitor the truce in the former Spanish colony.

The mission was to prepare a referendum on Western Sahara's independence from Morocco, but it never materialized.

Morocco, which annexed the territory after Spain withdrew in 1975, considers Western Sahara an integral part of the kingdom and has offered autonomy, but not an independence referendum.
MADRID (Reuters) - The leader of Ciudadanos, the third-biggest group in parliament after Spain's election, said on Tuesday the party will not form a coalition with the winning Socialists but intends to play a responsible role in opposition. With Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's center-left Socialist Party seeking allies after Sunday's vote that left it short of a parliamentary majority, the center-right Ciudadanos, which won 57 seats in the 350-seat assembly, had already ruled out a partnership. Such a deal would be welcomed by many in business and financial circles. Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera reiterated there would be no coalition, while promising not to block major international or terrorism-related legislation. "On issues of terrorism, on issues of Europe and international politics, on state issues, I am going to play for Spain," he told Telecinco television. Ciudadanos' seat total is up from 32 in the previous legislature and Rivera is jockeying with the conservative People's Party leader Pablo Casado, over who will be leader of the opposition. The PP won 66 seats, less than half what it had before. Speaking after a weekly cabinet meeting, Isabel Celaa, a spokeswoman for the outgoing government, welcomed Rivera's remarks but noted that tensions had been high between the Socialists and Ciudadanos. "If Rivera wishes to be more reasonable, well that's very welcome," Celaa told reporters. The Socialists are pondering options on how to form a government, something that is not likely to be resolved before EU, local and regional elections on May 26. "We, the Socialists, are open to talks with everyone ... to explore any (potential) agreements. We have time" before the local elections, Celaa said. The Socialists increased their seats to 123 from 84 in the previous parliament, meaning that if they joined forces with Ciudadanos they would have enough seats to form a government. But until now both parties have rejected a coalition and relations between Rivera and Sanchez were particularly tense during the campaign. Jose Luis Abalos, a high-ranking Socialist, said on Monday that Rivera had not phoned Sanchez to congratulate him on his victory. Ciudadanos said later that Rivera had congratulated Sanchez publicly in a Sunday evening speech and had sent him a message on Monday. (Reporting by Sabela Ojea; Additional reporting by Belen Carreno; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Andrei Khalip; Editing by Frances Kerry)
(Reuters) - Spanish delivery startup Glovo said on Tuesday it had raised 150 million euros $168.08 million) in equity from institutional investors and venture capital funds to finance its international expansion.

The Barcelona-based firm said it will use the cash to hire engineers and develop its mobile app to attract more shop and restaurant owners.

Tech-focused venture capital fund Lakestar as well as funds Idinvest Partners, Korelya Capital and Drake QSR, which owns Papa John's pizza franchises in Spain, invested in Glovo in this fundraising round, the startup said.

Glovo, which competes with platforms such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo, has focused on Latin America and Europe. The firm booked a 90 million euro-loss on continuing operation in 2018, according to data provided by Delivery Hero, one of its shareholders. ($1 = 0.8925 euros)

(Reporting by Inti Landauro in Paris, Editing by Sarah White)
The UN Security Council has lauded the new momentum given by the two roundtable meetings on the Sahara issue, held in Geneva at the initiative of the UN Secretary Generals personal envoy Horst Kohler, and commended Moroccos serious commitment to the UN political process.

In Resolution 2468, adopted Tuesday by 13 votes and 2 abstentions, the Security Council lauded the new momentum given by the roundtable meetings held on Dec. 5-6, 2018 and March 21-22, 2019, as well as the commitment by Morocco, the polisario, Algeria and Mauritania to engage in the UN political process on the Sahara in a serious and respectful way to identify points of agreement.

The Council also voiced its full support for the efforts underway by the UN Secretary General and his personal envoy to maintain the renewed talks process to reach a solution to the Sahara issue.

The text noted the intention of the Horst Kohler to invite Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario for a new meeting with a format similar to the previous Geneva roundtable meetings.

The Security Council also hailed Moroccos commitment to remain engaged all the way through the process, in a spirit of realism and compromise, to ensure its success.

The Resolution calls on the four protagonists (Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Polisario) to show political will, realism and a spirit of compromise to move forward in the negotiations and thus ensure their success in the frame of the implementation of the Security Council resolutions adopted since 2007.

The Security Council also decided to extend the mandate of the MINURSO until 31 October 2019 and once again underlined the credibility and pre-eminence of the autonomy initiative, presented by Morocco in April 2007, while commending the serious and credible efforts made by the Kingdom to move forward the settlement process.

The resolution, draft by the United States, was approved by 13 votes, while two countries, namely Russia and South Africa, abstained.
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Attractive stocks have exceptional fundamentals. In the case of China Water Affairs Group Limited (HKG:855), there's is a notable dividend payer with a a strong history of performance, trading at a great value. In the following section, I expand a bit more on these key aspects. If you're interested in understanding beyond my broad commentary, read the full report on China Water Affairs Group here.

Good value with proven track record and pays a dividend

Over the past few years, 855 has demonstrated a proven ability to generate robust returns of 4.5% Unsurprisingly, 855 surpassed the industry return of 4.4%, which gives us more confidence of the company's capacity to drive earnings going forward. 855's share price is trading at below its true value, meaning that the market sentiment for the stock is currently bearish. This mispricing gives investors the opportunity to buy into the stock at a cheap price compared to the value they will be receiving, should analysts' consensus forecast growth be correct. Compared to the rest of the market, 855 is also trading below other listed companies on the HK stock exchange, relative to earnings generated. This further reaffirms that 855 is potentially undervalued.

SEHK:855 Income Statement, April 30th 2019

For those seeking income streams from their portfolio, 855 is a robust dividend payer as well. Over the past decade, the company has consistently increased its dividend payout, reaching a yield of 3.3%.

SEHK:855 Historical Dividend Yield, April 30th 2019

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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.
Everyone favors vigilance against terrorism. The question is what sort of vigilance is sensible, and whether keeping U.S. troops involved in unending wars qualifies. The answer is no.

U.S. forces in Syria have achieved all they can against the Islamic State. Without territory, ISIS will struggle to meet, train and organize attacks. Losing its caliphate deprived it of the allure that brought recruits and the professed allegiance of distant jihadists.

No real military mission is left for U.S. troops in Syria. ISIS remnants in Syria are unlikely to gather where U.S. military forces patrol. Their prospects are poor.

Forces in Syria eager to hunt them include the Kurds, the Syrian government, Russians and Iran-backed militias. If that fails and ISIS plots attacks on Americans, U.S. forces  hopefully with congressional authorization this time  can use surveillance, airstrikes and even raids to stop them.

Bombings in ISIS name in places like Sri Lanka does not mean there is an ISIS worth fighting in Syria. No evidence exists that anyone in Syria organized the Sri Lanka bombings. They might have inspired it, but occupations cant stop that. It is closer to the opposite. Occupying a swath of Syria is likely to provoke anti-U.S. animus and some terrorism.

OUR VIEW: Sri Lanka Easter bombings show Trump is wrong on ISIS

A U.S. position near the front line in northern Syria.

The best counterterrorism policy is to encourage local actors to settle wars that draw terrorists, use intelligence to monitor them and strike those that threaten Americans if locals cannot. In Syria, that starts with accepting the regimes victory and letting the Kurds cut a deal that restores the status quo ante.

Syria carries unique escalation risks. U.S. forces could be pulled into war with Syrian government forces, Iran, Russia and even Turkey. Nothing that U.S. forces could accomplish there justifies such risk.

The persistence of terrorist outrages is, if anything, evidence of the futility of making war on it. Attempting to manage civil wars with U.S. troops in the name of counterterrorism is a bankrupt idea.

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Benjamin H. Friedman is policy director at Defense Priorities.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sri Lanka bombings do not mean there's an ISIS worth fighting
Catholic masses in Sri Lanka will resume Sunday under tight security, two weeks after Easter bombings killed 253 people at three churches and three luxury hotels, the country's top cardinal said.

All public services by Sri Lanka's Christian minority were cancelled after the April 21 suicide attacks claimed by the Islamic State group left the island nation reeling and shattered its image as a safe holiday destination.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told AFP on Tuesday the Church was closely monitoring investigations into the atrocities, in which 42 foreigners died, and wanted to be sure of the security situation.

"On the 5th of May we are going to begin (Sunday) Masses," he said.

"But we will start with a smaller number of masses and see if we can slowly increase it depending on how the situation develops."

Last Sunday the cardinal, who is also Archbishop of Colombo, conducted a private memorial mass that was broadcast live on television after cancelling all public services.

The government is maintaining a state of emergency which gives sweeping powers to security forces to arrest and detain suspects, although on Tuesday it lifted a ban on social media platforms.

Access to Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber and YouTube was blocked by the government soon after the attacks in a bid to prevent the spread of what it called inflammatory rumours and fake news that could have provoked more violence.

Security on the ground remained tight meanwhile, with police arresting more than 150 suspects since April 21, with warnings that extremists may launch new attacks.

President Maithripala Sirisena said Friday that the authorities believed there were 140 Islamic State-inspired jihadists in Sri Lanka and the country had security forces to track them down.

On Sunday some churches will have metal detectors and all those attending will be frisked, authorities say. People have been advised not to bring any bags to church and soldiers or armed police will be on guard outside.

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Armed guards and an armoured personnel carrier have also been placed outside Cardinal Ranjith's Colombo residence.

But he said he has returned a bullet-proof limousine provided by the government and instead travelled in an ordinary car.

"I am not afraid. I don't need bullet-proof vehicles to go about. The Lord is my protector," he said. "But, I want security for my people, and for the country."

- 150 suspects -

Police say they have accounted for all six suspects who were declared as most-wanted on a list issued following the attacks.

Two suspects have been killed and the other four are in custody, police said.

The Easter attacks were blamed on the local National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) whose leader was among the suicide bombers.

Sri Lanka's schools remain closed and all political parties have cancelled their May Day rallies planned for Wednesday because of security concerns.

Cardinal Ranjith said Sunday that he feared investigations could end up being a "flop" and Catholics were not confident that perpetrators will be brought to justice given the country's history of impunity.

He has also repeatedly criticised the authorities for failing to share intelligence reports that had warned of an impending jihadist attack against Christians ahead of the assaults, saying he felt "betrayed" by the government.

"If they warned me, I would have cancelled the Easter services," he said Sunday at his privately televised mass.

He said he had concerns about the progress of security operations against jihadists behind the worst single-day attack against civilians in the country's history.

"There should be tougher laws to deal with those responsible for the attacks," the cardinal told AFP on Tuesday.

"We don't know the progress of the investigations. We are told that they have good information from suspects in custody, but I am not sure if they have the capacity to follow up."
(ATLANTA)  Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams says she will not run for a U.S. Senate seat in 2020, dimming her partys hopes of a Senate majority and renewing speculation about her political future after last years unsuccessful run for governor catapulted her to national acclaim.

Abrams, 45, came within 60,000 votes of being the first black woman elected governor in U.S. history. She told The Associated Press she hasnt ruled out a presidential bid, though shes in no rush to join a Democratic field that already includes 20 candidates .

Im going to continue to watch how the national conversation around the presidency unfolds, Abrams said in an interview after she told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, her chief Senate advocate, of her plans. Im not taking myself out of that conversation, but Im not ready to make a determination, and I dont think one is necessary at this moment.

Abrams said she was deeply gratified to Schumer for recruiting her to run for the Senate and giving her ample time to make a decision. A Senate seat, she said, is an extraordinarily persuasive idea and a critical role but not the role that I want to play.

For now, Abrams said her emphasis remains on two advocacy groups  one focused on voting rights, the other on educating residents ahead of the 2020 census  that she helped launch after her November loss to Republican Brian Kemp. She also will consider a rematch against Kemp in 2022, and some of her confidants say that office still rests at the center of her near-term ambitions.

Abrams met Schumer on Monday in Washington, ending months of eager courting by the hard-charging New Yorker and leaving him to plot another uphill path to reversing Republicans 53-47 Senate advantage.

He was extraordinarily gracious, Abrams said.

Georgia is among a handful of states with Senate races where Democrats need an upset to have hopes of a new majority. Schumer has been open in his belief that Abrams would have the best shot to defeat Republican Sen. David Perdue, who in his first term has become one of President Donald Trumps most loyal Capitol Hill allies.

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Schumer also is looking to Montana and Texas for unlikely but possible victories. But as with Abrams, he has not yet landed headliner candidates. Democrats in Washington want Gov. Steve Bullock to take on Republican Sen. Steve Daines, but Bullock, the only Democratic governor to twice win a state Trump won, is eying a presidential run instead.

In Texas, former Rep. Beto ORourke is running for president instead of reprising his 2018 Senate bid that fell short against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Texas Democrats could turn to Rep. Joaquin Castro as their best shot to unseat Sen. John Cornyn. Castros brother, Julian, is running for president.

Beyond Senate implications, national Democrats had hoped an Abrams candidacy would fuel turnout among young and nonwhite voters to help the partys presidential nominee in an emerging battleground state. Trump won Georgia by 5 percentage points in 2016 but fell short of a majority.

Schumer began his Georgia recruiting effort by inviting Abrams to deliver Democrats response to Trumps State of the Union address in February, making her the first black woman to give an opposition response and further elevating her status in the party despite her loss.

I began with skepticism, Abrams said of her deliberations, influenced in part by the years she spent leading the Democratic minority in Georgias General Assembly.

Abrams said she could envision the best day and the worst day in a chamber known for its slow pace and increasingly bitter partisanship.

But for me it was what do I do every day, and is this the role I want to play for six years? Is this the role I want to play for 12 years or 18 years? she said. Because this is a job, and you focus on not the title but the job itself and the job that has to be done.

Georgia Democrats also had been waiting for Abrams decision, with the presumption that she would have faced no serious primary challenge. Teresa Tomlinson, the former mayor of Columbus, the states second largest city, has made clear she would seek the seat if Abrams did not. Sarah Riggs Amico, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor last year, also is considering a bid.

Abrams said she will work to build Democrats field operation for whoever challenges Perdue. Tomlinson has been building ties with donors and activists around the state for several years, and Amico traveled the state in her 2018 campaign. But neither has the in-state organization, name identification or the national fundraising base that Abrams would have brought to the race.
Starbucks isnt marking the start of summer 2019 with just the return of its Smores Frappuccino. The coffee giant also is unveiling another new drink and two new savory menu items in the U.S. and Canada, starting Tuesday.

The Seattle-based chain is launching the Dragon Drink (Mango Dragonfruit Refresher with coconutmilk), the Crispy Grilled Cheese Sandwich (a three-cheese blend on buttery, toasted sourdough bread) and the Baja Black Bean Veggie Wrap (black beans, salsa slaw and mixed vegetables in a tortilla wrap).

Starbucks also is celebrating the rising mercury with the return of three old favorites  the Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino and the Frosted Doughnut Cake Pop (vanilla cake dipped in a chocolaty coating shaped into a mini doughnut topped with sprinkles).

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"It's all about a dose of fun," said chief operating officer Roz Brewer. "When spring or summer hits, the sun comes out, the weather warms up, people want to do something different."

The wrap and the cake pop are seasonal offerings, like the Smores Frappuccino, according to the company. The others are permanent additions to the menu.

Nick Setyan, managing director at Wedbush Securities, said the warm weather means Starbucks can focus on cold drinks, as opposed to the hot drinks people prefer in the winter. Plus, cold drinks are a chance to work on drumming up afternoon business.

"The summer, like any other time, is an opportunity for them to try to drive incremental sales," he said.

Here are the nutritional information and prices:

Smores Frappuccino (grande, standard recipe)

Calories: 490

Fat: 20 grams

Sugar: 67 grams

Sodium: 210 milligrams

Price range, depending on the market: $5.25-$5.45

Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino (grande)

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Calories: 500

Fat: 23 grams

Sugar: 63 grams

Sodium: 270 milligrams

Price range: $5.25-$5.45

Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino (grande)

Calories: 490

Fat: 21 grams

Sugar: 68 grams

Sodium: 280 milligrams

Price range: $5.25-$5.45

Dragon Drink (grande)

Calories: 130

Fat: 3 grams

Sugar: 23 grams

Sodium: 330 milligrams

Price range: $4.35-$4.95

Crispy Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Calories: 540

Fat: 29 grams

Sugar: 1 gram

Sodium: 1060 milligrams

Price range: $5.95-$6.25

Baja Black Bean Veggie Wrap

Calories: 570

Fat: 22 grams

Sugar: 5 grams

Sodium: 1,300 milligrams

Price range: $7.95-$8.45

Frosted Doughnut Cake Pop

Calories: 160

Fat: 9 grams

Sugar: 16 grams

Sodium: 15 milligrams

Price range: $2.25-$2.45

Follow USA TODAY reporter Zlati Meyer on Twitter: @ZlatiMeyer

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Starbucks summer starts now: S'mores Frappuccino returns, plus new sandwiches, cake pops
(Note: Print or Digital Use Allowed. Please credit Stateline, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts. For downloadable graphics, please visit www.pewtrusts.org/stateline)

By Michael Ollove

April 30 (Stateline) - Toward the end of 2018, the Trump administration seemed to be marching briskly toward its goal of requiring able-bodied adults in Medicaid to prove they had jobs to participate in the public health plan for the poor.

But while a number of states still are adopting work requirements, the path has gotten murkier in recent months, both because of court rulings and political calculations.

In three red states that might have been expected to adopt work requirements, lawmakers failed this year to pass legislation. Some governor seats recently occupied by Republicans changed hands as 2019 opened, bringing in executives who oppose work requirements.

And a federal judge in Washington, D.C., last month ruled that Trumps Department of Health and Human Services had improperly approved work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky. The same judge is considering a similar challenge to HHS approval of New Hampshires plan to impose work requirements in its Medicaid program.

While the rulings, which the administration is appealing, do not prohibit work requirements in other states, state legislators in at least two states took notice, and adopted narrowing provisions they hope will enable their Medicaid work requirements to survive judicial review in the face of expected legal challenges.

Its not surprising that a state would not want to spend a lot of money setting up a program that may be struck down by a court, said Leonardo Cuello, director of national health policy at the National Health Law Program, which brought the lawsuit against the work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky. You would think any rational state would not engage in this type of legislation at this point.

Legislation on Medicaid work requirements died in West Virginia and Wyoming in February and in Iowa in March at virtually the same time a U.S. district judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that work requirements in Medicaid in Kentucky and Arkansas were illegal.

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To be sure, other states whose work requirement plans have been approved by HHS are moving ahead, including Arizona, Michigan, Ohio and Utah. Not including the two states affected by the court ruling, HHS has approved Medicaid work requirements in seven states and is considering applications from six others.

Nobodys panicking, Rea Hederman, vice president of policy at the Buckeye Institute, an Ohio-based free-market think tank that favors work requirements, said about the court rulings. Its a lot of business as usual, but there are more yellow lights flashing now.

We Backed Off a Little Bit

While federal public assistance programs relating to nutrition, housing and cash assistance have imposed work requirements since the mid-1990s, policymakers didnt move to impose them as a condition for medical assistance.

Conservatives began clamoring for a work requirement in Medicaid as well after the Affordable Care Act expanded eligibility to childless adults in 2014.

Two years ago, then-HHS Secretary Tom Price and Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, alerted governors of the Trump administrations welcome of work requirements.

States must seek permission from the federal government for certain changes in their programs, such as the imposition of work requirements. In some states, governors can apply for those changes; in others, the state legislatures must sign off as well.

In Arkansas, which was the first state to impose Medicaid work requirements last July, the state disenrolled more than 18,000 residents by December for failing to meet the requirement or submit proper documentation. (The state hasnt updated the numbers since then.)

Starting in March 2018, the Trump administration began handing out permission for work requirements to any state that applied, lending a sense of nationwide momentum to the policy change. But as 2019 legislative sessions unfolded, bills on Medicaid work requirements faltered in several conservative states where they might have been expected to pass.

Even before the court rulings, we saw some states showing a new reluctance to pursue work requirements, said Joan Alker, executive director and co-founder of Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families.

As a legislative effort fizzled in the Iowa Senate, the Republican chairwoman of the state House human resources committee, Shannon Lundgren, announced her panel wouldnt even look at proposals this year.

While not philosophically opposed to work requirements, she told the Gazette newspaper of Cedar Rapids, Its just that we want to do it mindfully where we are not hurting people that certainly do need the assistance (and) we are appropriately catching the people that are taking advantage of the system.

Lundgren did not respond to a request for comment from Stateline.

Lisa Heddens, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said in an interview with Stateline she thought Republicans also were concerned about the estimates from the legislative financial analysts. They estimated it would cost $5 million in the first year of operation and $12 million in the second for the state to set up a system to verify that beneficiaries are meeting the requirements.

Those are funds, she said, the state could ill afford to waste if a court ultimately threw out the states work requirements. Thats not something you want to do with a tight budget, she said.

In West Virginia, Democratic state Del. Larry Rowe, an outspoken opponent of work requirements, said he thinks Republicans feared work requirements would be politically unpopular. He noted that West Virginia is the state with the highest share  29%  of residents on Medicaid, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. If you take away peoples health care, theyre going to be looking for someone to blame.

Rowe also pointed out that the states hospitals were adamantly opposed to work requirements. You want to take on the biggest employer there is in many of these rural counties? he said.

Republican legislative leaders in West Virginia did not return calls from Stateline.

Some state legislatures that have passed work requirement measures this year have tweaked them in the wake of the March ruling by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., throwing out work requirements for Arkansas and Kentucky.

Boasberg said the requirements conflicted with the objective of Medicaid, which is in the federal law that created the program: to furnish medical assistance to the poor.

The Idaho legislature passed a Medicaid expansion law this month with a work requirement. (State voters approved Medicaid expansion in a ballot initiative in November.) But the Republican sponsor of the bill, state Rep. John Vander Woude, said in an interview that the legislature, taking note of the court rulings regarding Arkansas and Kentucky, added a last-minute provision.

If work requirements do not ultimately pass judicial review, instead of throwing nonworking beneficiaries off Medicaid, Idaho would impose copayments on them.

We backed off a little bit in light of that judges decision, Vander Woude said.

Earlier this month, Montana became the latest state to expand its Medicaid program to childless adults in keeping with provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Democrat Jon Sesso, the Senate minority leader, said in order to pass the bill, Republicans insisted that it include a work requirement.

But, he said, Democrats were able to add exemptions for certain beneficiaries, such as pregnant women and the chronically homeless, and to lessen bureaucratic burdens on enrollees to reduce the chances they would be dropped.

Hopefully, weve limited the number of people who would be thrown off, Sesso said.

Republicans also agreed to a provision ensuring that if a court throws out work requirements in Montana, the Medicaid expansion would remain in place. It also included a provision that could result in a suspension of the work requirements if more than 5% of beneficiaries are dropped from the rolls.

Democrats Take Governorships

Novembers elections also had an impact on work requirements. Immediately after taking office as Maines new Democratic governor in January, Janet Mills withdrew the states application from HHS for approval of work requirements.

Wisconsin and Michigan also saw their governor seats switch from Republicans who had sought and received permission to impose work requirements to Democrats, who are likely to pressure their state legislatures to drop the requirements or modify them.

In Wisconsin, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has indicated that he opposes work requirements. But during the lame-duck session last fall, Republicans passed a measure requiring legislative approval to lift the work requirements.

As a result, Jim Jones, head of the states Medicaid agency, said in an interview with Stateline, Wisconsin is stuck with work requirements. He said the requirements will cost the state about $120 million in administrative and employment support services over the next two years.

While Michigans new Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she is concerned that the states work requirement could result in as many as 183,000 people losing Medicaid coverage for a years time, she stopped short of saying she would seek its repeal. Instead, she indicated she would seek unspecified changes to minimize unwarranted losses of coverage. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2019/04/30/medicaid-work-requirements-hit-roadblocks
STOCKHOLM, April 30 (Reuters) - SAS said it was canceling 504 flights scheduled for Wednesday, affecting about 47,000 passengers, as much of its fleet remained grounded for a fifth day on Tuesday due to a pilot strike at the Scandinavian airline.

"The unions have not yet indicated that they are ready to release their ultimate demands and return to the negotiating table, which means that we remain in a deadlock," SAS CEO Rickard Gustafson said in a statement.

SAS pilots went out on strike on Friday as wage talks broke down, grounding around 70 percent of the airline's flights and impacting the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. (Reporting by Niklas Pollard; Editing by Johan Ahlander)
Students at Columbia College are upset that white students were cast in the roles of Latino and Palestinian characters in a play  even though no Palestinian students auditioned.

The play, called HOME/LAND, is about the the stories of Latinx and Palestinian immigration to America and is based on interviews with Chicago-based immigrants, according to an article in The Chronicle, the schools student newspaper.

The news source reports that the plays (black) director, Theater Department associate professor Catherine Slade, ignored students issues with white actors being cast in Latino and Palestinian roles, made insensitive racial statements during production, and tried to change the script in ways that some felt perpetuated stereotypes about immigrants.

From the get-go, it felt disrespectful, Assistant Stage Manager Amy Gerwert-Valdez told The Chronicle. It got to a place where nobody felt safe; no one was comfortable with her.

There was no trying to collaborate with us; there was no trying to see if [she was] doing the right thing. It almost felt like we were just being used as pawns, another student and cast member, Sophia Alonzo, said. Its hard because these are real stories to our families and our background that were [not treated as] valid.

Gerwert-Valdez said that among the racially insensitive things that Slade had said was a comment that Palestinian people are just white people, adding that Slade also had allegedly spoken badly about the cast in general. Another student and cast member, Gabriel Chinchilla, said that he had perceived insensitivity when white actors read lines in Spanish.

Columbias News Office released the following statement about the controversy to The Chronicle:

The Theatre Department is committed to providing students with opportunities to perform in diverse theatre productions. The HOME/LAND script called for Latinx, Palestinian and Caucasian characters. All students who auditioned were cast in the production. However, not all of the students who auditioned were of the same race and/or ethnicity as the characters identified in the script. Indeed, no Palestinian students auditioned for the play, and as such, non-Palestinian actors were assigned to those roles. Several Latinx students who initially auditioned for the production didnt pursue participation.

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Now, I can admit that I was not actually present at any of this plays rehearsals or reads, so I have absolutely no way of knowing whether Slade had truly been offensive or rude apart from the comments that were specifically listed. I am also not condoning the comments that were reported, if it is true that Slade did actually say them.

At the same time though, I truly believe that at least one of these students complaints  that white actors were cast to play Palestinian characters  to be completely absurd. Yes, it would obviously be better to give Palestinian students the opportunity to play Palestinian characters, but seeing as no Palestinian students tried out, what was Slade supposed to do? Summon a genie and wish for some of them to try out? Cancel the production altogether? Honestly, I am very unclear about what exactly they would have wished for her to have done in this case.

Racism against Palestinian and Latino people is unfortunately something that is still very real in this country. I am not denying that. In fact, the fact that it is so real is precisely why I have a problem with these students including some obviously absurd charges in their complaints about Slade. Clearly, Slades decision to not cast Palestinian actors in Palestinian roles was not one that was due to racism, because no Palestinian actors tried out, and I believe that crying racism where it so clearly does not exist is incredibly damaging  because it trivializes the real examples of racism that do occur in this country.

This story previously appeared in an article on The College Fix.

More from National Review
Khartoum (AFP) - Sudanese protest leaders on Tuesday accused the army of not being serious about handing power to civilians, after differences emerged over the composition of a joint-military civilian ruling body.

"The military council is not serious about handing over power to civilians," Mohamed Naji al-Assam, a leader from the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group that is spearheading the ongoing protest movement, told reporters.

"The military council insists that the sovereign council (the joint one) should be military led with civilian representation," Assam said.

Speaking at a news conference, he said the military had been seeking to "expand its powers daily".

Assam said no new talks were scheduled on Tuesday, but the protest group would present its proposals to the army rulers "within hours".

The protest leader criticised the military council's demand to open some roads and bridges near the sit-in area outside the military headquarters.

"It doesn't make sense when you say we won't disperse the sit-in but the roads have to be opened," Assam said.
In the end, a votes a vote, though base voters will undoubtedly dominate the 2020 Democratic contest. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

There is no area of argument in politics hoarier than the one that revolves around targeting base or swing voters  or to put it another way, the choice between mobilizing voters who already agree with you or persuading voters who dont but might.

Theres obviously some ideological freight carried by the argument, since by definition base voters are going to be more comfortable with positions and messages most distinct from that of the opposition, while swing voters tend to listen to both sides. And so, among Democrats, base versus swing has long been a bone of contention between centrists and progressives.

This argument used to be one in which centrists usually had the upper hand because there were so very many swing voters, and also because winning a swing voter had the dual effect of gaining Democrats a vote while taking one away from Republicans. But with the rapid shrinkage of swing voting amid growing partisan polarization, and the heavy investment of Republicans in obstructing full voting opportunities for young people and minorities, the shoe is more often on the other foot now, with base mobilization becoming more essential and swing-voter persuasion being more difficult. It should still be possible for campaigns to do both. But on occasion representatives of the base view appeals to swing voters as something of a betrayal.

Thats how New York Times columnist Charles Blow appears to feel about appeals to white working-class voters:

[T]here is part of the Biden enthusiasm, and to a lesser extent the energy around candidates like Bernie Sanders, that focuses too heavily on the fickle white, working-class swing voters and is not enough focused on the partys faithful.

Indeed, in political circles, Bidens chief attribute in this election feels like his apparent appeal to these white voters.

Then Blow goes off:

These people are not experiencing conversion, they are being coddled. Democrats want to hold constant their support from women and minorities even as they chase the votes of people hostile to the interests of women and minorities. What does it say that the Democrats lust after disaffection rather than rewarding devotion? Democrats tell their base that this must be done, that the prodigal children must be brought home, as if that is their only path to victory. It is not. That is a lie. And, its a lazy lie.

Blow goes on to quote from a 2017 sociological study concluding that only 18.6 percent of 2016 voters were from the white working class. But that study develops its own, narrow definition of working class based on specific occupations, which may be defensible as a matter of sociology but does not describe the much larger universe (most commonly defined as non-college-educated) of voters actual politicians are actually targeting. As Ruy Teixeira reports from a 2018 study of this larger universe, it represented 44 percent of the 2016 electorate.

But even if I think his numbers are way off, I can understand Blows frustration with those exclusively preoccupied with swing voters who dont share the partys basic values. As a southern Democrat, I was always bothered that the members of the partys most important electoral bloc, African-Americans, were expected perpetually to vote for white candidates, including those who self-identified as conservatives, with no expectation of white-voter reciprocity. As white southern voters increasingly moved into the GOP ranks, this particular swing-voter strategy became morally if not politically obtuse.

Is that whats going on with the national Democratic Party now? And is that why Joe Biden is a viable candidate? Is Paul Waldman right in this pungent tweet:

Joe Biden seems to be assembling a coalition combining "People who'd just be more comfortable with an older white guy" and "People who figure other people would just be more comfortable with an older white guy."  Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) April 29, 2019

Theres enough truth in that to make me chuckle, but on the other hand, the only reason Joe Biden is the 2020 front-runner is that hes also the single-most-popular candidate among minority voters. A March 28 Quinnipiac poll of Democrats with detailed cross-tabs showed Biden supported by 44 percent of African-Americans (and just 29 percent of white voters), with Bernie Sanders a distant second at 17 percent.

More generally, its a rare and foolish Democrat who argues for targeting all white working-class voters; theres a large segment lost for the foreseeable future thanks to reactionary racial, cultural, and even economic views, and a smaller but still significant segment thats open to the same Democratic messages as most base voters. We are mostly, after all, talking about white working-class voters who supported Barack Obama in 2008 or 2012  a candidate deeply beloved among base Democrats (and perhaps the main reason so many base Democrats currently like Joe Biden).

What will fail to bring these voters back, of course, is a Democratic Party that ignores them, or that treats them as inherently reactionary, or that goes out of its way to tell them they dont matter politically. Charles Blow comes pretty close to arguing for precisely those tokens of disrespect:

At some point, the leadership and the front-runner are going to have to explain to women and minorities why their inordinate focus on white, working-class voters is justified, and that explanation will have to extend beyond, Its the only way.

That explanation no longer has currency. Anything to defeat Trump is also not a soothing elixir. At some point, the loyal constituencies will demand to know: Whats in it for us, specifically? And I dont blame them.

No one that Im aware of is in favor of an inordinate focus on white working-class voters, but in the end a vote is a vote, and an a priori rejection of broad demographic categories is a good way to make sure you dont get enough of them.

Without question, the base will determine the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and no matter how much talk about electability takes place, its extremely unlikely anyone can win without explaining to loyal constituencies whats in it for them, specifically. But treating the defeat of Donald Trump as a second-order consideration thats less important than rewarding the steadiest of base voters is an approach that runs a high risk of forfeiting these very voters interests.
By Michael Georgy

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Mervat al-Neel was one of the many women whose protests helped bring down Sudanese autocrat Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Now she is standing up to the generals who replaced him.

After decades of oppression under Bashir's Islamist rule, when they could be dragged before the police if a man didn't approve of what they were wearing, women want to take charge.

That was Neel's message to the generals who are negotiating with her and other opposition figures over the country's political future.

When she felt belittled by one of the top army officers who took over from Bashir in a coup on April 11, Neel hit back.

"You are here in a position of power because of us," she said, referring to the mass protests that led to the fall of the long-serving president. She is one of two women on a 10-member negotiating committee.

"I was tough," said Neel, who studied IT and mathematics at Khartoum University, describing negotiations between opposition figures and the Transitional Military Council (TMC) at the presidential palace.

Women, who suffered the most under Bashirs dictatorship, are now a driving force at a sit-in outside the Ministry of Defence.

Thousands still gather there every day, hoping for democracy and 50 percent representation in any new government.

There were no women in Bashir's cabinet and just 25 percent of the seats in parliament were reserved for women.

"Women's participation in the protests was a decisive factor in overthrowing Bashir," said Al Rashid Saeed, spokesperson for the Sudanese Professionals Association, which organised the demonstrations.

Political activist Sara Mubarak, who campaigned for womens rights for years under Bashir, is even more emboldened after his fall.

During protests over the cost of living last year, the 59-year-old Communist Party member hid her political leanings when she was detained and questioned by intelligence agents.

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Mubarak was also held briefly during the most recent unrest.

"This time I told the truth, that I was leading a protest," said Mubarak, who had to take ten bus rides from her home town of Singa, south of Khartoum, to join the sit-in.

"I am here to the end even if we have to stay until next year."

Mubarak, who sleeps on the street under a makeshift canvas tent, is inspired by a nearby poster of Sudan's first woman parliamentarian, former Communist Party Leader Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim, who was elected in 1965.

QUEENS

Under Sudan's Islamic Sharia laws during Bashir's rule, women's lives were tightly controlled by men, even their dress code.

"The primary problem with Bashir's Islamic rule is that political Islam treats women as second-class citizens," said activist Hadia Hassaballa, adding that under Bashir's Public Order Law, women could be taken to a police station by any person on the street who deemed what they were wearing as inappropriate.

Bashir, who survived armed rebellions, economic crises and U.S. sanctions, is in a high-security prison in Khartoum, where he sent thousands of political prisoners over the years.

But it is not just his police state that fuelled women's anger. In 2012, they beat on pots and pans in the street to protest against economic hardship.

Similarly harsh conditions triggered the demonstrations that led to the latest unrest in late 2018.

Accountant Sania Seddik said she hoped the changes would give her 23-year-old unemployed daughter, who also studied accountancy, a brighter future.

"We want a democratic Sudan in which women get their rights and have a larger role to play," she said. Her daughter was arrested and beaten for two days in December.

Now, female protesters enjoy vast support, a far cry from the abusive language they were subjected to under detention.

Neel said security officials who arrested her during a protest in 2012 shamed her by calling her a prostitute.

When women join the sit-in they are greeted by cheering men yelling out "Kendaka"  the ancient Sudanese title given to Nubian queens.

Both women and men are determined to pressure the TMC to take steps to empower Sudanese and hand over power to civilians. For now they are patient.

The mood is festive. A young band sings a Bob Marley song as politicians promise a new era of democracy. Many women have shed their veils.

"We have to live freely not like before," said 14-year-old Malak Magdi, standing beside her mother Amira.

"We have a lot of hope that in the near future we will have our freedom," said Amira, whose husband also takes part in the demonstrations.

Hassaballa, the activist, is more cautious.

"We are not satisfied with the number of women represented in the negotiating committee. It is a slight presence, unlike the reality of their participation in the revolution and their numbers in the sit-in," she said as she prepared to join a women's march.

(Additional reporting by Maha El Dahan and Khalid Abdelaziz; Editing by Giles Elgood)
By Khalid Abdelaziz

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's main protest group said on Tuesday the military does not seem serious about transferring power to civilians after ousting President Omar al-Bashir, as both sides appeared to harden their positions.

Protesters and activists have been negotiating with the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to form a joint civilian-military body to oversee a transition, but are deadlocked over who would control the new council.

Opposition groups say it must be civilian-led and have promised to maintain a sit-in outside the Defence Ministry until their demands are met, but the TMC has shown no sign of willingness to relinquish ultimate authority.

In a sign of increasing tension, witnesses said protesters blocked roads with stones and set fire to tyres late on Tuesday in several areas of Khartoum North, across the Blue Nile from the centre of the capital - the first such protests since just after Bashir was toppled on April 11.

"What we feel from all the actions of the military council until now is that they are not serious about handing over power to civilians," Mohammed Naji Elasam, spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), told reporters in Khartoum.

"With the passing of time the powers of the military council are expanded and this is a very big danger for the Sudanese revolution," he said.

The SPA leads an alliance of activists and opposition groups called the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces, which has held three meetings with the TMC since Saturday.

"The military council has the chance to participate in the state that we are working on ... but might lead us to the risk of straying into something unpleasant," said Khalid Omar, one of the leaders of the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces.

"We will continue the sit-in until the achievement of the goals of the revolution. Our demand is clear and that is civilian authority."

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The TMC reiterated that it was open to more talks, but warned there should be no further unrest beyond Tuesday, a reference to protests disrupting trains and blocking bridges.

It said it would not disperse a protest sit-in that has been staged outside the Defence Ministry since April 6.

'NO CHAOS'

"We are ready to negotiate but no chaos after today," said the TMC's deputy head, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who goes by the nickname Hemedti. "We told them, continue with the sit-in, but the train is connected to delivering fuel," he added.

The sit-in, the culmination of 16 weeks of demonstrations against Bashir's three-decade rule, has continued after the army removed him from power.

The SPA, which has spearheaded the protests, has called for civil disobedience and a general strike to increase pressure on the military council.

SPA spokesman Elasam said no date had been fixed for the end of negotiations but opposition groups would deliver their written position to the TMC within hours.

The TMC also confirmed that it had accepted the resignations of three of its members whose dismissal the SPA had demanded over their alleged role in a crackdown that killed dozens of protesters.

One of the three members, who resigned last week, was Lieutenant-General Omar Zain al-Abideen who headed the TMCs political committee. The other two were Lieutenant-General Jalal al-Deen al-Sheikh and Lieutenant-General Al-Tayeb Babakr Ali Fadeel.

TMC member Lieutenant General Salah Abdelkhalek tried to distance the council from Bashir's government.

"We are part of the revolution and not part of the former regime as people view us," he told reporters.

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Tolba and Omar Fahmy; Writing by Aidan Lewis and Lena Masri; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Frances Kerry)
A mysterious beluga whale with suspected ties to the Russian military has become an attraction in Norway after making friends with locals.

While the rest of the world is speculating about the implications of militarized mammals, the 3,000-pound supposed red agent is remaining close to shore.

Since it was discovered Friday, the white whale has been seen frolicking in the frigid harbor of Tufjord, a hamlet near Norways northernmost point, and has become a celebrity in the Baltic region. It is so comfortable with people that it swims to the dock and allows residents to pet its nose.

Resident Linn Saether told Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Tuesday that the whale is so tame that when you call it, it comes to you.

A fisherman found the whale swimming in the frigid waters near Norway with a suspicious harness on it. The harness had a mount for a camera. It wasnt clear why the strap was attached to the mammal or whether it was part of any Russian military activity in the region.

More: Spy games? Russia could be using beluga whales for military purposes

"There is a lot of secrecy around these military projects, but a Russian researcher I have spoken to says she knows that the Russian defense has such whales in captivity for military training," Norweigian whale scientist Audun Rikardsen told the Aftenposten newspaper.

"It is most likely that the Russian Navy in Murmansk is involved."

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suspected Russian spy, a beluga whale found with mysterious camera strap, lets people pet it
CARACAS, April 30 (Reuters) - Venezuelan security forces fired tear gas at Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Tuesday, as he gathered with a group of men in military uniform outside a Caracas air force base, a Reuters witness said.

Guaido, speaking from the scene earlier, said he had the support of the troops to begin the "final phase" to end Maduro's presidency. Venezuela's government has said it is a small-scale uprising and denounced Guaido for launching a coup. (Reporting by Vivian Sequera Writing by Angus Berwick)
Nina White, a senior at Copley High School in Ohio, took an engineering class on a whim last year, mostly because she liked the teacher and he encouraged her to sign up.

This year, she took an advanced class and helped her school team win a national engineering competition by designing a real-life product for a local company.

White's journey into engineering mirrors the experience of many girls who aren't naturally drawn to the subject  or who don't think they'd be good at it.

That's starting to change, according to the results of a national engineering exam released Tuesday.

Across the country, eighth grade girls outperformed boys, even though girls reported taking fewer engineering classes than boys, according to the results of the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress Technology and Engineering Literacy exam.

"The girls have done extremely well in this assessment," said Peggy Carr, associate commissioner for assessment at the National Center for Education Statistics. "Girls are outperforming boys whether they take a class or not. And when girls take a course, they also score higher."

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The Girl Scouts, too: 23 new STEM badges to encourage girls in science, tech

NAEP, also known as the Nation's Report Card, gives national exams that measure reading and math knowledge. It launched an engineering literacy exam in 2014 to assess how well middle school students could apply engineering concepts to everyday life.

Tasks on the exam ask them to think through problems, such as how to build a bike path or how to design a museum exhibit about Chicago's water pollution in the 1800s.

The exam was given to a sample of 15,400 eighth grade students in 600 public and private schools. The results were scored on a 300-point scale, then grouped into "basic," "proficient" and "advanced."

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Almost half of students  46%  scored proficient in engineering literacy, compared with 43% in 2014. NAEP's definition of proficient is more rigorous than what most schools define as grade-level proficiency.

Overall, eighth grade students boosted their average score by 2 points, and more students reported taking at least one technology or engineering course in 2018.

Scores went up for white, black and Asian students, but scores for Hispanic students stayed flat, as did scores for lower-achieving students. The gains were carried by the higher-achieving students from 2014 to 2018.

Students scored higher on the exam if they had taken at least one technology or engineering course. The gender breakdown illuminated a paradox: 61% of eighth grade boys reported taking at least one class compared with 53% of girls, but girls outscored the boys on the exam by a 5-point difference.

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One reason: Girls are better at the communication and collaboration portions of the exam, said Carr from the National Center for Education Statistics.

"Maybe boys could do better if we help them to improve in this area," she said.

Kirby Harder, the engineering teacher at Copley High School who urged student Nina White to sign up for his class, was not surprised by the results.

"Girls are just as good at engineering as boys," he said. "They often take their time to think through a problem, whereas boys often rush through and make a mistake."

White said taking Harder's classes and participating in the SourceAmerica High School Design Challenge helped her to become less shy and to develop her communication skills.

She learned about new career options.

After graduation, she's headed to the University of Akron, where she intends to major in civil engineering.

Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tech and engineering: Girls outperform boys on exam, 'whether they take a class or not'
HENDERSON, Nev.  Teens at a Nevada high school had Operation Prom Date all figured out.

Until they didn't. And, much to their chagrin, their goof has gone viral.

The plan was simple: Austin Mousa and Johnny Pashales drive to the girl's house with a box of doughnuts and Austin asks the girl to prom. The cherry on top would be Johnny capturing the whole thing on video. Easy.

When they got to the neighborhood, Austin said he couldn't remember which door belonged to Hannah Masluk.

"He's like: 'Oh, don't worry, dude. I gotcha, I know which house it is,'" Austin said. "And I'm like, 'OK, bro!'"

Most of the plan worked beautifully after that, and, for a few moments, the 17-year-old boys from Coronado High School felt like seasoned pros who had done this kind of thing many times and lived to tell the tale.

Hannah Masluk and Austin Mousa went to prom together after Austin first asked the wrong girl.

But when the door opened, and a girl with an unfamiliar face stepped forward and saw the smiley duo standing there, this much was clear:

Something had gone horribly wrong.

That's not Hannah, Austin thought.

"Oh my gosh," the girl at the door said.

April 5: Beto O'Rourke responds to teen's promposal by asking her to caucus in Iowa instead

June 2018: Colorado National monument vandalized in 'promposal' ask

Austin looked at Johnny, who was laughing behind his cellphone camera.

"Johnny," Austin said, "you picked the wrong house."

Only I could mess up going to a girls house to ask her to prom @hannahhmaslukk pic.twitter.com/YsXqIx4HyH  austin mousa (@AustinMousa) April 1, 2019

Johnny stopped recording. Austin apologized, and the boys left the property.

'Second try's the charm'

Austin and Johnny eventually made it to the right house.

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Again, Austin knocked on the door. And again, a girl answered.

Standing there this time was 16-year-old Hannah Masluk, and Austin knew he was in the right place. The conversation opened with some unexpected news.

"Second try's the charm," Johnny said, laughing behind the camera again.

"We just went to the wrong house," Austin told Hannah  and the video ended there.

Going viral

After Austin asked the wrong girl to prom, he posted Johnny's video to Twitter with this message: "Only I could mess up going to a girl's house to ask her to prom" ...

That's when things got a little more awkward as Austin, who's from a sleepy suburb in the middle of the southern Nevada desert, watched his prom flop video blow up the internet.

May 2018: Teens across the country are copying a viral, racist 'picking cotton' promposal

"It was surreal," Austin said. "It was funny, but I didn't think it was that funny for that many people to see it."

The next day at school, the number of views passed 100,000, and the views would not slow until hitting a whopping 2.5 million.

A lesson learned

One of Austin's friends asked to interview him for a "Senior Spotlight" profile on The Roar student news website.

"They were like, 'Can you be in it? Because you're famous now and stuff,'" Austin said. "I'm like, 'OK, let's relax. I'm not that famous.'"

In a world where a picture or video intended for a few can blast into the feeds of millions in an instant, Austin, for the first time in his life, got a taste of what it's like to have all eyes on him.

"I don't know how really famous people do it," Austin said. "They've got a lot on their mind, they've got a lot on their plate, it's tough."

The situation may have forever changed Austin's future  but in a good way.

"In my mind, I was like, I can't make any stupid decisions, because you never know how it's going to end up now," Austin said. "With that many people knowing who you are, you can't really make any dumb decisions."

Although Johnny captured the video, he did not get as much attention as his buddy, but he takes all the credit. His closest friends know he was the guy holding the camera.

"You can call me the mastermind behind it," Johnny said, smiling.

A 'proud mom moment'

On April 6, Austin and Hannah went to prom together, perhaps showing a mistake doesn't always mean disaster.

"This story is going to be told within our families for years or generations," said Allison Masluk, Hannah's mother. "The best part about it is it's all on video. You always hear the story about your parents growing up or whatever  but we have it on video."

"It was a proud mom moment," said Christine Mousa, Austin's mother. "I must have missed Parenting 101."

Follow Ed Komenda on Twitter: @ejkomenda

This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Teen asks wrong girl to prom  and it's caught on video for all to see
By Linda Carroll

(Reuters Health) - While teens mostly navigate the internet with ease, they may have a tough time finding information on sexual health, a new study suggests.

One of the biggest barriers to finding accurate information on sexual health was teens' fear that their queries would not be anonymous, researchers reported in Sexually Transmitted Infections.

"Young people are likely to look for sexual health information online, but might struggle to find the information they need," said study coauthor Lisa McDaid, a professor at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

"Providers should ensure that online sexual health content is accessible, and this could be achieved by working with young people to make more effective use of the internet, adding value to the information provided in schools," McDaid said.

To take a closer look at the barriers that might block teens from finding needed information on the internet, McDaid and her colleagues recruited 49 young people aged 16 to 19 who were diverse in terms of gender, sexuality, religion and socioeconomic background.

The teens were first interviewed about their perceptions and experiences looking for sexual health information, including the use of social media and apps. They were then observed as they sought information pertaining to two possible scenarios: looking for information on STDs after unprotected sex and providing guidance for a friend contemplating having sex for the first time.

During all of the research, the teens were paired up.

"Young people were invited to be interviewed in pairs and for the most part these were existing friends," McDaid said in an email. "Being interviewed together, we believed that the participants would be more comfortable and open to discussing the topic."

The teens were left in a room by themselves while searching but were monitored with special software that captured both their conversations and their computer use.

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That "enabled us to later see what they had searched for, and what they had talked about while they were doing this," McDaid explained. "After the exercise, the researcher went back into the room and asked the participants for feedback on it. We used this approach because it was considered to give more accurate representations of how the young people would search online than simply asking them questions about it."

The researchers determined that few of the teens knew where to look for accurate information. When teens did find a relevant website, they often felt it was too text-heavy and contained too many technical terms. Many complained that it was difficult to find information about local services.

One of the biggest concerns for the teens was being discovered while searching for information on sexual health. They also worried they might inadvertently bring up pornography rather than health information.

While some of the results might be particular to Scotland, "the findings are in line with what we've been seeing clinically and in the literature," said Ana Radovic, a specialist in adolescent medicine at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Adolescents are mainly getting sexual health information online and there are positive and negative aspects of that."

Some teens have no other way of learning about sexual health because they and/or their parents aren't comfortable discussing the topic, Radovic said. But it can be difficult for teens to determine which online sources can be trusted.

That's where parents can help, Radovic said. Parents can sit down with their kids and do some searches for health information unrelated to sex, providing a model for finding accurate sources of health information.

The new study is "a reminder that we need a wraparound of support," said Dawn Ravine, sexual health education program coordinator at Northwestern University's Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. "No one avenue of sexual health information is perfect."

Young people's "sense of deep stigma is something that has to be addressed at home and in schools and in the doctor's office," Ravine said. "This can be just as much of a barrier to getting help as financial or transportation barriers."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2IPsifz Sexually Transmitted Infections, online April 30, 2019.
Erik Prince arrives to testify before the House Select Intelligence Committee on November 30, 2017. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

A decade ago, the Iraqi government banned Blackwater Security from operating in the country after its mercenary fighters killed 17 civilians in Baghdads Nisour Square. That might dissuade some from meddling in conflicts overseas, but Blackwater founder Erik Prince is nothing if not committed to his profit margins. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Prince  who no longer has a professional connection to Blackwater  has a new business plan. Hed like to send mercenary fighters to Venezuela, where they would help depose the countrys sitting president, Nicolas Maduro. Prince met recently with influential supporters of President Trump and wealthy Venezuelan exiles to pitch his plan to ship out as many as 5,000 mercenaries to aid opposition leader Juan Guaido, according to Reuters.

A spokesman for Guaido said that the aspiring president had not discussed security with Prince, and a source told Reuters that the White House would probably not support the plan. Representatives for Prince and for his firm, Frontier Resource Group, offered somewhat conflicting accounts of Princes intentions. His personal spokesman told Reuters that Prince has no plans to operate or implement an operation in Venezuela, but Reuters says that a spokeswoman for Frontier had confirmed Princes interest in Venezuelan security and added that Prince does have a solution for Venezuela, just as he has a solution for many other places.

If Prince, who is the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, cant even get the White House onboard with his reputed plan, Venezuela might indeed be spared his solution. But while the White House has backed Guaidos bid to become Venezuelas president, it doesnt control the Venezuelan opposition; an anonymous Venezuelan told Reuters that while Princes plan likely wouldnt work, private contractors might prove useful, in the event Maduros government collapses, by providing security for a new administration in the aftermath.

Venezuela isnt the only country Prince has his sights on. Despite Blackwaters bloody and inhumane tenure in Iraq, Prince recently insisted that mercenary forces could bring peace to Afghanistan. BuzzFeed News reported earlier this month that his Frontier Services Group is operating in Iraq, with the backing of Chinese investors. There may be no greater evidence of Washingtons culture of impunity than Prince. Much like the architects of the war in Iraq, he suffered no meaningful consequences for unleashing violent havoc there. Thus, its no surprise that Prince is still profiteering off various conflicts.

Prince may once again test his ability to shirk consequences. Representative Adam Schiff told the Washington Post on Tuesday that the House Intelligence Committee would make a criminal referral to the Department of Justice over inconsistencies between Princes testimony before the committee and his actions as uncovered by special counsel Robert Muellers investigation. Prince told the committee that his Seychelles meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Investment Fund, was a chance encounter. That doesnt appear to be true. George Nader, the financier who helped arrange the meeting, told Muellers investigators that he had briefed Prince on Dmitriev, who was, according to the report, looking to build a link with the incoming Trump administration. After Prince booked a ticket to the Seychelles, Nader wrote to Dmitriev directly to tell him that he had arranged a meeting with a member of the Trump transition team, referring to Prince, who at the time served in a loose capacity as an adviser to Trumps incoming government.

Though the House Intelligence Committee can make a criminal referral to the DOJ, the responsibility and authority to act lies with that department. Its an open question whether the DOJ would actually consider prosecuting the brother of a Cabinet secretary  and in fact, the DOJ might not be able to prosecute Prince at all. Princes statements to the Mueller team might be protected by an agreement that they not be used against him, Schiff noted. That means Prince might get off free, again.
Seven people  including a 12-year-old girl  are dead after a what Tennessee authorities allege was a mass killing carried out by a 25-year-old man.

Suspect Michael Cummins is accused of going on the run after the killings, and he survived being shot by police on Saturday, officials from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said at a press conference. He is currently in the hospital.

Cummins has not yet been charged in connection with the deaths, but on Monday, the TBI identified the seven fatal victims.

Investigators, one of whom characterized the two crime scenes as gruesome, also said that once hes recovered from his injuries, Cummins will be transferred to police custody to face charges.

Michael Cummins | Tennesseee Bureau of Investigation

The TBI said Cummins killed his 52-year-old father, David Cummins, his 44-year-old mother, Clara Cummins, and his 45-year-old uncle, Charles Hosale, inside a home in Bethpage, Tennessee.

Their bodies were found on Saturday, along with the bodies of Rachel McGlothlin-Pee, 43, her 12-year-old daughter, Sapphire McGlothlin-Pee, and Rachels mother Marsha Nuckols, 65. It wasnt immediately clear if Cummins knew these fatal victims.

 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.

A short distance away, at a second home, police recovered the body of Shirley Fehrle. Detectives believe the 69-year-old woman was targeted at random.

An injured victim of the attack remains in critical condition.

Police would not disclose that persons identity, but a GoFundMe page established to cover Cummins parents funeral costs states the hospitalized woman is Cummins elderly grandmother.

Authorities on Monday did not discuss the weapon or weapons used in the attacks, saying instead that the results of autopsies on the seven bodies were expected shortly.

It was unclear if Cummins has retained an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

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The Tennesseean reports Cummins has an extensive criminal record, and that in 2017, he was arrested for attacking a female neighbor whose house hed set on fire.

Because Cummins had a court-documented history of mental health issues, he was spared a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to attempted aggravated arson and aggravated assault. Instead, he was placed on probation for 10 years and released from custody in January, despite vowing to return and finish the job.

On Saturday, Cummins was allegedly hiding in a creek bed, and as officers closed in to arrest him, he drew his weapon. The police responded by shooting at Cummins, who was struck by at least one bullet.

A motive for the deadly violence is not known at this time.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A historic push in Texas to reduce penalties for small amounts of marijuana was declared dead Tuesday by the state's Republican lieutenant governor, who called it a "step toward legalization" that he would not allow.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's opposition underscored the resistance by state GOP leaders to relaxing virtually any marijuana laws, even as the drug becomes increasingly legal elsewhere in the U.S.

Patrick, the Senate leader, made it clear a bill wouldn't advance after a vote Monday in the GOP-controlled House to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a Class C misdemeanor  eliminating arrests, but still making possession a crime.

"I join with those House Republicans who oppose this step toward legalization of marijuana," Patrick tweeted .

Democrats bristled at the characterization but were left facing long odds that Texas would soften its tough stance with only a month left to get a bill on the desk of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The legislation that passed the House had already been weakened and removed efforts to totally decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, which Abbott had not publicly endorsed.

The continued opposition by Republicans comes despite the Texas GOP changing its party platform last year to support the removal of criminal penalties for low-level marijuana offenses.

"We have a disconnect with the lieutenant governor and the governor on this issue. It's frustrating for us and I don't know why that is," said Jeff LeBlanc, who served on the Texas GOP committee that drafted the new platform.

The House gave final passage to the measure on a 103-42 vote, drawing support from both sides of the aisle. Democratic Rep. Joe Moody, who sponsored the bill, said the measure does not take even a step toward legalization of marijuana and criticized Patrick for taking to Twitter instead of talking to House lawmakers.

Moody had acknowledged that political realities in the Texas Capitol forced him to weaken his measure ahead of the House vote and remove the decimalizations component. But still, Patrick balked.

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"This bill is backed by an overwhelming majority of those in this body and an overwhelming majority of the folks back home that you represent," Moody said. "Mr. Patrick is the odd man out here and the ball is in his court."

Currently, at least four states have designated possession of small amounts of marijuana as a low-level misdemeanor with no possibility of jail time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Texas remains a tough landscape for marijuana advocates as pot laws are loosened nationwide. Shortly after becoming governor in 2015, Abbott signed a bill making Texas the last big state to allow some form of medical marijuana, albeit in an oil extract with minute levels of THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana that causes a high.

Abbott made clear at the time that he "will not allow" legalized marijuana in Texas on his watch. His office did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

The new law would mandate a fine of up to $500 and would look to streamline protocol to expunge the charges from offenders' records.

Under current Texas law, those with small amounts of marijuana are subject to a Class B misdemeanor, which could mean a fine of up to $2,000 and up to 180 days of jail time.

Heather Fazio, the director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, said there is a lot of misunderstanding about what the bill does and noted there is an appetite for this conversation in the Senate.

"This bill has already changed significantly  perhaps some of the opposition has to do with maybe not knowing exactly how the bill has been changed," Fazio said.
By Linda Sieg

TOKYO, May 1 (Reuters) - Now that Japan has a new emperor, Naruhito, its imperial family will be left with just three heirs to the throne - one of whom is 83 - a situation likely to renew debate on the monarchy's males-only succession.

Naruhito has one daughter, 17-year-old Princess Aiko. But she is not eligible to inherit the throne because of a males-only succession law that conservatives see as central to the imperial tradition but that many experts say threatens the very existence of the monarchy.

First in line after Naruhito is his younger brother, Akishino, 53, followed by Akishino's son, 12-year-old Hisahito.

After that comes 83-year-old Prince Hitachi, younger brother to Akihito, who abdicated as emperor on Tuesday.

Surveys show a majority of Japanese favor letting women take the throne, and then passing it on to their children, but conservatives disagree, and they are key to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's support.

In 2006, the then-prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, was close to proposing a revision of the males-only rule, but that was shelved with the birth of Prince Hisahito, ending a 41-year drought in male heirs.

Historically, Japan's imperial line was preserved by a combination of concubines and cadet royal families called "miyake," who could supply a male heir in a pinch.

Japan had several female emperors in the premodern period but that practice ended with the enactment of the Imperial House Law in 1889, which stipulated males-only succession.

Emperor Meiji, who died in 1912, was the last monarch to have concubines, and cadet families were stripped of royal status by the Allied Occupation after Japan's World War Two defeat.

When parliament in 2017 enacted a special law to allow Akihito to abdicate - itself a controversial move for conservatives - lawmakers also adopted a non-binding resolution asking the government to consider how to ensure stable succession.

One change could be to let female royals remain in the imperial family after marrying commoners, so they could at least share imperial duties. But conservatives are cautious about that too as they see it as a first step toward female succession.

(Reporting and writing by Linda Sieg Editing by Malcolm Foster)
By Linda Sieg

TOKYO (Reuters) - Now that Japan has a new emperor, Naruhito, its imperial family will be left with just three heirs to the throne - one of whom is 83 - a situation likely to renew debate on the monarchy's males-only succession.

Naruhito has one daughter, 17-year-old Princess Aiko. But she is not eligible to inherit the throne because of a males-only succession law that conservatives see as central to the imperial tradition but that many experts say threatens the very existence of the monarchy.

First in line after Naruhito is his younger brother, Akishino, 53, followed by Akishino's son, 12-year-old Hisahito.

After that comes 83-year-old Prince Hitachi, younger brother to Akihito, who abdicated as emperor on Tuesday.

Surveys show a majority of Japanese favour letting women take the throne, and then passing it on to their children, but conservatives disagree, and they are key to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's support.

In 2006, the then-prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, was close to proposing a revision of the males-only rule, but that was shelved with the birth of Prince Hisahito, ending a 41-year drought in male heirs.

Historically, Japan's imperial line was preserved by a combination of concubines and cadet royal families called "miyake", who could supply a male heir in a pinch.

Japan had several female emperors in the premodern period but that practice ended with the enactment of the Imperial House Law in 1889, which stipulated males-only succession.

Emperor Meiji, who died in 1912, was the last monarch to have concubines, and cadet families were stripped of royal status by the Allied Occupation after Japan's World War Two defeat.

When parliament in 2017 enacted a special law to allow Akihito to abdicate - itself a controversial move for conservatives - lawmakers also adopted a non-binding resolution asking the government to consider how to ensure stable succession.

One change could be to let female royals remain in the imperial family after marrying commoners, so they could at least share imperial duties. But conservatives are cautious about that too as they see it as a first step towards female succession.

(Reporting and writing by Linda Sieg; Editing by Malcolm Foster)
NEUCHATEL, Switzerland (AP)  The rebranded Sky team began racing as Team Ineos on Tuesday with Geraint Thomas placing fifth in the Tour of Romandie prologue.

After nine full seasons under the Sky banner, and six Tour de France titles, the team was bought by Britain's richest man in March. Jim Ratcliffe made his billions with the chemicals company Ineos he founded.

Thomas, the 2018 Tour champion, trailed four seconds behind Jan Tratnik, who completed the 3.87-kilometer (2.4 mile) route in just over five minutes.

Tratnik was one second ahead of his more heralded fellow Slovenian, Primoz Roglic, who won the six-day Romandie race last year.

Tom Bohli of Switzerland was third on the same time as Roglic. Former time trial world champion Tony Martin was fourth, on the same time as Thomas.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
TOKYO (AP)  Japan's new Emperor Naruhito inherited Imperial regalia and seals as proof of his succession and pledged in his first public address Wednesday to follow his father's example in devoting himself to peace and staying close to the people. Naruhito succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne at midnight after Akihito abdicated. In his address to the people, Naruhito formally announced his succession and pledged to continue learning. "When I think about the important responsibility I have assumed, I am filled with a sense of solemnity," he said. Naruhito noted that his father was devoted to praying for peace and sharing joys and sorrows of the people, while showing compassion.

When Crown Prince Naruhito on Wednesday becomes, by official Japanese count, the 126th person to occupy the Chrysanthemum Throne since 660 B.C., he will be ceremonially armed with the glittering, ancient imperial regalia of sword and jewel. Beyond the material trappings that accompany what the Japanese claim to be the world's oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, however, the new emperor will also receive a much more important, though less dazzling, inheritance: The deep and abiding respect his father  Akihito, who was abdicating as emperor on Tuesday  has accumulated over his three-decade reign. Replicating this bequest on his own will be Naruhito's greatest challenge.

THANNAMUNAI, Sri Lanka (AP)  The checkpoints started just outside of an east Sri Lanka village, the strictest seen in the days after Islamic State-aligned militants launched suicide attacks that killed over 250 people. The trucks stopped first, soldiers digging through crates and produce. Buses disgorged their passengers. Cars lined up single file so soldiers could open their hoods to inspect engine blocks and pull everything out of trunks. The reason became clear soon after, as the sound of hymns filled the air of Thannamunai. The small village in eastern Sri Lanka held likely the first Mass since Catholic leaders closed all their churches for fear of further attacks.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lanka on Tuesday lifted a social media ban that was imposed after the Islamic State-claimed Easter bombings, a sign of security easing even as a Cabinet minister said he and others had received intelligence that they could be targeted by the same group in possible new attacks. President Maithripala Sirisena ended the blocking of Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and other popular sites, but asked the public to "act in a responsible manner" on social media, according to a government statement. The government had said it was seeking to curb the spread of misinformation when it blocked social media in the wake of the April 21 bombings at churches and luxury hotels that killed 253 people.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  New Zealand's major media organizations have pledged not to promote white supremacist ideology when covering the trial of the man charged with killing 50 people at two mosques in March. The five organizations which signed the agreement Wednesday say they were aware that accused gunman Brenton Tarrant might try to use the trial as a platform to promote white supremacist or terrorist views. The organizations say the commitment extended to coverage of Tarrant's 74-page manifesto and broadcasting symbolic images. That clause came after Tarrant made a hand gesture at his first court appearance, which is sometimes associated with white supremacists.

BEIJING (AP)  American and Chinese trade negotiators began more talks Wednesday aimed at ending a tariff war after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said U.S. officials might be moving toward a decision on whether to make a deal with Beijing. No agreements have been announced but both governments say they are making progress. That has helped to reassure jittery global financial markets. Washington is pressing Beijing to roll back industry development plans it says are based in part on stolen technology and that violate its market-opening commitments. Mnuchin said Tuesday he hoped for "substantial progress" in talks this week. The secretary said earlier this week's meeting at a Chinese government guesthouse and another round of talks next week in Washington would help American officials decide whether to recommend President Donald Trump agree to a deal with Beijing.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A teary-eyed Hameed Rafi said he'll never forget the day he joined a panel of civilian war victims and family members and spoke about the suicide bombing in Kabul that killed his sister last August. Sharing his story with them in March at the Afghanistan Center for Memory and Dialogue, Rafi recalled how all of the wounded in the attack had been taken to hospitals, so he began searching lists of wounded hanging on hospital walls. But he couldn't find the name of his sister, 18-year-old Rahila, who had been studying in an education center for her college entrance exam when the attack happened.

DEERPARK, N.Y. (AP)  Falun Gong practitioners found a peaceful refuge in the forested hills of upstate New York after their group was banned in China. Over the years, they built up a compound with a traditional Chinese temple, schools, and rehearsal space for their high-flying, globe-trotting dance troupe, Shen Yun. But the steady growth of Falun Gong's Dragon Springs complex has caused a rift with their neighbors, who worry about its effect on the area's environment and rural character. A new proposal that could add more people, more buildings and more visitors has only added to the tension. "We enjoy peace and quiet  until Dragon Springs moved in," neighbor Dusanka Marusic said at a packed public hearing on the proposal this month.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  A senior North Korean diplomat on Tuesday accused U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of making "foolish and dangerous" comments, after Pompeo said Washington will have to "change paths" if nuclear negotiations with North Korea break down. The North's official Korean Central News Agency quoted First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui as saying that Pompeo's comments implied a potential use of military measures to break up North Korea's political system. A February summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump collapsed over mismatched demands in sanctions relief and nuclear disarmament. Choe said North Korea also has the option of changing directions and that Washington may face an "outcome it truly did not want" if it fails to offer mutually acceptable terms for an agreement by the year's end, a deadline set by Kim earlier this month during a speech to North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament.

BANGKOK (AP)  Netflix announced Tuesday it is joining with the production company for the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" to make a film about last July's dramatic rescue of 12 village boys in northern Thailand who were trapped with their soccer coach in a flooded cave for more than two weeks. Netflix and SK Global Entertainment said in Bangkok they have acquired the rights to the story from 13 Thumluang Co. Ltd,, a company that Thailand's government helped establish to represent the interests of the boys and their coach, who attended the news conference for the announcement. Thailand's Culture Ministry in March first unveiled the deal, announced as a miniseries.
Biden abiding. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The Democratic Party has never been more reliant on the votes of nonwhites, feminists, millennials, and self-professed liberals  or more committed to equity in representation. Its never been more progressive on criminal justice (marijuana legalization and reducing incarceration are now centrist positions on the left side of the aisle). Never in its modern history has Team Blue been less reliant on the finance industrys cash, or more eager to defend consumers against the predations of concentrated capital. And it certainly hasnt ever taken sexual harassment more seriously.

It has also never been more likely to nominate Joe Biden  a 76-year-old white guy who brags about his warm relations with segregationist senators, championed mandatory-minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, voted for the war in Iraq, sided with credit-card companies in their conflicts with the working poor, gave approximately 5 million nonconsensual shoulder rubs during a five-decade-long spree, and undermined Anita Hills historic testimony on sexual harassment before the Senate  as its standard-bearer.

The fact that Biden is a living embodiment of all that extremely online Democrats wish to reject  combined with Uncle Joes perfect record of running abysmal, gaffe-laden presidential campaigns  led many pundits to deem him an irrelevance: All those polls showing the former vice-president with a comfortable lead over the field were merely reflections of name recognition and an Obama nostalgia that was sure to migrate to either Kamala Harris (the history-making, historically charismatic candidate of the cycle) or Beto ORourke (this years young, handsome blank screen on which to project all your audacious hopes for change).

But in the weeks after their launches, Harris and ORourke fizzled faster than pop rocks. Meanwhile, a weeklong national news story about how Joe Biden is a handsy old man who makes women uncomfortable failed to put a dent in the former vice-presidents support. Last Thursday, Biden finally made his candidacy official, and proceeded to post the largest first-day fundraising total of any candidate in the race. Now, the first polls featuring Biden as a declared candidate have been taken; and depending which one you believe, his lead has either grown significantly, or massively.

Morning Consults weekly tracking poll shows Bidens support growing by 6 points to 36 percent since his announcement, leaving him 14 points ahead of his closest competitor, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. CNN, meanwhile, has Biden gaining 11 points since Thursday. Now, per the networks survey, Biden boasts the backing of 39 percent of Democratic voters, while Sanders commands a mere 15. And Quinnipiac University paints a similar picture: Its new survey puts Bidens support at 38 percent, up from 29 percent at the end of March. (Notably, that poll actually has Elizabeth Warren in second at 12 percent.)

Further, viewed from certain angles, Bidens position looks even stronger than these topline numbers suggest. For one thing, hes by far the most popular second choice among supporters of other Democratic candidates, including backers of ideologically disparate figures like Bernie Sanders. For another, in both polls, Bidens closest rivals are Sanders and Pete Buttigieg. To a significant contingent of Democratic donors and Establishment officials, neither the socialist independent nor the mayor of South Bend are suitable standard-bearers for Team Blue. If Harris and ORourke fail to catch fire, theres a decent chance a flood of money and endorsements will flow Bidens way.

Per Morning Consult, Biden continues to be the predominant second choice in the broad field. https://t.co/y3OUWryDbr pic.twitter.com/SSC0N3BQte  Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) April 30, 2019

It is profoundly early. The Iowa caucuses are nearly a year away. The debates havent even begun. And critically, in the early states  where candidates have actually been campaigning, and thus, pure name recognition plays a smaller role in polling  Bidens advantage appears much less commanding. Theres plenty of time for Biden to cough up some fatal gaffe, or undermine the aura of electability thats powering much of his support. Bernie Sanderss fundraising remains extraordinary, and his followings youth, energy, and passion could allow it to punch far above its apparent weight. If you squint, you can sort of see Elizabeth Warren inching up in the polls (and she continues to impress party activists in in-person settings). Right now, CNN has Harriss nonwhite support at just 4 percent. That could mean shes going nowhere. But it could also mean that once her name recognition grows  and she proves her electability with a strong showing in California  her support will soar as a large contingent of African-American voters line up behind her.

All this said, it just might be later than it looks. Donald Trumps presidency has inspired a level of sustained public interest in politics and political media without precedent in the modern era. Around this time in 2015, 22 percent of voters told CNN they were extremely enthusiastic about voting in the next years presidential election; that figure is now 45 percent. In April 2015, the major cable networks werent scoring huge ratings wins by airing presidential town halls.

Bidens current advantage should be taken with many grains of salt. But it shouldnt be written off. He may not be the hero Democrats deserve, but hes the one they want right now.
Photo: Tuan Nguyen/Unsplash

Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in New York City.

Police: Mother stabbed 2 young children with razor, left them in street

A mother from New York City has been arrested and charged with stabbing her two young children.

Read the full story on ABC30 Action News.

Pete Buttigieg meets Rev. Al Sharpton in New York City, Joe Biden holds rally

Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg met with the Rev. Al Sharpton Monday as the Indiana mayor steps up his outreach to African Americans.

Read the full story on ABC New York, WABC.

7 On Your Side Investigates: New York City teacher caught on tape verbally abusing students

A language arts teacher at a middle school on Staten Island has been reprimanded for verbally abusing her students, according to a spokesperson with the New York City Department of Education.

Read the full story on ABC New York, WABC.

Behind the Counter, a new political force takes on The New York Post and Trump

Yemeni-American bodega owners in New York City organized a boycott of the newspaper over what they see as anti-Muslim bias.

Read the full story on The New York Times.

Man walks off with $16,000 sculpture in daylight heist from gallery

A man has been arrested and charged after a $16,000 sculpture was taken from an art gallery near Central Park in New York City, according to a news release from police.

Read the full story on KPRC2 / Click2Houston.

This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

More Americans are dying by suicide than at any other point in the last half-century, the Centers for Disease Control reported in 2018. The national suicide rate increased by 33 percent from 1999 to 2017, which contributed to an average decline in American life expectancy. Suicide is now a public-health crisis, and a complex one, too; theres no one-size-fits-all prevention strategy suitable for all at-risk people. Therapy, medication, and legislation that restricts public access to firearms have been shown to be effective means of reducing rates of death from suicide. But a new working paper from researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that there may another way to achieve a modest decline in deaths from suicide. Raising the minimum wage doesnt just fulfill a key demand of the labor movement, or lift workers out of poverty, or redistribute some corporate profits from the CEOs at the top to the workers who keep their businesses afloat. Higher wages can also save lives.

Berkeley researchers found that a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage dropped suicides among men and women without college degrees aged 18 to 64 by 3.6 percent. Increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, which principally benefits low-and-middle-income households with children, by 10 percent also reduced deaths by suicide by 5.5 percent in the same demographic. Policy that increases both the minimum wage and the EITC by 10 percent would likely prevent a combined total of around 1,230 suicides each year, researchers concluded.

Previous research had already confirmed links between economic precarity and suicide rates. As CityLab reported at the time, a 2015 study in the Journal of Public Health found that deaths by suicide spurred by evictions and foreclosures doubled between 2005 and 2010, a period of time that spans the recession of 2008. Rising mortality rates among midlife, non-Hispanic whites without college degrees are driven in part by deaths by suicide, as Princeton University economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton documented in a pair of papers on rising rates of deaths of despair  deaths through drug overdose or suicide. The Berkeley study did not find that higher minimum wages and EITC benefits reduced rates of death by drug overdose, and researchers did not restrict their work to non-Hispanic whites. Instead, they intervened in an on-going debate about deaths of despair as a category, and their conclusion adds new dimension to an emerging body of work that examines the links between poverty and public-health crises.

Non-Hispanic whites are less likely to live in poverty compared to other racial demographics, and they arent the only group to experience an increase in deaths by suicide. In fact, the CDCs 2018 report found that suicide rates had increased in all demographics. The psychological burdens of poverty are well known and can be especially damaging to children and adolescents. Adults, too, can experience cognitive costs associated with economic deprivation, both in the form of impaired decision-making and in disproportionately high rates of self-reported depression in individuals living under the federal poverty threshold.

The conclusion of the Berkeley study seems almost intuitive. If poverty contributes to depression, and to rates of death by suicide, then poverty-reduction measures may also be suicide-prevention measures. As Matthew Desmond outlined recently in the New York Times, higher minimum wages had already been tentatively linked to declines in smoking and low-weight births and an increased ability to pay basic medical expenses. Poverty can be unrelenting, shame-inducing and exhausting. When people live so close to the bone, a small setback can quickly spiral into a major trauma, Desmond wrote. A foreclosure, a medical bill, a car that cant be fixed; poverty opens you up in a hundred different ways and leaves you vulnerable to a predatory world. Theres only so much trauma a human being can endure before they stop feeling human at all.

A 10 percent raise is such a small thing, yet it still has so many enemies. Republican lawmakers tend to oppose it, as do many corporations. In a recent, major exception to that rule, McDonalds announced this year that it will no longer oppose minimum-wage hikes. That decision could save lives, but only because workers forced the matter. The Fight for 15 movement is also a fight for human life.

If youre considering thoughts of self-harm, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
By Saikat Chatterjee LONDON (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase, a top player in the $5.1 trillion-a-day global currency market has started applying a new technology that enables machine-trading programs to learn from previous trades and search for the most profitable way to execute them. Algorithmic trading is a growing trend in currency markets where banks have cut back on trading teams, relying more on automated computing strategies to trade efficiently. Algos, as these programs are known, are used by market makers to search at lightening speed for platforms with deeper liquidity pools or break up large orders into tiny bits tor reduce market impact. But large banks have been investing millions of dollars into technology to grab a greater share of the algo trading market. JPMorgan told Reuters its new algorithm -- named DNA or Deep Neural Network for Algo Execution -- effectively combined what a multitude of algos currently do, into a single strategy and allowed the framework to judge how a client order should be executed. For example, a typical time-weighted average price order executed by an algorithm may aim to buy a particular amount of currency over a few minutes or hours. But if the order is not executed within that time frame, the machine will trade aggressively toward the end to buy the required amount. The new algo aims to take that decision-making process one step further by determining on how best to execute the transaction, based on results of past trades. The algo has already been deployed for trading G7 currencies such as the euro, dollar and sterling, where it has access to data from thousands of past trades. "The objective of an algo is to minimize market impact by executing in an efficient and timely manner," Chi Nzelu, head of macro eCommerce at JP Morgan, told Reuters. "What we have done is establish a neural network using a machine learning technique which determines how to place the order, at what price and execution style." Unlike equities which trade on exchanges, currency trading takes place on a multitude of platforms, enabling the usage of such automated trading strategies. Trading platform EBS estimates as much as 70 percent of orders on its platform now originate from algorithms, whereas in 2004, all trading was undertaken by humans. JP Morgan's own trading platform too has seen algorithmic turnover surge. Order volumes of over $5 million rose 50 percent on an annual basis, and 80 percent of orders were driven by algos, the bank said, adding that December had set a record for its algo franchise in terms of orders as a proportion of spot turnover. A report by Greenwich Associates last week found JP Morgan and Citibank were at the top of the field in of electronic currency trading, which now accounts for 80 percent of global turnover. (Reporting by Saikat Chatterjee; Editing by Sujata Rao and Alison Williams)
Photo: Carnevor Steakhouse Moderne/Yelp

Looking to try the best steakhouses in town?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best high-end steakhouses in Milwaukee, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fulfill your urges.

1. Bacchus

Topping the list is Bacchus. Located at 925 E. Wells St. in East Town, the steakhouse and New American spot is the highest rated high-end steakhouse in Milwaukee, boasting 4.5 stars out of 142 reviews on Yelp.

The steakhouse emphasizes the use of local ingredients and offers an extensive wine list, according to its website. The menu features pasta dishes, fish, steaks and more.

2. Carnevor Steakhouse Moderne

Photo: Carnevor Steakhouse Moderne/Yelp

Next up is downtown's Carnevor Steakhouse Moderne, situated at 718 N. Milwaukee St. With four stars out of 119 reviews on Yelp, the steakhouse has proven to be a local favorite.

Carnevor Steakhouse Moderne's menu offers a selection of steak cuts including Wagyu imported from Japan. On the menu, look for the crab legs, ribeye, salmon and more.

3. Dream Dance Steak

Photo: Dream Dance Steak/Yelp

Menomonee River Valley's Dream Dance Steak, located at 1721 W. Canal St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the fancy steakhouse, which offers seafood and more, 3.5 stars out of 48 reviews.

Dream Dance Steak's menu offers a variety of appetizers, salads, seafood dishes and steaks. On the menu, look for the veal chop, lobster tail, duck and more.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Rabat (AFP) - Two dozen suspects are set to go on trial in Morocco Thursday for offences linked to the gruesome murder of two young Scandinavian hikers late last year that shocked the North African country.

Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland had their throats slit before they were beheaded in December at an isolated site in the High Atlas mountains.

Three main defendants accused of direct involvement in the murders and who allegedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group could theoretically face the death penalty.

A total of 24 defendants are due to appear before a criminal court in Sale to answer charges including promoting terrorism, forming a terrorist cell and premeditated murder.

A Spanish-Swiss convert to Islam is among the suspects who are due to face justice in the city near Rabat.

But families of the slain hikers and their lawyers will not attend the trial, according to information obtained by AFP.

Nature lovers, the two friends shared an apartment and went to Norway's Bo University where they were studying to be guides.

They had travelled together to Morocco for their Christmas holidays.

Their lives were cut short in the foothills of Toubkal, the highest summit in North Africa, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the city of Marrakesh, a tourist magnet.

- 'Enemies of Allah' -

After the bodies were discovered, the Moroccan authorities were initially cautious, referring to a "criminal act" and wounds to the victims' necks.

But that all changed when a video showing one of the victims being beheaded -- filmed by one of the killers on a mobile phone -- circulated on social networks.

One of the killers refers to "enemies of Allah" and revenge for brothers in Syria.

The video did the rounds online in Morocco, Norway and Denmark.

Danish police said last month they had launched prosecutions against 14 people suspected of sharing the gruesome video.

Story continues

A separate video in the initial aftermath of the murder showed the alleged killers pledging allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, under the jihadist organisation's banner.

Police quickly arrested a first suspect in the suburbs of Marrakesh, and three others were arrested a few days later when they tried to leave the city by bus.

Aged from 25 to 33, all had struggled to get by in poor districts of Marrakesh.

They made a living from "small jobs" and were educated to a "very low" level, according to investigators.

They had recently embraced Salafism, an ultra-conservative branch of Sunni Islam, according to friends, neighbours and some family members.

The "terrorist cell" was inspired by IS ideology, according to investigators.

But Morocco's anti-terror chief has said the accused had no contact with the jihadist group in conflict zones.

And IS has never claimed responsibility for the double-murder.

- Death penalty petitions -

Abdessamad Ejjoud, a 25-year-old street vendor referred to as the emir of the group by peers, is the suspected ringleader of the operational cell and a wider group he formed in Marrakesh, according to investigators.

Twenty others are due to face justice in Sale for links to the alleged killers.

Among them is Kevin Zoller Guervos, a Spanish-Swiss citizen living in Morocco.

Authorities allege he subscribes to "extremist ideology".

He stands accused of teaching the main suspects how to use encrypted communications and how to fire a gun, according to investigators.

Suspected of being a recruiter, he denied all charges when brought in front of an anti-terror judge.

Another Swiss citizen arrested after the double-murder was tried separately and sentenced in mid-April to 10 years in prison for "forming a terrorist group" and for his links to another extremist network.

Until last year, Morocco had been spared jihadist attacks since 2011, when a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square killed 17 people, most of them European tourists.

Attacks in the North African state's financial capital Casablanca killed 33 people in 2003.

Those attacks -- carried out by 12 suicide operatives who came from one of Casablanca's main shanty towns -- greatly affected public opinion.

Morocco has since improved its security and legal framework, alongside boosting supervision of religious affairs and anti-terror cooperation with other states.

Petitions on the internet have called for anyone convicted of the Scandinavian hikers' double murder to face the death penalty.

Death sentences are sometimes still handed down in Morocco, but a de facto moratorium on carrying out executions has been in place since 1993, and there is an ongoing debate over potential abolition.
By Yeganeh Torbati and Mica Rosenberg WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump directed officials to toughen rules for asylum seekers on Monday, including by introducing a fee for their applications and barring those who entered the country illegally from working until their claims are approved. The moves are the latest effort by the Trump administration to stem a growing number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border, many of whom then seek asylum in the United States. Many of the changes would be dramatic shifts in how asylum seekers are treated, but would also require time-intensive regulatory procedures before they go into effect, which will likely take months. Trump administration officials have repeatedly blamed U.S. laws protecting asylum seekers for encouraging fraudulent or non-deserving claims. But immigrant advocates say the Trump administration's efforts to restrict asylum protections harms people legitimately seeking refuge from violence and persecution. On Monday, Trump signed a presidential memorandum that directed the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to, within 90 days, introduce a slew of new regulations tightening asylum policy, including one setting a fee for asylum applications, which are currently free to file. Even a small fee could be insurmountable for many asylum seekers, said Victoria Neilson, a former official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the government agency that accepts asylum applications. "The majority of people coming to the United States seeking asylum are coming with little more than the shirts on their back," she said. Another regulation Trump ordered his officials to prepare would ensure asylum claims are adjudicated in immigration court within six months. U.S. law already directs the Justice Department to finish asylum cases within six months, but with a backlog of more than 800,000 cases, asylum claims often take years to come to a conclusion. "The provision to process cases in 180 days has been on the books for over two decades," said Ashley Tabaddor, president of the immigration judges' union. "The problem is that we have never been given adequate resources to adjudicate those claims in a timely fashion." Asylum cases are often complex and involve trauma, and judges should have discretion to provide more time depending on the case, Tabaddor said. Trump also ordered officials to introduce regulations that would disqualify asylum seekers who entered the country illegally from obtaining work permits while their claims are pending. Currently, asylum seekers who enter both legally and illegally are allowed to work while their claims wind through the courts. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials encountered some 100,000 people at the U.S.-Mexico border in March, the highest level in more than a decade, and one which officials say is pushing resources to the breaking point. Under U.S. law, asylum seekers that have a credible fear of return can seek review in immigration courts. The large majority of asylum seekers eventually lose their cases but can live in and work in the United States for the months or years it takes to process their claims. Monday's memorandum is just Trump's latest attempt to curb asylum protections. Other policy moves have been challenged in federal court. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Mica Rosenberg, additional reporting by Kristina Cooke; Editing by Bill Rigby and Lisa Shumaker)
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Photo: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

A 19-year-old college student is accusing right-wing troll Jacob Wohl and lobbyist Jack Burkman of using his name and image to level a false sexual-assault accusation against Pete Buttigieg. The claim was published on Medium on Monday afternoon but has since been deleted.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Ferris State University student Hunter Kelly wrote that he was approached by a political figure to come to DC to discuss political situations from the standpoint of a gay Republican. He told The Advocate that he was flown to Washington, D.C., on Sunday night and picked up at the airport by Wohl and Burkman. During the ride to Burkmans home, the two men discussed how they must stop Buttigieg. Kelly says he slept over at Burkmans house, and when he woke up at 11 a.m., he learned theyd used him name to falsely accuse Buttigieg of assault.

Later, on Facebook, Kelly wrote, I WAS NOT SEXUALLY ASSAULTED. Its important for everyone to know that I was not sexually assaulted and would never falsely accuse anyone. After Burkman tweeted a photo of Kelly and a statement he had signed, Kelly told The Advocate that he was forced to sign the document and take the picture. I had no say in either. In the photo you can clearly see I had been crying, he said.

1. Very first thing Hunter Kelly did is sign a statement attesting to his accusation

2. He was in full control of all public disclosures, even taking a selfie with his ID to confirm his identity to @MediumSupport MSM bullied him & his family into submission pic.twitter.com/myXPc1YegL  Jack Burkman (@Jack_Burkman) April 30, 2019

Buttigieg told the Daily Beast that the accusation against him was fake. Its not going to throw us, he said. Politics can be ugly sometimes, but you have to face that when youre in presidential politics. The site reported that Kelly was not the only man Wohl and Burkman approached with the idea of accusing the South Bend mayor. One man, who provided an audio record of his meeting with Wohl, told the site that the duo wanted him to accuse Buttigieg of engaging him sexually while he was too drunk to consent.

He described their pitch to the The Daily Beast:

The pitch by Wohl and Burkman wasnt detailed, the source said, but it resembled past attempts by the duo to peddle dubious sexual assault allegations against perceived political foes. It would involve the accuser giving a press conference where he would publicly make his accusations about Buttigieg. The source said Wohl and Burkman seemed to want him to figure out many of the details, including a window of time during which he and Buttigieg were both in Washington, when the fabricated offense may have occurred.

This would not be the first time Wohl has been accused of duping someone into being the face of sexual-assault allegations. Last fall, a woman told USA Today that Wohl needed a credible female to put on the line for false accusations against Robert Mueller. So he used hers.
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is set to meet with Republican senators on Wednesday over a proposal to waive rules that only U.S.-flagged ships can move natural gas from American ports to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Northeast.

The nearly 100-year-old Jones Act mandates the use of U.S.-flagged vessels to transport merchandise between U.S. coasts. Bloomberg News reported last week the administration was seriously considering waiving the requirements for some energy shipments and that Trump was leaning in favor of some kind of waiver.

"I am going to go to the White House tomorrow to try to talk to the president out of doing something foolish and that is trying to curtain the Jones Act protections," Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, told Reuters on Tuesday. "If that is his inclination, then (Trump) has been receiving some bad advice."

Kennedy added he wanted to make sure Trump heard "both sides of the story." Kennedy said waiving the requirements "would undermine the security of this country."

The White House declined to comment.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who chairs the Commerce Committee, and a number of other Republicans are set to attend the meeting that had not previously been made public, people briefed on the matter said.

A committee spokeswoman declined to confirm Wicker would attend but said he "is among a large, bipartisan group of House members and senators who resolutely support the domestic maritime industry and the hundreds of thousands of American jobs it produces."

In 2017, the Department of Homeland Security waived the requirement for one week to allow oil and gas operators to use often cheaper, tax-free, or more readily available foreign-flagged vessels to ensure enough fuel reached emergency responders during Hurricane Irma and following Hurricane Harvey.

A person briefed on the matter confirmed that administration officials were divided on the issue.

In February, leaders of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure wrote DHS to oppose a request from Puerto Rico to waive the Jones Act for 10 years to allow foreign tankers to move liquid natural gas to the U.S. island territory.

Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio, who chairs the committee, and Sam Graves, the panel's top Republican, said in the letter the Jones Act "has promoted economic growth and national security, and created hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs in our domestic maritime trades and shipbuilding industries." (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump has directed his administration to charge fees for asylum claims and handle cases within 180 days, the White House said in a statement Monday night.

The announcement came as Trump blasted what he described as the United States' "weak, ineffective and dangerous" immigration laws on Twitter.

The memo outlined other changes including charging asylum seekers to file work permit applications, and barring people who enter the US illegally -- or attempt to -- from receiving temporary work permits before being approved for relief.

It also directed officials to revoke the work permits of immigrants who receive final deportation orders.

The order came two weeks after Attorney General Bill Barr directed immigration judges to no longer allow asylum seekers apprehended after entering the country illegally to post bail, according the US media reports.

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 barriers 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 billions of dollars in funding for his controversial wall project, and has also deployed troops to the border with Mexico.
President Donald Trump issued new restrictions on asylum seekers at the Mexican border on Monday  including application fees and work permit restraints  and ordered that cases in the already clogged immigration courts be settled within 180 days.

In a memo sent to Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security, and Attorney General William Barr, the president took another step to reshape asylum law, which is determined by Congress, from the White House.

The restrictions do not take effect immediately.

Mr Trump gave administration officials 90 days to figure out how his orders could be carried out.

They are among the first significant changes to asylum policy since Mr McAleenan replaced Kirstjen Nielsen as homeland security secretary and the president signalled he would take a tougher stance on the asylum-seekers swamping the border.

The administration has already restricted the number of migrants who can apply for asylum per day, who qualifies for asylum and where they must wait for a resolution  immigrations that have been the subject of multiple federal court cases.

Carrying out the presidents orders will be an early test for Mr McAleenan, who was named acting secretary this month.

The purpose of this memorandum is to strengthen asylum procedures to safeguard our system against rampant abuse of our asylum process, Mr Trump said in the memo.

The memo did not make clear how the plans would be carried out in immigration courts.

More than 800,000 cases are pending, with an average wait time of almost two years.

The Trump administration added to that backlog when it directed immigration authorities to reopen thousands of non-violent removal cases.

The memo specifically called for the authorities to set a fee for asylum-seekers filing their claims and for their work permit applications.

Migrants who have entered or tried to enter the United States illegally would also be barred from receiving a work permit until their claim is adjudicated.

Story continues

Theres a reason that we give people work permits while they are waiting for asylum, so that they can support themselves and dont have to be depending on government assistance during that time, Michelle Brane, the director of migrant rights and justice at the Womens Refugee Commission.

This month, the White House took action over the rising number of border crossings when Trump forced out Ms Nielsen, who oversaw attempts to tighten the asylum process and the administrations family separations policy.

The next day, the White House pushed out multiple other homeland security officials.

The Coyotes and Drug Cartels are in total control of the Mexico side of the Southern Border, President Trump said last night on Twitter. They have labs nearby where they make drugs to sell into the U.S.

"Mexico, one of the most dangerous countrys in the world, must eradicate this problem now. Also, stop the MARCH to U.S.

One of Trumps White House aides, Stephen Miller, has berated homeland security officials over what the White House sees as a broken immigration system.

At the current pace of nearly 100,000 migrants each month, officials estimate more than 1 million people will have tried to cross the border within a year.

While most migrants pass their initial interview, only about 20 per cent of asylum-seekers ultimately win the right to live and work in the United States.

Applicants must show evidence of past persecution and establish a well-founded fear that they would face danger if they returned home.

Ms Brane said the new restrictions would turn asylum on its head.

The entire idea of asylum is that its something that you need because you are fleeing some sort of violence or persecution, she said, and to then say that its only accessible to people who can pay a fee doesnt make sense.

Speaking of the Trump administrations broader approach to asylum, she said, All of it has been aimed at reducing the number of people who can access the system as opposed to reducing the need for asylum by addressing root causes.

Mr McAleenan, a former commissioner for Customs and Border Protection, helped carry out the Trump administrations zero tolerance policy to prosecute parents caught crossing the border illegally, which led to family separations.

But he has also emphasised the importance of aid to Central American countries  even though Trump cut State Department funding to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala this year.

The acting secretary is seen by many as someone who can appeal to both Democrats and Republicans on the hill.

He will have an opportunity on Tuesday, when hes expected to testify in front of the House Appropriations Committee.

A spokesman for homeland security declined to comment on Monday.

The New York Times
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump is seeking to blacklist the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, a far-reaching step that would place the United States firmly on the side of its authoritarian allies in the Middle East.

"The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

The Brotherhood, a nearly century-old Islamist movement born in Egypt with pockets of support across the Arab world, was designated a terrorist organization by Cairo after the military in 2013 ousted Mohamed Morsi, a democratically elected president with roots in the movement.

Placing the Muslim Brotherhood on Washington's list of foreign terrorist organizations would make it a crime for any American to assist the group and would ban from the United States its members, who are active in political parties in several countries.

The move comes three weeks after Trump welcomed Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has cracked down heavily on the Muslim Brotherhood as well as other movements ranging from Islamic State extremists to secular activists.

During their White House talks, Trump praised Sisi for "doing a great job," saying the United States and Egypt had "never had a better relationship."

The terrorist designation would delight Sisi as well as Saudi Arabia, which despite its ultra-conservative Wahabi ideology disdains the Muslim Brotherhood due to its support for political change in the kingdom, including over Riyadh's alliance with Washington.

But targeting the movement would be a major new impediment in US ties with NATO ally Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pushed an Islamist foreign policy that includes support for the Muslim Brotherhood inside Egypt.

Another US ally friendly toward the Muslim Brotherhood is Qatar, with the issue becoming a key source of friction with its neighbors Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Story continues

- Signature cause for US conservatives -

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been a longtime supporter of designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, co-sponsoring legislation with fellow conservatives to take the step when he was a member of Congress.

The Muslim Brotherhood has emerged in recent years as a favorite bugbear for the US far-right, with numerous social media users on Tuesday hailing Trump's push by sharing unfounded conspiracy theories that the group had infiltrated former president Barack Obama's administration or was attempting to impose Islamic sharia law in the United States.

But the proposal has seen pushback from policymakers who say that it is inaccurate to lump together the Muslim Brotherhood, which includes more moderate and democratic strains, with groups set on apocalyptic violence such as the Islamic State movement and Al-Qaeda.

Human Rights Watch has argued that a terrorist designation would "unfairly taint anyone alleged to be linked to the Muslim Brotherhood," meaning that people based in the United States could face prosecution -- or, if not citizens, deportation -- for backing charities or advocacy groups accused of ties to the movement.

Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which generally backs hawkish policies in the Middle East, doubted that the whole Muslim Brotherhood could be declared a terrorist group under normal processes.

"There is near zero likelihood of the entire network, with all its disparate parts, meeting legal criteria," he tweeted.

"But targeting the violent branches is certainly viable. That, in turn, can enable further designations based on financial ties."

The debate comes less than a month after the Trump administration took the sweeping decision to declare Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group, the first time it has designated a unit of a government.

Egypt is one of the biggest US strategic partners -- an Arab country that made peace with top US ally Israel 40 years ago and remains one of the largest recipients of US aid, at more than $1 billion a year.

Trump has all but ended criticism of Egypt's rights record. When Sisi took over in 2013, security forces killed some 700 protesters who had assembled in two Cairo squares -- with courts then sentencing to death 75 people, including Muslim Brotherhood leaders, over the uprising.
New York (AFP) - US President Donald Trump, along with his family and businesses, on Monday sued Deutsche Bank and Capital One in an attempt to stop them from complying with Congressional subpoenas issued as part of a probe into foreign political influence.

The subpoenas -- which the Trumps described in their suit as "intrusive and overbroad" -- were issued to several banks by the Democratic-majority House's intelligence and financial services committees, which are looking into the president's finances as part of a larger probe into election meddling by Russia.

The lawsuit is the latest step in Trump's fightback against the Democrats, and alleges that the subpoenas have "no legitimate or lawful purpose."

"The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage," said the suit, filed with the US federal court in the Southern District of New York.

"No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one."

The suit accuses Congress of stepping beyond its law-making mandate into law enforcement, and says the subpoenas violate the financial privacy rights of Trump and his family.

Deutsche Bank was one of the few major Western financial institutions to continue to lend to Trump's real estate empire after several of its casinos went bankrupt in the 1990s, resulting in claims by creditors valued at $330 million in present-day dollars.

"We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations," the German bank said in a statement.

But the Trumps want to block any such disclosures, and have requested in their latest lawsuit "a permanent injunction prohibiting Deutsche Bank and Capital One from disclosing, revealing, delivering, or producing the requested information, or otherwise complying with the subpoenas."

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Their filing also argues that Congress is seeking information about "events that occurred while President Trump was a private citizen, years before he was even a candidate for public office."

- Following the money -

The suit comes weeks after the release of a heavily redacted version of the Mueller report, which concluded an almost two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The president described it as a "complete exoneration."

But Democrats believe the investigation has revealed serious wrongdoing by Trump and have not yet decided on whether they want to push for impeachment.

The Congressional subpoenas to the banks were announced days ahead of the release of the Mueller report, and House member Adam Schiff described the one sent to Deutsche Bank as "friendly."

Explaining why the banks were subpoenaed, Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, said the body was investigating "the potential use of the US financial system for illicit purposes."

The committee, she added, "is exploring these matters, including as they may involve the president and his associates."
By Rich McKay

April 30 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, his three oldest children and the Trump Organization have sued Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp to try to block them from responding to subpoenas issued by U.S. congressional Democrats seeking financial records.

The lawsuit represents a new front in Trump's battle with the Democratic-led House of Representatives to impede investigations of the Republican president, his family, his businesses and his administration following Special Counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 election.

In a complaint filed on Monday night in federal court in Manhattan, Trump and his family accused House committee leaders of pursuing the records for no legitimate or lawful purpose. Only the banks were named as defendants.

"The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family," the complaint said.

The lawsuit also accused Democratic leaders of hoping to "stumble upon something they can expose publicly and use as a political tool against the President."

Representative Maxine Waters, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, and Representative Adam Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, called the lawsuit "meritless" in a joint statement, according to media reports.

Deutsche Bank has long been one of the main banks for Trump's real estate empire. Deutsche Bank said in a statement, "We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations."

Capital One was not immediately available for comment.

On April 15, two House committees issued subpoenas to multiple financial institutions for information on Trump's finances.

Trump, who is seeking re-election next year, has said he intends to defy efforts by congressional Democrats to look into his affairs, including possible dealings with Russia.

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The complaint by Trump, his adult children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, and the Trump Organization said House leaders ignored constitutional limits on Congress' power to investigate, and any probe needed to further some "legitimate legislative purpose" and could not be an end in itself.

It also said the subpoenas violated the plaintiffs' privacy rights, and the refusal of House committees to even provide copies of the subpoenas to the plaintiffs made it impossible to know, or negotiate, their scope or breadth.

The plaintiffs said Deutsche Bank confirmed that the subpoenas it received sought financial information for their "parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, divisions, partnerships, properties, groups, special purpose entities, joint ventures, predecessors, successors or any other entity in which they have or had a controlling interest."

Lawyers for the plaintiffs were not immediately available for comment.

Mueller's report detailed extensive contacts between Trump's campaign and Russia and described the campaign's expectation of benefiting from Moscow's actions, but did not conclude there was a criminal conspiracy. (Reporting by Rich McKay; Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Richard Pullin and Will Dunham)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to impose a "full and complete embargo" and further sanctions on Cuba if its Communist leadership does not immediately end its military support for Venezuela's socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. Trump issued his ultimatum to Havana in a message on Twitter as his administration threw its support behind opposition leader Juan Guaido's strongest call yet for the military to help him oust Maduro during a day of upheaval in the South American country. Also on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Maduro had been prepared to leave the country on Tuesday morning, headed for Havana in the face of anti-government protests, but reversed his plan after Russia intervened. "They had an airplane on the tarmac. He was ready to leave this morning, as we understand it. Russians indicated he should stay," Pompeo said in an interview with CNN. Several dozen armed troops accompanying Guaido clashed with soldiers supporting Maduro at a rally outside the La Carlota air base in Caracas early on Tuesday, but the incident fizzled out and did not appear to be part of an immediate attempt by the opposition to take power through military force. Trump's threat against Cuba marked an intensification of a U.S. campaign in recent weeks to pressure Cuba over its role in Venezuela, although some experts and former U.S. officials say Trump and his aides have overstated Cuban involvement in the Venezuelan crisis. "If Cuban Troops and Militia do not immediately CEASE military and other operations for the purpose of causing death and destruction to the Constitution of Venezuela, a full and complete embargo, together with highest-level sanctions, will be placed on the island of Cuba," Trump said on Twitter. "Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!" he wrote. Cuba has stood by its ally Maduro and has denied U.S. accusations that it has military and intelligence operatives, which Washington estimates at 20,000 to 25,000 personnel - in Venezuela propping him up. Trump has rolled back parts of predecessor Barack Obama's historic rapprochement with Cuba and returned to Cold War-style rhetoric. But he has not broken off diplomatic relations, which Obama restored in 2015 after decades of enmity. A six-decade U.S. economic embargo on Cuba has also remained officially intact, even though Obama chipped away at many of the U.S. trade and travel restrictions. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Eric Beech; Editing by David Alexander and Peter Cooney)
In Rod we trust? Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

After months of waiting, Rod Rosenstein is finally retiring from the Trump administration. The deputy attorney general reportedly wished to resign as soon as the Senate confirmed William Barr as the new head of the Justice Department. But Barr asked Rosenstein to stay on while Robert Muellers investigation wound up, and Rosenstein obliged.

After Jeff Sessions recused himself from the investigation into Russian interference in 2017, Rosenstein inherited authority over that probe. Thus, it was the deputy AG who decided to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel. This did not endear Rosenstein to the commander-in-chief. Nor, for that matter, did reports that Rosenstein had once entertained secretly recording his conversations with the president, so as to build a case that he was unfit for office under the 25th Amendment (reports Rosenstein denies). Donald Trump publicly disparaged Rosenstein on many occasions  at one point, going so far as to accuse Rosenstein of planning a very illegal act.

This background led many (liberal) observers to view Rosenstein as the last remaining principled public servant in a DOJ leadership that was increasingly dominated by the presidents lackeys. Thus, when Rosenstein stood behind Barr as the latter delivered his shamefully partisan and misleading press conference ahead of the Mueller reports release, many in the media read implicit disapproval in Rosensteins thousand-yard stare.

But they were wrong. In public remarks last week, Rosenstein criticized former FBI director James Comey for his unauthorized leaks, chided the Obama administration for its failure to publicize the full story about Russian computer hackers and social media trolls, and delivered an indictment of the media that Donald Trump would have gladly cheered. Some of the nonsense that passes for breaking news today would not be worth the paper was printed on, Rosenstein said, if anybody bothered to print it.

So its not terribly surprising that Rosensteins farewell letter includes unctuous praise of a president who repeatedly interfered with a federal investigation in a manner that investigators were not comfortable describing as legal.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education, and prosperity, because, a nation exists to serve its citizens, Rosenstein writes.

Rosenstein goes on to triumphantly tout the Trump DOJs utter lack of partisanship.

Read Rods complete resignation letter.  pic.twitter.com/4RZCBCUQ1S  Sadie Gurman (@sgurman) April 29, 2019

How Americas citizens are served by Rosenstein making that manifestly false claim is unclear.
Washington (AFP) - Democratic leaders said Tuesday they reached agreement with President Donald Trump to pursue a $2 trillion plan for improving America's creaking infrastructure, but deciding how to pay for the ambitious project could become a sticking point.

"We agreed on a number which was very, very good: $2 trillion for infrastructure," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, in a sign the feuding sides may be willing to work together on accomplishing a major bipartisan goal to upgrade the nation's roads, bridges, airports, rail lines, energy grid, waterways and broadband internet access.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added that the lawmakers and Trump agreed to pursue a "big and bold" proposal, but that Democrats would be waiting eagerly to see the president's plans for how to pay for it.

The group will meet again with the president in three weeks.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders characterized the discussions as "excellent and productive" and said the meeting next month will address "specific proposals and financing methods."

But even before the talks concluded, a senior administration official cast doubt on the prospects of Democrats and the Republican president striking a deal.

"I hope the conversations go well today, but if they don't, it would not surprise me," acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told the Milken Institute Global Conference in California.

He said a major hurdle was the slow pace of approval for infrastructure projects, a process which must comply with a series of environmental regulations that Trump has often railed against.

"He's not interested in spending a trillion dollars now for something that's not going to get built until 2029," Mulvaney said.

Commitment to work on even the outlines of a bipartisan infrastructure plan, budgeted in 10-year chunks, marks a break in the clouds of political discord in Washington, but there was no guarantee the plan would advance in a divided Congress marred by gridlock.

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The meeting was the first substantive huddle between Democrats and Trump since the 35-day shutdown beginning in December that stemmed from an impasse over funding the president's long-sought border wall.

It also follows the release of the special counsel's report that detailed Trump's attempts to stymie investigations into his presidency.

- 'Difficulties' elsewhere -

Democrats have clashed repeatedly with Trump and the White House over the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 US election, and the Trump team's contacts with Russians.

But Pelosi and Schumer stressed those issues were not addressed at Tuesday's meeting.

"We may have our difficulties in other areas, but we cannot ignore the needs of the American people as we go forward," Pelosi said when asked whether it was difficult to work with Trump while he stonewalls the investigations.

Schumer said how to fund the infrastructure plan will be the "crucial" next stage in negotiations, even as the House and Senate proceed in oversight responsibilities of the president.

Trump, a New York real estate tycoon, has already voiced his commitment to upgrading infrastructure.

He made it a campaign pledge in 2016, playing up his background in construction, and in early 2018 he proposed a 10-year, $1.5 trillion plan.

Under such a proposal, the federal government would fund some $200 billion, while states and private investors would put up as much as $1.3 trillion of the cost. But the funding structure raised concerns among lawmakers and the plan did not get a vote.

Some experts and business groups have called for increasing the gasoline tax as a way to help fund much-needed infrastructure projects, and Trump's administration has said such a move remained on the table.

The American Society of Civil Engineers, which grades the quality of the country's infrastructure every four years, gave the system a D+ in 2017.
WASHINGTON  Congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump agreed to spend $2 trillion on the nation's crumbling infrastructure Tuesday, but a plan to pay for that investment was noticeably absent amid the unusual moment of bipartisanship.

"It's clear that both the White House and all of us want to get something done on infrastructure in a big and bold way," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said after meeting with Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for about 90 minutes.

Schumer and Pelosi entered the meeting amid an atmosphere and history of mistrust, as Congress hammers the White House for information about the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe, Trump's tax returns and several other issues.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders described the meeting as "excellent and productive" but did not confirm the $2 trillion figure. The number, which would almost certainly be spread out over a decade or longer, represents about half the government's annual budget.

"The United States has not come even close to properly investing in infrastructure for many years, foolishly prioritizing the interests of other countries over our own," Sanders said in a statement. "We have to invest in this countrys future and bring our infrastructure to a level better than it has ever been before."

More: 'If I may have your attention': Pelosi calls Trump, Schumer 'kids' to get a word in

A Democratic source who requested anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door meeting said the lawmakers and the president also discussed immigration, trade and prescription drug prices. Trump pressed Pelosi to support his recently negotiated trade deal with Mexico and Canada but Pelosi said Democrats remain concerned about enforcing labor and environmental standards, the source said.

The Democratic source described a generally upbeat meeting, a departure from the partisan rancor that has intensified since the government shutdown this year. At one point, the source said, Trump pulled out a box of Tic Tacs and offered one to the speaker after taking one for himself. During an exchange over infrastructure, the source said, Pelosi attempted to get the attention of the president and Schumer, who were having a side conversation.

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If I may have your attention, Pelosi said, according to the source. Mr. President Chuck Kids!

Pelosi also described the highly anticipated meeting as "productive" and said Democrats are "very excited" about moving forward on an issue that many feel has been ripe for compromise. On the other hand, talk of fixing highways, bridges and airports has in the past broken down over disagreements about how to pay for those investments.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer after meeting on infrastructure with President Donald Trump, on Tuesday,April 30, 2019, at the White House in Washington, DC.

Democrats indicated they largely avoided that sticking point, and instead agreed to return to that issue during another meeting in three weeks.

The generally positive reaction from Democrats was a departure from the last time Trump hosted Pelosi and Schumer. The January meeting ended in acrimony when Trump stormed out over a dispute about funding for his proposed border wall.

Before that, Trump, Pelosi and Schumer took part in a remarkable, televised clash in the Oval Office during which they unsuccessfully attempted to head off the looming shutdown. Trump told Democratic leaders at that meeting he would be "proud" to shut down the government if he didn't get the $5 billion he wanted for the wall.

Several White House aides expressed skepticism about Democrats' intentions in the hours before Pelosi and Schumer arrived. The leaders sent a letter to the White House on Monday demanding that any bipartisan infrastructure agreement include new revenue  such as in the form of higher taxes  and a focus on green energy projects.

Before the meeting, presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway said Trump was prepared to cut a deal on infrastructure  "all Americans can benefit from this nation building things again"  but she expressed concern about the Democratic position.

White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, meanwhile, also appeared to throw cold water on the prospects for a deal.

"I hope that the conversations go well today but if they don't, it would not surprise me," Mulvaney said. "They either have to chose to legislate or litigate; you can't have it both ways."

The meeting took place as House Democrats are probing a wide range of Trump's actions both in the White House and prior to his 2016 election. Trump has vowed to fight many of those efforts, setting the stage for future legal showdowns between the executive and legislative branches.

Schumer said Trump did not bring up the investigations in their meeting Tuesday.

"I believe we can do both at once," Schumer said. "The two are not mutually exclusive.

Showdown: Trump, Pelosi meet on infrastructure as tensions escalate over Mueller

More: Donald Trump's power dynamic with Nancy Pelosi on full display

Infrastructure has long been ripe for bipartisan agreement. But talks have stalled around how to pay for the trillions of dollars needed to make a dent in modernizing highways, transit systems and airports. Members of both parties have been hesitant to pay for improvement through an increase on the 18.4 cent per gallon federal gas tax.

Both Democrats and the White House said they were interested to hear ideas from the other side.

There does appear to be a little bit of a game of chicken, said Luke Messer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana. Both sides have said theyre willing to pay for infrastructure. But both sides seem to want the other side to go first.

Contributing: Maureen Groppe, Eliza Collins and Christal Hayes.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats say Trump agrees to $2 trillion for infrastructure, but details unclear
April 30 (Reuters) - Stephen Moore, U.S. President Donald's Trump pick to fill a vacant seat at the Federal Reserve, would face an uphill confirmation battle in the Senate, predicted Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

It will be a very problematic nomination, Graham said. Asked if he would oppose Moore if nominated, Graham said he would study the pick. (Reporting by Richard Cowan, writing by Ann Saphir Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
ISTANBUL, April 30 (Reuters) - Turkey criticized Venezuelan opposition calls on Tuesday for a military uprising to oust President Nicolas Maduro, saying they amounted to a challenge to the country's constitutional order.

"We are worried about reports that there are certain attempts against the constitutional order in Venezuela. We are against anti-democratic methods to change legitimate governments," Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter. (Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun Editing by Dominic Evans)
ISTANBUL, April 30 (Reuters) - One Turkish soldier was killed and three were slightly wounded in northern Syria on Tuesday during an attack by the Kurdish YPG militia, Turkey's Defence Ministry said.

The attack took place in a region where Turkey carried out a cross-border operation dubbed Euphrates Shield in 2016 to drive Islamic State militants and the YPG from its border with Syria. Turkey regards the U.S.-backed YPG as a terrorist organization.

The defense ministry statement said the Turkish army opened fire in retaliation against YPG targets. It did not give further details on the whereabouts of the attack. (Reporting by Sarah Dadouch; Editing by Daren Butler)
Stockholm (AFP) - Sweden on Tuesday granted political asylum to two activist members of the Russian protest collective Pussy Riot who had feared being arrested if they had returned to Moscow, Swedish public television SVT reported.

The pair, Lusine Djanyan and Alexey Knedlyakovsky, parents of two children, initially lodged asylum claims in 2017 , citing harassment and death threats in Russia as a result of their direct action and anti-government concerts.

These claims were rejected by Sweden's immigration office but the couple appealed the decision.

"I am very happy that my children will be able to grow up in security, in particular in view of what has been going on (in Russia)" Djanyan told SVT after the immigration tribunal granted their asylum appeal.

The anarchist Pussy Riot collective -- often decked out in neon balaclavas and tights -- made its name with politically-charged performances, lambasting everything from the Russian church to the persecution of the country's gay community.

In 2016, Knedlyakovsky was jailed for 15 days after hanging a cross on a statue depicting the head of the Russian FSB security service.

In August 2012, three Pussy Riot members were sentenced to two years in a prison colony for "hooliganism and religious hatred" for performing a song protesting against Russian President Vladimir Putin in a central Moscow church.

Last year, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Russia over its treatment of the protest group in 2012.
By Tife Owolabi

LAGOS (Reuters) - Two Royal Dutch Shell oil workers who were kidnapped in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta region last week have been rescued, a police spokesman and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) said on Tuesday.

Kidnappings for ransom occur in much of Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, but are particularly prevalent in the Niger Delta which produces the majority of the country's crude oil.

The pair were attacked in southern Rivers state last week while returning from an official trip to Bayelsa state.

"The tactical team of the command rescued the victims in the early hours of Tuesday," said Nnamdi Omoni a spokesman for Rivers state police force.

A spokesman for SPDC also said the pair were free. "They are well and being supported after their ordeal," said SPDC spokesman Michael Adande.

(Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Tom Brown)
Vignonet (France) (AFP) - Looking for something to toast the final run of "Game of Thrones"? A French winemaker and fan of the epic fantasy series has developed his own version of Dornish wine, the favoured tipple of Tyrion Lannister.

"Dark as blood and sweet as vengeance" -- such is the wine favoured by the nobles of Dorne, one of the seven kingdoms in the fantasy world of Westeros where the sweeping saga is set.

Rarely does an episode pass without one of the characters caught up in the savage struggle for the Iron Throne sipping a goblet or three, with Tyrion Lannister a particular fan of the vintage from the southern kingdom of Dorne.

For Thibault Bardet of the Vignobles Bardet winery in Saint-Emilion in France's Bordeaux region, the idea began in 2016 while watching an episode featuring Tyrion -- a central character known as "the imp" because of his diminutive stature -- who is rarely seen without a glass in his hand.

"We thought: wouldn't it be great to be able to taste what he's drinking," Bardet told AFP.

"I wanted to pay a special tribute (by creating) a wine that could be drunk in Game of Thrones. I didn't try to make the best wine possible but the wine that was closest to the series," he said.

A fan since the show was launched eight years ago, Bardet's idea sparked the creation of two specialist wines: a "Dornish Wine" and another called "The Imp's Delight".

The series, which premiered in the United States in 2011, is an adaptation of five fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin, with the eighth and last series now showing in 186 countries.

- 40 pages on wine -

After checking online that no such wine already existed, Bardet decided to try and reproduce it, but that took some work.

"There is very little about it in the series. But in the books, it's huge. I simply copied and pasted all the references to the wine. It amounted to 40 pages," the 29-year-old said.

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Even so, that was just a fraction of the thousands of pages penned by its American author, who so far has finished five volumes, with a sixth and final tome still pending.

With all the available facts at hand, Bardet went to see his father, who handles the technical side at the winery.

"It's a very fruity wine, intense, dusky, heady, with notes of oak," says his father, Philippe Bardet.

"It is a 100 percent Merlot from Bordeaux."

- The red sun of House Martell -

In the books, Dorne is known for its arid, desert-like terrain, and the grapes used to make "The Imp's Delight" were grown in a sandy plot within the Saint-Emilion estate, while the "Dornish Wine" is a Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux.

The smallest grapes are chosen for their concentrated flavour, and the wine is kept in casks for a time to both enhance its flavour and to recall the Middle Ages, the era the saga reflects.

And to get further into the spirit of the series, there are no sulphites in "The Imp's Delight" which Tyrion promises to give to his friends after the war ends -- which gives the vintage "a more intense purple hue" and a "slightly bolder flavour".

Even the label is stylised -- round like the shields of Dorne, but also bearing two golden lions, the seal of House Lannister.

The "Dornish" label is orange and bears the sun motif of House Martell.

Even the bottle's design is different, with the wine presented in rounder, heavier bottles and sealed with a wax capsule rather than foil at the top.

But like the series, the wine could soon be on its final outing after a challenge from HBO, which is likely tied to the fact that the network already has an official supplier of four wines linked to the series.

It has, however, allowed Vignobles Bardet to sell its remaining stock of 15,000 bottles to wine dealers or individuals, mainly in Europe.

Until now, the winemaker has sold a similar number, with bottles of "Dornish Wine" retailing at 17 euros ($19) and "The Imp's Delight" at 29 euros ($33).

And Bardet is hoping to send several bottles to the author of the series as well as to its main actors.

And himself? He likes to watch the series with a group of friends over a bottle of each vintage.

"It's better than 5D," he grins. "It's an immersive experience!"
Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The most bizarre passage in Rod Rosensteins letter to President Trump resigning his post as deputy attorney general is praise for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations. It is not standard practice for the president to have personal conversations with the deputy attorney general at all, certainly not when that person is supervising an investigation into the president himself. And while we cannot know the substance of those personal conversations, we do know that Rosenstein was once so alarmed by Trumps behavior that he discussed invoking the 25th Amendment to have him removed on account of mental unfitness.

Maybe Trumps private conversations somehow contain the humor that is completely lacking in his public persona, which consist of boasts, lies, and belittling attacks. Trumps public treatment of Rosenstein included tweeting an image of him behind bars along with other alleged traitors. That Trump, what a jokester.

Rosensteins status as a target of Trumps rage, and his background as a career official, raised broad hopes that he would check the presidents authoritarian impulses. By all indications, he failed to live up to this heroic destiny. Rosenstein ended his career as a dutiful functionary, allowing Trump to trash the rule of law while claiming he had upheld it.

Rosenstein deserves to be judged by the forgiving standards of a man placed in an untenable situation and having no good options. Trumps worldview is inimical to the concept of the rule of law. The president believes the Department of Justice can and must be placed at his personal disposal, and used to harass his enemies while giving himself and his friends impunity. Trump can no more grasp a Department of Justice that holds his views at arm length than he could abide the doorman at his hotels subjecting him to strip searches.

Rosensteins answer to this dilemma was to bend, and bend, and bend. When Trump demanded personal loyalty from the FBI director and fired him for failing to quash a probe into Trumps campaign, Rosenstein dutifully wrote a letter supplying Trump with a phony pretext. When Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the offense of following Department rules and recusing himself from an investigation into which he was massively conflicted, he remained loyal. When Trump installed a transparent hack in Matthew Whitaker, prompting more than 400 former DOJ officials to sign a public letter of protest, Rosenstein called the choice superb.

And then of course Rosenstein joined with Attorney General William Barr to impose their judgment that Robert Muellers investigation would not accuse the president of obstructing justice. One of Trumps many acts of obstruction included instructing Corey Lewandowski, a private citizen, to order Sessions to violate Department procedure and take control of the investigation. As Ben Wittes notes, If true and provable beyond a reasonable doubt, it is unlawful obstruction of justice.

Barr, with Rosensteins imprimatur, deemed these and all of Trumps other efforts to harm the investigation to be non-crimes. He did this despite the fact that Trumps obstruction of justice successfully obstructed the probe  by dangling pardons to key witnesses, Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, thereby preventing Mueller from getting to the bottom of the campaigns collusion with Russia. Barr and Rosenstein made the comically backward argument that because Trump prevented Mueller from proving criminal collusion, there was no underlying crime, therefore his efforts to halt the probe must go unpunished.

Before his firing, Comey confided his misgivings about Rosenstein. Rod is a survivor, he said. And you dont get to survive that long across administrations without making compromises. So I have concerns. This turned out to be a perfect epitaph for Rosensteins tenure.

When Trump was poised to fire Rosenstein last fall, Rosenstein pleaded for his job. I give the investigation credibility, he said, according to the Washington Post, I can land the plane. Trump has a gift for homing in on this kind of weakness, and surrounding himself with morally compromised individuals who will do his bidding. Rosensteins desperation to avoid the ignominy of a firing and the torrent of abuse that always followed it  I dont want to go out with a tweet, he said, according to the Post  made him suitably pathetic for Trumps purposes.

In a farewell speech several days ago, Rosenstein sycophantically quoted his boss: As President Trump pointed out, we govern ourselves in accordance with the rule of law rather [than]  the whims of an elite few. It was perhaps his most overt gesture of submission. Here Rosenstein credited a man he knows perfectly well has contempt for the rule of law with cherishing the principle he has relentlessly undermined, a task at which Rosenstein ultimately aided him. He might as well have quoted Trump proclaiming the importance of truth, chastity and frugality.

We can extend Rosenstein enough credit to assume things did not follow his fondest hopes. He surely did not want the FBI Director and Attorney general to be fired for doing their jobs properly, nor to be publicly belittled by the president. Instead he seems to have convinced himself that the need for normalcy, or the appearance of it, transcended everything else. After principled resignation seemed unthinkable, every new compromise simply kept the plane on track for its landing.

It turns out most of the Republicans in the bureaucracy operate along the same principles as the ones running for office. Trumps manifest unfitness for office and disdain for democratic norms begin as a shock. Gradually, though, they recede into the background, and take their place as fixed features of the landscape around which everything else must be arranged. That is how Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan have worked around and ultimately for a figure they greeted with disgust. And that ultimately is how Rosenstein, too, served Trump.
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday warned against an escalation of violence in northwest Syria, saying any such action "will result in the destabilization of the region."

"We call on all parties, including Russia and the Syrian regime, to abide by their commitments to avoid large scale military offensives, return to a de-escalation of violence in the area, and allow for unhindered humanitarian access," the U.S. State Department said in a statement. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Richard Chang)
LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - Security officials from British telecoms operators are to meet with the leading U.S. diplomat on cybersecurity in London on Tuesday to discuss the risks of equipment made by China's Huawei, according to five people familiar with the matter.

The closed-door meeting comes after sources told Reuters last week that Britain has decided to bar China's Huawei Technologies from the core of its 5G network but will still allow it in non-core parts with some increased restrictions.

The United States has said it sees no distinction between the core and non-core parts of future 5G networks and warned that it will limit cooperation with allies who use Huawei equipment, which it says can be used by Beijing for spying. Huawei has denied it spies for China.

Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber at the U.S. State Department, will reiterate that message on Tuesday at a meeting with security and technology officials from operators including BT, Vodafone and O2, owned by Spain's Telefonica, the sources said.

The U.S. embassy in London was not immediately available for comment. The operators declined to comment.

A person from one of the operators, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they would go with an open mind to the meeting.

"We will go and listen to their perspective but we take an evidence based approach," the source said. (Reporting by Jack Stubbs and Kate Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. cyber spies last year unmasked the identities of nearly 17,000 U.S. citizens or residents who were in contact with foreign intelligence targets, a sharp increase from previous years attributed partly to hacking and other malicious cyber activity, according to a U.S. government report released on Tuesday. The unmasking of American citizens' identities swept up in U.S. electronic espionage became a sensitive issue after U.S. government spying on communications traffic expanded sharply following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and started sweeping up Americans' data. The report by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) said that in 2018 cyber spies at the National Security Agency (NSA) unmasked the identities of 16,721 "U.S. persons", compared to 9,529 unmaskings in 2017 and 9,217 between September 2015 and August 2016. According to U.S. intelligence rules, when the NSA intercepts messages in which one or more participants are U.S. citizens or residents, the agency is supposed to black out American names. But the names can be unmasked upon request of intelligence officers and higher-ranking government officials, including presidential appointees. Alex Joel, a DNI official, said it was likely that the higher number of U.S. persons unmasked last year was inflated by names of victims of malicious cyber activity. Another official said the definition of U.S. person used by spy agencies includes actual individuals, email addresses and internet protocol (IP) addresses. The expanded collection of data that affected Americans was exposed by whistleblowers like former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, prompting politicians and the public to demand greater accountability. Annual reports on the extent of NSA and other government electronic surveillance were one notable reform. NSA's operations historically were so secretive that agency employees joked its initials stood for "No Such Agency." Not long after President Donald Trump took office, Devin Nunes, the Republican who then chaired the House Intelligence Committee, touched off a political flap by claiming intercepted messages involving members of Trump's transition team had been unmasked at the direction of top Obama administration officials. The report says that the number of "non-US persons" targeted by the U.S. for foreign intelligence surveillance rose to 164,770 in calendar year 2018 compared to 129,080 the year before. The report adds that not a single FBI investigation was opened on U.S. persons based on NSA surveillance in either 2017 or 2018. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball; editing by Mary Milliken and David Gregorio)
By Jarrett Renshaw, Chris Prentice and Humeyra Pamuk

April 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has suspended work on its plan to publish the names of refineries securing exemptions from federal biofuels law after receiving blowback from the White House and parts of the oil industry, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

The sources said EPA announced the plan on April 12 before the White House had time to review it, and without forewarning oil refiners who fear that publicly receiving waivers would be bad for their image and undermine their competitive edge.

If the EPA ditches or significantly alters the plan, it would anger the powerful corn lobby that has long agitated for more transparency in the notoriously opaque biofuel waiver program.

Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, refineries must blend certain volumes of biofuels into gasoline and diesel fuel or purchase credits from those that do. Small refineries of 75,000 barrels-per-day or less can get waivers if they prove complying with the regulation would cause them financial hardship.

The EPA currently does not name companies that apply for or receive the lucrative waivers, arguing the information is confidential. The corn industry wants that changed because it believes profitable companies are securing waivers, which is hurting farmers.

The sources told Reuters that the White House and oil industry were surprised by the plan, and that U.S. senators from states with small refineries were worried that plants would be forced to disclose sensitive financial information.

"The White House found out about it, but it was after the wheels were in motion," said one source who was briefed by the agency. "They certainly did not get time to review it or consider the implications."

The EPA has yet to publish the rule in the Federal Register, a step that normally happens swiftly to start the clock on finalizing the plan.

"I am not sure it ever gets in the register at this point," said another source, a DC-based oil lobbyist.

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The EPA and White House did not respond to requests for comment.

The waiver program became a bone of contention between the rival oil and corn industries after President Donald Trump's EPA loosened eligibility requirements for exemptions, granting far more than ex-President Barack Obama's EPA did.

Small refineries owned by profitable oil majors like ExxonMobil and Chevron are among those that have gotten waivers since 2017, according to Reuters reporting.

Supporters of the expansion of the waiver program say EPA was forced issue more waivers after a U.S. Appeals Court said it was being too stingy with exemptions.

But critics say the expansion was politically motivated to help the energy industry, something EPA officials have denied. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice in New York and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; editing by Richard Valdmanis and David Gregorio)
LONDON (Reuters) - A request by the United States to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information will be heard by a London court on Thursday.

"Julian Assange will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court at 1030 tomorrow for 'violating his bail conditions' whilst seeking & obtaining political asylum," WikiLeaks said.

"On Thursday at 10AM there will be a hearing in Westminster Magistrate Court on the US extradition request," it said.

The U.S. Justice Department said Assange was charged with conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to gain access to a government computer as part of a 2010 leak by WikiLeaks of hundreds of thousands of U.S. military reports about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and American diplomatic communications.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge. Editing by Andrew MacAskill)
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. House intelligence panel on Tuesday will send a criminal referral to the Department of Justice for Trump backer Erik Prince, the committee's Democratic chairman said, adding there was strong evidence he lied to U.S. lawmakers probing Russia.

Adam Schiff told a Washington Post event there was evidence that Prince, who founded the now defunct Blackwater security firm, had willingly misled the committee. He declined to say whether the panel also planned to submit referrals for U.S. president Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner and Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. (Reporting by Susan Heavey Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said on Monday that Attorney General William Barr must testify before his panel on Thursday, despite Barr's reported objections to a more aggressive format for questions planned by Democrats.

"We've been very clear. Barr has to come. He has to testify. It's none of the business of a witness to try to dictate to a congressional committee what our procedures for questioning him are," Nadler told reporters.

"He is supposed to show up on Thursday and we will take whatever action we have to take if he doesn't," he added.

Justice Department officials had no immediate comment on the lawmaker's remarks.

A Democratic congressional aide on Sunday said that Barr might skip the hearing because he objects to plans for an extra hour of questioning that would include committee lawyers, and a closed session to discuss classified sections of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russian investigation report.

The report covers Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and actions by President Donald Trump and his campaign.

It details a series of actions by Trump to impede the Russia probe. It did not conclude whether those actions constituted the crime of obstruction. But it did conclude that Trump and his campaign had not engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Moscow.

Barr, a Trump appointee, released a redacted version of the document on April 18.

Nadler has subpoenaed the full document and demanded that the Justice Department provide it and underlying evidence by 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Wednesday. After meeting with Justice Department officials earlier on Monday, the chairman said he expects the administration to adhere to the deadline.

Republicans on Nadler's committee have sided with the attorney general, saying the demands are unreasonable.

But Democrats say the new format is necessary to ensure that witnesses answer the questions posed. The traditional hearing format gives each lawmaker five minutes for questions. But Democrats say Trump administration officials have become adept at running out the clock.

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Nadler said he would not negotiate on the hearing's format.

"That's an affair entirely for Congress ... administration witnesses have to come in and be examined as the committee sees fit," he said.

(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Sandra Maler and G Crosse)
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - The United States might opt for a more narrow and quick trade deal with Japan that would address agricultural products, instead of a more comprehensive agreement, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said on Tuesday.

"We want a quick resolution of our agricultural request here ... maybe temporarily that could then be fleshed out over longer period," Perdue told reporters.

He said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who is the chief negotiator for Washington's trade talks, was interested in getting a deal sooner rather than later.

"Maybe not a comprehensive type of bilateral trade negotiations but certainly one that seals down the agricultural issues that we are concerned about. I think we can get that done quickly," Perdue told reporters.

President Donald Trump last week held one-to-one talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Oval Office and said it was possible that the United States could reach a new bilateral trade agreement with Japan by the time he visits Tokyo in May.

Trump has made clear he has been 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.

U.S. farmers fear they will lose out to other countries that now have reduced tariff rates in Japan following the enacting of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The United States withdrew out of the TPP under Trump, hence other countries still in the trade deal like Canada have preferential access to the lucrative Japanese market.

During last week's talks, Trump said negotiators for the United States and Japan are making progress in his drive to rebalance their trade relationship in a way that reduces chronic U.S. trade deficits with Japan. He cited Japanese tariffs on American agricultural products as an irritant. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Sandra Maler)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Tuesday said it was monitoring developments in Venezuela but suggested no role in the unfolding events, as armed factions opposing and supporting President Nicolas Maduro clashed at a protest outside a Caracas air base. "We are monitoring the recent developments in Venezuela closely and are in close contact with our interagency partners and senior chain of command. At the present time, U.S. Southern Command's mission remains unchanged," said Colonel Armando Hernandez, a spokesman at the U.S. military's Southern Command, which oversees U.S. forces in Latin America. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during an Election Night rally in Madrid on April 28, 2019. Photo: Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images

As a wave of right-wing populism swept the continent over the past several years, Spain has held the distinction of being the largest European country without a far-right nationalist party in its legislature. That changed on Sunday, when the anti-immigrant, anti-feminist Vox Party won 10 percent of the vote and 24 out of 350 seats in elections to the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of Spains bicameral legislature.

Vox, a Steve Bannonendorsed offshoot of the mainstream conservative Peoples Party, offers pretty standard fare for a European far-right party of our era  including pledges to close borders, aggressively deport immigrants, and outlaw abortion and same-sex marriage  along with euroscepticism, Islamophobia, and that low-key nouveau anti-Semitism that involves blaming all of your countrys problems on George Soros.

Its platform also has a few planks unique to Spain, including proposals to abolish the countrys autonomous communities, to crack down on separatist movements in regions such as Catalonia  and of course, to promote bullfighting. Whereas other European nationalists see their countries being attacked mainly from without, Vox also views Spanish regionalism as an internal threat, much as fascist dictator Francisco Franco did. It also seeks to address it as Franco did, albeit perhaps less violently, by recentralizing authority in Madrid and stripping away regional autonomy.

So the glass-half-empty take on Sundays election is that a xenophobic, neo-Francoist party hell-bent on turning back half a century of social progress saw its support explode from zero to 15 percent in the course of six months and won a bombshell victory that will make it a significant player in Spanish politics, perhaps for good, even if it is far short of being able to lead or even participate in a government. In the same way that the Alternative for Germany Party winning seats in the Bundestag last year signaled a horrifying lapse in Germans historical memory, Voxs performance on Sunday suggested that Spanish fascism was not dead, just taking a siesta.

In the main, however, the news from the polls in Spain was good for the left and center: The Socialist Party won a 123-seat plurality, against just 66 for the Peoples Party. Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez won a popular mandate for a role he took on after ousting his predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote last year. Sanchez is still the only socialist leading a major European country.

On top of Sanchezs popular policies, anti-inequality messaging, and remarkably effective politicking, the Socialist victory on Sunday was helped along by the fragmentation of the right. Yes, Vox becoming the first far-right party to win seats since 1982 was disheartening, but those votes were drawn away from the Peoples Party, and those two parties combined garnered a smaller vote share and fewer seats this year than the Peoples Party alone had won in the last general election in 2016. The center-right Ciudadanos Party also gained ground on Sunday, again thanks to the Peoples Party bleeding voters in the aftermath of the corruption case that sank Rajoys government last year. As The Guardian put it in an editorial, Sunday saw a redistribution of the right-wing vote in Spain, not an increase in it.

The Socialists and other left-wing parties also leveraged the ascendancy of the far right as a campaign tactic, mobilizing voters who shuddered at the idea of a governing coalition with Vox in it. (Overall voter turnout on Sunday was remarkably high, at 76 percent.) Insofar as this election saw Spains nationalist right break new ground, it also revealed the strength of the resistance to far-right populism within the body politic. The Spanish right ought to have a lot going for it, what with the countrys bone-deep Catholicism, its lengthy history of fascism, a relatively young democracy, high unemployment, and the huge numbers of immigrants it has absorbed in the past decade  and yet the Spanish electorate consistently surprises as one of the most liberal in the world.

Yet the fight to keep Spain from backsliding into its Francoist heritage is far from over. For one thing, the fragmentation of the countrys two-party system has not only broken the Peoples Party; it has also denied the Socialists a clear path to control of the legislature. The left-wing alliance Unidos Podemos, which will go into coalition with Sanchez, won 42 seats, which still leaves the two parties a few seats shy of a majority.

To fill the gap, Sanchez will have to bring in the regionalist parties that made a strong showing on Sunday, including at least some of the more radical separatist ones. These alliances could be politically perilous and hard to manage  not to mention that the pro-independence Catalan parties voted to reject his budget in February, which was the precipitating event for Sundays snap election.

The prime minister will wait to form a government until after May 26, when Spaniards will vote again in regional, municipal, and European elections. Depending on how things shake out next month, Sanchez may ultimately decide to call another snap election in pursuit of a more decisive victory  a stunt that can backfire disastrously, as U.K. prime minister Theresa May learned the hard way back in 2017.

In the meantime, the Spanish right may be in disarray today and Vox may even prove to be a flash in the pan, but the conditions that are driving the resurgence of right-wing nationalism are very much alive in Spain as they are throughout much of Europe. Far-right parties have made surprise gains in other recent elections on the continent, continuing their multiyear streak. The same disaffection with free trade, immigration, diversity, and liberal values that put Donald Trump in the White House continues to send more far-right MPs to European capitols.

And just as the Democrats could end up handing Trump another four years in office next year if they dont find a compelling answer to his voters legitimate concerns, Europes left-to-center politicians need to come up with real solutions to the problems driving voters there into the arms of neo-fascists.

Sanchezs victory in Spain may be instructive in that regard, as he has managed to walk the line between activating his left-wing base with anti-inequality government policies and placating the business community with a technocratic approach to filling key Cabinet positions. If he can navigate the thorns of the Catalan separatism crisis, keep the unemployment rate on its downward trend, and keep the far-right wolves at bay, he just might build a model for progressive European government in our populist era.
By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - Republican and Democratic U.S. senators blasted President Donald Trump's proposal for a 23 percent cut in the U.S. budget for foreign aid and diplomacy as "insane" and "short-sighted" on Tuesday, and said it would not pass.

"We're not going to approve this budget reduction. It's insane. It makes no sense," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the State Department and foreign aid budget.

"I don't know who writes these things over in the White House, but they clearly don't understand the value of soft power," the Republican senator, a close Trump ally on many issues, told a subcommittee hearing on the foreign aid budget.

Graham also called the plan "short-sighted" and said the Appropriations panel would restore funding to previous levels, rather than enacting the 23 percent cut Trump proposed earlier this year.

Graham also asked Mark Green, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, to send Congress a plan for how it would assist Venezuela in case of a change in government in the troubled South American state.

The hearing took place on Tuesday against a backdrop of upheaval in Venezuela, where Washington's desire to ship in millions of dollars in foreign aid has been a central theme of the Trump administration's push for a change in government.

The Senate subcommittee's top Democrat, Senator Patrick Leahy, also opposed the cuts, citing the importance of "soft power" like foreign aid to U.S. influence around the world.

"Our soft power should not be a partisan issue, it should be an American issue and we're going to try to keep it that way," Leahy said at the hearing, at which Green testified on Trump's proposed budget.

Graham asked if Trump's administration had a plan in place to help the Venezuela people if President Nicolas Maduro's government were to fall. Graham suggested that the administration submit an emergency funding request for Venezuela to his committee, including a plan.

"I think most members of this committee would gladly help you with some resources to stabilize Venezuela when Maduro falls, not if. In that regard, we would very much appreciate any advice you give us about what a good response would look like," Graham said. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington Editing by James Dalgleish)
By Joshua Franklin and Carl O'Donnell

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and his top management team took the ride-hailing giant's investor roadshow for its initial public offering to New York on Tuesday, as demand for its shares already exceeded supply.

At a lunch presentation in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel overlooking New York's Central Park, where fusilli pasta and BLT club wraps were served to investors, Khosrowshahi said Uber's future was not as a ride-hailing company, but as a wide technology platform shaping logistics and transportation.

"Dara was very impressive, he did a good job articulating the story," said one of the investors who attended, who requested anonymity because the presentation was closed to the media.

Uber is set to price its $10 billion IPO on May 9, seeking a valuation of up to $90 billion. Investors attending the roadshow said Uber's IPO book was quickly oversubscribing, making a pop in the shares of the company on its first day of trading more likely. Uber declined to comment on how much demand there is for its IPO.

Uber executives arrived in New York after their roadshow in London on Monday. In a ballroom at Claridges, the five-star hotel in Londons wealthy Mayfair district, over 100 investors listened to Khosrowshahi and Chief Financial Officer Nelson Chai talk about the companys plans to expand their food delivery business and venture into other new business areas like shopping.

In New York, Uber executives fielded questions ranging from autonomous driving to plans to enter into the grocery business.

Uber has cautioned in its IPO filing that it may never make a profit, and faces hurdles such as increased regulation and local minimum wages that could hamper profitability.

Uber follows smaller rival Lyft Inc, which went public with a $24 billion valuation. Lyft's shares are down more than 17 percent since its IPO on March 28, amid investor skepticism over its path to profitability.

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Khosrowshahi is also tasked with convincing investors that he has successfully changed Uber's culture and business practices after a series of embarrassing scandals over the last two years.

Those have included sexual harassment allegations, a massive data breach that was concealed from regulators, use of illicit software to evade authorities and allegations of bribery overseas. Khosrowshahi joined Uber in 2017 to replace company co-founder Travis Kalanick who was ousted as CEO.

Uber's IPO is being led by Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Bank of America Corp.

(Reporting by Joshua Franklin and Carl O'Donnell in New York; writing by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
London (AFP) - Britain's car output under a no-deal Brexit could collapse to a level last seen in "the dark days of the 1980s", the nation's industry body forecast on Tuesday.

The warning came as Jaguar Land Rover said its new Land Rover Defender model would be assembled in Slovakia -- but did not blame the move on the UK's departure from the European Union.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the worst case scenario would be for Britain to depart the EU without a deal struck with Brussels, forcing it to endure tariffs set by World Trade Organization rules.

These customs duties average 1.5 percent, which is still quite low. But they can be higher in some sectors such as the crucial automotive sector where they are 10 percent.

"Should Britain crash out of the EU and fall back on WTO rules for a sustained period, (UK car) output is forecast to fall around 30 percent on recent levels to just 1.07 million units by 2021, a level consistent with the dark days of the mid-1980s," the SMMT said in a release.

Britain is due to leave the European Union on October 31 after two delays this year triggered by MPs rejecting the divorce deal British Prime Minister Theresa May has struck with the bloc.

The SMMT on Tuesday added that in the event of "a favourable deal and transition period maintaining the status quo, UK car production could be 1.36 million units in 2019, down from 1.52 million in 2018, before rising to 1.42 million by 2021".

The SMMT has long argued that no-deal would ramp up costs and hurt supply chains, while tariffs would undermine competitiveness and bite into profits.

"Despite the extension, the Brexit clock is still ticking and a devastating no-deal remains a threat," said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.

"This new period of limbo does not end the havoc for industry, with investment stopped and expensive factory shutdowns moved to avoid a Brexit deadline that has itself now moved."

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Japanese carmaker Nissan recently said it would stop production of Infiniti cars at its factory in Sunderland, northeast England, and cancel the plant's plans for the X-Trail SUV.

Japanese peer Honda has also curbed investment in Britain, and plans to close its UK car plant in southwest England in 2022 with 3,500 job losses.

At the same time however, Toyota is to build a new hybrid car in Britain for Japanese peer Suzuki.

Separately Tuesday, the SMMT revealed that British car production has tumbled for the tenth month in a row, hit also by China economic fears and dwindling demand for high-polluting diesel vehicles.

UK car production slumped 14 percent to 126,000 units in March compared with a year earlier.

- Switch to Slovakia -

Jaguar Land Rover on Tuesday announced that its "all-new Land Rover Defender will be assembled at its plant in Slovakia".

JLR added in a statement: "Designed and engineered in the UK, the new Land Rover Defender will be unveiled later this year.

"It will use the latest clean Ingenium engines built at Wolverhampton, England, reinforcing both the companyas British roots and the diversified, globalised nature of its manufacturing strategy.

"This decision is in parallel with plans for significant investment at the companyas Solihull plant in the UK to support the production of the next generation of flagship Range Rover and Land Rover models," JLR added.

It comes after the company owned by India's Tata Motors recently moved production of the Land Rover Discovery model to Slovakia -- and is in the process of axeing about 4,500 mostly UK jobs.
London (AFP) - Cross-party talks to resolve the Brexit crisis are reaching the end, Prime Minister Theresa May's government indicated Tuesday, with reports suggesting she wants a conclusion by the middle of next week.

Ministers held their latest talks on Monday with senior members of the main opposition Labour party.

They are seeking a way through the political deadlock over how to leave the European Union, which has forced Britain to twice delay its intended exit.

"There were serious and constructive discussions last night, and we will now look to hold further talks in the coming days," May's spokesman said.

"Further talks will now be scheduled in order to bring the process toward a conclusion," he added.

No announcements are expected this week due to local elections being held on Thursday, but the spokesman said progress must be made "as soon as possible".

Reports suggest the government is aiming to decide by the middle of next week if the talks will ever succeed, or if they should be abandoned.

May has said that if no deal is possible with Labour, she would ask MPs to vote on a series of possible options.

The House of Commons has three times rejected the divorce deal she struck with the EU in November, intended to ease Britain's split from its largest trading partner after four decades of membership.

But MPs have also been unable to agree on any alternative.

"There's a full understanding throughout cabinet and the government of the need to make progress," May's spokesman said, after a meeting of the cabinet.

The prime minister agreed with the EU earlier this month to delay Brexit until October 31 to find a way through the political impasse. It was originally scheduled for March 29.

However, May is still hopeful of getting her deal passed in the coming weeks to allow Britain to avoid holding European Parliament elections on May 23.

If that is not possible, she hopes to avoid any lawmakers elected in that poll having to take their seats.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. political chief warned Monday that the worsening Palestinian financial crisis poses a growing risk "of a financial collapse of the Palestinian Authority."

Rosemary DiCarlo told the U.N. Security Council that "a sustainable resolution" to the authority's funding crisis is urgently needed.

Israel is withholding about $11 million of the roughly $180 million a month in tax funds that it collects for the Palestinians, claiming that money was being used to support families of terrorists. The Palestinians, in protest, have refused to accept any of the tax transfers.

"Israel's so-called 'withholding' of Palestinian tax revenues is blatant theft, violating bilateral agreements and the Geneva Convention prohibition on the pillaging of the occupied people's resources," Riyad Mansour, the Palestinians' ambassador at the U.N., told the council.

Without the funds, the Palestinian Authority has cut most workers' salaries in half since March, though salaries will be raised to 60 percent this month because of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The lowest paid employees who earn less than $600 a month continue to get full pay, but most civil servants have higher salaries.

DiCarlo called on both sides to address the underlying causes of the financial crisis, implement their bilateral agreements, and avoid actions that undermine security and stability for both Palestinians and Israelis.

She also urged the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, which coordinates development aid to the Palestinians, to use its meeting Tuesday in Brussels to work with Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resolve the crisis.

In addition to the tax revenue, the Trump administration has cut hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for the Palestinians.

Last month, the head of the U.N. agency that helps 5.3 million Palestinian refugees called for equal generosity from donors who filled a $446 million hole in its budget last year after the U.S. drastically cut its contribution.

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Pierre Krahenbuhl said donors funded the U.N. Relief and Works Agency's $1.2 billion budget for 2018 after the U.S. reduced its $360 million contribution in 2017 to just $60 million.

He said the U.N. agency also adopted a $1.2 billion budget for 2019, and this year it is getting nothing from the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in January 2018 that the Palestinians must return to peace talks to receive U.S. aid money.

___

Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Los Angeles (AFP) - A US Army veteran who was allegedly plotting a large-scale terror attack near Los Angeles as revenge for the recent mass shootings in New Zealand has been arrested, authorities said Monday.

Mark Steven Domingo, 26, who had combat experience in Afghanistan and recently converted to Islam, faces federal terror-related charges for plotting mass casualties via a home-made bomb at a white nationalist rally in Long Beach this past weekend, officials said.

"This was a case in which law enforcement was able to identify a man consumed with hate and bent on mass murder, and stop him before he could carry out his attack," US Attorney Nick Hanna told reporters.

"Nevertheless, the criminal case outlines a chilling terrorism plot that developed over the past two months and targeted innocent Americans that he expected to gather this past weekend," he added.

Domingo was arrested Friday after receiving what he thought was a live bomb packed with nails that was delivered by an undercover agent.

According to court documents, Domingo expressed support in online posts and conversations with an FBI source for violent jihad and aspired to become a martyr by seeking retribution for attacks against Muslims.

After considering various options -- including targeting Jews, churches, and police officers -- Domingo decided to detonate an IED at the Long Beach rally, which ended up not taking place, authorities said.

- 'The taste of terror' -

"At times Mr Domingo said that he wanted to kill Jews as they walked to synagogue," Hanna said. "At other times he said he wanted to kill and target police officers, attack a military facility or attack crowds at the Santa Monica pier."

He added that Domingo, of Reseda, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, even considered killing a neighbor as a prelude to a much larger attack.

Domingo, who served in Afghanistan between September 2012 and January 2013, apparently began mulling carrying out a terror attack in early March and decided to move forward after the March 13 mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead.

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One message he posted to a private group online in early March referred to another mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017 that left 58 dead.

"America needs another Vegas event... that would give them the taste of terror they gladly spread all over the world," he said.

In another posting on March 14, a day after the New Zealand attacks, he wrote: "There were mosque shootings in New Zealand. There must be retribution."

Hanna said Domingo repeatedly spoke about becoming a martyr and vowed to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State terror group if it managed to set up a presence in the United States.

- Rise in hate -

After several weeks of plotting with an undercover FBI informant, Domingo finally set his sights on the rally in Long Beach and bought several hundred three-inch (7.6-centimeter) nails to be used as shrapnel inside a pressure cooker bomb, the complaint says.

He believed the nails would be effective "because they would be long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs."

He was arrested after an undercover officer handed him an inert device he thought was active and the pair traveled to the Long Beach park where the rally was set to take place to conduct surveillance.

"I'm extremely glad to be announcing that we interdicted a potential terrorist attack, rather than outlining the FBI's response to yet another tragedy," said Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.

"At no time was the public in danger and there is currently no known threat to public safety."

Domingo has been charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. He faces up to 15 years in prison on the charge.

He appeared in federal court on Monday and was ordered held without bail pending trial. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 31.

His arrest comes two days after a 19-year-old California man, John Earnest, was arrested for shooting dead one worshipper and wounding three others at a synagogue near San Diego.

Last year, the Anti-Defamation League, which combats anti-Semitism and discrimination, reported a 57 percent leap in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017, the sharpest yearly spike since the 1970s.
Minneapolis (AFP) - A US police officer who shot dead an Australian woman in 2017 was found guilty of murder Tuesday by a Minneapolis jury.

Mohamed Noor, 33, who was fired from the Midwestern city's police force, was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The jury, which was handed the case Monday after three weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses, acquitted the former officer of the most serious charge of second-degree murder with the intent to kill.

Noor was handcuffed and taken out of the courtroom in custody, according to US media reports.

Noor testified in court that he shot Justine Damond, an Australian who had moved to the US, to protect his partner, because he had feared an ambush when responding to Damond's emergency call.

But prosecutors insisted that the shooting was unreasonable and contrary to police department training policy.

Noor targeted Damond from the passenger seat of the police cruiser he was in with his partner, Matthew Harrity.

The 40-year-old victim, a yoga instructor, had approached the cruiser after calling 911 twice to report a possible rape in the dark alley behind her home. No such assault was ever found to have occurred.

Prosecutor Amy Sweasy countered that Noor violated Minneapolis police training policies -- and endangered the life of his partner and an eyewitness, a teenage cyclist.

"He pulled (the gun). He pointed, he aimed and he killed her," Sweasy said. "This is no accident. This is intentional murder."

Defense attorney Peter Wold told jurors the former officer was heartbroken over the shooting.

Noor testified that he believed there was an imminent threat after he saw a cyclist stop near the police cruiser, heard a loud bang and saw Harrity's "reaction to the person on the driver's side raising her right arm."

Noor added that when he reached from the cruiser's passenger seat and shot Damond through the driver's side window, it was because he thought his partner "would have been killed."

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He said that after Damond approached the cruiser, his partner screamed "Oh, Jesus!" and began fumbling to unholster his gun.

Then, Noor said he saw a blonde woman wearing a pink T-shirt raising her right arm at the driver's window, identified her as a threat and fired.

Damond had moved to the Midwestern city to marry her American fiancee Don Damond. She had changed her name from her maiden name Ruszczyk.
Trump said the US never paid $2 million medical bill to North Korea to secure the June 2017 release - Bloomberg

The former US diplomat who negotiated the release of Otto Warmbier from North Korea in 2017 has said the administration of President Donald Trump should honour the promise it made to pay $2 million for his freedom.

In an interview with CNN, Joseph Yun, who was US special representative for North Korea affairs in the summer of 2017, said North Korea demanded $2 million for Mr Warmbiers medical care after he was arrested in January 2016 for attempting to steal a propaganda poster from a hotel in Pyongyang.

Sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years, North Korea claims that 22-year-old Mr Warmbier fell into a coma the same day, although they only informed the US of his condition 15 months later.

Tasked with winning the release of the University of Virginia student, Mr Yun said, As soon as the North Korean side told me that his bill for $2 million would have to be paid, of course, I contacted my boss, then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to ask him.

And he got back to me very quickly thereafter to say Yes, go ahead and sign.

Mr Yun said he understood that Mr Tillerson had passed the request on to President Trump, who had approved the deal.

Otto Frederick Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who was detained in North Korea Credit: Kyodo/Reuters

Mr Warmbier was evacuated and arrived in Cincinnati on June 13, 2017, with doctors assessing that he was in a vegetative state. He died nine days later.

North Korean doctors insist Mr Warmbier had contracted botulism. US physicians did not conduct an autopsy, at the request of his family, but detected extensive loss of brain tissue consistent with a cardiopulmonary event brought on by a lack of oxygen.

Mr Trump was quick to deny that the US paid for Mr Warmbiers release, declaring on April 26, We did not pay money for our great Otto. There was no money paid. There was a fake news report that money was paid. Ive never paid any money for a hostage that Ive gotten out.

Former US Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Joseph Yun Credit: Shizuo Kambayashi/AP

That position was echoed on Sunday by John Bolton, the US national security advisor.

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It is very clear to me from looking into it in the past few days that nobody was paid, Mr Bolton told Fox News. That is clear.

Leonid Petrov, head of postgraduate studies at the International College of Management in Sydney and the former chair of Korean Studies at the Institut dEtudes Politiques de Paris, says Washingtons refusal to keep its word endangers its reputation with enemies and allies alike.

Something like this acts as a major dissuading factor for any government that is involved in any sort of negotiations with this US administration, he told The Telegraph. The lesson for governments around the world is that you should not go into a deal with the US because you just cannot trust them.

Of course there are those who will say that Washington cannot pay them because the money will go on Pyongyangs nuclear weapons or missiles, but then they should not have made the deal.

If they promised to pay the $2 million, then they have a moral obligation to honour that promise, he added.

In discussions over the abolition of North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes, Washington has promised to provide aid and economic assistance as soon as the government of Kim Jong-un carries out the complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement of its weapons of mass destruction capabilities.
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Tuesday said it was monitoring developments in Venezuela but suggested no role in the unfolding events, as armed factions opposing and supporting President Nicolas Maduro clashed at a protest outside a Caracas air base.

"We are monitoring the recent developments in Venezuela closely and are in close contact with our interagency partners and senior chain of command. At the present time, U.S. Southern Command's mission remains unchanged," said Colonel Armando Hernandez, a spokesman at the U.S. military's Southern Command, which oversees U.S. forces in Latin America. (Reporting by Phil Stewart Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
An early gut-check moment for Bernie Sanders. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The surge in polling results for Joe Biden after officially announcing his 2020 campaign represents a big surprise to those of us in the chattering class who thought his earlier poll numbers were a tad inflated, and/or thought his mishandling of communications with Anita Hill had stepped on his launch in a damaging manner. It looks like hes doing fine at present.

As my colleague Eric Levitz observed, the new polls are particularly unwelcome news to two candidates with earlier booms in support who expected to cut into Bidens support: Kamala Harris and Beto ORourke, who, as Levitz put it, have fizzled faster than pop rocks. In a new national poll from CNN, Biden has leapt 11 points and leads the field with 39 percent, while ORourke is at 6 percent and Harris has dropped all the way to a shocking 5 percent. Similarly, Quinnipiac shows Biden gaining nine points since its last survey, placing him at 38 percent, with Harris staying even at 8 percent and ORourke dropping from 12 percent to a mere 5 percent. Morning Consults weekly tracking poll gives Biden a six-point boost to 36 percent among likely voters, with Harris and ORourke now fifth and sixth, respectively, and in the mid-single digits. Pete Buttigieg is still doing pretty well with 7 percent in the CNN survey, 10 percent at Q-Pac, and 8 percent at Morning Consult. And Elizabeth Warren is suddenly in third place in the CNN and Morning Consult polls and in second place per Quinnipiac.

Aside from Harris and ORourke, the candidate who should be most alarmed by these and other findings is Bernie Sanders. Biden and Sanders were often viewed as co-front-runners; now Bidens opening up a substantial lead on him in national polls. Even worse, a new Boston Globe/Suffolk poll of New Hampshire shows Biden leading Sanders there 20/12, with Mayor Pete tied with Bernie in second place. New Hampshire was generally assumed to be Sanders Country, in no small part because he trounced Hillary Clinton there (by a 60/38 margin) in 2016. Its as close to a must-win state for Sanders as you could identify.

Beyond the numbers, the dynamics of this still-very-early race could be changing in dangerous ways for Sanders. The constant pounding Biden received over his past positions and inappropriate touching of women in the weeks before he joined the contest called into question his positioning as a consensus or unity candidate who might either overwhelm the field or gain strength late in the contest if no one else emerged as a star. Now Biden seems to have gotten some of that mojo back, which could paint Sanders into a factional corner as the candidate of progressive young voters but not much of anyone else. It has been an important token of Bidens party-unifying potential that hes consistently been (according to Morning Consult) the top second choice of Sanders supporters. This may well help explain why Sanders is very quickly differentiating his record on certain hot-button issues from that of the former veep, as CNN reports:

Sen. Bernie Sanders compared his record with Joe Bidens on trade and foreign policy on Monday, attempting to draw sharp contrasts between himself and the former vice president as the two lead the Democratic presidential pack 

I think when people take a look at my record versus Vice President Bidens record  I helped lead the fight against (North American Free Trade Agreement); he voted for NAFTA, Sanders said on Anderson Cooper 360.

I helped lead the fight against (permanent normal trade relations) with China; he voted for it. I strongly opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership; he supported it. I voted against the war in Iraq; he voted for it.

Aside from drawing attention to his own positions that were and are popular among progressives, Sanders is trying to depict Biden as the candidate of the centrist Democrats whose power in the party has steadily declined after Hillary Clintons shocking 2016 loss to Trump.

But Warrens upward movement in the polls should be equally troubling to Sanders, since she entered the contest as the primary challenger to her Vermont colleague for the mantle of progressive, anti-corporate champion. For a while, it looked like the puzzling, likely sexist undervaluing of Warren in public opinion polls would doom her candidacy. And her support now is only rising gradually; shes taking advantage of a fall-off in support for others, including the aforementioned Harris and ORourke. But whether its attributable to the grudging, party-wide respect shes gained for her policy portfolio, or a reaction to her post-Mueller shift to support impeachment (which Bernie Sanders most definitely still opposes), shes back in the thick of the contest. Given her heavy investment in early-state organizational efforts (especially in Iowa), she could be ready to make some serious waves, beginning with the upcoming candidate debates.

Obviously Bernie Sanders has some enduring assets that will keep his candidacy formidable through thick and thin: his own solid organization, his unequaled small-dollar fundraising prowess, and a core of supporters who wont defect no matter what. His own coalition-building powers shouldnt be underestimated, either: Hes the second choice of both Biden and Warren supporters in that Morning Consult tracking poll.

The next phase of the invisible primary preceding the actual voting events next year will involve some intensive repositioning and sharpening (if still civil) competition.
Top American negotiators arrived in Beijing on Tuesday hoping for progress in a new round of talks with Chinese counterparts as they home in on a deal to end a months-long trade war.

The US side indicated before their trip that China's massive industrial subsidies would be a top issue as the world's two leading economies seek to resolve a dispute that has included bruising tit-for-tat tariffs on $360 billion worth of goods.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are leading the US side for this week's 10th round of high-level negotiations, with Vice Premier Liu He representing Beijing.

Liu is then expected to travel to Washington on May 8 to continue the negotiations.

"We hope to make substantial progress in these two meetings," Mnuchin told reporters at his hotel in Beijing ahead of the talks.

Mnuchin declined to say what would be discussed but he told the New York Times that the talks would continue to focus on China's practise of subsidising industries.

Last week President Xi Jinping vowed to abolish unreasonable subsidies to Chinese firms, addressing the key US demand head on.

"We will overhaul and abolish unjustified regulations, subsidies and practises that impede fair competition and distort the market," Xi told world leaders at a summit in Beijing on his signature Belt and Road global infrastructure project.

Xi's decision to raise the contentious issue in front of an international audience was significant, according to observers.

"It being mentioned in that forum at that level may foreshadow reforms resulting from US-China trade talks, allowing Beijing to frame such outcomes as steps forward for the Chinese economy rather than concessions to Washington," said Jacob Parker, vice president of the US-China Business Council.

Beijing's state subsidies are part and parcel of its industrial policy and experts say policymakers are unlikely to give up their goals of developing commercial aircraft and semi-conductor industries, or other strategic areas seen as key to China's future.

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China's State Council, its cabinet, has in recent months returned repeatedly to the idea of competitive neutrality, meaning equal treatment for private and state-owned businesses, and domestic and multinational firms.

"Some subsidies have been stopped, and I believe the principle of competitive neutrality will be implemented in all aspects in the future," said economist Cui Fan of the University of International Business and Economics.

A new foreign investment law guaranteed foreign-invested firms equal access to state aid programmes, he noted.

The United States and the European Union have long complained that China has created an uneven playing field by heavily subsidising Chinese firms, while erecting hurdles for foreign companies seeking to tap the Asian power's vast market.

China's subsidies are highly opaque, with the local and central governments and a variety of different agencies all doling out grants to support firms in favoured industries.

The US's main goal "would be to list out all subsidies that are received domestically within China today," Parker said.

"Transparency, equal access for foreign companies, and enforcement of that transparency is probably the key," he said.
Washington (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday urged Russia to abide by its commitments and end an "escalation" in Syria's northwestern Idlib region after a monitor said air strikes killed 10 civilians.

"The violence must end. The United States reiterates that any escalation in violence in northwest Syria will result in the destabilization of the region," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

"We call on all parties, including Russia and the Syrian regime, to abide by their commitments to avoid large-scale military offensives, return to a de-escalation of violence in the area, and allow for unhindered humanitarian access to address the humanitarian disaster created by the ongoing violence," she said.

Idlib is under the control of a former al-Qaeda affiliate in one of the last areas that President Bashar al-Assad has not taken back in his ruthless, Russian-backed campaign to crush an uprising against his rule.

Russia and Turkey, which backs Syria's rebels, in September agreed to a buffer zone to prevent a potentially devastating offensive in Idlib and nearby regions which are home to some three million people.

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Friday reported Russian air strikes in two towns that killed 10 people, including a boy and a girl.

The monitor also blamed Moscow and Damascus for shelling of a medical center, which the UN humanitarian office called "completely unacceptable."

Violence has separately flared in Aleppo province, where the monitor said that jihadist groups killed at least 22 Syrian government troops and militiamen on Saturday.
By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Tuesday denied there was a military coup attempt underway to oust President Nicolas Maduro and accused opposition leader Juan Guaido of operating under orders from Washington. Guaido called for a military uprising and armed factions exchanged gunfire outside a Caracas air base on Tuesday, although the incident fizzled out and did not appear to be part of an immediate attempt by the opposition to take power through military force. "It is not a coup attempt from the military. This is directly planned in Washington, in the Pentagon and Department of State, and by Bolton," Arreaza told Reuters in a phone interview from Caracas, referring to U.S. national security adviser John Bolton. "They are leading this coup and giving orders to this man (Juan) Guaido," he said. The latest violence comes after a months-long political standoff between Maduro, backed by Russia, China and Cuba, and Guaido, who is recognized by the United States and about 50 other nations as the country's interim president. Arreaza said Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was in full control of the country with the backing of the military. "He is in his place of command as always, and he is in control of the situation. He is making government decisions every day," said Arreaza, adding that he had spoken to Maduro four or five times on Tuesday. Asked why Maduro had not been seen in public on Tuesday, Arreaza said: "You will see President Maduro with his people in Miraflores (presidential palace) sooner (rather) than later." He estimated that around 30 or fewer members of the military had sided with Guaido, who was accompanied at a rally in Caracas with several dozen armed troops. "This is 30 out of about 200,000, so it is almost nothing," he added. Maduro has called Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. Washington has imposed sanctions to try to dislodge Maduro. Arreaza, who was himself targeted with sanctions by Washington last week, said the Venezuelan government would act to maintain peace and security. "We are not threatening anyone with the use of violence. It's the United States, it's the opposition," said Arreaza, who is married to the eldest daughter of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's former president who died in 2013 of cancer. Arreaza said he had spoken to representatives from countries in the region and in Europe who were concerned about the situation and urged dialogue. He declined to name the countries, adding that the government was open to dialogue. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Jonathan Oatis)
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has claimed to have begun the final phase of his plan to oust Nicolas Maduro, calling on the public and the military to back him to end the presidents usurpation.

In a video posted on his Twitter account, Mr Guaido was seen surrounded by armed men in military uniform as he declared: "The moment is now."

He added: "The national armed forces have taken the correct decision, and they are counting on the support of the Venezuelan people."

A Reuters journalist later saw Mr Guaido near the La Carlota air force base in Caracas, surrounded by a group of men in uniform. Opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, who has been under house arrest since 2014, also appeared in the video and said he had been freed by the military.

Venezuelan information minister Jorge Rodriguez tweeted that the government was confronting a small group of "military traitors" seeking to promote a coup.

In January Mr Guaido, the leader of Venezuelas opposition-controlled National Assembly invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduros re-election in 2018 was illegitimate.

He has been travelling outside the capital, Caracas, more and more in recent weeks to try to put pressure on Mr Maduro to step down.

Protests are planned for Wednesday, including what Mr Guaido has said will be the largest march in Venezuelas history and part of what he calls the definitive phase of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.

Mr Maduro has accused Mr Guaido of being a US-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. The government has arrested Mr Guaidos top aide, stripped him of his parliamentary immunity and opened multiple probes. It has also barred him from leaving the country, a ban Mr Guaido openly violated earlier this year.

Last week, the opposition leader said his congressional ally Gilber Caro had been detained and 11 members of his team had been summoned to appear before the Sebin intelligence agency.
He sends mixed messages to extremists. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Intelligencer staffers Jonathan Chait, Benjamin Hart, and Eric Levitz talk about the Republican hesitance to reckon with white nationalism.

Ben: Jon, you wrote today that beyond President Trump, a certain softness about white-supremacist terror is official Republican doctrine. We know that Trumps rhetoric and ideas align quite nicely with those of white nationalists, but this weekend we also saw a prominent congressman (Dan Crenshaw) and senator (Ted Cruz) using the Trumpian strategy of going after the left in the wake of the California synagogue shooting, as if to deflect any responsibility the party might bear here. Is the modern-day GOP simply incapable of acknowledging a possible link between its drift into nativism and intolerance and violent incidents in the real world?

Jon: Yes, I think the modern right is incapable of conceding any error of ideological excess whatsoever. That is, to the extent they can engage in self-criticism, its restricted to we lost our way, i.e., spent too much, failed to uphold the sacred doctrine with enough rigor, etc. They can denounce white-supremacist terror, but cannot connect it to conservative politics or action.

Eric: I think it also is incapable in a more concrete sense: Stoking panic about immigration-fueled demographic change is now the partys primary base-mobilization strategy.

Fox News guests accuse the Democrats of trying to orchestrate an invasion of Central American immigrants, so as to permanently wrest power from the white majority, on a regular basis. Trump has personally referenced this idea several times. One of his former advisers wrote a highbrow essay on similar themes during the 2016 election. The distinction between Democrats like George Soros are trying to make it impossible for real Americans to rule this country democratically by flooding it with immigrants and Jews like George Soros are trying to make it impossible for white Americans to rule this country democratically by flooding it with immigrants isnt that big.

Ben: Do you feel that Democrats, and those on the left generally, are being too timid in making a connection between extremist violence and right-wing politics?

Jon: As a matter of political strategy? Or the moral need to speak out?

Ben: Both!

Jon: Morally, Im not sure if its helpful to the cause to connect it to conservative politics  that might simply drive more conservatives toward white-supremacist subcultures via polarization. Politically, Im also unsure. Chats always bring out my lukewarm takes.

Ben: Haha.

Eric: I mean, I think spotlighting the fact that the president and his allies are propagating a demonstrably false conspiracy theory  which white-nationalist terrorists subscribe to with only minor revisions  seems worthwhile. You dont need to claim that favoring restrictive immigration policies or supporting Trump is indistinguishable from white nationalism. But I dont really see the moral or political problem with loudly condemning the president for telling lies that white nationalists believe. The equation is between a mendacious messaging technique and white-nationalist orthodoxy, not between all of conservatism and the latter.

Jon: I think theres political value in making white-supremacist violence a Republican problem they feel pressured to answer for, which could in theory force them to take more responsible positions.

Ben: Though, to be fair, this latest shooter disliked Trump, as did the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter. Its easy to imagine Republicans spinning the incoherence of these peoples positions into Look, theyre crazy and theres nothing we can do.

Jon: Thats also their position on Trump.

Eric: To me, the answer is the message: Saying that George Soros is trying to steal elections for Democrats by orchestrating migrant caravans was indefensible before these shootings happened. But maybe now you can see why these lies are even more indefensible than those Trump typically tells, and will thus do something about it.

Last week, Glenn Beck went on Sean Hannitys show and literally accused a specific religious institution of working with Soros to ship migrants across the border. It wasnt a Jewish one. But I personally dont want white nationalists killing people of any faith to make America great again.

Ben: Controversial take from Eric.

Jon: Yeah, thats not the official editorial line here at New York, but we let our writers express idiosyncratic opinions.

Ben: The new right-wing playbook seems to be to blame IIhan Omar for all of the countrys intolerance. Our colleague Sarah Jones has argued that Democrats have not done a good job defending her from attacks that are increasingly untethered from reality. Have they unwittingly created an opening for conservatives to exploit when they want to distract people from their own possible complicity?

Eric: I think that opening would exist either way.

Jon: I agree, and the issue is that Sarah and I dont agree on whether Omars comments merited a defense or not.

Eric: Well, I think we all agree that the Democrats did a shamefully poor job of defending her against the 9/11 smear.

Jon: Yes.

Ben: But ultimately, Republicans will find a way to deflect blame and attack the left. If weve learned nothing else, weve learned that.

Jon: The Republicans just have a larger and more effective partisan message machine, so they can exploit that in almost every opportunity, including making a relatively small problem like Omars anti-Semitism seem larger than a huge problem  the Republican Partys rampant bigotry.

Eric: Its crazy that they dont even need to deflect from their intransigence on gun control anymore, or at least in this context. In addition to spreading hateful conspiracy theories that white-nationalist terrorists believe in, they are also doing their darnedest to ensure that said terrorists have access to AR-15s. But the New York Times did a bad cartoon, so the left should feel pretty ashamed of itself right now.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was prepared to flee Venezuela amid an uprising by opposition forces but changed his mind at the last minute after Russian officials persuaded him to stay.

He had an airplane on the tarmac, he was ready to leave this morning as we understand it and the Russians indicated he should stay, Pompeo told CNN on Tuesday evening. He said Maduro was headed to Cuba, a close ally of the Venezuelan socialist leader.

Pompeo's surprise announcement came amid heightened tensions and civil unrest in Venezuela, with officials loyal to Maduro accusing opposition leader Juan Guaido of trying to orchestrate a "coup." Early Tuesday morning, Guaido called for a popular uprising and claimed he had the support of the military.

In a video message, Guaido said he began the final phase of his plan to oust Maduro, and he called on the military to support him in his bid to end Maduros usurpation.

Guaido's move could be a make-or-break moment in the long-simmering struggle for power in Venezuela. The potential for violence and chaos is extremely high.

Tuesday afternoon, John Bolton, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, called for a peaceful transition of power from Maduro to Guaido. And Trump called on pro-Maduro Cuban security forces to leave Venezuela, threatening sanctions against the Cuban government if it continued to support the Venezuelan leader.

The moment is now, Guaido said in the three-minute video made at a Caracas air base, where he was surrounded by soldiers and accompanied by activist Leopoldo Lopez, his political mentor.

Lopez had been under house arrest, but he said Tuesday that military officials freed him and allowed him to join Guaido.

"I have been released by the military to the order of the constitution and of President Guaido. I'm at the La Carlota Base," Lopez tweeted. "All to mobilize."

Jorge Rodriguez, Venezuela's information minister, declared that Maduro's forces were "confronting and deactivating a small group of traitor military personnel" who were at a military base to "promote a coup d'etat."

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In a message on Twitter, Rodriguez predicted the uprising would be quashed. "We call on the people to stay on high alert, along with the glorious Bolivarian National armed forces, to defeat the coup attempt and preserve the peace," he said. "We will win."

Venezuelas socialist party leader, Diosdado Cabello, called on government supporters to gather at the presidential palace to defend Maduro from what he called a small uprising of military soldiers backed by the United States.

Guaido has staunch support from the Trump administration in his bid to oust Maduro, and top U.S. officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, voiced support for Guaido's move to oust Maduro.

European Union: Solution is 'free and fair elections' to end standoff in Venezuela

"This is obviously a very serious situation," Bolton said at the White House. "The president has been monitoring it minute by minute throughout the day."

Bolton called on several top Maduro regime officials to throw their allegiance to the opposition, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and the chief justice of Venezuela's Supreme Court, Maikel Jose Moreno Perez.

They "all agreed that Maduro had to go," Bolton said. "They need to be able to act this afternoon or this evening to help bring other military forces to the side of the interim president."

Asked whether Trump contemplated military intervention, Bolton said, "All options remain on the table. Im simply not going to be more specific to that."

It would be "a big mistake," he said, for Maduro to use force against civilians.

Trump took aim at Cuba's role in supporting the Maduro regime via Twitter on Tuesday evening. The president threatened he would impose a "full and complete embargo" and the "highest-level sanctions" on Cuba if the country's police and security forces didn't withdraw.

"If Cuban Troops and Militia do not immediately CEASE military and other operations for the purpose of causing death and destruction to the Constitution of Venezuela, a full and complete ... embargo, together with highest-level sanctions, will be placed on the island of Cuba. Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!" Trump tweeted in a pair of posts.

Venezuela experts said it was a pivotal moment for the country and could lead to either greater democracy or greater repression.

"This is either the beginning of the end of the regime, if it goes well," said Cynthia Arnson, director of the Latin American Program at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank. "And if it goes poorly, then Guaido and all other members of the opposition are going to have to go into hiding or risk mass arrest."

Trump has already tightened the U.S. embargo on Cuba and taken an array of other punitive steps against the Communist island nation.

Opponents to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, behind and left, scuffle with a Bolivarian National Guard officer who is loyal to President Nicolas Maduro during clashes with rebel soldiers and anti-government protesters outside La Carlota military airbase in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan GuaidA and jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez took to the streets with a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust Maduro. (AP Photo/Boris Vergara)

This was a hail mary by Guaido, a last-ditch effort to pull the opposition out of a stalemate, said Alejandro Velasco, executive editor of the North American Congress on Latin America.

Velasco predicted more violence in a country that since 2016 has faced economic collapse, mass displacement, health crises and growing violence and unrest.

Maintaining order: Venezuelan President Maduro often uses 'colectivos' rather than military to maintain order

There is going to be pretty significant crackdowns, he said. It remains unclear how much support Guaido actually has.

Moises Rendon, a Latin America analyst with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, agreed Venezuela is at a potential turning point.

If this doesnt work out, I dont think there will be more chances for a nonviolent constitutional attempt to restore democracy, he said. Rendon said he is not optimistic for a good outcome, given past efforts to substitute a military government for a democratic one.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., called on Trump to send U.S. military forces to the region to support Guaido.

President Trump should immediately position American military assets to be ready to deliver aid to the people and defend freedom and democracy as well as U.S. national security interests in our hemisphere," Scott said in a statement Friday. "Guaido and the people of Venezuela have taken this critical step. We cannot abandon them. Inaction is not an option."

An anti-government protester walks near a bus that was set on fire by opponents of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro during clashes between rebel and loyalist soldiers in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan GuaidA took to the streets with a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust Maduro. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., an ardent Maduro critic, said theres no need to dispatch U.S. troops to support Guaido right now.

He hasnt asked for that yet, said Rubio, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Obviously, the U.S. always retains options to act in its national security. But right now, whats happening in Venezuela is that the rightful constitutional interim president of Venezuela  has assumed his role as commander in chief. And any security forces that are not aligned with that are operating outside the law and are unconstitutional.

Trump has denounced Maduro as illegitimate, and his administration slapped a series of crippling sanctions on his regime in an effort to squeeze the socialist leader from power.

An uprising member of the Bolivarian National Guard gestures outside La Carlota air base in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido appeared in a video with a small contingent of armed soldiers and formerly detained opposition activist Leopoldo Lopez calling for Venezuelans to take to the streets to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Under Maduro's rule, Venezuela has suffered from a severe economic crisis, including rampant inflation and shortages of food and medicine. Opposition leaders in Venezuela said his re-election last May was rife with irregularities; some opposition candidates were barred from running.

Arnson said the Maduro-Guaido showdown could worsen an already difficult situation for the Venezuelan people.

"Conditions inside the country resemble that of a country at war," she said. "The country has already been suffering dramatic shortages of food, medicine (and) continued blackouts of electricity that affect the availability of running water. ... So the desire for change is very high."

Given that backdrop, she said, Maduro will have a hard time reasserting control over the government.

Venezuela has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, logging more than 23,000 violent deaths in 2018 and 26,000 in 2017, according to the Venezuelan Observatory for Violence.

As Maduros power has slipped, his use of force has become more violent. He turned to colectivos, violent motorcycle gangs, to squash opposition. Though Guaido made bids to gain the allegiances of the forces, he has largely failed to do so.

The government realized that the colectivos are just this unharnessed force that can go out and tackle whatever problem is presented," Velasco said. Whether that be a protest or something else.

The prospect of violence has driven millions from the country.

Mario Osneiber Torres Gonzalez was one of them. He fled to Medellin, Colombia, in March with his family, saying he was terrified of surges in violence he saw in his country.

I've seen houses of my neighbors broken into and robbed, Torres Gonzalez said.

An opponent to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro returns a tear gas canister to soldiers who launched it at a small group of civilians and rebel troops gathered outside La Carlota air base in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan GuaidA took to the streets with activist Leopoldo Lopez and a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

The 46-year-old migrant had planned to flee the country for more than a year but hesitated to leave his business, his home and his entire family behind in Venezuela. In early March, as tensions surged and his country fell into a string of devastating blackouts, he departed.

I've seen people who have been assaulted in armed robberies where they take whatever they want. It could be something as small as a shoe or as expensive as a phone, he said.

Shesgreen reported from Washington, and Janetsky reported from Medellin, Colombia.

Contributing: David Jackson and The Associated Press

More: Liberal activists occupy Venezuelan Embassy in Washington to oppose Trump policy

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Officials for Venezuelan President Maduro say government fighting 'coup' as opposition calls for uprising
Caracas (AFP) - Demonstrators clashed with police on the streets of the Venezuelan capital Tuesday, spurred by opposition leader Juan Guaido's call on the military to rise up against President Nicolas Maduro -- who said he had defeated an attempted coup.

An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support disintegrated into rioting as palls of black smoke rose over eastern Caracas.

Tuesday evening, Maduro declared victory over the uprising -- congratulating the armed forces for having "defeated this small group that intended to spread violence through putschist skirmishes."

"This will not go unpunished," Maduro said in an address broadcast on television and the radio.

"(Prosecutors) will launch criminal prosecutions for the serious crimes that have been committed against the constitution, the rule of law and the right to peace."

Guaido had been immediately backed by the United States, where President Donald Trump said in a tweet Washington was standing behind the Venezuelan people and their "freedom."

He rallied his supporters with an early morning video message that showed him -- for the first time -- with armed troops he said had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Maduro.

The 35-year-old National Assembly leader was filmed outside the La Carlota air base, where he asked the armed forces inside to join him.

The video had the extra shock value of featuring key opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez at his side, saying soldiers had released him from years of house arrest.

Guaido claimed the move was the "beginning of the end" of Maduro's regime, and there was "no turning back."

"We showed there are soldiers willing to defend the constitution, and there are many more," he said in a video message Tuesday.

The opposition plans to hold a massive May Day protest in Caracas, where Maduro will also lead a rival rally.

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- 'Nerves of steel' -

Thousands of opposition supporters flocked onto a highway near the air base, many waving Venezuelan flags, but they were met with gunfire and tear-gas fired by soldiers at the compound's perimeter.

Lopez later entered the Chilean embassy with his wife and one of his children to claim asylum, before moving to the Spanish embassy, Chile's Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero announced in Santiago.

Soldiers backing Guaido wore blue armbands to demonstrate their allegiance to the opposition leader -- recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries -- but there appeared to be few of them.

Brazil said later a number of Venezuelan troops had sought asylum at its Caracas embassy. Brazilian media put that number at 25.

But Maduro had called on his forces to show "nerves of steel" and troops in riot gear, backed by armored vehicles and water tankers, lined up against the demonstrators.

Several vehicles plowed into the crowd, injuring some of the protesters. Rioters later blocked the highway with a bus and set it on fire.

A plume of black smoke rose from an area near a helicopter hangar on the base, where demonstrators who briefly managed to enter were pushed back.

As United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to all sides to avoid violence, Venezuela's army chief and defense minister, General Vladimir Padrino issued a stark warning of possible "bloodshed" -- adding that he would hold the opposition responsible.

He later said an army colonel had received a bullet wound to the neck during the clashes in Caracas.

Health officials said 69 people were injured, including two from bullet wounds.

Elsewhere, human rights NGO Provea denounced the death of a demonstrator in northern Aragua state.

The US, meanwhile, called on the military to protect the people and support "legitimate institutions" including the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN he believed Maduro was ready to flee to ally Cuba before he was dissuaded by Russia -- a claimed Maduro later refuted.

Speaking late Tuesday to business executives in Washington, Pompeo voiced hope that Maduro would still choose exile in the coming days.

"I must say, there will be another sunrise tomorrow. The opportunity for Venezuelan democracy, I am confident, will remain," Pompeo said.

Moscow, Maduro's main backer and creditor alongside China, accused Guaido of "fueling conflict" in the oil-rich country.

Maduro's leftist Latin American allies Bolivia and Cuba also condemned Guaido.

Trump threatened a "full and complete embargo" and tougher sanctions against Cuba if it does not end military support for Venezuela.

Late Tuesday, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice banning US airlines from flying below an altitude of 26,000 feet (7,000 meters) in Venezuelan airspace. It also said any operators currently in Venezuela should leave within 48 hours.

Pro- and anti-Maduro demonstrations were held outside the Venezuelan embassies in several Latin American and European capitals.

Internet observatory NetBlocks reported that "multiple internet services" were restricted in Venezuela following Guaido's appeal.

- 'Definitive phase' -

The government suspended broadcasts from BBC Mundo, CNN International and a Caracas radio station, local media and the National Union of Press Workers said.

The Lima Group of mostly Latin American countries announced an emergency meeting in Lima on Friday to discuss the crisis.

Tensions in Venezuela have been ratcheted up to a critical level this year, after Guaido announced on January 23 that he was the acting president under the constitution. He said Maduro had been fraudulently re-elected last year.

Although Trump has repeatedly said "all options" are on the table regarding Venezuela -- including, implicitly, military action -- there has been no noticeable US military mobilization.

Instead, Washington has upped the economic pressure, through sanctions aimed at Maduro's regime and by cutting sales of Venezuelan oil -- its main revenue earner.

burs-ska/mtp
CARACAS, April 30 (Reuters) - Venezuela's government is confronting a small group of "military traitors" that are seeking to promote a coup, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Tuesday on Twitter.

A Reuters journalist saw opposition leader Juan Guaido standing near an air force base in Caracas surrounded by a group of men in uniform.
Madrid (AFP) - Hundreds of Venezuelans rallied in central Madrid late Tuesday in support of their country's self-proclaimed leader Juan Guaido, as riots broke out in faraway Caracas.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government have vowed to put down what they see as an attempted coup by the US-based opposition leader.

But as police fired tear gas at the crowds in Caracas, around 300 people gathered in the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid in support of the 35-year-old National Assembly leader, waving Venezuelan flags and brandishing banners with slogans such as "Maduro is destroying Venezuela".

"This isn't a state coup," a former mayor of Caracas and opposition politician, Antonio Ledezma, told the small crowd in the Spanish capital, which included Venezuelan opposition figures, as well as officials from Spain's conservative Popular Party and centre-right Ciudadanos.

A spokeswoman for the Spanish government had earlier said Madrid "strongly hope(d) that there will be no bloodshed" in Venezuela.

Spokeswoman Isabel Celaa called for "democratic elections" and said Madrid supports a "peaceful" outcome to the Venezuela crisis.

Spain has thrown its support behind Guaido, whom it recognises as interim leader of economically-strapped Venezuela over President Nicolas Maduro.

Separately, Air France on Tuesday said that a passenger plane en route to Caracas was returned to Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport due to "events in Venezuela".

"After analysing the situation, it was decided that flight AF368 should return to Paris-Charles de Gaulle," said an airline spokesman, adding that it was "monitoring the situation in real time" and would inform passengers of any future flight changes.
Life will soon be getting even worse for asylum-seeking migrants. Photo: PAUL RATJE/AFP/Getty Images

The harder line on asylum-seeking migrants the president signaled in firing DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other key immigration officials is taking shape. A new Trump memo to acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan and Attorney General William Barr calls for an array of efforts to make life miserable for migrant applicants, as the New York Times reports:

President Trump on Monday ordered new restrictions on asylum seekers at the Mexican border  including application fees and work permit restraints  and directed that cases in the already clogged immigration courts be settled within 180 days.

That these steps represent petty harassment of migrants to impress Trumps immigration-focused political base is pretty clear, notes the Washington Post:

The order, announced in a presidential memorandum, comes as the president is seeking to mobilize his supporters with a focus on illegal immigration ahead of his 2020 reelection campaign.

If the Democrats dont give us the votes to change our weak, ineffective and dangerous Immigration Laws, we must fight hard for these votes in the 2020 Election! the president wrote on Twitter after the White House published his order.

The administration seems to be testing the tolerance of the federal judges for actions that generally usurp congressional authority over immigration policy, often under the rubric of Trumps controversial national emergency declaration in March. As Politico notes, theres a lot of improvisation going on:

The Trump administration has experimented with a range of policies to discourage the arrival of Central American families and children at the border, but without much discernible success. Federal courts have sidelined several high-profile initiatives, including an attempt late last year to block migrants who cross between ports of entry from seeking asylum.

Its not clear how high the new fees will be, or whether there will be waivers available for the often-destitute migrants fleeing violence and extreme poverty. Prohibiting these people from seeking work while they are awaiting adjudication of their applications for asylum will also impose real-life hardships, particularly on dependent family members. And theres no way the new deadlines for adjudication of petitions in immigration court are going to work without miscarriages of justice, as the Times observes:

The memo did not make clear how the plans would be carried out in immigration courts. More than 800,000 cases are pending, with an average wait time of almost two years. The Trump administration added to that backlog when it directed immigration authorities to reopen thousands of nonviolent removal cases.

Despite the deliberately enhanced pain and chaos the administration is encouraging, its not at all clear these tactics will reduce the migrant flow; last month 103,000 migrants crossed the southern border, the highest number in more than a decade. The one thing Trump has accomplished, though, is to self-fulfill his claims of a border crisis. As the latest ABC-Washington Post poll shows, the percentage of Democrats calling the situation a crisis has risen from 7 percent at the beginning of the year to 24 percent now, though 27 percent still say its not a serious problem. Self-identified independents are somewhat more likely be to alarmed by the border issue, but Republicas  56 percent of whom say theres a crisis  are still driving the trend.

So Trump will probably succeed in making immigration a major 2020 campaign issue, though his ability to do anything more than frighten Americans and inflict pain on those hoping to become Americans remains in serious doubt.
Virgin Australia said on Tuesday it had delayed delivery of its order of 48 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft over safety concerns, following two deadly crashes.

The 737 MAX has been grounded worldwide since mid-March following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight and an earlier Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed a total of 346 passengers and crew.

Virgin Australia said in a statement that it was deferring delivery of its first batch of planes from November 2019 to July 2021.

"Safety is always the number one priority for Virgin Australia. As we have previously stated, we will not introduce any new aircraft to the fleet unless we are completely satisfied with its safety," Virgin Chief Executive Paul Scurrah said.

"We are confident in Boeing's commitment to returning the 737 MAX to service safely and as a long-term partner of Boeing, we will be working with them through this process."

Virgin also said it was shifting some of its orders of 737 MAX 8s to Max 10s while keeping the total at 48 planes.

The Virgin announcement comes as Boeing executives faced several shareholder challenges Monday at its annual general meeting, with the crisis raising questions about whether the aerospace giant put profits ahead of safety to market a new narrow-body plane.

The US firm has said both crashes involved erroneous information generated by the anti-stall system.

But it has defended the design of the MAX saying multiple factors can contribute to catastrophic accidents.

Boeing expects the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a test flight of a software fix for the anti-stall system soon.
By Andrew Osborn

MOSCOW, April 30 (Reuters) - The United States told Russia on Tuesday to stop playing games over a detained former U.S. marine accused of espionage and said it feared his long isolation increased the risk of Moscow trying to extract a forced confession.

The comments from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow were the sharpest yet from Washington in the case of Paul Whelan, who was detained in a Moscow hotel room on Dec. 28 and accused of espionage, a charge he denies.

Whelan, 49, holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, and if found guilty could be imprisoned for up to 20 years.

His case has dragged already dire U.S.-Russia relations lower, as has that of another American, prominent investor Michael Calvey, who is under house arrest while being investigated on embezzlement charges.

U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman visited Whelan in a Moscow jail on Tuesday. Following this Andrea Kalan, a spokeswoman for the embassy, said the situation surrounding Whelan was beyond a joke.

"Today marks 124 days in detention for #PaulWhelan," Kalan wrote on social media.

"Why havent Russian officials provided proof? Perhaps its lost along with Pauls mail. Complete lack of evidence + Paul's isolation = greater likelihood officials will try to get a forced false confession. Stop playing games," she wrote.

Kalan complained that Huntsman's visit was "a joke" since under the rules of Moscow's Lefortovo jail he was unable to read aloud letters from his family, unable to ask him to sign a power of attorney, and banned from "talking about anything that actually matters."

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Whelan after an acquaintance handed him a flash drive containing classified information. Whelan's lawyer says his client thinks he was set up by the acquaintance and the FSB.

Whelan thought the flash drive contained holiday photos, the lawyer has said.

Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously dismissed U.S. criticism of Moscow's handling of the case.

Whelan is due to be kept in pre-trial detention until May 28 while investigators continue to look into his case.

A Russian court this month extended until July 14 the house arrest of Calvey. The investor denies the charges against him. (Editing by Frances Kerry)
Students who are wealthier and male are more likely than others to claim that they know more than they actually do, says a new study.

The study, which reviewed surveys of 40,000 15-year-old students from across nine English-speaking countries, found that boys and people from wealthier families are more likely to be bullshitters, which it defines as individuals who claim knowledge or expertise in an area where they actually have little experience at all.

The study, which was published by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, looked at survey data attached to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an assessment which compares students academic abilities across countries. The survey asked students how well they understood 16 mathematical concepts, but there was a catch: three of the concepts were made up.

Across all of the nine English-speaking countries, boys and more economically-advantaged students were more likely to exaggerate their knowledge, Nikki Shure, one of the studys authors and an assistant professor of economics in the Department of Social Science at University College London, tells TIME.

Youre claiming expertise in things you have absolutely no knowledge of, says Shure. You couldnt. These things dont exist.

The countries where students were guilty of the most BS? The U.S. and Canada. Students in the two counties had scores that were .25 and .3 above average on the studys bullshit scale. However, the two counties also had the narrowest gap between boys and girls, with a gap of .25 and .34 between the genders. In England and Ireland, the gap was much wider  .48 and .46 points.

The study also asked students to assess their own personal characteristics. Students who were more likely to BS about their math knowledge were also more likely to say that they are more popular, persevering and have good problem-solving abilities.

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Shure says that she is interested in determining whether a persons ability to BS has a major impact on economic inequality between men and women, and how the ability plays out across socioeconomic lines.

You can imagine that the people that score high on this bullshit index are good at certain things that might be rewarded, says Shure. It might be an interview to get into college. It could be an interview for a job, or an internship. It could be those skills end up helping exacerbate the gap that we observe between people from rich backgrounds and poor backgrounds, and even men and women.

She argues that learning more about the phenomenon could help employers or colleges to come up with strategies to cut through the BS and determine which students are actually the most capable.

However, Shure says that its conceivable that bullshitters may have an advantage when it comes to getting ahead: They clearly have very high opinions of themselves. And that could be associated with becoming leaders in the future.
Airbnb and Uber are both seen as leading lights of the gig economy wave, turning regular people into service providers by putting them in touch with people who might want a ride in their car or a bed in their apartment. Both companies have had a tough regulatory time in the EU, largely thanks to protests from professional taxi drivers and hoteliers.

But there could be a big difference between the companies legality in European countries, and it all comes down to how much they control the business taking place on their platforms.

The difference was laid bare in an opinion released Tuesday by the top legal adviser to the European Unions highest court, in a case involving Airbnbs French operations. The French hospitality industry body AhTop lodged a complaint against Airbnb, claiming it was breaking the countrys housing laws by operating without an estate-agent license. The case made its way up to the Court of Justice of the European Union, whose advocate-general, Maciej Szpunar, said Airbnb should be in the clear.

The crucial question in the case was whether Airbnb heavily controls the transactions between accommodation providers and guests, or whether it connects them in a hands-off way. If its hands-off, then it qualifies as a so-called information society service that gets protections from certain national laws under a longstanding EU rule thats designed to make it easier for digital services to operate across the bloc. If it exerts lots of control over what happens on its platform, it doesnt get that classification, and countries get to regulate it more closely.

According to Szpunar, Airbnb doesnt heavily control how accommodation services are provided over its platform, so the French housing law doesnt apply to it. For example, he said, Airbnb doesnt determine the price of a rental, and it lets hosts choose their own cancellation conditions. He also noted that Airbnb hosts dont depend on the platform, as there has long been a short-term rental market for them to tap.

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Contrast that opinion to Szpunars take two years ago on Uber, which was at the time being sued by Spanish taxi operators. At the time, he pointed out that Uber controls how much its drivers can charge, tells them where and when they can find the most business, and sets standards for the quality of their work. Uber drivers also cant find passengers without the platform. Uber was in control, so it was classified as a transportation company, and Spains transportation laws therefore applied to it.

The Court of Justice agreed with Szpunars opinion, as it usually (but not always) does, and ruled against Uber in the Spanish case, then again in a similar French case. Uber now only uses licensed, professional drivers in those countries, in line with their laws.

If the court agrees with Szpunar again, then Airbnb will be off the hook for being regulated as a hotel company in the EU. And all becauseunlike Uberit doesnt exert too much control over the accommodation arrangements struck on its platform.
Photo: Pete Marovich/Getty Images

Last night Donald Trump and his family filed a lawsuit to prohibit Deutsche Bank and Capital One from turning over his financial information to congressional investigators. The legal basis for the lawsuit, in laymans terms, is as follows: Congress is mean and only wants the information because it hates Trump. Or, to quote the only-slightly-more-sophisticated language of the lawsuit, The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses and the private information of the president and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage. No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one.

This same argument runs nearly all of Trumps refusals to abide congressional subpoenas. These arent, like, impartial people, the president declared of Congress. The Democrats are trying to win 2020.

The first thing to understand about this legal theory is that it is not a legal theory. Congress is a coequal branch of government which has a legal right to conduct investigations, including of the Executive branch and its officials. There is a legal gray zone around executive privilege, which describes the right of officials in the Executive branch to have some confidentiality around their internal discussions.

But Trump is not articulating a theory of executive privilege here. Nor would such a privilege cover a presidents right to maintain a business empire that accepts payments that may or may not be bribes disguised as legitimate reimbursements in complete secrecy from Congress and the public.

Essentially Trumps argument is that congressional oversight is simply politics and, therefore, somehow null and void. Trumps Deutsche Bank lawsuit has a passage that could have been lifted from an op-ed written by a sophomore member of the College Republicans. It quotes Nancy Pelosi promising checks and balances to the Trump administration, then asserts she was not referring to legislation. It proceeds to quote a series of journalists describing Congresss investigations as being unpleasant for Trump:

OF NOTE: Trump's lawsuit against Deutsche Bank attributes to House Democrats a bunch of things they didn't say.



And one is actually the headline of a story about the NY state attorney general (not a quote) https://t.co/86WaKIqEYz: pic.twitter.com/5VWtj3BC67  Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 30, 2019

The fact that journalists are describing congressional oversight as being difficult for Trump does not mean this was Congresss sole intent. In any case, Congresss dislike for Trump does not nullify its legal rights.

The American system of government of course is not predicated on different branches of government wanting to help each other out. Checks and balances assumes political competition. The system is designed to channel political rivalry into a productive synthesis. Of course Democrats are trying to win. So is Trump!

Trumps notion that he can ignore legal obligations from anybody who isnt like, impartial is especially comic. Trump has spent his presidency trampling on the the entire concept of neutral authority. His wild attacks on political norms have polarized every figure, requiring them either to submit to his demands or be identified as an enemy. Overtly fair-minded figures like Robert Mueller, or even friendly ones like Jeff Sessions, have been the target of Trumps wrath simply for having the temerity to operate outside his personal control. The premise that he would accept impartial congressional oversight is a joke.

His refusal to abide oversight on the grounds that Congress is biased is so amateurish, legal experts are struggling to come up with ways to describe it. This isnt a close legal question, Stanford law professor David Alan Sklansky tells the Washington Post, calling it frivolous argument, even if its true.

Trumps opposition to congressional oversight appears to be an extension of his business strategy of threatening counterparties with expensive, time-consuming lawsuits in order to shirk his obligations. It worked in business, because he could bully smaller contractors who couldnt afford the legal bills of a protracted fight to obtain their promised payments. Congress doesnt have that problem, but the courts might take long enough processing the arguments that Trump can keep his scandals bottled up until after the election.

Trumps extreme litigiousness is a natural extension of his general lack of shame. Once you have forfeited any claim to seriousness, theres not much reputational cost in associating yourself with ridiculous legal assertions. What the courts need to decide is whether the president of the United States can treat Congress like some sucker carpenter that Trump decided not to pay.
By Tim Hepher

PARIS (Reuters) - When Boeing launched its 737 MAX jetliner in response to Airbus's record-selling A320neo, a wave of poker-faced satisfaction spread through Airbus headquarters in France.

Its reasons for cheering Boeing's decision to make a similar jet, based on a similar strategy of engine efficiencies, partly explain why Airbus is wary of exploiting Boeing's misery over the global grounding of the MAX today, industry sources say.

Airbus has joined major airlines in expressing confidence that Boeing will emerge soon from a crisis caused by two fatal crashes. In the first place, that is because both giants share a stake in preserving public trust and rarely compete on safety.

"This is not good for aviation," new Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said of the MAX crisis earlier this month.

But the history of the MAX and its competitor, the Airbus A320neo, also illustrates why the two companies are unlikely to come to blows over the future of the MAX beyond their fierce day-to-day competition, strategists and industry officials say.

Airbus and Boeing operate a roughly equal duopoly in the market for single-aisle jets that Airbus values at $3.5 trillion over 20 years.

Neither can afford to fall too far behind without suffering a big disadvantage on costs, which depend heavily on volumes.

If one of them did, it would likely take drastic action - anything from launching a price war to developing a new jet - that could destabilize both, and so market forces tend to keep the two companies' strategies in line, industry insiders say.

In 2011, Airbus was testing that alignment with record sales of its recently launched A320neo, offering more efficient engines. It had launched the upgraded A320 after beginning to lose ground to a new competitor, Canada's Bombardier CSeries.

By adopting similar engines, Airbus was able to block the CSeries and stimulate massive orders from its existing customer base, while sending a message to an even bigger potential rival, China, that the core of the jetliner market would be defended.

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But Airbus was also worried that its strategy would have to be torn up as Boeing considered leapfrogging it with an all-new jet that would take longer to build but give more efficiencies.

Airbus knew it would have to respond to this with a costlier Plan B aircraft, code-named A30X, but was facing multiple calls on its cash, including problems with its A400M military plane.

Airbus decided it needed to force Boeing off the fence and struck in its backyard with a deal to sell 460 jets to American Airlines, several people familiar with the negotiations said.

Calculating it would lose too many such deals before its all-new jet was ready, Boeing did a U-turn and announced a re-engined 737 in time to win back almost half the American order.

Engine maker General Electric was also influential in nudging Boeing to a new strategy, and had a draft engine deal in place even before Boeing officially changed position, two people familiar with the talks said. GE had no immediate comment.

WRONG TIMING

Eight years later, both planemakers have sold thousands of their respective re-engined jets and have seen share prices jump five-fold, lifting the entire commercial aerospace sector.

Not only could the duopoly be destabilized if the MAX had to be replaced, but now would not be an ideal time for a technology arms race in this crucial part of the market, experts say.

Led by Boeing, planemakers widened the use of lightweight carbon-composite materials earlier this decade. Then it was the turn of engine makers to produce a quantum leap in performance.

Future game-changers may lie in artificial intelligence and automation in the cockpit, but these are not yet mature.

"The technology for major new steps in materials, engines and piloting are not there right now. It is not the best time for either side to destabilize the market and launch a new single-aisle plane," a senior industry strategist told Reuters.

Furthermore, Airbus is not as ready as it would like for a parallel race in factory technology needed for a new plane.

Add to this investments already made by suppliers, banks and manufacturers, and their reliance on preserving resale values of planes already flying, and few are in a hurry to start afresh.

"Industrially and competitively it is logical in a duopoly that you need a reasonably strong competition," said Rob Morris, head consultant at UK-based aerospace advisers Flight Ascend.

In the short term, Airbus has little capacity to push output higher, even though some Boeing customers are already courting it in public - a move partly seen as an effort to negotiate better terms with Boeing.

But the possibility of radically upsetting the duopoly may have receded under new Airbus sales chief Christian Scherer, a market-share pragmatist who helped launch the A320neo, and Faury, a cautious engineer focusing on industrial improvements.

Faury on Tuesday played down the prospect that the MAX crisis would open up new business for Airbus and said the grounding "does not change the mid-term to long-term picture".

Airbus has already won a larger share of the single-aisle market than expected, leaving the usual 50/50 split with Boeing skewed towards Airbus, now on 60 percent. Experts say a further land grab could have unpredictable consequences for both.

Analysts Agency Partners have warned Boeing is already under pressure to replace the MAX, although the company denies this.

"Boeing can't accept market share below 40 percent. If the MAX fails, Boeing has to do something fundamental and Airbus has to respond," Flight Ascend's Morris said.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Mark Potter and Louise Heavens)
Every Passover, Jews across the world recite the Four Questions. The youngest Seder attendee reads from the Haggadah, the Passover prayer book, rhetorical questions chronicling our transition from slavery to freedom. Returning to the common refrain, Why is this night different from all others?, the edifying tradition recounts why on this of all nights we eat bitter herbs, unleavened bread, and salty vegetables. Matzah was the bread of slaves; maror, a reminder of the bitterness of enslavement; the salt water, the tears shed in Egypt.

However, this Passover our symbolic transition was brutally halted. Indeed, this Passover was different from all others  for all the wrong reasons. A 19-year-old man walked into a San Diego synagogue and killed a woman, wounding three others. The shooting came on the heels of an anti-Semitic cartoon published in the New York Times international edition; the graphic depicts a blind Donald Trump wearing a kippah being led by a guide dog with the face of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a collar with the Star of David. To round out the year, add to this the shooting in Pittsburgh, which came precisely six months before this latest shooting, and the series of anti-Semitic comments from congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

Adam Garfinkle recently warned of such events in Tablet, arguing that the American Jewish golden age had come to an end. However, Garfinkles focus then turned inwards, as he demonstrated how growing internal divisions and the politicization of Judaism had eroded the foundations of the American Jewish identity. Though lacking Europes ancient anti-Semitic traditions, the United States undermined the Jewish communitys cohesiveness through its wonderful assimilatory capacity. Garfinkle chided community leaders convinced that anti-Semitism, in fact, was what drove assimilation: This trouble is mainly self-inflicted, and the history of Jewish diasporas tells us how unsurprising this is. Far more Jews stopped being Jews for internal reasons of choice than for external reasons of coercion.

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Unfortunately, now anti-Semitic violence has been added to American Jews woes. Such attacks are not new to the United States. Periodic violence throughout the 20th century  from the 1915 Leo Frank affair to the 1991 Crown Heights riots and the 2014 Overland Park shooting  targeted Jews. Nonetheless, the rising number of anti-Semitic incidents adds a newfound gravity to the events of the past week.

Passover 2019 punctuated a dismal year for American Jews. On campus, they are subject to abuse and discrimination. In Congress, anti-Semites have found new methods to dress up old hatreds. Now, places of worship are scenes of violence.

The Four Questions conclude with an invocation to commemorate the Jewish liberation from Egypt through reclining, and thus relaxing, throughout the Seder. This symbolizes a partial bowing to the divine, Yosef Marcus writes. Despite recounting the trials and tribulations, Jews are instructed to equally celebrate their emancipation. Passover underscores the importance of such optimism, of ultimate redemption. The Exodus story boasts a powerful American tradition, too. Referenced by Benjamin Franklin during the War of Independence and Martin Luther King Jr. amidst the struggles of the civil-rights movement, Passover served as a reminder that in trying times hopes is not lost. Today, contrary to the Passover tradition, the American Jewish communitys problems will not be solved by a higher being with a strong hand and outstretched arm. Internally, resolving the ongoing communal debate over defining anti-Semitism and its chief abettors is crucial. Crafting such a consensus will enable the community to mobilize and defend core interests, establish red lines, and defuse tensions. The lethal lessons of this Passover should not be squandered over political bickering.

More from National Review
The eternal battle for control at public companies between executives and shareholders is one of the most important narratives in business. And on one front, shareholders have won decisively: Theyve sharply reduced the use of staggered boards of directors, which can help protect business leaders from the pressures of reform-minded investors.

But in winning the victory, did they lose the war? Seems so. Staggered boards may actually deliver better returns.

A staggered board is like the U.S. Senate: Directors are elected on a rotating basis, typically with one out of three facing election each year. A non-staggered board is more like the House: Every seat is up for grabs in each election. With a Senate-like structure, it takes two elections to replace a majority of the boardmaking it far more difficult for shareholders to oust directors and demand a shift in strategy.

In 2009, 41% of S&P 500 boards used such setups. Today, only 54 companies in that index, or 11%, have non-annual voting, according to FactSet. For that sea change, you can partly thank Enron and WorldCom. The corruption-driven collapses of those companies made corporate-governance reform a cause celebreand the perceived coziness of staggered boards made them an easy target. Research at the time also suggested that firms that reelected all directors annually were better performers. By the early 2010s, shareholder-rights advocates were lobbying against staggering, on the grounds that it hurt value by shielding bad managers. Their efforts helped persuade more than 100 companies to abandon the practice.

But in recent years, staggered-board companies have wound up outperforming their peersand significantly at that. For the five years through March, S&P 500 companies that utilized non-annual voting registered an average total return of 125%; for the index as a whole, the figure was 52%.

These figures may represent what economists call survivorship bias: A company thats reaping lousy returns with a staggered board is more likely to ditch it. Still, more nuanced studies also suggest that the structure can pay off. Researchers Martijn Cremers, Lubomir Litov, and Simone Sepe looked at more than 3,000 companies that changed their boards from staggered to unstaggered or vice versa from 1978 to 2015. They found that those companies firm values increased by 3.2% to 6.1% under a staggered structure, as measured by Tobins Q, a metric that divides a companys enterprise value by the value of its assets. Similarly, Harvard Business School professor Charles Wang and his coauthors evaluated companies headquartered in Massachusetts that were required to adopt staggered voting in 1990, owing to a change in state law. In the 15 years that followed, Wang found, their average Tobins Q value grew sharply.

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What makes staggering a secret sauce? It appears to make it easier for good managers to innovate, free of outside pressure. Wangs research found that businesses that spend heavily on R&D tend to perform better under alternating-election boards. External influence is more likely bad for these types of innovative activities, says Wang, because shareholders may lean on management for short-term results rather than giving an investment with a long time-horizon the support it needs. (Tellingly, of todays staggered S&P 500 companies, 16 of 54 are in health care, including biotech and pharmaceuticals.)

Its potentially a good sign that companies launching initial public offerings are increasingly likely to have staggered boards. In 2008, 38% of IPO companies had such structures; in 2016 that figure was 81%. (This years best-known IPO debutant so far, ride-share company Lyft, has a staggered board.)

Still, investors shouldnt assume staggering is a panacea. Building a moat around the board, says Wang, can have negative consequences as well, if companies use staggering to insulate themselves from justified criticism. (Dual-class share structures, which give supervoting rights to executives and founders, present even greater risks; see sidebar.) An unstaggered board can make it easier for investors to press for change if management starts to drastically disappoint.

Here are three companies that are in the middle of solid runs under staggered boardsand have so far avoided the moat mentality.

Few brick-and-mortar retailers have thrived in the e-commerce era like Ulta Beauty ULTA . Backed by a staggered board, CEO Mary Dillon has targeted off-mall locations like strip malls, which havent lost traffic as traditional malls have. Ulta has opened 313 new locations over the past three years, about 27% of its store count. It also emphasizes in-store experiences that online rivals cant match, including exclusive products and sit-down beauty bars. Were very bullish on the companys prospects, says Oppenheimer analyst Rupesh Parikh, who says the stock trades in line with historical averages, despite climbing 67% over the past year.

For the past decade, health insurer Anthem ANTM outsourced its pharmacy benefits management (PBM) services to Express Scripts. That deal ended in March, and now Anthem is launching its own PBM service, a long-term strategic leap with benefits that management believes will far outweigh the risks. Barclays analyst Steven Valiquette says the move will give Anthem room to grow revenues between 10% and 12% annually over the next three to five years.

IDEXX Laboratories IDXX , a leader in veterinary diagnostics, has benefited from our willingness to spend on our pets wellness. It also accounts for as much as 80% of the animal-health diagnostic markets R&D spending, driving almost all innovation in the industry, says Mark Massaro, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity. The company boasts customer retention rates near 99%. Its stock is pricey, having jumped 183% over the past three years, but it deserves to trade at a premium, says Massaro.

Dual-Class Dilemma

These companies may have bright futures, but the voting control their dual-class stock gives to their founders can make other investors uneasy.

Facebook FB

Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg controls about 60% of the shareholder vote through powerful B shares. That control has helped Facebook take profitable risks. It also insulates Zuckerberg from investor pressure as he battles questions about data security and privacy.

Estee Lauder EL

The Lauder family controls 87% of shareholder voting power. Theyve shown a willingness to trust strong leaders like CEO Fabrizio Freda. But with family also accounting for 25% of the board, its clear where the final decisions lie.

Universal Health Services UHS

The hospital operators A and C shares, which account for 87% of voting power, are largely controlled by founder and CEO Alan Miller and his family. The stock has sharply underperformed the S&P 500 Health Care Index in recent years; any big course correction is in Millers hands.

A version of this article appears in the May 2019 issue of Fortune with the headline When a Shuffled Deck Means a Better Hand.
The harshest critics of the West in general and the United States in particular are the best arguments for it. Take the latest iconic critic, 29-year-old Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. She has a predictable list of complaints against America, past and present.

Yet fortunately for her, her paternal grandparents and mother had experienced firsthand the antitheses of mainland America. And thus they were obsessed with what was right, not wrong, with the continental United States  and with getting there as quickly as possible. If they had once been critics of America, such animus was seemingly not great enough to prevent them moving to a place with a different language, ethnic majority, and traditions from those of their home, itself a territory of the U.S.

They apparently assumed that a free-market economy and transparent government gave them economic opportunities unknown in Puerto Rico, an otherwise naturally rich landscape. They wisely stayed in North America, apparently because they felt as supposed minorities that they would have far more cultural, social, political, and economic opportunities than they would as part of the majority in Puerto Rico. The fact that her father was a second-generation immigrant and architect, that AOC herself grew up in affluent Westchester County, that she received scholarships to attend pricey Boston University, and that she was elected to Congress bore out her parents correct assumptions of a meritocracy, not a caste state.

Mutatis mutandis, the same could be said of two other chronic ankle-biters of America, newly elected Representatives Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.). Their families correctly (but internally rather than publicly) had apparently once assumed that Muslims and the so-called nonwhite would enjoy a higher standard of living, more religious protection, and greater political freedom as minority citizens of the U.S. than as part of the majority in either Somalia or the Palestinian territories . Omar and Tlaib both know that if they were to redirect commensurate animus to the government and society of Somalia or the Palestinian territories, their freedoms, if not their very lives, would be in danger.

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Left unsaid is that their theoretical doppelgangers, would-be Christian emigrants, especially European Christians, would find no such reciprocal tolerance when they reached the Middle East or East Africa (and they therefore do not emigrate to such places). That reality, along with a greater likelihood of personal security and material affluence, is why in a larger sense immigration is always a one-way street: Those in Africa, Asia, and Latin America  the non-West  who are fed up always go westward. Very few disenchanted Westerners emigrate in the opposite direction; those who do are usually affluent and retired.

Transfer American paradigms from frigid Minnesota to warm Somalia, and Ilhan Omar would never have left Mogadishu. And put Somalian protocols in play in Minneapolis, and she and her family would never have set foot in America. And the reason she seems unable to acknowledge that simple truth is also Western to the core  once a pampered Westerner gains the leisure, affluence, and security to critique the very system that provided these boons.

The West, then, transcends its place of birth precisely because its ideas, although they were born in Europe, were uniquely and logically able to spread and to transcend historical ethnic, racial, and religious bonds and to re-create Westernism, or at least major elements of it, almost anywhere and among anyone. China rightly can be proud of its ancient and venerable traditions, but what propelled it into the 21st century was largely the adoption of Western technology and free-market economics, in a way antithetical to its prior paradigms.

Again, newcomers to the West, emulating the hipster progressive Left, sometimes lodge almost immediate complaints about Western civilization, usually the boilerplate that it is racist, biased, and sexist. But one wonders, given the tribal nature of man, compared with what? Is the West religiously intolerant compared with most of the Muslim world? If so, try building huge Christian cathedrals in Saudi Arabia as counterparts to the current new monumental mosques in Cologne and Rome.

Is the contemporary West racist compared with China? Japan? Sexist or homophobic in comparison to Iran? Prejudicial against the poor in a way not seen in Brazil or Mexico?

The irony of the Lefts scripted charges of racism is that the West since Greek and Roman times was usually the least racist of cultures, at least in the sense that there were always voices, often powerful, objecting to instinctual majority tribalism. Imperial Romes cities on the shores throughout the Mediterranean were polyglot and multiracial, united not by claims of Italian ancestry, but by Roman law, science, custom, and tradition.

The racial hatred fostered by Hitler and his supposed ubermenchen, by Franco and his notion of La Raza, and by Mussolini and La Razza were all fueled by disgust with what they perceived as the norms of European history, which since the Roman Empire had seen constant assimilations, integrations, and intermarrying of diverse peoples. Hitlers pseudo-intellectuals had to resurrect Tacituss Germania to prove that white Germans were never sullied by the core of Western civilization west of the Rhine and south of the Danube, as was true of Rome and Byzantium  suggesting again that the logic of Western civilization was never predicated on blood-and-soil chauvinism.

More important, the West, unlike most of the rest, is hypercritical of its own history, traditions, and institutions  sometimes nihilistically so. Unfettered skepticism, empiricism, and inductive dialectic  starting with the Pre-Socratics, Socrates, the sophists, Plato, and Aristotle, continuing with the Stoics and Epicureans, and then the Roman philosophers, and on through the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the Reformation  are the Wests great strength, whether expressed in scientific discovery, technological advancement, or social and political policy. Yet when self-criticism for the sake of self-examination is done to excess either out of guilt, spoiled overindulgence, or mere intellectual gymnastics, it can become a liability, whether its the sophists, the bankrupt imperial Roman elite, the Jacobins, or contemporary postmodernists who are lobbing the arrows. For an example, compare the world of Livy and Virgil with that of Petronius and Apuleius.

The resulting Western message that insidiously reaches non-Westerners can become paradoxical. No sooner do the foreign poor and the oppressed reach their promised Western refuge than they are often assumed to be unsophisticated, unaware, unenlightened, and unwoke if they do not immediately press claims as marginalized peoples against a supposedly fatally flawed West  at least along the lines of the permanent complaints of affluent and free Americans, who have never experienced the real poverty, oppression, and insecurity of those fleeing Africa or Latin America.

The central paradox, indeed, the Achilles heel, of the West has always been twofold.

One, the marriage of market capitalism with unfettered freedom ensured by popular constitutional government creates untold affluence and leisure, leading to an excess that the Romans knew as luxus.

The result can soon lead to an unreality, in which the Westerner assumes that his bounty is limitless, that it is his birthright, and that it is on a trajectory that will soon ensure utopia  if the ignorant among us will just allow powerful elites to let pure, secular reason guide us.

The Western rational intellect supposedly can fathom all of the mysteries of the human condition. Perfection on earth is therefore attainable, and the flawed nature of man can be properly altered with requisite money, time, and education. So, the impatient Western progressive, perennially frustrated and disappointed about stubborn human nature, is constantly rooting out imagined impediments to the rule of his god Reason. One cannot be merely good, when he can and should be perfect  or else.

Second, freedom and equality, the twin pillars of Western society, are not necessarily always complementary. More often, theyre at war with each other. The ancient compromise is tenuous since it accepts inequality as the price of personal liberty and freedom from an intrusive and inevitably totalitarian government.

Too often, Western arrogance about its undeniable accomplishments leads governments to imagine that once they make citizens equal politically and provide equality of opportunity, they can, to quote ancient philosophers, delude themselves into thinking that citizens can and must be equal in every aspect of their lives.

Such messianic rationalists seek absolute redistributive power. They insist that inequality can be addressed only by government-mandated material redistribution or coercion. They scoff at a free market that can lead to a general community-wide affluence, in which the Western poor are considered well off by the standards of other systems. They mock the efficacy of religious and ethical empathy that encourages state and private help for the poor, philanthropy, and the responsibility of the strong and confident to help the weaker and meeker.

What enervates and often destroys Western societies, then, are not barbarians on the horizon, plagues, or invasions, but complacency and unreal demands put on society to reach utopian perfection. Such efforts are contrary to human nature and often result in disastrous social and political polices, leading to impoverishment and collapse. The Hellenic polis, Rome, and Byzantium eventually eroded because each in its complacency forgot the very values that had created its successful cultures in the first place.

In other words, if the professed progressive utopian agendas of many current critics of the West had been realized in the past, then AOCs or Tlaibs parents would probably never have wished to head westward in the first place. Give Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez her wish to recalibrate America, and no Puerto Rican would ever wish to immigrate to the American mainland again. And if America emulated the social, political, and economic norms south of the border, illegal immigration would end quickly.

After all, why flee from what you find intolerable to what you soon find intolerable?

More from National Review
* Photo essay: https://reut.rs/2ZMXLo3

By Andreas Mortensen

COPENHAGEN, April 30 (Reuters) - In the small fishing town of Thyboron on the northwestern coast of Denmark, many fishermen worry the British waters they have become increasingly dependent on will be out of reach when Britain leaves the European Union.

Poul Erik Rom, 35, and his father Ejvind, 65, are from a long line of fishermen. Each year they land fish worth some 25 million Danish Crowns ($3.75 million) from their vessel, one third of which come from British waters.

Poul Erik began his career in the offshore oil industry, but in 2011 he bought into a fishing vessel made by his father, who has been a fisherman all his life.

"I like the unpredictability of fishing. Sometimes we catch 200 kilos, sometimes two tonnes, and we never know what prices we will get," says Poul Erik.

But the uncertainty as Britain leaves the European Union is more excitement than he had hoped for.

Since the 1970s, EU fishermen have had access to British waters under a deal, that many in Britain saw as unfair. Now some see Brexit as a chance to "take back control" of their waters and keep foreign vessels out.

"This town could end up closing down because of Brexit," says fisherman Michael Bork, 36, who has been fishing since the age of 10.

Between 30 and 40 percent of the catch landed in Thyboron Port come from British waters.

"We just hope we can stay afloat. But without access to British waters, fishing spots in Danish waters will be congested with Dutch and Belgian fishermen along with the Danish vessels. There simply aren't enough fish for that. The industry will collapse," says Michael Bork.

In 2015 - one year before the British voted to leave the EU - Poul Erik and his father retrofitted their vessel to make room for a bigger catch on their longer journeys deeper into British waters.

"It seems like we have to sail further and further away from the shore to find the fish," says Poul Erik, who worries what will happen if he is restricted access to British water.

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The problem for Poul Erik and his father is that as the water warms due to climate change, the fish they rely on such as cod and haddock tend to swim towards colder waters nearer the UK and further north.

Under a 'no deal' Brexit scenario, Britain can choose to close its sea border completely overnight or wait until the end of 2019, according to the Danish fishing minister.

If a deal is reached, EU fishing vessels could have temporary access until a permanent trade deal is reached.

European Union leaders this month gave Britain six more months until Oct. 31 to leave the bloc, but the British political elite is still squabbling over how, when or if it will Brexit. The latest postponement essentially means all options - including the hard exit are open.

"For me personally I could lose my job, if our fishing in British waters was limited," says Mikkel Jakobsen, 22, who works onboard the Pia Glanz fishing vessel along with nine other crew.

"It's always annoying when politics get in the way," says Jakobsen. "We ordinary people can't do much about it anyway no matter how loudly we speak."

The uncertainty is already having an impact on the local fishing industry, as new investments are being held back in ships and fishing quotas.

Poul Erik and his father's vessel, which is worth 20-25 million crowns, goes out to sea 300 days a year, with five onboard at any one time out of a total crew of seven.

Poul Erik has had to start considering what to do if Danish boats are excluded from British waters, and what that would mean for his livelihood. The choices are stark. He doesn't want to return to his previous work, he doesn't want to sell his boat for much less than it is worth.

"If I was to sell it all when everyone is struggling, I would get nothing for my ship or my quotas. And of course I owe the bank a lot of money, which I'm sure they would like to get back."

(Editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Alexandra Hudson)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A woman who accused the chief justice of India's Supreme Court of sexual harassment said on Tuesday she would no longer participate in the proceedings of a judges' panel investigating the case as she does not expect justice.

The 35-year-old junior court assistant, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, wrote a letter to all Supreme Court judges along with an affidavit detailing her allegations against India's most powerful judge Ranjan Gogoi.

He has denied the charges.

The woman's complaint included allegations she and her family were victimised by authorities after she spurned the alleged advances of Gogoi.

In her statement on Tuesday, the woman said she was not allowed to have her representative present despite impaired hearing and anxiety. She also said there was no video or audio recording made, and she was not given a copy of her statements on the case from previous days.

"I found the atmosphere of the committee very frightening and I was very nervous because of being confronted and questioned by three Supreme Court Judges and without even the presence of my lawyer/support person," she said.

"I felt I was not likely to get justice from this committee and so I am no longer participating in the 3-Judge Committee proceedings."

No immediate comment was available from the Supreme Court.

Gogoi has said the accusations showed India's judiciary was under threat from a wider conspiracy, without elaborating.

"There is some bigger force behind the woman," he told a special hearing on Saturday.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Swaddled bliss. Photo: Courtesy of Top Knots

Propelled by our Instagram-obsessed era and an explosion of moms-who-blog, a revolution of sorts has occurred within the world of newborn photography  which is now a far cry from those improbable Anne Geddes shoots that portrayed infants potted like sunflowers or as peas tucked in a pod. The new look of infant portraiture might best be described as swaddled bliss. A common scene is a baby wrapped, burrito-style, in a muslin blanket while snoozing in a bassinet. But if youve looked at these photos as much as I have, youve likely noticed another constant even more universal than the setting: a turban-like head cover with a twisted bun atop the (almost always female) babys head.

Head coverings have long been a crucial component of newborn photography, because they can cover up flaky skin, patchy hair thats still growing in, or spots of cradle cap (a scaly, yellowish rash common among infants). But these turban-like pieces are more stylish-looking than your standard beanie, and way more subtle than a headpiece with an oversized bow that screams ITS A GIRL! Ive actually heard adult women praise the things as something theyd wear themselves  and in fact, black and Muslim women have long worn head wraps and turbans like these, so the style is certainly not new.

Photo: Courtesy of Top Knots

I first spied one of these not-quite-hats, called top knots, on Hilary Duffs daughter Banks. Then I spotted one on Aaron and Lauren Pauls daughter, Story. Kate Hudson has also posted photos of her daughter Rani in one, as has Khloe Kardashian, who shared a picture of daughter True Thompson wearing a lemon-yellow top knot poolside. Kaavia James, the almost-6-month-old daughter of Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union, also wore a yellow one in a photo shared on her Instagram account (which, incidentally, has more than 600,000 followers).

After seeing so many tiny heads covered in them, I sought to find who was responsible for this baby bun. I discovered dozens of artisan top-knot makers on Etsy, and various inexpensive versions on Amazon. But the brand I saw tagged in the majority of Instagram photos, including Duffs, shares its name with the style itself: Its called Top Knots (making it sort of a Kleenex, Frisbee, or Xerox situation). Arizona-based mother of two Bailey Sevey, the creator of Top Knots top knots, made the first one for her daughter Lennon to wear on a 2016 trip to Disneyland  where she says so many parents asked how they could get their own that she decided to sell them to the masses, launching her business the following year. Sevey credits early celebrity fans Jack Osbourne and Lisa Stelly (who styled their daughter Minnie in a pink Top Knots for her 2018 swaddled-bliss-themed photo shoot) and some influential mommy bloggers for transforming the style from under the radar to must-have.

Four moms who dress their young girls in top knots all agree the style (no matter the brand) is a fresh look when it comes to baby headpieces. They add a little more edge to an outfit than a bow or headband, says Memphis-based Loni Proctor. But top knots are functional too, according to the parents. Proctor says theyre among the few accessories her 1-year-old wont fuss with. In general, its hard to keep hair accessories in, but when she does wear one, she wont mess with it. Occasional Strategist contributor and art dealer Risa Needleman agrees that top knots design allows them to stay in place better than most other small hats. Since theyre elastic and tight they always stay on. I used to put them on when my daughter wore hoods, because they eliminated the gap between a loose hood and her head, and they stayed on even if the hood fell down. Los Angelesbased Artiera Hickman, the mother of 4-year-old Liberty, says top knots protected my daughters hair as we went through a rough patch of breakage. And if you do dress your baby in one, be ready for the attention. I was always surprised at what a conversation piece they were whenever our babies would wear them, says mother of twins and mommy blogger Jen Hawkins.

At $24 a pop, Top Knots top knots are a bit pricier than other brands (Sevey says the price reflects the handiwork in each, all of which are hand tied from a single piece of rayon spandex because its stretchy and soft for a babys head.) Seveys pieces come in five sizes: the smallest, newborn, promises to fit heads 13 to 15 inches, and the biggest, extra-large, is made for heads 21 to 23 inches  which means it will fit most adults, she says. Below, a selection of Top Knots and other top knots, for anyone seeking their swaddled bliss.

Some Top Knots top knots

Denim Blue TK $24 Photo: Courtesy of Top Knots A light-blue color that your baby can wear all spring and summer long. $24 at Top Knots Buy

Some nonTop Knots top knots

Nylon Topknot Head Wrap $108 for 18 Yes, Posh Peanuts nylon headband is adorned with a bow, but it appears reasonably sized, and the brand promises its headpieces are one size fits all, so your baby can wear them as she grows. This set comes with 18 colors, but you can buy each one individually for about $7 apiece. $108 for 18 at Posh Peanut Buy

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By Sonia Elks

LONDON, April 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Everest climbers could face a starkly different landscape stripped of the dramatic Khumbu Icefall within decades as global warming melts icy landmarks, scientists said on Tuesday.

Glaciers are set to vanish from almost half of U.N.-designated World Heritage sites in less than a century if greenhouse gas emissions are not cut, according to research published in the journal Earth's Future.

Sites likely to be affected include the Grosser Aletschgletscher in the Swiss Alps and Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae, researchers said in a study released this week.

The data should act as a wake-up call for nations to step up their commitments to prevent climate change, said the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which collaborated with the University of Fribourg on the study.

"Losing these iconic glaciers would be a tragedy and have major consequences for the availability of water resources, sea level rise and weather patterns," said Peter Shadie, the director of the IUCN World Heritage Programme, in a statement.

Climate change is becoming one of the most significant risks for World Heritage sites, according to a report released by the United Nations cultural body, UNESCO, in 2016.

Researchers plotted glaciers at World Heritage locations -identifying a total of some 19,000 over 46 sites - and used data modeling to predict ice loss based on how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases the world emits between now and 2100.

They found that well-known beauty spots, including the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina, the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks and Te Wahipounamu in South West New Zealand are expected to lose much of their ice.

Nearly half the World Heritage sites - 21 out of a total of 46 that have glaciers - will lose all their ice by 2100 under a high emissions scenario, they found.

Even under a low-emissions model, eight of the sites will be ice free by the start of the next century, the report said.

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The research found significant melting is expected in all scenarios, with between 33 and 60 percent of the total ice volume in 2017 lost by 2100.

The findings should highlight the threat posed by global warming said Matthias Huss, one of the researchers on the study and the lead at the Glacier Monitoring Network at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

"We shed a particular light on glaciers at World Heritage sites because they are the most visible and they're an important symbol for climate change" he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"Our message is glaciers are retreating... But we can still make a difference."

(Reporting by Sonia Elks @soniaelks; Editing by Jason Fields. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
(Corrects typographical error in paragraph 7)

* Opposition leader moves to oust Maduro, troops clash

* No sign of widespread military support

* U.S. says it had indications Maduro was ready to leave

By Vivian Sequera, Angus Berwick and Luc Cohen

CARACAS, April 30 (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Tuesday made his strongest call yet to the military to help him oust President Nicolas Maduro but there were no concrete signs of defection from the armed forces leadership.

Early on Tuesday, several dozen armed troops accompanying Guaido clashed with soldiers supporting Maduro at a rally in Caracas, and large anti-government protests in the streets turned violent. But by Tuesday afternoon an uneasy peace had returned and there was no indication that the opposition planned to take power through military force.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN that "as we understand it" Maduro had been ready to depart for socialist ally Cuba, but had been persuaded to stay by Russia, which has also been a steadfast supporter.

In a message posted on his social media accounts on Tuesday evening, Guaido told supporters to take to the streets once again on Wednesday. He reiterated his call for the armed forces to take his side, and said Maduro did not have the military's support.

"Today Venezuela has the opportunity to peacefully rebel against a tyrant who is closing himself in," Guaido said.

Maduro appeared in a state television broadcast on Tuesday night flanked by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and socialist party Vice President Diosdado Cabello, among others.

"Today the goal was a big show," Maduro said, referring to the military members who sided with Guaido as a "small group." "Their plan failed, their call failed, because Venezuela wants peace."

He said he had reinstated Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez as the head of the Sebin intelligence agency, without providing details on the exit of Manuel Cristopher Figuera at the helm of the agency. Cristopher Figuera replaced Gonzalez Lopez at Sebin last year.

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Other U.S. officials said three top Maduro loyalists - Padrino, Supreme Court chief judge Maikel Moreno and presidential guard commander Ivan Rafael Hernandez Dala - had been in talks with the opposition and were ready to support a peaceful transition of power.

"They negotiated for a long time on the means of restoring democracy but it seems that today they are not going forward," said U.S. envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams. U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said: "All agreed that Maduro had to go." Neither provided evidence.

Venezuela's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada rejected Bolton's remarks as "propaganda."

Flanked by uniformed men, Padrino said in a broadcast that the armed forces would continue to defend the constitution and "legitimate authorities," and that military bases were operating as normal. Moreno issued a call for calm on Twitter.

Guaido, the leader of the National Assembly, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing that Maduro's re-election in 2018 was illegitimate. But Maduro has held on, despite economic chaos, most Western countries backing Guaido, increased U.S. sanctions, and huge protests.

BOLD, BUT RISKY, MOVE

Tuesday's move was Guaido's boldest effort yet to persuade the military to rise up against Maduro. If it fails, it could be seen as evidence that he lacks sufficient support. It might also encourage the authorities, who have already stripped him of parliamentary immunity and opened multiple investigations into him, to arrest him.

Tens of thousands of people marched in Caracas in support of Guaido early on Tuesday, clashing with riot police along the main Francisco Fajardo thoroughfare. A National Guard armored car slammed into protesters who were throwing stones and hitting the vehicle.

Human rights groups said 109 people were injured in the incidents, most of them hit with pellets or rubber bullets.

Venezuela is mired in a deep economic crisis despite its vast oil reserves. Shortages of food and medicine have prompted more than 3 million Venezuelans to emigrate in recent years.

The slump has worsened this year with large areas of territory left in the dark for days at a time by power outages.

"My mother doesn't have medicine, my economic situation is terrible, my family has had to emigrate. We don't earn enough money. We have no security. But we are hopeful, and I think that this is the beginning of the end of this regime," said Jose Madera, 42, a mechanic, sitting atop his motorbike.

In a video on his Twitter account, Guaido was accompanied by men in military uniform and leading opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, a surprise public appearance for a man who has been under house arrest since 2017.

Chile's foreign minister said later Tuesday that Lopez and his family had entered Chile's diplomatic residence.

Oil prices topped $73 before easing, partly driven higher by the uncertainty in Venezuela, an OPEC member whose oil exports have been hit by the U.S. sanctions and the economic crisis.

WHO BACKED WHO?

The crisis has pitted supporters of Guaido, including the United States, the European Union, and most Latin American nations, against Maduro's allies, which include Russia, Cuba and China.

The White House declined to comment on whether Washington had advance knowledge of what Guaido was planning.

Carlos Vecchio, Guaido's envoy to the United States, told reporters in Washington that the Trump administration did not help coordinate Tuesday's events.

"This is a movement led by Venezuelans," he said.

But accusations flew back and forth, with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza saying the events had been "directly planned" in Washington and Bolton saying that fears of Cuban retaliation had propped up Maduro. Neither provided evidence.

Trump threatened "a full and complete embargo, together with highest-level sanctions" on Cuba for its support of Maduro.

Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro threw his support behind Guaido and said Venezuelans were "enslaved by a dictator." But his security adviser, a retired general, said Guaido's support among the military appeared "weak."

Russia's foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the Venezuelan opposition of resorting to violence in what it said was a brazen attempt to draw the country's armed forces into clashes. Turkey also criticized the opposition.

The United Nations and other countries urged a peaceful solution and dialog.

(Reporting by Angus Berwick, Vivian Sequera, Corina Pons, Mayela Armas, Deisy Buitrago, and Luc Cohen in Caracas; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick, Patricia Zengerle, Lesley Wroughton and Roberta Rampton in Washington, Madeline Chambers in Berlin, and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Alistair Bell and Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sonya Hepinstall)
BOSTON (AP)  Gambling regulators in Massachusetts on Tuesday levied a $35 million fine on Wynn Resorts but allowed the company to keep its casino license after executives failed to disclose allegations of sexual misconduct against company founder Steve Wynn.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission also fined CEO Matthew Maddox $500,000 for his "clear failure" to require an investigation of at least one misconduct complaint he'd been aware of. It also required the Nevada company, which also owns properties in Las Vegas and Macau, to be subject to review by an independent firm selected by the state as a condition of maintaining its license.

Wynn Resorts and lawyers for Steve Wynn didn't respond to emails seeking comment on the late evening decision, which effectively clears the way for the opening of the company's $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor resort in June.

The long-awaited decision comes after the commission this month released a more than 200-page investigative report, held three days of public hearings and deliberated for nearly four weeks on what company officials knew and did about the allegations.

Steve Wynn has denied the claims, saying his relationships with female employees, many of them spa workers and cocktail waitresses, had been consensual. He resigned as CEO last year after the Wall Street Journal first reported on the allegations.

Nevada regulators, after an investigation similar to Massachusetts' earlier this year, levied a $20 million fine on the company but also allowed it to retain its casino license.

Regulators in both states were focused on how long company officials were aware of the allegations and how they responded, rather than the truth behind the claims.

In Massachusetts, gambling investigators found company officials were aware of many of the allegations but failed to report them to internal investigators or take other steps mandated in the company's sexual harassment policies.

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They also found Wynn officials failed to disclose to regulators settlements paid out to Steve Wynn's accusers during their initial application for a casino license. Among them was $7.5 million Steve Wynn personally paid in 2005 to a former salon employee who alleged she'd become pregnant after Wynn raped her.

Massachusetts regulators also found Wynn executives were aware but didn't disclose at least three other complaints casino massage therapists brought against Steve Wynn as the company was being vetted by the state from 2013 to 2014.

Wynn Resorts officials argue the company has fundamentally changed since the scandal.

Every top executive that actively covered up or failed to act on the allegations has been fired. The board of directors saw an infusion of new members, including three women, and new sexual misconduct policies have been instituted, such as the creation of an oversight panel to review sexual harassment claims led by a former Boston police commissioner.

But Gaming Commission members, during their April hearings, directed pointed questions at Maddox, who has been with the company since its founding and is a close ally of Steve Wynn.

Commission members criticized Maddox for authorizing spying on employees named in the Wall Street Journal's story, but not actually investigating the sexual misconduct claims. And, when asked by commission members to name at least one of the company's new sexual harassment policies, Maddox wasn't able to.

Maddox acknowledged he should have informed regulators about the allegations in 2018 because he and other company officials were aware of The Wall Street Journal's reporting weeks prior to publication.

He also testified he'd been aware of a 2008 settlement as the company's then-chief financial officer, but maintained he was told the payment was to help a financially struggling employee.

And Maddox told regulators he was also aware of one of a number of complaints made by spa workers at Wynn Las Vegas about Steve Wynn's conduct during massages. As company president at the time, he said he told the then-president of the casino to tell Steve Wynn to discontinue the behavior.
Beijing (AFP) - President Xi Jinping urged China's youth on Tuesday to be loyal to the Communist Party as he sought to whip up patriotic sentiment in a nationalist speech marking the centennial of a student protest.

Xi delivered his hour-long plea at the Great Hall of the People to commemorate the May Fourth Movement, a landmark protest against colonialism and imperialism that rocked China in 1919.

The speech came as the party faces a slowing economy and a series of politically sensitive anniversaries, including 30 years since the June 4, 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square protesters.

"It's very shameful if a person isn't patriotic or even deceives or betrays the motherland. There is no place for such a person to stand anywhere," Xi told rows of young people, workers, soldiers and Communist Party cadres, many writing notes as he spoke.

"In contemporary China, the essence of patriotism is to combine one's love for the country with love for the party and socialism," he said.

"Chinese youth in the new era shall listen to the words of the party and follow the steps of the party."

The May 4, 1919 protest was a nationalist movement that began when some 3,000 Beijing University students marched to Tiananmen Square in anger at the handing of German concessions in China to Japan at the end of World War I.

The protests mushroomed into calls for a cultural and political awakening to modernise China.

Other sensitive dates loom this year, including the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests, the 10th anniversary of riots in the restive Xinjiang region, and five years since the Hong Kong pro-democracy Umbrella Movement.

- Silencing campus activism -

While Xi has repeatedly extolled the teachings of Marx and the Communist Party, authorities have cracked down on Marxist students who backed labour movements in recent months.

Two sources close to a Marxist student group at elite Peking University told AFP Tuesday that they haven't been able to contact five students for over 24 hours, raising concerns that they may have been detained by police for taking part in an activity to mark Labour Day.

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The group includes Qiu Zhanxuan, the school's former Marxist society president, who was detained by police in December and later forced to step down by college administration after attempting to commemorate the 125th birthday of Mao Zedong, whose legacy in China remains controversial.

Qiu on Sunday posted online that he would work overnight with workers at an industrial park in Beijing to experience the life of manual labourers.

Plainclothes police had followed the students to the industrial park, a friend of Qiu told AFP.

"Chinese labour rights incidents happen one after another, and authorities are worried that progressive students will defend labour rights, which will affect the false 'harmony and stability' the government has created," said the student, who requested anonymity.

Beijing police and Peking University officials could not be reached for comment.

Considered China's most prestigious university, Peking has a history of student activism with its alumni playing a key role in the pro-democracy Tiananmen protests in 1989 and the May Fourth movement.

In his speech, Xi urged youth to "create a better life with hard work and honest labour."

"Youth should not be opportunistic and reject shortcuts," he warned.

Xi's speech was "ridiculously ironic," as the Communist Party was "using nationalism to suppress the rights of everyday people's struggles," the student said.
New York (AFP) - New York Mayor Bill de Blasio issued an executive order Tuesday banning alcohol advertising from city property, citing public health concerns.

The ban would include bus shelters, newsstands and Wi-Fi kiosks and would take effect immediately for new ads, though existing ads would be allowed to remain until their contracts run out.

"There's no doubt that far too many New Yorkers struggle with serious substance misuse issues, among them excessive drinking," de Blasio, a Democrat, said in a statement.

"This order banning alcohol ads from city property reaffirms our commitment to health equity and our stand to protect the well-being of all New Yorkers."

According to the statement, there were nearly 2,000 alcohol-related deaths in New York City in 2016, and 110,000 alcohol-related emergency department visits.

It also said certain areas are hit harder, with East Harlem seeing five times the rate of alcohol-linked hospitalizations than the Upper East Side.

Citing a 2017 study, the mayor's office said ads promoting alcoholic drinks could increase the likelihood of viewers consuming alcohol -- and could also affect they amount they drink.

"Exposure to outdoor alcohol advertising has been associated with subsequent intentions to use and with problem drinking," said the study from the New York Academy of Medicine.

Alcohol ads were banned from buses and the city's subway in January 2018.

The Distilled Spirits Council, an alcohol producer trade association, criticized de Blasio's order.

"The mayor's decision to ban alcohol advertising is misguided and unsupported by the scientific research," the organization's vice president Jay Hibbard said in a statement.

Other major US cities have also banned alcohol advertising -- though Hibbard said some cities, such as Baltimore and Chicago, have since then overturned such bans.

"The research is clear -- parents and other adults are the most influential factors in a youth's decision whether or not to drink alcohol, not advertising," he said.

According to a Federal Trade Commission report on alcohol advertising in 2014 -- the most recent available -- the agency relies on the industry to self-regulate its marketing practices.
By Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York's governor assailed President Donald Trump on Monday for backing the National Rifle Association in its dispute with the state, accusing the U.S. leader of being afraid of the powerful gun lobby.

Two days after a gunman sprayed a California synagogue with bullets, killing a worshipper, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged Trump to do more to stop gun deaths.

In a statement directed at the president, Cuomo said 74,600 Americans had died from gun violence since Trump was elected in November 2016.

"You have done nothing but tweet about it," Cuomo said. "Unlike you, President Trump, New York is not afraid to stand up to the NRA."

State Attorney General Letitia James on Saturday confirmed her office had issued subpoenas as part of an investigation related to the NRA. The New York Times reported the probe involved the group's tax-exempt status.

"In any case we pursue, we will follow the facts wherever they may lead. We wish the President would share our respect for the law," James said on Monday.

The NRA annual meeting was roiled over the weekend after internal disputes spilled into the open with retired U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North saying he would step down as NRA president. North said he was being forced out because of his allegations that NRA leaders engaged in financial improprieties.

Trump, a Republican, shifted the spotlight on Monday to Cuomo and James, Democratic officials in his home state, after divisions within NRA leadership surfaced.

"The NRA is under siege by Cuomo and the New York State A.G., who are illegally using the States legal apparatus to take down and destroy this very important organization, & others," Trump wrote on Twitter without providing evidence.

"It must get its act together quickly, stop the internal fighting," Trump said of the NRA.

New York officials have run up against the gun advocacy organization as the state aims to tighten gun restrictions. The NRA last year sued Cuomo and the state's financial regulator for engaging in what it said was a "blacklisting campaign" aimed at swaying banks and insurers to stop doing business with it.

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The state legislature passed gun restrictions this year, including prohibiting armed teachers in schools and extending waiting periods to buy guns.

NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre had accused North of trying to oust him by threatening to release "damaging" information about him, according to a letter from LaPierre to NRA board members that was published by the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

North's allegations included that LaPierre had received about $275,000 in wardrobe items paid for by an NRA vendor, the newspaper reported.

LaPierre emerged victorious, winning re-election from the NRA board on Monday as the group's CEO and executive vice president.

The NRA, with more than 5 million members, is the most powerful and well-connected gun lobby in the United States. NRA officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump has embraced the gun lobby, vowing not to tighten U.S. firearms laws and advocating proposals such as arming teachers as a way of preventing school shootings.

The NRA spent $30.3 million to support Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a group that tracks campaign spending.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Bill Berkrot)
This week, the New York Times got itself into hot water for printing a blatantly Jew-hating cartoon in its international edition. The cartoon depicted Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an elongated dachshund, a Star of David hanging around his neck, leading a fat, blind, yarmulke-wearing Donald Trump through the streets. The implication: The nefarious, animalistic Jew is in control of the Jew-perverted president of the United States.

The image is nothing new. In 1940, the Lustige Blatter, a weekly German humor magazine, printed an image of a tall, ugly, bearded Hasidic Jew taking a tiny Winston Churchill by the hand and leading him across the surface of the globe.

So, what would tempt the New York Times to print an illustration directly from the mind of Julius Streicher? The fact that the Times, like many of todays mainstream media outlets, has been completely and utterly willing to cover for and, indeed, engage in anti-Semitism, so long as it is disguised as anti-Zionism. Undoubtedly, the editors at the Times believed that the cartoon was merely a criticism of Israel, not a criticism of Jews. That excuse found its logical apotheosis in a 2014 German regional-court ruling that characterized a firebombing of a synagogue as merely a protest against Israel, rather than act of anti-Semitism.

The Times isnt far behind that court. In the past few months alone, the Times ran a long piece praising the terrorist-backed Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel  a movement whose founders explicitly describe it as an economic attempt to destroy the Jewish state. The author of that piece, Nathan Thrall, had previously praised Hamass violence against Israel, calling its terrorism the direct result of the choice by Israel and the West. Unsurprisingly, the Washington Free Beacon has reported that Thrall is tied to a large network of BDS supporters that are funded into the millions by the Qatari government. The Times made no mention of his affiliation.

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The Times ardently defended Representative Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) against charges of anti-Semitism, even suggesting that her anti-Semitic attribution of American support for Israel to Jewish money was an important consciousness-raising exercise. Their headline: Ilhan Omars Criticism Raises the Question: Is Aipac Too Powerful?

The Times suggested that information about Palestinian payments to families of terrorists was far-right conspiracy programming. The Times simply ignored Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbass calling U.S. ambassador David Friedman son of a dog, didnt report Abbass comments about Jews falsifying history, and omitted coverage of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar telling Palestinians about to storm the Israeli border, We will take down the border, and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.

Back in 2015, the New York Times printed a list of lawmakers who voted against the anti-Israel Iran deal  listing them by the percentage of Jews in their districts and noting which ones were Jewish themselves. Back in 2014, the publisher of the newspaper, Margaret Sullivan, had to remind her own reporters to cover the Palestinians as more than just victims, thanks to the papers insanely one-sided coverage.

The Times ugly record of anti-Semitism goes all the way back to 2000, when the newspaper printed a photo of a Jewish student beaten by Palestinian Arabs and defended by an Israeli soldier  but captioned the photo by labeling the beaten man an Arab.

In actuality, the Times cares about anti-Semitism only when it can be used as a political weapon. The Times admitted in November that it had neglected to cover anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York City specifically because such anti-Semitism refuses to conform to an easy narrative with a single ideological enemy, explaining that when a Hasidic man or woman is attacked by anyone in New York City, mainstream progressive advocacy groups do not typically send out emails calling for concern and fellowship and candlelight vigils in Union Square.

The mainstream Left has engaged in self-flattering blindness when it comes to Jew-hatred. And all too often, that blindness veers into outright anti-Semitism.

More from National Review
Gary Hershorn/Getty

The New York Times decided on Monday to cease the Times relationship with the syndication service that supplied an anti-Semitic political cartoon that ran in last Thursdays international print edition of the newspaper.

The cartoon, drawn by Portuguese artist Antonio Moreira Antunes and originally published by the Lisbon newspaper Expresso, depicted a blind, yarmulke-wearing Donald Trump being led by a dachshund sporting the face of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a Star of David dog collar.

A Times spokesperson told The Daily Beast exclusively about the papers decision to stop using syndicated cartoons, especially from CartoonArts, the New York-based syndicator that has been providing the Times and other newspapers with more than 30 cartoons weekly through the Times Licensing Group for several decades.

The announcement came after The Daily Beast conveyed to the Times a complaint from Jonathan Greenblatt, executive director of the Anti-Defamation League, about a second cartoon published over the weekend in the papers international edition.

This one depicted Netanyahu dressed as the Old Testament prophet Moses, sporting sunglasses as he descends from a mountain while holding a selfie stick in one hand and, with the other, hoisting aloft a stone tablet graced by the Jewish star.

It looked like the Ten Commandments, Greenblatt told The Daily Beast, It might not be as blatantly anti-Semitic as the first cartoon, but it was clearly insensitive and absolutely offensive after the first piece of propaganda.

After a request for comment, Eileen Murphy, the Times head of communications, emailed this statement: The cartoon that ran in the international print edition of The Times last Thursday was clearly anti-Semitic and indefensible and we apologize for its publication. While we don't think this [second] cartoon falls into that category, for now, we've decided to suspend the future publication of syndicated cartoons.

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In an interview, Greenblatt called the newspapers apologywhich was issued Sundaya good start but its insufficient, and added: We need action and accountability. We dont need apologies at this point.

Greenblatts criticismswhich he said hes registered personally to the leadership of The New York Timescome at a moment when an apparent white nationalist gunned down Passover worshipers Saturday morning at a Southern California synagogue, wounding several and killing a 60-year-old woman.

The ADL is preparing to issue a report on Tuesday showing an alarming increase in anti-Semitic incidents, year over year, in the United States.

The New York Times sets the tone of the public conversation, Greenblatt said, adding that the publication of the first cartoon is an example of the normalization of anti-Semitism that we worry so much about at ADL. And in an environment where anti-Semitism is on the rise where people like the shooter this weekend are taking inspiration from these conspiracy theories that Jews have excessive control, that Jews manipulate eventsto then see The New York Times publish a piece of propaganda that clearly communicates that Jews have excessive control, or that Jews manipulate events, is unconscionable.

Greenblatt said that in his conversations with the Times leaders, Im strongly encouraging them to do more. Its overdue frankly. Were going to continue to apply all that we can There is a deep problem here, and it needs to be dealt with. Standing up to anti-Semitism isnt something you should after the fact. It needs to happen before theres an incident I think the Times needs to take corrective action in advance to ensure that this never happens again.

The Times initially called publishing Thursdays cartoon an error of judgment but didnt apologize. But after a storm of criticism, the paper issued a statement saying we are deeply sorry and vowed: [W]e are committed to making sure nothing like this happens again.

Greenblatt added: They absolutely need policies and procedures They need a clarification about how these decisions get made. And the person who would make such a decision to publish a cartoon like that, I think its kind of obvious that they dont have the judgment thats necessary to be in an institution like the Times I think they need a thorough review and an overhaul of how those decisions get made. I dont know, was it one person? Multiple people? I dont think its very clear at this point. This wasnt a misjudgment, it was a moral failing. It wasnt a clerical error.

The Times initially blamed the cartoons publication on an unidentified editor who was working without adequate oversight because of a faulty process, according to a Times story.

Times columnist Bret Stephens also weighed in, writing on Sunday: The paper owes the Israeli prime minister an apology. It owes itself some serious reflection as to how it came to publish that cartoonand how its publication came, to many longtime readers, as a shock but not a surprise.

Greenblatt, for his part, called on Times management to institute sensitivity training for the staff on anti-Semitism. Clearly they need it, to make sure they cover these issues with an eye toward focusing on the facts rather than perpetuating prejudice. And thirdly, I think they owe it to their readership to educate them on the persistent poison of anti-Jewish hate.

Murphy declined to comment on Greenblatts recommendation to start sensitivity training sessions, or his suggestion that the editor or editors involved shouldnt be working for the Times.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Auburn University recently recognized a future civil engineer and a military veteran as recipients of the prestigious Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.

Natalie Palmquist and Kyle Venable received the award, which is given annually to individuals who embody high qualities and nobility of character, at the Presidents Luncheon in April.

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award has been presented at Auburn since 1951 as a reminder of the noblest human qualities exemplified by Algernon Sydney Sullivan, a prominent humanitarian and first president of the New York Southern Society, now the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation. Each year, Auburn bestows the honor on one male and one female student from the graduating class.

Palmquist, a native of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is a civil engineering major, with a minor in philanthropy and nonprofit studies. Among her many accolades, including her near perfect 3.96 GPA, Palmquist is among the top one percent of engineering students at Auburn. She was named a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship and is the recipient of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering Stone Leadership Award. Palmquist has also been a member of the Honors College since her freshman year and is a current member of the Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society.

At Auburn, Palmquist has served in various leadership roles such as an International Student Orientation Leader with Auburn Global and vice president of the Turkism Student Organization. She has also served as president of the Auburn University Engineers Without Borders chapter and is its Rwandan Team leader. She is a program intern with Engineering Ministries International in Delhi, India.

Venable left his home in LaFayette to join the United States Marine Corps and completed three combat deployments, two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. He received the Navy and Marine Corps Medals for Commendation and Achievement. He has received medals for Outstanding Volunteer Service and Good Conduct. After serving almost 17 years as a gunnery sergeant in the Marines, Venable is pursuing an information system management degree with a focus on cybersecurity.

Venable is a member of the Marine Corps League, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Project Management Institute. He is also a member of the Auburn Student Veterans Association where he has served as president for the past three years. During his presidency, participation has increased by 70 percent, donations by 50 percent and the student veteran population is at the forefront of Auburn Universitys Veterans Resource Center.

The annual luncheon also featured the presentation of the W. James Samford Jr. Memorial Scholarship to Luke Samuel Anderson, a junior from Killen, Alabama, majoring in chemical engineering with a specialization in pre-medicine and minoring in Spanish. The award is named in memory of James Samford, a 1972 Auburn alumnus and member of the Auburn Board of Trustees from 1987 until his death in 2003.

The President's Award and W. James Samford Jr. Foundation Award recognizes one graduate in each school or college who has completed at least three semesters at Auburn with a minimum grade-point average of 3.40 and possesses outstanding qualities of leadership, citizenship, character and promise of professional ability.

This years Presidents Award honorees are Lancaster Anne Blake, College of Agriculture; Jedediah E. Grant, College of Architecture, Design and Construction; Allan W. Gulley, Raymond J. Harbert College of Business; Daniel Ray Campbell, College of Education; Natalie Rebekah Palmquist, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering; Cullen Anderson, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences; Rakish Shrestha, Graduate School; Martha Heidrich Yergey, College of Human Sciences; Madison M. Ogletree, College of Liberal Arts; Amber Nicole Butts, School of Nursing; Lauren Elizabeth Wright, Harrison School of Pharmacy; Kevin Michael Wyss, College of Sciences and Mathematics; and Rachel Roberson Pfeifle, College of Veterinary Medicine.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  New Zealand police said they arrested a 33-year-old man on Tuesday after they found ammunition and a package containing a suspected explosive device at a vacant property in Christchurch.

The city is where a gunman killed 50 people at two mosques on March 15. Police said at the time that the gunman had a number of weapons as well as two improvised explosive devices in his car. Police have not yet said whether they think the latest incident has any link with the March attack.

Police Superintendent John Price said in a statement Tuesday that a defense force bomb squad had rendered the package safe.

Police evacuated a number of nearby houses and temporarily imposed a no-fly zone as the incident unfolded. They removed the cordons Tuesday evening.

A 28-year-old Australian, Brenton Tarrant, has been charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder in the March mosque attacks. Tarrant has not yet entered a plea and remains in a high-security prison in Auckland pending his next court appearance on June 14.
WELLINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - New Zealand police said on Tuesday they were responding to an incident in Christchurch, where 50 people were killed in attacks by a lone gunman on two mosques in March, and asked people to avoid the area.

Police declined to comment on the nature of the incident in the Phillipstown area of the city on New Zealand's South Island and gave no further details.

Broadcaster Newshub said cordons were in place and an ambulance was in the area. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and Praveen Menon Editing by Paul Tait)
Harare (AFP) - A Zimbabwean organisation has started exhuming the remains of victims of a government massacre during former president Robert Mugabe's rule, which claimed some 20,000 lives.

Mugabes regime deployed a North Korean-trained crack military unit to fight alleged dissidents in parts of the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces in the 1980s, according to rights groups.

The targets were mainly from the Ndebele ethnic group, perceived as backing a rival to Mugabe, who is from the majority Shona group.

Mugabe did not publicly apologise for the crackdown codenamed Gukurahundi (which means "the rain that washes away the chaff" in Shona) except calling the killings "a moment of madness."

The remains of Thembi Ngwenya, aged 21 at the time of her death in 1983, were the first to be exhumed as part of a healing process promised by the government.

Ngwenya was gunned down with her husband while on their way to the local train station in Tsholotsho, according to the head of the national peace and reconciliation commission.

Local villagers buried their bodies in a shallow grave near a railway line.

A non-governmental organisation called the Ukuthula Trust exhumed Ngwenyas remains on Sunday for reburial at a date to be decided later.

"I attended, at the invitation of Ukuthula Trust, the exhumation," Sello Nare, a retired judge who now chairs the national peace and reconciliation commission, told AFP.

"The deceased had been buried in a rocky place and the grave was shallow. The shin bone was protruding from the ground."

"The reburials from my point of view are a healing process. I believe that should create closure as regards what took place."

President Emmerson Mnangagwa who took over from Mugabe following a brief military takeover in 2017, was state security minister at the time of the killings.

He called for open discussion of the Gukurahundi to promote healing.

The national healing commission will hold hearings later this year to "promote national healing."
The Goa education board results for Class 12 has announced by the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) around 11 am today. The Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board of the state has said it would announce the Class 12 Goa HSSC Results 2019 on its official website ghshse.gov.in.

Of the 17,893 students who appeared for the exams, 15,187 passed and 2,210 failed. This year, the pass percentage is recorded 89.59 per cent.

Candidates can check their scores via websites or SMS.

How to check result online: Students can visit any of these websites to check Goa Class 12th result

ghshse.gov.in, KnowYourResult.com, Goa12.KnowYourResult.com, indiaresults.com, examresults.net/goa,schools9.com, results.amarujala.com

Steps to follow

Step 1: Go to the website

Step 2: Click on Goa Board Class 12 Result 2019

Step 3: Enter your roll number and and submit it

Step 4: Download the result appeared on screen

Step 4: Take a print out of the result

How to check result through SMS:

Candidates can check their HSSC scores via SMS. For those who are unable to access the results via the Internet, they can send a text message in the format 'RESULTGOA12 ROLLNO' to 56263 to get their result delivered on their mobile phones. This year, a total of 17,893 students appeared for the Goa Board Class 12 exam. The Goa 12 Board Exam was conducted from February 28 to March 26.
Sudanese protesters on Tuesday called for a mass rally, insisting the army is not serious about handing power to civilians nearly three weeks after it toppled autocratic president Omar al-Bashir. The call came as tensions mounted over the make-up of a new joint civilian-military council to run Sudan, with demonstrators reinforcing their barricades outside the army headquarters in the capital. The two sides have been at odds over their representation in the council supposed to replace the military body that took power after Bashir's ouster on April 11 in the face of mass protests against his three-decade rule. The military has been pushing for a 10-member council including seven military representatives and three civilians. The disagreements prompted the Alliance for Freedom and Change to announce a "million-strong march on May 2 to assert our main demand, which is for civilian rule". "The military council is not serious about handing over power to civilians," said Mohamed Naji al-Assam, a leader from the Sudanese Professionals Association spearheading the protest movement. "The military council insists that the (joint) council should be military led with civilian representation," Assam told a news conference, adding the army had been seeking to "expand its powers daily". "The international community should support the choices of the Sudanese people." - 'Escalatory language' - Speaking at the same news conference, Madani Abbas Madani, another protest leader, accused the military council of using "escalatory language which does not encourage partnership". Their statements came after a top Sudanese general announced the new body would be headed by current military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The protesters have called the military council headed by Burhan "a copy cat of the toppled regime". They want a majority of civilians on a 15-member joint council with seven military representatives. Adding to the deepening discord, the military council said six security personnel were killed in clashes with protesters across the country on Monday. "In different incidents, six people from the security forces were killed and 16 wounded," said the council's deputy chief Mohammad Hamdan Dagolo, who is widely known as Himeidti. "There were incidents of burning of markets and looting," he said, adding protest leaders had told the military council any incident that took place outside the Khartoum sit-in site did not represent them. Thousands of protesters began massing outside army headquarters in the capital on April 6, demanding that the armed forces back them in ousting Bashir. Five days later, the army took power through a transitional military council, having deposed Bashir, after months of protests that began with unrest over a tripling of bread prices. Since then the 10-member council of generals has resisted calls to step down. But in a breakthrough on Saturday, the two sides agreed to form a joint civilian-military body to pave the way for a civilian government. The joint council would be an overall ruling body, according to protest leaders, who want a separate transitional civilian administration to run the country's day-to-day affairs and work towards elections. Late Monday, a Sudanese protest group said the army was trying to remove barricades and disperse the sit-in outside army headquarters. - Military deploys - On Tuesday, several military vehicles loaded with machineguns were deployed in downtown Khartoum, an AFP correspondent reported. Dozens of protesters staged a demo in the north Khartoum suburb of Bahari against the military council, burning tyres and blocking roads, an AFP reporter said. The Sudanese Professionals Association has urged its supporters to gather at the sit-in and to protect the barricades. But the military council's deputy head insisted it was "not against the continuation of the sit-in". "We offered to help in providing support for protesters during Ramadan," the Muslim holy month of fasting that starts in May, Himeidti told reporters. Lieutenant General Salah Abdelkhalik, also a member of the ruling military council, said the army would "never use violence against protesters". Witnesses at the sit-in said protesters were strengthening some of the makeshift roadblocks. "These barricades are for protecting us. We don't want any military vehicle to enter the sit-in area. We will not move until we have civilian rule," a protester told AFP. Some perched on nearby rooftops to keep watch for troops, while others sat on barricades holding Sudanese flags. The protesters have won support from Western governments for their demands. But Sudan's key Gulf Arab donors have backed the military, while African states have called for more time for power to be handed over to civilians. Sudanese protesters have called the ruling military council "a copy cat of the toppled regime" The demonstrators have reinforced their barricades outside the army headquarters Thousands of protesters began massing outside Sudan's military headquarters in early April
Last week the Trump administration announced that it will not be renewing six-month waivers granted to eight countries to continue buying limited quantities of Iranian oil, a move that shocked experts and sent the global oil market up for a bumpy week. Trump is walking a tightrope, as he tries to completely cut off Iran from international oil markets and thereby put the nations economy under pressure to push Tehran to bow to U.S. demands while also attempting to keep gas prices low in the United States.

This was already a tough balance to strike, but it has been made nearly impossible now that its been discovered that Russia has been exporting contaminated crude oil, clogging up European refineries and making an already fragile oil market even more volatile than before. Last week, after crude oil coming out of the Ural Mountains through the Druzhba pipeline was discovered to be contaminated, European oil refineries stopped importing oil not just from that region but also from Russia as a whole, impacting exports from the Ust-Luga export terminal in the Baltic region as well.

New reporting shows that the oil was apparently deliberately contaminated at the private Samaratransneft terminal according to Russias oil pipeline operator Transneft. Overall, the stemmed slow of Russian crude amounts to a approximately 1.5 barrels a day of heavier crude now missing from the marketplace. Add this to the vast quantities of Iranian oil that the U.S. hopes to choke off, and theres no way that the market wont feel that squeeze.

Oil prices have already been rising this year, but last weeks announcement that the Trump administration would be ending Iranian crude waivers, known as significant reduction exceptions, send crude benchmarks even higher. Currently, the price of gas has risen by almost 30 percent since the beginning of the year and is now just 10 cents away from reaching the peak price from 2018. Related: U.S. Pipeline Boom Could End In Crisis

There is a particular squeeze on heavier oil, with heavier crude from Russia compromised, and heavy Venezuelan crude sanctioned on top of Iranian oil sanctions and issues with other heavy crude producers like Angola, which faces its own difficulties in output. Countries that continue to produce at high volumes, like the United States, are supplying a much lighter crude which does not satisfy the same sectors of the market. As such, heavy crude prices have borne the brunt of the squeeze, edging higher and higher.

Further complicating the matter, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has showed no indication--in spite of Trumps prodding--that they will pump more oil to offset the loss of crude thanks to U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, not to mention the contaminated Russian crude. Representatives from OPEC nations including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have gone on record to say that they will make no immediate move to increase oil production, and that their primary goal is simply to ensure stable oil prices and a balanced global market.

So far, the United States is sticking to its resolution to end sanctions waivers, but many nations are doing their best to change Trumps mind. China and Turkey have publicly and strongly criticized the severity of the sanctions, accusing the U.S. of overstepping, and some analysts speculate that the two nations may defy U.S. sanctions on Iran outright. Meanwhile, previous waiver recipients India, South Korea and Japan have lobbying campaigns in full swing to change minds in Washington to extend their significant reduction exceptions. There have also been a fair number of opinion column inches dedicated to whether India will buck U.S. orders as well. Italy, Greece and Taiwan, for their part, have no need to invest in their own lobbying as they never used their waivers in the first place.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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 Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO) saw its share price sink more than 6 percent on Monday after reporting first quarter earnings, which saw a 21 percent year-on-year decline in revenues.

 Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) was cut to Hold by Jefferies, which cited risky battle for Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC). Chevron (NYSE: CVX) is also seeking to buy Anadarko.

 Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) plans on raising $20 billion through the sale of eight of its refineries, according to Reuters.

- Mexico was the single largest buyer of distillates and gasoline, while Japan was the largest buyer of propane.

- U.S exports of total petroleum products hit a record high in 2018, averaging 5.6 million barrels per day, which was up 366,000 bpd from a year earlier.

Investor Alert: For the first time ever, Oilprice.com is making its annual Top 50 Oil & Gas Companies report available to members. Sign up to Global Energy Alert today and find out who topped this year's rankings.

Investor Alert: For the first time ever, Oilprice.com is making its annual Top 50 Oil & Gas Companies report available to members. Sign up to Global Energy Alert today and find out who topped this year's rankings.

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

- U.S exports of total petroleum products hit a record high in 2018, averaging 5.6 million barrels per day, which was up 366,000 bpd from a year earlier.

- The three largest product exports were distillates, propane and motor gasoline.

- Mexico was the single largest buyer of distillates and gasoline, while Japan was the largest buyer of propane.

Market Movers

 Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) plans on raising $20 billion through the sale of eight of its refineries, according to Reuters.

 Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) was cut to Hold by Jefferies, which cited risky battle for Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC). Chevron (NYSE: CVX) is also seeking to buy Anadarko.

 Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO) saw its share price sink more than 6 percent on Monday after reporting first quarter earnings, which saw a 21 percent year-on-year decline in revenues.

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Oil rebounded on Tuesday after two days of declines, pushed higher by turmoil in Venezuela and the insistence by Saudi officials that the OPEC+ production cuts would be extended in the second half of 2019.

Saudi Arabia wants cuts extended. Saudi oil minister Khalid al-Falih told the Russian press that OPEC+ should maintain production cuts in some form through the end of the year. Oil prices bounced on the news.

Related: The Energy Solution That Could End The Border Wall Debate

Venezuela military uprising underway. As of Tuesday morning, opposition leader Juan Guaido had reportedly launched an attempted military coup. The definitive end of the usurpation started today, said Guaido, according to Argus Media. The National Armed Forces, today, brave soldiers, patriots loyal to the constitution, have heeded our call. The reports suggest that some generals in the armed forces have ordered their troops to back the coup. At the time of this writing, it was unclear how successful the campaign would be.

U.S. regulators pan Trumps plan for Alaska drilling. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that the Trump administrations plan to open up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for drilling did not adequately consider the impacts of oil spills, climate change and the welfare of polar bears. The Interior Department is hoping to hold a lease sale later this year in ANWR, but Fish & Wildlife (which is housed within Interior) said the environmental assessment and permitting process was flawed. That could open up the lease plan to litigation.

ExxonMobil looking at Permian acquisitions. ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) is interested in making more acquisitions in the Permian, according to the FT. A senior VP at Exxon told analysts on an earnings call last week that he would be surprised if over time we did not pick up more Permian acreage. The comments come in light of the battle between Chevron (NYSE: CVX) and Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) for Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC). Whoever wins that bidding war will substantially increase their presence in the Permian.

Warren Buffet to invest $10 billion on Occidental winning Anadarko fight. Warren Buffets Berkshire Hathaway said it would invest $10 billion into Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY), although contingent on the company winning the bidding war for Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC). Occidentals bid for Anadarko is viewed as more generous than that of Chevron (NYSE: CVX), at least at the moment, but to date, Anadarko has seemed to prefer Chevron. That could change with the backing of Buffett.

Trafigura ships first cargo of West Texas Light. Trafigura shipped the first-ever cargo of West Texas Light (WTL), a new blend that is differentiated from West Texas Intermediate (WTI). WTL is a blend of light and ultralight oil, and it is an outgrowth of the booming supply of ultralight oil in the Permian. South Korea took the first shipment as it looks to replace condensate imports from Iran.

Venezuelan opposition seeks Trumps help in paying bond. Venezuelas opposition in the National Assembly is set to vote on legislation seeking the approval from the U.S. Treasury Department to tap frozen funds in order to allow Citgo to make an interest payment. Citgo has been put into the hands of the Venezuelan opposition but is at risk of creditor action if it cant make payments. Citgo is one of the top assets the opposition has and would be key in building a new regime in Venezuela.

UK fracking looking bleak. Regulations on seismic activity and the influx of cheap LNG has all but killed any hopes of getting fracking off the ground in the UK. A UK government liaison between industry and local communities just resigned her post, blaming environmentalists from stifling development.

Related: Whats Next For Algeria As Bouteflika Steps Down

Iraq to be fourth largest producer by 2030. Iraq is set to be the worlds fourth-largest oil producer by 2030, adding more than 1 mb/d over the next decade to top 6 mb/d, according to a recent IEA report. If it succeeds, Iraq would only trail the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia. However, Iraq will need large volumes of water for oil field injections to realize these goals. "Without it, production rates could struggle to climb much beyond their current levels," the IEA said in its report.

Steel demand in drilling set to increase. More than 1 million kilometers of new oil and gas wells will be drilled over the next five years, according to Rystad Energy. The depth of these wells is equivalent to 25 times around the equator. Steel used in casing is set to remain elevated as a result.

BP profits fall. BP (NYSE: BP) said that first-quarter profits declined by 12 percent to $2.1 billion due to weaker oil prices at the start of the year. The performance echoed that of its peers, with ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), Chevron (NYSE: CVX) and Total (NYSE: TOT) citing similar headwinds.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

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The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) declared results for Karnataka Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) Class 10 exam. Students can check their results on karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in. A total of 73.7 per cent students have cleared the Karnataka SSLC exam 2019, the education board announced. The pass percentage of girls are recorded 79.59% while boys got a 68.46% pass percentage.

Karnataka SSLC topper has scored full marks out of 625 marks, followed by the second topper has achieved 624 out of 625 marks. Srujana and Naganjali have secured the top positions with full marks of 625/625 each in the Karnataka board 10th result of this year.

Srujana hails from from St Philomenas in Attibele, Bengaluru rural district and Naganjali resides in Kumta, Uttara Kannada district.

Of 8.41 lakh students who appeared for the exam, only 8.25 lakh students cleared it. Here's a list of websites where students can check results:

Official websites to check Karnataka Class 10 results 2019

karresults.nic.in

kseeb.kar.nic.in

Third party websites to check KSEEB SSLC result 2019:

examresults.net

results.nic.in

How to check result:

1) Visit the official websites karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in

2) On the homepage, select 'SSLC result'

3) Enter your roll number, hall ticket number and other login details

4) Your result will be displayed on the screen

5) Take a printout of the KSEEB SSLC Class 10 result or save the webpage for future reference

If the official website is slow or shows an error, one can also check Karnataka Class 10 board results via SMS.

Type KSEEB10 (without any symbols) and send it to 56263.
The oil price rally has ground to a halt as investors pull back, Trump promises a flood of OPEC oil, and the global economy shows some signs of slowing down.

Washingtons maximum pressure campaign led to a spike in oil prices only a week ago, but prices crashed on Friday after Trump tweeted that he called up OPEC to tell them to increase production.

The seesawing means that price volatility has shot up. The 3 percent decline in oil prices on Friday was the largest single-day decline so far this year. But that came after prices increased by nearly as much at the start of the week when Trump surprised the world by deciding against extending sanctions waivers.

As the Wall Street Journal notes, oil prices made multiple daily moves of at least 2.5 percent last week, the first time that has occurred in two months. Its been a massive roller coaster over the last couple of months, Tyler Ellegard, an investment analyst at Gradient Investments, told the Wall Street Journal.

Hedge funds and other money managers increased the ratio of long-to-short bets for the ninth consecutive week last week, an extraordinary demonstration of bullish sentiment. Fund managers have built up the most net long position since October 2018. At the same time, the rapid increase in long bets risks becoming overstretched, and the selloff on Friday suggests that investors are booking profits and paring back positions. The trimming of long bets can itself help spur oil price declines. Related: Massive Drop In U.S. Oil Rig Count Fails To Arrest Price Slide

But there are also fundamental reasons why prices may have reached a temporary limit. The market is now pricing in the odds of an increase in production from OPEC+, especially after Trump tweeted that more supply was in the offing. Gasoline prices are coming down. I called up OPEC, I said youve got to bring them down. Youve got to bring them down, Trump said.

Confusingly, multiple reports suggest that Trump did not actually speak with OPEC officials. Its entirely plausible that there was some sort of unofficial agreement between U.S. and Saudi officials in which Saudi oil would offset outages in Iran, although it also seems more likely than not that the Trump administration and the Saudi government have different interpretations of that handshake agreement. The confusion is not helping on the price volatility front, since there is little clarity on what to expect from OPEC+ over the next few months.

Allegedly, [Trump] spoke on the phone with Saudi Arabia and OPEC and persuaded them to permit more exports so as to lower US gasoline prices, Commerzbank said in a note when explaining the recent plunge in oil prices. But the bank noted that most of the price declines on Friday came before Trump issued his tweet. That suggests the over-extended nature of speculative bets may be the larger culprit. Related: Rosneft Sees No Oil Deficit Looming As Iran Sanction Waivers End

We believe that the pronounced reaction is probably due to the situation on the futures market being currently overbought, as financial investors had recently expanded their net long positions in Brent and WTI to six-month highs, Commerzbank wrote. Consequently, even small levels of uncertainty can spark a more marked price response. However, because the supply situation remains tight a renewed price rise is probable.

With the U.S. decision on Iran sanctions waivers now clear, the largest variable facing the oil market  and the one behind so much volatility  is how OPEC+ will respond. There are some within the coalition, particularly Russia, itching to put an end to the agreement. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is very reluctant to undercut the price rally, both because of last years mistake of ramping up supply too early and letting prices crash, as well as the budgetary pressures in Riyadh. The Saudi budget requires about $85 per barrel to breakeven, and while Saudi Arabia can run a deficit and raise funds by issuing new debt  likely for a long period of time  its safe to say that there is a desire in Riyadh for higher oil prices.

It is precisely because its very difficult to predict how all of these variables will come to rest that we have seen such a sudden upturn in volatility.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

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The Eastern Mediterranean is quickly turning into an energy hub due to the discovery of significant gas resources in recent years.

Egypt, for example, has already started production at its giant Zohr gas field, which transformed North-African state from an importer into an exporter of energy. Israel, for the first time in its history, will become a net exporter instead of importer concerning gas. Also, Cypriot waters have seen their fair share of significant discoveries in recent years. Lebanon, on the other hand, is one of the few countries in the Eastern Mediterranean which hasnt yet been able to deliver any good news. However, according to some estimates, the area could generate $200 billion in revenues based on 96 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and 865 million barrels of oil reserves.

Russia has been making significant inroads into the Lebanese energy sector with practically all major Russian companies participating in exploration and construction projects in the energy sector. The military intervention on behalf of Syrian President Assad in the neighbouring country's civil war provided the Kremlin with a springboard regarding the expansion of Russian activities in the region. It hasn't gone unnoticed as Washington is trying to counter the Russian advances by using its diplomatic and economic clout which hasnt been particularly successful.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travelled to Lebanon on the 22nd of March where he dedicated some time to transfer Washingtons concerns regarding the growing influence of Russian energy companies. According to some media, he intended to set red lines concerning the participation of unwanted elements in the Lebanese energy sector. Despite the U.S. efforts, Lebanese leaders have voiced their continued support for cooperation with Russian energy giants to facilitate the development of their countrys energy sector.

Beirut has already awarded the first contract for offshore drilling to a consortium comprised of Novatek, Eni, and Total. Rosneft is also increasing its activities in the country by agreeing to rehabilitate part of the oil storage terminal in Tripoli, and the company is also competing in the bidding process for an offshore gas terminal. Gazprom, on the other hand, has been active in revitalizing neighbouring Syrias gas industry. Despite the distinct economic advantage, Moscow is primarily focussed on the bigger picture when it comes to gaining influence in the strategically well-positioned country. The relative retreat of the U.S. from the Middle East allowed Moscow to increase its presence.

Although Washington has significant influence over Lebanese affairs, that clout seems to be waning quickly due to counterproductive American policies. The strong presence of Hezbollah in the Lebanese society and economy creates another hurdle for Western companies willing to invest due to U.S. sanctions. Furthermore, Washingtons support for Israel and President Trumps decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, as a favour of the Jewish lobby, hasnt had a positive effect on Americas image in the region. The longer U.S. companies arent involved in the Lebanese energy sector, the less influence Washington has over future developments. Related: Rosneft Sees No Oil Deficit Looming As Iran Sanction Waivers End

Lebanons difficult relations with neighbouring Israel arent limited to religious and ideological areas only. Also, in the energy domain, the countries are at odds with each other due to a dispute in maritime border demarcation. The states have an overlapping claim concerning a hydrocarbon-rich area in the Eastern Mediterranean. Although Washington has tried to mediate between the Middle Eastern countries, the Lebanese leadership is critical towards the Americans as they perceive them biased towards Israel.

Moscow, on the other hand, has chosen an approach into making strategic inroads which combines security, diplomacy, and energy. President Michel Aouns visit to Moscow is a testimony of good relations and high stakes. A sign that Moscows Middle East strategy is working is the rehabilitation of a long-disused oil pipeline connecting the Lebanese port city of Tripoli with oilfields in Iraqi Kurdistan through Syria. This wouldnt have been possible if the Kremlin hadnt cultivated its military, diplomatic and economic presence in the concerning countries where Moscow has invested significantly over the years.

By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com

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Venezuelas opposition leader and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido has announced what he has termed the final phase in the oppositions plan to take over the country from the Nicolas Maduro government, Reuters reports, citing Guaidos call for the Venezuelan military to join what increasingly looks like a coup attempt.

ccording to a Reuters reporter on site, about 70 armed men in military uniforms gathered at a military base together with Guaido and several hundred opposition supporters but about two hours after the opposition leader tweeted the announcement about the final phase, there was no visible escalation between opposition supporters and government forces. At the military base, the Reuters reporter said, government security forces fired tear gas at Guaidos group.

We reject this coup movement, which aims to fill the country with violence, Venezuelas Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said, as quoted by Reuters.

The Reuters report counters another statement by Guaido made to the Spanish unit of CNN, which said the Venezuelan army was not behind Maduro.

Evidently, there is no such backing of the armed forces to Maduros regime," he said, adding Its great news for the entire country that the military of Venezuelas armed forces have taken this step. They were an important part of this. This was fundamental not only for a transitioning, but to recover Venezuelas sovereignty. Here we are next to our legislators, the military and soon with the people of Venezuela. We are determined to conquer freedom for our country.

According to the countrys Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, the Guaido announcement and the events that followed were part of an attempt at a coup detat backed by the United States and Colombia.

"We denounce before the international community the support of the Colombian government for this new attempt at a coup d'etat in Venezuela. All the unconstitutional actions of the last few months in Venezuela have been planned from Washington and Bogota, the official said in a tweet.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Michigans Attorney General Dana Nessel has threatened to use every resource available to shut down Enbridges Line 5 oil pipeline that runs under the Straits of Macinac, in a statement on Monday.

Nessel was responding to media inquiries regarding her position on the oil pipeline and its fate.

I respect the Governors effort to find a swift and straightforward resolution to this issue but if unsuccessful I will use every resource available to our office to shut down Line 5 to protect our Great Lakes.

Just a month ago, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered a halt to the work on a tunnel beneath the Straits as part of the plan to replace a section of Line 5, after Nessel voiced her opinion that the bill that allowed the construction of the tunnel violated the states constitution because it went beyond what the bills title reflected.

Enbridge has long held the stance that replacing this section of Line 5 is the only way to lower the risk of oil leaking into Lakes Huron and Michigan to nearly zero.

Michigan Legislature approved in December 2018 the pipeline project that would see the 65-year-old line replaced, but the battle for the fate of the pipeline remains.

The original project was expected to take between seven and ten years to complete, although environmental activists and lawmakers may see this timeline pushed back or canceled.

Opponents of the pipeline replacement argue that moving oil and natural gas under the Straits of Macinac poses undue risk to the massive freshwater lakes that Michigan relies on, while proponents argue that replacing an aging line is better than doing nothing at all.

Governor Whitmer called for the complete decommissioning of Line 5 on her campaign trail, but last month declined to rule out the possibility of Enbridge encasing a new line in a tunnel deep underneath the Straits.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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A new study published today by Rystad Energy forecasts that there will be more than a million kilometers of new oil and gas wells drilled by 2023 globally; the distance of these wells combined is more than the distance to the moon and back.

Behind this push for oil and gas wells is North American shale, which, Rystad says, is expected to account for 600,000 kilometers of the million.

(Click to enlarge)

Rystads Head of Consulting, Erik Reiso, refers to the drilling onslaught to be seen in North America as in a league of its own thanks to the shale boom, with six of ten of the new wells in North America drilled in shale basinswells that are typical longer than other types of wells.



Related: The Fat Margins Have Disappeared - Big Oil Disappoints

While the top four offshore operators are expected to account for a quarter of the new offshore wells, the top ten onshore operators will account for only a third of the new wells in the next five years.

Discoveries of conventional resources on a global scale in Q1 2019 hit 3.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, Rystad said in a separate statement to Rig Zone on Monday, with February seeing 2.2 billion boe of that. More than 2.4 billion boe of that was discovered by oil majors, with ExxonMobil coming out on top.

If the rest of 2019 continues at a similar pace, this year will be on track to exceed last years discovered resources by 30 percent, Rystad Upstream Analyst Taiyab Zain Shariff said in a company statement sent to Rig Zone.

This search for new discoveries is as of yet not expected to slow this year, with another 35 high-impact exploration wells already planned, that if successful, will make 2019s total discovered resources the largest since the downturn of 2014, Shariff added.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has levelled fresh accusations against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a statement on Monday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP claimed to have intelligence proving that INEC was replacing all the servers at its headquarters in Abuja and all its offices in the 36 states of the federation in a bid to obliterate the actual result of the February 23 presidential election.

This according to the party proves INEC guilty in the manipulation and rigging of the 2019 presidential election.

The statement read: The PDP has been well briefed on how the INEC leadership and officials of the Buhari Presidency became jittery and resorted to the desperate measure, after they realized that the servers have information of Atiku Abubakars victory at the election.

Our party also has details of how the INEC leadership and the Presidency agents procured and detailed computer experts to the commissions offices to switch the servers, mutilate vital information in the system and attempt to erase all trails of transmitted results to the main server.

ALSO READ: Post-2019 elections: Amaechi, Akpabio hold reconciliation meeting

Moreover, our party has been informed about how the INEC leadership, several weeks after the election, used some compromised officials of the commission to manipulate voter registers in some states by ticking names of individuals who did not participate in the Presidential election, as having voted. This is with the view to using such to cover the fictitious results it wrote for the APC.

What INEC and the Buhari Presidency do not understand is that computer software and applications leave traces, signatures as well as footmark. Forensic investigation of the system will reveal the real votes transmitted from the polling centers, which show Atiku Abubakar as the winner of the election.

The PDP therefore, insists on forensic examination of all relevant documents and equipment used for the presidential election.

PDP however, said it would remain strong, be at alert and work relentlessly to reclaim what it termed its stolen mandate.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has revealed plans to align its 10-year capital market master plan with current economic realities as well as ensure the planned review is concluded in record time.

Mary Uduk, the acting director-general, SEC, said this during a meeting with stakeholders in the capital market in Abuja.

Uduk stated that the review was intended to align the master plan with current realities on macroeconomic, political and market development fronts.

Uduk said out of the 90 initiatives outlined in the master plan, 66 initiatives had commenced since 2015, out of which 13 had been successfully completed.

She said some of the concluded initiatives were the dematerialisation of shares, recapitalisation of capital market operators, setting up of a National Investment Protection Fund and the establishment of the West African Securities Regulators Association, among others.

Uduk said, Fifty-five initiatives are at various stages of implementation and it is hoped many of them will be concluded before the end of the year.

Other achievements include the e-dividend mandate, direct cash settlement, road map on commodities ecosystem, new listing, financial literacy, law reviews, and non-interest capital market products, among others.

Uduk commended stakeholders in the capital market for their cooperation and support, saying the commission had approved the rules on green bonds and would in the nearest future introduce the rules on derivatives trading, which she said were necessary to move the market forward.

ALSO READ: IGP reiterates commitment to tackling violent crimes

She said the implementation of the master plan commenced in earnest under the guidance of the Capital Market Master Plan Implementation Council, chaired by Mr Olutola Mobolurin.

According to her, the success recorded so far will not have been possible without the support, cooperation and collaboration of stakeholders.

She said, We are indeed grateful to the different committees through which a lot of the work on these initiatives has been carried out. It will have been impossible without your commitment of time, energy and resources, your drive and focus.

I want to recognise that the work that has been done by CAMMIC and indeed the key players in the capital market who have contributed to the development of not only the Nigerian capital market but the financial system at large.
The Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has reminded the returning and incoming governors that the nation still battles poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, out-of-school children etc.

He challenged states to boost their IGR and value added tax (VAT) in respective states in order to address the numerous issues.

He also said the national executive council would begin to look at more ways to effectively fund security in the country.

According to him, it has always been the tradition for all elected officials in Nigeria to complain about inadequate funds.

So, we will not be saying anything new if and when we raise those complaints; Lagos State, the highest IGR earner was earning 600 million in IGR when minimum wage was increased from N7,500 to N18, 000, about 140 per cent increase.

We are confronted again with the new increase in minimum wage. So as scripture says, `there is nothing new under the sun. We must confront the problem, not merely by hoping that the Federal Government can do more.

Already, our deficit is close to two trillion Naira, while debt service is somewhere in the order of 54 per cent; states must in the next few years earn more in IGR.

We must more effectively collect VAT and increase our agricultural output, work with the Federal Government to make broadband infrastructure available all over the country.

So, our young people anywhere in the country can do jobs anywhere in the world from their villages in any corner of Nigeria.

If a state is charging for right of way from communications companies and is hindering the laying of cables and other broadband infrastructure as an IGR measure, permit me to say that will be penny wise pound foolish.

He said that to tap into the millions of jobs in technology and other services that a country like India had tapped into required broadband infrastructure across the country.

On agriculture, he said that each state must leverage its most advantageous agricultural produce, by working with the Federal Governments initiatives in agricultural credit and the recently inaugurated Green Alternative.

ALSO READ: Police trace Otedola bridge fire suspect to Kano

He said it was possible for states to generate significant revenues from agriculture.

Osinbajo assured the inductees that the Federal Government would equitably treat all states in spite of party affiliations.

After all, all the mind boggling achievements of the regions in our history were without oil money, but mainly agriculture and taxes. Today there are even more options.

On the part of the Federal Government, we have our work well cut out for us, but it may offer some comfort to reiterate that President Muhummadu Buhari has shown in the past four years that he would be completely transparent with the Federation account.

Secondly, that all states will be treated fairly and equitably irrespective of party affiliations, and thirdly that the Federal Government will play its role in support of the states as often as necessary and within its means.

We have in the past three years intervened through loans, bailouts and refunds to the tune of well over one trillion naira, representing the highest amount of Federal Governments extra statutory allocation/intervention to states in Nigerias history.

And we are proud to say that there were no discriminations along party lines in the disbursements, he said.

The vice president said that in the next four years, Buhari had made it clear that his administration would be focusing attention on human capital development and infrastructure.

He said that Buharis administration would be working with the states on education, especially the education of girls as the administration had begun some deep diving in that respect with its Human Development Index (HDI) work at the National Economic Council (NEC).

Osinbajo said that the administration was doing the same with healthcare.

The vice president said that the administration had already started to implement the one per cent of the Conditional Revenue Fund (CRF) in the Health Act.

In an interview with newsmen, Bala Mohammed, Governor-elect, Bauchi State, said that the inductees should see themselves as those called to duty and work toward delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.

I listened to the development partners and what the vice president said, government is a collective responsibility. Government is a trust and we should rediscover ourselves.

We should know that we are privileged out of 200 million, 74 of us have been elected as governors, as deputy governors, as president, as vice president, we must be able to deliver, to leave legacies and landmarks, he said.

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Abdulaziz Yari, chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), has warned incoming governors to be prepared for another cycle of recession.

Speaking at the opening the ceremony of an induction programme for newly-elected and returning governors in Abuja, Yari who is the governor of Zamfara, said there is a possibility of a recession by the mid-2020 till third quarter of 2021.

In August 2016, Nigeria entered its first recession in more than two decades.

The gross domestic product had contracted by 3.06 per cent in the first quarter and shrunk by 0.36 per cent in the second quarter.

Yari said the outgoing governors have agreed that borrowing is not a good means of solving economic problems.

He urged the incoming governors to multiply revenue generation base so as to change the course of doing government business for the betterment of the people.

The NGF chair told the governors and incoming ones that it will not be smooth ride as they begin a new administration.

On our part, we made a lot of achievements in infrastructural development and provision of social services because we enjoyed a relatively high oil price of about $100 to $114 per barrel between 2001 and the middle of 2014, he said.

However, by the mid-2014, the price of crude oil, which is sadly the main driving force of governments expenditure, dropped to $75 per barrel. It, therefore, became very difficult for many states to even pay salaries of their workers.

This scenario is a wake-up call for all of you to come amply prepared to face these kinds of challenges especially since we are expecting the possibility of another cycle of recession by mid-2020 and which may last up to third quarter of 2021.

Your good spirit of stewardship will make you contain the situation should there be one. Also, as members of the National Economic Council, you must work hand in hand to boost the economy in tandem with the global best practices.

Experience, they say, is the best teacher. Ours has been a challenging experience of managing state economies that are totally dependency on accruals from the federation account rather than exploring viable alternatives to run the economy.

ALSO READ: Police arrests King Agom Adara killer, 17 kidnappers

For most of the states, internally generated revenue (IGR) are nothing to write home about. You must, therefore, look inward by boosting your revenue generation base and also utilize them effectively for execution of projects that would touch the lives of your people. You must not forget the high expectations of our people on us; now that the democracy is maturing day in day out the challenges of governance and service delivery are more demanding.

He also urged the incoming governors to strengthen tax laws and encourage Nigerians to pay their taxes.

It is unfortunate that our people have a very negative attitude to payment of taxes in full, including corporate agencies, he said.

My take on this is that, as a country with over 200 million people, our individual and collective contributions in ensuring prompt payment of taxes can help the government achieve all its objectives. For us to achieve these responsibilities, we have to strengthen our tax laws and to make them very effective in our task of building a better Nigeria.

If the necessary measures are put in place to provide a working system, I am certain that at the end of the day, we are going to succeed in tackling unemployment, reducing poverty, ensuring food security and disease control as well as building a nation with a robust economy.
Following the fire at Shastri Bhawan today, Congress President Rahul Gandhi took a dig at PM Modi saying that the Prime Minister is burning files to cover his corrupt deeds. "Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming," Gandhi tweeted.

The Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by Congress leader Sushmita Dev against PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for violating the Model Code of Conduct on Thursday. A 2-judge bench of the apex court was hearing the matter today and asked the petitioner to await the ECI's decision on the same.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressed public rallies in Muzaffarpur, Bihar and Bahraich ad Barabanking in Uttar Pradesh, Congress President Rahul Gandhi met people at three different places in Madhya Pradesh, including Takamgarh, Damoh and Panna. BJP President Amit Shah will address voters in Rajasthan and MP. BSP supremo Mayawati will also address public rallies in UP. Besides, the Election Commission of India will today take a decision on the alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct by top political leaders like Modi, Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi.

Lok Sabha Election 2019: Poll dates, full schedule, voting FAQs, election results, constituencies' details

Here are the latest updates on the Lok Sabha election 2019.

5.45 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has written to the Chief Election Commissioner requesting relaxation in Model Code of Conduct in the state in the wake of drought situation that has affected a lot of districts.

Maharashtra CM writes to CEC requesting him for some relaxation in Model Code of Conduct in the state for drought relief works. Total 151 talukas of Maharashtra have been declared drought hit & center has passed a budget of Rs 4714 crore for drought relief in the state. pic.twitter.com/IwkQRiP0Ps - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

5.26 pm: Following the fire at Shastri Bhawan, Congress President Rahul Gandhi took a dig at PM Modi saying that the Prime Minister is burning files to cover his corrupt deeds. "Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming," Gandhi tweeted.

Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming. https://t.co/eqFvTJfDgY - Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 30, 2019

5.15 pm: Congress President Rahul Gandhi addressing a rally today in Tikamgarh district of Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh said that no farmer will be jailed for not repaying bank loans taken by them and promised to provide government jobs to 22 lakh youth in a year as well as recruitment of 10 lakh youth in panchayats if his party comes to power. "When the Congress comes to power in 2019, no farmer will be sent to jail for not repaying bank loans," he said.

5.00 pm: PM Modi slammed the opposition during a public meeting in Barabanki today. "Those people who till a few days ago were playing "Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri" with each other, are now playing hide and seek after the 4th phase of voting concluded....Ab janta ne inke saare sapno ko chaar charan mein choor choor kar diya hai," he said.

PM Narendra Modi in Barabanki: Those people who till a few days ago were playing "Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri" with each other, are now playing hide and seek after the 4th phase of voting concluded....Ab janta ne inke saare sapno ko chaar charan mein choor choor kar diya hai. pic.twitter.com/PKP23dIwml - ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 30, 2019

4.45 pm: Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief minister and National Conference Chief Omar Abdullah today said that his party would scrap the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA) if voted to power. Abdullah was addressing a poll rally in Shopian district in South Kashmir which will go to polls on May 6. "No mother will have to look for their children in jails if we are voted to power and for it this parliament election would serve as a semi-final," he said.

4.30 pm: On not filing nomination from the Varanasi seat, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AICC General Secretary in charge of UP today said, "I took advice of all senior leaders of our party & colleagues in UP.They firmly felt that I have responsibility here of looking after 41 seats. I felt that they(candidates)would be disappointed if I focused on only one place."

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on nomination from Varanasi seat: I took advice of all senior leaders of our party & colleagues in UP.They firmly felt that I have responsibility here of looking after 41 seats. I felt that they(candidates)would be disappointed if I focused on only one place pic.twitter.com/HC8oFLn47Y - ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 30, 2019

4.15 pm: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi today granted time to Congress President Rahul Gandhi to file an additional affidavit while hearing a petition against him over his "Chowkidar Chor Hai" remark. The apex court further said that the grant of time should not be seen as any acceptance of any apology. Meanwhile, the court will hear the contempt case against the Congress chief on Monday.

3.47 pm: The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Congress leader Sushmita Dev's plea against PM Modi and BJP Chief Modi for violating the Model Code of Conduct during their election speeches. The apex court said it is open to ECI to pass appropriate orders in the matter.

3.38 pm: SC to hear Sushmita dev case on Thursday.

The Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by Congress leader Sushmita Dev against PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for violating the Model Code of Conduct on Thursday.A 2-judge bench of the apex court was hearing the matter today and asked the petitioner to await the ECI's decision on the same.

3.07 pm: BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi's lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi on Rahul Gandhi's contempt of court case, "He deliberately put words in the mouth of SC but has only expressed regret. Law is clear in contempt cases - the line starts with unconditional apology."

3.00 pm: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Rahul Gandhi's citizenship row, "The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh? (what nonsense is this?)"

#WATCH Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on MHA notice to Rahul Gandhi over citizenship, says," The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh?" pic.twitter.com/Rgt457WMoi - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

2.55 pm: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik met the Election Commission of India regarding by elections of Patkura Assembly seat. He said that it should be postponed in case the cyclone hits Odisha.

2.45 pm: SC has adjourned hearing of a petition filed by Congress MP Sushmita Dev over alleged violation of code of conduct by PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. The apex court suspended the hearing after the Election Commission of India (ECI) apprised it of a meeting being held by it today.

2.40 pm: Supreme Court has issued a formal notice to the Central Government on review petitions filed against its December 14 judgement on the Rafale deal. Attorney General representing the Centre has sought 4 weeks time to file a reply on the review. SC has asked the Centre to file a reply by May 4 and has posted the matter for hearing on May 6, ANI reports.

2.25 pm: 385 candidates file their nomination papers for 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Punjab today.

#Punjab: Total 385 candidates file their nomination papers for 13 loksabha constituencies of the state.#PollsWithAIR | #LokSabhaElections2019 - All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) April 30, 2019

2.15 pm: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AICC General Secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh has called the Home Affairs Ministry's notice to Rahul Gandhi as "Rubbish". She said that Gandhi is very much an Indian. "This is rubbish. Rahul was born in front of all; he has spent his entire life here. This is all drama," Priyanka told reporters while campaigning for Congress in Amethi.

2.00 pm: Congress leader Udit Raj who recently joined the party slammed BJP and accused PM Modi of destroying every institution of India that questions him. "I have joined Congress but I am not interested in fighting elections. While I was in BJP, I asked for a ticket on the basis of the fact that I work for Dalits. But BJP is an anti-Dalit party ruled by just two," he said referring to Modi and BJP President Amit Shah.

1.50 pm: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik reaches Delhi to meet the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding Patkura Assembly seat by elections. He will request the ECI to postpone the elections in case the cyclone Fani hits Odisha.

#WATCH Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik arrives in Delhi, to meet the Election Commission. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also met him while exiting the airport pic.twitter.com/sLKdK3kgng - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

1.44 pm: Wife of Shatrughan Sinha is the richest candidate in fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls

Poonam Shatrughan Sinha wife of bollywood actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha is the richest candidate in the poll fray in fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls. This time there are 184 candidates who have assets worth Rs. 1 crore and more. BJP has most crorepati candidates contesting in this phase. As per a report prepared by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 28% of the candidates in the fifth phase are crorepati. Poonam Shatrughan Sinha of Samajwadi Party is the richest with declared assets worth Rs 193 crore. She is a candidate from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

1.30 pm: Trinamool Congress complains to ECI against PM Modi blaming him for horse trading following his statement yesterday that 40 party MLAs are in touch with BJP and will jump on board post May 23.

1.20 pm: "When a member of Parliament writes to any ministry, action required on their query is taken. It is not a big development, it is normal process," Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Home Affairs Ministry's notice to Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi over his British Citizenship.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on MHA notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi over citizenship: When a member of Parliament writes to any ministry, action required on their query is taken. It is not a big development, it is normal process. pic.twitter.com/nziFJzg801 - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

1.05 pm: The Madras High Court today ruled that the Puducherry Lieutenant Governor (LG) Kiran Bedi cannot interfere with Government's day-to-day activities. The order came about on a writ petition filed by Puducherry Congress MLA Lakshminarayanan in 2017 questioning the LG's powers

12.58 pm: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun its meet to look into the complaints of violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi, ANI reported. The meeting is being chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.

Election Commission of India meeting chaired by CEC Sunil Arora begins on complaints of violation of Model Code of Conduct by PM Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi. #LokSabhaElections2019pic.twitter.com/301cB7Z1to - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

12.45 pm: The complete schedule of the Lok Sabha Election 2019, four phases of which are already completed.

A relook at the schedule of the #LokSabhaElections2019, four phases of which have been successfully completed. pic.twitter.com/5VxzgodUPC - Election Commission #DeshKaMahatyohar (@ECISVEEP) April 30, 2019

12.35pm: Jharkhand Congress Chief Ajoy Kumar Tuesday stirred controversy over the Aadhar scheme. "Aadhar-based authentification will be scrapped if we come to power," he said

12.25 pm: "The vote margin of BJP's win will be decided in the next phase. The mood of the nation is clear, the opposition can try to deter the spirit of BJP but they will not succeed," PM Modi

12.18 pm: "Those who are in jail, are facing jail, are on bail and those who are doing rounds of courts for bail, all of them do not want a strong government at the centre," said PM Modi in Muzafarpur, Bihar.

"The vote margin of BJP's win will be decided in the next phase. The mood of the nation is clear, the opposition can try to deter the spirit of BJP but they will not succeed," PM Modi

12:14 pm: PM Modi addressing a public rally in Muzafarpur, Bihar today said, "These people have been decimated after the four phases of elections, now it will be decided in the rest of the phases how big their losses will be and how big the NDA's win will be."

10.33 am: Congress President will rally across Madhya Pradesh to campaign in Tikamgarh, Damoh and Panna. He has been excused from appearing in person before the Supreme Court which will hear Gandhi's contempt case today. The apex court had issued a notice to the Congress chief for his remarks in the Rafale case after rejecting his plea to lay the matter to rest as he expressed regret over it.

10.25 am: Home Affairs ministry has issued notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship following a complaint by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy claiming that Gandhi is a British citizen. The ministry has asked the Congress Chief to respond to the notice within a fortnight.

10.15 am: School students in Chandigarh organised a voter awareness drive amongst people in the city.

10.10 am: Congress has released the list of its star campaigners for the Lok Sabha Election 2019 to be held in the states of Punjab and Chandigarh on May 19, ANI reported.

Congress releases list of star campaigners for #LokSabhaElections2019 to be held on May 19 in Punjab & Chandigarh. pic.twitter.com/ud5OoErFrv - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

10.05 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will campaign in Bihar & Uttar Pradesh today. He will address rallies in Muzaffarpur, Bahraich and Barabanki.

Looking forward to campaigning in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh today. Will address rallies in Muzaffarpur, Bahraich and Barabanki today. Watch these rallies live on NaMo TV or the NaMo App. - Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 30, 2019

9.57 am: Voting for 72 Lok Sabha constituencies across 9 states concluded Monday under 4th phase of Lok Sabha Election 2019. According to the Election Commission of India, there was 64.90% voter turnout this year as compared to 63.01% recorded in 2014. West Bengal logged the higest percentage of electorate turnout at 76.72% despite the reports of violent clashes and political bickering in the state. Uttar Pradesh recorded 58.86% voter turnout, Jammu & Kashmir- 9.79% as only part of Anantnag parliamentary constituency went to polls, Bihar-59.02%, Odisha- 64.8%, Jharkhand- 64.38%, Madhya Pradesh- 72.07%, Mumbai- 55.11% and Rajasthan- 67.91%.




The one we knew was the petite David who turned the table against the Goliath of infernal godfathers in Anambra. They thought they had his hands tied with a dark oath at the Okija altar. He would be slave on the throne to slimy Chris Uba who had availed him the use of an illicit scaffold to the Awka White House.

But once he grasped the handle of the power scythe in 2003, Chris Ngige proverbially chose to answer his fathers name by working for Anambra people, to the political bankruptcy of Uba and the demystification of the Okija gods. (It is however still debatable if mere renunciation of evil godfathers, affectation of populism in office and generally doing good to the larger Anambra society were enough eucharistic atonement for the referenced idolatry by a supposed Christian.)

The more reason many are, therefore, confounded today at the pathetic character the once heroic Ngige is morphing into in Abuja, burning his old progressive flag. From speaking condescendingly of fellow physicians to setting the cat among the NSITF pigeons simultaneously, the man from Alor appears to be the new agent provocateur of Abuja.

An unkind word from a brother hurts more than the poisoned arrow of an enemy, according to an African saying. Intoxicated by the office of Labour minister, Ngige chose the language of a cold-blooded slave-master against fellow doctors.

Featuring on a Channels TV programme last week, he sneered that doctors are free to leave Nigeria: Im not worried. Weve surplus. If youve surplus, you export. It happened some years ago here. I was taught Chemistry and Biology by Indian teachers in my secondary school days (W)ho said we dont have enough doctors? Weve more than enough.

Those who go abroad, according to his simplistic argument, end up sending dollars home, thereby boosting the nations forex.

What worsened the matter is the ministers attempt to bamboozle us with sophistry following the backlash that the misspeak generated. He would regale us with a touted insider knowledge as someone who rose to the position of deputy director in the health ministry before joining politics. Then, the ingenious subterfuge: his discovery at the Labour ministry is that existing facilities at the nations teaching hospitals cannot accommodate all the doctors seeking residency, leaving a gaping deficit of 80 percent.

So, sophist Ngige would have us believe that those so stranded are the ones he said are suitable for export.

Now, let us subject even this spin to a simple test of logic. From statistics, out of over 72,000 medical doctors registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria as at 2018, almost half have migrated abroad in search of better pay and working environment. What that simply means is that Nigeria today can only boast of less than 40,000 doctors to a population of 200million, a far cry from the standard of one doctor to 600 patients set by the World Health Organizarion. That leaves us with one doctor to 5,000 persons in Nigeria!

Incidentally, on the same day Ngige misspoke arrogantly, The Punch ran the second part of an in-depth nationwide report laying bare the very desperate condition in the nations health sector. We read ghostly stories of wards crawling with patients waiting on grossly disproportionate number of doctors. To say nothing about other ghastly tales of the afflicted made to sleep on bare floor!

One patient at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital simply identified as Chinenye captured the miserable circumstances thus: Since we came here (UPTH), mosquitoes have been biting us. Mosquitoes bite people here both in the day and in the night. Ive been here for a week, but its only during the day that I sleep. I cannot sleep at night because mosquitoes torment us.

How then can Ngige, in good conscience, be claiming surplus of doctors  and by inference an overabundance of medicare  in Nigeria?

Indeed, when the minister trained as doctor in the 70s, things were relatively better run in Nigeria. As a member of the nations political leadership in the last sixteen years, he should ordinarily be ashamed that generations after him are left to bear the crushing burden of a broken system.

So, bearing all of this in mind, it is insensitive  if not insensate  of Ngige to speak of doctors exodus in the tone he spoke. It is like saying that Nigerian youths who, for lack of opportunities at home and out of sheer human instinct for survival, embark on perilous adventure on the Mediterranean Sea or Sahara Desert are free to continue on the callous premise that the nation is already overpopulated!

It is the same bungling hands of Ngiges that are currently at play at the NSITF (Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund). Once in the saddle, he apparently found the juicy commission saddled with workers welfare and benefits too irresistible to let go of ministerial oversight. Despite presidential directive, he has practically stalled the boards inauguration through all known dirty tactics.

True, the last board looted the place dry. But when an enquiry submitted its report outlining an action plan, Ngige was not in a hurry to allow normalcy return. Apparently to buy time, he floated yet another gambit  a committee to examine the findings and advise him on what to do. That afforded him a perfect alibi to delay the swearing in of the board long named in 2017. Until its chairman-designate, Frank Kokori, started a public agitation last year.

Ngige only finally chose to let go last week, barely four weeks to the expected dissolution of the federal executive council. But in one last throw of the dice of impunity, he unilaterally smuggled in his own man from the Labour institute in Ilorin to replace Kokori as chairman, directing the latter to take up the lesser posting in Ilorin instead.

Of course, the small party the minister planned as inauguration in Abuja had to be called off abruptly and indefinitely by aides on the appointed day on sighting the siege of notable Rottweilers in the nations labour community to the ministrys secretariat, obviously scaring the daylight out of the pint-sized minister.

The insistence of the workers that the erstwhile NUPENG leader prevail in NSITF should not be misconstrued. The Nigeria Labour Congress was directly involved in Kokoris nomination in the first place, believing only someone of his moral stature and experience can better serve the interests of Nigerias long-suffering workers and resist attempt by any political interest to convert the place to a feeding trough as had been the tradition.

So, only a reckless player like Ngige would think he could casually override the entire labour community on such a sensitive matter. In fact, the way he has been clinging to NSITF only lends credence to the belief in some quarters that the minister would rather the status quo remained indefinitely, since that helps him arrogate all critical decisions (including contract awards) to himself in the absence of a substantive board.

Therefore, the growing whisper in town is that he would prefer a lackey as chairman in such coveted commission as part of his own retirement plan after Buharis cabinet.

On a sentimental level, let it be said that someone like Kokori least deserves this sort of shabby treatment from Ngige. Here is a man whose exceptional sacrifice, whose courage under fire as NUPENG leader made all the difference in the June 12 struggle against the despotism of Babangida and Abacha between 1993/1994, making the restoration of democracy inevitable in 1999.

Well, maybe Ngige confuses him with the cartel of counterfeit comrades often seen scavenging the corridors of power in funny costumes.

In case the minister read the wrong version of the nations recent history, Kokori cannot  repeat, cannot  be counted among that tribe of renegades and charlatans on the militarys dough, who feverishly chanted Aluta in the day in the 90s only to sneak into the dictators lair at night to collect blood money to sell fellow comrades down the river, yet ironically ending up being listed among the heroes of that popular struggle.

In a way, they are like Mugo, the traitor in Ngugi Wa Thiongos The Grain of wheat, falsely seen as hero by the same folks he had betrayed to the colonial overlord. The crown people had placed on his head in provincial innocence and illusion would turn a wreath of thorns, tormenting his conscience day and night.

Those Ngige might have mistaken Kokori for are, in private, actually haunted souls today. Like Mugo, they are left to endure life in mortal dread, unsure how long their dark shameful past would remain secret.

So, in case Ngige is desirous of salvaging what is left of his name, let him allow Kokori be. In fact, today.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Counci said that President Muhammadu Buhari loves the people of the South-East more than all his predecessors in office.

The councils President-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said this on Sunday during an interview with journalists in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.

He was reacting to a statement credited to the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, that Buhari was promoting ethnic division in the country. He said:

President Buhari loves the Igbos more than any other President Nigeria ever had. In 2003, he picked the late Chuba Okadigbo as his running mate. In 2011, he picked Edwin Ume-Ezeoke under the ANPP as his running mate. He has shown so much love for the Igbos. Buhari believes in one Nigeria, against what people like Nwodo are saying. We believe that the President will do everything possible not to allow those who feel aggrieved by their past misfortune to ruin the fortune of the country.

Isiguzoro added that Buhari loves the people of South-East despite that the zone is traditionally for the Peoples Democratic Party.

He claimed that some state governors will soon join the APC.
An unnamed family friend, in fresh documents filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja, gave detail of the early life of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and how his father died.

According to The Nations, a man simply identified with the initials  ADM, who claims to be a close friend of Garba Abubakar, Atikus late father, alleged that neither of his parents was a Nigerian.

The witness in a statement filed by an APC said:

l, ADM, adult, Nigerian citizen of Adamawa State do hereby make oath and say as follows:

That I was a close family friend to the 1st petitioners late father. I know the family and I am familiar with the 1st petitioners background: who was born on the 25th day of November, 1946 to a Fulani trader and farmer by name Garba Abubakar, from his second wife, Aisha Kande, in Jada village of Northern Cameroon.

I know the 1st petitioner was named after his paternal grandfather, Atiku Abdulkadir and became the only child of his parents after his only sister died at infancy.

I also know about the unfortunate incidence of the death of the 1st petitioners father in 1957, who drowned while crossing a river to Toungo. a neighbouring village to Jada in Northern Cameroon.

I do know that the 1st petitioner has, in all his documentations that are made public in national dailies or official gazettes, stated that he hails from Jada town in Adamawa State, from Ganye Local Government Area, regarded as the mother of the whole Chamba ethnic group (Chamba tribe).

I know as a fact that, as at the time the 1st petitioner was born on the 25th day of November, 1946 to a FulanI trader and farmer, Garba Abubakar, Jada village and other parts of Chamba land in the then Northern Cameroon, were still part of the British Cameroons and not Nigeria.

None of the 1st petitioners parents or grandparents was born in Nigeria.

The 1st petitioners father died as a citizen of Northern Cameroon in 1957 prior to the referendum of 1st June, 1961 which made Northern Cameroon to become part of Nigeria.

The 1st petitioners ancestral origin is deeply rooted in the then Northern Cameroon, not Nigeria and I know as a fact that the 1st petitioner is not a Nigerian citizen by birth

I know that Ganye which incorporates the 1st petitioners birth place of Jada, was the headquarters of British Cameroons, but it joined Nigeria after the plebiscite.

I know that Ganye was not part of Nigeria as at the time of the birth of the 1st petitioner; on 25th November 1946.I am familiar with the historical antecedents of the birth place of the 1st petitioner.

Ganye area had been entrusted to Britain by a League of Nations Mandate in 1919 and later as Trust Territory by the United Nations in 1946.

With the defeat of Germany in World War I. Kamerun (as it was known at the time) became a League of Nations Mandate Territory and was split into French Cameroons and British Cameroons in 1919

While France integrated the economy of its part of the Cameroons with that of the mother colonial France, the British on the other hand, administered its part (British Cameroons) from neighbouring Nigeria, making Jada, the 1st petitioners place of birth, a British franchise.

I know that a plebiscite was held in British Cameroons to determine whether the people in that territory preferred to stay in Cameroon or unite with Nigeria.

While Northern Cameroon preferred a union with Nigeria, the Southern Cameroon chose to align with the mother country.

I know that on the 1st of June 1961, Northern Cameroon became a part of Nigeria and on the 1st of October 1961 the Southern Cameroonian territory dissolved and merged into the Republic of Cameroon.
Nollywood teen actress, Regina Daniels is reportedly four months pregnant for her alleged 59-year-old billionaire husband, Ned Nwoko.

Regina Daniels made her first public appearance with the Billionaire Lawyer on Saturday in Warri, Delta State.

According to an exclusive report from e-NIGERIA, the 18-year-old actress could soon become a mother soon as she is said to be 4 months pregnant for Ned Nwoko.

A family source hinted that 18-year-old Regina Daniels who is allegedly married to her 59-year-old lover, Ned Nwoko is already 4-months pregnant.

The source further said, not only is she pregnant, but for now, Regina Daniels remains Ned Nwokos most favourite wife, with unlimited access to his most expensive cars, houses, as well as his private jet which she brandishes all about.

None of Neds wives nor concubines are said to have access to his Rolls Royce (valued at over N100 million), his expensive Ferrari, his private jet as well as his latest delivery; a Mercedez Brabus with an Abuja number plate, YAB-486 BH except Regina, squealed our source.

Furthermore, e-NIGERIA! also gathered that, ahead of her baby delivery, Mr. Nwoko has also acquired a house for Regina in a yet to be disclosed location in London.
More All Progressives Congress (APC) heavyweights have joined the mediation among aspirants for Senate President.

There are three contenders  Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan, Appropriations Committee Chairman Danjuma Goje and Sen. Ali Ndume.

Lawan has been endorsed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC. Goje is said to be enjoying the backing of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders.

Following the tension created by the struggle for the seat, some APC leaders have met with Goje on the need to respect the wishes of the President and the APC.

On the delegation to Goje were Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti State) and Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara State); ex-Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wammako and a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, ex-Governor Adamu Aliero.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, is also believed to have met with Goje.

Goje reportedly told the delegation that he would like to hear from the President what he wants me to do.

It was gathered that the governors and ex-governors may facilitate another meeting between the President and Goje after the end of Buharis private visit to London.

According to a source, who spoke in confidence, the meeting with Goje was aimed at having a united APC during the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly in June.

Read also: Court restrains Saraki, others over report on 2018 Senate invasion

The source said: The delegation met with Goje to persuade him to go along with the decision of the President and the directive of the party. We do not want a repeat of the 2015 episode.

It was also made clear at the meeting that the President does not have any personal relationship with Lawan. He only considered Lawans impeccable credentials and legislative experience to recommend him to senators-elect.

Goje has one or two observations which can be amicably resolved at all levels in a win-win situation. We are working on these issues.

Asked of Gojes response, the source quoted him as saying: I want to hear directly from the President what he wants me to do and I will then decide.

We have conveyed Gojes sole demand to the President. We are hopeful that when the President returns, he will meet with the senator.

But the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari has also met with Goje on the intrigues over the 9th Senate leadership.

If not for some remote forces behind the scene, we should have overcome this stress.

The APC leadership is under pressure to concede the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to the Northcentral to foreclose the ambition of Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase (Plateau) and Hon. Umaru Mohammed Bago (Niger).

But some APC leaders in the Northwest have started agitating for Deputy Speaker slot for the zone.

It was, however, learnt yesterday that some APC governors are lobbying the party and forces in the presidency to allow Plateau to produce the Deputy Speaker.

The affected APC governors were alleged to be uncomfortable with Bago rated in the party as a loyal associate of the outgoing Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara.

Said a source: If the party leaders are to choose between Wase and Bago, they will go for the former because he commands more followership and respect among lawmakers than Bago.

The alliance between Bago and Dogara has made the APC to be circumspect about his aspiration. So, the plot to zone the Deputy Speaker to the Northeentral is to abort his dream of leading the House.

As at press time, it was learnt that all was not well in the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) over the choice of the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives.

The PDP governors are divided over three candidates  Chukwuma Onyema, Nicholas Ossai and Kingsley Chinda.

The governors have not reached a consensus on who will replace the outgoing Minority Leader, Leo Ogor.

PDP governors and House members-elect are split along those supporting Hon. Chukwuma Onyema, Hon. Nicholas Ossai and Hon. Kingsley Chinda. While Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike is pushing for his kinsman, Hon. Kingsley Chinda (PDP Rivers), other PDP governors are in disagreement.
NO Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, 74 elected political office holders are among the few privilege Nigerians.

Osinbajo noted that the president, the vice president, the thirty-six governors and their deputies, belong to the club of elite that preside over about 200 million Nigerians.

The vice president also pointed out that the 74 of them who he described as special, privileged and fortunate have great responsibilities, especially with the current economic situation of majority of the populace.

He said: Accept my heartfelt congratulations on your elections. Heartfelt, even to the PDP governors, we belong to an elite club of a nation of over 200 million people -only 74 of us.

We are special; privileged and enormously fortunate that our people chose us to lead them. This comes with great responsibilities multiplied by the fact that most of our people are poor.

The vice president decried the number of out-of-school children, which he said is embarrassingly high.

He further noted that the burdens of poverty is what those who voted expect will be alleviated.

Prof Osinbajo said: History and providence has put us in this position this time and we have the chance to work against these problems.

All elected officials in Nigeria have always complained of inadequate funds. So we will not be saying anything new. There is an increase in minimum wage. There is nothing new under the sun. We just have to confront the problem. Already, our deficit is close to two trillion.

Read also: Buhari commissions state-of-the-art Yemi Osinbajo Primary School

States must simply earn more IGR. We must work with the federal government to make broadband infrastructure available across Nigeria.

We require broadband infrastructure across the country. It must be allowed to happen. We have agreed at NEC to allow that happen.

Osinbajo said that the President has made it clear that he will focus on human development in the next four years.

He said: We are implementing the basic healthcare provision fund. Budget alone is not enough. Health insurance remains the way out. We expect that by 2028 we will have complete coverage of National Health Insurance.

Thirty states, he said, so far make up the 9.5 million children being fed daily across schools.

He also noted that the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) is collaborating with states to vastly improve the business environment in Nigeria, which he said is aimed towards boosting the countrys economy.
ZAMFARA State Governor Abdulaziz Yari has warned of an impending recession by the mid-2020.

Besides, Yari pointed out that the governors have unanimously agreed that borrowing cannot be a reliable solution to the countrys economic problems.

Yari, who is the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) spoke yesterday at the opening of a three-day retreat for returning governors and governors-elect in Abuja.

In his remarks, the NGF chair said that the current economic reality should prepare the mind of the governors ahead of the possibility of another recession by the middle of next year.

He, however, said the governors good spirit and preparedness will enable them to contain the situation.

Yari urged them to work in unity to boost the economy and to look inward by boosting their revenue generation base.

Speaking against the backdrop of the countrys dependence on crude oil which price has been fluctuating in recent time, Yari said: This scenario is a wake-up call for all of you to come amply prepared to face these kinds of challenges especially since we are expecting the possibility of another cycle of recession by mid-2020 and which may last up to the third quarter of 2012.

Your good spirit of stewardship will make you contain the situation should there be one. As members of the National Economic Council (NEC) you must work hand in hand to boost the economy in tandem with the global best practices.

On the issue of borrowing, Yari said: It is imperative to note that the NGF, under my chairmanship, and the National Economic Council under the chairmanship of His Excellency, the Vice President, had agreed that borrowing is never a reliable alternative to solving our economic problems.

We must work hard among all the tiers of government to multiply our revenue generation base so that together we change the course of doing government business for the betterment of our people.

The Zamfara governor also challenged key revenue agencies, including the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Federal Inland Revenue Services, the Nigerian Custom Services and other agencies on the need to work more effectively, especially now that the N30, 000 minimum wage bill has been signed into law.

The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador W. Stuart Symington, urged the incoming governors on the need to boost their states economy.

He also urged them to identify and approach and encourage local investors to shore up their revenue base.

As governors, look for people in business in your states, Symington said, encouraging the governors-elect to invest in the people.

How do we invest in human capital development? he asked. Invest in people and earn trust. You do that at a speed of trust.

On security, the envoy said: I know security is on everyones mind and governance is also in everyones mind. Security is not the job of security forces alone. There must be cooperation between the security forces and the civil populace.

Also charging the governors-elect, First Bank of Nigeria Chairman, Mrs. Ibikunle Awosika, said they must earn the trust of the electorate.

Mrs. Awosika, who spoke on the topic: The task of Nation building, said: Governors must earn the trust of the people. If you earn the trust of the people, they will pay taxes. When you see children that are hungry in your state, you have failed them in some way. We have the capacitys to solve some of the problems. Your commitment to helping the people is what will help you achieve what you want to do.

For a nation to be truly great, the integrity of every man in this table is critical. You have a chance to build a legacy. Live true to your values. When you think with that determination, you will achieve. Pick your priorities right, deliver on them because you cannot do everything and your people will understand. You will get much more than wealth after office if you so well for your people.

For a nation to be truly great, the integrity of every man in this table is critical. You have a chance to build a legacy. Live true to your values. When you think with that determination, you will achieve.

Pick your priorities right. Deliver on them because you cannot do everything and your people will understand. You will get much more than wealth after office if you do well for your people.

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Dr. Mathew Kukah, noted: There are people who are not in office, but they are in power and there are people who are in office but are not in power.

We must find a way to talk to the hearts of the people. There are people who are not in office, but they are in power and there are people who are in office but are not in power.

We live in a country that some think loyalties are to institutions, parties and regimes. The challenges that this nation faces, none have been truly articulated. For those elected, what are you doing now? For those going, what are you doing now?

Now is a very busy time for prayer warriors hoping that they will be in the governors (appointment) list. People hardly get into positions purely on the basis of their track record.

He challenged the governors-elect on the need to busy themselves reading books that will enrich their knowledge.

What (book) are you reading now? Everybody taking over must focus on the beat and in the worst case scenario, read great biographies: Mandela, Lee Kwan, Gandi and the rest.

I suggest these books: The rebels who brought Churchill to power and saved England and The jungle grows back. It helps to tell you that elections alone are not enough in democracy. Infrastructure is not just about railways, highways, else we dont need democracy.

Everything is politics but politics is not everything. There are people bringing glory to our country without being in power. It is too early in the day for Nigerians to become lethargic on our democracy

When Everton defeated Man United, Solkjaer turned and apologised to the fans. Why? If the stadium is not full, we dont have a team. Voter apathy is not good for our democracy. If ethnicity is a disability, America will not have been great today.

Final book I recommend is The end of power. We need to find people willing to invest in our people. That has not happened. When people cannot see a reflection of themselves in government, they shut down. A leader must have the courage to take decisions.

Many of you (governors) are young and have an idea of how the world is organised. You have an opportunity ahead of you.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State has not known peace since the conclusion of the 2019 general elections. The State Party has continued to boil over leadership tussle.

A PDP member who belonged to the dismantled Ali Modu Sherriff faction in the past, Otunba Segun Adewale a.k.a Aeroland, had set the party on fire by claiming the state chairman of the PDP in Lagos, a position he assumed during the controversial Sherriff era.

The raging skirmishes have attracted the intervention of the south west PDP leadership.

Accordingly, PDP National Vice Chairman, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, leading the South West PDP, at the weekend, petitioned the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, to restrain Otunba Segun Adewale a.k.a Aeroland, who is claiming PDP State Chairman, from gaining access to the PDP State Secretariat or any other party facility, located at 56A, Adekunle Fajuyi Way, Ikeja.

The PDP National Vice Chairman, in a petition he personally signed, appealed to the State Director of the Directorate of Security Service (DSS) to also intervene in order to maintain peace and order.

Olafeso protested Adewale is an impostor. He stated that Aeroland violently overthrew the PDP State Chairman in Lagos, Dr. Adegbola Dominic, to make claims of being the authentic chairman of Lagos PDP.

Olafeso also protested that Otunba Adewale is not a PDP member but a member of the Action Democratic Party (ADP). The PDP Deputy National Chairman narrated in the petition that Adewale was ADP governorship candidate in the 2018 governorship election in Ekiti State and was listed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as no 5 on the list of contestants.

ALSO READ: Kogi APC: Yahaya states reasons for his decision

Olafeso had declared in part: Our attention has been drawn to the purported claim to the office of the Lagos State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by one Segun Adewale (aka Aeroland).

We wish to categorically state without fear or favour that the said impostor, Segun Adewale, is not a member of our party.

It might interest you to know that this individual is the gubernatorial candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in the 2018 Governorship election of Ekiti State, and we do not have a record of him decamping to our party, either in Lagos State or any other state chapter.

Against the aforementioned, we wish to ask that you use your good office to maintain peace and order by restraining Segun Adewale from having access to the State Headquarters of our party in Lagos State, currently at 56A, Adekunle Fajuyi Way, Ikeja or any other PDP facility.

Post Views: 12
Shares of Eveready Industries Limited (EIIL) tumbled 20 per cent in intraday trade on Tuesday after India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) downgraded battery maker's long-term credit rating with a negative outlook. The stock has fallen nearly 16 per cent in the last six trading session.

Rating agency India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has lowered Eveready's long-term issuer rating to 'IND A+' from 'IND AA-' while placing it on 'Rating Watch Negative (RWN)', citing high net leverage and weakened liquidity amid continuous financial support extended to group companies and delayed asset monetisation.

"The RWN reflects delays in deleveraging which could further impact the company's credit metrics and liquidity," the rating agency said in a report.

Weighed down by the development, shares of the B.M. Khaitan Group's company declined as much 19.99 per cent to hit an intra-day low of Rs 116.85 on the Bombay Stock Exchange against the previous close level of Rs 146.05. The stock was currently trading at its lowest level since October 30, 2014. Data from BSE showed that there was a surge in volume trade with 1.42 lakh shares changed hand over the counter as compared to the two-week average of 0.31 lakh shares.

In a similar trend, Eveready Industries share price plunged 20 per cent in intraday trade to Rs 117.20 on the National Stock Exchange. The scrip opened a tad lower at Rs 145 against the previous closing price of Rs 146.50.

Also Read: YES Bank share price loses 27% on surprise Rs 1,506-crore net loss in Q4

Ind-Ra in its report said that EIIL's net leverage (net debt/EBITDA) continued to remain high at end-FY19, as it could not reduce its debt to the expected levels due to the continuous financial support extended to group companies and delays in asset monetisation. During FY19 and FY18, EIIL extended around Rs 134 crore and Rs 76 crore, respectively, of inter-corporate deposits (ICD) to its group companies. Adding to it, advances amounting to Rs 75 crore-Rs 80 crore was outstanding, as per the management.

According to the rating agency, the company requires to reduce debt by Rs 130 crore-140 crore in FY20 for the leverage to reduce to an acceptable level, which can only be achieved by the sale of Hyderabad asset or full repayment of ICDs.

"Any delay in the company's asset monetisation plans and/or further extension of support to group companies would be negative for the ratings," it added.

In a separate development, the company's chairman and non-executive director Brij Mohan Khaitan has resigned, citing his old age. He is 92. "As a mark of respect and in recognition of his significant contributions for over two decades, B. M. Khaitan has been designated as the "Chairman Emeritus" of the company," Eveready Industries said in an exchange filing.

Edited by Chitranjan Kumar

Also Read: Share Market Live: Sensex falls 166 points, Nifty below 11,700; YES Bank stock tanks 27%
The Federal Government of Nigeria has secured the release of Ms Zainab Aliyu who was wrongly imprisoned in Saudi Arabia prison for a drug offence she did not commit.

She is seen in the photo above with Nigeria consulate officials in Saudi Arabia after her release.

More updates to come.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday reiterated that no part of the country, regardless of its geographical location or political leaning, would suffer neglect during his administration.

Buhari disclosed this at the inauguration and handing over of Erosion/Flood Control and Road Improvement projects at the Federal University Dutse, Jigawa.

The President, who was represented by the Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazau, said that the project was one of the ecological intervention programmes approved for the first quarter of 2018.

He added that it was approved by the Federal Executive Council on August 8, 2018, with a completion period of six months.

It was fully completed in March 2019. The project is expected to check flooding menace within the university campus, he said.

The President said that the completion of the project has also underscored the Federal Governments concerted effort and sincerity of purpose in tackling environmental problems in the country.

Todays project inauguration and handing over must be commended as it will offer the community an opportunity to take ownership of the project in order to ensure its care, maintenance and stability.

I, therefore, call on the benefiting community to see the projects as yours, jealously guard it and prevent dumping of refuse in the constructed drainage channels, he said.

Read also: Ngige to workers: Buhari committed to leaving a bouyant economy

In her remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Fatima Batul-Muktar, said that provision of infrastructure such as roads and drainage network was critical to the development of tertiary institutions.

Federal University Dutse has had problem of road and drainages within its permanent site since establishment in 2011.

Movement of pedestrians and motorists within the permanent site which constitutes ninety per cent land area of the university was a nightmare, especially during rainy season.

Relief however came in August 2018 through the Ecological Fund Office with the award of contract for erosion/flood control and road improvement works in the university, she said.

Also spesking, the Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Hassan Ibrahim, promised that the state was always ready to assist the university whenever the need arises

He lauded the Federal Government for the gesture and contractors, CONTECH Engineering Ltd., for timely completion of the project. (NAN)
The Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) Lt Gen Tukur Buratai on Tuesday called on families of soldiers of the Nigerian Army to imbibe the culture of cleanliness and maintenance in order to sustain a healthy environment in the barracks.

The COAS, who was represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Maj Gen Musa Yusuf, while inaugurating six blocks of flats for Corporals below at Myhoung barracks at the 68 Reference Hospital, Yaba, and an office complex at 81 Division Garrison in Dodan barracks, Obalende.

He cautioned families of soldiers not to bring in materials into their homes especially electrical fittings not originally designed for the building that could cause fire disaster.

Gen Yusuf admonished them to continually pray for the COAS, their husbands especially those serving in the North East. He implored them to shun trouble and any misdemeanour that would bring the image of the force to disrepute.

Pointing out that soldiering is not like butter and bread, observed that due to work demands, you sometimes find yourself at the theatre of war noting that when it happens, you have no choice than to defend the intregrity of the country.

Also, while commissioning the 81 Division Garrison office Complex, Maj Gen Yusuf reemphasized the need to maintain the facilities noting that the only way to encourage the COAS was to ensure that the resources deployed for the renovation was not wasted.

Speaking earlier, the Acting Corp Commander, Nigerian Army Medical Corps, Col Samuel Adama said the renovation would not only boost the morale of soldiers in Myhoung barracks but all personnel of the Nigerian Army particularly those in the North East knowing that their families are being cared for back home.

Given the genealogy of barracks, Col Adama pointed out that Myhoung barracks was ceded to the Nigerian Army by the Nigerian Railway Corporation and CFAO in 1968 when the NA was sourcing for a location to site a hospital to cater for soldiers wounded in the civil war.

Expressing happiness and joy, one of the wives of the beneficiaries, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari noted that the renovation has brought huge relief to her and family considering the unimaginable level of delapidation of the building.I am as happy as the day I got married for the privilege of entering a brand, newly renovated building considering what we went through prior to the reconstruction, she explained.

On his part, the Garrison Commander, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Brig Gen Caleb Dalhatu noted that the desire of the COAS to provide a conducive and befitting working environment for personnel of the NA necessitated the remodeling of the office complex.

He reiterated that the renovated office would enhence productivity of personnel but assured the COAS that they would take the maintenance of the complex as a priority.

Post Views: 28
A member of the Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative (PCNI), Dr. Sidi Ali Mohammed, has disclosed that Boko Haram members receive as much as $3,000 daily which he claims serves as payment for carrying out terrorist attacks in the North-East since 2014.

Mohammed made this disclosure at the Presentation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Sub-Sahara Africas Economic Outlook Report, in Abuja on Monday April 29th.

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According to Mohammed, the payment makes the N1,000 daily allowance paid to Nigerian troops at the war front ridiculous.

I will give you an example. The Nigerian military for example, gets N1, 000 per day for being in the North East, at the war front, as an allowance. The same North-East, where if you are a member of Boko Haram you get $3,000 per day as allowance. So it is lucrative. Sometimes, they even give you money upfront. So we must do something about the youth from where they are recruiting. he said

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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...
Global investors are in talks with Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to invest in two infrastructure investment trusts set up to own Reliance Jios tower and fiber assets, the Economic Times newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing people aware of the matter.



Reliance, once dependent on its industrial businesses, reshaped the Indian telecoms industry when it launched its Jio telecoms unit in 2016, taking on rivals such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea with its cut-throat pricing.



Canadian pension funds CPPIB, Ontario Municipal Employees' Retirement System (OMERS), British Columbia Pension Corporation (BCPC assets managed by BCI), sovereign wealth fund Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), investment firms Mubadala and Singapore's GIC, and Germany's Allianz SE are among the potential investors, the newspaper reported here.



Earlier this month, Reliance transferred its fiber and tower undertakings to separate companies to move liabilities worth 1.07 trillion rupees ($15.33 billion) out of Jios balance sheet.



Reliance aims to get at least five investors on board, with some joining the conglomerates board as co-sponsors, the report added.



Reliance, OMERS, BCPC, Mubadala, GIC and Allianz did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments, while CPPIB and ADIA declined to comment.

Based on the initial discussions, Reliance would want to extinguish most of the existing liabilities through this exercise and retain around $2 billion (Rs 14,000 crore) of debt in the tower and fibre SPVs, said analysts closely tracking the conglomerate. Reliance will continue to run and operate these assets.



The fibre unit is being valued at $23.84 billion (Rs 1,66,880 crore) and the tower asset at $5.27 billion (Rs 36,890 crore) using fair market valuations by three independent valuers. The tower SPV has 173,000 towers ready or in development with Jio as the anchor tenant. Jio also has contracted for 50% of fibre pairs.

Reliance is using its recent Brookfield deal as the template for these as well. In March, the Canadian investor bought the loss-making East-West gas pipeline, a private company of RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani for Rs 13,000 crore. Brookfield will come on board these InvITs but Reliance wants to engage with other global investors as well and build long-term relationships.



The target set of investors include long-only capital of at least 10 years. This is meant for pension or SWFs. It does not match the returns profile of traditional private equity, said an investment banker following this transaction closely.



InvITs are trusts that manage income-generating infrastructure assets, typically offering investors regular yield and a liquid method of investing in infrastructure projects. An InvIT will help the infrastructure investor create liquidity and take some money off the table for RIL, while also providing a yield product to investors. Typically, analysts estimate that the steady cash-flow generating infrastructure business should yield a 12-13% internal rate of return (IRR), excluding leverage.

Krishna V Kurup of Reuters reports, Global investors in talks to invest in India's Reliance Jio infra investment trusts The Economic Times article goes into a lot more detail on the two infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs) and provides a background on the deal. It also states that some of the potential investors such as ADIA, Brookfield, and CPPIB may come on board as co-sponsors by deploying larger cheques.The proceeds from the co-sponsors will help Reliance cut 1.07 trillion rupees ($15.33 billion) out of Jios balance sheet:Pinakin Parekh, an analyst at JP Morgan said: The InviT has effectively allowed RIL to replace $710 billion (Rs 71,000 crore) of external debt with very long term (20-year) money and thereby remove any refinancing need on this amount of debt. Secondly, it also gives more balance sheet flex and allows for RIL to further increase spending across their consumer business if they choose to do so.Also worth noting:An IRR of 12-13% excluding leverage might not sound like a lot but it's double the return of what you can find in the developed world.This helps explain why BCI, OMERS, CPPIB and some of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds all want a piece of this deal. It's highly scalable and offers attractive long-term returns.More interesting, you're seeing a transformational shift in focus at Canada's large pensions away from pricey deals in developed markets to more potentially lucrative deals in emerging markets, especially India The fact that Brookfield is looking to be a co-sponsor of this deal reassures me that it's a great deal for all parties.Below, watch Mukesh Ambani's speech at Reliance Jio AGM 2018. As one of the India's largest exporters, Jio accounts for 8 percent of India's total merchandise exports with a value of Rs 147,755 crore and access to markets in 108 countries.Amazingly, Jio recently crossed 300 million users. Very impressive company run by a very impressive businessman. Not surprisingly, he's one of the richest people in Asia
Chinese documentarian Hao Wus latest film, All in My Family, focuses on Chinese family tradition, social expectations, gay relationships and children born using surrogacy through an extremely personal lens.

The 40-minute film  Wus fourth and set for release on streaming service Netflix this Friday  was shot over a series of Lunar New Year holidays on periodic trips back to Chengdu from New York, where he settled 20 years ago.

As the film develops, we watch him anguish and strategise over when and how to tell his grandfather that hes gay, married to his Chinese-American husband Eric and has two children, a boy and a girl born through surrogacy.

I wanted to show the challenges for gay people of Chinese descent, what kind of cultural and generational barriers and differences they have to negotiate in order to build a family of their own, Wu said.

This is the first time Wu has turned the camera on himself and the view is close and intimate. He uses a handheld camera, editing and special effects are limited, and many of the scenes are raw.

This stands in sharp contrast to his 2018 critically acclaimed Peoples Republic of Desire, a slick, dystopian, special-effects-laden documentary about social media in China.

Despite its focus on lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) identity and related family issues, this endearing film captures many of the issues, trade-offs and emotions faced by families everywhere.

How a gay students suicide is helping Japans LGBT community speak up

Wus narration is alternately honest, pained, ironic and reflective as he fills us in on which family members are allies, his mixed feelings about traditions surrounding the Lunar New Year and his long struggle with his demanding and cleaning-preoccupied mother.

Wu said he saw the film as an opportunity to move the conversation beyond The Wedding Banquet, Taiwanese director Ang Lees 1993 feature about a ritual marriage between a gay landlord and a female tenant, by tackling seldom-discussed gay surrogacy and its challenge to Chinese tradition.

Story continues

A starring, if unseen, character is the extremely rapid social change that Chinese society has weathered  arguably among the most accelerated in human history  as we watch Wus parents and grandparents struggle to understand their Westernised adult son, his choices and values.

Being gay, in a same-sex marriage and having kids through surrogacy even a decade ago was unimaginable to many older Chinese, who are now confronted with globally minded Generation Xers and millennials.

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Wus quest for approval and acceptance from his grandfather, who pressures him to produce an heir, highlights Chinas deep patriarchal roots. You must bring back a wife for my birthday, not a girlfriend, his grandfather tells his only grandson part way through the film.

At one point Wu tells us that what he hated most about the new-year family gatherings growing up were such traditional Chinese values as saving face, respecting elders, parental control and the lies and pretences used to avoid sensitive issues.

Some of the strongest footage in All in My Family is of his headstrong, extremely direct mother reflecting on her sons homosexuality. I never imagined my son would change into that, she admits at one point, tears in her eyes. I couldnt accept it. Very painful. This only redoubles Wus determination to live the way he wants.

Family members grapple with whether to tell 92-year-old grandpa that Wu is gay  and how to explain these grandchildren who suddenly appear without a woman in the picture.

Wu enlists other relatives advice on crafting evasive answers to him and neighbours: say their mother is dead, or an illegal immigrant, or too busy in America to come. His mother scoffs at the suggestion they tell the truth. No way, absolutely not in China, she says.

The narrator concludes that theres no single right answer when navigating the continuum between family harmony and being true to yourself.

When you are young, the truth is more important than anything else, Wu says. Only later do you realise that peoples feelings are equally important, he adds, as long as I dont have to live in a lie.

The point is sound and a good one to end on, though the rather sudden way it lands can feel a bit at odds with the rest of the films gentler pacing.

LGBT Indonesians condemned by religion and law

While All in My Family remains studiously subjective, it draws fuel from the broader social context, including Chinas legal, moral and social environment surrounding LGBT issues as Beijing further tightens its grip on gender and various related social-rights groups.

Wu concedes that his film is likely to draw criticism from gay activists who believe the entire LGBT community should come out to everyone in order to broaden awareness. Thats definitely going to happen, Wu said. I understand where those people are coming from. But come on, we are a big community. We shouldnt have everyone think in one particular way.

Social acceptance of homosexuality has been slow in China despite the nations long history. Written references to homosexuality date back to the Shang dynasty (circa 1600-1050 BC) some 3,000 years ago, with same-sex relationships considered relatively normal, until around 1840 when China increased contact with the then-prudish West, according to historian Bret Hinsch with Taiwans Fo Guang University, although other scholars dispute this.

Existence denied: what its like to be gay in South Koreas strict military

Disapproval started to soften in the 1980s, homosexuality was decriminalised in 1997 and it stopped being classified as a mental disorder in 2001, according to Equaldex, a website for data on global LGBT rights. And a Taiwanese draft law in February to make same-sex marriage legal following a 2017 Taiwan constitutional court ruling has fuelled a quiet debate in mainland China.

As the film illustrates, however, traditional opposition runs deep.

Christene Anthony, a caseworker at the Centre for Surrogate Parenting, an agency based in Encino, California, says that Hong Kong and Taiwan are far more accepting of homosexuality and same-sex surrogacy than much of China given their greater exposure and different social norms.

It just takes a whole lot more to feel comfortable with this on the mainland, she added.

That said, Chinas megacities are often far ahead of its rural areas. Adam, a married father with two infants born through surrogacy, said his parents quickly embraced his same-sex marriage and decision to have children, in part because theyre from Shanghai.

Its less about what you know than where you live, he said. Theres much more peer pressure in the village.

Adam, who declined to use his Chinese name since he hasnt come out at work, said All in My Family had little chance of being distributed officially in China given the governments de facto policy against gay-themed films. But he expects it to be widely viewed through unofficial channels, bolstering support for LGBT issues in China.

Traumatised at home, Brunei transgender teen seeks asylum in Canada

From the government perspective, I dont expect anything to change, he said. But in terms of knowledge gained by ordinary people, this will be powerful.

Overseas surrogacy agencies report a sharp rise in LGBT clients from China. Men Having Babies, a US-based advocacy and surrogacy-support group, recently chose Taipei over the mainland for its first Asia conference given in part Beijings restrictions on meetings and internet postings, says Ron Poole-Dayan, the organisations executive director.

The lack of accurate, unbiased information on foreign surrogacy in China had contributed to abuses among surrogacy agencies, including dodgy financial dealings, client-poaching and a view that surrogate mothers were little more than wombs for rent, he said.

We think the ability of couples to communicate with surrogates, even if on WeChat, is essential for surrogacy to be ethical and sustainable, Poole-Dayan said. Sometimes it can be very transactional.

Wu said he hoped the film would spark a debate, particularly among the Chinese-American and Asian diasporas gay communities.

Especially coming to be a father myself, I understand how much love and energy and time my parents have invested in me, he said. At the end of the day, families are strong, as long as they can accept their differences.

More from South China Morning Post:

This article Chinas resistance to gay relationships and surrogate births, seen through a filmmakers own family first appeared on South China Morning Post

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Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco called on the Department of Energy (DOE) and the power sector to guarantee enough power supply during the election day on May 13, as well as during the counting of ballots and transmission of complete election results.

Velasco, the chairman of House Committee on Energy, said in a statement that this is to protect the credibility of election results amid the continuous issuance of yellow and red alert notices in the Luzon power grid.

What the public wants is a fair, clean and honest election. If there will be power interruptions, I worry that it would compromise the results and credibility of the election, said Velasco.

Our energy officials and industry players must pull all strings to allay fears and meet the publics expectations, he added.

The Luzon grid has been continuously placed under red and yellow alerts by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) due to insufficient power reserves as a result of unplanned maintenance or breakdown of several power plants.

Energy officials have also indicated that the power supply woes could linger until June because of thin power reserves.

READ: DOE assures enough power supply during election

Although authorities have continuously assured that there will be sufficient power supply during the election, Velasco said contingency plans must be put in place to prevent power outages, especially during the canvassing and transmission of votes.

They better be ready. We cannot afford to endanger the election processes and the results, Velasco said.

The lawmaker also urged the DOE to fast-track the implementing rules and regulations of the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS) to bring down the cost of doing business in the country of potential investors.

READ: Duterte signs Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop Act

The EVOSS law, which was signed by President on March 14, aims to reduce red tape and simplify the permitting process in the energy sector.  Robie de Guzman

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President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signs the 2019 General Appropriations Act at the Malacanan Palace on April 15, 2019.

MANILA, Philippines  President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order (EO) on the implementation of the annex on normalization under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro region.

The EO number 79 was signed on April 24, 2019, but Malacanang released a copy of the document on Tuesday (April 30).

The EO will pave the way for the decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces and weapons, and the possible grant of amnesty or pardon for those involved in the armed conflict against the government.

Under the order, the government aims to implement annex on normalization under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) with the MILF.

An Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization (ICCMN) will also be established to ensure timely, appropriate and efficient delivery of the normalization program, which also calls for decommissioning of MILF forces and weapons, disbandment of private armed groups and implementation of socio-economic development, among others.

The National Government recognizes that normalization is a process whereby communities can achieve their desired quality of life within a peaceful and deliberative society, Section 1 of the order read.

To this end, the National Government adopts a normalization program that is multi-faceted and covers the aspects of security, socio-economic development, sustainable livelihood, political participation, confidence-building, and transitional justice and reconciliation, it added.

The ICCMN will be composed of representatives from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS), with a rank not lower than an Undersecretary as co-chairpersons.

Its members shall consist of representatives, with ranks not lower than an Assistant Secretary or its equivalent, from the following agencies: National Security Council, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Economic Development Authority, and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

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The ICCMN will be given powers, including the coordination and mobilization of relevant government agencies in implementing the various aspects of the normalization program, provide policy advice and support for its timely and smooth implementation, supervise socio-economic interventions, and submit periodic reports to the President, and other functions directed by the President.

Under the security aspect of the normalization program, the MILF forces and weapons will undergo a verification, validation and decommissioning process. This will be conducted by the Independent Decommissioning Body composed of composed of three foreign experts and four local representatives agreed upon by the government and the MILF.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) will also be allowed to provide personnel to assist in the process when necessary and upon request of the IDB chair.

The AFP and PNP, along with relevant government agencies, shall work with the normalization bodies in providing routes, convoy and area security during the conduct of the decommissioning of MILF forces and weapons, the order read.

Under the transitional component of the normalization program, the DND and the DILG will direct the military and police in coordination with the MILF Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF-MILF) to designate members to the Joint Peace and Security Teams (JPST). These teams, which will serve as the operational units of the transitional components of the normalization program, will be deployed in mutually-agreed areas.

During the transition period, the DND may provide special enlistment of BIAF-MILF members in the JPSTs for those who intend to apply for the military, the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU), or a reserve geographical auxiliary unit in the Bangsamoro region.

As part of the normalization process, the AFP, through the DND will also be preparing a redeployment plan of its troops from or within the Bangsamoro region. Unexploded ordnances and landmines detection and clearance as well as mine risk education will also be conducted.

On the socio-economic development aspect of the normalization program, government agencies have been directed to prioritize, intensify and accelerate the development efforts for the rehabilitation, reconstruction and development of the Bangsamoro region. These programs must address the needs of the BIAF members, internally displaced persons, and poverty-stricken communities.

These programs shall be community-based and shall reinforce social cohesion, and strengthen and preserve the unit of the communities, the order read.

A comprehensive and integrated development plan will also be formulated by the Joint Task Forces on Camps Transformation to assess the needs and transform the six recognized MILF camps into peaceful and productive communities.

A Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Program will be adopted and implemented for the region.

Under the order, the ICCMN will also lead the implementation of the recommendations given by the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission to address legitimate grievances of the people in the Bangsamoro region, correct historical injustices, and address human rights violations and marginalization through dispossession, towards healing and reconciliation.

The ICCMN shall cease to operate upon the signing of the Exit agreement by the government and the MILF, or when the programs under the normalization program have been completely implemented.  Robie de Guzman

The post Duterte signs EO implementing Annex on Bangsamoro normalization process appeared first on UNTV News.
Beijing Hyundai Motor Company (BHMC) unveiled its all-new Hyundai Sonata and all-new Hyundai ix25 at Auto Shanghai 2019. The new models spearhead the companys New Era theme for the event, which highlights new, future technologies; all-new models; plus Hyundai Motors new design philosophySensuous Sportiness.

Making its Chinese premiere at the Shanghai show, the all-new Sonata features the latest safety, connectivity and convenience technologies. The global signature vehicle for Hyundai, the latest generation Sonata is a stylish, thrilling and beautiful coupe-style sedan, rather than a conventional four-door model. It expresses Hyundai Motors Sensuous Sportiness design language through elegance and flowing lines, using light as the defining styling feature inside and out.

The all-new ix25 compact SUV also premieres in new sporty and muscular form. Perfectly positioned for the Chinese market, the new model is clearly inspired by the same design language as the all-new Sonata, but it is interpreted differently. From its strong, shoulder line wheel arches and SUV-like ground clearance, to its unmistakably distinctive lighting design, it is a stylish model that will stand out from the crowd.

China leads the world for uptake of new forms of vehicle propulsion, a fact capitalized on by BHMC in the form of the new Encino EV and new Elantra PHEV. These vehicles form a crucial piece of Hyundai Motors future-focused strategy for clean mobility in China and around the world.

This vision for future mobility is communicated clearly through BHMCs New Era theme on its booth. Among the human centric technologies on display are Personal Mobility Device E-bike and E-scooter exhibits that sit alongside a suite of other future technology and vehicle exhibits, including: a Sonata design studioa first in China; Connected Car 3.0 and Fingerprint Authentication Entry tech experience boothanother first in China; a digital key experience booth; the Veloster N Performance Car; and the NEXO air purification.

Hyundai Motor is developing advanced technologies to support three pillars of our future mobility strategy, said Albert Biermann, President and Head of R&D at Hyundai Motor Group. With a focus on constantly anticipating and adapting to our customers changing needs, we will deliver Clean Mobility, Freedom in Mobility, and Connected Mobility without losing sight of what makes our vehicles fun to drive.

The post Hyundai Premieres China-Focused All-New Hyundai Sonata, All-New ix25 at Auto Shanghai 2019 appeared first on Carmudi Philippines.
YES Bank share price tanked in early trade today after the private sector lender reported a surprise loss of Rs 1,506-crore net loss for the March quarter as against a profit of Rs 1,179 crore in the year-ago period as provisions soared over nine-times. A series of downgrades by brokerages citing weak Q4 performance of the bank also led to negative sentiments around the stock.

YES Bank share price fell up to 30% to Rs 167 compared to its previous close of 237.40 on BSE.

YES Bank share price opened 9.98% lower at 213 level on the BSE. Its market capitalisation fell to Rs 38,909 crore on BSE. The stock logged turnover of Rs 107.55 crore with 60.23 lakh shares changing hands on BSE. YES Bank stock has lost 24.69% during the last three trading sessions. On NSE, YES Bank stock was trading 25% lower at 178 level compared to the previous close of 237.20.

YES Bank CEO Ravneet Singh Gill: 5 challenges he will face in the new job

YES Bank share price closed 29.23% or 69.40 points lower on BSE. On NSE, the stock fell 29.70% or 70 points to 166.75 level. The stock was the top Sensex, Nifty loser in trade today.

Yes Bank reports record losses, new CEO Ravneet Gill gets cracking

YES Bank has fallen 50% during the last one year and lost 2.09% since the beginning of this year.

Manish Yadav, Head of Research at CapitalAim said, "After steep fall of stock to 165 level, we would advise short term traders to avoid buying at current levels and look for buying opportunity only around 130 levels for a bounce back. Any pullback rally must be used to offload the stock. Considering the pressure on net interest margin and poor asset quality and loan book, medium term prospects of the company looks weak. The bank also has exposure to ADAG companies which have been recently downgraded. Long term investors should stay away from this stock at current levels as the results may remain weak for a couple of quarters."

Macquarie

Brokerage Macquarie announced a double-downgrade of the Yes Bank stock to 'underperform' and also massively slashed the stock price a low Rs 165 over the next 12 months, as against Friday's close of Rs 237.40.

Australian brokerage Macquarie has admitted to overlooking the risks from the structured finance business of Yes Bank and has downgraded the stock by a full two notches.

The bank reporting a three-times increase in BB-rated and below accounts despite a higher slippage of Rs 3,408 crore in the quarter is a negative surprise, the brokerage said, adding the sharp decline in fee income due to changes in accounting practices is also a concern.

Moreover, the new chief executive Ravneet Gill's revelation that only 30 percent of its 1,100-odd branches are profitable further dampens the fundamental view on the bank, the brokerage said.

HSBC

Brokerage HSBC too downgraded the YES Bank stock and gave a reduce call on the stock with a revised target price of Rs 164 from Rs 243. It cut FY20/21 estimated profit after tax by 70%/56% for the lender. This is the first quarterly loss since FY06 as asset quality deteriorated significantly.

Low common equity tier 1 ratio intensifies concerns. New CEO aims to lower volatility though dims near to medium term return on assets outlook.

Kotak Equities

Kotak Institutional Equities gave a sell call on the stock with a target price of Rs 170 from earlier Rs 210. The bank reported loss led by high provisions (9 times yoy) and 38% yoy decline in operating profits. New business strategy, similar to other private banks, has begun. High credit costs, weak return on equities, low CET-1 (8.5%) would make transition painful, the brokerage said.

Credit Suisse

Credit Suisse said has given a neutral rating on the lender with a target price of Rs 205. CS cut earnings per share by 50%. Clean up has commenced in 4Q19.

With board now capping dilution to 10%, given provisioning needs and 110 bps needed to get to management. Threshold of 9.5% (CET-1 at 8.4%), bank will be constrained for growth capital.

On Friday, the bank reported its earnings for the quarter ended March 2019. Higher provisions for possible reverses, including a massive Rs 2,100-crore contingency reserve, were the prime reason for the massive loss, the bank said. The heavy quarterly loss crimped the full year profit at Rs 1,720 crore as against Rs 4,224 crore in FY18.

Had it not been for a Rs 831-crore write-back, the private sector lender would have reported higher losses for the quarter. An almost 10-times spike in provisions to Rs 3,661 crore from Rs 399 crore in the year-ago period led to the massive hit on the bottomline.

This includes a contingent provision of Rs 2,100 crore. Leadership changes have often led to massive clean-ups at banks, and the practice, normally at state-run banks, has been adopted by the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Ravneet Gill.

Overall slippages stood at Rs 3,481 crore and included Rs 552 crore exposure to Jet Airways. The bank has outstanding loan of Rs 2,528 crore to various companies and SPVs of IL&FS Group. Of this, Rs 2,442.05 crore has been classified as NPA with specific provision of Rs 610.51 crore (25 per cent).

The gross non-performing assets ratio more than doubled to 3.22 per cent from 1.28 per cent in the year-ago period and 2.10 per cent in the preceding quarter. It has a 7 per cent exposure to the commercial real estate sector, which is facing troubles.

The bank, which closed FY19 with credit costs of 2.19 per cent due to the additional provisioning, is targeting to get the same down to 1.25 per cent in FY20.

In a separate filing, Yes Bank said its board has approved raising funds up to Rs 20,000 crore, in Indian or foreign currency, by issue of debt securities.

Edited by Aseem Thapliyal
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) welcomed on Tuesday, April 30, the P10-million reward money that Malacanang has offered for any information leading to the arrest of dismissed police officer Eduardo

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) welcomed on Tuesday, April 30, the P10-million reward money that Malacanang has offered for any information leading to the arrest of dismissed police officer Eduardo Acierto.

This will greatly help in encouraging informants to provide information on the whereabouts of Acierto. But with or without the reward money, we will comply with the court's order to arrest him, PNP spokesperson Colonel Bernard Banac said in a press conference in Camp Crame.

Acierto was among the personalities accused of taking part in the concealment of billions of pesos worth of illegal drugs found in magnetic lifters that were intercepted at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) and in a warehouse in Cavite province.

Banac warned that the people coddling Acierto may be charged with violation of Section 4 of the Dangerous Drugs Law (importation of illegal drugs) and stand to suffer "imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to P500,000.

Banac said that according to the Bureau of Immigration, there is no indication that Acierto has left the country.

There are no indications that he left the country because we continue to coordinate with BI, unless he was able to exit the Philippines through the backdoor, he said.

On April 12, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 35 issued an arrest warrant and a hold departure order (HDO) against Acierto and his co-accused including former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Deputy Director for Administration Ismael Fajardo; importers Chan Yee Wah alias KC Chan and Zhou Quan alias Zhang Quan; consignees Vedasto Cabral Baraquel Jr. and Maria Lagrimas Catipan of Vecaba Trading; and Emily Luquingan.

Also charged were former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban who was taken into custody by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on April 17.

The DOJ indicted Acierto and other accused in court after finding probable cause in the charges filed against them by the NBI, which stemmed from the seizure of two abandoned magnetic lifters at the MICT.

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The magnetic lifters were found in August 2018 to contain 355 kilos of shabu worth P2.4 billion. Four more magnetic lifters found at a warehouse in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite were believed to have been used to smuggle 1.6 tons of shabu worth P11 billion.

Earlier, Acierto admitted he was in hiding due to threats against his life.

He also tagged former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang as among the drug lords he monitored when he was still a part of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group.

Aciertos revelations irked President Rodrigo Duterte who, in return, called him a corrupt police officer because of his involvement in illegal drugs and kidnapping cases. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)
New easy-to-transport tool, suitable for non-scientists to promote the advanced detection and limits the spread of some of the most devastating tree pathogens in the European context. The technique was developed with the support of the EU-funded Horizon 2020 research and innovation action HOMED. Credit: HOMED

Seeking to prevent the introduction and spread of quarantine tree pathogens, the EU Horizon 2020-funded project HOMED (HOlistic Management of Emerging forest pests and Diseases) supports the development of an innovative tool for on-site detection of pathogens. The tool was developed by a team of scientists from the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council (IPSP-CNR) and the Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence and is described in an open access paper, published in the journal AMB Express.

Invasive alien species in trees and plants can have severe economic, ecological and sociological impact. Due to international trade, tourism and other human activities, non-native pathogens spread into new environments, causing a major threat to biodiversity, economy and human health. An effective framework for early warning and rapid response is a crucial element to intercept biological invasions of plant pathogens.

The HOMED-supported innovative tool works for on-site detection of quarantine pathogens, such as Xylella fastidiosa, Ceratocystis platani and Phytophthora ramorum. These are three of the most devastating pathogens of trees and ornamental plants accidentally introduced to Europe, which are causing epidemics with heavy consequences.

Requiring minimum equipment and easy to transport the new diagnostic tool can be also used by non-scientists to quickly and reliably check the health status of live trees and plants. Such user-friendly and compact tools greatly reduce the time usually necessary to take and analyse samples, thus allowing prompt reaction and increasing chances of confinement.

HOMED recognises the need for action and engages forest managers, biosecurity agencies, policy makers and environmental NGOs in the project with the goal to manage emerging forest diseases and thus preserve biodiversity.

Applying a holistic approach, HOMED improves strategies of risk assessment and management by targeting the successive phases of invasion, and developing mitigation methods for each phaseprevention, detection and diagnosis, surveillance, eradication and control tools.

The newly developed detection tool can be used to check the health status of live trees or tree parts, reducing time of analyses and in this way allowing a prompt reaction and potential control of environmental and economic losses. The tool allows a complete analysis in only 30 minutes time and can be applied as point-of-care diagnostics and represents a great advantage to preventing introductions and for applying control measures.

Author and HOMED partner Dr. Alberto Santini comments:

"The use of rapid, specific and sensitive point-of-care methods like the LAMP assays developed in this study could enable phytosanitary services to make immediate management decisions, helping in containing environmental and economic losses. The application of such a portable diagnostic tool, requiring minimum equipment and a few, if any, specific scientific skills could be profitably used to check the health status of live trees or tree parts at the points of entry or in field, thus reducing time of analyses and allowing a prompt reaction."

Explore further New diagnostic tool developed for global menace Xylella fastidiosa increases specificity

More information: Chiara Aglietti et al, Real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification: an early-warning tool for quarantine plant pathogen detection, AMB Express (2019). Chiara Aglietti et al, Real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification: an early-warning tool for quarantine plant pathogen detection,(2019). DOI: 10.1186/s13568-019-0774-9
The endangered San Francisco garter snake is a rare species only found in the Bay Area. Credit:  2018 Amy Patten

Scientists are analyzing a rare snapshot in time of urban plants and animals. To better understand whether rapidly growing cities are hosting the same species, a concept known as urban homogenization, a team from the California Academy of Sciences analyzed an immense volume of data gathered by citizen scientists during the four-day global City Nature Challenge. The 14 U.S. cities included in the study amassed more than 65,000 wildlife observations identified to species level through the mobile app iNaturalist. Study findings suggest that despite similarities across cities, urban biodiversity still strongly reflects the species that are native to a region. However, observations of shared "cosmopolitan" species like pigeons, white-tailed deer, and dandelions were more numerous than locally occurring species. The study, published today in the journal PeerJ: Life & Environment, highlights the value of citizen science data in addressing complex questions about rapid changes in urban ecology.

"We found that the best predictor for the composition of a city's plant and animal community is the surrounding region," says Dr. Misha Leong, lead author and postdoctoral researcher. "This is reassuring in many ways because it tells us that urban biodiversity is not converging at the pace some predicted."

Previously, multi-city studies examining urban homogenization were limited to simple species lists, but data gathered from the 20162018 City Nature Challenges allowed researchers to compare relative species abundance as well. Over 5000 species were documented in the 14 U.S. cities involved in the study. Of those documented, only 100 species occurred in half of the participating cities. Even though the proportion of cosmopolitan species to native species is small, cosmopolitan species are more abundantleaving researchers to investigate why.

"We're seeing a greater abundance of common city species like crows and white-tailed deer versus native species in part because they probably actually are more abundant in cities, but also we have to consider the bias of the observer," says Dr. Michelle Trautwein, co-author and curator of entomology. "Widespread cosmopolitan species are more recognizable. Citizens may be more inclined to take pictures of familiar wildlife rather than cryptic, native species."

The Mission blue butterfly is a rare species only found in the San Francisco Bay Area. Credit: Scott Loarie  California Academy of Sciences

In addition to making comparisons between cities, the study also compared plants and animals within a city. The team analyzed each city across five levels of urban intensification ranging from natural areas to dense city centers. They found that community composition for any given land use type is most strongly predicted by its regional flora and fauna.

"It's encouraging that in some cases, the species we expect to see in a region's natural landscapes are still making a living in densely urban areas as well," says Trautwein. "However, when comparing across land use types, we did see that dense city centers are the least regionally specificlikely because they host more species that thrive in cities all over the country."

The rapid growth of human populations across the globe has facilitated the spread of certain species, like rats and fruit flies, that thrive off human-created habitats. As a result, dense city centers host a greater abundance of human-adapted plants and animals. Species that are closely associated with humans tend to be generalists as opposed to specialists. According to the study team, their success is something that warrants further investigation through more collection of citizen science data.

"Up until this point, a major limitation for analyzing urban biodiversity was collecting enough data from different cities in the same experiment," says Leong. "With the City Nature Challenge we can ask new questions and analyze data that have been captured as a snapshot in time. We also have the rare opportunity of gathering data from both public and private property."

The City Nature Challenge is an annual event organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The 2019 Challenge runs April 26May 5 and involves over 150 cities around the globe. Observations are now being identified with results announced on May 6. Participants can contribute observations any time of the year advancing scientific studies like this oneby downloading the free mobile app iNaturalist and documenting nature in their neighborhood.

Explore further Cities support a greater number of threatened species than non-urban areas

More information: Misha Leong et al, A citizen science approach to evaluating US cities for biotic homogenization, (2019). Misha Leong et al, A citizen science approach to evaluating US cities for biotic homogenization,(2019). DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.27472v2
The Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri). Credit: Jamie Seymour

Researchers at the University of Sydney have discovered an antidote to the deadly sting delivered by the most venomous creature on earththe Australian box jellyfish.

The Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) has about 60 tentacles that can grow up to three metres long. Each tentacle has millions of microscopic hooks filled with venom.

Each box jellyfish carries enough venom to kill more than 60 humans.

A single sting to a human will cause necrosis of the skin, excruciating pain and, if the dose of venom is large enough, cardiac arrest and death within minutes.

Associate Professor Greg Neely and Dr. Raymond (Man-Tat) Lau and their team of pain researchers at the Charles Perkins Centre at University of Sydney were studying how the box jellyfish venom works when they made the discovery.

They uncovered a medicine that blocks the symptoms of a box jellyfish sting if administered to the skin within 15 minutes after contact.

The antidote was shown to work on human cells outside the body and then tested effectively on live mice.

Researchers now hope to develop a topical application for humans.

"We were looking at how the venom works, to try to better understand how it causes pain. Using new CRISPR genome editing techniques we could quickly identify how this venom kills human cells. Luckily, there was already a drug that could act on the pathway the venom uses to kill cells, and when we tried this drug as a venom antidote on mice, we found it could block the tissue scarring and pain related to jellyfish stings," said Associate Professor Neely. "It is super exciting."

Published in Nature Communications today, the study used CRISPR whole genome editing to identify how the venom works. Genome editing is a technology that allows scientists to add, remove or alter genetic material in an organism's DNA.

In the study, the researchers took a vat of millions of human cells and knocked out a different human gene in each one. Then they added the box jellyfish venomwhich kills cells at high dosesand looked for cells that survived. From the whole genome screening, the researchers identified human factors that are required for the venom to work.

"The jellyfish venom pathway we identified in this study requires cholesterol, and since there are lots of drugs available that target cholesterol, we could try to block this pathway to see how this impacted venom activity. We took one of those drugs, which we know is safe for human use, and we used it against the venom, and it worked," said Dr. Lau, who is the lead author on the paper. "It's a molecular antidote."

"It's the first molecular dissection of how this type of venom works, and possible how any venom works," Dr. Lau said. "I haven't seen a study like this for any other venom."

"We know the drug will stop the necrosis, skin scarring and the pain completely when applied to the skin," said Associate Professor Neely, who is the senior author on the paper. "We don't know yet if it will stop a heart attack. That will need more research and we are applying for funding to continue this work."

Found in coastal waters in northern Australia and into the waters around the Philippines, the box jellyfish is extremely dangerous. They don't just float, they can actively swim, gaining speed of 7.5 kilometres an hour when they are hunting. They feed in shallow waters, mainly small fish and prawns.

There are two types of box jellyfish, the Irukandji, which is tiny, and the Chironex fleckeri, which is about three metres long. "We studied the biggest, most venomous and scary one," said Associate Professor Neely. "Our drug works on the big beast. We don't know yet if it works on other jellyfish, but we know it works on the most-deadly one."

The venom used in the study was collected from a box jellyfish off the waters of Cairns by Associate Professor Jamie Seymour at James Cook University.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the only current treatment for a sting is dousing the area with vinegar for 30 seconds or running very hot water over the affected area for 20 minutes. If it's a major sting, continuous CPR is needed to keep the heart beating.

"Our antidote is a medicine that blocks the venom," said Associate Professor Neely. "You need to get it onto the site within 15 minutes. In our study, we injected it. But the plan would be a spray or a topical cream. The argument against a cream is when you are stung it leaves lots of little stingers in you so if you rub the cream on it might be squeezing more venom into you. But if you spray, it could neutralise what's left outside of your body."

Associate Professor Neely and his team are now looking for potential partners to work on making the medicine available to the public.

Associate Professor Neely's team work in functional genomics and study chronic pain at the Charles Perkins Centre and he heads the Sydney Genome Editing Initiative at the University of Sydney. They are studying a range of deadly Australian creaturesthe box jellyfish, and a wide variety of other venomous animalsin order to understand what causes pain.

In 2018, pain and chronic pain cost $139 billion to the Australian economy and is heading towards $215 billion by 2050, according to Pain Australia.

"Most of our work is directed at developing non-addictive pain killers for humans," said Associate Professor Neely. "One way we do this is to figure out how painful venoms from Australian creatures work using brand new CRISPR technology. It is super cool."

Explore further Deadly jellyfish "milked" to save lives

More information: Molecular dissection of box jellyfish venom cytotoxicity highlights an effective venom antidote, Nature Communications (2019). www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09681-1 Journal information: Nature Communications Molecular dissection of box jellyfish venom cytotoxicity highlights an effective venom antidote,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09681-1
Animation of the middle clouds of Venus as observed with the 900-nm images from Akatsuki/IR1. Credit: Javier Peralta

Venus is known for its clouds of sulfuric acid covering the entire planet and its super-fast winds moving at hundreds of kilometers per hour, but our neighboring planet's thick clouds make it difficult for scientists to peer deep inside its atmosphere.

Now, researchers have used infrared images to spy into the middle layer of Venus's clouds and they have found some unexpected surprises.

The new research, published in the AGU journal Geophysical Research Letters, finds this middle layer of clouds shows a wide variety of cloud patterns that change over time and are very different from the upper layer of Venus's clouds, which are usually studied with ultraviolet images. The study also found changes in the albedo of the middle clouds, or how much sunlight they are reflecting back to space, which could indicate the presence of water, methane or other compounds absorbing solar radiation.

The motions of the middle clouds, combined with previous observations, allowed researchers to reconstruct a picture of the winds on Venus over 10 years, showing the super-fast winds in the planet's middle clouds are fastest at the equator and, like the upper clouds, change speed over time.

These new observations could help scientists better understand our neighboring planet and shed light on other planets and exoplanets with similar features, according to the study's authors.

The middle clouds of Venus as observed on the evening side at 900-nm by the camera IR1 onboard JAXAs orbiter Akatsuki. This image was acquired the 1 of July of 2016, and it exhibits an example of the hemispherical asymmetry and sharp contrasts apparent on the albedo. Credits: JAXA

"We observed completely unexpected events," said Javier Peralta, ITYF researcher at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and lead author of the new study. "We have discovered that the middle clouds are not as quiet or as boring as they seemed during previous missions."

Observing Venus's clouds

The new study used images taken by JAXA's Akatsuki spacecraft, which arrived at Venus in December 2015 and whose main goal is to understand Venus's super-rotation. Super-rotation is a puzzling phenomenon also seen on Titan and many exoplanets that makes the atmosphere move much faster than the solid planet. It takes Venus 243 Earth days to complete a rotation. However, it takes only four Earth days for the planet's atmosphere to go all the way around Venus  about 60 times faster than the planet's rotation.

In the new study, researchers analyzed nearly 1,000 infrared images of Venusian clouds captured by one of Akatsuki's cameras over one year. The camera was designed to observe the middle cloud layer, which sits 50 to 55 kilometers above the planet's surface. Photons at infrared wavelengths can penetrate deeper into the clouds before being reflected, allowing scientists to peer deeper into this cloud layer.

Previous missions studying Venus's top-most clouds have seen glimpses of the middle cloud layer but had been unable to get a good, long look at it with infrared images. In order to see how the middle clouds evolve, instruments have to look at them for a longer time than was done during previous missions, according to Peralta.

The middle clouds of Venus as observed on the morning side at 900-nm by the camera IR1 onboard JAXAs orbiter Akatsuki. This image was acquired the 17 of May of 2016, and it exhibits an example of the hemispherical asymmetry on the albedo which re-appeared every 4-5 days during this stage of the mission. Credits: JAXA

The new images taken by Akatsuki show the middle layer of clouds change over time and are also very different than Venus's upper cloud layer, which sit at a height of about 70 kilometers. Sometimes, the images show a slightly darker band of clouds invaded by bright clouds that at times exhibit swirl shapes or look mottled. These observations are suggestive of convection, the vertical movement of heat and moisture in the atmosphere. On Earth, convection can cause thunderstorms. At other times, the images showed clouds that are less turbulent and appear homogenously bright or featureless, with multiple stripes.

From April to May of 2016, Venus's northern hemisphere became periodically darkened every four to five days. Scientists had not previously observed this difference between the hemispheres and the cause is yet to be determined, according to the new study. The images also showed other rare cloud features, including a hook-like dark filament extending more than 7,300 kilometers in the northern hemisphere in May and October of 2016.

Akatsuki also saw unexpected high contrasts in the cloud albedo. The new study suggests there could be compounds in the cloud layer able to absorb at the infrared wavelength or, alternatively, there could changes in the thickness of the clouds.

The scientists have also reconstructed Venus's winds over 10 years by combining the Akatsuki images with observations by amateur observers and past missions like ESA's Venus Express and NASA's MESSENGER mission. They found the super-rotating winds in Venus's middle clouds are sometimes fastest at the equator and their speed could change by up to 50 kilometers per hour over several months.

The strong variability of the middle clouds of Venus as shown in 900-nm mages acquired by the camera IR1 onboard JAXAs orbiter Akatsuki during the year 2016. Clear hemispherical asymmetries, zonally-oriented stripes and sharp discontinuities are visible on the middle clouds albedo. Image dates (from left to right): 2, 3 and 17 of May, 23 of June and 1 of July. Credits: JAXA

Understanding Venus's super-rotation

The findings could help scientists better understand Venus's super-rotation. The frictional drag and mountain waves caused by Venus's surface or the periodic heating from the Sun are factors that could be playing a key role in the maintenance of the super-rotation by slowing down or accelerating the winds and defining its long-term evolution, according to Peralta.

Since most of the solar energy is absorbed in the cloud layers and the fastest super-rotating winds also occur there, studying several layers of the clouds is critical to understanding the winds, according to Peralta. Scientists suspect changes in Venus's clouds and their albedo could be linked to the planet's super-rotation, and how the wind's momentum and energy is transported.

Uncovering the cause of the super-rotation on Venus and its potential connection to the planet's runaway greenhouse effect might help scientists understand changes on Earth related to climate change, Peralta said. It could also shed light on the atmospheric super-rotation of other bodies in our solar system like Saturn's moon Titan, and exoplanets orbiting very close to their stars, he said.

Explore further Image: Cloudy Venus

More information: J. Peralta et al. Morphology and Dynamics of Venus's Middle Clouds With Akatsuki/IR1, Geophysical Research Letters (2019). Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters J. Peralta et al. Morphology and Dynamics of Venus's Middle Clouds With Akatsuki/IR1,(2019). DOI: 10.1029/2018GL081670

This story is republished courtesy of AGU Blogs (http://blogs.agu.org), a community of Earth and space science blogs, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here.
This Wednesday, April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Google mobile phone icon, in Philadelphia. Google has dominated the online ad market for almost the entirety of its existence, but its 2019 first quarter earnings report suggests that competitors may be nipping at its heels. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

While Google has dominated the online ad market for almost the entirety of its existence, its first quarter earnings report suggests that competitors may be nipping at its heels.

Investors pushed down the stock of Google's parent company, Alphabet, more than 7% in after-hours trading Monday after it reported revenue that fell short of analyst expectations. That dip could shave more than $65 billion from Alphabet's market value if it holds when the markets open Tuesday.

Google's advertising revenue, its key moneymaker, grew by 15 percent to $30.7 billionslower than investors had hoped. Its digital-ad rivals Facebook and Amazon, meanwhile, both reported strong earnings last week, adding to the investor surprise when Alphabet stumbled despite a strong economy.

Alphabet executives deflected concerns of growing competition on a conference call with analysts Monday, instead suggesting that fluctuating currency rates and changes to Google ad products during the quarter led to the slowdown. The online-ad industry is also still in a yearslong shift to phone and tablet ads and away from ones aimed at desktop users. Ads for mobile devices bring in less money.

Still, the results sparked concerns that Google's enormously profitable advertising machine might be starting to sputter. Some analysts suggested it's a signal that Google might need to diversify its business more quickly.

"Does this put more pressure on Google to make more aggressive bets on cloud?" asked Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives.

In this Dec. 17, 2018, file photo a woman walks past Google offices in New York. Alphabet Inc., parent company of Google, reports financial results on Monday, April 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Google executives highlighted the company's cloud-computing business as one of its fastest growing segments during the Monday call. But the cloud currently accounts for only a small slice of Alphabet's overall revenue. The company reported $5.4 billion in "other" revenue, which includes cloud, hardware and Play Store purchases.

Hardware sales also slowed during the quarter for the Pixel phone, Google chief financial officer Ruth Porat said on Monday's call, reflecting a broader industry slowdown in smartphone sales.

Alphabet reported a first-quarter profit of $8.3 billion, down 6% from $8.9 billion in the year-earlier period. Profit amounted to $11.90 per share, well above Wall Street estimates of $10.60.

That figure doesn't include an expected charge of $1.7 billion to account for a European Union antitrust fine. The fine was imposed in March for anti-competitive practices in Google's advertising business, referring to a specific exclusivity practice Google now says it has ended.

Google and Facebook, along with other internet companies, are feeling rising heat from regulatory bodies around the world as people and governments question their privacy practices. Some regulators express concern that the largest companies are so big that they're stifling competition.

Including the fine, Alphabet's profit of $6.7 billion fell short of analyst estimates. Excluding advertising commissions that Google pays to customers, Alphabet's overall revenue was $29.5 billionalso falling short of the $30 billion analysts were expecting.

Alphabet also reported widening losses in its "Other Bets" categorya broad segment that includes experimental ventures such as self-driving car business Waymo and internet-balloon subsidiary Loon. Losses grew to $868 million from $571 million a year ago.

Explore further EU fine on Google weighs on parent Alphabet profits

 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Researchers have developed a new method to identify illegally trafficked European eels, and it has already led to the arrest and prosecution of smugglers in Hong Kong.

The team's DNA testing method has proven to be quick, highly accurate at detecting protected wildlife, easy to administer and cheap, costing about $1 per sample. It was originally developed to help customs officials identify protected shark species for fins and other shark meat passing through borders. Initially deployed in Hong Kong, customs officials there advised they also needed help identifying illegal shipments of the critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Within weeks, the researchers were able to replicate the testing method for the eel, according to FIU marine scientist Demian Chapman, one of the developers of the testing method.

"This test works for anything with DNA," Chapman said. "The endgame for us is that this technology will be at every border checkpoint in the world."

The European eel is currently listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). That means any trade of the species requires permits certifying traded specimens were legally caught and traceable through the supply chain. The traceable part has been one of the biggest challenges for customs officials. Many European eels are traded as juveniles, known as glass eels, making them hard to identify because many species look the same at this stage. This new testing method uses a quick DNA test dependent on a series of primers developed by the research team.

The test can identify a species from a processed meat sample, living specimen or even the water they are transported in, picking up environmental DNA left behind by the animal. Easy to administer, any customs officer can quickly test dozens of items in a shipment. If DNA of a European eel is identified from countries where export is illegal, it's enough evidence for authorities to detain expected smugglers, seize shipments and pursue a more in-depth investigation, including confirmatory testing in a lab.

The test was first deployed in December, when two men arrived at Hong Kong International Airport from Portugal via Moscow with eels found in their four checked bags. There is presently an export ban on this species from the European Union. Customs officials contacted Diego Cardenosa, a Ph.D. candidate from Stony Brook University and researcher in the FIU Predator Ecology and Conservation Lab, who was living in Hong Kong at the time. He quickly headed to the airport and was able to test the contents of the suitcases while the suspects were detained and Cardenosa positively identified the glass eels as European eels. The men were arrested and are currently facing prosecution for wildlife trafficking. The value of the eels they were carrying is estimated at $300,000.

"Before the development of this protocol, Hong Kong authorities were only able to confiscate eels, but the smugglers were free to go and leave the country without facing any charges," Cardenosa said. "This situation presented no deterrent for illegal wildlife traffickers, other than potentially losing the valuable cargo. Now, Hong Kong authorities can have on-site evidence within a few hours and detain and prosecute illegal eel smugglers."

The European eel cannot be commercially bred in captivity because of the complexity of their life cyclethey live in rivers, spawn in the open ocean, and then the glass eels return to the rivers to live out their lives. With aquaculture ruled out, the capture of young eels that can be kept in captivity and grown for meat has become a booming albeit illegal business in many parts of the world.

The research team also includes Matthew Gollock, aquatic species and policy senior program manager at the Zoological Society of London.

"We hope this new technology can begin to be adopted and deployed at international borders, enabling officials to effectively disrupt the illegal wildlife trade of species such as eels and sharks," Gollock said.

The researchers are already working with countries in Latin America to test for illegally trafficked sharks and continue to develop new sets of primers in anticipation of more shark species gaining protection when CITES convenes next month.

"At the end of the day, it's all DNA," Chapman said. "We always knew there was a need for this for sharks, but we also know this mirrors a need for other wildlife. For us, it has always been about getting the technology at the borders for sharks and then see what else it can be used for.

The findings were published this week in Conservation Science and Practice.

Explore further New study sheds light on illegal wildlife trade in Hong Kong

More information: Diego Cardenosa et al. Development and application of a novel realtime polymerase chain reaction assay to detect illegal trade of the European eel ( Anguilla anguilla ), Conservation Science and Practice (2019). Diego Cardenosa et al. Development and application of a novel realtime polymerase chain reaction assay to detect illegal trade of the European eel ( Anguilla anguilla ),(2019). DOI: 10.1111/csp2.39
This Jan. 18, 2015, file photo shows a sign at the entrance to Camp Amache, the site of a former World War II-era Japanese-American internment camp in Granada, Colo. A University of Denver team is using a drone to create a 3D reconstruction of the camp in southern Colorado. The Amache effort is part of a growing movement to identify and preserve historical sites connected to people of color in the U.S. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)

A University of Denver team is using drone images to create a 3D reconstruction of a World War II-era Japanese internment camp in southern Colorado.

Researchers last week used the drone from the Switzerland-based company senseFly as part of a mapping project to help future restoration work at Camp Amache in Granada, Colorado.

From 1942 to 1945, more than 7,000 Japanese-Americans and Japanese immigrants were forcibly relocated to Camp Amache. They were among the 110,000 Japanese-Americans ordered to camps throughout the U.S.

The Amache effort is part of a growing movement to identify and preserve U.S. historical sites connected to people of color.

For example, a digital project headed up by Brown University professor Monica Martinez seeks to locate sites connected to racial violence along the Texas border with Mexico.

This Jan. 18, 2015, file photo shows a rebuilt watchtower at Camp Amache, the site of a former World War II-era Japanese-American internment camp in Granada, Colo. A University of Denver team is using a drone to create a 3D reconstruction of the camp in southern Colorado. The Amache effort is part of a growing movement to identify and preserve historical sites connected to people of color in the U.S. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)

This Jan. 18, 2015, file photo, shows a sign denoting the site of the police station of Camp Amache, a former World War II-era Japanese-American internment camp in Granada, Colo. A University of Denver team is using a drone to create a 3D reconstruction of the camp in southern Colorado. The Amache effort is part of a growing movement to identify and preserve historical sites connected to people of color in the U.S. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)

In this Nov. 16, 2007, file photo, Bob Fuchigami looks through one of the albums of photographs that he has collected on Camp Amache during an interview at his home near Evergreen, Colo. Fuchigami was 12-year-old when he and his family were forced to leave their 20-acre farm in Northern California for the Japanese-American internment camp in Granada, Colo. A University of Denver team is using a drone to create a 3D reconstruction of the camp in southern Colorado. The Amache effort is part of a growing movement to identify and preserve historical sites connected to people of color in the U.S. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

Explore further Location of WWII internment camp linked to long-term economic inequality

 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Fish swimming off the coral rich coast of Egypt's Red Sea resort of Hurghada

In serene turquoise waters off Egypt's Red Sea coast, scuba divers ease among delicate pink jellyfish and admire coralyet a rebounding tourism sector threatens the fragile marine ecosystem.

The Red Sea is a top scuba diving destination, but Egypt's tourism sector was buffeted by a wave of security shocks through much of this decade, before a partial recovery since 2017.

A diving instructor in the town of Hurghada, a top resort, warned that the rebound brought dangers for the corals.

Before the decline in visitors "there was way too much activity because it was so cheap" he said, asking to remain anonymous.

"In some areas, they've disappearedalthough in others we see they're coming back".

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says coral reefs are among "the most beautiful, biologically diverse and delicate ecosystems in the world".

It describes these resources as vital to maintaining food supply and protecting the shorelines of low-lying island nations.

Along the seafront in the town of Hurghada, bazaars and resorts offer unbeatable prices to attract budget-conscious European visitors to a country whose vital tourism sector was battered by a 2011 uprising and multiple jihadist attacks.

Following the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, tourist arrivals in Egypt plunged.

The sector took a further beating in 2015, when jihadists blew up a Russian plane that took off from another major Red Sea resort, Sharm al-Sheikh, killing 224 people.

Egypt's tourism sector took a major hit from a series of security shocks, including the downing of a passenger jet packed full of Russian tourists in 2015, before rebounding from 2017

But the contribution of Egypt's tourism sector to GDP rose 16.5 percent last year to $29.6 billion (26.5 billion euros), the highest level since 2010, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Egypt has not published its own official statistics for the year.

German tourist Daniel, 29, said he was partly attracted to Egypt by the low prices.

"It's a lot cheaper than the Caribbean," he said as he tanned his pale skin on a private beach in Hurghada.

'Tourism revival good'

Flippers on their feet and air tanks on their backs, the mostly European tourists swim in tranquil waters just off Hurghada.

Ten metres below the surface, clown and butterfly fish swim among green and purple corals.

It's "very beautiful," said an Estonian tourist as she clambered back onto the boat, her blond wet hair protruding from her black wetsuit.

UNEP estimates that about 20 per cent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and a further 60 per cent are under threatfrom climate change, overfishing and tourism.

Many people who live close to reefs depend on them for a living, and Egypt's resort towns are no exception.

The rebound in tourism could put further pressure on Egypt's corals, according to local experts

Scientists consider the Red Sea's reefs the most climate change-resilient corals but say they are still under threat.

"The revival of tourism in Egypt is a good thing, but it has increased pressure" on the reefs, said Heba Shawky, managing director of the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association.

The campaign group was founded in 1992 by diving professionals who were worried about the potential impact of mass tourism in the region.

Around 1,700 tourist boats operate along Egypt's Red Sea coast, according to the Red Sea province, while the Suez Canal Authority says 18,174 commercial vessels passed through the Suez Canal last year.

Shawky said the NGO has set up around 1,200 buoys on various dive sites to prevent the use of anchors, which damage corals.

But, she added, much remains to be donesuch as reducing the number and size of dive boats, which can be up to 50 metres (55 yards) long.

"It's about limiting the number of users per day to tackle the problem of the growing number of boats," Shawky said.

General Ahmed Abdallah, governor of Egypt's Red Sea province, agreed.

"We are making every effort to preserve the marine environment and stop any pollution affecting the reefs," he told AFP.

Abdallah pointed to the absence of highly polluting industries such as steel, cement or ceramics production in the region.

Red Sea province recently banned single use plastics, but an Egyptian academic says more needs to be done to preserve marine heritage

He also noted the province's recent decision to ban single-use plastics, which are highly damaging to marine life.

'Need to do more'

With up to 12 million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans every year, the UNEP believes marine plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

"We are making a lot of effort, but we need to do more," said Mahmoud Hanafy, a professor in marine biology at Suez Canal University and an advisor to Shawky's association.

He urged authorities to declare some reefs protected sites to prevent them being "over-exploited".

He also suggested following the lead of Australia and the Maldives by creating artificial reefs, sometimes with 3D printing, to ease the pressure on natural corals.

Shawky contended that there is no contradiction between protecting the environment and supporting tourism.

Unlike other parts of Egypt, "we don't have pyramids or temples," she said.

"We have living resources under water. So by preserving the environment, we support the tourism industry."

Explore further Egypt Red Sea province to ban single-use plastic

 2019 AFP
Joergen Ree Wiig tries to reach the harness attached to a beluga whale before the Norwegian fishermen were able to removed the tight harness, off the northern Norwegian coast Friday, April 26, 2019. The harness strap which features a mount for an action camera, says "Equipment St. Petersburg" which has prompted speculation that the animal may have escaped from a Russian military facility. (Joergen Ree Wiig/Norwegian Direcorate of Fisheries Sea Surveillance Unit via AP)

A beluga whale found in Arctic Norway wearing a harness that suggests links to a military facility in Russia is so tame that residents can pet the mammal on its nose.

The white whale found frolicking in the frigid harbor of Tufjord, a hamlet near Norway's northernmost point, has become "a huge attraction" for locals, one resident said Tuesday. The whale is so comfortable with people that it swims to the dock and retrieves plastic rings thrown into the sea.

"The whale is so tame that when you call it, it comes to you," said Linn Saether, adding the whale also reacts to yells and when humans splash their hands in the water.

She said when she throws out a plastic ring, the Beluga whale brings it back to her as she sits on the dock.

"It is a fantastic experience, but we also see it as a tragedy. We can see that it has been trained to bring back stuff that is thrown at sea," Saether, 37, told The Associated Press.

The whale was found with a tight harness reading "Equipment St. Petersburg" in English. The hamlet has a dozen permanent residents and less than 100 people in the warmer season.

"The talk in this hamlet is that it could have escaped from a Russian military facility or even have swam from St. Petersburg, Florida, because of the English-language text," Saether said.

A beluga whale seen as it swims next to a fishing boat before Norwegian fishermen removed the tight harness, swimming off the northern Norwegian coast Friday, April 26, 2019. The harness strap which features a mount for an action camera, says "Equipment St. Petersburg" which has prompted speculation that the animal may have escaped from a Russian military facility. (Joergen Ree Wiig/Norwegian Direcorate of Fisheries Sea Surveillance Unit via AP)

It was not immediately known whether any of the dolphin and whale facilities in St. Petersburg, Florida, were missing a Beluga whale.

On Friday, a fisherman jumped into the frigid Arctic water to remove the harness, which has a mount for a camera, from the whale. It wasn't clear why the strap was attached to the mammal.

Audun Rikardsen, a professor at the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe, northern Norway, said he believes "it is most likely that Russian Navy in Murmansk" was involved.

Murmansk is the headquarters for Russia's Northern Fleet, the single most powerful fleet in the Russian navy. The city is located on the Kola Peninsula, in far northwestern Russia close to the Norwegian border.

Norwegian fisherman observes a beluga whale swimming below his boat before the Norwegian fishermen were able to removed the tight harness, off the northern Norwegian coast Friday, April 26, 2019. The harness strap which features a mount for an action camera, says "Equipment St. Petersburg" which has prompted speculation that the animal may have escaped from a Russian military facility. (Joergen Ree Wiig/Norwegian Direcorate of Fisheries Sea Surveillance Unit via AP)

Norwegian fisherman Joar Hesten, who jumped into the frigid Arctic water to cut the harness from a beluga whale off the northern Norwegian coast Friday, April 26, 2019. The harness strap which features a mount for an action camera, says "Equipment St. Petersburg" which has prompted speculation that the animal may have escaped from a Russian military facility. (Joergen Ree Wiig/Norwegian Direcorate of Fisheries Sea Surveillance Unit via AP)

In this photo taken on Monday, April 29, 2019, Linn Saether poses with a beluga whale, days after a fisherman removed a harness with a mount for camera from the mammal, in Tufjord, Norway. A beluga whale found in Arctic Norway with a tight harness that is believed to have links to a military facility in Russia is so tame that it allows locals to pet the mammal on its nose, resident Linn Saether said Tuesday. The white whale has been frolicking in the frigid harbor of Tufjord, a hamlet near Norway's northernmost point, and has become a local attraction. (Linn Saether via AP)

Russian authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the whale.

But Mikhail Barabanov, a Russian naval analyst at the Moscow-based Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies think tank, downplayed any links to the Russian military.

"Even if there are military programs for using marine animals for navy purposes, they are unlikely to belugas, and such animals are unlikely to be released into the open ocean," he told AP in an email.

"I think that these Norwegian idiots simply robbed certain Petersburg zoologists" who were trying to track whales, Barabanov said.

Explore further Beluga whale with Russian harness raises alarm in Norway

 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Google is pushing into the mid-range market with the cheaper variants of their Pixel devices. Search giant is expected to add Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL to their line up at the Google's I/O developer conference, which will be held from May 7 to May 9 at Mountain View, California. And now few more details regarding the new mid-range Pixel device, Pixel 3a, is out after it was spotted on Geekbench.

The Geekbench listing for Google Pixel 3a XL shows that the smartphone will be powered by high performance mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC, which is engineered to optimise and enhance AI, power, and performance. The phone will not be ready for Android Q and will come with Android 9 Pie out of the box. In the era of minimum 6GB RAM, the Pixel 3 XL will be a 4GB RAM device. On Geekbench tests, the Google Pixel 3a scored lower than the Pixel 3a XL, suggesting that the Pixel 3a might carry a lower end processorin comparison to the Pixel 3a XL. Rumours suggest that Pixel 3a might come with a Snapdragon 670 processor.

Earlier, Google Play Store and the Google Play Developer Console's device catalogue had hinted to the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. The Play Developer Console had added "bonito" and "sargo," which were supposed to be the fish-related monikers for the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL.

As far as the leaked details about the phones are concerned, "Bonito" or the smaller Pixel 3a would have a 2,160x1,080 screen, while the "Sargo" or the Pixel 3a XL would have a larger 2,220x1080 display. Both handsets would also have 4GB of RAM, OLED screen with 12-MP rear camera, and 3,000 mAh battery.

The listing on the Google Play Developer console alludes to a support for Open GL ES 3.2, bringing advanced desktop class graphics functionality to the device. There have also been reports that Pixel 3a would have a 64GB of onboard storage.

Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL is Google's attempt at luring the buyers in the developing markets like India. Even Google CFO Ruth Porat said that the company sold fewer Pixel phones due to industry wide pressure on high-end phones.

Edited By: Udit Verma

Also Read: Google Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL specifications confirmed, here're the details

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Also Read: Google release first Android Q beta, here are some of the key features
The EPA says herbicide glyphosate could pose risks to pollinators such as monarch butterflies, but is not carcinogenic

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Tuesday that the weed killer glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer in humans, but recommended new measures to prevent potential ecological risks, especially to monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

Glyphosate developer Monsanto was convicted in 2018 and 2019 of not taking necessary steps to warn of the potential risks of Rounduptheir weed killer containing the chemical, which two California juries found caused cancer in two users.

But in a statement, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the agency found "no risks to public health from the current registered uses of glyphosate."

It did propose new instructions, subject to a public comment period, for farmers and others using the chemical to reduce "spray drift" that can harm butterflies.

Under those regulations, glyphosate labels in the US would have to instruct aerial users to not spray the chemical from more than 10 feet (three meters) above crops, or if wind speeds exceed 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour).

Meanwhile, labels would also be required to state that when applied from the ground, the chemical must not be sprayed from more than four feet above cropsand that all nozzles must be set to mist the product at a "fine" or coarser setting.

The proposed instructions also include new regulations around glyphosate's use around water.

The EPA said the chemical presents a "low toxicity" to honey bees, but does present a "potential risk" to birds and plants, including aquatic plants.

The agency will publish its final revised regulations at the end of the year.

Agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue praised the proposed regulations, and said glyphosate is an important part of US agriculture.

"USDA applauds EPA's proposed registration decision as it is science-based and consistent with the findings of other regulatory authorities that glyphosate does not pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans," he said in a statement.

The EPA's findings contradict those of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, which said in 2015 that glyphosate was likely carcinogenic.

German pharmaceutical firm Bayer, which bought Monsanto last year, announced last week that over 13,000 lawsuits related to the weed killer have been launched in the US.

 2019 AFP
Home-sharing platform Airbnb has been charged with violating French laws regulating the activities of real estate agents

The legal advisor to the EU's top court sided with Airbnb on Tuesday as the home-sharing giant faces legal action in France aimed at restricting its services.

In 2017, a Paris prosecutor acted on a hotel association's complaint and charged Airbnb with violating the so-called Hoguet Law regulating the activities of real estate agents.

Airbnb, whose EU offices are in Ireland, denied acting as a real estate agent and said the Hoguet law is incompatible with an EU directive on "information society services".

An investigating judge in the French capital then asked the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg to give a preliminary ruling on how to interpret the law.

"A service such as that provided by the Airbnb portal constitutes an information society service," advocate general Maciej Szpunar said.

Szpunar added that France had failed to comply with procedures by moving to restrict an information society service in another member state, in this case Ireland.

He found no indication that France, where the hotel industry lobby group AhTop brought the legal action, had first asked Ireland to take restrictive measures.

Nor did it appear that France first notified the European Commission, the 28-nation EU's executive arm, of its intention to restrict the free flow of such so-called information society services.

Its failure to notify Brussels "entails the sanction of unenforceability of a measure against the provider of those services," he said.

"The directive precludes a Member State from being able to restrict, in such circumstances and in such a manner, the free movement of information society services from another Member State," Szpunar concluded.

His opinion is not binding on the Court of Justice, whose preliminary ruling is likely to be handed down in the next few months.

Explore further EU states have right to ban Uber: top lawyer

 2019 AFP
European eel. Credit: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0

A team of researchers with members from Japan, Sweden, Denmark and Germany has found evidence showing that European eel spawn across a 2000 km wide region of the North Atlantic Ocean. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, the group describes their study of recently hatched eel larvae in the North Atlantic Ocean, and what they found.

Almost a hundred years ago, scientists discovered that European eels have a unique lifestyleone that includes spawning in the Sargasso Sea, which is approximately 5000 to 7000 kilometers from where they live as juveniles and adults in European and North African rivers. But the extent of their spawning has never been pinned down. The researchers note also that the number of European eels has been dropping dramatically since the 1970s, and nobody knows why. The current population is believed to be approximately 5 percent of what it once was. In this new effort, the researchers used multiple ships to survey large parts of the North Atlantic Ocean from approximately 70W to 50Wto learn more about the spawning habits of the endangered eel.

The Sargasso Sea is actually an area entirely within the North Atlantic Ocean, just off the east coast of the United Statesit is the only sea in the world that has no land boundaries. It became singled out as voyagers discovered it was bounded by four ocean currents that form a gyre. It was named for the Sargassum seaweed that grows in abundance there. Prior research has shown the area to be mostly free of geographical formationsits bottom is mostly flat. The area is known for its marine plants and for its deep blue hue.

The researchers report that their survey efforts showed recently hatched eel larvae floating across a 2000 km-wide region of the North Atlantic Oceannot just the Sargasso Sea. They noted also that prior researchers working as far back as 1921 had found the larvae in similar parts of the ocean. The researchers suggest that despite severe reductions in population, the European eel still spawns as far and wide as it ever did. They suggest also that their findings may contribute to a plan for preventing the eels from disappearing altogether.

Explore further Study shows European eel migration not as uniform and simple as thought

More information: Michael J. Miller et al. Spawning by the European eel across 2000 km of the Sargasso Sea, Biology Letters (2019). Journal information: Biology Letters Michael J. Miller et al. Spawning by the European eel across 2000 km of the Sargasso Sea,(2019). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0835

 2019 Science X Network
Yulia Bosworth, assistant professor of French linguistics at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Credit: Binghamton University, State University of New York

Quebec's criticism of Justin Trudeau's French serves to position him as an "outsider" to Quebecois identity, according to a professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

Yulia Bosworth, assistant professor of French linguistics at Binghamton, studied Quebec's "obsession" with Justin Trudeau's French, which pundits and scholars perceive as terrible and construe as a major failure on his part, both personal and professional. She determined that Quebec's criticism reflects its view of Canada's current prime minister as an outsider and its denial of him as a francophone, or someone who speaks French. Bosworth determined that Quebec's language attitudes and ideologies are dominated by linguistic purism and French monolingualism.

"This collective stance denying Justin Trudeau the status of a francophone speaks to the larger issue of what it takes to "belong" in today's Quebec," said Bosworth. "It is not at all surprising that being a francophone serves as the basis for membership in Quebec's collective identity. What is controversial is the way that Quebec appears to construe what it means to be a francophone, which seems to be strongly biased in favor of monolingual French speakers of French-Canadian ancestry. This conceptualization of identity is likely to find itself at odds with Quebec's current and projected demographic situation, including the trend of increasing bilingualism, and its commitment to a pluralistic society that prizes diversity, by othering those who do not conform to this identity, which potentially describes a fairly large segment of Quebec's population, in particular, in urban settings."

Bosworth added that language is frequently used to discriminate against others.

"Language can be and often is used as a proxy for fostering negative judgments or making negative comments about an individual or a group," she said. "It is not okay to do so based on gender, race, sexual identity, etc., but criticizing the way someone speaks is not perceived in the same way. This is not a new idea, but it is crucial to our understanding of what I demonstrate to be Quebec's near-obsession with Trudeau's 'bad' French. Namely, language is used here as a way to criticize Trudeau as a politician and as an individual, with an underlying objective to position him as an outsider in Quebec, despite the fact that Trudeau himself strongly identifies with French and with Quebec, as evidenced in his personal interviews and his recent autobiography."

Bosworth investigated Quebec's fixation with the "bad" French of Trudeau and what it means in the larger context of identity, linguistic insecurity and Canadian bilingualism. Quebec's "obsession" with Trudeau's linguistic transgressions is demonstrated in an analysis of the harsh commentary generated in Quebec's mainstream press during the 2015 Canadian Federal Election. The intensely negative judgment, fostered and propagated by Quebec's educated elites, is shown to be rooted in the interplay of language ideologies and a complex sociolinguistic history of Quebec, which features the linguistic legacy of Trudeau's famous father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Bosworth said that Quebec's negative view of his father's politics influences the way they perceive Trudeau.

"In fact, it is not that the language makes them view him as an outsider, but that they use his French as a means to portray him as such," she said, "For better or worse, in Quebec, Justin Trudeau is inextricably linked to the legacy of his father, Pierre-Elliot Trudeau, whose tenure left a bitter taste in the mouths of Quebecers, to say the least. Curiously, his Quebec-born father was criticized for not speaking like a Quebecer, because he made a choice to align his French with the so-called International French spoken by educated Parisian elites. Justin Trudeau's French, on the other hand, is very much Quebec French, but he does not get credit for the aspects of it that are viewed positively by Quebecers at large and is acrimoniously criticized for those that are viewed negatively, although widely present in the speech of many, if not most, Quebecers."

Bosworth analyzed the roots of this fixation and extreme negativity, explaining and "debunking" this collective behavior. She suggested that the criticism is partly conditioned by Quebec's long-standing adherence to linguistic purism, which stems from its historical struggle against widespread negative perceptions of Quebec French.

"The negative judgments are also conditioned by the long-standing tradition of linguistic purism and normativism, which tells speakers that there is only one "correct" way to use the French language, that aligned with the usage of educated Parisian elites," she said. "Any deviation from this usage constitutes a violation, a deviation, incorrect usage. I show that when Trudeau is being accused of speaking French badly, it is either due to the use of anglicisms, or to the use of languagewords, expressions, sentence structure and pronunciationthat characterize everyday use of an average Quebecer in a familiar setting."

Although Quebec's criticism of Trudeau's French was the most severe in 2015, Bosworth said the topic is still relevant today.

"On a larger scale, this forces us to draw a parallel between Quebec's denial of the status of francophone to Justin Trudeau and that of other Quebec's bilinguals, representing other French-speaking minorities in Canada, as well as immigrants from other French-speaking regions, strongly favored by Quebec's immigration practices, where French is spoken differently and carries with it cultural connotations that differ from those internalized by Quebecers of French-Canadian ancestry," said Bosworth. "Very recently, a discussion of Justin Trudeau's 'bad' French has made its way back into the media, albeit on a much more limited basis, and what is interesting about it this time around is that we see testimonies from other young English-French bilinguals representing French-speaking communities in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, who state that they very much identify with Justin Trudeau's French and its negative perception by Quebecers, because it strays from what Quebec views as 'correct,' 'good,' authentic French."

Bosworth plans to continue studying language attitudes and perceptions in Quebec and their connection to how Quebecers collectively construe identity.

The article, "The 'Bad' French of Justin Trudeau: When Language, Ideology, and Politics Collide," was published in the American Review of Canadian Studies.

Explore further Quebec to tax some tech firms

More information: Yulia Bosworth, The "Bad" French of Justin Trudeau: When Language, Ideology, and Politics Collide, American Review of Canadian Studies (2019). Yulia Bosworth, The "Bad" French of Justin Trudeau: When Language, Ideology, and Politics Collide,(2019). DOI: 10.1080/02722011.2019.1570954
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Households and businesses that generate their own power through micro-renewables, such as solar panels and wind turbines, may soon be able to decide where to distribute their extra energy thanks to funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The UK has seen an increase in the uptake of micro-generation, in which individuals or organisations install their own small scale, renewables-based energy generators to produce and use energy. These technologies will play a significant role in the UK meeting its carbon emissions targets and decarbonising its economy in line with the government's Clean Growth Strategy.

Currently, in the UK, the household-generators must sell the excess of their production back to the national grid at a set price. However, now computer scientists at the University of Bristol are using a 460,000 grant from the EPSRC to research 'free trade' between micro-generators in a peer-to-peer energy market. In such a peer-to-peer energy market (P2P) any two individuals/households can directly buy from and sell to each other, without inter-mediating utilities or other third parties.

The key aim of the Household-Supplier Energy Market Project is to research the feasibility of a 'democratised' P2P energy market.

Dr. Ruzanna Chitchyan, who leads the project, said: "Perhaps you have installed some solar panels and you would much rather contribute your excess generation free of charge to the nearby homeless shelter instead of selling it back to the utility provider. Or sell it to someone else at a better price or give it to your neighbour. The households that produce the energy should have the power to decide on what to do with it. Similarly, consumers should be able to decide whose energy and at what price they want to buy. The HoSEM trading platform will support this freedom of choice.

"Similar 'sharing' platforms are already in place in other markets, for example via Airbnb in the hotel industry, or Uber in taxi hire (though both of these still impose substantial centralisation and intermediation charges)."

The Bristol research will look at:

Whether the infrastructure for P2P energy trading is technically feasible

Who will provide it?

What will be the role of the current major power producers in such a market?

Whether supply continuity can be ensured under the fluctuating generation imposed by the nature of the renewable energy sources

What regulatory changes are necessary for this market to function?

What mechanisms, including cyber security and privacy approaches, are needed to engender trust in such a market?

EDF Energy is the industrial partner in this project and is currently testing the concept of peer-to-peer trading between households as part of a trial within a block of flats in London.

Universities of Exeter and Leicester are the other partners on HoSEM project. Exeter researchers are looking at what factors will encourage households/groups to join this peer-to-peer market, while Leicester researchers are taking an algorithmic and game-theoretic view on the peer-to-peer trading.

Jim Fleming, EPSRC's Head of Energy said: "As we move to a low carbon society, we need to make the most of the energy generated by all producers, large or small. This project will look at the technical challenges that need to be overcome to implement a peer-to-peer energy trading system. If successful it will bring power from the people to the people."

To enable such an P2P energy market, the project is developing a technical platform to support P2P household-level energy trading [1, 2]. This will give market participants read and write access to the records for the production, sale and purchase of energy at low cost per transaction. Each transaction must be accurately recorded, verifiable and secured to guarantee accurate assignment of rights and responsibilities for trades and billing, allowing equal access to all interested participants.

The distributed ledger technology could uniquely meet the domain requirements for the decentralised distributed energy systems, providing an ideal technical tool for such a platform, if the households were to trust the platform providers, and were willing to join this market. The ledgers could also be available to third party businesses that wish to provide new value-added services to the energy market.

Explore further How blockchains can empower communities to control their own energy supply

More information: Jordan Murkin et al. Goal-Based Automation of Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading, From Science to Society (2017). Jordan Murkin et al. Goal-Based Automation of Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading,(2017). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-65687-8_13 IOTA Simulation Model for Energy Trading. cloud.anylogic.com/model/966f6  SETTINGS&tab=GENERAL
Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

When scientists are trying to make things better, they will often turn to a standard rule and try to disprove or disrupt it.

A consortium of researchers using the unique Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) set out to do just that with Planck's Law.

Planck's Law, which forms the basis of quantum theory, states that electromagnetic radiation from heated bodies is distributed over a wide range of wavelengths and wide range of angles.

However, Max Planck himself noted that the emitting energy distribution would deviate significantly from his law if the characteristic size of the emitting object is smaller than the thermal wavelength (about 10 micrometers at room temperature). With the advent of micro- and nanotechnology, it is easy to fabricate materials where Planck's Law will not hold.

The researchers set out to determine the deviation from Planck's Law in order to understand this impact on technologies based on nano- and micro-structured geometries. Imagine a thermal storage material that converts electricity to heat and then radiates it to a photovoltaic cell to get the electricity back when desired. The radiative emitter from the thermal storage could be made from nanostructures to maximize the performance.

Another example is in the area of high temperature nano-geometry-based thermoelectrics, where high temperature waste heat is converted to electricity. It is important to understand the radiation from these nanoscale features, as radiation is the dominant source of heat leakage at high temperatures and will lead to reduction in heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency.

Supporting Industry

Research like this is what U.S. national laboratories focus on. Researchers ask the questions and do the experiments that industry may not be able to support early on.

Scientific user facilities such as the Molecular Foundry also aid in this type of research. The Molecular Foundry is a Department of Energy (DOE)-funded nanoscience research entity that provides users from around the world with access to cutting-edge expertise, instrumentation and modeling tools in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.

In this case, researchers used the radiation models available in the Molecular Foundry to model the thermal radiation from rectangular nanoribbons of silica glass, a polar dielectric material. The modeling was performed using supercomputers in the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), another DOE user facility located at Berkeley Lab. The experiments were conducted by researchers at University of California, San Diego.

"Nobody has explored the relative behavior of nano-geometries, particularly anisotropic nano-geometriesnanostructures that are rectangular in cross-sectionin this way," said Ravi Prasher, one of the researchers.

Practical applications for this early-stage energy conversion are important for many renewable energy applications, such as concentrated solar electricity production, water desalination, thermochemical reactions, water heating, and thermal storage.

The publication, "Far-field coherent thermal emission from polaritonic resonance in individual anisotropic nanoribbons," was published in Nature Communications in March 2019.

More information: Sunmi Shin et al. Far-field coherent thermal emission from polaritonic resonance in individual anisotropic nanoribbons, Nature Communications (2019). Journal information: Nature Communications Sunmi Shin et al. Far-field coherent thermal emission from polaritonic resonance in individual anisotropic nanoribbons,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09378-5
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Antibiotic resistance is a major health threat, with about two million people in the US getting an antibiotic-resistant infection per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Gram negative bacteria, including types like E.coli and Salmonella, are often more difficult to kill because of their two-pronged defensesthey have two membranes rather than one, and also have numerous toxin pumps embedded in the membranes to expel any antibiotic that may have made it through. Now Jefferson researchers have uncovered how to target both of these defenses with one hit, which could help make antibiotics more effective.

"We showed that interfering with a transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule, in a way that is unique to bacteria, cripples the bacterial cell's ability to make membrane proteins required for the drug barrier and efflux activity," says senior author Ya-Ming Hou, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University). The work was published in the journal Cell Systems.

tRNA molecules are not a typical antibiotic target. These molecules are part of the protein-building machinery that is essential for the daily function of cells in every living being. However, Dr. Hou's team examined a kind of chemical "decoration" process in bacterial tRNAs that is absent from human cells. This difference between bacteria and humans makes this process a better drug target, since it's less likely affect human cells.

tRNAs are decorated with chemical groups that are added on after tRNAs are synthesized in a cell. Dr. Hou's group examined one such decoration, the addition of a methyl group to one particular location on the spine of several tRNAs. In earlier work, Dr. Hou's lab showed that when these tRNAs were deficient in this one methylation, they were more likely to create errors in protein building. But not just any protein, the deficient tRNAs were particularly prone to mistakes at building proteins that sit within cell membrane.

This result made Dr. Hou think that perhaps a defect in the tRNA methylation might affect not only the bacteria's toxin-pump, but a host of other types of proteins that help keep the membrane stable and cohesive.

In this paper, together with first author postdoctoral fellow Isao Masuda and others, Dr. Hou tested whether these defective tRNAs could make bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics, by creating bacteria that are genetically deficient in making the methyl-group decoration.

Through an elegant series of experiments, Dr. Hou's team showed that these bacteria had membranes that were less cohesive and more permeable than normal. The bacteria with defective tRNAs were less effective at pumping out chemicals relative to the normal bacteria, suggesting that their toxin pumps were affected. Finally the team showed that when the bacteria with defective tRNAs were exposed to various antibiotics, they died faster and were also less capable of developing drug resistance.

"Speed of killing is important in antibiotics," says Dr. Hou. "The longer it takes for bacteria to die from antibiotics, the more likely they are to develop resistance."

While pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca and GSK have discovered compounds that can inhibit the enzyme from making the critical methylation on tRNAs, progress has stalled. The primary reason is that the inhibitors are unable to permeate through the bacterial membrane structure, which resonates with the major challenge confronting the entire field of antibiotic discovery.

Dr. Hou acknowledges the challenge. "First, we need to formulate the inhibitors in such a way as to be able to enter the cell more effectively," says Dr. Hou. "Then, combining these inhibitors with traditional antibiotics to kill bacteria faster and reduce the likelihood of antibiotic resistance."

At the moment, there are no drugs that can effectively attack this pathway. Dr. Hou's lab is currently working on developing better inhibitors.

Explore further Researchers discover a new mechanism used by bacteria to evade antibiotics

More information: Isao Masuda et al. tRNA Methylation Is a Global Determinant of Bacterial Multi-drug Resistance, Cell Systems (2019). Journal information: Cell Systems Isao Masuda et al. tRNA Methylation Is a Global Determinant of Bacterial Multi-drug Resistance,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2019.03.008
Shares of General Motors fell after it reported lower first-quarter sales in North America and China

US automaker General Motors saw profits more than double in the first quarter, but said Tuesday that lower sales in China and North America ate into total revenues.

The news undercut the company's share price, despite posting net income of $2.2 billion, twice that of the same period of last year, a gain boosted by the one-time impact of a favorable tax court ruling in Brazil.

But revenues fell 3.4 percent to $3.9 billion, and excluding special items, operating earnings dropped 11.5 percent, the company said.

GM has been projecting auto sales in China to hold steady in 2019 compared to 2018, despite an economic slowdown that has dented auto demand. But first quarter sales in the country fell 17.5 percent to 813,973 compared to a year earlier.

While there are expectations that government stimulus will help spur a recovery in the Chinese market, "we have yet to see that translate into auto demand," said Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara.

"There's still not enough specifics around what the stimulus is going to be," she said, adding that GM has a slate of new vehicle launches in China in the second half of the year.

Auto sales also declined in North America, due in part to planned downtime at the company's sport-utility vehicle factories, offset somewhat by strong demand for new pickup trucks.

GM became a political punching bag last year after announcing plans to cut thousands of jobs and shutter seven plants worldwide, including five in North America.

Suryadevara said the company has no plans for additional cutbacks.

Shares of GM fell 2.5 percent to $39.00 as trading opened.

Explore further Ford shares surge as US pickup sales stay strong

 2019 AFP
Lufthansa has blamed rising fuel prices and competition in Europe for its negative bottom line

German airline group Lufthansa plunged deeper into the red in the first quarter, it said Tuesday, blaming the rising price of fuel and intense competition in Europe but sticking to annual targets.

Between January and March, the Frankfurt-based group lost 342 million euros ($382 million), almost nine times worse than in the first quarter of 2018.

Lufthansa had warned earlier in April of the looming negative bottom line, suggesting an operating, or underlying loss of 336 million euros was in the offinga figure confirmed Tuesday.

Meanwhile revenues were up three percent year-on-year, at 7.9 billion euros.

"The first quarter is traditionally a difficult one for airlines," the group said, with seasonal effects worsened by a 202-million-euro rise in fuel costs compared with last year.

Looking ahead to the full year, Lufthansa now expects spending on jet fuel to rise by 700 million euros to 6.8 billion euros.

Last year's bill was already up 850 million euros on the previous year.

"A continued reduction of unit costs could only partially offset the decline" in earnings caused by higher fuel costs and competition squeezing ticket prices in Europe, the group said.

Finance director Ulrik Svensson said he was "confident" for the remainder of 2019, highlighting "favourable booking levels for the months ahead".

Lufthansa expects to achieve an operating margin of between 6.5 and 8.0 percent, compared with 7.9 percent in 2018.

But capacity growth will slow to 1.9 percent as the group faces a "bottleneck in infrastructure" with airports struggling to deal with rising passenger numbers.

Shares in Lufthansa had shed 0.4 percent around 1:00 pm in Frankfurt (1100 GMT) against a flat DAX index of blue-chip shares, to trade at 22.12 euros.

In a conference call later Tuesday, finance chief Svensson acknowledged that the worldwide grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX planes after two deadly crashes could have affected passengers' confidence in the US manufacturer's flagship aircraft.

Lufthansa does not currently operate any 737 MAX planes.

But while Lufthansa is "not excluding any options" for upcoming plane purchases, the fall in trust would be "really a discussion and a question for next year," he said.

Carrier Virgin Australia said Tuesday it would delay orders for 48 Boeing planes over security concerns.

Explore further Lufthansa hits Q1 turbulence from rising fuel costs

 2019 AFP
An evolutionary tree depicting the relationships among living apes, Ardi, and modern humans. Each branch on the tree represents a species and their intersections represent their common ancestors. The dots represent hypothetical evolutionary changes associated with the evolution of ground-living adaptations in the common ancestor of African apes and humans as well as the evolution of bipedalism, which is supported by the analysis. This shows that human bipedalism evolved from an ancestral form similar to the living African apes. Credit: Thomas Prang

African apes adapted to living on the ground, a finding that indicates human evolved from an ancestor not limited to tree or other elevated habitats. The analysis adds a new chapter to evolution, shedding additional light on what preceded human bipedalism.

African apes adapted to living on the ground, a finding that indicates human evolved from an ancestor not limited to tree or other elevated habitats. The analysis adds a new chapter to evolution, shedding additional light on what preceded human bipedalism.

"Our unique form of human locomotion evolved from an ancestor that moved in similar ways to the living African apeschimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas," explains Thomas Prang, a doctoral candidate in New York University's Department of Anthropology and the author of the study, which appears in the journal eLife. "In other words, the common ancestor we share with chimpanzees and bonobos was an African ape that probably had adaptations to living on the ground in some form and frequency."

The way that humans walkstriding bipedalismis unique among all living mammals, an attribute resulting from myriad changes over time.

"The human body has been dramatically modified by evolutionary processes over the last several million years in ways that happened to make us better walkers and runners," notes Prang.

Much of this change is evident in the human foot, which has evolved to be a propulsive organ, with a big toe incapable of ape-like grasping and a spring-like, energy-saving arch that runs from front to back.

These traits raise a long-studied, but not definitively answered, question: From what kind of ancestor did the human foot evolve?

In the eLife work, Prang, a researcher in NYU's Center for the Study of Human Origins, focused on the fossil species Ardipithecus ramidus ('Ardi'), a 4.4 million-years-old human ancestor from Ethiopiamore than a million years older than the well-known 'Lucy' fossil. Ardi's bones were first publicly revealed in 2009 and have been the subject of debate since then.

In his research, Prang ascertained the relative length proportions of multiple bones in the primate foot skeleton to evaluate the relationship between species' movement (locomotion) and their skeletal characteristics (morphology). In addition, drawing upon the Ardi fossils, he used statistical methods to reconstruct or estimate what the common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees might have looked like.

Here, he found that the African apes show a clear signal of being adapted to ground-living. The results also reveal that the Ardi foot and the estimated morphology of the human-chimpanzee last common ancestor is most similar to these African ape species.

"Therefore, humans evolved from an ancestor that had adaptations to living on the ground, perhaps not unlike those found in African apes," Prang concludes. "These findings suggest that human bipedalism was derived from a form of locomotion similar to that of living African apes, which contrasts with the original interpretation of these fossils."

The original interpretation of the Ardi foot fossils, published in 2009, suggested that its foot was more monkey-like than chimpanzee- or gorilla-like. The implication of this interpretation is that many of the features shared by living great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans) in their foot and elsewhere must have evolved independently in each lineagein a different time and place.

"Humans are part of the natural world and our locomotor adaptationbipedalismcannot be understood outside of its natural evolutionary context," Prang observes. "Large-scale evolutionary changes do not seem to happen spontaneously. Instead, they are rooted in deeper histories revealed by the study of the fossil record.

"The study of the Ardi fossil shows that the evolution of our own ground-living adaptationbipedalismwas preceded by a quadrupedal ground-living adaptation in the common ancestors that we share with the African apes."

Explore further New findings shed light on origin of upright walking in human ancestors

More information: Thomas Cody Prang. The African ape-like foot of Ardipithecus ramidus and its implications for the origin of bipedalism, eLife (2019). Journal information: eLife Thomas Cody Prang. The African ape-like foot of Ardipithecus ramidus and its implications for the origin of bipedalism,(2019). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.44433
A fire has broken out at Shastri Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday. Seven fire tenders are present at the spot dousing the flames. Shastri Bhawan houses Ministries of Law, Information and Broadcasting, Corporate Affairs, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, and Human Resources Development.

The fire, which broke out on the seventh floor, was extinguished within a few minutes by the fire tenders. No casualty has been reported so far.

Earlier, a fire had broken out at the Shastri Bhawan after a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit. Before this, a fire broke out on the same floor in 2014.

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Women who drink are dehumanized due to pre-existing stereotypes and false presumptions that alcohol and sexual promiscuity go hand-in-hand. Credit: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

In a study examining perceptions of women who drink alcohol, a Worcester Polytechnic Institute professor and colleagues found that both men and women view women who drink alcohol in a social setting to be "less human." The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, looks at the social perceptions of women and men who drink alcohol, and considers the consequences of these perceptions.

In "She Looks Like She'd Be an Animal in Bed: Dehumanization of Drinking Women in Social Contexts," Jeanine Skorinko, professor of social science and policy studies at WPI, and co-authors, demonstrate through three experiments with almost 400 participants that both men and women alike regard women drinking alcohol as less human and more sexually available. However, men who drink alcohol are not perceived in a similar manner. The research discusses how and why people dehumanize women who drink alcohol, and is the first to investigate a connection between alcohol consumption and dehumanization of others.

Skorinko and colleagues from the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University conducted a series of three experiments depicting a young person at a generic-looking bar holding either a bottle of beer or bottle of water. Across all of the experiments, 398 participants (207 males, 191 females), at an average age of 34, were asked to evaluate how drunk they thought the person pictured (female or male) was and how human the person appeared to be. For instance, participants indicated on a 7-point scale how "intoxicated," "tipsy," "buzzed," or "drunk" they thought the person was. They also rated whether the person appeared "mechanical," "cold like a robot," or to "lack self-restraint like an animal."

In Experiment 3, participants were given additional information, including language commonly found in social media statuses to indicate how much the person had to drink (of beer or water), such as, "4 drinks in! ha ha keep it coming! Hooray for the weekend!"

The results of the experiments showed that, on average, when participants saw female Sam holding a beer bottle they believed she possessed less human characteristics than participants who saw female Sam holding a water bottle. However, this did not occur when participants saw male Sam holding a beer bottle compared to a water bottle.

Skorinko said this research evolved from conversations she and her colleague, Sarah Gervais, associate professor of psychology from the University of Nebraska, had with graduate and undergraduate students about the perception of women who drink alcohol and the potential negative ramifications that follow, especially with the constant connections through social media. After Gervais and her students conducted Experiment 1 and found that male participants typically dehumanized a woman who drank alcohol, Skorinko and her students joined the study and continued the investigation.

"While we predicted that women drinking alcohol would be dehumanized more than women drinking water or men drinking alcohol, it was still surprising to see it emerge," Skorinko said. "This is especially shocking because just holding a beer bottle increased perceptions of intoxication and perceptions of sexual availability for women, but not for men. Moreover, it didn't matter who the perceiver wasmale and female perceivers dehumanized women drinking alcohol similarly."

The study's findings indicate that women who drink are dehumanized due to pre-existing stereotypes and false presumptions that alcohol and sexual promiscuity go hand-in-hand, as well as misinterpreted social interactions, such as men viewing women who drink alcohol to be more sexually available. "Nowadays, a lot of social interactions happen in the presence of alcohol and it is important to understand how this may influence the development of healthy relationships," said Anastasia Karapanagou, one of the WPI undergraduate co-authors.

The findings in all three experiments had "troubling implications," Skorinko said. While the three experiments did not explicitly examine sexual aggression, the team found that women who drink alcohol were perceived to be more likely to engage in more casual and risky sexual behaviors, which influenced dehumanization of drinking women. As a result, Skorinko said, the perception of women as more sexually available and less human may increase willingness of others to be more sexually aggressive towards them.

Another aspect of these findings shows that people may be less likely to help drinking women who are in risky situations. If people believe that potential female victims are interested in risky or casual sexual behaviors, they may not perceive the situation to be a threat to the woman and may be less likely to intervene if she is sexually victimized.

The team's research may help clinicians and researchers better understand a range of negative health-related behaviors that occur in social situations.

"This research allows us to better understand how women who drink alcohol are perceived, and while these perceptions are quite negative, they give insights into how to move forward," Skorinko said. "By having this deeper understanding, hopefully we can start to increase awareness of these issues and reduce the victimization of womenwhether they are drinking or not."

Explore further Study finds the mere presence of alcohol is enough to make women appear more sexually available

More information: Abigail R. Riemer et al. She Looks like She'd Be an Animal in Bed: Dehumanization of Drinking Women in Social Contexts, Sex Roles (2018). Journal information: Sex Roles Abigail R. Riemer et al. She Looks like She'd Be an Animal in Bed: Dehumanization of Drinking Women in Social Contexts,(2018). DOI: 10.1007/s11199-018-0958-9
In pursuit of an instrument that could detect a methane-cleansing chemical in the atmosphere, a Goddard team discovered that its instrument was highly sensitive to ozone, a tropospheric pollutant. Here, Goddard instrument engineer Andrew Swanson and scientist Reem Hannun are shown with the instrument now slated for an aircraft campaign this summer. Credit: NASA/W. Hrybyk

NASA research scientist Tom Hanisco set out to build an instrument capable of measuring a short-lived chemical that cleanses the atmosphere of methanea potent greenhouse gasbut found instead that his discovery outshined the best commercial instruments at measuring ambient levels of ozone.

His serendipitous discovery has led to the filing of a patent application for an instrument he calls the Rapid Ozone Experiment, or ROZE, and a berth aboard a NASA research aircraft, which will be carrying out a wildfire-related field campaign this summer.

"Research and development are never wasted," said Hanisco, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "When we started this development effort, ozone was the farthest thing from our minds."

Good and Bad Ozone

While stratospheric ozone protects life from harmful ultraviolet radiation, when it's in the troposphere it exacerbates respiratory diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of people each year. Tropospheric ozone is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds. This happens when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight.

As a result, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates surface ozone levels and penalizes cities exceeding accepted levels.

ROZE Vital to understanding urban air quality

ROZE, which Hanisco believes scientists could use to determine how much ozone is deposited at the ground level, is a version of a prototype instrument he initially developed to measure hydroxyl, or OH.

Although short-lived and highly reactive, OH is nature's detergent: it cleanses the atmosphere of methane, a devastatingly powerful greenhouse gas that is more effective than carbon dioxide at absorbing heat.

To better measure hydroxyl, Hanisco incorporated a tried-and-true measurement technique called gas filter correlation spectroscopy. Hanisco's idea was to fill a cavity with hydroxyl produced by his prototype instrument. Once filled, the hydroxyl would block all the light at wavelengths hydroxyl absorbed. When he turned off the cavity to prevent hydroxyl from filling it, the instrument would then measure all the light affected by hydroxyl. The difference between the two measurements would be proportional to the abundance of hydroxyl in a column.

In testing, however, the team encountered difficulties when attempting to produce hydroxyl. An air leak produced ozone, which is made up of three oxygen atoms. "Ozone interfered, but we did a few quick numbers to see actually how much ozone we could see. As it turned out, the instrument was supersensitive to this molecule," Hanisco said.

With some tweaking, Hanisco and his colleague, Reem Hannun, were able to improve the instrument's sensitivity to ozone. According to Hanisco, ROZE is 100 times more precise than the best commercially manufactured optical instrument, Hanisco said, adding that his instrument is easy to build and relatively inexpensive.

Patent Filed; Aircraft Campaign on the Horizon

Hanisco has filed a patent application and now plans to fly the instrument on an aircraft campaign called FIREX-AQ, short for Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments Experiment-Air Quality. The campaign, to be conducted aboard a DC-8 aircraft in July-August, will measure trace gases and aerosol emissions caused by wildfires in the western U.S. and agricultural fires in the southeastern U.S. Although testing ozone measurements isn't a focus of FIREX-AQ, the flight opportunity gives Hanisco and his team a chance to operate ROZE under flight conditions.

Already ROZE has generated interest among researchers at government agencies and universities. Due to its high sensitivity and fast sampling rates, they believe it could fill a vital niche in understanding the ozone budget. Current ozone instruments are effective at measuring overall background levels, but aren't adept at revealing how much gets deposited to the Earth's surface.

Having a better understanding of the ozone budget is important to municipalities and states, particularly if an area falls into non-attainment and is penalized. "EPA has models that can predict how much ozone will form," Hannun said. "But these models don't really know how fast it's being deposited. If we don't know the rate, we can't accurately model how ozone moves from one area to the next, or how long it will stick around once formed."

As for creating an instrument sensitive to hydroxyl, Hanisco hasn't given up. He submitted a patent for that concept, too, and plans to further develop the technology. "Even if you don't win, ultimately you do win. That was certainly the case here," Hanisco said.

Explore further NASA's new way to track formaldehyde
Akademik Tryoshnikov, the research vessel that carried the team of Russian climate scientists on their fourth expedition in the Arctic Ocean in 2015. Credit: Mikhail Varentsov

Following four expeditions in the Arctic Ocean and satellite data analysis, a team of Russian climate scientists featuring MIPT researchers described the ocean's "seasonal memory." This refers to a mechanism explaining how atmospheric circulation has caused the ice in the Eurasian Arctic to melt faster than in the American Arctic in the 21st century. The paper was published in the journal Atmosphere.

Global warming affects the Arctic more than other regions on the planet. Each year, the ice cover retreats slightly closer to the North Pole. Since an ever smaller area of the Arctic Ocean is covered with ice, which serves as a mirror reflecting sunlight, the seawater captures more heat. This vicious circle causes even more ice to melt. Climate scientists predict that by the end of the 21st century, the entire ice cover in the Arctic may become seasonal, melting every summer.

The Arctic does not lose ice uniformly. According to the researchers, different seasonal patterns are at play depending on region: From the early 2000s, the ice cover in the Eurasian Arctic has been shrinking even in the winter period, while the American region only lost ice in the summer.

"This discrepancy stems from the way air circulates in the Arctic," explains study co-author Mikhail Varentsov, a climate scientist at MSU, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of RAS, and Russia's climate agency Hydrometcenter. "Late September is when there's the least ice in most years. That's when the ocean actively accumulates solar energy as heat. But if cold air comes in from the pole or Greenland, it absorbs some of the heat. Conversely, an inflow of warm air from the continent causes the ocean to heat even more."

The regions hatched in pink and green are representative of the Eurasian and the American Arctic, respectively, despite the shift of the green sector toward Asia. The team studied the climate in these regions during four expeditions (the black line indicates the route) and based on publicly available data. Credit: Elena Khavina/MIPT

The team refers to this mechanism as seasonal memory, because the winter ice cover responds to the atmospheric conditions in the previous summer. The trend in the 21st century has been for air currents to slow down ocean heating in the American and speed up in the Eurasian Arctic. In the latter region, this led to ice forming weeks "behind schedule" and maxing out at a smaller thickness and area.

To report and explain Arctic climate change in detail, the researchers measured water temperature and composition at various depths, as well as air temperature and humidity, wind, and air-sea interaction parameters in two polar regions (figure 1). The team monitored hundreds of such characteristics during four expeditions in the Arctic Ocean in the August and September of 2003, 2005, 2013, and 2015. The study is part of the NABOSproject, a major international effort to study the Arctic climate launched in 2002. Besides direct observations, publicly available data from other studies was analyzed, including satellite measurements of ice cover area.

"It's not just that the ice cover area is shrinking. For the past 30 years, the proportion of ice surviving one melting season or more has been diminishing. This so-called multiyear ice is thicker than first-year ice and has a different structure. When it partially melts in the summer, thaw water carries away the saline, leaving air pockets behind. Such thick porous ice provides increased thermal insulation, preventing ocean heating," points out Elena Khavina, a doctoral student at the Ocean Heat and Fluid Dynamics Department, MIPT.

By gradually transitioning toward seasonal ice cover, the Arctic opens up for more commercial activities. For example, cargo shipping is easier with less and thinner ice. In the 20th century, freight ships following the Northeast Passage required icebreaker support in any season. By gradually phasing out icebreakers where they are no longer needed, shipping cargo will become ever easier and cheaper.

However, climate change also upsets the balance of the ecosystem. For one thing, polar bears and seals need ice for rest and hunting. Moreover, plankton might start reproducing uncontrollably as the upper ocean heats up.

Explore further With thick ice gone, Arctic sea ice changes more slowly

More information: Vladimir Ivanov et al, Arctic Sea Ice Decline in the 2010s: The Increasing Role of the OceanAir Heat Exchange in the Late Summer, Atmosphere (2019). Vladimir Ivanov et al, Arctic Sea Ice Decline in the 2010s: The Increasing Role of the OceanAir Heat Exchange in the Late Summer,(2019). DOI: 10.3390/atmos10040184
STROBE-X. Credit: Texas Tech University

After two years of intensive work, led by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Space Science Division, the design for a conceptual space-based observatory is headed to the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine's Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics, which establishes the astronomy community's priorities for the next decade.

For Texas Tech University's Tom Maccarone, who played an integral role in the observatory's development over the last two years, now begins an equally important chapter  ensuring that key decision makers understand its importance.

The Spectroscopic Time-Resolving Observatory for Broadband Energy X-rays (STROBE-X) is a mission concept for an X-ray observatory that will specialize in rapid time variability. The satellite would gather information from black holes, neutron stars, transient events and cosmic explosions such as the violent destruction of stars in the grip of black holes and binary neutron star collisions. The estimated cost to build the observatory is $880 million.

"We hope the Decadal Survey will specifically say that STROBE-X should be done," said Maccarone, a Presidential Research Excellence Professor in the Texas Tech Department of Physics & Astronomy. "But even if they just say that high-collecting-area X-ray timing and spectroscopy are important, we should have a good chance to have our mission fly."

Paul Ray, an astronomer with NRL's High Energy Astrophysics and Applications section, led the study for the STROBE-X mission concept.

"The physical conditions in exotic systems like black holes and neutron stars are impossible to recreate in any earthbound laboratory," Ray said. "So, a mission like this is the best way to expand our understanding."

The STROBE-X mission concept calls for an agile 5,000-kilogram satellite with a wide field monitor to detect and localize transient events and monitor the state of variable sources. These observations would trigger the satellite to train its huge, primary instruments onto an object of interest. It also would respond to notifications from ground-based observatories.

The primary instruments would have more than 10 times the collecting area of previous X-ray instruments  technology made possible by the latest advances in solid state X-ray detectors and lightweight X-ray concentrating optics. Measurements with these instruments can determine the spin of black holes, the radius of neutron stars and the elements created in explosive events.

Maccarone led the development of the STROBE-X science case during the mission study. He predicts that in the 2020s many new facilities will survey the sky routinely at different wavelengths, looking for transient and variable sources.

He said this represents a shift from traditional astronomy, with an emphasis on very deep observations of individual objects, to big data science.

"STROBE-X, with its wide-field X-ray monitoring and rapid response, will be a critical capability in the era of time-domain astronomy," Maccarone said.

The technology for the primary instrument on STROBE-X already is being demonstrated by the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer, a payload attached to the International Space Station since 2017.

According to Colleen Wilson-Hodge, a member of the study team at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, STROBE-X would be a vital tool in the age of multi-messenger astrophysics.

"Throughout history we have learned about the stars by looking at the light from them  first visually, then with wavelengths ranging from radio waves to gamma rays," she said. "The recent development of gravitational wave and neutrino detectors has expanded astronomy beyond just electromagnetic waves. STROBE-X would provide the electromagnetic context for those phenomena."

The STROBE-X study was funded by NASA and conducted by scientists and engineers at NRL, Texas Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

The funded participants were supported by a collaboration of more than 130 scientists from numerous U.S. and international institutions who helped develop and refine the scientific case for the mission.

The STROBE-X study also benefited from ongoing collaboration with European scientists from Italy, Spain, Denmark and the United Kingdom, who developed the detector technology and designs for two of the instruments as part of a European Space Agency study of a mission called the Large Observatory For X-ray Timing, or LOFT.

Explore further Researchers observe formation of a magnetar 6.5 billion light years away
Landslide caused from rapid permafrost thaw Credit: Carolyn Gibson, University of Guelph PhD student

A "sleeping giant" hidden in permafrost soils in Canada and other northern regions worldwide will have important consequences for global warming, says a new report led by University of Guelph scientist Merritt Turetsky.

Scientists have long studied how gradual permafrost thaw occurring over decades in centimetres of surface soils will influence carbon release to the atmosphere. But Turetsky and an international team of researchers are looking at something very different: rapid collapse of permafrost that can transform the landscape in mere months through subsidence, flooding and landslides.

"We are watching this sleeping giant wake up right in front of our eyes," said Turetsky, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Integrative Ecology.

The team discusses the importance of abrupt thaw for carbon release estimates, northern ways of living and climate policy in a commentary in the May 2 issue of Nature. The researchers put together results from abrupt thaw studies from a range of environments across the permafrost zone to estimate the overall effect.

Permafrost affects about one-quarter of land in the northern hemisphere. These frozen soils lock up carbon in biomass from dead plants, animals and microbes over millennia, preventing its breakdown and keeping it out of the atmosphere. As a result, permafrost region soils now hold twice as much carbonabout 1.6 trillion tonnesas is contained in the atmosphere.

"We work in areas where permafrost contains a lot of ice, and our field sites are being destroyed by abrupt collapse of this ice, not gradually over decades, but very quickly over months to years," said Turetsky.

Co-author Miriam Jones, a United States Geological Survey research geologist, said: "This abrupt thaw is changing forested ecosystems to thaw lakes and wetlands, resulting in a wholesale transformation of the landscape that not only impacts carbon feedbacks to climate but is also altering wildlife habitat and damaging infrastructure."

Methane bubbles rising from a lake. Credit: Katey Walter, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Describing the formation of thaw lakes and landslides triggering mass movement of soil and sediment into rivers and streams, Turetsky adds: "It's happening faster than anyone predicted. We show that abrupt permafrost thawing affects less than 20 per cent of the permafrost region, but carbon emissions from this relatively small region have the potential to double the climate feedback associated with permafrost thawing."

Unlike gradual thaw that affects mostly the surface and penetrates the ground slowly, abrupt permafrost thawing disrupts deeper carbon stockpiles more rapidly. In addition, abrupt thaw releases more methanea stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxidethan does gradual thaw.

In their paper, the team calls for more measurement and monitoring of Arctic permafrost, as well as improved modelling and reporting of effects of thaw on climate.

University of Alaska Fairbanks emeritus professor Dave McGuire said, "There is an urgent need to make substantive progress on representing the effects of abrupt thaw on the carbon cycle in Earth system models. This will inform policy-makers about how the release of carbon from abrupt thaw may affect the implementation of carbon management strategies to control the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere."

The researchers say rapid permafrost collapse will have local, national and international effects, from altering traditional travel and hunting patterns in the North, to causing costly infrastructure damage to roads and rail lines, to making it even more difficult to meet emission targets intended to limit global warming.

Despite threats to northern permafrost and climate, Turetsky remains optimistic.

"If we can limit human emissions, we can still curb the most dangerous consequences of climate warming. Our window for action is getting narrow, but we still have it and can make changes to save the Arctic as we know it, and the Earth's climate along with it."

Ted Schuur, professor at Northern Arizona University, said, "Synthesis science designed to bring ideas and people together to create new knowledge is critical for understanding abrupt thaw impacts across the permafrost region at the scale where it affects climate."

Explore further New research from Arctic: Thawing permafrost peatlands may add to atmospheric CO2 burden

More information: Merritt R. Turetsky et al. Permafrost collapse is accelerating carbon release, Nature (2019). Journal information: Nature Merritt R. Turetsky et al. Permafrost collapse is accelerating carbon release,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/d41586-019-01313-4
(a) Schematic illustration of the twisted intramolecular charge shuttle (TICS) mechanisms; 'D' and 'A' denote electron-donating and electron-accepting fragments, respectively. (b) Reaction mechanism of a TICS based GSH fluorescent probe, and confocal microscope images of HeLa cells stained with the probe and Hoechst 33342 (a nucleus stain with blue emissions). No red emissions were observed in cells that were pre-treated with 1 mM NMM to remove GSH, while intense red fluorescence was present in cells with GSH. Scale bar = 20 m. Credit: SUTD

Charge transfer and separation is a fundamental process in the energy conversion that powers life on Earth. Besides deployment in solar cells and photocatalysts, this process is found in photosynthesis, as it enables energy conversion by harvesting light and then transferring and converting it into chemical energy.

However, deeper understanding of charge transfer and separation at the molecular level continues to be a challenge, as this process is very quicklight absorption-induced charge transfer and separation takes place over a few femtoseconds to a few picoseconds.

An international team of researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Chinese Academy of Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology and Vanderbilt University, overcame this challenge by using fluorescence in their model systems and studying the change in fluorescence outputintensity, lifetime and wavelength, etc.and discovered a new charge transfer and separation process called twisted intramolecular charge shuttle (TICS). In TICS molecules, the charge donor and acceptor fragments dynamically switch roles after absorbing light and experiencing a structural twisting, thus exhibiting a 'charge shuttle' phenomenon.

The unique bidirectional, role switching TICS process differentiates it from a similar process of unidirectional charge transfer called twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT). While TICT has facilitated the development of many functional materials and devices such as bright and photostable fluorophores, dark quenchers, viscosity sensors and polarity sensors, TICS paves a new avenue for chemists to construct unique and useful fluorescent probes in a wide range of chemical families of fluorophores.

For instance, the research team constructed TICS fluorescent probes that can be used to detect glutathione, an antioxidant found in plants and animals that is essential in removing many toxic chemicals in biological cells. Similarly, another type of specifically constructed TICS-based probe would be able to detect phosgene, a colourless and highly toxic gas that was used as a chemical weapon agent during World War I, which could potentially be used in terrorist attacks.

SUTD's Assistant Professor Liu Xiaogang explained how the research team developed TICS-based glutathione fluorescent probes and their efforts to transform the dye chemistry from trial and error into molecular engineering.

"Research in this area of study has often been based on trial and error. At SUTD, where design is a key component in our research strategy, we made sure to take on a design-centric approach in our research process. We first analysed chemical big data and spotted a pattern between molecular structures and fluorescent properties. After understanding this TICS process, we then designed a probe to prove this concept," said Assistant Professor Liu.

Explore further Slow charge generation plays big role in model material for solar cells

More information: Weijie Chi et al, A Photoexcitation-Induced Twisted Intramolecular Charge Shuttle, Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2019). Journal information: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Weijie Chi et al, A Photoexcitation-Induced Twisted Intramolecular Charge Shuttle,(2019). DOI: 10.1002/anie.201902766
New Delhi's heavy traffic contributes to the city's poor air quality. Credit: public domain

Residents of New Delhi and nearby heavily polluted areas of northern India now have access to air quality forecasts that provide critical information for reducing their exposure to potentially unhealthy air.

The new forecasting system, developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune has begun providing 72-hour forecasts of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5. These tiny airborne particles, 2.5 microns or less in diameter, are a major concern because they are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs or even the bloodstream, potentially causing significant respiratory and cardiac problems.

The air pollution can become so extreme under typical wintertime meteorological conditions that officials in New Delhi have closed schools and restricted traffic on highly polluted days. The government of India has also formulated a graded response action plan to impose temporary controls on industries, power generation, and construction activities to avert severe air pollution episodes.

"By developing this forecasting system, we are working to provide timely and accurate information to the public about forthcoming episodes of poor air quality," said NCAR's Rajesh Kumar, the lead scientist on the project. "It's critical to inform people so they can plan in advance to reduce their exposure to air pollutants that can affect their health."

The system uses measurements of pollutants, computer modeling, and statistical techniques. It updates the forecast every 24 hours.

Preliminary results indicate that it is accurately predicting day-to-day variability in PM2.5, giving officials and residents advance warning of unusually poor air quality. It does not always capture the precise levels of the pollutant, but Kumar believes they can improve the forecasting system to better predict that.

The technology, which scientists will refine during a two-year research project in India, may eventually be adapted to provide air quality forecasts in other polluted areas in developing countries, as well as in the United States.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences in India is funding the project.

A major health and economic threat

New Delhi ranks among the world's most polluted cities, according to the World Health Organization. It suffers from particularly high levels of PM2.5, a major threat to human health and economic activity throughout much of India and many parts of the developing world.

Fine particulates are emitted from numerous sources, including agricultural fires, motor vehicles, and smokestacks. On days when atmospheric concentrations of PM2.5 in New Delhi soar to many times the level that is considered unhealthy, prolonged exposure to the toxic haze is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. During a particularly severe pollution episode in 2017, the state of Delhi's chief minister tweeted: "Delhi has become a gas chamber."

A recent study in Lancet found that fine particulates and other pollutants may have caused more than 1 million deaths in India in 2017.

Indian officials have turned to air quality forecasts in the past that drew on computer modeling of basic atmospheric conditions. But the forecasts were unreliable because they did not include detailed atmospheric measurements or accurate inventories of emissions, nor did they correctly capture some of the atmospheric processes that produce particulates.

The new system attempts to address these limitations by incorporating satellite measurements of particles in the atmosphere and near-real time emissions from major fires associated with crop-residue burning upwind of Delhi. It also draws on inventories of emissions from transportation, industry, and other human activities. This information is fed into an advanced NCAR-based atmospheric chemistry model known as WRF-Chem (the chemistry component of the Weather Research and Forecasting model).

NCAR scientists are developing a specialized statistical system to combine the observations and WRF-Chem output, further improving the accuracy of PM2.5 predictions and enabling scientists to reliably quantify the uncertainties in the forecast. In addition, IITM is conducting extensive field campaigns and monitoring air quality to better understand processes that influence the formation and movement of particulates in New Delhi's atmosphere.

Kumar and his colleagues are also developing techniques to ensure that the system accurately predicts spikes in PM2.5 related to special events, such as the annual Diwali festival of lights that is celebrated with candles and fireworks.

With air quality a pressing concern across much of the globe, the research team is studying similar forecasting approaches in the United States and in additional highly polluted developing countries. This work is taking place under the umbrella of a new international project called Monitoring, Analysis, and Prediction of Air Quality (MAP-AQ), led by Kumar and by Guy Brasseur, director of NCAR's Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling Laboratory.

"The lessons we are learning in the United States are quite useful in India, and vice-versa," Kumar said. "This research can lead to accurate forecasting systems in many regions, enabling millions of vulnerable residents to take necessary steps to limit their exposure."

Explore further Delhi's complicated air pollution problem
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, seen at the 2018 F8 developers conference, is seeking to shift the emphasis of the social network to smaller-scale communications

Got a crush on another Facebook user? The social network will help you connect, as part of a revamp unveiled Tuesday that aims to foster real-world relationships and make the platform a more intimate place for groups of friends.

The new features were introduced in a revamped Facebook app as the embattled social network embarks on a new strategy emphasizing private communications and small groups.

"As the world gets bigger and more connected, we need that sense of intimacy more than ever," Zuckerberg said as he opened the F8 developer conference for the social networking giant.

"That's why I believe the future is private."

The new app made available to US users Tuesday aims for a new direction for Facebook: it eliminates the blue background and offers a range of new ways to connect, in line with Zuckerberg's vision to move away from the "digital town square" to a "digital living room."

Facebook's shift comes response to criticism over failing to curb misinformation and manipulation of the platform used by 2.3 billion people, and missteps on its handling of private user data.

"It can be hard to find your sense of purpose when you are connected to billions of people at the same time," Zuckerberg told the developers gathered in San Jose, California.

"Privacy gives us the freedom to be ourselves."

The redesigned application, to be followed by a new Facebook website, symbolizes changes in how Facebook runs its business, Zuckerberg said.

Facebook's F8 conference, a key gathering for developers working with the social network, is being held this week in San Jose, California

"I know we don't exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, to put it lightly," he said. "But I am committed to starting a new chapter for our product."

Dogs and politics

Changes announced Tuesday put groups at the center of the experience and add dating, friend-making and events features intended to promote people getting together in real life, Facebook's new app head Fidji Simo told AFP ahead of F8.

The redesign is meant to make it easier for users to take part in communities, whether based on friendships, family ties or common interests, according to Simo.

"It's definitely part of Mark's bigger vision," she said.

The new design gives users more options for private and group connections.

While counterintuitive, Facebook sees the change as potentially bringing people with opposing political viewpoints together rather than separating them in "filter bubbles."

"We are seeing that groups can bridge people across dividing lines," Simo said.

"If you are a dog lover, you will find people who are dog lovers across all divides, political or otherwise," she added.

The newly designed Facebook app will give prominence to groups, private communications and even dating as part of an effort to shift the social network from a digital "town square" to digital "living room"

A "Meet New Friends" feature being gradually rolled out will let users opt in to getting acquainted with others interested in fresh connections within shared communities.

An "Events" tab will expedite making real world, local plans with online friends.

Hidden crushes

Facebook also announced it is expanding a dating feature to 14 more countries including the Philippines, Singapore, Brazil and Chile.

A new feature called "Secret Crush" will let people signal which friends they are interested in romantically on a private crush listonly letting the object of their fancy know if the feeling is mutual.

"We think there is a lot of potential in developing these relationships," Simo said.

"It's all built with privacy in mind, and with the goal of building meaningfully long-term relationships and not just hookups."

The ability for people in small groups to be able to communicate securely and privately is seen as essential to making the social network more intimate.

There are tens of millions of active groups on Facebook, and more than 400 million people belong to groups at the social network.

After being battered by controversies on its handling of private user data and failing to curb manipulation, Facebook is seeking to shift its emphasis to private communications

Leaner, faster Messenger

Separately, Facebook unveiled a Messenger app overhaul that makes the mobile software leaner, faster and more of an energy miser.

"We rewrote practically all of the code from scratch," head of Messenger Stan Chudnovsky told AFP.

"We made Messenger the fastest private communication hub on the planet."

Features built into the new Messenger app, used by some 1.3 billion people, build on the social network's broader vision of small-group-sharing in "virtual living rooms," according to Chudnovsky.

Facebook also announced its Portal video call device would be available internationallystarting with Canada in June, and Europe later this yearand would allow calls over the WhatsApp messaging platform.

Meanwhile, the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest headsets, starting at $399, will begin shipping on May 21, expanding Facebook's move into virtual reality and gaming, the company said.

LucasFilm and Oculus Studios will have a "Star Wars" themed "Vader Immortal" virtual reality game ready when the Quest launches, putting players face to face with the master of the dark side of the Force.

 2019 AFP
The beluga whale was reportedly very friendly. Credit: Jorgen Ree Wiig/Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries

Norwegian fishermen were reportedly approached by a beluga whale wearing a Russian harness, complete with GoPro camera holder, sparking speculation that the animal had been trained to gather intelligence by the Russian Navy. While this theory has not been confirmed, it is entirely plausible: armed forces around the world have a long and disturbing history of exploiting marine mammals.

In the late 19th century, European militaries had come to appreciate that thoroughly-trained and well-handled dogs could perform useful military services, such as finding wounded soldiers on the battlefield and guarding military installations and outposts. Over the course of the 20th century, new roles were found for them: notably, detecting mines and explosives during World War II.

Given the success achieved with dogs, it was perhaps inevitable that experiments would begin with other intelligent and trainable animals, including marine mammals. The earliest of these experiments took place during World War I, when Britain's Royal Navy unsuccessfully attempted to train sea lions to locate German submarines.

The early training  conducted at a facility on Lake Bala in Gwynedd, Wales  went well. But once the sea lions were released into the open sea, they were generally found to be more interested in pursuing shoals of fish than U-boats  much to the frustration of the officers involved.

Navy dolphins

These efforts were revived by the US and other nations during the Cold War, following the discovery that dolphins use echolocation to navigate underwater, emitting high frequency "clicking" sounds and listening for the echos that bounce back off their surroundings to locate and identify nearby objects.

A number of species of marine mammals, including dolphins, porpoises, sea lions, orcas, belugas and pilot whales, drew the attention of rival militaries. Not only do these animals possess extraordinary sensory and physical abilities, they can also change their behaviour  traits which meant they could be trained to perform much the same tasks at sea that dogs performed on land.

In coldly scientific language  and with little acknowledgement of the sophisticated intelligence and capacity for emotion expressed by these animals  one American manufacturer of military sonar equipment described them as: "Self-propelled marine vehicle[s], or platform[s]; with a built-in sonar sensor system suitable for detecting and classifying targets; and carrying an on-board computer  capable of being programmed for complex performance."

The United States Navy began its marine mammal programme in 1960, originally hoping to both improve the hydrodynamics of its torpedoes, and its ability to detect objects under water, by studying dolphins. Yet the scope of this programme appeared to expand rapidly. Dolphins were soon being trained to locate enemy mines and lost objects on the seabed.

According to American journalist David Morrison, a team of dolphins was also deployed to South Vietnam to guard the US fleet anchored in Cam Ranh Bay against saboteurs in 1971. He also asserted that navy dolphins were transported to the Persian Gulf in 1987 to detect Iranian mines, and guard against enemy frogmen attempting to attack the US Navy's floating command post.

Protests for porpoises

The use of these animals for military purposes has caused much controversy over the years. One of the more disturbing questions concerns what exactly these dolphins have been trained to do, should they encounter enemy saboteurs. In 1976, Michael Greenwood  a veteran of the Navy dolphin project  claimed that dolphins assigned to the "swimmer nullification program" were equipped with syringes filled with carbon dioxide to kill intruders.

Despite vehement denials from the US Navy, such allegations have frequently resurfaced. Soviet Russia reportedly trained dolphins in a similar manner at a facility in Crimea on the Black Sea. In 2000, the BBC reported that many of these dolphins were sold to Iran, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The facility was re-opened by the Ukrainian Navy in 2012, but since the Russian annexation in 2014 has been back in the hands of the Russian Navy (although Ukrainian sources claim that the dolphins have since starved, having refused to accept food from Russian handlers).

The treatment of these animals has been another matter of long-standing concern. David Morrison reported allegations of systematic mistreatment and poor standards of care for animals in the American programme, noting that it had become the focus of animal rights activism. According to one report in May 1987, "someone billing himself only as 'Charly Tuna of RainBoWarriors', cut the nets around four of the San Diego dolphin enclosures".

Certainly, a great deal of the secrecy continues to surround the military use of sea mammals. And as Morrison observed as far back as 1989, this reflects "the fear of exciting public opposition to its efforts, opposition sparked by the great affinity that so many humans feel for these engaging creatures".

More recently, animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has protested the US deployment of dolphins to the Persian Gulf, stating: "It is not ethical to put animals in harm's way  War is a human endeavor, and while people and political parties may decide war is necessary, animals cannot."

Whatever the exact origin of the (apparently friendly) beluga whale discovered in Norwegian waters, the story serves as a reminder that marine mammals are still commonly exploited for military purposes in the modern world. Their replacement by robotic submersibles seems, at the moment, a regrettably distant prospect.

Explore further Beluga whale with Russian harness raises alarm in Norway

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Some 3,300 flight cancellations, and counting

Scandinavian air carrier SAS said Tuesday it had to cancel another 504 flights on Wednesday, affecting 47,000 passengers, as a pilot strike continued into its fifth day.

Since the start of the strike on Friday some 3,300 departures have been cancelled, affecting a total of almost 327,000 passengers, according to the company.

"I am deeply concerned that the pilot strike hasn't been resolved and that it is continuing to affect our customers," CEO Rickard Gustafson said in a statement.

"The unions have not yet indicated that they are ready to release their ultimate demands and return to the negotiating table, which means that we remain in a deadlock," he added.

Pilots are demanding better pay and work conditions and the Swedish Air Line Pilots Association, which initiated the strike, has said that months of talks had failed to result in a solution to pilots' "deteriorating work conditions, unpredictable work schedules and job insecurity".

As the strike commenced negotiations between the parties broke down and around lunchtime on Tuesday the parties were still not in direct contact.

"The mediators are in contact with the parties, but no negotiations are going on," Bosse Andersson, head of communications for the Swedish National Mediation Office, told AFP.

Explore further Fresh SAS woe as strike grounds 110,000 travellers

 2019 AFP
Labour Day is celebrated to honour the contribution of working men and women. It is observed on the first day of May. Bank customers must be aware that because of the Labour Day, some banks might remain closed. However, this holiday varies in different banks from state to state.

Labour Day, also known as May Day, corresponds to the International Workers' Day which is celebrated around the globe. This day is observed as a national holiday in more than 80 countries including India. This month there is one more holiday - Maharashtra Day - which is observed only in the second-most populous and third-largest state of the country.

Labour Day in State bank of India (SBI): All branches of SBI will be closed in states such as - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Manipur, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal and Maharashtra (Maharshtra Day).

Labour Day in Punjab National Bank (PNB): All branches of PNB will also be shut in Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Telangana.

History of Labour Day in India

In India, Labour Day or May Day was first celebrated in Madras, (Currently known Chennai) on 1st May 1923 on the initiative of Comrade Singaravelar, leader of Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan.

Singaravelar arranged two meetings to celebrate Labour Day. First was held at the Triplicane Beach, while the other one took place at the Madras High Court's beach. Singaravelar, on the day of the meeting, passed a resolution stating that the government should announce a national holiday on Labour Day. Additionally, this was also the first time when a red flag was used in India.

(Edited by Vivek Dubey)

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Tonight's Valborg celebrations coincide with a high risk of forest fires through much of Sweden, including the Stockholm area. Credit: Pablo Collantes

According to Swedish authorities, there is a high risk of forest and grass fires this week and some communities, such as Upplands Bro (northwest of Stockholm), have taken the step of banning the traditional bonfires that neighborhoods organize to celebrate Walpurgis Night (or Valborg).

Outbreaks of forest fires in recent weeks in Sweden have been monitored with a system developed by Professor Yifang Ban and colleagues in the Department of Geoinformatics at KTH.

Using satellite data and machine learning methods, Ban is applying a monitoring method for monitoring natural disasters in near real-time. In this way, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), as well as firefighting units, can quickly get an overview of forest and grass fires in progress. And it can help monitoring the progression of a fire.

The same method has been applied to help monitor the deadly flooding in Mozambique.

The KTH researchers have developed their own methods that use both a short wave infrared (SWIR) index and a radar-based framework in order to effectively monitor forest fires. SWIR can "see" through smoke and is an effective way to detect active fires and the damage. However, SWIR data is affected by clouds. They also need radar that is capable of penetrating through clouds, smoke and imaging both day and night.

Images generated by data at KTH are helping authorities battle forest fires and grass fires during a rain-free April. Credit: KTH The Royal Institute of Technology

"With really good resolutiondown to 10 meterswe can get updates of the status every two to three days. This is not as frequent as we wish, which can be remedied by lower resolution with data from VIIRS (375 meters) or MODIS (1,000 meters)," she says.

Ban says that today they use free data, which has limitations.

"If the MSB belonged to the organizations International Charter Space and Major Disasters and Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), this would provide access to high-resolution data daily in order to detect new fires, monitor existing ones and obtain information on the damage that occurred."

With the upcoming launches of the Canadian RADARSAT constellations in 2019, and the radar CubeSat constellations by ICEYE and Capella Space, radar images will be available at daily and hourly intervals, she say. "When these data become available, real-time forest fire monitoring will be possible using our methods."

KTH researchers at the Department of Geoinformatics have collected data on recent fires in Sweden, which has been provided to MSB, which Ban reports has been appreciative for the information.

Incidentally, within the framework of a digitalisation initiative at KTH, Ban and her collaborators at KTH have just been granted a grant to work on research on forest fire monitoring.

Explore further Satellite data aids forest fire detection and monitoring in Nepal
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The Datura genus, which includes stramonium, encompasses a number of plant species that have featured heavily in the traditional medicine and popular culture of countries such as Mexico and Spain.

Given the importance of these species, a team of researchers from Mexican and Spanish institutions, including scientists from the University of Granada (UGR), Spain's National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), and Mexico's National School of Anthropology and History recently conducted a study on the past and current uses of these plants in both countries. Among other findings, they identified the increasing consumption of this genus as a drug, and, on several occasions, its use in sexual assaults.

The Daturagenus comprises 14 plant species and hybrids, the majority of which are herbaceous annuals or shrubs. Although they originate from America, nowadays many of them can be found in a wide range of countries and environments. All these species contain alkaloids, which are naturally-occurring cyclical and nitrogen-containing organic compounds. It is these substances in particular that make the use of these species so widespread.

"They have been widely used in the traditional medicine of both countries [Mexico and Spain]. Our study alone has identified 111 medicinal applications to treat 76 illnesses or symptoms, including asthma and diarrhoea, or their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties in the treatment of dermatological problems," notes researcher Marti March-Salas of the MNCN.

"We also know that, historically, these plants were used in shamanic rituals and witchcraft, both in Mexico and Europe," adds Dr.Paloma Carinanos of the UGR.Dr.Guillermo Benitez, also of the UGR, comments: "Our findingsbased on our review of Pre-Columbian codices, medieval texts, and books on ethnobotanyshow that, despite many of the traditional uses of these plants being similar in both countries, nowadays there are striking differences. While in Mexico they are still used more for medicinal purposes, in Spain we are finding that they are being consumed for supposedly recreational purposes. We have even identified the use of the alkaloids derived from them in sexual assault cases."

"These results highlight the importance of continued research into these species and their naturally-occurring compounds, both from a botanical perspective and also in the context of forensic toxicology and medicine," the researchers conclude.

Explore further Fern plant infusion may have kept the doctor away in Medieval Europe

More information: Guillermo Benitez et al. The genus Datura L. (Solanaceae) in Mexico and Spain  Ethnobotanical perspective at the interface of medical and illicit uses, Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2018). Journal information: Journal of Ethnopharmacology Guillermo Benitez et al. The genus Datura L. (Solanaceae) in Mexico and Spain  Ethnobotanical perspective at the interface of medical and illicit uses,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.03.007
Credit: Fauna & Flora International

First, the good news. Footage from the 46 camera traps deployed by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains is giving us a privileged insight into the lives of the Asian elephants that roam through in one of the continent's last remaining forest wildernesses.

Genetic analysis of elephant dung undertaken by our partner, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, leads us to believe that the core population in the southern Cardamoms comprises around 50 elephants. And our camera traps have provided us with intimate footage of some of these magnificent beasts, including their calves.

Unfortunately, our monitoring has also revealed that the remaining elephants are under severe pressure, not least from the growing use of snares, a disturbing trend linked to the increased urban appetite for bushmeat.

Asian elephant calves are particularly vulnerable; their smaller legs mean that they are more prone to serious injury from wire snares, and they are more likely to die of their wounds. One baby elephant caught on camera in late 2017 walked with a pronounced limp and had a badly swollen foreleg  apparently the result of a deep wound inflicted by a snare.

With FFI support, local wardens drawn from the community are conducting regular forest patrols to monitor the elephant population. A crucial facet of their work is to deter poachers and to deactivate any snares that they encounter. And they are doing a great job.

In the long term, however, the survival of these Asian elephants is going to hinge not only on anti-poaching measures and protection of their forest habitat, but also on reducing demand for bushmeat and other wildlife products. Funds are urgently needed to enable FFI and our partners to carry out this vital work.

Credit: Fauna & Flora International

Explore further Poachers kill elephant in Cambodia wildlife sanctuary
The flash from the impact of the meteorite on the eclipsed Moon, seen as the dot at top left, as recorded by two of the telescopes operating in the framework of the MIDAS Survey from Sevilla (Spain) on 2019 January 21. Credit: J. M. Madiedo / MIDAS

Observers watching January's total eclipse of the Moon saw a rare event, a short-lived flash as a meteorite hit the lunar surface. Spanish astronomers now think the space rock collided with the Moon at 61,000 kilometres an hour, excavating a crater 10 to 15 metres across. Prof Jose Maria Madiedo of the University of Huelva, and Dr. Jose L. Ortiz of the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, publish their results in a new paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Total lunar eclipses take place when the Moon moves completely into the shadow of the Earth. The Moon takes on a red colourthe result of scattered sunlight refracted through the Earth's atmospherebut is much darker than normal. These spectacular events are regularly observed by astronomers and the wider public alike.

The most recent lunar eclipse took place on 21 January 2019, with observers in North and South America and Western Europe enjoying the best view. At 0441 GMT, just after the total phase of the eclipse began, a flash was seen on the lunar surface. Widespread reports from amateur astronomers indicated the flashattributed to a meteorite impactwas bright enough to be seen with the naked eye.

Madiedo and Ortiz operate the Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System (MIDAS), using eight telescopes in south of Spain to monitor the lunar surface. Video footage from MIDAS recorded the moment of impact.

The impact flash lasted 0.28 seconds and is the first ever filmed during a lunar eclipse, despite a number of earlier attempts.

The flash from the impact of the meteorite on the eclipsed Moon, seen as the dot at top left (indicated by the arrow in the image), as recorded by two of the telescopes operating in the framework of the MIDAS Survey from Sevilla (Spain) on 2019 January 21. Credit: J. M. Madiedo / MIDAS

"Something inside of me told me that this time would be the time", said Madiedo, who was impressed when he observed the event, as it was brighter than most of the events regularly detected by the survey.

Unlike the Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere to protect it and so even small rocks can hit its surface. Since these impacts take place at huge speeds, the rocks are instantaneously vaporised at the impact site, producing an expanding plume of debris whose glow can be detected from our planet as short-duration flashes.

MIDAS telescopes observed the impact flash at multiple wavelengths (different colours of light), improving the analysis of the event. Madiedo and Ortiz conclude that the incoming rock had a mass of 45kg, measured 30 to 60 centimetres across, and hit the surface at 61,000 kilometres an hour. The impact site is close to the crater Lagrange H, near the west-south-west portion of the lunar limb.

The two scientists assess the impact energy as equivalent to 1.5 tonnes of TNT, enough to create a crater up to 15 metres across, or about the size of two double decker buses side by side. The debris ejected is estimated to have reached a peak temperature of 5400 degrees Celsius, roughly the same as the surface of the Sun.

Madiedo comments: "It would be impossible to reproduce these high-speed collisions in a lab on Earth. Observing flashes is a great way to test our ideas on exactly what happens when a meteorite collides with the Moon."

The team plan to continue monitoring meteorite impacts on the lunar surface, not least to understand the risk they present to astronauts, set to return to the Moon in the next decade.

Explore further Astronomers spot record-breaking lunar impact

More information: "Multiwavelength observations of a bright impact flash during the January 2019 total lunar eclipse", J. M. Madiedo, J. L. Ortiz, N. Morales and P. Santos-Sanz, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Oxford University Press, in press. Journal information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society "Multiwavelength observations of a bright impact flash during the January 2019 total lunar eclipse", J. M. Madiedo, J. L. Ortiz, N. Morales and P. Santos-Sanz,, Oxford University Press, in press. doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stz932 ras.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-04/Madiedo %20et%20al.pdf
The glass sponge Vazella pourtalesi, found on the Scotian Shelf, is one of about 8,500 sponge species that is known to exist. Credit: Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Little is known about deep ocean environments. But scientists focussing on the depths of the North Atlantic are now learning more about their ecosystemsincluding the role of vast sea sponge grounds  and how to safeguard them against the effects of climate change and industry.

Deep-sea sponges  aquatic invertebrates that spend their lives attached to the seabed and are found in almost all areas of the deep ocean  have been particularly neglected when it comes to research and conservation. But they are an important component of their ecosystems.

"Given their huge filtering capacity and their pronounced role in pumping and cleaning the ocean, sponge grounds have an effect on ocean health," said Professor Hans Tore Rapp from the University of Bergen in Norway.

But studying sponges is not easy. Found at depths of up to 4,000 metres, sponges are hard to access and most cannot handle exposure to air which makes it difficult to conduct lab experiments.

Telling species apart is tricky too because many have limited distinguishing features. "Nowadays a combination of morphological information and DNA has made things a bit easier but it is still a challenging and very time-consuming task," said Prof. Rapp.

Professor Rapp and his colleagues are identifying different species for a wide-ranging project called SponGES. The scientists are investigating sponges' ecological functions, how these animals can be used in biotechnology as well as the resilience of their ecosystems.

"We will be using modelling tools to look into the future, to see how these sponge grounds will be impacted by climate change or any kind of stressors," said Prof. Rapp.

Sponge genomes

So far, the scientists have discovered more than 30 new species of sponges and produced the largest sponge genomic data sets ever, which should reveal how different species and populations are related. They also performed experiments in the lab to investigate their ecosystem functions, such as how they absorb and turn carbon and inorganic nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus into nourishment for the rest of the habitat.

Now they are conducting experiments on the seafloor. '(We are) looking at sponges in pristine areas then comparing how they function in areas that are more impacted, whether it's from oil and gas or mining," said Prof. Rapp.

The project is also taking a novel approach to drug discovery. The chemicals that sponges use to defend themselves could potentially be used to treat cancer and infectious diseases.

Sponges are typically ground up and tested to identify compounds that could be used to develop drugs. The project, however, is trying to zero in on the genes involved in making these compounds so that it can sustainably produce them in the lab.

"We've already identified some of the gene sequences that are related to the production of anti-cancer compounds," said Dr. Shirley Pomponi from Florida Atlantic University in the US and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, who is leading the biotechnology arm of the project.

Dr. Pomponi and her project colleagues are also one step closer to creating bone implants that make use of sponge architecture. Sponges produce microscopic skeletal elements, or spicules, made of biosilica that are the building blocks of their structures. Biosilica has been found to induce bone-forming cells to produce more bone. The scientists therefore hope to make implant scaffolds with bone-forming cells.

They achieved a breakthrough by creating a cell line in the lab from deep-sea sponge cells, which Dr. Pomponi claims is the first time this has been done for any marine invertebrate.

Dr. Pomponi says the cell lines are exciting as they will enable the scientists to study how sponges produce their skeletons as well as their defensive chemicals. The team is focussing on how to produce biosilica and these chemicals in tissue culture, she says.

Endangered

Results from the project are already being recognised by policymakers too. Sponge grounds have now been included in the Norwegian Red List for endangered habitats, for example.

"We are now also contributing to getting sponge grounds into the management plan for the Nordic Seas," said Prof. Rapp.

In addition to sponges, other elements of deep North Atlantic ocean ecosystems need to be better understood. To tackle this, a project called ATLAS is undertaking the biggest assessment of the area to date.

The deep Atlantic is home to a number of vulnerable ecosystems, says Professor Murray Roberts from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, the project coordinator.

Scientists want to understand how fragile cold-water coral ecosystems are being affected by sectors such as deep-sea mining. Credit: Changing Oceans Expedition 2012 (cruise JC073)

"We need to understand the corals, the sponges, the clams, we need to understand the seamounts," he said.

"And critically we need to understand how industry active in these areas already, and proposing to increase its operations, could impact these systems."

The project is monitoring the deep ocean by using climate-monitoring instruments, along with new equipment such as sensor arrays to measure carbon dioxide and acidity to provide regular readings for the first time which will be made publicly available.

The new information will help to better understand the physics of the ocean such as circulation patterns, for example, so that changes can be predicted.

The project has published 49 scientific papers, revealing, for example, how corals on the seafloor are nourished in an environment where there is little food available.

Simulations showed that water currents interact with coral mounds, which can grow hundreds of metres tall to draw organic matter down to them from the surface.

"It's an amazing example of ecosystem engineering on a scale we've never really seen before," said Prof. Roberts. The scientists will follow up by taking measurements in the field to see if they agree with their model.

Fisheries

Another aspect of the project involves bringing together different sectors that use the ocean, such as fisheries and oil and gas companies, to plan out marine space in a more sustainable way. "It's like town planning in a sense for the oceans," said Prof. Roberts.

The team's goal is to make sure that ocean activities are sustainable and that ecosystems are preserved.

They have been working with multinational oil and gas companies, for example, to assess the areas in which they operate, where there are vulnerable ecosystems such as sponge grounds and coral reefs. The impact of climate change also needs to be addressed.

"With warming of the Atlantic Ocean and gradual acidification, areas that have been protected are going to end up as unsuitable for the very things that they've been closed to protect," said Prof. Roberts.

Based on scientific findings from the project, the team plans to come up with management strategies for sectors such as deep-sea mining and renewable energy where growth is forecast. The team also developed new models showing the distribution of deep Atlantic species which will provide a good starting point.

"We have a much better understanding of how likely it is that vulnerable species occur in areas that industries are looking to exploit," said Prof. Roberts. "We're (now) taking that into industry and policy."

Sponges: survivors of the sea

Sixteenth-century naturalists considered sea sponges to be plants, they are actually animals that live attached to surfaces in tidal zones or areas as deep as 8,500 metres.

Sea sponges are filter feeders that can survive for long periods without food, such as during the lightless polar winters. Some sponges can also live for hundreds of years. A specimen the size of a minivan, believed to be centuries to millennia old, was discovered 2,100 metres below the ocean surface in Hawaii in 2016.

Sponge cells are like stem cells  sponges can regenerate an entire body from just one cell. Sponges themselves have no internal organs. Instead, their entire body processes oxygen and nutrients.

Most sponges feed and breathe by extracting nutrients and oxygen floating in the water. Water enters a sponge's pores and passes through the intricate canals and chambers that form its body. Special cells lining the inside of a sponge's body capture food particles and keep the water constantly circulating.

About 140 species of known sponges  most of them deep-sea dwellers  are carnivorous. They trap tiny crustaceans and larvae with microscopic hooks and digest them  cell by cell  over several days.

Explore further How sponges undermine coral reefs from within
Scientist Naiane Bernardo [left] in fieldwork; equipment used to measure radiances and irradiances [right]. Reservoir cascade steadily improves water transparency by retaining matter in suspension that affects light absorption Credit: Naiane Bernardo

In Sao Paulo City, Brazil, the Tiete River is polluted by a vast amount of waste, mainly domestic sewage, but the farther it runs into the interior, the better the quality of its water becomes. It is much less murky at Barra Bonita, 294 km from Sao Paulo, and transparent at Buritama (546 km).

A study by Brazilian researchers at Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) in Presidente Prudente and Sao Jose dos Campos shows that this change in water quality as the river crosses the state is due to filtration by a series of dams along the way. The 1,100 km Tiete rises near the coast, passes through the state capital and flows on to Sao Paulo's western border, where it joins the Parana, a tributary of the Plata. The Barra Bonita reservoir retains part of the algae that feed on nitrogen and phosphorus in the sewage. With fewer of these organisms, the river flows through the turbines and on to the next set of dams, where it is filtered again.

As the study shows, filtration of the Tiete by this series of dams allows more light into the water, which is oxygenated and converts more organic matter from pollutants into inorganic matter, eventually becoming transparent. The results were published in the journal Water.

"We demonstrate that Tiete water quality steadily improves thanks to this reservoir cascade, with exposure to pollution from domestic sewage decreasing as the river flows away from the state capital," said Enner Herenio de Alcantara, a professor at UNESP in Sao Jose dos Campos and one of the authors of the study.

"From one reservoir to the next, the composition of the organic and inorganic matter in the river changes. This affects light absorption in each reservoir," Alcantara told.

The researchers analyzed the light absorption characteristics of the water in four of the six reservoirs that comprise the Tiete dam cascade: Barra Bonita, Bariri, Ibitinga and Nova-Avanhandava. These reservoirs account for more than 90 percent of the hydropower generated by the cascade.

Chemical composition and turbidity vary in accordance with the type of contamination. Barra Bonita and Bariri are eutrophicfull of algae, hypoxic and murky. Ibitinga (349 km from Sao Paulo City) is mesotrophic, hosting a medium amount of vegetation and with moderately clear water. Nova-Avanhandava reservoir at Buritama is oligotrophic, with low algal production and transparent water.

The researchers analyzed water samples collected during fieldwork to measure the levels of organic and inorganic particulate matter.

Their findings show that Barra Bonita reservoir contains a large volume of algae (phytoplankton), while high levels of dissolved organic carbon are characteristic of Bariri and Ibitinga. These two reservoirs also displayed high variability of particle composition between organic and inorganic within any given year, depending on the period, in accordance with changes in light absorption measured during the analysis. Inorganic matterminerals and non-carbonated compoundspredominates in the downstream portion of Nova Avanhandava.

These materials absorb light at different wavelengths. Absorption varies in intensity depending on the concentration of optically active components present in the water. As well as absorbing light, they also scatter it. The balance between the amount of light absorbed and the amount scattered by these materials is reflected in the variations in the color of the Tiete's water.

Phytoplankton, for example, absorb more energy in the blue and red wavelengths, and much less in the green, causing more scattering at this wavelength. This is why the water in reservoirs with large amounts of phytoplankton is dark green, the researchers explained.

"We found that the reservoirs' total light absorption capacity reflected the level of pollution fairly accurately. The vigorous phytoplankton growth due to intense eutrophication interfered most with light absorption in the reservoirs closest to Sao Paulo, for example," Alcantara said.

Satellite monitoring

The results of the study will contribute to the development of new mathematical and statistical models that can be used to estimate and monitor water quality in the Tiete cascading reservoir system via satellite imaging, Alcantara added.

Because of the variability of light absorption in these reservoirs, a mathematical model has yet to be developed to assure precise measurement of water quality parameters for the entire system.

"The reservoirs contain high levels of pollution, with large amounts of aquatic plants, for example, so the signals recorded by the sensor on Landsat-8 in space become saturated. As a result, the model eventually falters and supplies incorrect information," he explained.

Landsat-8 is the eighth satellite in the NASA-USGS Landsat Earth observation program, and the seventh to reach orbit successfully. The on-board sensor for its Operational Land Imager (OLI) enables it to record images at different wavelengths.

The organic and inorganic materials present on or near the reservoir surface reflect solar radiation back to the sensor at specific wavelengths. As a result, their distribution in the reservoir can be estimated using these images.

When the mathematical model for variations in light absorption is applied to the surface reflectance parameters obtained from the images, it is possible to estimate the levels of organic and inorganic matter in the water, and hence its transparency.

"The Landsat program has produced images since the 1970s. Once we've validated the mathematical model developed by our group, we'll be able to obtain water quality indicators for the entire Tiete reservoir system in the past 40 years or so," Alcantara said.

"On this basis it will be possible to understand the process of deterioration in the Tiete's water quality during recent decades."

Explore further Biggest reservoir for Brazil's largest city is running dry

More information: Nariane Bernardo et al, Light Absorption Budget in a Reservoir Cascade System with Widely Differing Optical Properties, Water (2019). Nariane Bernardo et al, Light Absorption Budget in a Reservoir Cascade System with Widely Differing Optical Properties,(2019). DOI: 10.3390/w11020229
The new Lexus NX luxury SUV is unveilded at the Toyota Cambridge plant in Cambridge, Ontario, on April 29, 2019

Japanese automaker Toyota will assemble two models of its Lexus in Canada starting in 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday.

It will be the first time that the Lexus NX and NX hybrid sport utility vehicles are produced outside of Japan, Trudeau said.

He told a news conference the Cambridge, Ontario assembly plant 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Toronto would supply the Canadian and US markets.

Toyoto announced last year it would invest Can$1.4 billion (US$1 billion) in its two Ontario facilities, in Cambridge and in nearby Woodstock, which assembles its RAV4 vehicles.

It plans to concentrate its North American production of hybrid vehicles in the province. Ottawa also pitched in Can$110 million.

The two assembly lines can build over 500,000 vehicles annually, making Toyota the largest automotive manufacturer in Canada.

Explore further Toyota invests Can$1.4 billion in Canada plants

 2019 AFP
Schematic of synthetic antibody formed by peptoid-carbon nanotube assemblies. The synthetic antibody can recognize lectin proteins  the target used in this proof-of-concept study  and their conjugate sugars. Credit: Linda Chio/Berkeley Lab

Scientists have invented a new "synthetic antibody" that could make screening for diseases easier and less expensive than current go-to methods. Writing in the journal Nano Letters, a team led by Markita Landry of Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley describes how peptoids  synthetically produced molecules, first created by Ron Zuckermann at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, that are similar to protein-building peptides  and tiny cylinders of carbon atoms known as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can be combined to selectively bind a target protein.

The resulting nanoparticle assembly fluoresces under near-infrared fluorescence microscopy, thus allowing for target protein quantification just like a biologically derived antibody.

The researchers demonstrated that their peptoid-SWNT assemblies remain stably bound to their target when tested in samples with a wide range of pH, salt concentrations, and temperatures; and when exposed to various protein-digesting enzymes  conditions no conventional antibodies could be expected to function in.

"This new platform encourages us to look to synthetic chemistry and nanomaterials science to create molecules that bind biological markers for diseases like cancer or viral infections," said Landry. "The stability of purely synthetic recognition elements could facilitate easier disease diagnosis. They could also have safety applications by detecting hazardous chemicals in water or food."

An infrared microscopy image of fluorescing synthetic antibodies bound to lectin proteins and their target sugars. Credit: Linda Chio/Berkeley Lab

Explore further Scientists develop sugar-coated nanosheets to selectively target pathogens

More information: Linda Chio et al. Electrostatic Assemblies of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Sequence-Tunable Peptoid Polymers Detect a Lectin Protein and Its Target Sugars, Nano Letters (2019). Journal information: Nano Letters Linda Chio et al. Electrostatic Assemblies of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Sequence-Tunable Peptoid Polymers Detect a Lectin Protein and Its Target Sugars,(2019). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b04955
The final leg in our Cold War II stool is the containment of China diplomatically. To make the point that China no longer has a free pass, the first step in the Wests diplomatic offensive needs to be focused on Taiwan. Assuming that the Wests military containment of China has succeeded in confining the country inside its own borders, Taiwan needs to be, in effect, diplomatically rehabilitated.

Taiwan should be reintroduced to the international community as a vigorous free market democracy. Although Beijing will view this as a hostile act, it neednt be presented that way. Instead, a sovereign, confident Taiwan with many democratic allies will be in a better position to negotiate a so-called reunification with the mainland.

Clearly, Chinas bullying tactics have gotten it nowhere with Taiwan for seven decades. Time to wake up and smell the coffee, Beijing.

A less fraught, but much tougher, initiative will be required to create and hold together an entire series of alliances globally that can contain China on the diplomatic front as well as (one hopes) it has been contained on the military and economic fronts.

One reason this effort will be so difficult is that we live in an era where global diplomacy has gotten a (partly deserved) bad name. For three decades U.S. diplomacy has focused on imposing liberal democracy on peoples who had no interest in it, on remaking the world, in effect, in our own image.

Looking forward, the U.S. needs to be far more realistic in its foreign relations, maintaining our strength but using that strength sparingly, organizing alliances rather than going it alone, proceeding, in short, less arrogantly and more prudently.

As populism continues to grow around the world and as globalism continues to retreat, diplomacy will become vastly more complicated at exactly the time when diplomatic skills are least respected in America and when the U.S. State Department has been virtually hollowed out. All this needs to change.

Its entirely possible for the U.S. to engage in much tougher-minded diplomacy that is also skilled diplomacy. But that kind of approach can only happen if diplomatic containment is part of a broader military and economic containment of Beijing.

In addition to the Taiwan question, U.S. diplomacy should also be focused on East Asia and NATO.

Although military containment will have to take the lead in East Asia  especially the East and South China Seas  vigorous diplomatic efforts will also be needed. Specifically, the U.S. needs to work closely with neighboring countries in East Asia whose combined efforts, backed by the U.S., will prove much more effective in containing Beijing than U.S. military efforts alone.

Already Western-style democracies like the U.S., Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Australia have stepped up military activities in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, mainly to enforce sanctions against North Korea. Assistance has been provided, albeit on a lesser scale, by Germany, Japan and South Korea.

That is all well and good, but the loose coalition just mentioned could give the impression that the West is interested only in freedom of navigation for its own purposes. Instead, the coalition should be expanded to include threatened countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, perhaps even Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and India.

More controversially, it would be useful to refocus NATO away from its obsession on Russia and toward Europes real threat  Beijing. For one thing, it was NATOs expansion right up to the Russian border that heightened Russian anxieties and led directly to the seizure of the Crimea and to continuing Russian mischief-making in the Ukraine.

Lightening up on the pressure on Russia, and making it clear that, at least as regards Moscow, NATOs focus is purely defensive, may ease tensions in Eastern Europe and also, perhaps, help drive a wedge between Russia and China. And after all, the Russian military is a mere shadow of the former might of the USSR and its economy is smaller than Italys.

Regarding China, the EU is already getting religion on the subject. So profound has been the change in the EUs attitude toward China that Andrew Small, writing in Foreign Affairs, recently described it as a revolution.

Europes new concerns are driven by the flood of Chinese imports, worries about Chinese espionage (via Huawei and many other channels), fear of Chinese control of major European tech firms, anxiety over the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinas attempts to divide European nations, and, perhaps most important of all, outrage at Chinas increasingly tyrannical government and the export of tyranny.

The trouble is, the EU has so many internal problems that, despite good intentions, there is little hope for a united EU/broader Europe approach to containing China unless the U.S., via NATO, drives the process.

Note that this may require the U.S. to stop complaining about the EU countries piddling contributions to the mutual defense effort. Once NATO refocuses on China, it will become clear soon enough that beefing up Europes defense budgets isnt just a matter of equity.

In this series of posts, which are (finally!) coming to an end, I have argued that the West has been hopelessly naive about China and that, as a result, we have frittered away the better part of three decades as Chinese power and influence have grown mightily.

My solution is Cold War II  an attempt to contain Chinese ambitions militarily, economically and diplomatically. Cold War I is an obvious template, but it needs to be modified to suit contemporary dangers and the considerable differences between modern China and the former Soviet Union.

The effort will be expensive, onerous, protracted, and, in all likelihood, somewhat economically injurious. Its not pleasant to contemplate, but the only are options are war or surrender.

Next up: AONE and Me
Asif Zardari to join anti-govt movement with JUI-F

Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) supremo Asif Ali Zardari on Monday announced to join the anti-government movement being initiated by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.



Responding to reporters questions following his appearance before an accountability court in connection to the mega money laundering and fake bank accounts case, the former president said the PPP will join Fazlur Rehmans forthcoming campaign against the present government. Insha Allah, we will be joining the political movement of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said. I do not think that the [present] government will be able to complete its five years, he added.





When asked if he supports former prime minister Nawaz Sharifs plea seeking permission for medical treatment in London, he replied, May Allah Almighty grant health to everyone. If need be, then he will go. Where [else] will he go? Zardari also took aim at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), saying that either the watchdog will work, or the economy. The question is, either NAB will work or the economy. Both cannot work together, he said.



The fake accounts case against Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur strengthened on Monday as one more accused expressed willingness to become an approver.



On Monday, the Zardari siblings appeared in Judge Arshad Maliks courtroom. NAB informed the court that Sher Muhammad, an accused, had filed a request to become an approver. The prosecutor added that the bureau was processing his, Noreen Sultan and Kiran Amans applications to become approvers in the matter.



During the hearing, the judge sought an explanation over Lawais absence from the courtroom. NAB prosecutor said the bureau had written to Sindh chief secretary twice seeking Lawais appearance in court but received no reply. The judge directed the NAB to take up the matter with the Sindh government as the accountability court contacts Sindh High Court over it.



Meanwhile, the single-judge bench granted 10-day extension in pre-arrest bail to Zardari and Talpur against surety bonds worth Rs 2 million. The hearing has been adjourned till May 9.



Separately, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday extended the pre-arrest interim bail of Zardari and his sister Talpur till May 15. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani heard the petitions of the PPP leaders whose pre-arrest bail was to expire on Monday.



To a question, the NAB prosecutor informed the court that the bureaus chairman had issued arrest warrants for Zardari only in the Park Lane case. The bench directed the NAB to submit a written reply, explaining how many inquiries has the bureau been carrying out against the former president. The FIA is investigating 32 people, including Zardari and Talpur, in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts.
Police in Warren County made 72 fewer drunken and drugged driving arrests last year, a drop of more than 12 percent, while officers in neighboring Washington County made more impaired or intoxicated driving arrests.

Warren Countys drop came even though officers responded to more alcohol- or drug-related crashes last year, according to the a report issued by the countys STOP-DWI coordinator. Three of those crashes resulted in deaths.

At a glance Warren County DWI arrests, by year 2018  498 2017  570 2016  403 2015  446 2012  577 2009  652 2007  935 2005  804 Read the entire STOP-DWI annual report for Warren County at poststar.com.

Locally, statewide and nationally, police have been making fewer alcohol-related driving arrests, while drugged driving arrests increase. But overall, impaired or intoxicated driving busts have been decreasing.

Warren County experienced a large increase in 2017, after years of steady declines, much of which was credited to more aggressive policing in parts of the county. Patti Miller, the countys STOP-DWI coordinator, said fewer arrests were seen in 2018, as had been the trend in recent years.

They have declined as our educational programs have gotten better and there is more awareness, she said.

Distracted driving, though, continues to be a growing problem, she said. Millers annual report, attached to the online version of this article, breaks down arrestees by age, gender, date and times of arrest and other criteria.

Washington County Undersheriff John Winchell, the countys STOP-DWI coordinator, said DWI arrests in Washington County rose in 2018, with the Sheriffs Offices arrests more than doubling, State Police making more but some village police departments filing fewer cases.

Statistics showed fewer DWI arrests in the villages of Cambridge, Granville and Fort Edward, a slight drop in Hudson Falls and relatively steady numbers in other villages.

He said one reason for the increase is the presence of more officers trained as drug recognition experts in the county. Those officers have special training to determine whether a driver is under the influence of drugs, and the state has been offering more certification training for officers.

Winchell said there continues to be a problem with repeat offenders in the region. At the victims impact panel for impaired, intoxicated or distracted drivers on Monday, 28 of 78 were drivers with multiple arrests.

Studies show that distracted driving is equivalent to having a .10 BAC, Winchell said.

For the second year in a row, a local state trooper will be recognized by the STOP-DWI Foundation of New York for his efforts to combat DWI. Trooper Brian Russell of the Chester station will be honored at a ceremony next month, after Trooper Justin Barcomb from the Greenwich station was recognized last year.

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GLENS FALLS  A nurse at Glens Falls Hospital has won an award for her work to increase awareness of organ donation at the hospital.

Barb McDermott has for years supported families as they made the tough decision about donating organs  a decision made when they have just learned their loved one will not survive.

But she didnt make donation a major focus of her career as a critical care nurse, working in the intensive care unit, until she volunteered at an organ donation fundraiser in Greenwich and actually met patients who had received organs.

It was my aha! moment, said McDermott, who is now the director of cardiac and critical care services. These folks say they got a new birth date on the day they got their organ and a second chance at life.

She also met family members of donors, and discovered they took comfort in having their loved one make a difference in the world.

In other words, families werent left traumatized by the decision. Instead, donating organs helped them heal.

I decided I had to rev it up here, she said of organ donations. We needed to take it to the next level.

Nurses do not propose donation to families, but they are a critical part of the process. If a patient is eligible for donation and is not going to survive, they notify the Center for Donation & Transplant. That agency sends professionals who can broach the delicate topic to the family members.

They make it clear that everything possible will be done to save the loved ones life. Being a donor makes no difference in the patients care. But if death is unavoidable, medical professionals must know in advance so they can take action to save the organs.

The more often nurses call the Center for Donation & Transplant, the more donations can occur.

So McDermott recruited staff from every unit in the hospital to join her team. They meet once a quarter for organ donation education. Sometimes, transplant recipients speak to the group. She tells stories about the value of organ donation. She updates the staff on research that has found new ways to save lives with transplants. Even tissue and eyes can be transplanted.

Knowledge is power, she said. It brought up a great awareness in our organization.

She tells nurses that their job is to make that phone call to the Center for Donation & Transplant.

Then were just there for support for the family, she said.

Its usually a very hard day.

Initially its very sad, its very difficult, she said. But after, the family will be notified that they helped this many lives. Theres no names, but it will say, for example, The heart went to a 58-year-old man.

That letter can mean a great deal to a grieving family.

Their loved one made a difference, she said.

In April, McDermott was awarded the Lynn LaBarre Donate Life Champion Award.

It is given each year to a health care practitioner who goes above and beyond in supporting, championing and promoting organ and tissue donation and/or donor families in their hospital and community.

You can reach Kathleen Moore at 742-3247 or kmoore@poststar.com. Follow her on Twitter @ByKathleenMoore or at her blog on www.poststar.com.

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HUDSON FALLS  Two local businesses will have grand reopenings this weekend in the old Masonic Temple building at 216 Main St.

The clothing boutique Jo & Co. will reopen with the addition of Jolie Tea & Treats Co., and The McKernon Gallery will reopen with new artisans selling their wares.

Both have been closed while the former Masonic Temple building, owned by local developer and attorney Bill Nikas, undergoes renovations. Now, however, their store sections can be open.

The McKernon Gallery, which features the photography of local artist Kendall McKernon, will also showcase and sell local artisans craftwork, including steampunk sculptures, honey-based skincare products and landscape and still-life paintings.

Jo & Co. will relaunch with apparel for men, women and teens, some of which is from New York City-based store Headrush Apparel. Joelle Tims, owner of the store, said she will also be introducing a new tea shop endeavor in the store. Shell be offering 20 varieties of organic loose-leaf teas as well as cupcakes and sugar cookies. Some gluten-free and vegan options are also available.

The two stores will celebrate their reopenings with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Timms said Terry Tillart, a holistic health expert, will be there to discuss the benefits of teas. There will also be a cake tasting and photo opportunities with Alice In Wonderland characters. At the gallery, artist John Kingsley will perform a live edge wood bowl demonstration, and Renee Penistan Kingsley will conduct a glass bead making with surface decoration demonstration.

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A local air quality group will hold a free public forum next week called How Dangerous is Glens Falls Air?

The group, Glens Falls Wants Clean Air, has changed its name to the Clean Air Action Network. Its hosting the talk from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday in the community room of Crandall Public Library.

Mike Ewall, executive director of the Energy Justice Network, will present and answer questions. The Energy Justice Network is a national organization based in Pennsylvania. Ewall and his organization have most recently assisted with legislation in Baltimore that could shut down a Wheelabrator trash-to-energy plant, and with legislation in Coeymans in Albany County that could inhibit industrial plants from burning alternative fuel sources, like tires.

National group looks to close all incinerators, including Hudson Falls' Wheelabrator HUDSON FALLS  A national environmental advocacy organization working to shut down all incinerators in the country has its long-term sights se

Ewall has said he wants to shut down all incinerators, and eventually hopes to shut down the Wheelabrator trash plant in Hudson Falls.

Tracy Frisch, organizer of the Clean Air Action Network, is working with Ewall and his team to educate the public on air quality. The group, according to a news release, has a mission to reduce air pollution and protect public health and the environment.

The network also plans to host another program on June 10 in the library called Air Pollution and Human Health.

To learn more about either event or to get involved with the Clean Air Action Network, contact Frisch at 518-692-8242 or tracy.frisch@gmail.com.

Good news for Conservancy

The Lake George Land Conservancy received $78,220 from the 2019 Conservation Partnership Program, a grant program administered by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Land Trust Alliance.

Part of the funds, $40,000, will go toward implementing some of the Bolton Recreational Hub Strategy, a plan for improving local preserves, protecting natural resources and boosting tourism.

The hub strategy was created by The Chazen Companies through the town of Bolton, the Bolton Landing Chamber of Commerce and the land conservancy.

Not only does it focus on preserves in Bolton, but it also looks at ways existing land conservancy preserves can be connected to state lands. It also helps the town identify marketing campaigns.

The Bolton Recreational Hub is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when the public and private sectors work together to achieve an important community goal, Bolton Supervisor Ron Conover said in a news release.

Conservancy to protect French Mountain land from development LAKE GEORGE  More than 300 acres of pristine land on French Mountain will be protected from development with the Lake George Land Conservancy

The land conservancy hopes to use some of the new funding for creating and installing new signs, kiosks and parking lots, as well as use it for improvements at some preserves in the town.

Establishing Bolton Landing as a recreation hub is a great way to promote its many resources, said Jamie Brown, executive director of the land conservancy, in a news release. Ultimately, the plan is to provide itineraries to help people explore the area and better understand it  getting people out on our land to understand why protecting the land that projects the lake is so important, then promoting the local economy by including shopping, eating and even lodging for extended stays.

Another $38,220 will go toward costs incurred purchasing French Mountain in the the towns of Lake George and Queensbury.

The project protects 315 acres and will eventually create multi-use trails.

Bird trust gets grant

Also benefiting from the latest round of Conservation Partnership Program grant awards was the Grassland Bird Trust, formerly the Friends of the Washington County Grasslands Important Bird Area.

The organization received $35,000, which will be used to hire a full-time communications and development specialist, according to a news release.

Argyle grasslands preserved for the birds ARGYLE  The Grassland Bird Trust, formerly the Friends of the Washington County Grasslands Important Bird Area, closed on 64 acres of Argyle 

The new staff person will help expand the trusts conservation program. The trust has helped protect 244 acres in Washington County and manages 78 acres.

Reporter Gwendolyn Craig can be reached at (518) 742-3238 or gcraig@poststar.com. Follow her on Twitter @gwendolynnn1.

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A number of Washington County volunteer fire departments were summoned Tuesday afternoon to respond to a fire at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont.

The fire broke out in the "Barn" classroom and office building on the campus in North Bennington, Vermont, just east of the Washington County line.

White Creek, Greenwich and Cambridge firefighters were sent to the scene, while Shushan firefighters were called out to stand by in the Arlington, Vermont fire station.

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If you go

What: 'Pete Seeger Centennial'

When: Friday, noon, Caffe Lena, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs and 7 p.m., Crandall Public Library, 251 Glen St., Glens Falls;

Sunday, 12:30 p.m., Saratoga Springs Public Library, 49 Henry St., Saratoga Springs.

Cost: All the events are free and open to the public.

More information: The Crandall Public Library program is in the Community Room of the library on Glen Street in Glens Falls and begins at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public on a first come, first served basis.

More online: Watch musician Richie Stearns, Rosie Newton and Bess Greenberg perform in Binghamton.
Iran to continue export oil despite US pressure

Iran will continue to export oil despite US pressure aimed at reducing the nation's crude oil shipments to zero, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on Iranian state TV on Tuesday.



"America's decision that Iran's oil exports must reach zero is a wrong and mistaken decision, and we won't let this decision be executed and operational," Rouhani said.



"In future months, the Americans themselves will see that we will continue our oil exports," he said. If the United States is able to stop one method for Iran to export oil, then it will find other ways, Rouhani said.



Oil prices hit their highest since November last week after Washington said all waivers for sanctions-hit Iranian oil would end this week, pressuring importers to stop buying from Tehran and further tightening global supply.



The United States demanded last Monday that buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers that had allowed Iran's eight biggest customers, most of them in Asia, to continue importing limited volumes.
CARACAS, Venezuela  Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido took to the streets with activist Leopoldo Lopez and a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.

"I want to tell the Venezuelan people: This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers," said Lopez, who had been detained since 2014 for leading anti-government protests. "Everyone should come to the streets, in peace."

Lopez said he has been freed from house arrest by members of the security forces responding to an order by Guaido, whom the U.S. and dozens of other governments recognize as Venezuela's rightful leader.

As he spoke on a highway overpass, troops loyal to Maduro sporadically fired tear gas from inside the adjacent Carlota air base as the crowd of a few hundred civilians, some of them brandishing Venezuelan flags, scurried for cover.

The crowd swelled to a few thousand as people sensed what could be their strongest opportunity yet to overthrow the government after months of turmoil that has seen Maduro withstand an onslaught of protests and international pressure with the support of his top military command and allies such as Russia and Cuba.

"It's now or never," said one of the young rebellious soldiers, his face covered in the blue bandanna preferred by the few dozen soldiers who stood alongside Guaido and Lopez.

The dramatic events playing out in the opposition's stronghold in wealthier eastern Caracas appeared not to have triggered a broader military revolt.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino on Twitter rejected what he called an attempt by a "subversive movement" to generate "panic and terror." Meanwhile, socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello said most of Caracas was calm and called on government supporters to amass at the presidential palace to defend Maduro from what he said was a U.S.-backed coup attempt.

"We're going to Miraflores palace to defend the revolution, to defend Nicolas and to defend the legacy of Hugo Chavez," said Cabello in a phone call to state TV.

Later, a group of security forces on motorcycles dropped tear gas to clear the bridge, prompting an exchange of what appeared to be gunfire. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The tumultuous events started when Guaido  who has been recognized by the U.S. and dozens of other nations as the legitimate interim president  appeared in an early morning video shot next to the air base a day before what he was promoting as a definitive putsch to oust Maduro. He was surrounded by heavily armed national guardsmen backed by a few armored vehicles.

Far from the tense events, a few dozen people gathered in the streets downtown in support of Guaido amid conflicting reports that the city's subway had been shut down by transit workers looking to further debilitate the government. Others said service had been interrupted by an accident.

Guaido said troops who had taken to the streets were protecting Venezuela's constitution. He made the comments a day before a planned anti-government rally.

"The moment is now," he said.

He said that in the coming hours he would release a list of top commanders supporting the uprising.

"The armed forces have taken the right decision," said Guaido. "With the support of the Venezuelan people and the backing of our constitution they are on the right side of history."

As events unfolded, governments from around the world expressed a mix of support for Guaido while reiterating calls to avoid violent confrontration.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, in a message directed at Padrino on Twitter, said the armed forces "must protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people."

Meanwhile, Spain's caretaker government urged restraint.

"We hope with all of our strength that there is no bloodshed. We support a peaceful democratic process in Venezuela. We support the immediate holding of an election for a new president," Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said.

Joshua Goodman in Cucuta, Colombia, contributed to this report, which will be updated.

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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
OGRA to increase oil Rs 14.37 price per litre

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has recommended increasing oil prices by as much as Rs 14.37 per litre for the month of May, a private TV channel reported on Monday.



In a summary moved to the Petroleum Division, the OGRA proposed that the price of high speed diesel (HSD) be raised by Rs 4.89 per litre and petrol price be hiked by Rs 14.37 per litre for the next month. The regulator has also requested an increase of Rs 7.46 per litre in prices of kerosene oil while a rise of Rs 6.40 per litre has been recommended for the light diesel oil (LDO).







If the government accepts the recommendation, the diesel prices will inflate to Rs 122.32 per litre, petrol to 113.26 per litre, LDO to Rs 86.94 per litre and kerosene oil will go up to Rs 96.77 per litre. Prime Minister Imran Khan will take the final decision over the price hike after consultations with the petroleum and finance ministries.


WHAT'S NEW: Trustees on Monday voted 5-0 to approve a memo of understanding with Bluestem that continues the relationship without exchanging any money. The firm originally talked about putting a solar project at the former village landfill, but Jamie Goldenberg of Bluestem explained Monday the firm is planning for a much larger project that would achieve economies of scale. He said a six-megawatt wind project may be doubled to a 12-megawatt, and the firm is looking at anywhere in Ameren's territory which encompasses 85% of Illinois. The firm will know if they win a bid process in the fall of 2019, and a final contract could be ready after that. The village would earn an upfront rebate of $41,250 as well as regular savings. They are currently talking to private businesses that might want to get involved in renewable energy, according to Goldenberg.
Not only would an increase in the income tax hurt (banks) bottom line, but it hurts the bottom line of our customers, the retailers, the farmers and the manufacturers as well, Peck said.

Kevin Semlow, director of state legislation for the Illinois Farm Bureau, said his members thought the current flat tax was the fairest way of taxation, one that ensures everyone pays a portion of income tax.

The state is in a financial crisis. Allowing another form of taxation that targets income levels creates the goal that not everyone has a fair share in that, Semlow said. Our members are unique in the fact that we are bound to our land; we cant move it. Therefore, any property taxes and income taxes have a direct bearing on our membership.

Until we see sound, firm reforms, there is not a lot of trust from our members of the state in managing their revenue sources, Semlow said.

Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, said a graduated income tax would hurt all sectors of the state.
Flooding hasn't busted the city budget yet, he said, but Public Works will accrue unaccounted overtime when they walk the levees 24-7 after flooding exceeds 22 feet. "Some expense for cleanup after the river levels drop is in the budget, but that cost will not be known for a month or two," Jenison said.

In Bettendorf, spokeswoman Lauran Haldeman said no new roads had closed because of flooding, and budgetary impacts so far have been "minimal."

Businesses are hanging in there



Roam recently opened on 2nd Street in Davenport, and owner Dylan Steil said there was water back flowing into the restaurant Monday. They plan to open Tuesday and a restoration company will get the water out; they want to prevent that in the future. "That's what we're trying to figure out."

Roam is still planning to hold its a Kentucky Derby party at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Downtown Davenport Partnership Executive Director Kyle Carter said downtown was open for business, but there had been an impact.
As a result of this cooperation, the special counsel's report contains some embarrassing moments for the president. But it also proves that Trump was telling the truth when it came to the central question of the investigation: He did not conspire with Russia.

If Democrats want to pursue impeachment nonetheless, then to quote Ronald Reagan quoting Clint Eastwood: "Go ahead, make my day." Impeachment over anything other than a conspiracy with Russia will backfire with the American people and help ensure Trump's reelection.

-- First, it will fail, because two-thirds of the Senate will not vote to convict the president.

-- Second, Trump's supporters will see an impeachment effort as an attempted coup d'etat, energizing his base ahead of the 2020 election. And third, it will be seen as partisan and unfair by persuadable voters, who will not appreciate politicians second-guessing the conclusions of an impartial investigation. Want to push Trump's approval above 50 percent? Try to impeach him.
While Davenport has the most dramatic flooding, it's an issue across the Quad-Cities. Here's a look at what's happening:

The crest hasn't arrived yet. And it's now forecast at 22.4 feet

National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Pierce said the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 15, Rock Island, was rising a little quicker than the forecast. But the breach could draw the crest down somewhat.

Thats the part we dont know yet, Pierce said. Were still trying to figure out how much water is now in the downtown area.

As of Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. the Mississippi River was at 21.87 feet and rising. The forecast crest of 22.4 feet is expected Wednesday.

Depending on overnight rains, it could drive the crest higher, threatening the record the 22.63-foot mark set in 1993.

At the 21.87-foot mark, it is the fifth highest flood on record. And it's the longest flood on record: Wednesday marks the 39th day of continuous flooding here.

Trump declared an emergency in western Iowa. Officials are working to get it to apply here
A man has been accused by federal authorities of having child pornography in Rock Island County.

Damean Monroe Gomez, age and address unavailable, was indicted on April 17 by a federal grand jury, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Gomez is charged with a count of receiving child pornography and a count of possessing child pornography in July 2017 in Rock Island County.
A Port Byron man facing multiple counts of possessing child pornography is next expected in court in May after making his first appearance Thursday in Rock Island County.

Cody L. Redman, 24, has been charged with six counts of possession of child pornography, according to the Illinois State Police  who announced Redman's arrest on Wednesday  and Rock Island County court records.

The state police said the case was the result of a tip received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children .

Redman's preliminary hearing on the charges has been set for May 7, according to the Rock Island County Circuit Clerk's Office. It was scheduled Thursday during his first appearance on the charges.

At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors present to a judge an outline of their case against a defendant. It is then it is up to the judge to decide whether the evidence is substantial enough for the case to continue.
With all the rain that has fallen and the rain yet to come in the next 24 hours, the forecast for the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 15, Ro
Today showers and possibly a thunderstorm are likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. The chance of precipitation is 90%. with new rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. The high will be near 50 degrees.

Tonight showers and possibly a thunderstorm are likely with some of the storms producing heavy rain. The chance of precipitation is 100% with new rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. The temperature will rise to around 52 degrees by 5 a.m.

Wednesday brings a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Skies will be mostly cloudy with a high near 64 degrees. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch are possible with higher amounts in thunderstorms.

Wednesday night will see a slight chance of showers then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m. Skies will be mostly cloudy with a low around 49 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 40%.

2. The Mississippi River is rising to near-record levels
Pak Army wants to resolve all issues faced by Pashtuns: ISPR 30 April, 2019



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Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry

Woke Bingo Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor on Monday said that the Pakistan Army wants to resolve all issues faced by Pashtuns in the tribal areas, but the manner adopted by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) to voice such grievances will no longer be tolerated.



We want to do everything for the people [of tribal areas], but those who are playing in the hands of people, their time is up. Their time is up, Maj Gen Ghafoor said at a wide-ranging press conference at the General Headquarters. He said the army refrained from taking action against the PTMs controversial slogans because of its consideration of common Pashtuns who were being provoked. What kind of revenge are you talking about? What kind of revenge do you want to take with the army? No one can fight the state. We are refraining from taking action because we are taking into consideration the people being provoked, otherwise its not difficult to deal with you, he warned.



He said he was the first person to engage with the PTM and that he was asked to engage with them by the army chief who had also ordered not to take harsh steps against them. He said the PTM had demanded the clearance of mines and unexploded bombs, adding that the demand was genuine. He said Pakistan Army set up 48 teams and 45 per cent of these areas now stand cleared, with 101 casualties of Pakistan Army while clearing those mines.



The Pakistan Army spokesperson said that PTMs second demand was about clearing away army check posts. He questioned where the PTM leadership was when the forces were fighting against the Taliban militants in erstwhile FATA.



Their third issue, he said, was about missing persons as they had made a list of those missing persons. The list has now reduced to 2,500 cases and the missing persons commission is working day and night to resolve those cases. He said basically these demands were not of the PTM, but the demands were of the people who live in the affected area.



The ISPR chief said the PTM website claims that they have collected funds from Pashtuns around the world but they should also disclose the details of money they received from the NDS (Afghan National Directorate of Security) and that how much money did Indias Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) gave them for the first sit-in in Islamabad.



He said that SSP Tahir Dawar was killed in Afghanistan, but in what capacity did PTM leaders talk to the Afghan government, and demanded that the body should only be handed over to the Dawar tribe instead of government of Pakistan.



He also asked PTM leaders to disclose why did NDS give them funds for Arman Lonis funeral and the sit-in that followed? He asked the PTM to use these funds for the development of the war-torn area. He also questioned that when Arman Loni died, funeral prayers were offered for him by the PTM but when 10 policemen lost their lives trying to protect 800 students giving police entry exams in Balochistan, why they did not go to the funeral for those martyrs.



He said that those who are playing with people, whose issues they have brought forward, but now their time is up. He said the PTM should also give another list of all the strength of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that exists in Afghanistan, so that it could be checked if any of the missing persons were actually sitting there.



The DG ISPR also delivered a message in Pushto to Pushto-speaking people, urging them to not be deceived by the people working against Pakistans interests.



The DG ISPR put the following questions as well to the PTM.



April 18, 2018: who was Manzoor Pashteens relative who went to the Indian consulate in Kandahar? And how much funds were provided to them?



How much in funds did the Indian consulate in Jalalabad provide to you? How many dollars did Indian diplomats give to you in May 2018?



What do you mean by Lar-o-Bar? Why did Mashal Khan Takkar come to Kabul from Canada?



What is your connection with Baloch separatists? Why does any person who speaks for the Pakistan Army be killed immediately? Why does TTPs Mufti Noor Wali say PTM and TTP are the same? How do you share the narrative with them?



In light of the chief of army staffs directives, the forces will ensure that the masses dont face issues. Everything will be done under the constitution, he added.



The ISPR chief said practical steps have been initiated for mainstreaming over 30,000 seminaries in the country. He said a decision was taken in principle in January this year to mainstream the 30,000 plus seminaries and 2.5 million students receiving education there. The plan could not be implemented immediately due to financial constraints, he added. Then in February, funds were allocated for the purpose and now Pakistan Army is working with Ministry of Education to prepare the syllabus and introduce contemporary subjects for the new curriculum, he said, adding that the army chief in the past few months has had extensive interactions with the religious scholars from different schools of thought who pointed out that opportunities for the students passing out from the seminaries were very limited.



In case 30,000 seminaries are closed, millions of children being taught there will be deprived of education. Most of these madaris offer eight years of studies in a Dars-i-Nizami but when these children come out, they are unable to get job opportunities in the market, he said. Out of these 30,000 madaris in the country, less than 100 have apparently been found pushing children towards extremism, he said, adding that funds are required for appointment of teachers in these seminaries.



The ISPR chief said he can say with confidence that there is no active terrorist organisation in the country anymore. Pakistan, he said, has proscribed violent extremist organisations and the state institutions have been working to curb terrorism in the country. The State was busy in conducting kinetic operations and every law-enforcement agency wasinvolved in that, which is why we were not able to strategise against banned organisations the way we are doing now, he said.



He said that when the National Action Plan (NAP) was formulated in 2014, all political parties had agreed on point number 3, which calls for bringing these elements into the mainstream. It will be taken care of now that our kinetic operations are working, he said, adding that at that time, it was decided that seminaries and hospitals which were non-violent and being run under these organisations will be taken over by the government.



Major General Ghafoor said Pakistan Army, with the support of the nation, will respond to any Indian aggression with full force. Criticising the Indian rhetoric, he said nuclear power is a weapon of deterrence. However, if aggression is carried out, Pakistan has the right to use any weapon in its defense, he asserted.



The ISPR DG said instead of reacting to Indian lies after the Pulwama incident, Pakistan acted responsibly and put forward facts, proving Indian claims about the Indian airstrike in Balakot on February 26 and the subsequent developments as totally false.



He said Pakistan shot down two Indian aircraft on February 27, while responding to Indian air strike. He said India should keep this aspect in view while planning any aggression against Pakistan.



He said India had claimed that over 300 people had died in their attack in Balakot but later changing the stance said that that they had used a small-scale missile that bore a tiny hole in the ceiling of the building and then exploded inside.



Clarifying the issue of arrest of two pilots, he said that as per initial information two pilots were reported arrested, but then on the ground it was found out that only one person had been captured.



About Indian claim of downing Pakistani F-16 plane, he said India should ask United States about our F-16s strength. He said in this age, downing of a plane cannot be concealed from the people. We have not talked much about it because we want to find the appropriate time to honour our pilots who had skillfully hit down the Indian planes. He said that the whole world did affirm that two Indian jets were shot down and one helicopter was downed by themselves in Pakistans fear.



He asked India to inform the world who was in Brigade Headquarters when Pakistani plane targeted the building, and also share the status of the ammunition depot attacked on February 27.



Major General Ghafoor stressed on the resolution of outstanding issues between Pakistan and India, including Kashmir, and invited New Dehli to dialogue. He said only peace can guarantee development and progress in the region. He said Kashmir issue is linked with the ideology of Pakistan and every Pakistani is perturbed over Indian atrocities in the occupied valley. He said it is the moral responsibility of Pakistan to continue to support Kashmiris struggle for achieving their right to self-determination.



Major General Ghafoor said Pakistan will continue to play its role for ensuring peace and development in the region, including the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. He said fencing, being carried out on the border with Afghanistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, has significantly decreased the cross-border firing and incidents of terrorism. He said fencing was being carried out along the border with Iran as well under bilateral cooperation so that terrorists from Afghanistan do not use this border.

Appreciating role of Pakistani media during the war against terror in the past two years and during the three-day conflict with India in February, he said it played a very responsible role in the situation.
Roth said some of the other bids came from authorized dealers, but they were still for guns from LMT.

"There is more of a comfort level coming from directly from the manufacturer," he said.

Supervisor Ken Beck asked what will happen to the guns being replaced as well as how often is such a weapon needed by the department.

"I'd like to say never," Roth said. He added "I'd rather have the weapon and never use it" than have his deputies face a situation where they are out-gunned.

After the meeting, Roth said decisions have not been made about disposing the original rifles, but the county might consider an employee buyback program for the deputies or sell them through a federally licensed gun dealer. However, some rifles acquired through a military surplus program must be returned to the military.

"I would be delighted if you were going to take all those guns and destroy them," Supervisor Ken Croken said. "Those guns will end up in the wrong place, and that concerns me."

Supervisor Brinson Kinzer said it is the board's obligation to make sure the sheriff's deputies have the appropriate equipment. "You have to have every possible means to protect this county."

The board will vote on the purchase at its regular board meeting Thursday night.

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One person was killed Monday morning when a car went off the northbound lane of Illinois 92 and into a flooded ditch.

The victim was identified as Alexander Jackson, 25, Moline, Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson said at 3:30 p.m. Monday.

The Rock Island Fire Department was called around 9 a.m. to the highway between 18th and 31st avenues, Battalion Chief Darren LeBeau said. When they arrived, firefighters in drysuits went into the water to find the vehicle.

"We found it by the air bubbles," LeBeau said.

The vehicle was submerged and overturned, he said. Once they found it, they hooked chains to it and pulled it far enough out of the water for the single occupant to be extricated. No other people were found at the scene.

Gustafson said the death is being considered a presumed drowning. No autopsy has been scheduled, but toxicology tests will be performed at the request of the state.

The Rock Island Police Department said there were motorists who saw the northbound car leave the roadway and who stayed until police and fire arrived. The crash remains under investigation.

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Some Iowa Democrats have said they wonder whether Bidens political time has passed, and that it may be time for the party to choose a younger standard-bearer or a fresh political face who could lead the party into the next generation, like Barack Obama in 2008.

Biden said he asks only that those people give him a chance.

Look at me. Follow me. See what I say. See how I do, Biden said.

Im going to go out and make that case by demonstrating what I have done, what my experience has taught me, he said. All I can do is go out and make my case as to why I think that, at this moment, Im the best prepared to deal with this. Everyone else is making their case as well, and well see what the voters decide.

While some Democrats question Bidens age, others feel he presents the partys best chance at defeating Trump in a general election.

Biden said he feels he always has connected with working-class Americans, and will be able to again in 2020.
Informing oneself as a citizen and voter is difficult given the torrent of information concerning the Mueller Report, Trump administration actions, political party activities, foreign power impacts on our country, congressional hearings, etc. Gleaning truth is hard work since some information is biased, unfounded, partial truth and/or meant to mislead and distract.

Still, examples of fact include:

1. Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in "sweeping and systematic fashion," according to the Mueller report.

2. Russian interference was meant to help elect Donald Trump and was welcomed by the Trump campaign.

3. Thirty-four individuals and three companies, including top advisers to President Trump, his personal lawyer, and Russian spies and hackers with Kremlin ties have been indicted, convicted or pleaded guilty to various charges, including: lying to Congress, obstruction of justice, financial crimes, distributing Russian propaganda, campaign finance violations and more.

4. Congressional committees are checking on suggested possible illegal activities of the president and/or others and seek complete Mueller report documentation.
Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets from Black Hills State University, Chadron State College and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology gathered in Rapid City, South Dakota, March 22-24 for their culminating Field Training Experience (FTX). The multi-day event at West Camp Rapid included rifle marksmanship and land navigation exercises.

As the culminating event for all cadets, the three-day FTX brings together leadership skills taught during the academic year and throughout ROTC, according to Lt. Col. Elvis Coronado, who oversees the Mount Rushmore Battalion, including BHSU, CSC, and Mines.

The key takeaway of spring FTX for cadets is a military-like experience where they are now able to understand and further visualize how to accomplish military tasks, Coronado said. From this they have now developed a confidence in themselves that will allow them success during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

FTX started with basic rifle marksmanship to prepare for summer training where cadets must shoot accurately to get qualified on their weapon systems, a requirement which continues in the Armed Services.

Following rifle marksmanship, the cadets moved into land navigation. The students were given military grid points to plot with only a compass, protractor, and map.

The BHSU, CSC, and Mines students then conducted combined operations orders followed by patrol base. Cadets, in teams of three to five, were given a possible enemy situation. They created a plan based on the weapons used and enemy activity. While in patrol base, the students took turns on security watch throughout the night.

Capt. Scot Mullis of CSC said students should look into joining ROTC to set themselves up for success in the future.

The ROTC scholarships do more than take care of tuition, they also provide the cadet with a living stipend and books which make it easier to focus on classes, he said.

Cadet Mitchell Parish, a student at CSC, agreed with Mullis.

I knew about the scholarships and the Army career that would follow ROTC. I was surprised with the amount of opportunities that ROTC provided such as internships, Cultural Understanding and Leadership Program where we can travel abroad and train with our allied nations, and specialized schools, Parish said.

Cadets from each school who will commission in May include:

 Connor Besse, Littleton, Colo., CSC

 Jared Kovall-Scarlett, Rapid City, BHSU

 David Oerlline, Rapid City, BHSU

 Tristan Walker, San Diego, Calif., SD Mines

For more information on ROTC, contact Mullis at smullis@csc.edu or 308-432-6030.

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A state legislator on Monday accused a congressman of using intimidation to quash the legislator's rumored political ambitions, and the congressman denied it.

State Rep. Scyller Borglum, R-Rapid City, said in a news release that she met with U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and two of his associates Saturday evening before the Lawrence County Republican Partys Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser.

What started as praise for Borglums efforts, energy, and ambition quickly turned into a multitude of threats from the newly elected congressman, Borglums news release said.

The release said Johnson demanded to know whether Borglum plans to challenge U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., in a primary election. Rounds is up for re-election in 2020.

The release labeled the meeting as a DC-style ambush consisting of backroom politics that feels more like what Hillary and Pelosi would pull.

Borglum claimed in the release that Johnson said Rounds team is doing opposition research on her and would expose the dirt if she runs against Rounds. Borglum also claimed that Johnson said the Rounds team is calling financial donors to ensure Borglum is completely boxed out and unable to run for any future office.

Johnson acknowledged that the meeting took place and that he had been told by various politicos that Borglum was considering running against Rounds. Johnson said he told Borglum he could not support her if she challenges Rounds, but Johnson denied making any threats.

I was trying to provide her good counsel, Johnson said by phone from Washington, D.C.

He thought the meeting went well, he said, until he saw the Monday news release.

It was a friendly conversation, Johnson said. After the meeting we exchanged friendly texts. We talked later that night at the event briefly. I never got the sense that it wasnt a friendly conversation.

Johnson added that he has conducted hundreds of meetings with people over the years to recruit candidates or to offer advice to candidates and prospective candidates.

Without exception, they have all taken it in the well-intentioned way that Ive offered my counsel, Johnson said. Until this weekend. This was the single exception.

Johnson was elected to his first U.S. House term in November, on the same day Borglum was elected to her first legislative term. Both of their positions are up for election again in 2020.

Johnson was well known among South Dakota Republicans prior to his run for the U.S. House, having served in such high-profile positions as chief of staff to former Gov. Dennis Daugaard and as an elected member of South Dakotas Public Utilities Commission.

Borglum was a political newcomer prior to being elected a state legislator, which is a part-time position. She also works at RESPEC as an engineer. Although she shares a last name with the late Gutzon Borglum, who carved Mount Rushmore, she has said she is not related to him.

Regarding her future ambitions, Borglum said in the Monday news release, I havent confirmed or announced any run for a higher office. Im not even thinking about that.

In an interview Monday with the Journal, Borglum said she does not plan to run against Rounds or Johnson in 2020 but is considering running for re-election to the Legislature.

Borglum has taken several actions that led some observers to suspect she has higher political ambitions. She has hired a communications director who sent Mondays news release on her behalf. She has been attending Republican Party Lincoln Day dinners in counties statewide, and she has been conducting her own Rural Education Listening Sessions in communities statewide. She has formed a political action committee called Women in Politics, or WiP PAC.

Borglum said her statewide activities have been motivated by a desire to be a good legislator and to help other women get elected to political offices.

Regarding her decision to issue a news release about her meeting with Johnson, she expressed a desire to expose his alleged behavior and said she has nothing to lose because of retribution she has already suffered from the meeting. One example, she said, is her removal from the speaker list for a Republican womens conference this summer.

Borglum said she has had no contact with the Rounds campaign. Rounds' campaign spokesman, Rob Skjonsberg, expressed confusion about Borglums release, telling the Journal he cant decipher its meaning.

Rounds has not officially declared himself a candidate for re-election, but Skjonsberg said Rounds is preparing to run.

Anyone who challenges us is going to have to defend their own record, Skjonsberg said. Were pretty proud of ours.

Contact Seth Tupper at seth.tupper@rapidcityjournal.com

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Rapid City Area Schools have been awarded a state workforce education grant worth $225,000 for the purchase of new computer equipment and software, the South Dakota Department of Education announced Monday.

School Spokesperson Katy Urban said the grant would aid in the development of a high school-level computer arts academy that is still being planned. Possible purchases, she said, include digital illustration programs and tools for students interested in art and graphic design.

Workforce grants are doled out each year to schools seeking to implement new career and technical education-oriented programs. Grants totaling more than $1 million were awarded this year to seven public school districts and one private school system across South Dakota.

I commend the recipients of these grants for thinking big as they seek to grow their career and technical education programs, Department Career and Technical Education Director Laura Scheibe said in a statement. CTE programs help students effectively connect their K-12 education to real-world career opportunities.

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Flooding remains a top concern for U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds.

And the South Dakota Republican has been letting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers know his thoughts about it.

In Mitchell on Friday, April 26, Rounds said hes understanding of the issues that the Corps faces, but wants it to be as proactive as possible with monitoring the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System, or the series of dams on the Missouri River.

Were trying to show people that the only management tool they have is how much they let out at the bottom of Gavins Point, Rounds said. We want to know how early they begin to let it out, and how much they let it out.

Normally, the Corps operates the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System with eight objectives, with flood control among other issues like navigation, hydropower, recreation, fish and wildlife and water quality. But since the flooding events in March, officials with the Corps have said that flood control is the top priority during periods of significant runoff.

I think there was a little bit of misunderstanding, Rounds said. Theyve restated that flood control, when we reach the point where were having floods, is their primary purpose. That is a step in the right direction.

Officials for the Corps said the flooding along the Missouri River could not have been prevented due to large amounts of water that flowed into the river downstream of the dams and the frozen conditions of the ground when that precipitation occurred.

Rounds said the Corps at Gavins Point Dam responded appropriately when the time arrived.

This year, we were able to expedite the release of flows from Gavins Point probably faster than any other time that I can remember, he said. They also started earlier with a higher flow, but they also moved it up to 55,000 feet quicker than they have in the past.

March runoff into the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was also historic, measuring at 11 million-acre-feet, which is the highest total on record dating back 120 years and nearly four times the March average of 2.9 million-acre-feet.

Rounds also noted that the Corps needs to install its snowpack monitoring systems for the Plains states. He said that the Corps own internal reporting called for it in 2014, and the money has been successfully appropriated and authorized. He said the start of installing 240 monitoring sites should begin this year, according to the Corps, and testing has been taking place at South Dakota State University.

Rounds said he understands that the water management can go in cycles, but wants the Corps to remain proactive in managing the dams with the conditions.

We want them to be a little more proactive as they do it, he said. This was a year, I think, where the oversight were providing is helping, and I think theyre paying attention to what were telling them.

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The Rapid City Public School Foundation last night honored the top 5 percent of seniors graduating from Central and Stevens high schools at its annual celebration of academic achievement.

Commemorative certificates were presented to more than 40 members of the class of 2019 during the event, which drew some 340 people to Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. School administrators and board of education members were in attendance along with students and their families.

"We've been doing this for a number of years, and to me it's always the highlight of the school year for us," Foundation Board President Todd Brink said of the evening.

Each student called to the stage was accompanied by the teacher whom they said most inspired them. Testimonials they had written beforehand were read aloud, many of which expressed gratitude toward teachers who made tough subject matter approachable and understandable.

Brink said this practice exemplified the foundation's goal of empowering teachers to challenge their students.

Formed in 1994, the foundation regularly awards grants to Rapid City Area Schools teachers seeking to produce unique educational programs or events. Central High School, for example, last month hosted Georgia-based poet Aaron Belz at a writer's conference using such a grant.

Brink said some $50,000 in donations had already been raised for the foundation ahead of Monday's gathering.

Attendees Monday also heard remarks from Sharon Lee, who founded the organization 25 years ago. Recalling its formation, she said she felt that its founding vision of enriching education, recognizing educators and improving community relations remained true today.

Lee recalled that one of the first projects the foundation took on at the behest of the school district was the organization of a teacher of the year program. The program relaunched this past year after a five-year hiatus.

Foundation Board Member Jason McGough said in his remarks that a private donation was made recently that would sustain the award for the next several years.

Seth Keene, a teacher at Stevens High School, was recognized at the event as teacher of the year alongside eight other nominees for the title. He received $1,000 with the award.

"My congratulations to Seth and the other recognized educators," Lee said, calling teaching a "wonderful art."

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Pak-US officials held talks on Afghan peace process in Islamabad

Pakistani and the United States (US) officials held delegation-level talks on the Afghan peace process in Islamabad on Monday. US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells arrived in the capital on Monday for a meeting with the governments interagency delegation led by Additional Secretary Americas Aftab Khokhar.





According to the state-run radio service, both sides discussed bilateral relations and the Afghan reconciliation process in the meetings. According to a press statement issued by the Foreign Office, the Pakistani delegation stressed that an intra-Afghan dialogue is vital for the process to move forward.



Pakistan insisted that a conducive environment should be created in Afghanistan to ensure an early and dignified return of Afghan refugees. The two sides also discussed bilateral relations and Islamabad highlighted the need to intensify engagement in matters pertaining to economy and trade.



The State Department had earlier said the special envoy will visit Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia and the United Kingdom from April 21 to May 11, as part of the overall effort to facilitate a political settlement that ends the conflict in Afghanistan.



In an interview with Afghanistans largest private television station, Tolo News, on Sunday, Khalilzad had said any peace agreement with the Afghan Taliban will depend on the declaration of a permanent ceasefire and a commitment to end the countrys long war. He had said the Talibans demands were focused on the withdrawal of US forces from the country. Our focus is on terrorism. No agreement will be done if we dont see a permanent ceasefire and a commitment to end the war, he had said. We are seeking peace and (a) political settlement  We want peace to give us the possibility to withdraw, he added.



Khalilzad is expected to meet with the Taliban in Doha in the coming days, but peace talks have been criticised for failing ? so far ? to include members of the Afghan government, which the Taliban view as a puppet regime.



Washington wants to put an end to their expenses in Afghanistan and the dangers the forces face but also Washington has a responsibility and wants to end this war responsibly and leave a good legacy, Khalilzad had said.
For as long as I can remember, immigration reform headlines have frequented the front pages of our newspapers. Its a tough system to understand, and an even tougher system to legislate. Many of the worlds greatest leaders have tried and failed over the years, and even some successes have resulted in failure years later.

Nearly every administration in the last 30 years has attempted to solve our complex immigration system. In 1986, President Reagan signed into law sweeping immigration reform, giving amnesty to nearly three million residing illegally in the U.S., while also implementing new restrictions on employers abilities to hire undocumented workers. Ten years later, President Clinton signed another reform bill, strengthening deportation enforcement and restricting legal immigration. President George H.W. Bush expanded seasonal worker programs, and President George W. Bush attempted to steer through a bipartisan package which ultimately failed on the Senate floor.

Our nations immigration problems are not new, and frankly, theyre getting worse. I had the opportunity to cut through the noise and travel to our southern border last week to see whats going on for myself.

During my trip, I met with U.S. Border Patrol and drug enforcement agents on the ground. They took us to some of the most vulnerable spots along the border in Yuma, AZ. I witnessed a number of illegal border crossings and the apprehensions that followed. In the past, illegal border crossings were primarily committed by single adult men. Today, its shifted to family units and unaccompanied minors, bringing a new set of challenges to an already exasperated system.

My time at the border taught me one thing: our systems are overwhelmed. Last month, nearly 100,000 people were apprehended at our southern border and as I viewed these detention areas, theyre three or four times more crowded than they should be. Current immigration policy treats family units more favorably than single individuals, and according to U.S. Border Patrol, drug cartels are renting children at a cost of $1,700 to cross the border. There must be a better way.

Allowing our systems to be overrun is neither the humanitarian or responsible thing to do, and neither is keeping in place policies that allow individuals to exploit children to gain easier access into our country. Whether youre somebody who cares about national security or whether you're somebody who cares about humanitarian concerns, this is a crisis we need to solve as soon as possible. Its clearer than ever after spending several days with the men and women protecting our borders that they need more resources, more technology, and most importantly, a border wall or fencing to best do their jobs.

The insight I gained from my trip to the border is something I will bring back to D.C. to continue to fight for border security. If we want to solve this crisis, we need everyone to come to the table, secure our border first and overhaul our system.

Rep. Dusty Johnson is a Republican who represents South Dakota in the U.S. House.

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Objectivity, like Elvis, long ago left the building in Washington and so the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is being read and interpreted through mostly biased eyes.

Democrats, who had counted on Mueller to prove that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, were initially as crestfallen as they were on election night 2016. Still, they are undeterred in the pursuit of their ultimate goal: evicting the president from the White House in a political coup unprecedented in American history.

The special counsel was established to investigate collusion, though not by Trumps political opponents during the 2016 presidential race, who allegedly funded the infamous Steele dossier, which purported to describe Trump cavorting with prostitutes and other sick behavior during a visit to Moscow. After more than two years of investigations, subpoenas, witness testimony and millions of dollars wasted, Muellersreportconcluded, The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. As for obstruction of justice, how does one obstruct something that is not a crime?

Predictably, Democrats are not satisfied. Out of desperation and exasperation, some are alleging a cover-up by Attorney General William Barr. Others want to immediately begin impeachment proceedings. For which high crime and misdemeanor?

More experienced Democrats, such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) are rightly cautious. They remember the electoral damage to Republicans when members of that party impeached Bill Clinton. Which wing of their party will prevail?

Politicorepresents the fallback position for some on the left: Forget collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice. Say what? The most concrete takeaway from the 448-page Mueller report is its damning portrait of the Trump White House as a place of chaos, intrigue and deception, where aides routinely disregard the wishes of a president with little regard for the traditional boundaries of his office Maybe so, but bad behavior and disobeyed presidential orders are not impeachable offenses. Let voters decide.

Imagine how President Trump must have felt. Not only the establishment, which includes Democrats and Republicans, but the major media were constantly assaulting him starting before the election and ever since. Some critics have accused him of paranoia, but as the saying goes, Just because youre paranoid doesnt mean theyre not out to get you. And out to get Trump they are.

Wall Street Journalcolumnist Kimberly Strassel writes: President Trump has every right to feel liberated. What the (Mueller) report shows is that he endured a special counsel probe that was relentlessly, at times, farcically obsessed with taking him out.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDanielsaid: It is increasingly clear that the only scandal here is the Obama administrations repeated failure to act against Russian cyber meddling, and instead, how they prioritized spying on a political opponent  the Trump campaign  and used a phony DNC-funded dossier as justification.

When President Obama was asked about Trumps charge that the 2016 election might be rigged against him, Obama responded: No serious person out there  would suggest somehow that you could even rig Americas elections.

Add this witch hunt to the long list of reasons many Americans hate Washington. None of this political show affects average citizens, who are benefitting from a booming economy, job growth, lowest unemployment in half a century (including minority unemployment) and fewer people receiving food assistance. What does this have to do with more important issues, including illegal immigration and foreign policy?

The left doesnt want Americans to focus on the administrations successes, because they are incapable of doing better. They can only repeat their familiar scenario of higher taxes, bigger and more controlling government and free stuff for all.

The president and his allies have threatened a counterattack to expose corruption at the Justice Department, which created this fiasco. They should begin immediately.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist. He can be reached by emailing tcaeditors@tribpub.com.

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GOLD: The Black Hills National Cemetery is hallowed ground as the final resting place for more than 29,000 veterans, spouses and some family members. The grounds near Sturgis are immaculate and the visual impact of thousands of perfectly aligned headstones is moving.

The cemeterys 105 acres were nearly filled, however, until earlier this month when it was announced that another 181 acres had been acquired by the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration. The expansion means the cemetery should accommodate veterans for another 100 years.

GULLY: Last week thieves stole an inflatable BB-gun shooting range from a Black Hills Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America trailer. The group uses the item to teach gun safety and promote the nonprofit at events throughout the state.

What possible use could these thieves have for such an item? To rob a nonprofit is bad enough, but to rob a nonprofit just for the heck of it, is downright despicable.

The sad part about this is I dont think they (thieves) realized what theyre taking, and so if they try to inflate this thing, when it stands itself up, it says Boy Scouts of America and Daisy on it, Ron Weider, senior district executive for the Black Hills Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America said.

Let's hope the thieves leave the shooting range inflated long enough for someone to spot it and get it returned to the rightful owner.

GOLD: Instilling a connection to ones cultural from an early age is vital to the perpetuation of those values. Making that connection while hiking in the Black Hills is like icing on a cake.

The Lakota Waldorf School in Kyle did just that last week when it took it's students to the top of Black Elk Peak. The hike combines the school's values of hands-on learning and the importance of teaching Lakota culture.

Before the hike, the class first learned about the significance of Black Elk Peak for the Lakota people. At the top the students were able to pay respects to that culture by smudging sage and leaving food and prayer ties.

Along the way, Teegin Livermont, a third-grader at the school, learned an important lesson. The hike is a "little hard," she said, but worth it since "nature is beautiful."

GOLD: It's good to see other states following South Dakota's lead. Last week Maine voted to honor Native Americans instead of Columbus Day.

South Dakota was the first state to take the step of honoring indigenous people when the legislature passed a bill in 1989.

In South Dakota, we didn't see this as a step in erasing history but instead a way to recognize the history of all our people. Though we were decades ahead of them, we are glad to see other states coming to this same understanding.

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A Hamilton man who is accused of nearly hitting two vehicles head-on while driving 80 mph in Hamilton faces felony charges of criminal endangerment.

Derek Porter, 38, allegedly told law enforcement officers that he wanted to cause a wreck to kill himself or force law enforcement to shoot him, according to an affidavit filed by Ravalli County Deputy County Attorney Angela Wetzsteon.

Ravalli County 911 took a call about 12:40 a.m. April 29 that a white Ford F250 with a red topper and Texas plates was speeding and swerving on U.S. Highway 93 north of Corvallis.

A sheriffs deputy spotted the vehicle driving southbound at a high rate of speed. His radar clocked the truck at 94 mph.

The deputy turned on his emergency lights before the truck passed him and then flipped around to catch up with the vehicle. The deputy noted that he didnt see any brake lights as the truck continued south at speeds that allegedly topped out at 105 mph.

Porter did slow his truck to about 80 mph when he drove through the Woodside traffic light.

The deputy asked Hamilton police to deploy a spike strip near the bridge on the north side of Hamilton. Porters vehicle hit the spike strip with his right front tire, but continued to drive into the right lane at about 80 mph where he almost hit two other vehicles.

Porters truck came to a stop in front of the KFC on First Street in Hamilton.

When the deputy made contact with Porter, the affidavit said Porter immediately said he was sorry, that he had been having issues and didnt want to get in trouble. He allegedly also admitted that he didnt stop on purpose.

He stated that he was hoping he would cause a wreck and kill himself or that law enforcement would shoot him, the affidavit said. When asked to perform standardized field sobriety tests, (Porter) stated he would not do so because he was drunk.

Porter was eventually transported to Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital to have his blood drawn.

When a police officer told him he was going to be charged with felony criminal endangerment, Porter allegedly became angry and told the officer he would not leave the hospital. The affidavit said Porter kicked a deputy in the leg while trying to get away and he eventually ended up on the ground where officers put handcuffs on him.

Porter has two prior DUI convictions, one in Texas in 2006 and Montana in 2014.

He was also charged with misdemeanor counts of DUI, resisting arrest, reckless driving, fleeing from or eluding a peace officer and speeding.

Ravalli County Justice Jim Bailey set bond at $25,000.

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Attorneys representing a Whitefish woman in her civil lawsuit against neo-Nazi blogger Andrew Anglin have filed notice that he failed to appear for a deposition, effectively ending Anglins defense.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah Lynch said in an order last week that if Anglin, who has refused to come to the U.S. for a deposition in the case, did not appear for such a meeting on Tuesday morning, he would lose his ability to mount a defense to the lawsuit.

Attorneys working on behalf of Whitefish resident Tanya Gersh said in a federal court filing Tuesday that Anglin had not appeared for the scheduled meeting in New York.

Gersh and her family, who are Jewish, were the subjects of an anti-Semitic "troll storm'' promoted on Anglin's neo-Nazi website, the Daily Stormer.

John Morrison, Gershs attorney in Helena, said he expects Lynch will file an order entering a default judgment against Anglin.

"Tanya Gersh has attempted to bring Anglin to justice under the law. If the judge enters a default judgment against him, we will have accomplished that.

Anglin attorneys Marc Randazza and Mathew Stevenson filed a motion Tuesday to withdraw from the case. In their motion, Randazza said the attorney-client relationship "has broken down" and created an "irreconcilable conflict" for the defense.

In a phone interview with the Missoulian, Randazza said he had little interest in continuing his representation of someone unwilling to follow a federal judge's order.

"My client made the decision years ago he was going to expatriate himself and never return," Randazza said. "When a federal judge tells you to do something and you refuse, you put your lawyer in a difficult position."

Randazza's filing to withdraw as counsel indicates the motion was sent to his client at an email address as well as four different physical addresses in Ohio.

Randazza on Monday filed a legal response to the case on Anglin's behalf  a document typically filed at the beginning of a case. Randazza said he plans to fully represent Anglin until they part ways, but did not anticipate any major plays from the defense before the May 13 withdrawal date.

"At this point, there isn't much left for us to do," Randazza said. "I'm disappointed that it came to this. I really wanted to see this case through."

Randazza had objected to the short time frame in which Anglin could travel to the deposition, as well as the locations security. Anglin has long said he fears harm from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate-watch group also representing Gersh in this case.

Gersh sued Anglin after he called on his followers to target her and her family. Anglin accused Gersh, a Whitefish real estate agent, of extortion against Sherry Spencer, the mother of infamous white nationalist Richard Spencer. Anglin posted personal information on Gersh, her husband and their son online before Gersh says she received hundreds of anti-Semitic messages.

The case had drawn national attention since it was filed two years ago.

"From both sides, it's fair to say there were some novel issues being raised," said Anthony Johnstone, constitutional law professor at the University of Montana. "The judge determined the resolution of those issues would depend on the facts and because the defendant did not participate in the development of a factual record, we won't reach many of the legal questions that the case raised."

Anglin's attorneys had indicated they were developing a free speech defense, even drawing on a legal argument used by President Donald Trump's attorneys last year in arguing Trump didn't incite violence when he told supporters to "get 'em out of here" when he was heckled by protesters at a rally.

The president's statement in that case fell under First Amendment protections, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September.

But in this case, the judge will no longer have to weigh the validity of free speech protection as it pertains to Anglin's call to his followers to attack Gersh online.

"One of those issues is the tort liability or free speech immunity of someone who encourages others to harass an identified individual," Johnstone said. "That's the big one, but that turns on so many things, and right now we only have the plaintiff's allegations."

As the case pivots toward damages, Morrison said Gersh will seek an amount that adequately compensates her family, but said a dollar amount has not been determined.

Because Anglin has been largely uncooperative, Morrison declined to speculate on what happens if that continues in the damages phase.

Well cross that bridge when we come to it, Morrison said.

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Helping local voters comply with the new Montana Ballot Interference Protection Act in the local school board election has meant some busy days for Audrey McCue, the elections supervisor in Lewis and Clark County.

On Monday McCue sent an email explaining how things have gone so far under the law that limits who can drop off ballots for others and how many they can bring in. It also requires people dropping off ballots for others to fill out a registry form.

McCue emailed because she didn't have time for a call. Election day is Tuesday.

From April 24-26, 285 people had dropped off ballots for someone other than themselves and filled out a ballot collection registry form. That's out of 930 ballots returned. A person can drop off up to six ballots each election, but McCue said the vast majority of forms were from people returning a spouse's ballot.

In 2018 Montana voters passed the Montana Ballot Interference Protection Act. A few small local elections, such as for fire district and ambulance mill levies, have given elections officials and the state Commissioner of Political Practices an early indication of how the new law will work.

But the first big test of whether voters are aware of and ready to comply with the law and the capacity of local and state election officials to deal with the increase in paperwork hits this month with about a dozen school district trustee and levy elections around the state.

"The school and city elections this year should be good practice for voters so they can get in the habit of submitting a ballot collection registry form when they drop off another persons ballot," McCue wrote. "Our goal for next year is to find a way that we can help voters comply with (the law) without creating lines to drop off voted ballots. Were considering everything from staffing to the layout of the form. Based on this election, we do think it will be a full-time job for the bigger elections."

Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan said his office is also preparing and working with local officials to do outreach. In eight small elections held by mail between February and early April, there were 469 registry forms filled out for 566 ballots cast. Registry forms only apply for one election, so a person would need a new form for a general election even if they provided one in the primary.

The law limits who can drop off a ballot for someone else to a family member, someone else who lives in the same household, a caregiver or an acquaintance, which is defined as an individual known by the voter. People who drop off ballots for others must fill out a registry form.

If a person does not fill out a form or turns in more than six ballots for each election, the law establishes a fine of $500 per violation.

Though some counties, including Lewis and Clark, have made efforts to help educate voters about the law by including information in voting packets, talking to local newspapers and TV stations, sharing information on social media and posting signs at ballot drop-off locations, people are still unaware or confused about the change.

"We are finding that most voters are not aware of (the new law) or at least dont realize it is in effect for this election," McCue said.

The Secretary of State's office said it has worked with the commissioner and elections clerks on guidance in following the law, provided information on its website and encouraged clerks to do the same. In an email, the office said it would monitor school elections to "see if there is a need for additional communication."

The number of people who vote absentee in Montana has grown rapidly over the last two decades. In the most recent 2018 election, 73 percent of the ballots casts were absentee. In 2000, absentee votes made up only 15 percent of total votes. Absentee ballots can be dropped off or mailed; the new law does not apply to mailed ballots.

Mangan said he expects the 2020 election to be the biggest in state history, and hopes that through outreach, education and experience people will be more familiar with the law by then.

Were talking during a period of 30 days, potentially hundreds of thousands of reports coming to our office, twice a year at least for the general and primary, Mangan said. But well handle that. More importantly, people dont understand if they take more than their ballot to drop off, theyre going to be required to fill out that form because of the law, and if they dont they risk a $500 penalty.

His office did not get any funding to do educational outreach for the new law. It will get a part-time employee in the summer of 2020 who will help work on compliance.

Its the responsibility of local election workers to provide and collect registry forms from people who deliver ballots. Election administrators then scan the forms and email them to the commissioners office. Any complaints about possible violations are made to the commissioner's office.

As with campaign finance complaints, the commissioner will investigate, issue findings and make recommendations, if needed, in conjunction with the county attorney.

In the Helena school board election, so far a few people who returned ballots and should have filled out forms refused. The law says ballots that are dropped off in that situation still must be counted, though the person dropping them off could be subject to a fine.

"In those cases, the staff person noted the exchange on a form to be sent to the Commissioner of Political Practices," McCue said. "From what we could tell, we thought it was a spouse dropping off a spouses ballot in each of those cases. We have also had a few people who brought in their spouses ballot and upon learning of the (legal) requirements, decided they would instead have their spouse return their own ballot."

The ballot collection can in Helena was moved inside the elections office and is monitored by staff throughout the day, McCue said.

Mangan said the law does not address ballot drop sites that are not where elections workers can monitor them or are available before or after work hours.

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Goodbye, Iran Oil Import Waivers. Hello, Higher Energy Prices?

Besides Occidental Petroleums bidding war with Chevron for fellow producer Anadarko Petroleum, the big energy news from last week is that President Donald Trump, as expected, moved to end all sanction waivers for nations that import Iranian oil. Starting in May, countries that still buy oil from Iran could face U.S. penalties. In response, Brent crude hit $75 per barrel for the first time in six months, and other countries are scrambling to secure new exports, including China and India, which are potentially looking to form their own buyers bloc.

Oil and natural gas are the Middle Eastern countrys most important export, so the policy is intended to hit Tehran where it hurts. The plan, announced last summer, appears to be working so far. Between January 2018 and January 2019, Iranian oil exports fell by nearly 700,000 barrels per day (b/d). (The data could be inaccurate, though, since Iranian oil tankers are believed to be turning off their transponders in an effort to conceal themselves from satellite tracking systems.)

(Click to enlarge)

Its unlikely that all countries will immediately zero-out imports from Iran. I would be surprised to see China, the number one consumer, trim its imports much further. Iran is such a key strategic player connecting Asia and the Middle East as part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

So who will pick up the global slack if Trumps plan succeeds and Iranian exports go offline? Trump suggests Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also believes the U.S. can, but this would be a stretch, according to Bloomberg. Related: Marijuanas Bizarre Bottleneck Isnt What Youd Expect

Oil condensate from the Eagle Ford shale basin in Texas is similar, though a bit heavier than Irans light South Pars condensate. But the Eagle Ford produces only about 150,000 b/d of its product, compared with Irans daily output of 600,000 barrels in 2017, the article reads.

Crude Inventories Climb More Than Expected

But maybe theres something to what Pompeo says after all. Thanks to its fracking industry, the U.S. is producing oil at a breakneck pace. This is turning up in domestic inventories, which have been building steadily over the past seven months or so. For the week ended April 19, oil stocks rose by 5.5 million barrels, much more than what analysts had anticipated. At 460 million barrels, total crude stocks now sit at their highest level since October 2017.

(Click to enlarge)

The U.S. is already the biggest oil producer in the world, having overtaken Saudi Arabia and Russia last year. Looking ahead, U.S. output could equal that of both countries by 2025, according to International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates. And in January, the Department of Energy said that the U.S. will become a net exporter of energy in 2020something it hasnt achieved in almost 70 years.

Oil Prices Were Headed for Overbought Territory Until Trump Stepped In

Oil prices neared overbought territory, as you can see in the chart below, which shows oils 14-day relative strength index (RSI). When an assets RSI rises above 80, it typically means that its overbought, suggesting it might be time to take some profits. When it falls below 20, meanwhile, it often means that the asset is oversold, signaling a possible entry point.

(Click to enlarge)

Again, oil prices looked to be on the overbought side, especially after the administration announced the end to sanction waivers. But the trend could reverse very rapidly.

Case in point: On Friday, the president, who favors lower energy costs, claimed that he called up OPEC and told the global oil exporting cartel: Youve got to bring [gasoline prices] down, youve got to bring them down. Which, of course, is not in Saudi Arabias best interest.

In any case, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) plunged close to 4 percent on Friday, its biggest one-day drop since mid-December. As a result, oils RSI sharply turned down to around 50, from nearly 72 on Monday.

Depending on what happens in the next few days, oil traders might be looking at another buying opportunity.

By Frank Holmes

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Commodities may be hot, but increasingly theyre too hot to handle.

Coming into 2019, many pundits were bullish about commodities, citing market risks such as trade wars and a long overdue cyclical upturn for an underperforming asset classand so far theyve been proven right.

Commodities have been hot property this year, racking up the best returns and even outperforming equities during a banner first quarter.

The physical commodity demand has been fairly stable, with Chinese steel demand flat, copper demand defying expectations of a five percent contraction to grow at two percent and oil demand growth coming in better than the consensus at 1.4 million b/d yoy.

But a leading investment banker now says to tear up that playbook.

Just four months into the year, Goldman Sachs has suddenly done a U-turn and recanted all 10 of its commodity recommendations it had dished out in December, blaming misplaced macro risk.

The banker says the sudden disappearance of macro risk including the Feds sudden dovish tilt as well as a detente in the U.S.-China trade war have shuffled the deck and muddied the commodity thesis significantly to warrant a complete reset.

Trade talks between the two protagonists appear to be nearing an endgame with U.S. negotiators headed to China on Tuesday to try and hammer out details of a truce including an enforcement mechanism. Both sides say theyve made progress on key issues such forced technology transfer and intellectual property. A final date for a deal - if theres one - remains unclear though.

Changing landscape

Goldman says the shifting landscape now means that micro and individual events such as cyclones and the Vale dam break earlier this year will be the key drivers of the commodity market going forward. The expert gives the 50 percent rise on lean hog prices this spring as an idiosyncratic event that was missed by all momentum strategists.

Related: SEC Releases New Token Sale Guidelines

So what plays is the banker recommending for investors now?

Well, more commodities, but with a different slant.

Goldman says to go long S&Ps GSCI Agriculture & Livestock Index, which it sees benefits from a trade war truce between Washington and Beijing.

The analyst says to long gold and short silver noting the latters tendency to outperform the yellow metal when recession fears reach fever pitch.

(Click to enlarge)

Source: MarketWatch

Other recommendations include:

Long copper and short zinc on supply dynamics

Long LME aluminum but short SHFE aluminum on growing price divergence

The analyst is not too optimistic about oil prospects, saying the sudden end of U.S. sanction waivers on Iran is likely to be offset by higher OPEC and Russian production.

Contrarian play

(Click to enlarge)

Source: Visual Capitalist

For contrarian investors though, theres still a bull case to be made for commodities. Scott Minerd, asset manager at Guggenheim, says the belief that the Fed is done with rate hikes has been lulling investors into a false sense of security.

Minerd, whose firm manages $265 billion in assets, says that view is plainly wrong since the latest data shows the U.S. economy is doing just fine, while Chinas growth is also back on track. The U.S. economy grew at 3.2 percent annualized in the first quarter, its best start to the year since 2015.

Related: The World Of Apple Just Got A Lot Bigger

A couple more quarters like that and the Fed might seriously begin to reconsider its dovish stance. Thats great for commodity markets because rising rates tend to hurt stocks and bonds but not commodities which frequently outperform most asset classes during rate hike cycles.

Further, commodities have been out of favor for far too long leading to historical lows. The S&P GSCI Total Return Index, a popular commodity-based index, currently trades at roughly the same value as the S&P 500-stock index, compared to an 7x multiple a decade ago. This relative value metric means that commodities are now at close to a 50-year low and gives plenty of room for a nice catch-up rally.

Investors who would like to bet on commodities can buy the iShares S&P GSCI Commodity-Indexed Trust (GSG, $16.34) which gives you wide exposure to everything from precious metals and industrial metals to agricultural goods and livestock via futures contracts.

By Alex Kimani for SafeHaven.com

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NEW DELHI: Indias government has asked Rahul Gandhi, the president of the main opposition Congress party, to respond to a complaint by a lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modis party accusing him of holding dual British citizenship against Indian law.





Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has dominated Indian politics for much of its history since independence from Britain in 1947, is the main challenger to Modi in the 39-day general election that began on April 11. Results will be known on May 23.





Congress dismissed a notice sent to 48-year-old Gandhi, who has studied and worked in England, by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday as a pathetic stunt that is not just frivolous but downright stupid.





The notice was based on a letter from Subramanian Swamy, an outspoken member of parliament from Modis nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).





Swamy has for long cited what he calls annual reports and other documents from 2005, 2006 and 2009 of a UK-registered company, at which Gandhi was a director, as mentioning his nationality as British.





You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication, BC Joshi, a director in the Indian interior ministry, said in the notice to Gandhi.





Federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh, also a senior BJP leader, told reporters his ministry was following due process.





Indias constitution says that any person voluntarily acquiring a foreign passport automatically loses Indian citizenship.





Congress said the BJP was making fake, personal attacks on Gandhi after sensing defeat in the election. Gandhi has been a member of Indias lower house of parliament since 2004 and is contesting this election from two seats.





This is outrageous, outlandish and obtuse, Congress spokesman Sanjay Jha said. The people of India can see through these malicious and malevolent personal attacks.




Researchers at Malwarebytes are monitoring the evolution of the ElectrumDoSMiner DDoS botnet that reached 152,000 infected hosts.

MalwareBytes researchers are closely monitoring attacks against users of the popular Electrum Bitcoin wallet, in particular, the evolution of the Electrum DDoS botnet .

In mid-April, experts at MalwareBytes published a report warning of cyber attacks against users of the popular Electrum Bitcoin wallet. According to the experts, crooks already netted over 771 Bitcoins, an amount equivalent to approximately $4 million USD at current exchange rates.

Since that analysis, cyber criminals have stolen other funds reaching USD $4.6 million, but the most concerning aspect of the story is that and the botnet they used continues to grow. On April 24, the botnet was composed of less than 100,000 bots, but the next day the number peaked at 152,000.

Since our last blog, the amount of stolen funds has increased to USD $4.6 million, and the botnet that is flooding the Electrum infrastructure is rapidly growing. reads the analysis published by MalwareBytes. Case in point, on April 24, the numbe r of infected machines in the botnet was just below 100,000 and the next day it reached its highest at 152,000, according to this online tracker. Since then, it has gone up and down and plateaued at around the 100,000 mark.

The experts already monitored two malware campaigns respectively leveraging the RIG exploit kit and the Smoke Loader to deliver the ElectrumDoSMiner.

MalwareBytes also detected a previously undocumented tracked as Trojan.BeamWinHTTP that was used by crooks to deliver the ElectrumDoSMiner (transactionservices.exe).

The experts believe that there are many more infection vectors beyond the above loaders they discovered.

Most of the ElectrumDoSMiner infections were observed in Asia Pacific region (APAC), Brazil and Peru.

The number of victims that are part of this botnet is constantly changing. We believe as some machines get cleaned up, new ones are getting infected and joining the others to perform DoS attacks. continues the report. Malwarebytes detects and removes ElectrumDoSMiner infections on more than 2,000 endpoints daily.

Further technical details, including Indicators of Compromise (IoCs), are reported in the analysis published by MalwareBytes.

Pierluigi Paganini

( SecurityAffairs  ElectrumDoSMiner, botnet)

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Huawei made the headlines again, Vodafone identified backdoors in software that could have handed Huawei unauthorized access to the carriers fixed-line network.

According to Bloomberg, Vodafone identified hidden backdoors in software that could have handed Huawei unauthorized access to the carriers fixed-line network in Italy used to connect to the internet.

Now Vodafone Group Plc has acknowledged to Bloomberg that it found vulnerabilities going back years with equipment supplied by Shenzhen-based Huawei for the carriers Italian business. reads the blog post published by Bloomberg. While Vodafone says the issues were resolved, the revelation may further damage the reputation of a major symbol of Chinas global technology prowess.

Wait a moment  the flaws in the Huawei technology were discovered by Vodafone a decade ago.

Bloomberg obtained Vodafones security briefing documents from 2009 and 2011 and spoke with people involved in the situation. The version provided by AFP, is slightly different because even if Vodafone confirmed the presence of the flaws, it is not true that bugs could have allowed unauthorized access to Italys fixed-line network.

Vodafone confirmed to AFP that the issues were resolved but stressed it was incorrect to suggest that the flaw could have allowed unauthorized access to Italys fixed-line network. reported the AFP.

Bloomberg revealed that once discovered the backdoors in home routers in 2011, Vodafone asked Huawei to address them. The Chinese firm told the supplier that the issues were fixed, but according to Bloomberg further testing revealed that the vulnerabilities were not completely solved.

Vodafone asked Huawei to remove backdoors in home internet routers in 2011 and received assurances from the supplier that the issues were fixed, but further testing revealed that the security vulnerabilities remained, the documents show. continues bloomberg. Vodafone also identified backdoors in parts of its fixed-access network known as optical service nodes, which are responsible for transporting internet traffic over optical fibers, and other parts called broadband network gateways, which handle subscriber authentication and access to the internet, the people said. 

Bloomberg refers to the backdoor as unauthorized Telnet access to the Huawei equipment.

The backdoor that Bloomberg refers to is Telnet, which is a protocol that is commonly used by many vendors in the industry for performing diagnostic functions. It would not have been accessible from the internet, Vodafone said in an emailed statement.

The issues were identified by independent security testing, initiated by Vodafone as part of our routine security measures, and fixed at the time by Huawei,

Huawei clarified that the flaws were discovered back in 2011 and 2012 and were quickly fixed.

We were made aware of historical vulnerabilities in 2011 and 2012 and they were addressed at the time. Software vulnerabilities are an industry-wide challenge. said Huawei.

Huawei explained it has a well established public notification and patching process, and when a vulnerability is identified we work closely with our partners to take the appropriate corrective action.

Huawei is in the middle of a heated debate, many governments, driven by the US, have banned the company from the building of 5G networks.

A few days ago, the British Government has approved a limited role for Huawei in the building of a national 5G network in the country, ignoring security concerns from senior ministers.

Britains National Security Council approved a limited role for Huawei to help build a non-core infrastructure such as antennas, Media reports said Prime Minister Theresa May had conditionally allowed Huawei to build the UK 5G network.

According to Bloomberg, Vodafone chief executive Nick Read has joined peers in publicly opposing any bans on Huawei from 5G rollouts, warning of higher costs and delays.

Anyway we have to consider that it is not difficult to find vulnerabilities in network equipment of almost any vendor, in many cases the flaws remained unfixed for a long time.

The cases reported by Bloomberg are dated back 2011 and 2012, and the unique aspect of the story to check is if Huawei has addressed the flaw just after Vodafone reported them to the Chinese vendor.

Pierluigi Paganini

( SecurityAffairs  China, Vodafone)

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 "Booker Circumvention? Adjudication Strategies in the Advisory Sentencing Guidelines Era" | Main | Spotlighting that, within top incarceration nation, it is not quite clear which state tops the per capital incarceration list 

April 29, 2019

In sparring opinion surrounding en banc denial, Eleventh Circuit judges debate the metaphysics of Booker and Johnson

The full Eleventh Circuit needed only one sentence in this order in Lester v. US to deny en banc review in a case in which a pre-Booker career offender sought collateral review based on the void-for-vagueness doctrine of Johnson. But a number of judges on that court, including the former Acting Chair of the US Sentencing Commission, Judge William Pryor, needed more than 60 pages to explain their views on the soundness of this denial. While hard-core fans of habeas doctrines will likely enjoy all the back-and-forth within all the separate opinions, many sentencing fans might get a kick out of how Judge Rosenbaum characterizes Judge Pryor's account of the the past and present of sentencing law:

According to the Pryor Statement, the Booker Court did not make the Guidelines advisory because they were always advisory, since the Sixth Amendment never allowed them to be mandatory. Id. at 19. That is certainly interesting on a metaphysical level. But it ignores reality. Back here on Earth, the laws of physics still apply. And the Supreme Courts invalidation of a law does not alter the space-time continuum. Indeed, there can be no dispute that from when the Guidelines were adopted in 1984 to when the Supreme Court handed down Booker in 2005, courts mandatorily applied them, as  3553(b) required, to scores of criminal defendants  including many who still sit in prison because of them.

I am tempted to joke that I still kind of feel like it was Justice Scalia's opinion in Blakely that did, in some sense, "alter the space-time continuum." But rather than further joke or philosophize on these matters, I will just encourage readers to check out all the sound and fury to be found in Lester.

April 29, 2019 at 08:45 PM | Permalink

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SINGAPORE (April 30): The managers of CDL Hospitality Trusts (CDL HT)  a stapled group comprising CDL Hospitality Real Estate Investment Trust (H-REIT) and CDL Hospitality Business Trust (HBT)  have declared a DPU of 2.09 cents for the 1Q ended March, down 3.7% from its 1Q18 DPU of 2.17 due to lower revenue.

Revenue for the quarter fell 10.6% to $46.3 million from $51.8 million in 1Q18 mainly attributed to reduced contribution from the trusts Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and UK Hotels. This was exacerbated by the full closure of Dhevanafushi Maldives Luxury Resort since June last year for rebranding works.

Collectively, revenue contributions from these properties fell by $6.7 million y-o-y, partially mitigated by a $0.5 million inorganic contribution from the Italy hotel acquired in Nov 2018, as well as higher contributions from Pullman Hotel Munich and the trusts Japan hotels.

Total net property income (NPI) for the quarter fell 10.7% to $33.8 million from $37.8 million as a result.

In Singapore, RevPAR fell 2.4% on-year to $157 from $161 a year ago.

The managers attribute this to a competitive environment amidst uncertain global economic conditions, while Singapores hospitality market was further affected by the absence of the biennial Singapore Airshow and a series of meetings and events hosted during Singapores Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2018.

Overall RevPAR performance was also dampened by upgrading works such as Orchard Hotel as 8.6% of its room inventory closed during the quarter for renovation of guest rooms, while its F&B revenue was also affected by the closure of facilities for upgrading works.

There was also some room inventory taken out due to pipe works at M Hotel and Copthorne Kings Hotel during the quarter.

Excluding the out of order room inventory, RevPAR for the Singapore Hotels in 1Q 2019 increased 0.4% y-o-y.

Elsewhere, Angsana Velavaru secured a RevPAR gain of 17.6% y-o-y due to growth in tourist arrivals into Maldives for the YTD Feb 2019, although gross revenue in local currency terms remained unchanged on-year due to fixed rental income received during the quarter.

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Revenue contributions from the Australia hotels fell due to foreign exchange changes, as did hotels in the UK, where the conference and events business has been dampened by uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

While hotels in Japan performed positively in terms of both RevPAR growth and contributions, NPI contribution was comparatively lower due to higher operating expenses.

Pullman Munich achieved a RevPAR growth of 23.9% y-o-y, aided by a healthy events calendar including a large biennial trade fair.

The managers also highlight that its Italy hotel attained an impressive RevPAR growth of 23.9% y-o-y notwithstanding a traditionally low demand season for the quarter, due to the adoption of a volume strategy.

With a strong balance sheet and ample debt headroom, we will continue to seek acquisitions as a key priority. Moreover, we will invest in maximising the long-term potential of our properties. We will also continue to evaluate suitable divestment opportunities as they arise to unlock underlying asset values and/or recycle capital for better returns, says Vincent Yeo, CEO of CDL HTs managers.

Units in CDL HT closed 1 cent higher at $1.60 on Monday.
ABIDJAN, April 30 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast banned rice imports from Singapore-based commodity trader Olam International for one year after destroying an 18,000-tonne shipment of "spoilt" rice, the commerce ministry said.

Olam said in a statement on Tuesday that it was disappointed by the ministry's decision, which was first announced last Friday.

"The unique circumstances relating to the recent rejection of a cargo of rice were unfortunate and not representative of the shipments of rice into Ivory Coast," Olam said.

(Reporting by Ange Aboa; Additional reporting and Writing by Juliette Jabkhiro in Dakar; Editing by Aaron Ross and Louise Heavens)
Bangladesh's main opposition has ended its boycott of parliament four months after failing to win power in an election tainted by widespread allegations of intimidation and fraud. Five lawmakers from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) became the last to take their oaths this week, including four late on Monday, the final day for swearing-in of MPs. BNP spokesman Rizvi Ahmed said Tuesday that the party's acting head Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia who lives in exile in London, made the decision. "Our party decided to join the parliament at this critical time of national politics as part of our struggle to restore democracy, better treatment and release of Begum Khaleda Zia," deputy leader Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said in a statement. Zia, who has led the BNP since the mid-1980s, was jailed last year for a decade on corruption charges that her supporters say are politically motivated. Her bitter rival for three decades, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 71, was declared the landslide winner in the December 30 poll. This gave Hasina, who has been accused of increasing authoritarianism and overseeing a crackdown on the opposition, a third consecutive term in office. Hasina and 290 other MPs -- mainly from the ruling Awami League and its allies -- took the oath days after the election. Hasina was later named prime minister of the South Asian nation of 165 million people for a fourth time in total. But opposition MPs boycotted the ceremony, calling for a re-run of the elections -- something Hasina has ruled out. Hasina -- an erstwhile ally of Zia, before the powerful women fell out -- insists she won fairly. Speculation in local media has claimed the BNP joined parliament as part of a secret deal to free ailing Zia and let her fly to Britain for better treatment. Zia was taken to hospital in Dhaka early this month from her prison cell after lawyers said her condition had deteriorated in recent months. The 73-year-old, who is diabetic and suffers from arthritis, was also hospitalised in October for treatment. Zia was found guilty in February 2018 of embezzling money intended for an orphanage, a charge her outraged supporters marched against in the streets. The sentence was later doubled by the High Court. Zia is appealing the verdict which prevented her from running against Hasina in the election. She is also fighting dozens of other violence and graft-related charges. A widow of a military dictator who ruled Bangladesh in the late 1970s, Zia was prime minister from 1991-1996 and again in 2001-2006.
British police experts on Tuesday joined Cypriot counterparts in investigating a number of gruesome murders carried out by a suspected serial killer on the Mediterranean island. Police spokesman Andreas Angelides told reporters the British team met police chief Zacharias Chrysostomou and were briefed by local investigators. The experts, who came at Nicosias request, would assist in a complex case dubbed Cyprus's "first serial killings. "There was a meeting with the heads of the investigations, where a first presentation of the findings, details and background was given," Angelides said. British police experts - including a forensic specialist and clinical psychologist -- later visited the scene where the search for bodies is under way. Tuesday's search ended without results but it is to continue in coming days, Angelides said. The remains of an adult woman were found Sunday stuffed inside a suitcase at the bottom of a toxic man-made lake southwest of the capital Nicosia. The suspect, a 35-year-old Greek Cypriot army officer, has allegedly confessed to killing five foreign women and two of their daughters in a crime spree that went undetected for nearly three years. Angelides said the woman pulled from Red Lake, the fourth body recovered so far, has yet to be identified. Police are still searching the waters at another lake for the body of a six-year-old Filipina girl, daughter of one of the murdered women. Authorities have called for more sophisticated equipment to search the two lakes. Police are also probing the cases of a missing Romanian mother and her young daughter as well as unidentified Asian woman also on the list of victims. The case came to light two weeks ago when tourists spotted the first body, that of 38-year-old Mary Rose Tiburcio from the Philippines brought to the surface of a disused mine shaft by unusually heavy rains. That triggered a murder investigation which led to the army captain's arrest on April 18. Days later, authorities found the body of a second woman in the shaft believed to be Arian Palanas Lozano, 28, also from the Philippines. The suspect last Thursday led investigators to a well near an army firing range outside the capital where police found the body of the unidentified woman. Police have been criticised for not following up leads when the women were first reported missing. "Unprecedented indifference was shown simply because these people were not of Cypriot origin but came from foreign countries," according to opposition AKEL party leader Andros Kyprianou.
The House of Representatives, led by former President and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, met up with Special Committee on Visayas Development and the Committee on Energy headed by Reps. Melecio Yap Jr. and Carlos Roman Uybarreta (Party-list, 1-CARE) to express their approval in the implementation of molasses to bolster the bio-ethanol industry in the country.

Molasses, which is a by-product of raw sugar making and used as cattle feed supplement or baking product, is a key component in converting bio-ethanol before they are exported and sold. Their fermentable sugars create ethanola bio-fuel additive for gasoline.

The proposal of the bio-ethanol producers is to allow the importation of molasses to be converted to bio-ethanol and other products for export to enable them to be financially viable.

First in Southeast Asia

If the move to import molasses is approved into law, then the Philippines will be the first country to accept the bio-ethanol industry in Southeast Asia,

[We] would like to help you and make the appropriate policy that will make a pioneering industry continue to exist. Were very proud that we are the very first in Southeast Asia to adopt the bio-ethanol industryIn fact, one of the reasons why I visited you was that I was very happy to find out that youre still around and you have expanded, Speaker Arroyo said.

Alternative to Crude Oil

During her presidential term, Speaker Arroyo signed the Republic Act No. 9367 or the Biofuels Act of 2006 to encourage the use of biofuels as an alternative to crude oil. It also aimed to strengthen the biofuel program industry. The law mandates that only molasses produced locally for bio-ethanol should be sold for the local market.

Assistant Secretary Leionido Pulido III of the Department of Energy and Department Manager III of the Planning, Policy and Special Projects Department of the Sugar Regulatory Administration Engr. Rosemarie Gumera said that there are no legal obstructions as long as the bioethanol by-products are exported.

The post Congress Proposes to Import Molasses to Strengthen Bioethanol Industry appeared first on Carmudi Philippines.




COLOMBO: The US ambassador to Sri Lanka said on Tuesday that some of the Islamist militants involved in the Easter Sunday bombings on the island were likely still at large and could be planning fresh attacks.





Sri Lankan security forces also said they were maintaining a high level of alert amid intelligence reports that the militants were likely to strike before the start of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan.





Tremendous progress has been made toward apprehending those plotters but I dont think the story is over yet, Ambassador Alaina Teplitz said in an interview. We do believe that there is active planning under way (for more attacks).





Scores of suspected Islamists have been arrested in the multi-ethnic island nation since April 21 suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches that killed more than 250 people, including 42 foreign nationals.





Security will stay tight for several days because military and police are still tracking down suspects, a senior police intelligence official said.





Another government source told Reuters a document has been circulated among key security establishments instructing police and security forces across the country to remain on high alert because the militants were expected to try a strike before Ramadan.





Ramadan is scheduled to begin in Sri Lanka on May 6.





Teplitz told Reuters that the risk of more attacks remained real.





We certainly have reason to believe that the active attack group has not been fully rendered inactive, she said.





The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting Sri Lankan authorities in the investigations but Teplitz declined to give more details.





The government has lifted a ban on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and viber, a source at the presidents office said. The ban had been imposed immediately after the attacks to prevent the spread of rumors.





The government has also banned women from wearing face veils under an emergency law put in place after the Easter attacks.





Authorities suspect members of two previously little-known groups  National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim  of carrying out the attacks, although the Islamic State extremist group has claimed responsibility.





Authorities believe Zahran Hashim, the founder of NTJ, was the mastermind and one of the nine suicide bombers.





In India, police said they had arrested a 29-year-old man in the southern state of Kerala, close to Sri Lanka, for planning similar attacks there. The man had been influenced by speeches made by Zahran, the governments National Investigation Agency said in a statement.




An unprecedented procedural row over delaying tactics by opposition lawmakers in Hong Kongs legislature is threatening to paralyse the governments efforts to fast track a controversial law to allow the transfer of fugitives to Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.

On Tuesday, 42 pro-establishment lawmakers took an extraordinary step in demanding the official removal of a colleague from the rival camp presiding over a Legislative Council committee scrutinising the extradition bill at the centre of the storm.

The move to unseat Democratic Party stalwart James To Kun-sun came after lawmakers from his pan-democratic camp again succeeded in stalling discussion on the legislative amendment, which brought tens of thousands of protesters onto the streets on Sunday.

The bill, if passed, would allow the transfer of fugitives on a case-by-case basis to jurisdictions the city does not have an extradition treaty with. The prospect of including mainland China in particular is strongly opposed by critics who do not trust the legal system across the border and fear Hongkongers may be victimised for political reasons.

Proponents of the bill were on Tuesday considering various options to retain control over its passage after the pro-democracy lawmakers again thwarted attempts to get started by selecting a chairman for the committee.

James To automatically presides over the body by virtue of his seniority until a chairman can be installed, but the pan-democrats have resorted to filibustering to block the process with the aim of holding up the bill.

Tuesdays drama marked the second time in two weeks that lawmakers succeeded in slowing the proceedings, despite Hong Kongs leader having stressed the absolute urgency to push the bill through.

The government was spurred to act by the case of student Chan Tong-kai, 20, who is wanted in Taiwan over the murder of his pregnant girlfriend on the self-ruled island. The absence of a formal treaty with Taiwan has prevented his extradition.

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He was jailed for 29 months by Hong Kongs High Court on Monday over money laundering charges, but could be released as early as October  officials fear he may flee the city to escape justice if the new legislation is not implemented by then.

We feel extremely disappointed that the committee could not elect a chairman within the four hours of the meeting, said Martin Liao Cheung-kong, convenor of the pro-establishment bloc.

James To and the pro-democracy camp are clearly trying to paralyse the legislative process and we find that totally unacceptable.

In response, the 42 pro-establishment legislators issued a joint petition addressed to Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of Legcos House Committee, asking her to replace To with their ally Abraham Razack.

Lee agreed to a special four-hour meeting set for Saturday to deal with their request.

Razack is the third most senior lawmaker after To and pan-democrat Leung Yiu-chung. But the proposal to insert him goes against the long-standing Legco convention that the most veteran lawmaker preside over bills committee meetings.

Liao argued this rule did not apply to meetings beyond the first one.

Based on Legcos rules of procedure, only the first meeting is chaired by the most senior lawmaker. Other than that ... theres no rule, Liao insisted.

The pro-establishment camps argument rests on a clause which states the House Committee may provide guidelines for bills committees.

However, former House Committee chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee said she failed to see the basis for the proposal to unseat To, saying the work of a bills committee should not be interfered with.

Based on Section 76 (11) of the rules of procedure, a bills committee only needs to take into account guidelines issued by the House Committee, Lau said. In other words, the bills committee will need to consider the guidelines, but does not necessarily have to follow.

Security minister John Lee Ka-chiu said he was extremely disappointed by Tuesdays impasse.

Claudia Mo Man-ching of the pro-democracy Council Front admitted wanting to delay progress but said it was up to the public to decide if it was justified. We are trying to stall the passage of this very controversial  amendment as much as possible, she said.

Lau said Legco conventions such as the one stipulating the most senior lawmaker preside over committees existed for a reason.

If rules are written but not followed, Legco could be in chaos, she said, urging lawmakers to elect a chairman at the next meeting.

To said the efforts to unseat him risked bringing down Legcos entire legislative process.

Its a guideline, not an order, he said of the House Committees ability to intervene. I very much doubt the House Committee has the power to order specifically a step or procedure be adopted.

Pressing ahead could even provoke a judicial review, he warned.

Legcos secretariat said it would study the demands of the pro-establishment lawmakers and supply Starry Lee with detailed opinions, but did not clarify whether To would have to follow guidelines from the House Committee.

The next meeting of the bills committee was likely to take place on Monday afternoon, To said.

Meanwhile, the New York City Bar Association has joined the chorus of international criticism of the bill.

The association has written to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, urging her administration to rescind the bill, which it said would seriously undermine rule of law protections for anyone visiting or living in the city.

This article Extradition bill sparks paralysing row in Hong Kongs legislature first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019.
Hong Kong attracted a record 65.1 million visitors in 2018, with nearly four in five coming from mainland China.

The 51 million mainland visitors were a far cry from the 8.47 million in 2003, when Beijing first allowed mainland residents from designated cities to visit Hong Kong on their own under the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.

The massive influx has raised questions for the tourism industry, chief among them being what happens if mainlanders stop coming.

The risk is that once the mainland faces a problem, it will affect Hong Kong directly. When the mainland sneezes, we will get sick, said economist Andy Kwan Cheuk-chiu, director of the ACE Centre for Business and Economic Research.

But he noted that a recent slowing of Chinas economy had little impact on the citys tourism figures, because mainland tourists liked coming to Hong Kong, even if they might be spending less on their holidays than during more prosperous times.

Mainlanders have massively outnumbered other visitors despite efforts by the city to attract tourists from elsewhere.

Last year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board devoted 70 per cent of its HK$223 million promotional budget to luring non-mainland visitors, yet their numbers edged up by a mere 0.6 per cent from 2017, to 14.1 million.

Taiwan succeeded in attracting overseas visitors from alternative markets last year, after its number of mainland visitors shrank in the wake of weakening cross-strait ties.

It drew a record 11 million in 2018, thanks to a sharp increase from 18 countries targeted by its New Southbound Policy, which included Southeast Asia as well as India, Australia and New Zealand.

It is now easier for people from Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to visit Taiwan, as they can apply for visas online and free of charge, without having to provide proof of income.

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Tourism lawmaker Yiu Si-wing did not think Hong Kong could do the same. He said that, aside from its lower hotel prices, Taiwans homestay culture and varied attractions were big draws.

For Hong Kong, there are not many new ideas or offerings to give people a feeling of having a relaxing holiday. Its more of a metropolitan style, Yiu said.

Others felt Hong Kong could do more to develop new markets and find ways to entice visitors.

Brian King, associate dean of Polytechnic Universitys School of Hotel and Tourism Management, saw potential in promoting links with Asean countries, a big market of more than 640 million.

He suggested developing more Muslim-friendly activities to cater to the growing numbers of affluent Muslim travellers. The potential of halal travel is being recognised internationally, as countries with large Muslim populations, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, have a growing number of holidaymakers eager to try new destinations.

King also saw potential in creating more travel packages that exploit the potential of the Greater Bay Area, which refers to Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong cities that are part of Beijings blueprint to create an economic powerhouse to rival Silicon Valley.

Hong Kong could benefit from collaboration with other cities to package the bay area as a travel destination, he said.

Entrepreneur Allan Zeman, who developed the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife area, said Hong Kong could draw more visitors by selling culture, adding that he did not just mean the multibillion-dollar West Kowloon Cultural District.

He said each of the citys 18 districts had a unique personality that could be showcased.

There should be an overall plan to develop the districts with their own history and really make them exciting, he said.

One example of this he cited was the Tai Kwun heritage and cultural centre in Central. Once a police station, it now draws visitors who get to see the old prison cells and watch arts performances.

Ester van Steekelenburg, director and founder of iDiscover App&Map, which creates authentic neighbourhood guides, said there was a growing market of independent travellers seeking to experience how locals live and find hidden places.

The Hong Kong neighbourhood guides developed by her team together with local residents showcase the stories of various districts, from bustling Wan Chai to Aberdeen, home to boatpeople.

She saw great potential in showcasing these types of attractions to draw these independent travellers, who are often young and culturally aware.

Its a very big market, she said.

This article Record 65 million visitors for Hong Kong in 2018, but what if mainland Chinese tourists stop coming? first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019.
By A. Ananthalakshmi and Alexandra Ulmer

COLOMBO (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka said on Tuesday that some of the Islamist militants behind Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people were likely still at large and could be planning more attacks.

Sri Lankan security forces also said they were maintaining a high level of alert amid intelligence reports that the militants were likely to strike before the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which is due to begin next Monday.

"Tremendous progress has been made towards apprehending those plotters but I don't think the story is over yet," Ambassador Alaina Teplitz said in an interview.

"We do believe that there is active planning under way," she said, referring to the possibility of more attacks.

Scores of suspected Islamists have been arrested in the multi-ethnic island nation since April 21 suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches. Among the dead were 42 foreign nationals.

"Security will stay tight for several days because military and police are still tracking down suspects," a senior police intelligence official said.

Another government source told Reuters security authorities had ordered police and other security forces across the Buddhist-majority country to remain on high alert because the militants were expected to try to strike before Ramadan.

Teplitz told Reuters the risk of more attacks remained real.

"We certainly have reason to believe that the active attack group has not been fully rendered inactive," she said.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting Sri Lankan authorities in the investigations but Teplitz declined to give more details.

The State Department has issued a travel advisory suggesting people reconsider plans to travel to Sri Lanka.

SOCIAL MEDIA BAN LIFTED

The government has lifted a ban on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber, a source at the president's office said. The ban was imposed immediately after the attacks to prevent the spread of rumours.

Story continues

The government has also banned women from wearing face veils under an emergency law invoked in response to the blasts.

Authorities suspect members of two previously little-known groups - National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim - of carrying out the attacks, although the Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility.

Authorities believe Zahran Hashim, the founder of NTJ, was the mastermind and one of the nine suicide bombers.

Islamic State released a video after the attack through its AMAQ news agency, showing eight men, with all but Zahran with their faces covered, standing under a black Islamic State flag, declaring loyalty to its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The Islamic group's media network published a video on Monday purporting to come from al-Baghdadi, in which he said the Sri Lanka bombings were Islamic State's response to losses in its last stronghold of Baghouz in Syria.

In India, police said they had arrested a 29-year-old man in the southern state of Kerala, close to Sri Lanka, for planning similar attacks there. The man had been influenced by speeches made by Zahran, India's National Investigation Agency said in a statement.

Sri Lanka's 22 million population is mostly Buddhist but includes minority Christians, Muslims and Hindus.

(Additional reporting by Ranga Srilal and Shri Navaratnam; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Paul Tait and Nick Macfie)
Kathmandu, Nepal, April, 30, 2019: It has become likely that Federal Socialist Forum (FSP) would withdraw its support to the incumbent Nepal Communist Party (NCP) led government.





Though the formal decision is yet to be taken, the NCP has reached in the conclusion to withdraw support given to the government.





FSP Chairman Upendra Yadav is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for health and Population in the incumbent government.





Likewise, the Madhes based party- FSP has also reached near to the conclusion to be merged with the former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattrai led Naya Shakti Party.





The FSP and Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP) Nepal have been running a coalition government in the Province 2. Lal Babu Raut, a leader of the FSP, is currently the chief minister of the province.




South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has hired an American lobby group run by a former ambassador to block the creation of a court to judge war crimes in the conflict-torn nation. According to a contract between the government and the lobby group, Gainful Solutions, published online by the US Department of Justice, the $3.7 million (3.3-million euro) deal was signed on April 2. The contract states that Gainful Solutions, run by former US ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, was hired to "improve relations with the United States, both politically and economically". This includes persuading Trump's government to "reverse sanctions and prevent further sanctions" and to mobilise American investment in South Sudan's oil. However, in a clear indication of the government's hostility to the proposed body, the contract also states that the lobby group must "delay and ultimately block establishment of the hybrid court" envisaged in a peace deal signed in September 2018. The creation of the African Union-South Sudanese hybrid court dates back to an earlier peace agreement in 2015, a bid to win justice for atrocities committed during a war that is now in its sixth year. - Six years of war - Conflict erupted in December 2013 after Kiir accused his longtime rival and former vice president Riek Machar of plotting a coup against him. Battles between those from Machar's Nuer community and Kiir's Dinka people were characterised by brutal violence on both sides, rape and UN warnings about "ethnic cleansing". The war has left around 380,000 people dead, forcing more than four million South Sudanese -- almost a third of the population -- to flee their homes. Kiir and Machar are meant to re-unite in a power-sharing government in less than two weeks, under the terms of the September deal. Implementation of the peace deal is running behind however, and Machar has called for a delay. The United States, Norway and Britain -- the so-called troika leading diplomacy efforts -- said in a statement Tuesday that the peace deal was at a "critical juncture". "Any decision on forming the transitional government as scheduled or delaying to a later date should be made through consensus of the parties," read the statement. - 'Lack of political will' - South Sudan's government has previously pushed back against the creation of the court, dismissing it as "a tool of regime change" by foreign partners. In February a United Nations human rights report on South Sudan said the process of setting up the court had stalled due to "lack of political will and uncertainty about the future of government". US Ambassador to South Sudan, Thomas Hushek, described the contract with the lobby group as disturbing. "This, to me, is very disturbing because this is a commitment made in the peace agreement. The hybrid court is part and parcel of chapter five of the peace agreement," Hushek said, according to Eye Radio in Juba. Ranneberger retired in 2016 after a long diplomatic career in Africa, and served as ambassador to Kenya and Somalia from 2006-2011. While in his post he spoke strongly against corruption in Kenya, and angered government when diplomatic cables revealed by WikiLeaks showed him criticising the country's leaders for graft and political violence. He was well versed in the crises gripping South Sudan, having helped lead the negotiations between the south and Khartoum, which led to a peace deal in 2005 after a long independence war. South Sudan later voted in favour of independence from Sudan in a 2011 referendum. After midwifing its independence, the United States remains South Sudan's main international donor, providing more than $480 million in humanitarian aid in 2018, according to US State Department figures. However their patience has worn thin with South Sudan after countless failed peace efforts, and ties between Juba and Washington have chilled. The US lobbied hard for an arms embargo imposed in 2018, and has also applied sanctions against top officials.
Virgin Australia said on Tuesday it had delayed delivery of its order of 48 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft over safety concerns, following two deadly crashes. The 737 MAX has been grounded worldwide since mid-March following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight and an earlier Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed a total of 346 passengers and crew. Virgin Australia said in a statement that it was deferring delivery of its first batch of planes from November 2019 to July 2021. "Safety is always the number one priority for Virgin Australia. As we have previously stated, we will not introduce any new aircraft to the fleet unless we are completely satisfied with its safety," Virgin Chief Executive Paul Scurrah said. "We are confident in Boeing's commitment to returning the 737 MAX to service safely and as a long-term partner of Boeing, we will be working with them through this process." Virgin also said it was shifting some of its orders of 737 MAX 8s to Max 10s while keeping the total at 48 planes. The Virgin announcement comes as Boeing executives faced several shareholder challenges Monday at its annual general meeting, with the crisis raising questions about whether the aerospace giant put profits ahead of safety to market a new narrow-body plane. The US firm has said both crashes involved erroneous information generated by the anti-stall system. But it has defended the design of the MAX saying multiple factors can contribute to catastrophic accidents. Boeing expects the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a test flight of a software fix for the anti-stall system soon.
Why Chinas belt and road loans may not be the debt trap other countries fear

China is inclined to renegotiate or write off debts incurred by other countries for its belt and road infrastructure projects and only rarely seizes assets, a study by a New York consultancy has found.

The Rhodium Groups research looked at 40 cases of external debt renegotiation between 2007 and this year and found there was only one confirmed case of asset seizure  in Sri Lanka.

The conclusions, based on the studies of Chinese debt renegotiations with 24 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, challenge claims that the Belt and Road Initiative will leave countries with debts they cannot repay and force them to hand over assets or natural resources to Beijing.

The report concluded that Beijing had renegotiated about US$50 billion of loans and in most cases, debts had either been written off or payment was deferred.

One example it gave was Cuba, which had US$2.8 billion in debts written off in 2010, while last week Ethiopia announced that Beijing had forgiven interest owed on belt and road loans.

The publication of the research on Monday followed the end of the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Saturday, where Chinese President Xi Jinping attempted to allay growing international complaints that the plan was a predatory debt trap and promised to promote high financial and environmental standards under the initiative.

The study said debt forgiveness was usually driven by Beijings desire to improve relations or relieve acute financial distress  and was often accompanied by extra loans to fund more infrastructure projects.

At last years Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing wrote off US$7 million of Botswanas debt, while agreeing to lend an undisclosed sum to finance new infrastructure projects.

The study said that while there have been growing concerns among Chinese debtors, outright asset seizures were very rare.

The only obvious case was in Sri Lanka, where the government decided to hand over control of the Hambantota Port to a Chinese state-owned company in 2016 to avoid defaulting on its debts.

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The move triggered deep concerns among countries such as India and the United States that Beijing had gained a strategic foothold on geopolitically important maritime trade route.

Poorly organized and tightly controlled: inside Chinas Belt and Road party

Another creditor nation, Tajikistan, agreed in 2011 to hand 1,158 sq km of territory in the remote Pamir mountain range to Beijing in what the two sides said was a historic settlement of a territorial dispute.

However, few details of the deal have been made public and the report said it was not possible to confirm a link between it and Chinas lending.

The large number of debt renegotiations also increased the prospect that China would become more skittish about lending more to distressed borrowers, the report continued.

Recipient countries may borrow more, but only after existing debt burdens are resolved more favourably. More fundamentally, Chinese external lending will probably slow from current levels rather than accelerate, given the financial stress highlighted by this pattern of Chinese debt renegotiations, it said.

When Zimbabwe was facing an acute debt crisis in 2015, China agreed to write off US$40 million in loans, but rejected a request for a US$1.5 billion rescue package.

It added that Beijings leverage is limited when renegotiating loan terms  especially when the other countries have access to other sources of credit, such as the IMF or international markets.

Borrowers are also more likely to be in a stronger position after a change in leadership, when the new government is more likely to demand more favourable lending terms.

Countries such as Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar and Sierra Leone have all cancelled or sought to renegotiate belt and road projects due to fears the costs of their debts will be too high.

However, despite these fears and warnings from the US and other Western countries, the project has so far been endorsed by 126 countries, including Italy  the first Group of Seven country to sign up.

Chinese financial institutions have provided over US$440 billion in funding for belt and road projects, according to Yi Gang, the governor of Chinas central bank.

More from South China Morning Post:

This article Why Chinas belt and road loans may not be the debt trap other countries fear first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019.
Amanda Holden looks much younger than here 48 years in her latest post. [Photo: Instagram]

Amanda Holden has showed off her age-defying figure in her latest Instagram post.

The Britains Got Talent presenter in a skintight white swimsuit with lace up sides by designer Melissa Odabash.

She is currently on a health retreat at a centre which is owned by wellness destination travel brand The LifeCo.

Although it is unclear which specific destination Holden has jetted off to, it is known The LifeCo  who she tagged in the post  have centres in Phuket in Thailand, Antalya in Turkey and Bodrum, also in Turkey.

The stunning presenter looks calm and happy in the post as she gazes out into the sea in the distance, green juice in hand.

And her fans have certainly been quick to praise her stunning appearance.

Body goals, wrote one person, while another added: You have lovely legs and a fabulous body Amanda you are so beautiful.

Another comment read: Really look like girl 25 years old. Keep going!

The post has garnered more than 35,000 comments in . just five hours, at time of writing.

Amandas celebrity friends have also praised her radiant appearance, with Kate Thornton writing, You are hot. That is all, and Kerry Katona added: You look bloody Amazing darling.

Keith Lemon wrote: Enjoy that juice!
A Singapore dad was so angry that his son was being repeatedly bullied in school, he decided to take matters into his own hands. The angry dad attacked sons bully in school, causing a fracture in his ribs.

Since you can bully my son, I can bully you, he reportedly told the boy, as he grabbed the 10-year-olds chest and pushed him against a wall.

Singapore dad attacked sons bully, causing fracture

According to the fathers (Mr Tan Chin Tai) defence lawyer, his son, who was in Primary 4 at the time, was being bullied at school for more than 2 years.

The child in question had apparently been bullying Tans son by abusing him with vulgarities and cursing at his mother. It seems, he also threatened that he would hit other children if they spoke to Tans son.

According to the defence lawyer, the father had complained to his sons teacher, but no real action was taken about it. The bullying apparently got so bad that, at one point, the father even considered moving his son to a different school.

It was at that point of time that Mr Tan spotted the bully while picking his son from school at around 1.15pm on 7 July 2017. He approached the boy, grabbed him by his school bag and pushed him towards a rubbish shed. He then shoved him onto a wall and threatened him.

Just because you are bigger in size, you can bully others. Since you can bully my son, I can bully you.

The victim, who had been pushed on the chest, soon felt pain on the left side of his chest and went to a hospital. An X-ray revealed that he had a small fracture in one of his ribs.

He was discharged on the same day and given painkillers.

The whole incident apparently did not make things easier for Tans son. Instead, it made the bullying worse, with the victim spreading the news that, playing with him will cause them to be fractured by his dad.

dad attacked son's bully

Singapore dad attacked sons bully: Was it right or wrong?

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On 29 April 2019, Tan Chin Tai was jailed for seven weeks for hurting a young child.

The Deputy Public Prosecutor stressed that you cannot take justice into your own hands.

We should call a spade a spade and a fracture a fracture. This is a case when we have an adult taking advantage of a vulnerable victim, he has been quoted as saying.

He also added that the right thing to do for Tan, was to escalate the matter to the discipline master, the principal or even to MOE, and not to attack the boy.

District Judge Christopher Tan opined that, I think we also know that for 10-year-old children, bullying and disputes do happen and that has to be dealt with according to a certain framework.

If I take the position that such behaviour between children justifies an adult going to school and inflicting the kind of injury that happened in this case  what kind of precedent would that set?

Bullying in Singapore schools

The incident also raises many questions  has bullying in Singapore become a major concern of late?

According to a recent report, Singapore has the third highest rate of bullying globally! How then can we make sure that our children are adequately bully-proofed? Here are some tips:

Be compassionate and respectful towards your children

Refrain from using power or force to control your kids. Raise them in loving, respectful relationships instead.

If you spank or cane your child, they are more likely to use violence to solve their own problems. Research has shown that physically disciplining a child is associated with bullying behaviours.

Also, sometimes, the child feels bullied at home by siblings or parents. So, one reason for bullying may be that, what they cant do at home, children may take it out on their peers.

Talk and stay connected with your kids

Maintain a close, friendly relationship with your child. Bullying sometimes forces kids to feel shame, so they worry about telling their parents.

Talk to your kid daily about their day. If your relationship is close, your child will feel comfortable opening up to you about problems they are facing in school, including bullying.

Encourage them to make friends

It is important to teach your child to develop social skills and make good friends.

Bullies rarely target children in groups. They tend to isolate loners.

Instill confidence and self esteem

Bullies target children they perceive to be weak. It is important to build your childs self-esteem from a young age with positive reinforcement.

At the same time, as a parent it is also necessary to walk the talk, and model confident behaviour. Remember, your child is learning from watching you.

dad attacked son's bully

Look out for warning signs

If your child suddenly goes from being a happy and open child to being introverted or silent, talk to him/her and find out what is wrong.

If your child refuses to go to school, this is a clear indicator that something is wrong. You may need to do some investigation. Dont be hesitant to discuss the issue with her teacher.

Teach your children to stand up for themselves

Bullying usually starts with verbal abuse. Teach your child to stand up for themselves in these instances. It is best to ignore the bully and walk away.

Kids should also know how to avoid bullies. Bullies usually target victims where adults are not present. Therefore, if you feel your kid is a victim of school bullying, ask them to stick to their friends, and to avoid unsupervised areas in the school.

Teach your child that there is no shame is talking to an adult or asking for help. When being harrassed, tell an adult, parent, teacher, counsellor or the principal.

Helplines

Tinkle Friend Helpline (for primary school pupils only): 1800-274-4788 ComCare: 1800-222-0000

Also READ: 6 warning signs your child is a victim of bullying

(Source: Channel NewsAsia, Yahoo)

The post Angry Singapore dad attacks sons 10-year-old bully, causing fractured rib appeared first on theAsianparent-Your Guide to Pregnancy, Baby & Raising Kids.
On Monday, April 29, Dior presented its Cruise 2020 collection at the El Badi palace in Marrakech. Sophie de Champsavin, editor-in-chief of Paris Modes TV, visited the label's Paris workshop several days before the show to discover the secrets behind the making of this collection and meet creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, before flying to Marrakech for the grand unveiling.

Morocco, the homeland of this Dior collection

Following the show in Chantilly last year, Dior chose to present its Cruise 2020 collection in Marrakech, in the sumptuous surroundings of the El Badi palace. This collection showcases African craftsmanship and skills combined with Dior's fashion heritage; it began with the discovery of a book exploring the origins and development of wax-print fabrics by French anthropologist Anne Grosfilley.

A wealth and diversity of inspiration

Maria Grazia Chiuri approached Grosfilley, collaborating with her to inform the collection's creative process. A world specialist in wax-print fabrics, Grosfilley explores the European, Asian and African origins of this fabric -- which celebrates diversity, bringing together different cultures on a common ground -- through her work. Chiuri also wanted to reference the history of Dior by paying homage to the house's Marc Bohan years as well as the work of Yves Saint Laurent at Dior and his love for Morocco.

A series of collaborations

The collection is a celebration of wax-print fabrics, based on exclusive motifs that mix the codes of Dior and the traditional skills of Uniwax, a company based in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, where all the textiles were produced. This unique collaboration, a first for a fashion house, produced a reinvented toile de Jouy fabric illustrated with original motifs composed of savannah wildlife, exotic scenes and tarot symbols, along with a description of their origin: "Christian Dior-Uniwax special edition."

Chiuri gave two female designers complete creative freedom to reinterpret the iconic 'New Look,' including the famous Bar jacket -- the English designer of Jamaican heritage Grace Wales Bonner, winner of the 2016 LVMH prize, and African-American artist Mickalene Thomas.

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She also contacted Pathe Ouedraogo (Pathe'O), one of the greatest African designers, who has designed a shirt for Nelson Mandela, among others. For the occasion, he created a shirt that combines the image of the former president with a Dior design.

A collection with multiple inspirations

Red ochres and indigos dominate the collection. The denim is fringed, long skirts open onto cropped trousers. There are numerous references to the history of the brand, including a voluminous coat that recalls Marc Bohan's 'Jungle' silhouette. The fabrics are fine and highly crafted, with floating woven linen fabrics and delicate lace with African motifs. The cotton Bar jacket snugly follows the lines of the body.

Long boots in braided leather, flat mules with pointed toes, headdresses and turbans draped around models' heads, created under the direction of milliner Stephen Jones, elegantly accessorize the various styles.

Moroccan ambience with the Dior touch

The pottery decorating the sumptuous backdrop of the El Badi palace and the henna-painted fabrics covering the seats for guests were created by the Sumano social project, which works to preserve the traditional skill of the clothmakers and potters of Morocco.

With this new show, Dior has created an engaging collection which promotes craftsmanship and cultural diversity as a shared and universal language.
Photo credit: Courtesy

From Esquire

Between the high-flying CGI mayhem of Avengers: Endgame and the blood-spattered final episodes of HBO's Game of Thrones, there's very little room at the proverbial pop culture water cooler to discuss much else lately. But if you need a break from Thanos and dragons and outraged Twitter fanboys, there's a new Netflix series that puts the spotlight on a completely different world, one that exists inside our very own: The world of street food.

From David Gelb and Brian McGinn, the creators of the acclaimed series Chefs Table, Street Food is a look at the dishes, traditions, and most importantly, the people behind the cuisine found in corners and open-air markets in some of the world's most vibrant cities. It's a group that doesn't always get the shine of its culinary counterparts-but it's safe to say that street meat is a hell of a lot more important to a hell of a lot more people than your favorite three-star Michelin chef.

Photo credit: Courtesy

The first season is set in Asia, a decision that was inspired by the creators' travels as much as it was data: As Gelb told Eater, the producers learned from the team at Netflix that a "large portion of our Chefs Table audience" came from the continent. Hey, give the people what they want.

That decision more than paid off, because the stories of life they found, simply by asking, are the kind that demand to be told: From "Truoc" Phuong in Vietnam, whose father's snail recipe helped her put her son through college; to Osaka's Toyo, a vendor with a radiant personality who began cooking merely as a way to survive.

The spirit of Anthony Bourdain is alive and well in these episodes-Gelb and McGinn both readily pointed to him as an inspiration to Food & Wine. All that's missing is the late, great host himself. But it takes nothing away from the subjects featured, whose long-overdue close-up will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate your local street vendor that much more.

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The places the appear in Season One are Bangkok, Thailand; Osaka, Japan; Delhi, India; Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Chiayi, Taiwan; Seoul, South Korea; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Singapore; and Cebu, Philippines.

Street Food is available to stream now on Netflix.

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From Esquire

As a parting gift to Wisconsin, Scott Walker, the goggle-eyed homunculus once hired by Koch Industries to manage that particular midwest subsidiary, gave away most of the southeast corner of the state to Foxconn, a Taiwanese tech giant that could see a sucker coming from an ocean away. You will note that, on his visit to Green Bay on Saturday, with Walker himself sucking up from the cheap seats, El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago didn't mention the Foxconn deal while patting himself on the back for his economic genius. There's a reason for that. The Foxconn deal is on its way to being a lemon of historic proportion.

The latest examination of this ongoing, slow-rolling debacle comes from the Wall Street Journal, which tells us the tale of Mount Pleasant, a small farming town on which Foxconn has fallen like nuclear bomb.

Contractors have bulldozed about 75 homes in Mount Pleasant and cleared hundreds of farmland acres. Crews are widening Interstate 94 from Milwaukee to the Illinois state line to accommodate driverless trucks and thousands of employees. Village and county taxpayers have borrowed around $350 million so far to buy land and make infrastructure improvements, from burying sewer pipes to laying storm drains. One thing largely missing: Foxconn. President Trump and Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou hatched the factory plan in 2017, and both attended last summers gold-shovel groundbreaking in Mount Pleasant, 20 miles south of Milwaukee.

Photo credit: Andy Manis - Getty Images

As of Dec. 31, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant, famous as an Apple Inc. supplier, had spent only $99 million, 1% of its pledged investment, according to its latest state filings. The company projected as many as 2,080 in-state employees by the end of 2019 but had fewer than 200 at last years end, state filings show. The village is still awaiting factory building plans for review. Locals said Foxconn contractors have recently been scarce on the site. The impact on Mount Pleasant, by contrast, is palpable. Its debt rating has slipped. Local politics has become fraught. Neighbors have fallen out over land seizures.

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So far, then, the partners in Walker's genius deal have reneged on what they promised to build there and they've spent one percent of what they've promised to spend-not to mention the fact that they've run roughshod over the people who live there and that the company has been giving newly elected Governor Tony Evers a hard time. From AppleInsider:

Following complaints from Wisconsin's recently-elected Governor, Tony Evers, Foxconn has attempted to renegotiate the contract.

"To my knowledge, this was the first time either Foxconn or the State of Wisconsin has mentioned amending or changing the agreement approved [in] 2017," Evers has said. While not revealing Foxconn's recommendations, Evers added that Wisconsin is identifying areas that "will enable greater flexibility and transparency as the project continues to evolve." "Foxconn has never wavered from our commitment to our contract with the State of Wisconsin and the creation of 13,000 jobs as part of our broader effort to make the Badger state a global technology hub," the company said to us in a statement earlier in April.

In the meantime, the local council has decided to lease 966 acres of land back to the local farmer they bought it all from for $1.7 million last August. For the privilege, the farmer is paying $170,000 per year. Local residents who haven't accepted deals are campaigning to keep their homes, and are complaining to officials from the county about the future of the Foxconn plant. "At some point we're talking about things that are just imaginary," said Nick Demske, a commissioner in Racine County. "We're pretending."

If you've ever wondered why people are fighting the Keystone XL pipeline so hard on the grounds that foreign corporations shouldn't be stealing people's land, this is why.

Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook Page here.

Photo credit: Andy Manis - Getty Images

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Japanese confectionery brand, Chateraise, launches eight new cakes for Mothers Day, along with the brands first-ever customizable cake. (PHOTO: Wenting/ Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

Singapore  Popular Japanese confectionery brand, Chateraise, launches the brands first-ever customisable cake, just in time for Mothers Day this May.

Launching eight new cakes just for Mothers Day, Chateraise puts out the Mothers Portrait Whole Cake (S$45), a design-your-own vanilla sponge cake. Encouraging their customers to write sweet messages to express their love for their mothers, the two-layered cake comes with a chocolate pen for you to design your cake. The fresh cream cake is topped with strawberry sauce and fresh strawberries.

READ MORE:

Local shoe label Pazzion opens its first cafe, a sleek space at Jewel Changi Airport

Quinoa, avocado and cashews, just how sustainable are so-called trendy foods really?

Chateraise cakes. (PHOTO: Wenting/ Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

While most of the Mothers Day cakes are primarily focused on the use of fresh strawberries, directly imported from Japan, there is also a Chocolate Fresh Cream Whole Cake (S$20) and Fruits Zebra crepe cake ($40) available for those who wants something different.

Along with the launch, Chateraise also puts out three Easter-themed mousse cakes (S$5.10) for customers who celebrate the holiday. The animal-shaped cakes come in cute bird, cute bunny, and cute panda designs.

The Mothers Portrait Whole Cake ($45), a design-your-own vanilla sponge cake, comes with a chocolate pen for you to design your cake. The fresh cream cake is topped with strawberry sauce and fresh strawberries. (PHOTO: Wenting/ Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

Country manager Mr Masuyuki Matsuoka shared that Chateraise has a unique farm-to-factory system that provides reliable and high quality raw products for the brand, hence allowing the cakes to be sold at a reasonable price.

The brand, which prides itself for using fresh ingredients only from their contracted farms across Japan, is approaching their fourth anniversary in Singapore. With 25 outlets island-wide, the company continues to air-flown fresh strawberries three times a week to Singapore and keep their cakes made in-house in Japan.

The Mothers Day cakes are available for reservation from any Chateraise outlets from now, and are available for sale at the outlets from 1 May 2019.

The Mothers Day cakes are available for reservation from any Chateraise outlets from now, and are available for sale at the outlets from 1 May 2019. (PHOTO: Wenting/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Areas of fog early, becoming mostly sunny this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 58F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Photo credit: Ruben Chamorro

From Cosmopolitan

Brittany Cartwright grew up on a farm in Kentucky, but she always knew shed have a fairytale wedding. Some princesses meet their Prince Charmings at a ball-she met hers in Vegas. In a matter of weeks, Jax Taylor swept her off her feet and whisked her away to an enchanted land full of reality-TV cameras, tequila-infused gummy bears, and goat-cheese balls. Im speaking, of course, about the kingdom of Vanderpump Rules.

In case youre not aware of the actual best show on television, Pump Rules, as the cool kids call it, centers around a group of friends in L.A. who work at SUR, the restaurant owned by Bravo mogul and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills OG Lisa Vanderpump. Pretty much everyone on the series has slept with each other or done some incredibly terrible thing while drunk (except Lisa, who can do no wrong  at least on this show), but the beauty of it all is that they cant quit each other and actually exhibit some of the most loyal, unconditional examples of relationships in modern society (LOL).

Photo credit: Ruben Chamorro

Photo credit: .

If you do watch the show, you probably know that Brittany, now 30, started appearing on screen in season 4 after meeting Jax, now 39, one fateful night in 2015 while the two were vacationing and partying in Vegas. (Brittany was visiting her now-maid-of-honor, Cara, who had just moved there; Jax was celebrating castmate Scheana Shays birthday. Another cast member, Katie Maloney, introd the pair, and, well, you know the rest.) Brittany quickly dropped her life of bartending and beauty pageants in Kentucky for a new one in L.A., moving into Jaxs apartment just weeks later. She thought shed make maybe one or two casual cameos on the show, on which Jax happened to be a main character. I didnt expect to be filmed as much as I was, she tells me after a four-hour photo shoot with an early call time. I had no idea Id end up as what I am now-a series regular.

Photo credit: .

The two have had major ups and downs-including that time in season 6 when Jax messed around with a coworker and friend of Brittanys in the bedroom next to a sleeping elderly person (whom said coworker was supposed to be assisting-you cant make this stuff up, folks). But they say their bond-like many of the other Pump Rules casts relationships post-scandal-is stronger than ever. The proof? The gigantic princess-cut diamond in a halo setting sitting on Brittanys ring finger after an intimate (but televised, so not like, intimate-intimate) proposal at a Malibu restaurant in June 2018.

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Some fans think bubbly Brittany-who, BTW, is just as sweet IRL as she seems on the show-deserves a better partner than Jax (who also acts exactly the same as hes portrayed by producers, down to that thing he does with his eyes, where they get really wide but also really squinty at the same time without blinking). They dont listen to that noise, though, because after four years together, the two are busy getting ready to tie the knot in two months-the wedding, Brittany recently announced on the gram, is June 29.

So, lets talk wedding dresses, eh?

Brittany wont reveal the dress shes going to wear because obviously she wants to keep it a secret until the big day. (She will, however, disclose that the designer is Netta BenShabu and that the gown will be customized.) The couple isnt even going to take the traditional first look photos ahead of the ceremony, according to Brittany. The first time he sees me, Ill be walking down the aisle, she says. When I ask Jax (because, yes, he was on set, too) if hes ready for the waterworks thatll surely ensue, he says simply, Theres going to be a lot of emotions at this wedding. But I fans of the show need some sort of wedding-dress fix ahead of their nuptials, so a bridal photo shoot had to happen.

Photo credit: Ruben Chamorro

Oh my god, I feel like a princess-no. I feel like Carrie Bradshaw!! Brittany says as she enters the studio in early April and sees the racks of white dresses-shes up early, after a late night filming Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

Photo credit: .

Remember Carries wedding photo-shoot scene in Sex and the City: The Movie? The shoot is basically just like that, only with Hell on Heels by Miranda Lambert playing on loop in the background. We try on tons of gowns, ranging from Southern belle to avant-garde. Brittany loves everything equally. This is real fashion-editorial, not just regular dresses, she tells Jax as he arrives on set just in time to eat the crispy-chicken wrap she ordered him for lunch. Shes talking about a dark, see-through gown with a massive bow that shes wearing. You are Carrie Bradshaw, Jax tells her. OMG, I have been saying that all day! she gushes.

Also on display: feathers, bows, and wide-brimmed hats-because statement-making accessories and voluminous skirts are really the only drama thats necessary on a wedding day.

Photo credit: Ruben Chamorro

About that drama, though.

The whole cheating thing-and the pairs subsequent breakup-happened at a low point in Jaxs life in 20162017 (you can catch it all on season 6 of the show). Things were looking up for the couple in March 2017 as they filmed the reunion episodes and revealed they were back together. But then another rough patch hit in December 2017, when Jaxs father passed away. Jax credits Brittany being by his side as his ticket out of a destructive, alcohol-drenched lifestyle.

Photo credit: Ruben Chamorro

Im not proud of the man I was, Jax says. I was in a dark place. She turned things around. They share meaningful glances with each other while talking about this period, and the energy in the room is optimistic-positive about their future.

But being a couple again doesnt erase some of the hurt they experienced. For one, post-cheating, theyve both been inundated with hateful messages on social media, and people constantly ask Brittany why the hell shes putting up with Jax again. I love him so much-I dont know how to stop loving him, she says. Forgiving is just how I was raised to be.

Brittany leaned heavily on Jax and her family for strength and doubled down on that sweet, forgiving nature while dealing with those embarrassing moments in the public eye. The thing she wishes people would understand more than anything? This is my actual life-like, its not a fake thing! Fans often mistake personalities on reality TV for characters in a scripted drama, and, at least in the case of Vanderpump Rules, thats not true. Jax even says producers get a bit fed up with the cast for hanging out so much when theyre not filming, because theyre worried theyll miss out on key plot points. (Honestly, same.)

Photo credit: .

The worst part, though, she says, is watching it play back months later. Jax agrees. Oh my god, wed get to a really good place, and then shed have to relive it and wed be back in that moment, he says. By the way, they do watch the show together, except when the episodes are too painful.

All those emotions I would think I was over would come right back, Brittany says. To get through this kind of stuff, the pair has sought couples counseling and Jax also goes to therapy to work on himself. Its been a roller coaster for sure, but were so happy and excited, Brittany says. Which brings us back to

Photo credit: Ruben Chamorro

All those wedding details!!

Lots of little girls have princess-y wedding dreams and outgrow them. Brittany has wanted a wedding at a castle since she was a child-and shes going all in on it. Shes getting married at a place called the Kentucky Castle-a sprawling hotel property that looks positively medieval, down to its turrets. Its even in the town of Versailles, Kentucky (which, yes, was named for its French counterpart, though locals there pronounce the ls-Ver-sails, Brittany says).

Lets talk decorations: For the ceremony, think classic white elegance, especially in the flowers and other details. Afterward, at the reception, thingsll get a bit more fun and colorful, so stay tuned.

The only difference between the wedding of young-Brittanys dreams and the one shes getting is the time of year. I always imagined getting married in the winter, but ours is in the summer, in June, she says. (And although the couple wont say whether or not the wedding will be televised, the show films in the summer, so)



Brittany and Jax are also going to have Twelve. Attendants. Each, Brittany tells me exclusively. It is such a big wedding party, she says, while laughing her infectious, rumbling laugh. Were gonna have 24 people up there with us! The two jokingly wondered if everyone will actually fit up at the altar. By the way, Brittanys bridesmaids are wearing Wtoo by Watters dresses, and her best friend from college, Zack Wickham, will be a bridesman on the big day.

(Everyone from the wedding party will celebrate Brittany and Jax in Miami soon with an epic joint bachelor/bachelorette party, Brittany and Jax revealed exclusively to me.)

One thing thatll be absent from the wedding? Drama-I dont want any drama, she says. Well see! Jax chimes in, to which Brittany interjects: Jax! I just want everybody to have fun. I cant stress enough how excited Ill be if this gets filmed-lets all have a beer-cheese party!



Photographer: Ruben Chamorro; Fashion Editor: Rachel Torgerson; Creative Director: Abby Silverman; Senior Visuals Editor: Raydene Hansen; Stylist: Ann Wang; Hairstylist: Bradley Leake; Makeup Artist: Jared Lipscomb

Fashion Credits: Hat look: Dress, Amsale; Hat, Eugenia Kim; Earrings and ring: Diana Le Compte; Shoes: Malone Soulier. Pearl crown look: Dress (as top): Tommy x Zendaya; Skirt: Galia Lahav; Headbands: Keren Wolf; Earrings: Lele Sadoughi; Ring: Ming Yu Wang; Shoes: Christian Louboutin. Dark look: Dress: Greta Constantine; Earrings and gem rings: Les Nedreides Paris USA; Pave ring stack: Sydney Evan.

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SIOUX CITY -- Three Sioux City men are accused in federal court of possessing and selling firearms stolen from a Sergeant Bluff residence.

An indictment filed April 24 in U.S. District Court in Sioux City and unsealed on Monday charges Moses Strickland Jr., Anthony Holeyfield and Antwon Holeyfield with conspiracy to possess a stolen firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. Strickland faces an additional charge of possession of a stolen firearm by a prohibited person.

Antwon Holeyfield, 22, was arrested Friday and pleaded not guilty Monday. His trial was scheduled for July 1.

Court records do not indicate that Strickland or Anthony Holeyfield have been arrested.

According to the indictment, the three broke into the house with an axe on Nov. 26 and took 10 firearms -- five shotguns, two rifles and three handguns.

Prior to the burglary, the indictment said, the three had conspired to barter or sell the firearms and divide the proceeds among themselves.

Between Nov. 26 and Feb. 16, the three stashed the stolen firearms and other valuables taken from the residence at Strickland's home, the Sioux City residence of Anthony and Antwon Holeyfield's mother and other places while selling some of the guns to people in Iowa, South Dakota and Illinois.

Woodbury County District Court records show that Strickland, 21, was arrested on Jan. 25 and charged with felon in possession of a firearm and trafficking a stolen weapon after probation officers found two firearms and a third that was stolen during a routine search of his home.

Antwon Holeyfield was arrested Feb. 15 in connection with the burglary and admitted to police, court documents said, to keeping three of the stolen guns at his mother's home. He was charged with three counts of trafficking stolen weapons.

Woodbury County charges against Holeyfield and Strickland were dismissed after the two were indicted in federal court.

Court records do not show any charges filed against Anthony Holeyfield in connection with the burglary.

Copyright 2019 The Sioux City Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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DAKOTA CITY -- A Jackson, Nebraska, man who was arrested on drug charges after police searched his property for a missing person was sentenced to jail Tuesday.

James Shaughnessy, 32, pleaded guilty in Dakota County District Court to attempted possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and given credit for 29 days already spent in custody. He was fined $1,000.

A charge of possession of drug paraphernalia was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Shaughnessy was arrested Aug. 22 after authorities executed a search warrant at his residence at 1258 Highway 12 in Jackson. Authorities were looking for Joshua Johnston-Lampe, who had been reported missing in 2017. Police believed Johnston-Lampe may have been buried on the property.

No body was reported found, but Dakota County Sheriff's deputies serving the search warrants found methamphetamine and a glass pipe inside the home.

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SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Police Department said a 12-year-old boy made a prank call about an alleged shooting West High School just before noon Tuesday, which caused police to respond to two schools.

The boy, who police did not name because he is a juvenile, has been charged with making a false police report, which is a serious misdemeanor, Lt. Chris Groves said in an afternoon release.

Just before noon, a city communication center received a call that a shooting had occurred at West High.

"Officers responded to the school and found everything OK, and no shooting had occurred, " Groves said.

Sioux City School District Spokeswoman Mandie Mayo in a statement said police and school officials worked closely to ensure the safety of students over the day.

Additionally, a communication from the district to parents was sent in the early afternoon. That message said police confirmed the call originated near North Middle School, so police also responded there, and determined that school was also safe.

Groves said officers went to both locations to ensure there was no risk for students. He said the investigation continues, to determine if other juveniles were involved in the prank.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on April 30, 2019

2019/05/01

At the invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Foreign Minister Osman Saleh of the State of Eritrea will visit China from May 5 to 10.

Q: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan recently attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), marking his second visit to China just less than six months after the last one in November. Does such frequent high-level exchange signal something?

A: Just as you said, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attended the second BRF in China days ago. President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President Wang Qishan met with him respectively and the two sides signed bilateral cooperation documents, including the Amending Protocol to the Free Trade Agreement between China and Pakistan. We have released relevant readouts about the details.

I'd like to stress that Pakistan is China's all-weather strategic cooperative partner. To borrow Prime Minister Imran Khan's words, our two countries are "iron brothers". As "iron friends", we firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, and China has all along taken Pakistan as a priority in our diplomacy. However the international and regional situation may evolve, we will firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and dignity, independently choosing a development path based on its national conditions, striving for a sound external environment and playing a constructive role in international and regional affairs. China commends the Pakistani government and people for resolutely fighting against terrorism and extremism and their enormous efforts and sacrifices to this end. We call on the international community to look at Pakistan's efforts and contributions against terrorism in an objective and fair manner and step up dialogue and cooperation with Pakistan.

Going forward, China stands ready to deepen high-level exchange and mutual support with Pakistan, strengthen our strategic communication, and promote high-quality BRI cooperation in various fields. In the meantime, we will conduct closer coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs and deepen our all-weather strategic partnership.

Q: The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week and he raised the issue of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. He said he supported the UN Human Rights Commissioner's work on this issue. I'm curious if the foreign ministry has any comment on his remarks?

A: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in China days ago, during which he met with Chinese leaders. The relevant readouts are readily available online.

As to what you mentioned, I would like to stress two points in response.

First, regarding the human rights issue, China is willing to discuss this issue with all parties on the basis of equality and mutual respect. In the meantime, we firmly oppose any interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

Second, the Xinjiang affairs are China's internal affairs. Terrorism and extremism are wanton violations of basic human rights. In Xinjiang, China has taken preventive anti-terrorism and de-radicalization measures that are entirely lawful, which respect and protect human rights and have won extensive support from people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

Q: After Tropical Cyclone Idai last month, Mozambique was recently struck by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth, which has claimed 38 lives and destroyed more than 30,000 houses. The north of the Comoros Islands was also hit. Will China consider providing disaster-relief assistance to the two countries? Are there any Chinese citizens among the casualties?

A: Recently Mozambique and the Comoros were struck by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth, causing massive casualties and damages. As a friend to both countries, China is highly concerned. The Chinese government expresses deep sympathy to the two countries hit by natural disasters and extends condolences to the victims and sympathy to the families of the victims and the missing, to the injured and those affected. In addition to earlier assistance, China will positively consider providing support and assistance to the two countries within its capabilities according to the needs of their governments and peoples.

Upon learning the weather forecast, the MFA and Chinese embassies in Mozambique and the Comoros immediately activated emergency response mechanisms and reminded Chinese institutions and personnel to take precautions. At this moment, there is no Chinese citizen among the casualties.

Q: Emperor Akihito abdicates today. What's your comment? On May 1, Crown Prince Naruhito will be the new emperor starting the Reiwa era. What is your expectation for China-Japan relations going forward?

A: Your colleague asked the same question yesterday. Do you want me to repeat my answer ? (Journalist: Yes, please.)

Emperor Akihito visited China in 1992 and met with Chinese Party and state leaders on many occasions. He has made positive contributions to China-Japan relations.

The China-Japan relations have come back to the right track and taken on the positive momentum of development. We hope Japan will work with China on the basis of the principles of the four political documents, jointly cherish and maintain the positive momentum for improvement in the bilateral relationship, step up sound interactions with China, properly handle sensitive issues and ensure the sustained, sound and steady development of the China-Japan relations.

Your question is the same as your colleague's yesterday, so my answer is the same, too. (The journalist laughed.)

Q: It has been reported that US President Donald Trump announced on the 26th that the US is withdrawing from the United National Arms Trade Treaty. Do you have any comment on the US decision? People familiar with the matter said the US decided to do so because China and Russia are not signed parties to the treaty. What is your comment?

A: We have taken note of relevant media reports. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), an important multilateral treaty in conventional arms control, plays a positive role in countering illicit transfer of conventional arms. We hope the relevant country will contribute to strengthening the international arms control regime and safeguarding regional and international peace and stability.

China pays high attention to issues caused by illicit transfer of conventional arms, in particular small arms and light weapons, and supports necessary measures by the international community to regulate global arms trade and fight illicit arms transfer or trafficking. China strictly regulates arms trade according to law and takes a constructive part in the negotiations of the ATT. We support the purposes and objectives of the treaty. China has attended relevant ATT meetings as an observer and has been studying the accession to it.

Q: A court in Guangdong has sentenced the Canadian national to death for drug trafficking and also convicted an American and four Mexicans. But it's unclear what sentences the American and the Mexicans received. I wonder if the foreign ministry has more information that can clarify this situation?

A: Regarding the case you mentioned, the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court has released a very detailed notice. According to my understanding, the notice has stated the sentences they received.

Q: It has been reported in the media for the past two days that China is likely to lift the technical hold which you have placed on the resolution seeking to blacklist Masood Azhar. Is that true?

A: We have repeatedly stated our position on this issue regarding the 1267 Committee. Instead of elaborating it here, I'd like to emphasize the following points:

First, China supports resolving the issue through dialogue and consultation under the framework of the 1267 Committee. I believe this is also the consensus of the vast majority of Security Council members.

Second, currently relevant consultation is underway in the 1267 Committee and has achieved positive results.

Third, we believe that with the concerted efforts of all relevant parties, this issue can be properly resolved.

Q: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom just released its 2019 annual report, criticizing China's religious freedom situation. Do you have any comment?

A: China is a law-based country and the Chinese government protects freedom of religious belief in accordance with law. In our country, citizens of all ethnic groups enjoy full religious freedom in accordance with law. At the same time, Chinese laws prohibit illegal activities under the false pretext of religion.

The so-called commission you mentioned, with its entrenched political bias against China, has been denigrating China's religious policy in its reports for many years. Its absurd claims are not even worth refuting. We urge the US to respect basic facts, get rid of old prejudice, stop releasing such reports and interfering in China's domestic affairs with religious issues as a facade.

Q: US Secretary of Treasury Mnuchin said this week that his expectation is that the trade talks are in the final stages. I'm wondering if China has the same assessment?

A: I would again refer you to the competent authority for specifics regarding the trade talks between China and the US.

I would like to say that substantive progress has been in the consultations. We hope the two teams, guided by the two presidents' important consensus, will work together, meet each other half way and strive for a mutually-beneficial agreement on the basis of mutual respect.

Q: There is a specific report saying China is likely to lift the technical hold on Masood pretty soon. Can you confirm that?

A: I will not repeat our position which has already been fully elaborated.

China has all along maintained close communication with all parties concerned on this issue. We will continue to participate in relevant discussion and review with a responsible and constructive attitude. As I said earlier, we believe that with the concerted efforts of all relevant parties, this issue can be properly resolved.

Q: India has provided evidence regarding the involvement of this particular group Jaish-e-Mohammed in the Pulwama attack in February. Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently talked about this issue. Can we assure that there is some positive momentum in resolving this issue?

A: We have released information on the Indian foreign secretary's recent visit, which I also briefed you here before.

As to the designation issue, my response remains the same. China has all along maintained communication and coordination with all parties concerned. We believe that with the concerted efforts of all relevant parties, this issue can be properly resolved at the 1267 Committee.

Follow-up: So it can be expected to be resolved tomorrow?

A: We believe this issue can be properly resolved.

**********************************************

According to the 2019 Labor Day holiday schedule, the MFA regular press conference will be adjourned from May 1 (Wednesday) to May 3 (Friday) and resumed on May 6 (Monday). During the adjournment, you can fax or email questions to the MFA spokesperson's office as usual. Have a nice Labor Day holiday!
SIOUX CITY -- With demolition of Hunt Elementary School just a few weeks away, the Sioux City School Board on Monday picked the contractor that will remove asbestos from the century-old school before it comes down.

Bockmann Inc., of Lincoln, Nebraska, was selected for the second phase of asbestos removal for Hunt, which is holding a final year of classes before demolition. The school board approved Bockmann, as the lowest of two submitted bids, for work costing $111,000, which must be done by July 7.

The current Hunt school will be replaced with a building just south of the current one, bearing the same name. It is being built in the 1900 and 2000 blocks of Jackson and Nebraska streets, with a goal to be finished by August 2022, at an estimated cost of $20.5 million.

While that happens, Hunt students will be relocated to Crescent Park Elementary. Hunt is the oldest school in the district, after opening in 1906.

There is one other school construction project underway. Bryant Elementary remains on the original timeline to open in August for the 2019-2020 school year, in the 30th Street area.

The $24 million school for grades K-5 will accommodate up to 625 pupils. In Monday action, the school board awarded a $119,989 contract to Outdoor Recreation Products, of Omaha, for the cost of buying and installing playground equipment for Bryant. That will be spread into two playground segments, one for older and another for younger Bryant pupils.

In one other school infrastructure piece, the low bid to expand the East High School parking lot was approved. The contract goes to Bainbridge Construction, of Kingsley, Iowa, for the amount of $318,913, after coming in lowest of five bids.

School district parents survey

Also in the meeting, parents in a survey have said they think the Sioux City School District is safe and that learning expectations are clearly explained to students.

Communications director Mandie Mayo shared a host of results from the District and School Climate Survey for the 2018-19 year, which was conducted over one month into March. There were 1,877 responses from the 10,086 parents invited to participate in the survey, which is down from the 2,467 responses of last year, when both students and parents were asked to take part.

The results Mayo shared in a PowerPoint presentation showed numbers combining the excellent and good answer totals.

In a survey section devoted to safety and behavior, 93 percent said they strongly agree or agree that school staff members are aware of safety and security procedures, and 91 percent said students are aware of such procedures. Eighty-eight percent said they agree or strongly agree with the statement, "This school is safe."

The survey showed results for grading eight separate district functions, where people could answer whether each facet could be described as excellent, good, fair or poor. Parents said the top function is custodial services, with 87 percent of the combined respondents saying the work was excellent or good. The English Language Learners program followed with 77 percent of respondents saying it was excellent or good, and the lowest of the eight functions was food services, with 56 percent.

Parents received email invitations over five weeks with links to respond to the survey, and also were informed of it by phone calls, text messages, social media posts and other means. Nearly two-thirds of responding parents had elementary-school-age children.

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SIOUX CITY -- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will make his first Sioux City presidential campaign stop of the 2020 cycle on Sunday.

The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre, 528 Pierce St., his campaign announced Tuesday.

Sanders previously appeared in the city several times in 2015 and 2016 when also running for president.

In this election cycle, the number of Democrats running is much larger, with 21 in the field. The latest to join the field, former Vice President Joe Biden, made his first stop in Iowa, with a Cedar Rapids event, on Tuesday.

A number of Democratic candidates seeking to deny the re-election of Republican Donald Trump have campaigned this year in Northwest Iowa, including Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, John Delaney, Andrew Yang, Eric Swalwell, John Hickenlooper, Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar, Tim Ryan, Beto O'Rourke and Cory Booker.

Sanders is an independent senator from Vermont, but he caucuses with Democrats in the Senate. This swing for Sanders in Iowa also includes three events on Saturday, in Ames, Perry and Fort Dodge.

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SIOUX CITY -- GOP leaders in Iowa's 4th congressional district are urging House Republicans to reinstate Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) to his committee assignments, saying his commitment to conservative principles is a longstanding benefit to the party.

At a meeting Saturday in Fort Dodge, the Republican Party 4th District Executive Committee members passed a resolution calling for King to "carry out his duly elected" duties during his two-year term that runs into January 2020.

The committee's letter will be sent to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise, who were part of the GOP team that stripped King of his assignments in January, days after an uproar over King's quotes in a New York Times story drew national attention.

In the article, he asked, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization  how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?"

In his most recent Northwest Iowa town hall meeting in Cherokee on April 22, King said he was misquoted by the Times, and spoke about how the criticism he's faced from his "accusers" in the House has given him better insight into what (Christ) went through for us."

"For all that I've been through -- and it seems even strange for me to say it -- but I am at a certain peace, and it is because of a lot of prayers for me," King said.

And, when I have to step down to the floor of the House of Representatives, and look up at those 400-and-some accusers, you know we just passed through Easter and Christ's passion, and I have better insight into what He went through for us partly because of that experience."

One of the portions of the passed resolution says "the members of the District Executive Committee have never, in all of those years, heard Congressman King utter any phrase stating or which might imply white supremacy or support for white nationalism in any way, shape or form."

"The unanimous support from the 4th District Executive Committee shows Republicans in all 39 counties understand that Congressman King was railroaded over a phony New York Times hit piece," King's son, Jeff, who serves as his father's campaign chairman, said in a statement Monday.

The resolution doesn't speak to the 2020 campaign, in which three Republicans are looking to oust King. Those candidates include state Sen. Randy Feenstra, of Hull, former state legislator Jeremy Taylor, of Sioux City, and Bret Richards, a former mayor of Irwin.

Back in February, the Woodbury County Republican Party Central Committee passed a resolution that supported King and rebuked Republican House leaders for their decision to strip King of his committee assignments.

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SALIX, Iowa -- Salix Mayor Stan Johnson has died after a battle with cancer.

Johnson, 67, died at his home Sunday. He was re-elected as mayor in November 2017, and served four years in the position and 21 years on the Salix City Council.

A city of Salix Facebook post said Johnson will be missed by many people.

"It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Mayor Stanley Johnson after fighting a 4 year battle against Multiple Myeloma. 'Stan the Man' gave so much to his community including 21 years on the Salix City Council and 40 years with Salix Fire and Rescue. Through his leadership, the city was able to accomplish many projects as he generously volunteered his time to help whenever, whoever and wherever he could," the post said.

Johnson grew up in Sloan, Iowa, and graduated from Westwood High School in 1969. He worked in the construction field for many years, then worked for MidAmerican Energy until retiring in 2013.

Among survivors are his wife of 37 years, Deb Johnson, of Salix.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Salix, with burial at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery.

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DES MOINES -- In what is becoming a legislative tradition, lawmakers on the final day of the session approved an expansion of Iowas medical cannabis program.

The latest proposal would remove the cap on how much THC  the chemical in marijuana that creates the users high sensation  and instead limits the amount of medical cannabis a patient can be prescribed at any one time.

It passed the Senate by a 40-7 vote Saturday, the final day of the 2019 legislative session. It was one of the final bills debated.

The program itself was created on the final day of the 2014 session and expanded on the final day of the 2017 session.

This has been a long journey, said Sen. Thomas Greene, R-Burlington, a pharmacist who became emotional and had to pause while expressing his support for the bill and praising fellow senators for their work on it. I know many patients who need this medication. This is a small step, but we need to keep the ball rolling.

Currently, the state limits the amount of THC 3 percent. The provision would remove that cap and instead limit the amount of medical cannabis a physician can recommend to no more than 25 grams in 90 days.

It also softens language on which Iowans can be recommended for the program, changing untreatable pain to severe or chronic pain, and allows physicians assistants and nurse practitioners to recommend patients for the program.

Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, an ardent supporter of the states program, described the latest expansion as not perfect, but a step in the right direction.

The proposal previously passed the House on a 96-3 vote.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has not said whether she would approve the bill.

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IOWA CITY  Resident undergraduate students planning to attend the University of Iowa or Iowa State University next fall will pay 3.9 percent more in tuition than this year if the Board of Regents approves a staff recommendation made public Monday.

That rate is higher than a 3 percent increase the board earlier this year promoted as possible had the Iowa Legislature granted its state appropriations request.

Under the regents' tuition guidance, the board would hold resident undergrad rate increases at the two universities to 3 percent annually provided lawmakers grant the regents full funding ask. On the opposite end of the scale, if lawmakers did not approve any increase, the board would raise the 3 percent rate to add the Higher Education Price Index, which was 2 percent this year.

But the base rate at the states third public university, the University of Northern Iowa, would not change because its student body makeup is different and it faces a different competitive landscape.

Republicans who control the Legislature last week approved a $985 million education budget that includes a $12 million general fund bump for the regents  $6 million shy of the $18 million the board wanted.

That increase  which Gov. Kim Reynolds has yet to approve  will bring total appropriations for the regents to about $575.4 million, up from this budget years $562.9 million.

Lawmakers gave the board discretion on how to split the extra $12 million between the UI, ISU and UNI. The board previously said that if it received the full $18 million more, it would give $7 million to both the UI and ISU and the remaining $4 million to UNI.

The board has not yet disclosed how it might split the $12 million.

And UNI will be seeking a hefty chunk as it will not be getting the tuition revenue bump its sister schools are counting on, according to Mondays tuition proposal.

UNI is treated differently under the regents new tuition plan because it has fewer students, a greater share of resident undergrads who pay the lowest rates and less-expensive competitors.

Board policy requires two public considerations of tuition, but regents have postponed making a decision even as the fall semester was inching closer because the Legislature still was in session for the year until Saturday afternoon.

Regents now will hold a special telephone meeting for the first vote, set for 2 p.m. Wednesday. That will allow them to finalize the fall rates at their June meeting, which will be held at ISU.

In response to Mondays tuition proposal, Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, laid blame for the rising costs on his Republican colleagues.

While the Republican-controlled Legislature finally supported a modest increase in state appropriations for our public universities, funding levels are still inadequate to make up for years of actual declining state funding, he said in an email to The Gazette.

When the Legislature fails, students get a bigger tuition bill. Sadly, many students will miss the opportunity to attend one of these great institutions because they simply cant afford to.

Mondays proposal includes increases for non-resident students, graduate and professional students and those in costlier programs.

Although UNI is not increasing costs for anyone, ISU wants to increase out-of-state undergrad rates 5 percent, while the UI wants to charge those students only 1 percent more.

At the graduate level, ISU wants to up rates 5 percent for both resident and non-resident students, while the UI has proposed more modest increases of 3 percent for residents and 1 percent for non-residents.

ISU and the UI also want to raise student fees about 2.5 percent at all levels for all students.

The proposed tuition and fee increases would bring the total annual cost for a resident undergrad to $9,606 at the UI and $9,320 at ISU. The cost at UNI cost would stay $8,938. Still, those totals keep Iowas public universities at or near the bottom of what their peer groups charge.

On top of the base increases, differential tuition rates  for students in costlier programs  could amount to thousands more, depending on the school, program and resident status.

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A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items of interest for Monday, April 29, 2019:

COURTS SHOPPING CART: Officials in the Iowa Judicial Branch say Iowans now can pay a number of fees and fines they owe electronically. Multiple fees on multiple cases now can be dispensed with a single payment using the new shopping cart feature on Iowa Courts Online.

Previously, users were required to make separate payments for each fine or fee.

The new shopping cart feature for Iowa Courts Online allows anyone owing the courts to pay multiple fines or fees such as a court cost and a speeding ticket in one transaction, similar to making multiple online purchases using an e-commerce shopping website, State Court Administrator Todd Nuccio said.

A person can pay court costs, fines, surcharges, and other court-related debt. It is a more effective and efficient way to collect court debt while providing better customer service to Iowans.

Iowa Courts Online is the most frequently visited state government website with more than 538 million annual page views. It is a popular method for people to search online for filings in Iowa court cases, according to Nuccio.

Anyone can use the Trial Court Case Search to find an outstanding court fine or fee by typing the full name of a party to the case into the search fields.

TAX DEADLINE TODAY: Officials at the Iowa Department of Revenue are reminding most Iowans that their 2018 state individual income taxes are due today.

Earlier this month, the federal Internal Revenue Service and the states revenue agency announced that Iowans whose primary residence or business was within seven counties damaged by flooding will have until July 31 to file and pay 2018 state individual income taxes and business income taxes due between March 12 and July of this year.

The affected counties are Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, Shelby and Woodbury.

More information about state tax relief related to flooding is available on the departments website, tax.iowa.gov/2019-flooding.

As of Friday, the state revenue agency had processed about 1.2 million Iowa individual income tax returns, said Department of Revenue spokesman John Fuller.

Also as of Friday, the department had paid $421 million in refunds to 737,000 Iowans for an average of $571 per taxpayer.

According to the agency, the majority of refunds are issued before the end of May, but various things can delay return processing, such as mailing a paper return, not choosing direct deposit, having errors on a return, missing documentation, and returns identified for additional review.

Iowans with questions about the status of their refunds can get information at tax.iowa.gov/wheres-my-refund on the departments website.

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(AP) Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg (BOO'-tuh-juhj) is stepping up his outreach to African Americans by meeting with a leading civil rights activist, the Rev. Al Sharpton.

The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, plans to have lunch Monday with the founder of the National Action Network at the famed Sylvia's Restaurant in Harlem.



The large group of Democratic presidential candidates includes a record number of women and minorities, and white candidates are discussing racism and white privilege as they work to connect with voters of color.



Buttigieg has said that "any white candidate needs to show a level of consciousness around issues like white privilege."



He plans to focus on black voters during a visit to South Carolina next month that includes a stop at a historically black university.
WATERLOO, Iowa -- Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand held town halls in 13 counties over the weekend looking for "recipes for efficiency."

The goal is to find better ways to run local governments and save money, part of his "Public Innovations and Efficiency" proposal, or PIE. Sand is asking people for their "pie recipes."

"Send us your ideas for how to innovate and make more efficient local and county and state government," Sand said. "We'll have a pie contest every year where we're going to recognize some of the top performers at the county and the local level."

It is the first time a state auditor has hit the road.

"It's not just the first time an auditor has done town halls, it's also the first an auditor has actually used the office's authority to make efficiency recommendations," Sand said. "We were traveling and getting feedback."

Sand displayed a sheet of paper full of ideas from Iowans from over the weekend.

One proposal from Muscatine and Sioux City concerns capturing and selling methane from waste treatment as opposed to burning it, he said. Switching to LED lights is on the list.

You can see Sand's PIE plan and submit ideas at auditor.iowa.gov/pie.

"Every year we expect that we're going to have different ideas that people will give to us that we want to spread," Sand said.

Sand said the town halls are not politically motivated.

"Can an elected official talk to constituents about a new initiative without it being suggested that's it in some way bad?" he saked. "I'd welcome the people who instead just wanted to criticize me to send in their ideas too."

Sand sought comments from Republican officials as well as Democrats.

"I'm glad that there are people in the Republican Party who are happy to be a part of this effort to save taxpayer money," Sand said.

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A few weeks ago, I watched Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti give what sounded awfully close to a stump speech at a luncheon in New York. He started with the usual spiel about mayoral aptitudebipartisanship, innovation, infrastructure, getting things doneand went on to discuss his own heritage, green jobs, climate change, immigration, the Hyperloop, pesticides, inequality, and Americans feeling left behind. He capped it all with a gender-neutral patriotic paraphrase of the poet Robert Browning: A persons reach should always exceed their graspor what is America for?

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To which, once the rapturous applause had died down, his interlocutor responded, You just articulated why you should be running for president.

No one is asking for another Democratic candidate for president. Still, Garcetti has long been considered the man who might finally reconcile the gap between American mayors high sense of self-worth and their dismal record seeking higher office.

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It is one of the most beguiling statistics in U.S. politics: No one with mayoral experience has become president since Calvin Coolidge, who was briefly mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts, and only two others preceded him: Grover Cleveland, who was mayor of Buffalo, New York, and Andrew Johnson, who was mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee, for two years in the 1830s.

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Garcetti says hes not jumping into the 2020 primary, but his peers are: South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is currently sitting at third in the polls. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former mayor of Newark, is running. So is Julian Castro, who was mayor of San Antonio before he became President Barack Obamas secretary of housing and urban development. And former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who was mayor of Denver. And Sen. Bernie Sanders, who got his start in politics as mayor of Burlington, Vermont. And then there is New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who may not be officially running yet but whose dogged, fruitless pursuit of national popularity is proof, in its own way, of mayoral tenaciousness, bravery, and idealism.

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At first glance, being the executive of an American city seems like a fine job from which to launch a greater political career. In reality, very few representatives, senators, or Cabinet officials have come through local politics. Why havent mayors broken through? Does the fact that so many are running this time around mean somethings changed?

Does the fact that so many mayors are running this time around mean somethings changed?

One obvious answer to the first question is that the sphere mayors operate in is largely subservient to state and federal government. Power resides with state and federal officials, who tend to take credit and deflect responsibility when it comes to urban affairs. A governor might score points for a tax cut, for example, but leave it to a mayor to figure out how to maintain after-school programs with less revenue. De Blasio, in particular, has been a victim of this dynamic, big-footed and blamed by New Yorks powerful governor, Andrew Cuomo, on matters as small as animal rescue and as big as education. Things could be worse, President Lyndon Johnson quipped during a difficult moment in the Oval Office, I could be a mayor.

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That structure puts mayors on the outside track for higher office but, more importantly, reinforces the fact that they have little say on big issues. Mayors have way less power than you think, says Richard Schragger, the author of City Power. In Charlottesville, the mayor couldnt control guns, couldnt take down Confederate monuments, couldnt control the minimum wage, couldnt adopt inclusionary housing ordinances. In many cases, even basic local policymaking has been co-opted by statehouses dominated by conservative, anti-urban interests. Which, of course, is as much a problem for us as for mayors: Americas rural-dominated governmentwhich gives eight senators to Wyoming, Vermont, and the Dakotas (total population 2.8 million) and two to California (population 39.6 million)gives little thought to metropolitan issues like homelessness or public transportation.

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After two terms in South Bend, Buttigieg could be an example of the shortfalls of running for higher office on a mayoral record. For one thing, voters probably wont care how a mayor picked up snow or rebuilt the waste-to-energy plant, even as reporters home in on the more controversial aspects of a tenure, like Buttigiegs dismissal of a black police chief and his efforts to enforce building code violations in communities of color.

For another, the kind of coalition building and compromise thats required to run a city may look unattractive, particularly in the base-driven primaries, compared with candidates who have hewed to neat ideological lines in the legislature. Michael Bloomberg finally seems to have realized his moderate vibe makes him a bad fit for the Democratic electorate. And as Rudy Giuliani worked his way into the GOP mainstream, particularly during a primary run for president in 2012, he strayed so far from his centrist reputation that in 2018 he was booed at a Yankees gamea rebuke that would have been unthinkable a decade earlier. (This challenge of getting through primaries on pragmatism has also applied to governors, though their issues are more relevant during a presidential campaign.) A record of getting things done just might not be that appealing.

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For a third, most Americans have long associated city politics with corruption or graft, first that of the white urban machinesthink the Daleysand later that of black leaders like Detroits Coleman Young and Washington, D.C.s Marion Barry. Add to that the greater crisis of disinvestment, crime, and poverty that afflicted so many U.S. cities in the second half of the 20th century. Add to that, perhaps most importantly, the indelible association in the white mind of the American city with black power and racial conflict. Perhaps it is no surprise that for so long no one thought of city hall as a building block in a national platform.

But maybe thats changing. Mayoring is not just about picking up garbage and clearing snow anymore: Some mayors have advanced complex, progressive social agendas, like de Blasios success in providing prekindergarten to 70,000 kids. Others, like Garcetti, can lay claim to ambitious infrastructure initiativesLos Angeles County is setting aside $120 billion to fund regional transportation, including highways and rail projects. Still others have led the way on issues that have newfound national resonance, like climate change, housing, and racial justice. And virtually every big-city mayor has been loud and clear about his support for immigrants and opposition to federal immigration policy, with many maintaining so-called sanctuary cities in open defiance of federal law enforcement.

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The reputation of the American city isnt what it used to be. The countrys drug problem, once a symbol of urban dysfunction, is mostly white and rural now. Despite President Donald Trumps repeated invocation of Chicagos gun violence, urban politics is just as likely to signify class, power, and money. Thats certainly true of cities where gentrification and displacement have upended black and Latino neighborhoods and created new emblems of urbanity for public consumption.

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But its also true of places like Milwaukee, as the political scientist Katherine Cramer has shown, despite the fact that urban poverty remains endemic. Even a mayor of a depressed, post-industrial city is just as likely to be associated with condos and bike lanes as with unemployment or racial strifeor sometimes, as in Buttigiegs case, with both. The truth is, many mayors are presiding over downtown revitalization and neighborhood poverty at the same time. But to a visitor, things look good: Auto theft is down, condos are up.

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Most importantly, the Democratic Party is not what it used to be: The urban-rural divide is real, and more than ever, Democratic votes are to be found in the countrys cities and suburbs. There are fewer rural Democrats than at any time in history. The party is less white than ever before. The consequences of those shifts are emerging in policy discussionsfor example, in Sens. Booker, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren emphasizing housing policy, or in the expectation that all Democratic candidates will answer questions about policing. We may not get a president who ran one of the countrys cities, but at least, for a change, well get to talk about them.
Battle Analysis: The Battle of Winterfell

Recently an army of the living cobbled together from Dothraki cavalry, Unsullied emancipated infantry, a variety of Westerosi warriors, and a pair of dragons (hereafter known as Team Alive) fought against a diverse array of animated corpses (hereafter known as Team Dead). Neither army had fought anything like the Battle of Winterfell before. Despite some significant errors, Team Alive carried the day.

Most armchair analysis of the battle thus far, particularly on social media, has concentrated on the mistakes made by Team Alive, to the exclusion both of a careful account of Team Deads errors and of an appreciation for why Team Alive made the decisions it did. Here, using expertise developed through study and instruction at the United States Army War College, we examine with care how Team Alive overcame cultural and organizational impediments to develop and carry out the plan that defeated Team Dead.

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Team Alive

We should be clear here about Team Alives strategy; it needed to induce a fight in order to avoid the threat of a prolonged siege. With horses, dragons, and lots of infantry, Team Alive would consume food at a much greater rate than Team Dead, which, uniquely among fighting forces, wouldnt consume food at all. Team Alive wanted to lure Team Dead into battle before the gates of Winterfell because it wanted to either destroy the Night Kings army or the Night King himself. This meant accepting battle under disadvantageous circumstances, including darkness.

Cavalry

Team Alives use of cavalry has received harsh criticism from analysts, in part because of the near-complete annihilation of the force within minutes of the beginning of the battle. Team Alive deserves some of this criticism, but the cavalry attack is best thought of as a low-odds gamble in a difficult situation than as an error in judgment.

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The success of a cavalry attack against infantry requires either flanking (hitting a formation on its side while some other group fixes its front) or a shocking frontal assault that disrupts the formation. Both of these depend more on psychological than on physical factors. Fear of being attacked from two sides induces infantry to break and flee, just as fear of being overrun causes infantry to throw down their weapons and run. In either case, cavalry runs free and kills until the infantry can pull itself back together. But crucially, success depends on the ability of the cavalry to induce panic.

We also know from ancient and medieval sources that commanders struggled to keep even experienced cavalry under control. Once cavalry left sight range and hearing distance of a commander, it was effectively on its own and not manageable. Cavalry formations commonly abandoned the battlefield to pursue objectives distinct from those of their commanding officers. Even as recently at the Battle of Gettysburg, Gen. Robert E. Lee lost contact with his cavalry, leaving him blind in the fight against the Army of the Potomac.

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Team Alive knew enough about Team Dead to guess that the Dothraki faced a kind of infantry that they had never encountered before; one without fear and thus invulnerable to shock and flanking. Moreover, in the dark, the Dothraki probably could not even identify the enemy flank. Although its not clear that Team Alive had a well-thought out plan for the cavalry charge, it may have believed that it could take advantage of the lack of discipline of Team Dead (which did not fight in tight phalanxes or with standardized weapons) in order to reach and attack the middle management of White Walkers. Alexander the Great employed a variant of this strategy at the Battle of Gaugamela.

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While all of this makes theoretical sense, it also runs counter to decades of Dothraki fighting experience. When Dothraki fought undisciplined infantry, that infantry broke and ran. When Dothraki fought disciplined infantry (the Unsullied, for example), the infantry took casualties but could retreat and maintain integrity and mobility. At the Battle of Winterfell, Team Deads infantry simply absorbed the greater part of the Dothraki cavalry without breaking and running. This left the cavalry immobile and largely defenseless against attacks from every side. The Dothraki likely did not envision their attack as a suicide charge, but they had limited tools with which to judge the effectiveness of Team Dead.

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None of this makes the cavalry charge a good idea. But the mistake was made in the days before the Battle of Winterfell, not in the minutes before the charge. The best employment of the Dothraki would have come as long range scouts and skirmishers in the days before the battle. Even then, however, their utility was limited; cavalry often succeeds by disrupting supply lines and ambushing foraging parties, and Team Dead needed neither of these. And in any case, unless Team Alive spared a dragon for air support, any accumulation of Dothraki would have been vulnerable to Viserion. If the Dothraki had not charged, they would have found themselves pinned against the infantry, their mobility lost. If they had moved right or left in search of Team Deads flanks, they would have run the risk of being flanked themselves (Team Dead also had cavalry, and its infantry was fast and fearless) or destroyed by Viserion and the Night King.

Infantry

As with cavalry, the infantry of the living has little experience fighting an army of the dead. While they could expect that Team Dead wouldnt lose morale in the face of heavy losses, the effectiveness of the Unsullied against the wights remained uncertain. It was not wholly unreasonable to think that the worlds most disciplined infantry might hold Team Dead for long enough for either the cavalry (had it survived) or the dragons to have a substantial impact. It didnt work out, but the Unsullied were disciplined enough to hold together and cover the retreat of much of Team Alive. As it was, Team Dead simply overran the advance ranks of Team Alives infantry without bothering overmuch about flanking maneuvers.

Artillery

Team Alives use of artillery was just plain bad. It deployed a series of catapults and trebuchets between the cavalry and the infantry, and used them in a preparatory barrage immediately prior to the cavalry charge. The idea of hitting Team Dead just before the charge might make sense with the destructive power of World War I artillery, but trebuchets and catapults simply couldnt supply sufficient firepower to put a dent in dismounted infantry in a pre-modern context. And after the cavalry charge failed, the artillery quickly fell victim to Team Deads infantry assault. A better strategy would have placed the artillery behind the infantry, or better yet inside the walls of Winterfell, where it could have continued firing for a much longer duration.

Dragons

Dragons represented the biggest advantage of Team Alive. Commanders Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow rode Drogon and Rhaegal, respectively, and had a two-to-one numerical advantage over Team Dead. However, as with much historical air combat, Team Alive could not simply force a favorable engagement against Team Dead; the Night King could either avoid combat entirely or could rely on his armys proven anti-air defenses. Indeed, every decision to use dragon fire to support the infantry was fraught with peril, as it represented a potential opportunity for ambush by either the Night King or his White Walkers.

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The Faceless Men were founded millennia after the last conflict between the living and the dead, meaning that Team Dead would have only a limited knowledge of their existence and capabilities.

Team Alives greatest moment of jeopardy may have come early, as Jon Snow considered using Rhaegal to strafe a line of mounted White Walkers. Each of those Walkers carried an ice spear that posed a mortal threat to Rhaegal, and a trade would have gone very badly for Team Alive. Fortunately, the Night King made the error of conjuring a storm at precisely that moment, dissuading Snow from making the attack and obscuring Team Alives dragons from ground fire.

Nevertheless, Team Alives strategy for using dragons worked, despite the snowstorm conjured by Team Dead. The Night King failed to successfully isolate and ambush Drogon and Rhaegal, and eventually found himself forcibly dismounted by the combined efforts of Team Alives dragon riders. Had Daenerys Targaryen simply instructed Drogon to land near the Night King and either tear him to pieces or hold him until Jon Snow arrived with Valyrian steel, the battle might have ended much sooner.

Fortifications

Team Alive used a layered system of fortification designed to provide breathing room for the defenders in case of defeat in the field. The first layers were sets of wooden obstacles, backstopped by a flaming trench. The second layer was the walls of Winterfell itself; the third, a variety of obstacles within the castle. The final redoubt lay in the crypts, which could only be attacked through a single, easily defensible door (until, that is, the ancestors of the Starks rose to the Night Kings summons).

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None of this was a bad idea, and the concept was certainly better thought out than a simple retreat to the walls. When the moment came, Team Dead used its fearless, disposable soldiers to create multiple routes for scaling the walls. Team Alive would have anticipated this, which is probably one reason it didnt waste excessive efforts against protecting from breaches. Team Alive lacked the infrastructure for producing wildfire, which was of limited utility in a battle against infantry in any case. Boiling oil might have made the wights more irritable but probably would not have slowed their advance. Moreover, Team Alive was aware of the presence of giants on Team Dead and had experience of giants breaking through well-fortified doors (both at Castle Black and at Winterfell).

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Team Alive would have been well-advised to develop multiple defensible redoubts within Winterfell that would have been difficult to scale or breach. And someone probably should have taken note of the fact that the crypts contained dead people.

Special Forces

Team Alive had a Faceless Man, an assassin trained on the other side of the Narrow Sea. While Team Alive lacked a clear plan for how to bring the Faceless Man (or woman, in this case) together with the principals of Team Dead, the mere presence of such a killer offered an obvious, and in this case decisive, advantage for Team Alive. The Faceless Men were founded millennia after the last conflict between the living and the dead, meaning that Team Dead would have only a limited knowledge of their existence and capabilities.

Team Dead

Team Dead entered the battle with a huge numerical advantage, an army consisting of soldiers with no fear of death, an undead dragon, and no logistical footprint. Team Dead sought the complete destruction of Team Alive but focused specifically on the dragons Drogon and Rhaegal, and on the three-eyed crow, a  well, it remains unclear, but it was important to Team Dead.

Infantry

Team Deads use of infantry was unimaginative but effective. The army of wights kept Team Alives cavalry away from the commanders (White Walkers) and employed shock tactics to disrupt Team Alives infantry squares. When necessary, wights sacrificed themselves to provide bridging and climbing positions for their brethren, effectively operating as animate siege engines. In operational terms, Team Dead could advance rapidly because its soldiers required no rest, cutting down on the prep time available to Team Alive. In short, the infantry branch of Team Dead did as well as could be reasonably expected.

Anti-Aircraft Artillery

Anti-dragon missiles represented one of Team Deads asymmetric advantages. The Night King had used such a missile to down Viserion, and many of the other White Walkers carried them. Used properly, these would have provided a deterrent against dragon attacks, as well as an opportunity to create a trap that could down one or more dragons. These missiles made Team Alives decision to use dragons in a ground support role extremely dangerous, especially without good intelligence about the disposition of the Walkers. In the event, the snowstorm made it difficult for Team Alive to even take note of the weapons, and Team Dead squandered one of its biggest advantages.

Magic

The Night King has two tricks up his sleeve, one to prep the battlefield and the other to clean it up. The first is to conjure a snowstorm, which reduces visibility and makes it difficult for Drogon and Rhaegal to work as a team. As noted above, however, this seems to have the unfortunate effect of also reducing the Night Kings visibility, as he struggles to intercept either of the living dragons in an advantageous situation and can never bring those dragons under fire from his own anti-dragon spearmen.

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The Night Kings other trick, reanimating the dead, came in handy after Daenerys knocked him off Viserion late in the battle. Immune to Drogons fire, the Night King was clearly not immune to the Valyrian steel of Jon Snows sword. His reanimation trick created additional infantry, sparing him the trouble of melee combat with Jon Snow and creating a variety of problems for Team Alive.

Dragons

The Night King had one dragon to Team Alives two. Undead Viserion was instrumental to breaking through the Wall and was a useful-if-not-critical asset at the Battle of Winterfell. But having a dragon means that you can lose a dragon, and Viserion became a focus for Team Alive early in the fight.

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The Night King could solve his tactical problem in two ways. First, he could isolate Drogon or Rhaegal and bring one down by ambush before the other could come up in support. Its not clear whether a living dragon is tougher than a dead dragon, or whether it has better sensory organs. The Night Kings aerial ambush of Drogon and Rhaegal went badly, as Viserion quickly lost momentum after a straight vertical attack, leaving Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen with improved situational awareness and an altitude advantage. The brief fight between Rhaegal and Viserion was inconclusive before Drogon arrived to tip the balance.

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Second, the Night King could have used himself as bait to draw Drogon or Rhaegal into a kill box of White Walkers carrying ice spears. Pilots of the Vietnamese Peoples Air Force regularly used such tactics to lure American fighters into the range of anti-aircraft artillery. Team Dead had a much better sense of the disposition of its forces on the battlefield, making this an obvious maneuver. Whether because of a failure of planning or of execution, the Night King did not spring this trap.

Wrap

Team Dead entered this battle with massive advantages in every category other than cavalry and dragons. It destroyed Team Alives cavalry and the bulk of its infantry in short order, and also reduced the formidable fortification of Winterfell. Team Dead nevertheless made mistakes, failing to develop a coherent plan for defeating Team Alives dragons and failing to anticipate the lethality of Team Alives special operators. The inexperience of Team Alive in waging battle against the dead was palpable, but Team Dead also lacked experience fighting a battle of this scale against a multifaceted force of the living. Unfortunately, the lessons learned department of Team Dead likely crumbled to dust shortly after the Night King.

The views expressed here are the personal views of Farley and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, or the Army War College on the Battle of Winterfell.
Daniel Mallory Ortberg is online weekly to chat live with readers. Heres an edited transcript of this weeks chat.

Q. Sex with my married BFF: Im in love with my best friend. Hes married. We started a sexual affair last year. (He and his wife seem to have an unofficial or unspoken understanding about extramarital affairs.) I dont think he knows Im in love with him, and I dont think hes in love with me. I want him to be happy more than anything. Ill put his happiness over mine every time. (Ive never felt that so genuinely, even when I was married. It is an awesome feeling.) I think he really loves his wife and he seems to want to stay married, so thats what I want for him.

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But she is not a good wife! She criticizes him in front of his friends in really emasculating ways. She rolls her eyes, uses mean words, and just generally seems to not enjoy his company. I think its appalling. What do I do? Its so hard to bite my tongue. Maybe thats hard in part because of my feelings, but its nonetheless hard, and other friends of his feel the same way. When I hang out with just her, I have a good time as long as she isnt talking about him. Its just that I think shes awful to him. If he doesnt mind how she treats him, then I shouldnt mind, right? I mean, its not my marriage. Or do I tell her to knock it off? Or do I tell him he doesnt deserve that? Or are there other options? Ive gone and fallen in love, so Im not thinking straight.

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A: Yeah, I mean, Im not so sure that your friend is a terrific husband in return. You say that he and his wife seem to have an unspoken understanding about affairs, which means that they dont have an actual, real, go-ahead-and-ask-me-about-my-open-marriage understanding. Which means that hes been cheating on her for a year! And unless you are unbelievably good at hiding the signs of love (and most people arent), my guess is that your friend is perfectly aware that youre pining away for him and is very happy to keep avoiding any clarifying conversations about the nature of his relationship with his wife, his plans for the future, and any desires or expectations that you might have.

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His wife may be a generally critical and unpleasant person. Or she may be an otherwise pleasant person whos unnecessarily unkind to her husband. Or she may be suspicious that hes cheating on her and acting out. Or she may be relatively well behaved and youre looking for reasons to make her a bad person so you dont feel guilty for having unofficial or unspoken sex with her husband. I truly dont know! But I do know that unless your friend wants to leave his wife, it doesnt really matter how unworthy you think she is of him.

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Youve clearly been spending a lot of time thinking about what your friend deserves from his romantic relationships. I think it would behoove you to think about what you want and expect from your romantic relationships. Its great that youve already decided upon a policy of His Happiness Comes First, but has he ever actually asked you to fall on a sword for him? Does he appreciate and appropriately regard your desire to suffer for him? Would he, in a word, care? What are you getting out of this relationship, besides good sex and a sense of yourself as a martyr for love? What would your life look like if you let yourself want more?

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How to Get Advice From Prudie:

 Send questions for publication to prudence@slate.com. (Questions may be edited.)

 Join the live chat Mondays at noon. Submit your questions and comments here before or during the discussion.

 Call the voicemail of the Dear Prudence podcast at 401-371-DEAR (3327) to hear your question answered on a future episode of the show.

Q. Fatherless and confused: To jump right into things, my father is currently dying of Stage IV skin cancer. The disease is being held in a sort of holding pattern for the moment due to a combination of drugs, but the basic statement right now is when this kills him and not if this kills him.

The problem for me is that my father and I do not have a good relationship. In fact, we barely have a relationship at all. After my parents separated when I was 2, he seemingly decided his part was done, and we didnt hear from him for another nine years. When he finally did reach out to me, it was (and has continued to be) very sporadic. Ive asked him about those nine years to figure out why he didnt want to be involved in my life, only to have him lay the blame solely on my mother.

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I had thought that our relationship might improve at least a little when my son was born, only to be disappointed when my father showed even less interest in his new grandson than he did in me.

Recently, he had a bit of a scare when one of his screenings showed potential signs of the cancer having metastasized to his pancreas, a movement that would have reduced his life expectancy to months. It got me started thinking about how I want to handle his death when it inevitably comes and what I am (or am not) obligated to do. Am I a bad daughter for wanting to set the record straight with him about all the misplaced blame hes flinging at my mother? Should I just let it go and move on? What about his total lack of interest in my son? I know I cant force him to be interested in my son, but my father doesnt seem to remember my babys name, let alone anything else Ive told him. And finally, is it odd that, despite our lack of closeness, Im still upset about his impending death?

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A: Its not at all odd that youre upset at the prospect of losing your father. Even if he was in many ways a bad father, hes still the only one youve ever hadof course his death is upsetting and overwhelming. If your father is not currently in a medical crisis, and he still brings up your mother in order to cast her as the bad guy (you say hes flinging blame at her, which suggests to me this wasnt a sort of one-and-done conversation), then I think you have grounds to say, at least, something like Dad, please dont talk about my mom this way. Shes my mother and I love her and I dont want you to insult her in front of me.

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Its completely up to you whether you want to talk to your father about how his reaction to your first child made you feel, or the lack of closeness brought on by his abandonment of you as a toddler. I think it would be helpful to think in advance about what your goals would be from such a conversation. Is it just to tell him the truth, even if he doesnt respond well or agree with you? Are you hoping for an apology and acknowledgement of wrongdoing? What would it feel like if you asked for one and didnt get it? If theres anyone else you can talk to about your goals beforehand, that might help you get a clearer sense of whether it feels worth doing right now.

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Q. Out of line? Several months ago, a work colleague of my husbands asked my husband to give a third friend, a woman, a ride to their work because she doesnt have a car, lives near us, and just started working with them. I was uncomfortable with my husband going out of his way to ride in a car with another woman he doesnt know every week. They work at a university and they are professors and she is a teaching assistant.

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I recently went behind my husbands back and searched for this womans name in his work email. Several chats came up between him and his male colleague, discussing this woman and making sexual jokes about her. My husband hypothetically joked about bringing her favorite music and perfume in the car when picking her up and giving her a ride with his hands. He also wrote that it isnt an imposition to spend time with her because shes so beautiful. His male colleague wrote to my husband that the woman is bored in her relationship and isnt monogamous, so my husband should give her more rides to and from work in case he gets lucky. My husband just laughed in their online chat. Ive also found out that this woman has approached my husband to supervise her for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship and he accepted. Hes also planning to spend more time with her to collaborate on research articles.

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I confronted my husband. I set an ultimatum that he not work with this woman ever, for our relationship and for professional integrity. I told him it was inappropriate, even illegal, to write sexual jokes about a colleague over work email, especially a colleague whom hell supervise. My husband insists that hes done nothing wrong, hes never cheated, and it was banter with his colleague that was in poor taste. He said he wont rule out working with this woman because its good for his career and that Im overreacting and he cant trust me because I searched his emails. I know it was horrible to search his emails, but I cant forget what I read. Am I out of line for reading his emails and setting an ultimatum about working with this woman? Weve made a marriage counseling appointment, but it isnt for several weeks.

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A: They are not colleagues, not even supervisory colleagues. Your husband is a professor and she is a teaching assistant and theres a significant gap in terms of authority and job security between them. If hes using his university email to plan to sexually harass her while also supervising the next stage of her career and wielding not-inconsiderable power over her future opportunities, its incumbent on you to forward them to the universitys Title IX office. This isnt just an issue of infidelity. Its a deeply upsetting abuse of power. Its not lighthearted banter to talk about a teaching assistant with a fellow professor and promising to use the fact that she doesnt have a car as an opportunity to try to grope her.

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Q. From groupie to girlfriend: I recently began dating a member of my favorite band. The community of music that they are in is a very tightknit one. Many people at their shows have become friends and family over the years, which has been intimidating to say the least. A few months back I attended my first show as a girlfriend, not a groupie. I messed up big time, Prudie. I brought along one of my best friends who has also followed the band with me over the years. At this particular show, we were able to engage in backstage activities prior to their set. I was in no shape to go on the floor and watch their set, but I did. I dont remember too much of the show. Fast forward a few days. I got a message from the bands tour manager stating that she got a written complaint about me from a woman in the crowd. (This is the tightknit-community part; everyone knows everyone.)

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The manager was super upset. I cried for days about the situation and wrote an apology message to both the woman in the crowd and the tour manager. My boyfriend brushed it off and was not upset at all. I have since attended multiple shows and have kept myself in check to redeem myself as a face of the band. I have gotten to know the other guys in the band well and we are all good friends now. The problem is, the tour manager is still upset with me. We recently attended an intimate brunch for the band after a show, and each time I would come into a room, she would immediately leave. Other people in the band are starting to notice, and she has not spoken a word to me since the night of that first show. She is a very close friend of my boyfriend and the band in general. Festival season is coming up and we will be spending a lot of time together. I know not everyone is going to like me, and Im all right with that.

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However, how do I address the awkwardness of this when we will all be together so much? (Im talking multiple day trips in a small tour bus.) Should I worry that she will tell the other band members about the message she received? Do I try to reach out to her again in person or just let it be?

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A: I wish I knew more about what you didthe details of this womans complaint seem pretty relevant here! Its also concerning that your boyfriend seems unbothered by whatever happened. Do you think hes right to consider it a non-issue? Are you more upset about what you did or more upset that this woman no longer wants to be in the same room as you? Do you often consider not blacking out (I take it thats what you mean by backstage activities) to be keeping yourself in check? Do you want to reassess your relationship to drugs and alcohol in a larger sense?

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As for the short term: Youve already apologized to this woman and shes decided she doesnt want to be in the same room with you. You have to respect that, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable to let her set such an obvious boundary in public. Do not reach out to her again, as shes made it very clear that she doesnt want to talk with you. The best thing you can grant her is her space. I dont have a great long-term answer for how to contextualize this one incident because I have no idea what you said or did to her. But I think you should talk about this with a therapist and one or two friends who are a little removed from this music scene to get a better sense of how you can best try to make a meaningful amends and act differently in the future.

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Q. Woody Allen poster dilemma: My beloved father-in-law passed away last month. We both worked at the same office. For 20-plus years, he had a poster of a famous Woody Allen movie in his office. I love this movie as well, and we would often quote lines to one another. Now that hes gone and I helped to clean out his office, the poster has been passed along to me. My question is: I love the film and want to honor his memory and what I think may have been his wish to gift it to me, but can I display it in my office? I pride myself on being a safe space for those who wish to speak with me, but I dont know if I can ignore the baggage that goes with the poster. Can I separate the artists (accused) behaviors from the film that I love and the father-in-law who related to it? Should I just store it in my home so that people wont think that I condone Allens (supposed) actions? Any advice would be appreciated!

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A: The question isnt whether you can separate the artists behavior from his art. The question is whether you think it would make most people, especially traumatized and vulnerable people, feel comfortable and ready to share painful confidences with you if they had to look at a poster over your head featuring one of the most famous accused abusers in the world. You do not have to personally settle his culpability or what ought to happen to him. This isnt a question of watching Annie Hall and having a complicated private conversation with friends afterward. Its about what message you want to send in your office at work.

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Q. Hairdo nightmare: My younger brother is getting married in June, and my three children and I were asked to be in the wedding party. My daughters are 10 and 6 and my son is 4. My sister-in-law-to-be signed a contract with hair and makeup stylists months ago without consulting the bridal party about the associated costs. When I learned that it was going to cost me $200 for myself plus another $100 each for my daughters, I called her and told her that Id be happy to get my hair and makeup done at my local salon at a cost that is more comfortable for me. I let her know, politely, that it is out of my budget to spend $400 for hair and makeup for myself and two children (and my 6-year-old has chin-length hair!) but that wed show up at the hotel all done up and ready to go, with time to spend taking pictures with the rest of the bridal party.

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Prudence, she threw a fit! She told me that since I have a job, I should be fine paying for this. I should mention that I am a decade older than the rest of the wedding party, and the only one with children and a mortgage. I reminded her that she signed a contract without consulting us, and I never consented to spending that kind of money. She gave me an ultimatum that if I wouldnt do this, I didnt need to be in the party. I said nothing. Then, last week, she told me that the children and I are no longer part of the wedding party.

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We havent spoken since, save for a nasty text from my brother, calling me a fking bh and a ct for making his fiancee cry. How should I handle this situation moving forward? They both live in my brothers childhood bedroom at my parents house (25 minutes from me, where I visit frequently). What if she asks me to rejoin the wedding party? I certainly dont want to, but I dont know how to gracefully handle all of this.

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A: Wow! Oh, wow, your brother and sister-in-law-to-be certainly make quite a pair. They are remarkably adept at unnecessary escalations, and I think you are well out of it. Your counteroffer was extremely reasonable; while members of a bridal party are often expected to pay for their own travel and wardrobe, its not customary to sign them up involuntarily for an expensive salon service. And telling you that by virtue of being employed you have no right to set a budget, and to call you the C-word (!), is so far beyond the pale. You didnt make her cry, she made a wildly unreasonable request, you politely demurred, and she lost her shit. Count your blessings and keep your distance.

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Q. Re: Fatherless and confused: This article by Emily Yoffe, What Do Grown Children Owe Their Terrible, Abusive Parents? has given comfort to me and many people I know. It validates those of us who often feel like no one understands our feelings. And consider going to Al-Anon, where you will find people with very similar struggles with dysfunctional or neglectful loved ones.

A: Thats a great piece; thanks for resharing it. And Al-Anon or one of its many alternatives (SMART Recovery Family & Friends, HARM LESS, LifeRing, etc.) may very well prove helpful, although some of their meetings may be restricted only to those trying to deal with a loved one who suffers from alcohol or drug addiction, so be sure to clarify that before attending a meeting.

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Q. Switching schools: Ill be in ninth grade next year, and Im leaving my school. Im very happy about it as I love the school I am going to, but some of my teachers are acting strange about it. They seem to take it personally, making comments like You sure you want to go there? (rude tone, acting like she was questioning my decision) and from another teacher, Its so sad, youre abandoning us, youll be torn from the class   like somehow I was doing this just to hurt her. There are those two teachers particularly, but others have said passive-aggressive things that kind of bother me. Should I just wait it out or say something? There are only eight weeks left of school, and I dont want to make a problem, but I feel uncomfortable. Also, is it OK to wear a sweatshirt with my new schools name on it to school? To be clear, everyone knows Im leaving, and only some of my friends and a couple teachers (not the ones who are upset) actually know the name of the new school, but they might be able to tell. Is it rude?

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A: You are certainly allowed to wear another schools sweatshirt, but Im wondering if part of the reason you want to wear it is to avoid further potentially uncomfortable conversations: Look, heres how done this deal is: Ive already got a new school uniform, so theres nothing to talk about anymore. Which is again, fine and allowed, although it may actually prompt more versions of the kind of conversation youre hoping to avoid. If your main goal is to keep your head down and make it through the next eight weeks, Id stick to other sweatshirts, and if some of your teachers try to guilt you into staying, you can just say, Youre kind to worry about me, and Ill miss all of you, but Im really excited about this move.

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Q. Not my sisters therapist: My older sister divorced and has started dating again. She dates men who have conservative Christian values. Several times shes reached a point in a relationship where shes excited to have a partner and will text, call, and message me about him. Shes especially enthusiastic when it comes to the sex, which she brags about at great length and in excruciating detail.

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Eventually, her new beau says something misogynistic, usually during an argument. The comments are things like shes used up because shes had sex with too many men or she disgusts them for the same reason. She forgives this treatment every time because the sex is so good. Eventually, they break up over some other issue. Then she wants me to help her pick up the pieces before the cycle starts again.

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Ive had emotionally and physically abusive relationships with men who said these same things. Every time we have this conversation, I experience that trauma again. Every time, I tell her that good sex doesnt justify this kind of treatment. Every time, I tell her that if someone says something in an argument thats cruel, its because on some level they feel that way. These men are telling her how they really feel. I can tell because its right on the tip of their tongue as soon as theres a disagreement. I wouldnt accept that in a relationship and I dont think she should accept it either. I have told her this many, many times. Im not in a place where I can afford to keep reliving my trauma to try to help her. I love my sister, but how do I tell her Im not her relationship counselor? How do I set this boundary with her and enforce it when shes crying and freaking out?

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A: While your sisters situation sounds distressing and upsetting, I dont think shes in a position where you need to feel primarily responsible for her safety. I think its reasonable and safe for you to tell her that you cant help her talk through these relationships anymore as long as the organizing principle of her distress is centered around her partners misogyny and sexual cruelty. Youve already tried to offer her support and advice numerous times, and its bringing up enough painful memories of the abuse youve suffered that I think nows the time to draw that line. Tell her before she gets into a fight with her next boyfriend that youre no longer available for these conversations; do your best to let her know calmly and without judgment that youre not asking her to stop dating these men or even to stop discussing them permanently with you, but that you simply cant be the one she turns to in the middle of a fight.

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Q. Re: Out of line? The wife said, I recently went behind my husbands back and searched for this womans name in his work email. If her husband said he doesnt trust her for this, then hes changed his email password to lock her out. Its incumbent on you to forward them to the universitys Title IX office. Unless the wife forwarded them to her own email account, this is not going to happen. And if someone else forwards those emails, then hes going to blame his wife for it anyway.

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A: He may have changed it! He also may not have. If she has access to the emails, she should forward them, and if she doesnt, she should still file a report so that the university can conduct an investigation.

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Daniel Mallory Ortberg: Thanks for chatting, everyone. See you next week!

If you missed Part 1 of this weeks chat, click here to read it.

Discuss this column with Dear Prudence on his Facebook page!

Classic Prudie

Q. Marriage possibly ending: I have been with the same guy for six years, married for one. He has two sons from a previous marriage, and she is not in the picture. If it is relevant Im a male too. My husband has asked me if I could accept his moving into his own apartment for a year because he has never been on his own. He says he doesnt want us to break up, just live apart for a while. The boys would stay with me in our home, and he would take them to spend the night every so often. We would also have a weekly date night just to keep our relationship on track. He married his ex right out of high school, and they had children right away, so he really hasnt ever been on his own. I have not given a response other than asking a few questions. Truthfully the idea makes me mad as hell and I just want to tell him to leave if you want and take your damn brats with you! Then I calm down and realize I cant live without him and the boys. Or maybe I can. I feel this is unbelievably selfish of him, but I kind of understand. But the boys have already been abandoned by their mother, how would this plan affect them? I am so confused, and hurt.

And find even more letters in the Dear Prudie archive.
Something unusual happened one recent Sunday morning at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska. It was the Sunday after Easter, and a group of eight middle school students had spent the past school year in confirmation class together, preparing to become formal members of their church. Their confirmation service was set to take place that day. But this year, the class made other plans: Together, the students wrote a statement rejecting their membership as an act of resistance. Two class members read it in front of the church. While we love our congregation, they said, as their parents and other members watched from the pews, we believe the United Methodist policies on LGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex marriage are immoral.

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A clip from the presentation went viral on Monday, as evidence that this generation will save us all:

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In case you needed a reason to believe that this generation will save us all, here it is. The entire confirmation class at First United Methodist Omaha decided not to join at this time in protest of the UMCs anti lgbtq+ policies.  pic.twitter.com/mDjwMTu9ZJ  Sheri Shuler (@SheriShuler) April 28, 2019

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It was pretty clear from that snippet that the congregation didnt recoil in outrage at the youth protest; a smattering of applause can be heard in the last few seconds. But the clip didnt capture the completeness of the churchs support for the act of defiance. According to Kent Little, FUMCs lead pastor, the class received a standing ovation. Then the church offered a blessing for each child, affirming their decision and affirming their faith, followed by a celebratory lasagna dinner. Little said that he has only had one or two young people in 27 years decide to opt out of church membership after going through the confirmation class. To have them band together and say No, thats not a small thing, he said. We adults could learn something from that.

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This is a strange, sad time in many United Methodist Church congregations across the United States. At a large church conference in February, delegates voted to strengthen the denominations opposition to gay clergy and to same-sex marriage. Unlike many mainline denominations, the United Methodist Church has never formally welcomed gay clergy or sanctioned same-sex marriages. But in practice, the denomination offered individual congregations wide latitude in recent years. The triumph of the traditional planthe name given to the proposal to crack down on queer clergy and same-sex marriage ceremonies in the churchchanges that, threatening violators with suspension and defrocking. Last week, a Methodist court upheld the substance of the changes, which go into effect in January 2020.

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This is a strange, sad time in many United Methodist Church congregations across the United States.

The traditional plan raises the possibility that the countrys largest mainline Protestant denomination will fracture over an issue about which it had long tolerated a measure of disagreement. The American branch of the denomination is not clearly liberal or conservative: Elizabeth Warren, George W. Bush, and Jeff Sessions are all Methodists. The overwhelmingly white American church is also shrinking. The vote in February signified the gathering strength of the denomination outside the United States; the traditional plan was backed by a coalition from the Philippines, countries from Africa, and other countries where a socially conservative version of Methodism is growing. American evangelical Methodists supported the plan too.

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Like many progressive Methodist churches, Littles congregation is now figuring out whether its future lies outside of the denomination. FUMC is a large church, and it has a history of activism going back to the 19th century. Its leaders like to tell stories about the time the congregation apparently refused to pay a pro-slavery pastor the denomination assigned to it in 1858, and about its support of the Native American civil rights leader Standing Bear a few decades later. In 1997, the churchs senior pastor, Jimmy Creech, performed a covenant service for two women; in 1999, he did the same for two men, and was defrocked by the denomination. The next year, the church joined a network of reconciling Methodist churches that advocates for the full inclusion of LGBTQ people into the denomination.

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In that context, the 2019 FUMC confirmation classs decision to protest its denominations rightward shift is not a rejection of its own church, but an affirmation of what its learned from it. The church has a youth group specifically for queer young people, and it is hosting its annual Pride Prom in a few weeks. In its statement, the class cites the church as the source of the students convictions: There are many things we have grown up appreciating about FUMC Omaha, they wrote. We have always known that gay families were just like any other families, [and] we are surrounded by peers with all gender identities  We appreciate that we have never thought anything was strange about women pastors. We have fond memories of singing in the childrens choir and watching the kites on Easter morning.

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Little said the class started working on this statement after the church conference in February. The students teacher, Tim Fickenscher, told Religion News Service that the idea started with two girls in the class, and he gave others in the class wide latitude to come to different conclusions. By the time Little met individually with each student, the customary conclusion to the confirmation class, all eight had decided they could not in good conscience join the church.

The class says in the letter that it will delay confirmations until it sees how FUMC responds to the traditional plan. In early April, the church council voted to withhold the remainder of the 2019 payments it would usually make to the denomination while it decides how to move forward. It also voted to continue hosting same-sex weddings and encouraging the clergy to officiate, in defiance of the denomination. The next step is to hold a series of small group meetings to start determining which path the congregation as a whole prefers. It could stay in the denomination and continue the struggle; disaffiliate and join another denomination, like the United Church of Christ; or become an independent church. Those of us who want change and full inclusion, can we create something new? And how long do we wait for that to happen? Little asked. For a lot of people, the UMC is our home. How do you walk away from that?
A California man has been arrested over an alleged plot to bomb a white supremacist rally in Los Angeles, law enforcement said in court documents published by the Los Angeles Times. The man was allegedly motivated by a desire to seek revenge for the mass shootings last month in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Mark Steven Domingo, a 26-year-old Army veteran who recently converted to Islam, was arrested Friday night after allegedly accepting what he believed to be an improvised explosive device from a bomb maker. An undercover FBI agent posing as the bomb maker had worked with a confidential FBI source as part of a weekslong effort to uncover Domingos plans.

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The suspect had allegedly weighed several forms of retaliation for the New Zealand shootings, which left 50 people dead. He told FBI informants he wanted to cause mass casualties and considered attacks against Jews, police, churches, and tourists at the Santa Monica Pier, according to court documents.

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But he ultimately came to focus on a planned white supremacist rally in Long Beach. According to the Associated Press, no actual white supremacists showed up at the rally, which was planned for Sunday. Instead, a large group of counterprotesters rallied to demonstrate against hate.

The FBI was first alerted to Domingos alleged plans after he posted to an unnamed platform his desire for revenge after the New Zealand attack. He told an informant who had been working with the FBI for the past six years that he considered, among other forms of terror, shooting Jews as they walked to synagogue. He also said he thought the U.S. should experience another event similar to the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas. Its not about winning the civil war its about weakening America and giving them a taste of the terror they gladly spread all over the world, he allegedly wrote. He reportedly boasted about his firearms, including two semi-automatic rifles.

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Domingo allegedly went as far as to purchase several hundred nails to be used as shrapnel in a pressure cooker bomb and to visit the park where the rally was to occur. But according to the court documents, he expressed some hesitation about following through with his plot. He allegedly told the confidential source he wanted to sleep on it but then said the next day that he wanted to go forward with the plan.

Authorities have said Domingo worked alone. He has been charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Joe Biden is running for president. He has a lot to recommend him, including his ability to explain the problem with repackaging Nazis as benign Civil War enthusiasts. (At this point, I might support a kitchen mop in a jaunty fedoras run for president as long as it was not actively repackaging Nazis as benign Civil War enthusiasts.) But we still have a good long while to figure out who should run for president, and if Biden thinks it should be him, we need to revisit his role in the Anita HillClarence Thomas hearings. We need to revisit it not only because Biden badly bungled the hearing when it happened, but because he is badly bungling the baggage he carries over it now, in his first days on the campaign trail. His inability to correct for it is baffling given that he has lived through 2017 and 2018 along with the rest of us. But its particularly important to recognize that his failure here isnt a problem of the 28 years that have passed in betweenits a problem of truth and justice and law.

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It would be very easy to dismiss Bidens choices as just so much ancient history. It was 1991 when he presided over the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings over thenJudge Clarence Thomas conduct toward his subordinate, Anita Hill. Her testimony is what prompted us to build out the language we now use to talk about sexual harassment in the workplace, which is part of why, were Biden willing to evince any genuine contrition or responsibility for the errors made and the misconduct seemingly excused, it might be easy to forgive him. But we also have to reckon with the fact that, as Elise Viebeck has chronicled at length, Biden was hardly a confused bystander as the Thomas-Hill hearings unspooled. As committee chair, he controlled many of the processes and systems designed by the Judiciary Committee to ostensibly learn the truth behind Hills allegations. Biden was, quite simply, outplayed by Republican senators intent on smearing Hill as delusional and a nymphomaniac, as Jane Mayer reminds us. He allowed Republican senators to issue threats about how they would destroy her. He put in place a process that isolated herhe failed to call corroborating witnesses who had similar stories about Thomas and were prepared to testify before his committee. In the end, this meant that Hill was left alone in a his-word-against-hers contest that pitted her dignified answers against Clarence Thomas furious, unhinged anger.

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Biden now says he understands all this. Does he, really? When I interviewed Hill in 2014, she reminded me of something she says frequently about those hearings: I had a gender and he had a race, by which she meant that there were senators and the people in the country who ignored the fact that in Washington, D.C., particularly in 1991, there was a great deal of entitlement that went along with being a male. And one of the privileges of being a male in D.C. in 1991, especially a male on the all-male Senate Judiciary Committee, was that you got to make up the hearings process. And it wasnt, as Viebeck notes, merely that Biden didnt call witnesses or didnt stop his colleagues from saying unconscionable things to Hill. He also made decisions about who testified when, the limited scope of their testimony, when the committee saw the FBI report, and how depositions were handled. Its true this was happening on the fly, mistakes were made, miscalculations were not foreseen. But none of that means the final process was fair.

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These may all sound like trivial process problems, but as Hill told the Washington Post in 2017, her hearing thus became a trial that lacked all of the protections of a trial. Among other basic process flaws, Hill noted that, even if somebody had been sitting at the table with me, you couldnt object, nobody could speak but me, and the chairman was not controlling what was going on, so it was worse than being put on trial because in a trial youve got legal protections. I have never heard Hill discuss the hearings without focusing in on what she told the New York Times (again) last week was a flawed process. (Hill was responding to Bidens claim that he didnt fail to call her corroborating witnesses; they just backed out.) And Hill talks almost compulsively about formal processes not just because she is an attorney and a law professor, but because she knew then, and still knows now, that her testimony in 1991 and Christine Blasey Fords testimony in 2018 were governed by the same unspoken rule: Men have control over the process, and women have stories.

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I would wager here that Anita Hill was no more interested in performing her pain before the Senate Judiciary in 1991 than Ford was in doing so last autumn. I would further wager that Hill would have accepted Bidens creation of a full and fair fact-finding process in 1991 far more willingly than she ever wished for his regret for what she endured in 2019. I would suspect that Ford would similarly have preferred a fair and thorough investigation, including of the claims put forth by witnesses who were never contacted, to Sens. Jeff Flake and Susan Collins sanctimonious inchoate pity for her suffering in 2018. The Senate Judiciary Committee under Sen. Chuck Grassley, with its laughably hired sex crimes prosecutor who was benched halfway through the hearings to make room for the sputtering rage episodes from Sen. Lindsey Graham, was no more a fair fact-finding process than Thomas hearing was 28 years ago. It was a performance of female suffering, roped away from any formal rules of evidence or procedure. It ensured that the empathetic players like Flake could certainly later say they were sorry for what the victim endured, but that the facts didnt support anything conclusive, without ever acknowledging that an unjust process skewed which facts we got.

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He who controls the process controls the outcome. Thats what Hill learned in 1991 and what Ford learned in 2018 and what millions of women have known for millennia. What Biden, Flake, Collins, and the many others who say, Im sorry for your sufferingwhile they alone control who testifies, who is investigated, and the rules of cross examinationare really saying is Good performance. I was very moved. I am also quite relieved that I dont have to do anything about it. That the same illegitimate fact-finding process deployed in 1991 was again deployed in 2018 means we should not accept apologies for a victims pain without pushing to ask why there wasnt an effort to make better processes to adjudicate what caused their pain. Because apology might be empathy, but its surely not reform and its also not progress and its definitely not sufficient.

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Last week I had the honor of hearing my friend Heidi Bondone of the first women willing to come forward with allegations that then-Judge Alex Kozinski had abused and bullied his law clerks for decadesspeak to yet another roomful of people about law and process, and how we might lean toward a better version of both. I had to hear, once again, how the fact that Kozinski had stepped down before there could be any investigation of her allegations, or the allegations of over a dozen other women (including me), meant that she has no formal legal conclusions to point to. Instead, she is left listening to people tell her how sorry they are for her pain, which isnt particularly useful to her. One of the things Bond told the roomful of listeners was that in the year since her story went public, virtually every man she has encountered has told her that he was either unaware of her former bosss behavior, or that he couldnt have done anything about it.

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And on the other hand, all the women who hear her story tell her they are sorry they didnt know, and that they should have known and acted, and that systems need to change. What that means to Heidi is profound: For the most part, women want to play a part in fixing the system. For the most part, men are trying to absolve themselves of any responsibilitybut they do want her to know they are sorry about what happened. Like Hill, Bond isnt interested in apologies. She is interested in a better process.

Like Anita Hill, Heidi Bond isnt interested in apologies. She is interested in a better process.

If Bidens errors were understandable in 1991, they are not understandable in 2019. But even those of us inclined to believe that Biden suffers from a kind of inadvertent age-and-gender myopia can see the red flags behind his public comments on the matter, which can best be described as an attempt at free-floating apology. First there was the fact that he called Anita Hill to express his regret over how things had gone all those years ago a few weeks before launching his campaigna conversation that Hill specifically said she would not characterize as an apology. Then there was an awful interview on The View, in which he claimed, I did everything in my power to do what I thought was within the rules to be able to stop things, a line that seems to have been deliberately designed to imply that he was a lowly staffer, instead of the committee chairman tasked with crucial decisions about calling witnesses and process.

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Bidens media tour continueson Tuesday morning, well see if his attempt to apologize to Good Morning Americas Robin Roberts lands the way his previous attempts clearly have not. The preview suggests that Biden has pivoted toward a deeper apology but still seems oddly unaware of the fact that at the heart of taking responsibility lies the obligation to repair unjust systems. You dont need a Ph.D. in gender studies to understand why the logic Biden is deploying, and the number of times hes had to take a crack at it, is wholly inadequate. Biden may finally be willing to say he will take responsibility for what happened to Anita Hill when he was chairman of the committee tasked with investigating her claimsbut there is still no evidence to suggest what he thinks that means.

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What does it mean to take responsibility for such a thing? Biden is widely celebrated for his empathy; its a quality in him that I have long admired. But Hill didnt want mere empathy. Ford didnt want mere empathy, and Heidi Bond doesnt want mere empathy. They want to hear not just that men believed them, or that men are sorry, but that the next woman and the woman after will get more than sympathy and a chance to tell her sad story, in front of a camera, with a glass of water and a box of tissues as her emotional support animals. They want to hear that processes that were once broken and crabbed and constrained for truth-seeking are being improved, that the very idea of truth-seeking has legal force and meaning, and that the next woman will not be fobbed off with claims that the men in power are super, super sorry for their suffering.

I admire Joe Biden. I have a good deal of respect for a great deal of the work he has done over his long career. I feel sorry for his current suffering around the problem of Anita Hill. But I dont need to talk about his feelings. Id rather hear about how he thinks he screwed up, how he thinks Christine Blasey Ford was betrayed, and how systems he helped create still hamper the truth. I am glad he is sorry. Id like to hear him talk about how it will never happen again.
The Daily Beast reported Monday that noted right-wing smear campaigners Jacob Wohl and lobbyist Jack Burkman have been busy trying to cook up a controversy about Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. The pair have reportedly been trying to recruit Republican men to make sexual assault accusations against Buttigieg, the openly gay Democratic mayor of South Bend, Ind. As with most things Wohl and Burkman touch, the scheme appears to be comically simplistic, deeply cynical, and possibly illegal.

One example of the smear campaign being pushed by the two are the made up accusations posted by Michigan college student Hunter Kelly. In a Medium post Monday, a user with a Hunter Kelly profile made a vague accusation that he was sexually assaulted by Mayor Pete Buttigieg in February and promised [i]n the days and weeks ahead, I will share my full story with the nation. That post was tweeted out by David Wohl, Jacobs father, and quickly re-written by the site Big League Politics, which is known as a landing ground for right wing conspiracy theories, the Daily Beast notes. Subtle.

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The Beast got in touch with the real Hunter Kelly who said the Medium account and the Twitter account associated with it were not his. It appears that Wohl and Burkman simply impersonated Kelly to smear the presidential candidate online. Kelly wrote a Facebook post later Monday titled: I WAS NOT SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.

In another instance, a Republican source told the Daily Beast that Wohl and Burkman had approached him trying to get him to come forward with false allegations that Buttigieg had sexually assaulted him when he was too drunk to consent.

The pitch by Wohl and Burkman wasnt detailed, the source said, but it resembled past attempts by the duo to peddle dubious sexual assault allegations against perceived political foes. It would involve the accuser giving a press conference where he would publicly make his accusations about Buttigieg. The source said Wohl and Burkman seemed to want him to figure out many of the details, including a window of time during which he and Buttigieg were both in Washington, when the fabricated offense may have occurred.

When the source expressed reluctance, they assured him the scheme would make him wealthy, famous, and a star in Republican politics, the Beast reports. Wohl cited the national recognition given to Christine Blasey Ford after she accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault during his confirmation hearings last year.
Global representation of trends and variability in ice and water mass recovered by GRACE over 15 years. The top figure, which shows trend maps over Antarctica, Greenland and part of the Arctic, represent changes in ice mass. The middle trend map mainly represents changes in the terrestrial water storage, as well as large trends related to continental rebound after glacier ice-melts over continental areas, such as Alaska, Patagonia and the Canadian Arctic. The trends of the terrestrial water storage are partially related floods and droughts, but also reflect, for example, long term changes in groundwater depletion by human activity. The bottom figure shows variability in the ocean bottom pressure and are particularly relevant for understanding these effects in in the difficult to observed southern oceans and the Arctic Ocean. For the first two, the red represents mass loss and blue represents mass gain. In last figure, the color scales represent variability, with the highest variability shown in red. CREDIT Cockrell School Of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin team that led a twin satellite system launched in 2002 to take detailed measurements of the Earth, called the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), reports in the most recent issue of the journal Nature Climate Change on the contributions that their nearly two decades of data have made to our understanding of global climate patterns.

Among the many contributions that GRACE has made:

GRACE recorded three times the mass of ice lost in the polar and mountainous regions since first beginning measurements -- a consequence of global warming.

GRACE enabled a measure of the quantity of heat added to the ocean and the location for said heat that remains stored in the ocean. GRACE has provided detailed observations, confirming that the majority of the warming occurs in the upper 2,000 meters of the oceans.

GRACE has observed that of the 37 largest land-based aquifers, 13 have undergone critical mass loss. This loss, due to both a climate-related effect and an anthropogenic (human-induced) effect, documents the reduced availability of clean, fresh water supplies for human consumption.

The information gathered from GRACE provides vital data for the federal agency United States Drought Monitor and has shed light on the causes of drought and aquifer depletion in places worldwide, from India to California.

Intended to last just five years in orbit for a limited, experimental mission to measure small changes in the Earth's gravitational fields, GRACE operated for more than 15 years and has provided unprecedented insight into our global water resources, from more accurate measurements of polar ice loss to a better view of the ocean currents and the rise in global sea levels. The mission was a collaboration between NASA and the German Aerospace Centre and was led by researchers in the Center for Space Research in UT's Cockrell School of Engineering.

By measuring changes in mass that cause deviations in the strength of gravity's pull on the Earth's various systems -- water systems, ice sheets, atmosphere, land movements and more -- the satellites can measure small changes in the Earth system interactions.

"By monitoring the physical components of the Earth's dynamical system as a whole, GRACE provides a time variable and holistic overview of how our oceans, atmosphere and land surface topography interact," said Byron Tapley, the Clare Cockrell Williams Centennial Chair Emeritus in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics who established the Center for Space Research at UT in 1981 and who served as principal investigator of the GRACE mission.

The GRACE mission was selected as the first PI-led Earth System Pathfinder Mission, with Tapley and the Center for Space Research at the helm, and it was implemented under a collaboration with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the German Geodetic Institute in Potsdam. The mission was implemented under a partnership between NASA and the German Space Agency, but UT faculty members, researchers and students made major contributions to the engineering, concept development and scientific data analysis components of the experiment. Despite being a risky venture operating on minimal funding, the GRACE mission surpassed all expectations and continues to provide a paradigm-shifting set of measurements.

"The concept of using the changing gravimetric patterns on Earth as a means to understanding major changes in the Earth system interactions had been proposed before," Tapley said. "But we were the first to make it happen at a measurement level that supported the needs of the diverse Earth-science community."

Now that the GRACE Follow-On mission, which the Center for Space Research will continue to play a role in, has launched successfully, the chance to continue the GRACE record for a second multidecadal measurement of changes in mass across the Earth system is possible. Engineers and scientists anticipate that the longer data interval will allow them to see an even clearer picture of how the planet's climate patterns behave over time.

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Students at Swarthmore College, a private liberal arts school in Pennsylvania, have occupied a fraternity house on campus after leaked documents allegedly recounted multiple instances of sexual assault by past members. The student protesters have succeeded in getting the fraternity suspended from campus, but they plan to remain at the house until the university shuts down the fraternity altogether.

The controversy began after students started a blog on Tumblr to share their own stories as victims of sexual violence and other harmful behavior at the two fraternities on campus. Students wrote of being sexually assaulted and of being victims of homophobic slurs and other offensive language.

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Soon after the blog began publishing, a trove of leaked documents representing meeting minutes and other notes from Phi Psi, which is not affiliated with the national Phi Kappa Psi organization, were published on Voices and the Phoenix, both college publications. While the documents were from the years 2012 to 2016, some students have said they reflect their experiences from more recent years, and the details sparked outrage across campus.

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In the documents, fraternity members referenced a rape attic and a rape tunnel. Some spoke of acquiring date-rape drugs. Others recounted sexual encounters with underage girls. Some referenced videos or photos taken of women at parties without their consent. Some made offensive jokes about the race and appearances of women at their parties, while others appeared to make gleeful jokes about demeaning things that happened to the women during sexual encounters. Many comments degraded those in the LGBT community.

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On Saturday, a group of around 50 protesters, who call themselves the Coalition to End Fraternity Violence, began their sit-in. The group grew to more than 100 people.

Just after the sit-in began, Swarthmore College President Valerie Smith sent out a letter to students announcing she had suspended all fraternity activities on campusthe school has only one other fraternity, Delta Upsilonand launched an investigation. On Monday, she condemned the contents of the documents. What is contained within those pages is vulgar and deeply offensive to all of us, she said in the statement. The racism, misogyny, and homophobia described within them is antithetical to the values of the College and violates the student code of conduct as well as basic decency.

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Students have said they will not be happy until the college shuts down both Phi Psi and Delta Upsilon. They are also demanding that Swarthmore terminate the two fraternities housing leases and repurpose them for housing for historically marginalized groups on campus.

In an April 17 statement, current Phi Psi fraternity members said they wholeheartedly condemn the language in the 2013 and 2014 notes, as they are not representative of who we are today. They added: All our current brothers were in high school and middle school at the time of these unofficial minutes, and none of us would have joined the organization had this been the standard when we arrived at Swarthmore.
On Saturday, at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Donald Trump repeated his absurd claim that pro-choice women and doctors are executing newborns and therefore must be stopped by stricter laws. The most recent version of Trumps ginned-up nightmare, which the president has taken to conjuring on the campaign trail this year, referenced a bill advanced by state Republicans that would make doctors liable if they withhold medical care from a fetus that had survived an abortion attempt. Because doctors would already provide that care in such an (extremely unlikely) event, the Democratic governor has promised to veto it. But Trumps fantasy brooks no facts: The baby is born, he declared. The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby. They wrap the baby beautifully. And then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby. (Cue righteous boos from the audience.)

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How can the reality-based community, where it is understood that mother-doctor infanticide conspiracies are not real, even respond to a story like this? One response is: Tell the truth about the difficult circumstances around nonviable pregnancies. This time around, a former NICU nurse wrote a viral Twitter thread about what happens in a hospital after the birth of a baby too disabled to live. The last time Trump told this crazy story, in February, while discussing recent New York state legislation to expand abortion rights past the 24th week in cases where the fetus isnt viable or the mothers life is threatened, OB-GYN and writer Jen Gunter described her own experience giving birth to a son who was born to die in a New York Times op-ed, titled I Didnt Kill My Baby.

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But none of these earnest and well-meant counternarratives are going to change the minds of people who already believe that women and doctors might actually do something like this. Thats because the story is much more than bullshit, a lie, or a falsehood. Trumps abortion story is a piece of atrocity propaganda. It draws on a centuries-old tropethe cruel and capricious murder of infantsto confirm his supporters beliefs that the liberals and feminists living among them are, secretly, selfish monsters. And for those whove deployed it in the past, it has proved dangerously effective. This is why, out of all the terrifying crap that comes out of his mouth, I think it might be the scariest.

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Heres the history Trump is tapping. The most durable murdered-babies lie ever is the blood libel. Anti-Semitic accusations of Jewish ritual murder of children have fueled pogroms since at least the 12th century. (The Holocaust Encyclopedia finds mention of such charges against Jews as far back as the second century B.C.) Over the years, this idea that Jews kill children for their blood has found purchase in writings by people as integral to the Western tradition as Geoffrey Chaucer and Martin Luther. The Nazis made extensive use of the theme. In 1939, the cover of the anti-Semitic newspaper Der Sturmer featured a medieval depiction of a group of Jewish adults draining blood from a toddler while the bodies of five already-murdered children lie at their feet. Nor are such blood libels a relic of the past. As Talia Lavin has observed, the manifesto allegedly written by last weekends synagogue shooter contained a reference to Simon of Trent, a 2-year-old Christian boy who died in Italy in 1475 and whose death was used as pretext for a wave of anti-Semitic violence.

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Even as Jews have borne the brunt of the baby-killing myth, propagandists for other causes have used it to their advantage. After the Irish Rebellion of 1641, in which Irish Catholics attacked Protestant settlers, depositions of witnesses to the events were published in London, shifting the tide of British opinion against the Irish. The witnesses often mentioned hearing ofbut never seeingIrish Catholics ripping open pregnant women, pulling out their babies, and beating them to death against rocks. In 1782, Benjamin Franklin, of all people, put together a counterfeit newspaper with an article supposedly describing atrocities committed by the Seneca Indians against colonial frontier families at the behest of the British government. (By telling this story, Franklin wanted to turn the British public against their government and give the new United States purchase at the peace negotiations that were ongoing at the time.) In this grisly fiction, a Seneca representative mailed a British agent a bunch of scalps of American frontier families, including scalps of boys and girls, as well as 29 little infant Scalps of various sizes;  a little black Knife in the middle to shew they were ript out of their Mothers Bellies.

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Anti-German propaganda during World War I was full of violently murdered babies. After the war, Arthur Ponsonby, a liberal member of Parliament interested in exposing the way such propaganda helped shape the publics will to fight, published a report called Falsehood in War-Time (1929), which included a chapter titled The Belgian Baby Without Hands. In it, Ponsonby collected the many times that this storythat German soldiers invading Belgium had cut off babies and childrens hands and arms, often leaving them alive to serve as warnings to the populaceappeared in French, British, American, and Italian newspapers. In France, Ponsonby found, newspapers even embellished the story by depicting German soldiers eating the hands. The story of the handless baby or child traveled even further than the other tales of babies impaled on bayonets or nailed to doors, despite the fact that it seemed physically improbable that any child could survive such mutilation. Everybody wanted to believe the story, Ponsonby writes, and many went so far as to say they had seen the baby.

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Despite the modicum of caution Americans and British people felt toward anti-German propaganda after the baroque excesses of the run-up to the First World War, 1940s Americans were much more comfortable consuming propaganda that demonized the Japanese. And so the baby killers migrated east. Historian John Dower notes that, in an American propaganda film made during World War II, actors playing Japanese soldiers tossed Chinese babies onto bayonets.

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The baby-killing fable still works to foment war. Most recently, in the run-up to the Gulf War, the American PR firm Hill & Knowlton, hired by the Kuwaiti government in exile, helped spread a dubiously sourced atrocity story about Iraqi soldiers ripping premature babies from incubators in a hospital so that they could carry off the machines, then leaving the infants on the floor to die. The story really went early-1990s viral when the daughter of Kuwaits ambassador to the United States gave testimony about the incident, which she at first claimed to have witnessed (and later said shed heard about from others), in front of a congressional committee.

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But here we have a president (who, always remember, probably doesnt actually care whether anyone has an abortion) spreading baby-killing propaganda against his own people. In so doing, hes contributing to what scholar Carol Mason calls the apocalyptic narrative of pro-life politics. Mason surveys books, pamphlets, speeches, and ephemera produced by and for anti-abortion activists between the 1960s and 2000s, and shows how they depicted the abortion debate as an epic battleground between good and evil. Through these stories, Mason writes, pro-life Christians came to see themselves as a chosen minority facing a satanic majority hell-bent on providing abortions. Trumps story, clumsy though it may sound to the uninitiated, fits right into this cosmology.

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In 1984, sociologist Kristin Luker observed, after interviewing activists on either side of the abortion debate, that large amounts of surprise, outrage, and vindictiveness occur within conversations on this issue because it calls peoples world views into questionthose ideals that are so deep inside us that we dont even know how to name them. Denying that ones opponents are decent, honorable people is one way of distancing oneself from the unsettling thought that there could be legitimate differences of opinion on ones most cherished beliefs, Luker wrote.

For the anti-choice activists Luker interviewed, the possibility of choosing abortion strikes at the heart of their understanding of womens purpose: to become mothers. Thats why the detail of the blanket in Trumps storyThey wrap the baby beautifullysticks in the mind, as its meant to do. These baby-killing liberals, this story telegraphs to Trumps base, are coldblooded and unnatural, offering care one minute and turning on their infants in the next. Possibly, the story says first, they arent even women. Possibly, it implies next, they arent even human.
Its all or nothing for Juan Guaido now.

Venezuela has been in an agonizing stalemate since January, when the opposition leader and president of the national assembly declared himself interim president of the country and was quickly recognized as such by the United States and the majority of governments in the region. President Nicolas Maduro, who remains in control of the countrys government and armed forces, has refused to budge. Meanwhile, crippling international sanctions have worsened the already dire economic conditions in what was once one of Latin Americas richest nations, now plagued by food and medicine shortages, widespread blackouts, and an ever-worsening refugee crisis.

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On Tuesday morning, Guaido threw down a gauntlet by releasing a video from an air force base near the capital, Caracas, surrounded by armed military forces. Guaido said that the main military units of the Armed Forces were backing what he called the final phase of Operation Liberty. He also appeared with imprisoned opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who said hed been freed by military guards loyal to Guaido. Gunfire between pro-Guaido and pro-Maduro troops was reported at the air base following Guaidos announcement.

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#OperacionLibertad was quickly backed on Twitter by U.S. officials including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton, and Sen. Marco Rubio. Regional governments including Colombia and Brazil also voiced their support.

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Guaido has been calling for the armed forces to back him from the beginning, but Tuesdays actions are a significant escalation, the apparent beginning of an attempted military coup, though not everyone wants to call it that. Rubio, describing Guaido as the internationally recognized legitimate president, has called CNNs reporting grotesque and shameful for describing Tuesdays events as an armed coup.

He protests a bit too much: Calling something a coup is not a value judgment. Brutal dictators can be overthrown by their own militariesjust look at recent events in Sudanand there are plenty of examples of militaries acting in coordination with peaceful protesters and even working to restore democracy.

The bigger reason to be hesitant about calling Tuesdays events a coup is that its not clear an overthrow is actually happening. The fighting at the air base fizzled out quickly, and while there have been demonstrations and violent clashes between protesters and security forces throughout Caracas, Reuters reports that several hours after Guaidos announcement there was no sign of any other military activity and there were no immediate reports of casualties. Maduro has tweeted that regional defense commanders have expressed their total loyalty, and until we see otherwise, the assumption should be that the bulk of the military is still backing the government.

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Still, if a small but significant part of the armed forces has defected to Maduro, it could raise the stakes of the standoff significantly: While the Maduro government has arrested hundreds of opponents in recent weeks, it hasnt touched Guaido himself, recognizing the risks of detaining the man whom many world governments recognize as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Bolton has promised a significant response if Guaido is touched. Tuesdays actions will raise pressure on the regime to take action to finally stop Guaido, and raise pressure on his international backers to take actionpeaceful or otherwiseon his behalf. Today may not be the final battle for control of Venezuela, but the odds just went up significantly that Guaido will end up dead, in jail, or sitting in the presidential palace.
As William Barr and the House Judiciary Committee have continued to spar over whether or notand on what termsthe attorney general might appear in front of the committee later this week, I have been reminded of the congressional hearings that took place in the summer of 1987 regarding the Iran-Contra affair. At the time, I was deputy chief counsel of the House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions With Iran. Rep. Lee Hamilton, a Democrat, was the chairman of the House committee, and John Nields was chief counsel. Sen. Daniel Inouye was chairman of the parallel Senate committee, and Arthur Liman was chief counsel. The hearings performed both an oversight and a public education function as the country was struggling to understand what had happened within the administration regarding the secret sale of U.S. military missiles to Iran and the diversion of the proceeds to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

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Although separate committees, the panels held the hearings jointly. Both senators and members of Congress attended the hearings and asked questions of the witnesses. It was essentially a joint investigation. In the summer of 1987, it was also riveting television.

In the current case, the House Judiciary Committee has reported that Barr is threatening not to show up to scheduled testimony about the Mueller report on Thursday because the committee proposes to allow staff attorneys to question the attorney general. This allowance is in line with historical precedent, as I know well from my time working on the Iran-Contra hearings as a staff member who questioned top administration officials on behalf of the committee.

Indeed, during the Iran-Contra hearings more than 30 years ago, I do not recall any administration witnesses refusing to testify at the hearing, except for Lt. Col. Oliver North and Adm. John Poindexter, who would not testify without immunity. The committees granted them immunity; they were later indicted and convicted at trial; and their convictions were overturned on appeal because of the immunity grant. I do not recall any limitations on the questions we were entitled to ask any witnesses, including administration witness, except that classified matters were addressed in closed testimony. Similarly, I do not recall the administration witnesses refusing to answer any questions.

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I do not recall any real or sustained objection to the decision to have committee lawyers conduct the questioning.

Of particular relevance to the current dispute between the attorney general and the House Judiciary Committee, witnesses who testified at the hearings were first questioned on television and in open hearings not just by the members of Congress but by lawyers on the committees staff. As I recall, the House and Senate committees divided the witnesses over which committees staff would be the first questioner. If the Senate lawyer was the first questioner, the House lawyer would take a turn at the conclusion of the Senate lawyers questioning. Only then did the senators and members of the House begin their questioning. There was no serious outside challenge of whether committee lawyers would conduct the questioning or members of Congress would perform that role: Both did.

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This practice applied to all witnesses, including the Cabinet secretaries and other senior administration officials who testified. Caspar Weinberger, who was secretary of defense, was later indicted for his testimony; he was pardoned by President George H.W. Bush. Attorney General Edwin Meese also testified at the hearings without limitation. The committees believed that the oversight and public education functions of the hearings would be better met by initial uninterrupted questioning by committee counsel. The committees also believed that it was entirely under its discretion to determine the best method of conducting the hearings.

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Again, I do not recall any real or sustained objection to the decision to have committee lawyers conduct the questioning. The committee lawyers did not take the place of the members of the two committees, each of whom also had the opportunity to ask questions of the witnesses. Rather, the staff lawyer questioning permitted the foundation to be laid so that the member questions were more effective and more focused on the policy issues that the committee was exploring. The process the committees chose worked.

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The role of a committee lawyer questioner at the Iran-Contra hearings was not my only exposure to the practice of having counsel conduct questioning in congressional hearings. In the 1990s, I was an associate counsel in President Bill Clintons White House counsels office. I was called to testify before the Senate Whitewater Committee, an examination that also took place in an open hearing and on television. The initial questioning was done by Michael Chertoff, who was lead counsel to the committee. At the time, Republicans controlled the Senate, and Sen. Al DAmato was the chairman. A number of Clinton administration witness were called to testify before that committee and, to my memory, were all questioned first by committee counsel. I dont remember any objection from the Clinton White House to that process. What I vividly remember is that it was significantly more fun being the questioner than the witness.
Artificial intelligenceconnected sensors, tracking wristbands, and data analytics: Weve seen this type of tech pop up in smart homes, cars, classrooms, and workplaces. And now, were seeing these types of networked systems show up in a new frontierprisons.

Specifically, China and Hong Kong have recently announced that their governments are rolling out new artificial intelligence technology aimed at monitoring inmates in some prisons every minute of every day. In Hong Kong, the government is testing Fitbit-like devices to monitor individuals locations and activities, including their heart rates, at all times. Some prisons will also start using networked video surveillance systems programmed to identify abnormal behavior, such as self-harm or violence against others. Some will also start using robots tasked with searching for drugs in the feces from inmates.

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In mainland China, the government is finishing up construction on a new smart surveillance system in Yancheng Prison that aims to monitor every one of their high-profile inmates in real time via networked hidden cameras and sensors placed in every cell. According to a report in the South China Morning Post, the network will stream the data it collects to a fast, AI-powered computer that is able to recognize, track, and monitor every inmate around the clock and, At the end of each day, generate a comprehensive report, including behavioral analysis, on each prisoner using different AI functions such as facial identification and movement analysis. Like in Hong Kong, these systems are also designed to flag suspicious behavior and alert human guards when it finds any activity it registers as abnormal. An employee at Tiandy Technologies, the surveillance tech company that helped develop the surveillance system, claimed that with the new technology, prison breaks will be history, and suggested that unethical behavior from guards, such as taking bribes, might become a thing of the past.

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With everything else smart, why not smart prisons? Their potential is undeniableas are their risks. And though the U.S. should be wary of copying the Chinese panopticon-style model of prison surveillance in its entirety, there are possible uses of this technology to consider that could make prisons better, safer places for inmates and guards alikeor if misapplied, could make them even more nightmarish.

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American prisons contend with several criminal justice goals, including incapacitation, retribution, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Increasingly, this fourth factor has become a larger part of the conversationespecially with the rising recognition that a vast majority of inmates (95 percent of those in state prisons) will one day re-enter society.

When we talk about using connected technology to help achieve these goals, replacing prison staff with A.I. shouldnt be the objective especially when considering the rights and dignity of the incarcerated and the human touch necessary for successful rehabilitation (something that A.I., no matter how smart, can never replace). Instead, we should consider the costs and benefits of developing certain kinds of smart-prison tech that might ease certain burdens on human staff and augment their ability to provide safety, support, and education to inmates.

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For one, using A.I. in prisons to analyze certain kinds of inmate behavior could be beneficial to both inmates and prison staff if used to identify situations that could escalate to violence, such as spotting the signs an inmate might be prone to self-harm.

It could also be used to help watch the guards. For example, researchers have already started exploring ways to use machine learning to help identify and reduce police violence by training systems to look through staff records and learn to spot and flag signs that an officer may be at a high risk of initiating an adverse event. This might include identifying officers that have a history of certain kinds of misconduct or may be under a lot of stress. A smart prison could use the data it collects on guards to provide a similar service. Additionally, a system designed to flag abnormal inmate behavior could likewise be programmed to spot and report potentially abusive behavior by guards.

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But before attempting to implement these systems, we also have to weigh: Can current technology do this reliably? And should we want technology to do this at all?

Intense surveillance could harm rehabilitation efforts by creating an atmosphere of distrust and control.

With regard to the first question, our current technological capabilities should give us ample reason to pause before we install smart cameras in our prisons. A.I.-augmented cameras would likely rely on a combination of facial recognition and data analytics to analyze behavior. To be reliable the technology would, at a bare minimum, at least be able to correctly identify individuals.

Yet facial identification systemsmost notably Amazons software Rekognition, which is already being sold to police departmentshas been notoriously bad at identifying black and brown faces, particularly those of women. Its not hard to imagine A.I. being used to punish the wrong individual, who might have little recourse given courts history of giving deference to prisons disciplinary decisions.

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Even if technology can identify individuals reliably, we should be suspicious of the claim that it can track abnormal behavior. Behind A.I. technologiesfrom Amazons Alexa to Facebooks content moderationare human beings training machines. The question, then: How do we develop appropriate metrics to code behavior as abnormal? If we are overinclusive in our search for bad behavior, we run the risk of ignoring diverse interpretations of normal and creating enormous psychological pressure to conform. If we are underinclusive, we risk missing issues that correctional staff, with the nuance and discretion that human beings possess, might have caught. (Though, especially with the critical understaffing of prisons across the U.S., its important to note that the human-staffed prisons we have are rarely exemplary.)

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Even assuming we can get technology able to tag abnormal behavior with relative accuracy, we still have to weigh: at what cost? Beyond questions about the rights and dignity of the incarcerated, intense surveillance could harm rehabilitation efforts by creating an atmosphere of distrust and control. Research has indicated that prison buildings that emphasize constant surveillance can increase tensions between staff and inmates, worsening behavioral issues. Its not a stretch to imagine a prison operating an algorithmically enhanced Big Brotherlike system having the same effect, one that ends up countering the goal of having a smart prison in the first place.

In contrast, some of the prisons that have been the most successful in decreasing violence and behavioral issuesamong them, facilities in Connecticut, Norway, and Germanydo not employ forms of strict surveillance or social control. Instead, they try to return agency to incarcerated individuals to help prepare them to re-enter society. But perhaps this isnt an either or. Could an exceptionally well-designed systemfinely tuned to flag and record only high-risk abnormal behavior with great accuracy, and stripped of many human biasesgive inmates a greater sense of freedom, safety, and equal treatment? Especially compared to the flawed eyes and whims of human guards? Could it also free up more human staff to focus on supporting incarcerated individuals instead of surveilling and policing them?

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Yet, again, even if we can get an A.I. system that works as advertised, it would still represent an unprecedented invasion of privacy. It will collect and analyze data points imperceptible to the human eye, invariably gathering information on a wider degree of behavior than previously possible and placing an incredible amount of sensitive data under the correctional microscope. The aggregation of so much biometric, behavioral, and identifying information raises additional risks. For instance, what if a cash-strapped correctional department that retains this information decides to market the treasure trove of data? And how long before an enterprising hacker steals it? After all, weve already seen things like this go wrong.

All this is to say that we must proceed with caution. These are technologies that are neither inherently good nor bad. Although smart, theyll be made to reflect and amplify the goals of prison staff, not fundamentally shift their goals. As such, whether smart prisons alleviate or exacerbate some of the larger criminal justice issues we face in America will turn, in large part, on whether our prisons are already on the right trajectory when these technologies are introduced. Right now, they are likely not.

But maybe, if we start with a revolution in how our government treats incarcerated peopleand then design A.I. technologies to followwe could one day have truly smarter prisons.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
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The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
The world premiere of the Land Rover Defender is planned for end of 2019.

Redesigned Land Rover Defender will be produced in Nitra, where Jaguar Land Rover has its plant. (Source: JLR)

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The British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will produce its redesigned Defender model, first manufactured in the 1980s, in its Nitra plant, the company wrote in its press release.

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Read also: Jaguar Land Rover will move all production of Discovery to Slovakia Read more

We have driven 1.2 million kilometres in the new Defender in all terrains and extreme climatic conditions, said Nick Rogers, Director Group Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover, to ensure that it is the strongest and most capable Land Rover ever made.

The new prototype was designed and developed in Gaydon, UK, which is the company's headquarters and engineering centre.

Before its world premiere at the end of 2019, the prototype will be undergoing further testing and simulations, this time in Kenya, the press release reads.

JLR announced the planned production of the new Defender model, which ended in 2016 on Land Rover Day, April 30.
They came up with a project using hair as a fertiliser that enables plants to be grown on the Moon.

Slovak astrobiologist Michaela Musilova led an international simulated mission to the Moon, which took place in Hawaii this February. (Source: Michaela Musilova)

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The idea of using hair as a fertiliser on the Moon, which won the Mission Mars competition last year, was born in the heads of Slovak secondary school students from Skalica (Trnava Region).

Their project, which an international crew tested during a simulated mission in Hawaii this February, will assist in constructing a base on the Moon within the following decade, as written in the Slovak Organisation for Space Activities (SOSA)'s press release.

The two-week simulated mission, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), chiefly focused on geological mapping of lava flows and tunnels.

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Read also: The only Slovak woman who went to Mars Read more

On "the Moon"

An eleven-metre-wide space, built at 2,500 metres above sea level, shared by an international team on the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. This is what the environment, in which the team had to operate, looked like during the simulated mission to the Moon, led by Slovak astrobiologist Michaela Musilova.

The terrain of the Hawaiian volcano resembles the terrain on the Moon and Mars , including its lava tubes. It is these tubes, in fact, which may serve as a base on the Moon, as written in SOSA's press release.

However, Slovak students Patrik Jozefovic, Tomas Strba, Ivan Cermak, Monika Klaskova, Patrik Modrovsky and their teacher Zuzana Formankova came up with the idea to use hair as a fertiliser to grow plants on the Moon.

Thanks to this, we managed to collect a sufficient amount of materials to grow spinach, said Musilova, as quoted in the press release.

Mahina Lani

The findings of the experiments during the mission are to contribute to the construction of a base on the Moon, under the auspices of International Moonbase Alliance (IMA). It groups space agencies, firms, and universities around the world.

The base prototype is to be built in Hawaii in the next two years and will be called Mahina Lani (a paradise on the Moon).

The Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU) and universities in Hawaii and Amsterdam also took part in the simulated mission in February, the press release reads.
The International Space Station crosses the terminator, the line that separates night and day on Earth, as it orbits 254 miles above the Gulf of Guinea on Africa's mid-western coast. Portions of the orbital complex can be seen including a pair of high-pressure gas tanks, solar arrays and the Soyuz MS-12 crew ship docked to the Rassvet module. Credit: NASA.

The six-member Expedition 59 crew conducted a routine, periodic drill for response to emergencies today in the middle of a science-packed day. The astronauts also researched space biology while preparing for next week's SpaceX Dragon cargo mission.

The space residents practiced communications, roles and responsibilities, and evacuating the station in the unlikely event of an emergency. The crew would split up, board their Soyuz spacecraft and undock quickly for a ride back to Earth. The two Soyuz crew ships docked to the International Space Station each hold three crewmembers.

NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Anne McClain set up the ultrasound and optometry instruments today for more Fluid Shifts studies. Flight surgeons are exploring what happens to an astronaut's veins and eyes due to the head-ward flow of fluids caused by microgravity.

Hague later checked out command and communications gear he and astronaut David Saint-Jacques will use when the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship arrives next week. Saint-Jacques will command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture Dragon early Friday, May 3, two days after it launches from Florida. Hague will monitor Dragon's telemetry during its approach and rendezvous. NASA TV is broadcasting the pre-flight activities and mission events live.

Saint-Jacques and Flight Engineer Christina Koch also split the day feeding mice and cleaning cages for the Rodent Research-12 experiment. The study is investigating the immune system's response to the conditions of long-term spaceflight.

Commander Oleg Kononenko focused much of his attention today on life support maintenance in the Russian segment of the orbital lab. Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin studied ways to maximize the effectiveness of exercise in the weightless environment of microgravity.

On-Orbit Status Report

SpX-17 Launch Status: SpX-17 is now scheduled to launch on Wednesday, May 1 with capture/berthing on Saturday, May 4.

Rodent Research-12 (RR-12): The crew restocked all four Rodent Habitats by adding new food bars, and cleaning the interior lid and camera lenses. The access unit was also cleaned. Rodent Research-12, Tetanus Antibody Response by B cells in Space (TARBIS), examines the effects of spaceflight on the function of antibody production and immune memory. Spaceflight is known to have a dramatic influence on immune response, but there is little research on its effect following an actual challenge to the body's immune system. Using a mouse model makes this possible, as the mouse immune system closely parallels that of humans.

Astrobee: The crew removed and deactivated the Astrobee Docking Station. Astrobee is a series of three free-flying, cube-shaped robots. The robots are designed to help scientists and engineers develop and test technologies for use in microgravity to assist astronauts with routine chores, and give ground controllers additional eyes and ears on the ISS. The autonomous robots, powered by fans and vision-based navigation, perform crew monitoring, sampling, logistics management, and accommodate up to three investigations.

Fluid Shifts: Crewmembers continued Fluid Shifts ultrasound operations, Cerebral and Cochlear Fluid Pressure (CCFP), Distortion-product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE) and Ocular Structure (OCT) measurements. The purpose of this study is to characterize fluid distribution and compartmentalization associated with long-duration space flight, and to correlate these findings with vision changes and other elements of the SANS syndrome.

Emergency Response On-Board Training (OBT): All crewmembers participated in today's simulator drill to practice emergency response with ground controllers using information provided by simulator displays. Over the course of several sessions, the crew practiced the following:

Physically translating through ISS to the appropriate response locations to visualize the use of station emergency response equipment and interfaces.

Procedure execution, and the associated decision making, based on cues provided by simulator.

Communication and coordination with MCC-H and MCC-M as required for a given emergency scenario.

Following the drill, the crew completed a conference with ground teams to discuss results of the OBT.

Commercial Orbital Transport Services (COTS) UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) Checkout: In preparation for the upcoming arrival of SpaceX-17 planned on May 4, the crew coordinated with ground teams to activate the CUCU system and perform a Crew Command Panel (CCP) checkout. CUCU provides a command and telemetry communications link between ISS and Dragon during free flight operations near ISS.

Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion (CSA-CP) Checkout: The crew completed this routine maintenance today by replacing batteries in the CSA-CP units and updating internal clock settings. The CSA-CPs are used by the crew to detect evidence of fire and/or hazardous environment.

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Live Event: Saint-Jacques participated in a live PAO event with approximately 800 grade 7-9 students from Prince Edward Island featuring the Exploring Earth initiative which showcases photos of our planet taken by David from space. During the event, students discussed some of the things they have learned about our planet using David's pictures and about our impact on the environment and the importance of protecting our planet.

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Robotics Ground Controllers powered up the Mobile Servicing System (MSS) video system for Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE) transfer operations day 4. They maneuvered the MSS from the Park position to MISSE Sample Carriers (MSC) transfer position. Then, they commanded the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Arm2 to extract the MSC17 from MISSE Transfer Tray (MTT) slot T5 and to insert it in the Flight Facility (FF) W3 slot. The operations are progressing with the MSS maneuver in preparation for the MT translation from Worksite (WS)2 to WS7 and the stowing of MTT onto Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock. The MSS will be parked and powered down.

Completed Task List Activities:

PCS Relocate [Completed GMT 115]

PCS HD Image [Completed GMT 115]

Dragon pre-pack

HUNCH downlink message

NORS O2 install

Ground Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Emergency Response OBT

JEMAL Support - Install ORU on JOTI

Battery 4A3 Capacity Check

Look Ahead:

Saturday, 04/27 (GMT 117):

Payloads:

No Payload activities

Systems:

Crew off duty - housekeeping

Sunday, 04/28 (GMT 118):

Payloads:

Veggie PONDS Germination Cap removal (NASA)

Systems:

Crew off duty

Monday, 04/29 (GMT 119):

Payloads:

RADIN Retrieve and Handover (CSA)

Food Acceptability (NASA)

Fiber Optics Production H/W setup (NASA)

ISS Experience Log Recording and relocate and stow (NASA)

Behavioral Core Measures tests (NASA)

Z-Book on ER8 update (NASA)

HRF1 drawer reconfig and HRF2 drawer install (NASA)

Astrobee Battery swap (NASA)

HRF Post Centrifuge Install setup (NASA)

HRF Centrifuge counterweight tube removal (NASA)

Systems:

N3 filter R&R

SpX-17 arrival prep

Today's Planned Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Fluid Shifts OCT2 Baseline Setup

Fluid Shifts Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 1 Power On

ISS Crew and  (RSA Flight Control Team) weekly conference

Fluid Shifts CDL Holter Arterial BP Hardware Don

Inventory Management System (IMS) conference

Fluid Shifts Ultrasound Baseline Scan Subject

Perform the experiment IN ROTATION MODE per -2 and -3

Fluid Shifts Ultrasound Baseline Scan Operator

PROFILAKTIKA-2. MO-3 Test Operator

Rodent Research Habitat 1 & 2 Restock

Fluid Shifts CCFP Baseline Test

 Reconfiguration in MRM2

On MCC GO Replacing -3 Smoke Detectors in MRM2 with -4

Fluid Shifts OCT2 Baseline Exam Operator

Fluid Shifts OCT2 Baseline Exam Subject

PROFILAKTIKA-2. Closeout Ops

Fluid Shifts DPOAE Baseline Test

Fluid Shifts OCT2 Baseline Stow

Environmental Health System (EHS) - Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion (CSA-CP) Checkout

PROFILAKTIKA-2. Hygiene Procedures

Fluid Shifts Tonometry Baseline Setup

Fluid Shifts Tonometry Baseline Exam Operator

Fluid Shifts Tonometry Baseline Exam Subject

Fluid Shifts CDL Holter Arterial BP Hardware Doff

Fluid Shifts Tonometry Baseline Stow

Fluid Shifts CCFP Baseline Stow

ISS Emergency Response Training

Training for Emergency Response On-board ISS

OBT ISS Emergency Drill Debrief Restoring Nominal Comm Configuration

OBT ISS Emergency Drill Debrief

Photo/TV Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Infrared (IR) Camera Swap

Rodent Research Habitat 3 & 4 Restock

Nikon still camera sync with station time

Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)

Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup

PAO Preparation

ISS Experience Message Review

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) - JEM

PILLE Dosimeter Reading

Removal of the instrument and -1 (304) patch-cable

Installing Storage Battery Current Converter -2 in 304 location, securing temperature sensor and mating connectors of 800 unit

Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Medical Accessories Kit (IMAK) Unpack from NG-11

IDENTIFIKATSIYA. Copy - micro-accelerometer data to laptop

Influence of Vibration on Diffusion of Liquids (IVIDIL) Vibration Mechanism Hardware Locate

Astrobee Docking Station Power Down

Photo/TV CUCU SD Video Setup

INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops

COTS UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) Activation

Rodent Research Access Unit Clean

COTS UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) Crew Command Panel (CCP) Checkout

On-board Training (OBT) ISS Emergency Drill Conference

COTS UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) Crew Command Panel (CCP) Stow

Photo/TV CUCU SD Video Deactivation

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In a world of rapidly rising costs of operation and living, it can feel impossible to make ends meet as a cafe worker. From barista to manager, its rare to find a job that offers a living wage, especially before you factor in tipsand, often, its not due to stinginess, but razor-thin profit margins on the part of owners. As this pinch grows tighter on all sides, it can become progressively harder for cafes (especially small ones) to gain and retain talent. As wholesale trainers who spend their days training baristas, Counter Culture Coffee educators Jenna Gotthelf of New York City and Hana Kaneshige of Los Angeles want to explore these issues through asking questions and gathering data. Counter Cultures next Prodeva quarterly continuing educational series exploring a range of topics relevant to coffee professionalstitled Baristatainability will focus on the sustainability of the barista profession.

Leading up to the prodev on June 12, Gotthelf and Kaneshige will be using three surveys to collect data from current and former cafe workers at all levels. These surveysone for baristas, one for managers and trainers, and one for program directors and ownerswill be live until May 5th.

The coffee industry spends a lot of time focusing on issues coffee producers face, and rightly so, but as Gotthelf and Kaneshiges project points out, baristas, too, are a critical link in the supply chain. If they cant afford to stay in their jobs, the whole chain suffers the consequences. I talked with Gotthelf and Kaneshige about the inspiration, goals, and hopes that underpin this project. Read on to learn more about Baristatainability.

Hey Jenna, hey Hana. How long have you both been in coffee?

Jenna Gotthelf: Ive been working in coffee for eight years.

Hana Kaneshige: About nine years, but in specialty coffee for the last four or five.

What about your experience in coffee inspired you to choose this prodev topic?

HK: Jenna!

JG: Seven of my eight years in the coffee industry were working as a barista behind the bar. I love making coffee for people. The ritual and routine of working behind the bar is satisfying and fun, but it seems like it is a job that comes with an expiration date.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard you cant be a barista forever, I would have enough money to be a barista forever. I watched my colleagues move on from the bar to different jobs in the industryworking in sales, as trainers/educators, as technicians, etc. I felt pressure to do the same, not just because my peers were doing it but because the quality of my life was suffering as a result. It is difficult to make a living wage as a barista.

Barista work is skilled labor. It takes time to hone in and cultivate those skills. We need to change the perception of being a barista from a job with an expiration date to a skilled career full of potential.

How does this topic relate to your jobs as educators for a wholesaler?

JG: We work with and train thousands of baristas a year from a diversity of coffee-serving businesses. We are responsible for inspiring new generations of coffee people. I think it is important to understand where people are coming from, whether it is a restaurant, a small boutique cafe, or a very busy coffee shop so we can deliver information in ways that makes people want to do their jobs.

HK: As a wholesaler, we primarily work with retailersa large chunk of our time is spent training new hires. However, the most efficient cafes and operations seem to have staff members that have been around a long time, and who know the ins and outs of the business and how to make coffee. When business owners are asking how they can be more efficient or streamline the business, retention is hugea well-trained employee is far more effective than two brand new employees. Its helpful (and healthy) to have a mix of both, but workplaces that are able to retain all levels of employees seem to have the best work environment.

What are some of the main issues you see coffee professionals facing at the cafe level?

JG: A major issue I see is not being able to make a living wage or having to work well over 40 hours a week to live reasonably. Not having health insurance is another major issue. Working in a cafe is physical work. There is a lot of wear and tear. If folks arent able to take care of themselves because they dont have access to healthcare, they cant do their jobs.

HK: Its a mix of things. For baristas, its the need to work multiple jobs or seek promotions to earn a living wage, or to move out of coffee entirely when they are ready for a real life (i.e. need health insurance, are looking to start a family, etc.). Ive also seen baristas seeking promotions they didnt necessarily want, but are looking for a higher level of benefits or wages.

For those in management, as well as baristas, burnout is very realthe pressure to work day in and day out with minimal days off and minimal opportunity for actual time off.

There seems to be a degree of disconnect between all levels of those working in cafes/owning cafes/managing programs that contributes to devaluing certain positions. Ultimately, baristas are the link between everything we stand for in coffee supply chains and the consumer. We need them to both enjoy their jobs and want to do their jobs.

What do you think needs to happen in the specialty coffee industry to make cafe positions sustainable?

HK: An assessment of wages (of course!) and how to empower staff members so they feel like they are part of something. Trust goes a long way, and fostering a solid and sustainable work environment (in my opinion) involves communication happening across all levels, and confidence that your manager can do your job just as well (if not better) than you can. People have different skill sets, we should reward and encourage that as we aim to be an actually inclusive industry.

JG: Baristas need to be able to make a living wage in healthy work environments without having to compromise.

Why do you feel that coffee workers outside of the cafe need to think about these issues?

HK: A good workplace is a good workplace. There are commonalities that can be applied across the board for those who enjoy (or dont enjoy) their work environment.

Its pretty costly to train new employees in anything from the ground upany industry, coffee included, should be aware of that fact. Those who arent in the cafe still generally rely on those in cafes to showcase our product. Even with the rise of subscription services and direct-to-consumer outlets, a lot of people are still being introduced to specialty coffee through cafe, restaurant, or hotel environments. All of these environments have staff members.

JG: Baristas are the most public-facing part of the industry. They are the link between consumers and the rest of the coffee supply cycle. The cafe is a launching point for the coffee industry. If we can have healthy launching points, then we are on our way to a healthier industry.

What changes do you hope to see come out of this project?

JG: I hope to see a shift in the perception of the barista profession.

HK: Im hoping to see more questions! Having reviewed a few surveys so far, I just want to gather more and more information. Ultimately, one of my goals is to see what makes people want to stay at their job, versus what makes people want to leave their job, and work toward developing a guide for a more sustainable workplace.

What is one thing you want people to take away from this project?

HK: That sustainability is multifacetedits important to consider all aspects, whether it be where our coffee is coming from to how we operate our businesses.

JG: This project is a catalyst. It would rule to see this ProDev grow into other projects, spark conversations, and help with projects that are already happening.

If you currently work or have ever worked in a cafe, take the surveys here:

Baristas: https://forms.gle/TCX6GBtTqLsDDVeVA

Managers/Trainers: https://forms.gle/MyhixJKfa3umaZM68

Program Directors/Owners: https://forms.gle/UuPjwA2FzZD1fYhB9

RJ Joseph (@RJ_Sproseph) is a Sprudge staff writer, publisher of The Knockbox, and coffee professional based in the Bay Area. Read more RJ Joseph on Sprudge Media Network.

Disclosure: Counter Culture Coffee is an advertising partner on the Sprudge Media Network.
from Chapter 5 / Lesson 29

1.7K

Pygmy marmosets are very small monkeys. This lesson will teach you about pygmy marmosets, how big they are, where they live, what they like to eat, and some other cool facts about this tiny monkey.
Question:

Are there monkeys in South Africa?

South Africa:

South Africa, as the name suggests, sits on the southern tip of Africa. Humans have occupied South Africa for at least 160,000 years evidenced by skeletal remains. The capital city of the country is Pretoria. It is a country rich in culture and wildlife in a variety of habitats and is home to the largest mammal on Earth, the African bush elephant.

Answer and Explanation: 1

Become a Study.com member to unlock this answer! Create your account View this answer
In Africa, the Kingdom of Kush was a significant culture that was under Egyptian control for many years before ruling Egypt. Explore this complex relationship, learn about the Kush civilization and ancient Egypt, review trading and political ties with Egypt, and examine cultural administration to understand how the Kush were both ruled by and rulers of Egypt.

Without the Nile River, Egyptian civilization would have developed in a much different way. Explore the world's longest river and how it impacted food and agriculture, transportation, protection, religion, worldview, and social cohesion.

The Huang-He River Valley is credited as being the birthplace of China's ancient civilizations. Explore early Chinese civilizations, early Chinese geography, the great kings, Jie, Tang, a moving capital, Wu Ting, and the downfall of the Shang to understand China's beginnings.

Explore the world of ancient Asian art and architecture. Discover what is meant by ancient and the history of India and China. Learn about the mud-brick structures and stupa in India and the architectural elements and ceramics of China.

Geography & Early Settlement of China The early settlement of China began with nomadic groups transitioning to agrarian life and growing into ever-larger populations. Follow this development of ancient Chinese civilization centered around the geographical features of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.

Tigris River Map & Facts | Tigris River History Where is the Tigris River? Learn Tigris River facts and see a Tigris River map. Learn the importance of the Tigris River and the Euphrates River.

What Is the Kush Civilization? The Kush civilization emerged from a group of workers at an Egyptian trade outpost along the Nile River, where their daily life and culture was influenced by their environment, resources, and influences from surrounding countries. This lesson will illustrate the origins and history of the Kush Civilization, as well as their complex relationship with Egypt, which ranged from admiration to conflict and war.
Missouri State University

One option for students is the online MBA program at Missouri State University, which can be completed entirely online. Students in this program are required to have completed 18 credits of foundational level courses, which may be waived depending on the student's previous academic career. The MBA curriculum is comprised of a total of 33 credit hours, 24 of which are core course requirements. The remaining nine credits are completed through one seminar course and two elective courses. Depending on the electives that students select, it may also be possible for them to earn a graduate certificate in tandem with their MBA degree. Some certificate options include forensic accounting, leadership, and international business.

University of Missouri

Another option is the online Executive MBA program offered by the University of Missouri, which requires the completion of 48 credit hours over the course of 21 months. The courses are designed to be completed online in eight-week segments and every student in the program completes the same courses, as the curriculum is standard for all students. While the curriculum is available online, there are some in-person components: students are required to travel to campus four times per year as well as complete one international residency, in which students will take a nine-day trip to two different locations around the world.

Northwest Missouri State University

The online MBA program at Northwest State University can be completed in between 12 and 18 months and offers students the ability to specialize their studies according to their interests and career goals. Students can pursue the general management track, the human resource management track, or the marketing track, all of which require the completion of the same 24 credit hours of core courses. The remaining nine credits of the required 33 total are then organized according to the track that the student has selected. This program offers students the opportunity to begin at six different points throughout the year, an attractive feature for individuals who don't want to follow the standard academic calendar.

Missouri Western State University

Students who enroll in the MBA program at Missouri Western State University can complete the program entirely online. This program requires the completion of a total of 30 credit hours, which are split among 10 courses. Each course can be completed in an eight-week session and students are allowed to take up to two classes at once, making it possible to complete the entire program in only 12 months. In terms of curriculum, seven of the required 10 courses are part of the core MFA courses, while the remaining three classes cover related topics in ethics and leadership.

Missouri Baptist University

The online MBA program at Missouri Baptist University offers students yet another option in the state of Missouri. In this program, students must complete a total of 36 credits hours, 27 of which are part of the required core curriculum, which covers topics in international business, accounting, economics, and marketing. Students can then select two elective courses to earn six credit hours. The final three hours are earned through the completion of a capstone project, which students will complete under the advisement of a faculty member. The program is designed to be completed in between 12 and 24 months, depending at the pace in which students decide to take courses.
Colorado Christian University | BA in Elementary Education (Non-Licensure)

The Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (Non-Licensure) program offered by Colorado Christian University is designed to prepare graduates to teach in schools that do not require state licensure, such as some private and charter schools. Read more to learn about this Colorado Christian University bachelor's degree program.

Official Program Name:

Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (Non-Licensure)

School Offering Program:

Colorado Christian University

Degree Level:

Bachelor's

Program Prerequisites:

Students interested in applying to CCU's Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education program should be interested in a career in teaching in a private school setting. All applicants to Colorado Christian University programs must have a high school diploma or equivalent; some programs may have additional admissions requirements.

Program Description:

The Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education program at Colorado Christian University is designed to provide students with both a theory- and application-based approach to education. Coursework and practical field experience aims to develop educators into excellent teachers and servant leaders. The content covers curriculum development, program assessment, psychological foundations, teaching methods, group dynamics, and critical thinking. This program does not lead to Colorado State licensure, but graduates do meet the certifications required for the Association of Christian Schools International, meaning they are eligible to teach at some private schools, international schools, charter schools, or other agencies.

Learning Format:

Online

Program Length:

120 credits.

Financial Aid:

Eligible students could be able to receive financial aid in the forms of grants, loans, and scholarships. Contact Colorado Christian University's financial aid office for more information.
Major Hossam Azar from the anti-drug department, blamed the spread of drugs on terrorist groups, who use the profits to fund their activities writes Al-Watan.

An officer in the anti-drug department, Major Hossam Azar, said that the number of drug dealing cases in 2018 reached 6,599 while the number of accused was 8,409.

Azar told Al-Watan that last year, the department was able to seize 5,167 kilograms of hashish, 163 kilograms of cannabis seed, and 47.6 kilograms of cannabis and more than 12 million captagon pills. It also seized 587 psychological pharmaceutical pills, and 1.3 kilograms of heroin, 84.5 kilograms of cocaine, and 392 grams of crushed pills, 67 grams of marijuana and 43 kilograms of raw materials to manufacture drugs, as well as three cannabis plants.

Azar attributed the spread of drug use in areas under the control of terrorist groups to the fact that these activities usually accompany terrorist activities, because these groups have an interest in spreading drugs and smuggling them to other areas. He added that the reasons vary, but are generally for financial gain, as they work with drug smugglers to bring these shipments through these areas to fund terrorist activities. They also increase their control in conscripting people and attracting them in these areas to carry out terrorist acts, as drugs are used as a tool of terrorism.

Azar said that the most heavily targeted people in the country were young men. He said that they are targeted through international films and some dramatic works that are shown on Arab satellite channels and show drug users as rich and beloved people. He said that social media has dozens of pages which have the names of drugs with the aim of popularizing these terms to become known among societys members.

Azar said that the department always tried to protect people, which happens on three levels. The primary protection is to prevent young men from using and dealing drugs, the second is helping people who are using drugs but havent yet become addicted, and the third is help for the addict to recover.

Azar denied that Syria had turned into a manufacturing or consumer country for drugs, saying that the international categorization for Syria, according to UN reports and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, was as a transit country, not manufacturer. He said that the geographic location on several north, south, east and west axis made it an ideal transit country.

He denied that there were drugs being grown in areas that were restored by the Syrian Arab Army to the countrys embrace. He added: We have seized items, but have not found evidence of production or manufacturing.

Azar said that there were no statistics about the rate of dealing in the country, but that there were many shipments and quantities seized that were destined for other countries, but were being smuggled through Syrian territory.

Incorrect Information

Azar denied reports that those who were arrested were forced to either reveal 10 names or be charged with dealing, describing it as incorrect information. He said that people are investigated on the information that is available, which is then passed on to the public prosecutor.

Azar revealed that a committee comprised of a number of bodies, including the Interior Ministry and the Justice Ministry, have studied and revised some items in the drug law to accord with contemporary developments in terms of the use and dealing of narcotic substances and their distribution in order to keep pace with the changing social and living situations.

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 image is a snapshot of numerical modeling of the moon formation by a giant impact. Proto-Earth is at the center; red points indicate materials from the ocean of magma on a proto-Earth; blue points indicate the impactor materials. CREDIT Hosono, Karato, Makino & Saitoh

For more than a century, scientists have squabbled over how the Earth's moon formed. But researchers at Yale and in Japan say they may have the answer.

Many theorists believe a Mars-sized object slammed into the early Earth, and material dislodged from that collision formed the basis of the moon. When this idea was tested in computer simulations, it turned out that the moon would be made primarily from the impacting object. Yet the opposite is true; we know from analyzing rocks brought back from Apollo missions that the moon consists mainly of material from Earth.

A new study published April 29 in Nature Geoscience, co-authored by Yale geophysicist Shun-ichiro Karato, offers an explanation.

The key, Karato says, is that the early, proto-Earth -- about 50 million years after the formation of the Sun -- was covered by a sea of hot magma, while the impacting object was likely made of solid material. Karato and his collaborators set out to test a new model, based on the collision of a proto-Earth covered with an ocean of magma and a solid impacting object.

The model showed that after the collision, the magma is heated much more than solids from the impacting object. The magma then expands in volume and goes into orbit to form the moon, the researchers say. This explains why there is much more Earth material in the moon's makeup. Previous models did not account for the different degree of heating between the proto-Earth silicate and the impactor.

"In our model, about 80% of the moon is made of proto-Earth materials," said Karato, who has conducted extensive research on the chemical properties of proto-Earth magma. "In most of the previous models, about 80% of the moon is made of the impactor. This is a big difference."

Karato said the new model confirms previous theories about how the moon formed, without the need to propose unconventional collision conditions -- something theorists have had to do until now.

For the study, Karato led the research into the compression of molten silicate. A group from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the RIKEN Center for Computational Science developed a computational model to predict how material from the collision became the moon.

The first author of the study is Natsuki Hosono of RIKEN. Additional co-authors are Junichiro Makino and Takayuki Saitoh.

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Allawi al-Bashasha said that he was only in Syria for a visit when he was arrested and imprisoned for 31 days reports Asharq al-Awsat.

Months after his release from Syrian-regime controlled jail, a Jordanian national recounted the 31 days of horrors he endured at the facility.

Allawi al-Bashasha told Asharq Al-Awsat that he witnessed conditions that would have been impossible for humans to endure.

He was arrested on the same day that the border crossing between Jordan and Syria was reopened in October, while he was simply seeking to visit Damascus.

Bashasha described the never-ending nightmare at Syrian security centers, saying he was held without any charge. He was barred from contacting his family, adding however, that Jordanian prisoners were treated better than prisoners from other nationalities.

Upon his arrest, he was held at the political security center in Daraa city on the border with Jordan. He was previously barred from traveling to Syria over financial cases, which were included in an eventual pardon by the regime.

Bashashas long series of interrogations and investigations by the regime started in Daraa, continued in the al-Fayha political security center in Damascus and ended at the Air Force Intelligence Directorate. There, detainees are not addressed by their name, but are given a number, which the prisoner is expected to memorize. Several detainees are held in a cell that is barely over a meter squared in size. At one point, recalled Bashaha, he was held with five other people.

He added that the Syrian authorities were not cruel to him in jail given that the case against him was far removed from terrorism suspicions or insulting regime leader Bashar Assad. These two charges will lead to torture.

Despite the milder treatment, Bashaha said that life in Syrian jails was beyond human comprehension. He stated that inmates are hardly given any food and they are forced to use the bathroom only twice per day and personal hygiene needs were withheld from them.

Bashasha spent long days wondering he will die in prison, until investigators interrogated him over his financial case. After his testimony, he was moved to another prison where inmates informed him that detainees moved to that facility often end up being released.

Bashasha was unaware at the time that MP Khaled Abu Hassan, of Jordans al-Ramtha city where the prisoner hails from, was mediating for his release. He dispatched a parliamentary delegation to Damascus in November to ask Assad for his release. Abu Hassan would later accompany Bashasha as he departed Syria.

In the new prison, Bashasha said that conditions improved. Wardens allowed him to use the bathroom and take a shower. He was given food and clean clothes. Soon after, the order for his release was issued on condition that he inform authorities of the exact location he would be staying in Damascus.

Bashasha was one of 45 Jordanians who were arrested when the border between Syria and Jordan was reopened. Amman announced recently that eight of the detainees have since been released.

Four chose to remain in Syria and four returned to their country, Jordanian MP Tareq Khoury told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Bashar Sabri Rabih was among those who chose to return home. He was released in early April and was held for about a month. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was imprisoned simply for using his mobile phone camera to take pictures of tourist sites. He was accused by Syrian security forces of photographing a security checkpoint.

He said that he was not tortured during investigations. He was first interrogated by the security forces in Suweida, where he was held for eight days. He was moved to Damascus where he was held for 23 days with some 50 other detainees. He recalled how prisoners were barred by the guards from performing prayer.

He was eventually set free, but the circumstances surrounding his release were not disclosed. They released me, returned my car and I able to return to Jordan, he remarked.

Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
While calling form Syrian unity, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All East also called for the lifting of economic sanctions reports SANA.

Easter Monday mass was held at the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus, headed by Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All East, John X Yazigi.

In a speech, Patriarch Yazigi prayed for the unity of the entirety of Syrias territory, including the occupied Syrian Golan, stressing that the Golan will always remain Syrian.

The Patriarch called on the international community to lift the unjust economic embargo, which constitutes a silent war imposed on the Syrian people.

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 attack by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is a response to the violations of the Sochi and Astana agreements by regime and Russian forces reports Hurriya Press.

On Monday, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham announced that it had killed a number of Assads forces in a surprise attack on positions neaar Qalaat al-Madiq in western Hama.

The groups Abaa agency said that 13 members of Assads forces were killed by members of the Jaysh Abou Bakr group, during an attack on the al-Athar checkpoint east of Qalaat al-Madiq in the western Hama countryside.

The Assad regime has not officially commented on the attack, while loyalist pages on social media said that the regime forces stationed in the al-Habouseh and al-Athar areas were subjected to a surprise attack which left dead and wounded.

This attack comes days after similar attacks carried out by Tahrir al-Sham and the Hiras al-Deen faction on the front lines in the southern Aleppo countryside, which killed 45 members of Assads forces and wounded others.

Meanwhile, Assads forces and its supporting militias carried out systematic heavy artillery and rocket bombardments on cities and towns in the Idleb and Hama countrysides, amid silence about the regime violations from the Russia, who are guarantors to the Astana and Sochi agreements.

The attacks on regime positions comes in response to the ongoing violations, which in recent days have killed and wounded hundreds of civilians in the Idleb and Hama countryside.

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.
According to Brigadier General Ahmed al-Rihal, the latest round of Astana achieved little but to highlight the differences between Russia and Turkey writes Ana Press.

A Syrian military expert who defected from the Assad regime, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Rihal, has said that: The statement issued at the conclusion of the Astana metings, which was issued in elegant diplomatic terms, tried to disguise the sharp divisions between Moscow and Ankara, but the escalations and bombardments by Russian aircraft and Putins statement have exposed everything.

In an interview with Ana Press, Rihal said: As soon as Erdogan returned to Turkey at the conclusion of the Astana talks, Russian aircraft began bombing liberated areas  They served as a clear message that there is a fundamental difference between the two men around the Idleb issue.

Rihal said that the Astana meeting was an, identical image of what happened in the Erdogan-Putin meeting. We saw that the items in the closing statement were no more than structural words. Anyone who reads the closing statement of the Astana meeting feels as if Bashar al-Jaafari [the regimes ambassador to the United Nations] drafted these items.

Rihal said that: the statements that Jaafari delivered at the meeting in which he attacked Turkey, accusing them of occupying northern Syria, were pure Russian words and a Russian message to Turkey.

Regarding Putins statement that a comprehensive campaign wasnt ruled out in Idleb, Rihal said that, there is major and severe pressure on Ankara and the opposition. He believes that what was wanted was the delivery of international roads  as well as a military operation by Turkey against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or the regime and Russia will enter Idleb city.

Regarding the fate of Idleb city, according to current developments and data, Rihal said: There will be no more new meetings in Astana, and the latest meetings were just to keep the process alive  Russia has gotten what it wanted. Iran is no longer interested in Astana because it has also taken what it wanted, in addition to the fact its now preoccupied with internal and economic problems  Turkey has not benefited from this process except for the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch areas. Therefore this path has completely ended and is clinically dead, and it will conclude in July if this meeting is held.

Russian warplanes struck areas in southern Idleb province with the conclusion of the 12th round of Syria talks in Nur-Sultan [formally known as Astana]. The bombing is considered to be a violation of the Sochi agreement signed between Turkey and Russia in September 2018, which established a demilitarized zone between the Syrian regime and the opposition and a full ceasefire.

The guarantor states of Turkey, Russia, Iran have not agreed on the formation of a constitutional committee, which should develop a new constitution for Syria.

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 Syrian National Coalition has accused Russia of diluting the legitimate claims of freedom and dignity from the Syrian people.

Head of the Syrian National Coalitions Department of Refugee Affairs, Amal Sheikho, said that Russia is still seeking for the return of Syrian refugees outside the framework of the political solution and the implementation of UN resolutions, most importantly the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Security Council resolution 2254.

On Monday, Sheikho said that Russian attempts continue at a time when the killings, detention and torture by the Assad regime and its allied militias continues unabated. She noted that Syrian refugees will face grave dangers should they be forced to return under the current circumstances, citing a former Lebanese ministers revelation about the Assad regime executing refugees returning from Lebanon.

The recent remarks by Lieutenant General Mikhail Mezentsev of Russia regarding the extension of the grace period before the mandatory military service for returning Syrian refugees confirmed that Russia insists on ignoring the Syrian peoples demands for comprehensive change, Sheikho said. She went on to say that Russia is seeking to simplify the Syrian issue to the return of refugees and reconstruction, while ignoring the demands of the Syrian people for real change.

Sheikho noted that such remarks represent a gross interference in the internal affairs of Syria and that such an issue should be solely decided by the Syrian people seeking to build a democratic state that is based on freedom, dignity, justice and equality.

Sheikho concluded her remarks by stressing that the safe return of Syrian refugees, in line with UN standards, can only be ensured through a just political solution that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people for change and for a free and dignified life away from tyranny and repression.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Kelso Police Chief Andy Hamilton announced his retirement Tuesday, effective immediately, less than a week after City Manager Steve Taylor announced his retirement in June.

Captain Darr Kirk was appointed as the interim police chief, as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Hamilton told The Daily News on Tuesday that he has been eligible for retirement for three years, and has been thinking about it for almost as long, but Taylors announcement Thursday that he was resigning to work for Cowlitz PUD prompted Hamilton to also consider leaving.

In a press release Tuesday, Hamilton said, Based on current events over the last couple weeks, Ive discussed with my wife future plans and realize that now would be a great time for me to retire.

Hamilton, 55, said theres nothing negative about the decision, which he said was reached amicably within the city.

Everything is great between me and the city, and the department and the city manager, he said in an interview.

Hamilton started with KPD in 1987 after two years as a reserve police officer. Over the next 32 years, Hamilton worked as a patrol officer, detective, sergeant, captain, member of the Joseph Kondro homicide task force and the Narcotics Task Force, and as the leader of a number of community policing projects, according to a press release.

For his work with the Safe Kids Coalition, Hamilton received the Governors Award from Gov. Gary Locke and traveled to Washington D.C. to visit the White House. He returned to the White House years later for his work with the 21st Century Policing Model.

Hamilton has served as police chief for 10 years. During that time, he served as the presiding member over Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission panel hearings to hold police officers accountable.

He also developed a vocational police science class at Kelso High School  one of three in the state. Recently, he started a partnership with churches of all denominations to discuss safety within each congregation.

During his time with KPD, Hamilton said he has enjoyed watching new officers grow into great professionals.

It has truly been an honor to work with the great men and women of this department, he said in the release. I often share with the public how blessed I have been as the chief to have such high-quality professionals working for me.

Hamilton told TDN he is required to have a 30-day break in service before starting work somewhere else, so he plans to go on vacation  Something I havent done in 32 years, he said  for the next month.

After that, Hamilton said he might consider returning to work in another field, but said he likely wont return to law enforcement. He said he plans to continue living in Longview and explore local employment options.

While his retirement will leave the third most senior city position open, Hamilton said Kirk will do an excellent job as interim police chief.

He has in effect been the interim for me when Im on vacation or at training, Hamilton said. And hes had almost a decade as captain. Hes well-qualified to do the position, and hes got great people around him.

In his press release, Hamilton recalled when his friend and mentor Chief Steve Scibelli told him he was retiring.

At that time, I was devastated, but he explained to me that it is good to have growth within the police department and his retirement would allow the department to grow. Today, as I make this decision, I share the same truth that Chief Scibelli shared with me. Im very proud of the department as a whole and the accomplishments the Kelso Police Department has made under my leadership, and I look forward to the departments positive growth, he said.

City Manager Taylor called Hamiltons selfless service to Kelso a model for future law-enforcement leaders to emulate.

His deep ties to the residents and businesses in Kelso made him one of the most effective chiefs in our citys long history. Andrews dedication to public safety and community outreach is second to none, and he leaves behind a department that adheres to the highest level of professionalism, Taylor said in a statement.

Taylor announced on Thursday that he is resigning as city manager to serve as the Cowlitz PUD director of regulatory and regional affairs. His last day will be June 14.

The Kelso City Council is holding a special meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall to discuss Taylors replacement process.

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The Kelso City Council will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the recruiting and hiring process for the city manager position.

Current City Manager Steve Taylor announced Thursday that he is resigning from the position to serve as the Cowlitz PUD director of regulatory and regional affairs.

Taylor's last working day will be June 14 and his contract will end on June 30.

During the meeting on Tuesday, the council will discuss desired position qualifications, the appointment of an interim manager and whether to recruit candidates informally with a local candidate pool, internally through the city's Human Resource Office or formally through a third party "headhunter" firm, according to council documents.

The council will also discuss the salary range, interview process, employment agreement negotiations and the appointment and onboarding process.

The City Council may also consider appointing a committee to identify candidates, qualifications and other criteria, and provide recommendations to the council.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Kelso City Hall.

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KALAMA  After years of cramped quarters and controversy over the efforts to improve its headquarters, the Kalama Police Department is set to move into its new $2.7 million station in the next couple weeks.

This is a big step toward the future, Police Chief Ralph Herrera said last week.

The 4,000-square-foot building offers many things the department has been missing, Herrera said, such as controlled access to the building, surveillance, evidence storage and adequate space for the departments clerk, five officers and chief.

Major flooding in December 2015 forced the department into the Kalama Community Building on Elm Street. For three and a half years, the police have operated in substandard conditions without space for evidence storage, holding cells or a public-private barrier, Herrera said.

Before the flood, the department spent about eight years in a renovated office trailer on First Street, City Administrator Adam Smee said. The building was a functional, but temporary solution that initially meant to last five years but ended up lasting a decade, he said.

Smee said before that, the police department was housed in a small space on the First Street side of the fire station. The space barely had enough room for the on-duty officer, police clerk and chief, he said.

Weve been putting off having a facility that meets the needs of the department for a long time, Smee said.

Last summer, the city awarded the $2.7 million contract to build the station at Maruhn Park to Longview contractor JH Kelly.

The Kalama City Council initially planned to finance the project with a $2.2 million bond, but voters overwhelmingly shot down the proposal in November 2017. In early 2018, the council adopted a series of tax measures and adjustments to pay for the project.

Many citizens opposed the project, saying they did not think Maruhn Park, located on the north end of downtown, was a good location for the station. Some also objected to the cost.

The council argued the park was the best site because the city owns the land, which is large enough for the bigger building, and the area is less flood-prone than downtown.

Resident Verna Perso, who was a vocal critic of the project last year, said last week that she and others who opposed building at the park still feel the same way but believe theres nothing they can do about it now. However, Perso said those against the project still support the police department.

You can support police but not support what you think is a bad decision financially and location-wise, she said.

Despite the controversy around the project, Kalama City Councilwoman Rosemary Siipola said she is proud of the city and the way we were able to complete the project.

Herrera said he understands that citizen opposition to the project was not a lack of support for the department or its officers. But when more people are able to see the inside of the station, they can see how it benefits the department, he said.

Were trying to bring in more people to understand our needs and how it all works, Herrera said. I dont think its unreasonable to have questions, but its unfair to come to certain conclusions without the facts.

Once the final checklist for station construction is complete, Herrera said he plans to hold tours of the building.In response to criticism that the station is too large for Kalama and its small police force, Herrera points to the towns increasing population and visitors.

Its all for future growth, Herrera said. If this facility were built to meet todays needs or standards, we would outgrow it before we have the opportunity to pay for it.

Based on current population estimates, Herrera said the agency should add at least one officer in the next one to three years. The new station will allow the department to grow when that time comes, he said.

We have to grow to stay proactive, Herrera said. At the end of the day, we want to be able to deliver timely, professional service and take care of our workforce.

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Bir Lehlu (SADR Liberated Territories), April 30, 2019 (SPS) - The Frente POLISARIO has decided to resort to the European justice system to lodge an appeal for the annulment of the EU / Morocco agreement covering the coasts and soil of the Occupied Western Sahara.

In a press release released after the POLISARIO announcement of the appeal to the European Court of Justice, the member of the Frente POLISARIO s National Secretariat, Mr. M'Hamed Jad-dad said that this decision reflects the POLISARIO's confidence in the European justice.

The Saharawi diplomat said that the Frente POLISARIO, in parallel with the presentation to the Court of Justice of the European Union of an appeal for annulment of the decision of January 28, 2019, is determined to take other actions against the fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco, celebrated under the same illegal circumstances.

In this sense, M'Hamed Jad-dad also conveyed the condemnation of the Frente POLISARIO to the attitude of European leaders who have done everything possible to avoid judicial decisions, abuse their political and financial power in contravention of the law. Decision of December 21, 2016 of the European Court, which had already ruled that Morocco and Western Sahara are two distinct and separate regions and that any economic activity in the region without the consent of the Saharawi people is illegal.

The Saharawi official said that during the two years that elapsed between the sentence of December 21, 2016 and the new protocol of January 28, 2019, the Frente POLISARIO doubled the interventions recalling that this process was unacceptable because it violated their sovereign rights.

The Frente POLISARIO as the only and legitimate representative of the Saharawi people will continue the battle against the plundering of its wealth and against illegal agreements that harm the sovereignty and the rights of the Saharawi people.SPS

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Conservationists, industry officials and other Snake River stakeholders will bring dam breaching to the center of the orca recovery conversation with a $750,000 forum, which received funding in the state Legislatures budget proposal last weekend.

Proposals to remove the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Lower Granite and Little Goose dams on the Lower Snake River are well-backed by conservationists, who say the move would help restore dwindling salmon and orca populations. However, regional commerce and power industries that rely on the dams have historically opposed the idea. Those opponents say removing the dams would make it impossible to move cargo along the Snake River, and it would reduce the amount of clean energy available in the region.

Inslees task force recommended the forum last fall as a way to proactively identify and detail a plan for several communities that use the river, should the federal government decide to remove those dams, according to a press release by several fish and orca advocacy groups.

For decades, our elected officials have avoided the difficult conversations we need to have about the lower Snake River dams and their impact on salmon and orcas, said Robb Krehbiel, Northwest representative for Defenders of Wildlife and member of the Southern Resident Orca Task Force. Bringing people together to work collaboratively on solutions that help salmon, orca and our communities is the right next step.

According to state budget documents, the $750,000 allocation will be split evenly over the next two years, with $375,000 available in 2020 and 2021. The money will be used to contract a neutral third party to organize and moderate the conversation.

When the state-funded forum was first proposed, some groups said it would duplicate a federal environmental impact study by the Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Association and the Bureau of Reclamation. But now that the forum has funding, ports and power officials said they want to be included in the discussion.

It will be critical, in our opinion, for a Columbia River port to be represented, said Port of Longview spokeswoman Ashley Helenberg. We understand this is an issue thats central to the orcas in Puget Sound, but this will directly impact shipping and navigation on the Columbia River, so a port in our area needs to be at the table.

We hope that the commodity owners are at the table as well: the grain growers and the tug companies, she added. Helenberg said the port wants to ensure that the conversation is based in fact and science and is not a duplication of the federal study. Forum supporters like salmon fisherman Amy Grondin said their discussion will compliment the federal study by allowing the groups to make an action plan regardless of what the government decides  dams in or dams out. Grondin, who co-owns Duna Fisheries in Port Townsend, said she looks forward to participating in this dialogue.

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The Daily News Students in Need fundraising drive has captured the attention of state community college leaders.

The Washington Association of College Trustees named TDN the 2019 community college Partner of the Year earlier this month after Lower Columbia College nominated the newspaper for the award in honor of its annual fundraising drive for LCCs Student Success Fund.

That fund provides relatively small grants for students to help pay for short-term financial emergencies that might otherwise cause them to drop out of college. Most often students use the grants for tuition, rent, gas, car repairs or testing fees.

LCC plays an important role in the community, as does The Daily News. The fact that we can partner together to provide financial resources for students in need is a wonderful example of how a community can work together to accomplish goals, LCC President Chris Bailey said last week.

TDN started the Students in Need drive in 2016. Since then, the newspaper has raised more than $125,000 for the fund.

TDN is currently in the middle of its fourth drive, which aims to raise $50,000  or the average annual amount LCC distributes in Student Success grants.

To donate to this years drive, fill out and mail the coupon from the print edition or go to TDN.com/students and click on the Students in Need Donate Online button in the body of the story. This years drive ends May 14.

David Thornberry, TDN publisher, said that studies have shown it only takes one person to help an entire family and future generations ascend in society.

Success is contagious. This is why we participate in Students in Need, Thornberry said. If we can even slightly assist that one person, we can positively influence and entire extended family and generation to come. We count it as a privilege to participate in this process.

The Student Success Fund helps students to get a small leg up to realize their goal, Thornberry added. At LCC, 59 percent of Student Success Fund grantees finish their degrees. Thats compared to the completion rate for all LCC students, which is 28 percent.

The importance of this is that education can transform lives. Individuals can obtain degrees  because of those grants, and thats really an important aspect of what we do at the college, Bailey said.

The Association of College Trustees started naming the partner of the year in 2007 to recognize businesses, companies, agencies, organizations or elected officials for their support of community college missions, most often through donations. This is the first year LCCs Partner of the Year nominee has been selected to win.

Bailey said the award honors not only the newspaper, but also the greater Cowlitz County community.

Its the communitys giving that makes this successful. The Daily News provided the vehicle for that, but its the community ... that makes it work, Bailey said.

Thornberry added that the drive can provide a blueprint for other community groups looking to help residents get a small leg up to realize their goal.

While we are grateful and driven to participate, being named as an outstanding partner with community colleges is a sign that we and our generous readers are making a significant difference, as well.

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Editors note: Todays editorial originally appeared in The Olympian. Editorial content from other publications and authors is provided to give readers a sampling of regional and national opinion and does not necessarily reflect positions endorsed by the Editorial Board of The Daily News.

Back in the day, schools had vocational programs  mostly variations on the classic shop class. Then came a modernized version of skill-building called Career and Technical Education, or CTE. That has been a welcome but slow-moving adaptation to the contemporary job market, where about 75 percent of jobs require training and education beyond high school.

Now our state is poised to take another, hopefully bigger, step forward with the advent of Career Connected Learning, an initiative of Gov. Jay Inslees, led by an alliance of educators, employers, unions, nonprofits and government agencies.

There are two primary goals of this initiative. The first is to ensure that all kids  including those who plan to earn bachelors degrees  have access to programs that help them explore and prepare for a broad range of career pathways. This is important to prevent young people from just drifting around in low-wage jobs after graduation  a problem that affects far too many young people, including, for example, all those baristas with BA degrees.

The second goal is to help employers find qualified applicants for the 740,000 job openings expected in Washington state in the next five years in complex, often technology-intensive jobs, most of which will require specialized education and training.

This is an expensive and complex challenge that requires collaboration between middle and high school staff, local and regional employers, government agencies, unions, two- and four-year colleges and students and their families.

Years of work building CTE programs mean that there are great programs to light the path ahead and rethink how kids spend the last two years of high school.

For instance, the pioneering Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee offers two spectacular programs for high school juniors and seniors that prepare them to be Production Technicians or Automation Technicians. These programs pair classroom instruction with apprenticeship programs and paid on-the-job training at an AJAC employer. Both lead to a high school diploma, a journey-level credential, and a short-term college certificate. And, according to John Aultman, Inslees policy advisor on higher education and workforce development, students can earn up to $28,000 by the time they graduate. Thats quite a contrast to entering the workforce with a load of student debt.

The students who succeed in programs like these are sometimes students who struggle in conventional high school classes. Brad Hooper, director of career and technical education at North Thurston Public Schools, says that kids who learn math for the trades in hands-on work settings usually succeed even when theyve had trouble in conventional math classrooms.

Hooper spends time building relationships with local employers such as Lakeside Industries who are willing to help students explore the real world of work, and whose aging workforce is creating openings for new employees. Hooper also works to develop career-oriented learning programs that qualify for high school credits. For instance, a metals design class might count as both a vocational and fine art credit, satisfying the required fine art credit and freeing up the students time for another career-related elective. He says school systems are still struggling with how to meet the rigorous 24-credit requirements for high school graduation in ways that make room for career preparation.

Balancing the sometimes competing goals of academic rigor and job preparation may never be easy. But kids need to know whats out there in the adult world, in fields ranging from health care to construction to finance to fine arts. And both kids and adult workers need to know how to navigate the intertwined worlds of education and employment so they dont miss opportunities to get beyond entry level, low-wage jobs.

The legislative session set to adjourn today allocates $12.5 million the next two years, and proposes the same amount for the following two years.

Thats a significant step forward. Robust career-connected learning can be a powerful antidote to deepening income inequality and persistent poverty. It can help employers hire locally instead of recruiting from other states.

Nearly two decades into the 21st century, its long past time to stop thinking of job-related learning as the lowbrow stepchild of academic education.

Last week, the North Thurston school board helped that change in thinking along by hosting a community conversation about Career Connected Learning with local parents, citizens and business leaders. Good for them. The more students, parents, citizens and business leaders who actively support it, the more likely it is that the legislature will keep building on this years budget allocation in the years ahead.
Cannabis could come to the beach cities. This is how
Lawyers for a former University of Illinois student accused of killing a visiting Chinese scholar say they are abandoning their mental health defense.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports that Brendt Christensen's attorneys had been planning to argue that the 29-year-old suffered from severe mental illness in an attempt to avoid the death penalty if he is convicted of killing Yingying Zhang. Mental health exams were scheduled to begin Monday. The attorneys gave no reason in a Friday filing.

Prosecutors say Christensen lured Zhang into his car in June 2017, tortured and killed her. Her body hasn't been found.

Urbana attorney Steve Beckett, who represents Zhang's family, says he is shocked by the mental-health defense withdrawal.

Christensen's trial is set to begin June 3.

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A Howard Middle School student may be considered for expulsion after he allegedly sent a text message on Monday morning saying, Ready to shoot up my school bro, according to an Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office incident report.

The 16-year-old allegedly sent the text to a student in North. The North police chief reported the text to the sheriffs office.

A deputy then met with the student and an assistant principal at Howard Middle School, located at 1255 Belleville Road in Orangeburg.

The report states that the assistant principal searched the student and the students belongings. He then asked the student if hed sent text messages to another student.

He said yes and dropped his head, the report states.

The student then unlocked his cellphone and showed the message to the deputy, the report said.

The student in North apparently sent a reply that said, Chill out no and then told the accused student that he was going to block him from sending messages, the report said.

The assistant principal told the deputy that the Howard Middle School student will be recommended for expulsion.

A deputy sent the case information to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 spokesman Bill Clark said that he cannot discuss the incident while it is under investigation.

Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD.

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About 32 Orangeburg Consolidated School District 3 students have qualified to participate in a national educational convention this summer, but havent raised the $31,000 needed to do so.

Students from Holly Hill Elementary, Vance/Providence Elementary and St. James/Gaillard Elementary placed in the top five at the state's Jr. Beta Club convention in January in six categories: math, talent, banner, engineering, art and robotics.

The students are qualified to attend the national convention scheduled for June 13-18 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The estimated total cost for 32 students to take the trip is $30,992.79 with transportation of $8,600; registration, $1,075; lodging, $14,013; and meals, $7,304.79.

Through the end of April, a total of $3,000 has been raised. They need to raise the amount by May 1.

Billy Chavis, a concerned parent in District 3, has been out in Holly Hill trying to raise money for the trip several times a week.

While his children are too young to be in Beta Club, he says they will be eligible one day. He asks what kind of example he would be setting for his own kids if he does not stand up for other children.

"This is our future," Chavis said. "This is our tomorrow. Why we are we telling them they can't go further because we are not allowing it? That makes me angry."

Budget constraints have prevented the school district from being able to fund the event this year. The news that the district would not fund the trip was sent out to parents on March 28.

The spending comes on the heels of a March report in The T&D that revealed the seven-member board, which will soon to be dissolved, attended four meetings this fiscal year in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Hilton Head and Washington, D.C.

The district spent $33,024 on board travel, of which $21,721.25 was for accommodations and meals/per diem. The board has $3,444.68 left in its travel budget. The district's total travel budget for the fiscal year is $45,000.

OCSD 3 Superintendent Dr. Jesulon Gibbs-Brown said the district has budgeted money for the Beta Club, as it does for board travel, each year.

This year was no different. The district ended up covering all the student expenses for the state competition in Myrtle Beach.

"Early in my tenure we increased the support of the Beta Club so that parents would not have to pay anything for the trips," Gibbs-Brown said.

She said the district has paid for students to go to the national competition in the past as well, but past trips typically only had a handful of students going and not the nearly three dozen that want to go this year.

This year, as happens every year, the budget for the Beta state convention was overspent with additional funds being made available by the district, she said.

The $31,000 cost for the upcoming trip is, a lot more than we have spent in the past, she said.

Gibbs-Brown said she hopes the new school board will be able to fund student activity travel within set guidelines and protocols.

Sharon Wade, whose daughter, Charley, is now a junior in high school, won first place in color photography when she was in fifth grade at Holly Hill Elementary. She was one of two winners at the state level that year.

Wade knows how important the national convention was for her and her daughter.

"Charley and I went to New Orleans that year for the Nationals and Charley fell in love with the city," Wade said.

The trip prompted her daughter to choose Tulane University as her first choice to pursue her master's degree.

Students have learned so much about leadership, teamwork and perseverance, Wade said.

"The opportunity to travel outside South Carolina will broaden their horizons and deepen their experience and exposure to the world," Wade continued. "They will meet other students with similar interests as themselves from all over our country."

The Junior Beta Club includes students in grades 4-8 while the high school students -- grades 9-12 -- are members of Senior Beta.

Beta students must be on A/B honor roll, have no disciplinary referrals and have a teacher recommendation. They also are encouraged to complete individual and club community service activities.

Formed in 1934, Beta Clubs aim to recognize students for good grades, service and leadership.

Those wanting to help support or sponsor the students for their trip to Oklahoma can visit facebook.com/donate/669262323505020/?fundraiser_source=external_url

Contact the writer: gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5551. Check out Zaleski on Twitter at @ZaleskiTD.

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Schools will be in session throughout The T&D Region on Wednesday even as some of South Carolinas teachers are rallying at the Statehouse for more pay and better working conditions.

"The number of expected absences is not significantly higher than what would be anticipated on a typical day," Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 spokesman Bill Clark said.

"We anticipate that any absences by teachers will be able to be filled by substitute teachers and normal instructional activity will occur within our schools, he said.

Teachers involved in the protest organized by the group SC for Ed are calling for a 10 percent salary increase, smaller class sizes and other changes to the states education system.

Gov. Henry McMaster, state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman and a few state legislative leaders have spoken against the walkout, saying it does not serve as a good example to the students. Some legislators are supporting the protesters and are planning to stand with them.

Through Monday afternoon, District 5 teachers have submitted 38 leave requests for May 1, Clark said.

The district has a total of 422 teachers with an average daily attendance rate of 93 percent.

"While the district supports the rights of its teachers to voice their legislative concerns, it must also be concerned with the need to ensure that the needs of students are provided for with proper coverage in classrooms," Clark said. "The district will continue to monitor the situation with these concerns in mind."

It is unknown how many of these 38 teachers taking off for the day will be attending the rally in Columbia.

OCSD3 Superintendent Dr. Jesulon Gibbs-Brown said as of Monday evening, we are unaware of teachers that are planning to attend the events in Columbia.

"We are still engaging in supportive conversations, but we do not have any alarming indicators of a large absence on Wednesday," she said.

The district has about 200 teachers.

"We are grateful for teachers being willing to have constructive conversations with their principals about their thoughts on education reform in light of our testing calendar," Gibbs-Brown said. "However, we are preparing to provide the proper oversight of students on Wednesday."

Under school policy, teachers have to submit a leave request to their principal for approval.

Ultimately, a leave that is not approved can become leave without pay, Gibbs-Brown said.

Denmark-Olar School District 2 Superintendent Dr. Thelma F. Sojourner said as of Monday afternoon she had not heard from any of the district's principals that any teachers are planning to be out Wednesday.

The district employs about 60 teachers.

"We may have teachers out, but teachers are out every day," she said. "I don't know if it is an alarming number."

Sojourner said as far as she knows, it will be business as usual at the district Wednesday.

Messages left for officials in OCSD 4, Calhoun County Public Schools and Bamberg School District One were not immediately returned.

Contact the writer: gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5551. Check out Zaleski on Twitter at @ZaleskiTD.

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BRANCHVILLE -- Branchville Town Council recently approved a plan to partner with Rowesville to spray for mosquitoes this summer.

Branchville has the equipment, but no one in town is certified to handle the chemicals. Rowesvilles Mayor Paul Bishop is certified, but the town has no equipment. The two towns will share the cost of the spray.

Bishop reported that hell spray every Tuesday in May to get a head start on the mosquito problem. After that, hell spray every other Tuesday through October or November. He agreed to spray in the area of the Branchvilles ball park, which is outside of town limits.

Councilman Donny Connelly reported that the Buildings and Grounds Department has $25,000 budgeted for the year. Only $1,200 has been spent, he said. He suggested that money to pay for spraying for mosquitoes come from this fund.

Council approved putting a new phone system in the town hall with the stipulation that the quoted price stays the same.

Under the old, outdated system, calls cannot be transferred from the town hall to the police department or vice versa. With the new system, new phones will be installed, and calls can be transferred from one office to another. The internet will be faster, all fees will be waived and monthly charges will stay the same.

At the end of each day, the phones will be switched to a night system. A message will tell the caller to press a specific number for different emergencies and the call will automatically be sent to the correct party.

The only cost will be a $100 fee for a service person to check to ensure that the information is correct and the system will work as expected.

Connelly reported that several problems occurred with water and sewage last weekend.

Somebody ran over a fire hydrant and damaged it, he said. They repaired the pipe running under the road, but it blew out within a few hours. His crew discovered that there were three sections of pipe under the road and each had to be capped off separately.

The sewage station on Bowman Road has two pumps that were losing prime and had to be primed twice a day. Connelly said he found that a stick had been lodged in the discharge line of one pump. The problem with the other pump was wear and tear, and a piece in it had to be replaced. The cost for repairing both pumps was $6,000.

Mayor Frank Dixon brought up an issue that residents of Bridge Street are having with buzzards. The birds are roosting on the water tower and are flying over and leaving droppings on their homes, he said.

Legally, you cant scare them off with guns, he said. About all you can do is play loud music to scare them away.

Currently, there only about nine or ten up there, but if the problem gets worse, the town could call on the S.C. Department of Natural Resources for help. He asked council members to help him monitor the problem.

Connelly noted that putting up owl decoys might help, but then youd face the problem of having to get them in place, he said.

Charles Dukes reported that the new police car, a 2019 Dodge Charger from Santee Automotive, should be delivered within a week or two.

Council approved a motion in March to replace the car that was totaled earlier in the month in a collision with a deer. Dukes said that a $2,193 check from the insurance company for the totaled car should be in soon.

He noted that the police department is currently doing a good job with two cars.

In other business, council approved first reading of a fair housing resolution that brings it up-to-date in compliance with the American for Disabilities Act. Council also designated April as Fair Housing Month.

Contact the writer: dlinderaltman@gmail.com.

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Periodically, those who do not think that the U.S. Constitution is democratic enough set out to repudiate the documents genius. The Electoral College is often the recipient of such attacks, particularly before and after national elections, and those attacks are currently underway.

But the most recent constitutional provision to be called into question is the clearly stated requirement of Article I, section 3, that the Senate of the United State shall be composed of two Senators from each state.

Professor Eric W. Orts of the Wharton School puts it this way in a recent article in The Atlantic: Today, the voting power of a citizen in Wyoming, the smallest state in terms of population, is about 67 times that of a citizen in the largest state of California ... the situation is untenable. Orts then goes on to propose a plan according to which, were it to become law, every state would get one Senator out of the Senatorial seats available (which under his scheme would have to be increased to 110 from the current 100) and the rest would be apportioned according to population. The result would be that California would get 12 senators instead of its current two. The prospect alone of more senators from California is enough to give one pause.

But speaking seriously, what is objectionable about this proposal? First, it fails to recognize that one of the reasons the Constitution has been protective of liberty is because it was not intended to be purely democratic. Classically, it is called a mixed government. The Founders combined the strengths of various ancient governmental forms  democracy, aristocracy and monarchy. For instance, they gave monarch-like powers, such as the veto and the pardoning power, to the president. They made other parts of the government  like the federal judiciary  much more aristocratic. Federal judges are appointed, not elected, and serve for a life tenure.

When it came to the legislative branch, the Founders created a legislative body (the House) which is more democratic. In the House, large populous states like California have many more representatives  53 currently for California -- while the states of Montana, Wyoming, and even the largest state in geographic size, Alaska, each have only one representative. In the House, more citizens results in more representatives. However, even in the House, the structural form is republican, meaning that the people vote for representatives but do not generally vote on legislation. It is not direct democracy.

The other legislative body, the Senate, is intentionally constituted in a different way. It is not directly representative of the people but of the states, which means that each state has equal representation in the person of its two senators. Madison put it this way in Federalist No. 58: One branch of the legislature is a representation of citizens; the other of the states: in the former, consequently the larger states will have most weight; in the latter, the advantage will be in favor of the smaller states. Again, in Federalist 62, Madison says the equal representation of each state in the Senate is meant to be a constitutional recognition of the portion of sovereignty remaining in the individual states. St. George Tucker, noted Virginia lawyer and author of Tuckers Blackstone, explained that the equal representation in the Senate was to recognize that even the most diminutive of states, the smallest republic, might view itself as equal, in that body, to even the largest state, which he called a powerful monarchy by comparison.

There is important history here. Even an elementary student of American politics knows that this distinction between the House and the Senate was wrought by the Great Compromise between the large, more populous states and the small states. If it had not been reached in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, an impasse might well have disrupted and delayed the Union of the Several States indefinitely. In fact, this compromise was deemed so important to the formation of a union that another provision protects its perpetuation, which brings us to yet another obstacle to the Orts proposal: Article V.

In Article V, the Founders identified the only provision in the Constitution which is perpetually exempted from amendment. The language says: that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage [voting power] in the Senate. That is a categorical, unambiguous statement which protects the Great Compromise from being undone by the Amendment process, or for that matter, any other process. Orts not only defies the political theory and history of the structure of the Senate, but the explicit language of the Constitution which protects that structure. Only the most radical of the living Constitution proponents could manage to misconstrue that language.

Orts tries his best at doing this. First, he reminds us that the various voting rights amendmentsthe Fourteenth, the Fifteenth, the Nineteenth and the Twenty-sixthsought to provide equal voting rights which had not been extended to persons because of race, sex, or age. Secondly, he maintains that these Amendments established the principle that the states had consented to allow Congress to eliminate voting inequality for these reasons. Therefore, concludes Orts, in a shocking non sequitur, Congress can pass a statute which he dubs the Senate Reform Act, which legislatively eradicates the voting inequality produced by the two-senator provision and the Great Compromise. Orts ignores the fact that the voting rights Amendments were specifically directed toward voting inequality produced by the misuse of race, sex, and age to disqualify voters. To argue that Congress can alter the fundamental structure of the Senate by mere legislation, bypassing the Amendment process, while side-stepping the absolute prohibition of Article V, is to make a complete mockery of the reliability, the fixity, and the process of change provided by a written constitution.

Even Professor Orts himself recognizes in the final paragraph of the Atlantic article that the prospect for the passage of such a Senate Reform Act is politically unlikely. On top of that, judicial review, with the current Supreme Court, would likely and rightly so, find it unconstitutional, which it surely is. Orts proposal would deny the political wisdom of the Founders, the history and reasons for the Great Compromise, and one of the stunning bulwarks against the excesses of the tyranny of the majority  equal representation of the states in the Senate.

Dr. John A. Sparks is the retired dean of arts and letters at Grove City College in Pennsylvania and a fellow for the Institute for Faith & Freedom. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and a member of the State Bar of Pennsylvania.

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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month in South Carolina and nationwide and, while the month is almost over, we need to raise awareness about this problem every month. I wanted to let you know what the S.C. Attorney Generals Office is doing, and what all of us can do, to raise awareness and reduce sexual assault. The answer can be summed up by the theme for this year, which is, I Ask.

What does that mean? It means asking for consent. It means asking, how can I teach my children or grandchildren about consent early? It means asking how power impacts consent, and it means asking for consent before sending images or video of the exposed body or sexual text messaging.

You may feel uncomfortable about talking to your children about consent, or feel that theyre too young to need to know, but the statistics here in South Carolina show why its so important. In our state, the group with the most reported cases of sexual battery is ages 10 to 17 years. The second-most is birth to 10 years. Combined, most sexual battery is occurring from birth to 17 years old in South Carolina, based on 2017 data.

Its not just in our state, though. Nationwide, a majority of victims are 12 to 17. Of all the victims under the age of 18, 34% of victims of sexual assault and rape are under the age of 12, while 66% are age 12 to 17.

The numbers are staggering.

 Every 98 seconds, another American is sexually assaulted.

 One out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape.

 About 3% of American men  or 1 in 33have experienced an attempted or completed rape.

 From 2009-2013, Child Protective Services agencies found strong evidence that 63,000 children a year were victims of sexual abuse.

Its a serious subject to discuss with children, but it teaches them what inappropriate touching is and what they should do if it happens, specifically that they should tell a parent or trusted adult.

Meanwhile, our office is diligently prosecuting sexually violent crimes across the state. Our goal is to consistently enforce South Carolinas sexual assault laws to hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes and to support survivors. Our office is also currently supporting the formalization and expansion of 17 Sexual Assault Response Teams across the state through protocol development, statewide and local training, and community engagement.

The national sexual assault hotline is 1-800-656-4673 and can connect victims of sexual assault to help and services in their local area. Victims should call that number after first calling 911 for immediate assistance.

Keeping in mind this years theme, I Ask that all of us work together to teach our children about asking for consent and what that means.

Republican Alan Wilson is attorney General of South Carolina.

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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.
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This site focuses on Republican politicians and conservatives that rip off their constituency. We have the Tea Party, fundamentalist churches, the corruption of ALEC and other special interests groups. But the site also supports progressive Democrats and the local Democratic Socialist of America. We must have ideas on how to replace regressive and corrupt politicians with something better. For comments steveotto2001@yahoo.com or ottozero2001@yahoo.com.
The US Embassy has announced that Wilbur Ross, the United States Commerce Secretary, will be in Luxembourg on an official visit on 10 May.

During his visit, the Commerce Secretary will meet with business and government representatives, specifically to discuss finances and space mining.

He will attend the signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Understanding on Space and explore the continuing trade relationship of the Grand Duchy and the United States.

Official statement

U.S. Embassy Luxembourg  Announcement

Official Visit of Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, May 10, 2019

On Tuesday April 30, the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg issued the following statement:

United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross will be in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on May 10, 2019. Secretary Ross will visit with business and government leaders; attend the signing ceremony for the recently negotiated Memorandum of Understanding on Space ; and, explore ways that the United States and the Grand Duchy can expand and solidify commerce and trade.

Secretary Ross said Luxembourg is an important world player in many sectors including finance and space. As such, they are a place where we want to strengthen and expand our ties - ties built on a long history of shared values and sacrifice.

While in Luxembourg, Secretary Ross will also visit the Luxembourg American Military Cemetery and Memorial to pay tribute to the American soldiers buried there, including General George S. Patton. Secretary Ross quoted the motto of the U.S. Embassy regarding this visit: it is always important to honor our past while looking to our future. Our Embassy is devoted to that and so am I.
Minister of Immigration and Asylum Jean Asselborn has provided some clarity on the Luxembourg Reception and Integration Agency (OLAI)'s accommodation to those who benefit from international protection.

This was in response to a parliamentary question submitted by ADR MP Fernand Kartheiser.

As of 15 April 2019, around 2,900 benefit from accommodation offered by OLAI in Luxembourg. Of those living in OLAI accommodation, Asselborn responded, nearly half have a beneficiary of international protection status. In other words, these individuals have refugee status.

Kartheiser's parliamentary question concerned the social inclusion wage and whether refugees have to pay rent for their OLAI accommodation. In response, Asselborn confirmed that refugees pay between 450 and 650 a month for accommodation, depending on income and the household's size.

In cases where individuals cannot pay rent, or at least cannot pay regularly, the Luxembourg Reception and Integration Agency has different options. For instance, the agency offers refugees an option of paying back in small instalments over a longer period of time. Asselborn added that, in cases of non-payment, the agency would issue reminders and, in extreme cases, refer to the courts.

The agency also provides information on the job and housing markets in its endeavour to integrate refugees, which in turn helps those seeking housing find appropriate homes.
This post is prompted by a number of things that have left me pondering how as Christians we are to bring about change in our churches. When we strongly b...

6 years ago
Wednesdays Highlights</&h1>

Wednesday support meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous: 6:30 a.m., 917 N. Beech; 8:30 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 10 a.m., 328 E. A; noon, 500 S. Wolcott; 2 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 5:30 p.m., 1124 Elma, Imitate the Image Church; 5:30 p.m., 328 E. A; 7 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, closed; 7 p.m., 520 CY; 8 p.m., 328-1/2 E. A; 8 p.m., 328 E. A; 8 p.m., 917 N. Beech. Douglas: 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back). Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688.

Al Anon: 7 p.m., 302 E. 2nd St., First Methodist Church.

Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 7 p.m., 15th and Melrose, at the church. Web site: http://www.urmrna.org.

TOPS #162, weight loss support, 8:30 a.m., 1868 S. Poplar.

Coffee, Tea and Dee

The public is invited to attend Coffee, Tea and Dee on the first Wednesday of each month at the Tate Geological Museum from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The coffee and caffeine-free tea is provided by P. Hawk Coffee Roasters and is free of charge courtesy of the museum. Coffees served include a unique blend, Pleistocene Epoch Coffee  Mammuthus columbi, along with special varieties of Rooibos tea.

A free monthly drawing is also held with the winner receiving a Tate coffee mug and half a pound of fresh-roasted coffee from P. Hawk.

The Tate Geological Museum is located on the Casper College campus, and the event is free and open to the public.

Torch run locally

Special Olympics Wyomings Law Enforcement Torch Run takes to the streets of Casper. The run begins at the Mills Police Station at 9 a.m., and ends at Hat Six Travel Plaza in Evansville. Personnel in all areas of local, state and federal law enforcement will be participating, running or biking a portion or the full 10.4 mile route while wearing bright yellow shirts.

While making its way to Laramie, site of the State Games, the torch will also pass through Glenrock on Monday, May 6, beginning at 11:45 a.m., at Lions Park.

Wednesday Writers

The Natrona County Librarys monthly Wednesday Writers group will meet at 10 a.m. Open to all writers, from those just picking up a pencil through published authors, offering encouragement, inspiration and motivation. Please join for feedback, critiquing and general discussion. If youd like, bring some of your writing to share with the group. Call 577-7323 for more information.

Quilts of Valor meets

The Central Wyoming Chapter of Quilts of Valor Crossroads Quilters meet at the Central Wyoming Senior Services Center at 1831 E. 4th Street from 1 to 4 p.m., on Wednesdays. It is a non-profit organization that awards Quilts of Valor to military service members and veterans who have been touched by war regardless of the conflict, declared war or otherwise in which they served. QOVs are lifetime awards, stitched with love, prayers, and healing thoughts. If you have served or know of someone who has served and has not received a QOV or if you have question please contact Linda Tackett at 253-0110 or Jan Whitney at 237-7709.

Escort Vietnam wall

Join the escort for the American Veterans Traveling Tribute Vietnam Wall at 3 p.m., at the Broken Wheel Truck Stop in Douglas. This is the only opportunity to join in the escort caravan, which is bringing the wall to the Gateway Building at Casper College, where arrival is set for 4:45 p.m.

After school at the library

The Natrona County Library will host a craft program for students in grades K-5 at 4 p.m. Students will celebrate spring by making May baskets out of paper and ribbon. All supplies provided at no cost. Call 577-7323 for more information.

Ukulele classes start

Art 321 is excited to offer Ukulele 2.0. The class taught by musician and music teacher Pat Patton has been rescheduled for May 1, 8, and 15 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. By popular demand, noted musician and music teacher Pat Patton has agreed to offer a more advanced ukulele class for students who own their own ukuleles, already know some of the basics of playing this very versatile instrument and are keen to learn more advanced chords and chord sequences, experiment with a variety of strumming techniques and take on more difficult music to increase their proficiency and overall enjoyment. The cost is a great deal at only $75.

Tacos at the Elks

Wednesday Night Special at the Casper Elks Lodge is Taco Bar with all the fixings. All you can eat for $7. Build your own tacos, nachos, taco salad or any combination you desire with green chili and refried beans. Children 5 to 12 are $3, serving from 6 to 7 p.m. or until gone. Also enjoy a dessert for $1. Member, significant other and guest accompanied by a member. For more information, call 234-4839.

Free dance lessons

Free dance lessons at The Eagles Lodge, 306 N. Durbin (use the side door) on Wednesdays. Teens and adults are welcome. Free Line Dance Classes are 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. Learn line dance, country and pop with Machelle. Call 259-2501 for more information.

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Brushstrokes curved into thick black paint, where the artists large, stiff brush covered the painting in just one or a few strokes. Rock Springs artist David von Metz was inspired by a demonstration by artist James Austin Murray to explore within a constraint of using only black paint.

You get the overall impression of the piece, which is pretty simple, von Metz said. But then as you get closer and look more closely, then there are all these tiny details, and its sort of like you can zoom in with your eyes to the painting and be in this very complex landscape.

One painting led to another, which became a series that evolved and which he eventually called Dark Curvature.

The series now fills the walls at Scarlows Gallery in Casper, while his other series, F-----g Fragile, will take up the balcony area of the gallery through May. Von Metz will be on hand to meet and answer questions during a reception Thursday during the Casper Art Walk.

Mathematics plays a major role in von Metzs art, which is often created through patterns, repetition and geometry.

And sometimes really simple geometries that might, within those simple geometries, there might be a lot of complexity, he said. Thats all stuff that Im really interested in. And I guess I should say somehow it all appeals to me on some intuitive level.

Math isnt about following steps to get to an answer, he said.

Math is really more about experimenting and finding out patterns and then following those patterns to see where it leads you, the kind of truths it can lead to, he said.

The same kind of creative experimentation plays into his art.

It was just the idea of, OK, lets see what we can do with this basic technique and with only dark paint and experiment and see where it leads, and that maybe therell be something good that comes out of it, he said. And so thats not all that much different from the experimental approach that people use in science and math.

Mathematical creativity

Von Metz taught math at Western Wyoming Community College for 21 years before retiring from teaching full-time. When he turned 60, he started thinking about what to do for the next 20 years.

Hed created art as long as he can remember and even majored in art at one point in college. Hed continued off and on through the years. Hes delved into photography and digital art and took to the digital art side most with skills hed gained from Photoshop, he said. Along with digital art, his current work includes painting, collage and prints, according to his artist statement.

Math began to capture von Metzs interest by the eighth or ninth grade in a way that would play into his art. His teacher taught classic geometry using compasses and straight edges to create shapes and do operations, he said.

It was that very active, constructive process that appealed to me in that geometry class, he said, and clearly then, artists then are constructing when they do their art.

The students also collected geometric theorems in a flip book.

And it really impressed me how this was a complete system that was sort of self-contained and made total logical sense, he said.

Von Metz majored in art at one point at a community college in Oregon, but he pursued a math teaching path for the reliable income potential, he said.

After he earned his bachelors degree in ceramics science from The Pennsylvania State University in his home state and his masters degree in mathematics from Oregon State University, he moved to Rock Springs to teach.

He pursued art off and on in various ways through the years. As a busy father of young children, it would be during Sunday breakfasts with his kids who took turns going with to McDonalds with a toy or other object for him to draw there.

Since retiring to teach part-time with only one online calculus class a semester, his art has been shown Rock Springs Community Fine Arts Center and earlier this year at the Goodstein Art Gallery at Casper College. Hes continued to teach online calculus class at Western Wyoming Community College.

Scarlows Gallery owner Claire Marlow was immediately interested in von Metzs art upon seeing one of his all-black paintings, she said.

It was one giant swipe with the biggest brush youve ever seen, Marlow said. And his stuff is really interesting, and so on the spot I bought that first painting from him and talked about doing a solo show.

His art draws from a variety of inspiration, von Metz said, whether its a response to a sign in the real world or to a piece he created that leads to a step in another direction.

Its an interaction with the real world in a sense, he said, but its also like that geometry class way back in school. We were dealing with objects that were idealized, so I feel like Im also interacting with ideal forms in some sense.

Evolving themes

A shipping label on a package marked Fragile in the mail sparked the idea for von Metzs F Fragile series.

It began with admiring the beautiful, simple design and the playful idea of adding the expletive thats evolved to replace words like very, as he said in his artist statement. He began creating his own warning designs in 2017 with the concept in limited edition prints of the digital pieces. They feature large, geometric shapes and blocks of color but also details like subtle lines or a dot patterns on a background.

Even if its a very simple geometric design, then I want it to work at different scales, he said, so that you as youre farther away you see it one way, and as you get closer and closer you can see more and more.

He began to see the series in different way as the theme gradually began to evolve.

But it was only after about a year that I started recognizing that a lot of what was coming to my mind then for further work in the series was more based on the fragility of our current situation in the world and in this country, he said. And so I started looking for images that would more fit in to that theme or that interpretation, rather than just as a play on words or a visual playfulness.

Images like a figure struck by lightning and electric shock on a hand began to take on deeper meaning that tied the series together.

In the latter part of 2018, and into 2019, he said in his artist statement, my new work in the series gradually evolved into implicit statements about the unease that seems to pervade our lives, and also as metaphors for the current social/political environment. For me, many of the artworks in the  series can be interpreted as cautionary statements about the fragility of our democracy, the fragility of our complex economic structure, and the existential dangers that seem to be proliferating.

After hanging the show, he designed some wearable buttons based on the series that will be for sale at the gallery.

His Dark Curvature series evolved from where it began with the constraint of all black paint. He incorporated red backgrounds into some of the paintings in the series, which now includes some monoprints.

And just one little inspiration can lead to a whole series, where the inspiration can sometimes just be a particular constraint, he said. I want to work with them and see what kind of creativity I can develop within that constraint.

More artists inspired the series, including Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, whose painting of a large, black square was a radical move in art.

So his idea was that OK, art up until then was really about painting or drawing something or making a sculpture that represented something else, von Metz said. And so one of his ideas as I interpret it was that, OK, we can paint a black square that doesnt represent something else. Its just its own identity; it exists as an artwork by itself without referring to anything else. So that attitude really impressed me.

Von Metzs take on the idea includes a recent triptych painting in the show of geometric squares in black and red, continuing the color scheme that emerged through the series.

The gallery show isnt the end of either series, as the artist continues to explore and experiment.

Im just going to keep going with the ideas and these themes, he said, and see what else I can do.

Follow reporter Elysia Conner on Twitter @erconner

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Forecasters said a spring storm could drop more than a half foot of snow over parts of central and southern Wyoming between Monday night and Wednesday morning.

The storm, which was expected to begin impacting the area on Monday evening, was supposed to hit in two waves, according to the National Western Service in Cheyenne.

The first would hit overnight Monday, with a second blast following on Tuesday night through Wednesday morning.

Cheyenne, Laramie and Douglas were all expected to receive more than 6 inches of snow between the two waves. Predictions for Casper and parts of western Wyoming were more tepid.

The Oil City was forecast to receive 1 to 2 inches of snow overnight Monday, with a similar amount of Tuesday night.

The National Weather Service said the storm was expected to make for hazardous travel conditions along Interstate 80 from Rawlins to Sidney and Interstate 25 between Douglas and the border with Cheyenne.

Warmer temperatures were expected to return to the region by Friday.

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A Casper man pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to squeezing his infant sons head until the boys skull fractured.

Devan Deshay Thomas MacPherson, 25, was charged with and pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated child abuse, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Under the plea agreement, the prosecution is recommending 13 years for MacPherson, District Attorney Dan Itzen said. Judge Kerri Johnson will ultimately determine the sentence at a future hearing.

MacPherson, who was shackled and clothed in an orange jumpsuit in court Tuesday, quietly described holding his son in January, whos referred to in court documents and proceedings by the initials H.M. MacPherson described squeezing him. The man spoke softly, and Johnson clarified that MacPherson had squeezed his son so tightly that it caused a skull fracture. MacPherson nodded.

According to court documents, Casper Police responded to Wyoming Medical Center on Jan. 22 for a possible case of child abuse. An eight-week-old baby  H.M.  was being treated for a brain bleed, skull fracture, and bruising to his back and buttock regions. The baby would later be flown to Denvers Childrens Hospital, according to court documents.

H.M.s mother told police that on the morning of Jan. 22, she went to work and left H.M. with MacPherson. When she called MacPherson later that day, he told her that something was wrong with the baby; H.M. was taken to the hospital, where the extensive injuries were discovered.

According to court documents, MacPherson later told police that H.M. was fussy and wouldnt stop crying while his mother was at work. MacPherson attempted to force feed the baby using a bottle, such that formula was spilling from the sides of the babys mouth. Several hours later, the baby was still upset, and MacPherson held him. MacPherson pressed the baby against his chest, trying to keep him still.

After changing H.M.s diaper, according to court documents, MacPherson set the baby on the couch and then left the room. H.M. fell off the couch, and MacPherson picked him up again.

He then squeezed HMs neck very hard against (MacPhersons) chest, according to court documents. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being trying to pop his head off, MacPherson stated that he squeezed HMs neck at a 7. After being squeezed at this level, HM went limp.

MacPherson told police he knew something was wrong with the baby at this point. He ran the infants head under cold water and then took some snow from outside of the home and rubbed it onto the babys neck and head. H.M. continued to be quiet and still.

MacPherson then wrapped the baby in a blanket, put him in a manual bouncer and began playing video games. Sometime later, the babys mother called, and H.M. was taken to the hospital.

MacPherson would later test positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine, while the mother tested negative.

Follow education reporter Seth Klamann on Twitter @SethKlamann

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  A man armed with a pistol opened fire on students at a North Carolina university during the last day of classes Tuesday, killing two people and wounding four, police said. Officers who had gathered ahead of a campus concert raced over and disarmed the suspect.

The shooting prompted a lockdown at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and caused widespread panic across campus as students scrambled to take shelter.

"Just loud bangs. A couple loud bangs and then we just saw everyone run out of the building, like nervous, like a scared run like they were looking behind," said Antonio Rodriguez, 24, who was visiting campus for his friend's art show.

Campus Police Chief Jeff Baker said authorities received a call in the late afternoon that a suspect armed with a pistol had shot several students. He said officers assembling nearby for a concert rushed to the classroom building and arrested the gunman in the room where the shooting took place.

"Our officers' actions definitely saved lives," Baker said at a news conference.

He said two people were killed, and three remained in critical condition late Tuesday. He said a fourth person's injuries were less serious. Students were among the victims, but officials would not say how many.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified the suspect as Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22. They said he's in custody with charges pending.

Monifa Drayton, an adjunct professor, was walking onto campus when she heard the shots. She said she directed students fleeing the scene to take cover inside a parking deck.

"I heard one final gunshot and I saw all the children running toward me," she said. "We started to get all the children pulled into the second floor of the parking deck and the rationale was if we're in the parking deck and there's a shooter and we don't know where he is, he won't have a clear shot."

She added: "My thought was, I've lived my life, I've had a really good life, so, these students deserve the same. And so, whatever I could do to help any child to safety, that's what I was going to do."

The suspect's grandfather Paul Rold of Arlington, Texas, said that Terrell and his father moved to Charlotte from the Dallas area about two years ago after his mother died. Terrell taught himself French and Portuguese with the help of a language learning program his grandfather bought him and was attending UNC-Charlotte, Rold said. But Terrell never showed any interest in guns or other weapons and the news he may have been involved in a mass shooting was stunning, said Rold, who had not heard about the Charlotte attack before being contacted by an Associated Press reporter.

"You're describing someone foreign to me," Rold said in a telephone interview Tuesday night. "This is not in his DNA."

Shortly after UNC Charlotte issued a campus lockdown, aerial shots from local television news outlets showed police officers running toward a building, while another view showed students running on a campus sidewalk.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department later said that the campus had been secured and that officers were going through buildings to let people who were hiding know that it was safe to come out.

The university has more than 26,500 students and 3,000 faculty and staff. The campus is northeast of the city center and is surrounded by residential areas.

Spenser Gray, a junior, said she was watching another student's presentation in a nearby campus building when the alert about the shooting popped up on everyone's computer screens.

She said she panicked: "We had no idea where he was ... so we were just expecting them at any moment coming into the classroom."

Susan Harden, an UNCC professor and Mecklenburg County Commissioner, was at home when she heard of the shooting. She went to a staging area, she said, to provide support.

Harden said she has taught inside the Kennedy building, where the shootings occurred.

"It breaks my heart. We're torn up about what's happened," Harden said. "Students should be able to learn in peace and in safety and professors ought to be able to do their jobs in safety."

Gov. Roy Cooper said at a briefing late Tuesday that a "hard look" was needed into how the shooting happened and how to keep guns off campus and out of schools.

"A student should not have to fear for his or her life when they are on our campuses," the Democrat said. "Parents should not have to worry about their students when they send them off to school. And I know that this violence has to stop. ... In the coming days we will take a hard look at all of this to see what we need to do going forward."

___

Associated Press writers Martha Waggoner and Emery Dalesio in Raleigh contributed to this report.

___

This story has been amended to correct the spelling of Monifa Drayton's first name.

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Wyoming Treasurer Curt Meier threatened employees in the states Human Resources Division last month, workers there told a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper, an allegation Meier denied in a preemptive statement released Tuesday.

The highway patrol investigated the March 21 incident and closed the inquiry last week after concluding no criminal violations had occurred, the report states.

According to the highway patrol report, Meier allegedly threatened violence against members of the Human Resources Division due to issues related to employee retention, becoming increasingly agitated by his employees leaving for better-compensated positions in both the governors and auditors offices, the document states.

Believing he was being treated unfairly by the human resources department, he stated he had already verbally beat up the department, but now he was going to have to do it physically, the report states.

That comment caused enough concern to prompt the lockdown of the division, according to the document. Two top officials within the highway patrol  Col. Kebin Haller and Maj. Keith Groeneweg  later arrived on the scene, saying they would look into the matter, the report states.

In a statement released Tuesday morning, Meier denied the allegations.

Let me be clear: I unequivocally deny that I made any threat, Meier said in a statement. My conversations with Human Resources have always been professional and, in fact, I have never even visited HR since my election.

It was initially unclear what incident prompted the statement from Meier, which was sent to the press by his office Tuesday morning. The statement appeared to precede publication of the allegations themselves.

Meiers statement referred to a highway patrol incident report. A copy of the report was posted on the Cowboy State Daily, a news website, early Tuesday afternoon. A Wyoming Highway Patrol official later confirmed its authenticity.

Jim Angell, a journalist at Cowboy State Daily, said the highway patrol provided him a copy of the report at about 9:45 a.m. based on a public records request. Meier released his statement at 10:25 a.m.  roughly 40 minutes later. Angell told the Star-Tribune he had not yet contacted Meiers office for comment at the time Meier released his statement.

In his statement, Meier said he was notified by Wyoming Highway Patrol that the report had been filed against him but that the investigation had been closed with no wrongdoing reported.

Because Treasurer Meier is such a huge proponent of transparency in government, he wanted to preempt any release of that report by getting out ahead of it, by being proactive rather than reactive, Deputy Treasurer Dawn Williams told the Star-Tribune on Tuesday morning.

Emailed and voicemailed requests for comment to the Human Resources Division were not immediately returned Tuesday. A spokesperson for Gov. Mark Gordons office also declined comment.

The report also mentioned one incident when Meier had allegedly been seen aggressively cornering State Auditor Kristi Racines prior to a meeting March 21 at the temporary capitol building in Cheyenne.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Racines said she was aware of the report and had seen it but declined to comment on or confirm the accuracy of specific details within the report, saying she preferred to leave the past behind her.

I currently have a good working relationship with the treasurer, and I look forward to the future, Racines said, noting that she and Meier have participated in several meetings together since the alleged incident.

To me, its really in the past, she added.

According to the report, Patricia Bach, the interim director of the Wyoming Administration and Information Office, told a trooper that Meier and his office had been increasingly agitated over his employees leaving for opportunities at other state agencies, including the governors and auditors office. Specifically, according to the report, Meier was frustrated with human resources inability to reclassify his employees positions to compete with higher salaries in other agencies within state government.

Two days prior to the March 21 incident, Meier had a conversation with A&I Deputy Director, Russ Noel, regarding his inability to retain employees, the report read. According to the document, Meier sounded very annoyed during the call, Noel told police, but was not acting rudely.

Gordon, Meiers predecessor, took several top employees from the state treasurers office with him into the governors office. Following his election in November, Gordon named three former staffers to his executive leadership team, hiring away two additional staffers from the office following the 2019 legislative session, according to a spokesperson.

While the auditors office had taken on just one staffer from the treasurers office  executive assistant Kathy Ramsey  her hiring was the only one specifically mentioned in the report. According to the document, Meier was frustrated the auditors office could offer Ramsey a position two levels higher than anything he could offer in his office, something the report said he was not able to do as easily.

Meier was elected treasurer in November. Before taking state office, Meier served in the Wyoming Senate for more than two decades.

Star-Tribune editor Joshua Wolfson contributed to this report.

Follow politics reporter Nick Reynolds on Twitter @IAmNickReynolds

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After hundreds of Roman Catholics were killed in an Islamist terror attack last Sunday, Hillary Clinton tweeted out the following:

On this holy weekend for many faiths, we must stand united against hatred and violence. Im praying for everyone affected by todays horrific attacks on Easter worshipers and travelers in Sri Lanka.

The phrase Easter worshipper seemed strange, especially since former President Barack Obama had used the exact same phrase when tweeting out his own condolences: The attacks on tourists and Easter worshipers in Sri Lanka are an attack on humanity. On a day devoted to love, redemption, and renewal, we pray for the victims and stand with the people of Sri Lanka.

I chalked it up to that foot-in-mouth disease that afflicts some progressives when they try to talk about religion.

I was willing to move on from Clintons statement until I recalled her tweet after the assault on two mosques in New Zealand:

My heart breaks for New Zealand & the global Muslim community. We must continue to fight the perpetuation and normalization of Islamophobia and racism in all its forms. White supremacist terrorists must be condemned by leaders everywhere. Their murderous hatred must be stopped.

Thats when I got angry.

The death toll in Sri Lanka dwarfs that in New Zealand, and I say that not to diminish the horror of the assault on innocent Muslims but to point out that Clinton didnt take the Easter Sunday massacre as an opportunity to decry the normalization of anti-Christian hatred and racism in all its forms. She didnt condemn Islamic terrorists. She didnt demand that their murderous hatred must be stopped.

She just said that on a holy weekend for many faiths, we need to stand against hatred and violence.

Some people reading this wont see anything wrong with her comments. Some people will take issue with the fact that I am using the death of innocent people as an occasion to play politics.

But I have a problem with the way Clinton, and Obama, and others were so quick to commiserate with Muslim victims in New Zealand, and before that Jewish victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, and before that the African American victims of Mother Emanuel in Charleston, but had a difficult time finding the explicit words to talk about how Christians were murdered in Sri Lanka.

Im sensitive to the issue because Ive spent the last few months in immigration court defending Christians who have been persecuted in other parts of the world. Just this week, a young Honduran evangelical who received death threats every day for six months and who was assaulted outside of the church where she preached, was granted asylum by a compassionate immigration judge. It might seem counterintuitive that Christians are in danger in Christian majority countries, but there are no geographical limitations when it comes to hate.

However, there is an unwillingness in the west to acknowledge that Christians are an endangered species.

As John L. Allen observed in Crux, an online newspaper that focuses on news related to the Catholic Church, conversation about anti-Christian persecution has gone through several phases of denial ... fueled by suspicion in some cultural and media circles that anti-Christian persecution had been ginned up by conservative western Christians looking to win sympathy for socially unpopular positions on matters such as homosexuality and women.

To me, this statement resonated as I considered Clintons tone-deaf tweet. Consciously or not, she sees Muslims, Jews, and other minorities as victims, and has a blind spot when it comes to Christians. Shes not alone.

Language matters. So the next time a church goes up in flames, or people are massacred in church pews, lets stop using euphemisms like Obamas attack on humanity.

Lets be honest: It was an attack on Christians.

Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, and can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com.

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The dramatic crossings of large groups spurred news releases and headlines, but many families in the Tucson Sector actually cross like the Ramirez family: A few people at a time surrender to agents working out of the Ajo Station, which covers Lukeville, and the Casa Grande Station, the sectors public affairs office said in response to an inquiry from the Star.

How it works now

On Tuesday morning, a man in a red button-down shirt and a boy wearing a brown leather jacket walked out of the brush northwest of Lukeville, sat down next to a dirt-and-gravel road, and waited for agents to drive by.
May was part of the original club, and said when Leathers retired, about a half-dozen of the club members, including May, decided to establish an Arizona nonprofit corporation. Today, the Arizona Mushroom Society is a registered nonprofit. Leathers is on the board of directors.

The Arizona Mushroom Society has been the state affiliate of the North American Mycological Association since 2001, and has about 380 members throughout the state, May said. Most of them participate in at least two of the dozen or so events the society holds each year.

May said many members are most interested in the culinary adventure side, picking edible mushrooms and cooking them, but there are plenty of other reasons to go out looking for mushrooms. Some people like the academic and education aspect of finding mushrooms, and others love to photograph mushrooms.

In some areas, theres mushrooms everywhere and theyre very colorful, sometimes it looks like youre on a coral reef, May said. And theyre good candidates to photograph, they dont fly off like bugs or even sway in the wild like flowers. The joke is that they can hide but they cant run.

Dechter originally joined the society to get more information about wild mushrooms.
Facing a lawsuit over its own rules, the state Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to repeal a requirement that sex-ed classes in Arizona promote honor and respect for monogamous heterosexual marriage.

The move followed a closed-door session of board members with their attorney, who advised them of their role as defendants in the lawsuit filed last month by gay-rights organizations on behalf of some Arizona students challenging what they said was an unconstitutional law that discriminates against gay students.

Officially the rule remains in place, at least for the time being. Mondays action simply begins the legal process of revamping the rules, a process that requires a public hearing.

But Luke Narducci, the board president, said there already is a settlement between the state Board of Education and the challengers. Once the change is final, potentially as early as next month, the federal court lawsuit is expected to be dismissed.

The boards action comes a month after it and Arizona schools chief Kathy Hoffman were sued over a statute that bans sex-ed courses that promote a homosexual lifestyle or portray homosexuality as a positive alternative life-style when teaching about AIDS and HIV.
A Pima County judge sentenced two men on Monday in connection to a deadly 2018 shooting at an east-side hotel in the 6500 block of East Speedway.

Jose Angel Alvarez, 30, and Cassius Brandon Mason, 34, were both convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 13 years in prison, said Krisanne LoGalbo, a spokeswoman for Pima County Superior Court.

The two men were charged in the killing of David Jimenez, 34, after a drug-related transaction ended in gunfire in April 2018, according to Arizona Daily Star archives. Alvarez was booked into Pima County jail for an unrelated gun offense on the city's west side the day before he was connected to the deadly shooting.

Alvarez was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the gun offense and sentenced to 10 years in prison, which will run concurrent to his other sentence.

Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223. On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara

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People should not underestimate the deterrent of distance, said Matt Bergevin, senior class president at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe.

I know I wouldnt walk 1,300 feet for a Polar Pop, he said. I dont know why kids will do it for a Juul or a vape or anything that has to do with tobacco. I mean, most of my friends want to go home and play Fortnight.

Gibson McKay, who represents the Vapor Technology Association, defending the proposal to strip the right of local communities to set their own rules.

We do it with liquor, he said, with state laws already pre-empting local restrictions on things like where bars can be located and how their products can be sold.

Why wouldnt it work with this situation?

Pre-emption is not the only issue.

Carter is pushing House Bill 2357, which would put vaping products under the same laws that now govern tobacco. Those specifically include where people can and cannot smoke.

By contrast, SB 1147 is designed to ensure that vaping products are not placed in the same category as cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products.
Mexican authorities rescued two Americans who were allegedly kidnapped and held for ransom in Nogales, Sonora, officials said.

Agents rescued a man and woman from Tucson, ages 38 and 40, according to a press release on April 27 from the Attorney General's Office in Sonora.

The couple was kidnapped on April 24, The Arizona Republic reported.

The U.S. embassy in Mexico City provided information to Mexican authorities after the victims' families in Tucson reported them kidnapped, the press release said.

The victims were being held in a home, and captors were asking for $15,000 in ransom to let them go alive, the press release said. During the rescue, Mexican authorities detected armed guards and heard the couple calling for help.

Authorities were able to safely rescue the couple and apprehend two captors, identified only as 22-year-old Luis Alberto N. and 17-year-old Jesus Esteban N." The two captors were arrested on kidnapping charges.

It's unclear from the press release if Mexican authorities are searching for any additional suspects. The Attorney General's office in Sonora did not respond to Arizona Daily Star questions regarding what prompted the kidnapping.

Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223. On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara

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Acclaim and a shame is a collection of quick hits of praise and commentary on local, state and national issues written by members of The Facts Editorial Board.
OPINION: "We are now entering a new "industrial revolution," one in which using non-fossil fuels to power society is receiving all the attention. However, I contend we are making the same mistake as was made in the 1700's. Namely, we are not considering what will be the effect of the new sources of energy on the environment," writes Green Valley resident William Frix.
From December 19th through December 26th we will be granting free access as a gift to our readers presented by Copenhagen Imports
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The term trashpacker may not apply easily to the Vietnamese mind, but the trend is growing amongst people with true passion for a clean environment.

First started by Tijmen Sissing (Dutch), trashpacking soon picked up its vibe.

His community, known as Trashpackers, is reaching to trash zones around the world.

According to Peter Cornish, administrator of Clean Up Vietnam, a non-profit environmental group, Vietnam is one of the worlds leaders in terms of marine litter.

He thinks that picking up trash in Vietnam has been dominantly triggered by foreigners, but now can be the time when the locals themselves play their part.

Generation 1

Giang Thi Kim Cuc, 31, and Giang Thi Kim Yen, 36, are the first of the Vietnamese trashpackers.

They have been active since August 2018.

Last year, I met Tijmen Sissing, founder of Trashpackers, while traveling to Brunei. He inspired me with his go-and-clean-up trips, said Yen.

According to Sissing, Southeast Asia is such a lovely place with striking scenery and great cuisine, but trash happens to be everywhere.

Instead of going on about the problem, he decided to pick up litter wherever he went, Yen added.

With such inspiration, Giang and Cuc began their trashpacker lives.

Their gigs started to appear in Da Lat, Nha Trang, Vung Tau, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Binh Thuan, and Ho Chi Minh City.

One such event happened on a spring morning of 2019.

As early as 7:00 am, Cuc, Giang and a team of more than 50 young members gathered around the Thu Duc Overpass in Thu Duc District, around 15km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City.

They eagerly cleared the plastic bags, cigarette butts, plastic bottles and cups.

Members of this single trashpacking tour included students from Nguyen Huu Huan High School in Thu Duc, undergrads from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education and Technology.

There was also a three-year-old girl coming with her mother.

Recruitment

Yen and Cuc have come up with certain strategies to recruit trashpackers.

They first decide on a trash-filled spot, then approach local social media groups and place their call for volunteers.

We try to attract people, wearing outstanding scarfs and choosing crowded places, Cuc said.

Its impossible for us to clean up the whole planet, but this flame should spread to as many places as possible, she added.

One of their largest events was done on Vinh Luong Beach in the seaside city of Nha Trang.

They managed to enlist the aid of nearly 300 trashpackers, including high school students, civil servants and foreigners.

Local authorities even dispatched dump trucks and bulldozers.

The filthy beach was finally renewed after seven days of dawn-till-dust non-stop trashpacking, with hundreds of tons of trash collected.

Mixed feelings for Vietnamese trashpackers

The first experiences surely put off certain newbies: the stench of trash, the filth of animal carcasses, and the dread of drug syringes and shattered glass.

Trashpacker Giang Thi Kim Yen poses before and after cleaning up the market channel in Loc Ninh District, Binh Phuoc Province. Photo: Trashpackers VN

But we overcame our fear. Whats worst is the mocking from others, Yen said.

More often than not, they have been yelled at and labelled as nuts. Some say these trashpackers mainly show off.

Some even joked that they were going to sell the trash for money.

Yen realized that however hard she tries to bust such misconception, she will still meet with curses.

Once I was trashpacking under the Thu Thiem Bridge in District 2, there were lots of men enjoying their streetside coffee but none of them bothered to lift a finger and help, Yen said.

So disappointed, I made a post on Facebook about how indifferent people can be, but criticism came back at me like a ton of bricks.

It was the first time I had ever got so badly scolded.

Yet, if there were only such downsides, trashpackers like Yen should snap way too soon.

March 2019 saw a surge of trashpacking activities posted on social media.

Thanks to this, trashpacking is making its way into peoples mind and more trashpackers get to join the cause.

In the height of this trend, Giang and Cuc decided to cleanse a market channel in Loc Ninh District, Binh Phuoc Province.

Id had my eyes on this channel for a long time. You know, its in my hometown, Cuc said.

On this occasion, they recruited dozens of helping hands, but most abandoned the boat when their leaders started to waddle down the mud.

With only Cuc, Yen and a volunteer from Hanoi, they finally purified the channel and left a lovely painting on its wall.

To make for sustainability, trashpackers sometimes turn the trash zones they have conquered into simple childrens playgrounds, with tire swings and stuff.

A good example of this is the Vinh Luong Beach in Nha Trang City.

The children now love their new playground and take an active part in protecting it against littering.

All hands on deck

Several weeks after the heist of social media trashpacking, more similar jobs are being done by young people interested.

The student zone in Thu Duc District has attracted several trashpacking attempts.

This is a huge area with several colleges under the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, two dorms with tens of thousands of students, and a great deal of trash.

One attempt came from Tien Dat, 19, who founded a trashpacker team in Cat Lat, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City.

This first job of theirs was done with merely four members, but now they have recruited up to 25.

Doan Phung Gia Huy, a sophomore at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, also targeted this student area in Thu Duc District.

They have organized regular trash days for three weeks and have attracted more students.

Environmental groups have placed trashpacking on their agenda as well.

Go Green Vietnam is a pro-environment group in Vinh City, Nghe An Province. They have been trashpacking in the Hung Hoa Dam.

According to Le Minh Tan, founder of Go Green Vietnam, this group has been disseminating videos on marine life pollution.

They have also carried out such campaigns as 30dayschallenge, calling for a whole 30 days of plastic-bag-free shopping in the hope of altering the Vietnamese habit of using plastic bags.
What you need to know in Vietnam this morning:

Politics

-- Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan on Monday paid a visit to retired officials at old tenements in District 5 on the occasion of Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers Day (May 1).

Society

-- Many streets in Ho Chi Minh City are now empty, a complete deviation from normal days, as people have returned to their hometowns to celebrate a five-day holiday marking Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers Day (May 1) since Saturday.

-- Three children, aged eight to eleven, went missing on Monday after going swimming in a river in the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An.

-- A long-haul bus was caught transporting 42 passengers on Sunday, while it was designed to carry only 42 ones, when it was traveling from Hanoi to the northern province of Yen Bai.

-- Tourists are swarming around Da Lat, a resort city in the Central Highlands of Lam Dong, as they celebrate Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers Day (May 1), which started on Saturday.

-- A fire gutted a truck repair shop on Sunday in the northern province of Lao Cai, causing damage worth VND4 billion (US$172,300).

Business

-- Many foreigners living in Vietnam have said they prefer locally made products for their safety, quality, and a desire to encourage domestic production.

-- Vietnamese newcomer Bamboo Airways organized a ceremony to welcome its first flight from Vietnam to Japan at Ibaraki Airport, located in the namesake prefecture.

Lifestyle

-- A carnival wrapped up in the northern province of Quang Ninh on Sunday, featuring vibrant vibes and colorful costumes donned by beautiful dancers.
Two sisters and their cousin drowned when they went for a swim in a river in north-central Vietnam on Monday.

Rescuers found three bodies on Tuesday in Thai Hoa Town, Nghe An Province.

One of the bodies, 11-year-old T.V.L., was retrieved from the Hieu River in Thai Hoa at 8:40 am on Tuesday, Dinh The Vinh, deputy chairman of the Thai Hoa Peoples Committee, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The other two, eight-year-old P.T.M. and 13-year-old T.K.L., had been found at 5:15 am and 7:30 am in the same river.

X. and L. were sisters and they were M.s cousins.

Five children went for a swim in the Hieu River in Long Son Ward, Thai Hoa at 3:00 pm on Monday.

Three of them went missing so the others dashed home for help.

Their relatives failed to find them for the whole night, with help from over 100 police officers, soldiers, militiamen, and locals.

Local authorities have visited and offered support to their families.

Vietnam recorded around 2,000 child drownings in 2018, according to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs.

Currently, swimming is not a compulsory subject in many schools in the Southeast Asian country.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!




In the Spring of 1961 a lightly armed group of Cuban exiles invaded the south coast of Cuba. They had little air support and were dwarfed in number by the armed forces of revolutionary Cuba which when brought to bear at the site of the invasion quickly crushed them. The members of the invading force were captured and imprisoned. They were held for a time and then released to the US after prolonged negotiations. Some of them were offered admission to the US armed forces and a number accepted.

The Eisenhower Administration had approved this project. It was meant to overthrow the new Communist government of Cuba. In 1960 when it became apparent that the Fidelistas were intent on allying themselves with the USSR Eisenhower decided to try to remove that government. Before the intentions and true loyalties of the revolutionaries became clear the US government as well as most Americans had been romantically sympathetic to the notion of a tiny band of long exiled rebels having incited a country wide rebellion that overthrew the dastardly caudillo Fulgencio Batista from a base in the jungled mountains of eastern Cuba. How grand, Robin Hoods with beards come to free the people! Unfortunately for that view, the emerging Cuba/USSR alliance quickly showed that it would bear fruit in something really dangerous like the emplacement of Soviet IRBMs in Cuba in 1962.

In response to a perceived emerging threat Eisenhower authorized the Bay of Pigs invasion project in a presidential finding that was altogether legal under US law. The laws in question were the 1947/1958 National Security Acts which allowed the president to order the CIA (not the armed forces) to carry out covert military actions of the Bay of Pigs variety. The operation was planned by CIA in the expectation that the Cuban people, if given the inspiration of a Cuban manned invasion force, would rise and throw out the Communists. The plan included stand-by US air support in case things got "sticky" after the landing. On that basis the Joint Chiefs of Staff gave the CIA plan their blessing.

The new Kennedy Administration detested the Castro government and decided to continue invasion preparations with one critical emendation. The open use of US air power to support the invasion was taken out of the plan. The Camelot crew at the Kennedy White House did not realize how dangerous it was to remove that pillar of the plan. No one bothered to inform the JCS that the plan had been changed.

In the event, the Cuban people did not rise to support the invasion, The Cuban armed forces crushed the effort and a key part of that success was the uncontested application of Cuban air attacks on the beachhead.

The whole thing had been a shoestring operation concocted by the militarily inept paramilitary section of the CIA run by former but failed junior military officers assisted by a few sergeants borrowed from the active armed forces for this project.

I knew one such. When I was in the 8th SFGA in the Panama Canal Zone I was for a time in the staff intelligence section of group headquarters. The senior sergeant in the section was a master sergeant of Nicaraguan birth who had been borrowed by CIA to be the chief trainer of the paratroop component of the invasion force. He trained these Cubans in Guatemala while posing as a retired US Army senior airborne officer and then sent them on their way to the Bay of Pigs while standing alongside the runway waving at each plane as it took off.

Does this sound fantastical and unlikely? It does to me as well, but it was all true. One day I was in the Ft. Gulick PX with Sergeant Gonzalo ------- when we were approached by a US Army captain who looked Gonzalo up and down and said "Colonel Jim! You are a sergeant?" He was amazed. He was one of the Bay of Pigs prisoners who had been taken into the US Army after release from prison. "Colonel Jim" had trained him and his comrades for war in Cuba.

The analogy to whatever it is that the US has been covertly trying to do in Venezuela is obvious with some differences:



1. There is no exile military force trained by the CIA for insertion as a rallying point for the the anti-Communist forces among the people and armed forces of Venezuela.

2. There is no evidence that First in his Class and the Stache have persuaded the Commander in Chief to commit US military support in any way to the Venezuela project of regime change. In the Bay of Pigs case the US military stood ready in the background to intervene if ordered to do so but were never so ordered. That does not seem to be the case now.



3. There is some evidence that most Latin American states would like to see regime change in Venezuela. That was not true in 1961.

4. There is no USSR. The attempt to portray the Communist government of Venezuela as a Russian or Chinese bridgehead in the Western Hemisphere is just absurd.

My SWAG is that Maduro's troops and police will crush today's "revolt," arrest Guaido and his handful of military supporters and put them on trial. The US will do nothing but wring its hands in frustration.

Remember - Analysis is not Advocacy. I would love to see the Maduro government fall. pl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs
Nine has defended screening leaked footage of One Nation candidate Steve Dickson at a US strippers bar last night, on A Current Affair.

Al Jazeera, which filmed the material during its How to Sell a Massacre documentary, has condemned the use of the footage which it chose not to broadcast.

Phil Rees, who runs Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit tweeted, Important to say. The material was gathered but a decision was made by Al Jazeera not to broadcast it as part of the investigation, How to Sell a Massacre.

Despite Al Jazeeras own decision not to publish the images, they have now been published without our consent.

This morning Dickson offered his resignation to Pauline Hanson, who had previously stood by the candidate after he was seen meeting with NRA organisers in the US.

Nine today stands by its decision to air.

The footage was leaked to A Current Affair. We stand by the story and Mr Dicksons resignation this morning highlights the public interest in broadcasting the footage, said a Nine spokesman.

When How to Sell a Massacre screened Pauline Hanson called for all the footage to be released.

Today she accepted Dicksons resignation.
By Katie Paul

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Reuters) - Facebook Inc debuted an overhaul of its core social network on Tuesday, taking its first concrete steps to refashion itself into a private messaging and e-commerce company as it tries to move past scandals while tapping new revenue sources.

Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a fresh design for the world's biggest social network that de-emphasized its News Feed. It also ditched the signature blue banner that has been on the app since its launch.

The new design showcases Facebook's messaging app, online marketplace and video-on-demand site, while giving greater prominence to the popular photo-driven Stories feature.

The company also rolled out features aimed at encouraging users to interact with their close social circle as well as with businesses, such as a "Secret Crush" option for Facebook Dating and a tool for appointment booking.

"As the world gets bigger and more connected, we need that sense of intimacy more than ever. That's why I believe that the future is private. This is the next chapter for our services," said Zuckerberg, speaking at Facebook's annual F8 conference, where the company gives developers a peek at product releases.

Investors greeted the announcements, mostly launching lower-margin businesses, with a lukewarm response. Facebook shares ended down 0.7 percent on Tuesday.

Zuckerberg in March promised changes to the advertising-driven social media company, which has come under regulatory scrutiny over propaganda on its platform and violations of users' data privacy.

He identified private messaging, short-lasting stories and small groups as the fastest-growing areas of online communication. In the last three years, the number of people using Facebook's WhatsApp has almost doubled.

Building up those more intimate and encrypted forms of communication could also reduce pressure on Facebook to clean up misinformation and abusive content. In the wake of its scandals, the company has spent heavily on tools to catch banned material.

Story continues

The social media company is now working on "LightSpeed" in order to make its Messenger app smaller and faster.

Facebook will also introduce a desktop version of Messenger for Mac and Windows and launch a feature called "Product Catalogue" for WhatsApp Business. The desktop app will be available this fall.

Later this week, Facebook will run a test in Canada for a major change to its Instagram app that would remove the number of likes on photos as well as video views from users' feeds, permalink pages and profiles.

Facebook had delayed rolling out certain products at last year's F8 event, which came soon after revelations it inappropriately shared information belonging to 87 million users with British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

"I know that we don't exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, to put it lightly," Zuckerberg said.

Other Facebook executives introduced changes within the Messenger and Instagram apps aimed at helping businesses connect with customers, including appointment booking and a tool to lure customers into direct conversations with companies via ads.

The online ad market is largely dominated by Facebook and Alphabet Inc's Google. But the field is more diverse for messaging, e-commerce and payments, with big players like Amazon.com Inc , Microsoft Corp and eBay Inc as well as fast-growing Silicon Valley unicorns like workplace messaging app Slack and video conferencing service Zoom Video Communications Inc.

"We've shown time and again as a company that we have what it takes to evolve," Zuckerberg said.

MAKING MONEY

The shift also comes as Facebook is looking beyond advertising for future income.

Facebook pulled in nearly $56 billion (42.96 billion pounds) in revenue last year, almost of all which came from showing ads to the 2.7 billion people who access its family of apps each month.

But the company is no longer adding many new users in the United States and Europe, its most lucrative markets, and it must find additional sources of revenue if it is to sustain growth.

The product releases at F8 indicated that its answer involves efforts to keep users on its apps for longer, coupled with e-commerce tools Facebook is hoping businesses will pay to use.

Features that drive the most user engagement, like Stories and videos, are being decked out with new tools and given increased prominence across the platforms.

One new feature will allow users to watch videos together in Messenger, while also viewing each other's reactions in simultaneous texts and video chats.

Facebook Dating will be expanded into 14 new markets, including places in where Facebook has high user growth. The "Secret Crush" feature will allows users to explore potential romantic relationships within their friend circle.

New shopping and other business-to-consumer interactions, already popular in Chinese social apps like WeChat, could also help squeeze revenue out of Facebook's messaging services.

Instagram is expanding a sales system introduced last month, allowing public figures, known as influencers, to tag products in their posts so fans can buy them right away.

Sellers on Marketplace will likewise be able to receive payments and arrange shipping directly within Facebook, while users of WhatsApp and Messenger will be able to send money to each other as easily as sharing a photo, Zuckerberg said.

(Reporting by Katie Paul in San Jose and Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Lisa Shumaker)
The French diplomat and former RFI correspondent Arnaud Dubus has been found dead in Thailand. The embassy in Bangkok said the 56-year-old had fallen from a train in the Yannawa district in the capital's south.Police said they were investigating the circumstances of his death, which remained unclear on Tuesday. Dubus was known for his profound knowledge of the region, including Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines.He worked as a correspondent for RFI (including its English service) since October 1988. Last year, he finally said goodbye to journalism and began working for the French embassy in Bangkok as press attache.Dubus, who also wrote for French newspaper Liberation, studied communication at Celsa-Universite-Paris-IV, where he produced a critical thesis called "Journalism and objectivity. Example of the attitude of Liberation, Le Monde and Le Nouvel Observateur regarding the Cambodia of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1978): between blindness and partiality."It launched him on a three-decade long journey through some of the most important events in Southeast Asia. He covered Aung San Suu Kyi confronting the Myanmar junta, before she was put under house arrest. He reported about the repression of the Rohyinga. He tried to make sense of the chaotic political landscape and the military coups in Thailand and made reporting trips to the Philippines.He wrote several books, including Buddhism and Politics in Thailand and a book on the complex relationship between the Thai and Indonesian armies in the wake of popular uprisings.For his colleagues in the newsroom in Paris and to those who visited him, he was always ready to share contacts, advice, hospitality and jokes. He will be missed.

The French diplomat and former RFI correspondent Arnaud Dubus has been found dead in Thailand. The embassy in Bangkok said the 56-year-old had fallen from a train in the Yannawa district in the capital's south.

Police said they were investigating the circumstances of his death, which remained unclear on Tuesday.

Dubus was known for his profound knowledge of the region, including Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines.

He worked as a correspondent for RFI (including its English service) since October 1988. Last year, he finally said goodbye to journalism and began working for the French embassy in Bangkok as press attache.

Dubus, who also wrote for French newspaper Liberation, studied communication at Celsa-Universite-Paris-IV, where he produced a critical thesis called "Journalism and objectivity. Example of the attitude of Liberation, Le Monde and Le Nouvel Observateur regarding the Cambodia of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1978): between blindness and partiality."

It launched him on a three-decade long journey through some of the most important events in Southeast Asia. He covered Aung San Suu Kyi confronting the Myanmar junta, before she was put under house arrest. He reported about the repression of the Rohyinga. He tried to make sense of the chaotic political landscape and the military coups in Thailand and made reporting trips to the Philippines.

He wrote several books, including Buddhism and Politics in Thailand and a book on the complex relationship between the Thai and Indonesian armies in the wake of popular uprisings.

For his colleagues in the newsroom in Paris and to those who visited him, he was always ready to share contacts, advice, hospitality and jokes. He will be missed.
Weeks after President Omar al-Bashirs ouster, tensions between Sudans protest movement and powerful military are mounting with regional powers ready to seize on divisions between and within rival camps. The posters began circulating late Sunday as Sudanese opposition representatives were holding talks with the countrys ruling military council in a bid to ensure the latest uprising does not go the way of previous protest movements, co-opted or bludgeoned into historic insignificance.Equality in female participation at every level, the posters proclaimed, inviting women to participate in a womens march the next day.While opposition leaders negotiated the formation of a joint civilian-military council that would take over power in Sudan, a number of female demonstrators were protesting over the lack of womens representatives in the critical talks.The Sudanese uprising that led to the April 11 ouster of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir was never just a political revolt. It has also been a cultural revolution, a shaking-up of decades of marginalisation of women, non-Arab minorities and secular figures who were oppressed or silenced during 30 years of Islamist autocracy. Weeks after Bashirs ouster, the future of Sudan is the source of intense debate and disquiet, with diverse actors jostling to have a say in the form and shape the country will take. Within the countrys vast security establishment, senior military officers have been rising and crashing, in a sign of the turmoil that has gripped an institution that was manipulated and controlled by Bashir.Meanwhile beyond Sudans borders, regional rivals are attempting to maneuver or hijack the revolution as they vie for strategic gains in a country that straddles Africas Saharan and Sub-Saharan regions, with an 850- kilometre Red Sea coastline providing access to one of the worlds busiest waterways.Military and the people tussle for powerThe biggest challenge confronting the Sudanese opposition is the battle for power between the military and a civilian protest movement trying to avoid the failures of the 2011 Arab uprisings.The struggle these days is focused on the make-up of a joint military-civilian council that would take over from the 10-member military council ruling the country since Bashirs ouster.The opposition Declaration for Freedom and Change (DFC) -- a broad coalition orchestrating the protests  is seeking a 15-member joint council comprised of eight civilian and seven military representatives.The military on the other hand, wants a council made up of seven military representatives and three civilians, a spokesman for the military council told reporters on Monday.Tensions between the two camps have been rising this week, with the military council calling on protesters to clear roadblocks around the oppositions sit-in area outside Alqiyada al Amaah, the military headquarters complex in the capital, Khartoum.The opposition, on the other hand, has vowed to continue the protests until the military returns of its barracks and power is handed over to civilians.But that is proving to be an uphill task amid signs of a hardening stance among senior military officers.An ambitious former Janjaweed bossOn Tuesday, a top Sudanese general risked inflaming the situation when he said the countrys current military ruler, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, would also head the joint military-civilian council.Burhan has repeatedly proclaimed he is with the people and his soldiers will not attack protesters.But while Burhan has a measure of credibility since he is considered relatively clean and not part of Bashirs inner circle, his deputy on the military council, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has sparked unease in opposition ranks.Widely known by his nickname Hemedti, Dagalo was a commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that grew out of the government-backed Janjaweed militias accused of committing war crimes in the western Darfur region.A member of the Rizeigat tribe of camel-herding Arab nomads in Darfur, Dagalo has risen from humble origins to the top echelons of Sudans security establishment with the sheer force of his ambition.At the height of the Darfur conflict, he was one of the only Janjaweed commanders to grant access and an interview to a documentary film crew, a platform he used to boast about a 2006 visit to Bashirs home, where he was personally asked to fight in Darfur.When the latest anti-government protests broke out in December, RSF units were deployed in Khartoum, where Dagalo once again gave media interviews to declare his support for the peoples legitimate demands. Following Bashirs downfall, he claimed to have played a major role in preventing bloodshed by helping remove the president -- who was his biggest patron in less uncertain times.If Dagalos public comments are a measure of which way the political winds are blowing in Sudan, the former Janjaweed commanders statements on Tuesday did not appear to augur well for the opposition."We are ready to negotiate, but no chaos after today," he told reporters after announcing that six security personnel have been killed nationwide in clashes with protesters while 16 others were wounded in Mondays clashes. "There were incidents of burning of markets, looting of money," he said.Sisi plays spoiler in the AUProtest leaders are aware that a collapse of law and order would be the easiest pretext for a military crackdown and the start of a counter-revolution similar to what happened five years ago across the northern border.The spectre of Egypt haunts Sudanese opposition circles with No to the Egyptian outcome and Victory or Egypt turning into popular chants at the Khartoum sit-in.The Egyptian outcome refers to General Abdel Fattah al-Sisis takeover of the transition process before Egypts only democratically elected leader, Mohamed Morsi, could complete his term in office.But Sisi has succeeded in maneuvering in favour of Sudans military leaders by giving the Transitional Military Council (TMC) additional time for a power handover to civilians.He has managed that in his role as current chair of the African Union (AU) under the 55-member blocs rotating presidency system.On April 15, just days after Bashirs ouster, the AUs Peace and Security Council issued a communique calling on the Sudanese military to step aside and hand over power to a transitional civilian-led political authority within a maximum period of 15 days. Failure to comply, the statement noted, would lead to Sudans suspension from the AU until the restoration of constitutional order.But a week later, Sisi convened a meeting in Cairo of select African heads of state, which recommended a handover extension from April 30 to three months.One of the intentions behind such an extension is to challenge the power of the continued resistance and to push towards gradual diffusion of the sit-in, explained Dalia El Roubi, an activist and member of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party, in a phone interview with FRANCE 24 from Khartoum.Following sustained Egyptian pressure on AU members, the blocs Peace and Security Council on Tuesday extended the April 30 deadline for an additional 60 days, a two-month compromise that has undermined the AUs role as a promoter of democratic principles on the continent.Sisis diplomatic maneuverings over the past few weeks have not gone unnoticed by Sudanese citizens calling for the end of military rule.Anti-Sisi sentiment is running high in Khartoum, where hundreds of people gathered outside the Egyptian Embassy on April 25 to condemn what they called Sisis interference in Sudan, according to news reports. Demonstrators chanted,Tell Al-Sisi this is Sudan, your borders are just (until) Aswan, referring to the border between the two countries.Keep your moneyMany protesters have also been wary of a $3 billion emergency aid pledged by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Sudan.Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are widely viewed as the Arab powers most opposed to a change in the status quo in Khartoum. Sudans economic woes, compounded by corruption and mismanagement, have left it particularly vulnerable to influence by its oil-rich Gulf allies across the Red Sea. Both Burhan and Hemedti have worked closely with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on the deployment of Sudanese forces in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is conducting a military operation against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.While some Sudanese have called on the two Gulf kingdoms to keep your money, other opposition groups, including several armed factions, travelled to the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi to discuss a UAE-Saudi backed proposal for a military-led transition council. Kandaka go homeWith so many geostrategic interests at stake, many activists under the Declaration for Freedom and Change (DFC) umbrella are wary of focusing on divergences within the broad opposition movement.Many Sudanese women activists, for instance, have been dismayed about the low level of female participation in negotiations with the military council. But they are careful about voicing their grievances.Some believe it should be an internal discussion, that we shouldnt speak up about it so the transition will be smooth or we will give the TMC [Transitional Military Council] ammunition to say we are not responsible, explained Roubi.But women, who have borne the brunt of the military regimes hardline Islamist policies, have been at the forefront of the protest movement, with thousands gathering day after day at sit-ins across the country.The role of women in the anti-Bashir demonstrations was highlighted by a video clip, which went viral, of a Sudanese student, dressed in a traditional taub, leading the crowd in a revolutionary chant.Female protesters like Alaa Salah have been dubbed Kandakas after Nubian queens who ruled the region where the White and Blue Niles meet thousands of years ago. But in recent days, a new song has been making the rounds, with young male activists singing, Kandaka go home, shafata (men) are protecting the revolution.The lyrics are well-meaning, Roubi explained, with the young men trying to reassure women that they can take care of the situation. But it underscored the paternalism and patriarchy that has set in after decades of Islamist rule.Were frustrated. They say this is a structural issue. Well then fix it. This is the time for change. Were in the middle of a revolution. We cant say lets do it later we took the lead right from the start. Were not victims and we dont need someone to speak on our behalf.

Weeks after President Omar al-Bashirs ouster, tensions between Sudans protest movement and powerful military are mounting with regional powers ready to seize on divisions between and within rival camps.

The posters began circulating late Sunday as Sudanese opposition representatives were holding talks with the countrys ruling military council in a bid to ensure the latest uprising does not go the way of previous protest movements, co-opted or bludgeoned into historic insignificance.

Equality in female participation at every level, the posters proclaimed, inviting women to participate in a womens march the next day.

While opposition leaders negotiated the formation of a joint civilian-military council that would take over power in Sudan, a number of female demonstrators were protesting over the lack of womens representatives in the critical talks.

The Sudanese uprising that led to the April 11 ouster of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir was never just a political revolt. It has also been a cultural revolution, a shaking-up of decades of marginalisation of women, non-Arab minorities and secular figures who were oppressed or silenced during 30 years of Islamist autocracy.

Weeks after Bashirs ouster, the future of Sudan is the source of intense debate and disquiet, with diverse actors jostling to have a say in the form and shape the country will take. Within the countrys vast security establishment, senior military officers have been rising and crashing, in a sign of the turmoil that has gripped an institution that was manipulated and controlled by Bashir.

Meanwhile beyond Sudans borders, regional rivals are attempting to maneuver or hijack the revolution as they vie for strategic gains in a country that straddles Africas Saharan and Sub-Saharan regions, with an 850- kilometre Red Sea coastline providing access to one of the worlds busiest waterways.

Military and the people tussle for power

The biggest challenge confronting the Sudanese opposition is the battle for power between the military and a civilian protest movement trying to avoid the failures of the 2011 Arab uprisings.

Story continues

The struggle these days is focused on the make-up of a joint military-civilian council that would take over from the 10-member military council ruling the country since Bashirs ouster.

The opposition Declaration for Freedom and Change (DFC) -- a broad coalition orchestrating the protests  is seeking a 15-member joint council comprised of eight civilian and seven military representatives.

The military on the other hand, wants a council made up of seven military representatives and three civilians, a spokesman for the military council told reporters on Monday.

Tensions between the two camps have been rising this week, with the military council calling on protesters to clear roadblocks around the oppositions sit-in area outside Alqiyada al Amaah, the military headquarters complex in the capital, Khartoum.

The opposition, on the other hand, has vowed to continue the protests until the military returns of its barracks and power is handed over to civilians.

But that is proving to be an uphill task amid signs of a hardening stance among senior military officers.

An ambitious former Janjaweed boss

On Tuesday, a top Sudanese general risked inflaming the situation when he said the countrys current military ruler, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, would also head the joint military-civilian council.

Burhan has repeatedly proclaimed he is with the people and his soldiers will not attack protesters.

But while Burhan has a measure of credibility since he is considered relatively clean and not part of Bashirs inner circle, his deputy on the military council, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has sparked unease in opposition ranks.

Widely known by his nickname Hemedti, Dagalo was a commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that grew out of the government-backed Janjaweed militias accused of committing war crimes in the western Darfur region.

A member of the Rizeigat tribe of camel-herding Arab nomads in Darfur, Dagalo has risen from humble origins to the top echelons of Sudans security establishment with the sheer force of his ambition.

At the height of the Darfur conflict, he was one of the only Janjaweed commanders to grant access and an interview to a documentary film crew, a platform he used to boast about a 2006 visit to Bashirs home, where he was personally asked to fight in Darfur.

When the latest anti-government protests broke out in December, RSF units were deployed in Khartoum, where Dagalo once again gave media interviews to declare his support for the peoples legitimate demands. Following Bashirs downfall, he claimed to have played a major role in preventing bloodshed by helping remove the president -- who was his biggest patron in less uncertain times.

If Dagalos public comments are a measure of which way the political winds are blowing in Sudan, the former Janjaweed commanders statements on Tuesday did not appear to augur well for the opposition.

"We are ready to negotiate, but no chaos after today," he told reporters after announcing that six security personnel have been killed nationwide in clashes with protesters while 16 others were wounded in Mondays clashes. "There were incidents of burning of markets, looting of money," he said.

Sisi plays spoiler in the AU

Protest leaders are aware that a collapse of law and order would be the easiest pretext for a military crackdown and the start of a counter-revolution similar to what happened five years ago across the northern border.

The spectre of Egypt haunts Sudanese opposition circles with No to the Egyptian outcome and Victory or Egypt turning into popular chants at the Khartoum sit-in.

The Egyptian outcome refers to General Abdel Fattah al-Sisis takeover of the transition process before Egypts only democratically elected leader, Mohamed Morsi, could complete his term in office.

But Sisi has succeeded in maneuvering in favour of Sudans military leaders by giving the Transitional Military Council (TMC) additional time for a power handover to civilians.

He has managed that in his role as current chair of the African Union (AU) under the 55-member blocs rotating presidency system.

On April 15, just days after Bashirs ouster, the AUs Peace and Security Council issued a communique calling on the Sudanese military to step aside and hand over power to a transitional civilian-led political authority within a maximum period of 15 days. Failure to comply, the statement noted, would lead to Sudans suspension from the AU until the restoration of constitutional order.

But a week later, Sisi convened a meeting in Cairo of select African heads of state, which recommended a handover extension from April 30 to three months.

One of the intentions behind such an extension is to challenge the power of the continued resistance and to push towards gradual diffusion of the sit-in, explained Dalia El Roubi, an activist and member of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party, in a phone interview with FRANCE 24 from Khartoum.

Following sustained Egyptian pressure on AU members, the blocs Peace and Security Council on Tuesday extended the April 30 deadline for an additional 60 days, a two-month compromise that has undermined the AUs role as a promoter of democratic principles on the continent.

Sisis diplomatic maneuverings over the past few weeks have not gone unnoticed by Sudanese citizens calling for the end of military rule.

Anti-Sisi sentiment is running high in Khartoum, where hundreds of people gathered outside the Egyptian Embassy on April 25 to condemn what they called Sisis interference in Sudan, according to news reports. Demonstrators chanted,Tell Al-Sisi this is Sudan, your borders are just (until) Aswan, referring to the border between the two countries.

Keep your money

Many protesters have also been wary of a $3 billion emergency aid pledged by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Sudan.

Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are widely viewed as the Arab powers most opposed to a change in the status quo in Khartoum.

Sudans economic woes, compounded by corruption and mismanagement, have left it particularly vulnerable to influence by its oil-rich Gulf allies across the Red Sea. Both Burhan and Hemedti have worked closely with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on the deployment of Sudanese forces in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is conducting a military operation against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

While some Sudanese have called on the two Gulf kingdoms to keep your money, other opposition groups, including several armed factions, travelled to the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi to discuss a UAE-Saudi backed proposal for a military-led transition council.

Kandaka go home

With so many geostrategic interests at stake, many activists under the Declaration for Freedom and Change (DFC) umbrella are wary of focusing on divergences within the broad opposition movement.

Many Sudanese women activists, for instance, have been dismayed about the low level of female participation in negotiations with the military council. But they are careful about voicing their grievances.

Some believe it should be an internal discussion, that we shouldnt speak up about it so the transition will be smooth or we will give the TMC [Transitional Military Council] ammunition to say we are not responsible, explained Roubi.

But women, who have borne the brunt of the military regimes hardline Islamist policies, have been at the forefront of the protest movement, with thousands gathering day after day at sit-ins across the country.

The role of women in the anti-Bashir demonstrations was highlighted by a video clip, which went viral, of a Sudanese student, dressed in a traditional taub, leading the crowd in a revolutionary chant.

Female protesters like Alaa Salah have been dubbed Kandakas after Nubian queens who ruled the region where the White and Blue Niles meet thousands of years ago. But in recent days, a new song has been making the rounds, with young male activists singing, Kandaka go home, shafata (men) are protecting the revolution.

The lyrics are well-meaning, Roubi explained, with the young men trying to reassure women that they can take care of the situation. But it underscored the paternalism and patriarchy that has set in after decades of Islamist rule.

Were frustrated. They say this is a structural issue. Well then fix it. This is the time for change. Were in the middle of a revolution. We cant say lets do it later we took the lead right from the start. Were not victims and we dont need someone to speak on our behalf.
Boeing's chief executive has said he will not resign after two plane crashes that cost 346 lives, vowing to "re-earn the trust" of customers and passengers.

Addressing the aircraft manufacturer's annual meeting in Chicago, Dennis Muilenburg started by holding a moment of silence for those that died when two of the company's 737 MAX 8 passenger jets crashed in Ethiopia and Indonesia.

Asked by Sky News during a news conference if he had considered standing down, he replied: "My clear intent is to continue to lead on the front of quality and safety and integrity".

Mr Muilenburg said he and his staff "deeply regret" the accidents which "weigh heavily on us as a company".

"We know that lives depend on what we do and we take that very, very seriously. I'm very focused on safety going forward. It's important that as a company that we have those clear priorities, that we're taking the right actions, that we have the right culture. I am strongly invested in that.

"We deeply regret what happened with these accidents. It gets to the core of our company... to the core of our people, they care about this business and the safety of our aeroplanes. That's what I'm focused on."

In March this year, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed shortly after taking off from Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board.

Last October, all 189 people on a Lion Air Flight, which also involved a Boeing 737 MAX 8, died when the plane came down into the sea off Indonesia.

The second crash prompted a worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX fleet last month.

Investigations into the accidents showed what Mr Muilenburg has earlier admitted was a "common link" to the 737 MAX's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) software.

The device, which pushes the plane's nose down when the possibility of an aerodynamic stall is detected, met safety standards, he insisted.

While refusing to say whether MCAS was to blame for the disasters, Mr Muilenburg said there would be more training for pilots using the system.

Story continues

Along with changes to the plane's software, the 737 MAX will become one of the "safest planes ever to fly", Mr Muilenburg added.

Insisting that the company is getting close to a software fix, Mr Muilenburg said 146 flights of the 737 MAX had been completed, roughly 246 hours of air time, with the updated software.

The chairman and CEO, who has been at Boeing for 34 years, said he had been on two of the flights and executives would be on some of the early commercial trips once the planes returned to service.

Earlier, a shareholder proposal to remove Mr Muilenburg from his position as chairman of the board failed, winning less than 40% of the vote.

Boeing's profits fell 21% in first quarter of 2019.
At least five people were killed, and dozens more were injured, when a dust storm rolled through souther Iraq on April 29, Al Jazeera reported.

This footage was published by a local journalist and is said to show the storm in Najaf, where at least one person was killed, according to local reports. Credit: Naeem Alnajafe via Storyful
Ethiopia has been undergoing major changes since the arrival of Abiy Ahmed as prime minister in April 2018, including the appointment of a raft of new ambassadors. Henok Teferra Shawl took his post as ambassador to France some three weeks ago. He told RFI about his objectives.There have been many improvements in Ethiopia since Abiy's election, including the release of all political prisoners, the lifting of the ban on political parties, a push for regional economic integration, and the renewal of relations with Eritrea after more than 25 years of strife.And the naming of new international envoys signals the PM's intention to improve relations on a much wider scale. Henok Teferra's appointment to Paris follows a visit by Abiy to France in October last year and, more recently, a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Ethiopia in March.The new ambassadors profile stands out in the often conventional world of diplomacy. Indeed, he combines a background in business with solid experience in the civil service, both involving serious responsibilities.And there is an extra dimension  his long-established links with France.He started his schooling at Lycee Guebre Mariam in Addis Ababa, the French international school (launched under the aegis of Emperor Haile Selassie, who was himself Francophone), at the age of four. When his family moved to Germany, he went to the Franzosisches Gymnasium in Berlin, before going to the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis where he gained a Bachelor's degree in Public and Private International Law. This was followed by the University of Pantheon-Sorbonne (Paris 1) where he completed a Master's Degree in International Economic Law - that was in 1998.His working experiences were in France  as a teacher in Creteil, and as a software developer in Levallois-Perret, both in the Paris region.His appointment as ambassador to Paris comes in the wake of PM Abiys pledge last year that the ambassadorial posts would not be part of the old patronage system any longer.Henok Teferra can put forward his experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa, where amongst other tasks he served as adviser to Seyoum Mesfin, when the latter was foreign minister.However, the world of corporate business claimed all his skills and efforts, starting with Ethiopian Airlines, which he joined as Director of Corporate Communications and International Affairs in 2010. He worked in several executive management positions and in October 2017 became Vice-President of Strategic Planning and Alliances. In between, he was seconded in May 2015 as CEO to airline company ASKY, Ethiopian Airlines' partner in West and Central Africa. During president Macron's visit to Ethiopia last month he and Abiy Ahmed signed agreements touching on military cooperation for the training of Ethiopia's armed forces, but also focusing on the navy and air force president Abiy intends to re-launch or develop. A number of French business executives accompanied president Macron  in that context, the appointment as ambassadors of high-ranking corporate executives such as Henok Teferra can be read as a sign that Ethiopia means business. The move may even be linked to the change of tack that the Quai d'Orsay implemented some years ago when ambassadors were asked to be more business-minded. Henok Teferra does not disagree:He has a clear idea of what he aims to achieve as ambassador to strengthen relations between Ethiopia and France:In spite of the perestroika ushered in by Abiy when he came to power just over a year ago and the strong economic growth the country can boast, the political situation remains fragile, with the level of ethnic tensions high, bureaucracy remains heavy-handed and not particularly welcoming of foreign investments, the ease-of-doing business index is low, the level of the national debt is high and some 2-2.5 million young people enter the job market every year. Henok Teferra is refreshingly open about the challenges his country faces:But he remains optimistic and is keen to point out one sign of progress: improved press freedom.Lets hope it's a harbinger of more good news to come.

Ethiopia has been undergoing major changes since the arrival of Abiy Ahmed as prime minister in April 2018, including the appointment of a raft of new ambassadors. Henok Teferra Shawl took his post as ambassador to France some three weeks ago. He told RFI about his objectives.

There have been many improvements in Ethiopia since Abiy's election, including the release of all political prisoners, the lifting of the ban on political parties, a push for regional economic integration, and the renewal of relations with Eritrea after more than 25 years of strife.

And the naming of new international envoys signals the PM's intention to improve relations on a much wider scale.

Henok Teferra's appointment to Paris follows a visit by Abiy to France in October last year and, more recently, a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Ethiopia in March.

The new ambassadors profile stands out in the often conventional world of diplomacy. Indeed, he combines a background in business with solid experience in the civil service, both involving serious responsibilities.

And there is an extra dimension  his long-established links with France.

He started his schooling at Lycee Guebre Mariam in Addis Ababa, the French international school (launched under the aegis of Emperor Haile Selassie, who was himself Francophone), at the age of four.

When his family moved to Germany, he went to the Franzosisches Gymnasium in Berlin, before going to the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis where he gained a Bachelor's degree in Public and Private International Law.

This was followed by the University of Pantheon-Sorbonne (Paris 1) where he completed a Master's Degree in International Economic Law - that was in 1998.

His working experiences were in France  as a teacher in Creteil, and as a software developer in Levallois-Perret, both in the Paris region.

His appointment as ambassador to Paris comes in the wake of PM Abiys pledge last year that the ambassadorial posts would not be part of the old patronage system any longer.

Story continues

Henok Teferra can put forward his experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa, where amongst other tasks he served as adviser to Seyoum Mesfin, when the latter was foreign minister.

However, the world of corporate business claimed all his skills and efforts, starting with Ethiopian Airlines, which he joined as Director of Corporate Communications and International Affairs in 2010.

He worked in several executive management positions and in October 2017 became Vice-President of Strategic Planning and Alliances. In between, he was seconded in May 2015 as CEO to airline company ASKY, Ethiopian Airlines' partner in West and Central Africa.

During president Macron's visit to Ethiopia last month he and Abiy Ahmed signed agreements touching on military cooperation for the training of Ethiopia's armed forces, but also focusing on the navy and air force president Abiy intends to re-launch or develop.

A number of French business executives accompanied president Macron  in that context, the appointment as ambassadors of high-ranking corporate executives such as Henok Teferra can be read as a sign that Ethiopia means business.

The move may even be linked to the change of tack that the Quai d'Orsay implemented some years ago when ambassadors were asked to be more business-minded. Henok Teferra does not disagree:

He has a clear idea of what he aims to achieve as ambassador to strengthen relations between Ethiopia and France:

In spite of the perestroika ushered in by Abiy when he came to power just over a year ago and the strong economic growth the country can boast, the political situation remains fragile, with the level of ethnic tensions high, bureaucracy remains heavy-handed and not particularly welcoming of foreign investments, the ease-of-doing business index is low, the level of the national debt is high and some 2-2.5 million young people enter the job market every year.

Henok Teferra is refreshingly open about the challenges his country faces:

But he remains optimistic and is keen to point out one sign of progress: improved press freedom.

Lets hope it's a harbinger of more good news to come.
Thousands of Zimbabweans are facing eviction as another Chinese investor prepares to take over a mine-rich village on the outskirts of the capital Harare.The generosity of President Mnangagwas government to Chinese investors is threatening the livelihoods of thousands of villagers in a rural suburb of Harare.The Standard reports that up to 20,000 villagers face eviction from their homes in Domboshava, a mountainous neighbourhood overlooking the capital as a Chinese investor prepares to launch mining operations.According to the newspaper, while Aihua Jianye Company unveiled plans to invest 500 million dollars in the quarry mine, the project is allegedly mired in corruption.The Standard quotes Deputy Information Minister, Energy Mutodi who is also a lawmaker for Domboshava, as claiming that the license was granted without prior consultations with residents within a 5km radius from the mining site, who are now facing eviction.Its unfortunate that MPs are not consulted prior to the granting of mining rights, Mutodi said in an interview with the newspaper.The Standard also relays threats by villagers fearing eviction without compensation, to resist the move.Something has to be done to stop this company from operating because we cannot be displaced at such a difficult time, says Tobias Arifadika a community leader from the near-by Mverechena business centre.Arifadika spoke to The Standard at the end of Sundays village leaders meeting on the contracted which is shrouded in controversy.Despite Zimbabwes strict mining code, setting strict licensing rules complete with environmental impact studies and compensation for displaced families, many foreign companies tapping into the countrys vast mineral resources still manage to operate outside the rules. This Aihua Jianye deal has not been publicised and only came into the public fore when the Deputy Minister Energy Mutodi and the villagers started complaining, says Kholwani Nyathi, the paper's editor. According to Nyathi, more disturbing is the fact that the 500 million dollars announced by the company are not royalties paid to the government but projected investments in the mining venture.More so, The Standards editor describes as most preoccupying that Energy Mutodi, who is both a cabinet Minister and a ruling ZANU/PF party MP from Domboshava constituency, was not informed about such a huge investment in his hometown.The governments desperation to find investors has allowed unscrupulous companies to enter the country under questionable deals, Kholwani Nyathi explains. This did not start with President Mnangagwas government he argues."The Standard editor points to the controversial deal signed between 7 private entities allegedly affiliated with Zimbabwe ex-military or political officials to run the lucrative Marange mines in east of the country until it was scrapped in 2016 by the government.As President Emerson Mnangagwas government goes awarding new diamond and platinum contracts, Kholwani Nyathi pops a question bogging the minds of Zimbabweans: Does the government do any diligence with these investors, given the speed at which they are awarding these contracts?"Zimbabwes platinum reserves are estimated by experts to last for the next 400 years. The country has been discovered to own huge reserves of coal, uranium, gas, lithium, gold, antimony, iron, steel, chrome. Despite the International Monetary Fund expecting Zimbabwe to slide into recession in 2019 after posting -5 percent economic growth this year, the country is regarded as one of the richest not just in Africa, but on the world stage on the strength of its untapped mineral resources.

Thousands of Zimbabweans are facing eviction as another Chinese investor prepares to take over a mine-rich village on the outskirts of the capital Harare.

The generosity of President Mnangagwas government to Chinese investors is threatening the livelihoods of thousands of villagers in a rural suburb of Harare.

The Standard reports that up to 20,000 villagers face eviction from their homes in Domboshava, a mountainous neighbourhood overlooking the capital as a Chinese investor prepares to launch mining operations.

According to the newspaper, while Aihua Jianye Company unveiled plans to invest 500 million dollars in the quarry mine, the project is allegedly mired in corruption.

The Standard quotes Deputy Information Minister, Energy Mutodi who is also a lawmaker for Domboshava, as claiming that the license was granted without prior consultations with residents within a 5km radius from the mining site, who are now facing eviction.

Its unfortunate that MPs are not consulted prior to the granting of mining rights, Mutodi said in an interview with the newspaper.

The Standard also relays threats by villagers fearing eviction without compensation, to resist the move.

Something has to be done to stop this company from operating because we cannot be displaced at such a difficult time, says Tobias Arifadika a community leader from the near-by Mverechena business centre.

Arifadika spoke to The Standard at the end of Sundays village leaders meeting on the contracted which is shrouded in controversy.

Despite Zimbabwes strict mining code, setting strict licensing rules complete with environmental impact studies and compensation for displaced families, many foreign companies tapping into the countrys vast mineral resources still manage to operate outside the rules.

This Aihua Jianye deal has not been publicised and only came into the public fore when the Deputy Minister Energy Mutodi and the villagers started complaining, says Kholwani Nyathi, the paper's editor.

Story continues

According to Nyathi, more disturbing is the fact that the 500 million dollars announced by the company are not royalties paid to the government but projected investments in the mining venture.

More so, The Standards editor describes as most preoccupying that Energy Mutodi, who is both a cabinet Minister and a ruling ZANU/PF party MP from Domboshava constituency, was not informed about such a huge investment in his hometown.

The governments desperation to find investors has allowed unscrupulous companies to enter the country under questionable deals, Kholwani Nyathi explains. This did not start with President Mnangagwas government he argues."

The Standard editor points to the controversial deal signed between 7 private entities allegedly affiliated with Zimbabwe ex-military or political officials to run the lucrative Marange mines in east of the country until it was scrapped in 2016 by the government.

As President Emerson Mnangagwas government goes awarding new diamond and platinum contracts, Kholwani Nyathi pops a question bogging the minds of Zimbabweans: Does the government do any diligence with these investors, given the speed at which they are awarding these contracts?"

Zimbabwes platinum reserves are estimated by experts to last for the next 400 years. The country has been discovered to own huge reserves of coal, uranium, gas, lithium, gold, antimony, iron, steel, chrome. Despite the International Monetary Fund expecting Zimbabwe to slide into recession in 2019 after posting -5 percent economic growth this year, the country is regarded as one of the richest not just in Africa, but on the world stage on the strength of its untapped mineral resources.
The Telegraph

Three years ago I was sitting on a plane back from South Africa when one of the financiers I had been showing around the Capes vineyards began to talk about his Christmas champagne party plans (those were the days!). I asked what champagne he intended to serve. Aldis Veuve Monsigny, was the prompt reply. Its very cheap and its rather good, dont you think? This from a man in possession of a cellar full of fine wine as well as a decent palate and whom I couldnt imagine ever exactly slumm
Icelands Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir will meet First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as part of a two-day visit to Scotland this week.

Ms Sturgeon said the visit will give an opportunity to discuss how to grow links between the two countries.

Ms Jakobsdottir will meet Ms Sturgeon at Bute House in Edinburgh during her visit.

She will also address a meeting of the Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo) group in Edinburgh, discussing the incorporation of wellbeing into economic thinking.

Nicola Sturgeon will meet Katrin Jakobsdottir at Bute House (Jane Barlow/PA)

Speaking ahead of the Prime Ministers visit, Ms Sturgeon said: Scotland and Iceland have much in common with many historic and cultural links. Im very pleased that the Prime Ministers visit will help us discuss how we can grow those links in the future.

There is much to admire about Iceland, not least the fact it has the smallest gender-equality gap and some of the worlds strongest laws on workplace equality and equal pay.

I also very much look forward to discussing a range of other issues of mutual interest during her time here, such as our desire to grow sustainable tourism and action that can be taken to tackle climate change.
The pair held talks on key issues including Brexit and climate change during their meeting at Bute House in Edinburgh.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has met Icelands Prime Minister during her two-day visit to Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon welcomed Katrin Jakobsdottir to Bute House in Edinburgh on Tuesday, with the pair discussing the relationship between the two countries and addressing key issues including Brexit and climate change.

The First Minister and Icelandic Prime Minister will be in attendance at a meeting of the Wellbeing Governments group on Wednesday.

Delegates will discuss the importance of economic growth alongside the experiences and living conditions of communities.

FM @NicolaSturgeon has welcomed Icelandic Prime Minister @katrinjak to Bute House in Edinburgh for talks on areas of mutual interest, including gender equality, sustainable tourism and the action required to tackle climate change. https://t.co/mNuJzpPMPm pic.twitter.com/Owwv4WJssK  First Minister (@ScotGovFM) April 30, 2019

Following the meeting on Tuesday, the First Minister said: It was a pleasure to host the Prime Minister at Bute House.

Our countries have a long history of friendship, with many historic and cultural ties.

It was an opportunity to discuss the many areas where we have shared ambitions and challenges, such as our desire to grow sustainable tourism and take action to reduce and mitigate the effects of climate change.

I also set out the Scottish Governments position on Brexit and our determination that Scotland continues to play a full and active role in Europe.

She added: I look forward to working with the Icelandic government in the future on our common goals of promoting fair and equitable societies, where economic growth is matched by improved well-being.

Story continues

We will take that forward tomorrow with discussions at the Wellbeing Governments group meeting.

Ms Jakobsdottir said: Iceland and Scotland enjoy a long-standing relationship.

I am delighted that we are now collaborating on the Wellbeing Economy Government project, in which Scotland has demonstrated an important leadership.

We agree on the urgency of responding to climate change and we are committed to our collaboration on sustainable tourism.

Scotland has also taken important initiatives in relation to gender based violence, not least image-based abuse and domestic violence, a development which we follow closely.
Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido says troops have joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro. The government has vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup. Hundreds of people, many waving Venezuelan flags, flocked to a highway near a Caracas military base early Tuesday. Police responded with teargas as some of demonstrators broke away to throw rocks at security forces.The government said it was "deactivating" an attempted coup by a small group of "treacherous" soldiers."We are currently facing and deactivating a small group of treacherous military personnel who took positions in the Altamira distributor road (in Caracas) to promote a coup d'etat," communications minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Twitter."We call on the people to remain on maximum alert to -- with our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces -- defeat the attempted coup and preserve peace," he said.US SupportThe US meanwhile threw its full support behind Guaido, with the White House calling on the military to protect the people and support the country's "legitimate institutions," including the opposition-controlled National Assembly."The US government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter.In a video recorded at Caracas' La Carlota military air base and posted on social media, the US-backed Guaido said troops had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Maduro."Today, brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men supporting the constitution have answered our call," he said.And Venezuelas southern neighbour Brazil praised the move by Venezuelan troops to support Guaido and reiterated its hope for a democratic transition of power in its neighbour. Russia scepticalBut the Russian Tass news agency largely ignored the reports, saying the Venezuelan armed forces remain loyal to the countrys legitimate government. Russia, together with Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey support Maduro.All military units report that the situation in their quarters and at military bases under the command of their officers is under control," Tass quotes Venezuelan defence minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez as saying.

Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido says troops have joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro. The government has vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup.

Hundreds of people, many waving Venezuelan flags, flocked to a highway near a Caracas military base early Tuesday. Police responded with teargas as some of demonstrators broke away to throw rocks at security forces.

The government said it was "deactivating" an attempted coup by a small group of "treacherous" soldiers.

"We are currently facing and deactivating a small group of treacherous military personnel who took positions in the Altamira distributor road (in Caracas) to promote a coup d'etat," communications minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Twitter.

"We call on the people to remain on maximum alert to -- with our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces -- defeat the attempted coup and preserve peace," he said.

US Support

The US meanwhile threw its full support behind Guaido, with the White House calling on the military to protect the people and support the country's "legitimate institutions," including the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

"The US government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter.

In a video recorded at Caracas' La Carlota military air base and posted on social media, the US-backed Guaido said troops had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Maduro.

"Today, brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men supporting the constitution have answered our call," he said.

And Venezuelas southern neighbour Brazil praised the move by Venezuelan troops to support Guaido and reiterated its hope for a democratic transition of power in its neighbour.

Russia sceptical

But the Russian Tass news agency largely ignored the reports, saying the Venezuelan armed forces remain loyal to the countrys legitimate government.

Russia, together with Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey support Maduro.

All military units report that the situation in their quarters and at military bases under the command of their officers is under control," Tass quotes Venezuelan defence minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez as saying.
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Candida auris, an anti-fungal immune super-fungus, has been detected in eight patients who died in British hospitals.

Eight people have died after becoming infected with a deadly Japanese super-fungus health watchdogs have revealed.

According to a report in the Times the patients, in British hospitals, were infected by Candida auris a yeast renowned for its resistance to anti-fungal drugs and its ability to jump from person to person.

It was not listed as cause of death in any of the cases as the victims were already gravely ill when they became infected.

However, it is said to have been likely to have weakened them and made it harder to treat their conditions.

An illustration depicting the cell structure of the yeast, which was first detected in 2009.

The super-fungus, which emerged just 10 years ago in Japan equipped with a fearsome biological armoury that lets it flourish in hospitals and resist most drugs and disinfectants.

Public Health England said 50 more Britons have been infected by Candida auris while in hospital but were successfully treated.

Another 200 were found to have had their skin colonised by the yeast, meaning it was poised to enter their body via wounds, catheters or other medical treatments.

To date, the microbe has been found in at least 25 British hospitals.

A strain of Candida auris cultured in a petri dish at a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory. (Shawn Lockhart/CDC via AP)

The PHE revelations follow the death in Chicago in February of Stephanie Spoor, 64, one of 600 Americans to be infected.

She is thought to have been infected by a contaminated catheter or intravenous tube.

What seems to make Candida auris somewhat unique is that it spreads so easily from person to person, said a PHE spokeswoman. Once in the bloodstream, it circulates and multiplies, causing sepsis [blood poisoning].

Yeast cells can also deposit in organs [liver, spleen, brain] causing abscesses, or forming vegetations on heart valves.

Read more from Yahoo News UK:

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Dr David Eyre was among the team that tackled one of Britains biggest outbreaks of Candida auris, at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Story continues

In 2017 the crisis hit 76 patients in the neurosciences intensive care unit, of whom 69 were colonised with the fungus, and seven infected.

Doctors were baffled as to the source of the infection. We were all scratching our heads, said Eyre. It was only when a nurse suggested investigating underarm thermometers that they found it.

There are about 30 other Candida species  some of them also pathogenic  that have collectively killed 119 Britons since 2013.

The origins of Candida auris as a pathogen are a mystery. It was first detected in the ear of a Japanese women in 2009 but subsequent studies suggest it had existed for millennia in a harmless form before suddenly evolving the ability to attack humans, a change that appears to have happened in several Far Eastern countries simultaneously.
From inorganic chemistry and nanomaterials to fungi, five University of North Georgia (UNG) students will conduct research in their chosen fields at colleges and universities across the nation this summer through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU).

NSF funds a large number of opportunities for undergraduates to work in the research programs of higher education institutions.

UNG students with REUs are:

Nathan "Nate" Clement, a junior from Peshtigo, Wisconsin, pursuing a degree in chemistry, will work at Clemson University in South Carolina.

Chloe Cromer, a junior from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in biology, will work at the University of New Mexico (UNM).

Emily Shrewsbury, a sophomore from Dallas, Georgia, pursuing a degree in chemistry, will work at the University of Alabama.

Brooke Tate, a sophomore from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in chemistry, will work at the University of Connecticut.

Jarek Viera, a senior from Lawrenceville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in chemistry, will work at Cornell University in New York.

Through their specific programs or REUs, students work on a research project with faculty and other researchers at a host school. The students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

The UNG students applied for the REUs to boost their knowledge in research skills and increase their graduate school odds.

"I want to go to graduate school, and this is a great way to do it because I will learn more about research," Clement said, adding an undergraduate research project and a professor inspired him to apply for an REU. "Dr. Brynna Quarles did an REU at Clemson, then she got into graduate school at Clemson. That story got me to apply to the REU in the first place."

Applying for an REU this summer was the furthest from Viera's mind. Then two professors encouraged him to apply. He was glad he did. Viera was accepted into two REU programs, and the choice was an easy one.

"Having an Ivy League school like Cornell offer me an REU is too much to pass up," he said, adding the experience of researching 2D nanomaterials was a motivating factor.

Shrewsbury also received offers from two REU programs. She accepted the one at the University of Alabama because it involves inorganic chemistry.

"My ultimate goal is it work with inorganic chemistry in a lab," she said. "The REU will give me the research skills to use toward that goal."

Tate said she has been drawn to research since she stepped on UNG's campus because of the collaborative and diverse environment.

"UNG is small enough that many students can get hands-on experience," she said. "The faculty is extremely accessible and students, if they desire, can jump into research with a number of professors here."

Cromer said the support and encouragement from UNG faculty gave her the confidence to apply for an REU. Now she will measure and assess how the vegetation growing in three different ecosystems affects soil fertility and stability at the Sevilleta Field Station in La Joya, New Mexico.

"I owe a lot to the professors who helped shape me to be the person I am today," she said.
Cycle Kenneth, Mozambique: Government authorities admit that the flooding from cyclone Kenneth was critical in some parts of the country with a large number of buildings and homes destroyed. It was difficult to travel by road or by air because of the heavy rains that disrupted the communication network. Officials are exploring alternate options like helicopters, boats, and even canoes to extend humanitarian aid, especially drinking water, to the affected people. The authorities want to contain the threat of contagious diseases like cholera. Checking the spread of malaria is another area of concern.

#CycloneKenneth, which made landfall in Mozambique on Thursday, has been downgraded - but heavy rainfall is expected in the country in the next few days pic.twitter.com/Sjy4v0lfZG  BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) April 26, 2019

The Guardian reports that Pemba, the provincial capital of Mozambique, has been witnessing heavy rains accompanied by mudslides, which is aggravating the situation. Once the rains eased, the residents began to search for bodies trapped in the debris. The death toll from Cyclone Kenneth, the next tropical storm after Cyclone Idai to strike in a short span of a few weeks, has left people helpless. There are predictions of more torrential rain in the coming days, which could paralyze life.

Right now, people are trying to come to terms with reality. This could be the result of Climate change.

As we stand in solidarity with those affected by #CycloneKenneth, we would also like to send a message to our leaders: if there was ever a time to tackle #ClimateChange, it is now. There are only so many disasters we can take  >> https://t.co/Nu0NRuXlT0  Greenpeace Africa (@Greenpeaceafric) April 26, 2019

Rains continue to hamper relief measures

According to Mercury News, continuous rains have led to the grounding of flights in Mozambique assigned for relief work.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

During a brief lull, it was possible to dispatch one helicopter loaded with aid materials to the island of Ibo. This location faced large-scale destruction with hundreds of homes that were flattened by Cyclone Kenneth, the second cyclone to hit the country within weeks. The United Nations had organized it, and the inclement weather was not conducive to operate another flight.

Normal communication was difficult because of the condition of roads. It was difficult to navigate due to the torrential rains. As an official of the United Nations humanitarian arm, OCHA said, Unfortunately the weather conditions are changing too fast and threatening the operation.

Infrastructure woes during natural disasters

Cyclone Kenneth struck with wind speeds of up to 280 kph (172 mph) and the infrastructure took a severe beating. It was already reeling from Cyclone Idai that had struck in March and was strained to the limit. Mercury News says the obvious casualties were the power grids and communication systems damaged by uprooted trees. Authorities in. Mozambique have indicated that the storm has affected over 168,000 people.

There was waist-deep water in some neighborhoods and many of them moved out to safer places.

People are still trying to come out of the horrors of Cyclone Idai that destroyed the port city of Beira, damaged 700,000 hectares of crops and killed more than 1,000 people from across Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. As a precautionary measure, people living near rivers are asked to move to higher ground. The United Nations agreed to release emergency funds for Mozambique and the Comoros to provide food and water, apart from repairing infrastructure.
On "General Hospital," Drew was very remorseful when he ran over Jordan with his vehicle. He may be able to do something to make amends. His son is nearing the end of his battle with cancer, and simultaneously, the police commissioner's one remaining kidney is failing. Dialysis will not sustain her and she needs a transplant. Oscar might die in time to save the life of his father's best friend's wife. Spoiler alerts have not mentioned this, but the timing of the two medical situations is surely no coincidence. This past week, Jordan asked her son not to tell Curtis how sick she really is, and on Friday (April 26), Oscar's condition declined a little more.

Oscar's death may happen during May Sweeps

Josyln continues to talk about Oscar being around for the "General Hospital" Nurse Ball, which is always held the first or second week in May. Soap Dirt is suggesting that young Mr. Nero's life may end during May Sweeps. On Friday, Oscar asked Jason and Drew to try to treat each other like brothers. At the end of the episode, Oscar asked Cameron to make a video for him, which he began by stating that if Joss is watching then he is already gone.

Celeb Dirty Laundry indicates that there will be heartbreaking goodbyes on "General Hospital" during the week of April 29 to May 3. Based on what took place on Friday, it looks like the long goodbyes have already begun.

The Quartermain house was filled with people supporting Oscar and his parents. Julian was there for Kim, even though Shiloh is in his crosshairs. Drew and Jason seemed to want to give Oscar his wish of them getting along, and Joslyn and Cameron naturally were trying to keep young Mr. Nero upbeat.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

Jordan may benefit from Oscar's demise

Kim would probably like it if Oscar's death helped save the police commissioner's life. Drew will no doubt be elated to know that he could help the woman. Her kidneys were damaged when he hit her with his vehicle. Oscar being a match for Jordan would be a blessing indeed, but will not take away from the sorrow of his dying so young.

Oscar will probably finish his video on Monday (April 29) and it would not be surprising if while he and Cameron are alone, that he asks his friend to look out for Joss. He may even admit that he has known that Cam has been in love with his girlfriend all along. In spite of the looming death, May Sweeps and the Nurse Ball will offer some positive moments in the next few episodes of "General Hospital."
Tech billionaires understand the impact of artificial intelligence in our future more than anyone else. They have spent their whole lives in tech and made a fortune out of it. But, not all tech billionaires are fans or advocates of AI.

Why billionaires are spending money to monitor AI

As reported by Forbes, billionaires like Pierre Omidyar and Romesh Wadhwani are spending their millions to monitor and to explore ethical dimensions of AI and its implementation. Based on their experience, they are afraid that unconsciously created biased AI algorithms will have adverse effects on our society.

What is 'Luminate' and what is its role in AI?

Founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar is really concerned about AI so he set up an organization, 'Luminate,' that aims to advocate civil rights, independent media, and financial transparency.

Luminate's CEO, Stephen King, said that one of the things they found during their course of research is that AI is often developed by programmers who aren't really concerned about its ethical consequences.

Which incidents forced Omidyar to found Luminate?

King discussed two real-life incidents related to AI that urged philanthropists like Omidyar to spend millions of dollars to monitor it. One is when risk assessment software COMPAS, was developed. It stands for 'Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions'.

The software was aimed at evaluating the risk of a defendant committing another crime based on his/her past record.

When ProPublica (news organization) compared COMPAS's assessment with actual data of 10,000 people who were arrested in Florida, they found that when the software's algorithm was right, it gave a fair assessment.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

But, when the algorithm wasn't correct, colored people were twice as likely to be considered a higher risk by COMPAS, yet they didn't re-offend.

The other incident King highlighted is China's social credit scoring system. It's a state project in which citizens are given scores based on their behavior and bill payments. The project deals in a large amount of data with the assistance of AI.

A negative score means the person won't be able to access high-speed trains. In other words, the algorithms are going to decide the fortune of Chinese citizens.

King believes that the problem needs to be tackled at the formation of the algorithm that underpins AI. He argues ''the algorithm is often unconsciously written with a bias built-in''. As depicted by a report from New York University's AI Now Institute, a workforce consisting of predominantly white male coders is causing bias in algorithms.

MIT also reported racial bias in AI when an AI face recognition software failed to recognize ethnic minorities. King says, ''who would have thought this kind of racial discrimination's in AI.'' These are the problems Omidyar is looking to curb through Luminate.

He founded the organization with a hefty $60 million package in its first year of formation.

As the organization says, ''the money will be spent on exploring new ways of machine learning, automation, developing and deploying AI in such a way that will vindicate social justice, human autonomy and social value of fairness''.
Richard Lugar has passed away. A long-time fixture in the U.S. Senate, he was a member of the Republican Party.

Lengthy as his Senate career was, it was ultimately cut short. Both parties began trending to the extremes in the bases. It made things difficulty for the centrist Lugar and ultimately it cost him his Senate seat. Despite this, he had a distinguished life of service.

His political life began in the 1960s

Accomplishments began a young age for Lugar. During his youth in Indianapolis, he became an Eagle Scout. While attending Denison University in Granville, Ohio, he was class co-president with Charlene Smeltzer.

The two would marry, have four children and remain together until his death.

Lugar was also a Rhodes Scholar, eventually receiving a bachelor's and a master's degree from the University of Oxford. Afterward, he became an officer in the United States Navy. Among his assignment were serving closely with Chief of Naval Operations Arleigh Burke.

Lugar's first political office was as a member of the school board of Indianapolis. He would later serve two terms as the city's mayor. During his mayoral tenure, he presided over the National League of Cities.

His first run at the Senate was unsuccessful, losing to incumbent Democrat Birch Bayh in 1974. After finishing his time as mayor, Lugar briefly taught at what is now the University of Indianapolis.

In 1976, he made another attempt at the Senate, this time with very different results. Lugar defeated the incumbent Democratic Senator and Chairman of Veterans Affairs Committee, Vance Hartke by nearly 20 points.

Lugar's first chief of staff as a senator was Mitch Daniels, who had been on his staff as mayor. Daniels would later serve two terms as governor of Indiana.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

Eventually, Lugar would serve two terms each as chair of the Foreign Relations and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committees. Arguably his most heralded foreign policy move was not when he chaired that committee. He created with Democratic Georgia Senator Sam Nunn the Nunn-Lugar Act. In part, the act helped remove nuclear weapons from countries that had been part of the Soviet Union.

Before and during his time as chair of the agriculture committee, was instrumental in the creation of two landmark farm bills. As USA Today reports, he was also a champion of biofuels.

At least twice, Lugar was considered for the vice presidency. In 1988, he was passed over in favor of his fellow Indiana Senator Dan Quayle. He also made a run at the presidency himself before the 1996 election. As Politico suggests, he never gained much momentum for campaign.

After being re-elected five times to the Senate, Lugar was ousted in a Republican primary in 2012. Primary voters seemed to want somebody less bipartisan as the Republican nominee. They would go with Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock over Lugar.

Ironically, the general election went for a moderate in Democratic U.S. Representative Joe Donnelly.

Had received a number of honors in retirement

Following the conclusion of his Senate career, Lugar created The Lugar Center. A nonprofit institution, it focuses on public policy.

Democratic President Barack Obama bestowed Lugar with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. A few months before, he had been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II as a member of the Order of the British Empire. Similar honors he received during and after his career include ones from the Philippines, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

Lugar was also noted as a critic of President Donald Trump. He died on April 28th in Annandale, Virginia. Lugar was the second former Indiana senator to die in 2019, following his former rival, Birch Bayh.
Carlsberg, which currently holds a 17.34% stake in Habeco, has the right of first refusal for any stake sale from the Hanoi-based beer company, expressed interest in raising the stake, but discussions have dragged for years.

Vietnams second-largest domestic brewer Hanoi Beer Alcohol and Beverage (Habeco) and its strategic investor Denmarks Carlsberg have made breakthroughs in negotiations for the formers stake sale after 13 meetings in 2018, BizLIVE reported.



The results of the negotiations have been submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) for review and approval, said Tran Dinh Thanh, Habecos chairman.

In a response to Hanoitimes, Carlsberg said it had no further comment at this stage.

Since 2016, the Vietnamese government has planned to divest its entire 81.79% stake in Habeco, under which the MoIT acts as state capital representative.

Carlsberg, which currently holds a 17.34% stake in Habeco, has the right of first refusal for any stake sale from the Hanoi-based beer company, expressed interest in raising the stake, but discussions have dragged for years.

The major hurdle in the negotiations is believed to be the high share price set by Habeco that exceeds Carlsberg's valuation, as such, it is vital for the two sides to work out the deal before Habeco can proceed with the further unloading of its shares on the stock market.

On this matter, in a previous response to Hanoitimes, Carlsberg's representative stressed that the company supports the government's divestment agenda, thus, "we endeavor to serve as a loyal partner for the government throughout the divestment process."

"Carlsberg has been a strategic investor since 2008 with pre-emption right. However, this does not necessarily mean that we should not pay a fair price for a state asset. We recognize that Hanoi beer brand is a good brand, Habeco is a good company, and we are willing to pay a fair price for acquiring the asset," the representative added.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in last meeting with Carlsbergs CEO Ceest Hart in last September, said he welcomes the Danish brewer to purchase additional stake in Habeco.

Vietnam is speeding up the equitization process, which is an opportunity for foreign investors, including Carlsberg, added Phuc. Hanoitimes
Citing information that the productivity of a Singaporean worker is 14 times higher than one Vietnamese, Hoang Nam Tien, president of FPT Software, explained why Vietnam is still poor.

Software outsourcing brings VND8 trillion in revenue to FPT Software every year. However, the productivity of Vietnams biggest software firm is just 50 percent of that of the worlds leading IT firms, he said.

Vietnam's productivity was $4,512 per head in 2018

The famous CEO, at his 10-minute presentation at the CEO Forum 2019 held recently, admitted that FPT Softwares productivity remains modest compared with large IT firms in the world, even though it has reached markets all over the globe and has 16,000 workers overseas.

A report from the General Statistics Office (GSO) showed that average productivity was $4,512 per head in 2018, if calculating under current prices.

Vietnams productivity according to purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2016 was $9,894, or 7 percent of Singapore, 17.6 percent of Malaysia, 36.5 percent of Thailand, 42.3 percent of Indonesia, 56.7 percent of the Philippines and 84.7 percent of Laos.

GSO, when releasing the report about productivity in late 2017, noted that the gap in productivity between Vietnam and other regional countries keeps increasing.

Vietnams productivity according to purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2016 was $9,894, or 7 percent of Singapore, 17.6 percent of Malaysia, 36.5 percent of Thailand, 42.3 percent of Indonesia, 56.7 percent of the Philippines and 84.7 percent of Laos.

Improving the productivity of Vietnamese enterprises is now a crucial issue, Tien commented. We did not join the three previous industrial revolutions. How about the fourth one? What will happen if we miss the 4.0 train?

I think we will still live if we miss the train. But if we do, we will hardly find other opportunities to develop and have international stature, he said.

With the fourth industrial revolution, the key factor is digital transformation.

According to Tien, if Vietnamese work harder, they will only be able to increase productivity by a little. If they want a breakthrough, they will have to carry out digital transformation. This offers opportunities for Vietnam to increase its productivity to the level equal to or even higher than other countries in the world.

Tien said FPT Software had a team of 100-120 workers who have productivity twice as much as the average productivity level of leading companies. However, the number of workers remains modest.

FPT Software is making changes, with 20 percent of revenue from digital transformation. The revenue growth rate of this field is 80-100 percent, higher than the average growth rate of 30 percent.

In related news, FPT reported the revenue of nearly VND5.7 trillion for the first quarter of 2019 and pre-tax profit of VND960 billion.

RELATED NEWS

SCIC to fully divest FPT

Digital content revenue estimated at $895 million in 2018

Kim Chi
Participating in the ADMM-Plus maritime drills is a token of what Vietnam does to defend its sovereignty.

South Korean and Singaporean representatives at the 2019 ADMM-Plus maritime drills. Photo: Gov.sg

Vietnam will take part in multinational maritime drills which will be held in South Korea and Singapore with an aim to strengthen security and defense cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.

The exercise is part of efforts to strengthen cooperation within the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), which comprises the 10 Southeast Asian countries as well as Australia, China, Japan, India, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the US.

The drills will involve 16 ships, six aircraft and about 700 personnel from the 18 countries, the Straitstimes cited Singapores Ministry of Defense.

Participants will conduct a series of professional exchanges ashore, as well as maritime security drills in the waters off South Korea and Singapore.

The dills will cover two parts with the first led by South Korean navy scheduled to take place in Busan, South Korea on April 29-May 2 focusing on rescuing ships captured by armed forces, according to Vnews.

The second part, to be held in Singapore on May 9-13, will put the center on unveiling and handling vessels carrying prohibited goods.

The exercise is the culmination of Singapore and South Korea's co-chairmanship of the ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group on Maritime Security in 2017-2020.

Under their co-chairmanship, the ADMM-Plus navies agreed in November 2017 to adopt and practice the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, a confidence-building measure that enhances maritime safety by reducing misunderstandings and preventing miscalculations at sea.

Established in 2010, the ADMM-Plus is the annual platform for practical cooperation among the participating countries defense establishments. Hanoitimes
He once earned his living by picking up trash on Nhieu Loc Canal, failed the university entrance exam and had to go to intermediate school, but later got a scholarship to study in the US and obtained masters and doctoral degrees.

Luong Viet Quocs childhood was spent on Nhieu Loc  Thi Nghe canal in HCM City where he picked up trash until 1-2 am and got numerous scratches on his feet.

Mr Luong Viet Quoc

When he turned 13, Quoc sold lemons and chili at Cau Muoi Market. At the age of 15, he collected worms for sale. Quoc, like other poor boys, experienced a childhood with full hardships. But unlike them, Quoc never dropped out because his grandmother told him that only education would improve his life.

Quoc graduated from high school, but failed the exam to enter university. He went to HCMC Finance Intermediate School (2-year training) instead. The failure could have shocked other people, but not Quoc. He believed that it was just a pebble in his life.

After finishing intermediate school, Quoc followed in-service university study and learned English at the same time.

At an event organized at the park last November, Quoc revealed that his large-size flycam made by Real Times Robotics will be in mass production, not only for domestic sale but for export to the US as well.

When the US-funded Fulbright scholarship program unexpectedly removed the requirement that candidates had to graduate from full-time university training, Quoc applied. He became one of 26 candidates selected by the program in 2002.

What Quoc had at that time was a TOEFL certificate with a 660/677 score, a bachelors degree in accounting, and a bachelors degree in English.

With degrees and passion, he went to Cornell University in the US and obtained a masters degree some years later. Eight universities in the US offered scholarships for a PhD and he finally decided to enroll at University of Berkeley in California where he obtained a doctorate in economics in 2011.

Quoc established a startup in San Francisco in the US and then a company in Vietnam in 2017, becoming the first Vietnamese licensed to manufacture drones.

I am doing business in both Vietnam and the US, where I can exploit the local advantages  the capability of approaching and updating new technologies in the US, and the possibility of seeking high-quality low-cost engineers in Vietnam, he explained.

With the initial investment capital of $13.5 million, Quoc leased over 9,000 square meters of land in the HCMC Hi-tech Park. One year later, Quoc opened a modern drone production facility which develops both software and hardware.

At an event organized at the park last November, Quoc revealed that his large-size flycam made by Real Times Robotics will be in mass production, not only for domestic sale but for export to the US as well.

RELATED NEWS

Engineer develops drones for farmers

Stunning scenery of ancient Hoi An from the view of a drone

Thanh Lich
The Nature Education Centre recently announced the findings of a programme on the assessment of the spread of wildlife violations in 42 districts of nine provinces and cities with the involvement of 12,840 trading establishments.

Bracelets made from elephant tusks sold publicly - Illustrative image

The programme, which was started in 2013, found that Can Tho city in the Mekong Delta detected the highest rate of violation, 16 percent, and Ho Chi Minh City and Thua Thien  Hue province the lowest, with respectively 8 percent and 7 percent. It is noteworthy that Hanoi authorities successfully dealt with violation cases with the highest rate  65 percent.

Violations include advertisements and trade, the illegal keeping or storing of wild animals and their parts. All violations will be updated on a database in this field.

Deputy director of the centre Bui Thi Ha said her office conducts the surveys and assessments periodically and the reports on the findings serve as a mechanism that provide information to local leading officials on the work in their localities. The centre hopes local Peoples Committees to continue strengthening the work to ensure that no establishments violate the ban on the trade of wild animals.-VNA
Vietnam is in the drug path from the Golden Triangle, which is now the world`s largest methamphetamine production hub.

Illustrative image

More than six tons of drug have been seized in Vietnam in the first four months of this year, exceeding the volume of the whole 2018.

The drug caught between January and April 2019 was collected from more than 6,500 cases, involving in foreign traffickers, such as Laotian, Chinese, and Filipino.

The seized volume includes 1,270 bricks of heroin, three tons of methamphetamine, and 300 kg of methylene dioxy methamphetamine (MDMA), according to VnExpress.

The drug was found in the northern province of Cao Bang, which borders with China, in the central province of Nghe An and Ha Tinh bordering with Laos, and in the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City.

Much of the country's illegal supply floods in from the outlawed Golden Triangle zone, which straddles Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, the worlds top production hub of methamphetamine and the second largest hub of heroin behind Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The path was from the Golden Triangle through Laos, Cambodia, then to Vietnams Ho Chi Minh City or from the Golden Triangle through Laos to the northern and central Vietnam, heading to the south and shipped to another countries or territories like China, Taiwan, and the Philippines, and then exported to the US, Canada, and Australia.

Jeremy Douglas, the UNODCs regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, tweeted that more meth has been found in Vietnam as organized gangs push the market and supply keeps moving easily across Laotian and Cambodian borders with the volume so far this year equal to that of total three previous years.

He said that drug smuggling rings have shifted drug from the Golden Triangle to Laos instead of Thailand before, then ship to other destinations.

In a latest move, the Straitstimes reported that police in southern Vietnam have seized more than a ton of methamphetamine after uncovering a smuggling operation involving at least two Taiwanese nationals and a Vietnamese man, the third massive bust in a week in the country.

Vietnam is both a hub for drug use and a popular thoroughfare for shipments of illicit narcotics, with the number of large-scale hauls increasing in frequency and volume.

Earlier this year, Vietnamese Minister of Public Security To Lam warned that Vietnam might become an international drug hub if more efforts would not be made.

Though older users in Vietnam have long preferred opium and heroin as their narcotic of choice, younger people are increasingly turning to party drugs such as meth, ketamine and ecstasy, the Straitstimes reported.

Vietnam has some of the toughest drug laws in the world. Anyone caught with more than 600g of heroin or more than 2.5kg of methamphetamine can face the death penalty. Hanoitimes
The Investigation Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security on April 28 commenced legal proceedings against 24 people for organising gambling activities and gambling online through the website Fxx88.com.

Based on collected documents and evidence, 14 faced legal proceedings for organising gambling, including one Taiwanese national named Chiu Hao Cheng, born in 1971, residing in Me Tri ward, Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi; ten others, for gambling.

Earlier, the police and the ministrys department of cyber-security and high-tech crime prevention worked together to bring the case into light.

On April 23, under the direction of the ministrys leaders, over 30 police teams conducted a series of raids and summoned the suspected in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the provinces of Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Dong Nai, Long An, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau.

They seized many luxurious cars, like Porsche and Audi, and a large amount of cash, and found bank accounts with big balances in addition to hundreds of electronic equipment and relevant objects.

They later arrested 12 people, for organising gambling, including one foreign national playing the role as a manager, and 10 others, for gambling.

Initially, the arrestees confessed their behaviors.

According to investigators, the money gambled amounted to over 30 trillion VND (nearly 1.3 billion USD) and hundreds of thousands of accounts.

This large-scale gambling ring is organised in many cities and provinces via the website Fxx88.com with its servers placed outside Vietnam.

Further inspection is underway.-VNA
Vietnamese dishes were served to people from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members during an event held in Malaysia on April 29.

Participants of the event make nem ran together

The activity took place as part of a meeting of members of the ASEAN Ladies Circle in Malaysia, which is chaired by Vietnam in 2019. It aimed to bolster friendship and intra-bloc solidarity.

Traditional Vietnamese dishes such as pho, nem ran (fried spring rolls) and goi cuon (fresh spring rolls), among others, were served at the event.

Pham Thi Hong Lien, spouse of Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Le Quy Quynh, also taught participants how to make nem ran.

Vietnams history, custom, cultural characteristics and tourist attractions were also introduced at the event, along with art performances staged by Vietnamese representative offices in Malaysia.VNA
WATERLOO -- The Sullivan Brothers VFW Post 1623, 1406 Commercial St., is open to the public and has several upcoming events.

From 5 to 7 p.m. today, the $5 chicken dinner will include potato, vegetable, dinner roll and dessert.

Wednesday is free pool day. Bingo on Thursday will be 5 to 7 p.m.

Friday features $3 chicken sandwich including chips, with Casey's Music to Go providing karaoke 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The pepper tournament on Sunday afternoon runs from 2 to 4.

May 11 will be Comedy Night with Iowa's own Andy Hartley, starting at 7:33 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door.

Chorus wins

competition

WATERLOO -- The Proud Image Chorus placed first at the Central States District Barbershop Competition in Iowa City on Saturday.

PI was crowned Plateau A Champions with their renditions of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" under the direction of David Boyd, and "Its a Whole New World" under the direction of Steve Klawonn.

The newly crowned champions sing on Saturday at Central Middle School in the chorus' 40th anniversary show.

Their guest quartet, BoomTown, also was a first-place winner at the competition. Call 229-4291 for tickets for the 2 and 6 p.m. concerts.

Green Drinks

meets Thursday

CEDAR FALLS  Green Drinks Cedar Valley will host its monthly meeting starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Octopus on College Hill.

Discussion will focus on birding and creating bird friendly yards. Tom Schilke of the Prairie Rapids Audubon Society will present and lead the discussion.

Green Drinks is an international organization to get like-minded people together to talk about community/world issues involving the environment. Typically, a special guest will kick off conversation the first Thursday of each month.

Brick engraving

starts in June

CEDAR FALLS -- Engraving on bricks in Cedar Falls Veterans Park will be done during June.

People who want to purchase a brick to honor a veteran must place their order by May 15.

Price per brick is $75. Brick forms are located at Cedar Falls City Hall, Cedar Falls Public Library, Cedar Falls Recreation Center, the Visitor & Tourism Center and Cedar Falls Public Works Office.

Brick engraving will again be done in the fall.

Chamber Music

to host guest

WATERLOO  Cedar Valley Chamber Music will host Lyra, a vocal ensemble from St. Petersburg, Russia, in concert on Sunday.

The event begins at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 608 W. Fourth St. Tickets are $15 for adults; students are free.

Lyra will introduce the audience to the musical heritage of the church, as well as its history and culture.

They will perform chants of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian folk songs.

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WATERLOO  A ground search has turned up very little in the case of a woman who died after being hit by a bullet while driving on U.S. Highway 218 Sunday morning.

But tips continued to come in from the public, and investigators are following every lead, said Maj. Joe Leibold with the Waterloo Police Department.

Authorities said Micalla Rettinger, 25, of Cedar Falls, a former University of Northern Iowa softball player, was driving home around 2:30 a.m. Sunday when a bullet shattered her drivers side window and hit her in the neck, killing her.

The projectile then hit her front-seat passenger, 25-year-old Adam Kimball. He was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, and was released Tuesday, according to UI Hospitals spokesman Tom Moore.

Investigators retrieved part of the bullet from the Iowa City hospital. Police are trying to determine if it is a rifle or handgun round. Leibold said that will help authorities determine the range involved.

On Monday and Tuesday, police searched the grounds around the scene  wooded areas and a lake on the edge of George Wyth State Park under the bridges over Brinker Lake and the Cedar River.

Police said there were no reports of other vehicles in the area at the time of the shooting, and there is nothing to indicate the victims were involved in anything that would have caused them to be targeted.

The Black Hawk County Conservation Board manages the area from the former Sherwood Park neighborhood between the Cedar River and the highway.

Mike Hendrickson, conservation director, said the area is not used for hunting or target practice, adding he cant recall ever having issues with illegal gun use there.

Rettinger graduated from UNI in 2016 with a degree in biology. Her father, Steven Rettinger, told the Des Moines Register she was planning to become a dentist. He said the world lost a good-hearted person. She probably picked up Kimball, her boyfriend, from his job at the Cedar Falls bar where they both worked just before they were shot.

Both Rettinger and Kimball were employees at Mulligans Brick Oven in Cedar Falls. Mulligans co-owner and manager Ryan Bennett declined to say what positions they held or how long theyd been employed there. He said the restaurant may release a statement at a later time.

Were just kind of trying to get our employees through it, Bennett said Tuesday.

Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers has offered a $7,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Leibold said authorities want to hear from anyone who noticed anything suspicious in the area at the time of the shooting or anyone who may have a surveillance or trail camera that might have recorded something.

UNI held a moment of silence to remember Rettinger before the teams softball home season finale Tuesday in the UNI-Dome.

Staff writer Amie Rivers and Tim Jamison contributed to this article.

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WATERLOO  A string of store robberies with a knife and pepper spray will send a Cedar Falls man to prison for up to 50 years.

Because of mandatory minimums, Carlos Roig Gonzalez, 34, will have to serve at least 35 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole.

Prosecutors had asked 60 years, noting Roig, armed with a knife, didnt have to deploy the pepper spray or hold knives to employees throats, but he did when he robbed Kay Jewelers and Dollar Tree in Cedar Falls and Sally Beauty Supply in Waterloo.

The defendant terrorized these individuals. He terrorized this community.  These were not spur of the moment. These were very planned, very calculated offenses, said Assistant County Attorney Elizabeth ODonnell, who prosecuted the case in two trials that resulted in convictions for two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree robbery.

She noted Roig also had convictions for misdemeanor theft and prescription drugs in Iowa and arrests for attempted robbery, robbery and several murders in Puerto Rico in 2010 and 2014. She said the outcome of the Puerto Rico arrests wasnt known.

Defense attorney Brian Johnson, who pushed for a 25-year sentence, said it was safe to assume his client wasnt convicted of murder because he was freed.

Judge Brad Harris said he didnt consider the murder arrests or other charges without confirmed convictions when handing down the sentence.

Before sentencing, Roig sought to dismiss his robbery convictions on speedy trial grounds.

Authorities said Roig was behind the holdups at Sally Beauty Supply in Waterloo and Dollar Tree in Cedar Falls on Dec. 26, 2017, and the heist at Kay Jewelers that netted an estimated $400,000 in merchandise Jan. 22, 2018.

He was arrested after the jewelry store robbery when a clerk recognized his voice and stature as the man who had asked her to put a ring on layaway days earlier. Police found a ring similar to one stolen from the store at Roigs house, but the rest of the loot remains missing.

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WATERLOO  Sometimes when little Gracie Buss had bruises or other marks from being beaten, her mother would apply makeup to cover up the injuries, according to her older brother.

The man behind those beatings, according to the brother, was Chad Allen Little, who is now charged with murder and child endangerment in the 4-year-old girls death.

The brother, now a teen, took the stand Monday as the states case against Little  the 35-year-old boyfriend of Gracies mother, Kristi Buss  resumed in Black Hawk County District Court.

Medics were called to the childs Downing Court apartment May 30, 2015, after she was found unresponsive following what was said to be a seizure and a fall down the stairs. She died days later in a hospital of blunt head trauma.

The brother, who said Little also struck him and once threatened to kill him, recounted how Gracie would cry when she was hit.

I would try to stop Chad from hitting her, the brother said. He said he sometimes gave her an ice pack, and she found relief when she put it on her face.

Sometimes Kristi Buss would apply makeup to Gracies face, he said.

Why would your mom put makeup on her? Black Hawk County Attorney Brian Williams asked.

To cover the bruises on her face, the brother said.

How did she get those bruises on her face? Williams asked.

Chad beating her, the brother said. Hitting her, pushing her.

Prior to the May 2015 incident, Chad had said Gracie had fallen down stairs, the brother said, be he said he didnt see it happen.

Gracies bedroom had been moved from upstairs to a downstairs room at one point because of ghosts, according to the brother. He said Little told him the ghosts beat her when she was sleeping.

The boy said his mother never hit the children.

On the morning of May 30, 2015, the boy said Little woke him screaming that Gracie had a seizure. He said Little told the mother to call 911. He saw Gracie on the floor, her eyes rolled back into her head and her teeth locked together.

The brother said he and Little left, hopping a fence behind the townhouse and going to a nearby mobile home park. The ambulance arrived for his sister as they watched from a fence line, he said. He said he wanted to be with his sister.

Investigators found what a veil of makeup couldnt cover up when they searched the apartment. Jurors heard about blood police found in different areas around the townhouse.

Crime Scene Investigation Officer Jody Stratton said police discovered blood on a toddler-sized mattress that was propped up in the kitchen. A bloody yellow pillow with butterflies was discovered in a laundry room. There was also a comforter with blood and a few towels with blood smears, Stratton said.

Investigators also discovered blood on the carpet in Gracies room, and one spot had blood soaked through into the padding underneath, the officer said.

Among the belongings that caught the attention of police was an undated handwritten note, apparently from Little, apologizing to Kristi Buss.

It read: Hey you, Im very sorry for snapping on Grace. I lost my temper know (sic) joke. I leave the room for 10 seconds to shower and come out to her playing ... I wont do that again. Im a leave just for a bit clear my mind. Love Chad Little.

Police also found at least two holes in the drywall around the apartment, the officer said.

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IOWA CITY  Tuition at the University of Northern Iowa is expected to remain the same in the fall.

Resident undergraduate students at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University will pay 3.9 percent more in tuition next fall if the Board of Regents approves a staff recommendation made public Monday.

That rate is higher than a 3 percent increase the board earlier this year promoted as possible had the Legislature granted its appropriations request.

Under the regents tuition guidance, the board would hold resident undergrad rate increases at the two universities to 3 percent annually provided lawmakers grant the regents full funding request. On the opposite end of the scale, if lawmakers did not approve any increase, the board would raise the 3 percent rate to add the Higher Education Price Index, which was 2 percent this year.

But the base rate at UNI would not change because its student body makeup is different and it faces a different competitive landscape.

Republicans who control the Legislature last week approved a $985 million education budget that includes a $12 million general fund bump for the regents  $6 million shy of the $18 million the board sought.

That increase  which Gov. Kim Reynolds has yet to approve  will bring total appropriations for the regents to about $575.4 million, up from this budget years $562.9 million.

Lawmakers gave the board discretion on how to split the extra $12 million between the UI, ISU and UNI. The board previously said if it received the full $18 million more, it would give $7 million to both the UI and ISU and the remaining $4 million to UNI.

The board has not yet disclosed how it might split the $12 million.

UNI will be seeking a hefty chunk as it will not be getting the tuition revenue bump its sister schools are counting on, according to Mondays proposal.

UNI is treated differently because it has fewer students, a greater share of resident undergrads who pay the lowest rates and less-expensive competitors.

Board policy requires two public considerations of tuition, but regents have postponed a decision even as the fall semester inches closer until the Legislature adjourned Saturday.

Regents now will hold a special telephone meeting for the first vote at 2 p.m. Wednesday. That will allow them to finalize the fall rates at their June meeting in Ames.

In response to Mondays proposal, Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, laid blame for the rising costs on his Republican colleagues.

While the Republican-controlled Legislature finally supported a modest increase in state appropriations for our public universities, funding levels are still inadequate to make up for years of actual declining state funding, he said in an email.

When the Legislature fails, students get a bigger tuition bill. Sadly, many students will miss the opportunity to attend one of these great institutions because they simply cant afford to.

Mondays proposal includes increases for nonresident students, graduate and professional students and those in costlier programs.

Although UNI is not increasing costs for anyone, ISU wants to increase out-of-state undergrad rates 5 percent, while the UI wants to charge those students only 1 percent more.

At the graduate level, ISU wants to up rates 5 percent for both resident and nonresident students, while the UI has proposed increases of 3 percent for residents and 1 percent for nonresidents.

ISU and the UI also want to raise student fees about 2.5 percent for all students.

The proposed tuition and fee increases would bring the total annual cost for a resident undergrad to $9,606 at the UI and $9,320 at ISU. The cost at UNI cost would stay $8,938. Still, those totals keep Iowas public universities at or near the bottom of their peer groups.

On top of the base increases, differential tuition rates  for students in costlier programs  could amount to thousands more, depending on the school, program and resident status.

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WATERLOO  A local farmer has lost his legal challenge against a planned wind energy project in southern Black Hawk County.

District Court Judge Kellyann Lekar issued a ruling Monday affirming the county Board of Adjustments decision to issue a special permit for Washburn Wind Energys plans to erect 35 large wind turbines in Eagle Township east of Hudson.

Harold Youngblut, who farms near the controversial project, filed a lawsuit last year claiming the April 24, 2018, Board of Adjustment action violated the countys zoning ordinance and amounted to an illegal taking of property due to the effect on neighbors.

The wind energy project drew heavy opposition from surrounding property owners who argued the turbines would create noise and shadow flicker that would jeopardize their health and property values.

But Lekar said the record demonstrates that the board acted in accordance with the zoning ordinances and the Iowa Code; its decision is supported by substantial evidence and the decision is not unreasonable, arbitrary or capricious.

Lekar said the board was mindful of its duties to listen to and consider the competing concerns on this issue before carefully making its decision.

Youngbluts attorney, John Holmes, said it is probable his client will appeal the ruling.

Wind farm developers RMP Access, of DeSoto, have said Youngbluts legal action has prevented them from finding buyers for the project to date.

Meanwhile, Lekars decision was filed just 20 minutes before a hearing on whether landowners planning to host the turbines should be allowed to participate in the court proceedings.

Some 26 property owners who signed lease agreements to rent their land to Washburn Wind Energy are seeking to intervene in the case to protect their financial interests.

The Board of Adjustments interest in the case is merely to defend the vote of its members, attorney Vernon Squires said in a brief. The Board of Adjustment has no economic stake. The intervenors have millions of potential lease revenue at stake.

Squires asked Lekar to approve the request despite her earlier ruling so the landowners are able to be part of any appeal. He also indicated it is likely they will ask the courts to require Youngblut to file an appeal bond in the case.

Holmes opposed the intervention effort. He also contends an appeal bond was not appropriate because there was no injunction to keep Washburn Wind Energy from moving ahead while the litigation is pending.

Lekar said she would rule on the intervenors request as soon as possible.

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CEDAR FALLS  The city is seeking public comment and recommendations May 7 for the Main Street Parkade and side street sidewalk design.

Doors open at 5 p.m. with a brief presentation at 5:15 p.m. A question-and-answer session follows. The meeting will be at the Community Center, 528 Main St.

The meeting will provide the public information about Main Street sidewalk design and material options.

Following this public meeting, a design will be presented to the City Council. The first phase of construction, a two-block reconstruction of the sidewalk, begins in 2020.

Bel Canto to hold concert

CEDAR FALLS  Bel Canto Cedar Valley will present For Everyone Born: A Part in the Song, at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. John Lutheran Church.

The concert will feature the Iowa premiere of Mass: A Celebration of Love and Joy by Andre Thomas. With the Mass as its centerpiece, Artistic Director Nick Klemetson has woven the program together with compositions by Tom Trenney, Abbie Betinis, Stephen Paulus and selections from the Justice Choir songbook.

Admission is $10 for the hour-long concert. Tickets can be purchased from chorale members, online at www.belcantocedarvalley.org, or at the door.

Food bank gets $25,000 grant

WATERLOO  The Northeast Iowa Food Bank has received a $25,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation through Feeding America to help the food bank and its partner agencies distribute more fresh produce to families in need. Funds will be used to help eight rural communities in a 16-county service area with capacity and food-distribution nfrastructure. Those communities are Brooklyn, Clarksville, Calmar, Grundy Center, Oran, Malcom, Grinnell and Postville.

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The confrontation between Donald Trump and the House of Representatives  in which Trump is doing everything he can to block the Houses normal oversight powers  has me thinking about impoundment.

Thats an old Nixon-era controversy, in which President Richard Nixon tried to not spend  to impound  money Congress had appropriated for some programs Nixon opposed. He wasnt the first president to do it, but the scope and scale of what he tried to do were beyond anything his predecessors had attempted.

Eventually, Congress made it clear it wouldnt stand for this, in part by passing a new budget law in 1974. That same Congress also passed the War Powers Act after Nixon had bypassed Congress in expanding the Vietnam War into Cambodia. Again, other presidents had done similar things, but Nixon took it a step further.

All this is relevant now because it gets to why impeaching Trump might be necessary. Nixon didnt just commit crimes. Many presidents have done that. The real breaking point was that Nixon simply refused to play by the rules set forth in the Constitution. And Trump appears to be on the same course.

Of course, Nixon had done a lot of things that were plainly illegal, both in the constellation of activities lumped together under Watergate and in the obstruction of justice in covering up those acts. And there was the realization among Nixon die-hards, when the smoking gun tape demonstrated the president had directly lied to them, that he just couldnt be trusted at all and was willing to make his supporters look foolish when they vouched for him.

But Congresss decision to push ahead with impeachment was also motivated by Nixons fundamental rejection of Congresss own legitimacy.

Every president since at least Woodrow Wilson has shown some inclination to believe the election conferred almost mystical connections between the president and the nation. And Trump, to be sure, hasnt seemed to need the (sort-of) validation of the electorate to feel he alone is the voice of authority on pretty much every topic and that no one else has any legitimacy whatsoever. Nixon took this to an extreme.

Now Trump appears determined to follow more intently in his footsteps. Its normal for presidents to fight back against congressional oversight; its not normal for the president to declare that were fighting all the subpoenas. On what grounds? Trump says its because These arent, like, impartial people. This is simply an argument that Congress as a whole is an illegitimate part of the government, given that Congress is never impartial and was never intended to be.

Greg Sargent in the Washington Post has made the interesting argument that Trump, by also arguing in part he doesnt have to comply with congressional subpoenas not directly related to legislation, makes impeachment more likely given that impeachment and removal (and investigations to support it) are obviously a part of Congresss business.

But I think it goes a lot further than that. By insisting he is above the law  by insisting the presidency cannot be checked by the other branches of government  Trump is forcing everyone else in the system to either accept a permanent shift in the constitutional order in favor of presidents, or to stand up and fight back.

For the House, that makes impeachment a much more serious consideration. It also means Congress should carefully consider the weapons available for fighting back other than impeachment, including aggressive use of the spending power, whether its to micromanage appropriations so the executive branch doesnt have its usual discretion, or even to retaliate by cutting off funding for salaries to specific officials or to the White House generally.

For Republicans in Congress, and for judges and justices who might otherwise tend to take a Republican presidents side, it forces the question: If push comes to shove, will they be loyal to their institution and the constitutional order, or to their party? Or, perhaps more accurately, to their partys president.

In this polarized era, its not unusual for people from both parties to put partisan advantage over preserving the interests of their institution. For Republicans, however, it appears Trump may put the question of party or institution to the test. Whether they say it out loud, some of them surely realize if they side with him in crushing Congress as an institution, they wont be in much of a position to fight back if Trump ever turns on them.

Weve already seen several Senate Republicans stand up to him in the impoundment-like effort to get around congressional spending decisions by declaring an emergency over his border wall. We also know, from the Mueller report, Republican senators successfully got the message across that firing special counsel Robert Mueller would produce an intense reaction from Congress. We may soon find out whether theyre willing to defy him over Congresss basic oversight responsibilities. If they dont, they may find they no longer have those responsibilities, including when Democrats are in the White House.

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University and wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.

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John F. Kennedy wrote a book titled Profiles in Courage in which he outlined the efforts of courageous politicians who stood up for what was right in the face of intense political pressure. The book won a Pulitzer Prize in 1957.

One of his profiles was of Edmund Ross, a senator from Kansas, who refused to vote for the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson even though Johnson was one of the most despicable presidents in our history. Why did Kennedy feature Ross? As a result of his vote, Johnson was not impeached, which, according to Kennedy, saved and preserved the stature of the office of president.

One wonders if any modern politicians have ever read Kennedy.

Most pundits and more experienced people tell us President Trump will not be impeached, and continued attempts to push for his removal from office will only guarantee his re-election.

Bill Clinton, obviously and with clear intent, violated the law, but attempts to impeach him resulted in his approval ratings shooting through the roof. The average citizen appears to be more level-headed than the politicians.

So why cant our so-called leaders see what is obvious to others?

First, they dont understand Trump, and they dont understand the people who voted for him. Many live in a cultural bubble and see the world only as a reflection in their own mirror.

Second, every anti-Trumpster over 10 years of age believes they are smarter than Trump.

Third, they believe everything is political, so they dont understand the majority of Americans who find the concept abhorrent. This is especially true when it is applied to the concept of justice.

Justice must not be bent to the needs of politics. The idea that a person could be prosecuted because they have different political views is not only wrong, but is seen as a sign of corruption and societal decay.

Irrespective of whether it is true, many Americans believe the elites are attempting to create a two-tier justice system. They are convinced if a liberal, or someone the media adores, was guilty of everything Trump is supposed to be guilty of, there would not have been two years of investigations, there would be little or no mention of it in the media, and what was mentioned would be interpreted as nothing to get excited about.

Consider Barack Obamas school records. Should they have been made public because many thought there was the possibility that he either was, or claimed to be, a noncitizen? The media would have immediately branded such an idea as crazy, and there would be no call for an investigation. Yet, demanding that Trump release his tax records because they might contain something that could be used against him is thought of as a proper use of justice.

If Trump is put into a cell, Hillary Clinton better be in the cell right next to his or there will be hell to pay. If you cant understand that, you will not understand why Trump will continue to be the front-runner until you do understand.

Dennis Clayson is a marketing professor at the University of Northern Iowa. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not reflect those of the University of Northern Iowa.

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Reprinted from the Quad-City Times April 24.

We didnt think we sent state legislators to Des Moines to run interference for President Trump.

Yet, House Republicans passed a measure last week that would stop Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, from opposing the Trump administration in court unless he got permission from .... well, the presidents allies in the Republican Party.

The proposal passed both houses of the Legislature and sits on Gov. Kim Reynolds desk awaiting her decision on whether it becomes law. Miller has asked her to veto.

News of the plan only surfaced late last week; such is the way with the Legislature these days.

Make no mistake about motives here.

We have a Republican governor, we have a Republican Legislature, and we have had an attorney general that has been going outside of the state taking part in lawsuits that are the complete antithesis to the agenda that the governor and the Legislature has set, state Rep. Gary Worthan, R-Storm Lake, said, according to the Des Moines Register.

Apparently, Worthan doesnt count the 880,531 Iowans who voted for Miller in last years election. Thats more than the roughly 667,000 votes cast for the governor.

In fact, Miller didnt even draw a Republican opponent last year.

The legislation being proposed would allow the attorney general to prosecute a case outside of Iowa only at the request of the governor, the executive council or the Legislature.

In other words, if Miller is to challenge Trump, he needs to get permission from the presidents pals first.

Some lawmakers are upset because Miller has joined lawsuits challenging actions by the Trump administration. There were six such occasions in 2018. The lawsuits, which also involved several other states, included opposing a policy to allow distribution of computer plans for the manufacture of 3D guns and the White House policy of separating migrant families at the border.

Millers office also filed about two dozen amicus briefs challenging actions by the administration and sent approximately 50 letters commenting on administration actions.

The attorney general did not lead any of the lawsuits, and the costs to the state were negligible.

Still, the need to force conformity to the White House is strong among some GOP lawmakers.

We have seen these kind of strong-arm tactics in other states  like Wisconsin, North Carolina and Kansas  where Republicans have tried to thwart the will of the electorate by limiting the powers of an office that voters had the nerve to fill with a Democrat.

In some cases, these efforts have wound up in court.

Were not sure what Miller might do if this measure is signed into law, but what Iowans dont need is to spend a bunch of money on a court battle just to shield the president.

Whats also unfortunate about this episode is it could have other consequences. Millers office says the legislation would hamper its ability to pursue issues like consumer protection, antitrust violations and Medicaid fraud.

We know Republicans dont like Millers actions, but he must be doing something right. Hes been Iowas attorney general for all but four of the last 40 years. Hes won 10 terms of office.

More importantly, there is good reason for the office of attorney general to maintain its independence. It should not be just an arm of the Legislature or the governors office, and this measure moves us down that path.

Iowans have always valued a system of checks and balances, and we have to ask: If the Legislature is willing to put these limits on the attorney general, what might be next?

As we note, Miller has been the states attorney general for a long time. But someday, perhaps, there will be a Republican who wins the confidence of voters to hold that office. At that time, there may even be a Democrat in the White House.

Majority Republicans ought to remember that before acting too quickly just to satisfy a short-term interest.

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OLD AGE AND TREACHERY WILL OVERCOME YOUTH AND SKILL. And on the eighth day God said, "Okay, Murphy, you're in charge!" Anonymous comments will not be posted.
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By Trend





The opening of the Croatian embassy in Baku will contribute to the further development of cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia Marija Pejcinovic Buric said.

Buric made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the embassy in Baku, Trend reports.

"The opening of the embassy is an important milestone in bilateral relations, she said. This will open the way for further cooperation and will allow further strengthening of friendly relations between the countries."

She said that the establishment of the Economic Cooperation Commission is a new driving force.

Buric also stressed Azerbaijans growing role in ensuring Europes energy security.

In turn, Azerbaijani Minister of Taxes Mikayil Jabbarov stressed that Croatias decision to open an embassy in Baku corresponds to the atmosphere of friendship and trust between the two countries.

He also stressed the importance of high-level visits in strengthening bilateral relations.
"The Board has approved a special project over the next three and half years to engage with the early developers of artificial intelligence and machine learning," said Henley. "One of the goals is to reduce administrative burden at the practice level both in terms of eliminating the number of clicks that you need to make and ultimately eliminate the need for a keyboard at all."

He described a future that could make use of natural language processes so that family physicians could engage with patients in a normal encounter "and the computer would document the exam, so you don't have to," said Henley. "The Board heard an update on that project just this week, and it's moving forward very rapidly" under the guidance of AAFP VP and Chief Medical Informatics Officer Steven Waldren, M.D., he added.

Family Physician Shortage

A physician stepped to a microphone and asked the panel to discuss the use, in some states, of midlevel providers to address the family physician shortage. Specifically, "has the Academy thought about how those folks are trained and introduced in the medical world?"

LeRoy got the loudest applause of the Town Hall session with his response.

"Medicine is a team sport, and the physician is the leader of that team. That's critically important, and that's why I hate the term 'provider,'" said LeRoy. "There's a reason that we put in all the hours of training in medical school and residency."

Cullen added this comment: "Family medicine and primary care is really hard. And it's interesting, because in Alaska, we've had independent nurse practitioners for about 25 years," which, he said, has demonstrated two things.

"They're really not going into primary care -- they're going into specialty care. And the second thing is they're not going rural -- they're all going urban."

Opioid Use Disorder

The final question of the meeting came from a family physician asking the AAFP for help and support in dealing with patients who have opioid use disorder.

She said that coming up in medicine, "we were taught how to prescribe opioids, but now I look for resources on how to get people off the opioids I have prescribed."

"These are my people, and I feel responsible for this," she added.

LeRoy directed audience members to an AAFP position paper on chronic pain management and opioid misuse. "We have been at the forefront of this issue," said LeRoy, and family physicians need to do their part by reading and disseminating the information that's out there.

Munger assured family physicians that they have the AAFP's full support on issues related to opioids.

"We've also stepped up every time there is a chance to work with other organizations -- and every time there is a chance at the national level to work with CMS and to have a representative sit on any type of task force or work group on opioid misuse," said Munger.

Related AAFP News Coverage

2019 NCCL Delegates Elect New Leaders

(4/27/2019)

2019 NCCL

Family Physicians Learn to Say 'Yes, And '

(4/26/2019)
Ultimately, it did not. The reference committee wrote in its report that the Academy needs to have "a seat at the table" and be able to work with legislators from both sides of the aisle. The resolution, it said, could limit the Academy's visibility with Congress.

Members from the five constituency groups -- women, minorities, new physicians, international medical graduates, and LGBT physicians and those who support LGBT issues -- also acted on other resolutions that were considered by the reference committee, including one intended to make Academy events more welcoming for families.

Delegates adopted an amended substitute measure that called on the AAFP to research options for and implement on-site play areas for children and caregivers during the Family Medicine Experience, National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students, and Congress of Delegates. It also called for the Academy to research options for and implement on-site child care services at those same events and NCCL.

The original resolution called for "free or subsidized on-site child care services," but the issue of cost was omitted during the final discussion in the April 27 business session.

Simmons pointed out that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers on-site activities for children ages 6 months to 12 years old at its annual meeting for a fee of $5 an hour per child.

Carrie Pierce, M.D., a women's delegate from Klamath Falls, Ore., said during the business session that the availability of child care at Academy events could help more women move into leadership roles in family medicine.

"The more we can get people to events like NCCL, the better off we'll be in the future," she said.
By Trend





A meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Tunisian Republic in Turkmenistan (with residence in Moscow) Mohammed Ali Sheehi was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Trendreports referring to the ministry.

During the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the intensive development of the dialogue between the two countries, particularly in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian fields. It was noted that there is a need for exchange of delegations between the relevant agencies of the two countries and joint participation in international events involving business circles.

Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov was received by Tunisian President Mohamed Beji Caid Essebsi in early 2019. During the meeting, special attention was paid to the development of relations in the trade and economic spheres. In addition, the Tunisian president initiated the creation of a joint working group to expand bilateral cooperation.

During the visit, the Turkmen delegation also met with Tunisian Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation Ziad Al-Azari. The sides stressed that there are ample opportunities for establishing ties in many spheres including investment, industry, trade and agriculture. It was also agreed to develop a legal framework governing the relations between the two countries in the investment and tax spheres.
Masaood Developments, a part of the leading Abu Dhabi family-operated Al Masaood Group, has announced the launch of Azure Al Reem, a game-changing waterfront apartment complex on Al Reem island, Abu Dhabi.



The Azure Al Reem introduces the concept of home ownership to a new audience through a unique and flexible easy to own affordable payment plan.



It will also be one of the first properties available for foreign freehold ownership, following Abu Dhabis recent legislative changes.



Azure Al Reem occupies a waterfront location on the increasingly popular residential community of Al Reem island, just a six-minute drive from Abu Dhabi Financial District and a 10-minute walk from Al Reem Central Park.



Aimed at encouraging aspirational professionals in Abu Dhabi to invest in real estate, Azure Al Reem offers property with deposits of only Dh50,000 or Dh70,000 ($13,610 or $19,054) and flexible monthly, quarterly or annual instalment options over 15 years, said a statement from Masaood Developments.



The building comprises 339 apartments across 29 floors, split into 226 one- and 113 two-bed premium units that benefit from panoramic waterfront views and balconies, a high-end gym, infinity pool, childrens pool and play area, sauna, large electric barbecue area, 24-hour concierge, on-site shops, cafes and car/bicycle parking facilities, it stated. Also included free of charge within all apartments are fully fitted branded white goods, it added.



Azure Al Reem is ready to move in project, with potentially just eight weeks between initial discussions and unpacking in the newly-owned property.



"In fact, the payment plan does not require bank loan, with flexi payments made directly to Masaood Developments through direct debit, cheque or credit card," said a senior official.



"Azure Al Reem provides an opportunity for young professionals in Abu Dhabi to purchase their own property, with a deposit of just Dh50,000. Traditionally, it has taken many years for people to save for the necessary large down payments demanded by other developers or for bank mortgages," explained Ziad Abou Nasr, Manager of Masaood Developments.



"We have chosen to create a way of enabling a whole new market, allow individuals to stop renting and realise the dream of owning their own home," stated Nasr.



Masaood Developments has been working with leading real estate services provider, Savills, to provide expert analysis of the current Abu Dhabi marketplace, and they identified a shortage of affordable options, specifically aimed at younger clientele.



These individuals, couples and families have otherwise been unable to access the property ladder, which has inspired the Azure concept to empower a new wave of property owners through an accessible payment plan, he added.



Commenting on the launch, Edward Carnegy, the head of Abu Dhabi for Savills, said: "Affordability and innovative payment options are very important to the residential property market in Abu Dhabi. It allows people from a variety of backgrounds and occupations to bed roots in the capital and create a truly sustainable city where they can build their lives."



"We believe this new development is totally unique with its high quality offering and its affordability. It meets the real demand from the communities in the heart of our city, empowering millennials to switch from renting to owning," he added.



Katie Burnell is the head of sales for Azure Al Reem and is braced for a wave of interest.



"This is a unique development that is ideally suited to millennials, with spacious, light and luxurious apartments combined with incredible views and amenities," observed Burnell.



"For those wanting to live in a stunning waterfront property and stop wasting money on rent, this is a great investment opportunity. We expect the enquiry levels for Azure to be very high," she added.-TradeArabia News Service
Chances for snow increase as Christmas approaches

Roads are clear now, but as the weekend draws closer, the chance of snow will potentially increase.
Advocates for a Santa Fe ordinance change that would turn every lot in Santa Fe thats zoned for single-family residential use  from the affluent north and east sides to the middle- and working-class neighborhoods in the rest of the city  into potential rented duplex sites for absentee landlords is not going to solve Santa Fes affordable and rental housing shortage.

Or, to put it another way, this proposed alteration of the citys land use code wont make a dent in the housing shortages unless it does what its supporters say it wont do  encourage real estate investors to buy up dozens and dozens of houses in Santa Fe neighborhoods so they can rent out not just one, but two units on what have always been single-family lots.

Even in that scenario, theres no guarantee that either residence on duplex lots would be affordable as the city defines the term.

Currently, accessory dwelling units can be rented out only if the owner lives in the main house (or lives in the casita and rents out the house). This stands as something of a compromise among various interests: the traditional character of single-family neighborhoods, the opportunity for homeowners to earn money off their property and the need for more housing.

So there now in fact can be two separate residences on a single-family lot, but with the proviso that an owner-occupant remains, instead of allowing the lot to be turned into a totally commercial enterprise operated by a property owner who could live anywhere from Tesuque to Timbuktu and isnt necessarily invested in neighborhood pride or maintenance.

In the name of affordable housing, at least three city councilors, the Chamber of Commerce and others would remove the requirement that the owner live on the lot before a casita or guest house can be rented out.

The debate over the proposed changes in the land-use code has been pitched as old Santa Fe versus new, younger Santa Fe. Old Santa Fe has been intensely protective of single-family neighborhoods and is considered a bastion of NIMBYism; new, younger Santa Fe wants more housing options in a town where home prices are once again skyrocketing.

But, remember, people can rent out casitas now  no change in the ordinance is required for that.

Yes, absentee investors interested in owning rental property would, if allowed, probably build a lot more accessory dwelling units, to increase the value of their investments. But a better option is to make addition of new accessory dwelling units easier for homeowners, possibly with financial assistance or by loosening zoning, setback or other restrictions while being sensitive about not creating new units that loom over neighbors backyards. There are in fact changes along these lines in the proposed amendments, with details that have drawn opposition.

Old Santa Fe probably might resist new casitas or other rental additions in some neighborhoods, even if theyre built by owner-occupants, but the idea of having the owner living on site would be preserved.

Still, are casitas  those on the ground now and those to come  actually affordable? Judging from rental rates the city uses to calculate the fee that apartment developers can pay in lieu of making some of their units affordable, the answer is likely and mostly no. The affordable rents are $618 for a one-bedroom unit, $691 for two bedrooms and $768 for three bedrooms.

Casitas are surely cheaper than houses. But does anyone at City Hall have any idea how many casitas actually fall within the citys own affordable definition?

The current restrictions do present some thorny issues. What if a homeowner with a casita in the backyard moves away to care for an ailing parent or a temporary educational or professional opportunity, but intends to return to Santa Fe within a few years? The existing ordinance means that this person cant rent out more than one unit on his or her lot while not living there, a hardship for someone who intends to remain Santa Fean long-term (assuming the rules are enforced, which for now seems to be largely dependent on complaints by neighbors).

Also, the current regimen may have a constitutional, equal-protection-under-the-law problem  can the city legally have separate rules for owner-occupied lots and those owned by absentee landlords?

But no one should confuse the proposed amendments with a serious effort at affordable housing.

The city staffs analysis of the amendments claims, without citing a source, that allowing absentee landlords to rent out casitas would create an immediate supply of additional housing options throughout the City.

So the staff maintains that there is a significant inventory of rental houses out there with already-built casitas in backyards that for now are just standing empty and forlorn, held hostage by the citys heavy hand and just waiting for someone to move in (a supposition that, again, assumes there is widespread enforcement of, and compliance with, the current ordinance).

City Councilors Mike Harris and Renee Villarreal doubted the staff report, as they should have, at a recent council committee meeting. The two councilors next should ask for proof of this vast supply of unused casitas and guest houses as the debate continues.

A single apartment complex would create more units in one fell swoop than these amendments ever will  unless the proposed changes in fact are the break that absentee landlords and real estate investors have been waiting for to jump in and double their money on rental property in Santa Fe.

Editors note, made in the interest of disclosure: A former long-time Journal North staffer is among residents of the South Capitol neighborhood who have complained about a casita rental on a single-family home lot, resulting in a city eviction notice to the casita renter. The neighborhood battle has highlighted the existing city restrictions on renting out accessory dwelling units.
PHOENIX  Backers of competing proposals in the Arizona Legislature designed to boost regulation of vaping products are facing off.

On one side is legislation backed by the vaping and tobacco industries that would boost the legal age for buying cigarettes and vapor products to 21.

The proposal from Republican Rep. John Allen would ban vaping products at schools while forbidding cities and towns from enacting tougher rules on the industry.

Republican Sen. Heather Carter is backing the second proposal , which would redefine vapor products as tobacco falling under the voter-approved Smoke-Free Arizona Act, which bars indoor tobacco use.

Both proposals came in response to a surge in underage use of nicotine products through vaping devices.

Carter on Monday called Allens proposal smoke and mirrors by big tobacco interests seeking to limit tougher local ordinances, known as pre-emption.

What theyre doing is trying to say they care about kids by supporting a weak increase in the age to 21 for tobacco and vaping products, Carter said. But what they really want is pre-emption. And theyre successful across the country.

The industry has pushed similar laws in several states that contain pre-emption clauses, which bar tougher local tobacco and vaping regulation.

Allen declined to comment. But Rep. T.J. Shope said he backs Allens proposal and the pre-emption provision was his idea.

The biggest thing for me is you have a willing group of businesses in vape shops across the state that are willing to be regulated under this, Shope said. Theyre willing to invite regulation so that way they can keep the long arm and the eye of the state government off them, not feel as much heat. They want to be good neighbors.

Allens proposal is backed by vaping industry leader Juul and cigarette-maker Altria, and also by a group of vaping store owners in Arizona called the Arizona Smoke Free Business Alliance.

ASFA business owners generally entered this market to spread harm-reduction to smokers, Steve Johnson, the groups executive director, said in a statement. A part of that is stopping new nicotine users.

Juul said in a statement that it is leading the industry in backing state laws raising the age for buying tobacco and vapor products to 21, which has been shown to reduce teen use. The company said it prefers stand-alone legislation, but in Arizona only Allens bill has had a hearing and provided the company an opportunity to publicly express its support.
AUSTIN, Texas  Having small amounts of marijuana in Texas would mean a fine and no jail time under a bill advancing in the Republican-controlled Legislature.

The bill that passed the Texas House by a 98-43 vote Monday is a milestone in Texas, where GOP leaders have been resistant to relaxing marijuana laws. It would lower criminal penalties for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana to a Class C misdemeanor.

Lawmakers say it would help save resources for law enforcement and keep low-level offenders out of the criminal justice system.

Democrat Rep. Joe Moody changed his original bill that would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signaled support last year for reducing penalties to a lower misdemeanor offense but stopped short of publicly endorsing decriminalization.
AUSTIN, Texas  A Texas lawmaker whose ire over a death row inmates expansive final feast in 2011 ended the practice of condemned prisoners choosing their last meal said Monday the state should now stop publicly reading the final statements of those who are executed.

It comes after a Texas prison spokesman last week read the last words of an avowed racist, John William King, who orchestrated one of the most gruesome hate crimes in U.S. history.

King, who was white, was executed for the 1998 dragging death of James Byrd Jr., a black man. King said no when asked by a warden inside the nations busiest death chamber whether he had any last words before receiving a lethal injection. But a statement prepared by King was released following his execution.

If a death row inmate has something to say to the public or victims, let him or her say it when they are strapped to the gurney, state Sen. John Whitmire wrote in a letter to prison officials.

A spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice didnt respond to a request for comment Monday.

Whitmire has been in the Senate nearly 40 years. The Houston Democrat is one of Texas most powerful lawmakers over the criminal justice system and has spurred the prison system to previously change execution-day procedures.

Texas death row inmates no longer choose their last meals after Whitmire expressed outrage over the dining request of a second man condemned for Byrds killing. Lawrence Russell Brewer ordered an extensive final meal in 2011. It included two chicken fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas, a meat lovers pizza, a pint of ice cream and a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts. Prison officials said Brewer didnt eat any of it.

King is not the first condemned Texas inmate to not speak any final words but still prepare a statement later released by the prison system. Kings statement read: Capital punishment: them without the capital get the punishment.

Byrds sister, Clara Taylor, who watched King die, said he showed no remorse then and showed no remorse tonight.

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Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pauljweber
More than seven months after 49-year-old Rita Jaramillo was reported missing in Los Lunas, State Police have arrested a suspect and charged him with murder.

Arthur Lovato, 59, was served with an arrest warrant Monday. He is locked up at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants in an unrelated matter, according to a State Police spokesman.

According to a post on Facebook by one of the victims daughters, Lovato was Jaramillos ex-boyfriend.

It was not immediately clear whether Jaramillos body has been found.

Documents related to the case have been sealed, including the arrest warrant affidavit.

In order to protect information contained in the arrest warrant that could compromise the investigation, investigators have sealed the arrest warrant for Lovato, until the investigation is complete and has been provided to the district attorney for prosecution, officer Ray Wilson said. Once the seal has been lifted more information about the details of the case that led to the arrest of Lovato will be released.

Wilson said that on Sept. 23, 2018, Valencia County Sheriffs deputies were called to Jaramillos home on San Luis Rey Place in the El Cerro Mission District of Los Lunas. He said the trailer had been burned and her daughters told deputies they had not heard from Jaramillo in three days.

Valencia County detectives had reason to believe there was foul play involved, so Jaramillo was listed as missing and the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau was contacted to investigate the case, Wilson wrote in a news release.

The State Police Investigation Bureau began working the case on Oct. 1 and after a monthslong investigation, zeroed in on Lovato as a suspect.

He is charged with first-degree murder and three counts of tampering with evidence.
HONOLULU  Fire and helicopter parts rained from the sky Monday in a suburban Honolulu community as a tour helicopter crashed and killed all three people aboard, officials and witnesses said.

All you could see was fire, witness Melissa Solomon said, explaining that she was driving on the street when she looked up to see flames and a helicopter plummeting in front of her.

She said she had turn onto another street because she was afraid more pieces were going to fall from the sky onto her and her 16-year-old daughter sitting in the front passenger seat.

We could have been smashed by it, she said.

Paramedics responding to an unrelated call from a patient with leg pain about 30 yards (27 meters) away heard a horrific bang, said Shayne Enright, a spokeswoman for Honolulu Emergency Medical Services. When they turned around, they saw a helicopter on fire.

When they got there, neighbors were doing a heroic job trying to put out the fire and also trying to get the patients away from the burning aircraft, Enright said.

The crash occurred in Kailua, a town of 50,000 people about a 30-minute drive from downtown Honolulu.

The crash site was on a two-lane road amid one and two-story homes.

Darel Robinson was doing construction work at a house about a half-mile from the crash site when he heard what sounded like helicopter blades thumping and then a loud boom.

It was going nose down and parts were starting to fly off, he said.

Megan Lacy, of Alabama, was visiting friends when they heard the crash. They went outside, expecting to find two cars after they had hit each other.

We were really confused, she said. And then we heard screaming and the word fire, and I saw smoke, she said. Debris damaged her rental car about 100 yards (90 meters) from the crash.

A resident said he heard the morning crash then saw a ball of fire in a road when he ran from his house.

Leleo Knappenberger told Hawaii News Now that his mother heard the helicopter flying over the house, making a strange noise.

He said he later saw what appeared to be the tail end of the helicopter.

Its all smashed to pieces, he said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the agency believes three people were on board the four-seat, Robinson R44 aircraft.

He said the circumstances of the crash were unknown.

No further details were available on those killed.

The helicopter, which was built in 2000, is registered to United Helicopter Leasing LLC of Honolulu, according to FAA records. State business records show Nicole Vandelaar as the manager.

A woman who answered the phone at the business and identified herself as Nicole declined to immediately comment, saying she was too busy to talk.

A website for the Honolulu tour helicopter company Novictor Helicopters identified Nicole Vandelaar as founder and CEO. The website said she is an expert pilot commercially licensed to fly helicopters and airplanes.

A Novictor helicopter crashed on a sandbar in Kaneohe in October after the pilot lost consciousness twice. That crash resulted in injuries to the pilot and two passengers. It was also a Robinson R44 aircraft.

State Rep. Cynthia Thielen, who represents Kailua, said she wants the FAA to prohibit tour flights over Hawaiis residential areas and national parks. The Republican lawmaker wants Hawaiis congressional delegation to ask the FAA to implement such restrictions.

Thielen also called for tour helicopter flights to be grounded until an investigation into the crash is completed.

Kailua is home to a Marine Corps base. In recent years its become a popular destination for tourists to go to the beach, hike and shop.

Former President Barack Obama stayed at a rented beachfront vacation home in the town during the winter holidays when he was in the White House.

___

Freelance journalist Marco Garcia contributed to this report from Kailua, Hawaii. Associated Press journalists Caleb Jones and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report.
Heres a cautionary tale for those folks who think they can down a nice glass of New Mexico wine or craft beer and then get behind the wheel without facing legal jeopardy. The same people who think theres no chance one drink could land you in jail and your mug shot online or in the newspaper. Or cause someone to be seriously injured or killed.

If you think that, you should think about Josh Appelgate.

Appelgate, 23, is charged with vehicular homicide caused by driving while under the influence  though his blood alcohol registered 0.06%  after a fatal crash last month claimed the life of Francisco Lopez, who died at the scene near McMahon and Unser.

Presumably, most people are familiar with New Mexicos 0.08% standard, but too many mistakenly think they cant or wont be charged with DWI (or worse) if their Breathalyzer result is below that. As Appelgate is now keenly aware, 0.08 is only a presumptive level of intoxication. What the statute actually prohibits is driving with even the slightest degree of impairment.

There are other factors in Appelgates case. He was already facing a DWI charge and having anything to drink violated his conditions of release. He admitted to police on the night of the fatal accident that he had consumed a hard cider several hours earlier. Witnesses also say he had been on his cellphone.

Appelgate claimed Lopez ran a stop sign, and prosecutors acknowledged during a recent hearing that Lopez did, in fact, have a stop sign before entering the intersection. Nevertheless, Appelgate was indicted last week.

Would Appelgate have been charged with vehicular homicide at all if he had been stone cold sober? As a practical matter, theres a good chance he would not have been, depending on how definitive the cellphone evidence is. Judge Cristina Jaramilla  who opted to release him under strict conditions of release in which he is prohibited from driving, cannot consume alcohol and has a curfew of 8 p.m. to 9 a.m.  observed the case is somewhat questionable.

These are hard lessons. Someone lost his life, and a young man could be headed to prison. Its a good reminder to everyone else: Dont Drink (anything) and Drive.

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.
In business as in love, trust is everything. With consumers anticipating online companies to provide quality products beyond advertised timeframes, there is a greater need for quality products and discounts, which are applicable all year round to foster good and long consumer relationships.



In a scenario where consumers are increasingly purchasing online, thanks to convenience, 24/7 storefronts and a wider product selection, trust assumes more importance than ever. In this current set of things, Shopinc.com has emerged as a key online player in the UAE market that believes in fostering long term relationship with consumers by offering quality products and discounts, which are applicable all year round.



Over the next three years, e-commerce sales are likely to nearly double, with the Middle East e-commerce market projected to be worth Dh179 billion ($48.6 billion) in 2022, up from Dh98.8 ($26.9 billion) in 2018, according to a report by Fitch Solutions.



Yet some consumers still arent comfortable making purchases over the internet. In a survey of 24,000 users in 24 countries by Ipsos and the Centre for International Governance Innovation, 22 per cent of respondents said they never shop online, with half (49 per cent) citing lack of trust as the reason. Retailers can win over those consumers by committing to some sound principles.



Keep your promises



How many of us havent heard of people whove ordered something online only for it to be a close imitation of the product advertised? One in five people are routinely disappointed by their online purchases, and are forced to return goods or switch to other retailers, a survey of 2,000 customers in the UAE found.



But a business model built on one sale to a customer is doomed to failure sooner or later. For these reasons, trust, respect and loyalty are among our core values at Shopinc, and we act on our promises by delivering 100 per cent genuine and ethically sourced items to customers homes. In the rare case that products are not as described on the website, we offer full refunds speedily.



Ask for recommendations



Communication underpins the success of any relationship, so why should retail be any different? Without being prompted, most customers will only bother to contact a retailer if they are disappointed, but those whove had a good experience will talk about it and post online if they feel they can help other shoppers.



Encouraging feedback directly impacts the bottom line. Once a consumer has made a purchase, its important they be encouraged to share their experience  if they feel heard, they will come back again, and the positive reviews can spur purchases from new customers. Approximately 91 per cent of 18-34 year old consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, a 2018 survey on 1,000 UAE respondents found.



Get personal



Chatbots are helping replicate the warmth of physical stores in the online space. These artificial intelligence programs are already used to answer customer questions based on the most common business inquiries. Having been around for some time now, the years of familiarity are starting to pay off for brands. A January Microsoft poll of 1,300 Middle East-based decision-makers shows that around 39 per cent of the regions organizations have already have already adopted AI solutions and more than one third (37 per cent) are planning to adopt them in 2019.



The next step is improving chatbots interaction with consumers through personalization  an Accenture survey found that customers are 75 per cent more likely to make a purchase when a retailer recognizes them by name, or makes suggestions based on past purchases  as in the case of the frequently bought together recommendations. Indeed, by 2035, Accenture predicts that AI will boost profitability by an average of 38 per cent.



As they say, whatever you invest in pays rich dividends. Building and leveraging a one-to-one relationship of trust can indeed pay off for both retailer and consumer.



About the author



Rahul Duragkar is managing director of UAE-based online retailer Shopinc
TOKYO  Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era.

Today, I am concluding my duties as the emperor, Akihito said as he stood in front of the throne, as other members of the royal family and top government officials watched.

Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so. I sincerely thank the people who accepted and supported me in my role as the symbol of the state, Akihito said in his last official duty as emperor.

As he walked out of the room following his speech and officials were taking away the imperial regalia in a box, Akihito turned around, paused and bowed to the audience.

His reign ran through midnight, when his son Crown Prince Naruhito, who observed Akihitos abdication ceremony, became the new emperor and his era began.

Naruhito will formally ascend the Chrysanthemum throne on Wednesday. In a separate ceremony he will receive the imperial regalia of sword and jewel as well as the imperial seals as proof of his succession as the nations 126th emperor, according to official palace count, which historians say could include mythical figures until around the 5th century.

Naruhitos wife Masako and daughter Aiko are barred from the ceremony because they are female members of the royal family, a palace tradition that the government upheld despite criticism that it is out of step with modern values.

The emperor is defined as a symbol of the state and the peoples unity and has no political power under Japans postwar constitution. His official duties are largely managed by a highly controlling Imperial Household Agency. But Akihitos dedication in reaching out to the people, especially those suffering or less fortunate, made him more popular than any politician.

Many people gathered outside the palace compound hours before Tuesdays ceremony despite unseasonably wet and cold weather, and even though they were not allowed to look inside.

We came because today is the last day of (the emperors era of) Heisei, and we feel nostalgic, said Akemi Yamauchi, 55, standing outside the palace with her husband.

He has worked hard for the people, he is very thoughtful, and kind to everyone, said her husband, Kaname. The couple came from Kyoto, Japans ancient capital where emperors lived until about 150 years ago.

Messages have come from global leaders.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed gratitude in a letter to Akihito for his emphasis on peace and contributions to developing relations between Seoul and Tokyo. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed appreciation for his contribution to the two countries close relations. Trump had a courtesy meeting with Akihito during his 2017 Japan visit and will be the first foreign leader in May to meet the new emperor.

Japanese television talk shows displayed a countdown to the midnight transition, and programming was dominated by the abdication and looking back at major events in Akihitos era, including a massive 2011 tsunami, a deadly earthquake in Kobe in 1995, and the Tokyo subway nerve gas attack in 1995 that shook Japans sense of safety and confidence.

Security was extremely tight around the palace and across downtown Tokyo, with thousands of police mobilized. Police arrested a man on Monday night on suspicion of placing a pair of kitchen knives last week on the school desk used by Akihitos grandson.

Still, Japan was in festive mood over a change in an imperial era not caused by death. Many people visited shrines and temples to receive stamps dated on the last day of Akihitos era of Heisei, or achieving peace. Some amusement parks and shops offered free admission and special deals, while customers had their last Heisei meals at restaurants. Naruhitos era of Reiwa, or beautiful harmony begins Wednesday.

The emperor has finished his duties and he is passing the baton to the crown prince, so its time for celebration, said Mitsuhiro Sugita, a 67-year-old green tea maker.

Akihito, 85, took the throne in 1989 and devoted his career to making amends for a war fought in his fathers name while bringing the aloof monarchy closer to the people.

With his commoner-born wife, Empress Michiko, he reached out to the people, especially those who faced handicaps and discrimination, as well as those hit by disasters, illuminating the hardships of people often overlooked by society.

Akihito was the first modern emperor to marry a commoner, one of many changes he brought to the palace. The couple also chose to raise their three children instead of leaving them with palace staff, and decided to be cremated upon their deaths in a smaller tomb side by side, also a tradition-breaking step.

Jeff Kingston, Asian studies director at Temple Universitys Japan campus, says Akihito served as Japans chief emissary of reconciliation, while acting as consoler in chief in reaching out to the people. Akihito was also a strong advocate of the vulnerable and the marginalized in the Japanese society, he said. I think the people really warmed to him and felt that the monarchy was relevant to their lives because of these efforts by Akihito.

Recent media surveys have shown public support for the imperial family at 80%, the highest ever for the institution.

Such respect did not come overnight. Akihito grew up during World War II and was 11 when his father Hirohito announced the end of the war on radio. Akihito embraced his role as peacemaker and often represented his father on reconciliatory missions as a young crown prince, decades before he became the emperor himself.

He is the first emperor in Japans modern history whose era did not have a war. Though he has avoided outright apologies, he has stepped up his expressions of regret in carefully scripted statements on the war.

Akihito visited China in 1992 and offered what was considered the strongest expression of regret over the war. He also visited the Philippines and other Pacific islands conquered by Japan that were devastated in fierce fighting as the U.S.-led allies took them back.

That leaves his son Naruhito  the first emperor born after World War II  largely free of the burden of the wartime legacy, allowing him to seek his own role. Naruhito has said he would largely emulate his fathers pacifist stance and compassion for the people, but also said he hopes to seek a role of his own, possibly in issues related to water, which he studied at Oxford University in the early 1980s. That, or disaster resilience, or the environment, could appeal more to a people predominantly from postwar generations.

Akihito will be known as the emperor emeritus and will no longer have official duties. He wont even attend his sons succession rituals so as not to interfere with the serving emperor.

Akihito is expected to enjoy his retirement, going to museums and concerts, or spending time on his goby research at a seaside imperial villa. Akihito and Michiko will move to a temporary royal residence before eventually switching places with Naruhito.

___

Associated Press journalist Kaori Hitomi contributed to this report.

___

Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi
When a man armed with a semiautomatic rifle opened fire in a synagogue in Poway, California, north of San Diego, on Saturday, killing one and injuring three, Albuquerque resident Mikey Weinstein wasnt surprised, given the vitriol and digs at the Jewish faith he deals with regularly.

During the recent Passover celebration, Weinstein went to the Santa Fe National Cemetery to visit the grave of his father, Gerald Weinstein, an Air Force lieutenant colonel who served during World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

There, atop the grave marked with a Star of David and pebbles that visitors placed, as is Jewish tradition, was something decidedly not part of that tradition  a cross made of palm fronds.

Did wind blow the cross from another grave? Weinstein doesnt think so. He walked a 500-foot radius around the site to see if other graves had been marked with similar crosses. Only his fathers grave was singled out.

Coincidence? There are no coincidences in my world, Weinstein said definitively.

Weinstein, the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, or MRFF, said the gesture angered and upset him and his family because it was clearly a swipe at his religion and was disrespectful to the memory of his father, a proud and observant Jew.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation was formed in 2004 to ensure that all members of the U.S. Armed Forces are granted their First Amendment rights of religious freedom  as well as freedom from religion if they so desire.

Through lawsuits, or the threat of lawsuits, Weinstein has forced people in command positions in the military and at military academies to back off from what he calls the weaponizing of Christianity, particularly by fundamentalist Christians who try to coerce subordinates to comply with directives that cross the line separating church and state.

About 95 percent of the MRFFs clients are Christians who feel they are being persecuted in the military for not being Christian enough, Weinstein said. Our typical client is a Protestant and a member of the military; next typical is Roman Catholic. It goes down from there to Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Native Americans. We even have 12 members of the Church of the Jedi, right out of Star Wars. We dont ask. Its all about the Constitution.

He says his adversaries have dubbed him Satans lawyer and the greatest threat to the military.

Swastikas and crosses have been painted on the walls of his Albuquerque-area home; windows of the home were shot out; tires slashed; and dead and disemboweled animals tossed into the yard.

Not surprisingly, the Weinstein home has been turned into something of a fortress, with guard dogs, security cameras and private security guards.

Weinstein and his family have been the target of anti-Semitic cyberhate.

Examples from emails put that into perspective:

 Mikey is the reason nobody trusts or likes the Jew tribe anywhere, anyhow and anytime.

 You are a traitor to Jesus Christ you Jew dirt. And you are the traitor to America.

To be clear, Weinstein, 64 and a registered Republican, does not have ill will toward the military. He is a 1977 graduate of the Air Force Academy and served for seven years with the Judge Advocate General Corps.

A former legal counsel with the Reagan administration, Weinstein also worked at prominent law firms in New York City and Washington, D.C., and was general counsel to Texas billionaire and two-time presidential candidate H. Ross Perot.

Weinstein left Perots employment to devote full time to the newly formed the MRFF nonprofit, largely in response to Hollywood actor, producer and director Mel Gibson, who in 2004 released his film The Passion of the Christ.

At the time, Weinsteins sons were cadets at the Air Force Academy, one a senior and the other a freshman. Both told of being the target of anti-Semitic harassment.

Other cadets soon reached out to MRFF about incredible pressure that commanders at the Academy were putting on cadets, faculty and staff to see the movie, exhorting them to accept Jesus Christ as their lord and savior, Weinstein said.

Though he believes conditions have deteriorated since Donald Trump began seeking office, and despite his daily immersion in the muck and sludge of humanity, Weinstein is not without hope.

My sense is that this country has shown a certain level of resiliency throughout history, and whenever it has seen things that are particularly noxious we have responded positively, though sometimes slowly, he said. We realized that slavery was wrong and ended it; we realized that women should have the same opportunities as men and granted those rights  and its wrong to hold prejudices against people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

That resiliency is uniquely American and helps define us and allows us to find true north on our moral compass so we can locate that place of love and respect for all human beings, he said.

Were getting there  slowly  but we are getting there.

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Rick at 823-3929, rnathanson@abqjournal.com.
Copyright  2019 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  President Donald Trumps campaign managers recent assertion that New Mexico is in play for 2020 has prompted head-scratching in a state where Republicans suffered heavy defeats just last year.

Only 38 percent of New Mexico voters approved of the job Trump was doing as president, according to a Journal Poll conducted last fall, and a Trump victory next year would likely require him to win over some Democrats and independent voters in a state where Democrats hold a sizable voter registration edge over Republicans.

Things can always happen, but I wouldnt expect that, said University of New Mexico political science professor Lonna Atkeson, who pointed out more than half of state voters surveyed disapprove of the job Trump is doing.

Although New Mexico has voted for Republicans in the past, the state has voted for Democratic presidential candidates in each of the past three presidential election years  2008, 2012 and 2016.

The last Republican candidate to win New Mexico was George W. Bush, in 2004.

However, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale cited New Mexico as one of several states  along with Colorado, Nevada and New Hampshire  that Trump lost in 2016 that could be flipped next year.

Those are states we did not win in 2016 that I think are open for 2020, Parscale said in an appearance Sunday on Face the Nation, during which he also acknowledged the Trump campaign will have to defend 2016 victories in battleground states including Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

The inclusion of New Mexico on the list of targeted states could signal that Trump will return to New Mexico next year on the campaign trail.

Trump made two appearances in New Mexico in the run-up to the general election three years ago, including a May 2016 campaign rally in Downtown Albuquerque that drew roughly 8,000 people and prompted both peaceful protests and late-night violence.

His running mate, Vice President Mike Pence, also stumped for Trump in New Mexico in 2016, making campaign stops in Albuquerque and Roswell.

In contrast, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton did not hold any public campaign events in the state, although she did travel to New Mexico for a closed-door fundraiser in June 2015 before securing the partys nomination.

But Clinton still won New Mexico  and its five electoral votes  by defeating Trump in 2016 by about 8 percentage points. In that years race former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, running as a Libertarian, received more than 9 percent of the total votes cast in New Mexico.

New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce said Monday that he believes the GOP will have an opening for a breakthrough next year, due to improving economic conditions for workers and a perceived overreach by the Democratic-controlled Legislature on gun-related proposals.

Thats one of our goals, is to win the state for our president  and we think thats a reachable goal, Pearce told the Journal. They are definitely going to spend resources here.

Last year, Democrats swept all statewide offices up for election  including the Governors Office  and expanded their majority in the Legislature.

The states congressional delegation is now made up entirely of Democrats  the first time thats been the case since 2011  and top state Democrats say New Mexico will stay blue regardless of who Democrats end up picking as their presidential nominee next year.

Donald Trump promised to bring back jobs, but instead hes trying to steal from our military bases to pay for his wall. Its no surprise many New Mexicans who voted for Trump in 2016 came out in droves to support Democrats in 2018, state Democratic Party Chairwoman Marg Elliston said Monday.
Copyright  2019 Albuquerque Journal

Public Service Company of New Mexico wants another chance to convince state regulators that a new transmission line its planning will benefit all utility customers, not just Facebook.

The company filed a motion Monday for a rehearing with the Public Regulation Commission, which ordered PNM on April 16 to not charge ratepayers for any of the project costs, only Facebook and wholesale customers. The PRC said thats because a PNM executive testified in hearings in February that the line, which will run from Clines Corners to a new substation in Sandoval County, will serve only Facebook and wholesale customers, not retail consumers.

The company later rectified that testimony in writing to the PRC. Even so, commissioners ordered PNM to bill Facebook $39 million, or nearly half the cost of the $85 million line, and charge wholesale customers the rest.

In its request for a rehearing, PNM said it recognizes that its initial description during the hearing was confusing, leading the commission to the incorrect belief the line would only serve Facebook.

The company says the project, which will carry 166 megawatts of electricity from a wind farm under construction near Estancia to Facebooks data center in Los Lunas, will have capacity to transmit an additional 199 megawatts of electricity, benefiting all customers. The line is considered a network upgrade under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission guidelines, something the utility did not clearly explain in the hearings, PNM says.

Its needed to not only carry electricity from the new wind farm onto PNMs grid, but to provide more capacity for renewable generation in general, because the utilitys current transmission line in eastern New Mexico has reached its limit.

PNM contends that forcing Facebook to pay $39 million upfront for construction constitutes unfair double billing on the company, because Facebook must still pay transmission charges once the line is operational.

If Facebook is only required to pay transmission charges like other retail customers, the company would still end up contributing $64.5 million over the 30-plus years it will take for PNM to recover all construction and operating costs for the line. That compares with $43.9 million that other customers would pay, representing a net savings of $21.5 million for ratepayers over time, according to PNM.

The commissions order to directly bill Facebook generated critical backlash from public officials, including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, and economic development professionals. They say its unfair to Facebook, and it sets a chilling precedent that could discourage other companies from investing in New Mexico. Thats because the PRC previously agreed to only directly charge Facebook for projects that benefit that company alone, not for infrastructure development that benefits everyone.

Now, however, PNM said it takes full responsibility for confusion at the PRC.

The PRC has recently taken flak for their decision on the  transmission line, but we must admit their decision was based on confusing information provided by PNM, and for that, we take full responsibility, said PNM Senior Vice President of Public Policy Ron Darnell in an op ed published in the Journal on Sunday. When we presented our case to the PRC, we didnt do a good job presenting the full story or describing how the transmission line benefits our customers throughout the state, not solely Facebook.

By squarely admitting its mistake, the company hopes to persuade commissioners to reconsider the case to avoid harming Facebook or other customers, Darnell added.

Other organizations intervening in the case either support PNMs request for a rehearing, or dont oppose it, including the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy, New Mexico Industrial Energy Consumers, and the PRCs utility division staff.

Were filing our own request for the commission to reconsider its decision, said CCAE attorney Chuck Noble. Requiring Facebook to pay $39 million makes them overpay for the transmission line. Under regulatory law and precedent, the costs should be allocated to all users of the system based on their usage, not just Facebook.

Its unclear how or when commissioners will respond, but PNM has requested an expedited decision on the rehearing.

We look forward to hearing what they have to present, Commissioner Cynthia Hall said.

PNM seeks rehearing on transmission line ruling
High school science teacher Arnel Dela Cruzs career is setting sail.

Thats true also for middle school social studies teacher Christopher Shepherd.

Dela Cruz, who teaches at Miyamura High School in Gallup, and Shepherd, an educator at Albuquerques Jackson Middle School, were honored by Norwegian Cruise Line as part of its Giving Joy campaign. Thirty teachers from around the country earned the honor from more than 46,000 nominations.

The 30 educators, who won seven-day cruises for two anywhere Norwegian Cruise Line sails, are eligible to win one of three grand prizes of $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000 for their schools. The Grand Prize winners will be revealed on Friday. Those winners will be chosen by a panel of Norwegian Cruise Line executives based on the relevancy of their submission to the contest theme  giving joy, the nominees impact on their students and content and originality.

Dela Cruz, who taught in the Philippines, Florida and Arizona before coming to New Mexico in 2015, teaches biology, earth science and AP environmental science at Miyamura. He graduated from Philippine Normal University in 2003.

Shepherd teaches sixth grade social studies and English language development at Jackson, where he has been for 14 years. He grew up in Albuquerque and went to Eubank Elementary, Grant Middle School, Sandia High School and the University of New Mexico. His wife, Jessica, is also a middle school teacher of 17 years.

We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com.
OMAHA, Nebraska  Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway will finance a bid by Occidental Petroleum for Anadarko, potentially upending Chevrons $33 billion offer for the energy company.

At stake are choice oil and gas fields spread across Texas and New Mexico, including a 75-mile-wide corridor across the Delaware Basin, a region bountiful with natural gas.

Anadarko Petroleum accepted a buyout bid from Chevron earlier this month, but its now considering Occidentals offer worth about $57 billion in cash and stock, including debt and book value of non-controlling interest. Chevrons offer would be worth about $50 billion by the same metric.

Chevron maintained Tuesday that its signed agreement with Anadarko is superior, but with Buffett stepping in many saw the advantage swing decidedly toward the much smaller Occidental and its CEO, Vicki Hollub.

When Chevron announced the deal for Anadarko on April 12, it came as a surprise to Hollub. She had been pursuing Anadarko for two years and was in what she considered to be friendly negotiations, though she was aware there was interest in Anadarko from elsewhere.

We are thrilled to have Berkshire Hathaways financial support of this exciting opportunity, Hollub said Tuesday in a prepared statement. We look forward to engaging with Anadarkos board of directors to deliver this superior transaction to our respective shareholders.

Occidental announced its counter offer last week setting up something not seen for years in the oil patch  a potential bidding war.

Even if we look back at two decades of history, this is virtually unprecedented, said Pavel Molchanov, senior vice president and equity research analyst at Raymond James & Associates.

If Anadarko does walk away from Chevron, it would have to pay a $1 billion breakup fee under its agreement.

Yet the entry of Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway could lead to the exit of Chevron, which is more than five times the size of Occidental.

That was the perception of how things would play Tuesday on Wall Street.

Shares of Chevron rose 3 percent with many investors believing it would choose not to escalate the fight for Anadarko by raising its $50 billion bid.

In his annual letter to shareholders this year, Buffett said he was having difficulty finding large-scale investments with which to plow a portion of his roughly $130 billion pile of cash and short term investments.

It appeared Tuesday that he found at least partial solution.

Berkshire will invest $10 billion in Occidental. It would receive 100,000 preferred shares plus a warrant to purchase up to 80 million shares of common stock at an exercise price of $62.50 each. The preferred stock will accrue dividends at 8% per year. Occidental shares traded at around $58, down 2 percent, Tuesday morning.

The investment is contingent on Occidentals acquisition of Anadarko.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc., based in Omaha, Nebraska, owns a range of businesses including insurance, railroads, jewelry stores as well as major investments in American Express, IBM and Wells Fargo & Co.

Berkshire already holds interests in the energy sector, including several major utilities like PacifiCorp, MidAmerican Energy and NV Energy. It owns Northern Natural Gas and AltaLink energy transmission, as well as Lubrizol and nearly 12 million shares in Phillips 66.

Its not Berkshires track record in the energy sector, however, that would be the most valuable asset to Occidental. Its Buffetts ability to make deals happen. The Occidental financing is similar to several deals Berkshire has made since the financial crisis.

Berkshire helped Mars acquire Wrigley, and Burger King to acquire Tim Hortons. Buffett also helped Dow Chemical buy Rohm and Haas.

There have been other deals where Berkshire offered financing on preferred terms to companies that werent associated with a deal. Those include Goldman Sachs, General Electric, Harley Davidson and Bank of America.

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Bussewitz reported from New York.
Its been a four-year journey for David Garcia.

The hard work is paying off for the filmmaker with a series of screenings of his latest documentary, Hearts on the Gila.

The events take place on Thursday in Albuquerque at the Guild Cinema; on Friday at the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos ;and on Saturday at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe. There will also be a question-and-answer session after each screening.

Garcia didnt take the project lightly.

In 2014, Michael Sebastian Mahl, Ella Sala Myers and Ella Jaz Kirk  all teenagers and students in the eco-monitoring program at Aldo Leopold Charter School  were researching the effects of fire on forest health when a single-engine plane they were traveling in crashed near Silver City.

The documentary focuses on three mothers, four years after losing their teenage children in the 2014 plane crash, as they journeyed 38 miles by boat down the Gila River and into the Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico. The three mothers also traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional leaders and advocate for Wild and Scenic designations for portions of the Gila River.

The best thing we can possibly do to honor our children is to protect the river. While doing so, we benefit ourselves and all the creatures that depend on it. As parents, we continue our childrens legacy when their love for the land inspires others, said Patrice Mutchnick, mother of Ella Jaz Kirk. This film project is a tribute to our childrens love of nature. We expect Hearts on the Gila to convey all the reasons to protect those things we hold most precious: our children, our wild places, and our future.

Garcia said as the women traveled on kayaks down the river, their physical journey mirrored a journey of their souls through extreme grief as they pass through the heart of the Gila.

Sitting with the parents doing interviews, Ella, Michael and Ella were people in the room. The weight of the parents grief and the sheer excellence that the kids represented in their lives just grabbed a hold of me. They lived in sync with the natural world and had dedicated themselves to its study and protection, Garcia said. I had a vision of filming a journey by the three mothers boating down the roughly 36-mile stretch of the river running through the wilderness, and Hearts on the Gila was born. The river became allegory for the grief journey and at the same time was the main character in a story about these three women coping with unbearable loss.

Garcia said the journey was highly emotional for the parents, who are still dealing with the deaths of their children.

All three felt closer to their children during the experience.

Michael was a beautiful young man. He was a lover of all things living; from the smallest insect to the vast wilderness itself. I know without a shadow of a doubt that my amazing son is proud of me and the work we have begun in his honor, said Jennifer Mahl, mother of Michael Sebastian Mahl. He was with me through every moment of this project and will continue to be in my heart and everything I do as we continue to do the work that he was passionate about and to share the beautiful Gila with the world and preserve it for generations to come.

Logistics was one of the biggest obstacles in the filmmaking process.

You have no access to power, and its about a five-day run down the river, Garcia said. Carrying all the batteries and hard drives, we took all the power we could use. We did lose one of the red cameras in the river. Its been an interesting process.

Garcia said the film is put together in an unconventional way.

The films structure tells the story of the kids, the story of the river and the story of each moms grief journey, Garcia said. All of them are parallel journeys. It was a huge challenge to tell this story in a complete way.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration quickly declared enthusiastic support Tuesday for the Venezuelan opposition effort to spark a military uprising against embattled President Nicolas Maduro, hoping for decisive action in the political crisis that has engulfed the South American nation.

Late in the day, President Donald Trump threatened a full and complete embargo and sanctions on Cuba if its troops do not cease operations in Venezuela. National security adviser John Bolton alleged earlier that Cuban troops were keeping Maduro in power in Caracas.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected Trumps threat with a tweet of his own. We vigorously reject Trumps threat of a complete and total blockade against Cuba. There are no Cuban military operations or troops in Venezuela  Enough lies, already.

Trump and senior foreign policy figures in his administration all weighed in during the day, casting the effort headed by opposition leaders Juan Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez as a move to restore democracy, not an attempted coup like the short-lived effort to oust then-President Hugo Chavez in 2002 that seemed to have U.S. support.

We are with you! Vice President Mike Pence tweeted to the opposition. Pence, who has had a lead role in the administrations effort to persuade Maduro to give up power, told the opposition group, America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored.

Likewise Trump himself tweeted that he was monitoring the situation and the United States stands with the people of Venezuela and their Freedom!

Lopez, the countrys most prominent opposition activist, had been under house arrest, and his sudden appearance would seem to have required the cooperation of troops who guard him. However, late Tuesday, he sought refuge with his family in the Chilean Embassy in Caracas, a discouraging sign for supporters of the uprising.

Bolton said it was a very delicate moment for Venezuela.

If this effort fails, they will sink into a dictatorship from which there are very few possible alternatives, he said at the White House.

The wholehearted embrace of the rebellion reflects the goals of an administration that from its earliest days has sought the removal of Maduro. But it was also an unusually full-throated endorsement by any government for a mass protest that was turning violent.

Its more than cheerleading. They are very actively collaborating, said Mark Weisbrot, who is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington and has called for a negotiated end to the political crisis.

The U.S. and about 50 other nations take the position that Maduros re-election last year was irrevocably marred by fraud and he is not the legitimate president of Venezuela, a once prosperous nation that has the worlds largest proven oil reserves.

In January, the administration took the unusual step of recognizing Guaido, the opposition leader of the National Assembly, as interim president. It also imposed punishing sanctions on Venezuelas oil sector, deepening the countrys economic crisis.

Despite these and other measures, Maduro, the hand-picked successor to Chavez, has retained his hold on the country and the support of the security services.

That support had seemed to crack Tuesday with the launch of what the opposition was calling Operation Freedom, which began with the early-morning release of a short video of Guaido and Lopez alongside a few dozen national guardsmen urging people to take to the streets.

What we are seeing today in Venezuela is the will of the people to peacefully change the course of their country from one of despair to one of freedom and democracy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted in an early reaction. The U.S. stands with them.

Pompeo said in media interviews and in a speech Tuesday that Maduro was on the verge of flying out of the country before the Russians persuaded him to stay. Pompeo provided no evidence for the assertion, which Maduro himself ridiculed. Mr. Pompeo, what lack of seriousness, Maduro said.

The Trump administration was caught slightly off-guard by Guaidos decision to launch the campaign on Tuesday. Elliott Abrams, the special representative for Venezuela, said the administration had expected major marches and protests to take place on Wednesday for the May Day holiday.

At some point after that, Abrams said, U.S. officials had been led to believe that the chief judge of Venezuelas Supreme Court, the defense minister and the chief of the presidential guard would declare their support for the constitution and, by extension, renounce Maduros leadership. Abrams said U.S. officials believed such a step would galvanize public support for Guaido.

What was going to happen, we were told, was that they would announce their support for the constitution, he told reporters at the State Department.

That did not occur and Abrams said the situation on the ground remains confused. Nonetheless, Abrams said he had been in contact with Guaido by text message at midafternoon and the opposition leader seemed buoyant and determined.

Bolton said a peaceful transfer of power from Maduro to Guaido could still occur if enough figures depart from the regime and support the opposition.

He and others in the administration also called on Cuba and Russia to withdraw support. The U.S. has said about 20,000 Cubans provide security assistance to the Maduro government. Cuba denies that and says most of those people are medical workers.

The U.S. has been embarrassed by acting too soon in the past. In April 2002, a businessman who had repeated meetings with American officials staged a coup against Chavez. While other countries in the hemisphere denounced the move, the administration of then President George W. Bush acknowledged the new government. It had to backtrack as the rebellion fizzled.

Trump administration officials sought to draw a distinction between the two situations. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, at a conference in California, said the U.S. considers Guaido, not Maduro, the legitimate leader of the country under the Venezuelan constitution. Importantly, we do not consider it a coup, he said.

Still, Abrams sounded uncertain as to how Guaidos bid would end and appeared to set the stage for his possible defeat.

We know this: At the end of the day, Juan Guaido will still be the legitimate interim president of Venezuela, the United States will still be supporting him, he said. The Maduro regime, while it exists, will still be illegitimate and completely incapable of solving the problems of the Venezuelan people.
Saudi Arabia-based Al Tayyar Travel Group has announced that it has been rebranded as Seera with immediate effect.



The name and identity of Seera, meaning journey, is the culmination of the companys transformation efforts, which has seen its operating environment undergo a significant shift.



The new brand name and logo, symbolising the voyage of a traveller around the world, serves as a reflection of the corporate journey the company has embarked on. With the Vision 2030 agenda as a driving force, Saudi Arabia is undergoing an economic and social transformation, with the tourism sector set to be a key beneficiary. Seera is determined to be at the forefront of these positive developments, with the ultimate purpose of opening up the opportunity of travel for all, by connecting cultures.



The groups portfolio structure has been updated to capitalise on the opportunities in the market, and to better serve the discerning needs of stakeholders and travellers across B2B, B2C and other verticals, with trusted brands, designed to consistently exceed customer expectations.



A key focus for 2019 and beyond will be the continuous growth of Seeras Consumer Travel Business Unit, which has unified all consumer-facing travel services under one department. By working towards a more streamlined offering across digital and retail touchpoints under the Almosafer flagship brand, the Consumer Travel Unit is transforming from a pure play online travel agent, into a fully-fledged omnichannel travel booking services business, which will deliver across all touchpoints, both online and offline.



The groups travel management business unit will now operate under Elaa, a new brand that will continue to serve as a trusted advisor for corporate and government clients.



Seeras Car Rental Business Unit, which operates a fleet of over 8,000 vehicles in Saudi Arabia, will complement the journey of travellers to and within the country under the new brand name Lumi.



In line with Saudi Vision 2030s goal of attracting 30 million pilgrims by 2030, Mawasim, a complete Hajj & Umrah service provider for the B2B travel industry globally, will cater to the religious travel segment. Mawasim will supply agents in key international source markets with complete travel packages for pilgrims.



Seeras portfolio additionally comprises a hospitality segment, which is planning to manage and operate 30 hotels as per the strategy announced back in 2017, and a Corporate Ventures Unit, which continues to focus on strategic investments to support Seeras vision within the industry.



Seeras CEO Abdullah Bin Nasser Aldawood, said: We are excited about this new chapter that will make our journey as a company even more remarkable. Seera as a new identity will help fuel our growth, accelerate our progress and give every employee, stakeholder and every traveller we engage with the opportunity to go further with us. With all Business Units working towards the common goal of opening up the opportunity of travel, we are confident that Seera has the talent, knowledge and capabilities to grow commercially, socially and geographically.



Seera also wants to play a role in the kingdoms vision of creating the next generation of leaders for an innovative society and is putting increased emphasis on CSR initiatives including the groups homegrown talent accelerator Jadarah. The five-month intensive programme, in partnership with industry giants such as Google, Twitter, Amadeus and Udacity, gives young Arab nationals the tools to strive for their own success in the new economy.



The second round of Jadarah is set to start in September 2019 and we have already surpassed application numbers compared to last year. Half of the year one graduates are now full-time employees at Seera and Almosafer and we are proud to say that we have helped bridge the gap between classroom and real-world application, said Aldawood.



Seera is powered by a robust technology platform that straddles the groups different travel businesses. As Menas largest homegrown digital travel company, Seera manages cutting-edge online travel platforms on the web, mobile web and app, as well as over 80 retail travel agencies in the kingdom. Harnessing decades of industry leadership and expertise, Seera brings 40 years worth of travel knowledge to the digital sphere. - TradeArabia News Service
UPDATE 3:05 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, 2019 - CAL FIRE Butte County firefighters have contained the Cana Fire at 10 acres.

#CanaFire [final] fire contained at 10 acres  CAL FIRE Butte Unit/Butte County Fire Department (@CALFIRE_ButteCo) April 30, 2019

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UPDATE 12:57 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, 2019 - CAL FIRE Butte County said the fire has grown to 10-12 acres. Authorities are requesting another engine for help.

#CanaFire, [update] Hamilton-Nord-Cana Hwy x Cana Hwy, Nord, IC reporting 10-12 acres grass, requesting a third Engine  CAL FIRE Butte Unit/Butte County Fire Department (@CALFIRE_ButteCo) April 30, 2019

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BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - CAL FIRE's Butte County unit is responding to a 3-acre vegetation fire off of Nord Cana Highway.

According to a tweet from CAL FIRE Butte County, the fire broke out near the intersection of Nord Cana Highway and Cana Highway.

Authorities are requesting an additional engine and prevention officer.

Stay with Action News Now for the latest updates as they become available.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - In the wake of the shooting at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday that he plans to fund $15 million for the State Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

The grant program helps nonprofit organizations that are targets of hate-motivated violence improve security at their facilities.

The governor's January budget proposal included $800,000 for the Department of Justice to help with crime data collection and reporting on hate crimes.

We all must call out hate  against any and all communities  and act to defend those targeted for their religious beliefs, who they love or how they identify, said Governor Newsom. An attack against any community is an attack against our entire state  who we are and what we stand for.
REDDING, Calif - In light of recent attacks on synagogues, Action News Now reached out to local communities to see what theyre doing to stay safe.

Temple Beth Israel says theres a small Jewish community here in Redding, but when the attacks happen they reach out to each other for comfort and understanding.

What makes them feel safer is that the Redding Police Department reaches out to them to see what can be done.

When things like this come up, the Redding Police Department tends to reach out to us and check in", said Geri Copitch with Temple Beth Israel. "The FBI even contacted our temple president after the shooting in Pittsburgh just to make sure we were ok and let us know they have not been hearing chatter locally."

On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced $15 million in funding to help religious and community-based nonprofits boost security.

The money would go toward funding reinforced gates and doors, security guards and alarms.

Chico Police Chief Mike O'Brien said his department has increased its security presence around houses of faith in the city.

Local religious groups have also emailed Temple Beth Israel in Redding to show their support after Saturdays attack in San Diego.

One email for Shasta County Interfaith Forum reads in part, With deep sorrow I wanted to reach out to our Jewish brothers and sisters from Shasta County Interfaith Forum to express our deepest heartfelt sorrow about the shooting on Sunday in San Diego. So so sorry... Hatred can only be resolved through expressions of great love..

We love our Jewish brothers and sisters! We support you in prayer, connection and express our deep value for your presence in our community and your participation in the interfaith forum! We are so blessed to know you!

Another email from St. Josephs church says, The entire community of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Anderson joins in adding our condolences and support for our Jewish friends, everywhere.
Chico Police arrest man for making threats at Enloe Medical Center

We now know the identity of the man who police said walked into Enloe Medical Center Monday night saying he had a gun. Chico police said Russell Niewald was arrested after the hospital was shut down briefly. He is now behind bars.

Army veteran arrested, suspected of plotting a terrorist attack on a white supremacist rally in Long Beach

Federal prosecutors arrested an army veteran, Mark Domingo, on Friday after authorities said he was plotting to bomb a white supremacist rally in Long Beach. Investigators said the 26-year-old was planning retribution for the New Zealand mosque attacks.

San Diego synagogue shooting suspect to appear in court Tuesday

The gunman accused of opening fire Saturday inside a San Diego County synagogue will appear in court Tuesday. John Earnest has been charged with first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.
Oman-based SalamAir has announced plans to launch a new route between Muscat and Kuwait City.



The new service, which will commence on June 2, leverages the growth of tourism and business travel between both countries.



Kuwait City will become SalamAirs sixth destination in the GCC, after direct flights to Doha, Dubai, and Jeddah, in addition to the recently launched routes to Riyadh and the direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Salalah.



Starting in June, SalamAir will fly daily to Kuwait City. Flights will depart from Muscat to Kuwait on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 09:20 and arrive in Kuwait at 10:30. The return flight will depart Kuwait at 11:10, arriving in Muscat at 14:10. As for Mondays, Wednesdays, Friday and Saturday flights, SalamAir will depart Muscat at 16:10 arriving in Kuwait at 17:20 with the return flights departing from Kuwait at 18:00 and arriving in Muscat at 21:00.



Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said: The GCC domestic and regional aviation markets have been undergoing a significant transformation over the last few years with an increasing number of travellers opting for cost-effective travel. This is a change in the dynamic of the travel industry in the region in which we welcome at SalamAir. Starting direct daily flights between Muscat and Kuwait City is in line with our strategy to offer both leisure and business travellers new flight alternatives at record low prices, while ensuring elevated levels of service, convenience and comfort.



SalamAir has also opened its first office in Kuwait, and has collaborated with full-service travel management company, Boodai Aviation Group.



The new office, located at the Avenues mall, will offer a full range of services including reservations and ticketing, itinerary changes, purchase of value-added options, as well as provide guests with general information and support to better plan their travels.



Robert Hayek, group general manager of Boodai Aviation Group, said: We are thrilled to be working with SalamAir to bring what it offers to the travel market in Kuwait. Whether for leisure or business, we will offer our clients more choice, more access and above all a one-on-one interaction to help them experience SalamAir. We are offering them a new option for cost-effective travel built around convenience.



Today, the SalamAir network consists of 17 destinations including Muscat, Salalah, Sohar, Dubai, Doha, Jeddah, Karachi, Multan, Sialkot, Shiraz, Kathmandu, Khartoum, Dhaka, Alexandria, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. - TradeArabia News Service
The third edition of the Gift Card Conclave conducted by Qwikcilver Solutions held at Bengaluru saw various stalwarts from the gift card industry having panel discussions on the future of gift cards and the role played by gift cards in customer loyalty under one roof. This edition also saw leading business practitioners from across Asia-Pacific discuss the growing adoption of gift cards and how this is going to thrive in the years to come. The theme for this years conclave was Gifting Re- Imagined and 16 brands including Zee 5, Tanishq, Kurl-on, Jockey, Speedo, launched their gift card programmes at the conclave. A whitepaper released on the occasion, highlights quantitative and qualitative insights into the gifting market in India.

The conclave also witnessed an address by Mr. G Padmanabhan, Former Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India who discussed on the current trends in the Fintech space, rules and regulations of RBI with regards to data privacy and data localization and the impact of such regulations on prepaid cards like gift cards.

By the year 2024, the forecast for the global gifting industry is valued at USD 698 billion and this growth is likely to come from fast growing economies like China, India, Brazil and North America. With the current gifting market in India estimated at $65-70 billion, the country will be one of the strongest growth contributors to the global category.

2018-19 witnessed almost 3x growth in gift and e-gift card issuance compared to 2017-18, with 270.86 million cards issued globally during this period.

The growing use of digital storage container wallets among consumers makes it easy to track, manage and redeem egift cards. Qwikcilver studies have shown that 93% Indians prefer sending/receiving e-gift cards as compared to physical cards.Furthermore, gift card redemption takes places within the first 30-40 days. In 2018-19, 47% of consumers redeemed gift cards within 30 days.

2018-19 also saw a growth in gift cards of Hospitality and Spa/salon experience categories with an average load value of INR 5639 and INR 5192.33 in the respective categories. This is a reflection of the nuanced preferences of consumers and their willingness to gift experiences rather than products.

Global Category Trends

Gift cards for investing in the stock market and for gaming and lottery are accentuating the overall gift card market and attracting a whole new segment of customers.

Based on the type of card, the universally accepted open-loop gift card dominates the global market with a CAGR of 20.7% by 2024. The growing demand for these cards is attributed to their acceptability across businesses and the versatility of options for customers and merchants. North America accounts for the highest global market share while Asia Pacific is anticipated to emerge as the leading market, with 33% of the global revenue share.

Survey studies showed that nearly two-thirds of all respondents attributed brand loyalty to brand promotions and sales. 81% of Indian shoppers drawn to promotional activities aimed at boosting brand loyalty while promotions resonated with only 37% of shoppers in Japan.

Corporates and businesses continue to drive gifting as a discipline. Gift cards have been rated number one in popularity as corporate incentives, more effective than cash. Corporates feel that they can build a more attractive incentive program with gift cards than they can do with cash. Globally, 70.2% of organisations use gift cards to recognise performance while 48.6% utilize them as sales incentives.

According to Pratap T.P, Co-founder and CMO, Qwikcilver, Urbanisation and rapid economic growth in countries like China and India are driving e-retail and the demand for e-gifting solutions. Innovative new features and the advent of exciting categories is expected to further augment consumption of e-gift cards.
New market research1 shows that lifestyle-related hyperacidity is a growing concern for consumers. In fact, 61 per cent of the population in urban India suffers from hyperacidity at some point in time. Abbotts Digene, one of the key antacid brands in the country, is a scientifically proven solution to hyperacidity for modern-day hectic lifestyles.

While hyperacidity has traditionally been associated by consumers with life-stage or body type, new market research2 shows that consumers believe hyperacidity is increasingly rooted in the lifestyle they lead. Due to the pressures of urban life, consumers report consumption of more culprit foods than ever, erratic eating habits and an increase in stress and tension. And data from one study3 found that nearly 70 per cent of acid reflux patients were aged below 50 years. This indicates that hyperacidity and related conditions are increasingly being driven by lifestyle factors and are thus more prevalent among younger populations.

Digene is uniquely suited to address this growing problem. The product has been available in India for nearly 90 years, and is the #1 prescribed antacid among doctors4. Moreover, its efficacy is rooted in science. Digene has what is called high acid neutralizing capacity (ANC)5, which means it is very effective at reducing the acid in a persons stomach to give them relief.

Dr. Srirupa Das, Director, Medical Affairs at Abbott explains, Digene provides fast and effective relief based on science, with active ingredients that relieve symptoms and protect the stomach lining. This translates into better relief  which means people can get back to living their life.

Moreover, Digene is the only antacid in India that is available in three formats, liquid, powder and tablet. It is easy to consume both at home and on the go.

In order to meet the underlying need and reach a broader audience, Digene has launched a new campaign focusing on providing a scientific solution to lifestyle-related hyperacidity, with the versatile Tapsee Pannu who talks about the issues related to life-style related hyperacidity. She represents the challenges and problems faced by modern day consumers.

Commenting on the scientific approach presented to younger consumers, Ambati Venu, Managing Director, Abbott India Limited said, Research indicates one of the leading causes of hyperacidity is hectic and erratic lifestyle, which is common among todays urban consumers. Digene is an effective solution that is trusted by most doctors in India. Importantly, the product is backed by science through its high acid neutralizing capacity. As we further grow our consumer portfolio in the country, Abbott is committed to providing scientific solutions to help people get and stay healthy.
With 2 years of experience in advertising, Shreya is a Senior Copywriter at FCB Ulka, Delhi. Shreya first ventured into advertising when she was completing her Bachelors in Mass Media from St.Xaviers College, Mumbai. However, with an ardent interest in human behaviour and the ability to influence it through writing, Advertising, always seemed like a natural fit.

How did you get into the role you are serving?

I was always inclined towards writing. When I was 13, my mother confiscated my phone, and I wrote a poem portraying my love for it. The funny thing is that it actually worked! And I got my phone back. I absolutely loved the feeling that my words changed behaviour. Since then, I always knew I wanted to get into communications. But I remember the exact day that I decided to become a copywriter. I was in college when I attended a seminar by Keigan Pinto on copywriting. I remember the entire time I was just jumping on my seat, I was so excited because what he described was exactly what I wanted to do!

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?

Passion. I love what I do, and that is what motivates me to give a 150% in what I do.

How did FCB Ulka come about?

FCB is doing some really great work and that is what attracted me to apply. But after my interviews, it was the people I met that made me want to come and work with them right away!

Icons in this field you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?

There are so many! It is the ads that Ive seen growing up as a kid that made me want to join advertising  Piyush Pandey, Swati Bhattacharya, Arun Iyer  theyve made ads that I never changed the channel for, and I think thats what its all about. At the end of the day, advertising is an interruption, but with the kind of work they do, they make us want to be interrupted!

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?

Check out new stuff to see whats happening in the industry.

Scroll through social media for a bit to see whats trending.

Read articles on Quora! They are quite interesting and insightful.

Talk to people to get different perspectives.

And most importantly  I allow my brain to rest for a bit

Do you think a career in this field is a viable one in the long term?

Definitely! Advertising isnt going anywhere, but it evolves every day. So, long term is certainly viable as long as we evolve with it too.

What does it take to succeed in a career?

I do not know, because I havent reached there yet, but my mother always tells me Its your attitude and not your aptitude that determines your altitude! So, thats the advice I am following for now.

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?

Dont expect great things quickly. I think as millennials we are so used to instant gratification that we expect that early in our careers as well. But reaching anywhere takes time, patience and hard work. And in the meantime, its important to stay self-motivated.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

In office, racking my brains over a brief.

Is there any organisation that you would like to work with in the future?

I honestly believe it is the people that matter and not the organization. As long as the people around me are inspiring and continue to push me, Ill be more than happy to be anywhere.
During the first quarter of 2019, Ipsos reached a record high generating revenue of 422.1 million, which represents a 15% increase on the same period last year.

All areas of the business contributed to this positive performance.

The integration of Synthesio and the four divisions of GfK Research accounted for 10.2% of the surge in revenue.

The exchange rate effect, which last year had a considerable negative impact causing Q1 2018 reported revenue to be down 8% on the year, resulted in a lift of 2.6% in Q1 2019.

Furthermore, organic growth (at comparable scope and exchange rates) reached 2.4%, which falls within the announced and confirmed annual target bracket of between 2% and 4%. This level of growth is encouraging as it relates to a solid basis of comparison (revenue was up 2% in Q1 2018), and reflects an improvement on the three previous quarters (1%, 0% and 0% in Q2, Q3 and Q4 2018, respectively).

PERFORMANCE BY REGION

Breakdown of consolidated revenue by region

(in millions of euros) Q1 2019 Q1 2018 Reported change Organic growth Europe, Middle East and Africa 185.2 167.5 10.6% 0.7% Americas 155.4 129.4 20.1% 0.4% Asia-Pacific 81.4 70.1 16.2% 9.9% Quarterly revenue 422.1 367.0 15.0% 2.4%

Ipsos recorded very strong performance in Asia-Pacific, while business in the other regions remained stable. Results were also extremely positive in its main markets, especially in the United States, the United Kingdom  where any potential negative impact of Brexit-related disruption remained limited  as well as in China, France and certain emerging economies such as Turkey, Russia and India.

However, other markets less critical to Ipsos business model but nevertheless significant are still struggling to settle into a reasonable level of activity, in particular Germany, southern Europe and Latin America.

Unsurprisingly, Ipsos is enjoying a faster rate of growth in emerging economies than in its more established markets, where revenue increased 5.8% and 0.8%, respectively.

PERFORMANCE BY SEGMENT



(in millions of euros) Q1 2019 Contribution Reported change Organic growth Consumers1 247.5 58.6% 9.3% 2.1% Clients and employees2 72.3 17.1% 22.2% 1.5% Citizens3 58.6 13.9% 27.0% 5.5% Doctors and patients4 43.7 10.4% 23.6% 1.1% Quarterly revenue 422.1 100% 15.0% 2.4%

Breakdown of each business line by segment:

1Audience Measurement, Brand Health, Clinics & Mobility Labs, Creative Excellence, Innovation, Ipsos UU (excl. pharma), Ipsos MMA, Market Strategy & Understanding, Observer (excl. public sector), Media Development, Social Intelligence Analytics

2Customer Experience, Market Measurement, Mystery Shopping, Quality Measurement, Retail Performance, ERM

3Public Affairs, Corporate Reputation

4Healthcare (quantitative and qualitative)

As in 2018, growth in Q1 2019 was driven primarily by operations involving citizens.

Ipsos works with companies in order to support them in managing the effectiveness and relevance of their position in society. This part of the business is expanding in proportion to the increasing focus on the effective contribution of private companies and sustainable and socially responsible development.

Furthermore, in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe, as well as in a number of developing countries, both governmental and non-governmental organisations are calling on Ipsos services more and more frequently on matters relating to conduct and policy assessment.

Revenue from research conducted among consumer groups, clients as well as Doctors and patients registered more modest rates of growth, which were nevertheless positive thanks to the impetus provided by the Total Understanding project. Ipsos is transforming and adapting its services to more specific requests that place greater focus on data analysis, integration and interpretation rather than mere data collection.

Ipsos has implemented programmes to update the services it provides, which will start to have an impact over the coming quarters, in particular in the Doctors and patients segment, where Ipsos is enjoying considerable success in terms of business development. As a result, business volumes will increase significantly by the end of the year.

Other information regarding operations in Quarter 1

Profitability was in line with the objectives announced for the year.

Net gearing at 31 March 2019 came out at 53.4%, down on 31 December 2018 (55.5%) but up on the same period last year. At 31 March 2018, net gearing was recorded at just 47.1%. This increase can be attributed to the financing of the acquisitions of GfK Research and Synthesio completed in October 2018.

OUTLOOK FOR 2019

The industry in which Ipsos operates, which seeks to improve peoples understanding of Society, Markets and People, continues to evolve. For many years, it offered the only reliable way of effectively measuring, identifying, understanding and planning. Nowadays, it must create value where there is value to create. This applies to Ipsos, one of the leading market research companies, as much as it does to all others present in the industry.

Ipsos focuses on two key objectives. Firstly, to radically improve measurement tools, which need to become more reliable, comprehensive and accessible. Secondly, to implement procedures that, by integrating and analysing multiple data sources, make it possible to effectively understand and forecast changes in markets. As Ipsos has already identified, technological progress is a powerful vector to boost operating performance in industry. It is now possible to regularly put into practice ground-breaking scientific expertise, especially expertise developed through innovative technology. Tools such as artificial intelligence, neuroscience, behavioural science and structural and analytical metadata models are essential for anyone who wants to be able to make the right decisions at the right time.

Ipsos sets itself apart from its competitors by the range and depth of its expertise. It operates in 90 countries, employs 18,000 people on unlimited contracts, works with 5,000 clients and undertakes 70,000 different projects each year. Recently, as part of the Total Understanding project, which was rolled out on 1 July 2018, Ipsos has bolstered its ability to deploy its scientific knowledge, capitalise on technology and pass on its expertise. Very few companies are able to mobilise such extensive resources to learn about and understand changes in markets and consumer behaviour, what binds them and why they do what they do. Ipsos also leverages its size and the range of its skills to expand its business.

The Total Understanding project was developed by the desire of everyone at Ipsos to better meet the needs of institutions and companies, which need to appreciate to be able to act, understand to be able to decide and organise and align their activities with their beliefs to be able to make progress. Ipsos new structure was designed with this in mind. The process was supported by significant investment to improve operational efficiency throughout the company, enhance the expertise of its people and the suitability of its services. The new structure was implemented on 1 January 2019.

The effective implementation of the Total Understanding project over a period of several years must secure Ipsos long-term growth prospects as well as its ability to improve cash flow generation and margins.

Based on the information it has available, Ipsos stands by its previously announced objectives to achieve organic growth of between 2% and 4% and a stable operating margin at 10%+.
Saint-Gobain, a leader in glass for over three centuries, has awarded its media duties to Vizeum India, a media agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network. The agency bagged the account following a multi-agency pitch.

Under this partnership, Saint-Gobain is launching its new brand campaign after a gap of 15 years. The campaign will be rolled out nationally across television, digital and content streaming portals. It will also be supported by a strong on-ground activation to seed the message of purity and brand-recall in an experiential way.

Unnikrishnan AR, Director - Sales and Marketing, Saint-Gobain India, Glass Business, whilst welcoming the Vizeum India team to the Saint-Gobain account, appreciated the media solutions and approach that were brought to the table. He also added, We are happy to have them on board and hope they will effectively communicate our key brand attributes through our media campaigns.

Commenting on the win, Himanka Das, CEO - Vizeum India said, Its a moment of pride to be the communication partner of a brand such as Saint Gobain who are leaders in business for 3 decades. We are thankful that the marketing team of Saint Gobain has placed trust on our ability to deliver brand KPIs in a complex media ecosystem.

We are extremely happy to have Saint-Gobain as part of our client roster. We shall strive to build a much stronger brand in the times to come, added R. Kumaran, Associate General Manager (South)  Vizeum India. Kumaran will be heading this business from Chennai.

Vizeum India is a full-service new-age media agency, powered by Dentsu Aegis Network. It is known for its innovative integrated solutions curated to influence consumers in a digital economy, driven by real time data driven insights.
Today is one of my daughter Gianna's favorite days. She has 24 such days a year. The last day of the month, and the first day of the month. December 31 and January 1 are the biggest, of course. G is my calendar girl. She uses the dates and numbers to add structure and sense to her world. I admire her for it even if I have to listen to her tell me the date and how many dates are left in the month eleventy times a day! She made up a song for herself to the tune of the REM Song End of The World as We Know It. As you can guess, she sings, "It's the end of the month as we know it, and I feel fine." It's endearing really.



We made it through yet another blue autism month. I don't know if I've finally just tuned out most of the events or if the media is tiring of the blue haze of April for Autism. I didn't see as much as I have in the past. This month has been focused on fear of measles. And even with all the attention to vaccine mandates, vaccination, anti-vaccination, I haven't heard "autism" too much at all. Interesting.



How about you? Did you attend any events or buy anything special? How did you honor your loved one with autism?



I turned down making a donation to Autism Speaks at Marshall's. And a Hilton hotel in which I stayed at JFK had an Autism Awareness banner and blue light bulbs on the tables. I've cut cable, so I don't watch over the air or cable channels as a rule. Perhaps I missed PSA announcements with handsome little boys standing in cul de sacs wearing Ralph Lauren togs.



And you know what?



I feel fine.



Kim








https://www.aish.com/ci/s/Doing-Jewish-and-Responding-to-Terror.html

Jews around the world are pledging to do more Jewish acts after the shooting in California.

When a vile, racist anti-Semite burst into the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego on the last day of Passover, he brazenly murdered a longtime congregant, Lori Gilbert Kaye. Sixty years old, Lori was known for her warm smile and her kindness; whenever her fellow congregants needed anything, Lori was the first to volunteer, often bringing meals to people who were ill.

Lori had made a special effort to attend services that day in order to recite the Yizkor prayer for her mother, and she was one of the first Jews the gunman encountered when he entered the lobby of the synagogue. The gunman ranted about Jews ruining the world then murdered Lori in cold blood in front of her 22 year old daughter Hannah.

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein was nearby, washing his hands before reading the Haftorah, when he heard the shot and spun around. The gunman turned and met Rabbi Goldsteins eyes: the rabbi later recalled how chilled he was to see the coldness in them. The gunman raised his automatic rifle to shoot Rabbi Goldstein who instinctively raised his hands to protect his face. The gunman shot Rabbi Goldstein twice, once in each hand, tearing off one index finger and severely damaging the other.

In that moment, Rabbi Goldstein started to go towards Lori Kaye who laid on the ground, but realized that a group of children was standing in a nearby doorway, staring horror-struck at the carnage. One of those children was Rabbi Goldsteins four year old granddaughter, watching her zeide get shot. Bleeding profusely, Rabbi Goldstein changed direction, herding the weeping children away from the lobby, yelling to run for safety and flee the synagogue.

Lori Gilbert Kaye with her daughter and husband

It was only because the gunmans weapon jammed at that moment and he fled that more people werent injured or murdered. Eight year old Noya Dayan was injured when shrapnel tore open her leg; her 34 year old uncle Almog Peretz was also injured in his leg by shrapnel. As the terrified congregants gathered outside in front of the synagogue, police and emergency personnel arrived and urged Rabbi Goldstein to enter an ambulance and be rushed to the hospital. Before he acquiesced, there was one task Rabbi Goldstein knew he had to complete: grabbing a chair, Rabbi Goldstein climbed on and told his traumatized congregants, We are strong, we are united, they cant break us. Am Yisroel Chai - the People of Israel Live. Only then did he allow himself to be taken to the hospital, where he faced four and a half hours of surgery on his hands.

Coming out of surgery, Am Yisroel Chai was first message Rabbi Goldstein sent to the world. Speaking wearing his hospital gown, he recorded a video urging Jews around the world to believe in that timeless message, and to change their lives to bring more light into the world. One prime way we can all react to the shooting is to pledge to celebrate Shabbat this week, lighting Shabbat candles and going to synagogue to stand with our fellow Jews.

Today should have been my funeral, Rabbi Goldstein wrote in The New York Times two days after the shooting. The day was the funeral of his good friend and congregant Lori Kaye, and it easily could have been his as well. I do not know why God spared my life in Poway synagogue, Rabbi Goldstein wrote; All I can do is make this borrowed time matter.

For Rabbi Goldstein, that means being even more proud of being Jewish: of proudly walking down the street wearing his kippah, proclaiming his belief in God to the world. As the Jewish world reels in horror after the shooting in California, he wants us to know that we all can do more to bring light into the world to counter the hatred and darkness, wherever we are.

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein

Rabbi Goldstein is urging Jews around the world to start making plans, now, to soar to new heights. To light candles before Shabbat. To put up mezuzahs on their doorposts. To do acts of kindness. And to show up in synagogue - especially this coming Shabbat.

We Jews have much to pray for. We should pray for the complete healing of all the injured, including Rabbi Goldstein, Yisroel ben Chana Priva; Noya bat Eden; and Almog ben Ruti. We also must make sure Loris sacrifice means something to us.

In the memory of Lori Kaye, Leah bat Reuven, a kindly generous woman, lets each choose an act of loving kindness to perform in her memory. Whether its inviting a person to share a meal with us or reaching out to visit a lonely or ill neighbor, its time to pledge a change in her memory. Lets counter the hatred that killed her with light. Lets all stand together and resolve to live more proudly as Jews. Lets resolve to come together this coming Shabbat and celebrate with our fellow Jews. This week, lets make Rabbi Goldsteins words a reality: Am Yisroel Chai. The people of Israel continue to live vital, rich, fulfilling and full Jewish lives.
https://www.aish.com/jw/s/The-Jewish-People-Lives.html

There is no greater victory over the enemies of the Jewish people than living as proud, strong and connected Jews.

It was the best double date of my life. Two women, 96 and 91 years old, sitting together and exchanging numbers. They werent telephone numbers; they were the faded tattooed numbers on their arms given by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

I sat there wide-eyed listening to them talk. What city are you from? What street did you live on in the Warsaw Ghetto? Were you there for the Ghetto uprising? When did you get transported to Majdanek? How long were you in Majdanek? When did you arrive in Auschwitz? Did you have siblings, how many? It was the most painful connect the dots Ive ever witnessed.

I had just returned from a life-changing trip to Poland and Israel. My dear friend and trip leader Eve Levy and I, both granddaughters of Holocaust survivors, thought that it would be special to introduce our survivor grandmothers to each other. What ensued was a miracle I will never forget.

Our grandmothers Genia Choleva and Gutta Fleising. Their numbers are only 911 apart.

Both women lived in Warsaw before the war. Both were moved into the Warsaw Ghetto with their families. Both witnessed the Ghetto uprising during Passover 1943 and were then transported to Madjanek concentration camp for three months. Both were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau for two years. Both were sent on the death march in January 1945. Both were liberated in May 1945.

Genia Choleva: prisoner 49560. Gutta Fleising: prisoner 48649. Their numbers were only 911 digits apart which means it is more than likely that these two women were on the same transport from Madjanek and arrived at Auschwitz together. Two women with the same heart-wrenching, historic journey, being brought together by their granddaughters. It was nothing short of a miracle and we were there to witness it.

Bubby, what are those numbers on your arm?

As a young child I was enthralled watching my bubby cook; scrubbing chickens for soup, making honey cake, matzo balls, gefilte fish, all classic Ashkenazi food. And then I noticed something I hadn't noticed before. She rolled up her sleeve and I saw something on her arm. Bubby, what are those numbers on your arm?

Its my phone number, so I wont forget.

I believed her. I mean, why wouldn't I; Bubby always tell the truth.

Jody Berkel, Eve levy and our grandmothers

Growing up, the Holocaust wasn't spoken about in my family. It was a painful part of our history that no one wanted to talk about. All I knew was that my maternal Zaidy (who I never had the chance to meet), and my Bubby were both survivors of the Holocaust. In 1994, when I heard about Steven Spielbergs Shoah Foundation which was established to record testimonies in video format of survivors and other witnesses of the Shoah, I knew this was my opportunity to finally hear my Bubbys story. The trouble was, how do you convince someone who has never spoken about their experience to open up to a complete stranger and share their most painful memories in life?

I came up against a lot of pushback from my parents and aunts and uncles; they were adamant that she not go through reliving the pain of her heart-breaking past. I knew in my gut that I had to make this happen, for our family and for posterity. I am the oldest grandchild, so with tremendous persuasion and a little Jewish guilt thrown in, she said yes. The interviewer, having gone through extensive training and research in order to properly conduct these most sensitive interviews, was in awe of my grandmothers razor sharp memory. She shared her story, giving intimate details with the exact historical dates when everything happened, from the beginning of the war until she was liberated in May 1945.

Many moments of her painful story are etched into my heart. She spoke about her familys 3-hour transport to Majdanek, with 100 people standing in an over-crowded cattle car, packed like sardines with no room to even move. She spoke about her arrival in Majdanek, witnessing chaos beyond description; children crying and screaming, their eyes filled with fear, dogs growling and barking, German soldiers yelling, ripping children from their mothers arms. With trembling hands she spoke of holding her mother tightly, begging her in Yiddish, Stay, stay, dont go with my little sister and brotherleave them and stay with me. It was the last time she ever saw her siblings.

Another mind-numbing experience was her testimony of the last selection in Auschwitz, before being sent on the death march. She described the last time she saw her mother. From their first moments in Auschwitz together, standing in line holding each other close as their turn to face Dr. Joseph Mengele approached. Sister or mother? Mengele asked. Life or death? Sister, my Bubby said, and they were told to go right, to life. The two had managed to stay together for two years since their arrival.

As we stood there half naked in the freezing cold in January 1945, Dr. Mengele took away my mother. As her mother was being taken away, she ran up to Mengele and banged on the table demanding to go with her. Mengele, gesturing with his hand, said We don't want you. Through tears, my Bubby repeated, Mengele took away my mother.

A Trip to Poland

Growing up knowing that I was the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors has been of great significance to my Jewish identity but a trip to Poland was never on my radar.

Going through this Poland/Israel journey was not easy, parts were incredibly painful, but I am walking away strengthened like never before. You have to look back in order to know where you are going. We are not defined by what happens to us but by how we respond. We are not a broken people; we didn't respond with revenge, with anger, with hate. We are resilient. We built families, communities, and with Gods help revived our land and brought goodness into the world wherever we found ourselves. That is how we responded and that is how I will go forward as a Jew.

Both my husband and I didn't grow up observant, but later in life we began together to reconnect with Judaism, strengthen our Jewish identity and live a life of Torah and mitzvot. Every step we took to live a more Jewish life felt to us like a victory against Hitler. What greater victory to the Holocaust and to the enemies of the Jewish people can there be than to live as proud, strong and connected Jews!

The author standing in Block 25, The Death Block, in Birkenau

Before I left Auschwitz-Birkenau, I took an Israeli flag and stood on the tracks at the entrance of Birkenau. As I stood on those tracks, I thought about my fear of facing the sheer magnitude of the devastation that occurred here. But as I stood on those tracks, I was not broken; I stood so powerfully on those tracks. I felt that this is not the end of the story. I am the continuation of this story; all of us are a continuation of this story.

Every year on Yom HaShaoh we say "Never forget". Never forget that it is an honor, privilege and responsibility to be a link in the chain of Jewish history and the Jewish future. We are all survivors of that terrible tragedy, and it is incumbent on each of us to rebuild, one Jewish soul at a time. One of my most treasured quotes whose author is unknown is, "They tried to bury us, but they didn't know we were seeds."

We have the opportunity to plant seeds every day, with our families and with the larger Jewish community. Take time to think about the seeds you hold. Where is your soil? For me, my passion is to inspire, connect and educate others Jews about the beauty and meaning of their heritage. By each one of us doing our part to plant seeds and watering them with a healthy sense of pride in who we are as Jews, we slowly rebuild and can shout with joy and confidence Am Israel Chai, the Jewish People lives!

Dedicated to the health and well being of my Bubby Genia Choleva and Gutta Fleising. And to the memory of my Zaidy Israel Choleva, Zaidy Felix and Bubby Regina Opatowski
https://www.aish.com/jw/s/The-Kaliver-Rebbe-Rabbi-of-the-Holocaust-Dies-at-Aged-96.html

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taub, who carried the scars and memory of the Holocaust, has died in Jerusalem aged 96.

This week a towering Jewish figure left this world. His name was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taub, the master Admor of the Hasidic dynasty of Kaliv, known to many as the Kaliver Rebbe.

With a noticeable lack of beard that set him apart from other senior Hasidic leaders, the Kaliver Rebbes appearance was not by a choice; he was a victim of chemical burning experiments carried out on his skin by the notorious Joseph Mengele at Auschwitz.

Born in 1923 in Transylvania, now Romania, the Rebbe was the seventh generation of a family of Hasidic leaders dating back to Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac of Kaliv in Hungary, one of the most eminent mystics of the 1800s. In the summer of 1944, aged 21 just having been engaged to be married, he was deported to Auschwitz three days before the holiday of Shavuot along with his family, including six brothers and sisters; he lost them all.

Living with the scars of Mengele

Pulled aside to be one of Mengeles human guinea pigs, his experience at the hands of the so-called medical team at the concentration camp where 1.1 million Jews were murdered, not only prevented him from growing a beard, he was also left unable to father children. Despite the suffering he endured, he refused to let go of the dream of continuing his familys legacy and saw it his fate to survive. After being transferred late 1944 from Auschwitz to the Warsaw Ghetto and then on to the Breslau concentration camp, he was marched to Bergen-Belsen where he was liberated in April 1945.

Let me live, and I will say Shema Yisrael with the living.

Throughout his life, the Kaliver Rebbe told and retold the story of how his fate to survive the war was sealed. In one of the darkest moments, just days ahead of his liberation, he cut a bargain with God pledging to dedicate his life to passing on the flame of Jewish continuity if his life was saved.

The Nazis were literally throwing Jews into fires, he recalled. I heard Shema Yisrael being sung by a young boy and I turned to God and said, Let me live, and I will say Shema Yisrael with the living.

For the next 75 years he would keep to his promise, opening schools, teaching and bringing a community almost entirely destroyed back to life. Wherever he would go, he would tell of his agreement with the Almighty and often be brought to tears as he led other Jewish children in the same tune he heard that day. The Shema became his anthem, his revenge, his message to the world.

Rebuilding after the war

After liberation, the Kaliver Rebbe learned the tragic fate of his family, but also that his fiance, Chana Sara Shapiro, the daughter of an another prominent Hasidic family, had also remarkably survived the war. The couple married and in 1947 moved first to the United States, Cleveland Ohio before immigrating to Israel in 1962 to rebuild the Kaliver Hasidic dynasty which had been largely destroyed by the Nazis.

Growing to be a prominent leader among Orthodox Jews in Israel, the Kaliver Rebbe was renowned for beginning his public appearances regularly visiting children, gathering them together to sing Shema Yisrael with them.

Never forget

Often invoking the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, especially the 1.5 million who were children, he even became known as the Shoah Rebbe, making huge efforts to ensure the memory of the Holocaust be perpetuated.

In addition to a 13-volume edition explaining the deeper meaning of the Jewish holidays, he wrote an Encyclopedia of the Holocaust bringing attention to what he described as the spiritual heroism of the Jews who gave their lives to observe mitzvot during the Holocaust.

There were rabbis and yeshiva students who clung to the religious commandments until the end, he told a New York Times reporter in 2000. Did they not defend the soul of the Jewish people? Are they not as important to Israel today as F-16s and A-bombs?

Love for the Jewish People

The Kaliver Rebbes appeal and voice far extended the remit of his own Hasidic followers, often reaching out to the wider Jewish community in a spirit of unity. His voice was one of peace between brothers, harmony within the Jewish community, rebuking those who would inflame arguments between the religious and secular in Israel with inflammatory language.

A leader who also built bridges between the Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities he was known to be a great friend of the late senior Sephardi scion Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, with admiration shared between the two leaders a known testament to their friendship. When the Rabbi Yosef died in 2013, the Kaliver Rebbe considered it a great honor to help write a sefer Torah in his friends merit.

The Kaliver Rebbe with Rav Ovadia Yosef, ztl

Active well into his 90s fighting for the issues that were dear to him, in 2015, at the age of 93, he gave a rare interview before Passover on Israeli national television, bringing attention to the issue of poor families ahead of the holiday. The children are crying, and I am crying with them, he told the reporter. They have nothing to eat, adding in tears: In the name of the six million and one a half million children who perished, how can we let them go hungry? They are crying, I am crying with them.

A rabbi and a statesman

The Kaliver Rebbe took his responsibility to protect the Jewish People to the highest political offices, reaching out to successive US Presidents urging them to show friendship to Israel. In 2015, from a ceremony in Budapest marking the 70th anniversary since the destruction of Hungarian Jewry, he recorded a video message to then president Barack Obama urging him to be a strong friend of Israel, telling him, The Almighty ordained that you be president so please do everything you can do to help, adding: The whole world should see you are a friend of the Land of Israel.

Earlier this year, despite being unwell and weak, he congratulated President Donald Trump on moving the embassy to Jerusalem. I heard about your visit to Jerusalem, and I want to tell you, the Almighty is with you. You should have great success.

Praised by Israeli leaders

In addition to the tens of thousands of Jews who lined the streets of Jerusalem to pay their respects to the Kaliver Rebbe this week, his passing also brought together Israels political leaders, led by President Reuven Rivlin.

At the funeral of the Kaliver Rebbe

The Rebbe gave voice to the spiritual heroism of Jews during the Holocaust and did all he could to honor the memory of its victims, he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added, The timing of the Kaliver Rebbes death near Holocaust Remembrance Day strengthens our eternal commitment  to remember and not to forget.

We extend comfort to all of his followers. May his memory be a blessing for us all.
The Algerian army, heir to the national liberation army that fought colonial France, has been at the heart of the countrys political system ever since independence in 1962. Today that arrangement may have reached its limit. The popular revolt that began Feb. 22 is forcing the armed forces to confront their contradictory role as both a key participant and arbiter of government.

The militarys original foray into Algerian politics began with its support for Ahmed Ben Bella as premier in 1962 (Ben Bella was elected Algerias first president a year later). In 1965, Col. Houari Boumedienne, the army chief, captured the presidency for himself following a military coup. Since then, directly or indirectly, the army has been making and unmaking nominally civilian governments while guiding the countrys political life.

Engaged in a brutal fight against Islamists in the 1990s, the army sponsored Abdelaziz Bouteflikas rise to power in 1999. Overexposed during the years of civil war, the military was happy to give Bouteflika free rein and reclaim its behind-the-scenes role as kingmaker.

The scheming Bouteflika in turn adeptly played rival army chiefs off of one another. In 2004, during Bouteflika's first reelection campaign, Gen. Mohamed Lamari, the army chief of staff who opposed Bouteflika and discreetly backed presidential rival Ali Benflis, resigned. Fellow generals  notably the head of the intelligence and security service Mohamed Mediene, commonly known as Gen. Toufik  continued to support Bouteflika, including during constitutional changes that opened the way for presidency for life in 2008.

Things began to get more complicated starting in 2010 as Medienes agency investigated corruption, leading to a shakeup of the Sonatrach national oil corporation and allegations against Bouteflika's personal friend, the powerful Energy Minister Chakib Khelil. The January 2013 terrorist attack against the Tigantourine natural gas field near In Amenas gave Bouteflika ammunition to weaken Mediene and strengthen Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah, the army chief of staff and vice minister of defense. Mediene was evicted and his intelligence service restructured in 2015.

When street protests first broke out against Bouteflika on Feb. 22, Gaid Salah was fully behind the ailing 82-year-olds bid for a fifth term. The general's first reaction was to denounce the questionable calls pushing lost Algerians toward perilous paths. As the protests took on a national dimension, Gaid Salah as recently as March 5 was accusing certain parties of seeking to bring back the years of embers and pain. The next day, he insisted that he remained resolutely determined to hold presidential elections as scheduled for the following month.

It was only on March 10, two days after massive nationwide protests, that the army chief began to drop his threatening tone. On March 18, Gaid Salah began to talk about possible solutions to the political upheaval, opening the door to a potential compromise.

With Bouteflikas regime crumbling, the army found itself back in the spotlight. Under pressure from the street, Gaid Salah pushed the president to step down and obtained the resignation sought by so many Algerians on April 2. Since then, the general has been the public figure who speaks for the government and seeks to set its course.

However, Gaid Salah remains wedded to a political transition as contemplated under the constitution, which calls for elections within 90 days (they have been scheduled for July 4). The popular protest movement, however, rejects this approach, insisting that the old guard cannot be trusted to honestly organize the passage to a new regime in which the people rule.

This arms length discussion of sorts between the army chief and the popular movement has been growing ever more tense. Gaid Salah addresses the nation on Tuesdays; the public answers on Fridays with massive street protests. As the strongman of the moment, Gaid Salah embodies the regime. But the Algerian people expect him  and the army he leads  to support a real transition to democracy.

Even as he sends mixed messages outward, Gaid Salah is waging a parallel battle inside the regime against a purported network of pro-Mediene plotters suspected of seeking to undermine Gaid Salah's plans. He has publicly accused them of plotting and of frustrating efforts to end the crisis.

As such, intelligence services that used to answer to the president are now under the general staffs thumb. Gaid Salah has put trusted men in charge, so-called administrative generals with no experience serving this black box of the Algerian system.

Gen. Rezzig Boura, the former chief of the General Directorate for Internal Security, is but the latest to step down, replaced by Gen. Wassini Bouazza. His resignation was preceded by that of the external security chief, Ali Bendaoud, and the departure of powerful Maj. Gen. Athmane Tartag, whom Bouteflika had put in charge of coordinating the security services.

But is Mediene really as powerful as Gaid Salah suggests? Many Algerians remain skeptical, even if his reappearance on the political scene for last-minute negotiations on the eve of Bouteflikas departure has renewed questions about the power of the intelligence services supposed influence networks.

Gaid Salah also appears to be torn about imposing new elections in the face of massive public opposition. While his official discourse is not in favor of popular demands. the army seems undecided between trying to save a dying regime and opening up to the publics democratic aspirations.

The protest movement is asking the fundamental question: Will the army, which has de facto assumed the power to install and remove from office the countrys leaders ever since independence, now hand that power over to the people?

When Gaid Salah invokes Article 102 of the Algerian Constitution, which charts the path for a political transition, the street answers with references to Article 7, which invokes the sovereignty of the people. This is the chasm the army must now try to bridge in its face to face with Algerians. It will require a true cultural revolution on the part of army leaders to accompany the democratic revolution of the Algerian people.
Massive crowds accompanied the April 29 funeral procession of Mostafa Ghasemi, a 46-year-old cleric who was shot and killed in broad daylight in the western Iranian city of Hamedan last week. Within 24 hours of the murder, security forces killed the alleged assailant in a gun battle, leaving behind unanswered questions as well as debates among Iranians.

Responding to the murder, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered law enforcement authorities to get tougher on the arms trade. Khamenei said he had seen the alleged assailant's Instagram page, in which he posted photos of himself with different weapons, promoted violence and even hinted at murder plans. The individual also confessed to Ghasemi's murder on the same page, helping the police with the identification process.

Hours after the murder, Iranians speculated as to the motive behind the attack. A video message posted on YouTube by someone claiming to be a friend of the alleged attacker said that the murder was a form of protest against Ghasemi's speeches, in which the cleric allegedly encouraged Iranian women to enter temporary marriages with members of the Iraqi Shiite militia, the Popular Mobilization Units. While the video's authenticity has not been proven, the clip nonetheless triggered heated political exchanges among Iranians.

Hard-liners active on social media immediately unearthed an earlier Instagram post by Iranian actress Mahnaz Afshar, in which she lashed out at those who "remained silent" in the face of preachers who promote temporary marriages with members of the Popular Mobilization Units. According to hard-liners, Afshar's post incited hatred against the clerical community and led to the cleric's murder. They also pointed out that the quote calling for temporary marriages, which Afshar used as reference, had been posted under a fake account.

In no time, Iranians created hashtags to demand legal action against Afshar. A local prosecutor in Hamedan has now opened formal proceedings against the actress. A public online petition launched by the semi-official conservative Fars New Agency also called for her trial, gaining 20,000 signatures in 24 hours. Seday-e Eslahat, a Reformist paper, criticized "the celebrities' cold weapons," condemning artists and public figures for posting provocative content.

Afshar was set to travel to Germany to lead an acting workshop, but she is now reportedly facing a travel ban. In older social media posts, the actress criticized numerous government policies and campaigned for Iranian women's rights. She denounced the pressure that women face from the state to observe the mandatory hijab regulations.

Meanwhile, Abbas Abdi, a notable figure in the Reformist camp, ignited a partisan battle over the murder in Hamedan. "The hard-liners tacit approval of thuggish culture and their hiring of bullies to isolate opponents has now been revisited in the form of such attacks," he wrote. Hard-line newspaper Kayhan, whose editor is appointed by the supreme leader's office, hit back, blaming the Reformists for advocating westernized culture, which he said was represented on the alleged attacker's Instagram page in the form of pictures of billiard tables and pets.

Reformist deputy parliamentary speaker Ali Motahari criticized what he saw as the police's failure to monitor the alleged attacker's activities on social media, where he had openly spoken of his violent plans. Echoing the same line, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, a former government spokesman and a leading Reformist, noted that the incident showed "how wrong the direction of our security priorities has been. Our forces are too obsessed with a woman's hijab behind the wheel to heed threats issued online for two years by a thug."

A top official with Iran's Cyber Police, however, dismissed the widespread criticism, asserting that the posts in question had been published by the user only after he had gunned down the cleric.

Aside from the political blame game, the cleric's death seems to have opened a fresh debate on the consequences of hate speech across Iranian social media. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether that debate will be translated into more restrictions on Irans already overregulated cyberspace.

"The attack sounds the alarm on bare violence," tweeted Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi, branding the murder a "dirty game" backed by hate promoters. "Words serve as gunpowder for bullets," the minister warned on a social media platform that is filtered in Iran.
Iran replaced the commander of its powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) less than two weeks after the United States designated it a "foreign terrorist organization." Given the wider global agenda advanced by the new IRGC commander, the replacement is a clear signal from Tehran that bowing to Washington's pressure is not an option.

On April 22, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Hossein Salami as the IRGC's new chief, ending Mohammad Ali Jafari's tenure of over a decade. In his recent record, Khamenei has not kept senior officials in key positions past an extended second five-year term, which he is constitutionally authorized to decide. As such, the CEO of the state broadcaster, the head of the judiciary and the chief of staff for the armed forces had to bid farewell after serving their formal tenures. Jafari's expected departure, therefore, had been a matter of broad debate and speculation over the last two years. Still, he held the post beyond the 10-year period, only to be replaced by Salami, who was serving as the IRGC's deputy commander. Salami steadily moved up the ranks in the military after starting duty during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), a background that normally facilitates upward mobility in the Islamic Republic.

As the IRGC's deputy commander and Jafari's right-hand man for nearly a decade, the mechanical engineering graduate played a key part within the powerful force's senior decision-making circle. That has equipped Salami with more than adequate knowledge of the complexities and nuances of the organization's structure.

Salami is also known as a more media-friendly personality when compared to his predecessor, proof of which is his numerous appearances on state TV, during which he has presented a hard-line approach. On various occasions, he has warned Israel that it will pay a heavy price if it "commits a mistake," a term he uses to refer to a possible Israeli strike on Iran. While he has never spoken of an Iranian preemptive or preventive war on Israel, Salami has expressed Iran's resoluteness to respond harshly to any Israeli aggression.

As recently as late January, he cautioned Israel that a possible war in the region will lead to its immediate annihilation  well before the United States may decide to come to its rescue. "We warn Israel against committing a mistake. If it fails to heed the message, it will definitely be wiped off the page of life," he said in a TV interview Feb. 3.

The tough rhetoric has not spared the United States either. "The Iranian people have banged the US [government's] head against the wall so hard that it is now in a state of downfall, and not just militarily. It is losing political wisdom as well and is right on the verge of collapse," he said in January. The attacks against Washington have been incessant. In one speech, Salami questioned US military spending in the Middle East: "They used up $7 trillion. But to no avail. It only further rallied Muslims around the world behind Imam [Ruhollah] Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei's leadership." According to Salami, the costly US presence in the Middle East partly explains why, in his view, "40 million Americans below the poverty line sleep rough." He has also claimed that the US pullout from Syria demonstrates that the US military is weak and "ailing."

By contrast, Salami has rarely touched upon domestic politics. "He has largely placed his focus on boosting Iran's defenses [at the international level] and responding to foreign threats," said Mehdi Bakhtiari, editor of the defense and security desk at the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency.

The Islamic Republic is currently facing unprecedented pressure from regional and international adversaries. This has prompted further Iranian awareness regarding international developments. The US decision to brand the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, on the other hand, has intensified the risks of a military confrontation between Iran and the United States. In that context, Salami's appointment has been construed as an Iranian countermeasure meant to tilt the situation in its own favor.

"Given what the Trump administration has done against Iran so far, one can barely stay optimistic. Although Iran is not seeking a military conflict, a positive attitude [about the future of US-Iran ties] is still hard to be maintained," Bakhtiari told Al-Monitor. "Iran is ready to just pull the trigger. US threats and measures such as labeling the IRGC as a terror organization will not force Tehran to retreat. It is even prepared for an all-out war."

Yet the new appointment does not signify a major policy shift. Salami has been a steady presence in the IRGC, working his way up the ranks. Above all, he was the force's second top officer next to Jafari, which is further proof that fundamental change in the IRGC leadership strategy is unlikely.

"We cannot expect to witness a policy overhaul," Bakhtiari said. "Thanks to his last position, Salami is well abreast with the IRGC's major policies. Meanwhile, those strategies are set by the supreme leader, who stressed in the official decree to Salami a continuation of the trend advanced by the previous commander."

With Tehran and Washington inching closer to a critical crossroads of their decadeslong hostility, the Islamic Republic is sending every signal to the United States that it has no intention of taking a single step back and will thwart with steadfast resistance any foreign aggression. While no one in the Iranian ruling elite seems to favor military confrontation, the country is gearing up to face off all threats that lie ahead.
MOSUL, Iraq  The classroom of 13-year-old boys was vibrant, filled with energy, as the final lesson of the day began, addressing a serious topic. One of the guest instructors held up posters of various suspicious objects. Some were more obviously mortars or hand grenades, but others appeared to be fun things, such as toys and dolls.

Representatives from the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), in coordination with the Iraqi Health and Social Care Organization, were delivering an explosive risk class at the Amer Abdullah School for Boys in Mosul, Iraq. It may be the most important lesson the children there receive, as they face the daily risk of death or injury from unexploded ordnance (UXO). As Pehr Lodhammar, manager of the UNMAS Iraq program described it, Western Mosul [in particular] has an explosive threat which is unlike anything we have seen in the past.

When one of the instructors asked the kids what they should do if they see one of the suspicious objects, hands shot into the air. The boy selected to answer jumped up and said, Tell an adult.

It was the second time the class had received this type of training. One of the instructors reiterated the course of action to take: tell the children around you first, notify adults, call the Civil Defense emergency number and make sure anyone nearby moves far away from the device.

Almost two years after Mosul's liberation from the Islamic State (IS), it is predicted that it will take another eight years to clear away all the explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) left behind by the extremist group. Although no official data exists on how many people have been killed, the United Nations believes that thousands are dying every year in Iraq due to these explosives.

Amra Raad, a UNMAS risk education instructor, shared the story of three children who crawled under the fence of the Nuri Mosque in western Mosul a couple of months ago. One stepped on an IED and died, the other two were injured, Raad said. If people dont die in these incidents, which they most often do, their injuries lead to amputations, eye damage and body mutilations.

The instructors also told the class about a father and son who found a bag of onions on the street in western Mosul. When they picked it up, an IED planted inside by IS exploded, killing both of them.

Mohammed Riath, 13, told Al-Monitor that he is becoming more comfortable walking around Mosul after having risk education and with ongoing ordnance clearance by the United Nations, the Iraqi government and NGOs. I was scared when it was first liberated, but now its becoming safer and safer, Riath said.

Raad said there has been an increase in calls to Civil Defense and the Directorate of Mine Action (DMA) since UNMAS has been providing risk education. A lot of people didnt know how to deal with it. They used to try and render [the explosives] safe themselves, Raad told Al-Monitor. Now there is two-way information sharing. The community has raised awareness, and the authorities find out about areas that need clearing.

The instructors and community liaison officers also educate people in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps as well as offices and community centers. In addition, they distribute brochures to homes and erect signs warning of danger involving suspicious items and uncleared areas.

Western Mosul has been a central focus of attention as it was the part of the city most damaged by the battle against IS and where the most explosives were left behind. The Word Bank estimates that more than 130,000 houses were damaged or destroyed during the fighting, which ended in July 2017. An Australia-UNMAS-supported survey from 2017-18 of IDPs indicated that the main reason people were not returning to their homes was the risk of explosive hazards in them.

UNMAS and international NGOs are currently unable to clear the Old City of Mosul, where IS fighters took refuge in the narrow streets as coalition forces launched their offensive to expel them. It is also where the most destruction occurred. Iraqi security forces have authority over the management of the Old City, but have only cleared surface ordnances. This stands to create issues down the line, as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) conducts rehabilitation activities in the area.

Lodhammar pointed out that air-dropped missiles were used in the fighting and that such ammunition penetrates surfaces, often burrowing into the ground up to 26 feet. Further, there is an estimated 7 million tons of debris in Mosul. Lodhammar explained, When UNDP does rehabilitation, they use excavators which dig into the rubble, so [the buried IEDs] become an issue as well.

The UNMAS manager also outlined the need to put a legal framework in place before his organization can clear private houses of UXOs and IEDs. You can imagine what would happen if we clear a house and then something happens after [that, such as] damage to the house, or the house is blown up  during the clearance, Lodhammar said. There needs to be a compensation scheme in place so that if something happens, the operators are not being taken to court.

UNMAS is therefore currently limited to clearing critical infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals and water treatment plants. In the last two years, UNMAS and its subcontractors and local partners have cleared 1,500 critical sites, among them the Al-Shifa Hospital complex.

Located on the western bank of the Tigris River, Al-Shifa was once the second major hospital in Iraq, until IS destroyed it. In the last 16 months, more than 3,000 explosive hazards have been cleared from its site alone, including rocket-propelled grenades, suicide belts and various homemade explosives.

The complex is now a training ground for local subcontractors working with UNMAS. Khudar Yasine, who served in the Iraqi army, is now working to clear IEDs from Mosul. Yasine and his colleagues are being trained by G4S, a British and American security company working for UNMAS.

The most crucial part of the training and work is manual searches, which rely primarily on eyesight to pinpoint ordnances. It is highly impressive to the layperson, considering how easy it is to miss some of the IEDs. One such example is crush wire, which is basically a fine metal that one buries in the ground. It has such a low metal content that its difficult to pick up even with a detector. Once stepped on, it detonates, resulting in death.

Yasine told Al-Monitor that he is never afraid when dealing with these devices. I believe in myself and my instructor, who gives me this training experience, Yasine said. We are always very careful and follow the safety procedures.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi called on April 13 for the dissolution of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), stating that the PMU mission came to an end with the defeat of the Islamic State (IS).

This comes only several weeks after the leader of al-Hal party, Jamal al-Karbouli, accused an armed faction claiming affiliation with the PMU of causing the March 2019 sinking of a ferry in Mosul, which claimed the lives of dozens of citizens.

On April 14, Sadrist movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr also verbally attacked the PMU for helping prevent floods in Iran while overlooking the suffering of Iraqis, given that similar floods have taken place in southern Iraq.

On April 16, the PMU also faced criticism in Iran for its participation, among other non-Iranian groups loyal to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in flood relief. Yet the Iranian Kayhan newspaper criticized those who opposed the foreign help provided to the Iranian people.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Moin al-Kazimi, a PMU leader, refuted all claims whereby there is no longer any need for the PMU.

Allawi knows full well that if we hold a referendum in Iraq, the majority would vote in favor of keeping the PMU," he said, "because citizens are well aware that it is the [PMU] factions that rescued them from IS and that can repel any future terrorist attack in cooperation with the army and other security forces.

With the same enthusiasm, Mahmoud al-Rabihi, spokesman for the PMU-affiliated Asaib Ahl al-Haq, disagreed with those who said the PMU was no longer needed.

The PMU was founded based on a fatwa to fight terrorism," he said. "This fatwa still exists, and terrorism continues to threaten the country.

Asked about the PMU participation in the Iranian rescue operations, he said that the PMU factions were the first to rush to deal with the floods that occurred in the south of Iraq, and they have carried out large-scale operations with a clear technical and logistical effort. The help they provided to Iran was a matter of neighborliness and reciprocity, as Iran helped Iraq in the war on terrorism.

In a column on the Roayah news site, columnist Ashraf Shaaban described the PMU's flood aid as "a declared allegiance to Iran, and the PMU never hesitates to show such allegiance to Iran whenever it has the opportunity, instead of sending aid to the Iraqi areas that have been affected by the floods.

Ammar al-Jaafari, director of the PMUs Basra office, which sent aid to Iran, told Al-Monitor, The support had no political motives, and it stemmed from a humanitarian duty. We offered it to a country that helped us in the war against IS.

On April 15, the PMU sent 100 buses along with 87 truckloads of about 400 tons of relief aid to Iran. PMU deputy head Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis accompanied the Iraqi rescue groups to Iran, appearing alongside Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani as they inspected the affected areas. He told the media that Iraqi support "is only a minimal proportion of the support that Iran and the Revolutionary Guard Corps offered to Iraq in the fight against IS."

Iraqi parliamentarian Ahmed al-Asadi criticized the biased campaign launched against the PMU.

The PMU is a security institution operating under the orders of the commander in chief of the armed forces, and its legitimacy has been voted upon in the Iraqi parliament, he told Al-Monitor.

As for the PMU priorities, one should not forget that the PMU was the first to respond to the flood victims' appeal and made it to the field before the others. Its efforts today are focused on addressing the dangers of the flood. And it is proud of its participation in helping the victims in Iran and is proud to provide support to any neighboring country exposed to such natural disasters.

He said that the Arab media are fueled by "sectarianism, and exploited the matter politically to stir confusion against the PMU and Iran.

As PMU officials rushed to respond to Allawi, they avoided responding directly to Sadr, who is a critic of the PMU. A PMU source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that this is because the PMU wants to avoid any sensitivity with the Sadrists. The PMU policy is not to respond in order to avoid political escalation and strife.

Political analyst Wathiq al-Jabri, adviser to the Iraq Center for Development of Media, told Al-Monitor, Allawis statement seeks to rid the PMU of any political affiliation or exploitation.

Through the news, video clips and statements they issued, the PMU indirectly responded to Sadrs criticism of its participation in humanitarian rescue operations in Iran by stressing that the PMU was the first to help those affected by the floods in Iraq, he said.

There is no doubt that the PMU's contributions to Iran to support the flood victims is a remarkable humanitarian move. However, an Iraqi parliamentarian told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that such a move should have gone through the Iraqi government," since the PMU is an official security institution. The government "could have announced that the PMU or any other party was providing such technical and humanitarian support. But that was not the case."

Amid calls for the dissolution of the PMU, and as interpretations regarding its presence outside Iraq abound, one cannot deny that the PMU spares no opportunity to emphasize that it is still needed both inside and outside Iraq.
Negotiations for the composition of the next government officially started April 28 and are expected to last for some time. In the days after the April 9 elections, senior United Right officials said the party was expecting two portfolios, including the Justice Ministry.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus fifth government has yet to be formed, but it appears quite certain that United Right party Knesset member Bezalel Smotrich will not serve as Israels next justice minister. Smotrich has been conducting an aggressive campaign for some time against the Supreme Court and has repeatedly promised to carry out sweeping reforms of Israels legal system. Although he has not gone as far as his colleague, Knesset member Moti Yogev of HaBayit HaYehudi (a party in the United Right alliance), who in 2015 urged the razing of the countrys top court, Smotrichs gung-ho battle cries appear to have frightened even Netanyahu himself.

The Likud Partys negotiating team has reportedly offered the United Right the education portfolio for its leader, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, and the Construction and Housing Ministry with expanded powers for Smotrich.

Before delving into the meaning of the expanded portfolio and the powers Netanyahu is promising Smotrich as compensation for the anguish of being refused the justice portfolio, a brief review of the future ministers past, style and modus operandi is in order. These all indicate that the portfolio he is being offered will enable Smotrich to carry out a different type of revolution, one far more germane to his worldview.

Smotrich, 39, grew up in the West Bank settlement of Beit El and lives with his family in the settlement of Kdumim in the Samaria region of the West Bank. Prior to Israels 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip, Smotrich was arrested along with four other young men by the Shin Bet security agency on suspicion of organizing violent opposition to the withdrawal, but he was never indicted. A decade later, ahead of the 2015 elections, reports emerged saying he was suspected of possessing 700 liters of fuel with which to blow up infrastructure and equipment the army had prepared for the disengagement operation. Smotrich vehemently denied the reports, calling them an attempt to besmirch him politically.

In 2006, Smotrich founded a nongovernmental organization called Regavim, which defines its mission as the preservation of the Jewish nations lands. The NGO promotes what it calls a Jewish, Zionist agenda on issues of land and the environment in order to preserve the lands of the Jewish people and the natural treasures and landscapes of the Land of Israel and prevent the control of these resources by foreign elements (as per the NGOs Hebrew web site). A significant part of its budget is provided by regional councils in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), which strongly back its activities.

Smotrich obtained undergraduate and graduate law degrees, with distinction, and was first elected to the Knesset in 2015. As one raised on the religious-Zionist-settlement ethos, he became its most authentic representative. Ahead of the 2019 elections, he was elected chair of the Ichud Leumi-Tkuma faction (National Unity faction) and placed second on the Knesset slate of the newly formed United Right alliance.

As a Knesset member, Smotrich authored the controversial 2017 bill that legalized settlements built on private Palestinian lands in the West Bank, known as the Regularization Law. After the bill passed, Smotrich declared with great pride: The settlements, the Land of Israel and the State of Israel have reason to rejoice. Practically speaking, the status of thousands of settlement homes will now be legalized and the moral aspect of the law is no less important. The destruction of homes in the [evacuated] settlement of Amona and the planned demolitions in Ofra were a heavy moral blow to the settlements and their circles. Tremendous energies were invested in the legal challenge to the planned razing and therefore, for the settlements, this is now a great relief.

In December 2018, the Ministerial Committee on Legislation approved another bill proposed by Smotrich, dubbed the Regularization Law 2, which would legalize 66 illegal outposts built in the West Bank over the past 20 years.

If he accepts the Likuds offer of the Construction and Housing Ministry, with expanded powers, Smotrich will no longer need NGOs to protect the nations lands. What powers is the Likud offering him? Smotrich will apparently be put in charge of the Planning Administration and Israel Lands Authority. This will enable him to allocate state lands to the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Congress. In 2015, the Knesset passed a bill Smotrich authored that anchored the status of the division as an operational arm for the development and support of settlement throughout the Land of Israel. After passage of the law, opposition Knesset members Tzipi Livni (Zionist Camp) and Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) claimed the law was designed to pull the wool over the eyes of the international community regarding official support for and expansion of settlements in the territories. The law is designed to enable lying to the state and the court, and perhaps it is even designed to lie to the European Union, Stern said at the time.

During the current coalition negotiations, the prospective minister presented his demands for joining the government, among them a commitment by the Likud to push through legislation overriding Supreme Court rulings knocking down laws that contradict Israels constitutional-status Basic Laws (the controversial Override Clause, much discussed during the last Knesset term). Curbing the power and authority of the top court would, in turn, allow expropriation of private Palestinian land for the establishment of new settlements and remove the threat of demolitions hanging over settler homes built on private lands.

An additional demand says it all regarding the future housing ministers plans: Smotrich demands that the team regulating settlements be under control of a new authority with large responsibilities  a new authority that would be under his control. In other words, he will decide which illegal outposts are to be legalized. It stands to reason that Smotrich, in his role as minister, would not deprive a single one of the dozens of illegal outposts of legal status (in the eyes of Israeli law) as a settlement eligible for generous budgets from the Settlement Division into which he has breathed new life.

Also on his wish list: A commitment by the Likud to annex West Bank territories  not just the major settlement blocs (the Etzion Bloc, and the settlement towns of Maaleh Adumim and Ariel). He is demanding a commitment to annex Areas A and B of the West Bank currently under total or partial control of the Palestinian Authority. Sound unrealistic? If someone had said 14 years ago that a young man arrested by the Shin Bet for planning a violent protest against the Gaza disengagement would be put in charge of establishing and legalizing settlements, he or she would probably have been considered delusional.

If Smotrich is named minister of construction and housing with expanded powers, we will likely hear him repeating over and over that Israel must annex the entire West Bank until this mantra sinks in and no longer sounds preposterous.
The scene is a fourth-grade geography lesson in the coastal town of Herzliya. The teacher, Yael (a pseudonym), shows the children a bas-relief map depicting the Land of Israel as stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. This is the State of Israel, this is our state, she tells the pupils. One of the students, Galia Bar-Tal, seeks to set the teacher straight. Thats wrong, she says. The demarcation of the Green Line is missing from the map.

Seven years have passed since this incident, yet Bar-Tal, a smart girl with a political conscious, still remembers how the teacher reprimanded her in front of the class. Galia, stop bringing politics into the classroom, Yael said.

Galias father, Daniel Bar-Tal, a leading political psychologist, was not surprised by the teachers reaction. Teachers convey the accepted values of the society in which they live, Bar-Tal recently told Al-Monitor. Any education is political, and any map of the State of Israel is political, but the Green Line runs counter to the prevailing spirit [of ignoring the occupation of the West Bank], and the teacher therefore views it as wrong.

Galias story provides yet another explanation for the strengthening of the conservative right at the expense of the Zionist left. Thousands of Yaels former students who cast their ballots in the April 9 elections were taught that the State of Israel extends from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River and that anyone challenging this view is deviating from the truth, the consensus, Israeli-ness. The teacher herself may not even know about the Green Line because the demarcation of Israels June 4, 1967, border was missing from the books she had as a pupil.

Surveys conducted in 2015 and 2018 by New Wave Research for the newspaper Yisrael Hayom indicate that every second student and teacher do not know what the Green Line is. One of the teachers wrote that it was not a real border, but rather a border according to which people decided the Land of Israel should be divided. Other answers to the survey question included an imaginary leftist line, a border between Israeli Arabs and Israel, the line demarcating the 1969 borders, a border crossing between Israel and Palestine, linked to the State of Israels borders or something like that and even a hotline to report environmental issues.

Daniel Bar-Tal, an expert on school curricula and decidedly on the left, notes that governments use textbooks to methodically convey broad national narratives. Textbooks express the ideology and ethos of a society, explained Bar-Tal. They instill values, goals and myths that society seeks to broadcast to new generations.

The ideology expressed in negating the Green Line ties into the de-legitimization of the political camp that supports dividing the land between Israelis and Palestinians along the 1967 lines. If Rabbi Rafi Peretz is appointed Israels next minister of education, as appears probable, the chair of HaBayit HaYehudi and of the United Right in the Knesset, will use state schools to instill the vision of a Greater Land of Israel in the minds of young Israelis.

Even when the Labor Party was in power, its leaders treated the Green Line as if they were walking a tightrope over an abyss. In 1972, Education Minister Yigal Alon, a member of Ahdut HaAvoda, a Labor precursor, ordered the Green Line removed from textbooks. In 2007, Education Minister Yuli Tamir of Labor declared, under pressure from the left, that she had ordered the Green Line reinstated in textbooks. Gideon Saar of the Likud, Tamirs successor, combed schoolbooks looking for the Green Line but could not find it.

Ram Cohen, principal of Tel Avivs Tichonet-Alterman high school, was also not surprised about at Galia Bar-Tals story involving Yael. The teacher internalized the ideology of the political right that invalidates the political left and is afraid to conduct an open discussion with students about political issues, he told Al-Monitor.

Cohen views this attitude as an expression of ignorance about the essence of democracy taking root in Israeli society. They dont understand why its wrong to shoot a bound Arab boy and think that voting once every few years for someone suspected of criminal wrongdoing is fine, Cohen said, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces possible indictment on corruption and bribery charges.

How is a teacher, let alone a student, supposed to deal with the inherent contradictions created by the 2018 Nationality Law codifying the Jewish nature of the State of Israel, Netanyahus declaration that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people, and them alone, and the State Comptrollers demand that schools clearly state that Israel is a democratic state belonging to all its citizens?

In a 2016 report, the comptroller wrote, The State of Israel is doing very little to purge the severe phenomena of racism and hatred among youth and to promote a shared society. The government watchdog also asserted, Education for a shared society and prevention of racism has been only partially and inadequately integrated in the education system; teachers for this important area have not been trained.

Zeev Degani, principal of Tel Avivs Herzliya high school, told Al-Monitor that although the Ministry of Education clearly allows teachers to express their political views, they avoid doing so. The only ones doing so are those who talk about the Greater Land of Israel because they know the minister of education will back them, said Degani. The school system, he added, is full of frustrated reserve service generals and cowards.

Degani remarked that a map showing the Green Line hangs at the entrance to his schools library. This is my mezuzah [i.e., what one believes in], and it will stay there until Im kicked out, he declared. Degani is proud that on election day, 85% of students cast votes for centrist and left-wing parties in a mock ballot at his school. These include children from Tel Avivs southern neighborhoods, where the right traditionally enjoys greater support. That means, Degani remarked, that the children know the Green Line is not the platform of the Green Party.

Degani and Cohen enjoy greater freedom than many Israeli principals do. Their schools are well known in Israel, so they can afford to open them to talks by representatives of Breaking the Silence and other leftist organizations. The day after the elections, dozens of senior educators from around the country began organizing in a bid to free school principals of the fear of deviating from the official straight and narrow.

The time has come for principals and teachers to wake up, Cohen said. They must understand that they bear responsibility for the fate of future generations.
The US administrations top Syria envoy Jim Jeffrey will hold talks with Turkish officials in Ankara tomorrow to discuss what the State Department called in a statement Turkeys legitimate security concerns, which is shorthand for Ankaras worries about the presence of US-backed Kurdish militants along its border.

Sources familiar with Jeffreys efforts to broker a deal between Turkey and the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) for a proposed safe zone aired skepticism that the US diplomat would mark much progress before heading to Geneva for meetings with the Syrian Small Group that includes officials from Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, all potential contributors, or so Washington hopes, to a proposed safe zone in northern Syria.

Jeffreys demands  first reported by Al-Monitor  for the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to let a limited number of Turkish forces into Syria to police the proposed zone were firmly rejected by SDF commander Mazlum Kobane when the pair met in Syria two weeks ago. Kobane reportedly told the US diplomat that he would only consider the idea if Turkish forces pulled out of the mainly Kurdish enclave of Afrin, which they have occupied since March 2018.

Ankara is highly unlikely to pull out of Afrin because the YPG tells it to and Kobane would know that  least of all as the YPG-linked Afrin Liberation Forces steps up its insurgency against the Turkish military and their Free Syrian Army allies there.

Turkeys Defense Ministry confirmed that one Turkish soldier was killed and three others wounded yesterday in the region during an attack it blamed on the YPG, but offered no further details.

It's not just the Kurds who are unhappy with the US plans for a safe zone. Turkey is also disgruntled at being offered no more than a symbolic presence, one of the sources with close knowledge of the talks told Al-Monitor on strict condition of anonymity.

Jeffrey is being accompanied by Joel Rayburn, deputy assistant secretary for the Levant. The pair is expected to meet with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, administration officials confirmed. The private news channel CNNTurk reported that Jeffrey would meet with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and spy chief Hakan Fidan as well.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly aired Turkish ire over the United States' continued alliance with the YPG again in his telephone conversation Monday with President Donald Trump. Erdogans office asserted in a readout that the leaders had exchanged views on recent developments in Syria and had agreed to maintain close cooperation on the anti-terror fight. For Turkey, terror and the YPG are synonymous.

The main focus of the call, however, was Turkeys offer to establish a joint committee to resolve differences stemming from Turkeys controversial deal to acquire Russian-made S-400 missiles. The Turkish offer was earlier rejected by Washington, which is threatening sweeping sanctions if the deal is not shelved.

Today, Erdogan spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Erdogans office said the leaders had agreed on the need to pursue close cooperation in order to resolve the Syrian crisis. The Kremlin said in a separate statement that Putin and Erdogan had called for a cease-fire in Libya and the renewal of a political process under UN auspices. And did he reassure Putin that the S-400 deal was still on? Turkeys consistent messaging on the issue, that it will proceed with the purchase despite Washingtons threats, suggests that he may have done just that.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  West Bank security services reportedly uncovered a Hamas plan to infiltrate the services over the past year by bribing or threatening dozens of officers to gain their cooperation  something Hamas denies.

"Several high-ranking sources in the Palestinian Authority" (PA) recently revealed that military intelligence had uncovered the spy network several months ago, Yedioth Ahronoth reported April 23. It said a number of officers were arrested and charged with spying for Hamas. The newspaper said Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip and abroad hatched the plan.

However, spokesman for the Palestinian security services Adnan al-Dumeiri has a different version of the story. He told the official Palestinian news agency Wafa on April 23 that two members of the security services were arrested about two years ago on charges of leaking information to Hamas. He denied the Israeli report about the arrest of dozens of officers.

Dumeiri said he questions the motivations of those who reported such information.

Media reports published in January and February 2018 revealed the PA had authorized, in cooperation with the CIA, wiretaps on Palestinian officials. This information was leaked to the media by an officer in the PAs preventive security service in the West Bank after he left his job.

A Palestinian security official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the Palestinian General Intelligence Service discovered in early 2018 that a number of security officers working in the intelligence services and preventive security had leaked information to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The source said the investigations conducted by the security services proved Hamas was focusing on hacking into the electronic devices of security services leaders and officers to acquire documents and information.

He believes some officers in the West Bank might still be working for Hamas. But, he added, security services have received information from some detainees to thwart any new Hamas attempts to infiltrate the security services or any other PA institution.

On the other hand, Hamas has arrested and prosecuted several members of the PA security services in the Gaza Strip in recent years on charges of communicating with the PA in Ramallah and gathering information on Hamas and the Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas leader Yahya Moussa told Al-Monitor Hamas has not infiltrated the security services in the West Bank. The Israeli media is trying to deepen the division in the Palestinian arena by publishing such fake news," he said.

He explained that despite Hamas conviction that the security services in the West Bank coordinate with Israel in terms of security and intelligence against some Palestinian factions by virtue of the Oslo Accord, Hamas does not return the favor. The Gaza-Jericho Agreement, signed between the PLO and Israel in 1994 as an annex to the Oslo Accord, mentioned details of security coordination between Israel and the Palestinians and how they exchange information around the clock.

The Yedioth Ahronoth article also quoted PA security sources as saying Hamas is trying to recruit security service officers, taking advantage of their need for money since the PA has only been paying them half their salaries for the past two months. This is due to the financial crisis plaguing the Palestinian government after it refused on Feb. 27 to receive the clearing funds from Israel since the latter had reduced 502 million shekels ($138 million) from the Palestinian clearing revenues.

According to Alaa al-Rimawi, director of Al-Quds Center for Israeli and Palestinian Studies in Ramallah, the West Bank, the PA and Hamas are trying to infiltrate each other, but the PA has been more successful. The PA is committed to the Oslo Accord, which obliges it to fight any resistance or armed action in the Palestinian territories. The PA is thus continuously monitoring all operations by Hamas and other Palestinian factions, he told Al-Monitor.

Rimawi said the Palestinian division has increased suspicion and mistrust between both parties, which has increased infiltration efforts. He believes Hamas has already managed to hack the PA's electronic devices because it has hacked Israeli soldiers' phones on several occasions.

Ibrahim Habib, a security studies professor at the Management and Politics Academy in Gaza, told Al-Monitor Hamas may have conducted electronic hacking with the help of some officers in the Palestinian security services. Like Rimawi, Habib said hostility between Hamas and the PA has worsened over the years of division, strengthening their security efforts against each other.
The 12th round of Astana peace talks on Syria took place in Nursultan, the newly renamed capital of Kazakhstan, April 25-26. Although the venue of the talks had a new name, the challenges the participants faced remained the same.

In addition to representatives from Russia, Iran and Turkey, the three guarantor states, also in attendance were Geir O. Pedersen, special envoy of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and delegations from the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition.

Sources privy to the talks who spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity said that the parties had disagreed on what should take priority on the agenda. While Tehran and Damascus insisted on exploring ways to address the situation in Idlib province, which is still controlled by rebel forces, Ankara and the Syrian opposition sought to focus primarily on a prisoner swap and the situation in the northeast and adjacent areas, where the Kurds hold sway. Meanwhile, Moscow deemed it important to finalize a list of members for a constitutional committee.

In light of these dynamics, no breakthrough was achieved in addressing any of the issues, but interests did converge on one particular item  criticism of the United States. Astana 12 may go down as the most anti-American of the talks.

The final communique of the 12th round opens with strong condemnation of the US decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967, calling it a grave violation of international law, particularly the UN Security Council resolution 497, [that] threatens peace and security in the Middle East.

Alexander Lavrentiev, head of the Russian delegation, emphasized the position of the Astana trio, stating, according to Sputnik News, One must observe international law and UNSC resolutions rather than take unilateral measures. He added, We consider the US actions erroneous, and we hope that the US administration and Donald Trump himself will correct them.

The communique also put US policy toward the Syrian conflict in the crosshairs. The guarantor states rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism and expressed their determination to stand against separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as well as the national security of neighboring countries.

The document, without naming names, is referring to Washingtons support of the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Lavrentiev later remarked that the current developments on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, where the SDF controls territory, raise many questions.

The Russian representative further stated, In a strikingly inconsistent move, the Americans announced the withdrawal of their troops only to keep a large military contingent at the Euphrates River. We once again highlight Syrias unity and integrity. We will stand against any attempt to carve up Syria. Lavrentiev also referred to ongoing work to establish a constructive dialogue between the Syrian government and the Kurds and Arab tribes residing east of the Euphrates. The guarantor states agreed to convene later for a separate meeting to discuss the situation in the northeast.

Tass reported Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin saying how Moscow had hoped to move ahead with the constitutional committee at the 12th round. It appeared, however, that Damascus continued to drag its feet about embracing such an initiative. Shortly before the Nursultan meeting, Riyad Haddad, Syria's ambassador to Russia, told the parties that it was too premature to say whether such a plan would be feasible. Even Iran acting as an intermediary between Turkey and Syria failed to move efforts forward on forming the constitutional committee. As the talks failed to produce a list of committees members, it was decided to hold another round of consultations in Geneva.

We are on a complex path towards forming the constitutional committee, Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News reported Lavrentiev telling reporters. There are some unclear issues. Nevertheless, he asserted, We are due to work out the package solution, namely the makeup of the constitutional committee, as well as decide on procedural issues in the near future.

Yahya al-Aridi, spokesperson for the opposition Syrian Negotiations Commission, which sent delegates to the 12th round of talks, blamed President Bashar al-Assad's regime for the stalemate. The regime in particular is obstructing the formation of the constitutional committee in accordance with UN resolution 2254, Aridi said to Arab News. The regime gets support from Iran in creating hurdles.

Aridi further complained, Russia seems to consider itself a substitute to the UN, when in fact the UN should be the one in charge and the facilitator of negotiations and implementing (resolution) 2254. The Security Council resolution, passed in 2015, calls for a cease-fire and a political settlement for the conflict.

The lack of progress in forming a constitutional committee is linked to the Syrian regime's dissatisfaction with developments concerning the Idlib de-escalation zone, where the moderate opposition groups have agreed to a cease-fire, but extremist groups have not, and where Turkey has thwarted every attempt to launch a military ground operation without offering concessions.

Prior to the 12th round of negotiations, the Syrian government delegation had held consultations with Russian and Iranian representatives and emphasized the priority of taking Idlib. It is noteworthy that the round of negotiations took place amid ongoing Russian and Syrian air strikes in the de-escalation zone against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib, and with regime forces and the extremists trading artillery fire. The communique emphasized the need to implement agreements for coordinated Russian-Turkish patrols in the demilitarized zone and for the Joint Iranian-Russian-Turkish Coordination Center.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for Russia to sustain the uneasy balance between its Syrian and Turkish partners as concerns Idlib province, which remains central to a settlement. Russia has raised the issue in the UN Security Council. Vladimir Safronkov, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, has indicated that the status quo in Idlib is not viable because militant attacks against government forces are being launched from there.

We cannot say for how long this status quo in Idlib can last, Newsweek reported Safronkov stressing. It is not viable at all, on the contrary: it is dangerous for Syria and the region.

Absent any genuine progress in addressing the situation in Idlib, it will be difficult to advance on the peace process and in other areas. That said, options and the outline of a Russian-Turkish deal on Idlib could soon be worked out.

One positive aspect of the 12th round meeting is a decision to continue the mutual release of detainees and prisoners, as occurred in November 2018, February and April 2019. The communique noted, These operations constituted [a] unique and important contribution of the Astana format to building confidence between the Syrian parties and creating necessary conditions for advancing the political process.

Also of note, observer status was granted to Iraq and Lebanon at the 12th round of talks. The Syrian opposition welcomed the new, expanded format with observer states when Jordan, along with the United States, became observers. The inclusion of Iraq and Lebanon, however, concerns some that the balance might now tip in favor of the Syrian regime and Iran in the talks. It is difficult to say whether the participation of the three observers from the region will be a mere formality or have a meaningfully effect on the Astana forum.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has begun paying back the United States for nearly $300 million in refueling support that took place over three years, Al-Monitor has learned. The refueling support was canceled by the Donald Trump administration late last year.

Just days after President Trump vetoed a congressional resolution to cut off US military assistance in Yemen, the Pentagon said the United States has received its first payments after notifying the coalition of the billing error in December. The Department of Defense is seeking $299 million for the refueling effort against the Iran-backed Houthis, which the resolution said amounted to US engagement in "hostilities."

The US has received initial reimbursement for the additional refueling expenses following notification to the Saudi-led coalition of the billing error, Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a Defense Department spokeswoman, told Al-Monitor. The process of reimbursement is ongoing, and we continue to expect full reimbursement of refueling expenses.

The Pentagon adjusted the total owed by the Saudi-led military grouping down from $331 million after a review to ensure there was no faulty, duplicative or incomplete billing, Rebarich said. She added that the Defense Department is still working to provide final costs to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

News of the initial repayments is unlikely to stop pushback from Congress as lawmakers look to mount another bid to halt US support to the coalition in the deadly conflict, which the UN says has killed more than 233,000 Yemenis.

Im glad theyre finally paying us, but I still want to understand how it happened that we were providing them the service and not being paid, and seemingly not caring about it, said Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., who was an assistant secretary of state during the Barack Obama administration when the refueling campaign began in 2015. Id love to know how US taxpayers were bilked for that amount of money by some of the wealthiest countries in the world. Makes absolutely no sense to me.

Bills for the terminated Pentagon mission cover both the cost of the fuel provided to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the hours of travel for US flights to and from the battlefield, which the Pentagon previously failed to charge.

The United Arab Emirates has now fully reimbursed the US for the UAE's share of the operation, including $103 million in flight hours and $15 million for refueling, a Senate aide told Al-Monitor. The aide said Saudi Arabia is expected to reimburse $158 million for the cost of US flights in the coming weeks, adding that the Pentagon has yet to bill the Saudis for the full $23 million in refueling costs. The Saudi embassy in Washington DC did not respond to Al-Monitor's request for comment.

The Senate is set to vote Thursday to try to override Trumps veto of the war powers resolution from 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. The Senate passed the measure 54-46 last month, more than a dozen votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto.

"Being frank, its a tough lift to get 13 more Republicans to vote for this. But now that we are dealing with separation of powers, I think we will be able to get a few more, a Sanders aide told Al-Monitor. Even leaving Yemen aside, youre talking about a very foundational issue of Congress authority. There are other tools, very directly denying funding, denying any new arms transfers. All options are on the table."

Though backers acknowledge this weeks vote is a long shot, the Senate is also considering bipartisan legislation to cut off non-defensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and slap mandatory sanctions on officials allegedly involved in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

The United States still provides intelligence to the Saudi-led coalition, but is legally barred from resuming refueling after the State Department failed to certify that Saudi Arabia and the UAE had made a good faith attempt to reduce civilian casualties, Al-Monitor first reported in February. Menendez has also held up a sale of more than 120,000 precision-guided weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE since May 2018.

At the request of Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senates Armed Services panel, Congress has also demanded that the Pentagon provide a global accounting of efforts to refuel Saudi and Emirati jets over Yemen. Reeds provision in last years annual defense bill also bars the Pentagon from passing goods to unauthorized third parties under the bilateral deals. Saudi Arabia received US fuel through the UAE for the first year of the conflict, according to a Pentagon letter reported by The Atlantic in November.

In a report sent to lawmakers in January and obtained by Al-Monitor, the Defense Department said it has 118 reimbursable country-by-country deals to provide food, ammunition, fuel and other services to foreign militaries; this provided $861 million to foreign forces in 2018. The Pentagon expects to provide $5 million to Saudi Arabia and $3 million to the UAE under that authority this year, according to the report.

The Trump administration is also conducting internal oversight into the Yemen refueling campaign. The Pentagons inspector general canceled an audit into the militarys reimbursement process in the Middle East and Africa last month, saying it would represent an "inefficient use of resources," but the Government Accountability Office and the Air Force Audit Agency are still investigating the matter.

Marta Hernandez, a spokeswoman for the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the panel had been made aware that the inspector general inquiry was closed. But the cancelation of the audit may not comfort experts and Congress, who are still skeptical that the Pentagons math is accurate.

Did Congress ever get key questions answered regarding refueling reimbursement? asked Bradley Bowman, a former national security adviser to Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., a critic of the Saudi-led war. It is not unreasonable for American taxpayers to wonder whether the United States has been appropriately reimbursed by wealthy security partners.

Clarification: May 1, 2019. This story has been updated to clarify the findings of the congressional resolution on Yemen.
If you ran into Matt Smith in Moody, where he lives with his wife, Cyndi, and their 6-year-old daughter, Quinn, youd probably never know hes sick. You might be surprised to know that the friendly, funny British chap has Stage 4 colon cancer and was given maybe a year to live, over a year ago.

No one was more surprised than Matt when he found out he had cancer. He had met the love of his life and moved 4,100 miles from his native England to be with her. Theyd married, had a blonde baby girl and made a home for themselves in Birmingham, where they were leading a happy life. He had no symptoms when he was diagnosed.

Matt and Quinn are like two peas in a pod, says Cyndi. The little girl favors her daddy, and the two of them love spending time together. More than anything else in the world, Cyndi wants her husband to have more time so that their little family can make as many memories as possible.

Originally from Selma, Cyndi was living in Atlanta when she met Matt online. He was still living in his native Oxford, England, when he and Cyndi struck up a friendship in a weight-loss group.

He told her once that he was going on a blind date. She felt pangs of jealousy but swallowed them and urged him to have fun. Later, he called her to say hed been stood up. I was like, How could she do that? I would never do that to you, she recalls saying. He replied: I would cut off my arm for a girl like you.

From then on, it spiraled, Cyndi says. She would go to sleep with her iPad propped up on her nightstand and wake up to his voice.

Hes the most precious person in the whole world, she says. He will do anything for anyone and wants no recognition for it.

He came to the United States to meet her in the summer of 2012. All my friends thought he was going to murder me, she says, laughing at the memory. Instead, it was love at first sight. One of the things she loved about him immediately was the way his eyes twinkle when he laughs.

Matt was smitten, too. He intended to stay for 30 days, but he didnt leave until the last minute of the 90th day, the maximum length of time he could visit. He flew home, and it was the hardest goodbye in the world, she says.

Eight weeks later, Matt returned to Atlanta  this time for good. He and Cyndi married at the Marietta courthouse on Halloween, surrounded by other couples dressed in costumes.

Eventually, Matt, now a permanent resident, was hired for his dream job as a railroad conductor, and the Smiths moved to Birmingham three years ago. His wish was to become a citizen, says Cyndi, but the next step is $1,300. Thats what we were going to do before his cancer diagnosis.

Matt hasnt been able to work for almost a year and a half. Already living what Cyndi describes as a very frugal lifestyle, theyve already sold all of their valuables except for her wedding ring, which she refuses to consider. We had savings," she says, but one month of medications costs hundreds of dollars. You just cant plan for it.

Cancer cannot steal our joy

In January of 2018, the family went on a trip to Disney World. While they were there, Cyndi came down with the flu and had to spend most of their vacation in bed. When they returned home, Matt got sick, too, and was diagnosed with Type A and Type B influenza. Despite taking Tamiflu, he became so ill that Cyndi had to take him to the emergency room.

Because he was severely dehydrated, a CT scan revealed a small growth in his colon. During surgery to remove the blockage, the doctor recognized what he thought was cancer, and did biopsies to be sure.

Only 33 years old at the time, Matt was diagnosed with incurable stage 4 metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon and abdominal wall. He woke up from surgery with an ileostomy bag and a grim life expectancy.

Cyndi was devastated. I cant imagine a future without Matt, she wrote at the time. Hes my person. Hes Quinns person. My heart aches so bad. I dont think Ive ever cried so much.

Her despair quickly turned to resolve to find the best treatment possible for her husband. Matt, meanwhile, was determined not to let cancer get the best of him. He lives every single day to the fullest and continues to defy the odds, she says. He is unstoppable.

He went through 12 rounds of chemotherapy last year and had surgery in November to remove the tumor and diseased tissue in his colon and to reverse the ileostomy. His battle cry, Cyndi says, is the Elton John hit Im Still Standing.

Not long after the surgery, Matt completed the Rumpshaker 5K run with his family and hiked to the waterfall at Oak Mountain. Cancer cannot steal our joy, Cyndi once wrote. It cannot keep us from laughing. It cannot crush us, because we are stronger than cancer. Cancer will not take my husband without a fight. It messed with the wrong guy.

This week, he will have a procedure to drain fluid in his lung, which is causing him pain. He only has 30 percent lung capacity on that side. His doctor also wants to examine a spot on the linings of the lung to determine whether its cancerous. If it is not, hell be eligible for a relatively new form of treatment, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC), which delivers concentrated, heated chemotherapy directly to the organs in the abdomen.

That procedure wont be a cure, but it might buy them some more time.

Cyndi points out that most people never think about seizing the day because we think we have unlimited time left. Since Matts diagnosis, theyre always aware of the urgency to carpe diem.

Still, they have reason to hope. Matts doctors at UAB emphasize that there are no statistics for a 33-year-old with colon cancer. After extensive genetic testing at UAB, doctors have found that he wasnt genetically predisposed to cancer but that it was triggered by an environmental source. He also has the BRAF gene mutation found in some types of cancer, including colorectal.

Matt tells everyone he meets about his battle with colorectal cancer. Every chance we get, were talking to others who are being sold a lie that these are old peoples diseases, and theyre not, says Cyndi. We know several other people in the Birmingham area who are well under 40 and have also been diagnosed with this cancer.

Cyndi, who as a former long-haul truck driver saw every state except Maine and Vermont, says that one of her husbands goals is to travel across the country in an RV, talking to young men and women about colon cancer. He wants to see every state in the continental U.S. before he dies, she says. He loves America so much. Hes the most American non-American I know. He embodies what America is all about. He came here, worked hard, struggled and persevered.

Meanwhile, Hes changing the way people around us look at cancer, says Cyndi. Hes changing hearts and minds about what its like to live with a deadly illness and how you can truly find life and joy when youre staring down death.

Life with Matt, she says, is the ultimate adventure. Even the simplest everyday tasks, like going to the grocery store, are fun for him. He doesnt like to plan things, which used to drive her crazy. But now, more than ever, she appreciates his spontaneity.

Our lives are so much better because of him. Everyone who knows him knows what a bright light he is in a dim world.

Since Matt is unable to work and Cyndi is his caregiver, friends of the Smiths have started a GoFundMe for the family. You can also buy a T-shirt in Matts honor, with the funds going to the family.
Bryan Stevenson, a legal crusader who founded the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, is the subject of a new documentary from HBO.

True Justice: Bryan Stevensons Fight for Equality" will premiere on June 26 at 7 p.m. CT, the TV network announced today.

For more than three decades, Alabama public interest attorney Bryan Stevenson ... has advocated on behalf of the poor, the incarcerated and the condemned, seeking to eradicate racial discrimination in the criminal justice system, an HBO press release says. An intimate portrait of this remarkable man, (the documentary) follows his struggle to create greater fairness in the system and shows how racial injustice emerged, evolved and continues to threaten the country, challenging viewers to confront it. ...

Told primarily in his own words, True Justice shares Bryan Stevensons experience with a criminal justice system that, he asserts, treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre poor and innocent.' The burden of facing this system is explored in candid interviews with associates, close family members and clients.

The documentary is a co-production of HBO and Kunhardt Films, a company based in Pleasantville, New York. Peter Kunhardt and his sons, George and Teddy Kunhardt, are the directors and producers.

Im grateful to HBO and Kunhardt Films for their interest in our work, Stevenson said in a prepared statement. We have ignored our nations history of racial inequality and the unfairness of our criminal justice for far too long. I am persuaded that if we commit to challenging racial injustice, poverty and abuse of power, we can achieve a more just society. I hope films like this can contribute to that goal.

Stevenson, 59, founded the nonprofit Equal Justice Initiative in 1989 and serves as its executive director. Hes the author of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, a 2014 memoir that tells of his work for EJI, explains his ideas about social and civil rights, and details some of the court cases hes undertaken. For example, the book looks at Stevensons successful efforts to exonerate Walter McMillian, a black man whod been sentenced to death for the 1986 murder of an 18-year-old white woman in Monroeville.

A feature film based on Stevensons memoir is in the works, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson and OShea Jackson Jr. The production was partly filmed in Montgomery in 2018, and is set for release in January 2020, according to IMDB.

Stevenson and EJI also are the prime movers for the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum, which opened in Montgomery in April 2018. These two projects call attention to Americas history of racial injustice, and trace the painful thread that runs from slavery to lynchings to the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and beyond.

HBOs documentary on Stevenson explores the opening of the lynching memorial, as well. Two days of events were held to commemorate the occasion, including a star-studded concert on April 27 at Montgomerys Riverwalk Amphitheater. The show featured Stevie Wonder, Usher, the Roots, Brittany Howard, Kirk Franklin, Dave Matthews, Common, Tasha Cobbs and more.

The memorial and museum marked their first anniversaries this week, and the EJI celebrated its 30th anniversary. A new monument was dedicated on Monday at the memorial center, commemorating 24 men, women and children who were victims of lynchings or racial violence during the 1950s.

Also, a concert was planned on Monday at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre, featuring Lalah Hathaway, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, the Fairfield Four and Angella Christie.
Three prisoners were injured in an inmate-on-inmate assault involving 11 inmates at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, the Alabama Department of Corrections said in a news release.

Two inmates were taken to a local hospital for treatment of stab wounds, the ADOC said. The injuries were not life-threatening, the news release said. The third inmate had minor injuries and was treated at the prisons infirmary, the ADOC said.

The ADOC beefed up the prisons security staff with an emergency response team after the incident, the ADOC said. Eight inmates who were identified as suspects in the assault were moved to different facilities for security reasons, according to the ADOC. The ACOC is not releasing their names and the investigation is ongoing.

The violent incident occurred eight days after the ADOC conducted a joint law enforcement sweep of contraband at Holman. The operation recovered 356 makeshift weapons, 91 grams of meth, 98 grams of marijuana, some cocaine, more than 400 assorted pills, and 16 cell phones, the ADOC said.

Holman is one of the ADOCs five maximum security prisons for men and is understaffed, as are the states prisons overall. Holman has 827 inmates and 53 correctional officers. The prison is required to have 166 officers, the ADOC said.

The Department of Justice alleged in a report released April 2 that the level of violence, sexual abuse, weapons, drugs, extortion and other problems in Alabamas prisons created conditions that violate the Constitution. The DOJ recommended many changes, including increased staff, and said it could initiate a lawsuit if the state does not respond adequately.

In a separate case involving inmates health care, the state is under a federal court order to add 2,200 security staff over about three years, which would triple the staff.

The Gov. Kay Ivey administration and state legislators are proposing increased pay and incentive bonuses to strengthen efforts to hire and keep correctional officers.

The ADOC said it will announce other initiatives in a strategic plan it will release in early May. The initiatives will be aimed at reversing long-established negative trends, the ADOC said.
Abortion rights advocates gathered in the gallery of the Alabama House of Representatives today to watch debate of a bill to make it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion in Alabama.

The House is scheduled to consider the bill by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, making abortion a crime in Alabama.

Collins and other supporters of the bill say the intent is to trigger litigation that could lead to a review of the Roe. v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Amanda Reyes of Tuscaloosa, 30, said she was at the State House today on behalf of the women who seek help obtaining an abortion because of their financial and family circumstances.

Reyes is president and executive director of the Yellowhammer Fund, a nonprofit that helps women obtain abortions.

In my experience, the people that were talking to are making decisions, and mostly theyre making decisions to have an abortion based on their own personal finances or based on their desire to continue their education or to further their careers in hopes of a promotion so that they can have children one day or can better space out their child-bearing, Reyes said.

Reyes said 63 percent of the women the Yellowhammer Fund assists with abortions are already parents.

Theyre saying that they need abortions because they dont have the resources, whether those are financial resources or other resources like time that they need to care for additional children, Reyes said. And so, as a fund, we actually see this not as just a sort of womens rights issue, but also as a family issue and a childrens issue.

Reyes said women who are unable to obtain abortions because they cant afford it or otherwise lack access have an increased likelihood of later falling into poverty and reliance on programs like food stamps.

Reyes said there is plenty of legislation and court cases already pending that could lead to a challenge of Roe v. Wade.

I believe we are wasting Alabama taxpayer resources in the state Legislature by discussing this bill, Reyes said. There are a lot of things that we could be doing that are not this.

Reyes said she expected about 50 people at the State House today because of their opposition to the bill, which has more than 65 co-sponsors in the 104-member House.

Well watch and see what happens and what we do next, Reyes said.

Collins bill would make it a Class A felony, punishable by 10 to 99 years, for a doctor to perform an abortion. The woman receiving an abortion would not be held criminally or civilly liable.

The bill would allow exceptions in cases where the woman is at serious risk of death or a a serious health problem. It does not include exceptions in cases of incest and rape.

Last year, Alabama voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution affirming the rights of the unborn, including the right to life.

The amendment said that nothing in the Alabama Constitution provided abortion rights.
Estelle Brooks was pregnant with her third child when the love of her life was killed by racial violence.

Her husband, Hilliard Brooks Jr., was 22 years old when he was fatally shot by a white police officer in Montgomery on Aug. 13, 1950. Hilliard was accused of "creating a disturbance" because he entered a segregated bus through the front door instead of the back door. When Hilliard refused the bus driver's orders to exit the vehicle and go through the rear of the bus, the driver called a police officer. Hilliard, who was unarmed, was then shot and killed. According to reports, two bystanders were also wounded.

Although witnesses said the shooting was unnecessary, the officer wasn't charged and Estelle Brooks was left to raise three children on her own.

Now 91, Estelle Brooks held on to the arm of her oldest child during a ceremony on Monday as she placed a white rose in front of a new monument recognizing 24 men, women and children who were also killed by racially-motivated attacks during the 1950s. The ceremony was hosted in Montgomery by the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit that has been researching racial violence for almost 10 years. The new monument sits across the street from the nations first memorial honoring lynched victims, formally known as the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

Estelle Brooks was overjoyed to see her husband's name on the memorial.

He was a wonderful husband. I miss him so much, Estelle Brooks said. It makes me so happy to be here and see all these people here to remember him.

Estelle is the 91yr old widow of Hilliard Brooks Jr. Brooks was 22 when he was accused of causing a disturbance on a segregated Montgomery bus. The bus driver called a white officer who fatally shot unarmed Brooks. Estelle was pregnant at the time with her third child. pic.twitter.com/hQryhUhbai  Jonece Starr Dunigan (@StarrDunigan) April 29, 2019

It was standing room only inside the Peace and Justice Memorial Center, where EJI held the ceremony. Each of the victims received a standing ovation as EJI representatives read the victims' names and handed out flowers to the victims' family members. Many in the audience solemnly shook their heads in response to the brutality as EJI staff read aloud the victims' stories:

Lamar Smith, a 63-year-old black farmer and World War I veteran, was shot and killed on the courthouse lawn in Brookhaven, Mississippi on Aug. 13, 1955 for registering black citizens to vote. No one was ever punished for the crime.

Mack Charles Parker was in his early 20s when he was accused of assaulting a white woman in Poplarville, Mississippi. A white mob beat Parker severely, shot him twice in the chest, bound his body in chains and dumped his corpse into the Pear River on April 25, 1959. No one was ever punished for the crime.

The new monument adds to EJIs research since the National Memorial for Peace and Justice honors more than 4,400 people who were killed by racially-motivated violence and lynchings between 1877 and 1950. Friday was the one-year anniversary of the opening of the lynching memorial and the Legacy Museum.

It's been a year since the @MemPeaceJustic opened in Montgomery. Since then, more than half a million people have visited.



In a moving tribute, Reckon's @StarrDunigan reflects on why it's important we remember those lynched by mobs in Alabama and around the country. pic.twitter.com/bm4azBt9PC  Reckon (@reckonalabama) April 24, 2019

EJI senior attorney Jennifer Taylor said researchers selected that 73-year time frame because they wanted to highlight an era when African Americans were pulled out of their homes or jails to be lynched outside a courthouse in front of a crowd during broad daylight. Taylor said those who witnessed the lynchings, which included police officers, did so without shame and without accountability for their actions.

"In order for us to completely understand and completely appreciate where we are now and all that had to happen for us to be here today, we had to understand the position we came from," Taylor said. "We wanted people to really take the time to think about and understand the experience of not being able to protect yourself or your family."

Taylor stressed that EJI recognizes the deaths that occurred after 1950, which was when many activists became targets of racially motivated attacks. Also included in the new monument are Harry and Harriette Moore, an activist couple who died after their Florida home was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on Christmas Day in 1951.

"There were still people who were trying to reinforce white supremacy by terrorizing the African American community," Jennifer Taylor said about the new monument.

The deaths engraved in the new monument sparked change, EJI said. The brutal murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy who was killed in August 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi, emboldened the activism that became the Civil Rights Movement. Family members of Till also placed flowers in front of the new monument.

Family members of Emmett Till place roses in front of the new monument. pic.twitter.com/cl6GAEpobN  Jonece Starr Dunigan (@StarrDunigan) April 29, 2019

Hilliard Brooks Jr.'s death was one of the many racist incidents that formed the foundation of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, EJI reported. Hilliard Brooks III said seeing his father's name on the monument was important to him. It may be the only way the younger generation will learn about his father's role in history, he said.

"We need to let the younger people know how we were treated during slavery, in the 50s, early 60s, 40s and 30s," Hilliard Brooks III said. "If we don't teach them about our history, we will never know where we are going. You have to know where you come from."

The victims' family members - many of them wearing matching T-shirts - hugged and took pictures near the monument. The crowd of attendants closed the ceremony by singing one of the anthems of the Civil Rights Movement - "We Shall Overcome." EJI also planned a star-studded event at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center for its 30th anniversary on Monday night. Performances included five-time Grammy Award winner Lalah Hathaway, three-time Grammy Award winner the Fairfield Four, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and Angella Christie.

Hilliard Brooks III, 71, hopes that those who arent related to the victims felt a sense of unity during the ceremony. Along with his mother, he said a strong community raised him and his siblings. Hilliard Brooks III was only three years old when his father was killed.

He grew up calling Rosa Parks the "candy lady" before she was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. He met members of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which fought against the city's segregation policies after Parks' arrest.

Growing up in a community that birthed a national movement helped him learn the importance of finding a cause worth fighting for, Hilliard Brooks III said.

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. made a statement that a man should have a reason to die for. If you dont have a reason willing to die for, then you dont have a reason to live on this earth, Hilliard Brooks III said.
This is an opinion cartoon.

Alabama prisons are snakes-in-a-toilet scary. They are an infested mess of corruption, rape, torture, murder, blackmail and dangerous dysfunction.

Bonus: Whats the most horrifying part of this cartoon? (Reply in comments. Correct answer wins something.)

Its prison. Its supposed to be bad. If you cant do the time, dont do the crime. Jail should hurt."

These tired old comments show up in every post about Alabamas atrociously bad prisons. Nobody cares about prisons, right?

Maybe you will care when it costs. Because if Alabama doesnt fix its prison problem, the feds will come in and fix it for us. With our money. The federal government will have no problem throwing Alabama taxpayer money into our state prison black hole. Whatever it takes to make it right. Thats how it works.

Prison should be tough, but it shouldnt be inhumane. Not everyone sentenced to prison are murderers, rapists, pedophiles and lost souls. Prison shouldnt be a snake pit of hopelessness. A prison system should punish, but it should also be smart enough to help those who can be rehabilitated.

We cant afford for the bad to be even worse when theyre released. The haunted will come back to haunt.

Check out more cartoons by JD Crowe
Mountain Brook and Hoover restaurants and conference centers may soon be able to serve alcohol for Sunday morning brunch.

Two bills, both sponsored by Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, would allow for city councils of Hoover and Mountain Brook to authorize the sale of alcohol in restaurants to begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

The Mountain Brook bill, SB146, was approved by the senate and awaits action in the House. The Hoover bill, SB292, remains in the Senate committee.

Last year, the Hoover City Council asked the Alabama Attorney General for his opinion on how to enact a 10 a.m. Sunday alcohol bill.

Hoover City Council President Gene Smith said the council decided to withdraw the request from the attorney general and instead pursue a bill in the Alabama State Legislature.

Were doing this for tourism, Smith said. We have several hotels that host large events and want to be able to do this for those.

Currently Sunday alcohol sales begin at noon in Hoover and Mountain Brook.

Last year, the legislature passed a bill that allowed the Birmingham City Council to OK serving alcohol at 10 a.m. The council passed that ordinance last April.

Two more bills, SB96 and HB168, would allow the county commissions of wet counties to permit and regulate the sale of alcohol on Sundays.

HB 168, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, was approved by the House and awaits Senate action.

SB96, sponsored by Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, remains in the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.
Alabamas food stamp rolls fell by more than 38,000 recipients in the last year and by more than 100,000 since 2016, according to figures from the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

Figures from February 2019, the most recent available, showed 730,172 Alabamians received benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. Figures for the same month in 2018 show 768,516 recipients; 2017 had 809,763; and 2016 had 864,645.

The state figures mirror national declines in the number of food stamp beneficiaries, drops attributed to an improving economy and stronger job numbers, as well as tightening restrictions that require more SNAP recipients to work or face losing benefits. Nationally, some 40.3 million Americans received food stamp benefits in 2018, down from 42 million in 2017 and 44 million in 2016.

SNAP provides nutritional support for low-wage working families, low-income seniors, and people with disabilities living on fixed incomes. The federal government pays the full cost of SNAP benefits but shares the cost of administering the program with the states, which administer the program. The average monthly benefits for all households is $254 a month.

Seven counties see double-digit declines

Data shows seven Alabama counties have seen double-digit declines for the last year in the number of people receiving food stamps.

The biggest decline  18 percent  was in Limestone County, which saw its rolls drop from 8,481 in February 2018 to 6,949 in in February 2017.

Other double-digit declines were in Green and Conecuh counties (12 percent each); Bibb (11 percent); and Walker, Cherokee and Tuscaloosa counties (10 percent each).

Breakdowns for other counties are:

9 percent decline

Macon, Perry, Marshall counties

8 percent decline

Marion, Lowndes, Clarke, Crenshaw, Cullman, Russell, Calhoun, Elmore, Sumter, Blount, Clay and Pike counties

7 percent decline

DeKalb, Lauderdale, Pickens, Chambers, Choctaw, Tallapoosa, Jackson and Lamar counties

6 percent decline

Escambia, Dallas, Shelby, Autauga, Marengo and Coffee counties

5 percent or lower declines

Lee, Jefferson, Morgan, Wilcox, Madison, Covington, Washington, Fayette, Butler, St. Clair, Henry, Hale, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Franklin, Bullock, Winston, Dale, Lawrence, Geneva, Barbour, Talladega, Randolph, Chilton, Etowah, Houston, Baldwin and Coosa.

Only one Alabama county saw an increase in food stamp recipients over last year. That county was Cleburne, where rolls grew by 3 percent, 2,011 to 2,156.
Two people in Spanish Fort have been detained Tuesday after a dead body was discovered near to a bridge in the north part of Baldwin County.

As part of the homicide investigation, a search warrant was executed at the 11,000 block of Highway 31 near Coleman Lane in Spanish Fort, according to the Baldwin County Sheriffs Office.

The Major Crimes Unit in Baldwin County was activated after the body was discovered at about 9:30 p.m. near the Majors Creek Bridge in Stockton, a small community about 10 miles north of Bay Minette.

The victim and the two suspects have not yet been named.

This post will be updated when new information becomes available.
A North Alabama girl who had been missing for three weeks was found safe Monday in Walker County, the Morgan County Sheriffs Office said.

Madison Toles, 16, was found in Carbon Hill, according to the sheriffs office. No further details were released.

Madison was first reported missing April 8, when she was last seen at her home in Hartselle.

Authorities initially believed that she could have been headed to Texas.
An Alabama inmate who is set to be executed in May has asked the Alabama Supreme Court to stay his execution while the U.S. Supreme Court reviews his case.

Michael Samra, 42, is set to die by lethal injection on May 16 at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. The Alabama Supreme Court set his execution date on April 11.

Samras attorneys, Steven Sears and Alan Freedman, argue in court filings that the Eighth Amendment bans the execution of offenders- like Samra- who were under the age of 21 at the time of their crimes. They petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case, and now have asked the Alabama Supreme Court to stay Samras execution until the nations highest court can rule.

Samra was convicted of capital murder in 1998 and was sentenced to death for his role in the killings of Randy Duke, his fiancee Dedra Mims Hunt, and her two daughters, 6-year-old Chelisa Nicole Hunt and 7-year-old Chelsea Marie Hunt.

According to Samras filings to the Alabama Supreme Court, his attorneys argue that people under the age of 21 at the time of their crimes are not eligible for the death penalty under the Eighth Amendment. Sears, a Montevallo-based attorney for Samra, said the nations highest courts 2005 ruling banning execution for people who were under the age of 18 at the time of their crimes should be modified due to evolving standards of decency.

In the state supreme court filing, Sears writes that Samras case presents an issue that is percolating in the courts. One Kentucky court has already held that the reasoning of [case law] banning the execution of offenders under 18, has now been shown to apply to those offenders under 21 years old. The filing also states the claim is supported by legal scholars and the American Bar Association.

Sears called the quadruple slaying a terrible tragedy, but said he and his co-counsel dont think that killing one more person is going to help.

Its not fair to kill the small fish and let the whale go, Sears said, referring to Mark Dukes sentence of life in prison without parole. Mark Duke was also sentenced to death for the killings, but in 2005 the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Mark Dukes death sentence because he was 16 at the time of the murders, and ordered he be resentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Mark Duke is also now eligible for a re-sentencing hearing, where a judge will decide whether he should continue serving a life sentence or if he should be eligible for a shot at parole.

Samra was several years older than his friend Mark Duke and was 19 at the time of the murders, which Sears said has made more difference than anything in Samras case.

The slayings happened on March 22, 1997 after, according to court records, Randy Dukes sixteen-year-old son Mark Anthony Duke came up with the murder plot because Randy Duke refused to allow his son to use a pickup truck.

Records state Samra and Mark Duke went to the Duke home, along with two other friends, David Collums and Michael Ellison. Those two friends waited outside while Samra and Mark Duke went inside, according to an appeals court ruling.

Randy Duke and Dedra Hunt were shot to death, court records state, while the girls throats were slashed.

In 2013, Samra lost an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court after he argued his punishment was unfair because his more culpable co-defendant Mark Dukes sentence was reversed. In court filings, Samra claimed his constitutional rights were violated because Dukes sentence was changed.

In 2015, a three-member panel of the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower courts denial of Samras appeal. That appeal focused on two claims, both centering on ineffective counsel.

Collums and Ellison were convicted of lesser crimes and served time in prison.
A 24-year-old Leeds man is behind bars, charged in the shaking death of a 2-year-old boy in his care.

The ordeal began on April 17 when authorities said Jason Daniel Sparks took the toddler  Tyler Michael Haws  to Childrens of Alabama. Leeds Police Chief Jim Atkinson said Sparks and his wife were the boys aunt and uncle and became his guardians after the biological mother in Mississippi was unable to care for him.

When Sparks arrived at Childrens on that Wednesday, he told medical workers that he had tried to feed Tyler breakfast, but he had twice thrown up and wouldnt eat. Then he said the boy became unresponsive as he tried to change him and thats when he went to the hospital.

Atkinson said police investigators received a call from hospital social workers that day stating that the boy was bleeding from the brain and most likely would not survived. They looked at the child and determined he had been abused and shaken, Atkinson said. They could not stop the bleeding to the brain.

According to the Jefferson County Coroners Office, Tyler was pronounced dead at 4:30 p.m. on April 21. The formal cause of death has not yet been determined, but coroners officials confirmed the injury.

Tyler was living with Sparks and his wife at their home in the 8300 block of First Avenue in Leeds. Atkinson said he wasnt sure how long the boy had been with them.

The injury to Tyler is believed to have happened while Sparks wife was at work, the chief said, and she is not being charged with any crime.

Officers arrested Sparks in his vehicle near his home. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail April 24 on charges of murder and aggravated child abuse. He remains jailed on bonds totaling $130,000.
Mobiles Mardi Gras societies are expressing apprehension to city leaders over the potential of having the largest and most elaborate balls of the annual Carnival season housed inside a pre-World War II warehouse.

The vision expressed by Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson on Tuesday is for balls currently held at the Mobile Civic Center to be temporarily relocated inside a warehouse known as 23 East at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, starting in 2021. The building is owned by the Mobile Airport Authority.

The Civic Center is scheduled to be torn down starting in 2021, and the mayor is looking for a three or four year location for the Carnival balls.

The news came one day after Stimpson, three members of the Mobile City Council and about two dozen representatives from various Mardi Gras societies visited Mardi Gras World in New Orleans to learn more about hosting Carnival events inside a large warehouse.

There is apprehension, said Stimpson. Any time you talk about change  the biggest challenge is the location and the logistics of getting off a float and then on to 23 East. That has to be worked out.

Mobile City Councilman John Williams, who attended the New Orleans trip, said everyone is reserved with their comments and recognizes that talks about relocating the Civic Center balls to Brookley are still in the early stages.

The more we can talk, the better things will be, said Williams. (The Mardi Gras societies) have done things for a long time the say way. And some of that is family tradition, some is organizational tradition and its good. Its whats kept Mardi Gras here so many years. Im not willing to discount that.

He added, Certainly, we will find something that will work.

Alternative venue

Stimpson, though, said change is likely coming for Alabamas oldest and most successful annual festival that features two weeks of parades, balls and a host of other events. This years Mardi Gras season, which ended in early March, attracted more than 1 million people to the citys downtown streets.

Weve got to have a place for these larger Mardi Gras organizations so they have their balls, Stimpson said. For 2020, well still use the Civic Center. This alternative venue has to be ready by 2021.

The future of the 55-year-old Civic Center and the 22-acres where its situated off of Interstate 10, remains as mysterious as the identities of the mystic society members who have flocked to it for generations during Carnival season.

One thing seems to be clear: The building is headed for the wrecking ball.

The Civic Center was built in 1964, and is configured specifically for elaborate tableaus and night-long balls. Attendees are traditionally required to show up in costume de rigueur, a reference to a strict formal dress code upheld during Mardi Gras season.

But the merriment that occurs inside the building has run up against a harsh reality of the aging structures costs. The city transfers more than $1.1 million from its General Fund each year to help maintain and operate the Civic Center. Estimates on the short-term maintenance to upgrade the venue run around $14 million. Of that, $5.3 million would be needed to refurbish the buildings discolored metal dome.

Stimpson, since at least 2015, has signaled interest in tearing it down and replacing the venue with something new.

Within the next six months, the mayor said, a decision will be made on which of two development teams will win a contract to redesign the entire 22-acre Civic Center site. A committee charged with deciding the winning proposal is asking both teams to provide additional plans, and conversations about a concept are ongoing.

But a conundrum has come up for the city, and its a worry among the citys Mardi Gras faithful over suitable alternatives for large mystic societies accustomed to the Civic Center and its adjoining Expo Hall.

The Crewe of Columbus, one of the largest of Mobiles mystic societies, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in the coming years. Other mystic societies will also be embarking on milestone commemorations.

We have organizations coming up on big celebrations for them individually, and Id hate to think wed do it in a second-class building, said Jackie Schwartz, who has been involved in Mardi Gras for more than 30 years and has presided over the umbrella association for parading groups.

At least one longtime Mardi Gras reveler who portrays a Mobile Carnival icon has said the reaction hes received about relocating the balls have been filled with plenty of questions.

Everyone knows that things change, said Wayne Dean, who portrays the fictitious Chief Slacabamarinico during the wildly popular Joe Cain Day procession. But this would totally change. Youd have a sitdown party and not a ball, per se.

Mardi Gras World

Stimpson and Williams said the trip to Mardi Gras World in New Orleans proved beneficial in witnessing how a warehouse can house Carnival events.

Mardi Gras World is a tourist attraction along the Mississippi River south of downtown New Orleans. The massive 300,000-square-foot working warehouse is where many of the Big Easys floats are made, as well as floats for some of the Mobile Mardi Gras parades.

The facility has been owned and operated by the citys famous float builders, the Kern family, since the 1980s.

While there Monday, the Mobile group witnessed a Mardi Gras parade attended by around 300 to 400 employees of Big O Tires occurring inside the warehouse.

They had a micro parade of three or four floats, said Stimpson. Two people pushed and another pulled a float the CEO was in with his wife and they were tossing beads out to employees. You had a police escort and two motorcycles and a high school band  it was a great experience for those conventioneers.

Stimpson said the Brookley warehouse could offer a similar Mardi Gras feel, and that discussions with Visit Mobile could include it as part of the citys convention experience.

But the mayor stopped short of saying that 23 East would be Mobiles answer to Mardi Gras World. He did confirm that Mobile Mardi Gras World president and CEO Barry Kern will be visiting Mobile in the coming months, and that the possibility exists for the city to partner with the New Orleans company for the Brookley project.

I think what we want to focus on is we have to do something temporarily, Stimpson said. That has to be our 100 percent focus. But if the Mardi Gras societies say they like it, well have to morph (into a more permanent venue). Its premature to say that. Our focus is to say that well come up with this interim facility and go from there.

David Clark, president and CEO of Events Mobile, already sees the venue as an easy sell for conventions.

The warehouse is situated within a growing industrial complex/business park about four miles south of downtown Mobile where the Mobile Airport Authority will officially open a new $8 million terminal on Wednesday as the first sign of a complete shift of commercial aviation services from Mobile Regional Airport in the western edges of the city to Brookley.

There is built-in traffic from the airport and my gut says is that the airport will be successful and growing, said Clark. And not only from that stand point, but think about the possibilities of a few billboards off of I-10 that says, Visit Mardi Gras in Mobile. Its a quick and easy exit in two minutes, you are inside and learning about Mardi Gras and having fun and experiencing what it is.
The Alabama Death Row inmate who narrowly avoided execution in early April has a new execution date.

Christopher Price was initially set to die by lethal injection on April 11 at William Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, but the execution was called off just before midnight because the state said it didnt have time to start the procedure before the death warrant expired. The Alabama Supreme Court has set a new execution date for Price on May 30.

Price, 46, was convicted in the 1991 robbery and slaying of Fayette County minister Bill Lynn.

On the day of his first scheduled execution, Price was the subject of several legal battles. About two hours before the scheduled execution at 6 p.m., Southern District of Alabama Chief Judge Kristi DuBose issued a stay of execution for 60 days and ordered the state to submit evidence in contradiction to Prices contention the three-drug lethal injection protocol will cause or is likely to cause severe pain. Price was asking to be executed by the newly approved method, nitrogen hypoxia. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled the execution could go forward, but their ruling came after the Alabama Attorney Generals Office had already called it off for the night.

The AGs Office has argued Price missed the June 2018 deadline for opting into the nitrogen hypoxia method. Days after the called-off execution and after the nations highest court allowed the execution to go on, the state asked the Alabama Supreme Court to quickly reset an execution date in the interests of justice.

Last week, DuBose set Prices case for a non-jury trial on June 10 at 9:00 a.m. Her order on the trial date did not prevent the Alabama Supreme Court from setting a new execution date for Price, and DuBose wrote she would not stay the execution if a new date was set.

Lynn was killed with a sword and knife just days before Christmas in 1991, while he was wrapping presents for his grandchildren. He had over 30 inches-deep stab wounds and one of his arms was nearly severed. His wife, Bessie Lynn, was injured in the attack but survived.

Bessie Lynn and five other relatives were present in Atmore earlier this month, prepared to witness Prices execution.
The American steel industry directly and indirectly supports more than two million American jobs. The economic engine of iron and steel is responsible for more than 76,000 jobs in Alabama alone, paying a total of $4.7 billion in wages and salaries annually, while generating nearly $22 billion in industry output and $2 billion in federal, state and local taxes. However, dumped and subsidized steel imports have damaged the health of the industry, causing steel plants across the country to close and production of certain steel products to move offshore.

In response to the steel crisis that has been more than a decade in the making, and after an extensive nine-month investigation by the Department of Commerce, the president last year determined under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act that imports of steel products threatened to impair our national security. He imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports.

This necessary action has allowed the American steel industry to begin to recover. Capacity utilization at existing mills has increased in recent months to more than 80 percent -- levels not seen in the last 10 years. Steel shipments were 5 percent higher in 2018 than 2017. Steel imports have decreased 35 percent since the steel tariffs took effect in April 2018 through February 2019. The share of the steel market taken by imports has fallen from 29 percent last April to 20 percent in February.

The Section 232 trade remedy has also enabled investments in facilities -- like the recent announcement by United States Steel Corporation to restart construction on an electric arc furnace steelmaking facility at its tubular operations in Fairfield, creating 150 jobs, and the planned $100 million investment by SSAB Americas in Mobile to increase production capacity for high-strength, value-added steels creating 50 new jobs.

While conditions in the American steel industry have improved recently due to the administrations trade actions and tax and regulatory reform policies, there is still more work to be done.

There are nearly 500 million net tons of excess steel capacity in the world today. Chinas record steel production exceeded one billion net tons in 2018  more than 10 times all of the American steel production. This, along with Chinas high level of steel exports, continues to destabilize the global industry and threaten American steelmakers. If the Section 232 tariffs were prematurely removed, this excess production could easily flood into the United States, injuring the steel industry once again.

It is clear that the Section 232 trade remedy is critical to ensuring the steel industry remains a vital asset for our national and economic security, and at the forefront in developing the most advanced steel products. The American steel industry built this country. We want to keep American steel strong.

Gibson is president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington, DC.
A bill making it a crime for a doctor to perform an abortion passed in the Alabama House of Representatives Tuesday 74 to 3.

Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur said the goal of the bill is to bring the legislation to the U.S. Supreme Court in order to overturn Roe V. Wade and change the countrys abortion laws. Sixty-six of 104 House members signed on as co-sponsors for the bill.

The bill would make it a Class A felony for a doctor to perform an abortion and a Class C felony for attempting to perform an abortion unless there is a serious health risk to the mother.

HB314 does not include any exceptions for instances of rape or incest, which has garnered criticism from both pro- and anti-abortion groups.

Rep. Anthony Daniels, D- Huntsville, asked Collins to amend the bill to make exceptions for rape and incest. Collins said she would not take any amendments to the bill because she wants the focus of the bill to be on overturning Roe. The amendment was tabled on a 72-26 vote.

Merika Coleman, the Assistant Minority Leader, suggested an amendment that would make legislators who vote for the bill pay for the the ultimate legal challengers the bill would incur with their own salaries. The amendment was tabled with a vote of 61-27.

I dont know why you are standing there with that smirk on your face, [Rep. Teri Collins] when you are destroying so many ladies in this country, Rep. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham said.

The bill was hotly debated for almost two hours before the final vote.

Rep. Louise Alexander, D-Bessemer asked Rep. Mike Jones, R- Andalusia, what he would do if either of his daughters were raped and became pregnant. He said he could not know what he would do unless he was faced with that reality, to which she said proved her point.

"Nobody knows what a woman goes through," Alexander said. "I know you don't because you're not a woman. You don't know why I would want to have an abortion. It could be because of my health, it could be for many reasons. My choice is important. I just want to say one thing. Until all of you walk in a woman's shoes, yall don't know."

Rep. Rich Wingo, R-Tuscaloosa compared abortion to murder.

"I believe that this chamber, this body will never make a greater decision that today I believe that with all my heart, protecting the life of an unborn child," Wingo said. "In Tuscaloosa, Alabama there are more murders, more abortions than anywhere in the state of Alabama. 3500 average per year take place right on River Road. There are more abortions in Tuscaloosa than there are births....Its time for Alabama to lead for once."

In 2017 there were 2,538 births in 2017 and 3,148 abortions at the West Alabama Womens Center. Pregnant people travel from all over the state to get to the Tuscaloosa clinic as it is one of three in Alabama.

Rep. Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham read from a poem If My Vagina was a Gun, comparing the guns rights debate to the debate of a womans right to an abortion.

We expected this vote to happen and we are ready for a fight in the Senate, said Staci Fox, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates. Todays floor debate made it crystal clear what Alabama lawmakers think about women. It also revealed just how callous and flagrant they can be.

The ACLU of Alabama has promised to fight the bill if passed. The state paid ACLU of Alabama and Planned Parenthood $1.7 million in 2016 after a law requiring abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges was ruled unconstitutional.

We are disappointed that the Alabama House passed HB314 despite the fact it would criminalize abortion and interfere with a womans personal, private medical decisions. It is unfortunate that members of the House are putting their personal beliefs ahead of whats in the best interest of our state. The people of Alabama are paying the bill for unconstitutional legislation and we hope that the Senate members will realize its detrimental impact and stop this bill from becoming law. Otherwise it will be challenged in federal court.
The Muslim Brotherhood came up frequently during the GCC rift. Here is a breakdown of the groups ideology and roots.

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has been in the news lately as one of the reasons behind the current diplomatic crisis between Qatar and other Gulf countries.

On June 7, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters during a visit to Paris that Qatar must stop supporting Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Jubeirs statements came two days after Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Qatar in the worst rift to hit the GCC region.

Qatar became a central target of the Saudi-Emirati-Israeli joint lobbying efforts for its perceived role in promoting the Muslim Brotherhood and hosting members of Hamas political bureau.

Saudi Arabia and other GCC nations also released a list of alleged terrorists with links to Qatar. The list included the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates.

In response to the allegations, the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, said the classification of the entire Muslim Brotherhood as terrorists is problematic.

During his June 14th testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Relations, Tillerson pointed out that there are elements of the Muslim Brotherhood that have become parts of governments.

I think you can appreciate the complexities this enters into our relations with [governments in the region], he added.

But who is the Muslim Brotherhood and do they pose a grave risk to regimes in the region?

Here is a breakdown of the groups ideology and historic roots.

Who are the Muslim Brotherhood?

The MB is the oldest political Islamist group in the Arab world. It is not allowed to operate as an official political party in some Arab countries.

When and where was the Muslim Brotherhood founded?

The MB was founded in Egypt in 1928 by and Islamic scholar and teacher by the name of Hassan al-Banna. He had a vision of a universal Islamic system of rule that could be attained by promoting Islamic laws and morals and by engaging society through offering social services.

READ MORE: The evolution of Islamists

What are the main principles of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology?

The ideology of the MB is mainly focused on reform of existing political systems in the Arab world. It embraces the idea of political activism and social responsibility, organising charitable works and social support programmes as part of its outreach to its core support base of lower-income populations.

The members of the MB represent a broad spectrum of interpretations of the initial ideology of Hassan al-Banna. Many members embrace a more pragmatic idea of achieving their goals, urging political participation and cooperation.





Has the Muslim Brotherhoods ideology shifted or changed?

There were a couple of shifts in the MBs ideology over the years, as they developed from an active participant in a nationalist movement to a banned group forced to operate underground and leaning towards an armed struggle for their ideology, and then back to a reformist-minded party.

Throughout they have always adhered to their ideal of a society governed by Islamic laws and morals.

Who are the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood?

The supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is Mohamed Badie, who is currently in prison, having been sentenced to a number of life in prison and death sentences for a variety of charges.

Abdel Nasser wanted a secular socialist country rather than the Muslim Brotherhoods push for Islamic rule [AP]

Is the Muslim Brotherhood a violent organisation?

In its early days in Egypt, the MB was involved in the active struggle against British occupation, and also cooperated with the Free Officers movement to liberate Egypt from the monarchy.

A difference of opinion arose between the Free Officers (led by Gamal Abdel Nasser) and the MB, with Abdel Nasser preferring a secular socialist country to one ruled by Islam.

An assassination attempt on Abdel Nasser in the 1950s led to the jailing of Sayed Qutb, a leading MB figure. His writings from prison advocated armed struggle against the Egyptian regime and others in order to spread the MB ideology. Qutb was executed in 1966 but his writings are used by many Islamist groups to justify armed struggle.

The MB officially renounced violence in the 1970s during the rule of Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat. They formally adopted a mandate of democracy in 1995 and their influence became apparent in professional work syndicates and social welfare work circles.

READ MORE: The Muslim Brotherhood and Trumps terror list

Has the Muslim Brotherhood ever made political gains in the Arab world?

Here are some notable cases of Muslim Brotherhood or MB-affiliated political gain.

In late 2011, Tunisias Ennahda party (an Islamist party inspired by the MB) won the first parliamentary elections to be held in the country after the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

In 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood ran a candidate in the post-Arab Spring presidential elections in Egypt. Mohamed Morsi won the election and was Egypts first democratically elected leader until a coup by the Egyptian armed forces in 2013 overthrew and jailed him along with many individuals in the MB leadership.

In Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, which was a Muslim Brotherhood party until it cut ties with the mother organisation in 2013, has a large presence in the Jordanian parliament.





In which countries is the Muslim Brotherhood active?

Other than Egypt, which is the birthplace of the Muslim Brotherhood, there are parties that can be considered offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood in a number of Arab countries, as they were inspired by the core tenets of MB ideology. These include Hamas in Palestine, the Ennahda party in Tunisia, and Kuwaits Islamic Constitutional Movement.

In Jordan, the Muslim Brotherhood is represented in the Islamic Action Front, the political wing that is one of the largest blocs in the Jordanian parliament. It broke formal ties with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood after the 2013 coup in Egypt. In Bahrain, the political arm of its Muslim Brotherhood group is known as the Minbar.

Not all Islamist parties are MB, a clear example of that is the Salafi movement of Egypt, which was Islamist in nature, but chose its own path in various political situations including the 2013 overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi by the armed forces in Egypt.

In 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood ran a candidate in the post-Arab Spring presidential elections in Egypt [Amr Dalsh/Reuters]

Which countries call the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation?

To date, the countries that have labelled the MB as a terrorist organisation are: Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.

Why do Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates dislike the Muslim Brotherhood?

In 2013, Saudi rulers threw their weight behind Egypts brutal crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood supporters. In March 2014, the kingdom designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group.

Analysts have concluded that a brand of Sunni Islamism that called for political participation and electoral legitimacy, of which the Muslim Brotherhood is perhaps the best example, was seen as almost an existential threat, because it offered a different model of Islamist politics to that of the Saudi state.
Akihito will be succeeded by his son Crown Prince Naruhito who will ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne on Wednesday.

Akihito in his final address as emperor thanked the Japanese people for their support during his 30-year reign and said he would pray for the peace and happiness of all the people in Japan and around the world.

The formal abdication came in the Room of Pine in Toykos Imperial Palace when Akihito announced his retirement standing next to his wife Empress Michiko and in the presence of his son Crown Prince Naruhito, other members of the royal family and top government officials.

He is the first Japanese emperor to abdicate since Kokaku in 1817. Akihitos abdication had to be approved by parliament.

The monarch had started his abdication rituals at a Shinto shrine on Tuesday morning.

Television images showed Akihito in a traditional robe entering the main Shrine of Kashiko-dokoro to report his abdication to the gods.

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The shine is where the goddess Amaterasu, said to be a direct ancestor of the imperial family, is enshrined. Only part of Akihitos shrine ritual was public.

Reiwa era

Akihitos reign runs through midnight (15:00GMT) then Prince Naruhito becomes the new emperor and his era begins. Naruhito will ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne on Wednesday ushering in a new era called Reiwa.

The name of the new imperial era, means beautiful harmony.

Naruhito will inherit the imperial regalia of sword and jewel, as well as imperial seals as proof of his succession as the nations 126th emperor.

As Akihito made his last public appearance as emperor, many people gathered outside the high walls of the palace compound despite unseasonably wet and cold weather.

We came because today is the last day of (the emperors era of) Heisei, and we feel nostalgic, said Akemi Yamauchi, 55, standing outside the palace with her husband.

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We like the current emperor. He has worked hard for the people, he is very thoughtful, and kind to everyone, said her husband, Kaname. The couple came from Kyoto, Japans ancient capital where emperors lived until about 150 years ago.

Messages have also come from global leaders.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed gratitude in a letter to Akihito for his emphasis on peace and contributions to developing relations between Seoul and Tokyo.

President Donald Trump expressed appreciation for his contribution to the two countries close relations.

Trump had a courtesy meeting with Akihito during his 2017 Japan visit and will be the first foreign leader in May to meet the new emperor.

Akihito, 85, took the throne in 1989 and devoted his career to making amends for a war fought in his fathers name while bringing an aloof monarchy closer to the people.

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With his commoner-born wife, he reached out to the people, especially those who faced disabilities and discrimination, as well as those hit by disasters, illuminating the hardships of people often overlooked by society.

Akihito was the first emperor to marry a commoner, one of many changes he brought to the palace.

The couple also chose to raise their three children themselves instead of leaving them with palace staff, and have decided to be cremated upon their deaths in a smaller tomb side by side, also a tradition-breaking step.

Akihito is expected to enjoy his retirement, going to museums and concerts, or spend time on his research into goby fish at a seaside imperial villa. Akihito and Michiko will move to a temporary royal residence before eventually switching places with Naruhito.
Algerias ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) party has elected a new leader, according to state media, a month after former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika quit in the face of mass protests over his bid for a fifth term in office.

Mohamed Djemai, a 50-year-old businessman, was named as the new head of the FLN on Tuesday, state television reported.

Djemai is a relatively youthful figure atop the FLN, most of whose senior officials are in their 70s and have dominated Algerias politics since independence from France in 1962.

He replaced Moad Bouchareb, who like other associates of the ailing, 82-year-old Bouteflika stepped down when he did on April 2.

Bouteflikas exit failed to placate protesters, however, who have continued to take to the streets to call for a complete political overhaul and a crackdown on corruption.

Until presidential elections on July 4, Algeria will be run by Bouteflika-loyalist and caretaker president Abdelkader Bensalah, though he has also faced demands to resign.

The judiciary has been freed

Earlier on Tuesday, the army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah  who helped push out Bouteflika after having him declared unfit for office  said several big corruption cases would be brought forward as part of a major crackdown, private Ennahar TV reported.

The judiciary has been freed from all pressures, Salah said in a speech at a base in the eastern city of Constantine. The country will be cleansed of corruption and corrupt people.





A number of figures from the ruling political elite, including the finance minister, ex-prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia and several oligarchs, have come under investigation in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, Ouyahia appeared before a court to answer questions relating to a corruption probe implicating several associates of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, local media reported.

Footage of Ouyahia, who served as Algerias prime minister four times, entering the court in central Algiers was broadcast by several private television stations.

Finance Minister Mohamed Loukal was questioned a day earlier at the same court over the misuse of public funds.

Meanwhile, a court in Tipaza, a town roughly 80km west of Algiers, questioned former police chief Abdelghani Hamel as part of a judicial inquiry into alleged bribery.

Billionaires arrested

The moves came after five billionaires were arrested on April 22 on charges ranging from illegally transferring large sums of money internationally to exploiting their proximity to the former head of state to win lucrative state contracts.

They include: Issad Rebrab, who is considered Algerias richest man, Ali Haddad, who was stopped at a border checkpoint as he tried to cross into neighbouring Tunisia, and the Kouninef brothers.

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Amel Boubekeur, a research fellow at the Paris-based School for Advanced Studies, said the reason behind the anti-corruption drive was likely an attempt by Gaid Salah to settle old scores.

The army and secret services have always used anti-corruption campaigns as a warning to Bouteflikas clients when it was sensed that they became too influential, Boubekeur said.

In the last 10 years, we had the Chakib Khelil affairs, named after the ex-energy minister, we had the corruption investigation looking into the east-west highway construction  These never led to any arrests or new clean practices within the regimes ranks.
Activists say 40 million Muslims and 30 million Dalits not on electoral rolls, raising fears of targeted suppression.

New Delhi, India  Indias general election, the worlds largest democratic exercise, is past its halfway mark.

The countrys election commission says nearly 900 million voters are eligible to vote in the seven-phase voting, which started on April 11 and will go on till May 19 for 543 parliamentary constituencies.

But nationwide reports of voters finding they were unable to vote after being deleted from, or deemed ineligible to be included in, the electoral rolls have raised concerns.

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Voter turnout this year has been high, particularly in the state of Assam which recorded an impressive 80 percent polling.

But those left out of the voting process in Indias northeastern state have not been able to join in the enthusiasm.

I feel neglected. Its very painful and I cant explain it, says Saleha Begum, a 60-year-old resident of Assams Baksa district.

Saleha is one of around 125,000 D or Doubtful voters in Assam deemed ineligible to vote by the authorities, who say they were not provided with sufficient evidence of their Indian citizenship.

Such people have been accused of being undocumented immigrants from the neighbouring country of Bangladesh, a long-running issue in the state.

I feel neglected. It's very painful and I can't explain it. Saleha, resident of Assam state

Assam has witnessed mass agitation against so-called foreigners for decades.

Saleha Begum, left, is one of around 125,000 D or Doubtful voters in Assam [Abdul Gani/Al Jazeera]

Last year, a controversial update to a citizenship list, known as the National Registry of Citizens (NRC), excluded around four million people, effectively stripping them of Indian citizenship.

Many of them, including Saleha, are from Assams Bengali-origin minority.

Stateless overnight

But Saleha says she has lived in Assam her whole life and used to vote regularly until the D Voter category was created in 1997. The last vote she cast was in Indias general elections the year before.

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Suddenly, I became doubtful. It is something I would never understand and I feel helpless, she told Al Jazeera.

Everyone in my family can vote except me. I also want to vote and be counted as a citizen of India.

Assams D voters are not the only people to have been denied voting rights in India. Around three million names were allegedly deleted off voter rolls in the southern state of Telangana between 2015 and 2018, leading to mass disenfranchisement in the state elections that were held in December.

The deletions in Telangana took place during a process aimed at removing duplicate names from the electoral rolls and linking voter details to Aadhaar, a controversial biometric identity card.

But people there say their names were removed from the list without proper verification, leaving them unable to cast their votes in last years elections.

Similar mass deletion of names from voters lists has been reported from other states, such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Delhi.

Overall, it is hard to ascertain just how many people are not on Indias voting rolls. Research by two leading psephologists has suggested that as many as 28 million women are missing from the electoral rolls.

An initiative called Missing Voters goes even higher, estimating that a whopping 120 million Indians are not on the voters lists.

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Khalid Saifullah, founder of the Hyderabad-based initiative, told Al Jazeera that he believes around 65 million of these missing voters are women.

Among the 120 million people Missing Voters suggests are not included on the rolls, Saifullah further estimates that around 40 million of them, like Saleh and Imran, are Muslims while 30 million are Dalits, the former untouchables.

Saifullahs estimates are based on discrepancies he says he found between the number of single households in census data and the election commissions data. The numbers include those who may not have registered to vote in addition to the names that may have been deleted.

People line up to cast their votes outside a polling station in Majuli, a large river island in Assam [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]

Targeted voter deletions?

There are also concerns that Indias minorities, mainly Muslims and Dalits, were the chief targets of voter suppression.

Experts say one of the easiest tools of exclusion is Form 7, which is available on the website of the election commission. Anyone can fill out that form, requesting the poll body to remove an individuals name.

There is often mischief by political parties who fill out Form 7 in various peoples names, says Saifullah. That is targeting. Its pretty easy in India.

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Saifullah points out that no verification is done when somebody fills out Form 7. He suggests the use of OTPs (or One-Time Password) for such procedures. An OTP is a common feature in India while conducting financial transactions online.

In the present system, you dont have to give any of your details, he says. It should at least ask for a mobile number, because I know a lot of people are misusing it. If you know which polling booth someone is registered at, you can say that person doesnt live in the area and ask for his removal.

Independent researcher Srinivas Kodali, who has taken Indias election commission to court over voter deletions in Telangana, agrees there is a targeting of certain communities.

The elections may be free but they are not fair anymore when you're not transparent enough. Srinivas Kodali, Independent Researcher

However, he says it is hard to tell because of a lack of transparency or clear information in the system, which he regards the root of the problem.

Their practices are weird, he says, referring to the election authorities. When youre deleted from a roll, you never know which year you were deleted in? Was it 2015 or 2017? There is no way to know.

They have issues with their algorithms and their systems which they dont want to accept  They want to keep using the same system or process forever.

The Election Commission of India denied reports that a large number of voters was missing from the rolls.

The report in media that a huge number of voters are missing is not correct at all, spokesperson SB Sharan told Al Jazeera in an emailed response. lf a once enrolled voter finds out that his name is deleted, he can submit application for adding his name to the appropriate constituency.

Sharan said the poll body has tirelessly worked to ensure that every citizen gets easy access to the system for either getting his name added to the electoral rolls or correcting any errors in personal information.

N Gopalaswami, a former Chief Election Commissioner, also defended the electoral body. He told Al Jazeera that the numbers being alleged are absurd and that voters have ample opportunity ahead of elections to ensure they are on the rolls.

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One unfortunate thing that happens in this country is that voters are so pampered that they never check [the rolls]  People will talk in exaggerated tones and so that they can say hundreds of thousands of people have been removed, he says.

Saifullah believes that the onus cannot be on poor people, who either dont have internet access or cannot afford to take time off of work to check their names on the voters list.

Both Saifullah and Kodali insist that voter disenfranchisement is real, and its effect on Indian elections clear.

You cant say that the elections are fair, says Kodali. The elections may be free but they are not fair anymore when youre not being transparent enough.

Abdul Gani contributed to this report from Assam
Largely regarded by the scientific community as myth, yeti is part of Nepali folklore and is said to live in Himalayas.

Mountaineers from the Indian army on an expedition in Nepal have found mysterious large footprints in the snow that they think belong to the yeti, or the abominable snowman, the military said on Tuesday.

Largely regarded by the scientific community as a myth, the yeti is part of Nepali folklore and is said to live in the higher snow-capped areas of the Himalayas.

In a tweet accompanied by pictures, the Indian army said it had sighted footprints measuring 32 inches by 15 inches (81cm by 38cm) close to a camp near Mount Makalu on April 9.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast Yeti', it said in a tweet, not explaining how a mythical beast could leave footprints.

Indian social media was abuzz with sceptical and even hilarious reactions from users on the discovery. Hashtag #Yeti was trending at number two on Twitter in India.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 3215 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7  ADG PI  INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019

Have you or anyone seen #Yeti before? Why do you assume #Yeti is two-legged? Or 4-legged?

Why cant Yeti-ji be a 1-leg creature?!  Rakesh Sharma (@rakeshfilm) April 30, 2019

Mythical figure

Located on the border between Nepal and China, Makalu is among the highest mountains in the world and stands near the Makalu-Barun Valley, a remote wilderness that has also been surveyed by researchers hunting for the yeti.

Tales of a wild hairy beast roaming the Himalayas have captured the imagination of climbers in Nepal since the 1920s, prompting many, including Sir Edmund Hillary, to go looking for the creature.

In 2008, Japanese climbers returning from a mountain in western Nepal told Reuters news agency they had seen footprints, which they thought belonged to the yeti.

Although they carried long-lens cameras, video cameras and telescopes, they hadnt seen or taken any photographs of the creature.

If you question Indian Army's 'Yeti' discovery, are you anti-national?  Meghnad  (@Memeghnad) April 30, 2019

But scientists have found little evidence of the yetis existence so far. In 2017, a group of international researchers studied multiple purported yeti samples collected from across the Himalayan region and concluded they belonged to bears.

In 2008, two men in the United States said they had found the remains of a half-man-half-ape, which was eventually revealed to be a rubber gorilla suit.
Activists say jailing Umbrella Movement leaders shows how freedom of speech is being restricted in the city.

Hong Kong  Hong Kongs jailing of four leaders of the Umbrella Movement has had a chilling effect on the citys freedom of speech, according to activists and human rights lawyers who added that people might be deterred from joining protests because of the harsh sentences.

Four leading activists of the 2014 pro-democracy protests were sentenced to up to 16 months in jail while another four received suspended sentences or community service hours.

Those sentenced included sitting legislators, professors and student activists who were convicted of public nuisance for their roles in the 79-day protests.

Hong Kong slipped three places to 73 in the latest Press Freedom Index by Reporters With Border (RSF).

Beijings baleful influence led to a decline in Hong Kongs press freedom, according to the RSF who released the rankings earlier this month.

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This is the most difficult time in Hong Kong when it comes to our democracy fight since 1997, pro-democracy camp convener Claudia Mo told Al Jazeera, referring to the time when the British colonial government handed the city back to China.

Thats because the [government] is using judicial means as political weapons to shut us down.

Yellow umbrellas, that symbolise the 2014 mass demonstration, were once again unfurled in Sundays protest, wherein 130,000 people marched to the citys parliament in opposition to the extradition law amendments, according to organiser estimates.

If the amendments pass, Hong Kong would be allowed to send criminal suspects to China for trial.

Push for social change

Jeffrey Ngo, the chief researcher for the pro-democracy Demosisto party, termed the sentencing harsh given that the protests were peaceful and non-violent, adding that he was worried about the future development of Hong Kongs democratic movements.

Protest has always been the primary means to push forward social changes throughout history and around the world, said Ngo.

The power of the people is potentially very high, but only if they feel like participating in a way they would not face these unreasonable consequences, such as being sent to prison.

Organiser estimated 130,000 people joined the demonstrations [James Wendlinger/Al Jazeera]





The 2014 Occupy Central demonstrations were sparked by the Chinese governments political reform framework that ruled out universal suffrage for the semi-autonomous region.

Tens of thousands of protesters camped out on the streets and blocked traffic in three key districts  Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok  for nearly three months.

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But in the eyes of judge Johnny Chan, the three movement cofounders were too naive to think that they could push for full democracy.

It is naive to suggest that a concession to introduce the form of universal suffrage advocated by the trio could be made by the government overnight with a click of fingers, Chan wrote in his 268-page verdict.

It is equally naive to suggest a mass protest of tens of thousands of people could be dispersed overnight even if a positive response were to come from the authorities.

Despite the defence justifying the obstruction as a result of civil disobedience, Chan dismissed this argument in court.

Civil disobedience does not constitute any defence to a criminal charge brought against a defendant, the verdict read .  Even if a defendant is prosecuted for an offence committed in the course of civil disobedience, civil disobedience is not a defence in law.

No regrets

Chan stressed that he did not mean the defendants should give up their political beliefs or their political demands as they are not of the courts concern.

It is an apology that the members of the public rightly deserve from the defendants, but never received. 

But activists who were not involved in the court case, said saying sorry was not the nature of civil disobedience.

Mo, a sitting legislator, believes the movement cofounders should feel quite the opposite to what the judge suggested  be proud of standing at the front line of the protests.

We are talking about civil disobedience. Its all peaceful and non-violent, said Mo. I regret very much [that] the court failed to take that into account altogether.

The sentences handed to the Occupy activists in Hong Kong are deeply disappointing. One Country Two Systems and the Joint Declaration are about respect for civil and political freedoms.  Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) April 25, 2019

Less than an hour before the prison term was handed down, the citys leader Carrie Lam arrived at Hong Kongs International Airport to depart for the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

A reporter asked if she thought the sentencing could have a chilling effect on protests and assemblies in the future.

Since the handover, we can see whenever something big or small happen, a lot of citizens, organisations and legislator would make use of Hong Kongs freedom of expression to organise protests and assemblies, Lam replied. I dont see such freedom has been undermined.

Human rights lawyer Chris Ng says freedom of expression continues to decline in Hong Kong [James Wendlinger/Al Jazeera]

But Chris Ng, a human rights lawyer and convener of Progress Lawyer Group, disagrees.

There are a lot of incidents showing that we do not enjoy freedom of expression as it used to be. We see that [freedom] continues to decline, said Ng, who was the legal counsel of a land rights activist in a protest five years ago.

He pointed out that the line between one country, two systems  a constitutional principle formulated by China to allow Hong Kong to have its own laws  has become blurry.

Its obvious the governments in Hong Kong and the mainland emphasise too much one country, instead of two systems, he added.
Erik Prince pitched the offer to US President Donald Trump to help remove Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro, report says.

Erik Prince  the founder of the controversial private security firm Blackwater and a prominent supporter of US President Donald Trump  has been pushing to deploy a private army to help topple Venezuelas socialist president, Nicholas Maduro, four sources with knowledge of the effort told Reuters.

Over the last several months, the sources said, Prince has sought investment and political support for such an operation from influential Trump supporters and wealthy Venezuelan exiles.

In private meetings in the United States and Europe, Prince sketched out a plan to field up to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire on behalf of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, according to two sources with direct knowledge of Princes pitch.

One source said Prince has conducted meetings about the issue as recently as mid-April.





White House National Security Council Spokesman Garrett Marquis declined to comment when asked whether Prince had put his plan to the government and whether it would be considered.

A person familiar with the administrations thinking said the White House would not support such a plan.

Venezuela opposition officials have not discussed security operations with Prince, said Guaido spokesman Edward Rodriguez, who did not answer additional questions from Reuters.

Politically far-fetched

The Maduro government did not respond to a request for comment.

Some US and Venezuelan security experts, told of the plan by Reuters, called it politically far-fetched and potentially dangerous because it could set off a civil war.

A Venezuelan exile close to the opposition agreed but said private contractors might prove useful, in the event Maduros government collapses, by providing security for a new administration in the aftermath.

A spokesman for Prince, Marc Cohen, said this month that Prince has no plans to operate or implement an operation in Venezuela and declined to answer further questions.

Lital Leshem, the director of investor relations at Princes private equity firm, Frontier Resource Group, earlier confirmed Princes interest in Venezuela security operations.

He does have a solution for Venezuela, just as he has a solution for many other places, she said, declining to elaborate on his proposal.

The two sources with direct knowledge of Princes pitch said it called for starting with intelligence operations and later deploying 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire from Colombia and other Latin American nations to conduct combat and stabilisation operations.

Dynamic event

For Prince, the unlikely gambit represents the latest effort in a long campaign to privatise warfare. The wealthy son of an auto-parts tycoon has fielded private security contractors in conflict zones from Central Asia to Africa to the Middle East.

One of Princes key arguments, one source said, is that Venezuela needs what Prince calls a dynamic event to break the stalemate that has existed since January, when Guaido  the head of Venezuelas National Assembly  declared Maduros 2018 re-election illegitimate and invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency.

Maduro has denounced Guaido, who has been backed by most western nations, as a US puppet who is seeking to foment a coup.

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Key government institutions  including the military  have not shifted their loyalty to Guaido despite increasing international pressure from sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies.

Guaido has stressed that he wants a peaceful resolution, and Latin American governments recognising his authority have urged against outside military action. Senior US officials, without ruling out armed intervention, have also emphasised economic and diplomatic measures to pressure Maduro.

Close ties to Trump

Prince was a pioneer in private military contracting during the Iraq war, when the US government hired Blackwater primarily to provide security for state department operations there.

In 2007, Blackwater employees shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians at Nisour Square in Baghdad, sparking international outrage. One of the Blackwater employees involved was convicted of murder in December and three others have been convicted of manslaughter.

Prince renamed the Blackwater security company and sold it in 2010, but he recently opened a company called Blackwater USA, which sells ammunition, silencers and knives.

Over the past two years, he has led an unsuccessful campaign to convince the Trump administration to replace US soldiers in Afghanistan with security contractors.

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Since 2014, Prince has run the Hong Kong-based Frontier Services Group, which has close ties to the state-owned Chinese investment company CITIC and helps Chinese firms operating in Africa with security, aviation and logistics services.

Prince donated $100,000 to a political action committee that supported Trumps election. His sister, Betsy DeVos, is the administrations education secretary.

Princes role in Trumps campaign was highlighted in the report by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, released this month, on alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The report outlined how Prince financed an effort to authenticate purported Hillary Clinton emails and how in 2016 he met in the Seychelles islands, off east Africa, with a wealthy Russian financial official on behalf of Trumps presidential transition team.

Prince spokesman Cohen declined to comment on the Mueller report.

Targeting frozen assets

The two sources with direct knowledge of Princes Venezuela plan said he was seeking $40 million from private investors.

He also aims to get funding from the billions of dollars in Venezuelan assets that have been seized by governments around the world imposing sanctions on the OPEC nation, a major oil exporter.

It is unclear, however, how the Venezuelan opposition could legally access those assets. Prince told people in pitch meetings, the sources said, that he believes that Guaido has the authority to form his own military force because he has been recognised internationally as Venezuelas rightful leader.

Prince envisions a force made up of Peruvians, Ecuadoreans, Colombians, Spanish speakers, one of the sources said, adding that Prince argued that such soldiers would be more politically palatable than American contractors.
Boeings boss assures investors 737 Max will be back soon after two crashes within months forced airlines to ground it.

Boeing has held its first annual shareholders meeting since two of its 737 Max aircraft crashed within five months, killing nearly 350 people in total.

The company hopes to reintroduce the model with improvements next month.

It insists the plane will be one of the safest ever to fly, but not everyone is comfortable with Boeings response.

Al Jazeeras John Hendren reports from Chicago.
The prestigious seat of learning will look at how it may have benefited and underpinned attitudes to the slave trade.

The University of Cambridge plans to investigate its links to the trans-Atlantic slave trade and uncover how it may have benefited from slavery and the exploitation of labour, through financial and other means.

The university said on Tuesday that a two-year study will also look at how the work of its scholars may have helped underpin attitudes to the slave trade between the 18th and early 20th Century.

We cannot know at this stage what exactly it will find but it is reasonable to assume that, like many large British institutions during the colonial era, the University will have benefited directly or indirectly from, and contributed to, the practices of the time, Professor Martin Millett, who will oversee the work, said.

The benefits may have been financial or through other gifts. But the panel is just as interested in the way scholars at the university helped shape public and political opinion, supporting, reinforcing and sometimes contesting racial attitudes which are repugnant in the 21st Century.

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Cambridge says the study is part of a wider reflection on the links between slavery and universities in Britain and the United States.

Britain played a key role in the 18th century trans-Atlantic slave trade that saw millions of Africans shipped into bondage.

While it passed a law in 1807 abolishing the trans-Atlantic slave trade, it did not fully abolish slavery until 1833.

According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, around 12.5 million Africans were shipped across the Atlantic over 400 years.

More than 1.7 million people are believed to have died during the journey from either disease, dehydration, or abuse.

Of the more than 10 million people to reach the Western hemisphere, four million were taken to British, French, Dutch, and Danish holdings in the Caribbean, around 4.8 million to Brazil, 1.3 million to Spanish Central America. Around 400,000 were sent to North America.
The EU said it would launch action because of severe deficiencies when it comes to human rights and labour rights.

China has agreed to provide assistance to Cambodia if the European Union implements trade sanctions against the Southeast Asian nation over human rights violations and rule of law issues, according to Cambodias prime minister.

Hun Sen announced the assurance on his Facebook page on Monday as he was returning from Beijing, where he attended a forum about Chinas multibillion-dollar Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

He said China made the pledge during his talks with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang, but he did not say what form the assistance would take.

In February, the EU announced it was launching action that could suspend Cambodias preferential access to its market because of severe deficiencies when it comes to human rights and labour rights.

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The EU grants duty-free and quota-free access for items other than weapons to Cambodia and other developing countries.

At that time, Cambodias Foreign Affairs Ministry called the decision an extreme injustice that ignored steps the government has taken to improve civil and political rights.

It said it is committed to continue enhancing the democratic space, human rights [and] labour rights and that the European move takes the risk of negating 20 years worth of development efforts that had helped pull millions of Cambodians out of poverty.

Describing ties between the two counties as firm as steel, Hun Sen added that China  Cambodias closest ally  pledged a 600 million yuan ($89m) military assistance grant.

During his stay in Beijing, Hun Sen met several Chinese businessmen and many investors agreed to invest in Cambodia soon.

In January, the Cambodian leader made a four-day official visit to China and announced that Beijing had agreed to provide nearly $600m in grant aid as part of a three-year assistance fund and that the two countries also agreed to increase their bilateral trade to $10bn by 2023.
Rosensteins departure ends a nearly two-year run defined by his appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017 to investigate links between the Russian government and President Donald Trumps campaign, has submitted his resignation to the president.

In a letter to Trump, Rosenstein echoed two of Trumps signature phrases on Monday, writing that he helped staff the department with officials devoted to the values that make America great and adding that we always put America first.

According to the letter, he will leave his post on May 11.

Attorney General William Barr confirmed in a statement that the letter had been submitted.

Rod Rosenstein has served the Department of Justice with dedication and distinction for nearly 30 years as a prosecutor, deputy assistant attorney general, US attorney, and as deputy attorney general, said Barr.

His departure ends a nearly two-year run defined by his appointment of Mueller. The departure had been expected since the confirmation of Barr as attorney general.

Our nation is safer, our elections are more secure, and our citizens are better informed about covert foreign influence efforts, his resignation letter said.

In it he thanked the president for the opportunity to serve and said the Department of Justice bears a special responsibility to avoid partisanship.

We enforce the law without fear or favor because credible evidence is not partisan, and truth is not determined by opinion polls. We ignore fleeting distractions  because a republic that endures is not governed by the news cycle.

Mueller investigation

Rosenstein intended to leave in mid-March but stayed on a little longer for the completion of Muellers Russia investigation. Mueller submitted his report to the Justice Department in March.

Although it stopped short of concluding Trump had committed a crime, it did not exonerate him. Rosenstein and Barr concluded that Trump did not obstruct justice.

Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller in 2017 following the recusal of then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, had overseen his teams work for much of the last two years and defended his investigation.

In so doing, Rosenstein sometimes found himself at odds with Trump. He was nonetheless spared the brunt of anger directed at Sessions, whose recusal from the Russia investigation infuriated the president, leading to his forced resignation last November.

Trump repeatedly called the investigation a witch-hunt.

In February, Trump nominated former litigator Jeffrey Rosen to replace Rosenstein, who had often been the subject of the presidents ire.
Fears for cyclone-hit communities in Mozambique as aid flights remain grounded for third consecutive day.

Torrential rain continued to batter northern Mozambique on Tuesday, several days after Cyclone Kenneth, as the United Nations said aid workers faced an incredibly difficult situation in reaching thousands of survivors.

The rains grounded aid operations for a third consecutive day leaving some of the worst-hit communities cut off with very limited supplies.

A planned World Food Programme (WFP) flight to the island of Ibo was on standby until the weather improved, according to Deborah Nguyen, spokeswoman for the agency.

We are really concerned about the situation for people on Ibo island, she said, as they had been left out in the open after the majority of homes were destroyed, and with very limited food.

For us, its a frustrating day  There is not much we can do to reach these islands now, she said.

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The government again urged residents of the main city of Pemba to flee to higher ground as flooding continued.

More than 570 millilitres has fallen in Pemba since Kenneth made landfall on Thursday, just six weeks after Cyclone Idai tore into central Mozambique.

This is the first time two cyclones have struck the southern African nation in a single season, and Kenneth was the first cyclone recorded so far north in Mozambique in the modern era of satellite imaging.

The latest storm has killed at least 41 people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes.

Up to 50 millilitres of rain were forecast over the next 24 hours, and rivers in the region were expected to reach flood peak by Thursday, the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) said, citing a UK aid analysis.

During a break in the downpours on Tuesday morning, some aid flights did manage to ferry supplies to the mainland district of Quissanga and the island of Matemo.





These people lost everything, said Gemma Connell, spokeswoman for OCHA. It is critical that we get them the food that they need to survive.

Women and children have been the hardest hit without the basics that they need to get by, especially shelter, she said.

Landslides

The heavy rains also triggered a landslide at a rubbish dump on Sunday that killed at least five people, Pemba Mayor Florete Matarua told local TV channel STV. The people were all members of the same family and several other houses had also been buried, STV reported.

The death toll was expected to rise as government officials had yet to reach all areas hit by the storm.

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Kenneth, packing storm surges and winds of up to 280 km per hour, devastated villages and islands along a 60 km stretch of coast in Mozambiques north.

Nearly 35,000 houses have been completely or partially destroyed, the government said, and infrastructure and crops also ruined.

Preliminary government assessments suggest 31,000 hectares of crops have been lost in an area already vulnerable to food shortages, and fisheries and other key sources of sustenance like coconut trees were also damaged.

The short-, mid- and long-term availability of food is worrisome, said Herve Verhoosel, senior WFP spokesman in Geneva.

Authorities were also preparing for a possible cholera outbreak as some wells were contaminated and safe drinking water became a growing concern.

With the pair of deadly cyclones, Idai killed more than 600 people last month, Mozambique is a very complex humanitarian situation, said Connell, the OCHA spokeswoman. Only a quarter of the funding needed for Idai relief efforts has come in while funding for Kenneth has been slow.

This is a new crisis, she said. We are having to stretch across the two operations. That is a basic reality we are dealing with every day.
The measures, including embargo on weapons and other equipment, to stay until at least April, 30, 2020.

The European Union has extended a ban on selling arms to Myanmar and prolonged sanctions against high-ranking officials over their role in the Rohingya crisis.

The measures, which include an embargo on weapons and other equipment that could be used for repression, will stay in place until at least April 30, 2020.

The sanctions include an embargo on arms and equipment that can be used for internal repression, an export ban on dual-use goods for use by the military and border guard police, and export restrictions on equipment for monitoring communications that might be used for internal repression, the EU said in a statement.

About 14 top military and border officials are under individual EU sanctions  barring them from travelling to or through the European bloc and freezing any assets they hold in Europe  over alleged human rights violations, including killings and sexual violence.

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It also recalled that it had last adopted conclusions on Myanmar in December 2018 and called on the government of Myanmar to take meaningful action without further delay and to make progress in all areas of concern set out in the councils previous conclusions in February 2018.

The EU also refuses to cooperate with, or provide training to, the Myanmar military.

The Rohingya, described by the United Nations as the worlds most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

In August 2017, almost 750,000 Rohingya refugees fled a military crackdown in northern Myanmar to cross into Bangladesh, where 300,000 members of the persecuted community were already in camps.

Many Rohingya refugees said there had been mass rapes and slaughters, and UN officials have said the crackdown needs a genocide investigation.

Since August 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Muslim-majority Rohingya have been killed by Myanmars state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

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More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the report, titled Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience.

Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmars army and police and over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalised, it added.

The UN has also documented mass gang rapes, killings  including infants and young children  and brutal beatings and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces.

In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity and genocidal intent.
Khazer IDP camp, Iraq  Huda Mahmood Alis children often ask her why they cannot go to school like the other children.

They love to go to school, sometimes they go to the classes anyway and the teachers kick them out because they are not registered, she says. Im afraid my children have no future.

The 34-year-old mother has tried to explain to her five undocumented children that it is simply because their IDs were lost when they fled their home in July 2017.

We were running from Mosul, I was carrying the children and lost the bag that had all my documents and IDs in it. I wasnt concentrating on it. Everyone was running, Huda says.

Life in the margins

There are about 45,000 internally displaced children in Iraq who lack civil documentation, according to a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

This figure takes into account only children in displacement camps who do not have birth certificates; given that there are an estimated 870,000 displaced children around the country, the total number of undocumented children is thought to be far higher.

These children have either lost their Iraqi government-issued identification, as Hudas children did, or only have birth certificates issued by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) because they were born in areas controlled by the group, the report outlines. In some other cases, the Iraqi security forces may have confiscated documents due to perceived affiliation with ISIL, while many parents had their documentation taken by ISIL.

Without Iraqi documentation, thousands of children are unable to access healthcare, education and freedom of movement within their own country.

As they grow up, this lack of documentation puts them at risk of not having their marriages recognised and not being able to find work and housing.

For Huda, who lives in the Hamam al-Alil IDP camp near Mosul with her five children and their two half-siblings, it will be impossible to apply for new identification papers for her children.

Her husband is missing, presumed dead, and she has lost her marriage certificate.





I cant prove my husband is dead and, as long as there is no death certificate, the father has to be present to get the childrens IDs, she says.

Healthcare and education

Most of the children who do not have birth certificates are unable to receive healthcare. One official told NRC that in Hawija, Kirkuk province, newborns without documentation were not able to receive vaccinations.

As a result, diseases that had disappeared before ISIL, such as leishmaniasis, scabies and measles, have reportedly reemerged in the area.

Huda is grateful that her undocumented children  Nadher Younis, 9, Ahmad, 8, Jileena, 6, Mahmood, 5 and Hamad, 4  were vaccinated before they fled Mosul.

But now, if anything goes wrong they will not receive health assistance, she says.

Undocumented children are also unable to enrol in school, as the IDs of both the student and their parents are required.

Even if they were able to attend classes, they would not be able to sit exams or be issued graduation certificates.

Although the Ministry of Education issued a directive in 2018 allowing the registration of undocumented children in schools across Iraq, the NRC said a recent study found that nearly one in five families with documentation issues were struggling to register their children in school.

Iraqs parliamentary speaker recently said there was a proposal to open civil registries for a limited period, in order to register undocumented children, but that there was little appetite to change the countrys laws.

Stigmatisation

Parents and children without IDs face an additional stigma: Iraqi security forces and the community commonly perceive them to be affiliated with ISIL.

Because Hudas husband is missing and his cousin and brother were affiliated with ISIL, it is assumed that he is also involved with the group.

She stresses that her husband was never affiliated with ISIL. These accusations hurt us a lot and we feel like we have no value.

Thirty-year-old Sara Khalid Ahmads husband is an ISIL fighter, something that has complicated matters for her in the Khazer IDP camp, halfway between Erbil and Mosul, where she lives with her five children.

Saras youngest child, Husin, was born in a house in west Mosul during the battle to retake the city from ISIL, so she has no birth certificate.

Three of Amira Hussein Ahmad and Sara Khalid Ahmads children are undocumented and cannot access education and health care [Tessa Fox/Al Jazeera]

Now Sara needs to present witnesses in court to prove that Husin is her child.

Because my husband was with ISIL, no one dares to help me, no friends or family members will be a witness of the birth, Sara explains to Al Jazeera.

People are afraid of the intelligence and the government, she adds.

Sara went on to describe going to the Iraqi authorities seeking IDs for her children: They were saying you are with ISIL and you still want IDs?'

Asked if she ever thought her husband being a member of ISIL would affect her children, Sara said she never expected they would be marginalised.

Her sister-in-law, Amira Hussein Ahmad, was left to care for six children after her husband, who joined ISIL, was killed in the fighting.

Her youngest child, two-year-old Abed al-Menaem, only has an ISIL-issued birth certificate, which is not recognised by the Iraqi government.

Collective punishment

Whether families are perceived to be affiliated with ISIL or their relatives were associated with the group makes no difference  their children cannot be issued IDs.

While the NRC provides legal assistance to displaced families applying for civil documentation, their legal team receives an average of 170 cases a month they cannot help with because of ISIL affiliations.

NRC media coordinator for Iraq, Tom Peyre-Costa stressed that the Iraqi government needs to change its policy towards ISIL-affiliated families as the current treatment constitutes collective punishment, which is against international law.

If you punish the wife or children of an ISIS fighter, youre punishing an entire family, Peyre-Costa told Al Jazeera.

Children have nothing to do with the crime of their father.

Further roadblocks

In a best-case scenario for the children, if their father is alive, their mother still has her documents and both are able to apply for new IDs, the process could take up to six months.

Many of the Civil Directorate offices have been destroyed in the war, were closed or are under-resourced, making the application process itself a hurdle for IDPs.

In addition, the cost of transport to these offices, on average IQD40,000 ($33) per person, is a problem for many IDPs  they simply cannot afford it.

Amira told Al Jazeera she doesnt have the money to leave the camp in order to go and apply for her childrens IDs.

Amira Hussein Ahmad is struggling to obtain an ID for her second undocumented child because her husband was with ISIL [Tessa Fox/Al Jazeera]

For those families who do have the money, the numerous checkpoints set up throughout Iraq make travel between cities difficult for undocumented individuals.

Between the Hamam al-Alil camp, where Huda and her children live, and Mosul there are five checkpoints she would need to travel through to get to a Civil Directorate office.

As no one can cross a checkpoint without ID, she runs the risk of arbitrary arrest or detention, which further deters people from making the journey.

Exacerbating alienation

The marginalisation of children from an early age  excluding them from education and healthcare  and then later in life  not being able to marry or have a job  could have long-term implications for the countrys social fabric, according to Peyre-Costa.

Obviously this [marginalisation] will create tensions between communities, he says.

This is always fertile ground for any kind of extremist ideology, so reconciliation-wise, its the worst you can do.
Fentanyl, about 50 times stronger than heroin, takes only two days to make, while heroin takes five months.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl is causing a crisis in the United States, where tens of thousands of overdoses are recorded each year.

But in Mexico, it is also altering the internal drug market.

Traffickers are increasingly smuggling the new drug, instead of locally grown heroin, making poppy farming virtually worthless.

Al Jazeeras John Holman went to the hills of Sinaloa to find out more.
Interior ministry sends notice to Gandhi following outrageous accusation that he holds dual British citizenship.

Indias government has asked Rahul Gandhi, the president of the main opposition Congress party, to respond to a complaint by a politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modis party accusing him of holding dual British citizenship against Indian law.

Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has dominated Indian politics for much of its history since independence from Britain in 1947, is the main challenger to Modi in the 39-day general election that began on April 11. Results will be known on May 23.

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Congress dismissed a notice sent to 48-year-old Gandhi, who has studied and worked in England, by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday as a pathetic stunt that is not just frivolous but downright stupid.

The notice was based on a letter from Subramanian Swamy, an outspoken member of parliament from Modis nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Swamy has long cited what he calls annual reports and other documents from 2005, 2006 and 2009 of a UK-registered company, at which Gandhi was a director, as mentioning his nationality as British.

You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication, BC Joshi, a director in the Indian interior ministry, said in the notice to Gandhi.

Federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh, also a senior BJP leader, told reporters his ministry was following due process.

Indias constitution says that any person voluntarily acquiring a foreign passport automatically loses Indian citizenship.

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Congress said the BJP was making fake, personal attacks on Gandhi after sensing defeat in the election. Gandhi has been a member of Indias lower house of parliament since 2004 and is contesting this election from two seats.

This is outrageous, outlandish and obtuse, Congress spokesman Sanjay Jha said. The people of India can see through these malicious and malevolent personal attacks.

The BJP earlier protested against any constitutional post for Gandhis Italian-born mother, Sonia Gandhi, who famously gave up the chance to become Indias prime minister despite Congress winning the 2004 election under her presidency. She became an Indian citizen in 1983.
Army says Pashtun Tahafuz Movement is funded by Indias Research and Analysis Wing and the Afghan intelligence agency.

Islamabad, Pakistan  Pakistans military has accused a prominent ethnic Pashtun rights movement of being funded by foreign intelligence services, warning its leaders that their time is up, according to the militarys spokesperson.

Major General Asif Ghafoor, speaking at a press conference at the militarys headquarters in the northern city of Rawalpindi on Monday, levelled allegations that the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) had been funded by Indias Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate for Security (NDS).

The way they are playing into the hands of others, their time is up, he said, in the militarys most forceful statement yet against a group that has faced arbitrary detentions, treason charges against its leaders and a blanket ban on media coverage of its events.

No one will be hurt and nothing illegal will be done. Everything will be done according to the law. Whatever liberties you could take, you have taken.

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PTM leaders denied the charges, saying they were ready to present the groups accounts before parliament or other accountability bodies to be examined.

These accusations are being levelled against us only because we are demanding accountability, said Mohsin Dawar, a PTM leader and member of parliament, on the floor of Pakistans National Assembly hours after Ghafoors press conference.

We want accountability for targeted killings, for extrajudicial killings, for missing persons, people who have been held without charge or crime by the government. Whenever anyone speaks of these issues, they are accused of being foreign funded.

Alleged rights abuses

The PTM shot to prominence in January last year, when a long march launched to protest the extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a young Pashtun cloth seller in Karachi, attracted thousands of supporters.

The group, whose leadership is composed of rights activists from the war-torn tribal districts where Pakistan waged the bulk of its war against the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) armed group and its allies, has long agitated for accountability for alleged rights abuses committed during that fight.

Since 2007, Pakistan has launched a series of military operations, mainly in the tribal districts, targeting the TTP and its allies, who sought to impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law on the country.

An operation launched in 2014 has been successful in displacing the TTP from its previous strongholds into neighbouring Afghanistan. But while violence has fallen, sporadic attacks continue to target security forces and civilians. Pakistan says it has lost at least 6,000 soldiers in those military operations.

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The PTM has three main demands: the clearance of land mines and other unexploded ordnance from the tribal districts; an end to extrajudicial killings in Pakistans war against armed groups; and accountability for thousands of people who have been subjected to enforced disappearances by the state.

On Monday, military spokesperson Ghafoor said the state had been working to resolve each of these issues.

He said that 48 teams of military engineers had cleared at least 45 percent of the tribal districts of landmines and other ordnance. At least 101 casualties had occurred during the effort, he said.

Pending cases

On enforced disappearances, he said that a government commission of inquiry was working on resolving the cases, according to the law.

At least 2,181 cases remain pending before the governments commission of inquiry, according to the commissions data.

Many of the 3,659 cases the commission has disposed of have been traced to missing people being held in government custody in a network of internment centres where they may be held without charges indefinitely under a draconian security law.

Ghafoor levelled allegations of both RAW and NDS funding of specific PTM events and protests held since January last year.

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The only thing is that we are aware of the issues of the people from your areas, otherwise dealing with you wouldnt be difficult, he warned.

Earlier this month, PTM held a rally that attracted thousands of supporters to protest against renewed violence in the North Waziristan tribal district, once the headquarters of the TTP.

No amount of provocation will deter us from our peaceful protest, tweeted PTM leader Dawar on Monday. Our recent Miranshah [rally] was an example of its success. Not only did it strengthen our resolve it has also delivered a message.

Would just like to remind that our time is not up, it has just started.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim
Police say 33-year-old man arrested and being questioned after threats about an explosive device.

New Zealand police have arrested a 33-year-old man after they found ammunition and a package containing a suspected explosive device at a vacant property in Christchurch.

An attacker had killed 50 people at two mosques in the city on March 15. Police said at the time that the gunman had a number of weapons as well as two improvised explosive devices in his car.

Police cordoned off streets in the Phillipstown area of the city on New Zealands South Island on Tuesday, with a bomb disposal team, ambulance and fire and emergency crews sent to the scene, according to a police statement.

The New Zealand Herald said police were called due to threats about an explosive device.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested and is currently speaking to police in regards to the incident, the statement said.

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Houses in the neighbouring streets were evacuated as a precaution. A no-fly zone was also established, it said. Later, the police said the explosives disposal team rendered the package safe.

One resident told the New Zealand Herald there was a big police presence.

Theres an empty section which is full of police cars and police, lots of them, she said.

A fire engine was parked opposite but thats all I know  theres something going on.

A spokesperson for the St John ambulance service said an ambulance was on standby at the request of police but had not treated any patients.

Fifty people were killed and dozens wounded in attacks on Al Noor and Linwood mosques during Friday prayers in Christchurch on March 15, the worst peacetime shooting in New Zealand history.

Authorities have charged Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, with 50 counts of murder.

The mosque attacks shook New Zealand to its core and prompted the government to quickly tighten gun laws.
Moderate Catalan separatist parties boost their standing in Spains national parliament in Sundays general elections.

The future of Spains semi-autonomous Catalan region was one of the big issues of the election.

But pro-separatist parties gained just 40 percent of the votes there, showing deep divisions over independence remain.

Al Jazeeras Jonah Hull reports from Barcelona.
More than 40 Venezuelans are deported for concealing their criminal records or for staying illegally in the country.

Peru has deported more than 40 Venezuelan migrants for concealing they had criminal records or for residing illegally in the country, Interior Minister Carlos Moran said in the wake of first large expulsion since hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans fled to Peru to escape their countrys economic crisis.

The migrants were arrested in different districts of the capital, Lima, in a police operation early on Monday, and were put on a military plane headed to Venezuela hours later.

Moran said most of the Venezuelans expelled had provided false sworn declarations in their residency applications that they had no criminal record, a violation of Perus migration law punishable with deportation.

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Others were deported for residing illegally in the Andean country, Moran added, without providing details.

Peru, which has a population of 32 million, has the second-largest population of Venezuelan migrants after Colombia.

Most of the 700,000 Venezuelans in Peru arrived in the past year.

Thats a threat

As a country, we have fraternally welcomed thousands of Venezuelans who have come to seek a better future, Moran told reporters.

But as a government, we must protect our citizens first, and these people who have entered lying, falsifying information, had criminal records, and thats a threat.

The deportation on Monday followed reports in the local media in recent months about Venezuelan nationals involved in criminal rackets.

People have to understand [that] we are all not the same, the great majority are here to work and send money to our families, to get them out from the inferno that [Venezuela] has become, Victor Guzman, a Venezuelan immigrant in Peru told Al Jazeera.

Some Peruvians are also worried about their own job stability, and feel this new wave of migration could end up becoming a threat.

Some businessmen have laid off Peruvians because they say Venezuelans charge them less, Romualda Salas, a Peruvian businesswoman explained.

Migration crisis

Some three million Venezuelans have left their homeland since 2015, seeking to escape an economic crisis that has deprived many of basic food and medicine, according to a UN estimate.

Two million more people are expected to emigrate this year.

Most Venezuelan migrants have ended up in other South American countries, straining public services in developing nations unaccustomed to absorbing large migratory waves and heightening a backlash in some places.

I feel lucky to [be here], but its a pity many compatriots are being mistreated. We are not here because we want to be, but because we need to be, Alexandra Torrealba, a Venezuelan migrant in Peru, said.

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Peru created temporary residency permits for Venezuelans in early 2017, allowing them to work and receive health and education services.

But last year, the government of President Martin Vizcarra stopped allowing new applicants into the programme, which has granted permits to more than 330,000 Venezuelans and is processing requests for 160,000 others.

Sixty-seven percent of Peruvians now view Venezuelan immigration as negative, compared with 43 percent in February 2018, according to an Ipsos poll published in daily El Comercio on Monday.

Crime was listed as the top concern, followed by fears about jobs.
Move comes days after Israel extends the fishing zone to 15 nautical miles as part of a ceasefire agreement.

A decision by the Israeli military to scale down the permitted fishing zone in the besieged Gaza Strip comes as no surprise to the enclaves 4,000 fishermen.

The decision did not come as a surprise. The occupation always backs down from agreements that affect fishermen in the strip, Zakaria Bakr, head of Gazas fishermens union, told Al Jazeera.

Citing an alleged rocket attack, the Israeli army said on Tuesday fishing in Gaza would only be permitted up to six nautical miles (11km) until further notice.

The move came after Israel extended the zone to a maximum of 15 nautical miles on April 1 as part of an Egypt-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the group that governs the Gaza Strip.





The decision was in response to a rocket fired by the Islamic Jihad group late on Monday, the Israeli army said in a statement on Tuesday, an allegation the Palestinian group denies.

Israels accusations are part of a smear campaign against the Islamic Jihad movement, Islamic Jihad spokesman Mosaab al-Breim told Al Jazeera.

It is also part of its psychological warfare that it has long waged against the Palestinian people  The Islamic Jihads armed wing did not confirm a launch of a rocket towards the [Israeli] occupation, he said.

Bakr of the fishermens union said Israels decision comes at a critical time, and that the ceasefire agreement failed to ease Israels crippling blockade of the strip.

The purpose of the expansion was to boost Gazas economy, which relies heavily on the fishing sector.

Many fishermen had expressed their content at the rare gesture, especially as the holy month of Ramadan looms. But today, they said, it is a very sad and difficult situation.

Israel always makes excuses [to scale down the permitted fishing zone] especially when the fishing season is upon us, Bakr said.

Boats in the Gaza Strip are more active during spring than any other time of year, he said, stressing that the move was a continuation of Israels systematic oppression against Gazas fishermen, as well as its nearly two million residents.

Boats dispersed

Apart from 4,000 fishermen who rely on the sector as one of the few available opportunities to work in Gaza, there are at least 1,500 more people who benefit from selling and exporting the fish caught there.

But exports have dwindled over the years, and the decline of Gazas fishing sector is among many consequences of the Israeli policy.

In 2007, following Hamass victory in elections which gave it control of the besieged territory, Israel imposed a strict land, aerial and naval blockade.

The move also restricted the entry of raw materials, leaving most boats lacking the necessary renovations needed to operate at full potential.

Israels ever-changing limit on how far fishermen are allowed to sail out into the Mediterranean sea has placed many boats  and lives  at risk.

Omar Mounirs boat was among 50 fishing vessels that sailed from the coast of Gaza on Tuesday morning.





This morning we were out at sea, trying to catch fish like we usually do, the 51-year-old told Al Jazeera.

He said the boats were at the 11 nautical-mile mark when they saw Israeli navy boats coming their way.

They fired water cannon to disperse the boats  some broke down and other smaller ones completely sank, Mounir said.

They forced us to turn around and return to the shore, saying the limit has been pushed back to six nautical miles  We didnt have time to pull back our fishing nets that we had cast into the water.

Under the Oslo Accords signed in 1993, Israel is obligated to permit fishing up to 20 nautical miles, but this has never been implemented.

Israel has over the past decade launched three major assaults on Gaza that have heavily damaged much of the citys infrastructure. During these assaults, fishing has been banned altogether.

Fishermen Al Jazeera spoke to said it could cost up to $400 to make one fishing trip off the coast of Gaza.

Although the permitted zone was extended to 15 nautical miles, many of the fishermen lacked adequate equipment or fuel to make it all the way.

Miriam Marmur from Gisha, an Israeli rights organisation, told Al Jazeera Israels latest move constitutes illegal collective punishment.

Israel shrinks and expands Gazas fishing zone regularly, often as a punitive measure, causing great uncertainty and insecurity, Marmur said.

According to her, Israels restrictions on Gaza have been enforced as part of an official policy of economic warfare on the strip, and have little to do with security.

Since March 30, 2018, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been calling for an end to the blockade. They have also been demanding the right to return to lands from which their families were expelled during the founding of Israel in 1948.

At least 6,500 protesters have been shot by Israeli snipers, killing more than 250 including children, journalists and medics, according to Gazas Ministry of Health.

Additional reporting by Farah Najjar
The statement comes a day after protesters said army was trying to disperse the Khartoum sit-in for civilian government.

Sudans ruling Transitional Military Council has said the army will not accept unrest in the country, a day after protesters said soldiers were trying to disperse a sit-in in capital Khartoum.

We will not accept chaos. We will deal with it firmly in accordance with the law, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the Transitional Military Councils vice president, said in a press conference on Tuesday.

We do not want to escalate the situation. We are committed to negotiation. After today, there will be no chaotic scenes, he added.





Thousands of protesters have been camping outside the army headquarters in Khartoum, almost three weeks after the military and security forces removed former president Omar al-Bashir from power on April 11

On Monday, Sudans main protest group said the military was trying to remove barricades at the sit-in outside the army headquarters.

The military council is a copy cat of the toppled regime. The army is trying to disperse the sit-in by removing the barricades, said the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the group that first launched a movement against al-Bashirs regime.

We are calling on our people to come immediately to the sit-in area. We are calling on the revolutionaries to protect the barricades and rebuild them.

Al Jazeeras Mohamed Vall, reporting from Khartoum, said Dagalos statements will not be welcomed by the protesters.

The statement will be seen negatively by the protesters who believe the army is wrong. They have been categorical in calling for a civilian authority to be put in charge of the country, Vall said.

They will see it as a provocation and might affect the ongoing negotiation between the army and protesters.

A country of more than 40 million people, Sudan has been suffering from a deepening economic crisis that has caused cash shortages and long queues at its bakeries and petrol stations.

Demonstrators first took to the streets in December last year following a rise in the price of bread, a staple food in the northeast African country. The unpopular economic move caused widespread anger.

Until recently, Sudan was also under crippling sanctions imposed by the United States, which lasted two decades until being lifted in October 2017.
The protesters who want the military to hand over power to a civilian administration have been camped out since April 6.

Sudans main protest group said on Monday the army was trying to disperse a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum by removing barricades, but witnesses said troops had not moved in.

Thousands of protesters remain camped outside the army headquarters, almost three weeks after the military and security forces removed former president Omar al-Bashir from power on April 11.

The pro-democracy protesters want the ruling military council to hand over power to a civilian administration.

The military council is a copy cat of the toppled regime. The army is trying to disperse the sit-in by removing the barricades, said the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the group that first launched the protest movement against al-Bashirs regime.

We are calling on our people to come immediately to the sit-in area. We are calling on the revolutionaries to protect the barricades and rebuild them.





Witnesses at the sit-in told AFP news agency that protesters were building up some of the makeshift barricades but there was no movement of troops around the area.

We are calling on our people across Sudan to show that they reject the attack on the sit-in and attempts to disperse it until we achieve our demand of having a civilian authority, the SPA said.

The SPA call came after Lieutenant General Shamseddine Kabbashi, the spokesman of the ruling military council, said on Monday the military had agreed with protest leaders to open some roads, a railway line and two bridges that lead to, or pass near, the military headquarters.

But the Alliance for Freedom and Change, the umbrella group leading the protest movement, said the announcement was incorrect.

We didnt have any agreements on removing the barricades or opening the bridges in our sit-in area in the capital or across the country, the group said late on Monday.

We will continue our sit-in until the power is transferred to civilians.

The military council said putting up barricades and checking people at the protest site threatened public security.

There are some attempts that threaten public safety and stability by searching the civilians and vehicles by people who have no legal authority, Kabbashi said in a statement late on Monday.

There are also cases of looting of properties, beating of citizens, blocking roads, attacking security forces and preventing trains from carrying essential items needed by the people, he said.

Given the responsibility of protecting the citizens, the military council will end these attempts which are against the chant of the revolution of peace, justice, freedom.

The latest outbursts from both sides came after they presented differing visions for a joint civilian-military council that would pave the way for a civilian administration.

The military council has so far insisted it has assumed power for a two-year transitional period.
Tensions rise in Sudan amid disagreements between protesters and military rulers over makeup of transitional council.

Sudanese protest leaders have called for a mass rally amid mounting tensions over the composition of a joint civilian-military council to run the country following the removal of Sudans longtime ruler, Omar al-Bashir.

In a statement on Tuesday, the political parties and movements behind the months-long anti-government protests urged supporters to gather for a million-strong march on May 2 to keep up the pressure for civilian rule.

The appeal came hours after Sudans military rulers warned against chaos and called on protesters to clear roads and railways, saying seven provinces were running low on essential supplies.

Mohamed Naji al-Assam, spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the main protest group, said the ruling military council was not serious about transferring power to civilians.

With the passing of time the powers of the military council are expanded and this is a very big danger for the Sudanese revolution, he said.





Protesters want the council, which took power after toppling al-Bashir on April 11, to cede power to a 15-member body made up of eight civilian representatives and seven military figures.

But the council has rejected that, and instead proposed a 10-member council comprised of seven military representatives and three civilians.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, told reporters earlier on Tuesday that the council wanted to continue negotiations with the protest organisers.

We are ready to negotiate but no chaos after today, said Dagalo, who is also known as Hemeti.

Ready to die

He said the military would not try to disperse a sit-in outside the army headquarters in Khartoum, which began six days before al-Bashirs removal, but warned citizens against taking the law into their own hands.

We do not care about the sit-in but there are bridges and railways that are paralysed, there are seven provinces that need food, water and fuel, he said, adding that six security force personnel and 16 others had been wounded in clashes with protesters across the country on Monday.

Protesters carry bricks to a barricade on a road leading to the army headquarters [Umit Bektas/Reuters]

Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow, reporting from Khartoum, said Dagalos statements suggested a shift in the militarys position.

The military is not ceding anything at the moment, and they seem to have changed tack; before they were giving in to every demand coming from the protest leaders including even a purge within the military council of people considered to be close to al-Bashir.

Protesters at the sit-in were getting more and more apprehensive, he said. The feeling is the military are trying to take over the revolution that they started.

At the military headquarters, Mohammed Adam, one of the protesters, accused the military leadership of trying to preserve al-Bashirs regime.

Our message is clear: all these people wont go back for any reason, he said. We are ready to die, because this is a message to the previous regime. We want to build a new country.

Another protester, Muhanad Ali Jumaa, said the sit-ins must continue if the revolution is to succeed.

For a revolution, if you dont block the roads then we wont be putting pressure on these people, he said.

Protesters hold a Sudanese flag as they march outside the army headquarters [Umit Bektas/Reuters]

While the SPA has warned of military attempts to disperse the sit-in outside the army headquarters and called on protesters to rebuild barricades, Lieutenant General Salah Abdelkhalik, another member of the ruling military council, told reporters security forces will never use violence against protesters.

He also distanced the council from the former government of al-Bashir, saying: We are part of the revolution and not part of the former regime as people view us.

Jon Temin, Africa director at Freedom House, a US-based advocacy group, said the resolution of the standoff between the protesters and the military depended on two factors.

The first one is the street and the extent to which protesters can maintain their momentum and numbers. The second is external influences, particularly the countries that are talking to the military council, theres a lot of engagement going on with the Gulf countries, with Egypt and Turkey [and] the content of those conversations are very important. he said.

And theres a lot of questions as to whether other countries including the United States are going to engage more and try to shape outcomes more. So far, the US, in particular, has been more of a bystander, Temin added.
The Brotherhood vows to continue to work in line with its moderate and peaceful thinking regardless of US moves.

The Trump administration is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organisation, the White House said on Tuesday, which would bring sanctions against Egypts oldest Islamist movement.

The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an email.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had urged US President Donald Trump to take the step during an April 9 visit to the White House, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing officials familiar with the matter.

After the meeting, Trump praised Sisi as a great president, as a bipartisan group of US politicians raised concerns about Sisis record on human rights.

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In a statement on its website, the Muslim Brotherhood, or Ikhwan al-Muslimeen, dismissed the planned move, saying: The Muslim Brotherhood will remain stronger  through Gods grace and power  than any decision.

It added: We will remain  steadfast in our work in accordance with our moderate and peaceful thinking and what we believe to be right, for honest and constructive cooperation to serve the communities in which we live, and humanity as a whole.

Far-flung political ties

Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Brotherhood is one of the oldest and most influential Islamic movements in the world. It came to power in Egypts first modern free election in 2012, a year after long-serving President Hosni Mubarak resigned amid a popular uprising.

It was declared a terror group by Egypt in 2013 after el-Sisi led a military coup against Mohamed Morsi, a Brotherhood member and the countrys first democratically-elected president.

The coup set in motion a violent crackdown against the organisation, with thousands of the groups members arrested, and hundreds sentenced to death in what human rights groups have described as sham trials.

Two of Egypts closest allies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, also blacklisted the group but several western powers, including the United States, did not, for both legal and policy reasons.

However since Trumps election, the Sisi government has repeatedly urged the US to designate the group, and in March 2017, Cairo sent dozens of parliamentarians, former diplomats and international law experts to Washington to convince the US of a ban.

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The New York Times said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton supported the idea.

However, the Pentagon, career national security staff, government lawyers and diplomatic officials have voiced legal and policy objections, and have been scrambling to find a more limited step that would satisfy the White House.

The US State Department had previously advised against banning the movement because of its loose-knit structure and far-flung political ties across the Middle East.

Malprcatice and ultimately dangerous

Several political parties in Turkey, Tunisia and Jordan consider themselves as part of the Muslim Brotherhood or have ties to it.

Asked by reporters at the White House whether there were any concerns that designating the Muslim Brotherhood could create diplomatic complications for the administration because the group is so widespread, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway replied: No.

Daniel Benjamin, former counterterrorism coordinator at the State Department, said the department looked into designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in 2017 and 2018 and concluded that there was no legal basis for a designation.

That continues to be true, tweeted Benjamin, who is now at Dartmouth College. He accused the Trump administration of warping the designation process for political reasons.

Its malpractice and ultimately dangerous, Benjamin said in his tweet.

The Times said it was also unclear what the consequences would be for Americans and American humanitarian organisations linked to the Brotherhood.

According to a 2004 article by The Washington Post, supporters of the Brotherhood make up the US Islamic communitys most organised force by running hundreds of mosques and business ventures, promoting civic activities, and setting up American Islamic organisations to defend and promote Islam.

Human rights groups have also voiced concerns that el-Sisi might use it to justify an even harsher crackdown against his opponents.
According to state media, the man used Facebook to promote the ideologies of two terror groups and send them funds.

The United Arab Emirates Supreme Federal Court has upheld a life sentence against a Turkish citizen accused of fundraising for Syrian groups the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, the Emirates News agency (WAM) has reported.

According to the indictment, the Turkish national, aged 49, was found guilty of launching an extensive campaign on a Facebook account named Ali Ozturk Mehmet without getting an official permit.

He reportedly used the account to promote the ideologies of two terrorist groups and send them funds through money transfer companies in the UAE, WAM said.

The man had filed an appeal against the ruling, but on Monday the court upheld the sentence and also ordered that he be deported after serving his sentence and pay the court fees based on the case. A life sentence in the UAE is a maximum of 25 years.

Last month, the UAE charged eight Lebanese citizens, all of them Shia Muslims, with terrorism after denying them legal representation.

Human Rights Watch said their trial was marred with violations, with the UAE using the spectre of terrorism to justify its utter lack of respect for the rule of law.

A trade and tourism hub, the UAE is an absolute monarchy which tolerates little public criticism.
UK police want crime victims to surrender mobile phones, but critics say victims must choose between justice and privacy.

Victims of some serious crimes in the United Kingdom are being asked to hand over their mobile phones to the police.

This comes after the collapse of a number of sexual assault cases, when crucial digital evidence emerged much later.

But critics say this could discourage victims from coming forward.

Al Jazeeras Neave Barker reports from London.
Only a small proportion of funds promised by top donors Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has been received.

The humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen is worsening, with the number of cholera cases surging.

The UN has asked that $4bn pledged for emergency humanitarian aid be paid but only a small portion of it has been received.

The two countries fighting in Yemens civil war alongside the government have pledged $1.5bn between them but Saudi Arabia and the UAE have decided to pay in instalments, drip-feeding their funds.

Al Jazeeras James Bays reports from the United Nations.
There was a clunkiness about Touchy Joes invocation of Charlottesville on his presidential announcement day. For Joe, it seems, the hordes of hooded white nationalists are about to debouch out of the Appalachians and do whatever it is that people previously dispatched to the margins do when they debouch.

Of course, when that Literally-Hitler leads the deplorables out of the hills he will no doubt have read all the books banned by Amazon and the websites downlisted by Google. Because anything banned by Amazon and Google must say something that the deep state doesnt want you to know.

It has been a great gig, the royal road to political power over the last 150 years. Its the ideology of the traitor to his class. The rich haute bourgeois kids of the 19th century invented the role, beating up the bourgeoisie to rile up the workers. In the 20th century, rich white kids reprised the role, beating up whites all the better to rile up the blacks, beating up men all the better to rile up women.

I have a question. Why havent we trained up a slugger to hit this stuff right out of the ballpark? As in:

Hey Joe, why dont you hit on someone your own size? How about you bravely take out after the real threat to peace and domestic tranquillity, the thugs of AntiFa?

Lets see, Joe. Back in the day, the street thugs of the Democratic Party wore white flowing robes. Today they come all arrayed in artistic black. Yeah, Joe-ker, riddle me this: how come artists just love wearing artistic black?

Back in the day, Joe, the street thugs of the Democratic Party wore white hoods. Now they wear black masks and helmets. Where were you, Joe, expressing your outrage at this illegal and hateful behavior? Back in the day, Joe, the street thugs of the Democratic Party terrified people with burning crosses. Now they do it with bike locks. Hey Joe! When are you gonna call for bike-lock control!

Surely, this is not that hard.

Instead, we white male deplorables are frozen like deer in the headlights against the vile racist sexist smears of the glitterati. And Touchy Joe.

Now I agree with our liberal friends that there is no such thing as race. That is to say that all identities in politics are fake tribes gussied up by politicians to create and Us and Them narratives.

The hunter gatherers didnt have tribes; they had bands in which everyone was related by blood. Tribalism didnt start until people started living in settlements large enough that not everyone was known to everyone else and not everyone was related by blood. Thats when humans decided that people that looked and thought like Us belonged to Our Tribe, and people that didnt look and think like us were the Enemy Tribe. In other words, every tribe is a fake tribe, conjured up for political purposes.

The way to the future is to reject the Us and Them categories that our liberal friends have conjured up and insist on using our categories. We must learn to dominate the culture with our categories: our fake tribes against their fake tribes.

Let us celebrate our National tribe against their Globalist tribe. Globalism is a fantasy that wont be realized until we are threatened by an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Meanwhile America against the world is a pretty good corner to defend. The same goes for Nation against Identity, whether race, sex, non-binary, or lefty woke-ism. Nation is glorious and inclusive; lefty identities are mean and hateful. Then there is Capitalism versus Socialism: prosperity, suburbs, SUVs against poverty, labor camps, and hunger. What about our Families versus their Relationships? Love, commitment and babies against miserable hook-ups and abortions and hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woke-woman-scorned. Then there is our glorious Free Speech versus their mean and vile Deplatforming Censorship.

There is a temptation to blame our conservative and GOP leaders for failing to stand up for us, but I remember thinking at the end of the Reagan era that of course the Democrats would see the errors of their ways, and embrace, at least, the obvious success of supply-side economics. And, of course, they pretended to do that for a season with President the era of big government is over Clinton.

Anyway, now we have President Trump, who told the folks in Green Bay on Saturday that The Republican Party is the party of the American worker, the American family, and the American Dream!" And he told them that the Democratic Party was the party of high taxes, high crime, open borders, late-term abortion, hoaxes and delusions."

My kinda guy!

I have a dream, that one day America will celebrate the right to a faith other than the ruling classs state religion; that colleges will practice robust, manly debate; that schools will raise up the poor.

But first we fight.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.
On October 27, 2018 anti-Semitic terrorism raised its ugly head in Pittsburgh when a gunman named Robert Bowers, using a semi-automatic rifle, killed eleven worshippers and injured seven others at the Sabbath morning service at the conservative Tree of Life synagogue. Bowers declared he wanted all Jews to die, and also that Jews were committing genocide against his people. These declarations were posted on the social network Gab, reportedly friendly to Nazis and the far right. Six months later, on April 27, 2019 as news came of a new anti-Semitic atrocity, a vigil was held outside the Tree of Life synagogue, declaring that enough is enough, and that these acts of violence and prejudice must end. The participants promised to meet again until we drive hate speech and acts of hate out of our city.

Another act of hate had occurred on that day. The latest outrage took place on April 27, 2019 when a 19-year-old student, also using a semi-automatic gun killed one and injured three at the synagogue Chabah of Poway, suburb of San Diego, California, where a hundred Jews were celebrating the last day of Passover. The Chabah is associated with the Lubavitch, a branch within the Orthodox Hasidic movement. The rabbi of the congregation was shot in the hand but continued with his sermon.

The shooter identified himself as a nursing student, but his action and the document, a manifesto attributed to him, show a totally different kind of interest: use of violence and anti-Semitism, as well as his political feelings. He referred to President Donald Trump as a Zionist, Jew-loving, anti-white traitor. A formal member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he acknowledged he was influenced not only by Pittsburgh but also by the events on March 25, 2019 at Christchurch, New Zealand, a suburb of Riccarton, when a terrorist attack, also using semiautomatic weapons, on two mosques resulted in the death of fifty people. The San Diego shooter also appeared to confess he was responsible on March 24, 2019 for arson, using gasoline to blacken the walls of the Islamic Center in Esconcido, California, and spraying hate messages.

Hate messages of anti-Semitism were central to the attack at Poway. The manifesto found in the shooter's residence indicates the enemy and asks the question: Is it worth it for me to live a comfortable life at the cost of international Jews sealing the doom of my race? The shooter issued warnings, of the bread and circus that Jewry has used to pacify my people, and that every Jew is responsible for the meticulously planned genocide of the European race.

At least he was open about the supposed villains and their conspiracy to rule the world. In contrast, a member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) told us enigmatically that the perpetrators of 9/11 could be explained by the fact that some people did something. However, more succinctly, in November 2012, she revealed her true prejudice when she tweeted Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. She also suggested that some American Jews had dual loyalty, to Israel as well as to the U.S.

For some time, even before the appearance of Omar, infighting between the parties in Congress over the Jewish issue has been frequent. Evidence, partly the result of attitudes towards proposed legislation on anti-Semitism, has indicated that punishment of anti-Semitism, words and action, and criticism of the Palestinian organized BDS movement is more likely among Republicans than among Democrats. Republicans have usually been more concerned that anti-Semitism in the U.S. rose 57% in 2017, the deadliest year for anti-Semitic attacks.

In Britain, there has been a similar rise in anti-Semitism and, as in the U.S., the social media has been used for campaigns of anti-Semitic harassment and threats. Britain has lagged behind other countries in dealing with the disease of anti-Semitism. The political world has long been troubled by the overt anti-Semitism of a considerable number of members of the Labour Party and toleration of it by Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the party. Perhaps the most persistent advocate of this state of mind is Ken Livingston, Labour Party politician and former mayor of London who among other witless remarks, declared in April 2016 that Adolf Hitler had supported Zionism before he went mad and killed six million Jews. The party has unlawfully discriminated against people based on ethnic and religious affiliation. It is unwelcome news that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (Dem-NY) spoke, in a long telephone conversation with Corbyn, perhaps persuading her to adopt his neutral tone on anti-Semitic utterances.

Everyone know how difficult it is to minimize, let alone eradicate, the virulent disease of anti-Semitism because it has no logical basis. As former British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sachs wrote, Jews were hated because they were poor and because they were rich, because they were communists, and because they were capitalists. The senseless affliction remains and has worsened as tropes about Jews have changed to those about Zionism.

Nevertheless, it is incumbent on British and American politicians and media to take the issue of anti-Semitism more seriously. It is shameful, for example, that The New York Times veiled its information of the attack at Powey by placing it on page 24 (though in no way considering the anti-Semitic cartoon that appeared in its pages two days previously). Moreover, punishment in the English-speaking countries should be as severe as it has been recently in France and in Belgium.

In France, the far-right activist, writer, and filmmaker Alain Soral, who had already been punished and fined 4,000 euros for anti-Semitic agitation and allegations about Jewish and Zionist conspiracies, was sentenced on April 15, 2019 to one year in prison for Holocaust denial, a crime under the Gayssot Act.

Belgium was equally serious. A case concerned Mehdi Nemmouche, French born to a family of Algerian origin, a former ISIS adherent who fought in Syria a year on its behalf. A brutal and sadistic person, he killed four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. His absurd defense was that he had planned a targeted execution of Mossad agents. The court in Brussels on March 7, 2019, found him guilty of murder and sentenced him to a life term.

Another case in Brussels concerned far-right politician and constant Holocaust denier Laurent Louis, who was preoccupied with statements that Nazi atrocities were overstated, as was the number of Jews killed in Nazi gas chambers. Indeed, he argued the Holocaust was set up and financed by the pioneers of Zionism. For him, Zionism was worse than Nazism. The Court of Appeals in 2017 ordered him to visit and write about Nazi camps. Louis is not a central figure in Belgium politics, but he is illustrative of the increasing willingness of public figures to express or condone anti-Semitism.

The unwillingness to punish acts or expressions of anti-Semitism must not stand, not in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. Congress, nor elsewhere in the world.
I was driving my then 11-year-old son somewhere, probably soccer practice, when he burst into tears and asked me, is Donald Trump going to put you in prison?' So claimed the embarrassingly serious Olivier Knox, the White House Correspondents Association president, at the associations annual grub fest on Saturday.

What Knox should have said is, No, son, President Trump is at least open in his hostility. The First Amendment gives him the same rights as it gives us. It was President Obamas dirty, covert war on the media that had me worried. At this point, little Knox should have asked, Did this sneaky, back-door attack prefigure Obamas subversion of the Trump candidacy? Now, there is a correspondents dinner I would pay to watch.

In May 2010, when Obama signed the Daniel Pearl Press Freedom Law, few of Americas reporters and editors were aware that Obama as president represented the single greatest threat to press freedom in their professional lives. True to his reputation as messiah, Obama would soon make even the willfully blind see.

In May 2013, the illusion of an unfettered press disappeared like a magicians bunny. It was in this month that the Associated Press learned Obamas Justice Department had quietly seized all of the relevant records for twenty AP telephone lines a year earlier. These included the personal and professional lines of several reporters.

The seizure had to do with AP reporting on a covert CIA operation in Yemen. Although only five reporters were involved in that story, more than one hundred reporters used the lines and switchboards whose records were seized. AP President Gary Pruitt wrote Attorney General Eric Holder that the government has no conceivable right to know the content of those records. On Face the Nation, Pruitt boldly assessed White House strategy, I know what the message being sent is: If you talk to the press, were going after you.

A coalition of some fifty newsgathering organizations promptly came to the APs defense. In a barely polite letter to Holder, the coalition accused him of ignoring the Department of Justices decades-old guidelines governing subpoenas of journalists and news organizations. The authors of the letter reminded Holder, The approach in every case must be to strike the proper balance between the publics interest in the free dissemination of ideas and information and the publics interest in effective law enforcement and the fair administration of justice.

The DOJ did none of the above. Its attorneys went behind the APs back, failed to negotiate the scope of the subpoena with the AP, and refused to explain what threat to the integrity of the investigation made the subterfuge necessary.

An even more disturbing story broke a week later. It seemed that for the prior three years the DOJ had been secretly dipping into the personal and professional communications of Fox News Washington correspondent James Rosen. The case involved Rosens interactions with a State Department contractor monitoring North Koreas nuclear program.

What troubled the media community most about the DOJ response was the use of search warrants to investigate a reporter and the threat to prosecute him under the terms of Espionage Act as an as an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator.

Search warrants like these have a severe chilling effect on the free flow of important information to the public, First Amendment lawyer Charles Tobin told the Washington Post. Thats a very dangerous road to go down.

On May 16, 2013, a few days after the AP story broke but a few days before the Rosen story did, Obama took a moment during a joint press conference with the Turkish prime minister to say he would make no apologies for investigating national security leaks that threatened the well-being of the American military.

I dont think the American people would expect me as commander in chief not to be concerned about information that might compromise their missions or might get them killed, Obama said defiantly.

This was one of those finesses that served Obama so well with the uninformed. In fact, the probes dug much deeper than national security. A few weeks later, in June 2013, the McClatchy newspapers broke the story of an unprecedented Obama administration initiative launched in 2011 in the wake of the Bradley (or, in NYT-speak, Chelsea) Manning leaks.

Much like Nixons plumbers, the operatives of Insider Threat Program, as it was known, worked to suppress leaks in the national security agencies. Unlike the plumbers, however, the Insider Threat people extended their mission into the seemingly benign regions of education, agriculture, and social security.

Scarier still, in the Maoist spirit of the Obama administration, everyone was expected to plumb. The administration obligated employees to turn themselves and their coworkers in for failing to report leaks. Specifically, the programs strategic plan mandated supervisors to penalize clearly identifiable failures to report security infractions and violations, including any lack of self-reporting.

None of this, of course, stopped Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who first went public with his massive document dump a week before the McClatchy article. What the Internal Threat Program could do, however, was discourage employees from reporting routine waste and corruption.

You dont get people speaking up when theres wrongdoing, said Liana Greenstein former CIA case officer. You dont get people who look at things in a different way and who are willing to stand up for things. What you get are people who toe the party line, and thats really dangerous for national security.

Most of all perhaps, the Internal Threat Program discouraged disgruntled employees from talking to the media. The suspicion has to be that maybe these leak investigations are less about deterring leakers and more about intimidating the press, opined the Wall Street Journal.

Liberal First Amendment lawyer James Goodale was harsher still. In a Times op-ed Goodale declared that President Obama will surely pass President Richard Nixon as the worst president ever on issues of national security and press freedom In liberal circles, the Nixon comparison was very nearly as damning as the Hitler one. Ouch!

Unlike Richard Nixon, who had good reason to distrust the media, Obama has no apparent motive for his secrecy other than that it gave him the space to do as he pleased and get away with it. They feel entitled to and expect supportive media coverage, admitted veteran correspondent Josh Meyer in speaking of the White House press office. For all the love that the media showered on the Obama administration, what they got in return, said Meyer, was across-the-board hostility.

In the age of Obama, however, many in the media had a hard time holding a grudge, and Obama knew it. Weeks after the Rosen story broke, the president made what the New York Times called a ringing affirmation of press freedom. The Times reported that Obama was troubled by the revelations of DOJ mischief and that wingman Holder -- take out those hankies -- shared those concerns. The Times summarized the speech with the redemptive headline, Obama, Offering Support for Press Freedom, Orders Review of Leak Investigations.

Obviously, not everyone in the media was as easily appeased as the Times editors, but too many were. Six months after Goodales blistering op-ed and three months after the release of the devastating CPJ report, New Yorker editor and Obama biographer David Remnick went unchallenged on the Charlie Rose Show when he listed as one of Obamas many accomplishments the fact that there's been no scandal, major scandal, in this administration, which is a rare thing in an administration.

For all its merits, the CPJ report did not use the word scandal or any of its derivatives either. It has been said that a political incident becomes a scandal only when the Times calls it a scandal on its front page. Despite Obamas shocking disregard of his commitment and the medias acknowledgement of the same, the Times editors chose to reserve the S-word for bigger things like, say, a presidents failure to attend a dinner where even eleven-year-olds get to ding him.
Saturday nights White House Correspondents dinner once again came and went without most Americans having paid it any serious attention, and for the third straight year, our president chose to miss this increasingly farcical event where journalists pat each other on the back for the fine jobs they believe themselves to be doing. What made this years event a little different than years past is that none of the other senior members of the White House staff attended, either.

That decision came after Sarah Huckabee Sanders endured cruel taunts at the hands of last years featured speaker, comedian Michelle Wolf, Emily Zanotti reports at The Daily Wire. [D]espite a longstanding tradition of good-natured ribbing between the press and the president, through dueling speeches, the White House simply stopped RSVPing to the event.

Without the luxury of roasting their political enemies in attendance to feign a comedic tone rather than a purely adversarial one, the organizers of the event dropped the facade of humor in favor of a funerary tone led by a historian rather than the traditional choice of a comedian.

But that doesnt necessarily mean that the event offered anything short of bad comedy.

For example, the White House Correspondents Associations president Olivier Knox committed to a dark sermon, according to Grabien News.

Olivier Knox at the WHCA Dinner

Photo credit: NBC screen grab via YouTube

In February of 2017, he told the audience, the president called us the enemy of the people, he said. A few days later, he said, his son asked if Donald Trump was going to put him in prison. At the end of a trip to Mexico, he continued, he mused that if the president tried to keep me out of the country, at least Uncle Josh is a good lawyer and will get you home.

For the record, Trump has never threatened to imprison a journalist or prevent a citizen journalist from reentering the country from abroad. If Knox were an honest man, he might have told his son: No, son, none of that will happen. You only believe that because a lot of people make their living by making up such nonsensical stories about how this president might do such things.

But he certainly wouldnt say that, because those are the lies upon which this entire event was centered. There was a calculated effort to portray this administration as uniquely at odds with a free and critical press in the scope of American history. For example, historian and host Ron Chernow quipped that George Washington felt maligned and misunderstood by the press, but he never generalized that as a vendetta against the institution.

Can any sane person, much less a historian, actually argue that Trump is the only president to malign the free press, as an institution, for spreading fake news?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt certainly did, and he remains a hero of the left despite having done so.

According to Columbia professor Raymond Moley, a close confidant of FDR, his president believed that a long list of newspapers was guilty of falsifying news. He said that nothing would help him more [in the 1936 election] than to have it known that the newspapers were all against him.

Sure enough, in the 1936 election campaign, FDR claimed that 85% of newspapers were against him, complaining about their poisonous propaganda. Despite there being an awful lot of criticism about the employment of his new instruments of public power, FDR was almost certainly exaggerating the extent of the newspapers bias against him. Even still, he was none too kind toward the press about their consistent criticism, and generalized his opinion as a vendetta against the institution of the then-mainstream press.

Should we expect Trump, today, to be any different? Trump endures a constant barrage of criticism via 24-hour news cycles, prominently disseminated by mainstream coverage, and practical data has suggested that as much as 91% of that coverage is negative. So, while its easy to argue that FDR was imagining (or purposely fabricating) such widespread opposition among the press, such bias against President Trump definitely exists, and its obvious to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention.

The difference is that Trump hasnt used his power to clamp down on his opposition in the press beyond offering harsh criticism. Sure, hes been highly critical of the mainstream media which is obviously aligned against him, but hes never used the power of the federal government to punish journalists. The closest hes come, one might argue, is temporarily revoking Jim Acostas White House press pass, which was certainly warranted due to his childlike, attention-seeking antics in refusing to surrender his microphone after asking several questions and grandstanding for political effect.

FDR, on the other hand, famously used the power of the federal government to strongarm newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. A one-time supporter of Roosevelt in 1932, Randolph had turned against his ally, leading FDR to instruct the Treasury Department to closely monitor Hearsts taxes, according to David Beito of Reason.com.

Its convenient for the left to occasionally ignore this sort of activity, obviously. After all, the leftist media chose to ignore Barack Obamas secret monitoring of phone call records of New York Times, AP, and Fox News reporters and exclusion of Fox News from conference calls available to other media, among other abuses. (But not a whisper of a scandal in the Obama years, says Joe Biden.)

On the contrary, Trumps used his executive authority to do no such thing to his political opponents. Yet, somehow, Trump is the real threat to the First Amendment?

Journalists like Olivier Knox pretending that theres any realistic possibility that they could be jailed or prevented from reentering the country by this president for having said nasty things about him is worse than an honest fear or fantasy. Its nothing more than a comical effort to earn a badge of heroism from his media colleagues on the cheap. Firstly, there is nothing more fashionable in the broad media circles than criticizing President Trump. Secondly, the possibility that President Trump might abuse his power in any such way is nothing more than a phantom threat that Knoxs kid might believe, but few others would.

But with some other presidents in American history, such a threat might have been very real.

In 1917, Woodrow Wilson warned that those who were disloyal had given up their civil liberties, and would face stern repression. He used an executive order to create a new federal agency that would put the government in the business of actively shaping press coverage, called the Committee on Public Information (CPI). The Committee recruited 75,000 Four-Minute Men for their skills in propagandizing Wilsons agenda in speeches, and it produced newsreels rallying support for the war. It produced guidelines for U.S. newspapers for patriotic newspaper editors to follow, and actually published a daily Official Bulletin, which some view as the closest the United States has come to a paper like the Soviet Unions Pravda. Even outside the government press, the CPI publications appeared, at taxpayer expense, in 20,000 newspaper columns each week, effectively burying the private press beneath mountains of government propaganda.

The Wilson administrations most famous action against the free press was the Espionage Act of 1917, under which 2,000 people were charged during WWI, and jailed many members of the press.

Interestingly enough, it was under the auspices of the Espionage Act that President Obama cracked down on journalists more than any other administration since Woodrow Wilson, according to Michael Barone at the Washington Examiner in 2013. He cites 20-year veteran of The New York Times, David Sanger, as having called the Obama administration the most closed, control-freak administration hed ever witnessed.

And yet, the same leftist media mouthpieces claiming that Trump is some monumental threat to press freedom were oddly silent during Obamas presidency while all of that was going on.

Members of the media today suggesting that Donald Trump represents some uniquely dangerous presidential threat to our free press are either in desperate need of education, or they knowingly lack an interest in truth. And all of the evidence suggests the latter, and that they are willing to sell lies in order to claim some specious mantle of victimhood.

William Sullivan blogs at Political Palaver and can be followed on Twitter.
For the frontrunner in the polls, Joe Biden wasn't able to attract a very impressive crowd for his campaign's kickoff rally. Speaking to a crowd of "hundreds" (not the many thousands who turned out for President Trump in much smaller Green Bay Saturday, or the 20 thousand who allegedly attended Kamala Harris's kickoff rally), Biden looked really good for a 77-year-old. But of course, makeup and plastic surgery can accomplish wonders. But when it came to speaking, there were some worrisome lapses.

Grabien has put together a compilation video of his slurring of various words during his first rally:

It's important to note that these were not "gaffes" per se; they were a failure to articulate words that he wanted to, but could not, properly pronounce.

Biden will be 79 by the time Election Day rolls around, and there are 553 days of exhausting campaigning ahead for him. I am beginning to doubt whether he can sustain the burden, much as Hillary Clinton, who was much younger than Biden is today, seemed to wilt, even collapse when she campaigned for the presidency.

Andrew Malcolm is also skeptical about Biden's prospects, and on more than just health grounds.

It's the fractious primary season when the other junkyard dogs have Biden's nearly half-century public record to chew on. He is by far the most experienced politician in the field and sat for eight years at the right hand of Obama, once a savior now viewed by many zealots as insufficiently progressive. Which makes Biden the least fresh face out there. He must first wend his way through months of minefields to the caucuses in Iowa, then New Hampshire, South Carolina and later Super Tuesday. He must avoid playing defense so much, apologizing for perceived sins of the past. Move on, Joe. Tell us why you want to be president. Give Democrats new reason to invest hope in you. Hillary Clinton never explained that beyond it being her turn. She lost. And not because of Russians. Running for commander in chief is a wrenching, exhausting, frustrating, demanding, trying experience, as it should be. Biden needs to show more drive and energy than these mouthy youngsters and these mouthy seniors Sanders and Trump, who turns 73 in June. Americans want a president with fire in the belly. No matter how savvy the hidden reasons, waiting until late April to launch raises doubts. Oh, and don't forget money. Some of Biden's competitors will likely have to quit by late fall when the ad expenses kick in, because right now dollars are the votes that count. Joe has access to Obama's vaunted email list, but is far behind in money. Sanders reported $18.2 million in first quarter donations, mostly in small amounts. It's reported that Biden, a notoriously weak past fundraiser, took in $6.3 million in the first 24 hours. That's actually misleading. More accurately, after the first 24 hours, Biden reported having received $6.3 million, which he's been stockpiling to tout after that first day. That used to be a lot of money. But $6 million is a third of Bernie's total and half the haul of Sen. Kamala Harris, who's trying to repeat Obama's feat of turning a partial Senate term into the presidency.

If Biden is the great hope of the Democrat establishment, they have got some worrying to do.

Graphic credit: C-SPAN video via Grabien.
Even as the blood dried at Saturday's synagogue shooting, national political and media figures wasted no time blaming "white supremacists" for what they say is just the latest in an epidemic of mass shootings.

After all, everyone knows mass shootings are a white thing. Dylann Roof, right?

Wrong. The New York Times, much to the chagrin of its own reporters, said 75 percent of mass shooters are black. They actually checked.

That did not stop the Washington Post from calling for new measures to stop the white "domestic terrorists." Ditto for the head of the Congressional Black Caucus: "White supremacy is a growing threat around the world," said Congressman Hakeem Jeffries.

Note to readers: Jeffries and his Black Caucuteers pretty much consider all white people nationalists, supremacists, racists, or whatever other epithet happens to be in vogue this month. Subconscious racism, anyone?

Here's a simple way to test your white supremacy. Just answer this question: do you believe in racial quotas?

If not, you are on the white supremacist list. Know it or not. Like it or not.

Next time you see someone holding the ever popular sign saying, "White men with guns are America's biggest terrorists," you will know whom they are talking about. You.

Even aging teen idols played the post-shooting "blame the white dude" game: "Can we create a fund to build a wall to protect us from white, American, bigoted, violent, racist, a------?" said Richard Marx on Twitter.

But even as more and more Blue Checkers drew more and more attention to a mentally ill 19-year-old white kid with a high-powered weapon, they had to devote even more energy to ignoring recent episodes of mass shootings by shooters other than white people. Mostly black.

In the weekend of the San Diego synagogue shooting, there were at least eight other mass shootings in America. White people did exactly none of them. An accounting:

In Baltimore early Sunday night, eight people were shot, one fatally, at a cookout. "Police identified the shooter only as a black man." They are usually not as eager to identify criminals by race. But in this case, they stated the obvious to counteract a viral rumor that a white guy was shooting up the hood.

In Fresno early Sunday morning, "two parents are dead and one man is injured" after they were sitting in a car, visiting a friend. "That's when they were approached by several African-American males" who soon filled the car with bullets, said the chief of police.

In West Palm Beach Saturday night, "two are dead and one is clinging to life" after a black man settled an argument with a gun.

In Jackson, Michigan on Saturday morning, "four people are recovering after a shooting." Black.

In Los Angeles on Saturday evening, at least six people were shot in a Cypress Park party incident. The shooter is said to be Hispanic.

In Little Rock, Arkansas Saturday morning, "bullets fly" as two men and one woman shot. Black.

In NW Atlanta Saturday night, three black people shot three people during a home invasion.

Down in Alabama early Sunday morning, gunfire outside an Ensley night club sent four shooting victims to the hospital. This is a black club. Not a white nationalist in sight.

In Montgomery, Alabama Saturday evening, video captured a rolling gun battle among several black people with dozens and dozens of bullets flying over a three-minute period. Only one person was wounded. Since most define a mass shooting to be when three or more people are actually shot, maybe incompetent marksmanship requires us to remove this episode from this list.

You can decide for yourself at a video I made of this and the other episodes. Just click here.

In New Orleans Sunday evening, three were injured, including a child, in a St. Claude neighborhood shooting.

Did I say eight? There are at least 9. Not counting San Diego, the score stands at eight black, one Hispanic, zero episodes with a white shooter.

All this weekend. There are so many black mass shootings in so many places that they are kind of hard to count.

Colin Flaherty is the author of the bestseller Don't Make the Black Kids Angry. And the guy who writes more than anyone about the greatest lie of our generation, the hoax of black victimization  which you would already know if you followed him on Twitter. Or listened to his podcast.
When you look up to Reverend Al, you are actually looking down  way down  assuredly if you include morality and human decency in your perspective. Yet those who have chosen to make themselves the frontline lemmings in the Democrats' race for the cliff of political extinction all feel some compulsion to kiss the ring of this professional race-baiter, riot-inciter, and perpetual tax cheat in order to bring in the black vote.

I believe I hold a higher opinion of American blacks than these opportunistic Democrat nomination-chasers. I happen to think there are many blacks who clearly see Al Sharpton for the bone-deep dishonest, professional charlatan he is, and has been since the first time his bloated, Marcelled mug graced America's television screens, at the time he was in the process of inciting riots that took the lives of several New York Jews.

Or hymies, as Reverend Al labeled them.

Think about that for a moment  this is the man to whom Democrat presidential contenders feel obligated to pay their deference  this schemer, this scammer, this man who epitomizes the term scoundrel in his political activities and criminal in those financial. Reverend Al is a very bad dude, not so much in the sense of being a mortal threat, but in the moral sense that the man lives a corrupt existence that contaminates everything he touches.

That is precisely why I am totally mystified by the Democrat candidates dutifully lining up to kiss his decadent digits and wash his fetid feet. What does that say about the lot of them? Most assuredly nothing commendable  far from it, being more a clear demonstration of their soulless willingness to sell themselves to a racist devil who made himself into a liberal deity with every uprooted racial truffle his searching snout could root out of the fertile soils of America's ethnic conflicts.

Am I, a white male observer of the political scene for many decades, equating Reverend Al to a pig? You bet your butt I am  and it's nothing to do with race, but purely the man's propensity to stick his greedy, sometimes brutish snout into every racial crisis, major or minor, that he sees as an opportunity to feed at the trough of racial, cultural, and political slop. He's always there, with his snuffling snout snorting his truly uninformed and ignorant pronouncements into the media megaphones in his limited command of our language. His diatribes are largely ignored by those of us who correctly recognize Reverend Al for the ignorant, criminal boob he is, but they are strangely taken by Democrat politicians as oracular proclamations from this supposed Moses of Black America, thus necessitating their pilgrimages to gain his tainted, toxic blessing.

What does it say about Democrats as human beings when they abase themselves before such a despicable, contemptible race-baiter and think they are doing the right thing? If they are seeking Reverend Al's benediction for their candidacies, will they be seeking his political and moral counsel in their presidencies, in the off-chance one of these oblivious dupes should win?

God save us from such liberal idiocy.
There is a long forgotten plot, which brought down a world leader back in the 1970s, that has an eerily similar storyline to the current failed attempt to bring down President Trump. There were Deep State intelligence operatives actively working to smear the reputation of the duly elected leader and spy on him and his cabinet officials. This was the plot to bring down Prime Minister Harold Wilson of Great Brittan.

The review of this plot is astonishing similar to Spygate. The animus toward Harold Wilson was triggered in part by comments he made to his Labor Party  in particular, a speech he gave in October 1963 at the Labor Party's annual conference, where he stated, "The Britain that is going to be forged in the white heat of this revolution will be no place for restrictive practices or for outdated methods on either side of industry."

Revolutionary talk at the peak of the Cold War was not received well by the British establishment. This combined with the fact, while his party was in the minority, that he had visited the Soviet Union to promote the business of a former Lithuanian and suggested a partnership with the government there to make rain coats. These negotiations sent alarm bells through the domestic British intelligence organization known as MI5.

In the run up to the 1974 election, when the the Labor Party defeated the Tory Party and won a majority after four years out of power, the Deep State began to hatch a plan to remove Wilson from office. This plan, called "Clockwork Orange," included surveillance of the P.M. and his Cabinet officials. Information gathered on Harold Wilson was kept in a file in a safe at MI5 under the codename "Henry Worthington."

Operation "Clockwork Orange" included at least 13 burglaries of the members of Wilson's Cabinet and senior government officials, all of whom worked at number 10 Downing Street. It is alleged that MI5 used South African cutouts to perform the burglaries in order to have plausible deniability if caught. The curious and consistent feature of the burglaries is that nothing was taken other than an antique grandfather clock from Lord Donaghue's residence. It is widely believed that the burglaries were to install surveillance equipment.

Another facet of the operation was to plant false narratives in the media, which has been confirmed by columnist Chapman Pincher of the Daily Express. He stated that he was asked by members of the Tory Party to publish anything at all that was damaging to the prime minister.

The plot was not confined to burglaries and smear campaigns; there was also serious consideration and planning of a military coup to install Lord Mountbatten at the head of government, who would be answerable solely to the monarchy. Military exercises and drills were conducted at Heathrow Airport as a rehearsal for this coup.

Harold Wilson's health began to decline under this intense pressure from the Deep State. He ultimately resigned on March 16, 1976. The facts of this case were publicized in a 2006 BBC interview with two journalists, Barrie Penrose and Roger Courtier, when their book debuted, entitled The Pencourt File.

The parallels of "Clockwork Orange" and Spygate are too close to dismiss as only coincidence. In the recently published book by George Papadopoulos, entitled Deep State Target, Mr. Papadopoulos tells of how he was approached by intelligence operatives who all had connections to Link University, supposedly a training institution for Western intelligence officers. One shadowy individual met with Papadopoulos named Joseph Mifsud of Malta, who was a professor at the university. He is the individual who suggested to Papadopoulos that Russia has thousands of Hillary Clinton's missing emails. This, in spy craft nomenclature, is called a "dangle." The problem is that Joseph Mifsud has no traceable Russian connections. However, he does have British intelligence connections.

This British connection leads back to a Clinton campaign official named John Podesta. Podesta's aide, named Sara Latham (British citizen), was most recently hired by the duke and duchess of Sussex this past March. Prior to that, Ms. Latham was the director of Freud Communications, a London-based public relations firm. In her early career, she also worked for a member of the British Parliament named Tessa Jowell. While working for Jowell, she was recruited by the Obama administration to work at the White House.

Then there is the much discredited dossier written by Christopher Steele, who was a British MI6 officer.

The multiple connections across the Atlantic have been spun like a spider web between the Clinton campaign and British intelligence. Is it a coincidence, or was the "Clockwork Orange" operation used as a template for Spygate?

There is a mantra within the intelligence community: there is no such thing as a coincidence. To believe otherwise could be detrimental.
Though billed as being from 5:30 to 8:30, the rally, never much larger than at most 200225 people, was all but over at 7 P.M. on a chilly evening in late April. People who forgot their gloves regretted their optimism.

The issue of the day was deploring the cartoon coverage of the N.Y. Times on one occasion, though public outcry forced a tepid "deeply sorry" from the dingy Gray Lady.

Sadly, the sanctimony, long known as inadequate where Jews and Israel are 'reported on' by this 'newspaper of record,' was torn even as the small crowd grumbled below the new face of the Times on West 41st and 8th Avenue. The paper published yet another incredibly biased cartoon by a European graphic political artist.

This is insensitive, inappropriate, and offensive. It shows once again that the @NYTimes needs to educate its staff about #antiSemitism. We call on them to take immediate action. pic.twitter.com/6HBFxduKP7  Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 29, 2019

Our 8 1/2 x 11 sign, in navy and dark green, read:

New York TIMES:

REPEAT

OFFENDER

Curiously, I had done the sign hours before we all learned that the paper had published yet another intolerably racist anti-Israel, anti-Trump, anti-Netanyahu panel demonizing the Times' favorite whipping boys.

The egregious cartoons, which created a sustained uproar both abroad and in the domestic polity among Jews and Christians, come on the heels of months of unusual anti-Semitic opining by new congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a hijabed Muslim who has been only mildly chided for remarks widely considered anti-Semitic tropes using the coarsest stereotypes of Jews and Israelis.

Those speaking failed to include prayers for the heroic woman who died in the recent Poway shooting, or the three injured of the most recent anti-Semitic incident, this one in the Chabad house in Poway, California.

The main speaker, joined by Brooklyn Democrat and longtime assemblyman Dov Hikind, was investment director and community commentator Jeff Wiesenfeld. A surprise was the appearance of Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz, who had been visiting the Jewish Museum with his wife and learnt of the rally at the New York Times.

The famed lawyer noted that he is a Democrat but that the publication of such Der Sturmer-like derogations of Pres. Trump and Jewish politicians such as Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel and a close ally of the current administration, must not stand. Such cartoons figured prominently in the run-up to the Holocaust, we are reminded, and helped to pave the way for the catastrophic black mark against Europe, the German people, and Hitler, of the Jewish people, more than 6 million of whom were slaughtered with barely a headline in the N.Y. Times, which spared a meager 28 headlined front pages during the entirety of the years-long Holocaust in Europe, the Far East, and Northern Africa.

Pic 1: The Jew leads Winston Churchill.

Nazi Germany 1940.



Pic 2: The Jew leads #DonaldTrump @nytimes USA 2019. pic.twitter.com/on0Nj6NueO  Kay Wilson (@kishkushkay) April 28, 2019

Hikind admitted he was "embarrassed" that he is still a Democrat but urged attendees and Jews in the rest of the country to switch parties, as the Democrats no longer stand behind Jews or Israel as they had for so many decades.

Dershowitz deprecated the value of the Times, as he noted that their front pages and "news" coverage are now largely editorializing, not reportage or neutral coverage. He evoked a ripple of laughter when he noted that he had probably written more articles and columns for the paper than anyone else who was not an actual staffer of the Times. Going farther, he urged the assembled to join the activist supportive organization CAMERA, which acts as a watchdog over the country's major publications as they report on matters Israeli and Jewish here and abroad. He excoriated (Jewish) politicians Sen. Charles Schumer and Manhattan rep. Jerrold Nadler for their blatant silence in the face of these dangerous propagandistic cartoons, but their fealty of late is distant from defense of their own, of Jews, or of Israel.

Instead, they seem, along with speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other 'leaders' of the opposition, to back a triad of Muslim and anti-Semitic newcomers to the political scene, despite the difficult and mendacious public pronouncements of the three controversial newly elected female voices.

Occasional chants of "Shame on the New York Times!" broke out. Passersby stopped to listen, and occasional cars and vehicles passing honked their horns in support. "Where is Schumer?" was asked loudly by Assemblyman Hikind. Schumer is almost comic in his usual headline-grabbing grandstanding on almost any issue. Yet he has been silent here.

Popular speaker and radio host Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, also from Brooklyn, spoke. Wiesenthal Center's Michael Cohen spoke out against the newspaper for its slack reportage, its taunting cartoons and op-eds.

Speakers noted that had these cartoons lambasted any other religious or minority group, such as Muslims or illegal aliens, the uproar would have shaken the Times out of its sanctimonious repeat-offense smugness.
It's funny how an outlandish idea, just out of the blue, is suddenly everywhere.

Take this one. On April 15, Representative Rashida Tlaib was giving an address to the Arab-American Law Student Association at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, when she made reference to a novel concept. As reported in the Dearborn Press & Guide:

She said her immigrant mother keeps her grounded, and is so compassionate. She said her mother told a man who voiced opposition to her hijab, "You don't understand. Jesus was born in my country!" Tlaib said her mother believes that if people know that, things will be so much better.

This puzzled me. Things will be better if people know what? That Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, as it was known at the time (and still is, in Israel), after the ancient Jewish kingdom of Judah? Don't most people know that already? Or should people know that Tlaib's mother was born in the same land as Jesus? That would be something to take pride in, no doubt, but what's it got to do with the pros or cons of the hijab? Or was Tlaib's mother saying (or was her daughter, the zealot for Palestinian nationalism, implying) that more people need to know that Jesus was born in the "country" of Palestine, making him a virtual Palestinian?

Four days later, on Good Friday, (a day revered by Easter worshipers all over), a column appeared by Eric V. Copage, a former writer and editor at the New York Times. Copage was recounting how all the illustrations he saw growing up in black churches of a "fair skinned, fair haired, blue eyed" Jesus Christ made little sense, because "Jesus, born in Bethlehem, was most likely a Palestinian man with dark skin."

The next day, Omar Suleiman, an adjunct professor of Islamic studies at Southern Methodist University, tweeted a quotation from a Palestinian Christian unhappy that the Christian right doesn't support the Palestinian cause: "Don't they know Jesus was a Palestinian?"

Representative Ilhan Omar, bored with not having not seen herself on TV for more than 48 hours, promptly retweeted the quotation.

In response, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center accused the Times of "fake news" and called out both the Times and Omar for trying to "rewrite" history. Cooper told the Jewish Journal that saying Jesus was a Palestinian is a "grotesque insult to Jesus born in the land of Israel and to Christianity[.] ... Palestine was a name made up by Romans after they crucified thousands, destroyed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and exiled the People of Israel from their homeland."

Political commentator Fred Menachem also saw a need to respond, tweeting, "No, Jesus was Jewish, actually. I'm a bit surprised that a Congressperson would retweet false and inaccurate information."

Especially surprising from one of our triad of Congresspersons who always "speak truth to power"!

Finally, on April 26, a New York Times editor, probably learning for the very first time that Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew, updated Copage's article to replace the offending sentence with this: "But Jesus, a Jew born in Bethlehem, presumably had the complexion of a Middle Eastern man." An editor's note explains, "While he lived in an area that later came to be known as Palestine, Jesus was a Jew who was born in Bethlehem."

And then I read on Fox News that former president Obama's old pastor, Jeremiah Wright, had "claimed 'Jesus was a Palestinian' years ago at a Nation of Islam event."

So are all these people working together to spread this fake news around? I don't think so. Just some of them, like Tlaib; Suleiman; Omar; and, back in the day, Wright. I think in the case of Eric Copage and his unnamed editor at the Times, it's not deceit  just sheer ignorance. I agree with Rush Limbaugh on this:

One thing that's become apparent in reading the New York Times, and it is not just me observing this, and this goes back again to what journalism is, what we think of journalists. We think they're educated. We think they have historical perspective. We think that they are curious, that they are informed. The New York Times has people that do not understand the first thing about Christianity. It's not that they just are biased and are publishing lies. They literally, in this era, in this evolution of the New York Times, they don't have anybody who actually understands Christianity. Easter worshipers, for example. Easter worshipers.

Once again, we see that the smartest people in the world are not so smart after all. Eric Copage, remember, was also a Times editor and writer. He's probably not so much malicious as misinformed. Even though he grew up in church and is the author of many books on spirituality, he somehow managed to miss  or misplace  some pretty elementary details about the birth and nationality of Jesus.

As for Tlaib, Suleiman, and Omar, they know exactly what they're doing.

T.R. Clancy looks at the world from Dearborn, Michigan. You can email him at trclancy@yahoo.com.
Xiaomis sub-brand Redmi has now confirmed that a flagship smartphone with an elevating selfie camera is in the pipeline. In a video posted on the Chinese social networking website Weibo, the company has teased its upcoming phone, alongside some clips from the movie Avengers: Endgame, implying a partnership. Funnily enough, Xiaomi had previously said that the upcoming Redmi phone will not come with a pop-up camera.

Before being spun off as a separate brand, the phones from the Redmi line gained popularity for their value for money. Thats why it is rather interesting to see the new brand tease a flagship phone. Per the video, the upcoming phone will be fueled by the Snapdragon 855 SoC, which means it will be pretty snappy. It remains to be seen if the teased device would be a successor to an existing Redmi device or it would be a completely new phone.

Over the last few years, Xiaomi has emerged as one of the largest smartphone brands in the world and perhaps this is what prompted the company to turn Redmi into a separate brand. However, since the new mystery phone has been termed a flagship device, it will most likely carry a hefty price tag, although it will still most probably be more affordable than flagships from the likes of Huawei and Samsung. Xiaomi had previously indicated that the company might increase the price of its offering in the future but given the fact that budget friendliness is what made the brand famous in the first place, it will be interesting to see how the new pricing strategy works out.

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Previously, rumors had been flying around about two Xiaomi flagships codenamed davinci and raphael, which were purported to come with pop-up cameras, which means the brand could have another such phone in the works. Per some reports, the upcoming Redmi smartphone may come with a 48MP camera. It is also tipped to come with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal memory. Other rumors claim that the phone will sport a 6.39-inch display with Full HD+ resolution. The phone might also feature an in-display fingerprint scanner.

Per some publications, Redmis upcoming phone will feature a mechanical pop-up camera, which means it will rise up and go down automatically. While such a camera system would definitely help the company increase screen estate without resorting to a notch, elevating cameras have their own share of problems. Mechanical components increase the power consumption of electronic devices and they are also not very durable.

However, being a price-friendly brand, Xiaomi is unlikely to go for a pinhole display to accommodate the selfie camera anytime soon, and not everyone is a fan of notches. Phones with pop-up selfie cameras look visually appealing and perhaps thats why the Chinese company has decided to go for this design.

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In the next few days, we can expect Xiaomi to share more information about the phone, including its launch date. The phone might first be released in India, before making it to other markets. Its safe to assume that the upcoming Redmi phone would be a worthy cheap alternative for people who want a Snapdragon 855-fueled phone but cant afford premium devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Google Pixel 3.
If you own Samsungs latest flagship tablet, and you purchase it over at T-Mobile, youll be glad to know that Android 9 Pie has started rolling out to the device. The Galaxy Tab S4 is now receiving the update, according to a report from TmoNews.

The source received this info via one of its readers, and it seems like the Galaxy Tab S4 is getting Android 9 Pie via software version T837TUVU1BSD4. Considering that this is a rather large update, that brings Samsungs One UI Android overlay to the table, in addition to Android 9 Pie, the update weighs 1513.26MB.

If you own the Galaxy Tab S4 that was purchased at T-Mobile, you can go into settings and manually check if the update is available to you. As it goes with pretty much every OS update, this one is also gradual, so not every owner of the device will get it at the same time. Your update may arrive today, and it may arrive in a couple of days, or a week, just be patient. You can continue manually checking, though the Galaxy Tab S4 will let you know when the update is available even if you dont do that, presuming that option is not disabled.

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Samsungs brand new One UI interface is already a part of quite a few smartphones by the company, including the Galaxy S10 series which ships with Android 9 Pie and One UI, and other phones that received this update, like the Galaxy S9, and Note8, for example.

Samsungs One UI actually brings a more useful user interface to the table, as it makes elements easier to reach, at least in the launcher itself and Samsungs applications. This makes more sense for phones, than it does for tablets, but there you have it. In addition to that, this update also brings a proper Night Mode to the Galaxy Tab S4, support for Unicode 11.0 emojis with the Samsung Keyboard, support for HEIF images, and so much more.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 was actually announced back in August last year, and it originally shipped with Android 8.1 Oreo and Samsungs Experience UX. The device features a 10.5-inch 2560 x 1600 Super AMOLED display, while it includes 4GB of RAM and 64GB / 256GB of storage. A 6GB RAM variant is also available, but only in South Korea.

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The device is fueled by the Snapdragon 835 64-bit octa-core processor, while a 7,300mAh battery is also a part of the package, and it supports 18W fast charging, but no wireless charging. This tablet actually comes with an iris scanner, and its speakers are tuned by AKG/HARMAN, not to mention that it supports Dolby Atmos sound. A 3.5mm headphone jack is also a part of the package, while the device ships with four speakers.

A 13-megapixel camera can be found on the back of this tablet, while an 8-megapixel unit is available on its front side. The device was actually announced in both WiFi only and WiFi + 4G LTE variants, while Bluetooth 5.0 is also available on the device.
Exhaust gas is to blame: Ground-level ozone is damaging crops

Exhaust gas emissions have doubled the amount of ground-level ozone. Vegetation is being destroyed. Food production is decreasing. Researchers now fear that the damage is greatest in the Arctic regions.

OZONE TEST: Frode Stordal and Ane Vollsnes are researching how plants are damaged by ozone. This is done in the phytotron, an advanced facility where it is possible to test what happens to plants under different climatic conditions. Photo: Yngve Vogt

It is generally known that pollution has damaged the ozone layer around the Earth. The ozone layer is important for protecting life from harmful UV rays from the sun. However, the fact that pollution leads to too much ozone at ground level is less known.

Too much ozone at ground level is not good. It can damage the vegetation on Earth. The concentration of ozone at ground level has more than doubled in 150 years, says Professor Frode Stordal from the Department of Geosciences at UiO.

The consequences are alarming. By as early as 2010, international researchers determined that the ozone at ground level reduced the production of wheat by seven to twelve percent, soybeans by six to sixteen percent, rice by three to four percent, and corn by three to five percent. In 2004, researchers at the University of Gothenburg published an article in which they stated that ozone pollution reduced potato crops by as much as twenty percent. In a scientific article in 2018, Swedish and other European researchers determined that ozone at ground level destroys nearly ten percent of wheat production in the Northern hemisphere.

Now scientists fear that the ozone layer along the ground can do even more damage in Arctic regions. The plant physiologists and atmosphere physicists at the University of Oslo have therefore joined forces to research this.

More ozone with exhaust gas

To understand their research, we need to briefly look at why the ozone has increased at ground level and why it damages vegetation.



THE OZONE DAMAGE: This clover was subjected to ozone for as little as three six-hour periods. This was enough for it to get visible spots. These dots are dead tissue. Photo: Yngve Vogt

Ozone is made up of oxygen atoms, just like the oxygen we breathe. While the life-giving oxygen molecules in the air consist of two oxygen atoms (O 2 ), ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms (O 3 ). The difference may sound small, but it makes a dramatic difference. Ozone is the air pollutant that can do the most damage to living organisms.

Ozone is formed indirectly as a result of our modern lifestyle. The culprits are combustion furnaces and internal combustion engines. The most well-known, everyday examples are the exhaust gases from cars, ships and planes. When combustion occurs at high temperatures, the two main components of air, namely oxygen and nitrogen, react with each other. The so-called NOX gases are formed. These are the gases nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ). The NOx gases are catalysts. Catalysts speed up chemical reactions. The NOX gases have the unfortunate property that they help carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH 4 ) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to produce ozone. This only occurs during daytime. The explanation for this is that the chemical reaction must also receive a helping hand from solar UV radiation.

The concentration of ozone is at its greatest during daytime. During the night, it drops. The reason for this is that ozone can only be formed in daylight and breaks down when it hits plants and other things. When the sun rises, the concentration is at its lowest. The level then increases again during the course of the day.

NOX gases can also be formed in completely natural ways. Lightning is an example of this, but it is man-made pollution that is the cause of the tremendous increase in ozone at ground level.

The ozone layer at ground level is an issue that has snuck up on us, says Frode Stordal.

How does ozone damage plants?

HEALTHY: This clover has not been subjected to additional ozone pollution. Here the leaves are totally normal. Photo: Yngve Vogt

One might wonder how ozone damages plants. Just like us humans, leaves breathe too. This happens as part of the well-known process of photosynthesis. Thanks to the chlorophyll, plants can convert sunlight, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water (H 2 O) into glucose (C 6 H 12 O 6 ) and oxygen (O 2 ). Glucose is the energy plants need in order to survive. The oxygen is the waste material.

In order to receive carbon dioxide and at the same time emit oxygen and water vapour, the leaves have tiny pores, which are called stomata. Damage occurs when ozone penetrates through these pores.

Plants have an elegant means of defending themselves against the ozone hazard. The weapon of defence is antioxidants. They neutralise ozone.

The level of defence varies from plant to plant. If the plant has a lot of antioxidants, the ozone does not need to do so much damage. Although ozone does not get into the cells themselves, it does cause damage between the cells. Unfortunately, ozone reacts very easily with other elements. New chemical compounds are formed that further penetrate into the cell and damage them from within, explains researcher Ane Vollsnes at the Department of Biosciences at the University of Oslo.

May be worse in the Arctic

And we are now getting to the main point. At the equator, the days are 12 hours long. In the northern regions, it can be light around the clock.

The time that the ozone has the opportunity to penetrate plants, thus, lasts much longer in the Arctic regions than further south. Although the concentration of ozone is greater around the Mediterranean than in Norway, the plants in Norway may still be more vulnerable. The plants may not be able to recover until the next day. We must investigate whether the pores in the plants are open for large parts of the day in the northern areas. However, it is also conceivable that the plants have a circadian rhythm, despite the lack of nights. We dont know enough. This needs to be studied further, says Ane Vollsnes.

Vollsnes has carried out experiments with a type of clover that was more damaged by ozone when the nights were bright. The clover suffered visible damage. The leaves were full of dots. These dots are dead tissue.

Harms plants on purpose

Testing takes place in the phytotron in the basement of the biology building at Blindern.

The phytotron is an advanced facility where scientists can grow plants and test what happens to them under different climatic conditions. In the majority of the sixteen growth chambers in the phytotron, researchers are able to control the temperature, precipitation, amount of light and the length of night and day. To check how the plants respond to ozone, researchers are able to have identical climates in all chambers, while varying the amount of ozone. Such experiments are not possible to conduct in greenhouses. When the experiment is conducted, it is then at the mercy of the weather.

In the phytotron, we can manipulate a single factor at a time to see the effect it has.

This is the first time anyone has investigated how the length of day affects the ozone pollution of plants in the north.

Unfortunately, there is a danger that the amount of ozone will increase in Norway and in Arctic regions. This is due to the oil production in the Barents Sea and the anticipated increase in shipping traffic to Asia along the Norwegian coast and Siberia when the ice retreats.

Testing cultivated plants

Ane Vollsnes points out that how ozone affects agriculture in Norway, such as the production of wheat and oats, has not been researched. In the first round, they will research how different types of clovers and timothy grass, which are used as animal feed for cows and sheep, are damaged by ozone pollution. They can already determine that clover and timothy are vulnerable to ozone  the question is how vulnerable.

We are talking about great possible, but hidden losses, says Ane Vollsnes.

Her objective is to find the ones that can withstand the ozone pollution the best. Here she has cooperation with the Finnmark Agricultural Council. The idea is to communicate the results to the farmers in the north.

More ozone from Asia

The results from the phytotron will also be used in a climate model in order to more precisely describe the relationship between ozone and climate change.

Although Europe and the United States have become better at reducing emissions from combustion furnaces and internal combustion engines, the situation is worse in Asia. There, ozone pollution continues to increase.

This is where population growth is greatest and the standard of living is increasing the most. This is happening at the same time as the need for food is increasing. This is an unfortunate combination. More ozone will affect food production, states Ane Vollsnes.

In India and China, ozone has already been shown to reduce the production of both rice and soy.

Unfortunately, air doesnt care about borders. The ozone is moved by the strong westerly winds around the northern hemisphere  moving first towards the United States and then towards Europe.

The question is whether we will reach a threshold level or if it will get dramatically worse, Frode Stordal concludes.


BarcelonaThe Spanish Central Electoral Board (JEC) has decided to exclude former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and ex-ministers Toni Comin and Clara Ponsati from the candidate list for the European elections. It has thus ruled in favor of the appeals filed by Ciudadanos and the PP, who opposed the candidacy of the former head of the Catalan government because the three exiles are not registered in the census of foreign residents and have "fled", in their opinion, from Spanish justice. The JEC concluded that it partially agreed with these petitions and proceeded to leave the three candidates out of the proclamation for the European elections. It also urged Puigdemonts party to put forward other candidates in accordance with the gender equality quotas set by Spains electoral law, as the partys slate minus the exiles does not comply. It was given until Monday at 6 pm to do so.

Puigdemont's lawyer Gonzalo Boye has denounced this move through the social networks: "Given the triumph of pro-independence forces yesterday, the JEC has decided to exclude Puigdemont from the European lists to try to prevent another victory. This jeopardizes the viability of the European elections".

In a statement signed jointly, Puigdemont, Comin, and Ponsati said that the JEC "is aiming to prevent a candidacy that proposes to bring the voice of the Catalan self-determination referendum and the Catalan Republic to the parliamentary institution that represents all European citizens", and they called it "a flagrant violation of the fundamental right of passive suffrage". For that reason they warned that they will take all necessary legal actions at both Spanish and European levels to "defend the rights of the three candidates, and of voters to vote." The former president and his ex-ministers insisted that they are not resigned to accepting "a resolution that contradicts Spanish and European legislation."

Furthermore, they also interpreted the decision of the JEC as a "demonstration of connivance between a judicial system that should be independent and certain political interests." According to knowledgeable sources, the decision of the JEC can be appealed before the administrative chamber of the Supreme Court within two days, and then the Constitutional Court. The appeal to the high court can be filed within two days after the Supreme Courts ruling, and it will have three days to resolve it. All this before the election campaign kicks off.

In the event that the former president and ex-ministers are definitively excluded from the European elections, their party would have to replace them in the list of candidates.

Jordi Sanchez, the leader of the party in Madrids Congress and one of the Catalan political leaders who is in jail and whom the justice system is trying for the referendum on independence, reacted via Twitter by denouncing that former minister Lluis Puig (who is in exile), was allowed to run in last Sundays elections for the Senate whereas the JEC is not letting the other exiles in Europe run. "It is an example of the targeted persecution against President Puigdemont. It is a democratic embarrassment," he wrote.
The statement said: Boeing included the disagree alert as a standard feature on the MAX, although this alert has not been considered a safety feature on airplanes and is not necessary for the safe operation of the airplane. Boeing did not intentionally or otherwise deactivate the disagree alert on its MAX airplanes.

The disagree alert was intended to be a standard, stand-alone feature on MAX airplanes. However, the disagree alert was not operable on all airplanes because the feature was not activated as intended.

The disagree alert was tied or linked into the angle of attack indicator, which is an optional feature on the MAX. Unless an airline opted for the angle of attack indicator, the disagree alert was not operable.

On every airplane delivered to our customers, including the MAX, all flight data and information needed to safely operate the aircraft is provided in the flight deck and on the flight deck display. This information is readily accessible to pilots, and it always has been.

The air speed, attitude, and altitude displays, together with the stick shaker, are the primary flight information indicators in the flight deck. All recommended pilot actions, checklists, and training are based upon these primary indicators, not on the AOA disagree alert or the angle of attack indicator

As the MAX safely returns to the air after the software modifications are approved and certified, all MAX production aircraft will have an activated and operable disagree alert and an optional angle of attack indicator. All customers with previously delivered MAX airplanes will have the ability to activate the disagree alert per a service bulletin to airlines.

We are confident that when the MAX returns to the skies, it will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly.
While full details of the agreements have not been released it is understood that the agreements involve strategic cooperation between Rwandas Aviation Travel and Logistics (ATL)the company managing RwandAirand Qatar Airways. ATL is also a 25% shareholder in the countrys new international hub airport at Bugasera..

The agreements came after a three day visit to Kigali by the Emir of Qatar, HH Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as guests of Rwanda President Paul Kagame.

The Emir was accompanied by a delegation of senior government officials and business executives from the nation including the group CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker.

The new Bugasera airport was due to have opened this year but reports from the majority shareholder - Mota-Engil Africa - said the project had stalled due to a mandatory redesign to account for greater than expected growth from the Rwandan national carrier Rwandair. There were also calls for more funding. A revised opening date of 2020 is also now likely to be pushed back.

At the Aviation Africa summit which was held in Kigali in February Al Baker praised the success of Rwandair and also talked about the need for competitive hub development.

The agreement to bolster aviation investments and cooperation could see Qatar becoming a major investor in the project, and stimulating growth for the airline.

So far, more than $130 million has reportedly been injected in the Bugasera project with the first phase of construction estimated to cost $418 million.



The aviation accord is signed by Qatar Airways and ATL in Kigali witnessed by the respective heads of state
Are you green with envy at James Lasduns long account of chasing and experiencing the Northern Lights in Norway and Finland in the 29 April 2019 New Yorker? I could certainly have done with the commission thirty-five years ago. But I have to allow that it was purely by chance that I saw the Aurora Borealis on the 23rd or 24th of June 1984. I might even then have been a bit blase about my sighting, as I was drinking a glass of champagne at the time, seated in the cockpit of the first-ever Virgin Airlines flight from Newark New Jersey to London Gatwick. I might just have seen this vivid green display on other, perhaps later occasions, just as I am almost sure it was on an early Virgin flight  perhaps this very one  that I spottedmy double (in a queue at Newark, about 56 or 57, stocky, with curly blond hair and watery blue eyes). This, however, was definitely the Virgin flight on which I lost my Northern Lights virginity.

The reason I am a little unsure about the date is that I was on the return leg of the inaugural flight from Gatwick, and I dont remember whether it was a daytime or an overnight flight. The latter seems more likely to have given the flight crew and me a glimpse of this vivid emerald spectacle, though I grant you that Newark does seem an unlikely venue for this show. The pilot and co-pilot had, of course, seen it all before.

I must hasten to say that the champagne was drunk only by me, and none of the crew indulged.

Why was I on the flight-deck? That is the bizarre part of the story.

In 1968-69, I lodged in a huge mansion flat in Hanover Gate Mansions, across the road from Londons Regents Park. I was a Harvard Travelling Fellow, with some sort of honorary appointment at University College London, of which I never availed myself. I was writing a book (my Harvard PhD dissertation; but I rapidly got a top publishers contract for what became Moore: G.E. Moore & the Cambridge Apostles). The person who invited me to stay there was Myles Burnyeat (my dear friend, who was formerly Prof of Philosophy at Cambridge and Senior Research Fellow of All Souls, and not long ago voted the most influential classical scholar in the world). The day of my arrival at my new temporary home, Myles confided, over a cup of dreadful instant coffee, that, as I was certain soon to discover for myself, he was himself a Cambridge Apostle. He had, indeed, made an appointment for me to meet the semi-official spokesman for the Apostles in the next few days.

This, though, is a distraction. Other residents at Hanover Gate Mansions included Myless then-partner, the American academic Nancy Gayer; plus her elder son, Gordon Ivan Fields (b. 1951), who became the British fashion mogul Gifi Fields (responsible for the rah-rah skirt, I read); and twin boys (b. 29 Dec. 1952) Robbie (later, owner of Posh Boy Records), and Randy. As the boys were so close in age, their recreations were similar, and I soon got used to the fragrance of marijuana that pervaded the apartments soft furnishings. Naturally, the boys were frequently busted for minor infractions to do with smoking spliffs (and its not impossible that they, or a friend of theirs, were the chief suppliers to my Aussie art critic pal, the late Robert Hughes, who also lived in our block of flats.)

In any case, they made repeated calls upon the legal services of my also late closest friend, Michael Seifert, who was constantly rescuing one or another of them. It was at this point that Michael got fed up, and said to the boys that they now knew the law on the subject as well as he did, and could perfectly well plead for themselves from then on. Thats how and why Randolph Fields became an eminent barrister, expert on insurance matters, asbestos clearance and other environmental coverage  and a celebrated poker player.

Randolph was also interested in the airline business, and during the Falklands troubles had the idea of opening a commercial route to the Islands, which didnt work but, to abbreviate a long narrative, got him hooked up with Richard Branson in founding what was then called Virgin Airlines. Randy and Sir Richard had the inevitable dispute, was bought out by Branson for an initial 1m in 1985, and sadly, died in Jersey in 1997, but not before winning several World Poker titles.

We kept in touch: the Fields boys mother, Nancy was at our 1977 wedding party, and so, perhaps, were some of them. In 1984, having lapsed from academia, I was the Food & Wine editor of The Observer newspaper, during its golden age. Except that I was returning to the UK on that flight, Im afraid I cannot remember any of the circumstances (although it was probably something to do with the US publication of The Official Foodie Handbook later that year). But it was at the invitation of the then co-owner of Virgin Airlines that I was drinking fizz that night on the flight-deck, and saw the jolly green giant lights. Though champagne may well have been against the rules, there was definitely no spliff involved in the apparition of the verdant forms trailing scarlet, which looked like vast brushstrokes of a Howard Hodgkin painting.
Glanza gets a different grille with Toyota badge upfront, everything else looks like it's taken straight from the Baleno.

Apart from the badge engineering, there seem to be no other changes in Toyota Glanza from the Baleno.

The Toyota Glanza has been spied undisguised for the first time.

Apart from the badge engineering, there seem to be no other changes from the Baleno.

Spy images confirm the mid-spec V trim, the other being the top-end Z variant.

Likely to be launched with the all new 1.2L DualJet motor with mild hybrid system which debuted with the Baleno.

Expected to hit showrooms by June first week.

Toyota recently teased the Glanza in a video and the premium hatchback has now been spotted without any sort of camouflage. This is the first time the Glanza has been spotted, before its launch in the first week of June. As it can be seen in the images, the two cars look similar save for the front grille, which has a Toyota logo in the middle in the case of the Glanza.

While the new grille and the Toyota badging gives the Glanza a unique front facia, there is no denying that it's essentially the Baleno underneath. Not only does the Glanza have the same set of headlights and front bumper as the Baleno, it also gets the same set of alloy wheels as its Maruti cousin. The Glanza is the first product to come out as a result of the partnership between Toyota and Suzuki, which includes sharing of platforms and developing EVs apart from launching badge-engineered vehicles in India.

As reported earlier, the Glanza will be launched in two variants and the spy shots confirm the mid-spec V variant (pictured above), with the only other option being the top-spec Z trim. While the interiors have not been spied yet, expect the Glanza to feature a different colour combination inside to differentiate it from the black theme of the Baleno. In terms of features, expect the Toyota offering to get plenty of equipment like a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and climate control. With the Glanza likely to be positioned at a slight premium over the Baleno, we also expect Toyota to throw in some extra goodies such as cruise control, automatic headlamps etc.

Under the bonnet, the Glanza is most likely to feature the new BSVI-compliant 1.2-litre DualJet petrol motor with Suzukis mild hybrid tech. This motor produces around 89PS of power and 113Nm of torque in the Baleno. It is likely to be offered with both a 5-speed manual gearbox and a CVT as well on the Glanza.

Expected to hit showrooms by early June, the Glanza will enter the crowded premium hatchback segment as a loaded offering. While it might not have any surprises in store in terms of looks or engine options, what it will bring to the table is a fully loaded package with all the bells and whistles along with an automatic gearbox, which the Baleno does not have. That along with Toyotas famed aftersales and service packages will be the Glanzas biggest draw.

Now that we know what the latest Toyota in the country looks like, all that's left to be revealed is the pricing. From what we know so far, the Glanza could be priced between Rs 7.2 lakh to Rs 9.2 lakh (ex-showroom). For the official reveal and more details on the Glanza, do stay tuned.

(Source: ZigWheels.com)
Overwhelmed with his fan following, Kalank actor Varun Dhawan talks about missing the anonymity.

The fan following of a star in Bollywood is bigger than his stardom, a reflection of which is seen in the sea of fans gathered outside an actors house or following them on shoot locations.

While this fact is quite known, there have been incidences when fans have gone extra miles in expressing their love, making the star uncomfortable. Point in case, superstar Varun Dhawan who enjoys an immensely huge fan following among millennials, had a rather shocking encounter when one of his crazy fan threatened to kill his girlfriend Natasha Dalal.

Though the actor is overwhelmed at the love showered on him and cant thank his fans enough for the same, the Judwaa 2 actor believes that the fans needs to know where to draw the line.

They are loud and passionate. Adulation feels lovely but just dont cross the line, thats all, he expressed.

He further added, I love it and I am not scared of it. I know it comes with the territory and I am blessed, but all true fans should realise that there is a line.

However, Varun refrained from speak about the Natasha incident and said, It is nerve-wracking. I am not going to talk about this incident because I have been told not to.

The actor, who was last seen in Kalank will now move onto his next project, a remake of Cooli No 1. Helmed by director David Dhawan, Varun will be seen opposite Sara Ali Khan in the film. As stardom hit him instantly with Student Of The Year, Varun reveals that he misses the anonymity.

I used to go to Juhu beach a lot with my friends. So now if I want to go for a swim now, I am getting clicked. I wish I could take my niece and go, but cant and it is fine. Being an actor comes with a responsibility and I am not complaining. I get too much love, he said.

In the other news, Varun is thrilled for his Youtube channel and is keen on putting out interesting stuff.

I went for the Youtube fan fest, met all Youtubers and took an understanding of what audiences like. There are so many different audiences, said an excited Varun.
Last week, representatives of the guarantor countries of the Syrian truce (Russia, Iran, Turkey) reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria at a meeting in the framework of the 12th round of the Astana process. They also condemned the US administrations decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Iran, Russia and Turkey rejected attempts to create new realities "on the ground" under the pretext of fighting terrorism and expressed their determination to resist the separatist plans aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the national security of neighboring countries. The parties reportedly agreed to invite Syrias neighbors - Iraq and Lebanon - to join the Astana process.

As Middle East Eye writes in the article Syrian opposition denounce 'terrorist' regime as talks in Kazakhstan end without deal, hopes that the Syrian government and the armed opposition would agree on a committee to draw up a new constitution for the war-torn country, a key component of any peace deal, have been dashed once again. The disappointment came after delegates from both sides met separately with Geir Pedersen, the new UN envoy for Syria, in Kazakhstan's capital city last week within the framework of the so-called Astana process led by Russia, Turkey and Iran.Negotiations have been going on for more than a year to choose names for the 150-person committee in which each side will have 50 seats. Fifty other members are to be chosen by the UN from Syrian civil society. Syrian government intransigence is blocking a final agreement, Ahmad Toma, the leader of the opposition team, told Middle East Eye after the meeting ended here. "Forty-four of the UN's 50 are agreed, but the regime wants to pick the last six names. They want more people than us. This is the obstacle," he said.

Western governments have been sceptical about the Astana process, which began in 2017 and which they fear is a way of detracting from the Geneva talks which have sputtered on for seven years. In November, Staffan de Mistura, the outgoing UN envoy for Syria, described the failure of the last attempt at forming a constitutional committee as a "missed opportunity". Five months later it is still not agreed, but many analysts believe the Geneva talks have also achieved very little. Even when the committee is formed, there will be further scope for disputes over its agenda and voting mechanisms. Then there is substance.

Last week's meeting showed how wide the gap is between the two sides. Although the government delegation, headed by Bashar Jaafari, Syria's representative to the UN in New York, and the opposition team sat in the same hall in Nursultan for the concluding plenary session, they did not talk face-to-face, either then or earlier, in the two days of meetings. At separate press conferences there was no hint of compromise. Toma said: "The regime is the biggest terrorist in Syria. How can we co-operate with such a regime?" Meanwhile, Jaafari denounced people "who use phrases like 'the moderate opposition' and who said there were no terrorists in Syria".

There were also major disagreements over Turkey's role in Syria. Turkey has given aid and military backing to opposition forces in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, one of the last areas which the Syrian government army, backed by Russian air power, has not yet regained. Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed in Sochi last year on a de-escalation mechanism under which a 15km-deep buffer zone between government and rebel forces would be established around Idlib and the main road to Damascus would be re-opened.

Turkey would help to disarm militant groups, in particular Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an affiliate of al-Qaeda. In return, the Syrian army would hold back on any ground offensive to retake the province. The Russian-Turkish deal was also meant to promote prisoner exchanges. Nine Syrian troops held by the rebels, and nine rebels held by the government, were swapped last week in a village south of al Bab, under the supervision of the UN and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. It was the third such exchange. But the de-escalation plan has not led to a decrease in terrorist activity in Idlib

***

The change of the Wests position regarding the preservation of Syrian President Bashar Assad may be fraught with a dual agenda, implying the creation of conditions for regime change, Special Envoy of the Russian president for a Syrian Settlement Alexander Lavrentiev told TASS after the negotiations. "We notice that the rhetoric of not just Saudi Arabia, but even leading Western countries - the United States, Great Britain, France - has changed. Recently, Paris announced that the French side admits the preservation of Syrian President Bashar Assad in power, but for some certain period of time. Yes, the position softened, but what is behind this? The problem is whether there is a disguised or dual agenda implying the creation of conditions for regime change. Therefore, the Syrian government perceives these signals of a policy change towards Damascus with great apprehension. The Syrian government needs security guarantees, " Lavrentyev said. According to him, the level of trust is quite low and it is hard to raise it, but "the history of other countries shows that it is possible to find options, even if the level of distrust is overwhelming and people look at each other only through crosshairs of machine guns."

The next meeting on Syria will be held in the capital of Kazakhstan in July.
The bungling led to the alleged suicides of 23 students since the declaration of results on April 18.

Telangana police detains BJP leaders and workers during a protest over the alleged massive bungling in intermediate examination results, which led to suicide by at least 23 students, in Hyderabad on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

Hyderabad: Protests continued Monday over the alleged goof-up in the declaration of results of the Intermediate examinations by members of different student organisations and political parties here even as the BJP Telangana unit president K. Laxman began an indefinite fast.

The bungling led to the alleged suicides of 23 students since the declaration of results on April 18.

Hitting out at the TRS government, the BJP state chief Laxman began his fast seeking justice for the students.

The demands of the BJP include sacking of education minister G. Jagadeesh Reddy, suspension of secretary of Board of Intermediate Education, judicial inquiry into the entire episode and compensation to families of students who allegedly committed suicide. The exams were conducted during February and March this year and the results were declared on April 18.

Many students and parents have been protesting against the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) alleging goof-up in the paper valuation.

Demanding resignation of the education minister, the protesters, wanted him to take moral responsibility over the fiasco and made a vain bid to lay siege to the TSBIE office here and Pragathi Bhavan, official residence complex-cum-camp office of Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Scores of protesters were taken into preventive custody by the police.

In the wake of Chalo TSBIE protest call given by Opposition parties, several leaders of the Congress, Telangana TDP, TJS were put under house arrest in different parts of the city and across the state, leaders of those parties said.

Police, who had stepped up security near the TSBIE office, foiled attempts by activists of Students Federation of India, Progressive Democratic Students Union, Democratic Youth Federation of India, All India Democratic Students Organisation and other student organisations to barge into the TSBIE office, and whisked away the protesters in police vehicles.
55 fishermen were released at the Wagah border as a goodwill gesture.

Amritsar: Pakistan on Tuesday released 60 jailed Indians, including 55 fishermen, at the Wagah border as a goodwill gesture.

All the fishermen were reportedly arrested for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters. The five others, who were in Pakistan, were arrested for allegedly not having proper Pakistani visa and other documentation.

The released Indian citizens had completed their prison term while most of them had served much longer than the sentence awarded by Pakistani courts.

Shoaib, who was in the group, told ANI, I went to Pakistan to earn money but I fell into bad company due to which my uncle got me arrested. I was awarded a three-month sentence but I had to stay in jail for 18 months before I was released.

Wahid Khan said, I lost my passport with the visa while in Pakistan. I went with my relatives to the police to report the loss of the document but I was sent to jail and kept there for 20 months. I was unjustly lodged in prison but now I am happy to return home.

India had sent a note verbale to Pakistan on April 9, urging it to make necessary arrangements for immediate release and repatriation of Indian prisoners who had completed their jail term.

Three hundred Indian prisoners were released by Pakistan between April 8 and April 14.
EC has been active after it was pulled up by SC earlier this month over allegations of inaction in cases of Model Code violation.

PM Modi was accused of violating the poll conduct for his references to Pulwama and Balakot air strikes during the campaign. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India will meet on Tuesday to decide on Model Code of Conduct violation complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

On Monday, the Congress had moved the Supreme Court complaining that the Election Commission had been sitting on numerous complaints alleging Model Code of Conduct violations against PM Modi and Amit Shah.

In her petition, Congress leader Sushmita Dev alleged that both indulged in hate speeches and used armed forces for political propaganda".

PM Modi was accused of violating the poll conduct for his references to Pulwama and Balakot air strikes during the campaign. Another issue pending with poll body is for PM Modis mini roadshow and speech in Gujarats Ahmedabad.

The officials were also examining the complaint against BJP chief Amit Shah for dubbing the armed forces "Modi Sena" - a remark that army officers had objected to and wrote to the Defence Ministry.

The BJP had complained against Rahul Gandhi for his "chowkidar chor hai" slogan.

The election panel has been active after it was pulled up by the Supreme Court earlier this month over allegations of inaction in cases of Model Code violation.

Earlier, the poll body had temporarily banned number of politicians  including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, Mayawati, Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan and Congress's Navjot Sidhu.

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DCA is one of the three agencies along with the Special Forces and Space to be set up as per the clearance given by Prime Minister.

New Delhi: In a bid to bolster its capabilities to tackle threats emanating from hackers, mostly from China and Pakistan, India is all set to have Defence Cyber Agency (DCA) by next month, headquartered in the capital. Senior Navy officer Rear Admiral Mohit Gupta will be the first head of the DCA.

"We are working to raise the Defence Cyber Agency in May itself. The work has almost been completed. A new building has been hired in the national capital which will act as the headquarters of the formation," sources in the Defence Ministry told ANI.

DCA is one of the three agencies along with the Special Forces and Space to be set up as per the clearance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Combined Commanders' Conference in Jodhpur last year. The DCA will include a lot of existing capability with the armed forces for tackling threats in the cyber domain and will also have the elements of DRDO working in it, sources said.

While the Cyber agency is ready to be launched with its headquarters in New Delhi, the setting up of the Space agency will take some time as the structure for it is still being discussed.

The Special Forces agency would be headed by a Major General rank officer of the Army and is likely to come up at Agra, which already has a Para brigade and the wherewithal to airlift Special Forces operatives in large numbers as the base co-exists with an IAF transport aircraft squadron specialising in these operations.

One of the top Army officers, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen MM Naravane had recently stated that the units of the Cyber agency will be spread across the country. There will be units or cells or dedicated officers at every headquarter to deal with the aspect of cybersecurity, he had said.

According to defence sources, almost on a daily basis, efforts are made by hackers, especially from Pakistan and China to break into the military systems to steal information and create disruption.

The tri-services Integrated Defence Staff is also holding an exercise with NTRO, RAW, National Security Council and DRDO where cyber attacks would be launched on critical military infrastructure and the authorities concerned would thwart them using their tools and skills in the domain.
After Centre's notice to Rahul on foreign citizenship complaint, Priyanka said we 'all know he was born, raised here'.

Gandhi has been given 14 days to respond on the issue. (Photo: PTI | File)

New Delhi: The controversy over the citizenship of Rahul Gandhi is rubbish and drama, said Congress general secretary and in-charge for East UP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra here on Tuesday.

"The controversy about Rahul's citizenship is rubbish and drama. The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian," she said.

"He was born, raised and grew up in India. What sort of rubbish is this (controversy) regarding his citizenship," Priyanka said when asked to comment.

Priyanka was here to address election meetings in support of Rahul, who is seeking re-election from Amethi.

The Congress party on Tuesday said the Home Ministrys notice to Rahul regarding his citizenship was a ploy to divert the peoples attention from the real issues plaguing the nation.

The party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of resorting to a fake narrative to divert the attention of the people as he has no answers for unemployment, farmer distress, and tax terrorism unleashed on the traders of the country.

Talking to ANI, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said: The electoral boat of PM Modi and BJP has completely sunk. The bankruptcy of new ideas is now making them lose the political balance by resorting to such malicious allegations against Gandhi.

The entire country knows that he is a citizen of India. Rahul Gandhi complained to the Ethics Committee of Parliament regarding the same issue one and a half years ago. The truth is that there is no truth in the allegations, said Surjewala.

PM Modi raised the same issue in 2015 and again in 2017 when it approached the Home Ministry with a complaint against Rahul Gandhi. For the last five years, were the BJP leaders sleeping? Why is this topic being raised during the election season only, he asked.

D Raja, CPI leader, said: Rahul Gandhi has been issued a voter ID. Then why is there confusion on his citizenship? The timing of issuing this notice to the Congress president is questionable.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday issued a notice to Gandhi regarding his citizenship after receiving a complaint from Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy.

Ministry of Home Affairs issues notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship after receiving a complaint from Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy; MHA asks Rahul Gandhi to respond in the matter within a 'fortnight'. pic.twitter.com/rkFu6TJ7lu  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

Dr Swamy has alleged that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in the year 2003 and that Gandhi was one of the Directors and Secretary of the company.

Dr Swamy has also stated that the Congress president had declared his nationality as British in a UK-based company.

It has been further brought out in the complaint that in the Companys Annual Returns filed on October 10, 2005, and October 31, 2006, your date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970, and that you had declared your nationality as British. Further, in the Dissolution application dated 17/02/2009 of the above-referred company, your nationality has been mentioned as British, the notice said.

The Ministry has asked Gandhi to respond within a 'fortnight' to the allegations.

On April 20, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao had also raised a similar objection to Gandhis citizenship at a press conference here.
Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the Home Ministry notice showed the deperation of the Modi government.

New Delhi: Days before the high-profile contest in Amethi between Rahul Gandhi and Smriti Irani, the Union home ministry on Monday served a notice on the Congress president seeking a clarification on his citizenship status. The Congress party was quick to cry foul.

The Home Ministry notice to Mr Gandhi sought a reply within 15 days on his factual position on his citizenship status following a representation from BJPs Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy.

Mr Swamys letter mentioned that in a British companys annual returns filed on October 10, 2005, and October 31, 2006, Mr Gandhis date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970, and he had declared his nationality as British, the ministry said.

It said it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Mr Gandhi as one of its directors.

The Congress Party at a press conference brandished documents of the said company which lists Rahul Gandhis citizenship as Indian.

Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the Home Ministry notice showed the deperation of the Modi government.

The BJP described Mr Gandhi as a man of mysteries. BJP spokes-person Sambit Patra asked which is the real one  Rahul Gandhi London wale or Lutyens wale.
Modi, at Wardha on April 1, had also allegedly raised the issue of bhagva aatankwad (saffron terror).

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a complaint alleging violation of model code of conduct (MCC) by him at Maharashtras Wardha earlier this month where he had slammed Rahul Gandhi, without naming him, for contesting from Keralas Muslim-dominated Wayanad seat, besides his traditional seat in Uttar Pradeshs Amethi.

While referring to Mr Gandhis decision to contest from Wardha, Mr Modi had said the party was taking refuge in areas where majority is in minority, a remark that had prompted the Congress to file complaints in the EC and the Supreme Court.

Leaders of that party are now scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by majority (Hindu) population. That is why they are forced to take refuge in places where the majority is in a minority, Mr Modi had said.

The clean chit to the Prime Minister was given by the full commission. Sources said this was the full commissions first deliberation since April 5 on the alleged violation of the MCC.

Mr Modi, at Wardha on April 1, had also allegedly raised the issue of bhagva aatankwad (saffron terror).

How can the Congress be forgiven for insulting the Hindus in front of the world? Werent you hurt when you heard the word Hindu terror? How can a community known for peace, brotherhood and harmony be linked with terrorism? In the thousand years of history, not a single incident shows an act of Hindu terrorism. Even the British historians could never find it, Mr Modi had said.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court asked the EC to decide on the representations submitted by EC gives clean chit to Modis Wardha speech the Congress seeking action against Mr Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for MCC violations through their alleged hate speeches and use of the armed forces for political propaganda.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi fixed the matters next hearing on May 2 and gave a free hand to the EC to pass orders on the complaint filed by Sushmita Dev, Congress Lok Sabha MP from Silchar in Assam and president of the All India Mahila Congress.

Ms Dev alleged that inaction by EC on complaints against top BJP leaders was a sign of invidious discrimination as also arbitrary, capricious and impermissible as it was destructive of the integrity of electoral process.

It will be open for the EC to pass necessary/appropriate orders on the representation of the petitioner. The matter will be heard on May 2, said the bench, which also included Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K.M. Joseph.

while issuing notice to the poll panel to seek its response to Ms Devs plea.

The plea doubting EC fairplay came up for hearing barely two weeks after the top court expressed satisfaction over the poll panels action against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, BSP supremo Mayawati, SP leader Azam Khan and others for allegedly making hate speeches during poll campaign.

The petitioner said that the Congress has led verifiable evidence on the MCC violation by Mr Modi and Mr Shah by delivering hate speeches and invoking the armed forces in their campaigning despite a clear ban by the EC.

The lack of decision despite cogent evidences and representations to the EC demonstrates abdication and indecision and a complete absence of justice, in ensuring a level playing field in ensuing Lok Sabha polls, said Ms Dev.

The plea listed several alleged instances of MCC violations by Mr Modi and Mr Shah in their meetings and referred to as the first violation the speech of Mr Modi, including his Wardha speech.
Modi urges masses to vote for NDA so that terror can be wiped out.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar share a light moment during an election rally in Muzaffarpur on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that the scales have been tilted in favour of the ruling NDA in the first four phases of the general elections, and the remaining three would determine the magnitude of its victory and the Oppositions defeat.

Addressing a rally in Bihars Muzaffarpur, Mr Modi urged the masses to vote for NDA so that terror factories running inside and out of the country can be wiped out.

This chowkidar is alert and will never allow terror factories to run anywhere in the country. Our policy on national security is clear we dont spare anyone who has been involved in terror attacks but this mahamilawti (Opposition camp) has never revealed their stand about the issue, he said.

This was PM Modis sixth political rally in Bihar since the poll dates were announced. He was campaigning for BJP candidate Ajay Nishad in Mu-zaffarpur. Mr Singh has been pitted against grand alliance candidate Rajbh-ushan Nishad of the Vika-sheel Insan Party (VIP).

Political analysts claim that VIP, being a grand alliance partner, is hoping to get the support of RJDs traditional Muslim-Yadav and a sizeable number of OBC and EBC votes.

According to political analysts, the BJP has been worried about the possibility of vote split as both the candidates belonging to the same caste are locked in a neck to neck contest in Muzaffarpur.

The Prime Minister, however, expressed confidence that the NDA will emerge as a winner in the Lok Sabha elections.

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The TMC chief said that even if all of her party MLAs were purchased, her government could not be toppled as she can alone create new leaders.

Kolkata: Furious over PM Narendra Modis claim of being in touch with 40 Trinamul Congress MLAs, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday directly accused him of horse-trading shamelessly.

Wondering how a person holding the post of PM could talk of buying MLAs, she also demanded the cancellation of Mr Modis candidature from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

The TMC chief said that even if all of her party MLAs were purchased, her government could not be toppled as she can alone create new leaders. She also complained of money power by the BJP. Addressing a rally at Bhadreshwar in Hooghly, Ms Banerjee said, On Monday the PM claimed at Sreerampore that 40 Trinamul MLAs have been in touch with him. As a PM he is talking of buying MLAs! He is horse-trading shamelessly.

Virtually throwing a challenge to Mr Modi, she said, Let him take away as many as he can. Even if one leaves, I am capable enough to create 100 more. We are not thieves like his party. His party is run on money. But our party is run on blood relations. His candidature should be cancelled because whatever he is saying is unconstitutional. He has violated the decorum of the constitutional post while holding it. He has no right to be a PM.

Lashing out at the saffron party, she said, The people of Bengal will never bring a force like BJP in power. They can not keep the people united. They do not love the people. The people will give them a befitting reply democratically.

Ms Banerjee blamed the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of wearing an indifferent attitude to the peoples requirement in the state. She reasoned that several reque-sts to the Centre to sanction welfare schemes did not elicit any response.

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The petition had been filed by Silchar MP and All India Mahila Congress President Sushmita Dev.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday agreed to hear on Tuesday a Congress MPs urgent plea seeking direction to the Election Commission to decide without any demur the complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on their alleged hate speeches and using armed forces for political propaganda.

The petition had been filed by Silchar MP and All India Mahila Congress President Sushmita Dev.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of the submissions of senior advocate A.M. Singhvi that the plea of Ms Dev be accorded an urgent hearing as EC has not taken any decision on complaints of model code of conduct (MCC) violations against Mr Modi and Mr Shah.

Ms Dev alleged that inaction by EC on complaints against top BJP leaders was a sign of invidious discrimination and was arbitrary, capricious and impermissible as it was destructive of the integrity of the electoral process.

Mr Singhvi, along with lawyer Sunil Fernandes, alleged that BJP leaders have been violating MCC during last four weeks and the EC has not taken any decisions on as many as 40 complaints of the Congress Party. To this, the bench said it will hear the plea on Tuesday.

At the outset, the bench took note of the submission of Mr Singhvi and asked him as to why he was reluctant in naming the BJP leaders.

Why dont you (Singhvi) mention clearly the names, said the bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna.

Since March 10, that is the date on which general elections were notified, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, specifically in sensitive areas and states, have ex-facie violated the provisions of the Representation of Peoples Act and the Conduct of Election Rules and the process, thereof. It is in public domain that they have indulged in hate speeches, repeatedly used the armed forces for political propaganda, despite a clear prohibition on the same by the EC, Ms Dev alleged.

The Silchar MP said she has been constrained to move the apex court to seek direction to the EC to expeditiously take action on multiplerepresentations/complaints pending before the ECI against Mr Modi and Mr Shah.

Alleging inaction on the part of EC, the plea said it has not been taking actions despite cogent evidence and exhortations to the EC demonstrated abdication and indecision and a complete absence of justice, in ensuring a level playing field in ensuing general elections.

The inactions, omissions and commissions by the EC are in complete and direct violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution and which are impeding free, fair and unbiased General Elections, the plea said.

The plea listed out several alleged instances of MCC violations by Mr Modi and Mr Shah in their meetings and referred to as the first violation the speech of Mr Modi at a rally at Wardha, Maharashtra, on April 1 where he had allegedly raised the issue of bhagva aatankwad (saffron terror).

Mr Modi had also allegedly raised the issue of the Congress president fighting polls from Wayanad in Kerala.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally where he gave a hate-speech and sought votes in the name of Armed Forces in Wardha, Maharashtra, the plea alleged.

PM Modi claimed at a campaign rally in Gujarats Surendranagar on April 17 that his government had called Pakistans bluff after the Pulwama terror attack, which resulted in the death of 40 CRPF personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on February 14.

Earlier terrorists from Pakistan would carry out attacks in our country and go back unscathed, threatening to launch their nuclear bombs if we retaliate. But we have the nuclear bomb of nuclear bombs. I told them to do what they want (but we will retaliate), the Prime Minister said.

Mr Shah claimed at a public meeting in Bihars Sitamarhi on Sunday that the Modi government had secured the countrys borders and made national security its main priority. India is only the third country after Israel and United States to have retaliated to terrorism in this brave manner, he said.

The petition also referred to the ECs circulars prohibiting parties and candidates from using pictures of armed forces for their political propaganda and using religions.

The purpose of all these rules and regulations is to ensure a level-playing field for all candidates regardless of position, influence or ideology and also to ensure that the sanctity and integrity of the electoral process is not undermined by unscrupulous individuals, it said.

The plea said that under the Constitution, the poll panel is the watchdog of free and fair elections and is duty-bound to circumvent the pressure and ascertain that ensuing elections are free from any impediments in order to uphold the democratic sanctity and fundamental rights of the voter.

It alleged that the Prime Minister, in blatant violation of the MCC, held a rally on the day of polling in Gujarat on April 23.

Such brazen violations are neither minor nor procedural, in any manner. It is matter of record that other candidates who have been in breach of the electoral laws including the MCC have had strictures and directions passed against them including ban from campaigning for 72 hours, it said.

Ms Dev alleged that the EC has been guarded and oblivious to comprehensive complaints against the Prime Minister and Mr Shah.

The plea said: The inaction on the part of the EC is a sign of invidious discrimination and is arbitrary, capricious and impermissible, which apart from constituting clear and material infraction of the Petitioners Fundamental Rights under Article 14 and 21 ...Is also ex-facie destructive of the integrity of the electoral process, whereby certain selected very powerful individuals have been permitted to gain an unfair electoral advantage by their material infractions of the RP Act, Election Rules and the MCC.

The plea is solely directed against inaction of EC for more than three weeks, it alleged, adding that the EC has become a tool in the hands of the dispensation to facilitate violation of the provisions of the Constitution, the provisions of the Act and the Rules.
Political analyst Nikita Mendkovich, on the sidelines of the presentation of the international study "The concepts of 'extremism' and 'radicalism' in the perception of young people in the Caspian region," spoke about the threat of increasing number of terrorist cells in the Central Asian and Caspian regions.

"At the moment we are facing a new wave of terrorist threat. After the main ISIS forces (banned in Russia) and other terrorist organizations were liquidated in the Middle East, active militants migrate, as well as attempt to export the ideology and infrastructure of terrorist organizations to other regions. First and foremost - to Afghanistan and Central Asia. There is a tense armed confrontation in Afghanistan, the central government is very weak there, the international coalition's positions are weak there, therefore, there are opportunities for terrorists and extremists. In addition, Afghanistan is actively used as a springboard for exporting ideology, for exporting an influence to Central Asia. Here, terrorists resort to a variety of methods - from classical recruitment of young people in order to send them to hot spots for fighting, or creating dormant cells in the region, and not just to carry out terrorist attacks in the future, but with the aim of creating a long-term criminal infrastructure. Its no secret that ISIS, al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), Hizb ut-Tahrir (banned in Russia) will try to create criminal-terrorist networks to gain revenues from drug trafficking from Afghanistan through Central Asia to Russia and Europe," Mendkovich said.

According to him, such criminal-terrorist cells have already been created in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. There are examples of the spread of extremist ideology through prisons, through the criminal community. "The situation in Kazakhstan is somewhat less transparent, less studied. It is known that the number of terrorists, former and current ones, who tried to enter the country in the last two years, has already exceeded 200 people. The special services have yet been able to cope with them, but extremists continue to demonstrate an interest in the Caspian region in terms of using its transit routes for smuggling. Young people are at risk, so we need to study the nature of the threats and work out ways to counter them."

Nikita Mendkovich urged to pay attention to the activity of extremist organizations that were considered dead until recently: "I mean not only ISIS, but also al Qaeda, whose bases are recently located in northern Afghanistan near the Tajik border, and Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is trying to restore its position in Kazakhstan, including using Ukraine as a bridgehead, where this organization is not banned, which allows it to be quite active and conduct campaign and recruitment work in social networks with residents of Kazakhstan from Ukraine. In addition, there are other extremist organizations - the Turkestan Islamic Movement (banned in Russia), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (banned in Russia), which are trying to recruit Kazakh citizens of Uyghur origin, and a number of other terrorist groups. Despite certain successes in Syria, despite the reduction in the financial and human potential of terrorists, the threat is not destroyed. They are trying to lick their wounds, recover, repair their losses by recruiting young people. Their main goals are Central Asia and the Caspian states."
The BJP is pinning its hope on the Modi factor to bounce back in Rajasthan and secure maximum possible seats in Lok Sabha polls.

Voters show their voters identity cards and ink-marked fingers after casting their votes during the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in Ajmer on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

Jaipur: In a bid to maintain pressure on Congress in Rajasthan, that has recently wrested the state from BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a rally on May 1 as a show of strength for the party in Jaipur.

With voting for Lok Sabha polls in half of Rajasthan already over on Monday, the party has embarked upon a show of strength and massive public contact exercise aimed at reaching out to the masses and regain lost ground ahead of the second phase scheduled for May 6.

The rally, scheduled to take place in the state capital will be addressed by BJPs star campaigner Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which candidates from several nearby Lok Sabha constituencies will also be presented before the people. According to party sources, the rally will be for Jaipur and Jaipur rural along with few assembly segments of Dausa parliamentary constituency.

The BJP is pinning its hope on the Modi factor to bounce back in Rajasthan and secure maximum possible seats in Lok Sabha polls.

Mr Modis tough stance on Pulwama, backing of armed forces, implementation of One Rank One Pension scheme and nationalism could help tilt the voters in its favour. Incidentally, the border state has a huge population of former servicemen and serving men in the armed and paramiltary forces.

Interestingly, all BJP Lok Sabha hopefuls are seeking votes in the name of the Prime Minister and his muscular policy against terrorism.

Party sources pointed out that an aggressive campaigning by BJPs star campaigner, Prime Minister Modi, helped the party get a respectable number of seats despite Ms Rajes negative image among the party cadre and huge anti incumbency in the state.

The state voted for 13 Lok Sabha constituencies on Monday and is scheduled for the second phase on May 6 for the remaining 12 Lok Sabha constituencies.

Rajasthan had elected all 25 of its Lok Sabha MPs from the BJP in 2014. Howver, the party was only able to secure 75 seats in the 200 members in the recently held state Assembly polls, losing the crucial state to the Congress.

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Ms Bharti later led Pragya to her waiting car and gave a tight hug to her, leading Pragya to break into tears.

Bhopal: Pragya Singh Thakur, BJPs nominee for Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, just could not resist the temptation of throwing herself into arms of senior sadhvi and Union minister Uma Bharti, when she called on her at her residence here on Monday, to persuade the sulking firebrand saffron leader to campaign for her.

The emotional hug between the two sadhvis following by a kiss on Pragyas forehead by Ms Bharti sunk all differences between them, eliciting a vow from the Union minister to campaign for her sister Pragya in lanes and by-lanes of Bhopal in the May 12 Lok Sabha elections.

I will canvass for you in every mahallas (streets) and lanes in Bhopal in the elections, the Union minister was heard saying Pragya in an emotionally choked voice.

Mercurial Ms Bharti had earlier called Pragya a greater sage than her, thus creating an impression of a gulf between them. Her statement had led to speculations that she might keep herself away from partys election campaign in Bhopal.

Amid the rumours of their differences, Pragya suddenly dropped in Ms Bhartis residence here to seek her blessings for her victory in the elections which she called a dharmayudh (crusade) for her.

Ms Bharti who is ten years older than Pragya touched her feet, then took her in her arms and treated her with halwa (a sweet delicacy).

Pragya will win the elections with a huge margin. I knew BJP won Bhopal seat the moment Pragya was nominated for the seat by BJP, Ms Bharti said.

Sadhus and sadhvis have no differences among them. The talks of differences between us is a political conspiracy by my rival, Pragya later told reporters.

Ms Bharti later led Pragya to her waiting car and gave a tight hug to her, leading Pragya to break into tears.

Ms Bharti was then seen wiping Pragyas tears before wishing her well for her days campaign.

Pragya, an accused in 2008 Malegaon blast case, is pitted against Congress veteran Digvijay Singh in Bhopal.

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The court will take up his affidavit in response to the contempt notice on Tuesday.

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the contempt petition against him by the BJP, describing it a political move and a bid to gag him in the political discourse during the ongoing general election.

Mr Gandhi, in his affidavit, contended that the contents of the explanation submitted to the court on April 22 were comprehensive, and may be read as a part of the present reply. Although both explanations submitted in court are similar, the affidavits do express regret but dont offer an apology.

The Congress president urged that BJPs New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi, by filing the contempt petition, was trying to drag the court into a political controversy and taking political mileage. He said Ms Lekhi should pay for abusing the judicial process by filing this contempt petition.

In his fresh affidavit, he expressed regret once again for ascribing the comments to the Supreme Court and said this had happened in the heat of political campaigning. Mr Gandhi said his remarks were not meant to scandalise the court in any manner.

The fresh affidavit was in response to the Supreme Court notice issued after lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the court last week it had not issued notice to his client, but sought an explanation. At this, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued a notice to the Congress president.

The court will take up his affidavit in response to the contempt notice on Tuesday. The court has already exempted him from personal appearance.

The Congress president, justifying his stand, said: The Rafale issue had been and continues to be one of the most prominent political and social issues in this country for many months, and despite the matter being sub judice has been the subject of incessant discussion in civil society and the media.

Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading.
MP CM Kamal Nath faced a power cut at his polling booth in Chhindwara and voted using flash light of video camera.

A policeman lathicharges a miscreant after a clash during the voting for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in Durgapur, West Bengal, on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal and Odisha, where a Congress worker was killed, and EVM glitches were reported in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls on Monday which saw an average of 64 per cent turnout in 72 seats across nine states.

The highlight of this round of polling was Mumbai, the countrys financial capital that is home to billionaires and celebrities. For the ruling BJP, this round was crucial, with voting beginning in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan  Hindi heartland states won by the Congress in Assembly elections last year.

The polling percentage in the fourth phase was the highest in West Bengal (eight seats) at 76.66 per cent. Jammu and Kashmir recorded the lowest turnout with just 10.5 per cent votes polled. Polling in Kashmir was held for the lone Anantnag seat which is seeing balloting in three phases. On Monday, Kulgam district went to polls and voting was marred by a series of street clashes in which four protesters were injured in security forces pellet firing.

With the culmination of phase 4, voting process has been completed on all seats in Maharashtra (48 seats) and Odisha (21 seats).

In the Hindi heartland states, where the BJP had won 30 out of 32 seats in 2014, 67.73 per cent turnout was recorded in Rajasthan (13 seats), 58.56 per cent in Uttar Pradesh (13 seats) and 67.09 per cent in Madhya Pradesh (six seats), according to the Election Commission (EC).

The stakes are high for the BJP in this phase as it had won 56 of these 72 constituencies in the 2014 polls. About 12.79 crore people were eligible for voting in the fourth phase. With this round, polling has been completed in 374 seats out of 543 Lok Sabha seats.

Violence marred the first few hours of polling in West Bengal, where BJP candidate and Central minister Babul Supriyos vehicle was vandalised allegedly by TMC workers outside a polling station.

According to a senior election official, clashes broke out between supporters of rival parties in Nanoor, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Siuri areas of Birbhum seat, injuring several people on both two sides.

In Dubrajpur area of the constituency, voters allegedly engaged in a scuffle with the Central forces when they were barred from entering polling booths with mobile phones.

Security personnel reportedly opened fire in the air to control the mob, following which polling was stalled in the booths, the official said.

The state election office also received reports of violence from Jemua and Barabani areas of Bardhaman East constituency, he said.

An FIR was registered against Mr Supriyo for allegedly getting into an argument with polling officials, an election official said. The ruling Trinamul Congress and the BJP complained to the EC and accused each other of intimidating voters in the state, which has seen violence in all previous three phases despite stepped up Central forces deployment.

In Odisha, a Congress worker was stabbed to death in Balikuda-Erasama area of Jagatsinghpur seat while he was returning from a polling booth. Violence was also reported from other places in six parliamentary seats in the state, where the turnout was 68 per cent.

The murdered Congress worker, Lachman Behera, had recently quit the BJD to join the Congress, an official said.

Clashes between supporters of the ruling BJD and the BJP were reported from Jajpur Kendrapara and Balasore Lok Sabha seats amid allegations of poll rigging. Technical glitches in EVMs delayed polling in 60 booths, but it resumed after the snags were rectified.

Maharashtra saw 58.23 per cent polling, Jharkhand ( three seats) recorded 63.39 per cent polling and Bihar (five seats) recorded 58.92 per cent turnout.

Billionaires and Bollywood stars lined up outside polling stations along with the common folks in Mumbai, where polling was held in six constituencies. Celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, the Khan troika of Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir, Deepika Padukone, Sachin Tendulkar along with his wife and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray cast their votes in Mumbai. Actors Priyanka Chopra, Rekha, Aamir and his wife

Kiran Rao were among the early voters.

In Uttar Pradesh, Opposition Samajwadi Party alleged that many EVMs malfunctioned and in Kannauj, from where SP chief Akhislesh Yadavs wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav is contesting, several party workers were prevented from coming out of their homes to vote.

In Bihar, voting was delayed due to EVM malfunctioning at three polling stations in Munger, two polling stations in Darbhanga and three polling stations in Begusarai, from where CPIs Kanhaiya Kumar and Union Minister Giriraj Singh (BJP) are contesting, official sources said.

In Madhya Pradesh, chief electoral officer V.L. Kantha Rao said that during a mock-poll, EVMs were replaced at 207 polling booths as some glitches were found. EVMs were also replaced at 106 polling booths after voting began.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath faced a power cut when he reached a polling booth in Shikhapur area of Chhindwara seat at around 8 am. He voted using flash lights of video cameras as power could be restored only after 30 minutes. Mr Naths son Nakul Nath was a Congress candidate on the seat.

Complaints of technical glitches in EVMs and VVPAT machines in some polling booths were addressed in Maharashtra, an election official said.

After the violence in West Bengal, a BJP delegation, including Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vijay Goel, met EC officials.

Mr Naqvi told reporters, The ruling TMC workers have hijacked democracy in the state and are indulging in violence. They are being supported by the local machinery and we demand deployment of Central forces in all polling booths in the state.

The party also expressed concern over no action been taken against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his baseless allegations against BJP chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Elections to 542 Lok Sabha seats are being conducted in seven phases between April 11 and May 19. Results will be declared on May 23.

In phase 4, 961 candidates were in the fray and 12.79 crore voters were eligible to cast their ballot.

Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading.
Burma Burma, the authentic Burmese restaurant and Tea Room has brought the flavoursome and scrumptious dishes from the Mynmar to our reach.

Street food and community meals from the country side are at the heart of our festivities this year.

Burma Burma, the authentic Burmese restaurant and Tea Room has brought the flavoursome and scrumptious dishes from the Mynmar to our reach. Alongsiode providing people the authentic taste of Burmese food, the restaurant is celebrating the Thingyan new year with loads to offer to their guests. Street food and community meals from the country side are at the heart of our festivities this year. However, this time the restaurant wanted to ensure that the Thingyan experience reflects the humble hospitality that is experienced while dinning in quaint villages of Burma.

Hence owner, Ankit Gupta, decided to dedicate this years Thingyan to a basic idea of sharing. Sharing and community eating have been at the heart of Asian cultures for more than a century, so this year they plan to make your moments with us extra warm, extra yummy and extra memorable.

The story doesnt end there. Those who want to try and prepare these yummilicious food at home are helped out by the chef with some famous Thingyan recipes.

Si Chet khowsuey by Chef Ansab

Ingredients:

Thick wheat noodles hand-pulled or udon

100 gms

Roasted chilli flakes 1/2 tsp

Roasted gram flour 1 tbsp

Chilli oil 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric oil 1/2 tbsp

Brown onion 1 tbsp

Onion sliced 1/4 nos

Coriander sprigs a few

Lemon 1/2 nos

Fried wheat flakes

1/2 tbsp

Fried golden garlic

2 cloves

Salt as required

Method:

Boil the noodles in hot water for 5 to 7 mins till cooked

In a serving bowl place the noodles in the centre place all the above ingredients one after the other

Mix it together well with chop sticks before eating
Prostate cancer could be treated with single dose of targeted radiotherapy.

PSA is considered to be a good indicator of how well prostate cancer treatment has worked. If levels increase, this can indicate cancer has returned. (Photo: Representational/ANI)

Washington: A new technique, in which a single high dose of radiation can be delivered directly to the tumour within a few minutes, is safe and effective for treating men with low-risk prostate cancer, recent findings suggested. The study was presented at the ESTRO 38 conference.

Radiotherapy traditionally involves a series of lower dose treatments that take place over several days or week. The new treatment is called high dose-rate brachytherapy and it delivers radiation via a set of tiny tubes.

Researchers said this technique could offer an effective treatment that is convenient for patients and brings potential time and cost savings for hospitals. The research was presented by Dr Hannah Tharmalingam

"Brachytherapy, where we use temporary catheters to directly treat tumours, has already proved to be a good treatment for prostate cancer, both in terms of killing the cancer cells and minimising side effects. This usually means patients make four to six visits to the hospital for a series of lower dose treatments.

We wanted to see whether we could get similar results but with just one high dose treatment, saving time for the patient and the hospital, said Dr Tharmalingam, one of the researchers. The research included 441 men with prostate cancer who were treated at one of the seven United Kingdom hospitals between 2013 and 2018.

Their cancers were classified depending on how likely they were to spread, as low risk (total of 44 men), medium risk (285 men) or high risk (112 men). All were treated with a single high dose (19 Gy) of radiation; 166 men also received hormone therapy but none had any surgery or chemotherapy.

Researchers monitored the men's progress for an average of 26 months. They measured the levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the men's blood two years after the treatment and again three years after the treatment.

PSA is considered to be a good indicator of how well prostate cancer treatment has worked. If levels increase, this can indicate cancer has returned. Overall, after two years, 94 per cent of men showed no sign of the cancer returning, according to their PSA levels.

For men with low-risk cancer this figure was 100 per cent, in men with the medium risk it was 95 per cent and in men, with high-risk cancer, it was 92 per cent. After three years, the overall figure was 88 per cent, and in men with low, medium and high-risk cancers, the figures were 100 per cent, 86 per cent and 75 per cent respectively.

Of the 27 men with raised PSA levels, researchers were able to identify where cancer had returned in 25. In 15, cancer had returned in the prostate. In the rest, it had spread to other parts of the body.

At the time of the treatment, there were no serious side effects. Later on, two men developed urethral strictures that required surgery and two developed rectal fistulae that required a colostomy.

Dr Tharmalingam said: "These results indicate that high dose-rate brachytherapy is a safe and effective treatment for men with low-risk prostate cancer but further research is needed in medium and high-risk patients to see if the results can be improved with a higher dose.

This type of treatment offers an attractive alternative to surgery or other forms of radiotherapy as it has a comparatively low risk of side effects. It is also a patient-friendly option because the treatment can be given quickly at a single hospital visit, Dr Tharmalingam added.

Dr Tharmalingam and her colleagues hope to continue studying the impact of using this type of radiotherapy, especially in patients with higher risk prostate cancer who are more likely to suffer a recurrence. She believes it would be possible, given the low risk of side effects, to modify the treatment or increase the dose even further in higher risk cases.
Giant pandas set to leave San Diego Zoo after two-decade loan from China.

Giant pandas were threatened with extinction when they were originally loaned to the San Diego Zoo by the Chinese government in 1996. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay)

Los Angeles: The last two giant pandas living at the San Diego Zoo in California will be sent to the Peoples Republic of China this spring, ending a more than two-decade conservation program that helped bring the black-and-white bears back from the brink of extinction.

The two remaining pandas, Bai Yun and her 6-year-old cub Xiao Liwu, will be sent to China in the coming days after three weeks of goodbyes that culminated over the weekend, the last chance for Californians to see them.

We knew when we started the program that they were not our bears and that they wouldnt be staying so that was always in our minds, the pandas keeper, Dallas Dumont, told Reuters.

But were very proud of what weve accomplished. We set out to help the species and keep it from going extinct and with our Chinese colleagues weve accomplished that, she said.

Giant pandas were threatened with extinction when they were originally loaned to the San Diego Zoo by the Chinese government in 1996, in what was initially intended to be a 10-year program to help re-establish the species. The initial loan was extended to last some 23 years.

In 2016, the status of giant pandas was changed from endangered to vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, reflecting their comeback. As of 2019, there were 2,000 wild pandas in China, their native habitat, according to the zoo.

China believes in having their animals retire back in their country, or be repatriated, so Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu are now going back home to China, Dumont said.

Bai Yun was born in 1991 at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Centre in China and was among the original cohort of bears loaned to the zoo in 1996. She has since given birth to six cubs and is considered the matriarch of the San Diego panda family.

One of her cubs, Xiao Liwu, is considered essentially a teenager in bear years and zookeepers hope he will breed with a female bear in China. His father, Gao Gao, returned to China in October 2018.

In the United States, giant pandas are also kept at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, and at zoos in Memphis and Atlanta.

San Diego Zoo officials said they were working with their counterparts in China to bring pandas back to California.
The NIA arrested Bhatkal, wanted in over 40 terror cases, from the Indo-Nepal border, in 2013.

Mumbai: The Pune police has filed a charge sheet in the 2010 German Bakery blast case against terrorist Yasin Bhatkal, one of the founders of the outfit Indian Mujaheedin. The police produced Bhatkal alias Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa before the court amid tight security Monday. The explosion killed 17 people and left 64 others injured in the blast at German Bakery, in Koregaon Park.

The charges were framed under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Act and the Indian Penal Code, said special prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar. Bhatkal was earlier convicted in the 2013 Hyderabad twin blasts case and awarded death penalty by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in July 2018.

Bhatkal was brought to Pune from Delhi's Tihar jail Monday for producing him before the additional sessions Judge K.D. Vadane. This was the first time since his arrest that Bhatkal had been brought to the Pune court, said an officer of Pune police.

His court appearance came in the backdrop of the Delhi polices application, seeking a video conferencing for him citing security reasons for bringing him to Pune in person. The said request was however opposed by Zahir Khan Pathan, Bhatkal's lawyer. The grounds laid by Pathan stated that Bhatkal must be present during the trial.

It is the duty of the state to provide security... He (Bhatkal) can be lodged here at Yerawada Central Jail till the trial ends, Pathan said, adding that he would file his submission on the issue on May 15.

The NIA arrested Bhatkal, wanted in over 40 terror cases, from the Indo-Nepal border, in 2013.
Logitech celebrates Leonardo Da Vinci's 500th death anniversary with a commitment to innovation.

An ideal testament to this is its latest product, the MX Master 2S, which the brand is using as the flagship trophy for innovation and creativity.

Last week, Logitech decided to commemorate Leonardo Da Vinci's 500th death anniversary by dedicating a day to disruptive innovation. Incidentally, April 21st is regarded the world over as International Creativity and Innovation Day. Stemming from the philosophy that creativity, in the current era, has moved beyond canvas and papers, onto our workspaces and machines, Logitech reaffirmed its commitment to creating innovative but affordable products.

While it is hard to imagine why a peripherals brand would require innovation, especially since most of the brand's products have a singular objective, Logitech has been trying to innovate and add cool functionalities to even the humble desktop mouse.

An ideal testament to this is its latest product, the MX Master 2S, which the brand is using as the flagship trophy for innovation and creativity. With MX Master 2S, Logitech takes a huge risk by adding unconventional features to a mouse. Some of these features include a hyper scrolling experience to roll your sleeves against large excel files, a proprietary flow technology to transfer files across up to 3 devices, mice tracking on the glass surface and customizable buttons.

Logitech, with this product, hopes to change consumer perception around mice, by adding functionalities as well as enhancing user experience. Interesting strategy, since most brands are coming to terms with the fact that computing will sooner or later, shift to a smartphone or tablet, making it pointless to innovate with 'older' equipment. Seems like Logitech has other plans that are endorsed by Vinci himself!
Wired has a unit with them and their confirmation is a 3x optical zoom on the rear triple camera array.

With an optical zoom capability, it seems that OnePlus is trying to ensure that apart from the powerful processing power, the photography area is also getting a facelift.

OnePlus is all set to launch their 2019 flagship in two weeks, and the Chinese tech company is busy campaigning around abroad with advertisements and all sorts. While the phone is not released to all the media houses as yet, some tech reviewers seem to already possess the beast and are presently testing the phone from all angles.

Wired has a unit with them and their confirmation is a 3x optical zoom on the rear triple camera array is something that needs attention. With an optical zoom capability, it seems that OnePlus is trying to ensure that apart from the powerful processing power, the photography area is also getting a facelift.

As for now, we all know that the OnePlus 7 Pro will sport the current Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 beast and will be equipped with around 8 to 12 gigs of RAM. The display is also said to sport a 90Hz panel that will enable gamers to smoothly tackle their enemies. And now, with Wired confirming on the 3x optical zoom it looks like the device will reside between the flagships of Samsung and Huawei and will mark a good blend of performance and price.

OnePlus imaging director Simon Liu told Wired that they wanted to maintain a balance the overall experience of the phone with respect to features and performance. They have tried their level best to keep the camera within its limits to avoid the ugly bump caused by the optical mechanism to the thickness of the phone.

The camera will not draw the attention away from what the Huawei flagship can do, but the company says that their main goal is to give their users a simple user interface.

As for what Wired claims, the camera is not a champion in the photography area when comparing it to the likes of Google, Samsung or the Huawei, but the criteria of photography seems to be addressing the masses. They say that the OnePlus 7 Pros camera focuses more on detail and information rather than getting closer to the subject.

Wired confirms that the OP7s camera does downsampling or pixel binning to create a 12MP shot. They also confirm that the camera performance is far more superior that what the 6T can do, which includes HDR, colour tones and a few other areas. However, what Wired has is an unreleased smartphone from the OnePlus kitchen and we bet that the company will take inputs from Wired, and maybe a few others who are currently playing around with it, to tweak the software and get the best results before the final launch.

In short, OnePluss main focus will always be a good blend of everything. Be it photography, performance, battery or features, they want to give the user the best of all without compromising on price. Well, you definitely cant have it all, but you will definitely Never Settle.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has chaired a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the results of socioeconomic development of the first quarter of 2019 and future tasks, according to the presidential press service.

The head of state made an opening speech at the event.

Speakers at the meeting included Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Industrial Issues Natig Amirov, Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov, and Chairman of the Board of the State Agency for Mandatory Medical Insurance Zaur Aliyev, AzerTAc reported.
Another 12 foreigners remain unaccounted for and could be among still unidentified bodies at Colombo's police morgue, the statement said.

Many tourists have left the country after the attacks and there has been a sharp decline in the number of foreigners visiting the island. (Photo: AP)

Colombo: With the death of two more Chinese nationals, the number of foreigners who died in the massive Easter Sunday bombings on Monday rose to 42, including 11 Indians, according to the Sri Lankan foreign ministry.

"It includes, one from Bangladesh, four from China, 11 from India, three from Denmark, one each from the US, Japan, the Netherlands and Portugal, Switzerland, two each from Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, six from the UK, two holding US and UK nationalities, one holding Swiss and Dutch nationalities, one holding Dutch and Sri Lankan nationalities, and two holding Australian and Sri Lankan nationalities," the statement said.

Another 12 foreigners remain unaccounted for and could be among still unidentified bodies at Colombo's police morgue, the statement said.

"Human remains of 25 foreign nationals have been repatriated by Monday evening," the ministry said in a statement. Five wounded foreigners were still in hospital.

The Islamic State claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the attacks.

Many tourists have left the country after the attacks and there has been a sharp decline in the number of foreigners visiting the island after several countries, including the US, Britain, Australia, India and Israel warned their nationals against visiting Sri Lanka.

Tourism accounts for about five per cent of Sri Lanka's economy, with India, Britain and China being the main markets. India is the largest source market for Sri Lanka, which received 2.3 million tourists from around the world in 2018.

Around 450,000 Indian tourists visited Sri Lanka last year and the island nation was expecting the total Indian tourist arrivals to cross one million in 2019.
LISTEN

While the worlds attention remains focused on Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the rise and fall of ISIS (Daesh), the tragedy in Yemen has become a footnote in the wrangling geopolitics of the region. The current conflict in Yemen dates to 2011 when the Arab Spring forced the countrys long-time authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh to hand over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Fighting began in 2014 when the Houthis took advantage of Hadis weakness, seized control of the northern province Sadaa and later the capital Sanaa; forcing President Hadi in exile.

In 2015 the Saudi and GCC lead coalition started bombing Yemen to deter and defeat the Houthis whom they consider an Iranian proxy at the Saudi border in Yemen. The conflict in Yemen is one of the most brutal in the modern era that has claimed 13,500 to 80,000 lives. Yemen is also facing a grave humanitarian crisis with nearly 16 million people starved of basic food, water and essential medical healthcare due to the naval blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia on Yemeni ports. Approximately, 1 million Yemenis have already suffered from a Cholera outbreak while, the flow of arms and ammunition continue to worsen the tragedy with the country now being virtually torn apart by rival groups, militias and terror groups like ISIS/Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Though the current chaos in Yemen is the outcome of 2011 Arab Spring, its seeds were sown far back in history. South Yemen, near Aden was a British Colony until 1968 later leading to the establishment of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen in South with Aden as the capital; and the Arab Republic of Yemen, an Islamic state with Sanna as its capital in the north. During the Cold War South Yemen aligned with the Soviet Union and was the only communist country in the Arab world. The British Navy was replaced by the Soviet navy in Aden and the Soviets subsidized South Yemens economy abetting Marxist movements across Oman, Saudi Arabia and North Yemen. However, post the collapse of the Soviet Union, the People Democratic Republic of Yemen was bankrupt and hence merged with North Yemen under the leadership of strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is known as the man for Yemeni unity and the formation of the Unified Arab Republic of Yemen.

The geopolitical tug of war heightened when Yemen took a stand against the US lead coalition intervention in Gulf War 1 in 1991 and backed Saddam Hussein in Iraq. This badly miffed the Saudis and the western coalition who cut off financial aid to Yemen paving way for a fresh insurrection lead by Vice President Al Bedih to gain independence for South Yemen. However, United Yemen under Saleh prevailed and the revolt was crushed and Bedih replaced by the then defence minister Mansoor Hadi in 1994. In the mid-90s, Yemen faced another threat from terrorist organization Al Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP) which carried out the USS Cole bombing of the port of Aden in 2000. The Yemeni government launched the operation to hunt down and close the terror sanctuaries of AQAP which had direct backing from Osama Bin Laden. Since then, Al Qaeda in Yemen grew leaps and bounds controlling vast swathes of desert in South Yemen facing off the newly formed ISIS which made inroads into lawless Yemen in recent years in a deadly gruesome battle.

The Arab Spring in 2010-11 furthered chaos and internal strife in Yemen as the Yemenis government lead by Saleh faced rising protests from Ziadi Shiites (Houthis) in Northern Yemen that were simmering since 2004 in a fresh insurrection in Aden via protests against vast corruption, failing economy and representation. In the aftermath of Arab Spring, Saleh was deposed and replaced by his deputy Hadi which meant that Saudi Arabia finally got its revenge on Saleh for backing Iraq in Gulf War 1 by deposing him and having their man Hadi in power. However, the Houthis backed by Iran were not going to sit idle and thus rejected Hadis democratic reforms and launched a movement in Northern Yemen against the government accusing it of neglecting Shias in the region.

The movement of Houthis was backed by Saleh in Sanaa who was aiming to ride back to power with funding and arms supplies from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard through Yemeni coastlines. Iran was regularly flouting international UN embargos exporting illegal arms, ammunition and even oil into the Houthi controlled Northern Yemen. Iran from 2014-2017 hugely benefited from the Nuclear Deal that gave it access to international markets and finance to fund insurgencies across the region from Syria to Yemen in a proxy war against its arch-rival Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis pushed towards the southern port of Aden making Hadi flee from Sanaa to Aden and finally into Riyadh where he currently represents the Yemeni government in exile. The Houthi charge towards the South Yemen led to Saudi-lead GCC coalition launching the conflict in Yemen in 2015 with Saudi Airforce bombing Sanaa along with the Emiratis. The Saudi coalition is also backed by Egyptian president Sisi, Chad and other North Africa Islamic countries that have sent troops to fight the Houthis in Yemen. In 2017, Saleh, the man who unified Yemen and was later deposed by Saudi Arabia; who was once backed by the Houthis against Hadi was assassinated by Houthis when he tried to shift his allegiance to Saudi Arabia and UAE in a bid to unify Yemen.

After years of conflict, the war in Yemen has become a festering wound in the Arabian Peninsula that has started to sap the Saudi Arabian defence with regular border fights, firing of Scud missiles and anti-aircraft fire against coalition jets. While Iran continues to fund and arm the Houthis against Saudi coalition, recent reports from France, UK and US reveal how these European countries along with the US are also providing lethal weapons that are being indiscriminately used against the civilian population in Yemen. The recent French Directorate of Military Intelligence report shows that Saudi coalition primarily relies on US and NATO countries arms, weapon systems like American F-15s, British EF-2000 Typhoons and European Tornado fighters. The Saudis also fly American Apache and Black Hawk helicopters in its Airforce along with French AS-532 Cougar. The coalition troops have fortified the boundaries with American Abrams, French AMX 30 Tanks, using Western artillery guns, SAM system and American, French warships, naval choppers to enforce a naval blockade on Yemen which has converted Yemen into a humanitarian disaster zone.

Like Iran, the western powers have turned a blind eye to support the brutal war in Yemen. While UK offered a sympathetic view to look into the arms supply to Saudi Arabia, American President Donald Trump vetoed a resolution passed by US Congress to end American support for Saudi War in Yemen. He categorically stated that he cannot let go of business worth $110 billion in arms deals with Saudi Arabia for its war in Yemen against Houthis backed by Iran. With the war in Yemen starting to take a toll on the Saudi economy amid falling oil profits, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman took charge of Saudi foreign policy and mended ties with Emirati prince Mohammed bin Zayed who was also eager to find a solution as Hadis frail leadership claims sitting in Riyadh dont offer a credible alternative in Yemen. This is when the Emiratis backed the rise of Southern Transitional Council (STC) in May 2017 from Aden demanding a separate state of South Yemen similar to what Saudi Arabia had desired after Gulf War 1.

The Emiratis, unsure of Hadis role in Yemens future; and his dangerous flirtations with the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood backed STC which took over Aden and areas around it after a heavy battle. The Emiratis have also deployed a large no of Private Military Contractors and nearly 450 mercenaries from Chile, Salvador, Panama and Columbia in Yemen. Salvadorian sources confirmed that nearly 100 mercenaries from Salvador were deployed in Yemen along with many Mexicans as part of the drug-funded wars interlinking Latin America with the Middle East. UAE has also signed a contract with Blackwaters Erik Prince to train and operate private military contractors at secret bases in UAE many of whom belong to South American countries. The UAE is not alone in Yemen when it comes to PMCs, even Russian sponsored PMCs are operating in Yemen after similar operations in Ukraine and Syria. Russian PMC Wagner Group is highly active in providing security/mercenary services for the Russian state as its extended invisible arm in regions across the world especially North Africa.

Russias return in Yemen brings new dynamics. Russia recently invited Aidarus al-Zoubaidi the President of STC to visit Moscow on the invitation of Russian Foreign Ministry. It has established full contact with the STC in Aden and is soon to reopen its consulate in the port city of Aden which is in STCs control. Russia has realized that Hadi and Salafi groups dont offer stability in Yemen and thus backed STC in South Yemen which has also been successful in pushing Houthis back to the port city of Hodeidah forcing them to sign the Stockholm agreement in December 2018. Russias return to Yemen is strategic; it is also collaborating with Emiratis in Syria where UAE is willing to open a diplomatic mission in Damascus cooperating with the Russians; much like the synergy between the two in Libya in backing Khalifa Haftar against Libyan national government. The Russian-UAE bonhomie and coziness from Syria, Yemen to Libya stems from the rise of Muslim Brotherhood and President Erdogan in Turkey who has formed an axis with Iran and Qatar in the region which threatens the Gulf Arab monarchies.

Russias aim is also to regain the lost leverage of the Soviet era of South Yemen and possibly reviving its dream of a military base at Socotra Island where it can dominate the international shipping routes through the Red Sea, Bab Al Mandeb Strait. Russias return to the Arabian Peninsula is critical to the geopolitical matrix in the region as China, America and France are expanding their military presence in the North African region including hosting bases at Djibouti. Having lost the opportunity in Sudan, the Russians have swiftly made countermoves in Libya and now Yemen where they hope to have a significant military presence in future. The conflict in Yemen thus has many suitors from UAE, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran to USA whose military industrial complexes continue making a killing as common Yemenis suffer. The tragedy in Yemen has just begun to unfold and as terror groups take center stage in the war-torn country, chaos and conflict are bound to get bloodier in months and years ahead. In the end, new borders will be drawn, new seeds of conflict sown and peace will continue to remain a mirage.

Notes:
LOD will have an even larger presence in Australia and New Zealand starting tomorrow, 1 May, delivering on goals it set last year after a major cash infusion.

The global flexible legal services powerhouse is acquiring lexvoco, adding five offices and integrating four others in Australia and New Zealand. LOD told Australasian Lawyer that the deal grows LOD in Australia from 200 to 300 lawyers, with the Australian headquarters alone doubling in size from 30 to 60.

In Australia, the firm adds lexvocos Adelaide and Geelong offices, while LODs Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney offices all get a boost. In NZ, LOD will add offices in Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington.
After going through something as life-altering as a car accident, the best thing you can get out of it is...
The meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Defense Ministers was held today in Bishkek. The situation in the Central Asia was discussed at the meeting, acting CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov said.

He said that the Defense Ministers adopted additional measures aimed at reduction of tension on the Tajik-Afghan border, AKIpress reported.

The acting CSTO Deputy Secretary General said that 11 resolutions were signed at the meeting, including documents on training, drills and resources of the CSTO collective forces.
One in seven solicitors admitted to the Irish Roll of Solicitors are from England and Wales, according to the Law Society of Ireland.

There are currently 2,772 solicitors from England and Wales on the Irish roll, the Law Society Gazette said, and the number is set to swell further as more lawyers flock to join ahead of Brexit.

The EU jurisdiction is experiencing the highest level of practising-rights applications since the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote. There are more than 700 more applications from England and Wales solicitors being processed.
In March, the NHFIC successfully issued $315m in 10-year bonds, which were four times oversubscribed. The issuance will fund six community-housing providers, including Compass Housing Services and Hume Community Housing Association, which Hall & Wilcox separately advised.

Compass secured $140m of funding from the NHFIC to deliver 330 dwellings in May in New South Wales. Hume secured $35m of funding from the NHFIC. KWM also advised NHFIC in relation to the funding agreement with Compass.

Earlier, Allens confirmed that it worked with Evolve Housing to secure $70m in funding from the social-bonds issuance. Jo Folan, banking and finance partner, said then that the strong investor demand for social bonds could mean social housing could evolve to be an asset class of its own.

The NHFIC issuance provide a fixed rate of less than 3% for 10-year interest-only loans, which is below market rates.

KWMs team was headed by partner John Eagleton and lawyers James Cain and Tony Liu. Support was provided by solicitors Helena Cvitkovic, Annabel Deans, Liqing Mao, and Ricky Melamdowitz, as well as summer clerks Rebecca Rajanayagam and Katya Shliapnikoff.
The 595 70th Anniversary stands out, and the pick of the bunch is based on the 595 Competizione. Featuring the Record Monza exhaust system, standard equipment also includes the seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, telemetry system, Sabelt racing-style seats, and Brembo braking system.Under the hood, the 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder engine develops 180 PS (178 horsepower) and 250 Nm (184 pound-feet) of torque. Thats enough to dispatch from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.7 seconds while top speed is claimed at 225 km/h (140 mph). Can you imagine going that fast in an A-segment city car? Thatd be terrifying!The thing is, the 70th Anniversary feels better in the twisties, driven as hard as possible. The limited-slip differential, Sport mode for the throttle response, and three-pedal setup tick all the right boxes, and if you were wondering, the 595 Competizione can even be had with a soft-top roof.Pricing in the United Kingdom for RHD models is 21,795 for the hard top and 23,795 for the convertible. Let that sink in for a minute, then remember how much the Clio RS and Fiesta ST cost. The Renault is 24,295 for the Clio RS 18 special edition while the Ford retails at 22,450 for the Fiesta ST-3.The 70th Anniversary range also includes the 124 Spider, the two-seat roadster with Mazda MX-5 underpinnings from Japan. Also new for 2019 is the Esseesse nameplate, which returns with go-faster upgrades. The 17-inch Supersport wheels, bigger air filter, and Akrapovic exhaust are some of them, and like the Competizione, this version also gets Brembo brakes and a limited-slip differential.To commemorate the brands anniversary in style, even the entry-level 595 and mid-range 595 Turismo feature exclusive badging. Pricing for these models starts at 16,495 and 19,695 in the UK.
The car is the same one used by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in two of Marvels most successful movies of the past decade, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War. But at Petersen it will be shown in Fabian Oefner-style.Oefner is a Swiss artist who made a name for himself by taking cars apart and photographing every piece of them separately, only to join them again in a final work of art. The latest project of his Disintegrating series is a 1972 Lamborghini Miura shown in February The R8 V10 will thus be shown in Los Angeles as an exploded car, with many of its components hangingin the air by means of wires. Flanking the car will be Iron Man costumes.Were proud to highlight Audi and Marvel Studios connection in Hollywood Dream Machines, said in a statement announcing the piece Petersen Automotive Museum director Terry L. Karges.This exhibit is a love letter to the science fiction and fantasy vehicles that spark our imaginations and the amazing technology of both Audi and Iron Man are a perfect example of this.No photo of the blown-up Audi R8 V10 was released. The unconventional piece has been commissioned by Audi as a means to celebrate a decade of working with Marvel for various films.But Iron Mans Audi will not be the only famous movie car on the floor of the Petersen Museum. In all, 40 vehicles are part of the show, including Warthog machines from Halo, the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Bumblebee from Transformers and a collection of Batmobiles.The Hollywood Dream Machines is a long-term one exhibit and it will be open until March 15, 2020.
I'll focus on the Cayman GT4 for now, since a prototype was recently spotted blitzing the Nurburgring. And with the test car having lost its camo, we now know what to expect from the showroom model, at least on the visual level.However, the oily bits of the entry-level GT car are still a mystery. First of all, the recently-launched 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport racecar has maintained the N/A 3.8-liter flat-six of its predecessor (power has jumped from 385 to 425 hp, though), we're not sure whether the street car will follow suit or if it will borrow the atmospheric 4.0-liter boxer featured on the 911 GT3, GT3 RS and Speedster.Then there's the gearbox - as is the case with the previous GT4, the newcomer will pack a manual tranny, with the aim to prevent Neunelfer cannibalization. However, the rumor mill talks about Zuffenahusen offering a PDK tranny this time around.Now, if you wish to feast your eyes on the work of art that is the manual roof of the Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder, you can do so in this spy tale.Returning to the big picture mentioned in the intro, I'll remind you that Porsche is rumored to be working on another pair of atmospheric six-cylinder models, with these said to be slotted below the GT4 and Spyder - I wouldn't hold my breath for such toys, though.As for what the future holds, the German carmaker has confirmed it is currently testing both electric and hybrid powertrains for the next-gen Boxster and Cayman.P.S.: The video below is a spy compilation and you'll find the 718 Cayman GT4 at the 8:13 point. Nevertheless, the rest of the clip is loaded with all sorts of go fast machines, from the Honda Civic Type R to the Audi RS6 Avant
According to Shuji Oishi, Suzuki's managing officer and deputy executive general manager for ASEAN, Indonesia has had strong ties with the brand and have a long history as well. At the time of writing, Suzuki Indonesia produces the APV, Ertiga, and the new Carry. They also build the K-15b engine there as well, which also powers both the Ertiga and the Jimny.

With only one plant making the all-new subcompact 4x4, it is, perhaps, logical for them to free up another factory to build them. With that, it should relieve the Kosai plant from churning them out. But why Indonesia?

There's no question that there's an overwhelming demand for the Suzuki Jimny. In fact, the Japanese automaker has been ramping up production of the small SUV, but it's still not enough it seems. So much so that Suzuki has confirmed that they will also be making the Jimny in Indonesia.

This, however, is not the first time Suzuki Indonesia will be producing Jimnys. In fact, they have quite a lot of experience building them. Suzuki Indonesia has been rolling out Jimnys from their factories since the late 1970's, as far back as the first generation model. Only the previous-generation Jimny was not assembled there. With that much history, it perhaps explains the decision to also make them in the Emerald of the Equator.

This now begs the question: will the next batch of Jimnys destined for the Philippines be made in Indonesia? Or will we continue to source them from Japan? Historically, we have been getting our Jimnys in Japan, so it is possible that we will still continue to do so in the future.

However, the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) could make the Indonesian Jimny more appealing to bring into the Philippines and our neighboring countries. This is because AFTA essentially eases import and export tariffs on goods traded within the ASEAN region. For further reading, we previously ran a story about AFTA, explaining how it works, and how we can benefit from it.

Should we be getting the Indonesia-built versions, the AFTA agreement should lower prices of the SUV once it lands here due to less tariffs. Ultimately, whether we'll be sourcing our Jimnys from Indonesia or Japan, that "decision" remains in Suzuki PH's hands.
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told the Washington Post on Tuesday that his committee will make a criminal referral for informal Trump campaign adviser Erik Prince to the Justice Department.

The big picture: "The evidence strongly suggests that he misled our committee," Schiff told the Post's Robert Costa. Schiff said that whether or not the Justice Department will choose to prosecute Prince remains unclear, as the evidence that shows Prince misled the committee may have come in his proffer sessions with special counsel Robert Mueller  which may protect him from charges.

Schiff pointed to Prince's infamous meeting in the Seychelles in January 2017 with a Russian official close to Vladimir Putin as one example of possible perjury. Prince told the committee that it was a chance meeting, but the Mueller report revealed communications showing that it was, in fact, planned.

During the 2016 campaign, Prince  who is the founder of private military company Blackwater and the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos  also met with Donald Trump Jr., United Arab Emirates emissary George Nader and Israeli social media manipulation specialist Joel Zamel at Trump Tower. Earlier this month, Schiff said on "Meet the Press" that Prince did not tell the committee about the meeting, despite claiming to Al Jazeera's Mehdi Hasan that he had done so.

Schiff added that the committee may bring former Trump adviser Steve Bannon in for further questioning, as he "refused to answer almost all of our questions."

"When we asked whether he was asserting some privilege, he merely said he was not answering questions because the White House told him not to," Schiff said. "The communications between Mr. Prince and Mr. Bannon has apparently fled their devices," he added.

"When we pressed to hold him in contempt, the GOP members of our committee would not go forward."

A lawyer for Erik Prince told Axios in a statement:

"There is no new evidence here. Erik Princes House testimony has been public for months, including at all times that Mr. Prince met with the Special Counsels Office. Mr. Prince cooperated completely with the Special Counsels investigation, as its report demonstrates. There is nothing new here for the Department of Justice to consider, nor is there any reason to question the Special Counsels decision to credit Mr. Prince and rely on him in drafting its report."

Go deeper ... Adam Schiff: Erik Prince did not disclose 2016 Trump Tower meeting during testimony
Vodafone denied a Bloomberg report on Tuesday that stated it had found "backdoors" hidden in Huawei equipment supplied to its Italian business dating back years, per BBC.

What they're saying: Vodafone said the "backdoors" in the report were actually a common industry protocol: "The 'backdoor' that Bloomberg refers to is Telnet, which is a protocol that is commonly used by many vendors in the industry for performing diagnostic functions. It would not have been accessible from the internet."

"Bloomberg is incorrect in saying that this 'could have given Huawei unauthorised access to the carrier's fixed-line network in Italy.'"

"In addition, we have no evidence of any unauthorised access. This was nothing more than a failure to remove a diagnostic function after development."

Context: Bloomberg reported that Vodafone found security flaws in supplies in 2011 and 2012, which were resolved at the time, but could have given Huawei "unauthorized access to the carriers fixed-line network in Italy."

Why it matters: The U.S. has warned allies that using Huawei equipment in 5G networks puts states at risk. In February, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. wouldn't be able to work with nations using the Chinese technology.

Go deeper: Allies question U.S. hardline on Huawei
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on CNN that the U.S. understands that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had a "plane on the tarmac" during today's opposition-led uprising, but that "the Russians indicated he should stay."

Context: Pompeo said Maduro "was headed for Havana" before being convinced by the Russians to stay in Caracas. Juan Guaido, whom the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela's legitimate leader, called on the military this morning to rise up and topple Maduro. There were clashes in Caracas, but Maduro remains in power as nightfall approaches.

This is the highest U.S. rhetoric has climbed during the three-month power struggle between Maduro and Guaido.

President Trump targeted Cuba in a tweet this afternoon, threatening a "full and complete embargo" on the island if Cuban troops continue to support Maduro.

Earlier this afternoon, national security adviser John Bolton named individual leaders in the Maduro regime, calling on them to defect.

Pompeo would not say whether Trump had directly asked Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sent Russian troops to Venezuela last month, to stop supporting the regime.

The other side: In a televised address Tuesday night, Maduro denied he'd planned to leave Venezuela.
Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates said on "Meet the Press" Sunday that if Trump were not president, he would likely be indicted for obstructing justice in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

"I have been a prosecutor for nearly 30 years. And I can tell you personally I have prosecuted obstruction cases on far, far less evidence than this. And yes, I believe if he were not the president of the United States, he would likely be indicted on obstruction. ...

I think special counsel Mueller did a very fair job in going through all 10 instances and laying out both the facts that established he had committed the crime of obstruction, but also pointing out the defenses, both legal and factual. But there are several incidents that he described to which special counsel Mueller really couldn't point to any significant factual or legal defenses."

Why it matters: Mueller notably did not make a recommendation on whether President Trump should be charged with obstruction of justice, citing an Office of Legal Counsel opinion that states that a sitting president cannot be indicted. Mueller does note, however, that the opinion also recognizes that the president does not have immunity after he leaves office.

The evidence Mueller lays out, in addition to his decision to explicitly not exonerate Trump in his report, could in theory be used to prosecute him once he leaves office.

Go deeper: What Trump did, and why Mueller didn't reach conclusions
Japanese Emperor Akihito declared today that he is abdicating and expressed gratitude to the citizens, who have supported and considered him as the countrys symbol for more than 30 years.

The monarch announced this in his address to the nation during a ceremony broadcast live on national television on occasion of his abdication. The Matsu no Ma (Hall of Pine) at the imperial palace hosted the event.

Some 300 people attended the ceremony, including Empress Michiko and the imperial family members, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, cabinet ministers, heads of both houses of parliament, the chief justice, representatives of local authorities and the public.

"Im thankful with all my heart to our people for recognizing me and supporting me as the countrys symbol. I was happy because I could fulfill my duties as the emperor, feeling deep trust and love to our people," NHK cited Akihito as saying.

The Japanese prime minister, who spoke at the ceremony on behalf of the citizens, expressed gratitude to the emperor for having been always together with the people and working to the benefit of the nation.

The abdication ceremony featured the emperors stamp and also the so-called imperial treasures or regalia - a sword, a gem and a mirror, which symbolizes the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythic founder of the imperial dynasty.

Emperor Akihito, 85, announced his wish to step down back in 2016 due to his old age. Under Japans law, the monarch rules for life, but the parliament passed a law making a one-off exception for Akihito. Starting from May 1, his eldest son Crown Prince Naruhito, 59, will become a new emperor. With the ascension of a new emperor, Japan is entering an era called Reiwa (beautiful harmony).

Chairman of the Russian Association of Japanologists Alexander Meshcheryakov, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Akihitos abdication will not affect the country's foreign policy, since the emperor is not a political figure in Japan. "The emperor is above politics. That is why people express such a warm attitude towards him," the expert said.

According to him, the ceremony of the emperors abdication is perceived by Japanese society as a ritual of renewal. "There was one emperor, but now there is another emperor. This is perceived by the public as a ritual of renewal, something new begins," the expert said.

Director of the Center for Studies of Eastern Asia and the SCO of the Institute for International Studies of MGIMO Alexander Lukin, also noted that the emperor's abdication is of very important symbolic meaning for the Japanese society , but it will not affect the government's policy. "The Japanese emperor has not been engaged in foreign policy since the country lost the Second World War. You can talk about its influence inside the country, which is also small, but it will not affect foreign policy in any way, it is determined by the Prime Minister," the expert recalled.

"The emperor is practically a god there with his 1,500-year-old dynasty. Now there is a line for a large nationally-oriented policy in Japan, such ceremonies will lead to a surge of national pride, they will be widely publicized in the media, etc. But still the emperor has no particular influence on even the internal policy," the expert continued.

He also noted that there are supporters of extreme right-wing monarchical views in Japanese society, who support the emperors participation in the political life of the country. "But their influence on real politics is insignificant," Lukin concluded.
The leader of a group behind Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday attacks was believed to be among 8 men and 1 woman who were the suicide bombers, the junior defense minister said Wednesday morning.

The latest: The death toll has reached 359 and police have arrested 60 people over the bombings. The attackers were "well educated," with one studying in the U.K. and Australia, Ruwan Wijewardene said.

Details: ISIS has claimed responsibility for the bombings, but the government has said 7 of the main bombers were Sri Lankan, though they're not ruling out overseas assistance. U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, Alaina Teplitz, told reporters the scale of the attacks meant "its not implausible to think there are foreign linkage."

Wijewardene told parliament Tuesday the attacks were carried out by 2 extremist groups, National Thawheed Jamaut (NTJ) and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim, in response to the March shootings inside 2 Christchurch mosques.

The FBI is now on the ground, assisting in the investigation.
The Trump administration is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, the New York Times reports.

Driving the news: President Trump reportedly backed the idea after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, whose government faces opposition from the Islamist group, earlier this month.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed to the Times that Trump is indeed considering the idea: "The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process."

The backdrop: The Muslim Brotherhood is a loose-knit transnational Sunni Islamist movement with international chapters across multiple Arab nations, originally founded in Egypt.

It renounced violence in the 1970s after using such tactics to attempt to create a society governed by Islamic law. Despite that renouncement, some branches and former members have continued to engage in terrorism.

However, some analysts argue that the group's disparate nature and philosophies mean it should avoid a terrorist group designation. As the Times notes, it is "less a coherent body than a loose-knit movement with chapters in different countries that either use [the Muslim Brotherhood] moniker or have strong historical ties to it."

The impact: Human rights officials are concerned that such a designation could embolden el-Sisi's suppression in Egypt, which has seen thousands jailed and Human Rights Watch said is in the midst of its "worst human rights crisis ... in recent decades."

Designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization could also severely strain relations with Turkey  as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a supporter  and have still-unknown effects on American humanitarian organizations that work with the group.

Go deeper: Trump praises Egypt's Sisi as U.S. lawmakers raise rights concerns
Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido has taken to the streets alongside newly freed opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez to call on the military to rise up and topple President Nicolas Maduro, a bold step that comes three months into a fierce power struggle.

The backdrop: Guaido declared himself Venezuelas interim president in January and was swiftly recognized by the U.S. and a string of other countries, but Maduro has maintained his hold on power. The Trump administration and senior members of Congress have backed todays high-risk move, while senior members of the Venezuelan regime have denounced what theyve described as a futile "coup attempt."

Lopez, one of Venezuelas best-known politicians, was detained in 2014 for organizing anti-Maduro protests and had been under house arrest. He claimed to have been freed "by members of the security forces responding to an order by Guaido," per the AP.

Venezuelas foreign minister has since said the U.S. likely paid a guard to free Lopez.

The scene in Caracas

As [Lopez] spoke on a highway overpass, troops loyal to Maduro sporadically fired tear gas from inside the adjacent Carlota air base as the crowd of a few hundred civilians, some of them brandishing Venezuelan flags, scurried for cover, the AP reports.

"The crowd swelled to a few thousand as people sensed what could be their strongest opportunity yet to overthrow the government after months of turmoil that has seen Maduro withstand an onslaught of protests and international pressure with the support of his top military command and allies such as Russia and Cuba."

"The dramatic events playing out in the oppositions stronghold in wealthier eastern Caracas appeared not to have triggered a broader military revolt."

The latest: An armored military vehicle rammed into pro-Guaido protesters in Caracas. Meanwhile protesters broke through a fence and into the military base where this morning's uprising took place, per Bloomberg. News coverage shows billows of smoke coming from the base.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

The big picture: As the world has waited for a decisive moment in the Maduro-Guaido showdown, the suffering of the Venezuelan people has only intensified. The U.S. has ratcheted up sanctions, arguing that Venezuelas economic crisis will never end until Maduro leaves power. But its not the only power with a stake in the outcome  Russia has sent troops in support of Maduro, and China has also defended the regime.
CNN and BBC have been taken off the air by the Venezuelan government after violent street clashes erupted on Tuesday instigated by supporters of National Assembly leader Juan Guaido, amid a push to oust embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

Details: CNN reports that broadcast providers DirecTV, Net Uno, Intercable and Telefonica have "all received orders from Venezuela's government regulator Conatel to block CNN" after the network broadcast a feed showing a military vehicle running over protesters. A BBC spokesperson also told CNN that BBC Global News has been taken off the air in the country. Guaido's call for a military uprising against Maduro quickly gained support from the Trump administration.

Go deeper: Clashes in Caracas as Venezuelan opposition tries to topple Maduro
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian cited Armenias growing trade with Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) on Tuesday as he hosted a meeting of fellow heads of government from the Russian-led trade bloc.

Speaking at the meeting held in Yerevan, Pashinian also renewed his calls for the creation of a common EEU market for natural gas and oil mostly extracted in Russia.

I am happy to note that there is a growth in commercial turnover with between Armenia and the unions [other] member states, he said. EEU countries share in Armenias exports reached 28.5 percent in 2018.

[Armenian] exports to the unions member states rose by 20 percent while overall trade by 11 percent, he added.

According to official Armenian statistics, Russia accounted for almost 97 percent of that trade, which totaled around $2 billion last year. Armenias exports to Russia soared by almost 20 percent, to $666.5 million. By comparison, Armenias trade with the European Union stood at $1.83 billion in 2018.

Pashinian said that further economic integration of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia requires the creation of common oil, gas and other hydrocarbon markets. He said the EU member states should step up their efforts to put their energy cooperation on a non-discriminatory footing.

Pashinian made a similar point when he visited the EEUs Moscow headquarters in January. He was understood to imply that Russian gas should be as cheap in Russia as it is in Armenia and other EEU members importing it.

Belarus, which is also heavily dependent on Russian gas and oil, has long been advocating this idea.

Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas complained on Tuesday about hurdles to greater commerce among the EEU member states, saying that they have become more serious of late. He seemed to allude to his countrys latest energy dispute with Russia.

Nevertheless, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev declared at the Yerevan meeting that the EEU has proved to be a success since being set up five years ago. He noted ongoing efforts to make it a more effective organization.
The owner of Armenias largest food exporting company accused of tax evasion warned through his lawyer of severe consequences for the domestic economy after the Court of Appeals refused to release him from custody on Tuesday.

The businessman, Davit Ghazarian, was arrested three weeks ago after the State Revenue Committee (SRC) charged that his Spayka company evaded over 7 billion drams ($14.4 million) in taxes in 2015 and early 2016.

The accusations stem from large quantities of foodstuffs which were imported to Armenia by another company, Greenproduct. The SRC says that Greenproduct is controlled by Spayka and that the latter rigged its customs documents to pay fewer taxes from those imports.

Ghazarian has strongly denied any ownership links to Greenproduct. He said on April 5 that the SRC moved to arrest him after he refused to pay the alleged back taxes.

The Court of Appeals upheld a lower courts April 8 decision to allow investigators to hold Ghazarian in pre-trial detention. It also rejected a separate petition to free him on bail.

The tycoons lawyer, Arsen Sardarian, denounced the ruling as baseless. He claimed by that keeping his client in custody the authorities want to extort large amounts of money from Spayka.

His detention could lead to severe consequences, said Sardarian. That is, the company could fail to continue its operations.

Spayka is Armenias leading producer and exporter of agricultural products grown at its own greenhouses or purchased from farmers in about 80 communities across the country. The company employing about 2,000 people also owns hundreds of heavy trucks transporting those fruits and vegetables abroad and Russia in particular.

In a series of statements issued earlier this month, Spayka claimed that because of Ghazarians arrest its mainly foreign creditors are withholding further funding for the company. It said it may therefore not be able to buy large quantities of agricultural produce from Armenian farmers this year.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian dismissed those warnings on April 9. He said he is confident that the food giant will carry on with the wholesale purchases.

The SRC chief, Davit Ananian, said afterwards that the tax collection agency is now scrutinizing Spaykas operations in 2016-2018 and will likely impose even heavier tax penalties on the company.

Echoing Spaykas statements, Sardarian insisted that the charges are based on an arbitrary expert evaluation cited by the SRC. The lawyer said Ghazarian will be ready to pay up if the alleged tax evasion is proved by a more thorough audit involving specialists trusted by him.

Spayka was already fined about 2.5 billion drams ($5 million) for profit tax evasion in July last year. Ghazarian said before his arrest that he agreed to pay the unfounded fine in order to have the companys bank accounts unfrozen.

The arrest came just two weeks after the tycoon inaugurated a new cheese factory in Yerevan built by Spayka. Pashinian was present at the opening ceremony.

Spayka also planned to expand its greenhouses under a $100 million project that was due to be mostly financed by the Kazakhstan-based Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). Andrey Belyaninov, the EDB chairman, said on April 25 that the disbursement of its $67 million loan to Spayka has been put on hold because of Ghazarians arrest.

We cant take such a risk if we are talking about [Spaykas] potential bankruptcy, Belyaninov was reported to say.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) on Tuesday strongly criticized the current authorities track record but said it has no plans yet to try to unseat them.

In a statement adopted at a congress held in Yerevan, the opposition partys organization in Armenia claimed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his government have failed to achieve tangible results in any area of public life. It accused them of lacking strategic development programs, pursuing an unpredictable foreign policy, breaching judicial independence, and systematically discrediting traditional national, spiritual and cultural values.

We often justify the failings and inactivity of the current authorities by comparing them with the former ones, said Ishkhan Saghatelian, the newly elected head of Dashnaktsutyuns governing body in Armenia.

Our people gave these authorities a strong vote of confidence and have great expectations but they are not living up to those expectations, he told a news conference.

Saghatelian made clear at the same time that his party does not have a regime change agenda yet. He dismissed a newspaper report which claimed that Dashnaktsutyun plans to launch an anti-government protest movement before the end of this year.

Dashnaktsutyun was part of Armenias former government ousted during last springs velvet revolution. It received two ministerial posts in Pashinians first cabinet formed in May. Pashinian sacked his Dashnaktsutyun-affiliated ministers and other government officials in October, accusing their party of secretly collaborating with former President Serzh Sarkisians Republican Party (HHK).

Dashnaktsutyun has since been increasingly critical of Pashinians government. The center-left nationalist party, which remains influential in the Armenian Diaspora, failed to win any seats in the Armenian parliament in snap general elections held in December.

Saghatelian, who served as a regional governor from June-October 2018, said Dashnaktsutyun is now open to cooperation with any political force, including the HHK, which shares its concerns and views. We dont have a black list, he said.
By Leman Mammadova

Local mineral water producer Sirab is planning to increase its export volumes until the end of this year.

"The company operating in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic intends to increase the supply of mineral water to the CIS countries due to high demand in these markets," Sirab told Trend.

At the same time, the company intends to start to supply mineral water to the Arab countries this autumn. "In this regard, we are currently holding talks with our partners in Kuwait and Qatar," Sirab noted.

The biggest share of export accounts for the Russian market, the company said, noting that Sirab mineral water is in great demand in the local market and abroad, not only because of its taste, but also because of its healing properties, effective against various diseases.

Azerbaijan is famous for its pleasant climate and rich natural resources. Since ancient times its people have not used a lot of medication, and rather opted for recuperative water, fresh air, light and other home remedies.

Very valuable mineral waters are widely spread in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. It is not coincidental that Nakhchivan is called the "Natural museum of mineral waters".

The most valuable mineral water deposits of Nakhchivan are Sirab, Badamli, Vaykhir, Daridag, Nahajir, Gizilvang, Jahri, Gamur, Gahab, Dasta and others, with their extremely balneological hydro resources and diversity encompassing all types of carbon-carbonate, carbon-chloride and sulfur waters.

The Sirab mineral water source is located in Nakhchivan`s Babek region on the slope of a mountain, 1,100 meters above sea level. Derived from the name of the Sirab village, it means "mysterious water", or from Persian "Ser ab" - "main (head) water".

There are basically three mineral water basins in Sirab: Kalbaaghil, Shorsudara and Kutandagh. Even the chemical compound of these waters is different from each other. Water in Kalbaaghil basin is extracted from the 250 meters of depth, and is included in the Georgian Borjomi type water group for its low-mineralized, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbonate-calcium-natrium peculiarities.

Sirab water is consumed both in carbonated and non-carbonated forms. Sirab contains iron, bromine, lithium, strontsium and other useful chemical elements. Relating to the volcanic origin waters, it is also useful in the treatment of gastro-intestinal, liver, kidney, urinary and other diseases. According to the experimental and clinical study of Sirab's reaction with the functioning of the pancreas, it was found out that the water increases its activity.

Sirab is considered to be the best example of healing carbon dioxide water, being Nakhchivan's most popular brand of mineral water.

From the establishment of the Sirab company to the present, natural mineral drinking water Sirab has won deserved recognition of consumers for its curative properties and great taste, not only in Azerbaijan, but also in Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Turkey, Iran and other countries.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

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By Trend

Iran's Minister of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) asked Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Mehmet Cahit Turhan to pursue the multilateral treaty between the countries of Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia in order to develop the technology market between neighbors.

At a meeting with the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi stated that the visit aims to address some barriers between the two countries in the field of information and technology cooperation.

"The most important issue which was addressed during the meeting was pursuing the multilateral treaty between Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia to develop the technology market between neighboring countries, the ICT Minister Azari Jahromi said, Trend reports citing ILNA.

"We have reached an agreement with Turkey on cybersecurity, and we are now working on the issue," he said. Jahromi emphasized that the Ministry is looking forward to further development of communications and technology market between the two countries.

In the near future, we will announce good news about the investment of the two countries in this area. As for the information transit from east to west and from south to north, our relations with Turkey are expanding," he added.

Jahromi also announced that startup companies in Turkey are invited to attend ELECOMP exhibition in Iran. "In its turn, Iran has promised its Turkish counterpart that Iranian start-up companies and representatives of the private sector will participate at the technology exhibition in Turkey.

After intensification of the sanctions, Iran faced a lot of problems due to its limited cooperation with a number of foreign Internet companies, said Jahromi. Referring to the latest development of cooperation between Iran and Turkey in the field of information technologies, he said, Iran has decided to boost its cooperation with neighboring countries to overcome the sanctions.

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By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

Slovenia and Azerbaijan have established strong ties. Over the past years, the political dialogue between the countries has intensified, and economic cooperation is also developing rapidly.

Slovenia is ready to consider additional measures to expand cooperation with Azerbaijan, Slovenian Foreign Ministry told Trend.

There are good bilateral relations between Slovenia and Azerbaijan, there are no open questions. We must identify areas of cooperation that are of mutual interest, since there are many opportunities for expanding our cooperation, especially in the cultural, scientific and economic spheres, the ministry said, adding that Slovenia supports the cooperation of Azerbaijan with the European Union.

It was noted that economic cooperation between Slovenia and Azerbaijan is based mainly on trade.

In 2018, the trade turnover between Slovenia and Azerbaijan reached 26.9 million euros. Slovenian exports to Azerbaijan amounted to 15.1 million euros, and Slovenian imports from Azerbaijan - to 11.7 million euros, the ministry said.

The statement also says that the economic cooperation has the potential for growth.

To activate economic cooperation, a more regular political and economic dialogue is needed, as well as the exchange of business delegations. All activities that bring mutual trust, friendship and exchange of information about business opportunities are always an important element for developing cooperation.

The ministry also touched upon the prospects for opening the Slovenian embassy in Baku.

Currently, Honorary Consul of Slovenia Elnur Allahverdiyev works in Baku and we are very pleased with his work. The opening of the embassy in Baku is currently not envisaged," the Slovenian MFA said.

Presently, Slovenian companies work in Azerbaijan mainly in the field of information and communication technologies. Exchange of experience in the field of agriculture and food production is also one of the core aspects of relations between the two states.

At the same time, Azerbaijan and Slovenia successfully cooperate within the framework of the European Union. Azerbaijans cooperation with the European Union mainly includes the areas of energy security and education.

Generally, business forums held in recent years and reciprocal visits between countries have given impetus to the development of ties.

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Mirsaid Ibrahimzade is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MirsaidIbrahim1

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Kazakhstan's Minister of Defense Major General Nurlan Yermekbayev met with China's Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe within the framework of the Defense Ministers' meeting of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation in Bishkek, the Kazakh Defense Ministry's press service said.

According to the statement, the sides discussed the promising areas for bilateral military cooperation, issues of strengthening practical defense interaction in the context of rapid response to security risks and threats in the region, including the fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism.

"It was also noted that cooperation between the armed forces of Kazakhstan and China is at a high level and has great potential for further development," the statement reads.
By Leman Mammadova

Being one of the most profitable field in the agrarian sector, tobacco production with its high export potential is in the spotlight in Azerbaijan.

Tobacco growing has began to revive in recent years and a number of measures are being taken for its development.

The reconstruction of a tobacco processing plant located in Shaki is expected to be completed in May this year, the Azerbaijan Industrial Company (AIC) told Trend.

The company noted that work on the reconstruction of the enterprise in the village of Chalabikhan, Shaki region, is carried out in accordance with the requirements and tasks specified in the framework of the State Program for the Development of Tobacco Growing in Azerbaijan for 20172021.

According to the plant reconstruction project, 30 new fire extinguishing tanks with a capacity of 150 cubic meters, as well as 30 cubic meters of storage tanks for household water are being built on the allocated 0.9 hectares of land.

It is also planned to create a modern heating system, storage, and construction of a sewage tank. At the moment, most of the work on the underground and above-ground communication lines, installation of a monolithic reinforced concrete basin with drying chambers has been completed on the site, said AIC.

State Program for the Development of Tobacco Growing in Azerbaijan for 2017-2021, adopted in 2017, is aimed at the development of tobacco growing, deepening the sphere of tobacco processing, increasing profitability and export potential as well as increasing employment of the rural population.

The state program takes into account all the necessary factors for the development of this industry - control over the quality of seeds, phytosanitary, etc.

There are favorable climatic conditions, rich traditions and potential for tobacco development in Azerbaijan. Presently, the biggest volumes of tobacco production are concentrated in Balakan, Shaki, Ismayilli, Gabala, Lerik and Masalli regions.

Tobacco cultivation has been developing rapidly in Azerbaijan recently. According to the official statistics, 3,400 hectares were sown in the country in 2018 and more than 38,000 tons of tobacco were bought from farmers. Thus, 2,350 hectares were sown and 20.7 tons of tobacco was obtained with the support and direct organization of the agro-industrial complex.

In 2018, a tobacco curing station consisting of 60 chambers, meeting modern requirements and standards, was put into operation in Azerbaijans Balakan region.

Presently, Azertutun LLC agro-industrial complex has 236 tobacco curing chambers, warehouses and offices in Balakan, Zagatala, Gakh and Sheki regions, as well as four facilities for the production of dry tobacco with the necessary infrastructure and a tobacco processing plant in Zagatala region.

Thirty modern tobacco curing chambers are planned to be installed in Gakh and Sheki regions to increase the production of tobacco products. Moreover, an additional production line is planned to be installed at Azertutun to increase the range of tobacco products.

The government expects production to be worth $45 million in 2019 and to increase by 20 percent annually until 2022. According to the budget package for 2019, Azerbaijan is expected to produce 8,200 tons of tobacco this year, 9,500 tons in 2020, 12,000 tons in 2021 and 12,600 tons in 2022.

Last year, Azerbaijan exported tobacco worth $10 million, while imports amounted to $116 million. Currently, the country eyes to minimize the import of tobacco products. To this end, the manufacturer of tobacco products Tabaterra CJSC has built a plant for tobacco production in the Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park. The total cost of the project is $48 million. Tabaterra intends to cover 80 percent of the demand for tobacco products in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan Industrial Company was established in November 2017 to increase the efficiency of state property management, to create favorable cooperation ties between enterprises that are under management, and to increase production potential.

Currently, AIC has 17 subsidiaries, covering various areas of the non-oil sector. The authorized capital of the company is 500 million manat ($293 million).

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

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By Leman Mammadova

Local construction company AzVIRT continues its successful accomplishments in foreign countries by helping to carry out major infrastructure projects.

AzVIRT is completing preparatory work related to the construction of the Kyiv-Chernihiv-Novy Yarlovich highway in Ukraine, a source in the company told Trend.

In about a month and a half the earthwork will be completed, after which the laying of the road infrastructure will begin.

The total length of the highway is expected to be 81 kilometers, the source said, adding that the project cost is 117 million euros.

Being one of the largest and reputable road construction contractors in Azerbaijan, AzVIRT is engaged in the construction of roads, runways, airports. In addition to the construction and design of roads and big facilities, the company is involved in the production of building materials, including asphalt concrete mixtures and activated mineral powder.

So far, AzVIRT has participated in the implementation of major infrastructure projects in Azerbaijan including repair works for Formula 1 European Grand Prix 2016, construction of motorways within the project of White City, construction of several international airports located in the country, etc.

In more than twenty years since its establishment, AzVIRT has grown in size and scope to meet the needs of the region as the demands for improved transport infrastructure increase.

AzVIRT was named The Best Company of the Year several times in different nominations. In 2015, the company was awarded as the best construction company at the 10th International Competition among the Commonwealth of Independent States.

AzVIRT implemented major infrastructure projects in Serbia. In 2012, the Azerbaijani government provided a 308 million euro loan for a period of 25 years with a three-year grace period at a rate of four percent per annum for the construction of a highway in Serbia. The loan financed the construction of the Ljig-Boljkovci, Boljkovci-Takovo, and Takovo-Preljina sections of the E-763 highway.

In addition, AzVIRT will start implementing its second major road project in Serbia this year. The project involves the construction of roads and related road infrastructure in Serbia. The exact starting dates for the implementation of the projects are still unknown.

Meanwhile, AzVIRT will participate in the construction of a highway in Kyrgyzstan, as part of the Bishkek-Osh (Madaniyyat-Jalal Abad) road project. The construction is scheduled to begin in May 2019. The total length of the road is 67 kilometers.

The project is planned to be completed in three years, and its cost is about $50 million. At the current stage, preparatory earthwork is being carried out.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

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By Leman Mammadova

Azerbaijan continues the work to promote local products worldwide under the Made in Azerbaijan brand.

The presentation of the "Azerbaijani Gifts" network of shops project of Azerbaijan's Trade Representation in Russia took place in Novosibirsk on April 29.

The event was held with the organizational support of the Novosibirsk City Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Yekaterinburg.

The project is an integral part of the concept developed by the trade mission to form an integrated system to support Azerbaijani exporters and promote Azerbaijani products on the Russian market.

Local entrepreneurs, businessmen and heads of large network stores have showed particular interest in products manufactured in Azerbaijan and were acquainted with the concept of the Azerbaijan Trade House project, which includes the Azerbaijani Gifts network of stores.

Head of Azerbaijan's Trade Representation in Russia Ruslan Aliyev spoke about the main directions of the concept.

Azerbaijan Trade House, the complex system formed by the Trade Mission to promote Azerbaijani products in Russia, plays the main role in implementing the objectives of the concept. This system will include a permanent exhibition on the export, investment and tourism potential of Azerbaijan, a specialized company for the import of Azerbaijani products to Russia and the Azerbaijani Gifts network of shops.

The shops will be opened by entrepreneurs, while the Azerbaijan Trade House will help providing them with a wide range of Azerbaijani products.

Azerbaijan's Trade Representation aims to form a system of distribution of Azerbaijani products in the Russian market for stimulation of export.

The "Azerbaijani Gifts" shops will carry out activities with the involvement of local entrepreneurs. The first such shop was opened in the territory of the Depot grocery store in Moscow. The shop contains more than 200 items of goods from 15 manufacturers.

It is planned to open such shops in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk and Yaroslavl this year.

Azerbaijani trade houses are engaged in the activities carried out within the expansion of the export of Azerbaijani products and promotion of the Made in Azerbaijan brand. Launched in 2016, the brand envisages a large-scale promotion of local non-oil products in foreign markets.

At present, Azerbaijani trade houses operate in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Poland and China. It is planned to open up to 10 trade houses in 2019.

Promotion of export-oriented local products under the Made in Azerbaijan brand in a wider geographic area also helps to attract foreign investment. The export of non-oil products will stimulate the expansion of their production and will further strengthen the non-oil sector's share in the structure of GDP.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

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By Trend

Azerbaijan should create more attractive conditions for attracting investors from China, Akif Mustafayev, Azerbaijans national secretary in Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA) program, expert in the field of transport and logistics, told Trend.

He said that attracting investors from China may contribute to an increase in cargo traffic from China through the territory of Azerbaijan.

It is necessary to simplify border crossing procedures, modernize equipment, introduce favorable tariffs and ensure digitalization, Mustafayev said.

The expert noted that Azerbaijan has achieved success in the One Belt One Road (OBOR) project thanks to infrastructural opportunities.

There is modernized infrastructure in Azerbaijan, he added. But the modernization continues. There is still need to improve the infrastructure.

Further, the expert stressed that Azerbaijan is the transport and logistics hub of the region, and, first of all, the favorable geographical location of the country contributes to this.

He noted that in recent years, cargo traffic along the territory of Azerbaijan has almost doubled.

The indicators are growing every year, but the potential isnt fully used, said Mustafayev.

The national secretary noted that it is very important to accelerate the creation of the Free Economic Zone (FEZ), as this will further increase the volume of freight traffic.

Mustafayev also noted the importance of the Green Corridor checkpoint system, saying that 70 percent of exports along the territory of Azerbaijan pass through the Green Corridor.

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By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

The Azerbaijani government has sent new proposals - responses to questions of WTO member states within the framework of negotiations on joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), said Mahmud Mammadguliyev, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan.

At this stage, negotiations with WTO member countries are conducted through correspondence. They send us their suggestions, and we reply, Mammadguliyev told Report.

He added that the date of the next meeting in Geneva with WTO members has not yet been established.

For the Azerbaijani government, the main aspect is the quality of negotiations, the compliance of the agreements reached with the criteria for economic development, the receipt of benefits provided for countries in the status of a developing country he said.

Azerbaijan is negotiating on four main directions - goods (tariffs on agricultural and industrial products), trade in services, legislation improvement (bringing it in line with WTO requirements) and agriculture support (subsidization).

In accordance with the suggestion of the WTO secretariat, currently, Azerbaijan continues negotiations on the country's accession to the organization on a bilateral basis. So far, the meeting of the Azerbaijani delegation with the WTO working group was accompanied by both bilateral negotiations with the organizations member countries and multilateral negotiations on agriculture.

Azerbaijan began negotiations with WTO member states in 2004. Currently, the country is in the process of negotiations with 13 countries. As of today, negotiations have been completed and protocols have been signed with Turkey, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. Azerbaijan is at the stage of signing protocols with China and Moldova.

Azerbaijan has recently implemented a number of reforms, including 12 strategic roadmaps for economic development; introduced changes in the regulation of trade, in the system of import customs tariffs; improved trade and logistics infrastructure. It is expected that the implementation of the road maps will serve as the basis for the successful accession of Azerbaijan to the WTO.

After receiving preliminary results from ongoing economic reforms in the country, which is expected until 2020, intensification of negotiations and completion of the process of Azerbaijans accession to the WTO will be possible.

It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan has had an observer status at WTO since 1997. In July 1997, the Working Group on Azerbaijan under WTO Secretary was established.

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Mirsaid Ibrahimzade is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MirsaidIbrahim1

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By Leman Mammadova

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) continues its commitments to provide investments in various spheres in Azerbaijan for the further development of the economy.

The Board of Directors of the EBRD has approved a new strategy for Azerbaijan which will guide the Banks investments and policy work in the country for 2019-2024.

The 2019-2024 strategy sets out the following priorities: to promote economic diversification by supporting competitiveness and good governance, to strengthen resilience by developing financial markets and to support green economy transition and regional connectivity.

The Bank will continue its efforts to help diversify Azerbaijans economy by supporting the development of the private sector in non-oil sectors and strengthening governance of private and state-owned companies.

In addition, the EBRD will work to further expand access to finance for local businesses by encouraging lending by banks and non-bank financial institutions as well as by helping develop local currency and capital markets.

Furthermore, the Bank will step up its support to the countrys green economy, including financing for renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency and cleaner transport and sustainable infrastructure.

The new strategy gives a fresh impetus to our engagement in Azerbaijan, Ivana Duarte, Head of the EBRDs office in Baku, said. The EBRD stands ready to help Azerbaijan develop its non-oil sector, strengthen local lenders and boost investment in the green economy."

She said the Bank sees a huge potential in the renewables sector and aim to make a real impact in this area. "Continued efforts by the authorities to reform the energy market and improve the business climate will be important in helping to unlock our own funds and mobilizing financing from other sources.

EBRD, established in 1991, invests in projects that contribute to the transition to an open market economy, as well as the development of private and business activities. The Bank was established to support countries of the former Eastern Bloc in the process of establishing their private sectors. To that end, it offers project financing for banks, industries and businesses, for new ventures or existing companies.

EBRD invests in debt capital-market instruments as well as in equity. These transactions promote higher standards of corporate governance while also fostering capital market development and promoting alternative sources of financing. The EBRD also issues its own local-currency-denominated bonds, or bonds linked to local currency, on the international and domestic markets for its funding purposes.

The Bank is a leading investor in Azerbaijan. The country has been cooperating with EBRD since 1992 to achieve further economic development. One of the main priorities of EBRD in Azerbaijan is to support the local corporate sector with direct financing. EBRD continues to pursue investments in energy projects, especially where there is a gap to improve efficiency and energy security.

The Bank continues working with the Azerbaijani government and the private sector to make further investments in the country. EBRD forecasts economic growth in Azerbaijan at 3.5 percent in 2019. EBRD's financing projects in Azerbaijan contribute greatly to the creation of modern infrastructure in the country.

At the moment, the number of active EBRD projects in Azerbaijan is 45, and in total, the EBRD has implemented 167 projects in Azerbaijan. The current portfolio of projects is worth 1.4 billion euros. Major share of investments accounts for to the private sector (47 percent).

In total, Bank has allocated almost 3.3 billion euros for projects in various sectors in Azerbaijan. The largest share of investments account for the energy sector (50 percent), while 42 percent accounts for infrastructure projects. The rest is for financial, industrial and commercial projects.

The Banks largest loans include financing the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline ($500 million) and the development of Shah Deniz 2 ($1 billion).

Presently, EBRD pays special attention to the development and financing of renewable energy projects in Azerbaijan. The Bank is also interested in the development of SMEs and financial sector in the country while helping the economy to diversify further.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

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Perhaps at no point over the past 30 years, since the recognition of the newly-independent Republic of Armenia by Turkey in 1991, have the circumstances been so auspicious as to begin a lasting and sustainable normalisation of the relations between the two nations.
By Trend

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov met with Emilio Monzo, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine National Congress, Trend reports on April 29 with reference to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry.

Emilio Monzo expressing his gratitude for sincere reception, referred to the meetings held with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the chair of the Azerbaijani Parliament and emphasized the fruitful exchanges from the point of developing cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, the sides expressed their satisfaction with the current state of relations between Azerbaijan and Argentina. The sides underlined the importance of mutual visits of high-level officials between the two countries in terms of development of relations.

Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted his recent visit to Argentina in March 2019 and pointed out the useful meetings held during the visit and also the developing bilateral relations in various areas.

Noting an important role that the parliamentary diplomacy plays in the development of relations, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov expressed his hope that the current visit would contribute to the development of relations between the two countries.

Emilio Monzo commended Minister Elmar Mammadyarov's recent visit to Argentina and his meeting with him, and noted that his current visit provided a good opportunity to get to know Azerbaijan more closely.

At the meeting the sides also exchanged views over issues of mutual interest.

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By Trend

The Power Uzbekistan forum will allow Uzbekistan to discuss a number of areas of cooperation with partner countries in the field of the fuel and energy complex, among which Azerbaijan occupies a worthy place, a spokesperson of Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan told Trend in an interview.

It was said that the meetings and negotiations will help identify ways of bringing positions closer together on a number of issues and determine prospects for further building up joint plans and projects of the two countries.

On May 15-17, 2019, Uzbekistan will host the largest International Exhibitions of the energy and oil and gas sectors: Power Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan International Oil & Gas (OGU) Exhibition & Conference. For the first time, Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan and the Agency Uzatom will provide support to both events. Also for the first time, "nuclear power engineering", which is a new direction for Uzbekistan, will be included in the sections of the International Exhibition "Power Uzbekistan 2019 - Energy, energy saving, nuclear energy, alternative energy sources."

The Power Uzbekistan 2019 will bring together leading companies representing a wide range of areas of the energy complex including energy, nuclear energy, energy saving, electrical equipment, alternative energy, power electronics and heat and power equipment.

About 50 companies from 11 countries including the USA, Korea, European states, China, Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Italy, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, have already been announced on Power Uzbekistan. As the Ministry's spokesperson noted, the high interest of international participants in the exhibition is primarily caused by the positive changes that are taking place in the energy sector of Uzbekistan. Measures are being taken to progressively modernize and retool the electricity and gas supply system, to improve the fundamentals of energy saving and the mechanisms of mutual settlements for the supplied electrical energy and natural gas.

It was emphasized that comprehensive development of the energy sector in Uzbekistan is of paramount importance for sustainable socio-economic growth of the country, as it increases business activity and improves investment climate, living standards and well-being of the population.

Speaking about the International OGU Exhibition and Conference OGU, which traditionally raises high interest of the players in the global oil and gas market, the Ministry representative said that this year event would be held for the 23rd time. It will bring together over 100 companies from 20 countries, including Austria, Azerbaijan, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, China, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea, Monaco, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, Ukraine , Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Poland, USA, France, and Switzerland.

Representatives of OPEC, BP, CNPC, InternationalGasUnion (IGU) ExxonMobil, Air Products, Honeywell UOP, HIS Markit, Nexant, GECF, Kazenergy, Indorama Corporation, ITPS, DOW Europe GmbH, Haldor Topsoe, Linde Group, Siemens Oil & Gas, EBRD, Turboden, GEGas Power, Sedmax, White & Case, Deloitte, Platts, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and "Financial Times Group" publication are invited to participate in the forum.

Within the framework of the OGU 2019 forum, technical sessions are also scheduled. The participants of the biggest session entitled "Petrochemistry and gas chemistry in Uzbekistan: large-scale modernization and new challenges" will discuss the development of the global olefin market and modern technologies with the purpose of obtaining high-quality fuels, oils and raw materials for petrochemical processes.

The conference will also focus on the use of renewable energy sources and the investment attractiveness of Uzbekistan exemplified by a number of joint projects. This topic will be discussed at the special session of the OGU 2019 conference under the title: "Energy of the Future. A look at the progress in energy saving: renewable energy," the spokesperson said.

It is planned that the Director for Energy and Natural Resources for Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia, EBRD Aida Sitdikova, Director of the Board of TurbodenRus and Sales Manager of Turboden Nikola Rossetti, and others will speak on the issue of using clean energy sources. As expected, the discussions will reveal current trends in the use of renewable energy and identify global trends in this direction, allowing Uzbekistan to identify ways to further develop cooperation in the field of renewable energy with global market players and various countries of the world.

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By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

The giant Shah Deniz field, which has the capacity to export a large amount of natural gas to the world, makes companies operating here extend their contracts due to high profits and secure future.

Maersk Drilling, which is headquartered in Denmark, told Trend that the company is interested in further using its drilling rig on the shelf of Azerbaijan after the Shah Deniz field contract completion in 2021.

We can confirm that our semi-submersible drilling rig Maersk Explorer has been working at the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan since 2007. The corresponding contract with BP was concluded until May 2021," the company said.

"Naturally, we are interested in exploring opportunities for the further exploitation of our drilling rig in Azerbaijan, as well as in continuing cooperation in the future with local suppliers and labor force, who are currently involved in the operation of our drilling rig and provide excellent productivity, Maersk Drilling added.

The company said that 86 percent of the current staff of the rig is citizens of Azerbaijan.

Maersk Drilling is a subsidiary of the A.P. Moller  Maersk Group, established in 1972. The company is one of the Group's core businesses.

Shah Deniz is the largest natural gas field in Azerbaijan. It is situated in the south of the Caspian Sea, off the coast of Azerbaijan, approximately 70 kilometers southeast of Baku, at a depth of 600 metres. The field covers approximately 860 square kilometers.

It is considered to be a founding link for the Southern Gas Corridor, aiming to bring additional and alternative natural gas volumes to EU member countries.

In accordance with the documents signed in Baku on December 17, 2013, the contract for the field development was extended from 2036 to 2048, while the share distribution among the parties to the agreement is as follows: BP - 28.8 percent, TPAO - 19 percent, Petronas - 15.5 percent, AzSD (SOCAR) - 10 percent, Lukoil - 10 percent, NICO - 10 percent, and SGC Upstream - 6.7 percent.

The proved reserves of the field reach 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas and 240 million tons of condensate.

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Mirsaid Ibrahimzade is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MirsaidIbrahim1

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Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained why no high-ranking foreign guests are expected to attend the parade dedicated to the 74th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War.

"This is not a unique situation. There were no special invitations last year either," the spokesman said. "Foreign leaders are usually invited to attend jubilee events," TASS cited Peskov as saying.

He noted that "next year we will celebrate a very important anniversary." "It will be a special year indeed. However, this year there is no such milestone anniversary, and given that this is the routine that has been in place, we therefore do not invite the heads of state to attend ordinary annual holidays," Peskov concluded
By Leman Mammadova

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) continues to strengthen its position in the Georgian market by increasing the sale of its high quality products.

In 2019, SOCAR plans to sell over 160 million liters of oil products at the company's gas stations in Georgia, Report informed citing SOCAR Energy Georgia.

Currently, 113 gas stations operate under the SOCAR brand in Georgia. The company's share in the retail market is about 16 percent. In 2018, the company sold more than 147 million liters of products at gas stations, said the company.

SOCAR was the first in Georgia to install stations for charging electric cars. Currently, such charging points are available in six regions of the country.

Presently, SOCAR is the major supplier of natural gas, oil and oil products to Georgia. SOCARs subsidiaries are engaged in expansion and modernization of the countrys gas distribution systems and development of filling stations under SOCARs brand. The company also owns an oil terminal in Georgias Kulevi Black Sea Port, which supplies Azerbaijani oil and oil products to the world markets.

SOCAR exports gas being extracted at Azerbaijani fields through its own funds to Georgia without participation of foreign companies. Moreover, Georgia receives Azerbaijani gas extracted at the Shah Deniz offshore field with participation of SOCAR and foreign companies.

In January-February this year, 493 million cubic meters of natural gas were exported via SOCAR Georgia Gas to Georgia.

Last year, SOCAR Energy Georgia provided high-quality services to more than 650,000 subscribers and tens of thousands of customers at gas stations.

SOCAR started its business activity in Georgia in 2006. In the same year, the company purchased the Kulevi oil terminal, which was put into operation in 2008, aimed at transportation of oil and oil products from Azerbaijan and Central Asia to western markets. Before the operation, the investment costs amounted to $233 million. Additional $96 million was invested in the terminal between 2008 and 2017.

The company is implementing its operations in Georgia through SOCAR Georgia Petroleum, SOCAR Gas Export-Import, SOCAR Georgia Gas, SOCAR Georgia Gas Distribution, Black Sea Terminal and other subsidiaries. At present, there are about 4,000 employees in the subordinated companies of SOCAR.

SOCAR Georgia Gas was established in 2007 to provide the import and sale of natural gas to the Georgian market, as well as to construct and rehabilitate gas pipelines. Currently, 19 functional services are active within SOCAR Georgia Gas. In addition, the company has founded 6 distribution enterprises in a number of regions of Georgia.

During the entire period of SOCAR Georgia Gas, total investments amounted to $77 million (construction of gas pipelines, rehabilitation and design works). Additionally, investments worth $30 million are envisaged within the 3-year program.

SOCAR Georgia Gas supplied 250,000 customers with gas and invested around $290 million in gas in 2008-2017. In addition, the company imported 1.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the Georgian market during this period.

Overall, SOCAR and its subsidiaries invested more than $1 billion in Georgia's economy, and paid $1.25 billion in tax to the Georgian state budget in 2007-2017.

Georgia imported more than 39,397 tons of oil and oil products worth $21.34 million from Azerbaijan in January-March 2019. As for gas supplies, Georgia imported 718,171 cubic meters of natural gas worth $123.4 million from Azerbaijan during the reporting period.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Turkey is one of the important trading partners of Uzbekistan, with which economic ties are dynamically expanding and strengthening. Uzbekistan has created favorable conditions for the implementation of joint investment projects with the participation of leading Turkish companies, primarily in free economic and small industrial zones.

Deputy Minister of Uzbekistan Foreign Affairs Alisher Abdualiev met with Metin Oktay, Executive Director for Business Development of the Turkish company Yildirim Holding on April 25. http://uzdaily.uz/ru/post/43429

The meeting discussed the implementation of the investment project for the first power plant construction on the public-private partnership principles in the framework of the implementation of Presidential Decree of April 13, 2019.

The project will be implemented in the Surkhandarya region through foreign direct investment. The cost of the project is $1.2 billion. It was worked out with the assistance of the Uzbek Embassy in Turkey. It is assumed that the combined-cycle thermal power plant capacity on natural gas will be 900 MW.

Oktay noted that the company is aware of this projects importance and intends to attract the most advanced technologies and know-how in order to build a modern power plant that meets international environmental standards.

During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on promising projects in the chemical industry, transport infrastructure, mining and other fields.

The foundation of Yildirim Group dates back to 1963 when Garip Yildirim established a modest construction material trading company called Garip Yildirim & Sons in Samsun, Turkey.

Since its founding, the company has continuously broadened its focus through new subsidiaries. Thanks to years of entrepreneurism and constant innovation, it has evolved into an industrially diversified group of companies as well as one of the fastest-growing Turkish industrial groups.

The second generation has been active in the companys operations since 1980. Yildirim Group is a family-owned business, held 100 percent privately and managed by three Yildirim brothers: Ali Riza, Robert Yuksel and Mehmet Yildirim.

Since 2008, when Yildirim Group made its first international acquisition in Sweden. The company has grown to become a global force based in Istanbul, Turkey, with operations in 21 countries on four continents. Today, Yildirim Group is active in 11 sectors.

There are currently about 500 companies in Uzbekistan with Turkish capital, 100 of which are representation offices. They carry out activities in the sectors of textile, food, hotel management, building materials, plastic, medication, and services.

There are 114 companies in Turkey with Uzbek capital. More than 20 enterprises with the participation of Turkey's investments were established and 53 companies were accredited in Uzbekistan in 2018.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai and Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Georgy Kalamanov, have explored the possibilities of expanding trade and economic cooperation between the two countries at a meeting in Moscow.

During a meeting, Sanai and Kalamanov discussed the expansion of comprehensive relations between Iranian and Russian companies in accordance with the roadmap, which focuses on the industrial and mining sectors, Iranian media reported.

The parties discussed issues of cooperation in the field of automotive, railway transport and aircraft manufacturing, as well as issues of a joint cooperation commission, which will be held in June.

After the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear agreement in 2018, cooperation between Iran and Russia has expanded.

Sanai said that the volume of trade between Iran and Russia has reached $500 million. He added that Tehran and Moscow are seeking to increase the volume of commercial exchanges.

In turn, Iranian ambassador noted that the current level of economic relations between Iran and Russia could be raised even higher, given the two countries huge potential.

"Unfortunately, the previous round of sanctions had a negative impact on the economic ties between Iran and Russia to such an extent that our banking and trade ties were almost paralyzed," Sanai said.

He added that, however, the parties are currently making efforts to revive economic relations and believe that the new round of U.S. sanctions will not have a serious impact on two countries' relations. Sanai stressed that the Russians did not abandon any serious project in cooperation with Iran.

Sanai also noted that over the past five years, the presidents of Iran and Russia met and negotiated 16 times, while Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif visited Russia and held talks with countrys officials more than 20 times during the same period.

The Russian-Iranian political dialogue is based on the coincidence or proximity of the two countries' positions on most global and regional issues, in particular, building a multipolar world order, strengthening the UN role in international affairs, countering new challenges and threats, Syrian and Iraqi settlement, and the situation in Afghanistan.

Russia believes that interaction with Iran is an important condition for ensuring the national interests of the country, strengthening stability in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as in the Middle East.

Russia made a significant contribution to resolving the situation around the Iranian nuclear program.

In the structure of Russia's exports to Iran, the main share account for the food products and agricultural raw materials; metals and articles thereof; machinery, equipment and vehicles; wood and pulp and paper products; chemical industry products.

Russian imports comprise such groups of goods as foodstuffs and agricultural raw materials; metals and articles thereof; chemical industry products; mineral products; machinery, equipment and vehicles.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are showing mutual interest in the progressive development of bilateral relations in trade and economy, transport and communication, and other areas of mutual interest.

The creation of the Central Asia International Center for Trade and Economic Cooperation will lead to an increase in international trade, said Kairat Torebayev, Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Kazakhstan Ministry of National Economy, Kazinform reported.

He reminded that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum between authorized agencies on the establishment of the Central Asia International Center for Trade and Economic Cooperation on April 15 in Tashkent.

Torebayev noted that this memorandum provides for the creation of a joint Kazakh-Uzbek interdepartmental working group, which will develop a concept for the Center establishment.

The priority tasks include the creation of a new modern checkpoint; construction of wholesale and retail trade facilities and similar infrastructure; creation of a transport and logistics center.

The Center will be created on the Kazakh-Uzbek border, next to two large agglomerations - Shymkent and Tashkent.

Torebayev informed that preparatory stage of the Center creation will be carried out in 2019, while investment stage - in 2020-2023, as well as the development of infrastructure (2020-2023) and its prospective development (2023-2025). The main stage will begin in 2023.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are the largest markets in Central Asia with the population of more than 50 million people. The Center location provides significant potential in the development of services system: transport and telecommunications services, maintenance of tourist flows, international and regional trade.

Diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were established on November 23, 1992.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan currently experience a rise in mutual economic ties. In January-June 2018, the trade turnover between the two countries increased by 52 percent, with Uzbek export growth of 48 percent. Over 200 companies with Kazakh capital currently operate in Uzbekistan.

Earlier, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan agreed to take further measures to ensure the growth of trade turnover to $3 billion in 2018 and $5 billion by 2020. The countries also intend to increase the number of rail, bus and air communication between the two states.

Kazakhstan mainly exports to Uzbekistan oil and oil products, mining industry products, grains, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, products of inorganic chemistry and food products.

Uzbekistan exports to Kazakhstan energy sources (gas), cotton fiber, chemical products and plastics, fertilizers, fruits and vegetables and other types of goods.

Uzbek investments in Kazakhstan for the past 10 years amounted to $31.3 million, half of which accounts for 2016. Kazakh investments in Uzbekistan totalled $114.4 million in the past decade.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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By Trend

Most Armenians left for Russia in 1915, Ismail Safi, member of the Turkish presidential committee on security and foreign policy, said.

The Armenians claim that during the 1915 events, 1.5 million Armenians died in the Ottoman Empire, while during that time no more than 1.2 million Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire, Safi added, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media.

He stressed that the claims of the Armenians that allegedly all Armenians were exterminated are nothing but stupidity.

If genocide took place in 1915, there wouldnt be any Armenians in the West and in neighbouring countries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier.

Previously, a source of the Turkish government told Trend that Armenia is afraid to open its archives from 1915. According to the source, opening the archives will show the world that the events of 1915 were not "Armenian genocide"; on the contrary, an extermination and genocide of the Muslim population of the Ottoman Empire by Armenian gangs occurred during the events in 1915.

The Turkish government noted that Ankara appealed to Yerevan back in 2005 to open the archives from 1915 and create a joint independent committee for investigating the events of that period. "If the events of 1915 were indeed the 'Armenian genocide' , Yerevan would be ready to open these archives," the governmental representative said.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, allegedly carried out "genocide" against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.

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By Trend

Kazakh Senate has ratified an Agreement on Prevention of Incidents in the Caspian Sea, which was signed on August 12, 2018 in Aktau, Trend reports citing Kazakh media.

The main purpose of this agreement is ensuring safety of navigation of military ships and flights of aircraft of the armed forces of the states of the Caspian region including Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan with security while in the Caspian Sea area, reads the news report.

According to the document, the actions of military ships and aircraft of the signatory states of the Caspian region should be carried out with the provisions of the agreement and in line with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (1972).

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeos remarks about Russian meddling in U.S. elections are unfounded and outrageous.

"The United States unfounded accusations have never been supported by anything at all," Lavrov stressed, citing the results of the Mueller report.

Nevertheless, the Americans keep repeating these allegations, the Russia top diplomat added. "In particular, the U.S. administrations spokesperson repeats these bogus stories without bothering to furnish any hard facts," TASS cited him as saying.

Lavrov expressed hope that when he meet with Pompeo next time, they will talk about it.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said that the kingdom will stay within OPEC+ deal and will not exceed its limit.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said he persuaded Saudi Arabia to increase the flow.

At the same time, al-Falih stressed that Riyadh ready to meet oil consumers demand by replacing oil supplies from Iran after the United States ends waivers granted to buyers of Iranian crude.

"I'm reiterating our commitment to meet all those demands. But we will do it while also staying clearly within OPEC Plus agreement. We don't need to exceed our voluntary limit of the OPEC Plus agreement to meet," Sputnik cited the Saudi Energy Minister as saying.
The Russian Black Sea Fleets Frigate Admiral Essen has arrived in Istanbul to take part in the IDEF-2019 defense industry fair, the fleets press service said.

"The crew of the newest Black Sea Fleet Frigate Admiral Essen arrived in Istanbul to participate in the IDEF-2019 International Defense Industry Fair," the statement reads.

The Admiral Essen will be docked in Turkey until May 3; its crew will present the frigate as an example of the Russian shipbuilding industry capabilities at the fair, TASS reported.

The IDEF-2019 International Defense Industry Fair is held in Istanbul on April 30-May 3. The fairs key topics are the equipment for land troops, navy, air force, defense technologies, space technologies, on-board systems, as well as helicopters, ships, electronics, security systems, transportation and logistics equipment and systems.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno has provided the following dates of service for Msgr. Craig Harrison:

Message to parishioners

Bishop Armando Ochoa attended Masses held at St. Francis Church in Bakersfield on Sunday morning and read the following statement:

It is with pastoral concern that I inform you that the Diocese of Fresno has received a complaint of sexual misconduct and violation of appropriate pastoral boundaries involving a then minor child and Rev. Msgr. Craig Harrison during the time that he ministered in the Diocese of Fresno.

According to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops it is in keeping with our policies and procedures to notify all parish communities where the accused priest was assigned throughout his time in our diocese. This ensures that every reasonable effort is made to reach out to anyone who may have relevant information and encourage them to promptly contact their local law enforcement agency and the Victim Assistance Coordinator, Cheryl Sarkisian, at (559) 488-7400.

Notification of this allegation does not carry with it any presumption of guilt.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Showers this morning, becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. High 59F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain likely. Low near 50F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Servicemen from the 42nd motorized rifle division have finished their week-long drills at a training range in southern Russia's Stavropol region, the press service of the Southern Military District said.

"Around 4,000 servicemen and over 300 pieces of military equipment returned to the place of permanent stationing after participating in tactical drills at the Sernovodsky training range," TASS cited the press service as saying.

Motorized rifle, tank and artillery units carried out tasks on providing engineer support for positions and ensuring air defenses. They also held bilateral tactical drills together with the aviation from the 4th army of the Air Force.

The drills finished with a 300-kilometer march to garrisons on the territory of Chechnya with the aerial support from Mi-8 AMTSh Terminator helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
A 30-year-old Mesquite man was arrested after leading officials on a multi-county chase, according to information from the Department of Public Safety.

At approximately 10 a.m. the Chambers County Sheriff's Office responded to a call in reference to a reckless driver call. Officials located the Chevrolet pickup truck towing a trailer and attempted to stop the vehicle, officials said.
Los Angeles police say a man and woman were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide but two young children found in their home were unharmed.

On April 14, police found a 46-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman dead at a condominium in the Chatsworth area. Police say the man apparently shot his wife as she lay in bed in an upstairs room, then killed himself.

The couples 3-month-old son and 3-year-old daughter were found unharmed in the home.

PINT-SIZED HERO: A quick-thinking 8-year-old saves his sister

Police have hailed the little girl as a hero for keeping her brother alive for "several" days following their parents' deaths.

"Our little angel was able to keep herself and her brother alive," said Los Angeles Police Capt. Maureen Ryan, according to Fox 11. "The baby is a miracle baby and the little girl is a hero. She's an absolute hero."

CBS Los Angeles reports the kids were found by a neighborhood couple who became concerned after police conducted a welfare check but found nothing suspicious. It is not clear if officers initially entered the home or only knocked on the door.

Olivia and James Robinson told KTLA they found the children inside the home.

Olivia Robinson said she knew something was wrong when she saw the toddler girl.

She obviously was in bad condition because she reeked really bad of urine," Olivia said. "And she had more of a blank stare on her face. She was very, very quiet.

The Robinsons asked the girl where her parents were.

I think she may have said they were sleeping, but she told me that theyre upstairs and theyre hurt," James told KTLA. "Right there, we figured its just not good."

Another neighbor, Tony Medina, said that he took the girl in and fed her until police arrived.

She heard her mom crying, and then what really was kind of heart-wrenching was when she said she saw mommy was broken,' Medina said.

The children were placed in the care of child welfare officials.
Ukraines Central Election Commission (CEC) announced the official results of the presidential election in the country today. They were won by candidate from the Servant of the People party Vladimir Zelensky who garnered 73.22% of the vote. His rival in the runoff, Pyotr Poroshenko, secured 24.45% of the vote.

"The number of the votes cast for each presidential contender: Zelensky Vladimir Alexandrovich - 13,541,528, Poroshenko Pyotr Alexeyevich - 4,522,450. The percentage of the votes cast for each candidate in relation to the number of voters who took part in the voting: Zelensky Vladimir Alexandrovich - 73.22%, Poroshenko Pyotr Alexeyevich - 24.45%," TASS cited CEC head Tatyana Slipachuk as saying.

The results of the election were announced on the last legally designated day for counting the votes.

Zelensky earlier accused the Central Election Commission of deliberately delaying the counting process in order to postpone the inauguration date until the period after May 27, thereby preventing him from dissolving the countrys Verkhovna Rada ahead of schedule.

First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Zelensky's first post-election statements on Russia do not yet allow to judge the future foreign policy of Ukraine. "The foreign policy of Ukraine will become clearer after Zelensky speeches in the near future. After he is inaugurated, a real dialogue will start, and we are ready for talks on all the sensitive issues, he stressed.

"If Ukraine is ready to begin the process of restoring relations with us, we can only welcome it. But first we should wait for real steps from President Zelensky. Only his actions will show Ukraine's real foreign policy," the First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs added.

Deputy director of the Institute of the CIS Vladimir Zharikhin said that judging by Vladimir Zelensky's statements, no foreign policy should be expected form him personally. "His sponsors and leaders - first of all, Kolomoisky and his team - will be engaged in foreign policy issues," the expert specified.

"Judging by the beginning of the relations between the elected president of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin, perhaps, the new leader will be taken less seriously than the old one [Petro Poroshenko - VK]. But apparently, there will be no major changes in politics, as well as in relations between Russia and Ukraine," Vladimir Zharikhin said.
A state senator is demanding a change to the Texas prison systems execution-day procedures, arguing that allowing a spokesman to read aloud a condemned killers written statement after his or her death is disrespectful to victims families.

Prompted by last weeks execution of white supremacist John William King  one of the men sentenced to die for the notorious hate crime slaying of James Byrd Jr. in 1998  state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, on Monday called on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to stop allowing prisoners to leave behind written statements after they are put to death.

Once theyre executed that should be the end, Whitmire said in an interview. If they want to write something, I would suggest that TDCJ throw it in the trash with all his other belongings.

Traditionally, death row prisoners are permitted to say their last words into a microphone inside the death chamber, and also provide a written statement that a department spokesman may read aloud to the media at a press conference afterward. Whitmire isnt seeking to ban final utterances, but instead demanding an end to written last statements.

Prison officials declined to comment, but Kings attorney, Richard Ellis, pushed back on the idea of retooling the current procedure

An inmates last statement is virtually the only time in that persons life when anyone pays attention to what they have to say, Ellis said, and I fail to see why the manner or form of that statement, whether written or oral, should be of any concern to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or to Senator Whitmire.

READ MORE: Last-meal requests come to an end on Texas death row

Whitmires letter marks the second time the Houston lawmaker has demanded a policy change following the execution of one of Byrds killers; eight years ago, the senator urged the prison system to end the practice of allowing condemned prisoners to order last meals after Lawrence Brewer put in a massive final request and ate none of it.

Likewise, on the gurney Wednesday, King had nothing to say and showed no remorse. But what irked Whitmire was the flippant final statement the 44-year-old left behind in writing: Capital punishment: Them without the capital get the punishment.

Afterward, spokesman Jeremy Desel read the statement aloud to the press gathered in Huntsville, as per usual procedure in the few cases when a prisoner leaves a written statement. In some cases  such as Napoleon Beazleys rambling 2002 examination of capital punishment  prisoners have expressed last-minute regret through their written statements, but often inmates simply speak on the gurney, or leave no final public thoughts at all.

If a death row inmate has something to say to the public or victims, let him or her say it while they are strapped to the gurney, Whitmire wrote, adding that he was shocked to see Kings written statement quoted in the media. I believe this action was totally improper and should never be repeated.

On top of that, Whitmire asked for an examination of the death penalty appeals process and a look into how King was able to linger on death row for two decades before his execution.

I intend to ask Lt. Gov. (Dan) Patrick to authorize an interim study of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee to review how someone like Mr. King could be on death row for 20 years, Whitmire wrote. It is entirely too long and not fair to the Byrd family and to the State of Texas.

READ MORE: John William King put to death for 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr.

The Jasper killer was sentenced to die as one of three white men involved in the gruesome modern-day lynching, when Byrd was chained to a pickup and dragged to death on a country road, then left in front of a black church. The murder helped fuel the passage of federal hate crime legislation named for the slain black man, but it also eventually led to a change in execution-day protocols.

Before Lawrence Brewer, one of the other convicted killers, was put to death he ordered two steaks, a triple-patty bacon cheeseburger, a cheese omelet,fried okra, a pound of BBQ, white bread, fajitas, pizza, Blue Bell Ice Cream, fudge, and and three root beers.

It was, at the time, standard for prisoners to request a special meal before their execution  and some states still allow it. But when Brewer refused to eat any of the vast order, Whitmire penned a letter to then-prisons chief Brad Livingston calling the practice of special last meals ridiculous and demanding an end to it. Texas prison officials complied, and since then condemned men can only eat whats on the mess hall menu for the day.
The Southeast Texas Food Banks Fight Hunger, Spark Change fundraiser is under way, an annual effort that generates tens of thousands of dollars to help feed needy people in Jefferson and seven other local counties.

A collaboration with the relief organization Feeding America and Walmart makes it easy to contribute.

In the six years Walmart and Feeding America have been doing this campaign, it has helped provide a lot of support for our area, local food bank executive director Dan Maher said.

Walmart and partnering brands like Campbells, Conagra, General Mills, Great Value, Kellogg, Kraft-Heinz, Pepsi, Post and Unilever will be donating 10 cents for every item purchased to Feeding America, which tracks purchases and routes them to the area where the purchases were made. The local food bank supports Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine and Tyler counties.

The fundraiser runs until May 20.

Walmart will also provide opportunities for customers to make their own donations at the end of checkouts, if they wish.

Maher said partnerships with companies like Walmart, H-E-B and Kroger help the food bank overcome some of the challenges it faces in gathering enough local resources.

We lean heavily on retailers because there arent a lot of strong manufacturers in our area that we can rely on, Maher said.

He said the contributions will be especially helpful as the food bank gears up to help families during the summer, a time when kids who normally get at least one meal at school are home during the day.

The food bank has recently invested more volunteer efforts to take advantage of the availability of produce during the warmer months in hope of feeding more people while meeting nutritional needs.

Officials are also preparing to launch a fundraising campaign for a physical expansion as well. In March, Maher released concept renderings of a new building it hoped to build thanks to special grants it was approved for by Feeding America. He said the food banks board of directors approved plans to begin the campaign, but will have to give additional approval when it gets close to a building design phase.

More information about the campaign and a full list of participating brands is available online at https://wm8.walmart.com/Hunger/.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jdickjournalism
A day after a Houston state senator penned a letter demanding changes to the execution-day protocols, the Texas prison system announced it will no longer share death row prisoners' written final statements with the media.

The condemned will still be able to utter last words on the gurney, but any written statements will be tucked away in the prisoners' belongings and not shared with the public.

The shift comes in response to Sen. John Whitmire's ire over the final written words of white supremacist John King, who was executed last week for the notorious 1998 hate crime slaying of James Byrd Jr. Though King said nothing in the death chamber, he left behind a final statement that Whitmire described as "flippant."

"Capital punishment," King wrote. "Them without the capital gets the punishment."

READ MORE: John William King put to death for 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr.

To Louvon Harris, Byrd's sister, the new dictum didn't make much difference; she said she didn't find out about the written statement until long after the process and could go "either way" on taking action regarding final words.

"To say what he said is neither here nor there," she said. "He wasn't punished because he had no money, he was punished because he was guilty of a crime. Those weren't true words; he was punished for all the right reasons but survived 20 years more."

After the execution, prison spokesman Jeremy Desel read the statement aloud to the press gathered in Huntsville, as per the usual procedure in the few cases when a prisoner leaves a written statement.

On Monday, Whitmire expressed his displeasure in a letter to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, asking for an end to written final statements.

"Once they're executed that should be the end," he told the Houston Chronicle. "If they want to write something, I would suggest that TDCJ throw it in the trash with all his other belongings."

On Tuesday, the department's executive director, Bryan Collier, responded with a letter to the Houston senator, laying out the protocol changes.

"The agency has traditionally offered the condemned the option of verbally speaking their last words while in the chamber or writing them out prior to the execution and in turn sharing it with the media," Collier wrote.

"Moving forward, should the offender choose to write a statement, it will be inventoried with their belongings and given to their pre-determined designee after their execution. The agency will only relay to the public the last verbal statement in the execution chamber."

Whitmire's letter marks the second time the Houston lawmaker has demanded a policy change following the execution of one of Byrd's killers. Back in 2011, the senator urged the prison system to end the practice of allowing condemned prisoners to order special last meals after Lawrence Brewer put in a massive final request and ate none of it.

RELATED: Scenes from Lawrence Russell Brewer's execution

Now, the agency's response to Whitmire's latest request marks the second time in a month that the prison system has retooled aspects of its execution-day protocols to restrict last-minute rights or privileges afforded to the condemned.

Earlier this month, the agency banned all spiritual advisers from the execution chamber in response to a Supreme Court decision in a high-profile death row case. In the final days before he was scheduled to die, Patrick Murphy - one of the Texas 7 prison escapees who killed a police officer in North Texas - lobbed an appeal based on claims of religious discrimination, saying that it was unfair he could not have a Buddhist spiritual adviser in the room at the time of his death.

Christians and Muslims were permitted to have chaplains in the room because the prison system employed religious persons of those faiths. Given the discrepancy, the U.S. Supreme Court called off the execution, and the Texas prison system opted to resolve the problem by banning all chaplains from the chamber.

Following his last-minute stay, Murphy is still alive on death row.

In addition to the latest changes announced Tuesday after the King execution, Whitmire asked for an examination of the death penalty appeals process and a look into how the 44-year-old was able to linger on death row for two decades before his execution.

"I intend to ask Lt. Governor Patrick to authorize an interim study of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee to review how someone like Mr. King could be on death row for 20 years," Whitmire wrote. "It is entirely too long and not fair to the Byrd family and to the State of Texas."

To Byrd's sister, it's the lack of remorse that stings.

"We didn't expect anything positive to come out of his mouth," she said. "If he had a heart, he would have said his final words to the family, which he did not. As a family member looking for closure or some type of remorse, that's more disrespectful than words."

The Jasper killer was sentenced to die as one of three white men involved in a gruesome modern-day lynching, when Byrd was chained to a pick-up truck and dragged for more than 3 miles along a country road. His killers had picked him up as he walked home alone after a party, and left him dead in front of a black church. When authorities found him, his pants were around his ankles and his head was missing.

The murder long haunted the Deep East Texas town, and later helped fuel the passage of federal hate crime legislation.

Monique Batson contributed to this report.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun political party plans to initiate a no-confidence vote against the Armenian government, the Hraparak newspaper reported citing informed sources in the party.

According to the report, the party hopes that the public outrage will peak by May-June due to the optimization of government apparatus, possible staffing cuts in Gazprom Armenia CJSC, Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC and Ararat Cement Factory CJSC, Sputnik Armenia reported.

Since ARF Dashnaktsutyun is not represented in Parliament, the party leadership is considering the possibility of the Prosperous Armenia party and the Bright Armenia Party withdrawing from a mandate. Although this scenario is difficult to implement, according to the source, this option is still being discussed.

The deputy chairman of the Armenian National Congress party Aram Manukyan, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the ARF is trying to return in Armenian politics by doing such statements. "These words should not be taken seriously - Dashnaktsutyun has absolutely no rating. Last year they failed to pass the percentage threshold in the parliamentary elections. And Pashinyans rating is still very high: if there is election tomorrow, he will be supported by at least 60% of voters without any election campaign. There is no alternative to Pashinyan in Armenia," he stressed.

Aram Manukyan also expressed confidence that significant stuffing cuts in Armenia's largest enterprises, expected by Dashnaktsutyun, will not happen.

The director of the Armenian branch of the CIS Institute, Alexander Markarov, agreed with Manukyan. "Like any extra-parliamentary party, which is trying to position itself as a possible proto-opposition to the existing party parliamentary majority, Dashnaktsutyun has now no significant influence on the political process," he said in the first place.

"As for the possibility of the Prosperous Armenia party and the Bright Armenia Party withdrawing from a mandate, technically, it can be one of the versions for dissolving parliament or other initiatives. But it seems rather hypothetical than realistic option. Considering Pashinyan's high rating and parliamentary majority, it's difficult to talk about any actions that would lead to his dismissal as prime minister," the director of the Armenian branch of the CIS Institute noted.

The political analyst added that both the authorities and the opposition are trying to use the issue of stuffing cuts in their own interests. "The forces that are trying to position themselves as an opposition have an agenda connected with criticism of the government activities. It is clear that these cuts will not affect Pashinyans rating in the short term. But in the course of further struggle in the next electoral cycle, the topic of jobs will not be forgotten. All these trends will be used by various political forces for their own purposes," Alexander Markarov concluded.
Just in time for local elections this Saturday, the state of Texas and several civil rights groups have settled a lawsuit over bungled attempts by the state to purge non-citizens from voter rolls. The settlement is welcome, but this is a self-inflicted wound the state easily could have avoided.

The problem began in January when Secretary of State David Whitleys office sent lists to county elections officials with the names of 98,000 voters whom the department said had registered to vote but werent U.S. citizens. Of that group, 58,000 had voted. At the time, it seemed like a major case of voter fraud, a topic that Republican politicians have been concerned with for years.

In this case, however, Whitleys office had misfired. Many of the people on that list had indeed voted  because they were legally registered voters.

One major problem in Whitleys verification process was that many of those who had declared themselves legal residents when they applied for drivers licenses later become U.S. citizens. But Whitleys office didnt check any other databases to verify that point and assumed they were voting illegally. In the words of U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, who handled this case, the state created a mess. A top official in Whitleys office even admitted that the state used flawed information and overstated the total of ineligible voters by tens of thousands.

Some county officials had begun to remove the names of people in the initial group from their voter rolls. Some legal voters became confused and scared by the ordeal and asked to have their names removed from voter rolls because they were afraid they might adversely affect family members who were not yet citizens.

Because of this blunder, an unknown number of people who should have been eligible to vote this Saturday will not, and thats a shame. Election officials have to make sure that every vote is legally cast, but the bigger problem in Texas is encouraging turnout among registered voters. Even in presidential elections, barely more than half of eligible voters make it to the polls, and too many adults arent even registered.

Regrettably, turnout this Saturday is probably not going to be high. In Beaumont, totals at the start of the early voting period were down from previous elections even though many city council and school board seats are up for grabs. Local and state officials should be doing everything they can to drive those numbers higher, not give people another excuse to avoid this civic duty.

Today is your last chance to vote early. If you dont, please make sure to vote this Saturday. You can help choose your local leaders, or you can let someone else do that.
Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital plans to build an $838 million neurosciences center on its on its Saint Raphael campus in New Haven, the institution announced April 29.

The new 505,000square-foot project would include two patient facilities, with a combined 204 inpatient beds, according to the hospital. It would focus on innovation in the neurosciences and be one of the largest such projects in Connecticut's history.

We firmly believe that this new facility will change the landscape of healthcare and draw patients from throughout the region and nation, said Marna Borgstrom, CEO of Yale New Haven Health and Yale New Haven Hospital. While this represents a landmark investment in our patients, it was also very important to us that we move this project forward in full partnership with the City of New Haven, the state and the local community. We are proud to work together to advance the promise of exceptional care for our patients.

As part of the project, the hospital will decant portions of its current decades-old, 300-bed east pavilion. Yale New Haven officials said the hospital has agreed to work with the City of New Haven to improve quality health outcomes for city employees for less money.

The neurosciences center will be built within the current Saint Raphael campus footprint. According to the hospital, its main entrance will move from Chapel Street to George Street, and the parking garage on Orchard Street will be extended to George Street. A new 200-space underground garage is also part of the project.
Cost-conscious patients are less willing to go to higher-priced academic medical centers for low-acuity care, according to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute report.

A May 2018 survey of 1,250 U.S. consumers found that 58 percent of respondents were not willing to pay more for primary care received at an academic medical center and only half were willing to pay more to receive specialty medical care at an academic medical center.

Forty-nine percent said they would pay more for specialty surgical care at an academic medical center.

"Increasingly, there is an assumption that the vast majority of providers provide a basic acceptable quality of healthcare; thus, as with commodities, price becomes the primary differentiator," Lilly Marks, vice president for health affairs at the University of Colorado and chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges, is quoted as saying in the PwC report.

The PwC report notes that academic medical centers are increasingly having to partner or acquire lower-cost community hospitals to overcome these challenges as volume of profitable, low-acuity services declines.

"The challenge for AMCs is updating their business models to be consumer centric while at the same time honoring their tripartite mission of medical education, research, and patient care," Gurpreet Singh, U.S. health services leader at PwC, told Becker's.

Access the full report here.

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Kent Thiry, CEO of Denver-based DaVita, is stepping down from the role, effective June 1. The kidney care services company's board selected Javier J. Rodriguez to succeed him.

Mr. Thirty will move from chairman and CEO to executive chairman of DaVita's board of directors. He has served as CEO of the organization since 1999 and has served as chairman or co-chairman of the board since then. During his tenure, DaVita has grown to include close to 3,000 dialysis centers in 10 countries, Peter T. Grauer, lead independent director of the organization's board, said in a prepared statement.

Mr. Rodriguez most recently served as CEO of DaVita Kidney Care, one of the organization's major divisions. He joined the company in 1998 and has served in several leadership roles since. He previously worked for Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter Health Care Corp. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School in Boston. Mr. Rodriguez will join the DaVita board when he assumes the CEO role June 1.

The leadership transition is part of a multiyear succession plan that considered both internal and external candidates for the CEO position.
Apple, Bank of America and Wells Fargo are among Berkshire Hathaway's 15 biggest stock holdings, which chairman and CEO Warren Buffett will discuss in more detail this week at the company's annual meeting in Omaha, Neb., according to CNBC.

Mr. Buffett is in for the long haul with these stocks saying he doesn't view them "as a collection of ticker symbols," rather "a financial dalliance to be terminated because of downgrades by the Street," he said in his 2018 annual letter, CNBC reports.

Apple

Mr. Buffett is a new supporter of the iPhone maker, owning more than $40 billion value of the tech giants as of the end of 2018. He first purchased Apple stock in February 2017 despite his past avoidance of tech stocks. And Mr. Buffett can be motivated to buy more if Apple stock got cheaper, he told CNBC in an interview in February.

Bank of America, Wells Fargo

Mr. Buffett has doubled down his investments in the banking industry, pouring money into Bank of America, U.S. Bancorp, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs. He is also the single-largest shareholder of Wells Fargo, CNBC reports.

In his latest investment with JPMorgan, Mr. Buffett is tackling healthcare after praising the leadership of Jamie Dimon for years.

Coca-Cola

When it comes to investing in Coca-Cola, Mr. Buffett said it comes down to loyalty. The company's stock has been underperforming this year, but Mr. Buffett is confident Coca-Cola will make the right changes.

"There's a huge loyalty factor, but it's not as strong as it was," Mr. Buffett told CNBC last year.

Occidental Petroleum

Mr. Buffett got involved April 30 in a bidding war in the energy industry, investing $10 billion in Occidental Petroleum, according to CNBC.
The cardiovascular fellowship program at Los Angeles-based University of Southern California will lose its accreditation in 2020, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education notified USC last week that it would revoke the medical school's accreditation next year.

In an April 25 memo to staff members, Laura Mosqueda, MD, dean of USC's medical school, said ACGME's decision was based on outside experts' concerns over "resident safety and wellness processes," according to the Los Angeles Times.

In a rare move, ACGME also placed USC and LA County  which run the program together  on immediate probation, saying they "failed to demonstrate substantial compliance" with some requirements.

The news comes a year after allegations surfaced that school officials failed to respond properly when a resident accused a fellow in the program of sexual assault.

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Tacoma, Wash.-based CHI Franciscan has agreed to forgive medical debt and rehabilitate the credit of thousands of patients who qualified for charity care at its acute care hospitals between 2012 and 2017 but did not receive it, according to a press release from the Washington Attorney General's Office.

CHI Franciscan entered into the agreement after Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, one of CHI Franciscan's hospitals, in 2017 over its charity care practices. The lawsuit alleged St. Joseph Medical Center violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act by failing to make charity care accessible to thousands of low-income patients.

As a result of the lawsuit, CHI Franciscan is reforming its charity care practices across all of its eight acute care hospitals. The health system also agreed to forgive as much as $20 million in medical debt, pay the attorney general's office $2.5 million and issue refunds to affected patients. As of April 29, more than 5,400 patients had been identified who will receive automatic refunds totaling $2.2 million.

"Medical debt is one of the leading reasons why families get trapped in poverty," Mr. Ferguson said in a press release. "Hospitals are required to inform low-income patients about the availability of charity care. St. Joseph failed to live up to its duty, and imposed obstacles on vulnerable Washingtonians trying to access affordable care. Today's resolution rights a wrong committed against thousands of patients across Washington."

Between 2012 and 2017, the years covered by the settlement, CHI Franciscan provided nearly $116.8 million in direct charity care.

"As a non-profit, charitable organization our mission emphasizes human dignity and social justice," Cary Evans, vice president of communications and government affairs at CHI Franciscan, said in an emailed statement. "Last year, we cared for 2.7 million patients and saw 324,611 emergency visits. We provided $25 million in charity in 2018 alone. Neither the AG, nor our records, indicate any patient who applied for charity care was ever denied if they qualified. Out of an abundance of caution, we are exceeding the requirements of state law and providing charity compensation to patients who may be in most need, even if they never applied for charity care or did not actually qualify at the time of service."

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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming will welcome its first female CEO as its current chief prepares for retirement, according to the Wyoming Business Report.

Outgoing CEO Rick Schum will hand the reins to BCBS of Wyoming Vice President Diane Gore May 1. Mr. Schum has spent 38 years at the company and became CEO in 2011.

He joined the insurer as a management trainee in 1981 after graduating college. Over the course of his nearly four decades with BCBS of Wyoming, he served as claims department manager, director of operations, senior director of marketing, vice president of external affairs and executive vice president.



"I had done so many different things within the company that, by the time I became CEO, there wasn't a lot of mystery to the job," he told the Wyoming Business Report. "The biggest challenge I faced was the height and passage of the Affordable Care Act around that time. That fundamentally changed the industry."



Like Mr. Schum, Ms. Gore began her career at BCBS of Wyoming shortly after graduating, and has held several roles throughout the decades, including CFO and treasurer, COO, and vice president.



She told the Wyoming Business Report: "Healthcare is complicated; it's about making it easy to understand for customers. What we do makes a difference during a time in people's lives where they're going through serious health issues. When you think about five major events in your life, many are related to health. We need to give them the experience they deserve."



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Below are five of the top pharmacy stories published by Becker's Hospital Review in April, beginning with the most popular:

1. Walgreens, VillageMD team up to offer primary care in Houston

Walgreens is partnering with VillageMD to open several primary care clinics in Houston.

2. 568% price hike for generic Prozac

Pharmaceutical Associates, a drugmaker based in Greenville, S.C., raised the price of its generic version of Prozac by 568 percent.

3. The top insurers all have PBMs: Here's who they are

Pharmacy benefit managers stepped in to help manage prescription claims for insurers when coverage expanded under the ACA and with the creation of the Medicare Part D program.

4. Amazon starts marketing PillPack pharmacy services to Prime members

Amazon has started marketing PillPack, an online pharmacy service it acquired last September, to Prime members.

5. Ohio insurer drops CVS Caremark for Express Scripts

Effective Jan. 1, 2020, CVS Caremark will no longer serve as the pharmacy benefit manager of Ohio's largest Medicaid managed care provider.
Indiana's high hospital prices may be deterring new businesses from the state, according to the Indy Star.

Gloria Sachdev, PharmD, the president and CEO of Employers' Forum of Indiana, a coalition aimed at improving what employers spend on healthcare, heard about how Indiana's hospital prices are affecting outside employers while speaking with executives from Michigan's auto industry.



During the discussion, one executive said, "We have plants all over the country, and whenever we're talking about opening a new one, do you know what I say? I say, 'ABI,'" according to the Indy Star. The executive elaborated: "Anywhere but Indiana. On average we pay $2,200 for every worker's emergency room visit in Indiana. In Michigan it's $800. The difference there is the profit margin on one car."



For Ms. Sachdev, the executive's comment confirmed what other employers have said about Indiana's healthcare costs. A recent study led by Chapin White, PhD, adjunct senior policy researcher and faculty member at Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, Calif., found what employers pay for healthcare in Indiana is much higher than what Medicare pays. For example, employers paid 277 percent of what Medicare paid for healthcare in 2015, on average. Just two years later, that percentage rose to 295 percent.

While Hoosiers' cost of living is relatively low compared to other states, several factors may contribute to Indiana's high healthcare costs, according to the Indy Star. For instance, Indiana often scores poorly on health metrics like smoking rates and obesity, which can lead to higher healthcare use and drive up costs. Another reason may be that Indiana residents and employers prefer open provider networks as opposed to narrow networks that can negotiate lower hospital prices. Still, others, like Ms. Sachdev, argue hospital prices are to blame for the state's high healthcare costs.



For the full Indy Star report, click here.
Below are five of the top supply chain stories published by Becker's Hospital Review in April, beginning with the most popular:

1. FDA orders removal of pelvic mesh products from market

Citing safety concerns, the FDA has ordered manufacturers of surgical mesh products intended for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse to stop selling and distributing the products in the U.S.

2. Medical device deliveries stalled after sterilization plant closed

Earlier this year the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued an order that shut down operations at a large sterilization facility in Willowbrookowned by Sterigenics. Now, despite the FDA preparing for delays and potential device shortages, several devices are in short supply, according to a notice on the FDA website and several device manufacturer letters obtained by Becker's Hospital Review.

3. 3 burglars steal $450K worth of colonoscopes from Pennsylvania hospital

Police are searching for three people who broke into a Pennsylvania hospital and stole $450,000 worth of colonoscopes.

4. 6 things to know about WakeMed's drone delivery program

Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed Health and Hospitals launched the first FAA-approved medical drone delivery program in March.

5. Medtronic, BCBS sign value-based contract for glucose monitor

Medical technology maker Metronic and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota inked an outcomes-based agreement for Medtronic's glucose monitor, the companies said April 8.
Nine former employees of Nurx, a telemedicine startup based in San Francisco, told The New York Times that the company has habitually ignored or violated state and federal laws surrounding the sale and shipment of prescription medication since its 2015 founding.

Matt Cronin, who worked in Nurx's customer service department for seven months, said he was charged with managing the company's stock of birth control pills that had bounced back in the mail, and was sometimes asked to send those returned medications to other customers. According to the Times, prescription medicine is generally required by law to be shipped only from licensed pharmacies, which are also prohibited from re-shipping returned medication.

Jessica Knox, MD, Nurx's former medical director, told the Times that company executives asked her to alter a company policy advising doctors not to prescribe certain types of birth control pills to women over the age of 35 who smoked. Not only are people without medical licenses typically barred from influencing doctors' judgments, but the policy change was also in direct contradiction to a federally mandated warning attached to the pills in question.

Others claimed the company placed a higher priority on the quantity, rather than quality, of prescriptions issued. Kathy Hall-Ramer, a former manager at Nurx, described the company's philosophy as "Hurry, hurry, hurry, and we'll deal with the consequences later." Dr. Knox added, "It was this mentality of 'Don't ask for permission  ask for forgiveness later.'"

In a statement to the Times, Nurx noted that it has recently brought on several new executives, including new CEO Varsha Rao, and changed many of its former policies and practices. "There are no excuses for mistakes made by our former leadership team," the company said.

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A 24-year-old patient has been charged with punching a nurse in the face at the Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, R.I., city police told the Providence Journal.

The patient, Tiana Solis, was charged with assault on healthcare providers or emergency services medical personnel, said Cmdr. Thomas Verdi, deputy police chief.

On April 28, the 34-year-old nurse told police that in the emergency room she asked Ms. Solis standard medical history questions, and she "became agitated and accused the nurse of judging her, according to the Journal. Police said that's when Ms. Solis allegedly punched the nurse in the face and chest.

Ms. Solis acknowledged to police that she punched the nurse, according to the Journal.
A judge's $23 million ruling against Medtronic will stand after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected the company's appeal request April 29, LSIPR reports.

The court ordered Medtronic to pay a spine surgeon around $23 million for multiple patent infringements in January. Medtronic appealed and lost in a split 2-1 opinion, which upheld the judge's ruling.

The court rejected Medtronic's attempt to revisit the case. The court provided no further information.



To view the denial, click here.

To view Medtronic's filing, click here.
The New York Department of Health approved Warsaw, N.Y.-based Wyoming County Community Hospital's $1.1 million orthopedic expansion, Buffalo Business First reports.

What you should know:

1. The hospital plans to turn its former emergency department into an outpatient orthopedic clinic as part of a larger $10 million expansion.

2. The expansion will add operating rooms and an ambulatory surgery space.

3. Wyoming County Community Hospital is the county's only hospital.
A spinal fusion has been the traditional treatment for a herniated disc but Sanjay Jatana, MD, a fellowship-trained cervical spine specialist at a Denver-based spine center within Spine Center Network, says that may no longer be the case.

Dr. Jatana outlines that the latest research from the North American Spine Society shows that artificial disc replacement can reduce the risk of herniations at other levels in the neck.



In a spinal fusion the two vertebrae are locked together, but that fusion puts extra stress on the discs above and below which can result in a second herniated disc caused by the first fusion. With an artificial disc, the rotation of the neck is preserved which reduces the risk to other disc levels.



Artificial disc surgery has grown rapidly with new implants, and the FDA has approved several artificial discs for use at two levels in the neck, according to Craig Humphreys, MD, a fellowship-trained spine surgeon at Kenai Spine in Soldotna, Alaska, also part of Spine Center Network.



With lumbar artificial disc surgery, Dr. Humphreys emphasized the need to "be very selective as to which discs qualify" to avoid complications that would lead to revision surgery.



Despite the complexities of lumbar artificial disc replacement which requires the surgeon to go through the abdomen and navigate internal organs, Dr. Humphreys believes that the artificial disc is a great option that preserves the natural motion of the back and neck and reduces the risk of a future herniation.



Dr. Jatana and Dr. Humphreys are both diplomates of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and members of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.



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AJ Power is based in Craigavon and has been operating there for over 10 years. The firm manufactures diesel-powered generating sets for sale in international markets where it has three subsidiary companies - two in South Africa and one in Sweden.

In the early months of 2019 the group has been completing a major expansion of facilities at its headquarters. This has been reflected in the large increase in capital spending which will enhance the production capacity later this year.

Although turnover has been maintained and increased by 3% in the latest year, operating and pre-tax profits, whilst still significant, fell sharply in 2018. The company reports that the gross profit margin fell from nearly 23% to just 20.6%.

When the new facilities are in operation the augmented facilities will allow the business to integrate vertically which will enhance the security of the supply arrangements.

The company expects to be able to bid for larger contracts that need more sophisticated production facilities.

The transition to the new facilities seems to have had knock-on implications across the business. Operating costs have risen significantly. The increased capital spending has in part been financed by an increase in access to borrowed funds through new loans of 2.9m. An increase of 3.4m in the level of stocks was also reported.

Dividends to shareholders which cost 187,000 in 2017 were reduced to 75,000 in 2018. The retention of post-tax profits in the business saw the value of shareholders' funds increase by 7% to 11.9m.

Employment numbers remained steady at an average of 121 people.
NI and the east of England had the highest proportion of job changers (11.8%) during 2017

Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of people changing their jobs, new Government data has suggested.

An Office for National Statistics (ONS) report estimates that NI and the east of England had the highest proportion of job changers (11.8%) during 2017.

Northern Ireland's geography meant the vast majority (95.4%) of job movers stayed within the region. The ONS study found that the average worker who moved jobs in Northern Ireland between 2017 and 2018 saw their hourly earning increase by 7%.

Meanwhile, the same batch of data released yesterday revealed that one in seven workers here are overeducated.

Some 14% of 16 to 64-year-olds in the Northern Ireland workplace had more education than is required for their job.

The figure is below the UK average of 16%, but with London well ahead of the 12 regions on 25.2%.

The data is based on annual population surveys.
The board of Independent News and Media, which owns the Belfast Telegraph, has agreed a sale to Belgian newspaper group Mediahuis for 145.6m.

The INM board has unanimously recommended the offer, which is conditional on acceptance by shareholders.

Independent News and Media publishes the Irish Independent, Independent.ie, 'Sunday Independent', 'Sunday World', 'The Herald', 'Belfast Telegraph' and several regional newspapers.

Mediahuis publishes major newspaper titles, including De Telegraaf and NRC Handelsblad in the Netherlands and De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium.

The acquisition represents a premium of approximately 44pc of INM's closing price of 7.28cents on 3 April 2019.

INM shareholders will be circulated details of a proposed scheme of arrangement for the sale of the business within 28 days, Independent News & Media chairman Murdoch MacLennan has said.

The chairman said the circulation of documents will be followed by a special shareholder meeting but the date of the emergency general meeting (EGM) where shareholders will vote on the proposal has yet to be determined.

Mr MacLennan outlined the process at the media group's annual general meeting (AGM) in Dublin. The meeting was held just hours after INM's board recommended acceptance of a 146m all cash takeover offer from Belgium headquartered Mediahuis.

Commenting on that bid Murdoch MacLennan said: "We didn't put the company up for sale they have made a cash offer for the business."

He described Mediahuis as a "top of its class" and as committed to maintaining editorial independence.

At the meeting, the chairman told shareholders he could say little in relation to the bid for the business or in relation to the ongoing probe of INM's corporate governance by High Court appointed inspectors.

Mediahuis is a private European media group with a strong portfolio of news media and digital brands.

It was founded in 2013 through the combination of the media assets of two long established Belgian publishers, Mediahuis Partners (formerly Corelio) and Concentra. Since 2013, Mediahuis has grown rapidly through acquisitions to become a leading media player in both Belgium and the Netherlands.

It currently employs more than 3,200 people, delivering a turnover of 819m in 2018.

As a publisher, Mediahuis believes unreservedly in independent and quality journalism, as well as in strong and relevant media that makes a positive contribution to people and society.

Mediahuis' offices are located in Antwerp, Brussels, Hasselt, Amsterdam, and Sittard.

In the Netherlands, the group operates, amongst others the news brands De Telegraaf, NRC Handelsblad, NRC Next, De Limburger and Noordhollands Dagblad, and achieves sales of almost 900,000 newspapers daily.

With news brands such as De Standaard, Het Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg, Mediahuis sells approximately 500,000 newspapers in Belgium daily.

Mediahuis has, in recent years, made significant progress in terms of the digital transformation of its news brands. The Mediahuis Group is committed to accelerating the digitalisation of its news brands without compromising the print editions of its strong portfolio of news titles.

Mediahuis successfully implements pay walls and digital subscription services across its news sites and remains focuses on optimising customer experience through innovative journalism, which results in continued growth in digital subscriptions and enhanced reader relationships.

Mediahuis also operates several significant classifieds platforms in Belgium and the Netherlands, such as Jobat, Jellow, Zimmo, Vroom, Gaspedaal and GroupDeal. The Group is active in the Belgian radio market through the recently launched radio station NRJ and the Nostalgie radio station, which reaches 430,000 listeners in Flanders daily and is the market leader in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Mediahuis also operates a series of regional TV channels.

Gert Ysebaert, CEO of Mediahuis, said: We believe that there is a clear rationale for the acquisition and that INM will thrive under Mediahuis' ownership.

Furthermore, Mediahuis can contribute the relevant experience, skills and resources to invest in INM's brands and significantly enhance its operational and digital capabilities. Underpinned by our unreserved belief in independent and quality journalism, we are optimistic about the combination of Mediahuis and INM and its potential contribution to the Irish media landscape."
The Children's Future Food Inquiry examined the extent of food poverty in the UK

Schoolchildren in Northern Ireland should be given a free portion of fruit or vegetables each day, according to a new report.

The Children's Future Food Inquiry examined the extent of food poverty in the UK, featuring input from young people, experts and academics.

Its final report also recommends a free meal every day for pupils during their first three years of schooling.

Read More

Food poverty is a growing issue in Northern Ireland, with 5,307 children born into poverty in 2017 and 30,750 children under the age of four and 94,378 school aged children living in poverty.

Pupils in Northern Ireland are entitled to free school meals if their household's net income is less than 14,000 a year, or where their parents are on particular benefits.

The report also recommends councils take action to ensure less takeaway food outlets are opened close to schools and the appointment of an independent children's food watchdog for Northern Ireland.

Cash benefits for families during the school holidays that at least match the cost of free school meals are also recommended.

Pauline Leeson, chief executive of umbrella group Children in Northern Ireland, who sat on the inquiry committee, said the growing number of children living in food poverty is "unacceptable".

"The number of people using food banks in Northern Ireland has risen by over 13% in the last 12 months with more than 36,000 three-day emergency food packages given to people  with more than 15,000 of these going to children," she said.

"We should be providing our children and young people with the best start in life, instead we are hindering their growth, affecting their confidence and making it impossible for them to learn and develop.

"The growing number of children in Northern Ireland living in food poverty is unacceptable and more needs to be done to support these children and their families in order for them to have access to healthy and affordable food. No child should be going hungry.

"The Inquirys report has recommendations that are easy and straightforward to implement and we must implement them now. We cannot wait any longer.
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By Congressman James Comer

Apr. 30, 2019 | WASHINGTON

By Congressman James Comer Apr. 30, 2019 | 12:28 PM | WASHINGTON

This April, I spent the two-week district work period in several counties throughout the 1st District. Were off to a busy start in Washington this year, and district work periods afford me the important opportunity to hear about how Washington can better serve our citizens. As I travel throughout the district, I am reminded of the important perspectives of those in Western and Central Kentucky which help shape policy in agriculture, healthcare, energy, education and so much more.



One of my first stops was in Eddyville at the Lake Barkley Chamber of Commerce. I provided an update on events in Washington, especially highlighting recent action on Asian carp. In March I testified before the House Appropriation Committees Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies about the need to increase funding to combat the Asian carp population in Western Kentucky waterways. I've made it a top priority to help get this issue under control, as Asian carp pose a major threat to our regional economy. Judge Wade White has also been instrumental in making this issue a top priority and I thank him for helping lead these important efforts to thwart this invasive species.



During my travels, I met with representatives from five different distilleries across the district at MB Rowland Distillery in Pembroke. I learned how these distilleries have reinvested their savings from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act back into their businesses. On this front, Im especially proud to co-sponsor the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2019, a bill that will help foster new investment for small brewers in this critical Kentucky industry.



Doctors and other healthcare professionals at Jennie Stuart Hospital in Hopkinsville provided me with an update on the needs of rural hospitals and briefed me on the issues Washington needs to know about the state of healthcare. Importantly, they shared with me their concerns with congressional Democrats Medicare For All proposal, an extremely expensive plan that would upend healthcare in the U.S. as we know it. Many health professionals I spoke with warned about the proposals impracticality and fear that it would prompt rural hospital closures.



Later while in Murray, I spoke to the Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce where we discussed the emerging hemp industry in Western Kentucky. During the last session of Congress, I served on the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Committee and rallied alongside Senator McConnell for removing hemp from the controlled substances list. I am encouraged by the new Murray State Center for Agricultural Hemp, which will be critical in bolstering research and education in the hemp industry. I have no doubt this state-of-the-art center will generate countless opportunities and innovation in this quickly-growing market.



In Madisonville I spoke to the Lions Club as well as local leaders like Judge Executive Jack Whitfield and Mayor Kevin Cotton. During our conversation we touched on several important issues, including the significant construction of the I69 bridge  a top infrastructure priority of mine. And in Paducah, I spoke at the Workforce and Business Symposium at West Kentucky Community and Technical College where community leaders highlighted the dire need for a skilled and trained workforce. Improving our workforce community always remains a high priority of mine, especially as I continue my work on the House Education and Labor Committee.



At Graves County High School in Mayfield, I had the honor of presenting senior Torii Doran of Hickory with a certificate of congressional recognition for her appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy. As a Member of Congress, it is one of my greatest privileges to nominate outstanding young men and women like Torii to U.S. Military Academies. Notably, in Toriis application essay, she wrote, In my JROTC cadet classroom, we have pictures of cadets who have joined the military. Currently, there are no females on the wall, and I want to be the first. I congratulate Torii on this tremendous accomplishment and wish her all the best in her future endeavors in the U.S. Air Force.



Finally, I made my way to Fulton County to visit with hard-working business owners and local leaders. From Fultons Food Rite to the Coast Guard Cutter CHENA tour in Hickman, I continue to gain new insight each time I travel to these communities. I paid a visit to the Stella-Jones Treated Wood Plant, a great facility operated by 70 employees which processes more than 1 million railroad ties annually. In addition, I visited the CN Railyard in Fulton and learned more about their investment in Fulton County. Investing in the future of our railways is a crucial component of spurring economic development in this area.



Although the 1st district spans a vast portion of our state, I make it my top priority to visit as many counties as I can when I return home for a district work period. From Fulton to Tompkinsville, I enjoyed each of my stops during this great spring recess. I look forward to future district travel this year.





Rep. James Comer is a United States Congressman for the 1st Congressional District, which spans from south central Kentucky to the river counties of far western Kentucky. Contact him with any questions or concerns in his Washington D.C. office at (202) 225-3115, in the Tompkinsville Office at (270) 487-9509, in the Paducah Office at (270) 408-1865, or schedule an appointment in the Madisonville Office by calling (270) 487-9509.
Forensics at the scene after a ATM theft on the Tully Road near Crumlin on Tuesday, April 30.

Forensics at the scene after a ATM theft on the Tully Road near Crumlin on Tuesday, April 30.

Forensics at the scene after a ATM theft on the Tully Road near Crumlin on Tuesday, April 30.

Forensics at the scene after a ATM theft on the Tully Road near Crumlin on Tuesday, April 30.

Forensics at the scene after a ATM theft on the Tully Road near Crumlin on Tuesday, April 30.

The theft of an ATM in a rural area of Northern Ireland has been described as a disaster for the local community.

Two people were arrested after thieves used a digger to pull the cash machine from the wall of a filling station on the Tully Road at Nutts Corner, Co Antrim.

Witnesses baffled as police in no rush to chase ATM raid gang

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It happened at about 3.30am on Tuesday. The stolen ATM has been recovered, police said.

The attack was the latest in a spate of ATM thefts in Northern Ireland this year. Fifteen machines have been stolen in 2019.

The service station owner, who did not wish to be named, was at the scene on Tuesday.

He said it was the second time that an ATM at the site has been stolen, following an incident about eight years ago.

He added that a new ATM had been installed at the service station just last year.

Local council candidate Mervyn Rea described the loss of the ATM as a disaster for the surrounding rural community.

"The local community depends so much on ATMs, this was one done before, and all I can say is it is great that police have already made arrests," the Ulster Unionist Party representative said.

"This is a huge filling station and shop, it's extremely busy on a busy road which leads to the airport, the business it will be losing because of this will be horrendous to them."

Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts welcomed the arrests and said credit is due to the PSNI.

While we have made progress, yet another independent retailer has to deal with the aftermath of a seriously damaged store, he said.

Retail NI has met with the Department of Finance in recent days to discuss the impacted retailers being able to access the Rates Hardship fund.

Mr Roberts said: "This is the very least that needs to happen to assist these small businesses getting back on their feet again.

I am getting extremely concerned at reports from members with ATMs, who have not even been attacked, who are now seeing their insurance premiums dramatically increasing

This adds another burden on an already difficult situation

Police said they were not disclosing information about those detained for investigative reasons, describing them only as "two persons".

PSNI Detective Inspector Richard Thornton said: "Police received a report that a digger was being used to remove an ATM from a service station on the Tully Road at around 3.30am this morning.

"We immediately directed considerable policing resources to the area and two arrests were made and the stolen ATM recovered. Both people are currently in custody and will be questioned on suspicion of theft and a number of other offences."

Anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in area overnight is asked to contact detectives on 101.
A Belfast chef broke into his own workplace to steal 2,700 in a desperate attempt to pay off debts, a court heard today.

Johnathan Butler, 26, and his friend Andrew Baxter, 31, raided Cafe 1404 in the city's Titanic Quarter, taking cash and a safe they then dumped in the nearby lough.

Both men were given three-month suspended jail terms for the burglary and ordered to pay back 1,350 each to the eatery's owner.

Belfast Magistrates' Court heard a member of staff arrived on March 4 to discover the cafe on Queens Road had been ransacked overnight.

The owner used CCTV footage to identify Butler, of Nevis Avenue in the city, who worked as a chef at the premises.

Baxter, from Donaldson Crescent in Belfast, was also picked out.

Both men were arrested and admitted breaking in, stealing money from the till and a cash box.

A prosecution lawyer said a safe was also smashed open and then thrown into Belfast Lough.

The pair told police they had used the money to pay off debts.

A defence lawyer stressed it was the first time either of them had been in trouble.

Deputy District Judge Austin Kennedy was told Butler and Baxter had owed cash to "unsavoury elements".

"Mr Baxter described himself as being disgusted by his actions, he never thought he would stoop so low," their counsel said.

"This is behaviour which is totally out of character, two men who have worked most of their lives and found themselves in a desperate situation."

He added: "They made a dreadful series of decisions as a result of being under pressure from individuals in the community.

"They have repeatedly expressed their deep regret and they are prepared to do whatever they can to put that right."

Imposing three-month sentences on both defendants, suspended for two years, Mr Kennedy highlighted Butler's inside knowledge.

"Working in the cafe and knowing the arrangements to keep money in the safe was particularly appalling," the judge said.

Ordering Butler and Baxter to pay back half of the stolen money each within 26 weeks, he warned any failure will result in imprisonment.
Thomas Glassey was jailed for four months at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Tuesday

A Belfast man who punched an eight-year-old foreign national boy after shouting racial abuse at the child and his mother has been jailed for four months.

Thomas Glassey, 36, also exposed his buttocks to motorists and passers-by during the episode described by a judge as "appalling and shocking".

Glassey, of Morpeth Street, launched his assault on the city's Shankill Road on July 16 last year.

Belfast Magistrates' Court heard he was first seen in the area dropping his trousers repeatedly in view of other members of the public.

He then turned on the passing mother and child, shouting at them: "N*****, n*****, this is my country."

A prosecution lawyer said Glassey repeated the abuse as he came closer to the victims, putting them in fear.

As the woman tried to push him away he moved behind her and punched her son on the back of the head.

Others in the area came to their aid before Glassey was arrested.

During interviews he claimed to have consumed three large bottles of vodka and prescription medication in the days leading up to the incident.

He stated that he had no memory of events but denied being a racist.

Defence solicitor Stewart Evans told the court Glassey had immediately pleaded guilty to the indecent behaviour and two counts of common assault.

"There's been no attempt to minimise his wrongdoing and he offers his apologies to the victims," Mr Evans said.

Describing Glassey as "entirely ashamed", the lawyer claimed his actions were totally out of character and fuelled by alcohol.

He also argued that his client could not have been motivated by racial intent, citing an IQ assessment which put him in the bottom 0.4% of the population.

The court heard Glassey is socially isolated and unsuitable for custody.

But Deputy District Judge Austin Kennedy told him: "First of all you engaged in indecent behaviour, then you accosted the injured parties because of their race and background.

"You approached them and end up assaulting a young boy who is eight, and racially abuse him as well.

"This behaviour is simply appalling and shocking, and must be stamped out by the courts."

Imposing three months imprisonment, Mr Kennedy ordered Glassey to serve a further month behind bars by activating a previously suspended sentence for disorderly behaviour.

The judge added: "You haven't learned your lesson and until you do you will spend longer and longer in prison."
The book has been banned from Maghaberry Prison, just outside Lisburn. Credit: Michael Cooper/PA

A book exploring dissident republicanism has been banned from a high-security prison in Northern Ireland.

Unfinished Business: The Politics of Dissident Republicanism by Marisa McGlinchey, which was published in February, has been prohibited from Maghaberry Prison, reports The Guardian.

The book is based on interviews with around 90 republicans, some of whom are Maghaberry inmates, and analyses the development of dissident Irish republicanism and its impact on politics since the 1980s.

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"It shows that the 'dissidents' are much more than traditionalist irreconcilables left behind by Gerry Adams' entry into the mainstream," states the book's description.

Marisa McGlinchey is a Research Fellow in Political Science at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University.

The ban comes amid an increase in violence by dissident republican group the New IRA, including the detonation of a care bomb outside a Londonderry courthouse in January and the murder of journalist Lyra McKee earlier this month.

A Northern Ireland Prison Service spokesperson said: The Northern Ireland Prison Service has a duty to ensure that we provide a neutral environment for prisoners, visitors and staff.

"On occasion, this will mean some items may not be permitted into our prisons.

Over the years the New IRA has been responsible for the murder of two prison guards: David Black in 2012 and Adrian Ismay in 2016.

In 2016, a booklet on the case of two men convicted of killing PSNI Constable Stephen Carroll was banned from Maghaberry.

Belfast solicitor Darragh Mackin, who represents several republican prisoners, said: "We have asked a number of questions seeking clarity but havent yet had a response. We dont see a good reason for it being prohibited."
Anastasia Kriegel, who was found dead in a derelict farmhouse outside the village of Lucan, Co Dublin, on May 16 (Family handout/PA)

The trial of two 14-year-old boys accused of murdering Anastasia Kriegel has heard how a zombie-type mask was found in the backpack of one of the defendants.

The schoolgirls naked body was found in a derelict house in Lucan, Co Dublin days after she went missing last year.

Both boys have pleaded not guilty to the 14-year-old girls murder.

Boy A also pleaded not guilty to the aggravated sexual assault of the girl. The boys cannot be identified because of their age.

On the first day of the trial at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin, Brendan Grehan, senior counsel for the State, said that gardai searching for Ana in May last year found her body in the derelict farmhouse.

Expand Close The girl was found dead in a derelict farmhouse outside the village of Lucan last May (Family handout/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp The girl was found dead in a derelict farmhouse outside the village of Lucan last May (Family handout/PA)

Her body was naked except for socks on her feet and a ligature around her neck, which was made from distinctive builders tape.

Mr Grehan said: The scene was bloody and blood-spattered. Some of her clothes which were forcibly removed were scattered around a small room.

State pathologist Marie Cassidy said that Ana died from severe and extensive injuries to her head and neck.

The injuries also suggested attempted penetration of her vagina, the court heard.

It was concluded that Ana had been violently assaulted in the room where she was found and that there had been a struggle.

Ana had been reported missing four days earlier on Monday May 14 by her mother and father.

She was last seen by members of her family when she left her home with boy B, who faces a single charge of murder.

After several unsuccessful attempts to contact Ana, Mrs Kriegel went searching for her daughter and later reported her missing to gardai at about 9pm.

Expand Close The two boys deny murdering 14-year-old Ana (Family handout/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp The two boys deny murdering 14-year-old Ana (Family handout/PA)

Gardai went to the home of boy B, who she was last seen with.

Mr Grehan told the court that he provided gardai with first of many different accounts.

Significantly, he did not mention his friend (boy A) at this stage, he added.

It was not until the following day that he told gardai he called for Ana on behalf of this friend.

He said he knew Ana was interested in (boy A) and suggested the purpose of the meeting was that he could tell Ana he was not interested in her.

(Boy B) was aware that Ana had expressed some interest in (boy A) on a previous occasion.

Boy B told gardai that after a short conversation, Ana left the area and went in one direction while he and boy A went in a different direction.

Gardai made contact with (boy A) and his parents and he had a somewhat different account of having met her, and did not suggest there was some arrangement, Mr Grehan added.

Both boys were asked to point out what routes they had taken.

She craved friends and friendship, and for that reason she was vulnerable and an easy mark for someone to take advantage of.Prosecutor Brendan Grehan

Divergences began to emerge between what they said to gardai on one occasion and another.

The jury will view CCTV images of Anas last movements, the court heard.

Mr Grehan also told the court that witnesses claimed they saw boy A limping with blood on his face and clothing shortly after 5.30pm on the day Ana went missing.

Boy A claimed to friends and his parents that he was attacked by two men. He later repeated these claims to gardai and also made a statement.

He (boy A) said he was mugged by two older people in the park. Gardai had investigated this allegation, he added.

The State prosecutor told the court that these injuries were instead caused by a struggle with Ana in which he sexually assaulted her.

This was a made-up story about attackers having caused the injuries, he suggested to the court.

Mr Grehan said the States case relies on lies boy A told about where he last saw Ana, as well as a compelling forensic case based on objective scientific evidence of DNA.

It will be alleged he was connected to the scene by male DNA found on her neck and on the tape around her neck and on semen found on her top, located in the same room her body was found.

In addition, it will be alleged that various items from (boy As) home connected to him also connected him to Anas murder.

These include the contents of a distinctive backpack he was seen carrying. These include gloves, knee pads, shin guards and, most chillingly, a home-made zombie-type mask.

There is no explanation consistent with innocence to explain these objective scientific facts.

He said the legal basis against boy B is somewhat different.

He aided and abetted the murder of Ana. He assisted or helped it to happen, knowing what was going to happen, the prosecutor added.

That is, he lured Ana from her house to meet (boy A) knowing that she would want to meet him and knowing her meeting in some romantic way was not the purpose at all, knowing they were not going to the (area) but were going to meet him at a dirty, dark, derelict house, that he or (boy A) made sure was empty before handing Ana over to (boy A), knowing preparation was made as to what was to happen using the builders tape to make a ligature around her neck, and voyeuristically watching her murder and sexual assault, participating in the cover-up afterwards, lying repeatedly to gardai and others about what he saw, knew and did.

He also told the court that boy A and boy B were good friends, if not best friends, at he time of Anas murder.

He said that Ana found her teenage years difficult, that she was bullied and had difficulties settling in to her new school.

She dressed and acted differently from others her age and engaged in some attention-seeking behaviour and wanted to be noticed, he added.

She craved friends and friendship, and for that reason she was vulnerable and an easy mark for someone to take advantage of.
The men were convicted for taking part in an unnotified parade Londonderry on April 2, 2018. Credit: Niall Carson/PA

Eleven men have been convicted of taking part in an unnotified republican parade in the Creggan area of Londonderry on Easter Monday of last year.

The case against a twelfth defendant has been adjourned for two weeks to enable legal issues to be clarified.

Those convicted following the hearing before District Judge Barney McElholm at Londonderry Magistrate's Court on Monday were Joseph Patrick Barr, 30, from Sackville Street, Andrew Carlin, 32, from Woodvale Mews in Eglinton, Gearoid Cavanagh, 30, from Northland Road, and Jason Ceulemans, whose date of birth was not given, from Long Tower Court.

Also convicted were Gary Hayden, 46, from Tyrconnell Street, William McDonnell, 32, from Harvey Street, Paul McIntyre, 51, from Ballymagowan Park, Patrick Mellon, 27, from John Field Place, Thomas Ashe Mellow, 43, from Rathmore Road, John Nash, 65, from Fergleen Park and Christopher O'Kane, 45, from Iniscairn Road.

None of the defendants gave evidence during the contested hearing and all of them, who made no comments when interviewed by the police, had instructed their legal representatives not to make any submissions following their convictions.

All eleven were fined 750 each and given the maximum of twenty-six weeks to pay the fines. The District Judge said if the fines were not paid within the next twenty-six weeks, the matter would be referred to the Fine Collection Agency.

CCTV footage of the parade which took place in Central Drive in the Creggan area on the afternoon of April 2, 2018, was played in court.

Several police officers gave evidence of public disorder prior to the parade during which petrol bombs were thrown at police Landrovers by groups of masked youths.

Between them the officers said during their evidence that they were able to identify eleven of the twelve defendants, as well as six other men who were not charged with the offence.

A PSNI Inspector told the court that prior to the parade he and other officers went to Junior McDaid house in Chamberlain Street where he planned to explain to the parade organisers that as the parade was unnotified, those taking part were liable to prosecution.

He said the doors and shutters on the house were closed and he put a warning letter in the letter box of the house.

The police witness said he then went to the Creggan along with an evidence gathering crew and as TSG support group. There a pre-recorded message warning that the parade was illegal was played from police Landrovers which also contained signs that the parade was unnotified.

The officer said at the scene of the parade masked youths threw petrol bombs, planks of wood and masonry at police lines during a period of sustained rioting and at one stage his officers were faced with a human wall of masked rioters.

A Chief Inspector said in the lead up to the parade he had unsuccessfully attempted to engage with members of the community in order to reach a resolution.

The Chief Inspector said he initially deployed a minimum of officers but had to increase their numbers because of the rioting.

Two police constables said in evidence that they identified most of the defendants following a controlled viewing of CCTV footage recorded by the P.S.N.I. at the scene.

The District Judge said the evidence against the defendants consisted of police CCTV footage as well as police statements. He said the defendants had exercised their right not to give evidence and that was their prerogative.

"The evidence of the police constables is quite clear. This was an unnotified parade within the terms of the legislation. The police had no intention of stopping nor interfering with the procession," he said.

"If it had been notified the police would have been observing from a distance but they had to attend in case people goose stepped around in paramilitary garb and that is an offence and because there may be preparations being made to attack police in the area.

"The police moved in, observed those taking part in the parade and identified a number of people with the exception of one of them who case has been adjourned in order to allow a legal matter to be examined. Even in the absence of anything to the contrary the case has been made out against all defendants so they will be convicted on the evidence.

"There are relevant previous convictions in this case. It is clear this event lead to serious public disorder and a display of paramilitary activity of a quite unacceptable nature. However no one has been charged with that. They are charged with taking part in an unnotified procession. Maybe they do not agree with the law but it applies to everybody across the board", he added.

The District Judge said while people had the right to parade, there were too many processions in Northern Ireland. He said parades organisers were responsible for ensuring there were no paramilitary displays at parades.

"Whether or not they agree with the law they are bound by it. That is the way society has to work", he said.
A man was beaten with a hurley stick inside a Co Down pub during an attack recorded by mobile phone, the High Court heard today.

Prosecutors said the victim had to undergo plastic surgery following the assault at Harley's Bar in Kilkeel.

Shane Sime, 26, of Mourne Road, Rostrevor, faces charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place over the incident on February 7.

Crown lawyer Natalie Pinkerton claimed CCTV footage showed Sime first striking out at the victim, a man in his 40s, following exchanges in the pub.

She said the defendant then left, returning five minutes later in a car along with two other unidentified men wearing hoods.

Sime retrieved a hurley stick from the vehicle and hit glass on the front door before attacking the injured party, the court was told.

According to Ms Pinkerton the man was knocked to the ground, beaten with the bat and punched and kicked for a number of minutes.

"One of the other two males appears to be recording the incident on a mobile phone while the other appears to be keeping watch at the door," counsel said.

The victim was taken to hospital with severe lacerations to his lip which could not be stitched.

Instead, Ms Pinkerton disclosed, he underwent plastic surgery and is expected to be left with scarring.

During police interviews Sime was shown CCTV images and accepted it was him in the footage, she added.

He claimed the victim had made remarks to him following a personal tragedy.

Sime also faces separate charges of possessing an offensive weapon, disorderly behaviour and attempted criminal damage to a police vehicle over an alleged incident in a Kilkeel housing estate on April 9.

Defence barrister Kevin Magill set out how his client grew up in care after moving to Northern Ireland from England.

He told the court Sime "reacted entirely inappropriately" in response to derogatory comments in the bar.

"He lost the run of himself, and the description of these events he has accepted," Mr Magill said.

But refusing bail to Sime, Judge Donna McColgan QC stressed: "These are very, very serious offences."
By The Associated Press Apr. 29, 2019 | 11:15 AM | FRANKFORT

Kentucky's attorney general is trying to block subpoenas issued by Gov. Matt Bevin's administration as part of an investigation into teacher sickouts that shut down schools.

Attorney General Andy Beshear filed a lawsuit to try to block the subpoenas.

It's the latest round in Beshear's feud with the governor  which could be settled at the ballot box. Bevin, a Republican, is running for reelection this year. Beshear is running in the Democratic primary for governor next month.

Beshear followed through on his threat to take Bevin to court if his administration didn't rescind subpoenas that the state Labor Cabinet sent to several school districts.

"This type of retaliation, intimidation and threats by a governor and his administration must not be allowed," Beshear told reporters Monday. "The bully pulpit was never meant to bully."

Responding via Twitter, Bevin's chief of staff, Blake Brickman, said the lawsuit shows that Beshear is "more concerned about politics than the law."

"His fear-mongering rhetoric about fining teachers is false, and no such decision has been made or will be made until after the Office of the Inspector General completes its lawful investigation," Brickman said.

Beshear said the subpoenas are unlawful because the sickouts were not related to teachers' employment conditions. Teachers used sick days to close schools to rally against several education bills being considered by state lawmakers this year. The measures included one that would have indirectly supported private schools with tax credits for scholarship funds.

The teachers' rallies amounted to constitutionally protected free speech, Beshear said.

The Labor Cabinet has the authority to investigate illegal work stoppages and to issue individual fines to those found to have been involved.

Beshear said he is seeking a temporary restraining order to block the subpoenas, and said his legal team will seek a May 6 hearing on the request in Franklin County Circuit Court.

The Jefferson County Teachers Association, which represents teachers in Kentucky's most populous county, joined Beshear in filing the lawsuit.

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.

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 recent 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.
Police have praised the honesty of a member of the public who handed in a bracelet worth more than 4,500 in Belfast.

The expensive piece of jewellery has now been returned to its rightful owner.

On Facebook yesterday, the PSNI posted: "To the person who found it and handed it into police... thank you so much for your honesty and civic-mindedness.

"You are an inspiration to us all.

"To the local businesses that assisted us with our enquiries, allowing us to identify what the bracelet was and who its owner was, again many, many thanks.

"This is the community working at its best.

"Well done, Belfast!"
Gerry Carson, National Union of Journalists; Geraldine Alexander (right) of the ICTU Health and Safety Committee; and Alison Millar, of Unison and vice chair of ICTU, lay a wreath yesterday

The memory of murdered journalist Lyra McKee will stay with one loyalist forever - and to prove it, he's marked their close friendship permanently in ink.

PUP member William Ennis first met Lyra back in 2013 and the pair forged a bond discussing their political differences over a coffee.

Now he'll carry her memory with him forever after having a tattoo in honour of their unlikely friendship etched on his arm.

The pair became so close that William said Lyra is responsible for helping him through dark times in his life.

"She initially challenged me over my politics," he said. "In the end we decided to meet up and chat about it.

"It was strange. You could say it was almost friendship at first sight.

"I loved listening to her, she became great friends with my wife after coming to our wedding. We were cinema buddies.

"She was never really one for going out for a drink or two, but we clicked.

"Her death hit me like a train. She's helped me on more than one occasion over the past few years, picked me up off the floor.

"I've been thinking of a tattoo for some time, but there was never anything that meant that much until now.

"After her funeral and a chat with a few of Lyra's friends, her nephew Andrew went and got a tattoo of her name. That planted a seed.

"I considered something from Marvel or Harry Potter or maybe the red hand that has become a symbol since her murder was suggested, but I thought that was too negative.

"She wrote wonderful words, so that's why I'll carry a quote from her with me from now.a

"She was, like me, a great crusader for gay rights. Now I'd love to see a Lyra's Law as her legacy."

Meanwhile, trade unionists and workers joined together yesterday to mark Workers' Memorial Day by laying a wreath in the grounds of Stormont estate, and had a special mention for Ms McKee.

Workers' Memorial Day is marked internationally as a way of remembering those who have been killed or injured at or because of work or who have contracted a work-related illness or disease.

"This year Workers' Memorial Day is especially poignant as we remember journalist and NUJ member Lyra McKee, brutally murdered in the course of her work," said ICTU Assistant General Secretary Owen Reidy.
The family of murdered journalist Lyra McKee has expressed gratitude to the public for the outpouring of support they have received since she was killed by the New IRA in Londonderry.

The 29-year-old journalist was shot dead in the Creggan area of the city on April 18 during a riot.

The New IRA has accepted responsibility for the murder, saying one of its "volunteers" was engaging the PSNI as officers carried out searches in the area.

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In a statement Lyra's family thanked all those who had supported them "through the darkest times".

"The outpouring of love, respect and admiration for our dear Lyra, has been of great comfort to us in these dark days," the statement read.

"To know that our wee Lyra was so well-loved across the Globe and by people of all walks of life, is a true testament to her personal philosophy and her vision for the world."

The family thanked all those who said a prayer, shared a thought, sent a message, attended a vigil, visited her home, respected their privacy or did "any other positive act" in response to her murder.

"We appreciate every single sentiment no matter how small. These things have helped to give us some strength while we are at our weakest," Lyra's family said.

"Whilst we have been both honoured and overwhelmed by requests for events in Lyras name or inspired by Lyra. We respectfully request that before anyone uses her life or death for any purpose that they consider her legacy of inclusivity and understanding.

"We know that as our nightmare continues in the weeks, months and years ahead, that we will not be alone. We know that you will all continue to support us and we know that we will all rejoice together on the day that justice is achieved for our Lyra.

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 The coffin of journalist Lyra McKee is taken out of the church after her funeral at St Anne's Cathedral on April 24, 2019 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Getty Images Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Prime Minister Theresa May pictured at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee Irish Prime minister Leo Varadkar (R) and Prime Minister Theresa May (C) leave St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24, 2019, after attending the funeral service of journalist Lyra McKee (Photo by Paul Faith / AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Irish President Michael D Higgins consoles Sara Canning, partner of the murdered journalist Lyra McKee as her funeral takes place at St. Anne's Cathedral (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images Funeral and service of thanksgiving for journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn(centre) and Irish President Michael D Higgins(right) pictured at and at the funeral. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye Mourners and friends pictured at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Mourners react as the coffin of journalist Lyra McKee, who was killed by a dissident republican paramilitary in Northern Ireland on April 18, is placed into a hearse following her funeral at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24, 2019. - Lyra McKee, 29, who chronicled the troubled history of Northern Ireland, was shot in the head on April 18, 2019, as rioters clashed with police in Londonderry, the second city of the British province. (Photo by Paul Faith / AFP)PAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Funeral and service of thanksgiving for journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Mourners and friends pictured at the funeral. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye DUP leader Arlene Foster at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee Mourners listen to the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee outside St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2019. Miss McKee, 29, died as a result of injuries sustained when she was shot on the Creggan estate on April 18. See PA story FUNERAL McKee. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Mourners gesture as pallbearers carry the coffin of journalist Lyra McKee (29), who was killed by a dissident republican paramilitary in Northern Ireland on April 18, during the funeral service at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24, 2019. AFP/Getty Images The funeral of Journalist Lyra McKee takes place at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Journalist Lyra McKee takes place at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Mourners gather outside of St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24, 2019, during the funeral service of journalist Lyra McKee who was killed by a dissident republican paramilitary in Northern Ireland on April 18. - Lyra McKee, 29, who chronicled the troubled history of Northern Ireland, was shot in the head on April 18, 2019, as rioters clashed with police in Londonderry, the second city of the British province. (Photo by Paul Faith / AFP)PAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Mourners gesture as pallbearers carry the coffin of journalist Lyra McKee (29), who was killed by a dissident republican paramilitary in Northern Ireland on April 18, during the funeral service at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24, 2019. - Lyra McKee, 29, who chronicled the troubled history of Northern Ireland, was shot in the head on April 18, 2019, as rioters clashed with police in Londonderry, the second city of the British province. (Photo by Paul Faith / AFP)PAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images The coffin is carried into the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA The coffin is carried into the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2019. Miss McKee, 29, died as a result of injuries sustained when she was shot on the Creggan estate on April 18. See PA story FUNERAL McKee. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA General view of the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneOs Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Picture Matt Mackey / Press Eye. Matt Mackey / Presseye.com Prime Minister Theresa May paying her condolences to the family of Lyra McKee Mourners listen to the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee outside St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA Taoiseach Leo Varadkar , Prime Mnister Theresa May and President Michael D Higgins before the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA Mourners arrive for the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA Mourners embrace ahead of the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Prime Minister Theresa May and Irish President Michael D Higgins pictured at he funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneAos Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Prime Minister Theresa May pictured at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St Annes Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein leader Mary-Lou McDonald at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneAos Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. President Michael D Higgins before the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA A mourner arrives carrying a wreath for the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA DUP leader Arlene Foster with Sin Fein's Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill before the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton. The funeral of Journalist Lyra McKee takes place at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald arrives for the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA Leo Varadkar arrives for the funeral service of journalist Lyra McKee at St Annes Cathedral on April 24, 2019 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - APRIL 24: The congregation arrive for the funeral service of journalist Lyra McKee at St Annes Cathedral on April 24, 2019 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Journalist and campaigner for LGBT rights, Lyra McKee, 29, was shot dead last Thursday while observing the rioting in Londonderry. Her family gave a statement in which they said her "openness and her desire to bring people together made her totally apolitical". The New IRA have admitted responsibility for her killing. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images Press Eye Northern Ireland Wednesday 24th April 2019 Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Sinn Fein leader Mary-Lou McDonald pictured at he funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneAos Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. The hearse carrying the body of murdered journalist Lyra McKee arrives at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PA Sinn Fein leader Michelle and Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn pictured at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneAos Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Press Eye Northern Ireland Wednesday 24th April 2019 Sinn Fein leader Michelle and Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn pictured at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneAos Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald before the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2019. Miss McKee, 29, died as a result of injuries sustained when she was shot on the Creggan estate on April 18. See PA story FUNERAL McKee. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA President Michael D Higgins before the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2019. Miss McKee, 29, died as a result of injuries sustained when she was shot on the Creggan estate on April 18. See PA story FUNERAL McKee. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Press Eye Northern Ireland Wednesday 24th April 2019 Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar pictured at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St Annes Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Press Eye Northern Ireland Wednesday 24th April 2019 Simon Coveney TD at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneAos Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Press Eye Northern Ireland Wednesday 24th April 2019 SDLP leader Colum Eastwood at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneAos Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Press Eye Northern Ireland Wednesday 24th April 2019 Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn pictured at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneAos Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Mike Nesbitt pictured at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill, Vice President of Sinn Fein arrives for the funeral service of journalist Lyra McKee at St Annes Cathedral on April 24, 2019 in Belfast Getty Images Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald arrives for the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Naomi Long Alliance Party Leader at the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. General view of the funeral and service of thanksgiving for the life of journalist Lyra McKee at St AnneAos Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. Lyra McKee was murdered in Creggan in Derry on Thursday 18th April. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. The funeral of Journalist Lyra McKee takes place at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Mourners begin to gather for the funeral of Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on April 24th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook

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"Until then, know that your continued love, support and sympathy will be our spiritual manna.

"In gratitude and love, The family of Lyra McKee."

The death of the talented journalist has put pressure on Northern Ireland political parties to re-enter talks to restore Stormont, with Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley saying there is a "narrow window" in which progress can be made to re-establish devolved powersharing.

There has also been widespread political condemnation of dissident republicans, who have admitted responsibility for the murder.

In an interview with the Sunday Times a member of the New IRA said: "There is nothing we can say that will offer any comfort to her family. Anything we may say sounds like a hollow apology.

"There was no planned [paramilitary] operation in the Creggan that night.

"It was our intention to engage with the crown forces when they started searching house in the Creggan that led to the death. That poor woman got caught in the street violence."
A 42-year-old man arrested by detectives investigating the murder of a father outside a school in Belfast has been released unconditionally.

Jim Donegan, 43, was shot as he waited to collect his 13-year-old son from St Marys Christian Brothers Grammar School in west Belfast in December.

The 42-year-old man was arrested under anti-terrorism legislation at Musgrave police station on Tuesday.

He was questioned by detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland before being released unconditionally on Tuesday evening.

On Monday, detectives investigating the murder arrested a 63-year-old man for questioning, also under anti-terrorism legislation, and later released him.
The attack happened on Kinnaird Street in north Belfast

A man has been arrested following a serious assault in north Belfast.

The 28-year-old man was detained on Tuesday after a man, also in his 20s, was attacked outside a house in the Kinnaird Street area of the city around 12.50am on April 23.

The victim sustained a serious eye injury in the assault requiring hospital treatment.

Detective Sergeant Corrigan said the suspect has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent.

Our enquiries into the incident are continuing and I would appeal to anyone who witnessed the assault to contact detective in Musgrave Police Station on 101, quoting reference number 404 of 28/04/19," he added.

Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A 33-year-old man has been arrested in east Belfast on suspicion of human trafficking offences for the purpose of domestic servitude.

Detectives from the PSNI's Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit (MSHTU) arrested the suspect on Tuesday.

A search was also carried out at the property and a number of items were seized.

A 25-year-old woman was also arrested on Tuesday in Scotland as part of the operation and is being brought back to Northern Ireland for questioning.

Police said both of those arrested are from an African country, which detectives have not named.

The alleged victim told officers she was held for six years after being brought to Northern Ireland.

Police said the alleged victim had managed to escape the property and a member of the public alerted the PSNI.

Detective Inspector Mark Bell, Head of PSNIs MSHTU said: These arrests are part of a protracted investigation into human trafficking for domestic servitude in Northern Ireland which has been going on for over a year. They are the first arrests of their kind.

Modern slavery is often an unseen crime as victims can be afraid to speak out or may be being held captive and human trafficking for the purposes of domestic servitude can be particularly difficult to detect.

"Victims may be afraid to speak out so we need the public to be aware of the signs to look for so that they dont miss the opportunity to intervene in a modern slavery incident. Is there always someone else speaking for a person on their behalf? Do people have access to their money, identity documents and freedom of movement?"

MSHTU detectives have investigated 59 potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the last financial year- up from 36 the previous financial year.

DI Bell added: It can be hard to believe that modern slavery and human trafficking exists today but it is all too real, especially for the victims.

"Modern slavery is unacceptable as it violates human rights and denies victims their rights to life, freedom and safety.

The criminals prey on vulnerable people, control them by fear and exploit them for their own selfish gains. Detective Inspector Mark Bell

We are working as hard as we can but we cannot tackle this problem alone. We rely on the strong partnerships that have been formed through the Department of Justice Organised Crime Task Force but we need the publics help.

I would also ask people to contact us with any suspicions that they may have by calling 999 if its an emergency, or 101. Theres also a Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700. One call could end the misery for a victim who could be living next door to you.
Ian Ogle died after being beaten and stabbed 11 times in the back near his home

A 21-year-old man who was previously arrested in connection to the murder of Ian Ogle in east Belfast has been reported to the Public Prosecution Service for withholding information.

Community worker and father-of-two Ian Ogle was murdered by a group of men near his Cluan Place home in east Belfast on January 27.

Police said he was stabbed 11 times in the back and suffered a fractured skull.
An MP has said it was not his intention to conflate the violent activities of dissident republicans with the Orange Order or the Apprentice Boys of Derry while making a statement in the Commons.

It comes after concerns were raised about the MP's comments by DUP MP Gregory Campbell.

Glasgow North East MP Paul Sweeney said organisations such as Saoradh  the political wing of the so-called 'new IRA' which claimed responsibility for the murder of journalist Lyra McKee  the Apprentice Boys and the Orange Order were "the only barriers to peace".

He made the comments as Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley updated the Commons on the latest talks aimed at breaking the political impasse and restore the devolved institutions.

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He said as part of the post Good Friday Agreement generation, he found many were "bemused and offended" by the intransigence of the Northern Ireland political impasse.

He told MPs there needed to be more "temperate language" from both sides as they tried to find compromise in order to reach an agreement.

He said: "In raising my concerns about Saoradh taking part in a parade in Glasgow this weekend  which did take place in the end  I was confronted by people who questioned all sorts of motives. The lack of faith, the lack of trust on either side.

"Whether I call out the Orange Order and the Apprentice Boys of Derry intimidating Catholics at prayer in Glasgow, whether it's organisations like Saoradh bringing their toxic politics and violence to the city of Glasgow. I call out both sides, because they are the only barriers to peace.

"We a bit need more temperate language from both sides and an understanding that, to paraphrase Mo Mowlam, if both sides are willing to compromise, we will get a good outcome.

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"That is the way ahead. We need to understand that no one will get everything they want out of these negotiations."

Saoradh are a different order of violence from anything that has taken place.

The comments caused DUP MP Gregory Campbell to raise his concerns.

"When criticising  quite rightly, in the view of many, many people  the actions of Saoradh, the political wing of murdering terrorists, but he made an oblique comparison with that group of, as I say, murdering terrorists with others who walk on the streets such as the Orange Order and the Apprentice Boys.

"That should not go unanswered, and it should be totally and utterly condemned by all right-thinking people."

Mr Sweeney again took to his feet in the chamber to address Mr Campbell's comments.

"It was not my intention in making that statement to conflate the motives of those organisations," he added.

"I was merely reflecting my constituents' concerns, as brought to me, about the intimidation that has taken place in the city of Glasgow, as they see it. I was merely reflecting that. I was not conflating violent acts with anything else.

"I abhor the actions of Saoradh, they are a different order of violence from anything that has taken place involving any other organisation in recent times. It was not my intention to cause that degree of offence.

"If it has been received in that way, I beg your forbearance for that it was not my intention.

"It is important that both sides understand each other if we want to reach a compromise  that was merely my intention in raising those concerns. I have had dialogue with both sides on that issue."
A man believed to have had one of the highest ever drink-driving readings in Northern Ireland has been banned from getting behind the wheel for four years

A man believed to have had one of the highest ever drink-driving readings in Northern Ireland has been banned from getting behind the wheel for four years.

James McCurdy (48) of Ashbrook Park in Balnamore, Ballymoney, was more than five times the limit after he was found slumped in a crashed vehicle at around 12.30pm on February 25 this year.

He had struck another car which had stopped at roadworks at Balnamore Road.

At the scene McCurdy registered 185 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath - the legal limit is 35.

His later evidential breath sample at a police station was 156 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath.

The defendant appeared at Coleraine Magistrates Court yesterday for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

At the previous court, when District Judge Peter King heard the reading, he said: "I think we may have a record here."

A prosecutor told the court yesterday police were called to a report of a vehicle being involved in a collision, and the defendant was slumped over and so drunk he had to be lifted out by officers.

McCurdy, who had been alone in his vehicle, was unable to walk, his speech was slurred and he was unable to respond to questions, the court heard.

When interviewed by police, McCurdy had no recollection of what happened and thought he had been arrested by police in the kitchen of his home rather than at the roadside.

The prosecution lawyer said that during the interview the defendant showed no remorse about what could have happened by the nature of his condition at that time of the day, and the fact that there was a primary school nearby.

Defence barrister Thomas McKeever said it was accepted the case was aggravated by the high reading. The lawyer said McCurdy suffered from arthritis and took medication for that and for his mental health which had mixed with the alcohol.

Mr McKeever said the defendant had a previously clear record and was a "man of good character" who worked as a mechanic and stood to lose his job.

"He is extremely remorseful today and very relieved no one was injured," said the lawyer, who said it was a "low speed collision".

District Judge Mr King said he was "entirely at a loss" to understand both the offence and the defendant's initial reaction.

He told McCurdy: "You were more than four times over the limit by the time you were breathalysed at the station. At the side of the road you were five times."

For someone with no record it was an "astounding piece of offending", the judge added.

He added 100 hours of unpaid community service to the sentence as a "direct alternative" to jail.
An American woman who was raped by a 15-year-old boy in Belfast has slammed moves to get victims to turn over their mobile phones to the police.

Rape complainants in parts of the UK have been told they risk prosecutions against their alleged attackers not going ahead unless they allow their digital devices to be looked at.

Winnie Li (40) said the move shows the unfairness of the criminal justice process.

Ms Li had travelled to Belfast to attend a conference in 2008 to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the peace process when she was attacked in Colin Glen Forest Park.

Yesterday, after news that consent forms which ask permission to access messages, photographs, emails and social media accounts were rolled out across 43 forces in England and Wales, she said the move will scare off victims from reporting attacks.

"Requiring a rape victim to give up her phone in the name of justice is incredibly invasive and disruptive and does not take into consideration what a victim is going through at the time," she said.

"It also, once again, indicates that the criminal justice process has little concern for the welfare of victims."

Ms Li's novel, Dark Chapter, is a fictional retelling of her ordeal and the criminal justice process.

"After my own rape I was emotionally fragile, isolated, and needed the support of friends and family and having to give up my phone would have had a huge impact on me," she said.

"I had severe post-traumatic stress disorder in the months following the rape and found it difficult to leave my flat.

"I was getting flashbacks all the time.

"I already felt like it was impossible for me to function in the world.

"My phone was my only means of communication with the outside world and a vital means of support from friends and family.

"So to take away a victim's means of communication and link to the outside world is disrespectful and damaging.

"This new requirement may also scare off many victims from reporting and deciding to go through with the criminal justice process, the opposite of what we want.

"Rape victims already have trouble trusting the criminal justice process.

"This will only further erode a victim's very fragile sense of security and trust in the system.

"Any evidence on a phone may not even be crucial to the case. Often rape victims do not realise they have been raped until days, weeks or even years afterwards.

"In the meantime, there may have been friendly text messages between the victim and the accused, which could then be unfairly used as evidence against the victim.

"It is hard to establish whether or not sexual consent has been respected simply by reading a trail of text messages."

The move is part of the response to a string of rape and serious sexual assault cases collapsing after crucial evidence emerged at the last minute.

Police and prosecutors say the forms are an attempt to plug a gap in the law, which cannot force complainants or witnesses to disclose their electronic devices.

Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill moved to reassure sex attack victims.

He said: "If there's material on a device which forms a reasonable line of enquiry, but doesn't undermine the prosecution case and doesn't support any known defence case, then it won't be disclosed."
One in seven people employed in Northern Ireland are overeducated for their current job, new figures reveal. (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

One in seven people employed in Northern Ireland are overeducated for their current job, new figures reveal.

According to data published by the Office for National Statistics as part of its quarterly economic review, 14% of Northern Ireland's graduates have more education than is required for the job they are doing.

Across the UK the number was only 22% for those graduating before 1992, but this jumped to 34% for those who graduated after 2007. The overeducation rate for all UK workers of about 16% in 2017 has remained largely unchanged since 2006.

The figures reveal that the incidence of overeducation was highest in the 25-34 and 35-49 age groups.

Senior ONS economist Dr Maja Savic said while overeducation is more prevalent in recent graduates, it is also common for those who left university some time ago. The data also show that overeducation is not a short-term phenomenon, with 29% of graduates still overeducated for their current role five years after graduation.

London had the highest proportion of overeducated workers in the UK, with about 25% overqualified for their job.

The study found that arts, biology and humanities graduates were more likely to be under-using their education. The incidence of overeducation was generally lower for graduates with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees.

According to the ONS, overeducation "is a form of mismatch where a person can be overeducated if they possess more education than required for the job". The term also refers to a worker whose skills and knowledge are not being used. "It can also be seen as a form of underemployment, hence contributing to the extent of labour market slack."

The ONS said "workers may substitute education for the lack of previous work experience, accepting jobs requiring less education than they possess, until they acquire further experience".
Police believe two burglaries and the criminal damage of four vehicles in east Belfast may be linked.

Officers are investigating two burglaries at homes in the Ravenhill Road and Ardenlee Avenue areas on Tuesday morning

Detective Sergeant Stephen Gardiner said, In the most serious incident, at 7.03am this morning, we received a call from a householder who had disturbed a male in their property in the Ardenlee Avenue area.

"After a brief altercation, the male fled the scene. Police who were in the area responding to an earlier report of a burglary at a nearby vacant residential property, carried out a comprehensive search of the surrounding area, but did not locate the male."

The suspect is described as being aged in his mid-thirties, approximately 5' 8'' in height of stocky build with gingery brown, crew cut hair style and a short beard. He was wearing a green zipped parka style jacket, grey tracksuit bottoms and black gloves.

DS Gardiner said: We are also investigating reports of criminal damage of four vehicles in the area, three cars and one van had windows broken and were entered with items stolen from each.

"During follow-up searches and enquiries, a number of items have been recovered including a jacket, screwdriver and bicycle. A quantity of tools which we believe were taken from one of the properties have also been recovered.

We believe that each of these incidents are linked. I would appeal to anyone who noticed any suspicious activity in the Ravenhill Road/Ardenlee areas this morning, or who has any information which could assist us with our enquiries to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 197 30/04/19.

"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.
Assistant chief constable Alan Todd declined to answer key questions from the Belfast Telegraph after branding claims that a PSNI policy is preventing police from breaching speed limits on non-emergency calls as false.

Despite this newspaper being unable to obtain comment from the PSNI prior to going to print on Sunday, the senior policeman was available to take to the airwaves first thing yesterday morning.

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"It's not true," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show. "The Belfast Telegraph story this morning is incorrect and had they chosen to check the story with us before going to print we would have told them so."

However, Stephen Nolan informed Mr Todd that he, too, is aware of police officers who claim "there are issues" with speed limits.

Mr Todd subsequently declined an interview request from this newspaper to discuss specific questions relating to the police response to the theft of two ATMs in Ballymena last week, or the technology which monitors police drivers.

"To comment further on specifics of operational matters would only provide information which may be useful to criminals," he said.

He did not refute or complain about the content of the story and no request for a retraction or apology has been received after reporting a PSNI officer's concerns over tracking software known as Locate. The technology has resulted in officers being reprimanded and disciplined.

The officer we spoke to highlighted a distinction between priority calls - which include reports of non-violent domestic abuse and ongoing burglaries where a householder is in the property but not under immediate threat - and emergency calls.

"Obviously if you know an elderly lady is in her house during a break-in you want to get there as quickly as possible but, with the introduction of Locate, your hands are tied somewhat," they said.

"You can take the chance and drive faster than the speed limit in say a 40 or 50mph zone without triggering Locate, but if you have a crash they will go over the data and you'll have some difficult questions to answer and could even face criminal charges."

But speaking on the radio, Mr Todd said "it is the responsibility of an individual police officer to take decisions with regards to their own safety and safety of the public" when responding to a call.

"Where they feel the need to use excess speed or pursue other vehicles at excess speed then they seek authority to do so through command and control," he added.

The statement issued to the Belfast Telegraph by Mr Todd failed to answer key questions.

We asked why - if the police cars pursuing the ATM thieves in Ballymena recently were allowed to speed - were the thieves allowed to get away?

The PSNI was also asked how many vehicles responded to the stolen Tesco ATM and what type they were, as the type decides what their upper speed limit is in a non-emergency.

We also wanted to know:
A senior police officer has praised vigilant members of the public who alerted the PSNI that a digger was being used to steal an ATM in County Antrim.

The information led to police arresting two men following the theft of the cash machine from a service station at Nutts Corner during the early hours of Tuesday morning.

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Detective Superintendent Rachel Shields said: "At around 3.30am we received reports from a number of vigilant members of the public that a digger was being used to remove an ATM from the premises on the Tully Road.

"We immediately directed a significant number of resources to the area. Two men, aged 26 and 31, were detained and remain in custody being questioned on suspicion of theft and a number of other offences.

"It was as a result of this information from the public that we were able to make these arrests and also recover the stolen ATM.

"I would like to thank the local people and also take this opportunity to renew our appeal for any suspicious activity noticed around ATMs or building sites to be reported to police on 999.

"I want to remind anyone who owns or uses heavy plant machinery to take every possible step to secure and immobilise them. If criminals cannot steal diggers, they cannot tear out ATMs. This will also mean that these expensive pieces of machinery are not destroyed or burnt out."

Expand Close Forensics at the scene after a ATM theft on the Tully Road near Crumlin on Tuesday, April 30. / Facebook

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DS Shields thanked those living and working in the Tully Road and Nutts Corner area as well as commuters travelling on Tuesday morning for their patience during the road closures.

She added: "This mornings arrests demonstrate how the community and police can successfully work together to tackle crime.

"However, this does not mean we will be complacent as we recognise there are a number of gangs carrying out these attacks on ATMs and the threat of more thefts is very real.

"Every single one of these attacks impacts the community significantly - denying access to money and on many occasions causing inconvenience as the shop or filling station is forced to close for repair.

Expand Close Forensics at the scene after a ATM theft on the Tully Road near Crumlin on Tuesday, April 30. / Facebook

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"We will continue to do all we can to catch those responsible. Tonight again we will have local police patrolling areas which could be vulnerable to an attack and detectives remain dedicated to investigating the thefts that have taken place. I assure you this remains a key priority for police."

Anyone with information that could help police identify and apprehend those behind the recent spate of ATM thefts are asked to contact the police on 101.

Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The Sinn Fein leader has called for a Plan B to be put in place if talks to restore a Northern Ireland government at Stormont fail.

Mary Lou McDonald said her party will go into talks with the DUP in good faith, but the British and Irish governments must have a back-up plan to ensure any deadlock can be cleared.

A new talks initiative will start on May 7.

"The Sinn Fein negotiation team met yesterday and we are now preparing for this new round of talks. We hope that everyone is minded to seize this opportunity. We will go in with hope, positivity & with our eyes wide open, as we have been to this place before." - @MaryLouMcDonald pic.twitter.com/yfi9PN8Ynk  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) April 30, 2019

Ms McDonald said rights issues such as marriage equality and an Irish Language Act cannot be left wanting in Northern Ireland if the DUP refuses to change its stance.

She denied claims that Sinn Fein and the DUP had been bounced into new talks after the murder of journalist Lyra McKee during riots in Londonderry on April 18.

The public sentiment after the death of Lyra McKee couldnt be missed, it is correct to say the current situation of stalemate is unacceptable and intolerable at this point  something has to happen, she said.

We need assurances from the governments that they know what theyre doing, and a Plan B is absolutely essential because, if the parties and DUP cannot move to a place of equality, well the two governments must honour the equality obligations under the Good Friday Agreement.

"The current political stalemate cannot continue. The days of tolerating inequality are over." - @MaryLouMcDonald pic.twitter.com/kd052Y3g50  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) April 30, 2019

She added that the British and Irish governments had neglected their duties to Northern Ireland as they had been distracted by other factors including Brexit.

For a long time there has been a sense of disengagement from the Northern peace process, governments have been preoccupied and distracted by other events, she said.

Now will be a real test of that for Dublin and London, on their understanding of the issues in the North, and their fundamental commitment to the peace process.

Sources close to the party have said that if the DUP refuses to budge on marriage equality and an Irish Language Act, it is hoped Westminster would step in and legislate for both, breaking the deadlock and paving a way for a functioning Assembly in Belfast without red lines stalling progress.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has made it clear that her partys position on marriage equality has not changed, and believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.
A Sinn Fein TD has been slammed for comments made at an Easter Rising commemoration in Co Tyrone where he said the New IRA killers of Lyra McKee "besmirch the name of the IRA".

Pearse Doherty, keynote speaker at the Easter Sunday event in Carrickmore, was responding after the New IRA claimed responsibility for the recent murder of the journalist.

Mr Doherty told the crowd: "There are some tiny armed groups at the present time who seem determined to drag us all back to the past.

"On Thursday one of these gangs murdered a talented young journalist, Lyra McKee.

"The people behind such senseless acts masquerade as the IRA but they are not the IRA. They besmirch the name of the IRA."

Ulster Unionist councillor Chris Smyth hit out at the Donegal TD, accusing him of double standards for "romanticising the past and condemning the present".

"These comments are further evidence of how Sinn Fein just do not grasp the reality or impact of IRA violence," the Omagh councillor said.

"It is rather difficult to understand how anyone could 'besmirch the name of the IRA' given the litany of crimes with which its name is associated.

"This is an organisation responsible for the deliberate targeting of civilians in bombs in Claudy in 1972, Coleraine in 1973, La Mon in 1978 and Enniskillen in 1987.

"How exactly do you 'besmirch' the name of an organisation that shot a nine-month-old baby in the head in Germany in October 1989? Or blew up two children in a shopping street in Warrington in 1993?

"Pearse Doherty just doesn't get the fact that the IRA and the so-called New IRA are cut from the same cloth.

"There is no point differentiating between the two.

"Their stock in trade is terror. Murder is what the IRA did, and is what the New IRA do.

"In aims and tactics there is no difference. Terrorism is terrorism.

"You can't romanticise the past and condemn the present."

The New IRA army council told the Sunday Time the killing of Ms McKee did not further its "cause", but it said it would not end its campaign.

It said its actions "are symbolic. They are propaganda. They let the world know there is an ongoing conflict".
A police car at the scene of the ATM raid in Ballymena as smoke billows from a burning digger used by the thieves

An eyewitness who watched ATM thieves evade capture from a police patrol car that was "almost on top of them" immediately after a hole-in-the-wall raid in Co Antrim said officers must have pulled back.

The PSNI has been heavily criticised after the robbers, who used a digger to rip two cash machines from the wall of a Tesco store in Ballymena, avoided being caught despite being pursued by a police car.

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A member of the public who alerted authorities to the raid watched in disbelief as the culprits targeted the supermarket while some staff were still inside.

"I woke up in the middle of the night and phoned 999 when I saw a digger lifting the ATM," she said.

"It was so brazen. I couldn't believe they were still there amid all the noise and the fire. I was still on the phone with the operator when they drove off."

The witness recalled how she watched the pick-up truck, which had a trailer attached, stop to give way at the exit before making off slowly in the direction of Crebilly Road at 3am.

A video shows police on the scene as a burning digger and a tractor trailer smoulder on the forecourt of the supermarket on Larne Road Link.

"Seconds later a police car approached the roundabout - I was still talking to the operator - and I was just hoping they would see the thieves and thankfully they did," the resident said.

"They followed and were no distance behind them, it could only have been about 300 yards.

"I remember thinking 'brilliant, they definitely have them' when I saw police pursuing so closely. My husband actually turned to me and said: 'Well, they're useless if they don't get them now'."

The couple were left completely baffled when the PSNI issued a statement confirming that the culprits had got away.

Both ATMs were later recovered in an abandoned pick-up truck on Woodside Road.

Police said the perpetrators fled across fields under the cover of darkness after a nearby patrol responded when seeing the getaway vehicle "from a distance".

Yesterday the Belfast Telegraph reported that the response to a spate of 14 cash machine thefts in 11 incidents across Northern Ireland is being hampered by a policy preventing officers from breaking speed limits while responding to calls where lives are not at risk.

An officer described how technology, known as Locate, is used to ensure police adhere to the speed limit like every other driver and claimed it is slowing response times. It means the patrol in pursuit of the thieves would have been restricted to a speed of 50mph along a stretch of dual carriageway near the scene of the heist.

"I would imagine that the crew following the stolen ATM didn't reasonably believe any lives were at risk, so it would have meant that they couldn't drive any faster than the speed limit on whatever road they were on," the officer added.

PSNI drivers have been reprimanded and disciplined in the past on the basis of evidence provided by the Locate system.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd denied the claims and insisted that emergency services have an exemption to speed limits under the Road Traffic Order.

"During the incident in Ballymena following the theft of two ATMs, a number of police vehicles, both in response to pursuing the thieves and in responding to the wider incident, broke the speed limit in a range of areas," he said.

He did not answer a series of questions regarding Locate technology and in relation to the training of the officers involved in the pursuit.

"To comment further on specifics of operational matters would only provide information which may be useful to criminals," he added.

However the eyewitness, who does not wish to be named, took issue with the PSNI's account last night.

"The police's version of events is inaccurate and unclear," she said.

"They say they came across the abandoned vehicle but I saw a police car almost on top of them (the thieves) on the Crebilly Road right outside the Tesco entrance.

"But they were in no rush to get them - I could drive faster."

In footage obtained by this newspaper, a passer-by responds to a man who asked if police had caught the thieves who had only just fled. "They were close, but I don't know," comes the response. Moments later the burning tractor exploded as police approached.

The eyewitness, who questioned why a trailer was missing from the pick-up truck when it was discovered, also claimed that police refrained from even turning on their blue lights while in pursuit. "If they went the route they say then there is absolutely no reason why they didn't catch them. They didn't even flash the lights," she added.

"I understand there may have been worries about them being armed, but they could have pursued and waited for assistance. They were obviously sitting back for whatever reason, they must have been."
With voters due to go to the polls in this Thursday's local elections, Northern Ireland's eligible electorate has now reached a new high of more than 1.3 million.

A total of 819 candidates will be competing for 462 seats across 11 council districts on May 2 at a time when the number of registered voters here is at a record level.

Thursday's poll will be the first elections for which registering online has been an option and has led to the surge in voter numbers.

Electronic registration was rolled out here on June 18 last year, the aim being to make it even easier for people to register to vote.

The process takes less than five minutes and involves filling out some personal details in a short online form.

Paper registration forms are still available for those unable or unwilling to register to vote digitally, and can be returned to a local election office.

Around 80% of applications to vote i have been made online since the new system was introduced last summer.

Electronic registration has been available to voters in England, Scotland and Wales since 2014.

Five years ago at the last local elections, the eligible electorate was 1,243,649.

It has now risen to a figure of 1,305,553.

According to the Electoral Commission, overall across the UK more than half-a-million people have applied to register to vote in the upcoming local elections, 36% more than expected.

In the run-up to this week's poll the commission said 570,000 people applied to join the electoral register across England and Northern Ireland.

The target had been for 400,000 in England and 27,000 in Northern Ireland.

The Electoral Commission 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. In January of this year 7,500 online and paper applications were received here, which rose to over 19,000 the following month. Over 49,000 further registrations were submitted between March 9 and April 12.

Northern Ireland's Chief Electoral Officer Virginia McVea says voter registrations have risen substantially in the past 10 months. "We are certainly now looking at over 80% of people registering online to vote as they find it much easier and it only takes a couple of minutes," she said.

"We have indeed, as monitored by the Cabinet Office site, had unprecedented online applications to register - over 100,000 since the service began last June and more than 50,000 in advance of the local council elections. The new online system appears to be working well with very few complaints from people that they find it complicated, and the numbers availing of the service prove that."

Ms McVea added that the names of some deceased persons may still be on the register if the death occurred outside the jurisdiction.

"The General Registrar's office and Coroner's office provide the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland with details of deaths for removal," she said.

"This is only for deaths which occur within the jurisdiction.

"We do not receive the deaths data for deaths occurring in other countries and do rely on relatives to advise the office in those instances."
Voters in Northern Ireland should send a message to politicians who have failed to restore power-sharing at Stormont, the SDLP leader has said.

Colum Eastwood urged voters to reclaim their government by turning their backs on the politicians who have done the same to the people of Northern Ireland.

Mr Eastwood made the comments ahead of canvassing in support of local SDLP candidates yesterday, during which he will be joined by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin.

Both leaders said local and European elections present an opportunity to support candidates who are willing to work for everyone.

Mr Eastwood said: "As the primary architects and builders of the Good Friday Agreement, the SDLP and Fianna Fail are determined to ensure that our people's right to a government is no longer denied.

"The institutions at Stormont weren't simply meant to secure the peace, they were also designed to deliver real economic and social progress for our people.

"Unlike in Scotland, that opportunity for a responsive and dynamic government was wasted by the DUP and Sinn Fein.

"Theirs is a record of incompetence, blind party interest and eventual collapse.

"Faced with Brexit and a dangerous political vacuum, our people have been denied their right to a government and an assembly.

"The public have paid the cost of their failure - it's now time they both paid an electoral cost."

The SDLP leader said his party, in partnership with Fianna Fail, offers a politics that will deliver on the day-to-day needs of people while building an Ireland for all.
A young woman in the Republic who was repeatedly raped by her father said "my cry for help was ignored" when her mother refused to believe her about the abuse.

Maurice Lafferty (50) was jailed yesterday for 11 years for what a judge said were depraved attacks on his young daughter Annie.

In her harrowing victim impact statement which was read out to the court, Ms Lafferty, now aged 25, said her parents were more interested in drinking than being parents and she took over caring for her younger siblings.

Ms Lafferty said that, during the period she was abused by her father, "to say I was scared is an understatement".

She said that "instead of protecting me, he was the one who did me harm".

"My cry for help was ignored," said Ms Lafferty.

She said she told her mother about the abuse, only for her mother to turn her back on her and believe her father's version of events.

She said her father was the one who decided what she did and "it was like I was a puppet attached to strings".

The young woman, who waived her right to anonymity so her father could be named, said the "scars that man left on me will always be there".

Lafferty, a father-of-six, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to raping his daughter Annie at his home on dates between November 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011.

Garda Sergeant John Dorian told Paul Carroll SC, prosecuting, that the accused's wife worked in Letterkenny and lived away from the home four nights a week during the period of offending.

He said that on a night in November, 2010, Lafferty came into his then 17-year-old daughter's bedroom.

"You're my good little girl, you're the only one I can trust," Lafferty said to her.

He started to grope her and said he wanted to "show how much I love you".

His daughter tried to push him away and he called her "a tramp" before pinning her on the bed and raping her. Afterwards he told her not to tell anyone about what he had done.

Lafferty said that no one would believe her and that her younger siblings would be taken away if she said anything.

Sgt Dorian said that Lafferty continued to rape his daughter once a week when her mother was out.

Mr Justice Alex Owens said that Lafferty was a violent and controlling man and said his attacks on his daughter were coercive and depraved.

He said that, in his opinion, an apology that was offered by Lafferty to the victim, was not genuine.

A Probation Services report indicated that he blamed his intoxication at the time and even laid some blame on his daughter.

Mr Justice Owens noted that Lafferty was assessed at being at a moderate risk of re-offending.

He imposed a sentence of 11 years and ordered that he stay away from any activity with children after his release from custody.

Anne Rowland SC, defending, said her client was "drinking extremely heavily" at the time of the offences.

She said he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

She said this condition caused Lafferty to "black out" during fits of extreme coughing.

Ms Rowland said that Lafferty built his house himself and it was about to be repossessed.
If the artificial intelligence technology being developed by Crowd Media Holdings Ltd (ASX:CM8) reaches its full potential, there is a pretty good chance you'll be using it in everyday life for things like banking or doctors appointments.
The Duchess of Sussex is due to give birth any day (PA)

While the wait goes on for the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs baby, here are 10 facts about royal births:

1. Surgery at home



The Queen  then Princess Elizabeth  was born by Caesarean section in 1926.

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But the surgery took place in her grandparents home in Mayfair, rather than in a hospital.

2. The NHS

Lady Louise Windsor was the first of the Queens grandchildren to be born in an NHS hospital.

Expand Close Lady Louise Windsor (left) with her mother the Countess of Wessex (Steve Parsons/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

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She arrived prematurely following an emergency Caesarean after a seriously-ill eight months pregnant Countess of Wessex was rushed to Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey.

3. Natural births

The Duchess of Cambridge had a natural birth with all three of her children at the exclusive Lindo Wing  and a team of 23 medical staff were on hand in case of emergencies.

4. Kitchen delivery

The Duke of Edinburgh, then Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, was born on the kitchen table at his family home Mon Repos in Corfu.

Expand Close The Duke of Edinburgh was born on a kitchen table (Steve Parsons/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

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5. Smuggled substitutes



Prince Charless birth in 1948 was the first time in centuries that there was not a government minister there to witness the arrival of a future heir to the throne.

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It was an age-old custom designed to ensure that no substitute baby had been smuggled in in a warming pan or similar receptacle.

6. The shadow side of marriage



Queen Victoria  who had nine offspring  used to refer to childbearing as the shadow side of marriage or die Schattenseite.

Her first babies were born before anaesthetics were available.

Queen Victoria had nine children and was known as the grandmother of Europe after her children married European royalty. #MothersDay



This year marks 200 years since Queen Victoria's birth. Read about her remarkable life  https://t.co/VI4RwqUgHU



 Royal Collection Trust pic.twitter.com/Ipq6YhS1yr  English Heritage (@EnglishHeritage) March 31, 2019

7. Battles over birth pain

Victoria used chloroform for later births, sniffing it from a handkerchief.

When it was first pioneered, traditionalists opposed the drug, claiming labour pain was responsible for a womans love for her child, and sufferings during childbirth were a divine destiny.

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But Victoria refused to believe such a notion, and her support for the blessed method and its soothing, quieting and delightful beyond measure effect ensured its accepted use in society.

8. Induced births

The Princess of Wales was induced with Prince William, with Diana telling friends her baby was ready and well cooked.

Expand Close A heavily pregnant Diana ahead of the birth of Prince William (PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

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Her labour was difficult and she was continually sick, with doctors considering a Caesarean.

Future king William was eventually born without a C-section after the princess was given an epidural.

9. Noisy crowds

After William arrived at the Lindo Wing in 1982, new father the Prince of Wales asked the rapturous crowds outside the hospital if they could make a little less noise.

Expand Close Charles waving to the crowds as he leaves St Marys Hospital, Paddington after son William was born (PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

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10. Secret scans

In 1984, Diana knew Prince Harry was going to be a boy following a scan.

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But she did not tell husband Charles, fearing he wanted a girl, and kept the news secret throughout her pregnancy.
Chris Packham said he has received death threats in row over the shooting of pest birds (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

TV wildlife expert Chris Packham said he has been sent death threats after backing a legal challenge which resulted in restrictions on shooting pest birds.

The BBC Springwatch presenter said he had received threats of a very serious nature against him and his family.

Packham was part of an action which resulted in Natural England revoking three general licences which allowed the shooting of 16 species of bird, including crows, magpies, Canada geese and feral and wood pigeons.

Wildlife broadcaster @ChrisGPackham has received suspicious packages and death threats, after backing a ban on farmers indiscriminately killing 'pest' birds.



He says 'take aim at me', but calls for people to stop targeting charities and organisations he's affiliated with. pic.twitter.com/9Br6hTpBTC  Good Morning Britain (@GMB) April 30, 2019

He told Good Morning Britain: The police have spent quite a considerable amount of time at my house over the last few days.

Weve had packages sent containing human excrement. Last night, I cant speak too much about what happened last night because I havent been in touch with the police yet.

Asked if there was another threat, he said there was a much more serious thing, adding that he had received death threats of a very serious nature against him and his family.

Packham said it is not just his family being targeted, but also businesses he works with.

My message is clear. Please, take aim at me, but leave all of the charities, all of the other businesses that I work with, leave them out of itChris Packham

Im very resistant to this sort of thing, he said, but added: What worries me is that the charities that Im affiliated with, the small businesses that I work for, these people arent set up to take this sort of abuse, and yet theyve had to close their websites, their TripAdvisor accounts have had to be shut down, because theyve been bombarded by these bullies who want to take aim at me.

My message is clear. Please, take aim at me, but leave all of the charities, all of the other businesses that I work with, leave them out of it. Theyre not necessarily sharing my views.

Theyre not a fair target.

Packham said he can understand the argument from farmers because they have been misinformed.

Bodies including the British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC), Countryside Alliance, and the National Gamekeepers Organisation have written an open letter to Environment Secretary Michael Gove calling on him to launch an investigation into Natural Englands decision.

They complained that the revocation of the licences which previously allowed them to freely shoot birds such as carrion crows, wood pigeons, magpies and Canada geese had left them in chaos.

For more information on general licences, read an update from our interim Chief Executive Marian Spain here: https://t.co/0yCmyRMS2s  Natural England (@NaturalEngland) April 28, 2019

Natural England, the body advising the Government on managing the natural environment, took the decision after it was threatened with legal action by environmentalists.

Wild Justice  whose directors include Packham  sought a judicial review of the licences, which Natural England ultimately decided not to fight, believing it would lose.

As a result, three general licences for controlling wild birds were revoked on April 23, to be replaced by individual licences.

By Friday, only a new licence allowing the killing of carrion crows had been issued.

Expand Close Tweet posted by Chris Packham showing dead crows left hanging outside his home (Chris Packham/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook

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The issue was catapulted to national attention after the bodies of two dead crows were hung from Packhams gate two days after Natural Englands decision.

BASC condemned the attack on the presenters home but said the new licensing rules are causing havoc at one of the busiest times of the farming calendar.
Holyroods education committee said that music tuition should be provided free of charge in schools (Danny Lawson/PA)

Education Secretary John Swinney has urged all local authorities across Scotland to provide free music tuition for pupils.

During a debate held by Holyroods Education Committee on Tuesday, Mr Swinney said although decisions over how to deploy resources were a matter for councils, the Scottish Government was committed to working with partners to preserve and enhance instrumental music tuition in Scotland.

The committee published its report on the question of instrumental tuition for pupils earlier this year, concluding it should be provided free of charge.

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Although some councils such as Glasgow City and Edinburgh City provide free tuition for pupils, others have either introduced or raised charges.

It has coincided with a decline in the number of pupils in the country opting to learn a musical instrument in schools.

Mr Swinney said: The expressive arts are of great importance to Scotlands culture and to our economy.

Participation in music and the arts can have a hugely positive effect on our children, our young people and on their families.

Being involved in music and the arts provides children and young people with opportunities to be creative, to develop their imaginations and to experience inspiration and enjoyment.

This can have a hugely significant positive effect on their mental, emotional, social and physical well-being.

Instrumental music tuition in schools is an important element of that participation in the arts.

Mr Swinney said he shared the concerns of young people and parents over any reduction in the quality and reach of instrumental music services in any part of Scotland.

These are trying times for school music services, with cuts rising and charges reaching unprecedented levels. We are urging decision makers to #changethetune https://t.co/nF1NIDlasx pic.twitter.com/spKvpv5L48  EIS (@EISUnion) April 29, 2019

The Deputy First Minister said local government had been treated fairly in the financial settlements put in place by the Scottish Government and pointed to a number of local authorities, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, that have continued to provide instrumental music tuition free of charge.

He said: Choices are made at local level by individual local authorities.

It is up to each local authority to decide how it deploys the resources that are available to it and I would take this opportunity to encourage local authorities to provide instrumental music tuition to pupils within their locality at no cost to the pupils involved.

Mr Swinney said while the Scottish Government would continue to respect for the autonomy of local authorities, he said it is committed to working collaboratively to maintain instrumental music tuition in Scotland.

He added that following discussions last year, a working group on the issue secured a commitment from local government umbrella body Cosla to set a minimum standard of eligibility criteria for access to free music tuition.

Those eligible would include those in receipt of free school meals, as well as those undertaking SQA qualifications (which is already a current standard).

The only possible way to fix the current postcode lottery of access to instrument tuition is to once again provide proper, adequate core funding overall for our local councilsScottish Labour education spokesman Iain Gray

Scottish Conservative MSP Liz Smith said: Music in whatever capacity should be at the very heart of any curriculum, not just because of the educational and social benefits that it brings but because it has the potential to transform lives.

Scottish Labours education spokesman Iain Gray pointed to cuts to core council budgets as a factor affecting the provision of free music tuition.

He said: We cannot ignore simply the financial circumstances which councils find themselves.

Core council budgets have decreased in real terms by 1.64 billion since 2011-12.

The only possible way to fix the current postcode lottery of access to instrument tuition is to once again provide proper, adequate core funding overall for our local councils.
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage with Euro election candidate Claire Fox on his right (Victoria Jones/PA)

A leading candidate for Nigel Farages Brexit Party has responded to criticism by the father of a schoolboy murdered by the IRA over her absolutely disgraceful views about the terror group published days after the Warrington bombing which killed his son.

Claire Fox, now a Euro elections candidate, was a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), a party that defended the Warrington bombing on March 20, 1993.

Ms Fox said on Tuesday she had genuine feeling for all involved in the Troubles.

She was a leading member of the far-left party which published a newsletter in April 1993, days after the bombing, defending the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures necessary in their struggle for freedom.

Ms Fox is the number one candidate in the North West of England for the Brexit Party, and if the polls are correct, likely to become Warringtons MEP.

Tim Parry, 12, and Johnathan Ball, aged three, were killed in the bombing which left 56 injured.

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Tim died in his father Colins arms five days later in Liverpools Walton Hospital.

Mr Parry OBE, said Claire Fox should explain her comments  referring to the viewpoint published by her party, the RCP at the time.

He said: What she said at that time is highly inappropriate.

For somebody to come out with comments I believe she made, and being an apologist for the IRA is absolutely disgraceful.

If this woman would care to explain her comments back at that time to me and my wife, I would like her to do so.

She should disavow these comments if thats her position and say, I was wrong, I was foolish.

I simply say I think voters in the constituency of the North West, which is a big area, really should be aware, as voters should be in general, should be aware of the political positions of candidates, even if they disavow them from a former life.

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Asked what voters would make of the matter, Mr Parry added: I would hope they would be absolutely disgusted by these comments.

Mr Parry and Tims mother, Wendy Parry, later set up the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace, which has since become an internationally recognised centre for conflict resolution and victim support.

A spokesman for the Brexit Party said Ms Fox does not deny she did hold those views in the past, but they were made more than 20 years ago and she supported a peaceful solution and the Good Friday Agreement, which brought and end to the violence.

Later Ms Fox released a statement.

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She said: I feel the greatest sympathy for the Parry family.

The loss of their son was tragic and must have been terribly painful, as for all victims of violence during the Troubles.

My personal politics and views are well known and I have never sought to disguise them, though on this issue they have remained unaired for many years.

Whatever the rights and wrongs, the history of Ireland has been marked by tragedy and I acknowledge that without hesitation and with genuine feeling for all involved.

My political views have never made me insensitive to the pain and suffering caused to the innocent victims of events such as the Warrington bomb.

In fact, I have always been inspired by the humane conduct of Mr Parry in the way he responded with compassion and dignity to the tragic loss inflicted on his family.

Local Warrington Councillor Dan Price said Ms Fox was totally unfit for office.

Councillor Price, one of Change UKs candidates for the European elections, said: Since Foxs candidacy was announced and her history has surfaced, Ive been approached by lots of people in Warrington who are furious she could soon be representing them.

I live in Warrington, I know the Parry family and Ive seen first-hand the work their peace foundation has done.
Anas Sarwar has condemned Labours complaints handling process as being deeply flawed as he revealed he was barred from giving evidence at a hearing into allegations he suffered racist abuse.

The Glasgow MSP said he was given just four days notice that the partys National Constitutional Committee (NCC) was going to meet to consider his complaint.

When he turned up he said he was prevented from speaking about his experiences because he had not given two weeks notice that he planned to appear as a witness.

My full statement on the Labour Partys disciplinary process following yesterdays National Constitutional Committee (NCC) hearing in Glasgow. #AFightForAllOfUs pic.twitter.com/RmpyFNgOiT  Anas Sarwar (@AnasSarwar) April 30, 2019

Mr Sarwar said he was left feeling deeply hurt and demoralised by the partys internal complaints process  which he said was deeply flawed and not fit for purpose.

He said: If even I, as a former deputy leader, interim leader, leadership candidate and shadow Cabinet member, dont believe I can get a fair hearing or adequate support from an institution like the Labour Party, then I am left wondering what chance those experiencing discrimination in other walks of life have.

Mr Sarwar now wants the Scottish Labour Party to be given power to deal with complaints raised north of the border.

He said: It is ludicrous that complaints made in Scotland arent dealt with in Scotland.

The Scottish Labour Party should be demanding that disciplinary matters are fully devolved to ensure that cases are dealt with efficiently, quickly and fairly here in Scotland.

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He complained about remarks he claims were made to him in 2017 during his unsuccessful bid to be elected as the partys Scottish leader.

Councillor Davie McLachlan allegedly told the Glasgow MSP he could not support him because Scotland wouldnt vote for a brown Muslim Paki.

The case against Mr McLachlan was dismissed by the NCC, with the councillor saying his reputation and character have been badly maligned by the false accusations .

But Mr Sarwar spoke out against the process, saying after 15 months of little of no communication about his complaint he was only notified about the NCC meeting on Thursday  four days before it took place.

He added: When I arrived at the hearing I was informed by an NCC representative that I could not give evidence as I had not given the committee two weeks notice of my intention to appear as a witness.

I was asked to leave and was unable to provide any evidence. The UK Labour NCC panel subsequently ruled that there was no case to answer without any verbal evidence being taken.

I am left with the sad impression that Islamophobia is one of the last acceptable forms of prejudiceAnas Sarwar

Mr Sarwar continued: Given what I read in the paperwork that was produced for the NCC hearing and my experiences since raising this case and the circumstances of the NCC hearing day itself, I am left with the sad impression that Islamophobia is one of the last acceptable forms of prejudice.

He insisted: It is important that disciplinary processes are fair and transparent.

But its now clear that the Labour Partys disciplinary process is deeply flawed and not fit for purpose.

It is not fair on either the complainant or the accused for the process to last 15 months.

It is not transparent if witnesses are not adequately informed and then barred from providing evidence.

The UK Labour Party needs to provide a full explanation on its handling of this case but more importantly it needs to understand the message that this sends about the partys commitment to tackling Islamophobia and all forms of prejudice. 

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: The complaints Anas Sarwar has made about how this case has been handled deserve to be treated seriously and he is entitled to a full explanation.

He added: I have said for some time now that we need to ensure these kind of cases are dealt with more efficiently and more quickly, while maintaining a fair, transparent and rigorous system.

We have doubled the size of the National Constitutional Committee, the independent body which hears these cases, but clearly more still needs to be done.

Mr Leonard also stressed: Anas has my full support for his campaign to root out racism and Islamophobia in our society.

A Labour Party spokesman said: The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously, which are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.

We are committed to campaigning against racism in all its forms, including Islamophobia, and we will continue to press the Conservative Party to join us in adopting the All-Party Parliamentary Groups definition of Islamophobia.
A suspected rapist wanted over the abduction of two women off the streets allegedly raped a woman days before in an incident police are treating as linked.

Joseph McCann is suspected of snatching a 21-year-old woman at knifepoint in Watford in the early hours of April 21 and raping her, Hertfordshire Police said.

Officers investigating the incident circulated the name of the fugitive in a public appeal last week and said the 34-year-old was wanted on recall to prison.

It is understood he had been released on licence from prison in February 2017 for an aggravated burglary.

It has since emerged that McCann is being hunted by the Metropolitan Police over attacks on two women in their twenties in north London on Thursday.

The force is offering a reward of up to 20,000 for information which leads to his arrest and prosecution.

It warned that he is extremely dangerous and known to use false names and may be using a disguise.

Hertfordshire Police said the first woman was approached at around 3.30am on April 21 in Hagden Lane, driven around for six hours in a blue Ford Mondeo and then raped.

The ordeal was reported to police the following day.

A spokesman said: A suspect was identified and a significant amount of work was done to try and locate and arrest him, which proved unsuccessful.

The named suspect was circulated on our social media channels as wanted on recall to prison on Thursday (April 25) as a result of our investigation.

The matter is being linked to the offences currently being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service.

We have been working very closely with them since their offences were reported and work is ongoing to trace the suspect.

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Police described McCann as being muscular, about 5ft 10in, and having a distinctive tattoo of the name bobbie on his stomach.

He is said to have blue eyes, a bald head or shaved blond hair with a light-coloured beard, and a slight Irish accent.

Officers said he has recently gone by the name of Joel and has links to Watford, north-west London, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and Ipswich in Suffolk.

Both women were raped after being snatched by a man in a silver or grey-coloured Ford S-Max people carrier with false registration plates.

The first woman was abducted at about 12.30am on Thursday from a street in Chingford, before the second was seized around 12 hours later at 12.15pm from a street in Edgware.

One of the women may have been pregnant, The Times reported.

They were driven to a hotel where the man attempted to book a room at around 1pm. They left when this was unavailable.

But the women managed to escape in Osborne Road, Watford, at about 2.30pm.

They were both traumatised by the ordeal and are receiving support from specialist officers, police said.

Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin said: We would ask anyone with any information about McCanns whereabouts to contact us immediately  McCann is considered extremely dangerous and a risk to the public and we ask people not to approach him, but instead call 999.

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If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers. It is vitally important we trace him in connection with these offences.

My team continues to work around the clock and we are making progress in furthering the investigation.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to rape, while the hunt for the rapist continues.

Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their first child (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The Duchess of Sussex is looking set to have a May-born baby, unless her son or daughter arrives soon.

Meghan told well-wishers her due date was the end of April or early May, but royal fans are still waiting for news, with no sign of the youngster so far.

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The birth stone for May is an Emerald, and the babys star sign will be Taurus.

The first day of the month of May is known as May Day, which stems from pagan festivals celebrating spring and fertility.

May Day is synonymous with the maypole  the spring ritual of dancing around a pole garnished with flowers and ribbons.

The earliest May Day celebrations appeared with the Floralia, festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers.

The day is also associated with Morris dancing, the crowning of a May Queen and the arrival of a Jack-in-the-Green or a Green Man as an embodiment of spring.

The ancient Celtic feast of Beltane is traditionally held on May 1 to mark the halfway point between spring and summer.

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In Oliver Cromwells time in the 17th century, maypole dancing was described as a heathenish vanity and the puritans banned it by law.

When Charles II was restored to the throne, people across the country put up maypoles in celebration and as a sign of loyalty to the crown.

May 1 is also International Workers Day  a public holiday in many countries  which is often marked by rallies and protests, sometimes leading to riots.

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A May 1 arrival would see baby Sussex share a birthday with Queen Victorias son Prince Arthur, actress Joanna Lumley, Lady Sarah Chatto  Princess Margarets daughter  and actor Matt Di Angelo.

Should the baby have been born before the end of April 30, the royal infants birthday will coincide with an appropriately American anniversary  the inauguration of the first US president George Washington in 1789.

Meghan and the Duke of Sussex have said they will only announce news of the birth once they have had time to celebrate together as a new family.

If the royal baby arrives on May 2, he or she will be born on Princess Charlotte of Cambridges fourth birthday.
A police force leader has criticised middle-class drug users who are more worried about the supply line of the coffee they drink than the cocaine they use.

David Lloyd, police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Hertfordshire, flagged up the issue as he gave evidence to a House of Commons inquiry on serious violence.

He told the Home Affairs committee: One of the real issues weve got at the moment is around use of drugs.

Frankly, the middle classes who in Hertfordshire are really concerned about their fair trade coffee, and what the supply line of that is, dont seem to have the same concern around the cocaine that they take.

Taking cocaine is not victimless, Mr Lloyd said, adding: Organised crime groups are using violence to enforce an unlawful market.

Mr Lloyds remarks echo comments by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, who has hit out at middle-class cocaine users who worry about issues like the environment and fair trade but believe there is no harm in taking the class A drug.

Ms Dicks remarks followed similar interventions by London mayor Sadiq Khan and Justice Secretary David Gauke.

In a recent speech Home Secretary Sajid Javid said a Government review into the ways drugs are fuelling serious violence will bring home to middle-class drug users that they are part of the problem.

He added: They may never set foot in a deprived area. They may never see an act of serious violence, but their illicit habits are adding fuel to the fire that is engulfing our communities.

Focus on the issue has intensified amid mounting concern over violent offending and knife crime.

Figures published last year indicated that cocaine use among people from wealthier homes in England and Wales was at its highest in nearly a decade.

In 2017/18, 3.4% of 16 to 59-year-olds living in households with an income of at least 50,000 reported taking the drug in powder form during the last year. The percentage was the highest recorded since 3.8% in 2008/09.

Meanwhile Dame Louise Casey, a former senior official who left the civil service after 18 years in 2017, said the Governments strategy for tackling serious violence is woefully inadequate and not a match for what we are dealing with.

Dame Louise, whose previous roles include independent commissioner for victims and witnesses of crime, said: Somebody somewhere has to say we need to draw a line in the sand and work out how we go forward across the whole of society and across the whole of government.

Labour seized on Dame Louises comments.

Shadow communities and local government secretary Andrew Gwynne said: The legacy of this government will not only be the mess that it has made of Brexit, but the vindictive cuts it has made to our local services which have led to higher crime  including higher knife crime  more poverty and increased homelessness.
Paloma the lurcher was found on the M25 in London (Scottish SPCA/PA)

An appeal has been launched after a stray dog was brought almost 400 miles to Scotland by a member of the public.

The black female lurcher was discovered on the M25 in Uxbridge, West London, before being picked up and driven to Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.

She was handed into a police station and officers contacted the Scottish SPCA, who have taken her into their care.

She is a very friendly girl and is in good healthPeter Fleming

Peter Fleming, manager of the Scottish SPCAs Lanarkshire centre, said: We were notified by Police Scotland of the dog who had been handed into the police station in Coatbridge.

We were very surprised to hear where she came from.

She is a very friendly girl and is in good health, the staff have named her Paloma.

The member of the public found Paloma straying on the M25 in Uxbridge, West London, and put her in his vehicle and travelled the long distance to Coatbridge.

Anyone who recognises the dog has been asked to contact the charity.


Quarterly Report

Melbourne, April 30, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - iSignthis Ltd ( ASX:ISX ) ( FRA:TA8 ) ("The Company") is pleased to provide the following un-audited Appendix 4C for the quarter ended 31st March 2019.Highlights- Revenues: $1.85m UP 56% from $1.042 (Q4 2018)- Cash Receipts: $1.4m UP 55% from $0.9m (Q4 2018)- Annualised GPTV $380m (based on actual weekly run rate)- MSF (average) greater than 125bpsThe Company's regular Quarterly Investor Briefing with commentary on the 4C will also be released today. The Company's representatives will be presenting results as part of their routine quarterly briefings to Sydney and Melbourne based analysts this week, with Zurich in late May .To view the full report, please visit:About iSignthis Ltd

iSignthis Ltd (ASX:ISX) (FRA:TA8) is a hybrid monetary financial institution and also a RegTech leader in remote identity verification, payment authentication with deposit taking, transactional banking and payment processing capability. iSignthis provides an end-to-end on-boarding service for merchants, with a unified payment, electronic money and identity service via our Paydentity(TM) and ISXPay(R) solutions.

By converging payments and identity, iSignthis delivers regulatory compliance to an enhanced customer due diligence standard, offering global reach to any of the world's 4.2Bn 'bank verified' card or account holders, that can be remotely on-boarded to meet the Customer Due Diligence requirements of AML regulated merchants in as little as 3 to 5 minutes. Paydentity(TM) has now onboarded and verified more than 1.5m persons to an AML KYC standard.

iSignthis Paydentity(TM) service is the trusted back office solution for regulated entities, allowing merchants to stay ahead of the regulatory curve, and focus on growing their core business. iSignthis' subsidiary, iSignthis eMoney Ltd, trades as ISXPay(R), and is an EEA authorised eMoney Monetary Financial Institution, offering card acquiring in the EEA, and Australia.

ISXPay(R) is a principal member of Mastercard Inc, Diners, Discover, (China) Union Pay International and JCB International, an American Express aggregator, and provides merchants with access to payments via alternative methods including SEPA, Poli Payments, Sofort, PRZ24 and others.

Probanx Solutions Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of iSignthis Ltd, provides API based access to CORE Banking solutions, SEPA Core, SEPA Instant and SEPA business scheme, for neobanks, banks, credit unions and emoney institutions, and provides a bridge to the Eurosystem's Central Bank of Lithuania's CENTROLink service.
A van decorated with Woodstock or Bust at the original Woodstock Festival site in Bethel, New York (Stephen Chernin/AP)

Woodstock 50 will go on despite the loss of a major financial partner, according to the organisers of the beleaguered anniversary event.

In a statement, Woodstock 50 co-founder Michael Lang and Woodstock LLC said that they were committed to ensuring that the 50th anniversary of Woodstock is marked with a festival deserving of its iconic name and place in American history and culture.

Although our financial partner is withdrawing, we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partnersOrganisers

They said that would continue despite the announcement earlier in the day that a financial investor was dropping out of the event, scheduled for August 16-18 in Watkins Glen, New York.

Although our financial partner is withdrawing, we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners, the statement read.

The bottom line is, there is going to be a Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, as there must be, and its going to be a blast.

The anniversary event has had some bumps in the road.

Tickets were originally supposed to go on sale last week, but that was put on hold.

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And some of the performers leaked to the press ahead of its announcement.

But the biggest obstacle came on Monday when its major investor pulled out.

Despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we dont believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees, Dentsu Aegis Networks Amplifi Live said in a statement.

That led many to assume that the event would be cancelled.

Jay-Z, Dead & Company and the Killers were announced as headliners at the concert series, to take place about 115 miles northwest of the original site.

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The event is separate from an anniversary concert planned at the site of the original festival in 1969.

More than 80 artists, including John Fogerty, Miley Cyrus, Santana, Imagine Dragons, Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters, the Black Keys, Chance the Rapper and Janelle Monae, are expected to perform on three main stages at Watkins Glen International racetrack in the Finger Lakes for Woodstock 50.

The original concert was held on a farm in Bethel, New York, that is now run as an attraction by The Bethel Woods Centre for the Arts.

The venue has its own anniversary event August 16-18 with performances by Ringo Starr, Fogerty and Santana.
A TV camera and cars are seen outside Milans San Raffaele hospital Luca Bruno/AP)

Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi went to hospital suffering from renal colic on the day he planned to present his candidates for European Parliament elections.

Mr Berlusconis Forza Italia said the 82-year-old media mogul had still hoped to attend the presentation but that doctors at Milans San Raffaele clinic prohibited him from leaving.

In a statement, the press office said Mr Berlusconi had phoned his deputy, Antonio Tajani, to assure him he was OK.

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He was suffering from acute renal colic, which is pain often caused by kidney stones.

In excerpts of the speech he had planned to deliver, Mr Berlusconi railed against the isolationist bent of the current populist government of the right-wing League and the 5-Star Movement.

He warned that Italy couldnt confront the threat of African migration, Chinese imperialistic design and Islamic fundamentalism without European support.

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The three-time premier has suffered heart problems in the past.

He has said, despite his age, he wants to run for the European Parliament elections to restore Europe to its values.

His once-dominant Forza Italia party trails in the polls behind the League, the 5-Stars and the opposition Democratic Party.
US president Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One in an attempt to block a congressional summons for his business records.

The lawsuit by Mr Trump, his sons Donald Jr and Eric and daughter Ivanka, was filed in a US federal court in Manhattan.

The Trump Organisation and the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust are among the other plaintiffs.

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Two US congressional committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and several other financial institutions earlier this month as part of investigations into Mr Trumps finances.

US House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff said at the time that the subpoenas were part of an investigation into allegations of potential foreign influence on the US political process.

He has said he wants to know whether Russians used laundered money for transactions with the Trump Organisation. Mr Trumps businesses have benefited from Russian investment over the years.

The Trumps want a federal judge to declare the subpoenas unlawful.

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The lawsuit also seeks to block the financial institutions from disclosing information and complying with the subpoenas.

Deutsche Bank, a German asset management firm, has loaned Mr Trumps real estate organisation millions of dollars over time.

When the subpoenas were issued April 15, Eric Trump, executive vice president of The Trump Organisation, called them an unprecedented abuse of power and simply the latest attempt by House Democrats to attack the president and our family for political gain.
Opponents to Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro confront loyalist Bolivarian National Guard troops firing tear gas at them, outside La Carlota military airbase in Caracas, Venezuela (Fernando Llano/AP)

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has taken to the streets with a small contingent of heavily armed troops in a bold and risky attempt to lead a military uprising and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.

The early-morning rebellion seems to have only limited military support.

But it was by far the most-serious challenge yet to Mr Maduros rule since Mr Guaido, with the backing of the US, declared himself the countrys interim president in January in rejection of a government he accused of usurping power.

The dramatic events began early Tuesday when Mr Guaido, flanked by a few dozen national guardsmen and some armoured vehicles, released a three-minute video filmed near a Caracas air base in which he called on civilians and others in the armed forces to join a final push to topple Mr Maduro.

En el marco de nuestra constitucion. Y por el cese definitivo de la usurpacion. https://t.co/3RD2bnQhxt  Juan Guaido (@jguaido) April 30, 2019

Pueblo de Venezuela inicio el fin de la usurpacion. En este momento me encuentro con las principales unidades militares de nuestra Fuerza Armada dando inicio a la fase final de la Operacion Libertad.  Juan Guaido (@jguaido) April 30, 2019

In a surprise, standing alongside him was Leopoldo Lopez, his political mentor and the nations most-prominent opposition activist, who has largely been unseen since he was detained in 2014 for leading anti-government protests.

Mr Lopez said he had been released from house arrest by security forces adhering to an order from Mr Guaido.

I want to tell the Venezuelan people: This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers, Mr Lopez declared.

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As the two allies coordinated actions from vehicles parked on a highway overpass, troops loyal to Mr Maduro sporadically fired tear gas from inside the adjacent Carlota air base.

A crowd that quickly swelled to a few thousand scurried for cover, with a smaller group of masked youths reassembling outside the air bases gates where they lobbed rocks and other heavy objects.

Nervios de Acero! He conversado con los Comandantes de todas las REDI y ZODI del Pais, quienes me han manifestado su total lealtad al Pueblo, a la Constitucion y a la Patria. Llamo a la maxima movilizacion popular para asegurar la victoria de la Paz. Venceremos!  Nicolas Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) April 30, 2019

Its now or never, said one of the young rebellious soldiers, his face covered in the blue bandanna worn by the few dozen soldiers who stood alongside Mr Guaido and Mr Lopez.

Mr Maduro tried to project an image of strength, saying he had spoken to several regional military commanders who reaffirmed their loyalty to his socialist revolution.

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Nerves of steel!, he said in a message posted on Twitter.

The dramatic events, playing out in the oppositions stronghold in wealthier neighbourhood of eastern Caracas, appeared not to have triggered a broader military revolt.

Defence minister Vladimir Padrino on Twitter rejected what he called an attempt by a subversive movement to generate panic and terror.

The ruling socialist party chief, Diosdado Cabello, said most of Caracas was calm and called on government supporters to amass at the presidential palace to defend Mr Maduro from what he said was a US-backed coup attempt.

About a dozen government supporters, some of them brandishing firearms, gathered at the presidential palace, answering the call by Mr Cabello to defend Mr Maduro.

Its time to defend the revolution with arms, Valentin Santana, head of a militant group, said in a video posted on social media as he brandished an automatic rifle.

Mr Guaido said the troops who had taken to the streets were protecting Venezuelas constitution.

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He said that in the coming hours he would release a list of top commanders supporting the uprising.

The armed forces have taken the right decision, said Mr Guaido.

With the support of the Venezuelan people and the backing of our constitution they are on the right side of history.

To @jguaido, the National Assembly and all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today in #operacionlibertadEstamos con ustedes! We are with you! America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored. Vayan con dios! #FreeVenezuela  Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) April 30, 2019

As events unfolded, governments from around the world expressed a mix of support for Mr Guaido while reiterating calls to avoid violent confrontation.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton, in a Twitter post directed at Mr Padrino, said the armed forces must protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people.

US vice president Mike Pence was one of several figures in the Trump administration to tweet support for Mr Guaido.

Meanwhile, Spains caretaker government urged restraint, while the governments of Cuba and Bolivia reiterated their support for Mr Maduro.

We hope with all of our strength that there is no bloodshed. We support a peaceful democratic process in Venezuela. We support the immediate holding of an election for a new president, Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said.
Conservative grandees are bracing the party for what some fear could be the greatest electoral catastrophe in their history - even worse than the General Election whitewash inflicted by Labour in 1997.

Some pundits even fear the Tories could lose as many as 1,000 seats at the local government elections on Thursday.

Tory canvassers are reporting that, on doorsteps, they're encountering anger among would-be voters on a scale they've never come across before.

Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis is reporting "huge frustration" among people who have regularly voted Tory in the past. That is the understatement of the year.

The stark truth is that the Conservative Party is in a mess. People see the conduct of the Brexit negotiations as shambolic, with the Brussels negotiators treating the UK team almost with contempt.

Added to all this is the ferocious and highly public internal warfare inside the party. Never before have the Conservatives been in such abject disarray.

A particularly unpleasant feature of that is the sometimes quite cruel criticism of the Prime Minister from her so-called "friends".

It has to be said, however, that Theresa May has borne all these slings and arrows with equanimity.

But, overall, the outlook for the Conservative Party is grim and bleak. Thursday will show them precisely how bad things really are.

Can they ever recover?

Many people consider that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has made a serious error of judgment in declining to attend the Buckingham Palace banquet in honour of Donald Trump, during his forthcoming state visit to the UK.

I don't suppose the President gives two hoots whether Corbyn is there or not. But that is not the point.

In the not-too-distant future, Corbyn could be in 10 Downing Street and Trump could still be in the White House.

Corbyn's decision was based on his anathema towards Trump, and the British Labour leader acted in line with his conscience - a perfectly understandable thing to do. But Corbyn must learn to occasionally put aside, however reluctantly, his conscientious feelings, in favour of the national interest.

What on earth can a President of the United States think about a British Prime Minister who, before he entered Downing Street, had seriously snubbed him?

It certainly will not do wonders for the "Special Relationship".

Corbyn should think ahead, rather than act hastily.

The formidable Ann Widdecombe, a former Tory Home Office minister, would surely be eligible for inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records for high-end defections, if there were such a category. Widdecombe defected from the Church of England, where she was a devout member, to join the Church of Rome some years ago. And last week she quit the Conservative Party to line up with Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party, which, I might add, is already causing some anxiety in Tory and Labour circles, as the local elections and possibly the EU elections approach.

Some eyebrows were raised - including her own - that she was not elevated to the House of Lords after her departure from the Commons.

But I have always suspected that the reason for that omission was her ferocious attack in the House of Commons when the Tories went into opposition in 1997, on Michael Howard - her former boss when he was Home Secretary.

She had the House gasping when she described Howard as someone "with the night about him".

So, she may still be paying the price for what many considered at the time to be a totally unnecessary exhibition of personal criticism.

However, Miss Widdecombe has enjoyed a more varied post-Commons career than most of her colleagues.

She has appeared in pantomime, even though she can neither sing nor dance (as evidenced by her performance on Strictly Come Dancing), and in grand opera, and has also written bestselling novels and is a regular newspaper columnist.

Good luck to her. She certainly adds to the gaiety of the nation.

I do not wish to sound like a Jeremiah, but I fear that Change UK, the new party of defectors from Labour and the Tories, is beginning to sound like "More of the Same UK".

It was hurriedly formed from those of like minds on Brexit (and possibly little else). In short, it is a single-issue party, although I am sure its members would disagree with that.

But single-issue parties, worthy though they may be, do not survive very long under the British political system.

I fear, too, that once (if ever) Brexit is behind us, one way or another, Change UK could degenerate rapidly as a political force at Westminster.

The party's interim leader, Heidi Allen, says she is looking forward to dealing with "more exciting" issues, like health and education.

But its members are a disparate bunch of politicians, who do not share similar views on these issues. So, that would lead inevitably to regular bouts of internal squabbling.

And it has been shown that the British electorate do not care for parties engaged in internal warfare.

I would not be tempted to risk any money on this outfit surviving after the next General Election.
Bangladeshi security personnel patrol in the Bosila area of Dhaka after an explosion at a makeshift house killed two suspected militants, April 29, 2019. (Reuters)

Bangladesh authorities said Tuesday they were probing claims from the Islamic State that it was behind a petrol-bomb attack that injured three police officers in Dhaka, but a minister belittled the assertion as propaganda.

Unidentified assailants tossed a Molotov cocktail at officers who were manning a traffic intersection in the capital on Monday, injuring three of them, police officer-in-charge Mahmudul Haque Nayan told BenarNews. Witnesses said the injured officers were taken to a hospital.

SITE intelligence, a U.S.-based group that monitors online communications among Muslim militants, said the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack that involved the use of an incendiary firebomb often described as a poor mans grenade, which consists of a bottle filled with fuel-soaked rag and a combustible liquid.

A case has been filed and today we are sending the case to the counter-terrorism and transnational crimes unit to investigate whether terrorism is the motive, Nayan said.

SITE said the IS-linked Al Mursalat Media posted an electronic image in English, Bengali and Hindi on its Telegram pages threatening new attacks.

A SITE spokesman confirmed the authenticity of the image, which shows five members of Bangladesh militant group Neo-JMB who died in the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe attack that killed 20 civilians in July 2016. As that attack was ongoing, IS-linked media posted pictures of the same five men and claimed responsibility.

Tuesdays graphic image also includes a caption that said: Do you ever think that the anger of the mujahideen will suddenly bring destruction upon you? Then wait for that day  coming soon inshaallah (God willing).

The IS message went out on same day the groups supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appeared in a video for the first time in five years, according to news agencies. He acknowledged IS' defeat in Syria, but vowed to take revenge.

God ordered us to wage jihad. He did not order us to win, al-Baghdadi said, according to Agence France-Presse.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday denied any IS presence in the country  a stance he has held since the Holey Artisan attack. IS also claimed responsibility for two bombings in a week in March 2017 at sites near Dhakas aviation hub.

This is propaganda from the same SITE intelligence group that IS carried out a Molotov cocktail attack, Khan told BenarNews. There is no IS presence in Bangladesh.

We have tackled the militants with an iron hand, crushed their backbone. The poster is nothing but an empty slogan, he said.

We are aware, and our law enforcement agencies are quite capable, Khan said of efforts to stop militant attacks. They would not be able to cause any harm in Bangladesh for the militants have no support among the people.

Investigations

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia, who spoke with reporters Tuesday morning after visiting the injured officers, did not rule out an IS role in the attack.

The officials of the counter-terrorism and transnational crimes unit have been examining whether IS agents or others pretending to be IS are responsible, he said, adding the improvised bomb was more powerful than most Molotov cocktails.

We are increasing the security of the traffic police, he said.

The attack came hours after two militants died in an apparent suicide explosion as members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) surrounded their makeshift tin-shed house in the Bosila neighborhood of Dhaka, officials said.

RAB senior superintendent Mizanur Rahman told BenarNews that a case has been lodged under the anti-terrorism act against five to six unidentified assailants linked to the suicide blast.

We have yet to ascertain the identity of the two militants who blew themselves up in Boslia. Our forensics team has been working to determine their identities, he said.

In addition, the owners and caretaker of the house have been questioned but they are not suspects at this time, Rahman said.

Retired Brig. Gen. Sakhawat Hossain, who serves as a security analyst, supported Khans statement about IS not having a stronghold in Bangladesh.

This is not a big issue whether IS carried out the attack. But the two incidents Monday indicate that the militants are regrouping, he told BenarNews.

The IS usually does not carry out attack of this nature such as throwing cocktails. But they can change their modus of attack following the destruction of the caliphate in Syria and Iraq, he said.
Indonesian police inspect the site of a bomb attack outside a church in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, May 13, 2018.

Indonesian police and military members should guard against women taking a more active role in potential terrorist attacks by Muslim extremists  as seen in Surabaya in 2018 and in Sri Lanka earlier this month  a Jakarta-based think tank said in a report published Monday.

Suicide bombings carried out in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday underscore that Indonesia has not had to not face coordinated attacks that kill hundreds of people, the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) said in opening its report.

Indonesia has been lucky thus far that its terrorists generally have had too little experience to think big. With a little imagination and better leadership, these pro-ISIS cells could do far greater damage, IPAC said, using another acronym for the Islamic State (IS).

The report, The Ongoing Problem of Pro-ISIS Cells in Indonesia, described Indonesia as fortunate to have had such low-caliber terrorists and high-caliber counter-terrorism police.

Local militant groups, like the one blamed for the April 21 attacks in Sri Lanka, have not been discouraged by IS defeats in the Middle East, but have been emboldened to wage war at home, IPAC reported.

Indonesian officials, meanwhile, have weakened efforts by militant groups through a wave of arrests since the May 2018 suicide bombings of churches and a police station in Surabaya, the report said. Those attacks in the capital of East Java province involved whole families  men, their wives and children in launching suicide bomb attacks. Twelve civilians were killed.

Many of the arrests since then targeted the nations largest pro-IS coalition, Jamaah Ansharul Daulah (JAD), damaging the structure but leaving behind several territorial units that remain determined to act on their own, IPAC said.

Many of these ad-hoc cells in Indonesia have been hampered by geographic dispersal of members, if they were formed online, and by a general absence of any vetting, training or indoctrination procedures, let alone security precautions.

A broader phenomenon

The report also pointed to a potential link between Surabaya and a more recent incident in Sibolga involving Indonesian female suicide bombers, and a Sri Lankan woman who blew herself up shortly after the Easter Sunday attacks.

The Sri Lankan woman, who was the wife of one of the suicide bombers, killed herself, her children and police officers who entered her familys home shortly after the April 21 attacks.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Sri Lankan attacks, which were carried out by members of a local pro-IS Muslim extremist group, according to news reports. The bombings killed about 250 people at churches and hotels in three cities in the island-nation.

Surabaya now seems to have been an inspiration for Sibolga, and the involvement of the Sri Lankan woman suggests this could now be a broader phenomenon, the report states.

In March, the wife of a suspected Indonesian militant detonated a bomb, killing herself and her child in Sibolga city in North Sumatra province after police surrounded her house a day after arresting her husband.

Following the attacks in Sri Lanka, a spokesman said Indonesian police were on alert and tracking potential terrorists throughout the country.

We have been mapping and profiling sleeper cells in all parts of Indonesia by continuously monitoring the movements of these groups, spokesman Dedi Prasetyo told BenarNews.

Recommendations

The IPAC report offered a series of recommendations, with two focusing specifically on women.

The first calls for better programs for pro-IS women detainees. It said 15 women, including some involved in violent acts, were in custody.

Understanding the backgrounds and motivations of these women is essential for preparing a more targeted rehabilitation program, and they themselves may have ideas about prevention strategies, the report stated.

The report also called for more women to be recruited and trained as members of the counter-terrorist unit Densus 88, including in its intelligence unit.

The percentage of women in the police more generally remains woefully low, just over 8 percent.

IPAC pointed out that the Sri Lankan attacks showed that IS had identified Christians and Jews as enemies and had encouraged attacks against them.

What happened in Sri Lanka could increase the lure of such attacks by IS supporters in Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim-majority nation.

The existence of small cells also means that sooner or later, one of them is likely to think of copying the kind of attack that has taken place elsewhere but that to date has not been tried in Indonesia: a truck attack; a random stabbing of a foreigner; a mall shooting. It is easy to dismiss the competence of Indonesian terrorists, but as long as they continue to subscribe to ISIS ideology, they remain a serious threat, the report concluded.


From left, Vlad Bilanovsky (WiseTech), Anders Lyckoskold (Xware), Jonas Ericsson (Xware), Richard White (WiseTech)

Sydney, April 30, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Global logistics solutions group, WiseTech Global ( ASX:WTC ) ( OTCMKTS:WTCHF ), today announced the acquisition of Xware, a leading messaging integration solutions provider in Sweden.Xware's secure, interoperable messaging solution, xTrade, is designed to link organisations to their suppliers and partners, allowing them to safely share information across application to application, business to business, managed file transfers, business process management and IoT - essential for real-time messaging, queued business flows and data integration. Xware products are also utilised in the integration of complex applications in specialised sectors such as defence. Xware customers include Swedish Armed Forces, CGI, Stockholm City Council, Axstores/Ahlens, Greencarrier Freight Services, and other organisations across sectors including logistics, IT, and healthcare.WiseTech Global Founder and CEO, Richard White, said "We welcome the Xware team who are well regarded for their innovative and secure message switching technology, into the WiseTech family. We are acquiring Xware to enhance our messaging gateway and ensure we have greater control over the future development, quality and scalability of this key messaging technology. This is part of our digital straight-through processing strategy to accelerate adoption, reduce risks and costs and encourage wider digitisation within the logistics industry. This adjacency acquisition will also expand our innovation resources, deliver benefits to our customers and improve partner channel capacity for integrations to CargoWise platforms."Given our powerful global development capabilities and worldwide reach, we will together further expand the speed and ease with which organisations can interconnect their myriad information systems with our CargoWise One global logistics execution platform. Xware will also play a part in our CargoWise Nexus platform, currently in development, designed to enable our customers to rapidly, reliably and securely connect digitally with their own customers and trading partners."Our CargoWise engines, services and systems are designed with a global schema, utilising workflows, automations, trigger events, exception-led transactions, robotics and guided decision-making tools to deliver essential platforms and applications. Ultimately, they will create value through electronic integration, cost reduction, digitisation and deep automation capabilities, conserving resources, reducing errors, and connecting shippers, carriers, logistics providers and governments live across their supply chain."Xware Managing Director, Jonas Ericsson, said, "Joining the WiseTech Global group brings Xware to a new phase with extensive new technical and commercial opportunities, such as access to the global market, and their very advanced and innovative development resources. While we remain committed to delivering the best messaging integration solutions to our customers across Sweden and their ongoing support, we will now be able to help more organisations who operate outside the Nordics."Xware will remain under the leadership of Jonas Ericsson, and Founder, Anders Lyckoskold.Across ~130 countries, CargoWise One enables logistics service providers to execute highly complex transactions in areas such as freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, shipping, tracking, land transport, e-commerce, and cross-border compliance and to manage their operations on one database across multiple users, functions, countries, languages and currencies.This transaction follows WiseTech's other recent logistics solutions acquisitions in Argentina, Australasia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, North America, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, the UK and Uruguay, and is in line with WiseTech Global's clearly stated strategy of accelerating long-term organic growth through targeted, valuable geographic foothold and technology adjacency acquisitions.About Xware ABFounded in 1991, Xware is based in Sweden, headquartered in Stockholm with a team of 12 experienced industry, integration and technical professionals.Xware provides a messaging integration hub, xTrade, which links customers to their suppliers and partners, allowing them to safely share data. Customers include Swedish Armed Forces, CGI, Stockholm City Council, Greencarrier Freight Services, Axstores/Ahlens, and other organisations across various sectors including logistics, IT, defence and healthcare.Visit www.xware.se to find out more.About WiseTech Global Ltd

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX:WTC) is a leading developer and provider of software solutions to the logistics execution industry globally. Our customers include over 17,000 of the world's logistics companies across 160 countries, including 41 of the top 50 global thirdparty logistics providers and all of the 25 largest global freight forwarders worldwide2. Our flagship platform, CargoWise, forms an integral link in the global supply chain and executes over 50 billion data transactions annually.

At WiseTech, we are relentless about innovation, adding over 4,000 product enhancements to our global platform in the past five years while bringing meaningful continual improvement to the world's supply chains. Our breakthrough software solutions are renowned for their powerful productivity, extensive functionality, comprehensive integration, deep compliance capabilities, and truly global reach.

For more information about WiseTech Global or CargoWise, please visit wisetechglobal.com and cargowise.com
Police Cpl. Jeanne Cayabyab uses her Huawei mobile phone during a town festival in the northern Philippine city of Dagupan, April 30, 2019.

The Philippine foreign ministry on Tuesday said it was disturbed that a news website published a confidential document warning other state agencies of espionage risks in partnering with Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

The warning comes a month after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during a visit in Manila, cautioned the Philippines against deploying Huawei technology, especially in matters involving sensitive information.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement that the online news site Rappler had published a report claiming that it had obtained an internal DFA memorandum supposedly warning other agencies, including the National Security Council, of cyber-security concerns and steps taken by the Czech Republic and France to limit the use of Huawei products.

This is regrettable as the published document clearly bears no such warning by the Department. More than anything, the Department is disturbed that a confidential document has been published, and it calls on relevant agencies to investigate the matter, it said.

The brief statement, however, has raised more questions than answers. But department spokesmen refused to answer when asked if the carefully worded statement was a confirmation that the Philippines has been using technology from the Chinese firm.

Rappler reported that the foreign ministry memo on Jan. 25 said that the Czech Republic had banned the use of Huawei and devices made by ZTE, another Chinese tech company, due to possible cyber-security threats.

According to the memo, the Philippine Embassy in Paris also reported in January that France supposedly had implemented operator restrictions on Huawei amid concerns that China could spy on countries where it has a network presence.

The Philippines has recently entered into an agreement with state-owned China International Telecommunication Construction Corporation for the Safe Philippines emergency response and monitoring system project, where Huawei will provide about 12,000 closed-circuit TV cameras.

In a visit to the Philippines last month, Pompeo claimed the tech giant Huawei was not operating on a level playing field and countries such as the Philippines were risking their security if they wholly embraced the Chinese firm.

Pompeo warned that any deals with Huawei, which makes 5G technology, risk handing over data to the Chinese government.

Similarly, American companies are best partners in the priority areas of infrastructure, development and the digital economy because they operate with the highest standards of transparency and adherence to the rule of law, Pompeo had said. The same cannot be said of Chinese state-run or state-backed enterprises.

He singled out Huawei, and warned that it would make it more difficult for Washington to partner with Manila if its longtime defense ally readily agreed to the use of Huawei Technologies apparatus.

Pompeo said that the United States wants to make sure that the world has their eyes wide open as to the risk of having that technology be part of the infrastructure, or backbone, or networks that are transiting communications inside of the country.

Jiri Ovcacek, spokesman for Czech President Milos Zeman, who visited Beijing last week for Chinas One Belt, One Road infrastructure forum, told Chinese media that the Wests campaign against Huawei was not based on evidence, according to the South China Morning Post.

Huaweis technology was not being used for espionage, Ovcacek said after a meeting between Zeman and Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei on Saturday.

Police to probe espionage claims

National police chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde on Tuesday told reporters that law-enforcement investigators would look into allegations that Huawei was reportedly engaged in espionage for the Chinese government.

Albayalde made the statement after local media questioned his police agencys decision to choose Huawei as a sponsor of last months 6th National Anti-Cybercrime Summit in Manila.

This was made without irregularity. We did not favor the company just because its Huawei, Albayalde said. We followed the bidding law here and they won because they did win the bidding.
Have you ever lost anything in the ocean? You can pretty much you kiss it goodbye. You probably wont ever see it again.

Years ago I was scuba diving, and I was cruising along at about 15 feet below the surface. I could see the ocean floor, which was about 30 feet below the surface. I went out a little further, and the ocean floor dropped to 60 feet. I went to a depth of 30 feet and ventured out even further, until the ocean floor was at about 80 feet below the surface. Then I came to a ledge that dropped off, and I could no longer see the bottom of the ocean. I took one look into that dark abyss, turned around and went back the way I came. That is a long way down. If you drop something there, you will never see it again.

The Bible says of God, You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19 NKJV). God will take our sin and throw it into the deepest part of the sea. He will take our iniquities and cast them into the depths of the ocean. God also promises, For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 8:12 NKJV). Isnt that good news? God will forgive your sin. He will forget your sin. We should not choose to remember what God has chosen to forget. It is forgiven.

Photo Courtesy: Thinkstock
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 30, 2019 Contact: Robert Ukeiley, Center for Biological Diversity, (720) 496-8568, rukeiley@biologicaldiversity.org

Caroline Cox, Center for Environmental Health, (510) 655-3900, Caroline@ceh.org Lawsuit Launched to Protect Sonoma County Residents From Airport Lead Pollution SANTA ROSA, Calif. Environmental groups filed a formal notice today of their intent to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to protect northern Sonoma County residents from deadly airborne lead emitted by planes using local airports. California has repeatedly submitted air-permitting rules for northern Sonoma County that failed to include emission standards for lead, a deadly neurotoxin. Under the Clean Air Act the EPA is required to develop air-quality plans when states submit deficient plans. The plans are designed to help states keep their air pollution below federal limits. The EPA needs to act expeditiously and develop new permitting rules that will protect our communities from the irreversible effects of lead poisoning, said Caroline Cox, a senior scientist at the Center for Environmental Health. Young children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure and deserve regulations that provide the highest protections available. Lead pollution is a serious problem in northern Sonoma County, where several local airports, including the Sea Ranch, Healdsburg Municipal and Cloverdale Municipal, service small piston-engine powered aircrafts typically used for corporate and private travel. Such planes use aviation gas, the only remaining type of gasoline containing lead. According to the EPA, the more than 167,000 piston-engine planes in operation are responsible for nearly half of all lead emissions nationwide. Theres no excuse for allowing small planes to continue to poison Sonoma Countys air, said Robert Ukeiley, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. The EPA needs to take immediate steps to reduce the dangerous threats posed by toxic lead. A 2011 Duke University study reported that as far back as 2010, EPA research showed that the lead in air surrounding airports can be inhaled directly, or the lead may be ingested by children after it settles into soil or dust. The Duke study found that higher levels of lead were detected in North Carolina children living within half a mile of an airport where planes use leaded gas. The study concluded there was a significant association between leaded aviation fuel and higher blood lead levels in children. Lead is a heavy metal that can persist in the environment indefinitely. Continuous exposure causes it to accumulate in the bodys organs and bones. Short-term exposure to lead can result in abdominal pain, constipation, fatigue, headaches, irritability, loss of appetite, memory loss, pain or tingling in the hands or feet and weakness. Long-term exposure can result in kidney and brain damage, hypertension, impairments to the immune and reproductive systems and even death. Lead poisoning is also a threat to wildlife. Northern Sonoma County is home to endangered steelhead trout, as well as protected coho and Chinook salmon, which rely on the Russian River to spawn. The successful recovery and health of the Chinook salmon is critically important to Southern Resident killer whales, which depend almost exclusively on the fish as their food.


Quarterly Activities Report

Perth, April 30, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Australian Potash Limited ( ASX:APC ) (APC or the Company) is pleased to provide shareholders with its Quarterly Activities Report for the period ended 31 March 2019.Highlights:Lake Wells Sulphate of Potash (SOP) Project (LWPP) - 100% Owned, Western Australia- 53% K2O field evaporated trade samples of SOP produced- Commencement of final field programs of work for Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS)- SOP for WA Farmers research collaboration project announcedLake Wells Gold Project (LWGP) - 100% Owned, Western Australia- Earn-In & Joint Venture Agreement with St Barbara Limited (SBM) meeting exploration expenditure: Planning for 500 hole Aircore drill program for 23,500 metres testing 13 targets completed with commencement expected Q2 CY2019Corporate- Successful raise of $4.2m under a pro-rata renounceable entitlements issue, APC fully funded to completion of Lake Wells DFSManaging Director and CEO, Matt Shackleton, commented: "The $4.2m raised by APC through an entitlements issue to shareholders during the quarter has set the Company up well for the final field programs of work in the DFS."We have mobilised earth moving equipment to site post quarter end and have already completed more than 75% of the On-playa Trial Pond construction program. We anticipate finalising the development of the program and moving to first fills of the ponds in May."Two drill rigs are currently operating at Lake Wells, with diamond core being recovered and permanent pressure sensors being installed for long term pump testing. The second rig has commenced development of the first of two or three proposed additional production wells. On completion of these drill programs, and subsequent test pump program, we will be in a position to finalise the Reserve estimate for the completion of the DFS."We continue to develop commercial relationships in the near Asian agricultural markets, with attendance at the Shanghai fertiliser conference proving to be a successful interaction with end users. We look forward to updating investors presently on this aspect of the DFS."The joint venture agreement with St Barbara Limited is progressing well, with planning finalised for a comprehensive SBM funded Aircore gold exploration drill program across the Lake Wells tenements, commencing in the current quarter. On SBM electing to proceed past the first 12 months of the JV agreement, it has agreed to reimburse APC for previous exploration expenditure up to $500,000."To view the full report, please visit:About Australian Potash Ltd

Australian Potash Limited (ASX:APC) is an ASX-listed Sulphate of Potash (SOP) developer. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Lake Wells Potash Project located approximately 500kms northeast of Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields.

Following the release of a Scoping Study in 2017, APC has been conducting a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) into the development of the Lake Wells Potash Project. The Company is aiming to release the findings of the DFS in H2 2019.

The Lake Wells Potash Project is a palaeochannel brine hosted sulphate of potash project. Palaeochannel bore fields supply large volumes of brine to many existing mining operations throughout Western Australia, and this technique is a well understood and proven method for extracting brine. APC will use this technically low-risk and commonly used brine extraction model to further develop a bore-field into the palaeochannel hosting the Lake Wells SOP resource.

A Scoping Study on the Lake Wells Potash Project was completed and released on 23 March 2017. The Scoping Study exceeded expectations and confirmed that the Project's economic and technical aspects are all exceptionally strong, and highlights APC's potential to become a significant long-life, low capital and high margin sulphate of potash (SOP) producer.
Tim Rutten, Business Director Asia Pacific & Africa, Centrient Pharmaceuticals shares his views on AMR

The Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan (KARSAP) was recently launched in India. Your views on the same?

It is commendable that Kerala is the first state in India to implement a comprehensive action plan to combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The efforts and the approach followed by the Government of Kerala are highly encouraging and would ideally be a precedence for other states. The state plan was drawn up with multi-sectoral coordination, in alignment with national and global action plans as well as consultations with NGOs and pharmaceutical companies such as ours.

Overall, Keralas timely intervention signals the states intent to strengthen the focus on public health and AMR, reduce the burden of AMR, and as a result, reduce health expenditure supported by public-private partnership in the area. While pharmaceutical pollution from manufacturing of antibiotics is not necessarily a large problem in states such as Kerala at present, due to limited pharma industry presence, antibiotic pollution through aquaculture, meat product industry and hospital waste is prevalent.

The idea behind the plan is to address these issues and also be future-ready by pre-emptively addressing challenges that may occur as the industrial sector in states expands. Keeping this in mind the Government of Kerala has already organized workshops on industrial effluent treatment to contain AMR. Kerala is also working with partners such as Centre for Science and Environment to set up an integrated surveillance framework for AMR. The example set by Kerala in all these directions could serve as a good example for other states.

How serious is the threat of drug resistance or resistance to antibiotics globally today?

Antibiotics are the cornerstone of modern healthcare, they cure bacterial infections and enable other lifesaving medical procedures, such as surgery and cancer treatments, saving millions of lives each year. Unfortunately over time resistance against antibiotics develops as natural phenomena. This is however accelerated by the miss- and over use of antibiotics in humans and animals and the release of antibiotic active effluent into the environment, when no adequate waste water treatment is applied by the manufacturing industry. The global health threat that AMR poses is very serious. The AMR Review (2014) as commissioned by the UK government indicates that today ca. 700.000 people die each year as a consequence of AMR. If we do not act now, this could grow to 10 million deaths by 2050. This would also bring enormous cost to our healthcare systems and society at large with an estimated cumulative global cost to economic output of 100 Trillion USD.

The scoping report on AMR in India (2017) as set up for the Department of Biotechnology shows that India has amongst the highest resistance rates in the world. Another report by the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP) 2015 on the State of the Worlds Antibiotics indicates that 58, 000 new-born babies die each year in India due to drug-resistant infections. These staggering numbers show that immediate action on all causes of AMR is required.

Kindly tell us something about Sustainable Development Programmes of Centrient Pharmaceuticals? Current updates?

For Centrient Pharmaceuticals, sustainability is an integral part of our everyday business operations, strategic actions and decisions. We are constantly striving to provide high-quality, reliable and sustainable active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage forms through world class good manufacturing practices and compliance, established at all our production sites.

Our efforts to protect the planet are realised through our ECO+ programme, which focuses on developing innovative products and manufacturing processes that have demonstrable ecological benefits when compared to their mainstream alternatives. Our enzymatic production processes bring substantial contributions to the reduction of CO2 emissions and water usage. In addition we have been raising awareness on the subject of AMR since 2014 through our Sustainable Antibiotics Programme. In early 2016, Centrient Pharmaceuticals (then known as DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals) along with over 100 companies worldwide signed the Davos Declaration calling for collective action on combatting AMR and creating a sustainable market for antibiotics. We were one of the 13 leading companies to sign the Industry Roadmap on AMR, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2016, committing to further action to combat AMR. We have been a member of the AMR Industry Alliance, since its inception in May 2017.

The industry alliance has developed and is promoting implementation of standards for responsible production. We are also a member of the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI), a group of 24 pharmaceutical and healthcare companies who jointly promote responsible supply chain management across the industry. As part of Centrient Pharmaceuticals sustainability strategy, we apply the cleanest production technologies at our manufacturing sites, as well as dedicated waste water treatment facilities and apply antibiotics tests to our effluents. Our ultimate goal is to raise the bar in the industry and to ensure that all antibiotics are produced responsibly, so they remain effective and available today and for generations to come. We call upon all industry players to take responsibility and ensure that antibiotics are produced in a responsible manner.

What exactly is the need of the hour if you talk about AMR?

Antibiotics have saved billions of lives. Now it is our turn to save them. Global and local awareness of AMR has grown over the last years and it will now be important to keep momentum and translate current and new plans into action.

The Government of Indias National Action Plan to contain AMR (NAP-AMR) recognizes the complexity of the issue and identifies key priority areas - defining comprehensive standards for national coordination of AMR surveillance; developing standards for antibiotic residues in industry effluents and strengthening sub-national collaborations to tackle AMR by establishing AMR as a state-level priority and developing State Action Plans on Containment of Antibiotic Resistance (SAP-CAR) aligned to NAP- AMR for effective, on-ground implementation.

India has been the first country in the world to include the set-up of effluent standards in its national action plan. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Ministry of environment are actively working on finalizing these standards.

Also at an industry level progress is made in this field. The AMR Industry Alliance has recently published science-driven, risk-based targets for discharge concentrations of antibiotics.

The important next step will be the implementation of these standards across the Industry and world to stop irresponsible production practices that contribute to the growth of AMR.

What are the major challenges before the industries and government as far as AMR is concerned and how can the same be addressed?

AMR is a complex issue, no individual person, company, organisation or nation can address this solely on its own. A true multi-sectoral approach is needed. For any Government, a key challenge is to bring all stakeholders together and make AMR a priority when society and public health has numerous focus areas needing attention. In India, an excellent start has been made with the launch of the National Programme on the Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance in 2017 and at the state level, Kerala has shown the way through a sub-national AMR plan. Now other states must take this step forward in coordination with key stakeholders. This is a time-consuming process and has to be addressed with patience, continuous engagement and a consistent approach. There is need for regulations on surveillance and monitoring, sale of over-the-counter drugs, raising public awareness on responsible use, funding research and setting standards for effluents limits to curb industrial pollution.

For the pharmaceutical industry, production of antibiotics is a large responsibility and their life-saving nature must be preserved for current and future generations. This is needed to combat the immense global health threat of AMR and at the same time to support sustainable business in antibiotics and other medicines and medical treatments that depend on antibiotics. As outlined with the Industry Roadmap on AMR, progress in the fight against AMR must be made by ensuring access, appropriate use, development of new antibiotics and reduction of the impact of antibiotics production on the environment. In close cooperation with governments and other key stakeholders we need to make sure these actions are taken across the industry globally.
Promega Biotech India Private Ltd. has been named Best Innovative Biotechnology Solutions Company in the India Business Awards, 2019.

India Business Awards, 2019 recognizes the top industry leaders and is hosted by Blindwink Solutions Private Limited, a leading global, insight driven market research company. The award was presented by Chief Guest Ms. Dia Mirza, a Bollywood celebrity who has won the Miss Asia Pacific 2000 title. The award ceremony was telecast on Zee Business News Channel and press releases are uploaded on different social networking websites.

This recognition comes at a time when Promega India is celebrating its five-year anniversary.

This is great moment for us as we have offered the innovative solutions to life scientists in academic, industrial and government settings, said Dr. Rajnish Bharti, General Manager, Promega Biotech India Private Ltd. on receiving the award. We have offered innovative products like our microsatellite instability (MSI) technology to help investigate the best treatment path for cancer, NanoBRET TE Intracellular Kinase Assay for drug discovery and development and STR chemistry for leading forensic labs in India.

He further added, I would also like to wholeheartedly thank our customers, business partners and each employee of Promega for their trust and continuous support.
World Health Organisation chose Universal Health Coverage as the theme for World Health Day 2019

Health accessibility and affordability remain a crucial healthcare problem even in the 21st century. Therefore World Health Organisation chose Universal Health Coverage as the theme for World Health Day 2019.

Swadeep Srivastava, Managing Partner, and Founder IVH SeniorCare says, The theme for the World Health Day is in lines with the current healthcare needs. India is doing well on the affordability front, however, accessibility remains a problem due to lack of infrastructure in the remote areas of states with difficult topography. Home healthcare services can do wonders in creating the last mile connectivity. IVH SeniorCare has been able to deliver healthcare services to remote areas with the help of its home managers and medical professionals. It is time when home healthcare should be brought under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat to achieve universal health coverage.

Agreeing with Swadeep Srivastava Vivek Srivastava, CEO, HealthCare atHOME said, India is struggling with a shortage of medical infrastructure and skilled manpower. While Ayushman Bharat is a significant step in the direction of increasing affordability, accessibility of quality healthcare still remains a concern. Home healthcare is an immediate, cost effective and comfortable alternate to make quality healthcare affordable, accessible and available in all parts of the country without heavy investments on infrastructure. Standardisation is the key to increasing credibility and adoption of home healthcare solutions in India. HCAH has become India's first home healthcare player to get accredited by QAI and awarded 'Mark of Sustained Quality' by them. Moreover, we also believe that upskilling existing medical resources like nurses and physiotherapists plays a crucial role in ensuring high quality care. Hence, HCAH has invested in specialisation courses for nurses and physiotherapists so that more skilled manpower can be made available for healthcare.

Dr. Kapil Kochhar, Additional Director, Department of Laparoscopic & General Surgery, Fortis Hospital Noida, said, Hospitals should start considering home healthcare as their extension instead of competition for holistic healthcare. Patients are always willing to go back home early but are afraid of any unforeseen problems. Once they are assured of home help they will be happy for early discharge. Home healthcare does not replace the hospital services but decreases the hospital burden by taking less critical patients out of the hospitals. This in turn help hospitals to free their beds for more critical patients and improves their revenue per bed. Some known corporate hospitals understood this fact and partnered with home healthcare providers for their patients. Moreover as a large number of patients are using insurance to get their treatment so this also decreases the financial burden on insurance companies and they might also pay for home care. The situation is a win-win scenario for the patients, hospitals and the partnered home healthcare companies.

Meena Ganesh, MD & CEO of Portea Medical says, "The urgency of expanding insurance coverage to home healthcare sector is critical to the industrys prospects. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India has merely 0.9 beds for every 1,000 Indians; a number far below WHOs recommendation of 1.9 beds per 1,000 population. There is a misconception among people that home and personalised care is costlier. However, the average monthly cost of in-home care is 20% less than that incurred in other health-care facilities.

Rajiv Mathur, founder of Critical Care Unified says, While metropolitan cities have world-class facilities, the situation in tier II and III cities is not adequate to meet the healthcare demand. More importantly, for chronic ailments, there is no necessity to continue with long stays and go through the stress of re-admissions. With appropriate use of technology, high-quality home healthcare services can be implemented and expanded to cover a wide base of the population in India.

India started working towards the universal problem of affordability and accessibility with the introduction of Ayushman Bharat. The scheme gave a family cover of Rs. 5 lac to socioeconomically weaker section and roped it many private sector hospitals to deliver the services. Sadly, most of the roped in hospitals are situated in the urban localities and last mile accessibility remains a point of concern in the country with diverse cultures and topography.
The partnership is intended to flourish the start-up ecosystem in the country

At the 5th edition of Lifesciences & Healthcare Innovation Forum (LHIF), the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) through its Center of Excellence-Internet of Things (CoE-IoT) announced a strategic partnership with GE Healthcare. The partnership is intended to flourish the start-up ecosystem in the country and work with them to bring digital healthcare solutions to the market.

Technology adoption in the Indian healthcare sector is poised for substantial growth as it continues to emerge as a game changer in the delivery of healthcare services. From operation to services, healthtech as a sector has shown major advancements and continues to showcase growth. The industry has been rapidly adopting new-age technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve access and outcomes. The healthtech sector is committed to connect doctors and patients, providing low-cost medical devices along with tech-enabled diagnostics.

NASSCON CoE-IoT is Indias largest deep-tech Innovation hub for start-ups that provides a platform for collaborative innovation. This strategic partnership will help GE Healthcare tap the flourishing healthtech start-up ecosystem in the country to co-create solutions for real-world healthcare challenges in the areas of digital applications for early detection, productivity solutions, and remote and connected care among others. It will also help the two partners work with policymakers in the Government/Administration to shape policies around digital health.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM states The future of healthcare is shaping up in front of our eyes mainly through digital technologies, such as the Internet of things, artificial intelligence, VR/AR, 3D-printing, robotics or nanotechnology. In medicine and healthcare, digital technology can help transform unsustainable healthcare systems into sustainable ones, equalize the relationship between medical professionals and patients, provide cheaper, faster and more effective solutions for diseases.

Sharing his thoughts, Dileep Mangsuli, Chief Technology Officer, GE Healthcare South Asia said, Digital solutions help drive access to better quality healthcare, significantly reduce cost of treatment and improve quality of health outcomes. We are committed to drive digital adoption in India but we know that we cant do it alone. We need an ecosystem of partners with whom we can work to supplement the work already underway at our research centers. This partnership with NASSCOM CoE-IoT will help us bring to market solutions that improve peoples lives.

This LHIF innovation conclave is focused at discussing means and methods for enhanced digital propulsion that will improve healthcare delivery. It is expected to significantly reduce the cost of treatment while improving the quality of offerings.
International organizations unite on critical recommendations to combat drug-resistant infections and prevent staggering number of deaths each year

UN, international agencies and experts has released a groundbreaking report demanding immediate, coordinated and ambitious action to avert a potentially disastrous drug-resistance crisis.

If no action is taken - warns the UN Ad hoc Interagency Coordinating Group on Antimicrobial Resistance who released the report  drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050 and damage to the economy as catastrophic as the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. By 2030, antimicrobial resistance could force up to 24 million people into extreme poverty.

Currently, at least 700,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant diseases, including 230,000 people who die from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. More and more common diseases, including respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted infections and urinary tract infections, are untreatable; lifesaving medical procedures are becoming much riskier, and our food systems are increasingly precarious.

The world is already feeling the economic and health consequences as crucial medicines become ineffective. Without investment from countries in all income brackets, future generations will face the disastrous impacts of uncontrolled antimicrobial resistance.

Recognizing that human, animal, food and environmental health are closely interconnected, the report calls for a coordinated, multisectoral One Health approach.

It recommends countries:

prioritize national action plans to scale-up financing and capacity-building efforts;

put in place stronger regulatory systems and support awareness programs for responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials by professionals in human, animal and plant health;

invest in ambitious research and development for new technologies to combat antimicrobial resistance;

urgently phase out the use of critically important antimicrobials as growth promoters in agriculture.

Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Co-Chair of the IACG said, Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats we face as a global community. This report reflects the depth and scope of the response needed to curb its rise and protect a century of progress in health. It rightly emphasizes that there is no time to wait and I urge all stakeholders to act on its recommendations and work urgently to protect our people and planet and secure a sustainable future for all.

The recommendations require immediate engagement across sectors, from governments and the private sector, to civil society and academia.

Convened at the request of world leaders after the first ever UN High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance in 2016, the expert group brought together partners across the UN, International organizations and individuals with expertise across human, animal and plant health, as well as the food, animal feed, trade, development and environment sectors, to formulate a blueprint for the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

Jose Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said, The reports recommendations recognize that antimicrobials are critical to safeguard food production, safety and trade, as well as human and animal health, and it clearly promotes responsible use across sectors. Countries can foster sustainable food systems and farming practices that reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance by working together to promote viable alternatives to antimicrobial use, as laid out in the reports recommendations.

This report reflects a renewed commitment to collaborative action at the global level by the World Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Dr. Monique Eloit, Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said, Antimicrobial resistance must be addressed urgently, through a One Health approach involving bold, long-term commitments from governments and other stakeholders, supported by the international organisations. This report demonstrates the level of commitment and coordination that will be required as we face this global challenge to public health, animal health and welfare, and food security. We must all play our part in ensuring future access to and efficacy of these essential medicines.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization and Co-Chair of the IACG said, We are at a critical point in the fight to protect some of our most essential medicines. This report makes concrete recommendations that could save thousands of lives every year.

The report highlights the need for coordinated and intensive efforts to overcome antimicrobial resistance: a major barrier to the achievement of many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including universal health coverage, secure and safe food, sustainable farming systems and clean water and sanitation.
New AI module to ease decision-making for Indian manufacturers by providing predictive analytics

Rockwell Automation is releasing an AI Module in India that would ease decision-making for manufacturers by providing predictive analytics. They continue to provide automation solutions to Indian manufacturers across sectors like pharma & life sciences, FMCG, packaging, and many more.

Industrial workers can now more easily use the data from their equipment to help predict production issues and improve processes with their existing automation and control skill set. The new FactoryTalk Analytics LogixAI module, formerly known as Project Sherlock, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect production anomalies and alert workers so they can investigate or intervene, as necessary.

Many existing analytics technologies require deep expertise in both data science and industrial processes. But this add-on module for ControlLogix controllers helps to reduce that burden by doing the job of a data scientist. It fits directly into a control chassis and streams controller data over the backplane to build predictive models. It can continuously monitor a production operation, detecting anomalies against its derived understanding.

The FactoryTalk Analytics LogixAI module makes predictive analytics more accessible to help more workers make better production decisions, said Jonathan Wise, product manager, Rockwell Automation. The module learns your ControlLogix application and tells operators and technicians when things are changing in unexpected ways. This can help them get ahead of product quality issues and protect process integrity.

For example, the module can help operators spot performance deviations in equipment like mixers that could affect product quality or lead to downtime. It can also be used as a virtual sensor. Instead of workers taking a reading, like the humidity of a packaged food product, the module can analyze variables from line assets like sprayers, dryers and burners to predict a measurement, virtually.

Factory Talk Analytics LogixAI has positive implications for Indian businesses in any sector, said Dilip Sawhney, Managing Director, Rockwell Automation India. By providing guidance based on available data, it will enable operators to help to ensure smooth running of processes or machinery. Our customers can empower employees to troubleshoot and solve problems as they arise or even before, reducing downtime and ultimately contributing positively to the companys bottom line.

Workers can then be notified of problems by configuring alarms on a human machine interface (HMI) or dashboard. Future features of the module will go further, helping workers focus their problem-solving or automate the optimization of a process.

The FactoryTalk Analytics LogixAI module is the newest addition to the FactoryTalk Analytics platform from Rockwell Automation. The platform includes FactoryTalk Analytics for Devices, which learns about an automation systems structure to tell workers about problems with individual devices. The LogixAI module expands on this by learning about an automation systems application and helping identify anomalies with its overall function.

Both products work individually, but each will benefit the other in future iterations. The FactoryTalk Analytics platform aggregates multiple sources of data, so workers can discover new insights. FactoryTalk Analytics for Devices and the LogixAI module will both be data sources for the platform going forward.
The launch of these analyzers has come at an apt time, as Transasia celebrates its 40 th anniversary.

Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd., Indias Leading In-vitro Diagnostic Company has donated its newly launched hematology analyzer, H 360 to Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Bangalore. This is in support of the institutes most urgent need for essential instruments, for more precise diagnosis, faster treatment and improved outcomes.

The H 360, is a three part differential fully automated hematology analyzer, developed at Transasias European subsidiary - Erba Europe. With its ability to detect CBC and WBC Differential with high precision and accuracy, H 360 will be useful in screening of anemia & its causes, indicating the presence of hemoglobinopathies, helping in detection of cytopenia, septicemia or leukemia and platelet related pathologies & disorders.

Transasia has been closely associated with the institute for the last 25 years. Time and again, it has supported the institute with various dedicated initiatives such as blood donation drives, health check-up camps, providing the required equipment and contributing to fund-raising activities.

Speaking on the occasion, Suresh Vazirani, Chairman & Managing Director, Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd. said, I am immensely proud of Transasias continuing association with the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in aid of a very noble cause. The impact of the good work done by the institute has benefited not only the poor patients in Bangalore but also those from the nearby areas. At Transasia, we believe in operating with a higher purpose, with an unwavering focus on ensuring equitable and affordable access to diagnostic facilities. In the more than two decade long association with the institute, Transasia has provided its instruments to the institute. This latest version of the

instrument will be able to offer four more extra parameters for in-depth analysis."

Dr. Sundaresh D C., Director, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, added, We are thankful to Mr. Vazirani and Transasia for supporting us with the analyzer. Transasia has a long-standing legacy of offering quality and affordable diagnostic solutions and I am sure that the additional parameters being offered by this new analyzer will provide more diagnostic value and aid in early and accurate diagnosis.

Alongwith the H 360, Transasia also announced the launch of two more 5 Part Differential Fully Automated Hematology analyzers, H 560 and Elite 580. Together this entire new range, with a host of features will help institutions, clinicians and laboratory technologists offer accurate diagnosis. The launch of these analyzers has come at an apt time, as Transasia celebrates its 40 th anniversary.


Quarterly Activities Report

Perth, April 30, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Altech Chemicals Ltd ( ASX:ATC ) provides the Company's Quarterly Activities Report.Progress of Stage 1 Construction at Johor- Stage 1 construction progressing as planned- Site office, security post and safety systems established- Bulk earthworks, levelling and compaction completed- Foundation piling and foundation of workshop completed- Steel for workshop procured and being sand blasted- Retaining walls being establishedExclusive Mandate with Macquarie Bank for US$90 million Mezzanine Debt- Macquarie Bank mandated as preferred Mezzanine lender- US$90 million indicative mezzanine debt term sheet- Mezzanine lender's final technical advisor report issued- Extensive review of the HPA process including visit to SMS group's facility in Dusseldorf, Germany- Positive findings with satisfactory risk management- Detailed HPA market review being undertaken by CRU- Legal due diligence and in-house financial modelling has commencedHPA Coated Separators Update- Transition to HPA coated battery separators clearly evident- 47% increase in quarterly sales volumes from HPA coated separators- W-Scope increasing HPA coated separator production capacity- Leading Korean supplier of HPA coated battery separatorsInvestor Site Visit in Johor- Successful inaugural investor site visit to observe HPA plant construction progress- Stage 1 construction progress observed- Attendees included KfW IPEX-Bank, Macquarie Bank, CIMB Bank and Petra Capital- Various potential equity and joint venture partners in attendanceCapital Raising of A$18 million to support Stage 2 construction- New German investors anchor A$18 million share placement- Placement well supported by existing significant shareholders- Stage 2 engineering and construction of HPA plant in Johor, Malaysia to now proceedEnvironmental management system implemented at HPA site- Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) implemented- Baseline environmental monitoring for noise, air quality and water quality- Will service both the construction and operations phases- Policies and procedures in placeTo view the full report, please visit:About Altech Chemicals Ltd

Altech Chemicals Limited (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) is aiming to become one of the world's leading suppliers of 99.99% (4N) high purity alumina (Al2O3) through the construction and operation of a 4,500tpa high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant at Johor, Malaysia. Feedstock for the plant will be sourced from the Company's 100%-owned kaolin deposit at Meckering, Western Australia and shipped to Malaysia.



HPA is a high-value, high margin and highly demanded product as it is the critical ingredient required for the production of synthetic sapphire. Synthetic sapphire is used in the manufacture of substrates for LED lights, semiconductor wafers used in the electronics industry, and scratch-resistant sapphire glass used for wristwatch faces, optical windows and smartphone components. Increasingly HPA is used by lithium-ion battery manufacturers as the coating on the battery's separator, which improves performance, longevity and safety of the battery. With global HPA demand approximately 19,000t (2018), it is estimated that this demand will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% (2018-2028); by 2028 HPA market demand will be approximately 272,000t, driven by the increasing adoption of LEDs worldwide as well as the demand for HPA by lithium-ion battery manufacturers to serve the surging electric vehicle market.
The bone marrow transplant team performed a donor search and found a completely matched volunteer unrelated donor through DATRI (Stem cell transplant registry).

A successful life-saving bone marrow transplant was performed on 5 year old Ayan with Griscelli syndrome by doctors of Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children.

The patient hails from Nanded and had Griscelli syndrome since birth. He developed haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis because of Griscelli syndrome, which is a life-threatening disorder of excessive immune activation.

Ayan was first presented to Wadia hospital with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis when he was 2 years old. His overactive immune system was affecting the liver and bone marrow, so he was treated with steroids and chemotherapy to control the overactive immune system. He responded well to the treatment and was advised to undergo bone marrow transplant in another centre since the bone marrow transplant facility was not available at Wadia hospital.

Ayans parents chose not to go for bone marrow transplant and continued follow up with Wadia hospital. When he was 4 years old, he presented with recurrence of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis affecting the liver, bone marrow and brain. Immunology doctors in Wadia hospital started him on steroids and chemotherapy and referred him to the newly opened bone marrow transplant facility at Wadia hospital. Ayan has two siblings. Unfortunately, both the siblings did not have the same tissue type as Ayan. Therefore, bone marrow transplant team performed a donor search and found a completely matched volunteer unrelated donor through DATRI (Stem cell transplant registry).

Ayans transplant was particularly challenging because Ayan continued to have active disease involving the liver and bone marrow, despite treatment with steroids and chemotherapy. We treated Ayan with an imported drug called Alemtuzumab to control the overactive immune system. Ayan had good response to Alemtuzumab. This improved the chance of success of the bone marrow transplant procedure. Ayan is now 3 weeks post-transplant. Bone marrow graft is working well and all his affected organs such as liver, bone marrow and brain are functioning normally. He is scheduled for discharge at the end of this week. It is really satisfying to perform bone marrow transplant procedure exactly the way one would perform it in the UK or USA," said the doctor.

Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, CEO, Wadia hospitals said "It is the beginning of new era for BJ Wadia Childrens hospital. We are pleased to offer complex procedures such as bone marrow transplant to patients irrespective of their economic status. 500 Cases in Maharashtra requires BMT, there are very few centres offering such facilities and we are delighted that we will be able to treat such cases at affordable costs.
Two-Year-old donor donates heart to save the life of a two-year-old toddler

Fortis Malar Hospital successfully conducted a unique heart transplant surgery to save the life of two-year-old Rohan (name changed) from Villupuram. This became possible after Rohan received the heart from the countrys youngest organ donor  a two-year-old boy from Mumbai. The transplant was performed by a team of doctors led by Dr. K R Balakrishnan, Director, Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Malar Hospital and Dr. Suresh Rao KG, Head of Department, Critical Care & Cardiac Anaesthesia, Fortis Malar Hospital.

Rohan was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy with severe LV dysfunction. He kept getting admitted repeatedly with complaints of breathlessness. However, despite medication, his condition did not improve. As heart transplant was the only solution for him to recover, he was registered in the State Transplant Registry for a possible donated heart.

On February 10th, 2019, the two-year donor suffered irreversible brain damage. The family decided to donate the organs that helped save and enrich the lives of six people, out of which four recipients were children including Rohan. A team of doctors flew from Fortis Malar Hospital to retrieve the heart which was airlifted to Chennai later.

Commenting on the transplant, Dr K R Balakrishnan said, This surgery was difficult and challenging as the recipient was a two-year-old toddler. So we had to sensitively balance all the challenges to perform the transplant to the child. We are humbled to acknowledge that this surgery is another milestone in the treatment of pediatric cardiac patients requiring heart transplants.

This unique heart transplant was performed under the CMs Comprehensive Health Insurance scheme which covered the entire cost of surgery and post-operative treatment as well as the requisite medication for a period of one year.

Commenting on the transplant Dr Suresh Rao said It is difficult to find a matching donor for pediatric patients. The recipient was lucky to get a 2-year-old heart and is recovering well.

Mother of Rohan said, I am extremely delighted and thankful to Fortis Malar and the team of doctors since we never knew such options of transplant is available. I deeply thank the parents of the donor from the bottom of my heart and pray for the family.
Indians visited their doctors 3.2 times a year in 2018, up from 2.7 times in 2017

Practo, Indias largest Digital Healthcare platform, has released its third edition of Indias annual healthcare map, highlighting key consumer healthcare trends, concerns and behaviour.

The healthcare map has been compiled from data of hundreds of thousands of searches and appointments, by over 13 crore patients, across 50+ cities and 250+ specialities, in 2018.

The report demonstrates the rise in adoption of digital healthcare in the country. With 65% of its population below the age of 35, India, at a median age of 29 years, is using digital technology to actively get in touch with doctors, using both online and offline channels. As India ages over the coming years, the company sees this number going up. Japan, for instance, at a median age of 47, visits doctors 13 times, while the US at a median age of 37, visits doctors a little over 4 times.

Practo believes three primary causes driving this trend include:

Greater awareness : More information about diseases, illness from varied sources Increased accessibility : Ability to get in touch with doctors at the touch of a button Growth in lifestyle diseases, disorders like Diabetes, Obesity, Deficiencies like Vitamin D, Calcium, to name a few

Healthcare is slowly becoming a key priority for Indians. Improving doctor-patient ratio overnight is not possible, hence, its important to increase efficiencies, make it more accessible and affordable.

Organized Medicine Academic Guild feels that as young India gets older, the need for medical supervision will only go up and Digital healthcare companies like Practo will play a huge role in that.
Ashutosh Tiwari, Managing Director and Chairman  VBRI (Vinoba Bhave Research Institute) shares his views on analytics revolutionising the healthcare ecosystem

The continually churning wheels of technological evolution have boosted the growth of the Indian Healthcare Industry, which has become one of Indias largest industries in terms of both revenue and employment. Despite having a significant rise in the manpower, India is still thriving to provide quality healthcare to its population of over 1.37 billion. In recent years, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Blockchain, Cloud, Data Analytics, and other evolving techs have disrupted all segments of the Indian healthcare industry including hospitals, medical devices, clinical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, health insurance, and medical equipment. Today, amongst all technologies, Data Analytics and Big Data have poised themselves as the essential fuel to mechanize other techs for healthcare evolution.

The Need of Analytics in Indian Healthcare

Whether it is patient care, healthcare delivery, or consumer satisfaction, Indian healthcare industry needs a complete overhaul and that is possible only by leveraging big data science and analytics. The ability of big data to solve continually growing large data volumes with greater accuracy can change healthcare delivery across the Indian geography. For instance, symptoms analytics allows figuring out what happened, while root cause and predictive analytics enable understanding of why it happened and what is likely to happen in the future. Predictive analysis of medical history and health data of patients collated and stored on a cloud system can help doctors derive precision medicine, which can address alarming treatment concerns related to both Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases.

Statistically, India falls short under the WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines in terms of ideal doctor-patient ratio. Analytics aided telemedicine can address the issue ensuring quality healthcare to all across rural and urban areas. Patient records, cost, diagnosis, pharmaceutics, and medical research data are among other healthcare influencing factors that can be aptly analyzed with help of a robust analytics system. In fact, the insights from patient analytics can help organizations take real-time actions in healthcare and research for better service and medical care.

Analytics  A Quintessential Part of Telemedicine and Precision Medicine

As per Statista, the global telemedicine market will reach USD 40 billion mark by 2021. With the new advancements, telemedicine is also witnessing an expansion in the Indian healthcare sector. Currently, healthcare providers can access medical data of a patient distantly located in a remote area and can offer virtual consultation through audio-visual communication. The increasing role of big data will help doctors to evaluate patients with their personalized and pre-analyzed data and derive precision medicine for better healthcare delivery in real-time. The timely interventions with help of data analytics can improve patient health and eliminate the high treatment costs as well.

The concept of big data in the context of healthcare is considered one of the transformative drivers for intelligent healthcare delivery systems. Not just telemedicine, but mHealth is also poised to benefit from the developments in the field of healthcare data analytics. The greater outreach of mobile phones and wireless technology in healthcare is serving a dual purpose by - educating people for preventive healthcare services (majorly for NCDs) and helping healthcare providers with access of patient data for quality treatment. According to the statista the mobile health industry is predicted to reach almost USD 60 billion by 2020.

The evolution of mHealth will be driven by data analytics to a great extent. The fast progress of efficient healthcare record systems, wearable devices, and medical examination systems that implement techs like data analytics and artificial intelligence has become an important part of the way the healthcare sector works. The blockchain is effectively helping healthcare organizations to manage patient data stored on the cloud and also ensuring prevention of data breaching in the constantly increasing medical data. The secure and reliable method of recording, storing, and sharing sensitive data in the modern Electronic Health Records is aiding the growth of the healthcare sector and delivery of precision medicine.

Defining the Growth Curve of Indian Healthcare

Driven by the potential to improve the quality of healthcare, garnering intelligence from the massive quantities of data - Big Data, the modern Indian healthcare sector can provide better medical care and quality treatment. Today, analytics is helping healthcare organizations remind patients to keep up with a healthy lifestyle, as well as keep track of where a patient stands in regard to their lifestyle choices. IBEF expects Indian Healthcare Sector to reach USD 372 billion by 2022 and Analytics has an important role to play in this growth. VBRI Group is devoted towards building smart health infrastructures to solve daily problems and to pay more for sustainable lifestyles through technology-based ideas. The recently patented technology is related to e-clinics in India and that is now in the third-stage of field trials. The e-clinics is ready to provide simpler medical assistance through onlineaccess of doctors and other medical help around the clock via smartphonein the Indian countryside. This mass medicine technology will save many lives and will also strengthen the society.The demand for better healthcare driven by rising income, greater health awareness, lifestyle (NC) diseases, and increasing access to insurance can only be met with a revolutionary role of analytics in the Indian healthcare sector.
Do you want to make a meaningful contribution to the media and advertising industry in South Africa? Would you like to be able to have a positive impact on the way it is organised, both now and in the future? If so, here's you're chance!

Manage a dedicated portfolio on the Committee and assist with other portfolios whenever necessary;



Attend monthly Committee meetings and forums;



Demonstrate the same passion, selflessness and energy that the current Committee has shown; and



Contribute to the development and implementation of innovative, forward-looking strategies designed to help Amasa evolve and remain a significant and relevant industry association.

Amasa (the Advertising and Media Association of South Africa) is calling for nominations from self-motivated movers and shakers who would be interested in serving on the Amasa Joburg Committee in 2019/2020. Amasa is an industry association that actively works to improve the education, knowledge and skills of the people working in this critical sector of the economy. In this way, it aims to empower them to improve their decision-making abilities and to develop both the industry and their own careers.Anyone who works in the communications, media or advertising industry and who is interested in standing for election as a voluntary Committee member may nominate either themselves or anyone else who is willing to stand. Nominations can be submitted by e-mail and voting will take place at Amasas Annual General Meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, 15 May 2019 at the Ster Kinekor Head Office in Sandton (details below).If you would like to be part of taking the industry to new heights, help us to make the Amasa Joburg Committee a well-balanced, representative body that includes media owners, agency representatives and marketers working at all levels within the industry.Committee members find that being part of such a dynamic organisation is very rewarding, both professionally and personally, and that it offers them excellent networking opportunities. Its also a lot of fun, so make your nomination now!Industry go-getters who are interested in serving on the Amasa Committee for 2019/2020 will be required to:Should you wish to nominate yourself or a colleague to stand for election to the Amasa 2019/2020 Committee, please download this form and submit a short motivation and picture of yourself (or your colleague) to Memoria Masilela ( az.oc.snoitatsdetinu@airomem ) and Andrew Maluleka ( moc.liamg@asamatawerdna ).If you are nominating someone for the election,Voting will take place at the Amasa Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 15 May 2019. The AGM will be held at the Ster Kinekor Head Office, Primovie Park, 185 Katherine Street, Sandton (4pm for 4.30pm). The deadline for nominations is noon on Monday, 13 May 2019 and the new Amasa Committee will be announced immediately after voting has taken place.
Pioneer Foods tasked Techsys Digital with the challenge of crafting a website that could be multinational, multilingual and support regional content variation for the iconic South African brand, Ceres. The website needed to communicate the expertise and origin of the much-loved brand.

Techsys Digital proposed building Ceres new site from the ground up to ensure that it could be highly interactive and fully mobile responsive. Techsys Digital MD Andrew Walmsley noted that, Extensive research was conducted to identify the best practice in the categories of functionality, design, sophistication and interactivity. These categories allowed Ceres and Techsys to closely align on the direction for the site.Due to the regional and linguistic variations of the site a path was set for a phased approach. In the first phase, the global, South African and Trade sites (the distributors portal) were built. Next, the sites for the key SADC countries were produced and finally the roll-out plan extends to additional individual country websites.The first three sites have been exceptionally well-received by Ceres and parent company Pioneer Group. The source of delight for the client is that all requirements were met and often exceeded, as the agility and flexibility of the Techsys team meant that many new unique features that were proposed throughout the course of the project could be incorporated.
#OneShow2019: Jenny Ehlers' interactive and integrated judging panel insights

The One Club for Creativity's Creative Week is just around the corner, taking place in New York City from 6 to 10 May 2019. Here, SA's own Jenny Ehlers shares her experiences as a juror on this year's Art Director's Club (ADC) interactive and integrated panels.

King James Groups executive creative director and One Club for Creativity's Art Director's Club 2019 interactive juror, Jenny Ehlers.

While chatting about her recent ADC 2019 judging experience, King James Groups executive creative director, Jenny Ehlers shared: Sadly, I wont make it to The One Show Creative Week in New York. How fabulous, though. I would have loved to attend to witness the fruits of all the judging panels' labours. And the ecstasy of the winners. These are such prestigious awards. Ehlers says this with confidence as shes no stranger to judging international award shows. For example, when we chatted before her Cannes Lions 2019 judging experience in 2017, Ehlers said, As judges we are always seeking uniqueness, something that is of course relevant and beautifully executed, but also that surprises us and instils envy, in a good way.



#CannesLions: Surprise us and instil envy in a good way

That sentiment is what makes Ehlers such a good fit. Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity, adds: The quality of jurors has long been a hallmark of The One Show. This years gender-balanced juries consist of the industrys top tier of creative thinkers and doers from around the world.



Here, Ehlers shares insights on some of that envy-inducing uniqueness from this years One Show judging experience as well as what to expect from The One Club for Creativitys Creative Week 2019



Lets set the scene Describe the Dominican Republic as a creative award judging destination. Lets set the scene Describe the Dominican Republic as a creative award judging destination. While chatting about her recent ADC 2019 judging experience, King James Groups executive creative director, Jenny Ehlers shared:Ehlers says this with confidence as shes no stranger to judging international award shows. For example, when we chatted before her Cannes Lions 2019 judging experience in 2017, Ehlers said, As judges we are always seeking uniqueness, something that is of course relevant and beautifully executed, but also that surprises us and instils envy, in a good way.That sentiment is what makes Ehlers such a good fit. Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity, adds: The quality of jurors has long been a hallmark of The One Show. This years gender-balanced juries consist of the industrys top tier of creative thinkers and doers from around the world.Here, Ehlers shares insights on some of that envy-inducing uniqueness from this years One Show judging experience as well as what to expect from The One Club for Creativitys Creative Week 2019

All pics submitted by Ehlers, taken in the Dominican Republic. All pics submitted by Ehlers, taken in the Dominican Republic. All pics submitted by Ehlers, taken in the Dominican Republic.

It certainly looks it. What did you most enjoy about this years One Show judging experience? It certainly looks it. What did you most enjoy about this years One Show judging experience?

Meeting such diverse and talented international greats from the advertising industry always has me awestruck and humbled. That and, of course, seeing a collective of global work of such a high standard all in one place and over a short period of time. Truly inspiring, and the energy is fantastic. I wish I could bottle it and bring it home to share with the agency.

Definitely. Lets take that a little further: Describe your personal judging process and how you stuck to the brief. Definitely. Lets take that a little further: Describe your personal judging process and how you stuck to the brief.

Without giving too much away then, talk us through the quantity and overall calibre of entries you judged and any stand-out trends. Without giving too much away then, talk us through the quantity and overall calibre of entries you judged and any stand-out trends.

Ehlers with the rest of the One Club for Creativity's ADC Awards' Interactive panel.

Leigh Andrews' articles About Leigh Andrews Leigh Andrews AKA the



Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen , is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews



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The judges were very much focussed on the task at hand, locked away in dark rooms with no access to daylight. We did, however, manage to sneak in the odd evening swim in the Caribbean.I was even dive-bombed by a pelican, which almost took off my ear - see it in the above pic. The beautiful beaches and clear waters of the Dominican Republic inspired clarity of thought and focus on the work.And The One Club takes such good care of us. Much gratitude needs to go to them for the invitation.The judging requires immense concentration, to give absolutely fair consideration to every entry. Although it is tiring, I felt incredibly upbeat having seen so much smart thinking and beautiful execution.I wanted to share so many amazing case studies, but had to restrain myself to maintain confidentiality. Initially there was no discussion, but once we came to awarding metal, there was much debate.I paid attention to what everyone had to say and then formulated my own opinions. Final voting was anonymous.Each of the jury members was required to do online judging before their departure. This round of judging of approximately 400 pieces determined which work moved on to the final judging, which took place over three days. There were 11 jury members on the Interactive panel, and we doubled up with the Advertising jury on the final day to do Integrated, as I was fortunate enough to participate on the ADC Interactive and Integrated juries.Our jury chairpersons encouraged us to award work that was expressed with exceptional taste and style, without, of course, overlooking the big idea. There were many interesting and insightful pieces. Most encouraging was the rise in work that not only keeps the client happy, but benefits society as well.There was also much exploration around alternative digital media, places where our audience are already hanging out, for example Google Maps Street View, Spotify, and virtual assistants like Alexa. There was also a definite surge in activity around voice-activated devices, which are fast becoming popular in South Africa.Awarding the Best in Show for both categories required heated but very respectful debate. Diverse and interesting perspectives were offered, with great outcomes.
This job expired on 6 May 2019.
This job expired on 30 May 2019.
South Africa: Water supply restored after residents locked water treatment plant

Water supply to Polokwane and surrounding areas has been restored after protesting community members locked the gates and took the keys at Olifantspoort Pump Station and Water Treatment Plant.

According to reports, residents from Tswaing village stormed into the water scheme last week Thursday and demanded that the facility be closed. They locked the facility and left with the keys.

The shutdown came days after Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) announced that there would be five-hour water supply interruptions every day for two to three weeks in areas of supply within Polokwane Municipality for dredging to be done in Ebenezer Dam.

The Department of Water and Sanitation reported that five people, who had locked the gates, have been arrested by Polokwane police.

The keys have been retrieved and the plant was re-opened to resume water supply to Polokwane and surrounding areas. Meanwhile, operation and maintenance work was halted at Ebenezer Dam to allow for water from Ebenezer to augment the disrupted supply to Polokwane, the department said in a statement.

The department said it has been established that the protest action was not primarily about water services, but other service delivery issues.

Following a meeting with the Executive Mayor of Polokwane, Thembi Simelane-Nkadimeng, a technical team comprising department officials, Lepelle Northern Water and Capricorn District Municipality has been formed to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, a meeting between the technical team -- including Provincial Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs, the mayors of Polokwane, Capricorn and Lepelle-Nkumpi Municipalities -- and leaders of the protesting community is scheduled to take place in an attempt to find common ground regarding the resolution of the demands on a school, clinic, roads and water reticulation.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
BetMakers is profitable and announces funding solution for key acquisitions



Quarterly Update

Sydney, April 30, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of The BetMakers Holdings Limited ( ASX:TBH ) ( OTCMKTS:TPBTF ) ("BetMakers" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an overview on the Company's activities for the period ending 31 March 2019.Highlights- BetMakers transitioned to profitability(see Note below) in Q3- $1.68million strategic Investment by international wagering and gaming industry investment firm- The Company has secured a $4million funding solution in respect of the acquisitions of DynamicOdds Pty Ltd, C.D.K Software Limited and Global Betting Services Pty Ltd- $3million Entitlement Offer to be conductedQuarterly 4C key points and UpdateThe Company is pleased to announce it has reached profitability(see Note below) during the March quarter and was positive with regards to operational cash flow for the March quarter.The Company also notes it has made further cost reductions through synergies across the group including staff, administration and product manufacturing as well as corporate costs and overheads.The Appendix 4C is attached (see link below).FundingThe Company announced today that it has secured a firm commitment for a strategic investment from Las Vegas-based international wagering and gaming industry investment firm, Tekkorp Capital LLC ("Tekkorp Capital").Tekkorp Capital has provided a firm commitment to invest approximately $1.68m in the Company at $0.03 per fully paid ordinary shares, totaling 55,991,335 shares ("Placement Shares"), which represents 19.99% of the Company's total share capital ("Placement"). President and CEO of Tekkorp Capital, Mr Matt Davey, is an international wagering and gaming industry leader with over 20 years industry experience who recently sold NYX Gaming to Scientific Games for more than AUD$800million. The Placement is expected to be completed within 5 business days, which will be prior to the record date for the Entitlement Offer (discussed below). The Placement Shares will be issued without disclosure under the Company's placement capacity under ASX Listing Rules 7.1 and 7.1A.$3million non-renounceable pro-rata Entitlement OfferThe Company is pleased to announce that it intends to conduct a non-renounceable pro-rata entitlement offer. Eligible shareholders will be entitled to one (1) new fully paid ordinary share ("New Shares") for every 2.8 existing shares held in the Company at the record date, at the offer price of 3 cents ($0.03) per New Share to raise approximately $3million (before costs of the offer) ("Entitlement Offer").The Company expects to lodge a transaction-specific prospectus pursuant to which eligible shareholders will be invited to participate in the Entitlement Offer within 14 days. Accordingly, further details of the Entitlement Offer will be announced by the Company in due course.The funds raised from the Entitlement Offer and the Placement will be used to pay outstanding amounts due to GBS, DO and CDK, repayment of debts and ongoing working capital.Update to acquisitions of DynamicOdds Pty Ltd ("DO"), C.D.K Software Limited ("CDK") and Global Betting Services Pty Ltd ("GBS")As announced by the Company on 29 August 2018 and 30 January 2019, the Company is required to pay an outstanding total of $8.4million in respect of the acquisitions of DO, CDK and GBS by 30 June 2019 as follows:- an outstanding total of $3.9million in respect of the acquisition of GBS ("GBS Deferred Payment"); and- an outstanding total of $4.5million in respect of the acquisition of CDK ("CDK Deferred Payment"), (together, the "Outstanding Payments").The Company advises that it has renegotiated the terms of the Outstanding Payments as follows:- $2million of the GBS Deferred Payment will be deferred until 30 June 2024;- $2million of the CDK Deferred Payment will be deferred until 30 June 2024;- the Company will pay interest on each of the above amounts at a rate of 10% per annum to be paid monthly;- subject to the Company obtaining shareholder approval, 33,333,333 fully paid ordinary shares in the Company will be issued to the vendor of CDK in lieu of $1million of the CDK Deferred Payment (representing a deemed share price of $0.03 per share);- $1.9million will remain payable by 30 June 2019 by the Company in respect of the acquisition of GBS (which the Company expects to fund via the Placement and Entitlement offer); and- $1.5million will remain payable by 30 June 2019 by the Company in respect of the acquisition of CDK and DO (which the Company expects to fund via the Placement and Entitlement offer).Note: Based on unaudited figures.To view Appendix 4C, please visit:About Betmakers Technology Group Ltd

Betmakers Technology Group Ltd (ASX:BET) (OTCMKTS:TPBTF) is an ASX-listed holding company and a global provider of online wagering products and services to both wholesale and retail markets through its various wholly owned subsidiaries. The Company operates a retail wagering business, offering consumers wagering, fantasy tournament and content products and services.
The applications for summer jobs are rolling in and some spots are already filled.

However, if you are 14-years-old, the youngest working age in South Dakota, you might have a little trouble landing that first gig.

"Adults are awfully skittish sometimes about a young person not giving them back the right change so that's something else we ask 14-year-olds to be very comfortable working with and that's money," said Connie Lezotte, executive director of Storybook Island.

LeZotte sees about 10 new applicants on average every year and brings half on staff.

She says along with money, there are certain criteria a young worker has to have, leading with maturity.

"We need people who are competent, we need people who are responsible for what it is they are to do, not just kind of skip through and see if they can get through the process as fast as they can. We want it to be complete," she said.

Lezotte says it can also be a struggle for 14-year-olds to get hired because they sometimes rely on their parents to make it to work.

The city employed seven 14-year-olds and 14 15-year-olds in 2018, and have already hired a handful this year.

"We know that nowadays it isn't just that 14-year-old who might be going for that first job. They can be 15, 16, even 17 years of age. If they're looking for an opportunity, we feel that working for the City Provides them a lot of different options," said Darrell Shoemaker, Rapid City communications manager.

The City starts casting its nets in February and says those young hands come in handy.

"Anything from park maintenance, planting flowers, cleaning bathrooms, working around the pool areas, they could be doing anything so it's a great opportunity," Shoemaker continued.

Regardless of when they start, Lezotte says young people can learn so much in one summer.

"It is hard work. There are hot days, there are cold days, and boy howdy when you come out and the other end, you are far more ready to deal with this world," LeZotte said.

The City still has positions open for summer hiring. They can be found here: www.rcgov.org
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The Westman Journal has closed.

An independent weekly newspaper founded in 2002, the company was purchased by Glacier Media in 2004, which has owned the publication ever since.

In a brief written statement posted to their website, the Westman Journal noted that while theyve enjoyed reader support, their "business model relies entirely on advertising. General business decline has made it impossible to justify keeping the operation open."

They went on to cite the reach of massive U.S.-based companies like Google and Facebook with netting the majority of digital advertising revenue.

"It is disappointing that these huge non-Canadian companies, which invest nothing whatsoever in local journalism, make it impossible for us to maintain our local news source even in a digital form."

Thanking their readership and customers for support over the past 17 years, they closed their statement by urging "Brandonites and others to think local when it comes to their media and marketing choices in the future."

More to come in this developing story.

 The Brandon Sun
The Westman Journal suddenly ceased operations on Monday after 17 years in Brandon.

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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The Westman Journal suddenly ceased operations on Monday after 17 years in Brandon.

A post announcing their closure  effective immediately  was put up on their website by Monday afternoon.

It simply wasnt sustainable, said Nancy Johnson, vice-president of Manitoba operations with Glacier Media, the company that owned the newspaper.

Johnson sent out an email in correspondence with the Manitoba Community Newspaper Association discussing the closure.

"General business decline has made it impossible to justify keeping the operation open. Despite the gallant efforts by the Journals dedicated team, it has struggled against market conditions since inception and a profitable model was never realized."

Calls to Johnson to find out more information were not returned.

The weekly paper had been around since 2002. It was independently owned for its first couple years before being purchased by Glacier Media in 2004.

The company cited Google and Facebook as being partially to blame for the closure in an online post, in which they said these foreign companies "command the overwhelming majority of digital advertising revenue, even in communities such as ours."

Its disheartening to see the paper shut down, former editor Lanny Stewart said in emailed correspondence.

"The Westman Journal will always be near and dear to my heart, as I spent several years with the publication," Stewart said. "I know everyone  past and present  who worked at the Journal spent countless hours each week in an effort to create a reputable community newspaper in Brandon, and it saddens me that will no longer be the case."

The Journal was a source for local news across much of southwestern Manitoba, offering features on notable local individuals in addition to hard news.

Assiniboine Community College journalism instructor Murray Oliver said that the Westman Journals closure is indicative of a much broader trend, wherein large portions of rural Canada are turning into news deserts.

"I think its really a bad sign for rural Manitoba," Oliver said. "Its a dark day for democracy and for people to find out information to make decisions about their communities."

There are four other Glacier-owned newspapers in the Westman area  the Souris Plaindealer, Melita New Era, Reston Recorder and the Deloraine Times & Star. When reached by The Sun on Monday afternoon, those who picked up the phone at all four locations said they hadnt received any notice of an impending closure at their newspapers.

Newspapers shutting down is a trend being seen from coast to coast, said Kelly Saunders, associate professor and chair of political science at Brandon University.

Local news is important to the area being covered, she said, as it connects people to their community and provides unique insight a national news source isnt likely to offer.

"Were just losing that sense of community, I think, that much more."

As a veteran of the newspaper business for many decades, Ken Waddell, publisher of the Neepawa Banner & Press and president of the Manitoba Weekly Newspaper Association, said its his personal take that its very challenging for a community newspaper to survive when it is not community-owned.

"I think the corporate world anywhere in North America certainly is proving that they are not able to handle the business model conditions of a modern newspaper," Waddell said.

"Successfully cutting staff, cutting news reporters, making all kinds of cuts is not the way to grow your product. In my view, the corporate world has no place in the community newspaper business, whatsoever. Theyve proven, for the most part, that they cant handle it."

A post on the Westman Journals website thanked employees for their work and dedication, and their readers for their support over the past 17 years.

 mverge@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @Melverge5
BEIJING - A court in southern China handed down sentences Tuesday to at least six foreigners involved in an international methamphetamine operation, including a Canadian given the death penalty.

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This Dec. 5, 2017, photo shows flags of Canada and China prior to a meeting of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. A court in southern China handed down sentences Tuesday to at least six foreigners involved in an international methamphetamine operation, including a Canadian given the death penalty. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Fred Dufour, Pool Photo

BEIJING - A court in southern China handed down sentences Tuesday to at least six foreigners involved in an international methamphetamine operation, including a Canadian given the death penalty.

The Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court in southern Guangdong province sentenced 11 people who produced more than 63 kilograms (139 pounds) of methamphetamine, an illegal drug.

Among them were one American and four Mexicans, who were all given life sentences or death sentences suspended by a period of two years. The court statement did not make clear which individual received what sentence, nor did it give their full names.

The Canadian sentenced to death was identified as "Fan Wei," but it was unclear whether that was the person's legal name. A person identified as Wu Ziping, whose nationality was not specified, was also handed a death sentence.

The sentence is likely to further strain Sino-Canadian relations, which have frayed since Canada arrested a Chinese tech executive last December at the request of the U.S. Since then, China has detained two Canadians and delayed some Canadian exports in apparent retaliation.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland called the death sentence cruel and inhumane.

"We've very concerned about this sentence," Freeland said.

According to the court, Fan Wei and Wu conspired to manufacture and sell the drugs in 2012, and brought the others  described as "drug-making technicians"  on board. Between July and November of that year, the court says, the group set up a "den" in Guangdong's Taishan city, where they produced and sold more than 63 kilograms of methamphetamine and 365.9 grams of dimethyl amphetamine.

A court employee reached by phone declined to give further details on the case.

In a separate drug smuggling case, China sentenced Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death in a sudden retrial in January  one month after Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained on vague national security allegations. The moves were widely seen as punishment for Canada's arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom company Huawei.

China has also suspended the license of two major Canadian canola exporters, alleging that officials discovered hazardous organisms in canola seed shipments.

___

Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
HALIFAX - Unfiltered and emotional social media postings are emerging as a potent tool for critics of Canada's health system, though some observers are dubious they'll prompt lasting changes.

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The Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville, N.S. is seen on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Doctors at the facility have started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to pay for more hospital beds. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - Unfiltered and emotional social media postings are emerging as a potent tool for critics of Canada's health system, though some observers are dubious they'll prompt lasting changes.

In Nova Scotia, the latest example came recently when a team of three emergency physicians posted a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for long-term care beds  a campaign rapidly expanded through Twitter.

Soon, online commentators suggested this would be the health system's equivalent of food banks  charity supplementing what should be a basic public service.

"This is an initiative to get the conversation going," said Dr. Rob Miller, one of the three doctors involved, adding that fundraising is secondary to the advocacy.

The doctors say the underlying problem is that elderly patients awaiting nursing home care are occupying beds at the Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville, N.S., creating a logjam in admissions and cascading into long waits in the emergency unit.

Their posting came on the heels of a viral video  viewed 2.6 million times on Facebook  made by Inez Rudderham, a frustrated young Nova Scotia mother who says she waited two years for her cancer diagnosis. She has said she was without a family doctor and had to repeatedly visit an ER before being referred to a specialist.

Meanwhile, in Newfoundland and Labrador, the mother of a 10-year-old child who spent two weeks in Janeway Hospital in St. John's posted Friday that she observed four cases of 24-hour shifts pulled by nurses in the unit.

Howard Ramos, a Dalhousie University sociologist who studies social media, says the initial power of the posts depend on whether they touch a chord online.

In the case of Rudderham's story, "it hit a nerve that many people feel they're experiencing ... It shows many people across Canada are having trouble accessing health care," he said.

At the Nova Scotia Health Authority, the flow of negative postings draws a mixed reaction.

Dr. Mark Taylor, the interim co-vice president of medicine at the agency, says in the case of Rudderham, it has led to an internal review.

"The good news is that it brings to the public problems that are real in our system and encourages us to find solutions to these problems," he said in an interview.

"The unfortunate thing is that what is put forward on social media may not be entirely accurate and only one side of the story is brought forward."

The young mother said in her video she had to seek care in emergency departments and was only diagnosed after three trips to the ER. She also says she won't be able to get the mental health services she needs to deal with the stress brought on by her ordeal until July.

Taylor said he can't comment on details of the case due to privacy concerns, adding his staff were still attempting to reach her on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, he says the doctors in the Kentville ER have a valid point about hospital crowding leading to backups in the emergency room.

"We need a greater emphasis on discharging patients, including improved home care services, improved capacity of patients to be managed in alternative locations," he said.

However, he also said, "I personally wonder if GoFundMe campaigns will achieve funding for long-term care beds. I'm not sure how that will work."

Rod Drover, a spokesman for Eastern Health, the largest health authority in Newfoundland and Labrador, said legislation prevents him from discussing details of the cases such as the one posted Friday in St. John's.

"There have been no changes to nursing staffing arrangements at the Janeway intensive care unit for years, as the existing staffing ratio is based on national standards of best practice for ensuring quality of care," he wrote.

The agency accepts the reality of social media, "as a communications tool," but  like Taylor  Drover says there's a risk of inaccurate information spreading.

Katherine Fierlbeck, a political science professor at Dalhousie University, said in cases like Rudderham's video, a posting can highlight "underlying structural problems" in a powerful way.

For example, it suggests there's a massive difference between simple access to some kind of primary care  such as walk-in clinics and ERs  and access to the regular and consistent care of a skilled family doctor.

Still, some health care problems, such as the public outcry over a lack of access to family doctors, are complex.

Nova Scotia's ratio of 257 doctors per 100,000 people is the highest in the country. And yet there were 51,119 people on a waiting list for a family physician in the province as of March 1.

Fierlbeck notes that these statistics don't reflect key details, such as data suggesting physicians in the province may have to spend more time on patients who are older and sicker than in other provinces.

Meanwhile, the political scientist says when political parties  such as Nova Scotia's Liberals  have tied their core electoral promises to budget control, they don't easily shift to growing the health budget.

"You're going to have to commit a certain amount of money and the more you commit, the less positive the fiscal management part of your portfolio looks."

 Follow @mtuttoncporg on Twitter.
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says today's federal Liberal party wouldn't accept political donations like those that got SNC-Lavalin in trouble in the late 2000s.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during an announcement at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada's plant in Cambridge, Ont., Monday, April 29, 2019.THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Geoff Robins

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says today's federal Liberal party wouldn't accept political donations like those that got SNC-Lavalin in trouble in the late 2000s.

Trudeau says the party has improved its standards and, in his words, "that is not what happens any more."

The Quebec-based engineering firm reached a "compliance agreement" with Canada's elections commissioner in 2016, admitting that executives who'd left the company by then had convinced employees to give money to both the Liberal and Conservative parties.

The agreement was public at the time but a CBC report today reveals the names of the SNC-Lavalin employees the elections commissioner believed were involved.

Reimbursing the donors with company bonuses was a way around an election law that forbids corporations to make political donations.

The Liberals got nearly $118,000 under the scheme, compared with the Tories' $8,000.

SNC-Lavalin CEO Neil Bruce said in 2016 that the agreement with the elections commissioner was evidence that the company had turned over a new leaf.

So has the Liberal party, Trudeau said Tuesday before the government's weekly cabinet meeting.

"When we came to power and when I became leader of the Liberal party, we made significant changes to the fundraising regime, we have moved forward on transparency and openness, and that is not what happens any more."

The donations covered by the compliance agreement were made between 2004 and 2011; Trudeau became Liberal leader in 2013.

The Liberals' relationship with SNC-Lavalin has dogged Trudeau for months. Former justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould has said Trudeau and his staff pressured her improperly to arrange a deal much like a compliance agreement, to help the company avoid a criminal prosecution related to its allegedly corrupt practices in Libya.

Trudeau has denied any impropriety, putting the whole thing down to miscommunications and misunderstandings. Nevertheless, it's led to the departures of Wilson-Raybould and fellow minister Jane Philpott from cabinet and the Liberal caucus, the resignation of Trudeau's principal secretary Gerald Butts, and the early retirement of Michael Wernick, formerly Canada's top civil servant.
FREDERICTON - The director of New Brunswick's Emergency Measures Organization says the response to this year's spring flooding is slowly transforming from a response to a recovery operation.

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Area residents are ferried to their homes in Darlings Island, N.B. on Saturday, April 27, 2019. The director of New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization says the response to this year's spring flooding is slowly turning from response to recovery. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

FREDERICTON - The director of New Brunswick's Emergency Measures Organization says the response to this year's spring flooding is slowly transforming from a response to a recovery operation.

"Most regions along the Saint John River should be out of the flood stage by the end of this week," Greg MacCallum said Tuesday.

He said water levels along most of the river are making a slow but steady decline.

However, areas between Jemseg and Saint John  along the river's southern reaches  are expected to remain at or above flood stage until Saturday.

But that doesn't mean the response to the flood is over, he said.

"Things start to look like they're getting back to normal in some places and then you drive five miles and you see a road that you can't go further on," MacCallum said. "That's to be expected."

The Transportation Department confirmed Tuesday that 82 roads remained closed, but many of them are expected to reopen in the next few days.

The Trans-Canada Highway was closed to traffic between Oromocto and Riverglade, but local residents as far as Gagetown and Petitcodiac were being allowed to use the highway to get to their homes.

Ahmed Dassouki, director of the department's operations branch, said the entire highway could be reopened this week.

He said the water has retreated and most of the debris, such as trees and driftwood, has been removed.

However, he said the highway requires an inspection once all the debris has been cleared away.

The New Brunswick director of the Canadian Red Cross said while some people have begun returning to their homes, the agency is still housing 433 people in hotels.

Bill Lawlor said free household cleanup kits are being distributed, and a fundraising effort has generated $241,000 so far.

About 240 soldiers had been helping with the flood response, but that number is now down to 150, and Lt.-Col. Sean French says more soldiers will be returning to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in the coming days.

The public is being advised to boil any well water that may have been contaminated by the floodwaters.

MacCallum said there's still a lot of work ahead, but the weather forecast looks good for the rest of the week.

"We will exercise patience and wait for the sun to come out and the waters to recede," he said.
OTTAWA - The Senate's ethics committee recommended Tuesday that Sen. Lynn Beyak be suspended without pay over incendiary letters about Indigenous Peoples she posted to her website.

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A picture of Senator Lynn Beyak accompanies other Senators official portraits on a display outside the Senate on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017. The Senate's ethics committee is recommending that Sen. Beyak be suspended for the duration of the current Parliament with conditions including no remuneration or reimbursement of expenses from the upper chamber.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - The Senate's ethics committee recommended Tuesday that Sen. Lynn Beyak be suspended without pay over incendiary letters about Indigenous Peoples she posted to her website.

The committee is also recommending Beyak attend educational programs at her own expense related to racism toward Indigenous people in Canada, have the Senate's administration remove the five letters from her website if she won't remove them herself, and make Beyak apologize to the upper chamber in writing.

The recommendations follow a March report from the Senate's ethics officer, Pierre Legault, who found the Ontario senator breached two sections of a code of conduct for senators by posting racist letters on her Senate website.

The letters are part of an effort Beyak has made to promote the positive side of residential schools for Indigenous children.

The government-sponsored religious schools, which operated from the 19th century until 1996, were meant to assimilate Indigenous children into European-Canadian culture. In so doing, they deprived children of connections to their homes and families. Many were subjected to physical, psychological and sexual abuse, and several thousand died.

Legault found that while a senator is entitled to encourage historical debate, the letters of support she posted "are rife with stereotypical negative beliefs, assumptions and prejudices directed at (Indigenous people)." He said Beyak should take the letters down and apologize.

The ethics committee wrote that suspending Beyak without pay would help her "gain further perspective on the privilege of serving in Canada's upper house." Cutting off access to her Senate resources, including her office and expense account, would "foster a greater appreciation of those resources and the attendant expectations for their appropriate use," the report said.

"It's a reasonable report, it's a reasonable set of recommendations and most senators are reasonable," said Sen. Murray Sinclair, who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that documented the legacy of the residential school system. "For the good of the Senate and reputation of this institution, I think we need to look carefully at what the committee recommended and go forward with that."

Since Beyak posted the letters, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett has repeatedly urged Beyak to remove them.

"This is really important and we await the decision of the chamber," Bennett said Tuesday. "They did an important piece of work and finding that those racist letters will have to come down."

Beyak could not immediately be reached Tuesday. She was appointed as a Conservative but the party kicked her out of caucus more than a year ago over the letters.

Conservative Sen. Raynell Andreychuk, the committee chair, said the panel was troubled by Beyak's failure to acknowledge the letters were racist and disturbed by her unwillingness to recognize the harm caused by posting them.

Beyak's actions fell short of what were expected of a senator, she said in presenting the report to the Senate. As parliamentarians, senators hold a unique public office that requires them to confront racism without reservation to ensure the integrity of the institution, Andreychuk said.

"The Senate as a house of Parliament must defend the principle that all persons are equal in law and in dignity," she said. "The suitability of a senator to remain in the legislature is linked to the recognition and respect of this principle."

Further discussion was put on hold for another sitting day, but the upper chamber has shown a recent inclination to dispose of these matters quickly once they reach the floor of the Senate.

The last senator to face the wrath of the ethics committee to this degree was Don Meredith, who resigned in disgrace in May 2017 before the Senate was ready to vote on a recommendation that he be expelled from the upper chamber over an explosive ethics officer's report about his sexual relationship with a teenage girl.

Any decision by the Senate would only be in effect until Parliament dissolves, which will happen by the fall with the official start of the election campaign. That was the case with three senators  Mike Duffy, Patrick Brazeau and Pamela Wallin  who were suspended without pay in 2013 until the election call in the summer of 2015.

Andreychuk said Tuesday that if Beyak didn't comply with the Senate's wishes, senators returning after the election should address her refusal as a continued breach of the conflict-of-interest code.

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EDMONTON - Alberta's new premier says the province will launch a constitutional challenge against a federal government bill to ban tankers off British Columbia's northern coast if it goes ahead.

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier-designate Jason Kenney addresses the United Conservative caucus in Edmonton on Friday, April 26, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

EDMONTON - Alberta's new premier says the province will launch a constitutional challenge against a federal government bill to ban tankers off British Columbia's northern coast if it goes ahead.

The Senate's committee on transport and communications was in Edmonton Tuesday for a public hearing on Bill C-48.

Premier Jason Kenney said the bill represents a grave threat to the economic interests of Alberta and Canada.

"Not only do we disagree with Bill C-48 in its current form, we do not agree with the bill period," he said.

"We believe it must be scrapped."

Kenney said the province believes the bill is unconstitutional because it only affects oil coming out of the Alberta oilsands.

"If this legislation is about tanker traffic, then tell us why would it not apply to B.C. natural gas," he said.

"I am confused by this legislation. If it is so important, why aren't we looking at other Canadian coastlines?"

The bill would prohibit oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 tonnes of crude oil and related products in waters between the northern tip of Vancouver Island and the Alaska border.

The legislation passed in the House of Commons last spring and is being debated in the Senate.

Some senators on the committee said they are conflicted by testimony they've heard across the country.

Leaders from several north-coast B.C. First Nations previously testified that if the Senate doesn't approve the bill, a spill could kill their thriving but fragile marine-based economies.

On Tuesday, senators heard similar concerns from Albertans about the province's oil industry.

Mayor Don Scott of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said the bill is divisive and would threaten national unity.

"It should never become law," he said, explaining it would hurt both Fort McMurray and the oilsands in northern Alberta.

Chief Craig Makinaw of the Ermineskin Cree Nation said there's a perception that all First Nations are against oil and gas development.

"There's a lot of misinformation and fear mongering about having pipelines across your lands," he said.

Makinaw said oil and gas has helped his First Nation become one of the most financially stable in the country, and noted he's simply asking for a reasonable solution that works for both provinces.

"Don't pick winners and losers," he said. "Let's find a way forward where we can all benefit."

Al Reid, executive vice-president with Calgary-based Cenovus Energy Inc., testified that the bill would hurt the oil industry.

"To be truly internationally competitive, we need the economies of scale that come from access to northern B.C.'s deep water ports," he said. "Unfortunately, Bill C-48 offers no pathway to reasonable compromise. It simply closes the door to Alberta's primary export.

"We can do better than this legislation, which should be at a minimum allowing for regulated, safe oil shipping corridors."

Senator Paula Simons, who is from Edmonton, said she's torn on how to handle the bill.

"On the one hand, we've been to Prince Rupert, we've been to Terrace, we've heard very emotional and powerful evidence and testimony from particularly First Nations and fisher people there who are desperate to protect their really beautiful territory," she said outside the committee meeting.

"On the other hand, I am an Alberta senator and I am not sure that the government has made a scientific case for a ban that is this extensive."

Academics who addressed the committee said the bill would affect many aspects of Alberta's oil industry, and noted it would be difficult for the federal government to come up with a win-win for both the province and B.C.

"It's pretty blunt on what it is  it's banning oil exports off the northwest coast of B.C.. So I don't think there's a political in-between there," said Andrew Leach, an associate professor of economics at the University of Alberta. "Maybe a little bit of softening on the different refined products.

"At the end of the day, it's pretty stark. It's almost a yes or no."
STE-MARTHE-SUR-LE-LAC, Que. - Robert Pepin's mobile home sits crookedly on its foundation, the front door is broken, the insulation and deck are damaged beyond repair.

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (967 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Quebec Provincial Police officers escort evacuees to retrieve belongings from their flooded homes on Monday, April 29, 2019 in Ste.Marthe-sur-la-Lac, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

STE-MARTHE-SUR-LE-LAC, Que. - Robert Pepin's mobile home sits crookedly on its foundation, the front door is broken, the insulation and deck are damaged beyond repair.

But the 70-year-old resident of Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que., says he's happy and less anxious because he's been able to visit his home and see what the water did to it.

"(Before) there was so much pressure in your head," Pepin said. "You think all the time, you can't sleep. What am I going to do, is my house finished? Now you see what's there, and you deal with it."

Over the weekend water from the Lake of Two Mountains breached a dike and rushed through the Montreal suburb, forcing Pepin and about 6,000 others from their homes. On Tuesday, residents of 1,485 homes that were spared the flooding were cleared to return home, though authorities said they would be without running water or electricity for an indefinite period.

The partial lifting of the evacuation was a rare glimmer of hope in a province that has been fighting flooding for two weeks. "The worst is behind us," Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault said earlier in the day.

Some 2,500 soldiers remain stationed in flood-ravaged regions of New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario, and various communities have declared a state of emergency. As Quebec and New Brunswick saw improvement on the horizon, in Ontario the situation was "potentially worsening," federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Tuesday

So far about 1,600 people have been forced from their homes across Ontario, Goodale said, most of whom are from the northern First Nations territory of Kashechewan.

City officials in Ottawa Tuesday said the bloated Ottawa River and its tributaries are expected to rise "over the next several days." At an afternoon briefing, officials said they were closing a street through the heart of the flood-affected area of Constance Bay and asking 150 households to voluntarily evacuate.

The river is already 30 centimetres above the peak levels of severe flooding in 2017, and could go up another 20 centimetres depending on the weather in the coming days. Forecasts call for snow, ice pellets and freezing rain, followed by up to 40 millimetres of rain by Thursday morning.

"The worst is yet to come," Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said.

In New Brunswick, the province's director of emergency measures, Greg MacCallum, said Tuesday the response to this year's spring flooding is slowly turning into a recovery operation.

"Most regions along the Saint John River should be out of the flood stage by the end of this week," he said. He said water levels along most of the river are making a slow but steady decline.

Bill Lawlor, the New Brunswick director of the Canadian Red Cross, said while some people have begun returning to their homes, the agency is still housing 433 people in hotels.

Goodale said about 9,200 residences and cottages remain flooded in New Brunswick along with 7,000 other properties of different kinds.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said investments in climate-resilient infrastructure and mitigation measures will be needed in the fight against climate change.

"We recognize that there is an increasing reality that, almost every year, we're dealing with people having to evacuate their homes, protect their homes from rising floodwaters," Trudeau told reporters. "These extreme weather events are going to happen more often."

As of Tuesday afternoon, before the evacuation order was partially lifted in Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, a total of 6,704 residences were flooded in Quebec while 3,483 were surrounded by water. More than 10,000 people had been forced from their homes.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault told a news conference in Quebec City that an analysis will be conducted looking at dikes across the province. He said the 3.5-kilometre dike that was breached in Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac was last repaired in 2009. After record flooding in 2017, a private firm determined it needed millions of dollars of additional work to be reinforced.

The town's mayor had requested an environmental assessment, with work expected to begin this fall. "We're in a situation where no one thought it was that urgent, or that what happened Saturday would happen," Legault said.

In the town northwest of Montreal, teams of firefighters, Canadian Forces and police used small Zodiac-style boats Tuesday to escort residents, like Pepin, back to their flooded homes. The hardest-hit areas still looked like a disaster zone. Cars sat submerged almost to their rooftops, and water reached nearly to the living room windows of some homes.

Jocelyne Martin, 68, noted that most of the residents are retired, living in relatively inexpensive mobile homes that may not be eligible for much compensation.

"I don't know what we're going to do," she said. "We don't even know what they'll do with the houses. I heard they'll be demolished but I dont know, we'll see," she said after her trip to retrieve belongings including clothes and her passport.

But despite the dire situation facing some residents, Pepin wasn't the only one expressing relief after making a first visit home.

Darlene Ratelle was glad to see that while water was high on her street, the interior of the home appeared untouched.

"It looks like a wasteland out there, it really does, but to go in the house to see that everything inside is nice, all intact, it helps," she said.

 With files from Jordan Press and Kevin Bissett
OTTAWA - Canada's international reputation will be damaged if it doesn't give real power to its new watchdog on responsible corporate conduct, warns a United Nations rights watchdog.

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This article was published 30/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr takes part in a Canada 2020 panel discussion in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. A United Nations rights watchdog says Canada's international reputation will be damaged if it doesn't follow through and give real power to its new watchdog on responsible corporate conduct. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Canada's international reputation will be damaged if it doesn't give real power to its new watchdog on responsible corporate conduct, warns a United Nations rights watchdog.

Surya Deva, the chair of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, is in Ottawa this week and will be seeking answers from the government on why it took 15 months to appoint its new "ombudsperson for responsible enterprise."

Deva said he was disappointed that International Trade Minister Jim Carr commissioned a further legal review, due in June, to assess what the ombudsperson's powers should be when Carr finally filled the new job three weeks ago.

"Let me say very candidly, things are moving quite fast and if the Canadian government wants to maintain the leadership in this particular field, or in the field of human rights generally, they need to really act now and do certain things," Deva said in an interview on Monday.

Deva said Canada is falling behind other countries such as France, Germany, Switzerland and Australia in enacting laws to improve the conduct of their companies operating abroad, especially in less developed countries.

"The Canadian government can't just sit back and think, 'Oh, we are the leader,' " he said. "This is a critical time and initiative and they should completely go ahead and do it."

Surya Deva, the chair of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, is photographed in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. He will be seeking answers from the government on why it took 15 months to appoint its new "ombudsperson for responsible enterprise." THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Blanchfield

Carr's decision to announce a further legal review also drew condemnation from rights groups when he announced the appointment of Sheri Meyerhoffer, a lawyer with a long record in business and international development.

Deva said if the government settles on anything short of full power to compel companies to supply witnesses and documents in Meyerhoffer's investigations, it will hurt Canada's reputation as a human-rights leader.

"If they're going to go back on that promise, it won't really send a good signal to the international community."

The government took too long to choose Meyerhoffer, having left the appointment on its agenda for years, he added.

"This should not have taken this long, and things are not really that complicated if they really wanted to do this," said Deva. "The Canadian government has been engaging with this issue for a while. It is a not a new topic for them."

Deva delivered that message again Tuesday at a conference in Ottawa on corporate responsibility that included numerous civil-society groups, government officials, business representatives and lawyers.

Chris Moran, the director general for trade-portfolio strategy at Global Affairs Canada, said the current system gives her department's 1,200 trade commissioners the necessary leverage to ensure companies act responsibly on foreign soil.

Her branch requires companies to sign an "integrity declaration" that promises good corporate behaviour in exchange for receiving the enhanced services that Canada's trade commissioners can provide to help them find new business opportunities, she said.

"These are not rights that companies have to those services. Those are enhanced services. These are things that are nice to receive," Moran told a panel.

If companies don't live up to their human-rights obligations, those services can be withdrawn, she said.

"It is both a carrot and a stick. So we use it as an incentive to ensure that companies are engaging in good faith with us."

Catherine Coumans, the research co-ordinator for MiningWatch Canada, dismissed that as "all not binding in any way" on resource companies, some of which she said have violated the rights of local populations in developing countries.

"Those things don't actually obligate the embassy to act in a particular way or take particular actions. That's where we're still stuck."

The Liberals promised to enhance corporate responsibility as part of their 2015 campaign platform and announced the details of the new ombudsperson's office in January 2018.

The new ombudsperson was intended to improve on the current "corporate responsibility counsellor," which has faced widespread criticism as a toothless entity in addressing misconduct complaints against Canadian companies, mainly in the mining industry.

The reform effort has been spearheaded by Liberal MP John McKay, who introduced a private member's bill on corporate social responsibility for Canadian resource and energy firms in 2010. It was thwarted by fellow Liberals, who joined with Conservatives in voting against Bill C-300 then.
STE-MARTHE-SUR-LE-LAC, Que. - Thousands of residents from Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que. are facing uncertainty after floodwaters breached a dike over the weekend, sending the Lake of Two Mountains rushing into their houses. Many say they're worried about their homes, their pets and their futures but are grateful to be safe.

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This article was published 29/4/2019 (968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Evacuees make their way along a flooded street to retrieve some belongings from their flooded homes on Monday, April 29, 2019 in Ste.Marthe-sur-la-Lac, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

STE-MARTHE-SUR-LE-LAC, Que. - Thousands of residents from Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que. are facing uncertainty after floodwaters breached a dike over the weekend, sending the Lake of Two Mountains rushing into their houses. Many say they're worried about their homes, their pets and their futures but are grateful to be safe.

Here are a few of their stories.

Karolane De Gagne, 27, and Marc-Andre Dewar, 31

The young couple only became homeowners in October 2018 when they bought the house previously owned by De Gagne's father.

On Monday, the couple and their friends were using a pump to blow up inflatable rafts, hoping to grab a few supplies for themselves and their five-month-old son. They say water has risen to within a foot of the main floor, and if it goes any higher, the place will be a total loss.

De Gagne and Dewar say they're living in a state of uncertainty, not knowing what will happen or when they'll be able to go back. Their dream of a home where they could raise their family has become "a terrible nightmare," De Gagne said.

Even if a few things can be saved, they aren't sure they'll stay.

"We're asking ourselves if we're willing to take the risk with our young family that this situation happens again," De Gagne said. "I don't think we can live through this again."

---

Jean-Maurice Vandergoten, 52

Jean-Maurice Vandergoten needed the army's help to escape with his two dogs after water suddenly rose to chest height outside the home where he has lived for 23 years. He made it to an amphibious vehicle carrying his large dog above his head, he said. On Monday, he was back on his street, hoping to rescue the three cats that remained in the home.

Despite the stress and uncertainty, he said he was grateful nobody appears to have been hurt.

"It's a real miracle when you think about it," he said. "In about half an hour, the whole area was underwater, and there's no people dead, no injured and everyone is OK. It was a really good job by the authorities."

---

George Gaudreault and Nicole Gaudreault-Boudreau, both 69

The couple, who weren't home when the evacuation order occurred, understood what was happening only when images of their flooded street started playing on repeat on French-language television.

Gaudreault and his wife, who are both diabetic, were left without their medications, and have had to borrow clothing from family members since they haven't been home. Gaudreault realized he couldn't even call his insurance company to inquire about coverage, because all his documents were in the house.

He said the area has never flooded before.

"Even two years ago in (the floods) of 2017, the water rose, yes, but (the dike) never collapsed. Everyone was taken by surprise, because it looked good. The night before I went to look, and the water was three, four, feet from the top."

But it wasn't all bad news for the couple on Monday.

By late afternoon, Gaudreault-Boudreau was once again in tears, but this time they were tears of joy: the couple's three beloved cats were being unloaded from a boat unharmed, saved from the floodwaters by an animal rescue group.

---

Suzanne, 56

Suzanne, who did not wish to give her last name, lives with her 29-year-old autistic son. The 56-year-old said that when she went home following the evacuation order, water was up to her ankles. Five minutes later, it had reached her calves.

"I felt like I was in a war zone, with helicopters, (armoured vehicles)  a real war zone," she said.

Now, she has no idea how much water is in her house, and she still hasn't been able to reach her clothes or retrieve her cat, Hector.

She said she can't bring herself to think about the future without crying. "If I do, I'll raise the water levels even higher," she said.
Independent News and Media (INM) has accepted a takeover offer by a Belgian media group for 145.6m.

Under the terms of the acquisition, INM shareholders will receive 10.5 cents per share.

The Belgian company, Mediahuis, is a private European group that was founded in 2013.

INM owns titles including the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent, the Herald, Belfast Telegraph, Sunday Life and the Sunday World. It also has a 50% holding in the Irish Daily Star.

Mediahuis currently employs more than 3,200 people and reported a turnover of 819m last year.

Its brands include De Telegraaf, NRC Handelsblad, NRC Next, De Limburger and Noordhollands Dagblad, with newspaper sales of almost 900,000.

INM has its headquarters in Dublin, employs an average of 800 people, and had revenues of 191m in the last financial year.

INM chairman Murdoch MacLennan said: We are pleased to be announcing this transaction today and believe it represents an excellent outcome for both the company and its shareholders.

The offer from Mediahuis represents a compelling opportunity for shareholders to realise cash for their shareholding in INM, at a price which fairly reflects the companys performance and standalone prospects.

INM has a proud and illustrious history stretching back to the start of the 20th century and the INM board believes that this offer from Mediahuis, if approved, will herald an exciting new chapter for our employees, readership and customers.

Mediahuis already has a strong track record in newspaper and digital media development in Europe, which we feel will provide INM with the best opportunity to achieve its strategic objectives, while continuing to enable it to deliver journalism of the highest quality to the island of Ireland and our readers abroad.

Gert Ysebaert, chief executive of Mediahuis, said: We believe that there is a clear rationale for the acquisition and that INM will thrive under Mediahuis ownership.

Furthermore, Mediahuis can contribute the relevant experience, skills and resources to invest in INMs brands and significantly enhance its operational and digital capabilities.

Underpinned by our unreserved belief in independent and quality journalism, we are optimistic about the combination of Mediahuis and INM and its potential contribution to the Irish media landscape.

- Press Association
The new president of Cork Chamber has called for the utmost haste in progress on the citys long-mooted events centre, as well as a major ramping-up in public infrastructure.

Paula Cogan, who is sales director at the Doyle Collection, said delivery of Cork projects, under the 116bn Ireland 2040 plan, was becoming a concern for businesses in the region.
The Daa expects to retain control of Cork Airport and plans to invest 40m in its development over the next four-to-five years.

The Government is due to review Cork's ownership later this year, as previously announced in its national aviation plan four years ago, but the Daa said it remains committed.

"We think we have been a really good custodian of the business in Cork. We would like Cork Airport to remain part of the Daa family. It's a key part of the business," said Daa chief executive Dalton Philips.

"We can do really good things with Cork and we're focused on making it a profitable part of the business in time."

He said that spinning out Cork from Daa control would not benefit the airport, suggesting Ireland does not have a great track record of independently-owned airports.

In its national aviation policy document in 2015, the Government said ownership of the State-run airports would be reviewed in 2019 and at five-year intervals thereafter. In 2015, it said Cork Airport could separate from the Daa should it make financial sense both for the airport and the Daa.

Cork is doing really well, passengers are up 16% over the past three years and we think its future is best served within the Daa Group," said Mr Philips.

"I would sit down with the chief executives of major airlines with our colleagues from Cork, but Cork wouldnt get that if it was operating on its own. Cork gets the benefits of scale in areas such as IT and HR by being part of a larger group," said Mr Philips.

He was speaking on the back of the Daa reporting record post-tax profits of 133m for 2018 and a 5% rise in turnover to 897m.

The Daa will pay the State a dividend of 40m for last year, up 7% on 2017's total. Its net debt fell by 18% to 441m last year. However, it hopes to tap the European Investment Bank for a 200m loan to fund a range of development activities at Dublin Airport.

Mr Philips said there is no need to build a third terminal at Dublin, with there being "ample room" to improve capacity at the existing two terminals.

The Daa is due, later this year, to put its case for the amendment of noise restriction conditions to Fingal County Council, ahead of the completion of Dublin's new runway in 2021. The company said failure to remove the restrictions would "decimate" the airport's busiest times of the day and have "a hugely negative effect on the entire Irish economy for decades to come".

Mr Philips said the Daa has no interest - via its international investment arm - to bid for overseas airports but will continue to seek consultancy contracts with airport operators.
The State used a law to cut payments to retired aviation workers to help address a 770m pension fund deficit and avoid industrial unrest among existing workers before the sell-off of Aer Lingus in 2014/15, the High Court has heard.

The circumstances of those still at work - active and deferred members of the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (IASS) - "was improved by disimproving the lot of existing pensioners" under the 2014 restructuring of the defined benefit scheme, Paul Gardiner SC said.

The State decided to solve a problem of the 770m deficit before Aer Lingus was sold to the International Airlines Group (IAG) by imposing the deficit on the existing pensioners because "they weren't going to go on strike", he said. The State had a 25% shareholding in the company and got 335m from the sale.

Mr Gardiner was opening a test case by four of some 600 retired Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport Authority workers who are suing Ireland and the Attorney General over the restructuring.

They say entitlements were cut in the restructuring to address the airline workers' pension fund deficit just before the sale of Aer Lingus to IAG. The defendants oppose the case.

Using the 1998 Air Navigation (Amendment) Act, as amended by the Shannon Airports (Shannon Group) Act 2014, the State was able to present proposals to amend the superannuation scheme for presentation to the Pensions Authority for approval.

Mr Gardiner said this was a unique piece of legislation in the history of the State because it targeted a specific group rather than the population in general and interfered with the property rights of people without their consent.

Each of the IASS members had to compulsorily contribute to the scheme while they were working and they had therefore established constitutional property rights, counsel said.

It was a requirement of the scheme and a matter of law that the trustees would administer the pension fund in accordance with the rules of the scheme.

However, the law was changed to allow the State "unlawfully expropriate ten to 20% of the money earned by the pensioners, some of who had paid into it for over 50 years".

If the Constitution did not protect the citizen in those circumstances, then it was sorely deficient, counsel said. But it was their case it was not deficient and the court should find in favour of the pensioners.

Mr Gardiner said his clients' case was based both on contractual rights and property rights under the Constitution.

In this case, the pension trustees were able to apply to the Pensions Authority to restructure with the "security blanket" of the new law even though the State argued that it could have done so without that law, he said.

The State interfered with a private trust (pension scheme) to avoid industrial unrest and consequent risk to the economy, he said.

Although it received a 335m "bounty" for the sale of its shares to IAG, the State claims it was not solely motivated by this enhanced value, counsel said.

It claimed that in introducing the legislation, it was part of a "complex social and economic" policy but an analysis of this matter would show that was not the case because it involved targeting a private trust and not the population generally.

Mr Gardiner said the court will first have to decide whether the pensioners are entitled to certain declarations as to whether the legislation used by the State was unconstitutional and in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. After that, the court would go on to decide whether damages should be awarded.

Separate from the constitutional claim are claims for damages for intentional infliction of economic harm, interference with contractual relations and unjust enrichment by the State.

The case continues before Ms Justice Teresa Pilkington.
British exploration company Europa Oil and Gas is expecting to finalise a development partner for the bulk of its Irish offshore licences in the coming months, enabling drilling work to begin sometime next year.

Ireland is a key region for Europa, with the company sitting on around five billion barrels of oil and 2.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in six offshore licences here.

Its pending partnership deal includes investment in Europa's flagship Irish asset, the Inishkea gas project adjacent to the Corrib field. Europa has said Inishkea could significantly reduce Ireland's reliance on gas imports after Corrib comes to the end of its life in little over a decade.

Europa tentatively agreed so-called farm-out terms with an unnamed major international oil and gas company at the start of the year and has since been waiting for that company to make a final investment decision. Europa said other parties remain interested also.

The company will sell down 20%-30% of its interests in the assets.

In its half-year results presentation, last month, Europa suggested the political environment in Ireland - particularly People Before Profit's bill aimed at banning offshore drilling for oil and gas in Irish waters - may be causing potential investors to slow down their investment decisions.

Europa's chief executive Hugh Mackay this week said that doesn't necessarily equate to the company's current experiences. He said Europa is confident of agreeing it farm-in deal "sooner rather than later".

Europa will also, at a later stage, look to sell part of its interests in a licence close to the Iolar prospect off the south-west coast, which is due to be drilled in the coming months by China-owned group CNOOC-Nexen.
Update 30/04/19, 6.30pm: Liam Goodwin, who was missing from Dublin, has been located safe and well.

The gardai and Liam's family have thanked the public for their assistance.

Speaking this morning Chief Superintendent Finbarr Murphy said:

"I would like to sincerely thank everyone in Rathcoole and the surrounding community for their wonderful response to our call for assistance this evening in finding Liam.

"The people of Rathcoole can be extremely proud of their community and their response this evening.

"I also want to thank everyone throughout the country who shared the information on the various social media platforms.

"Tonight showed how powerful social media can be when used in the right way."

Gardai in Rathcoole, Dublin are seeking help from the public in tracing the whereabouts of 12-year-old Liam Goodwin.

Liam Goodwin didn't return home from school Monday and has been missing since 3pm.

He was last seen wearing a school uniform: Maroon Holy Family uniform, grey shirt, grey trousers, black Nike runners and was carrying a cobalt blue Super Dry schoolbag.

He is described as being 5'9" in height, with sandy colour hair, brown eyes and sallow skin.

Gardai and Liams family are very concerned for his welfare and are asking anyone who has seen him or who can assist in locating him is to contact Ballyfermot Garda Station on 01  666 7200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
Broadcaster Miriam O'Callaghan has got High Court orders allowing her to join as co-defendants 51 people allegedly connected to Facebook advertisements using her name and image which she says are defamatory.

The intended defendants have been identified following a court order by Facebook, which along with Instagram, was used to host pages with advertisements containing allegedly defamatory statements about her in order to sell skin care products.

The advertisements used attention-grabbing false headlines such as "Miriam sacked from RTE", which results in the ads appearing in Facebook users' "news feeds", it is claimed.

When the user clicks on the ads, he or she is directed to pages on which the user is encouraged to buy skin care products falsely stated to be endorsed or owned by Ms O'Callaghan, it is claimed.

Ms O'Callaghan has nothing to do with the skincare range and is distressed at being associated with what she says is a scam product.

A number of Irish people had been victims of this false advertising and had to cancel their bank cards after ordering a "free trial" in the advertisements, it is claimed.

Ms O'Callaghan initially brought her proceedings against Facebook Ireland and sought orders, which were granted by the court on April 5, requiring the social media company to provide basic subscriber information, payment method details and business manager account information about those behind the adverts.

When the case returned before Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds today, she was told Ms O'Callaghan's lawyers had identified 51 individuals/names which she wishes to have joined as co-defendants with Facebook.

The information provided by Facebook identified 18 creators of payment accounts and another 33 administrators of those accounts who were identified by username.

Certain of the administrators seem to have had access to several of the accounts that paid for the offending advertisements, Paul Tweed, solicitor for Ms O'Callalghan, said in an affidavit.

The majority of the physical addresses linked to these 51 names are in Belgrade in Serbia and the towns of Bar and Berane in Montenegro. Others are in the districts of Flushing, Jamaica and Maspeth in New York, USA. Their email addresses are also given.

Paul O'Higgins SC, for Ms O'Callaghan, told Ms Justice Reynolds that, assuming they are all real people, these were the addresses and names who emerge on the advertising account details provided by Facebook on foot of the court's previous order.

Ms Justice Reynolds granted orders allowing those named to be joined as co-defendants. She also granted permission to serve notice of the defamation proceedings on them by way of non-personal "substituted" service through ordinary pre-paid post at their physical addresses and by email.

She adjourned the matter to next month.
There are 582 patients waiting for beds in hospitals around the country.

According to the latest trolley watch figures from the INMO, 408 patients are waiting in the emergency department, while 174 are in wards elsewhere in the hospital.
The Taoiseach says there's no evidence dead bodies were left rotting in hallways in University Hospital Waterford.

Speaking as he visited the county, Leo Varadkar disputed the claims of a number of consultants.

Last week, a leaked letter from four consultants at the hospital claimed bodies were being left on trolleys in the hospital because the mortuary was full.

They said the conditions were so bad that some families had to be told to have closed caskets at the funerals of their loved ones.

The HSE and the hospital disputes this.

Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein TDs in Waterford have called for management of the hospital to appear before an Oireachtas committee.

Taoiseach Varadkar said today: "In relation to the claims and counter-claims, I don't know for sure what the truth is.

"We have a letter from a number of consultants last October alleging that there were dead bodies on trollies decomposing. However, no evidence has been brought forward to support that.

"The coroner was unaware of it. The funeral homes have been asked and are unaware of it. There were no incidents reports from any staff. There were also no complaints from any families.

"It's definitely a strange story. I don't know if those claims are true or not but it doesn't seem that there's any evidence to support them.

"Certainly, those who made them haven't put forward any evidence to support them."

It was one of a number of local issues put to the Taoiseach as he canvassed in Waterford for a Yes vote in the upcoming plebiscite on directly elected mayors.

Leo Varadkar also addressed a suspected acid attack on three teenage boys in the city:

"You really have to wonder what kind of poison exists in the mind of somebody who would throw acid on another person."

The Taoiseach will also travel to Cork and Limerick on the campaign trail this week ahead of multiple votes being held next month.
The prosecuting barrister in the trial of two teenage boys accused of murdering Ana Kriegel has opened his case to the jury.

The 14-year-old schoolgirls naked body was found in a derelict building in Lucan, Dublin last May.

Prosecuting barrister Brendan Grehan said that on the afternoon of Thursday May 17 last, gardai found Ana Kriegels body in an empty farmhouse called Glenwood House. She had been missing for four days.

She was naked except for her socks and a ligature or tie around her neck which was made from builders' tape.

He said she had obvious head injuries and her damaged clothes were scattered around the room.

It is the prosecutions case that one of the boys lured her from her house to meet the other boy who then violently sexually assaulted and murdered her.

Mr Grehan said the case against the first boy relies on compelling forensic evidence linking him to Ana Kriegel and the crime scene.

In addition, he said it will be alleged that various items found in his home will also connect him to the murder, including a backpack containing gloves, knee pads, shin guards and a homemade zombie mask.

Both boys deny the charges.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has ordered the elite ERU (Emergency Response Unit) into Drogheda as part of a crackdown on increasingly violent turf wars between feuding drug gangs.

He intends to hit the gangs hard, including stamping out even low-level drug dealing and will provide the town with a further 25 gardai next month.

Mr Harris said gardai in the town would also get support from other national units to end the feud, which has led to 74 tit-for-tat attacks since last July.

If we have to use all the powers available to us we will, the commissioner said.

Mr Harris also appealed for people in Drogheda to give the gardai information or, if they wanted to remain anonymous, to contact Crimestoppers.

The GRA (Garda Representative Association) has called for all 28 garda divisions in the country to have their own ARUs (Armed Response Units), instead of the current six regional units, which are too geographically stretched.

Two ARUs cover the border between Donegal and Louth and rank and file gardai have called for more in the region to combat the increasing threat of the New IRA.

Commissioner Harris said he planned to set up another ARU, to be based in Cavan, which was likely to be operational by the tail end of the year.

In response to GRA calls for better equipment, the country's most senior policeman said he would allocate 10m to update the garda fleet, enabling him to shortly purchase around 300 new vehicles.

The GRA also wants increased manpower. The commissioner readily admitted he could always do with more".

But before that may become a reality, he said he would have to use the 15,000 gardai at his disposal in the most effective way he can to keep the public safe.

At the GRA conference in Killarney, he revealed he'll restructure the force by reducing the current number of divisions and regions and aims to set up more joint agency responses to resolve deep-seated crime and quality of life issues such as recidivism, child abuse and youth crime".

Mr Harris said garda units will be provided with 2,000 smartphones by the end of the year, which will give them instant access to a host of information on criminals and suspect vehicles.

We are currently looking at how to best to distribute these throughout the country. Thousands more smartphones will then be provided in 2020, Mr Harris said.
Update 2.34pm: Eileen Agnew has been located safe and well.

Gardai have thanked the public for their assistance.

Earlier: Gardai are seeking assistance from the public in locating a missing 39-year-old from Dublin.

Eileen Agnew is missing from her home in Tallaght and was last seen in the Dun Laoghaire area on April 24.

She is described as being 54, with a slim build and she has blonde hair.

Gardai and Eileen's family have said they have concerns for her welfare.

Anyone who has seen Eileen or who can assist in locating her is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01-6666000, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any garda station.
Gardai are investigating an alleged assault on a man in Moneymore in Drogheda in Co Louth.

A man in his late 20s is believed to have been assaulted by four males at around 10.30pm last night.
Latest: Rank and file Gardai are rejecting claims by the Justice Minister that the force is adequately resourced.

The Garda Representative Association says its members do not have enough resources to do their jobs properly and there's huge frustration among ordinary Gardai.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris are appearing at the GRA National Conference in Killarney today.

Minister Flanagan addressed the delegates earlier but faced an audience of Gardai claiming they do not have the appropriate funding to do their jobs properly.

Minister Flanagan said there is an unprecedented level of resources available to Gardai.

But that has being strongly rejected by members, who say they lack funding, resources, training and equipment.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris will address the gathering later.

He will face questions over how resources are being allocated, and how quickly new recruits are being brought in to assist frontline Gardai in their daily duties.

Gardai will have 'unprecedented money available', says Justice Minister

By Vivienne Clarke

Earlier: Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan says that the Garda Siochana will be adequately resourced with unprecedented money available.

He vowed to work alongside Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and rank and file gardai to embrace change.

Unprecedented money will be available this year - 1.76 billion. This is needed to ensure there are sufficient resources to drive change, he told RTE radios Today with Miriam OCallaghan.

He said he was not going to engage in a war of words with gardai following criticism of him by GRA National Executive member Garda Damien McCarthy of Dublin South Central division who described the minister's failure to address problems with the garda's budget and resources as "negligent" and the commissioner's decision to reduce the intake of new recruits this year from 800 to 600 as "mind boggling."

It is a matter of fact that Garda resources from this government are at an unprecedented level, said Mr Flanagan.

The resources need to be there for the 157 recommendations for change in the Future for Policing document, he said.

The Minister said he viewed his role as two fold  to ensure resources and to make sure that criminal law is up to date. That means the training for gardai now taking place.

Continuous professional development is absolutely crucial, he said, but he acknowledged that the rolling out of such training may not be happening at the speed gardai want.

That training has now commenced, it is now being rolled out. I will ensure there are sufficient funds for training courses. The days of garda scandals will be gone. They will remain in the past.

The Minister said there is a new uniform coming on stream along with new garda vehicles and ICT. He also said he wants to ensure that armed support units are properly equipped to deal with the challenging situations they are facing.

He said he is very concerned about the situation in Drogheda with the ongoing gang feud. Operation Stratus was specifically designed to address this and there will be covert and overt units on the streets of Drogheda.

We will ensure that the situation there is brought to a satisfactory resolution.

As far as Drogheda is concerned the armed support unit is highly trained, he added.

We will be talking to the community to see what else can be done.

He said he will give a commitment that change will proceed at the pace of the 157 recommendations that will transfer the police force.

I will ensure that the guards will be resourced.
Rank and file gardai say drink driving cases are being thrown out of court because of confusion over the use of handcuffs when arresting suspects.

They want the Garda Commissioner to urgently issue officers with clear protocols on when they can and cannot use handcuffs.

It is one of the motions being discussed at the GRA Conference in Killarney.

GRA members say they are very disappointed that serious cases such as drink driving matters are being struck out of court because of a lack of clarity over when they can and cannot use handcuffs.

The issue will be debated at the GRA's Annual Conference in Killarney in Co Kerry today, where members will urge Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to issue them with clear protocols on handcuff use when arresting suspects.

John Joe O'Connell from the Kildare Division of the GRA, says it needs to be addressed.

"It's very disappointing that cases of a serious nature - drink driving - would be struck out from court in relation to the use of handcuffs," said Mr O'Connell

"So we're looking for clarity from the Commissioner on that."

The GRA, which represents 11,000 gardai, will today discuss setting up a full-time public order unit for Dublin, a 24/7 armed support unit at every garda division, giving members encrypted USBs, and greater supports for officers attending traumatic scenes.
Homelessness reached another record high in March with 10,305 people in emergency accommodation, mainly driven by a rise of 37 in the number of homeless children.

The latest figures show that 6,484 adults and 3,821 children were living in emergency accommodation in March and the overall total of 10,305 includes 1,733 families.

Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy, said the figures show "a slight increase" on those recorded in February, when the 10,000 barrier was broken for the first time: "We continue to put considerable efforts in to prevent people from entering emergency accommodation, while also exiting as many families and individuals from homelessness as possible each month."

The Minister also noted the results of the Spring Rough Sleeper Count, published by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, which shows a fall in the number of people sleeping rough in the capital in Spring, compared with the figure for Winter.

The count took place over April 9 and 10 and shows tthat 128 people were sleeping rough. The previous count showed 156 sleeping on the streets of Dublin in Winter.

Inner City Helping Homeless CEO Anthony Flynn

According to the figures, 94 of the 128 rough sleepers were in the city centre, 75% were male and of those whose nationality could be identified, one-in-five were non-Irish nationals.

It also found that almost two-thirds of those sleeping rough this month are aged between 31 and 50.

Eileen Gleeson, director of the DRHE said: "We have been working with our charity partners to increase emergency accommodation, and have increased capacity by 250 permanent beds."

Minister Murphy welcomed the reduction and said work is continuing to address the issues of those sleeping rough, but the larger scale crisis prompted renewed criticism of him and the Government.

Sinn Fein housing spokesman, Eoin O'Broin said the Government's Rebuilding Ireland strategy is "failing those in greatest need", while Depaul CEO Kerry Anthony said "the issue is not going away any time soon" and warned that a younger age group may be caught up in homelessness.

"Recently we have seen in some of our emergency accommodations that over 50% of those new to homeless were between the ages of 18-34," he said.

Inner City Helping Homelessness CEO, Anthony Flynn, claims that Minister Murphy and his department are "directly to blame" and added: "Talk is cheap."

Barnardos said children experiencing the trauma of homelessness need access to a dedicated support worker.

The number of homeless people rose by 41 from February, 67% of all those in emergency accommodation in Dublin.

There were 402 people in emergency accommodation in Cork, 309 in Galway, 272 in Limerick, 157 in Kildare, 156 in Louth, 132 in Kerry and 106 in Waterford.

Number of homeless people living in hotels and B&Bs rises again

By Digital Desk staff

There has been another slight rise in the number of people staying in emergency accommodation.

File photo

New figures show there were 10,305 homeless people living in hotels and B&Bs during March.

Among those were 6,484 adults and 3,821 children.

The Housing Minister says "considerable efforts" are being made to help find permanent homes.

A statement from Inner City Helping Homeless said: The true figure would be closer to 20,000 as we dont include rough sleepers, families in womens shelters, people in direct provision, or people couch surfing or living with family or friends in these figures.

"In the last 4 days alone there has been two deaths of homeless men in their 30s in Cork.

"We cannot become numb to deaths on our streets and the governments lack of will to provide proper emergency accommodation and build public housing on public lands has led us to this."

Their CEO Anthony Flynn said: The homelessness crisis has increased year on year and we are now in the midst of the worst levels of homelessness in the history of the state and Minister Murphy and his department are directly responsible for this.

"The detrimental impact on children and adults that are homeless is immeasurable and its their physical and mental health that are suffering.

"The time for talking is over and we need to see the government treat homelessness as the national emergency that it is with an emergency sitting of the Dail."

Suzanne Connolly, Barnardos CEO, said: "Amongst the many issues highlighted in the Ombudsman for Childrens report [published earlier this month ] are feelings of shame, embarrassment, sadness and anger for the circumstances they are living in.

"Children also felt a sense of unfairness as they struggle to understand why they do not have a house to live in.

"Living in institutionalised settings is becoming normalised as parents can now count the number of Christmases and birthdays their child has spent in homeless accommodation. But children are acutely aware that this is not normal.

"It is critical that the government place a six month cap on the use of emergency accommodation to house families and to put better supports in place for children who are experiencing homelessness."

Fiona McDonnell, Homeless Services Co-Ordinator at Merchants Quay Ireland, commented: "There has been a 58% increase in the number of people in emergency accommodation since the Governments strategy, Rebuilding Ireland, was launched in July 2016.

"This is a clear sign that the current strategy to ending homelessness needs revaluation."

Depaul CEO Kerry Anthony said: "This is the third successive record in as many months which indicates there is still a long road to go before we can firmly get a handle on the issue of homelessness.

"Recently we have seen in some of our emergency accommodations that over 50% of those new to homeless were between the ages of 18-34.

"It is important to point out that this is a sample representing Depaul's emergency services, however, for some young adults in our society that means starting your adult life off as homeless.

"We believe nobody should be faced with that prospect when they have so much to give and are at such a young age."
Irish Rail has defended its practice of vegetation management after accusations that it committed acts of 'deliberate destruction' in cutting down trees along the train line in Co Offaly.

Before and after pictures showing the complete removal of trees from a stretch of railway have been widely shared on social media in recent days. It prompted criticism of Irish Rail's approach to managing the ecosystem along the rail network, with the Green Party particularly vocal on the 'wanton destruction' of the trees.

It is an offence to destroy hedgerows and trees from March 1 to August 31. The trees in question were removed over several weeks in April, with Irish Rail insisting it was done under section 49 of the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001, with allows it to "cut or lop" trees, hedges or shrubs if they undermine safety or operability.

Irish Rail's corporate spokesman Barry Kenny said the provision of a "safe rail system" is the company's primary objective.

Despite requests to @IrishRail to cease this activity, they continued with their destruction of mature hedgerow & trees in #Offaly, and now there is nothing left. A habitat destroyed. Nests, chicks & biodiversity mulched to the ground. Its late April. Before & After. #ecocide pic.twitter.com/VqcnzyseU2  Pippa Hackett (@pippa_hackett) April 26, 2019

"Tree and vegetation related incidents can have a profound adverse impact on the operability and safe passage of trains," he said.

In order to address this issue, vegetation management is a core activity undertaken by Iarnrod Eireann Infrastructure and is an integral part of maintaining a safe operational railway line.

Irish Rail said that it is sometimes "not practical or safe" to carry out vegetation work during the winter months and that doing so outside the legal hedge cutting season is done in exceptional circumstances.

"In this particular area on the Dublin to Galway line, the trees had grown very high causing visibility issues, and had caused damage to fencing allowing animal incursions," Mr Kenny said. "Weve seen a number of serious incidents over the past year of animal incursions."

Pippa Hackett, the Green Party's spokesperson on heritage, said that workers were seen removing trees over a number of weeks.

"Concerns were highlighted directly to Irish Rail a week previously when it began the decimation of the mature hedge on the other side of the track," she said. "Yet, despite pleas from members of the public, they returned the following week, to completely destroy the hedge on the opposite side.

What I have witnessed over the past week in Co Offaly, close to my home, has been catastrophic for our birds and biodiversity.

"I have seen many incidences of severe hedge trimming, even hedge removal during the cutting season, but never have I witnessed such wanton hedgerow destruction at the height of the nesting season, with hedges on the point of bloom. Nests, chicks, and biodiversity have been mulched to the ground."

Mr Kenny said that works are ongoing in many areas due to safety concerns.

"We have ongoing planned works, and other safety-critical works and within available resources this was the first opportunity to undertake this  it was crucial to complete both as a preventative measure ahead of any storms and ahead of the summer season."
Compared with other children her age, Sophie McGoldrick is classed as non-verbal but her smile when she attends her pre-school says everything.

The four-year-old is lucky to have secured a place this year with Sonas, a special preschool for children with autism in her home town of Carrigaline, Co Cork just as she was lucky to have lessons with the local Shine autism centre last year.

But her luck runs out next year when she must leave for primary school because there is no school that can take her.

"I've tried every school in south Cork," said her mum, Ann-Marie. "They either have no autism unit or they have a unit with a waiting list that might be two years long or so long that they've stopped taking names."

Ann-Marie and her own mother, Amanda McCullough, joined other parents from all over the country in a protest outside the Dail to demand school places for their children. "There's nothing for children like Sophie," said Amanda.

We knew when she was nine months old that something wasn't right and we've had to fight ever since to get her the support she needs. If Ann-Marie hadn't gone private for assessment and therapies, she'd have got nothing.

Ann-Marie said she had been told there might be a place for her daughter two hours drive away in north Cork or somewhere else in the county that is equally distant.

"I couldn't do that do her - putting her in a taxi with strangers to drive two hours there and back every day. It would do her no good at all and yet I'm being told if I don't agree to that, it'll be me who'll be depriving her of an education.

"She has come on leaps and bounds since starting with Shine and now with Sonas. She has about a hundred words, she makes eye contact, she smiles. I might get some home tuition for her but she has thrived being in a school setting and I worry all that progress will be lost."

The Enough is Enough campaign which organised the protest is insisting that the Government uphold their children's constitutional right to an education.

Education Minister Joe McHugh said the Government had significantly increased funding for special education.

There are undoubted challenges when it comes to the establishment of special school and class provision in some schools and communities," he said.

"The Department will consider all applications for funding for schools to re-configure existing space within a school building to accommodate a sanctioned special education class and/or to provide additional accommodation."
A 3m settlement, made without admission of liability, has been approved by the High Court for a permanently disabled young girl with cerebral palsy who alleged negligence in the circumstances of her delivery at the National Maternity Hospital.

The hospital had strongly disputed liability for the injuries suffered by Orlaith Sweetman-Healy in 2006 and contended the damage suffered by her was a result of a foetal stroke for which it could not be held responsible.

Denis McCullough SC, for the child, now aged 12, said on Tuesday his side considered the full value of the "complicated" case was 10-11m but believed the risk of losing it was so great they recommended the court approve the 3m offer, made following a mediation.

Mr Justice Kevin Cross said he had "no hesitation" approving the offer as the case had "a whole lot of difficulties".

The fact Orlaith is as well as she is "is a great credit to the parents", he added.

Cathie Sweetman-Healy, the child's mother, told the judge she understood the risks of proceeding with the case and was happy to accept the offer on behalf of her daughter, whom she described as "one in a million".

The money will be applied towards buying a new house suitable to Orlaith's needs and care assistance, she said.

She said Orlaith, who was in court in a wheelchair, is "getting on great" and, like every other 12 year old, is constantly on her Ipad and "is a normal kid insofar as she can be". She was very grateful for the support of their families and of their lawyers and "am just glad its all over now".

Outside court, Ms Sweetman-Healy, accompanied by her husband Jim, said she considered the care received at the hospital at the time of Orlaith's birth in 2006 was "sub-standard".

She hoped the case would "shine a light" on the situation in an effort to avoid any other family having such an experience.

Orlaith, through her mother, of Jamestown Road, Inchicore, Dublin, had sued the hospital for alleged negligence in relation to the birth of the child there on November 17, 2006.

Among a range of pleas, it was alleged the hospital failed to carry out any, or any proper, monitoring of mother and baby in the course of her labour and delivery and/or to act on the results of such monitoring in a proper and timely manner or at all.

Mr McCullough, instructed by solicitor Michael Boylan, said Ms Sweetman-Healy became pregnant in March 2006 on her first pregnancy and was booked into the NMH. She went to the hospital on November 17, reporting decreased foetal movements and was admitted.

Because results of a CTG scan were "non-reassuring", a decision was made about 4.25pm to carry out an emergency Caesarean Section (CS). That began at 6.03pm and the baby was born six minutes later in poor condition.

Mr McCullough said the hospital records did not show any documentary record of foetal heart rate after 5.20pm until birth.

Their case was there was negligent delay in carrying out the CS.

He said it was agreed the baby had suffered a foetal stroke about two to three weeks before delivery but his side argued the baby also suffered a hypoxic iscahemic injury two to three days before delivery and, had a CS been carried out earlier, the child would have avoided a good deal of her injuries.

The defence experts disputed that and said the injury suffered could only have happened before 34-35 weeks gestation and there was nothing the hospital could have done about it.

While the defence also seemed to accept there was a later hypoxic ischaemic injury, they did not accept that was a causation factor in relation to the child's injuries and maintained all the damage was due to the foetal stroke, he said.
A recruitment freeze imposed by the HSE is having a detrimental impact on those already offered jobs by the health authority, according to Labour's Alan Kelly.

The HSE needs to be upfront with those whose offer dates are now in limbo and tell them when exactly they will be starting their jobs if at all," the Labour Party health spokesperson has urged.

It was "pretty shameful" for the HSE to go back on their word after telling job applicants it was business as usual despite the recruitment freeze.

In the last week I have been contacted by numerous people who were due to start jobs in hospitals and now they will not be given a start date because of the recruitment freeze, he said.

"It is unacceptable that healthcare professionals who have been offered jobs, who may have handed in their notice elsewhere because they were due to start a new job in the HSE, that their start date now hangs in the balance.

People cannot put their lives on hold because of the complete mismanagement of the recruitment embargo. People have mortgages or rent to pay and other living expenses.

A circular from the HSE Directorate issued at the end of March states that unapproved recruitment processes that had already started could not proceed to offer stage.

It states that a three-month recruitment restriction to the end of June is necessary because of "financial pressure" caused by the high level of recruitment last year and the need to live within its resources.

Approved development posts will continue to be recruited under existing control arrangements but all other recruitment will pause. However, "vigilance" will be maintained during the rest of the year so there is a sustainable level of staffing next year.

It points out that approved posts, notified in writing as relating to Brexit preparations, will be regarded as "exemptions".

Meanwhile, SIPTU is concerned that the proposed staffing model for the National Children's Hospital to be launched on Wednesday could lead to an immediate shortfall of almost 400 nursing posts.

This is unacceptable for staff, for the children of Ireland and their families, said SIPTU health division organiser, Paul Bell, who points out that the proposed 90:10 nurse-to-healthcare assistant ratio is at variance with the British model of 70:30 for similar services.

Children's Health Ireland has disputed Mr Bell's claim, describing it as "inaccurate" because the recommendation on the nurse-to-healthcare assistant ratio for paediatric services is different than the ratio for adult services.

"Further examination of the 90:10 nurse to healthcare assistant ratio is recommended to be undertaken by the Implementation Steering Group that includes all of the relevant staff representative bodies," it adds.
Paramedics who arrived to the scene of a 40-year-old Eastern European man lying on his back at a Fermoy filling station gave up on their attempts to resuscitate him and reported their impressions to gardai that it was a suspicious death.

Paramedic Andrew McCrea described a significant injury to the back of the patients head". This was shortly after the arrival of the ambulance at the Amber filling station in Fermoy at 10.25 pm on Tuesday February 21 2017. The man was later pronounced dead at the scene.

This evidence was presented today in the trial of Tomasz Wasowicz, 45, and Marcin Skrzypezyk, 31, who are charged with the murder of Ludovit Pasztor, 40, on February 21 2017 at the Amber filling station at Carrrignagroghera, Fermoy, County Cork.

Wasowicz also faces the additional charge of being in possession of a weapon, namely a stun-gun at the same date and place.

The trial before Ms Justice Carmel Stewart and a jury of eight men and four women will go into its third day at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork tomorrow.

Witness Marta Baranska testified yesterday that she was working as a supervisor at the Amber Filling Station on the night in question when the deceased came in with his friend who was buying eight cans of Carlsberg at around 9.45pm.

She said the deceaseds friend was in confident form having been drinking and he was joking as he bought the drink and left the premises with Mr Pasztor whom she didnt know but whom she had seen with him perhaps once or twice before.

Ms Baranska said everything was quiet when she went to lock up the off-licence at 10pm and she didnt hear or see anything when she went out to check around the back after locking the rear door which faces out onto the Pike Road.

She said that when an ambulance called to the shop shortly after 10.20pm to inquire about the incident, she saw Mariusz Osail  the deceaseds friend - by the trucks at the rear of the filling station. She said Mr Pasztor was lying by the rear of one of the lorries.

Witness, Niamh Dillon said that she had been out walking with her friend Marie OMahony and they were returning past the Amber filling station at around 9.55pm when she noticed how busy it was with the truck parking bays full with trucks which she thought unusual.

I felt very intimidated that night. I had never seen it so full - there were four men standing at the back of a truck. They were talking quite loudly and animatedly. They were between the back of the third truck in and the fence on the Pike Road, she said.

It was late and we felt very intimated. It was getting rough. They were talking very loudly to each other. There was nothing physical, just hand gestures. I felt it was going to escalate into something more.

Witness Shane OCallaghan told how he had gone down to meet friends at the Amber Filling Station during a break from studying and he saw two foreign men enter the building and leave shortly afterwards with a bag from the off licence so he presumed they had bought alcohol.

He said they seemed angry and he thought they might have been cursing and he believed that they had been drinking and later as he was sitting chatting with friends in the smoking area he heard a shout from near the trucks but didnt see anything.
Leo Varadkar must come up with a plan B to resolve the political impasse in the north, Sinn Fein has warned.

The party's president Mary-Lou McDonald said her party will go into negotiations next week "with every ounce of energy that we can" but she remains "realistic" that talks may not break the deadlock to restore the Assembly.

She has also raised concerns around the timing of the latest Northern Ireland talks citing Brexit and upcoming elections as significant challenges to finding a resolution.

"I think it's a challenging time. Obviously, there are elections north and south and the issue of Brexit is ever with us so there is no doubt that there is awareness across politics that these are challenging times. But at the same time we cannot simply stand still so there is a need for action," said Ms McDonald.

"We will enter these talks with every ounce of energy that we can, that we will give it our full attention.

I want it to work. I want these talks to work but if they don't, well, the Governments having convened the talks need to have a plan B and they need to be clear that if the DUP persists in failing to answer these questions, then the co-guarantors of the agreements have to intervene.

Senior Sinn Fein sources have indicated that the party would be willing to let Westminster take power and legislate for marriage equality if talks break down.

However, Ms McDonald denied Sinn Fein and the other parties have been "bounced" into these latest talks by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and UK Prime Minister Theresa May.

"It wouldn't be an acceptable scenario for the Government having initiated these talks, to simply shrug their shoulders and walk away. The days of disengagement, the days of tolerating inequality are over.

"I think society needs a win in this, I think the Governments in calling these talks have raised the stakes, they have certainly raised expectations not just that politicians will talk to each other but that politicians will land on answers and resolution. The stakes are raised in people's expectation that rights to marriage equality, to language rights, to the truth recovery processes, will finally be met."
A specialist unit dealing with sex crimes in Cork city hasn't been able to take on any new investigations since the end of last year because of a shortage of trained personnel.

The Protective Service Unit, which is based in Anglesea Street Garda Station, had a backlog of cases built up when it was manned by 10 gardai and two sergeants. It lost two gardai and while it is still operational the unit doesn't have the manpower to allow it to take on new cases.

GRA central executive committee member Detective Garda Padraig Harrington, who is stationed in the Cork City Division, told delegates at their annual conference that a similar unit operating in DMR (Dublin Metropolitan Region) East had 20 gardai and four sergeants working for it.

He said understaffing in the Cork unit meant that new sex crimes reported in Cork City were now being handled by detectives like himself, who are not appropriately trained.

The lack of training and undermanning within sections of the gardai was a recurring feature of debate at today's conference.

David Buckley, a member of the roads policing unit stationed in Co Louth, told the conference that five years ago a man, unfortunately, died in custody after falling over and splitting his head.

Garda Buckley said he and colleagues did everything they could to save the man, but he later died from the injuries. He said they were put through the ringer with a GSOC investigation. But he said the simple fact was gardai were not getting proper ongoing training in first aid and in several other important aspects of their job.

Garda James Morrisroe, from the Cavan /Monaghan Division said it was a national scandal that gardai were not getting continuous on-the-job training in relation to new legislation rolled out in recent years and maintained it bordered on corporate neglect".

GRA members also voted unanimously to demand garda management roll-out a dedicated 'wellbeing policy' in the force which would provide sufficient counselling services.

Last year a survey was carried out by a specialist on behalf of the GRA which found that one on six members of the frontline force were exhibiting significant signs of Post Traumatic Street Disorder (PTSD). Mark Rabbitte, a delegate from the Tipperary Garda Division, said there had been an incremental rise in suicides, murders and serious assaults in society in recent years.

He pointed out that gardai were often the first people to attend such incidents and this was resulting in an alarming level of psychological trauma within rank-and-file members of the force.

Garda Rabbitte spoke of what happened to one of his female colleagues who had 12 years' service. He said that after having to deal with the trauma of witnessing a drowning, just 12 months later she was the first garda at the scene after a man deliberately took his life by walking out in front of a lorry.

File photo

That was the straw which broke the camel's back, he said.

He added she didn't get any support from garda management for a time and she was left a shell of her former self.

It took more than seven months before management finally referred her to a psychiatrist. Why iid it take so long? he asked.

Conor Staunton, representing gardai in the Westmeath Division, said the PTSD report conducted by Dr Finian Fallon had been given to management and there had been no acknowledgment from them on it.

He said that as far back as 1993, the Belgian police had introduced measures to deal with stress in the force.
Letters sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions on behalf of struck-off solicitor Michael Lynn claimed the State was trying to nail an innocent man with robust bloodlust, the Court of Appeal has heard.

Mr Lynn (50) of Carlton Square, Maynooth, Co Kildare, is due to stand trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court next year on 21 counts of stealing almost 30m from seven financial institutions.

In two of the sample charges, Mr Lynn is accused of stealing 4.1m from Irish Nationwide on April 4, 2007, and 3.6m from Ulster Bank on October 20, 2006.

He left Ireland in 2007 but was extradited from Brazil last year, after spending four and a half years on remand at the Cotel prison, in northwestern Brazil, as he fought his extradition back to Ireland.

Ahead of his extradition, Brazilian authorities sought assurances from Ireland that any time Mr Lynn spent in prison awaiting extradition would be deducted from any potential prison sentence here, and that he would not serve more than 30 years in prison here, if found guilty. The assurances were required as part of the Brazilian extradition process.

His lawyers challenged those assurances in the Irish High Court, arguing that they could not have been given. But the High Court rejected their arguments, and the case came before the Court of Appeal today, where judgement was reserved.

Counsel for Mr Lynn, Padraig Dwyer SC, told the three-judge court that a favourable outcome of the appeal might strengthen Mr Lynns attempts to prohibit his upcoming trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

He said his clients beef was with assertions made by the DPP, to the Brazilian authorities, that the four and a half years Mr Lynn spent in Brazilian jail would be taken into account by the Irish courts, if found guilty.

Mr Dwyer said the DPPs assertions could be construed as impinging on the separation of powers as it appeared to be a guarantee of what an Irish sentencing court would do. He submitted that the DPP's office was giving assurances on the basis of what is expected to happen, rather than what the law is.

He further submitted that Mr Lynn could, in theory, receive 21 consecutive sentences if found guilty, leaving him with a sentence in the 30-year range. Although, Mr Dwyer accepted that sentences for fraud in Ireland dont attract sentences of that type of range.

While Mr Lynn was languishing in Brazilian jail, Mr Dwyer said multiple letters were sent on his behalf to the DPP asking how these assertions could be made.

President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham said some of the letters, from a former solicitor of Mr Lynn, were intemperate in the extreme to put it mildly.

In one of the letters, the court heard, a former solicitor of Mr Lynn told the DPP that his client was an innocent man and the State were trying to nail Mr Lynn with robust bloodlust.

It wasnt the sort of language one finds in correspondence from an officer of the court, Mr Justice Birmingham said.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sean Gillane SC, submitted that Mr Lynns case was moot or pointless.

If it wasnt moot, it was unstateable, misconceived and contrived, Mr Gillane said.

He said the ground keeps shifting and there were curious features to the way proceedings were being handled. He said all of the complaints being made were arguments for the Brazilian courts.

He said it was crystal clear that in Ireland, sentencing courts take account of time already served in prison and it was utterly unreal to suggest Mr Lynn could serve more than 30 years in prison, if found guilty.

Mr Justice Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice John Edwards and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, said the court would reserve its judgement.

Mr Dwyer indicated that an application would be made for free legal aid.
One of the three teenage boys allegedly attacked with acid

Talented hurler Padraig Sullivan and his father Mark spoke with Aine Lawlor on the News At One, describing the aftermath of the incident.

Padraig suffered burns on his thigh, calf and heel in the attack where he and two others were targeted in what is believed to be a case of mistaken identity.

The boy's father described the moment he saw his son after the alleged attack:

"When Padraig came in the front door I was sitting in the kitchen having a cup of tea and Padraig came running in and it was like he was after running through a bonfire," he recalled

"He is going to need a skin graft on three parts of his leg. We were down in the hospital yesterday and they told us 100% he's going to need it."

Padraig then described the moment the acid burned his leg.

"It was like someone had a lighter constantly on my leg, constantly burning and then after a while it was like my body numbed," said Padraig, who is sitting his Leaving Cert this year.

When asked if he could sleep since Thursday night's attack, he replied: "not very well - it's a broken sleep."

His father Mark explained their reason for speaking out.

"The whole of Ireland needs to know about this.

"He's doing his Leaving Cert in six weeks and he's meant to be starting an apprenticeship in July," he said.

"I don't know what the outcome is going to be in six months time. Where's his head going to be? Is he going to be okay? He is going to need a lot of treatment.

"Hopefully we'll get proper justice and that will be a bit of a pick-up for him

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan urged anyone with information to come forward to the gardai.

"I'm very worried [about] the situation in Waterford, which I was told about this morning," said Mr Flanagan.

"Gardai are investigating and I would urge anybody in Waterford, particularly young people in Waterford, to cooperate fully with An Garda Siochana."
A Government-backed tribunal into the cervical cancer tests scandal will be fast-tracked due to the "urgency" of finding out what happened.

Health Minister Simon Harris has formally asked opposition parties to allow the bill establishing the tribunal to be sped through the Oireachtas just days after the cabinet agreed on the details of the plan.

In a letter to the Oireachtas health committee on Monday evening, Mr Harris formally told committee chairman and Independent TD, Dr Michael Harty, of Government plans to launch a tribunal into the scandal.

And, underlining the importance of the step, he asked for the bill to be fast-tracked through all stages of legislative scrutiny due to the need to provide clarity for women and families affected.

Mr Harris wrote: "As an independent statutory tribunal was recommended by Mr Justice Charles Meenan's report and given the urgency of this legislation, I propose to seek permission from the business committee not to refer the general scheme for pre-legislative scrutiny. I have arranged for my department to be available to brief members of the Oireachtas committee on health. My private secretary will contact the committee clerk to set a date."

The Irish Examiner understands that opposition parties will support the request to speed up any examination of the tribunal bill in order to ensure it is set up without any further delays.

However, in a statement on Tuesday, Sinn Fein health spokeswoman, Louise O'Reilly, said that while she welcomes the fast-tracking of the plan there are still issues with the tribunal - including the fact women who have already settled cases may not be given the opportunity to explain their cases:

I am glad that those affected will be offered the opportunity to have their hearing in public or in private, this is extremely important for those women who want people to know and see how they were treated first hand. There are some areas of consideration though, such as the denial of those who have previously received an award from a court settlement to give evidence to the tribunal.

While we understand that a second claim cannot be made, we feel that it is important that all of those affected can give evidence to the tribunal to help it in its deliberations.

As reported earlier this month, the Government has decided to launch the 'no-blame' tribunal into the cervical cancer tests scandal after it was recommended by Justice Charles Meenan's review.

The tribunal which will focus on the 221 women affected by what happened. It will be led by Justice Mary Irvine; will be held in private; and will make it an offence for officials to refuse to attend.
Former US vice-president Joe Biden has received a bump in the polls following his 2020 announcement last week.

According to CNN, Biden jumped 11-points to 39% among Democrats or Democratic-leaning independent voters, a substantial jump from 28% in March.

The poll puts the former VP 24 points clear of his nearest competitor, Senator Bernie Sanders at 15%, and almost 30 points clear of Massachusetts Senator, Elizabeth Warren at 8%.

Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (7%), former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke (6%) and Sen. Kamala Harris of California (5%), who round out the list of those earning 5% or more in the poll. The remaining 17 candidates tested all held the support of 2% or less.

New 2020 @CNN poll just out:



Biden 39%

Sanders 15%

Warren 8%

Buttigieg 7%

ORourke 6%

Harris 5%

Booker 2%

Gabbard 2%

Klobuchar 2%

Castro 1%

Gillibrand 1%

Inslee 1%

Swalwell 1%

Williamson 1%

Yang 1%

de Blasio <1%

Ryan <1%

Bennet 0%

Delaney 0%

Hickenlooper 0%

Messam 0%

Moulton 0%  Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) April 30, 2019

This surge in popularity solidifies Biden's position as the front-runner in the Democratic party to take on President Donald Trump in the 2020 elections.

According to CNN's polling, Biden's lead extends across every major voter demographic but shrinks among young voters.

Biden remains popular with Democratic voters with 81% saying they have a favourable view of the former vice-president.

There are now a field of 20 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for US president.
Two planes were involved in a minor collision at the UK's East Midlands Airport during early morning fog.

A Ryanair plane clipped a stationary Jet2 aircraft while it was taxiing at the Derbyshire airport.
Police are searching a plane at Glasgow Airport after a security incident involving a flight from London.

All flights to and from the terminal were temporarily suspended after the alarm was raised by the crew about an issue at 10.25am.

It involved an easyJet flight from Gatwick Airport.

Hi Robin, operations have been temporarily suspended due to an incident declared on an inbound flight. Emergency services are currently in attendance. FP  Glasgow Airport  (@GLA_Airport) April 30, 2019

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: All the passengers and crew members have disembarked from a plane which is currently being searched by police following a security alert reported by the crew of a flight at Glasgow Airport.

Officers and the other emergency services are in attendance.

Flights have since returned to being operational but police remain at the scene.

Hi Heather, operations were temporarily suspended a short time ago but flights are now getting back to normal. FP  Glasgow Airport  (@GLA_Airport) April 30, 2019

There have been no reports of any injuries.- Press Association
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has called for a military uprising, in a video shot at a Caracas air base showing him surrounded by soldiers and accompanied by detained activist Leopoldo Lopez.

In the three-minute video shot early on Tuesday, Mr Guaido said soldiers who took to the streets would be acting to protect Venezuelas constitution.
Westpac's profits will take a $617 million hit from customer compensation in the first half, after the bank revealed a fresh provision of more than half a billion dollars linked to over-charging by advisers.

The bank on Wednesday said its half-year results, to be released next Monday, would include a $510 million provision for remediation costs, which will take a $357 million bite out of Westpac's after-tax cash earnings.

Westpac CEO Brian Hartzer said the provisions were disappointing but paying out compensation was a priority. Credit:Peter Braig

The charge relates to advisers who worked as "authorised representatives," meaning they were not employed by Westpac but operated under its financial services licence. The bank is assuming it may pay back almost a third of the fees collected by such advisers in the decade to 2018.

The hit will be in addition to a $260 million provision for refunding customers from its financial advice, consumer and business banking arms, which the bank unveiled in March.
Retirement village owner and operator Aveo has hosed down speculation it is readying to announce an all of company transaction, saying there was no certainty of a deal.

Aveo's shares soared 10 per cent to $2.13 amid growing speculation the group was being stalked by Hong Kong real estate group Gaw Capital Partners and another unnamed bidder.

Aveo chairman Seng Huang Lee is hoping a strategic review will realise shareholder value. Credit:Fiona Morris

Aveo paused the trading in its shares at 3pm on Tuesday after being contacted by market operator, the Australian Securities Exchange, over concerns about its share price spike.

Aveo, which is chaired by Malaysian billionaire and largest shareholder Seng Huang Lee, updated the market after close to say due diligence was continuing with unnamed parties.
Facebook and Google have reported record combined local sales of almost $5 billion in the past year but are continuing to transfer significant amounts of revenue to their overseas subsidiaries, a result which is likely to spark more acrimony about multinational tax avoidance.

With some warning legislation to crack down on so-called "profit shifting" is failing to lift tax revenues, new financial returns lodged by the social media giants this week shed light on the low rate of corporate tax being paid despite their booming local businesses.

Facebook's Australian financial structure has been under scrutiny by the tax office and others in the past. Credit:Bloomberg

Facebook made $598 million in Australian sales last year, $134 million more than the previous year  largely in advertising  but paid just $11.8 million to the tax office.

The company paid $455 million to an overseas subsidiary for the "purchase of advertising inventory", leaving it to book net revenues of just $125 million in 2018.
Barely a month after grabbing the yoke at Virgin Australia, Paul Scurrah has sent a powerful signal of his priorities.

In what is both a pragmatic and highly symbolic decision, Virgin has restructured an agreement with Boeing that would have seen it taking delivery of the first of 40 of the troubled 737 MAX 8 planes in November.

Boeing's troubled 737 MAX 8. Credit:Nine News

It has deferred delivery of the first of its 737 MAXs to July 2021 and converted 15 of the MAX 8s to the larger MAX 10s at minimal, if any, extra cost. The 2021 delivery will be a MAX 10, with the first of the MAX 8s not arriving until 2025.

Virgin may be the first carrier to defer delivery of the MAX 8s after two crashes of the fourth generation of Boeings 737s, apparently attributable to a software problem, saw nearly 400 of the planes grounded and thousands of flights cancelled. Boeing has more than 5000 orders for the plane.
The energy watchdog has launched a regulated electricity price that will slash power bills for almost 800,000 households across NSW, Queensland and South Australia from July.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has developed new base power prices as a safety net for households not on discounted power bill offers, which are known as 'standing offers'.

Energy watchdog head Paula Conboy said a regulated power price was needed to stop households being ripped off. Credit:Louie Douvis

Standing offers are no longer working as they were intended, causing financial harm to disengaged consumers. Our final decision will bring down bills for most people on those offers, AER chair Paula Conboy said.

Households on standing offers in New South Wales could now save between $129 and $181, depending on their distribution zone, up to $118 for those in south-eastern Queensland, and about $171 for consumers in South Australia.
Some mountain-adapted species, such as the lemuroid ringtail possum, could not survive even a day of temperatures above 29 degrees. However Mount Bartle Frere, the highest mountain in the Wet Tropics, recorded "an unprecedented 39 degrees" on six days this past summer, the board said. "If the trends continue, populations at sites that previously had the highest density of lemuroid ringtail possums in the region could become locally extinct as early as 2022. This species is currently not even classified as endangered," it said. The statement said extreme heat events were as devastating to the wet tropics as coral bleaching was to the Great Barrier Reef. But unlike the Reef, funding to address the effects of climate change in land-based World Heritage Areas "has not been commensurate with the urgency" of mitigation. The board said "strong intervention is required immediately" to secure the future of the area, including urgent action on reducing global emissions. Other measures to increase the areas resilience were also required, such as land restoration, monitoring and pest management. The authority says the International Union on the Conservation of Nature has ranked the Wet Tropics as the second most irreplaceable World Heritage Area on Earth, largely because many of its animal species are found nowhere else.

Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly OShanassy said the authority's call showed that climate change is hurting Australia and a responsible government would act accordingly. "Our political leaders must explain how they will protect places like the Wet Tropics of Queensland by urgently cutting our climate pollution and showing global leadership to encourage other countries to do likewise," she said. "Ultimately we are witnessing the destruction by climate change of one of the most ecologically important and beautiful places in the world that we as Australians have promised to look after on behalf of all humankind." Voter concern over climate change is at record highs during the election campaign. The Morrison government has pledged to cut Australia's emissions by 26 per cent by 2030, based on 2005 levels. This is in line with the Paris target but experts say it is not consistent with keeping global warming below the critical 1.5 degree threshold.

Labor would reduce emissions by 45 per cent over the same period. Scientists and environmentalists have welcomed the policy, but say more must be done to avert the worst climate change impacts. Animals in Australias globally renowned wet tropics are on the brink of extinction after the hottest summer on record, according to official advice that equates the scale of the crisis to coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. The extraordinary warning relates to the lush green coastal fringe spanning Townsville, Cairns and Cooktown in Queenslands north  the Earths oldest rainforest and a World Heritage-listed tourist drawcard. A statement from the board of the Wet Tropics Management Authority on Tuesday said more than half of animal species endemic to the area may be extinct within decades. It called for strong global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the ancient area for future generations. A government body warns that climate change threatens to force animals in the Wet Tropics to extinction.

The climate change policies of the major parties are under the microscope during the federal election campaign, as Labor and the Coalition pledge starkly different action to address the crisis. The Queensland government authority says "concerning new evidence has shown an accelerating decline" in the wet tropics' unique rainforest animals. The authority says the lemuroid ringtail possum is one of the worst affected species. Credit:Wet Tropics Management Authority. "Following the hottest summer ever recorded, some of the key species for which the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area was listed are at imminent risk of extinction, the statement said. The Wet Tropics bring $5.2 billion worth of economic benefits each year. It runs parallel to the Great Barrier Reef, and includes the Daintree and Barron Gorge national parks and 13 river systems.

A 2016 report found that regions biodiversity was already declining, largely due to warming global temperatures. Species such as the lemuroid ringtail possum, green ringtail possum and tooth-billed bowerbird were progressively moving to cooler, higher ground "leaving alarming population declines" in lower areas. Modelling has previously predicted that more than half of the areas endemic species may be extinct by the end of this century. However the latest findings by James Cook University biodiversity professor Steve Williams suggested these extinctions are happening even sooner, the statement said. Some mountain-adapted species, such as the lemuroid ringtail possum, could not survive even a day of temperatures above 29 degrees. However Mount Bartle Frere, the highest mountain in the Wet Tropics, recorded "an unprecedented 39 degrees" on six days this past summer, the board said. "If the trends continue, populations at sites that previously had the highest density of lemuroid ringtail possums in the region could become locally extinct as early as 2022. This species is currently not even classified as endangered," it said. The wet tropics were inscribed on the World Heritage register in 1988, and are a tourist drawcard.

The statement said extreme heat events were as devastating to the wet tropics as coral bleaching was to the Great Barrier Reef. But unlike the Reef, funding to address the effects of climate change in land-based World Heritage Areas "has not been commensurate with the urgency" of mitigation. The board said "strong intervention is required immediately" to secure the future of the area, including urgent action on reducing global emissions. Other measures to increase the areas resilience were also required, such as land restoration, monitoring and pest management. Loading The authority says the International Union on the Conservation of Nature has ranked the Wet Tropics as the second most irreplaceable World Heritage Area on Earth, largely because many of its animal species are found nowhere else. Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly OShanassy said the authority's call showed that climate change is hurting Australia and a responsible government would act accordingly.
An emotional Senator Pauline Hanson has cried on national television while being pressed on her party's links to the gun lobby in the United States, claiming her colleagues let her down by seeking donations from the NRA, something she said she would never have approved.

The fallout from Al Jazeera's expose on One Nation's links with the NRA claimed Queensland leader Steve Dickson's political scalp on Tuesday, as new tape emerged of him visiting a strip club during his trip to the US.

"I cop all this shit all the time and I'm sick of it, absolutely sick of it," the One Nation leader said as she broke down in tears on the Nine Network's A Current Affair.

She claimed her candidates appeared to pay a higher political price compared to other MPs.
At 107 years old, Daphne Keith became the oldest Australian to undergo a partial hip replacement under general anaesthesia.

The centenarian  who was a ballroom dancer into her late 90s  proved age was no barrier to the major surgery, when her right hip got an upgrade in January.

Daphne Keith with her great-great-granddaughter, Lilly. Credit:Andy Zakeli/ Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists

Mrs Keith underwent emergency hip hemiarthroplasty  removing the ball of her right hip joint and replacing it with an artificial ball and metal stem  at Wollongong Hospital after she fell and fractured the neck of her femur bone.

The procedure has one of the highest in-surgery death rates among all operations.
Three men accused of planning an Islamic State-inspired terror attack on Melbourne are set to fight the charges, as their lawyers wait on police to pass on dozens of hours worth of recordings captured on listening devices.

Police allege brothers Ertunc and Samed Eriklioglu and their friend, Hanifi Halis, were devising a plot to kill as many people as possible at a crowded place in Melbourne when they were arrested in November during raids across the city's northern suburbs.

Samed Eriklioglu. Credit:Channel Nine

Police said at the time of the arrests the men had not finalised the specific location they allegedly wanted to target.

The three men each face one charge of engaging in acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act.
The owner of a commercial egg farm where horrendous conditions prompted authorities to destroy more than 4000 chickens will not be allowed to own animals for five years, after he was found guilty of serious animal cruelty following an RSPCA inspection last year.

Shaun Stone, 36, was convicted in Picton Local Court on Monday and fined $6500, placed on a 16-month community corrections order and prohibited from purchasing, acquiring, taking possession or custody of any animal for a period of five years, the RSPCA said in a statement.

Footage shot by animal rights advocates inside the Lakesland egg farm shed. Credit:NSW Hen Rescue

The animal welfare organisation launched action against Stone in June 2018 after a complaint led to inspection of his Lakesland farm by police, RSPCA officers, an expert avian veterinarian and Local Land Services district veterinarian. At the property, the inspectors found approximately 4000 live hens and another 1000 hens dead in a shed.

Of the hens still alive, the RSPCA said most were "underweight to emaciated" and half were suffering "a respiratory disease with mucoid discharge from the nares [nostrils] and mouth."
A former police officer who engaged in dodgy dealings with a Queensland council and the state's racing body was trying to keep his head above water financially, a court has been told.

The former owner of Landfill Logistics had agreements to pay a council executive a $1.5 million kickback among other rorts and he also had insider knowledge in racing course developments that allowed him to nab contracts over competitors.

Former police officer Wayne Innes pleaded guilty to corruption and misconduct offences in relation to dealings with the Ipswich City Council and Racing Queensland. Credit:AAP

But all the scheming has left Wayne Innes with is a slew of dishonesty offences.

The 59-year-old, who once played for the Balmain Tigers rugby league club, now faces a prison sentence, the Brisbane District Court was told on Monday.
A new street has been opened in a bid to ease pressure along the Wynnum Road corridor in Brisbane's east, as the $128 million major roadwork along the corridor nears 60 per cent completion.

Close to Mowbray Park, Kulpurum Street was opened on Tuesday morning by Brisbane City Council lord mayor Adrian Schrinner and infrastructure committee chair Amanda Cooper.

Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner and Infrastructure chair Amanda Cooper open Kulpurum Street in East Brisbane. Credit:Lucy Stone/Brisbane Times

The street connects Laidlaw Parade and Lytton Road at a new lighted intersection, while Scanlan Street and Laidlaw Parade will be turned into cul-de-sacs.

Eskgrove Street will eventually provide access to a new parkland once the Wynnum Road corridor upgrades are complete.
Two men who allegedly robbed a business at knife point in the state's east are now fighting for life in hospital after crashing what is believed to be their getaway car shortly after police gave up a pursuit.

Loading

Professional Standards Command will now investigate the incident, in which a 29-year-old Morwell man and 30-year-old Orbost man were flown to hospital with life-threatening injuries on Monday afternoon.

Police believe three men had earlier threatened staff at a business on High Street, Bunyip at about 2pm before fleeing in a car towards Morwell, about 150 kilometres east of Melbourne.

Officers located the car after it travelled through Drouin East. They began following it once it arrived on Commercial Road in Morwell, but the men escaped the and the pursuit was stopped, police say.
Victorian state schools have been ordered to stop enrolling international students as applications surge to a record high.

For the first time, state schools have been warned they are at risk of breaching a cap on international students set by the Victorian schools' watchdog.

Some international students hoping to study in Australia later this year have been left in limbo and there are concerns the changes could jeopardise the viability of some schools international student programs.

Dale Pearce, principal of Bendigo Secondary College, had hoped to increase foreign enrolments.

In a letter sent to principals last week, the Victorian Education Department said it would exceed the enrolment cap of 5750 students next term if it continued to receive international student applications.
The others will be able to remain in their present homes for some years, and it may by 15 years before they have to move. Prime Minister John Gorton inspects the new Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne at the official opening. Credit:The Age Archives The Minister for Civil Aviation (Senator Paltridge) indicated this today. However, he said, the properties had to be acquired now to protect areas for future expansion of airport facilities. The type of airport to be built and its priority in the Federal airport works program would be determined by Cabinet after it had received a further report from a special inter-departmental committee.

Tullamarine had been decided on because it me the exacting safety and other requirements of modern airport design. Development of the airport there meant that it would not be necessary for the several thousand employees of the aviation industry already established in the Essendon airport neighborhood to move their homes and families to another area. There would be very little effect on private land subdivision. The plan had been carefully coordinated with the Victorian town planning authorities to avoid interference with housing schemes. Tullamarine Airport under construction. Credit:The Age Archives

Avoids Collision Hazard Tullamarine is the only site within reasonable distance of Melbourne that avoids completely the hazard of collisions caused by overlapping traffic patterns, especially those for military and civil aircraft, Senator Paltridge said. He emphasised that when private property was to be resumed all care would be taken to meet the convenience of those affected. I have no hesitation in giving an assurance that these residents will receive fair, reasonable and sympathetic treatment, he said. Already there is some encouraging evidence that most of the land and home owners in the area desire nothing more than that.

Even so, it must be clearly understood that in no circumstances will the precise boundaries be disclosed in advance of the direct negotiations necessary to inform those property owners who will be directly concerned in the Governments acquisition of land. To do so would be to give an open cheque at the expense of the tax payers to any land speculators who might inflate values for their own unearned gain. This elevated roadway will serve overseas travelers when the airport opens to international traffic in 1968. Credit:The Age Archives Expedition On the other hand, Senator Paltridge continued, while asking property owners in the general area of the Tullamarine site to be reasonably patient, I assure them that those responsible for the acquisition of such land as will be required will act with all the expedition possible.
The scene of the shooting in Hampton Park on Tuesday. Credit:Nine News

A gunman is on the loose after a man was shot and injured in what police suspect was a failed hit in Melbourne's south-east.

The Hampton Park attack which occurred in Fulham Close about 9.30am on Tuesday is the latest in a string of fatal shootings across Melbourne.

Senior police sources have said homicide squad and anti-bikie Taskforce Echo resources have been strained in recent weeks following the spate of deaths.

Just days ago, Daniel 'Dodge' O'Shea was killed at Fawkner Park in South Yarra - his was the eighth fatal shooting in Melbourne in eight weeks.
Police are investigating after a woman broke into the home of an elderly man while he slept and stole his car in WAs Great Southern.

The incident happened on Saturday about 11pm, when the woman forced her way into the 88-year-old mans home on Charles Street in Katanning.

The woman wanted over the Katanning break in. Credit:WA Police

She went through his house while he slept, and stole his Kia Rio hatchback.

The car was later found the next day on a street in Huntingdale in Perth.
"But we are looking at gradually moving those young people into our youth detention centres and to stop them from coming into the system or back into the system in the first place," she said.

The strategy also includes a transitional hub to divert young people from police custody in Mount Isa and an extension of funding for an additional specialist Children's Court magistrate.

Ms Farmer said the community expected young people to be accountable for their actions and did not want them to reoffend.

"We cannot keep locking young people up and throwing away the key, we cannot expect to be doing the same thing we've been doing in youth justice year after year and expect the results to be different," she said.

In February 2018, it was revealed attempts to shift 17-year-olds out of adult prisons in Queensland would be delayed as there was not enough room in youth facilities.
New Delhi: Mountaineers from the Indian army on an expedition in Nepal have found mysterious large footprints in the snow that they think belong to the Yeti, or the abominable snowman, the military said on Tuesday.

Largely regarded by the scientific community as a myth, the Yeti is part of Nepali folklore and is said to live high in the snow-capped Himalayas.

In a tweet accompanied by pictures, the Indian army said it had sighted footprints measuring 81 by 38 centimetres close to a camp near Mount Makalu on April 9.

"For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti'" it said in a tweet, not explaining how a mythical beast could leave footprints.
The last time the Freedom Party joined the government, in 2000, howls of protest went up across Europe and tens of thousands of Austrians took to the streets. The reaction after Kurz's government was sworn in during December 2017 was more muted. The regular Thursday demonstrations began only in October, by which time the Grannies were organised. The Grannies haven't missed a march since, but with the political opposition weakened for the moment, the protests have had limited influence, said Martin Dolezal, a political scientist at the University of Salzburg. Freed from the burdens of raising their families and working to support them, the grandmothers are galvanising protests against Austria's shift to the right. Credit:Lena Mucha/The New York Times "The Grannies have received a lot of attention because of their age  they stand out in the largely younger crowd and they are well connected," Dolezal said. "But I wouldn't overemphasise their influence." Still, precisely because of their age, their presence serves as a reminder of past horrors born of intolerance and of the democratic gains that the Grannies want to preserve.

Although their numbers fluctuate from demonstration to demonstration, depending largely on whether they are needed to help care for their grandchildren, the Grannies have become a recognised political force. For Irene Haider, who joined with the group for a demonstration on International Women's Day last month, the Grannies' age made them not just unusual, but also important. Susanne Scholl applies make-up before the demonstration against racism in Vienna last month. Credit:Lena Mucha/The New York Times "It's great that older women are making their political voice heard," said Haider, 48. Without having to be asked, she took one of a dozen white signs stashed in a shopping cart brought to each demonstration. That spirit of openness defines the group, which despite its name, welcomes anyone, regardless of gender or age, who supports its opposition to discrimination and far-right ideology. Non-partisanship is important.

"We don't want a seat in Parliament, we don't want to become chancellor," said Susanne Scholl, 69, a former correspondent with the national broadcaster ORF who is expecting her first grandchild this year. "We want the social, democratic principles of our country that we were raised in to exist for our children and grandchildren." At its general meeting last month, the group established a European-wide branch, with an eye toward elections for the European Parliament in May, and changed its name into English for broader appeal. The group takes a break from the general meeting in Vienna. Credit:Lena Mucha/The New York Times The Grannies also addressed one of the problems that has shadowed them since the beginning: a misunderstanding among some members about their mission. "We had to make clear we are not a handicraft or knitting club," Scholl said. This, despite adopting the suggestion that the Grannies take over the cat-eared "pussy hat" beanies that had become the signature fashion item of the 2017 women's marches in the United States. But not just in pink.

"We decided that we needed brighter colours," Salzer said, laughing. "At our age, we are beyond pink." Loading Heinz-Christian Strache, the Freedom Party leader and Kurz's deputy, gave the group an inadvertent lift at a political rally this year in the town of Ried. Wearing lederhosen and gripping a mug of beer, he extolled the government's success in making the country less attractive to asylum-seekers and unravelling some of the benefits that flourished under centre-left governments. He also took a swipe at the demonstrators. "On Thursday again we'll see these so-called Thursday demos, along with the Grannies, the Grannies Against the Right," he told the crowd. "They can march around the ring as long as they want, until they are so dizzy  dizzier then they already are  that they fall down."

Salzer and Scholl were delighted. "Everyone is talking about us," Salzer said. "Even the vice chancellor." Loading At a march down one of Vienna's main shopping streets on International Women's Day, about 15 of the Grannies took their place in the centre of the demonstrators. They waved to two women watching from the sidewalk, then pulled a couple of "Grannies Against the Right" signs from the shopping cart and asked them to join. Laughing, Ebru Uzun, 26, and Sabine Schwaighofer, 49, accepted, and joined the group for the march. "It sends an important signal to the conservatives," said Uzun, 26. "Everyone has a granny, they play a role in connecting a family, they are there for everyone."
US President Donald Trump sued to block Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp from complying with congressional subpoenas targeting his bank records, escalating the President's showdown with Democratic legislators investigating his finances.

The German lender has already begun the process of giving documents related to loans made to Trump or some of his businesses to the New York state Attorney-General, who is conducting her own probe, said a person familiar with the matter.

President Trump's lawyers say the subpoenas were issued in order to find materials to "cause him political damage". Credit:AP

The bank hasn't yet handed over any client-related records to the House committees and will wait for the outcome of the legal proceedings, said the person, asking not to be identified in disclosing internal information.

"The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage," Trump's lawyers wrote in the introduction to the 13-page complaint filed on Monday in Manhattan federal court.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has directed officials to toughen rules for asylum seekers, including by introducing a fee for their applications and barring those who entered the country illegally from working until their claims are approved.

The moves are the latest effort by the Trump administration to stem a growing number of migrants crossing southern border, many of whom then seek asylum in the United States. Many of the changes would be dramatic shifts in how asylum seekers are treated, but would also require time-intensive regulatory procedures before they go into effect, which will likely take months.

Migrants, mostly from Africa, wait for a ticket to register their entry into Mexico at an immigration station in Tapachula. Credit:AP

Trump administration officials have repeatedly blamed US laws protecting asylum seekers for encouraging fraudulent or non-deserving claims.

But immigrant advocates say the Trump administration's efforts to restrict asylum protections harms people legitimately seeking refuge from violence and persecution.
Latest News MoneyMe to acquire SocietyOne Deal brings together two of the fastest-growing brands in the non-bank space

Resimac makes key broker channel hires Two new GMs to bolster broker support

The CEO of Australias largest credit union has announced he is stepping down from the post.

Rob Goudswaard, acting CEO of CUA since February 2015, has decided not to extend his five-year contract. However, he will continue to act in the role until a successor is located, whether internally or externally.

CUA chairman Nigel Ampherlaw said, Rob will be leaving CUA in a much better place than when he joined us. [He] has led CUA through a transformative period of member growth, digital innovation and industry change, which has strengthened the mutual sector.

After having spent nearly five years in Brisbane, Rob is looking to pursue new opportunities that will allow him to spend more time closer to his home base of Melbourne.

Last year, Goudswaard was named CEO Magazines Financial Services Executive of the Year.

According to Ampherlaw, Goudswaard was integral to building the trust that will enable [CUA] to continue to challenge other larger banks into the future.

During his time at CUA, member growth swelled above 490,000 and new benchmarks in lending were reached, with more than $13bn in loans under management.

CUA will release additional information regarding the timeframe for Goudswaards departure and the appointment of his successor in the coming months.

Id like to personally acknowledge and thank Rob for his commitment to CUA and for his support of the board. His drive and passion for providing the best possible member experience, and his ambition to position CUA for the future, are unrivalled, Ampherlaw concluded.
Latest News MoneyMe to acquire SocietyOne Deal brings together two of the fastest-growing brands in the non-bank space

Resimac makes key broker channel hires Two new GMs to bolster broker support

New data has revealed that while owner-occupier loans have increased since February, investor-only mortgages have remained almost entirely static.

According to APRAs monthly banking statistics for March 2019, the majors loaned nearly $894bn in owner-occupier mortgages, up from the February figure which sat just over $890bn.

CBA posted the highest value of owner-occupier loans, followed by Westpac, ANZ and NAB.

The majors loaned $469bn in investor mortgages, as compared to last months $470bn.

For investor loans, Westpac posted the highest total value, followed by CBA, NAB and ANZ.

When combined, CBA had the highest total value of all mortgages at $430bn.

The owner-occupier loan book at the top 10 performing non-majors came in at $183bn, about $1.5bn more than last months figure.

Investor loans remained relatively unchanged from February, once again coming in just below the $75bn mark.

According to the APRA data, the top 10 non-major banks for owner occupier loan volumes in March 2019 were:

ING

Suncorp

Bendigo and Adelaide

Macquarie

Bank of Queensland

Members Equity

HSBC

AMP

Heritage Bank

Teachers Mutual Limited

For investor-only lending, the top performing non-majors were:

Bendigo and Adelaide

Macquarie

Suncorp

Bank of Queensland

ING

HSBC

Members Equity

AMP

Heritage Bank

Teachers Mutual Limited
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Brooklyn heights

An expert lawyer gave an insightful lecture to fellow legal eagles on the importance of knowing the ins and outs of passing on digital assets after death, at the Brooklyn Bar

Associations headquarters on

Remsen Street on April 17.

It is more important than ever to for lawyers to know how to advise their clients on what they need to know about their online information once they themselves move on to the proverbial cloud, according to the lecturer.

Youre giving clients information on how to best pass their assets on when they pass, so its good to let their clients know what their survivors should have access to, said Robert Harper (at left), a trust and estates lawyer based on Long Island.

Digital assets come in a variety of forms, such as email and social media accounts, cloud storage, and even crypto

currency accounts.

Trust and estate lawyers should advise their clients that they need to explicitly allow their survivors to access the content of these accounts, such as the content of emails, as opposed to just a catalog of the information, in other words dates, senders, and recipients.

If your client wishes for their survivors to have access to content, then the client needs to affirmatively grant it. If you dont do that, their survivors may not get the access, Harper said.

The states laws on these issues only came into effect in 2016, but they still have some catching up to do in order to keep pace with the high-speed technological changes, according to Harper.

Technology has developed a lot faster than the law has, which is slowly but surely catching up, he said.

 Kevin Duggan

Flatlands

Keeping the faith

Three cheers for the Bridge Multicultural Advocacy Project, which held its third annual Interfaith Unity Seder on April 14.

The ceremony brought together more than 350 people of different faiths for a night of music and dancing, said the events organizer.

Its amazing, with so much being written about rising hatred, that over 350 people came and danced away the night, said Mark Meyer Appel (pictured, right). People of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faith, as a community comming

together in unity.

A number of local elected officials attended the event, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Councilman Mathieu Eugene (DFlatbush), and Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus (DConey Island).

Two city police officers, Sergeant Zagham Abbas (pictured, left) and Detective Mohamed Amen, received citations from the District Attorney for their outstanding leadership in public service to our diverse community, according to Appel.

Appel said the event, aimed at celebrating a community of diverse faiths, took on special meaning

this year.

There are those from the right and the left that are politicizing hate, he said. But we are a community that rejects hate. We are a community of love and unity.  Aidan Graham

Borough wide

Wiz kid

Hip, hip, hooray for Patrick McConnell, of Brooklyn, who is a member of Hamilton Colleges Model UN team and attended three conferences during the spring 2019 semester, winning awards at each.

The team went to the North American Model United Nations Conference hosted by University of Toronto, the Princeton Diplomatic Invitational hosted by Princeton University, and Model United Nations hosted by The College of

William and Mary.

This is the first time in the organizations history that the team has taken awards at every conference it attended in a semester, and it is currently on a streak of four-straight conferences where Hamilton has received at least one award.

McConnell, a senior majoring in economics and government, is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School.

Reach reporter Kevin Duggan at (718) 2602511 or by e-mail at kdugg an@cn gloca l.com . Follow him on Twitter @kduggan16.
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Police are searching for a man who they say broke into a Bensonhurst synagogue and stole $2,000 cash during the Jewish holiday of Passover.

The lout forcibly entered the Yeshiva Ohel Torah Synagogue  located on 17th Avenue at 63rd Street  by climbing through a side window April 24 at around 8 p.m., and fled with the cash shortly thereafter, cops said.

Police describe the man as 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 190 pounds, with a stocky build and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and blue sneakers, according to authorities.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577TIPS (8477) or (888) 57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All tips are strictly confidential.

Reach reporter Julianne McShane at (718) 2602523 or by e-mail at jmcsh ane@s chnep smedi a.com . Follow her on Twitter @juliannemcshane.
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The city announced on Monday the closure of two Williamsburg yeshivas as punishment for allowing unvaccinated kids to attend class, as an outbreak of the highly contagious measles virus continues to sweep through Brooklyns Orthodox Jewish communities.

The schools  Tiferes Bnos at 585 Marcy Ave. and Talmud Torah DNitra at 1007 Bedford Ave.  violated a neighborhood-wide emergency order issued by Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot and announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio on April 9 in a bid to stem the spread of the potentially fatal illness, which has infected 423 people in Brooklyn, including 348 cases in Williasmburg.

The city previously closed five other Williamsburg Jewish academies for admitting unvaccinated kids, and refusing to provide inspectors with medical and attendance records, including one Williamsburg yeshiva that inspectors have connected to more than 40 cases since January.

In addition to empowering the Health Department to close schools, Commissioner Barbots emergency declaration authorized inspectors to issue $1,000 fines to unvaccinated residents of four Williamsburg zip codes  11205, 11206, 11211, and 11249  and the agencys so-called disease detectives have tracked down 57 people who allowed themselves, or their children to go without inoculation.

A group of five Williamsburg parents sued the city in Kings County Supreme Court earlier this month for the right to not vaccinate themselves, but Judge Lawrence Knipel dismissed the case on April 18.

Robert Krakow, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said he was disappointed by the judges decision, but that hes filed an appeal and is hopeful that a higher justice will issue a preliminary injunction eliminating, or reducing the fine on May 6.

Five Brooklyn measles cases  including the original infection discovered in October  were traced back to trips from Israel, where another measles outbreak infected more than 1,000 people last year.

Barbot earlier this month described this as the largest outbreak of the measles that New York City has experienced since 1991, but the disease has since spread by well over 100 additional cases.

Measles is a highly contagious airborne pathogen that produces symptoms including fever, cough, and a runny nose, and can cause diarrhea, ear infection, pneumonia, encephalitis, and death  with about 1 of every 1,367 kids infected dying due to fatal complications from measles.

Symptoms can appear anytime from seven to 21 days following exposure, according to the Health Department.
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Budget 2011: FM has limited tax proposals Business Standard / March 3, 2011, 0:55 IST

PwC analyses the impact of Budget proposals for 2011-12 on individuals and industry.

DIRECT TAX

A. Personal Tax

1. Tax threshold

Budget Change: The proposes upward revision of the minimum threshold of taxation:



Category Current

(Rs) Proposed

(Rs) Savings

p.a. (Rs) Individuals < 60 years 160,000 180,000 2,060 Resident women < 60 years 190,000 190,000 Nil Senior citizens (Men) 60-64 years 160,000 250,000 9,270 Senior citizens (Women) 60-64 years 190,000 250,000 6,180 Senior citizens 65-79 years 240,000 250,000 1,030 Very senior citizens =/> 80 years 240,000 500,000 26,780

Impact Analysis: The real benefit of this measure would be for senior citizens between 60 and 64 years who will save Rs 9,270 and persons above 80 years who will save Rs 26,780 p.a. provided they have matching income at that age.

2. TAX SAVING INVESTMENTS

Budget Change: (NPS)  Currently, both employees and employers contribution to NPS are considered for overall ceiling of deduction of Rs 100,000 under sections 80C/CCC/CCD for tax saving instruments.

It is proposed that employers contribution to NPS will no longer be a part of the ceiling. Additionally, the employer can claim tax deduction for the contribution up to 10 per cent of employees salary.

Impact Analysis: Employees, whose other contributions do not cover the ceiling of Rs 100,000 would have a larger window for contribution to NPS. Larger contribution by the employer would benefit the employer with higher tax deduction and the employee with tax saving. However, the restriction in section 40A(9) should be removed to enable the employers tax deduction.

Infrastructure bonds  Deduction of Rs 20,000 available in respect of investment in long-term infrastructure extended by one year.

Impact Analysis: This proposal would give a tax driven boost to the infrastructure sector.

3. RETURN OF INCOME

Budget Change: The proposals include  (i) exemption for certain specified categories of small taxpayers from furnishing tax returns, (ii) introduction of new simplified return form SUGAM for presumptive taxpayers.

Impact Analysis: Filing exemption would benefit salaried taxpayers whose entire tax has been withheld by the employer. It is expected that the exemption would be limited to the lower income group. However, the effective benefit would be limited if persons having other income such as dividend, interest are not included.

SUGAM should ensure better compliance and widen tax base.

B. Corporate Tax

1. SURCHARGE

Budget Change: Surcharge will be reduced  (i) domestic companies from 7.5 per cent to 5 per cent (ii) foreign companies from 2.5 per cent to 2 per cent.

Impact Analysis: These proposals would result in a marginal reduction in the corporate tax rates:



Particulars From To Corporate Tax * Domestic companies 33.23% 32.45% * Foreign companies 42.23% 42.02% Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) * Domestic companies 16.61% 16.22%

2. MINIMUM ALTERNATE TAX (MAT)

Budget Change: Increase in MAT from 18 per cent to 18.5 per cent with effective rate for (i) Domestic companies  20.01 per cent (from 19.93 per cent), (ii) branches of foreign companies  19.44 per cent (from 19.53 per cent).

Impact Analysis: The additional tax burden would offset reduction in surcharge for MAT paying companies. However, foreign companies would see a marginal reduction. MAT for domestic companies at 20.01 per cent would align with the proposed rate of 20 per cent in Direct Tax Code (DTC).

3. PROFIT-BASED TAX HOLIDAY

STPIs/EOUs

No extension of tax holiday u/s 10A/10B.

Mineral oil

No tax holiday for profits from mineral oil blocks awarded after March 31, 2011 under NELP-IX or otherwise.

Impact Analysis: These proposals align to the governments policy shift from profit-based incentives. However, this may affect small and medium exporters of services  especially in the IT/ITeS sector.

Power sector

Power units commencing power generation, distribution or transmission, or completing substantial renovation and modernisation before March 31, 2012 will be eligible for tax holiday under section 80IA(4).

Impact Analysis: This extension would benefit existing investments missing the completion deadline of March 31, 2011 who can enjoy grandfathering of benefits under DTC.

4. INVESTMENT/EXPENDITURE BASED INCENTIVES

Budget Change: Housing and fertiliser industry  Businesses such as cold-chain, warehousing facilities, etc enjoy 100 per cent deduction of certain capital expenditure. This benefit would now be extended to notified affordable housing projects and fertiliser units.

Scientific research  Contribution to scientific research programmes of national laboratory/university/IITs, etc. would enjoy weighted deduction of 200 per cent (from 175 per cent).

Impact Analysis: The proposals are in line with the governments policy shift towards incentivising investments. These benefits would provide impetus to low cost housing and R&D in the country. These benefits should be continued under DTC.

5. SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES

Budget Change: MAT  SEZ developers and units would pay MAT AT 20.01 per cent

DDT  SEZ developers would also pay DDT at 16.22 per cent on dividends distributed from SEZ profits

Impact Analysis: This proposal would advance levy of MAT and DDT on SEZs by a year (from introduction of DTC). It may negatively impact cost of operating in an SEZ and reduce investments in hitherto attractive SEZ Scheme.

6. TRANSFER PRICING (TP)

Budget Change: Allowable variation between mean and transfer price to be notified.

Impact Analysis: The government has recognised that a one-size-fits-all variation of 5 per cent does not address the dynamics of industry sectors. Customising such variation to diverse sectors is expected to lean towards an industry-friendly safe harbour regime.

Budget Change: TPOs powers are proposed to be extended  (i) to scrutinise international transactions beyond those referred by the AO, (ii) to on-site survey.

Impact Analysis: The amendment seeks to overturn the Delhi Tribunal ruling in Amadeus India Pvt. Ltds case, which restricted the TPOs power to examine only AO referred international transactions.

On-site surveys will enable the TPO to verify the function-asset-risk analysis given considerable importance in Tribunal rulings and appreciate the comparability analysis better.

Budget Change: Due date for filing of tax return extended to November 30 for assessees subject to TP compliance.

Impact Analysis: This proposal seeks to facilitate preparation of TP documentation based on contemporaneous comparable data pertaining to the year of the international transaction. The databases would also need to be suitably updated. The proposals do not contain deferral of timeline for Tax Audit Reports.

7. DIVIDEND FROM FOREIGN SUBSIDIARY COMPANY

Budget Change: Dividend received by domestic companies from overseas subsidiaries is proposed to be taxed at 15 per cent on gross basis.

Impact Analysis: Taxation of such overseas dividend will be at par with domestic dividends subject to DDT, with no benefit for losses. This would facilitate repatriation of funds to India and taxation thereof in line with proposed Controlled Foreign Corporation regulations under DTC.

C. Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs)

Budget Change: LLPs are proposed to be charged Alternate Minimum Tax (AMT) of 18.5 per cent (effectively 19.06 per cent). The tax will be charged on total income without deductions under Chapter VI-A and that for SEZs. Credit for AMT paid can be carried forward for set-off up to 10 years.

Impact Analysis: Whilst liberalisation of FDI in LLP is still awaited, AMT has been introduced. AMT is not on book profits but effectively, on gross total income. This charge would affect LLPs having profit from businesses enjoying tax holiday under SEZs. Unlike for companies, adjustment in income under the normal provisions would vary AMT. Provisions for carrying forward AMT needs to be grandfathered under DTC.

D. Infrastructure debt funds

Budget Change: Notified Infrastructure debt funds would be tax exempt. Non-residents receiving interest from such funds would be taxed beneficially at 5 per cent.

Impact Analysis: The tax benefits would reduce funding costs for infrastructure development. The government may consider extending the benefit to domestic investors.

E. Settlement Commission (SC)

Budget Change: Relatives of persons under search cases who have filed application to SC, can also approach SC.

SC would be empowered to rectify, within 6 months, any apparent mistake in its orders.

Impact Analysis: The relatives of SC applicants in search cases can obtain speedy resolution of disputes. The power of rectification would prospectively reverse the Supreme Court ruling in Brij Lals case, which held that the SC cannot amend its order.

F. Liaison Offices (LO)

Budget Change: LOs of foreign companies would need to file annual information reports (of their activities) with income-tax department within sixty days from the end of the financial year.

Impact Analysis: This proposal would help the income-tax department in tracking any income generating activity of LOs. However, the provisions do not contain any measures against non-compliance.

G. Anti avoidance measures for transactions with non co-operating countries

Budget Change: A toolbox of counter-measures is proposed to be introduced for transactions with (to be) notified countries that do not effectively exchange information with India. Measures include (i) application of TP regulations to all transactions, (ii) restrictions on tax deduction of payments including acceptance to disclose information, (iii) enhanced rate of withholding tax, and (iv) taxation of unexplained receipts.

Impact Analysis: These measures would effectively cover limited number of tax havens with whom India does not have a comprehensive or limited treaty for exchange of information. Channelisation of funds from these havens into India would be subject to stricter scrutiny and burden of higher taxation, making them unremunerative. Additionally, through the authorisation for collection of information, the government can unearth unaccounted income.

H. Mutual Funds



Budget Change: Tax on income distribution to unit holders other than individual /HUF is proposed to be increased for (i) money market mutual fund or liquid funds from 25 per cent to 30 per cent, (ii) other debt funds from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.

Impact Analysis: While tax on income distribution to individuals/HUFs has not been increased, they may be affected unless differential dividends are paid to unit-holders (individuals/HUFs and others).

I. Others

Tax officers in India empowered to collect information from persons, based on requests received from overseas Tax office, notwithstanding that no proceedings are pending in respect of that person in India.

Time lapsed in obtaining information from overseas tax authorities to be excluded from assessment timelines.

Time-limit for obtaining exemption from EPFO extended till March 31, 2012.

Ceiling for receipts by charitable institutions from advancement of any other object of general public utility increased to Rs 25,00,000

Three more Centralised Processing Centres to be set up for faster processing of tax returns and refunds

Requirement of Document Identification Number dispensed with.

Kaushik Mukerjee

(Executive Director) Team members: Anand R Bhat (Associate Director), Pallavi Singhal (Associate Director), Suchint Majmudar (Associate Director), Gaurav Bajoria (Manager), Raghavendra N (Manager),Vikash Dhariwal (Manager)

INDIRECT TAX

The Finance Minister in the 2011 has sought to achieve a fine balance between fiscal management and economic growth. The has laid a roadmap for an inclusive growth of the Indian economy estimated at 8.6 per cent, keeping an eye on the projected fiscal deficit of 4.6 per cent. The buoyancy in tax revenues has permitted the finance minister not to roll back the indirect tax rates to 2008 levels. At the same time, several proposals indicate a clear intention of the central government to move towards GST through a consensus approach with the state governments.
Mandi Returning Officer (RO) on Tuesday sent an advisory to Himachal Pradesh BJP president Satpal Singh Satti over his "will chop off arms of those who point fingers at BJP leaders" remark.

District Returning Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Rugved Thakur in the letter sent to the BJP leader advised him to "be prudent about the selection of words in speeches in the future to ensure peaceful election".

Earlier, the Returning Officer sent him a notice and asked to explain his remark that he would chop off the hands of people who dare to raise finger towards any BJP leader.

Addressing a rally on April 24 here, Satti had said: "Our leaders are sitting on the dais. If anyone dares to raise their finger, we would chop their hands off. We are not nincompoops. We are not a group of stupid people."

The state BJP chief, in his reply to the notice, said, "I was not having any political vendetta or intention against any of the workers or leaders of any of the political party/opponents."

"I never made any false, derogatory or inciting remarks, as alleged in the notice under reply. Moreover, the wording of my speech was taken otherwise by press correspondents," he added.

Satti had made the aforementioned remark days after Election Commission barred him from campaigning for 48 hours for his derogatory remark on Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fresh lawsuits were filed against Boeing at the federal district court here by two families of passengers who lost their lives in the recent Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash that left all the 157 people on board dead.

The two plaintiffs - Manant Vaidya and Paul Njoroge - lost several close family members in the March 10 crash, which spurred the grounding of Boeing MAX jets by a number of countries, including India.

Three generations of Canada-based Vaidya's family, which had Indian origin, were killed. Those dead included the man's father Pannagesh Bhaskar Vaidya, mother Hansini Pannagesh Vaidya, sister Kosha Pannagesh Vaidya, brother-in-law Preritkumar Dixit and two nieces, 14-year-old Ashka Dixit and 13-year-old Anushka Dixit.

"I lost three generations of my family, my parents, my sister, my nieces. If a person lost just one life, their whole life is shattered. But right now with me, I'm more like, I don't know. I'm completely lost right now," Vaidya, accompanied by his wife Hiral, said during a news conference at the Clifford Law Offices here on Monday.

The other plaintiff, Njoroge, lost his wife Carolyne Nduta Karanja, mother-in-law Ann Karanja, and three children -- six-year-old son Ryan Njoroge Njuguna and daughters Kellie W. Pauls, four years, and Rubi W. Pauls, nine months, in the deadly crash, according to Xinhua.

"I stay up all night crying, thinking of the horror that they must have endured as pilots struggled to keep the plane flying for six minutes...The terror that my wife must have experienced with little Rubi on her lap...Our two children beside her, crying for their daddy, my mom-in-law, feeling helplessness...Those six minutes will forever be embedded in my mind. I was not there to help them. I couldn't save them," Njoroge said, choking several times while reading out his statement.

Boeing has been working on safer technology updates after coming under fire following two crashes - the Ethiopian Airlines crash and the Lion Air crash - which took place within five months of each other and claimed the lives of 346 people. The aircraft manufacturer's shares plummeted to its worst-ever low following the March crash, seeing an approximate 5 per cent drop in its stock price since the incident.

"We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX accidents...All of us feel the immense gravity of these events across our company and recognize the devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished," Boeing President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement earlier.

"We've had teams of our top engineers and technical experts working tirelessly in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and our customers to finalize and implement a software update that will ensure accidents like that of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 never happen again," it read.

The fresh lawsuits join a string of others which were filed against the American company in the aftermath of the crashes.

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Reiterating its previous stand, China on Tuesday called for "political consultation within the framework of 1267 Committee" to resolve the issue pertaining to the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN.

China also underlined that "positive progress" has been made in the issue so far.

"Support issue of the listing (of Masood Azhar), which should be resolved through political consultation within the framework of 1267 Committee. We think that is also the consensus of the overwhelming majority of the members of the Council," said Chinese foreign ministry, in a statement.

"At present, the relevant consultations are underway in the 1267 Committee. Within the framework. And positive progress has been made. Thirdly, we believe in the joint efforts of all parties. This problem can be properly solved," it added.

The remarks come two-days after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The statement also follows Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale visit to China on April 20 to discuss the listing of Azhar, on which Beijing emerged as the sole hurdle so far.

On March 13, China, for the fourth time, had blocked a proposal by the US, the UK and France, among others, to enlist Azhar as a global terrorist before the UNSC committee.

A day after, Beijing had defended its technical block on the proposal, saying it needed "more time" as it is "conducting a comprehensive and in-depth review" on the listing request put forth by the countries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang had told reporters at a regular briefing that China will continue "coordinating" with all the relevant parties to find a "lasting solution" to the issue if it is to be resolved in a "responsible and sustainable way".

India had expressed disappointment over China's move but vowed to continue to pursue "all available avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens" are brought to justice.

The United States had also said that the failure to designate Azhar as a global terrorist "runs counter" to Washington and Beijing's goal of regional stability and peace.

A global terrorist tag under the UN's 1267 committee would have led to a freeze on Azhar's assets and a ban on travel and keeping weapons.

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China launched two Tianhui II-01 satellites into orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center here on Tuesday morning.

The satellites are meant to be used for scientific experiments, land resource survey, geographic survey, and mapping, as per state-run news agency Xinhua.

The satellites were reportedly launched by a Long March 4B carrier rocket, which marked the 303rd mission of the Long March series carrier rockets.

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Meenakshi Lekhi, BJP candidate from New Delhi constituency on Tuesday said that the present and previous governments failed to fulfill the promises they made to the public.

"I am assured of my victory...the present and previous government failed to deliver and fulfill the promises they made to the public. The opposition Congress and the AAP are competing with each other and not with me," Lekhi told ANI.

When asked about her agenda for the elections, she said, "The agenda is very simple, the kind of work I have done as a member of parliament and the central government schemes implemented in the area are the two key issues we are bringing forward."

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress party over the sealing drive in Delhi, the BJP candidate said, "People affected by sealing know that the matter began when Congress was in power. The people very well know who is behind the conspiracy."

Clashes broke out between locals and police personnel in Delhi's Mayapuri area on April 13 after MCD officials began to seal some illegal factories in the area following Green Tribunal's order.

Videos from the incident show protesters clashing with security forces, pelting stones at them and then being chased down by them.

According to police, 14 persons, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and three other police personnel were injured in the clashes.

Delhi, where 7 Lok Sabha seats are at stake will go to polls on May 12 in the sixth phase of ongoing elections.

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The controversy over the citizenship of Rahul Gandhi is rubbish and drama, said Congress general secretary and in-charge for East UP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra here on Tuesday.

"The controversy about Rahul's citizenship is rubbish and drama. The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian," she said.

"He was born, raised and grew up in India. What sort of rubbish is this (controversy) regarding his citizenship," Priyanka said when asked to comment.

Priyanka was here to address election meetings in support of Rahul, who is seeking re-election from Amethi.

The Congress party on Tuesday said the Home Ministry's notice to Rahul regarding his citizenship was a ploy to divert the people's attention from the real issues plaguing the nation.

The party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of resorting to "a fake narrative to divert the attention of the people as he has no answers for unemployment, farmer distress, and tax terrorism unleashed on the traders of the country."

Talking to ANI, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said: "The electoral boat of PM Modi and BJP has completely sunk. The bankruptcy of new ideas is now making them lose the political balance by resorting to such malicious allegations against Gandhi."

"The entire country knows that he is a citizen of India. Rahul Gandhi complained to the Ethics Committee of Parliament regarding the same issue one and a half years ago. The truth is that there is no truth in the allegations," said Surjewala.

"PM Modi raised the same issue in 2015 and again in 2017 when it approached the Home Ministry with a complaint against Rahul Gandhi. For the last five years, were the BJP leaders sleeping? Why is this topic being raised during the election season only," he asked.

D Raja, CPI leader, said: "Rahul Gandhi has been issued a voter ID. Then why is there confusion on his citizenship? The timing of issuing this notice to the Congress president is questionable."

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday issued a notice to Gandhi regarding his citizenship after receiving a complaint from Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy.

Dr Swamy has alleged that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in the year 2003 and that Gandhi was one of the Directors and Secretary of the company.

Dr Swamy has also stated that the Congress president had declared his nationality as British in a UK-based company.

"It has been further brought out in the complaint that in the Company's Annual Returns filed on October 10, 2005, and October 31, 2006, your date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970, and that you had declared your nationality as British. Further, in the Dissolution application dated 17/02/2009 of the above-referred company, your nationality has been mentioned as British," the notice said.

The Ministry has asked Gandhi to respond within a 'fortnight' to the allegations.

On April 20, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao had also raised a similar objection to Gandhi's citizenship at a press conference here. (ANI)

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CropLife India is pleased to welcome Asitava Sen as the Chief Executive Officer, of the association of 18 R & amp;D driven member companies. Sen will oversee the organization's strategy, outreach to various stakeholders and be an interface for public policy intervention.

"The board of directors is unanimous in its enthusiasm for having Asitava lead CropLife India. Asitava has consistently demonstrated professionalism, integrity and a commitment to doing what is best for Indian agriculture and is well respected by stakeholders across India and other countries," said on the appointment, Rajendra Velagala, Chairman, CropLife India.

Asitava Sen has over 25 years of experience in India and other countries, in the areas like public policy and social sector advisory; managing large scale multi-stakeholder participatory programs; innovative Public Private Partnership initiatives and blended finance. His expertise is focused on Agribusiness and Food.

Prior to CropLife India, Asitava was an independent advisor for various influential international organizations such as The World Bank, International Finance Corporation (2030 Water Resources Group), The World Economic Forum, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to name a few.

"It is an honour to work for CropLife India and am delighted to have this opportunity. CropLife India has a well-earned reputation for fostering partnerships between member organizations, regulators and other stakeholders in bringing global best practices in science and innovation." He added, "It is a privilege to represent an industry that plays a key role in achieving food security in a safe and sustainable manner while improving farmer income," said Asitava Sen.

Previously Asitava was head of Food and Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) for Rabobank Group in India and a member of Rabobank Asia's wholesale banking Management Team. Prior to joining Rabobank, Asitava had held various senior management positions in organizations such as APCO Worldwide; Nielsen Company and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He is a post graduate from XLRI Jamshedpur and a mechanical engineer from Jadavpur University.

Asitava Sen takes over from Brij Uberoi, who has been with the organization since June 2016.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.

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The Directorate of Public Health of Odisha Hara Prasad Pattanaik on Monday alerted all chief district medical and public health officers regarding preparedness for the cyclonic storm 'Fani'.

Pattanaik informed that the cyclonic storm is going to make landfall on May 3 at 5.30 pm and is likely to touch Andhra Pradesh border and later reach Odisha's Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Puri, Khorda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Angul, and Keonjhar.

All these districts have been put on high alert due to heavy rainfall and gusty winds of 40 to 60 kmph, which may lead to cyclone and flood in many parts of the state.

Pattanaik has asked other district officers to watch out and be prepared in accordance with the cyclone and flood action plan. "You are requested to remain vigilant with all activities like stock of drugs and other logistics, disinfectant, ASVs, ambulances etc up to block level. All the staffs must remain alert at their respective headquarters and no leaves to be allowed to any staff until further orders," he said.

He also directed the control room and nodal officers to stay active and send a daily report to the State Health Control Room. "This may be treated as Top Most Urgent," read the statement.

Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that 'Fani' intensified into a severe cyclone over Southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood with a speed of about 16 kmph at 5:30 pm on April 29. It is likely to intensify further and move towards Odisha coast, it added.

According to IMD's forecast, 'Fani' was located at 880 km south-east of Chennai as it continues to move North-West and is predicted to change its path to North-East from Wednesday.

Union Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha had chaired a meeting of the Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) on Monday to take stock of the situation arising out of the cyclonic storm.

Also, in view of the impending cyclonic storm, Odisha government has directed the State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) to keep a close watch over the situation and has asked concerned departments to stay prepared to deal with any challenge.

On the other hand, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and BrahMos Aerospace have put on hold the test-fire of the air-launched version of a supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft.

Fishermen in coastal areas have been advised to not venture into the sea. In Odisha, the government has asked fishermen who are out in deep sea areas to return to the coast by the night of April 30.

The central government is keeping a close watch on the impact of the cyclonic storm on the states along the eastern coast.

The Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert and are coordinating with the state governments. The NCMC will meet again on Tuesday to take fresh stock of the situation.

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The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Tuesday said that it has fielded former BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi in honour of India's security forces and nationalism and appealed to the people to stand with him.

"The Samajwadi Party has fielded former BSF jawan Tej Bahadur as alliance candidate in honour of security forces and nationalism. This is the high time that India stands with Tej Bahadur," SP spokesperson Ameeque Jamei told ANI here.

The party also cleared the air over its two candidates from Varanasi, saying: "The final candidate of the Samajwadi Party is Tej Bahadur."

He said that the SP-BSP-RLD alliance has posed a major challenge before Prime Minister Modi by announcing Tej Bahadur's candidature.

Jamei said, "There is a major challenge before Modi - he has to decide whether he is with security forces, India and nationalism or he is merely a BJP candidate."

The SP announced on Monday to replace its candidate Shalini Yadav with Tej Bahadur who was dismissed from BSP in 2017 after he complained about the poor quality of food served to soldiers in a viral video.

After the announcement, Tej Bahadur appealed the people to distinguish between the fake Chowkidar (a reference to Modi) and real Chowkidar of the country.

He had also claimed of getting the support of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to take on the prime minister.

AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a tweet, hailed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's decision to field Yadav from Varanasi. However, the AAP is yet to come clear on Tej Bahadur's claim.

Tej Bahadur was already in the fray as an independent candidate from Varanasi parliamentary constituency.

Shalini Yadav had insisted that she was the party's official candidate."I have filed nomination at the direction of president. I am the official candidate of the party," she had said.

Varanasi seat was won by Prime Minister Modi in the last Lok Sabha elections. He had defeated AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal with a massive margin of 3.37 lakh votes.

The SP is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in Uttar Pradesh.As per the seat-sharing pact, the SP is contesting 37 Lok Sabha seats, while Mayawati-led BSP and Ajit Singh's RLD have been allocated 38 and three seats respectively.

The election in Varanasi is slated to take place in the last phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.

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Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, Akhilesh Yadav, on Tuesday, took a jibe at Union Minister Uma Bharti and said that the NDA government was not able to clean Ganga river despite making separate ministry for the same, but the BJP did take away the ticket of Uma Bharti from Jhansi Lok Sabha constituency.

"Keh rahe hain ki paani ki jagah hum jal sansadhan mantralay bana denge. Ek baar BJP ke logon ne Ganga saaf karne ke liye mantralay banaya tha. Aur is baar, jo mantralay diya tha, unki ticket saaf kar di. Ganga saaf nahi hui lekin unki ticket saaf ho gayi. Batao Jhansi se ticket saaf ho gayi hai ki nahi ho gayi hai (They are claiming to make a separate ministry for water. Once, the BJP people had made a separate ministry to clean Ganga river. This time, the person to whom that Ministry was given, that person's ticket has been taken away. They could not clean Ganga river, but took away that person's seat in Jhansi)," Akhilesh said while addressing a rally here.

The BJP has fielded Anurag Sharma from Jhansi seat in the Lok Sabha elections.

At the rally, Akhilesh also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not giving employment to the young people and rather "advising them to sell Pakora".

"After completing your education do you want to make Pakora? Do you want to become 'Chowkidaar' (watchman)? There was a conspiracy behind all this. The BJP people asked to make Pakora so that the oil that comes from abroad gets used. If the oil will come in more volume then the businesses of their fellow colleagues will also increase... The BJP people want you to fry Pakora in oil coming from abroad and not in mustard oil. They don't want to help the farmers, who grow mustard," Akhilesh said.

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An alert Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel on Tuesday nabbed an air conditioning technician at the Trivandrum International Airport and seized 9.9 kilograms of gold bars worth approximately Rs 3 crore.

The accused, employed with MJ Property Maintenance Service Private Limited, has been identified as Annesh Kumar.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Vikas Raj, deployed at the staff gate of the airport, on suspicion called the accused for body-frisking but he ignored it and walked inside the terminal building.

While returning, he was seen dropping something in a dustbin nearby.

During frisking, 3.6 kg of gold bar wrapped in the black tape was recovered from him. CISF personnel then checked the dustbin and recovered an additional 3.15 kilograms of gold bar.

He later also disclosed that he had dropped one more parcel of 3.15 kgs gold bars in a dustbin placed at aerobridge-25, which was also retrieved from the dustbin by the CISF personnel.

On further questioning, the accused revealed that he had collected the gold packets at aerobridge-25 of international terminal building from a passenger, who had arrived from Dubai by Emirates Airlines flight.

The accused also revealed that he was supposed to hand over the gold to the passenger outside the airport premises.

Kumar, along with the seized gold bars have been handed over to the airport's customs official

Further investigation in this regard is underway.

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The Delhi High court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking directions to the Delhi government to implement Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme in the capital.

A division bench comprising of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anup Jairam Bambhani refused to interfere in the matter stating that the petition was "political" in nature.

The petition in this regard was filed by a financial economist, Abhijit Mishra.

Mishra in his petition highlighted the "critical failures" of the government to provide a blanket of security cover to the marginalized and weaker section of the society.

He contended that the Delhi government has neither issued any notification nor has made any efforts to implement the scheme.

"The Government of Capital Territory Delhi has not provided any reason to the Health Mission as to why it has not signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Government of India for implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme as on March 31st, 2019," the petition further read.

Mishra further stated that the government has not formulated any health insurance or welfare schemes equivalent to the Ayushman Bharat scheme for the residents of Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dismissing allegations of political vendetta against Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the home ministry is bound to take cognizance of the allegations levelled by any Member of Parliament.

"When a Member of Parliament writes to any ministry, action required on their query is taken. It is not a big development, it is a normal process," Singh told media persons here.

BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said, "MHA's notice to Rahul Gandhi is based on information provided by Rahul himself. Gandhi's company gave information on his British citizenship."

On April 20, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao had also raised a similar objection to Gandhi's citizenship at a press conference here.

Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, however, opined that the allegations against Rahul Gandhi were "baseless". "These type of baseless allegations grab headlines for a day, which is the intention of Subramanian Swamy. He is a guided missile," he said.

Jha further said that MHA's summons showed that they were afraid of Rahul Gandhi.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday issued a notice to Gandhi after receiving a complaint from Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy.

Swamy has alleged that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in the year 2003 and that Gandhi was one of the Directors and Secretary of the company.

Swamy has also stated that the Congress president had declared his nationality as British in a UK-based company.

"It has been further brought out in the complaint that in the Company's Annual Returns filed on October 10, 2005, and October 31, 2006, your date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970, and that you had declared your nationality as British. Further, in the Dissolution application dated 17/02/2009 of the above-referred company, your nationality has been mentioned as British," the notice said.

The Ministry has asked Gandhi to respond within a 'fortnight' to the allegations.

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Syeda Fatima, whose mother was lured on the pretext of employment in Dubai and later trafficked to Oman, has appealed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help bring her mother back home.

Syeda, while speaking to ANI on Monday, said, "My mother Shaheda Begum was approached by an agent who offered her the job of a helper with a promise of Rs 20,000 salary per month in Dubai. Due to financial problem in the family, my mother left for Dubai on November 29, 2018. After reaching there, she was kept in an office for a few days and later she was shifted to Oman by road."Syeda said she was unable to contact her mother for a month after she reached Oman. However, her mother later called and informed that she was being forced to live in an office with men.

"She was asked to live in an office with male members. A few days later, she was shifted to an employer's house. She worked as a helper in five to six houses but was denied proper food and shelter. She got sick but the employer refused to take her to the hospital. When she refused to work further for him, she was again sent back to some office where she was beaten up by agents. She was even locked in a bathroom for four days," Syeda claimed.

Highlighting her mother's deteriorating condition in Oman, Syeda said, "We even approached a local agent who offers work in Dubai and Oman but he is not responding to us and behaving rudely."

Syeda went on to say that she approached the Santoshnagar and Humayun Nagar police, but they did not pay heed to her complaint. "I had no other option left, this is why now I am approaching media. My mother wants to return back to India but the said agency is asking her to pay Rs 3 lakh. We tried to contact the agent but he is not responding," she said.

The woman is now seeking Swaraj's intervention in the matter.

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BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday took a jibe at the Opposition's grand alliance stating that if it managed to win in the Lok Sabha elections, then the country will have a new Prime Minister every day from Monday to Saturday, with the country going on a holiday on Sunday.

"If Opposition's grand alliance gets a majority then HD Deve Gowda will be Prime Minister on Monday, Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday, Mayawati on Wednesday, Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday, Sharad Pawar on Saturday and the country will go on a holiday on Sunday. Can you run a country like this? How will they give adequate security to this country? They will only work for their respective families and nobody else," Amit Shah said while addressing a rally here in Alwar.

The BJP president said that if Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister again, then "from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Assam to Gujarat, we will implement NRC and remove infiltrates from the country." The BJP's manifesto, promises that if the party returned to power, it will create a Register of Citizens (NRC) for all of India to identify undocumented immigrants.

Highlighting the airstrike carried by the Indian Air Force on JeM camp in Pakistan's Balakot, Shah slammed Rahul Gandhi and wondered whether the Congress President was related to terrorists.

Shah further said that the whole country celebrated the airstrike but there was mourning in two places - one in Pakistan and the other in Rahul Gandhi's office.

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The trailer of the film 'India's Most Wanted' will be released on May 2.

Arjun Kapoor, on Twitter, announced the release date of the trailer and also shared a new poster of the film.

"Humbled to play a hero who wears courage for armour and is powered by the selfless spirit to serve our country. Catch Prabhat and his team in action in the #IndiasMostWantedTrailer on 2nd May," Kapoor tweeted.

The poster of the film features all five men who saved the lives of a billion people by hunting down a terrorist referred to as 'India's Osama' in the teaser.

The words 'No Gun' 'No Glory', 'Only Guts' are also written on the poster.

Also, the actor shared a heartfelt message embedded in his post about the unsung heroes who risk their lives to save civilians.

Earlier, the actor had shared the teaser of the film which piqued the curiosity of the fans.

The 92-second teaser gave a sneak peek into several blasts that took place from 2007 to 2013 and the cities which were targeted.

The film, which is said to be based on true events, is about the five men who save the lives of a billion people by hunting down a terrorist. It is produced by Rajkumar Gupta, Myra Karn, and Fox Star Studios.

The film is scheduled to release on May 24.

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Mohinder Singh Gilzian, president of the Overseas wing of Congress in the USA, on Tuesday said their team had campaigned for the party in the elections held in southern states and are now preparing to focus on the states in north India.

"Our team from America was campaigning before the elections in Kerala, Andhra and Telangana. In the north, we will campaign in Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. We have arranged a bus for the tour from Uttar Pradesh to Himachal. We will ask people to make Rahul Gandhi the prime minister," Mohinder said told ANI.

Manoj Sheoran, president of the Overseas wing of Congress in Australia said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had failed to fulfil its promises in the past five years and therefore the people should vote for Congress to set things right.

"We will ask people to vote for Congress because in the last five years we have seen BJP and Modiji trying to destroy the pillars of democracy and engaging in divisive Unemployment is still a big problem in India, farmers are not getting the right prices, no promises were fulfilled by the Modi government in these five years. The Congress, therefore, is the only choice in 2019," said Manoj.

Virender Vashisht, secretary of Indian Overseas Wing of the party said their focus for the next few days will be on the states in the north and NRIs who are going to join the campaign process. He also added that NRIs would benefit immensely if Congress came to power and the results would start showing after May 23.

"We are focusing on the northern states in the upcoming days, we will be joined by more NRI volunteers in the coming days who are driven towards the cause. The NRIs will be looked after well when Congress forms the government, a separate NRI wing will be formed to look after their issues if we come in the centre," said Virender.

Congress has called upon the members of the NRI community and given them the responsibility of campaigning for Rahul Gandhi and the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

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All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Tuesday claimed that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government was circulating a "tampered and fake report" to hush up the role played by Globarena Technologies and Telangana State Board of Intermediate (TSBIE) in the discrepancies in valuation of intermediate exams.

AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju alleged that Minister Jagadish Reddy, Principal Secretary Janardhan Reddy and TSBIE Secretary Dr Ashok were directly responsible for the entire goof-up, adding that the three persons must be punished.

Addressing a press conference along with TPCC Working President Ponnam Prabhakar and Chevella MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, here at the AICC Headquarters, Sravan claimed, "The three-member committee, headed by Telangana State Technology Services (TSTS) Managing Director Venkateshwar Rao, has submitted a comprehensive report of 110 pages. All pages of the report were signed by the Committee members. The report has exposed several flaws in the valuation process and also made several recommendations."

However, Sravan said only a 10-page unsigned report was circulated in media circles to hush up the original findings of the committee. This report was presented by the same people who should be accused of large scale discrepancies in the results, he claimed.

Accusing the TRS government of playing with the lives of lakhs of students, Sravan alleged that students and their parents were still being misled by Jagadish Reddy and TSBIE officials. He then demanded that the original report be placed in the public domain immediately.

The AICC spokesperson said that the three-member Committee had recommended revaluation and recounting under the supervision of an independent agency.

Sravan claimed that no action has been taken against the Globarena Technologies whose crime has been clearly established in the probe conducted by the three-member committee. Instead, efforts are being made by the government to shield the private firm, he added.

He disclosed that the TSBIE has awarded a contract worth crores of rupees to Globarena Technologies without even having a legal agreement. "This was clearly disclosed in the report submitted by the committee. But the TRS government appears to be in no mood to take action against either the Board officials or Globerana Technologies," he said.

The Congress leader also accused Jagadish Reddy of misleading people with wrong statistics of revaluation and re-counting (RV/RC) done last year.

In an interview given to a newspaper on April 26, Reddy had claimed that of 24,690 applications received last year, the mark sheets of only 796 candidates were changed.

Calling this claim a "blatant lie", Sravan said that as per the information secured by one Vinod Kumar Gupta of Shahinayatgunj in Hyderabad from the TSBIE through an RTI application, a total of 20,465 candidates had applied for RV/RC in IPE March 2018 and another 5,192 for IPASE May 2018 and the marks of 6,419 candidates were changed.

He said the statistics furnished by the TSBIE itself show discrepancies in the mark sheets of more than 25 per cent students. "However, the minister is trying to downplay the reality by furnishing fake figures," said Sravan.

Over three lakh students reportedly failed in the intermediate exams conducted by the Board of Intermediate (BIE) in the state. This led to protests by students and parents alleging large-scale discrepancies in the examination process.

According to reports, nearly 20 students have committed suicide across Telangana after failing in the intermediate exams.

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Kate Middleton has been named as the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, the highest possible rank.

The honour was a gift from Queen Elizabeth to her granddaughter-in-law on the eighth wedding anniversary of the Duchess of Cambridge. The ruling monarch personally selects its recipient, as reported by People.

The Royal Victorian Order was created by Queen Victoria in 1896 to allow her to recognize people who helped her or represented her.

The Fellow Knights and Dames Grand Cross include the Queen's sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward as well as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The position of Grand Master of the Order was created in 1937 and was occupied by the Queen Mother until her death in 2002. Queen Elizabeth then appointed her daughter, Princess Anne, to the spot in 2007.

The Queen's husband, Prince Philip, was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 2017 on the couple's milestone 70th wedding anniversary.

Lower ranks in the Order are often given to palace employees and long-standing staffers for their dedicated services.

Prince Harry was named a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2015. Prince Harry, last week while accompanying Kate to the Anzac Day Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London, was spotted wearing the Maltese cross that serves as the symbol of his position around his neck.

The badge for a Knight or Dame Grand Cross features an ornate Maltese cross surrounded by an eight-pointed silver star. The size of the badge gets larger as the ranks increases.

The honour comes just weeks after Kate and the Queen stepped out for their first-ever joint outing when the duo visited King's College's Strand campus in London.

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(ANSA) - Rome, April 30 - The Lower House on Tuesday approved the setting up of a House commission of inquiry into the torture and murder of Italian research student Giulio Regeni in Cairo in early 2016.

The commission was approved by 379 votes with 54 abstentions from Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party after one of its amendments was voted down.

Regeni, a 28-year-old Cambridge doctoral student researching Cairo street sellers unions, disappeared on the Cairo metro on February 25, 2016, the highly policed fifth anniversary of the uprising that ousted former strongman Hosni Mubarak.

His mutilated body was found in a ditch on the highway to Alexandria on February 3.

His parents said they could only recognise him "from the tip of his nose".

Egypt has put out several explanations for his death including a car accident, a gay lovers' tiff turned ugly and a kidnapping for ransom in which the alleged gang, criminals but presumably innocent of the Regeni murder, were later wiped out.

Italy recently placed several members of the Egyptian security apparatus under investigation in the case - after which bilateral cooperation ground to a halt.

Regeni's parents appealed to Egyptian President Mohamed Fattah el-Sisi to help find the truth about their son's death last week.


Kerala DGP Loknath Behera said that the state police is on high alert in the wake of the Sri Lanka blasts.

"Kerala Police is at high alert after Sri Lanka blasts," Behera said.

"Alert given to Indian Coast Guard, Commandos and Bomb Detachment Squad. An analysis of large volumes of technical data like phone calls, social media activities being done daily," he added.

More than 250 people were killed and several hundred suffered injuries in the eight coordinated explosions that rattled various churches and high-end hotels located across Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikede and Batticaloa as the Christian community celebrated Easter on April 21.

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The United States on Tuesday said it has found "no evidence" to suggest that India is using the Afghan soil to perpetrate terrorism in Pakistan.

"I don't have the evidence what you're referring to, but our policy is clear that no country should support non-state actors," the Express Tribune quoted US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, as saying.

Wells was responding to a question at the US embassy in Islamabad against the backdrop of a narrative put forth by Pakistan, claiming that India is using the Afghan soil to cause trouble in the country.

The American diplomat, who was in Islamabad as part of a delegation headed by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, also asserted that it has no information regarding Army's latest allegations that Afghan and Indian secret agencies were funding the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).

On Tuesday, Major General Asif Ghafoor had blamed India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly funding PTM, a human rights movement of the Pashtun community against Pakistani security establishments for violating their human rights.

Wells urged regional countries to respect each other's sovereignty and work together to achieve peace and economic growth in the region.

"We recognise and respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan. We do not support any separatist or irredentist movements. We think it's critical that nations of this region respect one another and work to achieve peace and economic growth," she said.

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Home Ministry's notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi regarding his citizenship is a ploy to divert the people's attention from the real issues plaguing the nation, said the party here on Tuesday.

The Congress party also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of resorting to "a fake narrative to divert the attention of the people as he has no answers for unemployment, farmer distress, and tax terrorism unleashed on the traders of the country."

Talking to ANI, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "The electoral boat of PM Modi and BJP has completely sunk. The bankruptcy of new ideas is now making them lose the political balance by resorting to such malicious allegations against Gandhi."

"The entire country knows that he is a citizen of India. Rahul Gandhi complained to the Ethics Committee of Parliament regarding the same issue one and a half years ago. The truth is that there is no truth in the allegations," said Surjewala.

"PM Modi raised the same issue in 2015 and again in 2017 when it approached the Home Ministry with a complaint against Rahul Gandhi. For the last five years, were the BJP leaders sleeping? Why is this topic being raised during the election season only," he asked.

D Raja, CPI leader, said: "Rahul Gandhi has been issued a voter ID. Then why is there confusion over his citizenship? The timing of issuing this notice to the Congress president is questionable."

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday issued a notice to Gandhi regarding his citizenship after receiving a complaint from Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy.

Dr Swamy has alleged that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in the year 2003 and that Gandhi was one of the Directors and Secretary of the company.

Dr Swamy has also stated that the Congress president had declared his nationality as British in a UK-based company.

"It has been further brought out in the complaint that in the Company's Annual Returns filed on October 10, 2005, and October 31, 2006, your date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970, and that you had declared your nationality as British. Further, in the Dissolution application dated 17/02/2009 of the above-referred company, your nationality has been mentioned as British," the notice said.

The Ministry has asked Gandhi to respond within a 'fortnight' to the allegations.

On April 20, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao had also raised a similar objection to Gandhi's citizenship at a press conference here.

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Venezuela's self-declared interim President Juan Guaido, flanked by military men and armoured vehicles, on Tuesday announced the beginning of the "final phase of Operation Freedom."

Speaking through the loudspeaker in Caracas, he said, "Operation Freedom has begun!"

"For many years, we have talked to the armed forces, and today it's clear to us that the armed forces are with the Venezuelan people, who are not with a dictator," CNN quoted Guaido, as saying.

Calling it a "coup", Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has signalled that he will not bow down, saying "We Will Win!"

"Nerves of Steel! I have spoken with the commanders of all the REDIs and ZODI of the country, who have expressed their total loyalty to the people, to the Constitution and to the fatherland. I call for maximum popular mobilization to ensure the victory of peace. We Will Win!" he said.

Meanwhile, local media have reported that Bolivarian National Guard, which were stopping people in various parts of the country are leaving the streets refusing to crackdown on anti-Maduro protestors.

Thousands of Venezuelan have taken to the streets and are cheering for Guaido.

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Venezuela has asked its citizens to "shelter in place" if they cannot leave, avoid large gatherings and monitor local news for updates on the situation.

Demonstrations, the embassy warns, are happening throughout the country today and may continue in the following days.

The South American nation has been in the throes of a political crisis, which was accelerated when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself as the President of the nation in January. The United States immediately recognised him as the interim President, demanding Maduro to step down.

Maduro continues to hold on to his post despite several countries calling for his resignation. Venezuela is also facing an acute economic and humanitarian crisis at the moment, which is worsened by repeated sanctions from the United States.

Countries like China, Russia, Turkey amongst others have slammed international interference in Venezuelan affairs, throwing their weight behind Maduro.

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Pakistan on Tuesday released 60 jailed Indians, including 55 fishermen, at the Wagah border as a goodwill gesture.

All the fishermen were reportedly arrested for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters. The five others, who were in Pakistan, were arrested for allegedly not having proper Pakistani visa and other documentation.

The released Indian citizens had completed their prison term while most of them had served much longer than the sentence awarded by Pakistani courts.

Shoaib, who was in the group, told ANI, "I went to Pakistan to earn money but I fell into bad company due to which my uncle got me arrested. I was awarded a three-month sentence but I had to stay in jail for 18 months before I was released."

Wahid Khan said, "I lost my passport with the visa while in Pakistan. I went with my relatives to the police to report the loss of the document but I was sent to jail and kept there for 20 months. I was unjustly lodged in prison but now I am happy to return home."

India had sent a note verbale to Pakistan on April 9, urging it to make necessary arrangements for immediate release and repatriation of Indian prisoners who had completed their jail term.

Three hundred Indian prisoners were released by Pakistan between April 8 and April 14.

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The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday said six terrorists, including a PhD scholar, have been arrested in connection with the Banihal car blast case.

"We have almost cracked the case completely and six persons so far have been arrested. The failed car attack was orchestrated by terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) under the command of a Pakistan terrorist Munna Bihari," Jammu Inspector General of Police MK Sinha told media here on Monday.

The six persons held so far include Hilal Ahmad Mantoo, Waseem, Umar Shafi, Aqib Shah, Owais Amin, and Shahid Wani, the IGP said.

Mantoo, the PhD scholar who was arrested from Central University Bathinda last week, revealed that Jamiat-e-Talaba is "radicalising youths for Jihad". "The issue of radicalisation of youth has become a major threat to the Valley," Sinha said.

Sinha revealed that two Hizbul modules were involved in fabricating the car bomb. "Two modules of Hizbul Mujahideen, one led by Rayees Khan and Dr Saifullah of Pulwama had together worked to fabricate the car bomb."

"No link was established between the ghastly Pulwama attack and the Banihal attack," Sinha said. "The entire module led by Hizbul chief in the valley, Rayees and Saifullah were involved in the attack along with JeM terrorist Muna Bihari."

The identities of the car owner and the person who masterminded the attack are yet to be ascertained. Also, the source of the gelatin sticks has not been uncovered yet, Sinha said.

The police official said the engine number and chassis number of the vehicle used in the attack were tampered with, adding that police are trying to retrieve the original numbers. The vehicle has been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), he mentioned.

The IGP said the group involved in the fabrication of the improvised explosive device (IED), procuring gelatin sticks, urea, acids and other material was working under the command of the Pakistani terrorist.

On March 30, an explosion took place in a car near Banihal town of Ramban while CRPF convoy was on the move. "The car caught fire and slight damage was caused in the rear of one of the CRPF vehicles. No injuries were caused to CRPF personnel," read a statement issued by the CRPF.

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Upping the ante amid polling in the state, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit farmers instead of attending weddings of celebrities in the country.

"Prime Minister Modi should visit farmers instead of attending marriages of celebrities like Priyanka Chopra," Tejashwi said while speaking to media persons here.

He further mentioned that Modi does not deserve to be a prime minister of the country as he has "failed to maintain the dignity of the post."

Tejashwi also alleged that the Prime Minister was busy abusing his family. "I would like to tell Prime Minister Modi that we have a lot of expectations from you and you must talk something useful. You must talk about real issues like special packages for Bihar, unemployment, farmers' woes, and poverty. But I am disappointed that he is busy abusing our family."The RJD leader further said people are confined to their homes as no one goes out in the rule of a double-engine government. "Has the Prime Minister forgotten about the Muzaffarnagar shelter case? Most of the rape cases in the country were reported during the rule of his government. I think I need to send him facts," he added.

Last month, Tejashwi had claimed that he was not allowed to meet his father Lalu Prasad, and alleged that there was a "political conspiracy" behind it. "This is a political conspiracy. This all has been done on the feedback of Sushil Modi and Nitish Kumar, and on the instructions of Narendra Modi. Have you seen anything like this anywhere?" Tejashwi had asked.

Polling in Bihar, where 40 Lok Sabha seats are at stake, is being held in all seven phases, starting April 11.

Patna will go to polls on May 19, and results for the seven-phase electoral exercise will be announced on May 23.

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Taking a potshot at the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said, at the end of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections, leaders, who used to play 'Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri' (Who wants to be Prime Minister) are now playing a game of hide-and-seek.

"Jo log kuch din pehle tak aapas me 'Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri', iska khel khel rahe they, char charno ki voting ke baad, ab wo chupan chupai me jute hue hain... Ab janta ne inke sare sapno ko char charan me chur chur kar diya hain (Those who used to play 'Kaun Banegi Pradhan Mantri' amongst themselves, are now playing hide-and-seek after the end of fourth phase of Lok Sabha. The people have shattered their dreams after four phases)," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing a rally here.

He also alleged that the opposition is running a campaign to remove Modi to the extent that "some people tried to take Pakistan's help to try to get Modi out of power."

Prime Minister Modi further said had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been the first Prime Minister of India, "then nobody could have imagined how good the condition of the farmers would have been."

"He was a leader, who used to think about farmers. But Congress didn't make him the first Prime Minister of India," he said.

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Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday rubbished the claims that Congress president Rahul Gandhi contested from Wayanad as he was unsure of his fate from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

"It is not a sign of insecurity. Rahul went to Wayanad because our party cadres in Kerala asked him to. The people of Amethi have encouraged him to represent both south and the north," Priyanka told reporters here.

Talking about her decision of not contesting from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat she said, "I did not pull out of Varanasi. I took the advice of all the senior leaders of the party and all my colleagues in Uttar Pradesh. They firmly felt that I had the responsibility of looking after all the seats. Even today, they want me to campaign in their constituencies. I did what my party asked me to do."

Amethi will go to polls on May 6 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.

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BERLIN - Serbia and Kosovo have agreed at the Berlin summit on the Western Balkans, backed by French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel, to resume dialogue in order to resolve disputes. A German government spokesman gave the news over the night, saying that Belgrade and Pristina had agreed to push forward in their commitment to implement existing agreements. Meanwhile, Serbia and Kosovo plan to engage in ''constructive dialogue with EU mediation'' to find a solution to their disputes, he said.


The Election Commission said it has seized unaccounted money, illicit liquor, drugs and other inducements worth a total of Rs 3274 crore in the fourth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on Monday.

"Total cash seizure is Rs 785.26 crore, liquor (Rs 249.038 crore), narcotics (Rs 1214.46 crore), Gold and precious materials (Rs 972.253 crore) and other freebies (Rs 53.167 crore), which makes the grand total of Rs 3274.18 crore," said an official statement issued by the EC.

The poll watchdog said it appointed 97 expenditure observers in 72 parliamentary constituencies and 42 assembly constituencies across the country that went to polls on Monday. It was appointed to implement its instructions regarding election expenditure of candidates and for the seizure of unaccounted money, illicit liquor, drugs, and other inducements.

In order to curb the abuse of money power during elections, the commission decided that each expenditure sensitive constituency would have two expenditure observers. States with geographically difficult terrain have also been allotted a slightly larger number of expenditure observers so that there is better visibility and accessibility.

As per the instructions of the EC, the states deployed adequate resources in terms of Flying Squads (FS), Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) and Video Surveillance Teams (VSTs) in all the parliamentary constituencies and assembly constituencies, the EC said.

The number of expenditure observers was 97, assistant expenditure observers (492), FS (1761), SSTs (1757), VSTs (1080), video viewing team (618) and accounting team (543).

Voting was held on Monday for 72 seats across nine states including five seats in Bihar, one in Jammu and Kashmir, three in Jharkhand, six each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, 13 each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, eight in West Bengal and 17 in Maharashtra.

An overall voter turnout of 64.05 per cent was registered in the fourth phase of polling.

Seven-phase elections will end on May 19, and results will be declared on May 23.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to show material evidence and convince the court on its plea for custodial interrogation of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Deepak Gupta posted the hearing of the petition to May 1.

The CBI had filed a plea in the apex court on April 6, seeking permission to arrest Kumar in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam case.

The agency also sought recall of the Supreme Court's order of February 5 granting protection from arrest to the ex-Kolkata police chief.

The petition said that custodial interrogation of Kumar is required to unravel the conspiracy and nexus between directors of Saradha Group and the politicians connected to the case.

CBI contended that Kumar, who appeared before the agency for questioning in Shillong as per the Supreme Court's order, evaded all pertinent questions.

It also said that the IPS officer did not assist the agency in making available crucial evidence in the case and has not disclosed any vital information he was privy to.

An unprecedented chain of events took place on February 3 when a CBI team was detained by Kolkata Police when it reached Kumar's residence to question him. It was followed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to the officer's house. The CBI officers were taken to a police station and released later.

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Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a formal notice to Centre on review petitions filed against its December 14 judgment on Rafale deal in which it had refused to order a probe into the deal of procuring 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

Attorney General KK Venugopal has sought four weeks time to file a reply on the review. The bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has directed the Centre to file its reply by May 4 and has posted the matter for hearing on May 6.

The Bench also comprising of Justice Sanjay Kaul and KM Joseph sought the Centre's reply on review petitioners separate plea to initiate perjury action against officials who allegedly misguided the apex court in the Rafale case.

On December 14, the Supreme Court had dismissed all petitions seeking court-monitored probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal with France, saying that there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the deal.

The top court said it was not its job to go into the issue of pricing. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, said that there is no need to conduct an investigation into details of Rafale pricing.

Thereafter petitioners in Rafale fighter jet deal case - Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and Prashant Bhushan - in January moved the Supreme Court for review of the Rafale judgment.

The petition stated that the verdict contains several errors and also it relies upon patently incorrect claims made by the Government in an unsigned note given in a sealed cover to the court, which is a violation of the principle of natural justice.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to Election Commission of India (ECI) after hearing Congress MP Sushmita Dev's petition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah for allegedly violating Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The apex court has adjourned the matter for next hearing on May 2.

Congress MP on Monday moved Supreme Court seeking action from the Election Commission on complaints against PM Modi and Shah.

Dev contended that multiple complaints have been lodged against PM Modi and Shah over the violation of electoral laws like the Conduct of Election Rules but the ECI has not responded to any of these representations.

The Congress parliamentarian urged the court to direct or order the ECI to expeditiously act on the complaints pending before it against the Prime Minister and the BJP president.

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Sri Lanka on Tuesday lifted a temporary ban on several social media networks, which was put in place to prevent spreading misinformation after the ghastly suicide bombings on Easter Sunday.

The government has urged people to use social media responsibly saying "use social media responsibly even though the ban is lifted, due to the prevailing situation in the country".

Along with social media bans, the government has imposed lockdown, with nightly curfews for several days.

With this, life in Sri Lanka has started reviving, which came to stand still after a series of coordinated bombings shook the South Asian island nation. Over 250 people were killed in the attack.

Sri Lanka is known for taking such preventive measures in the past. Last year, in March during Kandu riots also Sri Lanka had blocked popular social media networks, such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Viber and Instagram to name a few, for three days in order to prevent the spreading of communal violence across the country.

Meanwhile, the security forces are still on high alert and trying to locate a direct connection between Islamic states and attackers and the Islamic State hub in Syria.

On Monday, a video featuring the shadowy leader of Islamic States Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is making rounds on the Internet. al-Baghdadi, in the 18-minute address, said that the April 21 attacks in Sri Lanka were "vengeance" for ISIL's "brothers in Baghouz".

Ruwan Gunasekara, a spokesman for the Sri Lankan police, said in a statement on Monday that 59 suspects "with terrorists links" have been detained since the attacks and investigators are questioning them.

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The body of a 49-year-old woman was found in Upvan lake in Maharashtra's Thane on Tuesday.

"We have found the body of a 49-year-old woman. We have recovered the body with the help of the Regional Disaster Management Committee (RDMC). A fire brigade team was also present at the site with one rescue vehicle," police said.

The identity of the deceased is yet to be identified.

A case has been registered and investigation is underway.

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All India Trinamool Congress has written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner alleging a violation of the model code of conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The party has also levied strong allegations against the Prime Minister by stating that he is encouraging horse trading and using this lie to persuade voters.

In a letter written by TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien and submitted to the Election Commission on Monday, the party has cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark in which he had said that 40 TMC MLAs are in touch with him and asserted that this is very unbecoming of the Prime Minister.

"He is trying to influence the voters to vote for BJP creating a mala fide impression in their minds that many MLAs of AITC are in touch with him and will cross over to his party. We lodge a strong protest against this mischievous campaign. This tone of speech is very likely to create an indication of impending horse-trading related to the election," the letter by TMC read.

The party demanded that the Election Commission of India should take cognizance of this "unfounded, inappropriate and illegal campaign and utterance of PM Modi and take strong action against him as per rules".

TMC also appealed to the Election Commission to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi about evidence in support of his statement.

"You are thus requested to ask PM Narendra Modi for evidence in support of his statement, failing which his nomination should be cancelled for violation of the Model Code of Conduct by making such provocative and undemocratic statements," the letter further read.

Addressing an election rally at Serampore in West Bengal on Monday, Prime Minister Modi had claimed that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and there is nothing that can save Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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Former US State Department Special Representative for North Korea, Joseph Yun, who was handed over the medical bill of American school student Otto Warmbier, on Monday, agreed that he had signed an agreement to pay North Korea USD two million for the release of Warmbier in 2017.

In an interview with CNN's Jim Sciutto, Yun said that he signed the bill with the approval of then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and President Donald Trump had also agreed to bring Warmbier back to the United States.

"As soon as North Korea side told me that this bill for USD two million would have to be paid ... I contacted my boss then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson," Yun said, noting that Tillerson "got back very quickly thereafter to say yes, go ahead and sign."

When asked if he believed Tillerson had Trump's approval in the matter, Yun said, "I never asked him, but that was my understanding."

On April 26, the Trump administration had said no money has been paid for the release of Warmbier, who was in a vegetative state at the time of his release from North Korean custody and died a few days after returning to the United States.

During the interview, Yun said he had no knowledge whether Washington plans to pay the money to North Korea in the future or not, but believes that the US should do so.

White House national security adviser John Bolton also confirmed on Sunday that Yun signed a document pledging USD two million for Warmbier's release and that the US has not made any payments.

Warmbier was detained by North Korean officials in January 2016 while attempting to return to the US from a tour of the country. He was returned to his family "with severe brain damage and in a nonresponsive state" on June 13, 2017, and died six days later.

Fred Warmbier, Otto's father, told The Washington Post he had no previous knowledge of the bill but characterised it as "ransom" for his deceased son.

Earlier this month, at an event attended by Warmbier's family, US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo had dismissed the idea of the US paying ransom for hostages.

"Please remember that any money to a terrorist or terrorist regime gives money so that they can seize more of our people," Pompeo was quoted as saying

"We cannot accept that risk. You wouldn't ask that of us," he added.

While the North Koreans did not bring up the bill during Trump's two summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore and Vietnam, a source told CNN last week that there is an expectation this payment could be brought up again.

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A video, in which Congress Lok Sabha candidate Badri Ram Jakhar and the party MLA Divya Maderna were seen involved in a verbal spat during the election campaign, has gone viral.

Jakhar, who is contesting from Pali parliamentary constituency, was campaigning in Osian Assembly constituency represented by Maderna.

During the gathering on April 26, party workers started protesting against Jakhar, which led to a verbal spat between the two Congress leaders.

In Osian, Maderna faction and Jakhar faction remained in confrontation against each other.

Polling in the parliamentary constituency was concluded on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

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A United States Army veteran and California resident, who allegedly planned to bomb "multiple targets" in Southern California, was arrested and his domestic terror plot was thwarted, authorities said on Monday.

The suspect, identified as Mark Steven Domingo, who recently converted to Islam according to federal authorities, was seeking revenge for the March 15 shootings in two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand that claimed 50 lives, The Washington Post reported.

Domingo was arrested on Friday at the Long Beach, California, a park where a rally he had targeted was set to take place. He faces terrorism charges and is expected to appear in the US District Court on Monday afternoon (local time).

He spoke of unleashing an attack similar to the massacre in Las Vegas, Huntington Beach, the port of Long Beach and the Santa Monica Pier, aiming to kill hundreds of people and was especially targeting white nationalists, Jews, churches and military bases, according to court documents filed on Monday.

He has been charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. Domingo, 26, of Reseda, "planned and took steps to manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction order to commit mass murder," according to the criminal complaint cited by The New York Times.

"The individual charged in this case wanted to carry out a mass casualty attack with explosive devices, and he moved very quickly from talking about violence to mobilizing to commit such an attack," Michael McGarrity, the assistant director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Section, was quoted as saying.

"This case should remind the public of the need to be vigilant and notify law enforcement if you see suspicious behaviour," McGarrity added.

However, federal authorities noted that Domingo had no known co-conspirators and does not constitute an ongoing threat.

Earlier, Domingo was an Army infantryman who had been deployed in Afghanistan from September 2012 to January 2013. Officials said they reviewed many online posts in which Domingo voiced his enthusiastic support for "violent jihad" and his desire to attack the Los Angeles area.

On March 3, Domingo posted "America needs another Vegas event," a reference to the massacre in 2017, "something to kick off civil unrest." Later that month he posted "there must be retribution" for the attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The arrest comes just two days after a shooting at a synagogue in San Diego killed one woman and wounded three others.

The accused, 19-year-old John Earnest, who was booked on murder charges, had released a manifesto online shortly before the attack that consisted of various anti-Semitic catchphrases and the message "all Jews deserve hell".

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ISTANBUL - The US special envoy for Syria engagement for the anti-ISIS Coalition James Jeffrey will be in Ankara from Tuesday to Thursday.

He will be involved in talks on the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria and the possible creation of a 'safe zone' along the border with Turkey. Jeffrey will be leading a delegation in which another White House special envoy, Joel Rayburn, is also taking part. The meeting with Turkish officials will focus on Ankara's request for the establishment of a buffer zone 30 kilometers along its southern border to keep Kurdish militias of the YPG - an ally of the US in the fight against ISIS in Syria but considered a terrorist group by Turkey - away. After Ankara, the delegation will be visiting Geneva for talks with envoys for Syria from Egypt, France, Germany, the UK, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.


At least 52 people have been injured in the ongoing clashes between anti-government protesters led by self-proclaimed President Juan Guaido and law enforcement officers in the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Tuesday (local time).

32 were injured as result of rubber bullets while 16 suffered traumatic injuries, reported CNN.

Thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets in Caracas after Guaido, flanked by military men and armoured vehicles, on Tuesday called for an uprising to end President Nicolas Maduro's regime.

In the wake of the uprising, United States President Donald Trump said he is monitoring the situation in the country "very closely."

"I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!" Trump tweeted.

Addressing a press conference in Washington on the situation in Venezuela, US National Security Adviser John Bolton warned that it would be "a big mistake" for Nicolas Maduro to use force against his country's agitating civilians.

"The sooner Maduro is gone, the sooner is the possibility of justice and real economic growth for the Venezuelan people," The New York Times quoted Bolton, as saying.

The US official added that the Trump administration sees the uprising as a "potentially dispositive moment in the efforts of the Venezuelan people to regain their freedom."

The South American nation has been in the throes of a political crisis, which was accelerated when Guaido declared himself as the President of the nation in January.

The United States immediately recognised him as the interim President, demanding Maduro to step down.

Maduro continues to hold on to his post despite several countries calling for his resignation. Venezuela is also facing an acute economic and humanitarian crisis at the moment, which is worsened by repeated sanctions from the United States.

Countries like China, Russia, Turkey amongst others have slammed international interference in Venezuelan affairs, throwing their weight behind Maduro.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Trump administration is planning to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organisation, the White House said on Tuesday.

The move will bring sanctions against Egypt's oldest revivalist Islamic movement.

"The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process," The New York Times quoted White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

The request was made by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to President Donald Trump during his state visit to the United States.

The group that has been in existence since 1928 is considered as the oldest and most influential Islamic movements in the Sisi had declared the Brotherhood as a "terror group."

It came into power in Egypt in 2012 after an election. However a year later, its President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a military coup by Sisi.

The Times has reported that various heavyweights in the Trump administrations including US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and National security adviser, John Bolton have supported the idea. However, the Pentagon, career national security staff, government lawyers and diplomatic officials are worried about legal and policy objection in designating the group.

Notably, in the past, the US State Department had advised against banning the movement because of its "loose-knit structure and far-flung political ties across the Middle East".

Various Human Rights groups have also voiced their concern, saying Sisi might use this to justify his harsher crackdown on his opponents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 283, up 0.04% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 4.84% in last one year as compared to a 9.28% jump in NIFTY and a 18.99% jump in the Nifty Energy.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is up for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 283, up 0.04% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.35% on the day, quoting at 11713.15. The Sensex is at 38934.72, down 0.34%. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd has slipped around 0.28% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has slipped around 0.87% in last one month and is currently quoting at 16431.5, down 0.27% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 56.67 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 69.26 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark May futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 284.3, down 0.23% on the day. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is down 4.84% in last one year as compared to a 9.28% jump in NIFTY and a 18.99% jump in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 8.96 based on TTM earnings ending December 18.

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Subex announced deal with Econet Wireless Zimbabwe (EWZ), a leading telecom operator in Zimbabwe, for the deployment of its Analytics Centre of Trust (ACT) offering. Through the deployment, Econet will be able to transform into an independent data driven organization, thereby improving operational efficiency.

Licensed as a mobile telecommunications operator in 1998, Econet is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, and is part of the pan-African, diversified Econet Wireless Group.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is building a strong, consumer-centric ethos that is committed to providing innovative, accessible and refreshingly simple communication solutions that suit customers' everyday needs.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe was looking to further improve their operational efficiency by effectively leveraging their data to make business decisions. To this end, Subex was selected based on its proven expertise in implementing an analytics solution which is flexible across business cases around Customer, Technology, Product, Sales & Distribution, Risk and Revenue.

Through the deployment of ACT, Econet will have access to an array of benefits. The ACT deployment, beyond optimizing Econet's day-to-day operations, will also allow the telecom player to employ predictive & prescriptive analytics in areas such as Customer 360, Product Optimisation and Cell-Site intelligence.

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Twenty-two Islamic State (IS) militants were killed and two others captured on Tuesday as security forces stormed their hideouts in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, an official statement said.

According to the statement, the special operations were launched in the early hours of Tuesday against the hideouts in Khogiani district, reports Xinhua news agency.

Four hideouts have been destroyed and their arms and ammunition were destroyed during the raids.

No security personnel was injured, the statement added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The French police have handed out 447 fines for harassment of women in the street since the new "outrages sexistes" legislation came into effect eight months ago.

The law, passed in August 2018, allows for on-the-spot fines of up to 750 euros (650 pounds), the Guardian reported. It covers sexist insults, degrading or humiliating comments, or hostile and offensive "sexual or sexist" behaviour towards a person in public areas, schools or workplaces.

French Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa said 447 fines demonstrated that the law against street harassment, which she had earlier described as a "culture battle", was working.

"Many of you on these benches told us it would never work, that we would not be able to define offensive sexist behaviour," Schaippa told fellow ministers in the Assemblee nationale. But the figures showed the government action was efficient and would "grow in its power", she said.

"With this law, France has become the first country in the world to punish harassment in streets with fines," the Minister said. The legislation was backed by 90 per cent French people, according to an Ifop poll published a year ago.

Under the law, higher fines can be slapped in "aggravating circumstances", including harassment of passengers using public transport and if the victim is under 15 or is considered particularly vulnerable.

The legislation came into effect after a video of a woman being attacked outside a Paris cafe went viral last summer.

A court later sentenced the attacker to six months in prison and find him 2,000 euros for aggravated violence after he hurled an ashtray at 22-year-old student Marie Laguerre and then returned to punch her in the face after she remonstrated with him.

--IANS

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Facing embarrassment over appointment of controversial pilot Arvind Kathpalia as its Regional Director, Air India put the order in abeyance within hours of naming him for the key post.

"The Notification ...assigning charge of the post of Regional Director (Northern Region) to Captain Arvind Kathpalia is kept in abeyance till further order," the airline order said.

Earlier in the day, the airline had named Kathpalia as the Regional Director (Northern Region) with effect from May 1, 2019.

"Consequent to the retirement of Mr. Pankaj Kumar, Regional Director (Northern Region) after the close of the working hours of 30th April, 2019, Capt. Arvind Kathpalia will take over the charge of the post of Regional Director (Northern Region) with effect from May 1, 2019," the official order had said.

Aviation regulator DGCA had last year suspended Kathpalia's flying license after he failed pre-flight alcohol tests.

Kathpalia had tested positive for alcohol in two breath analyser (BA) tests before he was to fly Air India's New Delhi-London flight on November 11 last year.

Following the DGCA's suspension of the pilot for three years, the Civil Aviation Ministry issued an order to remove Kathpalia from the position of Director (Operations).

However, a week later, Air India posted Captain Kathpalia as Executive Director.

As per the provision of Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules, no crew member of a flight, including pilots and engineers, should take or use "any alcoholic drink, sedative, narcotic or stimulant drug or preparation" within twelve hours of the commencement of the flight or in the course of the flight.

--IANS

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In spite of two technical glitches causing operational disruption and financial loss, state-run Air India has refused to claim compensation from its passenger service system (PSS) provider SITA.

The airline remains committed to Rs 800 crore deal under which SITA is required to provide IT solutions for baggage check-in, boarding and tracking technology.

SITA is a global airlines IT services solution major providing airport and related services to a host of airlines.

"It is surprising that the airline has not debited SITA for the huge losses caused by shutdown of its server. In the recent technical glitch the airline had to delay hundreds of flights," said an Air India insider.

He added that instead of penalizing for the poor performance, the airline decided to extend the contract period to two years.

Explaining the two-year extension, another airline official said that this provision in the contract meant for finding a new vendor after eight years.

An email query from IANS failed to elicit any response on the issue.

As a result of technical issue in SITA's software last week, Air India had delayed over 100 flights leaving thousands of passengers stranded. A similar glitch had taken place last year too forcing the airline to delay nearly 25 of its flights across the country.

"Besides financial loss, the glitches result in huge inconvenience to passengers. This affects relationship with customers in the long run," the official quoted above said.

Air India operates 470 flights per day while the Air India Group (Alliance Air and Air India Express) provides 674 flight services. As many as 149 flights of the airline group was delayed last Friday due to the technical glitch in SITA systems.

(Nirbhay Kumar can be contacted at nirbhay.k@ians.in)

--IANS

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(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.)
If party sources are to be believed, trouble seems to be brewing in the Congress in Rajasthan.

Talking to IANS, a state Congress leader said that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot wanted Congress President Rahul Gandhi and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi to attend a roadshow in support of his son Vaibhav Gehlot, the Congress candidate from the Jodhpur Lok Sabha constituency.

However, the brother-sister duo couldn't give dates for the same. Eventually, the Chief Minister had to spearhead Vaibhav's campaign almost alone, from organising roadshows to sending personal SMSes and going door-to-door appealing people to vote for his son.

Not a single national Congress leader came to support Gehlot or his son, as the Chief Minister stationed himself in Jodhpur for nine days, playing the role of an anxious father going all out to build a safe future for his son, said a Congress worker.

Gehlot himself accepted this fact.

"All the fathers in this world work hard to ensure the success of their children. What is the issue if I do the same," the Chief Minister had asked after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a rally in Jodhpur that Gehlot knew that all the other seats in Rajasthan were going to the BJP and hence he was working on one seat being contested by his son.

The fraction between Gehlot and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot too became evident after the latter refrained from campaigning in Jodhpur, expect for one occasion when he went there to inaugurate Vaibhav's office.

Incidentally, Pilot had earlier expressed his displeasure over giving tickets to the family members of party workers. "This would demotivate the party workers. I want hardworking Congress workers to get tickets for the Lok Sabha polls," he had said.

However, Pilot's suggestion was ignored and Vaibhav was fielded from Jodhpur.

Just a day before 13 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state went to the polls on Monday, leader of the Opposition Gulabchand Kataria shocked everybody by claiming that the Chief Minister will be replaced after May 23 when election results will be out.

Addressing media in Udaipur, Kataria said: "The BJP will win 21 seats in the state. And despite having a Congress Chief Minister, if the party loses 21 seats, the Chief Minister will be replaced for sure."

He also said that Gehlot's son would taste defeat, which would speak volumes about the state of the party in Rajasthan.

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi had summoned Congress leaders from Rajasthan to Delhi before the elections and expressed his displeasure over the distribution of tickets to candidates lacking "winnability". Sources also said that the Congress wanted to change six candidates in the state but dropped the idea as it felt it was too late to do so.

According to a state Congress leader, Gandhi was informed about the wrong selection of candidates while he was on a trip to Uttar Pradesh, and the Congress President had immediately called Gehlot to discuss the matter.

Among the candidates under the lens was Jyoti Khandelwal from Jaipur, whose integrity was questioned following a sting operation by a television channel. A former Mayor of Jaipur, Khandelwal had resigned from her post as a party General Secretary after she was denied a ticket in the 2018 Assembly elections. Giving ticket to such a rebel leader was not unacceptable to many in the party.

Another candidate under the scanner was Rijju Jhunjhunuwala from Ajmer. Congress workers were reportedly anguished to see a millionaire "parachute" candidate being introduced by the party from a crucial seat like Ajmer.

The third Congress candidate in question was Pramod Sharma from Jhalawar taking on three-time BJP MP Dushyant Singh, the son of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

"Many felt that this seat required a strong candidate, doubting the Congress' decision to opt for Sharma," said a Congress leader on condition of anonymity.

He also said that Pilot had little say in the distribution of tickets and hence was not as active during the Lok Sabha polls as he was during the Assembly elections held last year.

(The writer can be contacted at archana.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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Alleged Islamic State operative Riyas Aboobacker, who was taken into custody by the NIA two days back from Kerala's Palakkad and formally arrested on Monday, was sent to judicial custody till May 29 by the special court here on Tuesday.

Aboobacker alias Abu Dujana was arrested on charges for conspiring to commit a terrorist act after he admitted to wanting to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala, according to the NIA.

The 29-year-old was arrested after he disclosed to NIA investigators that he has been following speeches and videos of Zahran Hashim, a radical Tamil-speaking cleric who is believed to have masterminded the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka which left 253 people dead and over 500 injured.

Aboobacker was being questioned by the NIA since Sunday when the agency unearthed the Kasargode module of the terrorist outfit in Kerala during multiple raids at the house of three suspects.

--IANS

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Italy-Tunisia business mission kicks off with Di Maio 48 firms taking part, 5 associations and 4 banks

(ANSAmed) - ROME, APRIL 30 - A business mission began on Tuesday alongside the Italian-Tunisian inter-governmental meeting in Tunis. The mission was organized by the Italian industrial employers' confederation Confindustria, the Italian Foreign Trade agency ICE, the Italian banking association ABI and other partners. Also collaborating are the prime minister's office, the economic development ministry and the foreign ministry. It is being led by Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio. The economic development ministry noted that Tunisia is one of the most attractive markets for Italy in North Africa due to its geographical proximity, network of trade accords with the EU, new regulations to attract foreign investment local manufacturing specializations. Tunisia is the second largest trade partner after Turkey for Italy in the Mediterranean area. (ANSAmed).




A court here on Tuesday sentenced Narayan Sai, the son of self-styled godman Asaram, to life imprisonment in a 2013 rape case.

The sessions court, which had convicted him on Friday, also slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him.

Three of Narayan Sai's aides - Ganga, Jamana and Hanuman - who were also convicted in the case, were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 each. His driver was given five years in jail with a fine of Rs 500.

Narayan Sai's lawyer told reporters after the sentencing that they would appeal in the high court for his release on bail within next 60 days.

Two charge sheets were filed against 35 persons in the case, while the prosecution had produced 53 witnesses and the defence 14 witnesses. Narayan Sai was arrested in December 2013 from Pipli near Haryana's Kurukshetra after two sisters from Surat filed rape complaints against him and his father Asaram in October that year. They had lodged separate complaints against the two.

His father, Ashumal Harpalani alias Asaram, was convicted last year for raping a minor girl in Rajasthan and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Jodhpur court.

One of the sisters had accused Narayan Sai, who also claims to be a godman himself, of repeated sexual assaults when they were living at Asaram's Surat ashram between 2002 and 2005. Police had booked Narayan Sai on charges of rape, sexual assault, illegal confinement and other offences.

--IANS

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday taunted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the word 'chowkidar' saying the Prime Minister had presented himself as 'chowkidar', but now the BJP and the Prime Minister had started disliking the word.

Gandhi addressed public meetings in Damoh's Patharia and Jatara of Tikamgarh.

"In the last Lok Sabha elections, the slogan was 'ache din aayenge' but it has been changed now. When I say 'chowkidar' than public screams 'chor hai'," the Congress chief said.

"When he was elected the Prime Minister, he used to say 'I am not the Prime Minister' but the 'chowkidar'. But the BJP and Modi do not like this word any more. That's the reason the BJP complained to the Election Commission that Rahul Gandhi should not be allowed to use the word 'chowkidar'," the Congress leader said.

But why this happened, he wondered and added, "today if you say 'chowkidar' anywhere in the country the people respond with 'chor hai'. You would get the same answer even at Race Course Road in Delhi," he said.

The Congress chief said security guards, standing outside the Prime Minister's residence at Race Course Road, would give the same answer, if asked. "We get this answer only because he waived Rs 5 lakh crore loans of the rich," Gandhi said.

On revival of economy, he said the Congress had decided to "deposit Rs 6,000 a month in bank accounts of the poor after coming to power. This amount will kick start circulation of money in the market, factory production will get a boost, youth will get employment and the condition of economy will improve."

Raising his pet poll issues, Gandhi said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi ruined the country's economy by implementing demonetisation and 'gabbar singh tax' (GST)." Blaming Modi of misusing powers by implementing demonetisation, Gandhi said: "Demonetisation had taken money out of people's pockets and the Prime Minister gave that amount to his industrialist friends."

"During the demonetisation, no thief or person with black money, but farmers, youths, unemployed, and people of Bundelkhand stood in the queues," said Gandhi. Modi gave money belonging to the poor to the rich, he said and added, the Congress would take back the money from the rich and give that to the poor.

"If Congress comes to power, tainted industrialists, including Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Chowksi, will not be spared," he said.

Remarking that Modi deceived people by saying that he would give Rs 15 lakh to each, the Congress chief said, "Depositing Rs 15 lakh in each bank account is not possible, but giving Rs 3,60,000 in five years is possible."

--IANS

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Burning Man event organisers are sparring with the US government over a 10-year permit after being presented with new rules that they say "would spell the end of the event as we know it", the media reported

On Monday, the Bureau of Land Management issued the draft environmental impact statement to "analyse the potential impacts" of conducting Burning Man, an arts and community event, from 2019 to 2028 in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, reports CNN.

An environmental impact statement is a process the federal government uses to analyse how construction, events or other activities could affect the landscape.

Burning Man event organisers took issue with proposed requirements that came in a more-than-150-page report and fired back in a post on their website, writing: "The proposed level of government surveillance of and involvement in our everyday operations is unprecedented and unwarranted, and is unsupported by the ... analysis."

Burning Man said the statement requires "astronomical cost increases" and "beyond-excessive government oversight", and proposes to "increase federal government agency operations exponentially in order to take over or 'monitor' our operations".

The organisers said security operations, how many cars are allowed into the event, how people are tracked while there and how lighting is used would all be affected by the proposed rules which could hurt tickets sales.

Burning Man, which was first held in 1986 in San Francisco's Baker Beach, is an annual event in the Black Rock City - a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert.

The event is influenced by 10 Principles: radical inclusion, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, gifting, decommodification, participation, immediacy and leave no trace.

The name comes from the symbolic ritual burning of a large wooden effigy ("The Man").

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Close to the India-Pakistan border near Rajasthan's Pokhran lies a village named Khartoli where residents are slowly succumbing to cancer, perhaps paying the price for the two nuclear tests conducted in its vicinity. However, none of the officials concerned have so far paid attention to their health travails.

India's first nuclear test was conducted under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974 at a stretch just 10 km from Khartoli. In 1998, the country conducted its second nuclear under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at a site barely 3 km from the village.

Sanwaldan Ratnoo, a resident of Pokhran, confirmed that cancer cases in Khartoli multiplied after the nuclear tests. However, the governments of the time never took up the issue and even the 2018 Assembly elections passed off without anyone lending their ear to the pain and trauma of the people, he said.

According to Ratnoo, out of the 4,000 odd residents in the village, as many as 80 to 100 are cancer patients.

"Nuclear tests definitely strengthened India's position in the world. However, we felt bad for the fact that no steps were taken to ensure that the villages in the vicinity of the test sites didn't face any health risk.

"Deformity cases have gone up in Khartoli and they can be noticed even in new-born calves. The growth of our kids has been affected," he added.

Nathuram Vishnoi, sarpanch of Khartoli village, said: "We are surprised that the site which brought national and international fame to Pokhran has been left ignored. We have seen our kids die a silent death, but nobody has leant an ear to their cries."

"We have approached many government officials, but they just don't want to listen to us. For decades we have been trying to draw their attention, but all our efforts went in vain.

"We have submitted memorandums to many people, including Chief Ministers and other politicians, but nothing has happened. Surprisingly, they (politicians) come here begging for votes but fail to notice our kids who have turned blind or are suffering from other deformities," Vishnoi added.

Former IPS officer Pankaj Choudhary, who is contesting from the Barmer-Jaisalmer Lok Sabha seat on a BSP ticket, said: "Many people brought the issue of 'radiation threat' to my notice when I was campaigning. I have promised to look into the matter. However, I am shocked that none of the previous governments showed any interest in resolving the crisis."When IANS contacted Bhupendra Kumar, the Chief Medical Officer of Jaisalmer, he expressed his ignorance about the presence of any such village under his jurisdiction.

"I just joined this work station a month back and have not heard about this issue yet," he said.

Pradeep Gaur, the head of radiology at the SN Medical College in Jodhpur, said: "I remember a professor taking up this issue and submitting a paper on it many years back. But that was a long time ago and hence I can't recollect much on the matter."

Asked if any research has been done on this issue, he expressed his inability to recall anything concrete.

Dilip Singh, a professor in the same institute, said: "I have a feeble memory of the high court ordering a research on this subject sometime ago. But I am not sure if any paper has been submitted in this matter."

(The writer can be contacted at archana.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday conducted searches at the premises of YSR Congress Party leader and industrialist K. Raghu Rama Krishna Raju here and in Andhra Pradesh in connection with alleged evasion of bank loans by his companies.

The officials of the central agency conduced searches at the Gachibowli residence, office and other premises of the industrialist, a candidate of the YSRCP in Narsapuram Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh.

There were also reports of CBI searches at the residence and other premises of Raju in West Godavari district in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

It is alleged that Raju's firm Ind Barath Power Ltd was sanctioned Rs 2,655 crore loan by three non-banking financial corporations (NBFCs) -- Power Finance Corporation Ltd, Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd and India Infrastructure Finance Corporation Ltd -- to set up a thermal power project.

The firm is accused of defaulting on Rs 948 crore of the sanctioned amount, the official said.

Raju, however, denied that there were any raids or searches at his premises. He said the CBI officials recorded his statement following a complaint by banks about Rs 600 crore loan default.

The YSRCP leader said his power companies could not repay the loans due to losses. He said he had applied to banks for one-time settlement of the loans.

Raju had declared family assets of over Rs 300 crore in his affidavit submitted to the election authorities along with his nomination papers.

Polling in Narsapuram along with 24 other Lok Sabha seats was held on April 11.

Raju had started his political career with YSRCP when the party was floated by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in 2011. In 2014, he joined the BJP after he was denied ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections. He returned to the YSRCP last month and secured the ticket from Narsapuram.

--IANS

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A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced a Canadian national to death for producing and trafficking methamphetamine, a highly addictive and illegal psycho-stimulant drug.

An American and a Chinese were also given death although the sentencing for the former will be suspended for two years while four Mexicans were sent to life imprisonment.

Jiangmen Intermediate People's Tribunal in Guangdong province published a statement on its website stating that the Canadian Fan Wei and Chinese Wu Ziping had been involved in the drug offences between July and November 2012, reports Efe news.

All of them established a drug production centre in Taishan, also in Guangdong where four other Chinese citizens played a secondary role who were given minor prison sentences.

They have 10 days to appeal their sentences.

According to Amnesty International, China leads the list of countries with the highest number of death sentences in the world "but the true extent of the use of the death penalty in China is unknown as this data is classified as a state secret".

The non-profit reported that in 2018 itself thousands of executions were carried out in China.

According to Chinese criminal law, any person who traffics, imports, transports or manufactures opium in quantities greater than one kilo, or heroin in quantities more than 50 grams or other narcotics in large quantities, can be sentenced to 15 years in prison, life imprisonment or death, in addition to the confiscation of property.

Fan Wei is the second Canadian to be sentenced to death this year after a court in the Liaoning gave death to Robert Lloyd Schellenberg also for drug trafficking.

Diplomatic relations between China and Canada have become strained after the arrest in December of the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, in Vancouver with an extradition request from the US pending.

Following Meng's arrest, China arrested two other Canadians, diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, on charges of jeopardising Beijing's national security.

--IANS

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The former employee of the Supreme Court, who accused Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi of sexual harassment, on Tuesday pulled out from the in-house inquiry set up by the apex court to probe the charges against the CJI.

In a statement to the media, she said: "I felt I was not likely to get justice from this committee and so I am no longer participating in the 3-judge committee proceedings."

Expressing serious reservations about the in-house committee comprising Justices S.A. Bobde, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee, the woman said: "The the committee was an in-house committee of sitting judges junior to the CJI and not an external committee as I had requested."

The woman said during the committee hearing on April 26, the judges on the panel had told her that this was neither an in-house committee proceeding, nor a proceeding under the Vishakha Guidelines and that it was an informal proceeding.

"I was asked to narrate my account which I did to the best of my ability even though I felt quite intimidated and nervous in the presence of three Hon'ble Judges of the Supreme Court and without having a lawyer or support person with me," said the woman.

The woman had pointed out to the committee that she had lost hearing in one ear completely due to stress and that she was undergoing daily treatment. As a consequence, she was unable to hear sometimes the instructions that were being dictated by Justice Bobde to the court official as a record of my statements before the committee.

"Further, the committee declined my request for video recording of the committee proceedings. I was also clearly told that no lawyer/support person could be present with me during the committee hearing," said the woman in her statement for boycotting the in-house inquiry.

She said the committee instructed her orally not to disclose the proceedings of the committee to the media and not to share the proceedings with my lawyer Vrinda Grover.

Last week, Justice N.V. Ramana, who was on the committee initially, had withdrawn after the woman complained that he was a family friend of the Chief Justice and sought the inclusion of a second woman judge. The three-member committee was recast after her objections.

--IANS

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The top US Air Force commander for the Indo-Pacific region has said that the US-India agreement to share highly sensitive information will help grow military ties and the different origins of the aircraft of the two countries were not a barrier to working together.

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the US Pacific Air Forces commander, told the media here on Monday that the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) "opens the door to increase our information sharing particularly on some of the airplane, air aspects".

Therefore, the defence cooperation between the two countries, particularly in air, "is going to grow", he said.

"It's going to take a bit of time... But it is definitely, I would say, on a positive trend."

Brown, who is the air component commander for US Indo-Pacific Command, said that in his meeting in New Delhi with Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa and Defence Ministry officials, "what I do see is an interest to increase some of the air aspects of what we do with India. India does have US capabilities, C-17s and C-130s, and so that was part of the discussion topics".

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules are huge military transport aircraft used for both ferrying defence personnel and supplies as well as humanitarian aid.

Equipment coming from different countries, especially Russia, are not barriers to Indian and US Air Forces working together because interoperability is not only about equipment but involves operational strategies, Brown said.

"Naturally it is bit easier when it is (all) US, a little more difficult if it is European, but usually if it is a European NATO partner, there is way to do that", he said in an answer to a question. "Russian is much more challenging as you might imagine."

However, "when I talk about interoperabilities, it is not just the equipment we buy, it is our tactics techniques and procedures - how we operate -- even if it is a different piece of (equipment) coming from a different country", he said.

Despite the differences in the equipment, it is about "using the same kind of concepts", he said.

During the Cope India 19 joint India-US exercise in December in Kalaikunda and Panagarh, West Bengal, US F-15 Eagles operated alongside India's Russian Sukhoi 30s and British-French Jaguars built or assembled in India, and French Mirage 2000s, while the American-built C-130Js were common to both air forces.

Brown said that the feedback for the Cope India 19 exercise showed it was well-received by air force personnel from both countries.

The exercise over three weeks was a "kind of a building blocks approach from very basic to more complex missions", he added.

He said that an important aspect of the exercise was to build relationships between the personnel of both countries.

It "is not only the exercise, (but) what they do outside the exercise, to go on long bike rides, to go do a project in one of the local communities and some of the social events build relationships", Brown said.

One of his own priorities, he said, was developing relationships with air force and military leaders in the region.

(Arul Louis can be reached atarul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Election Commission has said that no violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) had been done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech at Wardha earlier this month in which he had accused Congress of using the term 'Hindu terror'.

Sources said the poll panel, which had received a complaint from Congress about Modi's speech on April 1, has given a clean chit to Modi.

They said the poll panel had obtained a detailed report from Chief Electoral Officer Maharashtra following a complaint against Modi.

The sources said the matter was examined in accordance with the provisions concerning MCC and the report of the CEO Maharashtra.

The commission, they said, was "of considered view that in this matter, no such violation was noticed".

In his speech, Modi had said that Congress used the term 'Hindu terror' and accused the party of insulting Hindus.

Apparently targeting Congress President Rahul Gandhi for deciding to contest from Wayanad in addition to Amethi, Modi had said that leaders of that Congress were now scared of contesting from constituencies "dominated by the majority population".

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The cyclonic storm "Fani" is expected to aggravate further to "extremely severe" by Tuesday mid-night, causing light to heavy rainfall in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha till Thursday, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) cautioned on Tuesday evening.

It warned that the cyclone is likely to cause damage to houses, communication and power networks, and rail and road infrastructure.

Extensive damages to standing crops, plantations and blowing down of coconut and palm trees is also feared besides chances of ships and large boats getting torn from the mooring.

The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into deep sea areas of Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.

Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha held a National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting again on Tuesday to take stock of the situation, and reviewed the preparedness in the affected states, according to an official statement.

Sinha directed that all necessary measures be taken to prevent any loss of life and to keep ready essential supplies including food, drinking water and medicines.

"He also advised all concerned to make adequate preparations to ensure maintenance of essential services such as power and telecommunications in the event of damages caused to them," said the statement.

Indian Coast Guard and Navy have deployed ships and helicopters for relief and rescue operations, while the Army and Air Force units in the these states have also been put on standby.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed total 41 teams - eight in Andhra Pradesh, 28 in Odisha and five in West Bengal.

In addition, the NDRF has kept on standby 13 teams in West Bengal and 10 in Andhra Pradesh.

"Fani", which is lying over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal, moved northwestwards with a speed of about 21 kmph on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday evening, it is expected to recurve north-northeastwards and on Thursday afternoon to cross Odisha coast to the south of Puri with maximum sustained wind of speed 175-185 kmph gusting to 205 kmph.

Sea conditions are "very likely" to be very rough to high along and off north Andhra Pradesh coasts during next three days, and high to phenomenal along and off Odisha and West Bengal Coasts during next four days, the IMD warned.

Storm surge of about 1.5 meter height above astronomical tide is "very likely" to inundate low lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha at the time of landfall.

Based on the decision of the first meeting of NCMC held on Monday, the Central government has released advance financial assistance of Rs 1,086 crore to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal to assist them in undertaking preventive and relief measures, as per the statement.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MADRID - That Spain's socialist leader Pedro Sanchez prefers to take his time to form a new government, given the situation after the elections, had already been confirmed by his PSOE party. A strategy seems to be emerging, however, according to which everything will be on hold until May 26, when local and European parliamentary elections are held. On Tuesday, Sanchez was presiding over the first meeting of the interim government, which during the coming weeks will simply engage in 'regular administrative' duties prior to a new government formation.
The Goa unit of Congress on Tuesday accused state's Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar of wasting public money on a jaunt to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) along with members of his family.

Ajgaonkar, however, said the international visit was aimed at marketing Goa as a tourism destination in the Gulf.

Addressing a press conference in Panaji on Tuesday, state Congress president Girish Chodankar alleged that Ajgaonkar was wasting money from the state exchequer on international jaunts with family.

"The same minister had gone on a 'tourism promotion' trip to the US with his family last year. And now he is doing the same with a trip to the UAE. It is a shame that he has not learnt any lessons despite criticism about his last trip to the US," Chodankar said.

Chodankar also said that it was sad that the coastal state was being promoted as a destination for cheap alcohol and casinos. "The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had once promised to get rid of the casinos and now they are promoting them abroad," Chodankar said.

The controversy comes at a time when Goa is witnessing a dip in tourism arrivals, which has been cited as a cause of concern by the travel and tourism industry stakeholders, who have also accused the Ministry of splurging on marketing and promotion without giving any thought.

Speaking to IANS from the UAE, Ajgaonkar said that tourism promotion abroad was essential to increase tourist flow to Goa. He also said that he was in the UAE on a personal visit with his family and that he had only attended the Arabian Travel Mart, because a Goa Tourism team had participated in the tourism marketing event.

"No one is wasting Tourism Ministry's money. We are getting a good response in the UAE. Without promotion we can't get tourists to Goa," Ajgaonkar said, adding that the marketing plan involved promotion of Goa's natural beauty and not alcohol and casinos.

"My family had made a plan to visit the UAE a month ago. I went to the travel mart only because our Goa Tourism team is already there. My family trip and the tourism mart visit are two different things," Ajgaonkar said.

Last year, Goa, a popular beach and nightlife tourism destination, attracted seven million tourists.

--IANS

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The ongoing tussle between Gujarat's potato farmers and PepsiCo seems to be snowballing into a nationwide agitation against the food and beverages giant which has dragged the farmers into a legal battle over growing a variety of potatoes, which it claims to be registered in its name.

As many as 70 farmer and civil society organisations, researchers, scientists and seed producers' associations came together here on Tuesday to form the Kisan Adhikar Manch (KAM) to support the farmers. They have demanded an unconditional withdrawal of the court cases against the farmers.

The company has filed legal suits against nine farmers from Aravalli, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts in north Gujarat, claiming compensation of Rs 1 crore each for growing FL 2027 variety of potato for which the company has taken a Plant Variety Certificate (PVC) under the provisions of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR), Act 2001. PepsiCo uses this variety to manufacture its popular Lay's brand of potato chips.

The first meeting of the newly-formed Manch has been convened on Friday to decide on the future course of action. A coordination committee would be set up at the meeting, Kapil Shah, who runs an NGO 'Jatan' to promote organic farming, said.

Maganbhai Patel, a member of the working committee of RSS affiliate Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, which has also come in the support of the farmers, told reporters: "We are demanding clarifications on the provisions of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR), Act. Farmers must have rights on all types of seeds or crop including potatoes, so that no company, organisation, educational institution or scientist harasses them in future."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian visitor and three others of Indian origin were reported killed in the US' Cincinatti city, but it was not a hate crime, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday.

In a tweet, the Minister said she was informed by the Indian Ambassador about the killings that took place on Sunday evening.

"The matter is under investigation by the police, but it is not a hate crime. Our Consul General in New York is coordinating with the authorities concerned and will keep me informed on this. @IndiainNewYork," she said in another tweet.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the CPI-M in the dock over reports of bogus voting in Kerala's Kannur and Kasargode, the state Chief Electoral Officer on Tuesday sought reports from the District Collectors of the two constituencies on similar reports of bogus voting by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), an ally of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

Kerala CEO Teeka Ram Meena said that the Left workers had complained about bogus voting by two men, believed to be IUML workers, in Kaliasery's polling booths number 69 and 70 in the Kasargode Lok Sabha constituency.

Meena said that the Left has submitted documentary evidence of the two men casting more than one vote in these booths. "Once the reports come, they will be looked into," he said.

IUML General Secretary K.P.A. Majeed also told the media in Malappuram that he had sought a report from his party's Kaliasery unit on the two booths.

"We will definitely look into the complaints after we get the preliminary report from our party units in that area. We want to know if the poll officials raised any such complaint," said Majeed.

On Monday, Meena took action against three women, attached to the CPI-M, who was also caught on video casting more than one vote at the Kasargode Lok Sabha constituency in Kannur district.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The CBI on Tuesday carried out searches at the residence of YSR Congress Party leader Raghuram Krishnam Raju in Hyderabad and some other locations in a multi-crore loan default case, the agency said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also conducted searches at two residential and four office premises in Hyderabad linked to Raju, besides his house in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, an official said.

It is alleged that Raju's firm Ind Barath Power Ltd was sanctioned Rs 2,655-crore loan by three non-banking financial corporations (NBFCs) -- Power Finance Corporation Ltd, Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd and India Infrastructure Finance Corporation Ltd -- to set up a thermal power project.

The firm owned by the industrialist-cum-politician is accused of defaulting on Rs 948-crore of the sanctioned amount, the official said.

Raju, an industrialist from West Godavari, recently joined the YSR Congress Party and left the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) after he was denied ticket from Narsampuram parliamentary constituency. He then contested from the same seat on the YSR Congress Party ticket.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday said that she would reconsider her party's support to the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh.

Mayawati's warning came after Lokendra Singh Rajput, the Samajwadi Party-BSP candidate in Guna in Madhya Pradesh, quit the BSP on Monday and came out in support of Congress candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia.

In visual clips posted on social media, Lokendra Singh Rajput was seen with Jyotiraditya Scindia, signalling his formal entry into the Congress.

"Young candidate Lokendra Singh, by joining the Congress, has given us his support. We welcome him to the Congress family," Scindia tweeted.A furious Mayawati tweeted that she would reconsider her support to the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, which enjoys a slim majority.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mayawati said:

"The Congress has forcefully asked the BSP candidate from Guna to withdrew his candidature. The BSP will now give a befitting reply to this by contesting on its own symbol. We will also rethink our support to the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh.""According to the reports received from Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is committing the heinous act of opposing the BSP instead of the BJP," Mayawati said.

The BSP supremo also said the Congress was conspiring to cripple the BSP in Madhya Pradesh by threatening or luring its people. "This shows Congress' double-standard for the BSP," she said.

"The Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh are saying that the SP-BSP alliance should not win in the state, no matter even if the BJP wins," she said, adding that this showed the casteist, narrow-minded and two-faced character of the Congress.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi to clarify his nationality within a fortnight after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy alleged that he is a British national.

The MHA in a letter dated April 29, said that Gandhi has declared his nationality as British in an annual return filed by a British company named Backops Ltd.

The Ministry sought the Congress President's response over the issue within 14 days.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this Ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," the letter read.

The BJP had raised the issue earlier in April, citing the British company's document to allege that Gandhi is a British national. BJP MP Swamy cited the same British company document.

Swamy in his representation before the Home Ministry alleged that Gandhi served as one of the Directors and Secretary of the British firm Backops Ltd, which is registered in the UK since 2003, with address 51 Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire.

"It has been further brought out in the complaint that in the company's annual returns filed on October 10, 2005 and October 31, 2006, your (Rahul Gandhi) date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970 and that you had declared your nationality as British," the letter wrote.

The letter also stated that in the dissolution application dated February 17, 2009 of the British firm, Gandhi's nationality has been mentioned as British.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bombay High Court in Panaji, which on Tuesday heard a petition challenging the merger of a breakaway legislative unit of the MGP into the BJP around midnight on March 27, observed that the late night merger was something which was "never heard of".

The High Court bench of Justices R.D. Dhanuka and Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday also sought a detailed response from the Speaker of the state legislative assembly vis-a-vis the merger. The Speaker's counsel maintained that the decision of the Speaker, a constitutional authority, was beyond the scope of judicial review.

While hearing a petition filed by a local politician Sadanand Vaingankar, who had questioned the validity of the merger, Dhanuka said that he had read about the merger in the newspapers the next day and observed that such a thing was "never heard of".

The Speaker's counsel advocate Satya Pal Jain, however, said the Speaker was a constitutional authority and that the office of the Speaker "has its own procedure."

"I have also told the court that the petitioner has no locus standi to challenge the order. Those involved in the case are the MGP and the BJP, so the cause of action has to be from either MGP or BJP," Jain told reporters after the hearing.

Jain also said, that Speaker Michael Lobo's decision to approve the merger was an "administrative one" and therefore "not open to judicial review".

In midnight drama leading to March 27, two MLAs from the MGP, Manohar Ajgaonkar and Deepak Pauskar, split from the party, formed a separate legislative unit and merged it into the BJP.

The merger, as approved by acting Speaker Michael Lobo, reduced the strength of the MGP in the Goa assembly to one MLA, Sudin Dhavalikar, who was dropped from the state cabinet by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hours after the development.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday came out in support of Congress President Rahul Gandhi who has been served notice by the Union Home Ministry on his citizenship status.

NCP General Secretary D.P. Tripathi told reporters Rahul Gandhi has been a member of parliament for several years and the timing of the notice showed that it was served to make it an election issue.

"Subramanium Swamy has been raising these issues for several years but has never produced a concrete proof to support his allegations. The home ministry should not have served notice to him without any proof," he said.

The NCP leader though criticised Gandhi for choosing to contest from Wayanad. "He could have gone to Bellary or some other constituency instead of contesting against the Left," he stated.

Tripathi also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling the opposition anti-national.

"The Prime Minister belongs to the entire country. He is well within his rights to criticise the opposition during election but the dignity of speech should be maintained. This is in accordance with the federal structure of our country."

Replying to a question about the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition if it came to power, the NCP leader said: "That is not an issue. We decided the prime ministerial candidate after polls in 1977 and 1989.

"The issue at present is to vote the BJP out of power. I also condemn the Prime Minister's statement that 40 Trinamool Congress MLAs were in touch with him."

The NCP is supporting the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh but Tripathi would be campaigning for the Congress in Amethi and Rae Bareli.

The party will also support the Congress on Dhaurhara, Kushinagar and Lucknow seats.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP leader Mukul Roy on Tuesday claimed that no FIR was lodged against BJP's sitting MP and Asansol Lok Sabha constituency candidate Babul Supriyo during Monday's phase-4 election.

Roy, who led a party delegation to meet the Chief Electoral Offcer, West Bengal, Aariz Aftab during the day, said Aftab had told him that no FIR had been lodged against Supriyo on Monday.

State's Additional Director of Police Siddhi Nath Gupta had on Monday told the media that an FIR was filed against Babul Supriyo for entering a polling booth in Barabani with his armed security.

"An FIR has been filed against the candidate (Babul Supriyo) for entering Barboni booth with his armed forces," Gupta told reporters.

Roy said: "It was stated that an FIR was lodged against Babul Supriyo on Monday. But, it was not done. The CEO told us that the FIR was not lodged and he admitted there was a mistake on their part."

The BJP delegation, that also included Supriyo, approached the Commission here alleging booth capturing and proxy voting in some segments of Asansol constituency.

Roy also alleged the commission "tried to hide official who made such press statement" and demanded exemplary action.

The CEO office declined to comment on the issue.

Shiv Sena's candidate for Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency Santosh Kumar filed a complaint with the CEO office alleging that the BJP's nominee for the seat, Nilanjan Roy, has not disclosed two particular criminal cases in his affidavit that has been submitted as part of the nomination filing process.

"I have filed an affidavit disclosing two criminal cases that have not been disclosed by Nilanjan Roy, the BJP candidate in Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency. Upon inquiry, I have further come to know that there are warrants pending against Roy in respect of two cases," the complaint letter said.

However, Roy, in his affidavit, has mentioned a slew of cases, but declared that he has not been convicted of any criminal offence.

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal has sought clarification from the Election Commission on whether the candidates of the by-poll for the Bhatpara Assembly constituency should be allowed to campaign from the evening of May 4 to May 6.

Bhatpara comes under Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency which will go to the hustings on May 6. The campaign for the parliamentary seat ends at 6 pm on May 4.

The elections to the Bhatpara constituency is scheduled on May 19.

Amid post polls violence across districts in West Bengal, Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjay Basu said local authorities have been asked to take measures to curb political clashes and actions are being taken as soon as such incidents are reported, he added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi to clarify his nationality within a fortnight after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy alleged that he is a British national.

The MHA in a letter dated April 29, said that Gandhi has declared his nationality as British in an annual return filed by a British company named Backops Ltd.

The Ministry sought the Congress President's response over the issue within 14 days.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this Ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," the letter read.

The BJP had raised the issue earlier in April, citing the British company's document to allege that Gandhi is a British national. BJP MP Swamy cited the same British company document.

Swamy in his representation before the Home Ministry alleged that Gandhi served as one of the Directors and Secretary of the British firm Backops Ltd, which is registered in the UK since 2003, with address 51 Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire.

"It has been further brought out in the complaint that in the company's annual returns filed on October 10, 2005 and October 31, 2006, your (Rahul Gandhi) date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970 and that you had declared your nationality as British," the letter wrote.

The letter also stated that in the dissolution application dated February 17, 2009 of the British firm, Gandhi's nationality has been mentioned as British.

Swamy had filed the original complaint to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on September 21, 2017 asking him to take "necessary steps to see if this prima facie evidence is rebuttable, and if not, order that Rahul Gandhi be stripped of his citizenship, and his membership of the Lok Sabha, forthwith".

In his complaint, Swamy had then alleged that Gandhi held 65 per cent of of the total shares issued by the British firm.

Referring to Article 9 of the Indian Constitution, Swamy had alleged that every citizen of India is barred from voluntarily acquiring citizenship of any foreign state. While the UK permits dual citizenship, India "emphatically" does not, the MP had mentioned in his complaint.

Swamy also cited Article 18 that he said prohibits an Indian citizen from accepting even foreign tities. "Hence, Rahul Gandhi has, prime facie, committed an unconstitutional act and therefore liable to be stripped of his citizenship and membership of the Lok Sabha.

"No member of parliament can incorporate a company abroad without prior permission under the existing laws and without declaring the same in his nomination form as candidate for election to Parliament. FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) is one such law," Swamy said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters on Tuesday criticised suggestions that Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday suicide bombings were in retaliation to the Christchurch mosque shootings, saying his country was being "misused".

Sri Lanka's State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene last week said that according to early investigations, the Easter carnage which claimed the lives of 253 people had been in revenge for the shootings at two New Zealand mosques on March 15 which killed 50 people.

But Peters, who is also New Zealand's Foreign Minister, said his government had seen no evidence of a link and that expert advice suggested that the Sri Lankan bombings would have been planned well before the Christchurch terror attack.

"It's a slightly cheap shot, I suppose, to try to explain it away. Let's see the evidence," Peters told Sky News.

"Sometimes it pays to ... get the facts first before you beat your lips with an opinion."

The Minister said it was a "fair suspicion" that the claim had been made to deflect from intelligence failings in Sri Lanka.

"We're not going to stand here and have our country misused," he added.

While the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bloodbath, the Sri Lankan police have in recent days raided the headquarters of a hardline Islamist group -- National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) -- founded by Zahran Hashim, the suspected ringleader of the bombings.

Authorities believe that Hashim masterminded and was one of the nine suicide bombers in the attacks.

According to reports, more than 100 people, including foreigners from Syria and Egypt, have been detained for questioning over the bombings.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
He has no high-profile means or a campaign strategy as he moves around on an Activa scooter with his lone Punjab Police security guard riding pillion. But 'Baba Jee Burger Wale', as independent candidate Ravinder Pal Singh is better known in the Model town area of Punjab's biggest city Ludhiana, is giving a serious shot for the May 19 Lok Sabha election for the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency.

"I am on my own in this campaign. I move around on my Activa with a small poster in front and my security guard riding pillion. I am contesting the election because people, particularly traders, are fed up with the candidates of the bigger political parties," Ravinder told IANS.

Having studied up to 8th class and coming from a family with seven sisters and a brother, Ravinder said that he is getting a good response from people.

"Today only, the hosiery traders of the area honoured me and told me that they were looking at a new option among candidates who could speak their (traders') voice. They said that instead of pressing the NOTA (none of the above) button, they would support me," Ravinder pointed out.

Unmarried, 30-year-old Ravinder, lives with his mother and sells desi-style burgers from his cart (rehri).

Not everything is just business for him. A board on his cart proudly offers free burgers to minor children who can recite Sikh religious hymns. The cart also proudly lists 2019 as the year of the 550th birth anniversary of first Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev.

"I have been making and selling burgers for 12 years now. My father and mother used to sell pakodas on a rehri (cart) before my father passed away a few years back. I have been selling burgers ever since," he said.

Ravinder is pitted against formidable candidates like sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Ravinder Singh Bittu (Congress), Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal of the Shiromani Akali Dal and Simarjeet Singh Bains of the Lok Insaf Party (LIP).

A resident of Guru Arjun Dev Nagar near Tajpur Chowk of this busy and congested industrial city, Ravinder said that the big city and its residents have multiple problems that hew will try to fix if he is elected.

Ravinder has listed, in his affidavit, that there is an abetment to suicide case pending against him which was registered last month. He has declared movable assets of Rs 1.70 lakh, including a 2017-model Honda Activa two-wheeler. He has no immovable assets.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said opposition parties want a weak government at the centre to serve their vested interests and hide their corruption, adding that such a government cannot fight terror and end it.

"The opposition has been trying to form a weak government to serve their vested interest and to hide their corruption," Modi said while addressing an election rally in Muzaffarpur parliamentary constituency in Bihar.

Modi said that the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led NDA will sweep the elections. "Four phases of polls have made it clear that opposition parties are losing, remaining three will determine the scale of their defeat."

He said that the Opposition has no concern about national security and was afraid of speaking against terror.

Modi also taunted the Opposition saying: "Many in 'Mahamilavati' gang may not win enough seats to help their bigwigs become leader of the opposition, but they are dreaming of Prime Minister's post."

Modi, without naming the Rashtriya Janata Dal, said that if opposition parties regain strength, lawlessness will be back in Bihar.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With Indian Army claiming its jawans saw "mysterious footprints" of mythical 'Yeti' close to Makalu Base Camp earlier this month, social media on Tuesday was set ablaze with posts and memes, but it took political turn after some politicians jumped into the row.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav took to Twitter to mock the Narendra Modi government.

"It seems that 'acche din' are more elusive than the #Yeti," he said in a reference to Modi government's promise of "good days".

Replying to Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary said, "Now all what is left is for PM & CM Yogi to tell us about yeti's #caste!"

During a press conference, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra also cited "mystery around Yeti" to take a potshot at Congress President Rahul Gandhi over controversy over his citizenship following Home Ministry's notice to clarify his nationality.

BJP leader Tarun Vijay expressed his unhappiness over the use of world "beast" for 'Yeti'.

"Congratulations, we are always proud of you. salutes to the #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team. But please, you are Indian, don't call Yeti a beast," he tweeted.

However, Twitterati were less impressed with it and chose to have a good laugh instead.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It has been a style of contrast in campaign by Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is the party's star campaigner for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

While Rahul has adopted an aggressive no-holds barred approach in attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, mainly over the Rafale issue, Priyanka has hardly mentioned the fighter jet deal matter directly.

Rahul's attack against the Prime Minister, with the repeated "chowkidar chor hai" jibe, is along the expected lines as the Congress chief has been highlighting the controversial defence deal.

"Rahul is pursuing a no-holds barred approach and attacks the Prime Minister directly as he is expected to be doing so by virtue of the party position that he has," said a party strategist.

The Congress President's main focus is to present Modi as pro-rich while reiterating that the Congress cares for inclusive growth.

Priyanka, on the other hand, has targeted the Prime Minister without naming him and has instead centered her campaign around his "unfulfilled" promises.

She has also tried to defuse the Prime Minister's references to Pakistan and the Nehru-Gandhi family.

"This is Priyanka's style. She takes on the Prime Minister without naming him and getting into a direct confrontation but delivers the punch," said a strategist involved in her campaign.

"She has focused on social justice by highlighting the plight of youth due to lack of jobs, farmers suffering from widespread rural distress and women seeking better law and order situation," he said.

Citing examples, party leaders said Priyanka took a dig at the Prime Minister by saying that the leader had time to travel to the US and Japan but did not visit a poor family in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, which he promised to develop on the lines of Kyoto.

Further, she tried to defuse references to Pakistan saying the Prime Minister had gone to eat Biryani there.

"Priyanka smartly countered the attacks on late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi by saying if the BJP leaders were real nationalists, they should respect all martyrs as both Indira and Rajiv gave up their lives for the country. This way she was able to bring up the family references before the young voters," said a senior AICC functionary.

Priyanka's subtle political messaging is quite different than Rahul's rough and ready approach and suits the personalities of both the leaders, some party managers said.

Others thought that inviting the ire of the Supreme Court over the "chowkidar chor hai" jibe could have been avoided in the middle of the crucial elections.

Pointing out at another aspect of Priyanka's voter connect, a Congress insider said she has been presenting herself as a lower middle class person by spending time with girl students, rural women and even chiding party workers over poll preparation.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Tuesday rejected the BJP's allegations that Congress President Rahul Gandhi was a British national and asserted that he was an Indian citizen.

Besides, the Congress announced to give a "befitting reply" to the Home Ministry for issuing a notice to Gandhi on "fake allegations to divert agendas like unemployment".

"Rahul Gandhi is an Indian citizen... We will give a befitting reply to the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) which issued notice to Rahul Gandhi on fake allegations aimed at diverting the agenda of unemployment and many more," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

He cited a certificate of incorporation of the UK firm Backops, in which Rahul Gandhi worked as a director, to support his claim.

Citing the document, Surjewala said it's "page four clearly records that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian by birth".

The Congress reaction came in the backdrop of a notice issued by the Union Home Ministry to Gandhi asking him to clarify on his nationality within a fortnight after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy alleged that Gandhi is a British national.

Surjewala took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "manufacturing" one false allegation everyday after having failed on every front and called it a "rehashed" allegation of 2014-15.

The Congress leader said the controversy around Rahul Gandhi's citizenship was a "baseless charge" and part of the Prime Minister's malicious agenda to defame the Congress chief.

He said the BJP raised the issue in 2014 too. The matter then reached the Supreme Court, which rejected the allegations on November 30, 2015.

"Is the MHA now bigger than the Supreme Court? Will the BJP not accept the decision of the Highest Court?... Because the failed Prime Minister has no answer to the country's lack of jobs and widespread farm crisis, he is forced to manufacture an allegation a day.

"After the four phases of elections, it is clear that Modiji and the BJP are hurling towards defeat... Consequently, they seek to manufacture malicious agenda everyday. These are the rehashed allegations of 2014-15. Word to word same allegations were levelled by the same people in 2015. And I had then replied," Surjewala said.

"The truth is that such petty, fallacious and malicious allegations will not divert the agenda."

The Home Ministry in a letter dated April 29 said that Gandhi has declared his nationality as British in an annual return filed by a British company Backops Ltd.

The Ministry sought the Congress President's response over the issue within 14 days. "You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this Ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," the letter read.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The question of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's citizenship had cropped up earlier and he had defended himself forcefully when the matter had come before the Ethics Committee of Parliament.

This was in 2016, when the matter had come before the parliamentary panel, which is headed by BJP leader L.K. Advani. Rahul Gandhi, who was not Congress president then, had, reportedly told the panel that he was surprised that it had taken cognizance of the complaint pertaining to his alleged British citizenship even though it was not in order. He had also said that any such application would be available with the British Home Office. According to the reports he had asserted that he had never sought or acquired British citizenship and that the complaint was part of a design to malign him.

While doubts over Gandhi's alleged dual citizenship had been raised by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, the Congress leader had at the time challenged the complainant to produce his British passport number and relevant documents to back his allegations. For the record, the matter had also been raised by the BJP's Maheish Girri.

The BJP leaders had claimed that the annual tax returns of the UK-based BackOps, with which Rahul Gandhi had been associated, had declared him as a British national - the Congress leader later explained this away as an "inadvertent error" and a typographical error.

Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, a member of the ethics committee told IANS that no meeting of the parliamentary panel has been held in the last two years. "I don't think any meeting of the committee has been held in the last two years."

Prior to this, Swamy had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the Congress leader be stripped of his citizenship. He had said in the letter that Gandhi had declared himself as a British citizen for the period 2003 to 2009 in connection with efforts to float a private company in London. "The name of the company is BACKOPS Limited and the Director and Secretary of this company was Mr Rahul Gandhi, presently Lok Sabha MP," the letter had said.

Among the documents attached was the UK-based company's annual tax returns. Swamy had pointed out in the letter to the Prime Minister: "As you can see from the company's annual return that Rahul Gandhi has given his date of birth correctly but has declared himself to be of British nationality with a United Kingdom address."

In December 2015, the Supreme Court had dismissed the evidence submitted in connection with the citizenship. The plea had been submitted by lawyer M.L. Sharma with the documents pertaining to the incorporation of a firm and the Supreme Court had dismissed the plea as frivolous. It had also, at the time, questioned the authenticity of the document.

"How do we know whether these documents are authentic? Can we start making roving inquiries now?" the bench had said. Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu, who was hearing the matter, told Sharma, who insisted on a hearing: "I have two more days in office, don't force me to impose exemplary costs on you."

Like then, so now, the Congress party has stood by Rahul Gandhi and rubbished the allegations. Among them has been his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party's General Secretary for East Uttar Pradesh.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) here on Tuesday issued a Red Alert -- the highest warning level -- as temperatures soared to up to 47 degrees Celsius in some parts of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region and central India.

The alert will remain in place till Wednesday, according to IMD Deputy Director-General M.L. Sahu.

"There is likelihood of a very severe heat wave in some areas and heat wave in many parts of Vidarbha of eastern Maharashtra and Western Madhya Pradesh, besides heat wave conditions in other regions of central India," Sahu told IANS.

However, cyclone Fani which is likely to hit the Odisha coast in the next few days would carry moisture to the extremely dry regions in central India and provide some relief from the current heat wave though temperatures would continue to remain high.

The highest temperatures recorded by were in Akola 46.9 degrees; Nagpur and Amravati both 46.8 degrees; Chandrapur 46.6 degrees; in the 45 degrees bracket were Wardha, Yavatmal and Washim; Gondiya, Buldhana and Gadchiroli recorded 43 degrees.

Contrary to certain reports, an official of the State Disaster Centre in Mumbai and Nagpur informed that so far there are no heat-wave related deaths, though some people have been hospitalised in parts of Vidarbha.

With the Red Alert issued, all concerned agencies are in a state of full preparedness to tackle any emergencies arising among the people affected by the soaring temperatures.

People, especially children and senior citizens, have been advised to refrain from going outdoors between 11 a.m.-4 p.m., remain hydrated, avoid aerated drinks and immediately seek medical advice for any heat-related symptoms.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the CBI to produced evidence to its satisfaction to revoke an earlier barring of custodial interrogation of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha scam.

The court said the Central Bureau of Investigation has to prove before the court that Kumar has a role to play in either suppression or disappearance of the evidence in the case.

It also sought direct evidence from the CBI on Kumar's involvement, especially the data on laptop, mobile phones, or diaries which allegedly contained information on payments made to influential people in ensuring destruction of evidence.

Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi saying affidavit was not enough, said: "Give us, show us from records that this person is involved.. On what basis? You can give us evidence tomorrow.

"We want you to satisfy us that he had a role to play in disappearance and suppression of evidence."

The court directed the CBI to submit an affidavit with all the details in the court by Wednesday.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up Congress President Rahul Gandhi's counsel even after he verbally apologised for incorrectly attributing to the top court his "chowkidar chor hai" remark. The apex court allowed the counsel to file a new affidavit by Monday.

The counsel told the court that his client would apologise for attributing the remark to the top court. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi observed that it was extending a third opportunity to the Congress President.

Gandhi's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi offered the apology on behalf of his client a day after the Congress President filed a reply to the apex court's notice on the issue, in which he had only expressed regret for the remark. In his affidavit, Gandhi said he had made the remark in the "heat of campaigning" and that his comment was not meant to scandalise the court in any manner.

The CJI queried the Gandhi's counsel: "What is the meaning of expressing regret within brackets...and you take 22-page affidavit to express regret..."

During the hearing, Gandhi's counsel made several attempts to defend the affidavit, and informed the court he would file a fresh affidavit. "Have you given up convincing us?" asked the court.

Advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who filed the contempt plea against Gandhi, said: "This is gross contempt...he (Gandhi) while campaigning made these derogatory remarks, and it was similar to putting words in SC"s mouth." Rohtagi also said that Gandhi in the garb of apex court judgement sought to portray as if "Supreme Court has said that PM is a thief, and people should believe it, as the top court has said it."

The top court had last week issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi asking him to explain his comment. Singhvi told the apex bench: "There were three errors on my part and I sincerely apologise. I say sorry for attributing the 'chowkidar' comment to the Supreme Court."The court said: "Where have you said all this in your affidavit?"

The court observed that the content of the affidavit filed by the Congress President was contradictory on separate pages in the affidavit.

The court said: "You have contradicted yourself in the affidavit. At one place, you admit, but on the other, you deny saying it. If you start arguing on the basis of this affidavit, we won't give you another opportunity to file a better affidavit."

The court said that it is finding it difficult to comprehend the arguments made by the Gandhi's counsel. "We are having difficulty in understanding what you are saying," said the court.

To which, Singhvi said: "I've checked the dictionary. 'Regret' means an 'apology'." Rohatgi said: "He claims to be a literate person. But in the affidavit he said: 'I didn't read or analyse the order when I made this comment'. Three hours later, he repeats it at a different rally. What kind of regret is he talking about?"

Giving Gandhi the third chance, the bench said it should not, however, be viewed as an acknowledgement of past affidavits. "I will make a better affidavit from now and place it before the court on Monday," said Singhvi.

The court on May 6, will consider the admissibility of the new affidavit.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the CBI to produce evidence to its satisfaction to revoke an earlier order barring custodial interrogation of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha scam.

The court said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has to prove before the court that Kumar had a role to play in either suppression or disappearance of evidence in the case.

The apex court on February 5 granted Kumar protection from arrest and directed him to appear before the CBI in connection with the investigation into the scam in Shillong.

It also sought direct evidence from the CBI on Kumar's involvement, especially the data on laptop, mobile phones, or diaries which allegedly contained information on payments made to influential people in ensuring destruction of evidence.

Saying an affidavit was not enough, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi added: "Give us, show us from records that this person is involved... On what basis? You can give us evidence tomorrow."

The Solicitor General Tushar Mehta contended before the court that the West Bengal government made payments to Tara TV, which was owned by the key accused in the scam.

Mehta told the court that Kumar, the then Deputy Commissioner of Arnab Ghosh and the Investigating Officer in-charge of the initial probe, collaborated in the destruction of evidence.

Mehta told the court that the CBI needed to interrogate Kumar, as under his watch vital piece of information in the case, has gone missing.

"State Police had seized cash books and diaries, which according to a witness contained crucial information on people who were paid in the scam... But it is not clear to the CBI whether it was seized or not... Mobile details were crucial material evidence, but it was destroyed," said Mehta, summing-up his argument on established the utility of Kumar's arrest in the scam.

Mehta reiterated that if Kumar were to have helped the CBI with details on the evidence, during his interaction with the agency in Shillong, then it would not have rushed for his arrest.

However, the bench queried Mehta on whether the CBI team go to Kumar's residence with a search memo, to which he replied "no".

The court has sought the CBI's response on how did Kumar did not cooperate with the agency.

Closing the arguments, bench said CBI must show the link between Kumar and destruction of the material evidence. "Show us something that he is involved."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Himachal Pradesh Police on Tuesday formed a Special Investigating Team to probe sexual assault allegations by a girl belonging to Haryana in a moving car on the outskirts of the state capital.

Fearing public anger, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur directed the police to speedily investigate the case and constitute the SIT.

The police have rounded up a suspect and recovered the victim's mobile from the place where the victim was dropped after the crime on Monday evening.

"We have gathered some vital clues and the case is in advance stage of investigation," Director General S.R. Mardi told reporters.

Earlier in the day, he visited the crime spot and the police station where the case is under investigation.

An Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Shimla has been asked to conduct an inquiry into the allegation on the police for not registering a first information report on the request of the victim.

The ADM will submit the report within 24 hours, a government statement said.

Superintendent of Police Omapati Jamwal said a case under Sections 376 (rape), 354-A (sexual harassment), 366 (kidnapping) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Dhalli police station.

The medical examination of the victim has confirmed the crime, a police officer said.

The Opposition Congress has demanded a probe into the matter.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite a flying start, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) could only manage to put 62/7 against Rajasthan Royals as Shreyas Gopal (3/12) starred with the ball for the visitors in a rain-hit Indian Premier League (IPL) tie at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, here on Tuesday.

Gopal was the star for the visitors after he claimed the second hat-trick of this year's edition. The leg-spinner accounted for the wicket of RCB skipper Virat Kohli (25 off 7), AB de Villers (10 off 4) and Marcus Stoinis (0) in the second over to apply brakes on a fine start by Bangalore.

With the match being reduced to five overs per side affair, Virat Kohli and AB de Villers started the Bangalore innings on a high as they clobbered Varun Aaron for 23 runs in the first over. The Bangalore skipper then hammered Gopal for 12 runs in his first three balls before becoming a victim of the leggie.

Kohli while trying to clear the fence handed a catch to Liam Livingstone at long-on. Gopal then went on to add more sorrows in the Bangalore camp as he scalped de Villiers and Stoinis in the next two deliveries to put the hosts in deep trouble, leaving them reeling at 35/3.

Just as Bangalore could add another nine runs, Riyan Parag packed back Gurkeerat Singh Mann (6 off 3), who was followed by Parthiv Patel (8 off 5). While trying to go for the maximum, Heinrich Klaasen (6) and Pawan Negi (4) also fell soon, leaving Bangalore at 61/7 in five overs.

While Oshane Thomas (2/6) accounted for the wicket of Klaasen and Negi, Jaydev Unadkat (1/9) picked Parthiv in the fourth over.

Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 62/7 (Virat Kohli 25, AB de Villiers 10; Shreyas Gopal 3/12) vs Rajasthan Royals

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Researchers have decoded four common triggers for the compulsive use of smartphones which, if addressed, can help shun the screen addiction.

The four triggers for habitual smartphone use are: During unoccupied moments, like waiting for a friend to show up; before or during tedious and repetitive tasks; when in socially awkward situations and when people anticipate getting a message or notification.

"For a couple of years, I've been looking at people's experiences with smartphones and listening to them talk about their frustration with the way they engage with their phones," said study co-author Alexis Hiniker, Assistant Professor at the University of Washington's Information School.

"But on the flip side, when we ask people what they find meaningful about their phone use, nobody says, Oh, nothing".

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews to learn why people compulsively check our phones.

They found a series of triggers, common across age groups, that start and end habitual smartphone use. The team also explored user-generated solutions to end undesirable phone use.

"The solution is not to get rid of this technology; it provides enormous value. So the question is: How do we support that value without bringing along all the baggage?" asked Hiniker.

The study group also had common triggers that ended their compulsive phone use.

These were: Competing demands from the real world, like meeting up with a friend or needing to drive somewhere; realizing they had been on their phone for half an hour and coming across content they'd already seen.

"This doesn't mean that teens use their phones the same way adults do. But I think this compulsive itch to turn back to your phone plays out the same way across all these groups," Hiniker noted.

To the team, the finding pointed to a more nuanced idea behind people's relationships to their phones.

"If the phone weren't valuable at all, then sure, the lockout mechanism would work great. We could just stop having phones, and the problem would be solved," Hiniker said. "But that's not really the case".

Instead, the researchers saw that participants found meaning in a diverse set of experiences, particularly when apps let them connect to the real world.

When it comes to designing the next wave of smartphones, Hiniker recommends that designers shift away from system-wide lockout mechanisms.

Instead, apps should let users be in control of their own engagement and people should decide whether an app is worth their time.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered the Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission to lift the temporary social media ban that was imposed after the April 21 Easter Sunday bombings, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The statement was issued by the Department of Government Information, reports the News First channel.

In the statement, the Director General of Government Information, Nalaka Kaluwewa calls on the general public to act with responsibility, now that the temporary ban on Social media has been lifted.

The multiple Easter Sunday bombings killed 253 people and injured more than 500 others.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two persons were injured in a clash between the Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party activists in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Tuesday as sporadic incidents of post poll violence were reported from various parts of the state.

Eight parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal, including two in Birbhum, went to the hustings in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls on Monday.

"There was a clash between BJP and Trinamool supporters in Birbhum's Mallarpur. Two persons belonging to the BJP sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital. Police have detained one person so far," Birbhum district Superintendent of Police Shyam Singh told IANS.

"There is tension in pockets of Birbhum since yesterday (Monday). However, no other major incidents have occurred. Our personnel are maintaining strict vigil in the sensitive areas," he said.

Meanwhile, three Trinamool Congress activists were injured after bike-borne miscreants attacked and vandalised their party office in east Bardhaman in the late hours on Monday. The injured persons have been admitted to Durgapur sub divisional hospital.

Another Trinamool Congress party office was vandalised in Birbhum district's Suri.

The ruling party has accused "BJP-backed goons" for the attack.

Incidents post poll violence were also reported from various parts of Asansol parliamentary constituency since Monday evening.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
DMK President M.K. Stalin on Tuesday sent a letter to the Secretary of Tamil Nadu Assembly proposing a no-confidence motion against Speaker P. Dhanapal. He also submitted the one line no confidence motion against Dhanapal.

Stalin is the leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Dhanapal on Tuesday sent show cause notices to three AIADMK legislators -- A. Prabhu representing the Kallakuruchi constituency, Rathinasabapathy (Aranthangi) and V.T. Kalaiselvan (Virudhachalam) -- seeking explanations for their anti-party activities.

On April 26, AIADMK's Chief Whip S. Rajendran had submitted a petition to Dhanapal to take action against the three legislators for their anti-party activities.

Rajendran said the party had got more proof of their prejudicial activities and hence he submitted the petition to the Speaker.

He said that photographs of the legislators with the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran have also been been submitted.

In his letter, Stalin, citing the show cause notices to the three AIADMK legislators, said that when the results of the by-elections for 22 Assembly constituencies is expected on May 23, the Speaker's decision which would change the majority position of the parties will hurt the honour of the House.

In a democracy if the Speaker acts like this, it signifies he is not acting in a non-partisan manner, he said.

Stalin said that on September 18, 2017, the Speaker disqualified 18 AIADMK legislators based on a complaint from the ruling party Chief Whip Rajendran.

The Speaker's action resulted in various debates and raising of questions.

The by-elections for 18 Assembly constituencies were held on April 18, while the remaining four will vote on May 19.

In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the ruling AIADMK has 114 MLAs (including the Speaker), the DMK 88 and the Congress 8, while the IUML and an Independent represent one constituency each.

The AIADMK has to win just four seats in the by-elections to attain a simple majority. But factoring in the possible switching of camps by some lawmakers, the AIADMK needs 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 its tally, along with its allies Congress and IUML, to 119, one more than what is required for a simple majority.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sadhu Shukla, a farmer in Arjunpur village in Sultanpur, was happy till last week as his wheat crop had been exceptionally good. But today, tears cannot stop trickling down his eyes after his crop was trampled by stray cows.

"There has been a spurt in stray cows in almost all villages and these stray cows get into our fields and trample the crops. I was depending on my wheat crop for my daughter's marriage next year but now I will have to take a loan," he said.

"Gai hamari mata hai, magar ab isse nahin koi nata hai," he said angrily.

Uttar Pradesh is facing a problem of plenty when it comes to cows and this, in turn, is becoming a major election issue in central and eastern UP.

After the Yogi Adityanath-government imposed a strict ban on cow slaughter and cow vigilantism was stepped up by 'gau rakshaks' (cow protectors) in the state, cows are being largely abandoned by their owners once they become 'dry' (stop giving milk). These hungry cows enter the fields and damage crops.

Though the state government claims to have built 10,000 shelters for stray cattle but the problem remains unresolved.

"Each cow entails an expenditure of at least Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 per month and we cannot afford to feed them if they do not give milk. Earlier, we would have no problem in selling dry cows but now no one wants to buy them because of the fear of 'gau rakshaks'. Even transporting cows has become a huge problem. So we simply leave them to fend for themselves," said Rakesh Singh, a farmer in Achalpur village in Tarabganj in Gonda district.

Stray cows are also posing a major traffic hazard, especially on highways and expressways.

A senior traffic official said: "More than 35 accidents on the Lucknow-Agra expressway in the past two months have taken place because of stray cattle. Vehicles on expressways move at a high speed and the sudden appearance of a cow forces the driver to apply brakes and the vehicle turns turtle. No one takes responsibility for the stray cows and we do not have adequate traffic police for the highways and expressways."

In fact, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma escaped a major accident recently when a cow suddenly appeared before his car on the highway, forcing the driver to swerve.

In Kannauj, during an election rally last week, a bull went on the rampage causing a stampede.

Even in A class cities like Lucknow and Kanpur, stray cows can be seen in herds roaming the streets and causing traffic snarls.

State Minister for agriculture, Surya Pratap Shahi washed his hands off the issue by saying that the matter of stray cows did not concern his department.

Officials in the animal husbandry department said that their department was not "drafted to deal with the problem".

A senior BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, admitted that the problem was getting bigger and farmers were suffering a loss of their crops.

"This is a major election issue though candidates avoid addressing it," admitted the leader.

A senior Congress leader said: "This is what happens when the government begins making policies and taking decisions without studying the issues in depth. The decision to ban cow slaughter is adversely impacting the rural economy in a big way but no one is ready to speak against the decision because then you will be labelled anti-Hindu, anti-cow and even anti-national."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Police in New Zealand on Tuesday evacuated houses on several streets after finding a suspected explosive device and ammunition at an abandoned house in Christchurch, the same city where 50 people were killed in two mosques last month.

During the operation, the police arrested a 33-year-old man, who was taken for interrogation in connection to the suspected device found in the Phillipstown neighbourhood, reports Efe news.

The police cordoned off the zone and evacuated nearby houses as a precautionary measure, while also imposing a no-fly zone over the area, according to a statement by New Zealand police.

The police said that the suspicious items had been rendered safe, according to Radio New Zealand.

Christchurch is still recovering from the attacks allegedly perpetrated by Brenton Tarrant, who stands accused of 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder after the mass shooting of Muslims who were offering their Friday prayers on March 15 at the two mosques.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after bodies of two girls raped and murdered were recovered from a Telangana village in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, police on Tuesday began search for the skeletal remains of a third girl also raped and murdered by the same man.

Following violent protests, police was forced to launch fresh probe into all the cases of missing girls from the nearby villages.

Hajipur village was rocked by the sensational revelations that the 27-year-old accused of rape and murder of a girl last week has been involved in a series of such offences over last four years.

Srinivas Reddy, who was in police custody, allegedly raped and killed at least three girls and dumped the bodies of two of them in a dry abandoned well on a land owned by him near the village.

The gruesome details came to light during the investigations into the rape and murder of a Class 10 student.

The 14-year-old victim from Hajipur had gone missing while returning home from her school in Keesara on April 25. The next day police found her bag near the well and her body was found inside the well.

While retrieving her body from the well on Monday, police found skeletal remains of another girl. Investigations revealed that the skeletal remains were of an 18-year-old, who had gone missing since April.

The accused allegedly raped and killed her and later dumped her body in the well.

As the news spread, family of an 11-year-old, who was missing since 2015, approached the police.

The girl from Mysireddypally village had gone missing from Hajipur where she had gone to meet her aunt.

Following Reddy's interrogation, the police then launched a search for third victim's skeletal remains in another abandoned well in the same area.

Angry villagers on Tuesday attacked and set ablaze Srinivas Reddy's house. His family members had already fled from the village.

As tension mounted with the protests demanding stringent punishment to the accused, additional police forces were rushed to the village.

Collector Anita Ramchandran also visited the village and took stock of the situation.

The police also began a fresh probe into cases of missing girls from surrounding villages.

The preliminary investigations also revealed that the accused, a lift mechanic, was also involved in the murder of a woman in Kurnool town of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in 2016.

According to the police, after killing the woman he had dumped her body in an overhead water tank adjacent to a penthouse, where he was residing on rent.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three-time Lok Sabha member S.P.Y. Reddy, who sought re-election for a fourth consecutive term from Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh, passed away on Tuesday, his family said. He was 69.

The industrialist, who contested as Jana Sena candidate in April 11 polls, breathed his last at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Reddy was suffering from heart and kidney related ailments and was admitted to the hospital on April 3. He took ill during the election campaign and was since undergoing treatment.

Reddy, who founded Nandi group of companies in 1984, began his political career with BJP but lost 1991 Lok Sabha polls from Nandyal. In 1999 he also contested unsuccessfully for Assembly.

He was first elected to Lok Sabha in 2004 on Congress party ticket. He retained the seat in 2009. He was re-elected for the third time in 2014 as a candidate of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) but subsequently defected to Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

As TDP denied him ticket, he quit the party to join Jana Sena of actor-politician Pawan Kalyan and in the last minute filed his nomination from Nandyal.

Jana Sena party chief Pawan Kalyan, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu and YSRCP leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy have condoled the death of S.P.Y. Reddy.

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump spoke over phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the issue of Ankara's purchase of S-400 missile defence system, said the White House.

Trump and Erdogan discussed trade, security concerns in northern Syria, and Turkey's planned purchase of the Russian made S-400 system, Xinhua reported on Monday, citing a White House statement.

Turkish Presidency said in a statement the same day that Erdogan had brought forward the proposal to form a working group concerning the procurement of the S-400 systems from Russia during his phone conversation with Trump.

The White House statement, however, made no mention of the Erdogan's working group proposal.

The US has been in a feud with Turkey over the latter's purchase of Russian S-400 air defence system.

The US argued that Russian missiles on Turkish territory could gain valuable intelligence on the technical systems of the US-made stealth F-35 jets expected to be delivered to Ankara in November.

During a congressional hearing in March, General Curtis Scaparrotti, head of US European Command, suggested that the US should cut the sale of F-35 fighters to Turkey if Ankara adopts S-400 system.

On April 3, US Vice President Mike Pence warned Turkey against purchasing the S-400 system from Russia, despite Ankara's firm stance on the deal.

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.

Washington also reportedly threatened to reject sales of Patriot missiles to Turkey in case of the latter's purchase of Russian systems.

--IANS

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The Donald Trump administration is pushing for designating the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organisation, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The Muslim Brotherhood, set up in 1928 in Egypt, has for decades used violence to pursue its goal of a society governed by Islamic law. It renounced violence in the 1970s and embraced democracy, although some of its off-shoots and former members continued to engage in terrorism.

The White House directed national security and diplomatic officials to find a way to impose sanctions on the group after the April 9 White House visit by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, for whom the Brotherhood represents a source of political opposition, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

At a private meeting, El-Sisi urged Trump to take the step and join Egypt in branding the Islamist movement a terrorist organisation.

Its branding as a terrorist organisation would impose wide-ranging economic and travel sanctions on companies and individuals who interact with the group. According to daily, Trump responded affirmatively to El-Sisi, saying "it would make sense".

But the proposal prompted fierce debate within the administration, including at a senior-level meeting of policymakers from various departments last week convened by the White House's National Security Council, the officials said.

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders acknowledged that the administration was working on designating the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organisation.

Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo support the idea, but the Pentagon, career national security staff, government lawyers and diplomatic officials voiced legal and policy objections and have been scrambling to find a more limited step that would satisfy the White House, officials said.

Officials argue the criteria for designating a terrorist organisation are not a good fit for the Muslim Brotherhood, which is less a coherent body than a loose-knit movement with chapters in different countries that either use that moniker or have strong historical ties to it.

Several political parties in countries, like Tunisia and Jordan, consider themselves Muslim Brotherhood or have ties to it, but eschew violent extremism.

As a matter of policy, such a designation could have rippling consequences, including further stressing relations with Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a staunch Brotherhood supporter, the New York Times reported.

It is also unclear what the consequences would be for Americans and American humanitarian organisations with links to the group, and human rights officials worry that El-Sisi might use it to justify an even harsher crackdown against his opponents.

The push for sanctions on the Brotherhood is the latest of several significant foreign policy decisions by Trump that appear to have been influenced by talking to autocratic foreign leaders without first being fully vetted by career government professionals, the daily said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has announced a plan for sweeping immigration changes that take direct aim at migrants seeking asylum.

The memo issued on Monday evening for the Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary outlines a series of measures to address the situation along the border with Mexico, CNN reported.

The measures include adjudicating asylum applications within 180 days of filing; requiring a fee for asylum applications and work permit applications; and barring migrants who have entered or attempted to enter the US illegally from receiving work authorization before any relief or protection is granted.

The memo says the Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary are to take action within 90 days. The Department of Justice oversees the nation's immigration courts.

Trump has repeatedly railed against the nation's immigration system, accusing migrants of taking advantage of what he's deemed legal loopholes.

The Department of Homeland Security has previously reported a 2,000 per cent increase in migrants claiming credible fear, the first step in the asylum process, over the last five years.

The measures outlined in the memo would likely make it harder to apply for asylum by slapping a fee on applications and keeping some from working legally in the US "before any applicable application for relief or protection from removal has been granted".

It also notes that work authorisation is to be stripped from migrants who are denied asylum or subject to a final order of removal.

In the memo, the President also cites his national emergency declaration, which allowed him to circumvent Congress and unlock money to build his signature border wall, reports CNN.

Border apprehensions have continued to increase.

In March, there were more than 92,000 arrests of undocumented migrants for illegal entry on the southern border, up from 37,390 in March 2018, according to data from Customs and Border Protection.

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump; his children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka; and his business are suing two banks to block them from turning over his financial records to congressional committees that have issued subpoenas for the information.

It's the second attempt in court that Trump has made this month to thwart the Democratic-led House of Representatives from investigating his financial history, CNN reported.

The legal action, filed in New York's Southern District on Monday, is against Deutsche Bank, one of Trump's lenders, and Capital One.

Both banks "have long provided business and personal banking services to plaintiffs", Trump's attorneys said.

"The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage. No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one," the attorneys wrote in the complaint.

The attorneys -- Will Consovoy, Patrick Strawbridge and Marc Mukasey -- said the lawsuit is meant to protect Trump, his family and his business.

Deutsche Bank said in a statement it will comply with all subpoenas and court orders.

"We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations," the statement read.

Last week, CNN reported that the bank was complying with a subpoena from New York Attorney General Letitia James for documents related to loans made to Trump and his business.

The bank is in the process of turning over documents, including emails and loan documents, related to Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC; the Trump National Doral Miami; the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago; and the unsuccessful effort to buy the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

Capital One is yet to comment on the development.

Last week, the Treasury Department missed a deadline to turn over six years of the President's tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee.

--IANS

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Renowned Indian writer-critic Sukrita Paul Kumar is coming up with a co-translated book of her father Joginder Paul's short stories in Urdu, feels that the language survives and flourishes in India amidst sheer contradictions.

"On the one hand, there are lesser and lesser number of people who can read the script and on the other, more and more people are drawn into the highly cultured folds of Urdu language and its poetry and literature," Kumar told IANS.

Kumar, who held the Aruna Asif Ali Chair at Delhi University till recently, spoke on the sidelines of "Aadaab: Celebrating Urdu", a daylong event to celebrate Urdu language held earlier this week at the Oxford Bookstore in Rajiv Chowk.

At an event session with Noor Zaheer, Kumar described the noted writer Ismat Chughtai (1915-1991), who had uninhibitedly brought female desire and sexuality into Urdu literature, as one of the pioneer literary feminists in India.

Kumar has edited a new book "Land Lust", an English translation of her father's short story collection "Dharti Ka Kaal". Co-edited by Vandana R. Singh, the collection features 11 stories on the spirit and social ambience of Indians living in the colonised pre-independent Kenya.

Another notable speaker at the event, author Anisur Rehman, said that Urdu has gone much beyond its spatial confines and has embraced the rhythm of other cultures and languages.

Writer and Supreme Court advocate Saif Mahmood recited some of the most evocative verses of Sahir Ludhianvi, Faraz, Zehra Nigah, Kishwar Naheed and Amjad Islam Amjad.

--IANS

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A 26-year-old former US Army soldier who served in Afghanistan has been charged with plotting terror attacks in the Los Angeles area, the Justice Department said.

Mark Steven Domingo allegedly sought to detonate improvised explosive devices containing nails last weekend at a rally in Long Beach that was organised by a white nationalist group, CNN reported.

He was arrested on April 26 after he took receipt of what he thought were pressure cooker bombs, US Attorney Nick Hanna announced at a press conference on Monday.

"Law enforcement was able to identify a man consumed with hate, and bent on mass murder and stop him before he was able to carry out his attack."

Domingo allegedly wanted to "seek retribution for attacks against Muslims" and also considered attacks on Jewish people, churches and law enforcement.

He is accused of targeting "Jews as they walked to synagogue, police officers, a military facility, and crowds at the Santa Monica Pier".

According to the Justice Department, Domingo on March 2 posted a video online professing his Muslim faith and wrote, "America needs another Vegas event", referring to the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October 2017 in which more than 50 people died.

Domingo is a recent convert to Islam, Hanna said.

Following Christchurch mosque shootings in March that killed dozens of people, Domingo posted: "There must be retribution."

--IANS

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US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, submitted his resignation letter to the White House.

His resignation will come into effect from May 11, reports CNN.

"We enforce the law without fear or favour because credible evidence is not partisan, and truth is not determined by opinion polls," Rosenstein wrote in the letter he submitted on Monday.

"We ignore fleeting distractions and focus our attention on the things that matter, because a republic that endures is not governed by the news cycle.

"We keep the faith, we follow the rules, and we always put America first," he added.

Rosenstein, who was appointed the Deputy Attorney General on April 26, 2017, went to the White House on Monday and personally delivered his resignation letter to the President, according to an administration official.

Rosenstein often found himself as President Donald Trump's target, especially after hiring Mueller in 2017.

Shortly after being confirmed as Deputy Attorney General, Rosenstein wrote a memo criticising former FBI Director James Comey amid his investigation into Russia's 2016 actions, which Trump used as part of his reasoning in firing Comey.

After Comey was fired, Rosenstein brought Mueller in as Special Counsel to continue the investigation, and Mueller also looked at the question of obstruction of justice.

In the days after Trump fired Comey, Rosenstein discussed wearing a "wire" to record conversations with the President and recruiting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

Earlier this month Rosenstein defended his handling of the Russia investigation and recalled during his Senate confirmation hearing that he had promised to "do it right" and "take it to the appropriate conclusion".

Rosenstein's resignation comes after Attorney General William Barr released a redacted version of Mueller's report earlier this month which raised fresh questions about Rosenstein's role as both witness in and supervisor of the investigation into possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

The redacted version of Mueller's report released disclosed a previously unknown episode where Rosenstein resisted Trump's efforts to get him to take the blame for firing Comey.

--IANS

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Venezuelan authorities on Tuesday said they were putting down a small coup attempt after self-declared President Juan Guaido announced he was in the "final phase" of ending embattled President Nicolss Maduro's rule.

Guaido appeared in a video with uniformed men, saying he had military support. He called for more members of the military to help him end Maduro's "usurpation" of power, the BBC reported.

Guaido, who declared himself interim President in January, appeared in a three-minute video standing alongside prominent opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, under house arrest since being found guilty of inciting violence during anti-government protests in 2014.

Lopez said he had been freed by members of the military who had declared their loyalty to Guaido. "I have been freed by soldiers on the order of the Constitution and President Guaido. I am at Carlota (military) base. We all need to mobilise. It's time to conquer freedom," said Lopez.

In the video, shared on social media, Guaido announced he had the support of "brave soldiers" in Caracas.

"People of Venezuela, let's take to the streets to support the end of the usurpation, which is irreversible. The National Armed Forces have taken the correct decision, they have the support of the people of Venezuela and the backing of our Constitution. They are guaranteed to be on the right side of history," he said.

Guaido, President of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, has been calling on the military to back him ever since he declared himself interim President. He argues Maduro is a "usurper" because he was re-elected in polls that had been widely disputed.

Venezuela's Communications Minister said the government of Maduro was confronting a coup. "We inform the people of Venezuela that we are currently confronting and deactivating a small group of traitor military personnel," he said.

Guaido declared himself interim President on January 23 in a direct challenge to leftist leader Maduro's authority and has since won the backing of dozens of powerful nations, including the US and most of the European Union.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a tweet backing Guaido. "The US government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy," he wrote.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said US President Donald Trump had been briefed and "we are monitoring the ongoing situation".

But a spokeswoman for the Spanish government warned against "bloodshed" in Venezuela.

Colombian President Ivan Duque called on the Venezuelan army to back Guaido.

--IANS

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Months ahead of the India-Pakistan war broke out in 1971, it was just another day at work for the five young pilots at IAF's 22 squadron in Kalaikunda as they moved around camouflaged nets and concrete blast pens in their black overalls and bikes, preserving themselves for the action.

Realising the similarities in their appearances and the Jawa bikes, they decided to capture the moment in the camera. The five Gnat pilots happily posed for a photograph with one hand on the petrol tank and a cigarette casually dangling from the lips of one of them.

None of them had a clue that the picture clicked nearly 50 years ago will go viral in the social media in 2019.

IANS spoke to Wing Commander Sunith Soares, Air Vice Marshal A.K. Shyam, group captains P.M. Velankar and Ashok Bhagwat (all retired) -- who were traced by Jawa Motorcycles and were made to recreate the photograph with only one difference, the missing fifth man in the 1971 picture -- group captain V. Pashupati who is no more.

A fifth bike was placed with only a helmet in a missing man formation, an Air Force way of honouring a fallen pilot.

"It was in 1971, we knew war would come up, there was little flying and most of the day we would just sit around trying to waste time as we were preserving for the hour," recalled Sunith Soares.

"There was a big shot coming to visit us so we decided to stay in our overalls which was jet black. We did not even have a squadron crest so we called ourselves Hell's Angels inspired by the US group of bikers wearing black jackets and riding Harley Davidsons, and wore the patch on the sleeve," he said explaining how they related to the gang of brave bikers who he said was "just like us".

The Hells's Angels became Sabre Slayers by the time the war ended as the formation in which Soares was flying shot down three Sabre jets of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in what came to be known as one of the top five battles of modern jet era. The squadron was later officially crested as "Swifts".

Air Vice Marhal Shyam recalled that he was only 21-year-old when the picture was taken.

"I used to drive around in my Jawa in the squadron as did all other pilots. I bought the bike from Jamshedpur. On that day (when the picture was taken), it just occurred to us that all of us had same bikes so we decided to take a picture.

"It was spontaneous. We did not plan it," said Shyam who went on to form IAF's first aerobatic team Thunderbolt flying Hunters in Hashimara in 1981 and was later posted at the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka before retiring as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of Nagpur-based maintenance command.

"I bought the bike for around Rs 5,000 and after using it for 13 years I sold it in Siliguri for around the same amount," he said.

"In those days, every fighter pilot aspired to have a Jawa or an Enfield. Majority had Jawa. I also bought a bike for around Rs 5,000 which stayed with me for 13 years and I took it around wherver I went," said group captain Ashok Bhagwat.

P.M. Velankar, the fourth man in the picutre, said that there was nothing special about the photograph as it was just another day and it was spontaneous action.

"We were sitting on the bikes and somebody clicked it," he said expressing surprise about how it has gone viral.

Ashish Joshi, Chief Executive Officer of Classic Legends of Jawa Motorcycles told IANS it was heartening to just listen to them sharing their experiences.

The starting point for bringing them together was the old picture of them sitting on the bikes. Jawa invited them for the fund raiser event where Rs 1.49 crore collected by auctioning of 13 motorcycles was handed over to Kendriya Sainik Board and recreated the image.

--IANS

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will be in Amethi on Tuesday almost at the same time campaigning for their two high profile party candidates.

While Adityanath will be canvassing for Union Minister Smriti Irani, Priyanka Gandhi will be seeking votes for her brother and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

According to the schedule released by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Chief Minister will arrive in Jagdishpur at 4.35 p.m. where he will hold an election rally.

Priyanka Gandhi will be holding a two-day camp in the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency from where Rahul Gandhi is seeking a re-election. He had defeated Irani in 2014.

The Congress chief is also contesting from Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala , where votes were polled on April 23. Amethi will go to polls on May 6.

During her camping in the family borough, Priyanka Gandhi will cover a dozen villages. She will hold a road show in Amethi at 5 p.m.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were both in Amethi on Tuesday to campaign for Smriti Irani and Rahul Gandhi respectively. Both the leaders, whose programmes ran hours behind schedule, did not cross each other's path.

Yogi Adityanath addressed an election meeting at Maurya Ka Nagh in Jagdhishpur while Priyanka Gandhi's road show went from Tiloi to Bazar Shukul, Zainabganj, Haliapur, Deokali, Atwara and then to Musafirkhana and then Rae Bareli.

She met people and addressed small 'nukkad' meetings along the route. In Kharawan block, she asked people to vote for her brother Rahul Gandhi and spoke at length about projects that had been initiated by him and were later shelved by the Modi government. She said the BJP was trying to carry out a misinformation campaign about her brother.

Yogi Adityanath campaigned for Union minister Smriti Irani in Jagdishpur. He had earlier accompanied her during her nomination in Amethi.

Irani had unsuccessfully contested the Amethi seat in 2014 against Rahul Gandhi who won by over one lakh votes.

The Chief Minister, in his speech, attacked the Congress when he said that it was doubtful whether the Congress would deliver 'Nyay' when it had always done injustice to the people.

'Nyay' is the Congress slogan for its scheme that promises Rs 72,000 per year to the poor families.

"In five years, the Modi government has done more work than what the Congress did in 55 years. In the Modi regime, all benefits go straight to the people and there is no corruption," said Adityanath.

He said during Congress governments, Pakistani terrorists beheaded jawans, but now when soldiers are martyred; it is avenged by going inside Pakistan.

The Chief Minister promised that if the 'lotus' bloomed in Amethi, the constituency would witness rapid development.

Earlier in the day, tension was palpable in the air due to the presence of Yogi Adityanath and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

"We made sure while sanctioning the route of the road show that the Congress workers did not come face-to-face with BJP supporters and both the parties cooperated," said a senior district official.

--IANS

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At least 1,409 hectare of maize cultivation in Mizoram have been affected by insect attack, a state Agriculture department official said Tuesday.

The outbreak of Fall Army Worn (FAW) 'Spodoptera frugiperda' an insect has spread to all the eight districts of the state and has caused an estimated loss to the tune of Rs 18.05 crore of maize cultivation, the official said.

A state level Fall Army Worm Rapid Response Team (RRT) was constituted to combat of the FAW outbreak while district agriculture officials were activated to take measures for mitigating the loss of crops and also to launch operation to contain the outbreak.

Joint director of the state Agriculture department (crop husbandry) James Lalsiamliana told PTI that chemical pesticides as well as organic ones were used to kill the worms in the maize fields.

"Utmost care was taken to ensure that the pesticides were not harmful to human beings by imparting education to the people and by giving strict instructions to the usage of the pesticides," Lalsiamliana said.

He said that while 80 affected villages covering all the districts have been surveyed the survey continued to cover all the villages where outbreak was reported.

After receiving warning from the Centre, the state Agriculture department had sent warnings to all the District Agriculture Officers on February 27 last on the possibility of incidence of FAW in the state.

The FAW outbreak was reported in neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar by early this year.

Experts said that the FAW is a lepidopteran pest feeding in many foods (polyphagous) and eating leaves and stems of more than 80 plant species.

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The Jammu and Kashmir government Tuesday said 2,041 bunkers have been constructed along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in Jammu region.

This was revealed at a meeting chaired by Governor Satya Pal Malik, who reviewed the progress of construction of bunkers, payment of relief and ex-gratia to the victims of cross-border shelling Tuesday.

The governor was informed that 10,260 number of bunkers are to be constructed in the border districts -- Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch.

These are being executed by the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Rural Development Department (RDD) and till date, 2,041 bunkers have been completed and work plan has also been prepared to accomplish the remaining assignment in a time-bound manner, spokesman said.

Malik expressed satisfaction over the progress in execution observing that in the past the construction of bunkers had remained sluggish which has gained traction during the recent months.

However, the executing agencies and deputy commissioners were directed to accord primacy to the construction of bunkers -- it is a strong felt need in the border areas.

As many as 215 bunkers in Samba and Poonch districts, which were being executed by the PWD and have remained unallotted and untendered were decided to be constructed through RDD to ensure their speedy completion, spokesperson said.

With regard to ex-gratia relief to the victims of cross-border firing, the governor was informed that the relief has been paid in respect of all eligible and approved cases of death, permanent disability, injuries and damage to crops, houses and livestock, up to March this year.

The assistance has also been provided under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) in respect of 73 cases and central assistance to 50 cases, the spokesperson said.

The governor expressed satisfaction, especially with regard to disposal of relief cases of the displaced persons of 1947, 1965 and 1971.

He was informed that out of 26,000 families which had applied, the cases in respect of 23,576 families have already been sanctioned for release of payment, which is made directly into the accounts of the recipients.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the death of two more Chinese nationals, the number of foreigners who died in the massive Easter Sunday bombings on Monday rose to 42, including 11 Indians, according to the Sri Lankan foreign ministry.

Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said that as of Monday April 29, the number of foreign nationals who have been killed in the attack rose to 42.

"It includes, one from Bangladesh, four from China, 11 from India, three from Denmark, one each from the US, Japan, the Netherlands and Portugal, Switzerland, two each from Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, six from the UK, two holding US and UK nationalities, one holding Swiss and Dutch nationalities, one holding Dutch and Sri Lankan nationalities, and two holding Australian and Sri Lankan nationalities," the statement said.

Another 12 foreigners remain unaccounted for and could be among still unidentified bodies at Colombo's police morgue, the statement said.

Previously authorities had said that 40 foreign nationals were killed.

"Human remains of 25 foreign nationals have been repatriated by Monday evening," the ministry said in a statement.

Five wounded foreigners were still in hospital after the string of powerful blasts ripped through three churches and as many luxury hotels on Easter Sunday, killing 253 people and injuring more than 500 others.

The Islamic State claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the attacks.

Many tourists have left the country after the attacks and there has been a sharp decline in the number of foreigners visiting the island after several countries, including the US, Britain, Australia, India and Israel warned their nationals against visiting Sri Lanka.

Tourism accounts for about five per cent of Sri Lanka's economy, with India, Britain and China being the main markets.

India is the largest source market for Sri Lanka, which received 2.3 million tourists from around the world in 2018.

Around 450,000 Indian tourists visited Sri Lanka last year and the island nation was expecting the total Indian tourist arrivals to cross one million in 2019.

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The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) Tuesday directed the state's Director General of Police to impose appropriate penalty on those who provided unhygienic food to police personnel deployed during the 2016 BRICS summit held near here.

Acting Chairman of the Goa Human Rights Commission A D Salkar, in his order, also asked the DGP to ensure personnel deployed for any such pre-planned event are not overburdened and that sufficient rest is given to them.

The order was given on a complaint filed by social activist Aires Rodrigues on October 14, 2016.

In it, Rodrigues contended that the Rs 51.60 lakh food contract was given to one Amonkar Classic Caterers without a proper tender.

The contract, it alleged, was then sublet to a roadside vendor who prepared the meals meant for the police on an open plot in Verna.

The complaint said water used for the cooking was stored in open plastic barrels and insects and cockroaches from the thicket around the plot made their way into the food.

Tuesday's order also directed the government to strictly follow a circular issued on July 31 last year on welfare measures for the police personnel, as well as suggestions made by the state's chief secretary in this connection which was submitted to the High Court last year.

Stating that Article 21 of the Constitution provides every individual the right to life with decency and dignity, the order observed that unhygienic food supplied to the police personnel during the 2016 BRICS summit was a clear infringement of it.

The BRICS summit was held on October 15-16, 2016 in Benaulim, over 35 kilometres from here.

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The 12504 Agartala-Bangalore Hum Safar Express derailed between Churaibari and Kalkalighat stations under Lumding division of Northeast Frontier Railway in Assam along Tripura on Tuesday, an NFR press release said here.

There was no causality in the incident, said the release issued by NFR chief public relations officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma.

Two wheels of the front trolley of engine got derailed at a location about 26 kms away from Karimganj station at 7.52 AM, the CPRO said.

The train was pulled back by a relief engine to Churaibari station in the Assam-Tripura border and passengers were provided with all necessary assistance, Sharma said.

An accident relief train immediately left from Badarpur for the site and thr NFR additional general manager along with high officials rushed to the spot, he said.

The accident relief train began work immediately after reaching the site and the derailed wheels of the engine were put back to normal position, he said.

The track was declared fit for train movement at 12.10 pm, the CPRO said, adding, cause of the accident is being investigated.

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Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia, whose flying licence was suspended in November 2018 after he failed pre-flight alcohol tests, has been promoted to the position of Regional Director (Northern Region) in the airline, according to an official statement Tuesday.

In a notification, the national carrier said Kathpalia will take charge from Wednesday.

"Consequent to the retirement of Mr. Pankaj Kumar, Regional Director (Northern Region) after the close of the working hours of 30th April, 2019, Capt. Arvind Kathpalia will take over the charge of the post of Regional Director (Northern Region) with effect from May 1, 2019," it said.

On November 11 last year, Kathpalia had tested positive for alcohol in two breath analyser (BA) tests before he was to fly Air India's New Delhi-London flight.

The next day, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended his flying licence for three years, and on November 13, the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued an order to remove him from the position of Director Operations.

However, a week later, Air India posted him as Executive Director.

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Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia, whose flying licence was suspended in November 2018 after he failed pre-flight alcohol tests, has been appointed Regional Director (Northern Region) in the airline, said an official document Tuesday.

"Consequent to the retirement of Mr. Pankaj Kumar, Regional Director (Northern Region) after the close of the working hours of 30th April, 2019, Capt. Arvind Kathpalia will take over the charge of the post of Regional Director (Northern Region) with effect from May 1, 2019," said an Air India notification.

On November 11 last year, Kathpalia had tested positive for alcohol in two breath analyser (BA) tests before he was to fly Air India's New Delhi-London flight.

The next day, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended his flying licence for three years, and on November 13, the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued an order to remove him from the position of Director, Operations.

However, a week later, he was posted him as Executive Director by the Airline.

An Air India spokesperson Tuesday said: "Appointment of Arvind Kathpalia as Director Northern Region is according to law. Earlier, he was Executive Director and Regional Director is equivalent to Executive Director."



Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which represents the pilots flying the narrow body aircraft of Air India, "strongly" condemned Kathpalia's appointment.

It said,"Top officials are bending backwards to elevate a tainted official. He's been made in-charge of NR (Northern Region) where he will be able to intimidate people who had given statements in police enquiry. Disciplinary action against commanders come under RD-NR. Its ethically wrong.

The ICPA said:"A person who has broken the law and charge sheet pending against him cannot take disciplinary action against other employees. ICPA strongly condemns this. We need justice. It's yet again proven people with strong political connections can get away with any crime."



Kathpalia was taken off flying duties earlier too. In February 2017, when he was working at the position of executive director of operations, his flying licence was suspended for three months on charges of skipping a pre-flight alcohol test.

Consequently, he was removed from the post of executive director of operations. However, in March 2018, he was posted as Director of Operations.

Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him/her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.

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Attacking Narendra Modi for claiming that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Tuesday said the prime minister should be "banned for 72 years" for his "shameful" speech.

The Election Commission has recently barred several leaders including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu from campaigning for 72 hours due to poll code violations.

"Vikas (development) is asking... Did you hear the shameful speech of Pradhanji (PM)? After losing the faith of 125 crore countrymen, he (Modi) is now relying on the unethical assurance of defection allegedly given by the 40 MLAs," he tweeted.

"This reflects his (Modi) black money mentality. He should be banned for not 72 hours but for 72 years," he said.

On the campaign trail in West Bengal's Serampore Lok Sabha seat in Hoogly district and Barrackpore constituency in North 24 Parganas, Modi assailed TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee over her prime ministerial ambitions, saying "Didi, Dilli door hai (Delhi is far away)."



"Didi, even your MLAs will desert you when the results of this election are out. Your 40 MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the election. Political ground has slipped from under your feet," Modi said.

"With just a handful of seats, 'Didi' you can't reach Delhi. Delhi is far away. Going to Delhi is just an excuse. Her real intention is to politically establish her nephew," he had said.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership was quick to hit back, accusing the prime minister of horse trading, and saying it would complain to the Election Commission about it.

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An alleged victim in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case has turned hostile before a Delhi court, sources said Tuesday.

The alleged victim, who is one of the prosecution witnesses in the case, was declared hostile before Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshtha, after she failed to recognise two of the accused, the court sources said.

The proceedings are being conducted in-camera.

Meanwhile, advocate Pramod Kumar Dubey, appearing for the key accused, Brajesh Thakur, claimed that the CBI was tutoring the witnesses.

The court has recorded the statements of 12 victims, who are also prosecution's witnesses in the case.

On March 30, the court framed various charges, including criminal conspiracy to commit rape and penetrative sexual assault, against 21 accused and put them on trial.

Besides rape and criminal conspiracy, the court also framed charges under various sections of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.

Thakur, a strongman in Muzaffarpur, was charged with serious charges under POCSO Act, including Section 6 (aggravated sexual assault).

The offence carries punishment of a minimum 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment.

All 21 accused were charged with criminal conspiracy to commit rape and penetrative sexual assault against minors.

The court will hold trial for the offences of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, drugging of minors, criminal intimidation among other charges.

Thakur and employees of his shelter home as well as Bihar Department of Social Welfare officials were charged with criminal conspiracy, neglect of duty, failure to report assault on the girls.

The charges also included cruelty to child under their authority, punishable under the Juvenile Justice Act.

On February 7, the Supreme Court ordered authorities to transfer the case from Bihar to a POCSO court in Saket District Court complex in Delhi, which would conclude the trial within six months by holding, preferably, day-to-day hearings.

Several girls were allegedly raped and sexually abused at an NGO-run shelter home in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. The issue had come to light following a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

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Shanghai hosts one of the world's biggest dog shows beginning on Tuesday but animal activists and online critics are condemning the event due to the widespread consumption of dog meat in China.

The four-day World Dog Show comes for the first time to China, which consumes around one-third of the estimated 30 million dogs eaten for their meat worldwide by humans each year, according to Humane Society International.

Britain's The Kennel Club, which calls itself the world's oldest such organisation, has already announced it was snubbing the event, citing the sometimes "brutal" methods used in China to slaughter canines.

"The Kennel Club will not be attending the show with its roadshow stand," it said in a statement on its website.

Various animal rights organisations have launched campaigns against the decision by the Belgium-based World Canine Organisation, known by its French acronym FCI, to award the event to China, and a petition on social-action site Care2.com condemning the show has drawn more than 730,000 signatures.

Activist groups said they were using the event to highlight the dichotomy between China's love of the dog as a companion and the persistence of the dog meat trade.

"It's a double standard that enrages many dog lovers throughout China, who are frustrated at how this illegal trade is allowed to continue," Humane Society International said in a statement.

Campaigners stress that the show is being held just weeks before an annual dog-meat festival held in southern China.

Activists say thousands of dogs are killed each year for the festival in the town of Yulin in Guangxi province, where dogs are eaten to mark the late-June summer solstice.

Humane Society International said Monday that Chinese animal rights campaigners found that three restaurants in Shanghai were serving dog meat dishes and had rescued 22 canines from a slaughterhouse in an adjacent province.

Representatives of the show's local organiser, the China Kennel Union, were not immediately available for comment on the criticisms.

A range of dog breeds will compete in contests of agility, obedience, and other disciplines in the show. Recent versions of the event claimed to have drawn up to 20,000 entrants.

In 2015, after Shanghai's choice drew criticism, the FCI defended it as a way to promote the protection of "man's best friend".

The show has generated little discussion on Chinese social media, often the country's best gauge of public opinion.

But some Chinese dog owners said critics were barking up the wrong tree.

The show "China is not a country that collectively eats dog meat", the owner of a Chinese kennel said on the popular Weibo platform.

"Compared to some regions in Europe that kills seals, keep killer whales in captivity, the Spanish slaughtering of bulls and tormenting of greyhounds, the majority of us Chinese pet owners are much nicer," the post said.

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The Army has claimed its mountaineering expedition team in the higher Himalayas had found "mysterious footprints" in the snow that they believe belong to the Yeti or the abominable snowman, triggering a barrage of reactions.

Sources said on Tuesday that the Indian Army will send to domain experts the pictures and videos of the "large" footprints captured close to the Makalu Base Camp in Nepal earlier this month.

On Monday night, the Army tweeted, "For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited (sic) Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past."



The Army also released photos along with the tweet showing large footprints in the snow which they claim belong to the creature.

In Nepali folklore, Yeti is a mythical ape-like creature taller than an average human that is said to inhabit the Himalayas, Siberia, Central and East Asia.

An Army team of 18 personnel led by Major Manoj Joshi embarked on an expedition to Mount Makalu in Nepal on April 2. On April 9, the team spotted "mysterious footprints" measuring 32 x 15 inches to close to the Makalu base camp, the sources said.

The picture was retweeted 7,700 times and received over 17,000 likes until Tuesday evening.

The sources said the pictures were sent by the team using satellite communication.

"We will share the photos and videos with domain experts to understand more about this," a source said.

The sources did not elaborate on which domain experts they will approach.

The team is expected to be back in India next month.

The pictures posted by the Army received a barrage of reaction on Twitter -- some were overwhelmed while some had a field day mocking the Army.

Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world at 8,485 m. It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas, some 19 km southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China.

Stories of the Yeti first emerged as a facet of Western popular culture in the 19th century.

Given the lack of evidence of its existence, the scientific community has generally regarded the Yeti as a legend.

In one genetic study, researchers matched DNA from hair samples found in the Himalaya with a prehistoric bear from the Pleistocene epoch.

Though the hunt for the mythical beast stretches back centuries, tales of a wild hairy beast roaming the Himalayas captured the imagination of climbers in Nepal in the 1920s, prompting many, including Sir Edmund Hillary, to go looking for the creature.

Sightings have been reported for centuries. Footprints have been spotted and stories have been passed down from generation to generation.

According to a clip on the subject on the National Geographic's YouTube channel, in November 1951, British explorer Eric Shipton and Michael Ward spotted footprints, 12 inches long and five inches wide, near glacier near the Mount Everest Base Camp. The clip posted in November 2013 has over 1.5 million views.

Their picture created furore that led to West's interest in 'Yeti'.

A 2017 DNA study of purported Yeti samples from museums and private collections provided insight into the origins of this Himalayan legend.

The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, analysed nine "Yeti" specimens, including bone, tooth, skin, hair and faecal samples collected in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau.

Of those, one turned out to be from a dog. The other eight were from Asian bears -- one from an Asian black bear, one from a Himalayan brown bear, and the other six from Tibetan brown bears.

"Our findings strongly suggest that the biological underpinnings of the Yeti legend can be found in local bears, and our study demonstrates that genetics should be able to unravel other, similar mysteries," said lead scientist of that study, Charlotte Lindqvist, an associate professor at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences.

Lindqvist's team was not the first to research the "Yeti" DNA, but past projects ran simpler genetic analyses, which left important questions unresolved.

"This study represents the most rigorous analysis to date of samples suspected to derive from anomalous or mythical 'hominid'-like creatures," Lindqvist and her co-authors wrote in their paper.

Former BJP MP Tarun Vijay urged the Army not to call Yeti a "beast" but a "snowman".

"Congratulations, we are always proud of you. salutes to the #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team. But please, you are Indian, dont call Yeti as beast. Show respect for them. If you say he is a 'snowman'," he said.

One Twitter user came up with her own hypothesis. She said Yeti could be 'Ashwathama', a character from Mahabharat who was cursed to remain alive forever by Lord Krishna.

"Foot-print suggests that this Yeti is one-legged. Looks like he lost his other leg in Balakote air strike!" tweeted Shah Faesal, the former IAS officer from Kashmir who launched his political party last month.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys? Just look at those pics for heaven's sake. That's not a bipedal. Couldn't you guys call a single animal expert before posting this ? Unless you are claiming your yeti walks on a single foot and travels by jumping," another tweet user posted.

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A sessions court here Tuesday sentenced Narayan Sai, the son of jailed self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, to life imprisonment in a rape case filed against him by a former woman devotee in 2013.

Additional Sessions Judge P S Gadhvi handed down the sentence to Sai and asked him to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the victim.

Besides Sai, lodged at the Lajpore Jail here since 2013, the court sentenced his three aides, including two women, to 10 years each in jail after holding them guilty of various offences.

His driver Rajkumar alias Ramesh Malhotra was sentenced to six months in prison.

The court had convicted Sai in the case on April 26 under IPC sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy).

Sai's three aides, Dharmishtha alias Ganga, Bhavna alias Jamuna and Pavan alias Hanuman, were sentenced to 10 years each, while his driver was convicted under IPC Section 212 (harbouring an offender).

Of the total 11 accused, the court had acquitted six on April 26.

In 2013, after Asaram Bapu was arrested for allegedly raping a girl in Rajasthan, two Surat-based sisters had accused the self-styled godman and his son of sexual exploitation.

While the elder sister accused Asaram Bapu of sexual assaults between 1997 and 2006, when she lived at his Ahmedabad ashram, the younger one accused Sai of sexual assaults when she lived at Asaram Bapu's ashram in the Jahangirpura area of Surat between 2002 and 2005.

Sai was arrested from the Delhi-Haryana border in December 2013.

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces sentencing in London on Wednesday for breaching his bail conditions, the whistleblowing site and a court official said.

Assange could face a 12-month prison sentence for the violation, although time already served in prison may be taken into account.

The 47-year-old, who was arrested earlier this month after spending seven years holed up in the Ecuadoran embassy in London, is due to appear in person at Southwark Crown Court for the hearing, a court official said.

Assange, who took refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden on rape accusations, was arrested on April 11 after Quito terminated his asylum.

WikiLeaks exposed everything from US military secrets to tax evasion by the wealthy.

He is also wanted for computer hacking in the United States and faces an initial extradition hearing on Thursday, although the process could last for months or even years.

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A Bangladeshi national has been sentenced to six months in jail by a Dubai court for molesting an Indian minor girl, according to a media report on Tuesday.

The Dubai Court of First Instance also ordered that the 30-year-old cleaner be deported after completing his jail term, the Khaleej Times reported.

According to the public prosecution's records, the incident happened in February when the Bangladeshi man took the six-year-old girl twice into a lift of her residence and molested her.

The incident was reported to police in March.

The girl's father, a flight attendant, in his complaint said that in the wee hours of March 7, his daughter told him she wanted to sleep next to him as she felt scared.

"She also said that she did not want the accused to come to clean our house again," he was quoted as saying in the report.

The father said that the Bangladeshi cleaner "kissed" and "hugged" his daughter on February 24 and February 28 after taking her inside the lift.

"He would take her to the lift as she played with neighbours' children without any need for it. I checked the surveillance cameras and saw the defendant calling my girl to come to him and then taking her away.

"When I confronted the accused, he claimed that it was a joke and confessed he did a mistake and asked for forgiveness," the father told the prosecutor.

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In a setback to Kiran Bedi, the Madras High Court Tuesday held that the Puducherry Lt Governor "cannot interfere" in the day-to-day affairs of the elected government of the Union Territory.

Justice R Mahadevan pronounced the verdict on a petition by K Laksminarayanan, a Congress MLA, challenging two communications issued in January and June, 2017, by the Ministry of Home Affairs "elevating" the power of the administrator.

He also set aside two communications of the Union government elevating the power of the Lt Governor.

Allowing the plea, the judge said, "The administrator cannot interfere in the day to day affairs of the government. The decision taken by the Council of Ministers and the Chief Minister is binding on the secretaries and other officials."



Laksminarayanan is a legislator from the Raj Bhavan assembly constituency.

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The Madras High Court on Tuesday held that Lt Governor "cannot interfere" in the day-to-day affairs of the elected government of the Union Territory, a decision hailed by Chief Minister who termed it as "victory" of democracy.

Allowing a petition by K Laksminarayanan, a MLA, Justice R Mahadevan set aside the two communications issued in January and June 2017 by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs "elevating" the power of the administrator.

Referring to the Supreme Court judgement on the tussle between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lt Governor Anil Baijal, the judge said restrictions imposed on the Government of Delhi are not applicable to the Government of

"The apex court has clearly held that there is a distinction between the National Capital Territory of Delhi and Puducherry", the judge said.

Though was not a state, the Legislative Assembly would have the same powers as that of a state, he said.

Hailing the judgement, leader and Chief Minister Narayanasamy, who has been at loggerheads with Bedi over various issues, said the court order was "historic and demonstrates the victory of democracy."



In her reaction, Bedi said, "We are examining the judgement."



The judge in his order said, "The Administrator cannot interfere in the day-to -ay affairs of the government. The decision taken by the Council of Ministers and the Chief Minister is binding on the Secretaries and other officials."The petitioner Lakshminarayanan is an elected member of the Puducherry assembly from the Raj Bhavan constituency.

He submitted that there were political differences between the elected Government of Puducherry and the Centre.

"She (Bedi) conducts review meetings with the officials directly, by-passing the elected government, carries out inspections and issues on-the-spot orders and thereby runs a parallel and diametrically opposite government within the government," he claimed.

The petitioner also alleged that the Administrator was interfering in the day-to-day administration of the territorial government, its policies and programmes.

The judge observed that the court had already discussed the role of secretaries. They normally act only as a medium of communication, utmost to render their opinion at circumstances and have no power or authority to override the decisions of the Council.

"Though they may report to the Administrator nominated by the President, still they cannot shed their duty to the decision of the Council of Ministers taken as per the procedure laid down in the Government of Union Territories Act and the Rules of Business of the Government of Pondicherry, 1963.

"...they cannot jump the gun and run a parallel Government under the directions of the Administrator," the judge said.

The court said elected representatives of the government play a major role in decision making, or else, there would be no purpose in having an elected government, who are the true representatives of the people.

"...the elected government functioning through the Council of Ministers cannot be defeated by the act of the Administrator, who is also functioning under the provisions of the Constitution, by way of interfering in the day to day affairs of the Government...," it said.

Alluding to the allegations over use of social media by the Administrator (Bedi) to summon officials, the Judge said, "The Government officials cannot use their personal media to address the grievances of the public.

"A public redressal forum in the form of official e-mails, telephone numbers are to be circulated and used, if already not put into use."



"The Administrator has no exclusive authority to run the administration in derogation of the Constitutional Principles and the Parliamentary Laws governing the issue," he added.

Responding to the court order, Narayanasamy said: "The High Court has in its order pointed out unequivocally that does not have independent powers and she must work in tandem with the elected government in administrative and service matters, financial aspect of governance."



"We are examining the judgment, after which we shall take a view," Bedi said in a Whatsapp message to media.

She said the Model Code of Conduct in the context of the parliamentary polls was still in force and "files which require Lt Governor's approval such as service matters, promotions, appointments, disciplinary matters and financial sanctions for grant in aid are being received and being examined."



"They are being cleared on merits of each case," she added.
The Bhim Army will campaign in favour of SP-BSP alliance candidate Tej Bahadur Yadav who is contesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, the Dalit group's founder Chandrashekhar Azad said on Tuesday.

On April 17, Chandrashekhar had rescinded his decision to contest against Modi form Varanasi, saying his outfit will support the SP-BSP alliance and Dalit vote should remain intact to defeat the BJP.

The Bhim Army chief said he will be in Varanasi over the weekend to campaign in favour of Yadav, the BSF jawan who was sacked for his video complaining about food quality in 2017.

"I will campaign for him no just because he is the SP-BSP candidate, but because we have a lot of respect for our armed forces, unlike the BJP which exploits the valour of security personnel for votes," he said.

"Yadav is the real chowkidar (watchman) of the country and he will defeat the fake chowkidar. The Dalit community will support him every way possible," Chandrashekhar said.

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Facing flak from within BJP for meeting a senior TMC leader, its candidate from the prestigious Jadavpur seat Anupam Hazra Tuesday blamed the media for politicising his "courtesy visit".

Hazra, who had switched over from Trinamool Congress in March after being expelled for anti-party activities, left the BJP red faced after he met senior TMC leader Anubrata Mondal fuelling speculation over his return to the party.

He had called on Mondal, TMC's Birbhum district president, at the latter's party office on Monday, the day when polling in two seats of Birbhum district was held in the fourth phase.

"I had met Anubrata Mandal in a courtesy visit yesterday. It has nothing to do with His mother passed away few days ago so I went to meet him. What's wrong in it? The media has unnecessarily politicised it," he said at a press conference at the state BJP office with party leader Mukul Roy seated next to him.

Polling in Jadavpur seat will be held in the last phase on May 19.

"One of the reasons why I quit TMC was my differences with Anubarata Mandal as his way of functioning was not acceptable to me," Hazra said refuting speculations that he might return to Mamata Banerjee's party after elections.

Roy came to his defence and said Hazra is a victim of "political conspiracy".

The BJP had on Monday sought explanation on the visit from Hazra, who had had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Bolpur seat in Birbhum district on a TMC ticket.

"Anubrata Mondal is the last word in Birbhum district. I came to offer condolences on the demise of his mother," Hazra had said on Monday and added that the TMC strongman as his "uncle".

Asked whether he will rejoin the TMC, he had said only time can tell that.

Mondal had said he had exchanged pleasantries with Hazra but did not wish him victory in the Jadavpur seat.

"If he (Hazra) accepts his mistake, he may come back to us (TMC). I can make him MP again. I can speak to (TMC supremo) Mamata Banerjee about it," he had said.

An angry BJP state president Dilip Ghosh had said he will talk to Hazra about it.

"He (Hazra) has said it was a courtesy visit. But it would have been better had he met Anubrata Mondal on some other day. In our party we have discipline and all of us have to maintain it," Ghosh had said.

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The BJP Tuesday tried to corner Congress president Rahul Gandhi over the Home Ministry's notice on his citizenship status by describing him as a "man of mysteries", and questioned which one is real - "Rahul Gandhi London wale or Lutyens wale".

The party also attacked Gandhi scion over Tuesday's proceedings in the Supreme Court, in which the apex court asked him to file one more affidavit relating to his alleged contemptuous "chowkidar chor hai" remark attributing to the court, saying that he has lost his credibility and the arrogance of the dynasty has been punctured.

Addressing a press conference at the party, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said the entire Rahul Gandhi's citizenship saga is a story of three Cs -- citizenship, confusion and clarification.

The Home Ministry has served a notice to Rahul Gandhi, asking him to clarify within a fortnight his "factual position" on a complaint questioning his citizenship status. The notice was served following a representation from BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy.

Citing the letter, the Home Ministry said it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Gandhi as one of its directors.

Describing Rahul Gandhi as "man of mysteries", Patra said if one creates a confusion he has to clarify.

"Rahul is a synonym of confusion and he has become a man of mysteries. We would like to ask him which one is real - Rahul Gandhi London wale or Rahul Gandhi Lutyens wale," Patra said.

He also alleged that Gandhi scion chose to become a UK citizen by choice, but perhaps wants to remain an Indian citizen as he is the MP in the Lok Sabha and does here.

Patra also denied that there is political vendetta behind the notice issued by the Home Ministry, saying this is a clarification that the country seeks.

He said allegations of dual citizenship against Rahul Gandhi are based on authentic documents, which include registration papers, dissolution and annual returns of Backops Limited, in which he was director.

Later in a different press conference, party's another spokesperson G V L Narsimha Rao took on Gandhi-scion for "incorrectly" attributing his 'chowkidar chor hai' remark to the Supreme Court, saying perhaps he is the first Congress president who has "disgraced himself" by repeatedly uttering lies and apologising in the court.

"By his utterances and his admission of having lied, Rahul Gandhi has lost the most important attribute for a political leader, that is credibility," Rao said.

Talking about the ongoing proceedings in the apex court in the matter, in which the court had asked the Congress chief to file another affidavit, the BJP leader said, "arrogance of the dynasty has been punctured".

The court's proceedings in this case have signalled a message that however high one may imagine himself, but the law is above all.

Echoing similar sentiments, BJP's another leader Meenakshi Lekhi, who is also the petitioner in the case, said a lie was being told and a Constitutional body was being dragged into it.

"He was not only lying, but also cited Supreme Court to substantiate his lie. It was an attempt to mislead the people at a time when general election are underway in the country," she said.

The Supreme Court Tuesday asked Rahul Gandhi to file a fresh affidavit as he did not directly admit his mistake for incorrectly attributing the allegedly contemptuous "chowkidar chor hai" remark to the apex court in the Rafale verdict.

Gandhi on Monday, following the formal notice issued to him by the apex court on a criminal contempt petition filed against him by BJP MP Lekhi, has written the word "regret" in bracket.

The apex court on April 15 had given a categorical clarification that in its Rafale verdict there was no occasion for it to make a mention of the contemptuous observation that "chowkidar Narendra Modi chor hain" as has been attributed to it by Gandhi.

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The BJP has made "very cheap", Loktantrik Janata Dal chief Sharad Yadav said Tuesday, condemning the saffron party for raising the issue of Congress president Rahul Gandhi's citizenship.

The Home Ministry has served a notice to Gandhi, asking him to clarify within a fortnight his "factual position" on a complaint questioning his citizenship status.

The ministry said it has received a representation from BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy in which it has been brought out that a company named Backops Ltd was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Gandhi as one of its directors.

"I strongly condemn the issue of citizenship of Rahul Gandhi raised by the BJP. When NDA has become sure that they would not be able to form the government, such type of non-issues are being spread in the market. I am sorry to say that this party, the BJP, has made very cheap in the last five years. This party is always engaged either in false promises or non-issues.

"The general public has nothing to do with such things. They are concerned only with what a party and a government are doing for their welfare and development," he said in a statement.

Even if the citizenship issue was raised by an MP, it would have been replied by the ministry itself, he said.

"The government would have replied to MP that whatever he has raised is out of question as the entire world knows about the citizenship of Rahul Gandhi i.e India. There was no need of even referring to Rahul Gandhi. I am sure that the people of this country will not forgive this party BJP which has brought the to this low level.

"I think that the time has come to act by responsible leaders without caring for their positions to control the damage done by the BJP to this country in order to achieve better future," he said.

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Stepping up his tirade against the BJP which he recently quit after being denied ticket, Udit Raj on Tuesday alleged a dalit can rise to any position in the saffron party only if he is "deaf and dumb".

Raj, who has joined the Congress, suggested that Ram Nath Kovind was nominated by the BJP to the president's post as he did not raise his voice in the party and added he was expressing his views "about a person and not making a comment on the office of President".

BJP wants dalits, not dalit leader. They would have made me prime minister if I had been deaf and dumb in the party. They want a deaf and dumb dalit and dalit votes but not a dalit leader, Raj, who was BJP MP from North-West Delhi, said at a press conference at Congress office here.

Mr Ram Nath Kovind came to me on 20 May 2014 with his biodata asking me to recommend him to the party so that he may get some position and recognition. I tried also. Anyways, after that he became governor and then president also , Raj said.

If a dalit is deaf and dumb in the BJP, he may reach any position. Earlier, they made (one dalit) the party's national president and now they have made a president, he said.

However, he was quick to add that he was not commenting on the position of the president but referring to condition of dalits in the BJP.

Have I said anything wrong? Has he fought any fight for dalits? I am talking about a person and not making any comment on the institution (or position of the president). That (position) is honourable. This is my interpretation about the condition of Dalits, he told reporters when asked if his remarks could be construed as an insult to the President.

Hitting out at the BJP leadership, Raj said that it has shrunk to two persons.

He claimed that the country is not secure in the hands of BJP and alleged that "more soldiers were martyred during the Modi government rule as compared to previous Congress government".

Giving them a single vote is against the nation. The country is not safe and secure in their hands. There were inputs of threat before Pulwama attack and 350 kg RDX was moved but what was the intelligence doing? he asked.

He also accused the BJP of indulging in religious polarisation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Describing Rahul Gandhi as a "man of mysteries", the BJP Tuesday questioned the Congress president over the Home Ministry's notice on his citizenship status asking which is real - "Rahul Gandhi London wale or Lutyens wale".

Attacking the Congress president, the BJP said the entire Rahul Gandhi's citizenship saga is a story of three Cs - citizenship, confusion and clarification.

The Home Ministry has served a notice to Rahul Gandhi, asking him to clarify within a fortnight his "factual position" on a complaint questioning his citizenship status.

In a letter, the Home Ministry said it has received a representation from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in which it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Rahul as one of its directors.

Addressing a press conference at the party office, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said there are questions about Rahul Gandhi's citizenship and asserted that "if you create a confusion you have to clarify."



He said these questions are based on authentic documents.

"Rahul is synonym of confusion and he has become a man of mysteries. We would like to ask him which one is real - Rahul Gandhi London wale or Rahul Gandhi lutyens wale," Patra said.

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US National Security Advisor John Bolton called Tuesday on Venezuela's defense chief and other key officials to oust President Nicolas Maduro, warning them "Your time is up." Bolton singled out Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, Supreme Court chief justice Maikel Moreno and presidential guard commander Ivan Hernandez Dala, saying they had committed to removing Maduro from power.

"And it is time for them now, if the Cubans will let them do it, to fulfill their commitments and it is time for the rest of the military to show what their own families believe ought to happen and that is Maduro needs to go," he told reporters at the White House.

Bolton repeated that message in a Tweet: "Your time is up. This is your last chance. Accept Interim President Guaido's amnesty, protect the Constitution, and remove Maduro, and we will take you off our sanctions list. Stay with Maduro, and go down with the ship.

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The Bombay High Court Tuesday set free a Nashik man who was sentenced to death last year by a court here for killing a 32-year-old woman and her 6-year-old child.

A bench of justices BP Dharmadhikari and P D Naik held that the police failed to carry out proper investigation and build a watertight case against convict Ramdas Shinde.

The bench, therefore, dismissed the Maharashtra government's plea seeking confirmation of the death penalty, and upheld Shinde's appeals challenging his conviction and sentence.

On April 26 last year, the court in Nashik had convicted and sentenced Shinde for stabbing to death the woman and her child, who stayed as tenants in his father's property.

The prosecution had claimed that the victim woman had snubbed Shinde's sexual advances and, therefore, on April 18, 2016, while his wife and children were away, he went to the victim's house and killed her and her son.

The victim's body had 24 stab wounds, including wounds on her private parts, and the child's body had 28 stab wounds, the prosecution claimed.

However, Shinde approached the high court last year challenging his conviction and sentence through pleas filed through his counsel advocate Aniket Nikam.

Nikam told the high court the police had failed to investigate the case properly and that there existed several loopholes in the prosecution's theory and the evidence presented on record.

He argued that the prosecution's case relied mainly on circumstantial evidence, but the prosecution had failed to establish a cogent chain of evidence.

He pointed out that the police had failed to produce Shinde's clothes and possessions before the trial court even though it claimed the clothes and possessions had blood stains on them.

The police had also relied upon the recording of two phone calls made by Shinde to his friend Subhash on the night of the incident, whereby, he allegedly confessed to the crime.

Nikam, however, pointed out that while Subhash had initially recorded a statement before a magistrate confirming such calls, he had later turned hostile and alleged that the police had coerced him into making the initial statement.

Besides, he said, the police had also failed to seize Subhash's mobile phone till about two weeks after the crime.

Therefore, there was enough chance of tampering of evidence, Nikam said.

The prosecution, through advocate Prajakta Shinde, denied the charges of tampering of evidence.

However, the court held that Nikam's arguments on insufficient and unconvincing probe could not be ignored.

"We find that the Investigating Officer has not investigated all links and clues to ensure that nobody else could have committed the ghastly double murder, or to show that the accused could be the only culprit," the bench said.

"The material on record is insufficient to rule out the involvement of any other person in the matter," it said while setting aside the Nashik court order.

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The University of Cambridge on Tuesday announced a new investigation into its colonial past to explore how the 800-year-old educational institution dealt with slavery and may have benefited from it.

The two-year in-depth inquiry will see researchers trawl through university archives with a view to unearthing the ways in which slavery and forced labour during the colonial era impacted upon donations, gifts and bequests to the institution.

"There is growing public and academic interest in the links between the older British universities and the slave trade, and it is only right that Cambridge should look into its own exposure to the profits of coerced labour during the colonial period," University Vice Chancellor Professor Stephen Toope said.

He said that we cannot change the past, but nor should we seek to hide from it.

"I hope this process will help the university understand and acknowledge its role during that dark phase of human history," he said.

The review follows a round-table debate at the university's Centre of African Studies in February on 'Slavery and its Legacies at Cambridge'.

An Advisory Panel, set up for the review in the wake of the debate, is chaired by classical archaeology Professor Martin Millett.

"This will be an evidence-led and thorough piece of research into the University of Cambridge's historical relationship with the slave trade and other forms of coerced labour," said Millett.

"The benefits may have been financial or through other gifts. But the panel is just as interested in the way scholars at the university helped shape public and political opinion, supporting, reinforcing and sometimes contesting racial attitudes which are repugnant in the 21st century," he said.

The Cambridge review, expected to conclude by 2021, follows a number of similar moves by leading British universities in the aftermath of the "Rhodes Must Fall" campaign focussed around British colonialist Cecil Rhodes' connect with educational scholarships around the world.

The movement, which began in 2015, continues to resonate with calls for wider de-colonisation of curriculum across UK universities.

Last month, St. John's College at the Oxford University advertised a new academic post looking for a researcher to examine the university's contribution to creating and maintaining Britain's colonial empire.

The students at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London have been running a "Decolonising SOAS" campaign aimed at addressing the "structural and epistemological legacy" of colonialism within the university.

It involves recognition and debate about the wide, complex and varied impacts of colonialism, imperialism and racism in shaping the university.

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Catalonia's former president Carles Puigdemont was denied entry into Canada in March, when he was invited by a Quebec separatist group, the Canadian lawyer challenging the decision said Monday.

"We are challenging this decision, which is obviously unreasonable," his lawyer Stephane Handfield, who has appealed the decision in federal court, told AFP.

He said Puigdemont had requested and obtained an electronic authorisation (eTA) in February to travel to Canada, required for travellers from visa-exempt nations.

Puigdemont was scheduled to land on April 2 in Montreal, but an immigration official sent him an email on March 31 "informing him that his eTA had been revoked, without explanation," Handfield said.

A Canadian government official said played no part in the decision.

The main figure behind Catalonia's secession attempt in 2017, Puigdemont subsequently fled prosecution in Spain. He currently lives in Belgium.

The move to ban him from Canada was denounced as "shameful" by the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society, a group that promotes Quebec independence. It had invited him to tour the Canadian province.

Ottawa declined to comment on the individual case, citing privacy laws.

"A person can be found inadmissible for criminality, a serious health problem, lying in his application or during an interview," a government spokesman said, speaking in general terms.

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The CBI on Tuesday searched the residences and offices of YSR Congress candidate from Narsapuram, K Raghurama Krishnam Raju, for alleged loan default of over Rs 947 crore, agency officials said.

Raju, who returned to YSR Congress in March, has contested this Lok Sabha election from Narsapuram constituency in Andhra Pradesh.

The agency has alleged that Raju's company Ind Barath group had taken loans worth over Rs 2,655 crore from three non-banking financial companies -- Power Finance Corporation, Rural Electrification Corporation Limited and India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd.

It is alleged that the company defaulted in payments of Rs 947 crore which turned into non-performing assets, they said.

The CBI had recently registered an FIR on the basis of which it carried out searches at four offices and two residences of Raju on Tuesday, the officials said.

The agency has booked the company Ind Barath Power Limited, its Directors Raju, Madhusudan Reddy, another Ind Barath Power Infra Ltd and Axis Bank, besides unidentified persons.

The loans were cleared for 666 MW Coal based thermal power project in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu for which a Trust and Retention Account (TRA) Agreement was executed between the borrowers and PFC, Axis Bank, Punjab National Bank, South Indian, Bank, State Bank of Hyderabad, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Andhra Bank on February 23, 2011.

The agency has taken note of complaint from NBFC lenders which has alleged that officials of Axis Bank in order to help Raju, its companies and their directors colluded with them in diverting and siphoning of funds thereby committing criminal breach of trust, allowed operations in the account as a normal current account and transferred the loan amount to different accounts of borrower.

The FIR alleged that the accused have indulged in misrepresentation, cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and thereby causing huge wrongful financial losses to the lenders.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The CBI on Tuesday searched the residences and offices of YSR Congress candidate from Narsapuram, K Raghurama Krishnam Raju, for alleged loan default of over Rs 947 crore, agency officials said.

Raju, who returned to YSR Congress in March, has contested this Lok Sabha election from Narsapuram constituency in Andhra Pradesh.

The agency has alleged that Raju's company Ind Barath group had taken loans worth over Rs 2,655 crore from three non-banking financial companies Power Finance Corporation, Rural Electrification Corporation Limited and India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd.

It is alleged that that the company defaulted in payments of Rs 947 crore which turned into non-performing assets, they said.

The CBI had recently registered an FIR on the basis of which it carried out searches at four offices and two residences of Raju Tuesday, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre Tuesday ordered release of Rs 1,086 crore to four states as advance financial assistance for undertaking preventive and relief measures to deal with cyclone 'Fani', which is approaching the Indian coast.

Following a decision of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered for advance release of financial assistance of Rs 1,086 crore to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) of four states , an official statement said.

Of the sanctioned amount, Odisha will receive Rs 340.87 crore, Tamil Nadu Rs 309.37 crore, West Bengal Rs 235.50 crore and Andhra Pradesh will get Rs 200.25 crore.

The move has been made to assist the states for undertaking preventive and relief measures in response to cyclonic storm 'Fani'.

The NCMC is the country's top body to deal with emergency situations.

Cyclone 'Fani' is likely to intensify into an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm' by Tuesday night and can hit the Odisha coast by Friday afternoon, the India Meteorological Department said.

In its 12 pm bulletin, the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said 'Fani' (pronounced Foni) lays over southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, about 830 km nearly south of Puri (Odisha) and 670 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and about 680 km northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka).

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert and the fishermen asked not to venture into the sea.

The wind speed of a cyclonic storm is 80-90 kilometres per hour with wind gusting up to 100 kmph. In case of an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm', the wind speed goes up to 170-180 kmph and could gain the speed of 195-200 kmph.

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A late own goal conceded by Abahani Limited Dhaka was enough for Chennaiyin FC to notch up a 1-0 win and pull clear at the top of Group E in the AFC Cup here on Tuesday.

Abahani's Wellington Priori deflected into his own net in the 79th minute to the glee of the Chennaiyin supporters at the TransStadia Arena here.

The 2017-18 Indian Super League champions now have seven points from two wins and a draw to move on top of the group while Abahani remained at second spot with four points (one win, one draw and one loss).

Only the group winners will qualify for the Inter-Zone Play-off semifinals.

The visiting Bangladeshi side made a bright start and Kervens Belfort flashed a header wide from Rubel Miya's corner in the second minute.

It took 21 minutes for the home side to pose a real threat to Abahani as Mailson Alves' powerful header brought a fine save from Shahidul Alam.

Abahani came close again as Sunday Chizoba's shot had to be deflected behind by Mailson in the 27th minute.

After a few minutes, India striker Jeje Lalpekhlua turned smartly on the edge of the Abahani penalty box but he pulled his shot wide as Chennaiyin struggled to trouble the away side's defence. Dhanpal Ganesh came closer on the stroke of half-time when he headed Jerry Lalrinzuala's corner narrowly wide.

Abahani created the first chance of the second half when Belfort headed Sohel Rana's cross past the post. Nabib Newaz Jibon then managed to get a free-kick on target in the 64th minute but the effort was comfortably saved by Singh.

At the other end, Eli Sabia rose to meet India midfielder Anirudh Thapa's floated free-kick but his header went straight into the arms of Alam.

Chennaiyin wasted another good opportunity with 15 minutes remaining as Mailson headed over from Isaac Vanmalsawma's corner.

The home side finally made the breakthrough in the 79th minute. Thapa did well to collect the ball on the left and beat a defender. He tried to cut the ball across goal but Wellington Priori got in the way and deflected the ball into his own net.

Abahani battled to the end but failed to create any clear chances to level the score as the Indian Super League side moved three points above them in the group.

The two sides meet again in their next match on May 15 in Dhaka.

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China Tuesday rejected "any interference" in its internal affairs after UN chief Antonio Guterres raised the plight of ethnic Uighurs in the restive Xinjiang region during a visit to Beijing.

Guterres had been under pressure from rights groups to publicly confront Beijing over the mass detention of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking minorities in Xinjiang during his trip.

The was no public denunciation, but UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres raised the issue during talks with Chinese leaders when he attended a summit



Friday and Saturday on Beijing's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

The UN chief delivered a three-point message that stressed human rights must be upheld in the fight against extremism, while recognising China's sovereignty and condemning terrorism.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China was willing to discuss human rights issues with all parties on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

"At the same time, we firmly oppose any interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues," Geng said at a regular press briefing.

"Xinjiang affairs belong to China's internal affairs. Terrorism and extremism are wanton violations of basic human rights," he said.

Upwards of one million Uighurs and other minorities are being held in internment camps in Xinjiang, according to estimates cited by a UN panel.

China says the camps are "vocational training centres" to steer people away from extremism and reintegrate them, in a region plagued by violence blamed on Uighur separatists or Islamists.

"The preventive anti-terrorism and anti-extremism measures taken by China in Xinjiang are carried out in accordance with the law, and human rights are also respected and protected," Geng said.

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China and Nepal have signed a protocol to operationalise their 2016 Transit and Transport Agreement (TTA) which will enable the landlocked Himalayan country to access Chinese sea and land ports for its foreign trade ending Nepal's dependence on India for goods and trade.

The agreement on protocol along with six other deals were signed during Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari's meeting with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping here on Monday.

Bhandari, who is on nine-day visit to China, earlier took part in China's 2nd Belt and Road Forum (BRF) held here from April 25-27. Nepal is signatory to the China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

While the official media here said, several agreements have been signed between the two countries, the Nepalese media reported that the protocol was among the agreements signed.

The protocol operationalises the TTA signed by Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oil during his visit to China in 2016 at the height of the Madhesi agitation leading to blockade of Nepal's access to Indian ports which had resulted in heavy shortages of goods and fuels.

Oli, widely regarded as pro-China, sought to open the second trade route for landlocked Nepal through Tibet and access Chinese ports, though transportation of goods through the rugged Himalayas would entail heavy costs.

The protocol will provide access to Nepal to the Chinese ports of Tianjin, Shenzhen, Lianyungang and Zhanjiang -- and three land ports--in Lanzhou, Lhasa and Shigatse--for third-country import. It will also allow Nepal to carry out exports through six dedicated transit points between Nepal and China, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Nepalese official Rabi Shankar Sainju, who held a series of negotiations with the Chinese side, said that Chinese ports are not a replacement for Indian ports. They are additional ports which we can use, Sainju was quoted as saying by the paper.

Since 2017, India has improved Nepal's access to Indian ports to ensure steady supplies of essential goods to Nepal besides rail and road connectivity.

Till now, Nepal uses ports of Visakhapatnam and Haldia in Kolkata for trade. Recently Nepal had reportedly sought access to use Mundra port in Gujarat as well as Dhamara in Orissa.

China, which has enhanced its ties with Nepal with heavy investments, has vastly improved road connectivity with the country through Tibet and finalsing plans to extend the Tibetan railway line to Nepal.

In the just concluded BRF meeting, the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network, including Nepal-China cross-border railway has been listed as one of the 35 corridors to be laid by China under the BRI format.

In his talks with Bhandari, Xi said China and Nepal should strengthen cooperation on infrastructure construction and continue to promote the construction of the China-Nepal cross-border economic cooperation zone.

Xi said China greatly values its ties with Nepal, and supports Nepal in maintaining its national independence, state sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as exploring a path of development that suits its national conditions.

He said that China will continue to support Nepal's economic and social development.

Bhandari said the Belt and Road is a historic initiative and has served as a good platform for Nepal-China cooperation.

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Public mass in the terror-hit Sri Lanka would resume in certain Catholic churches from May 5 and no bags will be allowed inside as part of the tight security measures, according to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.

All public church services were cancelled after the Easter Sunday bomb blasts that ripped through three churches and high-end hotels, killing 253 people and injuring 500 others.

The prelate said on Monday that vigilance committees formed by the residents of the parish would be responsible to identify individuals who enter their respective churches and parishioners will have to confirm their identity before entering a church.

The cardinal, who conducted a private memorial mass on Sunday fearing repeat of the Easter attacks, told media that bags will not be allowed to be taken inside the churches owing to security measures.

President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's had also attended the private memorial mass.

Commenting on Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's statement that the bombings could have been averted had the Counter-Terrorism Act been in force, he said that amending the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) is better than bringing in a new piece of legislation to counter terrorism, the Daily Mirror reported.

It is easier to amend the existing legislation rather than bringing in a new one. Effective measures should be taken to apprehend the individuals and groups responsible for these attacks in order to prevent people from taking the law into their hands," he said.

The religious leader said a new government comprising all parties should be appointed.

"No party should think of elections at this moment. We will even have to take to the streets and lead peaceful protests if the government continues to handle the situation in the manner it presently does. Action should be taken against ministers and MPs if they were found guilty of being part of the Easter Sunday bombings," he was quoted as saying in the report.

Cardinal Ranjith said he wasn't consulted prior to the appointment of a presidential commission to probe security lapses that led to the Easter bombings.

We are oblivious to the backgrounds of the members in the commission. We urge the government to appoint another commission comprising religious leaders. Buddhist clergy is eligible to lead such a commission as they will look into the matter impartially, he said.

A total of 106 suspects, including a Tamil medium teacher and a school principal, have been arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday blasts.

The Islamic State claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the attacks.

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Several civil society organisations claimed that Johnson & Johnson's move of giving donations for the National Tuberculosis Control Program is aimed at inducing leniency from the government in a probe initiated against its products.

They have urged Union Health Minister J P Nadda to discontinue receiving donations from the company.

In a letter to Nadda, the organisations and patient groups stated that such ad-hoc donations threaten the sustainability and predictability of the government's MDR-TB treatment programme.

Recently, Johnson & Johnson had announced to provide an additional 10,000 courses of tuberculosis drug bedaquiline (BDQ) to the Indian government.

The pharmaceutical company had previously donated 10,000 courses of BDQ to India's TB programme in 2016, as part of a global donation programme operated in partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

"The announcement of the new donation comes a full three years later in the backdrop of multiple regulatory actions and investigations by the Union Health Ministry into harmful medical devices and cosmetic products marketed by J&J in India," the letter stated.

According to the civil society organisations, the donations of BDQ to India not only create dependence on donations from a single supplier but also stifle the government's willingness to promote local production of BDQ by generic manufacturers.

"It is therefore extremely disappointing to see the government's continued reliance on donations from J&J for MDR-TB treatment. This is an unsustainable approach to running India's TB programme that is meant to serve and treat the world's highest burden of TB and MDR-TB cases. This is also antithetical to the government's goal to eliminate TB in India by 2025," they said.

They said given the string of regulatory actions and investigations into J&J's products recently, the announcement of the BDQ drug donations has led to apprehensions that the donations are an attempt to "whitewash its image and induce leniency" by the government for the company's "transgressions", particularly "in relation to refusal to compensate Indian patients of ASR hip implants, which the government is pursuing actively both in and outside the courts".

The ministry had initiated a process to compensate the victims of faulty hip implants.

However, J&J approached the Delhi High Court against a Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) order asking it to pay Rs 65 lakh and Rs 74 lakh to two of the victims of faulty Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) hip implants.

"Therefore, we urge the government to put in place clear guidelines in accepting donations from pharmaceutical companies, to safeguard against potential conflicts of interest that can undermine the role of the health ministry and any of its agencies/committees, to regulate companies and take actions necessary for protecting patient safety," the letter stated.

Some of the civil society organisations and patient groups include All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), Delhi Harm Reduction and Advocacy Forum, Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+), Social activist Francis Joseph, TB survivor and TB/HIV Activist Ganesh Acharya, Hip Implant Patients Support Group (HIPS) and Lawyers Collective among others.

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A German pensioner had a lucky escape Tuesday after crashing his car into a Hamburg mall, the vehicle ending up precariously balanced on the edge of an atrium -- its front tyres suspended in mid-air.

The 85-year-old man drove the SUV vehicle up a flight of five stairs, smashed into closed glass doors and through the handbag department of a major store in north Hamburg, then breached the glass barriers surrounding the atrium before finally stopping.

"For an unexplained reason, an elderly man drove his SUV through the main entrance of the mall before stopping right on the edge," a spokesman for Hamburg firefighters told AFP.

Despite the drama in the Galeria Kaufhof store, no one was seriously hurt, the spokesman told AFP, adding that two people taken to hospital were not in serious condition.

"It could have ended much more dramatically -- 50 centimetres (20 inches) further and the car would have fallen over the edge and we could have expected a lot more injuries," a senior firefighter told German newspaper Bild.

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MD & CEO Abhishek Lodha and executive chairman have made an investment in co-living firm that plans to infuse Rs 350 crore by end of the next year to reach 50,000 beds, a top company official said.

Housr, which has been co-founded by Tribeca Developers MD Kalpesh Mehta and Deepak Anand, did not disclose the amount infused by the two promoters and three investors -- Abhishek Lodha, and Unimark group Chairman Harsh Patodia.

However, it said the funds have been raised at a "$30 million pre-money valuation".

The co-living firm has already taken on lease 10,000 beds in Gurugram (Haryana), Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Mumbai and Kota (Rajasthan).

has taken on long-term lease two residential towers from realty firm Tulip Infratech to launch its first co-living project in Gurugram. This property would be operational in 4-6 weeks in a price range of Rs 10,000-25,000 per month per bed including breakfast.

Co-living concepts have gained momentum in India in last few years, prompting many players to enter this business including hospitality firm Oyo.

To encash rising demand, will offer large format co-living space, with 500-700 beds per property, for millennials as well as students.

"We launched this venture six months ago. We have raised pre-series A funding from Abhishek Lodha, and Harsh Patodia to scale up our business. They have invested in personal capacity," Anand told PTI.

Housr is a super aggregator of properties, which creates experiences, fosters communities through tech-enabled co-living spaces, Anand said.

When contacted, Mehta said the company is targeting to reach 50,000 beds by 2020-end which would require an investment of Rs 300-350 crore.

"Over 50 million young professionals and students migrate to cities. So, there is a huge demand for co-living space," he said.

The company plans to enter markets such as Chandigarh, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in next 18 months.

"Housr has all the ingredients required to disrupt this space through a super aggregated, and community first approach. As a developer and an investor, I look forward to supporting Housrto transform the co-living industry in India," Lodha said.

Kalpesh Mehta, the founder of Tribeca, has been instrumental in bringing Trump Towers projects in India. Tribeca is developing many realty projects across India.

An INSEAD alumnus, Deepak Anand comes with a diverse background in private equity, banking, distribution with leadership roles at HSBC, HDFC and HT Media.
The Congress Tuesday complained to the Telangana State Election Commission on the "unilateral" rejection of the nomination of party nominee for Vikarabad Zilla Parishad chairperson post, Sunita Sampath, in the rural local body elections.

Congress MLA Rohit Reddy and other party leaders met state election commissioner Nagi Reddy and complained about the rejection of nomination, a Congress release said.

The commissioner assured them that he would examine the matter by obtaining details from the district collector, the release claimed.

Congress is ready put up a legal fight on the government's attitude in the rejection of her nomination, State Congress committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said in a statement.

The party has also complained to the commissioner about party nominee for Gagganapalli Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) in Nagar Kurnool district, Venkata Narayana Reddy, allegedly being offered Rs 10 lakh by a rival TRS candidate to withdraw from contest.

State Congress vice president Mallu Ravi complained to the commissioner, a party release said.

The state election commission has issued notification for conducting the rural local body polls in three phases beginning May 6.

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A Congress delegation met the full bench of the Election Commission in New Delhi and demanded fresh polling in West Tripura seat alleging large scale rigging by the ruling BJP, senior party leader said Tuesday.

Elections in West Tripura seat was held in the first phase on April 11.

We met the EC full bench on Monday and demanded countermanding of the elections in the West Tripura constituency because the polls were heavily rigged by the BJP supporters," Tripura PCC president Pradyot Deb Burman told reporters here.

The Congress leaders who met the EC included Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, party candidate from the constituency, Subal Bhowmick besides Deb Barman himself.

Bhowmik said that the ECI was informed about booth jamming and violence due to which Congress election agents couldnt enter 900-1,000 polling stations out of 1,679 of the constituency where polling was held in April 11.

A decision on it would be taken shortly, Deb Burman said.

After the election in West Tripura, the EC had postponed polling in East Tripura, the other Lok Sabha seat in the state, from April 18 to April 23 saying "The law and order situation prevailing... is not conducive to the holding of free and fair poll".

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday charged that the Congress has "lies" in its DNA and asked how it will give "Nyay" when it has always done injustice.

He also said there is no "dalali" in the BJP government and if funds are given under any scheme, they go straight to beneficiaries.

Speaking at an election meeting, Adityanath said, "Congress has lies in its DNA. They say they will give NYAY (justice) ...we ask you have always done injustice with the people here. How will you give NYAY now".

Adityanath was referring to the "Ab hoga nyay" election tagline of the Congress.

The chief minister said if five years of the BJP government are compared with 55 years of the Congress and if two years of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh with 17 years of SP-BSP governments then the BJP will prove to be much better.

He also said that during Congress governments, Pakistani terrorists used to behead jawans but now when soldiers are martyred, it is avenged by going inside Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP chief Amit Shah Tuesday attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he and his party "sulked" after the airstrike in Pakistan's Balakot as his dreams of becoming prime minister got shattered.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked for the security of the country and has given befitting replies to terrorists, he said while addressing an election rally in Rajasthan's Dausa area.

"Rahul baba and his company sulked after the airstrike in Balakot in Pakistan. His dream of becoming the country's prime minister got shattered. Now, they are seeking proof of the airstrike for vote bank," the BJP chief said.

The Indian Air Force had carried out a strike on a terrorist camp in Balakot on February 26 after the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed on February 14.

He said Gandhi is asking what the BJP did in Rajasthan."We have been in government (at the Centre) for just five years.Your four generations have ruled the country for 55 years," Shah said targeting the Congress.

"Sonia (Gandhi)-Manmohan (Singh) government was in power for 10 years and 'alia, malia, jamalia' (referring to terrorists) from Pakistan intruded and beheaded our soldiers, but 'mouni (silent) baba' did not even speak a word," he said.

The Modi government will reply with double the force if a bullet is fired from Pakistan.The government cannot compromise with the security of the country, Shah said.

"Elections will come and go. Someone will win and someone will lose.Whatever has to happen will happen but there can be no compromise with the security of 'Bharat Mata (the country)'," he said.

India was looking for a leader like Narendra Modi for 70 years.The nation wanted such a person to become the prime minister who would work hard for the poor, tribals and backward, the BJP chief said.

He alleged that the Congress has an agreement with the National Conference, which has been advocating for a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

"Should there be two prime ministers in the country?" Shah asked the gathering.

He said as long as there is life in the last BJP worker, nobody can separate Kashmir from India."Even if the BJP is not in power, nobody can separate Kashmir from India," Shah said.

People have to choose between the Congress, which has proposed to repeal an section in the IPC pertaining to sedition, and the BJP, which will remove Article 370 of the Constitution from Kashmir when Modi becomes prime minister again, the BJP chief said.

The article grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir.The Congress has promised to repeal Section 124A (sedition law) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), if voted to power.

"Rahul Baba has proposed to scrap sedition section (of the IPC).Some people in JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) had raised the slogan 'Bharat tere tukade honge', but instead of sending such people to jail, the Congress is talking about scrapping the sedition section," he said.

Shah asserted that the one of the party's agenda is to throw out infiltrators from the country.

"You bring a Modi government again and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Assam to Gujarat, we will find out each and every intruder and throw them out of the country one by one," he said.

Modi did not take a single holiday and worked to bring about a change in the lives of the poor in the past five years, but Gandhi enjoys vacations abroad as the temperature in the country soars, Shah claimed.

The BJP government has come out with a manifesto promising zero per cent interest on loans given to farmers and pension for farmers and labourers who are above the age of 60 years, he said.

There will be a house for everyone and toilet, electricity and LPG cylinder in each house when the BJP comes to power again, Shah said.

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The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has constituted a 10-member committee to bring out 'Safety Manual' of the department.

According to a CPWD official, the committee, headed by Additional Director General (ADG) K M Soni, has been asked to submit its report within two months.

The move is aimed at ensuring safety of engineers and workers working in various projects of the agency which comes under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.

The official said several senior CPWD officers, including Chief Project Manager J S Sharma, Deputy Director General Harish Kumar and DMRC member Daljeet Singh have been included in the panel.

"Till now, there was no such safety manual and in view of this, the committee has been formed. It will submit its report within two months," official also said.

It comes a few days after it constituted an expert committee to formulate a design policy for building construction and infrastructure development.

The CPWD is the largest construction agency of the central government. It constructs most of the government's buildings across the country, erects fences on the country's international borders, among others.

The agency also carries out projects in foreign countries under friendship programmes with India.

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Cyclone 'Fani' has intensified into an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm' and it will cross the Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali by Friday afternoon, the India Meteorological Department said Tuesday.

The IMD has issued a formal cyclone alert for Odisha, West Bengal and parts of Andhra Pradesh, and suggested evacuation of costal areas.

The Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said Cyclone 'Fani' (pronounced Foni) lays southwest and adjoining westcentral and southeast Bay of Bengal about 760 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha) and 560 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and about 660 km north-northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka).

"It has intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm," Additional Director General of the IMD Mritunjay Mohapatra told PTI.

'Fani' is very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards and cross the Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, to the south of Puri around May 3 afternoon with maximum sustained wind speed of 175-185 kilometres per hour gusting to 205 kmph, the IMD said.

The wind speed of a cyclonic storm is 80-90 kmph gusting up to 100 kmph. In case of an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm', the wind speed goes up to 170-180 kmph and could gain the speed of 195-200 kmph.

An IMD bulletin in the evening said storm surge of about 1.5 metre above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha at the time of possible landfall.

In view of the severity of the situation, the Indian Navy has stationed two ships at Visakhapatnam and Chennai carrying expert divers and doctors, an official said.

Aircraft of the Indian Navy are also in a state of readiness at two locations for emergency services.

The Indian Air Force has also been alerted and their services will be utilised if necessary, Odisha Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said, adding the state government has taken up the matter with the NDRF.

He said 20 units of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and 335 units of fire services have also been kept in a state of preparedness.

After a video conference with Union Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi told reporters that the primary task is to ensure proper evacuation of people from low-lying areas of the coastal districts, which will be launched on May 2.

All the 880 cyclone centres have been readied for the purpose. Boats have also been kept in a state of readiness, the SRC said.

During the meeting, Padhi sought two helicopters be stationed in a state for emergency and additional NDRF personnel for rescue and relief operation.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's top body to deal with emergency situations, met in Delhi Tuesday for a second time in as many days and reviewed the preparedness.

The NDRF is deploying 41 teams in Andhra Pradesh (eight teams), Odisha (28) and West Bengal (five teams). In addition, the NDRF is keeping on standby 13 teams in West Bengal and 10 in Andhra Pradesh, a Central government official said.

A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) comprises about 45 personnel.

A home ministry statement said based on the decision of the first meeting of the NCMC, headed by Cabinet Secretary Sinha, the central government has already released advance financial assistance of Rs 1,086 crore to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

The IMD issued its 'yellow' warning and suggested total suspension of fishing activities operations, extensive evacuation from coastal areas, diversion or suspension of rail and road traffic. It also asked the people in areas likely to be affected by the storm to remain indoors and advised against operation of motor boats and small ships in the sea.

Distant warning signal II (DW-II) has been hoisted in all ports of Odisha and fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea from Wednesday, the IMD said.

Director of the regional meteorological centre, H R Biswas said the impact of Cyclone 'Fani' is likely to be much more severe than 'Titli', which had hit the Odisha-Andhra coast last year and killed at least 60 people.

The administration of Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Puri, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha have been put on high alert.

Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places is very likely in Kerala, at a few places in north coastal Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh till Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall is very likely over north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday and light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places a day later.

South coastal Odisha is expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Thursday. Rainfall is likely to increase at most places with heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with "extremely heavy falls" at isolated places over coastal Odisha and its adjoining districts of interior Odisha on Thursday.

Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy falls at isolated places are very likely over coastal districts of West Bengal on May 3 and heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal a day later.

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Severe cyclonic storm 'Fani' itensified into a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday, and is likely hit the Odisha coast between Puri and Kendrapara by Friday, a senior official said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is yet to specify the exact location of landfall.

However, in its 12 pm bulletin, the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said Fani lays over southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, about 830 km nearly south of Puri, 670 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and about 680 km northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka).

"The IMD module indicates that cylone Fani is expected to make a landfall somewhere between Satapada or Chandrabhaga in Puri district and Gupti in Kendrapara late on May 3," Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said.

According to a forecast issued by the US Navy, the cyclonic system is likely to cross Odisha through the coast, he said, adding, the exact location of the landfall will be clear on Wednesday after the cyclone recurves.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, meanwhile, has released funds from State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF) in advance to four states -- Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Of the total financial assistance of Rs 1,086 crore, Odisha will get Rs 340.87 crore.

The cyclonic storm moved at a speed of about 16 kmph in the last six hours and intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm. It lay centred about 760 km southeast of Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, said H R Biswas, director of the regional meteorological centre here.

The impact of 'Fani' is likely to be much more severe than 'Titli', which had hit the Odisha-Andhra coast last year, Biswas said.

At least 60 people had been killed when cyclone 'Titli' struck Odisha in October 2018.

Biswas said 'Fani' is very likely to intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during the next 36 hours, and expected to move northwestwards till May 1 evening, and, thereafter, recurve north-northeastwards towards Odisha coast.

The cyclone will trigger heavy to very heavy rainfall in the south and east coastal districts, while there will be isolated heavy rainfall at one or two places in the north Odisha districts, he said.

Sethi said rains will lash many coastal areas on May 2 and the intensity will assume severe shape on May 3, while windspeeds will be up to 70 kmph.

The IMD said squally winds with speeds of 40-50 kmph and gusting to 60 kmph is very likely to commence along and off north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts from May 2, and very likely to become gale wind, with speeds reaching 60-70 kmph gusting to 85 kmph from the morning of May 3.

As the sea will be very rough, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the waters from May 2 off Odisha and West Bengal coasts. Those who are out in the deep sea are advised to return to the coasts, said an official.

The SRC said the Odisha government has put the coastal districts on high alert and is prepared to face any eventuality.

Sethi said 20 units of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), 12 units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 335 units of fire services have been kept in a state of preparedness.

Instruction has been issued to undertake prompt evacuation of people from all vulnerable areas and shift them to the cyclone centres from May 2, he said, adding, all the 880 such centres have been readied for the purpose.

Boats are also kept in readiness for rescue operations if required.

The Indian Air Force, the Navy and Coast Guards have been alerted and their services will be utilised if necessary, Sethi said.

The district collectors of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Kendrapara have cancelled leaves of state government employees, as a part of the preparedness.

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The BJP's top leadership will be camped in the city from Wednesday onwards for electioneering activities in favour of the party's Lok Sabha candidates.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a mega rally here on May 8, party chief Amit Shah and Home Union Minister Rajnath Singh will address separate rallies on Wednesday at DDA Park in Vasant Kunj and Shastri Park respectively, read a Delhi BJP statement.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a mega rally in Delhi on May 8," Delhi BJP president and North East Delhi candidate Manoj Tiwari told reporters here.

Shah will address the massive public meeting in support of South Delhi BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri and New Delhi BJP candidate Meenakshi Lekhi.

The party's organising committee has inspected arrangements and security for the meetings.

Almost the entire top leadership of the BJP and union ministers in the Modi government will be campaigning for party candidates in the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.

The party won all the seats in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. This time, it is engaged in a keen triangular contest with the Congress and the AAP which have fielded candidates on all the seats after a failed bid to forge an alliance among themselves.

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The Delhi High Court has directed police to submit a status report within two weeks on a teenage boy who went missing from K G Marg in 2013.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Vinod Goel also ordered constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising competent officers to probe the matter and issued notice to the Delhi government, UIDAI and others.

The high court also directed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to provide all the relevant information available with them in respect of the missing 17-year-old boy in a sealed cover before May 21 so that the investigation can proceed in the right direction without losing any more time.

"We are also of the opinion that in the peculiar facts of the present case where almost five-and-half years have elapsed from the date when the petitioners' son went missing, an SIT comprising of competent officers in the field be constituted right away.

"A status report shall be filed by the DCP, Crime branch within two weeks with a tabulated compilation setting out the steps taken over the past five-and-half years to track the petitioners' missing son with a separate list of constructive steps proposed to be taken to track the missing person, without wasting any further time," the bench said.

During the hearing, advocate Rahul Mehra, standing counsel for the Delhi government, told the court that on expiry of nine months reckoned from October 24, 2013, the investigation was transferred to the Crime Branch and till date nothing concrete has emerged.

The high court was hearing a plea filed by the parents of the boy who had filed a habeas corpus plea to track their son who went from home as along as October 24, 2013.

According to the plea, the boy had left their flat at KG Marg here on October 24, 2013 at around 10:30 am and never returned. On the same day at 7.00 pm, an FIR was registered at the Parliament Street police station in respect of the missing person.

"The investigation has been going on since past five-and-half years, but to the utter dismay of parents, no clue about their son has come up. The lawyer for the petitioners says that the petitioners have been running from pillar to post all these years pleading with respondent authorities to trace their son, but to no avail," the court noted.

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The Delhi High Court Tuesday refused to entertain a plea seeking direction to the AAP government for implementation of the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme in the national capital.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anup J Bhambhani junked the plea, saying it was not inclined to interfere in policy matters.

The high court was hearing a plea by economist Abhijit Mishra seeking directions to the Delhi government to implement Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana-Ayushman Bharat scheme.

In his plea, the petitioner had said that AAP government had neither issued any notification nor made any effort to implement the scheme.

"The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi has neither issued any notification nor has made any efforts to Implementation of Ayushman Bharat- National Health Protection Mission in Delhi. Also, the Government of NCT of Delhi has not formulated any health insurance and welfare schemes equivalent to the Ayushman Bharat- National Health Protection Mission for the Citizens domiciled in Delhi," the plea said.

It also contended that Delhi government has not signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Centre for implementation of the scheme as on March 31, 2019.

Billed as the world's largest government healthcare programme, Ayushman Bharat scheme will be funded with 60 per cent contribution from the Centre and remaining from the states.

The scheme targets poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational category of urban workers' families, 8.03 crore in rural and 2.33 crore in urban areas, as per the latest Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data. It will cover around 50 crore people and there is no cap on family size and age in the scheme, ensuring that nobody is left out.

Over 8,735 hospitals, both public and private, have been empanelled for the scheme, and as many as 31 states and Union territories have signed MoUs with the Centre to implement the programme. Telangana, Odisha, Delhi, Kerala and Punjab are among the states that have not opted for the scheme.

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Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik Tuesday held a meeting with senior officials regarding the security arrangements for the May 12 Lok Sabha elections in the national capital.

The meeting was attended by Special CPs, Joint CPs, Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), Anti-Terrorist Officers (ATOs) and Station House Officers (SHOs).

Following the recent terror attacks in Sri Lanka that killed 253 people and injured nearly 500, Patnaik directed the officials to take anti-terror measures during polling.

The DCP Election Cell gave a presentation regarding the preparation for the elections during the meeting.

"The Delhi Police Commissioner has also directed officials to follow guidelines issued by the Election Commission," said Anil Mittal, Additional Public Relations Officer (Delhi Police).

Patnaik also directed for high security arrangements at critical and sensitive booths. He also asked the officials to keep an eye on activities along the Delhi borders, he said.

Polling for all seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi will be held on May 12 in the sixth phase of the seven-phased 2019 general election.

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Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan was on Tuesday barred from campaigning for 48 hours for his provocative remarks against poll authorities in Uttar Pradesh and making communal statements, officials said.

This is the second time this month that the EC has imposed a ban on him. The fresh ban will come into force at 6.00 AM Wednesday.

Earlier he was barred from campaigning for 72 hours for his 'khaki underwear' jibe at BJP candidate Jaya Prada.

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A beluga whale found in Arctic Norway wearing a harness that suggests links to a military facility in Russia is so tame that residents can pet the mammal on its nose.

The white whale found frolicking in the frigid harbor of Tufjord, a hamlet near Norway's northernmost point, has become "a huge attraction" for locals, one resident said Tuesday. The whale is so comfortable with people that it swims to the dock and retrieves plastic rings thrown into the sea.

"The whale is so tame that when you call it, it comes to you," said Linn Saether, adding the whale also reacts to yells and when humans splash their hands in the water. She said when she throws out a plastic ring, the Beluga whale brings it back to her as she sits on the dock.

"It is a fantastic experience, but we also see it as a tragedy. We can see that it has been trained to bring back stuff that is thrown at sea," Saether, 37, told The Associated Press.

The whale was found with a tight harness reading "Equipment St. Petersburg" in English. The hamlet has a dozen permanent residents and less than 100 people in the warmer season.

"The talk in this hamlet is that it could have escaped from a Russian military facility or even have swam from St. Petersburg, Florida, because of the English-language text," Saether said.

It was not immediately known whether any of the dolphin and whale facilities in St. Petersburg, Florida, were missing a Beluga whale.

On Friday, a fisherman jumped into the frigid Arctic water to remove the harness, which has a mount for a camera, from the whale. It wasn't clear why the strap was attached to the mammal.

Audun Rikardsen, a professor at the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe, northern Norway, said he believes "it is most likely that Russian Navy in Murmansk" was involved.

Murmansk is the headquarters for Russia's Northern Fleet, the single most powerful fleet in the Russian navy. The city is located on the Kola Peninsula, in far northwestern Russia close to the Norwegian border.

Russian authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the whale.

But Mikhail Barabanov, a Russian naval analyst at the Moscow-based Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies think tank, downplayed any links to the Russian military.

"Even if there are military programs for using marine animals for navy purposes, they are unlikely to belugas, and such animals are unlikely to be released into the open ocean," he told AP in an email.

"I think that these Norwegian idiots simply robbed certain Petersburg zoologists" who were trying to track whales, Barabanov said.

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Realty firm Eros Group Tuesday said it will invest Rs 125 crore to develop a new housing project at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

The company, which is also into hospitality sector, will develop 258 units in the new project called 'Eros Sampoornam I'.

The project will be adjacent to the company's existing project Eros Sampoornam wherein 1,800 flats have been delivered.

"After the successful delivery of 1,768 units at this location, we have launched a new phase of development. We will be developing a little over 250 units in four towers.

The project will be delivered in 2023," said Avneesh Sood, Director, Eros Group.

The company has launched this project at Rs 3,800 per sq ft and the size of the units range from 835-1,560 sq ft, he said.

"Eros has been around for more than 70 years and we have a legacy of providing the highest quality and excellence in our products. This new Sampoornam I project is a testament to that legacy," Sood said.

He said the company will meet project cost from internal accruals and advance payments from customers.

Eros Group has two hotels -- Shangri-La's Eros in central Delhi and Eros Radisson Blu Hotel in Faridabad, Haryana. It also runs Vishal Cineplex in West Delhi.

In real estate, the group has developed many housing and commercial (office and shopping mall) projects in the Delhi-NCR property market.

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Stepping up his attack on Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said even security personnel guarding the prime minister's official residence in Delhi may say the "chowkidar" (watchman) is a "chor" (thief).

Addressing a poll rally here in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi also reiterated his allegations over the Rafale jet purchase deal.

"I can say with guarantee...if you go in front of the Race Course Road (residence of the PM) where personnel of CRPF, BSF stand with guns...and utter the word 'chowkidar' in front of them, they will respond by saying 'chor hai'.

"You go to Race Course Road in Delhi and try this..say 'chowkidar'..Probably the security personnel standing before Narendra Modi's residence would say, 'chor hai'," he said.

The Congress president said such reply was a given "because the entire country knows that Modi has waived Rs 5.55 lakh crore of 15 persons in the country in the last five years".

Gandhi has been raising the "Chowkidar Chor Hai" (Watchman is a thief) slogan to target the PM whom he accuses of being cosy with select businessmen.

He also alleged that the PM has given Rs 30,000 crore to businessman Anil Ambani through the "Rafale scam". "Modi has committed a theft of several lakh crores of your money," he said.

Gandhi asked Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath to probe the "Bundelkhand package scam".

"The then UPA government (at the Centre) had given Rs 3800 crore for development of the Bundelkhand region, but nothing happened," Gandhi said.

The Congress has been alleging irregularities in the Bundelkhand package which was released when Shivraj Singh Chouhan government was in power in MP.

While six of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh went to polls in the first phase on April 29, the other 23 constituencies will vote on May 6, 12 and 19.

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Hitting out at Narendra Modi after the Home Ministry issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi on his citizenship status, the Congress Tuesday termed him a "failed" Prime Minister who is desperate to "manufacture one false allegation everyday".

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala claimed that Modi has no answer on unemployment, agrarian distress and black money, and hence he is resorting to "fake narrative" through his government's notices to divert attention.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost the plot. After four phases of elections, it is clear that Modiji and the BJP are hurtling towards an imminent defeat at a breakneck speed. Consequently, they seek to manufacture one malicious and fallacious agenda everyday," he said at a press conference.

The Home Ministry has served a notice to Gandhi, asking him to clarify within a fortnight his "factual position" on a complaint questioning his citizenship status.

In the letter, the Home Ministry said it has received a representation from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in which it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Gandhi as one of its directors.

The Home Ministry said Swamy's letter also mentioned that in the British company's annual returns filed on October 10, 2005 and October 31, 2006, Gandhi's date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970 and his nationality as British.

Surjewala said these are "rehashed allegations" from the year 2014-15 that were rejected back then.

The entire set of allegations are based on alleged citizenship title given in a certificate of incorporation of a company called the Backops limited of which Rahul Gandhi was once a director, he said.

Surjewala, displaying some document, said the fourth page therein shows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian.

"Rahul Gandhi is an Indian by birth. Everybody knows about the sacrifices his family has made for the country -- three generations thereof," he said.

In Amethi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came to the defence of her brother and said the MHA notice was a "rubbish". "It seems that it is out of fear that they might be losing," she said, attacking the ruling party.

Surjewala said that the same allegations, using the same documents, were levelled against Rahul Gandhi in a litigation filed in the Supreme Court.

The petition came up for hearing in the Supreme Court on November 30, 2015, and was dismissed, he said. "Is the MHA now bigger than the SC? Does the BJP not accept the decision of the highest court now?"



"The truth is that such myopic, petty, malicious and fallacious allegations will not divert the agenda (from real issues). People will not stop asking you questions Mr Modi as to where are the jobs, what about the agrarian distress and the rural distress, what about the 8 lakh crore black money that was to come within a 100 days, Rs 15 lakh that was to be deposited in every Indians account...," he said.

The truth is that having "failed" on every front, a "failed" Prime Minister is desperate to manufacture one false allegation a day, the Congress spokesperson said.

"The Modi government should be renamed as a desperate government manufacturing one allegation per day, but your fake allegations will not replace the truth," he asserted.

In November 2015, the Supreme Court had dismissed a public interest litigation seeking a CBI investigation into the citizenship of Gandhi while noting that PILs are not meant to target one individual or organisation but was a medium to resolve human suffering through good governance.

A bench of then Chief Justice of India H L Dattu and justice Amitava Roy had rubbished the plea questioning the source and authenticity of the documents attached to the petition.

In 2016, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had forwarded to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee, headed by veteran BJP leader L K Advani, Swamy's "complaint of ethical misconduct" against Gandhi that he had accessed documents in which the Congress leader had called himself "British".

In his reply to the ethics committee on the allegations of British citizenship, Gandhi had said he had never "sought or acquired British citizenship" and that his "identity is that of an Indian".

Gandhi also questioned the committee's decision to look into a "complaint that is not in order", claiming it was "an endeavour to malign" him.

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BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje Tuesday came out in support of a journalist who was arrested recently for allegedly circulating a 'fake letter' purportedly written by State Home minister M B Patil to Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi two years ago on religious minority tag to Lingayats.

Patil had termed the letter fake and alleged that it was a conspiracy against him by his rivals.

The MP wanted to know why the 'fake letter' based on which journalist Hemanth Kumar, reportedly a BJP sympathiser, was arrested, not investigated when it first surfaced in 2018.

"Why cases were not registered when the letter first surfaced in 2018..It is a proof that a political conspiracy is going on in the State against the BJP rank and cadre," Karandlaje told reporters.

She also trashed the charge that the letter originated in the BJP office.

BJP leader Shivakumar said Karandlaje met Kumar at the Criminal Investigation Department office here while he was being taken to court as his police custody ended Tuesday.

Cases have also been registered against two women for allegedly circulating the letter.

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At least five people died and 28 others fell ill on Tuesday after they allegedly consumed spurious liquor in a "post-election feast" in Odisha's Bhadrak district, police said.

The tragedy struck late Monday night, a few hours after polling for the fourth and final phase of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly elections in the state was over.

Locals claimed that the victims had bought the liquor with the money provided to them by political parties before the polls on Monday, while the police said the entire episode is being probed.

"We have information that people in Daulatapur and another village under Tihidi police station limits had bought the liquor from a local market for a post-election feast," Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Umakanta Moharana said.

Excise Secretary Nikunja Bihari Dhal said a joint investigation is being conducted by revenue, health, excise and police departments.

"As the incident took place on polling day after voting was over, we are taking the matter seriously," Dhal said.

While three persons died at a hospital in Bhadrak, another succumbed on the way to Cuttack, the SDPO said.

Another person died in the village before he could be taken to the hospital, Inspector In-Charge of Tihidi police station Prabhansu Mishra said.

Excise Commissioner Upendra S Punia, who rushed to the area after the incident, told PTI that a forensic team visited the site and collected samples for test.

He said around 40 people were taken to the district headquarters hospital in Bhadrak after they fell ill and currently 28 are under treatment.

Additional District Medical Officer P K Khuntia said the villagers complained of nausea, stomachache and loss of eyesight after consuming the liquor Monday night.

The district administration has ordered an inquiry to ascertain the cause of death and the circumstances that led to the tragedy, a senior official said.

Punia said a clear picture will emerge after samples collected from the area are tested and post-mortem reports of the deceased are available.

Angry over the incident, villagers blocked the Bhadrak-Chandabali road causing massive traffic snarls on the thoroughfare, the SDPO added.

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The Delhi Police Tuesday arrested three men for allegedly supplying illicit liquor in the national capital in two separate incidents, officials said.

The accused have been identified as Rahees Ahmed (26), a resident of Badaun District in Uttar Pradesh, Sunil Kumar (28), a resident of Wazirpur Industrial Area, and Rakesh Shukla (45),a resident of Ashok Vihar, they said.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ram Gopal Naik, "They got a tip-off on Tuesday regarding the smuggling of illicit liquor from Haryana to Delhi."



Subsequently, a raid was conducted near Najafgarh drain, Dwarka where Ahmed and Kumar were apprehended.

On their instance, Shukla, the owner of the tempo, was also arrested.

Total 155 cartons containing 7,590 quarters illicit liquor and one tempo were used in the offence.

In another incident, the Delhi Police Tuesday seized 95 units of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) from a tempo that was going towards KN Katju Marg in Rohini, they said.

The tempo, which was being driven at a high speed, was stopped near Guru Nanak Dev Polytechnic in Rohini. A case under the Excise Act was registered in the matter, officials said.

The accused Guddu (28), a resident of Kirari, has been arrested, they added.

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French prosecutors on Tuesday urged an appeals court to approve the extradition of an Iranian engineer to the United States after his arrest for violating American sanctions against Tehran.

Jalal Rohollahnejad, 41, was detained at the Nice airport on February 2 after arriving from Tehran via Moscow, having obtained a French visa for professional reasons.

According to court officials, two US judges for the District of Columbia suspect Rohollahnejad was involved in a bid to export sensitive industrial equipment to Iran.

After pulling out of a landmark 2015 deal in which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear ambitions, Washington re-imposed a wide-ranging trade embargo on the Islamic Republic.

The equipment, parts for industrial microwaves and anti-drone systems, was allegedly being transported clandestinely as part of an order destined for the United Arab Emirates.

Officials claim that with modifications, it could be used for making ultra-precise weapons.

Rohollahnejad is suspected to working on behalf of Iranian firm Rayan Roshd Afzar, which is thought to have links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

If convicted for his alleged actions, which took place between June 2016 and April 2018, Rohollahnejad could face up to 60 years behind bars.

At Tuesday's hearing in the southern French town of Aix-en-Provence, his lawyers denied the charges, saying they were simply part of Washington's campaign to cut off Iran's economic lifelines.

"Is it possible that the court has forgotten the situation between the US and Iran, two countries in a cold war?" said one lawyer, Jean-Yves Le Borgne.

But prosecutor Serge Bocoviz said the alleged charges dovetailed with French law, meaning there was no legal obstacle to Rohollahnejad's extradition. The appeals court will issue its ruling on May 22.

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The Election Commission Tuesday imposed a fresh ban on Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan from campaigning for 48 hours for his provocative speeches against the local poll machinery and also making inflammatory communal remarks.

This is the second time this month that the EC has imposed a ban on him. The fresh ban will come into force at 6.00 AM Wednesday.

Earlier he was barred from campaigning for 72 hours for his 'khaki underwear' jibe at BJP candidate Jaya Prada.

He was issued a show cause notice for making inflammatory remarks at various places in Uttar Pradeh in the past few days.

Giving instances of his remarks, the EC had said on one occasion, he had allegedly said that "fascists are trying to kill him".

On another occasion, he had allegedly claimed that the prime minister has killed Muslims.

He had also allegedly said that criminals were occupying constitutional posts, in an apparent dig at Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh.

The EC pointed out that FlRs have been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act against him in the cases.

The notice had also pointed out that the Supreme Court has noted that religion and caste cannot be used by anyone while making any statement during electioneering.

While this year's two bans are pan India, Khan had faced a similar UP-centric ban in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls for his inflammatory remarks.

In his reply, Khan had apologised for his remarks, but the EC "strongly condemned" him and "warned" him from repeating "misconduct" in future.

Using its constitutional powers, the Commission barred him from holding rallies, campaigning, giving statements to media for the next 48 hours beginning 6.00 AM Wednesday.

The poll panel said he has violated the provisions of the model code dealing with making communal remarks and "intimidation" of voters.

The order did not specifically mention where he had made speeches against district poll machinery. Khan is a candidate from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh.

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/ -- Remogliflozin is an innovative, patent-protected sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor indicated in treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus in adults SGLT2 inhibitors are cutting-edge, globally-accepted latest class of oral anti-diabetes drugs that provide glycemic control, induce weight loss and reduce cardiovascular risks



Glenmark is the first company in the world to launch Remogliflozin and India is the first country to get access to this innovative drug Remogliflozin has been studied in 26 clinical trials globally, covering about 2,500 patients from various ethnicities Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Glenmark), a research-led global integrated pharmaceutical company, today announced the launch of its novel, patent protected and globally-researched sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor Remogliflozin etabonate (Remogliflozin) in India. The drug is indicated in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus in adults.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451507/PRNE_Glenmark_Logo.jpg )



SGLT2 inhibitors are novel anti-diabetic drugs that help achieve glycemic control by acting on the SGLT2 receptors in the proximal tubule of the kidney, thereby preventing renal reabsorption of glucose and promoting excretion of glucose in the urine. SGLT2 drugs provide glycemic control, induce weight loss and reduce cardiovascular risks.

Glenmark is the first company in the world to launch the novel SGLT2 inhibitor Remogliflozin and India is the first country to get access to this innovative drug. Glenmark will commercialize Remogliflozin in India under the brand names 'Remo' and 'Remozen'.

Glenmark received regulatory approval for Remogliflozin etabonate 100 mg tablets, twice daily, after successfully completing Phase-3 clinical trials in which Remogliflozin demonstrated good efficacy and safety profile in a head-to-head comparison against Dapagliflozin.

Remogliflozin, the latest drug in SGLT2 inhibitors' class to get regulatory approval in the world, has been studied in 26 clinical trials globally, covering around 2,500 patients from various ethnicities.

Remogliflozin was discovered and developed by Japanese firm Kissei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and later developed by GlaxoSmithKline plc and Glenmark collaborator BHV Pharma, a wholly owned subsidiary of Avolynt, Inc. which is based in North Carolina, USA. Glenmark secured certain rights to Remogliflozin through a licensing collaboration agreement with BHV Pharma, and conducted the Phase-3 clinical trial.

"Globally, SGLT2 inhibitors are emerging as a preferred treatment for management of type-2 diabetes and Glenmark is proud to introduce a novel molecule in this class, which is cutting-edge and researched extensively. Diabetes is a key area of focus for Glenmark and with the launch of Remogliflozin, the company aims to improve access to SGLT2 inhibitors by providing an effective, high quality and world-class treatment option to patients in India," said Sujesh Vasudevan, President, India Formulations, Middle East and Africa at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals.

The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes have recommended use of SGLT2 inhibitors as an alternative first line treatment to Metformin or as an adjunctive treatment in the management of type-2 diabetes mellitus. SGLT2 inhibitors are particularly recommended for use in patients that have certain established cardiovascular diseases.

India is estimated to have around 72 million adults living with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation's Diabetes Atlas 2017.1



According to data from IQVIA, India's diabetes market is estimated at Rs. 11,413 crore (approx. USD 1630mn) as of MAT March 2019. The market size of SGLT2 inhibitors is estimated at Rs. 574 crore (approx. USD 82mn) as of MAT March 2019.

About Glenmark Pharmaceuticals



Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (GPL) is a research-driven, global, integrated pharmaceutical organization. It is ranked among the top 75 Pharma & Biotech companies of the world in terms of revenue (SCRIP 100 Rankings published in the year 2018). Glenmark is a leading player in the discovery of new molecules both NCEs (new chemical entity) and NBEs (new biological entity). Glenmark has several molecules in various stages of clinical development and is focused in the areas of oncology, dermatology and respiratory.

The company has a significant presence in the branded generics markets across emerging economies including India. Glenmark has 16 manufacturing facilities across five countries and has six R&D centers. The Generics business of Glenmark services the requirements of the US and Western European markets. The API business sells its products in over 80 countries, including the US, various countries in the EU, South America and India.

Reference:



IDF Diabetes Atlas 2017(https://reports.instantatlas.com/report/view/704ee0e6475b4af885051bcec15f0e2c/IND) Source: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

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"Grey's Anatomy" actor Giacomo Gianniotti has tied the knot with his fiancee Nicole Gustafson.

The couple exchanged wedding vows on Sunday in Italy, reported People magazine.

Gianniotti, 29, and Gustafson chose Villa Pocci near Castel Gandolfo as the venue of their wedding.

The Italian-Canadian actor, who stars as Dr Andrew DeLuca on "Grey's Anatomy", proposed to his now-wife over Thanksgiving Weekend in 2017.

Giannotti made his "Grey's Anatomy" debut in season 11 as a guest star. He joined the main cast for season 12.

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The GST investigative arm has found guilty of profiteering to the tune of Rs 4.51 crore by not reducing the price of despite a cut in rate.

Investigation by the Directorate General of Anti-Profiteering (DGAP) has revealed that Starbucks, the equal joint venture between the and global chain Starbucks, had hiked the base price of one its variant after the cut tax rates on restaurants from 18 per cent to 5 per cent with effect from November 15, 2017.

This kept the retail sale price of the product pre and post GST rate reduction intact. Sources said the DGAP had concluded its investigation in March and found that profiteered Rs 4.51 crore. This case will be now heard by the (NAA), which will pass the final order about the quantum of profiteering.

When contacted, Tata spokesperson said: As a responsible organization, conducts its business ethically and complies with all the local laws and regulations. The company, since its entry in October 2012, operates around 140 outlets across Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and GST rate on restaurants was slashed to 5 per cent without benefit of credit on inputs with effect from November 15, 2017. Before that the tax rate was 18 per cent with input tax credit (ITC). Following that, restaurants were supposed to adjust their base price after taking into account the unavailability of credit on input. However, there have been complaints from customers that restaurants have hiked their base price of the products in such a way that the final sale price remained the same both before and after GST rate cut.

According to estimates the unavailability of ITC benefits can push up the cost of product by 10-12 per cent. However, in some cases we have seen that the base price has been increased by as much as 85 per cent, one of the source said.

After studying the books of accounts of a company, the DGAP gives its report to the for further action. If the finds a firm guilty of profiteering then the amount profiteered has to be refunded to consumers by the company. In case where the consumers cannot be identified, the amount has to be deposited into the consumer welfare fund of the Centre and states. In February, the had found another restaurant chain Jubilant FoodWorks, the operator of Dominos Pizza in India, guilty of not passing on GST-cut benefit of Rs 41.42 crore on sale of some pizza products.

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The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday ordered the state government to install CCTV cameras in government schools and make them mandatory in grant-in-aid and private schools.

It asked the state to file an affidavit on its progress by June 29.

The order of a bench of acting Chief Justice Anant S Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav came in response to a PIL filed by Deepak Dhakana in September 2017 seeking a direction to the state government to install CCTV cameras in schools in order to ensure safety of students after incidents of child molestation in schools were reported in Ahmedabad.

The purpose of such CCTV cameras would also be to regulate academic activities and to ensure that classes are held properly, the PIL said.

The cameras were proposed to be installed both in the school premises and inside the classrooms.

In its submission, the state government said it had no objection to the proposal, and it is committed to the safety of students, but maintained that it will require special budgetary allocations and the exercise will be exhaustive.

It said CCTV cameras were already installed in several schools, but a majority of schools were still without them.

Through his lawyer Nishith Joshi, the petitioner argued that a majority of schools lack CCTV cameras and it leads to exploitation of children.

In its guidelines on child safety in schools, the Supreme Court had also said that school management should install sufficient CCTV cameras on its premises and also facing road and entry, exit and periphery.

The Delhi government had last year approved a project to install CCTV cameras in government schools after a spate of attacks on children inside institutes across the NCR in the past year.

The cameras were proposed to cover classrooms, corridors, laboratories, libraries, vacant rooms, parking lots and areas outside washrooms.

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Gutkha worth over Rs 11 lakh was seized from Palghar district in Maharashtra and two persons were arrested in this connection, police said on Tuesday.

A police team intercepted a tempo on the Mumbai- Ahmedabad highway near Amboli village here on Monday and found gutkha worth Rs 11.96 lakh being carried in the vehicle, police spokesperson Hemant Katkar said.

The tempo driver and cleaner, both hailing from Panvel in neighbouring Raigad district, were arrested following the seizure and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Food Safety and Standards Act, he said.

The sale and consumption of gutkha and pan masala was banned in Maharashtra in 2012.

The state government last year announced that sale of gutkha would be made a non-bailable offence.

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The Allahabad High Court Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government and the electricity department to respond to a petition filed by Allahabad University challenging a demand notice of Rs 2.74 crore issued by the power corporation.

The bench comprising justices Bharati Sapru and Vivek Varma passed the order on the university's writ petition against the demand notice issued by the power corporation on the ground that the corporation was not providing 24-hour power backup to the varsity and instead threatening to cut down power.

On September 18, 2018, the court had directed Allahabad University to hold a meeting with the chief engineer of the corporation and raise its grievances before the officer. However, the matter could not be resolved in that meeting.

Later, on April 19, the court had directed the university to deposit 50 per cent of the demand made by the power corporation. The university deposited Rs 1.37 crore.

The bench has directed the state government and the power corporation to file their replies within two weeks and listed the case for hearing after expiry of two weeks.

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The Madras High Court bench here Tuesday directed the police recruitment body to consider the cases of aspirants for sub-inspector rank posts whose candidature had been rejected on the sole ground their eye power, which is rectifiable, did not meet required visual standards.

"It is well settled in law that a physical defect or deformity, which in no way interfere with the normal or efficient functioning, should not be considered as a absolute bar to public employment in regard to the posts not associated with physical activity," Justice R Mahadevan said.

He was allowing a batch of petitions by the candidates seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) to consider them for appointment to the posts of Sub-Inspector Technical and Finger Print.

The Judge noted the candidates who had been declared selected were rejectedon the ground their vision was not fulfilling the required standards and said there was no nexus between the job they were supposed to do and the eye sight.

If such defect does not come in the way of their normal functioning and can be corrected, the candidates should not be treated as medically unfit, he said adding technology had also developed well and gone beyond the imagination.

So long as the defect or deformity can be corrected and it had no effect on the efficient and normal functioning of the person, the defect by itself cannot be a ground to dis-entitle him for being considered for that post, he said.

The petitioners' eye vision defect pointed out by the board could be easily cured with scientific methods.

The Judge also held rejecting the candidates citing a new rule which was not mentioned in the recruitment notification was arbitrary and illegal.

In future, the TNSURB should include any such conditions as prescribed under the relevant rules and G.Os at the time of issuing notification to avoid situations such as now, the Judge added.

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German airline group Lufthansa plunged deeper into the red in the first quarter, it said Tuesday, blaming the rising price of fuel and intense competition in Europe but sticking to annual targets.

Between January and March, the Frankfurt-based group lost 342 million euros (USD 382 million), almost nine times worse than in the first quarter of 2018.

Lufthansa had warned earlier in April of the looming negative bottom line, suggesting an operating, or underlying loss of 336 million euros was in the offing -- a figure confirmed Tuesday.

Meanwhile revenues were up three per cent year-on-year, at 7.9 billion euros.

"The first quarter is traditionally a difficult one for airlines," the group said, with seasonal effects worsened by a 202-million-euro rise in fuel costs compared with last year.

Looking ahead to the full year, Lufthansa now expects spending on jet fuel to rise by 700 million euros to 6.8 billion euros.

Last year's bill was already up 850 million euros on the previous year.

"A continued reduction of unit costs could only partially offset the decline" in earnings caused by higher fuel costs and competition squeezing ticket prices in Europe, the group said.

Finance director Ulrik Svensson said he was "confident" for the remainder of 2019, highlighting "favourable booking levels for the months ahead".

Lufthansa expects to achieve an operating margin of between 6.5 and 8.0 per cent, compared with 7.9 per cent in 2018.

But capacity growth will slow to 1.9 per cent as the group faces a "bottleneck in infrastructure" with airports struggling to deal with rising passenger numbers.

Shares in Lufthansa had shed 0.4 per cent around 1:00 pm in Frankfurt (1100 GMT) against a flat DAX index of blue-chip shares, to trade at 22.12 euros.

In a conference call later Tuesday, finance chief Svensson acknowledged that the worldwide grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX planes after two deadly crashes could have affected passengers' confidence in the US manufacturer's flagship aircraft. Lufthansa does not currently operate any 737 MAX planes.

But while Lufthansa is "not excluding any options" for upcoming plane purchases, the fall in trust would be "really a discussion and a question for next year," he said.

Carrier Virgin Australia said Tuesday it would delay orders for 48 Boeing planes over security concerns.

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Right-wing fringe group Hindu Sena has written to the Home Ministry, demanding a complete ban on face covers, burqa and niqab at public places and government and private institutions on the lines of Sri Lanka to prevent terror attacks.

In his letter to Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Hindu Sena national president Vishnu Gupta said intelligence failures in Sri Lanka led to synchronized suicide bombings by terrorists in churches in the island nation recently, resulting in more than 250 deaths.

"We request you to immediately formulate policies at both tactical and strategic levels to prevent occurrence of such attacks in India and Indian territories, including embassies and high commissions, all across the world," the letter read.

"Please impose a ban on full face covers and dresses like burqa and niqab at all public places and inside government and private institutions. These kind of head coverings enable terrorists to hide their identity from CCTV cameras and other surveillance measures in place. Sri Lanka has already implemented this policy," Gupta said.

Sri Lanka Monday enforced a ban on burqa, a week after suicide bombers claiming links to Islamic State blew themselves up, killing more than 250 people in churches and hotels on Easter Sunday.

On January 22, the Hindu Sena had paid tributes to Queen Victoria on her 118th death anniversary here, saying she "freed India from the autocratic rule of the Mughals".

The Hindu Sena had celebrated the birthday of US President Donald Trump with a cake weighing 7.1 kg in New Delhi in 2017.

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In a breakthrough, scientists have successfully completed sequencing of 429 chickpea lines from 45 countries to identify genes that are tolerant to drought and heat, the ICRISAT said Tuesday.

For instance, India, the biggest consumer of pulses in the world, faces increasing production gap. This new research could take India closer towards attaining self-sufficiency in pulse production, it said.

The study also confirms that chickpea came to India from Fertile Crescent of Mediterranean via Afghanistan and may have been introduced back to the primary centres of origin after 200 years, it added.

"This is the largest-ever exercise of whole-genome re-sequencing of chickpea... What this means to the agricultural community is potential development of newer varieties of chickpea with higher yields, which are disease-and-pest-resistant, and better able to withstand the vagaries of weather," the ICRISAT said in a statement.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) said it led a team in close collaboration with the BGI-Shenzhen, China, involving 39 scientists from 21 leading research institutes world over.

"The genome-wide association studies identified several candidate genes for 13 agronomic traits. For example, we could identify genes which can help the crop tolerate temperatures up to 38 degree celsius and provide higher productivity," said Rajeev Varshney, project leader and research programme director (genetic gains), ICRISAT.

More than 90 per cent of chickpea cultivation area is in South Asia. Drought and increasing temperatures are said to cause more than 70 per cent yield loss in chickpea globally. Chickpea being a cool season crop is likely to suffer further reduction in productivity due to rising temperatures.

"This new-found knowledge will enable breeders to enhance the use of diverse germplasm and candidate genes in developing improved (climate-change ready) varieties that will contribute significantly to the increased productivity and sustainability of agricultural development in developing countries," ICRISAT Director-General Peter Carberry said.

The study established a foundation for large-scale characterisation of germplasm, population genetics and crop breeding. It also helped understand domestication and post-domestication divergence of chickpea.

The study mapped the origins of chickpea and its ascent in Asia and Africa. It also speculates about the possible introduction of chickpea to the New World directly from Central Asia or East Africa rather than the Mediterranean.

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The role played by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in renewable energy came in for praise, as the 48th foundation day of the Centre was celebrated Tuesday.

Paying rich encomiums to the IGCAR, located at Kalpakkam about 70 km from here, former principal scientific advisor R Chidambaram described it as the pride of the country.

He emphasised the role played by the centre in renewable energy.

The centre, the second largest R&D (research and development) unit of the government's Department of Atomic Energy, was set up in 1971, an IGCAR release said.

A grand ceremony was held as part of the celebrations.

Chidambaram presided over the event.

Awards were distributed to research scholars and post graduate students who brought out exceptional theses on the day, while DAE Secretary K N Vyas inaugurated the 50th campaign of CORAL facility, it said.

Compact Reprocessing of Advanced nuclear fuels in Lead shielded facility - CORAL is a facility to reprocess spent fuel from Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), the release said.

The centre was set up with the main objective of conducting multi-disciplinary scientific research and advanced engineering for the development of sodium-cooled Fast Breeder Reactor [FBR] technology in India, it added.

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A Right to Information query has revealed safety audit reports of 191 foot overbridges (FOBs) and 89 road overbridges (ROBs) conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has not been submitted to Central Railway yet.

The RTI reply by CR's Divisional Engineer of Bridges has also found that CR has so far paid 50 per cent advance amount of Rs 1.68 crore, out of Rs 3.37 crore, of safety audit charges.

The CR reply informed that, generally, safety audits of FOBs and road overbridges are not assigned to outside agencies and they are inspected annually before and after the monsoon by railway engineers.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had asked the railways, in collaboration with IIT Bombay, to inspect 445 such structures in the suburban network after a part of an ROB collapsed at Andheri station on July 3 last year.

Replying to an RTI query filed by activist Anil Galgali, CR said IIT Bombay had carried out safety audit of 191 FOBs and 89 ROBS between August last and March this year, but the report on them was still to be submitted to it.

Galgali called the issue "unprofessional" and said he had written to Goyal to make the safety audit report public by uploading it online.

When contacted, CR chief Public Relations Officer Sunil Udasi said, "We have started receiving reports now from IIT Bombay and suitable action is being taken to ensure commuter safety.

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The Bombay High Court Tuesday observed that the Maharashtra government should take steps to include a column for transgenders in the online application form for change of name in the official gazette.

A division bench of Justices A S Oka and M S Sanklecha was hearing a petition filed by a 29-year-old transgender seeking directions to the Maharashtra government to allow her name change application.

The petitioner approached the high court after the Directorate of Government Printing and Stationery rejected her application to change the name three times.

The high court said the government has to take steps to include a separate column for transgenders.

The bench directed that the petition be converted into a public interest litigation (PIL) considering the wide issues raised in it, and posted the matter for further hearing on June 14.

The petitioner stated though she was born a woman but started identifying herself a transgender from the year 2014.

Thereafter, the petitioner adopted a new gender neutral name and decided to legally change it, according to the petition.

The petitioner said she wanted to pursue further education with the new identity.

As per the petitioner, her first application seeking change of name in November 2018 was rejected on the ground that relevant documents were not attached with.

While the second rejection occurred in December 2018, ostensibly for not stating the reason for name change, the third rejection in January 2019 didn't give any reason for the same.

The petition claimed that when the petitioner visited the gazette office to manually submit the form, she was told that this was the first application of this sort and that the online application does not accept gender change as a reason for change of name.

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A 24-year-old Indian man has been charged with kidnapping, assault and theft after he drove off in an elderly woman's car from outside a medical centre in the US with her grandchildren inside the vehicle.

Dalvir Singh, a heroin addict, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of kidnapping, felonious assault for dragging Nita Coburn, 69 and grand theft, Middletown Division of Police said in a statement.

Coburn was injured when as she tried to stop Singh as the kids jumped out of the car.

The police is also hailing Coburn's 8-year old grandson Chance as a hero for saving his 10-year old sister's life by pulling her out of the car as Singh took off in it.

The Middletown Police said that on the evening of April 25, it received a call that a car with children inside had been stolen at a medical center in Middletown, Ohio and that an elderly lady was injured.

Coburn had taken another woman to the hospital and her two grandchildren were with her in the back seat. When they got to the emergency room, she pulled up close to the door and was helping the other woman into the emergency room.

About 10 seconds after she got out of the car, Singh jumped into the driver's seat and took off with the children still in the back.

The little boy opened the door to escape and his sister Skylar started to jump out also but Singh grabbed the hoodie of the little girl not allowing her to leave. As she tried to get away, Chance grabbed hold of her and pulled her away from Singh and they both tumbled out of the vehicle as it was moving.

Police said Coburn did not realise that the children were able to escape because they flew out of the passenger side and by that time she was chasing the car on the driver's side.

She opened the driver's door to regain control of the vehicle she thought her grandchildren were in, but Singh slammed the door shut again and locked the door.

She hung onto the vehicle panicking because she thought the children were still inside. The vehicle dragged her until it accelerated at a high rate of speed and she was forced to let go.

Two police officers observed the stolen vehicle fleeing the scene and chased Singh, who was then taken into custody and charged.

Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw lauded the heroic attempt by Chance to save himself and his sister from the kidnapping attempt.

"This little guy is a hero. No question. He pulled his sister out of the car with no concern for his own safety. That is incredible at his age," he said.

The Middletown Division of Police said it will be recognising the little boy's quick action to not only get out of the vehicle but also making sure that his sister got out with him.

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In another setback to the Indian National Lok Dal, which has been going through a rough phase after the party split, its sitting MLA Naseem Ahmed joined the Congress on Tuesday.

Former minister and newly floated JJP leader Mohd Illyas also joined the Congress in Delhi.

Congress general secretary in charge of Haryana affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad welcomed them into the party fold.

Ahmed is a sitting MLA from Ferozepur Jhirkha, while Illyas is also a former legisl



"I am confident that in the parliamentary and later in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha polls, we will defeat the BJP," Azad said.ator from the Mewat region.

Both are prominent leaders from Mewat region, which falls in the Gurgaon parliamentary constituency.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed accused the BJP of playing divisive and said only the Congress is capable to counter the ruling outfit's agenda to "divide" the society.

"We all need to unite against BJP's divisive agenda, if they are allowed to succeed then this country will break," Ahmed alleged.

Illyas said the BJP did not undertake any development and their achievement was only limited to "jhumlas".

"The BJP is creating a wedge between communities, which is dangerous for this country," he alleged.

Last month, Haryana Assembly speaker Kanwar Pal had removed Abhay Chautala as the Leader of Opposition after strength of party legislators dropped to 15 following resignations of two of its leaders.

The number of MLAs of their party had come down to 15 after resignation of two INLD MLAs -- Ranbir Gangwa and Kehar Singh Rawat -- last month.

In the 90-member Assembly, ruling BJP's strength rose to 48 MLAs after the recent Jind bypoll win, while the Congress has 17 members. After Gangwa and Rawat joined the BJP, the INLD's strength dropped to 15 members. Now, with Naseem Ahmed quitting the party, their strength is set to fall further.

One member each belongs to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), five are Independents, while one seat fell vacant after the demise of INLD leader Jaswinder Singh Sandhu earlier this year. The INLD had split last year following a family feud in the Chautala family.

Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala -- the elder son of Abhay Chautala's brother Ajay Chautala -- launched the JJP after the INLD split.

The INLD had suffered a heavy defeat in the Jind bypolls in January, with party candidate Umed Singh Redhu forfeiting his security deposit.

Days later, its nine-month-old ally, BSP, parted ways.

The INLD, founded by former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and headed by former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, has been out of power in Haryana for over 14 years now.

The INLD, which is independently fighting the parliamentary polls, is going through crisis when polling for the 10 Lok Sabha seats of Haryana is near (May 12).

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A planned three-day concert to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic 1969 Woodstock festival is facing an uncertain future amid conflicting statements from main investors and festival organisers.

The investors said they had decided to not go ahead with the event while the organisers insisted that the festival would take place as per schedule from August 16 to 18 in Watkins Glen in upstate New York state.

Big artistes such as rapper Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus and rockers the Killers were part of the lineup.

In a statement, Dentsu Aegis Network, a unit of Dentsu Inc, the main investors, said they had decided to cancel the event.

"Despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don't believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees," Dentsu Aegis Network said in a statement to Billboard.

"As a result and after careful consideration, Dentsu Aegis Network's Amplifi Live, a partner of Woodstock 50, has decided to cancel the festival."



However, the festival organisers said they were going ahead with the event with new funding.

"It's going to be a blast," they told Pitchfork.

"We are committed to ensuring that the 50th anniversary of Woodstock is marked with a festival deserving of its iconic name and place in American history and culture. Although our financial partner is withdrawing, we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners."



The festival promoter and co-founder of the 1969 festival Michael Lang also denied it had been cancelled.

Responding to Dentsu's statement, Lang told the New York Times, "They do not have the right to unilaterally cancel the festival."



The 1969 Woodstock festival is considered as a defining moment in music and saw performances by legendary artists such as Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Richie Havens, Bert Sommer, The Who, Tim Hardin, Joan Baez, Santana, Johnny Winter and Sha Na Na.

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Iran has arrested 32 people who had expressed support online for a man accused of murdering a cleric, semi-official agency ISNA reported Tuesday.

Behrouz Hajilouyi allegedly shot Mostafa Ghasemi on Saturday outside the seminary where the Shiite cleric worked in the western Hamedan province.

He had confessed to the crime in a now-deleted post on his Instagram account, Fars agency reported.

"Thirty-two people who had left messages of support for Behrouz Hajilouyi on his personal (Instagram) page were identified and arrested," Hamedan police chief Bakhshali Kamrani told ISNA.

Hajilouyi's Instagram account shows photos of him posing with pistols, shotguns and automatic rifles.

He was shot dead in a firefight with police on Sunday after his car was tracked, according to Kamrani who has not put forward a motive for the cleric's killing.

The murder prompted Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to call on police to crack down on the online trade in firearms.

Murders of clerics have been rare in the Islamic republic in recent years. But in November a Sunni imam was shot dead in the northeastern province of Golestan, according to state media.

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Israel on Tuesday honoured Lt. Gen. (retd) Jack Farj Rafael (JFR) Jacob, who negotiated the historic surrender of Pakistani troops in Dhaka after the 1971 Bangladesh's liberation war, with a plaque on the Wall of Honour at the Ammunition Hill here.

Lt. Gen. Jacob, who died in 2016 at the age of 92, was one of the most prominent members of India's relatively small Jewish community, serving as a Lieutenant General in the Indian Army and later as a Governor of two Indian states-Goa and Punjab.

The Wall of Honour at the Ammunition Hill pays tributes to the heroism and courage of Jewish soldiers who fought in the defence of their countries they lived in "implementing values of bravery, loyalty, commitment and dedication to a mission, leadership, creativity, camaraderie and sanctity of life".

"The Wall has plaques honouring more than 340 people comprising privates, high ranking army officers, women, front line fighters and humble members of supporting units who embodied these virtues", a senior official at the Ammunition Hill told PTI.

Ammunition Hill was a fortified Jordanian military post in the northern part of Jordanian ruled East Jerusalem. It was the site of one of the fiercest battles of the Six Day War in which 21 Israeli soldiers were killed. It is now a national memorial site where young soldiers and officers are inducted into the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and salute the flag.

The 90-feet high structure with a flag was incidentally donated by an Indian Jew, Sam Marshall, who also initiated the move to honour Lt. Gen. Jacob at the Ammunition Hill Wall of Honour, in association with India-born Jewish Judge, Abe Sofaer of the US, who was the personal legal adviser to former US Secretary of State George Shultz.

"It is a wonderful tribute that you are giving to a very fine human being. His beloved India gave him the accolades reserved for people serving the nation with distinction," Lt. Gen. Jacob's close friend, Marshall, told the gathering at a ceremony to unveil the plaque reminiscing the funeral ceremony Government of India arranged for its famous son where then President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also present.

Narrating an incident from 2009 when Marshall, along with Lt. Gen. Jacob, met former Israeli President Shimon Peres, who offered the legendary warrior to immigrate to Israel, he said that prompt came Jacob's reply, "I am a son of India, I would die on Indian soil, I served my country and my beloved country."



"He was not only a military strategist and a legendary General but a fine man who cared for fellow human beings. He was very active in charity work with Mother Teresa," said Marshall, who has been bringing Indian contingents to the Jewish Macabbiah games (commonly referred to as the Jewish Olympics).

India's Ambassador to Israel, Pavan Kapoor, said, "Lt. Gen. JFR Jacob's illustrious life will remain a source of inspiration for all Indians. It is my belief that by unveiling the wall plaque here today, the memory of this great soldier and fine man will usher even greater bonds of friendship between the peoples of India and Israel".

"Ammunition Hill commemorates the memory of the fallen soldiers of Israel as well as Jews living in other countries, in whose defense they fought. It is, therefore, a great privilege for me to be here today to honour the memory of one such soldier who served his mother country India with great distinction," he said.

Highlighting Lt. Gen. Jacob's contribution beyond the achievements as a military man, Kapoor said that "he had a strong sense of history and a deep respect for heritage".

"When he was appointed as the General officer CommandinginChief of the Eastern Command, in Calcutta, he set about restoring several heritage sites at the Headquarters of Eastern Command - Fort William - to their former splendour. One of them was St Peter's Church, which had stopped being a house of worship for some time. He had the Church ceremonially de-consecrated, and had its facade restored to its original glory. Today, it hosts the Command Library in it," he said.

"Lt. Gen. Jacob dedicated his entire life in the service of India. Proud as he was of being an Indian, he was also immensely aware of his Jewish heritage," he said.

Israel's former Ambassador to India Danny Carmon said, "For me, it was a pilgrimage to go and meet Lt. Gen. Jacob each time at his residence, to get his blessings, to get his encouragement. He was so happy to see what was happening in Indo-Israel relations. He was so much Indian and so much Jewish that it is unbelievable. He was a real inspiration for all of us.

"He was a bridge between India and Israel and contributed immensely to the partnership that we see in the last few decades. He told me, 'I was born in India, served India, I fought for India and I want to be buried in India'."



Alon Wald, Director of Ammunition Hill, told PTI, that "the modest plaques for such giants of human beings is an inspiration to us all and adding one more significant name today is like adding an impressive strong link to the chain of values we stand for".

The Wall of Honour at the Ammunition Hill has one more plaque honouring an Indian Jewish soldier, Lt. Gen. Joseph 'Jerry' Jhirad, who died in the 1965 war against Pakistan.

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The country's drug regulator has directed pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson to pay compensation to two more patients who received faulty hip implants made by the firm, a senior health ministry official said Tuesday.

The official said the both the patients are from Uttar Pradesh and the J&J has been asked to give them Rs 90.26 lakh and Rs 1.01 crore.

With these two cases, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has so far ordered compensation to four patients, based on the recommendations of the Cental Expert Committee and the state-level committee.

Earlier, the regulator had directed Johnson & Johnson to pay compensation to one patient each in Mumbai (in March) and Delhi (April).

The CDSCO has directed the compensation to be paid within 30 days from the date of receipt of the order.

In November last year, the Union Health Ministry approved a formula for determination of compensation for patients who had received, prior to August 2010, ASR hip implants manufactured by DePuy International Limited, UK, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary.

According to the formula, thousands of patients implanted with US pharmaceutical major Johnson and Johnson's (J&J) articular surface replacement (ASR) hip implant, were to be compensated between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 1.23 crore.

The company J&J recalled the faulty metal-on-metal ASR hip implants in 2010 globally after studies red-flagged the high rate of revision surgeries.

The government in 2017 constituted the central expert panel to investigate the complaints about ASR hip implant devices.

The committee headed by Dr Arun Kumar Agarwal, Ex-Dean and Professor of ENT, Maulana Azad Medical College, stated the pharmaceutical giant "suppressed" facts on the harm of surgeries, and recommended that patients be compensated.

Following this, in October 2018, the government had constituted the five-member central expert committee to determine the quantum of compensation to be given to the patients.

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Hitting out at the NC, PDP and Congress, Union minister and BJP leader Jitendra Singh Tuesday said the concept of "Jamhooriyat, Kashmiriyat and Insaniyat" were eroded by Kashmir's ruling dynasties which "perpetuated family rule" under the garb of democracy.

Singh questioned the right of political parties whose leaders became MPs and MLAs with less than 10 per cent polling, to remind the BJP about the concept of and commitment to "Jamhooriyat (democracy), Insaniyat (humanity) and Kashmiriyat (identity of the people of Kashmir)" -- the phrase coined by former prime minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"Jamhooriyat, Kashmiriyat and Insaniyat were eroded by Kashmir's ruling dynasties which perpetuated family rule under the garb of democracy," Singh told reporters here.

He reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that his government is committed to follow the Vajpayee's formula in Kashmir.

Singh accused Kashmir's mainstream parties of "working against" the spirit of democracy.

"Political parties whose leaders have learnt to become MPs and MLAs with less than 10 percent polling have no right to remind the BJP about Vajpayee's concept and its commitment to Jamhooriyat," he said.

Singh said if Kashmir-centric mainstream parties were sincere about democracy they would have facilitated a free and fair elections with mass participation.

"They deliberately avoided that, so that they could be the beneficiaries of minuscule voting percentage and thus carry on with their family rule from one generation to the other," he said.

As for Kashmiriyat, he said the political parties of the state responsible for the mass exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley cannot refer to "Kashmiriyat" which is essentially characterised by the composite culture for which Kashmir was known across the world.

On Insaniyat, he accused these parties of inflicting greatest assault on "humanity" by "instigate" children of poor Kashmiris to get killed as stone-pelters or during crossfire.

These double-standards, he said, have wounded three generations of Kashmiri children, he said.

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Sitting MP from Nandyal constituency in Andhra Pradesh S P Y Reddy died after prolonged illness at a private hospital in Hyderabad Tuesday night.

He was 68.

Reddy was hospitalised early this month.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Nandyal in 2004 and 2009 as Congress candidate. In 2014, he won the seat as YSR Congress nominee, but jumped into the ruling Telugu Desam soon after the election.

As the TDP leadership denied him the Nandyal ticket this time, Reddy joined the Jana Sena Party and fought the April 11 election from the hospital bed.

Reddy, a mechanical engineer, began his career as a scientific officer in the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre before setting up his own plastics industry.

The industry grew into the Nandi Group over the years and he became popular as "Nandi pipes Reddy".

He began his political career with the BJP and unsuccessfully contested the Nandyal Lok Sabha election in 1991.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in a statement, expressed grief over the MP's death.

As an industrialist and social worker, Reddy rendered yeoman service to Nandyal and Kurnool districts, he said.

Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan also expressed grief over Reddy's death and hailed him as a dignified leader.

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, representing the people at Emperor Akihito's abdication ceremony, thanked the outgoing emperor for seeking peace and happiness for his people and for reaching out to them in times of difficulty.

Abe said the emperor always shared the people's happiness and hardship.

Akihito's reign runs through midnight Tuesday, when his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, becomes the new emperor.

Abe and his ultra-conservative supporters, who seek to expand Japan's military role, have sometimes seemed irked by Akihito's repeated reminders of Japan's wartime past.

Japan's Emperor Akihito has expressed his wishes that the new era of his son, Emperor-to-be Naruhito, brings "peace and happiness" to people in Japan and around the world.

Akihito announced Tuesday that he is abdicating, handing the Chrysanthemum throne to Crown Prince Naruhito. Naruhito's new era of Reiwa, which means beautiful harmony, begins at midnight Tuesday.

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A warship 'Samidare' of the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force has docked at Visakhapatnam port as part of an interaction between the two maritime nations of India and Japan.

The ship, commanded by Commander Gen Kawai, arrived here on Monday on a three-day visit.

A delegation from the Japan Coast Guard,headed by Captain Takahiro Nishiyama, Commander Escort Division Four and Coast Guard Superintendent Yasushi Kusatake, Commanding Officer Somalia Dispatch Investigation Teamof Japan Coast Guard, visited the Indian Coast Guard district headquarters here.

The delegation called on Deputy Inspector General B Ranjan, Commander,Indian Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 6 (AP) and interacted with other officers from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), an official release said here Tuesday.

"The JCG and ICG both share converging views on freedom of navigation, anti-piracy, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The ICG and JCG maintain a cordial relationship and there has been frequent visits of both high and working level delegation between the two forces.

Indian Coast Guard Ship Shaunak had visited Japan in the January 2019.

The visit was part of interaction between thetwo maritime nations for fostering relationship, the release said.

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A Pakistani journalist was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday.

The journalist Amanullah Gharoka, who was the chairman of a press club, was travelling to a village in Parova area bordering South Waziristan when some unidentified gunmen riding a motorbike, fired at him, killing him on the spot, police said.

The attackers fled the scene immediately after committing the crime.

The local press club condemned the killing of the journalist and strongly deplored the failure of police in combating the increasing target killing incidents in the area.

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Afghanistan's usually bustling capital Kabul slowed to a crawl Tuesday amid massive security for a high-stakes peace summit that has previously been a target for insurgent attacks.

Police flooded the city and authorities blocked off key roads around the west Kabul venue of the so-called "loya jirga" -- where some 3,000 tribal elders, religious figures, and politicians from across Afghanistan are gathering over four days to discuss possible conditions for a peace deal with the Taliban.

Taliban suicide bombers armed with rockets and guns attacked a 2010 peace jirga at the same venue, and in 2011, two rockets were fired into Kabul during a two-day jirga.

Despite such past attacks, Kabul residents are infuriated with the scale of the lockdown, which has already been blamed for at least one death and has paralysed businesses in what would ordinarily be a busy week before Ramadan begins.

Local media reported that a newborn baby died when the father, who was trying to take the infant to a hospital, was blocked by security forces.

"The little baby should not have died," Afghanistan's chief executive Abdullah Abdullah said.

"We are actually here to serve the same people who die because of the roadblocks." Adding to the slowdown, authorities have declared a week-long public holiday in Kabul.

"Yesterday, I could only take two passengers from one part of the city to the other. It took me three hours to complete a 15-minute ride," Nasrullah, a taxi driver who gave only his first name, told AFP.

Shopkeeper Taj Mohammad said poor people had been hit particularly hard. "It is good to provide security for the participants, but that should not cost people's businesses," Mohammad said.

Siam Pasarly, an economics expert, estimated the holidays were costing the business community USD 1 million a day.

"Afghanistan is a developing country and its economic engine should be running all day," he said. "A week-long shutdown is like a poison to the economy."



The loya jirga -- literally "grand assembly" in Pashto -- is being held as the US and Taliban are discussing a possible foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and various Taliban pledges.

The jirga is seen as an attempt by the Afghan government to influence the peace talks which so far have cut out President Ashraf Ghani, whom the Taliban view as a US stooge.

But some prominent Afghans, presidential hopefuls, and government officials including Abdullah have boycotted the assembly.

Ahmad Khan, another taxi driver, bemoaned the meeting as a "waste of time". "Holding this jirga is an economic blow for poor labour like us, who come out in the morning for a morsel of food, and how can we provide food for our families in the next few days," he told AFP.

"Such jirgas have been held in the past with no positive results, and the government have failed to convince the Taliban to join the talks.

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday welcomed the Madras High Court verdict which held that Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi "cannot interfere" in the day-to-day affairs of the elected government of the Union Territory, saying the Constitution is clear but the Modi government has "refused" to allow non-BJP elected governments to function.

In a setback to Bedi, the Madras High Court on Tuesday held that "the elected government functioning through the Council of Ministers cannot be defeated by the act of the Administrator... by way of interfering in the day to day affairs of the Government".

Reacting to the verdict, Kejriwal called Bedi "Modi government's political nominee".

Bedi, who was part of Anna Hazare's Lokpal agitation, fell out with Kejriwal over the formation of Aam Aadmi Party in 2012. She later joined the BJP and was its chief ministerial candidate in 2015 Assembly polls, which the party lost. She was appointed as Lt Governor of Puducherry in May 2016.

"Welcome verdict by the Madras High Court stating unambiguously that Modi govt's political nominee Puducherry LG Ms Kiran Bedi has no power to interfere in elected government's functioning. Constitution is clear but Modi govt refused to allow non-BJP elected governments to function," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Kejriwal has had several run-ins with the LG on the issue of division of powers and has accused him of acting at the behest of the Centre to stall schemes of his government.

Allowing a petition by K Laksminarayanan, a Congress MLA, Justice R Mahadevan of Madras High Court on Tuesday set aside the two communications issued in January and June 2017 by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs "elevating" the power of the Puducherry administrator.

Referring to the Supreme Court judgement on the tussle between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lt Governor Anil Baijal, the judge said restrictions imposed on the Government of Delhi are not applicable to the Government of Puducherry.

"The apex court has clearly held that there is a distinction between the National Capital Territory of Delhi and Puducherry", the judge said.

Though Puducherry was not a state, the Legislative Assembly would have the same powers as that of a state, he said.

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Bihar Deputy Chief Minister on Tuesday said the presence of jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in the Lok Sabha campaign would have "better suited" the NDA as he symbolises "jungle raj" for voters, and claimed the saffron alliance will better its 2014 tally of 31 in the state this time.

The National Democratic Alliance may end up winning 38-39 of the 40 seats in Bihar, the BJP leader said.

The combine for the first time includes Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP while the opposition alliance has "tried, tested and failed" leaders and is marred by "sabotage and rebellion", Sushil Modi told PTI in an interview, explaining the rationale for his poll prediction.

The Janata Dal-United and the Lok Janshakti Party have been BJP allies in earlier polls as well but this is the first time they are together in the same camp.

Describing Kumar as "the face of the NDA campaign" in Bihar, Sushil Modi said the alliance will benefit from the work done by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government as well as the state dispensation, unlike in 2014 when it was not in power in either of the places.

The BJP leader's barb at Yadav comes in the backdrop of the RJD leader's son making his father's incarceration one of the themes of his campaign, alleging a "conspiracy" due to the former Bihar chief minister's vehement opposition to the saffron party.

The RJD won only four seats in 2014 when led its campaign, Sushil Modi said, asserting that the NDA would have preferred him to be outside jail.

"We wish he had got bail... To the people of Bihar, he symbolises 'jungle raj', anarchy and lawlessness... the more he would have campaigned against us, the more polarisation of voters would have occurred in our favour. He suits us better outside jail and would have politically benefited us," Sushil Modi said.

The NDA's theme of nationalism built around the air strikes in Balakot, Pakistan, has made a massive impact, he said, noting that "people go crazy" with adulation in its rallies when leaders speak of Modi's strong leadership and how India is taking on Pakistan and China under him.

While issues, including those related to the central and state government's development works, have resonance on the ground, the opposition campaign has no traction, he said.

"What are the issues they are raising? That the Narendra Modi government is a threat to the constitution and reservation, that my father (Lalu) has been falsely implicated, that Nitish Kumar is 'paltu ram' (takes U-turn). These have no connect on the ground," Sushil Modi said.

The Congress' promise of Rs 72,000 to poor families annually and allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal are also not part of poll discourse as the party has no campaigner barring its president Rahul Gandhi, he added.

Asked about opposition criticism that the BJP is using the nationalism plank to avoid discussing substantive issues like jobs, Sushil Modi said opposition parties are unable to make a sensitive issue like price rise an election topic this time because of the government's capable handling of the economy.

He claimed there is a wave-like situation in the prime minister's support, saying people had only heard of Modi in 2014 but have now found him much better after experiencing his rule for five years.

"I can't see a single issue in the opposition's favour. With both Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan with us, our vote gap over the opposition should be now more 16-17 per cent. In such a case, anything can happen. We will certainly win more seats than the last time and may end up winning 38-39 seats," he said.

While the NDA has been running a united campaign with its key leaders often holding joint rallies, the opposition's campaign has been marred by lack of coordination, sabotage, rebellion and one-upmanship, he claimed.

Sushil Modi said and Rahul Gandhi have concentrated on campaigning for their own party's candidates. joined Gandhi at a rally last week for the first time after it became a big media issue.

In some seats, such as Madhubani and Supaul, opposition candidates have been hit by rebels while many of its allies like Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP and Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insaan Party have given tickets to "non-entities", causing disaffection among supporters, he claimed.

The BJP leader was dismissive of the influence of Kushwaha and Jitan Ram Manjhi, both of whom were BJP allies in 2015 Bihar assembly poll and have joined hands with the opposition.

The NDA has consistently defeated the RJD-led opposition alliance in Bihar by a big margin for last many Lok Sabha polls barring 2004, the BJP leader said, adding that its vote share may even cross 50 per cent this time.

"I have not even one per cent doubt that the BJP will again get a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha polls," he said.

Nineteen of Bihar's 40 seats have gone to the polls in four phases so far. The BJP, JD(U) and LJP are contesting on 17, 17 and six seats, respectively. They had won 22, two and six seas, respectively, in 2014 when Kumar's party had fought independently while Paswan was a BJP ally.

Kushwaha's RLSP was then a part of the NDA and won three seats. He is in the opposition's camp now.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that the scales have been tilted in favor of the ruling NDA in the first four phases of the general election, and the remaining three would determine the magnitude of its victory and the opposition's defeat.

Addressing an election rally here, Modi iterated that his government has always displayed its resolve in combating terror but cautioned that the menace was far from over as was evident from the recent bomb attacks in neighboring Sri Lanka.

"All those who are running factories of terror are in the cross heirs of this chowkidar," Modi stated.

In a veiled dig at jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad, the prime minister said, "those doing the rounds of court to secure bail are scared of a strong government in New Delhi".

He claimed that the opposition parties "were not fighting for their victory, but to augment their diminished strength".

"Beware, if they regain their strength, the days of lawlessness will return to Bihar, daughters would no longer be safe outside homes and people might have to stay indoors after dark," he maintained.

Underscoring the pro-poor stance of his government, Modi said, "We did away with the lal batti (red beacon) but brought batti (light/electricity) to the house of every poor."



Appealing to people to vote for the NDA in Bihar, comprising his BJP, the JD(U) and the LJP, he sought to remind the voters, "whichever of the three parties you vote for, your support will be for Modi.

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The Committee of Creditors (CoC) for Adhunik Metaliks Tuesday appealed to re-initiate the CIRP as Sanjeev Gupta-led Liberty House had not paid the required upfront cash payment of Rs 410 crore to lenders by April 14, the deadline set by the NCLAT for the acquisition of bankrupt AML.

The submission was made at the Cuttack bench of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).

While Liberty House's counsel said the group needs more time for making the payment as regulatory approvals are still awaited for Adhunik Metaliks.

"Regulatory approvals from the stock exchanges are still pending for Adhunik Metaliks in order to receive money under CIRP from us. We are working on procuring this statutory and regulatory approvals, which are a vital part of the implementation plan," Liberty House sources said.

The CoC appealed to the NCLAT to re-initiate the Corporate Insolvency Resolution process as Liberty House has failed in its bid in earlier ocassions also.

After hearing the arguments, the bench adjourned the matter till May 14 for a detailed hearing.

The Kolkata bench of the NCLT had in July last year approved the resolution plan submitted by Liberty House, with lenders agreeing to take a haircut of around 92 per cent and settling for Rs 410 crore against their outstanding dues of Rs 5,370 crore.

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An average voter turnout of 57.32 per cent was recorded for the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra that went to polls in the fourth and final phase Monday, tad up from 55.72 per cent in these seats during the 2014 elections.

As per the final figures released by the Election Commission of India Tuesday, Nandurbar in North Maharashtra recorded the highest 68.31 per cent turnout while Kalyan the lowest at 45.28 per cent.

The constituencies where polling was held are spread across the Mumbai metropolitan region and parts of northern and western Maharashtra.

A total of 323 candidates were in the fray.

Final voting figures in remaining 15 seats are: Dhule-56.68 per cent, Dindori- 65.76 per cent, Nashik- 59.43 per cent, Palghar- 63.72 per cent, Bhiwandi- 53.07 per cent, Thane- 49.21 per cent, Mumbai North- 60 per cent, Mumbai North West 54.23 per cent, Mumbai North East- 56.85 per cent, Mumbai North Central- 53.64 per cent, Mumbai South Central- 55.23 per cent, Mumbai South- 51.46 per cent, Maval- 59.49 per cent, Shirur- 59.40 per cent and Shirdi- 64.54 per cent.

In the first phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra held on April 11, 61.81 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the seven constituencies in Vidarbha.

In the second phase of election held on April 18, which covered ten constituencies of Marathwada, Vidarbha and Western Maharashtra, 62.43 per cent polling was registered.

In the third phase covering 14 constituencies of North Maharashtra, Marathwada, Western Maharashtra and Konkan, 62.37 per cent voting was registered. Polls there were conducted on April 23.

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With a large number of traders bearing the brunt of the sealing drive in several markets of Delhi, political parties are going all out to make it a key poll plank even though a section of business persons feel that it is a "non-issue".

Ahead of the May 12 polls in the national capital, both the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress have promised to "end" the drive undertaken by the BJP-led municipal corporations on the directions of a Supreme Court-appointed committee since December 2017.

However, city-based automobile parts dealer Manoj Garg, who suffered during the drive, is not quite enthused about the poll promises.

"Yes, I faced problems during the drive," he says, as he shows a portion of the patched-up roof of his corner shop in Kashmiri Gate, which was knocked out during a sealing drive in his neighbourhood.

"But, for me, sealing is not a poll issue, national security is a larger issue, and I will vote on the basis of that," he said, adding that many traders in the wholesale automobile market "share his sentiments".

In addition to several rounds of protests, traders' bodies including the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) have been very vocal about the issue, demanding promulgation of an ordinance to stop sealing in the city.

CAIT's Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal agreed that lakhs of traders have felt the "pain of sealing", but he claimed that several of them are willing to put "national security" over "sealing issue" in this election.

"We have been demanding an ordinance to stop sealing, from the Centre but in vain so far. From other parties too, we have little hope, so we are considering other important issues before voting, like national security," he said.

Former president of Paper Merchants Association, Delhi said the sealing drive "really broke the back of traders", and frustration is bound to be there as it is a matter of livelihood.

"But, there are other factors at play in the 2019 elections, so, I do not know, how much of an electoral issue it will remain on the polling day," he said, adding that the trader community is a "sizeable vote bank" in Delhi and every party "seeks to woo it".

However, several traders of Amar Colony in south Delhi and Karol Bagh in north Delhi are still feeling frustrated about the issue and alleged that no party has ever tried to "resolve" the problem but only use it for "political gains".

Amar Colony's Old Double Storey Marker had faced major action during the sealing drive conducted by the SDMC on the instructions of the monitoring committee and on March 8 last year, as many as 350 shops were sealed in a single day.

"Sealing has taken away our livelihood, but is there any party which is serious about the issue. They all make big promises during elections, but there is no lasting solution for us," said a south Delhi-based trader, who did not wish to be named.

"Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his interaction with traders at Talkatora stadium, did not mention about sealing," he added.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari and the three mayors of the BJP-led corporations had also met Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, seeking a solution.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP and the Congress, however, have been blaming the Centre and the three corporations of the city for the "sealing mess".

Kejriwal, whose party has fielded trader leader Brijesh Goel as its candidate from New Delhi seat, promised that if his party wins the election and secures full statehood for Delhi, the problem of sealing would be solved immediately.

Congress leader and party's New Delhi candidate Ajay Maken too assured to solve the issue within 30 days of winning the polls.

Addressing traders in Karol Bagh on Sunday, Maken had promised to halt the sealing drive within one month of coming to power.

He also alleged that the sealing of shops and commercial establishments reflected the anti-trader and anti-business mindset of the Narendra Modi government.

However, Maken's rival on the New Delhi seat and BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi alleged that the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021, prepared by the urban development ministry during his tenure as the minister has several loopholes.

"The Congress government did a shoddy job. The MPD has several issues, as it was approved hurriedly. Maken was the urban development minister. He is to be blamed for the mess," Lekhi claimed.

"In MPD, rules for DDA's Local Shopping Centre and provisions for other markets are different. Several roads were not declared commercial," she added.

Khandelwal opined that as the MPD 2021 would end in another two years, the next government must consult traders before drafting the MPD 2041.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 56-year old man, who killed the wife of a retired IAF Wing Commander in Dwarka, had met her on a mobile dating application and on the night of the crime coaxed her to drink copious amount of liquor before smothering her with a pillow, police said Tuesday.

After committing the crime, the accused decamped with cash and jewelery worth Rs 50 lakh, they said.

The accused - Dinesh Dixit, a resident of Jaipur in Rajasthan was married twice and used to work as a property dealer.

On Friday morning, Meenu Jain, 52, the wife of a former IAF Wing Commander, was found lying unconscious at her house in Dwarka Sector-7.

Later, the victim was shifted to Ayushman Hospital situated in Sector-10 of Dwarka where she was declared brought dead, said Anto Alphonse, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka).

During interrogation, Dixit disclosed that he contacted Jain through a mobile dating application and started visiting her.

On Thursday, Dixit came to Delhi to meet Jain and both went out for lunch together. On the night of the incident, they both were alone in the house. Finding valuables inside the house, Dixit made the victim drink alcohol, police said.

On finding her unconscious, Dixit gathered all valuables, money, jewellery as well as mobile phones from the house and then smothered her with a pillow before fleeing the house.

A thorough search of the house revealed that the mobile phones, gold and diamond jewellery as well as other valuable items worth 50 lakh were missing, the police said.

The entry into the house was "friendly", police said adding that they then started searching various social media accounts of the deceased.

An analysis of the CCTV cameras of the society's gates revealed that a suspicious car had entered in the resident complex with the permission of the deceased.

The entry and exit of the vehicle was seen from the front gate on Thursday afternoon. Later the vehicle again entered the society at around 9:15 pm and the car left the complex on Friday morning at around 5:21 am.

Investigations revealed that the vehicle had a fake number plate.

The Google map time line of the deceased was found to be activated and the same also corroborated with her journey to Janakpuri Delhi.

The map further showed the victim's journey towards Gurugram in the morning, police said.

The CCTV footage from the toll gates of Kherki Daulla was analysed.

The suspected vehicle was seen crossing the toll gates towards Jaipur in the morning.

The next toll of Sahajahanpur was also checked and the suspected vehicle was again seen crossing that gate.

The call detail records (CDRs) of the victim, having contacts of Rajasthan mobile phone numbers were analysed and was compared with the suspected vehicle data.

Police then conducted raided in Sikar, where the suspected vehicle was registered but the vehicle could not be traced.

Later on the basis of CDR, police reached Jaipur and arrested Dixit.

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BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday threatened to "reconsider" continuing support to the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh after her party candidate from Guna Lok Sabha seat joined the Congress.

BSP candidate from Guna, Lokendra Singh Rajput, joined the Congress on Monday evening and extended his support to Guna's sitting MP and Congress candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Reacting to it, Mayawati on her official twitter handle said, "The Congress is not behind of BJP in misusing the government machinery. The Congress has intimidated the BSP candidate from Guna in MP to withdraw from the fray."



"But, the BSP would reply by contesting the elections on its own symbol and also reconsider continuation of support to the Congress government," she tweeted in Hindi.

In the last year's state Assembly polls, the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the 230-member House with 114 seats, two short of the simple majority mark.

It formed the government with the support of two legislators of the BSP, one MLA of the Samajwadi Party and four Independents.

The BJP won 109 seats in the state polls.

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In a move that comes in the middle of the Lok Sabha polls, the Centre issued a notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi seeking the "factual position" of his citizenship within a fortnight following a complaint by a BJP MP, setting off a political row.

The notice by the Union Home Ministry on Monday on the complaint from Subramanian Swamy alleging that Rahul Gandhi was a British national was dismissed as "rubbish" by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra while her party said the entire world knows the Congress chief is an Indian citizen by birth.

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party of manufacturing "one malicious and fallacious agenda" everyday.

The BJP on its part posed a question asking which is real-- "Rahul Gandhi London wale or Lutyens wale".

A Home Ministry official said Swamy had first sent a complaint on Rahul Gandhi's citizenship issue in September 2017 and wrote a reminder recently.

As a row erupted, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the notice is a normal process and "not a big development" and that the timing of the communication is not relevant.

Describing Rahul Gandhi as a "man of mysteries", BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra asked which is real--"Rahul Gandhi London wale or Lutyens wale".

Attacking the Congress chief, Patra told reporters in Delhi that the entire Rahul Gandhi's citizenship saga is a story of three Cs - citizenship, confusion and clarification.

Asked by newsmen in Amethi for her comments on the ministry notice, Priyanka Gandhi said, "I have never heard such rubbish. All know Rahul Gandhi was born, raised here."



"The entire Hindustan knows that Rahul Gandhi is a Hindustani...he was born before them...he was brought up before them...he grew up before them...what rubbish is this," she said.

When asked about the intention behind the notice, she remarked, "I have not heard anything like this, it seems it is out of fear that they(BJP) might be losing."



Citing Swamy's letter, the Home Ministry said it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Rahul Gandhi as one of its directors.

The Home Ministry communication said Swamy's letter also mentioned that in the British company's annual returns filed on October 10, 2005, and October 31, 2006, Rahul Gandhi's date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970, and he had declared his nationality as British.

"Further, in the dissolution application dated February 17, 2009, of the above referred company, your nationality has been mentioned as British.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," the notice to Rahul Gandhi said.

In November 2015, the Supreme Court had dismissed a public interest litigation seeking a CBI investigation into the citizenship of Rahul Gandhi while noting that PIL pleas were not meant to target one individual or organisation but was a medium to resolve human suffering through good governance.

A bench of then Chief Justice of India H L Dattu and justice Amitava Roy rubbished the plea questioning the source and authenticity of the documents attached to a petition.

Rajnath Singh told reporters in Lucknow that if any MP writes a letter to any ministry, then necessary proceedings are undertaken by the ministry. "It is not a big development, it is a normal process," he said.

Asked specifically if the timing of the letter raising question on the citizenship of the country's main opposition leader was relevant as it comes in the election season, Singh replied, "No, no. This question was raised in Parliament also. A Member of Parliament (Dr Subramanian Swamy) has written to the ministry several times as well, following which the action has been taken."



In 2016, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had forwarded to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee, headed by veteran BJP leader L K Advani, Swamy's "complaint of ethical misconduct" against Rahul Gandhi that he had accessed documents in which the Congress leader had called himself "British".

In his reply to the ethics committee on the allegations of British citizenship, Rahul Gandhi had said he had never "sought or acquired British citizenship" and that his "identity is that of an Indian".

Rahul Gandhi also questioned the committee's decision to look into a "complaint that is not in order", claiming it was "an endeavour to malign" him.

The panel had issued a notice to him, seeking an explanation to whether he had once declared himself a British citizen on the legal papers of a company in the United Kingdom.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost the plot. After four phases of elections, it is clear that Modi ji and the BJP are hurtling towards an imminent defeat at breakneck speed. Consequently, they seek to manufacture one malicious and fallacious agenda everyday. These are rehashed allegations of the year 2014-15. I had rejected them then also," Surjewala told reporters in Delhi.

"Modi government should be renamed as a desperate government manufacturing one allegation per day, but your fake allegation will not replace the truth".

The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections is underway of which four phases were completed on Monday.

Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election from party bastion Amethi in Uttar Pradesh which goes to polls in the fifth phase of voting on May 6. He is also contesting from Wayanad in Kerala where polling has been completed.

An objection on the citizenship issue was also raised by an independent candidate against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, but the returning officer after scrutiny declared his nomination papers as valid.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A militant, hailing from Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, Tuesday gave up the path of violence and returned to the mainstream, police said.

"One more youth from Pulwama with the efforts of community members and police has shunned the path of violence and returned to the mainstream," a police spokesman said.

He, however, did not reveal the identity of the youth, saying "the identity stands protected".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday demanded cancellation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's candidature from Varanasi for "shamelessly indulging in horse trading", a day after he claimed 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him.

Making a sensational claim in the middle of the general election, Modi had said on Monday that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the polls.

"Modi said yesterday that 40 Trinamool Congress workers (MLAs) are in talks with the BJP. Look how shamelessly he is indulging in horse trading. His candidature should be immediately cancelled. He has no right to continue as the PM," Banerjee said at a rally in Hooghly district.

The firebrand Trinamool Congress chief also said that people usually revere national leaders, but Modi was an exception.

Likening the prime minister with Gabbar Singh, the antagonist in the 1975 blockbuster 'Sholay', she said, "National leaders like Netaji (Subhas Chandra Bose) are revered and loved by all. It is only people like Modi and Gabbar Singh that people are scared of."



"What has he done in the last five years? Farmers are committing suicide, unemployment is on the rise," she said.

The chief minister also said the BJP will not be able to establish a foothold in West Bengal, no matter how much the party "daydreams" about it.

"Modi is daydreaming about getting a foothold in West Bengal. His dream will never come true," she added.

In the national capital, the TMC wrote to the Election Commission, alleging that Modi's speech indicates an "impending horse-trading" and asked the poll panel to cancel his nomination for such "provocative and undemocratic" statements.

In its letter to the EC, the TMC demanded "strong action" for the "unfounded, inappropriate and illegal" campaign and utterances of the prime minister.

"You (EC) are thus requested to ask Mr. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister, for evidence in support of his statement, failing which his nomination should be cancelled for violation of the Model Code of Conduct by making such provocative and undemocratic statements," the letter said.

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The Gujarat government Tuesday conceded that most of dams in the state have either dried up or have negligible water stock.

However, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also said that the people will not face any difficulty in getting drinking water till July end, when monsoon sets in.

Rupani held a review meeting on water scarcity situation with senior officials of Water Resources department.

The government is likely to announce the 'State Water Policy' soon.

As per the data shared by Rupani, the scarcity situation is more serious in Saurashtra, Kutch and north Gujarat due to scanty rainfall in 2018.

"The available water storage in all dams of these regions is negligible. However, thanks to the Sardar Sarovar Dam and Narmada canal network, people will not face any difficulty in getting drinking water till July-end. Water is available in the dam. The only challenge is to supply it to far flung areas, as many as 500 kms away from the dam," said Rupani.

He added that sufficient water is being made available to the people of Kutch through the Narmada canal network.

"We have also filled several dams of Saurashtra through the Narmada water. If we did not have this network, entire Saurashtra and Kutch region would have suffered a lot in this scenario. However, we took timely steps and made the water available even in the most remote areas," said the chief minister.

When asked about the status of the long-pending Water Policy, JP Gupta, Principal Secretary, Narmada, Water Resources and Water Supply department, said it will be announced soon.

"We have received many suggestions on the draft state Water Policy. We will announce the policy soon," Gupta told reporters.

Giving details about the migration of the people as well cattle from Kutch region, the CM said over 14,000 cattle have been shifted out of Kutch, which is the worst affected district.

"Only 14,812 cattle were shifted out from Kutch and brought to Ahmedabad and Surendranagar districts. No resident of Kutch has migrated due to water scarcity. The situation in Kutch is under control due to our advance planning," said Rupani.

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A special court here Tuesday sentenced a 67-year-old man to life imprisonment for fraudulently withdrawing Rs 1.04 crore from a bank by forging signatures of a Dubai-based NRI during 1996-99.

The court also imposed a cumulative fine of Rs 5.03 crore on Narendra Patel.

CBI court judge S R Tamboli convicted Patel under sections 467 (Forgery of valuable security), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to prosecution, Hussain Nensey, a resident of UAE, had in 1996 opened a term deposit of Rs one crore for three years in the SBI's Hughes Road branch in south Mumbai.

The fraud was detected in 1999 when Nensey visited the the branch for a business loan against his deposit, it said.

During scrutiny, it was found that Rs one crore was withdrawn from Nensey's account using his forged signatures, and also an account was opened in his name using fake documents.

A case was then registered with the CBI.

The investigators nailed the role of Patel who connived with two officials of the SBI and a private person in the fraud, the prosecution said.

It was Patel who forged the signatures of Nensey and the latter's wife on bank documents, and illegally withdrew the money from the account thereby causing a loss of Rs 1.04 crore (approx) to SBI, the court was told.

The three accused, including the two officials of SBI and another person, were sentenced to jail for three years in 2015.

Patel, who was on the run, was arrested in 2016.

"He has been awarded severe punishment by the court as his role in the crime was more serious than the other three, as he was was the person who forged signature on cheques and other bank documents," said special public prosecutor Chetan Kumar Nandode.

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Navy and Coast Guard ships and helicopters, relief teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in strategic locations while Army and Air Force units have been put on standby as severe cyclonic storm 'Fani' is approaching towards India's eastern coast, officials said.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's top body to deal with emergency situations, met here Tuesday for the second time in as many days and reviewed the preparedness with the states and departments concerned of the central government to deal with the situation arising out of the cyclonic storm.

"The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy have deployed ships and helicopters for relief and rescue operations. The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force units in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal have also been put on standby," a home ministry official said.

The NDRF is deploying 41 teams in Andhra Pradesh (eight teams), Odisha (28) and West Bengal (five teams) for prepositioning.

In addition, the NDRF is keeping on standby 13 teams in West Bengal and 10 in Andhra Pradesh, the official said.

A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) comprises about 45 personnel.

A home ministry statement said based on the decision of the first meeting of the NCMC, headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, the central government has already released advance financial assistance of Rs 1,086 crore to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal to assist them in undertaking preventive and relief measures.

States have issued advisories and are ensuring that fishermen do not venture into the sea.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has been issuing three hourly bulletins with latest forecast to all the states concerned. The home ministry is also in continuous touch with the state governments and the central agencies concerned.

Reviewing the preparedness of the states and central agencies, the cabinet secretary directed that all necessary measures be taken to prevent any loss of life and to keep in readiness essential supplies including food, drinking water and medicines etc, the statement said.

He also advised all concerned to make adequate preparations to ensure maintenance of essential services such as power, telecommunications in the event of damages caused to them.

During the meeting, officers of all state governments concerned confirmed their preparedness to deal with any emerging situation arising out of the cyclonic storm.

The IMD informed that the severe cyclonic storm 'Fani' lay centred this afternoon at about 800 kms south of Puri.

According to the IMD, it is very likely to intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during next 24 hours and move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards and reach Odisha coast by the afternoon of May 3.

Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha, East and West Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogly and Kolkata districts of West Bengal, and Srikakulam and Vijayanagram districts of Andhra Pradesh are likely to be affected according to present indications, the statement said.

Chief secretaries and principal secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal participated in the NCMC Meeting through video conference.

Senior officers from the ministries of home, shipping, fisheries, power, telecommunications, defence, IMD and NDRF also attended the meeting.

The NCMC will meet again Wednesday to take stock of the emerging situation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) Tuesday allowed insolvency proceedings against Reliance Communication (RCom) after the Anil Ambani-led firm withdrew a challenge to such a move.

RCom will be admitted back to insolvency proceedings after the NCLAT allowed the debt-laden firm to withdraw its petition challenging a decision of the Mumbai-bench of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to initiate such proceedings.

RCom had moved the application to withdraw its challenge to the insolvency order after its board felt insolvency was the best course after failed attempts to revive the firm.

An NCLAT bench headed by Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya ruled that moratorium on liabilities would start.

Moratorium over "sale, transfer or alienate any moveable or immovable property" or "invoke any guarantee or mortgage or any other instrument" of RCom would continue as per the norms of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016, it said.

Originally, Ericsson India had in September 2017 moved insolvency petitions against RCom and its subsidiaries Reliance Infratel and Reliance Telecom before the Mumbai bench of NCLT after failing to recover about Rs 1,500 crore dues from the company. The petition was admitted on May 15, 2018.

The NCLAT had on May 30, 2018, stayed insolvency proceedings after RCom challenged it.

In subsequent proceedings before NCLAT, RCom had reached an agreement with Ericsson India to pay Rs 550 crore by September 30, 2018. This deadline was extended till December 15, 2018, after RCom petitioned the Supreme Court.

After it failed to make the payments within the stipulated deadline, a contempt petition was moved before the Supreme Court which threatened to jail top executives of RCom if the firm did not pay up within four weeks.

RCom made the payments in March and later moved an application to withdraw the challenge to the insolvency, a move that Ericsson India termed as "dishonest" intended to frustrate court orders.

In insolvency proceedings, Ericsson will be treated as only an operational creditor and may end up losing the Rs 550 crore it had got as financial creditors have first say on proceeds from such proceedings.

Following the withdrawal, May 15, 2018 order admitting insolvency petition would become operational now.

During the proceedings, RCom was represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, which asked the appellate tribunal to allow the company to withdraw its appeal, a move which was contested by Ericsson.

Last year, when on May 30 NCLAT had stayed the insolvency proceedings, RCom was hopeful of selling its telecom towers, spectrum and fibre assets to Reliance Jio to clear some of the Rs 45,733 crore debt it owes to banks.

However, the sale did not materialize after Jio declined to take the liabilities of its past dues.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Tuesday preponed its scheduled hearing over the resolution process of debt-ridden firm Essar Steel to May 7.

The Committee of Creditors (CoC) of the company had moved an urgent plea to seek an early hearing in this matter.

An NCLAT bench headed by Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya Tuesday directed the matter to be listed on May 7.

The NCLAT was scheduled to hear the Essar Steel matter on May 13, where operational creditors and other stake holders of Essar Steel have moved over distribution of Rs 42,000 crore coming in from ArcelorMittal.

The promoters of the company had also approached the NCLAT, challenging the order of the Ahmedabad bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), which had on March 9 approved ArcelorMittal's bid for the company.

On April 12, in this matter, the Supreme Court had stayed the disbursement of funds to creditors while directing parties to maintain status quo.

It had also asked the tribunal to expeditiously decide the appeals before it.

The CoC had challenged the orders of the NCLAT of March 18 and March 20 before the Supreme Court by filing an SLP.

The NCLAT in its orders had asked the resolution professional of the company to call a fresh meeting of the CoC to consider redistribution of funds among financial and operational creditors.

Operational creditors of Essar Steel are not satisfied with the CoC over the distribution of Rs 42,000 crore coming from the resolution plan by global steel major ArcelorMittal.

The CoC of Essar Steel has divided operational creditors of the company into two types -- one with claims under Rs 1 crore and another above Rs 1 crore.

According to the resolution plan of ArcelorMittal approved by CoC on October 24, 2018, operational creditors having claims below Rs 1 crore will get their dues and those with claims of over Rs 1 crore will receive almost zero.

Financial creditors would get an upfront Rs 41,987 crore payment against their admitted claims of Rs 49,395 crore while operational creditors are getting Rs 214 crore against their dues of Rs 4,976 crore.

Later, the CoC decided to allocate an additional Rs 1,000 crore to operational creditors after the NCLT and the NCLAT suggested it to rework on the distribution of funds.

NCLT Ahmedabad had initiated insolvency proceedings against Essar Steel on June 27, 2017.

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Describing Pakistan as China's "proxy space power", a top Indian Army general on Tuesday said there is an urgent need to reshape India's space policy in view of the enhanced threat perceptions from the two neighbouring countries.

Lt Gen Taranjit Singh, DGPP, Indian Army, while delivering the spotlight speech on the second day of the 5th ORF Kalpana Chawla Annual Space Policy Dialogue, said India should tap the advanced technology of space to meet its national security challenges.

The potential of space technology should be used for not only military logistics, but also for weapons, missiles deployments in a vast geography like ours, he was quoted as saying by an Observer Research Foundation release.

Singh told the participants of the dialogue that in view of the enhanced threat perceptions from both China and Pakistan, there is an urgent need to restructure and reshape the nation's space policy.

The restructuring is needed in view of the changed security concerns because of the activities of both China and Pakistan, Singh said.

"Pakistan is the proxy space power of China," he said, adding that the recent meeting of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during the BRI conference in Beijing, has reiterated this point.

He pointed out that China has integrated its space programme with its security and military requirements and it has enhanced the PLA's capabilities.

Singh said the launch of niche quantum satellite by China for communication has given it edge and so there is a need for fast developing such niche satellites by India too.

He also said China's ASAT capability has enhanced India's fears over its space assets.

Earlier, Sivathanu Pillai, Distinguished Fellow, ISRO, also felt protecting and sustaining space assets has become a big challenge not only for India, but also for other space nations.

He felt this can be done only through space control and servicing the 1,700 active satellites in space to prolong its life.

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A labourer by profession with Rs 1,000 cash in hand, Titar Singh is the never-give-up contestant who has been fighting one election or another since 1983 and is now getting ready for his 29th electoral plunge.

The 74-year-old is one of the 11 candidates who have filed papers for the Ganganagar Lok Sabha constituency (SC) in Rajasthan, which will go to the polls during the fifth phase of parliamentary elections on May 6.

Trying his luck an an independent, Singh claims he has contested the Lok Sabha, assembly and local body polls 28 times in the past with the help of donations from local residents but lost every time.

I have lost all elections but I keep my hopes alive. I will win this time, the indefatigable Singh, who managed to get almost 4,000 votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, told PTI.

Pushed into contesting as a sign of protest against governmental neglect, he has never given up.

This is the 29th time I am contesting an election. I lost 28 elections in the past but this has not demoralised me. I first contested in 1983 as no government took care of my family. They did not give us land for farming," Singh said.

"I earned a livelihood as a labourer throughout my life. I contest elections with the help of donations from local residents, he added.

According to his affidavit filed with the nomination papers, Singh has Rs. 1,000 cash in hand and a small house with a market value of Rs 2 lakh.

I have no vehicle, therefore, I do door-to-door canvassing with my five friends,he said.

When told he had lost every time he contested, Singh said it was for voters to decide who should win.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Singh got 3,924 votes, resulting in the forfeiture of his security.

The Congress has fielded Bharat Ram Meghwal while the BJP has given the ticket to sitting MP Nihal Chand Meghwal from Ganganagar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Joe Biden has taken a commanding lead in the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential nomination race, polls showed Tuesday, boosting the former US vice president's standing as he began campaigning in early-voting Iowa.

A CNN poll had Biden breaking away from the pack of 20 candidates with 39 percent support among Democrats or Democratic-leaning voters. Liberal Senator Bernie Sanders was a distant second at 15 percent.

Progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren, young South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas were bunched together with eight, seven, and six percent respectively.

Biden also came out on top in a Quinnipiac University poll with 38 percent support among Democrats and voters leaning Democratic.

Twelve percent of those polled by Quinnipiac backed Warren while 11 percent were for Sanders and 10 percent for Buttigieg.

California Senator Kamala Harris was at eight percent followed by O'Rourke with five percent.

The CNN survey signaled, however, that Americans are still a long way from making up their minds this far out from the statewide primaries, which kick off next February.

Only 36 percent of respondents with a preference said they will definitely back the candidate they currently support, while 64 percent said they could still change their minds.

In the Quinnipiac poll, 56 percent of Democrats or Democratic-leaning voters said Biden has the best chance to beat Republican Donald Trump in the November 2020 election, followed by Sanders at 12 percent.

"The Democratic primary race suddenly gets real with a fast start by former vice president Joe Biden and a very clear indication from voters that he is the only candidate who can send President Trump packing 18 months from now," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll.

The CNN poll of 1,007 respondents was conducted by SSRS research in the days after Biden officially joined the field last week, and shows his support surging by 11 percentage points since the previous survey, in March. Quinnipiac polled 1,044 voters nationwide including 419 Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters.

Biden, 76, has hit the ground running after jumping into the race last week. Barack Obama's vice president from 2009-2017, Biden describes himself as a "Biden-Obama Democrat" and he further aligned himself with his former boss in a new campaign video released Tuesday.

Obama has yet to weigh in on the 2020 field, and Biden has said he personally asked the former president not to endorse him at this time.

The campaign video nevertheless, features excerpts of the then-president's glowing speech when he presented Biden with the Medal of Freedom in 2017.

The opening salvos of Biden's campaign have seen him directly taking on Trump, painting him as a "threat" to America and lacking the moral decency to serve the nation. Biden traveled Tuesday to Iowa, which votes first in the party nomination process, for a two-day debut campaign swing through the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three people, including a newly married woman and a minor girl, were killed and six others injured when a truck hit their tempo in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, a police official said on Tuesday.

The mishap took place late Monday night at Maregaon town, located around 670 km from here, when the victims, all hailing from Balegaon in Hingoli district, were returning from a trip to Chandrapur, an official said.

As the tempo reached Maregaon, a speeding truck going from Yavatmal to Chandrapur hit the three-wheeler, killing two persons, including a 14-year-old girl, on the spot, he said.

One the other seven injured, Sakshi Upare (19), who got married recently, died at the Chandrapur civil hospital during treatment, he said.

A case was registered against the truck driver, he said, adding that an investigation was underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"X-Men" star Nicholas Hoult is joining Angelina Jolie in thriller "Those Who Wish Me Dead".

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Sheridan is directing the film.

Sheridan made his directorial debut with critically-acclaimed thriller "Wind River" in 2017. He is also known for writing the screenplays of Oscar-nominated "Hell or High Water" and Denis Villeneuve's "Sicario".

The new film is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Michael Koryta, which follows a teenager in a witness protection programme hiding out from a pair of killers in a wilderness skills set-up while a fire engulfs Montana.

Sheridan will adapt the book for the screen.

Garrett Basch and Steve Zaillian of Film Rites and Bron Studios' Aaron L Gilbert are attached to produce.

Hoult's last cinematic outing was the Oscar-nominated "The Favourite".

He will next be seen in the JRR Tolkien biopic "Tolkien" and will reprise his role as Beast in "X-Men: Dark Phoenix".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fugitive diamond merchant is making another bail plea at the UK court where he is undergoing extradition proceedings to India in the USD 1-billion Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case.

The 48-year-old, who has been behind bars at Wandsworth prison in south-west London since his two previous bail applications were rejected following his arrest on March 19, is to appear before Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on May 8 for a third attempt.

"The next hearing will be on 8 May. The application for bail will be heard before Judge Emma Arbuthnot at Westminster Magistrates' Court," said a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is representing the Indian authorities in the extradition case.

Barrister Nick Hearn from Furnival Chambers will represent the CPS at the bail hearing, while Modi will be represented by Clare Montgomery of Matrix Chambers.

At the last hearing in the case on April 26, when Modi had appeared before Judge Arbuthnot via videolink from prison, his legal team had made no application for bail and he was further remanded in judicial custody until May 24. While his two previous bail pleas have been rejected on the grounds that there was a "substantial risk he would fail to surrender", he can make a third application if there is a considerable change in circumstances.



ALSO READ: A US request to extradite Nirav Modi may send him back to India instead

His legal team, led by solicitor Anand Doobay, have previously offered one million pounds as security alongside an offer to meet stringent electronic tag restrictions on their client's movements, "akin to house arrest". It remains to be seen how they plan to bolster the application for a third attempt before the same court.

"This is a case of substantial fraud, with loss to a bank in India of between USD 1-2 billion. I am not persuaded that the conditional bail sought will meet the concerns of the government of India in this case," Judge Arbuthnot had said, when rejecting Modi's last bail attempt.

She also noted that "very unusually in a fraud case" the accused had made death threats to witnesses and also attempted to destroy evidence in the case. The diamond dealer's "lack of community ties" in the UK and an attempt to acquire the citizenship of Vanuatu in late 2017 went against him as the judge said it seemed like he was trying to "move away from India at an important time".

Montgomery, Modi's barrister, had made a series of offers to try and convince the judge to grant bail, even bringing up his pet dog.

"He did have a son at Charterhouse [school in London] who has now gone to university in the States and as a sign of ageing parents, led Mr Modi to get a dog instead. None of these actions are emblematic of someone setting out to flee the country," she had claimed.

"It is nonsense to say that he is a flight risk. He does not have a safe haven open to him and he has not travelled or applied for citizenship elsewhere he only qualifies for leave to remain in this country, she said.

Modi was arrested by uniformed Scotland Yard officers in central London on March 19. During subsequent hearings, Westminster Magistrates' Court was told that Modi was the "principal beneficiary" of the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking (LoUs) as part of a conspiracy to defraud and then laundering the proceeds of crime.

At the hearing last week, the court was told that May 30 had been tentatively fixed as the first case management hearing in his extradition case. It remains to be seen how the case will progress after the new bail plea next week.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople consoles the Ukrainian Orthodox with exclusion from Easter in Jerusalem. Russian Orthodox bring sacred fire to the Lavra of the Kiev Caves and the churches of Donetsk.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - During the Easter celebration on Sunday 28 April, for the first time, the patriarchal message was also read in the Ukrainian language. A video with the message being read was posted by Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Sibiha, via Twitter, and the news was picked up by the Rbk-Ukraina agency (click here).

"Today during the celebration of Easter at the Phanar, Patriarch Bartholomew read his message also in Ukrainian - a year ago it would have been unthinkable! Believe, and victory will be forever! Everything for Ukraine!, Is the ambassador's enthusiastic text.

The words of the ecumenical patriarch have consoled, at least partially, the Ukrainian autocephalous Orthodox excluded from celebrations at the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, sanctioned by the Patriarch Theophilos, at the invitation of the Russians.

The Orthodox faithful in Moscow then carried the "holy fire" of Jerusalem, in procession, from the Lavra of the Kiev Caves to the churches of Donetsk, the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republic in the disputed area of Ukraine whose inhabitants President Putin granted Russian citizenship in recent days.

Patriarch Bartholomew also sent his blessing to the new Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for the victory in the April 21 elections, inviting him to continue the reforms in Ukraine, and assuring him of support in the spiritual revival of the country.

Zelensky apologized further for the irony with which he referred to the Tomos that conceded autocephaly in his television shows, prompted by the "patriarch emeritus" Filaret (Denisenko).

The Kiev metropolitan Epiphanous (Dumenko) has assured the election results pose no risk of the Tomos being revoked, even if the new president radically changes the course of Ukrainian politics.
/ -- Nitstone Finserv, a Bangalore-headquartered NBFC, which focuses on digital and physical lending platform facilitating quick and hassle-free loans, has appointed Mr. Bosco Caldeira as its Senior Vice President - Head of Strategic Finance and Global Alliances.

Mr. B Caldeira is a former Chartered Accountant and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. He has had a career spanning over 25 years in global banks and IT firms in the UK, UAE, India, Malaysia and Australia. Bosco has worked in senior management positions in Bank of America, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank and CIMB Bank.

Caldeira's appointment comes as a part of Nitstone's efforts to continue to attract institutional investments to raise growth capital. In his new role, he would be focused on raising investment capital, working on strategic partnership. He would be a part of the senior management team.

Ms Bhatter, the company's spokesperson, said, "We are delighted to welcome Bosco Caldeira in the team. Caldeira is spearheading the negotiations for the fresh investment in the firm. We believe that with his ability to deliver growth with large-scale impact, he would bring a wealth of expertise, experience, and international perspectives, diversity and excellent judgment to increase the scalability of the firm."



About Nitstone Finserv



Nitstone Finserv Private Limited is a technologically equipped NBFC taking a radical approach to lending and financing. From unprecedented products and tools to faster service, we are all about helping our consumers get ahead, grow and find success.

Whether they are looking to finance their personal needs, education, buy consumer durables or ascend in/start their business, we promise to empower our consumers to accomplish the goals they set and achieve financial greatness and growth.

For more information, visit the company website at http://www.nitstone.com



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NitstoneFinserv/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/NitstoneFinserv



Instagram: https://www.instagram.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said no farmer in the country will be jailed for not repaying loans if his party comes to power at the Centre.

Addressing a rally here in Tikamgarh district of Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi blamed the NDA government's decisions of demonetisation and implementation of GST for "large-scale unemployment" in the country.

"When the Congress government comes to power, no farmer will be sent to jail for not repaying bank loans," he said.

Gandhi claimed that lakhs of youth lost jobs because of demonetisation and GST as production in factories stopped due to lack of demand in the market.

"People have no money left with them as it was taken away by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through demonetisation," he said.

Referring to the 'NYAY' poverty-alleviation scheme proposed by the Congress in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto, Gandhi said it will provide Rs 72,000 per year to those whose earning is less than Rs 12,000 per month.

"Like MNREGA, this scheme will hugely benefit the people of Budelkhand region," Gandhi said.

Targeting Modi, he said after completion of half of the Lok Sabha poll process, the prime minister's face has "withered" and claimed he will certainly lose in the elections and that the Congress would come to power.

The Congress has fielded Kiran Ahirwar from Tikmagarh Lok Sabha seat against BJP's sitting MP and Union minister Virendra Kumar Khatik.

Lok Sabha elections for the 29 seats in MP are being held in four phases. Polling for the first phase was held on Monday and the remaining seats will go to polls on May 6, 12 and 19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi, Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said the fire at Delhi's Shastri Bhawan has not destroyed any files, as claimed by the Congress chief.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the fire broke out at the building that houses offices of several ministries, Gandhi had said that burning files will not save the prime minister as his "day of judgement" is near.

"Stop peddling lies! The fire in Shastri Bhavan has caused no damage to any files. The waste and scrap kept on the top floor caught fire and was extinguished within 30 minutes. Do your homework before casting allegations. One more jhoot of Congress!" Javadekar tweeted.

"You are daydreaming of coming to power, which is not going to happen. People of India have already decided to repose their faith in @narendramodi ji's leadership. Your judgement day is coming soon. Wait for the shock," he added.

The fire broke out on the sixth floor of Shastri Bhawan here this afternoon and was brought under control with an hour.

"Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming," Gandhi had tweeted after the incident.

Shastri Bhawan houses the ministries of Law, Information and Broadcasting, Corporate Affairs, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, and Human Resources Development.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Global aluminium producer Norsk Hydro on Tuesday put the cost of a cyber attack targeting the Norwegian company in March at around USD 50 million.

In the night between March 18 and 19, the company became the target of a "massive" cyber attack involving ransom ware, forcing it to disconnect from various sites and factories and switch to manual operations in others.

The attack also forced it to postpone the publication of its quarterly earnings, originally scheduled for Tuesday, to June 5.

"The cyber attack that hit us on March 19 has affected our entire global organisation," said CEO Svein Richard Brandtzaeg in a statement.

Norsk Hydro estimated that the overall financial impact of the cyber attack would be 400-450 million Norwegian krona (USD 46-USD 52 million, 41-46 million euros, but also said it had "robust" cyber insurance.

The light metals producer said it had not paid any ransom and has filed a complaint with Norwegian police, which has opened an investigation.

The company's shares dropped 1.65 per cent in morning trading on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the four-phase Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra coming to an end Monday, politicians of all hues, especially those from Uttar Pradesh who are settled in Mumbai, are set to campaign in their home state.

Leaders of the BJP, the Congress, the SP and the BSP are expected to campaign for candidates of their respective parties in the northern state which votes in seven phases till May 19.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who topped the list of political leaders for holding maximum number of rallies in the state, will also hit the hustings in Uttar Pradesh.

When contacted, the CM told PTI Tuesday that he is awaiting his formal campaign schedule.

According to highly-placed sources in the BJP, Fadnavis is likely to address at least 12 rallies, mainly in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, including in Varanasi and Gorakhpur.

In the recently-concluded elections in Maharashtra, the chief minister addressed a total of 87 rallies for the BJP-Shiv Sena combine.

"Besides Fadnavis, state Education Minister Vinod Tawde, MLA Raj Purohit, MLC R N Singh and few other leaders are slated to campaign in several Lok Sabha seats like Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur and Machhali Shahar in Purvanchal region, and also in Western UP," party sources said.

Politically crucial Uttar Pradesh sends maximum 80 MPs to Lok Sabha.

"Given that Uttar Pradesh is politically most crucial state, we are going to make all out efforts to win it again. The party office is chalking out a schedule for UP campaigners," a party leader said.

Confirming this, state BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said several leaders from Maharashtra have either gone to Uttar Pradesh or will be going soon.

Bhandari also said North Indian politicians settled in Maharashtra are volunterring to campaign for BJP nominees in their home state.

Mumbai BJP general secretary Amarjeet Mishra said from Lucknow that more than 70 workers of the party from Maharashtra will be arriving in the UP capital to campaign for Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Mishra said many residents of Mumbai whose families live in Uttar Pradesh, will span across various districts in the northern state and spread word to vote for Modi.

Apart from the BJP, north Indian leaders of Congress in Mumbai like party MLA Naseem Khan and former legislator Kripashankar Singh to name a few, will also campaign in their home state.

Khan, who is already in UP, said he plans to address more than 24 rallies for Congress in the next eight days.

Senior Samajwadi Party leader and BMC corporator Rais Sheikh said Maharashtra chief of the party, Abu Asim Azmi is camping in UP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The state-owned Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) Tuesday signed an agreement with Assam Electricity Grid Corp Ltd (AEGCL) to build a facility for sourcing power from the grid.

As per the MoU signed between the two firms, NRL will set up a facility for importing 120 MW of power from 220 KV grid of the AEGCL, the refinery said in a statement.

"The project includes drawing of 220 KV overhead power transmission lines of approximately 15 km length and setting up of 220 KV sub-station near Numaligarh Refinery," it added.

The MoU will facilitate uninterrupted power supply for seamless refinery operations, besides meeting the additional power requirement of almost 74 MW for NRL's upcoming expansion plans.

"With the development of transmission infrastructure, NRL will be able to purchase stable power instead of setting up captive plants, which is more capital cost intensive," the company said.

The NRL is expanding its capacity from existing 3 MMTPA to 9 MMTPA at an investment of Rs 22,594 crore, which also include a 1,398 km crude oil pipeline of 9 MMTPA from Paradip to Numaligarh and a 654 km product pipeline of 6 MMTPA from Numaligarh to Siliguri.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shaurya Doval, son of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, has been accorded a top 'Z' category level security in view of potential threats to him, officials said on Tuesday.

Similarly, 10 BJP candidates, who are contesting elections from West Bengal, have been accorded security by the Centre for a "limited period", they said.

The officials told PTI that junior Doval has been "brought under the mobile security cover" of a central paramilitary force after a security perception report prepared by central agencies claimed that he faced "threats from people inimical to his father and others".

Post this report, the Union home ministry has ordered deployment of CISF commandos to guard Shaurya Doval (43) under the 'Z' category of VIP cover and AK-47 wielding commandos will be guarding him everytime he moves in any part of the country.

About 15-16 commands have been "detailed" for the security of Shaurya Doval, they said.

Shaurya Doval heads the think-tank 'India Foundation'.

NSA Doval enjoys the topmost category of 'Z+' provided by the Central Industrial Security Force. Ajit Doval was brought under this security umbrella about four years ago.

In a similar move, the government has accorded a "limited period" VIP security cover to a number of BJP candidates contesting the general elections in West Bengal.

BJP candidates Aupam Hazra, contesting Lok Sabha polls from Jadavpur and Arjun Singh, who joined the party after deserting the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and is contesting from Barrackpore, have been given a 'Y+' cover of central armed paramilitary commandos.

Similarly, Minister of State in the Union cabinet and candidate from Durgapur, S S Ahluwalia, Cooch Behar candidate Nishit Pramanik, former IPS officer and Ghatal seat candidate Bharti Ghosh have been accorded the 'Y+' cover that entails about 5-6 armed commandos. BJP leader Siddharth Shekhar Das has also been given the security.

BJP candidate from North 24 Parganas Shantanu Thakur has been accorded a 'Y' category cover while the lowest 'X' category cover has been given to Dulal Chandra Bar and Khagen Murmu who switched sides to the BJP from Congress and CPI(M) respectively.

A similar 'X' category security cover, that entails about 2-3 commandos with escort vehicle, has been accorded to Kabir Shankar Bose.

All the political people getting security cover in West Bengal will have the armed commandos with them till the polls get over and the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has directed to withdraw the cover from them by May-June.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said the 'Nyay' scheme promised by his party will jump-start the countrys economy as people will have money in their bank accounts to spend, a power which was taken away by steps like demonetisation and the "Gabbar Singh Tax (GST)".

He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and repeated his 'chowkidar chor hai' jibe.

"Under the Nyay scheme, 25 crore people will get Rs 6,000 per month, amounting to Rs 72,000 per year. In five years, they will get Rs 3.60 lakh in their accounts and that will give them power to purchase from the market," he said.

He said demonetisation and poor implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, which he dubs as the "Gabbar Singh Tax (GST)", has adversely affected purchasing power of people.

Gandhi was addressing an election rally at Amaanganj in Panna district is part of the Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat.

The Congress has fielded Kavita Singh from the Khajuraho seat against the BJP's Vishnu Dutt Sharma.

Seeking to woo the large number of women present at the rally, he said the money under the minimum income scheme will be directly deposited in their bank accounts.

He asked the men present at the event not to get annoyed with him on the issue.

Gandhi said when Modi can give Rs 5.55 lakh crore to 15 big people of the country like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi, he can easily give Rs 72,000 per year to poor people.

The Congress president asked chief minister Kamal Nath to probe the "Bundelkhand scam" as the purpose for which the money was given by the previous UPA government was not fulfilled.

The development package for the impoverished region was announced when the BJP was in power in the state.

Gandhi criticised Modi for making false promise of giving Rs 15 lakh each to the people of the country ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"I wont say that I will give Rs 15 lakh as I dont lie. But I can promise that I can give Rs 3.60 lakh in accounts of poor families and I will fulfil that," he said.

The Congress leader pointed out that his party promptly implemented the loan waiver scheme announced in states where it came to power after the assembly elections last year.

He said now a days whenever and wherever he says "chowkidar" people reply in unison "chor hai".

The Congress chief has been repeatedly using the "chowkidar chor hai" (watchman is a thief) jibe to target Modi whom he accuses of indulging in crony capitalism and highlight alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Earlier, Gandhi addressed one more rally in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, Patharia, which falls in the Damoh parliamentary seat.

While six of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh went to the polls in the first phase on April 29, the remaining 23 constituencies will vote on May 6, 12 and 19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday tore into the opposition, charging it with working towards forming a government that is "weak, loosely knit and helpless" before black money and corruption.

He also assailed the Congress and Lalu Prasad's RJD, alliance partners in Bihar, over financial scandals that rocked their governments in the past.

Modi ridiculed opposition parties that are incapable of winning even as many Lok Sabha seats as are required for their representative to be designated as the Leader of the Opposition for nursing prime ministerial ambitions.

"Those who are in jail or are staring at prison terms, cannot tolerate a strong government in New Delhi for a second. They want a government that is weak, loosely knit and helpless so that they may do manmaani (act as they please)," he told an election rally here.

The prime minister asserted the drive against black money and corruption launched by his government will not slacken.

Referring to the alleged AgustaWestland chopper scam under the previous UPA government in which British middleman Christian Michel was recently extradited to India, Modi said "We have caught hold of their Michel mama (maternal uncle). Soon many of their chachas (paternal uncles) would be traced and brought to justice".

Though Modi was apparently hinting at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, he did not name anyone.

In a veiled attack on Lalu Prasad, Modi referred to the IRCTC hotels for land scam in which the former railway minister's wife Rabri Devi, daughter Misa Bharti and younger son Tejashwi Yadav have been named as co-accused and benami properties allegedly belonging to them seized.

"They will have to account for their shopping malls and their farm houses as well," he said.

Recalling the 15-year rule of the RJD in Bihar, propped for half its tenure by the Congress, Modi warned the voters against backing the opposition alliance, saying the state may return to "lawlessness" it was once notorious for and the achievements of the NDA government could be undone.

He, however, said the opposition is not fighting the election to form a government at the Centre but merely to augment its strength in Parliament.

Speaking in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who head the JD(U) and the LJP, Modi urged the electorate to consider the BJP-led coalition a "three-in-one entity".

"Remember, whether you press the button next to lotus, arrow or house (symbols of the three NDA constituents) your vote shall go to Modi," the prime minister said.

He also took potshots at opposition parties over lack of cohesion and prime ministerial ambition of their leaders.

"Most of these parties are not contesting enough seats which could help their representative become even the Leader of the Opposition, which would require a tally equivalent to at least 1/10th of Parliaments total strength. Still, their leaders are nursing prime ministerial ambitions," he said.

Modi said the Congress, which did not have the numbers for its leader in the outgoing Lok Sabha to be recognised as the Leader of the Opposition, was getting "jittery" over smaller parties gaining ground.

In his nearly half-an-hour long speech, the prime minister steered clear of making any direct reference to the surgical strikes of 2016 or the recent Balakot air strikes for which the Congress has moved the Supreme Court alleging violation of the model code of conduct.

He, however, asserted that India's security forces have successfully kept terror under check during the last five years.

"However, the menace has not vanished. The threat looms large on the entire world. A dastardly attack in Sri Lanka recently claimed 300 lives. But all those running factories of terror and violence are in the cross hairs of this chowkidar (watchman) of yours," he said.

Asserting that his government was committed to ensuring social justice and harmony, he said, introducing 10 per cent quotas for the economically weaker sections among the unreserved category, without infringing on the rights of others, was the best example of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' (inclusive development).

He said his government granted constitutional status to the OBC Commission notwithstanding opposition from parties like the Congress and the RJD. It is a matter of pride for the people of Muzaffarpur that the first person to head the upgraded body, Bhagwan Lal Sahni, hails from here, Modi added.

Talking about his government's pro-poor leaning, the prime minister said it ended the "VIP culture of lal batti (red beacon lights on cars of important people) and reached milky white light of LED bulbs to the homes of poor".

Modi also spoke of measures like the Ayushman Bharat medical insurance scheme and the Rs 6,000 annual assistance to farmers through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, besides his governments intention to do away with the five- acre ownership cap for the beneficiaries during his next tenure as PM.

He also claimed that after the first four phases of polling, the opposition lay "chaaro khane chitt (defeated) and that the remaining three phases will only add to the scale of its defeat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Demanding fresh elections in the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat, the CPI(M) on Tuesday alleged that the polling there was marred by "large-scale irregularities and outright rigging".

The party said it has written to the Election Commission and even submitted documents to prove their case for repolling in the seat, where elections were held in the first phase on April 11.

"We commend the demand of the Left Front Committee of Tripura to countermand the entire election in 1-Tripura West constituency and hold fresh polls. It was marred by large-scale irregularities and outright rigging. In our estimation more than 50 per cent of the booths had no polls," said CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

In its letter to the Election Commission, the party said that on February 20, 2019, the CPI(M) has brought to the poll panel's notice to specific concerns and possible threats to holding of free and fair polls.

"We had met the Commission on March 6, two days before the announcement and the notification of the polls. Regrettably, our worst apprehensions have been vindicated based on the actual developments.

"Based on our complaints and the responses from the observers and others, the ECI had come to the conclusion that the experience of April 11 was grave enough for postponing the 2-Tripura East (ST) Parliamentary Constituency on April 18 as scheduled," the letter said.

In its notification, issued to postpone elections in the Tripura East seat, the Election Commission had observed: "Whereas reports have been received from the Chief Electoral Officer, Tripura and from the Special Police Observer, Tripura that the law and order situation prevailing in the said 2-Tripura East (ST) Parliamentary Constituency is not conducive to the holding of free and fair poll in the constituency on 18th April, 2019".

On the poll related violence in West Bengal, Yechury said that in many places the party's polling agents were not allowed to enter.

"People are being identified outside in lines as to who is likely to vote for the ruling party and who against and they are beaten up and removed. If Left supporters are allowed to cast their votes in a free and fair manner then the election results will be entirely different," he said.

He claimed that during the last election, the party lost 171 workers in the effort to ensure that Left supporters could caste their vote.

"This is the level of intimidation and terror in the state. One life has already been lost and many more are injured," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
by Melani Manel Perera

The archbishop holds a press conference to denounce the authorities failures. Schools must remain closed until pupils and teachers are safe. He warns about the dangers looming over the upcoming Vesak festival. The Commission of Inquiry is likely to fail like previous ones.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  Card Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo, held a media briefing to express his displeasure at the government for its inactions in connection with the Easter Sunday bombings.

In his address, the prelate slammed the authorities for trying to pass the buck, for losing time, letting people to escape, setting up a commission with many retired officers, and for failing to uphold the law and providing security. Instead, he urged them to implement the law without any fear or favour [and] without leaving room for us to take the law into our own hands.

The cardinal unreservedly dismissed the governments handling of the emergency caused by bombings at three churches and hotels. In light of the situation, he wants the authorities not to reopen the countrys schools until they can guarantee security for students and teachers alike.

However, I cannot see any measures being taken towards this, Mgr Ranjith said. Politicians are once again playing their favourite blame game and as a result, the country and the people continue to suffer.

He warns that if the current regime does not have a stronger framework to combat terror, it will be impossible to contain the masses in the country in the future.

In his view, it is the duty of political leaders not to indulge in blame games or waste time by reminding [people of] what took place in the past. Instead, it is their responsibility to put aside their political differences and find solutions to the issue of national security and take action to rid the country from this pitiful state.

Calling on all political parties in this country to form an All-Party government to resolve this issue, he urges the President, the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and other political leaders to put aside their differences.

The cardinal points out the lack of coordination in security operations, asking "Who brought these explosives, who gave support to these terrorists? These people should be questioned even though they may have fled the country by now.

After the attacks, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena set up a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI), but I am still in the dark whether those in the PCol had even begun their deliberations or any evidence has been sought from witnesses, etc. Its members are retired officers instead of skilled and knowledgeable experts.

Card Ranjith fears that this Commission will suffer the same fate like each of its predecessors. Case in point is the PCoI into the death of Roshen Chanaka, a worker shot to death during clashes with police in 2001.

Finally, with the approach of the Vesak festival, on 18 May, people tend to converge in large numbers [. . .] throughout the country, he notes. [I]f by some chance another attack were to take place during that time, the maintenance of national security will become a serious issue.
Pakistani Senate has passed a bill to fix 18 years as the age of puberty for girls to end the practice of child marriages in the Muslim-majority country, triggering objections from some members who said the move was against Islam.

The Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 was presented by Senator Sherry Rehman of Pakistan Peoples Party, which will help to end the practice of child marriage in the country.

The bill was passed on Monday after heated opposition by some lawmakers who termed it against Islam to fix the age of puberty, the Express Tribune reported.

Senator Ghafoor Haidri raised an objection, saying fixing the age of 18 years for Nikah is inconsonant with the Shariah and the bill may be sent to the Islamic Ideology Council (IIC) for further discussion.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Qadri said a similar bill was sent to the IIC in 2010 which was returned by the council with the observation that according to Fuqaha, the age of puberty varies and cannot be fixed."



Former Senate chairman, Senator Raza Rabbani, supported the bill and apprised the house that the bill was earlier sent to the IIC, where it remained pending there for years without discussion.

He said the Sindh Assembly had already passed the same bill which was not challenged or opposed at any forum so far.

He further said the age of puberty of girls in other Islamic countries is also 18 years.

The mover of the bill Senator Rehman, however, urging the Senate chairman for voting on the bill, said the age of voting, eligibility for national identity card was also 18, "so why the age of puberty cannot be fixed accordingly."



Giving details of Muslim countries that declared 18 years as the age of puberty, she said, in Algeria the age was 19, while Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and even the Saudi Arabia had fixed 18 years as the age of puberty.

"We are not promoting western values, but are trying to save innocent lives as a Pakistani woman dies every 20 minutes because of marriage at an early age," the senator said, adding that the entire world legislated to protect the lives of their girls, but unfortunately 21 per cent marriages took place under the age of 18 in Pakistan.

State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said though the intent of the bill is noble but there are issues which should discussed as the country came into being in the name of Islam.

Winding up the debate on the bill, the Senate chairman sought voting and passed the bill with an opposition of five votes, according to the paper.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Pankaj Tripathi, who play the role of a laundry man in Abhiroop Basu's "Laali", says it took him just a moment to say yes to the short film.

The 42-year-old actor features as the lead in the Kolkata-shot film.

"Laali is a beautiful and experimental film entirely shot in Kolkata. I shot for the first time in Kolkata. The producers of the film Sireesha Kadiyala, Madhu Singhee and Sushila Jain are group of three young ambitious women who approached me for this film and narrated me the story at the Mumbai Airport in a span of 45 minutes and I agreed to play the part in Laali instantly," Tripathi said in a statement.

The "Mirzapur" star said the film initially had a run time of 20 minutes but got stretched to over 40 minutes and he believes it turned out to be "beautiful".

"When we started shooting for the film initially it was meant to be for 20 minutes but at the time Basu wanted to retain some of the scenes instead of editing them out. Now, this film is 40 minutes long instead of 20 minutes and its looking beautiful," he added.

The makers of the short recently released the film's poster, which Tripathi revealed, has been hand-painted.

"The makers decided to have a hand-painted poster as the first look of the film 'Laali'. A Kolkata-based painter was roped in to draw the poster. The poster reflects the rich art and culture of Bengal with a dash of mystery," the actor said.

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/ -- Paras HMRI Hospital, Patna achieves an AO Fellowship accreditation by Switzerland-based 'Association of Surgeons for Internal Fixation of Fracture' The hospital helped two patients suffering from walking disorders get back on their feet post surgery. These patients had given up hope after getting surgeries done at hospitals in Delhi and Lucknow The Orthopedic department at Paras HMRI Hospital, Patna has earned a worldwide reputation for quality, which is why it will now be able to offer the renowned AO fellowship to doctors from all over the world. Paras Hospital, Patna has now become the first hospital in eastern India to offer an AO Foundation course. A nod in this regard was given to the orthopedic department of the hospital by the Switzerland-based Association for the Study of Internal Fixation recently. Paras HMRI Hospital has now joined the league of India's 4 other reputed hospitals, along with AIIMS, New Delhi and Gangaram Hospital, Coimbatore in achieving the accreditation. Dr. John Mukhopadhyay, Director, Department of Orthopaedics, Paras, Patna recently helped two patients suffering from walking disorders get back on their feet post surgery. These patients had given up hope on regaining mobility after getting surgeries done at hospitals in Delhi and Lucknow.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/535431/Paras_Healthcare_Logo.jpg )



The Association of Surgeons for Internal Fixation of Fracture was first started in 1958 in Switzerland. The association is led by an international group of surgeons with expertise in the treatment of trauma and disorders of the musculoskeletal system. It also provides the much sought after AO Fellowship in trauma and fracture. In order to be accredited, hospitals have to meet certain standards and Paras HMRI Hospital, Patna managed to meet them all.

46-year-old Jay Prakash Verma, who had broken his knee during a road accident, was first admitted to a hospital in Gorakhpur. He underwent surgery twice but to no avail. He was then taken to Medanta Hospital (New Delhi) for surgery but still could not regain mobility. He then came down to Paras HMRI Hospital and Dr. Mukhopadhyay helped him get back on his feet. Another patient, Riyaz Ahmad from Siwan had suffered a foot injury as a result of a road accident. He was also taken to various hospitals in Patna, Lucknow and Delhi but in vain. He started walking soon after a surgical correction at Paras HMRI Hospital under Dr. Mukhopadhyay. He has once again started leading a normal life.

Paras Hospital, Patna houses the best of the best when it comes to orthopedic doctors and is equipped with modern machines and state-of-the-art facilities because of which patients return satisfied post surgery.

About Paras Healthcare



Paras Healthcare was founded in 2006. The key specialties that are mainly focused in all units are - cancer care, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics & joint replacement, urology, nephrology, kidney transplant, cardiology, cardiac sciences, gastroenterology & GI surgery, general & lap surgery along with plastic surgery to list a few. Approximately each unit has at least 30 specialties and super specialties. For more information, visit https://www.parashospitals.com/Source: Paras Healthcare Pvt.

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The on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister over the Home Ministry notice to Rahul Gandhi on his citizenship status, saying the PM is resorting to a "fake narrative" to divert attention.

Reacting to the notice, chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the entire world knows Gandhi is an Indian citizen by birth.

Prime Minister Modi has no answer on unemployment, agrarian distress and black money, and that is why he's resorting to "fake narrative" through his government's notices to divert attention, Surjewala told reporters.



ALSO READ: Govt issues notice to Rahul Gandhi over complaint about foreign citizenship

In a letter, the Home Ministry said it has received a representation from MP in which it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Gandhi as one of its directors.

The Home Ministry said Swamy's letter also mentioned that in the British company's annual returns filed on October 10, 2005 and October 31, 2006, Gandhi's date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970 and had declared his nationality as British.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this Ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," the Home Ministry notice issued Monday said.
Breaking her silence over reasons for not contesting Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress General Secretary for UP-East Priyanka Gandhi Tuesday said she had the "responsibility of looking after 41 seats and could not focus on just one".

"I didn't pull out...I took the advice of all senior leaders of our party and the advice of my colleagues in Uttar Pradesh and they firmly felt that I have a responsibility of looking after 41 seats," she told newspersons in Amethi from where her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election.

"All my candidates are still wanting me to go to their constituencies and I felt that they will be a little disappointed if I focussed only on one place," she said, explaining the reason behind taking the decision.

Priyanka is in-charge of 41 Lok Sabha seats in the eastern part of the state.

Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats and another party general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia is in charge of the remaining constituencies.

To a question on whether deciding against contesting in the constituency would send a wrong signal, she said, "No I don't think so...I had said from the start that I will do what my party says...my party decided this and I am happy to follow the instructions."



Earlier, there was a buzz that Priyanka would fight the election from the prestigious seat.

She had sent ripples across the political spectrum with her reply to party workers' request to contest the ongoing general elections from her mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's parliamentary constituency Rae Bareli.

Responding to them, she had asked, "Why not Varanasi?"



Even a few days back, Priyanka had reiterated she was willing to contest from Varanasi if the Congress president asks her to do so.

On his part, the Congress President, in an interview, had added to the speculation by saying he would like to keep the matter a suspense.

However, the Congress last week declared Ajai Rai as its candidate against Modi.

Rai had finished a distant third during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Varanasi.

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/ -- Prof C V Jawahar has been appointed the new Dean of Research & Development at IIIT-Hyderabad. He takes over from Prof Vasudeva Varma who previously held the position for two consecutive terms.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/600789/IIIT_Hyderabad_Logo.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879704/Prof_CV_Jawahar.jpg )



Prof C V Jawahar is the head of Centre for Visual Information Technology (CVIT), Machine Learning (ML) Lab and Executive Education Group (EEG) at IIIT Hyderabad, and leads a group focusing on computer vision, machine learning and multimedia systems.

An Amazon Chair Professor, Prof Jawahar is also an elected Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineers (INAE) and the International Association of Pattern Recognition (IAPR). His prolific research is globally recognized in the Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision research community with more than 50 publications in top tier conferences in computer vision, robotics and document image processing to his credit.

Extremely conscious of the social and practical relevance and application of research, Prof Jawahar is actively engaged with several government agencies, ministries and leading companies around innovating at scale through research.

Speaking on the new appointment, Prof P J Narayanan, Director, IIIT-Hyderabad, said, "Prof Jawahar is a foremost researcher in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision and brings a wealth of research experience to his new position as Dean of R&D. We are confident that IIIT-H's research will continue its upward trajectory under his leadership. I thank Prof Vasudeva Varma for the yeoman service as Dean of Research for the past six years. The Information Retrieval community will appreciate his return to full-time research."



Acknowledging the magnitude of his new role, Prof Jawahar says, "IIIT Hyderabad has emerged as a premier research university in a short span of time, thanks to my predecessors, colleagues and students. I look forward to continuing the existing initiatives, strengthening our research ecosystem and making it more impactful and innovative."



About IIIT-Hyderabad:



The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) is an autonomous research university founded in 1998 that focuses on the core areas of Information Technology, such as Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, and their applications in other domains through inter-disciplinary research with great social impact. Some of its research domains include Visual Information Technologies, Human Language Technologies, Data Engineering, VLSI and Embedded Systems, Computer Architecture, Wireless Communications, Algorithms and Information Security, Robotics, Building Science, Earthquake Engineering, Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, Education Technologies, Power Systems, IT in Agriculture and e-Governance.

Website: www.iiit.ac.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opposition Congress, BJP and students' outfits Tuesday stepped up protests over the alleged goof-up in Intermediate exam results, with state BJP president K Laxman continuing his indefinite fast and Congress vowing keep up its fight till justice is done to affected students.

Laxman, who was shifted to a state-run hospital hours after he lauched an indefinite fast on Monday, continued his fast, BJP sources said.

BJP has called for a bandh on May 2.

The party's demands include sacking Education Minister G Jagadeesh Reddy, suspension of the secretary of the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE), judicial inquiry into the entire episode and compensation to families of students who allegedly committed suicide.

The Congress Tuesday said it would keep up its fight till "justice is done to the students."



AICC incharge of Congress affairs in Telangana R C Khuntia in a statement alleged that the government had not responded to the protests and only tried to put them down.

BJP MP Bandaru Dattatraya, party MLC N Ramchander Rao and scores of party workers were taken into preventive custody for trying to hold a protest near Hussain Sagar lake here in protest against the police action of "forcibly" shifting Laxman while he was on an indefinite fast.

On Tuesday, some Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha members were taken into preventive custody by police when they tried to march towards the official residence-complex-cum camp office of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Talking to reporters later, Dattatreya claimed that about 25 students had committed suicide over the results issue.

He alleged that the TRS government tried to foil the indefinite fast of Laxman in the hospital by giving him suggestions like getting fluids administered or to go home.

Slamming the TRS government for not allowing BJP's proposed protests, the former Union Minister alleged that the party was creating an "emergency-like situation".

Claiming that about 5,000 BJP activists had either been taken into preventive detention or during state-wide protests, he said his party would draw the attention of the Home Ministry if the state continued to have this attitude.

Suspecting corruption, state Congress working president A Revanth Reddy demanded to know why a private firm was favoured over a government entity in handling the Intermediate results.

The exams were held in February and March this year and the results were declared on April 18.

Ever since the results were announced, many students and parents have been approaching the TSBIE office, alleging goof-up in the paper valuation.

While some students claimed they had either failed or got poor marks though they had performed well, parents of others said their wards are meritorious and expressed shock that they failed in the exams or had scored very less marks.

Blaming the TRS government for the goof-up in the results, Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti jointly called for a 'Maha Dharna' and tried to hold a demonstration in front of the TSBIE office Monday, but police foiled their attempts and took several of them into preventive custody.

The Telangana High Court had on Monday directed the state government and TSBIE to re-tally by May 8, marks of over three lakh of the nine lakh students declared failed and submit a report to it.

The government constituted three member committee of technical experts, tasked with looking into the charges of discrepancies in the declaration of results, had in its report pointed out some lapses and suggested steps for improvement.

The Chief Minister has already directed the officials not to charge any fee for re-verfication and re-counting from failed students.

The government has also announced that failed students need not apply for re-counting and re-verification.

Thousands of students, who passed the exams, have also applied for re-verification.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to speak even "a word" at a rally he addressed in Muzaffarpur on Tuesday on the infamous shelter home sex scandal in the north Bihar city.

The RJD national vice-president and wife of jailed party chief Lalu Prasad vented her ire on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

The leader of Opposition in the legislative council also accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other state cabinet members of being "responsible" for the sexual abuse of inmates of the state-funded care unit.

The matter is being investigated by the CBI under the supervision of the Supreme Court.

"It has been a year since the horrific scandal came to light. Modi has not spoken a word so far. The PM did not utter a word on this sordid episode at the rally where Nitish and his ministers, who have been responsible for the shameful incident, shared the stage," Rabri Devi tweeted.

The scandal had come to light last year when the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences, in its social audit report on shelter homes funded by the state social welfare department, had flagged complaints of sexual abuse of inmates of the Muzaffarpur shelter home.

The issue rocked both houses of the legislature in the state as well as Parliament and investigation, which had led to arrests of several accused including prime accused Brajesh Thakur and a number of his close aides besides government officials, was handed over to the CBI.

On the directions of the Supreme Court, Thakur has been transferred to a jail in Patiala while the trial in the case has been shifted to a Special POCSO court in Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP chief Amit Shah Tuesday targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying he and his party "sulked" after the air strike in Pakistan's Balakot as his dreams of becoming prime minister got shattered.

Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked to secure the country and give befitting replies to terrorists.

Addressing an election rally in Dausa, he said, "Rahul baba and his company sulked after air strikes in Balakot of Pakistan. His dream of becoming country's prime minister got shattered. Now, they are seeking proof of air strike for their vote bank."



He said the country was looking for a leader like Narendra Modi for 70 years.

"Rahul Gandhi is asking what BJP did Rajasthan. We have been in government for just five years. Your four generations have ruled the country for 55 years," Shah said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister Piyush Goyal Tuesday demanded that Rahul Gandhi clarify if he was a British or an Indian citizen after the Centre issued a notice to the Congress president on his citizenship status.

The Home Ministry in the notice, issued on Tuesday, has asked Gandhi to clarify within a fortnight his "factual position" on a complaint by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy questioning his citizenship status.

Citing the MP's letter, the ministry said it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Gandhi as one of its directors.

Gandhi declared his nationality as "British" in documents related to a company registered in the UK. In the company he was a secretary as well as a director, Goyal alleged.

He also attacked the Congress chief on the Rafale issue, claiming that he had violated directives of the Supreme Court and made baseless allegations on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gandhi had to later apologise, Goyal said.

On the Samajwadi Party claiming to field a "real fauji", dismissed BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav, against Modi from the Varanasi seat, he said, "It's a democracy and any one can file his nomination papers and contest elections.

The SP announced Monday that Yadav would be the SP-BSP-RLD alliance's candidate from Varanasi.

Yadav was dismissed from service after he complained about poor quality of food served to the personnel.

The people of the country know that PM Modi delivered an honest and transparent government and worked in the interest of the country, whereas Yadav is a dismissed constable, the Union minister said.

There is no relevance in this question and nobody doubts the honesty and integrity of PM Modi, Goyal said.

He exuded confidence that the BJP will get more seats than it got in 2014 and will form a majority government.

The country progressed rapidly under the leadership of Modi, Goyal said, citing the example of Varanasi, which, he said, has seen overall growth.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After months of silence, the leader of the Islamic State group issued a video message yesterday, praising attacks the Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka and pledging to continue the jihad in the Middle East and Africa. For the Chaldean Patriarch, Muslim authorities have the task and responsibility to defeat this ideology.

Baghdad. (AsiaNews)  This kind of message comes "in general in conjunction with the Ramadan period", the Islamic holy month of fasting and prayer. In all likelihood, the goal is to fuel "wars and tensions in the region, said Chaldean Patriarch Card Louis Raphael Sako speaking to AsiaNews. With the West increasingly "secular and ever less attentive to spiritual and moral values, this is an attempt to "sow terror everywhere".

The head of Iraqs Chaldean Church was reacting to a message by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq. In the video, posted by IS-linked media, Baghdadi, the self-styled caliph swore to exact vengeance after losing his territorial base in Syria and Iraq over the past two years.

For the cardinal, Islamic radicals are sending the message that "no one can guarantee the safety of places of worship and people". In fact, whilst IS might have been defeat militarily, armed gangs and affiliates will continue everywhere, driven by an ideology that has certainly not been eradicated. One person alone is enough to kill many others."

After a rapid rise in the second half of 2014 and in 2105 in Syria and Iraq, conquering large swathes of their territories, which it ruled committing serious crimes against humanity, IS progressively lost ground. Today the group controls a small area along the border between the two countries; however, their ideology is alive and well, and military defeat has not erased the threat it poses.

A 25-million-dollar bounty hangs over Baghdadi. More than once, he was thought dead or wounded. In the video, posted on ISs al-Furqan media network, the IS leader admits defeat in Baghuz. He also claims that the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka are retaliation for the fall of ISs last stronghold in Syria.

The clip was apparently shot this month, but nothing can confirm the date. US analysts and experts are working to ascertain its veracity.

The video also shows Baghdadi says hes received pledges of allegiance from militants in Burkina Faso and Mali, and talks about the protests in Sudan and Algeria - claiming that jihad is the only solution to "tyrants". His image disappears towards the end of the video and an audio recording of him discussing the Sri Lanka attacks is played.

For Card Sako, "The Islamic radical ideology is still widespread and enjoys the support, even financial, from different people. The jihadist vision is infused with revenge and denies spiritual values.

The extremists' way of thinking is based "on 7th century texts rather than on the status quo" and, in this context, places of worship become a privileged target.

Muslim authorities have the task and the responsibility to defeat this ideology, which is based on a rigid interpretation of Islamic law and imposes violence everywhere."

Conversely, for the Chaldean prelate, "A culture of respect, freedom and dialogue must be promoted. It is necessary to respect life and the common good, the full development of the people and groups that make up society."
Debt-ridden Reliance Communications (RCom) Tuesday withdrew its petition challenging an NCLT order that allowed insolvency resolution process against the company.

RCom in May last year had filed a petition before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the NCLT order on a plea by global telecom gear maker Ericsson.

The Mumbai bench of NCLT on May 15, 2018, admitted an insolvency petition filed by Ericsson against RCom and two of its subsidiaries -- Reliance Infratel and Reliance Telecom. The tribunal had also appointed an interim resolution professional to run the company.

The NCLAT on May 30, 2018, had stayed the operations of NCLT orders.

Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group firm has now opted to go through the insolvency proceedings.

During the proceedings of NCLAT, senior advocate Kapil Sibal representing RCom informed the bench about the company's decision to withdraw the petition against the NCLT's order.

An NCLAT bench headed by Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya allowed RCom to withdraw its appeal.

RCom in February 2019 had announced its decision to opt for insolvency proceedings following its failure to sell assets for paying back its lenders.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hollywood celebrities like Regina King, Samuel L Jackson and Jordan Peele among many remembered illustrious writer-director John Singleton, who passed away at the age of 51.

The family of the Oscar-nominated director, known for critical and commercial hits such as "Boyz n the Hood" and "Shaft", took him off life support Monday after he suffered a major stroke on April 17.

"It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of life support today. This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John's doctors," a spokesperson for the family told Deadline.

Singleton's 1991 drama "Boyz N the Hood" earned him the badge of becoming the first African American and youngest person to ever be nominated for best director, earning his invite to the Oscars at age 24.

King, who worked with the filmmaker on "Boyz n The Hood", "Higher Power" and "Poetic Justice", said he was "one of the greatest to ever do it".

"Rest In Power, my friend. One of the greatest to ever do it. Thank you GOD for blessing us with this gift better known as John Singleton. Having trouble finding enough words to share just," she wrote.

Jackson, who worked with Singleton in "Shaft", tweeted that the director was a trailblazer for many up-and-coming talents.

"Mourning the loss of a collaborator and True Friend John Singleton. He blazed the trail for many young film makers, always remaining true to who he was & where he came from!!! RIP Brother. Gone Way Too Soon!" he wrote.

Calling Singleton a "brave artist and a true inspiration", Peele said his vision "changed everything".

Viola Davis said Singleton inspired a generation of artists.

"We will shoulder on... 'May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest". RIP," Davis said.

"Fast and Furious" star Vin Diesel called the director "a hero for so many... and affected all of our lives".

Rapper-actor Ice Cube paid his respects to the "master filmmaker" who discovered him.

"He not only made me a movie star but made me a filmmaker. There are no words to express how sad I am to lose my brother, friend & mentor. He loved bring the black experience to the world," Ice Cube wrote alongside a photo with Singleton at Cannes Film Festival 1990.

Director Ava DuVernay called Singleton "a giant among" the tribe.

Spike Lee wrote an emotional post on Instagram, saying he will forever miss his "brother".

"With His Passion, His Heart, The Way He Talked About His Love For Cinema And Black Folks I Could See John Would Make It Happen, And He Did. From Day One, We Have Remained Close Over The Decades, Cheering Each Other On In This Industry That Is Not Set Up For Us To Win. John Singleton's Films Will Live On Forever. Blessings And Prayers For His Family. May John Rest In Power. Amen (sic)" Lee wrote.

Horror master John Carpenter said, "Singleton was a talented director and a kind man. He died too young. He will be missed."



"This one cuts deep. You'll never be forgotten. Cause your work will live on," writer-actor Lena Waithe.

Writer Larry Karaszewski said the director lived every minute of his 51 years.

"I'm going to miss laughing, talking movies, watching movies, making movies with this amazing human being. Love you buddy. Condolences to Justice and his whole family," Karaszewski wrote on the microblogging site.

Rap god Snoop Dogg thanked the director for creating space for the black community in cinema.

"Thank you for all that you gave to the world the movies the messages the opportunities to so many people like myself to grace the big screen in a major role with major black actors you were and will allways be black excellence love you for life and beyond," he wrote.

Rappers Chance and Common singled out Singleton directed 1992 hit music video, "Remember the time", which starred Michael Jackson, also featuring Eddie Murphy and Iman.

"Rest up John Singleton. We never met, but 'Remember The Time' literally changed my life. Thank you so much. God Bless you," Chance wrote.

"Not only did John make movies for us and our culture, he made one of the most iconic videos ever! It showed the world what Egyptians really looked like! Again I say, THANK YOU! May God bless the soul of John Singleton," Common tweeted along with a photo of the director, Jackson, Murphy and Iman from the sets of the song.

"Black Panther" star Michael B Jordan said Singleton shared "many of our truths", through his art.

"I can honestly say without his works I may have not been given the chance to express myself in this industry. I'm posting this not in his memory but to speak positive energy around his spirit. So we can have more time with him and his soul," Jordan wrote on Instagram.

"The Big Bang Theory" star Mayim Bialik called Singleton an "incredible talent".

"He was the first African American AND the youngest person to ever be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards... He will be missed," Bialik tweeted.

Singleton joined the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in 1990, served three terms as a member of the Western Directors Council and was the co-chair of the African American Steering Committee. His work on "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson" earned him a DGA Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series in 2016.

"I was so fortunate to be a collaborator with John on the show 'Snowfall' and witnessed first-hand the enormous impact he had on so many... Our hearts are heavier today at the DGA, as we mourn this tremendous loss," DGA president Thomas Schlamme said in a statement.

In recent years, Singleton served as producer-director on television series "Billions" and "Empire".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of Reliance Group companies faced huge selling Tuesday, tumbling up to 18 per cent, amid liquidity concerns.

Among group firms, Reliance Power was hit the most, tumbling 18.13 per cent on the BSE.

Shares of Reliance Home Finance dived 10.60 per cent, Reliance Infrastructure plummeted 9.92 per cent, Reliance Capital plunged 8.47 per cent.

Reliance Naval and Engineering dropped 6.89 per cent and Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management 2.40 per cent on the BSE.

Rating downgrade of some group companies also played spoilsport.

Reliance Capital (RCL) in a filing to BSE on Friday said ICRA has revised its rating to A4 (on rating watch with negative implications) for the short-term debt programme of the company for which outstanding is Rs 950 crore.

ICRA said this action is primarily due to slow pace of monetisation of the non-core investments and liquidity position in Reliance Commercial Finance (RCF) and Reliance Home Finance (RHF), it added.

"The company considers the above rating action completely unjustified and inappropriate. There has not been any adverse change in the company's operational parameters from the time of the last rating action, just 4 weeks ago,"



the filing said.

The company said RCL's rating has to be considered on a standalone basis, delinked from the debt and ratings of RCF and RHF.

This rating action is limited to the commercial paper outstanding of Rs 950 crore, which would be fully repaid by September 30, 2019, it added.

RHF in a BSE filing on Friday said,"we hereby inform that CARE Ratings has revised its rating to C for company's long-term debt programme, market linked debentures, subordinated debt, non-convertible debentures public issue and upper tier-11 NCDs and to D for company's long-term debt programme (banking facilities only)."



CARE said the action is primarily due to liquidity profile of the company.

Further, ICRA has also revised its rating to A4 (on rating watch with negative implications) for the short-term debt programme of the company. ICRA said this action is primarily due to modest liquidity in relation to the size of borrowings, the filing added.

The company considers the above rating actions untimely and uncalled for, the filing said.

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Venezuela's self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido claimed Tuesday that troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, whose government vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup by the US-backed opposition leader.

An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support disintegrated into rioting as palls of black smoke rose over eastern Caracas. The government said it was "deactivating" an attempted coup by a small group of "treacherous" soldiers.

And there was little early sign Maduro's iron grip on the military -- which has kept him in power in a months-long standoff with Guaido -- had slipped. On Twitter, he claimed the military chiefs had assured him of their "total loyalty".

Confusion reigned in Caracas as a crowd that swelled to thousands, many waving Venezuelan flags, flocked onto a highway near a Caracas military base.

Guaido had rallied his supporters with an early morning video message that showed him with armed troops he said had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Maduro.

The 35-year-old National Assembly leader -- recognised as interim president by more than 50 countries -- was filmed outside the La Carlota air base, where he urged the armed forces inside to join him.

Guaido claimed the move was the "beginning of the end" of Maduro's regime, and there was "no turning back".

But as the crowd swelled around the base, police fired tear gas to keep them away from the perimeter.

Later troops in riot gear, backed by armored vehicles and water tankers, lined up against the demonstrators on a highway wreathed in tear-gas.

Several of the vehicles ran into the crowd, injuring some of the protesters. Rioters later blocked the highway with a bus and set it on fire.

A pall of black smoke also rose from an area near a helicopter hangar on the base. Soldiers put out the fire and fired tear gas at demonstrators who were trying to dismantle the steel perimeter fence.

"Today is the day Maduro resigns. Today is the day all the country's drug dealers resign. Today we have a Venezuela. Today we have a nation," said one protester amid the confusion.

As UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed to all sides to avoid violence, Venezuela's army chief and defense minister, General Vladimir Padrino, issued a stark warning of possible "bloodshed" -- adding that he would hold the opposition responsible.

In a message on Twitter, Padrino said the situation in military barracks and bases in the country was "normal." He later said an army colonel had received a bullet wound to the neck during the clashes in Caracas.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez called on the army "to remain on maximum alert to -- with our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces -- defeat the attempted coup and preserve peace."



The US, meanwhile, threw its full support behind Guaido, with the White House calling on the military to protect the people and support the country's "legitimate institutions," including the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

"The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter.

Russia, Maduro's main backer and creditor with China, accused Guaido of "fueling conflict" in the oil-rich country.

Maduro's leftist Latin American allies Cuba and Bolivia also condemned Guaido. President Ivan Duque of neighboring Colombia -- home to more than a million refugees from Maduro's regime -- called on Twitter for "soldiers and the people of Venezuela to place themselves on the right side of history, rejecting dictatorship and Maduro's usurpation." Internet observatory NetBlocks reported "multiple internet services" were restricted in Venezuela following Guaido's appeal.

In his video, recorded outside the La Carlota base, Guaido said the "definitive phase" had begun in his attempt to oust Maduro -- who has presided over a catastrophic economic implosion since taking over from his late mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013.

"Brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men supporting the constitution have answered our call," Guaido said.

Guaido appeared alongside high-profile opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez who had been put under house arrest by Maduro's regime but who announced he had been "freed" by soldiers supporting Guaido.

Tuesday's call comes ahead of opposition plans to hold a massive Mayday protest in Caracas.

Tensions in Venezuela have been ratcheted up to a critical level this year, after Guaido, who is head of the opposition-ruled National Assembly, announced January 23 that he was the acting president under the constitution. He said Maduro had been fraudulently re-elected last year.

The United States and major Latin American powers including Brazil, Peru and Chile swiftly backed Guaido, followed later by EU nations.

Yet although US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said "all options" are on the table regarding Venezuela -- including, implicitly, military action -- there has been no noticeable US military mobilisation.

Instead, Washington has upped the economic pressure, through sanctions aimed at Maduro's regime and by cutting sales of Venezuelan oil -- the South American country's main revenue earner.

It also warned against any attempt to arrest Guaido, who has been left free to roam Venezuela and hold rallies.

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Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad, adjoining Delhi, will be developed as "model" districts vis-a-vis road safety, top Uttar Pradesh government officials said Tuesday.

During a meeting in Greater Noida, Principal Secretary, Transport Department, Aradhana Shukla, and Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh directed officials of the two districts to strictly implement road safety norms.

Shukla stressed on the need to ensure 100 per cent implementation of traffic rules such as wearing of helmets and seat belts.

Major awareness campaigns should to be carried out and the transport department needs to ensure that people follow the law, she said, according to an official statement.

All this should be done in a way that people follow rules making it a part of their culture and not because of fear of the law, Shukla remarked.

The principal secretary said funds via corporate social responsibility (CSR) could be considered for awareness programmes and asked the district magistrates and police chiefs to make special efforts to ensure the objective is achieved.

Noting that a lot of people do not wear seat belts or helmets, she said, awareness has to be raised in a way that these people follow the law as part of their lifestyle and culture and not because of fear.

Shukla said government vehicles should follow traffic rules.

DGP Singh noted that challans issued under campaigns for no seat belt or helmet in the two districts were lower than expected and asked officers to focus on this.

During review of reports, the state police chief acknowledged lack of manpower in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad for road traffic operations.

The DGP assured the district officers of providing the required manpower for these two districts to ensure their development as 'model cities' in road safety, the statement said.

Additional Director General of Police, Meerut Zone, Prashant Kumar, Inspector General, Traffic, Deepak Ratan, Gautam Buddh Nagar DM B N Singh SSP Vaibhav Krishna along with officers from Ghaziabad were present during the meeting.

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Four Rohingya Muslims refugees



a woman and three children -- were arrested in Tripura's Unakoti district for staying in India without valid documents, police said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided a house in Yeazikhaora village under Irani police station limits and arrested them on Monday, Officer in-charge of the police station, Alamgir Hossain, said.

It is not yet to be ascertained whether she is the mother of all the children.

The refugees were produced before Kailashahar Sub- Divisional Judicial Magistrate's (SDJM) court on Tuesday.

The SDJM sent the three minors to a juvenile home and remanded the woman to judicial custody for 14 days.

During preliminary interrogation, the woman said they came to India to visit relatives by crossing the Indo- Bangladesh border illegally and reached Assam with the help of a person, Hossain said.

At least 50 Rohingya refugees were arrested in Tripura since January.

On January 18, 31 Rohingya Muslims were arrested by the BSF from the no-man's land of the Indo-Bangladesh border at Kamalasagar in Sepahijala district. Nineteen other Rohingiyas were taken into custody from Ashabari village adjoining the international border in the same district on February 26.

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Russia on Tuesday accused Venezuela's US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido of fomenting violence and urged talks, after the self-proclaimed leader said troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

The Russian's foreign ministry said it was important to avoid bloodletting as President Vladimir Putin discussed the unfolding crisis with members of his security council at the Kremlin.

"The radical opposition in Venezuela has once again turned to heavy-handed methods of confrontation," the foreign ministry said in a statement, accusing Maduro's opponents of "fuelling" conflict.

"It is important to avoid unrest and bloodletting," said the foreign ministry, urging talks between the conflicting sides.

"The problems Venezuela faces should be solved through responsible negotiations without pre-conditions," said the foreign ministry, warning that third countries should not interfere in the crisis.

Last month, Moscow sent troops and equipment to Venezuela, saying they would remain in the country "for as long as needed." Tensions in crisis-stricken Venezuela have been ratcheted up to a critical level this year, after Guaido, who is head of the opposition-ruled National Assembly, announced in January that he was the acting president under the constitution.

He said Maduro had been fraudulently re-elected last year.

Maduro has presided over economic chaos, with the oil-rich country unable to provide basic medical and food supplies to much of the population. Earlier Tuesday Guaido said troops had joined his campaign to oust Maduro while the government vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup.

Guaido is recognised by the United States and about 50 other governments but Moscow, along with China, backs Maduro.

Russia has accused Washington of seeking regime change in Venezuela.

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Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh Tuesday said the BJP's state president Satpal Singh Satti was "known for his indecent language."



Addressing a press conference in Dharamshala, Singh said, "Had Satti been in my party, he would have been sacked long back for his indecent language. One could use harsh words in politics, but not indecent language."



He said the Congress was known for its decency.

The Election Commission had recently banned Satti from holding public rallies for 48 hours for his derogatory remark against Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

The congress leader further targeted the BJP, saying the party believes in "fake propaganda" to win elections.

"The state saw huge development during Congress rule, whereas the BJP-led national and state governments believe only in speeches," Singh said.

"Congress does not believe in fake propaganda, we fight elections on merit of our work. Our aim is to win all four seats in Himachal," the former CM said.

Singh said he will continuously campaign for all the four Lok Sabha Congress candidates in the state.

On the occasion, former minister Sudhir Sharma alleged the BJP government has ignored Kangra and Chamba districts in its one-and-half-year tenure.

The Congress candidate for Kangra parliamentary seat, Pawan Kajal, targeted the prime minister, saying he invested millions of rupees for branding himself but never thought of giving jobs to the youth.

The state will go to polls during the last phase on May 19.

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The Supreme Court Tuesday acquitted 15 persons who were awarded five-year jail terms by the Delhi High Court for offences of rioting, burning houses and violation of curfew during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna allowed five appeals filed by 15 convicts challenging the November 28, 2018, verdict of the high court.

Earlier, the high court had upheld the conviction of 70 out of the 89 people who were awarded five-year jail terms by a trial court for rioting, burning houses and violation of curfew during the riots.

Of the remaining 19 people, 16 died during pendency of their appeals against the trial court's August 27, 1996, decision.

The appeals of the three others were dismissed after they absconded, the high court noted in its judgment.

The high court had dismissed the appeals, which were pending for the last 22 years, and had asked the convicts to surrender forthwith to serve their remaining prison terms for rioting, looting and burning houses in various residential blocks in Trilok Puri between October 31 and November 3 in 1984.

The riots broke out after the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards. Around 3,000 people died during the anti-Sikh riots.

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The embattled Amrapali group has diverted over Rs 3,500 crore of home buyers money to different projects, the forensic auditors Tuesday told the Supreme Court which allowed the I-T department and the EOW to access their fresh report.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and U U Lalit was told by two forensic auditors -- Pawan Agrawal and Ravi Bhatia -- that they have received notices from I-T department and the Economic Offence Wing seeking the audit report as also their presence to explain the same.

The top court, which accepted the report, allowed the forensic auditors to share a copy with the investigating agencies.

"It is brought to our notice that Commissioner of Police, Economic Offences Wing requires Report of the Forensic Auditors. We permit the Forensic Auditors to furnish the Report to the Economic Offences Wing but they shall not be summoned for any purpose whatsoever to aid in the investigation," the bench said.

The top court said that the case has to see the "light of the day" and directed the Amrapali Group to file its reply within a day or two to the reports submitted by forensic auditors.

Agrawal pointed to a recent order passed by Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT), which has been asked by the court to auction the attached and unencumbered properties of Amrapali Group -- in which some adverse remarks were made against the court appointed auditors.

"DRT has passed an order day before yesterday seeking our presence and said that we (Agrawal and Bhatia) were hampering the progress of the case," he told the bench which said that it will clarify the order of DRT and would exempt them from appearing before the tribunal.

"The DRT is requested not to assume that Forensic Auditors are hampering the auction proceedings. They are rather assisting this Court in the entire process and we appreciate the able assistance rendered by them," the bench said in its order.

Forensic auditors in their fresh supplementary report pointed out that till now they have detected that over Rs 3,500 crore of home buyers money was diverted by Amrapali Group through different companies to other projects.

They said that promoters of Amrapali did not invested a single penny in real estate firm and home buyers money was used for the construction of high rise buildings.

They pointed out that there were irregularities in the sale of Amrapali's hotel in Bareilly of Uttar Pradesh while in actuality the property was not sold.

Agrawal also pointed out that funds over Rs 400 crore were diverted through three companies Bihariji Highrise Pvt Ltd, Jotindra Steel and Tubes Ltd and Mauria Udyog Ltd.

"Surekha family, which owned Jotindra Steel and Mauria Udyog were running the show of Amrapali after 2015 and were also involved in diversion of home buyers money. Surekha family members were authorised signatory for Amrapali and were also directors in each of the group companies," the auditors said.

The bench, then asked the counsel appearing for Jotindra Steel and Tubes Ltd, and Mauria Udyog Ltd to file affidavit on behalf of Akhil Sureka, Managing Director, M/s. Jotindra Steel and Tubes Ltd., and Navneet Sureka, Managing Director of M/s. Mauria Udyog Ltd by tomorrow.

The auditors further pointed out that irregularities were also detected in the sale of a hotel owned by Amrapali in Deoghar in Jharkhand.

Agrawal said that property in Deoghar was sold for around Rs 18 crore out of which the buyer cleared Rs 7 crore loan liability of Amrapali and Rs 10.82 crores were paid in the month of June, 2018, when the matter was subjudice in the court.

"This payment of Rs 10.82 crore was paid through demand draft in the name of Amrapali. Incidentally, entry of this amount cannot be found in any of the book of accounts of Amrapali ," he said.

They said the funds were diverted through bogus bills, advance payments to directors and high ranking officials of the Group and through ghost bookings of flats.

The day-long hearing in the matter remained inconclusive and the bench asked the forensic auditor to file a summary compilation of final and supplementary report.

On February 28, the apex court had allowed the Delhi police to arrest and interrogate in custody Amrapali group CMD Anil Sharma and two directors on a complaint that home-buyers of their various housing projects were cheated and duped of their funds.

The top court, which is seized of several pleas of home-buyers seeking possession of around 42,000 flats booked in projects of the Amrapali group, also ordered attachment of personal properties of the CMD and directors -- Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar.

The trio, under detention of the Uttar Pradesh police and kept in a hotel at Noida since October 9 last year by the apex court for not complying with its orders, was in for a shock when the court ordered the arrest on a plea by Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police saying that it wanted to quiz them in a separate cheating case.

The court had also appointed a valuer to ascertain the exact value of 5,229 unsold flats including those booked by Amrapali for just Rs 1, Rs 11 and Rs 12 and asked the valuer to submit its report.

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by Shafique Khokhar

Yesterday, more than 300 people attended the service in the cathedral. "Because of sick minds and their hatred for peace and Christianity, said the vicar general, Sri Lanka has turned instead into lamentation and suffering."

Karachi (AsiaNews)  Fr Mario Rodrigues, rector of St Patrick's Cathedral in Karachi, celebrated a solemn Mass yesterday for the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings, along with Card Joseph Coutts, the local archbishop, and Fr Saleh Diego, vicar general of the diocese and director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace.

In his address, Fr Rodrigues said that "we all are gathered here to show our solidarity with our Sri Lankan brothers and sisters, and to pray for peace in the country and for all the victims who lost their lives in these bomb blasts and for those who are injured and are still suffering.

More than 300 people attended the service, lighting candles in memory of the dead. Those present included the Consul General of Sri Lanka G. L Gnanatheva, British High Commissioner Thomas Drew, as well as priests and nuns. Participants prayed for the 253 victims of Easter Sunday bombings and for Christians persecuted around the world.

Card Coutts reminded the faithful of the suffering of the first Christians and the fraternal friendship that has always characterised relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

He thanked the many priests and nuns from the island once called Ceylon who serve in Pakistans schools and hospitals. "We are close to you," he said. Thank you, Sri Lanka, for the powerful example given to us Christians."

Fr Saleh stressed that Sri Lanka had been considered a peaceful country, among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. "Because of sick minds and their hatred for peace and Christianity, it has turned instead into lamentation and suffering," he bemoaned.

In a joint statement, the three Catholic leaders said that Pakistans Christians are grieving for the people of Sri Lanka, praying for the souls of the dead and for the speedy recovery of the wounded."
The Supreme Court directed all states and Union Territories on Tuesday to "forthwith comply" with its last year's direction to provide medical facilities to retired chief justices and judges of high courts, including their spouses and dependent family members, at par with sitting judges.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of a report filed by senior advocate P H Parekh, assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in the matter, which stated that only six states have provided the requisite information to him in pursuance of the court's October 24 direction.

It had directed that retired chief justices and judges of high courts, including their spouses and dependent family members be given medical facilities at par with sitting judges and the expenses for treatment in private hospitals be reimbursed without prior approval of the state government.

The bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said Tuesday that failure to provide medical facilities to retired judges of the high courts in terms of the earlier directions "will be construed an act of defiance" of the court order and chief secretaries of the states and union territories shall be accountable for this.

"In the above circumstances, we direct all state governments and the administrators of all UTs to forthwith comply with directions contained in our order dated October 24, 2018, as extracted above, by providing medical facilities to retired chief justices and judges of the high courts including their spouses and dependent family members in the light of the directions set out," the bench said.

The apex court also directed the registrar general of all the high courts to sanction reimbursement of funds for availing all medical facilities by retired judges of the high courts including their spouses and dependent family members.

"The registrars general of the high courts regardless of the action or inaction on behalf of the state authorities, will sanction reimbursement claims as and when made, in terms of the directions in the order dated October 24, 2018 and the present order," the bench said.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing after four weeks.

The court, in its last year order, had directed that registrar general of high courts will be the sanctioning authority for medical facilities availed by the retired judges of the high court and reimbursement will also be provided for treatment taken in any other state.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the Centre's decision to merge National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) with Financial Technologies India Ltd (FTIL), which is now known as 63 Moon Technologies Ltd.

A bench comprising justices R F Nariman and Vineet Saran delivered the judgement on a batch of petitions filed by 63 Moon Technologies Ltd challenging the Bombay High Court's December 2017 verdict upholding the Centre's decision to merge NSEL with FTIL.

In February 2016, the Centre had passed a final amalgamation order in terms of the provision of the Companies Act merging FTIL and NSEL. As per the order, all the assets and liabilities of NSEL would become assets and liabilities of FTIL.

The government's order was challenged in the high court which dismissed the petition in December 2017.

In its judgement, the apex court held that the Centre's February 2016 order was "ultra vires" to section 396 of the Companies Act and was also violative of Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution.

"In conclusion, though other wide-ranging arguments were made with respect to the validity of the Central Government amalgamation order, we have not addressed the same as we have held that the order dated February 12, 2016 is ultra vires Section 396 of the Companies Act, and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India for the reasons stated by us hereinabove," the bench said.

"The appeals are accordingly allowed, and the impugned judgment of the Bombay High Court is set aside," the apex court said.

The bench held that the merger of NSEL and FTIL did not satisfy the criteria of "public interest".

"Thus, it is clear that no reasonable body of persons properly instructed in law could possibly hold, on the facts of this case, that compulsory amalgamation between FTIL and NSEL would be in public interest," the bench noted.

After the apex court's verdict, Jignesh Shah, chairman emeritus and mentor of 63 Moons Technologies Ltd, said in a press statement, "We have always had full faith in the Indian judiciary and our courts. Finally, truth has prevailed."



NSEL had shut down in 2013 after a major payment default and it was ordered not to enter into any fresh contracts by Forward Markets Commission (FMC), which has since been integrated into the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

On July 31, 2013 NSEL, then 99.99 per cent subsidiary of FTIL, had defaulted in nearly Rs 5,600 crore payments to its around 13,000 investors.

After the crisis, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) had decided to issue a final order for merger of NSEL with FTIL under section 396 of the Companies Act, 1956.

In February 2016, the MCA had passed a final order directing the merger of scam-hit NSEL with FTIL.

FTIL, promoted by Jignesh Shah, is the parent company of NSEL with 99 per cent shareholding.

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The wife of a Shiv Sena MP and 17 party workers were Tuesday given one year jail terms by a court here in connection with an incident in which a police constable was injured in a clash between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Sena workers in 2014.

Kamini Shewale, wife of Rahul Shewale, sitting MP from South Central Lok Sabha constituency, and the party workers were sentenced after sessions court judge D K Gudadhe found them guilty under sections 149 (unlawful assembly), 427 (mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.

However, they were acquitted of all other charges, including attempt to murder.

Constable Vikas Thorbole was injured during the clash on Lok Sabha polling day in April, 2014 after both Sena and MNS alleged that cash was being distributed to voters in suburban Trombay, part of the Mumbai South Central seat.

Based on the statement of the constable, an FIR was registered and 18 people, including Kamini Shewale, were named as accused in the case.

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Actor-turned-politician and Congress candidate from Patna Sahib constituency Shatrughan Sinha has movable and immovable assets of Rs 112.22 crore.

Sinha, who joined the Congress recently after switching his loyalty of more than three decades with BJP, is locked in a direct electoral battle with Union Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Sinha filed his papers on Monday, the last date for filing of nomination papers for Patna Sahib constituency which would go to polls on May 19.

As per the affidavit, Sinha has movable assets of Rs 8.60 crore and immovable assets of Rs 103.61 crore while his wife Poonam Shatrughan Sinha has movable assets of Rs 18.67 crore and immovable assets of Rs 62.65 crore.

Sinha, who graduated from FTII, Pune in 1967, has shown Rs 4,58,232 as cash in hand while his wife has Rs 5,95, 366 as cash in hand.

The filmstar has Rs 2.74 crore as fixed deposits in bank and Rs 29.10 lakh as investments in shares, bonds, mutual funds while his wife has FD of Rs 10.68 crore and Rs 2.96 crore as investments in shares, bonds, mutual funds, the affidavit said.

The actor possess gold, silver and precious stones valued at Rs 1.03 crore while Poonam Sinha possess jewellery items worth Rs 1.15 crore, the affidavit said.

According to affidavit, Sinha possesses seven cars including one ambassador, two camry, one each Fortuner, Innova, Maruti Ciaz and Scorpio all worth Rs 14.80 lakh whereas his wife has a Mercedes car of 2013 make worth Rs 48.20 lakh.

Both husband and wife have not taken any loans from banks or financial institutions but both owe an outstanding due in crores to be paid to their actor daughter Sonakshi Sinha.

As on March 2019, the outstanding dues that Sinha owes to his daughter stood at Rs 10.59 crore while his wife has taken Rs 16.18 crore from her daughter.

As per the affidavit, Sinha's declared annual income reduced to Rs 63,87,233 in 2018-19 from Rs 1,28,38,400 in 2015-16 whereas his wife's annual income has increased to Rs 1,34,24,388 in 2018-19 from Rs 53,94,830 in 2014-15.

Sinha's rival and BJP candidate Ravi Shankar Prasad and his wife have less assets in comparison to Bollywood star and his wife Poonam Sinha.

Prasad has movable assets of Rs 18.35 crore and immovable assets of Rs 3.74 crore whereas his wife Maya Shankar has movable assets of Rs 1.43 crore but does not possess any immovable assets, as per the affidavit filed by Prasad in his nomination papers.

There is no outstanding loans or dues of any bank, financial institutions pending against Prasad or his wife, it said.

Prasad owns three vehicles - Toyota Fortuner, Honda Accord and Scorpio SUV worth Rs 48,70,513 while his wife possess a Honda city car worth Rs 11.50 lakh, the affidavit said.

Maya Shankar possess 550 gram of gold worth Rs 17.05 lakh while the Law minister has 20 gram of gold worth Rs 62,400.

Prasad, who is a well-known Supreme Court lawyer, did his graduation and post graduation from Patna College and he completed his LLB from Patna Law College in 1976-79.

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There is no contradiction in his wife Poonam Sinha contesting as a candidate of the SP-BSP alliance from Lucknow and his fighting the Patna Sahib seat as a Congress member, says actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, confident of a good performance in both the constituencies.

Sinha, who recently joined the Congress, is up against Union Law and Justice minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in the Bihar constituency he has won twice as a BJP member in what is one of the toughest challenges of his three-decade political career.

His wife Poonam Sinha, also an actor, is making her debut against Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh from the Uttar Pradesh capital.

Sinha, who snapped ties with the BJP earlier this month, had generous words of praise for his rival Prasad, saying his refusal to engage in personal attacks during poll campaign showed he was a bhadralok.

I highly appreciate and applaud it. I have regard and respect for Ravi Shankar Prasad whom I consider a bhadralok. He is a nice man from a nice family. We have known each other for many years. it's a fight between two ideologies, the Patna Sahib MP told PTI.

Sinha's participation in the campaign in Lucknow ruffled some feathers in the Congress, which has fielded its own candidate in Lucknow.

It is my 'patni-dharma' and I will go to Lucknow again to campaign for my wife some people raised objections, but I am a man of honesty, transparency and clarity Whatever is happening, is being done with the full consent and knowledge of Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leaders and the dynamic Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Sinha said.

Moreover, I will be going to Lucknow not under the banner of the Congress, but as a husband and the father of our children, he said.

He said the alliance between the Samajwadi Party, which Poonam Sinha joined recently, and the Bahujan Samaj Party is a "deadly combination" and he sees no contradiction in taking time off to canvass votes for his wife.

This is nothing new. There have been instances like Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia and her son Madhav Rao Scindia simultaneously contesting as candidates of the BJP and the Congress respectively. There have been many more examples of the kind, he said.

The former BJP member, who was vocal in his criticism of the party and is often referred to as 'Shotgun' Sinha, said people should not be surprised when results for the Patna Sahib seat are declared.

According to him, leaders of the SP-BSP combine wanted him to contest from Lucknow as his candidature, in their view, was a good fit with the social equations in the area.

"But when I said I was committed to fighting from my sitting seat, having proclaimed that the location would be the same even if the situation was different, they suggested Poonam's name, Sinha said.

I asked her and she agreed and hence we had the home minister of Ramayana (the name of Sinhas' mansion at Mumbai) pitted against the home minister of the country, added the Bihari babu known as much for his stylish on-screen dialogue delivery as his off-screen repartee.

He said his wife stood a good chance from being elected to the Lok Sabha from Lucknow.

We had enormous crowds when she filed her nomination papers in presence of me, my children and Akhilesh and Dimple (SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his MP wife). She is doing very well. So when the results are out you should not be surprised.for Lucknow too, Sinha said with a hint of mischief.

He said he had full faith in the voters of Patna Sahib, where he trounced the Congress candidate by a margin of more than 2.5 lakh votes five years ago but is now in the fray as a nominee of the same party.

I have tremendous faith in the voters of Patna Sahib who have always supported me, blessed me and helped me win with record margins. With my full dedication and commitment to the people, I have left everything to them Unka faisla sar ankhon pe.

While Lucknow votes on May 6, Patna Sahib goes to the polls in the last phase on May 19. 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.)
Bihar JD(U) MLA Amarnath Gami on Tuesday resigned from the membership of the legislative assembly for being sidelined during campaigning in Darbhanga and Samastipur constituencies.

He said he has sent his resignation to JD(U) president Nitish Kumar.

Gami asserted that he will not quit the party or join any other but continue to work in it as he has full faith in his party president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who, he said, has been working tirelessly for the development of Bihar with the help of the NDA government at the Centre.

Gami, a two-term MLA from Hayaghat assembly constituency in Darbhanga district, said I am deeply pained as the party did not utilise my services either in Samastipur or Darbhanga Lok Sabha constituencies. Hence I have decided to resign from the assembly.

"I have sent my resignation letter to my party president Nitish Kumar, he said.

Since I did not want to disturb the alliance (NDA) as I want Narendra Modi jee's government to return for the development of the country and Bihar. So I kept quite till April 29, the day polling was held for Samastipur and Darbhanga constituencies, he said.

Gami said he had decided to speak out after the polling as he had to explain before the people of Hayaghat why he was not seen or was active during the campaigning in the constituency.

Hayaghat assembly constituency is in Darbhanga district but forms part of Samastipur constituency from where LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswans brother Ram Chandra Paswan is contesting the parliamentary election as the NDA candidate.

Gami said that his services were neither utilized neither in Samastipur nor in Darbhanga despite the fact that he has sizeable hold in both Hayaghat and Darbhanga town.

I informed about myself being sidelined during the campaigning to my leader Nitish jee but he rightly chose to remain silent in order to follow coalition dharma as both seats (Samastipur and Darbhanga) belonged to NDA constituents and not that of JD(U), he said.

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City-based Shakambhari Ispat and Power Ltd (SIPL) on Tuesday announced taking control of SPS Steels Rolling Mills Ltd and its brand 'Elegant Steel', after the NCLT approved a resolution plan worth Rs 270 crore.

"We have taken control of SPS management and assets including the brand from April 12, after we completed the required payment. Our resolution plan was worth Rs 270 crore, which was approved by NCLT Kolkata," Shakambhari Group Chairman and Managing Director Deepak Kr Agarwal said.

SIPL was last headed by Vipin Vora of the SPS Group, which once claimed to have a turnover of Rs 5,000 crore. It also faced a CBI probe for an alleged bank fraud case.

Following continuous defaults, SPS was referred to NCLT about 18 months ago.

Agarwal said the main target of the Shakambhari Group was the "well-known brand, which had a decent marketshare" in the retail TMT bars and structurals segment, and not its physical assets.

He said the group would be pumping Rs 150 crore in modernising the SPS plant and setting up a captive power plant.

"Energy cost per tonne at SPS is higher by Rs 700 compared to our other plants. This has to be corrected," SIPL advisor Ranjan Barma said.

Agarwal said SIPL aims to expand the 'Elegant Steel' brand beyond the eastern region, and is looking at taking over more such plants, including in north India.

"We want to take the brand to the northern markets. We are evaluating Sarfesi and insolvency assets for more takeovers close to our potential markets. We have earmarked at least Rs 300 crore for the purpose," Barma said.

"The current turnover of the company (SPS) is Rs 407 crore and it is expected to touch Rs 1,000 crore in the current financial year," Agarwal said.

The Shakambhari Group, following the takeover, is aiming at a topline of Rs 3,000 crore in the current fiscal from Rs 1,800 crore, he said.

An investment of Rs 700 crore, including Rs 550 crore in a 2-million tonne pellet plant, is lined up over the next two to three years.

Meanwhile, the second highest bidder had approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, contesting the resolution.

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A soldier loyal to the government of Nicolas Maduro suffered a bullet wound during clashes in Venezuela on Tuesday, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said, after opposition leader Juan Guaido said some troops had joined his campaign to oust the socialist president.

"I condemn the violent aggression in which colonel Yerzon Jimenez Baez was the victim ... injured by bullet in the neck" in front of the military base in the capital Caracas where Guido's supporters were demonstrating against Maduro, Padrino wrote on Twitter.

Padrino added that he held "the opposition's political leadership" responsible for the shooting.

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Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal Tuesday issued notices to three AIADMK MLAs siding with rival leader and AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran, days after the ruling party petitioned him for action against them for alleged anti-party activities.

Official sources said the Speaker issued notices to A Prabhu (Kallakurichi), VT Kalaiselvan (Vriddhachalam)and E Rathinasabapathy (Aranthangi) based on the petition filed by Chief Government whip S Rajendran seeking "due legal action" against them.

The three MLAs have been given a week's time to respond.

DMK, which has been opposing any action on the AIADMK petition, dubbed Dhanapal's move as "murder of democracy," and submitted a resolution seeking his removal from the post.

The resolution by Leader of the Opposition in the assembly and DMK chief M K Stalin was handed over to the Assembly Secretary, party leader R S Bharathi told reporters here.

The DMK and MDMK have opposed any possible disqualification of the three MLAs claiming that the AIADMK move was "only to protect" the Palaniswami government as it will 'lose' majority after the outcome of bypolls to 22 assembly seats.

Bypolls were held to 18 seats on April 18 and four more segments will go for byelections on May 19.

Stalin has last week threatened to move a no-confidence motion against the Speaker if he heeded the ruling party's plea.

The official sources Tuesday did not elaborate on the contents of the notice to the MLAs, but hinted explanation had been sought from the three in the backdrop of them publicly hobnobbing with Dhinakaran, who has floated the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam after he was sidelined by the AIADMK.

However, the three MLAs have been maintaining for long they were in AIADMK only.

Rajendran had on April 26 approached Dhanapal for "due legal action" against the three MLAs for alleged anti-party activities in the backdrop of them siding with Dhinakaran, general secretary of AMMK.

The move has sparked speculation about another round of disqualification of the ruling party legislators after Dhanapal had stripped 18 pro-Dhinakaran AIADMK MLAs of their assembly membership in September 2017 under the anti-defection law.

The 18 were disqualified for revolting against Chief Minister K Palaniswami in August 2017 after he merged the faction led by him with the group headed by then rebel leader O Panneerselvam, now the state deputy chief minister.

Rajendran has said he has attached "photo proof" of the "anti-party" activities of the MLAs. These include "holding positions" and records of events they had participated, apparently related to AMMK.

In his resolution proposing the Speaker's removal, Stalin said Dhanapal's decision (issuing notice) tantamounted to "altering the majority," position in the assembly especially when the bypoll results are to be announced on May 23.

It has been submitted as per Article 179 (c) of the Constitution and Tamil Nadu Assembly Rule 68 both of which govern the procedure for removal of Speaker.

Since the House is not in session now, the resolution would have to wait till it convenes.

In the 234-member state assembly with 22 vacancies, the AIADMK has a strength of 113, excluding the speaker. The simple majority mark in the full House is 117.

The principal opposition DMK along with its allies, including Congress, has 97 MLAs.

Incidentally, two MLAs of AIADMK's alliance parties, designated as its members in the assembly records since they contested on its symbol, have shown signs of stress with the ruling party.

Legislator S Karunaas, leader of Mukkulathor Puli Padai, has been anti-government for some time, while Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi MLA M Thamimun Ansari, a strident critic of the BJP, backed the DMK-led alliance in the Lok Sabha polls after AIADMK struck a poll pact with the saffron party.

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Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) has launched a specialised current account for the benefit of exporters, called 'JU$T A Dollar'.

It is an exclusive account catering to the requirements of exporters, priced at Rs 75 for a host of remittance, trade and forex transactions.

The product was launched at Tirupur on Monday by Tirupur Exporters Association president Raja M Shanmugham in the presence of Peeush Jain, Head- Retail Banking, Lakshmi Vilas Bank, a bank release said Tuesday.

The pricing for trade and foreign exchange transactions by banks are often pegged as a percentage of the value of transactions.

But for customers, costs of such transactions can often run into several hundreds, thousands, or even lakhs of rupees. However, this product is applicable for customers or entities that have Import Export Code, it said.

"We are pleased to launch JU$T A Dollar account in association with Tiruppur Exporters Association.

The proposed solution will significantly bring down transaction costs, and hence, emerge as an interesting proposition for importers, exporters, and entities involved in both domestic and international trade transactions, Jain said in the release.

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by Nirmala Carvalho

The event was organized by the local branch of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. In Mangalore another Muslim group held a silent protest against attacks. Islamic leader: "We show solidarity with Christians, as they did following the attack on mosques in New Zealand".

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Hundreds of Muslims gathered outside the church of St. Filomena in Mysore (Karnataka) to express solidarity with the Christian victims of the attacks on Easter Day against three churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka.

The gathering took place on Sunday 28 April, while Mass was held inside. At the same time the Muslim faithful, in meditation outside the place of Christian worship, sent a powerful message: "Hate cannot divide unity".

The gathering was organized by local leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JeI), who asked Muslims to participate. In Mangalore, another Muslim group held a silent protest to condemn the massacres in Sri Lanka, which claimed at least 253 victims and over 500 wounded.

JeI Mysore president, Munawwar Pasha, said that Muslims and other religious communities "are close to Christians in this moment of pain". He released an audio message inviting the followers of Islam to show their solidarity, which immediately became viral.

The Islamic leader recalls that similar attacks have also taken place recently in New Zealand mosques "and people from various communities have shown closeness to Muslims. Mosques in all parts of the world have received messages of solidarity and offers of protection from Christians, Jews and Sikhs ". Sri Lanka, he added, "suffered a terrible attack on Easter Sunday. The churches were attacked while their communities were praying, just as happened [with the mosques in Christchurch] in New Zealand."
The Sri Lankan government Tuesday lifted a nationwide social media ban imposed to curb the spread of misinformation after the devastating Easter Sunday bombings that killed 253 people.

According to the information department, President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to lift the ban on Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and other popular platforms from April 30.

The government has asked the public to share content on social media sites with "utmost responsibility" while bearing in mind the current situation of the country, the Sunday Times reported.

Social media had remained blocked in Sri Lanka where a string of powerful blasts tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, killing 253 people and injuring more than 500 others.

The government said it blocked social media in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks to curb the spread of misinformation among the public.

The Islamic State has claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the bombings.

Both Christianity and Islam are minority religions in Sri Lanka, with each accounting for less than 10 per cent of the population. The vast majority of Sri Lankans identify as Buddhist.

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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has assured hoteliers that the government will give them maximum financial relief to revive the lucrative tourism industry hit by the country's worst terror attack on Easter Sunday that killed 253 people, including 40 foreigners.

Tourism accounts for about five per cent of Sri Lanka's economy, with India, Britain and China being the main markets.

India is the largest source market for Sri Lanka, which received 2.3 million tourists from around the world in 2018.

Around 450,000 Indian tourists visited Sri Lanka last year and the island nation was expecting the total Indian tourist arrivals to cross one million in 2019.

President Sirisena acknowledged during his meeting on Monday with the country's hoteliers that the tourism and hotel industries were worst hit after the string of powerful blasts ripped through three churches and as many luxury hotels on Easter Sunday, killing 253 people and injuring more than 500 others.

The bombs tore through three five-star hotels in Colombo: the Cinnamon Grand, the Shangri La and the Kingsbury. Forty foreigners, including 11 Indian nationals, died in the attacks.

Sirisena requested Central Bank Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy to provide "maximum financial relief" immediately to the hoteliers, Sunday Times reported.

Hotels Association President Sanath Ukwatte said hoteliers had invested large sums of money in the development of the hotels and requested the government to provide a moratorium or waiver on the capital and interest for a period of at least two years.

During the meeting, the hoteliers also asked the government to hire the services of a professional public relations and communications unit to send out one message to the world.

President Sirisena agreed to appoint a Cabinet sub-committee to look into the requirements of the hoteliers, the report said.

The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ministers, ministry officials and members of the industry.

The Easter Sunday blasts were the first time that tourists were specifically targeted.

Following the bombings, the US, Britain, Australia, India and Israel warned their nationals against visiting Sri Lanka.

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera recently told reporters that tourism will be the worst affected.

"We expect a 30 per cent drop in arrivals and that means a loss of about USD 1.5 billion in foreign exchange," Samaraweera said, adding that the country could take up to two years to fully recover from the deadly bombings which shattered a decade of peace in the country.

Mount Lavinia Hotel south of the capital, a popular site for the tourists, has said there have been a large number of cancellations.

Galle Face Hotel top official Chandra Mohotti also said "there will be huge cancellations".

In his first reaction to Sunday's blasts, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said tourism industry will be hit by the blasts.

"There will be a downward trend, Tourism will get affected. There may be fund outflows," Wickremesinghe said.

The industry officials said the rebound from the attacks would depend on the security measures to be adopted.

Sri Lanka's tourism industry faced a difficult time until a decade ago due to the three-decade civil war with the LTTE which claimed at least 100,000 lives.

However, in the recent years the island nation has emerged as a top tourist destination in Asia.

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The Election Commission Tuesday submitted in the Madras High Court that the security breach in the storage room, where poll related documents of Madurai Lok Sabha seat were kept, has eroded public confidence to a significant extent about the fairness of the election process.

"The incident has created a dent and serious apprehension in the minds of public, media, candidates and political parties," Satyabrata Sahoo, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer said through a counter filed in the plea by CPI-M candidate Su Venkatesan, seeking a probe by a Special Investigation Team.

Sahoo said the lapse shows the need for substantial improvement in the coordination between the police and the district administration.

"For counting and results, one additional counting observer from the state civil service in the rank of additional magistrate will be appointed to report to the general observer for the constituency," Sahoo said.

Earlier, the division bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad refused to vacate the interim order directing the Election Commission (EC) to initiate disciplinary action against the transferred Madurai returning officer S Natarajan and others who were responsible for the security breach.

Technically, it was not the court's direction, while the court was about to pass orders, the EC produced a communication informing their decision to transfer the officials and take disciplinary action against them. The same was recorded in the order, the bench said, rejecting Natarajan's request.

Senior counsel ARL Sundaresan, appearing for Natarajan, submitted it was only the assistant returning officer who instructed the tahsildar to visit the room which was under his custody without obtaining prior permission from the returning officer.

Claiming that he was facing action for no fault on his part, Natarajan submitted that even the additional chief electoral officer who conducted an inquiry into the incident did not get any explanation from him.

"He had not been given fair opportunities to know the statements of others and to defend the allegations against him," Sundaresan said.

Similarly, M Rajasekaran, Personal Assistant (General) to the Madurai Collector, who was alleged to have instructed the ARO to send the tahsildar to visit the room, moved an impleading petition claiming that he has no role in the election works as it was handled by a separate designated PA.

"My name has been included in the issue and action has been ordered by mistake," he said.

As the petitioners counsel did not object for his impleading, the court added him as a party respondent and posted the plea to June 6 for further hearing.

On Saturday, the court directed the Election Commission to initiate disciplinary action or prosecution against M Rajasekaran and two officials for allowing polling staff to enter a storage room where records of the April 18 polls are kept.

Besides the PA, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime), who was in charge of election duty that day, and police personnel present there reportedly allowed a woman tahsildar and three other polling staff to enter the room.

The tahsildar is now under suspension.

The court had passed the interim order on a petition filed by CPI(M)'s Venkatesan.

According to Venkatesan, the tahsildar allegedly trespassed into the documents storage room on April 20 without any authority and remained there for three hours.

Venkatesan has submitted that three staff members of Madurai Municipal Corporation had also accompanied her.

Alleging that the unlawful incident would not have occurred without the knowledge of District Collector Natarajan, who is the Returning Officer, Venkatesan had sought an interim direction for appointment of a special observer of the rank of an IAS officer for counting the postal ballots.

Besides, the petitioner also sought three-tier security for the counting centre, transfer of the returning officer and appointment of a Special Investigation Team.

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Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Tuesday exuded confidence that the BJP will win the Ladakh parliamentary seat in Jammu and Kashmir as there is a strong wave in favour of the party in the region.

He said the people of Ladakh have "realised" that only a BJP-led government can do justice to them as they were ignored by the successive Congress governments at the Centre.

"There is a strong wave in favour of BJP in the Ladakh region. People are looking to see Narendra Modi again to be sworn-in as the Prime Minister of the country," Rijiju said addressing poll rallies at Diskit in Nobra and Zanskar.

"The BJP will win the Ladakh seat with a huge margin," he added.

The Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency, spread over districts of Leh and Kargil, has four assembly segments -- Kargil, Zanskar, Leh and Nubra.

The seat will go to polls on May 6 and over 1.74 lakh electorate will exercise their right to franchise.

The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs said the demand for granting a division status to Ladakh was conceded by the Modi government.

The demand for the Union Territory status for Ladakh would also be followed up in the same spirit, he told the audience.

In a major decision on February 8, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had created a separate division for Ladakh, which was part of the Kashmir division earlier.

Ladakh now has have a separate divisional commissioner and an inspector general of police (IG) with a full administrative and revenue division at par with Kashmir and Jammu divisions.

Rijiju said the demand to include the "Bothi" language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution had been taken up in the Home Ministry before the elections and assured the people that it will be followed up after the polls are over.

"The successive Congress governments at the Centre and the state deliberately discriminated against the Ladakh region because of their Kashmir-centric priorities," he alleged.

Rijiju was flanked by BJP state president Ravinder Raina, BJP Ladakh candidate Jamyang Tsering Namgyal and former minister and MLC Tsering Dorje.

Raina appealed to people to vote in favour of the BJP candidate for political stability and development of the region.

While Namgyal is the BJP candidate, Rigzin Spalbar is contesting on a Congress ticket from the seat.

Asgar Ali Karbalai, a Congress leader, has filed nominations as an independent candidate.

Another independent candidate Sajjad Hussain has the backing of the influential clergy in Kargil.

Thusptan Chewwang of the BJP had won the 2014 election from the constituency by a wafer-thin margin of 36 votes, defeating independent candidate Ghulam Raza and two others in the contest.

Chewwang resigned from the BJP and the Lok Sabha last year, accusing the party of not fulfilling the promises made to the people of Ladakh during the elections five years ago.

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A Sudanese protest group on Monday said the army was trying to disperse a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum by removing barricades, but witnesses said troops had not moved in.

Thousands of protesters remain encamped outside the army headquarters, almost three weeks after the military and security forces removed former president Omar al-Bashir from power on 11 April.

The demonstrators want the ruling military council to hand over power to a civilian administration.

"The military council is a copy cat of the toppled regime. The army is trying to disperse the sit-in by removing the barricades," said the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the group that first launched the protest movement against Bashir's regime.

"We are calling on our people to come immediately to the sit-in area. We are calling on the revolutionaries to protect the barricades and rebuild them."



Witnesses at the sit-in told AFP that protesters were building up some of the make-shift barricades but there was no movement of troops around the area.

"We are calling on our people across Sudan to show that they reject the attack on the sit-in and attempts to disperse it until we achieve our demand of having a civilian authority," the SPA said.

It comes after Lieutenant General Shamseddine Kabbashi, the spokesman of the ruling military council, said Monday the military had agreed with protest leaders to open some roads, a railway line and two bridges that lead to, or pass near, the military headquarters.

But the Alliance for Freedom and Change, the umbrella group leading the protest movement, said the announcement was incorrect.

"We didn't have any agreements on removing the barricades or opening the bridges in our sit-in area in the capital or across the country," the group said late Monday.

"We will continue our sit-in until the power is transferred to civilians."



The military council said putting up barricades and checking people at the protest site was a threat to public security.

"There are some attempts that threaten public safety and stability by searching the civilians and vehicles by people who have no legal authority," Kabbashi said in a statement late Monday.

"There are also cases of looting of properties, beating of citizens, blocking roads, attacking security forces and preventing trains from carrying essential items needed by the people," he said.

"Given the responsibility of protecting the citizens, the military council will end these attempts which are against the chant of the revolution of 'peace, justice, freedom'."



The latest outbursts from both sides came after they presented differing visions for a joint civilian-military council that would pave the way for a civilian administration.

The military council has so far insisted it has assumed power for a two-year transitional period.

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Alleging "targeted victimisation", Dr Kafeel Khan, who was suspended following the deaths of over 60 children at Gorakhpur's BRD Hospital in 2017, Tuesday demanded CBI probe into the tragedy.

Khan, who was in Bihar for his "health for all" campaign, alleged that he has been made a scapegoat in the incident which occurred because of shortage of oxygen cylinder supply caused by non-payment of dues to the supplier.

"I demand CBI inquiry into the deaths and also that the trial be transferred outside Uttar Pradesh. Those responsible for the tragedy including top health department officials and the minister concerned, are going about scot free and even heading the departmental inquiry which has been going on for the past 18 months," he told reporters here.

During his visit to the state, he also campaigned for CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar in Begusarai.

Khan, whose brother last year survived bullet injuries in an attack by unidentified assailants in Gorakhpur, also deplored the "insensitive attitude" of the state police and alleged that they "tried their best to delay the surgical intervention required".

"Investigation by the police has been going on for more than 10 months and it is heading nowhere. We have, therefore, filed a petition in the court for a CBI inquiry into the attack on my brother as there could be involvement of some government officials," he alleged.

He claimed, "Even the High Court has observed that I was guilty of no medical negligence or corruption nor was I in any way involved in the tender process. An RTI inquiry has also established that the shortage had continued for 54 hours and I had made arrangements for cylinders on my own to save the dying children."



On his "health for all" drive, Khan underscored the dismal situation of public health care system in the country and pressed the demand for introducing a "Right to Healthcare" through legislation in Parliament.

He also urged the Centre to ensure that at least three per cent of the GDP was spent on healthcare and rued that the existing vacancies in the sector were expected to be about 1.5 lakh which ought to be filled expeditiously.

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Japan-headquartered drug firm Takeda Pharmaceutical Tuesday said it has appointment Andrey Potapov as area head for India, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Middle East including Turkey and Africa, (ICMEA).

Potapov's appointment follows Takeda's recent acquisition of Shire Pharmaceuticals. He will be instrumental in guiding the successful integration of Takeda and Shire under the Takeda brand, the company said in a statement.

The acquisition and subsequent integration will see Takeda evolve its operational focus from the NEMEA region (Near East, Middle East and Africa) to ICMEA, it added.

In his most recent role as General Manager of Takeda Russia and Head of the CIS Area, Potapov oversaw the successful launch of new pharmaceutical products, while delivering above market profit growth for the past five years, the statement said.

"Now is a great time to be heading up Takeda's regional operations as we look ahead to the integration of Shire into our business and the many opportunities, this will bring to better serve patients," Potapov said.

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Terrorist organisations may be increasingly recruiting women, data from the first large-scale research project evaluating the characteristics of women involved in jihadism-inspired terrorism has found, days after the worst terror attack in Sri Lanka.

A woman was part of the nine suicide bombers in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday and intelligence officials say more women posing as devotees were planning to carry our terror attacks on Buddhist temples in the island nation.

A study published on Monday by the North Carolina State University in the US found significant differences between men and women in both their backgrounds and their roles within terrorist groups.

For the study, researchers drew on data from the Western Jihadism Project, based at Brandeis University, which collects data on terrorists associated with Al-Qaeda-inspired organisations.

The researchers conducted comparative analyses of 272 women and 266 men, who were matched to control for variables such as ethnicity, nation of residence and age at radicalisation.

There were significant differences in background for men and women. For example, only 2 per cent of women had a criminal background before radicalisation, compared to 19 per cent of men.

While about 14 per cent of men had no profession in the six months preceding their affiliation with a terrorist group, almost 42 per cent of women were unemployed during the same timeframe, the study found.

"The data also suggests that terrorist organisations may be increasingly recruiting women," says Sarah Desmarais, an associate professor of psychology at North Carolina State and co-author of the paper.

"For example, 34 per cent of the women in our sample were born after 1990, while only 15 per cent of men were born after 1990. Since we were able to control for age at radicalisation, this suggests an increase in women's involvement in terrorist groups," Desmarais said.

The research also highlighted different roles for women in terrorist action.

"Women were less likely than men to be involved in planning or carrying out terrorist attacks," Christine Brugh, lead author of a paper on the work and a Ph.D. student at North Carolina State University.

"Only 52 per cent of the women were involved in plots, compared to 76 per cent of men," Brugh said.

"In many ways, the roles of the women in these terrorist groups are consistent with traditional gender norms," Desmarais said.

"The women were more likely to play behind-the-scenes roles aimed at supporting the organisation," Brugh said.

"The fact that these differences are so obvious but that no one had found them before suggests that we are just scratching the surface," Brugh said.

"We need to see what, if anything, sets these people apart from their counterparts in the general population. Are there relevant variables that could inform threat assessments or models of radicalisation?



"It would also be good to see if there are similar patterns in other types of terrorism. Are the differences we found in this study particular to jihadism-inspired groups? In short, there is a lot of work to be done in this field."



The paper, "Gender in the Jihad: Characteristics and Outcomes among Women and Men Involved in Jihadism-Inspired Terrorism," is published in the Journal of Threat Assessment and Management.

The paper was co-authored by Joseph Simons-Rudolph, a teaching assistant professor of psychology at NC State; and Samantha Zottola, a Ph.D. student at NC State.

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Three persons died and 29 others fell ill Tuesday after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Odisha's Bhadrak district, a police officer said.

Locals alleged that victims had bought the liquor with the money provided to them by political parties, ahead of the fourth phase of elections in the state, Subdivisional Police Officer (SDPO) Umakanta Moharana said.

"We have come to know that people in Daulatapur village in Tihidi police station area of the district had bought the liquor from a local market for their post-election feast. The district administration has ordered an inquiry into the matter," he said.

Angry over the incident, irate villagers have blocked the Bhadrak Chandabali road, leading to massive traffic snarls on the thoroughfare, the SDPO added.

According to Additional District Medical Officer P K Khuntia, the villagers complained of stomach ache and loss of eyesight Monday night, soon after consuming liquor.

They were immediately taken to Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital, he said.

"Of the 29 people who have taken ill, two have been shifted to Cuttack SCB Medical College and Hospital as their condition worsened," he added.

The three deceased have been identified as Sadhu Charan Nayak, Sarbeswae Das and Ramachandra Das.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AIADMK leader C V Shanmugam Tuesday approached the Election Commission asking it to prevent Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam from using a flag that closely resembles that of the ruling party in Tamil Nadu.

The State law minister also took exception to AMMK workers using the colours of the AIADMK's flag as borders in their dhotis.

While, the AIADMK flag has red, white colours (used for the picture of first chief minister of the state C N Annadurai in the centre) and black, AMMK uses the same colour combination with the picture of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in the centre.

Speaking to reporters at Delhi after meeting EC officials, the minister said, "AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran had given an assurance to the Supreme Court that he would not stake a claim in the AIADMK.

In stark contrast, his party is using a look-alike flag and 'Amma's picture."



We strongly condemn this, particularly AMMK workers using AIADMK party flag on their dhotis," he added.

Shanmugam meeting with the poll panel officials comes on a day Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal issued notices to three AIADMK MLAs siding with rival leader and AMMK founder Dhinakaran, days after the ruling party petitioned him for action against them for alleged anti-party activities.

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The church was inaugurated in 1581, the first dedicated to the Portuguese saint in Asia. May the shrine truly be [. . .] be the centre of constant missionary outreach, says the Pope in a message for the occasion. Every year, some 75,000 to 100,000 pilgrims visit the site. The recognition is "first and foremost an honour, but at the same time a great responsibility, says rector.

Pila (AsiaNews) - The San Antonio de Padua Church in Pila (picture 1), Laguna province, was declared a national shrine, the first in the Diocese of San Pablo and the 25th in the Philippines, during a solemn Mass on 23 April led by Mgr Romulo Geolina Valles, Archbishop of Davao and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), along with the local Bishop, Mgr Buenaventura Malayo Famadico.

More than 2,000 priests, nuns, government officials and worshippers took part in the ceremony (pictures 2 and 3), including Mgr Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Apostolic Nuncio in the Philippines.

During the service, the prelate read to the faithful a message from Pope Francis, in which the pontiff says he is praying that devotees "may all be renewed in your love for Christ".

Francis goes on to say, May the shrine truly be a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey and the centre of constant missionary outreach.

In January, Filipino bishops unanimously approved the petition to raise San Antonio de Padua Church to the rank of national shrine.

The recognition is "first and foremost an honour, but at the same time a great responsibility for devotees," said Fr Edwin Lusterio, priest in the Diocese of San Pablo and rector of the shrine for the past six years, speaking to AsiaNews. As of tomorrow, he will be replaced by Fr Emil A. Urriquia.

"The faithful are very happy and aware that from now on we will have to do more to promote devotion, catechism and the pastoral care of the poor, Fr Lusterio explained. This must be our contribution to the mission of the Church. The commitment must not be limited to the province of Laguna but must extend to all the parishes of the Philippines.

Filipino devotion to the Portuguese saint began in Pila and has grown over time, fuelled by the many graces and miracles obtained through his intercession. "This is why the bishops accepted our request to make it a national shrine," the priest noted.

"Every week, we welcome between 500 and 1,000 devotees. In addition, about 2,000-3,000 people attend Mass every first Tuesday of the month. Every year, we receive between 75,000 and 100,000 visits.

"Inspired by Saint Anthony, we try to take care of the poor at the shrine through various initiatives: scholarships for young people, visits to prisons, assistance to the elderly and social outreach.

By tradition, Saint Anthony is the saint to whom one turns to find lost things. But here in Pila, he is above all the patron saint of people who have lost their way.

"Faced with family, work, marital and financial problems, people come here to ask for his intercession. To those who receive a grace, we ask to leave a message and we really receive a lot of letters.

Inaugurated in 1581, the church is the first to be dedicated to the Portuguese saint in Asia. Originally, the structure was made of wood and bamboo and was located in Pagalangan, a few kilometres west of the current site. In 1599 construction began on a stone building, which was completed in 1617.

Due to the constant sea storms that hit Pagalangan, the Spanish governor-general ordered the transfer of the church in November 1794 to Hacienda Santa Clara, now known as Pila.

Since the residents wanted to rebuild the church according to the original plan, they got together in 1804 and moved it brick by brick, stone block by stone block, from the old site to the new one. The move was completed in 1816.

(Photo credit: CbcpNews).
President Donald Trump is considering placing the Muslim Brotherhood on a US blacklist of "foreign terrorist organizations," the White House said Tuesday.

The Brotherhood, an Islamist movement with support across the Middle East, was designated a terrorist organization in Egypt following the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

"The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

Placing the Muslim Brotherhood on a terrorism blacklist would allow US officials to impose sanctions on any person or organization with links to it.

The move comes three weeks after Trump hosted Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose government has been criticized for cracking down on secular and left-wing activists, as well as Islamists close to the Muslim Brotherhood.

During their White House talks, Trump praised Sisi for "doing a great job," saying the United States and Egypt had "never had a better relationship."



Egypt is one of the biggest US strategic partners -- an Arab country that made peace with top US ally Israel 40 years ago and a major recipient of American aid.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned a "coup attempt" in Venezuela after self-proclaimed opposition leader Juan Guaido said he had the support of troops to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

"As a country which fought against coups and experienced the negative consequences caused by coups, we condemn the coup attempt in Venezuela," Erdogan, a close ally of Maduro, wrote on Twitter.

"The entire world must respect the people's democratic preferences in Venezuela." Turkey is a firm supporter of Maduro, who was the first world leader to express backing for Erdogan after an attempted coup d'etat in Turkey in 2016.

Guaido, Venezuela's self-proclaimed president who is recognised by more than 50 countries including the United States and Brazil, said troops had joined his campaign to oust Maduro, who is backed by Russia, China and Iran.

The Venezuelan government has vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup.

Erdogan blasted "those who are in an attempt to appoint a post-modern colonial governor to Venezuela." "They should know that the only (way) to determine how a country shall be governed is through democratic elections," the Turkish leader said. "Ballot boxes are essential in democracies," he added.

Earlier, his Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara was against any attempts to change Venezuela's government through "undemocratic" methods. "We are in favour of solution to problems facing the country through dialogue. We always stand by the people of Venezuela," he said.

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Punjab Police Tuesday said two of its assistant sub-inspectors of police, absconding for the past one month with a sum of over Rs 6 crore recovered during a raid at a house, have been arrested by Kerala Police from Kochi.

According to Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta, based on specific inputs, Kerala Police arrested ASIs -- Joginder Singh and Rajpreet Singh -- from a hotel in Kochi late afternoon on Tuesday.

Special Investigation Team head Praveen Kumar Sinha, who is Inspector-General of Police Crime, Punjab, has left for Kochi to bring back the two accused, as per the DGP.

Earlier, the SIT, probing the pilferage of the amount from Rs 16.65 crore cash recovered from a priest's house in Jalandhar last month, had arrested one more ASI-rank policeman for his collusion with the other accused.

After the raid, police said the Income Tax Department officials were informed about the cash seizure and investigations were launched.

The priest had claimed the money to be from business proceeds and had accused that police recovered Rs 16.65 crore from his house, but claimed it to be Rs 9.66 crore, while misappropriating the remaining account.

The priest had reportedly claimed that the money was kept at his house because company employees had refused to go and deposit it in the bank due to the model code of conduct in view of the Lok Sabha polls.

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Two men, who were members of a gang that supplied weapons to criminals in the Delhi-National Capital Region, have been arrested, police said Tuesday.

The accused were identified as Suraj (23) and Roop Ram (26), they said.

On April 29, police received information that a member of the Nandu gang would come to Khatu Shyam Chowk in Chawla to meet one of his associate.

Based on the tip-off, Suraj was arrested, police said.

Ram, an arms supplier, was arrested from his house in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district on information provided by Suraj, police said.

One country-made pistol and two live cartridges, which were procured by Ram for selling to criminals, were recovered from his house, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dwarka, Anto Alphonse, said.

The seized arms and ammunition were purchased at low prices from illegal units based in western UP, he said.

The gang has supplied several pistols to various criminals in Delhi-NCR, the officer said.

Suraj, a sharp shooter of the gang, was named in an attempt to murder case at the Kapashera police station last year.He had allegedly shot at a man, the DCP said.

He was arrested in the case and was lodged at the Tihar jail.

The officer said after release on bail, he procured illegal fire arms and resumed criminal activities.

He was tasked to eliminate a rival gang member for which he was planning and coordinating with other members of his gang but was arrested, he said.

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Police arrested two narcotic smugglers and seized 48 kg of cannabis in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Tuesday, officials said.

The seizures were made after police teams intercepted two vehicles at Sham Palace in Ramban, they said.

After searches, 26 kg and 22 kg of cannabis were seized from the two vehicles and two persons were arrested, the officials said.

The accused were identified as Mohd Qasim and Mohd Karim Sheikh, both residents of Mumbai, they added.

Further investigation in the case is underway, the officials said.

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US-based IT company UiPath Tuesday said it has raised USD 568 million at a total valuation of USD 7 billion in series D investment round led by Coatue.

"UiPath is blazing a path to an 'automation first' era, closing its Series D investment round, raising USD 568 million at a post-money valuation of USD 7 billion, led by Coatue," the company said in a statement.

The lead investor was joined by "Dragoneer, Wellington, Sands Capital, and funds and accounts advised by T Rowe Price Associates, Inc, Accel, CapitalG, Sequoia, IVP and Madrona Venture Group".

The company, which provides robotic process automation, said it will invest in India to train 5 lakh people on its technology.

"India is in a prime position to become an RPA powerhouse, because of the rapid adoption of RPA (robotic process automation) and AI and the growing talent pool. We are committed to investing in India to realize our global vision of 'A Robot for Every Person' and create a talent base of over 5,00,000 automation-trained professionals," Raghu Subramanian, President and CEO of UiPath India said.

Recent customer additions include American Fidelity, BankUnited, CWT (formerly known as Carlson Wagonlit Travel), Duracell, Google, Japan Exchange Group (JPX), LogMeIn, McDonalds, Quest Diagnostics, Uber, US Navy, Virgin Media, World Fuel Services.

UiPath claimed to one of the fastest growing and highest-valued AI enterprise software companies worldwide at the valuation of USD 7 billion.

"In 24 months, RPA and AI leader has grown annual recurring revenue from USD 8 Million to over USD 200 Million, and valuation from USD110 Million to USD 7 Billion," UiPath said.

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Britain's car output under a no-deal Brexit could collapse to a level last seen in "the dark days of the 1980s", the nation's industry body forecast on Tuesday.

The warning came as Jaguar Land Rover said its new Land Rover Defender model would be assembled in Slovakia -- but did not blame the move on the UK's departure from the European Union.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the worst case scenario would be for Britain to depart the EU without a deal struck with Brussels, forcing it to endure tariffs set by World Trade Organization rules.

These customs duties average 1.5 percent, which is still quite low. But they can be higher in some sectors such as the crucial automotive sector where they are 10 percent.

"Should Britain crash out of the EU and fall back on WTO rules for a sustained period, (UK car) output is forecast to fall around 30 percent on recent levels to just 1.07 million units by 2021, a level consistent with the dark days of the mid-1980s," the SMMT said in a release.

Britain is due to leave the European Union on October 31 after two delays this year triggered by MPs rejecting the divorce deal British Prime Minister Theresa May has struck with the bloc.

The SMMT on Tuesday added that in the event of "a favourable deal and transition period maintaining the status quo, UK car production could be 1.36 million units in 2019, down from 1.52 million in 2018, before rising to 1.42 million by 2021".

The SMMT has long argued that no-deal would ramp up costs and hurt supply chains, while tariffs would undermine competitiveness and bite into profits. "Despite the extension, the Brexit clock is still ticking and a devastating no-deal remains a threat," said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.

"This new period of limbo does not end the havoc for industry, with investment stopped and expensive factory shutdowns moved to avoid a Brexit deadline that has itself now moved." Japanese carmaker Nissan recently said it would stop production of Infiniti cars at its factory in Sunderland, northeast England, and cancel the plant's plans for the X-Trail SUV.

Japanese peer Honda has also curbed investment in Britain, and plans to close its UK car plant in southwest England in 2022 with 3,500 job losses. At the same time however, Toyota is to build a new hybrid car in Britain for Japanese peer Suzuki.

Separately Tuesday, the SMMT revealed that British car production has tumbled for the tenth month in a row, hit also by China economic fears and dwindling demand for high-polluting diesel vehicles. UK car production slumped 14 percent to 126,000 units in March compared with a year earlier.

Jaguar Land Rover on Tuesday announced that its "all-new Land Rover Defender will be assembled at its plant in Slovakia". JLR added in a statement: "Designed and engineered in the UK, the new Land Rover Defender will be unveiled later this year.

"It will use the latest clean Ingenium engines built at Wolverhampton, England, reinforcing both the company's British roots and the diversified, globalised nature of its manufacturing strategy.

"This decision is in parallel with plans for significant investment at the company's Solihull plant in the UK to support the production of the next generation of flagship Range Rover and Land Rover models," JLR added.

It comes after the company owned by India's Tata Motors recently moved production of the Land Rover Discovery model to Slovakia -- and is in the process of axeing about 4,500 mostly UK jobs.

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Cross-party talks to resolve the Brexit crisis are reaching the end, Prime Minister Theresa May's government indicated Tuesday, with reports suggesting she wants a conclusion by the middle of next week.

Ministers held their latest talks on Monday with senior members of the main opposition Labour party.

They are seeking a way through the political deadlock over how to leave the European Union, which has forced Britain to twice delay its intended exit.

"There were serious and constructive discussions last night, and we will now look to hold further talks in the coming days," May's spokesman said.

"Further talks will now be scheduled in order to bring the process toward a conclusion," he added.

No announcements are expected this week due to local elections being held on Thursday, but the spokesman said progress must be made "as soon as possible".

Reports suggest the government is aiming to decide by the middle of next week if the talks will ever succeed, or if they should be abandoned.

May has said that if no deal is possible with Labour, she would ask MPs to vote on a series of possible options.

The House of Commons has three times rejected the divorce deal she struck with the EU in November, intended to ease Britain's split from its largest trading partner after four decades of membership.

But MPs have also been unable to agree on any alternative.

"There's a full understanding throughout cabinet and the government of the need to make progress," May's spokesman said, after a meeting of the cabinet.

The prime minister agreed with the EU earlier this month to delay Brexit until October 31 to find a way through the political impasse. It was originally scheduled for March 29.

However, May is still hopeful of getting her deal passed in the coming weeks to allow Britain to avoid holding European Parliament elections on May 23.

If that is not possible, she hopes to avoid any lawmakers elected in that poll having to take their seats.

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The UN humanitarian chief has said there has been "no progress" in dealing with the reasons why more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh from western Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Mark Lowcock, who just returned from a visit to Bangladesh, said on Monday Myanmar has failed "to put in place confidence-building measures that would persuade people it's safe to go back." He said all the refugees he spoke to didn't think it was safe to return, and want to be assured of things like freedom of movement and access to education, jobs and services.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long considered the Rohingya to be "Bengalis" from Bangladesh even though their families have lived in the country for generations. Nearly all have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless, and they are also denied freedom of movement and other basic rights.

The latest crisis began with attacks by an underground Rohingya insurgent group on Myanmar security personnel in August 2017 in northern Rakhine. Myanmar's military responded with a brutal campaign and is accused of mass rape, killings and the burning of thousands of homes that critics have described as ethnic cleansing, or even genocide.

Lowcock told a small group of reporters he is "extremely worried" that the UN appeal for USD 962 million to provide for the Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh this year is only 17 per cent funded.

"I think the world may be losing interest," he said. "Last year, we got 70 per cent what we asked for. We're running way behind." He warned that "if we don't get financed, the consequences will be serious" for the provision of such things as food rations and health services.

Lowcock visited Bangladesh with UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi and Antonio Vitorino, head of the International Office for Migration. In a joint statement, they stressed the need to sustain support for the Rohingya refugees and to keep working for "safe and sustainable solutions" so they can return home.

They noted that almost half the 540,000 refugee children under age 12 are missing out on education and the rest are only getting very limited schooling.

"I think the world ought to worry about what this very large group of people will be like in 10 years' time if they don't get an opportunity to access education and a chance to develop a livelihood and have a normal life," Lowcock told reporters.

While the best solution would be for the refugees to return home, he said, "in any event it's a bad idea to run the risk of a very aggrieved, disaffected large group of young people, especially young men."



Lowcock said Bangladesh's government expressed concern to the three UN officials during the trip about criminal activity among refugees in the Cox's Bazaar area.

"There are well-known concerns about the drugs industry trying to use populations in Cox's Bazaar to support their malign activities," Lowcock said, adding that there are also concerns about possible radicalization of refugees.

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Urine testing may be as effective as the smear test at preventing cervical cancer and could significantly increase participation rates for screening, a study has found.

The research, published in the journal BMJ Open, found that urine testing was just as good as the cervical smear at picking up high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes cervical cancer.

Researchers from the University of Manchester in the UK said a urine test could help increase the numbers of women who are screened for cervical cancer.

Urine testing could have a role in the developing world, where cervical cancer is up to 15 times more common and smear testing largely non-existent.

Around one in 20 women show abnormal changes which might go on to become cancer and are referred for colposcopy, where the cervix is examined under magnification, allowing abnormal areas to be seen, sampled and treated, before they ever cause cancer, researchers said.

According to the team, cervical smear samples, self-collected vaginal samples and urine samples are all effective at picking up high risk HPV infection.

Cervical cancer is most common in women aged 30 to 35 years. However, the precancerous stage is detectable in the 5-10 years before this, when up to a third of women fail to attend for their smear test.

"We're really very excited by this study, which we think has the potential to significantly increase participation rates for cervical cancer screening in a key demographic group," said Emma Crosbie, who led the study.

"Many younger women avoid the National Health Service (NHS) cervical cancer screening programme because they find it embarrassing or uncomfortable, particularly if they have gynaecological conditions like endometriosis," Crosbie said in a statement.

Of the 100 or so types of HPV, some are linked to cervical cancer, and some are linked to other conditions, like genital warts.

Most cervical cancers are caused by high-risk types HPV-16 and HPV-18.

As many as 104 women attending the colposcopy clinic at St Mary's Hospital in the UK participated in the study and were screened using two brands of HPV testing kits.

Around two-thirds of the women tested positive for any high-risk HPV type, and a third for HPV-16 or HPV-18.

From the total, eighteen women had pre-cancerous changes to the cervix that needed treatment.

With the Roche HPV testing kit, urine, vaginal self samples and cervical smears picked up 15 of these.

With the Abbott HPV testing kit, urine picked up 15 of these and vaginal self samples and cervical smears picked up 16.

"These results provide exciting proof of principle that urine HPV testing can pick up cervical pre-cancer cells, but we need to trial it on a greater number of women before it can be used in the NHS. We hope that is going to happen soon," Crosbie said.

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US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will meet Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu on May 6 here to discuss trade-related issues amid America's decision to withdraw export benefits to Indian exporters, sources said.

"Ross is coming to participate in the Trade Winds Indo-Pacific Forum and Mission and would hold bilateral meeting with Prabhu," one of the sources said.

Currently, the India-US trade relation is going through a rough patch as the US has decided to withdraw export benefits to Indian exporters under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme.

The Trump administration has alleged that India in imposing high import duties on products such as paper and Harley Davidson motorcycles from America.

On the other hand, India has notified retaliatory tariffs on 29 US products but has time and again extended the deadline for imposing them. The latest deadline will end on May 2 and the commerce ministry has asked the revenue department to again extend the deadline by another 14 days.

GSP benefits are envisaged as non-reciprocal and non-discriminatory to be extended by developed countries to developing economies.

The US decided to withdraw GSP benefits even though both the sides were negotiating a kind of trade package to enhance two-way commerce.

Trade Winds Indo-Pacific Forum and Mission is a US government-sponsored trade show and a kind of trade outreach programme at the business-to-business level.

A business delegation, which is accompanying Ross, will visit different cities including Mumbai, Bangaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata.

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The US has initiated a probe into alleged dumping a particular variety of steel rod from four countries including India, according to American department of commerce.

In a statement, the department has said that it is also probing whether producers of 'carbon and alloy steel threaded rod' in India and China are receiving 'unfair' subsidies from their respective governments.

If it is established that the dumped imports and subsidies are hurting the interest of companies there, the US would impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties. And if it would not find anything, the department would terminate the investigations.

If the department makes an affirmative finding in these investigations, and if the US International Trade Commission determines that dumped and the "unfairly subsidised" imports from China, India, and Taiwan are causing injury to the industry, it "will impose duties on those imports in the amount of dumping and/or unfair subsidisation found to exist," it said.

The statement said that there are 52 subsidy programmes of India, including duty drawback, loan guarantees, and a duty free import authorization scheme.

In 2018, imports of carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from India stood at USD 35.8 million.

It added that final determinations in these cases are scheduled for July 31, for the countervailing investigations, and October 15 for the anti-dumping probe, but these dates can be extended.

"Antidumping and countervailing duty laws provide American businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of the unfair pricing of imports into the US," it said.

Foreign companies that price their products in the US market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to antidumping duties.

Companies that receive unfair subsidies from their governments, such as grants, loans, equity infusions, tax breaks, or production inputs, are subject to countervailing duties aimed at directly countering those subsidies.

India's exports to the US in 2017-18 stood at USD 47.9 billion, while imports were USD 26.7 billion. The trade balance is in favour of India.

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The US has warned that the terrorist threat in Sri Lanka still remains as active members of the group that carried out the massive suicide attacks on Easter Sunday may still be at large, a media report said Tuesday.

The US Embassy here has said that at the request of the Sri Lankan Government, US security experts were working closely with their Sri Lankan partners on "fulfilling short term, specific objectives" related to the recent attacks and to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Nancy VanHorn, the spokesperson at the US Embassy in Colombo that the US believes active members of the attack group that carried out the terror attacks on Easter Sunday may still be at large.

"As the (US) Ambassador (Alaina Teplitz) has previously stated and as reflected in our travel advisory, the terrorist threat is ongoing," the spokesperson told the Colombo Gazette.

Sri Lankan authorities said they believed a little-known local militant Islamist group known as National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) was behind the attack that killed 253 people and injured nearly 500 more. However, the NTJ has not claimed responsibility for the attacks, Sri Lanka's worst.

On Tuesday, the Islamic State terror group said it had carried out the attacks, and released video of men it says were the bombers, pledging allegiance to the group.

The attackers targetted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels.

Ambassador Teplitz has said the attacks are the work of a few individuals and not of an entire community.

As Sri Lanka looks to the future and to implementing changes in security and communications procedures to prevent future atrocities, the US stands ready to assist with lessons learned from our own past tragedies and through our ongoing cooperation with local authorities, the embassy has said.

"These terrible attacks are the work of a few individuals and not of an entire community. Sri Lankans of all backgrounds and faiths have come together to condemn these atrocities. Unity is the most powerful answer to terrorism," the ambassador said recently.

Teplitz further underscored that "while we work together to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice, we must remain vigilant in defending the democratic ideals that form the pillars of a strong society.

"And we must do so without destroying communities of peaceful, innocent people who share the faith of the attackers, but not their warped ideology," she said.

"We must always respect the wonderful diversity of Sri Lanka and fortify the culture of unity that the country needs to thrive," she said.

On April 26, the Department of State ordered the departure of all school-age family members of US government employees in Kindergarten through 12th grade. The Department also authorised the voluntary departure of non-emergency US government employees and family members from Sri Lanka.

"Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka," the State Department said, adding that terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist spots, religious places other public areas.

According to Sri Lankan Foriegn Ministry, one American nationa, two people holding US and UK nationalities were among 42 foriegn nationals killed in the Easter Sunday attack.

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Venezuela's army chief warned Tuesday of possible "bloodshed" in the crisis-torn Latin American country Tuesday as the military moved to put down what it said was an attempted coup.

General Vladimir Padrino, who is also the defense minister, said he held the opposition "responsible for any act of violence, death or bloodshed."



Padrino was addressing the military high command in a speech in which he reiterated the army's support for embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

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BSP president Mayawati Tuesday said she would review support to the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh after their Guna candidate pulled out of the election race.

Alleging the Congress was misusing the official machinery in Madhya Pradesh, she said, in a tweet, "The Congress is not less than the BJP in misusing the official machinery. The BSP candidate from Guna has been forced by the Congress to pull out of the election race but the BSP will give a reply by fighting on its own symbol and review its support to the Congress government."



She further urged people to remain vigilant. "The view of Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh that even if the BJP wins, the SP-BSP alliance should not win depicts their casteist, narrow attitude and double standards. Therefore, people's belief that it is only our alliance that can defeat the BJP is correct. People need to remain vigilant," she said in another tweet.

On Monday, BSP's Guna candidate Lokendra Singh had opted out of the election race. He was pitted against Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. Voting in Guna will take place on May 12.

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BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday said Article 370 will be withdrawn from Jammu and Kashmir, if the saffron party is voted back to power.

Addressing an election rally here in Madhya Pradesh, Shah also slammed National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah for his statement seeking a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

"We will remove Article 370 if voted back to power," Shah said. Article 370 gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah also alleged that the Opposition, including the Congress and the NC, wanted a separate prime minister for J&K.

"The Congress, the NC, SP and BSP all wanted to separate Kashmir from Hindustan. But this Narendra Modi government will never allow secession (of J&K) from India.

"No BJP worker will let such a thing to happen. We will remove Article 370 if you make Narendra Modi the PM again," Shah told the gathering.

The BJP chief also hit out at the Congress over its poll promise to scrap sedition law if voted to power.

"The Congress is siding with those who shouted anti-national slogans. You talk about scrapping the sedition law. Tell me, if someone is caught spying for Pakistan, should action be taken under sedition law or not?



"Anti-national slogans like 'Bharat Tere Tukde Honge' were shouted in JNU, shouldn't these people be sent to jails? Rahul Baba, the people of the country understand everything," Shah said.

He also slammed the Congress over party leader Sam Pitroda's statement in which he suggested holding talks with Pakistan, days after 40 jawans of CRPF were killed in Pulwama terror attack.

"Rahul Baba's guru Sam Pitroda gave a statement..tell me should we talk with those who killed our 40 jawans or attack them? Congress says we should talk to them. Rahul Baba you be happy with your policy. This is Narendra Modi government which will reply to gun fire with a bombshell," he said.

Shah said terrorists from Pakistan used to cross border and kill Indian soldiers at will when Manmohan Singh was the prime minister.

"However, the security of the country has been strengthened since Modi became the PM," he said.

Shah also attacked the Congress for questioning the efficacy of the Balakot air strike in February this year.

"When the entire country broke into celebration after the air strike, a pall of gloom descended on the office of Rahul Baba," the BJP chief said.

He also took a dig at Gandhi over his "long leaves".

"I have seen Modiji not taking a single leave since the last 20 years. He works 18 out of 24 hours. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi goes on a long leave when temperature soars. Even his party men and his mother (UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi) keep looking for him," Shah said.

He also referred to the Income Tax raids against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

"Within three months of coming to power in Madhya Pradesh, transactions of Rs 281 crore were found during the raids. If this is the beginning, what will happen in the next 60 months?" he said.

Shah also slammed Gandhi for the "Chowkidar Chor Hai" (watchman is a thief) jibe he uses to target Modi. "The Congress president had to apologise to the Supreme Court for his remark," Shah said.

Targeting the Congress, Shah said, "There were corruption charges of Rs 12 lakh crore during the UPA government but not a single allegation of corruption was levelled against the NDA regime since it came to power in 2014".

While six of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh went to polls in the first phase on April 29, the other 23 constituencies will vote on May 6, 12 and 19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The world communist movement is suffering from "ideological bankruptcy", Chairman of the ruling Nepal Communist Party and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' said on Tuesday.

Prachanda made the remarks on the eve of International Labour Day on May 1 at an event in Kathmandu where he honoured former minister for science and environment and trade union activist Ganesh Shah.

Speaking on the occasion, the former prime minister asked all the workers to "take the side of socialism standing against the imperialist forces."



"The world communist movement is suffering from ideological bankruptcy," Prachanda said, without explaining.

"The international community is not only suffering from political fascism but also from economic fascism as a handful of capitalists are taking control of 90 per cent of world assets," said H Mahadevan, Deputy General Secretary of World Federation of Trade Union.

Trade Unions can be powerful weapons in the hands of workers to change the world social order, said Mahadevan, who is also the president of All India Trade Union Congress.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The world is seeing a "groundswell of intolerance" and hate-based violence against people of various faiths, and this "venom" is directed at anyone considered "the other", the UN chief has said, warning that parts of the internet were becoming "hothouses of hate".

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' remarks have come in the wake of a series of attacks against mosques, synagogues and other places of worship in the recent past, including the Easter Sunday bombings targeting three churches in Sri Lanka that killed more than 250 people.

A gunman armed with a semiautomatic rifle on Sunday entered a synagogue in Poway in California, some 40 kilometres north of San Diego, yelling anti-Semitic slurs and opened fire, killing one woman, and wounding the rabbi and two others.

Six people, including a pastor, were killed in an attack on a church in Burkina Faso on Sunday.

Last month, 50 worshippers were gunned down at two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand.

"Around the world, we are seeing a disturbing groundswell of intolerance and hate-based violence targeting worshippers of many faiths. In recent days alone, a synagogue in the United States and a church in Burkina Faso have come under attack," the UN Chief said on Monday.

"Such incidents have become all-too-familiar: Muslims gunned down in mosques, their religious sites vandalised, Jews murdered in synagogues, their gravestones defaced with swastikas, Christians killed at prayer, their churches often torched. Houses of worship, instead of the safe havens they should be, have become targets," Guterres said.

He said apart from the murders of innocent people, there was "loathsome rhetoric" and xenophobia aimed not only at religious groups but also at migrants, minorities and refugees.

"Assertions of white supremacy, a resurgence of neo-Nazi ideology, venom directed at anyone considered the other," he said.

Guterres warned that parts of the internet were becoming "hothouses of hate", as "like-minded bigots" find each other on-line, and platforms serve to inflame and enable hate to go viral.

"As crime feeds on crime, and as vile views move from the fringes to the mainstream, I am profoundly concerned that we are nearing a pivotal moment in battling hatred and extremism," he said.

The UN chief has set two "urgent initiatives" in motion - the drawing up of UN plan of action to "fully mobilise" the system to tackle hate speech, led by Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng, and an effort being led by the High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Miguel Moratinos to help ensure the safety of religious sanctuaries.

"The world must step up to stamp out anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred, persecution of Christians and all other forms of racism, xenophobia, discrimination and incitement," Guterres said.

Hatred is a threat to everyone and therefore it is a "job for everyone", he said.

"Political and religious leaders have a special responsibility to promote peaceful coexistence. I will count on the strong support of Governments, civil society and other partners in working together to uphold the values that bind us a single human family," Guterres said.

Earlier on Monday, at the UN in Geneva, a major summit to counter hate speech got underway, co-hosted by Dieng.

Warning against a "revival" of ultra-nationalist groups and parties, the UN official said that they "legitimised violations" by portraying minorities as a threat to their culture and identity.

"These groups are spreading their incendiary language into mainstream political discourse. We see this in too many countries," he said at the event co-hosted with the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty (AIDLR).

"We need to collectively and actively stop these dynamics and counter them with messages of openness and inclusion," Dieng said.

Last month, Dieng also expressed concern about spiralling intercommunal violence in central Mali which claimed 134 villagers' lives in one single attack, including women and children.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The balance sheet clean-up by Yes Bank will strain its profitability in the next 12-18 months as it makes provisions for stressed assets, Moody's Investors Service said Tuesday.

On April 26, the bank reported its first-ever quarterly loss since its inception in 2004 at Rs 1,506 crore in the January-March quarter.

Nevertheless, the bank is profitable on a full-year basis, with a return on assets of 0.5 per cent as of March 31, 2019, as against 1.4 per cent a year ago.

"We estimate that the bank's overall stressed assets are about 8 per cent of its gross loans... The balance sheet clean-up will strain the bank's profitability in the next 12-18 months as it provides for the stressed assets," Moody's said in a report.

The March quarter loss of Yes Bank was driven by higher credit costs for non-performing loans (NPLs) and the creation of a contingent provision against a pool of identified stressed assets.

"Despite near-term weakness, we expect the change in corporate behaviour under new bank leadership will be credit-positive after the de-risking is complete," Moody's said.

Reacting to the result, the bank's shares on Tuesday slumped over 30 per cent to Rs 165.30 apiece on the BSE in the early trade. The scrip ended the day at Rs 168, down 29.23 per cent on the BSE.

The March quarter results of Yes Bank were announced after close of market hours on Friday. Stock markets were closed on Monday on account of polling in Mumbai.

In late-January this year, the bank appointed Ravneet Gill as its managing director and chief executive officer (CEO), after the Reserve Bank of India restricted the bank's founder and long-time managing director and CEO Rana Kapoor's term until January 2019.

In the next three financial years, the bank may slow loan growth to about 20-25 per cent annually, compared with an average loan growth of 34 per cent a year between 2013-14 and 2018-19, Moody's said.

"The bank will increase the focus on the retail segment and small- and medium-sized enterprises and reduce dependence on corporate lending," Moody's said.

It added that a reduction in loan concentration to large corporate groups will be credit-positive, as these types of loans have lent volatility to the bank's asset performance in the recent years.

The bank's board has approved an equity capital raising plan of up to USD 1 billion, which, once complete, will help improve loss-absorbing buffers while supporting asset growth, it added.

The lender's gross non-performing assets (NPAs) doubled to 3.22 per cent of loans as on March 31, 2019, from 1.28 per cent at the end of March quarter in 2017-18.

At the end of March 2019, the bank's tier-I equity capital ratio was 8.4 per cent, compared with 9.7 per cent at the end of March 2018.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: Apprehending that the Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh could create trouble during counting of votes on May 23, YSR Congress Tuesday requested the Election Commission of India to deploy CRPF at the counting centres to neutralize the impact of the ruling party.

The main opposition party also wanted constant monitoring of the counting process by ECI observers to instill confidence among the Returning Officer and other staff against "intimidation" by the TDP.

YSRC general secretary and Rajya Sabha member V Vijayasai Reddy, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, said there was certain information that the ruling dispensation (in AP) was planning to create disturbances during vote counting at the designated centres.

The TDP, Reddy alleged, might bring forged documents to delay the counting process and also reject the YSRC agents, leaving little scope for substitution.

"We have full confidence in the wisdom and actions of the ECI.

We are specifically requesting to avoid disturbances that the ruling dispensation wants to create, as per the ground reports received from our party cadre," the MP added.

Deployment of CRPF, instead of the state police, at the counting centres would help thwart the TDPs "nefarious plans," he said.

He requested the ECI to take required action and issue appropriate instructions to the authorities concerned.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An influential Hindu nationalist group with close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused PepsiCo Inc of coercing four Indian farmers who have been sued by the US company for allegedly infringing a patent.

After suing four farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety, grown exclusively for PepsiCo's popular Lay's potato chips, the snack food and drinks maker on Friday said it wants to "amicably settle" the issue.

The Purchase, New York-based company said the four farmers had to either sell their potatoes to PepsiCo or stop cultivating the FC5 potato variety. In return, PepsiCo said it would withdraw the suit filed against the farmers.

Ashwani Mahajan, who heads the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, said PepsiCo was "coercing" the farmers by using legal action to force them to either sell their output to the company or to stop growing the FC5 potato variety at all.

SJM is the economic wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Modi's BJP.

The dispute comes at a particularly sensitive time in India, which is about half-way through a 39-day staggered general election, in which its rural population still has a dominant voice. Modi and the BJP are seeking a second term and most political strategists think they will likely get it.

"Other than coercing these farmers, PepsiCo is also intimidating and exploiting them. It is a clear case of a large MNC (multi national corporation) arm-twisting India's poor farmers," Mahajan told Reuters.

The federal government should step in to ensure that the farmers do not get harassed by PepsiCo, he said.

In response, a PepsiCo India spokesman said in a statement that it "has already proposed to amicably settle with people who were unlawfully using seeds of its registered variety."

Adding: "The company was compelled to take the judicial recourse as a last resort to safeguard the larger interest of thousands of farmers that are engaged with its collaborative potato farming program."

LESS MOISTURE

The FC5 variety has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips.

PepsiCo maintains that it developed the FC5 variety, which has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips, and registered the trait in 2016.

In April, the company filed the lawsuit in a court in Ahmedabad, the business hub of Gujarat, requesting the court to retrain the four farmers from growing the FC5 variety. The court has asked the farmers not to use the variety until the next hearing scheduled for June 12.

The court also appointed an officer to examine the issue.

Other than filing the lawsuit, the company has also sought more than 10 million rupees ($142,840) each from the four farmers for alleged patent infringement.

PepsiCo shouldn't have gone to the court seeking heavy damages from farmers and a large corporation cannot be allowed to take on a handful of farmers, Mahajan said.

PepsiCo, which set up its first potato chips plant in India in 1989, supplies the FC5 potato variety to a group of farmers who in turn sell their produce to the company at a fixed price.

The state government of Gujarat has assured the farmers that it will help them, Nitin Patel, deputy chief minister said last week.

The opposition Congress party has also criticised PepsiCo for suing the farmers.

"Pepsi's decision to take Gujarat's potato grower farmers to court is ill-advised and brazenly wrong," senior Congress party leader Ahmed Patel, who comes from Gujarat, said in a Tweet.

The All India Kisan Sabha, or All India Farmers' Forum, has asked the Indian government to protect the farmers and also called for a boycott of Lay's chips and PepsiCo's other products.

So far the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare has not commented on the issue.

PepsiCo is the second large U.S. company to face major patent infringement issues in India.

Stung by a long-standing intellectual property dispute, seed maker Monsanto, now owned by German drugmaker Bayer AG, withdrew from some businesses in India over a cotton-seed dispute with farmers.

Also read: PepsiCo worried over Indian unit's legal action against potato farmers

Also read: PepsiCo offers 'amicable' settlement to Gujarat farmers: Either join us or don't cultivate our potatoes
The Wadia Group has clarified that Ness Wadia is currently in India and the two-year jail sentence in Japan will not impact any of his responsibilities. A spokesperson for the Wadia Group said, "Ness Wadia is in India. The judgement is clear. It is a suspended sentence. Hence it will not impact Ness Wadia in the discharge of any of his responsibilities and he will continue to play the role that he has done hitherto, both within the Group and outside."

A suspended sentence signifies a prison sentence that an individual will have to serve if they commit another crime within a specified period of time.

Ness Wadia, the scion of the Wadia Group, was found in possession of drugs at the New Chitose Airport in Japan's Hokkaido, as mentioned in a report in the Financial Times. This incident took place in March, after which he was apprehended. Wadia had, at the time of arrest, admitted to possessing cannabis, which he said was for personal consumption.

Wadia had also spent a period in detention before his indictment on March 20 and an undisclosed period of detention before the court hearing.

Wadia, the son of Nusli Wadia and heir to the Wadia Group, had made headlines around 2005 for dating Bollywood actor Preity Zinta. Zinta, in 2014, slapped him with a molestation case. Both Wadia and Zinata are also co-owners of IPL team Kings XI Punjab.

The Wadia Group is the parent company of industry leaders like Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Burman Trading, Britannia Industries and GoAir.

Also read: Ness Wadia sentenced to 2-year jail term in Japan for possession of drugs: report
Business tycoon, Ness Wadia, owner of IPL team Kings XI Punjab has been sentenced to two-year prison term for possession of drugs in Japan. According to reports Wadia was found in possession of 25 gm of cannabis resin in March.

A report in Financial Times states that Ness Wadia was arrested for possession of drugs in Japan in March. He was found in possession of drugs at the New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido. The report further states that at the time of arrest, Wadia admitted to possessing cannabis, which he said was for personal consumption.

Wadia spent a period in detention before his indictment on March 20. He also spent an undisclosed period of detention before a court hearing.

Ness Wadia is the son of Nusli Wadia and the heir to the business empire, the Wadia Group. He made headlines around 2005 for dating Bollywood actor Preity Zinta. They both are co-owners of Kings XI Punjab as well. In 2014, Zinta accused Ness Wadia of molesting her.

Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Burman Trading, Britannia Industries and budget airline GoAir are all under the Wadia empire. They also have shares in IPL team Kings XI Punjab.

Also read: BT Buzz: Jet Airways - Hanging by a thread

Also read: BT Buzz: Pepsi vs farmers - Lay off the potatoes
Following the fire at Shastri Bhawan today, Congress President Rahul Gandhi took a dig at PM Modi saying that the Prime Minister is burning files to cover his corrupt deeds. "Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming," Gandhi tweeted.

The Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by Congress leader Sushmita Dev against PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for violating the Model Code of Conduct on Thursday. A 2-judge bench of the apex court was hearing the matter today and asked the petitioner to await the ECI's decision on the same.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressed public rallies in Muzaffarpur, Bihar and Bahraich ad Barabanking in Uttar Pradesh, Congress President Rahul Gandhi met people at three different places in Madhya Pradesh, including Takamgarh, Damoh and Panna. BJP President Amit Shah will address voters in Rajasthan and MP. BSP supremo Mayawati will also address public rallies in UP. Besides, the Election Commission of India will today take a decision on the alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct by top political leaders like Modi, Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi.

Lok Sabha Election 2019: Poll dates, full schedule, voting FAQs, election results, constituencies' details

Here are the latest updates on the Lok Sabha election 2019.

5.45 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has written to the Chief Election Commissioner requesting relaxation in Model Code of Conduct in the state in the wake of drought situation that has affected a lot of districts.

Maharashtra CM writes to CEC requesting him for some relaxation in Model Code of Conduct in the state for drought relief works. Total 151 talukas of Maharashtra have been declared drought hit & center has passed a budget of Rs 4714 crore for drought relief in the state. pic.twitter.com/IwkQRiP0Ps - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

5.26 pm: Following the fire at Shastri Bhawan, Congress President Rahul Gandhi took a dig at PM Modi saying that the Prime Minister is burning files to cover his corrupt deeds. "Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming," Gandhi tweeted.

Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming. https://t.co/eqFvTJfDgY - Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 30, 2019

5.15 pm: Congress President Rahul Gandhi addressing a rally today in Tikamgarh district of Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh said that no farmer will be jailed for not repaying bank loans taken by them and promised to provide government jobs to 22 lakh youth in a year as well as recruitment of 10 lakh youth in panchayats if his party comes to power. "When the Congress comes to power in 2019, no farmer will be sent to jail for not repaying bank loans," he said.

5.00 pm: PM Modi slammed the opposition during a public meeting in Barabanki today. "Those people who till a few days ago were playing "Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri" with each other, are now playing hide and seek after the 4th phase of voting concluded....Ab janta ne inke saare sapno ko chaar charan mein choor choor kar diya hai," he said.

PM Narendra Modi in Barabanki: Those people who till a few days ago were playing "Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri" with each other, are now playing hide and seek after the 4th phase of voting concluded....Ab janta ne inke saare sapno ko chaar charan mein choor choor kar diya hai. pic.twitter.com/PKP23dIwml - ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 30, 2019

4.45 pm: Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief minister and National Conference Chief Omar Abdullah today said that his party would scrap the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA) if voted to power. Abdullah was addressing a poll rally in Shopian district in South Kashmir which will go to polls on May 6. "No mother will have to look for their children in jails if we are voted to power and for it this parliament election would serve as a semi-final," he said.

4.30 pm: On not filing nomination from the Varanasi seat, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AICC General Secretary in charge of UP today said, "I took advice of all senior leaders of our party & colleagues in UP.They firmly felt that I have responsibility here of looking after 41 seats. I felt that they(candidates)would be disappointed if I focused on only one place."

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on nomination from Varanasi seat: I took advice of all senior leaders of our party & colleagues in UP.They firmly felt that I have responsibility here of looking after 41 seats. I felt that they(candidates)would be disappointed if I focused on only one place pic.twitter.com/HC8oFLn47Y - ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 30, 2019

4.15 pm: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi today granted time to Congress President Rahul Gandhi to file an additional affidavit while hearing a petition against him over his "Chowkidar Chor Hai" remark. The apex court further said that the grant of time should not be seen as any acceptance of any apology. Meanwhile, the court will hear the contempt case against the Congress chief on Monday.

3.47 pm: The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Congress leader Sushmita Dev's plea against PM Modi and BJP Chief Modi for violating the Model Code of Conduct during their election speeches. The apex court said it is open to ECI to pass appropriate orders in the matter.

3.38 pm: SC to hear Sushmita dev case on Thursday.

The Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by Congress leader Sushmita Dev against PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for violating the Model Code of Conduct on Thursday.A 2-judge bench of the apex court was hearing the matter today and asked the petitioner to await the ECI's decision on the same.

3.07 pm: BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi's lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi on Rahul Gandhi's contempt of court case, "He deliberately put words in the mouth of SC but has only expressed regret. Law is clear in contempt cases - the line starts with unconditional apology."

3.00 pm: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Rahul Gandhi's citizenship row, "The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh? (what nonsense is this?)"

#WATCH Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on MHA notice to Rahul Gandhi over citizenship, says," The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh?" pic.twitter.com/Rgt457WMoi - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

2.55 pm: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik met the Election Commission of India regarding by elections of Patkura Assembly seat. He said that it should be postponed in case the cyclone hits Odisha.

2.45 pm: SC has adjourned hearing of a petition filed by Congress MP Sushmita Dev over alleged violation of code of conduct by PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. The apex court suspended the hearing after the Election Commission of India (ECI) apprised it of a meeting being held by it today.

2.40 pm: Supreme Court has issued a formal notice to the Central Government on review petitions filed against its December 14 judgement on the Rafale deal. Attorney General representing the Centre has sought 4 weeks time to file a reply on the review. SC has asked the Centre to file a reply by May 4 and has posted the matter for hearing on May 6, ANI reports.

2.25 pm: 385 candidates file their nomination papers for 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Punjab today.

#Punjab: Total 385 candidates file their nomination papers for 13 loksabha constituencies of the state.#PollsWithAIR | #LokSabhaElections2019 - All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) April 30, 2019

2.15 pm: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AICC General Secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh has called the Home Affairs Ministry's notice to Rahul Gandhi as "Rubbish". She said that Gandhi is very much an Indian. "This is rubbish. Rahul was born in front of all; he has spent his entire life here. This is all drama," Priyanka told reporters while campaigning for Congress in Amethi.

2.00 pm: Congress leader Udit Raj who recently joined the party slammed BJP and accused PM Modi of destroying every institution of India that questions him. "I have joined Congress but I am not interested in fighting elections. While I was in BJP, I asked for a ticket on the basis of the fact that I work for Dalits. But BJP is an anti-Dalit party ruled by just two," he said referring to Modi and BJP President Amit Shah.

1.50 pm: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik reaches Delhi to meet the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding Patkura Assembly seat by elections. He will request the ECI to postpone the elections in case the cyclone Fani hits Odisha.

#WATCH Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik arrives in Delhi, to meet the Election Commission. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also met him while exiting the airport pic.twitter.com/sLKdK3kgng - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

1.44 pm: Wife of Shatrughan Sinha is the richest candidate in fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls

Poonam Shatrughan Sinha wife of bollywood actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha is the richest candidate in the poll fray in fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls. This time there are 184 candidates who have assets worth Rs. 1 crore and more. BJP has most crorepati candidates contesting in this phase. As per a report prepared by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 28% of the candidates in the fifth phase are crorepati. Poonam Shatrughan Sinha of Samajwadi Party is the richest with declared assets worth Rs 193 crore. She is a candidate from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

1.30 pm: Trinamool Congress complains to ECI against PM Modi blaming him for horse trading following his statement yesterday that 40 party MLAs are in touch with BJP and will jump on board post May 23.

1.20 pm: "When a member of Parliament writes to any ministry, action required on their query is taken. It is not a big development, it is normal process," Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Home Affairs Ministry's notice to Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi over his British Citizenship.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on MHA notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi over citizenship: When a member of Parliament writes to any ministry, action required on their query is taken. It is not a big development, it is normal process. pic.twitter.com/nziFJzg801 - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

1.05 pm: The Madras High Court today ruled that the Puducherry Lieutenant Governor (LG) Kiran Bedi cannot interfere with Government's day-to-day activities. The order came about on a writ petition filed by Puducherry Congress MLA Lakshminarayanan in 2017 questioning the LG's powers

12.58 pm: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun its meet to look into the complaints of violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi, ANI reported. The meeting is being chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.

Election Commission of India meeting chaired by CEC Sunil Arora begins on complaints of violation of Model Code of Conduct by PM Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/301cB7Z1to - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

12.45 pm: The complete schedule of the Lok Sabha Election 2019, four phases of which are already completed.

A relook at the schedule of the #LokSabhaElections2019, four phases of which have been successfully completed. pic.twitter.com/5VxzgodUPC - Election Commission #DeshKaMahatyohar (@ECISVEEP) April 30, 2019

12.35pm: Jharkhand Congress Chief Ajoy Kumar Tuesday stirred controversy over the Aadhar scheme. "Aadhar-based authentification will be scrapped if we come to power," he said

12.25 pm: "The vote margin of BJP's win will be decided in the next phase. The mood of the nation is clear, the opposition can try to deter the spirit of BJP but they will not succeed," PM Modi

12.18 pm: "Those who are in jail, are facing jail, are on bail and those who are doing rounds of courts for bail, all of them do not want a strong government at the centre," said PM Modi in Muzafarpur, Bihar.

"The vote margin of BJP's win will be decided in the next phase. The mood of the nation is clear, the opposition can try to deter the spirit of BJP but they will not succeed," PM Modi

12:14 pm: PM Modi addressing a public rally in Muzafarpur, Bihar today said, "These people have been decimated after the four phases of elections, now it will be decided in the rest of the phases how big their losses will be and how big the NDA's win will be."

10.33 am: Congress President will rally across Madhya Pradesh to campaign in Tikamgarh, Damoh and Panna. He has been excused from appearing in person before the Supreme Court which will hear Gandhi's contempt case today. The apex court had issued a notice to the Congress chief for his remarks in the Rafale case after rejecting his plea to lay the matter to rest as he expressed regret over it.

10.25 am: Home Affairs ministry has issued notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship following a complaint by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy claiming that Gandhi is a British citizen. The ministry has asked the Congress Chief to respond to the notice within a fortnight.

10.15 am: School students in Chandigarh organised a voter awareness drive amongst people in the city.

10.10 am: Congress has released the list of its star campaigners for the Lok Sabha Election 2019 to be held in the states of Punjab and Chandigarh on May 19, ANI reported.

Congress releases list of star campaigners for #LokSabhaElections2019 to be held on May 19 in Punjab & Chandigarh. pic.twitter.com/ud5OoErFrv - ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

10.05 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will campaign in Bihar & Uttar Pradesh today. He will address rallies in Muzaffarpur, Bahraich and Barabanki.

Looking forward to campaigning in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh today. Will address rallies in Muzaffarpur, Bahraich and Barabanki today. Watch these rallies live on NaMo TV or the NaMo App. - Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 30, 2019

9.57 am: Voting for 72 Lok Sabha constituencies across 9 states concluded Monday under 4th phase of Lok Sabha Election 2019. According to the Election Commission of India, there was 64.90% voter turnout this year as compared to 63.01% recorded in 2014. West Bengal logged the higest percentage of electorate turnout at 76.72% despite the reports of violent clashes and political bickering in the state. Uttar Pradesh recorded 58.86% voter turnout, Jammu & Kashmir- 9.79% as only part of Anantnag parliamentary constituency went to polls, Bihar-59.02%, Odisha- 64.8%, Jharkhand- 64.38%, Madhya Pradesh- 72.07%, Mumbai- 55.11% and Rajasthan- 67.91%.
30 Apr 2019, 1:08 PM

Boeing wins confidence of shareholders, prepares for key 737 MAX test flight

The aerospace giant, under scrutiny following the crashes that killed 346 passengers and crew and grounded the MAX worldwide, won a vote of confidence from its investors, even as company management faced tough questions over plane design and the possible missteps in getting the aircraft to market. Boeing expects the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a test flight by the end of next week of the software fix it developed for the flight system on the 737 MAX, a company spokesman said Monday.

Jaypee insolvency case: Lead lender IDBI seeks deadline extension

Debt-ridden Jaypee Infratech's lead lender IDBI Monday approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) seeking extension of insolvency proceedings beyond the May 6 deadline as the process is still underway to find a buyer for the Jaypee group's realty firm. The bank has approached the Allahabad bench of the NCLT court to extend the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) as the deadline expires on May 6, sources said.

Google parent's Alphabet shares dive as YouTube changes, competition hurt revenue

Alphabet Inc's Google on Monday saw its slowest revenue growth in three years from increased competition in advertising, stumbles in its smartphone business and disruptive changes at YouTube that left the leading internet ad company lagging rivals. Shares of Alphabet dropped 7.5 percent after hours, setting them up for the biggest one-day drop since falling 8 percent in October 2012.

Vijay Mallya once again offers '100% payback' to Indian banks

Vijay Mallya reiterated his promise of "100 per cent payback" to state-owned Indian banks to cover the outstanding debt against his Kingfisher Airlines. The fugitive liquor baron took to Twitter on Monday to lament the downfall of Jet Airways, comparing it to the closure of Kingfisher Airlines. Last year in December, Mallya had offered to pay back the Indian banks in full, asking them to "Please take it"

Trump again goes after India on trade, says it slaps 'big tariffs' on American products

President Donald Trump has criticised India's "big tariffs" on American paper products and the iconic Harley-Davidson bikes, saying the US has been losing billions of dollars to countries like India, China and Japan. Addressing a Republican political rally Trump alleged that every country has been ripping off America for years. The President has repeatedly claimed that India is a "tariff king" and imposes "tremendously high" tariffs on American products

Hindu nationalist group close to BJP accuses PepsiCo of coercing farmers

An influential Hindu nationalist group with close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused PepsiCo Inc of coercing four Indian farmers who have been sued by the US company for allegedly infringing a patent. After suing four farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety, grown exclusively for PepsiCo's popular Lay's potato chips, the snack food and drinks maker on Friday said it wants to "amicably settle" the issue. Ashwani Mahajan, who heads the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, said PepsiCo was "coercing" the farmers by using legal action to force them to either sell their output to the company or to stop growing the FC5 potato variety at all.

Paytm launches recurring payments service for merchants

Paytm has launched recurring payment (auto pay) service for merchants that are working on a digital subscription model. The move will allow the subscription-based businesses to collect payments from their subscribers effortlessly.The auto pay service is targeted at people who use Paytm for bill payments, content subscription, grocery purchases, membership fees, housing society payments etc.
Having seen no change in Jet Airways' fortunes with the lenders, the grounded airline's employees now want to take matters into their own hands. Two staff associations have written to the State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Rajnish Kumar asking the lead bank to consider the "employee consortium" as an intending bidder for the carrier. The Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) and the Jet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Welfare Association (JAMEVA) communicated to SBI that they can bring in up to Rs 7,000 crore over a period of time. While SWIP boasts around 800 members, about 500 employees are with JAMEVA.

The letter dated April 29 claims that the contribution from employees would be realised from their future earnings and increased productivity. "As per our initial estimate, the contribution of employees group over a hypothetical 5-year Employee Stock Ownership Programme [ESOP] is likely to be upward of Rs 4,000 crore," it stated, adding, "we are also confident of securing an investment commitment of up to Rs 3,000 crore from outside investors." The proposal for an "employee-led turnaround" is reportedly modelled on the similar success stories in the West, like the one at United Airlines in 1994.

Jet Airways crisis: NAG urges PM Modi to ask SBI to release one month's salary to staff

The letter has been signed by four people - SWIP general secretary Ashwani Tyagi, JAMEVA president Ashish Kumar Mohanty, Jet Airways manager (human resources) B.B. Singh and Jet Lite senior vice-president (operations) and accountable manager P.P. Singh. "We confirm that a proposal for employee takeover of Jet Airways has been submitted by us," the two unions said in a joint statement. "We are optimistic that the banks and Government of India will give our plan a serious consideration." This is the first time in the airline's 25-year-old history that its employees have come together with a proposal to run it.

Vijay Mallya once again offers '100% payback' to Indian banks

Significantly, the deadline for submitting initial bids has already ended. The four shortlisted bidders - Etihad Airways, Jet's largest shareholder, TPG Capital, Indigo Partners and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) - have been issued bid documents on April 16 and the deadline for final bid submission is May 10. SBI Capital Markets is managing the bidding process on behalf of the lenders' consortium.

Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal with PTI inputs

Lok Sabha Election 2019: Naresh Goyal casts vote, makes first public appearance since Jet crisis
With the three-way merger of Bank of Baroda (BoB), Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank coming into effect earlier this month, the Centre seems ready to take another step towards fewer public sector banks. Significantly, such a move is not dependent on the outcome of the general elections since the Congress Party is sold on the Modi government's plan for merging public sector banks (PSBs). Its election manifesto speaks of a maximum of eight state-run lenders with a national presence.

"The government is soon likely to invite select lenders for discussion on a second round of PSB merger," a finance ministry official told The Economic Times, adding that the banks to be called may include Punjab National Bank (PNB), Union Bank of India and Bank of India (BoI). According to the source, some merger activity is on the cards around second or third quarter of the current fiscal year, and if the banks are not able to give options then the alternate mechanism (AM) group can make suggestions.

Moreover, for round two the Centre is not fixated on a tripartite merger along the lines of the BoB-Dena Bank-Vijaya Bank merger that created the country's third-largest lender and reduced the PSB count to 18. This merger was the first step in the consolidation of the public sector banking industry as recommended by the Narasimham Committee in 1991. "We will be looking at various combinations. It has to be organic, besides we will like some of these large banks to further consolidate their balance sheets in the first two quarters," the FinMin official added.

The buzz last month suggested a merger between PNB, Syndicate Bank and Indian Overseas Bank was being weighed and before that, in February, speculation was rife about a possible PNB-Punjab & Sind Bank-Oriental Bank of Commerce merger. Clearly, any possible merger on the cards is likely to be centred around PNB, the country's second largest lender. The bank's managing director and chief executive Sunil Mehta told the daily last week that PNB has now made a turnaround and can consider offers for acquiring other lenders.

But the big question is whether it is an opportune time to step up bank amalgamation. Senior BoB officials previously told PTI that the test case merger will take two years for completion. So there's no dearth of industry watchers who say that it would be prudent to wait for the stabilisation of the BoB-Dena Bank-Vijaya Bank merger before moving ahead.

Furthermore, the health of the PSBs being considered for round two also needs to be considered. The RBI took Bank of India out from its Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework just three months ago while Union Bank of India and PNB are also reportedly in early recovery stage.

With PTI inputs

Also read: PNB's 13% stake sale in housing finance arm is credit positive, will boost bank's capital: Moody's

Also read: BoB-Dena Bank-Vijaya Bank merger: Here's what will change for customers of these banks from April 1
Alphabet Inc's Google on Monday saw its slowest revenue growth in three years from increased competition in advertising, stumbles in its smartphone business and disruptive changes at YouTube that left the leading internet ad company lagging rivals.

Shares of Alphabet dropped 7.5 percent after hours, setting them up for the biggest one-day drop since falling 8 percent in October 2012. They had closed Monday at a record-high of $1,296.20.

Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat attributed slower revenue growth to currency fluctuations, competition and unspecified product changes.

The company is facing continued pressure from advertisers to tighten controls on its fast-growing YouTube video service so that they not appear to be sponsoring adult or offensive content.

Google also is struggling to find the right mix of ad formats to use on mobile devices, voice assistant-enabled home speakers and in emerging markets.

Eight of the 11 analysts who questioned executives on a call on Monday asked about the revenue issues, an unusual level of shared interest. But the executives offered limited new details, prompting Barclays' analyst Ross Sandler near the end to preface a question by saying he was just beating a dead horse.

Reflecting on the sales growth slowdown, Porat said unspecified changes at YouTube had boosted first-quarter revenue a year ago, with nothing delivering a comparable bump this year.

About 85 percent of Alphabet's revenue comes from Google's ad business, which sells links, banners and commercials across its own websites and apps and those of partners.

Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said revenue slowdowns should be expected as the company focuses on the long term.

"You are going to have quarter-to-quarter variations once in a while, but we remain confident about the opportunities we see," he said on a conference call.

Major competitors for ad spending such as Facebook Inc, Snap Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Twitter Inc all reported last week quarterly revenue above or in line with analysts' expectations.

Alphabet said its quarterly revenue rose 17 percent from a year ago to $36.3 billion, about $1 billion short of Wall Street's average estimate, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

The company said it would have met expectations, adjusting for currency fluctuations.

The growth was the slowest since 17 percent in the first quarter of 2016 and compared with 26 percent for the same quarter in 2018.

Facebook, the No. 2 internet ad company, posted 26 percent growth to $15.1 billion in quarterly results last week.

"Google ad revenue growth has been slowing amid downward pressure on ad prices, especially for revenues coming from international markets," Monica Peart, senior forecasting director for ad research firm eMarketer said in a statement.

RISING COSTS

Alphabet's quarterly costs rose about the same as revenue, up 16.5 percent from last year to $29.7 billion.

Expenses have surged faster than revenue for much of the past two years as it adds data centers, offices and YouTube content licenses, concerning some investors amid increased scrutiny on the company's privacy practices and the advertising restrictions at YouTube.

More advertising controls are coming to YouTube in the coming weeks that could affect sales, Pichai said.

In the first quarter, sales of Google's Pixel phones also struggled from intense competition in the premium smartphone market, Porat said. The company is expected to introduce lower-priced Pixel devices next month.

Alphabet has yet to tout significant revenue from its spending on ventures such as self-driving cars and its AI helper Google Assistant.

Newer units that are producing noticeable revenue have lagged in market share, including Google's consolidated hardware unit and Google Cloud, which sells computing and data storage services to businesses.

And Google's costs could jump further if governments globally follow through on threats to rein in the ability of apps to track users for advertising purposes. Other regulators have discussed forcing companies to step up monitoring of user content. Cost will rise in the current quarter as Google resumes some marketing efforts, Porat said.

Shares of Alphabet have gained 23 percent this year as positive macroeconomic signals had given investors reason to bet on it. But it is the least growth among the so-called FAANG group, with Facebook at 48 percent, Netflix at 39 percent, Apple at 30 percent and Amazon at 29 percent.

EUROPEAN FINE

Alphabet's expenses included a $1.7 billion fine from the European Commission for having placed anticompetitive advertising restrictions on websites using its searches.

Google's 3 billion users help make it the world's largest seller of internet ads, capturing nearly a third of all revenue, according to research firm eMarketer. Facebook is at about 20 percent.

Including the European fine, net income was $6.7 billion, or $9.50 per share, compared with analysts' average estimate of $7.3 billion, or $10.48 per share. Earnings excluding the fine were $8.3 billion, or $11.90 per share, beating analysts' estimates $10.61 per share for adjusted earnings.

Operating margin excluding the fine was 23 percent, up from 22 percent in the year-ago period.

Also read: Google won't share user data with governments without permission, says Thomas Kurian

Also read:Google Pay users can buy 24-karat gold via app
Two major political developments panned out on April 25 in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi, that have changed the political discourse in a big way. One was PM Modi's mega road show, that ran across 8 km; and two, Indian National Congress's (INC's) decision of not fielding Priyanka Gandhi from Varanasi, that too after she dropped enough hints indicating her willingness.

On Friday, April 26, PM Modi filed his nomination papers from Varanasi. The constituency will go to polls on May 19 during the last phase of the general elections. His road show the previous day had charged up workers not only in the constituency, but also in other parts of the state. In a constituency of about 1.7 million voters, 700,000 people had flocked to the roads of the city to watch or participate in the rally. Obviously, not all of them would be voters of Varanasi, but they carried home a big political message: The tilt is not against them.

Meanwhile, INC is battling its own challenge. The party initially saw a great potential in creating a surge for itself in eastern UP - the remotest and poorest part of the state - but couldn't keep it up. In 2009, marking one of the best performances in three decades, Congress sent six MPs (27 from entire UP) from this region. As per party insiders, the Congress candidates are giving a tough fight in Khushinagar, Salempur, Maharajganj, Mirzapur, Pratapgarh, Sant Kabir Nagar and Basti constituencies. When Priyanka Gandhi joined Congress as General Secretary and was specifically assigned the task of mobilising voters in eastern UP, the idea was to get her to contest from Varanasi and camp there in order to boost the party's prospects in these constituencies.

However, not having Priyanka Gandhi vote contest from Varanasi could prove counterproductive in the other constituencies as well. On Thursday afternoon, Congress fielded Ajay Rai - a three-time MLA and former BJP leader - from Varanasi. In 2014, Ajay Rai had come in at third spot with roughly 75,000 votes, and was forced to forfeit his deposit. It is learnt that Congress President Rahul Gandhi vetoed the idea of fielding Priyanka Gandhi from Varanasi to challenge PM Modi. His logic was that it is a bad idea for big leaders to lose. But the move may well prove to be damaging.

Meanwhile, a day later family loyalist Sam Pitroda came in front of cameras and stated that it was Priyanka's decision to sidestep, as she wanted to focus on campaign. Another problem is that rumours of her willingness to contest were started by Priyanka Gandhi herself and her party colleagues never let those go. This doesn't boost the morale of Congress workers, especially when the party has been out of power in UP for more than three decades and is finding it tough to wrest a comeback at the national level. Bad logic, Mr Pitroda. But let's live with it.

Even if Priyanka Gandhi had contested and lost against PM Modi, the fight would have boosted her image as a serious contender. Both the Gandhi siblings are considered as in-training, and shielded or protected. The chance to break that image has again gone. No pollster thought Priyanka Gandhi would win in Varanasi, but getting into the contest might have placed her in the league of street fighters and shrewd politicians. 2014 saw two such challengers in Arvind Kejriwal and Smriti Irani. They might have lost the polls, but their stature as politicians improved.

Meanwhile, on Friday, before heading to the collectorate to file his nomination, a confident PM Modi told his workers that he will not come to campaign for himself in Varanasi; they will have to ensure that he wins from every booth. In absence of big names, the challenger of Varanasi came in Tej Bahadur Yadav-the dismissed constable of BSF-became Samajwadi Party's last minute nomine. He may not win, but will gather some eyeballs. Hope he will make full use of these 20 days of electoral battle.

Also Read: Govt may soon invite PNB, Union Bank, BoI, other PSBs to discuss merger plan

Also Read: 'Ness Wadia in India; Japan's 2-year jail term a suspended sentence,' clarifies Wadia Group

Also Read: Cyclone Fani likely to intensify into 'extremely severe storm' in next 36 hours; Navy, NDRF on high alert
State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) Tuesday said its research and development centre at Faridabad has become the first public sector oil and gas company to cross the milestone of filing 1,000 patents.

The Centre filed the 1,001st patent this week, the company said in a statement here.

"The R&D Centre's IP (Intellectual Property) portfolio comprises 794 active patents, of which 542 patients were granted abroad and 252 in India. The centre has also registered a healthy commercialisation rate for its patents, higher than the global average," it said.

Complimenting the R&D team for lending a competitive edge to IOC's business through innovative products, processes and technologies, company chairman Sanjiv Singh said several quality upgradation projects implemented at its refineries for the production of ultra-clean BS-VI grade fuels are based on deep desulphurisation, isomerisation and dimerisation technology patents developed in-house.

IOC's internationally-awarded INDMAX technology patent, successfully commercialised at Paradip Refinery, improves LPG yields by 40 per cent besides ensuring the highest propylene yields in its class, the statement said adding the centre's bio-methanation technology is best-in-class in methane yields and is being implemented at the Namakkal (Tamil Nadu) plant for production of compressed biogas (CBG).

Established in 1972, the centre is a pioneer in downstream petroleum sector R&D and has received wide acclaim for indigenising lubricants technology by launching the SERVO brand. With over 5,000 formulations and over 800 active grades covering all conceivable applications, including railroad and marine oils, SERVO has grown to be the largest selling lubricant brand in India.

From being the birthplace of the highly successful, fuel-efficient 'Nutan' kerosene wick-stove in the late 70s, the R&D centre has come a long way in the past four decades.

According to SSV Ramakumar, Director (R&D), IOC, the centre has been focussing on developing high-quality, environment-friendly products and innovative refinery processes that boost resource efficiency, enhance refinery-petrochemicals integration and offer flexibility in product pattern and yields in line with market demand.

With 50 per cent of its active patents in the refining category, followed by 16 per cent in biotechnology, the R&D team has made considerable progress even in the highly IP-crowded field of Ziegler-Natta catalysts, used in the production of polymers (plastics). "We have not only created white space here but succeeded in earning a rich haul of patent grants that are well recognised by global majors," he said.

In line with IOC's business objectives, the R&D centre has expanded its research domain to cover petrochemicals, nano-technology, alternative fuels, energy storage solutions and Hydrogen-based fuel cell research, among others, the statement added.

Also Read: Govt may soon invite PNB, Union Bank, BoI, other PSBs to discuss merger plan

Also Read: 'Ness Wadia in India; Japan's 2-year jail term a suspended sentence,' clarifies Wadia Group

Also Read: Cyclone Fani likely to intensify into 'extremely severe storm' in next 36 hours; Navy, NDRF on high alert
Budget carrier IndiGo was forced to ground one of its Airbus A320 Neos at the Nagpur airport after the pilot made a hard-landing on arrival from Kochi on Sunday, according to sources at the airline and at the airport.

A senior Nagpur airport official confirmed to PTI the grounding of the IndiGo plane since April 28. But the airline, in a statement, claimed that the said aircraft is back in operations, without disclosing since when, though.

"IndiGo was forced to ground one of its A320 Neo planes, VT-IZS, on April 28 when the pilot made a hard landing at the Nagpur airport. The aircraft landed on the nosewheel instead of the rear wheels, which was a grave safety risk," the source said.

The hard-landing also resulted in damages to the plane, he added.

A senior DGCA official said the aviation regulator is looking into the incident, adding both the pilots have been grounded pending a probe.

An airline spokesperson, however, admitted that its flight had a "suspected" hard-landing.

"On April 28, an A320 Neo (VT-IZS) the pilot reported a suspected hard-landing while landing at Nagpur. The aircraft was inspected satisfactorily," IndiGo said in the statement.

"The aircraft is back into operations," IndiGo claimed, even though the plane is on ground since day of the incident on April 28, as per a global flight tracking website Flightradar24, the screenshot of which was shared with the airline.

Also Read: Govt may soon invite PNB, Union Bank, BoI, other PSBs to discuss merger plan

Also Read: 'Ness Wadia in India; Japan's 2-year jail term a suspended sentence,' clarifies Wadia Group

Also Read: Cyclone Fani likely to intensify into 'extremely severe storm' in next 36 hours; Navy, NDRF on high alert
The Start Summit, a multi-faceted masterclass in everything an entrepreneur needs to know about starting a business will be returning to Dublin on Saturday the 8th of June at Dublin Castle.

The Summit will feature four inspiring keynotes, six functional workshops, two panel discussions and host 500 attendees. Jamie White, who has won Ireland's Best Young Entrepreneur twice in recent years, is the founder of the event he hopes will inspire and support the business leaders of tomorrow.

The Start Summit Speaker line-up includes top Irish Entrepreneurs who have built innovative businesses:

 Mark Little: Founder of Storyful

 Dan and Linda Kiely: Founders of Voxpro

 Paul Stenson: Social media figure and owner of The White Moose Cafe

 Jennifer Rock: The Skin Nerd, recipient of IMAGE Magazines start-up of the year 2018

 Alison Cowzer: Former Dragons Den Co-Founder at East Coast Bakehouse

 Norah Casey: Former Dragons Den and Publishing Guru

The Summit will have workshops throughout the day, focusing on delivering best-in-class advice for starting and growing your business. Those in attendance can visit one of 20 exhibitors for one-to-one advice from experts across an array of services, including: accounting, marketing, sales, branding, public relations and much more. Attendees can also connect with hundreds of other like-minded entrepreneurs to discuss all things business and build their network.

Commenting on the event, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys said, "The Start Summit is a brilliantly informative and inspirational event for Irish Entrepreneurs in the ideation or early stage of their business journey. It is great that so many government resources available to entrepreneurs and the business fields they need to consider will be showcased all together."

Founder and Director of The Start Summit, Jamie White added, "Im hosting the event I wish was there for me when I was starting out. My goal for this event is to inspire, encourage and accelerate the journey of our early-stage entrepreneurial attendees. We have brought together some of the most successful and intelligent entrepreneurs in the country to speak at The Start Summit, and we are thrilled to provide this opportunity for emerging entrepreneurs."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
The British government wants talks with the opposition Labour Party on a Brexit compromise to reach a conclusion by the middle of next week, several British journalists reported on Tuesday citing unnamed sources.

Prime Minister Theresa May's government are seeking to forge a consensus with Labour to help get a Brexit deal approved by parliament and deliver the result of the 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union.

Reporters from the BBC, the Guardian and Politics Home tweeted that the government wanted the talks to be concluded by the middle of next week. The tweet from Politics Home was later deleted.

Earlier, May's spokesman had declined to set an end date for the talks, and described the latest round of talks as "serious and constructive."

"Further talks will now be scheduled in order to bring the process toward a conclusion," he added.

Sterling had earlier risen to a one-week high back above $1.30 after media reports that the tone of Brexit talks between the government and Labour had improved. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
This is the blog of Dr Caitlin Green FSA. It features posts on my main academic research foci alongside other topics that I'm currently working on, including drafts of papers, ideas and similarthese are usually identifiable by the presence of footnotes. You're free to cite these drafts if they are of interest, and are reminded that academic blogs are indeed citable under most citation systems. In addition, the current site also houses posts relating to my personal interests, including long-distance trade, migration and contacts; landscape and coastal history; early literature and legends; and the history, archaeology, place-names and legends of Lincolnshire and Cornwall. For further details of this website & how to contact me, please see the ' About ' page or @caitlinrgreen on Twitter.
Aging Shanghai Metro Line Gnaws at Operators Profitability

By Sun Lizhao, Zhang Erchi and Zhao Runhua / Apr 29, 2019 02:08 PM / Business & Tech

The exclusive operator of the Shanghai metros busy line 1, expressed concern over profitability in its 2018 fiscal report released on Saturday, as aging raise lines require maintenance investment.

According to Shanghai Shentong Metro Co., in 2018, the companys net profit plunged 40.70% year-on-year to 30.64 million yuan ($4.55 million), where the figure for the previous annual fiscal period was -0.49%. The company attributed the huge drop to the increase of "big maintenance projects," the 2018 cost of which surged over 60%.

Shanghai began to construction on line 1 in 1990. Last year, on average, the route served almost one million individual trips per day.

This is not a unique phenomenon in China. An industry expert told Caixin that many metro projects established years ago around the world are in losses too, and rely heavily on government subsidies. As Chinas government tightens its public-finance budget, metro companies should expect growing fiscal pressure, the expert said.

Among mainland Chinas tier-one cities  Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen  only Shenzhen is showing better fiscal performance, said the expert. It is also the city with the youngest metro system among the four.

Related: Mainland Tech Giants Race to Ride the HK Metro
In its long-running campaign to overhaul the massive state-owned sector of the economy, China will adopt flexible and specific policies to fit different companies, a top state asset administrator said Monday.

The nation has been pressing for years to invigorate its cumbersome state sector and improve state capital management. But in doing so, China will not pursue a one-size-fits-all solution for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and will not set a rigid timetable, said Weng Jieming, a deputy director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC).

SOEs, both central and local, account for 30% to 40% of total GDP and about 20% of China's total employment. The businesses range from financial services to oil, transport, steel and dozens of other industries and generate trillions of yuan in revenue and hundreds of billions of yuan in profits.

China aims to set up a state capital management mechanism that fits the economy and SOE development by 2022, Weng said. He made the comments Monday following the issuance of a central government document setting out a roadmap for revamping the supervision and management of state capital. The policy document highlights a shift in state asset regulators role away from supervising SOE operations and toward managing state capital.

By giving private investors greater access to the state sector, the state asset regulators power should be limited to their shareholding, according to the document. In addition, there should be checks and balances among shareholders, the document says.

Since 2013, China has pressed SOEs to set up state capital operating companies and state capital investment companies to test the new approach to managing state capital. According to Zhang Chunlin, an expert at the World Bank Groups Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice, more than 150 state capital operating and investment companies were set up by the end of 2017 at the provincial and national level.

A total of 83 centrally administered SOEs and their 15,035 subsidiaries have set up boards of directors to play effective roles in company operations, according to SASAC director Xiao Yaqing in March. More than 90% of provincial government-backed SOEs have set up similar corporate governance, he said.

Under the plan released during the weekend, state capital operating and investment companies will be granted greater autonomy to manage their businesses and set key strategy, make decisions on personnel, wages and major financial decisions, and set up equity incentive programs.

To reduce administrative intervention, the government will publish a list to clarify the responsibilities and powers of state-backed investors. Companies will be required to set up corporate charters and grant sufficient decision-making power to the board of directors, according to the document. Weng said at the Monday press briefing that SASAC has given up 43 administrative responsibilities and will continue reducing its role in state-sector businesses this year.

Nie Huihua, a professor at Renmin University in Beijing, said the reform will improve the efficiency of state capital and ensure fair market competition. But more detailed guidelines should be issued for state capital operating and investment companies, Nie said.

Weng said the key principles of the reform are to maintain the Communist Partys leadership on SOEs while drawing a clearer boundary between government and business. The government will reduce administrative intervention in SOE business operations and apply differentiated policies and requirements on companies based on their specific situations.

SASAC will not rush to advance SOE reform or adopt generalized rules, Weng said. Instead, companies will be granted flexibility to complete reforms when their conditions are ready in a bid to promote an orderly and qualified overhaul of SOEs.

SASAC director Xiao said during this years national legislative meetings in March that reforms in state capital management and the pilot programs of state capital operating and investment companies will be the top issues on Chinas SOE reform agenda this year.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com)
Climate Change and Health Adaptation Capacity Building Program (HealthADAPT)

Backgrounder

HealthADAPT, a multi-year program managed by Health Canada, is providing $3 million over three years to support 10 projects at local, regional, and provincial and territorial levels of the Canadian health sector to prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change.

April 30, 2019

The World Health Organization has called climate change the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century. Climate change is already affecting the health and well-being of Canadians. It is increasing risks to the health of individuals and exerting greater pressures on Canadas health sector.

More knowledge is needed on the range of climate-related risks to health, to health systems (e.g., increased costs, impact on infrastructure and services), and to communities and people at greater risk.

HealthADAPT, a multi-year program managed by Health Canada, is providing $3 million over three years to support 10 projects at local, regional, and provincial and territorial levels of the Canadian health sector to prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change.

This program supports the human health and well-being objectives of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The objectives of this new program are to:

increase understanding of climate change impacts to health and health systems;

identify communities or populations that could be more vulnerable;

develop, test and implement relevant climate change adaptation plans for regional or other specifications; and

monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation plans.

The 10 funded projects selected represent the diversity across the country, including Indigenous peoples, urban, rural and coastal communities, and both official languages. The 10 confirmed projects are:

Project Title: Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment for Northern Ontario Public Health Units

Recipient: Northwestern Health Unit

Funding Amount: $300,000

Project Summary: This project will result in climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment reports for each of the partner health units in northern Ontario. Regional vulnerabilities and health risks from climate change will be identified, along with current capacity and possible mitigation strategies. This is a collaborative initiative that will involve all seven public health units in northern Ontario.

Project Title: Climate Change and Health: Assessing vulnerabilities and adaptive capacity in the Region of Waterloo, the City of Guelph, the County of Wellington, and the County of Dufferin

Recipient: Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health

Funding Amount: $300,000

Project Summary: This project will result in a climate change and health adaptation and vulnerability assessment, targeting the residents of the Waterloo Region, the City of Guelph, the County of Wellington and the County of Dufferin. These regions, which include both urban and rural communities, are among the fastest growing in Canada.

Project Title: Understanding Health Risks from Climate Change in the Northwest Territories and Building Local Capacity for Successful Adaptations

Recipient: Department of Health and Social Services, Government of the Northwest Territories

Funding Amount: $300,000

Project Summary: This project will result in a comprehensive assessment of the health risks posed by climate change in the Northwest Territories and a detailed Health and Social Services Department Action Plan to support improved adaptation in communities and the Government of the Northwest Territories. It is a collaborative initiative involving all regions of the territory.

Project Title: Adapting to Climate Change in New Brunswick: Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments with an Urban and Rural Perspective

Recipient: New Brunswick Department of Health

Funding Amount: $300,000

Project Summary: The project will result in New Brunswick-specific Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment tools. Tools and training will be piloted in one primarily English-speaking urban setting and in one primarily French-speaking rural setting.

Project Title: Regional assessments  Vulnerabilities to climate change in public health and development of adaptation plans tailored to regional public health branches

Recipient: Institut national de sante publique du Quebec

Funding Amount: $299,945

Project Summary: The project will result in assessments of regional, population, and organizational vulnerability to climate change in public health and climate change adaptation plans. The recipient will collaborate with the following eight public health units: Bas-Saint-Laurent, Mauricie-Centre-du-Quebec, Nord-du-Quebec, Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Laval, Lanaudiere, the Laurentianss, and the James Bay Cree Territory.

Project Title: Prioritization of climate change adaptation measures for all facilities of the Centre integre de sante et de services sociaux (CISSS) de lOutaouais

Recipient: Centre integre de sante et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l'Outaouais

Funding Amount: $300,000

Project Summary: The project will result in a climate change and health adaptation and vulnerability assessment and adaptation plans to enhance the resiliency of facilities across the Outaouais regions health and social services networks, which includes the City of Gatineau and four regional county municipalities: Pontiac, Vallee-de-la-Gatineau, Papineau, and Collines de lOutaouais.

Project Title: Assessment and support of the capacity of health systems to prevent and limit negative impacts on the mental health and psychosocial well-being of individuals and populations exposed to extreme climate events (ECEs).

Recipient: Centre integre de Sante et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Chaudiere-Appalaches

Funding Amount: $300,000

Project Summary: The project will result in a climate change and health adaptation and vulnerability assessment and adaptation plans to enhance health system resiliency, with a focus on preventing negative impacts on the mental health and psychosocial well-being in populations exposed to extreme climate events. The recipient will collaborate with the Bas-St-Laurent Region.

Project Title: WATCH: We All Take Care of the Harvest. Safe and Secure Harvesting of Marine Foods in the Context of Climate Change

Recipient: First Nations Health Authority

Funding Amount: $297,936

Project Summary: The project will result in the development of local- and Indigenous-relevant adaptation strategies to reduce the impacts of climate change on Indigenous marine foods and enhance the resiliency of First Nations communities in British Columbia.

Project Title: Bridging the Gap: Engaging York Region Residents and Stakeholders to Build Climate-Resilient Communities

Recipient: York Region Public Health

Funding Amount: $300,000

Project Summary: This project will support the climate change and health vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning. The project will be conducted across all nine municipalities of York Region and engage demographically diverse populations living in rural, suburban and urban geographies.

Project Title: Together We Can: Population Health-Based Integrated Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Planning for Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health Authority

Recipient: Vancouver Coastal Health Authority

Funding Amount: $300,000

Project Summary: This project will result in the creation of a multi-agency Climate Change and Health Adaptation Strategic Plan to increase health system resiliency. Public Health, Emergency Management, and Facilities Management for the two health authorities will collaborate on this initiative, which will benefit over 450 health facilities and 60% of the BC population.
April 30, 2019

OTTAWA  Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to Canadas Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, will attend the launch of the World Banks Climate Smart Mining Facility in Washington, D.C., on May 1, 2019.

He will participate in the Managing Material Impacts panel session, focused on reducing the material impacts associated with increased extractive and processing activities.

Media may contact for interview requests.
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.

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You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Since coming to its own, following its separation from Dodge, RAM has prided itself at producing the most powerful trucks in the world to su...
Alanna Kelly

UPDATE: 11:30 a.m.

Kelowna RCMP have a suspect in custody following an hours-long standoff on Monashee Place in the Dilworth Mountain area.

The man was apprehended about 10:35 a.m., says Cpl. Jesse ODonaghey.

He was taken into police custody with the support of the South East District Emergency Response Team and the Kelowna RCMP Police Dog Services section," says ODonaghey.

The 39-year-old Kelowna man faces a number of potential criminal charges connected to the incident.

"We extend our gratitude especially to those residents evacuated from their homes or asked to remain indoors, for their patience and unwavering understanding during what was a very dynamic situation," ODonaghey adds.

RCMP are leaving the area, and anticipate allowing residents to return to their homes "very soon."

The public can expect to see some police officers remain at the scene for processing, however.

UPDATE 9:50 a.m.

RCMP tell Castanet they remain on scene of an unfolding police incident which has now been contained to a single residence in Kelowna as officers continue their efforts to negotiate with a distraught male inside the home.

Castanet reporter Alanna Kelly is on scene and has just reported hearing a very loud bang from the scene.



Kelowna RCMP arrived at the residence in the 900 block of Monashee Place after reports from neighbours of a possible break and enter in progress. Police responded to the home where, once on scene, they found what they believed to be evidence of forcible entry inside.



Front line RCMP officers were in the process of entering the home, when they suddenly had to retreat to a tactical position and set up containment, states Cpl. Jesse ODonaghey of the Kelowna RCMP. Police have reason to believe that a distraught male, who is possibly armed remains alone inside his home.



As a precautionary measure, front line RCMP officers have evacuated residents from their homes in the immediate area to ensure their personal safety, adds Cpl. ODonaghey.



The Kelowna RCMP, supported by the RCMP Southeast District Emergency Response Team are continuing efforts to make contact and negotiate with the man, while BC Emergency Health Services remains on standby near the scene.

UPDATE 9:35 a.m.

Police remain on scene of a developing incident at Monashee Place in the Dilworth area.

The RCMP Emergency response Team is on scene as is Castanet reporter Alanna Kelly.

We are receiving reports that police are negotiating with suspects inside one of the townhouses and have just called out, "come out the front door with your hands up, we have the unit surrounded!"

Indicating the suspects are still inside one of the townhouses.

Photo: Alanna Kelly

UPDATE 8:35 a.m.

One resident with close ties to the townhome complex indicates, "it is a high-end townhouse complex and there have been reports of a break-in at one of the units." The tipster also indicated there have been reports of shots being fired but that has not been confirmed.

The unit in question is believed to be unoccupied as the owners are out of town.

UPDATE 8:18 a.m.

One Castanet reader has let us know that the police incident in the Dilworth area of Kelowna started just after 5 a.m. Monday, and some residents of Monashee Place have been asked to evacuate as the police incident continues to evolve.

Castanet will provide more details as they become available.

Reporter Alanna Kelly is en route to the scene, and we have reached out to RCMP for the latest details.

ORIGINAL 8:09 a.m.

There is a heavy police presence on Monashee Rise in the Dilworth area of Kelowna Monday morning.

The RCMP Emergency Response Team is on scene along with numerous other RCMP and emergency first responders.

Castanet has reached out to RCMP for details and will provide updates as they become available.

If you have any photos or comments please send them to [email protected]
Photo: The Canadian Press Wanda Robson, sister of Viola Desmond, holds the new $10 bank note featuring Desmond during a press conference in Halifax.

Canada's new $10 bill featuring Nova Scotia human rights icon Viola Desmond has been named banknote of the year.

The bill, which also features a map of Halifax's historic north end as well as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, was honoured in a vote by the International Bank Note Society.

The society says in a news release that the Desmond bill was a favourite of its voting membership right from the start.

The purple polymer bill was the first vertically oriented banknote issued in Canada.

Desmond is the first black person  and the first non-royal woman  on a regularly circulating Canadian banknote.

The bill marks a growing recognition of Desmond's refusal to leave the whites-only section of a Nova Scotia movie theatre on Nov. 8, 1946  nearly a decade before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Alabama  and the seminal role it played in Canada's civil rights movement.

Desmond, a beautician and entrepreneur from north end Halifax who sold her own line of cosmetics, was headed to Sydney, N.S., when her car broke down. Stuck in New Glasgow overnight, she decided to watch a movie at the Roseland Theatre.

The segregated theatre relegated black patrons to the balcony, while floor seating was reserved for whites. Desmond, who was shortsighted and could not see properly from the back, sat in the floor section and refused to leave.

She was dragged out of the theatre by police, arrested, thrown in jail for 12 hours and fined.

It would take 63 years for Nova Scotia to issue Desmond, who died in 1965, a posthumous apology and pardon.

Desmond's story went largely untold for a half-century, but in recent years she has been featured on a stamp, and her name graces a Halifax harbour ferry. A Toronto park and streets in Montreal and New Glasgow bear her name, and she was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2017.

The bank note society also honoured notes from Switzerland, Norway, Russia and Solomon Islands.

The society says 150 new banknotes were released in 2018, but only 10 per cent of them featured sufficiently new designs to be nominated.
The Census Bureau also produces migration flows at the county level using the ACS five-year data. Estimates for these smaller geographies are based on a pooled five-year ACS sample rather than a single year.

The 2012-2016 county-to-county flows tables provide estimates of the number of people in the United States moving within a one-year period between geographies, including counties and county equivalents (counties), minor civil divisions (MCDs) and abroad. The Census FlowsMapper tool provides visualizations of these county-to-county data.

County Inflows. Los Angeles County, Calif., had the highest inmigration flow, with 214,577 people moving from a different county within the past year.

After Los Angeles County, Maricopa County, Ariz. (179,178 inmovers), and Harris County, Texas (175,286), had the next highest inmigration flows, and Cook County, Ill. (138,356 inmovers), had the fourth-highest inmigration flow. Maricopa County and Harris County do not differ statistically.

Six other counties among the highest inmigration flows are: San Diego County, Calif. (120,330); Dallas County, Texas (117,129); Riverside County, Calif. (114,215); King County, Wash. (112,922); Orange County, Calif. (111,942); and San Bernardino County, Calif. (111,139).

Dallas County does not differ statistically from San Diego, Riverside, King and Orange Counties, and Riverside, King, Orange and San Bernardino Counties do not differ statistically.

Counties with high numbers of county-to-county inmigrants generally draw people from a wide geographic range.

For example, the data include inflows to Maricopa County from 1,016 different counties in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, a higher count than any other county. This represents about 32 percent of the 3,142 counties in the United States.

The data also include inflows to Los Angeles County from 828 counties and inflows to Harris County from 793.

County Outflows. Los Angeles County had the highest outmigration flow, with 312,000 people moving to a different county within the past year.



After Los Angeles County, Cook County (213,732 outmovers) had the second-highest outmigration flow, and Harris County (168,936) had the third-highest outmigration flow.

Seven other counties among the 10 with the highest outmigration flows are: San Diego County (152,475); Maricopa County (151,829); Dallas County (134,843); New York County, N.Y. (124,624); Kings County, N.Y. (123,101); Orange County (122,940); and King County (106,990).

San Diego and Maricopa Counties do not differ statistically, and New York, Kings and Orange Counties do not differ statistically from each other.

Similar to inmigration, counties with high numbers of county-to-county outmigrants generally send people to a wide geographic range.

For example, the data include outflows from Maricopa County to 1,228 different counties, a higher count than any other sending county. This represents about 39 percent of the 3,142 counties in the United States.

The data also include outflows from Cook County to 1,118 different counties, Harris County to 1,037, San Diego County to 1,031, and Los Angeles County to 1,108.
I will be the first person to admit I don't understand how vouchers work or how they will be funded. But now I see the two most Democrat areas in the state, Davidson County and Memphis, are suing to undo the new voucher laws being proposed in the state legislature.

I am pretty good in math though and I see Memphis spends $11,250 per student, #3 in the state, and is ranked #105 academically. Davidson spends $11,012 per student and is ranked #63 academically (just behind Hamilton).

Even though both my mother and wife were educators I don't claim to know the solution to what ails our public schools. I have a pretty good idea though that it is not to continue what we have been doing, even if it upsets the Democrats and their allies in the teachers' unions.

Just for the record, two of the most Republican areas in the state, Williamson County spends $12,466 per student, first in the state and is ranked #2 academically and Oak Ridge City spends $12,380 per student, second in the state, and is #1 academically. Could it possibly be that Republicans are just smarter than Democrats?

Douglas Jones

Ooltewah

* * *

Mr. Jones asks, "Could it possibly be that Republicans are just smarter than Democrats?"

Well, no, not if they continue to act and think as Democrats do, that the eternal solution to the education problem is to throw more money at it.

If, though, the Republicans (or anyone else, including the Democrats) finally figure out that the solution is to stop doing what's been done for so long, dismantle the unproductive hierarchy that rules the education process, and start over from scratch -- well, then, we might have to admit that somebody really is smarter than both the present Democrats and Republicans.

But I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen, even though I do believe in miracles.

Larry Cloud
The husband of a woman who was murdered at Renaissance Park on July 16, 2017, for the first time gave his emotional version of what happened that late night.

After the recent testimony, charges of felony murder and especially aggravated robbery were bound to the Grand Jury against Devonte Saddler, 23. General Sessions Court Judge Alex McVeigh lowered the total bond from $3 million to $2 million.

Shawn Hardy, of Huntsville, Ala., said his wife Kathy had toured the Aquarium and other downtown sites earlier in the day and wanted to show him around that night. He said they went to Coolidge Park for a movie night, but lost their way and ended up at the pier by the river at the adjacent and more remote Renaissance Park.

He said three young black males came up behind them as Ms. Hardy was reading a sign by the trail. He said one of the men put a gun to his head and forced them toward the pier. He said when they arrived there that the other two men began taking items from his pockets. They also rifled through the pockets of Ms. Hardy.

The witness, speaking haltingly and with coaxing from the judge to "take a deep breath," said he was then told to take off his shirt, which he did. He said his wife was then told to take off her shirt.

Mr. Hardy said at that point he stepped between the man with the gun and Ms. Hardy, who was crying. He said a moment later he heard a gunshot and he found himself at the bottom of the pier. He said from there he heard two more shots.

The witness said he tried to climb back up the bank, but it was too steep. He swam about 100 yards downstream before finding a construction site. A guard at the site summoned police.

Officers took him near the pier, but he was not allowed to go where the lifeless body of his wife of 28 years was found. She had been shot once in the back. The couple has two children.

Mr. Hardy was first advised of the arrest of Tyree Corley in the case. He identified him as the gunman. Corley gave a statement to police, then he hanged himself shortly after being taken to the jail.

Investigator Zachary Crawford said a resident of Cherokee Boulevard heard gunshots coming from the pier, then she saw three young black males walking briskly from the woods. She said they went to a white Dodge Charger parked near the Business Development Center.

Video footage from the BDC caught the trio passing by.

The investigator said the Charger was eventually located and was impounded. Police went to the home where the Charger was kept and found that Corley often occupied a bedroom there. A handgun was found under Corley's bed.

The investigator said there was a recent domestic assault call at the home of Saddler's mother, Tawana Saddler, in which her son, Devonte, was charged. He said at the time that Ms. Saddler made a comment implicating her son as being at the murder scene.

He said he later interviewed Ms. Saddler and another son, Devon Saddler. However, when Ms. Saddler was called as a witness, she denied implicating her son in the murder.

The detective said her initial statement was caught on an officer's body cam.

Investigator Crawford said after Devonte Saddler was arrested that Shawn Hardy called from Huntsville, saying the person in the arrest photo was definitely one of those at the murder scene. He also made a positive identification in court.

The investigator said Mr. Hardy was interviewed for seven hours on the night of the slaying. He said he was not initially told that his wife had died.

He said Mr. Hardy initially said he had been struck and went off the pier. He said later he said he had jumped. In his testimony, Mr. Hardy said he believes he was hit. His mangled eyeglasses were found at the scene along with his shirt and that of his wife's.

One of his shoes was at the bottom of the pier. The detective said it was about a 15-foot drop in time of low water from the pier into rocks and mud. Mr. Hardy said he had a concussion and was bruised all over.

He said he was robbed of his cell phone, his wallet and $6.

An arrest has still not been made of the third person involved.
Former Chattanooga native Nathan Michaels has returned to his hometown to open Five Wits Brewing Company with long-time Denver brewers, Elliot Kehoe and Bryan Harris.

Five Wits Brewing Company is slated to open in the Fall of 2019 and will reside in the new Southside Chattanooga Market South development in the former Grocery Bar space on Main Street.

After nearly a decade in the Mile-High city, Mr. Michaels decided to return to Chattanooga alongside two friends and tenured brewers, Mr. Kehoe and Mr. Harris, who met while working together at Great Divide Brewing in Denver, one of the Rocky Mountain regions oldest and largest craft breweries. The trio will bring more than 15 years of craft brewing experience with them to this new Chattanooga craft brewery.

After spending so much time living in Denver and watching craft breweries in the city continue to grow, I became super passionate about not only the craft of brewing beer but also the opportunity to be a part of the community and culture that comes along with it. After meeting and working closely with Elliot and Bryan, I knew that I had found the right people and we decided that it was time to venture out and start a brewery of our own, said Mr. Michaels.

Its all about finding the right location. Starting your own business is super challenging and we wanted to find a place that we knew we could contribute to and bring our craft to a community that is growing. I have continued to visit Chattanooga frequently over the years and I was starting to see a local craft beer community flourishing. I knew that moving back to my hometown and starting this here was the right decision and I could not be more excited about opening Five Wits Brewing Company in the heart of the Southside in Chattanooga.

This group will not only bring great brews to this project, but also a big vision to be a great addition to the Chattanooga craft brewing community. Since moving to Chattanooga from Denver last year, we have really enjoyed learning about the craft beer community in Chattanooga and the surrounding Southeastern region, said Mr. Harris. We are huge advocates for collaboration and have spent our entire brewing careers in Denver in a culture of comradery amongst the breweries in that community. Its not just about the beer, its about growing an amazing group of breweries that all work together to help put a city on the map as a respected brewing community. And thats exactly what we are hoping to be a part of here in Chattanooga.

Elliot Kehoe, Five Wits Brewing Companys lead brewer, has been hard at work studying the local and regionally brewed beers and has been working to put together a line-up of Five Wits own hand-crafted beers that will complement the offerings that are available in this part of the country. Its been an exciting and incredible experience to meet all of the local Chattanooga brewers over the past year, said Mr. Kehoe. Chattanooga has its own unique identity and we hope that Five Wits Brewing Company will be a big part of helping the citys beer community continue to thrive.

The Five Wits Brewing Company will also house a restaurant incubator, R&D Test Kitchen, that will host a rotating line-up of up-and-coming aspiring chefs and restaurateurs from all over the country. These aspiring chefs will apply for a residency program to occupy and operate their restaurant concepts in the R&D Test Kitchen as the sole food offering for the Five Wits Brewing tap room.

For more information, contact nathan@fivewitsbrewing.com.
In a joint effort, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Brentwood Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of State have arrested a Memphis woman accused of trafficking juveniles for the purpose of illicit sex.

During a collaborative push to address human trafficking in Middle Tennessee over the past weekend, authorities placed a number of decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex trafficking cases. During the investigative efforts that resulted, authorities learned of a website not previously known to them, and upon searching it, observed advertisements for prostitution that seemed to display juveniles.



On Saturday night, the agencies coordinated a sting at a Brentwood-area hotel and, working in an undercover capacity, responded to the advertisement. At the appointed time, three juveniles and an adult arrived to the hotel. Two of the juveniles came to the hotel room with condoms and other items indicating an intent for sexual services. At that point, law enforcement officers located and detained all three juveniles and the adult driver, who authorities subsequently identified as Taysha Dominque Jackson, 29, of Memphis.



Early Sunday morning, a TBI agent charged Ms. Jackson with three counts of trafficking for a commercial sex act and booked her into the Williamson County Jail on $9 million bond. The Tennessee Department of Childrens Services took custody of the juveniles, who were all from the Memphis area.



It is sickening to me that this criminal element exists in our society and particularly when it involves children, said Brentwood Chief of Police Jeff Hughes. The Brentwood Police Department is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively combat this reprehensible crime.



We are committed to working with our partners to address human trafficking in Tennessee by holding buyers and traffickers accountable under some of the toughest laws in the nation, said TBI Director David Rausch. We will also do everything we can to help victims take their first brave steps toward becoming a survivor.



Additional information about human trafficking, the warning signs, and contact information for the Tennessee Human Trafficking Hotline can be found online at www.ITHasToStop.com and www.EyesUpNashville.com.


Schools and families across the community will be celebrating National Bike to School Day during the week of May 6.

Organizers said, "This is a great opportunity to enjoy the beauty of our region on the way to class."

Formal events will be held at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences and Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper and Lower Schools in Chattanooga, and Thrasher Elementary School in Signal Mountain. All schools will be supported by their local police departments.

Bike Walk Chattanooga, The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Departments Step ONE program, Chattanooga and Signal Mountain Police Departments, and the Tennessee Office of Highway Safety have partnered with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency and many volunteers, family members, and school faculty to make this event a fun tradition in our community.

Biking to destinations near you, especially this time of year, is a great way to add exercise and fresh air to your commute, said Jonathan Gibbons, Senior Multimodal Transportation planner at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency. Additionally, it helps cut back on air pollution, traffic congestion, and parking demand in our community.

The first National Bike to School Day took place on May 9, 2012, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Month of May. Almost 1,000 local events in 49 states and the District of Columbia joined together to encourage children to safely bicycle or walk to school, and the event has continued to grow in popularity. For more information about Bike to School Day, please visit: www.walkbiketoschool.org.

Bike to School Activities
Siskin Hospitals Subacute program has attained Medicares highest rating, only one of two Chattanooga-area skilled facilities to have achieved this exceptional designation.

"We are thrilled to once again be recognized as a five-star provider, said Carol Sim, Siskin Hospital president and CEO. Its a testament to the highest quality of care we seek to provide our patients.

The Five-Star Quality Rating System was created by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to make it easier for consumers, families and caregivers to compare skilled nursing facilities. This system gives each facility a rating of between one and five stars. According to CMS.gov, facilities with five stars are considered to have much above average quality.

The Subacute program at Siskin Hospital West has 48 certified beds focused on rehabilitation.

To learn more about Subacute services at Siskin Hospital, please visit www.SiskinRehab.org or call 847-4100.
District Attorney Bert Poston said the Whitfield County Grand Jury will hear evidence from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations at their regularly scheduled meeting on May 30 concerning the alleged transfer of a Whitfield County radio from Varnell Police Chief Lyle Grant to Bob Cummings of Bobs Wrecker Service.

DA Poston said, "Pursuant to Georgia law, Chief Grant has been notified that the case will be presented to the Grand Jury. The requirements in this regard as set forth in Georgia code section 17-7-52.

"Until such time as the Grand Jury has reviewed the evidence developed during the investigation, the District Attorneys Office will have no further comment.

"This remains a pending case subject to the confidentiality requirements of Georgia law and the rules of the State Bar of Georgia."
When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got married in 2018, many people could not stop talking about the fact that she was a divorcee. Of course, being divorced is not a big deal in the 21st century, but Meghan Markle joining the royal family was a huge stride from the days of Princess Diana having to get checked out by a doctor before marrying Prince Charles in 1981.

All these mentions of Meghan Markle having been married before definitely got a lot of royal watchers wondering: just how many times has Meghan Markle been married?

Lets take a look at her relationship history to find out.

Meghan Markle married her first husband in 2011

The first time Meghan Markle got married was back in 2011. Her groom at the time was actor and producer Trevor Engelson. The two of them had been together since 2004.

Meghan Markle and Trevor Engelson wed in Jamaica. According to sources, it was a casual wedding that did not get much attention from the press since they werent high-profile celebrities back then.

Despite the fact that they had spent many years together, Meghan Markle and Trevor Engelsons relationship did not last. They got divorced in 2013. The real cause for the split was never fully revealed. It was apparently a no-fault divorce with irreconcilable differences being cited as the reason, though fans also had other theories.

Some believe that the long-distance relationship was what caused the split. Meghan Markle and Trevor Engelson got married around the same time that she began working on Suits in Toronto, which means that they suddenly were forced to be far apart since Engelson was living in Los Angeles.

As such, its possible that they either grew apart by being away from one another for a long time or the traveling back and forth was wearing down the marriage.

Other people believe that Trevor Engelson might have actually done something appalling to Meghan Markle. Back when she had her blog, The Tig, she once shared some quotes indirectly calling out someone for certain bad behavior.

I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise, the text read.

Of course, Meghan Markle herself never said who the quote was about, but fans still held on to this belief that she was talking to her ex-husband.

According to Trevor Engelson, though, Meghan Markle apparently ended their relationship out of the blue and he is still not over that today.

Meghan Markle had a boyfriend before meeting Prince Harry

Following her divorce from Trevor Engelson, Meghan Markle focused on building her acting career with a significant role in Suits. However, she got back into the dating scene quickly afterwards.

She began a relationship with chef Cory Vitiello in 2014 and the two were even living together. Their relationship lasted until some time in mid 2016 before Meghan Markle was set up on a date with Prince Harry in July 2016.

According to a few tabloid reports, Meghan Markle was still with Vitiello when she met Prince Harry and some people believe she ditched the Canadian chef for the British royal.

Still, its unsure what the real story is since Meghan Markle herself has kept her lips sealed about her old relationships.

How do Meghan Markle and Prince Harry make their marriage work?

Theres no doubt that Meghan Markle learned a thing or two from her past marriage and is determined to make her relationship with Prince Harry last.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry seem to be headed in the right direction. The two of them have a lot in common, from their passion for humanitarian causes to their love for their respective families. Prince Harry has also been protective and supportive of Meghan Markle during her pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle had to give up many things, including her career, to become a full-time duchess. And at the end of the day, the couple seems to prioritize their relationship with each other, which is whats truly important.
Fans and celebrities were shocked to hear about the death of director John Singleton on April 29, 2019. Singleton died after suffering a massive stroke. He experienced leg pain after returning from a trip to Costa Rica, so he checked himself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Singleton later had a stroke in his hospital room. Here are some of the tributes left by celebrities who worked with him and those who admired his films.

Ron Howard

Ron Howard|Rich Fury/Getty Images for WGAw

Filmmaker Ron Howard said Singleton had a special knack for storytelling:

Sad sad news. Such a good director and so well regarded everywhere he went. We will miss his work and his storytelling voice. RIP #JohnSingleton

Sad sad news. Such a good director and so well regarded everywhere he went. We will miss his work and his storytelling voice. RIP #JohnSingleton https://t.co/AIIMQidV8X  Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) April 29, 2019

Iman

Iman| Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Model Iman posted a picture of herself, Singleton, Eddie Murphy, and Michael Jackson from the set of the 1991 music video for Michael Jacksons song Remember the Time. Singleton directed the video, which earned a nomination for a Soul Train Music Award for Best Video of the Year. Heres what Iman had to say:

Saddened to learn that legendary director & pioneer John Singleton has passed away. My condolences to his family #RIP #JohnSingleton

Saddened to learn that legendary director & pioneer John Singleton has passed away. My condolences to his family #RIP #JohnSingleton pic.twitter.com/mKrahYsdDV  Iman Abdulmajid (@The_Real_IMAN) April 29, 2019

Larry Karaszewski

Larry Karaszewsk|Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic

Writer and producer Larry Karaszewski said Singleton lived his life to the fullest:

John Singleton lived every minute of his 51 years. Im going to miss laughing, talking movies, watching movies, making movies with this amazing human being. Love you buddy. Condolences to Justice and his whole family.

John Singleton lived every minute of his 51 years. Im going to miss laughing, talking movies, watching movies, making movies with this amazing human being. Love you buddy. Condolences to Justice and his whole family. pic.twitter.com/lkTIZGbHfU  Larry Karaszewski (@Karaszewski) April 29, 2019

Viola Davis

How to Get Away with Murder star Viola Davis wrote on Twitter that Singleton was a trail blazer:

The best life is when we leave a trail. We leave something on this earth bigger than us. John Singleton.you inspired a generation of Artists. We will shoulder on.May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. RIP

The best life is when we leave a trail. We leave something on this earth bigger than us. John Singleton.you inspired a generation of Artists. We will shoulder on.'May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest". RIP  Viola Davis (@violadavis) April 29, 2019

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson| Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Captain Marvel actor Samuel L. Jackson also noted Singletons groundbreaking talent:

Mourning the loss of a collaborator & True Friend John Singleton. He blazed the trail for many young film makers, always remaining true to who he was & where he came from!!! RIP Brother. Gone Way Too Soon!

Mourning the loss of a collaborator & True Friend John Singleton. He blazed the trail for many young film makers, always remaining true to who he was & where he came from!!! RIP Brother. Gone Way Too Soon!  Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) April 29, 2019

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson| Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

Empire star Taraji P. Henson and actor Tyrese Gibson, who starred in Singletons 2001 film Baby Boy, visited the director in the hospital the day before he was taken off life support. After their visit, Henson posted a message on Instagram:

Visited you today. Me and @tyrese prayed so hard over you. You heard my voice and jumped up. I HAVE HOPE AND FAITH BECAUSE I KNOW THAT #GODIS. Keep praying #EVERYBODY for our beloved @johnsingleton

Read more: What Was John Singletons Net Worth at the Time of His Death?

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The worst thing about rumors is that even when theyre not based in fact, there will always be people who believe them. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are finding that out the hard way in the wake of those extremely damaging, likely untrue rumors about Prince William engaging in extramarital flirtations or even worse with Kate Middletons friend, Rose Hanbury.

The couple put on a brave face today as they celebrated eight years of wedded bliss and pointedly ignored any naysayers who believe their marriage could be in trouble. Even if it was, you probably wouldnt know about it  but that doesnt mean Will and Kate are hiding a multitude of marital issues. They could be laughing off all this talk of infidelity right this minute.

Prince William and Kate Middleton | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Kensington Palace celebrated their anniversary on social media

The royal family proved yet again that theyre finally modernizing the monarchy when they shared a sweet post for Kate Middleton and Prince Williams eighth wedding anniversary on social media. The tweet featured a collage of photos from that special day in 2011 along with a caption that said: 8 years ago today  thank you for your lovely messages on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridges wedding anniversary!

8 years ago today  thank you for your lovely messages on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridges wedding anniversary! pic.twitter.com/jDiIk7bs2V  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 29, 2019

The future king and his lovely bride had their wedding at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. The pair was dating since 2003, briefly split in 2007, and made the public wait years for them to tie the knot. But in the end it was worth ittheir wedding was a fairytale that tens of millions of people watched either on television or live streamed from their computers.

Is Prince William and Kate Middletons marriage on the rocks?

Up until a few months ago, most people believed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges marriage was rock solid. They have three young childrenPrince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louisplus every time theyre caught on camera, theyre looking at each other so sweetly its hard to imagine any underlying strife. Either that or theyre really good actors.

But then the news broke that Kate Middleton was insisting the couple phase out the Marchioness of Cholmodeley (Rose Hanbury) from their inner circle of friends. People were confused about why that would happenafter all, they live near Prince William and Kate Middletons country home and apparently the foursome used to be close friends. Thats when tabloids started speculating that there was more to the story. Specifically, that Prince William got too close to the Marchioness.

Prince William and Kate Middleton | Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

Why didnt Prince William deny the rumors?

Kensington Palace and Prince William himself have yet to acknowledge the rumors publicly except for threatening legal action against the tabloids reporting the story. Why not say anything? The short answer is that denying the rumors often has the opposite effect and makes more people start believing lies. Simply ignoring them as being too outlandish to address is a much more effective strategy.

Actually, sharing sweet photos from the couples wedding for their anniversary is a brilliant want to remind royal fans that everything is wonderful between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Surely the couple had a lovely anniversary and will be celebrating many more happy years together.
Shannon and David Beador were seen working through problems on Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC.) They since split and the show followed Shannon navigating the divorce.

Its all officially over because they have reached a settlement. How much was the mother awarded? Here is everything you need to know.

Shannon and David Beador announced their separation back in 2017

Shannon Beador and David Beador | Jerod Harris/WireImage,

The reality show couple announced they have split in October of 2017. After much thought and careful consideration, David and I have made the difficult decision to separate, Shannon Beador told The Daily Dish. We remain partners in parenthood and are committed to raising our three daughters. This is not the future we envisioned, and we kindly ask for privacy, especially for our children, during this transitional time.

She and Tamara Judge later claimed that David met his new girlfriend, Lesley Cook before their breakup. He has since denied that claim.

There are two sides to every story and relationship as everyone knows. I believe most people see through it though, he told Page Six. Moreover, her and Tamras suggestion that Lesley and I met prior to my separation was a premeditated lie that Im sure was talked about by the two of them prior to filming that scene.

Shannon talked about lowering her temporary support

The reality star talked about the finances behind their split on RHOC. She said she actually felt bad about how much she could get with temporary support.

According to People, David was ordered to pay $30,000 per month for temporary non-taxable child and spousal support. Shannon talked about this with Judge.

I felt bad, I thought we should lower it, she said. So [my lawyer] Ben and I talked about lowering the amount, to be nice.  We actually settled on $22,500 a month, because thats what I need at this point.

She commented more on the price with, Raising three children in California is expensive. She continued, If anything, I was fair in cutting down the order. I just want him out of my life.

She was reportedly awarded $1.4 million and monthly support

According to The Blast, the former married couple has reached a settlement. Shannon will get $1.4 million along with the monthly support of $10,000. That support includes $2,935 per month in child support and $7,065 for spousal support.

They will also be sharing custody of their three daughters. Their agreement is that neither will move out of Orange County to make co-parenting easier.

The former couple has been seen out together with their kids since breaking up. It looks like both of them are moving on from the divorce.

Read more: How Did Shannon Beador from RHOC Celebrate Her Divorce?

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Actor Seth Rogen plays many characters who love to smoke weed. But that doesnt mean Rogen is just like the characters he plays. Then again, maybe it does. During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Rogen admitted just how often hes high in scenes. Keep reading to learn what exactly Rogen said about how often hes high in his films.



Rogen stars in Long Shot opposite Charlize Theron



Rogen appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote his new film, Long Shot, starring himself and Charlize Theron.

The comedy, out May 3, 2019, follows Fred Flarsky (Rogen), a journalist, who runs into his childhood crush and former babysitter, Charlotte Field (Theron), now the Secretary of State. She hires him as a speechwriter and in the process, the two develop a connection.



Lionsgate Movies | YouTube

Rogen on working with Theron: I was scared



I was scared, Rogan told Stephen Colbert about working with Theron for the first time. Its funny because Im an actor and I dont like it when people assume I am who my characters are but whenever I meet another actor I just assume they are who their characters are, Rogen said.



When I met Charlize Theron Im like, Oh, shes going to kill me, because thats what she does, she kills people, generally speaking. And in a movie, I am the type of guy she would kill 100%.



I was a huge fan of hers for years and years and I always thought she was funny, Rogen added. I would see her do interviews and stuff like that and she was always very funny. So, I thought it would be amazing to try to make, like, a comedy with her.



Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen attend The CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards on April 4, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CinemaCon

But she is an incredible actor, and Im like an OK actor but I realize Im not, Im not as good as she is at all, and one of the things I know that makes me not a great actor is when Im in a scene with someone whos acting really, really well, I find myself thinking, Whoa, this persons doing good!



Then I start thinking, I shouldnt be thinking that Im in a scene right now. And then I start thinking like, Shes staring at me. Talk! Is it my turn to talk? Should I be talking? And Im sure Daniel Day-Lewis has never thought that ever throughout the course of his career.



Rogen on smoking weed while shooting scenes

After Rogen joked about his acting skills, Colbert told him, I know you are not your characters, to which Rogen replied, No, I am not.



Youre not your characters but you do enjoy the occasional marijuana cigarette, my understanding is, Colbert said. Uh, yeah. I smoke all day every day of my life, Rogen said laughing.



Seth Rogen attends the premiere of Universal Pictures Blockers at Regency Village Theatre on April 3, 2018, in Westwood, California. | Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Have you ever performed, acted high? Colbert asked. For the last 20 years exclusively, Rogen said laughing. But yes, I do actually enjoy weed in my personal life and on film, he added.



How often is Seth Rogen high in his movies?



So, keep in mind, any movie we see you in, theres a fairly good chance that youre high? Colbert asked Rogen. Through laughter, Rogen replied, Theres 100%, yes, uh, yeah.

Rogen and Colbert then went on to talk about Rogens other movie premiering this summer, the highly anticipated remake of The Lion King, out July, in which Rogen plays the character of Pumbaa.
Weve been waiting for the arrival of Baby Sussex for months, and the excitement level is at an all-time high. Some people think Meghan Markle has not yet given birth and other fans feel there are clues indicating the baby has already been born. After all, Doria Ragland Meghans mother  has officially arrived in the United Kingdom.

Whats more, Meghan was noticeably absent from the familys yearly Easter celebrations and an ambulance was seen parked outside Frogmore cottage. In addition, Prince William and Kate Middleton recently paid a visit to the duchess, and they didnt arrive empty-handed.

While we will certainly know soon whether the royal baby is already here or if we have to wait a little longer, one question remains: Should Thomas Markle, Meghans father, contact his daughter and son-in-law regarding the newborns birth?

What happened between Meghan Markle and her father?

While we dont exactly know for sure, we do know that right up until Meghan and Prince Harrys spectacular wedding, everything seemed to be fine between the father-daughter duo. Thomas, who currently resides in Mexico, was planning on traveling to England to walk Meghan down the aisle on her big day. Harry even revealed that he had spoken to his future father-in-law by phone, and was looking forward to meeting him in person.

A few days before the nuptials, Thomas was caught in a scandal in which paparazzi photographs of him being fitted for a wedding outfit were staged, and he suffered sudden health issues. As a result, he was not able to attend the wedding, and he and Meghan have not spoken since.

Meghan Markle wrote her father a letter

In recent months, Meghan wrote a personal letter to her father, that was not meant to be shared with the world. It detailed her hurt feelings, and she was further devastated by the fact that her father released the contents of the letter to the news media. As if that werent enough, Thomas has done interviews in the past year, saying that he learned about his daughters pregnancy by listening to a news station on the radio.

The rest of Meghan Markles family drama

Thomas is not the only one causing stress for the Duchess of Sussex. Royal fans are well aware of the fact that her estranged half-sister, Samantha Grant, has been attacking Meghan and Harry in the news media ever since they announced their engagement. She doesnt hesitate to humiliate her younger sister with mean tweets, hurtful statements, and tell-all interviews. At one point, Samantha even made the trip across the pond to England but was ultimately turned away by palace security when she tried to visit her sister.

Would Meghan Markle like her father to meet the baby?

Although she has not spoken publicly regarding this, chances are, she would. This is an experience that Meghan would most likely want her father to be a part of, and it would be wonderful for Thomas to know his grandchild.

Should Thomas contact Meghan Markle and Prince Harry regarding Baby Sussex?

Meghans father should definitely make the first move and contact his daughter and son-in-law. If he doesnt feel comfortable calling, a letter would do just fine, as Meghan would likely be overjoyed to hear from her father either way. At this point, many fans may feel that it is up to him to make the first move. Even if he is unable to come to England right away to meet his grandchild, it would be comforting to his daughter to know that he is thinking about her during this happy time in her life. After all, there is plenty of room at Frogmore cottage for any future visits.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first royal visitors to Frogmore Cottage and it wasnt Prince William and Kate Middleton, as many believed. Though William and Kate did stop by, it was actually The Queen who first paid the Duke and Duchess a visit at their new home.

Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth II | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcome their royal guests

With Prince Harry and Markle due to welcome their first child very soon, theyve seen some family members drop by their new home at Frogmore Cottage recently.

After Markle missed the Easter Sunday church service with the royal family, it was reported that Prince William and Middleton paid her a visit to see how she was feeling. Many royal baby watchers assumed that Markle, now very pregnant, was staying home from the service to rest.

William and Middleton reportedly stopped by following the service for their first visit to Frogmore Cottage and arrived with a housewarming gift as well.

A source told Harpers Bazaar that William and Catherine visited because Meghan was unable to attend the service. They wanted to be supportive and see how she is doing. It was a lovely afternoon.

The Queen was the first Frogmore visitor

According to a new report, however, the Queen was actually Prince Harry and Markles first visitor to Frogmore Cottage, as a source told The Sun that she came to see the couple while staying at Windsor Castle over Easter weekend.

The source shared: Her Majesty wanted to formally welcome the Sussexes to their new home so she was their first visitor. She visited with other family members and Harry and Meghan were delighted to show them round.

The insider added: The Queen was at Windsor Castle at Easter and wanted to see Meghan before she has the baby. If true, it was no doubt a lovely occasion and very much appreciated by Prince Harry and Markle.

Buckingham Palace didnt comment on any of the Sussexes reported royal visitors since these are private visits and not official royal engagements.

Frogmore Cottage got a makeover recently

Prince Harry and Markle moved to Frogmore Cottage ahead of the birth of their first child, though renovation work created some delays.

Last month, a source told The Sun that workers were wrapping up the renovation details, sharing: the builders have worked all week whatever the weather. But they [the Sussexes] keep making changes, particularly on the layout. The word is theyve been quite demanding, which is understandable as what homeowner doesnt want their house to be perfect?

The insider added: Given the scale of the project, a three or four-week delay isnt too bad. The couple are pleased with how its all going.

Among the home improvements were the addition of a yoga studio, new fireplaces, and soundproofing, as well as giving the property a security boost. The reported cost or the renovations was somewhere between $2.5 and $3.8 million.

With all of their recent visitors to Frogmore Cottage, its believed that Markle is certainly due to give birth any day now.
Prince William and Kate Middleton appear to be the perfect royal couple but once upon a time not everyone was convinced that they were going to tie the knot and live happily ever after.

The two met in college, dated for several years, and in 2010 announced that they planned to get married but their engagement actually took a lot of people by surprise. Heres why so many people were shocked by the pairs announcement and how that compared to when Prince Harry and Meghan announced their engagement.

Prince William Kate Middleton | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

When William proposed to Middleton

The prince proposed to his longtime girlfriend while the two were on a holiday together in Kenya in October of 2010. William asked for her hand in marriage by getting down got on one knee and Middleton happily accepted.

The duke later explained why he chose that location to propose.

I regularly daydream. Africa is definitely one of the places I go to. It does completely settle me down. [Kate] understands what it means to me being in Africa, and my love of conservation, he said during an interview with CNN. I didnt really plan it that far in advance. I just knew I wanted it to feel comfortable where I did it.



Members of the press were shocked by engagement announcement

Prince William and Kate Middleton | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Some members of the press have admitted over the years that they did not see William and Middletons engagement announcement coming. They had been together for a number years but there was nothing in the timing to indicate that they were preparing to get hitched. And so they were able to keep things a secret for more than a month without anything being leaked to the media in advance.

Shutterstocks royal photographer Tim Rooke recalled how he and his colleagues were surprised to find out about the news the same day the rest of the world did.

When they announced the engagement of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, I dont think we were expecting it, he told Hello!. We found out at lunchtime and we were invited to St James Palace.



Prince Harry and Markles announcement was expected

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Karwai Tang/WireImage

Rooke compared Will and Middletons announcement to Prince Harry and Markles and noted that the latter was something the press was expecting as a large number of media members were summoned to Kensington Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex I think we were expecting them to make an announcement and it was a much bigger photo call for Harry and Meghan, with 100 members of media there, and it was outside too, Rooke explained. I think we were expecting to be told and then we were just told to turn up at Kensington Palace.

Rooke has photographed the royal family for years and covered the births of all three children. When it comes to Markle and Harrys baby though he thinks the first anyone will see of their little one will be on Instagram instead.

At the moment everyone seems to think it will be private and we wont be seeing the baby at all, he said.

Read more: Why Did Prince William and Kate Middleton Wait Longer Than Most Royals To Get Married and Have Kids?

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The Kardashian family is used to being involved in a lot of drama, all the time. However, in February 2019, even they got thrown for a loop when the cheating scandal of the year unfolded in a very public way.

Jordyn Woods, Kylie Jenners longtime best friend, was revealed to have been seen in a compromising situation with Tristan Thompson, Khloe Kardashians boyfriend, and the father of her young child. Khloe Kardashian is, of course, Kylie Jenners older sister, also good friends with Woods.

How the cheating scandal unfolded

It all started when social media leaked the news of Woods hooking up with Thompson. Khloe Kardashian herself seemed to confirm the news by commenting on social media. Once the news started making headlines all over the world, Woods had enough and announced her intention to appear on Jada Pinkett Smiths Facebook video series, Red Table Talk, to tell her side of the story.

Although Kardashian tweeted at Woods that she should have called her privately to apologize instead of going public, Woods spoke to Pinkett Smith and gave her account of events.

According to Woods, although Thompson had kissed her, it was one-sided, and that nothing past that had occurred. It didnt seem that Khloe Kardashian bought it, and blasted Woods on social media, calling her a liar  and hundreds of Kardashians fans chimed in, vocalizing their feelings towards Woods in not-very-kind ways.

It was hard on Jordyn Woods

In the midst of the social media onslaught, Woods was deliberately cut out of the Kardashian family circle. She was moved out of Kylie Jenners palatial home, where she had been living, and all of her business ties with the Kardashians were unceremoniously cut, including her cosmetics partnership with Jenner, and her modeling gigs for Khloe Kardashians Good American denim company.

Woods stayed fairly silent during this period of transition, not posting a lot to social media and not granting many interviews, aside from the Red Table Talk conversation. Recently she did speak out on a panel at Nigerias Homecoming Festival and stated that she felt very bullied by the events that unfolded several months ago.

Although she didnt go into specifics about whether or not she felt particular intimidation from any members of the Kardashian family, she did state that the whole world had bullied her.

Woods seems to be back on her feet

Even if her emotional state is still tenuous, Woods isnt doing badly, post-scandal. A visit to her Instagram page reveals that she still advertises for several brands, including eyelash extensions and a swimsuit company, presumably paid endorsements.

She also still makes money for speaking engagements and interviews, so even though her Kardashian business relationships have ended, shes still able to make money. For a while, there were even rumors that Woods was considering launching her own reality show based on the drama that the cheating scandal caused. Although that TV series has not yet materialized, theres no telling what the future could bring.

As for her friendship with Kylie Jenner, all hope isnt lost. Jenner herself has stayed mum on whether or not she would consider reconciling with Woods, and recently, Woods told paparazzi that she will always love Jenner.

Still, the new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians is currently airing Sunday nights on the E! network, and sneak peeks of upcoming episodes have revealed that the family will likely dive deep into the cheating scandal in upcoming episodes.

These episodes could cause more ill will between Woods and Jenner, or it could have the opposite effect, and reunite the two once-inseparable friends.
Many people are familiar with Trevor Noah. He is best known for being the host of Comedy Centrals The Daily Show, where he provides satirical commentary on many issues in the world every day.

Although the 35-year-old had accomplished a lot before he came on to The Daily Show, not a lot of folks are familiar with the kinds of work he did. If youre curious to know what Trevor Noahs job was before he became a known face on Comedy Central, read on below to find out.

Trevor Noah was born and raised in South Africa

Fans who have seen either The Daily Show or his stand-up performances are well aware that Trevor Noah is not American. The comedian has been very open about his country of origin and what his life was like growing up.

Trevor Noah was born in 1985 in Johannesburg to a white father and black mother. Much of his early childhood was spent during apartheid, where interracial relationships were prohibited, so life for Trevor Noah was not easy. He documented a lot of his experiences in his 2016 bestselling autobiography, Born a Crime.

Trevor Noah did a lot of comedy and hosting in South Africa

Despite the fact that Trevor Noah went through a lot of hardship, he still wanted to put a smile on other peoples face.

After university, being inspired by the likes of Eddy Murphy and Chris Rock, Trevor Noah began doing stand-up comedy around South Africa alongside other comedians in the country as well as some international celebrities like Gabriel Iglesias and Russell Peters.

His funny personality subsequently allowed him to expand into hosting gigs for various South African TV programs. Trevor Noah even got the chance to compete on the South African version of Strictly Come Dancing in 2008 and he won second place.

In 2010, Trevor Noah created his own late night talk show called Tonight with Trevor Noah. It was on the air for two seasons.

Trevor Noah went to America to escape his violent ex-stepfather

In 2011, Trevor Noah left South Africa and relocated to Los Angeles. He recalled that it was a decision made because of his violent ex-stepfather.

Trevor Noahs mother, Patricia, remarried in 1992 and both she and Trevor suffered at the hands of her new husband. The couple divorced in 1996, but when Patricia remarried in 2009, her ex-husband tracked her down and shot her in the head. Fortunately, Patricia survived. However, when Trevor Noah confronted his ex-stepfather, the guy threatened to kill Trevor Noah. As such, the comedian packed his bags and left the country.

In the U.S., Trevor Noah became a hit with American audience. He appeared on shows such as such as The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Show with David Letterman before joining The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a correspondent.

Trevor Noah became the host of The Daily Show in 2015

After a short stint on The Daily Show as a correspondent, Trevor Noah became a full-time host upon the departure of Jon Stewart.

Trevor Noah once shared that, when he got the news that he had been given the hosting position, it was an unbelievable moment for him. Im in DubaiIm literally driving the middle of the night, and my phone rings, he said. And my manager says, How would you like to be the host of The Daily Show? And I get out of the car, and my legsI didnt have legs.

Nevertheless, Trevor Noah was the perfect person for the job. He has won many awards for his role on The Daily Show and become a familiar face on TV every weekday.
Meghan Markle has an independent streak. Its ingrained in her very being. Becoming a member of the royal family hasnt even broken it, at least not yet. The internet is always ablaze with Meghans decisions ever since she went from being an A-list celeb to a duchess with power to spare.

The former Suits star has been unable to shake all of her old habits, but should we expect her too? Perhaps having a duchess who marches to the beat of her own drum and inspires her husband to do the same could be a good thing for the royal family. That may be why the queen has been pretty lenient with the new addition to the family. Even so, the matriarch has also been doing her best to keep Meghan and Prince Harrys independent streak in check.

Why do people say Meghan Markle is too independent?

The actress turned duchess has been mixing things up in the Palace ever since she moved in! For one, she is continuously breaking various fashion protocols. She removes her jacket in public, a dated and rather sexist regulation that compared the removal of outerwear to undressing in public. Considering how silly the rule is, its no surprise that Meghan often opts to break it.

Shes also shown off her bare legs numerous times instead of wearing tights. Another taboo shes broken is rocking off-the-shoulder looks. While her fashion choices are impeccable, theres no doubt that her independent streak causes her to put royal rules on the back burner sometimes. The former actress even stepped out less than favorable ripped jeans!

Meghan doesnt just cross the line when it comes to making up her outfit of the day. Her lavish NYC baby shower was something typically frowned upon. Meghan is keeping in touch with her American traditions, but the last minute rendezvous to NYC for a glitzy baby shower was still quite outlandish to some.

Ultimately the problem is that the public criticizes the Duchess of Sussex at every turn. What might come across as too independent based on British standards isnt based on American ones. While the royal family has created a space for Meghan to exist in, while honoring both criteria, the public and some royals havent.

How have Meghan Markle and Prince Harry shown their independence?

What started as personal attempts to maintain autonomy has grown into large requests by not just Meghan, but her hubby as well! The Duke and Duchess of Sussex asked the queen if they could remove themselves from Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace serves as the base of operations for Prince William and Kate Middleton. Since the two couples often tend to their own business, it makes sense that the houses would split. As such, the queen granted the request.

From there, Meghan and Harry made the move the Buckingham Palace. That seemingly wasnt enough for them. The pair submitted another request, one that would allow them to be independent of Buckingham Palace. A move that would give the newlyweds space and opportunity to operate entirely under their own merit.

Well, the request was one that was too large, and the queen adamantly denied it. As far as she was concerned, allowing the duke and duchess to remove themselves from Buckingham Palace simply granted them too much freedom.

Why doesnt the Queen want the Sussexs to be too independent?

Its clear that Queen Elizabeth II understands the importance of independence. Shes been able to grant just the right amount for all those underneath her, including the new duchess, for years. But, what is keeping her from giving Meghan and Harry free reign?

In the queens eyes, giving them complete independence would mean they could go off and do their own thing whenever they wanted. This simply wont do as it strays exceptionally far from the royal protocol. As both the duke and the duchess are senior members of the royal court, much of what they do, they do on behalf of the queen. Considering that, its no surprise that Queen Elizabeth II wants to keep them under the jurisdiction of Buckingham Palace. This will allow her to keep an eye on them and to ensure that their endeavors line up with ones that fall in line with the royal family as a whole. It will also serve as a means to keep her grandson and his new wife out of trouble!
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As expected, higher competitive pressure influenced the first quarter 2019 results of DAX-listed Covestro. Despite an overall solid demand, core volumes decreased slightly by 1.8%, mainly due to lower volumes in the Polycarbonates segment. A marked drop in selling prices led to a reduction in Group sales by 16.0% to EUR 3.2 billion. The Groups EBITDA at EUR 442 million (58.4%), a contrast to the exceptionally positive prior-year results, was in line with the forecast. As a result, net income also fell to EUR 179 million (72.2%). At minus EUR 45 million, free operating cash flow (FOCF) was negative compared with the previous year (EUR 364 million) due to reduced cash flows from operating activities and increased investments. Although on the whole significantly below the outstanding results of the prior years quarter, results remain in the expected range and Covestro confirms targets set for the year as a whole.

The first quarter was in line with our guidance and confirms our subdued expectations for the full year, explains CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann. It is therefore even more important to now set the right course for our future growth with investments and efforts to improve efficiency. After all, demand for our innovative and sustainable materials remains intact.

Covestro confirms targets for fiscal year 2019

Dr. Thomas Toepfer, CFO of Covestro, compares the results of the first quarter against the same period in 2018: The prior-year quarter was influenced by exceptionally high margins in a number of product groups. In line with our expectations, our results therefore fell below those of the same period of last year. In anticipation of continued challenging environment influencing results throughout the year, we are especially focusing on efficient production and processes and targeted investments.

Consistent with this focus, Covestro raised its stake to 80% in the joint venture DIC Covestro Polymer in Japan effective April 1, 2019, expanding its promising global thermoplastic polyurethanes business. Covestro plans total investments of over EUR 900 million this year to refurbish and expand its production plants and extend into growth areas such as specialty films. Efficiency measures are expected to deliver cost savings of EUR 350 million per year over the medium term.

For fiscal 2019, Covestro continues to project core volume growth to be in the low- to mid-single-digit percentage range. FOCF is expected to be between EUR 300 million and EUR 700 million, with ROCE between 8% and 13%. EBITDA for the fiscal year is forecast to be between EUR 1.5 billion and EUR 2.0 billion, with the second quarter EBITDA expected to be around the level of first quarter 2019.

Strategic initiatives making headway

Strategic initiatives to advance digitalization and innovation made progress in the first quarter. The new digital B2B trading platform Asellion was successfully launched at the end of March, enabling Covestro customers to order products online and do business around the clock and with just a few clicks at the link covestro.asellion.com.

Covestro has also joined forces with the US-based biotechnology company Genomatica to research and develop high-performance materials on the basis of renewable raw materials. This collaboration aims to reduce the use of fossil-based resources such as crude oil through the use of sustainable raw materials instead.

Sales and earnings growth in Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties segment

Core volumes in the Polyurethanes segment remained largely stable (0.2%) in the first quarter of 2019. Sales in this segment declined by 24.3% to EUR 1,476 million due to lower selling prices, with all three regions posting lower sales. EBITDA fell to EUR 157 million (75.4%) due to lower margins.

Driven by weaker demand from the automotive industry, core volumes in the Polycarbonates segment decreased by 6.3%. Sales in this segment declined by 16.7% to EUR 860 million, due also to lower selling prices. With falling margins and stable raw material prices, EBITDA declined to EUR 155 million (48.8%).

In the Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties segment, core volumes saw virtually no change versus the prior-year quarter (0.1%). Sales in this segment increased by 5.9% to EUR 627 million, boosted by increased selling prices on average and exchange rate movements. EBITDA rose 7.4% to EUR 146 million.
WASHINGTON (RNS)  With its particular focus on Chinas oppression of religious and human rights, an independent watchdog group has decried in its annual report the state of religious freedom across the globe.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan organization created 20 years ago, concludes in its Monday (April 29) report that innumerable believers and nonbelievers across the globe continued in 2018 to experience manifold suffering due to their beliefs.

The commission cites dozens of countries in its 234-page report but especially notes Chinas repression of a range of religious beliefs  including Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, Uighur Muslims and human rights defenders.

While the State Departments annual international religious freedom report covers every nation in the world other than the U.S., USCIRF annually documents fewer than 30 countries that have the most significant religious freedom violations.

USCIRF recommends that the State Department redesignate the following 10 countries as countries of particular concern, or CPCs: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

The State Department designated these countries as CPCs in November.

USCIRF thinks six additional countries should be cited as CPCs: Central African Republic, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

The commission adds that it has given 12 other nations its Tier 2 designation for the next most serious level of religious freedom violations: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia and Turkey.

In addition, the commission is calling on the State Department to list five nonstate actors, or organizations outside a governments control, as entities of particular concern: the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS; the Taliban in Afghanistan; al-Shabab in Somalia; Houthis in Yemen; and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, in Syria.

China, along with Russia and Sudan, has been a focus of the watchdog since 1999 as it prepared to cite religious freedom violators in its first annual report the following year.

Two decades later it notes that Uighur Muslims, in particular, remain severely repressed by Chinese officials.

Nearly 20 years later, Muslims are constantly surveilled, their phones confiscated and scanned, their skin pricked for blood samples to collect their DNA, their children prohibited from attending mosque, reads the reports introduction. Even worse, the Chinese government has ripped entire families apart, detaining between 800,000 and two million adults in concentration camps and relegating some of their children to orphanages.

The commission calls for the U.S. government and others across the globe to sanction Chinese agencies and officials for their role in serious religious freedom violations and to urge them to set Uighur and other Muslims free. It also calls for the release of prisoners of conscience, including Muslims, Buddhists and Christians.

At a Capitol Hill news conference announcing the report, USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer said China has been listed by the commission as one of the most egregious Tier 1 countries for religious freedom in each of its 20 reports.

If we were to rate the Tier 1 countries, China would be in a category all by itself, said Bauer, president of American Values, a public policy think tank. The level of persecution  they are an equal opportunity persecutor. They go after anybody, any sect that might compete with the communist, atheistic government of China.

Other countries beyond China are also highlighted, including Vietnam, Sudan and Tajikistan, which the report says are suppressing religious freedom and permitting persecution. The commission cites Eritrea and Russia along with China as examples of countries that brand religious minorities as extremists.

In 2018, both state and nonstate actors increasingly used religion as a tool of exclusion to isolate, marginalize, and punish the other through discrimination and violence, the report states, citing blasphemy laws in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as examples.

The report notes religious freedom successes  including the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson, an American evangelical, from a Turkish prison  and continuing challenges for the Trump administration.

Longstanding flaws in the U.S. governments processing of asylum-seekers at ports of entry and the border remained unaddressed, it says.

USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin said at the news conference that despite many negative trends in international religious freedom there have been positive developments even among countries the commission considers top offenders. She cited the case of Mohammad Ali Taheri, a cognitive researcher and founder of a spiritual group in Iran.

He had been imprisoned for his beliefs since 2011 under various charges and sentences, including twice having been sentenced to death, said Manchin, former first lady of West Virginia. We obviously were thrilled to learn just last week that he has been released.

USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore added that commissioners were able to meet for the first time in 2018 with the religious police (officially called the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice) of Saudi Arabia, another country ranked in the top tier of religious freedom offenders.

Its a kingdom where there are lots of different things happening, some things that are the worst in the world, and at the same token there is a glimmer of light, said Moore, who has served as an unofficial spokesman for the group of evangelicals who have prayed for and met with Trump. And were trying to do what we can to shimmy open that door.

The commission recommends that the administration appoint a special adviser on international religious freedom to the staff of the National Security Council. It also seeks an increase in the use of sanctions to target government officials, military units and agencies that are severe religious freedom violators. And USCIRF requests that the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department assist countries in providing textbooks and other training materials that describe religious groups accurately.

The report, issued after recent attacks on mosques in New Zealand and churches in Sri Lanka, also calls for the administration to set aside money for the department of State and Defense to train and equip local officials and communities to protect places of worship and other holy sites, especially in countries where such sites face a high risk of attack.

USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins said in an interview that his visits to Egypt and Nigeria after other incidents involving houses of worship were catalysts for the commissions determination to see countries work with their law enforcement officials on prevention. But the most recent attacks demonstrate how action is needed more than ever, he said.

That recommendation pre-existed these most recent attacks, said Perkins, who is also president of the Family Research Council and a former police officer who was an anti-terrorism consultant with the State Department in the 1980s and 90s, because we see this as a growing trend.

READ THIS STORY AT RELIGIONNEWS.COM.

Article originally published by Religion News Service.

Photo courtesy: RNS/AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Philosopher John Gray started his 2007 book Black Mass with this declaration: Modern politics is a chapter in the history of religion. Now, Gray is an atheist, but he realized that so much of modern politics is an attempt to re-inspire a world originally inspired by religion, especially Christianity.

Gray specifically pointed to the political utopian projects, like Marxism and Nazism, that came with an eschatological promise of a perfected world, just like Christian theology.

But even beyond Marx and Hitler, Gray considered any political project that aspired to an all-encompassing transformation of human life, including the Enlightenment belief in progress, to be a secular reincarnation of early Christian beliefs.

Today, secular political discourse includes not only utopian substitutes of the New Heaven and New Earth, but also secular versions of the Apocalypse. Just consider the tenor of our current debates around climate change and the environment.

For example, the new book by Bill McKibben, entitled Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? comes across like a Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God for climate-change activists. The excerpt just published in Rolling Stone magazine brings to mind certain visions that Jesus gave John on the island of Patmos.

In McKibbens first scenario, the oceans warm to the point that by 2100, it stops oxygen production by phyto-plankton by disrupting the process of photosynthesis which, he says, would likely result in the mass mortality of animals and humans.

The boiling seas scenario is just one of his apocalyptic horsemen. Others ways that world could end by rising temperatures include melting glaciers and permafrost that unleash Spanish flu virus, smallpox, and bubonic plague buried in Siberia and Alaska.

Of course, no apocalyptic scenario is complete without earthquakes and famine, so McKibben tells us that as ice sheets melt, they take [the] weight off [the] land, and that can trigger earthquakes. In addition, the added weight of the new seawater starts to bend the Earths crust.  That will give you a massive increase in volcanic activity. Itll activate faults to create earthquakes, submarine landslides, tsunamis, the whole lot .

Meanwhile back on land, increasing global temperatures could bring to a halt all the gains in agricultural productivity weve had since the end of World War II. Even if crop yields arent affected that much by all the catastrophe, climate change could still affect our ability to transport what were still able to grow.

Now it may sound like Im mocking McKibben, but Im not. At least not entirely. While many of his scenarios are far-fetched, and filled with the sort of mights, mays, and could haves weve be hearing for a very long time, no one, least of all Christians, should be indifferent to the human impact on the environment.

Still, Im struck by how often secular, scientific garb is adorned with pseudo-religious appeal.

Throughout Falter, McKibben uses the language of sin and punishment, judgment and condemnation. The sins are against nature or the planet instead of God, but the argument is the same: Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever.

Failure to do so risks not only punishment but permanent exile, i.e., extinction.

Im also struck by how people can be more open to secular reincarnations of Christian beliefs than they are to the real thing. If you talk about Christs coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead to readers of Rolling Stone, eyes will roll. Talk about climate change causing human extinction, and well demand immediate action.

It turns out John Gray was right, but Id say modern politics isnt just a chapter in the history of religion. Often its a parody of it.

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 30, 2019

Photo courtesy: Marc Szeglat/Unsplash
Parents of students who were banned from handing out Bibles during lunch at a Pennsylvania high school reached an agreement with the school district Monday that changes language in the student handbook.

The students at Cumberland County High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa., said in January the principal was preventing them from handing out Bibles during any moment of the school day, including during lunch.

The Independence Law Center then filed suit on behalf of the parents of the students, claiming the schools policy was a violation of constitutionally protected free speech. The students are part of a group called the Christians in Action Club, or Bible Club.

A federal judge issued an injunction against the school district in February, allowing the students to hand out Bibles.

Under the agreement reached between the parents and the Mechanicsburg Area School District, the district agreed to delete a portion of the student handbook that banned any speech that seek[s] to establish the supremacy of a particular religious denomination, sect or point of view.

The district also agreed to pay the parents attorney fees. The judge signed off on the agreement.

The Independence Law Center and school attorneys worked together to rewrite the school policy, according to a press release.

When students enter a government school, they do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression, which includes offering literature to other students, the Independence Law Center said in a statement. However, Mechanicsburg Area School District (MASD) policies relegated student distribution of literature, quite literally, to outside the schoolhouse gate and outside of the school day.

Such an overbroad prohibition was not narrowly tailored to the schools interest in maintaining order, and it did not provide ample alternatives for speech.

Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.

Photo courtesy: Priscilla du Preez/Unsplash
On May 1, Harold Smith will retire as president and CEO of Christianity Today and assume the honorary title of president emeritus. In drawing his administration to a close, Smith addressed Christianity Todays board of directors in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 23 on both the need to remain vision focused and on the challenges seeking to redirect that vision in the days ahead. The following are his edited remarks.

These are truly exciting days for the ministry of Christianity Today. The selection and arrival of Tim Dalrymple as our next chief executive has brought me a sense of great joy even as it has excited the ministry as a whole. And I must again publically thank God that my timing in asking Tim to join CT back in 2013 was not Gods timing.

Gods timing is now!

And with that timing will come someone whose vision for CT is expansive, is media forward, is global, is beautifully orthodox. Everything that is needed for CT as it seeks to be a rallying point for thoughtful Christ-followers in the years to come.

But even as we look forward to all the new and exciting opportunities that Tim will unquestionably open up, my heartfelt prayer is that we will never lose sight of the threefold vision that the Spirit of God himself set upon this ministry through our founder Billy Graham all those years ago.

First, would we faithfully continue to maintain a tone of conviction and loveone of Grahams favorite phrasesin everything we publish in print, pixels, over podcasts, on video, and across future media platforms unknown to us today. The depth of our biblical understanding and the irenic tone of its presentation are needed now more than ever.

Perhaps Graham himself said it best:

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[Updated May 3 with further remarks from Assemblies of God leader Michel Ouedraogo]

Christians in Burkina Faso are mourning a deadly attack on a Protestant church as a new turning point in terrorism in the West African nation.

Sundays shooting at an Assemblies of God congregation in a northern village left six people dead, including the pastor, and represents the first church attack among the recent surge of Islamist violence.

A dozen gunmen on motorcycles stormed the courtyard of the Sirgadji church after worship, fatally shooting its longtime pastor as well as five other congregants after demanding they convert to Islam, according to a statement sent to CT by the general superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Burkina Faso, Michel Ouedraogo. The attackers also stole from the church and burned its pulpit.

The church was one of the oldest Protestant congregations in the region, which borders Mali to the north, and pastor Pierre Ouedraogo had served ...

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Christian women flooding book industry with 'raw, real' content

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More women are entering Christian publishing and are forgoing fluff to tackle tough issues, including abuse, anxiety and relationships.

And theyre making themselves vulnerable to do it.

I have been encouraged to see how younger women are willing to be raw, real, and more vulnerable in sharing their stories within their trusted communities, Judy Dunagan, acquisition editor for womens discipleship resources at Moody Publishers, told The Christian Post.

Fluff and pat answers are no longer tolerated as they openly share their broken stories. And they are clamoring for answers to their brokenness whether it be for their marriages, parenting, healing from past trauma, loneliness, etc.

Rebekah Guzman, editorial director for Baker Books, said books by women writers that address such topics as sex and purity, depression and anxiety, relationships, spiritual warfare, spiritual transformation, and authority of Scripture have done very well at Baker in the last few years.

She noted the importance of literature centered on hard issues, saying, The more Christian nonfiction continues to be vulnerable and honest about real life and struggles, the more people will relate and look to authors for practical help and hope.

Best-selling books by women in the last year include It's Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered  where Lysa TerKeurst talks about her cancer diagnosis and husbands infidelity  and Its Okay Not to Be Okay  where Sheila Walsh opens up about her battle with depression.

The growth in female authors and the desire for rawer content could partly be attributed to the #MeToo movement and social media, especially as female bloggers gain millions of followers.

#MeToo went viral in late 2017 after dozens of women accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of rape and sexual abuse. Many women took to social media to reveal that they too were harassed or abused sexually. Since then, many Hollywood celebrities, federal politicians and clergy were exposed for having engaged in sexual harassment.

Maryland Pastor Ruth Everhart is tackling the issue in her upcoming book, #MeToo Reckoning: Facing the Church's Complicity in Sexual Abuse and Misconduct, due out in December.

"I would say just as a woman who is an aware person and a person of faith that there's definitely a connection between the fact that our culture is shifting in what people read, Everhart commented, adding that its important for Christian nonfiction literature to address hard issues.

Jon M. Sweeney, publisher at Paraclete Press, said he believes the #MeToo movement has had an influence on womens ministry literature.

#MeToo has reached into every corner of our religious and secular lives. I think it has led to many women looking more purposefully for books by fellow women, said Sweeney.

The rise of female bloggers, social media influencers

The opportunities for women to lead in churches and Christian organizations have historically been limited. With that, many Christian women have successfully used social media to offer guidance and wisdom and to simply say what they want to say.

Cindy Bunch, associate publisher and director of Editorial at InterVarsity Press  which has been publishing more women than ever  told CP that she believes womens Christian nonfiction has changed radically with the rise of blogging and podcasting among women writers, giving a platform to those who might not be able to have an official leadership role in their church.

Blogging and podcasting have created opportunities for women who don't have professional careers that naturally give them a reach into an audience, noted Bunch.

Most of our major Christian organizations are not led by women. In the world of blogging, we've seen stay-at-home moms and others create platforms for themselves and develop an audience.

And that audience has been enormous.

Guzman of Baker Books said that in the last eight or so years, women have been approaching publishers with thousands to millions of followers already asking for content and products.

[W]omen are coming to publishers with tremendous built-in, devoted tribes, she noted. And Baker Books wants to reach that already-hungry audience.

While Baker releases books in various genres, it has seen tremendous growth in sales and demand over the last few years in womens nonfiction titles.

Finding and acquiring new and seasoned women authors to speak on womens ministry issues has become a major focus at Baker. It is also quickly becoming one of the most competitive genres in publishing, which was not the case a few years ago, Guzman said.

Weve noticed that books with strong felt needs and practical takeaways, such as Sheila Walshs Its Okay Not to Be Okay and Mo Isoms Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot, really strike a chord with readers and have the potential to spread like wildfire.

Dunagan believes social media has also grown the desire for more practical and bite-size content, such as self-help material, as well as more in-depth and non-fluff Bible studies.

Notably, Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by blogger Rachel Hollis was hugely popular in 2018 and has remained on the New York Times best-seller list for the last 54 weeks. In the self-help book, Hollis describes her failures and encourages women to take control of their own lives.

Parallels in womens ministry

When Kelly King, manager of Women's Ministry Training at LifeWay, was listening to a popular leadership podcast, she was amused to hear the host of the show express shock at the number of women who follow women Bible teachers and influencers on social media and engage with their digital resources."

I'm not surprised at all and this will continue to impact the way we reach others with the gospel message.

These digital resources included giving women in the Southern Baptist Convention more opportunities to gain formal theological training due to the increase of online opportunities at seminaries.

King said that womens ministry staff at local churches havent seen much growth, attributing that to factors including most churches viewing womens ministry as a lay leadership issue.

Though women arent allowed to serve in certain leadership positions, such as the pastorship, in Southern Baptist churches, King said there have been expanded opportunities for women to serve in roles that have long been held by males, such as discipleship-small group ministry, missions, or recovery ministries.

I do think there have been significant changes regarding the roles of women in the local church, she added.

Women leaders must be more prepared to handle crisis situations and addiction issues. Our churches should be safe places for women to find emotional and spiritual encouragement. We need to be hope-givers in light of a culture that seems hopeless.

After CP interviewed King for this story, an unofficial SBC group known as the SBC Womens Leadership Network was launched.

We are singularly focused on connecting and encouraging female leaders in our SBC family in order that we all flourish for the sake of the gospel, states the Network.

The team behind this network is a group of women who have demonstrated leadership and service in the local church level plus many lead and work at the denominational level. We are loyal Southern Baptists and convictionally complementarian.

Kay Burnett, director National Womens Ministries Department with The General Council of the Assemblies of God, reported a thriving womens ministry, likely strengthened by the fact that from 2013-2017, the number of women attending congregations has increased from approximately 1.386 million to 1.480 million.

More and more women are stepping into positions of volunteer leadership and many have taken the pathway to be credentialed with the Assemblies of God, said Burnett.

The Assemblies of God has a unique and affirming perspective on women in ministry and leadership. The AG promotes and supports women serving in every level of ministry from teaching to serving as the lead pastor for her church.

A major example occurred in April 2018 when Pastor Donna Barrett was elected the first female general secretary of the Assemblies of God.

Burnett also told CP that in the Assemblies of God, womens ministry was focusing on more authenticity and honesty about the issues women grapple with.

This includes their current practice of publishing articles and blogs through our website and social media platforms on topics such as healing and recovery from abortion, domestic violence, pregnancy loss, living a full life as a single woman, and leadership for women.

I expect to see more and more focus on the power of God to heal in the face of daunting brokenness and obstacles. Narrative has always been a powerful tool for communicating big truths. Jesus was a master of the craft of using story to bring a principle truth alive, Burnett said.

As more and more women share their stories of healing from abuse, addictions of all kinds, gender confusion and same-sex attraction, I believe we will see revival and breakthrough in the lives of women across our nation.

As Sweeney of Paraclete Press looks toward the future, he feels that women will keep looking to fellow women, whenever possible, for every kind of spiritual inspiration and guidance; and women will continue to comprise the largest purchasing segment of spiritual and religious books.

And while the primary audience for female authors has been women, some publishers are hoping that will change.

Bunch of InterVarsity Press said it is often the case that readers perceive that books authored by women are only for women.

I hope that in the next decade we will see more and more men desiring to read women's voices and more women writing for the whole church.

She has already seen some movement, with #MeToo prompting some men to want to read women and discover womens voices.
This week in Christian history: Joan of Arc, Martin Luther, Confederate chaplains

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Christianity is a faith with a long and detailed history, with numerous events of lasting significance occurring throughout the ages.

Each week brings the anniversaries of great milestones, horrid tragedies, amazing triumphs, telling tribulations, inspirational progress, and everything in between.

Here are just a few things that happened this week, April 28 to May 4, in Church history. They include Joan of Arc relieving the garrison at Orleans, France, Martin Luther celebrates his first mass as an ordained priest, and the Confederate States of America approving a bill to appoint chaplains for their armed forces.

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UMC high court partially upholds Traditional Plan on LGBT issues

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The United Methodist Churchs highest court has partially upheld a measure passed by a special session of General Conference that would provide stricter enforcement of the denominations rules against homosexuality and gay marriage.

In a decision made public on Friday, the United Methodist Judicial Council ruled that the Traditional Plan approved earlier this year at the special session has parts that violate the denominations constitution.

Known as Judicial Council Decision 1378, the ruling refused to strike down the entire Traditional Plan, noting that the petitions within it that were unconstitutional can be severed from the remainder.

These petitions are not so closely related that a change in one affects the others. The petitions held unconstitutional have no effect on the petitions declared constitutional, read the decision. The constitutional petitions are not dependent on the unconstitutional petitions and can survive without the unconstitutional petitions.

Petitions declared constitutional included, among others, Petition 90032, which offered a fuller definition of the term self-avowed practicing homosexual in the Book of Discipline; Petition 90036, which stops bishops from consecrating noncelibate homosexuals as bishops, even if they were elected by a conference; Petition 90042, which mandates a years suspension without pay for any pastor who officiates a same-sex wedding; Petition 90043, which bars the approval or recommendation of a person for ordination if they fail to meet the standards, including that of being in a same-sex relationship.

In another ruling, the Judicial Council upheld a petition passed at special session that would allow an easier departure for congregations that want to leave the denomination.

In Judicial Council Decision 1379, the church court ruled that Petition 90066 passed the three minimal requirements, specifically: the disaffiliation resolution be approved by a two-thirds majority of the professing members of the local church present and voting at the church conference, ... the terms and conditions, including effective date, of the agreement between the annual conference and the exiting local church be established by the conference board of trustees in accordance with applicable church law and civil laws, and that the disaffiliation agreement be ratified by a simple majority of the members of the annual conference present and voting.

When taken together with the consent of the annual conference pursuant to  2529.1(b)(3), Petition 90066 as amended meets all three requirements and is constitutional and provides a means for the disaffiliation of a local church, concluded the Judicial Council.

For the past several years, the UMC has been involved in a divisive internal debate over whether the denomination should change its position on LGBT issues.

In February, the global denomination held a multiday special session of General Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, to try and develop a resolution to the debate.

On Feb. 26, delegates voted 438-384 in favor of adopting the Traditional Plan, which involved maintaining the UMCs official position against homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals while promising stricter enforcement.

Also approved was a measure to make it easier for congregations that oppose the denominations stance on LGBT issues to leave with their property and funds.

Delegates from overseas, especially Africa, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, were a key factor in passing the Traditional Plan.

Reconciling Ministries Network, an advocacy group that sought to change the UMCs position on LGBT issues, denounced the Traditional Plan as deeply unjust and painful.

The Traditionalist Plan was passed by the efforts of organized opponents to gospel inclusion who have funded and promoted the demise of Christian witness across denominations who have dared to call out a white nationalist strain of Christianity, stated RMN.

The Rev. Thomas Lambrecht of the theologically conservative Good News magazine celebrated the result, stating that the UMC sent a clear message that we will maintain traditional biblical moral standards on marriage and human sexuality.

We will not forsake Scripture as our primary authority. We will remain united with our global United Methodist brothers and sisters with shared common ethics, stated Lambrecht.

In response to the vote, the Judicial Council held a meeting in in Evanston, Illinois, on April 23-26 to hear two challenges to the approved measures from the special session.

The first was from Pastor Timothy Bruster of the Central Texas Annual Conference, who requested the church court review the constitutionality, meaning, application, and effect of the adopted legislation referred to as the Traditional Plan.

The second was from the UMC Council of Bishops, which submitted a request for the Judicial Council to determine the constitutionality of Petition 90066, which allowed congregations an easier process for being dismissed from the denomination.

The petitions of the Traditional Plan that were declared constitutional by the Judicial Council this week will take effect in the United States on the first day of 2020 while taking effect overseas 12 months after the UMC General Conference in May 2020, according to United Methodist News Service.
How a church bombed by Nazis ended up in Missouri

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The tower of this English Baroque church, which overshadows the campus of the small liberal arts college that surrounds it, is rather striking for a college chapel on these shores.

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built after the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed the previous medieval edifice. It served the needs of the surrounding parish for three centuries until the Blitz of 1940, when Nazi bombs struck it.

While the walls, made from stately Portland stone, remained standing, the interior was mostly destroyed. As with many of Londons other Wren churches  over 50 churches are attributed to Wren or his workshop  it stood in a ruinous state as British authorities developed plans and came up with money for rebuilding the city. This was a herculean task given that 116,000 buildings were either destroyed or bombed beyond repair.

By the 1960s, some of the churches were reopened after they were authentically restored to their original designs. In other cases they received Wren-esque designs in keeping with the style of the late 17th century. However, St. Mary the Virgin remained a bombed out ruin.

Around the same time, Westminster College, a historically Presbyterian college, was looking to honor Sir Winston Churchills 1946 speech on its campus in Fulton, Missouri.

It was remarkable that Churchill  despite being no stranger to the American speaking circuit  would visit a college in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Of course, it helped that Westminster Colleges audacious invitation had the support of President Harry Truman, a native Missourian.

Churchill used his speech, officially titled Sinews of Peace but more commonly called the Iron Curtain, to warn of the Soviet Unions postwar expansionism and what later became the Cold War. Adding to its significance was the very presence of Truman, who attended even though Churchill was no longer British prime minister.

Nearly 20 years later, Westminster College decided to purchase and rebuild St. Mary the Virgin. The invitation to Churchill was certainly audacious, but this project was on a completely different scale.

First, what remained of the church had to be meticulously chronicled stone-by-stone before deconstruction. It was then shipped across the Atlantic with the 7,000 stones used as ballast before traveling by rail to Fulton. Then it had to be reconstructed with an interior faithful to Wrens original design.

Three years later, in 1969, it was reopened with considerable pageantry that somewhat ironically  Westminster College being Presbyterian in establishment  included rites by an Anglican bishop. Lord Mountbatten, the war hero and last viceroy of India, was even sent by Queen Elizabeth II as her representative.

Over the ensuing 50 years the church evolved from a memorial into the National Churchill Museum that exists today.

Located in the undercroft of St. Mary the Virgin, the museum tells the story of Churchills fascinating life as a historian, journalist, politician, soldier and statesman. Then there is the church, which rivals any of the famous Wren churches in London, most of which are also restored. Somewhat thankfully, it is still used for religious worship. Outside on a plaza stands a sculpture by Edwina Sandys, a granddaughter of Churchill, made from eight sections of the Berlin Wall.

What makes the National Churchill Museum most impressive is its location. You expect such a museum somewhere in England, not in Missouri. Westminster College has punched well above its weight.

Even if you cant make next weekends grand 50th anniversary celebration, which includes a keynote speech by the acclaimed historian and commentator Andrew Roberts, a visit to Fulton is a must for anyone wanting to better understand not only Churchill but also the Cold War.

If you go

The National Churchill Museum is open daily between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tickets range from $6.40 for teenagers and college students to $8.50 for adults.

Fulton is about 90 minutes by car from St. Louis and the closest major airport. I stayed at the Loganberry Inn, a bed-and-breakfast whose past guests include Margaret Thatcher.

Spires and Crosses, a travel column exclusive to The Christian Post, is published every week. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter and Instagram.
China in a persecution category 'all by itself;' USCIRF releases annual report USCIRF annual report labels countries where religious freedom is most violated

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WASHINGTON  Persecution against believers in China was front and center as the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its 20th annual report Monday morning.

With photographs on the cover showing demonstrations against Chinas imprisonment of thousands of Uighur Muslims, the bipartisan and independent commission mandated by Congress unveiled its 226-page report highlighting about 30 countries where religious freedom rights are being egregiously violated.

As is the case in past years, the report divides countries into different tiers, with Tier 1 recommendations representing countries that the Commission believes should be labeled by the U.S. State Department as countries of particular concern (CPC). The CPC label carries with it the possibility that the countries could face sanctions or other negative consequences.

Tier 2 identifies countries where religious freedom violations have happened but have not risen to the severity needed to be considered Tier 1.

USCIRF recommends that 16 countries be labeled as CPCs by the State Department, 10 of which were designated or redesignated as CPCs by the State Department last November.

The Tier 1 countries are: Burma, Central African Republic, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

As has been said several times this morning, we have a Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the countries we look at, USCIRF Commissioner and longtime social conservative activist Gary Bauer said during a rollout event on Capitol Hill attended by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

If we were going to rank the Tier 1 countries, China would be in a category all by itself [with] the level of persecution. They are an equal opportunity persecutor.

With the U.S. and China on the cusp of a major trade deal, USCIRFs report serves as one last call for U.S. officials to integrate religious freedom and related human rights diplomacy into the ongoing trade negotiations.

USCIRF calls for such diplomacy to also occur in the U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue and other levels of the relationships between the U.S. and China.

The trade negotiation comes as Chinas persecution against Uighur Muslims, underground Christian communities, Fulan Gong and Tibetan Buddhists have continued unabated.

The USCIRF report notes that estimates show that as many as 800,000 to 2 million Uighur Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang.

Even though the Chinese government and the Vatican came to an agreement last year, repression of the underground Catholic Church increased during the latter half of the year and also continued into 2019.

Additionally, Chinese authorities closed or raided hundreds of Protestant house churches in 2018 and continue to do so in 2019.

While the Chinese government continued to use advanced surveillance technology and other measures to repress Tibetan Buddhists, over 900 Falun Gong believers are said to have been arrested over the course of 2018 for either practicing their faith or distributing religious literature.

To make matters worse, USCIRF warns that the barrier between religion and the Communist Party in China was further eroded in March 2018 when the jurisdiction over religious affairs was transferred from a government entity to an organ of the Chinese Communist Party.

They go after anybody of any faith that might compete with the communist, atheistic government of China for the loyalty of its citizens, the 72-year-old Bauer warned. It is deeply disturbing to see that ... China is an expanding power  a country getting more and more powerful by the year. To have a country with these ideas and this degree of persecution ought to be something that scares everyone.

Although USCIRF has designated China as a Tier 1 country for 20 years the situation is getting worse, Bauer stressed.

He added that USCIRF commissioners are working with administration officials to push the idea that negotiations with China should be more than just about tariffs and jobs but also about the idea that every person is able to worship the way they see fit.

We are also asking this year of specific targeting of individuals, Bauer said. We know the names of individuals in China that are working for the government that is engaged in this persecution, whether it is the Muslim Uighurs or the Falun Gong, Christians or Tibetan Buddhists. We need to call them out by name and do everything we can to shame them.

Bauer also called out U.S. corporations that have their own trade relationships with China.

Trade with China was supposed to change China, he said. It ended up that trade with China ended up changing America as more and more corporations became dependent on the goodwill of the Chinese government.

USCIRF continues to call for Russia and Uzbekistan to be listed as a CPCs.

Although USCIRF also made those recommendations in its report last year, the State Department did not designate those two as CPCs last year.

Instead, they were placed on a Special Watch List for governments that have engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom.

Religious freedom advocates have put much pressure on Russia in the last couple of years since it passed an anti-terrorism law that gives the state the ability to crack down on nonviolent religious activities, such as evangelism.

In addition to evangelical Christians, Russias crackdowns have also led to the arrest of several Jehovahs Witnesses.

According to Jehovahs Witness spokesperson Jarrod Lopes, who attended the USCIRF event, at least 186 Jehovahs Witnesses are facing criminal charges in Russia and Crimea, with 24 in pretrial detention and 25 under house arrest.

The USCIRF report also calls on the U.S. government to enforce sanctions and other deterrence measures against countries designated as CPCs.

According to the report, only six of the 10 countries the State Department designates as CPCs are actually subject to preexisting or double-hatted sanctions, while the four other countries (Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan) benefit from waivers sparing them from any punitive action.

USCIRF called on the Trump administration to lift its waiver sparing Saudi Arabia of punitive action after last weeks mass execution of 37 Saudi nationals, a majority of whom were Shia Muslims.

USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore was among a group of evangelical leaders who met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last year. He was also part of the first USCIRF delegation to visit with Saudi religious police.

When I visited the kingdom this year and you sit down and you talk about the efforts to reform the kingdom, everybody talks about key performance indicators  the KPIs [key performance indicators], Moore said. On the basis of the KPIs, unquestionably the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most egregious offenders of religious liberty and that is why it is a CPC.

However, Moore contended that there are reasons for optimism in Saudi Arabia.

The minister of Islamic affairs was clear to us in the meeting that Saudi Arabia is not a kingdom anymore where there can only be one religion, Moore added. It is a kingdom where there are lots of different things happening  some things that are the worst in the world. On the same token, there is a glimmer of light and we are trying to do what we can to shimmy open that door.

USCIRF recommended the following countries be designated as Tier 2 countries of concern: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia and Turkey.

In India, persecution against Christians and other religious minorities in certain states has greatly increased over the last several years at the hands of Hindu extremists emboldened by the rise to power of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Despite carrying out acts of persecution against religious minorities, Hindu extremists have often received a level of impunity from local authorities.

USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava, a human rights lawyer who served in the Obama Justice Department, told The Christian Post that USCIRF officials have not been able to visit India in many years. She said the commission is concerned with the extent to which the government is tolerating religious freedom violations.

It is difficult for anyone to try and verify and try to understand what is happening on the ground. There is a lot of reports and there is, of course, a kernel of truth in them but we have to figure out the parameters or the context of that, she explained. For the commission to make the kind of recommendations and informed engagement, we want to have more of an engagement with the government and partners in the country to go and spend some time there.

USCIRF Vice Chair Kristina Arriaga told said that the situation in her homeland of Cuba has deteriorated dramatically in the last year. Last week, USCIRF spoke out against the imprisonment of two Christian homeschool parents in the communist island nation.

Worldwide, places of worship are often becoming a favorite soft target for terrorists, as seen in the recent attacks against places of worship in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

The new USCIRF report recommends that the State Department and the Department of Defense allocate funding to train and equip local officials and communities to protect places of worship and other holy sites, especially in countries where such sites face a high risk of attack.

USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins, who also heads the social conservative advocacy organization Family Research Council, explained that the U.S. government already has a program in place to help foster greater security at vital installations like power plants and government facilities overseas called the Antiterrorism Assistance Program.

So, one of our specific recommendations to the Department of State and Department of Defense is to create and establish programs that would work with foreign governments to provide training and equipment if necessary to these houses of worship to secure them, Perkins said.
Dad faces arrest if he refers to trans-identified daughter by her birth sex: court order

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A father in Canada is facing the possibility of arrest if he refers to his trans-identified 14-year-old daughter as a girl after a court ordered that the teen be allowed to begin taking testosterone.

The teenager's mother supports the gender transition while the father is opposed.

After the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled in February to allow the 14-year-old girl, Maxine (not her real name), to begin taking drugs to transition to look more like a boy, the court issued a protection order this month in an attempt to stop her father (known as Clark) from continuing to privately or publicly refer to his daughter as a female.

In the order issued on April 15 and a related document justifying it, Justice Francesca Marzari argues that the father committed family violence by issuing what the court called expressions of rejection of the childs gender identity.

This court has already determined that it is a form of family violence to AB for any of his family members to address him by his birth name, refer to him as a girl or with female pronouns (whether to him directly or to third parties), or to attempt to persuade him to abandon treatment for gender dysphoria, Marzari writes.

AB says that the evidence establishes that CD has done all of the above, and has continued to do so even after the court found that these actions were contrary to ABs best interests and constitute family violence.

Mazari took issue with Clark talking with various conservative media outlets like The Federalist about the endeavor and his opposition to his childs gender transition. Marzari added in the order that Clark not only referred to his daughter as a female but also publicly shared personal and medical information about her.

Mazari also addressed insensitive user comments that were posted to online news articles related to the familys tension. Some even reportedly encouraged the teenager to commit suicide.

Those posts make me terrified that my father is going to go public in some way that will identify me and open me up to terrible bullying or violence. If he speaks in public as my father about me in my case, I will be outed and I can never go back in the closet, the teenager was quoted as saying in the court document.

My mom told me that there are also interviews with my father on the Culture Guard website but I cannot bear to watch them. It feels as if my dad is going behind my back and I feel really sad and disappointed that he is doing that.

Mazari acknowledges that the order effectively restricts the fathers freedom of expression. Although Clark argued that his free speech rights would be compromised by the order, the court reasoned that his rights as a parent are necessarily guided and constrained by the [Family Law Act] and orders of this court.

His rights do not include harming his child, Mazari contends.

Under the orders terms, Clark can no longer attempt to persuade his child to abandon hormone treatments, despite medical experts' and scholars' warnings about the harmful effects and lack of consensus for such treatment in children.

The father had previously supplied the court with affidavits from Atlanta-based pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Quentin Van Meter and New York-based psychiatrist Miriam Grossman outlining that potential psychological and physical effects of hormone therapy on children.

The father can also no longer refer to his child by her birth name or with female pronouns. Also, he can no longer publicly share or publish information related to his childs gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical health, medical status or therapies.

The father is also barred from authorizing anyone other than him or his lawyer to access copies of court documents related to the case.

The order will last for one year and is subject to a court-issued extension. The father can also be arrested if he is perceived to be in violation of the court order.

Any Peace Officer, including any [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] Officer, having jurisdiction in the Province of British Columbia, who has reasonable and probable grounds believes that the respondent  is in breach of the terms of this order may immediately arrest that person and bring him before a judge of the Supreme Court promptly after the arrest to be dealt with on an inquiry to determine whether he has committed a breach of this order or is in contempt of court, the order reads.

Kari Simpson, president of the Canadian pro-family organization Culture Guard, told The Federalist that Mazaris order is extreme and dangerous because it forces a father to embrace a delusion concerning his daughter or risk the possibility of arrest.

In the U.S., courts are also grappling with how to handle cases involving children who suffer from gender dysphoria and want to take hormones and puberty blockers, and parents who oppose it.

In 2018, a Christian couple in Ohio lost custody of their teenage daughter because they opposed her desire to medically transition. Sylvia Hendon, a visiting Juvenile Court judge in Hamilton County, Ohio, granted custody of the child to grandparents who are affirming of the childs gender identity and desire to change genders.

A report from earlier this year indicated that gender clinics across Canada have experienced exponential growth in the number of children being referred for gender transitions.

According to the report from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, British Columbia Childrens Hospital reported receiving 240 referrals of trans-identified children in 2018. By comparison, only 20 children were referred to the clinic for gender identity issues in 2013.
David Platt answers 'does prayer change God's mind?' at Secret Church event

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McLean Bible Church Pastor David Platt recently answered some common questions about prayer and highlighted how God uses the prayers of his children for the good of His people and ultimately, for His glory in the world.

During the Secret Church event held at McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C., Platt acknowledged that many Christians struggle to pray because they dont understand how their prayers fit with the purposes of a sovereign God.

Does prayer change Gods mind? And does prayer change anything, for that matter? Platt asked. If God is sovereign, if Gods in control of all things, and all of Gods promises will come to pass, then why pray?

To answer that question, one must know four things about God, he said: The perfections of God are unchanging; the purposes of God are unchanging; Gods promises are unchanging, and the plans of God are unfolding.

God has designed prayer to be a powerful means by which we participate in His plans in the world, he said. God brings about a remarkable change in the world in response to the prayers of His people. When we pray, God acts. Our prayers affect the way God acts in the world.

The Radical author pointed to Exodus 8:13, which reads: God did according to the word of Moses.

God did according to the word of man, he said. What a testimony to prayer. Prayer is an invitation to join with God in effectively shaping the course of history ... through prayer, God has called you and me not to watch history, but to shape history for the glory of His great name. Thatll change the way you pray.

Believers must pray, he said, because we have an assignment we cannot fulfill: None of us can be [who] God has called us to be on our own, he explained. "This is the way its designed to be ... its a massive moment when we realize we cant do anything without Gods help. This drives us to pray.

"We pray because we have a privilege we cannot forsake, he said. We pray because we have a family we cannot forget, and we pray because we have a God we cannot fathom.

When we fail to pray, we essentially say were content with little knowledge of Gods glory, Platt warned, adding that we cant help but become like what we behold.

God saves His people, he explained, so that they might seek His face in worship.

But because God is holy, we must be contrite  and not casual  when we approach Him: Sin is no small thing in the sight of a Holy God, he warned, adding that the propensity to sin is strong, and the punishment for sin is severe.

Seeking God is a choice that each of us has, Platt said, adding: Do you want to live in the pursuit of God, or do you want to die not pursuing God?

Platts message was one of four teaching sessions focusing on prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God held during the five-hour Secret Church event.

The idea behind Secret Church comes from time Platt spent teaching and ministering among underground Asian house churches. The event remembers Christians around the world who cannot meet openly.

My goal tonight is that ... you would walk away with a passion, a passion to pursue God. The purpose tonight is not to entertain you, but to equip you, Platt said at the beginning of the night. This is about equipping you not just to know and pursue God in your own life, but to live your life in such a way that others around you know and pursue God as a result of your life.

"I want us to feel throughout this night that God is with us, that He is speaking, and that we have the opportunity to speak to Him, he added.

Throughout the night, attendees asked God to sustain the faith of those persecuted, to change the hearts and the actions of their persecutors, and to use their witness for the spread of the Gospel. The focus of this years Secret Church event was the Somalis of East Africa.

During the first session of the night, Platt offered the reminder that people were created uniquely to enjoy a relationship with God, to rule over all creation, and to reflect and multiply Gods glory to the ends of the earth. Yet, because of sin, humans need a faithful intercessor: One who is fully like us, and One who is fully like God.

God seeks the guilty, Platt said. A relationship with God begins not with your pursuit of God, but with His pursuit of you ... the God who pursued you out of love in the past has not stopped pursuing you out of love today.

Purity of heart is essential to being in the presence of God, the pastor said, and His grace alone keeps us from experiencing His eternal wrath.

You cannot have a relationship with God, come to God in prayer, on your own, he emphasized. You have sinned against God, you are separated from God, and we all deserve judgment for our sin. The only way any one of us can come before God is by trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus for our sin. Thats how a relationship with God begins.

The antidote to sin and selfishness, the pastor said, is seeking God above us, and the pursuit of God involves taking radical risks and trusting in a radical reward.

Our goal in prayer is not ultimately to get things from God; our goal ultimately is to know, love, and enjoy God, he said. Prayer will not be very satisfying if you just want things...prayer is the pursuit of God, not just His gifts. If we just want gifts and we dont want God, we will completely skew prayer from the start.

Still, the Bible tells us we have the opportunity to approach God on behalf of those in need, Platt said, adding: We present our requests to God with bold humility.

As a result of prayer, we walk away having been literally changed by God, he continued. God wants to bless us, He wants to bless His people, He invites us to experience His blessing through prayer ... God never gets old, boring, or uninteresting.

In his sermon, Platt also touched on the subject of fasting, a practice he defined as abstaining from physical food for spiritual purposes."

God created us with physical cravings  and those are designed to be satisfied by their Creator, Platt said.

God uses physical cravings to teach us we are ultimately sustained by God, he said. Our spiritual need for God is far more fundamental than our physical need for food and water.

Later in the evening, Platt warned that not seeking Gods counsel in prayer is detrimental.

Never underestimate the effect of praying to the God who will fight for you, he declared, later adding: One day, all of our praying and all of our fasting in pursuit of God will culminate in the goal of our salvation: everlasting, uninterrupted, uninhibited, unimaginable, indescribable, all-satisfying, communion with God."
Great awakening on global scale is near, reminiscent of Welsh revival, Wallace Henley predicts

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The great move of God known as the Welsh revival that touched Wales soon after the turn of the 20th century portends the "lightning" of yet another awakening, according to Wallace Henley.

God is up to something huge, he says in his new book, Call Down Lightning: What the Welsh Revival Reveals About the End Times. And it's that particular revival and historical cycle that reveals the world is about to see a fresh outpouring of the Spirit.

Henley, whose previous experience includes time as a journalist and a congressional and White House aide, is confident that we are about to see it happen. He is presently the senior associate pastor at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and what precipitated his latest book was the "immensity of the [political and cultural] crisis," he explained in a phone interview earlier this month with The Christian Post.

When he left the nation's capital decades ago after serving in government, he became convicted that the most important institution in society was the Church. The problems plaguing society were beyond human capacity to solve and such problems have only intensified over the years. But as he looked into the Welsh revival he saw not only a profound move of God's Spirit springing up in the churches, but vast social transformation.

"I grew up in the age of revivals in the 1950s, in the deep South, and we called them revivals but they really are not revivals until we see the fruit of revivals coming out of it, which includes the fruit of repentance," he said.

The fruit of the Welsh revival was so extensive that, historians have noted, the donkeys that were used in the coal mines had to be retrained because the coal miners who had encountered Jesus stopped cussing and the animals no longer responded as they once did.

The Welsh revival, Henley says, "is prototypical of what Jesus predicts for the end of the age. That is, it's a sample on a small scale of the great global revival that He predicts in Matthew 24 and Matthew 13 when there will be mass harvests of people coming into the Kingdom."

The coming revival will be very sudden, just like the Welsh revival was, and will encompass every social group in the culture, he said.

"It will be the promise of God made manifest in the redemption of whole societies," he said.

Christians need not fear the end times, he went on to say. Indeed, Jude refers to this time as the "blessed hope." But many Christians tend to view them as a period of awful dread, he said.

"Yes, there will be suffering. Jesus said there will be many tribulations," he stressed, "but He said this is the beginning of birth pangs. He didn't say that was the summation of the end."

The end times began with the ministry, atonement, and the ascension of Jesus Christ, he emphasized.

"We've been living in the end times for two millennia and as the end times approach we not only will see the tensions and stresses that we're experiencing but we've got to look beyond that and see the tremendous fruit," Henley elaborated.

"So I say to every church: Get ready for the harvest. Do all possible to be ready for the harvest."

The metaphor of lightning Henley uses, both in the title and throughout the book, is that the charge is first built up in the ground and then the ground literally draws the lighting. And so it is spiritually, Henley said.

"God wants to come. The lightning is in the cloud. He wants to send revival. But He moves on us through crisis, through hardship, through dark times. He moves on us to begin to pray for that, to release that. He limits Himself at the point of our freedom. And He sovereignly moves and brings about those conditions that will cause us to move, to cry out to it," Henley said.

When Henley was a congressional aide, it occurred to him on one particular day as he watched members of the House of Representatives vote that they were elected by the people they represent to voice the desire of the people they represent.

"What a picture of intercession," he thought to himself that day.

Anytime a piece of legislation is presented in Congress it's because of a need that arises in a congressional district served by the congressman, and that person is voting on behalf of all those people.

The Church of Jesus Christ, then, is God's House of Representatives. The remnant of people on the Earth who have the authority on the Earth to cast the proverbial ballot through their prayers, he elaborated.

Henley writes extensively about Evan Roberts, a Methodist minister at the forefront of the Welsh revival in 19041905, who led meetings at which hundreds upon hundreds of people repented and professed faith in Jesus Christ.

Roberts was known to tarry for hours in prayer with the Lord in solitude and had visions of God doing miraculous things. Though he was a devout Christian and spent his childhood memorizing Scripture and studying the Bible, he had no formal education or theological training. Yet God used him mightily.

"God chooses the lowly things, the things the world counts as foolish, the things that are not in the sense of the world's reputation," Henley says of how God worked through Roberts, referencing 1 Corinthians 1:2728.

And it's His heart to use people today whom the world regards as unimportant, he stressed.

"You are mighty in the Kingdom when you call down lighting, when you call out to God for revival," he says to readers who have long prayed for God to move again.

"The deeper the darkness, the brighter the light. So I anticipate that with the profound darkness of our times, that when revival comes it's going to come in a very explosive, dynamic form," Henley said, when asked about the state of the United States.

More than anything he hopes Call Down Lighting will be used as a catalyst for revival in congregations all over the world.

"Revival is not going to come through the Republican Party or the Democrat Party, or to America, or anywhere if it doesn't come to the Church. The Church is the key. And I hope church leaders will catch a new vision for the critical nature of the Church and its role in God's great cosmic plan."
Pastor, 5 churchgoers killed by gunmen after Sunday service in Burkina Faso

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A pastor and five churchgoers were murdered by gunmen while leaving their church in the West African nation of Burkina Faso on Sunday.

On Monday, government officials reported that the six people were killed in a Protestant Church in the northern part of the country in the village of Silgadji.

Spokesperson Remy Fulgance Dandjinou told media that Sundays attack is the first to target a church in Burkina Faso, which has recently seen an uptick in Islamic extremist violence.

Although Burkina Faso is a majority-Muslim country (60 percent), religious groups have largely coexisted peacefully there.

A security source who spoke with Al Jazeera explained that "unidentified armed individuals attacked the Protestant church. Although different extremists groups are known to operate in Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali, no group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack in Silgadji as of Tuesday afternoon.

"The attack happened around 1 p.m. just as the faithful were leaving the church at the end of the service," one unnamed member of the church told Al Jazeera. The attackers were on motorbikes. They fired in the air before aiming at the members of the congregation."

Rinaldo Depagne, the West Africa Project Director at International Crisis Group, an NGO that researches violent conflicts, told Reuters that armed groups have every interest in troubling or going against the good understanding between religions in Burkina Faso.

We have observed this strategy in other countries in the region and in the world, Depagne stressed.

Thomas Murphy, an intelligence analyst at The Risk Advisory Group, told The National that the group Ansarul Islam is the most active terror group in the northern part of Burkina Faso. However, he noted that they tend to carry out kidnappings and assassinations.

Additionally, Al-Qaeda-linked militants in neighboring Mali have in recent months conducted various attacks in Mali, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, including an attack on a Malian military base in March that killed 23 soldiers.

Experts warned last year that Burkina Faso could become the next foothold for a group of soldiers that split from the Al Qaeda-linked affiliate group in Mali to attack troops and civilians.

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the so-called caliph of the Islamic State, accepted oaths of allegiance from leaders of IS affiliates in Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali in a video that surfaced on Monday.

The video is purported to be the first time in five years the Islamic State leader appeared in a video. Baghdadi, born to the name Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri, congratulated affiliates on the two countries for their enrollment in the ranks of the caliphate.

Murphy told The National that Burkina Faso has featured more prominently in Islamic State propaganda in recent months and suggested that it could be a credible thought that the attack on the church in Silgadji was carried out by IS-aligned militants.

The attack in Burkina Faso comes just days after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings targeting churches and Christians celebrating Easter at hotels in Sri Lanka that killed 253 and injured over 500. The suicide bombings were carried out by extremists affiliated with the local Islamic group National Thowheeth Jama'ath, believed to have affiliation with the Islamic State.

The attack on the church in Burkina Faso also comes just days after five teachers and a municipal were killed in the Koulpelogo province by armed jihadists.

In March, gunmen abducted a Catholic priest named Joel Yougbare from the town of Botogui. Vatican News has explained that reports suggesting that the priest's body has been found are false.

In January 2016, 28 were killed during an attack on a coffee shop in Ouagadougou that was said to have been carried out by Al-Qaeda-linked militants. Among the dead was American missionary Michael Riddering.


PC(USA) lost over 140 churches, nearly 5 percent of active members in 2018

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The Presbyterian Church (USA) lost over 140 congregations and nearly five percent of its active membership in 2018, according to recently released statistics by the denominations Office of the General Assembly.

While still the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, from 2017 to 2018 PC(USA) saw their active membership decline by 62,375 people, going from approximately 1.41 million to approximately 1.35 million.

The number of PC(USA) member congregations also fell, going from 9,304 in 2017 to 9,161 in 2018, or a difference of 143 congregations.

PC(USA) did see a decline in the number of congregations dismissed to other denominations, going from 77 churches in 2017 to 46 in 2018, as well as a slight increase in new worship communities, from 144 in 2017 to 158 in 2018.

In a statement released last week, the OGA of PC(USA) pointed out that the overall decline in active members appeared to be slowing down over the past year.

For example, in 2015 the mainline denomination lost 90,000 active members, a decline much larger than the 67,000 plus lost in 2017, itself larger than the 62,000 plus lost last year.

While the difference is not great, we are encouraged by the slowing trend downward, said the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), in the statement. The church of the 21st century is changing and we still believe God is preparing us for great things in the future.

God is moving through churches, presbyteries and synods, finding new, innovative ways to share the gospel with a lost world and we are thankful for that.

Nelson also stated that he believed statistics showed that the denomination must do a better job of reaching out to younger generations.

The real work internally is creating opportunities for youth and young adults to be taken seriously by our congregations, continued Nelson.

Many of them bring fresh perspectives to a rapidly changing world that can assist both sessions and congregations to live into 21st century ministries and new evangelism possibilities.

As with other mainline denominations, PC(USA) has seen its number gradually decline over the past few decades. In 2011, the Church had its membership go below the 2 million mark.

In 2000, PC(USA) reported approximately 2.5 million members, meaning that at present the denomination is getting close to having half as many members as they did a generation ago.

Jeff Walton of the theologically conservative Institute on Religion & Democracy wrote that at the current rate of decline, he believed the PC(USA) will not exist in about 20 years.

A net 37 percent of members have died, transferred out, or simply vanished in the past decade, wrote Walton, who pointed out that this decline has continued amidst the PC(USA) pursuing theologically liberal positions.

Walton went on to note that other, more conservative Presbyterian denominations are faring better when it comes to membership numbers.

In 2012, ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, was formed by congregations departing the PC(USA), while the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) split from the PC(USA)s Northern predecessor body in 1981 and has continued to attract congregations from the PC(USA), continued Walton.

Separately, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) split from the PC(USA)s Southern predecessor body in 1973 and has posted 7 percent growth over the past five years.
Ronnie Floyd's son, Nick, named as new senior pastor of Cross Church

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With overwhelming support from the congregation and members of the churchs board, Nick Floyd, the son of current Senior Pastor Ronnie Floyd, was voted and affirmed Sunday to succeed his father as leader of Cross Church in Arkansas.

Ronnie Floyd recently stepped down from the helm of the multi-campus church after he was named president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee on April 2.

Thirty-three years ago, First Baptist Church of Springdale selected five men as a search committee to find a prospective pastor for our church. These five men made a covenant that they would not recommend anyone unless it was a unanimous decision. That man was Ronnie Floyd. Now 33 years later, we are looking at somebody to follow Pastor Ronnie. Nick loves this church and above all else, Nick has been faithful to his Lord. He is qualified and capable of leading Cross Church into the future. Your Church Board is unanimous in their support of Dr. Nick Floyd. I believe he is Gods man for this hour, Cross Church board member Ted Schneider, said in a statement on Nicks elevation.

The 35-year-old pastor who joined the staff of Cross Church in February 2009, was overseeing the daily ministry at the Fayetteville Campus and in addition to preaching duties prior to his new appointment.

Leeroy Crossland, a member of Cross Church in Fayetteville told News 5, that the younger Floyd raised attendance numbers at the campus to nearly 3,000 people each Sunday. He believes that experience has prepared him to lead the megachurch.

"He is just an incredible guy  I have nothing but good things to say about Nick," Crossland said. "He is an incredible leader, great pastor and just a really good friend."

Church member Johnelle Hunt, who has known Nick since he was just a small child, said she is excited about his new role.

He has always been respectful of all people and has now grown up to become a strong leader in our church. I am so excited about Nick and the future of Cross Church. I believe Dr. Nick Floyd, as senior pastor, connects the best of our past and the present, with the future God has for our church, she said.

Brian Dunaway, who serves as the director of communications and technology for Cross Church, said the congregation is looking forward to Nicks leadership.

"People have really gotten behind the decision and believe, as the board of directors did as well, that God was calling Nick to be the next senior pastor and that was proven today when they voted on it," Dunaway said.

Nick is expected to start leading morning services after his fathers last service on Sunday, May 19.
Vineyard Columbus raises $13 million in 6 weeks to open 5 new campuses

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The Vineyard Columbus, one of Ohios largest megachurches, has raised over $13 million in six weeks to help the congregation build five new campuses over the next decade and start a pastoral residency program.

Pastor Rich Nathan told The Columbus Dispatch that congregants at the 8,000-member multi-campus church have exceeded the funding goal that was set by church leaders in March as part of a fundraiser to help the church multiply.

As of now, Vineyard Columbus has four campuses. But the goal is for Vineyard Columbus to expand to nine campuses over the next 10 years.

According to the newspaper, Vineyard Columbus fundraising campaign started shortly before Ash Wednesday. The goal was to hit $10 million by Palm Sunday.

The target was $10 million, which was pretty steep, Nathan told the newspaper. I wasnt sure we were going to make it. ... We thought we were kind of shooting for the moon.

Although Palm Sunday has passed. the Vineyard Columbus fundraising campaign will continue.

A video posted to the churchs Facebook page explains that the campaign was launched in response to the projection that hundreds of thousands of new people are expected to move into central Ohio over the next 10 years.

God wants to continue to write his story through Vineyard Columbus and is again asking us to partner with Him to heal the world, the videos narrator explains. He is asking us to continue to knock down walls, plow fields and change the landscape of our city.

In January, the 63-year-old Nathan announced succession plans for when he steps down as Vineyard Columbus senior pastor at the age of 65.

Although Nathan is stepping down from his senior pastor role in January 2021, he made clear that he is not retiring from ministry and will preach as part of a preaching team at the Vineyard Columbus.

When he steps down, he will be succeeded by husband-and-wife duo Eric and Julia Pickerill, who currently serve as Nathans associate pastors.

The Pickerills were unanimously approved by the Vineyard Columbus Church Council and Pastoral Advisory Team, according to Nathan.

"Our process was not merely a human weighing of the pros and cons of various candidates, Nathan wrote on his blog at the time. Over the course of our history, Vineyard Columbus has sought to live out the truth that Jesus is the head of the church! He gets to call the shots, not us! He initiates and we follow.

The Vineyard Columbus current campuses are located in Westerville, Pickerington, Dublin and Columbus.

Vineyard Columbus is also launching a pastoral residency program to equip leaders so that they are prepared to step into these new neighborhoods, love families and love and serve these new communities."

We want to build the pipeline, Nathan explained.
Calif. synagogue shooting: 1 woman dead, 3 injured; suspect detained by authorities

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One woman was shot dead and three others were injured at the Chabad of Poway synagogue just before 11:30 a.m. Saturday, the last day of Passover.

A 19-year-old San Diego man believed to be the shooter has been detained by authorities, who will hold a news conference later today to provide updates about the suspect and those who were injured, which include at least two adults and one girl.

As the suspect fled the scene, an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent who was in the synagogue at the time of the shooting opened fire on the suspect, missing the man but striking his vehicle, Sheriff Bill Gore said, NBC San Diego reports.

The suspect's vehicle was spotted by a San Diego police officer who was en route to the scene. As the suspect pulled over he jumped out of his vehicle with his hands up and was taken into custody, San Diego Police Department Chief David Nisleit told the NBC news station.

The injured were taken to Palomar Medical Center. The Associated Press reported that the hospital said it was treating four injured people.

The city of Poway is located about 20 miles from San Diego and has a population of around 50,000, The Wall Street Journal reported.

"Hate has no place in ANY community ... least of all Poway. We will put our arms around each other and walk through this tragedy as the family we have always been and always will be," Mayor Steve Vaus wrote in post on Twitter Saturday.

"I want you to know, this is not Poway," Vaus added at a news conference where he described the shooting as a hate crime. "We are grateful to those in the congregation there that engaged the shooter and prevented this from being a much more horrific incident."

President Trump, who also described the shooting as a hate crime, called Vaus to offer assistance.

My deepest sympathies go to the people that were affected, the families, their loved ones, Trump said to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House. "Obviously looks right now, based on my last conversations, looks like a hate crime. Hard to believe. Hard to believe."

"We're some doing very heavy research," the president added. "We'll see what happens, what comes up. At this moment it looks like a hate crime, but my deepest sympathies to all those affected and we'll get to the bottom of it. It looks like the person was apprehended."

"I appreciated the presidents call from Air Force One offering assistance following the tragic shooting in @cityofpoway - I told him Poway will stand together and wrap our arms around the victims of this senseless, hateful act," Vaus tweeted.

This is a developing story. Facts might change as updates are provided by authorities.
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You can almost hear the gears turning in the heads of campaign managers for Democratic presidential hopefuls. Theyre thinking Mayor Pete Buttigieg may have been on to something when he claimed recently that Christian faith leads in a progressive direction. If the Democrats can make persuasively make that case, they just might tap into the powerful bloc of conservative, heretofore-Republican, voters.

The recent media attention on Buttigieg shines a glaring light on a particularly large elephant that has long been standing silently in the corner of the Republican living room. Sure, the Republican platform appeals to Christians in its stance on abortion and religious freedom, but what about those pesky social justice issues?

At first glance, Mayor Pete seems to have a great point. After all, Jesus Christ is the ultimate example for the Christian. He spent much of his life ministering to the poor and healing the sick. And didnt Jesus himself say that whatever we do to care for the least of these we do for him?

These are the points trotted out by proud liberals, often in an effort to shame Christians into getting on board with their policy initiatives. I have personally stood on the receiving end of such shaming efforts.

Several years ago, during the heat of the debate over the Affordable Care Act. I wanted to learn more about how the law would work, so I attended a forum where a renowned health-care law expert was speaking about it. At the end of the evening, I still had questions. So I e-mailed the speaker, who knew me as a conservative Christian.

This was his response to my policy-focused questions: My basic orientation to public policy issues is as a Christian. Jesus said repeatedly in various ways, Insofar as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me. He never said that we would get to heaven by being fiscally conservative. Indeed, he said give all that you have to the poor and follow me.

Frankly, I found this insulting. Of course I dont think that being fiscally conservative will get me to heaven. But certainly supporting a government health care program doesnt either. In fact, any Bible-believing Christian will tell you that even if I were to give all that I had to the poor, that wouldnt get me to heaven. But beyond the bad doctrine, this is an example of a liberal yanking Scripture out of context in order to support his political position.

The crucial missing context for the oft-misused passage is this: Jesus was speaking to his disciples when he admonished them to care for the least among them. He was not addressing a group of government officials.

Christians, as individuals, and the Church, as an institution, are called to love our neighbors and to be salt and light to the world. One of the most obvious ways for us to do this is by caring for the needy; feeding the hungry, giving to the poor, and welcoming the stranger. Those are our duties--and they arent properly fulfilled when we attempt to delegate them to a cold, impersonal government bureaucracy that has its own distinct duties to perform.

While the Bible is not primarily concerned with offering a blueprint for government, it does provide certain principles on the topic that ought not be missed. The most important of these have to do with the question we dont ask nearly enough anymore. And that question is, What is the proper role of government in society?

For Christians who take their cues from the Bible, the primary purposes of government are to protect its citizens and to punish wrongdoers. For Americans who take their cues from the Declaration of Independence, the answer is similar: to secure the peoples rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Conservative Christians who vote Republican dont do so because they are against taking care of the needy. They do it because they are for constitutionally limited government. They are for taking care of the needy in the best way possible--doing it themselves, personally, and through their churches, communities, and the countless non-profit organizations that show Americans to be one of the most generous, compassionate people on earth.

No, God isnt a progressive. Hes not even a Democrat. Or a Republican. So to the faithful who care about honoring God with their votes, I would say this: look closely. Mayor Pete (and many others) make a huge logical leap when they go from Jesus cared for the poor to Christians should support big government welfare programs. Its up to us to mind the gap.
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Many mainstream media outlets are unfairly criticizing the Trump administration for removing the phrase Sexual and Reproductive Health from a United Nations resolution on sexual violence. Such a policy change was necessary to ensure that this resolution did not support legal abortion. Many organizations affiliated with the United Nations including the United Nations Population Fund and the World Health Organization have used the phrase Sexual and Reproductive Health as a way to either directly or indirectly promote legal abortion. In fact, the website for the World Health Organizations European office includes abortion as a specific area of work underneath Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has taken the lead to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are neither funding abortion nor weakening pro-life laws in other countries. Their decision to strengthen and expand the Mexico City Policy has significantly reduced taxpayer complicity in global abortion. Furthermore, these Trump administration policy changes have not reduced the overall amount of U.S. funding for global health assistance. Instead, these policy changes have prioritized maternal care, prenatal care, and other programs that ensure adequate nutrition and medical care for mothers and children, rather than abortion.

Furthermore, claims by CNN and other news outlets that the Mexico City policy has increased overseas abortion rates are misleading. Abortion data from developing countries is often incomplete and unreliable. Indeed, the studies which claim that the Mexico City Policy increased the incidence of abortion have many missing data points, as I made clear in a piece for National Review. Furthermore, the data they do analyze often reveals implausibly large annual fluctuations in the incidence of abortion. In reality, a substantial body of research illustrates that defunding organizations that perform abortions is an effective strategy for lowering abortion rates. The Trump administration should be applauded for its efforts to help build a culture of life internationally.

Originally posted at lozierinstitute.org

Michael J. New is a Visiting Associate Professor at Ave Maria University and an associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_J_New
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The death toll from the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka continued to climb all week. As of Thursday, the official count was 359 dead.

Reading and listening to reports about the attacks, its apparent that the number of victims in Sri Lanka isnt the only uncertainty. Many people, especially politicians and media outlets, seem to be having trouble deciding how to identify the victims. I dont mean individual names. I mean identifying what the large majority of victims had in common besides being Sri Lankan: They were Christians.

The default identifier by left-leaning politicians on Twitter was Easter worshipers. Seeing a phrase that hardly anyone ever uses repeated by so many was, well, just weird. In fact, when I first saw the trending Easter worshipers controversy blow up on Twitter, I wondered aloud if this was a redo of the made-up controversy over Starbucks red cups at Christmas from a few years ago. Like then, I wondered if a few isolated examples were being blown out of proportion.

I dont know who originally decided to use the expression Easter worshiper, but it definitely caught on. So much so that it almost looks like there must have been a memo somewhere advising people to use the expression instead of calling the victims Christians.

President Obama tweeted The attacks on tourists and Easter worshipers in Sri Lanka are an attack on humanity. Leaving aside the fact that Christians, not humanity writ large, were the ones attacked, its still an odd choice of words.

Even odder was Secretary Hillary Clintons response: On this holy weekend for many faiths, we must stand united against hatred and violence. Im praying for everyone affected by todays horrific attacks on Easter worshipers and travelers in Sri Lanka.

Holy weekend for many faiths? OK, Jews celebrated Passover on Saturday, but as the New York Times podcast The Daily pointed out from the start, the group behind the attacks targeted Catholic churches and attacked on Easter Sunday, which is holy to only one faith: Christianity. But even they struggled to identify the victims as Christians, preferring instead to call them non-Muslims on a number of occasions. And more than one NPR program I heard described how the rampant anti-Muslim environment of Sri Lanka contributed to the attacks.

Even if we dismiss the odd victim nomenclature as an anomaly, many commentators talked as if it were the buildings instead of the people inside them, and their beliefs, that were the terrorists target.

This seeming denial or at least ignoring the fact that victims were targeted because they were Christians is so odd that it prompts the question Why?

As Ross Douthat of the New York Times helpfully explained, at least part of the answer is that many Western commentators have trouble seeing Christianity and Christians as anything but privileged. However true or not that may be of Western Christians  and now is not the time to debate that  the events in Sri Lanka are, to paraphrase the opening line of Rick Warrens The Purpose-Driven Life, not about us.

Its about, as Douthat put it, Christians like the murdered first communicants in Sri Lanka, or the jailed pastors in China, or the Coptic martyrs of North Africa, or any of the millions of non-Western Christians who live under constant threat of persecution.

The reluctance to call them Christians trivializes their suffering; obviously, not in Gods sight or in ours, but in the eyes of the non-Christian world. Its as if they died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, like someone who gets run over by a bus while crossing the street.

Whatever gripes you have with American Christians, in much of the world Christians live under the constant threat of persecution and, as we saw this past Sunday, even death. Why? Because they are Christians.

As Ive said before, the failure to do more to protect them is a disgrace. And failing to call them by their proper name, Christians, adds gratuitous insult to already-grievous injury.

Resources

Are Christians Privileged or Persecuted? Ross Douthat | New York Times | April 23, 2019

Originally posted at Breakpoint.
Pastor of Sri Lankan church bombed on Easter forgives attacker: 'You are His child'

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The pastor of one of the churches bombed in the Easter Sunday suicide attacks claimed by the Islamic State in Sri Lanka has offered forgiveness to the perpetrators and those who sent them.

In a Facebook video Friday from London, Roshan Mahesan, senior pastor of Zion Church in Batticaloa, said 28 people from his congregation were killed by the suicide bombing at his church and another 70-some are still hospitalized.

Still, we are hurt. We are angry, Mahesan explained.

As the senior pastor of Zion Church Batticaloa, the whole congregation and every family affected, we say to the suicide bomber and also to the group that sent the suicide bomber that we love you and we forgive you.

Zion Church describes itself as a charismatic church affiliated with the Fellowship of Free Churches of Sri Lanka and a Branch of The Lighthouse Church in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

When the bombing occurred, Mahesan was not in Batticaloa. He was visiting a church in Norway.

Mahesan said in his video that no matter what the extremists did to the church, he and the Zion Church congregants will love those responsible for the killings because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ on the cross, He said, Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing, Mahesan said. We also, who follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ, we say for the Lord to forgive these people.

Mahesan explained that as a group of believers, they see all people as people.

When Jesus looks at you as a person, He doesnt look at your religion. He doesnt look at your culture. He doesnt look at anything, Mahesan said. For Him, you are His child. We are all lost. Jesus came in this world to seek and find the Lord.

Mahesan vowed that the ministry will continue the call and mission the Lord has given us.

People in this world are lost. We take the Gospel and we show Christ, he said. We show people who are sitting in the darkness the light of Jesus Christ. Only in Jesus, we have our hope. Only in Jesus, you have all the answers for your life problems.

Mahesan also thanked every church and believer around the world for their support during this time of pain. He said that he has received countless messages from people he knows and doesnt know to express condolences and support.

Zion Church is one of the three churches that was attacked by suicide bombers on Easter Sunday. Suicide bombers also attacked hotels where Christians were having Easter breakfast. At least 253 people were killed in the blast.

At Zion Church, many more people arguably could have been killed if it were not for the heroics of Ramesh Raju, who was said to have prevented the suicide bomber from entering the church.

Rajus wife, Chrishanthini Ramesh, told BBC about her husbands heroics.

My husband sensed something was wrong and informed him he'd need to get permission first, she explained. "He then forced him to leave.

Raju was killed when the bomber blew himself up outside the church.

Over 100 families were impacted by the bombing at Zion Church, according to the British Pakistani Christian Association, a London-based charity that is active throughout South Asia and is aiding victims at Zion Church.

The organization spoke with a survivor named Thirukkumaran, whose 11-year-old son was killed in the blast.

"I saw many children die as I was working in the Sunday School and now these images will stay for me forever, Thirukkumaran was quoted as saying. "I thank God that I will see my son again one day because of the promise of Heaven and pray that no one else ever has to suffer the deep loss I have had to endure."

A BPCA officer also spoke with Chandrika, who lost her husband and 13-year-old son in the bombing.

"When I heard the blast I was in shock, she said. "I knew my husband had been helping Pastor Ramesh remove a suspicious man from the church and feared the worst. My young son, Sasikumar, always stayed close to his father and when I realized they both were dead my whole world collapsed.

Since the attack is believed to have been carried out by a little-known Islamic terrorist group called National Tawheed Jamaath and has been claimed by the Islamic State, a group of about 500 peaceful Muslim refugees who fled from Pakistan to Sri Lanka are now hiding in fear of retaliation from angry Sri Lankan mobs.

But Muslims are not the only ones hiding in fear.

BPCA reported on Friday that several asylum-seeking migrant groups originating from Pakistan and Afghanistan are seeking police shelter in Negombo after being terrorized out of their homes by mobs.

The groups, which include persecuted Pakistani Christians, have complained about threats to their lives from angry Sri Lankans.

"Large groups of local Sri Lankans have been threatening to kill us if we stay in our homes, A Pakistani Christian man named Bobby told BPCA. Our community children and some adults have been attacked and several large gangs with sticks and poles have threatened to beat us to death for the terrorist attacks that happened on Easter.

The man explained that he and the other Pakistani Christians are too fearful to leave the police station.

One man told Sky News that his son was beaten for being Pakistani.

Sri Lanka is one of few nations that many Pakistani minorities flee to out of fear of persecution in their homeland, along with Malaysia and Thailand.

BPCA Chairman Wilson Chowdhry warned that the type of social retaliation now playing out in Sri Lanka is exactly what the perpetrators of the bombings desired because it polarizes communities and builds their hate agenda.

"I appeal to the Christians and other communities of Negombo to stand strong in the face of such provocation and to extend love instead of hate, Chowdhry explained.
Archbishop of Canterbury calls on Anglicans to be peacemakers in time of global uncertainty

The Archbishop of Canterbury has told Anglicans to be peacemakers as he warned that the world was facing "dangerous times".

Archbishop Justin Welby voiced concern about rising populism and the threat posed by climate change as he addressed the Anglican Consultative Council on the first day of its meeting in Hong Kong this week.

In his presidential address, the Archbishop likened climate change to one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse as he called on the Anglican Communion to offer people a place of refuge.

"We live in dangerous times, for some countries it is always dangerous times but the dangers are spreading in which the possibility of a breakdown of the rule-based order that has governed the world since 1945 looms large, and populism is rising across the global North, with isolation in its wake, while climate change grows more and more dangerous to the whole planet, a true horseman of the Apocalypse, but it is in these times that the Anglican Communion has the potential not only to be a place of refuge and stability in the world, but a place of transformation, a place where self- interest is converted into service, where fear is transformed into faith and where enmity and injustice becomes the love and mercy of the Lord," he said.

He said that part of the calling to be peacemakers in the world was to care for those suffering as a result of war, persecution and other ills.

"We cannot condemn whole nations to absence of help, neglect of support, solitary suffering through indulging in the luxury of disunity," he said.

"We cannot abandon the victims of such wars, neglect the persecuted, forget the poor, ignore climate change, fail to preach the gospel with the intention of making disciples, because we think our issues more important.

"We exist for others, in the service of the Prince of Peace."

ACC-17 started on Monday with the Eucharist at St John's Cathedral, Hong Kong, which is this year celebrating its 170th anniversary.

In his sermon, the Archbishop reminded the faithful that Jesus' promise of peace still stood regardless of the violence or suffering in life.

He said: "Today, we know again, more and more about the persecution of Christians. In the last two weeks we have seen it's fresh reality.

"Terrorists attacked those they thought to be Christians, Christians and those who worked with and for Christians. They attacked the innocent, the helpless, those merely passing by in Colombo and other towns. They did so on Easter Day  the day of resurrection.

"That paradox of death all around, of the hands of violence seemingly triumphing, is as old as the promise of Jesus when he says to his disciples "Peace be with you" and when the glorified Lord says, in Revelation, "Peace be with you".

He also commended the Anglican leaders experiencing persecution first hand in their provinces.

"Many here, like Peter, have had your faith tested under difficult circumstances. Some of you under circumstances nearly impossible," she said.

"Thank you for standing firm in your faith. Not only are you standing firm in your faith, you are also sharing your faith like Peter who took advantage of the situation of being challenged to share the good news about Jesus Christ."
Attack on church in Burkina Faso leaves six people dead

Six people, including the priest, were killed when a Protestant church in northern Burkina Faso was attacked on Sunday.

Gunmen opened fire on the congregation at the end of the Sunday service. In addition to the pastor, two of his sons and three other worshippers were killed, BBC Africa reports. AFP news agency said two people were missing.

It came just one week after deadly attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka in which 253 people died, and one day after an attack on a synagogue in California left one person dead.

The attack in Burkina Faso occurred in the small town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province. It is the latest in a spate of deadly attacks to have hit the country in the last year.

The suspects reportedly arrived at the church on motorbikes and are believed to have fled north to the Mali border.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said the display of hatred was "shocking".

He condemned the attack, saying that it was "tragic" that people could die just for worshipping together.

"We mourn and we pray with the families and friends of those who were attending church on Sunday," Dr Tveit said.

"We will not be deterred by extremist violence and intolerance. We will respond with the kind of love that transforms communities and transcends hate."
Extinction Rebellion: some Christian reflections

There aren't many places in the world where you can encounter both a leading figure from Star Wars and a prominent Parliamentarian in quick succession.

But in London you can. Wandering through the capital a few days ago, we saw a street artist dressed as Yoda create the illusion that he was levitating above the pavement. And we also saw Labour MP Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary, addressing the Extinction Rebellion climate demonstrators as the protest neared its end.

It was hard to say which was the more surreal sight, given that a protestor dressed as a medieval Plague Doctor (think full-body black bird costume, beak and all, plus a small top hat) was gesticulating behind Ms Abbott as she spoke.

However, leaving aside its more carnivalesque aspects, how might a Christian reflect on Extinction Rebellion, now that this latest phase of its protest has come to an end?

Here are three thoughts to ponder:

Firstly, we should recognise the overwhelming consensus about climate change, especially if we have yet to do so.

The American space agency NASA states: "Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97 per cent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities."

The NASA article then goes on to list some of the scientific societies, science academies, government agencies and inter-governmental bodies that have made statements in line with that consensus. The myth among some (especially American Republicans) that there is not near-unanimity on this issue is remarkable, but nonetheless readily debunkable once evidence is presented.

Christian organisations such as Tearfund, A Rocha, the John Ray Initiative (JRI), the Evangelical Alliance, Christian Aid and the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion all accept the reality of global warming caused by human activity. And as of February 2019, 194 states, plus the European Union as a bloc, have signed the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

The only non-signatory seems to be the Vatican, which cannot yet sign for technical reasons, but intends to.

The consensus is indisputable. Only the US, under the influence of Donald Trump, has said it wants to withdraw.

Secondly, we should wake up to the fact that Christian campaigning about climate change is a natural outworking of our faith. Just as 19th century British Christians spoke out and took action against the slave trade, so should we do likewise with this modern-day equivalent.

As an Evangelical Alliance article has stated: "Climate change could push more than 100 million people back into poverty by 2030 if we don't do something about it... Loving our poorest neighbours involves us caring about the environment and our climate change."

And Sir John Houghton, who was involved at a senior level with the International Panel on Climate Change, writes: "Our failure to be good stewards is a failure to love God and a failure to love our neighbours."

But, thirdly, we also have to ask: were the Extinction Rebellion protests the best way of furthering this cause?

I have a lot of sympathy with the passion of the participants, and their willingness to take a stand. I silently cheered when Ruth Valerio of Tearfund wrote on Twitter: "So I get the questions around [Extinction Rebellion] but we need large-scale societal change & for that we need agitators as well as reformers."

She joined the protest for part of the Easter weekend.

At the same time, it scarcely seems to be 'loving your neighbour' in practice for demonstrators to cause the widespread disruption that they did, barricading roads and bridges. That's not to mention the toll on the hard-pressed police force over a family Bank Holiday period for many officers.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, had a point when he tweeted: "I support the passion about tackling climate change of those protesting, but... this is counter-productive to the cause and to our city."

Law enforcement resources were being drained away from tackling violent crime, he argued.

It's a tough call. At the end of the day we have to be very shrewd about when and how we as believers engage in civil disobedience.

The Christian political scientist David Koyzis has written some helpful guidelines on thinking this through and concludes: "Civil disobedience is our very last resort, to be contemplated only with fear and trembling. But by no means can faithful believers rule it out of bounds."

Was it justified on this occasion? It seems to me on balance not. But such would be the effect of unchecked climate change on the planet, especially its poorest and most vulnerable, that I would be open to being persuaded...

David Baker is a former daily newspaper journalist now working as an Anglican minister in Sussex, England. Find him on Twitter @Baker_David_A
Mark Sowerby to become principal of the College of the Resurrection after 10 years as Bishop of Horsham

The Bishop of Horsham, the Rt Rev Mark Sowerby, has been announced as the new principal of the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield.

He succeeds Fr Peter Allan CR, who will retire at the end of the academic year at the college, one of 11 Anglican theological colleges in England that offers full-time ordination training to women and men of any tradition.

Bishop Sowerby was formerly a leading traditionalist, having previously been a member of the Council of Bishops of The Society, a body promoting Catholic teaching within the Church of England and providing episcopal oversight for parishes that cannot accept the ministry of a female priest or bishop.

In 2015, he took many in the Church by surprise when he announced that his theological convictions on the ordination of women had changed, prompting his resignation from the council.

At the time, he said he had changed his mind only after "strenuous theological reflection".

He is leaving the Diocese of Chichester, where he has been a suffragan bishop since 2009, to take up the post in Mirfield, West Yorkshire.

His new appointment takes him back to his roots as he was born in nearby Ripon and trained for ordination at the College of the Resurrection.

He served his first curacy in Knaresborough and after several years in the Blackburn Diocese, spent eight years at St Wilfrid's, Harrogate.

From there, he served as the Church of England's Vocations Officer and as a Selection Secretary for the Ministry Division before more recently becoming chair of the national Safeguarding Training Working Group.

Bishop Sowerby said it would be "very hard" to leave Sussex after being made "warmly welcome".

"It has been a great privilege to be Bishop of Horsham and I have hugely enjoyed working in West Sussex over the past ten years," he said.

"There have been particular joys such as our links with the church in Africa and more recently working with the Diocesan Board of Education and our many schools.

"Throughout my ten years in Sussex, I have especially enjoyed time spent in parishes. It has been a huge privilege to confirm adults and young people and to encourage them to explore their individual vocations and I shall always be thankful to God for the faithful clergy and people of Sussex in whose mission, for a time, I have had a share."

A farewell service will be held for Bishop Sowerby and his family in the summer.

The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, paid tribute to the bishop after a decade in the diocese.

"Bishop Mark's appointment as Principal of the College of the Resurrection at Mirfield will return him to the north, to a place that was formative in his own life," he said.

"From the moment of his arrival in the diocese of Chichester, Bishop Mark has been involved in challenging circumstances that have concerned safeguarding. His attention to detail and process has won widespread recognition and respect, locally and at national level.

"In this, as in the pastoral and teaching office of a bishop, he has been a consistently cheerful and encouraging presence and more recently adding to his commitments a lively interest in our Church schools.

"He and his wife, Ruth, will take with them the affection, prayers and gratitude of people across the diocese of Chichester where he has served as bishop of Horsham for the past 10 years."

Chairman of the College Council and Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, said he was "delighted" by Bishop Sowerby's appointment.

"He brings to us a depth of experience as a senior leader in the Church, a passion for the training and flourishing of our clergy, and the ability to respond to opportunities and challenges with both warmth and determination," he said.

Fr Oswin Gartside CR, Superior of the Community of the Resurrection, said, "This is very good news indeed; we are very much looking forward to welcoming Bishop Mark and Ruth to the College. Bishop Mark knows what the contemporary church needs from its clergy.

"He also knows the Community at Mirfield and the College very well: he will be able to provide continuity in all the right places at a time of necessary change.

"The College is in good heart and now, building on the firm foundation laid by Fr Peter, we are looking forward to seeing it develop and thrive under Bishop Mark's leadership. The coming year will be a stimulating time to be an ordinand at Mirfield."
US religious freedom report focuses on growing restrictions in China

Persecution against believers in China was front and center as the US Commission on International Religious Freedom released its 20th annual report Monday morning.

With photographs on the cover showing demonstrations against China's imprisonment of thousands of Uighur Muslims, the bipartisan and independent commission mandated by Congress unveiled its 226-page report highlighting about 30 countries where religious freedom rights are being egregiously violated.

As is the case in past years, the report divides countries into different tiers, with "Tier 1" recommendations representing countries that the Commission believes should be labeled by the US State Department as "countries of particular concern" (CPC). The CPC label carries with it the possibility that the countries could face sanctions or other negative consequences.

"Tier 2" identifies countries where religious freedom violations have happened but have not risen to the severity needed to be considered Tier 1.

USCIRF recommends that 16 countries be labeled as CPCs by the State Department, 10 of which were designated or redesignated as CPCs by the State Department last November.

The Tier 1 countries are: Burma, Central African Republic, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

"As has been said several times this morning, we have a Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the countries we look at," USCIRF Commissioner and longtime social conservative activist Gary Bauer said during a rollout event on Capitol Hill attended by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

"If we were going to rank the Tier 1 countries, China would be in a category all by itself [with] the level of persecution. They are an equal opportunity persecutor."

With the US and China on the cusp of a major trade deal, USCIRF's report serves as one last call for U.S. officials to "integrate religious freedom and related human rights diplomacy" into the ongoing trade negotiations.

USCIRF calls for such diplomacy to also occur in the US-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue and other levels of the relationships between the US and China.

The trade negotiation comes as China's persecution against Uighur Muslims, underground Christian communities, Fulan Gong and Tibetan Buddhists have continued unabated.

The USCIRF report notes that estimates show that as many as 800,000 to 2 million Uighur Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang.

Even though the Chinese government and the Vatican came to an agreement last year, "repression of the underground Catholic Church increased during the latter half of the year" and also continued into 2019.

Additionally, Chinese authorities closed or raided hundreds of Protestant house churches in 2018 and continue to do so in 2019.

While the Chinese government continued to use advanced surveillance technology and other measures to repress Tibetan Buddhists, over 900 Falun Gong believers are said to have been arrested over the course of 2018 for either practicing their faith or distributing religious literature.

To make matters worse, USCIRF warns that the barrier between religion and the Communist Party in China was further eroded in March 2018 when the jurisdiction over religious affairs was transferred from a government entity to "an organ of the Chinese Communist Party."

"They go after anybody of any faith that might compete with the communist, atheistic government of China for the loyalty of its citizens," the 72-year-old Bauer warned. "It is deeply disturbing to see that ... China is an expanding power  a country getting more and more powerful by the year. To have a country with these ideas and this degree of persecution ought to be something that scares everyone."

Although USCIRF has designated China as a Tier 1 country for 20 years the situation is "getting worse," Bauer stressed.

He added that USCIRF commissioners are working with administration officials to push the idea that negotiations with China should be more than just about "tariffs and jobs" but also about the idea that every person is able to worship the way they see fit.

"We are also asking this year of specific targeting of individuals," Bauer said. "We know the names of individuals in China that are working for the government that is engaged in this persecution, whether it is the Muslim Uighurs or the Falun Gong, Christians or Tibetan Buddhists. We need to call them out by name and do everything we can to shame them."

Bauer also called out US corporations that have their own trade relationships with China.

"Trade with China was supposed to change China," he said. "It ended up that trade with China ended up changing America as more and more corporations became dependent on the goodwill of the Chinese government."

USCIRF continues to call for Russia and Uzbekistan to be listed as a CPCs.

Although USCIRF also made those recommendations in its report last year, the State Department did not designate those two as CPCs last year.

Instead, they were placed on a "Special Watch List" for governments that have engaged in or tolerated "severe violations of religious freedom."

Religious freedom advocates have put much pressure on Russia in the last couple of years since it passed an anti-terrorism law that gives the state the ability to crack down on nonviolent religious activities, such as evangelism.

In addition to evangelical Christians, Russia's crackdowns have also led to the arrest of several Jehovah's Witnesses.

According to Jehovah's Witness spokesperson Jarrod Lopes, who attended the USCIRF event, at least 186 Jehovah's Witnesses are facing criminal charges in Russia and Crimea, with 24 in pretrial detention and 25 under house arrest.

The USCIRF report also calls on the US government to enforce sanctions and other deterrence measures against countries designated as CPCs.

According to the report, only six of the 10 countries the State Department designates as CPCs are actually subject to preexisting or "double-hatted" sanctions, while the four other countries (Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan) benefit from waivers sparing them from any punitive action.

USCIRF called on the Trump administration to lift its waiver sparing Saudi Arabia of punitive action after last week's mass execution of 37 Saudi nationals, a majority of whom were Shi'a Muslims.

USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore was among a group of evangelical leaders who met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last year. He was also part of the first USCIRF delegation to visit with Saudi religious police.

"When I visited the kingdom this year and you sit down and you talk about the efforts to reform the kingdom, everybody talks about key performance indicators  the KPIs [key performance indicators]," Moore said. "On the basis of the KPIs, unquestionably the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most egregious offenders of religious liberty and that is why it is a CPC."

However, Moore contended that there are reasons for optimism in Saudi Arabia.

"The minister of Islamic affairs was clear to us in the meeting that Saudi Arabia is not a kingdom anymore where there can only be one religion," Moore added. "It is a kingdom where there are lots of different things happening  some things that are the worst in the world. On the same token, there is a glimmer of light and we are trying to do what we can to shimmy open that door."

USCIRF recommended the following countries be designated as "Tier 2" countries of concern: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia and Turkey.

In India, persecution against Christians and other religious minorities in certain states has greatly increased over the last several years at the hands of Hindu extremists emboldened by the rise to power of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Despite carrying out acts of persecution against religious minorities, Hindu extremists have often received a level of impunity from local authorities.

USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava, a human rights lawyer who served in the Obama Justice Department, told The Christian Post that USCIRF officials have not been able to visit India in many years. She said the commission is concerned with the extent to which the government is "tolerating religious freedom violations."

"It is difficult for anyone to try and verify and try to understand what is happening on the ground. There is a lot of reports and there is, of course, a kernel of truth in them but we have to figure out the parameters or the context of that," she explained. "For the commission to make the kind of recommendations and informed engagement, we want to have more of an engagement with the government and partners in the country to go and spend some time there.

USCIRF Vice Chair Kristina Arriaga told said that the situation in her homeland of Cuba has "deteriorated dramatically in the last year." Last week, USCIRF spoke out against the imprisonment of two Christian homeschool parents in the communist island nation.

Worldwide, places of worship are often becoming a favorite "soft target" for terrorists, as seen in the recent attacks against places of worship in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

The new USCIRF report recommends that the State Department and the Department of Defense allocate funding "to train and equip local officials and communities to protect places of worship and other holy sites, especially in countries where such sites face a high risk of attack."

USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins, who also heads the social conservative advocacy organization Family Research Council, explained that the US government already has a program in place to help foster greater security at vital installations like power plants and government facilities overseas called the Antiterrorism Assistance Program.

"So, one of our specific recommendations to the Department of State and Department of Defense is to create and establish programs that would work with foreign governments to provide training and equipment if necessary to these houses of worship to secure them," Perkins said.

Courtesy of The Christian Post
This is an article from Bloomberg Opinion. To read an Opinion or Editorial piece from the Houston Chronicle, go to HoustonChronicle.com.

Its unclear what will unfold in Venezuela now that interim president Juan Guaido has called for the military and citizens to take to the streets. What is clear, however, is that this is not a coup.

You wouldnt know this from the early news coverage. Trump Aides Back Unfolding Venezuela Coup Attempt, reads a typical headline in Politico. CNN blared Coup in Venezuela in its chyron (it has amended its website to call it an uprising). The headlines match the messaging of Nicolas Maduros regime. As the countrys information minister tweeted, the event is a small group of traitors attempting a coup.

All of this is wrong, for a few reasons. To start, the dissatisfaction in Venezuela appears to rise to higher levels than the government cares to admit. For example: On Tuesday morning, according to one source close to Guaidos interim government, the soldiers that were standing guard at the home of Leopoldo Lopez told him he was free to go. The former opposition leader had been under house arrest since July 2017.

Lopez endured one of Venezuelas worst prisons. Maduro made sure to make an example of him. The soldiers who let Lopez go free were defying one of Maduros most important orders.

U.S. and Venezuelan interim government officials have also said that in recent months there have been back-channel communications between Guaidos team and military leaders. The planning for the Tuesdays uprising has been underway for months.

In public Guaido has pressed the National Assembly to adopt measures offering amnesty for military officers who have not engaged in violent crimes. Privately, the opposition and military have managed to subvert the Maduro regimes blocking of electronic communications  by delivering messages by hand and arranging face-to-face meetings. That is one reason Guaido was able to address the country on Tuesday morning from an air force base without being harmed or captured.

Guaido himself, actually, is the other main reason the rebellion in Venezuela is not a coup: The interim president, who is recognized by the U.S. and dozens of other nations, has democratic legitimacy. Maduro is responsible for this turn of events. In May 2018, Maduro won a so-called election that no serious outside observer found to be free or fair. His second term began on Jan. 10, which is when Venezuelas Supreme Court in exile ruled that Maduro had exceeded his authority by staying in power after his legitimate term in office.

The bottom line is that, after Jan. 10, a sequence of events began that ended with Guaido invoking a provision of the Venezuelan constitution that makes the leader of the National Assembly interim president when the presidency is vacated.

Compare Guaidos respect for the rule of law to Maduros. Since the opposition won a majority in the National Assembly in 2015, Maduro has delegitimized that institution, replacing it with an emergency body that was initially created to change the constitution. Maduro has also packed the courts, arrested his opponents and assumed more power. All the while, he has put his country in hock to loans from China and Russia, while allowing Cuba to staff the top levels of his security and intelligence services.

Guaido and his supporters are now trying to save their country from Maduros misrule. If the military does indeed defect this week, forcing Maduro to leave, Guaido has pledged to quickly prepare Venezuela for real elections. Thats not an anti-democratic coup. Its a democratic rescue mission.

Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI.

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
HCA Houston Healthcare, one of the area's largest health care systems, announced a $3.5 million donation to the University of Houston's College of Nursing as that program continues to grow, the company and university officials said on Monday.

The gift includes $2 million to fund the HCA Houston Healthcare Nursing Faculty Endowment to expand the school's adjunct and full-time faculty. Another $1 million will go to UH's new nursing facility in Katy, expected to open this fall.
In a state known for its oil-based booms and busts, Jerry Morales is convinced Midland, Texas, the unofficial capital of the Permian Shale Basin, has a chance to break from the pattern.

In the Permian, "we dont say boom anymore," according to Morales, who serves as mayor of the nations fastest growing city. "Were very sustainable. The boom-and-bust era is over."

What a difference a year can make. In 2018, Morales sat in the Mulberry Cafe in Midland and talked of a local economy that was "on fire" and out of control because of the oil boom. A year later, sitting in the same cafe, his message is decidedly different.

Midland is using a $100 million bond to fix overused roads, and accessing a $180 million regional fund from a new coalition of 20 drillers for other advances, he said. A $50 million water tower has been approved to serve expanding neighborhoods, and a $3 million animal adoption center is in the works for pets left homeless by apartment-dwelling oil workers.

Meanwhile, four drillers led by Chevron Corp. have funded a new childcare facility that opened last week.

"I dont want Midland to be known as a big mancamp," Morales said. "We are having to think outside the box and truly be urban planners, creating a city and an environment thats inviting for everyone."

Tim Fischer

The Permian rose from the dead with the advent of fracking a decade ago to become a market beast, producing about a third of U.S. oil as it grew to become one of the worlds most prolific oilfields.

In the process, though, local resources were stretched beyond their limits. Now, Morales and others say the region may be settling into adulthood. Employers still struggle to fill jobs in competition with the oilfields, roads are jammed, schools overflow and home prices are sky-high. But local leaders say they have plans and resources set to secure a long-term future.

The changes are coming as oil traders and shale executives believe U.S. crude exports -- driven by success in the Permian -- will reach 5 million barrels a day by late 2020, up about 60 percent from last years average. If that target is hit, America will be exporting, on a gross basis, more crude than any country in OPEC, except Saudi Arabia.

Even so, the drilling rig count in the Permian sits at almost the same level as a year ago, at 460, according to Baker Hughes. And the number of fracking crews working to complete drilled wells is down 8 percent, according to Primary Vision Inc., a Houston-based data firm.

Controlled Expansion

Analysts say the breakneck pace of drilling and no-holds-barred development that upended the Permian economy for much of the past decade is now mellowing as entrepreneurial explorers make way for corporate managers. Where wildcatters once ruled, Exxon and Chevron, Americas two biggest energy companies, are quickly becoming the faces of that controlled expansion.

Indeed, Chevron is now in a rare-in-the-industry bidding war with Occidental Petroleum Corp. to acquire Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and expand its influence in the region.

Although theres probably still a lot of oil to be found, explorers finally have a good handle on where the richest zones lie, meaning theres no longer a scramble to strike the next big discovery.

"Were a well-established oilfield; were not an adolescent anymore," said Wesley Burnett, who runs the economic development program for Odessa, 20 miles southwest of Midland. "Theres definitely been some realization of: Man, weve got to do some things differently in order to get to that next level."

Tracee Bentley, a former aid to Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, is the chief executive officer of the 20-driller Permian Strategic Partnership, launched in November to help local communities deal with the added stress they bring. Among its members are Chevron Corp., Anadarko Petroleum Corp., ConocoPhillips and Apache Corp.

Strategic Partnership

The partnership being forged between the oil companies and the local communities is unlike anything achieved elsewhere, Bentley said.

"Were literally creating it as we go, which is fun and frightening all at the same time," she said in an interview. "The amount of work can be daunting if you look at the basin as a whole. We really want the Permian to be a place that families call home."

Susie Hitchcock-Hall, for one, is impressed by the changes so far.

Hitchcock-Hall, a longtime Midland-based candy maker dubbed the "Willy Wonka of West Texas," owns a candy factory in Midland that can safely hold two busloads of children at a time, she said. A giant tin dish on one wall was once used to enter the Guinness World Records for the biggest piece of toffee ever made. It weighed 2,940 pounds.

The Permian of today has a different feel to it from the roller coaster rides of the past, she said, and shes impressed the oil companies are chipping in. "Theyve pulled the big dogs in," Hitchcock-Hall said. They have the "wherewithal, and theyre smart."

James Durbin

Still, even as leaders like Morales hesitate to describe the regions state as being a "boom," there are boomtown reminders everywhere.

At Opals Table in downtown Midland, for instance, every seat was taken on a recent Wednesday night as diners noshed on $36 Seared Ahi Tuna Steak and sipped $14 Liquid Gold cocktails. Meanwhile, just outside, city of Midland-owned vehicles tooled around town with a sign on their door advertising "now hiring."

The citys unemployment rate was at 2.2 percent in February, compared with 3.8 percent nationally, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Were not going to make anybody move here," said Mitch Jones, who manages the Permian Basin fracking business for BJ Services Inc., one of the biggest providers of completion services in the Permian. "Now if they choose to, well great. It definitely helps if they are local."

-- With assistance from Joe Carroll and Rachel Adams-Heard.
A rare supercell thunderstorm set the backdrop for dramatic photos taken at a Texas wedding Saturday.

Professional photographer Brittani Preece captured the stunning images of Morgan LeeAnn Monteiro and Manuel Monteiro, who were married at Amarillo's Cornerstone Ranch Events Center, featuring storm clouds in the background.

Preece told Chron.com that skies turned dark directly after the wedding ceremony, as a supercell moved into the area.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Harris County clerk ditches bride, groom art from marriage licenses

Supercells have a high propensity to produce severe weather, including damaging winds, very large hail, and sometimes weak to violent tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.

Preece began the post-ceremony photo session with family portraits taken inside the venue.

Then, along with the bride and groom, she then ventured outside, braving the elements.

"I wanted to take outdoor photos and the bride and groom were all for it," Preece told Chron.com. "The winds were insane."

The group had only a short time to shoot the images before the supercell hit the area. "We had around three minutes total before it started pouring down on us," Preece said.

Once back inside the venue, the bride and groom, undeterred, continued with their celebration.

"After all that, they had their first dance," Preece said. "I would definitely put it down as one of my top 10 wedding experiences."

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 Chambers County jury has convicted a 21-year-old man of conspiracy to commit capital murder in the execution-style killings of two Baytown teenagers.

Jose Juan Chavez, one of four men charged in the case, was arrested days after the bodies of Jarvis Morgan, 17, and Alejandro Chavez, 18, were found in a wooded area in March 2015. Baytown police said Jose Chavez participated in the kidnapping of the two victims and stood by as they were killed.

"He has lots of support and love from his family," said his defense attorney, Paul Morgan. "We are currently investigating grounds for an appeal."

The jury in Anahuac, 50 miles east of Houston, began deliberations Friday, but jurors reported Monday morning that they were deadlocked. They continued deliberating and reached a guilty verdict Monday afternoon in the court of state District Judge Randy McDonald.

"It's been a real long trip from the time that this crime occurred until we were finally able to get in the courtroom," said Ed Shettle, Chambers County assistant district attorney. "It's just a difficult case. We're real fortunate that we are able to get the verdict."

Richard Gonzalez, then 21, also was charged with capital murder in the case, but a grand jury declined to indict him in May 2015. Valentin Jose Lazo, 32, is charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder, according to court records. Brandon Flores, a Mexican citizen arrested in Mexico and extradited to the U.S. last year, is charged with capital murder .

Morgan and Alejandro Chavez were best friends and classmates at Robert E. Lee High School. They had been missing for over two weeks before their bodies were discovered. They apparently visited an older friend and former classmate, Brandon Flores, then 20, before they went missing.

During opening arguments last week, Chambers County District Attorney Cheryl Lieck said Alejandro Chavez and Morgan visited Flores, an unlicensed barber, to get a haircut. Flores was living in a house in Baytown on Maryland Street with Jose Chavez and his family, Lieck said. Alejandro Chavez and Morgan apparently showed guns to Flores, and a scuffle ensued involving Chavez, Flores and two other men.

After the scuffle, Alejandro Chavez and Morgan were put into the trunk of Morgan's mother's black Nissan Altima and driven out to Oak Island. Lieck said the victims were shot in the head and left in the wooded area.

A few days later, Lieck said, the men came back and took cinder blocks and rope from Chavez's family property at Oak Island. They weighted the bodies down and threw them over a bridge into a bayou, Lieck said.

Morgan, the defense attorney, had told the jury that only Alejandro Chavez's DNA was found at the Oak Island property. Morgan also called into question a surveillance video that connects Chavez to the crime.

Chavez's conviction comes with a life sentence. He would be eligible for parole in 40 years, according to his attorney.

"Any homicide is a terrible thing, especially for the family and victims, but this was particularly bad because it was an execution-style murder, something that were just not familiar with in Chambers County," said Shettle, the prosecutor. "Things like this don't happen in Chambers County."
Oil prices climbed as police and protesters clashed in the streets of Venezuela, escalating turmoil in the home of the world's biggest crude reserves.

U.S. oil futures advanced 0.7 percent on Tuesday as Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido's calls for the military to help oust President Nicolas Maduro were met by teargas and armored vehicles in the nation's capitol. Mixed corporate earnings reports and word of a roadblock in U.S.-China trade talks fueled uncertainty among investors.

Global benchmark Brent crude, meanwhile, rose 1.1 percent after Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said OPEC and its partners remain focused on reducing oil inventories. That could leave global supplies thin as the U.S. chokes off Iranian exports and unrest flares elsewhere.

EARLIER: Crude wavers as `unnerved' market watches Iranian drama unfold

"The market is currently witnessing the largest number of barrels subject to potential outage in many years, between Venezuela, Iran, Nigeria, Algeria and Libya," said Leo Mariani, a KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. analyst.

Oil reached a six-month high last week after the Trump administration announced the end of waivers that shielded some buyers of Iranian crude from American sanctions. While the Saudis pledged to fill any gaps, the kingdom also remains committed to a pact with Russia and other producers to keep a lid on output.

West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery rose 41 cents to settle at $63.91 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. U.S. refiners are more reliant on Venezuelan supplies than competitors in other parts of the world, which means civil unrest and political chaos in the nation have an outsize impact on North American prices.

PRODUCTION: Rig count falls below 1,000 for first time in 12 months

Brent for June settlement, which expires Tuesday, gained 76 cents to $72.80 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The more-active July contract added 52 cents to $72.06.

The producers' group will try to reduce commercial inventories and focus on "global oil output, trying to correct it via our OPEC+ agreement," Al-Falih told Russian news agency RIA in Riyadh. Most ministers involved in the current cuts agreement favor an extension, perhaps through the end of the year, he said.

The Saudis face a tricky task to balance the market and help revive their economy while fielding U.S. President Donald Trump's public jibes to accelerate output and help lower gasoline prices.

The developments in Venezuela triggered a spate of buying early on Tuesday, but that could reverse just as quickly if the opposition's chances look shaky, said Michael Hiley, head of OTC energy trading at LPS Futures in New York. In the longer term, Maduro's ouster could lower prices, he said.

"They have some of the best reserves in the world and you would just need the proper capital investment to crank that up again," Hiley said. "It will ultimately end up with more oil on the market, but short-term the knee-jerk movement for prices is still up."

--With assistance from James Thornhill and Heesu Lee.

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Willie M. Carter and Ronnie Lewis are running for the Position 4 seat on the Cleveland ISD school board.

Carter is retired, but grew up in Cleveland and has been involved with the community for several years. Lewis is a candidate up for re-election for the Cleveland ISD board of trustees.

Early voting starts Monday, April 22 and runs through Tuesday, April 30.

Early voting started Monday, April 22 and ran through Tuesday, April 30. Election Day is Saturday, May 4, 2019. Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m at the Cleveland City Center.

Carter and Lewis participated in a Q&A with The News Advocate.

Top 3 priorities

Carter:

 Overcrowded Schools / Renovations

 Quality of Education

 Budget

Lewis:

 Do whats best for kids

 Promote better school funding from our state legislature

 Promote programs for safer school for our students and staff

What do you think are the biggest challenges with Cleveland ISD right now and how do you improve them?

Lewis: 1. Catching up with our unprecedented growth. 2. Continuing to try and provide a safe environment for our staff and students conductive to learning. 3. Keeping quality educators for our students.

Carter: Overcrowded schools, which leads to large classroom sizes, which leads to teachers not being able to effectively reach and teach every student in their classrooms. To improve the above-mentioned challenges, I think we would have to add more adequate facilities while consistently monitoring our growth.

What are your thoughts on the proposed $250 million bond? For or against it?

Carter: Whether I am for or against the bond, the proposal is essential. We all are very aware of the overcrowding. This can become a serious safety issue. Safety for our students, faculty, staff, administration and auxiliaries should be our first priority I think the plans on how to use the (bond funds) are adequate, but also think the time has come for everything going on in our district to be reviewed. I am a believer in transparency so that when new construction projects are started there will be no questions as to what the school board is doing now. It will be oh yea thats the new gym and cafetorium being built at the high school.

Lewis: As a taxpayer I never want to pay more taxes. But as a Trustee I fully understand we must provide the best affordable facilities we can to educate our children. Portable buildings are a stop gap, not a solution. We absolutely must pass this bond issue to provide a safe and secure campus for our students and staff.

Dealing with a lot of growth in Cleveland, how do you keep providing the students with a quality education?

Carter: Right now, with our current situation. Structure is the key. There must be hard core structure, consistency and accountability. 1) Supporting our teachers more in managing and disciplining their classrooms. Students acting out and causing disruption as to where the teacher cant teach, and other students cant learn has to end. 2) Consistency across the district is a must. 3) Make everyone accountable. Teachers, students, and parents.

Lewis: Our growth is unprecedented and will continue to be a challenge. It is imperative that we provide the best leadership for our district we can. This includes not only building new campuses but also working with developers to provide areas in these new developments for school.

Whats the first initiative you would pursue if elected to the school board?

Carter: The first initiative I would pursue if elected to the board is how to implement more Vocation and Trade classes back into the district. We do offer some good ones already but there is a great need for more. To name a few DECA, VOE and auto mechanics. Every student that passes through our doors may not choose college. With these classes they can graduate with some type of certificate or preparation for the job market.

Lewis: My first initiative if re-elected will be as it always has - put whats best for our district and students. Our children are the future of our community, and we as trustees can only do and provide what our community will support. Please exercise your rights to vote and let your wishes be known for the future of our district.

marcus.gutierrez@chron.com
Ten years ago, when David Buehrer was still a young caffeine entrepreneur he had his eye on the northeast corner of Shepherd and Bissonnet.

"I always thought it would be a great place for a coffee shop," said the artisan coffee connoisseur who has done much to change the way Houston regards its java. "It's an iconic Houston corner."

Today, Buehrer is presiding over a new project in that corner  a former convenience store that is now home to a mixed-use project housing Tropicales, a new all-day coffee shop/cocktail bar/restaurant. Steve and Hilary Ybarra, owners of The Platform Investment Group that created the building at 2132 Bissonnet, tapped Buehrer to lead the site's first project  a chic, vacation-inspired bar/restaurant offering coffee, craft cocktails and a single menu throughout the day.

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Opening May 5, Tropicales presents what Buehrer calls a fresh look at the evolution of the everyday coffee shop. The cafe will serve high-end coffee and tea, specialty cocktails and a menu of tacos, breakfast sandwiches and bowls, salads, ceviche and larger plates throughout the day  essentially, breakfast, lunch and dinner whenever the customer wants.

"That's the big push for the future of the coffee shop," said Buehrer, explaining that restaurants need to change to accommodate all types of dining and drinking preferences. "In order to have the highest likelihood of success you have to be great at everything."

To that end, Buehrer (the owner of Greenway Coffee Company who has opened coffee shops including Blacksmith, Morningstar and Prelude Coffee & Tea) has assembled a dream team for his bright new venture. Morningstar partner Carlos Ballon, a familiar face in Houston's restaurant and bar community, is Tropicales' culinary director. Pastry chef Jillian Bartolome, known to Houston foodies for her work at Common Bond Bakery & Cafe and Aqui, is the restaurant's general manager. And Kenny Freeman, former general manager of Julep, has been tapped to act as beverage consultant to create the tropical-inspired cocktails as well as the beer and wine program.

Ballon said that Houston's rich Latin culture is reflected in the spirit and menu of Tropicales. Yet the restaurant's look and vibe might suggest Caribbean, Mexican and South American vacation spots. He hopes customers see it as "an oasis  a place that didn't feel like Houston."

The food menu, however, has Houston written all over it. All-day breakfast options include breakfast tacos (eggs with a choice of bacon, chorizo or fried yucca), egg and cheddar biscuit, egg and cheddar croissant, pan con aguacate (a blue corn tlayuda topped with refried black beans, avocado and cotija cheese), yogurt and nut-free granola with fresh and dried fruit, oatmeal with cinnamon and panela sugar topped with granola and fruit, and a cilantro-lime rice bowl filled with black beans, nopales, sliced avocado and fried egg.

There are light bites and side dishes: chips and salsa, chips and queso, salmon ceviche, fried yucca with creamy chimichurri, and house salad. Larger plate options include chicken taquitos made with blue corn tortillas and served with guacamole and refried black beans; flour tortilla tacos with a choice of chicken or beef fajita, shrimp or black bean and nopales; Cuban sandwich; chicken fajita Caesar salad; grilled salmon with cilantro-lime rice and house salad; grilled adobo chicken with refried black beans and rice; pork chop with rice and yucca fries; 44 Farms grilled ribeye with yucca fries and salad; and skirt steak or chicken fajitas.

The cocktail menu with its sunny themes and wanderlust leanings was partly inspired by the writings of Charles H. Baker, an American author known for his cocktail dispatches, specifically "The Gentleman's Companion: Being an Exotic Drinking Book or Around the World with Jigger, Beaker and Flask." The Avocolada mixes tequila with avocado, coconut and key lime; Distant Beaches marries bourbon with fino sherry, orange liqueur, cinnamon and lemon; and Jade Palace takes dry gin, matcha and egg white and froths them with key lime and grapefruit bitters. Baby Moon matches up vodka and vermouth with guava creme, key lime and hibiscus; Volcanoes of Antigua erupts with dark rum, mezcal, guava, lemon and Mexican chocolate spices; and Coconut Grove is a party of rum, coconut water, key lime, agave, mint and soda. The Powers of Peru might emerge as the house's signature drink: a coupe-full of pisco and red bell pepper juice laced with lemon and agave and topped with sparkling cava.

Select beer and wine complete the beverage program. Oh, and what would a coffee shop be without it selection of tea and fresh brews? The coffee lineup includes a daily black coffee, a select "gold cup" coffee that changes daily, espresso, Americano, macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, latte and flat white.

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Tropicales will obviously appeal to the Boulevard Oaks neighborhood as well as nearby Rice Village and Upper Kirby, the principals said. But with its sophisticated look, menu and cocktail program, Bartolome said the restaurant's reach is greater. "A diverse group of people are going to want to come here," she said. "We have a lot to offer ... a different demographic."

That customer base could also be attracted simply for aesthetic reasons. Tropicales (as well as the entire 2132 Bissonnet building) was designed by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture which was responsible for the looks of Houston restaurants including Uchi, La Lucha, Superica, Local Foods and Oporto. The airy space is full of light  clean white walls broken up by natural wood tables and bent-wood chairs, bronze metal mesh screen over the bar, bar stools covered in burnt orange, marbled jade bar top, and potted palms and exotic plants. The 35-seat patio with its umbrellas promotes the oasis theme.

When the Ybarra's proposed the project to Buehrer, it was easy for the coffee guru to say yes. "I wanted to do something inspired by them," Buehrer said, explaining that their concept embracing Latin themes while taking the coffee shop culture in a new direction was thrilling. "I fell in love with it the moment we talked about it."

And it didn't hurt that the project was in that ideal corner he scouted a decade ago.

Tropicales, 2132 Bissonnet; tropicalestx.com. Opens May 5; open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture.
Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jason Waite, Mass Communication Specialist / U.S. Navy photo

Damage Controlman Fireman Garrett Paulson, from Houston, monitors an air compressor aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96). Bainbridge is underway as part of Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG) deployment in support of maritime security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. With Abraham Lincoln as the flagship, deployed strike group assets include staffs, ships and aircraft of Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12), Destroyer Squadron 2 (DESRON 2) and Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW 7); as well as Alvaro de Bazan-class frigate ESPS Mendez Nunez (F 104).
Police have released a new video of a man they believe is targeting businesses primarily along Bissonnet Street in southwest Houston.

Since Dec. 29, 2018, it is believed the suspect has robbed six stores, the latest on Thursday, March 28.

Now, Crime Stoppers and the Houston Police Departments Robbery Division are asking the public for help in identifying the suspect responsible for the aggravated robberies with a deadly weapon. The newly released video of the suspect comes from the Comfort Mattress and Furniture located at 11231 Bissonnet.

According to the Houston Police Department, at 7:50 p.m. Thursday, March 28, an unknown male, armed with a handgun, entered the Comfort Mattress and Furniture, located at 11231 Bissonnet, in Houston, Texas.

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The suspect reportedly approached an employees in the store and forced him to the back of the business where the other employees were at. Once the suspect had the employees together and a customer, he began to take their money individually and then demanded money from the business. The suspect placed the money in a black bag and then fled the scene in an unknown direction.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 18 to 19 years old, about 6 feet tall with a mustache, black jacket and khaki pants.

HPD believes the same suspect is responsible for the following robberies since Dec 29, 2018:

12/29/18 at 2:20 p.m. at a Boost Mobile, 12635 Bissonnet.

12/29/18 at 1:30 p.m. at a Boost Mobile, 11231 Bissonnet.

1/7/19 at 7:50 p.m. at a King Mattress, 11231 Bissonnet.

1/14/19 at 11:40 a.m. at a Nail Shop, 12629 Bissonnet.

1/26/19 at 2:34 p.m. at the HTV Nail, 12380 W. Bellfort.

Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect in this case. Information may be reported by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org

The latest video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/mevH5mUltrc. Previously released videos can be viewed at https://youtu.be/8a0YmyFF-sY.

Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect in this case. Information may be reported by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org.

rkent@hcnonline.com
Katy-area residents have an opportunity in May to bring clean, drinking water to people living in developing countries.

Participating in the World Vision 6K for Water on May 4 at Katy Park will raise money to help bring potable water to those parts of the world. Sponsored by Alief Baptist Church at Katy, the walk will begin at 7 a.m. at the park at 24927 Morton Road.

This is the first year were organizing the event, said Robin Long, the churchs events coordinator. Pastor Donald G. Burgs Jr. was invited to the World Mission kickoff in Orlando, Florida in January, she explained, with other pastors. The convention exposed them to World Visions mission and the May 4 nationwide date for the walk for water.

Its something the pastor felt compelled to do, said Long. It fits within the scope of our mission work and involves our church as well as our community. The event is intended to raise awareness of the need in developing countries as well as funds to help provide drinking water in addition to improving basic living situations and life skills as well as preaching the gospel.

Theres a lot of impact that World Vision brings forth to these communities, added Long.

Long is optimistic that the $2,000 Katy fundraising goal will be reached. Though 11:59 (PT) on April 30 is the registration deadline for people to receive a T-shirt and bib with a photo of a child who will benefit from the event, day-of-event registration also will be available. The registration fee is $50 for adults and $25 for those age 18 and younger. Visit http://www.teamworldvision.org/team/11257 for information and to register.

Participants also have the option of continuing to sponsor the child on their bib for a monthly fee.

Some not participating are reaching out to family and friends to sponsor me and Ive asked other folks to reach out to other folks to help them reach their goal as well for this great cause.

Long didnt set a goal for the number of event participants. People can walk, run, hop or jump  whatever you feel comfortable with, said Long of the 6K event. According to World Vision, 6 kilometers is the average distance people in the developing world walk for water  water that is often contaminated with life-threatening diseases.

Snacks and water will be provided for the participants, who will include Burgs. Noting that May 4 also is Election Day for the Katy Independent School District and the City of Katy, Long said, We do want people to come out and participate if they can.

karen.zurawski@chron.com
With the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season just weeks away, many homeowners - especially those around the greater Houston area - know its time to prepare for stormy weather.

Whether thats gathering supplies, such as canned food or bottled water; or packing an emergency bag in case of evacuation, people know the drill when it comes to ensuring their human family is safe during a natural disaster.

But does that extend to their pets?

David Scherff, founder of Franks Way Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the search and rescue of furry family members during natural disasters, said it should.

Thats why the San Marcos, Texas-based organization is hosting its first disaster preparedness and rescue event on Saturday, June 1 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. right next to Midway BBQ in Katy. The day coincides with the start of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season.

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Scherff and his team at Franks Way Foundation are teaming up with Katy area community groups and government officials to help teach people how to protect their pets and prepare them for a natural disaster.

Attendees who bring their pets can have them microchipped by Texas Litter Control for as low as $5, Scherff said. A photographer will also be around to update pet photos, he said.

The Katy Cert Team, Harris County ESD No. 48 Fire Company, Earthwise Pet Products and the Houston Humane Society are just a few of the agencies scheduled to attend.

The location of the June event - near Midway BBQ - has a special meaning for Scherff and his organization.

Scherff and his 3-year-old English bulldog, Frank, made national headlines nearly two years ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey when Frank was thrown overboard Scherffs boat in Katy during an emergency water rescue.

RECOVERY: Katy moves forward after Harvey

Scherffs friend, former combat Marine Tim Donovan, jumped into the murky, roaring flood waters in a rescue attempt but was swept away. While Donovan survived the ordeal and was later rescued, Frank was no where to be found.

A week later, Scherff located Franks body near Midway BBQ and the dog was laid to rest near Scherffs home in San Marcos.

Having that happen to me, it was just frustrating and devastating, Scherff said. You feel hopeless. Add a natural disaster on top of that and it just compounds the problem so much more.

But the outpouring of support from thousands of people hoping to help Scherff find Frank is what he remembers the most.

The harrowing events spawned what later became Franks Way Foundation and Scherffs dedication in helping people reunite with their furry friends. He also assists those in the path of natural disasters get the supplies they need.

Nine times out of 10 when we go to an affected area, the people that are on that path, they dont have supplies or are in need of medical supplies, Scherff said. So, we kind of do everything now.

The team was most recently in Nebraska, helping folks clear our trees during the flooding there, Scherff said.

Midway BBQ is located at 6025 Highway Blvd in Katy.

michelle.iracheta@chron.com
It is hard to believe it is the better part of two decades since I first had the pleasure of hearing talented soprano, Kelli Estes, as she performed in New York City.

How could I have guessed then that fate would soon find us both working in the Houston area where, happily, whenever I am in town, I continue to have pleasant opportunities to see her perform with the talented LoneStarLyric Company that she founded thirteen years ago back in 2006?

Appropriately billed as Houstons Premier Lyric Theater, the companys 13th Anniversary season continues with this weekends ANOTHER BRITISH INVASION, a cabaret celebration taking place at the Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston, a.k.a. MATCH. The current production is the fourth in the troupes five-event series this season, and seems particularly timely in this age of Brexit.

The program highlights an assortment of musical selections associated with British composers from Andrew Lloyd Webber, to Noel Coward, the Gershwins, The Beatles, and beyond. The talented vocalists include Andrew Briggs, Sarah Brindley, Ms. Estes, and Jeremy Wood. The accompanying jazz trio features Music Director, Barry Sames, on piano, Carol Daubert on drums, Alan Simmons on bass, with Mr. Briggs often joining in on guitar. Soft pastel lighting pleasantly illuminates the intimate and casual space of Theater #1 in the MATCH theatre complex. A refreshment stand adjoins the theatre, and drinks and snacks are welcome in the house. All of the comfortable seating is within full view of the stage, and a few premium seats have cocktail tables beside them.

The trio leads things off with a jazzy interpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webbers, All I Ask of You, and was quickly followed by Mr. Wood with the lively Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley collaboration of, My Kind of Girl. Ms. Brindley showed no fear in moving between high and low vocal ranges for her smoothly elegant delivery of George & Ira Gershwins, A Foggy Day.

After Estes treated the audience to the Johnny Mercer/Richard A. Whiting tune, Too Marvelous for Words, trouble reared its ugly head during a two-number tribute to the challenging patter songs of Gilbert & Sullivan. The tongue-twisting and rapid-fire difficulty of many of their delightful G&S operetta songs is well-known, and quite amazing to hear when successfully performed. Alas, here the several interrupted attempts by Kelli and Jeremy for My Eyes Are Fully Open, did not go well, but it was all in good fun as Andrew rescued them with a fine performance of the equally difficult, Modern Major General.

Jeremy would then add to the fun with the tropical rhythms, rhymes and wit of Noel Cowards Nina, [from Argentina]. Sarah then offers a soft and gentle transition with another Bricusse/Newley tune during her light and airy, Pure Imagination. Speaking of transitions, Kellis performance of the McCartney/Lennon song, Blackbird, was the perfect pathway to the groups pleasant harmonies as they joined forces for a Beatles celebration with All You Need is Love, Love Me Do, and an All the Lonely People, that featured nice guitar work from Andrew. They closed this Act One with a solid, Nowhere Man, and the perky fun of an infectious, When Im 64, that was nicely complemented by some notably fine work from Simmons on the bass.

The countless additional delights following intermission would include a very operatic performance of Andrew Lloyd Webbers, Memory from Sarah, who then joined Kelli for a fine pairing of the Jule Styne/ Bob Merrill Funny Girl classics, People, and Dont Rain on My Parade. Kellis tender side would be nicely displayed in Noel Cowards, Mad About the Boy, and there were more fine moments on bass from Simmons. Jeremy and Sarah pair for the Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn tunes, Time After Time, and Just in Time, smoothly navigating some tricky counterpoints while the trio shows off during some high-speed displays.

Those musicians would also win some appreciative audience applause during the sneaky fun of Henry Mancinis, Pink Panther, and then it was time for Kelli to draw things toward a close with Jule Styne and Comden & Greens poignant, I Guess Ill Hang My Tears Out to Dry. While there wasnt much to cry about during this pleasant musical journey, I would offer two suggestions. While there were numbers where a firm hand on the piano seemed in order, there were other times when this listener would have liked a lighter touch on the ivories. Lastly, energy and enthusiasm are great, but I have a pet-peeve when talented performers supplement the beautiful music and lyrics of classic songs that speak for themselves, by feeling the need to decorate every syllable of a tune with animated gestures and facial expressions. The very best songs need none of that, so I will now take my exit cue from this shows finale, Eric Idles, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.

LoneStarLyrics next offering A FINE ROMANCE - Jerome Kern & Friends, will be coming up this June at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston, 3400 Main St. at Holman. For tickets & information visit www.LoneStarLyric.org, or call 917-414-9577. The phone number at MATCH is 713-521-4533, and the website www.MATCHOUSTON.org

A member of both The Lambs Club Inc. and The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA), the columns of DAVID DOW BENTLEY III have appeared on Broadway websites, in newspapers from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast, and may be viewed online at the website: www.ThePeoplesCritic.com . E-mail may be directed to ThePeoplesCritic3@gmail.com .
Two weeks after the details were released of two men who were kidnapped and tortured in a Cypress home, deputies with the Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constables Office arrested two people in connection with the incident.

Deputies arrested and charged main suspect John Indridson with two counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated assault. Suspect Natalie Morgan was also arrested but her charges were not available.

According to information from the constables office, deputies received information that Morgan was at 29027 Richard Kaye Lane in Pinehurst. Morgan was wanted in conjunction with the incident dubbed the Cypress Torture House and Indridson who was wanted by the U.S. Marshals. Once on scene, deputies arrested Morgan and Richard Jones who was wanted out of Wichita Falls for possession of a controlled substance.

Deputies contacted the U.S. Marshals service and continued the investigation on the whereabouts of the Indridson, the constables release stated. After interviewing several people, deputies along with the U.S. Marshals service and Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force identified Indridson was at the Econo Lodge hotel located at Interstate 10 and Texas 6 in Harris County and was driving a red Ford F150.

RELATED: 2 wanted by police for allegedly forcing kidnapping victims to snort cocaine, drink liquor

Deputies went to the location and located the truck at the hotel. Within minutes Indridson was seen exiting a hotel room in a hurry attempting to enter his vehicle and leave the hotel. Deputies along with members of the Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force surrounded the vehicle and arrested Indridson before he could flee.

Indridson was transported to the Harris County Jail and released to jail staff.

The Precinct 5 Constables Office is thankful for the information that is being given to us from the great citizens in our community to help clean up the streets in Montgomery County, said Precinct 5 Constable Chris Jones. With your help and our continued relationships working with our federal, state and local partners, we are able to accomplish our goals in keeping our community safe.

Indridson was wanted by police for two counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated assault. He and two other men are accused of holding the victims against their will for nine hours in his garage, during which they allegedly beat the victims with machetes and forced them to drink liquor and snort cocaine April 15, court records show.

According to court documents, Indridson was the victims ex-employer and had asked for help moving out of his home in the 21200 block of the Northwest Freeway before the alleged assault. Upon entering Indridsons garage, one victim was punched in the face and another was hit with a wooden board, according to court records.

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All three men were armed with machetes when the victims first entered the garage, according to court records. The victims told police they were held down and beaten with belts  one had a belt placed around his neck until he passed out. He told police he thought he had died.

The victims were then wrapped up in plastic that was staple gunned to their bodies, according to court documents. When one of the victims tried to free himself, he was hit with an extension cord and forced to drink liquor. Another was hogtied with an extension cord and forced to snort cocaine, according to court documents.

After nine hours, court records show Indridson made the victims take showers, change out of their bloodied clothes and dress their wounds. He threatened to kill the victims and their families if they went to police, and demanded they return to his house at 4 p.m. with $4,000 cash, court records show.

One of the three men, identified by the victims as a former coworker, was located at Indridsons home some time later. Lamar Sanders was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated assault. Police are still working to identify the third suspect, known only as Felix.

After conducting a search warrant at Indridsons home, police found machetes, a hand gun, rifle, plastic wrap, staple gun, the victims bloody clothes, meth and Xanax, court records show.

Indridson was previously convicted of a felony in May 1996 when he was charged with aggravated robbery.

Rebecca Hennes contributed to this story.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
A day after a Houston state senator penned a letter demanding changes to the execution-day protocols, the Texas prison system announced it will no longer share death row prisoners' written final statements with the media.

The condemned will still be able to utter last words on the gurney, but any written statements will be tucked away in the prisoners' belongings and not shared with the public.

The shift comes in response to Sen. John Whitmire's ire over the final written words of white supremacist John King, who was executed last week for the notorious 1998 hate crime slaying of James Byrd Jr. Though King said nothing in the death chamber, he left behind a final statement that Whitmire described as "flippant."

"Capital punishment," King wrote. "Them without the capital gets the punishment."

To Louvon Harris, Byrd's sister, the new dictum didn't make much difference; she said she didn't find out about the written statement until long after the process and could go "either way" on taking action regarding final words.

"To say what he said is neither here nor there," she said. "He wasn't punished because he had no money, he was punished because he was guilty of a crime. Those weren't true words; he was punished for all the right reasons but survived 20 years more."

READ MORE: Texas prison system bans spiritual advisers from death chamber

After the execution, prison spokesman Jeremy Desel read the statement aloud to the press gathered in Huntsville, as per the usual procedure in the few cases when a prisoner leaves a written statement.

On Monday, Whitmire expressed his displeasure in a letter to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, asking for an end to written final statements.

"Once they're executed that should be the end," he told the Houston Chronicle. "If they want to write something, I would suggest that TDCJ throw it in the trash with all his other belongings."

On Tuesday, the department's executive director, Bryan Collier, responded with a letter to the Houston senator, laying out the protocol changes.

"The agency has traditionally offered the condemned the option of verbally speaking their last words while in the chamber or writing them out prior to the execution and in turn sharing it with the media," Collier wrote.

"Moving forward, should the offender choose to write a statement, it will be inventoried with their belongings and given to their pre-determined designee after their execution. The agency will only relay to the public the last verbal statement in the execution chamber."

Whitmire's letter marks the second time the Houston lawmaker has demanded a policy change following the execution of one of Byrd's killers. Back in 2011, the senator urged the prison system to end the practice of allowing condemned prisoners to order special last meals after Lawrence Brewer put in a massive final request and ate none of it.

Now, the agency's response to Whitmire's latest request marks the second time in a month that the prison system has retooled aspects of its execution-day protocols to restrict last-minute rights or privileges afforded to the condemned.

Earlier this month, the agency banned all spiritual advisers from the execution chamber in response to a Supreme Court decision in a high-profile death row case. In the final days before he was scheduled to die, Patrick Murphy - one of the Texas 7 prison escapees who killed a police officer in North Texas - lobbed an appeal based on claims of religious discrimination, saying that it was unfair he could not have a Buddhist spiritual adviser in the room at the time of his death.

Christians and Muslims were permitted to have chaplains in the room because the prison system employed religious persons of those faiths. Given the discrepancy, the U.S. Supreme Court called off the execution, and the Texas prison system opted to resolve the problem by banning all chaplains from the chamber.

LISTEN: Jarvis Johnson talks teeth, slavery and the case for independent oversight of Texas prisons

Following his last-minute stay, Murphy is still alive on death row.

In addition to the latest changes announced Tuesday after the King execution, Whitmire asked for an examination of the death penalty appeals process and a look into how the 44-year-old was able to linger on death row for two decades before his execution.

"I intend to ask Lt. Governor Patrick to authorize an interim study of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee to review how someone like Mr. King could be on death row for 20 years," Whitmire wrote. "It is entirely too long and not fair to the Byrd family and to the State of Texas."

To Byrd's sister, it's the lack of remorse that stings.

"We didn't expect anything positive to come out of his mouth," she said. "If he had a heart, he would have said his final words to the family, which he did not. As a family member looking for closure or some type of remorse, that's more disrespectful than words."

The Jasper killer was sentenced to die as one of three white men involved in a gruesome modern-day lynching, when Byrd was chained to a pick-up truck and dragged for more than 3 miles along a country road. His killers had picked him up as he walked home alone after a party, and left him dead in front of a black church. When authorities found him, his pants were around his ankles and his head was missing.

The murder long haunted the Deep East Texas town, and later helped fuel the passage of federal hate crime legislation.

Monique Batson contributed to this report.
A taxi driver was shot Monday afternoon at a Kroger in Montrose, according to Houston police.

The driver's condition is unknown. More than one person has been detained, but it's unclear whether they are suspects.

Police first received the report of a shooting around 1:20 p.m. in the 3000 block of Montrose Boulevard.

At the scene, a large bullet hole is visible in the taxi's driver side window, as well as several shell casings on the ground. A blood-stained cloth was also seen on the ground near the taxi.

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Arnold Hugues was shopping at the Kroger shortly before the shooting happened. He said he hit the ground when he heard at least five gunshots.

"I saw everybody running," Hugues said. "When I got up, I see cops all around. I came close to the cab driver. He got shot (in his side), but he was still talking. He was talking. I think God saved his life."

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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HILLSBORO, Ore. - When workers at an Ace Hardware here reported that a woman had walked out of the store with an $11.99 tank of welding gas that she hadn't paid for in her tote bag, an elaborate high-tech crime-fighting operation sprang into action.

A Washington County sheriff's detective, working with the agency's Special Investigations Unit, ran the store's surveillance footage through an internal facial-recognition program built by Amazon, revealing a possible match.

That woman's license plate was flagged and, three months later, a narcotics officer in an unmarked SUV saw it and radioed other patrol deputies to stop her. A deputy clapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists, an arrest report states. She said she'd needed the gas to fix her car.

Deputies in this corner of western Oregon outside ultraliberal Portland used to track down criminals the old-fashioned way, faxing caught-on-camera images of a suspect around the office in hope that someone might recognize the face.

Then, in late 2017, the Washington County Sheriff's Office became the first law enforcement agency in the country known to use Amazon's artificial-intelligence tool Rekognition, transforming this thicket of forests and suburbs into a public testing ground for a new wave of experimental police surveillance techniques.

Almost overnight, deputies saw their investigative powers supercharged, allowing them to scan for matches of a suspect's face across more than 300,000 mug shots taken at the county jail since 2001. A grainy picture of someone's face - captured by a security camera, a social media account or a deputy's smartphone - can quickly become a link to their identity, including their name, family and address. More than 1,000 facial-recognition searches were logged last year, said deputies, who sometimes used the results to find a suspect's Facebook page or visit their home.

But Washington County also became ground zero for a high-stakes battle over the unregulated growth of policing by algorithm. Defense attorneys, artificial-intelligence researchers and civil rights experts argue that the technology could lead to the wrongful arrest of innocent people who bear only a resemblance to a video image. Rekognition's accuracy is also hotly disputed, and some experts worry that a case of mistaken identity by armed deputies could have dangerous implications, threatening privacy and people's lives.

Some police agencies have in recent years run facial-recognition searches against state or FBI databases using systems built by contractors such as Cognitec, IDEMIA and NEC. But the rollout by Amazon has marked perhaps the biggest step in making the controversial face-scanning technology mainstream. Rekognition is easy to activate, requires no major technical infrastructure and is offered to virtually anyone at bargain-barrel prices. Washington County spent about $700 to upload its first big haul of photos, and now, for all its searches, it pays about $7 a month.

It's impossible to tell, though, just how accurate or effective the technology has been during its first 18 months of real-world tests. Deputies don't have to note in arrest reports when a facial-recognition search was used, and the exact number of times it has resulted in an arrest is unclear. Sheriff's officials said the software has led to dozens of arrests for theft, violence or other crimes, but a public-records request turned up nine case reports in which facial recognition was mentioned.

"Just like any of our investigative techniques, we don't tell people how we catch them," said Robert Rookhuyzen, a detective on the agency's major crimes team who said he has run "several dozen" searches and found it helpful about 75% of the time. "We want them to keep guessing."

Sheriff's officials say face scans don't always mark the end of the investigation: Deputies must still establish probable cause or find evidence before charging a suspect with a crime. But the Sheriff's Office sets its own rules for facial-recognition use and allows deputies to use the tool to identify bodies, unconscious suspects and people who refused to give their name.

The search tool's imperfect results raise the risk of an innocent person being flagged and arrested, especially in cases of the scanned images being blurred, low-quality or partially concealed. Deputies are also allowed to run artist sketches through the search, an unusual use that AI experts said could more often lead to a false match.

Amazon's guidelines for law enforcement say officials should use Rekognition's results only when the system is 99% confident in a match. But deputies here are not shown that search-confidence measurement when they use the tool. Instead, they are given five possible matches for every search, even if the system's certainty in a match is far lower.

After fielding questions from The Washington Post, Amazon added language to those guidelines, stating that officers should manually review all matches before detaining a suspect and that the search "shouldn't be used as the sole determinant for taking action."

The relationship between Amazon and Oregon's third-largest law enforcement agency is mutually beneficial: The Sheriff's Office is helping to refine the system, which Amazon hopes to sell across the country. But Amazon's push into law-enforcement sales has alarmed some legal advocates who say the system poses too many risks to civil liberties. (Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos owns The Post.)

"The government is incredibly powerful, and they bring a lot to bear against an individual citizen in a case," said Mary Bruington, the director of the Washington County Public Defender's Office, which represents defendants who can't afford an attorney. "You couple that with Amazon? That's a powerful partnership."

Matt Wood, the general manager of artificial intelligence for the company's cloud-computing division, Amazon Web Services, said in a statement that Rekognition is just "another input among many other leads for a 100 percent human-driven investigation."

Still, the company faces criticism on many fronts: Top AI researchers, members of Congress and civil rights groups - as well as some of Amazon's own investors and employees - have urged the company to stop providing the technology to law enforcement, pointing to studies that have found that the system is less accurate with dark-skinned faces. Amazon has disputed that research.

Some of Amazon's rivals have spurned similar contracts. Microsoft President Brad Smith said in April that the company had recently declined to provide its facial-recognition software to a California law enforcement agency that wanted to run a face scan anytime its officers pulled someone over, but that it had approved a deal putting the technology in a U.S. prison. Microsoft declined to provide details.

Amazon investors will vote in May on a proposal, backed by a group of activist shareholders, that would prevent the company from selling Rekognition to government agencies unless the company's board determines that it doesn't pose a risk to human rights.

The Sheriff's Office allowed Post journalists to spend two days in March in its squad cars, detective's offices and county jail, observing how deputies have folded the technology into their daily caseload. Most of those interviewed said the software had saved them time, boosted their arrest numbers and helped them process the growing glut of visual evidence. To date, no legal challenge has been made to an arrest on the grounds that the photo match was mistaken, both deputies and public defenders said.

But lawyers in Oregon said the technology should not be, as many see it, an imminent step forward for the future of policing, and they frame the system not as a technical milestone but a moral one: Is it OK to nab more bad guys if more good guys might get arrested, too?

"People love to always say, 'Hey, if it's catching bad people, great, who cares,' " said Joshua Crowther, a chief deputy defender in Oregon, "until they're on the other end."

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'Indistinguishable from magic'

When Amazon revealed Rekognition in 2016, the company called it a breakthrough for a potent style of deep-learning artificial intelligence that showed results "indistinguishable from magic." In a blog post illustrated with a photo of an executive's dog, the company offered some general ideas for how people could begin using it, including for security checkpoints or billboards wired to gather data from a viewer's face.

The unveiling caught the eye of Chris Adzima, a former eBay programmer who had been hired at the Washington County Sheriff's Office to work on an iPhone app that deputies use to track inmates' behavior. His agency had hundreds of thousands of facial photos already online and no real way to analyze them. Using Amazon's AI, he got a system up and running in less than three weeks.

"They didn't really have a firm idea of any type of use cases in the real world, but they knew that they had a powerful tool that they created," said Adzima, a senior information systems analyst who works in a small cubicle at the sheriff's headquarters. "So, you know, I just started using it."

Deputies immediately began folding facial searches into their daily beat policing, and Adzima built a bare-bones internal website that let them search from their patrol cars. He dropped the search-confidence percentages and designed the system to return five results, every time: When the system returned zero results, he said, deputies wondered whether they'd messed something up. To spice it up, he also added an unnecessary purple "scanning" animation whenever a deputy uploaded a photo - a touch he said was inspired by cop shows like "CSI."

As he started flooding Amazon's servers with image data, account executives there took notice, he said, and some voiced their surprise and excitement that he was using it for police work. In one 2017 email first revealed last year as part of an American Civil Liberties Union public-records request, an Amazon account executive asked to introduce Adzima to an executive at a police-body-camera company who wanted to understand how he "overcame stakeholder resistance." "You're AWS-famous now," the executive wrote, with an emoji of a smiley face.

Deputies here say the system is a huge hit. Chris Lee, who has used the search in five cases of burglary and theft, said many of his colleagues have become prolific users, eager to find a simple resolution to an otherwise-difficult hunt. "You're always like: Is it going to show us something?" he said.

For training, deputies are emailed only a printout of the office's facial-recognition policy and a short PowerPoint presentation cautioning them to be careful with the results. One slide shows how the system responded to an uploaded mug shot of O.J. Simpson: by returning a photo of a white man with a beard. "As you can see," the slide reads, the system "still requires human interpretation."

The agency's four-page policy requires staffers to use the system only in cases of a "criminal nexus" and prohibits its use in "mass surveillance" or to monitor people based on their religion, political activities or race. But it also offers several exceptions, including allowing facial searches in cases of "significant threat to life" or when deputies believe a felony suspect will be at a certain place at a specific time.

The search has helped deputies devise unconventional techniques. In one case, an inmate was talking to his girlfriend on a jailhouse phone when she said there was a warrant out for her arrest. Deputies went to the inmate's Facebook page, found an old video with her singing and ran a facial-recognition search to get her name; she was arrested within days.

Deputies can also run black-and-white police sketches through the system looking for results; in one test case, they said, it pointed to a man they'd already flagged as their suspect. Amazon said that running sketches through Rekognition does not violate its rules but that it expects human reviewers to "pay close attention to the confidence of any matches produced this way."

Bruington, from the county public defender's office, said Rekognition's low price and ease of use could tempt police agencies into experimenting with a system they may not fully understand. She also worried that the system's dependence on mug shots meant that anyone previously brought in by police would be that much more likely to resurface in a criminal search.

"Innocent people go through the criminal justice system every day," she said.

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'Look at the bird'

Facial-recognition technology had for decades been a police agency's dream: a simple, stealthy way to identify anyone from afar, without their knowledge or consent. But only in recent years - thanks to improvements in imaging and computer power, and plunging data-storage costs - has the technology become affordable and widespread, used in tagging Facebook photos and unlocking iPhones.

Today's systems break down people's facial photos into long strands of code, called "feature vectors" or "faceprints," that can be rapidly compared with other portraits across a vast database. But while "computer-vision" algorithms are adept at pattern recognition, they match pixels, not clues, and can miss inconsistencies that would seem staggeringly obvious to the human eye.

Still, the promise of cheap and easy identification has proved too compelling for many companies to ignore. The federal agency that assesses facial-recognition algorithms, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, recently said it had tested 127 systems from 44 companies on their "scalability to large populations" and accuracy in identifying "noncooperative subjects" photographed "in the wild." The top-ranking algorithms, from Microsoft and the Chinese start-up Yitu Technology, could match a face photo across a database of millions of images with 99% accuracy.

Amazon has previously declined to submit Rekognition for this assessment, saying the test, which studies an isolated version of the core search algorithm, wouldn't work on its complicated cloud-based search. But an NIST official said that fact has not impeded other companies with similar searches. An Amazon official said the company had launched a "substantive" effort to "redesign critical components" of the system so it could participate.

The FBI said it ran more than 52,000 facial-recognition searches in the past fiscal year, and in 2016, researchers from the Georgetown University law school found at least 52 state or local agencies that had at some point relied on a facial-search system built by federal contractors or surveillance firms. But Amazon has made it simple for any new police force to get started, charging a cut-rate fee based partially on the number of "faces stored."

No federal laws govern the use of facial recognition. But a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate in March and a proposed bill in Amazon's home state of Washington could impose new rules that would, for instance, require companies to notify passersby that their faces are being scanned. San Francisco leaders are expected to vote next week on a proposal, opposed by police, that would make the tech capital the first city in America to ban local agencies from using facial-recognition software.

Amazon executives say they support national facial-recognition legislation, but they have also argued that "new technology should not be banned or condemned because of its potential misuse." FBI agents and Orlando, Florida, police say they have tested the system, and Amazon has pitched it to government agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lawyers in Washington County, Oregon, said they're just starting to see the technique show up in arrest reports, and some are preparing for the day when they may have to litigate the systems' admissibility in court. Marc Brown, a chief deputy defender working with Oregon's Office of Public Defense Services, said he worried the system's hidden decision-making could improperly tilt the balance of power: Human eyewitnesses can be questioned in court, but not this "magic black box," and "we as defense attorneys cannot question, you know, how did this process work."

The system's results, Brown added, could pose a huge confirmation-bias problem by steering how deputies react. "You've already been told that this is the one, so when you investigate, that's going to be in your mind," he said. "The question is no longer who committed the crime, but where's the evidence to support the computer's analysis?"

Amazon's software is rapidly becoming more advanced. The company last month announced a Rekognition update that would, among other things, improve the accuracy of the system's "emotion detection" feature, which automatically speculates on how someone is feeling based on how they look on camera. It includes "7 supported emotions: 'Happy,' 'Sad,' 'Angry,' 'Surprised,' 'Disgusted,' 'Calm' and 'Confused.' "

Amazon also owns Ring, the maker of a popular doorbell camera, which applied last year for a facial-recognition patent that could flag "suspicious" people at a user's doorstep. A Ring spokeswoman said the company's patent applications are intended to "explore the full possibilities of new technology."

The Washington County Sheriff's Office's face database, meanwhile, is always growing, by roughly 19,000 jail bookings a year. When people are arrested, they're brought to a bustling intake room where they get their picture taken by a webcam topped with a red Beanie Babies cardinal. "Look at the bird," they're told.

Those photos become the inmates' identities throughout the county's penal system, and an internal jail website and iPhone app displays the images in a large grid so deputies can quickly track their food intake, behavior and suicide risk.

Rekognition isn't used once an inmate is in lockup, but it has nevertheless left a subtle impact behind bars. Standing in the guardhouse nerve center of Pod 3, the maximum-security wing that inmates call "the hole," deputy Brian van Kleef put it this way: "This is where we gather our database."
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to impose a "full and complete embargo" and more economic sanctions on Cuba if that government does not end what Trump called deadly intervention in Venezuela, where soldiers and opposition forces clashed in the streets in what U.S. officials said may be a pivotal uprising.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had planned to step down and leave the country until his ally Russia persuaded him to stay.

The chaos in Caracas indicated that while a plan had been in motion, it may not have unfolded as anticipated. There were indications that opposition leader Juan Guaido's call for military defections and widespread demonstrations were expected Wednesday, rather than Tuesday. Announcements by senior Maduro officials that they were changing sides did not materialize, and the administration appeared increasingly concerned as it debated next steps.

In Washington, opposing groups skirmished at the Venezuelan Embassy, and Guaido's ambassador to Washington told reporters that "this is the beginning of the end." Republican and Democratic lawmakers voiced support for the interim Guaido government.

Trump and national security adviser John Bolton warned of heavy U.S. retaliation against Cuba, whose anti-capitalist government is closely linked with the socialist government in Venezuela.

Trump tweeted about it Tuesday.

Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford

"If Cuban Troops and Militia do not immediately CEASE military and other operations for the purpose of causing death and destruction to the Constitution of Venezuela, a full and complete embargo, together with highest-level sanctions, will be placed on the island of Cuba. Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!" Trump wrote in a pair of tweets Tuesday evening.

Bolton accused Cuba of playing a "direct role in propping up the failed Maduro regime in Venezuela," and Pompeo suggested that Russia and Cuba had acted in concert to thwart what might have been Maduro's peaceful abdication.

"He was headed for Havana," Pompeo said in the CNN interview late Tuesday. Pompeo did not spell out exactly when Maduro supposedly had decided to go and when he changed his mind. Pompeo also would not say how the U.S. government knew of the developments.

"Fire up the plane," Pompeo advised Maduro, suggesting that Maduro would have safe passage out of the country. "He knows our expectations."

Speaking later on Fox News, Pompeo said the United States had been urging Maduro to step down and leave peacefully "for some time," but he did not elaborate.

The Trump administration accuses Russia and Cuba of propping up Maduro while trying to blame Washington for the collapse of the Venezuelan economy.

"We will continue to take actions to cut the Cuban regime's lifelines in Venezuela and hold it accountable for the destabilizing role it plays in this man-made crisis," Bolton wrote on Twitter.

Trump's warning appeared to refer to a return to the full U.S. embargo on Cuba that President Barack Obama partially lifted in a bid to improve ties. Trump has already reversed many elements of Obama's attempted diplomatic opening.

Earlier Tuesday, Bolton had told reporters that Trump is watching political developments in Venezuela "minute by minute." Bolton also put unusual public pressure on individual Venezuela government officials to renounce Maduro and embrace the political opposition.

Speaking as government loyalists clashed with opposition forces in the streets of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Bolton told reporters that the fast-moving events Tuesday, which included defections of at least some military forces, constitute a "potentially dispositive moment in the efforts of the Venezuelan people to regain their freedom."

"It's a very delicate moment," Bolton said. "The president wants to see a peaceful transfer of power," which he added would be possible if enough military and government figures switch allegiances.

Bolton repeated that "all options" remain open to Trump but said nothing further about any potential use of U.S. military force. He warned Russia not to interfere in the unfolding events and repeatedly accused Cuba of fomenting violence.

In an apparent attempt to divide Maduro's government, Bolton said senior officials, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, had been in secret talks with Guaido, and he called on them to "make good on their commitments" to help oust Maduro.

Earlier in the day, however, Padrino appeared on live television in Venezuela, surrounded by dozens of military commanders and troops. Dressed in combat fatigues and body armor, and standing beneath a massive portrait of Maduro, Padrino described the number of military personnel who appeared with Guaido as "a small group, minuscule, of military and police officials who decided to kidnap a few national guard vehicles and some arms and ammunition."

The United States was the first among about 50 countries to recognize Guaido as the legitimate interim president of Venezuela.

"This is clearly not a coup," Bolton said, adding that Guaido has the authority to direct the military.

Guaido appeared in a video early Tuesday flanked by some military figures and accompanied by a leading opposition figure, Leopoldo Lopez, who had been under house arrest. The video and the apparent military involvement in freeing Lopez led to optimism within the Trump administration that it has bet correctly that the powerful Cuban-backed military would eventually turn against Maduro and policies that are bankrupting the once-rich country.

"I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!" Trump tweeted after Bolton's impromptu news conference outside the White House.

The Republican administration's opposition to the socialist Maduro has a strong ideological component, and Trump often accuses Democrats of pursuing an agenda that would turn the United States "into Venezuela."

Bolton called for three Venezuelan officials by name - the defense minister, the chief judge of the Supreme Court and the commander of the presidential guard - to support Guaido taking power.

"Your time is up. This is your last chance," Bolton tweeted. "Accept Interim President Guaido's amnesty, protect the Constitution, and remove Maduro, and we will take you off our sanctions list. Stay with Maduro, and go down with the ship."

His suggestion that Padrino, in particular, had pledged to flip on Maduro was startling. It followed Padrino's 19-minute address, in which the defense chief had called the street uprising "a coup."

"We say to the people of Venezuela and to the entire world that this fact of violence against the peace of our citizens, it has failed," he said.

A senior Latin American official said opposition talks had been going on with Padrino and the other two for "the last several weeks," and that the three had been promised retention in their current positions if they came out publicly in support of "constitutional order" that would allow Guaido to take power. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the fast-moving and confusing situation, said those involved in the negotiations had no initial explanation for what went wrong, and the official compared it with an aborted aid convoy earlier this year from Colombia to Venezuela that Guaido backers believed would lead to a nationwide uprising and Maduro's departure.

In the months since the administration recognized Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader, as the crisis has dragged on without resolution, the administration has turned to Cold War rhetoric, blaming Cuba and Russia for Maduro's staying power. Russia, along with China, has provided Venezuela with tens of billions in loans - often in exchange for equity in Venezuelan oil fields. But while the Kremlin has used Venezuela to taunt the United States, and its investment and support to keep Maduro under its thumb, administration officials appear confident that Moscow has little interest in a military confrontation in faraway South America.

It is Cuba that has drawn the brunt of U.S. criticism. Under a decade-old agreement, Venezuela has supplied cash- and energy-strapped Cuba with free and subsidized oil, in exchange for sending more than 20,000 Cubans to Venezuelans. Havana says they are doctors and teachers, while the administration says they are primarily military and intelligence agents. They are, according to the administration, the "enforcers" that keep the Venezuelan military from flipping to support Guaido.

Cuban control of the intelligence service, and of communications among military leaders, is believed to have kept the Venezuelan military from organized opposition to Maduro. But the Cubans risk economic and military disaster if they continue supporting him. Trump has already imposed sanctions to cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to the island, and Tuesday's threat of a "full and complete embargo" may leave Havana in the position of having little beyond rhetorical weapons.

Elliott Abrams, the administration's special envoy for Venezuela, told reporters Tuesday that the United States had expected Padrino, along with the head of the Maduro-appointed Supreme Court and the head of the national guard, to declare their support for the Venezuelan Constitution, if not necessarily for Guaido himself.

"We urge the Venezuelan military to stand up for the nation, and for the constitution, and stand behind the people of Venezuela," he said. "They will be judged by their actions today."

Abrams said U.S. officials had been expecting big May Day-themed marches on Wednesday and said U.S. officials did not know the plans had been pushed up by a day.

He said that opposition figures had held discussions with the three influential officials in Maduro's government ahead of those planned demonstrations.

Abrams said the United States was not involved in the discussions, which he said were all among Venezuelans.

Asked whether naming them put them in danger, Abrams said, "I don't think they're in danger, for one thing, if constitutional order is restored to Venezuela. And as I recall the agreements, all of them were going to retain their positions."

Abrams said he had exchanged text messages with Guaido on Tuesday afternoon, describing him as "buoyant and determined."

Asked whether Guaido is likely to be arrested, Abrams said an arrest would not solve Venezuela's problems.

Carlos Vecchio, Guaido's ambassador to the United States, also said Monday that the opposition leadership had had "conversations with part of the inner circle of Maduro" and that "they know that Maduro is not going anywhere. That Maduro is the past . . . and that's why they want to look for a different future for Venezuela."

Vecchio, speaking in an interview with the BBC, said that "we need to keep pressure on the street" to help convince senior government and military people that this is the time for them to switch sides.

Pompeo addressed the political developments but did not detail U.S. plans in Venezuela as he held a previously scheduled meeting Tuesday with Republican senators, participants said.

"Anything that happens to Guaido by the Maduro government, we hold you accountable," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said after the session. "Maduro would be gone a long time ago if it weren't for the Russians," he said.

"We need to put Cuba and Russia on notice that if any violence is directed toward Guaido to try to arrest him or kill him, then we're going to hold Russia and Cuba liable, and we will respond appropriately, and all options are on the table."

As leaders around the world weighed in on Twitter, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted that Cuba stood "with the legitimate government of Venezuela, that is facing with serenity and courage a new coup attempt by the pro-imperialist right, with the complicity of the United States and its lackeys in the region."

Asked whether the administration had spoken with Russia about the latest events, Bolton suggested that the U.S. position was already clear.

"We've made it clear to Russia in both public and private statements . . . that we regard the actions they've taken in Venezuela as something we regard with the utmost seriousness" and have emphasized that civilians should not be harmed.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned what it called violence and incitement on the part of the Venezuelan opposition.

- - -

The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian and Carol Morello contributed to this report.
Damon Keith, one of the most prominent African3American judges on the federal bench, who upheld civil rights and civil liberties in influential rulings that included a 1971 decision barring the Nixon administration from conducting warrantless domestic wiretaps, died April 28 at his home in Detroit. He was 96.

The cause was complications from leukemia and heart disease, said his daughter Cecile Keith Brown.

Judge Keith served in the federal judiciary for more than 50 years beginning in 1967, when President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, named him to the U.S. District Court in Detroit, with jurisdiction over Eastern Michigan. Ten years later, President Jimmy Carter, also a Democrat, elevated him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati.

Keith took senior status in 1995 but continued hearing cases, including on secret deportation hearings for alleged terrorists after 9/11. The George W. Bush administration, he declared, had unconstitutionally sought to "uproot people's lives, outside the public eye, and behind a closed door."

"Democracies die behind closed doors," he wrote in the oft-cited 2002 majority opinion.

The case provided a sort of legal bookend to his decision in the civil liberties case during the Nixon administration, which had helped propel him to national attention. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Keith's ruling ordering the government to turn over transcripts of conversations it had recorded in the course of investigating a radical group accused of planning to bomb a CIA office in Michigan.

Keith credited his drive in large part to his father, who worked for $5 a day in a Ford Motor plant and implored his son to go to college. Another important mentor was future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who frequented Howard University when Judge Keith was a law student there in the late 1940s.

"Thurgood would say, 'When you finish Howard Law, I want you to use the law as a means for social change,' " Keith told The Washington Post in 2016. "That is what I've tried to do in my lifetime."

He venerated the Constitution as a way toward equality for African-Americans who had been excluded from schools, professions, neighborhoods, politics and other arenas of civic life. In 1971, he ordered that about 10,000 of the 24,000 students in the Pontiac, Michigan, public school system be bused to achieve racial integration. It was one of the first such orders in the North.

Shortly before the order took affect, 10 Pontiac school buses were firebombed, a crime for which five Ku Klux Klansmen were later convicted. Keith received death threats.

"I don't scare easily," he told The Washington Post in 2016.

The Supreme Court declined to review the case, allowing busing to proceed.

In 1975, Keith ordered Hamtramck, Michigan, a town neighboring Detroit, to relocate 500 African-Americans who had been displaced from their homes during federally supported urban renewal projects that critics denounced as "Negro removal."

Writing that the city had "ignored their requests for assistance, failed to investigate complaints and in no way compensated such displacees for the loss suffered," he ordered the town to provide the former residents with new, affordable housing.

More than 30 years passed before the housing was built, but when he saw keys exchange hands, "it was meaningful to me as a human being," he told The New York Times in 2010.

Keith endured racism throughout his career - from his time as a janitor at the Detroit News, where a white reporter derisively told him that he should "keep mopping" instead of studying for the bar examination, to an incident at a 1991 conference on the Constitution's bicentennial, where he was mistaken for a parking attendant.

In 2016, he wrote a forceful dissent when the federal appellate panel on which he served upheld tighter regulations on absentee and provisional voting ballots in Ohio.

"Rather than honor the men and women whose murdered lives opened the doors of our democracy and secured our right to vote," he wrote, the majority had forsaken the votes of "the most defenseless." Keith included in his decision photographs of civil rights martyrs including Martin Luther King Jr. and lynching victim Emmett Till.

In an interview with Slate magazine, he later denounced "the racist attitude of the majority."

"Look at those pictures," he said of the images he included. "These are men and women who died for the right to vote. I was really so hurt by the decision of the majority of the court. My grandparents lived in Georgia, and they were not allowed to vote because of racism. I thought about them."

Damon Jerome Keith was born in Detroit on July 4, 1922. His parents were from Atlanta, where his father ran small businesses including a general store and a photography studio before migrating north to work for Ford.

"Most kids in my neighborhood did not go to college," the Detroit Free Press later quoted Judge Keith as saying. "Most went to Jackson prison."

His mother's cousin, who was the wife of the president of what was then West Virginia State College, encouraged Keith to enroll at the historically black institution, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1943.

He served in a segregated Army unit during World War II, an experience that drove his interest in the law. "After coming back and having to ride on the back of buses while seeing German soldiers ride in the front," he recalled, "I made up my mind I was going to become a lawyer."

He received a law degree from Howard University in 1949 and a master of laws degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, whose law school today houses the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.

In the early years of his career, Keith practiced law in Detroit while also holding civic roles including leading the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. In 1953 he married Rachel Boone, a physician. She died in 2007. Survivors include three daughters, Debbie Keith and Gilda Keith, both of Detroit, and Cecile Keith Brown of Chicago; and two granddaughters.

Keith made his most noted ruling in the Nixon administration case involving domestic wiretaps. The administration argued that the government had acted within its lawful authority to protect the country from internal threat, an argument that Judge Keith rejected, as did the Supreme Court, in an 8-to-0 decision citing Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

"History abundantly documents the tendency of government - however benevolent and benign in its motives - to view with suspicion those who most fervently dispute its policies," Justice Lewis Powell Jr. wrote in his decision. "The price of lawful public dissent must not be a dread of subjection to an unchecked surveillance power."

Keith's honors included the Spingarn Medal from the N.A.A.C.P. He was the subject of the 2016 documentary film "Walk With Me: The Trials of Damon J. Keith," directed by Jesse Nesser.

"I really didn't know what kind of judge I'd be," Judge Keith once said, reflecting on his earliest days on the bench. "Putting on the robes can be an awesome responsibility. You have the chance to find out a lot about yourself."
ALBANY  The New York Republican Party is heading for a crossroads this summer following last fall's disastrous election results.

Committee members across the state will have to decide in July whether to stick with state Chair Ed Cox, who has led the party for a decade, or turn the operation over to Erie County GOP Chair Nick Langworthy.

In the wake of the 2018 elections, when Democratic candidates easily won all the statewide races and Republicans lost control of the state Senate, nearly a dozen county Republican leaders, including in Saratoga County, called on Cox to resign.

Speaking to the Times Union in January, Cox acknowledged their frustrations and pledged to "right the ship."

"There's a lot we've got to do," said Cox, 72.

But Langworthy, 38, believes he is the right choice to help the party rebuild for the future, saying it needs a "new generation" of leadership and pledging to incorporate all the county leaders into the state operation.

Langworthy points to recent election victories in his home county, where there are twice as many Democrats as Republicans, as evidence of his ability to lead victorious statewide campaigns.

His plans including recruiting more female candidates, reaching out to younger voters and overhauling the party's fundraising operation.

"We will rebuild this party brick by brick, block by block, and voter by voter," Langworthy said in his campaign announcement.

Saratoga County Republican Chair Carl Zeilman said that Langworthy's leadership has inspired Republicans across the state.

"From building local campaign infrastructure to raising millions of dollars for candidates, Nick Langworthy brings the experience and network we need to revitalize our party across this state," Zeilman said in a statement.

Cox supporters tout the party's victories in local elections and the occasional high-profile upset, including a 2011 special election congressional victory in Brooklyn.

"Through ups and downs, Ed has led with dignity, honor and respect," said Broome County GOP Chair Bijoy Datta in a statement. "Of course we would've liked to have taken a statewide race in recent years, but it's disingenuous for anyone to hang those losses on one person while ignoring the many local-level victories that he's helped us to achieve."

According to Cox's campaign, he is backed by the leaders in Broome, Chenango, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties. Rensselaer County Republican Chair John Rustin anticipated the county would throw its weight behind Cox, but said it would be formally determined by a committee meeting next week.

In addition to Erie County, Langworthy is backed by the chairs of Saratoga, Fulton, Richmond, Allegany, Onondaga, Schenectady, Livingston, Steuben, Cattaraugus, Albany and Delaware counties.

The weighted vote is based on state committee members, so there's no guarantee that the support of a county chair will translate into a vote when the party decides its leader this summer.



David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87
In October 1705, Virginia passed a law stating that if a master happened to kill a slave who was undergoing "correction," it was not a crime.

Indeed, the act would be viewed as if it had never occurred.

Furthermore, the legislation said, when slaves were declared runaways, it was "lawful for any person . . . to kill and destroy [them] by such ways and means as he . . . shall think fit."

Short of killing, the law added, "dismembering" was approved.

In practice, toes were usually cut off.

It had been 86 years since a British ship landed in Virginia with the first documented captive Africans to reach the mainland of English North America.

And it had been 86 years since the colony's governor and council had convened the first continuous representative assembly of Europeans in what would become the United States.

Those two events, weeks apart in the summer of 1619, would become pillars of the national edifice, as the founders erected a structure of freedom alongside a brutal system of slavery.

It is the "central paradox of American history," wrote the late historian Edmund Morgan.

Legislation and the rule of law would be tied to slavery and its legacy for 400 years - from bondage, through emancipation, segregation and civil rights.

This summer the country will mark both milestones.

Reenactments of the first assembly are planned for Jamestown, Virginia, where it happened. And ceremonies to mark the Africans' forced arrival are planned at Fort Monroe, Virginia, where they first anchored.

For all the benefits of free representative government, it was legislation that helped define American slavery: Who was a slave? What rights, if any, did he or she have? And what rules, if any, governed the institution?

The answers were often poisoned by legislators' views on race, slavery and white dominance. And they had catastrophic impacts that the country continues to deal with today.

- - -

By 1700, about 30,000 enslaved people lived in British North America, according to historian Sally Hadden.

By 1776 that number had grown to 450,000.

As slavery grew, so did slave law, and as the enslaved rebelled, ran away, conspired and sometimes murdered their owners, more severe legislation was enacted.

Virginia's code of 1705 defined slaves as "servants imported . . . into this country, by sea or land, who were not christians in their native country."

As such they could be "bought and sold," according to the authoritative history of Virginia's early laws compiled by William Waller Hening.

"Slavery is really a creature of local law," said Eric Foner, professor emeritus of history at Columbia University. "Slavery is created by colonial law and then state law."

In 1680, the Virginia assembly, fearful of the enslaved meeting "under pretense of feasts and burialls," prohibited them from having weapons or leaving the plantation without an owner's written permission.

In 1696, South Carolina law would hold that slaves' "barbarous, wild, savage natures" had to be restrained.

Later it became illegal for the enslaved to beat drums, blow horns or own livestock.

They could not possess liquor or be taught to read or write.

In Charleston, they could not "swear, smoke, walk with a cane . . . or make joyful demonstrations," historian Kenneth M. Stampp wrote in his classic study "The Peculiar Institution."

In 1748, the Virginia burgesses passed a law mandating the death penalty for any enslaved person who poisoned his or her master.

This came three years after an enslaved woman named Eve was accused of poisoning her owner, historian Philip Schwarz wrote.

She was sentenced to be carried "to the place of execution and there to be burnt."

- - -

On July 30, 1619, in the heat of a tidewater summer, Virginia's governor, George Yeardley, convened an assembly of VIPs from the outlying settlements inside Jamestown's new wooden church.

The aim of the meeting was the creation of a new government, and a basic judicial system to go with it.

The assembly met for only six days - during which one representative died - but it would become the first meeting of what Jamestown Rediscovery, the group supporting the archaeological study of the historic site, calls "the oldest continuous lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere."

Yeardley, who had just been knighted by King James I, had returned to Jamestown after visiting Britain. He carried new instructions from the Virginia Company, which controlled the colony.

Yeardley was to organize the colony into "one body corporate, and live under Equal and like Law . . . [for] the happy guiding and governing of the people there inhabiting."

But about three weeks later, a battered British privateer, fresh from a shootout with a Portuguese slave ship, anchored off Point Comfort, southeast of Jamestown, with a cargo of people Yeardley's assembly had probably not considered.

The White Lion, often misidentified as a Dutch ship, had, in company with another British vessel, just ambushed the St. John the Baptist in the Gulf of Mexico.

The latter ship was bound from the West African port of Luanda for Vera Cruz, now in Mexico, with a cargo of 350 captives.

After a bitter fight, the two British raiders seized scores of the enslaved, according to Jamestown historian James Horn.

Afterward, the two ships became separated, and the White Lion found refuge at Point Comfort, now in Hampton, Virginia.

The captain, John Jope, needed food for the crew but didn't have much to trade.

"He brought not anything but 20. and odd Negroes," tobacco planter John Rolfe wrote.

Horn says it is more likely that there were 29 Africans, and there is "little doubt" that they were slaves, not indentured servants. A deal was arranged "at the best and easiest rates," a planter reported later.

Thus, on a summer day in 1619, were the first enslaved Africans brought to the mainland, starting an agonizing journey across the landscape of American history.

- - -

In 1908, a young black man named Green Cottenham was sold to the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. and sent to work in Slope No. 12 of the Pratt coal mines, near Birmingham, Ala.

There he labored with 1,000 other men, facing the whip if he didn't dig the required eight tons of coal a day. At night, he slept chained in barracks.

Generations removed from 1619, Cottenham, 22, wound up at the mine for violating an Alabama vagrancy law that essentially made it a crime to be unemployed.

It was one of a tangle of oppressive laws that grew in the wake of slavery, which trapped African Americans in lives of penury and semi-bondage well into the 20th century.

When he was arrested and couldn't pay his court fees, Cottenham was conveyed, by prior arrangement, to the company, which paid the money while he served his time at hard labor.

Cottenham's real crime was his "blackness," author Douglas Blackmon, wrote in his 2008 book, "Slavery by Another Name."

"Forty five years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freeing American slaves, Green Cottenham . . . toiled under the lash at Slope 12," he wrote.

When the Civil War ended in the Union's victory, the federal government outlawed slavery with the Constitution's 13th Amendment in 1865. (Many northern state legislatures had made it illegal decades before.)

Three years later, the 14th Amendment asserted among other things that black people were U.S. citizens - something the Supreme Court had previously denied - and deserved "equal protection of the law."

In 1870, the 15th Amendment guaranteed them the right to vote. And there was a temporary flowering of freedom during postwar "Reconstruction."

In 1875 a federal civil rights law held that "citizens of every race and color" were entitled to full enjoyment of hotels, theaters and public transportation.

But reality for thousands of the formerly enslaved was governed by a different set of laws.

The notorious Black Codes came after the war, followed by Jim Crow laws, named for a racist 19th-century minstrel character who wore blackface.

(More than a century later, Virginia's current governor, Ralph Northam, a Democrat, would admit to wearing blackface for a Michael Jackson costume and apologize for a photograph in his medical school yearbook page in which someone appeared in blackface.)

"Almost every law and method . . . was employed by the legislatures to reduce the Negroes to serfdom," W.E.B. Du Bois, the African-American historian and civil rights activist, wrote in 1903.

South Carolina barred black people from any occupation other then servant or farmer, unless they paid an annual tax, according to Foner, the historian.

The flimsy vagrancy laws led to a vast system of arrests and slave labor across the South, Blackmon wrote.

Thousands of poor men and women, often the children of the enslaved, were beaten, abused and killed in mines and on farms after being sold into service by law enforcement officials.

In 1883, the Supreme Court declared the 1875 civil rights law unconstitutional.

It was time, Justice Joseph Bradley wrote, for black people to cease being "the special favorite of the laws."

On June 7, 1892, a mixed-race shoemaker named Homer Plessy boarded an East Louisiana Railroad train in New Orleans and entered the whites-only car.

Plessy, 29, planned to be arrested to test an 1890 Louisiana law that mandated segregated rail cars.

But his case proved to be a disaster.

It resulted in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision enshrining "separate but equal" racial segregation in much of the United States well into the next century.

Water fountains, public transportation, hotels, movie theaters and their ticket windows, schools, vending machines, prostitutes, telephone booths, elevators, among other things, were legally segregated.

Enforcement could be pursued by legal and extralegal means. "You have a legal structure, but around it is this terrorist system," Foner said.

Between 1880 and 1968, almost 5,000 black people were killed by lynch mobs and the like, historian Leon Litwack has written.

Often the killings were a "ritual of torture, mutilation and death, a voyeuristic spectacle . . . for the benefit of the crowd," he wrote.

In 1899, excursion trains brought spectators to rural Georgia for the lynch mob execution of a black farmhand named Sam Hose for killing a white man in what was probably a case of self-defense.

Hose was stripped and chained to a tree. He had his ears, toes and fingers cut off and passed out as souvenirs, Litwack wrote.

He was then burned on a pyre of kerosene-soaked wood.

- - -

George McLaurin's wooden desk in the University of Oklahoma's ornate Carnegie Building sat just outside the classroom.

He could see his classmates and teachers but, by state law, he couldn't be in the room with them.

In the library, he was required to sit at a desk outside the main reading room. In the cafeteria, he had to sit at a designated table and eat at a different time from other students.

McLaurin was 56 and a distinguished teacher seeking a doctorate in education. He had been a professor of foreign languages at Langston University and had taught at Arkansas Baptist College.

But he was black, and Oklahoma law required that his education be provided "upon a segregated basis."

McLaurin initially had to sue to enter the university, where state law had at first made it illegal to operate an integrated school. He had won that case and been admitted in 1948.

In 1950, his suit over his segregation had reached the Supreme Court.

On June 5, 1950, the court ruled in his favor.

McLaurin's case was one of several that hammered at the separate but equal doctrine, and culminated in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case that killed Plessy v. Ferguson.

The Brown plaintiffs argued that segregation in public schools was fundamentally unequal. The court agreed.

It had been 60 years since Homer Plessy tested Louisiana's separate rail car law.

But six decades of legal segregation, and two and a half centuries of subjugation, would take painful years of violence, racial upheaval and new legislation to undo.

On March 16, 1995, Mississippi, the site of some of the most infamous racist murders, finally ratified the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.

State Sen. Hillman Frazier, who is black, told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper: "One of the roles of the legislature is to correct wrongs."

In this case, it had taken 130 years.

In 2017, a mob of white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, to protest the removal of a statue of southern Civil War general Robert E. Lee. Lee had led the killings of tens of thousands of Union soldiers in defense of a separatist Confederacy whose constitution called for the legal maintenance and protection of slavery.

On Aug. 12, 2017, after fighting broke out between the white supremacists and counterprotesters, self-professed neo-Nazi James Alex Fields Jr. rammed his car into counterprotesters and killed Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal. Last year, Fields was convicted of first-degree murder.

Three days after the killing, President Donald Trump claimed that not all of those protesting with Fields "were white supremacists by any stretch."

"I think there's blame on both sides," he said. He added: "You had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people.''

- - -

The Washington Post's Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.
"Post Reports" is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you've come to expect from the newsroom of The Post - for your ears.

- - -
When a group of self-avowed white nationalists interrupted an author chat Saturday at Washington bookstore Politics and Prose with a megaphone and chants of "This land is our land," workers were surprised but not unprepared.

The bookstore began training employees earlier this year to respond to flash protests, co-owner Bradley Graham said. The decision came after previous author events, including a talk last month by former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, drew the ire and attention of left-wing activists and agitators.

Politics and Prose isn't alone.

Bookstores, libraries and book fairs have become frequent targets of white nationalist groups, which in recent years have interrupted author talks, children's reading hours and, in one instance, threatened to burn down a bookstore in Berkeley, California.

"One of the issues is we can't always anticipate what author or event might draw protesters or a demonstration," Graham said. "Clearly, when the political climate heats up, there would seem to be more kindling that could be lit. But whether this will translate to more disturbances at author talks, I certainly hope not, but who knows."

Patrick Casey, co-founder of the white-nationalist group American Identity Movement, strode into the bookstore Saturday, holding a megaphone branded with the organization's insignia and led a chant of "AIM" on his way out the door.

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The group, which formed last month and is based in the Washington area, is considered by several organizations that track hate groups to be a rebranded version of Identity Evropa, an organization that has sought to recruit college students and young conservatives to join its ranks through posters and online propaganda, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Leaders of the American Identity Movement have denied that the two groups are affiliated. But on Saturday, Casey was flanked by nine supporters, several of whom appear to be members of Identity Evropa from states such as Georgia, Illinois and Pennsylvania, according to groups that track and identify white nationalists online.

Graham said he hadn't expected the talk by author Jonathan Metzl - who was discussing his book, "Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland" - would attract much attention.

"We have to accept that a lot of this may just be unpredictable," Graham said.

Metzl's book explores how some lower- and middle-class white Americans are drawn to politicians who promise to improve their quality of life while also promoting policies that place white Americans at greater risk of illness and death.

"You would have the white working class trade their homeland for handouts," Casey said into the megaphone as the crowd jeered and booed.

In a statement published Sunday on the American Identity Movement website, Casey wrote that "Mr. Metzl's book fails to discuss the real reasons why leftism has been killing America's heartland," which he described as "globalism," "mass immigration" and "cultural decay" that have shifted the country's "demographics." Noting that videos of their interruption have been viewed online more than a million times, Casey said targeting gathering spaces like bookstores and libraries is part of a broader strategy.

"Disruptions like this are a great way for us to insert our ideas into the discussion on race and identity," he said in an interview. "We knew it would be a provocative and bold thing to do, to go into what we felt like is the other side's territory and get people talking about us."

When protesters arrived Saturday, Metzl said he was talking about a man in the bookstore audience who helped his father and grandparents escape the Nazis.

"I was saying how much stronger America is when we think about our responsibility to people in need. At that point, the Nazis walked into the talk," he told The Washington Post. "It was very symbolic for me."

Graham said he has received messages and offers of support from bookstores around the country, some of which have dealt with similar actions from white-nationalist groups.

Revolution Books in Berkeley, California, a regular target of far-right activists, tweeted a statement in support of Politics and Prose.

"We call on every person whose work, morality, and values aspire to a world of diversity, of overcoming the oppression of all peoples regardless of nationality, race, gender, or beliefs to stand with Politics and Prose and with authors and voices exposing this dangerous moment," the statement said.

About a year ago, Revolution Books endured several run-ins with far-right demonstrators, according to local media reports, including a group from Sacramento that stormed the store and insulted people inside.

"We're going to burn down your bookstore. You know that, right?" demonstrator Rob Cantrall said in a video taken by a bookstore staff member.

In November, several demonstrators wearing Make America Great Again hats tried to protest a talk in the District by Portland State University lecturer Alexander Reid Ross, who wrote a book called "Against the Fascist Creep."

Last week, several members of the American Identity Movement targeted a library in New Orleans, where several drag queen performers for years have led monthly story hours for kids. The protesters dressed up as clowns and disrupted the event before being told to leave.

Revolution Books and the Alvar Library in New Orleans didn't respond to a request for comment Monday.

Politics and Prose, whose Chevy Chase-neighborhood location is down the street from Comet Ping Pong in Washington, received threats in 2016 during the height of the Pizzagate conspiracy, which culminated in a gunman searching the restaurant for evidence of a child sex ring that didn't exist.

Graham said that despite the uptick in protests in and around the District of Columbia, demonstrations at his stores remain infrequent. He reiterated Monday that no one was hurt and that the disruption lasted "just a few minutes" before the demonstrators left of their own accord.

But, he added, he and his colleagues have begun to think about the store's security and response to protests with a renewed sense of urgency.

"We certainly want to keep people safe, but, look, this is a bookstore," he said. "We are not going to become an establishment where people feel like they're walking into a prisonlike environment to go hear an author speak. That goes against our very grain, which is to exist as a place for people to gather and ultimately support free speech."
Shortly after losing a long-shot bid for clemency, Houston-area death row prisoner Dexter Johnson won a stay some 48 hours before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection in the Huntsville execution chamber.

For more than a decade, the condemned killer lodged appeal after appeal based on allegations of brain damage and intellectual disability, but in the end it was the possibility of a conflicted attorney and ineffective lawyering that prompted a federal district judge to side with him.

The high school dropout with schizophrenia was originally sentenced to die for a 2006 carjacking that left 23-year-old Maria Aparece and 17-year-old Huy Ngo dead. That June, Johnson and four accomplices came across the young couple sitting in Aparece's Toyota, as they chatted outside Ngo's home. Johnson and two others threatened them with a pistol and a shotgun, according to testimony at trial.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Texas prisons change policy after lawmaker's request to end final written statements

Then, three of the attackers drove the pair around Houston in Aparece's car, stealing her cash and credit cards and trying to get money from her bank accounts. Behind them, two other accomplices followed in their own car.

Eventually, the violent crew pulled over and, according to trial testimony, Johnson raped Aparece in the backseat. Her boyfriend was forced to listen to it all on his knees as the other attackers taunted him.

Then, Johnson shot Ngo in the head before killing Aparece. At trial, Johnson's defense team argued that it was someone else who walked the couple into the woods and fired the fatal shot.

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According to prosecutors, the double-slaying was just one of many crimes that Johnson pulled off during a month-long spree of violence that spring and summer. Johnson has long maintained his innocence, but still a Harris County jury sentenced him to death. In December, a local judge gave the green light to the May 2 execution.

Shortly afterward, Johnson wrote to the federal court complaining about his attorney, Patrick McCann. Since McCann had been on the case for years, the court did not kick him off but instead appointed a second legal team, headed by federal defender Jeremy Schepers.

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The North Texas attorney was tasked with figuring out whether McCann's earlier work was up to par. While McCann continued to work on Johnson's case, filing appeals based on claims of intellectual disability, Schepers investigated McCann's work and alleged that the Houston attorney "violated ethical and professional duties throughout his representation," according to court records.

In sealed federal filings, McCann disputed that characterization but the claims were enough for the the federal judge to grant Johnson a stay to allow Schepers more time to investigate and litigate his concerns. As of now, McCann is still on the case; the judge asked for a hearing to determine whether he should be removed.

Even after the last-minute win for the condemned man, the stay could have been overturned by a federal appeals court - but the Office of the Attorney General told defense counsel they have no plans to contest the order.

Neither Schepers nor McCann opted to weigh in on the record. Meanwhile, McCann's co-counsel - Houston-area attorney Mandy Miller - defended him Tuesday in an emailed statement.

"While we dispute the attack on Mr. McCann's prior representation, we are grateful for a stay  no matter why it was granted," she wrote. "We will continue to litigate the claim of intellectual disability that will prevent Mr. Johnson's execution, in the event the stay is lifted. Once our duty to Mr. Johnson is fulfilled, Mr. McCann will gladly answer to the federal court for any questions regarding the work he has put into this case for nearly a decade."

Though the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals recently turned down the condemned man's intellectual disability claims, Miller and McCann on Tuesday filed a motion asking the court to reconsider, and are also working on an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office remained confident Johnson would get another execution date.

"His day of reckoning is inevitable," First Assistant District Attorney Tom Berg said. "The issue at hand has nothing to do with the district attorney's office and we anticipate a new execution date will be set shortly."

With Johnson's date likely called off, there just two others - including a Montgomery County man convicted of killing a college student - scheduled in Texas for the remainder of the year.

keri.blakinger@chron.com
Citing a sexual abuse crisis revealed in a recent Houston Chronicle investigation, the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy arm has overhauled its 2019 national conference in Grapevine to focus on abuse.

The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is expected to announce Tuesday that it has changed the conference's theme to focus on "the current crisis within the SBC denomination."

The announcement follows a February investigation by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News that found more than 700 people, mostly children, had reported being sexually abused by roughly 380 Southern Baptist church leaders or volunteers since 1998.

Southern Baptist leaders vowed sweeping changes in the wake of the "heartbreaking" report, titled "Abuse of Faith."

"This is a critical season for churches seeking to address this crisis," commission president Russell Moore said in a statement explaining why the theme of "courage" at this year's conference was revised to focus exclusively on sexual abuse.

"As we thought about this, we realized if we want to talk about courage, then we owed it to our churches and the world around us to talk about courage in light of this area of great need," Moore said. "So that's what we're going to do."

The commission's conference will convene in October in Grapevine, near Dallas. The Southern Baptist Convention is also hosting a national meeting in June in Birmingham, Ala., where SBC leaders plan to discuss proposed reforms to prevent sexual abuse.

Activists and abuse survivors welcomed the new focus of the conference, but they called for the commission to listen to more people from SBC churches who were sexually abused and who understand the culture of the largest alliance of Baptist churches in the United States.

Jules Woodson's story made national headlines when the former youth minister of her church in The Woodlands admitted to abusing her when she was a teenager. After his confession, he was applauded by the Memphis congregation he led at the time. She has since become an advocate for reforms in the SBC and other faiths.

She said she hopes conference leaders will "take the opportunity to actually listen to SBC-specific survivors, and not just line up celebrity Christians to speak on what needs to change within the SBC."

"It's time for meaningful action," she said.

Victims' advocate Dee Parsons wondered why bloggers who have spent years documenting cases of sexual abuse at SBC churches have been left out.

"The thing that bothers me is they overlook Christa Brown, who as far as I'm concerned is the mother of all abuse bloggers," Parsons said.

Brown has called for the creation of a national database that would keep track of church employees and volunteers who have been accused of sexual abuse. In the past, SBC leaders have said they can't require churches to use such a database.

"Talking about clergy abuse is nice, but more action is what's needed," Brown said. "Southern Baptists will not meet this challenge by engaging in damage-control measures only after media exposure."

The conference in Grapevine will include panels with Rachael Denhollander, a lawyer and advocate for sexual abuse survivors whose testimony helped lead to the conviction of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar; Houston-based author and Bible teacher Beth Moore; and psychologist Diane Langberg.

"I think it's a good step, I really do," said Wade Burleson, a Southern Baptist pastor in Oklahoma who has called for the creation of a national database that would keep track of church employees and volunteers who have been accused of sexual abuse. "I think to focus solely on the issue and to talk about prevention, it's the first time it's ever been done."

Moore and current SBC President J.D. Greear last summer announced a working group that focuses on sexual abuse. That group is expected to unveil more proposals in Birmingham.

In the wake of the newspapers' investigation, Greear called for inquiries into multiple churches over their handling of sexual abuse. SBC leaders have also pursued changes to the SBC's governing documents to outlaw sexual predators from working in churches.

A Houston church pastored by a convicted sex offender has since been removed from the SBC, and a Georgia music minister accused of molesting multiple young boys in the 1980s was also removed from his position.

A Texas state lawmaker and Southern Baptist minister has also proposed a bill that would allow charitable organizations to disclose sexual abuse allegations against former employees without being sued  an issue that was detailed in one of the Chronicle's reports. The bill is still in committee.
The Houston trucking company whose truck was reportedly involved in a fiery, deadly crash has dozens of safety violations over the last few years, according to federal data.

Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, 23, of Houston, was driving an 18-wheeler for Castellano 03 Trucking, LLC, when he crashed along Interstate 70, causing a massive 28-vehicle pileup and killing four people, according to the Denver Post and the Lakewood, Colorado PD. Aguilera-Mederos told police that his brakes failed prior to the crash, according to the Associated Press.
A suspect accused of robbing an east Houston Jack In the Box wore an Earl Campbell Houston Oilers jersey during the evening heist, police say.

The man walked into the fast-food joint in the 7500 block of Harrisburg around 7:20 p.m. on March 16 posing as a customer, Houston Police Department robbery detectives say. He stood in line for a few minutes, waiting for other customers to finish ordering before he approached the cashier, police said.
Houston is going backward. It ranked 12th out of 228 metropolitan areas for ozone pollution in 2017; moved up to 11th in 2018, and this year was ninth in the annual report by the American Lung Association. That disturbing news comes amid continued public health concerns after two recent chemical plant fires puffed poisons into the air near residences and schools in Deer Park and Crosby.

The Lung Association ranks metro areas based on their levels of ozone pollution, commonly known as smog, and particle pollution, soot. This years report ranked Houston 17th in particle pollution. That was a slight improvement from being ranked 15th last year and 16th in 2017, but it still spells trouble for people with breathing problems who fear going outside whenever Harris County has a bad air day.

That includes the 6,000 children with asthma who attend Houston public schools. Unfortunately, concern for children who stay home every time theres an ozone action day hasnt translated into more aggressive efforts to improve the air they breathe.

We definitely need local leadership that is explicit about the need to address air pollution, Bakeyah Nelson, executive director of Air Alliance Houston, told the Chronicle editorial board. All the municipalities need to come together to address this problem.

Nelson is right about taking a regional approach. Bad air doesnt hover over one town; it blows across Texas, which is why action is needed at the local, county and state levels.

Mayor Bill White convened an air pollution task force of scientists and physicians in 2005 to assess Houstons air pollution problem, but the panels data-driven report offered no specific solutions. Candidates in this years mayoral race should tell voters their plans to improve air quality. Vehicle emissions contribute to smog. They should tell voters how they would get more cars off the road.

Along with more mass transportation options, there must be stricter enforcement of environmental rules, especially at the state level.

Several companies guilty of releasing toxic chemicals into the air and water during Hurricane Harvey went unpunished, and the fires in late March and April at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. and KMCO plants revealed that both facilities had been operating despite repeatedly breaking environmental and safety regulations.

The fires have prompted the Harris County District Attorneys Office to ask for $850,000 to add four prosecutors and four staff members to its three-person environmental crimes unit. It makes sense for local authorities to step up their game, but it wont matter much unless the state stops playing defense for firms accused of polluting.

Testifying before Congress in February, Nelson said the Environmental Protection Agency should be more aggressive because the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality too often blocks local enforcement. Local officials must notify the TCEQ before they can sue or sanction a company for violating environmental rules and step aside if the state agency decides to handle the case administratively. As a result, too many violators escape any penalty.

State data analyzed by the public policy group Environment Texas showed 275 Texas companies reported 4,067 breakdowns, maintenance incidents, and other emissions events in 2017, which resulted in the release of more than 63 million pounds of illegal air pollution. Yet, only 58 companies were fined by the TCEQ for those infractions and the agency fined them a fraction of what it was authorized to collect.

I think the state has been incredibly hypocritical when it comes to protecting the environment, Nelson told the editorial board. It doesnt like the federal government to interfere in Texas but limits what local authorities can do to promote [its own] political agenda.

The poorest areas tend to suffer most from bad air quality. Thats certainly so for Houston neighborhoods near the port and ship channel, home to the largest petrochemical complex in the nation. Adding to pollution in the ship-channel area are auto emissions from the constant traffic along interstates 10, 45 and 610 and State Highway 225.

Everyone has a right to breathe clean air, and where you live should not determine your health, said Nelson. Public officials at all levels of government need to take that message to heart. Too many seem more worried about protecting jobs than protecting the public from poisoned air.

Lax enforcement of environmental and safety rules not only endangers the lives of plant workers, it jeopardizes the health of anyone who lives within breathing range of a toxin-emitting work site. When agencies charged with protecting the environment and public health dont do their jobs, people get sick  and some die. Theres no good reason for that to happen.
What is an MCSA certification?

Microsofts entry-level Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) certifications cover a range of Microsoft products and job areas. Not to be confused with Microsofts now retired Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) certifications, the MCSA certifications are designed as a way for entry-level workers to demonstrate proficiency in a variety of Microsoft products, roles and knowledge areas.

The MCSA certifications also act as prerequisites for many of the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certifications, which are designed for more experienced IT workers. If youre planning to get an expert-level certification from Microsoft, you might need to pass one of these entry-level associate exams first.

MCSA certifications

Microsoft offers certifications focused on your ability to design and build technology solutions. Certifications center around specific roles and proprietary products such as Microsoft Azure, SQL Server, Office 365, SharePoint Server, Skype for Business, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Exchange Server and Windows Server.

Theres a long list of MCSA certifications to choose from. Each has up to three exams that youll need to pass in order to get certified. These certifications and exams include:

MCSA: BI reporting

This certification covers consuming and transforming data, modeling and visualizing data and configuring dashboards with Excel and Power BI. Youll need to pass two exams on visualizing data to earn this certification.

MCSA: Microsoft Dynamics 365 for operations

No prerequisites are required for this certification, but you will need to pass three exams on SQL and Dynamics 365 to earn the designation. The certification is best suited for developers, solution architects or implementers who rely on Microsoft Dynamics 365.

MCSA: SQL 2016 BI development

Microsoft recommends that you have foundational IT skills before embarking on this certification path. The certification is for extract, transform and load (ELT) and data warehouse developers who create BI solutions. Youll need to pass two exams on BI development and implementing SQL to earn this designation.

MCSA: SQL 2016 database administration

Youll want foundational IT skills and some experience with SQL for this certification. There are two exams to pass, one on administering a SQL database infrastructure and the other on provisioning SQL databases. Overall, the certification covers data base installation, maintenance, configuration and provisioning.

MCSA: SQL 2016 database development

This certification is designed for database professionals to demonstrate your skills working with on-premises and cloud-based databases. There are no prerequisites, but youll want at least foundational IT knowledge. Youll need to pass two exams on querying data with SQL and developing SQL databases.

MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014

This certification requires foundational IT knowledge and is designed for database developers and analysts. Youll need to pass three exams on querying, administering and implementing databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014.

MCSA: Universal Windows platform

Microsofts Universal Windows Platform certification covers HTML5, SQLite, CSS3, JavaScript and ASP.NET MVC. Its designed for software developers and engineers who already have foundational IT knowledge in these areas. Youll need to pass two exams  one on programming in C# and another on developing mobile apps  to earn this designation.

MCSA: Web applications

Designed for web developers or web administrators, the web applications certification covers technologies like C#, mobile apps, visual studio, .NET and Framework 4.5. Youll need to pass three exams: programming in HTML 5 with JavaScript and CSS3, programming in C# and developing ASP.NET MVC web applications.

MCSA: Windows Server 2012

Targeted at computer network specialists and administrators, the Windows Server 2012 certification covers windows server virtualization. Youll need to pass three exams on installing, configuring and administering Windows Server 2012 to earn the designation.

MCSA: Windows Server 2016

This certification is for network or computer systems administrators and computer network specialists to verify skills with Windows Server Virtualization. It requires foundational IT knowledge and youll need to pass three exams on installation, storage, computing and networking with Windows Server 2016.

MCSA certification costs

Each individual MCSA exam costs $165, so for certifications that require multiple exams to pass, youll need to pay the fee for each exam. Cost of training will depend on the course you choose. You can also find plenty of free resources if you dont want to budget for a full course.

You wont need to worry about renewal fees, as MCSA certifications do not expire. However, Microsoft does retire exams as products change, so if you get certified in a product that gets replaced, updated or changed, you may need to earn another certification.

MCSA training

Microsoft offers several options to help you prepare for your certification exams. You can choose from on-demand training or classroom training offered through Microsoft training partners. Instructor-led training courses are taught by individuals who have completed rigorous training and have met stringent technical certification requirements, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft also offers free training materials, practice exams, code samples and access to necessary products to help you prepare. Once you decide on a certification path, you can search for on-demand courses, live-virtual training and in-person instructor-led classes. If you dont feel you have the foundational IT knowledge required for each certification, you can take one of Microsofts foundational courses on a related topic.

Each certification comes with its own requirements and prerequisites, so youll want to make sure you read the descriptions for each exam on Microsofts website. However, since these are entry-level certifications, most entry-level IT workers will qualify for each certification.
Theres a long tradition of people moving to New York state to run for office. Decades before the term carpetbagging was even coined, Rufus King moved from Massachusetts to New York City in 1788 and was elected as one of the states first U.S. senators the following year. After the Civil War, some New Yorkers packed up their carpetbags and headed south to try their political luck in the conquered Confederacy. By the time Hillary Clinton moved to Chappaqua to make her own run nearly 150 years later, she was hardly the first politician in New York to relocate in search of elected office.

While it would seem politically prudent to have longtime ties to the community you want to represent, there are plenty of examples of New York elected officials who managed to win as outsiders. Here are several notable cases.

Robert F. Kennedy

Warren K. Leffler

The U.S. attorney general was looking for a new gig after his brother died and decided in 1964 to run for U.S. Senate in New York despite having few local ties. Kennedys victory over Republican Sen. Kenneth Keating showed that it is easy to win as a carpetbagger as long as you have a famous name, personal charisma and powerful friends.

Al Sharpton

Lev Radin/Shutterstock

The civil rights activist claimed to live in Brooklyn during his failed 1992 run in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, even though he and his family had a home in New Jersey at the time. Sharpton, who then moved to a house in Brooklyn during his 1997 run for mayor, sued the New York Post in 2000 after columnist Andrea Peyser called him a carpetbagger from New Jersey  and he lost that one too.

Sean Patrick Maloney

U.S. House of Representatives

The Clinton White House alum laid the groundwork for a return to Washington by moving to Cold Spring in Putnam County soon before the 2012 election  drawing criticism from Republican Rep. Nan Hayworth. The Democrat, who was born in Canada and grew up in New Hampshire, said he and his husband had split time between nearby Sullivan County and Manhattan for years  and he ultimately edged out Hayworth.

Sean Eldridge

Mzorick

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes had already bought a $5 million house in the 18th Congressional District when his husband  political newcomer Sean Eldridge  decided that the adjoining 19th Congressional District was a better place to run in 2014. Millions of dollars later, voters were not buying what the Democrat was selling and he lost badly to Republican Rep. Chris Gibson in the Hudson Valley swing district.

Zephyr Teachout

A Katz/Shutterstock

The Fordham University law professor moved to the Hudson Valley a year before announcing her 2016 run for the House seat being vacated by Chris Gibson. Her Republican rival, John Faso, did not let voters forget where the Brooklyn transplant came from. While the race had appeared to be a toss-up, his attacks on her as an out-of-touch liberal ultimately helped him win.

Antonio Delgado

Delgado For Congress

Even though Delgado grew up in nearby Schenectady, Faso tried to label him as an outsider in their 2018 congressional race. But Faso calling Delgado a big city rapper in reference to his time pursuing a music career in Los Angeles stirred a backlash that helped Delgado become the first person of color to represent the upstate district in Congress. (And to be fair, Faso grew up in Long Island and moved to the area a few years before mounting his first Assembly bid.)

Max Rose

Courtesy Max Rose for Congress

The Park Slope native had to work hard to convince Staten Islanders in 2018 that he had moved to the borough from Brooklyn for reasons other than running for office. Native son Rep. Dan Donovan called the Democrat a carpetbagger, but the political newcomer proved that knocking on lots of door and bashing Mayor Bill de Blasio can go a long way toward winning a close race in the forgotten borough.

Chris Collins and Nate McMurray

Photo courtesy U.S. House of Representatives; Nate McMurray for Congress

Incumbent Republican Rep. Chris Collins forgot something about glass houses when he attacked Democratic challenger Nate McMurray in 2018. While the Grand Island supervisor did live outside the boundaries of the 27th Congressional District, Collins did the same thing when he challenged Rep. John LaFalce in the old 29th Congressional District 20 years prior.

Hillary Clinton

After moving from the White House to Chappaqua, then-first lady Hillary Clinton initially faced a formidable opponent in New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani during her 2000 campaign for the U.S. Senate. But he later dropped out for personal reasons and Clinton handily beat Rep. Rick Lazio to win the seat, which served as a launching pad for her presidential campaigns and stint as secretary of state.
Treat Mom to a Delicious Meal at Kaiser Maximilian

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Regardless of the country or culture, Mother's Day is always celebrated with great enthusiasm, as children around the world honor and thank their mothers for all that they do.

In Mexico, Mother's Day, called 'El Dia de la Madre,' is celebrated on May 10th. And it is a very big deal. The day begins with music, as children go to Mom's house early in the morning to awaken her with song. Afterwards, mothers are presented with gifts.

Flowers are a must, but the day is also filled with music, food, celebrations, which is why May 10 is the busiest day of the year for restaurants in Mexico.

Taking Mom out for a delicious meal that she doesn't have to cook is one of the best ways to show Mom your appreciation, so make plans now to pamper her during the extended Mother's Day celebration at Kaiser Maximilian Restaurant.

From May 10-11, this charming European-style cafe in the heart of the Romantic Zone is serving a special three-course menu, with choices for each course, from 12 noon until 11 pm. Executive Chef Juan Carlos Palomer has created some wonderful selections to help you celebrate this important occasion.

Pamper Mom, treat the entire family - or just indulge yourself! - to a wonderful lunch or dinner for only $498 pesos at Kaiser Maximilian, where you can savor the flavors of Europe in Puerto Vallarta at the restaurant's sidewalk cafe or air-conditioned dining room.

Reservation for Kaiser Maximilian's Mother's Day celebration are strongly recommended and can be made by calling 223-0769 or 222-5058.
In his first two terms in office, Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned fracking statewide, increased the states climate goals and stopped several controversial fossil fuel projects from moving forward. But none of that has secured the confidence of environmental activists, especially the hundreds who gathered outside New York City Hall on Thursday, April 18. They had ostensibly gathered to march across the Brooklyn Bridge to oppose the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement Pipeline, which would transport natural gas across the Lower Bay of New York Harbor. However, the protest could just as easily be described as a demonstration against Cuomos purportedly transactional approach to the issues they care about. Everything's a zero sum game with him, longtime activist William Talen, who goes by the stage name Reverend Billy, said at the rally. Hes not environmentalists friend.

The governor's name appeared on the signs carried by the activists, who booed each time they heard his name. Their message was clear: either the Cuomo administration blocks the pipeline  commonly called the Williams Pipeline after the Oklahoma-based company that wants to build it  by a May 16 deadline, or he will once again risk the wrath of a vocal segment of the progressive left. Two years ago, I said this state needed new leadership, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams told the crowd. Cuomo  You said you banned fracked gas. So you must stand up now and prevent this pipeline from coming through New York State. (In fact, Cuomos policy, announced in December 2014, only banned the practice of fracking for gas in New York, not the transportation or burning of natural gas, which remains a major source of energy and heat in the state.)

A woman in the crowd followed Williams speech by articulating a feeling shared by many across the crowd. We need to get rid of Cuomo, she said. Despite activists frustrations, there are signs that the governor is listening to them about the pipeline, which has already received federal approval but needs additional permits from New York and New Jersey. The strongest sign yet was Cuomos response to a question at an April 29 event where he signed into law a statewide ban on offshore drilling. Were on it. Were on it, he said in response to Nikita Scott  chair of the New York City Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, which opposes the pipeline  who had asked him to block the pipeline. Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said that the comment would not affect the administrations approach to the approvals process. The project remains under review by the Department of Environmental Conservation, he said.

Both the Constitution pipeline and the Northern Access Project, which together would have crossed hundreds of upstate bodies of water, were blocked by the administration for their potential effects on water quality and activists hope the same will happen with the Williams pipeline because of how it would unearth toxic substances like arsenic that are buried at the bottom of New Yorks harbor  potentially harming humans and marine life.

However, the issue has a symbolic importance beyond its immediate environmental and economic effects. The moderate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party are tussling over the meaning of the term Green New Deal and how aggressively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, Cuomo is a relative moderate whose signature approach is to keep people guessing about where he really stands.

Centrist tendencies, however, do not mean that the governor will risk what goodwill he has from the political left, whether or not his heart is truly with them. Making environmentalists wait before following their lead is in line with Cuomos past decisions on controversial environmental issues, including the fracking ban and his rejection of past pipeline proposals. Cuomo also has ties to fossil fuel interests through aides past and present, including 2018 campaign manager Maggie Moran, former Office of Storm Recovery chief Mark Grossman and numerous campaign donations from fossil fuel companies and industry lobbyists whose money, Cuomo has made clear, he will continue to receive.

Despite concerns about a looming downstate gas shortage, blocking the pipeline makes political sense for Cuomo, who has as much to fear in the Democratic primaries as the general election in this heavily Democratic state. It even gives the him an opportunity to stick it to President Donald Trump just weeks after Trump signed two executive orders that aim to undermine states authority over pipelines  the latest front in a much broader war between Trump and Cuomo.

Activists offer a variety of additional reasons to oppose the Williams pipeline, which would stretch more than 20 miles from New Jersey to a terminus off the coast of the Rockaways in Queens. They say the pipeline would increase the states dependence on fossil fuels at a time when the state is pushing to transition to renewable energy sources like solar, hydropower and wind and that Williams has a poor safety record. Some in the business community and conservative allies say a new pipeline is needed to avert a moratorium on new gas hookups, as ConEd has imposed on Westchester County. Environmentalists counter that energy companies overstate how much downstate economic and population growth depends on a new pipeline.

While National Grid  which would use the gas pumped through the pipeline  has threatened to impose a moratorium on new gas hookups on Long Island unless it gets its way, such a move cannot factor into the decision that the state has to make in the coming weeks  at least not officially under the federal Clean Water Act. A spokesman for Cuomo said the decision is the state Department of Environmental Conservations to make and by focusing on environmental effects, particularly on water, any decision would better withstand likely legal challenges. A 2017 federal court ruling in the case of Sierra Club v the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which dealt with a pipeline in the southern U.S., allows for later greenhouse gas emissions to be incorporated into official decision-making on pipelines. However, the ruling could be overturned this year and some activists concede that the Cuomo administration would be better off blocking the pipeline based on its effect on water  even if they wish it could be based on climate concerns. I feel pretty confident that the governors folks are right on this, said Liz Moran, environmental policy director at the New York Public Interest Research Group. There's a very limited purview that they have over this project.

After a public comment period, public hearings, protests and persistent uncertainty about Cuomos true thinking on the matter, the fate of the Williams Pipeline could come down to how a state agency will use local environmental impact to substantiate whatever Cuomos wants. Everybody knows this is a top-down administration, said Blair Horner, executive director of NYPIRG.

A similar dynamic played out during activists years-long effort to ban fracking. When Cuomo first came to office, he appeared to be leaning toward allowing fracking in New York. Even many environmentalists agree we want to produce more domestic natural gas, he said in 2011. That did not stop him from keeping his options open. He punted the issue to the state health department, which produced a 2014 report giving a public health rationale to a fracking ban. We cannot afford to make a mistake, Cuomo said at the time. The potential risks are too great. In fact, they are not even fully known. Cuomo blocked the Port Ambrose Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port the following year, after it faced strong opposition  and the Constitution pipeline in 2016. Another study by the DEC gave Cuomo political cover to block the Northern Access Project in western New York. The campaigns of former gubernatorial primary rivals Zephyr Teachout and Cynthia Nixon were widely credited with pushing Cuomo to the left on progressive issues, including the environment. Cuomos adoption of the phrase Green New Deal in the past year to describe his own environmental agenda also reflects a broader tendency to co-opt progressive positions once they become mainstream.

To be sure, Cuomo has disappointed environmentalists before. The DEC approved permits the day before Christmas Eve 2016 for an expansion of the existing Dominion-New Market pipeline in upstate New York, despite resistance from activists. Overall, the administration has approved more fossil fuels projects than it has rejected, according to a 2018 study by NYPIRG.

Moves by the Cuomo administration the following year kept three nuclear power plants open, upsetting some environmentalists, although others acknowledge that shutting down nuclear power plants would exacerbate carbon emissions from coal or gas plants. Cuomo also shut down the Indian Point nuclear plant in Westchester.

Activists suspect that Cuomos ties to fossil fuel interests have played a role in the decisions that have not gone their way. A 2016 lobbying blitz involving Cuomo insider Mark Grossman, who previously headed the Governors Office of Storm Recovery, helped spike a study of how one pipeline would affect Indian Point. Cuomos campaign manager from his 2018 reelection campaign was a top lobbyist for the company. Cuomo hired a former lobbyist for the company, Maggie Moran, to run his 2018 reelection campaign just months after his administration rejected without prejudice the application  a maneuver that allowed the company to apply again rather than blocking it outright. The 2018 trial of disgraced Cuomo aide Joe Percoco highlighted how $250,000 in bribes from the power company Competitive Power Ventures sought to influence the procurement process for a $900 million power plant in the Hudson Valley.

Yet, a lot has changed in state politics in the past six months and the political currents have moved left in New York. The Green New Deal has entered the popular lexicon and activists are more determined than ever to force Cuomos hand on environmental issues, from climate change legislation to pipelines. Trumps moves on offshore drilling, pipelines and greenhouse gas emissions have brought environmentalists and Cuomo closer together, despite their sometimes fraught relationship. However, environmental activists told City & State that they will take matters into their own hands if the administration approves the Williams pipeline, though they declined to say what specific type of direct action protest they would stage against the pipeline. Provoking a progressive backlash over pipelines would appear to be off-message for a governor who continues to fuel speculation over his future political plans through his prolific fundraising and increasingly close relationship to former vice president and current presidential candidate Joe Biden.

The political environment suggests that Cuomo may well block the Williams pipeline. His signing of a statewide ban on offshore drilling on April 29 is another indication that he is leaning towards activists side on some high-profile issues.

But Cuomos past moves on the environment have both followed and run against popular opinion, according to pollster Steve Greenberg, and there is no public polling on this pipeline proposal to guide the governors decision. I will quote one of my favorite sages, Yogi Berra, Greenberg said. I hate to make predictions about the future.

In his own way, Cuomo gave activists another clue of his intentions regarding the pipeline. Just a few hours before activists marched on the Brooklyn Bridge on April 18, he signed a bill that would outlaw the use of industrial purse seine nets to catch Menhaden, a species of fish at the bottom of the marine food chain. Environmentalists had pushed for years only to see it get stuck in the GOP-dominated state Senate after passing the Assembly. With Democrats now in charge of both chambers, Cuomo decided to sign the bill, which passed the state Legislature earlier this year. It could have been a coincidence, or it could have been a sign.

Corrections: An earlier version of this post noted that Giorgio DeRosa, father of Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, is a lobbyist for Bolton-St. Johns  a top lobbying firm that represents a pro-oil and gas industry association that includes Williams. The reference was removed since there is no evidence of any conflict of interest involving the two DeRosas. This post was also updated to reflect that the Joe Percoco trial highlighted efforts to influence the procurement process, not the approval process, for Competitive Power Ventures.
Theyre everywhere  on our phones, in our computers, on city streets and subway platforms. Cameras have become so ubiquitous that it can be easy to forget that theyre there. Thats what happened for some New Yorkers last week, when a vandal who attacked dozens of LinkNYC kiosks in New York City was caught red-handed by the cameras installed on the kiosks themselves, prompting shock from those who either didnt know or failed to notice that LinkNYC kiosks come equipped with cameras.

The incident, coupled with an apparently fake facial recognition camera mounted in a subway station, has reinvigorated a discussion of the many cameras and sensors that record, watch or collect data on private citizens, and what law enforcement agencies can do with that information. To clear up some of those questions, City & State took a look at the rules  or lack thereof  that govern the use of surveillance technologies in New York.

What is the NYPDs surveillance network?

New Yorks surveillance network  which can include low-tech closed-circuit television or high-tech facial recognition  is a vast one that includes both devices installed by private entities like businesses, as well as those deployed by the city government. To be sure, not every security camera in New York City is connected to a central database accessible to law enforcement agencies, but through the NYPDs Domain Awareness System, many of the citys surveillance-capable technologies do come together in one easily accessible platform.

Launched in 2012 as a partnership between the NYPD and Microsoft, the Domain Awareness System is a central command that the police department boasts is one of the world's largest networks of cameras, license plate readers, and radiological censors, designed to detect and prevent terrorist acts, but also of great value in criminal investigations. The system includes both real-time public CCTV cameras and those owned and operated by private entities that have given the department access to their feeds. Estimates have put the number of cameras worked into the system at 9,000, though Daniel Schwarz, privacy and technology strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said that the number could be higher.

The NYPD maintains numerous cameras throughout the city for the deterrence, detection and investigation of crime and monitoring of traffic conditions, said Sgt. Jessica McRorie, a spokeswoman for the deputy commissioner of public information in an emailed statement, when asked for more details about that figure. This includes cameras used to detect terrorist threats. Public safety is a shared responsibility and we rely on our partners in the community to assist us in keeping our City safe by sharing evidence of crimes, including video. LinkNYC cameras, for example, are not connected to the system, but footage was voluntarily shared with the NYPD in order to assist in the investigation into the kiosks vandal.

What are the laws regarding surveillance in New York state and New York City?

While New York and the NYPDs Domain Awareness System is a far cry from a genuine surveillance state  like, say, China  questions of where and how much government should monitor citizens whereabouts or other personal data have arisen amid growing concerns about data collection by Big Tech companies like Facebook. As law enforcement adopts more advanced technologies like facial recognition and biometric surveillance, with accuracy is sometimes in doubt or that may produce racially biased results  advocates are calling for regulations specific to the new technologies.

To the disappointment of many privacy advocates, neither New York City nor the state have laws prohibiting or regulating the use of facial recognition technology when people are in public. What does exist in the New York penal code are protections regarding certain places where video recording or other surveillance cannot take place, such as locations like bathrooms or dressing rooms, where citizens have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

In the absence of regulations beyond barring surveillance where citizens have a reasonable expectation of privacy, there are nonetheless constitutional protections in place  primarily through the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution  that Lee Rowland, policy director at the NYCLU said creates some guard against potentially questionable practices in New York. We all have to play by the constitutional rules, and the Fourth Amendment protects us against unreasonable searches and seizures by government, she said.

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that government agencies generally need a warrant in order to collect mass amounts of customers cell phone location data. The case stemmed from the conviction of an armed robber, which was made in part on the strength of data collected from the accuseds cellphone, amounting to 127 days of records placing his phone at over 12,898 locations. The reality is, there may be many of these practices that, at least in government hands, do in fact violate the Fourth Amendment, Rowland said. So if the government is using facial recognition technology and recombining massive databases to create a granular picture of where you walk throughout the day, we believe that would violate the Fourth Amendment without a warrant. But, right now, we don't have a law that says so. We'd have to wait to challenge that in court and get a constitutional ruling.

What efforts have been made to create more protections against surveillance?

Since 2017, the New York City Council has weighed a bill aimed at increasing transparency and public input in how the NYPD uses its various surveillance technologies  whether thats facial recognition, license plate readers or Stingrays, a tool for tracking location data of a criminal suspects cell phone. The Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act, would, among other things, require that the NYPD issue an impact and use policy about its surveillance technologies and require reporting of any new surveillance tech to the City Council.

Predictably, the bill has stalled under opposition from the NYPD and other law enforcement officials who have argued that making the details, use and whereabouts of all surveillance technology public would hinder their effectiveness. But City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, lead sponsor of the bill when it was reintroduced last fall, said that she doesnt think the legislation asks for too much, comparing it to cities that have required that the City Council approve the purchase of new law enforcement surveillance technologies. We're asking for basic reporting of large purchases the department makes through the contract process and we're also asking for a 30-day public comment period once the purchase announcement is made, Councilwoman Gibson said.

The bill has 16 sponsors, but Gibson said it still faces serious pushback from the law enforcement community. The goal now is to move it through the City Council, as it hasnt had a hearing since 2017. I've met with the administration, namely the NYPD, along with the mayor's office, to hear a lot of their concerns, and what I'm waiting for now is a series of different language that they believe could be incorporated in the bill where they would be on board, Gibson said.

Where else could surveillance technology be used in the city?

While the use of surveillance technology in public places, like city streets and subway platforms, has been the subject of recent debate, privacy advocates are also drawing attention to those who want to install facial recognition or other biometric surveillance equipment in residential buildings and schools. Rowland said the latter could spark a particularly negative outcome. Facial recognition technology in particular has a race problem, Rowland said. The technology's accuracy goes down dramatically along with the darkness of someone's skin tone. Particularly when we're talking about kids  and I think this is an issue in the tenant area as well  these systems are being installed, ostensibly to find outsiders, to find and single out outsiders. So you can imagine, a child of color, going to school, being identified by this technology as an outsider, and that triggering a security response.

A bill introduced by Assemblywoman Monica Wallace would ban the collection of biometric data in schools as well as conduct a study into the effects of its usage. Already, the Lockport City School District in western New York has bought facial recognition technology, though in part due to pushback from groups like the NYCLU, it has yet to use the tech.

There are also surveillance technologies that may not be immediately recognized as such, Rowland said. While video cameras are pretty widely understood to have the capability of recording and surveillance, the expansion of radio-frequency identification technology  including the RFID cards that will become the new norm for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority  prompts surveillance concerns for some, as the contactless RFID cards can be hacked or cloned. Technology does not have to be a camera to be able to track your movements and give either a corporation or the government a pretty specific list of where you've been and what you've been up to, Rowland said.

How are New Yorks surveillance practices different from those of other states?

While advocates at the NYCLU point to laws in cities including Seattle and Oakland, where a police department has to get approval from city councils to purchase new technologies, most localities lack specific protections just as New York does.

And even in places that have seen regulation, some see the security benefits of biometric technologies may outweigh privacy concerns. The NYCLUs education counsel Stefanie Coyle said that Florida has implemented a ban on collection on biometric information from children, but in the aftermath of school shootings  including the mass shooting in Parkland that killed 17 students  private security companies are making a case for more data collection as a safety measure.

Advocates of stronger protections against surveillance are aware of the need to strike a balance between harnessing the public safety benefits of these kinds of technologies, and protecting citizens from breaches of privacy. Obviously, I understand New York City is a lot different. We are always under constant threat, Gibson said. And when you see what's happening with these mass shootings and things that are happening at synagogues and churches, obviously, of course, I understand, and I'm very sympathetic to that. I also think there could be a minimal level of cooperation that we could get from the NYPD where we are getting some information.
News organizations have spent the past few years strategizing around climate change, the story of our time. Those conversations have resulted in an uptick of coveragefrom major investigations to explainers to conferences such as the one CJR will host on April 30. It is clear that, as an industry, we are trying to do our part in informing the public about the trouble that awaits.

But when it comes to writing about the harm humans do to the environment, our conversations have rarely turned inward. Last year, Low-tech Magazine, a tech skeptical outlet run by Kris De Decker, took the plunge, paring down its web presence with the environment in mind. Low-techs ethos discourages belief in the theory that all technological advances are positive ones. A few months ago, the outlet published a story about how to heat a home with a mechanical windmill; a feature that ran in February 2017 focuses on Vietnams decentralized, low-energy food system, which produces little waste. The magazine publishes infrequently; in 2018, nine stories were published. So far this year, just two have been posted.

De Decker, who previously worked as a technology reporter, started the magazine in 2007. Electric Eel, a newsletter about storytelling, recently wrote about the outlet.

For 10 years I interviewed engineers and scientists about new technologies and renewable energies. And I kind of learned during that period that, well, it doesnt really work, De Decker tells CJR from his home in Barcelona. Around the same time, De Decker stopped flying, opting instead to travel by train, boat, or bike. Readers would sometimes remark that while the magazine preached an ethos of low-tech, it still relied on the most prominent of high tech inventions: the internet.

Of course, thats the only option I have because thats where readers are. But at the same time they had a point. And when, two years ago, I got an offer from two interns from the United States to redesign the website, I thought this is a moment to try to practice what I preach in the medium itself, De Decker says.

RELATED: A new digital magazine forces you to unplug from the internet

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Last year, De Decker launched a self-hosted, solar-powered version of the magazines website in an attempt to reduce the amount of energy needed to run it. This version of Low-tech Magazine is staticevery visitor sees the same thing. Most modern websites are dynamic, meaning they are constantly changing and in constant need of energy. To help reduce the amount of energy needed to keep the website running, De Decker opted for basic typefaces and dithered photos. This also makes the site easier to access on old computers or slower internet speeds.

The website itself runs on an Olimex A20 server, a small computer with just 16GB of storage. The server requires between one and two watts of power depending on the number of people visiting the magazines website at any given point; this power is supplied by a Li-po battery that is charged by a 50-watt solar panel De Decker stores on his balcony at home in Barcelona. When the weather is bad, the solar-powered battery doesnt charge, and the website goes down. This is intentional. (There are two additional lead-acid batteries that will keep the site running for up to 48 hours in case of prolonged periods of dark weather, during which the solar panel wont charge the Li-po battery. Readers can also buy a book, printed on demand to avoid unnecessary paper usage, featuring all the articles on the website.)

One way De Decker limits the energy output of his magazine is to consider the size of every individual page on his website. On the dynamic version of the website, the page hosting an article about energy security is 2.7 MB. The same story on the solar-powered one is just 329 KB. By comparison, this text heavy New York Times article about the Mueller report is 5.1MB. The page hosting this NYT video about blackouts in Venezuela is 8MB; when fully loaded, this NYT documentary about train delays, just under 11 minutes, is about 185MB. This text-based Washington Post story about Facebook is 14.4MB. A Los Angeles Times story about a mural is 3.8MB.

The internet on which we publish our stories and videos and live-streamed news shows, thought of in our collective consciousness as intangible, is anything but, De Decker emphasizes.

Until now, we have not really realized that the internet uses energy. We have this idea that its all in a cloud, and weightless, and people dont really think about it when they publish something, De Decker says. But it comes with a cost: servers that exist in real life require constant cooling to make our jobs possible and the electricity needed to power the devices our readers consume our work on needs consideration, too.

Because the internet evolvedand is evolvingso rapidly, its difficult to collect data in the aggregate about its environmental impactand about the extent to which news organizations in particular contribute to the energy output. In 2009, the Christian Science Monitor reported that 2 percent of human carbon dioxide emissions are produced by the internets infrastructurea level on par with the aviation industry. Tech companies like Facebook, on which we rely to distribute stories and connect with readers, are planning to build their own broadband cables on the floor of the ocean, to enable more people to use the social network, and for cheaper. Google owns 63,605 miles of its own underwater cables. Meanwhile, Amazon, whose founder owns The Washington Post, has plans to shoot satellites into space to better internet connectivity. The NYT is experimenting with 5G technology.

Streaming video services like YouTube and Netflixboth companies news organizations have partnered withaccount for the biggest chunk of internet traffic, and a Greenpeace report found that the energy sources these and other video streaming services use are often not renewable. And things like autoplay on videos at news sites are a burden on older computers and slower internet connections, and ought to be scrutinized for their utility, De Decker adds.

A website built in the spirit of the past isnt just environmentally friendly, De Decker suggests. Its a good way to compete for readers whose attention spans online are increasingly fickle, a challenge to the idea that attention can only be caught by the shiniest objects.

Many web managers try to catch the attention [of readers] by using lots of flashy things and streaming stuff, but what we noticed is that by doing the opposite, you get a lot of attention too, he says. The site is not just using very little energy but its also very comfortable to use. The pages download extremely fast, its easy to find things. Its not just about energy use, you make sites very user-friendly.

The scale of a news organization like the Post or the Times is, of course, dramatically bigger than Low-tech. De Decker writes every article for the magazine, which feature images but no videos, and he worked with a small team to build the solar-powered website. De Decker acknowledges that a similar effort at a bigger outlet posting upwards of a hundred articles a day would be very complicated, but believes the effort is worth it.

And theres another hidden upside: slower news would curb disinformation. As Notre Dame burned, on April 15, and the world tuned in, De Decker was reminded of the ease with which misinformation spreads online during breaking news situations.

What do we lose if we read about it tomorrow morning and we get all the details when all the details of the story are known, De Decker says, instead of losing our time listening to, it could be that or it could be this and all kind of wild theories that in the end dont turn out to be correct.

As journalists continue to push the bounds of storytelling, we have a responsibility to consider the cost at which such innovations come. De Decker says that old technology deserves our consideration, but a less radical approach can help too. De Decker challenges journalists to consider, for example, whether all our videos need to be published at maximum pixel capacity.

Maybe you can do it with less. If you upload an image, maybe compress it first, De Decker says. I think theres a lot that can happen with small changes.

ICYMI: A battered New York press and the hope of The City

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Alexandria Neason was CJRs staff writer and Senior Delacorte Fellow. Recently, she became an editor and producer at WNYCs Radiolab.
On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump uttered his first falsehood as president of the United States. It came early in his inaugural address. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth, he said. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left, and the factories closed. By the time Trump finished speaking, hed said seven more things that didnt stack up. Later in the day, he said that even the media admitted his inaugural crowd had been massive, stretching all the way back down to the Washington Monument. Very clearly, this was not true, either.

Since the inauguration, a team of journalists at The Washington Post has kept a tally of every false or misleading claim the president has made. (CNN recently dubbed its leader, Glenn Kessler, one of the busiest men in America.) Yesterday, the Post confirmed that Trump has roared past the 10,000 mark: as of Saturday, hed made 10,111 bogus claims in 828 days in office. That works out to roughly 12 per day, 85 per week, or 370 per month. Trump has fibbed at rallies (2,217 times), on Twitter (1,803 times), and in speeches (999 times), among other settings. About one-fifth of Trumps false or misleading statements have concerned immigration; hes said his border wall is being builthis most-repeated junk claim160 times.

ICYMI: After bombings, Sri Lanka is caught between the good and evil of social media

Whichever way you slice it, its a yuge number. And Trump isnt done yet. In fact, hes picked up speed: as Kessler, Salvador Rizzo, and Meg Kelly note, The tsunami of untruths just keeps looming larger and larger. The 10,000 milestone initially appeared unlikely: In the first 100 days, Trump averaged less than five claims a day, which would have added up to about 7,000 claims in a four-year presidential term. Over time, however, the daily rate edged up. Recently, it has exploded: in the past seven months, Trump averaged nearly 23 false or misleading claims per day. The Posts fact-checkers have had to innovate to keep things in perspectivebefore Christmas, they introduced the Bottomless Pinocchio, a designation for claims that are repeated so often they effectively amount to campaigns of disinformation. Last week, Trump made 171 false or misleading claims in just three days, more than he made in any single month in the first five months of his presidency. Forty-five of those came in a 45-minute interview with Fox Newss Sean Hannity. You do the math.

While the Post has kept score, journalists have debated how we should characterize these claims. As Trump lied his way through the early days of his presidency, many prominent outlets hesitated to deploy the L-word. The New York Times, which had called Trumps birther rhetoric a lie during the campaign, used that characterization again three days into Trumps term, describing the presidents claim hed have won the popular vote if it hadnt been for all the voter fraud. Others, however, declined to follow suit. On NPR, Mary Louise Kelly consulted the Oxford English Dictionary. A lie is a false statement made with intent to deceive. Intent being the key word there, she said. Without the ability to peer into Donald Trumps head, I cant tell you what his intent was. The Post, for its part, waited until August 2018 to use the word for the first time, around Trumps characterization of hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal; a justification, written by Kessler, was printed on A1.

Thousands of examples later, the anxiety around the word lie has mostly dissipated. Some arguments from early 2017that using it would further dent trust in the press, for examplelook quaint now. Far too often, however, major news organizations still resort to euphemisms. On Sunday, the Times tweeted that Trump had revived an inaccurate refrain: doctors are executing babies. We built this city on sausage rolls is an inaccurate refrain, Damon Kiesow, a journalism professor at the University of Missouri, replied, referencing a viral British parody song about pigs in blankets. What you have there is pretty much just a lie.

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Lie may not be the best word for the Posts fact-checkers to usetheir database, after all, is designed to be comprehensive, and false or misleading claims is a broader term. Nonetheless, their tireless, thorough documentation has reinforced the case that the word lie is entirely appropriate much of the time. Trump routinely says things a president of the United States should know to be false, refuses to correct the record, and then, very often, says them again. The Posts database reminds us that we should not become inured to the cascade. And it builds a real-time historical record of Trumps presidency. In years to come, all the lying might be remembered as its defining feature.

Below, more on Trump, facts, and lies:

Deceitful intent: In January 2017, Mathew Ingram, now at CJR, nailed the intent question behind the word lie in a column for Fortune. We have to infer intent based on what is known or what a person can reasonably be expected to know. In that sense, its not unlike the legal test for a false statement, which requires a willful disregard for the truth, he wrote.

In January 2017, Mathew Ingram, now at CJR, nailed the intent question behind the word lie in a column for Fortune. We have to infer intent based on what is known or what a person can reasonably be expected to know. In that sense, its not unlike the legal test for a false statement, which requires a willful disregard for the truth, he wrote. Eau de toilette: The Posts database has inspired various studies by academics. Last year, neuroscientists at University College London suggested emotional adaptation could be to blame for an uptick in Trumps lies. Repeated dishonesty is a bit like a perfume you apply over and over, Tali Sharot and Neil Garrett wrote. At first you easily detect the powerful scent of a new perfume. But over time and with more applications you can hardly sense its presence, so you apply more liberally.

The Posts database has inspired various studies by academics. Last year, neuroscientists at University College London suggested emotional adaptation could be to blame for an uptick in Trumps lies. Repeated dishonesty is a bit like a perfume you apply over and over, Tali Sharot and Neil Garrett wrote. At first you easily detect the powerful scent of a new perfume. But over time and with more applications you can hardly sense its presence, so you apply more liberally. Semantics: In recent months, the mainstream media fact-checking model has been criticized from the left. In January, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attacked Kessler for using a Walmart-funded think tank as reference material for wage fairness; in a separate interview, she said that theres a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually, and semantically correct than about being morally right. New Yorks Eric Levitz backed her up: Which truths and falsehoods the mainstream press chooses to spotlight does reflect the ideological biases of the objective press.



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: The visual power of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Updates: The headline has been updated. A detail locating one of Trumps false comments has been changed.

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.
BOSTON  Preparing for the unthinkable requires a lot thought.

Risk management professionals on Monday cautioned audiences of the myriad pitfalls in planning for catastrophes during the Risk & Insurance Management Societys annual conference at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Corporations were counseled to make sure they have the right coverage, insurers were advised to defend their rights and business owners were told they may be just one hack away from losing everything.

Edward Colechia, a senior vice president for Marshs claims practice in Boston, outlined the anatomy of a catastrophic general liability loss and offered guidance on how to best cope with the inevitable. Preparation is key, he said. Before any risk is accepted, the insurer should make a site visit to assess the situation on the ground.

Colechia said an on-site visit to one of Marshs clients in the Midwest might have averted a $200 million claim that still left the insured with a $50 million coverage gap. Six people died when a deck collapsed. Colechia said the claims adjuster found that the wooden deck was riddled with mushrooms.

The risk manager must conduct loss runs to assess the full extent of the potential loss, Colechia said. He or she should also have a list with the phone numbers of everyone involved in the insurance tower. Ensure that the language in each policy is aligned so that when the limit on the primary policy is exhausted coverage under an excess policy, for example, kicks in, he said.

Communicate. Communicate. Communicate, Colechia said. That means internal as well as external.

Insurers that have accepted a risk need to make sure they properly reserve their rights in case a claim is excluded under the terms of the policy, said attorney Barry M. Miller,an administrative partner with Mazanec, Raski & Ryder in Lexington, Kentucky.

Miller said a reservation of rights letter should be sent to a claimant as soon as a defense of the claim begins, or soon after. He said such a letter must clearly explain any coverage limits and how they apply to the facts of the claim. Insurers that dont explain limits or exclusions risk a court holding that they are estopped from raising those terms in defense of the claim.

Miller said it should be kept in mind that in some states, insurers are allowed to demand reimbursement of any money spent defending a claim that was not covered. But the right to that reimbursement must be reserved, he said.

Miller said reservation of rights letters should be specific, not boilerplate. Simply restating the limits and exclusions in a policy wont do. He said the letter must explain how the policy language pertains to the facts at hand.

The exclusions mentioned by Miller could be a disaster if the claim involving a cyber attack. Stategies for coping with that particular peril was the topic of another presentation from attorney Joshua Gold of Anderson Kill in New York and Lance Ewing, executive vice president of global risk management and client services for Cotton Holdings Inc. Their presentation was titled Cyber Coverage for Things that Go Boom.

Gold said cyber risks keep morphing. In the early days, the privacy of data was the major concern. Policies where written to protect insureds from potential class action lawsuits caused by data breaches.

Covering the risk of bodily injury was not a concern for the cyber insurer or insured. But thanks the Internet of Things, bodily injury is a very real risk from certain cyber crimes. Concerns about criminal mischief prompted California lawmakers to require security on every device connected to the internet, he said.

Cyber criminals can threaten the very existence of companies. Gold said a medical practice in Minnesota shut down after it was hacked. The physicians spent days manually calling patients to cancel appointments, he said.

Even when the risk of cyber attack are well known, organizations dont always manage the risk well.

Ewing said cyber is becoming an increasingly important risk for directors and officers coverage. He said shareholder lawsuits closely follow any data breaches suffered by pubic companies. Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission has not made it a secret that they are going after any company that hasnt been diligent about cybersecurity.

Public companies are required to disclose in proxy statements any risks that threaten earnings. He said cyber risk has moved up toward the top of the listed disclosures in many of those proxy statements.

Ewing said directors need to pay close attention to their organizations insurance coverage. He said some policies require the insured to follow specific security practices in order to obtain coverage.

It is drastically, direly important to work with a broker who has experience in cyber coverage, Ewing said.

The RIMS conference concludes on Wednesday.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Monday took a potentially important step toward rebuilding confidence not only in the Boeing Co. 737 Max but also in the agency itself, convening a week-long summit of civil aviation regulators from Brussels to Beijing.

Led by former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher Hart, delegates from eight overseas nations and the European Union are meeting in Seattle to examine the FAAs original certification of the Max as safe to fly, including the automated flight control system linked to two crashes since October that killed a combined 346 people.

The point of this body is to attempt to instill confidence globally in the 737 Max and the agency that certified it, said Jeffrey Guzzetti, the former director of the FAAs Accident Investigation Division, who is not on the panel.

Boeing and the FAA have been subjected to withering scrutiny from lawmakers, government watchdogs and prosecutors following the 737 Maxs worldwide grounding, now entering its seventh week. Much of that has been focused on how much was known about the Maxs anti-stall countermeasure and how much sway Boeing had in the jets certification by the FAA.

More than 40 nations from the U.K. to Australia rejected public reassurances from the FAA after the second crash in Ethiopia last month and grounded the Max before the U.S. agency followed suit  a remarkable rebuke for a body that has been a regulatory leader since the dawn of the jet age.

Boeings global rival Airbus SE said on Tuesday its concerned that the Max crisis may undermine an alignment between the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency thats been key to easing cooperation in the industry for years.

These events are creating a lot of tensions and questions, Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said on an earnings call. Its a concern at this stage, its too early to draw conclusions. EASA didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

South Korean authorities meanwhile plan to determine independently whether the Max should be cleared to fly again in its airspace, according to a transport ministry official. The Asian nation plans to closely monitor steps taken by regulators in Europe and China, the first country to ground the Max, said the person, who wasnt allowed to speak publicly and asked not to be identified.

Lawsuits against Boeing filed on Monday by two Canadians whose family members died in the March 10 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 also called the FAA equally culpable in the accidents for approving the Max despite its substantial flaws.

The relationship between Boeing and the FAA left a lot of questions, said Michael Barr, an aviation safety expert at the University of Southern California. They need a third party, a neutral party with a lot of respect in the industry to evaluate that relationship and see whether or not there needs to be a change.

The panel aims to do so quickly. The so-called Joint Authorities Technical Review has been asked to complete its findings within 90 days, far faster than the ongoing inquiries and audits by accident investigators, government watchdogs, prosecutors and lawmakers.

The review panel was asked by the FAA to conduct a comprehensive review of the certification of the automated flight control system on the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the agency said in an April 3 statement announcing the effort. It can also make recommendations for improvements on the plane.

The panel includes representatives from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the EU, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

Efforts to reach participants in the session were not successful. Before the meeting, the president of Dubais civil aviation authority, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, told reporters at the 2019 Arabian Travel Market convention in Dubai that he still had questions about the plane.

We want to know exactly whats happening, the details. There are still areas that arent being answered 100 percent yet, said Sheikh Ahmed, who is also the chairman of Emirates, the worlds biggest long-haul carrier, and its sister company FlyDubai, which has had to ground 14 737s. Communication with Boeing could be better, he added.

Participants on the FAA panel are committed to a single safety mission, and will not rest where aviations safety record is concerned, an FAA spokesman said in a statement Monday. We expect the JATR to engage in a free and candid discussion that exchanges information and improves future processes.

As the meeting got underway, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg defended the software system linked to the crashes in Ethiopia and off the coast of Indonesia. At the companys yearly investors meeting in Chicago, he said the software met company standards and that the jet wasnt rushed to market.

Guzzetti likened the FAA review to a similar one commissioned by the agency in 1994 to review the flight controls of an earlier version of the 737 after two fatal crashes involving the jet. That effort produced 27 recommendations related to aircraft design changes in just a few months.

Those conclusions, however, were overshadowed by NTSB findings years later that a failure mode in the 737 could cause the rudder to move in the opposite direction to that commanded by pilots, leading to costly changes, said Guzzetti, who participated in that review while at the NTSB.

In the end, it didnt really move the needle, he said of the FAAs review. It was really the final NTSB investigation and recommendations and how Boeing and the industry responded.
He was Honolulus Rolex-wearing police chief, an avid surfer who chatted with beat cops in Pidgin, Hawaiis creole language. She was his deputy city prosecutor wife, who drove a Maserati and led an elite unit targeting career criminals while showering lunches on colleagues, friends and even the workers renovating her home.

For years, Louis and Katherine Kealoha were the citys law enforcement power couple, enjoying widespread respect as Native Hawaiian role models who hailed from humble, blue-collar roots and rose to the top thanks to decades of hard work. They lived in a swanky house near an exclusive country club in the citys Kahala neighborhood, sometimes called Honolulus Beverly Hills.

Then the white mailbox perched on a pedestal in front of their house disappeared, triggering a drawn out disintegration of the couples reputation amid a twisted tale of allegations involving fraud, illegal drugs and an attempt to frame Katherine Kealohas uncle for stealing the mailbox.

Federal authorities started investigating the two in 2015, and both stepped down from their jobs as the probe deepened. Now the Kealohas are heading to trial next month on federal charges of conspiracy, obstruction and false statements to a federal officer involving the mailbox case. The obstruction charge carries the heftiest sentence  up to 20 years in prison.

Katherine Kealoha, 48, and her physician brother, Rudolph Puana, are also expected to be tried later on separate allegations that the siblings bartered opioids for cocaine. The Kealohas and Puana have denied all of the charges.

The case has morphed into a scandal characterized as the largest corruption prosecution in Hawaii history  and prosecutors say greed was the couples motive.

They allege the Kealohas were so desperate to fund their lavish lifestyle that they swindled more than a half-million dollars from banks, relatives and children whose trust funds Katherine Kealoha controlled when she was a lawyer in private practice.

Prosecutors say Katherine Kealohas uncle and her now-99-year-old grandmother threatened to expose the fraud, so she devised a scheme to silence them by attempting to have her grandmother declared incapacitated and conspiring with her 58-year-old husband and members of a special police unit hand-picked by him to frame the uncle, Gerard Puana, for stealing the Kealohas mailbox.

Honolulu police arrested the uncle on a felony charge of mailbox theft in 2013. Puanas lawyer, federal public defender Alexander Silvert, was initially skeptical about his clients claim that he was being set up in an attempt to discredit him over a lawsuit he had filed claiming Katherine Kealoha used a reverse mortgage scheme to steal money from him and his mother, Florence Puana.

The Kealohas reported the mailbox as a Gaines model valued at $380 _ but Silvert said he and his investigators learned it was actually made by a different manufacturer and cost only $180. The difference in value allowed Puana to be charged with a felony instead of a misdemeanor.

When I realized they were lying about the make and model of the mailbox, then I was `OK, theres something going on, Silvert said.

Federal prosecutors said in court documents filed in the upcoming case against the Kealohas that the couple concocted the mailbox scheme to silence her uncle.

Their reputations, careers and livelihood were seriously threatened by what the Puanas lawsuit could bring to light. So they moved to silence and imprison him, prosecutors said. Public embarrassment was not something the Kealohas could afford. They needed to maintain their carefully crafted public image.

Puanas mailbox theft case ended in a mistrial in 2014. In 2015, a jury sided with Katherine Kealoha in the civil lawsuit her grandmother and uncle lodged against her.

Federal investigators stepped in  eventually revealing allegations against Katherine Kealoha, including stealing trust funds from children, showering money she bilked on a firefighter lover and the alleged drug-dealing with her brother. They allege she even invented an alias  Alison Lee Wong  to dodge scrutiny, forge documents, secure state Senate confirmation, and more.

In 2017, she and her husband were indicted on the federal criminal charges. They have since lost their expensive home to foreclosure proceedings and have taxpayer-funded, court-appointed defense attorneys.

Still, their public persona belies this fall from grace as they arrive at court hearings holding hands and wearing color-coordinated outfits. After pleading not guilty after they were indicted in October 2017, the Kealohas left court arm-in-arm wearing lei  an odd sight because lei are associated with celebratory events like birthdays to graduations, certainly not criminal court matters.

Louis Kealohas lawyer, Rustam Barbee, told The Associated Press this month that after 30-plus years of protecting and serving the community here in Honolulu, the chief has earned the right of the presumption of innocence. His wifes lawyer, Cynthia Kagiwada, declined comment on the upcoming federal criminal trial.

Hawaii has never had a corruption case like this before, said Neal Milner, a retired University of Hawaii at Manoa political science professor. He said the islands have had their share of organized crime and crooked politicians but the charges the Kealohas face are an unprecedented kind of alleged corruption.

In possible wider legal ramifications, questions have also been raised about possible wrongdoing in prosecutions Katherine Kealoha handled, and federal authorities investigating the couple have notified Honolulus elected prosecuting attorney  Katherine Kealohas former boss  and the citys chief lawyer that they are also targets in the probe.

Neither Kealoha was born into the luxury that prosecutors say they craved.

Katherine Kealoha rode a city bus as a child for more than an hour to get to school from rural Kahaluu on Oahus verdant and mountainous windward coast where her father was a fisherman. And Louis Kealoha lived in gritty neighborhoods, including Halawa Valley, where his mother supported the family with a small lunch shop.

He dropped out of a community college to join the Honolulu Police Department in 1983, saying he liked surfing more than school. She graduated from the University of Hawaiis law school in 1995.orHe rose through the ranks of the police department, and eventually earned a bachelors degree. The two met while getting their masters degrees in criminal justice administration at Chaminade University, a small Catholic school in Honolulu, according to a 2010 Mid-Week newspaper article about how the new chief was instilling Native Hawaiian values while leading the police force.

Louis Kealoha ended up earning a doctorate in 2006 through a University of Southern California program in which professors traveled to Honolulu on weekends, according to a 2013 USC publication. Describing his decision to seek higher education, he said his grandparents never attended school and his father had a sixth-grade education.

Nobody in my family was a supervisor of anything. We were all rank and file, the USC article quoted him as saying. I thought it would be so cool to create a different path for my family.

Randal Lee, a retired Honolulu judge, recalls running into Katherine Kealoha at the height of the couples prosperity around 2008 and asking her where she and her husband were living.

When she told him the Kahala enclave of multimillion-dollar homes, he said he thought to himself: How could they afford that, man?

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- Gurney Elementary School turned into Toyland during the early morning of April 23, as parent volunteers and staff transformed both the exterior and interior of the building into a giant, colorful land of toys and games.

The schools annual One School, One Book month-long program kicked off the moment students got off the school buses and walked into the building. They were greeted by cheering staff and administrators as they witnessed a life-size chess board, Scrabble game, tinker toys, and Yahtzee, Clue and Monopoly games as they walked through their school doors.

It is the 10th year as a school-wide book club. Children, parents and staff will be reading together Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions by Don Wulffson. They will read and learn about the history of some well-known toys and games.

There is a theme every day, podcasts with celebrity readers, family nights to encourage reading together, playing with toys and board games, and even incentives with the reward of Chipotle gift cards. While most reading is done at home with parents, there are planned classroom lessons and activities to support comprehension and extend the learning.

A website has been developed that includes a calendar of events, photos, links to learn more about famous toys, podcasts and information on the school-wide community service project. A link can be found on the Gurney Elementary School homepage at www.chagrinschools.org/tcgurneyelementaryschool_home.aspx.

This year, the school wants to spread the fun to children who may have to spend time away from their own toys because they are in hospitals. They are collecting new toys in their original packaging for Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital and Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital.

Items for both hospitals must be brand new, due to infection-control policies and the safety of the patients. Items can be dropped off in the main office of Gurney Elementary.

One School, One Book would not be possible without the generous support of the Chagrin Falls Dads Club, Chagrin Falls PTO and Chagrin Rotary Club.

This school community embraces the One School, One Book program like no other, said Principal Rachel Jones. It may look like a lot of decoration and surface-level activity on the outside, but to the student who struggles each day, who doesnt always persevere, or who never quite feels connected, it can be exactly what was needed to flip the switch and inspire or engage that child in reading and learning.

"And, when parents really commit to reading the chapters each night to their child, which is the spirit of the program, children really feel the home-school connection that we know has a significant impact on their educational development.

For more information on the national One School One Book Program, visit www.ReadToThem.org.

Read more news from the Chagrin Solon Sun here.
MAYFIELD, Ohio -- When village voters are at their polling place May 7, they will be asked to approve or reject a proposed zoning amendment that would change the zoning of six parcels of land on Highland Road from the current single-family use to that of a planned residential development district.

Approving the amendment would allow Skoda Construction of Highland Heights to build no more than a 60-unit development. That development would include 21 buildings accommodating 42 side-by-side, two-unit clusters, as well as 18 single-family detached homes. In all, the project would entail construction on 16 acres of now undeveloped property.

All zoning changes in Mayfield require voter approval. When asked to comment on the zoning amendment, Mayor Brenda Bodnar noted that, if the zoning change is not approved, Skoda is expected to build several large, single-family homes on the site, just south of Highland Road and west of S.O.M. Center Road.

Bodnar said the responsibility is on voters to make an informed decision.

From my perspective, Mayfield Village has a need for residential units which offer single-story living, Bodnar stated in an email response to cleveland.com when asked about the issue. "Although not all of the proposed units are ranch style, all will offer single-story living, with the master bedroom, master bathroom and laundry room on the first floor. Skodas proposed development will help address that need.

The layout of the Skoda Construction project. At the top is Highland Road.

Although the units will not be inexpensive, they will offer quality construction and materials, Bodnar said. "The plans call for dedicated, full-width streets, which will make the area more drivable both for residents and first responders; double-width driveways for guest parking; green space; and several other amenities.

This would be an attractive option for those choosing maintenance-free living, especially individuals who have difficulty with stairs, or who travel extensively or snow-bird to warmer climates in the winter, and would most likely appeal to more mature purchasers, Bodnar said.

Based on my own experience -- a large Mayfield Heights condo development that went up adjacent to my street -- I dont believe the Skoda project would have any meaningful impact on traffic on Highland Road. Whatever the voters believe, I hope everyone takes a close look at the issue and casts their vote accordingly. Government functions best when citizens participate in the process.

At its Dec. 3 meeting, the Mayfield Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 in favor of Skodas preliminary concept plan and development agreement with the village.

At that meeting, commission member Jim Farmer said: I think its the type of housing that the village needs, a little more variety (than only single-family homes), especially with the population getting older, that dont need the five-bedroom house anymore. I dont know that I could afford these condos, but its nice to have this option within the village.

Said fellow commission member Jim Kless: I think its the best utilization of the land and fits in with the community from that point of view. To me, its a positive.

Bodnar, also a Planning Commission member, said at the meeting, I do feel that this is a good plan and will be good for Mayfield Village.

Earlier this month, in an email to cleveland.com, company president Chris Skoda stated that the project has many pluses for the community.

We will be adding $30 million in jobs, products, purchases and sales to the local economies, he stated. The village and Mayfield Schools will receive a large increase in tax dollars.

Additionally, Skoda said, We will be providing alternative housing for village residents that will allow them to remain in the village instead of moving away."

Skoda encouraged residents to speak with their council representatives and to visit the projects website, Mayfieldvillagedevelopment.com, to see plans and get more information. He also said that residents with questions can call Skoda Construction at 216-214-3142.

Read more news from the Sun Messenger here.
MEDINA, Ohio -- Criminal mischief, North Court Street: A resident called police at 9:24 p.m. April 29 to report his car egged. Reports did not indicate that police had any suspects at the time of the report.

Driving under suspension, Deerview Lane: A 29-year-old Columbus man was pulled over at 9:15 p.m. April 29 and cited for driving under suspension.

Suspicious person, North Huntington Street: A woman reported an unknown man walking onto her property at 5:08 p.m. April 29. Police had no further information at the time of the report.

Juvenile complaint, North Harmony Street: Police warned a group of juveniles about playing in the roadway after receiving a call from a neighbor at 4:08 p.m. April 29.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.

Read more news from the Medina Sun here.
AKRON, Ohio  An Akron man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with parole eligibility after 23 years in connection with a 2017 fatal shooting.

Harold Burros, 27, pleaded guilty to a special felony of aggravated murder with a gun specification and a first-degree felony of aggravated robbery with a gun specification, Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said in a news release.

The charges stem from the Sept. 19, 2017 fatal shooting of 18-year-old Brandon Belleville.

Burros and three other men kicked in the front door of Bellevilles Minerva Place home on Akrons West Side and shot him several times, Walsh said.

The other men  Lamar Jackson, 26, and CQuincey Chatman, 18  pleaded guilty Monday in connection with the shooting. They each were found guilty of first-degree felonies of involuntary manslaughter with a gun specification and aggravated robbery with a gun specification.

Chatman was a juvenile at the time of the shooting and his case was transferred from juvenile court to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas.

Judge Alison McCarty is scheduled to sentence Jackson and Chatman on May 22.

Akron police are actively searching for a fourth suspect in the case, Walsh said.

To comment on this story, visit Tuesdays crime and courts comment section.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio  A North Royalton woman who embezzled $1.1 million from her former employer was sentenced Tuesday to more than three years in federal prison.

Tammy Lacqua, 54, took money from C.C. Mitchell Supply Company in Broadview Heights between December 2013 and March 2017, while working as the appliance distributors chief financial officer.

She transferred money from the business operating account to her credit cards 71 times, forged company owner Jerry Mitchells signature on checks and embezzled money through other unauthorized transactions.

Lacqua pleaded guilty in January to six counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko imposed the 41-month sentence and ordered her to pay back the money she stole.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian McDonough said Lacqua detailed the transactions in a folder on her computer labeled Do Not Use.

He said Lacqua used the money at Put-in-Bay, for trips, at day spas, restaurants and bars. She spent money on herself and two roommates in a way her attorney described as trying to essentially buy their friendship.

Mitchell said in court that his company was on its way to making $20 million a year, but that Lacquas embezzlement and financial problems that came in its wake halted the companys growth.

Were going to make it, but its hard, he said.

Lacqua gave a tearful apology and vowed to do what she could to pay back the money he stole. Her lawyer Michael Goldberg said his client had struggled with alcoholism and is being treated for underlying mental health issues. He also requested a lower sentence than the 33-41-month range recommended by the U.S. Probation Office, saying her meek personality and issues would ensure a hard time for her behind bars.

Mitchell, however, said he didnt believe her expressions of remorse.

The only thing shes sorry about is that she got caught, he said.

Boyko said he would have given a longer prison sentence if not for her mental-health issues and struggles with alcoholism. He made clear his disdain for her actions and her abuse of her position.

The judge told Lacqua he thought she would still be stealing if she hadnt been caught, and dont tell me you wouldnt be.

The judge noted that a reputation is something a person takes to their grave.

I hope you can redeem yourself before you die, because now its down the drain, Boyko said.

Lacquas roommates have not been charged. Boyko asked her whether they knew she was stealing from her employer. She said no and that they didnt know how much she made in a year.

Boyko then asked McDonough whether he believed Lacqua, and the prosecutor replied no, your honor.

Neither do I, the judge said.

Lacqua is free on bond. Boyko let her report to prison at a later date.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One of Americas worst took the life of one of Americas best, Saturday, in the latest hate crime to hit this nation and the world, at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in California.

Lori Kaye ,60, was shot and killed while trying to shield Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein from being shot again by a 19-year-old anti-Semitic, Islamophobe, white supremacist, who had launched an attack on the synagogue with an assault-like rifle.

In addition to the Rabbi, two other people were injured, including 8 year-old Noya Dahan.

The shooters rifle jammed, after his brain and soul did. Rabbi Goldstein called the rifle jamming a miracle of all miracles knowing even more would have been killed or injured.

Kaye, who was a founding member of the congregation, was described by all who knew her as Angelic. As just one example, she once bought six months worth of medication for an ill friend who had no health insurance. She will now also be forever known for being heroic.

On Saturday, she was at the Chabad, with her daughter, to pray for her mother who had passed away in November.

Rabbi Goldstein was one of the first to cross paths with the shooter. His hand was shot as he tried to warn nearby children, and Kaye shielded him from more wounds, and according Goldstein, death.

The Rabbi said Oscar Stewart,a former soldier, also jumped into action. He tried to tackle down the gunman. The gunman just exited, ran away, got into his car. Stewart chased after the shooter, and was lauded by law enforcement for his courageous acts.

After Goldstein checked on the children, he returned to the lobby to find Kayes husband, a doctor, had arrived, giving her CPR. And he faints and hes laying there on the floor next to his wife. And then their daughter Hannah comes out screaming, Daddy and Mommy, whats going on?!' Its the most heart-wrenching sight I could have seen. I was frozen in time. This is not Nazi Germany. This is not the pogrom. This is right here in Poway, this is our home," said Goldstein

What makes the attack especially disturbing is, as Goldstein points out, this is not Nazi Germany. Its the United States in 2019. Its America, where pilgrims came fleeing religious persecution. Its the United States where the founding fathers enshrined religious liberty in the Constitution.

The alleged shooter reminded me of Ted Bundy, in that just as Bundy didnt fit the stereotype of a serial killer, the Poway shooted didnt fit the stereotype of a white supremacist skinhead neo nazi. He instead looked the stereotypical boy next door. He was a college student and accomplished pianist. He wasnt raised by racist anti-Semites.

Our sons actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold, the shooters parents said, asserting he and his siblings were raised in a family that rejected hate.

How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us, though we are confident that law enforcement will uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act. He is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on the Jewish people for centuries," said the shooters parents in a statement.

Minutes before he opened fire in the synagogue, the shooter posted a manifesto on 8chan, the fringe message board filled with posts by conspiracy nuts, white supremacists and Trump kool-aid drinkers. In the manifesto, the shooter expressed admiration for and inspiration from the Christchurch mosque and Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue attacks, while announcing his own planned attack.

The shooting also occurred the day after President Trump said his response to the lethal Charlottesville white supremacist march was perfect.

In his latest revisionist history spin, Trump claimed that when he infamously said there were good people on both sides of the march, he was referring to people just there to protest the removal a monument to General Robert E. Lee. In fact, Trumps response had been given to a question specifically about Neo-Nazis attending and marching.

As the Mayor of Charlottesville and others have pointed out, and the video proves, its a myth that the march was just about protecting historical monuments. The majority of those attending were Neo-Nazis and white supremacists, marching with torches barking anti-Semitic slurs.

Trump responded better to the Poway shooting. First condemning the attack as a hate crime, while reading off a teleprompter. Rabbi Goldstein said the president also called him to offer condolences on behalf of the United States.

And he spoke about his love and peace and Judaism and Israel. He was so comforting. Im grateful to our president for taking the time [to] share with us his comfort and consolation.

The nation needs and wants more of that Trump, even if hes reading it off a teleprompter, than the president giving comfort to hate mongering trolls and milking them for votes.

Chabad of Poway, is the official name of the synagogue. But its really Chabad of America. We are all part of the same congregation. Our manifesto is the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of The United States. Our Menorah is the Liberty torch to light the candle of your religion or non-religion of choice.

In her front yard, Lori Kaye had a message pole that said, in multiple languages, May peace prevail on Earth.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The city of Cleveland will always be burned into the memories of the members of Toronto punk-rock band PUP, after a memorably hot concert at Now Thats Class.

The band has regularly performed in Northeast Ohio, but its July 2016 show at Now Thats Class stands out to guitarist Steve Sladkowski. The air conditioning wouldnt work and the heaters turned on instead.

This next month, PUP will return for two cooled-down shows at Clevelands Beachland Ballroom -- a sold-out appearance on May 1 and an additional show on May 21.

PUP originally kicked off as a DIY group, putting out aggressive, energetic punk-rock music that quickly earned it fans around the world. The band is responsible for putting out inventive merchandise, artsy self-produced zines and video collaborations with Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard.

This past year has seen a lot of growth for PUP, with the release of its latest critically-acclaimed album, Morbid Stuff, on April 5. The album contains all the energy PUP fans wanted, but also mixes in the bands darkest, most reflective lyrics yet. Its led to a world tour with hundreds of performances and a recent appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

We talked with PUP guitarist Steve Sladkowski before the bands two Cleveland concerts in May.

Anne Nickoloff: Youre coming to Cleveland on May 1, and also May 21, because I think your first show sold out too quickly, right?

Steve Sladkowski: Its pretty wild. Weve been playing in and around the Cleveland area, pretty regularly, pretty often. I think the last time we were here was at a mini-fest at the Agora. Its been a minute. But Im really excited. Itll be great to be back.

I love playing in the Great Lakes. I feel like theres sort of a similar sort of vibe and attitude, Torontos on the Great Lakes, too. I think, as much as people in the United States, and Ohio and Michigan and stuff think theyre part of the Midwest, I actually have always felt like the Great lakes is such a region in and of itself in North America. I feel like a lot of the people we know in that area in punk rock have a very similar experience to how we grew up. It always feels a little bit more like home.

AN: I was going through your tour history and you guys have played a lot of the punk venues in Cleveland, like youve played Now Thats Class, the Agora. And also the Grog Shop, Mahalls. It has been a little while, but you have played here quite a bit. Do you guys have any fun memories in Cleveland or Northeast Ohio?

SS: When we did that Now Thats Class show. I think it was oversold... The air conditioning wasnt working in the venue. And they kept trying to turn it on and they accidentally turned the heater on. So I think it was over 40 degrees celsius, but thats [over 100] degrees Fahrenheit, like inside the venue, with no reprieve whatsoever, with everyone being completely soaking wet.

Weve played in Australia in the middle of summer and Texas in the middle of summer, and still to this day thats the hottest. Whenever we have a hot gig, our barometer for what is actually a warm venue is that Now Thats Class day. It just was the middle of July, the heat was on, it was chaos, it was so hot.

AN: You guys have been growing quite a lot, especially with your new album, but you always have this really close connection with your fans, and youre still pretty DIY. What is that dynamic like, when youre going on world tours and charting on Billboard, but you still have this DIY attitude?

SS: Were not as DIY as we used to be. We do have help, in terms of management, agents and press people handling certain things. But one of the differences is, we have sort of found people who know what were about, and know that we still want to maintain control, and the ability to do things the way we have always done them.

I think a big part of that is that the four of us are workaholics and were all control freaks in different ways, in terms of art direction and how we want the record to sound, and how we want the record to be sequenced, and how we want to be able to engage with fans and be ourselves.

DIY is the world we come from and that punk thing has always been what helped the most [people]. Theres no real need to change it. Weve gotten to where we are on our own terms and by engaging with fans and being DIY. I think the first people who would notice if something had changed would be our fans and us. In that way, it feels like with all this stuff thats been happening, if anything, it reinforces the path that weve chosen and the way we work toward things that is pretty nice. Its pretty cool.

AN: With your tour - when youre coming to Cleveland, youll be playing with Ratboys and Casper Skulls. I love Ratboys. What do you think of the whole lineup for the tour?

SS: Its awesome. Again, keeping with that control-freakishness, we really take pride in the fact that we support bands we love and that we think our fans will love.

Its so much about paying it forward in that regard. We were very lucky to be taken on a bunch of tours when we were first starting out just because the bands headlining that tour liked our band. That really gave us opportunities I dont think otherwise we would have had. To kind of pay it forward and be able to do for other bands what so many bands did for us, whenever we have that opportunity, its really a no brainer. Its just something we need to do. Were lucky that its a bunch of kickass bands that said yes.

AN: Morbid Stuff" came out pretty recently. Ive seen a lot of reactions on social media of people really connecting with the music. Have you heard anything like that at your live shows? How have you seen it connect with your audience?

SS: Oh, its wild. We were just over in Europe for a couple of weeks, and even when the record had only been out for a couple of days, people had been singing along and really into all the new songs. We didnt know what to expect, and the response has been so great.

The funny thing about making records is that you control them until you dont. You put all this time and energy into writing the songs and recording them and making sure the album artwork is great and whatever else. Then as soon as its kind of done and youre waiting to release it, it starts to become less and less in your control. Which is kind of freeing in a way but you never really know what to expect because as soon as the record comes out, its not yours anymore. It belongs to the ether and to other people.

To have the feeling that its connecting with people is always a really great feeling. It makes us really excited to be on tour. Already we have over 150 dates booked this year and were still trying to add more. Im excited that people are excited, and that makes me excited. Its a big old loop of excitement.

AN: You guys are pretty notorious for touring like crazy. What is that like? Whats that lifestyle like, when youre doing 150 or 200 shows a year?

SS: Its difficult for a number of reasons but its also very rewarding. Were able to do it a little bit more comfortably now than we ever have. Im talking to you on a tour bus right now. But there are still the sacrifices that are made. Nestor [Chumak], our bassist, is married. Everyone else is kind of in a relationship as well. We get to have all this fun of touring and playing shows and most days are great, and there are bad days. Its sort of like any other job in that regard. When you do what you love, there are still moments where things can be difficult. Theres also time apart from those loved ones and you make those sacrifices.

To an extent, were not as in touch with the local scene, musically, as we were. Coming from the DIY world, thats something we really care about, being in touch with whats going on in the city. Now, weve learned strategies both to cope from a mental-health perspective, and from a physical-health perspective. Were organizing a run club, so a bunch of us are going to try to get up early every day and go running, or jump rope. Take vitamins, eat salads. Do all these things that seem really mundane and boring, because were not doing the tours anymore where were playing 15 days in a row and drinking every night and were sleeping on someones floor. Which, if no ones ever done that before, I would strongly encourage it because you really learn a lot about yourself and the company you keep.

I think we are very lucky to have gotten to a place where were able to focus our energy and time into putting on the best live show possible for people who are coming to see us. That is something we value and find very important: the live show being up to the standards of what we know people expect and that we expect of ourselves. Were just grateful we have the opportunity to do it and in a way we never expected before.

When we first started this band we thought we would play a couple of gigs in Toronto and two or three hours outside of it. And now weve gotten to this point of doing multiple tours in North America, and Europe, and weve been to Australia several times. Its so far beyond what we ever expected. To give back, give people a show, and to really deliver on that, its kind of a no-brainer.

You can find more information about Pups upcoming Beachland Ballroom concerts at the venues website.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County government is tracking its own effectiveness and sharing the information with the public.

The administration of County Executive Armond Budish on Tuesday launched a publicly accessible website containing performance-related data on subjects such job creation, pre-kindergarten programs and jail populations.

Chief Innovation and Performance Officer Catherine Tkachyk told cleveland.com that the website also offers comparable data, when available, for similar counties in Ohio and elsewhere.

Check out the website here.

Information now posted on the site is from 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. But Tkachyk said her office will update the website quarterly to create a running tally of how well county government is meeting the needs of residents.

In a Monday meeting with cleveland.com, Budish acknowledged that not all the information is positive. But he said he believes the public has a right to know about both the countys successes and shortcomings.

This is not intended to be a PR-type report, he said. Were here to track our programs. The purpose for this is to impact our work as we go forward, so we can improve things.

For example, the website reports on one of Budishs key initiatives, making available more high-quality, pre-kindergarten programs for children in the county.

Data for the first quarter of 2019 show about 3,600 children enrolled, and about 88 percent of the open classroom spots filled. Going forward, the public will be able to see whether enrollment increases or declines, and whether those fluctuations are seasonal.

Among the information the public can now check out for themselves:

Infant mortality rate

High school graduation rate

Broadband connectivity

Poverty rate

Enrollment in federal programs such as Medicaid and SNAP

County jail population

How many followers the county has on social media

Child support payments

The countys credit rating

Greenhouse gas emissions

Job creation and retention

Community development and demolition

Internal county employee data
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition today finalized 33 recommendations which, if adopted, would mandate that rental homes in the city be lead-safe in the next few years.

Coalition members proposed, debated and voted on the sweeping set of suggestions in policy-focused working groups over a two-month period. They will share the results with City Council Wednesday.

The proposals cover areas that include screening and testing for lead poisoning, treatment and intervention options and education and community outreach.

The most significant change, however, would be a requirement that landlords obtain a lead-safe certificate to prove the safety of pre-1978 properties to rent, using third-party inspections and tests that measure for lead dust.

The policy committee has stated that its prevention-related recommendations, which include the creation of the lead-safe certificate system, are the most important it is proposing because they are essential to the rest of the recommendations working.

Under the coalitions recommendations, the certificates would roll out in two parts over three years, including a one-year ramp-up period before the certificates would be required. Over the following two years, properties would be phased-in to the certificate program quarterly, based on ZIP code.

Currently, the majority of rentals are inspected only after a child is exposed to the brain-damaging toxin.

The coalition plan would rely on fines to persuade landlords to comply instead of low-level criminal penalties.

The plan also calls for city and community resources to be committed to help low-income landlords and families, though no specific costs are estimated in the proposals.

Environmental Health Watch Director and committee member Kim Foreman, who has been advocating for prevention of lead poisoning through housing interventions for years, said today shes excited about the recommendations.

Im very impressed with how fast this is happening, and where we are, she said. Ive always said we have the skills and talent [in Cleveland] to do this. Its been a matter of political will.

City Council President Kevin Kelley said council will rely on the coalition recommendations as the basis for legislation that will be introduced in May and considered by council in the coming months. Kelley said he hopes for legislation to be passed following the Lead Safe Home Summit on June 21.

All 33 recommendations can be found here and at the bottom of this story.

The recommendations were approved by the majority of those who voted, in most cases by 90 percent or more. Only four policy committee members opted out of endorsing the full set of recommendations: Mike Valerino, of the Akron-Cleveland Association of Realtors; Cleveland City Councilman Tony Brancatelli; Diana Shulsky of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services; and Rebecca Maurer, an attorney who drafted proposed lead-safe legislation with the community advocacy group CLASH, or Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing.

Valerino and Shulsky opted out of the overall recommendations because of the one-year proposed ramp-up period for the implementation of the certificate system and because of the inclusion of a recommendation to protect tenants by including source of income as a protected class in city and county anti-discrimination laws.

The committee agreed largely that theres a need for more conversation on the topic of this requirement, but felt it was important to include to address the potential for displacement and potential discrimination against tenants seeking new housing.

Councilman Blaine Griffin said the recommendations will fundamentally change the ways landlords do business in the City of Cleveland.

Griffin said he likes that the recommendations include an independent quality control process with an auditor, regular reporting to measure success of the implementation of any recommendations, and the tools to protect renters, landlords and others from unintended consequences of the recommendations, such as displacement or abandonment of properties.

The city is going to do our part, he said, I do want to see what other commitments other sectors of our community will make.

The recommendations would mandate:

New disclosures and more public information for renters and homebuyers to determine whether a home is safe or hazardous;

Public progress reports annually on lead-poisoning reduction efforts;

Certificates of Disclosure, required as part of property transfers, include a lead status.

The recommendations would require:

City projects and city-funded projects to employ lead-safe work practices;

City projects and city-funded programs to offer or refer children under the age of six and pregnant women for screening or testing for lead poisoning.

Early education providers to provide parents with education and information on lead poisoning.

Other recommendations include:
AKRON, Ohio  A woman was shot twice in the chest during a fight outside a bar in South Akron, police say.

The 31-year-old womans wounds are not believed to be life-threatening after she walked into Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital at about 3 a.m. Sunday seeking treatment, according to police.

A friend of the woman tells police they were outside a bar on the 300 block of East South Street when a large fight erupted. Several shots were fired during the fight and the woman was wounded, police say.

The name of the bar was not released by police. No suspects have been arrested.

Anyone with information can call the Akron detectives at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2TIP, or the Summit County Crimestoppers Inc. at 330-434-COPS. Individuals can also text TIPSCO with tips to 274637 (Crimes). Callers can remain anonymous.

To comment on this story, go to the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
BEREA, Ohio -- After 174 years, Baldwin Wallace University is no longer affiliated with the Methodist Church.

Trustees voted April 26 to sever ties, in reaction to a February church vote against allowing same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy. The Traditional Plan angered Methodist churches and schools nationwide, with many debating whether or not to leave the church.

BWs Methodist founders were committed to inclusion 174 years ago, Charles Rotuno, the chair of BWs board of trustees, said in a press release.

While we value the relationship that we have had with the United Methodist Church, weve concluded that becoming an independent university will allow the BW community to continue to fully embrace and embody the values of diversity and inclusion today and always.

The presidents of Ohios Methodist schools -- BW, Ohio Northern University, University of Mount Union, Ohio Wesleyan University and Otterbein University -- already signed a letter opposing the vote.

WOSU reported on Tuesday that Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware is suspending its affiliation for one year because of the vote. The outlet updated the story to say that the university is pausing its relationship with the church, not suspending it.

Methodist John Baldwin and the Methodist Church founded the institute that would become BW in 1845, but the affiliation slowly grew less central to the universitys identity. BW stopped requiring students to attend church services. The school does not receive funding from the Methodist church.

BWs chapel and United Methodist chaplain will remain on campus. The school will also honor awards for all current or incoming 2019 students who received scholarships from the Methodist church, according to the press release.

University bylaws state that 10 percent of the schools board of trustees must be Methodist.

Spokeswoman Shawn Salamone wrote in an email that the vote did not change that bylaw and a governance committee will consider that in the coming months.

Read more about the decision and vote here.
BRUNSWICK, Ohio -- Animal complaint, Cottonwood Lane: A resident called police at 7:25 p.m. April 25 to report that her neighbors pet wolf had been barking for the past several hours.

The neighbor told police that her wolf, which is kept locked outside in a cage, was howling continuously for approximately 12 minutes prior to the officers arrival. The wolf began to howl while the officer was speaking with the neighbor and she was cited for disturbance.

Trespassing, Hadcock Road: A manager at Willowood Care Center reported a case of trespassing at 4:02 p.m. April 22. A former employee of the care center reportedly had entered the facility without permission to shoot a music video.

The head administrator for Willowood told police that he wished to pursue charges against the suspect for trespassing.

Loose dog, Robert Parkway: Police responded to a report of a loose dog at 1:32 p.m. April 24. The dog was located and taken to the police animal control building. The owner was issued two citations when he arrived to pick up the dog.

Drug paraphernalia, Center Road: Police investigated a suspicious car in the Kmart Plaza at 12:53 a.m. April 24. The car was running with the driver behind the wheel. The driver initially refused to identify herself, and drug paraphernalia was seen in plain view inside the car.

A search turned up marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia. The driver was cited for drug abuse and drug paraphernalia possession.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.

Read more news from the Brunswick Sun here.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  In the future, Ohioans will be able to use a single mobile payment account to safely pay their taxes or renew their drivers license, officials with Gov. Mike DeWines administration said Monday.

But for now, state officials are working to set up a single IT platform called InnovateOhio, through which the governors offices myriad state agencies can store their information and share it with each other while keeping it safe.

We see citizens winning in two ways. One is theyve got a user-friendly way to deal with government. But second, were going to be better able to serve them by sharing data and solving problems, DeWine told reporters at a Statehouse news conference in Columbus on Monday.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who is overseeing the InnovateOhio state department, said once the platform is up and running, it will allow the state to better analyze its own data to more closely target government programs, and to evaluate whether or not they work after the fact.

Husted said the projects eventual goal is to make visiting a physical government office optional, and to make state websites easier to use.

People have come to expect that in their lives, Husted said. We should be able to provide them that in state government.

Mondays news conference was the clearest explanation yet of the goals for InnovateOhio, the new state agency state lawmakers created in December at the request of DeWine, who then hired Husted to run it. Previously, state officials more generally have described the agencys mission, which is to streamline state government and encourage technological innovation throughout Ohio. Husted last week announced InnovateOhios advisory board, composed of state leaders in tech, finance and venture capital.

The DeWine administration has proposed giving the agency $20 million to set up the IT platform, hire employees and perform its other work. The project will build off an ongoing effort by the administration of previous Gov. John Kasich to get all the state agencies to use the same computer system.

Husted on Monday, describing the data analytics component of InnovateOhio, acknowledged that InnovateOhios operations  or even its purpose  arent easily described or understood.

I always struggle to find easy ways to explain this to people, he said.

DeWine signed an executive order on Monday requiring all state agencies to cooperate with the InnovateOhio platform project and transfer their computer systems to it within the next year. Husted declined to provide a timetable for when they might create components Ohioans would notice, like digital wallets or easier to use websites. The executive order will not apply to the Ohio Supreme Court or any of the independent state offices run by elected officials, like the attorney general or secretary of states offices.

In recent years, state officials ambitious IT efforts havent always gone smoothly.

For instance, the Ohio Business Gateway, a platform created under the Kasich administration for businesses to pay their taxes, has been sharply criticized by local municipalities and business groups for not working correctly. Another Kasich administration project that allows Ohioans to easily examine state employee salaries and other spending information in part duplicated efforts by the OhioCheckbook, then-Treasurer Josh Mandels similar project that also included local governments.
COLUMBUS, OhioGov. Mike DeWine said Monday that his administration is drawing up red-flag legislation that would allow authorities to confiscate guns from those deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.

DeWine is taking up the banner for an issue unsuccessfully pushed by his predecessor, fellow Republican Gov. John Kasich, during the final months of his administration.

"Ive challenged our team to come back with something in the area of red-flag legislation that can pass, the governor told reporters Monday afternoon. But, he added, We need to have something that can actually pass, so thats certainly something thats part of the criteria.

Currently, Ohio law only permits a court to confiscate peoples firearms if a civil protection order is issued against them for domestic violence or fear of such violence. However, a handful of other states, including Indiana, have red flag laws in place that allow friends and family members to petition a court to remove firearms from people who pose a threat to themselves or others.

At first glance, it may be surprising that DeWine would back such a law, given his support for rolling back other gun-control laws and that he was endorsed in last years gubernatorial race by the National Rifle Association.

But on the campaign trail last year, DeWine told The Plain Dealer/cleveland.com editorial board that he would support a red flag law as long as theres due process involved. Thats similar to the NRAs position on the issue.

DeWines comments came two days after a high-profile shooting in a California synagogue.

After last years mass shooting at Parkland High School in Florida, Kasich urged state lawmakers to pass a number of gun-policy reforms, including a red flag law. But the Republican-dominated legislature ignored Kasichs proposals and instead voted to loosen Ohios gun-control laws -- a move Kasich called dirty, stinking politics.

It remains to be seen whether state lawmakers will be more receptive to DeWines red flag proposal than they were to Kasichs, though its chances of passage will likely be improved if its not bundled with a number of other proposed gun reforms.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Youngstown-area Democrat running for president, released 10 years worth of his tax returns on Monday, which show nearly all of his income coming from his congressional salary.

Ryan did bank some royalties from the three books hes published. Yet even when factoring in his wife Andreas pay, Ryan still earned less than $2 million over that time span, far less than some of his fellow Democratic presidential primary candidates.

All told, the Ryans earned more than $1.9 million over the 10-year period. Ryans income ranged from around $155,000 in 2009 to around $165,000 in 2018. Their federal tax rate was around 21.5 percent.

Ryans three books, published in 2012, 2015 and 2018, netted him just more than $36,000 after expenses. That sum will likely grow since Ryans latest book was published in September 2018.

He reported rental property losses of more than $36,000 in 2016.

Ryan paid his lowest tax rate in 2018, a result of the Republican tax cuts passed in 2017. The congressman voted against the cuts, describing the plan as a scam.

He had a federal tax rate in 2018 of around 18.6 percent, the lowest of any of the 10 years Ryan released. He also took advantage of the increased standard deduction of $24,000, which nearly doubled from the previous $12,700 for couples.

Prior to 2018, Ryan itemized his tax deductions every year.

The Ryans took several deductions on their taxes, mostly small charitable donations and student loan interest, and credits for child care and educator expenses, though nothing substantial.

Ryans tax returns back up what was already known about his net worth compared with other members of Congress. His estimated net worth in 2016 was around $100,000, below the median worth of senators and House members of $511,000.
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Cloud computing has been the hottest growth business for some of the world's largest technology companies, including Amazon, Microsoft and Google, but a top corporate buyer of cloud services says a slowdown is coming. P&G chief information officer Javier Polit said he expects the booming cloud computing market to contract over the next five years, speaking on a panel at the eMerge Americas conference in Miami on Monday. P&G, specifically, is looking to become more efficient in use of multiple providers as a way to bring down costs and make analytical insights more efficient. P&G works with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, SAP, and Dell Technologies' Virtustream cloud service, but Polit indicated costs are high using multiple cloud providers in a world geared to data analysis and AI insights. "We do partner up with [Microsoft] Azure; we partner up with Amazon, Google, SAP," said Polit, who is also a member of the CNBC Technology Executive Council. "And through all the cloud complication, you could think about consumer data sitting in one repository, customer data sitting in another repository, ingress and egress of data as data scientists start looking at the data to mine it, to get some actual insights. There are a lot of complications and every egress and ingress costs associated with it."

From an AI perspective, as things are changing to data science and more mining, we could potentially see a shift moving into Google's platform in the future. Javier Polit P&G chief information officer

P&G's newest relationship in the cloud is with Google Cloud, a deal that was first announced a few weeks ago. Polit indicated it is a cloud relationship that P&G will strengthen as the landscape shifts in the coming years. "I do believe, though, looking forward about five years, there will be some contraction ... changes in regards to the landscape. Amazon came out first with cloud strategies many, many years ago, and you could say Azure followed and Google ... but from an AI perspective, as things are changing to data science and more mining, we could potentially see a shift moving into Google's platform in the future. They are all big bets, and we are betting on all three today, and I would argue in the next 18 to 24 months that landscape will change for us." A P&G spokesperson said data and analytics are core to the company's digital transformation strategy. "We want reliable, granular data combined with algorithm-enabled insights to inform business decisions across the globe in near real-time." The spokesperson did not indicate that P&G has any plans to only use Google for cloud services in the future. Polit could not be reached for additional comment. Amazon and Microsoft continue to post huge cloud growth numbers. Amazon Web Services reported 41% revenue growth in cloud, and its contribution to Amazon total sales went up from 10% to 13% in Q1. Microsoft Azure sales went up 73% in Q1. Google does not break out its cloud revenue in earnings. The Monday earnings report from Google parent company Alphabet showed greater signs of weakness than strength, with shares plunging more than 7%. On their earnings call Alphabet executives cited product changes, in particular at YouTube, as a reason for the earnings weakness. Google is a distant third in total cloud spend behind Microsoft Azure and AWS but recently touted its new multicloud services platform, in addition to various AI and security solutions that position them to challenge Amazon's stronghold on the cloud business. Some believe that Google's advantages in AI may enable them to overtake Microsoft and AWS, which currently claim a 16% and 32% market share in cloud spend, respectively, which seemed to match Polit's comment at the eMerge Americas conference.

'Not the norm' to spread bets across all major cloud platforms
Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Warren Buffett took the market by surprise on Tuesday with the announcement that Berkshire Hathaway would take a $10 billion preferred share stake in Occidental Petroleum, contingent on its acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum succeeding. But investors didn't need to be surprised  they could have made an educated guess the deal was coming since this past weekend, when a corporate jet tracker spotted an Occidental plane landing in Omaha. Reports began surfacing in recent days that the Occidental Gulfstream plane was a sign Buffett might be preparing a bid in the hostile war between Chevron and Occidental over Anadarko, a Permian Basin driller seen as a key prize in an era of shale consolidation.

Analyst Don Bilson of independent research firm Gordon Haskett Research Advisors sent a note to his clients on Monday citing information from Quandl, which tracks corporate jet activity and other alternative sources of data important to the markets. Bloomberg cited information on Monday from FlightAirMap showing the Gulfstream jet was in Omaha on Sunday. Haskett's Monday note, titled, "What was Occidental doing in Omaha?" came as Occidental was formalizing its counter-bid to Chevron's deal. It stated, "Here is where it gets a little more interesting. Warren Buffett does not show up as a holder of OXY or APC or CVX. And a quick search of OXY's 10-K for 'Nebraska' turns up nothing. Yet for some reason, an OXY jet was seen in Omaha yesterday. That strikes us as an odd trip for OXY to make, especially on a Sunday and while it is engaged in a high-stakes M&A battle. While we can't say what OXY might have been doing in Omaha yesterday, it has occurred to us that it might be trying to bring Buffett into this deal and help with the cash portion of its offer. We have assumed that OXY could go higher than $76 and if it really has paid Buffett a visit, we suspect it is gearing up to top CVX's inevitable bump. This mention comes with the standard caveat that Corporate Jet information can be noisy and difficult to read."
A truck pulling an Amazon Prime branded cargo container waits beside the entrance gate at Amazon.com Inc.'s new fulfillment center in Kolbaskowo, Poland, on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018.

Amazon has been testing a new online service that matches truck drivers with shippers since last year, taking its first step into the lucrative online freight brokerage space, according to two people familiar with the service.

The launch of an online freight service helps Amazon better manage its existing network of carriers and expedite the cargo matching process, which remains highly inefficient with most work still being handled over the phone or by fax. But it also signals Amazon's first foray into the freight brokerage space, which includes major competitors like Uber Freight, C.H. Robinson and XPO Logistics.

The freight.amazon.com website, which launched in 2018, allows shippers to get instant quotes on the packages they want to ship between warehouses. The service is currently in beta, and is only available for shipments between warehouses in five states  Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania  according to Amazon's freight service website.

There are only "hundreds" of carriers currently using the service, as Amazon only allows approved trucking partners to participate in the program, these people said.

Once the requested shipment is accepted by a trucking company, details of the shipment are shared through a separate mobile app called Relay, these people said. Relay, which launched in 2017, is for truck drivers to receive additional freight information, like shipment and route tracking, as well as expedited check-in procedures at the warehouse.

In a statement to CNBC, Amazon's representative confirmed the existence of the service, saying: "We work with many line-haul service providers in our transportation network and have long utilized them to carry loads for Amazon. This service, intended to better utilize our freight network, has been around in various forms for quite some time."

Amazon promotes the service as a way for shippers to get easy access to its large carrier network. On its website, Amazon says, "tap into the scale of Amazon as we extend our carrier network to give you best-in-class service at great rates."

That officially makes Amazon a freight broker that helps match shippers to trucking carriers. On the site, Amazon says it's a licensed "freight broker."

Uber Freight, a similar freight brokerage service, officially launched in the U.S. in 2017 and generated more than $125 million in revenue last quarter, according to Uber's recent IPO filing. C.H. Robinson, one of the largest logistics and freight brokerage companies in the world, booked more than $16 billion in revenue in 2018.

Overall, the freight brokerage market was worth $72 billion in the U.S. in 2017, according to Uber's filing, which cites market research firm Armstrong & Associates. It also says companies spent a total of $700 billion on trucking in the U.S. in 2017.

Amazon often launches new services without a public notice to test them before expanding more aggressively. For example, the company has hundreds of private-label brands, almost all of which launched without big public announcements.

WATCH: Uber Freight lowering trucking costs after just 20 months, says head of division
Amazon plans to create 400 tech jobs and open a new office in downtown Denver, the company announced Tuesday.

The expansion of Amazon's Denver Tech Hub will more than double the tech workforce in the city's metro area, where Amazon currently employs more than 350 employees, according to the company. Amazon opened an office in Boulder, Colorado, last fall. The expansion will offer job titles spanning software and hardware engineering, cloud computing, and advertising, the company said.

The new 98,000-square-foot office will be located in Denver's lower downtown neighborhood, according to the release.
Questions raised by progressives in the 2020 presidential race about whether capitalism still works for America reflect mistaken beliefs about how prosperity is created, global investor Barry Sternlicht told CNBC on Tuesday.

"The left does not understand that companies need to make money in order to invest in new projects and new businesses," said Sternlicht, chairman and CEO of investment firm Starwood Capital, which has about $60 billion in assets under management.

Sternlicht, who has always been outspoken about what's good for the business community, does warn that capitalism can be dangerous if unfettered.

"I think capitalism is like raising a child in a crib," he said in a "Squawk Box" interview. "You won't have no guardrails on the crib. Your kid would fall off."

"You can regulate capitalism. You must regulate it. Because otherwise s--- happens  whoops, oops I shouldn't have said that  [like] '07 and '08" financial crisis, he said.

Even with its stumbles, the incentive-based capitalist system is the greatest generator of wealth and opportunity, Sternlicht said. "I started with nothing. And I worked really hard. It's an amazing country. You can do amazing things."

Sternlicht in 1991 founded Starwood Capital, which created Starwood Hotels, now part of Marriott, as well as other leisure brands. Starwood Capital focuses on global real estate, hotel management and the oil and gas sectors and energy infrastructure.
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks at the Teamsters Local 249 hall during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Monday, April 29, 2019.

Democratic 2020 frontrunner Joe Biden said Congress will have "no alternative" but pursuing impeachment if President Donald Trump or his associates block investigations based on special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report.

In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" broadcast Tuesday, Biden said that Mueller's 448-page report on Russian election interference included "about seven or eight things that are left undone."

"The Congress is attempting to take that up" for investigation as they should be doing, said Biden, who launched his presidential campaign last week. "And if in fact [Trump or his associates] block the investigation, they have no alternative but to go to the only other constitutional resort they have," which Biden said "is impeachment."

Read more: Joe Biden gets a polling boost in his first week in the 2020 campaign

Biden has taken aim squarely at Trump since announcing his candidacy, and now has established his own line in the sand on impeachment. But he said in the ABC interview that "my job in the meantime is to make sure he's not back as president of the United States of America."

The White House did not immediately provide a comment on Biden's remarks.
An employee works on an assembly line producing Mercedes-Benz cars in Beijing, August 31, 2015. Kim Kyung-Hoon | Reuters

China's manufacturing sector grew slower than expected in April, according to data released on Tuesday. The Caixin/Markit factory Purchasing Managers' Index for April was 50.2  lower than the March reading of 50.8, and missing the 51 projected by analysts in a Reuters poll. Results of the private Caixin survey came after China's National Bureau of Statistics released official manufacturing PMI for April, which fell to 50.1 from 50.5 in March. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the indicator to stay at 50.5. PMI readings above 50 indicate expansion, while those below that signal contraction. The official PMI survey typically polls a large proportion of big businesses and state-owned enterprises, while the Caixin indicator has a bigger mix of small- and medium-sized firms. The fell by 0.13% against the U.S. dollar in afternoon trade in Asia. Following the release of the manufacturing numbers, the Aussie dollar saw a sharp drop of about 0.2%, reversing earlier gains. The Australian dollar is often seen as an investment proxy for Chinese economic prospects. China is Australia's largest trading partner, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia.

Tommy Xie, head of Greater China research at Singaporean bank OCBC, said the "slightly softer" official PMI data can be attributed to a build-up in inventories in the previous month. He explained that many companies increased production in March to take advantage of the value-added tax cuts that went into effect in early-April. "Overall, above 50 is still a decent number," Xie told CNBC's "Street Signs" before the release of the Caixin/Markit data. The PMI is a survey of businesses about the operating environment. Such data offer a first glimpse into what's happening in an economy, as they are usually among the first major economic indicators released each month. For China, the PMI is among economic indicators that investors globally watch closely for signs of trouble amid domestic headwinds and the ongoing U.S.-China trade negotiations.

More patience needed
Mass protests against the Venezuelan government erupted Tuesday after U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido called on the population to take to the streets against President Nicolas Maduro. "The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!" President Donald Trump tweeted. Guaido's call sparked clashes between thousands of protesters and forces supporting Maduro. By Tuesday evening, Guaido claimed that Maduro had lost the support of the country's armed forces, and he called on the military to "keep advancing" in "operation freedom." There was, however, no immediate indication that Guaido's side had widespread military support, nor that it intended to take power through force. The opposition leader called on supporters to take to the streets again on Wednesday.

Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido (C) speaks to supporters next to high-profile opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, who had been put under home arrest by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's regime, and members of the Bolivarian National Guard who joined his campaign to oust Maduro, in Caracas on April 30, 2019. Cristian Hernandez | AFP | Getty Images

There is "overwhelming support for Guaido," said national security advisor John Bolton, who added that it "needs to be translated into a peaceful transition of power" away from Maduro, who has refused to yield the presidency. Bolton also denied that the protests constitute a coup, as Maduro claims, and warned that it "would be a big mistake" for Maduro to order his troops "to use force against innocent civilians." "All options remain on the table" for America, Bolton added without providing detail.

Supporter of Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido clash with forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro after members of the Bolivarian National Guard joined Guaido's campaign to oust him, in front of La Carlota military base in Caracas on April 30, 2019. on April 30, 2019. FEDERICO PARRAFederico Parraf | AFP | Getty Images

In a Twitter post following his remarks outside the White House, Bolton threatened officials in the Maduro regime: "Your time is up. This is your last chance. Accept Interim President Guaido's amnesty, protect the Constitution, and remove Maduro, and we will take you off our sanctions list. Stay with Maduro, and go down with the ship." Bolton TWEET The Washington Post, citing a Caracas Metropolitan Clinic official, reported that six people were being treated for injuries sustained by tear gas and rubber bullets. News outlets showed video of an armored vehicle ramming a crowd of pro-Guaido demonstrators in the capital city of Caracas. NBC News TWEET armored car In an early-morning video, Guaido, standing at an air base in Caracas in front of armed men in military garb, called on soldiers and civilians to oust Maduro, "based on the nonviolent struggle that we have done at all times." In January, Trump officially recognized Guaido as the legitimate interim president of oil-rich Venezuela, and vowed to "hold the illegitimate Maduro regime directly responsible for any threats it may pose to the safety of the Venezuelan people." Trump TWEET I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom! Trump followed up with a threat against Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, tweeting that the U.S. will place "a full and complete embargo, together with highest-level sanctions" on the island nation unless Cuban troops cease their conduct in Venezuela. Trump TWEET Cuba Senior Trump administration officials voiced support for Guaido's "Operation Liberty" on Tuesday. "We are with you!" Vice President Mike Pence tweeted.

Members of the Bolivarian National Guard who joined Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido in his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, are greeted by opposition supporters, in Caracas on April 30, 2019. Christian Hernandez | AFP | Getty Images

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo endorsed Guaido's call to move ahead with the plan to oust Maduro, saying in a tweet that the U.S. "fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy." Bolton shared Guaido's video on his Twitter account, adding: "Venezuela's armed forces should stand loyal to their people and the constitution. Democracy will be restored in Venezuela." Bolton TWEET Maduro, a leftist, has refused to give up his hold on power. In a tweet Tuesday morning, he vowed to "overcome" the attempted uprising and claimed he had the support of military commanders who "have shown me their total loyalty to the People, to the Constitution and to the Homeland." Maduro TWEET Nervios de Acero! He conversado con los Comandantes de todas las REDI y ZODI del Pais, quienes me han manifestado su total lealtad al Pueblo, a la Constitucion y a la Patria. Llamo a la maxima movilizacion popular para asegurar la victoria de la Paz. Venceremos!
U.S. President Donald Trump pauses while speaking to members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, April 26, 2019.

U.S. President Donald Trump, three of his children and the Trump Organization sued Deutsche Bank and Capital One, in a bid to block the two from responding to congressional subpoenas, according a Monday court filing.

The U.S. House issued a subpoena to Deutsche Bank earlier this month and the German lender had said in January that it had received inquiries from Democrat-controlled committees about its links to Trump. In the complaint filed on Monday, the president's team argued that his political opponents leading the House Intelligence and Financial Services Committees are on a fishing expedition.

"This case involves Congressional subpoenas that have no legitimate or lawful purpose. The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage. No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one," the complaint said.

The filing said the two banks have "long provided business and personal banking services" to the Trumps, and the subpoenas seeking a complete accounting of financial records are an instance of "remarkable overbreadth."
Alphabet announced Tuesday that Eric Schmidt will not seek re-election to the board seat he has held since 2004.

Schmidt first joined Google as CEO in 2001, back when the company only had several hundred employees, and became its executive chairman 10 years later, handing the CEO role over to co-founder Larry Page. He kept that chairmanship when Google restructured to become Alphabet in 2015, then announced he was stepping down from that role but staying on the board in December 2017.

"Eric has made an extraordinary contribution to Google and Alphabet as CEO, Chairman, and Board member. We are extremely grateful for his guidance and leadership over many years," said John Hennessy, chairman of Alphabet's board, in a statement.

Former Google Cloud chief Diane Greene, who has served on the board since 2012, will also not seek re-election. Former Oracle exec Thomas Kurian replaced Greene as head of its cloud business earlier this year.

Both of their terms will end in June.

The company has also added a new board member, Robin L. Washington, who joined on Apr. 25 and will be part of the Leadership and Compensation Committee. Washington is currently the CFO of biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences. Alphabet has been making an increased push into health tech, hiring David Feinberg to lead a new Google Health division last November.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during a discussion on US-Brazil relations at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC on March 18, 2019. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

Marriott International, among many big corporations, has gone on record in support of the LGBT community. Its CEO, Arne Sorenson, has been one of the most vocal defenders of LGBT rights in recent years as corporations have been pulled more squarely into divisive social and legal battles related to LGBT discrimination. But now Marriott is among the corporations facing backlash over an event that will honor Brazil's new and controversial president Jair Bolsonaro, who has a history of homophobic comments. He also has made incendiary comments about gender, indigenous groups and torture. The Marriott Marquis in New York City will be hosting the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce 2019 Person of the Year Award Gala Dinner, honoring Bolsonaro. The event attracted major corporate sponsors, including Delta Air Lines, UnitedHealth Group, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America. Additional sponsors include HSBC, Citigroup, JPMorgan, UBS and Bank of New York Mellon, Santander, BNP Paribas and Forbes' local licensee Forbes Brasil, whose publisher said it has been a media sponsor of the event for five years and will continue to sponsor it to strengthen ties between Brazil and the U.S. Bain & Co. pulled out of event sponsorship on Tuesday, as did the Financial Times. Delta told CNBC on Tuesday afternoon that it had pulled out of event sponsorship. Bolsonaro is reportedly receiving the reward for his prioritizing of Christian values and family. He's been president of Brazil since January and has been a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage, homosexuality and abortion. According to the New York Times, which cataloged some of his controversial comments, Bolsonaro said he would "rather have a son who is an addict than a son who is gay" and that he was "proud to be homophobic."

The only award President Bolsonaro should be receiving is bigot of the year. Brad Hoylman New York State Senator

The event has been a magnet for controversy  the Marriott Marquis is not its first choice of location. It was originally planned to take place at The American Museum of Natural History's Hall of Ocean Life. Yet pressure from environmental and LGBT groups resulted in the museum's withdrawal. Marriott's Sorenson was among the first CEO "activist" leaders when he took on Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in 2014 over legislation perceived as discriminatory. Brewer vetoed the legislation. Sorenson also said at the time of the 2017 battle over the North Carolina bathroom bill perceived as discriminating against LGBT rights, "I have personally received hundreds of emails in the last week complaining about the position I have taken with respect to the law in North Carolina. I think the way the law was passed was trying to drive a wedge between people who think and believe different things, as opposed to building a bridge. We end up creating a polarized and exclusionary environment with laws like that," he told CNBC. When North Carolina's bathroom bill became a focal point for corporate social activism, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America spoke out, with its CEO Brian Moynihan telling shareholders, "We've been steadfast in our commitment [against] discrimination. We have been a leader in LGBT practices since the [19]90s." Delta has spoken out against anti-LGBT legislation  often referred to by backers as "religious freedom" bills  in recent years, including bills introduced in its home state of Georgia. The airlines' decision to end discounts to NRA members, another hot-button social issue for corporations, led the state legislature to even attempt to punish the airline by removing a tax break.

Marriott, Credit Suisse defend decision

Marriott is sticking by its decision to host the event for Bolsonaro. "Diversity and inclusion are part of the fabric of our hotel's culture and operations. We have welcomed all for over 90 years and focused on putting people first. We are required by law to accept business even if it conflicts with our values," said a Marriott spokesperson to CNBC. "Acceptance of business does not indicate support, or endorsement of any group or individual." Openly gay New York State Senator Brad Hoylman told the Daily News "The only award President Bolsonaro should be receiving is bigot of the year. [It is] incredibly offensive that a business in my Senate district, which has a large LGBTQ population, would host a man who once said he'd rather have a dead son than a gay man." "It's imperative that the companies and organizations associated with this event first understand the egregious anti-LGBTQ record and rhetoric of the Brazilian President and then stand by LGBTQ people in Brazil and everywhere by withdrawing their support," said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD to CNBC. "His brand of anti-LGBTQ activism is actively [hurting] LGBTQ Brazilians and companies that host or participate in this celebration of him need to take a stand." A spokesperson for Credit Suisse, one of the event sponsors, said the bank, "like other major banks who operate in Brazil, has taken a table at this year's event, as we have for the past 15 years."
Data also suggest non-smokers and kids won't be attracted to iQOS, the FDA said. Still, the agency is placing "stringent restrictions" on how iQOS is marketed, particularly online and on social media.

The company must notify FDA on its labeling, advertising, marketing plans and how it plans to restrict youth access, advertising and promotions. It won't be able to advertise iQOS on television and radio since the FDA said the product meets its definition of a cigarette and therefore must adhere to existing cigarette restrictions.

E-cigarettes are not subject to these rules.

"We fully support this objective," PMI CEO Andre Calantzopoulos said in a statement. "FDA has set a high standard and we look forward to working with them to implement the order so that iQOS is reaching the right audience  current adult smokers."

Altria will start selling iQOS in Atlanta this summer. Altria plans to open an iQOS store and numerous mobile stores. Heatsticks, Marlboro-branded tobacco sticks that are used with the iQOS device, will be available in about 500 retail stores, including Circle K, Murphy USA, QuikTrip, RaceTrac, Speedway and other retailers, Altria said.

"PM USA will act on market insights and expects to scale IQOS quickly and efficiently," Altria CEO Howard Willard said in a statement.

Last year, reduced-risk products generated $4.1 billion in sales, or about 14% of PMI's total $29.63 billion in revenue. The company wants to boost that statistic to between 38% and 42% by 2025.

Since first launching iQOS in Nagoya, Japan, and Milan, in 2014, Philip Morris has introduced it in more than 40 markets around the world. In some places, growth has surged. In the U.S., iQOS will enter a market where e-cigarette growth is surging, thanks in large part to Juul. Altria in December invested $12.8 billion for a 35% stake in Juul.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 34.3 million adults in the U.S. currently smoke cigarettes. Philip Morris says iQOS will appeal to adult smokers because it's a closer experience to traditional cigarettes yet one that's less harmful.

Anti-tobacco groups disagree. They say heat-not-burn products are just the latest ploy from Big Tobacco to hook people onto its products.

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb had embraced the idea that nicotine alternatives can serve as an option for people who want to continue smoking. Under him, the FDA has adopted the belief that nicotine products exist on a continuum of risk where conventional cigarettes are the most deadly and others being possibly not as harmful.

Read the FDA's full statement below:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it has authorized the marketing of new tobacco products manufactured by Philip Morris Products S.A. for the IQOS "Tobacco Heating System"  an electronic device that heats tobacco-filled sticks wrapped in paper to generate a nicotine-containing aerosol. The FDA has placed stringent marketing restrictions on the products in an effort to prevent youth access and exposure.

Following a rigorous science-based review through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway, the agency determined that authorizing these products for the U.S. market is appropriate for the protection of the public health because, among several key considerations, the products produce fewer or lower levels of some toxins than combustible cigarettes.

The products authorized for sale include the IQOS device, Marlboro Heatsticks, Marlboro Smooth Menthol Heatsticks and Marlboro Fresh Menthol Heatsticks.

While today's action permits the tobacco products to be sold in the U.S., it does not mean these products are safe or "FDA approved."

All tobacco products are potentially harmful and addictive and those who do not use tobacco products should continue not to. Additionally, today's action is not a decision on the separate modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) applications that the company also submitted for these products to market them with claims of reduced exposure or reduced risk.

"Ensuring new tobacco products undergo a robust premarket evaluation by the FDA is a critical part of our mission to protect the public, particularly youth, and to reduce tobacco-related disease and death. While the authorization of new tobacco products doesn't mean they are safe, the review process makes certain that the marketing of the products is appropriate for the protection of the public health, taking into account the risks and benefits to the population as a whole. This includes how the products may impact youth use of nicotine and tobacco, and the potential for the products to completely move adult smokers away from use of combustible cigarettes," said Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products.

"Importantly, the FDA is putting in place postmarket requirements aimed at, among other things, monitoring market dynamics such as potential youth uptake.

We'll be keeping a close watch on the marketplace, including how the company is marketing these products, and will take action as necessary to ensure the continued sale of these products in the U.S. remains appropriate and make certain that the company complies with the agency's marketing restrictions to prevent youth access and exposure. As other manufacturers seek to market new tobacco products, the FDA remains committed to upholding the vital public health standards under the law and using all the tools at our disposal to ensure the efficient and appropriate oversight of tobacco products."

Under the PMTA pathway, manufacturers must demonstrate to the agency, among other things, that marketing of the new tobacco product would be appropriate for the protection of the public health. That standard requires the FDA to consider the risks and benefits to the population as a whole, including users and non-users of tobacco products. Importantly this includes youth. The agency's evaluation includes reviewing a tobacco product's components, ingredients, additives and health risks, as well as how the product is manufactured, packaged and labeled. The review for the IQOS products took into account the increased or decreased likelihood that existing tobacco product users will stop using tobacco products, and the increased or decreased likelihood that those who do not use tobacco products will start using them.

In particular, through the FDA's scientific evaluation of the company's applications, peer-reviewed published literature and other sources, the agency found that the aerosol produced by the IQOS Tobacco Heating System contains fewer toxic chemicals than cigarette smoke, and many of the toxins identified are present at lower levels than in cigarette smoke. For example, the carbon monoxide exposure from IQOS aerosol is comparable to environmental exposure, and levels of acrolein and formaldehyde are 89% to 95% and 66% to 91% lower than from combustible cigarettes, respectively.

Additionally, IQOS delivers nicotine in levels close to combustible cigarettes suggesting a likelihood that IQOS users may be able to completely transition away from combustible cigarettes and use IQOS exclusively. Available data, while limited, also indicate that few non-tobacco users would be likely to choose to start using IQOS, including youth.

While these non-combusted cigarettes may be referred to as "heat-not-burn" or "heated" tobacco products, they meet the definition of a cigarette in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Therefore, these products must adhere to existing restrictions for cigarettes under FDA regulations, as well as other federal laws that, among other things, prohibit television and radio advertising. In addition, to further limit youth access to the products and exposure to their advertising and promotion, the FDA is placing stringent restrictions on how the products are marketed  particularly via websites and through social media platforms  by including requirements that advertising be targeted to adults. The company must also give notification to the FDA of, among other things, its labeling, advertising, marketing plans, including information about specific adult target audiences, and how it plans to restrict youth access and limit youth exposure to the products' labeling, advertising, marketing and promotion. The agency has issued a document providing its rationale for these postmarket requirements, which highlight important considerations for reviewing the company's applications as well any potential future PMTAs for other products.

The FDA also is requiring all package labels and advertisements for these products to include a warning about the addictiveness of nicotine, in addition to other warnings required for cigarettes, to prevent consumer misperceptions about the relative addiction risk of using IQOS compared to combusted cigarettes.

With the authorization of these products, the FDA will evaluate new available data regarding the products through postmarketing records and reports required in the marketing order. The company is required to report regularly to the FDA with information regarding the products on the market, including, but not limited to, ongoing and completed consumer research studies, advertising, marketing plans, sales data, information on current and new users, manufacturing changes and adverse experiences. The FDA may withdraw a marketing order if it, among other reasons, determines that the continued marketing of a product is no longer appropriate for the protection of the public health, such as if there is an uptake of the product by youth.

The FDA is continuing its substantive scientific review of the company's MRTP applications. The company would need to receive an MRTP order from the FDA before they could market a tobacco product with any implicit or explicit claims that, among other things, a product reduces exposure to certain chemicals or that use of the product is less harmful than another tobacco product or would reduce the risk of disease. If a company markets a tobacco product as an MRTP without authorization, the company would be in violation of the law and may face FDA advisory or enforcement actions.
A picture taken on August 21, 2018 in Neuchatel, at the research and development campus of cigarette and tobacco manufacturing company Philip Morris International shows an iQOS electronic cigarette, which heats tobacco sticks but does not burn them. Fabrice Coffrini | AFP | Getty Images

Philip Morris International won authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to sell iQOS, a device that heats tobacco rather than burning it, in the U.S. Here's what you need to know.

What are heat-not-burn tobacco products?

As the name suggests, the device heats tobacco but doesn't burn it. Igniting tobacco causes it to undergo a chemical process that emits toxins in cigarettes. Unlike e-cigarettes, which use nicotine-laced liquid, heat-not-burn products use real tobacco. Tobacco sticks are warmed to a temperature that's high enough to release an aerosol but not hot enough to cause combustion. This process may significantly reduce risk compared with smoking while satisfying users' nicotine cravings. Philip Morris has already launched iQOS in more than 40 markets around the world. Rivals British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco also sell heat-not-burn products internationally.

How does iQOS work?

The iQOS tobacco heating system contains three parts: a holder, tobacco stick and a charger. The pen-like device contains a ceramic and gold plate that heats Philip Morris-branded tobacco sticks up to 350 degrees Celsius. Tobacco in cigarettes burns at temperatures at or greater than 600 degrees Celsius. The tobacco sticks are designed specifically for the device. In the U.S., Marlboro, Marlboro Smooth Menthol and Marlboro Fresh Menthol HeatSticks will be available. PMI will manufacture the products and Richmond, Virginia-based Altria will sell them in the U.S. PMI says the product is a closer experience to smoking cigarettes than other alternatives, such as e-cigarettes, because it uses actual tobacco. The company says that could convince adult smokers to switch exclusively to iQOS. Critics point out that some smokers use both e-cigarettes and cigarettes, negating the benefits that switching might bring. PMI is quick to note iQOS is not an e-cigarette, and the presence of tobacco may not have the same appeal as fruity, sweet nicotine-laced liquid. In clearing iQOS for sale in the U.S., the FDA said it delivered similar nicotine levels as conventional cigarettes, "suggesting a likelihood that IQOS users may be able to completely transition away from combustible cigarettes" and exclusively use iQOS.

Is iQOS safe?

PMI says iQOS is not risk-free, rather it's less risky than conventional cigarettes. The company stresses quitting smoking is the best way to reduce risk and that iQOS is meant for adult smokers who want to continue using tobacco, not kids or non-smokers. PMI has found exclusively using iQOS significantly lowers users' risk of harm than if they were to continue smoking cigarettes. "...[T]hrough the FDA's scientific evaluation of the company's applications, peer-reviewed published literature and other sources, the agency found that the aerosol produced by the IQOS Tobacco Heating System contains fewer toxic chemicals than cigarette smoke, and many of the toxins identified are present at lower levels than in cigarette smoke," the FDA said in a statement. Still, public health groups aren't sold. American Lung Association CEO Harold Wimmer in a statement said the organization is "deeply concerned about the health impacts of this new product." The FDA is still reviewing PMI's application that if approved would allow it to market iQOS as being safer than cigarettes.

When might I see iQOS on shelves?
A protester waves a Venezuelan flag during ongoing protests against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, on May 27, 2017. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

WASHINGTON  Amid a collapsing economy sparked by government corruption, social unrest and a global commodity bust, the oil-rich nation of Venezuela faces even more uncertainty as the Trump administration reaffirmed its decision to back opposition leader Juan Guaido over President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido, who declared himself interim president in January, said Tuesday he was "beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom" and promised to bring an end to Maduro's government. In the wake of his address, opposition protesters clashed in Caracas with Venezuelan soldiers. President Donald Trump, who was briefed Tuesday on the situation in Venezuela, wrote on Twitter that he stands with the "people of Venezuela and their freedom." Echoing Trump's sentiments, acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan also wrote on Twitter: "The U.S. Government stands in support of interim Venezuelan President Juan Guaido and the people of Venezuela in their quest for freedom and democracy as they take back their country with #OperacionLibertad" National security advisor John Bolton added to the pressure. "It's still very important for key figures in the regime, who have been talking to the opposition over these last three months, to make good on their commitments to achieve a peaceful transfer of power from [Maduro] to interim President Juan Guaido," Bolton told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

White House National Security Advisor John Bolton talks to reporters outside of the White House West Wing April 30, 2019 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

These fast-moving developments have brought U.S.-Venezuelan relations to a boiling point after a nearly two-decade saga. Tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. can be traced back to when Hugo Chavez, Maduro's predecessor, first became president of Venezuela in 1999. During his campaign for president, Chavez villainized the U.S. and other countries he felt were taking advantage of Venezuela. "It resonated with the voters at the time because Venezuela had a growth collapse in the 1980s, right after oil prices started to fall around the world. It never quite recovered from that," said Monica de Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "By the time Chavez came to power, people were just sick of it. They just wanted some big change to happen."

Hugo Chavez wins election. Juan Barreto | AFP | Getty Images

Venezuela's economy is tightly tied to oil, its biggest export. The South American nation has the biggest oil reserves in the world. In 2017, Venezuela's oil reserves totaled 302.81 billion barrels, according to data from OPEC. While crude prices trended lower in the 1980s and 1990s, they recovered sharply right before the turn of the century, giving the Chavez government a massive windfall to put in motion several reforms like free health care. The spike in crude also gave Chavez the capital he needed to try and undercut U.S. influence in Latin America. In 2004, Venezuela and Cuba created an economic pact called the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America. In 2005, Chavez founded Petrocaribe, a group of countries that lets members purchase oil from Venezuela at a lower price. Chavez also accused the U.S. of aiding in an attempted coup against his government back in 2002. While the Bush administration tried to distance itself from the coup attempt, documents found in 2004 showed the CIA knew of an attempted coup back then. The U.S. has also condemned Venezuela for imprisoning political opponents as well as the Chavez regime's consolidation of power. Chavez seized control of the country's supreme court in 2004. He also increased his control over the local media, passing laws that penalized outlets for running content that "offends" public officials.

A difficult bond over oil

But relations between the U.S. and Venezuela remained close as the U.S. is still a big consumer of Venezuelan oil. U.S. imports of Venezuelan crude oil and petroleum products averaged nearly 600,000 barrels per day in the first 10 months of last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Once Chavez died in 2013 and Maduro took over, tensions began to increase once again. Maduro, who is not the charismatic leader Chavez was, consolidated his power in 2017 by stripping the country's opposition-led legislature of power. By then, a massive humanitarian and economic crisis had already begun. Venezuela's economy was decimated after oil prices began collapsing in late 2014. The fall in oil prices made it hard for Venezuela to keep providing subsidies for its many national programs. It has also led to a massive shortage of food and other basic goods like medicine. This crisis has led the Trump administration to slap sanctions on dozens of Venezuelans associated with the Maduro regime, including his wife, Cilia Flores. "The situation has deteriorated to the point where there are all kinds of crises in Venezuela," said Peterson's de Bolle. "You have a massive economic crisis, you have a massive institutional crisis, you have a massive migration crisis, you have a massive humanitarian crisis. It's all bad."

Russia ups the ante in Venezuela

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro shake hands during a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, on July 2, 2013. Maxim Shemetov | AFP | Getty Images

Through all of this, Venezuela has found a natural ally in Russia. Moscow is not only a major political friend of Caracas but also a financier of the South American nation's oil fields. Russia's largest oil company, Rosneft, operates in Venezuela and has issued loans to the state-run oil company PDVSA. In another show of support, Moscow has given Caracas a line of credit to purchase Russian arms. From Kalashnikov rifles to Sukhoi planes, the Kremlin has brokered several weapons deals with Venezuela and recently deployed two Russian bombers to the country. Last month, two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, landed in Caracas in a move designed to show Moscow's support of Venezuela's socialist regime. Despite the nation's economic crisis, Maduro welcomed the deployment of the Russian aircraft.

A Tupolev Tu-160M heavy strategic bomber performs a demonstration flight at an airfield of the Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Factory. Marina Lystseva | TASS via Getty Images
The business started out beyond Emma Cohen's wildest dreams, but soon she discovered a threat to the brand she was building. Her company, FinalStraw, makes an environmentally friendly reusable straw. It took off on crowdfunding website Kickstarter about year ago. And then a few months later, in October, it got to pitch its product on ABC's "Shark Tank." But soon after launching, Cohen realized she had an unexpected problem  loads of counterfeits were coming to market from across the globe. "The whole point of the company is to reduce single-use plastic waste. And when people get one of these [knockoff straws], and they open it up, and it doesn't work, and it only cost $5, guess where it's going? It's going in the trash," said Cohen, FinalStraw's CEO. "The entire mission of what we're trying to do as a company has been defeated by these fake FinalStraws." By comparison, FinalStraw sells its collapsible straw for $25. It comes in a carrying case with a cleaning brush. In 2018, the brand made $5 million in revenue, according to Cohen. FinalStraw's problem isn't unique. Copycatters are monitoring crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and watching for trendy products to go viral, according to Amedeo Ferraro, an intellectual property attorney. The situation is an example of U.S. complaints about China's theft of intellectual property. That's one issue in the trade war between Washington and Beijing. "We were just hoping and praying to sell enough straws that we wouldn't have to make them ourselves," said Cohen, who co-founded FinalStraw with Miles Pepper, reflecting on the decision to use Kickstarter. "And within 48 hours of launching the Kickstarter, we'd raised over $200,000," she said. "We went from zero to 60 real fast." FinalStraw was hoping for just $12,500 but quickly surpassed that goal. The company ultimately raised nearly $1.9 million on Kickstarter, but within weeks Cohen said she began seeing copies coming from China. On "Shark Tank," Cohen and her partner received two offers but did not make a deal. One of the Sharks asked about counterfeiting.

FinalStraw founders Emma Rose Cohen and Miles Pepper pitch on ABC's "Shark Tank." Eric McCandless | Getty Images

"It took us about nine months to create the tooling, get the product ready to manufacture. They were able to do it a matter of weeks," she said. FinalStraw launched on Kickstarter with a provisional U.S. patent. After raising funds, the company applied for and was granted a utility patent. Still, it's an ongoing battle. "A patent is only as good as its enforcement," Cohen said. "It's essentially a nice, shiny, expensive piece of paper that we then need to go out and enforce." On Chinese e-commerce site Alibaba and other major retail websites, CNBC found many listings for what appear to be knockoff FinalStraws. One was even using images from the brand's Kickstarter campaign. One company located in Shenzhen, China, responded to an email from CNBC and said that it could make the straws and emailed pictures that look similar to FinalStraw. CNBC called the contact listed on Alibaba to visit the factory and get more information but the spokeswoman declined to comment.

A building in Shenzhen, China, the city where many companies making copycat FinalStraws are listed as being located in. CNBC

CNBC sent a team to Shenzhen to find other companies selling similar straws online. At least one of companies was not at the address listed online. Chinese laws allow different companies to register under one address, depending on the business scope. The team also visited a factory that produces similar straws but could not enter. A contact from another company that sells similar straws online, told CNBC by phone that the idea for the straw came from a crowdfunding internet company. The contact who only gave his last name Wu also said the straw is mainly sold in Europe and America. The copycat straws sell for as little as a dollar when sold at wholesale. Cohen says the price different comes down to quality. "We get angry emails all the time from customers who are confused as to why the quality of the product that they ordered is terrible," Cohen said. "The scariest thing is that there is no regulation on the materials that they're using. There's no quality control." Cohen showed CNBC copycat straws that did not pop into position to allow drinking the same way her company's straws did.

A copycat straw purchased by CNBC Beijing. CNBC

CNBC Beijing purchased a copycat straw and asked Chinese product designer Bruce Qin to test it. "It's not a good product," he said. The real FinalStraw comes with a cleaning tool and a drying case so it can reused over and over. Qin said the cleaning tool in the copycat straw seemed like it would break easily. Alibaba originally agreed to an interview with CNBC but then declined hours before it was scheduled. "Protecting the IP of rights holders around the world is critical to our business.  We remove any IP infringing listings, period. Rights holders can enforce their IP rights outside China, e.g. U.S. patent rights, on our cross-border platform," an Alibaba spokesperson said in part in a statement sent by email. "The fact that 180,000 brands and millions of SMBs [small and midsize businesses] operate on Alibaba's platforms demonstrates the trust they place in us, and we will continue to work tirelessly to protect brands of all sizes and consumers." After CNBC contacted Alibaba, the company began helping FinalStraw. "Once we understood the nature of their IP, we worked quickly and collaboratively with FinalStraw to remove suspected infringing listings, and continue to closely partner with them on the removal of the few that require additional analysis," the spokesperson said. The battle with the copycats has cost the company millions, according to Cohen. FinalStraw has 16 contractors working for the company, three of whom work to fight fraud. Cohen says she is also paying two attorneys. "It's also very burdensome on our resources, because this is time that my staff could be spending doing way more productive things, versus just fighting off these knockoffs," Cohen said.

Some of the impostors set up fake websites that look like the real one. Cohen showed CNBC one website that showed the same bio and images of the company's team that the real website does. The copycats even copied the picture of Cohen's dog. Cohen and her team are working to take down the impostors. "Most of them were offshore. And it was, first of all, very difficult to find a person. They have good ways of hiding," said Ferraro, who works with FinalStraw. "Once we finally got to them, wrote to them, some of them were taken down. But then they started popping up again." Ads for the fake straws also can be found on social media.

Emma Cohen the CEO and co-founder of FinalStraw with her straw (left) and a copycat (right). CNBC

"We were seeing advertisements. And they were all using our own materials. But they were directing to different websites," Cohen said. "Social media is a weapon for these impostors. They can use it at their discretion however they want. And there's nobody out there that's really enforcing it." Some of the posts were by people known as influencers, people who are paid by companies to make posts promoting companies. Many of these influencers have meme accounts where they post funny images or videos and often stay anonymous. Use of influencers is a growing part of marketing. Eight-six percent of marketers used influencers in 2017, the latest numbers available, according to Linqia, a marketing agency that connects brands with influencers. It can be difficult for influencers working with small businesses to tell which ad requests are legitimate. One influencer, Emily, who posted a fake FinalStraw ad, said she had no idea the ad was fake until CNBC contacted her. The influencer asked CNBC not to use her last name because her account is anonymous. She has over 1 million followers. CNBC is not naming her account since it contains adult content. Emily said she was approached by a company to post the straw on her account. She said originally she did not respond, but when they contacted her again a few months later and had customer reviews, she agreed to post the ad and received a payment for an undisclosed amount. Emily said that while she does try to determine whether a product is legitimate, digging to find that information can be hard work. "I don't know if it's me, but I'm a trusting person," she said in a phone interview. "Why would someone spend this money on an ad that's not legitimate?" Another account, Funny.window, posted a video with Cohen and the straw in it, but linked to a different seller. "I can't know who the real legitimate of a product is [sic]," Eugene, who runs the account, said in an email. Funny.window has 1.2 million followers. Other influencers take a different approach. Joey Hickson, who has about 17 million followers across three accounts  including his popular meme account @lmao  has a team of people helping to manage his business, which makes it easier to weed out bad actors. He said both Instagram, as well as influencers, need to work to stop the proliferation of ads for fake products. "We can't just put all the blame on Instagram, because that's not fair," he said. "I think we have our own social compass that we should look at." Justin Keller, Hickson's manager, said there is very little regulation of these types of transactions. "It's the Wild West," he said. "It's like a gold rush."

Joey Hickson, an Instagram influencer, and his manager, Justin Keller. CNBC

"We review every IP report we receive and take action to protect rights holders when someone has used their IP without permission," an Instagram spokesperson said in a statement sent by email. "When it comes to partnering with brands, we encourage creators to act responsibly and with integrity." The FBI said the agency has seen similar incidents. "One of the prime examples of that is the hoverboards that came onto the scene a couple Christmases ago, where the counterfeiters  actually the hazardous devices that are being marketed as genuine products  got to market before the actual genuine product did, and obviously those products were dangerous and could catch fire," said Steven Shapiro, unit chief for the FBI's intellectual property rights unit. To protect their business, companies may want to consider other methods of funding besides crowdfunding or make sure its intellectual property is secure before launching. "If there is another alternative source of funding like private venture capital or any other way of funding, I would suggest doing that first. But that isn't something that's available to everyone," Ferraro said. FinalStraw is still working on getting a patent and trademark in China. Not having them makes it more difficult for it to fight copycats there. It's a problem Chinese product designer Qin knows very well. He said his own designs have been knocked off by local factories. "Without a Chinese patent, you probably would be copycatted," Qin said. Kickstarter said it is aware of copycats that have happened to other entrepreneurs who launched on its site. "It depends on the product. But if you're coming to Kickstarter to raise funding, you probably want to have all of your protection in place before you launch. That is very important," said Clarissa Redwine, Kickstarter's senior design and technology outreach lead. "Once you launch your product is out there in the world."

Emma Cohen the CEO and co-founder of FinalStraw with her dog. CNBC
The green energy subsidiary of Italian energy giant Enel has begun operations at a 34-megawatt (MW) solar plant in the southern African nation of Zambia.

The Ngonye plant, which is the Enel Group's first in the country, is set to generate 70 gigawatt hours (GWh) every year once fully operational. Enel claimed this would help to prevent more than 25,600 tons of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere each year.

The project is part of the World Bank's Scaling Solar program and aims to diversify Zambia's electricity production sources and boost its solar-generation capacity.

When it comes to renewables, Zambia is heavily reliant on hydropower, which generated 11,025 GWh in 2016, according to the International Energy Agency.

It's within this context that its government is looking to diversify its energy production. To this end, authorities want to install 600 MW of solar power over the next few years.

"Through this project we are boosting the government's ambitious push to improve access to electricity throughout the country, while diversifying its generation mix to hedge against severe drought and climate change effects," Antonio Cammisecra, the head of Enel Green Power, said in a statement Monday.



The Ngonye facility is owned by a special purpose vehicle, of which Enel Green Power holds an 80% stake and Zambia's Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has a 20% share. A 25-year power purchase agreement has been signed with ZESCO, Zambia's state-owned utility.



The Enel Group said it had invested around $40 million in the project's construction, which has been part funded via a financing agreement signed with the IDC.

Enel Green Power is developing a number of renewable energy projects in Africa. It is investing roughly 700 million euros ($785 million) there and will construct 900 MW of wind and solar capacity between 2019 and 2021.
Former US vice president Joe Biden speaks during his first campaign event as a candidate for US President at Teamsters Local 249 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 29, 2019. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

Former Vice President Joe Biden gained steam among Democratic voters in his first week as a declared candidate for president, putting more distance between himself and the crowded field of primary candidates already in the running. Three national polls published Tuesday show that Biden, who was already the early front-runner, gained substantial ground after formally joining the Democratic presidential primary contest last week after months of hesitation. Biden centered the launch of his campaign on his ability to defeat President Donald Trump, particularly in Rust Belt states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. He has earned more attention from the president, who dubbed him "Sleepy Joe," than his Democratic fellow contenders.

Biden, a longtime former senator from Delaware, gained 11 percentage points in April, according to a poll conducted by SSRS for CNN last week. Another survey, conducted by Morning Consult, shows Biden gained 6 percentage points since a week before. Both show that Biden is leading Sen. Bernie Sanders, his nearest competitor, by double digits. Biden is the favorite of 39% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents according to the CNN poll and of 36% of registered voters likely to vote in the primary, according to Morning Consult. In the same polls, Sanders holds 15% and 22%, respectively. And a third poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University, found Biden had even more support, with 38% of Democrats favoring him. Sen. Elizabeth Warren came in second at 12% in that poll, and Sanders took 11%. South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Kamala Harris and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke are the only other candidates with 5% support or greater. Of course, things could change. With nearly a year before the first primary contest, a majority of Democrats consistently tell pollsters that they have not finalized their choice. Historically, though, early polling does provide some insight into the likely primary victor.

Inside the numbers

Notably, Biden's lead stretches into states where Sanders has structural advantages. A poll conducted by Suffolk University and The Boston Globe, released Tuesday, showed that Biden leads Sanders in New Hampshire by 8 percentage points. Sanders, a popular longtime senator for Vermont, prevailed by more than 20 percentage points in the Granite State's 2016 primary contest against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The CNN and Morning Consult surveys show that Biden also holds a commanding lead among nonwhite voters, a demographic that could be key to the fortunes of the Democratic primary field.

Half of nonwhite voters told CNN that Biden was their top choice for the Democratic nomination. In comparison, Sanders received the support of only 14% of nonwhite voters. Warren received 7% of nonwhite voter support, while Harris and O'Rourke tied for 4%. Biden also leads black voters according to Morning Consult, with 43% support compared with Sanders' 20%. In the Morning Consult survey, Harris was the favorite of a tenth of black voters, Warren picked up the support of 6% and Sen. Cory Booker received 5%.

Buttigieg hits a snag
President Emmanuel Macron's promise of new tax cuts in France could create further tension between Italy's anti-establishment government and the European Union, analysts told CNBC. In an attempt to stop months of ongoing protests at home, Macron announced Thursday income tax cuts totaling 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion). He also said that worker bonuses of up to 1,000 euros wouldn't be taxed; single parents would get extra support; and no schools or hospitals would be closed until 2022. These new measures are expected to increase the country's fiscal deficit further and breach the European Union's rules once again. Analysts at Berenberg Bank estimate that France's fiscal deficit will reach 3.2% this year, even excluding these latest measures. European rules state that member nations should not surpass a deficit threshold of 3%.

Double standards?

"That is as sure as eggs is eggs. The Italian government has done it before and will do it again," Florian Hense, economist at Berenberg told CNBC when asked if Rome is likely to use the French situation to accuse Brussels of double standards. Italy has been at odds with the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, over spending since the current anti-establishment government took power in June last year. The executive in Rome increased public spending  something that Brussels criticized and tried to curb, arguing that Italy was disrespecting the EU's fiscal rules. In this battle over extra spending, the Italian government has accused Brussels of treating different countries in different ways. This is because France has breached fiscal rules on several occasions without receiving serious punishment, such as a fine, from the EU.

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said in December that the Commission must treat Italy and France in the same way regarding their spending plans. However, the Brussels-based institution made it clear that the fiscal situations in Italy and France are different and require different approaches. Whereas in Paris, Macron is still presiding over a reform agenda, Rome has shown little desire to improve the structural foundations of the Italian economy. At the same time, Italy has the second highest pile of public debt in the euro zone at about 130% of GDP (gross domestic product). "This is the perfect story for Salvini. It gives him more flexibility," Claus Vistesen, economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told CNBC over the phone about the latest French policies. He argued that Macron's measures give more power to Salvini and other Italian politicians to argue in favor of their country's fiscal expansion.
A gas flame is seen in the desert near the Khurais oilfield, near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Global oil markets sit at a critical juncture, with risks to supply being balanced against rising prices and questions over whether major producers will now turn on the taps.

Brent crude touched $75 per barrel last week for the first time this year, helping the benchmark to log a fifth positive week in a row and add to the year's near 40% gain.

"This is definitely something we have to monitor," UBS APAC Chief Investment Officer Adrian Zuercher told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia."

"It will remain volatile," he added. "We expect Brent to remain between 70 and 80 U.S. dollars at this point."

WTI also moved above $65 a barrel, even as rising U.S stockpiles and surging U.S production slowed some of the recent price momentum.

Renewed U.S. efforts to curb Iranian output, escalating tensions in Libya, supply outages in Nigeria and the ongoing crisis in Venezuela have created a complex and uncertain outlook for crude.

The week ahead will be another major test, with Iranian sanction waivers officially expiring in early May, and the U.S decision to cancel all concessions raising new questions about how Saudi Arabia and other major producers will respond.

"We now know that OPEC has that spare capacity," Goldman Sachs' Head of Commodities Research Jeff Currie told CNBCs "Power Lunch," reiterating his Brent forecast of $70-75 barrel for the second quarter of 2019.

"They ramped it up, they took it back down, and we think the (Iran) shock is roughly 900,000 barrels per day, and we just saw OPEC, at least core OPEC, taking 1.8 million barrels per day off the market," Currie added.

The decision to end the waivers could remove 1.3 million barrels per day of Iranian exports, according to S&P Global Platts. OPEC has about 3.3 million barrels per day of spare production capacity, according to the International Energy Agency, of which about 2.2 million barrels per day is held by Saudi Arabia.
Pitbull is looking for the next big start-up investment.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper and entrepreneur is taking part in this week's eMerge Americas conference in Miami. The two-day technology summit is host to more than 100 young companies, all in town to pitch their business ideas.

Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, is not only one of the partners in the conference, he's also an investor who will be one of the judges of the Startup Showcase Finale.

So what does he think is a good bet?

"I always like to look at what's going on in the biotech side of things," he told CNBC's "Power Lunch" on Tuesday.

"That's a field that is always going to continue to grow and people are always going to be looking for technology to make humans better or to be able to cure humans."

However, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll walk away from the conference backing a biotech start-up.

"Coming from the music industry, you never know what record is going to hit, what record is not going to hit. So it's always about just sitting back and being able to learn."

The musician, who hails from Miami, said he prefers investing in the next generation of investments versus companies that are now going public.

This way, he can watch the company grow "from the root to the fruit."

"It allows us to really understand and evaluate what the outcome is going to be in the future and that to me is the best process because I love to see the journey and I love to see growth."

 CNBC's Riley de Leon contributed to this report.
Stacey Abrams, Former Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate, at the National Action Network (NAN) convention in New York City.

After losing a tight race to be governor of Georgia, Stacey Abrams has decided not to run for a Senate seat next year. She still might run for president, however.

"I've been deeply honored by so many fellow Georgians asking me to serve," she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a story published Tuesday. "But my responsibility is not simply to run because the job is available. I need to run because I want to do the job."

Abrams followed up with a Twitter video in which she said: "I will do everything in my power to ensure Georgia elects a Democrat to the United States Senate in 2020."

Abrams tweet

Her decision leaves the Democratic primary field in the race to challenge GOP Sen. David Perdue wide open. Abrams lost the governor's race in the recently red state by only about 1.5 percentage points to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, leading many to see her as the best challenger to Perdue.

Republicans have to defend 22 Senate seats in 2020, while only 12 Democratic-held seats are up for grabs. Georgia is considered among a handful of the most competitive races next year.

Senate Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning Democrats would have to flip four seats to win control. The Senate GOP campaign arm cheered Abrams' decision.

National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Jesse Hunt said Abrams "handed Chuck Schumer his most embarrassing recruiting fail of the cycle, leaving Georgia Democrats stuck with an assortment of second-tier candidates."

Teresa Tomlinson, former mayor of Columbus, Georgia, has said she would run for Senate if Abrams did not, the Journal-Constitution reported earlier in April.

Abrams' national profile has grown since she lost to Kemp by more than 50,000 votes. The contest was also mired in allegations of voter suppression.

In February, Abrams delivered the Democrats' response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. More recently, there was speculation that former Vice President Joe Biden would announce Abrams as his 2020 running mate months before next year's primary contests even began.

Abrams has since focused on issues such as voting rights and health insurance expansion. She could consider running against Kemp again in 2022.

The Journal-Constitution said Abrams did not explicitly rule out running for president next year.

"This conversation was about the Senate," she told the newspaper. "I have not decided what I'm going to do about other races, but Georgia will always be at the center of my plans."

The Democratic presidential primary field already has 20 candidates, including Biden, who recently made his bid official. The first Democratic presidential debate will take place on June 26 and 27 in Miami.
Uber Technologies Inc Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi sought to persuade money managers in London that the loss-making ride hailing firm's growth plans justified a valuation of up to $91.5 billion in an initial public offering (IPO).

In the ballroom at Claridge's, the five-star hotel in London's wealthy Mayfair district, over 100 investors listened on Monday to Khosrowshahi and Chief Financial Officer Nelson Chai talk about the company's plans to expand their food delivery business and venture into other new business areas like shopping.

Uber is trying to show investors that it can shift from being simply a ride-hailing service to a technology platform for services ranging from delivering groceries and take-away meals to organizing freight transportation.

"While they didn't call themselves Amazon, they made several references to their platform and how they intend to build that out," said one investor who attended the hour-long presentation but declined to be named.

Uber reported on Friday it was aiming for a valuation of between $80.5 billion and $91.5 billion, less than the $120 billion investment bankers told the company last year it could fetch.

It also disclosed it suffered a loss of around $1 billion on sales of roughly $3 billion in the first quarter of 2019.

Uber has cautioned in its IPO filing that it may never make a profit and some investors at the roadshow said the ride-hailing industry faces hurdles such as increased regulation and local minimum wages that could hamper profitability.

"It's going to be much more difficult and cumbersome to extract profitability," said another investor who attended the roadshow. Uber's lower valuation target follows the poor performance of smaller rival Lyft Inc, whose shares are down around 20 percent from when the company listed last month.

Lyft was the first U.S. ride-hailing company to go public and one challenge investors grappled with was how to value a company with no clear peer.

The second investor who attended the Uber roadshow said people should look at the airline industry, as opposed to other technology companies, when assessing Uber's business model.

"If you think about airlines, there's a lot of barriers to entry and there are capital intensive barriers, but ultimately airlines are not massively profitable," the investor said.

A spokesman for Uber declined to comment on the investor comments.
U.K. Finance Minister Philip Hammond called on lawmakers to put aside their differences and agree to a Brexit deal Tuesday, saying ongoing uncertainty around the withdrawal process is "bad for business."

In a speech showcasing the attractiveness of Britain's fintech, or financial technology industry, Hammond said Britain must ratify its divorce deal with the EU to maintain its place as a hub for the sector.

"The question for us is how to maintain our advantage in fintech in an increasingly competitive and globalized world," he said Tuesday. "Immediately key to doing so is ensuring we ratify the Brexit deal with the European Union."

He added: "Essentially it is time for Parliament to make up its mind. We are reaching out across the house to try and build the majority we need."

Britain has been in something of a Brexit inertia of late, with the government being granted a six-month reprieve earlier this month from the EU to find more time to reach a breakthrough.

The country has until October 31 to reach a majority on its withdrawal agreement in Parliament. So far, Prime Minister Theresa May's deal has been rejected thrice by lawmakers.
Federal health officials are urging some adults to get revaccinated against the measles amid the worst outbreak in 25 years, even though most should be protected.

The measles outbreak is at its highest level in the U.S. since 1994, with 704 confirmed cases so far this year, mostly among unvaccinated children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease is one of the most contagious in the world. Most people are vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella shot that's 97% effective when given both doses.

"Most adults are protected against measles, that's what the science says," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on a call with reporters Monday.

People born before 1957 are assumed to have had the disease and therefore be immune to it. The first measles, mumps and rubella shot in 1963 was considered ineffective and replaced with a new formulation in 1968.

Less than 1 million people were given the old vaccination over those five years, according to the CDC.

People vaccinated between 1963 and 1989 likely received only one dose of the modern vaccine. Updated guidelines call for two doses, though the CDC says one dose is still about 93% effective. Anyone born after 1989 likely received two doses.

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.

The CDC says adults who are going to be in a setting with a risk of measles exposure should find out whether they were vaccinated. Examples include people who are traveling internationally, working in health care, studying at universities or living in communities where outbreaks are occurring.

"We're really urging those adults to talk to their health-care provider to make sure that they're protected against measles," Messonier said. "But other adults should be reassured that the data really, really strongly supports that they are already protected against measles."

People who know they received the old vaccine should talk to their doctor about getting revaccinated with the current version, the agency says. If they aren't sure, they can ask their doctor to perform a blood test to see if they're immune or they can receive a dose of the modern vaccine, the CDC says.
Otto Frederick Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who has been detained in North Korea since early January, attends a news conference in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodo February 29, 2016.

The former U.S. diplomat who secured the release from North Korea of American Otto Warmbier said on Monday Washington should honor its pledge to pay Pyongyang $2 million for the student's hospital care.

Joseph Yun, the former U.S. special envoy for North Korea, confirmed to Reuters he had signed an agreement with the North Koreans for the payment of the money before Warmbier was flown out of Pyongyang in a coma on June 13, 2017.

He died days after returning home.

White House national security adviser John Bolton said in a television interview on Sunday that while the agreement had been signed, no payment had been made to the North Koreans.

Yun, who retired from the State Department last year and is now a global affairs analyst for CNN, said on the network he believed the United States should honor its commitment.

"My view is, yes. If you've signed, if you promised another government from the U.S. government that you would make the payment, my view certainly is that we should go ahead and meet our end of the commitment," he said.

Yun said that as soon as North Korea made the demand he contacted the then secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who told him to go ahead and sign the agreement. Asked if he believed Tillerson had the approval of President Donald Trump, he replied: "That was my understanding. I never asked him. But that was my understanding."

The Washington Post reported last Thursday that Trump had approved payment of the $2 million bill from Pyongyang to cover its care of Warmbier, who was detained in North Korea for 17 months.

In a reply on Twitter, Trump said "no money was paid" but did not address whether any agreement had been made.

Warmbier died in the United States six days after his release from North Korea. An Ohio coroner said he died from a lack of oxygen and blood to his brain. North Korea has dismissed claims that it tortured the student and blamed food poisoning and a sleeping pill.

North Korea state media said Warmbier, a University of Virginia student visiting North Korea, was sentenced to 15 years hard labor for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel.
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Editor's Note: More than a few of us number nerds populating the field of compensation have a Classic deficit in the soft skills required to constructively explore and understand the territory and circumstances surrounding employee and organizational performance.

In the wake of my recent post about the law of the instrument and the ensuing discussion about embracing an explorer's mentality in our work, I had a conversation with a colleague that brought Appreciative Inquiry back to mind.

I first encountered Appreciative Inquiry a number of years ago when I was on a personal development quest, trying to supplement my technical compensation background with the soft skills necessary to deploy it most effectively. Several people recommended AI and I decided to give it a try, to the tune of an all-day workshop, several articles and a book purchase.

A non-expert overview for the uninitiated: Appreciative Inquiry was introduced by David Cooperrider and his associates at Case Western Reserve University in the 1990's. At its essence, AI is an approach that focuses on discovering what an organization does well and then looking for ways to do more of that. AI presents itself as an alternative, even a mirror image, of traditional problem solving approaches which seek to find what doesn't work and then figure out ways to do less of or fix it.

A similar philosophy of inquiry is touted in Dan and Chip Heath's Switch, my favorite change management book. The Heath Brothers advocate a discovery process centered on finding "bright spots", a search for examples of success which has its foundation in the question "what is working and how can we do more of it?"

In Switch, this approach is illustrated with a powerful story about Jerry Sternin, an employee of Save the Children, the international organization that helps children in need. In 1990, Jerry was asked to open a new office in Vietnam, invited in by the government to fight malnutrition. He arrived with his family, minimal staff and almost no money, to face an overwhelming and complex set of problems and a deadline of six months to make a difference.

Rather than taking on the enormous and intertwined set of problems - from poverty to sanitation - which contributed to malnutrition, Sternin tried a different approach. He traveled to rural villages, enlisted teams of local mothers and sent them out to weigh and measure every child in each village. He asked them to identify any very, very poor children who were bigger and healthier than average - the bright spots. Then Sternin and his team of moms went into the homes of the bright-spot kids and observed the way these homes were run. Their observations yielded insights. There were unexpected differences in the style, frequency and content with which bright-spot mothers fed their children.

Armed with these insights, Sternin helped community members organize cooking groups where malnourished families would meet at a hut in their village each day and prepare food together, following the basic but specific practices modeled by the bright-spot mothers. Six months after Sternin had come to Vietnam, 65% of the kids in the affected villages were better nourished - and later research shows that the practices (and the improvements) stuck.

The point of the story is the power of the positive, which is what distinguishes Appreciative Inquiry as an organizational tool.

How does this relate to our discussion of the law of the instrument and exploration? While those of us in the comment stream acknowledged the importance of truly understanding organizational challenges before putting a compensation fix in place, we all encounter resistance to the exploration that this demands. Here's where a shift in mindset and approach may help us. Leaders and line managers may be more open to our exploratory conversations and information gathering efforts if they believe we are coming from a (genuine) place of appreciation and positive regard for the good things they are doing rather than simply trying to sniff out their mistakes.

Interested in learning more? Great information on Appreciative Inquiry can be found in The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry and the AI Commons at Case Western Reserve University.

Ann Bares is the Founder and Editor of Compensation Cafe, Author of Compensation Force and Managing Partner of Altura Consulting Group LLC, where she provides compensation consulting and survey administration services to a wide range of client organizations. She earned her M.B.A. at Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School and enjoys reading in her spare time. Follow her on Twitter at @annbares.

Creative Commons image "Steampunk Explorer Hat" by holysmokinkitty
During the Coalition Government, the Lib Dems paid a heavy political price, including the loss of many local councillors. This has been well documented and widely understood. What is a bit more surprising is that they have continued to bob along at the bottom. At the 2015 General Election they lost 49 seats. Their share of the vote plunged to 7.9 per cent. On that same day, in the local elections, they lost over 400 council seats. Just consider that those losses were on top of when the seats had been contested in 2011 and the Lib Dems lost 750 seats. Since then I have been looking out for a revival of the Party. Not that I have done so with any enthusiasm  their campaigning at local level is especially dishonest and unprincipled. It just seemed that the Lib Dems regaining territory would means the laws of political gravity were taking place. Given Jeremy Corbyn becoming leader of the Labour Party, and the Conservatives taking responsibility for Brexit, surely there could be no escape from the Yellow Peril?

Yet the Lib Dems have almost been forgotten about. In the 2017 General Election they gained only four seats. In terms of council elections that year they actually lost another 43 seats overall. In the 2016 local elections they had made modest net gains  as they did last year.

Four years on, it must surely finally be likely that the Lib Dems will make substantial gains  well into three figures. Most of the seats being contested are for district councils. 121 of those councils have all their seats up for election. Often those are battles between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems. Labour sometimes struggles to even field a full slate of candidates. The latest opinion polls suggest the Lib Dems are only a point or two up on their dire vote share in 2015. But the Conservatives are doing much worse. We got 37 per cent of the vote in the 2015 General Election. The gap has narrowed. I know that measure is problematic as Change UK and the Brexit Party arent contesting the elections this week. Yet it gives some sort of indication  and the Lib Dems progress in Council by-elections in recent months points the same way.

Lord Hayward, the Tory peer and elections expert, predicts far greater Tory losses to the Lib Dems this week than to Labour. He says:

Rallings and Thrasher last week predicted Tory losses in the range of 500-1000. I would fall slightly on the higher side of that at around 800+, of which, Labour will probably gain somewhat less than 300 and Lib Dems probably more than 500. This would only be an adequate result for Labour and better for the Lib Dems. Anything around this level of Tory losses is just shy of losing 1:4 or 1:5 they are defending.

Since these elections are in essentially the Tory shires and Labour heartlands (where Labour already hold most of the seats), the Lib Dems would expect to be well ahead of Labour in overall gains. The key measure for the two main opposition parties is therefore not only how many seats are gained but also the share of the Tory spoils.

Roughly two gains for the Lib Dems for each one Lab gain (2:1) is broadly what I would expect (500-300 falls in that range). Anything closer to 3:2 (LD gains against Labour gains) would be bad for the Lib Dems and good for Labour. The corollary to this therefore is that anything clearly better than 5:2 (Lib Dem gains in comparison with Lab gains) heading for 3:1 would be good for the Lib Dems and bad for Labour.

Perhaps the most modest target for the Lib Dems is North Norfolk  which is currently under no overall control. A reasonably good night for the Lib Dems would see them sweep to power in Lewes and St Albans. There is also Winchester  but that is trickier for them, as only a third of the seats are up for election. If they are to recapture lost ground, then we look to Devon  councils such as North Devon and Teignbridge. On the same basis they would look to Somerset. There is a new district council with elections in Somerset West and Taunton (a merger of Taunton Deane and West Somerset). That is the sort of Council the Lib Dems should be winning if they are having a serious revival. In Surrey, if they are doing well, Guildford might be vulnerable? In Berkshire there might be a Lib Dem threat in Wokingham.

Beyond the districts, it becomes harder for the Lib Dems. But North Somerset is a unitary authority with all of its seats up for election, so that is one to watch. Ditto Bath and North East Somerset.

Just as there will be a chance for the Lib Dems to steal a march on Change UK, this will be an important test for UKIP  as it faces being eclipsed by the Brexit Party. In 2015 UKIP gained 176 seats. They also took control of their first council  Thanet. In the General Election they took 12.6 per cent. This time round they are not standing candidates in most places and most of their councillors from last time have resigned or defected. Could Thanet be a Conservative gain?

Tendring (what most of us would call Clacton-on-Sea) in Essex is a place that UKIP would expect to do well. Also Dover in Kent and Boston in Lincolnshire. The problem for UKIP is that even if they win a few seats here and there it would still be a big net loss on the results in 2015. They could claim to be back from the dead by comparing their performance to the last couple of years  but that would be all.

What about the Green Party? The anti-establishment mood should help them  as should the high profile for climate change protests. But the feeling is that their progress will be modest rather than dramatic. I was surprised that they are only contesting 30 per cent of seats  down from 38 per cent last time. In some places the Lib Dems resurgence could be problematic for the Greens if they are scrabbling around for the same votes in places like Lewes. Apparently the Green Party are working hard in Trafford  where they have a full slate of candidates. Brighton and Hove is another area where they are strong  the whole Council is up for election there and Labour are split.

There are six contests for directly elected Mayors. Five of these cover local authorities  Bedford, Copeland, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough. There is also a regional mayor for North of Tyne. With an anti-politics mood we could expect lost of abstentions but also a strong showing by independents. Most of these contests have at least one independent candidate  although not in Bedford where the Lib Dem incumbent is seeking re-election. So we will see if there are any upsets.

Anyway, the main headlines on Friday will probably be about Lib Dem gains. The first time we will have heard such news for many years. Just remember that they are below 500 than they are not that impressive in the context of past results. That would merely restore their position before 2015. To get back where they were before 2011 they would need to gain well over a thousand seats.
This is the full text of a speech delivered today by Nick Gibb, the schools minister, to the Social Market Foundation.

Thank you, James for that introduction. And thank you to the Social Market Foundation and Edelman for hosting and organising this mornings event.

The SMF notes prominently on its website, British politics is in flux. Well, you can say that again. And after several years serving as a minister and very much sticking to my brief under two prime ministers, I wanted to take this opportunity to draw on my experience at the Department for Education and offer a wider perspective on some of the particular challenges that we face.

And by we, I mean several groups.

I mean the countryas we face up to testing times and seek to find ways to bring people together after years of rancour and division.

I mean the people who run businessesas trust in business  and in the economic consensus that sustains it  continues to fall.

I mean the Conservative Partynow so consumed by Brexit that our great successes as a government over the past decade  and all the progress we have made as a country  has been forgotten.

And I mean politics as a wholebecause what we know from Edelmans own research is that trust in  and respect for  our political system is falling. And that creates the space for the populists, with their divisive rhetoric and easy solutions, to fill.

That is what we are witnessing today. Populism is on the march. It threatens to upend not just our political system, but so many of the old certainties on which we have come to rely. And its on the march for a simple reason: because mainstream politicians have not done enough to listen  let alone respond  to the priorities and concerns of the people who pay our salaries and give us our jobs.

But my conviction this morning is this: it is not too late to turn things around.

For if there is one thing my time at the Department for Education has taught me it is that if you do the hard work nothing is impossible. If you approach each challenge with what Martin Luther King described as the fierce urgency of now, change can happen. And a clearly articulated vision, the drive to make it happen, and the determination to see it through can yield extraordinary results.

That is why I believe so passionately in the capacity of politics and politicians to make a difference  to change lives for the better, which is what we all set out to do. Because I have seen it happen. And it is why I recoil when I hear politicians attacking the political process in this country. There will always be disagreements between parties and politicians. But I believe that politics is a noble calling; that people enter a life in politics with good intent; and that politics at its best can provide the forum in which we settle our differences, overcome divisions, and find the compromises that allow us to all move forward together.

Clearly, this may sound like a romantic view given where we are today.

It is widely accepted that we are in the midst of a political crisis, the like of which few of us has experienced before.

We are witnessing a clash between the twin forces of direct and representative democracy which has unbalanced our system of government and thrown it into a tailspin.

But this clash between the two forms of democracy is  like the issue of Brexit itself  about something even more profound. It is about power. And where we believe power should lie.

As much as anything, Brexit is an argument that says power should reside at the level of the nation-state  not at a supranational level where institutions are often unaccountable and typically all too remote.

The vote to embrace Brexit and to leave the EU was partly about the issue of where political power should lie, but it was also driven in large part by people who felt utterly powerless themselves in the face of macro political, economic and social forces over which they had too little control, or none at all. In other words, Brexit was and is about the assertion of power at every level.

And the determination to deliver Brexit is driven by a simple belief: that power should ultimately lie with the people of this country  not with any other body, group or organisation.

In 2016 Parliament and the Government were explicit: the decision whether to leave or not leave the European Union would be decided by the referendum. The peoples decision was final. That is why so many MPs have set aside their own concerns, or have been prepared to compromise by accepting a deal that they think is imperfect, in order to deliver the will of the people. Because ultimately, in a democracy, the people are sovereign. They are the masters. And government is their servant.

It is to the Prime Ministers eternal credit that she has never once forgotten this fact. Despite all the difficulties, she has always been determined to deliver the will of the people: because she knows that to fail to do so will only reinforce the sense of powerlessness that drove so much of the Brexit vote and risk opening the doors of our democracy to populism.

The crisis of capitalism

Yet, this is where we are today: confronted by the very real prospect of the rise of a narrow-minded and nasty populism of the right led by Nigel Farage or Tommy Robinson and a romantic but equally nasty brand of populist socialism on the left led by Jeremy Corbyn. A man who seeks to create and exploit perceived imbalances of power; who attacks and demeans the media  and encourages his supporters to do the same; who despises our allies while refusing to condemn the actions of our foes; who uses the language and the rhetoric of the populist as he seeks to set one against the other.

Yet who, despite this, continues to command a loyal following among younger voters and managed to attract substantial number of their votes at the last general election just two years ago to put him on the brink of Number 10. And we Conservatives must not kid ourselves that Corbyns brand of socialism is so-outdated and extreme that it will not be attractive to those of all backgrounds and economic circumstances who nevertheless feel ignored by our current polity or whose concerns have been left unaddressed.

This fact was brought home to me recently during a trip to the theatre.

The musical Hadestown is a love story, but it carries a deeply political  and undeniably left-wing  message. It denounces the values of capitalism while venerating the ideals of a socialist society.

And as I watched it being performed, I became aware of a remarkable phenomenon. I looked around me. The theatre was full of what would best be described as middle-class young people. Intelligent professionals. The future of this country. Full of idealism and hope. The kind of people who cheered Jeremy Corbyn at Glastonbury and gave him their vote two years ago. And they cheered again at Hadestown.

It was a revealing moment for me. Because those young people were essentially cheering the destruction of an economic and social system that has done so much more to advance their goals and values than any other the world has ever known.

The capitalist system has done more than any other to lift the poorest out of poverty, to open the world up to exploration, to inspire the inventions that have transformed the ways in which we connect and talk, expand our knowledge, broaden our horizons. Its a system that has helped us treat diseases that were otherwise regarded as death sentences; that has supported the expansion of freedom where previously repression and dictatorship reigned; that is developing technology to help tackle climate change. And let us remember that it is a system that quite simply helps us to fund the lifestyles we want and the public services we rely on. That helps us to lead the good life we want for ourselves and others.

No other economic or social system comes close to being able to make the claims that capitalism can make. And yet here we are, in 2019, with an audience of intelligent and informed young people cheering its destruction and replacement with something we know to be much worse: systems that crush the spirit of those with an enterprising bent. Socialist systems that always end in one-party states, with freedoms smashed by the jackboot of the secret police. It happened right across Eastern Europe until 1989 and it is happening in Venezuela and North Korea today. Which is why we should worry when a generation of young people seem oblivious to its horrors.

A host of recent studies have shown a creeping tendency for young people in the West to think that democracy  the very thing we so often take for granted  may not necessarily be the best or most viable form of government. One such study from January 2017 found that a quarter of the young people surveyed agreed that choosing leaders through free elections is unimportant.

Given the near unimaginable sacrifice of countless people in the past and in some other parts of the world today, it should come as a profound shock that so many could be so blase about such fundamental liberties.

The causes of that crisis

This is a political crisis. And it goes to the heart of the crisis of capitalism too as the two things so often go hand in hand.

But if we step back, it is not hard to discern the roots of the crisis. For the evidence is all around. And we  moderate, mainstream politicians  must accept our share of responsibility.

Yes, the capitalist system has lifted people out of poverty and generated millions of new jobs, but it has also created a world in which the average pay ratio between a FTSE 100 CEO in the UK and their employee is 145 to 1. To me and to many, that just doesnt seem fair.

Yes, the wealth created by the capitalist system has extended educational opportunities and helped to increase our collective knowledge, but it has also fostered a system in which a university vice-chancellor can earn 450,000 a year while students leave university plagued by debts as they start out on their working lives. That just doesnt seem fair.

Yes, the globalised capitalist system may have broken down borders and fostered a more connected world, but it has also allowed big corporations like Google, Amazon and Facebook to make huge profits and use outdated double tax treaties designed for a mercantilist era to undermine the spirit of taxation that says you should pay your fair share. That just doesnt seem fair.

Yes, the capitalist system has benefited many  but it is far from perfect. There will always be those who try to exploit it and so Government has a crucial role to play to enforce the rules, to change them where necessary, and so to maintain public consent. Over the last few decades, Labour and Conservative governments have been guilty of ignoring the steady scream of dissatisfaction, anger and powerlessness that is now overwhelming our political system. So it is essential  both for the defence of capitalism as the best system to govern our economic and social life, but also for the future of the Conservative Party as we face up to the threats of populists like Jeremy Corbyn  to seek to swing the balance of power back in favour of those who too often feel powerless in the face of the big economic and social forces that hold sway.

A party that stands with the powerless

And that means embracing the zeal of the revolutionary and adopting the fierce urgency of now, as we seek to take up the mantle of change.

The starting point is to be clear that the Conservative Party should stand up for all those who feel powerless in Britain today. It should stand for all those who feel they have too little control. It should stand up for the weak and stand up to the strong. It should be the party for all those who feel their voice is unheard as they go about their lives in modern Britain.

We must talk with passion and conviction about the everyday problems of modern life. We need answers to the challenges parents face with the rising costs of child care and the concerns confronting the children of elderly parents navigating their needs for social care. We need answers to the difficulties of would-be first-time house buyers. We need to take action, and be seen to take action, to deal with this generations greatest challenge: the devastating impact of climate change.

I believe that there is much for us to learn from the approach we have taken with education over the past few years. We have broken the stranglehold of Local Authorities and shifted the power to parents and pupils. The academies and free schools programme has revolutionised educational provision in this country partly because those schools know they have to be more responsive to local parental demands. We have introduced greater competition, given parents and pupils an element of control  and outcomes have been transformed.

We have successfully taken on the education establishment and changed the way that reading is taught, pushing our country up the international league tables for reading. We have transformed maths teaching both at primary and secondary, reformed our GCSEs, removed thousands of worthless qualifications that the poorest in society were being duped into taking. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are now being taught as never before and were testing to ensure children know their times tables.

There is a great deal more to do. Sometimes I feel as if weve only just begun when you consider the fact that in Nottingham, which is the 8th most deprived area in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, 80 per cent of secondary schools are rated good or outstanding compared to just 50 per cent in prosperous Hertsmere, 243rd most deprived out of 326 local authority districts in that same index.

In other words if it is possible for schools to be good or outstanding in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country, why cant it be so in all areas of disadvantage? And if it is possible in some areas of disadvantage, why are there some prosperous areas with too many underperforming schools and poor standards?

Why is it that one state school in east London, Brampton Manor Academy, recently reported that 41 of its students have received offers from Oxford and Cambridge but, although the DfE does not centrally collate information on university offers, looking at the 2017 destination tables, there were no students with an Oxbridge destination from Blaby, Bassetlaw, Braintree, Broxborne, Broadlands (in Norfolk), to name just the local authorities beginning with a B; and none from Chorley, Corby, Castlepoint,  you see where this is going! Overall, there were 45 out of 323 local authority districts with KS5 students without a single student with an Oxford or Cambridge sustained destination. A good education is the fundamental building block for a good life. Ensuring that every child attends a good school must be central to the Conservative Partys mission to stand for the powerless, ensuring the success of our reforms, the opportunities they represent, is spread to every corner of the country.

So there is more to do in Education, but with vision, drive and determination we have already come so far. And it is this spirit  this revolutionary zeal that has informed our education reforms  which we Conservatives must apply across the full realm of political life as we seek to tip the balance of power in favour of the hardworking people of Britain.

There are some who argue that the anger in our political discord is also driven by the pace of social reform that we have seen over the last two decades. Some seem to relish the kind of culture wars that dominate debate between many Democrats and Republicans in the United States.

I am, unashamedly, a socially liberal Conservative. How could I not be? My life has been completed by legislation introduced by Tony Blair and David Cameron to recognise same sex relationships. Having always believed that marriage and family were the cornerstone of a strong, free and happy society, being able to marry as a gay man was the greatest moment of my life. And what have I discovered since? That my joy has been shared by so many of the people I work with every day, by members of the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Conservative Association, by constituents who I meet at my surgery, at community coffee mornings, in local businesses, out on the street. I simply dont buy the argument that the British are a moralistic, disapproving and mean-spirited people.

We are a nation that embraces change, gets on with it, and doesnt worry too much about what other people do unless it gets in the way of their lives. We laugh at, rather than obsess about, what goes on in the bedroom: we are the nation of Carry On and Mrs Browns Boys. Innuendo is a national pass time. Isnt it, Mrs?

What people do worry about is a feeling that change is being imposed and they are unable to express a view. That an elite in Westminster has little interest in or knowledge of how change can impact everyday life. Where concerns about immigration are dismissed or ignored, where people feel talked down to, where long held values can become out of fashion overnight, it is hardly surprising that a sense of powerlessness grows.

Tackling this sense of powerlessness over the actions of vested interests  whether in the political class or in large economic corporations  offers a way forward for the Conservative Party.

Let us think, for example, of the role that big tech plays in our lives today  and of the way in which the behaviour of the big tech companies has damaged the reputation of capitalism as a whole.

We embrace all the advantages of new technologies. We share details of our lives with family and friends. We click a button and have almost anything we want delivered to our door. A question that once involved a trip to the library can now be answered by a simple tap on a screen that we all keep in our pockets. As an Education Minister and as a citizen of course I welcome that. And of course, none of it would have happened if we didnt live in capitalist, democratic societies.

But at the same time, elements of the tech revolution have gone too far. They have produced new concentrations of power. Supranational companies that see themselves as alternatives to the nation-state. Organisations and corporations that think they cant be controlled.

Now, because the capitalist system still works, these big tech companies may soon have had their day. New start-ups are emerging to take on the behemoths with better, more people friendly alternatives.

Again, this simply wouldnt happen under a socialist economic system of command and control.

So, we need to support these endeavours. But in the meantime, we need to take action too.

That means having the courage to regulate where we need to regulate. It means enacting policies that disrupt these concentrations of power. And it means ensuring that these companies are paying their fair share of tax.

There is nothing un-Conservative about this. Capitalism does work best when least fettered by rules and regulations that can crush innovation and stifle enterprise. But the free market has always relied on rules and the rule of law for it to function. It relies on the state to provide security, infrastructure, enforcement of contracts, title to land and the protection of intellectual property.

We need to make sure those rules and regulations are fit and proper for the challenges of the 21st century, as Teddy Roosevelt did to tackle the concentrations of power at the start of the 20th century.

But Big Tech has become a common target. What about other areas where the balance of power has become inverted and has grown out of all control? Where can  and must  politicians act?

Utility companies who use confusing, complicated policies and tariffs to bewilder and exploit consumers. Who know that they can get away with it because our lives are busy and therefore they have effective power and control. A Conservative Party that stands up for the powerless shouldnt stand by and let people be exploited by these multinational corporations. Theres nothing un-Conservative about that. We need to show the will and desire to tackle these monopolies of power and give people more control.

Insurance companies who ramp up premiums on the unwary and loyal, hoping we wont notice or will be too busy to care. Hoping that the busy lives we lead will mean we acquiesce too easily.

Bosses exploiting their workers. Creaming off vast profits while cultivating or tolerating a culture of bullying and intimidation further down the chain. We should be angry at such people and such companies. The unpleasant and unacceptable face of capitalism of today.

Investment banks foisting investments they know to be worthless on unsuspecting savers in their retail division.

Estate agents promising higher valuations to home owners in exchange for higher commissions knowing full well the ultimate sale price would be less.

House builders, increasingly dominated by just a handful of companies, building homes of questionable design and resulting in thousands of complaints about poor construction, while making super profits that the free market is meant to be designed to compete away.

Banks which are supposed to provide capital for new businesses and young people wanting homes but which are caught deliberately driving small business to the wall and which refuse young people mortgages because of their own malpractice in the past  denying a generation entry to property ownership, the foundation of a capitalist system. Is it any wonder that a musical rendition of a non-capitalist society sounds so appealing to that generation?

An agenda for a bold renewal of Conservatism

It should be our task as a party to act with urgency to correct these abuses and address these injustices, driven by a determination to speak out for the powerless at all times. It must be our mission to restore trust in the political system and in politics as a noble calling; something that with vision, drive and determination can change lives for the better.

To do so is not to validate Jeremy Corbyn and Labour. It is to thwart them. For if we fail to do so  if we fail to address the very real areas in which the capitalist system is failing  a long period of left-wing, socialist government is surely on its way. And it wont be long before the cheers fade and the idealism is at an end.

This is an insight as old as Conservatism itself. Change to conserve has always been our mantra. Make change where the system is failing to preserve faith in the whole. As Burke put it A state without the means of some change, is without the means of its own conservation.

So let us harness that insight and embrace this agenda for a bold renewal of Conservatism. Safeguarding and shaping the future by addressing the challenges of today.

A party for the powerless with a revolutionary zeal to pick up the mantle of change.

Determined to take on vested interests and monopolies of power.

Determined to stand with the people every step of the way.
Lord Ashcroft: Breeding lions for slaughter in South Africa. What Gove must do to help stamp out this cruel practice.

This weekend the Mail on Sunday newspaper did a great public service: it devoted no less than 11 news pages, including its front page, to the findings of an undercover wildlife investigation that I have been secretly running for the past year.

The target of my inquiries was the captive-lion industry in South Africa, an activity that discredits the vast and beautiful country where I have so many friends and where I have spent so many memorable days observing and photographing wild animals.

In recent years I became aware that, in South Africa, lions  the so-called king of the jungle  were being treated in an appalling way. The things that I was told distressed me greatly.

I learned about the practice of captive-lion breeding (what I call lion farming): an activity that, in theory, is legal and one that is growing in size. Yet most of these captive-bred lions have only two end games: they are slaughtered for their bones or the animals, particularly males with large manes, are killed by trophy hunters willing to pay more than 40,000 to shoot a mature beast.

I am reasonably well connected in the military and security worlds and so last year I commissioned an undercover operation using former Special Forces and security operatives.

I wanted the operation  codenamed Operation Simba  to expose the full horrors and the illegal practices associated with the industry, whereby perhaps 80 to 100 people make a great deal of money from a cruel and abusive activity that they falsely claim has conservation benefits.

The market for lion bones comes largely from the Far East and China, where cakes, wine and other produce made from ground lion bones are (wrongly) thought to have medicinal benefits and to boost virility.

However, I wanted to be hands on with my investigation too: so I twice flew to South Africa to make my own inquiries, to conduct my own interviews and to fly in a helicopter over some of the breeding farms in order to get a sense of the scale of this huge and vile industry.

As my investigations deepened, I decided on three ways of getting my information into the public domain: a series of major newspaper articles (as stated, these appeared in the Mail on Sunday), a new website, and to present a 15-minute film that I have put on YouTube.

South Africa is the only country in the world that permits large-scale, captive-bred lion farming  and it takes place at more than 200 farms and compounds around the nation. South Africa also permits the legal export each year of 800 lion skeletons  however, the whole industry is poorly regulated and the bones from hundreds more lions a year are illegally smuggled from the country.

My undercover team established that there are now an estimated 12,000 captive-bred lions in South Africa, far more than originally thought and nearly four times the number of wild lions in the country.

Investigators infiltrated breeding farms, penetrated a slaughter house (where more than 50 lions had been killed in two days) and took part in captive-bred lion hunts (a pathetic charade and known as canned hunts) just up to the point before the kill. As a result, my newspaper articles yesterday identified illegal activities and named names (for full details visit www.LordAshcroftWildlife.com).

Amidst the revelations of cruelty and misery, there was, however, a happy ending for one 11-year-old captive-bred male lion who was used in an illegal green hunt, in which a British hunter paid US $4,000 to shoot him with tranquiliser darts. This lion was destined later to be killed in a canned hunt whereby the animal would be chased in a 44 in a restricted area before being shot at close range.

However, last Thursday my investigative team managed to extricate the lion, which we have called Simba, from the hunting farm and take him, drugged and sedated, for an 11-and-a-half hour journey to a sanctuary, where he will be looked after for the rest of his days.

Since Sunday morning when the Mail on Sunday went on sale, I have had an interesting 48 hours: I have conducted numerous media interviews (including Sky News and the BBCs Today programme).

Of course, I am not the only person to have looked into the wider area of trophy hunting. Last year, 165 MPs tabled an Early Day Motion that calls on the Government to commit to halting imports of hunting trophies as a matter of urgency.

I have received much public and private praise for my investigation (from all over the world, on social media and in emails) and the inevitable bit of criticism ,too (one of my Twitter followers stated: South Africa is not a British colony  it is a sovereign independent State  respect its sovereignty.).

I do, of course, respect the sovereignty of all other foreign countries but I felt I had a moral duty to bring the repugnant practice of lion farming and canned hunts to the wider world  and to encourage South Africans to bring such practices to an end.

I wrote yesterday to the South African High Commissioner in London and sent her part of the dossier of evidence that I have amassed over the past year. Lion farming damages South Africas international reputation and many within the country acknowledge that it has to be halted.

I have also written to Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, calling on the UK Government to follow the lead of other nations, notably the US, in banning the importation of captive-lion and other endangered species trophies and body parts. I am hoping to meet Gove to discuss my findings: I will tell him that the UK must do its bit to try to stamp out lion farming and show that we are not in any way complicit with it.

There are only some 20,000 wild lions left in the world, and leading conservationists predict this majestic animal could be extinct in the wild within 30 years.

To conclude, no major species has been, and is being, abused as much as the lion, Africas most iconic wild animal. I would urge everyone to help me in stamping out this disgusting and abusive practice of lion farming now  it not only shames South Africa but it shames us all.
Nick Hillman is the Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, and is a former Special Adviser to David Willetts, then Minister for Universities and Science. This piece is written in a personal capacity.



The media is full of stories saying that the Government will soon confirm EU students in England are to be treated like other foreign students after Brexit. This means the former will have to pay full international fees, not the lower home fees. Plus, they will no longer have access to subsidised tuition fee loans. That is a real double whammy.

Twitter is suitably outraged. The decision will hit our universities, impoverishing them financially and intellectually, and is at one with the Governments hostile attitude towards students from other countries. Or so it is claimed.

In fact, its a lot more complicated than that.

International students, whether they hail from another EU country or from a non-EU country undoubtedly benefit the UK. Typically, they come here, spend lots of money and then go home again, generally with warm thoughts about their host nation. The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), for which I work, has shown just one cohort of international students bringing net benefits of over 20 billion. Every constituency gains.

I have long argued that the Governments approach to international students is their worst higher education policy. I argued against it inside Whitehall, as Special Adviser to David Willetts during the Coalition. I have argued against it outside Whitehall, too. Since I became Director of HEPI in 2014, our three biggest reports have been on the benefits that international students bring to the UK.

But, despite the real problems with the Governments general approach to international students, the idea that EU students should come to be treated like other non-British students makes sense.

First, there is the moral case.

While we are in the European Union, there is a defensible logic in having more generous rules for students from fellow EU states. The arrangements are all part of the reciprocity that comes from being in the club. If we are not in the EU, there is no easy way to defend charging richer Germans much less to study here than poorer Indians.

European nations are predominantly white and non-EU international students typically come from countries where white people tend to be in a minority. So maintaining the current rules would be exceptionally hard to defend for other reasons too. (Some people claim it would be illegal as well, but the specifics are murky so lawyers may need to clarify that in due course.)

Secondly, there is the economic case.

Student loans have a cost to British taxpayers because the repayment terms mean much of the money is never repaid. There is a strong case for this for home students. Their families are likely to be contributing to the Exchequer in other ways and they are likely to end up as UK taxpayers themselves. (US states charge less to in-state students for the same reasons.) There is also a logic to subsidising EU students while we remain a member state. But the logic doesnt so easily apply to residents of anywhere beyond the UK after Brexit.

Remember, the Office for National Statistics are about to reclassify student loan write-off costs as current public spending (rather than a cost that falls far in the future). So the Treasury has to decide whether continuing to subsidise students from other EU countries to study here is a more urgent priority than other public spending needs. Cutting A&E waiting lists, raising school funding, spending more on research or future tax cuts may seem more palatable.

This all brings us, as with so much else, to Margaret Thatcher. When she was a newly-installed Prime Minister, her Government abolished the subsidy that once existed for students coming to study in the UK from outside Europe. Overnight, they became liable for much higher fees.

The higher education sector was united in its outrage. Labours Education spokesman, Neil Kinnock, told the Commons:

It is apparent that the policy has not a single friend. We hear nothing but continual criticismssome extremely bitter and loudof the Governments policy from the Royal Commonwealth Society and the British Council to the Association of Navigation Schools, from the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the United Kingdom Universities and the Committee of Directors of Polytechnics to every university, polytechnic and college of higher or further education, every education trade union and every students union. Disagreement with the Governments policy is not limited to those sources. We have also heard criticisms from Conservative students, just as we have heard them, in a courageous and direct form, from Conservative Back Benchers.

They were all wrong. We can date the UKs success in attracting people from other countries to study here from that decision. Once universities could charge international students the full economic costs of their education and more, there was an incentive to recruit them. The number of students from other countries started rising fast because, in the words of Derek Bok (a former President of Harvard), universities resemble exiled European royalty and compulsive gamblers in their insatiable appetite for money.

We have calculated that international students who come to the UK now cross-subsidise research by 8,000 each. Without this funding, our higher education sector would be poorer, less good and lower down the global league tables.

I am not saying Brexit is bound to lead to a big growth in EU student arrivals. History doesnt always repeat itself. The impending changes to the student finance rules for EU students really could put people off coming here to study, even though our universities boast so many strengths and teach in English. Many European countries have fantastic universities of their own and, often, they are free to attend. Research we commissioned concluded Brexit could mean a decline in students from other EU countries of over 50 per cent.

But I am worried that people are opposing the rumoured change to funding for EU students without any sufficiently strong arguments to win the debate. That would be counter-productive because it deflects from the more important task of ensuring the whole post-Brexit migration system makes sense.
Henry Newman is Director of Open Europe.

Theres a stalemate: Government is paralysed; Westminster is drifting. With no hard deadline looming for months, MPs have little incentive to make decisions on Brexit. Meanwhile, an enormous question mark hangs over the Prime Ministers future, with pressure from Tory activists and within the 1922 Committee of MPs.

Because of the Conservative failure to deliver Brexit, the Party is expected to take a serious beating in the European elections later next month. Its notable that the sharp decline in the Conservatives poll rating correlates with their deferring Brexit. Support for the Government held strong despite its supposedly unpopular Brexit deal, but collapsed after Article 50 was stretched out to Halloween.

Many erstwhile Tory supporters are likely to register their anger with a vote for the new Brexit Party on 23rd May. Yet while their profound frustration may be understandable, a protest vote is hardly the basis of a way through or a policy plan for delivering Brexit. At the core of the Governments Brexit nightmare is the lack of a clear majority for any path.

Now, approaching three years since the referendum, the exact same options are available as faced the country on 24th June 2016: leave with a deal, leave without a deal, or do not leave. Thats it. An unbelievable amount of time and energy has been wasted discussing all kinds of non-options, and avoiding actual issues.

The big picture is that 90 per cent of Conservative MPs ultimately backed the withdrawal deal on 29th March, including every Cabinet minister who had previously resigned over Brexit policy. And yet without the support of a final bloc of Tory MPs (on both the hard-Brexit and anti-Brexit wings) and with the DUP opposing, the deal still fell short. Thirty MPs need to switch for allow it to pass.

Some seem to have given up and argue that a change of leadership is now the only answer. But changing Prime Minister does nothing in itself to alter the actual Parliamentary maths. The ineluctable problem is that this Parliament will not support a No Deal, whoever is leading the Conservative Party.

No amount of believing in Britain will solve the problem that a large number of Tory MPs, plus virtually every other MP in Parliament, would vote against No Deal in almost all circumstances. Several Conservatives have already made declared that they would choose to revoke Article 50 altogether rather than allow a No Deal. Even more admit the same in private. And ever since Parliament backed the Letwin Plan, backbenchers have the whip hand.

So any new leader wanting to pursue No Deal would need to go for a General Election, sooner rather than later, in order to secure the votes to overturn Letwin. It seems unlikely that a No Deal platform would allow a leader to win a majority, but even if it did, a slim victory wouldnt cut it. My best guess is that the Conservatives would need a majority of at least 40, and ideally 60, to be able to go for No Deal.

The last time the Conservatives won a medium-sized majority on that scale was in 1987  thats over 30 years ago. The last time any party secured that sort of support was Labour in 2005, nearly 15 years back. So changing leader and pushing for No Deal is what was called a brave strategy in Yes, Minister.

Others have convinced themselves that this Prime Minister has never really tried to get rid of the backstop. And so  they insist  a different leader could just go to Brussels and tell them we wont have it, as if the silly Europeans hadnt understood first time round. This is pure delusion. The EU has absolutely no incentive to move on the backstop now. As they see it, Brexit is slipping away: delayed, deferred (and soon) to die.

Meanwhile, theres widespread anger that the Prime Minister opened talks with the Opposition earlier this month. Im sure most Conservative ministers would rather do almost anything besides talking to the Labour leadership about Brexit. But in and of itself, cross-party discussions seem to me perfectly sensible. Vote Leave intended to approach the negotiations in such a manner from the start. And after losing her majority back in June 2017, the Prime Minister ought to have reached straight across the aisle.

Cross-party talks so far have neither borne fruit nor broken apart. Theyve just dripped onwards. In some respects, the most interesting thing is how much both sides evidently agree on. As long as Labour are committed to ending Free Movement, then the discussion is over a relatively small range of policy disagreement. Both parties are nominally committed to leaving both the EU and the Single Market, and the Labour Party now seem to be demanding something approaching a Chequers policy  albeit with a customs union added on top and some more harmonisation on worker and environmental rights.

Many Conservative MPs are passionately opposed to a customs union. I myself find it hard to see how a position where the UK was dependent on the EU for its trade policy could be sustainable in the long term, as Open Europe identified back in 2017. But its also true that until the UK develops the alternate arrangements necessary to replace the backstop, we are likely to be in a customs union  or extended transition  for some time. And theres no point arguing about whether we should or shouldnt ultimately leave the customs union, if we cant get out of the EU in the first place.

As we have seen elsewhere when it comes to Brexit, the argument over the customs union has a degree of unreality about it. Adding a customs union to the Political Declaration would not prevent a future Government (with a Commons majority) seeking to remove one. No more than, post-Brexit, a future administration could be blocked from  by negotiation  joining the Single Market, harmonising on services regulations, or indeed applying to rejoin the EU. But if the Government cant find a way to get its Brexit deal through, and secure Brexit, all of this will count for nothing.

The stasis over the next few weeks may break soon. The Government may have another go at putting its Brexit deal to Parliament, perhaps by introducing the Withdrawal Bill after the local elections. Oliver Letwin has been surprisingly quiet but may seek to move more votes, or the Government may introduce its own version of indicative votes. A deadline looms, eventually  by Septembers Labour Conference it seems inevitable that the party will be forced into an unequivocal position of backing a second referendum in all circumstances, something the leadership has so far avoided doing. Even then Brexit might not be totally lost, but with every week it slips ever further away.
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We tend to think of the Nazis as an almost supernatural force for evil. They supposedly marched in horrifying harmony toward a single terrible purpose, and it was a minor miracle they were stopped at all. But the Nazi government had petty infighting and political scandals just any other -- except much, much dumber, because they were, you know, Nazis. And because we live in a time when prominent commentators are openly defending the "good parts" of the Nazi regime, it's important to remember that they were gigantic morons from start to finish.

So let's go back to 1938. Hitler was a year away from starting World War II by launching Operation Hitler's A Huge Butthole, but two key German generals, Werner von Blomberg and Werner von Fritsch, were expressing reservations -- and not just because their identical first names led them to wonder if they were living in a bizarre simulation.

Neither man was a member of the Nazi Party, although their objections were less "We think Hitler should be building daycares instead of tanks, dude needs to chill," and more "We're totally down with the Nazi plan to build a totalitarian militarist empire! We just think it would be safer to wait until 1942 to go on a conquering rampage that purges Europe of those nefarious Jews. It never hurts to be extra prepared!" And for the clear disobedience and cowardice of suggesting the possibility of a military defeat, top Nazis decided that the Werners had to go.
By my calculations Senator Warren's proposal for $640 billion in student loan forgiveness could readily translate into $1 trillion of increased home equity value plus an additional $320 billion to $680 billion in GDP growth. That's an amazing win-win-win for student loan debtors, for homeowners, and for those in the home building and furnishing trades.

A lot of the criticism of Senator Elizabeth Warrens student loan forgiveness proposal has focused on how it's not fair to give loan forgiveness to current borrowers when past borrowers repaid their debts. That criticism overlooks the enormous boost Senator Warren's proposal would give to the real estate market. Many previous borrowers are homeowners, and homeowners are going to be one of the major beneficiaries of any student loan debt forgiveness as their home equity value will increase because of the increase in housing demand from deleveraged student borrowers.

It is widely recognized that student loan debt is depressing demand for housing. The depressed demand seems to work through multiple channels. Large levels of student loan debt impair borrowers credit capacity and may prevent them from qualifying for loans. Student loan repayment burdens may impede borrowers ability to save up downpayments for home purchases. Additionally, borrowers may be discouraged from even entering the homeownership market because of the psychological burden of large debt balances, even if their monthly mortgage payments would not differ materially from rental payments.

It's clear that student loan forgiveness will have some upward pressure on home prices. But how much? The Warren proposal is estimated to result in $640 billion in student loan forgiveness. There are two groups who will have demand constraints loosened through loan forgiveness: those who have been kept out of the homeownership market entirely, and those who are in the market, but have had to purchase less home because of their student loan debt. It's not to hard to get a sense of the size of those groups, and from that we can estimate the impact on their demand from loan forgiveness.

A Federal Reserve Board staff study estimates that student loan debt has kept 400,000 borrowers out of the homeownership marketroughly 1% of student loan borrowers. to this group of borrowers, it's necessary to add the depressed borrowing capacity of individuals with student loan debt who are already in the homeownership market.

The Federal Reserve Board's 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances indicates that 39% of households have a mortgage and 21% of mortgage borrowers have student loan debt (you'll have to either take my word for this or download the data and crunch the numbers). There are 127 million households in the US, so that means that 10.4 million households (21% of 39% of 127 million) would be able to afford more home if they weren't paying off student loans (their own or their children's). So together with those individuals who are kept out of the market, let's say that we have 11 million folks whose homeownership demand is depressed because of student loan debt. That's a quarter of the 44 million student loan borrowers in the US!

Let's assume an equal distribution of student loan debt within this population (and I know that's a problematic assumption--it probably skews on both ends, but I don't know how to correct for it). Thus applying that 25% figure to $640 billion, we get to about $160 billion of unleashed demand through student loan forgiveness. And now the story gets fun.

That $160 billion gets leveraged at 10x with 90% LTV mortgage borrowing, so it's actually pouring $1.6 trillion into the home market. Now, I suspect that this $1.6 trillion estimate is too high--not all of those people will turn around and borrow for more home if their student loans are forgiven. Let's impose a generous haircut and say there is only $100 billion in increased demand. Given the leverage in the market, however, even if there's only $100 billion in additional demand, it gets leveraged into $1 trillion in increased home prices.

Relative to a $29.5 trillion home equity market, an extra $1 trillion in demand results in a 3.4% increase in average home price. And if I'm still overestimating by 50%, it nonetheless results in a 1.7% increase in average home price. That's still nothing to sneeze at.

Now notice that very little of this increase will flow to McMansions and $1M+ houses. It will instead flow primarily to entry-level homes up to the middle of the market: homes priced at $100 thousand to the high hundreds of thousands. There will be some trickle-up effect, as existing owners parlay their home equity value increases to buy into the upper end of the market, but the gains will still be most concentrated in the more modest end of the market. In other words, Senator Warrens $640 billion loan forgiveness proposal will likely result in a $1 trillion wealth increase among homeowners, and that increase will be concentrated in the lower-end of the homeownership marketthe heart of the middle class.

If I'm right here (and there's no doubt I am directionally--the only question is magnitude, and others might have a more refined take on the data), this suggests that the constituency supporting the Warren proposal should not be just those with current student loan debt, but homeowners, a group that includes many individuals who were once student loan borrowers and paid off their debt. While they are not getting the debt forgiveness themselves, they are in fact benefitting from it more on total dollar basis than those with student loan debt. Put another way, American homeowners should be cheering for Senator Warren's proposal louder than anyone.

Also, notice that my analysis up to this point isn't even attempting to take into account the positive spillovers into the home construction and furnishing marketsthere's a huge positive multiplier effect from home purchases. The National Association of Realtors estimates that ever additional $1 spent on home purchases results in another $1.32 to $1.64 in GDP. So here, there should be an additional $320 billion - $640 billion in GDP growth from the debt forgiveness.

Getting a $1.32 trillion boost (or more) in GDP from $640 billion in loan forgiveness is a win-win proposition, the sort of rising tide that lifts all ships. That's a policy home run.

[Update: I have another way of thinking of this. The average Survey of Consumer Finances mortgagor with student loan debt had $38k in student loan debt, but about $102k less in mortgage debt than mortgagors without student loan debt. That suggests that $1 less in student loan debt translates into about $2.68 in greater mortgage borrowing. Again, assuming 90% LTV borrowing, that turns into a $3 increase in home prices for ever $1 of student loan debt forgiveness for those student loan debtor who are already mortgagors. That's a much smaller leverage magnifier than above, but it still gets us to nearly $500B in home equity increases, which is still almost a 1.7% increase in home prices.]
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The West Coast cruise market, primarily composed of sailings from California to the Mexican Riviera, is seeing traffic spike thanks to new ships, new interest and new operators, according to the 2019 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.

While security issues and economic doldrums sent traffic spiraling downward a decade ago, the West Coast is making its way back, supported not only by its own attractions but a booming Alaska cruise market that generates seasonal and winter traffic.

Accounting for 3.5 percent of the global cruise market pie, the West Coast will be back to near record levels, and will post its best year since 2009 in terms of passenger capacity, which is up 12.5 percent year-over-year.

Its still off 2008 levels, but the promise continues in 2020 and 2021, when more deployments include the new Carnival Panorama, and a number of planned startups that will to feature exclusively Mexican Rivieria ports, including Cruise and Maritime Voyages and Grupo Vidanta.

With an expanded terminal in Long Beach, Carnival Cruise Line remains the biggest player in the market by far, with an estimated 57.1 percent of the capacity sailing mainly shorter, three- and four-night cruises.

Other big players on the West Coast include Princess Cruises, with capacity coming mainly in the shoulder seasons due to its Alaska program, as well as Norwegian, Holland America Line and Disney.

Norwegian will make its own moves this coming winter season as the Norwegian Joy will sail from Los Angeles following her Alaska program. The Los Angeles-based program will offer mainly week-long cruises, calling at Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, with three sea days.

Traffic is also moving up in San Diego, where Disney operates a seasonal program with the Wonder, and Holland America Line remains a major homeport customer. In addition, the Southern California port will welcome the Carnival Miracle on a seasonal deployment for the 2020-2021 cruise season.

About the Annual Report:

The Cruise Industry News Annual Report is the only book of its kind, presenting the worldwide cruise industry through 2027 in 400 pages.

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Following an extensive $200 million renovation the Carnival Sunrise is making her debut today at Norfolks Decker Half Moone Cruise Center.

The Carnival Sunrise is kicking off an exciting inaugural season of four- to 14-day voyages that visit destinations in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Bahamas, the Panama Canal, New England and Canada with the first four cruises from Norfolk.

The introduction of Carnival Sunrise brings an incredibly enhanced ship to our guests with all of the popular features from across our fleet, said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. We couldnt be more proud to introduce Carnival Sunrise in Norfolk.

To be the first port in the United States to welcome Carnival Sunrise makes this a very special event for Norfolk, said Stephen E. Kirkland, Nauticus executive director. Were eager to roll out the red carpet for these guests, and for the staff and crew of this beautiful ship.

Beginning May 23, Carnival Sunrise will set sail from New York through mid-October on a series of four- to 14-day voyages. An invitation-only naming ceremony will be held on board prior to the May 23 departure with Kelly Arison, daughter of Carnival Corporation Chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine, serving as the ships godmother.
General Electric returned to multibillion-dollar profitability in the first quarter of 2019, earning $3.6 billion during a period when it announced the $20 billion sale of a life sciences division and continued to scale down its GE Capital division based in Norwalk.

It was GEs first quarterly profit of at least $1 billion since the third quarter of 2017, with the recently concluded first quarter representing CEO Larry Culp Jr.s second fiscal period leading Boston-based GE after replacing John Flannery last October.

GE shares were up 6 percent after Tuesdays opening bell to just above $10.30, having gained about $2.35 on the year to date.

The increased earnings occurred even as GE revenue dropped 2 percent from a year earlier to $27.3 billion, though the companys order backlog is up 6 percent from a year ago to $374 billion.

Speaking Tuesday on a conference call with investment analysts, Culp reiterated 2019 as a reset year for GE with intensified operational restructuring, without stating immediately any impact on jobs. GE recorded $239 million in charges against first-quarter earnings for restructuring costs as the company transfers corporate functions to subsidiaries, leaving the future of those jobs up to those entities and shedding payroll through other means to include outsourcing, layoffs and leaving positions unfilled from any employees leaving the company.

Asked by an investment analyst on employee morale amid the rapid-fire change at GE, Culp acknowledged the challenges for its people, adding we dont take anybody for granted.

GE has a new head of human resources reporting directly to Culp, with Kevin Cox having held similar roles at American Express and PepsiCo. Cox will deliver soon to the board of directors an initial report to drive the cultural change we aspire to, Culp said.

Culp indicated the company is still assessing risk to its expected revenue flows from any interruption in the production of the grounded Boeing 737 Max passenger jet, which is equipped with engines from a joint venture of GE Aviation and France-based Safran.

GE Aviation remains the conglomerates largest division and its fastest-growing, with revenue up 12 percent in the first quarter to just under $8 billion. GE Power continues to lag other GE subsidiaries, with a 22 percent drop in sales to below $5.7 billion.

Culp said first-quarter revenue included sales transactions that customers moved up from dates later this year. During the first quarter, the company completed the $2.9 billion sale of its GE Transportation locomotive and rail division to Pennsylvania-based Wabtec. And it reached a $20 billion agreement to sell its GE Life Sciences division to Danaher, formerly led by Culp.

In mid-April, GE signed a $1.5 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over subprime home loans extended between 2005 and 2007 by its WMC Mortgage division that is now in bankruptcy. As of March, one active WMC lawsuit remained against GE in Connecticut federal court, with GE in settlement discussions with TMI Trust, which asserted claims on $800 million in mortgage loans.

Between January and March, GE whittled down the asset base of its GE Capital subsidiary by another $1.1 billion to $122 billion, with GE selling to Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group a division that provides financing for companies to get an accelerated, discounted repayment of outstanding invoices they are owed.

In Norwalk, the company surrendered office space it has been subleasing from liquor giant Diageo at 801 Main Ave. that had been used by GE Capital, with the finance subsidiary having its main office next door in the Towers complex at 901 Main Ave.

GE Capital contributed $137 million in profits to the corporate parents first-quarter totals, with revenue up 2 percent to $2.2 billion despite its dwindling asset base to generate cash flow.

Jamie Miller, chief financial officer of GE, tempered GE Capitals full-year outlook in describing as a sizable negative two sets of GE Capital dividends to be paid out this year to investors holding preferred stock.

Next week, GE will hold its annual meeting of investors at 10 a.m. May 8 at the Westchester Marriott at 670 White Plains Road in Tarrytown, N.Y. The event will also be webcast.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
MILFORD  A Nevada man accused more than three years ago of being a pimp took a plea deal Tuesday before jury selection was due to begin in his trial.

Jerome Edison, 48, pleaded guilty under the Alford doctrine to a charge of third-degree promoting prostitution before Judge Peter Brown.

A plea made under the Alford Doctrine means the defendant doesnt admit guilt but concedes he could be found guilty of the crime if he went to trial.

Edison, who has a Las Vegas address but ties to Connecticut, was arrested at the Hampton Inn Feb. 24, 2016, after a sting operation conducted by a state police organized crime task force targeting human trafficking and underaged prostitution.

Assistant States Attorney Matt Kalthoff said an undercover state police detective arranged to meet a co-defendant of Edisons through an internet ad.

Edison drove the co-defendant, a 20-year-old woman, to the Hampton Inn, and she was arrested once she got to the detectives room.

Cops arrested Edison in the parking lot of the inn, and found another woman in the car with him.

Edison and the woman arrested by state police gave different stories to explain why they were there, after which Edison was taken in to custody.

Since then, the prosecutor said, more evidence linking Edison to prostitution has come to light  including a 2018 arrest in Windsor in which he and another woman were accused of human trafficking.

Edison pleaded guilty in Hartford Monday to a human trafficking charge in connection to the Windsor case for which he will be sentenced to a 10-year prison sentence to be suspended after he serves four and a half years behind bars.

Kalthoff asked the judge to approve a one-year prison sentence in the Milford case to be served concurrently with the sentence out of Hartford, in accordance with an agreement brokered with Edisons lawyer, Steven Slattery.

The judge gave Edison until June 26 to report to prison. He has posted bonds totaling $275,000 in the Hartford and Milford cases.
HARTFORD  As measles continues to spread in the United States with cases surpassing 700 this year, the Connecticut Department of Public Health plans to release information on just how many unvaccinated children attend each school in the state.

Department of Public Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell sent a letter Tuesday to all school superintendents to let them know they will be posting public and private school immunization-related rates on their website by the end of the week.

Coleman-Mitchell said the school-level information is to increase public awareness of immunization rates in local communities, which may lead to increased engagement and focus on increasing immunization rates to reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Previously, the Department of Public Health said it would not publicly disseminate school-based information or even the number children per town that arent vaccinated based on their religious or medical exemptions.

In response to a CTNewsJunkie Freedom of Information request in February, the department said, Under Conn. Gen. Stat. sec. 19a-25, the Department cannot publish, make available or disseminate reports of the findings of studies of morbidity and mortality (such as a school or school districts immunization rates) or any other documents that include identifiable health data or any item, collection, or grouping of health data that makes the individual or organization supplying it or described in it identifiable (e.g. in the case of the annual immunization survey, a specific school).

The lack of information prompted House Majority Leader Matt Ritter and Senate President Martin Looney to team up to introduce legislation to make the information available during the next five weeks of the legislative session. Meanwhile, Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, who also requested the information, filed an FOIA complaint, which is expected to be heard on May 9.

Ritter said the new development means it wont be necessary to pass legislation to get the data this year.

Currently, only statewide and county data has been made available.

Lawmakers who support Connecticuts religious and medical vaccine exemptions have said theres no cause for concern in Connecticut because enough people are vaccinated.

Connecticut currently has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country at 98.2 percent, far greater than the 75-86 percent required to achieve herd immunity for mumps, the 80-86 percent required for polio, and the 83-94 percent required for measles. The use of the religious exemption in Connecticut, therefore, poses absolutely no threat to public health or safety, wrote 44 lawmakers in a letter to Attorney General William Tong earlier this month.

Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, who supports a religious exemption for vaccines, said the data is likely going to show that Connecticut doesnt have a problem and isnt at the same risk for an outbreak as New York. He said the release of the information will likely help calm the emotionally charged issue.

Ritter said he hopes Candelora and the other lawmakers are right, but he believes parents deserve to know how many children in their childs school are not vaccinated. He said once they know if there are any hot spots of unvaccinated children, then they can evaluate the information and come up with a plan for legislation in 2020.

Ritter has not been shy about calling for the elimination of the religious exemption.

Looney said that its important to know the statewide rate, but its even more important to know if there are any concentrations of unvaccinated children.

Those who support the religious exemption believe disclosure will bring them one step closer to eliminating it.

Looney said if parents make the choice not to vaccinate, then theyve made a choice to homeschool their child.

Every constitutional right is subject to reasonable regulation for public health and public safety, Looney said.

Meanwhile, Tong is expected to issue a legal opinion in May regarding the constitutionality of eliminating the religious exemption.
Although several towns and cities in Connecticut ranked in a report for best high schools, none of them cracked the top-100 nationwide.

The U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday released the 2019 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings, after reviewing more than 23,000 high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The rankings were developed by six major factors: college readiness, college curriculum breadth, math and reading proficiency, math and reading performance, underserved student performance, and graduation rates.

The highest-ranked schools were where students excelled on state tests and performed beyond expectations; participated in and passed a variety of college-level exams; and graduated in high proportions, the report said.

Looking at a state breakdown, Darien High School took the top spot on the list for best high schools in Connecticut.

The report said Darien High School has 1,354 students enrolled. The school scored 68.8 in college readiness and boasts a 98 percent graduation rate. The schools overall score, the report said, was 99.13 out of 100. On the national list, Darien High School comes in at 150.

Next up on Connecticuts top 10 list is Weston High School, with 814 students enrolled. The high school scored 71.8 in college readiness and tops Darien High School with a 100 percent graduation rate. The overall score was a 99.02 out of 100. Nationwide, Weston High School holds spot 169.

Achievement First Hartford Academy, with an overall score of 98.35 out of 100, is ranked third in Connecticut, with 152 students enrolled. The schools college readiness score was 75 and a 90 percent graduation rate. The school ranks at 285 on the national list.

The rest of the top-10 schools are: Ridgefield High School, Connecticut IB Academy in East Hartford, New Canaan High School, Staples High School in Westport, Simsbury High School, Wilton High School and Academy of Aerospace and Engineering in Windsor. Here is a list of how all of Connecticuts high schools ranked.

Nationally, the top spot is held by Academic Magnet High School in South Carolina. The school had a 100 percent graduation rate and earned a college readiness score of 100. The other schools rounding out the nations top-10 were in Maine, Arizona, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana.

Of those nationwide top-10 schools, most scored 100 on college readiness and at, or near, 100 percent for graduation rates.
BRIDGEPORT  Schools Superintendent Aresta Johnson is calling it quits sooner than she announced.

In a letter sent to staff on Tuesday, Johnson said she is leaving the position effective July 31, 2019.

Johnson earlier told the board she would not serve past April 2020.

The news came as a surprise to both Board Chairman John Weldon and Board member Maria Pereira. When contacted by the Connecticut Post, the two said they had not received the email that staff received just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Weldon called back to say he got a one-line email announcing her plans to leave 90 days from Tuesday.

Staff got a full page letter. In it, Johnson quotes Maya Angelou and said she will miss the districts school children. She thanked parents and praised teachers and staff for their devotion to the district.

When I began my administrative career in Bridgeport Public Schools nearly 12 years ago, I committed to the school district and found the community exhibited that same level of commitment in return. The community continues to be champions toward the cause of providing the support necessary for our students to succeed, she said.

Johnson attended a special meeting of the board on Monday evening and made no mention of her intentions.

Johnson was a Waterbury science teacher when she was tapped to come to the district in 2005 as a director of science. She served as director of Central Magnet School and principal at Central High before leaving the district during Paul Vallas tenure as superintendent.

She was rehired by Interim Schools Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz and put in charge of secondary education only to take over when Rabinowitz resigned because of what she called Pereiras relentless crusade to undermine and discredit her work.

Johnson became the permanent superintendent in March 2017. During her tenure, she was faced with drastically shrinking resources and a school board that regularly spent meetings arguing. They also gave her mixed signals, telling her to get out in front of budget season by holding community forums only to cancel them when some board members said they made the mayor and city council members look bad.

Pereira initially supported Johnson but later encouraged her to resign.

I never once questioned Dr. Johnson's commitment to our students, families and staff, Pereira said. ...The political climate became intolerable, and she had been unhappy for some time, therefore I am honestly not surprised."

Weldon said he would call a special meeting early next week to plan to select a replacement and find a search firm.

I thought there was a possibility she would stay to the end of the contract, Weldon said. I appreciate that she put us on notice a month ago that she was not planning to renew.

He said he assumed the board had more time.

In a letter to staff Tuesday evening he said Johnson has been tireless in her efforts to lead the district through challenging fiscal times. He said he realized a change at the top can lead to a climate of uncertainty.

Hours earlier, the news spread like wildfire on twitter.

Shawn Mitchell, an English teacher at Central and former runner-up for State Teacher of the Year, said he really couldnt say he was surprised given the dysfunction of the board.

I dont know how well attract good leadership when we cant get it together, Mitchell said.

Board member Joe Sokolovic, a staunch supporter of Johnson called it a deep loss to the children of the district.

It is only through her leadership that the board was able navigate the cuts made to the 18-19 budget, Sokolovic said. Lord only knows what is in store for our kids with a new superintendent coming in facing even more cuts and school closures for the 19-20 school year.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck
A Brigham Young University valedictorian says he is proud to be a gay son of God

Quartz/April 27, 2019

By Natasha Frost

Matt Easton is a political science whiz, slam poet, practicing Mormon, and, in the words of his Brigham Young University faculty advisor, John Holbein, a gem of a human being. As of yesterday, he is also proudly, publicly, openly gay.



After being named political science valedictorian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints university, Easton addressed a packed assembly hall: I stand before my family, friends, and graduating class today to say that I am proud to be a gay son of God, he said. I am not broken. I am loved and important in the plan of our Great Creator. Each of us are.

As the audience broke forth into cheers and whoops, he continued: Four years ago, it would have been impossible for me to imagine that I would come out to my entire college. It is a phenomenal feeling. And it is a victory for me in and of itself. Though Easton had come out to close family and friends individually, he later wrote on Twitter, this was the first time he publicly acknowledged his sexuality. He praised the college for having given him the foundation to tackle challenges both spiritual and secular, as well as for supporting his faith.



It is hard to overstate to what extent this speech is historicand brave. Though openly LGBT students may attend BYU, located in Provo, Utah, its restrictive honor code forbids homosexual behavior and all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings. Acting on these feelings can, and does, result in expulsion from the university. (Heterosexual couples found to have engaged in sexual touching also face punishment, which may include mandatory worship, being placed on probation, or having their diplomas withheld.)



The universitys policy broadly echoes that of the wider Mormon community. From 2015 until earlier this month, as the Advocate reports, the Mormon churchs so-called exclusion policy remained in place. Human rights attorney Kate Kelly, who is a queer Mormon, writes: It famously stated that all gay people in relationships were apostates and children of same-sex couples could not be blessed or baptized as Mormon until they turned 18 and disavowed their parents. Current Mormon prophet Russell M. Nelson specifically said this policy was divinely inspired and the will of the Lord.' In the three months after the policy was adopted, according to LDS parent support group Mama Dragons, more than 30 young people took their own lives.



For many, the revocation of the policy, which now allows children of same-sex couples to be baptized, is only the beginning. Same-sex marriage is still considered a serious transgression, church president president Dallin H. Oaks told the general assembly on April 4, even while it will no longer be treated as apostasy for purposes of Church discipline. LGBTQ people and their allies have called for a formal apology from the church, as well as a change in the doctrinal stance that gay relationships are sin, and a more inclusive approach for women and trans people alike. These demands are unlikely to be met any time soon in a church in which doctrinal disputes on issues as seemingly minor as caffeinated soda have historically taken decades to resolve.



Still, that Easton felt able and emboldened to speak out in front of thousands of his peersand that his bravery was met with an unambiguously warm reception from Mormons and non-Mormons alikespeaks to the start of a sea change. Comments on the YouTube video of Eastons speech were emotional and proud: This gives me hope! You are whole and wonderful; I dont know you, but I got a little emotional watching this; I couldnt have imagined this when I graduated in 09. Guts and poise.

To see more documents/articles regarding this group/organization/subject click here.
White Supremacist Gets Life Sentence for Black Trans Woman's Murder

Advocate/April 26, 2019

By Trudy Ring

A member of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist group, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of a Black transgender woman in Oklahoma City.



Your actions show that youre a liar, a thief, and a murderer, Judge Amy Palumbo told Brandon Michael Tyson as she sentenced him Wednesday for the 2017 killing of Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson, The Oklahoman reports. You are a danger to the public. You have been given chance after chance after chance. Palumbo told him she hopes he prays for salvation.



Stevenson, 31, was found dead November 27, 2017, at an Oklahoma City motel. Tyson claimed he shot her because she attacked him, but police found no evidence of a struggle. Authorities did not say Stevensons gender identity was a motivation in the killing, according to the Associated Press. Media reports did not address whether race was a factor.

Stevenson, who pleaded guilty to the murder in February, had prior convictions for several crimes, including burglary and illegal possession of a firearm. His defense attorney blamed his actions on drug use.



Mr. Tyson has nothing but remorse for what hes done to the victim, the victims family, and his family, Gary Higginbotham told The Oklahoman. He has no justification. Its just the effects of drug addiction.



Several of Stevensons friends and relatives attended the sentencing hearing. Her mother, Vivian Stevenson, recalled her as a vibrant personality who lit up a room whenever she entered it.



She also told Tyson, Burying a child is nothing that a parent should have to do, so with that being said, I never wanted the death penalty for you because I did not want your parents to have to go through what I am having to endure. I do pray that you get life without parole, though, because you have proven by your actions that you do not deserve to be free ever again.



There were 27 reported homicides of transgender Americans in 2017, making it match 2016 as the deadliest year on record for U.S. trans people, by The Advocates count. Most victims were women of color. The total for any given year is likely higher, as many victims are misgendered by police or media, or their deaths not reported in the press at all.

To see more documents/articles regarding this group/organization/subject click here.
STORY LINK Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) Exchange Rate Increases as Chinese Manufacturing Eases

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Increases on Weakening Chinese Economy

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Rises as Barnier Urges UK for Cross-Party Consensus

GBP/AUD Forecast: Sterling Could Rise on Renewed Brexit Optimism

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The Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate is up by 0.8% today and is currently trading around AU$1.8495.The Australian Dollar (AUD) fell against the stronger Pound (GBP) after the Chinese economy  Australias biggest trading partner  suffered from easing manufacturing PMI figures, with the Caixin index for April sinking below forecasts to 50.2.Chinese non-manufacturing PMI figures for April, meanwhile, also eased to 54.3 against Marchs figure of 54.8.The Japanese financial services company, Nomura, said in its statement:We believe Beijing cant afford to stop easing yet. We believe the pace of monetary easing will slow, but it still seems too early to withdraw monetary easing measures despite the limited monetary policy scope.Today also saw the publication of the Australian private sector credit figures for March, which held steady at 0.3%.Most Aussie traders, however, will be awaiting tonights release of the Australian AiG Performance of Manufacturing Index figures for April.The Pound, meanwhile, has risen on renewed Brexit hopes following comments from Prime Minister Theresa May that she expected cross-party talks to conclude by next week.Sterling was left unmoved by the printing of the UK GfK consumer confidence figures for April, which remained static at -13.Joe Staton, a Chief Strategy Director, commented:Despite political carry-on in the Westminster bubble with the clock ticking on Britains eventual departure from the EU, consumers are holding firm and remain unshaken by the daily headlines of turmoil and intrigue, although we remain in negative territory.The Pound has instead benefited from growing reports that the two major parties, the Conservatives and Labour, are finally gearing up to provide a consensus on Brexit.This came after Michael Barnier, the European Unions Chief Brexit Negotiator, called for the UK to wrap up talks on Brexit by the end of this week, alarming the UK Government into action.Mr Barnier said:The ball is in the UK court. We are hoping to see the results of the cross-party talks this week.Pound traders are looking ahead to tomorrows printing of the UK Markit Manufacturing PMI figures for April, which are expected to ease.Chinese markets, however, will be closed for Labour Day, which is a national Bank Holiday.This will leave most Aussie traders looking at global political developments instead.The GBP/AUD exchange rate will be driven by any indications that cross-party talks could arrive at a consensus on Brexit.Any signs that the two parties could push forward with a deal amenable to Parliament, this could see Sterling rise on renewed optimism in the possibility of a UK-EU deal.

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BEIJING (PTI): China and Pakistan have signed an agreement on space exploration, marking a new phase in space science cooperation including manned missions between the all-weather allies.



The agreement was signed on April 27 during the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to China for the 2nd Belt and Road Forum (BRF), the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said in a statement.



The space agreement will serve as a high-level foundation for cooperation in space science and exploration. Both nations will conduct scientific and technological experiments, astronaut training, along with manned space applications and achievement transformation, official media quoted the CNSA statement as saying on Monday.



The space agreement between China and Pakistan also comes close on the heels of India's successful Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile test last month.



The test made India the fourth country in the world after the US, Russia and China to acquire the strategic capability to shoot down enemy satellites. China had conducted such a test in January 2007 when its anti-satellite missile destroyed a weather satellite.



Under the agreement, the CNSA and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission will establish a China-Pakistan space committee chaired by top officials from both sides to address future collaborative issues.



China has advanced space programme with successful manned missions besides exploration missions to Moon. China is also building its space station which was expected to be ready by 2022. It has also unveiled plans to send spacecraft to Mars and Jupiter.



"The newly-signed space exploration agreement between China and Pakistan on manned space missions manifests their more profound cooperation on the peaceful use of outer space," state-run Global Times quoted experts as saying.



Since Pakistan is China's all-weather friend, China is willing to provide know-how to foster Pakistan's technological development on the use of outer space, Lan Jianxue, an associate research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.



"China-Pakistan space cooperation will help Pakistan in terms of satellite monitoring of natural disasters and agricultural production, land and resources surveying, and waste handling in a microgravity environment," Lan said, adding that China will also benefit from the cooperation, including for commercial applications of space technology, investment security and counter-terrorism.



In 2018, China sent two Pakistan satellites into orbit. The PRSS-1, Pakistan's first optical remote sensing satellite, and the PakTES-1A, a smaller observation craft, were both lifted into space by China's Long March-2C carrier rocket.



"The current agreement signifies that their cooperation is not limited to infrastructure and resources, it also concerns technology and innovation," Lan said.


Our own Bruce Siwy and Eric Kieta talk about their true-crime cases in Return To View: The Roundtable


A file photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): France may send its scientific instruments on board India's missions to Mars and Venus, French envoy to India Alexandre Ziegler said Monday.



He said France and India are cooperating on the Gaganyaan project, India's human spaceflight mission, especially in the area of space medicine.



"We are considering the possibility of embarking French scientific instruments on board in India's missions to Mars and Venus," he said, while delivering the inaugural address at the ORF's Kalpana Chawla Space Dialogue.



This, he said, is in line with the India-French joint vision for space cooperation signed in March 2018, the envoy said.



Under this, the two countries also resolved to work on interplanetary missions to Mars and Venus.



The two countries are also working on building a constellation of satellites for maritime surveillance in the Indian Ocean.



India and France share the same interests and values in the outer space and the two countries intend to maintain their freedom of access to space, the envoy said.



"And, we therefore refuse any destabilising arms race, which would be detrimental to all of us," he said.



Last month, India demonstrated anti-satellite missile capability by shooting down a live satellite and described it as a rare achievement that put the country in an exclusive club of space super powers.



On one hand, many hailed the feat, several from the international community criticised India's move stating that it added to the space debris.



Ziegler also emphasised on regulation of space traffic in view of the overlapping trajectories of satellites.



Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist B N Suresh said India has so far launched 300 satellites of 23 countries.



Speaking at the event, Rod Hilton, the Australian Deputy High Commissioner, said India is, has been, and will be one of Australia's top-tier international partners.


In March 2019, two high-ranking Armenian officials revealed that Armenia and Russia have not yet reached an agreement on the price of natural gas. Negotiations on gas tariffs are ongoing and remain high on the bilateral agenda. In late December 2018, Gazprom announced that it will raise gas prices for Armenia in 2019. Subsequently, Armenia has sought to reduce the price for Russian supply, with little success. In a move to improve Armenias negotiating position vis-a-vis Russia, Yerevan started to explore the possibility of importing gas from Iran. The gas row comes amid heightened tensions in post-revolutionary Armenias relations with Russia. Moscow has traditionally used its gas deliveries as a lever in bilateral relations and now routinely expresses its distrust in Nikol Pashinyans government.

BACKGROUND: Russias foreign energy posture habitually relies on gas diplomacy for geopolitical and commercial gains, particularly against vulnerable post-Soviet customers, which are heavily dependent on Russian supply. Russia employs a variety of tools including monopolization of the internal gas sectors of these countries and preempting the diversification of suppliers, arbitrary hikes or reductions in gas prices, or even more coercive tactics such as disruptions in the gas flow. Moscow uses the gas instrument not only against countries like Ukraine, which seek to exit from the Russian sphere of influence, but also against traditional allies like Belarus and Armenia.

Gas pricing has long been bone of contention between Yerevan and Moscow. Since Russia is Armenias main gas supplier and controls most of its gas distribution, Moscow has frequently leveraged Armenias energy dependence to bolster its political control over the country. This is not a new approach since Armenias revolution; Moscow used similar carrots and sticks, including arbitrary gas price hikes or cuts, in its dealings with Armenias previous, more Moscow-friendly government. However, the current negotiations take place against a backdrop of particularly frail relations between Moscow and Yerevan.

These contradictions have become increasingly obvious after the recent power shift in Yerevan. Even though Pashinyans government vows to pursue positive relations, Moscow clearly does not approve of the new reforms initiated in Armenia and the purge of the old regime. Russia regularly uses different tactics to exert pressure on the new government, including attacks on Pashinyan and his team in Russian media and by mid-level Russian officials. In the past few months, Russia has also made a series of friendly gestures towards Azerbaijan, which is locked in a conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Recently, Russias relations with Azerbaijan have gained visibly positive dynamics as Moscow and Baku are working to upgrade political and commercial ties.

In this context, raising gas prices is one of several coercive instruments that Russia currently employs towards Armenia. Russia is placing Pashinyans government under constant pressure, thus limiting its opportunities to rebalance its foreign policy. The lack of any other real allies and the tense situation around Nagorno-Karabakh puts Armenia in an even more isolated position. Yerevan is currently at odds with Belarus and Kazakhstan, its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), over their close cooperation with Azerbaijan and CSTO personnel issues. Despite another round of peace talks, Armenias relations with Azerbaijan remain tense. Skirmishes around the Nagorno-Karabakh contact line are common and both sides frequently resort to bellicose rhetoric.

IMPLICATIONS: In November 2018, Garegin Baghramyan, Armenias acting Minister of Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resources, revealed that the government is in talks with Russia to reduce gas tariffs for consumers. The Armenian side argued that even tough Gazprom sold natural gas at the border to its Armenian subsidiary Gazprom Armenia for as low as US$ 150 per thousand cubic meters (tcm), Gazprom Armenia charged consumers about US$ 284 per tcm. Armenian authorities decided to seek a reduction of the price after consumer complaints of high energy costs. Yet, during Pashinyans visit to Moscow in September last year, Russias President Vladimir Putin contended that Armenia pays the lowest natural gas price among Gazproms clients.

The controversy around Gazproms Armenian subsidiary continued; in November, Armenias tax authorities launched an investigation into the company based on allegations of tax evasion and corruption. The authorities claimed that Gazprom Armenia had miscalculated its tax liabilities, according to a recent audit. In late December 2018, Gazprom announced its intention to raise the gas price for Armenia to about US$ 165 per tcm. Pashinyan declared that the price hike would not affect citizens because Gazproms local subsidiary agreed not to increase the charge for Armenian consumers. Yet despite these promises, in early April Armenian media reported that the price of natural gas for cars was rising.

Despite the gas price hike, high ranking Armenian officials recently revealed that gas pricing talks with Russia are still underway. In April, during a meeting of the Armenia-Russia intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, Armenias Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources proposed a five-year gas pricing scheme instead of setting the price on an annual basis. Such a scheme would provide Armenia with more certainty on gas tariffs and minimize the risk of arbitrary price hikes. Simultaneously, to improve its position in gas pricing talks with Russia, Armenia has decided to explore the possibility of additional supply deliveries from neighboring Iran, which is currently expanding its gas export capacities.

In late February, during Pashinyans visit to Tehran, Armenia and Iran signed a transit deal to establish an energy corridor for Iranian gas through Armenia to Georgia. Armenia is currently holding the rotating presidency in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and Pashinyan declared that the proposal for gas transit is in line with the free trade agreement between EEU and Iran, which will soon be ratified. In early March, Armenias energy minister announced that negotiations between Armenian and Georgian officials on possible gas transit from Iran are underway. Tripartite energy cooperation could bring substantial economic and political benefits for Iran, Georgia and Armenia. For Armenia in particular, it would provide some leverage in its gas negotiations with Gazprom. Energy diversification will also strengthen Georgias position in gas pricing talks with Azerbaijan, which currently supplies almost all of Georgias gas. The gas transit corridor will also help Tehran circumvent U.S.-imposed sanctions and open access to European gas markets.

Armenia imports 500 million cubic meters of gas from Iran annually, however, existing energy infrastructure has the capacity for additional gas volumes. The Iranian-Armenian pipeline can transport around 2.3 billion cubic meters annually but has not yet been used to its full capacity. However, the realization of this gas transit project will have to overcome several technical problems, since the existing infrastructure is designed to carry gas southwards to Iran, not in the other direction. The project would also likely draw serious opposition from both Russia and the U.S. Russia will not welcome competition on Armenias gas market, given the powerful political leverage stemming from its current, near-total control of the countrys energy sector. Yet even if Moscow gives a green light to this project, Gazprom will gain control over the distribution of Iranian gas in Armenia and Georgia. Moreover, additional gas flows from Iran could fall under the new sanctions regime that the U.S. recently imposed on Iran. While current Iranian gas exports are exempt from sanctions, U.S. officials have warned that there might be no such exemption for additional volumes. The U.S. position is particularly problematic for Georgia, which relies on Washingtons assistance programs, particularly in the military sphere.

CONCLUSIONS: The gas pricing dispute comes at a particularly tense moment in relations between Armenia and Russia. The investigation against Gazproms local affiliate and Moscows general discontent with Armenias post-revolutionary government suggest that Russia is unlikely to make any concessions on the price. On the contrary, Moscow seems ready to use various economic and political levers against Armenia to keep the government off balance. Meanwhile, Pashinyans government is struggling to find avenues for pulling Armenia out of its regional isolation and move away from its overdependence on Russia, so far with limited success. Its promise to establish a tripartite gas transit project with Iran and Georgia will be difficult to realize, since it is at odds with both Russian and U.S. interests in the region.

AUTHORS BIOS:

Natalia Konarzewska is a graduate of University of Warsaw and a freelance expert and analyst with a focus on political and economic developments in the post-Soviet space.

Image Source: via Wikimedia Commons accessed on 4.29.2019
To most people, the mention of Cambridge conjures up images of magnificent colleges, black-gowned students, winding lanes and long, lazy afternoons punting down the river.

The second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, it remains one of the greatest educational establishments, and can reasonably claim to be one of the few British institutions still admired across the planet.

It is 20 years since I was a Cambridge postgraduate student, but I remember my time there with immense fondness. It gives me no pleasure, then, to see that it has utterly shamed itself.

Researchers at Cambridge University (pictured) are to carry out a two-year probe into its links with the slave trade

Cambridges vice-chancellor, Professor Stephen Toope, a Canadian expert on human rights, has announced a two-year inquiry to find out whether it benefited from the Atlantic slave trade through financial and other bequests to departments, libraries and museums.

Pressure

Almost incredibly, Professor Toope and his fellow apparatchiks propose to pay two full-time researchers to scour the universitys records for dirt, supervised by an eight-man advisory board.

What is more, they are proposing to investigate the work of generations of Cambridge dons, now long dead, to see if they might have reinforced and validated race-based thinking between the 18th and early 20th centuries.

When I first saw this story, I hoped it might be some belated April Fool. In reality, alas, it is merely the latest symptom of the narcissistic, cringing self-flagellation to which our universities have fallen victim.

Why Cambridge has decided to launch its own little Cultural Revolution is no mystery.

For the past few years, a tiny band of noisy, intolerant bullies have been whipping themselves into a lather about our imperial history, above all at Oxford. There, they tried to pressure Oriel College into tearing down a statue of the late-Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes and howled down the Regius professor of moral theology, Nigel Biggar, when he dared to say that the British Empire wasnt all bad.

The Rhodes statue is still there, but the activists tend to win most of their battles.

The pattern is almost always the same. Student activists and their hard-Left academic supporters kick up a fuss. And the university authorities, showing the moral gutlessness for which they are justly infamous, promptly give them what they want.

Dons at my old Cambridge college, Jesus, have removed a splendid bronze cockerel, which was originally taken from Nigeria by British soldiers in the 1890s. And at my old Oxford college, Balliol (I was an undergraduate there), a portrait of George Curzon, former Viceroy of India, has been removed from the dining hall.

Jesus College, Cambridge (pictured), removed a bronze cockerel, which was originally taken from Nigeria by British soldiers in the 1890s

The portrait of former Viceroy of India George Curzon (pictured) was replaced with art by a female graduate at Balliol, Oxford

I thought all this was bad enough. But Cambridges latest initiative not only plumbs new depths of intellectual cowardice, it is a betrayal of generations of scholars.

No sane person, by the way, would dispute that slavery was abhorrent. But the British did not invent it. Slavery is as old as history itself.

Amid all the hysteria about our involvement in the Atlantic trade, it is often forgotten that most of us have slave ancestry. At the time of the Norman Conquest, between 10 and 30 per cent of Englands population were slaves.

It is perfectly true, of course, that, in the 18th century, British merchants grew rich on the profits from shipping African slaves to the Americas. But, it was not a uniquely British enterprise. Almost all European colonial nations took part.

The most enthusiastic traders were the Portuguese, who transported five million Africans to Brazil. And, as the first nation to abolish slavery, Britain was instrumental in bringing it to an end. Did Cambridge benefit from it? Of course it did. Almost every major British institution benefited, either directly or indirectly. That was the whole point of the slave trade  disgusting as it was, it made a lot of people very rich.

Cambridges vice-chancellor, Professor Stephen Toope (pictured), a Canadian expert on human rights, has announced a two-year inquiry to find out whether the university benefited from the Atlantic slave trade

Since all this is well known, the universitys new project is an utter waste of time. After all, it is obvious that modern Britain rests on the foundations of the past, from the Tate art galleries, funded by profits from the Caribbean sugar plantations, to the traditional cup of tea, a habit imported from China and India.

Some people might find this uncomfortable. But thats life.

For good and ill  generally good  our history happened, and theres no point apologising for or trying to rewrite it.

Of course, Professor Toope knows this. But, like academic appeasers everywhere, he is desperate to advertise his own right-on credentials.

And if that means dragging his institutions name through the mud, so be it.

Shamed

At a time when the headlines are full of the plight of the seas, the menace of discarded plastic and the global emergency of climate change, Cambridges vice-chancellor wants to plough precious research money into . . . flagellating his own institution about a trade abolished here in 1807. Youd do well to find a better example of petty parochialism, navel-gazing and sheer irresponsibility.

Yet the most shocking thing is the threat to unmask long-dead scholars who supposedly validated race-based thinking. Professor Toope plans a historical witch-hunt, in which Victorian dons guilty of offending modern sensibilities will be named and shamed.

Whats the point? Is Cambridges vice-chancellor so dim-witted, so cocooned in the smugness of his second-hand moral convictions, that he doesnt realise almost everyone in the past held views that might make us shudder now?

Is he really too stupid to understand that our ancestors were not like us? Is he going to take down all the portraits of Victorian dons? Is he going to remove their books from the library? Is he going to hold a mass book-burning?

And what does this say to todays scholars? Will they, too, have to stand before Toopes tribunal and prove that they are innocent of race-based thinking? Or will they get a few centuries grace before their reputations are incinerated for not meeting the moral standards of the far future?

Catastrophic

Saner dons must find the whole business a grotesque embarrassment. But it is not only Cambridges increasingly battered reputation that is at stake. When the cowards at Oriel College, Oxford, promised to consider removing Cecil Rhodess statue, their alumni reacted with unbridled fury.

According to a leaked report, the college lost donations worth 200,000 almost overnight, while a potential donor withdrew a 500,000 gift.

There is only one thing universities care about more than sucking up to the strident Left, and that is the state of their bank balance. So Oriel frantically reversed course and promised to keep the statue.

I wonder whether Cambridge will soon be facing a similar dilemma. Like all universities, it is experiencing a period of immense financial uncertainty. And, if its donors take against Professor Toopes little exercise in cringing masochism, the financial impact could be catastrophic.

It is Cambridges job to promote free speech, encourage intellectual scepticism and stand against the intolerant self-righteousness creeping into our national culture. It is not Cambridges job to grovel in the gutter before a ragtag army of hard-Left activists and professional victims.

And if Professor Toope really cannot bring himself to stand up for its proud history and record of scholarship, then he should book himself a one-way ticket back to Canada.
A mother-of-four has revealed how she managed to rebuild her life and find happiness after leaving a violent marriage with no money and two young children.

Sarah Prout, 39, who now lives in Las Vegas, tried to leave her husband in Australia eight times before finally walking away aged 30 - and she hasn't 'looked back' since.

At the time, Sarah's son Thomas was nine, her daughter Olivia was four, and the family had just two suitcases of belongings and were $21,100 (AU$30,000/16,300) in debt.

However, after years of struggling to get by, she is happily remarried and is 'grateful' for her past as it's 'made her the woman she is today.'

Sarah Prout, pictured with her youngest daughters Lulu Dawn and Ava Moon, has revealed how she left a violent marriage and rebuilt her life to become a motivational speaker and author

Sarah, pictured on her wedding day aged 19, left her violent marriage in 2009 and said that every day was a 'struggle to feel heard, seen and loved'

When Sarah left her husband back in 2009, the only income she had was child support payments and the single mothers welfare payment.

She was saddled with huge credit card debt, and between bills and other expenses she was left with less than $14 (AU$20/10) to live on a day.

'I didnt have a fridge or a washing machine. I would scrub our clothes in the bathtub each day, which was pretty tough with two small children and school uniforms,' she recalled.

'One of the lowest points was when I had just forty cents to feed myself and the children for two days until my welfare check cleared.'

The mother-of-four, pictured at an event, now speaks around the U.S. and shares her story to try and inspire others to create more love and meaning in their lives

Sarah met her second husband Sean, pictured together, on Twitter while he was living in Hollywood and she was still in Australia. They got married in 2013

Sarah married her first husband when she was 19, and said that every day was a 'struggle to feel heard, seen and loved.'

'I knew something wasnt quite right when milestones would be reached and ignored,' she explained.

'For instance, when he asked me to marry him there was no ring or celebrations.'

'Also, when I lost my first pregnancy at 16 weeks, there was no emotional support or comfort to grieve the miscarriage as a couple.

'As a romantic union you should be a team that faces life together - a mutual support system - in this marriage I felt utterly alone.'

When she would speak up at home, it would often escalate into arguments, which would sometimes become violent.

When Sarah, pictured with her son Thomas in 2005, left her first marriage in 2009 she had to live on less than $20 Australian dollars per day and wash her children's clothes in the bath tub

Although it was tough to get by Sarah worked hard to build her online business. Pictured are her children Olivia and Thomas on their first Christmas on their own. Sarah said she saved enough money for a fake Christmas tree and got the baubles from a charity store for 50 cents

'Throughout all of my twenties I couldnt drive and only had my monthly allowance from my husband to live off,' said Sarah.

'Our fights got progressively worse and worse over time. Daily life was my husband working a 9 - 5 job and me cooking, cleaning and looking after the children.'

She continued: 'Hed return home from work and go right to pile of mail to see the bills before greeting me.'

'When you feel neglected and emotionally isolated, your self-esteem begins to deteriorate and you believe the behavior is normal and that the problem is you.'

Things started to change in 2009 when Sarah started using social media and connected with people around the world.

'I kept the violence in my home hidden from my family and friends, but Twitter and Facebook was an outlet to share and engage in different ideas,' she explained.

Sarah, pictured with her daughter Olivia, said the breaking point to leave was when her two children started to defend her during arguments with her ex-husband

Sean and Sarah, pictured, now run a business and have two young daughters together

'As I began to find my voice through joining forums and communities, I enjoyed renewed sense of myself.'

'I feel like the loneliness become overwhelming that I hit my breaking point. As I mention in my book Dear Universe, I ended up having an affair as the catalyst to finally dismantle the relationship - its didnt work because I stayed for a while longer.'

However, it wasn't until her young children started defending her in arguments that Sarah knew she had to leave 'or die trying.'

'The ultimate breaking point was when my children would begin to defend me during our arguments,' she said.

Now ten years on and after having two more children, Lulu Dawn and Ava Moon pictured, Sarah said she feels grateful when looking back at her past and struggle

'They could set boundaries I was unable to set for myself and in a sobering moment I knew that I had to leave or die trying.'

Although leaving was tough, Sarah worked hard to build a life and has since met her husband Sean and had two daughters - Lulu Dawn, four, and two-year-old Ava Moon.

The couple met nine years ago on Twitter when Sarah was living in Australia and Sean in Hollywood.

'I thank my lucky stars every day that he could see past my pain and trauma and play the long game to create a life together filled with love,' she said.

Sarah, pictured, said her 'first marriage was a training ground to make me the woman I am today' and that she wouldn't change a moment of heartbreak

She now shares her story and has written a book in the hope that she will inspire others to create more love and meaning in their lives.

'I truly believe that vulnerability is the key to freedom,' she said. 'By sharing my story with others, it opened up a whole new world for me.

'My life began to change in direct proportion to my willingness to show up each and every day with determination.

'I was willing to do the work to make sure what my children were taken care of.

'This meant that I spent a lot of late nights on my computer, teaching myself everything I could about how to build an online business.'

Sarah has written a book called Dear Universe to help others who might be struggling

Now ten years on, Sarah said she feels grateful when looking back at her past and all the struggle she has overcome.

'I feel so incredibly grateful for being on this path,' she explained. 'I am also at a point in my life of complete forgiveness.'

'My first marriage was a training ground to make me the woman I am today.

She added: 'I wouldnt change a moment of heartache, even if I could because it meant that I was able to help inspire others to be the best version of themselves.

'Nothing is more important than living a life of freedom and happiness.

'If you are in a dangerous situation then talk to someone, create an exit strategy and set a very clear boundary with yourself that your life is important.'

Sarah's book Dear Universe: 200 Mini-Meditations for Instant Manifestations is out now
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could name their firstborn 'Allegra' if they have a girl, bookmakers have claimed.

Prince Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, are expecting the arrival of the royal baby any day now, though they have not announced the exact date or gender of the baby.

And according to Ladbrokes, Allegra is now the sixth most likely name in the royal baby betting after a flood of bets over the last 24 hours have seen the bookies slash odds from 100/1 down to just 12/1.

The name was said to be a favourite of Princess Diana - whose own name is still the favourite for Baby Sussex among punters- with reports in 2004 claiming the late Princess had wanted to have a little girl with the moniker.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could name their firstborn, due any day now, 'Allegra' if they have a girl, bookmakers have claimed. Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, are seen in Morocco in February

The names Diana and Grace continue to head the betting at 6/1 apiece ahead of Arthur and Elizabeth 8/1.

Meanwhile traditional names Albert and Victoria are also in the betting, although they have a lower chance at 16/1.

Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: 'We're scratching our heads as to why we've seen so much interest in Allegra, but the bets are coming in thick and fast and it's been by far the most popular pick of the month with punters.'

Allegra was said to be a favourite of Princess Diana - whose own name is still the favourite for Baby Sussex among punters- with reports in 2004 claiming the late Princess had wanted to have a little girl with the moniker. Diana is seen with William in 1983

The names Diana and Grace continue to head the betting at 6/1 apiece ahead of Arthur and Elizabeth 8/1. The late Diana is seen with Prince Harry Carrying A Plate Of Strawberries in the eighties

In 2004 a report by The Evening Standard claimed Princess Diana was keen to have a baby girl with her rumoured surgeon boyfriend Hasnat Khan.

A source told the publication she hear pal Lady Annabel Goldsmith mention the name and thought it was 'beautiful'.

The source claimed: 'The princess was desperately in love with Hasnat Khan. She was even talking about marrying him and having his baby. It was her dream.

'She thought of a name for her, Allegra, after her friend Lady Annabel Goldsmith mentioned it. She heard the name and thought it was beautiful.'

Prince Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, are expecting the arrival of the royal baby any day now, though they have not announced the exact date or gender of the baby. They are seen in London in March

WHAT DOES THE NAME ALLEGRA MEAN AND WHO ELSE HAS IT? Allegra is an Italian name which means cheerful or lively. It is related to the musical term allegro which distinguishes a movement that's meant to be played very quickly or with a lively tempo. Other famous people who have been called Allegra include the poet Byron's illegitimate daughter who was born in 1817. There are several notable Allegra's including British chef Allegra McEvedy, the American prima ballerina Allegra Kent and glamour model Allegra Cole. There are several famous dancers, actors and socialites called Allegra. Pictured left is Allegra Versace and right the American ballerina Allegra Kent Allegra Carpenter is an actress who appeared in The Fault In Our Stars while voice actress Allegra Leguizamo starred in Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs. Perhaps the most famous woman with the name is Allegra Versace, who is Donatella's daughter and an heir to the family fashion empire. The name has also been used in popular culture. There is Allegra Sacrimoni in HBO's The Sopranos and the character of Allegra Cole in the 2005 film Hitch. Data from the U.S. Social Security Administration found that in 2017 there were only 41 babies per million with the name Allegra. Google searches for 'Allegra meaning' are up 200 per cent today after it was suggested Prince Harry and Meghan could chose the name for their child. Source: BabyCenter and Nameberry Advertisement

In October Harry revealed his hopes to have a baby girl with his wife The Duchess of Sussex, during their tour of Australia.

Harry was heard making the frank confession after a spectator congratulated him on the pregnancy at an Invictus Games event in Sydney.

In a candid moment captured on camera, a bystander was heard shouting: 'Congratulations, I hope it's a girl', to which Harry responded: 'So do I!'

The couple could be permitted to choose a more unique name for their baby, as second-in-line to the throne Prince William and his wife Kate have already given their three children traditional names.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are parents to Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, three, and Prince Louis, who was born in April.

Carolyn Harris, author of Raising Royalty: 1,000 Years of Royal Parenting, previously told Vogue Australia: 'The further down the line of succession, the more likely you are to have a more unique or untraditional name.'
Shoppers have praised Marks & Spencer for using a 'real' curvy model in their recent lingerie campaign.

London-based model Emma Breschi, 26, whose photograph was shared across the high street retailer's social media pages, was commended for her curvy figure.

One of the photographs from the shoot shows the model proudly reclining on a sofa, with her 'stomach rolls' on show.

Delighted fashionistas thanked M&S for featuring a model with a realistic body image, and took to social media to let their feelings be known.

'Nice to see a real woman and not an air brushed model,' commented one, while another penned: 'Gorgeous model, so nice to see a model with curves.'

Shoppers have praised Marks & Spencer for featuring London-based model Emma Breschi (above), 26, in their latest lingerie campaign. Many called her 'a real woman' due to her natural curves

The Filipino-Italian model can be seen wearing a 'sporty' navy bra from the lingerie collection, and matching knickers which feature lace detail.

'There should be more models used like this - love it,' enthused one shopper, before calling her 'a natural woman.'

Another added: 'Just a fairly average tummy, which many women have, especially after having children.'

'There are so many different shapes and sizes in all men and women, but I think this is a great thing for M and S to do.'

The stunning model starred in a variety of photos for the brand (pictured), with social media users praising the high street retailer for including 'normal' women

Delighted shoppers praised the model. One said it was 'so nice' to see a 'real woman' with curves, while another added: 'So refreshing to see'

Meanwhile, others praised the store for making them feel 'normal' - with some even drawing comparisons with their own bodies.

'Oh the gorgeous model has a tummy like me,' wrote one. 'So refreshing to see. But I prefer to say she's got a typical body than a real woman's body...slim ladies are real women too (and I'm a size 16 so definitely not one of them).'

Emma is one of several models to feature in Marks and Spencer's new campaign, which dubs body positivity 'in'.

The 26-year-old, who was born in Switzerland, but grew up in Thailand, has modelled for the high street brand for several years.

An inspiring message on the retailer's website reads: 'When it comes to making underwear that encourages women to love the skin theyre in, weve been doing it for years.'

Emma, 26, who was born in Switzerland, but grew up in Thailand, has modelled for the high street brand for several years (pictured)

'From ultra-comfy bras to seam-free knickers, we believe self-confidence begins with the right foundations.'

Delighted shoppers deemed the photos 'refreshing' and praised Marks and Spencer for their forward-thinking approach.

'Mainly because it doesn't reference it, it's just selling a bra,' wrote one. 'A beautiful, average-bodied woman, sitting in a bra and knickers. At last.' Another commented: 'Bravo. Its nice to see your underwear not on a supermodel to give those of us without a size 6 and a 32b bra cup a realistic idea on what the underwear will look like on ourselves - and to give body positivity to those with a natural curve, your model looks stunning!' A further jokingly wrote: 'It's nice to see a model who has a bit of meat on her bones!'
There are some occasions in life where looking good is the last thing on your mind, and you might think that giving birth would be one of them - but not for these ultra-glamorous mothers.

Research has found that 68 per cent of British women put on make-up the day they gave birth, thanks to the pressure of looking good for the birth announcement in a social media post just three hours after the baby is born.

Two-thirds of mothers-to-be, aged 18 to 31, will also invest in beauty treatments ahead of the big day, with half getting manicures or pedicures, and a third opting for spray tans and blow drys.

And it seems as if post-birth beautifying is a global trend if these Instagram snaps, shared by new mothers from around the world, are anything to go by.

Beauty blogger Alexis Jayda from California recorded a make up tutorial while awaiting the birth of her child in 2018

US blogger Diana Chavez made sure her contouring was done and eyebrows shaped while waiting for her labour to progress

Lee Ann Jarrell from New Orleans said she 'refused' to give birth before her makeup was complete in 2018

Some shared photos of themselves perfecting their contouring in between contractions, while others went for the full glam squad treatment as soon as their new arrival was safely delivered.

In 2016, makeup artist from New York Alaha Karimi made headlines after she shared three pictures of herself getting ready for labour and applying her foundation.

She later revealed she did he makeup to distract herself from the contractions:

'I went to the hospital at 7:30 a.m., and I was in labour for a total of 10 hours that day,' she told ABC News at the time. 'I had an epidural around 8:30 or 9:00 a.m., so when it started to wear off, I needed something to distract myself from the pain.'

This Californian mother took advantage of a 'false alarm' that saw her admitted to hospital early to give herself a little makeover

This British mother-to-be got herself some 'labour lashes', ahead of her trip to the delivery ward. Research has found that half of expectant mothers get pre-birth manicures and pedicures, while a third opt for spray tans

US blogger Brianna Lynch admitted it had been hard applying her make up while having a blood pressure cuff around her wrist and we can understand why

Karimi, who does makeup for brides-to-be joked that if the makeup she did could survive a wedding day full of tears and laughter, it could definitely withstand labour.

On Instagram, a makeup artist called Tegan Woodford, from Mermaid Beach on Queensland's Gold Coast revealed that she did a makeover for her sister-in-law during labour to help her deal with the stress.

'I got a phone call from my sis-in-law at 2am saying she had her first contraction,' she added, explaining that she had jumped on the next plane to Adelaide.

Tegan Woodford, an Australian make up artist, said she flew to Adelaide when her sister in law started experiencing contractions, and did her make up to calm her down before the birth (pictured)

Nothing was left to chance by beauty vlogger Diana Chavez as she prepared for the birth of her child

Beauty influencer Alaha from New York made headlines in 2015 when she shared pictures of herself on Instagram putting makeup on while experiencing contractions

When Tegan arrived, her sister-in-law's contractions had slowed down, so she was able to focus on having her face done.

'Half way through doing her makeup she was so relaxed that her contractions sped up to every few minutes, and we then had to race to the hospital,' Tegan recalled. 'She was seven centimetres dilated.

'I think Im onto something here. Getting your makeup done whilst in labour relaxes you, speeds up the process and you look good.'

Alaha told BAC news at the time that after she received an epidural following her admission to the hospital, she found herself with time on her hands and decided to distract herself by painting her face

Expectant mother Christine from Northern Ireland made sure her lashes and eyebrows were ready before she gave birth to her baby

Women are getting themselves fake lashes ahead of delivering their child, including this British mother-to-be whose beautician shared a glamorous snap of her
Ivanka Trump opted for a frosty blue suit to speak at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills on Monday afternoon.

The 37-year-old first daughter traveled to Los Angeles with her husband, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, 38, who was in the audience when she took the stage at the Beverly Hilton for the luncheon discussion.

Ivanka wore a prim white button-down underneath her suit jacket and topped off the simple, yet elegant look with a pair of classic black pumps.

Latest appearance: Ivanka Trump, 37, participated in a luncheon discussion at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills on Monday afternoon

Style: The first daughter donned a frosty blue suit and classic black pumps

Taking the stage: The theme of this year's conference is 'Driving Shared Prosperity,' and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt (left) moderated the discussion

Her long blonde hair was styled in loose, voluminous waves, and she sported smokey purple eye makeup that made her brown eyes pop.

The White House senior adviser wore little jewelry aside from pearl studs in her ears and a white gold band on her ring finger on her right hand.

When she lifted her arms, she revealed the thin red string bracelet that she sometimes wears on her left wrist.

Though she hasn't spoken about the purpose of the bracelet, it does bear a resemblance to the type of red string that Kabbalah practitioners wear to ward off the 'evil eye.'

Strictly business: Ivanka sat with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap when she wasn't speaking

Added touch: Ivanka wore a prim white button-down underneath her suit jacket

Panel: Ivanka was joined on stage by Marillyn Hewson, Alfred Kelly Jr., and Mark Weinberger

The theme of this year's conference is 'Driving Shared Prosperity,' and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered welcoming remarks ahead of the discussion, which was moderated by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Ivanka was joined on stage by Marillyn Hewson, the chairman, president, and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation; Alfred Kelly Jr., the chairman and CEO of Visa; and Mark Weinberger, the global chairman and CEO of EY, the professional services firm formally known as Ernst & Young.

In a show of support, her husband was seen standing in the crowd while waiting for her panel to start. Jared spoke at one of the discussions on Sunday, the day the conference kicked off.

It's unclear how long the couple will be staying in Los Angeles for. While they both work at the White House, they maintain busy schedules and rarely travel together aside from family trips with their three children.

Beaming: Ivanka had a bright smile on her face when she took the stage

Going glam: Her long blonde hair was styled in loose, voluminous waves, and she sported smokey purple eye makeup that made her brown eyes pop

Doting spouse: The first daughter traveled to Los Angeles with her husband, Jared Kushner, 38, who was in the audience when she took the stage

Over here! Jared was seen waving to someone in the crowd ahead of the discussion

Catching up: The White House senior adviser had a chat with Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant at the event

Ivanka, who is a co-chair of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board with Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross Jr., took to Twitter the day before her appearance at the conference to share her excitement about the panel discussion.

'200+ companies have Pledged +7.3 Million NEW opportunities for career enhancement, on-the-job training & apprenticeships!' she wrote.

'Looking forward to speaking at the @MilkenInstitute Global Conference in LA tomorrow to further private sector investment in our amazing workforce!'

The next day, she hyped up the discussion with another tweet, writing: 'Joining @ericschmidt, @Visa, @LockheedMartin, @EYnews CEOs for a conversation on the role of employer-led skills training in creating more and better American jobs!'
Me Akere Muna Me Akere Muna

Barrister Akere Muna has mocked at the National Commission on the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism (NCPBM) following recommendations that the words "Anglophone" and "Francophone" should be banned and a "Ministry for Living Together and Multiculturalism" created.

Taking to twitter Monday, April 29, 2019, the former presidential candidate said by making such proposals in the heart of a crisis for which the commission had been created to solve, they have chosen to chase the wind in the wilderness.

"Here we go again forsaking the substance for the shadow," the former president of the Cameroon Bar Council said.

He wonders whether Cameroon is about to quit La Francophonie in order for such a law to hold water.

Hear Akere: "The Bi-cultural Commission proposes the banning of the use of the words, Francophone and Anglophone. So do we quit the Francophonie? It is now a definition universally used to identify these two groups."

Resolutions at the end of an NCPBM organises colloquium on April 24 & 25, 2019 at the Yaounde Mont Febe Hotel was to the effect that the words Anglophone and Francophone be banished from Cameroon's territorial space.

"The Government of Cameroon must ban the words 'Anglophone' and 'Francophone' from state vocabulary and from use within the national territory," one of the recommendations set to be sent for the appraisal of President Paul Biya read. .

The brains at the colloquium argued that the words Anglophone and Francophone are foreign but is the source of division today. They said citizens should first be identified as Cameroonians, not by foreign words that aim to split them.

"Cameroonians are not native speakers of English and French, as such we should rather promote our national languages by teaching them in schools and speaking them in other public places," they argued.



At a time when the ministerial departments are said to be too many by political analysts, the commission headed by Peter Mafany Musonge is proposing that a Ministry of Living Together should be created.

"We urge the Government to create the 'Ministry of Living Together and Multiculturalism' so as to promote the values of living together and national Unity," they resolved.



They also appealed that a day called "National Day of Living Together" be decreed wherein cultures and cultural values shall be showcased and aspects of living together hailed.

The colloquium also said many Cameroonians do not know the history of Cameroon. As such, emphasis should be laid on the teaching of Cameroon's history as one people.

The colloquium took place at a time when Northerners in Obala (in Cameroon's Centre Region) are having tough times cohabiting peacefully with the indigenous community. Clashes between the two communities led to the death of one Northerner and the destruction of property.

Also, the crisis in the North West and South West regions that led to the creation of the National Commission on the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism seems to be getting little attention.




The 'world's rarest chocolate' is now available in KitKat form across Australia - but it's only available for a limited amount of time.

Ruby chocolate is the fourth type of chocolate, after milk, dark and white, and is the world's only new cocoa bean variety to be discovered in 80 years.

KitKat Ruby will be available to chocolate lovers across Australia in Woolworths for $2 after a sell-out success in Melbourne in 2018.

The first launch in 2018 was so successful that blocks sold for up to $1,000 on eBay once the blocks had sold out.

The 'world's rarest chocolate' is now available in KitKat form across Australia - but it's only available for a limited amount of time

KitKat Ruby will finally be available to chocolate lovers across Australia in Woolworths for $2 after a sell-out success in Melbourne in 2018

The chocolate features a distinctive, all-natural pink hue, an intense berry flavour and a luscious smooth texture, combined with iconic crisp KitKat wafer fingers.

Made using rare ruby cocoa beans  found only in a few locations including Cote d'Ivoir, Ecuador and Brazil  the unique colour and flavour are naturally occurring.

'Ruby chocolate was an instant hit at KitKat Chocolatory last year, with KitKat Ruby Sublime selling out in just 10 days,' Head Chocolatier Connie Yuen said.

'KitKat has been inundated with requests from consumers across the country since Ruby chocolate was introduced.'

It features a distinctive, all-natural pink hue, an intense berry flavour, and a luscious smooth texture, combined with iconic crisp KitKat wafer fingers

Made using rare ruby cocoa beans  found only in a few locations including Cote d'Ivoir, Ecuador and Brazil  the unique colour and flavour are naturally occurring

'We're delighted to be giving more people the chance to try it, with the launch of limited edition KitKat Ruby, timed perfectly to celebrate ruby chocolate's first birthday in Australia!'

Social media has been abuzz with people from across the world sharing photos of the pink treat with many expressing how delicious they think it is.

'KitKat Ruby, has become my new addiction! Velvety texture, soft fruity taste and natural pink colour,' one Instagram user said.

Social media has been abuzz with people from across the world sharing photos of the pink treat with many expressing how delicious they think it is

Nestle Head of Marketing Confectionery, Anna Stewart, said she was excited to offer this to Australian customers.

'It's a privilege to be able to deliver this unexpected break to all KitKat lovers following the amazing stir it caused last year, and we're looking forward to seeing all the reactions from our fans as they get a taste of this unique gem,' she said.

KitKat Ruby ($2) is available at Woolworths stores nationally from May 1 for a limited time only.
With winter right around the corner, thousands of Australians are starting to think about their next holiday destination to escape the cold season.

But deciding where to go can be a difficult decision, especially when there are so many new 'must-visit' destinations flooding social media every day.

To help find the most suitable getaway, Bed Threads have revealed the best places to travel in 2019 based on their star sign.

With winter right around the corner, thousands of Australians are starting to think about their next holiday destination to escape the cold season (file image of Arizona desert in the USA)

Aries: March 21 - April 19

Aries crave adventure and are often planning trips to different corners of the globe in a bid to see everything in it.

No trip with an Aries is the same as it could vary from joining an overnight bus trip with people they've just met, a food tour of Italy or a surfing trip in Hawaii that could last a number of weeks.

This year Aries will want to continue the adventure which is why somewhere like the Canadian Rockies would be somewhere to consider.

With jagged, ice-capped peaks, it's a region of alpine lakes, diverse wildlife and outdoor recreation sites, the perfect place to satisfy their travel bug.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

Taureans love travel with a little bit of luxury as for them seeing the world is all about walking through beautiful streets on the way to delicious food and wine.

Because of this they would best be suited travelling to a big city where the world is their oyster, such as London or Paris.

But this doesn't mean smaller food capitals. Cape Town or Tasmania shouldn't be ruled either as both cities provide everything a Taurean would love.

This year Aries will want to continue the adventure which is why somewhere like the Canadian Rockies would be somewhere to consider (file image of Moraine Lake in Banff)

Gemini: May 21 - June 20

In 2019 Gemini's should book a holiday that satisfies both sides of their personalities.

If they love shopping as well as activity then a city like Los Angeles would suit them perfectly thanks to its combination of outdoor adventures and luxurious retail experiences.

If they're a fan of swimming at a stunning beach by day and enjoying a pumping nightlife in the evening, then somewhere like Mykonos or Ibiza would fit the bill.

Cancer: June 21 - July 22

As Cancers are often calm and measured, a road trip would be the ideal holiday as it means they can take their time enjoying the views.

Driving through the middle of America stopping in every diner they come across or travelling from one end of Italy to the other would suit them perfectly.

Leo would feel right at home in a country like Sri Lanka, with its pristine beaches, delicious curries and tea plantations perfect for adventuring (file image of a beach in Sri Lanka)

Leo: July 23 - August 22

Leos are a positive-thinking sign that are often chasing the sun which means a beach side holiday would be the perfect fit.

This sign would feel right at home in a country like Sri Lanka, with its pristine beaches, delicious curries and tea plantations perfect for adventuring.

Days can easily be spent hopping from one beach to another.

Virgo: August 23 - September 22

Most Virgos are practical and super organised which often means their trips are usually planned weeks, if not months, in advance.

They know the best dinner spots and night clubs as well as the hole-in-the-wall cafes for the best cup of coffee.

They also know the best under-the-radar places to travel to this year, which means they will be visiting Helsinki in Finland because it is as cool as Copenhagen and as stylish as Stockholm, but without the crowds.

To spice things up this year Librans should instead plan a trip to Japan (pictured of the cherry blossoms) where they will experience one of the oldest civilisations in the world as well as a country with the latest in technology

Libra: September 23 - October 22

Librans love balance which often means they pick serene and spiritual places to visit so they can reconnect with themselves.

This is why the island of Bali, India and Cambodia are normally their go-to places when booking a holiday.

To spice things up this year, Librans should instead plan a trip to Japan where they will experience one of the oldest civilisations in the world as well as a country with the latest in technology.

To unwind they will be able to explore the peaceful ancient temples and spend some time at a Japanese onsen.

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21

Travelling Scorpios like to get out of their comfort zone which often results in them avoiding tourist driven areas.

They much prefer to experience something new which is why a country like Morocco could be just the ticket with its colourful markets and delicious foods.

They could ride a horse through the countryside of Mongolia or travel to a bucket list destination solo - 2019 is all about them pushing their boundaries.

When travelling Scorpios like to get out of their comfort zone which could see them travelling to Morocco (file image of an old arabic market)

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21

Sagittarians are the most adventurous of the zodiac which means this year they plan on seeing the world.

They're natural travellers which often means they constantly have the itch to explore somewhere new.

In 2019, they may finally be doing the trip that they've always wanted to, whether that be a road trip across Australia or see every country on the continent of their choice.

It could even mean ticking off an experience such as seeing the Northern Lights or walking along the Great Wall of China.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19

Capricorns aren't very good at using their holiday time well, if they even let themselves take time off at all.

This will all change this year as in 2019 they will be travelling to a sun-drenched location that will allow them to completely switch off.

Places like the Maldives, Hawaii, Greece or Croatia will provide them with everything they need as they will be able to swim in crystal clear waters, lie on the sand and sip cocktails.

'Besides the magnificent view, health conscious and nature loving Virgos will love getting in a good workout as they hike through Machu Picchu (pictured) and parks of the Inca trail in high altitudes,' they explained

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18

Understanding the world around them and visiting history-rich locations is important for Aquarius due to their inquisitive minds and intelligence.

This is the year that they'll be travelling straight to Machu Picchu and see the Ancient citadel of the Incan people while they learn about their impressive history.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20

Pisces are the big dreamers of the zodiac and now is the time to plan a meandering train ride that gives them time to mull over their aspirations.

Taking a luxury steamer through South East Asia or boarding the original Orient Express would suit Pisces perfectly.

If these options are too expensive there are a variety of smaller train journeys that won't damage the pocket, such as the train that moves through China into Russia.
Between sheet masks, 10-step cleanses and cushion compacts, Korea has produced a whole host of beauty tips and tricks over the past few years.

But the latest craze might be a step too far - even for the most dedicated of beauty fans.

The trend sees beauty experts use an open flame and a small wooden stick to curl their eyelashes.

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The latest trend from Korea sees beauty experts use an open flame and a small wooden stick to curl their eyelashes (pictured: Australian blogger Tina Yong applying mascara)

Australian blogger Tina Yong put the trick to the test on her YouTube channel , using a stick and a lighter (pictured)

Australian blogger Tina Yong put the trick to the test on her YouTube channel, using a stick and a lighter.

'I got a makeover when I was in Korea a few years ago and my make up artist did this really weird technique to curl my lashes,' Tina said in the video.

'This was my first time seeing anything like this, but she pretty much got out a barbecue skewer - like a wooden stick - and a lighter. And then she lit the stick up.'

The beauty blogger said that following this, the make up artist blew the stick out, before using the stick 'to curl my lashes'.

'I got a makeover when I was in Korea a few years ago and my make up artist did this really weird technique to curl my lashes,' Tina said in the video

After researching the trick online, Tina said she found that while there are plenty of heated eyelash curlers on the market, Korean women wanted something quicker that would curl their straight lashes (pictured: her applying the heated stick to her eyelashes)

After researching the trick online, Tina said she found that while there are plenty of heated eyelash curlers on the market, Korean women wanted something quicker that would curl their straight lashes.

'This beauty trick developed and has been used among make up artists in the industry,' she said.

To carry out the trick, all you need is your mascara, a wooden stick, a lighter and an eyelash curler.

'This will actually give you the first curl you'll need,' Tina said. 'So you'll do the first curl with the curler and then apply your mascara.

'That's when your lashes tend to drop back down and that's when you'll use the stick to bring your lashes back up and hold them in place all day.'

'I actually think this is working,' Tina said. 'It lifted my lashes back up' - she said she can see why 'Koreans like this trick' (pictured: Tina Yong trying the trick)

After she had curled her eyelashes and applied her mascara, Tina heated the stick with the lighter without letting it catch on fire.

She then pressed it against her lashes and held it, slowly bringing it up through the lashes to create a curl.

'I actually think this is working,' Tina said. 'It lifted my lashes back up.'

Tina said that even though the trick is dangerous, you just have to make sure the stick isn't too hot when you press it into your eyelashes - and you will see the results.

'I can see why the Koreans like this trick,' she said. 'Not bad at all.'

However, the expert does say you shouldn't try the trick at home - in case you end up burning yourself.

Tina (pictured) said that even though the trick is dangerous, you just have to make sure the stick isn't too hot when you press it into your eyelashes - and you will see the results

Tina's (pictured) video on the subject has more than 168,000 views, with commenters divided as to whether they would try it at home

After waiting for the day to see whether the curl lasted, Tina said she was happy with the results.

'It's been seven hours since I curled them with a stick and they're actually still curled.

'How good is that?'.

Her video on the subject has more than 168,000 views, with commenters divided as to whether they would try it at home.

'I started using this trick after I saw it the first time they used it on you. I had the same problem, lashes dropped really fast after applying mascara. So I figured why not, and it was a game changer for me, never going back,' one person posted.

'I'm way too scared to have something that's hot enough to curl lashes so close to my eyes! You only have one pair of eyes, treasure them!,' another said.
A group of deaf Australians have revealed the one thing they wish they could hear as they answered upfront questions on popular ABC show, You Can't Ask That.

Many agreed that 'deaf culture' is a privilege to be a part of and said they find great peace in communicating using Auslan (Australian sign language).

But even those who have been deaf since birth would love to hear the voices of loved ones during memorable life moments.

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'I'd love to hear my children laughing,' Damo Barrett (pictured left), from Perth, told the ABC in their show You Can't Ask That

'I'd love to hear my children laughing,' Damo Barrett, from Perth, told the ABC.

'I wish I could hear my wife singing,' Dion Galea, from Sydney, said.

Andy King, from the Gold Coast, said that he could wish for lots of things - his children's health and happiness among them - but he wouldn't wish for anything to do with his hearing.

Some of the people, like teenager Rusty, struggled with their 'deaf identity' and said he often wishes people wouldn't think he was 'stupid'.

Other questions brought to light some of the misconceptions around partial and complete deafness.

'I wish I could hear my wife singing,' Dion Galea, from Sydney, said

What is a cochlear implant? A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted device that provides a sense of sound to a person with moderate to profound hearing loss. Cochlear implants bypass the normal acoustic hearing process, instead replacing it with electric hearing. Advertisement

1. What do you hear when you're deaf?

For many of them, particularly those without a cochlear implant, the world is totally silent. Others said they could hear a 'ringing' noise at times.

Those who have partial hearing said they could hear louder noises on the spectrum like a door slamming, car running or a dog barking.

A cochlear implant can be used as a tool for hearing but some felt it sounded 'too robotic' in their skulls and they preferred to use sign language and lip read.

2. Can you talk?

Having a hearing impairment doesn't impact your voice box, but for some deaf people they prefer not to speak out of fear their voices will sounds strange - and they can't hear it to correct the problem.

One of the participants, Rusty, said he always talks when he signs because his English 'isn't so good', whereas Dion only likes to mime her words.

They find that for the most part people who can hear are afraid to talk to them thinking they won't understand, but if you speak slowly and concisely - and learn some signs - communication is simple.

3. What's something surprising you learnt from being deaf?

Andy King, who became deaf later in life when he was coward punched out the front of a night club, said that not being able to read facial expressions made communicating difficult.

He said it was most difficult when it came to people who had Botox.

'They look like they're going 110km/h in a convertible,' he said, demonstrating their shocked facial features.

One of the participants, Rusty (pictured), said he always talks when he signs because his English 'isn't so good'

4. Do people treat you like your 'stupid'?

For the most part, each of the individuals said they had experienced some form of bullying - particularly while at school.

Other participants said they had found it hard to keep a job and said that sadly, they often refrained from saying they had a hearing impairment upfront.

Others said they want people to realise that they have the same passions and hobbies as everyone else - including music - and they don't appreciate being labelled 'dumb' by people with little understanding of hearing impairments.

5. Have you ever used being deaf to your advantage?

Everyone agreed that they had used their deafness to get out of paying club cover charges, to not clean around the house and even resorted to taking off their implant when a baby starts crying.

They said not hearing outside noises when you're trying to sleep is a huge plus, as is trying to sleep in on Saturday morning when someone starts mowing the lawn.

There are both advantages and disadvantages of being deaf but each of them were proud of what they'd achieved either way.
The Queen was the first person to visit the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their new home, it is claimed.

The monarch, 93, reportedly spent time with the couple at Frogmore Cottage while staying at nearby Windsor Castle over Easter Weekend.

Meghan, 37, and Harry, 34, are due to welcome their first child in the coming days and the Queen wanted to see the couple before the birth, a source told the Sun.

The Queen was the first person to visit the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their new home, it is claimed. Pictured Harry and Meghan at Westminster Abbey in March

The monarch, 93, pictured, reportedly spent time with the couple at Frogmore Cottage while staying at nearby Windsor Castle over Easter Weekend

'Her Majesty wanted to formally welcome the Sussexes to their new home so she was their first visitor,' the source was quoted saying.

'She visited with other family members and Harry and Meghan were delighted to show them round.

'The Queen was at Windsor Castle at Easter and wanted to see Meghan before she has the baby.'

The story comes following separate reports that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also paid a visit to Frogmore Cottage following the Easter Sunday church service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Harry and Meghan moved into Frogmore Cottage, pictured, on the Windsor estate, at the start of the month following extensive renovation work

The Duke of Sussex attended the service alongside other senior royals but the heavily pregnant Meghan stayed at home.

A source told Harper's Bazaar: 'William and Catherine visited because Meghan was unable to attend the service. They wanted to be supportive and see how she is doing. It was a lovely afternoon.'

It is possible the Queen joined the Duke and Duchess on this same visit. Buckingham Palace declined to comment as it concerns a private visit.

It comes following separate reports that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also paid a visit to Frogmore Cottage following the Easter Sunday church service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Pictured, William and Kate join royals on their way into the service

Harry and Meghan moved into Frogmore Cottage, on the Windsor estate, at the start of the month following extensive renovation work.

The couple are now 'settled in' ahead of the birth of their first child.

They are said to have created a 'gender neutral' nursery and installed a yoga studio to allow enthusiast Meghan to practise at home.
The Countess of Wessex looked reminiscent of her late sister-in-law Princess Diana today as she visited a women and children's hospital in Hyderabad as part of her official tour of India.

Sophie, 54, donned a protective mask and gown to enter the special care baby unit at Niloufer Hospital.

Earlier the mother-of-two looked radiant in a bright blue blouse and matching patterned trousers. She wore the same outfit to fly to Mumbai, where she was gifted a flower garland and bestowed with a tilaka on her forehead at The Taj Hotel.

The mother-of-two is visiting the country to see how programmes supported by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, of which is Vice Patron, are tackling avoidable blindness in babies born prematurely.

On her final visit for the Jubilee Trust before its projects conclude in 2020, Sophie visited numerous hospitals across the Indian city to witness the organisation's work first hand and hear about the impact of programmes successfully launched by Queen's Young Leaders.

Wearing protective clothing and a hairnet, Sophie was introduced to several children who had been born prematurely at the hospital in Hyderabad

The Coutess bore a striking resemblance to her late sister-in-law Princess Diana, pictured watching an operation on a child at Harefield Hospital in Middlesex in 1996

Sophie, 54, looked radiant in a bright blue blouse and matching patterned trousers before donning a protective mask and gown at Niloufer Hospital

The cause is close to the mother-of-two's heart, as her daughter with Prince Edward, Lady Louise Windsor, 15, was born with a severe squint that affected her vision.

While at Niloufer Hospital, Sophie visited the Special Newborn Care Unit, where she spoke with doctors and concerned mothers.

She was pictured grinning as she tenderly held a tiny newborn baby wrapped in bright pink fabric which was being fed through a tube.

The maternal countess later looked in her element as she greeted a youngster in the unit by crouching down to his level smiling with her hands in prayer.

Sophie wore the same outfit to fly to Mumbai, where she was gifted with a flower garland on arrival at The Taj Hotel

The countess was bestowed with a tilaka on her forehead at The Taj Hotel, a mark worn on special occasions

While in Mumbai, Sophie will visit a school where she will meet Queen's Young Leader, Deane de Menezes, whose project 'Red is the new Green' aims to destigmatise menstruation, improve access to menstrual hygiene and ultimately prevent female absenteeism in schools

The Countess of Wessex, 54, was pictured grinning as she tenderly held a tiny newborn baby wrapped in bright pink fabric which was being fed through a tube.

She looked visibly moved as she was shown premature babies in the Special Newborn Care Unit and spoke animatedly to the resident doctors and nurses about the screening and treatment services that have been introduced to ensure babies at risk of blindness receive the timely treatment they need to prevent it.

Sophie also met with leading eye health professionals who have been instrumental in setting up and delivering the services, and parents and children who have, or have had, the condition.

Yesterday, again wearing protective clothing and a hairnet, she was introduced to several children who had been born prematurely at the Gandhi Medical College in Hyderabad.

The Countess of Wessex proved she scrubs up well on her visit to a women and children's hospital in Hyderabad

The maternal countess looked in her element as she greeted a youngster in the unit by crouching down with her hands in prayer

While at Niloufer Hospital, the caring mother-of-two chatted to mothers and cradled young babies

Last night the countess attended a reception at the Deputy High Commissioners residence in Hyderabad where she met graduating midwives.

Later this week she will travel to Mumbai and New Delhi, and returns to the UK on Friday 3 May.

When she goes to Mumbai, Sophie will visit a school where she will meet Queen's Young Leader, Deane de Menezes, whose project 'Red is the new Green' aims to destigmatise menstruation, improve access to menstrual hygiene and ultimately prevent female absenteeism in schools.

Sophie will also visit a health centre to meet Queen's Young Leader Aditya Kulkarni, whose pioneering 'Care Mother' antenatal app has helped to reduce maternal and child mortality rates in India.

The Countess of Wessex was also pictured visiting premature babies in a special care unit

Sophie spoke to the resident doctors and nurses about the screening and treatment services that have been introduced to ensure babies at risk of blindness receive the timely treatment they need to prevent it

Sophie looked well and truly enamoured of the youngster she met, while his grinning mother also seemed pleased to meet the countess

The royal will meet health workers and mothers, and hear how the app has helped over 30,000 women from disadvantaged communities in India access antenatal care.

In New Delhi, Sophie will join the British High Commissioner in hosting a reception to celebrate the collaborative efforts to advance eye health in India.

The Countess will deliver a speech in which she will reflect on the progress achieved by the Trust in the name of the Queen and encourage efforts to continue and be taken to a greater scale so that vision is brought to everyone, everywhere.

The reception will recognise the preparatory work underway to create a Vision Catalyst Fund  an endeavour inspired by the work of the Trust  which will see public and private sector organisations with expertise in eye health coming together.

Sophie also met with leading eye health professionals who have been instrumental in setting up and delivering the services, and parents and children who have, or have had, the condition

The Countess will also undertake engagements in New Delhi in support of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) and championing the empowerment of women.

On the final leg of her tour, Sophie will join a roundtable discussion to share ideas on how the UK and India can work more collaboratively in tackling challenges relating to gender based violence in conflict.

Sophie will also learn about the Women on Wheels initiative, which empowers young women from poorer communities to become professional drivers to enable them to have better employment opportunities.

The royal will conclude the visit by attending a reception celebrating a cross-section of remarkable women living and working in India.

Sophie, pictured in the Special Newborn Care Unit at Niloufer Hospital, will also undertake engagements in New Delhi in support of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) and championing the empowerment of women during her visit

The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, of which Sophie is Vice Patron, is a time-limited charitable foundation, established in 2012. She is pictured in the Special Newborn Care Unit at Hyderabad's Niloufer Hospital

The Trust works in alliance towards eliminating avoidable blindness and to empower a new generation of young leaders

The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust is a time-limited charitable foundation, established in 2012, to mark and celebrate the Queen's 60-year contribution to the Commonwealth at the time of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee.

The Trust works in alliance towards eliminating avoidable blindness and to empower a new generation of young leaders.

To enable the Trust to make a tangible and sustainable difference in the name of The Queen within five years, its programmes have focused on tackling three major causes of preventable sight loss  blindness caused by trachoma, the world's leading infectious cause of blindness; blindness caused by diabetes; and blindness affecting premature babies.

Every year 60 exceptional young leaders were chosen each year from across the Commonwealth to become Queen's Young Leaders, with the last cohort awarded this honour by The Queen in 2018 in recognition of the remarkable changes they had brought about to improve people's lives.
Disgruntled UK consumers who are disappointed by McDonald's effort to reduce plastic waste have come up with a way around having to use paper straws.

More than 42,000 people have signed a petition to bring back plastic straws, complaining that the paper ones go soggy. But customers have devised an alternative in the meantime - using the brand's plastic coffee lids on their soft drinks.

People have shared the hack on social media, showing pictures of the lids firmly screwed on top of McDonald's regular drinking cups.

One user said she was inspired after her cousin was accidentally given a coffee lid on their drink by a new McDonalds worker.

Pictured: McDonald's consumers are using the brand's plastic lids in order to avoid using their new paper straws, which have divided customers

One user also shared the hack on social media suggesting to people to use the lids as an alternative to the paper straws. Pictured: the coffee lid

'I was thinking if you dont rate a paper straw. Do this?' she said.

The coffee lids fit on all McDonald's cups, and are handed out to whoever requests them.

But consumers who try the trick are using even more plastic than they would by drinking from the old, discontinued straws.

But for some customers, using a plastic straw seems unimaginable. One Twitter user even called it the 'the biggest set back for consumer support for environmental issues.'

Another user suggesting using the plastic lids as replacement for the straws after their cousin was handed a coffee lid by accident. Pictured: a McDonald's coffee lid on a regular cup

One disgruntled customer said they would not be drinking from the paper straws, going as far as calling them 'the biggest set back in consumer support for environmental issues'

Nostalgia. One user mused that the kids from future generation will not know about the brand's plastic straws, adding the hashtag campaigning to bring back the plastic straws

'They completely ruin the experience of drinking everything,' the disappointed customer went on, 'I stopped eating paper when I was three. Not about to start again now.'

'Kids today will never know,' wrote another pro-plastic straw user, sharing a picture of the brand's old straw.

Some other exasperated Twitter users noted that the plastic straws fanatics needed to think of the 'bigger picture'.

'I know people are upset about Mc DOnald's having paper straws all all. But think how that dead turtle feels when it's got a plastic one wedged down its throat because you wanted to drink a f****** milkshake,' one wrote.

Twitter users have hit back at customers complaining about plastic straws and pleaded with them to think of the 'bigger picture'

'Given the issues with our planet, the 'controversy' over the #mcdonalds paper straw is ridiculous. If it is causing you that much distress, a) don't buy it or b) use your mouth instead. I just tried doing this and it works,' wrote another.



Calling for the return of plastic straws, some customers have even suggested boycotting the fast-food provider until their demands are met.

Customer Martin Reed even created a petition demanding for McDonald's to bring back plastic straws which has received over 42,000 signatures.

A number of social media users have slammed those complaining about the new straws, arguing that they should drink straight from the cup if they're unhappy

A stream of social media users have blasted McDonald's paper straws claiming that they dissolve before a drink can be finished.

Writing on Twitter one person said: 'I agree with the plastic straws being scrapped, yet also agree with comments on the paper straws being useless for milkshakes, which is the only drink I get from McDonald's. The paper straws collapse before your halfway through the drink'

Another wrote: 'All for McDonald's paper straws but they could make them a bit stronger yano, act like a *** bath bomb in my coke'

A third added: 'PurpleDon2973 this is what I was telling you about the other day! I couldn't drink my shake at all, the straw dissolved before the shake was melted enough to suck! @McDonaldsUK'

McDonald's first revealed that they would be changing their straws to meet demands from environmentally conscious customers last June (file image)

McDonald's has divided British customers after swapping plastic straws for paper in a number of branches.

The fast-food chain is gradually making the switch from plastic to paper in across their 1,361 restaurants in the UK and Ireland after facing pressure from environmentalists to become more eco-friendly.

Following the news of the petition many people have taken to the online platform to slam those who are campaigning for the return of plastic.

Customers across the UK and Ireland have slammed McDonald's decision to swap plastic straws for an eco-friendly paper alternative

A user speaking under the handle 'Gigglechops74' declared that those asking for the return of plastic show a lack of care about the environment.

She wrote: 'People are being blown up stabbed + murdered but McDonald's fans have more important problems... hating paper straws + wanting plastic ones back which damage environment + kill nature... but as long as your pathetic issues are addressed huh? This world is doomed!'

Another said: 'Absolutely loving how much everyone is starting to care about the environment, but then there's those ***** that are signing petitions for McDonald's to bring back plastic straws, just drink from the cup if you don't want to use a paper straw?'

Chief executive of McDonald's UK and Ireland Paul Pomroy, previously revealed that the restaurant's decision to introduce paper straws is the result of requests from customers.

Speaking in June last year he said: 'Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws but to do so without compromising their overall experience when visiting our restaurants.

'Over the past few months we've been working closely with supplier partners to find a solution that works both for our customers, and that the supply is there given the size of our business.'

A representative of McDonald's UK replied to a number of social media users who've voiced their hate of the paper straws revealing that the restaurant is working on an alternative.

'...We completely understand your concerns and can reassure you that whilst paper straws will be introduced to all restaurants, we'll be working on retaining an alternative option for those that require one.'

A spokesperson for McDonald's told Mail Online: 'Our suppliers have made us paper straws that last at least 30 minutes in most, if not all liquids. They were introduced following customer feedback, and we are pleased to be doing the right thing in removing plastic from our restaurants and taking significant steps to reduce our environmental impact.'
Lorraine Kelly launched the Change And Check campaign today, urging women to get to know their own breasts to make sure they look out for the signs of cancer.

The television presenter was at Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd's Bush, London during her morning show, with women whose lives have been touched by breast cancer - including her friend and Lorraine producer, mother-of-three Helen Addis, 39.

Lorraine, 59, is on a mission to get ladies across the UK checking their breasts for any signs of change.

'Reminder stickers' showing what to look out for will be put in hundreds of changing rooms nationwide in major retail stores and gyms.

John Lewis & Partners, David Lloyd, ASDA, Monsoon will all be taking part, as well as all ITV offices. They will even be on set at Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

Lorraine Kelly launched the Change And Check campaign today, urging women to get to know their own breasts to make sure they look out for the signs of cancer. The television presenter started the campaign with her friend and producer, mother-of-three Helen Addis, 39, who was diagnosed last year

The television presenter was at Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd's Bush, west London during her morning show, with women whose lives have been touched by breast cancer

The campaign is the brainchild of Lorraine producer Helen, who was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago.

The mother-of-three found a lump on her breast on March 16, last year.

She was referred to a consultant on April 20 - by which time another 4 lumps had appeared in the same breast and had a mammogram, ultrasound and a core biopsy.

She then and was diagnosed with Grade 3 breast cancer on April 24.

The poster, pictured, have been put up in changing rooms across the country

Luckily, from working on the programme over the years and watching Dr Hilary's breast cancer segments, she knew what to look out for and that she needed to contact her GP straight away. Helen firmly believes this saved her life.

Speaking on her eponymous show this morning, Lorraine said: 'We check everything, our phones, what the weather is like, do I need an umbrella? But just check yourself.

'Helen's story is a stark reminder we need to be vigilant. So check your boobs. Of course all our boobs are different. What is normal for you might not be normal for me.'

Helen agreed, adding: 'This is something that has made my last 12 months.

'It's almost exactly 12 months since I've had my diagnosis.

'This is something that makes it feel like it's all worth while, if it can help just one person, than I feel like what I went through is all worth it.

'I'm so pleased that so many stores have signed up to it.

'If there's a little reminder, the time it takes for you to try that frock on, you could check yourself for the signs of breast cancer.'

The show's resident physician Dr Hilary was also on hand at Westfield discussing breast cancer and was joined by some women whose lives have been changed by the illness.

Helen, pictured, found a lump on her breast on March 16, last year. She was referred to a consultant on April 20 - by which time another 4 lumps had appeared in the same breast and had a mammogram, ultrasound and a core biopsy

During the show, Lorraine and Helen walked across the road from their studio to the Westfield Shopping Centre where Helen put up the posters

Speaking on her eponymous show this morning, Lorraine said: 'We check everything, our phones, what the weather is like, do I need an umbrella? But just check yourself. Helen's story is a stark reminder we need to be vigilant. So check your boobs. Of course all our boobs are different. What is normal for you might not be normal for me.' Pictured: Helen and Lorraine

Reminder stickers showing what to look out for will be put in hundreds of changing rooms nationwide in major retail stores and gyms - John Lewis & Partners, David Lloyd, ASDA, Monsoon will all be taking part, as well as all ITV offices. They will even be on set at Coronation Street and Emmerdale

Lorraine has dedicated a lot of airtime to raising awareness around breast cancer, over the years including showing live breast examinations.

Later in the show, women who had their lives saved from their You Know Breast campaign got in touch to say thank you for helping them detect their cancer early.

The women joined Dr Hilary in Westfield to explain their stories.

Nicola, 49, explained: 'I noticed a "dent" in my right breast, but I remembered Dr Hilary's words about noticing any change of colour, shape or feeling in the breast.

Lorraine (pictured with Helen) has dedicated a lot of airtime to raising awareness around breast cancer, over the years including showing live breast examinations.

The show's resident physician Dr Hilary was also on hand at Westfield discussing breast cancer and was joined by some women whose lives have been changed by the illness

'I do have breast cancer. If it had not been for your shows I may well have ignored it. The outcome could have been very different for me.'

Jean, 69, also shared her story. 'I happened to see the breast examination item in October.

'I went on to do the check and I noticed a dimple. Tests detected a tiny cancer. My consultant told me this cancer is so small that she's so proud of me for detecting this'

Writing for the Mail on Sunday, last week, Lorraine (right) said: 'We are a close-knit team on and off air, and her news completely floored us. Helen was 39, slim and fit. A mother of three children, aged five, seven and nine, she never smoked, barely touched alcohol, and there was no history of cancer in her family. I hate to say it, but I thought: why her?'

Diane, 45, told the show how she discovered her cancer on her birthday. 'I was watching Dr Hillary's breast examination when I decided to do one myself and found a lump. I was then diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma and had surgery to remove the lump and lymph nodes.'

Writing for the Mail on Sunday, last week, Lorraine said: 'We are a close-knit team on and off air, and her news completely floored us. Helen was 39, slim and fit.

'A mother of three children, aged five, seven and nine, she never smoked, barely touched alcohol, and there was no history of cancer in her family. I hate to say it, but I thought: why her?

'Helen simply says: "Why not me?"

'And, of course, she is right. Her story is a stark reminder we all need to be vigilant about this disease, which affects one in eight women. In fact, Helens diagnosis was a direct result of a series of breast health stories we were running at the time.'
A series of remarkable photos show a former Marine-turned-crocodile connoisseur cuddling up to her very toothy pals.

Savannah Boan, 47, from Florida, who previously served with the US Marines, works at Gatorland in Florida, an attraction which houses over 2,500 crocodiles and alligators.

It's a dream role for the animal lover, whose official title is Crocodile Enrichment Coordinator, and who considers the reptiles to be her 'best friends'.

Savannah also works as an ambassador for the Gatorland Global, the park's conservation arm, and is working hard to change people's perceptions of the creatures, insisting that they are perfectly friendly - unless they're in a bad mood.

Incredible pictures show the alligator aficionado putting her money where her mouth is by posing for a toothy selfie with huge albino crocodile Pearl, and proudly snapping a picture alongside her 13-foot-long 'best friend' Dundee.

Savannah Boan, 47, from Florida, who previously served with the US Marines, works at Gatorland in Florida, an attraction which houses over 2,500 crocodiles and alligators

It's a dream role for the animal lover whose official title is Crocodile Enrichment Coordinator. Pictured: Savannah cuddling RJ the alligator

Incredible pictures show the alligator aficionado taking a toothy selfie with huge albino crocodile Pearl, and posing alongside her 13-foot-long 'best friend' Dundee

Another striking photo shows a delighted Savannah clutching a bask of baby Cuban crocodiles (seen)

Another striking photo shows a delighted Savannah clutching a bask of baby Cuban crocodiles.

'I have loved alligators and crocodiles and all reptiles my entire life and I have wanted to work at Gatorland for as long as I can remember,' she said.

'I am so happy to be a part of the Gatorland family of people and animals.

'Alligators and crocodiles are some of the most misunderstood animals in the animal kingdom - they have way more to fear from us than we do from them.

'I want people to love alligators and crocodiles and recognize how important they are to the ecosystems in which they thrive.'

Savannah Boan with her best friend Blackwater who she describes as 'a rescue alligator with the best personality of any alligator I've ever met'

Savannah is seen wowing the crowds with Pearl, a rare albino crocodile, as she enjoys another day on the job

Dealing with the huge predatory beats on a day-to-day basis is far more than just a job for Savannah

A whole troupe of the reptiles is seen basking in the waters as they cool off on the hot summer's day

But dealing with the huge predatory beats on a day-to-day basis is far more than just a job for Savannah.

'My best friend in the entire world is Blackwater, he is a rescue alligator with the best personality of any alligator I've ever met, we spend a lot of time together,' Savannah, who recently returned from a conservation project in Jamaica, said.

'Crocodiles and alligators are a lot smarter than people think, I have relationships with all of the animals I care for at Gatorland, I have a great respect for them and they respond accordingly, unless they're in a bad mood.

'As far as crocodiles go, Dundee is definitely my favorite.

'He even lets me do a little dental work on him so technically I'm kind of a crocodile dentist as well.

'I think by showing people the softer side of alligators and crocodiles, I can hopefully change their perspective and perhaps endear the general public to them.

Savannah works as a Crocodile Enrichment Coordinator and also travels outside of the US to help conservation projects around the world

One of Savannah's 'favourite days at the park' was when she wore an elegant dress to do her job

Happy snapper: Savannah takes a picture with an albino crocodile during a standard day at work

'People protect what they love, and if I can help people love them too maybe they will want to protect them as well.

'Alligators and Crocodiles have always been portrayed as mindless monsters, but they are not villains.'

As one might expect, one of the questions Savannah face most often is 'how can you tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?'

'The easiest way to tell is in their beautiful faces, an alligator face is shaped like a U and a crocodile face is shaped like a V - simple as that,' she concluded.

You can keep up to date with Savannah's alligator antics on her Instagram, where her jaw-dropping pictures have helped her to earn an impressive fan base of more than 132,000 followers.

And it's not just alligators and crocodiles that Savannah loves getting up close and personal with; her Instagram is also home to snakes, bats, lions, and monkeys, all of which she meets while traveling for her work in conservation.

Savannah also works with other large animals including snakes and wild cats
You've heard of singing a prenuptial agreement to protect assets in the event of divorce, but now parents are considering the idea of a 'baby-nup' to make sure childcare is divided equally.

The idea has been gathering momentum on social media in recent months, but it has been fueled further by a recent article in US magazine Parade - which has provoked a furious debate.

The concept involves signing a contract to divide chores fairly between the two parents fairly before the child is born, and agree on custody arrangements if the couple go on to split up.

Social media users are divided over the contracts, which would not be legally binding, with many saying they're a sign of 'immaturity'.

'If you find yourself in need of drawing up a baby-nup, perhaps it's not quite time for you to be having a child,' one user wrote. 'Parental responsibilities go far beyond anything that a simple contract could define.'

Expectant parents are considering the idea of a 'baby-nup' to make sure childcare is divided equally, before their bundle of boy is even born (stock image)

The topic was sparked when Twitter user CallMeKada from London asked: 'Would you sign a baby-nup with your partner pre-marriage?'

'So if you have kids together, there are rules set out and an agreed custody in place in case the marriage goes t*** up and things get ugly.'

Parade magazine also interviewed a couple, Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich and Daniel Ilkovich who had a series of meetings ahead of their daughter's birth to map out their future.

They decided 'what they wanted to try to keep about their lives (date nights, gym time, etc.) and how they would make it all work, including who would also handle chores, as well as day-to-day things like pediatrician appointments and Amazon orders'.

The idea seems to have been sparked by one social media user, who raised the topic earlier this year on Twitter

Social media users were divided over the topic, with some commenting that it was perhaps a sign of immaturity

Two years on, every morning and every evening is assigned to on or other parent.

Some were quick to say it seemed like a 'a great idea', while one said while it seemed like a good idea in theory, it may not work in reality.

One commented: 'It sounds good in theory. But so many circumstances could change by the time you have a baby or get divorced.

'Custody agreements made before marriage may not work years down the road.'

Meanwhile, others argued that parenting should be done equally without the need for a contract laying out the conditions, and that there shouldn't need to be a document to divide up responsibilities.

Some pointed out that a baby was not a chore, and shouldn't be treated like a work project.

Some users suggested it was a sensible idea, but one pointed out that it in reality it may be harder to make work

One wrote: 'If you need a written document to raise a baby with your partner, you are too immature to raise children'.

Another commented: 'Oh for goodness sake!! Babies are really not that difficult if you're doing it right!'

Other parents were quick to point out that it's hard to know the realities of parenthood until after the child is born, and that often responsibilities were unequal at times.

One commented: 'Until you've lived it, it's really hard to know who will need extra support with what and when i.e. it's hard to plan for postpartum. Sometimes one partner will need to carry the other.'

Others were determined that it would not work, and said it was a sign of immaturity from parents. Some even questioned whether parents wanting a 'baby-nup' were ready to have children

They continued:' Just commit to loving each other and getting through the highs and lows. It's worth it.'

Another wrote: 'It's called being a parent. Either embrace every good, bad, wonderful and annoying thing that comes with it, or don't have kids.'

'I don't believe in prenups or baby-nups,' one declared. 'When people get married it shouldn't be based on the fact in case we split you should be thinking "this is the one through sickness and health, good or bad".

'Those negative actions are already anticipating the worst.'
Bamenda: Ghost Town Observed At Food Market (16/01/2017) Wilson MUSA

A three day ghost town earlier called by separatists in the North West and South West, to mar activities towards the celebration of the 133rd edition of the International Labour Day, has seen economic activities halted, while few persons are spotted on the streets.

The ghost town that began on Monday April 29, will run till the 1st of May, observed as May Day. Despite calls by government authorities and actions taken to disuade the population from respecting these ghost orders to stay indoors and close down their businesses, reports from Bamenda and other parts of the Anglophone regions, indicate denizens have again, obeyed the said calls.

Armed Separatists had instructed that vehicles, motorcycles and people should avoid movements, while only the medic group, Doctors Without Borders, would be allowed to circulate.

They further warned trade union leaders to stay indoors or esle if seen on the 1st of May, they would face the consequences. There are records of past experiences where car owners or personalities who boycotted separatist calls, were either kidnapped, flogged or their property seized and burnt.

The call to boycott May Day celebrations within the Anglophone community is the third this year. Separatists want government to focus on resolving the crisis, by yielding to their demands of granting independence to Southern Cameroon.

Labour day celebrations in the North West and South West regions witnessed the first boycott in 2017. Business premises and all commercial activities were completely grounded in Bamenda, while those who mustered courage to partake in the celebrations carried their T-shirts and uniforms in handbags, to the Commercial Avenue Grandstand, and only wore the uniforms behind the Grandstand and Bamenda Congress Hall.Others were ferried to the ceremonial ground in service vehicles, council trucks and University buses. Few commercial bikes were on the streets of Bamenda. Doors of off-licenses only flung open after 6:00pm.

In Cameroon, the theme for reflection is Workers Protection : Vector of social Justice and Decent Work in Cameroon. Other parts of the nation are holding conferences on job site challenges, where employees have been airing their grievances to employers.
A transgender woman who was born with half a body and struggled for years to find love now enjoys a 'wonderful sex life' with her boyfriend.

Piyah Martell, 27, from Sacramento, California, was born with a rare congenital birth defect known as sacral agenesis.

The abnormality affects the lower vertebrae, meaning Piyah's spine and legs did not develop fully in the womb and her body appears to stop at her waist.

As well as walking on her hands, Piyah uses a skateboard as a mobility aide, and spends her time raising awareness of issues around disability in the LGBTQ+ community.

Piyah Martell, 27, from Sacramento, California, who was born with a rare congenital birth defect known as sacral agenesis, has found love with boyfriend Andrew

Andrew says the pair enjoy a 'wonderful sex life', while Piyah hopes to have life-changing surgery in the future to complete her transition from male to female

Originally born as Pedro, at the age of 15 she announced to her parents that she wanted to start dressing as a girl.

She began buying women's outfits and wearing make-up - initially facing angry criticism from her father.

Piyah told Barcroft TV: 'My dad was not very happy with my decision. It took him years to finally start calling me by my name; he used to call me by my old name.

'He didn't want his son to be a woman. It took him a year, we had arguments about that.

'It was hard for him but gradually later he learned that this isn't a phase.'

Piyah conceded that growing up was challenging, having lost her real mother at the tender age of seven, and said she faced severe bullying and judgment during her teens for being different.

'Going to high school was where a lot of bullying happened,' she recalled.

'Some of the difficulties in school was having to deal with people talking behind my back. They were rude, and called me names, saying, "You have no legs, you are an amputee."

Piyah's condition affects the lower vertebrae, meaning her spine and legs did not develop fully in the womb and her body appears to stop at her waist

Andrew admitted he faces judgment every day, but claimed he doesn't care what people think

The happy couple say despite Piyah's birth defect, their physical relationship is incredibly healthy

'I am just like, "Oh dear", pushing all those mean people away.'

Piyah said her mother Mary treated her exactly the same as her brother Angelo, 29, despite her disability, and this made her strong and determined.

Her condition is so rare it is thought to affect less than one in every million people.

Piyah has had to adapt her daily routine to live as normal a life as possible, explaining: 'My disability affects me outside of my house because I have to use a skateboard to get around.

'I have my nice little shoes that I wear inside and out of the house so that I don't hurt my hands.

'I always make sure either I have gloves, slippers or some type of things on my hands to keep myself safe.'

Piyah admitted she found it difficult to meet someone who could accept her - but six years ago Andrew entered her life.

'My first impression of him was  what am I getting myself into?' she joked.

'But then he has this charm. He had this charm that I was really attracted to.

'Just like every normal couple we fight, we argue, we bicker, but we always end up together and we make it work. That's the thing about relationships, we communicate.'

Piyah said her late mother Mary, pictured left, treated her exactly the same as her brother Angelo, 29, pictured right, despite her disability, and this made her strong and determined

Piyah admitted she found it difficult to meet someone who could accept her - but six years ago Andrew entered her life

Piyah has had to adapt her daily routine to live as normal a life as possible, and said she loves applying make-up

Her partner Andrew admitted he faces judgment every day, but claimed he doesn't care what people think.

'I thought she is a very beautiful girl,' he said. 'She is sweet. She is nice, she is just wonderful. She just brightens up the day, every day.'

The happy couple say despite Piyah's birth defect, their physical relationship is incredibly healthy.

'It's not a challenge,' Andrew explained. 'Me and Piyah have a wonderful sex life. I see life as wonderful.'

Piyah hopes to have life-changing surgery in the future to complete her transition from male to female.

Up until three years ago, Piyah regularly posted clips of herself performing music videos of songs by divas like Mariah Carey and Beyonce on YouTube, and built up a loyal following of 10,326 subscribers on YouTube.
Queen Letizia looked sombre this afternoon as she completed the final day of her royal visit to Beira, Mozambique, a city all but destroyed by recent natural disasters.

The royal, 46, met with doctors and health care professionals, as well as local women impacted by flooding in the area.

The Queen of Spain is currently in the region for a two-day visit to meet with those impacted by recent natural disasters in the country.

Serious flooding is currently raging in parts of northern Mozambique hit by Cyclone Kenneth, which killed at least five people last week.

Queen Letizia met with local women impacted by the floods in the coastal city of Beira, which has been badly impacted by natural disasters

The Spanish royal visited facilities at Dondo Health Centre along with other Spanish Cooperation volunteers

Queen Letizia looked thoughtful as she arrived in the coastal city of Beira, which was the fourth largest city in the country, but was all but destroyed by flooding earlier this year.

Nearly 90 per cent of the port city was damaged or destroyed.

At the end of March, the main hospital's surgical wing was completely destroyed, as floors flooded and the cyclone lifted the roof from the building.

The Spanish royal arrived at Dondo Health Centre to meet with health care professionals and local women to discuss the impact of the natural disasters on the community.

Letizia looked serious as she visited the health centre in Beira, a city all but destroyed by Cyclone Idai in March

The royal looked stunned by the facilities in the health centre during her visit, which she took on the final day of her tour of Mozambique

The royal wore an understated outfit, with a smart white shirt tucked into beige trousers.

She paired the outfit with a pair of heavy duty boots, and finished it off with the red Spanish Cooperation waistcoat.

The royal also kept her makeup neutral for the visit, and wore simple diamond studs in her ears.

Letizia met with healthcare professionals at the centre, and was seen shaking hands with team members.

The royal was seen gesturing to the expansive hole in the ceiling of the Dondo Health Centre corridor

The royal went on to meet health care professionals and officials to discuss the impact of Cyclone Idai on the area

The stylish royal wore a simple outfit, pairing a smart white shirt with beige trousers and sturdy lace up boots

She went on to receive a briefing about the situation left by the devastating Cyclone Idai.

Much of the area is still recovering from horrendous flooding and devastation after Cyclone Idai struck in March.

The Spanish royal was due to visit the region ahead of Cyclone Kenneth's arrival, to see the work being done to strengthen relations between Mozambique and Spain.

The royal met with local women who have been impacted by natural disasters in the coastal area

Queen Letizia was seen shaking hands with members of staff as she arrived at the Dondo Health Centre

Mozambique has been struck with several terrible cyclones in the last few months, including Cyclone Idai which caused hundreds of deaths in the region earlier this year.

It's currently battling against Cyclone Kenneth, which is causing devastating floods in the country, putting 700,000 people's lives at risk.

It is Queen Letizia's fourth cooperation visit after visiting Honduras and El Savaldor, Seneal, Dominican Republic and Haiti.

This is Queen Letizia's fourth cooperation trip after viting Honduras and El Salvador, Seneal and Dominican republic and Haiti

Spain's Queen Letizia listens to Start Hospital's Clinical Director Abel Martinez in Beira, Mozambique

Kenneth arrived just six weeks after Cyclone Idai ripped into central Mozambique and killed more than 600 people with flooding.

Authorities have said at least five people died after Kenneth roared in Thursday evening with the force of a Category 4 hurricane, stunning residents of a region where such a storm had not been recorded in the modern era.

More than 160,000 people have been affected in the largely rural region, many already exposed and hungry.

The Queen was briefed on the situation with Cyclone Idai, and how the country is recovering from devastating flooding

Queen Letizia arrived in the coastal city of Beira earlier today as part of her two day visit to Mozambique

Letizia, pictured centre with the other START team members at the Dondo Health Centre in Beira, Mozambique

More than 35,000 homes in parts of Mozambique's northernmost Cabo Delgado were partially or fully destroyed by the storm.

The royal charmed crowds yesterday as she greeted mothers and toddlers impacted by natural disasters in Mozambique.

The royal, 46, was seen stroking children and holding their hands as she spoke to packed crowds in the health centre in the country's capital Maputo.

Queen Letizia looked broody as she gazed at toddlers and babies during her visit to the health centre in Maputo, Mozambique

Queen Letizia gently reached out to one little boy, and seemed charmed by the children at the health centre

On the first visit of her royal tour, she met with crowds of women and children at Manica Health Center in Maputo, the country's capital, which is on the south coast of the country.

She wore a cream textured suit, with a light lace-trimmed camisole beneath her open jacket, and finished the outfit with nude brogue style shoes.

The outfit was paired with a bold red 'Spanish Cooperation' waistcoat, which several member's of the royal team were pictured wearing.

The mother-of-two was seen crouching down to meet women and children, and seemed charmed by the group.

She will learnt about the emergency response for those affected by Cyclone Idai, which struck earlier this year in March.

Letizia wore a light lace top beneath her cream suit, and finished the outfit with a red Spanish Cooperation waistcoat

She met with crowds of women and children at the Manica Health Center in Mozambique's capital, Maputo

The royal looked charmed by the crowds of mothers and children that she met at the health care centre

Inside the medical centre, Letizia looked somber as she met with children being currently treated as well as health care professionals.

She donned a white lab coat as she met with medical experts, and was seen peering through a microscope.

During her visit, Letizia will learn about work carried out by Spanish Cooperation in Mozambique in the areas of democratic governance, health, nutrition and rural development.

The royal looked engaged as she spoke to professionals at the health center in the small market town

The royal went on to meet the President of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyussi and First Lady Isaura Nyussi at their official residence in the capital of the country.

They were seen shaking hands outside the Ponta Vermelha Palace, before attending a meeting to discuss the recent natural disasters.

Changing her outfit from the morning's visit, Letizia stunned in a gorgeous sky blue shirt dress that featured a bow style tie around the waist.

Wearing a touch of light eyeshadow and pink gloss, the royal finished the outfit with navy accessories and cool hoop earrings.

Queen Letizia went on to meet the President Filipe Jacinto Nyussi and First Lady Isaura Nyussi at their official residence
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The Swedish royal family have gathered at Stockholm's Royal Palace to mark the monarch's 73rd birthday today.

King Carl XVI Gustaf's wife, Queen Silvia, 75, along with his children and grandchildren, appeared on the balcony of the Royal Palace on Tuesday morning to watch the celebratory parade.

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden and heir apparent, 41, looked pretty in a blush coloured coat and her hair in a sleek low ponytail as she waved to crowds.

Meanwhile Victoria's daughter Princess Estelle, 7, - who stole the limelight last year with her cheeky thumbs-up display - matched her mother in a pink wool coat, wearing her hair in cute braids as she clapped her hands together.

Former personal trainer Prince Daniel, 45, husband to Victoria, wore a smart suit and polka dot tie as he waved to crowds with their son Prince Oscar, 3, dressed in a sweet grey blazer.

The Swedish royal family have gathered in Stockholm to mark the monarch's 73rd birthday today Pictured L-R: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Estelle, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Prince Oscar and Prince Daniel attend a celebration of King Carl Gustaf's 73rd birthday anniversary at the Royal Palace

King Carl Gustaf was pictured looking smart in his uniform, performing a salute before watching the Royal Marching Band perform their celebration

King Carl Gustaf was then seen accepting flowers from members of the public, including his youngest royal fans who were seen dressed in their best outfits in a sweet display

Queen Silvia looked elegant in a beige trench coat and silk blue scarf which she teamed with pearl earrings as she watched her husband take part in the the parade alongside his son, Prince Carl Philip, 39.

King Carl Gustaf was pictured in his uniform, performing a salute before watching the Royal Marching Band perform their celebration.

He was then seen accepting flowers from members of the public, including his youngest royal fans in a sweet display.

Meanwhile Prince Carl Philip put on a handsome display in his uniform, saluting the band as he paid tribute to his father's birthday.

Princess Victoria was seen planting a kiss on her son Prince Oscar, 3, in an adorable display as Prince Carl Philip and King Carl Gustaf joined them on the balcony

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Estelle, Duchess of Ostergotland, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Princess Sofia, Duchess of Varmland, Prince Oscar, Duke of Skane and Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland attend a celebration of King Carl Gustaf's 73rd birthday anniversary at the Royal Palace

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden receives flowers at a celebration of his 73rd birthday anniversary at the Royal Palace

Prince Carl Philip put on a handsome display in his uniform, saluting the band as he paid tribute to his father's birthday, left, while King Carl Gustaf received roses and tulips from well wishers

The Swedish King, who is the second-longest reigning monarch in Swedish history, took to the throne in 1973 and survived the country's landmark constitution the following year, and has an active role in public duties, albeit mainly ceremonial.

The King and his wife Silvia, nee Sommerlath, 74, a German-Brazilian former flight attendant, have been handing over increasing numbers of engagements to their eldest daughter Victoria in recent years, fuelling speculation that the monarch may abdicate, allowing the Crown Princess to take the throne.

The presenter of the Nobel Peace Prize and a keen environmental campaigner has been embroiled in a string of controversies over the years including accusations of secret affairs and wild parties.

King Carl Gustaf was pictured accepting a single rose from a little girl as he enjoyed his birthday celebrations on the 30th April

Queen Silvia looked elegant in a beige trench coat and silk blue scarf which she teamed with pearl earrings as she watched her husband take part in the the parade, left, while Prince Carl Philip put on a handsome display in his uniform, right

Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Varmland, pictured left, attends a celebration of King Carl Gustaf's 73rd birthday at the Royal Palace, seen right

Members of the Swedish Royal Marching Band perform during the celebration of King Carl Gustaf's 73rd birthday anniversary at the Royal Palace

The grandfather-of-six is said to own a fleet of Porsche 911s and was involved in a high-profile car crash in 2005 which made international headlines.

His daughter Crown Princess Victoria, 40, studied diplomacy and Swedish foreign policy before becoming a full-time working member of the royal family.

The glamorous Yale graduate, who speaks four languages, was not expected to take to the throne when she was born in 1977 but a change in the law of succession three years later changed that, allowing her to overtake her brother Carl Philip.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden receives flowers at a celebration of his 73rd birthday at the Royal Palace on April 30, 2019 in Stockholm

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden poses with flowers and gifts he received at a celebration of his 73rd birthday anniversary at the Royal Palace

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden receives flowers at a celebration of his 73rd birthday anniversary at the Royal Palace on April 30, 2019 in Stockholm

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Estelle, Duchess of Ostergotland, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Princess Sofia, Duchess of Varmland, Prince Oscar, Duke of Skane and Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland attend a celebration of King Carl Gustaf's 73rd birthday

Princess Estelle was seen whispering something to her grandmother the Queen as they stood on the balcony, left, while King Carl was pictured accepting flowers from a young fan, right

A family affair! Estelle and her uncle Prince Carl were seen waving to crowds as King Carl looked on and Princess Victoria and Queen Silvia cuddled up to young Prince Oscar

In 2010, she married her former personal trainer Daniel Westling in front of 1,200 guests at Stockholm Cathedral, and have since settled comfortably into public life with their two children, Princess Estelle, five, and Prince Oscar, who turns two in March.

Meanwhile Victoria's brother, Sweden's real-life Prince Charming, broke the hearts of royal-watchers across the globe when he announced his engagement to former glamour model Sofia Hellqvist in 2014, four years after news of their relationship first hit headlines.

Daniel, who is dyslexic, dismissed reports that his fiancee was 'not welcome' in the House of Bernadotte and condemned the public 'bullying' of Sofia.

Regardless of the controversy, thousands lined the streets of Stockholm for their wedding later that year.

The couple welcomed their first son, Prince Alexander, in April 2016 and another little boy, Prince Gabriel, arrived in August the following year.

Princess Estelle, Duchess of Ostergotland, Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Varmland, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Prince Oscar, Duke of Skane, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Queen Silvia of Sweden attend a celebration of King Carl Gustaf's 73rd birthday

Members of the Royal Guard are seen at the celebration of King Carl Gustaf's 73rd birthday at the Royal Palace on April 30, 2019 in Stockholm

Spectators wait ahead the celebration of King Carl Gustaf's 73rd birthday anniversary at the Royal Palace
While much of the world waits very anxiously for the birth of the royal baby - Meghan's close friend and makeup artist Daniel Martin is not letting the impending arrival slow him down.

Having prompted furious speculation that Prince Harry and Meghan's first child might have already been born when he was spotted in London and Windsor earlier this month, the New York-based beauty pro is now continuing to add fuel to the fire simply by going about his day-to-day work - this time in Morroco.

Although he's not in London, Daniel is sticking close expectant mother Meghan, 37, traveling just a few hours away to the city of Marrakesh in order to work with another longtime pal, Jessica Alba, on her makeup for the Dior Cruise 2020 show on Monday night.

From the Royal Family to Hollywood royalty! Meghan Markle's makeup artist Daniel Martin was in Morocco on Monday night, where he worked with Jessica Alba for the Dior Cruise show

Getting ready! The New Yorker prepped Jessica, 38, for the lavish fashion event amid fierce speculation about his close friend Meghan's due date

Party on! Royal fans have been focusing on Daniel's travel because he may be in the UK for the royal baby's birth. Last night he was busy dancing on-stage with Diana Ross however

Legend: The beauty pro shared several videos on his Instagram of Diana, 75, performing at the event, revealing that he had the opportunity to jump up on stage and join her

Daniel - who is a Dior brand ambassador, as well as the Chief Color Consultant for Jessica's company Honest Beauty - even found some time to cut loose at the event, where he joined music legend Diana Ross on-stage during her post-runway performance.

The makeup artist proudly shared videos from the event on his Instagram account, first posting a pretty candlelit Boomerang of Jessica, who celebrated her 38th birthday on Sunday, then following that with a clip of himself dancing alongside Diana, 75.

He also offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the event on his Instagram Stories, where he captured several clips of the show's beautiful setting, as well as revealing some of the products that he used to get Jessica ready for the evening.

Having explored the nearby souk with some of his travel companions, Daniel got to work preparing the stunning actress for the show, using an array of Dior and Honest Beauty products, including the new Dior Backstage Glow Palette and the Honest Beauty Creme Cheek Blush.

Jessica is a long-standing client and friend of Daniel's, as is Meghan - and it is thought that the beauty pro is on call for the royal should she need any makeup help in the days following the birth of her first child.

Close pals: Daniel is a long-time friend of actress Jessica's, and he couldn't resist sharing some behind-the-scenes images of her look at the show

Backstage tips: He also posted several videos of Jessica getting ready for the event, while revealing a few of his favorite makeup application techniques

Supplies: Posting on his Instagram Stories, Daniel gave his fans a glimpse at the products he used on the actress for the evening, revealing he went with a mix of Dior and Honest Beauty

The final look! Jessica showed off a subtle smokey eye and a glowing complexion during the photocall ahead of the fashion show

Daniel has become a trusted member of Meghan's inner circle over the years, and has worked closely with her on a number of milestone events, not least her wedding to Prince Harry in May of last year.

Close pal: Daniel, pictured in February, has been by Meghan's side for a number of milestone moments, from her wedding to Prince Harry to her New York baby shower

He then joined the Duchess of Sussex at her New York baby shower in February as one of just a handful of lucky guests who celebrated her impending arrival in a $75,000-a-night penthouse at The Mark Hotel.

It was suggested that his trip to London and Windsor earlier this month was in fact timed to coincide with a second baby shower thrown for Meghan by her sister-in-law Kate Middleton, although this has not been confirmed, and there is no public evidence that the event actually took place, despite multiple rumors about when and where it might happen.

However on Tuesday it was reported that the Queen had spent time with Harry and Meghan at their new home, Frogmore Cottage, over the Easter weekend, with a source claiming that she was actually the first guest to visit them at the property.

'Her Majesty wanted to formally welcome the Sussexes to their new home so she was their first visitor,' a source told The Sun.

'She visited with other family members and Harry and Meghan were delighted to show them round. The Queen was at Windsor Castle at Easter and wanted to see Meghan before she has the baby.'

Any day now? The arrival of Meghan and Harry's first child has been shrouded in mystery since the couple revealed they would not make a traditional post-birth announcement

Frenzy: Earlier this month, Daniel sparked a flurry of rumors about the royal birth when he revealed on Instagram that he would be back in New York City by May 5 for The Makeup Show

The story comes following separate reports that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also paid a visit to Frogmore Cottage following the Easter Sunday church service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Daniel also prompted furious speculation about Meghan's due date when he revealed on Instagram that he will be back in New York on May 5 in order to attend The Makeup Show - with many taking the announcement as a sign that the royal will have given birth by then.

Speculation around Baby Sussex's due date has been furious over the past few months, particularly after Harry and Meghan revealed that they will not be announcing the birth immediately, but will instead take a few days to celebrate the arrival in private, before sharing the news publicly.

The parents-to-be released a statement earlier this month explaining the decision, revealing that they will also not be sharing any of the plans surrounding the birth, such as the date or the location.

'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very grateful for the goodwill they have received from people throughout the United Kingdom and around the world as they prepare to welcome their baby,' Kensington Palace said in a statement made on behalf of the couple.

'Their Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private. The duke and duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family.'
Meghan Markle's makeup artist Daniel Martin has revealed how he didn't know the former actress was dating Prince Harry until he saw her 'face on the front of a newspaper'.

The make-up guru, who won high praise after creating Meghan Markle's natural makeup look for her wedding to the Duke of Sussex, 34, last year, discovered the royals were seeing one another while on holiday in Greece with his husband.

'One day I looked up and she was dating a Prince!' Seattle-born Daniel told beauty website Into The Gloss. 'I was in Greece at the time, and my husband was like, "Your friend is on the paper."

'She was literally on the front page of every newspaper in Greece, but everything was in Greek, so I was like, "What is going on?" I didnt know!'

Meghan Markle's US-based makeup artist Daniel Martin revealed he didn't even know the former actress was dating Prince Harry until he saw her face on the front page of a newspaper

Daniel also revealed that he's known Meghan for 'almost a decade' as the pair met when Suits first started.

As the Duchess of Sussex, 37, didn't have a publicist, she personally reached out to Daniel's agent at The Wall Group - and he described how they both had an 'instant connection.'

'I knew what she wantedit was one of those things where, she looked at herself in the mirror and was like, "Oh my God, this is what I always wanted, but I didnt know how to get there," he told the publication.

The pair then kept in touch and while working on her former blog The Tig, Meghan asked Daniel to give her a helping hand.

Speaking with beauty website Into The Gloss, he said: 'One day I looked up and she was dating a Prince! I was in Greece at the time, and my husband was like, "Your friend is on the paper." Pictured: Meghan and Prince Harry at the Commonwealth Day service in London in March

And it's not the first time the makeup artist has spoken about his royal connection as earlier this month, he told Grazia magazine: 'Meghan "makes me go on YouTube to learn about things." She'll be like, "Oh I follow this person and they did it this way" - and I'm like, "Oh OK".'

Creating a look from a YouTube video wouldn't be the first time the mother-to-be has used very modern methods to achieve her flawless look.

He previously told Harper's Bazaar he was too busy to travel to London before the Duchess's wedding so they had no opportunity to trial the look beforehand - despite some 17 million people tuning in to watch the big day.

Daniel, who works as an ambassador for Dior, opted for a natural look for the Duchess because of different lighting situations throughout the day.

And for her evening reception look, a Stella McCartney dress, he chose darker makeup look and did more definition on the eyes.

Daniel previously told Harper's Bazaar he was too busy to travel to London before the Duchess's wedding (Meghan, pictured on her wedding day) so didn't get to trial the look beforehand - despite some 17 million people tuning in to watch the big day

Earlier this month, he told Grazia magazine that Meghan (pictured with Prince Harry) 'makes me go on YouTube to learn about things. She'll be like, "Oh I follow this person and they did it this way" - and I'm like, "Oh OK".'

Daniel (above) told the publication that he's known Meghan for 'almost a decade' as the pair met when Suits first started. Pictured, Daniel doing make-up back stage at fashion show in New York)
Arianna Huffington has shared in the excitement of her eldest daughter Christina getting engaged by posting the happy news on her own Instagram.

The Huffington Post founder posted pictures of her daughter Christina Huffington, 29, next to her fiance, Paul Needham, when announcing the news of their engagement.

'So happy Christina, my first treasure, just got engaged to the most wonderful man,' Huffington, 68, wrote on Monday. 'So excited to welcome Paul into our family!'

Love: The Huffington Post CEO and founder Arianna Huffington revealed her daughter Christina, 29, was engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Paul Needham

Happy news: Huffington posted the news on her Instagram Monday and included several shots of her daughter with her new fiance

Supportive mom: In the sweet post, Huffington called her eldest daughter her 'first treasure', as she praised Paul for being 'the most wonderful man'

Arianna shared multiple pictures of her daughter with her new fiance, including the picture right after they got engaged  which showed off the stunning engagement ring.

On Monday, Christina also posted about her exciting news by sharing the same picture on her own Instagram account.

Bling: Both Arianna and Christina shared the engagement picture on their Instagram pages, which showed a glimpse of the ring

'Were gettin hitched!!!! So lucky to love you,' she wrote.

The couple received plenty of warm wishes from friends and family, including Katie Couric and music producer David Geffen, who each commented on Arianna's post to congratulate the newly-engaged pair.

It remains unclear when the couple first got together, but Christina shared her first picture online with Paul in 2016 when they attended a wedding together.

And now they hear wedding bells of their own as the prepare to walk down the aisle.

Included with Arianna's post about the engagement was four other pictures of her daughter with her new fiance when they traveled to different destinations around the world.

Travel appears to be a passion for the couple, as they have previously shared images from picturesque places  including London, Lisbon and Santa Cruz.

Christina has followed in her mom's footsteps with media by first joining HuffPost after she graduated from Yale University, where her future husband also attended school, before graduating in 2011.

Wedding bells: It remains unclear when Christina started dating Paul, but she first shared a picture with him on social media in 2016

Travel companions: The couple enjoys traveling the world together and have previously visited Lisbon, London and Santa Cruz together

Exciting news: It remains unclear when Christina and Paul first started dating. They both attended Yale University before working at HuffPost briefly together

Throwback: Paul moved from HuffPost to CBS New in 2012 and was even pictured joining Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey in Hawaii in 2015 alongside Arianna

It is thought Yale University is where the couple may have metbefore both going on to secure jobs at HuffPost together  Christina as the Assistant Women's Editor, and Paul as a architecture and design writer.

Christina then went on to become an executive producer of the publication's Talk To Me series, and in 2017, she moved to NowThis where she currently works as a supervising producer.

Meanwhile Paul began working as an associate producer at CBS News in 2012, where he had the chance to work alongside Gayle King and the rest of the This Morning team.

He even joined Arianna, Gayle, and her best friend Oprah Winfrey on a trip to Hawaii in 2015, with CBS star Gayle happily posting a picture of the foursome on her Instagram.

That same year, Paul made a move away from producing and earned an MBA from Stanford School of Business in 2017, and he also became an investor in Los Angeles-based media company WndrCo.

According to its website, the company, which was co-founded by former Walt Disney Studios Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, 'invests in, acquires, develops and operates consumer technology businesses for the long term'.

On the move: The couple has yet to reveal any wedding details since the engagement announcement on Monday

Inspiration: Christina (left), pictured with sister Isabella, has followed in her media mogul mom's footsteps by working as a producer for NowThis after first starting at HuffPost

Fighter: In a previous interview with Glamour magazine, Christina admitted she struggled with cocaine addiction from the age of 16 to 24. Her family helped her get sober

Christina's exciting announcement about her engagement to Paul comes just a few years after she candidly opened up to Glamour about her seven-year addiction to cocaine.

'From the outside, it probably looked like my childhood was perfect,' Christina wrote in her personal essay, which was published in 2013.

'...So why did I self-destruct? Why did I spend seven years lying to my family about using cocaine?'

She admitted the divorce between her media mogul mother and her former congressman father, Michael Huffington, at the age of eight years old disrupted her world  leaving both her and her younger sister, Isabella, devastated.

The divorce plus other factors led Christina to first start using cocaine at the age of 16. She was finally able to get sober at 24 years old with the help of family and friends.

Christina now often appears at her mother's side for media events along with Isabella.

She and her fiance have yet to announce any details to their upcoming nuptials after revealing the engagement news on Monday.
Hilaria Baldwin has revealed she is already thinking about her next pregnancy after suffering a heartbreaking miscarriage earlier this month, sharing that she doesn't think she will ever hide a pregnancy again.

The 35-year-old joined her pregnant 'Mom Brain' podcast co-host Daphne Oz, 33, on the Today show Tuesday to discuss how they supported each other while she was experiencing a miscarriage at the same time her close friend and colleague was celebrating her pregnancy.

Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager, 37, is also pregnant with her third child, a baby boy, but Hilaria insisted that she is not someone who can't be happy for her friends when she is going through something difficult.

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Candid convo: Hilaria Baldwin, 35, appeared on the Today show with her 'Mom Brain' podcast co-host Daphne Oz on Tuesday, less than a month after she suffered a devastating miscarriage

Opening up: The two friends discussed how they supported each other while Hilaria was experiencing a miscarriage and Daphne was celebrating a pregnancy

Daphne and her husband, John Jovanovic, are expecting their fourth child together. They are already parents to two daughters, Philomena, five, and Domenica, one, and a son, Jovan, three. Hilaria said she couldn't be more thrilled that her friend has another baby on the way.

'I am super excited about her and her having her next daughter,' she said. 'It's just part of it. You know, if you are going to step into the world of becoming a mom, you have to also realize you are going to get your heart broken a couple of times.

'And this definitely...it was hard, but I think the positive  I always look for the positive  was that it started a conversation of a lot of people being really open and for that, I am grateful, for this little life that came in for a little bit of time to inspire.'

Hilaria had been in the first trimester of her fifth pregnancy when, on April 4, she announced that she was suffering a miscarriage on Instagram.

The news was a huge surprise to fans, as the star had yet to announce that she and husband Alec Baldwin, 61, were expecting again.

Sharing her joy: Hilaria insisted that she is not someone who can't be happy for her friends when she is going through something difficult

Expectant mom; Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager (right) is five and a half months pregnant with her third child

Upset: Hilaria revealed on April 4 that she was 'likely experiencing a miscarriage' in a shocking Instagram post that featured a picture of the yoga guru cradling a tiny bump

She later confirmed that she had lost the baby and shared photos from her D&C, or dilation and curettage, a surgical procedure often performed after a first-trimester miscarriage to remove the contents of the uterus.

The yoga guru explained on the Today show Tuesday that she will likely be open about her next pregnancy after everything she has been through.

'I have to say, I don't think I'll ever hide a pregnancy again. Everybody's different. Everybody wants to experience it differently. But for me, I find it to be so exhausting,' she said.

'So, I think for me now, this really brought it out into the open and for my next pregnancy...'

'She's getting right back on the bandwagon,' Daphne interjected, and Hilaria agreed.

Family: Hilaria has four children with her husband Alec Baldwin: Carmen Gabriela, five, Rafael Thomas, three, Leonardo Angel Charles, two, and Romeo, 11 months

Motherly glow! Daphne, 33, happily showed off her baby bump on Instagram before appearing on the Today show. She and her husband, Jovan Jovanovic, are expecting a baby girl

Another girl: Daphne and John are already parents to two daughters, Philomena, five, and Domenica, one, and a son, Jovan, three

Newest addition: Jenna, 37, and her husband, Henry Hager, are expecting their first boy. They have two daughters, Mila, six, and Poppy, three

'I am going to get back on the bandwagon,' she said.

Daphne said the 'beauty of the conversation Hilaria sparked' is that people no longer felt like they had to hide their miscarriages or feel ashamed of them.

Jenna recently opened up about experiencing an ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus. She recalled how 'isolating' it felt after she had emergency surgery.

She later went on to welcome her daughters Mila and Poppy, who are six and three, respectively.

Jenna's co-host Meredith Vieira, who is filling in for Hoda Kotb while she is on maternity leave, also suffered from multiple miscarriages when she was trying to start a family nearly 30 years ago.

Planning for the future: Hilaria said she doesn't think she will 'ever hide a pregnancy again,' revealing that she is already thinking about her next pregnancy

Honest: 'I am going to get back on the bandwagon,' Hilaria said of getting pregnant again

Daphne said she never felt uncomfortable about being pregnant while Hilaria was suffering such a loss because they were there for each other from the beginning.

'Truly, I never felt any weirdness about the fact that we were going through this together,' she said, 'because at the beginning we thought we were pregnant together and how cool was that?'

While answering some viewers questions, Hilaria also shared how she and her husband, Alec, keep the romance alive while raising four children.

'When Alec and I had a kid  our first kid  he said to me, he said: "I want you to know that you're my wife and you're her mommy, but you're still my girlfriend,"' she recalled.

'We try to spend almost every single night together, even if it's eating cereal at the counter,' she added. 'We try to every single night just focus on each other, put our phones away, laugh, go over the day.'

Hilaria and Alec are parents to four children: Carmen Gabriela, five, Rafael Thomas, three, Leonardo Angel Charles, two, and Romeo, 11 months.

Alec, 61, opened up about Hilaria's miscarriage on Tuesday, telling People they 'aren't done' having children.

News: Prior to her Instagram post about her potential miscarriage, Hilaria and Alec had not revealed they were expecting another child together

Keeping the romance alive: After the birth of their first child, Alec told her: 'I want you to know that you're my wife and you're her mommy, but you're still my girlfriend'

Updates: Hilaria posted selfies from her D&C appointment on April 10. A D&C is a surgical procedure performed after a first-trimester miscarriage to remove the contents of the uterus

'You worry about your wife. My wife's happiness is my prime concern and she was very upset for a while,' he said. 'We knew pretty quickly it wasn't going well.'

The actor jokingly compared Hilaria to General Motors, saying their children have been coming off the assembly line 'pretty briskly.'

'When this didn't go right, we knew right away because it just wasn't like the other ones,' he explained.

'When your wife tells you she is going to have a baby, and you lock into that idea, there is a kind of a zone you enter. When they tell you it's not going to work out...It was sad. It did break my heart a little bit.

'We aren't done,' he added.

Meanwhile, Hilaria is continuing to speak candidly about her life after suffering a miscarriage, and she recently posted the first sonogram of the baby she lost along with a message about how she is coping.

She wrote: 'Since so many of you have been asking, I want to tell you that I am doing well. It has been 2 weeks since the d&c and I am physically starting to feel like myself again.

Sharing: Last Wednesday, Hilaria Baldwin shared a short video of the first sonogram of the baby she lost, just three weeks after her miscarriage

'Emotionally I am ok too...when we choose to become parents, we take a big risk with our hearts. Never do we love so intensely  and this is scary, but so worth it.

'This time, when I opened my heart up to another baby, he or she didnt stay very long. But I love this little soul deeply and wholly. We all have a purpose in life, and I believe my little one left positivity in its short life.

'I felt a deep provocation to share what was going on and, in being so open, some great conversations emerged. Creating a positive from a negative, this little flicker of life left its mark.

'This is an issue that so many suffer with in silence...because those are the rules we follow.

'As I have said to so many: this experience wasnt just about me and my journey, it is about anyone, perhaps you, or someone you know, who has suffered from a loss. It is about continuing a conversation, knowing we need not have shame or fear...so that we can heal...and those who will unfortunately follow will have a community to turn to.

'I came forward to share and create a spark...please help me turn this spark into a lasting flame,' she wrote.

She finished by explaining the short video she posted was of 'the first sonogram of the baby I lost...before we could see and hear the heart.'

'I dont have a video of the heartbeat we witnessed a few times before it stopped,' she added. 'I want to share this because I feel like this little soul was mighty in the wave it provoked.'
Ivanka Trump shared an adorable picture of a note left by her three children welcoming her and husband Jared home after their trip to Los Angeles.

The 37-year-old first daughter traveled to Los Angeles to speak at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills while Jared Kushner, 38, sat in the audience.

Upon returning home, the couple found a DIY sign that read 'Welcome Home' in what appears to be honey. Included with the message was a signed note and package from Arabella, seven, Joseph, five, and Theodore, three.

Working mom: Ivanka Trump, 37, (pictured working Monday) shared a sign her three kids made for her and husband, Jared Kushner, after they returned home from their trip to Los Angeles

Made with love: Their children Arabella, seven, Joseph, five, and Theodore, three, left a sign made out of what appears to be honey and a handwritten note

Family time: The children (pictured with Ivanka for Thanksgiving) left the note for their parents after they were gone for a few days in Los Angeles for a conference

Business as usual: Jared, 38, headed to work on Tuesday morning while it appears Ivanka decided to stay home for the day after her busy weekend in California

Style: On Monday, the first daughter donned a frosty blue suit and classic black pumps when speaking at a luncheon discussion at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills

Ivanka might be spending the day at home relaxing after her quick trip to Los Angeles as Jared left without her on Tuesday morning to head to the White House.

On Monday, Ivanka wore a prim white button-down underneath her suit jacket and topped off the simple, yet elegant look with a pair of classic black pumps for her luncheon discussion at the Beverly Hilton.

Her long blonde hair was styled in loose, voluminous waves, and she sported smokey purple eye makeup that made her brown eyes pop.

The White House senior adviser wore little jewelry aside from pearl studs in her ears and a white gold band on her ring finger on her right hand.

When she lifted her arms, she revealed the thin red string bracelet that she sometimes wears on her left wrist.

Though she hasn't spoken about the purpose of the bracelet, it does bear a resemblance to the type of red string that Kabbalah practitioners wear to ward off the 'evil eye.'

Taking the stage: The theme of this year's conference is 'Driving Shared Prosperity,' and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt (left) moderated the discussion

Strictly business: Ivanka sat with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap when she wasn't speaking

Going glam: Her long blonde hair was styled in loose, voluminous waves, and she sported smokey purple eye makeup that made her brown eyes pop

Doting spouse: Jared flew with Ivanka to Los Angeles and was pictured in the audience while his wife spoke

The theme of this year's conference is 'Driving Shared Prosperity,' and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered welcoming remarks ahead of the discussion, which was moderated by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Ivanka was joined on stage by Marillyn Hewson, the chairman, president, and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation; Alfred Kelly Jr., the chairman and CEO of Visa; and Mark Weinberger, the global chairman and CEO of EY, the professional services firm formally known as Ernst & Young.

In a show of support, her husband was seen standing in the crowd while waiting for her panel to start. Jared spoke at one of the discussions on Sunday, the day the conference kicked off.

Ivanka, who is a co-chair of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board with Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross Jr., took to Twitter the day before her appearance at the conference to share her excitement about the panel discussion.

'200+ companies have Pledged +7.3 Million NEW opportunities for career enhancement, on-the-job training & apprenticeships!' she wrote.

'Looking forward to speaking at the @MilkenInstitute Global Conference in LA tomorrow to further private sector investment in our amazing workforce!'

The next day, she hyped up the discussion with another tweet, writing: 'Joining @ericschmidt, @Visa, @LockheedMartin, @EYnews CEOs for a conversation on the role of employer-led skills training in creating more and better American jobs!'
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced its worst day so far in the ongoing Ebola outbreak, figures reveal.

A record-breaking 27 new confirmed cases were registered on Sunday, raising last weeks total to 126, the DRC's health ministry has said.

This is the highest daily toll since 18 cases of the killer virus were recorded on April 10. The epidemic began nine months ago.

The ongoing Ebola outbreak is the second worst in the DRCs history, with 957 feared dead to date.

The virus is rapidly spreading across the east of the country, with its transmission being sped up due to repeated military attacks and a mistrust of doctors.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's ongoing Ebola outbreak has seen 1,466 cases and 957 deaths since it was declared in August. This makes it the second worst in history

An Ebola health worker is seen at a treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on April 16

A total of 1,466 confirmed and probable Ebola cases have struck the DRC since August, according to the Ministry of Health DRC.

The outbreak is most severe in the countrys eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, where at least 891 people have died and an additional 500 have been infected to date, Reuters reported.

The disease has been made worse by armed militiamen, who reportedly believe Ebola is a conspiracy against them. As a result, they have repeatedly attacked health workers who are trying to fight the deadly virus.

A resident of Cameroon was even killed earlier this month while working as a senior epidemiologist for the World Health Organization in Butembo, in the east of the DRC.

The military prosecutor's office believe they have captured the killers' ringleader, who they think belongs to the armed group Patriotic Union for the Liberation of Congo.

Doctors fighting to save the lives of Ebola sufferers have threatened to strike if health workers continue to be attacked in the African nation.

The east of the DRC is a highly volatile region, with dozens of active militia. Many distrust the Government's efforts to contain Ebola and falsely believe foreigners have brought the virus to the area.

The latest Ebola outbreak is the tenth the DRC has experienced since the virus was discovered in 1976 and is second only in severity to the devastating epidemic in West Africa in 2014.

The UN said last week this outbreak is of 'deep concern' but argued it is not a global emergency.

However, a top Red Cross official said he was 'more concerned than I have ever been' about the potential of Ebola spreading to other regions.

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 occurred over two days a few weeks ago.

He called that rate unprecedented in this outbreak.

Health workers are pictured marching in the city of Butembo in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) yesterday after attackers shot dead an epidemiologist last week while the medic was working for the World Health Organization to fight Ebola

A policeman is pictured guarding a hospital in Butembo on April 20 after militia members attacked an Ebola treatment centre in the city's Katwa district overnight. Armed militiamen reportedly believe Ebola is a conspiracy against them and have hampered efforts to fight it

Congo's president Felix Tshisekedi (pictured in the striped shirt) is pictured visiting an Ebola treatment centre in Beni, eastern Congo, on April 16. He said he wants to see the deadly outbreak contained in less than three months, but experts warn it could take twice as long
For many, it is a convenient and effective form of contraception.

But, according to a new study, a form of the coil could be linked to anxiety and depression in nearly a fifth of the women who choose to have one each year.

The finding comes as growing numbers of women are opting to have the coil, a T-shaped device which is implanted in the womb. These use either copper (known as an intrauterine device, or IUD) or hormones (known as an intrauterine system, IUS) to prevent pregnancy.

Unlike the Pill, which women have to remember to take every day, the devices can be left in place for between three and ten years and only surgical sterilisation is better at preventing pregnancy.

Did you know? Long-acting forms of contraception, heavily promoted by the NHS, have almost doubled in use in ten years, from 21 per cent in 2007 to 40 per cent in 2017

The IUS is also often billed as being safer than the Pill because the hormones they release are contained within the womb; with a swallowed pill, they are dispersed throughout the whole body, including the brain.

Long-acting forms of contraception, heavily promoted by the NHS, have almost doubled in use in ten years, from 21 per cent in 2007 to 40 per cent in 2017.

The potential problems are being attributed to progestin  a synthetic form of the naturally occurring female hormone progesterone  which is used in hormonal coils, including leading brands Mirena and Levosert.

Some research suggests progestin dampens levels of beta-arrestin 1, a protein thought to be key in maintaining healthy signalling between brain nerve cells. Levels often fall when someone has depression.

Taking the oral contraceptive pill may also cut levels of the protein. A Danish study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry three years ago found that women taking progestin-only pills  also called the mini pill  were 34 per cent more at risk of depression than women not on this pill.

For those on the combined pill  which contains oestrogen and progestin and is the type most commonly taken in the UK  the figure was 23 per cent.

But a coil was not thought to have this effect because its impact is largely local to the womb.

For the new research, experts from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Dundee University studied nearly 11,000 women in the UK who were prescribed either a hormone-based coil or a non-hormonal coil made from copper.

Trend: The finding comes as growing numbers of women are opting to have the coil, a T-shaped device which is implanted in the womb

Hormone-based coils work by gradually releasing progestin (also called levonorgestrel) to thicken mucus around the entrance to the womb, stopping sperm from entering. They are often recommended for women with heavy periods.

Non-hormonal coils rely on the copper they are made from to act as a spermicide  killing sperm that make it to the womb so they are unable to fertilise an egg.

HOW DOES STRESS AFFECT PREGNANCY? Stress in pregnancy makes women more vulnerable to smoking and air pollution, research suggested in July 2017. Highly-stressed pregnant women who smoke are significantly more likely to have low-birth weight babies than more relaxed expecting smokers, a study review found. The combination of high stress and air pollution also increases the risk of having a low-birth weight baby, the research adds. Senior author Professor Tracey Woodruff, from the University of California, San Francisco, said: 'It appears that stress may amplify the health effects of toxic chemical exposure, which means that for some people, toxic chemicals become more toxic.' Co-author Professor Rachel Morello-Frosch, from the University of California, Berkeley, added: 'The bottom line is that poverty-related stress may make people more susceptible to the negative effects of environmental health hazards, and that needs to be a consideration for policymakers and regulators.' The researchers analysed 17 human studies and 22 animal trials that investigated the link between stress, chemicals and foetal development. Stress was defined by factors such as socioeconomic status. Professor Morello-Frosch added: 'While the evidence on the combined effects of chemicals and stress is new and emerging, it is clearly suggestive of an important question of social justice.' Advertisement

The women, who were monitored for 16 years, were free of mental health problems at the start of the study. By its end, those with hormonal implants were 17 per cent more likely than those with the copper coil to experience depression, 18 per cent more at risk of anxiety and 22 per cent more likely to have insomnia or disrupted sleep, according to results published in the journal Drug Safety.

The researchers said that, while they hadnt proved the progestin was to blame, it was plausible it was at fault.

Others are more convinced. Ayman Ewies, a consultant gynaecologist at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, first raised the alarm ten years ago. He told Good Health: Im not at all surprised by the latest findings. Its well known that progestin lowers mood and causes depression. Patient leaflets say less than 10 per cent experience depression, but the real figure is a lot higher  more like 20 per cent.

He adds that claims the coils work only locally within the uterus make no sense, as the uterus is a vascular organ and has a very rich blood supply. From the uterus, progestin can circulate anywhere in the body  including the brain.

Coils are extremely effective and an excellent option for many women, says Mr Ewies, but he adds they should carry prominent warnings about the risks of adverse psychiatric effects.

The good thing is that they are reversible, and the coil can be removed, he says.

But this type of conversation about the potential effects does not take place and most women are simply told not to worry.

Karin OSullivan, clinical lead at the sexual health charity Family Planning Association, stresses the study does not prove the coil causes anxiety and depression.

She says: Many women are using hormonal contraception without problems, and we wouldnt want to see women worried by this study stop using their hormonal method, as this will leave them at risk of unplanned pregnancy.

But, if you think your mental health is being affected, talk to a health professional.
Joshua Osih, Depute SDF Archives

The Cameroon Journalists Trade Union (known by its French acronym SNJC) has demanded an open apology from the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) party after its 1st National Vice President Hon. Joshua Nabangi Osih insulted journalists in a press release on Sunday, April 28, 2019.

Charles Ngah Nforgang, National Secretary for Communication and Alerts on behalf of the SNJC Executive Committee said journalists in Cameroon have no lessons to learn from Joshua Osih and the SDF.

Following the abduction of SDF National Chairman, John Fru Ndi by gunmen on Saturday on his way to Kumbo, Joshua Osih signed a press release on Sunday to announce that Fru Ndi was safely back to his Bamenda residence. He went on to clarify that no ransom was paid for the release of the National Chairman of their party and that he left Kumbo Sunday morning without any escort from the defense and security forces, nor any other escort like was initially recommended by the administration of the locality in connection with authorities in Yaounde.

Osih went on to claim that an emergency meeting was held in Yaounde Saturday night between a a senior state official, the state-party in power and the managers of various press organs in order to trivialize and denature the kidnapping of the National Chairman Ni John Fru Ndi, as if the party needed to wait for the burial of two of its cadres in Kumbo and Douala to proceed with such an ignominy.

Newspapers that have been corrupted will be put to contribution to pour in a venom of denigration on our National Chairman and the SDF as usual, since they are not at their first act. This corrupt press would do better by going to inquire with the Minister of Defence, the Governor of the North West Region and the South West Governor, to see if the attacks on their various convoys in these two regions were mock attacks, the 1st National Vice President of the SDF wrote in Sundays press release.

Given that Osihs utterances came at the eve of the 2019 World Press Freedom Day, Cameroon's journalists feel widely insulted, Nforgang said.

Osih had gone on to write that: Publishing by virtue of banknotes handed-out cannot and will never justify odious publications that tarnish the image of the noble profession of journalism as well as the function of the press in general. Cameroonians will obviously not be surprised by such sponsored articles being dictated for publication in these newspapers early next week.

Nforgang writes that Osih overstepped his limits and his party must apologise. The Cameroon Journalists Trade Union (SNJC) denounces these attacks and unjustified insults against the press and journalists. Even more, the Honourable Joshua N. Osih, the 1st First Vice-President of the SDF, who would otherwise be a medium, even read in the intentions of the media and reporters and announced the contents of the newspapers early this week. It is neither more nor less than a trial in witchcraft.

SNJC calls on the media and journalists not to give in to this SDF attempt to intimidate them and to continue to take an interest in this topic, which is of interest. Our union nevertheless invites journalists to remain professional and refuse any injunction or pressure in any form in the processing of information.

The National Union of Journalists of Cameroon (SNJC) is expecting a solemn apology from the SDF and calls on its members to be ready to respect the orders that will be given to them in case the SDF party continues to mock the press and journalists.

Our union is not accountable for the complicity of press owners with certain clique and invites its members to scrupulously respect the ethics and the deontology in their relationship with their hierarchy.
A device that sticks to the tummy and can tell when the bladder is nearly full could help people with incontinence.

The gadget, about the size of a matchbox, beams ultrasound waves into the abdomen to detect when the bladder is expanding, then sends a message to an app on the patients phone, telling them to go to the loo to avoid an accident.

The 400 gadget, called Dfree, is aimed mainly at those who have incontinence due to urinary retention, where the bladder becomes stretched from being full much of the time. But it could potentially help all incontinence patients keep an eye on bladder control.

The device should become available in the UK within two years.

Game-changer? The 400 gadget, called Dfree, is aimed mainly at those who have incontinence due to urinary retention, where the bladder becomes stretched over time

When the bladder is just over half full, muscles in its wall usually send a message to the brain, which then tells us we need to urinate while at the same time telling the bladder to hold on until the appropriate moment.

However, holding on for too long stretches the bladder and interrupts the signals from muscles in the bladder wall that tell the brain it is time to go.

The weakened bladder muscles  due to advancing age, for example  also prevent it emptying fully, leading to frequent small leaks that sufferers do not feel coming. The stick-on monitor uses the same technology as an ultrasound machine used to scan babies in the womb during pregnancy.

It analyses the pattern of soundwaves as they bounce back from the bladder and uses the information to work out how full it is.

If the bladder was empty, the waves would bounce back in a straight line. But when it is expanding and becoming rounder, the waves return at different angles.

When the bladder is roughly 70 per cent full, the device wirelessly sends a message to the patients phone, telling them to go to the toilet. It then sends regular alerts as the bladder gets more full. If a patient wants earlier notice, it can be programmed to alert them when the bladder is, say, 50 per cent full.

The device comes with ultrasound gel that is rubbed on the skin to help the transmission of soundwaves into the body. Patients secure it with medical tape to the skin between the navel and the top of the pubic area, and wear it all day.

Innovative: The stick-on monitor uses the same technology as an ultrasound machine used to scan babies in the womb during pregnancy

Its attached by a lead to a small battery-powered monitor clipped to the patients waistband, which contains a computer chip to process the data fed through from the ultrasound device.

A 2018 study in Annals of Emergency Medicine showed ultrasound is an effective way to measure how full the bladder is. Researchers at Columbia University in New York used soundwaves  although not the Dfree device itself  to monitor urine content in the bladders of more than 100 women, and found scans every 30 minutes allowed them to measure fullness.

Marc Laniado, a consultant urologist at Frimley Health NHS Trust, in Surrey, says: Our bladders can become stretched over time and nerves in the bladder wall no longer respond as they should.

Its partly age-related but holding on for too long can also make it worse. This device could help some, but most people with incontinence will not benefit from it as they tend to go very often, rather than too little.

MEANWHILE, yoga may help women with incontinence, according to a study at Loyola University Chicago. Twelve women went to gentle yoga classes twice a week and had their incontinence symptoms monitored.

After two months, all but three of the women reported reduced symptoms  along with improved quality of life, depressive symptoms and sleep quality, reports the journal Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery.

One theory is that yoga may strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that help women gain control of involuntary leaks.
A toddler who swallowed a battery spent a week in intensive care after the acid burnt through her oesophagus and left her vomiting black gunk.

Abigayle Galle, now two, put the battery in her mouth last July after her father Jeff Galle, 26, bought it for his watch.

The sanitation worker watched in horror as the then 15-month-old retched and screamed out in pain, with him being oblivious as to what had just happened.

The youngster was rushed to A&E, where an X-ray revealed she had swallowed a circular object, which doctors initially believed to be a coin.

Abigayle was airlifted to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, where medics discovered the lodged object was actually a battery and needed removing immediately.

The battery was taken out, and the youngster, of Abilene, Texas, spent two-and-a-half weeks on a feeding tube. Now home, she still suffers from breathing and digestive difficulties.

Abigayle Galle spent a week in intensive care after swallowing a battery meant for her father's watch. The acid burnt through the youngster's esophagus. She is pictured after the ordeal

After the battery was removed in emergency surgery, Abigayle spent two-and-a-half weeks in hospital on feeding tubes (pictured) before she was able to eat properly

X-ray reveals the circular battery in her oesophagus, which was initially thought to be a coin

Abigayle's mother Lacey Walters, who is a stay-at-home mother-of-four, said: 'Abigayle's dad had gotten a new battery for his watch but it ended up being the wrong size.

'He left it on his computer desk where Abigayle got her hands on it. Jeff was watching her while I was out trying to run some errands.

'He called me up, and said she was crying and trying to throw up.

'I hurried home straight away and I watched her for ten minutes. Her voice was growing so faint and weak. It was clear she was hurting.'

Abigayle was initially taken to Hendrick Medical Center's A&E department on the north side of Abilene, where the family waited for an hour to be seen, according to their GoFundMe page. This was set up to cover travel costs to the hospital.

Growing impatient, the youngster's grandmother Missty George, 45, a healthcare worker, rushed Abigayle to 'the south side ER', where she was seen immediately.

'She was taken in for an X-ray and it looked like she had a quarter stuck in her throat,' Ms Walters said. 'It was lodged in her airway, which was making it difficult to breathe.

'She started throwing up and it was terrifying. It was black.'

After doctors quickly looked her over, Abigayle was airlifted to Cook Children's Medical Center, which is a two hour drive from the family's home.

Medics then discovered the 'coin' was in fact a battery and Abigayle had emergency surgery at 4.30am.

After weeks on feeding tubes (pictured left), Abigayle is home but still suffers from breathing and digestive difficulties. Unsure whether her daughter would recover, mother Lacey Walters (pictured together right) was 'so worried' and could not even see the youngster before surgery

The battery acid partially burnt through Abigayle's esophagus wall, leaving her in severe pain. She is pictured in hospital recovering after surgery to remove the lodged object

'The doctor told us it had to come out immediately,' Ms Walters said.

'She was rushed into surgery. We didn't get to see her before surgery because it was so urgent. I was so worried.'

Fortunately, the battery's acid had not burnt completely through Abigayle's oesophagus wall. But the toddler still had to be fitted with a feeding tube until her gullet healed.

'They said if the battery had been in there any longer it would have been catastrophic,' Ms Walters said.

'Sometimes when she sleeps she makes these scary gasping noises, and she has problems with choking and swallowing.

'We cut up Abigayle's food really finely now because she has trouble.'

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 3,500 incidents of button battery ingestion are reported to US poison control centers each year.

Ms Walters is urging other parents to be extremely cautious with where they leave batteries around the house.

'I've become extremely protective and I am overly careful about everything now,' she said. 'I could have never imagined a little battery could cause so much damage.

'I would urge other parents to be extremely careful with batteries. They are in everything.'

Pictured left in hospital, Abigayle still makes gasping sounds when she sleeps and has difficulty swallowing. Her father Jeff Gale (pictured right together) watched in horror as his daughter began retching and screaming in agony. He was oblivious to what had happened
A British woman fighting for her life in a hospital in Tenerife failed to tell her travel insurance firm that she had emphysema.

Elaine Ruddick, 57, has been in hospital since Friday, April 19, after developing pneumonia. She is now in intensive care.

Her husband Charlie, 62, said he doesn't know whether his wife will survive, and friends back home have set up a fundraiser to help him stay by her side.

Her travel firm StaySure refused to pay-out for the spiralling costs of care, which Mrs Ruddicks husband, Charlie, 62, blamed on a technicality.

However, the company claims that Mrs Ruddicks policy is invalid because she failed to declare several medical conditions, including emphysema.

Elaine Ruddick was taken into intensive care in a Spanish hospital after developing pneumonia following an illness with a viral infection (Pictured: Mrs Ruddick in hospital with her husband, Charlie, by her side)

A StaySure spokesperson said: 'As with any travel insurance policy, it is essential that the policy holder updates the insurer of any new medical conditions or diagnoses.

'In this instance, Mrs Ruddick failed to declare several medical conditions, including the lung condition emphysema, the presence of which dramatically increases her chances of contracting pneumonia. This has rendered their policy invalid.

'We sympathise with the family about the difficult situation they're facing, and, as a gesture of goodwill, we're working closely with them to support with Mrs Ruddick's repatriation to the UK.'

Emphysema is a progressive lung disease that makes the lungs weak, raising the risk of any infection that could lead to pneumonia.

'This is the closest I have ever come to losing my wife in 37 years of marriage,' Mr Ruddick told The Sun.

'I have never cried so much in all my life. It has been touch and go for over a week. She's still very critical, but thankfully getting a little bit more stable.

'It's almost unbearable for me to see the pain in her face, but I have to be strong to tell her it will be okay. Honestly though, I don't know if she is going to live or not.

'I feel so emotionally drained. This holiday has turned out to be a complete nightmare.'

Mrs Ruddick is currently in intensive care in a hospital in Santa Cruz on the holiday island.

Her condition is improving and she can open her eyes but is still critically ill, Mr Ruddick said.

He retired from work to be a full-time carer for his wife after she became partly paralysed as a result of her stroke four years ago.

A fundraiser set up to help the couple, from Milton Keynes, with medical bills has raised 2,000 so far, but their costs are already believed to be around 7,500.

Mr Ruddick claims the insurance company StaySure has refused to pay out because of a chest infection, which may have been bronchitis, his wife suffered from last year.

Mr Ruddick said he disclosed his wife's serious medical conditions on the insurance form, including her stroke, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

'I put everything down that I thought was important,' he told MailOnline.

'The company is meant to specialise in over-50s. After she became ill they asked for a three-year medical history and have pulled out something from last year.

'They want to get out of their financial obligations.'

Mr Ruddick said they paid around 160 for the cover for both of them for a 10-day holiday.

A StaySure spokesperson said: 'As with any travel insurance policy, it is essential that the policy holder updates the insurer of any new medical conditions or diagnoses.

'In this instance, Mrs Ruddick failed to declare several medical conditions, including the lung condition emphysema, the presence of which dramatically increases her chances of contracting pneumonia. This has rendered their policy invalid.

'We sympathise with the family about the difficult situation they're facing, and, as a gesture of goodwill, we're working closely with them to support with Mrs Ruddick's repatriation to the UK.'

Mrs Ruddick first became ill earlier this month with a viral infection, which doctors haven't named, but quickly developed pneumonia.

Mrs Ruddick had been on holiday with her husband, Charlie, for three days before she became ill. Mr Ruddick said the couple's insurance has refused to pay out because of a 'technicality'

Mrs Ruddick was left partly paralysed by a stroke she had in 2015 and her husband has given up work to care for her

Mr Ruddick, who has had to pay to stay longer than intended in Tenerife so he can be by his wife's side, said: 'It's almost unbearable for me to see the pain in her face, but I have to be strong to tell her it will be okay'

Pneumonia is a condition which causes swelling in the lungs' airways and leads to fluid building up in tiny sacs which are supposed to fill with air when you breathe.

The symptoms are triggered by infection and can develop quickly, within a day or two, leaving patients coughing, struggling to breathe and feverish.

Around eight in 1,000 people develop pneumonia each year in the UK. It can be deadly among elderly people or those with weak immune systems.

Mrs Ruddick is being treated in a university hospital in Santa Cruz, and the couple have now been in the country for two weeks.

They were supposed to fly home on April 26, but Mr Ruddick has since flown their son out to join them and has to pay for hotels to continue to be near his wife.

He is only allowed to visit for an hour-and-a-half per day while she is in intensive care and said it could be three weeks or more before before she is allowed to fly home.

To donate to the fundraiser for Elaine Ruddick visit the GoFundMe page.

MailOnline has contacted StaySure for comment on the case.
Miss Atkinson has had to put her life on hold every month since her diagnosis

A woman has revealed her PMS symptoms are so extreme that she has considered having a hysterectomy at the age of 22.

Charlotte Atkinson, of Greenwich, south east London, has such severe mood swings she stops working and hides in her bedroom every time she has a period.

The film producer suffers with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) which causes anxiety, depression and, at its worst, psychosis or suicidal thoughts.

It's only become a recognised psychological condition within the past decade, and doctors believe it could be caused by genetics.

Therefore, Miss Atkinson, who must put her life and relationships on hold every month, said she would hate to pass the condition on if she has a daughter.

Charlotte Atkinson, of Greenwich, doesn't leave her bedroom for five days every period because of her severe form of PMS. Pictured, on a bad day having to attend an event

The film producer suffers with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which causes anxiety, depression and, at its worst, psychosis or suicidal thoughts

Miss Atkinson said of her PMDD: 'You never know what you are going to get, but I know it's best to keep to myself when I am suffering those symptoms so I will block those four or five days out in my diary, tell everyone I can't do anything then and retreat to my room.

'I know these feelings will pass after a few days, but they are so difficult to deal with that even though I want children one day, I have thought about having a hysterectomy as a last resort.'

Although the exact cause of the condition is unclear, research has shown PMDD may be linked to stressful and traumatic past events, according to charities.

Miss Atkinson believes her symptoms were first triggered by the pressure of exams.

During A levels, Miss Atkinson said her menstrual cycle went haywire, resulting in a week-long heavy period.

By her late teens, this could happen three times in a month, leading to her mother persuading her to see a doctor who tested for her for a thyroid problem.

WHAT IS PMDD COMPARED TO PMS? While most women with PMS find their symptoms uncomfortable, a small percentage have symptoms severe enough to stop them living their normal lives. This is the result of a more intense type of PMS known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The symptoms of PMDD are similar to those of PMS, but are more exaggerated and often have more psychological symptoms than physical ones. Symptoms can include: feelings of hopelessness

persistent sadness or depression

extreme anger and anxiety

decreased interest in usual activities

sleeping much more or less than usual

very low self-esteem

extreme tension and irritability As depression is a common symptom of PMDD, it's possible that a woman with PMDD may have thoughts about suicide. PMDD can be particularly difficult to deal with as it can have a negative effect on your daily life and relationships. Source: MIND Advertisement

Miss Atkinson, who grew-up on the Herefordshire border with South Wales, said: 'It was after all my exams and I told the doctor my periods had gone mental.

'I'd gone from having very light periods lasting just four or five days, to losing so much blood I would have to use toilet paper to boost the sanitary pad I was wearing when I was at school.'

The fatigue, crankiness and mood swings began around the age of 19, when Miss Atkinson read about PMDD and felt it could have been written about her.

Miss Atkinson claims she was the first to realise she had PNDD after doing research.

She said: 'It was such a relief to read the symptoms of PMDD and think I had them all.

'I thought, "I've got to deal with this now," but it was still better than not knowing what was wrong with me.'

Many women suffer with PMS symptoms, including headaches, stomach pains, diarrhoea, breast tenderness and depression in the run up to their period.

The psychological symptoms of PMDD, of which the prevalence is unclear, are considered to be caused by a genetic sensitivity to the normal hormonal fluctuations leading up to the menstrual bleed.

The hormone changes may cause a deficiency in serotonin, a substance found naturally in the brain that affects mood.

The symptoms can include extreme anxiety, psychosis, depression and wanting to harm yourself and others.

When Miss Atkinson, who is single, realised she had it, she returned to her doctor who had not heard of the condition.

Miss Atkinson has revealed that her PMS symptoms are so extreme that she has considered having a hysterectomy at the age of 22

Miss Atkinson, pictured on a bad PMDD day on her birthday, said she worries she will ruin special occasions or events because she can't help how her PMDD will make her angry

In order to get through, when the symptoms start and she can no longer deal with day-to-day life, Miss Atkinson closes her bedroom door, turns off her phone and locks herself away in self-imposed exile until she has struggled through it

She admits: 'The symptoms, which for me can include feeling suicidal for two or three days, are unrelenting.'

When her symptoms start and she can no longer deal with day-to-day life, Miss Atkinson closes her bedroom door, turns off her phone and locks herself away in self-imposed exile until she has struggled through it.

Despite finding this the best way to deal with her symptoms, Miss Atkinson would not recommend this technique to other sufferers.

She said: 'I know I'm going to be a nightmare to live with because of these symptoms so I tend to keep people, including friends, at arm's length.

'Friends do try and be supportive, but it is a roller coaster for them, too, because it doesn't just happen and then it's over.

'It's going to happen again the following month and again the one after that.

'I've just learned that it's best to keep to myself when I am in the bad place and I keep trying to remind myself those feelings will pass.'

While no one knows the exact cause of PMDD, Miss Atkinson does fear that she could one day pass it on to a daughter if it turns out to be genetic.

Miss Atkinson said: 'Sometimes when I am feeling either hopeless or numb I take myself off to Ikea or HomeSense. I don't know why this works but I think you can just sort of lose yourself in those massive places'. Pictured having a bad PMDD day in a homeware store

Although the exact cause of the condition is unclear, Miss Atkinson believes her symptoms were first triggered by the pressure of GCSE exams

She said: 'Because I've been coping with this condition for a few years, I know what to expect for those few days when it's at its worst.

'I can't work and I won't go out when PMDD is kicking my a***.

'I'm also worried that if it is a genetic condition, then if I had a daughter, I might pass it on to her and then I would feel really guilty because I know just how bad those days can be.'

As well as retreating from the world, Miss Atkinson has found some unusual ways of calming her excessive move swings.

She said: 'Sometimes when I am feeling either hopeless or numb I take myself off to Ikea or HomeSense.

'I don't know why this works but I think you can just sort of lose yourself in those massive places.

'As much as I try to keep to myself, it's not always possible, especially for things with a fixed date like your birthday.

'If those dates coincide with me having PMDD then I tend to get even more worked up, thinking I'm going to spoil the day by being quiet or angry or impatient, which just results in more depression and more anxiety.'

When Miss Atkinson realised she had PMDD by reading articles online, she returned to the doctor who, back then, had not heard of the condition. It was later confirmed

Some doctors will prescribe antidepressants or the pill to try and help alleviate PMDD symptoms, but Miss Atkinson has tried the pill with no success and does not feel confident that antidepressants will work for PMDD symptoms.

She said: 'I am lucky because I work as a freelance film producer, so I just work out when those days will be, block them out of diary and stay away from people.'

PMDD is commonly defined as an endocrine disorder, meaning that it is a hormone-related disorder. But because it has recently been listed as a mental health problem.

If you're experiencing suicidal feelings you can call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 to talk.
A medical student looked at his own sperm under a microscope and filmed the fascinating close-ups on his iPhone.

Martin Kristiansen shot the footage of his semen, magnified up to 1,000 times, to give an insight into the world of reproductive cells.

His recording, made in the comfort of his home, shows thousands of the tiny cells darting back and forth full of life.

The biomedicine student at Aalborg University in Denmark was shocked to see just how lively his semen was.

Martin Kristiansen shot footage of his semen up close, back in September, to give an insight into the world of reproductive cells

He told MailOnline: 'When I first looked at the sample I was blown away by the enormous amount of cells, and how lively they were.

'I actually had to dilute the sample a bit to be able to see the individual cells and not just a big blur of moving cells. I knew what the sample should look like, but it was an entirely different thing to see it for myself.'

Mr Kristiansen posted the video on his YouTube channel, My Microscopic World, alongside a series of similar videos showing wonders of micoorganisms in our every day life.

The magnified reproductive cells underneath the microscope, highlighted in Mr Kristiansen's video, give an insight into sperm's quest.

Sperm cells are streamlined for maximum speed and efficiency, tasked only to fertilise an egg.

They are competitive in their mission, but in the end, only around 15 out of a 55million sperm count that set out to fertilise the egg are able to make it through the reproductive tract in the female.

Researchers at York University found in March that healthy sperm have better capabilities due to a reinforced outer-layer which coats their tails.

It gives them the strength to make the powerful rhythmic strokes needed to break through the cervical mucus barrier.

He filmed the fascinating close-ups with his iPhone mounted on a microscope

There are millions of sperm, medically called spermatozoa, in the semen, the white or grey liquid that is ejaculated from the penis.

But there is a large variation in men's sperm count, due to factors such as stress, obesity, drug and alcohol use - and exposure to high levels of pollution, according to emerging evidence.

A healthy, normal sperm count will have a concentration of at least 20million sperm per ml of semen, according to The World Health Organisation.

At least 25 per cent should be swimming with rapid movement, and a further 50 per cent be moving, even if slowly.

A low sperm count, also called oligozoospermia, is where a man has fewer than 15 million sperm per millilitre of semen, which could affect fertility.

Lifestyle changes can improve a man's chances of becoming a father, and the NHS recommends keeping active, keeping the testicles cool, and reducing stress, drugs and alcohol intake.
The Welsh Health Minister has apologised to the families affected by the deaths of 27 babies at two maternity units in Wales.

Vaughan Gething said he was 'deeply saddened' by failures that led to 43 potentially serious incidents, including 22 stillbirths and five deaths, over two years.

A major review said maternity patients are at risk at two hospitals run by NHS Cwm Taf University Health Board, which are now in special measures - the highest level of intervention.

The hospitals have apologised for the 'totally unacceptable' care that pregnant women and children received.

Mothers affected by the scandal have spoken of the 'extremely distressing' care they were given at the hands of staff at the trust.

Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething has apologised and said he was 'deeply saddened' by failures at two maternity units in Wales. Pictured in 2015

Monique Aziz, from Coed-Ely, Rhondda Cynon Taff, told the BBC in October last year that she just wanted to know 'what went wrong'.

Her baby son, Jesse, died six days after leaving hospital and Ms Aziz is still demanding answers about the care she received.

She said: 'I just want to know if he would have still been here if things had been done differently.'

The independent review, published by the Welsh Government today, was ordered by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology and the Royal College of Midwives.

It was prompted after 'serious concerns' were raised about 43 pregnancies between January 2016 and September 2018.

WHAT WERE THE 11 AREAS OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN? 1. The lack of availability of a consultant obstetrician to support the labour ward. Although cover is shown on rota schedules, there is often no actual presence and difficulty in making contact. 2. There is fragmented consultant cover for the labour ward with frequent handovers, with up to 4 in 24 hours. 3. There is inadequate support provided for trainee and middle grade doctors within the obstetric service and particularly on the labour ward. 4. The availability of consultants during out of hours cover is unacceptable, with return times of up to 45 minutes. 5. The service has a high usage of locum staff at all grades and specialities. There is no effective induction programme for these staff. 6. There was a lack of awareness and accessibility to guidelines, protocols, triggers and escalations. (There was no guidance for common pregnancy complications e.g. pre-eclampsia, which may present to the day unit). This is particularly relevant given point 5 above. 7. The lack of a functioning governance system does not support safe practice. 8. The practice of accepting neonates onto the neonatal unit at the Royal Glamorgan site from 28 weeks of gestation is out of line with national guidance and should stop with immediate effect, reverting to the standard cut off for this level of unit of 32 weeks of gestation. 9. The high risk obstetric antenatal clinic must be attended and led by a consultant obstetrician with the relevant skills. 10. The midwifery staffing levels are not compliant with the findings of the Birthrate plus review in 2017. The Health Board needs to monitor this in real time at a senior level, to assess if the established escalation protocols need to be invoked to ensure patient safety. 11. The culture within the service is still perceived as punitive. Staff require support from senior management at this difficult time. Advertisement

An investigation into maternity units at Cwm Taf University Health Board, which has two hospitals in South Wales, raised 'significant concerns'. Monique Aziz's baby son died days after leaving hospital and is still demanding answers about the care she received

There were around 22 stillbirths, five neonatal deaths and 16 complications in labour. Only 13 had been recorded correctly, the report found.

The review said staff were under 'extreme pressure' at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant and Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, and they worked under 'sub-optimal' clinical and managerial leadership.

There were 11 areas of immediate concern including the lack of availability of a consultant obstetrician and inadequate support for junior doctors.

Low staffing levels, lack of support for junior doctors and lack of awareness of guidelines were criticised.

It also found 'fragmented' consultant cover and 'unacceptable' availability of consultants during out-of-hours cover.

A separate report from the same team, which shared the views of 140 family members, said some women's suspicions and concerns about their pregnancies were ignored by staff, which then led to tragic outcomes including stillbirth and neonatal death of their babies.

Almost two thirds of women questioned felt they had not had good quality care during their pregnancy.

One woman told the report: 'I'm broken from the whole experience, the lack of care and compassion.

'That terrible experience I was put through because of the staff that treated me. That experience will stay with me forever.

'I felt worthless, like I did not matter - that's how I felt.'

Many women and families received no bereavement counselling or support after the loss of a baby, and continue to experience emotional distress.

An NHS trust has launched an investigation into 43 serious incidents including baby deaths and stillbirths at two maternity units. Pictured, Ms Aziz when she was pregnant

POLITICS DEMAND HEALTH MINISTER RESIGNS In response to the independent report, Plaid Cymru called for Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething to resign. Shadow Health Minister Helen Mary Jones AM said the report had found 'extremely severe shortcomings' in the standard of care and said Vaughan Mr Gething had 'no option' but to step down. She added: 'What's happening at Cwm Taf is part of a consistent pattern of failure: from these appalling failings in maternity services, to years of under performance at Betsi Cadwaladr in the North, the mistreatment of patients at the Tawel Fan ward at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, and the poor patient care identified in Bridgend in the Andrews report. 'The same issues of staffing shortages, management not listening to staff, and patient concerns being brushed under the carpet keep being highlighted - and yet nothing changes. 'This pattern of poor performance has now reached a point where the Health Minister must resign. 'Time after time, he has failed to get to grips with the significant challenges facing the Welsh NHS, such that his position is now untenable. 'The public will be unable to have any faith that any meaningful steps will be taken following this report while this Health Minister remains in post. In order to reinstate confidence in our health service, he has no option but to resign.' Advertisement

The review said it was 'dismayed' that an internal report that raised many safety concerns last September was not acted upon, 'thereby continuing to expose women to unacceptable risks'.

Mr Gething said the latest report made 'very difficult reading' and its findings were 'serious and concerning'.

He said: 'I have been deeply saddened by this report. I cannot begin to appreciate quite how distressing it will be for families who have been directly affected by these failures.

'I am also conscious of the concern that will be felt by families currently receiving care in these hospitals and at a time when such a significant life event should be a moment of joy.

'There is no doubt that this report confirms the service has fallen well short of the expectation that I have for care provision anywhere in Wales.

'I am determined that the actions I am announcing today will drive the changes necessary to improve maternity services in Cwm Taf.

'It is vitally important that this work provides reassurance for families currently receiving care in their hospitals.'

Following the report's publication, Cwm Taf health board has 'fully accepted' the findings and said 'putting things right is now the organisation's utmost priority'.

Professor Marcus Longley, Chair of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, said: 'On behalf of the Health Board, I apologise unreservedly for the failings in our maternity service.

'We will now do everything we can to put right the problems identified in the review and we will not stop until our maternity services are of the standards which everyone has a right to expect.

'We are determined to deliver on the recommendations of today's report however we know this will require a significant amount of work and we welcome all additional support to achieve this.'

Allison Williams, Chief Executive of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, said: 'I am deeply sorry for the failings that have been identified in our maternity service.

'Every woman deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, safe in the knowledge that they will receive the very best care at this important and vulnerable time in their life.

'Some of the feedback we have received from patients is extremely distressing and their experience in our maternity service has been totally unacceptable. I would like to offer my sincerest and heartfelt apologies to the families affected and assure them and our community of our absolute commitment to put things right.'

Plaid Cymru called on Mr Gething to resign, saying the failings followed a series of others at other health boards in Wales in recent years.
A male gene which triggers abnormal testosterone levels among women could be the main cause of infertility, suggests new research.

A study into the causes of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects one in 10 women of childbearing age, found DNA containing high levels of testosterone plays a key role in the condition.

PCOS, the leading cause of infertility among women and type 2 diabetes, affects one in 10 women of childbearing age.

The study, by Chicago and New York scientists, is the first of its kind to use family-based genetic analysis to investigate the causes of PCOS.

The gene is important in testosterone production in the ovary - which is a key hormonal imbalance found in women suffering with PCOS

The condition is also linked to weight gain, excessive hair growth and acne among women.

Research revealed a gene involved in male hormone production called DENND1A plays a major role in the development of PCOS.

The discovery could now lead to new methods of treatment.

Study lead author Dr Andrea Dunaif, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said: 'PCOS is a major cause of female infertility and is associated with other serious health problems.

'Our findings provide important new insights into the mechanisms by which genetic variation causes PCOS.

'The rare genetic variants we found may be much better for predicting the condition than the common variants.

'Targeting pathways regulated by this gene could lead to new therapies for the condition.'

Dr Dunaif explored the genetic basis of PCOS.

She and her team analysed the whole-genome sequencing of DNA from the members of 62 families of women with PCOS.

Families who volunteered to be a part of the study included both parents and one or more reproductive-age daughters with PCOS as well as unaffected daughters.

The genes were analyzed and the team discovered which genes contained variants likely to be damaging women's ovaries.

Roughly half of the families were found to bear rare genetic variants of the male gene, DENND1A, in their reproductive and metabolic hormone levels.

The gene is important in testosterone production in the ovary - which is a key hormonal imbalance found in women suffering with PCOS.

Co-author, Dr Geoffrey Hayes, an associate professor at Northwestern University, added: 'After sequencing the entire genomes of many families affected by the disease, this has enabled us to study how certain rare genetic variants are associated with PCOS.

'We hope our results will help uncover some of the involved hereditary mechanisms and ultimately teach us more about the molecular drivers of the disorder.'

Research began at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and completed at the Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai in New York.

The findings were published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
A federal judge in Florida called an insurance company 'immoral and barbaric' for denying coverage for prostate cancer treatment.

US District Judge Robert Scola of Miami recused himself from the lawsuit against UnitedHealthcare and said he can't be impartial, citing his personal experience with prostate cancer.

Richard Cole, 71, a prominent Miami attorney, sued UnitedHealthcare in April after it denied coverage for proton beam therapy to treat his cancer because it was 'experimental,' reported the Miami Herald.

'It is undisputed among legitimate medical experts that proton radiation therapy is not experimental and causes much less collateral damage than traditional radiation,' Scola wrote in his order of recusal filed on Monday.

'To deny a patient this treatment, if it is available, is immoral and barbaric.'

US District Judge Robert Scola (left) recused himself from the case filed by attorney Richard Cole (right) against UnitedHealthcare after it denied coverage for proton beam therapy to treat Cole's prostate cancer. Scola said that denying Cole coverage for treatment was 'immoral and barbaric'

In his order of recusal, Scola wrote that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017.

The American Cancer Society says prostate cancer is the most common cancer in US men aside from skin cancer.

In 2019, it estimated that more than 174,600 men will be diagnosed with the cancer and more than 31,600 will die from it.

Prostate cancer typically grows slowly and, if detected early while it's still confined to the prostate gland, there is a successful chance of treatment.

The most common surgery to treat prostate cancer is called a radical prostatectomy, which is when the entire prostate gland is removed along with some surrounding

Doctors recommended that Scola receive a highly effective form of radiotherapy called proton beam therapy, reported the Herald.

It uses a high energy beam of protons rather than high energy X-rays, delivering targeted doses to the cancerous areas without destroying healthy tissue.

'All the experts opined that if I opted for radiation treatment, proton radiation was by far the wiser course of action,' Scola wrote.

Scola said he opted for surgery but that the doctors' 'opinions [are] still resonant.'

The plaintiff, Cole, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in spring 2018, according to the Herald.

Court documents state that he received care at Baptist Health South Florida's Miami Cancer Institute, which is affiliated with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Doctors at both hospitals recommended that Cole undergo proton beam therapy because he would have fewer side effects and he would recover more quickly.

WHAT IS PROTON BEAM THERAPY? Proton beam therapy is a type of radiotherapy that aims proton beams, rather than X-rays, to treat cancer. It delivers a high energy beam of protons, delivering targeted doses to the cancerous areas. Proton beam therapy also doesn't damage surrounding healthy tissue like conventional radiotherapy. It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1988. The therapy is currently used to treat: Central nervous system cancers

Eye cancer

Head and neck cancer

Lung cancer

Liver cancer

Non-cancerous brain tumors

Prostate cancer

Spinal and pelvic sarcomas Radiotherapy can lead to side effects such as nausea and can sometimes disrupt how some organs function, but proton beam therapy has a lower risk of side effects. It is more expensive than traditional therapy, costing as much as $32,000 for one treatment compared to $19,000 for standard treatment. Source: American Society of Clinical Oncology Advertisement

However, Cole's insurer, UnitedHealthcare, denied coverage for the therapy, deeming it 'experimental and investigational,' Stephanie Casey, one of the attorneys who is representing Cole, told the Herald.

However, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the treatment in 1988 and it is paid for by Medicare.

Cole argues in the complaint that the company denied his request because proton beam therapy is more expensive than traditional radiation treatment.

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2013, Medicare pays roughly $19,000 for a full dose of traditional radiation therapy for prostate cancer, and more than $32,000 for proton beam therapy.

Scott Warwick, executive director of the nonprofit National Association for Proton Therapy, told the Herald that a survey of the organization's members showed that about 50 percent of requests for proton beam therapy are denied by commercial health insurers.

Cole said he delayed his care as he appealed UnitedHealthcare's decision.

'I was frustrated and frightened,' he told the Herald. 'Any time anybody tells you that you have cancer, it's not a good day. Then to be told they had to delay treatment because the insurer hadn't or wouldn't approve it made it a worse day.'

Cole eventually decided to pay for the treatment himself during the appeals process. For two months of treatment, he says he paid $85,000.

There is 'no credible evidence that proton beam therapy is safer or more effective than the proven and covered treatments that are the standard of care for cervical cancer', UnitedHealthcare told CNN in August 2018

Cole filed his lawsuit in April and is currently seeking class action status.

Maria Gordon Shydlo, communications director for UnitedHealthcare, sent a statement to DailyMail.com that read: 'UnitedHealthcare bases its medical policies and coverage decisions - including for proton beam therapy - on the prevailing published clinical and scientific evidence.'

Last year, Ron Cunnigham, of Oklahoma, sued Aetna after the company denied to cover proton beam therapy to treat his late wife's nasopharyngeal cancer.

In November, a jury found Aetna guilty of reckless disregard and awarded Cunningham and his wife's estate more than $25million in what is believed to be among the largest in a single 'bad faith' insurance case.
Under-funded suicide prevention hotlines and websites struggle to field demand in the wake of celebrity suicides, a new study finds.

Suicide rates increased 20 percent in the 30 days after Robin Williams's death by suicide in 2014, according to new data from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

There was also a 225-percent spike in calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the NIMH found.

However, just 57 percent of calls were answered - down from the usual 75 percent of calls that support networks usually get to on any given week.

Meanwhile, there was a 300 percent increase in visits to websites that promote suicide awareness and prevention.

The researchers say the findings show an urgent need for more funding to suicide prevention and crisis mental health services so that workers can handle surges in calls or visits, especially in the wake of a highly-publicized suicide.

A new study from the National Institute of Mental Health found that suicide rates increased by 20% from between 113 and 117 suicide deaths per day before actor Robin Williams committed suicide in August 2014 to 142 per day after his death

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US and the second leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 10 and 34.

Figures released last year from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that suicide rates in the US increased by nearly four percent between 2015 and 2016 and by 33 percent since 1999.

There are generally increases in suicides rates in the spring and a second, smaller increase in early summer.

However, spikes can also occur when a celebrity commits suicide, because it's often seen as a shock.

For the study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, the team looked at suicide rates within the 30 days of Williams's suicide on August 11, 2014.

Visits to the websites for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education rose by 300% the day after Williams's death. Pictured: Williams in October 2013

Using data from the CDC's Compressed Mortality File, researchers compared the number of deaths by suicide before and after the date of William's suicide and compared it with the same time frame in 2012 and 2013.

They also studied the changes in the percent of calls the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline was able to answer after the comedian's death.

Researchers found that between 2012 and 2014, there were an average of between 113 and 117 suicide deaths per day.

But after Williams's suicide, this increased to average of 142 suicide deaths per day, a spike that did not occur in 2012 or 2013.

Even more shocking, nearly two-thirds of people who committed suicide in the 30 days after Williams's death used the same method the actor did to kill himself.

'Unfortunately, we know that celebrity suicides, like that of Mr Williams, can lead to increases in suicides in the general population,' said lead author Dr Rajeev Ramchand of the Cohen Veterans Network.

'This study reveals that help-seeking also increases dramatically after these high-profile events, but that available crisis services may be insufficiently resourced to meet this demand.'

The team also found that calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline spiked by 225 percent the day after Williams's suicide.

Data showed that the week before Williams died, about 4,000 to 6,000 calls were received by the hotline per day - and nearly 75 percent were answered.

The day after Williams's suicide, almost 13,000 calls were made to the hotline, with just 57 percent of them answered.

Calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline averaged 4,000 to 6,000 per day with nearly 75% answered the week before Williams died. The day after he died, almost 13,000 calls were made to the hotline, with just 57% of them answered

Another spike, after the death of Williams, came in visits to the websites for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education.

In the week before the actor's death, the two websites averaged a combined 3,200 visits.

The day after Williams died, on August 12, there were more than 15,000 visits to either website, and the average remained high for the remainder of the month.

The authors are calling for additional funding to be allocated to crisis mental health services so that operators can handle a potential influx of calls or visits.

"Crisis mental health services, such as suicide prevention hotlines and websites, provide effective counseling and vital resources for people in suicide distress,' said Dr Jane Pearson, chair of the Suicide Research Consortium at NIMH.

'We need to ensure these services have sufficient resources to serve the public 24/7, especially in times of increased demand.'
An Indiana family was charged more than $142,000 in medical bills after their daughter was bitten by a snake at summer camp.

In July 2018, Oakley Yoder, then nine, was with her fellow campers at Shawnee National Forest in Jackson Falls, Illinois, when a snake bit a toe on her right foot, reported Kaiser Health News.

Camp counselors rushed her to first responders, who suggested she be taken to the hospital via air ambulance.

Oakley was taken to St Vincent Evansville hospital in Indiana, where she was given four doses of antivenom for what doctors believe was a copperhead snake bite.

Her parents, Josh Perry and Shelli Yoder, were shocked when they received astronomically high healthcare bills, including $55,000 for the air ambulance and $67,000 for the medicine that saved their daughter's life.

Oakley Yoder, 10, from Bloomington, Indiana, was bitten on the toe by a copperhead snake during summer camp in July 2018. Pictured: Oakley, center, with her parents

She was airlifted to St Vincent Evansville, where she was given four vials of antivenom, and then transferred to Riley Children's Hospital for observation. Pictured: The bill for the air ambulance

Her parents received medical bills for Oakley's care that totaled $142,938. Pictured: The bill for the antivenom

'I was really scared,' Oakley told Kaiser Health News about the bite. 'I thought that I could either get paralyzed or could actually die.'

A camp counselor gave her a piggy back ride to the camp van, which drove Oakley to a parking lot, where first responders were waiting.

It was from there that she was picked up and transported to St Vincent Evansville, where she was given four vials of antivenom.

Oakley, now 10, was subsequently transferred to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis for observation, where her parents met her.

'It was a major comfort for me to realize: "OK, we're getting the best care possible",' Perry told Kaiser Health News, after doctors told him his daughter was going to be fine.

But that comfort quickly faded to dread when bills began arriving less than 24 hours after Oakley was released from the hospital.

First, there was more than $55,500 charged for the air ambulance that transported Oakley to St Vincent Evansville hospital.

For the four vials of antivenom that hospital staff administered to the young girl, the family was charged nearly $68,000.

Bills show the hospital charged almost $17,000 for CroFab, the only medicine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for copperhead bites.

However, that's more than five times the average list price for a vial of CroFab, which goes for $3,200, according to Connecture, a consumer shopping platform for health insurance, reported Kaiser Health.

Bills included more than $55,500 charged for the air ambulance and $67,000 for the vials of antivenom. The family's insurance company negotiated the bills down and paid $107,800, and Oakley's parents didn't have to pay any out-of-pocket costs. Pictured: Oakley with her mother, left, and with her father, right

Oakley's foot has since healed, although the injured toe bends slightly to the right and down. She plans on attending the same summer camp this year

Including additional hospital and physician charges, the bill came to a grand total of $142,938.

Dr Merrit Quarum, CEO of WellRithms, a healthcare cost-containment company, told Kaiser Health News that hospitals often upcharge the price of the drugs used.

The family's insurer, Indiana University, Bloomington Health Plans, was able to negotiate down the bills for the antivenom and air ambulance and paid around $107,800.

Additionally, secondary insurance offered by the summer camp covered more than $7,200 in additional costs, reported Kaiser Health News.

This means that neither Perry nor Yoder had to pay anything in out-of-pocket costs for the incident.

'I know that in this country, in this system, that is a miracle,' Oakley's father, Perry, said.

Oakley's foot has since healed, although the injured toe bends slightly to the right and down.

She told Kaiser Health News that she plans on attending the same summer camp this year.
Christelle Bay Addressing Women Leaders at Workshop Whatsapp

The German Embassy in Cameroon in partnership with Hope for the Needy Foundation(HOFNA)Cameroon, have facilitated the training of over 200 women leaders from the North West and South West regions, on how to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV), faced with the current sociopolitical unrest in that zone.

The workshop that ran separately for two days each, in both regions had as theme,  Building spaces for Women and Responding to/Preventing Gender-Based Violence in Crises and Conflict. It falls under the organisations Power Project(Promotion of Womens Economic, Empowerment and Rights project).

Women leaders from all religious, political and cultural backgrounds, aged between 22-50 years were drilled on peace, gender and conflict, building on the understanding that each and every woman, from every family must take a stand for towards a changed society. Ernestine Oben, a participant based in Limbe, said she it was an opportunity to exploit all avenues, to mitigate GBV, and suggested that cases of trauma be prioritised

 I am going back now with great skills, telling women that its not only about the cosmetic humanitarian aid that people need. We need psychosocial support which is very vital for someones sanity

To Noella Epie, another female leader and participant, brainstorming on safer places for women and girls was essential.

" We are trying to create safe spaces for women and girls in the midst of the conflict, and what we are saying is that we need to be each other's keeper. We need to be vigilant to see something and say itWe have to tell someone who can help out. We have to take these girls to hospitals, the few hospitals which are still around, because most of them have been destroyed. We have to take them to lawyers, police officers, doctors who can address some of the problems they face

The Founder and Executive Director of HOFNA Cameroon, Bay Christelle Chongwain, appreciated the German Embassy in Yaounde, for putting in place the necessary resources to support the organization of the workshop which would create an impact in the fight against GBV, in order to promote peace and security in these regions and Cameroon at large.

Our theme ties squarely with the current situation of insecurity witnessed in our communities especially considering the fact that women and girls remain the most affected. Our women are using the platform to raise their voices and to call for unity, determination, patriotism and collective efforts in addressing gender based violence in particular and all forms of violence that hinder women and girls from realizing their full potentials, she explained.

Cameroonians and some foreign institutions, have been expressing concerns about the rising violence in the countrys Anglophone regions. Reports of rape, trauma, and other forms of violence have increased, as the war ensues. Some embassies have been assisting local organisations financially, to train the population on peace, gender and leadership roles.
Santander customers will now be able to access telephone banking without needing a security code, as the bank introduces new voice and phone recognition measures.

Telephone banking users will be offered the option of verifying their identity through technology which will recognise their voice and where they are calling from.

Santander is doing a phased rollout of the service at the moment to customers, and said any customer over 18 who requests access now will be able to use it. By June all customers will be invited to use the service.

Santander has become the latest UK bank to launch voice ID for telephone banking customers

The bank is using Phone ID and biometric Voice ID technology to make the changes, which mean customers will no longer be required to key in any personal identity or security numbers when completing telephone authentication.

Phone ID technology enables Santander to identify an individual customer simply through the phone number they are calling from.

This means customers will need to call from a number uniquely registered to them, such as their mobile.

To gain access to accounts, customers will then be able to complete the authentication process through biometric Voice ID security, which analyses over 100 characteristics of the voice, by repeating a short phrase.

Santander said the technology is sophisticated enough that it can even detect a recording of someone's voice being played over the telephone.

Once customers have been authenticated, they can then state the reason for their call and be routed directly through to the relevant team, eliminating the need to key in an option.

It's the latest example of the increasing use of biometric authentication by UK banks.

Earlier this week, NatWest announced the trial of its new biometric debit card, which will use a customer's fingerprint instead of a Pin to authorise payments.

More than 1.6million HSBC customers across the UK already use similar voice ID technology, which was launched by the bank in 2016.

However, an investigation by BBC Click a year later found the system could be tricked when a twin was able to access his brother's account.

Tom Harwood, from call experts Aeriandi, told MailOnline that the experiment illustrated 'no security technology was 100 per cent fool-proof', and that 'technology advances have shown that it is now possible to cheat voice recognition systems.'

HSBC did however say recently the technology has helped it to weed out fraudsters - and has prevented over 300million falling into the hands of criminals since it launched in the UK. Barclays also launched voice biometrics in 2016.

Lloyds Banking Group launched voice ID for telephone banking users for Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds customers in October 2018.

Reza Attar-Zadeh, head of customer interactions at Santander UK, said: 'Our innovative combination of Phone ID and Voice ID gives our customers an incredibly simple and seamless way to authenticate themselves when calling us - removing the need to remember and key in numbers while ensuring the highest standards of security.

'The human voice contains over 100 voice characteristics we can use to ensure that a caller is who they say they are, further protecting our customers' accounts from fraudsters.'
With the price of Brent crude rising and Oxford Economics predicting it will be $100 a barrel before the end of 2019, BP's unexciting first-quarter results may be just the canapes with the banquet to come.

The dent in profits of 1.9billion was largely down to lower refining income. But it is still better than forecast, if sharply down on the final quarter of last year.

The Deepwater Horizon disaster of nearly a decade ago has yet to wash itself out of the system with a charge of 502million in the first quarter.

The dent in BP's profits of $2.4bn (1.9bn) was largely down to lower refining income. But it is still better than forecast, if sharply down on the final quarter of last year

The bills are down sharply, from 5.4billion in 2016, to 2.5billion last year, and are expected to drop to 1.5billion this year. The nightmare which has cost investors 52billion won't be fully expunged until 2023.

BP faces a new threat from the environmental activists who will doubtless be in evidence at the May 21 annual meeting in Aberdeen.

It already has made it clear that it will support a resolution drawn up by Climate Action 100+ which seeks a better response to greenhouse gas emissions.

After a 60 per cent revolt against chief executive Bob Dudley's package three years ago it is hopeful of avoiding censure on May 21, in spite of a pay packet of 11.3million.

The bigger political issue for BP in 2019 could well be a further jump in oil prices. Donald Trump's strengthened embargo in Iran has left deliveries to China on the high seas, intensified the slump in Iran and so far realised no increased production from Saudi Arabia.

All of which will put upward pressure on prices and will be causing anger on the forecourts.

Faith in the upward movement in energy prices has been underlined by the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, who is backing Occidental Petroleum's 42.2billion bid for Anadarko, with a 7.7billion investment in West Texas fracking.

All of this may be helpful for investors in the oil majors over the short-term, boosting profits and dividends.

But higher energy prices also are a drag on consumer spending and business, and could destabilise global output.

Inn keeper

Life ought to be much simpler now for Whitbread's chief executive Alison Brittain. After selling Costa to Coca-Cola for 3.9billion, the hospitality group is swimming in cash. It has paid off the group's pension deficit, cut debt and is to give 2billion more of the proceeds back to shareholders.

An advantage of a conglomerate model is that when one part of the enterprise is underperforming, another bit of the business fills the gap.

The new focus means that Whitbread is now more or less a pure play in the no-frills Premier Inn chain which, for the moment, is largely a domestic enterprise.

And while consumer confidence has held up well, business travellers, so important to Premier, are reacting to uncertainty about the UK's economic prospects by cutting back on regional travel.

Brittain, sensibly, is pressing on with investment regardless. So even though pre-tax profits were sharply down in 2019 and cash flow reduced, confidence in the future is shown in the shape of increased capital expenditure of 557million.

In the UK, room numbers climbed by 5.1 per cent to 76,171 in 2018, including the opening of a hub hotel in Edinburgh and an experimental Zip hotel in the Cardiff area.

Starting at 19-a-night, such accommodation  with rooms having their own en suite  is seen as a cheap and cheerful alternative to the bed and breakfast or boarding houses often used by temporary workers.

There is also a big focus on Premier becoming a major player in Germany where the idea of a national budget chain is novel. Openings have taken place in Frankfurt and Hamburg and there are 20 more planned by the end of 2020.

Brittain, rightly, is refusing to hold back.

Winter bites

Given its exposure to fast growing Asian, Middle Eastern and African markets, Standard Chartered ought to be a growth stock but has long been a disappointment.

Recovery has not been made any easier by breaches of money laundering regulations.

Former JP Morgan banker Bill Winters looks to have steadied the ship with a 10 per cent rise in profits and a pledge of a 770million share buyback.

But wouldn't the money be better spent on strengthening reserves, robust IT and compliance training?
One reader was charged twice on her insurance after mischievous mice caused a leak in her home

On December 27 last year, we noticed water marks on the ceiling of our living room and ground-floor study.

A plumber traced the leak, which had been caused by mice gnawing through a plastic coupling on a water pipe. I reported the incident to Tesco Bank Home Insurance the same day.

On January 2, we had a visit from pest control (and have since had two further visits). But, the following day, water was again dripping from the same site.

The plumber came back, and another coupling on the same water pipe was repaired.

I reported this immediately to Tesco, but was told two leaks affecting the same area would be treated as two separate incidents.

Consequently, the insurer has deducted two payments of 250 each for a voluntary excess and a compulsory excess for both incidents  so a total of 1,000 has been taken.

This is the first insurance claim we have made in 53 years.

E. W., Surrey.

You wait for 50-plus years and then two insurance incidents come along at once. At least, that's the way the drips at Tesco chose to interpret your water leaks.

Of course, to claim that these are separate incidents is utterly daft, as everyone outside of the world of insurance would agree.

Who knows whether it was the same mouse that got a taste for your water pipes or several having a nibble now and again? Partly as a result of your claim of just under 2,200 for water damage, your insurance quote also rose from 111.41 to 231.61.

However, your claim for water damage to two ceilings, including having part of one removed and redecorating, was hardly excessive.

Tesco paid out just 1,185, once it had deducted its excessive excesses. As a result, you have now cancelled your policy  and were charged an administration fee of 35.

Well, Tesco has now relented. It has now logged everything as one claim, which means that it will return 500 in excess payments to you. It has also refunded the 35 admin fee as a gesture of goodwill.

A Tesco Bank spokesperson says: 'We understand that damage to a home is a stressful situation and work hard to ensure that, when something goes wrong, we help our customers to repair their home as quickly as possible.

'The customer incurred damage to their house on two separate occasions, caused by a pipe leak that was initially recorded as two separate claims.

'But, as the damage was caused by the same pipe, we have agreed to log this as one claim and have refunded one of the excesses.'

Straight to the point My flight from London to Zurich was delayed, which meant I arrived at the Avis car hire desk later than I had expected to. The car firm then charged me almost 65 Swiss francs (about 49) as an out-of-hours fee, as I got there at 11.34pm when its office was only open until 11.30pm. I complained, but Avis pointed to its terms and conditions. S. S., London. Avis says the rental office was notified of your delayed flight, but its system mistakenly added the fee. It has apologised and issued a refund. *** I was contacted by heir hunters Blanchards Inheritance Recovery, who told me there was an unclaimed estate belonging to my grandmothers illegitimate son. I was told it would take up to nine months to sort out, but eight months passed with no contact. When I chased it up, the firm sent back my documents and said the evidence was inconclusive. S. D., Sutton Coldfield, West Mids. Blanchards says that it tried to prove you were entitled to the estate, but didnt have enough evidence. It adds that your uncles estate is still listed with the Bona Vacantia Division  the Government department that deals with unclaimed estates  if you wish to pursue your claim. As a goodwill gesture, it has offered you a free copy of your family tree and the birth and death certificates it has gathered.

I received both my gas and electricity from Spark Energy, which stopped trading last year and is now run by Ovo.

My account was in credit by 223.14 at the end of last year, but this suddenly changed to zero when Ovo took over.

I subsequently found that I could not access the previous month's figures  and then the account changed to show a debit of 223.14.

I contacted Ovo and was told that, if an account is in credit, the balance has a minus figure in front of it.

But I feel I am effectively being robbed of 446.28  the money I am owed and the extra it is charging me.

P. B., Wigan, Gtr Manchester.

Ovo was appointed as the Supplier of Last Resort for Spark Energy after the firm went under.

This is something that has happened far too often with small energy companies over the past year, and regulations need to be tightened up.

The explanation you received from Ovo does make sense. Your account was showing a minus figure in front of the amount you owed  which actually meant that Ovo owed you money.

I think there are better ways of showing this, though. It's all very well to use minus figures in internal technical documents. But surely, for consumers, credit and debit amounts should be more clearly highlighted.

You were actually in credit by 244.72 on October 31 last year. By the time you moved to your new account, you eventually had a credit balance of 188.79.

To this amount, Ovo is adding 50 as a gesture of goodwill.

***

My aunt, who is 83, has had no telephone service for 16 days. She has been a TalkTalk customer for many years and pays by direct debit.

I have called the company numerous times, as has her daughter, and we have been told it does not recognise her account number. So I sent TalkTalk a copy of her bill.

Now it says it cannot discuss my aunt's account with me due to data protection rules.

Staff said that she should go online, even though I've told them she does not have internet access.

P. K., via email.

You would think that when a company is told an 83-year-old has no telephone service, it might provoke a more urgent response than this.

TalkTalk's Press office, however, was far more helpful and sprung into immediate action.

I told them of your complaint on the afternoon you sent it and, by 7am the next morning, your aunt's phone was working  so they clearly had an urgent word in the right ear.

TalkTalk has refunded your aunt's 15.40 line rental and paid her 10 for her mobile phone usage, plus 50 compensation.

In addition, it has paid you 12 for your mobile phone usage.
KPMG failed to spot serious problems at Equity Red Star and should not have given it a clean bill of health, regulators said

Tainted beancounter KPMG has been fined 6million for a botched audit of a car and motorbike insurer.

It failed to spot serious problems at Equity Red Star and should not have given it a clean bill of health, regulators said.

Equity Red Star, part of a conglomerate which insures one in four British motorcycles, lost 194million in 2010 after failing to set aside enough cash to cover payouts for claims.

KPMG should have spotted the problems and raised the alarm, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said.

The auditors partner Mark Taylor and former partner Anthony Hulse have been fined 100,000 each for their involvement.

And Douglas Morgan, a former director of Equity Red Star, has been banned from the accounting industry for two years.

Although the fines sound large they are dwarfed by KPMGs UK revenues, which stood at 2.3billion in the last financial year.

Partners earned an average of 601,000 each.

It has been claimed that the penalties for bad behaviour are not big enough to make a difference to how the companies behave.

The FRC is being scrapped and replaced with a new authority following a damning review which found that it was failing to hold auditors to account properly.
Standard Chartered bank will purchase and cancel stock, leaving fewer shares in circulation and boosting their price

Standard Chartered bank is launching its first share buyback for more than 20 years using 770million of spare cash.

The lender will purchase and cancel stock, leaving fewer shares in circulation and boosting their price.

It unveiled the plan after making profits of 952million in the first three months of 2019, up 5 per cent on a year earlier and ahead of City expectations.

Shares rose 4.6 per cent, or 30.6p, to 700p as traders welcomed the buyback, which comes weeks after Standard Chartered was fined 842million by regulators over money laundering failures and doing illegal business with Iranians.

The bank, which does most of its business in Africa and Asia, was heavily criticised.

In one case its Dubai branch allowed a customer to open an account using a suitcase stuffed with 500,000 of cash.

Shares are down around 35 per cent since chief executive Bill Winters took charge of Standard Chartered in 2015 with a vow to clean up the banks act.
There was no doubting yesterdays big story: Sirius Minerals long-awaited 2.9billion second-phase financing.

Well, what we actually got were the mechanics of how this giant, multi-part fundraiser will work rather than the completed deal.

The cash will be used to bore a mine around a mile below the North York Moors and 23 miles horizontally to extract and transport a fertiliser called polyhalite to the River Tees.

Financing plans include tapping investors for 310million by issuing shares at 15-18p each.

Cash call: Sirius Minerals plans to bore a mine around a mile below the North York Moors and 23 miles horizontally to extract and transport a fertiliser called polyhalite to the River Tees

Market mechanics, therefore, dictated the stock would drop in anticipation of the cash call. It fell 20.5 per cent, or 4.48p, to 17.42p, wiping just over a fifth from the value of Sirius.

The debt portion is made up of a convertible bond and secured senior debt (bringing in 770million) and a revolving credit facility for just under 2billion.

Sirius has until October 30, the day before the latest Brexit deadline, to find lenders to chip in to the credit facility.

It will be interesting to see who gets a deal done first  Theresa May, or Sirius chief executive Chris Fraser.

The FTSE 100 traded sideways until Wall Street chimed in, pulling the index of blue-chips 0.3 per cent, or 22.44 points lower, to 7418.22.

Disappointing manufacturing data from China dented the performance of the miners, which supply huge quantities of iron, coal and copper to the country.

Stock Watch - Countrywide Estate agency group Countrywide is the latest firm to be laid low by the Brexit bug. It warned that first-half earnings would be 3million to 5million below the comparable period last year. The residential and commercial property markets, particularly in the South East and London, remain difficult. Broker Peel Hunt cut its underlying profits estimate from 30million to 25million, retaining its Sell recommendation. The shares fell 7.7 per cent, or 0.54p, to 6.5p.

Antofagasta was off 12.5 per cent, or 23.2p, at 908p and super-major Anglo American was down 1.6 per cent, or 31.1p, to 1981.4p.

Next (down 1.2 per cent, or 72p, at 5766p) delivered a fairly dour assessment of the retail sector in January when it set its 2019 expectations. Today, the chain delivers a first-quarter trading update.

Blue-chip property website Rightmove suffered subsidence, slipping 1.4 per cent, or 7.9p, to 540.6p after Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock.

Rentokil Initial ticked up 0.8 per cent, or 3p, to 390p after the Competition and Markets Authority said it may approve proposals relating to its 40million takeover of the pest control arm of smaller rival Mitie.

The regulator had expressed concerns the takeover could present risks to prices and customer choice.

A warning on challenging markets proved toxic for shares in FTSE 250 chemicals firm Elementis, which sank 14.6 per cent, or 8.2p to 162.5p.

Shares in publican Greene King suffered from profit-taking, falling 7.5 per cent, or 51.6p, to 641p, despite like-for-like sales growth in its year-end trading update.

Asset manager Jupiter was brought down to earth after reporting net outflows of nearly 500million in its first quarter. The shares sank 2.3 per cent, or 8.7p, to 375.3p.

Among the small caps, oil minnow Cluff Natural Resources was boosted 3 per cent, or 0.07p higher, to 2.55p after Shell agreed to pay 461,000 for a 50 per cent stake in a North Sea licence.

Podcast firm Audioboom hit the right notes, rising 2 per cent, or 0.05p, to 2.5p after raising 2.8m from a premium-priced share placing.

Things were looking less bright for Griffin Mining, which slumped 10.9 per cent, or 12p, to 98p after lower zinc prices helped chop its full-year profits almost in half.

Shares in Mirriad Advertising stayed flat at 6.5p after appointing John Pearson  the former CEO of Virgin Radio and song app firm Shazam  as its chairman.

There was a strong degree of finality to investment firm Eight Peaks after it said it would delist from AIM, causing shares to crash 57.9 per cent, or 5.5p, to 4p.
Long gone are the days when you could pick up the phone and speak to someone about a complaint.

Today, customers are routinely forced to spend hours on hold, or promised callbacks that never come.

Some firms make it very difficult to track down their contact details, hoping you'll give up. Others push customers towards computer 'chatbots', where robots rather than humans try to answer their queries.

Customer service crisis? Long gone are the days when you could pick up the phone and speak to someone about a complaint

In the worst cases, firms have even introduced a two-tier system where customers have to pay extra for basic service.

Or they are reducing the hours they are available to speak to people by phone or face-to-face.

Consumer rights website Resolver says out of the 3.2 million complaints it has handled, two-thirds involved poor service.

Typical grievances include struggling to find a contact phone number and being forced to fill in unwieldy online forms.

Are we facing a customer service crisis?

THE ONLINE CHATBOTS WITHOUT A CLUE

A growing number of firms now rely on 'chatbots' to field customer questions. People are usually offered this option when trawling a website's help page.

The computer programs mimic human conversation and use keywords to attempt to resolve a complaint or query.

But this automated service is typically only able to help with very simple issues, meaning customers often find their conversation goes around in maddening circles before being referred to a helpline.

About 56 per cent of Britons have ditched an online chat as the issue is too complex for the bot, the 2018 Global Consumer Customer Service Survey from software firm Computer Generated Solutions found.

Resolver spokesman Martyn James says a chatbot should identify if it can help in a few simple interactions. If it cannot, it should connect you to a person who can.

But even live chat services staffed by real people have limitations.

Victoria Davies, who works in PR, tried to use Amazon's online live chat to report a potentially counterfeit designer Lulu Guinness umbrella that she had bought for a friend.

But Victoria, 34, from London, says the person on the other end could not understand her. She says: 'They were able to direct me to information about a refund but gave me no option to report the seller. I tried using different words such as 'fraud', 'fake' and 'counterfeit', but they didn't understand.'

Amazon declined to comment directly on Victoria's experience but says customers can get a refund if the item is damaged, defective or not as described.

TIP: Chatbots could be a quick way of requesting a phone number or email address. Or try typing in that you want to speak to a real person.

STILL HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE

Even if you are able to call a company with a complaint, you are likely first to have to deal with an automated service that will try to push you online.

And if you are lucky enough to be transferred to a real person, be prepared to wait.

HM Revenue & Customs' (HMRC) automated service directs customers to its website before connecting them to an adviser.

Even if you are able to call a company with a complaint, you are likely first to have to deal with an automated service that will try to push you online

When Money Mail called the tax helpline this week it took nearly 21 minutes to reach a real person.

Energy firms can be just as bad. Last year, campaign group Which? revealed Utilita customers typically waited 24 minutes and 19 seconds, with one call-waiting time being 72 minutes and 40 seconds.

Npower was the worst of the 'big six', with an average hold time of 20 minutes, 31 seconds.

HMRC says its digital services are popular. The average hold time on the phone has been five minutes throughout the year, it says. Utilita says waiting times measured by Which? were at a busy time of year. It says it is always striving to improve its performance.

Npower says it has improved call waiting times, with more than 60 per cent now answered within 60 seconds.

TIP: Try calling at off-peak times. Avoid first thing in the morning and lunchtimes. To check if a number is toll-free, visit: gov.uk/call-charges

'They wanted to avoid talking to me at all costs' Retired primary school teacher Gordon Butterworth was told he would have to wait up to 50 minutes to speak to the Harveys Furniture customer service team. Gordon, 70, who lives in Lancaster, ordered a 224 chair on December 12 but had to contact the furniture chain when the wrong model was delivered. It was two days before Christmas, and all Harveys stores closed for the festive period. When Gordon tried to call customer services afterwards, an automated voice informed him that the waiting time was 46 minutes. By mid-January Gordon became frustrated, returned the chair and cancelled the order completely. The grandfather-of-two says: 'Two weeks after I cancelled, there was no sign of a refund. When I rang the customer service number again, they said the waiting time would be 50 minutes.' Even when Gordon visited a Harveys store, staff said they could only contact the number he had and that any emails they sent would not be answered for five days. Gordon only got the refund at the end of January, after emailing the customer services team. 'I must have tried to ring customer services at least half a dozen times,' recalls Gordon. 'It was a relatively simple problem but they were trying at all costs to avoid that person-to-person service.' A Harveys spokesman says: 'We always, above all else, have our customers' best interest in mind, and endeavour to respond to customer complaints as quickly as possible. 'We were very sorry to hear about Mr Butterworth's frustration with the handling of his case.' The spokesman added that delays were in part due to a 'refresh' of its IT systems and that anyone who emails its customer service team should receive a reply within 72 hours.

NO EMAIL ADDRESS IF YOU WANT REDRESS

Customers often want to complain by email, but many firms do not offer the option. Some have restrictive online forms, instead, that insist on information you may not have to hand, such as customer reference numbers.

Others offer links to social media pages, numbers to text, or insist on a letter.

This can deter people from making a complaint  particularly about smaller issues  as it is just too much hassle.

Argos, Apple and Parking Eye are all examples of firms that do not provide an email address on their help or contact web pages.

Snubbed: Customers often want to complain by email, but many firms do not offer the option

Other firms, such as Sky make it difficult to find email addresses, although, it insists they exist.

It says customers can also call, message via their account, text, write, or send a message by Facebook or the MySky app.

Argos says it helps customers by phone, live chat and social media. Apple says there are other ways people can get in touch. Parking Eye says the best way is by letter or via its website.

Taxpayers will be able to complain about HMRC by email from autumn this year. Currently, you can only escalate complaints about HMRC to the adjudicator's office by post, telephone or fax.

TIP: Email the company's chief executive. Most will have staff monitoring their account who will often refer your complaint to their VIP customer service team.

To find addresses try ceoemail.com or find an email of someone else at the firm and follow the same format, inserting the boss's name.

WANT HELP? THAT WILL COST YOU

Some companies are charging customers for 'support packages'. The idea being the more you pay, the faster the firm will respond. Online travel agents Gotogate and Mytrip, for example, offer three levels of customer service.

The basic one is free. But you can wait up to five days for a response; and if you need to change booking details, you will be charged 19.

The Premium package promises a response in 12 hours and free booking changes. The Platinum Support package pledges a 'quick refund', 'quick response time' and your money back if you cancel within 72 hours.

Prices for the customer service packages vary depending on the length of flight and cost of tickets. For a long-haul trip to San Francisco, you will pay 19.80 for Premium service and 39.80 for Platinum.

Some companies are charging customers for 'support packages'

A spokesman at parent company Etraveli Group says: 'Customers who fly longer and pay more for their tickets demand more advanced and more detailed support.'

Online travel agent WeDoFlights charges 10 for an 'after-sales' service if bought when you book, or 25 if you need help afterwards.

This service allows you to contact the firm to check the price and availability of alternative travel if you need to change your flights.

Energy firm Ovo offers customers money off bills if they do not need 'general assistance'. Its Self Service Reward is worth up to 60 a year.

To qualify, you have to manage your account online, pay by direct debit and submit a meter reading every three months.

If you call or email the firm, you will not get the reward  unless it was an emergency like a loss of power or the self service is not working.. The bonus is paid every three months and you can earn 7.50 for gas and electricity  15 if you have both.

Ovo claims it is merely 'rewarding low-cost behaviour'. Its website says: 'The waiting times are shorter, it's easier to maintain a high standard and we can afford to spend longer on the phone helping our customers out.'

TIP: Before signing up with a new business, such an energy firm or telecoms giant, check there is a free phone number to call in an emergency and an email address that is monitored regularly. If you are unhappy with the service you receive, ask for your complaint to be escalated to a senior manager or threaten to quit.

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHS AND LOWS

Firms often encourage customers to contact them via social media, such as Twitter and Facebook.

Many claim to answer queries 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But Mr James says this can be a facade; as soon as you need to discuss an issue, you are told to ring the helpline  and wait like anyone else.

However, if a firm is ignoring your emails or you are spending hours on hold, it is still worth using social media to get its attention, as if your complaint is visible to other people  and potential customers  it is in the firm's interest to deal with you as fast as possible.

Some companies have Twitter accounts to handle customer service. For example, Royal Bank of Scotland posts news using its @RBS Twitter handle, but encourages customers with banking queries to contact @RBS_Help, @Natwest_Help or @UlsterBank_Help.

In 2017, more than half of customers who had complained via social media said their issue was resolved quickly, according to a survey by the comparison site GoCompare.

Firms often encourage customers to contact them via social media, such as Twitter and Facebook

A further 28 per cent of respondents said they were then given a discount or goodwill gift. On average, they were paid 32 in compensation, with some claiming to have received more than 500.

But Mr James says: 'Not everyone is on Twitter and Facebook. Why should people with access to technology get faster responses?'

What's more, there is a fraud risk. Anything you post will be on public view, so you must never include information such as your account details, address or phone number.

You should also be wary about how much detail you give about your complaint as crooks can use this to pose as the company in question.

Also, watch out for fake Twitter accounts that look similar to those of genuine businesses. These may direct you to a website designed to trick you into handing over personal details.

TIP: Tweet companies directly with an @ sign before their name. This could shame them into action but be careful not to disclose any vital personal information such as your address or account number. Genuine firms should have a blue tick next to their Twitter name.

OPEN ALL HOURS? NOT LIKELY!

The UK's biggest airline, British Airways, came under fire last year when it reduced its customer relations call centre hours to just four hours a day and stopped taking calls at weekends.

Outside the 1pm to 5pm Monday to Friday hours, customers were told to fill in an online form or send in a letter.

But since Money Mail raised concerns in October, the airline has extended its hours. The line is now open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Its customer relations team offers support 24 hours a day on social media.

Budget airline Jet2 has no customer service phone number, and says complaints must be put in writing. The carrier did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, face-to-face customer service is also at risk. Some of the 51 ticket offices in London overground stations threatened with closure have also been forced to cut opening hours to just two-and-a-half hours a day between 7.30am and 10am. Transport For London could not confirm which stations would be affected.

Six face-to-face Shropshire Council offices at Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Ludlow and Bridgnorth, will also see opening times slashed.

The smaller offices will no longer be staffed. Instead, visitors will have use of a computer or telephone to contact the necessary department. The larger centres will be staffed only on certain days.

Chris Westwood, Shropshire Council's customer services manager, says: 'Shropshire Council has not yet reduced the opening times of its face-to-face offices, but we remain committed to implementing these changes given the much smaller numbers of residents now using our face-to-face service.'

TIP: Check reviews on websites such as Trustpilot to see what customers typically complain about and if their problems are dealt with swiftly. You can also examine Ombudsman figures to see which firms ranks worse.

a.murray@dailymail.co.uk
One council recently spent almost 2,000 on an aircraft which will be licenced

Drones may be used by councils to spy on home extensions if they suspect they are larger than planned.

Dozens of district and county councils have applied to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for a drone licence.

More than 20 councils have been granted approval by the CAA to use drones for commercial purposes. A stock picture of a drone is pictured above for illustrative purposes [File photo]

The snooping has caused uproar from civil liberties campaigners, who argue it is an expansion of state surveillance, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Campaign group Big Brother Watch is urging for guidelines to be drawn up.

Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, said: Theres a real risk that drones could be used by councils to expand the surveillance state.

There should be clear safeguards in place to make sure authorities make the best of new technologies without having free licence to snoop on the public in the absence of good reason.

Drones are already used across the country to investigate fly-tipping. North Yorkshire recently spent almost 2,000 on an aircraft, which is to be licensed by the CAA.

The council told the newspaper the device will perform a variety of functions, including checking the work of cowboy builders, searching for livestock carcasses and inspecting sites in relation to breaches of planning controls that the county council enforced'.

More than 20 councils have been granted approval by the CAA to use drones for commercial purposes.

Matt ONeill, assistant director of growth, planning and trading standards at North Yorkshire County Council, said: Like many councils, we use advances in technology to help us to work smarter. Its a useful addition to the tools available to the county council, enabling us to make more efficient use of our limited resources and to enhance health and safety.

It came as hundreds of passengers were diverted from Gatwick to Stansted after another drone scare yesterday. A pilot told air traffic control he had seen a flying object just over three miles from the airport at 4.05pm.

North Yorkshire County Council will use its newly-bought drone to check the work of cowboy builders, search for livestock carcasses and inspect sites in relation to breaches of planning controls it enforces,' it was reported. Dozens of district and county councils are set to follow suit, applying to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for a drone licence [File photo]

It is understood the airport immediately investigated, but its new military grade anti-drone radar systems did not detect anything.

The object was seen outside the 5km (3.1mile) no-fly zone introduced around airports in the wake of the drone chaos at Gatwick before Christmas. Despite this, pilots on three flights did not take any chances and diverted to Stansted in Essex, 70 miles away.

The pilot of an easyJet flight from Amsterdam told those on board that the plane had been in close proximity to a drone, The Sun reported.

One flight from Barcelona and another from Heraklion in Greece were also affected.

All three planes landed at Gatwick more than 90 minutes after their scheduled arrival time.

Last night the airport stressed that its runway had not been closed at any point.

Gatwick shut for 33 hours in the week before Christmas, disrupting 140,000 journeys. The culprit has never been caught and police have suggested it was an inside job.

Since first publication of this article, North Yorkshire county council have asked us to make clear that it is not responsible for domestic planning applications and does not therefore use its drone to carry out surveillance on domestic home extensions as was previously suggested. We apologise for any confusion.
The family of John Earnest, the alleged 19-year-old California synagogue shooter have released a statement condemning the attack, which killed one and left three others injured

The FBI on Monday said it received multiple tips about a security threat minutes before a gunman opened fire in a California synagogue, killing a woman and wounding three others, but did not have enough detail or time to prevent the attack.

Police are investigating what motivated a 19-year-old suspect to open fire on the Chabad of Poway synagogue in suburban San Diego on Saturday, including whether to bring hate crime charges against the man who surrendered to police shortly after the attack.

The FBI said it received tips about an online post referring to a potential attack that did not include 'specific' information about the post's author or location. Investigators immediately began working on identifying the author, but the shooting began only five minutes after the tips arrived.

'The FBI thanks the alert citizens who saw and reported the post,' the bureau said in a statement.

The FBI received a tip-off about the shooting but the warning came just three minutes before the attack started leaving them with no time whatsoever to react to any threat

Gilbert-Kaye's husband and daughter were also at the synagogue at the time of the attack. The husband tried to save her with CPR before he fainted from shock

Members of the synagogue later on Monday were due to bury Lori Gilbert Kaye, 60, who died in the attack six months to the day after 11 worshippers were killed at a Pittsburgh synagogue in the deadliest attack on American Jewry.

The alleged gunman, identified by police as John Earnest, fled the scene and eventually called police in order to surrender.

Earnest, who is being held without bail, appears to have authored an online manifesto in which he claimed responsibility for a pre-dawn arson fire at a nearby mosque last month and drew inspiration from the mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people in March.

His parents expressed shock and sadness in a statement on Monday, saying their son had become 'part of the history of evil' perpetrated on Jewish people.

'How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us,' the statement read. 'Our heavy hearts will forever go out to the victims and survivors.' The parents added that they are cooperating with investigators.

The parents of the shooter, teacher John Earnest and his wife are seen above. 'We are shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue.'

Goldstein lost his right index finger in the attack after the gunman shot both hands

When the gunfire began, Oscar Stewart, 51, a veteran of both the U.S. Navy and Army who served a tour in Iraq, recognized the sound immediately.

He said in a Monday interview that for a moment he began running toward the exit with other congregants before he turned around and headed toward the gunfire.

'I was an instrument of God,' he said. 'I had no conscious effort in what I was doing.'

He charged the gunman, screaming, 'I'm going to kill you!'

The shooter, who had stopped firing, looked frightened and fled the synagogue, with Stewart in close pursuit, he said.

Another worshipper, an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent named Jonathan Morales who was armed, also ran outside and fired several shots at the gunman's car as he drove away.

Noya Dohan, eight, was injured by shrapnel in the shooting

Almog Peretz, an Israeli citizen visiting his family, was hit by shrapnel but still managed to help shepherd children to safety, witnesses said.

His 9-year-old niece, Noya Dahan, also was wounded by shrapnel. Her family moved to the United States from Israel in search of a safer life after their home was repeatedly shelled by Palestinian rockets.

Kaye, one of the synagogue's founding members, was a deeply caring member of the community, her friends said.

When one congregant developed breast cancer, Kaye drove her to every appointment and helped take care of her children, said Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was shot in both hands during the attack and lost a finger.

'She is a person of unconditional love,' Goldstein told reporters, adding that he felt Kaye 'took the bullet for all of us.'

In a Facebook post, a friend, Audrey Jacobs, called her a 'woman of valor' whose final act was to protect others.
Shelley Long is perhaps best known for her role as the intellectual barmaid on the 1980's TV sitcom Cheers, passing out beers and unsolicited advice at the raucous Boston bar where 'everybody knows your name.'

Three decades after leaving the iconic show, DailyMailTV spotted the 69-year old actress enjoying a drink with a male friend at famed Pacific Palisades hotspot Hank's on Saturday afternoon.

Shelley and her friend were out window shopping on the cloudy day, an eyewitness tells DailyMailTV.

'No one seemed to recognize her, and I think she liked it that way. She was wearing a fun 'Jimmy Carter For President' shirt and carrying her dog while her friend carried her purse and shopping bags.'

Three decades after leaving the iconic show, DailyMailTV spotted the 69-year old actress Shelley Long enjoying a drink with a male friend at famed Pacific Palisades hotspot Hank's on Saturday afternoon

'No one seemed to recognize her, and I think she liked it that way,' said an eyewitness. She was wearing a fun 'Jimmy Carter For President' shirt and carrying her dog while her friend carried her purse and shopping bags'

Shelley is perhaps best known for her role as the intellectual barmaid on the 1980's TV sitcom Cheers, passing out beers and unsolicited advice at the raucous Boston bar where 'everybody knows your name.'

While her male companion enjoyed a beer, Shelley stuck to a glass of water and kept her dog on her lap during the hour-long chat

When they passed the Kitson Los Angeles 'pop-up' store at the boutique PaliSkates she pointed and chuckled at a 'Fake News Editor' message tee in the window.

Once at Hank's, the staff quickly brought out a little bowl of water for her Chihuahua and she softly thanked them for their thoughtfulness.

Shelley has lived in a $1.3 million condo in the upscale West Los Angeles enclave of Pacific Palisades, California, since divorcing her second husband Bruce Tyson in 2004.

But according to locals, she is rarely seen out enjoying the local businesses.

While her male companion enjoyed a beer, Shelley stuck to a glass of water and kept her dog on her lap during the hour-long chat.

Hank's is a local hangout that attracts A-list celebs and serves up comfort food along with craft cocktails, as well as an extensive beer and wine list.

Other celebrities who live in the family friendly Pacific Palisades include Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Larry David, and Tom Hanks.

Afterwards, Shelley carried her tiny Chihuahua dog back to the street so he could relieve himself, while her friend got his car to take her back home.

Shelley recently reunited with the cast of her hit 1989 film Troop Beverly Hills to honor its thirtieth anniversary

When they passed the Kitson Los Angeles 'pop-up' store at the boutique PaliSkates she pointed and chuckled at a 'Fake News Editor' message tee in the window.

Shelley recently reunited with the cast of her hit 1989 film Troop Beverly Hills to honor its thirtieth anniversary.

She has also starred in Nightshift (1982), The Money Pit (1986) with Tom Hanks, and played iconic TV mom Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and A Very Brady Sequel (1996) among many other projects.

But it's her Emmy winning role as the tightly wound waitress Diane Chambers on Cheers (1982-1987) which has endeared her to the public.

Her character's on-again, off-again romance with former Red Sox relief pitcher Sam Malone (played by fellow Emmy winner Ted Danson) kept the show on the top of the ratings chart year after year.

Shelley Long left after five years with the show, believing her character had run its course.

'It was fun to see her being waiting on at the local watering hole here in Pacific Palisades,' says our eyewitness, 'I think that unlike the Cheers bar, she liked that around here, no one seemed to know her name!'




Gregoire Owona Archives

A recent study conducted in Cameroon has revealed that some 81 workers died last year, due to stress, long working hours and other related work incidents.

This information was revealed in Yaounde on Monday, during a workshop organised by the National Social Insurance Fund(NSIF), following a study conducted on occupational safety and health, and published by the International Labour Organisation(ILO).

Representatives of private and public enterprises in Cameroon discussed ways of improving working conditions of their workers, in the presence of the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Gregoire Owona, who chaired the event.

Cameroonian authorities are concerned about labour related deaths as a result of long working hours, stress and illnesses, which kills two million workers every year in the world. Many workers in Cameroon, apart from being underpaid are not insured, hence can't benefit from some advantages that come from there. That is why most often, work-related incidents are not reported or treated casually.

The Director of NSIF, Olivier Mekulu Mvondo Akame, during the training, said most employers don't declare accidents any time there's one at the workplace. He invited these owners to come to the NSIF and declare these accidents, so that the insurance company can take charge of hospital bills, as well as caution them on future risks.

Recently amongst grievances raised by some state corporations like the National Postal Services, the Cameroon Railway Services and the Cameroon Airlines Company, poor working conditions and insecurity at jobs were advanced by trade unions. Most of these corporations called off their strike action, as government promised to seek lasting solutions to their concerns.

The NSIF training comes 24hours after the international community marked the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. It is an annual international campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work. It is held on 28 April and has been observed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 2003.
Michael William Palmatier, 48, told police he was extremely intoxicated when he believed that a young girls genitals were the mouth of an adult woman

An Arizona firefighter has been arrested for performing a sexual act on an eight-year-old girl while she slept in her bedroom, authorities allege.

Michael William Palmatier, 48, told police he was extremely intoxicated when he believed that the young girls genitals were the mouth of an adult woman.

He was arrested on suspicion of sexual conduct with a minor, kidnapping, and indecent exposure, the Arizona Republic newspaper reported.

Palmatier was taken into custody last Wednesday at the Gilbert Fire Administration building just outside of Phoenix.

He has since resigned from the department.

Palmatier allegedly committed the crime during a 50th birthday party at the young girls aunts home in Queen Creek, Arizona.

Authorities say the aunt told investigators that she went into her bedroom and saw her niece leave the bedroom bathroom in tears.

The girl told her aunt that a man had removed her pants and underwear and licked her, according to police records.

The girl also said Palmatier exposed himself.

Palmatier is seen during his initial court appearance after his arrest on Wednesday

Witnesses said Palmatier abruptly left the party, which was not typical behavior of him.

A family friend drover to Palmatiers home to confront him, according to police.

Palmatier then admitted to the man: I f****d up.

The child told deputies that she and her younger brothers were watching television in her bedroom during the party.

She says she fell asleep at one point only to wake up later with a man licking her.

She says she realized this was a bad situation and tried to run away.

As she bolted out of the room, the man grabbed her arm, but she got away and locked herself in the bathroom.

While she was in the bathroom, the man asked the girl for forgiveness. She agreed to forgive him but only if he gave back her shorts, which he did not, according to police.

The Gilbert fire department headquarters is seen in the image above. Palmatier was taken into custody inside the building on Wednesday

Palmatiers co-worker told deputies that the firefighter had a problem with drugs and alcohol.

He was known to be addicted to Soma, a prescription muscle relaxer.

Palmatier told a co-worker that he took the medication on the day of the alleged crime because he hurt his neck performing a sex act on his adult girlfriend.

The co-worker told authorities that Palmatier started to cry and apologize when asked about the incident with the 8-year-old girl.

Palmatier told the co-worker that he let his demons get out.

He told the co-worker that he would never knowingly commit sex acts against a juvenile, records claim.

'Yeah I have a sick side to me, like a sexually sick side to me, but not in that way, Palmatier allegedly told the co-worker.
A heavily-tattooed man has been filmed being turned away by nightclub boss John Ibrahim - moments after boasting he was a 'f***ing psycho' and a 'pitbull' online.

Butch Haouchar uploaded a video of himself arriving at Mr Ibrahim's Dover Heights mansion on Saturday, seeking to confront the Sydney club owner over an alleged money issue.

In a Facebook post seen by the Sydney Morning Herald, Haouchar allegedly threatened to make Ibrahim's bodyguards 'disappear' - but security footage of the incident showed a different story.

Footage shows the enormous man, who has 'execution', '187' and a grenade inked across his forehead and King Kong tattooed on his knuckles, trying to provoke a dramatic confrontation.

'John, Habib, it's me, Butch,' he shouts before walking over to ring the doorbell.

'Let's see if he answers...come on, John.

The heavily-tattooed man, who has 'execution' and '187' inked across his forehead, shared a video of himself on Facebook shouting outside John Ibrahim's house

Ibrahim later shared his own security footage of the confrontation - which ultimately saw Haouchar walk away after a short discussion

Haouchar is seen approaching the 48-year-old, greeting him by extending his hand, which Ibrahim swats away (pictured)

'He's not answering, f***.' Come on, John, answer it's me,' he says becoming visibly frustrated.

But when Ibrahim finally comes to the door, Haouchar stops recording.

Footage of what happened next, however, was later shared by Ibrahim who captured the moment on his home security camera.

Haouchar is seen approaching the 48-year-old, greeting him with an extended hand which Ibrahim swats away.

During the confrontation, which is not audible, Ibrahim seems calm and collected while speaking to Haouchar in tracksuit pants and sandals.

Seconds later, Haouchar appears to be dismissed and is seen walking away quietly.

Osman (left, who lost his eye in a drive-by shooting) and Butch (right) Haouchar are not related, according to sources close to the Haouchar family

Ibrahim was seen last month accompanying his model girlfriend Sarah Budge to a funeral in Sydney

Although it is not clear what the tiff was about, the Haouchar and Ibrahim families are known to have a history of bad blood between them.





Osman Haouchar lost his right eye during a drive-by outside his family's Merrylands home in 2008.

His brother Bilal was later filmed in jail threatening revenge on the Ibrahim family.

But according to sources close to the Haouchar family who spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald, Butch and Osman are not directly related.

Michael Ibrahim, who served six years behind bars for manslaughter, was shot in the shoulder in 2015, months after his release.

That year, Australian Federal Police later detained Osman at Sydney Airport to question him over the shooting, but he was released without charge hours later.

Michael was later arrested in 2017 for drug and money laundering charges to which he will be sentenced for later this year.

There is no suggestion that John Ibrahim was involved in the shooting of Osman or any of the activities of Michael Ibrahim as referred to.

Although it is not clear why he was seeking anything from the nightlife mogul, the Haouchar and Ibrahim families have a history of bad blood between them
A girl is recovering after being shot in the head in a callous drive-by shooting in Stockton around midnight Wednesday.

The girl, 14, was sleeping in her bed on the second floor of her house when shots struck the home in Weston Ranch, a neighborhood in Stockton, California.

The perpetrator of the shooting then fled the scene in a car police described as a light-colored, newer model, four-door sedan.

A girl, 14, is recovering after being shot in the head in a callous drive-by shooting in Stockton around midnight Wednesday

The teenage victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment. The area of Weston Ranch is a residential area where a lot of families with children live.

The woman's daughter is now at home recovering, although she still had bullet fragments lodged in her scalp.

The girl's mother, who did not want to be named, told Fox 40: 'This is something that you dont wish on your worst enemies, you know what Im saying?.

'Shes doing good. Shes home and I just appreciate everybodys support and prayers. I fear for our life here.'

The family say the frightening incident has made them consider moving from the area where they have lived for three years.

'I dont feel safe here anymore with my kids, I thought she was dead," the girl's mother told KCRA 3.

Surveillance video shows a late model, gray, four-door sedan drive up to the house. Its the same car neighbors say they saw lurking about earlier in the day.

The perpetrator of the shooting then fled the scene in a car police described as a light-colored, newer model, four-door sedan, (pictured)

The car had been circling the area and police believe the house was directly targeted

The mother claimed there has been no unusual activity at the house or nothing to warrant a motive for the attack.

However police still want to interview the occupants, which includes children who are 10, 14, 16 and 18 years old.

Police believe that the house was directly targeted, an event that sometimes lends itself to escalation.

Stockton Police Officer Joe Silva told Fox 40: 'Its bad enough that we had a 14-year-old little girl who was struck by one of the rounds, but when you have a vehicle pulling into a court like you could see in the video and open fire on a house, you dont know whats going to happen next.'

The family say the frightening incident has made them consider moving from the area where they have lived for three years, (pictured)

Bullet holes could be seen in the front of the home and police say it was a miracle no one was injured in the shooting

While the mother says there has been no unusual activity at the house, police still want to interview the occupants, which include kids who are 10, 14, 16 and 18 years old.

Police say the house was targeted, an event that sometimes lends itself to escalation.

Stockon added: 'Was this gang-related? Was this some type of problem that may be a feud going on in that court?.

'Thats something that we need to figure out exactly whats going so that we can prevent that retaliatory shooting from occurring.'

Bullet holes could be seen on Wednesday in the front of the home and Stockton police said they would have extra patrols in the area over the coming days.
Police have announced a $1 million reward for information that will help to solve the 2013 murder of Melbourne sex worker Tracey Connelly, as officers continue to search for the suspected killer, whose DNA was found at the crime scene.

Officers believe the reward will now lead to someone finally coming forward with information.

Connelly, 40, was found dead in her white Ford Econovan in Greeves Street, St Kilda - a road notorious for sex workers - with upper body and facial injuries on July 21, 2013.

It is suspected that she was killed inside the van, where she had been living.

Police obtained DNA samples of about 1500 people as part of their investigation, but none matched with the DNA collected from the crime scene.

Investigators also sought Interpol help and ran a search for known sexual offenders.

Police have announced a $1 million reward for information that will help in solving the 2013 murder mystery of Melbourne sex worker Tracey Connelly, as officers continue to search for the suspected killer, whose DNA found at the crime scene (Tracy Connelly pictured with her long-term partner Tony Melissovas)

Detective Inspector Tim Day, officer-in-charge of the homicide squad, said the DNA sample could prove crucial in solving Tracey's murder.

'It might have been almost six years since Tracey's death, however I would like to strongly reinforce that this is both an active investigation and one that we believe is solvable,' he said.

'This sample is going to remain in our system, while DNA technology only gets better and better with each passing month.

'It's a numbers game in some ways, and one we absolutely believe we can win.'

Connelly, 40, was found dead in her white Ford Econovan in Greeves Street, St Kilda, with upper body and facial injuries on July 21, 2013. It is suspected that she was killed insider her van

Investigators believe Ms Connelly's van had been parked on Greeves Street for about a month leading up to her death.

She had been living and working out of the van.

Police said the reward of up to $1 million will be paid at the discretion of the Chief Commissioner of Police for information.



Police obtained DNA samples of about 1500 people as part of their investigation, but none matched with the DNA collected from the crime scene

Ms Connelly's long-term partner Tony Melissovas told The Age in 2013 that he had always 'hated' her working on the streets as a prostitute.

The pair met in 2005 and floated in and out of jobs and living arrangements as they battled a heroin addiction - eventually ending up in their beat-up white van.

Mr Melissovas said he would work as Ms Connelly's lookout and protector, but on the night she was tragically murdered he was in hospital with an infected hand.
A teenage girl has tragically died in hospital a week after a freak crash left her two friends in a critical condition and fighting for their lives.

Shalaney Velasquez, 19, died on Sunday as a result of injuries sustained when the car she was a passenger in crashed on the M5, in Sydney's southwest, on April 21.

Ms Velasquez's devastated family made the heartbreaking announcement she had died on a gofundme page, created to help cover funeral costs, on Monday.

Shalaney Velasquez, 19 (pictured), died on Sunday as a result of injuries sustained when the car she was a passenger in crashed a week earlier on the M5, in Sydney's southwest

Ms Velasquez (pictured) and her friend Lisa Aitoa, 18, were in the back seat of the Mazda at the time, while her friend Faith Patolo-Vitale, 19, was behind the wheel

In the listing, the family described the 19-year-old as a 'beautiful soul' who was a beloved daughter, sister, grand-daughter, niece, cousin and friend.

'On Sunday, 28 April 2019 we lost our beautiful Shalaney. She fought hard and strong to stay with us but unfortunately God had other plans,' the listing stated.

'Her family is struggling with the most difficult loss of their lives, and words cannot describe the pain that they are dealing with during this time.

'The last thing we want for the family to worry or deal with at this time is any financial burden,' the gofundme listing stated.

A Liverpool Hospital spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday she was unable to comment on Ms Velasquez's death as it is now a police matter.

The spokeswoman said she was unable to comment on the condition of the other two women.

Ms Velasquez and her friend Lisa Aitoa, 18, had been in the back seat of the Mazda at the time of the crash, while her friend Faith Patolo-Vitale, 19, was behind the wheel.

The family of Ms Velasquez (pictured), who described her as a 'beautiful soul', have since started a gofundme page to help her family with funeral costs

Ms Velasquez's (left) friends, Faith Patolo-Vitale (centre) and Lisa Aitoa (right), were also injured in the crash and taken to hospital

Ms Patolo-Vitale's brother, Aliamanu Patolo-Vitale, 18, was the front seat passenger.

Emergency services were called to the scene, between Belmore Road and King Georges Road, about 6.25pm following reports a car crashed into a stationary bus.

All four passengers were trapped inside the vehicle and required emergency services to cut the car and pull them out.

They were treated at the scene before the three girls were rushed to hospital - all in critical condition.

The driver of the bus, which was parked in a breakdown area on the side of the road, was uninjured and there were no passengers onboard at the time of the crash (pictured is the scene)

Pictured are Ms Patolo-Vitale (middle), Ms Velasquez (left) and Ms Aitoa (right)

Mr Patolo-Vitale was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

The driver of the bus, which was parked in a breakdown area on the side of the road, was uninjured and there were no passengers onboard at the time of the crash.

The Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit is still investigating the horrific incident to see whether Ms Patolo-Vitale was distracted, or if there was a mechanical problem with her car.

Footage shows the entire bumper of the vehicle smashed into itself.

Police have urged anyone with information or dashcam footage to get in contact or call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Baby Amiyah tragically died last week

Parents who faced the woman accused of blackmailing them with photos of their dying baby in her last hours described their fury over seeing her upset in court.

Siti Nurhidayah Kamal, 24, is accused of contacting the parents of 11-month old Amiyah Windross and asking for $1000 for the return of a stolen mobile phone which contained precious photos of their dying child.

She was refused bail on Monday amid fears she will attempt to flee the country, and appeared visibly upset.

The couple told Sunrise on Tuesday they felt 'a surge of anger' when they saw her crying.

'She has no idea what we have been through in the past week, the past 11 months, so to see her upset was a bit of a slap in the face.'

Baby Amiyah tragically died last week after succumbing to an undiagnosed neurological issue she fought since the day of her birth.

Baby Amiyah (pictured) tragically died last week after succumbing to an undiagnosed neurological issue

Siti Nurhidayah Kamal (pictured), 24, was charged with trying to blackmail $1,000 from the parents of the dying baby girl. She was refused bail amid fears she will attempt to flee the country

Her parents, Jay and Dee Windross, said they had only just been told to say their final goodbyes to their daughter when Kamal contacted them.

They were told there was a significant and irreversible change in Amiyah's brain, and were sitting at her bedside in the hospital.

'It's despicable. It's disgusting,' Ms Windross said.

'Why would anyone do that and she knew the position we were in. You could tell by the messages. How could you be so disgraceful?'

Kamal, a mother of two herself, reached out Mr and Mrs Windross last Tuesday after they made a desperate public plea for the return of the Samsung Galaxy S8 phone.

Mr Windross said she continued to text him through the night while he had been trying to spend 'every emotional minute' with his child.

Her parents, Jay and Dee Windross, told Sunrise on Tuesday they had only just been told to say their final goodbyes to their daughter when Kamal contacted them

Kamal allegedly contacted Jay and Dee Windross (pictured outside Ringwood court on Monday) after they made a desperate public plea for the return of the Samsung Galaxy S8 phone

'It was a hoax. Not only was it a complete and utter waste of my time, it was interrupting my final moments with my dying daughter,' he wrote on Facebook.

Kamal is accused of contacting the couple through WhatsApp.

Kamal's lawyer, Royce Dekker, said his client intended to plead guilty to the charge of making an unwarranted demand for cash with menace when it is was eventually heard in the County Court of Victoria.

The couple believe the phone was stolen from the toilets next to Target at Chadstone Shopping Centre last Saturday week about 5.30pm.

'The hours that we spent holding our daughter, this woman was sitting in her own house demanding money from us,' Ms Windross said outside court.

Kamal allegedly contacted the couple via whatsapp after they made several desperate posts on social media to help them retrieve the phone. Her husband is pictured leaving court

Ms Windross left her phone in a toilet cubicle at Melbourne's Chadstone Shopping Centre on April 20, and her husband made a desperate plea on social media to have it returned

Ms Windross said she felt some relief Kamal had been jailed until her guilty plea (pictured: an emotional Ms Windross outside Ringwoods court)

The Ringwood Magistrates' Court heard Kamal and her husband had been working as Uber Eats deliverers earning $120 a day.

Mr Dekker said the couple left their children in Malaysia and had been trying to make ends meet when they fell on hard times and couldn't pay the rent.

'They're earning more money than we are,' Ms Windross said.

'They earn more money than we've been living on on one wage each for 11 months and we have had to pay hospital bills, car parking - everything. Mortgage bills. And she's in there crying because they don't earn enough money.'

Mr Dekker suggested to the court Kamal could have been released with the three days she had already served in jail and a community based order had the jurisdiction not been moved to the County Court.

The court heard Kamal and her husband (pictured leaving court on Monday) had been struggling working as Uber delivery bike riders making $120 a day

Melbourne couple Jay and Dee Windross' (pictured) 11-month-old daughter Amiyah had been fighting an 'undiagnosed neurological issue from the day she was born', and died on Wednesday morning

He complained the delay in bringing her to justice there - estimated to take about six months - was excessive.

Mr Dekker argued his client was no longer a flight risk as she had handed over her passport and had a stable address in Springvale.

But Magistrate Jan McLean disagreed and refused bail.

Ms Windross said she felt some relief Kamal had been jailed until her guilty plea.

'She will have to suffer the consequences of what she's done,' she said.

A woman tried to exploit the couple's vulnerability by extorting $1000 out of them while their daughter was dying

Kamal's busband (pictured centre) did not comment when he left court on Monday after his wife was refused bail

Outside court, the couple said they hoped Kamal would receive justice.

'She needs to get everything that (the court) are capable of giving to her. She has children. She has two children that are still alive - I don't have my baby anymore,' Ms Windross said.

The couple again urged anyone who had the phone to make contact with them.

'I don't have my baby anymore, I can't take anymore photos of my baby. I don't care who you are,' Ms Windross said.

'Give it back ... you don't have to tell me who you are or where you are. Just put the phone somewhere and let someone know where it is so that I can have it back.'

Kamal will reappear in court on Tuesday.

Kamal (pictured) had contacted the couple as they spent their last precious moments with their dying daughter
An Alaska bank employee who boxed up $4.3 million in cash, flew it to Seattle on a private jet and then drove to the Mexican border was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday.

Gerardo Valenzuela, 34, also known as Gary Cazarez, pleaded guilty to the brazen theft, which took place in 2011.

Valenzuela was apprehended at the US - Mexico border just a week after the heist, when a random search of his car uncovered the stolen cash, along with an AK-47 and ammunition.

He has been incarcerated in a Mexican jail since that time, but during Monday's sentencing he was given no credit for those seven years already served.

Valenzuela was extradited to Alaska for trial last September.

Gerardo Valenzuela was caught on camera stealing the $4.3 million from KeyBank in 2011

Mexican authorities seized the enormous amount of cash, along with weapons and ammunition at the US- Mexico border a week later

At the time of the crime, Valenzuela worked as a cash vault services manager for KeyBank in Anchorage.

Bank policy called for having dual controls over the vault, but prosecutors say he ignored the rule while training new employees.

In the week before the heist, Valenzuela bought an airline ticket for his girlfriend to fly to Seattle and then stole $30,000 from Keybank, using it to reserve a private jet.

On the day of the theft, he told the branch manager he was going to organize an ice cream social for bank customers and would stay late to clean up.

Later that evening, without dual controls in place, Valenzuela was able to enter the vault, take the cash and board the private plane to Seattle, authorities said.

Once in the Seattle, he bought a car and an AK-47 rifle, before burying $500,000 in cash.

Valenzuela and his partner then drove south to Mexico with the remaining money in their car.

Valenzuela was an employee at KeyBank prior to the robbery

The caper came to a quick conclusion on August 2, 2011, during a random search of Valenzuela's luggage at a checkpoint along the U.S- Mexico border.

Mexican authorities discovered the rifle, ammunition and $3.8 million in cash.

The missing $500,000 that he had buried has not been recovered.

During sentencing, Judge Burgess cited the magnitude of the crime and Valenzuela's lack of candor with the court, prosecutors said.
Actor Kris Mochrie pleaded guilty to supplying GHB and perverting the course of justice in 2010

Emmerdale has sparked controversy after bosses cast an actor who has been convicted of supplying the date rape drug GHB in a role with a similar storyline.

Kris Mochrie played a man called 'Lee' who apparently spiked character Victoria Sugden's drink on a night out before she was raped.

During the episode aired on Thursday, the former Brookside actor is seen talking to his victim in a nightclub before the attack.

But some fans have questioned why an actor with a conviction for supplying a date rape drug would be cast in such a role.

The 34-year-old admitted supplying class C drugs to a friend who collapsed in a Hull nightspot from taking the date rape drug in 2008.

Mochrie was sentenced to two years in prison at Hull Crown Court in 2010 for the supplying the drug and perverting the course of justice, according to the Liverpool Echo.

The actor, who found fame at 17 as Ali Gordon in Brookside, was on a night out in Hull with his friend and reality TV star, Danny Latimer, who starred in Desperate Scousewives and Shipwrecked in 2008.

Kris Mochris (left) plays 'Lee' who was seen in the new Emmerdale episode spiking Victoria Sugden's drink on a night out

Latimer ended up in am medically induced coma in intensive care after suffering a reaction to the GHB in his drink.

Mochrie pleaded guilty as Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told the actor he was 'deliberate and selfish, and intended to divert police from your own criminal conduct'.

He added: 'What happened was terrible. There you were in the nightclub with your associate who you supplied GHB a class C drug.

'He knew what he was taking. That particular drug has a number of dangerous side effects. He became extremely ill as a result of the harmful effects.

Following broadcast of the episode, fans of the soap voiced their concerns on social media.

Kris Mochrie on set of CBBC drama Katy (left) about a 'daredevil' girl who suffers a life-changing accident and (right) in a separate production

Mochrie (far left) in the nightclub scene in Thursday's episode of Emmerdale in which Victoria Sugden's drink was spiked

Some suggested that there was a double standard as actress Shila Iqbal was recently sacked by show bosses over past tweets made when she was 17 and 18.

A fan wrote on Twitter: 'Double standards! So Emmerdale sack Shila Iqbal over stupid, offensive language in old tweets from years ago when she was young and then they do this?'

Another said: 'Wow! So a convicted spiker is playing a spiker? Well done Emmerdale and ITV!'

One added: 'Nothing like blatant disregard for real victims.'

Mochrie, of Liverpool, will see his controversial character return in flashback episodes of Emmerdale and in a number of upcoming scenes.

In the past he has also featured in Life on Mars, ITV's The Royal, CBBC drama Katy and Ordinary Lies.

In an interview with the Liverpool Echo after his release, the actor said he did not realise the dangers of GHB at the time.
Chaos looms whoever wins the next federal election with neither major party likely to win a majority in the Senate.

Whether it's Labor or the Coalition that forms government after the election, they will likely have to deal with a chaotic Senate that will require them to cut deals with a range of minor parties.

Fringe minor parties are likely to have the balance of power in the upper house, forcing the government to cater to their niche agendas to pass legislation.

Should Labor win the May 18 poll, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten could struggle to pass his proposals to wind back negative gearing property tax breaks and stop some share-owning retirees from getting tax credits.

Likewise, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's plan to reduce the number of tax brackets from five to four, from 2024, faces an uncertain future should his Coalition government win an unlikely third term.

Chaos looms whoever wins the next federal election with neither major party likely to win a majority in the Senate (pictured: Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor leader Bill Shorten)

Griffith University politics lecturer Paul Williams said it would be a 'hostile Senate' regardless of who won the federal election in the lower house.

Outspoken billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer stands a strong chance of winning a Queensland Senate seat at the expense of One Nation, with his re-birthed United Australia Party spending $60 million on election ads.

Dr Paul Williams said the Mineralogy founder would be open to increasing the intake of refugees but would be dead-set against Labor's negative gearing and capital gains tax changes.

'He thinks business is being taxed too much, especially big business - he's part of a billionaires' club, "Life is too tough for billionaires", he's saying,' Dr Williams told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.

'Palmer's really there to have a hand in re-writing tax policy, he wants to make sure we have flatter taxes.'

Mr Palmer probably won't be the only former federal MP returning to the parliamentary benches.

Eccentric billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer looks set to win a Queensland Senate seat, with his re-birthed United Australia Party spending $60 million on election ads

Jacqui Lambie was initially elected as a Palmer United Party senator for Tasmania in 2013.

The 48-year-old former soldier, who was forced to quit Parliament in 2017 for being a dual Scottish citizen by descent, stands a strong chance of returning to the Senate - this time as the head Jacqui Lambie Network candidate.

Dr Paul Williams: 'It will be a hostile Senate'

Another former dual citizen MP, Malcolm Roberts, could also return to Parliament as a One Nation lawmaker from Queensland with Pauline Hanson's party, just 18 months after he was kicked out of the Senate for being a dual citizen of the United Kingdom.

Dr Williams, however, said Al-Jazeera's undercover documentary exposing Senator Hanson's chief-of-staff James Ashby and her party's former Queensland leader Steve Dickson was likely to hurt Mr Roberts politically.

'One Nation's brand is damaged,' he said.

Whether One Nation prevails in 2019, it won't just be populist parties of the right that frustrate the next government's agenda, as it tries to get its agenda through the 76-member Senate.

The 48-year-old former soldier, who was forced to quit Parliament in 2017 for being a dual Scottish citizen by descent, stands a strong chance of being returning to the Senate, this time as the head Jacqui Lambie Network candidate

Former media personality Derryn Hinch could be returned as a senator for Victoria, with his Justice Party.

Then there will be the Greens, who already have nine senators, although they are facing a tough fight to retain their Senate spots in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.

Sarah Hanson-Young, from the Greens, is facing a fierce battle against Centre Alliance's Skye Kakoschke-Moore, who resigned as a senator for South Australia in 2017 for being a dual British citizen.

Ms Kakoschke-Moore's centrist party, previously known as the Nick Xenophon Team, could be even more unpredictable than the left-wing Greens.

'Centre Alliance members and voters come from both left and right - disaffected Labor and disaffected Liberals,' Dr Williams said.

'It's hard to say exactly. It will probably depend on the actual Senate on the day and what state concessions they can get, especially for a hard-pressed state like South Australia.'

Former media personality Derryn Hinch looks set to be returned as a senator for Victoria, with his Justice Party

During the past four decades, a federal government has only had a Senate majority twice.

'I don't think we'll see that again in our lifetime,' Dr Williams said.

Former prime minister John Howard's Liberal-National coalition used its numbers in the upper house in 2005 to pass his government's hated Work Choices laws, which contributed to his defeat in November 2007.

Since that time, both sides of politics have had their legislative agenda blocked by minor parties ganging up with the Opposition, with senators needing to win 14.3 per cent of votes after preferences to be elected.

The Greens in 2009 repeatedly blocked former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd's emissions trading scheme, a key election promise, while one of his Liberal successors, Tony Abbott, had his Budget delayed in 2014 by another hostile Senate.

Stephen Parry, a former Senate president from the Liberal Party, said minor parties were becoming more obstructive.

'Obviously, it's getting more and more difficult as each year goes on,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Then there will be the Greens, who already have nine senators, although they are facing a tough fight to retain their Senate spots in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia (pictured is Senator Sarah Hanson-Young)

Senate voting rules are being changed at this election.

Previously, Australians had the choice of voting for a party ticket above the line or numbering every box below the line, which saw voters have to number more than 80 boxes, in some cases, so they could control where their preferences went.

Under the new rules, voters have a choice of numbering at least six boxes above the line or 12 or more below the line.

Australian Catholic University visiting fellow Malcolm Mackerras, who has been an election analyst since the 1960s, said the new rules were deceitful and could confuse voters accustomed to voting for one party ticket above the line.

'This is a disgraceful system when it says one to at least six when a single one is a formal vote, that is deceit,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's designed to confuse and deceive voters as well as manipulate them, that's the purpose of it.'

Another former dual citizen MP, Malcolm Roberts, could also return to Parliament as a One Nation lawmaker from Queensland with Pauline Hanson's party, just 18 months after he was kicked out of the Senate for being a dual citizen of the United Kingdom

Mr Mackerras said the new Senate rules were still designed to let the major parties favour Senate candidates who were backed by factional bosses.

Under Australia's electoral system, a prime minister can call a double-dissolution election of every seat in Federal Parliament if the government's legislation is blocked in the Senate twice within three months.

The last time that happened, in July 2016, when Malcolm Turnbull was PM, even more minor parties were elected, making the Senate even more unwieldy, with the normal quota slashed from 14.3 per cent to 7.7 per cent.

The number of minor parties since then grew from five to eight as Brian Burston quit One Nation to join Mr Palmer's United Australia Party.

Fraser Anning also quit One Nation to sit as an independent and form the Conservative National Party while Cory Bernardi quit the Liberal Party to form his own Australian Conservatives.

The next Senate could see up to five minor parties on the cross bench again, seeing recent history repeat itself.
The new generation of Land Rovers Defender 4x4 will be built in Slovakia rather than Britain, the car-maker confirmed last night.

The shock decision to build what is considered an iconic British car abroad will be seen by many as a bitter blow  but the firm insisted that Brexit had not played a role in the decision.

The outgoing Defender model  much loved and often driven by the Queen and other members of the royal family  was built at Jaguar Land Rovers Solihull factory near Birmingham until production ceased in 2016.

The next-generation Defender will be built at JLR's new 1billion facility in Nitra, Slovakia (pictured)

A Land Rover Defender is shown at the Professional Vehicles Fair at Heysel in Brussels, Belgium

The next-generation Defender will be built at the companys new 1 billion factory in Nitra, Slovakia - as we revealed last year.

Land Rover said the new off-roader was designed and engineered in Britain  at its engineering centre in Gaydon in Warwickshire  with petrol and diesel engines supplied from its factory in Wolverhampton.

It said switching production to Slovakia would free up capacity at Solihull to build the flagship Range Rover and Land Rover models, including electrified versions of its 4x4.

Britain's largest automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover's factory in Solihull, south east of Birmingham, England

2002 Land Rover Defender driving on snowy road, a classic scene of British motoring

Prince Philip driving a Land Rover Freelander on the A93 near Balmoral Castle, Scotland, UK. Land Rover holds a royal warrant, as supplier to the royal household. The royal relationship with Land Rover goes back to 1948 when King George VI viewed the original Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover said last night the Defender would be designed and engineered in the UK ahead of its official unveiling later this year  which is expected to be at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It is expected to go on sale early next year.

The company added: It will use the latest clean Ingenium engines built at Wolverhampton, reinforcing both the companys British roots and the diversified, globalised nature of its manufacturing strategy.

News that the new Defender will be built in Slovakia came as as Land Rover issued new and more lightly camouflaged photographs its 4X4 prototypes of which have been undergoing extreme testing around the globe, including in the arctic and deserts.

The Nitra plant opened on 25 October 2018. Jaguar Land Rover employs around 2,400 people in Nitra, 98 per cent are Slovak nationals and 30 per cent are women

A final phase of field-testing with global Land Rover conservation partner  Tusk Trust  which protects African wildlife including elephants  where it will be put to work towing, wading and carrying supplies at the Borana Conservancy in Kenya to support vital conservation work

The next-gen Defender has already undergone more than 744,000 miles of extreme testing

A final phase of field-testing with global Land Rover conservation partner  Tusk Trust  which protects African wildlife including elephants  where it will be put to work towing, wading and carrying supplies at the Borana Conservancy in Kenya to support vital conservation work.

The new Defender development fleet of two- and four-door vehicles has already undergone more than 744,000 miles of extreme testing and will complete more than 45,000 individual trials in some of the worlds most inhospitable places before its official unveiling and launch later this year.

Land Rover said: By the time the new Defender makes its public debut later this year, it will have passed more than 45,000 individual tests in some of the most extreme environments on earth.

Land Rover engineers have taken the test fleet to the 50-degree heat of the desert, the sub 40-degree cold of the Arctic, as well as up to 10,000ft altitude of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to ensure the new Defender will take everyday life in its stride, for even its most adventurous customers.'

By the time the new Defender makes its public debut in late 2019, it will have passed more than 45,000 individual tests in some of the most extreme environments on earth

Extreme testing includes some serious offroading for the Defender - the model that's historically the best at the job

The 4X4 has also been tested on Germanys Nurburgring and at off-road course at Eastnor Castle near Ledbury in the UK (pictured)

Nick Rogers, executive director for product engineering at Jaguar Land Rover, said: In addition to the extensive simulation and rig testing, weve driven new Defender 1.2million kilometres (744,000 miles) across all terrains and in extreme climates to ensure that it is the toughest and most capable Land Rover ever made.

He added: The incredible opportunity to put it to the test in the field, supporting operations at the Borana Conservancy in Kenya, with Tusk, will allow our engineers to verify that we are meeting this target as we enter the final phase of our development programme.

The 4X4 has also been tested on Germanys Nurburgring, at off-road course at Eastnor Castle near Ledbury in the UK, on rocky trails in Utah, and in the sand dunes of Dubai.

Land Rover said: The new 4x4 promises to bring unparalleled breadth of capability and new levels of comfort and driveability to the Defender family.

The 2019 Defender has been driven up to 10,000ft altitude of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to ensure the new Defender will take everyday life in its stride

Arctic testing should hone the 4X4s skills for when Britons get a flurry of snow in the winter months

The Defender is due to debut at the end of the year, but will be an entirely different prospect to the model we've known for years

Wednesday April 30 also marks the 71st anniversary of the original Land Rovers debut at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show, which the 4X4 maker has dubbed World Land Rover Day. Since Defender production ended in 2016, second-hand prices of existing Defenders have soared as they become collectors items  and increasingly a target for thieves

Billionaire British petro-chemical tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning a back to basics 4X4 to fill the gap left by the original Defender, which could be built in Britain.

Codenamed Projekt Grenadier  after the pub in which the idea was conceived - Ineos Automotives off-roader aims to recapture the rufty-tufty spirit of the original Land Rover Defender  amid concerns by purists that the old boxy Defender shape is being smoothed out.
Martins Njie Mafany Facebook

The South West Chiefs Conference has condemned the South West Governor, Okalia Bilai Bernard for ordering all Chiefs in the region to march on May 20 along with their subjects under pain of losing their royal crowns.

In a communique signed Tuesday April 30, 2019, the President of the South West Chiefs Conference, Chief Mafany Njie Martin on behalf of his peers said the governor did not have to remind them of their civic responsibilities.

"We, the South West Chiefs categorically condemn the demeaning and threatening manner by which the Governor of the South West Region reminded us of our usual civic duties, which we have always performed so diligently without be ordered to do so by whosoever," the chiefs said in a statement in response to Okalia Bilai Bernard.

The regional chief executive had on Thursday April 25, 2019, as he chaired a preparatory meeting ahead of the 47th edition of Cameroon's National Day nationwide celebrations billed for May 20, said chiefs who fail to march with their subjects will be dethroned.

"During the 20th May this year, all the Chiefs will march with a placard indicating their village and with their population behind them," Okalia said, adding that, "If that is not the case, it means those chiefs don't exist. And if you don't exist as a body, as a village, then you should neither be called a village nor be counted among villages."

"I said this some two, three years ago but the Chiefs refused to do it because they were still volunteer Chiefs. But today, know that the volunteerism is finish. Tradition is there, but you are tied to the state with an obligation. Eh Chief? You know noh? I don't want to disclose it here. But we understand each other," Okalia said with a feigned smile.

In a firm tone, he handed down a subtle threat: "If you fail to do what I am instructing, you'll see 30 days after, the consequences of that disobedience."

Okalia turned to the Mayor of Buea, Ekema Patrick Esunge to know the number of villages within his municipality and the mayor's response put smiles on his face. He then instructed the Mayor to prepare placards bearing the names of all the villages in Buea - which placards will be carried by the Chiefs as they lead their kits and kins during the National Day parade.

"So Lord Mayor, prepare the placards because soon they will say they don't have money. Prepare it. How many villages do we have in Buea? Ah,a hundred, put them on placards. Every Chief will march. And those who are in exile in Douala or Yaounde, Let them stay there. When they come back, they'll find someone else as chief," Okalia decreed.

The chiefs say their native laws and customs do not allow them as natural rulers to march past the grandstand during official ceremonies.

"We completely dissociate ourselves from such a representation and remind the public that the traditions and customs of the South West people are full of values of respect, tolerance, nobility and unity. We therefore call on our population to remain calm and positive as we look forward to accompanying the State in all national events like we have always done," the chiefs said.
When William Tyrrell's foster grandmother was asked who would want to harm the little boy, she could only suggest one person - a man who lived nearby.

A witness statement by the foster nanna, one of the last two people to see William alive, has been released by the inquest investigating the boy's disappearance.

'I can't think of anyone who would want to harm William,' she told police in the statement, dated two days after the boy disappeared.

'I was asked this question initially by Wendy Hudson (a police woman who lives in Kendall) and I suggested Peter across the road, (as he keeps odd hours and lives alone),' the inquest document said.

'Wendy assures me she has checked him out thoroughly.'

William Tyrrell went missing on September 12, 2014 and almost five years later, has not been seen or heard from since

The foster grandmother told police she had not idea who want to harm her foster grandson

The statement was tendered to the inquest on March 25 and released on Tuesday following an application to the Coroner's Court by Daily Mail Australia.

The foster gran, whose home William disappeared from on September 12, 2014, told police her other theory was that the boy may have walked down a nearby highway with 'lots of traffic moving back and forth'.

The woman, who was 81 at the time of William's disappearance, described the him as 'full of beans ... jumping out of his skin with energy' that morning.

'William was dressed in his "Spiderman" costume ... While he was playing out the back patio he started roaring like a tiger and told us he was the "daddy tiger".

She said her daughter took the famous last photos of William on her balcony and had been contemplating feeding him morning tea, and supposed it was about 10.30am.

'William lost interest in drawing pictures and rolling dice and he ran down the two small stairs of the back patio, onto the grass and he ran around the right hand side of the house (to the front).

'That is the last time I saw William.'

'About five minutes had passed and the female foster carer said: ''Mum, he's a little bit quiet' and she walked off the back patio in the direction of where we'd last seen William.'

She next saw the foster carer standing out the front of the house speaking to a neighbour and calling out William's name.

The female foster carer, seen during the coronial inquest earlier this year

'The female foster carer walked back to the house and told me she was calling the because she couldn't find William.

'The female foster carer called the police (and the male foster carer as well). I think the male foster carer arrived home before the police but I'm not entirely sure.

'The police didn't take long to get there and I remember the officer saying he wasn't far away when the call came in.'

She recalled how the foster carers had travelled up as she was in the process of selling her house as she needed something smaller.

She said William's foster parents were concerned 'that I was going to do the wrong thing, so they decided to come up to Kendall'.

Investigators have ruled out William's biological and foster parents having any involvement in his disapperaance.

The coronial inquest previously heard evidence from both his biological and foster parents in an effort to piece together the events surrounding his disappearance.

Both William's birth mother (pictured left) and his birth father (right) gave emotional testimonies during a recent inquest

Police videos tendered as evidence showed the foster carers explaining the events of the day he vanished to detectives.

The inquest heard William's biological parents 'absconded' with the little boy and hid him from authorities for about six weeks in 2012, following a children's court order.

William's mother said in her initial police statement, released by the coroner: 'I didn't take him. I have nothing to do with it.

William's father told the inquest 'authorities f***ed up ... The minister had a duty of care to keep William safe until he was 18. That was not the case at all.'

The inquest will hold public hearings in August, which are expected to focus on persons of interest in the boy's disappearance.
Cambridge University is to carry out a two-year inquiry into its links with the slave trade.

It will investigate how the university benefited from the Atlantic trade in Africans in the 18th century, and how its scholars contributed to 'repugnant' views on race.

The project paves the way for the university to follow other public bodies in apologising for their part in the slave era. Students have been campaigning to 'decolonise the curriculum', complaining that it is too dominated by white writers. Cambridge has also been accused of failing to attract enough black students.

Researchers at Cambridge University are to carry out a two-year probe into its links with the slave trade

Vice chancellor Stephen Toope said: 'There is growing public and academic interest in the links between the older British universities and the slave trade, and it is only right that Cambridge should look into its own exposure to the profits of coerced labour during the colonial period. We cannot change the past, but nor should we seek to hide from it.

'I hope this process will help the university understand and acknowledge its role during that dark phase of human history.'

The inquiry will explore university archives and records elsewhere to uncover how Cambridge may have 'gained from slavery and the exploitation of labour'.

Colonial legacy triggers campus rows The inquiry follows a number of rows over the colonial legacy at universities. Two years ago, a bronze cockerel was removed from Jesus College, Cambridge, following a student outcry because it had been looted from Africa in the 19th century. The university agreed to hold discussions on the future of the Benin bronze, including possible repatriation to Nigeria. Oxford students ran a campaign in 2015 to tear down a statue of the 19th century imperialist Cecil Rhodes. They claimed the statue, at Oriel College, was offensive to ethnic minority students, but the university resisted their demands. At Manchester University last year, students painted over a mural featuring the Rudyard Kipling poem If, over claims the writer was racist. They said that because another of his poems, The White Man's Burden, was offensive by today's standards, all his other work should be 'no-platformed'. Advertisement

This would include financial bequests to departments, libraries and museums.

It will also investigate the extent to which scholars might have 'reinforced and validated race-based thinking' between the 18th and early 20th century. An advisory group has been asked to recommend ways to 'publicly acknowledge' past links to slavery and to 'address its impact'.

The eight-member group overseeing the work is being led by Martin Millett, who is the Laurence professor of classical archaeology. It will draw its membership from academic departments across the university and will be supported by two post-doctorate researchers, with a report due to be finished in 2021.

Professor Millett said: 'This will be an evidence-led and thorough piece of research into the University of Cambridge's historical relationship with the slave trade and other forms of coerced labour.

'We cannot know at this stage what exactly it will find but it is reasonable to assume that, like many large British institutions during the colonial era, the university will have benefited directly or indirectly from, and contributed to, the practices of the time.

'The benefits may have been financial or through other gifts.

'But the panel is just as interested in the way scholars at the university helped shape public and political opinion, supporting, reinforcing and sometimes contesting racial attitudes which are repugnant in the 21st century.'
Swimmer Cate Campbell spent a paltry 156.5 seconds in the pool at the weekend but pocketed $37,000 in prize money at a rate that would earn her a staggering $851,118 an hour.

The first leg of the FINA Champions Series, the sport's richest event to date, was held in Guangzhou, China on Saturday and Sunday.

The event came as the governing body, one of the richest in the world, faced increased pressure with swimmers demanding better pay.

Campbell, who lead the charge for increased prize money, pocketed the biggest pay cheque for two freestyle events and one butterfly race, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Olympic swimming legend Cate Campbell earned a staggering $851,118 for her appearance in the sport's richest event to date after demanding better pay

Emily Seebohm, who battled a bout of food poisoning over the weekend, was able to pocket $25,500 for her stint in the pool

The 26-year-old's hourly rate from the event would be higher than Tesla boss Elon Musk who is on $684,931 an hour, Microsoft founder Bill Gates who earns $456,621 an hour, and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey who pockets $205,479 according to Business Insider.

Emily Seebohm, who battled a bout of food poisoning during the meet, walked away with $25,500 for her stint in the pool.

Jack McLoughlin won himself $8,500 for his third place result in the 400-metre freestyle, which was won by native Olympic champion Sun Yang.

FINA covered all travel and accommodation expenses for the event, with more than $1.13million alone spent on appearance fees for the invite-only competition.

The series was organised in response to the $7.7million International Swimming League (ISL) which will be launched later in the year.

A number of Australian swimmers declined invitations to the series, including Kyle Chalmers and Mack Horton.

The three competing Australians will not continue on to the second and third leg of the series as the races are too close to the national trials for the world titles.

However, Seebohm said she saw the event, which only hosted four swimmers per race, as a good warm up for future endeavours.

The first leg of the FINA Champions Series, held on Saturday and Sunday in Guangzhou, China, welcomed some of the pool's best for the lucrative invite-only event

'This year is about taking chances and doing different things so when the FINA series came up I was very interested in racing people I will be up against in the next couple of years (at Tokyo 2020),' Seebohm told AAP.

FINA has been under fire from professional swimmers about how it spends its mass wealth.

Between 2013 and 2016, it raked in $266million but only spend 16 per cent of its expenditure on prize money.

FINA threatened to ban swimmers from the 2022 Olympics in Tokyo if they joined the ISL, where they would earn a greater cut of money.

FINA has been under fire from professional swimmers about how it spends its mass wealth

It led to a lawsuit before FINA quickly backtracked and offered the Champions Series to the elite swimmers.

'FINA is not supporting us, they are putting swimmers at the bottom of their priority list,' Campbell told The Daily Telegraph in December 2018.

'I can guarantee that just about any athlete in the world would have said that this ISL is a good thing and good opportunity to grow swimming globally but FINA's worried that it's going to cut down on their revenue.'

Winners of each event at the Champion Series will earn more than $14,000 while world records earn a $29,000 bonus.
A criminal psychologist believes Borce Ristevski coerced his daughter into supporting him after he confessed to killing his wife and her mother.

Laura Richards, a behavioural analyst who specialised in domestic violence, stalking and coercive control, believes Sarah Ristevski's decision to stand by her father despite his guilty plea indicates she has been manipulated.

During a pre-sentence plea hearing at the Supreme Court of Victoria, Ms Ristevski, 24, Borce and Karen's daughter, refused to deliver a victim impact statement and chose to write her father a character reference instead.

This, Ms Richards believes, lends to her theory that Ms Ristevski 'may be under [her father's] spell.'

During a pre-sentence plea hearing at the Supreme Court of Victoria, Ms Ristevski, 24, Borce and Karen's daughter, refused to deliver a victim impact statement and chose to write her father a character reference instead

Laura Richards, a behavioural analyst who specialised in domestic violence, stalking and coercive control, believes Sarah Ristevski's decision to stand by her father despite his guilty plea indicates she has been manipulated

'This makes little sense unless it is understood that she too may be under his spell, which talks to his ability to manipulate and control those around him.

'If I could use a few words to describe my dad's personality they would be loving, caring, sympathetic, protective and charismatic,' Ms Ristevski said in her character reference.

'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.'

Ms Richards said her professional opinion is that Ms Ristevski is a victim of 'coercive control' at the hands of her father.

'If I could use a few words to describe my dad's personality they would be loving, caring, sympathetic, protective and charismatic,' Ms Ristevski said in her character reference

A criminal psychologist is of the opinion Borce Ristevski has coerced his daughter into supporting him after he confessed to killing his wife and her mother

She wrote an impassioned letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions on April 28 begging for an appeal in relation to Ristevski's 'unduly lenient sentence'.

'Sarah's voice about the impact of her mother's brutal killing is yet to be heard, despite the fact she was close to her mother,' Ms Richards wrote.

'She is no doubt conflicted but this is also instructive. Instead she wrote a glowing reference for her father  a man who lied to her and everyone else.'

She then went on to suggest both Karen and her daughter were in her opinion victims of coercive control throughout the years.

'I have sadly analysed hundreds of domestic murders. Coercive control is almost always present. Coercive control correlates significantly with murder.

Borce Ristevski was sentenced to nine years in prison with a non parole period of six years for the murder of his wife, Karen (left)

'When women try and separate from the abuser, this is the highest risk time. When professionals say there is no history of domestic abuse, they may be looking for physical abuse and miss the psychological, financial and coercively controlling elements which that are far more damaging to the victim.

'Coercive control impacts children as well,' she said.

Ms Richards is a a London-based criminal profiler, and has trained law enforcement around the world, including police in NSW and FBI agents at Quantico.

'This should have been a murder charge. However, it was downgraded to manslaughter,' Ms Richards wrote.

'This is problematic. Manslaughter carries a maximum of 20 years. If a one-punch offender receives 10 years, to serve 10 before he is eligible for parole, how can the brutal killing of Karen (Ristevski) carry nine years, eligible for parole in six?'
A group of white Chicago high school students have sparked outrage after they filmed themselves driving around in blackface while screaming profanities and harassing McDonald's drive-thru staff.

Photos and videos have surfaced online showing several male sophomore students from Homewood-Flossmoor High School wearing blackface over the weekend.

At least two photos posted on Facebook show the white teenagers driving in a car with their faces painted black.

A video shows the teens screaming into the camera and later appearing to taunt a black woman at a McDonald's drive-thru by making disparaging remarks.

Photos and videos have surfaced online showing several male sophomore students from Homewood-Flossmoor High School wearing blackface over the weekend

The young McDonald's employee shown in the video was said to be 'hurt, frustrated and embarrassed' by the encounter.

One woman who shared the photos and video online claims that when the teenagers were confronted about being racist, the boys allegedly responded: 'I'm not racist, I love black girls. They're really thick.'

She claims the boys were 'fetishizing' black girls' bodies and 'reducing the notion of not being racist towards sexual attraction to someone'.

'I'm very disappointed that this would happen in this community. The history and effects of black face are well known,' the woman who shared the photos said.

'To see students in our communities taking part in this activity and disrespecting the black student population makes me wonder if (Homewood-Flossmoor) truly cares about supporting a safe space for students of color.

'We need to make sure that the students in this school know that this type of racist behavior will not be tolerated in this community.'

At least two photos posted on Facebook show the white teenagers driving in a car with their faces painted black

A video shows the teens screaming profanities into the camera while their faces were painted black

A video shows the teens screaming into the camera and later appearing to taunt a black woman at a McDonald's drive-thru by making disparaging remarks

The mother of one of the boys told Patch that the teens had been receiving death threats.

'This is a very serious thing. As crazy as it sounds, it is not about race. We are not racist. The students didn't even know what 'blackface' meant until they Googled it later. It was a complete dumb and childish act,' she said.

The school said it was made aware of the posts on Sunday and called them 'highly offensive and culturally insensitive'.

'This type of behavior is contrary to our expectations, is being addressed quickly and appropriately and will not be tolerated,' the school wrote in a letter to parents.

'The administration immediately requested a meeting that afternoon and met with all of the families and students involved. Due to student confidentiality laws, we are unable to discuss individual students and actions taken.

'However, we can share that the social media postings that were seen and heard were not representative of the high expectations we have for all students that attend our school.'
A teenager who sexually abused a boy, sent photos and videos of the horrific attack to friends and had a huge collection of child pornography will serve no jail time.

Former Sunshine Coast University student Nicholas Stanton Battle Slaughter, 19, coerced a 15-year-old boy into performing a sex act while on filmed.

Slaughter, who was 18 at the time, took the boy into a public toilet and took photos and videos of the abuse before sharing them to friends through Snapchat.

Former Sunshine Coast University student Nicholas Stanton Battle Slaughter (pictured), 19, coerced a 15-year-old boy into performing a sex act

The 19-year-old appeared in Brisbane District Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, the Courier Mail reported.

The charges included the indecent dealing of a child under 16, making and possessing child exploitation material and using a carriage service to solicit child pornography material.

Slaughter was sentenced to 18 months behind bars, but the entire sentence was suspended and he will be on a good behaviour bond for 20 years.

If he re-offends within the next 20 years, Slaughter will have to pay a $2000 fine.

While the sex was believed to be 'consensual', the victim revealed to police he only said yes because he 'felt bad' for Slaughter, the court heard.

Police were notified of the abuse when the victim's parents found out and reported it to authorities.

In the investigation, police found 5,000 photos and 150 videos of children being horrifically exploited and hurt by adults on electronic devices owned by Slaughter.

Among the material footage was found of a male adult filmed raping a toddler and others of small children forced to perform sexual acts on adults.

The 19-year-old appeared in Brisbane District Court (pictured)on Monday where he pleaded guilty to multiple charges

Some of the media was downloaded onto an online storage decide, but Slaughter also kept lots of it on his phone and was caught sharing some of it online.

Judge Jennifer Rosengren told Slaughter the victim he took advantage of would suffer significantly from his actions and have to live with the consequences.

'The consequences on young people can be very complicated - it can take many years for the full effects to surface,' she said.

Judge Rosengren said the children in child exploitation material will suffer severe psychological damage.

'Your sharing of this material encourages the exploitation of vulnerable children,' she said.

While sentencing Slaughter, the Judge said she considered an emotional letter he penned showing his remorse for the offending, his age and a strong support he had from family and his employer.
Almost a fifth of middle-aged professionals are over-qualified for their job amid an increase in career swaps later in life.

Those in their 30s and 40s are most likely to be over-educated, according to a report from the Office for National Statistics.

Among those aged 35 to 49, 18.4 per cent had more education than required to do their job in 2016, the highest percentage since records began in 2006.

Only 10.9 per cent of those classed as Generation Z  aged 16 to 24  were considered over-educated. As more people go to university, the ONS said that overall 31 per cent of graduates were doing a job which was below their skill level.

The number of people changing career mid-way through their working life could be contributing to the rise in 'over-educated' workers

Christopher Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, told the Daily Telegraph that changing career in midlife no doubt plays a part in the record figures, but said that it was unclear from the data.

He added: Nearly two decades after Tony Blair decided that 50 per cent of young people should go to university, we find large numbers of graduates in non-graduate work.

There was never any reason to think that the British economy required half the population to have degrees. The result is that we have a large and growing number of people who find themselves in jobs they could have got without racking up student debt.
President Trump is proposing charging asylum-seekers a fee to process their applications as he continues to try to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying to cross into the U.S.

In a presidential memorandum signed Monday, Trump directed his attorney general and acting homeland security secretary to take additional measures to overhaul the asylum system, which he insists 'is in crisis' and plagued by 'rampant abuse.'

The changes are just the latest in a series of proposals from an administration that is struggling to cope with a surge of migrant families arriving at the southern border that has overwhelmed federal resources and complicated Trump's efforts to claim victory at the border as he runs for re-election.

Most of those arriving say they are fleeing violence and poverty and many request asylum under U.S. and international law.

President Trump wants to make it more difficult for migrants to obtain asylum in the United States

The president also called on Mexico to 'eradicate' the problem of 'coyotes and drug cartels' who 'have labs nearby where they make drugs to sell into the U.S.'

Trump also tweeted on Monday: 'If the Democrats dont give us the votes to change our weak, ineffective and dangerous Immigration Laws, we must fight hard for these votes in the 2020 Election!'

Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a central theme of his presidency.

He tweeted on Monday: 'The Coyotes and Drug Cartels are in total control of the Mexico side of the Southern Border.

'They have labs nearby where they make drugs to sell into the U.S. Mexico, one of the most dangerous countrys in the world, must eradicate this problem now.

'Also, stop the MARCH to U.S.'

'Coyotes' are people who are paid money to help smuggle migrants into the United States.

Migrants pay a fee to coyotes who in return guide them across the border.

Once the migrant arrives to a pre-determined destination, usually a town along the border in California, Texas, or Arizona, they pay a fee to the coyote.

The increased surveillance and security along the southern border has led to an increase in the usage of coyotes.

Coyotes, which is used both in English and Spanish, could receive as much as $15,000 per person to smuggle migrants into the U.S.

Trump also tweeted on Monday: 'If the Democrats dont give us the votes to change our weak, ineffective and dangerous Immigration Laws, we must fight hard for these votes in the 2020 Election!'

As part of the memo, Trump is giving officials 90 days to come up with new regulations to ensure that applications are adjudicated within 180 days of filing, except under exceptional circumstances.

And he is directing officials to begin charging a fee to process asylum and employment authorization applications - which do not currently require payment.

The president is proposing an application fee for would-be asylum seekers as well as other restrictions that would make it harder to obtain work in the U.S. The image above shows a young girl at a migrant shelter in El Paso, Texas on Wednesday

The White House and DHS officials did not immediately respond to questions about how much applicants might be forced to pay, and it is unclear how many families fleeing poverty would be able to afford such a payment.

The memo says the price would not exceed the cost of processing applications, but officials did not immediately provide an estimate for what that might be.

Trump also wants to bar anyone who has entered or tried to enter the country illegally from receiving a provisional work permit and is calling on officials to immediately revoke work authorizations when individuals are denied asylum and ordered removed from the country.

He is also calling on Homeland Security to reassign immigration officers and any other staff 'to improve the integrity of adjudications of credible and reasonable fear claims, to strengthen the enforcement of the immigration laws, and to ensure compliance with the law by those aliens who have final orders of removal.'

Arrests along the southern border have skyrocketed in recent months, with border agents making more than 100,000 arrests or denials of entry in March, a 12-year high.
Donald Trump again attacked 'Sleepy Joe' Biden for holding his first presidential campaign rally in Pittsburgh where unemployment is at its lowest rate in 50 years.

Biden, 76, who served two terms as vice president to former President Barack Obama, has repeatedly criticized the U.S. economy and Trump for benefiting the wealthy at the expense of the middle class and working poor.

And Trump was quick to hit back at Biden on Twitter, sharing a link to a local media report showing that the city were he chose to stage his first election rally is feeling the benefits from what Trump argues are his economic policies.

Donald Trump, (left), again attacked 'Sleepy Joe' Biden, (right), for holding his first presidential campaign rally in Pittsburgh where unemployment is at its lowest rate in 50 years

Trump shared a link to a local media report showing that the state were he chose to stage his first election rally is feeling the benefits of his economic policies

He tweeted: 'Pittsburgh jobless rate hits lowest point since the early 1970s (maybe even better than that) and Sleepy Joe just had his first rally there. Fact is, every economic aspect of our Country is the best it has ever been!.

Pennsylvania's jobless rate edged down to 3.6 percent, down two-tenths of a percent from January and the lowest since at least the early 1970s, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported.

Employers in the Pittsburgh region created just 6,400 net jobs over the year, according to figures not seasonally adjusted for the normal fluctuations throughout the year.

During the rally in Pennsylvania earlier on Wednesday, Biden did not hold back from taking shots at the president.

Former Vice President Joe Biden launched his first campaign rally Monday to the crowd of blue-collar voters who he believes can put him in the White House

Joe Biden accused Trump of representing only the base who voted for him and not others

'We have to choose hope over fear, unity over division, and maybe most importantly, truth over lies,' he said in one of the biggest applause lines of his remarks.

'Donald Trump is the only president who's decided not to represent the whole country. The president has his base. We need a president that works for all Americans,' Biden argued.

He told the crowd of mostly white, male voters he needed them to win in 2020.

'Quite frankly folks, if I'm going to be able to beat Donald Trump in 2020, it's going to happen here. It's going to happen here in western Pennsylvania. With your help,' he told a cheering crowd.

Lined up for Joe: People waited to get into the union hall in Pittsburgh

'We love Joe, We love Joe,' the union-heavily crowd at the Teamsters Local 249 banquet hall shouted.

'By the way, I make no apologies. I am a union man,' Biden said to heavy applause.

Biden made his opening pitch in a packed union hall in a revitalized area of Pittsburgh, standing in front of a sign that read 'Biden works for America.'

Surrounded by union workers in yellow 'fire fighters for Biden' t-shirts and waving blue 'Biden for president' signs, he talked to crowd in his 'regular Joe' image, pressing how he was one of them.

He told stories of how he was called 'middle class' in a way that was not a compliment and described the worries his family had, comparing how they were similar to theirs.

'Workers feel powerless and too often humiliated. I call it an abuse of power. And I can't stand it.

'Never have been able to. And when I think about work, I think about dignity. I think about a lot about my dad, a proud gentlemen. My dad had an expression. He said, Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity,' he said.

On sale: Biden 2020 t-shirts and f*** Trump badges were being sold outside by a vendor

His speech comes after Trump slammed union leaders who have supported Biden and launched a Twitter campaign against the former vice president ahead of his first campaign rally.

Biden's first stop is on friendly-territory: a native of Scranton he's long identified with the people of Pennsylvania and with the blue-collar voters of the Rust Belt who are the back bones of unions.

His next stops are in Iowa, where he'll spend two days campaigning in the early caucus state. In 2008, he garnered a mere one percent in the Iowa caucuses, a showing that dashed his presidential dreams that year.

Biden started his first official campaign event strong, with an endorsement from the International Association of Firefighter (IAFF), a powerful union who sat out the 2016 presidential race.

The former vice president talked about the support he had from a variety of unions throughout the years and told the crowd he supported their right to work.

'The dignity of work is my measure. Which is about being about to provide for your family,' he told the crowd.

He advocated for a $15 minimum wage - a popular sentiment among the large field of Democratic contenders and called for repeal of Trump's tax cut.

'The first step is to reverse president trump's tax cut for the wealthy and corporation. And we need to eliminate these special tax breaks in the tax code. Warren Buffett said it best. He should not pay a lower tax rate than a secretary has. That's because of capital gains. It's wrong! And I'm going to change that so millionaires and billionaires pay lower taxes than firefighters and teachers,' he said.

Biden took off his jacket and gave it a toss when he entered the hall

Start of the run: Joe Biden walked on stage to shake hands with union members

Firefighters president Harold Schaitberger touted Biden's electability when he warmed up the crowd before the former vice president arrived.

'We cant have a nominee who is too far to the left,' he said, 'who has high-minded ideals but who cant win.'

'The most important factor that we must determine at the Democratic nomination process is who can win,' he said.

International Association of Firefighter (IAFF) president Harold Schaitberger praised Biden as an advocate for the middle class

The former vice president spoke to the group in Washington D.C. in March - part of a series of speeches to labor groups before he formally announced his 2020 presidential campaign.

As union members shouted 'run Joe run,' Biden told them: 'Save it a little longer, I may need it in a few weeks.'

He also spoke to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in April and supported 31,000 Stop & Shop striking workers in New England with an April stop in Dorchester, Mass.

Biden supporters line up outside the union hall in Pittsburgh

President Donald Trump went after Biden hard in a twitter rant on Monday

And Trump went against Biden hard Monday.

'Sleepy Joe Biden is having his first rally in the Great State of Pennsylvania. He obviously doesnt know that Pennsylvania is having one of the best economic years in its history, with lowest unemployment EVER, a now thriving Steel Industry (that was dead) & great future!,' Trump wrote on Twitter Monday morning.

The president also claimed he's in office because of Biden and former President Barack Obama.

'The Media (Fake News) is pushing Sleepy Joe hard. Funny, Im only here because of Biden & Obama. They didnt do the job and now you have Trump, who is getting it done - big time!,' Trump wrote on Twitter.

And then he claimed union membership supports him even if its leadership does not, charging leaders with ripping off workers.

'Ill never get the support of Dues Crazy union leadership, those people who rip-off their membership with ridiculously high dues, medical and other expenses while being paid a fortune. But the members love Trump. They look at our record economy, tax & reg cuts, military etc. WIN!,' he noted.

'The Dues Sucking firefighters leadership will always support Democrats, even though the membership wants me. Some things never change!,' he added.
A parent has been arrested after allegedly stabbing a 'gentle and caring' teacher with scissors at a primary school in Byron Bay.

The woman, 36, allegedly stabbed the 28-year-old male teacher in the face and arm at Byron Bay Public School on Kingsley Street about 7am on Tuesday.

Police say they will allege the two were 'speaking on the premises before she approached him with what's believed to be a pair of scissors'.

The woman, 36, allegedly stabbed the 28-year-old male teacher in the face and arm at Byron Bay Public School on Kingsley Street about 7am on Tuesday

Police say they will allege the two were 'speaking on the premises before she approached him with what's believed to be a pair of scissors'

The woman is accused of fleeing the scene after the alleged attack, but was later arrested at a home on Beach Side Drive, Suffolk Park at about 10.30am. She's being interviewed by detectives and is expected to be charged.

The teacher was initially taken to a local hospital before being transferred to Tweed Hospital in a stable condition for surgery.

His condition was reported as stable.

The school was placed in lockdown from 7.20am to 11am.

One parent wrote on Facebook that her child saw a 'pool of blood' near the school's library.

Another local said it was sad to hear about the attack on the first day back at school after the holiday break.

'The most lovely teacher,' he wrote on Facebook.

'So undeserving of this. May his recovery and healing be swift.'

Another person posted: '(He's) a great teacher and a gentle and caring soul.'

One parent wrote on Facebook that her child saw a 'pool of blood' near the school's library
Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, le Ministre du Commerce Archives

Distributors of beverages, including beer, have agreed to suspend a strike action they started on April 26, 2019, pending a government facilitated meeting between them and breweries. They will thus continue with their activity of purchasing beverages from Cameroon Breweries and supplying beverage depots.

"There will therefore be no strike, let alone a shortage of these products in bars and other businesses as started since April 26, 2019. This is the decision taken at the end of the meeting April 29, 2019 between the Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, the National Union of distributors of beverages and about twenty wholesalers.

Minister Mbarga Atangana reached an agreement with the wholesalers who agreed to call off the strike.



The wholesalers had seized the office of the Minister of Trade with a strike notice borne of the difficulties in the exercise of their business with their partners for over a year, including Les Brasseries du Cameroun.

During heated discussions, the Minister reassured them that their grievances will be speedily given attention. He promised to hold a meeting with brewery companies within the shortest possible delay.



"While waiting for the Breweries to take the time to listen to the wholesalers who make up 80% of their turnover, the government has restored calm. It has, in its role of arbitrator, brought together the members of this union and obtained immediately the lifting of the strike," said Minister Mbarga Atangana.

As for the grievances expressed, Emmanuel Foassouo, President of the Union hopes for a review of the contract that binds wholesalers to brewery companies.



"Now we need a partnership contract and not that of dupes and blind adhesion," he says.

Other problems raised include the lack of benefits from the linking of the breweries to the retailers. The distributors say they no longer benefit from the trade. This difficulty is related to the prepayment on purchase which is 5%. According to wholesalers, 3% of this payment should in principle go to retailers and 2% to taxes. But Breweries do not sell them to dealers, creating serious misunderstandings between distributors and retailers.



Also, for a crate of beer bought at FCFA 5,200, the distributor earns only FCFA 409 and on this amount, he is expected to pay FCFA 250 to retailers while he already loses FCFA 80 on each.

"In the past, from FCFA 250 million purchases made, we could receive FCFA 60 million. Today we do not even get to FCFA 20 million. To this is also added many charges," regrets an operator . The problem of unfair competition has not been left out.




The Brexit deadlock could be broken as minsters claimed to have made headway over Theresa May's deal.

Senior Labour MPs have said for the first time since cross-party talks began that Mrs May's 'red lines' may have started to shift.

These entrenched positions surround a closer customs union with the EU after Brexit.

It was feared the negotiations would finish without and breakthrough next week after local elections on Thursday, but it is now thought the discussions will continue, according to the Times.

Theresa May and husband Philip May arrive at the Midland Hotel, greeted by Andrew Sharpe, president of the National Conservative Convention

A Labour source told the newspaper: 'There wasn't complete movement but there was movement.'

The talks are expected to run into next week after several hours of discussions led by Mrs May's deputy, David Lidington, and John McDonnell, Labour's shadow chancellor.

As Labour and the Tories start a fifth week of Brexit talks, Jeremy Corbyn's MPs are due to meet to heap more pressure on him to back a second referendum.

The Parliamentary Labour Party of its 229 MPs will meet in Westminster to discuss the issue.

Despite a letter signed by 115 Labour MPs and MEPs for the party to campaign for second referendum, the NEC is not expected to shift party policy.

Theresa May arriving by the back door of No 10 this morning as Brexit talks continued

Chancellor Philip Hammond has been at the Whitehall Brexit talks with his counterpart John McDonnell today.

Mrs May was also warned she will face an unprecedented confidence vote from Tory activists unless she agrees to step down within weeks.

Andrew Sharpe, head of the partys voluntary wing, is understood to have delivered the ultimatum during talks with Mrs May in No 10.

Under party rules, such a meeting must be convened if the chairmen of more than 65 Tory associations demand one.

Mr Sharpe told Mrs May more than 70 chairmen had now written voicing no confidence in her following her failure to take Britain out of the EU on time.
A politics student has accused her own university of being 'complicit' in white supremacy during her graduation.

Pearl Little wore a t-shirt with the words 'UOA: Complicit in white supremacy' emblazoned on it while receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Auckland in New Zealand on Monday.

Ms Little said she wore the t-shirt was in response to students promoting racist ideals at the university after the Christchurch mosque shootings in March.

University of Auckland vice chancellor Stuart McCutcheon said there was no evidence of growing racism despite the investigation of two students, including one who described himself as a Nazi, Radio New Zealand reported.

Pearl Little (pictured) wore a t-shirt with the words 'UOA: Complicit in white supremacy' emblazoned on it while receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Auckland

Ms Little, a politics major, said she wanted to remind the university of the concerns of students.

'I... didn't want this to fade away and I wanted to still remind people to keep thinking about the responsibility the university has to protect its students, and to combat this sort of white supremacist, alt-right rhetoric that's been slowly growing in the university,' she said.

An anonymous student who said they do not feel safe on campus praised Ms Little for her protest.

'There's lots of people who don't know each other who are being affected by these things. So it feels really validating to see someone say ''hey this is a big issue and I'm not willing to be silenced'',' they said.

Students have reported being threatened and intimidated while on campus, as well as seeing racist graffiti sprawled on walls.

New Zealand Union of Students' Association president James Ranstead said the university's response was unacceptable.

Ms Little (pictured receiving her degree) said the t-shirt was in response to students promoting racist ideals at the university after the Christchurch mosque shootings in March

'That is not reflecting the views of the staff, nor the students,' he said.

'We definitely think that the university should maintain the level of critic and conscience that they have to date and we definitely think that line is not reflecting their role as the critic and conscience of society.'

The traditional graduation procession through Auckland city was cancelled due to safety concerns related to the shootings at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch.
Labor has been forced into an embarrassing and costly backdown after it directed preferences toward a candidate who endorses a theory that the world is run by shape-shifting Jewish lizards.

The party was forced to reprint how-vote-cards for the Melbourne electorate of Goldstein that placed independent candidate John Tiger Casley fourth, ahead of sitting Liberal MP Tim Wilson and United Australia Party candidate Wayne Connolly, according to The Age.

Mr Casley runs the 'David Icke Club Melbourne' devoted to the British lecturer who created the lizard theory and other bizarre conspiracy claims.

A brief look as Mr Casley's website would have raised alarm bells at the ALP, as he called Labor Leader Bill Shorten a 'new Nazi' for being 'all the way with Obamay and Donald J'.

Labor accidentally preferenced a candidate who endorses a theory that the world is run by shape-shifting Jewish lizards and called Bill Shorten a 'new Nazi'

After his views were brought Labor's attention, the ALP said it would destroy the existing how-to-vote cards and issue new ones placing Mr Casley below the Liberal and UAP candidates.

Mr Casley runs a David Icke Club website that features anti-semitic cartoons about the Holocaust.

Icke was banned from entering Australia after Labor campaigned to prevent him from bringing his speaking tour to the country in February.

The embarrassing blunder came just a day after Labor candidate Wayne Kurnoth was dumped for sharing an anti-Semitic video three years ago and also endorsing Mr Icke's unusual views.

Independent John Tiger Casley runs the 'David Icke Club Melbourne' devoted to the British lecturer and features anti-semetic cartoons about the Holocaust

Northern Territory Labor candidate Wayne Kurnoth was dumped on Monday after he shared a controversial video of David Icke - where he suggests the world is being run by shape-shifting Jewish lizards - on his Facebook page in December 2015.

The former candidate was already under pressure after being caught posting an image of Malcolm Turnbull beheading ABC journalist Emma Alberici.

'I don't think he should be our candidate any more and I understand that it is in train for him to step down,' Mr Shorten told reporters in Perth.
A brave policewoman who allegedly had her hair ripped out and face bitten by a man on parole could suffer scars for life after the violent attack.

The 22-year-old officer was allegedly attacked by a 48-year-old man at an apartment in Sydney's southern suburbs on Sunday.

She now faces a nervous wait as tests are carried out for communicable diseases.

Officers arrived at a Brighton Le Sands unit after being called by neighbours who were concerned about the wellbeing of a man inside.

They allege the man became aggressive when they arrived.

The 22-year-old officer was allegedly attacked inside an apartment in Sydney's southern suburbs

The woman now faces a nervous wait to find out if she was given any STDs

Police allege the man became agitated and aggressive before charging at the officers.

But he allegedly continued his rampage, charging at the female officer.

It's alleged that while holding her down, the man scratched and bit the woman's face before ripping out clumps of her hair.

He was again tasered before several officers pinned him to the ground.

The female police officer was taken to St George Hospital for treatment and has since been released.

In a cruel twist, she won't be able to hug her family or friends because she may have been exposed to the man's saliva when he allegedly bit her.

Police allege the man (pictured) became agitated and aggressive before charging at the officers

Police Association of NSW Secretary Pat Gooley told 2GB there was no law in place to force accused attackers to be tested for infectious diseases.

'This government doesn't seem to take this issue seriously, we lobbied the government before the election, we've had no commitment.

'The judiciary don't seem to take these matters seriously.'

The alleged offender was on parole at when the attack occurred, according to 2GB.

He has been detained for a mental health assessment and has appeared at Sutherland Local Court charged with three offences.
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg (above) has been falsely accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old university student in a stunt allegedly made up by two right-wing trolls

Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has been falsely accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old university student in a stunt allegedly made up by two right-wing trolls.

The claims surfaced on Monday when Hunter Kelly, a student at Ferris State University in Michigan, appeared to publish a post on Medium that claimed he was sexually assaulted by Buttigieg in February.

Despite that post and a Twitter account under his name that tweeted details of the so-called abuse, Kelly came out hours later to deny ever being sexually assaulted by Buttigieg.

He said the Twitter and Medium accounts bearing his name were fake and that he had nothing to do with the false abuse narrative.

A Republican source told the Daily Beast that conservative lobbyist Jack Burkman and conspiracy theorist Jacob Wohl were behind the fake allegations.

The source accused the right-wing duo of trying to convince several young men to go public with fake sex assault allegations against Buttigieg in recent weeks in a bid to derail with his 2020 campaign.

Burkman and Wohl have refused to comment.

Buttigieg, who is openly gay, is the mayor of South Bend, Indiana and is a former Navy Reserve officer who served in Afghanistan.

He is one of several Democrats to put their name forward to be the presidential candidate. Buttigieg has already won over voters and many skeptics with his intelligence and an articulate yet plain-spoken speaking style.

A Republican source told the Daily Beast that conservative lobbyist Jack Burkman (left) and conspiracy theorist Jacob Wohl (right) were behind the fake allegations

The claims surfaced on Monday when Hunter Kelly, a student at Ferris State University in Michigan, appeared to publish a post on Medium that claimed he was sexually assaulted by Buttigieg in February

A Twitter account under the student's name, which also bears his photos, posted a link on Monday to the Medium article with the title: 'Pete Buttigieg Sexually Assaulted Me'. A follow up tweet also asked his followers to pray for him as he prepared to do an interview about his 'horrific experience'

He's also shown an ability to inspire voters of different ages with a message of hope and 'a new generation of leadership' and has been able to raise millions more than many of his Democratic rivals.

On the campaign trail on Monday, Buttigieg said the allegations were made up.

The Medium post, which was first published Sunday night, has since been deleted.

The initial post, which appeared under Kelly's name, falsely claimed that the student had been sexually assaulted by Buttigieg in February.

The post didn't offer exact details of the so-called abuse but said that coming forward with the allegations was the 'toughest thing' he has had to do.

It detailed that he had contemplated suicide, hadn't slept for the past three days and had vomited eight times.

A Twitter account under the student's name, which also bears his photos, posted a link on Monday to the Medium article with the title: 'Pete Buttigieg Sexually Assaulted Me'.

A follow up tweet also asked his followers to pray for him as he prepared to do an interview about his 'horrific experience'.

Kelly came forward on Monday afternoon to say that he was not behind the post and that the Twitter account was fake.

'I was not sexually assaulted,' Kelly wrote on his Facebook account. 'It's important for everyone to know that I was not sexually assaulted and would never falsely accuse anyone.

Kelly came forward on Monday afternoon to say that he was not behind the post and that the Twitter account was fake. He also denied ever being sexually assaulted by Buttigieg

'To keep it brief for now - I was approached by a political figure to come to DC to discuss political situations from the standpoint of a gay Republican.

'When I arrived they discussed Peter Buttigieg and started talking about how they would be working a campaign against him. I went to bed and woke up to a fake Twitter @RealHunterKelly and an article that I in no way endorsed or wrote.

'I have since left and am working on a formal statement to give to everyone including the Buttigieg family.'

Kelly went on to tell the Advocate that Wohl and Burkman had flown him to Washington D.C. on Sunday. They picked him up from the airport and he stayed at Burkman's home.

He said the two men discussed the need to end Buttigieg's campaign but Kelly said he never agreed to the tactic they used.

Kelly claims he went to bed and woke to find the false story and Twitter account already peddling the fake narrative. He said his sister and brother-in-law immediately came to get him from D.C.

It is not the first time Wohl and Burkman have been embroiled in a fake sex assault allegations.

The duo were accused of being involved in the bizarre plot to smear Robert Mueller as a sexual abuser last year.
An elderly wallaby has been rescued from thick black mud after he tried to runaway from a man on a bushwalk.

The lone marsupial attempted to flee after he was spooked by the bushwalker in East Trentham, north-west of Melbourne, on Saturday morning.

But as he hopped through a creek bed, the unlucky wallaby sunk into the ground and became trapped by the thick sludge.

Manfred Zabinskas, from Five Freedoms Animal Rescue, told Daily Mail Australia he was phoned to help after the bushwalker, identified as Henry, also got himself stuck in the pit.

An elderly wallaby has been rescued from thick black mud after he tried to runaway from a man on a bushwalk

The lone marsupial attempted to flee after he was spooked by the bushwalker in East Trentham, north-west of Melbourne, on Saturday morning but got himself stuck in a creek

'He (Henry) saw it jump and land and get stuck and realised that he had gotten into trouble so he went in tried to assist the wallaby to get out,' Mr Zabinskas said.

'In doing so, he got stuck. The more he jiggled around and tried to help the wallaby they both sunk further and got into bigger trouble.'

Henry spent about two hours battling the mud before he managed to get himself out and call for help.

He went to his nearby home where he called in Mr Zabinskas, who had his van packed with the appropriate tools to save the wallaby.

Mr Zabinskas, dressed in gumboots, locked himself into some firm ground while latching on to his dog-catching pole.

He jiggled the device down the marsupial's body to ensure he didn't latch on to the wallaby's neck, before dragging him to safety.

Manfred Zabinskas, from Five Freedoms Animal Rescue, said he was phoned to help after the bushwalker, identified as Henry, also got himself stuck in the pit

The wallaby was noticeably weak and tired after his rescue on Saturday

Mr Zabinskas, dressed in gumboots, locked himself into some firm ground while latching on to his dog-catching pole. After about 10 minutes he was able to pull the wallaby from the mud

The rescue only took Mr Zabinskas about 10 minutes and he even managed to use his free hand to take incredible pictures of the mud-soaked wallaby.

The wallaby was left notably shaken after the ordeal and Mr Zabinskas quickly took him home for a clean and some rest.

'He didn't have any energy left, he didn't try to fight me or escape,' Mr Zabinskas said.

Mr Zabinskas called the wallaby Gerry, after one of the writers of 'Stuck in the Middle with You' and because 'he is a bit of a geriatric'.

He believes the elderly wallaby is aged about 14.

After two full days of being spoiled at the rescue centre, Gerry decided he was ready to return home on Tuesday.

Mr Zabinskas called the wallaby Gerry, after one of the writers of 'Stuck in the Middle with You' and because 'he is a bit of a geriatric'

After two full days of being spoiled at the rescue centre, Gerry decided he was ready to return home on Tuesday

'He was doing really well, relaxing on the electric blanket, taking all our meals,' Mr Zabinskas said.

'All of a sudden we heard a lot of banging and a switch went off in his head and he started hopping around.'

'He reached the point of ''yep I'm okay now, I want to go home''.'

Mr Zabinskas admitted that no animal rescue is 'weird' to him as he often crosses paths with unlikely scenarios.

However, in a Facebook post about the rescue he wrote that Henry's initial call was about quicksand.

'He was doing really well, relaxing on the electric blanket, taking all our meals,' Mr Zabinskas said

Mr Zabinskas said his job means he has to 'be prepared for everything' - whether it be animals stuck in a mine shaft or at the airport

'I thought that during my 30 years of animal rescue work, I had been called to every rescue scenario imaginable. But on Saturday, I added a new one to that list - quicksand,' he wrote.

Mr Zabinskas said it was 'funny' that the incident was referred to as quicksand.

'Because they kept sinking as Henry was trying to retrieve the wallaby, he just likened the situation to being stuck in quicksand,' he said.

'It was sort of sucking them in and down but it was just black sludgy mud.'

Mr Zabinskas said his job means he has to 'be prepared for everything' - whether it be animals stuck in a mine shaft or at the airport.

He is the owner and operator of Five Freedoms Animal Rescue and East Trentham Wildlife Shelter.

He began operating the rescue in 2007 and his 24-hour shelter is a voluntary service to rescue and care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.
President Donald Trump, his children, the Trump Organization, and the Trump family trust are suing to prevent Deutsche Bank from complying with Congressional subpoenas for bank records.

The lawsuit that was filed Monday names the Frankfurt-based lender as well as Capital One as defendants.

It alleges that subpoenas issued by Congress have no legitimate or lawful purpose and were intended to rummage through every aspect of [Trump's] personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage.

Deutsche Bank told the Times: 'We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations.'

On April 15, two House committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and several other financial institutions as part of investigations into President Trumps finances.

Separately, the New York state attorney general, Democrat Letitia James, has also ordered Deutsche to hand over documents about loans to the Trump Organization.

A report last week said that it had begun co-operating with that request and the Trumps' lawsuit does not mention the New York case.

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President Trump, his family, and the family businesses are suing to prevent Congress from receiving banking and financial records. From left: Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, President Trump and Donald Trump Jr are shown in this January 2017 file photo

Deutsche Bank is a German asset management firm that has lent Trumps real estate organization millions of dollars over time

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, both Democrats from California, released a joint statement calling the lawsuit 'meritless'.

The senior lawmakers said the lawsuit shows 'the depths to which President Trump will go to obstruct Congresss constitutional oversight authority'.

'As a private businessman, Trump routinely used his well-known litigiousness and the threat of lawsuits to intimidate others, but he will find that Congress will not be deterred from carrying out its constitutional responsibilities,' they said.

'This lawsuit is not designed to succeed; it is only designed to put off meaningful accountability as long as possible.'

Schiff said earlier this month that the subpoenas are part of an investigation 'into allegations of potential foreign influence on the U.S. political process'.

Waters has said that 'the potential use of the U.S. financial system for illicit purposes is a very serious concern'.

She said her committee is looking into those matters, including whether they pertain to Trump.

On April 17, Trump was informed by Deutsche Bank that it received the subpoenas which requested 'records and/or information relating to banking activities, including information regarding accounts, financings, and related financial information.'

The bank was preparing to turn over the information to lawmakers by Monday, May 6.

The lawsuit states that Congress was seeking records and financial information related to Trump's and his businesses' 'parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, divisions, partnerships, properties, groups, special purpose entities, joint ventures, predecessors, successors or any other entity in which they have or had a controlling interest.'

House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters said 'the potential use of the U.S. financial system for illicit purposes is a very serious concern'

The subpoenas extend to 'current or former employees, officers, directors, shareholders, partners, members, consultants, managers, senior associates, staff employees, independent contractors, agents, attorneys or other representatives.'

Eric Trump, the presidents son and executive vice president of The Trump Organization, said in a statement released earlier this month that the subpoenas were 'an unprecedented abuse of power and simply the latest attempt by House Democrats to attack the President and our family for political gain.'

As part of his investigation, Schiff has said he wants to know whether Russians used laundered money for transactions with the Trump Organization.

Trumps businesses have benefited from Russian investment over the years.

Deutsche Bank is a German asset management firm that has lent Trumps real estate organization millions of dollars over time.

The two committees have been working with the bank for several weeks, and both Waters and Schiff have said officials have been cooperative.

Schiff said in his statement that the subpoena to Deutsche Bank is a 'friendly' subpoena, meaning he expects them to continue working with the committees.

The request comes as a third committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, is sparring with the White House over Trumps tax returns.

The White House has vowed never to release the returns.
Baby Amiyah (pictured) tragically died last week after succumbing to an undiagnosed neurological issue

A Malaysian woman who allegedly tried to blackmail the parents of a dying baby will remain behind bars until at least July.

Siti Nurhidayah Kamal, 24, was refused bail on Monday amid fears she will attempt to flee the country.

She reappeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday where she learned that unless her government-funded lawyers can prove she won't skip town she can expect to remain behind bars until at least July 8.

The mother of two is accused of contacting the parents of 11-month old Amiyah Windross and asking for $1000 for the return of a stolen mobile phone which contained precious photos of their child.

Baby Amiyah tragically died last week after succumbing to an undiagnosed neurological issue she fought since the day of her birth.

Don't Judge Me: Siti Nurhidayah Kamal (pictured), 24, was charged with trying to blackmail $1,000 from the parents of the dying baby girl

Kamal allegedly contacted Jay and Dee Windross (pictured outside Ringwood court on Monday) after they made a desperate public plea for the return of the Samsung Galaxy S8 phone

With a large tattoo 'Don't judge me' visible on her forearm and dressed in a white top with blue pants, Kamal, who appeared in court via a video link from jail, asked how long she could expect to remain there.

The charge of blackmail in Victoria carries a maximum sentence of 15-years in jail and must be heard in the County Court of Victoria.

The court is notorious for its lengthy delays due to the huge volume of matters that pass through it each day.

Contested hearings can take more than a year to be heard, while straight pleas of guilty can take anywhere up to eight months to be finalised.

Police said Kamal contacted Jay and Dee Windross last Tuesday after they made a desperate public plea for the return of the Samsung Galaxy S8 phone.

Siti Nurhidayah Kamal (pictured), 24, was charged with trying to blackmail $1,000 from the parents of the dying baby girl. She was refused bail amid fears she will attempt to flee the country

Court documents state Kamal saw the pleas and 'identified it as an opportunity to make some money'.

Daily Mail Australia has found numerous desperate Facebook posts made by Kamal in the lead-up to the crime asking for money.

She contacted Mr Windross about 5pm last Tuesday, as baby Amiyah was in her last hours of life, and demanded the cash be transferred to her account otherwise she would sell the phone.

Her lawyer, Royce Dekker, said his client intended to plead guilty to the charge of making an unwarranted demand for cash with menace when it is was eventually heard in the County Court of Victoria.

A Facebook post made by Kamal asking for a loan. It is one of several the desperate woman made leading up to last week's blackmail attempt on the Windross family

'It's despicable. It's disgusting,' Ms Windross said outside court yesterday.

'Why would anyone do that and she knew the position we were in. You could tell by the messages. How could you be so disgraceful?'

Kamal allegedly contacted the couple via WhatsApp after they made several desperate posts on social media to help them retrieve the phone.

The couple contacted police who traced the bank account to Kamal.

Detectives pounced on her Springvale bungalow just before 7am last Friday and executed a search warrant.

There they found found a resume which contained Kamal's name and phone number - the same she had used to contact Mr Windross.

She was taken to Springvale police station, but was unable to give a recorded interview because of her supposed lack of English.

The couple believe the phone was stolen from the toilets next to Target at Chadstone Shopping Centre last Saturday week about 5.30pm.

'The hours that we spent holding our daughter, this woman was sitting in her own house demanding money from us,' Ms Windross said outside court.

Kamal allegedly contacted the couple via whatsapp after they made several desperate posts on social media to help them retrieve the phone. Her husband is pictured leaving court

Ms Windross left her phone in a toilet cubicle at Melbourne's Chadstone Shopping Centre on April 20, and her husband made a desperate plea on social media to have it returned

Ms Windross said she felt some relief Kamal had been jailed until her guilty plea (pictured: an emotional Ms Windross outside Ringwoods court)

On Monday, the Ringwood Magistrates' Court heard Kamal had been working as an Uber Eats deliverer earning $120 a day.

Mr Dekker said the couple left their children in Malaysia and had been trying to make ends meet when they fell on hard times and couldn't pay the rent.

Kamal and her husband, who attended court yesterday, had been unable to pay the rent on their Springvale home since moving in just two weeks ago.

But Ms Windross argued Kamal had no right to complain about her financial situation.

'They're earning more money than we are,' Ms Windross said. 'They earn more money then we've been living on on one wage each for 11 months and we have had to pay hospital bills, car parking - everything. Mortgage bills. And she's in there crying because they don't earn enough money.'

Mr Dekker suggested to the court Kamal could have been released with the three days she had already served in jail and a community based order had the jurisdiction not been in the County Court.

The court heard Kamal and her husband (pictured leaving court on Monday) had been struggling working as Uber delivery bike riders making $120 a day

Melbourne couple Jay and Dee Windross' (pictured) 11-month-old daughter Amiyah had been fighting an 'undiagnosed neurological issue from the day she was born', and died on Wednesday morning

He complained the delay in bringing her to justice there was excessive.

Mr Dekker argued his client was no longer a flight risk as she had handed over her passport and had a stable address.

But Magistrate Jan McLean disagreed and refused bail.

Ms Windross said she felt some relief Kamal had been jailed until her guilty plea.

'She will have to suffer the consequences of what she's done,' she said.

Mr Windross said Kamal's timing of the scam could not have come at a worse time.

Kamal had contacted the couple as they spent their last precious moments with her.

A woman tried to exploit the couple's vulnerability by extorting $1000 out of them while their daughter was dying

Kamal's busband (pictured centre) did not comment when he left court on Monday after his wife was refused bail

Mr Windross said she continued to text him through the night while he had been trying to spend 'every emotional minute' with his child.

'It was a hoax. Not only was it a complete and utter waste of my time, it was interrupting my final moments with my dying daughter,' he wrote on Facebook.

Outside court, the couple said they hoped Kamal would receive justice.

'She needs to get everything that (the court) are capable of giving to her. She has children. She has two children that are still alive - I don't have my baby anymore,' Ms Windross said.

The couple again urged anyone who had the phone to make contact with them.

'I don't have my baby anymore, I can't take anymore photos of my baby. I don't care who you are,' Ms Windross said.

'Give it back ... you don't have to tell me who you are or where you are. Just put the phone somewhere and let someone know where it is so that I can have it back.'

Kamal (pictured with her husband) had contacted the couple as they spent their last precious moments with their dying daughter
An Amazonian parrot managed to find his way back to the zoo after he was stolen by armed raiders having undergone a similar ordeal four years previously.

The parrot named Freddy Krueger was stolen from a zoo in the southern city of Cascavel in Brazil on April 16 and returned back there two days later.

Freddys capture is the latest in a long line of unfortunate events to happen to the bird in recent times.

An Amazonian parrot, (pictured), managed to find its way back to the zoo after it was stolen while recovering from a kidnapping ordeal where it was shot and then bitten by a snake

The male bird was severely injured in a shootout between police and gangsters during a raid on a drug den where he had lived with his then owner.

He was shot in the beak and it was then that zookeepers gave him the name Freddy Kruger, after the fictional horror movie character from Nightmare on Elm Street whose face is disfigured.

'In the shootout, [Freddy] was hit in the upper-beak, blinded and suffered burns to the feathers that grow between the eyes,' Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported.

He then found a home at the Zoologico Municipal de Cascavel four years ago, however it hasn't all been plain sailing for Freddy.

Earlier this month, he was reportedly bitten on the leg by a snake that was not venomous, according to the publication.

He bled profusely and survived. However as he recovered, he was stolen days later when three armed raiders burst into Cascavels zoo, overpowered its security guard and made off with two parrots and a cylinder of gas.

The guard said he was forced to lie on the floor while one of the suspects managed to break the bars of a window that gives access to the storeroom, where the parrots live.

But much to the surprise of zookeepers, the unlucky creature returned two days later and was found at the bottom of a pine tree beside his cage.

The turquoise colored parrot named Freddy Kruger was stolen from a zoo in the southern city of Cascavel in Brazil on April 16 and returned back there two days later

It is not known if the bird escaped the thieves and flew back or was abandoned

It is not known if the bird escaped the thieves and flew back or was abandoned.

'Hes a bit of a wild one,' Ilair Dettoni, the zoos vet said.

Dettoni suspected Freddys disfigured face may have led to the thieves setting him free, given the limited market for deformed parrots. 'I dont know if Freddy is really unlucky or really lucky,' Dettoni added.

The second parrot and the gas cylinder have yet to be found.

Blue-fronted Amazon parrots are a medium-sized, primarily green parrot from South America. Like all parrots, they have the ability to copy different sounds in their environment.

A vet from the zoo said Freddys disfigured face may have led to the thieves set him free, given the limited market for deformed parrots

Much to the surprise of zookeepers, the unlucky creature returned two days later after being kidnapped and was found at the bottom of a pine tree beside his cage

They are described as being loud, social, and intelligent birds that live in family groups in the wild.

Although blue-fronted Amazons are popular as pets, they can be extremely challenging animals with which to live, according to National Aviary.

Some Amazons can live 40-50 years and may bite, scream, or become destructive if not kept busy with adequate toys, enrichment, and interaction.

They are primarily found in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Their populations have diminished recently due to deforestation, and frequent capture for the pet trade.
On Monday, Chase's Twitter account posted a tweet about saving money. It was deleted 20 minutes later with many objecting to its tone

Chase Bank attempted to give their Twitter followers a little 'Monday Motivation' but their words, trying to encourage people to become fiscally responsible ended up being criticized as 'poor-shaming.'

The tweet portrayed a hypothetical conversation between a bank customer and their bank account.

The customer asks, 'Why is my balance so low?' and the bank account replies: 'Make coffee at home ... eat the food that's already in the fridge ... you don't need a cab, it's only three blocks.'

Chase, which has 365,000 Twitter followers, quickly deleted the post.

'Our #MondayMotivation is to get better at #MondayMotivation tweets,' the Twitter account later said. 'Thanks for the feedback Twitter world.'

The backlash came thick and fast with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a long-time critic of big banks, pointing out that JPMorgan Chase received over $25 billion in taxpayer money as part of the government bailout in 2008.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who has made economic justice the centerpiece of her presidential campaign, found a target on Monday in the tweet from Chase Bank

Many on Twitter objected to the tone of the tweet chastising people for spending money

Other's took aim at Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, whose salary was recently raised to more than $31 million.

'It's well-known that Jamie Dimon earned his riches making coffee at home and eating leftovers,' tweeted Ben Walsh, a reporter at Barron's.

Rep. Katie Porter a Democrat from California said tweet reflected the fact the bank and Dimon are 'out of touch.'

'They pay their workers barely enough to make rent, and then try to shame them into thinking it's their own fault for buying an occasional coffee,' Porter said in an emailed statement. 'Meanwhile they spend millions on lobbyists for corporate tax breaks and gutting banking rules. It's outrageous but I'm not surprised.'

'No one should ever shame someone for being poor,' one Twitter user said, 'But all of us should be open to having our bad habits called out so we can live better lives.'

Rep Katie Porter from California was quick to pounce on the tone of Chase's tweet suggesting their bank's CEO was completely tone deaf
Une famille de refugies nigerians qui a fui Boko Haram pour s'installer a Maroua, au Cameroun, le 5 octobre 2018 AFP/Archives/ALEXIS HUGUET

Some 500 refugees and internally displaced women in Cameroon's East, Adamawa and Far North regions, will soon benefit from a project known as Second Chance Education and Vocational Learning(SCEVL).

The project sponsored by UN Women, seeks to give hope to the vulnerable women, who have been displaced from the comforts of their homes by conflicts.





It is as a result of an analysis on the needs of these women, carried out in some targeted areas like Bertoua, Minawao, Mokolo, Adamawa, in order to identify specific aspects of vulnerability amongst these women and girls, that the project was born.

According to statistics gathered, most young girls are separated from their parents and unaccompanied. Some of them are mothers who find it difficult to read and children who dont have access to education. This makes them more vulnerable to trafficking, sexual harassment, forced labour and domestic violence.

The coordinator of the project SCEVL, during a presentation ceremony today in Yaounde, told partners that in order to sustain a safe ground for these women, the project will provide them with start up kits, where they would be empowered to start their own businesses. They also expressed the wish for their men and community leaders, to let their women partake in the project.

According to the UN High Commission for Refugees(UNHCR), Cameroon currently has 1,214,714 people of concern, including 275,711 Central African and 138,315 Nigerian refugees. From 30-31 January. Since 27 January, some 35,000 Nigerian nationals have crossed the border into Cameroon seeking refuge after fleeing the town of Rann.
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A woman who threw herself in front of her rabbi to protect him from a gunman's bullets has been remembered as a generous, vivacious and devout Jewish woman during an emotional funeral service - as the suspect was formally charged over the California synagogue shooting.

Lori Kaye's heroic move to shield her rabbi epitomized the life she led, her family and friends said on Monday as they remembered how the 60-year-old was dedicated to spreading kindness and helping others no matter what.

Kaye's daughter, Hannah, said at the emotional memorial service that she knows her mother would already have forgiven the man who took her life on Saturday.

John Earnest, 19, burst into the Chabad of Poway synagogue, near San Diego, on Saturday and opened fire with an assault rifle during Passover service.

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Hannah Kaye, the daugher of shooting victim Lori Kaye, sits on the floor as the last shovels of dirt cover her mother's grave during a funeral service in San Diego on Monday

Members of the Kaye family, including her daughter Hannah (center) and husband Howard (second from left) broke down as the 60-year-old was laid to rest just days after being gunned down in the synagogue shooting

Kaye heroically saved Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein when she jumped in front of the gunman on Saturday. The wounded rabbi spoke to mourners on Monday as her the coffin was lowered into the ground

He was formally charged on Monday with murder and attempted murder, with hate crime allegations, and was set to be arraigned on Tuesday. Authorities have also charged him with arson in connection to the fire last month at an Escondido mosque.

The memorial service for Kaye drew hundreds, including the three people wounded in the attack, federal and state lawmakers, a U.S. State Department envoy on anti-Semitism and a representative of the Israeli government, along with local city and police leaders.

Hannah said her mother would have loved to have seen such a large crowd so she could greet them all. She loved people, opening her home on every major Jewish holiday and making grand feasts.

Kaye was known to drive hours to visit a sick friend. She bought six months' worth of medication for someone without insurance. She left her freshly baked challah in mail boxes and on doorsteps all over town and was known to buy extra bagels and coffee during her morning routine to be able to give them away, her family and friends said.

Her mission was to make others enjoy life, just as she did. She gave to scores of charities.

That's why Kaye's daughter Hannah said she knows in her heart that her mother has forgiven the 19-year-old man accused of killing her. She would have responded with love.

The 60-year-old died when John Earnest, 19, burst into the Chabad of Poway synagogue, near San Diego, on Saturday and opened fire with an assault rifle during Passover service

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein speaks in front of the Kaye's casket as her grieving daughter and husband watch on

Emotional congregants watched the funeral service from afar on Monday due to large crowds

Kaye's daughter Hannah said her mother would have loved to have seen such a large crowd so she could greet them all. She loved people, opening her home on every major Jewish holiday and making grand feasts

Hannah held her father's hand during the emotional service on Monday. She said she told her mother before she died that she was her best friend

'Her light has reached all crevices of this planet,' Hannah said.

Hannah said she would miss singing in the car with her mother and dancing in the kitchen. She told her before she died that she was her best friend.

'Everyone was her sister, everyone was her trusted confidante,' Hannah said. 'Everyone was her friend.'

The synagogue's rabbi, Yisroel Goldstein, lost one of his fingers in the shooting and comforted worshippers with his hand wrapped in blue bandages.

Noya Dahan, 8, and her uncle Almog Peretz both suffered leg wounds in the attack but were released from the hospital and honored Kaye on Monday.

The U.S. State Department's new envoy on anti-Semitism told the congregation that her death will not be in vain. He said the Trump administration is committed to fighting evil wherever it lurks.

'I'm here to say we are at war with these people,' Elan Carr said, vowing to fight anti-Semitism in 'every city in the United States.'

Kaye devoted her life to her Jewish faith and living its values of generosity and caring for others, her friends and family said. She kept a pole in their front yard with the words 'May peace prevail on Earth' in several different languages, including Hebrew and Spanish.

Kaye's daughter, Hannah, said at the emotional memorial service that she knows her mother would already have forgiven the man who took her life on Saturday

Her husband, Dr. Howard Kaye said: 'She had a soul that was greater than any of us ever could believe'

The synagogue's rabbi, Yisroel Goldstein, lost one of his fingers in the shooting and comforted worshippers with his hand wrapped in blue bandages. Elan Carr, the U.S. State Department's new envoy on anti-Semitism, told the congregation that her death will not be in vain

'She had a soul that was greater than any of us ever could believe,' said her husband, Dr. Howard Kaye.

Dr Kaye fainted when he realized the person he was trying to resuscitate after the shooting was his wife. He said she did not suffer and 'she went straight up'.

Earnest's attack on Saturday took place six months to the day after a white supremacist shot dead 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue - the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.

'We are shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue,' his parents said in a statement released by their attorney.

'But our sadness pales in comparison to the grief and anguish our son has caused for so many innocent people. He has killed and injured the faithful who were gathered in a sacred place on a sacred day.

'To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries.

'Our son's actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold.

'Like our other five children, he was raised in a family, a faith and a community that all rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do.'

They described their son's motivations as 'a terrifying mystery' and said they were helping police uncover what had led to 'this evil and despicable act.'

Prior to the attack Earnest had published an anti-Semitic screed online in which he said Adolf Hitler was among those that inspire him and claimed responsibility for an arson attack against a mosque in the area weeks earlier.
A mother with a debilitating disease has slammed an anonymous driver who left a note on her car for parking in a disabled parking spot.

The mother, from Cairns in north Queensland, found the note on her car after visiting the doctor with one of her children.

'This park is for people with disabilities. Not for able-bodied mothers with babies. Shame on you,' the note read.

A mother with a devastating disease has slammed an anonymous driver who left a note on her car for parking in a disabled parking spot

The mother said that although she did park in a disabled spot while looking 'able-bodied,' she had a disease which meant the white blood cells attacked every bone in her body.

She also said she didn't usually park in disabled parking spots, but did on this occasion due to the amount of pain she was in.

'Next time before you judge think about what you're about to do because on top of my illness and pain I have cried all the way home,' she wrote.

It's unclear whether the woman owned a disabled parking permit.

Response to the woman's post has been mixed with some condemning the person who wrote it, while others have said they had the right idea but got it wrong on this occasion.

'People should mind their own business if they don't know anything,' one commenter wrote.

'That's awful and totally unnecessary,' another woman wrote.

'Good on him in a way because some people use it when they shouldn't. However, poor form if they didn't even look through your window to see the pass,' a third added.

The mother, from Cairns in north Queensland, found the note on her car after she had been visiting the doctor with one of her children




Violent attacks against the Jewish community in the United States doubled last year compared to 2016, while overall attacks, including vandalism and harassment remained near record-high levels, according to new data from the Anti-Defamation League.

The Jewish civil rights group released its annual census of anti-Semitic incidents three days after a gunman opened fire at a Southern California synagogue, killing a woman and wounding a rabbi and two others.

The New York-based group counted 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents - either harassment, vandalism or physical assault - in 2018.

This map illustrates the locations of all of the anti-Semitic incidences in 2018. Source: Antidefamation League

That represents a 5 percent decrease from the 1,986 incidents reported in 2017, but the third-highest total since ADL began tracking the data in the 1970s.

The 2017 number marked a 57 percent increase over 2016 and was the highest tally ADL had counted in more than two decades.

ADL counted 39 cases of physical assaults involving 59 victims in 2018, up from 19 assaults and 21 victims in 2017.

The 2018 tally includes the 11 people who were killed and two congregants wounded when a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in the nation's history.

'It's clear we must remain vigilant in working to counter the threat of violent anti-Semitism and denounce it in all forms, wherever the source and regardless of the political affiliation of its proponents,' said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL's CEO and national director.

This graph illustrates the number of anti-Semitic incidences each year from 1979-2018. Source: The Anti-Defamation League

Israel Dahan, whose 8-year-old daughter and brother-in-law were both wounded in Saturday's shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego, said he doesn't understand why there's so much hate.

'We welcome everybody. We love everybody,' said Dahan, 32, who is originally from Israel. 'I don't even know why people like that (are) coming up against Judaism and against Jewish people.'

In 2018, ADL counted 1,066 cases of harassment, defined as a situation in which a Jewish person or group of people 'feel harassed by the perceived anti-Semitic words, spoken or written, or actions of another person or group.'

Last year's tally of harassment incidents was 5 percent higher than in 2017. The one category that experienced a decline was vandalism: The 774 incidents in 2018 represented a 19 percent drop from 2017.

'We've worked hard to push back against anti-Semitism, and succeeded in improving hate crime laws, and yet we continue to experience an alarmingly high number of anti-Semitic acts,' Greenblatt said.

ADL's report says 'known extremist groups or individuals inspired by extremist ideology' were responsible for 249 anti-Semitic incidents in 2018, accounting for 13% of the total.

In this October 2018, file photo, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, places a stone on the Star of David for Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh to honor victims of the fatal mass shooting at the synagogue

'This is the highest level of anti-Semitic incidents with known connections to extremists or extremist groups since 2004, when at least 128 incidents were the result of leaflet distributions by white supremacist groups,' the report adds.

ADL last year counted 140 anti-Semitic incidents that referenced Israel or Zionism, including dozens of robocalls from a white supremacist who ran an unsuccessful campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in California.

The report says ADL includes 'anti-Israel incidents' in its audit of anti-Semitic incidents 'if they invoke or are accompanied by classic anti-Semitic stereotypes and tropes (such as Jews/Zionists control the government), if they target Jewish religious or cultural institutions or if they are expressed by groups or individuals who consistently express anti-Semitic ideas.'

'ADL is careful to not conflate general criticism of Israel or anti-Israel activism with anti-Semitism. However, Israel-related harassment of groups or individuals may be included when the harassment incorporates established anti-Jewish references, accusations and/or conspiracy theories,' the report adds.
Airline crew have been forced to barge into a toilet during a flight in front of terrified passengers in an effort to stop a Chilean man from self-harming.

The Latam Airlines flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Santiago, Chile was forced to turn back after an hour in the air on Friday.

Passengers were unaware why the crew were trying to force their way into the toilet, leading many to speculate and fear for their safety, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The Latam Airlines flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Santiago, Chile was forced to turn back after an hour in the air on Friday

Andrea Bastos, who was on the flight, said the man was 'out of his mind'.

'He didn't want to go, then he said he did. Flight attendants had to break into the bathroom, then they dragged him to the kitchen area and tried to calm him down,' Ms Bastos' son Fabrizio Farra said on behalf of his mother.

'She felt the airline could have been more honest. The flight was already late two hours so she was really tired of the whole situation by the time she got to Auckland.'

The flight was forced to turn around and landed in back Auckland after being in the air for about four hours.

National border manager Stephanie Greathead said the man was not being deported and was in New Zealand on a valid working holiday visa.

Another passenger, Neusa Rohsig, said those on-board were not given enough information about what occurred.

'From the little that we witnessed the attitude was hasty,' she said.

Passengers were unaware why the crew were trying to force their way into the toilet, leading many to speculate and fear for their safety

The Chilean man was taken into custody under the Immigration Act, but no further action was taken by police.

A Latam Airlines spokesperson said the flight was forced to return to Auckland due to a 'disruptive passenger'.

'The decision was made in line with established operational and safety protocols, designed to safeguard passenger welfare. The aircraft arrived safely in Auckland at 20:14 local time and was greeted by local authorities to escort said passenger. No harm was met by passengers or crew,' the spokesperson said.

Latam apologised for the inconvenience to passengers. A replacement flight to Santiago left on Saturday afternoon.
Australia's worst female serial killer says she wasn't talking about killing her children when she wrote in her diary she had done 'terrible things'.

Kathleen Folbigg, 51, was sentenced to 40 years in jail in 2003 for murdering her children Patrick, Laura and Sarah and for the manslaughter of her first-born son Caleb from 1989 until 1999.

All of the children died before they were two years old.

She has maintained her innocence, claiming each child died of natural causes.

Her chilling diary entries were crucial evidence used to convict her, but Folbigg claims they were not an admission of crime but the thoughts of an insecure mother.

Serial killer Kathleen Folbigg (pictured) told an inquiry into her convictions that she wasn't talking about her children when she wrote in her diary she had done 'terrible things'

Her chilling diary entries were crucial evidence used to convict her, but Folbigg claims they were not an admission of crime but the thoughts of an insecure mother. She was found guilty of murdering three of her kids and the manslaughter of her fourth

Folbigg appeared in public for the first time in more than a decade on Monday ahead of the third week of a judicial inquiry being held at the Coroners Court in Lidcombe, western Sydney.

On Tuesday she was questioned by Margaret Cunneen SC, the barrister acting for her ex-husband Craig Folbigg, in regards to a particular diary entry in January 1997.

'This time I am going to call for help, this time I'll not attempt to do everything myself any more,' she wrote, according to Nine News.

'I know that that was my main reason for all my stress before and stress made me do terrible things.'

During the inquiry Folbigg insisted the 'terrible things' weren't violent acts, but everything she was going through at the time.

Four months after the death of her fourth baby, Folbigg wrote that she hoped the diary wouldn't 'come back to bite her' like another had.

'That's a reflection on the fact that the previous diary had been used in the manner that it had been used,' she said under cross-examination at the NSW Coroners Court on Tuesday.

During the inquiry on Tuesday Folbigg (pictured in 2003) insisted the 'terrible things' weren't violent acts, but everything she was going through at the time

On Monday, Folbigg broke down in tears while talking about the deaths of her four children

Ms Cunneen asked: 'As evidence of the truths that are contained within it?'

'As evidence of using someone's thoughts in a manner that didn't seem appropriate, as far as I'm concerned,' Folbigg replied.

Six of her diaries taken from the period in which the children died are before the inquiry, used by prosecutors in past court proceedings, while up to five others are unaccounted for.

Folbigg recalls throwing one of them out but on Monday denied it was because it contained significantly incriminating material.

'I didn't kill my children and these diaries are a record of just how depressed and how much trouble I was having and all of the issues that go with that,' she said.

During the inquiry, she said she misses her dead children 'all the time', and denied destroying personal diaries.

Six of her diaries taken from the period in which the children died are before the inquiry, used by prosecutors in past court proceedings, while up to five others are unaccounted for

Folbigg cried as she described finding her children's dead bodies.

'When I found the children I was always alone. [Her husband Craig] wasn't the one who found them, I was,' she said.

'I do feel responsible, I was their mother. Ive always felt I didnt do enough. Something went wrong and I was always searching for why.'

Continuing her evidence on Tuesday, she told Ms Cunneen that she had treated the diaries as if she was writing to a close friend and signed them off as 'Kathy'.

In November 1997, Folbigg wrote: 'With Sarah all I wanted was her to shut up, and one day she did'.

The following month, she wrote: 'Laura's a fairly good-natured baby, thank goodness. It has saved her from the fate of her siblings'.

Laura died in March 1999.

Ms Cunneen cited a July 1999 entry in Folbigg's diary which reads: 'I just pray it doesn't come back to bite me like my '97 one has.'

Folbigg denied hiding one diary - later found by police - within a crocheted bag, wrapped in clothes and inside a blue container in her wardrobe.

The Crown's case was simply that Folbigg smothered her four children including Patrick (bottom left), Caleb (bottom right), Laura (top left) and Sarah (top right)

The inquiry is expected to last for between six and 12 months

In 1987 she married Craig Folbigg and their first child, Caleb, was born on February 1, 1989.

However, 19 days later, Folbigg said that she found her son lifeless in the cot. His death was ruled as being caused by SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

In June 1990, Folbigg's second son Patrick was born, but at four months later he too was found lifeless in his cot, having suffered from an 'acute life-threatening event'.

He was resuscitated but was diagnosed with epilepsy and cortical blindness. Four months later, Patrick was found dead by Folbigg.

Folbigg's first daughter, Sarah, was born on October 14, 1992. In August 1993, Sarah, then aged ten months, was discovered dead, with the death being ruled as another case of SIDS.

Folbigg's second daughter and fourth child, Laura, was born on August 1997 and lived until the age of 18 months.

Former NSW District Court chief judge Reginald Blanch QC, who is presiding over the inquiry, will prepare a report on its results for the NSW governor.
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has debuted a dramatic new look while speaking to Chinese residents on Labor's campaign trail.

Mr Rudd appeared almost unrecognisable with a silver fringe and beard as he campaigned in the marginal seat of Banks in Sydney's south on Tuesday.

He put his language skills to the test as he walked through the streets of Hurstville with Labor candidate Chris Gambian and neighbouring Barton MP Linda Burney.

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has debuted a dramatic new look while speaking to Chinese residents on Labor's campaign trail

Mr Rudd walked through the streets of Hurstville with Labor candidate Chris Gambian (centre, left) and neighbouring Barton MP Linda Burney (bottom, left)

Mr Rudd appeared displayed a silver fringe and beard as he campaigned in the marginal seat of Banks in Sydney's south on Tuesday

Mr Rudd enjoyed some conversations in Mandarin and was occasionally overheard greeting future voters with 'ni hao'.

With his new look on display, Mr Rudd frequently stopped for photos where he posed with a peace sign and gave the thumbs up.

'Out in Hurstville in Sydney this morning campaigning with Chris Gambian our candidate in Banks, and Linda Burney the member for Barton,' Mr Rudd wrote on Facebook on Tuesday,

'Great reaction from all the locals we met to both Linda and Chris.'

Mr Rudd spent Monday campaigning in Burwood and Strathfield, the city's inner west, for Reid candidate Sam Crosby.

'Sam is a terrific candidate. Hard working. Policy literate. And the locals love him,' Mr Rudd wrote.

With his new look on display, Mr Rudd frequently stopped for photos where he posed with a peace sign and gave the thumbs up

Mr Rudd waves from his vehicle on Tuesday as he gets to work on Labor's campaign trail

Prime Minister Scott Morrison previously made headlines when he visited Strathfield at the beginning of his Federal election campaign and greeted a local Korean woman in Mandarin.

He shook hands with a woman and said: 'Hello, how are you? ... Ni hao.'

'No, no, no, I'm Korean. I'm from the Korean community,' the woman politely replied.

Mr Rudd was elected as Australia's Prime Minister in December 2007 before he was replaced in June 2010. He served a brief second term in the top job in 2013.

Mr Rudd conducted some conversations in Mandarin and was occasionally overheard greeting future voters with 'ni hao'
Explosives and bomb-making materials have been uncovered in a major search of a suburban home that was sparked after a man posted he 'hated Muslims' on social media.

Police swooped on the Davoren Park home in northern Adelaide about 8.30pm on Monday after fresh information revealed there was explosive material inside.

A highly volatile explosive known as triacetone triperoxide (TATP), or 'Mother of Satan', was allegedly found inside the shed.

Explosives and bomb-making material have been uncovered in a major search that was sparked after a man posted he 'hated Muslims' on social media

Images submitted to the court show what appears to be materials for pipe bombs and mixed chemicals stored in a fridge

'Mother of Satan' is believed to be the same material used in the Sri Lanka bombings that killed more than 200 over Easter, Nine News reported.

Homes around the address were evacuated on Tuesday as the explosives were too volatile to be moved and had to be detonated onsite.

SA Police's Bomb Response Unit and the Metropolitan Fire Service remained at the address.

Aaron Ellis, 43, appeared in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

He was charged with possession and manufacture of explosives in relation to the material police found on Monday.

Images submitted to the court show what appears to be materials for pipe bombs and mixed chemicals stored in a fridge.

Ellis first came to the attention of authorities in February when he allegedly posted on social media that he 'hated Muslims'.

Homes around the address were evacuated on Tuesday as the explosives were too volatile to be moved and had to be detonated onsite

Police swooped the Davoren Park home in Adelaide about 8.30pm on Monday after fresh information revealed there was explosive material inside

Police searched the property at the time but nothing was found and no charges were laid.

Ellis did not provide an explanation for having the explosive devices in his home during his court appearance.

In opposing bail, Brevet Sergeant Daren Cross said without an explanation behind the items, he wouldn't grant any form of bail.

Ellis was remanded in custody and will return to court next week when a report on possible home detention bail will be considered.
The accused Southern California synagogue shooter made his first appearance in court on Tuesday where prosecutors said he fired only eight to 10 of the roughly 60 bullets he had before his weapon jammed.

John T. Earnest, 19, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder in the shooting that happened Saturday during a Passover service at the Chabad of Poway synagogue.

One woman was killed and three people wounded, including the rabbi.

Earnest was arrested shortly after the attack with 50 unfired bullets, a tactical vest and helmet, prosecutors said during his arraignment.

At the hearing, a bespectacled Earnest stood behind a glass panel, wearing blue jail clothes and showing no apparent emotion.

John T. Earnest, the accused Southern California synagogue shooter, made his first court appearance in San Diego on Tuesday

During the arraignment, Earnest pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder in the shooting

At the hearing, a bespectacled Earnest stood behind a glass panel, wearing blue jail clothes and showing no apparent emotion

He uttered only one word - 'yes' - to waive his right to a speedy preliminary hearing.

The judge scheduled a status hearing for May 30 and denied bail, calling Earnest an extreme threat to public safety.

Earnest was an accomplished student, athlete and musician whose embrace of white supremacy and anti-Semitism has dumbfounded his family and others who thought they knew him well.

He made the dean's list both semesters last year as a nursing student at California State University, San Marcos.

In high school, he had stellar grades, swam on the varsity team and basked in the applause of classmates for his piano solos at talent shows.

Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, (pictured) was identified as the woman who was killed during the horrific attack on Saturday

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein was shot in the hand, but witnesses say he continued to deliver a sermon during the shooting

Earnest apparently became radicalized sometime over the last two years. He is also charged with arson in connection with an attack last month on a mosque in nearby Escondido.

Owen Cruise, 20, saw Earnest every day during senior year at Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego when the two were in calculus and physics together.

They were also both in the school's amateur radio club.

'The way John T. acted is not representative at all of the way he was raised,' Cruise said.

'They are an outstanding family. Some of the finest people I've ever met.'

Earnest's piano performances drew audiences to their feet.

His father, John A. Earnest, is a popular physics teacher at Mt. Carmel, where he has worked for 31 years.

Synagogue members walk outside of the Chabad of Poway Synagogue Saturday in Poway, California

An FBI agent gives out information to members of the media outside of the Chabad of Poway Synagogue on Saturday

The suspect's parents said their son and five siblings were raised in a family that 'rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do.'

'To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries,' the parents said Monday in their first public comments.

'Our son's actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold.'

The parents, who are cooperating with investigators, refused to provide legal representation to their son, and he was represented by a public defender.

Earnest allegedly burst into the synagogue on the last day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday that celebrates freedom, and opened fire with an assault-style rifle on the crowd of about 100.

He fled when the rifle jammed, according to authorities and witnesses, avoiding an Army combat veteran and an off-duty Border Patrol agent who pursued him.

He called 911 to report the shooting and surrendered a short time later.

Lori Kaye, a founding member of the congregation, was killed.

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein was shot in the hands, while Noya Dahan, 8, and her uncle Almog Peretz suffered shrapnel wounds.

Kaye, 60, was remembered for her kindness Monday at a memorial service at the packed synagogue in Poway, a well-to-do suburb north of San Diego.

An online writing by a person identifying himself as John Earnest and published shortly before the attack spewed hatred toward Jews and praised the perpetrators of attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month and at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue that killed 11 on October 27.

Earnest frequented 8chan, a dark corner of the web where those disaffected by mainstream social media sites often post extremist, racist and violent views.

'I've only been lurking here for a year and half, yet what I've learned here is priceless. It's been an honor,' he wrote.

Earnest, who evidently intended to live stream the attack, said he had planned the attack for four weeks.

'If you told me even 6 months ago that I would do this I would have been surprised,' Earnest wrote.

The FBI said it got tips about a social media post threatening violence against Jews about five minutes before the 11:30am attack.

The tips to an FBI website and hotline included a link to the anonymous post but did not offer specific information about its author or the location of the threat.

The bureau said employees immediately tried to determine who wrote it, but the shooting occurred before they could establish his identity.
A mother who carried her baby to a postnatal check-up in a sling carrier realised the newborn was dead when she handed him to a nurse for examination.

The woman, from NSW's Central Coast unwrapped her three-week-old son from his baby sling and gave him to a nurse at the Long Jetty Community Health Centre.

Only then did nurses realise he had stopped breathing at some point during the short walk. They performed CPR but he could not be resuscitated.

The 36-year-old mother told police she carried him in a 'fabric baby sling on her front' on April 8.

A mother who carried her baby to a postnatal check-up in a sling carrier realised the newborn was dead when she handed him to a nurse for examination (stock image)

She spoke to nurses for between eight and 10 minutes before she handed him over, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Police have not ruled out the sling's potential contribution to the little boy's death, but are not treating the fatality as suspicious.

The little boy's body was sent to a Newcastle morgue.

A post mortem report will be presented to the Coroner and an inquest into his death is expected to be held.

The baby had a slow heart rate after the mother was induced and the medical team performed a forceps delivery, but was not believed to have any other underlying conditions.

The woman, from NSW's Central Coast unwrapped her three-week-old son from his baby sling and gave him to a nurse at the Long Jetty Community Health Centre

The chief midwife at Red Nose Australia, Jane Wiggill, said regulations surrounding fabric slings are currently quite lax.

In fact, she said there are currently no regulations or standards in Australia relating to their use.

'Using baby slings is a suffocation risk, especially if a baby is placed incorrectly in a sling,' she said.

'This is because babies do not have the physical ability to move out of dangerous positions that can block their airways. This includes lying in a sling with a curved back, with their chin to chest; or lying with their face pressed against the fabric of the sling or the wearer's body  as it makes it difficult to turn their head when pressed against the fabric.

She said the slings pose a greater risk to babies under four months of age, those who were born premature or those who already have breathing difficulties.

Parents are urged to exercise caution when using baby carriers.
An RAF hero who who parachuted out of a burning World War Two bomber and introduced the French to fried eggs on toast during his escape has died.

Tom Maxwell, of Thorverton, near Exeter, Devon, who spent two months evading the Nazis in 1944 as he made his way back to Britain passed away aged 94.

Mr Maxwell, then a 19-year-old gunner, was on his 6th mission when his Lancaster was hit by anti aircraft flak over German occupied France.

He baled out at 8,000ft in the pitch black, limped top a farmhouse near Rouen, and was kept hidden by the farmer and his wife in their attic for 10 days.

Tom Maxwell, of Thorverton, near Exeter, Devon, (pictured left at his home in 2018, shortly after receiving the Legion D'Honneur, and right at RAF Mildenhall in 1943) who spent two months evading the Nazis in 1944 as he made his way back to Britain has died aged 94

During his time there Tom inadvertently introduced the French population to fried eggs on toast, an English dish he requested his host, Madame Tancre de Maertens, made for him.

Months later she remembered the 'strange' snack when advancing Allied troops arrived in her village and she cooked them the same treat.

From there, 'Oeuf sur le pain grille' made its way into local cafes.

With the help of the French Resistance, Tom was given false identity papers and a lift to Paris, where he caught a train to Toulouse in the south of France.

Mr Maxwell (top left) pictured with his crew at RAF Mildenhall in 1943, one year before the raid when his Lancaster was shot down. After his successful escape he went on to fly 26 more missions

Mr Maxwell (pictured) then a 19-year-old gunner, was on his 6th mission when his Lancaster was hit by anti aircraft flak over German occupied France

There, he was kept hidden for a few more days before secretly being put into a taxi that took him to a town in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

He joined a party of 12 Allied airman who walked for three days through the mountains into Spain.

From there he was taken by train to Gibraltar and flew back to Britain on May 22, 1944 - 10 weeks after his near-death experience.

Tom was given an immediate Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful escape and rejoined 622 Squadron based at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk.

Mr Maxwell (pictured with his wife Katherine, left, and on his 93rd birthday, right) was given an immediate Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful escape and rejoined 622 Squadron based at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk

He retrieved his RAF log book which an administration officer had written the words 'failed to return' for the Stuttgart raid. Tom added the word 'BALLS' under it.

Of the seven other airmen on board Lancaster LL828 that night, five were captured by the Germans and the other two escaped.

Tom refused the offer of a non-flying role and went on to complete 26 bombing sorties as he felt he owed it to his lost comrades in Bomber Command.

His last mission in January 1945 was dropping food on the starving Dutch as part of the humanitarian Operation Manna.

After the war he left the armed forces and became a teacher in his home city of Belfast, only to reapply for the RAF three years later.

Mr Maxwell, who went on to serve in Northern Ireland, Germany and Libya before leaving the RAF in the 1978, pictured with his wife Katherine on the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1961. She died in 2007

He went on to serve in Northern Ireland, Germany and Libya before leaving the RAF in the 1978. After that he went to work for the Sultan of Oman's Air Force for 10 years and retired in 1990.

Tom's wife Katherine died in 2007.

In 2018 Tom was presented with the Legion d'Honneur - France's highest military honour - for helping to liberate the country from the Nazis.

He died in hospital in Exeter and leaves sons Adrian, a barrister, and Tim, a doctor, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Adrian Maxwell said: 'Dad instilled in Tim and I a real sense of adventure.

'He and two pals lied about their ages, smoked pipes to affect adulthood, and enlisted in the RAF Volunteer Reserve aged 17.

After leaving the RAF, Mr Maxwell (left, in his office at RAOF Masirah, Oman, in 1990, and right, aged six) went to work for the Sultan of Oman's Air Force for 10 years and retired in 1990

'He was acutely aware that 55,000 airmen were killed in the war. He avoided debating the rights and wrongs of the bombing campaign.

'He was not in favour of the disproportionate publicity given to the Dambusters in film and the media generally.

'If this was raised in conversation he would simply remind the speaker that 55,000 airmen did not return.

'But it wasn't until he was in his 80s that he spoke of being shot down and evading capture.

'Dad was a strict man of principle and standards. We were taught good manners, saying 'please' and 'thank you', opening doors for others.

'He always said these things cost nothing and go a long way. They are less evident in modern Britain.

'He was extremely resourceful and independent, even obstinate.

'He would not hesitate to advise somebody, anybody, no matter their station or rank, how they could be doing their job better, how they could improve.

'This didn't always go down well. On the other hand, his independence and determination lead to him surviving kidney dialysis for 10 yeas from age 84 to 94 when he passed away. '

Mr Maxwell added that his father was a strong supporter of the Bomber Command Association and fought to get the Bomber Command campaign medal introduced.
South Africa: Mlambo-Ngcuka honoured at Cannes

The United Nations (UN) Undersecretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has been named the recipient of the 2019 Cannes LionHeart award.

The former South African Deputy President has been awarded the 2019 Cannes LionHeart in recognition of her advocacy for women, human rights and social justice throughout the world, and for her leadership of the industrywide diversity initiative, The Unstereotype Alliance.

Convened by UN Women, The Unstereotype Alliance is a collaboration between industry leaders, who have been champions of addressing gender bias. Its members include global brands, advertising agencies and holding companies, associations and organisations dedicated to advancing representation.

Since its launch in 2017, the initiative has worked with members to conduct international research projects providing applicable insights for creating progressive portrayals of men and women from around the world.

In a press statement, Cannes Lions chairperson, Philip Thomas, said throughout her career, Mlambo-Ngcuka has championed womens rights through her involvement with projects and programmes devoted to education, womens empowerment and gender equality.

In 2018, she was named by Apolitical as one of the most influential people in gender policy around the world. Her work spans the private sector, civil society and government.

Thomas said Mlambo-Ngcukas leadership of The Unstereotype Alliance recognises the power of partnerships to accelerate progress, and her involvement has been pivotal to creating a space where industry leaders can set aside competition and unite for a common cause.

Uniting leaders to tackle stereotypes

As the powerhouse behind The Unstereotype Alliance initiative, Thomas said Mlambo-Ngcuka unites leaders to tackle the widespread prevalence of stereotypes that are often perpetuated through media and advertising content.

Mlambo-Ngcukas passion and tireless work to improve the lives of women and children around the world and bring about social justice, represents the true embodiment of the Cannes LionHeart Award. Through her work on The Unstereotype Alliance she has brought together leaders from business, technology and creative industries to consciously consider how individuals are in communications, Thomas said.

Introduced in 2014, the Cannes LionHeart is an honorary award presented to a person or organisation that has harnessed their position to make a significant and positive difference to the world around us, with particular reference to those who work with brands and the advertising community.

As an Executive Director of UN Women, Mlambo-Ngcuka is driving the role of women in leadership, engaging men as allies, and ending discrimination and violence against women and girls through coalition and movement building among global leaders in public and private sectors, and with civil society.

Speaking in response to the announcement, Mlambo-Ngcuka said it was an honour to be nominated for the award on behalf of UN Women and The Unstereotype Alliance.

I look forward to what we will do next through this partnership to change the way the world looks at itself and disrupt the social norms that are holding us back. We are thrilled to be working with the advertising community to bring about positive change by influencing the way that both women and men are represented, Mlambo-Ngcuka said.

Mlambo-Ngcuka will be interviewed on the Debussy stage at 5pm on Friday 21 June as the final session of the content programme. She will accept the LionHeart Award at the final awards show closing out Cannes Lions 2019.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Children as young as 15 heard the graphic details of the rape and murder case of James Dobbie during a school excursion.

Dobbie, 65, raped two women, aged 18 and 21, at gunpoint while their boyfriends were forced to watch in Melbourne's 'Lovers Lane' attacks in 1980 and 1983.

He also killed a father of two with a shotgun blast in the third attack at Rowville's Police Paddocks Reserve.

The high school students who listened to the case were visibly distressed, according to a court reporter.

Children as young as 15 heard the graphic details of the rape and murder case of James Dobbie during a school excursion (stock image)

Court reporter Sharnelle Vella of Channel Seven said on Twitter that 'James Dobbies crimes are among the worst Ive ever heard'.

'There are ten high school students sitting in court listening to the detail of horrific rapes,' Ms Vella said.

'They looked happy when they walked in. One now looks close to tears.

'I dare say an excursion they will never forget.'

The exposure to such graphic details sparked discussion about the practice of having students sit in on cases to teach them how courts work.

'We gotta remember they're just kids,' one man said on Twitter.

'We never really think about the traumatising effect of cases on the gallery. I hope theres somebody to talk to.'

James Dobbie (pictured), 65, raped two women, aged 18 and 21, at gunpoint while their boyfriends were forced to watch in the Melbourne lovers lane carpark in 1980 and 1983

'I'm surprised they were allowed to stay,' a woman said.

'I often saw magistrates stop students from entering or ask them to leave when such potentially traumatising cases were being heard.'

'Visiting court for students can be emotionally difficult as they realise the difference between TV and the real world,' another woman said.

Dobbie was sentenced to 31 years in jail with a 25 year non-parole period on Monday.

Victorian Supreme Court Justice John Champion said the victims had suffered 'tremendous pain, suffering and trauma, the effects of which have been felt for almost 40 years and will likely continue for many more'.
Australian soldiers are to be banned from using slang around United States soldiers because a misunderstanding could be fatal.

As a record number of American troops arrives in Darwin for a joint training rotation, commanders have said Aussie slang will need to be toned down.

'We have lost in translation moments more than you would realise,' Air Force Group Captain Stewart Dowrie told 10 News.

Australian soldiers are to be banned from using slang around United States soldiers

'The time to figure that out is not on the battle field when the bullets are flying,' he said.

'Classic phrase 'lucked out' - for some people it means you get lucky, for others it didn't happen. So you start using colloquialisms and all of a sudden you have complete misunderstandings about whether something is going to happen.'

During the last two weeks 1700 marines landed in the Norther Territory, with the number to eventually reach 2500.

The troops will practice high-end war fighting activities with Australian soldiers.

Officials have said the opportunities to train together are invaluable towards sharing knowledge.
A Russian man has made a Houdini-like escape from police custody in Bali while his hands and legs were in handcuffs.

Andrei Spiridonov, 35, was arrested last week in Indonesia over alleged drug importing, but escaped in the early hours of Saturday morning.

He told officers at Bali Police Logistics Bureau he needed the bathroom before making his escape through the ventilation system.

Spiridonov was discovered hiding in a ditch two days later, Coconuts Bali reported.

A Russian drug suspect managed to flee a Bali police station while his hands and legs were handcuffs and escaped out of the bathroom, and was later found by locals hiding in a grass-covered ditch

After Spiridonov escaped officers found his handcuffs in the bathroom on the second floor of Bali Police Logistics Bureau.

'The officer who waited outside the restroom heard a "buk" sound,' Grand Commissioner Hengky Widjaja said, Detik reported.

Russian national Andrei Spiridonov, 35, was escorted by a police officer to the bathroom of a police station while his arms and legs were still handcuffed, but managed to escape out through the ventilation

Officials found out later that Spiridonov had jumped out through the bathroom's ventilation.

On Sunday night after nearly two days on the 'run', local residents informed the drug unit that fugitive was hiding hours away in a ditch in Tohpati Village east of Denpasar.

After undergoing a medical check up at a local hospital, Spiridonov was brought to Bali Police Drug Unit's headquarters for further investigation.

Spiridonov - who reportedly works as a psychologist - was initially arrested on Tuesday last week for allegedly importing N-Dimethyltrytamine (DMT) type narcotics.

He had ordered the illegal hallucinogenic narcotic online and had it delivered from the Netherlands, Coconuts Bali reported.
A decorated Coast Guard commodore, who was fed up with the noise from a go-kart buzzing up and down his street, has been found guilty of breaking his neighbour's leg by running him down with his car.

Kenneth Albert Stanley, 67, pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court on the Gold Coast to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing grievous bodily harm.

He was given an 18-month suspended sentence.

The court was told Stanley, who resigned from the Coast Guard after the incident, did not mean to hit Bruce Pinkerton, whose leg was broken in the incident at Upper Coomera on July 1, 2017.

Kenneth Albert Stanley pleaded guilty to breaking his neighbour's leg because he was fed up with the noise from a go-kart buzzing up and down his street (stock image)

It stemmed from a neighbourhood dispute when Stanley became frustrated by the noise of the go-kart outside his home at 9.30pm.

Stanley and his wife yelled for the noise to stop before Stanley got in a car and drove down the street, stopping outside the home of the victim's friend.

The court heard Mr Pinkerton walked toward the car as it reversed before Stanley 'snapped' and drove at the victim, hitting him and breaking his right tibia.

Defence barrister Anthony Jamieson argued the incident took place over a 'couple of seconds' and Stanley was only trying to scare Mr Pinkerton.

The victim said he was disappointed Stanley had not been jailed and should be banned from serving in the coast guard for life (stock image)

'What we have here is a car that has gone in reverse, put on the brake, the vehicle has then gone forward .... it did not travel very far before it struck the victim,' Mr Jamieson said.

Justice Catherine Muir rejected the argument, saying using a vehicle as a weapon was 'deliberate and reckless conduct'.

Mr Jamieson said Stanley was an outstanding member of the community who had risked his life to save others in his role with the Coast Guard and had resigned from his role as commodore as a result of the incident.

The victim's right tibia was broken in the incident on the Gold Coast (stock image)

Outside court, Stanley and his supporters were involved in a scuffle with media, pushing a camera at a photographer which gave him a cut above his left eye.

Mr Pinkerton said he was disappointed Stanley had not been jailed and should be banned from serving in the coast guard for life.

'He's got a bad temper and he thinks he's above the law. He just got shown that he wasn't,' Mr Pinkerton said outside court.

'He's not remorseful. He still drives around the street like a lunatic.'
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President Xi Jinping have urged young people in China to stay loyal to the Communist Party during an hour-long speech to celebrate the centenary of a student protest in Beijing.

Xi sought to whip up patriotic sentiment with the lengthy speech today at the Great Hall of the People as the nation commemorated the May Fourth Movement.

The movement was a landmark protest against colonialism and imperialism that rocked China in 1919 and led to the founding of the Communist Party of China two years later.

The 65-year-old leader told keen youngsters as many of them took notes: 'The theme, direction and goal of a new-era youth movement in China is to stick to the leadership of the Communist Party of China.'

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of May Fourth Movement in Beijing today

Xi said young people must 'listen to the party and follow the party' and dedicate their whole lives to showing their patriotism

Young people take notes as they listen to the hour-long speech by President Xi, China's most powerful leader since Mao

He added that young people must 'listen to the party and follow the party' and dedicate their whole lives to showing their patriotism.

Xi hailed the spirit of the May Fourth Movement and urged the 'modern-day youngsters' to carry on the 'revolutionary spirit' of their predecessors, according to a transcript of the speech from Xinhua News Agency.

He quoted Chairman Mao, the founding father of Communist China who took part in the movement 100 years ago: 'As early as 80 years ago, comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "Chinese youth movement has very good revolutionary tradition and the tradition is to 'strive forever'."'

Xi also said: 'New-era Chinese youth need to establish faith in Marxism and in socialism with Chinese characteristics and have confidence in the realisation of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.'

China today marked the centenary of the May Fourth Movement, which began when Beijing University students marched in anger over World War I concessions to Japan on May 4 in 1919. The celebration was held at Beijing's Great Hall of the People

Participants walk through the Great Hall of the People after attending the ceremony to hail the May Fourth Movement

Soldiers of People's Liberation Army and other delegates clap during the ceremony hosted by the Communist Party of China

Delegates watch a video during the ceremony in which Xi urges the Chinese youngsters to love the Communist leadership

He also urged young people to stay away from materialism, hedonism and 'extreme individualism'.

Xi made no mention of a student movement on Tian'anmen Square in 1989 or the Chinese army's sequential crackdown on the pro-democracy protest which killed at least 10,000 young people, according to a document released in 2017.

However, Xi told rows of young people, workers, soldiers and Communist Party cadres: 'It's very shameful if a person isn't patriotic or even deceives or betrays the motherland. There is no place for such a person to stand anywhere.

'In contemporary China, the essence of patriotism is to combine one's love for the country with love for the party and socialism,' he said.

Xi is heard talking in footage released by China Global Television Network: 'The history has shown that as long as the Chinese people and the Chinese nation dare to sacrifice themselves and to change their destiny, our country will prosper, and our nation will realise the great rejuvenation.'

The May Fourth Movement was a landmark protest against colonialism and imperialism that rocked China in 1919 and led to the birth of the Communist Party of China two years later. The above picture shows the participants from Peking University

It was a nationalist movement that began when some 3,000 Peking University students marched to Tian'anmen Square

The protesters from 100 years ago were angry at the handing of German concessions in China to Japan during World War I

Xi Jinping: China's most powerful leader since Mao Xi Jinping has been widely considered as China's most powerful leader since the nation's founding father Chairman Mao who ruled from 1949 to 1976. Xi could potentially rule China for life after Chinese lawmakers in March last year abolished presidential term limits that had been in place for more than 35 years. His ideology, formally known as Xi Jinping Thought, was also incorporated into China's Constitution to further solidify his power. Last year, Xi was named by Forbes as the most powerful person on Earth, ending Putin's four-year reign at the top and pushing Trump down to the third. Advertisement

The May 4, 1919 protest was a nationalist movement that began when some 3,000 Peking University students marched to Tian'anmen Square in anger at the handing of German concessions in China to Japan at the end of World War I.

The protests mushroomed into calls for a cultural and political awakening to modernise China.

Other sensitive dates loom this year, including the 30th anniversary of the Tian'anmen protests on June 4, the 10th anniversary of riots in the restive Xinjiang region on July 5, and five years since the Hong Kong pro-democracy Umbrella Movement.

While Xi has repeatedly extolled the teachings of Marx and the Communist Party, authorities have apparently cracked down on Marxist students who backed labour movements in recent months.

Two sources close to a Marxist student group at elite Peking University told AFP Tuesday that they hadn't been able to contact five students for over 24 hours, raising concerns that they may have been detained by police for taking part in an activity to mark Labour Day.

The group includes Qiu Zhanxuan, the school's former Marxist society president, who was detained by police in December and later forced to step down by college administration after attempting to commemorate the 125th birthday of Mao Zedong, whose legacy in China remains controversial.

While Xi has repeatedly extolled the teachings of Marx and the Communist Party, Chinese authorities have apparently cracked down on Marxist students who backed labour movements in recent months. Two sources close to a Marxist student group at elite Peking University told AFP on Tuesday that they hadn't been able to contact five students for over 24 hours

One former Marxist society president was detained by police after attempting to commemorate the 125th birthday of Mao

Delegates clap to President Xi could potentially rule China for life after Chinese lawmakers in March last year abolished presidential term limits. Xi has been considered as China's most powerful leader since its founding father Chairman Mao

Qiu on Sunday posted online that he would work overnight with workers at an industrial park in Beijing to experience the life of manual labourers.

Plainclothes police had followed the students to the industrial park, a friend of Qiu told AFP.

'Chinese labour rights incidents happen one after another, and authorities are worried that progressive students will defend labour rights, which will affect the false 'harmony and stability' the government has created,' said the student, who requested anonymity.

Beijing police and Peking University officials could not be reached for comment.

Considered China's most prestigious university, Peking has a history of student activism with its alumni playing a key role in the pro-democracy Tian'anmen protests in 1989 and the May Fourth movement.

In his speech, Xi urged youth to 'create a better life with hard work and honest labour.'

'Youth should not be opportunistic and reject shortcuts,' he warned.

Xi's speech was 'ridiculously ironic,' as the Communist Party was 'using nationalism to suppress the rights of everyday people's struggles,' the student said.
Tony Blair today urged Jeremy Corbyn to back a second referendum as the Labour leader faces a crunch party meeting to decide its European election manifesto.

Mr Corbyn is under huge pressure to back a confirmatory referendum on any deal and Labour's national executive committee (NEC) will vote on the issue splitting the party.

He left home clutching a red file named 'EU issues' ahead of today's crunch Brexit summit and as tension in the party rose his deputy Tom Watson reportedly left a shadow cabinet meeting in a row over access to a hard copy of the manifesto.

Former party leader Tony Blair has weighed in and said that a second referendum would be 'a healing process' for Britain while the People's Vote campaign and union chiefs are also demanding one.

Mr Blair said that MPs are unwilling to make a final decision any Brexit deal because they are keen to avoid being blamed so want to 'share responsibility with the people'.

Members are also ready to quit and vote for pro-remain parties if Mr Corbyn refuses to adopt the policy while Laura Parker, a director for grassroots group Momentum, has said: 'Labour must take a side. Labour's members already know which side they are on'.

Backbench MP Neil Coyle said: 'Labour's NEC today either stands by Jeremy Corbyn's commitment to allow members to decide party policy, or risks acting as a recruiting agent for Change UK and the Greens. Members must be heard'.

But Jeremy Corbyn is expected to try to fudge the issue because he and his inner circle would rather have a softer Brexit and could put forward a motion promising a new poll - but only as a last resort or in limited circumstances.

Tony Blair today urged Jeremy Corbyn (right today) to back a second referendum claiming it would 'heal' Britain

The Labour leader was carrying a thick red 'EU issues' file ahead of today's crunch NEC meeting

A draft part leaflet (pictured above) caused a major row because it did not mention a new poll on Brexit

The party's deputy leader Tom Watson went over Jeremy Corbyn's head to urge activists to lobby for a second poll.

He appealed to campaigners to lobby members of the party's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) ahead of a meeting which will decide whether to make a manifesto commitment to a 'confirmatory' referendum in next month's European Parliament elections.

Mr Watson published details of NEC members and told his 300,000 Twitter followers: 'Please let your reps on the NEC know if you want them to support a confirmatory ballot on a Brexit deal.'

He was backed by Momentum chief Jon Lansman, who said: 'Surely we can all agree a confirmatory vote.'

The idea of a second referendum is opposed by senior members of Mr Corbyn's inner circle, who fear it would enrage party supporters who backed Brexit.

Labour's business spokesman, Rebecca Long-Bailey, yesterday suggested the party's call for a second referendum would not apply if it did a deal with Theresa May.

She told Sky News: 'Our priority in these negotiations is to find the consensus and to get a deal that will protect the economy.'

Labour's communities spokesman Andrew Gwynne also played down the need for a second poll, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'I want to ensure that we avoid a bad Tory Brexit or a No Deal scenario.'

The shadow cabinet will also meet tomorrow to agree a position ahead of the publication of the party's manifesto next week.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn poses for a selfie with Lucinda Robinson, Shaz Nawaz and Katia Yurgutene during campaigning in Peterborough as he faces pressure to back a second referendum

Tom Watson tweeted to his 300,000 followers last night that they should press Labour to back a second referendum

It comes as cross-party talks aiming to break the impasse continue, with the de facto deputy prime minister David Lidington describing discussions on Monday as 'positive' and 'productive'.

And the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said he hoped to see results this week from the talks, and reiterated a call to 'fix Brexit quickly'.

Meanwhile Change UK - the Independent Group - will hold the first of its 'People's Vote Remain' rallies in London calling for a second referendum.

Ahead of the NEC meeting, Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson wrote to Mr Corbyn and all NEC members urging them to ensure that a confirmatory ballot is in the manifesto.

Mr Wilson said that a referendum was backed by the majority of Labour MPs, MEPs, members and supporters and had featured in the policy approved by conference last autumn.

Labour's business spokesman, Rebecca Long-Bailey, yesterday suggested the party's call for a second referendum would not apply if it did a deal with Theresa May

Labour MPs had twice been whipped in the Commons to support a motion tabled by the pair to require any Brexit deal to be subject to a public vote, he said.

'Three years on, we know more about what Brexit means and people should be allowed to compare what the deal is with what they were promised and decide whether they want to go ahead,' said Mr Wilson.

'If we don't do it, the coming years will be divisive because people will be turning round and saying 'Hang on, I didn't vote for this'.'

Meanwhile, some of Labour's biggest union backers are also throwing their weight behind a referendum pledge.

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: 'Frankly it's time for our party to act on the overwhelming wishes of its members and voters by pledging to support a confirmatory public vote on any Brexit deal.

'We will be pushing hard for this to be included in Labour's European manifesto.'

But Tory sources warned talks may fall apart today if Labour activists force Mr Corbyn to agree to a second referendum in all circumstances.

Labours National Executive Committee is meeting today to agree a manifesto for the European Parliament elections.

The Labour leader is under intense pressure from Remainers in his party to include a commitment to a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal.

A senior Tory source said: If they commit to a confirmatory referendum on anything they agree with us, then it is going to be very difficult to continue.
Christopher Guest More Jr, left, fled the UK in 2003, shortly after the murder of Brian Waters, right

A fugitive alleged to have savagely murdered a father in front of his two children at their farm, has today been placed on Europe's most wanted list.

Christopher Guest More Jr fled the UK after the murder of Brian Waters, who was subjected to 'systematic and barbaric torture' as his family watched helplessly at Burnt House Farm in Tabley, near Knutsford, in June 2003.

More, 41, who described himself an undercover journalist, has links to Spain, Malta and South America, but detectives believe he 'could be anywhere.'

More was last rumoured to be in Malaga after his father Chris flew to Spain a week after the murder with a suitcase containing a set of clean clothes, a new mobile phone and 2,500 cash.

His millionaire father Christopher More Snr, who runs a private investigation and fraud detection agency, admitted flying out to Malaga with a suitcase full of his son's clothes, but claims he did not know at that time his son was suspected of committing a serious offence.

He was jailed for nine months in 2004 and ordered to pay the 130,000 costs of bringing the case to court.

Former undercover BBC researcher James Raven, 60, Otis Matthews, 41, and John Wilson, 69, are serving life sentences after being convicted of Mr Waters' murder.

More is alleged to have been with the men when they stormed the derelict property, where Mr Waters was running a cannabis farm, in a row over a drugs debt.

The men tied Mr Waters to a chair before battering him in front of his son Gavin, who was also attacked, and 21-year-old daughter Natalie, who was held at gunpoint and forced to watch.

The 44-year-old victim was whipped, burned and attacked with a staple gun in a three-hour ordeal during which he sustained 167 injuries, a trial heard.

They pumped electric shocks through his body, drove staples into his head and neck, poured acid down his back and burnt molten plastic over his face.

He was then hung upside down and sexually assaulted with an iron bar, causing fatal internal injuries.

Christopher Guest More Jr fled the UK after the murder of Brian Waters, who was killed in front of his two adult children at Burnt House Farm (pictured) in Tabley, in June 2003

The 44-year-old victim was whipped, burned, attacked with a staple gun, hung upside down and beaten and sexually assaulted with an iron bar, in a three-hour ordeal in this cow shed

Brian Waters, who was murdered in 2003

More, who is white and 6ft tall, is wanted for questioning in connection with Mr Waters' death along with the attempted murder of a second man and the false imprisonment and assault of other victims at the scene.

Today Cheshire Police revealed he had been added to Europe's most wanted list.

More's cousin Raven worked on programmes including the BBC's MacIntyre Uncovered and Crooked Britain, as well as Channel 4's Sleepers, infiltrating gangs involved in car crime, drugs and counterfeiting.

A Chester Crown Court trial in 2004 heard More also bragged about work as a surveillance-type journalist and had been following Mr Waters' son nine days before the murder in what he described as a 'reconnaissance' mission.

After the systematic torture in the cow shed at the farm, Mr Waters' body was dumped in a milking parlour.

BBC reporter convicted over brutal farmhouse murder In 2004, a jury at Chester Crown Court found James Raven, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, guilty of murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm. Co-defendant John Wilson, 55, of Glossop, Derbyshire, was found guilty of the same charges. Ashley Guishard, 30, of Sale, Greater Manchester, was cleared of all charges. Otis Matthews, then 29, was sentenced to life after a third retrial. Wilson had ordered the attack after falling out with Mr Waters over a debt. During the eight-week trial it emerged that Raven and his cousin Christopher More earned up to 500 a day working on undercover assignments for the BBC and Channel 4. Over two years Raven worked on programmes including the BBC's MacIntyre Uncovered and Crooked Britain, as well as Channel 4's Sleepers, infiltrating gangs involved in car crime and drugs. BBC producers knew heavily-tattooed Raven had previous convictions for violence. They believed he was a reformed character, the court heard. The jury was also told that More, who drove a Porsche Boxster and lived in a converted barn, would brag about his undercover work to women. Advertisement

Mr Waters, a former chemists' worker, had rented Burnt House Farm since 2002 and used it to grow cannabis, a court heard.

But he was also involved in narcotics trafficking with one of his killers, drug dealer John Wilson, and was said to have owed him 20,000.

The murder of Mr Waters was planned to exact revenge on him for the debt and took place in what was described as a 'makeshift torture chamber.'

The killers broke into the farmhouse and destroyed the cannabis farm, then attacked the stepson of Mr Waters' business partner, battering him senseless and dragging into the barn where he was tied up by his ankles with his face submerged under water.

He was burned with chemicals and a pillowcase covering his head was set on fire as the gang laughed at his distress.

Mr Waters then arrived at the farm and was suspended upside down and used as a 'human punchbag.'

When Waters' son Gavin and a woman arrived at the farm they were abducted at gunpoint, and she was sexually assaulted.

Brian Waters' wife Julie was also abducted from the family home and taken to the scene of the murder.

She arrived to discover that her husband had been murdered.

Detective Superintendent Sarah Pengelly said today: 'Our determination to find Christopher Guest More Jr has not faltered and, over the years, we have remained committed to locating and arresting him for his alleged involvement in the death of Brian Waters.

Drug baron John Wilson, left, was the mastermind behind the murder over the unpaid debt, aided by James Raven, right, who had previously worked undercover for the BBC and Channel 4

Mr Waters grew cannabis plants at the farm, pictured, but was also involved in narcotics trafficking and said to owe one of his torturers 20,000

Brian Waters was tortured to death in front of his family at the farmhouse

Today Cheshire Police said he had been added to Europe's most wanted list

Police at the scene of the crime in 2003. The murder of Mr Waters was planned to exact revenge on him for the debt and took place in what was described as a 'makeshift torture chamber'

'Despite the passage of time, we have never given up hope and a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes out of the public eye, in a bid to piece together as much information as possible as to his whereabouts.

'We are doing everything we can to track him down and are confident that with the assistance of our partners in law enforcement in the UK and abroad - coupled with the fact he has now been added to Europe's 'most wanted' list - that he will be traced.'

Anyone with information on More's whereabouts should call Cheshire Constabulary on 101 quoting IML 387578, or give the details at cheshire.police.uk
Kayleigh Powell, 28 (pictured outside Minshull Street Crown Court at an earlier hearing) will face a retrial over her charge of outraging public decency outside a school in Oldham, Greater Manchester, on February 22 last year

A mother and an ex-school governor accused of engaging in a sex act in a car parked outside a primary school during the afternoon school run face a retrial.

Kayleigh Powell, 28, and John Steward, 62, were allegedly seen 'grinding and thrutching' inside a Citroen Picasso as she waited to collect her son on February 22 last year.

It was not until the headmistress of Springhead Infant and Nursery School in Oldham, Greater Manchester, tapped on the window that the pair stopped, their trial was told.

The pair claim Steward, Powell's mother's ex-partner, was adjusting the back seats while Powell got '40 winks' next to him.

The jury at Minshull Street Crown Court was unable to reach a verdict on their charges of outraging public decency and discharged by the judge. The retrial will take place in February 2020.

The court heard that onlookers said they were carried on oblivious until around 2.50pm that day when the headmistress knocked on the window after being alerted by a parent.

Steward who was also formerly a school governor was said to have suddenly jumped back into the passenger seat and when asked what was going on he and Powell both replied in unison: 'We are doing nothing.'

Steward was then seen to be 'visibly shaking' while smoking a cigarette while Powell, then 27, told a pastoral care worker: 'If anything has been going on I am 27. I'm an adult.'

Both deny wrongdoing, with Powell saying she had been doing the school run with Steward after renovating a house together as part of their family run property development business.

The court heard Steward had folded the rear seats so they could put unwanted items from the house in the boot of the car that morning.

Powell is accused of 'grinding and thrutching' with John Steward, 62, (pictured outside Minshull Street Crown Court at an earlier hearing) inside a Citroen Picasso as she waited to collect her son on February 22 last year

Later at the time of the school run, he was trying to put the seats back up again so Powell's son could get in the rear of the car.

Describing Steward as a 'father figure,' Powell told the hearing: 'I couldn't see exactly what John was doing with the mechanism because I was facing forward and he was leaning between the two seats into the rear of the car - it took him four or five minutes.

'At that one point I shut my eyes for 40 winks, I was resting my eyes I didn't fall asleep and then I had a cigarette, he might have brushed his arm against me but I didn't feel it.

'I was about to leave the car to pick up my son when I saw the headteacher coming up the path walking in a different direction to everybody else.

'I was sat in my seat smoking a cigarette and John was sat in his seat smoking too.

'The headteacher tapped on the window and asked me if I was OK, asked who I was and I said: 'I'm Kayley'

She asked who John was and I said: 'He is my dad' and she said: 'We have had reports something inappropriate is happening in this car.'

Both (pictured leaving court at an earlier hearing) deny wrongdoing, with Powell (right) saying she had been doing the school run with Steward (left) after renovating a house together as part of their family run property development business

'I just laughed but I was placed in a small family room at the school with my son's pastoral support worker.

'She said I could go but said I wasn't allowed to take my son with me so I decided to stay at the school.

'I only found out what the report was after the police had been called.

'The headteacher came into the room and asked me what had gone on and then I said: 'I'm an adult I'm 27 I'm not doing anything wrong.'

'I am anaemic and I had been working from 9:30am - I was tired I just wanted to rest my eyes. I was actually ready to get out of the car. Again I'll tell you we weren't up to anything.'

Steward, an ex- police officer of 27 years, former mechanic in the merchant Navy and school governor, told the jury: 'I was unfolded the back seats to the normal position and I was leaning between the front two seats which would be the driver and the passenger side.

'I lifted my body over the gear stick and then reached down to release one of the mechanisms from the rear seat.

'I used my left hand to move the seat behind Kayley and I leaned over and released the catch in the bottom.

The alleged incident happened outside Springhead Infant and Nursery School in Oldham, Greater Manchester

'I didn't use a great deal of force but it needs a positive push down, that is this side immediately behind the passenger side, something else would need to be down if you wanted to bring the back of the seat up.

'I'm 16 stone so me moving around the car would cause movement, there would be a perception of moving the vehicle. Kayley's son needed to sit in the back seat.

'I saw two ladies coming the opposite way up the road I didn't know who it was at the time, she knocked on the window, she introduced herself as the head teacher.

'They looked as if they were walking with a purpose they were fixated on the car, they were two or three car lengths away they were walking against the flow of people. I was sat in the drivers seat looking at them.

'Her words were: 'We have had reports that something inappropriate is happening in this car' and said: 'Kayley come down with me to the office.'

'I didn't know the content of the allegation until I attended the school some hours later.

'If you want to put it in black and white that somebody is telling the truth and somebody is lying then I'm telling the truth. I'm a family friend - I'm a part of the family.'
A woman who 'maliciously posted pictures' of a man's genitalia and then sought payment from him to stop distributing the images online was arrested over the weekend.

Breyanna Dean, 24, from New Port Richey, Florida, shared the photographs across the victim's social media accounts after accessing them through his old mobile phone, according to a court complaint.

The unidentified man was locked out of the accounts by Dean who allegedly changed the passwords after sending the images through direct messages.

Breyanna Dean, 24, from New Port Richey, Florida, shared the photographs across the victim's social media accounts after accessing them through his old mobile phone, according to a court complaint

The unidentified man was locked out of the accounts by Dean who allegedly changed the passwords after sending the images through direct messages.

She is then accused of writing to the victim and demanding he pay her to remove the embarrassing photographs.

The mother-of-three, who has been charged with extortion, 'directly exposed the victim to disgrace', according to a Pasco County affidavit.

Dean (pictured) has been charged with extortion by police

Dean, a Massachusetts native, was arrested Saturday morning and released later that day after posting $10,000 bond on the felony count.

According to court records, Dean has previously been convicted on charges including disorderly conduct, careless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident.

She was also reportedly accused of cyber-stalking twice last year.

In one case, a female secured a six-month restraining order against Dean, while a second woman was granted a temporary injunction before her action against the mother was dismissed by a judge.
An 18-year-old man has been arrested after the attempted abduction of a schoolgirl last week.

The 12-year-old girl was attacked on her way to school in the Hunslet area of Leeds on the morning of April 23.

Her attacker tried to pull her into an area of woodland, but she fought him off and ran away to raise the alarm.

Police then released a video of man running over a nearby park, which was filmed by a woman who witnessed the incident.

Yesterday police images of this man after the attempted abduction of a 12-year-old girl. Detectives today confirmed they have arrested an 18-year-old suspect

West Yorkshire Police announced this morning that they have arrested an 18-year-old man, who is currently being questioned.

A police spokesman said today: 'Detectives investigating the abduction of a 12-year-old girl in Leeds have arrested a man.

'The 18-year-old, from Leeds, was arrested yesterday in connection with the incident in Old Run Road, Hunslet, on Tuesday, April 23.

'He remains in custody and enquiries are ongoing. His arrest follows a public appeal for information.'

Speaking yesterday, Detective Inspector James Entwistle said: 'The circumstances of this incident are clearly very disturbing.

'The victim and her family have been left shocked and upset by what happened and we are continuing to support them as we progress the investigation.

'We recognise the understandable concern that an incident such as this will be causing in the community and we are continuing to work closely with our colleagues in the local neighbourhood policing team to reassure people.'

CCTV released yesterday shows a man police wanted to speak to, walking in the area
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 1:49AM

We never want to hear about businesses closing but heres one that is closing its doors. Robotics startup Anki announced it will be shutting down its business and will be terminating nearly 200 employees effective Wednesday, May 1st. According to CEO Boris Sofman, A significant financial deal at a late stage fell through with a strategic investor and we were not able to reach an agreement. The company is known for developing toy robots that helped teach children how to code, among other things. But perhaps its toy-like appearance made them seem less sophisticated than they were. According to Engadget, Microsoft, Amazon, and Comcast have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the company. Anki also told Engadget they pursued every financial avenue to fund future product development and they continues to explore all available options. For now, employees will get one-week severance pay.
Chis Packham, 57, is pictured at ITV's Good Morning Britain studios in London today

TV wildlife expert Chris Packham has been sent a menacing death threat that says 'we want you dead' after backing a legal challenge which resulted in restrictions on shooting 'pest' birds.

The BBC Springwatch host, who lives with his partner Charlotte Corney in Hampshire's New Forest, said he had been chillingly warned that a car crash or poisoning could be 'organised'.

Packham backed action which saw Natural England revoke three general licences which allowed the shooting of 16 species of bird, including crows, magpies and feral and wood pigeons.

But a hate campaign, which began when the bodies of two dead crows were found hanging from the gate of his home last Thursday, has now escalated to 'very serious' death threats in recent days.

Packham, 57 - who has also been a prominent voice during the Extinction Rebellion protests in London over the past fortnight - told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme today that he received a letter yesterday 'designed to elicit as much fear as possible'.

He said: 'They have listed a whole catalogue of things they might do ... 'we could organise a car crash, we could organise poisoning you.'

Packham told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme today that he received a letter yesterday 'designed to elicit as much fear as possible'

Packham was first targeted over the bird shooting ban by vandals who strung up two dead birds on the gate of his country home in Hampshire's New Forest last Thursday

What did the death threat say? 'We know where you live Packham and we will get you some way or another. You are a t*** and a nasty piece of work so be very careful. 'We want you dead and we will succeed R.T.A? (road traffic accident) Poison. There are numerous ways we will succeed. 'We can wait out time six month 12 months no problem for us as long as you f***ing die thats all that matters.' Advertisement

He told the Mirror his daughter Megan, 23, was shaken by the letter but he would continue fighting to protect the environment.

He said: 'For me this is part and parcel of the process. Im campaigning for change. It will never sway me from my cause. They can threaten to organise a car crash or poison me  its not going to stop me. People might think this is bravado from me, but I cannot allow these sorts of things to sway me.

'There are too few people fighting to protect our environment and our landscape. And I have to carry on.'

Packham has also been sent a package of human excrement in the post, which was later taken away by police for analysis with DNA samples now taken.

He also condemned Facebook for resisting calls to remove his address from a pro-shooting group that had urged supporters to target Packham.

Packham said: 'It's so difficult dealing with Facebook. They are extremely resistant to these sorts of things. So unfortunately that address is out there.

'It is also out there with invitations to send me dead animals and all sorts of other things, so there is definitely incitement to violence. But Facebook, well, over to you.'

Earlier, he told Piers Morgan on ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'The police have spent quite a considerable amount of time at my house over the last few days.

Packham told ITV's Good Morning Britain that the police had been at his house in recent days

A Change.org petition urging the BBC to sack Mr Packham for the use of his 'celeb status as a platform to push his anti-hunting agenda' has also reached 126,00 signatures in six days.

'We've had packages sent containing human excrement. I can't speak too much about what happened last night because I haven't been in touch with the police yet.'

16 'pest' birds farmers can no longer kill after licences were revoked Feral pigeon

Crow

Collared dove

Lesser black-backed gull

Jackdaw

Jay

Magpie

Rook

Woodpigeon

Canada goose

Monk parakeet

Ring-necked parakeet

Indian House Crow

Herring gull

Egyptian geese

Sacred Ibises Advertisement

Asked if there was another threat, he said it was 'much more serious', adding that he had received 'death threats of a very serious nature' against him and his family.

Packham said it is not just his family being targeted, but also businesses he works with. 'I'm very resistant to this sort of thing,' he said.

But he added: 'What worries me is that the charities that I'm affiliated with, the small businesses that I work for, these people aren't set up to take this sort of abuse and yet they've had to close their websites, their TripAdvisor accounts have had to be shut down, because they've been bombarded by these bullies who want to take aim at me.

'My message is clear. Please, take aim at me, but leave all of the charities, all of the other businesses that I work with, leave them out of it. They're not necessarily sharing my views. They're not a fair target.'

Packham said he can understand the argument from farmers because they have been 'misinformed'.

Packham speaks on top of a bus stop during the Extinction Rebellion protest on Waterloo Bridge in London on Easter Sunday. He has been a prominent voice during the demonstrations

Action saw Natural England revoke three general licences which allowed the shooting of 16 species of bird, including crows, magpies and feral and wood pigeons (file picture)

Bodies including the British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC), Countryside Alliance, and the National Gamekeepers Organisation have written an open letter to Environment Secretary Michael Gove calling on him to launch an investigation into Natural England's decision.

Q&A on bird shooting Q: Why is there so much fuss about shooting wild bird 'pests'? A: Shooting wild birds is normally illegal in the UK. But every January, Natural England grants 'general licences' allowing people to legally shoot any of 16 wild bird species in certain situations. These are: to prevent serious damage to crops or disease; to preserve public health or safety; and to conserve other wild birds, plants or animals. They are called 'general' because there is no need to apply. Q: What birds did the old licences they cover? A: Members of the crow family - crows, magpies, rooks, jackdaws and jays, feral and wood pigeon and invasive non-native species (like the Canada goose). For example, farmers say they need to shoot pigeons to prevent them eating their crops, and crows from pecking out the eyes of newborn lambs. Q: Why do you need a licence to shoot these birds? A: All wild bird species in the UK are legally protected, even common species and those that some people consider to be 'pests'. Therefore, lethal control can only be carried out lawfully under a licence from Natural England. Q: What has changed? A: The conservation group Wild Justice launched a legal challenge. They told Natural England that under the terms of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, anyone shooting a wild bird must be able to show there was no alternative to lethal control. Natural England decided Wild Justice's interpretation of the law was correct. Q: Why has this caused problems? A: Natural England announced changes to the rules with just 36 hours' notice, causing chaos and consternation among farmers and gamekeepers. Wild Justice - which includes BBC presenter Chris Packham - had only asked that the rules change in January. The rules have been in place for decades. Q What does this mean for anyone seeking to control wild birds now? A Their actions could now be illegal - and they could face prosecution. As of yesterday there was only one species covered by the 'general' licence- carrion crows. Natural England said licences for other birds will be issued in the coming days and weeks. However if they apply for an 'individual' licence, and can show that the shooting was necessary and they could not use non-lethal methods, Natural England advise it may not be an offence. Q: How many people currently use a general licence and for what reasons? A: Natural England estimates there may be at least 50,000 people who rely on these licences. This includes farmers, game keepers, pest controllers, local authorities and conservation organisations. Advertisement

They complained that the revocation of the licences which previously allowed them to freely shoot birds such as carrion crows, wood pigeons, magpies and Canada geese had left them in chaos.

Natural England, the body advising the Government on managing the natural environment, took the decision after it was threatened with legal action by environmentalists.

Wild Justice - whose directors include Packham - sought a judicial review of the licences, which Natural England ultimately decided not to fight, believing it would lose.

As a result, three general licences for controlling wild birds were revoked on April 23, to be replaced by individual licences.

By Friday, only a new licence allowing the killing of carrion crows had been issued.

The issue was catapulted to national attention after the bodies of two dead crows were hung from Packham's gate two days after Natural England's decision.

BASC condemned the attack on the presenter's home but said the new licensing rules are causing havoc at one of the busiest times of the farming calendar.

Packham is also auctioning off an abusive block of wood that was posted to him as part of the campaign - and has already received bids in excess of 2,000.

Dozens of people have been bidding for the 3in by 8in block of wood featuring a crude drawing which was posted to Packham over the weekend.

On Sunday, Packham tweeted a video of himself with the wood, suggesting it might be a 'badly drawn elephant' or 'two-headed tadpole'.

A Change.org petition urging the BBC to sack Mr Packham for the use of his 'celeb status as a platform to push his anti-hunting agenda' has also reached 126,00 signatures in six days.

Speaking at Packham's thatched cottage yesterday, his partner Charlotte Corney, 43, called 'vandals' who hung two dead crows on the couple's gate 'unhinged'.

When asked if she was scared by the behaviour, Miss Corney, who owns the Isle of Wight Zoo, said: 'There's no way of knowing how unhinged these people are.

'They are fanatical people, they have fanatical ways of expressing their views. I didn't see the crows on the gate, it was Chris and his stepdaughter Megan who found them. We're not scared of these people - we have a good security system - but it is unpleasant.

'I've tried to be at the house more. No one has actually been up the drive to the house itself, as far as we know.'

A Defra spokesman said: 'As the Government's independent adviser, Natural England has made clear it took the difficult but unavoidable decision to change the bird control licensing system as a result of the legal challenge by Wild Justice. They're working as quickly as possible to issue new licences.

'There's no ban and people who need to control birds before all the new licences are available can obtain an individual licence.'
While spending six years being repeatedly slammed face first into the ground might not sound like everyone's cup of tea, it proved to fulfil the dreams of one inspiring athlete.

Jaan Roose, a professional slackliner from Estonia, documented his six-year-long journey to completing the world's first feet-to-feet double backflip while on the ropes.

But he went through some ups and downs along the way.

Jaan Roose, a professional slackliner from Estonia, documented his six-year-long journey to completing the world's first feet-to-feet double backflip while on the ropes

The video shows over 50 of Mr Roose's spectacular fails where he would bounce off the slackline and crash into the ground.

For most of his attempts Mr Roose doesn't have any protection or padding on the ground around him and loud thuds can be heard as he is repeatedly thrown to the floor.

After continually missing the landing again and again, Mr Roose is practising in a gym with a friend when he attempts the double backflip again.

Throughout the video most of Mr Roose's attempts were done without protection or padding and he would continually crash into the ground

This time Mr Roose lands with his feet on the slackline and even though he wobbles a bit, he manages to keep his balance and stick the landing.

He and his friend erupt into celebration and Mr Roose can be heard asking his friend in Estonian: 'Did it happen? I got it?'.

Mr Roose then immediately does another single backflip on the slackline before the video fades.

At the end of the video Mr Roose writes: 'You only fail when you stop trying'.

Victory: Mr Roose does the double backflip and lands on the rope for the first time. He wobbles left and right before catching his balance. A very happy Mr Roose then looks to the camera with a huge grin

Slacklining is similar to tightrope walking except the rope has less tension so is in effect a very thin trampoline.

Mr Roose said: 'I've been slacklining for nine years already and it took me six years to do the most wanted trick.

'No one else was able to successfully land this since tricklining existed.'

The inspiring athlete has previously worked as a performer during Madonna's 'MDNA' tour and as a stunt double in the film Assassin's Creed.
Kaitlin Adderley, pictured, was arrested for disorderly conduct after getting naked at a strip mall and shouting at her boyfriend

A naked woman was arrested at a strip mall in Utah after accusing her boyfriend of cheating.

Kaitlin Adderley, 23, reportedly took off her clothes and began dancing and shouting at her boyfriend outside The Commons at South Towne in Sandy at around 1pm on Saturday.

When police arrived she was fully dressed, but she then stripped in the 'busy public area' in front of her boyfriend's two-year-old child, according to the Salt Lake County probable cause affidavit.

The report states: 'According to the boyfriend Kaitlin took her clothing off as she accused the boyfriend of cheating and grabbed at him.

'Kaitlin made a statement saying she took her clothes off because her boyfriend doesn't want her any more.'

Adderley has been charged with disorderly conduct and lewdness involving a child after the incident.
A One Nation candidate has come under fire after inappropriate posts and photos were found on his personal Facebook page.

Candidate for Leichhardt Ross Macdonald's questionable history on social media was exposed, which include photos of him groping Thai women's breasts and posing with topless waitresses.

While some of the questionable posts and photos date back to 2010, it's now unclear whether Mr Macdonald will remain in the election race in the far north Queensland seat after the Cairns Post brought his social media history to public attention.

Ross Macdonald (pictured) is the latest One Nation candidate to come under fire

'Mmm YUMMY,' Mr Macdonald captioned a photo of a woman's breasts in one post.

In another photo dated 2016, Macdonald held raffle tickets in front of a young topless woman's breasts and while another shows him groping a lady's bosom in a Thai bar.

Some photos were digitally altered, including one of a large-breasted woman with her generous cleavage on display.

'WOW!! ... What a heart,' Mr Macdonald captioned the photo.

In another photo of a woman in a revealing bikini showing her cleavage, Mr Macdonald commented: 'Very nice. Now come here and give me a smile.'

One Nation candidate Ross Macdonald is under fire for a series of posts and photos on his Facebook page, including this one of a topless woman from 2015

'WOW,' Ross Macdonald captioned this Facebook photo of a young woman from 2015

Some of the posts were removed from his page on Tuesday.

But others remain on his page, including a photoshopped image of a naked woman with four legs meeting at a torso in a suggestive sexual pose.

Mr Macdonald is running in one of Australia's largest electorates, covering an area stretching from Cairns to Cape York and Torres Strait.

The Leichhardt seat has been held by Liberal Nation MP Warren Entsch since 2010.

It's understood Mr Macdonald is unknown to many voters, despite the federal election being less than three weeks away.

He was a no show at the recent ballot draw and a local candidates' debate held on Tuesday, while his election corflutes are nowhere to be seen in the electorate, the Cairns Post reported.

Ross Macdonald (right), pictured with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (left), is running in the seat of Leichhardt in far north Queensland

Many photos of Mr Macdonald's Facebook page are of women revealing their cleavage

His profile photo and bio are also unavailable on the One Nation website.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted One Nation and Mr Macdonald for comment.

The latest saga for One Nation comes a day Queensland party leader and senate candidate Steve Dickson resigned after footage emerged of him groping dancers and making disparaging comments about a woman in a Washington DC strip club.

One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson made no mention of the latest party drama involving Mr Macdonald in an emotional interview with A Current Affair on Tuesday night in relation to the recent scandals that have rocked the party.

While many of inappropriate photos were taken down on Tuesday, some remain, including this digitally altered image posted in 2010
A man accused of abducting three women and raping them is believed to have been released from prison early on licence because he was thought to 'no longer be dangerous'.

Joseph McCann, 34, who police describe as 'extremely dangerous', is thought to have been released in 2017 after being jailed for aggravated burglary.

In 2008 McCann, then aged 23, was sentenced to an indeterminate prison sentence for threatening to stab an 85-year-old man in his home.

He told the elderly man 'give me money or I will knife you' before taking his wallet and banking papers.

McCann was given an indeterminate sentence, meaning he could only have been released if he convinced a parole board he was no longer dangerous. His release two years ago suggests he was able to do that.

The suspected rapist is now being hunted for abducting three women off the street before attacking them over a period of four days.

Officers have issued an appeal to trace 33-year-old Joseph McCann (pictured) wanted in connection with the abduction and rape of two women

Initially suspected of two abductions and attacks, he is also wanted in connection with the rape of a 21-year-old woman at knifepoint in Watford in the early hours of April 21.

The victim was forced into a blue Mondeo and driven to numerous locations around the town for six hours, before she was raped.

A reward of up to 20,000 is being offered for information which leads to the arrest and prosecution of McCann.

The Metropolitan Police earlier issued an appeal to trace McCann for two suspected abductions and rapes, after victims were snatched off the street in Chingford and Edgware, both in north London, before being raped.

McCann, who is known to use false names - most recently Joel - has links to Watford, Hertfordshire, Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire and Ipswich in Suffolk, police said.

As news of the third rape emerged, Hertfordshire Police said: 'We are investigating the rape of a 21-year-old woman in Watford in the early hours of Sunday 21 April. It is believed that a woman was approached by a man holding a knife in Hagden Lane, Watford, close to the junction with Rickmansworth Road at around 3.30am.

'She was forced into a blue Ford Mondeo and driven to numerous locations around the town over the next six hours. These included the Rushton estate in Watford, near to Watford Library on Hempstead Road, North Western Avenue, and the BP garage on Wiggenhall Road. During this time she was raped at an address in the town.

A map showing where the women were abducted and the location of the guesthouse in Watford

'A suspect was identified and a significant amount of work was done to try and locate and arrest him, which proved unsuccessful. The named suspect was circulated on our social media channels as wanted on recall to prison on Thursday (25 April) as a result of our investigation.

'The matter is being linked to the offences currently being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service.'

It has emerged that one of the women abducted in north London, who were both in their 20s, managed to escape following her abduction on April 25 after smashing a vodka bottle over the kidnapper's head.

McCann is of muscular build and 5ft 10ins tall. He has blue eyes, a bald head or shaved blond hair with a light-coloured short beard.

Police say he has a slight Irish accent. He is a distinctive tattoo of the name 'bobbie' on his stomach.

Officers believe McCann may attempt to disguise his appearance.

Police said the two women had been in the car while the suspected attacker went into the bed and breakfast in Watford (pictured)

Police have already released a CCTV image of the suspect, which was captured by cameras at a hotel in Osbourne Road, Watford at 1pm on Thursday.

The first woman had been abducted from a street in Chingford at 12.30am on Thursday, 25 April.

The second woman taken from a street in Edgware 12 hours later, at 12:15pm.

The women were driven to the hotel in Watford and an attempt was made to book a room around 1pm.

At around 2.30pm, a struggle between the women and the suspect took place on Osborne Road in Watford.

The attacker asked to book Room 15 at the Phoenix Lodge guest house in Watford, Hertfordshire, telling the manager he wanted a double room for two nights on Thursday before signing the register book

Yesterday it emerged that the attacker asked to book Room 15 at the Phoenix Lodge guest house.

He told the manager he wanted a double room for two nights on Thursday before signing the register book.

Saad Sayah, 42, who works at the bed and breakfast, described the suspect as a 'normal guy' who spoke with a London accent.

He told The Sun: 'He came in to rent a room and was asking how much it would be to book one for two nights.

'He said ''I've got two girls with me'' and said he would be bringing them with him.'

Police said the two women had been in the car while the suspected attacker went into the bed and breakfast.

Roughly an hour-and-a-half later, one of the women, who was said by a witness to be pregnant, escaped from the car on Osbourne Road and managed to seek help at a nearby shop after she smashed a bottle of vodka over the kidnapper's head.

She was said to have been bleeding profusely from her hand when she rushed into the Watford shop, revealing she had been kidnapped and managed to escape - and that another woman was still in the car.

As the women escaped, two builders were reported to have heroically chased off the rapist after they heard the women screaming.

The car he was driving is said to have been a silver or grey Ford S-Max people carrier with false registration plates (pictured)

Romanian workers Ion, 21, and Marcel, 40, said they had been working when they heard the cries for help.

Ion said one of the women was on her feet, being pulled by the hair, before he intervened.

The women managed to escape.

Officers are still to trace a silver or grey-coloured Ford S-Max people carrier in connection with the offences.

This had false registration plates.

Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin, from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: 'We would ask anyone with any information about McCann's whereabouts to contact us immediately.

McCann is considered extremely dangerous and a risk to the public and we ask people not to approach him, but instead call 999.

'If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers. It is vitally important we trace him in connection with these offences.

'My team continues to work around the clock and we are making progress in furthering the investigation.'

The women, both in their 20s, have been left 'traumatised' and are receiving support from specialist officers.

The investigation, into what officers are treating as two random but linked attacks, is being led by officers from the Homicide and Major Crime Command.

It is being supported by other specialist and local officers as well as Hertfordshire Constabulary.

A 33-year-old man arrested on Sunday, 28 April on suspicion of conspiracy to rape has been released under investigation.

Anyone who can help is asked to call the incident room on 020 8785 8244 or 999 quoting CAD 3041/25Apr.
A mother has taken to social media to praise a young McDonald's worker after he spoke to her family in Maori.

Opotiki mother of one Nakita Ferguson took her son Cassius Church, five, her niece and her aunt to the Rotorua McDonald's last Sunday, the New Zealand Herald reported.

Miss Ferguson said the young employee noticed her talking to her aunt in te reo before taking their order in the same language.

A New Zealand mother has taken to social media to praise a young McDonald's worker after he took her family's order in their native language, te reo Maori

'This guy needs recognition!' she wrote to Facebook.

'Speaking Te Reo to our Maori tamariki, honestly! Hes amazing! Never thought I would hear this at McDonald's or any where, still blown away.'

She said the young employee told her whenever he hears te reo being spoken by a customer he always rushes to serve them.

'I honestly was shocked, only because that never ever happened before, not at one shop that I've been to,' Miss Ferguson told the New Zealand Herald.

'No one speaks te reo. Especially to the children and I felt that as if he was nurturing our little seeds to grow.'

Miss Ferguson said when her son went back to get his dessert she decided to film the interaction, saying it deserved to be shared and praised.

'He was really shy to talk Maori to anyone. After (the employee) had done that my son's amazed and now he's speaking te reo wherever.'

Miss Ferguson said the moment really resonated with her because the language had almost died out in the past.

'Our language has almost disappeared before. Listening to my nan saying that they got in trouble at school if they spoke their first language (Maori),' she wrote.

'They even had to change their Maori names to pakeha names because the teachers couldn't pronounce it!

'Now it's awesome that it's coming back stronger & better than ever! & being more recognised.'
Tory Spartans today urged MPs to set aside their differences over Brexit to support council candidates after several were attacked ahead of Thursday's elections.

ERG chairman Jacob Rees-Party has cancelled tonight's meeting of Eurosceptic backbenchers because it clashes with Tory HQ's phone canvassing efforts.

Mr Rees-Mogg is the latest senior Brexiteer to urge voters not to punish Tory candidates over the Brexit deadlock at Westminster.

He said: 'I am urging all the ERG's supporters to canvass. It would be grossly unfair for local Conservative councillors, who are doing a good job the length and breadth of the country, to suffer because of the national partys reputation'.

Tory bosses have urged MEP candidates to avoid talking about Brexit ahead of the May elections after several local members were attacked, it was claimed today.

Theresa May's party could lose 1,000 councillors on Thursday and more than half of her 19 MEPs on May 23.

Mrs May insists she can get a Brexit deal through Parliament to avoid European elections - but Tory HQ has reportedly pencilled in the launch of its campaign on May 7.

The Conservatives are heading for their worst local election defeat in more than 20 years as voters and activists prepare to punish Theresa May (pictured yesterday) over Brexit

And party mandarins have reportedly urged candidates to lie low because of the fury about Brexit - as two council candidates were beaten on the doorstep.

In South Gloucestershire Brian Hopkinson, 70, was 'pushed violently' and choked by a voter waving a Tory leaflet while the victim was forced to apologise for 'any offence the leaflet could have caused'.

He said: 'I offered to take it back if he didn't want it. Next thing I knew he rushed towards me, pushing me against the wall and wrapping his hand around my throat, digging his fingers right in.

'I managed to break free and back off away from the property, at which point he shouted at me, threatening to kill me.'

Last week Carla Hales was punched and called a 'Tory b****' while out campaigning in Colchester, Essex and her local party leader Darius Laws said the attack was a 'politically motivated assault'.

Mrs May enjoyed a 'ladies night' with Tory women at an exclusive London hotel last night. The Prime Minister posed with cabinet ministers including Liz Truss, Amber Rudd, Andrea Leadsom and Caroline Nokes as it emerged she could lose 1,000 councillors on Thursday and more than half of her 19 MEPs on May 23.

No 10 has refused to comment on the picture from the Goring Hotel posted by Ms Truss on Instagram last night with caption: 'And it's ladies night...#cabinetandfriends #girlpower'. MailOnline understands it was a Tory party event celebrating its women.

Brian Hopkinson, 70, was 'pushed violently' and choked by a voter waving a Tory leaflet

Carla Hales (right with Colchester Tory Darius Laws) said she thought she had been stabbed when she was punched while campaigning last week

The Times claims the Tories say that Euro election candidates are lying low in order to make life easier for local election candidates.

Just one in three voters believe the Tories are pro-Brexit, poll finds Only a third of voters believe the Conservatives are a party that wants to leave the EU, a new poll revealed today. Theresa May's Tories are trailing behind Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and Labour ahead of the European elections on May 23. But voters are also confused about Jeremy Corbyn's party's stance on Brexit. One in four people say they 'don't know' if Labour wants to leave the EU or not. Advertisement

A senior source told The Times: 'It was striking that during recess when Brexit was off the boil and attention was away from Westminster that the canvass returns got a lot better. I think there's a general desire to keep Brexit out of the news as much as possible to allow the focus to be on other issues until then'.

Tory HQ has denied the claims in The Times and a spokesman said: 'We're focused on locals but we're making responsible preparations for the European elections should it not be possible for the government to ratify a deal that allows us to leave the European Union before May 23, 2019'.

Boris Johnson has begged voters to ignore the Brexit chaos at Westminster and back the Conservatives as the party faces a backlash from the electorate this week.

The favourite to replace Theresa May has asked people going to the polls on Thursday to back 'hard-working Tory councillors' despite their anger over 'our current dismal failure to leave the EU'.

While Jacob Rees-Mogg begged: 'Please don't let Brexit put you off voting Conservative in the Local Elections on Thursday'.

Analysis by Tory election expert Rob Hayward yesterday predicted the Conservatives are on course to lose more than 800 council seats - but some senior Tories fear the party could lose more than 1,000 of the 4,628 seats it is defending if voters decide to stay at home in protest at the failure to leave the EU.

Former minister Priti Patel warned last night the 'the mood is dark' on the doorstep - and last week a Conservative candidate in Colchester was beaten so badly she thought she had been stabbed.

Mr Johnson said: 'I think [the voters] know how much good they do and how much we all rely on them.

Liz Truss posted this 'ladies night' photo of Tory women including the PM at the exclusive Goring Hotel last night as the party tries to win seats in the midst of Brexit chaos

Boris Johnson, pictured campaigning in Walsall this weekend, has urged voters not to punish the Tories in local elections over Brexit

'So much depends on their efficiency and responsiveness and capacity of those councillors. They can make all the difference for many families between misery and contentment.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: Voting for Farage will soon give Corbyn the keys to No 10 Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned Tories moving to the Brexit Party will eventually let Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street. The Brexiteer said any Tory MPs or councillors who votes for Nigel Farage's party must be axed. He said: 'I greatly respect Nigel Farage and I fully understand what my sister Annunziata is doing in supporting them but I don't think it's the right way to do it. 'If we get to a General Election with the votes split between the Conservative party and the Brexit Party, all that does is let Jeremy Corbyn in who doesn't deliver Brexit at all because the Labour party is quite hostile to it. 'So what we need to do is ultimately reunite the Conservative party - but that's a little way off at the moment.' Advertisement

'That is why it matters so much who we elect on Thursday  and that is why I hope people will vote for the councils that deliver the best services for the best value; and that means the Conservatives.'

He added in his Daily Telegraph column: 'We have many superb and public-spirited people working in local government, and we should trust them now with more responsibility  and accountability  for the vast budgets that they spend.'

The Conservatives are heading for their worst local election defeat in more than 20 years as voters and activists prepare to punish Theresa May over Brexit.

The party's deputy chairman Helen Whately acknowledged there was 'a lot of anger' over the party's failure to deliver Brexit.

Mrs Whately told Sky News: 'The local elections are going to be difficult. People see it as the opportunity to send a protest and that could well hit the figures for us.

'I feel sorry for councillors who are standing and it is really important to remind people that this is about your local services and who you want in local government.'

A heavy defeat is likely to set off a fresh wave of demands for Mrs May to name a date for her departure.

The PM has yet to respond to a formal request from the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs to set out a departure 'timetable' to allow for the election of a new leader.

Downing Street is planning a fightback, with Tory whips telling MPs they hope to bring back key Brexit legislation in the hope of showing Mrs May can still deliver on her promise to lead the UK out of the EU.

Lord Hayward, a former Conservative MP, said the Tories face their worst drubbing since 1995 when Tony Blair crushed John Major's divided government and the Conservatives lost more than 2,000 seats.

He said: 'This was always going to be difficult because the seats the Conservatives are defending were won on a very good night for them in 2015. But the results are unquestionably going to be worse because of the current situation.

'There was a noticeable dip when the Prime Minister agreed to delay Brexit. That has calmed down a bit because there has been less debate about Brexit in the last fortnight. But at best, the Tories are at the crest of a trough.'

If the results are as bad as forecast it will be the worst result for any governing party since 2003 when Mr Blair lost more than 1,100 seats following the Iraq War.

Some 8,374 council seats are up for grabs in England and 460 in Northern Ireland on Thursday.

Analysis by Tory election expert Rob Hayward (right) yesterday predicted the Conservatives are on course to lose more than 800 council seats as deputy chairman Helen Whately (left) acknowledged there was 'a lot of anger' over the party's failure to deliver Brexit

The seats were last contested in 2015, on the same day that David Cameron delivered a surprise Tory win in the General Election.

Mrs May could find relief in the fact that Tory voters have few places to go. Ukip, which secured 13 per cent of the vote in 2015, is contesting fewer than one in six seats while neither the Brexit Party nor Change UK field candidates as they focus on next month's European elections.

The analysis by Lord Hayward suggests that the Liberal Democrats will be the main beneficiaries, with Sir Vince Cable's party on course to pick up more than 500 seats.

'It is counter-intuitive, but you could see some Tory Brexit supporters voting Lib Dem to register a protest vote against the establishment,' he said.

Labour is set to gain around 300 seats. Ed Costelloe, chairman of the group Conservative Grassroots, said many Tory councillors were feeling 'very nervous' about the way Brexit was dominating conversations on the doorstep.

'People just want to talk about Brexit and the position of the Prime Minister and don't focus on local issue,' he said.

Party Treasurer Sir Mick Davis is said to be in 'complete despair' over the Brexit crisis, with donations drying up.

Sir Mick was yesterday reported to have told one donor he had been 'deserted by both Remain and Leave donors and therefore I am unable to run CCHQ and ensure we are capable of fighting and winning elections.'
Jill Biden warned her husband Joe Biden on Tuesday that, going forward, he would have to be 'a better judge' when people approached him after a series of women accused the former vice president of making them feel uncomfortable with his inappropriate touching.

'Going forward, I think he's going to have to judge, be a better judge of when people approach him, how he's going to react, that he maybe shouldn't approach them,' she said on ABC's 'Good Morning America.'

Her warning comes as Joe Biden deals with countering his political glad-handling personality with the realities of the #Metoo movement.

Jill Biden revealed she has felt uncomfortable in some situations with men

The Bidens appeared on ABC's 'Good Morning America' as Joe Biden formally launches his presidential campaign

Jill Biden defended her husband's hugging and kissing women on the head, saying people come to him for comfort.

'I think what you don't realize is how many people approach Joe. Men and women looking for comfort or empathy,' she explained.

She also revealed she, too, has had a #MeToo moment and has felt uncomfortable in some situations with men.

'Yes, it's happened to me. And I have come home and I've told Joe about it,' she said.

'She'd never tell me the names, though,' Joe Biden interjected.

She said she handled the situations by stepping aside.

'I just sort of stepped aside. I didn't address it. Like you said, I mean, things have changed. There was a time when women were afraid to speak out and I can remember specifically it was in a job interview and - and, you know, and so that's where we've moved from now if that same thing happened today I'd turn around and say what do you think you're doing so I think it's totally different,' she said.

The Bidens appeared in a joint interview with ABC's Robin Roberts on Tuesday as Joe Biden kicked off his 2020 presidential campaign with his first rally in Pittsburgh on Monday.

Jill Biden joined her husband on stage Monday at his first campaign rally in Pittsburgh

She helped introduce him to a crowd of union supporters

Jill Biden spoke at that event and sat beside her husband throughout the interview, often stepping in to clarify his remarks or tout his presidential-level of experience as a reason voters should support him.

'If I could jump in here, the one thing I think that does differentiate you is his experience. I mean, he doesn't need any on the job training. He jumps right in. He's been vice president. So from day one, Joe can take everything,' she said when Biden was explaining why Democratic primary voters should select him as their nominee.

And asked if he was confident he could beat President Donald Trump in 2020, Biden said that was up to voters.

'Whether or not I win the nomination is going to depend on the Democrats and whether I beat Donald Trump is going to depend on the American people,' he said.

'I'm confident,' Jill Biden added.

Joe Biden also said on Tuesday that he believed Anita Hill 'from the very beginning' about her allegations against Clarence Thomas.

'I believed her from the very beginning,' Biden told ABC's 'Good Morning America.'

'She did not get treated well. That's my responsibility and I committed that I am determined to continue the fight to see to it that we basically change the culture in this country where a woman is put in a position where she is disbelieved.'

Former Vice President Joe Biden that he believed Anita Hill 'from the very beginning' about her allegations against Clarence Thomas

Biden called Anita Hill (above) before he announced his presidential bid to apologize

Biden was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991 when Hill testified that Supreme Court nominee Clarance Thomas sexually harassed her when the two worked together at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Thomas was eventually confirmed to the Supreme Court.

And Biden was heavily criticized for allowing Republican senators to grill Hill harshly about her allegations.

Biden called Hill before he announced his presidential bid to apologize.

'I was grateful she took the call. I don't want to get into our private conversation but the point is, look, I was chairman of the committee,' he told ABC.

The former vice president said he does understand what women were telling him when they accused him of making them uncomfortable.

'I really do. I've learned - here's the deal. I've always thought that part of leadership, part of politics was listening to people, hearing them, making them feel comfortable, getting them - letting them know I hear them and I empathize with them. It's my responsibility to be more sensitive to whether or not someone wants me to reassure them or wants to say hello or wants to show affection and that's my responsibility,' he said.

Joe Biden was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991 when Anita Hill testified that she felt harassed by Clarence Thomas

Biden is fighting off the charges of insensitivity as he formally launched his presidential campaign with a rally in Pittsburgh on Monday. He will spend Tuesday and Wednesday campaigning in Iowa, the first state to hold a caucus in the battle for the Democratic nomination.

And the former vice president got good news on Tuesday when a new CNN poll showed him with a commanding 24 point lead over Bernie Sanders, his closest rival.

Biden garnered 39 percent of the vote to Sanders' 15 percent. Sen. Elizabeth Warren came in third with 8 percent, followed by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 7 percent.

The numbers confirm Biden's front runner status in the crowded field of 20 contenders to take on President Donald Trump in 2020.

Biden has hit Trump hard from the starting gate and Trump has slammed him right back, an indication the president is nervous that the former vice president could appeal to the same blue-collar voters that put him in the White House.

Biden on Tuesday revealed his campaign slogan.

'Make America moral again. Make America return to the essence of who we are, the dignity of the country, the dignity and treating our people with dignity and this god awful deliberate division that's being taken in order to separate people to aggrandize his own power,' he told ABC's 'Good Morning America.'

And he outlined the three factors he said will distinguish him from the crowded Democratic field.

'One, I talked a little about to restore the soul of America, the decency we represent, the honor, the integrity of this country and, secondly, I'm going to talk here today about restoring the backbone of America which is the working class, the middle class and this time we're going to bring everybody along. Thirdly, the reason I'm running we have to unite the country and that's what we're going to be talking a lot about. We can't stay fractured,' Biden said.

Pitch: Joe Biden said working-class voters were not getting their 'fair share' during a Good Morning America interview (pictured) in which he also addressed the Anita Hill row

Biden also outlined his argument to voters.

He was asked what he would tell a Trump supporter enjoying a strong economy, including record low unemployment.

Biden responded: 'What I'd say is, did you get any benefit from the tax cut?

'Have your wages really gone up like you think you deserve? Do your employers treat you with any more respect and dignity than they did before?

'What's the story? Ask these folks - they're not getting their fair share.'

Trump has hailed the 2017 tax cuts as one of his major achievements in office but critics say they favored wealthy Americans.

Rally: Joe Biden addresses union workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania yesterday at his first campaign rally since he entered the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination

Fired up: Former Vice President Biden takes the stage in Pittsburgh on Monday, meeting a supporter with a placard: 'Fire fighters for Biden'

Biden made his Rust Belt pitch in a bid to cancel out Donald Trump's gains in the blue-collar Midwest, which propelled him to victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

He held his first campaign rally Monday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, emphasizing his working-class roots and support from labor unions.

'Quite frankly folks, if I'm going to be able to beat Donald Trump in 2020, it's going to happen here. It's going to happen here in western Pennsylvania. With your help,' he said.

Unofficial merchandising: One woman brought a Biden bag with her for the rally

On sale: Biden 2020 t-shirts and f*** Trump badges were being sold outside by a vendor

Positive reception: The crowd chanted 'We love Joe' when Biden spoke at the Pittsburgh rally

Surrounded by union workers in yellow 'fire fighters for Biden' t-shirts, he said: 'I make no apologies. I am a union man.

'Workers feel powerless and too often humiliated. I call it an abuse of power. And I can't stand it. Never have been able to.

And when I think about work, I think about dignity. I think about a lot about my dad, a proud gentleman.

'My dad had an expression. He said, Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity.'

'We have to choose hope over fear, unity over division, and maybe most importantly, truth over lies,' he said in one of the biggest applause lines of his remarks.

'We love Joe, We love Joe,' the union-heavy crowd at the Teamsters Local 249 banquet hall shouted back.

During the rally he called for a $15 minimum wage and demanded a repeal of Trump's tax cut.

Rival: Biden is hoping to lure back working-class voters who abandoned the Democrats and supported Donald Trump (pictured at the White House yesterday) in the 2016 election

Working the crowd: Biden headed in to the body of the hall after he spoke on Monday night

Trump won Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin by less than one per cent each, taking him over the line in the electoral college.

Biden's supporters hope his working-class background and folksy touch could help him win those voters back.

He is pitching himself as a safe bet to take on Trump ahead of the more untested candidates running for the Democratic nomination.

The Obama-Biden ticket won all three states, as well as Ohio and Iowa, on its way to victory in the 2008 and 2012 elections.

In his campaign launch he said the 'soul of the nation' was at stake if Trump were to win re-election.

He highlighted Trump's much-criticized comment that there were 'very fine people' on both sides of the clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville in August 2017.

'If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation  who we are,' Biden said.
The University of Hull student, 21, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, was last seen in the early hours of February 1 this year. Her body was found on March 20

Libby Squire's family are facing more agony as the 21-year-old student's funeral is put on hold because police investigating her death are still unable to release her body.

The University of Hull student, from High Wycombe, went missing in the early hours of February 1 during a night out. Searches near to where she was last seen were unsuccessful but her body was eventually found in the Humber Estuary on March 20.

Humberside Police today confirmed her body was still in their custody, with a spokesman saying: 'We can confirm that Libby's body hasn't been released.'

Ms Squire had been on a night out in Hull but is believed to have been refused entry to a nightclub and put in a taxi by her friends.

Humberside Police had said she may have 'come to harm' and a 24-year-old man suspected of abducting her was later charged with a number of unrelated offences.

Last week police confirmed Ms Squire's death was still being treated as homicide.

A spokesman said: 'Inquiries are ongoing into the death of 21-year-old University of Hull student Libby Squire.

'We continue to investigate Libby's death as a homicide, with further work and analysis being conducted.'

Russell and Lisa Squire, the parents of missing student Libby Squire, made an emotional appeal for information in helping to find her soon after she went missing

On February 6, Pawel Relowicz, 24, was arrested in Hull on suspicion of abducting Ms Squire.

Relowicz was later charged with a number of unrelated offences. He is still believed to be under investigation, although he has never been charged in relation to her disappearance.

Tributes poured in for Ms Squire from staff and students at the University of Hull, with the students' union saying everyone is 'devastated' by the Philosophy student's death.

Union president Osaro Otobo said: 'The student community are absolutely devastated by this news but now we want to pull together and support each other to make sure we're all during this time.'

Ms Otobo was speaking with vice-chancellor Susan Lea in front of floral tributes that were laid in memory of Ms Squire around a tree on the campus.

She said: 'The student body would like to pay their respects to Libby and her family. So, as a students' union, we have a Remembrance Tree on our ground floor where students can write a note for Libby and her family which will be passed on to them.

Ms Squire's body was found in the Humber Estuary on March 20. Pictured is a lifeboat near the scene

Miss Squire in an undated handout photo (left) and in a video still issued by police of her dancing and laughing with university friends

'They just want to show their respects. You can see from the tree, all of the flowers and the tributes. That's what want to do just show how much we care.'

Ms Squire was dropped off near her house at 11.29pm on February 1 and was last seen walking in a nearby road at 12.05am wearing a black skirt, black leather jacket and distinctive trainers.

CCTV captured her walking towards the nightclub earlier in the evening, with cameras also capturing her on a bench near her home.

On March 20, Humberside Police revealed that a body had been recovered from the Humber Estuary, in close proximity to Grimsby Docks.

Naomi Purchon, 22, looks at floral tributes to Libby Squire on March 25 at the bench on Beverley Road, Hull, where she was last see

The RNLI launched from Cleethorpes at about 2.30pm and brought the body to the quayside, where there was a large police presence.

Pawel Relowicz, from Hull, is still believed to be under investigation, although he has never been charged in relation to her disappearance

A spokesman for the RNLI said at the time: 'Lifeboat crews from the RNLI's Humber and Cleethorpes stations launched at 2.30pm this afternoon to a report of a casualty in the water.'

Moments prior to Ms Squire's disappearance she was spotted on a security camera near a bench on Beverley Road, where a motorist stopped to offer her help.

And a woman living in a street close to Ms Squire's home later said she heard a scream which she said 'sounded like someone being attacked'.

The woman said the 'nature' of the noise - heard in the early hours - had shocked her as 'they don't normally get women screaming like that' on her street.

The woman said the area was filled with mainly students who were often loud at night.
Two teenage girls fell to their deaths within 24 hours of each other in Russia as police investigate whether they were taking selfies before they died.

Schoolgirl Aloyna Anopina, 14, was the first to be found on April 26 - lying dead at the base of an abandoned baking factory in Atkarsk, Saratov region.

The following day Polina Kavaleva, 13, slipped and fell 100ft to her death from the roof of an apartment block in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region.

Schoolgirl Aloyna Anopina, 14, was found dead at the base of an abandoned bread factory on April 26 after apparently trying to take a selfie on top of it

Police say Anopina was with friends on top of the building taking a selfie when she slipped and plunged to her death

The top of the building that Anopina fell from on Friday last week

Friends of both girls have suggested they were trying to take selfies in the precarious position before slipping and falling.

In Anopina's case, reports citing law enforcement say she was with friends and had tried taking a selfie on the roof of the bakery.

Friends of Kavaleva, 13, say she 'stumbled and fell' over the edge of the nine-storey apartment block while taking the picture.

Police and paramedics rushed to the scene after being called by witnesses, but the ambulance crew were unable to save her.

Polina Kavaleva, 13, fell 100ft from the top of an apartment block on April 27 as friends said she 'stumbled and fell' while trying to take a picture

Medics were called to the scene where Kavaleva fell but were unable to save her

The Russian Investigative Committee is probing both cases and is examining all possible theories about the girls' deaths.

Earlier this month another teenager, called Milena, was reported to have survived a 100ft fall from a high rise building in oil capital Tyumen while taking a selfie to mark her 15th birthday.

She was in a coma in hospital after her fall.

Witnesses said that two male friends were holding her on the tenth floor of the high rise - but she slipped and fell.

'She was held by the boys who suddenly couldn't hold her, and she fell down first on iron steps and then further on the ground,' said a witness.
A-mother-of-three died of a heroin overdose after she secretly began experimenting with the drug while helping her boyfriend get clean, an inquest was told.

Stephanie Liversidge, 36, of Burnley, had never taken drugs before, but started smoking them 'recreationally' for the first time after her partner Andrew Purvis, 37, was sent back to prison last December.

Miss Liversidge was found dead in bed on January 5 with a lethal amount of heroin and cocaine in her system after her boyfriend was released from his most recent stint behind bars.

An inquest into her death heard that the mother of three boys had been dating former childhood friend Purvis since 2016 and encouraged him to attend rehab meetings.

He had at least 75 offences on his criminal record including a break in at a crown court building in which he stole a judge's laptop, and a raid at a local mosque in which worshippers were targeted as they lay asleep in between prayers.

Stephanie Liversidge, 36, of Burnley, died in January after taking heroin and cocaine following her boyfriend Andrew Purvis's three-week stint in prison. The pair are pictured together

In a statement read to the hearing in Burnley Purvis said: 'I have known Stephanie since primary school, but we got together in 2016 and I moved into her house.

'Throughout my life, I had a drug problem but Stef always stood by me. In December, I went to prison for three weeks for theft but when I came out, it was obvious that she was taking recreational drugs.

'On January 4, we were at home together and we ran out of alcohol, so she asked me to go to the shops but I refused. The next morning, at 7am, we woke up, we made up and had sex then went back asleep.

Andrew Purvis, 37, of Burnley is pictured in a police mugshot

'I woke up a few hours later and she wasn't breathing. I called an ambulance, but she was gone.'

Miss Liversidge's cousin, Kelly Liversidge, said: 'I didn't think that she ever took heroin but I think by living with Andrew Purvis, she saw the state of his condition and that's what it does to you.

'I was oblivious to it all. When we arrived at her home on the day of her death, the paramedics said that she had already gone.

'Andrew also changed his story a few times, saying that she choked on her own vomit. I looked at her pillow but there was no sick on it.

'I started moving stuff and that's when I found tin foil, and that's when I called the police.

'Only 12 hours prior to her dying, she was sat in my house. She didn't look like she had taken anything, she was just our Steph.

'She liked a drink, she could drink anybody under the table - but she didn't kill herself.

'The only person there was Andrew, and if he had told the paramedics that she had taken something, it could have saved her - he just told them that she had some gin.

'She had three boys, they were her life - she idolised them. She was together with Andrew, she tried to help him.'

An inquest into her death heard that Stephanie Liversidge (pictured) had been dating former childhood friend Andrew Purvis since 2016 and encouraged him to attend rehab meetings

But coroner Richard Taylor said: 'The North West Ambulance Service in fact said that they were told that Stephanie might have had some drugs.

'Mr Purvis also told the police that she had a lot to drink the night before, but, when he awoke, he found that her lips were blue.

'So he contacted the police and ambulance but, when they arrived, she was found to be deceased. A cause of death was given as combined toxicity effect of heroin and cocaine.

'The heroin level was very high and there is evidence of cocaine use, which has a detrimental effect on cardiac and cognitive functions.'

Recording a narrative conclusion, Mr Taylor told the hearing: 'Stephanie Liversidge was found dead at her home having ingested an excess of drugs. Exactly how, when and where the drugs were taken is unclear.

'That's what I propose to say, because we are not sure how, when and where the drugs were taken.

She had never been known to take drugs, but had started smoking them 'recreationally' after her boyfriend got sent back to prison for three weeks at the end of 2018

'I am sorry that you didn't get the answers you wanted to get, but I don't think this will be forthcoming in any event.'

Purvis had been in and out of jail for several years and in 2001 sneaked into the private chambers of former Judge Raymond Bennett and stole his 2,000 laptop.

In 2013 he was jailed for 16 months after trampling over prayer mats in trainers and stealing a 150 mobile phone from a worshipper lying asleep at the Queensgate Islamic Centre in Burnley, which had been kept open overnight for Ramadan.

It had been claimed he was getting counselling from various government rehab agencies and had been attending a police-run project designed to help offenders kick drug habits.

But only last weekend Lancashire Police put a public appeal for information about Purvis' whereabouts following another burglary in which a handbag was stolen.

In a post on Facebook during his relationship with Miss Liversidge, Purvis said: 'Stephanie I love you so much you are more than just a girlfriend to me.

'I've never been in love with anyone the way I love you, you are the most beautiful caring understanding compassionate loving girl ever and not missing out the best mom bit.

'And I would never ever want you to change the way you are. My heart belongs to you Stef xxxxxxxx.'
Holidaymakers have hit out at Thomas Cook after they were left stranded in Florida when baggage handlers crashed a trolley into their plane.

The Thomas Cook flight to Manchester was due to depart Orlando on Saturday, but passengers spent four-and-a-half hours on the tarmac before being told to disembark and collect their bags.

Amanda Richards was travelling home to Cheshire with her husband Simon and son Oliver following a two-week holiday and were put up in the airport hotel while the aircraft was fixed.

But they claim they were unable to take their 16-month-old son out of the hotel, after his pram was returned to them missing a wheel.

Amanda Richards was travelling home to Cheshire with her husband Simon and son Oliver following a two-week holiday

The family claim their 16-month-old son's pram was returned to them missing a wheel

The Thomas Cook flight MT2753 was due to fly from Orlando International Airport to Manchester Airport at 4.35pm local time on Saturday.

But after a baggage cart his the plane, it was rescheduled to 8.30pm on Monday evening - some 52 hours later.

Mrs Richards, 29, claims she had to 'chase' the airline for updates and repeatedly ask for meal vouchers for her family.

Mrs Richards says their flight on Monday was not due to depart until 8.30pm, but they were only provided with breakfast that day.

On Sunday, she says they received breakfast and dinner but no lunch.

Mrs Richards said: 'We had to ask repeatedly for the vouchers, it was a complete joke. The customer service desk was unstaffed until 1pm.

The 29-year-old claims she had to 'chase' the airline for updates and repeatedly ask for meal vouchers for her family

'We understand things happen, but there's been no communication and it's been really stressful, especially with a young baby.

'We've not even been able to take him out of the airport because his pram came back to us with a wheel missing.

'We contacted Thomas Cook about it but they said we will have to contact someone when we get back to Manchester.'

The family were then told they had to check out of the hotel by 1pm, despite the fact their flight was not for another seven hours.

She added: 'What are we meant to do for all those hours with a baby and no pram? I've asked them this question and received no answer.'

Mrs Richards said the delay has impacted her family financially because she is a childminder, and before their holiday Simon gave up his job as a teacher to join her.

Mrs Richards said the delay has impacted her family financially because she is a childminder, and before their holiday Simon gave up his job as a teacher to join her

They have had to contact families telling them they'd have to find childcare elsewhere because they couldn't get home.

The airline said that over the delay period, five SMS and emails were sent where they had customer details.

A representative from Thomas Cook said: 'While baggage was being loaded, the aircraft was damaged.

'Our experts immediately assessed the aircraft in view to getting our customers on their way as quickly as possible, however further investigation was required. All customers disembarked and were provided with local hotel accommodation and refreshments.

'The safety of our customers and crew is always our first priority. The flight will bring customers back to Manchester tonight on a different aircraft at 8.30pm local time.'

Orlando International Airport has been contacted for comment.
The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka said on Tuesday that some of the Islamist militants behind Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people were likely still at large and could be planning more attacks.

Sri Lankan security forces also said they were maintaining a high level of alert amid intelligence reports that the militants were likely to strike before the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which is due to begin next Monday.

'Tremendous progress has been made towards apprehending those plotters but I don't think the story is over yet,' Ambassador Alaina Teplitz said in an interview.

'We do believe that there is active planning under way,' she said, referring to the possibility of more attacks.

Warning: Alaina Teplitz (pictured today in Colombo), the U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, has said there is likely to be 'active planning' under way for further attacks in the island nation

Scores of suspected Islamists have been arrested in the multi-ethnic island nation since April 21 suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches. Among the dead were 42 foreign nationals.

'Security will stay tight for several days because military and police are still tracking down suspects,' a senior police intelligence official said.

Another government source told Reuters security authorities had ordered police and other security forces across the Buddhist-majority country to remain on high alert because the militants were expected to try to strike before Ramadan.

Teplitz told Reuters the risk of more attacks remained real.

'We certainly have reason to believe that the active attack group has not been fully rendered inactive,' she said.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting Sri Lankan authorities in the investigations but Teplitz declined to give more details.

The State Department has issued a travel advisory suggesting people reconsider plans to travel to Sri Lanka.

The government has lifted a ban on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber, a source at the president's office said. The ban was imposed immediately after the attacks to prevent the spread of rumours.

Mourning: Sri Lankans pray in the street near St Anthony's Shrine - which was targeted by the Easter Sunday bombers - one week on from the attacks which killed over 250 people

The government has also banned women from wearing face veils under an emergency law invoked in response to the blasts.

Authorities suspect members of two previously little-known groups - National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim - of carrying out the attacks, although the Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility.

Authorities believe Zahran Hashim, the founder of NTJ, was the mastermind and one of the nine suicide bombers.

Islamic State released a video after the attack through its AMAQ news agency, showing eight men, with all but Zahran with their faces covered, standing under a black Islamic State flag, declaring loyalty to its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The Islamic group's media network published a video on Monday purporting to come from al-Baghdadi, in which he said the Sri Lanka bombings were Islamic State's response to losses in its last stronghold of Baghouz in Syria.

In India, police said they had arrested a 29-year-old man in the southern state of Kerala, close to Sri Lanka, for planning similar attacks there. The man had been influenced by speeches made by Zahran, India's National Investigation Agency said in a statement.

Sri Lanka's 22 million population is mostly Buddhist but includes minority Christians, Muslims and Hindus.
Carlos Carrizales, 61, was jailed on Monday, having been convicted last month of rape and sexual battery of a child

A Florida man who raped and impregnated a severely disabled 13-year-old girl has been sentenced to life in prison.

Carlos Carrizales, 61, was jailed on Monday, having been convicted last month of rape and sexual battery of a child.

The girl, who has cerebral palsy, became pregnant in 2016, and subsequent DNA testing of men in her life led officers from Polk County Sheriff's office to depraved Carrizales.

The girl's devastated mother told a jury that her daughter is profoundly disabled and is unable to understand her relationship with her baby, who was also born with the condition.

The non-verbal teenager carried out the pregnancy and gave birth in early 2017.

Carrizales was arrested in November 2017 - nine months after the baby was born - after dozens of friends, family and educators were tested to determine the father of the child.

During her closing argument to the jury, Assistant State Attorney Lauren Randall said Wednesday that the DNA evidence collected by the Polk Country Sheriff's Office against Carrizales was conclusive.

'The bulk of the corroborating evidence in this case is the DNA,' she said. 'It is strong, it is secure, it is something you can feel confident in resting your conviction on.

The girl, who has cerebral palsy, became pregnant in 2016, and subsequent DNA testing of men in her life led officers from Polk County Sheriff's office (pictured) to depraved Carrizales

'It does not waiver, it does not vacillate. This is a rooted, solid piece of evidence that goes to the defendant's guilt.'

Carrizales testified he couldnt be the childs father because he was never alone with the victim.

Circuit Judge William Sites sentenced Carrizales to life in prison, the maximum sentence he could have received.
Five companies are being investigated for the deadly Seattle crane collapse which killed four people, it has emerged, and authorities may take up to six months to determine which of them is to blame.

GLY Construction, Northwest Tower Crane, Omega Morgan, Morrow Equipment Company and Seaburg Construction Corporation are all under investigation for the collapse which claimed four lives.

They were all named by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries on Tuesday. The department told DailyMail.com it planned to carry out a 'painstaking' investigation into what happened.

The crane was part of a larger, construction project for at Google's new Seattle campus. Google is not under investigation and is yet to comment on the incident. The company did not immediately respond to inquiries on Tuesday.

GLY is the general contractor which had been brought on the construction job.

Northwest Tower Crane Service Inc. was the subcontractor whose staff were tasked with taking apart the tower crane that fell.

Omega Morgan was in charge of operating the temporary, mobile crane that was lifting the disassembled parts of the original tower crane away from the scene.

The tower crane that fell belongs to Morrow Equipment and Seaburg Construction's staff were operating it.

Horrifying dashcam video captured the moment the crane came crashing down as cars were driving directly below in Seattle on Saturday afternoon

Experts who viewed video footage of the moment it collapsed say it appears as though human error is to blame.

They say workers had removed pins that were holding part of the structure together while disassembling it.

'The reason this tower fell over is iron workers and the people working on it did not follow the manufacturer's instructions for disassembling the crane.

'If the pins had been in, that crane would not have fallen over,' South Carolina crane accident investigator Tom Barth told USA Today.

Barth, who has been a crane operator and inspector for 38 years, said workers did not safely disassemble the tower crane by sections.

He said crews shouldn't have taken out the bolts holding together two sections before 'securing line from another crane to the top of the section getting removed'.

Tim Church from the Department of Labor and Industries however told DailyMail.com it was too soon to speculate what may have caused it.

The crane crashed onto a busy downtown street shortly before 3.30pm and crushed six cars below.

The accident killed two experienced iron workers who were disassembling the crane, according to their unions.

They were revealed as young father Andrew Yoder, 31, and his colleague Travis Corbet, 33, from Portland who was recently married.

Retired city employee Alan Justad, 71, and Seattle Pacific University freshman Sarah Wong, 19, died when the crane crushed them in their cars.

Seattle Pacific University student Sarah Wong (left), 19, and 71-year-old Alan Justad (right) died when the crane crushed their cars

Andrew Yoder, 31, (left) and Travis Corbet, (right) also died. They were both working at the site

Wong had been riding in a car with another student when the crane fell and crushed six cars.

It is understood that Justad was in another of those cars.

It is unclear how exactly the two iron workers died but they were working on the site.

The other student in Wong's car was unharmed but is 'deeply shaken by the accident and the loss of Sarah', according to the school.

Wong, who was from South Pasadena, California, intended to major in nursing and had lived on campus.
Teenage gangs are ransacking stores in a Victorian shopping centre leaving shop owners and customers desperate and fed up.

Fountain Gate Westfield, in Narre Warren, has been targeted by group of up to a dozen teens who shoplift from stores and generally wreak havoc.

Scared staff say the shopping centre is unsafe because the teenage gangs have been known to attack customers.

According to a recent poll, hundreds of people said they have avoided going to the shopping precinct due to the violence, the Leader reported.

Fountain Gate Westfield, in Narre Warren, has been targeted by group of up to a dozen teens who shoplift from stores and generally wreak havoc

Several business owners said their shops and restaurants had been targeted by the gangs.

'They literally went through and flipped up all the tables and chairs and I was too scared to do anything as we were afraid of what will happen,' one cafe worker told the publication.

One woman said her 14-year-old son was attacked and mugged by a gang of six teenagers in the food court two weeks ago.

'One of his friends was asked by the gang to hand over his jacket or he'd be stabbed. The boys were then told they would be bashed if they didn't hand over all of their cash,' she said.

The mother was disappointed with how security and management had handled the incident, saying that security didn't call to let her know what happened, and that police weren't even notified about the incident by security.

On a Casey Crime Facebook page, a woman shared that she was attacked by six teenage girls on April 20, while security watched.

Store workers say the shopping centre in Narre Warren, southeast of Melbourne, is unsafe after not just shoplifting, but violent attacks on workers at the hands of teenage gangs

Another woman said that a lady smacked her six-year-old granddaughter across her face, and centre management and security didn't do anything about it after she reported the incident to them.

A Fountain Gate worker said a bunch of teenagers are known to come into her store and try to distract staff in a bid to steal from the tip jar.

The troubling stories come after two teenage girls brutally bashed a chicken shop worker in a failed attempt to rob her a day's takings at the same shopping centre last month.

Last month at the same shopping centre, two teenage girls brutally bashed a chicken shop worker in a failed attempt to rob her of $5,000

The shop worker had been holding $5,000 when she was attacked by the teenagers, who punched her in the back of her head and flung her to the floor, before continuing to kick her.

It's understood she later required 13 stitches in her leg.

Despite the continuing problems, police say they regularly patrol the precinct, and that they have a strong partnership with management

'Police from Narre Warren, Cranbourne and Endeavour Hills regularly patrol the shopping centre with more serious offences followed up by detectives from Casey crime investigation unit,' Acting Inspector Dean Grande said.
The sister and her two brothers were targeted by paedophile Ian Samson (pictured in 2013)

Three siblings who were sexually abused by a paedophile care home worker have secured a 1million payout from the Church of Scotland.

The sister and her two brothers were targeted by Ian Samson at Lord and Lady Polwarth Children's House in Edinburgh.

Samson, then aged 72, was jailed for 14 years in 2013 at the High Court in Glasgow for 22 offences involving the sexual abuse and rape of 12 children over a period of many years.

Some children at the home hid in cupboards and slept in dog baskets to escape abuse.

After raising a legal action last year, the woman secured 500,000 from the church while her two brothers each received 250,000 - said to be the most compensation recovered from a religious body in Scotland.

The Church of Scotland said it hopes the settlement will help finally bring a sense of justice to the individuals affected and provides 'some small redress for the trauma which they experienced while in our care'.

In a statement the siblings, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: 'Samson was evil and robbed us of our childhood and our future.

'Our case has never been about the money - raising a civil action in the courts was the only way we could get any sort of acknowledgement from the Church of Scotland.

'It's a shame that an organisation which promotes ''goodness and morals'' can't do the right thing themselves and hold their hands up and apologise rather than force victims to go endure further legal proceedings.

'We nearly gave up so many times in getting the [church] to accept responsibility so we're delighted this is now over and have the justice and closure we need to get on with life as best we can.

Pictured: The property that was formerly the Lord and Lady Polworth Children's House in Edinburgh, where three siblings were sexually abused

'To anyone else affected by abuse - be strong and step forward. You can get closure and together we can all make a difference.'

Samson's offences spanned 30 years from the 1970s to the 1990s and he took jobs in places such as a boys' hostel, a children's home and an ice cream van.

A Church of Scotland spokesman said: 'The abuses perpetrated by Ian Samson at Lord and Lady Polwarth Home in the 1970s are matters which have been examined by the criminal courts and by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry and for which we have expressed our deep and sincere regret.

'We became aware of the full facts in 2013 at which point we offered our full support to the victims.

'While Samson's abuse of children was wider than his activity in Lord and Lady Polwarth Home, it felt important to us that there was full acknowledgement of the harm which did occur in our care at the time, and the longer term consequences for three siblings involved.'

He added: 'The safety of children is of paramount importance to us, we have carried out a full independent review of the circumstances occurring in the 1970s so that we could learn any lessons for our safeguarding practices today.

'We did offer sight of that review to the family affected before it went for publication, through Police Scotland, however, we are not aware of whether they have seen it.

'Whilst this settlement can never undo what has been done, we hope that it finally brings a sense of justice to the individuals affected and provides some small redress for the trauma which they experienced while in our care.'
A 20-year-old woman was beaten to death by her brothers in South Sudan on Friday after she refused an arranged marriage set up by her parents.

Nyaluk Magorok was killed in the town of Yirol, in Eastern Lakes state, for reportedly turning down the proposal from her parents' preferred suitor.

The man had reportedly offered the family 40 cows as a dowry - or conditional gift - ahead of the marriage.

Taban Abel, Minister of Information in Eastern Lakes, told South Sudan's Radio Tamazuj that the young woman was disciplined by her brothers on the orders of her father.

Nyaluk Magorok, 20, was killed in the town of Yirol, in Eastern Lakes state, for reportedly turning down the proposal from her parents' preferred suitor who had offered 40 cows for her hand in marriage (file image)

Cows are used for payments and dowries in South Sudan, which Human Rights Watch calls a 'key driver of child marriage' as families see daughters as a source of wealth (file image)

The state minister said that a man has been arrested over Nyaluk's death and faces murder charges, while her father has also been jailed.

'The father was one who ordered people to kill his daughter because she refused to get married. The first accused is called Anyich,' he said.

Abel condemned Nyaluk's death and said the state would continue to tackle the widespread problem of forced marriage.

'This is a barbaric act that needs immediate intervention from the government. This is the second incident of its kind because last year a girl was impregnated and then her father beat her to death,' he said.

But Article 17 of war-torn South Sudan's constitution supposedly guarantees women and girls the right to consent to marriage. But it is still widely ignored in the world's newest country

South Sudan has a deeply rooted cultural practice of paying dowries for brides, usually in the form of cows. It also has a long history of child marriage.

Even though that practice is now illegal, at least 40 percent of girls still marry before age 18, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

But Article 17 of war-torn South Sudan's constitution supposedly guarantees women and girls the right to consent to marriage.

'Forcing someone to marry against their will is a clear violation of South Sudan's own constitution as well as its international human rights obligations,' said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and Great Lakes Region.

'The marriage and killing are not only illegal, but also inhumane. We call on the government to immediately hold the responsible individuals to account.'

Facebook hosted an auction for a South Sudanese child bride on October 25 and didn't know about it or take the post down until November 9, which was six days after the 17-year-old was married to the highest bidder

Nyaluk's killing comes just months after the practice of forced marriage in Eastern Lakes state was thrown into the spotlight following the auction of a 17-year-old girl, which resulted in a man three times her age paying the country's largest-ever dowry.

The man beat at least four other competitors with a winning bid of 500 cows, two luxury cars, $10,000, two bikes, a boat and a few cell phones. Among the bidders was the state's deputy governor.

The auction went viral and led to international outrage after it was pointed out on Facebook. The 17-year-old became the highest bidder's ninth wife.

'She has been reduced to a mere commodity,' Philips Anyang Ngong, a human rights lawyer who tried to stop the bidding said at the time, calling it 'the biggest test of child abuse, trafficking and auctioning of a human being.'

Everyone involved should be held accountable, he said.
Surfing legend Vincent 'Sunny' Garcia is in a critical condition after being found unconscious at his home.

The 49-year-old is understood to have been discovered at his Oregon property in the US before he was rushed to hospital.

The World Surf League made the confirmation on Tuesday.

'Sunny has always been a great champion of surfing, both in and out of the water. Prayers are with him and his loved ones at this deeply challenging time,' the organisation tweeted.

Surfing legend Vincent 'Sunny' Garcia is in a critical condition after being found unconscious at his home

Surf legend Kelly Slater posted a heartbreaking plea to Instagram following the shocking news

Garcia is a six-time Hawaiian Triple Crown Champion and a 2000 ASP World Champion

Garcia is a record, six-time Hawaiian Triple Crown Champion, 2000 ASP World Champion and an inductee in the Surfing Walk of Fame.

But behind closed doors, the celebrated surfer is known to have wrestled with depression.

In a 2014 Instagram post he revealed he had been struggling with the condition.

'Depression is no joke,' he posted at the time.

'Waking up feeling like youre ready to take on the world, then a couple of hours later, feeling down on life and wondering whats wrong with you.

'Well, I know Im not alone and Im not sure whats wrong with me because I have no reason to feel the way I do and its been happening for about two years.'

As recent as early April 2019, Garcia admitted he had been having some 'bad days'.

'Doesnt get easier you just get stronger so as long as you keep fighting to be better life can be beautiful,' he said in a post.

'And sure we might have those moments when you just want to give up but you have made it so far so keep fighting.

Only the day before he was taken to hospital, Garcia posted a cryptic message to Instagram

The surfing legend made his debut at the young age of 17 in the 1986 Gotcha Pro at Sandy Beach

Though behind all the fame and glamour, Garcia is known to have wrestled with depression (pictured, Garcia celebrates his win at 2000 surfing competition)

The achievements of Vincent 'Sunny' Garcia Vincent 'Sunny' Garcia made his debut in the professional surfing world at the age of 17 and managed to catapult his way to the top. He is the second surfer to win more than $1 million in prize money and famously defeated 1984 World Champion Tom Carroll at his debut competition back in 1986. He has also collected a trove of trophies throughout his career. Below is a short list of some of Garcia's most notable achievements: ASP's Men's Most Improved award (1987/88)

ASP's Men's Most Improved award (1990)

Winner of the Triple Crown of Surfing (1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2004)

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach winner (1995, 1996, 2000)

ASP WCT World Champion (2000)

Winner of Vans Hawaiian Pro (2004)

Surfing Walk of Fame inductee (2010) Advertisement

'Ive been having some bad days but Im back to training and seriously been feeling a lot better.'

Garcia's admission to hospital has sent shockwaves throughout the surfing community, with Kelly Slater posting a heartbreaking plea to Instagram.

'I love you, brother. I just cant even fathom you not here.

'Weve got so much more living to do before we are done. Theres been hard times but there have been so many good ones, too. Just praying you wake up and we get more of you.'

Only the day before he was discovered at his home, Garcia made a life-affirming post to social media alongside a photo of himself as a young boy.

'If I told this kid the things he would go through and things he would achieve he would tell me Im crazy lol.

'Wow its been a crazy ride since this photo was taken.'

In the photo, a sun-kissed Garcia smiles broadly at the camera while enjoying a cold summer treat.

The surfing legend was raised in Wai'anae, a neighbourhood in Hawaii, where he was able to nurture his love for the surf.

Mick Fanning makes a heartfelt post to Instagram following the shock news

There he immediately showed he was as a force to be reckoned with after defeating the 1984 World Champion Tom Carroll (right: Garcia, left: Mark Occhilupo)

As recent as the beginning of April, Garcia took to Instagram to admit he had been experiencing 'some bad days'

He made his debut at the young age of 17 in the 1986 Gotcha Pro at Sandy Beach.

He proved himself a force to be reckoned with after defeating the 1984 World Champion Tom Carroll.

A former world champion, Garcia was the second surfer to win $1 million in prize money.

He finished in the top 10 year end rankings without fail between 1990 and 2000 and holds the record for the most World Qualifying Series wins, with a total of 22.

The pro surfer has also won the Rip Curl Pro Bells three times and appeared as a finalist in the competition five times.

Garcia briefly retired from competition in 2005, though returned to the surfing world a couple of years later.

While Garcia has become a tour-de-force in the surfing world, he has also had to deal with his fair share of trouble.

Garcia spent a brief time in prison for tax fraud charges in 2007 after failing to report $US471,000 in overseas winnings from 1996 to 2001.

He was once again brought into view over an alleged assault against young surfer Adam Clarke at the Gold Coast, Queensland in 2011.

For anyone in need of advice or assistance contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Garcia makes another post on Instagram addressing mental illness in a March 21, 2019 update

As recent as early April 2019, Garcia admitted he had been having some 'bad days'
Police in South Australia have launched an investigation to find a missing scarecrow that was stolen from its outpost.

The scarecrow, whose name is 'Bobby', is dressed in a police uniform and armed with a makeshift radar-gun and was put up in Williamstown in a bid to discourage motorists from speeding.

A Facebook post by South Australia Police said that Bobby had been constructed over 17 hours by local volunteers at the Barossa Vintage Festival in March.

Bobby was taken from outside Williamstown Memorial Hall at about 3.30am on Friday, April 19.

The scarecrow, whose name is 'Bobby', is dressed in a police uniform and armed with a makeshift radar-gun and was put up in Williamstown in a bid to discourage motorists from speeding

Police said are looking for two people after CCTV captured the moment a pair drove away from the scene in a distinctive white ute.

'If we only had a clue... Oh wait, yes we do! Williamstown Police are searching for (at least) two people who were involved in the theft of Bobby The Scarecrow,' the Facebook post read.

'Local officers have zero tolerance for petty theft, and the incident is being investigated.

Police say the scarecrow has been popular with visitors to the town and has encouraged people to drive safely.

Police captured CCTV video of a white dual-cab ute which they believe is involved in Bobby's theft

One person appeared to already solve the case stating she has seen the missing scarecrow.

'I seen this exact same scare crow just out of Nurioopta, on Siegersdorf RD with his "speed camera" it was only on Saturday,' she said.

'He was sitting on a chair on the side of the road in front of someone's house.. either bobby has a twin or he is your missing scarecrow.'

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or contact police on social media with #findBobby.
Former Marine, David Madden (pictured), 37, who was wanted for illegally possessing a machine gun was killed early Tuesday morning during a standoff with officers

A former Marine who was wanted for illegally possessing a machine gun was killed early Tuesday morning during a standoff with multiple officers at a Kansas home.

The Rice County Sheriff's Office confirmed that David Madden, 37, had been shot dead after he opened fire on Sheriff Bryant Evans and a deputy.

Sheriff Evans was shot in the leg during the standoff with Madden, a former Marine who had a long criminal history.

After the exchange of fire, authorities searched the home where they found Madden's body along with his father's body.

Authorities believe Madden killed his father, Thomas, before opening fire on the officers.

Before the standoff, Madden allegedly shot and wounded Rice County Undersheriff Chad Murphy.

Murphy was shot multiple times while trying to execute a warrant against Madden who absconded from the corrections system.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that Murphy attempted to stop a car north of the small town of Sterling around 5pm on Monday because an occupant, Madden, had an outstanding warrant against him.

The news release doesn't detail that warrant.

Authorities said Madden shot Sheriff Bryant Evans (left) in the leg and before the standoff shot Undersheriff Chad Murphy (right) multiple times. Evans has been released from the hospital but Murphy is in critical but stable condition

After the exchange of fire, authorities searched the home (pictured) where they found Madden's body along with his father's body. Authorities believe Madden killed his father, Thomas, before opening fire on the officers

Madden was indicted last week on federal charges for illegal possession of a machine gun and he was investigated in the 2015 disappearance of his girlfriend who remains missing.

Kansas Department of Corrections records also list him as an absconder from a program that supervises felony offenders.

The department spokeswoman didn't immediately return a phone message and online records provided no details.

Less than a minute after initiating the stop, the undersheriff radioed to dispatch that he had been shot.

KBI spokeswoman Melissa Underwood said Madden shot him. He was flown to a hospital in critical condition with four gunshot wounds.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Murphy is in stable condition. Sterling is a town of about 2,000 people about 70 miles northwest of Wichita.

The KBI said Sheriff Evans and a deputy later went to a home southeast of nearby Raymond, another small town, after receiving information that Madden may have fled there.

Evans was shot in the leg in an exchange of gunfire.

He was taken to a hospital in good condition, and his wife said he was later released. The shooting led law enforcement to surround the home.

Authorities found the bodies of Madden and his father after the standoff. It's unclear who lived in the home.

The federal firearm case against Madden dates back to February 2017 when he was under investigation in the disappearance of 22-year-old Megan Renee Foglesong and led law enforcement on a high-speed chase through several counties.

He was later arrested at his home following a standoff at the time.

A couple of days later, the KBI, serving a search warrant on the property, recovered two wooden crates containing two dozen pipe bombs, each wrapped with baling wire and black tape.

The KBI secured the home, returning to search further in March 2017, when a fully automatic AK-47 machine gun was found under Madden's bed.

In a jailhouse interview with the KBI, Madden said he found the machine gun in Fallujah, Iraq, while he was stationed there.

Madden entered a no-contest plea in the law enforcement chase in June 2018 and was placed on probation.

Weapon possession charges were not filed until earlier this month. It was unclear why there was a filing delay in the federal case.

The KBI says the investigation into Foglesong's disappearance remains open. She was last seen in Rice County after moving there from Oneida, Illinois.

Former Rice County Undersheriff Brian Treaster said in February that there have been six large searches for her and some small ones, too.

He said previously that foul play was suspected, but didn't say why.

Video Courtesy KAKE
Gary Martin (pictured) opened fire at the Aurora warehouse on February 15 after he was told he would be fired

A gunman who killed five people at an Illinois warehouse on February had warned of his deadly rampage hours earlier, saying: 'If I get fired, I'm going to kill every motherf***** in here'.

Gary Martin's sinister threat was dismissed by a fellow employee who said he often made 'off the wall' pronouncements.

Martin opened fire later that day after he was disciplined for a safety issue and told he would lose his job at the Henry Pratt Co. manufacturing warehouse in Aurora.

The new details have emerged in a report by Illinois prosecutors who say Martin fired 'multiple gunshots' at police officers.

The gunman was subsequently killed in a shootout with police after a 90-minute search of the sprawling warehouse.

Detailing the morning of the February 15 attack, the report says Martin feared he would be fired for 'an incident regarding safety glasses' the previous day.

Issuing the chilling threat, he told one employee: 'If I'm fired, I'm going to kill every mother f***** in here'.

'That employee did not report the statement to anyone because he believed the offender was always making "off the wall" statements', the report said.

His unnamed colleague did not know that Martin had brought a gun into work with him, prosecutors said.

At around 1pm Martin was summoned to a disciplinary meeting where his bosses told him they would 'begin the termination process'.

After swearing and saying 'it is over', he began his deadly rampage and pursued his colleagues with his handgun, killing five.

Aurora police arrived six minutes after the 911 call was made and six officers were wounded in Martin's rampage.

Yesterday police held a 'Celebration of Courage Recognition Ceremony' to honor the officers who responded to the shooting.

More than 40 Aurora Police officers received commendations, medals and special awards, including the officers who were seriously injured.

'Video surveillance recovered from inside the Pratt building shows the offender positioning himself near a doorway with a firearm prior to the arrival of law enforcement,' the report says.

Tributes: A mourner kneels next to flowers and crosses placed in memory of the five Henry Pratt Co. employees who were shot and killed in the February massacre

'As officers arrive at the parking lot this offender is observed aiming and shooting through the glass doors in the direction of and specifically toward Aurora police officers'.

The killer used a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun - which had not been seized despite the revocation of his gun permit in 2014.

According to the prosecutors' report Martin was killed by six gunshot wounds, to the forehead, jaw and chest.

The report found that police were justified in firing their weapons at the gunman.

The five victims were Trevor Wehner, Clayton Parks, Vicente Juarez, Josh Pinkard and Russ Beyer.

Response: Two armed police officers at the scene after an active shooter was reported at the Aurora manufacturing warehouse on February 15

Wehner, 21, was on his first day as an intern at the manufacturing warehouse when he was gunned down.

Parks, 32, had only recently joined joined Henry Pratt, starting work in November 2018 as an HR manager.

Juarez, 54, was a fork lift operator who relatives described as a hard-working grandfather and rock of his tight-knit family.

Pinkard, 37, was the plant manager and had been in the meeting with Martin before he opened fire.

Beyer, 47, had been an employee at Henry Pratt for more than 20 years during which time he held most of the different jobs in the plant.

The injured police officers were John Cebulski, James Zegar, Reynaldo Rivera, Marco Gomez, Adam Miller and Diego Avila.
Ahmed Shalabi and his wife Samantha Fearn claim they have lost their 2,000 holiday

A couple claim their holiday to Spain was cancelled at the eleventh hour after they were 'punished because of Brexit.'

Ahmed Shalabi, 35, and his wife Samantha Fearn, 30, from Storrington in West Sussex, tied the knot in 2007 and have taken their sons Adam, nine, and Finley, six, to Benalmadena since 2017.

They booked their annual trip in January but less than a week before they were set to leave, the Spanish Consulate refused Ahmed's visa application 'due to a lack of proof of their marriage.'

The couple say they had provided photocopies of their bills, birth and marriage certificates.

But staff told Mr Shalabi they could not prove he was married because their wedding had taken place outside the Schengen area.

Staff at BLF International, the official Spanish visa application centre, said they'd 'done nothing wrong' but were simply unable to travel 'because of Brexit.'

But Britain has not yet left the European Union and therefore Brexit has yet to make any difference to visa requirements.

The pair claim their family is being 'punished for no reason.'

Mrs Fearn said: 'We've lost our flights, we've lost the hotel. We don't exactly have a lot of money, and now we've lost 2,000.

'We would have been going on holiday with friends and their kids. I really don't know what we'll do now, because we've already taken the time for the holiday - so I guess we'll have to take the kids on nice days out.

'We've been refused a visa and lost a holiday for no reason. It's completely unjust.'

Samantha met Ahmed, from Alexandria, in Sharm el Sheikh and they got married in 2007

They have taken their sons Adam, nine, and Finley, six, to Benalmadena since 2017

Samantha met Ahmed, from Alexandria, in Sharm el Sheikh and they got married in 2007.

On the advice of the British Consulate in Egypt, Ahmed had their marriage certificate translated from Arabic into English and it was stamped for approval.

They moved back to the UK three years later after the birth of their eldest son Adam, and Ahmed was granted a residency permit with indefinite leave to remain.

But he has to apply for a visa to visit countries in the Schengen Area, including Spain.

They booked the flights and hotel in January, and applied for Ahmed's visa on March 6 through BLS International.

They received a letter from the Spanish Consulate on 26 March, less than a week before they were due to leave.

Mrs Fearn said: 'We got a letter from the Consulate refusing his visa. It said there was not enough evidence to support our relationship.

'We had provided them with everything they ask for on the website - our marriage certificate, our utility bills, our birth certificates.

'The refusal letter was dated the 15th, and we didn't receive it until the 26th - so why they held onto it for 11 days, I'm not sure.'

Ahmed , and Samantha Fearn with Finley (left) and Adam (right). The couple say their children are 'devastated' their family holiday has been cancelled

The couple rushed to the Consulate office last Wednesday, but Mr Shalabi said staff told him 'Spanish laws had changed' then called security who told him to leave.

The pair then drove to BLF International, where they were met by a staff member.

Mr Shalabi said: 'She said, "We only deal with visa applications, not visa refusals. We've not known anything like this. But who knows - it may be Brexit reasons".'

The couple took out insurance through HSBC, but their policy did not cover visa refusals.

The pair claim their family is being 'punished for no reason'

They lost their reservation with Hotel Globales Los Patos Park because guests can only cancel and get their money back until two weeks before check-in.

EasyJet said they could change the dates of their flights - but their appeal could take months.

Mrs Fearn added: 'Obviously when you apply for a visa, the Consulate wants to see proof of flights, proof of hotels - so you have to pay it all before you get the visa.

'How many more countries are going to use Brexit as an excuse to violate our rights? What more do they want from us to prove our relationship?

'To say they were not sure of our relationship when all the relevant documentation and more were submitted is outrageous.

'I have never come across anything like this before. It's not a valid reason in our opinion, but we are not able to do anything about it.'

The Schengen area, named after the agreement which was signed in Schengen, Luxembourg, in 1985, covers 26 European countries.

The UK and Ireland opted out of joining the zone in 1997 when it became part of the EU charter. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia and Romania are all set to joint the Schengen zone.

A statement from BLF International confirmed they cannot help applicants whose visas have been refused by the Spanish Consulate.

The Spanish Consulate in London did not clarify its decision, and said Mr Shalabi would have to issue an appeal if he wanted the refusal to be overturned.
Two women have been hailed as 'brave' after they decided kiss one another while standing next to Italy's deputy prime minister after he condemned same-sex relationships.

The viral selfie shows the two students kissing as Matteo Salvini stands next to them at a rally in Caltanissetta, Sicily.

The political figure, who had been attending a rally for a member of the League Party's bid for mayor, sparked outrage last month after attending a World Congress of Parties conference in Verona.

According to the organisation's website, the US-founded conference sought to 'defend the natural family as the only fundamental and sustainable unit of society' and opposes same-sex relationships and abortions.

The two women decide to kiss one another as they stand next to the Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini at a rally in Caltanissetta, Sicily

The photo, which has now ignited an international conversation, shows Mr Salvini smile and appear to be oblivious as the young women next to him kiss.

The viral picture was taken by one of the pictured women, called Gaia, who initially took to Instagram on Thursday to share the powerful image.

Speaking to Euronews Gaia said: 'When the minister urged those present to take the stage and take a selfie with him, we had this idea because he participated in World Congress of Families.

We made a provocative, instinctive gesture, not at all premeditated.

'On stage, Salvini did not expect us to take a picture like this. When we kissed an agent, I think, separated us sharply and Salvini then told us I wish you luck so we took off thanking him ironically.

Italian activist Marco Furfaro shared his support for the two by posting the image on his Facebook page.

The two female students take to the stage and pose next to the Italian politician during the selfe

As Mr Salvini smiles for the camera the two women kiss one another and make a stand

A message next to the photo read: 'Caltanissetta protesters. Love beats hate 3-0. Trolling Salvini to the extreme. You rock Gaia and Matilde.

The decision to create the now viral image was ignited after Mr Salvini chose to attend the controversial anti-LGBT and anti-abortion three-day conference last month.

A statement on the World Congress of Families website read: 'Since the family is the original social institution that lays the foundation of a good society, with the support of the Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, the Minister for Family and Disability, Lorenzo Fontana, the Governor of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia and the Mayor of Verona, Federico Sboarina the city of Verona is proud to host, after Budapest and Chisinau, the World Congress of Families, XIII.'

This is not the first time the political leader has sparked anger for his controversial decisions.

Earlier this month the Deputy Prime Minister was criticised for refusing to attend Italy's Liberation day that commemorates the country's fight against fascism.
The Canadian leader of an international drug-trafficking gang was sentenced to death in China today, according to a court.

One American citizen, a member of the gang, received a death sentence with a two-year reprieve, it is understood.

Four Mexicans were also given suspended death sentences or life imprisonment, the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court in Jiangmen city of Guangdong Province announced.

The Canadian and American individuals received their death sentence today at the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court (pictured) in Jiangmen city of Guangdong Province

The Canadian citizen has been named Fan Wei, who is said to have led the multi-national criminal syndicate in Guangdong Province together with an individual called Wu Ziping.

Wu Ziping, believed to be a Chinese national, was sentenced to death today as well.

The court said in an online statement that Fan and Wu were found guilty of producing and trafficking drugs in March, 2012.

The pair were said to have recruited and worked with a number of 'technicians', including an American citizen identified as Mark and four Mexican citizens whose names are translated as Leon, Pedro, Oscar and Carrete.

The gang also hired two individuals to produce drugs. They have been named Zeng Xianliang and Li Furong and they are both believed to be Chinese.

The news comes after Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg received the capital punishment by a court in Dalian in north-eastern China - also over drug-trafficking (pictured)

Mr Schellenberg was initially sentenced 15 years in prison last year, but a high court deemed the decision 'too lenient' and gave him the death penalty in an open hearing on January 14

Authorities raided Fan and Wu's drug production plant in Taishan, Guangdong, during July and November in 2012.

They were found guilty of producing and trafficking 63.8 kilograms (140 pounds) of methamphetamine and 365.9 grams of dimethyl amphetamine during the period, the court said.

The court said Fan and Wu had manufactured and trafficked 'a particularly large quantity of drugs' and their crime was 'extremely serious', therefore they were given death sentences and their personal assets would be confiscated.

The American citizen and four Mexican citizens were regarded as principal criminals.

The American was given a suspended death sentence with a two-year reprieve, according to China's Legal Daily.

Death sentence with reprieve is a type of death sentence under the Chinese Criminal Law. The convicted individual is given a two-year reprieve from the execution. At the end of the two-year term, the sentence will be reduced to life imprisonment if the individual does not commit further crimes within the period.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pictured addressing the media in Ottawa in January. He said he was concerned that China had chosen to 'arbitrarily' apply death penalty to a Canadian

The four Mexicans were given suspended death sentences or life imprisonment, but the court did not specify which ones received a suspended death sentence and which ones were jailed for life.

Four other individuals, namely Zeng Xianliang, Li Furong, Liao Jianming and Liu Zhimin, were given unspecified jail terms.

The court said all convicted individuals could appeal against the ruling.

The American citizen in today's case is believed to be Mark Swidan (pictured) who was detained on drug charges in 2012

Although the full name of the American citizen has not been revealed, he is believed to be Mark Swidan, who is from Houston and was detained on drug charges in China in November 2012, according to South China Morning Post.

Mr Swidan, reported to be 45 years old, was detained on 'flimsy' charges and had planned to kill himself to declare his innocence during his pro-longed confinement in Guangdong, reported Newsweek in 2016.

The report cited Mr Swidan's mother who was in contact with an American consular official who had visited Mr Swidan at a detention centre.

Mrs Swidan told Newsweek that his son was taken by the Chinese authority after travelling to Guangdong to buy furniture for his wedding home and finding factories for a friend's business.

He was said to be held in a detention centre, where many inmates 'are forced to make silk flowers with harsh chemicals' for export.

MailOnline has attempted to contact the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court for further information on the case.

A worker who answered the phone call claimed that relevant office staff did not have extensions, therefore it was not possible to reach them.

Tensions have escalated between China and Canada since Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 last year. Ms Meng, pictured arriving at a parole office in Vancouver on December 12, is fighting extradition to the U.S.

This is the second high-profile court case in China this year which has resulted in foreign individuals being sentenced to death.

In January, another Canadian citizen received the capital punishment by a court in Dalian in north-eastern China - also over drug-trafficking.

The sentence of the 36-year-old Canadian, named Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, was announced amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Ottawa over the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

The court found Mr Schellenberg guilty of trying to smuggle 222 kilograms (490 pounds) of crystal meth from China to Australia.

He was initially sentenced 15 years in prison late last year, but a high court deemed the decision 'too lenient' and gave him the death penalty in an open hearing on January 14.

Commenting on Mr Schellenberg's case, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was concerned that China had chosen to 'arbitrarily' apply death penalty to a Canadian.

Canada asked China to spare the life of Mr Schellenberg shortly after the sentencing, but China responded that it was 'not worried in the slightest' by mounting international concern over the punishment.

China has executed other foreigners for drug-related crimes in the past, including a Japanese national in 2014 and a Filipina in 2013.

In 2009, a Briton, Akmal Shaikh, was executed in China on charges of smuggling heroin despite his supporters' protest that he was mentally ill.
A woman celebrating her 23rd birthday was killed in a crash when riding in an Uber with friends on Interstate 55 as they headed home from a night out in Chicago.

Jamie Poulos, of Berwyn, Illinois, was travelling with the taxi service at around 3am on Sunday when a white Infiniti sedan smashed into the rearend of the Uber, police said.

Fellow passenger, Anastacio Morales, pulled the driver and another friend Alexandria Kariott from the burning vehicle but was unable to reach Ms Poulos in the back seat.

The Morton College student was pronounced dead at the scene on Stevenson Expressway near Damen Avenue.

Jamie Poulos, of Berwyn, Illinois, was travelling with the taxi service at around 3am on Sunday when a white Infiniti sedan smashed into the rear end of the Uber, police said

Mr Morales, who escaped the inferno with just a few blisters on his hands, said: 'I'm teeter-totting between being called a hero and feeling like I wasn't able to do enough for one of my friends.

'It's hard, but I know I saved a very good friend of mine, ' he told WLS-TV.

His friend, Alexandria Kariott, 22, also of Berwyn, was taken to an area hospital where her condition was stabilized.

Witnesses reportedly revealed that the driver who hit the Uber vehicle ran away from the scene before police caught him.

The expressway was shut by officers for eight hours as they investigated the incident.

The Morton College student was pronounced dead at the scene

Ms Poulos' mother Andrea described her as a 'perfect child' and said she did not was Mr Morales to feel guilty over her daughter's death.

'For him it's going to be a nightmare and I don't want him to beat himself up about it because he's going to see it every time he closes his eyes,' the distraught mother told the Chicago Tribune.

'My heart is breaking for him, too, because I know how badly he feels but he shouldn't; he tried to go back again for her.'

Tia Poulos, the victim's sister, said: 'She went to Morton College and she was gonna get her gen eds done. She always wanted to be a meteorologist.

'She was funny. She was quiet to a lot of people, but she was so kind,' she told WNYW station.

A spokesperson for Uber said: 'Our hearts go out to the victim's family and everyone impacted by this terrible incident. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.'

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.
A Thai fireman has demonstrated how to escape the deadly embrace of a python - by using himself as bait.

Phinyo Pukphinyo, 49, a firefighter and snake catcher in Bangkok, allowed the 14ft reptile coil itself around his body, which would usually result in death.

But Pukphinyo manages to get his hand between the snake and his wind-pipe, stopping the animal from crushing it, before help can arrive.

Phinyo Pukphinyo, 49, a firefighter and snake catcher in Bangkok, allowed a 14ft python to wrap itself around him to demonstrate how to avoid being killed

Pukphinyo managed to get his arm between the snake's body and his throat, stopping the reptile from crushing his windpipe, causing a quick death

Phinyo says in the video: 'I'm going to show you how to get out of a situation where the python's attacking.

'The snake's muscles will get tighter and it will squeeze your neck, which is the most important part of its victim's body.

'The snake will keep moving to tighten itself around your neck. Always try calling for help. If you don't have this arm to protect yourselves, snakes kill you by attacking the trachea.

'But even with the arm, you will be able to breathe only for a little while, because the snake will squeeze you tighter and tighter until your body becomes sore.

But Pukphinyo explained that, even by using his tactic, a python's victim is only buying themselves time until others can some and help

Reticulated pythons live in a wide area stretching from India to Indonesia and, while human deaths from them are rare, they have been known to kill and eat people in the wild

'You will start to get weaker and feeble until you are eventually run out of breath and die. So, always contact the emergency services if you see snakes, whether they are venomous or non-venomous.

'When snakes try to kill the prey for food, these predators will squeeze them to death with all their energy.'

Phinyo receives up to 15 calls a day at the height of the rainy season when pythons are most visible in Bangkok.

He also has to deal with venomous snakes such as cobras , and once spent three months in hospital after getting bitten by one.
A huge investigation has been launched into claims a team of police officers in London's West End engaged in bullying, violence towards women, racism and steroid use.

A smaller-scale misconduct probe was launched in April last year into claims a police officer had sex with a vulnerable woman in a cell at Charing Cross Police Station and then boasted about it to friends.

But the investigation has uncovered phone messages which suggest more widespread wrongdoing, prompting the police watchdog to widen the probe to investigate eight police constables and two sergeants.

The officers are part of a Met 'impact team', which dealt with pubs, clubs, pubs and drug dealing in what they call the 'night-time economy'.

The police watchdog is investigating 10 officers, eight Police Constables and two Police Sergeants. The probe began after an officer allegedly had sex at Charing Cross Police Station (pictured)

The allegations include:

Bullying and inappropriate behaviour towards other officers, including sending threatening and malicious messages;

Violence towards women and taking advantage of vulnerable people;

The use of steroids, and the impact on behaviour resulting from the drugs;

Perverting the course of justice by deleting messages relevant to a criminal probe;

Racist, misogynistic and other discriminatory behaviour.

The Met said the watchdog was looking into the wider culture, working practices and supervision within the unit at Charing Cross police station between 2015 and 2017, and 11 serving officers were under investigation.

These include two sergeants and nine constables who worked in Westminster borough, while a former constable who has left the force is also part of the inquiry.

The team has since been disbanded, but police say that was not due to the claims against officers.

In total, one constable is suspended and three others and a sergeant are on restricted duties, the Met said.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said in a statement: 'We have carried out two searches under warrant for the perverting the course of justice allegation, where electronic devices were seized and are in the process of being analysed.

'Drugs testing has also been carried out by the MPS due to allegations about steroid use.'

The officers are part of an team which deals with pubs, clubs and the 'nighttime economy'

IPCC Regional Director, Sal Naseem said: 'These are very serious allegations and it is vital for public confidence that these are independently investigated.

'We are committed to using our enforcement powers to root out officers whose conduct undermines the public's confidence in policing and who should not be wearing the uniform.

'There is no indication this is part of any wider teams within the station but our overarching report will consider the wider culture and team.

'We would also like to hear from other officers at Charing Cross station, or the wider public, who may be able to provide valuable information to our investigation.'

The Met said: 'The MPS takes all allegations of wrong-doing extremely seriously and is fully co-operating with the IOPC investigation.

'The inappropriate behaviours in this matter appear to have been displayed through text messages and the use of social media apps.

'While the large majority of staff are responsible in their use of social media, the MPS has issued guidance to all staff around the expectation that they and colleagues maintain the professional standards expected of them as a member of the Met at all times.

'Officers and staff also have a duty to report, challenge and take action against colleagues where they believe those standards have fallen.'

The IOPC has asked anyone with information to contact them on MPSwitnessinbox@policeconduct.gov.uk or by phone on 0800 029 4686.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson broke down in tears during an emotional television interview over the recent scandals that have rocked her party.

The Senator looked clearly distraught while speaking with A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw on Tuesday night.

The outpouring came a day after the program aired footage of Queensland party leader and senate candidate Steve Dickson groping strippers and making derogatory comments about women in a Washington DC strip club.

The fresh footage came after Al Jazeera ran a story showing Mr Dickson and party official James Ashby meeting with officials from the U.S. National Rifle Association.

Ms Hanson said she is fed up with being embroiled with the recent party scandals when she would rather focus on fighting for Australians.

The recent party scandals have had an emotional toll on One Nation leader Pauline Hanson

'I see farmers and kids with no hope for a future, people are hoping and praying that I will be the voice for them,' she said.

'I cop all this s---, all the time, and I'm sick of it. Absolutely sick of it. I have copped it more than once. I keep getting up and have another go. Until the people do not want to vote for me.'

She admitted feeling let down by Mr Dickson and said she wasn't aware of his strip club scandal until hours prior to the embarrassing footage aired.

Mr Dickson resigned from the party on Tuesday.

Mr Dickson resigned from the party on Tuesday after embarrassing footage of him in a strip club aired on A Current Affair

'He is generally sorry, he apologised, he had no intentions of doing that to me, he is upset with himself,' Senator Hanson said.

She added that Mr Dickson's wife Debbie was standing by him.

'You have no idea of the bond that they have,' she said.

'She trusts her husband. I'm not going to say any different, it is not my place to say. If she wants to stand by him, that is her choice. I'm not going to criticise him, I did not with Barnaby Joyce, or Cheryl Kernot, it is not my place. The impact that it has on me, what I want to achieve, that is what I am having my say on.'

Ms Grimshaw questioned why Ms Hanson was still in politics.

'Why are you still in it? Look at you. Why don't you walk? Look at what it is doing to you,' she asked.

Senator Hanson implored voters 'not to write her off' and has vowed to hang on in there

Senator Hanson replied: 'Tracy, I made a change out there for people.

'I save people from losing their lands. I have helped the primary sector. I have helped kids out there get apprenticeship schemes produced this year by the government. My scheme. I hope to get help for the farming sector in the Murray Darling. I will do it.

A defiant Senator Hanson had this message for her critics.

'I have another three years. Mark Latham has been elected for eight years in the NSW Parliament. Do not write me off. Do not underestimate me,' she declared.

The interview ends with her being asked whether she's hanging in there.

'I am. There is still a lot that I want to do,' Senator Hanson before walking out.
Donald Trump has appointed his son's girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle as a senior adviser for his 2020 re-election campaign.

Guilfoyle, the partner of Donald Trump Jr, said she was 'thrilled' to confirm the move as she declared that 'America's continued success' depended on a Republican win.

The 50-year-old former attorney had been working for a pro-Trump super-PAC after she left her TV presenter role at Fox News last summer.

Together: Kimberley Guilfoyle, pictured center in New York with her boyfriend Donald Trump Jr (left) and President Donald Trump (right), has joined the Trump 2020 re-election team

Posting on Instagram, she said: 'America's continued success depends on Donald Trump getting re-elected and continuing his MAGA policies.

'That's why I am absolutely THRILLED to announce that I'll be joining the Trump campaign as a Senior Advisor!

'It's time to get to work and WIN for America in 2020!'

Guilfoyle was previously vice-chairwoman of the pro-Trump lobby group America First Action, moving there following her departure from Fox last year.

The super-PAC said in a statement: 'We are thrilled Kimberly Guilfoyle is joining the Trump campaign in a senior adviser role.

'While it's a loss for us, it's a gain for the campaign. Ms Guilfoyle has been a tireless advocate for the President, an unflinching champion for his policies, and an impassioned spokeswoman for his cause.'

Recruited: Guilfoyle, pictured at the President's Make America Great Again rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Saturday, is joining his re-election team as a 'senior adviser'

Guilfoyle began dating Trump Jr last year after the President's son had separated from his wife of 12 years, Vanessa.

Twice-married Guilfoyle was previously a prosecutor in Los Angeles and later San Francisco.

She married first husband Gavin Newsom in 2001, just two years before the Democrat and now-California Governor was elected as mayor of San Francisco.

After that she went on to marry Eric Villency, the CEO of a design firm, in 2006, and the two had a son before they split three years later.

The former presenter had been one of the co-hosts of The Five on Fox News before she left last July.

She was considered for the role of White House press secretary in 2017 after Sean Spicer departed the administration.

Partners: Guilfoyle, right, has been dating Donald Trump Jr, left, since last year. She was previously married to the now Governor of California, Democrat Gavin Newsom

Guilfoyle had joined Fox as a legal analyst in 2006 after previously working for ABC News and CNN.

Trump has previously faced allegations of nepotism for including his close family among his White House aides.

In 2017 his daughter Ivanka briefly sat in for him at a table with world leaders at the G20 summit.

The President insisted the move was 'very standard' and that he had not been away from the table for long.

Trump has hinted he would appoint Ivanka to be UN ambassador or head of the World Bank if it were not for feared nepotism claims.

Her husband Jared Kushner is also a senior White House adviser.
Paul Bussetti (arriving at court today) allegedly filmed his friends burning an Grenfell Tower effigy

A property millionaire filmed his friends burning a Grenfell Tower effigy on a bonfire and shared the clip on WhatsApp, a court heard.

Paul Bussetti, 46, was among a group who cruelly laughed and jeered as the cardboard model went up in flames at a party in South Norwood, southeast London.

They were heard howling with laughter and mocking Grenfell Tower victims by saying 'help me, help me,' during the stunt last November.

The footage sparked national outcry after Bussetti allegedly captured it on his phone and sent it to two WhatsApp groups.

Today Bussetti denied one charge of sending the video on a WhatsApp group on November 3 and a second that alleged he 'caused to be sent' the footage on YouTube.

It came after the Grenfell Tower blaze left 72 people dead in June 2017.

Bussetti, who reportedly owns an 8million block of flats in Clapham, southwest London, was one of six people arrested after the clip went viral on social media.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court facing two counts of sending grossly offensive material via a public communications network. The offence carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison.

Prosecutors have charged Bussetti with 'causing' the footage to appear on YouTube, even though he did not post it himself.

Paul Bussetti, 46, (left, and right, today) was among a group who cruelly laughed and jeered as the cardboard model went up in flames at a party in South Norwood, southeast London

Bussetti, wearing a smart grey suit and white shirt, showed no emotion as he denied both charges.

According to prosecutors, Bussetti admits that he did post it on WhatsApp. However, he is denying the charge because his lawyers say 'WhatsApp cannot be considered to be a public electronic communications network.'

Prosecutor Philip Stott said: 'The defendant admits factually that he did send it on WhatsApp.

'The second case is sending via YouTube.

The footage (pictured) sparked a national outcry after Bussetti allegedly captured it on his phone and sent it to two WhatsApp groups

'We don't allege he personally uploaded it to YouTube, but by sending it to another he caused it to go on YouTube and to go viral.'

Look-Chih Wang, defending, said: 'There is a dispute as to who put the actual video on YouTube, that's in dispute.'

Bussetti will also argue that he should not be criminalised over a 'joke'.

Mr Wang added: 'WhatsApp cannot be considered to be a public electronic communications network.

'According to even the prosecution expert the WhatsApp groups were limited to 265 users within two groups.'

Bussetti, pictured with his wife Gemma, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' court today

The effigy is believed to have been burned at a party at the back of this London home in South Norwood

Bussetti, of South Norwood, southeast London, was released on unconditional bail until his trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 29 July.

Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said: 'If you don't attend you will be arrested under a warrant granted by myself.

'The court may not come to a final decision on 29 July, it may be that because of the technical issues being raised it is delayed.'
All flights in and out of Glasgow Airport were suspended today after a security incident on board an easyJet flight, believed to have been sparked by a suspicious package.

The crew of the easyJet aircraft, which had just landed from London Gatwick, raised the alarm at 10.25.

All the crew and passengers on board the plane were evacuated by police, who are searching the interior. Flights were suspended for 22 minutes before restarting again.

All the crew and passengers on board the plane (left) were evacuated by police, who are searching the interior

The incident was related to a suspicious package, according to the BBC, although Glasgow Airport would not confirm that to MailOnline.

Easyjet said: 'We can confirm that passengers on flight EZY883 from London Gatwick to Glasgow was delayed disembarking on arrival in Glasgow, purely as a precaution, due to additional security checks.

'The passengers have been disembarked and taken into the terminal.

'The safety and security of its passengers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority and we would like to thank passengers for their understanding.'

A Police Scotland spokesman said as the incident was unfolding: 'There's been a security alert reported and officers are in attendance.'

The airport wrote on Twitter: 'Operations have been temporarily suspended due to an incident declared on an inbound flight. Emergency services are currently in attendance.'
1st Lt. Robert M. Kelly, the son of White House chief of staff John Kelly. The 29-year-old had stepped on a land mine while leading a platoon of Marines in southern Afghanistan in November 2010. He was killed instantly.

1st Lt. William Donnelly commissioned as a Marine officer in June 2008 and was the best husband, son, brother, uncle and friend anyone had.

Lance Cpl. Arden Buenagua was known for his love of fast cars and computer games and always made time for his younger brothers.

Lance Cpl. John Sparks, a 23-year-old machine gunner was shot and killed during a mission on October 8, 2010. He always carried his weight and when others couldnt, John would pick up their slack, said Cpl. Jeffery Holsey, roommate of Sparks. He was a selfless person. He always gave everything and never asked for anything in return.

Cpl. Justin Cain, 22, was killed by a blast from an improvised explosive device. He had reportedly earned numerous awards during his service, including the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Pfc. Victor Dew was engaged to be married. He was the kind of guy that would give his last breath to you if you needed it, said Dew's fiance, a student at Boston Reed College in Roseville.

Lance Cpl. Joseph Rodewald's father said he was a rambunctious kid who grew into a natural leader while playing sports in high school.

Sgt. Ian Tawney was a devoted husband, a loyal friend and an avid outdoorsman. His wife said he loved to laugh.

Lance Cpl. Phillip Vinnedge, 19, of St. Charles, Missouri, was killed by a roadside bomb in October 2010.

Lance Cpl. Alec Catherwood was there for his friends, his family and even complete strangers. He reached people on a level of sincere caring and connection, said his aunt, Karen Henricks. He saw the importance of helping others. He died October 14 2010.

Lance Cpl.l Irvin Ceniceros, a machine gunner, won a Silver Star for saving his platoon while under heavy enemy fire. A Marine friend described how he'd mimic songs or movies to get a laugh, to put you in a better mood.

Lance Cpl. Joseph Lopez, 26, was an exceptional young man who worked hard to become a Marine, a friend said. Joey was always kind and thoughtful towards others and we are proud of his life and service to our country.

Lance Cpl. James Boelk was on his first combat deployment when his unit was attacked with roadside bombs on October 15, 2010. He was always there. He would always be there for me, Allyssia Boelk, his sister, said. I will always remember his dependability and his smile.

Lance Cpl. Matthew Broehm was devoted to God and his country. His desire was that others would know his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Lance Cpl. Brandon Pearson was killed November 4 2010 in combat in the Helmand province. Pearson, 21, was serving his second tour, but his first in Afghanistan. He had planned to return home in April and would have completed his four-year service in September. Relatives remember him as a man who always had his friends or familys back.

Lance Cpl. Randy Braggs, 21, from Sierra Vista, was killed in combat in November 2010. Braggs was a big, sweet, easygoing, lovable guy who did his best to make people smile, according to his grandmother, Retha Long.

Lance Cpl. James Stack, 20, was a national champion air pistol shooter in the 2008 Junior Olympics. He'd been in the country for just one month when in November 2010, he was shot and killed while on foot patrol. He was a son, a brother, a new father and a husband.

Sgt. Jason Peto, 31, succumbed to wounds 13 days after he suffered them while on a November 24 2010 combat mission in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan during his third combat tour.

Sgt. Matthew Abbate won the Navy Cross for leading his Marines out of an ambush. A Marine friend described him as protective, confident and fearless. And he had that smile that could make everyone happy. He died aged 26 on December 2 2010.

Lance Cpl. Kenneth Corzine was a good friend who smiled a lot, enjoyed life and hoped to spend more time with his daughter.

Pfc. Colton Rusk excelled in averity of sports including football and baseball. His motto in life was: Don't be afraid to go after your hopes and dreams, but don't be afraid to be willing to pay the price.

Cpl. Derek Wyatt's wife gave birth to his son the day after she learned that her husband had been killed in action. 'He loved his country, and he firmly believed in the cause,' a friend said. 'He was all about his country and the Marines.'

Lance Cpl. Jose Maldonado's football coach said: 'I felt safe with a young man like Jose defending our country.'

Cpl. Tevan Nguyen 'used to call himself a ninja because he was part Asian and could do karate.'

Sgt. Jason Amores was a loving father who was on his fourth deployment, having previously served two tours in Iraq. Jasons family were very proud of him and his chosen career, and his father bragged about him all the time.

Source: Washington Examiner
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President Nicolas Maduro was ready to flee Venezuela as an uprising against his regime was called until Russia intervened and told him to stay, it was claimed last night as the head of the nation's secret police turned on the embattled leader.

American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the besieged president had a plane waiting to take him to Cuba but Vladimir Putin's administration convinced him to stay in Venezuela.

Despite the Kremlin's intervention, Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, the head of Venezuela's secret police SEBIN, said 'the time has come to seek new ways of doing politics' - the most direct challenge so far to Maduro's leadership from a senior member of the security forces.

Figuera's note emerged after Pompeo told CNN Maduro was prepared to leave the country on Tuesday morning in the face of a call for an uprising by opposition leader Juan Guaido, but reversed his plan after the intervention of the Kremlin.

He said: 'They had an airplane on the tarmac. He was ready to leave this morning, as we understand it. Russians indicated he should stay. He was headed for Havana.'

As pressure mounted on Maduro and violent clashes erupted on the streets, Vice President Mike Pence voiced the Trump administration's support for the opposition in both English and Spanish, by tweeting: 'We are with you.'

Heavy gunfire crackled through the Venezuelan capital on Tuesday after Guaido called for the military to turn on Maduro and oust the president.

As running battles between anti-government demonstrators and pro-regime troops continued across the capital, video footage emerged showing Maduro's National Guard running over crowds of protesters during violent clashes.

Armoured vehicles operated by soldiers loyal to the embattled president were seen ploughing into demonstrators in front of La Carlota base in Caracas.

The moment an anti-government demonstrator was struck by a National Guard armoured vehicle was captured in footage posted online

The opposition demonstrator was struck by a Venezuelan National Guard vehicle on a highway near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase 'La Carlota' in Caracas

Video footage captured the moment the armoured vehicle mounted the central reservation of the highway outside La Carlota air base in Caracas

Crowds swarmed around the National Guard armoured vehicles after one mowed down a group of protesters

An opposition demonstrator standing in front of at an armoured vehicle in flames during clashes with soldiers loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after troops joined opposition leader Juan Guaido

An anti-government protester walking near a bus that was set on fire by opponents of Venezuela's President Maduro during clashes between rebel and loyalist soldiers in Caracas

An opposition demonstrator lying in the road injured when Venezuelan security forces used an armoured vehicle to ram demonstrators during clashes outside the La Carlota military base

An opposition demonstrator walking near a bus in flames during clashes with soldiers loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

An opposition demonstrator with chest wounds from government bullets holds a rock as a bus burns in the background near La Carlota in Caracas

In the clip posted online a group of protesters could be seen throwing missiles at a white armoured vehicle. As they launch the assault as second tank emerged from the left and mounted the central reservation of the highway, mowing down a number of people.

One person could be seen falling under the wheels as both vehicles drove off, leaving crowds to swarm around the injured person.

As governments around the world voiced their concern over the violence, SEBIN leader Figuera wrote a letter to the Venezuelan people on Tuesday saying it is time to 'rebuild the country'. A senior U.S. official confirmed the authenticity of the note circulating on social media.

Venezuela crisis: Which countries are supporting the opposition? Support for Nicolas Maduro's regime comes from Russia, China, Turkey, Mexico and Iran, wheres the EU, United States, Canada, Australia and neighbours Brazil recognise Juan Guaido as leader of Venezuela Supporting 'interim' President Juan Guaido: United States

Canada

United Kingdom

Argentina

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Guatemala

Honduras

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Kosovo

The EU 27

Australia Supporting incumbent President Nicolas Maduro: Russia

Belarus

Greece

China

Iran

Cuba

Mexico

Turkey

Syria

Bolivia

Uruguay Advertisement

Figuera says he has always been loyal to Maduro, but Venezuela has experienced a damaging decline. Though he does not name opposition leader Juan Guaido, Figuera wrote: 'The time has come to seek new ways of doing politics.'

Guaido claimed Maduro had lost the support of the military, but the president said he had spoken with his officers who had assured him of their 'total loyalty'.

The opposition leader urged protesters and members of the military to join what he called the 'final phase of Operation Liberty' in a video taken at La Carlota airbase in the capital Caracas while surrounded by heavily-armed soldiers.

The troops then set up defensive positions around the base before Maduro's forces arrived and opened fire with teargas followed by live rounds, according to witnesses.

At least 69 people were injured in Caracas, two from gunfire, during clashes between demonstrators and security forces, Venezuela's health services said.

Local press said a third person suffered a gunshot wound while the government claimed a soldier was hit by a bullet during the clashes.

Anti-government demonstrators clashed with troops loyal to Maduro at the air base in the capital hours after opposition leader Guaido took to the streets in a bold and risky attempt to lead a military uprising against the embattled socialist.

'Nerves of steel!,' Maduro said on Twitter. 'I call for maximum popular mobilisation to assure the victory of peace. We will win!'

Several dozen armed troops accompanying Guaido clashed with soldiers supporting Maduro at the rally outside the air base in Caracas early on Tuesday morning.

The early-morning rebellion seems to have only limited military support, but it was by far the most-serious challenge yet to Maduro's rule since Guaido, with the backing of the U.S. and dozens of other countries, declared himself the country's interim president in January in rejection of a government he accused of stealing last year's presidential election.

The dramatic events began early Tuesday when Guaido, flanked by a few dozen national guardsmen and some armoured crowd control vehicles, released a three-minute video filmed near a Caracas air base in which he called on civilians and others in the armed forces to join a final push to topple Maduro.

In a surprise, standing alongside him was Leopoldo Lopez, his political mentor and the nation's most-prominent opposition activist, who has largely been silent and unseen since he was detained in 2014 for leading a previous round of anti-government unrest. Lopez said he had been released from house arrest by security forces adhering to an order from Guaido.

'I want to tell the Venezuelan people: This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers,' Lopez declared.

As the two allies coordinated actions from vehicles parked on a highway overpass, troops loyal to Maduro sporadically fired tear gas from inside the adjacent Carlota air base.

A Bolivarian National Guard loyal to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro fires tear gas from inside La Carlota air base toward a crowd of a few hundred civilians and a small group of rebel soldiers gathered outside the base

Venezuelan National Guard troops loyal to President Maduro use a water cannon on supporters Juan Guaido

Members of the Bolivarian National Guard supporting Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido reload their weapons during clashes on Tuesday

Opponents to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro confront loyalist Bolivarian National Guard troops firing tear gas at them outside La Carlota military airbase in Caracas

Opposition demonstrators face military vehicles near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase

An opposition demonstrator bleeds from his head as he is carried by fellow protesters after being run over by a Venezuelan National Guard vehicle on a street near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase 'La Carlota' in Caracas

An injured man is helped during a demonstration in Caracas. Reports state that at least one person was injured during the clashes at La Carlota after Guaido called for mass anti-government protests backed by the military

The protester could be seen falling under the wheels and being run over by the GNB vehicle which then drove off and left the scene as demonstrators flocked around him

A crowd that quickly swelled to a few thousand scurried for cover, reassembling later with Guaido to a nearby plaza.

A smaller group of masked youths stayed behind on the highway, firing rocks and Molotov cocktails in an attempt to storm the air base. Amid the mayhem, an armoured utility vehicle drove at full speed into the crowd. It was unclear if anyone was hurt.

'It's now or never,' said one of the young rebellious soldiers, his face covered in the blue bandanna worn by the few dozen soldiers joining the 'Operation Freedom' insurrection.

Amid the confusion Maduro tried to project an image of strength, saying he had spoken to several regional military commanders who reaffirmed their loyalty to his socialist revolution.

The events, playing out in the opposition's stronghold in wealthier neighbourhood of eastern Caracas, appeared not to have triggered a broader military revolt.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido calls for an uprising against Nicolas Maduro as supporters take to the streets

Mike Pompeo said Maduro was ready to flee Venezuela until Russia convinced him to remain in the country

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denied there was a military coup attempt underway to oust President Maduro

He accused opposition leader Guaido and 'right-wing extremists' of operating under orders from Washington

National Guard armoured vehicle ploughs into a crowd of protesters outside the La Carlota airbase in Caracas

National Security Adviser John Bolton said it was not a coup as many countries recognise Guaido as president

Flanked by top military commanders, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez appeared on national television and condemned Guaido's move to seize power as a 'terrorist' act that was bound to fail.

President Donald Trump and top officials gave their support of Venezuela's opposition movement, dubbed Operacion Libertad, which translates to Operation Freedom.

He wrote on Twitter: 'I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!'

Vice President Mike Pence also expressed his support in both English and Spanish, and told the opposition to 'Go with God.'

He wrote: 'To @jguaido, the National Assembly and all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today in #operacionlibertadEstamos con ustedes! We are with you!' Pence tweeted on Tuesday. 'America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored. Vayan con dios! #FreeVenezuela'

Bullets began flying after Guaido, who has been trying to oust Maduro for months with largely peacrful protests, called for a military uprising against him, claiming he had lost support of the army

Guaido called on members of the public and soldiers to join him on the streets to oust Maduro in what he described as the 'final phase of Operation Liberty'

Protesters representing Juan Guaido were caught in the cross-fire and ran through clouds of tear gas in order to take cover

Black smoke billows from a bus as an opposition demonstrator rides past on a motorbike near the La Carlota military base in Caracas

Guaido has based himself at La Carlota airbase in the capital Caracas (pictured, protesters nearby), where heavy gunfire was heard hours after his announcement

Tear gas canisters were fired at civilians and troops who had joined Guaido on Tuesday morning, before apparent clashes with Maduro's troops

A satellite image of crowds of people at Plaza Altamira, in Caracas as anti-government demonstrations raged across the city

Guaido said the troops who had taken to the streets were protecting Venezuela's constitution and that in the coming hours he would release a list of top commanders supporting the uprising. Anti-government demonstrators gathered in several other cities, although there were no reports that supporters of Guaido had taken control of any military installations.

'The armed forces have taken the right decision,' said Guaido. 'With the support of the Venezuelan people and the backing of our constitution they are on the right side of history.'

An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support by claiming troops had joined his campaign disintegrated into rioting as palls of black smoke rose over eastern Caracas.

The government said it was 'deactivating' an attempted coup by a small group of 'treacherous' soldiers.

And there was little early sign Maduro's iron grip on the military - which has kept him in power in a months-long standoff with Guaido - had slipped.

A pall of black smoke also rose from an area near a helicopter hangar on the base. Soldiers put out the fire and fired tear gas at demonstrators who were trying to dismantle the steel perimeter fence.

As UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed to all sides to avoid violence, Venezuela's army chief and defense minister, General Vladimir Padrino, issued a stark warning of possible 'bloodshed' - adding that he would hold the opposition responsible.

In a message on Twitter, Padrino said the situation in military barracks and bases in the country was 'normal.'

He later said an army colonel had received a bullet wound to the neck during the clashes in Caracas.

Opposition demonstrators clash with soldiers loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who were armed with shields and armoured vehicles

Opponents to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (back and left) scuffle with a Bolivarian National Guard officer who is loyal to President Maduro during clashes with rebel soldiers and anti-government protesters outside La Carlota base

An opposition demonstrator rides a bike in front of a burning bus near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase

Opposition demonstrators help an injured fellow protester get away from the melee on the back of a motor bike near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase

An opposition demonstrator left reeling from the effects of tear gas is fired by Maduro's troops is being helped during clashes with soldiers

A man who was run over by a Bolivarian National Guard vehicle is aided by fellow anti-government protesters outside La Carlota airbase

Opponents of Venezuela's President Maduro throw stones into the La Carlota airbase in Caracas where soldiers loyal to Maduro are based

Forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro confront with supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido after members of the Bolivarian National Guard joined Guaido's campaign to oust him

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said the 'right-wing extremists' would not succeed in fracturing the armed forces, which have largely stood with the socialist leader throughout the past few months of turmoil.

'Since 2002, we've seen the same pattern,' he said, adding that most of Caracas was calm. 'They call for violence, a coup, and send people into the streets so that there are confrontations and deaths. And then from the blood they try to construct a narrative,'

Hundreds of government supporters, some of them brandishing firearms, gathered at the presidential palace, answering the call by socialist leaders to come to the embattled Maduro's rescue.

'It's time to defend the revolution with arms,' Valentin Santana, head of a militant group, said in a video posted on social media as he brandished an automatic rifle.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez called on the army 'to remain on maximum alert to - with our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces - defeat the attempted coup and preserve peace'.

An online censorship-monitoring group says Venezuela's state-run internet provider has been restricting access to YouTube and some Google services.

NetBlocks says CANTV, the state-run telephone and internet service provider in Venezuela, also briefly restricted access to Twitter and Facebook on Tuesday after opposition leader Guaido and Lopez launched the bid to oust Maduro.

Alp Toker, director of NetBlocks, said Google's search engine was not affected but Microsoft's Bing was.

An opponent to President Maduro carrying a Venezuelan flag covers his face to shield himself from tear gas fired by soldiers

An opposition demonstrator is seen next to a government bus set on fire during clashes near the La Carlota military base in Caracas

A pro-coup supporter throwing a Molotov cocktail at the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Caracas

An opposition demonstrator throwing a tear gas canister during clashes with soldiers loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after troops joined opposition leader Juan Guaido in his campaign to oust Maduro's government, in front of La Carlota military base in Caracas

Venezuelan soldiers who have backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido exchanged gunfire with troops loyal to President Maduro outside La Carlota airbase in the capital Caracas on Tuesday

Anti-government demonstrators drive their motorcycles near a burnt bus during anti-government protests in Caracas

A solider loyal to Guaido aims his handgun over the parapet of an overpass near the La Carlota airbase in Caracas

A supporter of Juan Guaido shows wounds he received to his chest fired by the National Guard during a protest in Caracas

As events unfolded, governments from around the world expressed a mix of support for Guaido while reiterating calls to avoid violent confrontation.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, in a Twitter post directed at defence minister Padrino, said the armed forces 'must protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people.'

He added it would be a 'big mistake' for Maduro to use violence against civilians in a bid to quash the rebellion.

Bolton said today that what's happening 'is clearly not a coup' because the U.S. and many other countries recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president.

The White House said it hopes an attempted military uprising in Venezuela will be 'enough to tip' leader Maduro out of power.

Spain's caretaker government urged restraint, while the governments of Cuba and Bolivia reiterated their support for Maduro.

'We hope with all of our strength that there is no bloodshed. We support a peaceful democratic process in Venezuela. We support the immediate holding of an election for a new president,' Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said.

Arreaza denied there was a military coup attempt underway to oust Maduro and accused opposition leader Guaido of operating under orders from Washington.

At least 25 Venezuelan troops have sought asylum in Brazil's embassy in Caracas, a senior Brazilian official said Tuesday, after Venezuela's self-declared president Juan Guaido claimed soldiers had joined him.

A spokesman for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said soldiers and lieutenants were among the applicants.

The petitions for asylum came as Bolsonaro threw his support behind Venezuelans 'enslaved by a dictator,' a reference to President Nicolas Maduro whom Guaido is challenging for power.

The footage showed the white National Guard vehicle plough into demonstrators as they hurled missiles at troops loyal to President Maduro

An opposition demonstrator gestures during clashes with soldiers loyal to Venezuelan President Maduro

Supporters of President of the Venezuelan Parliament clash with armoured trucks of the Bolivarian Armed Forces during a protest at the Altamira area in Caracas

Paramedics transport an anti-government protester who was injured during clashes between demonstrators and Maduro's security forces

Venezuelan National Guards stand guard on Simon Bolivar International Bridge, partially blocked by cargo containers placed by Venezuelan authorities, as people return from La Parada near Cucuta, Colombia

Members of the Bolivarian Armed Forces try to block a protest in support of Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido in Caracas

'It is not a coup attempt from the military. This is directly planned in Washington, in the Pentagon and Department of State, and by Bolton,' Arreaza referring to U.S. national security adviser John Bolton.

'They are leading this coup and giving orders to this man [Juan] Guaido,' he added.

The latest violence comes after a months-long political standoff between Maduro, backed by Russia, China and Cuba, and Guaido, who is recognised by the United States and about 50 other nations as the country's interim president.

Arreaza said Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was in full control of the country with the backing of the military.

'He is in his place of command as always, and he is in control of the situation. He is making government decisions every day,' said Arreaza.

Asked why Maduro had not been seen in public on Tuesday, Arreaza said: 'You will see President Maduro with his people in Miraflores [presidential palace] sooner [rather] than later.'

He estimated that around 30 or fewer members of the military had sided with Guaido, who was accompanied at a rally in Caracas with several dozen armed troops. 'This is 30 out of about 200,000, so it is almost nothing,' he added.

Maduro has called Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup.

Washington has imposed sanctions to try to dislodge Maduro. Arreaza, who was himself targeted with sanctions by Washington last week, said the Venezuelan government would act to maintain peace and security.

An injured man is helped by fellow anti-government protesters during clashes with security forces

A Bolivarian National Guard water canon sprays opponents of Venezuela's President Maduro during an attempted military uprising and anti-government protests in Caracas

Anti-government protesters used objects they found in the street such as bin lids and planks of wood during running battles with Maduro's forces

A military member and a man take cover near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase 'La Carlota' in Caracas

Opponents of President Maduro armed with missiles face off with Bolivarian National Guards in armoured vehicles

Government military police officers confront pro-Guaido demonstrators trying to protect themselves inside the Ministry of Housing at Avenida Francisco de Miranda in Caracas

An injured woman is treated during a protest in Caracas

'We are not threatening anyone with the use of violence. It's the United States, it's the opposition,' said Arreaza, who is married to the eldest daughter of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's former president who died in 2013 of cancer.

Arreaza said he had spoken to representatives from countries in the region and in Europe who were concerned about the situation and urged dialogue. He declined to name the countries, adding that the government was open to dialogue.

Guaido, who has the backing of the US and most Western governments, has been trying to oust Maduro for months using largely non-violent protests.

American National Security Adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence have since tweeted their support for Guaido, saying: 'The United States stands with the people of Venezuela.'

President Donald Trump 'has been briefed and is monitoring the ongoing situation,' White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

Bolton said the Trump administration was waiting for three key officials, including Maduro's defence minister and head of the supreme court, to act on what he said were private pledges to remove Maduro. He did not provide details.

Meanwhile two of the key international allies of Maduro - Bolivia and Cuba - condemned what they described as a coup attempt by violent rebels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, another key ally of Venezuela that has invested billions in the country's oil industry, was 'discussing' the situation with his top security team.

Mexico expressed concern about an escalation in violence and called on both sides to seek a peaceful resolution through dialogue.

Guaido has been trying to oust Maduro for months using largely peaceful protests, but that changed on Tuesday as he announced an uprising against the President

A large number of people on motorbikes gathered on a motorway overpass leading to the airbase before tear gas was fired, followed by live rounds

Soldiers who had defected to Guaido were seen setting up heavy machine gun posts on the overpass shortly before gunfire broke out

Venezuelan military forces fire tear gas in an attempt to disperse protesters at the airbase

Troops loyal to President Maduro are seen gathered near the airbase amid clashes with those who have joined the cause of 'interim president' Juan Guaido

A protesters throws a stone at a vehicle of the Guardia Nacional which have largely remained loyal to Maduro during protests

A member of the Bolivarian National Guard supporting Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido throws a tear gas canister

Protests appeared to be spreading around the country following Guaido's call, with the leader claiming that people in 24 states had come out to support him.

Brazil's vice president says that the situation in Venezuela has reached a point of no return.

Former Gen. Hamilton Mourao said that either opposition leaders Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez would 'be prisoners' or President Maduro 'would be leaving'. 'There is no other way out of this', he added.

It comes after years of mis-management have left the country impoverished, wracked by inflation and food shortages, and following Maduro's 'victory' in elections that many decried as rigged.

Meanwhile hundreds of supporters of President Nicolas Maduro have gathered at a rally beside Venezuela's presidential palace, where security force members are deployed on the perimeter wall.

The Maduro loyalists have been chanting slogans of support and a man on a truck has handed out large posters of Maduro with the Venezuelan flag behind him.

Guaido called on Venezuelans and the military to join him on the streets, as government vowed to put down what it said was an attempted coup.

In the three-minute video Guaido, speaking in the company of men in military uniform and opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, said he was at the Caracas air base La Carlota.

Soldiers who took to the streets would be acting to protect Venezuela's constitution, Guaido said. He made the comments a day before a planned anti-government rally.

'The moment is now,' he said, as his political mentor Lopez and several heavily armed soldiers backed by a single armoured vehicle looked on.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido appeared in a video (pictured) with a small contingent of heavily armed soldiers and formerly detained opposition activist Leopoldo Lopez calling for Venezuelans to take to the streets to oust President Maduro in Operation Liberty

A military member stands near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase

Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido delivers a speech during a gathering with supporters after members of the Bolivarian National Guard joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Tuesday he had began the 'final phase' of his plan to oust President Nicolas Maduro

Maduro hit back on Twitter, saying that he maintained the complete loyalty of the military on Twitter and pledging 'nerves of steel' for the fight ahead

US-backed Mr Guaido said 'the end of the usurpation' was beginning against the government of Nicolas Maduro (pictured)

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton both backed Guaido's call, saying that American 'stands with the Venezuelan people'

After announcing the final phase of his uprising, Guaido left the military base in order to hold a rally on the streets of Caracas in order to prove he holds popular support

Guaido, center, stands with an unidentified military officer who is helping to lead a military uprising, center left, as they talk to the press and supporters outside La Carlota air base in Caracas

Defected Venezuelan Bolivarian National Guards and soldiers shout slogans against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in La Parada near Cucuta, Colombia

A member of Venezuelan Bolivarian National Guard who has defected to Guaido holds up a Venezuelan flag with the Spanish message 'Resistance' written on it during a protest in La Parada near Cucuta

Defected members of the Venezuelan Bolivarian National Guard sing Venezuela's national anthem and yell anti-government slogans as a loyalist guard films them with his cell phone at the border bridge between Venezuela and Colombia

Members of the public cheer as soldiers who have swapped loyalties to Guaido march into the Carlota airbase in Caracas

Military personnel loyal to Venezuelan interim President Juan Guaido hug each other outside the airbase in Caracas as they try to topple Nicolas Maduro from power

Defected members of the Venezuelan Bolivarian National Guard and soldiers stand in formation at the Simon Bolivar International Bridge, which links Venezuela and Colombia, in La Parada near Cucuta

Lopez has been under house arrest for leading an anti-government push in 2014.

Making his first public appearance since his detention, Mr Lopez said: 'This is the moment of all Venezuelans, those in uniform and those who aren't.

'Everyone should come to the streets, in peace.'

Lopez said he had been 'freed' from jail by soldiers supporting Guaido. He posted a picture on Twitter with men in uniform from the Carlota military base.

'Venezuela: the definitive phase to end the usurpation, Operation Liberty, has begun,' read the message.

US-backed Mr Guaido also said 'the end of the usurpation' was beginning against the Maduro goverment.

'In this moment I am meeting with the principal military units of our Armed Forces giving the start to the final phase of Operation Liberty,' he added.

'The national armed forces have taken the correct decision, and they count on the support of the Venezuelan people,' Guaido said.

Venezuela's information Minister Jorge Rodriguez responded on Twitter, saying the government is confronting a small group of 'military traitors' that are seeking to promote a coup.

Mr Rodriguez tweeted: 'We inform the people of Venezuela at the moment we are confronting and deactivating a reduced group of military traitors who are positioning themselves in the Distribuidor Altamira (neighbourhood) to promote a coup d'etat against the constitution and the peace of the Republic.

Lopez (centre), who had been under house arrest for leading an anti-government push in 2014, said he had been freed by soldiers and called for a military uprising

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez talks to media after being released from his home in Caracas, Venezuela, where he has been kept under house arrest since 2014

Uprising soldiers stands outside La Carlota air base in Caracas on Tuesday April 30

A pro-Guaido supporter throws a molotov cocktail near military base of La Carlota, in Caracas, Venezuela

Guaido supporters wearing gas masks and gloves pick up and throw tear gas canisters fired by pro-Maduro troops

A medic mounted on a motorbike makes his way through crowds near the airbase in Caracas after reports of gunfire

Supporters of the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido Pro-coup marching near military base of La Carlota, in Caracas

Soldiers and people react to the sound of gunfire near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase, in Caracas

Venezuelan opposition supporters demonstrate outside the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase

'To this intent is added the putschist and murderous ultra right which announced its violent agenda months ago.

'We call on the people to maintain maximum alert so, together the glorious National Armed Bolivarian forces defeat the intent to mount a coup and preserve the peace. We will win.'

Venezuela's socialist party boss, Diosdado Cabello, called on government supporters to amass at the presidential palace to defend Maduro.

Guaido invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency in January after declaring Maduro's re-election a fraud.

He has the support of more than 50 countries, including the United States, which also recognise him as interim president.

The uprising came ahead of planned May Day protests which were going to be used to call for Maduro's removal, and appeared to be an attempt to build up momentum.

Guaido has said the protests will be 'the largest march in Venezuela's history,' part of what he calls the 'definitive phase' of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.

But Maduro, for his part, has appeared to retain control of state institutions and the loyalty of military officers.

A Venezuelan soldier stands guard at La Carlota army base, where Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was led to meet with interim President Juan Guaido after he being released from his home, in eastern Caracas

Opponents to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro throwing stones at soldiers loyal to the president inside La Carlota airbase

Tear gas was fired at a highway overpass next to the Caracas air base where several heavily-armed soldiers with a blue band wrapped around their forearms had been standing guard. The tear gas appeared to have been fired from inside the air base

An opposition demonstrator throws back a tear gas canister on a street near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase

Tear gas floats in the air near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase 'La Carlota', in Caracas

People react to tear gas near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase 'La Carlota', in Caracas

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has called for a military uprising, in a video shot at the air base showing him surrounded by soldiers and accompanied by detained activist Leopoldo Lopez

Protesters walk past a fire on the streets of Venezuela's capital Caracas as protests against Nicolasa Maduro spread

He has called Guaido a U.S-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. The government has arrested his top aide, stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and opened multiple probes.

It has also barred him from leaving the country, a ban Guaido openly violated earlier this year.

Last week, Guaido said his congressional ally - opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro - had been detained, and that 11 members of his team had been summoned to appear before the Sebin intelligence agency.

Lopez, seen with Guaido, appeared to have left his home for the first time since being placed under house arrest in 2017, after three years in jail.

'I have been freed by soldiers on the side of the constitution and President Guaido,' he tweeted. All of us have to mobilize. It's time to win our freedom.'

A soldier in the group with Guaido, who identified himself just as Rivas, denied government accusations that they had been tricked into backing Guaido.

'We're all afraid,' he told Reuters, 'but we had to do it'.

Spain, instrumental in setting the European Union line, said that, although it considered Guaido the legitimate leader of Venezuela, it did not support a military coup and wanted to see elections.

Opposition demonstrators wearing gask masks to protect from tear gas and with the faces covered clash with soldiers loyal to President Maduro in Caracas

Pictured: Opponents to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro run from loyalist Bolivarian National Guard troops firing tear gas at them. Loyalists troops were locked in frantical battles with opposition supporters across the country on Tuesday afternoon

Soldiers on motorbikes speed away as opposition supporters pelt them with objects during clashes outside the La Carlota military airbase in Caracas, Venezuela

Civilians wearing rudimentary motorcycle helmets for protection crouch behind a concrete wall as members of the military loyal to the opposition sit ready with rifles and ammunition

Running battles between anti-government demonstrators and pro-regimes troops raged in the capital Caracas

Guaido's ambassador to the United States, Carlos Vecchio, called the action on Tuesday 'only the beginning' as he warned 'you will see more events in the hours and days to come'

Dozens of Venezuelan exiles tied blue ribbons to their right arms and packed a small Venezuelan diner in the Miami suburb of Doral - where President Trump has a golf resort - to follow the turmoil in their homeland.

Some shouted 'Long Live Venezuela' and 'Freedom' while wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with the colours of Venezuela's flag. Others wept as they sang the nation's anthem. Many were checking social media networks and making video calls to relatives in Venezuela.

Wilfredo Castillo is a general practitioner who arrived three months ago from northern Venezuela. He cried as he said he did not know what it was like to live in a free country.

He said the revolt 'gives me hope to go back and step back on my soil, my homeland and be free.'

Florida is home to an estimated 190,000 Venezuelans - a small but significant share of the millions who have left the country in recent years.

Others showed their support for Guaido outside the Venezuelan consulate in New York and in Sol Square in Madrid.

Activists opposed to Guaido have staged a round-the-clock vigil inside the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC to prevent his representatives from taking over the building and keeping it in the hands of Maduro.

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido hung a Venezuelan flag behind a skeleton outside the Venezuelan consulate in New York

Activists opposed to Guaido have been staging a round-the-clock vigil inside the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC in an effort to prevent representatives of Guaido from taking over the building and keeping it in the hands of Venezuelan Maduro

Pro interim government opposition leader Juan Guaido supporters yell chats towards pro Nicolas Maduro supporters as they rally outside of the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido burn a picture of late Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez during a protest outside the Venezuelan embassy in Mexico City

Venezuelans living in Mexico, for and against the government of President Maduro, face each other outside the Venezuelan embassy in Mexico City

People attend a gathering of Venezuelan nationals in Sol Square in Madrid, Spain, after Guaido, asked supporters abroad to take the streets in front of Venezuelan embassies

Venezuelan supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaido gather at Venezuela's embassy in Buenos Aires to protest

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido chant slogans during a rally in New York's Union Square

This photo was released by the Miraflores presidential palace press office to show supporters of President Maduro gathering outside Miraflores presidential palace during an attempted military uprising in Caracas
Police in a suburban community in Ohio are trying to determine who killed four members of a well-respected Sikh family, including three women and a man, who were found fatally shot in the head in their home.

West Chester Township police said on Monday they were interviewing witnesses and following up on leads.

A man identified as the husband of one of the female victims called 911 before 10pm on Sunday, saying he arrived home to find his wife, both parents and sisters bleeding on the floor at the apartment complex Lakefront at West Chester on Wyndtree Drive.

Police tape cordons off the scene where four members of a Sikh family were found shot to death on Sunday night, at an apartment complex in West Chester Township, Ohio

Police have ruled out a murder-suicide. No person of interest has been named

All four were dead. Police said there were multiple gunshots fired and that it did not appear to be a murder-suicide.

Local Sikh leader Jasminder Singh on Monday identified the deceased to Cincinnati Enquirer as family patriarch Hakikat Singh Panag, 59, his wife, Paramjit Kaur, 62, their grown daughter, Shalinder Kaur, 39, and his sister-in-law, Amarjit Kaur, 58.

All four worshiped weekly at the Guru Nank Society of Great Cincinnati.

West Chester Chief of Police Joel Herzog said on Monday there was no immediate threat to the community

The person who reported the shootings was Panag's son-in-law. The couple's three children were not home when the four family members were slaughtered.

Singh, who is president of the executive committee of the Sikh place of worship, known as a gurdwara, told Cincinnati Enquirer that he last spoke to Panag on Sunday morning as the two drank tea together at the temple.

Singh recalled that Panag told him he did not have to work weekends anymore and 'seemed happy.'

Another member of the Sikh community, Satinder Bharaj, told the paper Panag had moved to West Chester form New Jersey. He described the patriarch as very friendly and his family as ordinary and middle-class.

During his press conference Monday, Chief Herzog said the shooting appeared 'isolated' and he doesnt believe theres any danger to the community. so far, no person of interest has been identified.

A dive team searched a pond located behind the apartment complex for evidence Monday

All four victims were members of the nearby Sikh place of worship, the

He said the family member who reported the shooting was interviewed by detectives but was not taken into custody.

On the 911 call, the man sounds distraught as he screams, 'help, please help. They are bleeding.'

The caller tells the dispatcher that he returned home to find his wife and other family members on the floor, bleeding from wounds to the head.

Herzog said the apartment was filled with smoke from food that was left cooking on the stove, suggesting that the family were killed while preparing a meal.

For two days, divers searched a pond located behind the victims apartment complex for evidence. Fox 19 Now reported that on Tuesday, a gun was recovered from the water.

Autopsies were scheduled to be performed on Monday to determine the causes and manners of the victims' deaths.
President Trump has 'demonstrated on a daily basis his obstruction of justice', House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has declared.

The Democrat also said Trump's Attorney General William Barr would be 'obstructing Congress' if he refused to testify before the House on the Mueller report this week.

Barr is due before the House on Thursday but has signalled he may not appear if Democrats try to have him questioned by committee lawyers.

Pelosi's claims come as Democrats face pressure from parts of their base to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump.

Claims: Nancy Pelosi (pictured in Washington yesterday) said Trump was demonstrating obstruction of justice on a 'daily basis'

Discussing Trump, she said he had demonstrated obstruction on a 'daily basis', going further than Robert Mueller did in his report.

On Barr, she said: 'The attorney general of the United States is not the president's personal lawyer, and he should act as the attorney general of the United States and honor his responsibilities.'

According to Fox News, she told Barr: 'Respect the constitution. Honor your oath of office. Honor the request of Congress. For the American people.'

Witnesses such as Barr cannot 'tell the committee how to conduct its interviews' when they appear, said said.

House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler said: 'We've been very clear. Barr has to come.

'He has to testify. It's none of the business of a witness to try to dictate to a congressional committee what our procedures for questioning him are.

'He is supposed to show up on Thursday and we will take whatever action we have to take if he doesn't.'

Attorney General William Barr (pictured) has signalled he may not appear before House Democrats if the panel plans to have him questioned by committee lawyers

It is unusual for committee counsels to question a witness, but other panels have made similar exceptions.

Barr is also due to appear on Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Republicans are in the majority.

Mueller's report said Trump had impeded the Russia probe, but did not conclude whether those actions amounted to obstruction of justice.

The report effectively left it up to Congress whether to pursue obstruction of justice claims against Trump.

Democrats have criticized Barr for drawing his own conclusion that Trump did not obstruct justice.

Robert Mueller's report did not conclude one way or another whether President Trump (pictured at the White House) had obstructed justice

Pelosi has said Barr is involved in a 'staggering public effort' by the Trump administration to put a positive face on Mueller's findings.

The Speaker has insisted the door is neither open nor closed to impeachment, which would be unlikely to remove Trump from office.

Presidential contenders Elizabeth Warren and Beto O'Rourke are among those calling for impeachment proceedings to begin.

House Democrats have subpoenaed the Justice Department for the unredacted version of the Mueller report and underlying material gathered from the investigation.

In response, the Justice Department has said they will make the full report, minus grand jury material, available to a limited group of members.

Democrats have so far refused the offer and the dispute over the report may end up before a court.
A superbike racer arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife just two weeks after their wedding may have physically abused her before she fell to her death from a five star hotel in Dubai, an inquest heard.

Sean Emmett, 49, was quizzed by officers in 2013 over his wife Abigail Elson's death on their honeymoon in Dubai in February 2013.

Ms Elson, 27, fell from a fourth-storey window at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel which led to a three-year probe by officers, who eventually decided not to take action against father-of-three Mr Emmett in 2016.

But Woking Coroner's Court heard yesterday that Ms Elson claimed the former Grand Prix road racer domestically abused her and she even once ended up in A&E after an alleged assault.

The claims were heard at a pre-inquest review that will asses the scope of matters that will be addressed at her inquest later this year.

Assistant Coroner for Surrey, Dr Alison Hewitt, was also told Ms Elson had a history of accusing men of sexual assaults which 'may have been fabricated'.

Sean Emmett, left, was 'abusive' towards his wife Abigail Elson, right, a pre-inquest review has been told. Mr Emmett was arrested over her death on their honeymoon in Dubai in 2013 but no action was taken against him following a three-year probe

Dr Hewitt said: 'The principle issue for me will be how it was that Abigail fell to her death.

'And I've identified there was clear evidence of three possibilities to be explored.

'The first is a review of a third party involvement, the second is a deliberate act by herself and the third is if she fell by accident.

'In reference to third party involvement, this is in relation to Mr Emmett's propensity in domestic violence.

'There is clear evidence that there was domestic violence between Mr Emmett and Abigail.'

She added: 'A statement provided by Mr Emmett on March 29, 2019, says he was not involved in violence and he said, in relation to an occasion when Abigail went to Accident and Emergency with an injury to her ear, that she did that herself and he did not cause it.

'He says he never assaulted her and that he was not responsible for that injury.

'I might be willing to admit further evidence as to whether domestic violence would have happened between Mr Emmett and other women.

'This is an important matter.'

Alexandra Felix, representing Ms Elson's family, said: 'The only evidence of any other third party being involved in what happened on that tragic day is Mr Emmett.

'We are going to have to consider what part he played and the relationship in causing her to fall out of that window.'

The superbike racer, pictured in action in 1997, denies ever assaulting his wife

But Ben Rich, representing Mr Emmett, said: 'There is no dispute that she made allegations, but the truth of those allegations I do dispute.

'It is my submission that these were never taken further. Mr Emmett does not accept this happened to Ms Elson.'

Mr Rich added that Ms Elson made 'a series of major allegations' relating to being sexually assaulted by other men and suspicions that the claims were false should be explored in the inquest.

He said: 'I want to make it clear that the sexual assault allegations are not against Mr Emmett.

'There is an issue that she made such allegations at the time and how frequently she made them.

'There were many allegations floating around.

'I am concerned that a series of major allegations were made by her and it must be explored if they were untrue.

'The fact of all allegations does have relevance at the inquest in part of Ms Elson's credibility.

'If domestic violence is to be considered for an unlawful violence then the credibility of her allegations should be revealed.

'It will reflect the credibility of those allegations made against Mr Emmett, it is incredibly important evidence for him.

'If it is an unlawful violence, it is one person's unlawful violence and any credibility regarding the allegations against him is key.'

Dr Hewitt responded: 'It is right to note that within the evidence, it suggests Abigail gave reference to matters that were untrue at the time.

'It is absolutely clear from the records that Abigail had some history of mental health problems.

Ms Elson fell to her death from a fourth-storey window at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai, pictured

'There is history of self harm and the fact that history exists is relevant in relation to whether it was suicide.

'As part of that history, it is apparent that Abigail stated in the past that she had suffered sexual assault.

'I cannot say the identity of the alleged perpetrator or assess the truth of those allegations.

'But there are some degrees of inconsistency in what Mr Emmett has said.'

Responding to information about Ms Elson's mental health, Ms Felix said: 'Mr Emmett made is absolutely clear in his statement and elsewhere that Abigail did not take her own life.

'He said the days leading to her tragic death were the happiest.'

She added that she wanted documents relating to Mr Emmett's 'state of mind and behaviour' to be disclosed as well as information relating to any claims of domestic violence relating to his previous and current partner.

The validity of the couple's marriage, which took place in South Africa two weeks before the tragic death, will also be probed.

Mr Emmett was temporarily held in the United Arab Emirates following Ms Elson's death and was arrested on suspicion of her murder when he returned to the UK in December 2013.

But in February 2016 police confirmed no further action will be taken against the father-of-three from Addlestone, Surrey.

The full inquest into Ms Elson's death is expect to take place at Woking Coroner's Court in the autumn.
This is the distressing moment a dog groomer beat his own poodle puppy to death with a sandal to stop it from barking.

The animal worker, named in reports only by his surname Pan, carried out the distressing attack at a salon in Taipei City, Taiwan, in August last year.

Pan is now facing two years in jail and a 50,000 fine for the abuse, and ahead of his sentencing CCTV was released of the attack.

The dog groomer, identified only by his surname Pan, admitted beating the dog to death with his sandal to stop it from barking after he 'lost control'

CCTV has been released of the attack as Pan faces the prospect of spending two years in jail and being fined 50,000 over the abuse

The footage shows Pan repeatedly hitting the dog on the face with the sandal.

According to the pet salon owner, surnamed Chen, 36-year-old Pan was hired as the business's pet groomer in 2016.

Chen said she paid Pan almost 900 a month for his services and he appeared 'completely normal' until the weeks leading up to the incident.

Pan told stunned colleagues that the dog had been barking all morning before the attack

But Chen said Pan's behaviour changed and that he took money from clients without her knowledge in the lead-up to the attack.

Then, in August, he yanked his pet poodle out of its cage in front of shocked staff members and began beating it.

When his colleagues protested and tried to stop him, he told them: 'It was too noisy. It wouldn't stop barking the entire way here.'

When his coworkers tried to check on the dog, Pan added: 'There's no need to check. I've already beaten it to death.'

Questioned by police, Pan said he 'lost control' of his emotions.

The animal rights authority says Pan faces jail time of up to two years and a maximum fine of 50,000 for the abuse.

The office noted that the severity of his punishment would not be affected by his profession as a dog groomer or the fact that he was the dog's legal owner.

Video shows Pan taking the squirming dog from its cage by the scruff of the next before removing one of his sandals
The CEO of Boeing has said the pilots from two deadly crashes did not 'completely' follow safety procedures - as the airline revealed a previously undisclosed software glitch on the 737 Max.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Dennis Muilenburg said the airline had provided steps that should be taken in response to problems like those encountered by pilots of the planes that crashed.

It is the first time Muilenburg has taken questions following the deaths of 346 people in the October 29 Lion Air and the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crashes.

He told reporters: 'In some cases those procedures were not completely followed.'

Hours later, Boeing admitted the 'disagree alert' - an indicator to warn pilots about the kind of sensor failure that has been linked to both accidents - was 'not activated as intended'.

The disagree alert, which is standard on the Max planes, only works if the airline has also activated the angle of attack indicator, which is optional.

Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg, pictured during a press conference in Chicago on Monday, said the pilots from two deadly crashes did not 'completely' follow safety procedures - as the airline revealed a previously undisclosed software glitch on the 737 Max

The firm said in a statement: 'Boeing did not intentionally or otherwise deactivate the disagree alert on its MAX airplanes.

'The disagree alert was intended to be a standard, stand-alone feature on MAX airplanes. However, the disagree alert was not operable on all airplanes because the feature was not activated as intended.'

The statement comes after Southwest Airlines revealed they only found out the safety feature was turned off on the Max after the Lion Air crash over the weekend.

But Muilenburg insisted during the press conference that the safety systems followed the same design and certification process it has always used to build safe planes, and he denied that the Max was rushed to market.

'As in most accidents, there are a chain of events that occurred,' he said. 'It's not correct to attribute that to any single item.'

He was also asked whether he will resign, which he said he as no plans to do.

The news conference, held after Boeing's annual meeting in Chicago, came amid questions about the Max, which has been grounded worldwide since mid-March.

Published reports said that federal regulators and congressional investigators are examining safety allegations relating to the Max that were raised by about a dozen purported whistleblowers.

And the pilots' union at American Airlines said Boeing's proposal for additional pilot training on the Max doesn't go far enough.

For instance, the union for American Airlines pilots wants, at a minimum, mandatory additional training to include video demonstrations of how to respond to failures of systems on the plane.

The annual meeting came six months to the day since the Lion Air crash. Muilenburg told shareholders that Boeing is close to completing an upgrade to flight software on the Max 'that will ensure accidents like these never happen again.'

The annual meeting came six months to the day since the Lion Air crash in the Karawang Bay, West Java, occurred on October 29. A search missing is shown being carried out at the site of the crash on October 30

In the brief news conference that followed, Muilenburg said - as he has several times before - that the accidents resulted from a 'chain of events' that included the erroneous activation of flight software known as MCAS. This picture taken at the Tanjung Priok Jakarta port on October 30, 2018 shows Indonesian people examining debris of the ill-fated Lion Air flight JT 610 in Jakarta

In the brief news conference that followed, Muilenburg said - as he has several times before - that the accidents resulted from a 'chain of events' that included the erroneous activation of flight software known as MCAS.

Boeing has conceded that in both accidents, MCAS was triggered by faulty readings from a single sensor that pushed the planes' noses down.

'We know this is a link in both accidents that we can break. That's a software update that we know how to do ... this will make the airplane even safer,' Muilenburg said.

Muilenburg took six questions from reporters before leaving with reporters still questioning him, including one who pointed to the deaths of 346 people and urged the CEO to take more questions.

Besides the software update, Boeing will present the Federal Aviation Administration with a plan for training pilots on changes to MCAS.

The company is pushing for training that can be done on tablet computers and, if airlines want to offer it, additional time in flight simulators when pilots are due for periodic retraining.

Accidents involving the Boeing 737 Max in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people. Wreckage is shown on March 11 piled at the crash scene of the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Bishoftu, Ethiopia

Pieces of the wreckage of an Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft are shown piled at the crash site near Bishoftu, Ethiopia, on March 13, three days after the crash

Southwest Airlines said over the weekend that Boeing did not disclose that a safety feature on the 737 - an indicator to warn pilots about the kind of sensor failure that has been linked to both accidents - was turned off on the Max. In this file photo taken on March 28, 2019, Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are parked on the tarmac after being grounded at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, California

Muilenburg took six questions from reporters, including whether he will resign, which he said he has no intention of doing. Muilenburg is pictured in Chicago on Monday

A requirement for training in simulators would further delay the return of the Max because of the relatively small number of flight simulators.

The union for American Airlines pilots wants mandatory additional training on checklists for responding to certain emergencies.

'Not every pilot that goes out there and flies is a Boeing test pilot,' said Dennis Tajer, a 737 pilot and spokesman for the pilots' union at American.

'The responsibility to train those men and women doesn't rest just with the airlines, it rests with Boeing and the FAA too. If something happens anywhere in the world, it affects all of us.'

During the one-hour annual meeting, shareholders elected all 13 company-backed board nominees, including newcomer Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who lobbied for a Boeing plant there, and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Several shareholder resolutions were defeated, including one to name an independent chairman whenever possible instead of letting the CEO hold both jobs.

A chairman-CEO 'is not always a bad thing, but at times of crisis it's hardly ever a good idea,' said Matt Brubaker, CEO of business-strategy consultant FMG Leading, who was not involved in the debate. 'The place they are in now, they need the scrutiny of an inwardly focused CEO to drive change.'
A white Dallas cop who fatally shot her black neighbor in his apartment after claiming to have mistaken it for her own told 911 operators 'I'm done', 'I'm f****d' and 'I'm gonna lose my job' as she sought medical help for him, it has emerged.

Amber Guyger, 30, is awaiting trial for killing 26-year-old Botham Jean in his apartment in Dallas in September. She was charged with murder by a grand jury last year and will return to court in September.

On Tuesday, her 911 call at 9.59pm on September 6 was revealed for the first time.

It lasted five minutes and 38 seconds, during which time she told the operator 19 times that she thought she was in her own apartment when she pulled her trigger.

'I didnt mean to. I didnt mean to. I didnt mean to. Im sorry.'

The call started with Guyger telling the operator that she was in apartment number 1478 - Jean's apartment which was one floor above hers.

'I'm at apartment number 1478. I'm in 1478. I thought I was in my apartment. I shot a guy thinking it was my apartment. I'm f**cked,' she said.

Throughout it, Guyger cursed and cried, encouraging Jean to stay alive and calling him 'bud'.

Scroll down for audio

Amber Guyger is awaiting trial for killing Botham Jean in his apartment in Dallas in September.

She broke down in tears several times and, at one stage, told the operator: 'I'm done.'

At the start of the call, Guyger introduced herself by saying: 'This is an off duty officer. Can I get, I need to get EMS.'

The operator responded: 'Do you need police as well or just EMS?'

FULL TRANSCRIPT OF 911 CALL Guyger: Get up man. Operator: This is 911, what's your emergency. G: Hi, this is an off-duty officer. Um can I get, I need EMS, I'm in number, um. Operator: What's your address? Do you need police as well or just EMS? G: Yes, I need both. F**k. Operator: OK. What's the address? G: 'I'm at apartment number 1478. I'm in 1478. Operator: 'And what's the address there?' G: Um it's 1210 South Lamar. 1478...yes. Operator: What's going on? G: I'm an off duty officer. I thought I was in my apartment. I shot a guy thinking he was... thinking it was my apartment. Operator: You shot someone? G: Yes. I thought it was my apartment. I'm f****d. Oh my God. I'm sorry. Operator: Where are you at right now? G: I'm in. What do you mean? I'm inside the apartment with him. (To Jean): Hey, come on man. Operator: What's your name? G: 'My name is Amber Guyger.' Operator: OK we have help on the way. G: I know but I'm gonna lose my job. I thought it was my apartment. (To Jean): Hey man. F**k. Operator: Stay with me OK. G: I am. I am. I know I need a supervisor. (To Jean): Hey bud, hey bud, hey bud. Come on. Oh f**k. I thought it was my apartment! Operator: I understand. We have help on the way. G: 'I thought it was my apartment! Hurry, please. Operator: They're on their way. G: I thought it was my apartment, I thought it was my apartment. I could have sworn I parked on the third floor. Operator: I understand. G: No, I thought it was my apartment. I thought it was my apartment, I thought it was my apartment, I thought it was my apartment. Operator: What's the gate code there? G: I don't know. I don't know. I thought it was my apartment. Operator: They're trying to get in there, they have an officer there. You don't know the gate code? G: No. I thought it was my apartment. I thought it was my apartment. Operator: OK... and what floor are you in right now? G: On the fourth floor. Fourth. (To Jean) Hey bud, hey bud. They're coming. I'm sorry man. Operator: 'OK, where was he shot? G: He's on the top, top left. Operator: You're with Dallas PD, right? G: Yes.... (cries) Oh my God, I'm done. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry. (To Jean) Hey bud. Operator: They're trying to get there to you, OK. G: I know. (To Jean) Hey, hey. Stay with me bud. Holy f**k. Operator: They're already there, they tried to get to you. G: Holy f**k. I thought it was my apartment. I thought it was my apartment. Holy f**K. I thought it was my apartment. Oh my God. F**k. I thought it was my apartment. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. F**K. (Jean groans). Oh my God. Operator: OK they're trying to get to you. Do you see them? Do you see them? G: No! No. I.. I... How the f**k did I put the.. How did I...I'm so tired. I don't know... hurry. (To paramedics) Hey, over here! over here! Operator: OK go ahead and talk to them. G: (To paramedics) No it's me, I'm off-duty.I'm off-duty. I'm off-duty. I thought they were in my apartment, I thought this was my floor. Advertisement

She replied: 'Yes I need both.'

Crucially, she hesitated when asked where she was, as if she was checking the apartment number.

She then said: 'I thought I was in my apartment and I shot a guy thinking he was, thinking it was my apartment.'

The operator replied: 'You shot someone?'

Guyger continued, becoming more frantic: 'I thought it was my apartment.

'Im f****d. Oh my God. Im sorry.'

Later, she said: 'Im off duty. Im off duty.

'I thought it was my apartment. I thought this was my floor.'

She continued to give the operator her name, becoming increasingly frazzled:

'Im Amber Guyger. I need, get me. Im in.'

A minute into the call, the severity of the situation dawned on her.

'Im going to lose my job. I thought it was my apartment,' she said, adding that she needs a supervisor.

Throughout the call, she talked to Jean, calling him 'bud' and encouraging him to stay alive.

'Stay with me bud,' she said at one point.

She broke down in tears at one stage then repeated several times: 'I thought it was my apartment. I thought it was my apartment. I thought it was my apartment.

'I thought it was my apartment.'

At the end of the call, she started asking how she got into the wrong apartment.

'Oh my God How did I put thehow didhow did IIm so tired,' she said.

Guyger, who lived on the floor beneath Jean, told police that she returned home to the apartment building after a 13 hour shift. She said she found the door to his apartment slightly ajar and, once inside, saw a 'large silhouette'.

He claimed that she gave verbal commands and shot him when he ignored her.

Neighbors contradicted her story by claiming to have heard arguing before the incident.

The audio was obtained by WFAA and released on Tuesday after being kept secret by the Dallas Police Department for months.

The department took two weeks to fire Guyger despite charging her with manslaughter after Botham's death.

The more serious charge of murder was brought by a grand jury afterwards.

Jean's family's attorney said on Tuesday that the call proved how she was concerned for himself but showed no signs that she was afraid of him.

'There was nothing in that video or the recording where she ever indicated she thought Botham was trying to harm her.

'She was very fast to shoot without asking very many questions,' Daryl Washington, the family attorney, said.

Jean's family live in the Caribbean.

He had come to the US in 2011 after winning a place at Harding University in Arkansas.

He studied business administration and accounting and management and graduated in 2016.

PwC hired him out of college as a risk assurance associate. His family have always been dubious of Guyger's story.

Their fears were compounded by claims from neighbors who say they heard arguing and someone yelling seconds before Guyger fired her weapon.

One neighbor said they heard a woman in the hallway knocking on a door and yelling: 'Let me in, let me in.'

Another neighbor then heard gunshots and afterwards claimed to have heard a man shouting: 'Oh my God. Why did you do that?'

The witness told Jean's family's lawyer Lee Merritt they think those were his last words. Jean's mother Allison said she believes there is more to her son's death than has been revealed.

'I'm not satisfied that we have all the answers,' she said last year.

The exterior of Botham Jean's apartment in Dallas. He lived above Amber Guyger

Jean's family, who are from St. Lucia, are shown grieving for him at a service last September. They have always doubted the cop's story

The search warrant also revealed that Guyger told police she used her keys to open the heavy, steel-enforced door.

It contradicted claims she first made when reporting the incident including that the door was ajar.

Neighbors doubted that claim too, telling DailyMail.com that the doors could only be left open intentionally.

Guyger claimed that she held her key fob up to the apartment door before entering but it would have flashed red because she was at the wrong door.

Jean also had a distinctive red doormat whereas Guyger did not.

Before shooting him, she had filed a noise complaint about Jean who, she said, made noise in the mornings.

However she insists she was exhausted at the end of a grueling shift and simply made a mistake.
A waiter, who has been dubbed Tyrion Lannister's doppelganger by fans of Game of Thrones in Pakistan, has made his acting debut in a food commercial.

Rozi Khan, who bears a striking resemblance to American actor Peter Dinklage, had never even heard of the smash HBO show until he started getting photo requests from strangers in the city.

After becoming an internet sensation, the 26-year-old, who works as a waiter in Rawalpindi, has now launched his new acting career as the Hollywood star's double after receiving an advert opportunity for the delivery service Cheetay.

Rozi Khan, 26, who bears a striking resemblance to American actor Peter Dinklage, sits at a table during his acting debut for Cheetay

During the food commercial, Mr Khan, who works as a waiter in Rawalpindi, is served a variety of dishes by different waiters

In the advert staff gather around the doppelganger and make references to the iconic HBO show

Rozi Khan (left) is said to be the spitting image of the American actor Peter Dinklage (right)

The advert, which shows Mr Khan sitting down for various meals in different locations as a number of staff and customers approach him has already received more than 2,000 views on Twitter.

In one scene, a fan is seen approaching the Dinklage double and telling him 'winter is coming' while in another scene a member of staff repeats the iconic Game of Thrones line: 'I heard you always pay your debts.'

Earlier this month, Mr Khan, who is 24 years Dinklage's junior, said: 'I don't mind. A lot of my pictures have been taken, that's why I have become very famous everywhere.'

Dinklage has played the witty and wily nobleman since the hit series' first season in 2010.

The Dinklage double sits at the table as a fan approaches him and says the iconic line of the very first Game of Thrones episode: 'Winter is coming'

Fans approach the lookalike as his eats his food during the Cheetay food commercial

During the advert an excited fan sits next to Mr Khan as he eats spaghetti and asks if he can take a selfie

A waiter approaches the Pakistani star says 'I know you always pay your debts' in reference to the iconic Game of Thrones line

The Pakistani doppelganger makes his acting debut in food commercial for Cheetay

Not only are Mr Khan and Dinklage's faces said to be strikingly similar, they are also the same height at around 135 cms (4 ft 5in).

Photographs of the pair had initially made their way onto social media showing the two men side-by-side.

'Wherever I go, someone says to me: "Sir, who is this man with you on Facebook", I say that he is my friend. "He looks like you." I tell them he is my brother. It's not a bad thing,' said Mr Khan.

Peter Dinklage in character as Tyrion Lannister, the wily nobleman has been a central character in the HBO show since it first aired in 2010

Mr Khan works at a small Kashmiri restaurant down a narrow line in Rawalpindi and said he had never heard of Game of Thrones until he started getting inundated with photo requests

Talking about the attention he has received Mr Khan said: 'I don't mind. A lot of my pictures have been taken, that's why I have become very famous everywhere'

Mr Khan at work in the restaurant at the Dilbar Hotel in Rawalpindi in the Punjab province of Pakistan

The television series has won 47 Emmys - more than any other fictional show in history - along with a Golden Globe for Dinklage, 49, for best supporting actor in 2012.

Peter Dinklage, 49, has played the witty nobleman Tyrion Lannister since the series first aired in 2010

A much anticipated final series is set to premiere on April 17.

Mr Khan works at a small Kashmiri restaurant in Rawalpindi, serving customers hearty dishes such as mutton and spinach curries.

Owner Malik Aslam Pervez described him as a hard-worker - and also a drawcard for the eatery.

'When he takes a day off or gets sick, people look for him and ask where did he go? They get upset. They love him. There is always a crowd here but it has boomed because of him,' he said.

Born in Mansehra in northern Pakistan, Mr Khan says he would love to meet Dinklage, describing him as a friend and brother.

'I love him very much, he is my friend... he is my height so I like him a lot,' said Mr Khan.

For customers, seeing someone who looks like Tyrion Lannister in the flesh is also a thrill.

'When I saw him, I'm happy, I feel that I met with Lannister in real [life],' said Zain Hadri, 20.

Game of Thrones tells the story of noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne, all the while keeping one eye on the 'White Walkers' leading hordes of the undead toward an invasion from the North.

Mr Khan waves to fans at the restraunt in Pakistan, he says he would love to meet Dinklage, describing him as a friend and brother

Not only are Mr Khan and Dinklage's faces said to be strikingly similar, they are also roughly the same height at around 135 cms (4 ft 5in)

Mr Khan, who is now the face of a food delivery advert, offers Friday prayers at a mosque in Rawalpindi last month
Vodafone has confirmed it found hidden vulnerabilities in network equipment supplied by Huawei a decade ago as the Chinese firm continues to protect its reputation.

The UK telecoms firm is said to have discovered the flaws between 2009 and 2012 in internet routers and other equipment used by its Italian business, according to Bloomberg.

The 'hidden back doors' could have allowed Huawei to access users' home internet networks, the report claimed.

The Chinese company continues to protect its trustworthiness after it was alleged to have gained unauthorised access to homes and businesses

UK telecoms firm Vodafone has said it found hidden vulnerabilities in Huawei's network equipment ten years ago

Vodafone confirmed the issues but disputed aspects of the report, claiming the flaws were diagnostic tools used to monitor the state of a network that had failed to be removed and could not be used to access a user's network.

A Vodafone spokesman said: 'The issues in Italy identified in the Bloomberg story were all resolved and date back to 2011 and 2012.

'The ''back door'' that Bloomberg refers to is Telnet, which is a protocol that is commonly used by many vendors in the industry for performing diagnostic functions. It would not have been accessible from the internet.

'Bloomberg is incorrect in saying that this 'could have given Huawei unauthorised access to the carrier's fixed-line network in Italy.

'In addition, we have no evidence of any unauthorised access. This was nothing more than a failure to remove a diagnostic function after development.

'The issues were identified by independent security testing, initiated by Vodafone as part of our routine security measures, and fixed at the time by Huawei.'

The Chinese firm is at the centre of a debate about the company's trustworthiness and whether it should be used at the centre of communications network infrastructure.

It was reportedly given the green light by Prime Minister Theresa May to be used in non-essential parts of the UK's upcoming 5G network.

In the US, the use of certain Huawei equipment is already banned on security grounds and the UK is now being pressured to take a similar approach

Earlier this year founder of Huawei, Ren Zhengfei (pictured with Chinas President Xi Jinping), said the company had never been asked to share 'improper information'

Huawei has been the subject of concern for some years because of allegations of close ties to the country's government.

Under Chinese law, firms are compelled to 'support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work'.

A deputy assistant secretary at the US State Department, Robert Strayer, said on Monday that Huawei 'was not a trusted vendor' and any use of its technology in 5G networks was a risk.

And his position was backed by a Conservative member of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Bob Seely, who said: 'Huawei cannot, by definition, be a trusted vendor. It is required by law to co-operate with Chinese secret services. It is close to, if not part of, the Chinese state.

'China has achieved great things, and we need to respect it and develop good deep relations with it, but it also has a reputation for wholesale intellectual property theft and state hacking.

Responding to the Vodafone report, Huawei said it was made aware of historical vulnerabilities in 2011 and 2012 and they were addressed at the time

The company has denied having ties with the government and claims that it abides by the law

'Its military theory sees warfare as a battle between systems, including communications systems. It takes a very different approach to human rights and human freedoms.

'It goes without saying that to allow Huawei into our network is a risk  the question is how much.'

Some critics have expressed concerns that Beijing could require the firm to install technological 'backdoors' to enable it to spy on or disable Britain's communications network.

Huawei has always denied having ties to the state and says it abides by the laws of the countries in which it operates.

Founder Ren Zhengfei said earlier this year that Huawei had never been asked to share 'improper information' about its partners by the government.

He said: 'I personally would never harm the interest of my customers and me and my company would not answer to such requests.

'No law in China requires any company to install mandatory back doors.'

The US has already banned the use of some Huawei equipment on security grounds and is pressuring its allies  including the UK  to take a similar approach, warning the firm poses an 'unacceptable risk'.

In a statement on the Vodafone report, Huawei said: 'We were made aware of historical vulnerabilities in 2011 and 2012 and they were addressed at the time.

'Software vulnerabilities are an industry-wide challenge. Like every ICT vendor we have a well-established public notification and patching process, and when a vulnerability is identified we work closely with our partners to take the appropriate corrective action.'
Israel's ambassador to the United States has slammed The New York Times as 'a cesspool of hostility towards' the Middle Eastern country.

Ambassador Ron Dermer's remarks come after the publication was forced to apologise for running a political cartoon that pictured President Donald Trump in a yarmulke being led by a dachshund dog with the face of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking at the National Days of Remembrance ceremony at the US Capitol on Monday, Dermer said: 'We have seen one of the world's most prestigious newspapers become a cesspool of hostility towards Israel that goes well beyond any legitimate criticism of a fellow, imperfect democracy.

Ambassador Ron Dermer's The New York Times as 'a cesspool of hostility towards Israel' (pictured in 2017)

'The same New York Times that a century ago mostly hid from their readers the Holocaust of the Jewish people has today made its pages a safe-space for those who hate the Jewish state.

'Through biased coverage, slanderous columns and anti-Semitic cartoons, its editors shamefully choose week after week to cast the Jewish state as a force for evil.'

Meanwhile, Trump said the publication has not apologized to him for running the political cartoon, which was intended as a criticism of his administration's perceived pro-Israel bias.

The Times ran a cartoon on Thursday, which depicts President Trump as a blind man wearing a yarmulke being led by a 'guide dog' with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's face

'The New York Times has apologized for the terrible Anti-Semitic Cartoon, but they haven't apologized to me for this or all of the Fake and Corrupt news they print on a daily basis,' Trump tweeted Monday.

'They have reached the lowest level of "journalism," and certainly a low point in @nytimes history!'

The Times ran the cartoon on Thursday in print, and on Saturday apologized for the cartoon, which it said 'included anti-Semitic tropes' and admitted was 'offensive' and 'an error of judgment to publish it.'

A blue Star of David is seen dangling from Netanyahu's 'collar' while Trump, portrayed as a blind man, holds the leash.

President Donald Trump said the New York Times has not reached out to him to apologize for running an anti-Semitic cartoon

Trump said that the Times, which he often calls 'fake news,' has reached the 'lowest level of journalism' by running the political cartoon

The newspaper said the cartoon was provided by the New York Times News Service and Syndicate and has been deleted.

'We are deeply sorry for the publication of an anti-Semitic political cartoon last Thursday in the print edition of The New York Times that circulates outside of the United States, and we are committed to making sure nothing like this happens again,' the Times Opinion section tweeted in a statement Saturday.

'Such imagery is always dangerous, and at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide, it's all the more unacceptable,' the statement continued. 'We have investigated how this happened and learned that, because of a faulty process, a single editor working without adequate oversight downloaded the syndicated cartoon and made the decision to include it on the Opinion page.'

'The image was offensive, and it was an error of judgment to publish it,' the Times said Saturday in a statement addressing the image

In response to the continued outrage, the Times Opinion team issued another statement on Sunday that had a more explicit apology

Trump often criticizes the Times, calling the publication 'fake news,' and blasting them for its leftist bias. He said the Times reached a 'low point' in publishing the cartoon and then not apologizing to him.

'Disgusting. I have no words for flagrant anti-Semitism on display here,' Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr., tweeted Saturday. 'Imagine this was in something other than a leftist newspaper?'

New York Times op-ed columnist Bret Stephens blasted his paper for the cartoon on Sunday

The American Jewish Committee slammed the Times, saying that it printed a cartoon 'that would not have looked out of place on a white supremacist website'.

'Apology not accepted,' the AJC tweeted in response to the Times' clarification on Saturday. 'What does this say about your processes or your decision makers? How are you fixing it?'

The AJC then tweeted: 'Naked antisemitism such as in this image is not 'an error of judgment. We have to wonder if the @nytimes editors would've published a similar cartoon depicting any other country or people.'

The cartoon was drawn by political cartoonist Antonio Moreira Antunes of the Lisbon, Portugal-based newspaper Expresso.

Times columnist Bret Stephens wrote a piece titled 'A Despicable Cartoon in The Times,' which blasted his employer over the cartoon.

The media's 'torrential criticism of Israel' and 'mainstreaming of anti-Zionism' has desensitized people to its 'inherent bigotry,' Stephens wrote.

'I have now been with The Times for two years and I'm certain that the charge that the institution is in any way anti-Semitic is a calumny,' Stephens writes.

The president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said he was disgusted by the 'anti-Semitism on display here,' and claimed more right-leaning newspapers would receive even more backlash for a similar faux pas

'But the publication of the cartoon isn't just an 'error of judgment. The paper owes the Israeli prime minister an apology.' Stephens continued. 'It owes itself some serious reflection as to how it came to publish that cartoon - and how its publication came, to many longtime readers, as a shock but not a surprise.'

Palestinian leaders have said Trump cannot be an honest broker for peace after he broke with long-standing U.S. policy and recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017 and moved the American embassy to the city last May.

Trump also established a precedent by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.
A student is taking school canteens and the government to task over 'ridiculous and overpriced' meals.

Bailey-Lee Robb, 17, a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, is demanding a probe into 'disgusting' offerings in canteens.

The 17-year-old claims school sandwiches are 'much more expensive' than Asda or Greggs and says the 2.10 free meal entitlement doesn't even cover the cost of a main meal and a bottle of water.

Bailey-Lee Robb is demanding a probe into 'disgusting' offerings in canteens

The 17-year-old claims school sandwiches are 'much more expensive' than Asda or Greggs

The youngster has been left unimpressed by the paltry turkey sandwiches available to students

Bailey-Lee said: 'The prices for some of the stuff are ridiculous - it's 1.40 for a sandwich which comes all the way from Glasgow. You can get better in Asda or Greggs for 1.

'The prices have just gone up but unfortunately the free school meal entitlement hasn't gone up at the same time. That meant cash problems for some youngsters.

'The main meals are 1.55 and a 330ml bottle of water is 60p while the free entitlement is 2.10, so you can see right away there's not enough money for those pupils. This may be the only meal they are getting in a day.

'Other things which should be selling out are just not getting sold because they are so awful. A change is needed.'

He claims the authorities are 'just looking to make a profit.'

He added: 'But you shouldn't profit from kids, especially off some for whom this is their only meal.'

The teenager, pictured here with Councillor Mary Lockhart, said: 'You shouldn't profit from kids, especially off some for whom this is their only meal'

Bailey-Lee is believed to be the youngest person to put forward a motion to Fife Council.

He is part of a group of pupils from Lochgelly and Beath high schools who will raise the issue at the council's Cowdenbeath area committee.

Senior manager at Fife Council Tariq Ditta said: 'I look forward to hearing from Lochgelly pupils attending this forthcoming committee meeting and understanding their wants, to help us improve our service and increase the uptake of school meals.

'We're particularly keen to ensure pupils from lower-income households are taking the opportunity to have a free hot meal and will review our product range against the daily meal allowance.'
An autistic child self-harmed after Ryanair refused to let him fly with his iPad, phone and sensory toys, a furious family claim.

Leyton Martin, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, became so distressed by the noise of the jet without his normal distractions he gouged skin from his arms and hands.

The eight-year-old's family say they paid an extra 57 to take hand luggage, including Leyton's, on the flight from Arrecife, Lanzarote, to Manchester.

But they claim the airline threatened to call the police when they insisted Leyton could not fly without his toys and medicine, which are used to help him relax.

Leyton Martin (left, with his father tom mother Claire, and sister Nevaeh, became so distressed by the noise of the jet without his normal distractions he gouged skin from his arms

The incident took place as the Martin family flew home on Thursday after enjoying what could be their last holiday for some time as mother, Claire, 36, is being treated for cancer.

Mrs Martin said: 'I had paid 67 euro for extra luggage but the lady at the checkout pointed to my son's bag and said you are not taking that on board as it's not priority luggage.

'When I tried explaining that to the lady that I needed Leyton's bag she said 'no' and became really aggressive.

'I proceeded to explain that my son, who was wearing his disability necklace, that it had his iPad, phone and sensory toys in the bag and we needed them for the five hour journey to keep him entertained.'

The family of the eight-year-old (pictured) say they paid an extra 67 Euros (57) to take hand luggage, including Leyton's, on the flight from Arrecife, Lanzarote, to Manchester, but were not allowed to take it aboard

One of the injuries on Leyton's hands after he gouged into them when he was on board the aircraft

She added: 'She said if we didn't go now she was throwing us off the plane and phoning the police. My son was having a meltdown begging to go home.

'We weren't even allowed to take out any of the items for the flight.

Mrs Martin said her son then started to pick holes in his arm, which he does without his sensory toys.

She added: 'We didn't have his ipad to watch with his ear phones something as noise really effects him.

'Even worse when we got back to Manchester the bag was not there they have now lost the bag and all my son's belongings, my holiday photos and son's birthday things that were in his bag.'

Mrs Martin released video of the distressed family making their way to the aircraft. Leyton can be heard crying as she complains that she went on holiday because of her cancer treatment and says it could be her 'last holiday'.

Mrs Martin, who was travelling with husband, Tom, 38, and their daughter, Nevaeh, two, have made a formal complaint to Ryanair but have not yet received a response.

The family, pictured on holiday, say they have now made a formal complaint to Ryanair

It came as Ryanair were criticised yesterday for their handling of a 15-year-old autistic boy who became distressed after it was claimed the airline tried to charge a baggage fee for his tiny comfort doll.

Leo Wakefield, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was travelling home with his carer from Alicante, Spain.

According to his mother, Helen, Leo had a 'meltdown' on Saturday evening after staff demanded they pay 25 as the item qualified as hand luggage.

Leo ended up flying home with Jet2. Pictures showed a stewardess who played with Leo throughout the flight.

When asked about the incident, a spokesman for Ryanair said: 'We have received no complaint from these customers regarding this alleged incident.

'These customers did not pre-book special assistance for their flight from Lanzarote to Manchester, nor did they contact Ryanair Customer Service before their flight to advise of any special requirements.

'They did not have priority boarding and were informed by gate agents that their carry-on bag would be placed in the hold.

'The customers also did not inform gate agents that their son was autistic at any point in the boarding process'.
A man whose nephew is accused of killing seven people including his own relatives has said he wishes he could take justice into his own hands.

Brian Cummins is trying to process how his family found themselves at the center of Tennessee's deadliest homicide event in at least two decades.

His nephew Michael Cummins, 25, was arrested on Saturday night after police found eight victims at two crime scenes in the small town of Westmoreland.

Among the seven dead were Michael's parents, David and Clara Cummins, his uncle Charlie Hosale and a 12-year-old girl.

The sole survivor was the accused killer's grandmother, who is now fighting for her life in the hospital after a brutal beating.

'It's hard to realize about what he did,' Brian, David's brother, told WSMV.

'I love him to death, but when he killed my brother and them, I wish I would've killed him that night.'

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Brian Cummins, whose nephew Michael Cummins is accused of killing six family members in Westmoreland, Tennessee, has said he wishes he had taken justice into his own hands after the bodies were discovered on Saturday. Brian said of the 25-year-old suspect: 'I love him to death, but when he killed my brother and them, I wish I would've killed him that night'

According to court documents, Brian saw Michael on Saturday evening wearing a white t-shirt stained with blood.

The suspect allegedly claimed that the stains were chocolate.

'I said no it ain't. I said that's dry blood,' Brian said.

Michael Cummins, 25, was arrested Saturday after police found eight victims at two crime scenes in the small town of Westmoreland. Among the seven dead were Michael's parents, his uncle and a 12-year-old girl

Later that night the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation captured Michael in a creek bed about a mile from one of the murder scenes.

He has not been charged in the murders but is being held in police custody without bond for a probation violation stemming from an incident in September 2017 in which he set a neighbor's house on fire.

Michael was sentenced to 10 years in prison but placed on 10 years of probation last summer by a Sumner County judge after he pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated arson and aggravated assault in the attack at a home in the 1100 block of Charles Brown Road.

At the time of his arrest Cummins allegedly told police: 'If I get out of jail, I'll go there and do it again. When I get out, I'll finish the job.'

News4 spoke with the judge who presided over the case, giving him the light sentence of probation and ordered a mental health evaluation.

'I don't regret endorsing what was in front of me by two very good attorneys,' Sumner County Judge Dee David Gay said.

Brian Cummins disagreed, saying: 'He should've been in a mental hospital and maybe stayed there for the rest of his life.'

Clara Cummins, 44, and David Cummins, 51, (left and right) were among the seven victims allegedly murdered by their son Michael in Westmoreland, Tennessee

The alleged shooter's uncle, Charlie Hosale, and a woman believed to be his partner, Rachel McGlothlin-Pee, were also killed during the violent rampage across two homes in Sumner County, police say. Hosale and McGlothlin-Pee are pictured together in a Facebook photo

Rachel McGlothlin-Pee's 12-year-old daughter Sapphire (left) was also killed along with Rachel's mom Marsha Elizabeth Nuckols, 64 (right)

Michael's heartbroken sister Crystal Cummins spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com on Monday and said she believes her brother is responsible for the killings.

The 22-year-old's voice was thick with anguish as she said: 'It's obvious that he had to have done it. He was the only person who was there who didn't die besides my granny.'

Crystal admitted that she knows very little about the shootings that have shattered her family and the small community she grew up in.

'I lost everyone and they won't tell me anything,' she said of investigators.

Despite the lack of information, Crystal said: 'Truly in my heart I believe he had something to do with it.

'I can't imagine my brother doing that to his own family. He had to have.'

The home on Charles Brown Road where six of the seven bodies were discovered is seen above

She said she sensed something was wrong last week after she hadn't heard from her parents, David, 51, and Clara, 44, for a couple days.

'I called my mom on Thursday, no answer, called by granny, no answer, called my dad, no answer, called my uncle Charlie, no answer. I thought maybe they were sick so I stopped calling,' she said.

When Saturday rolled around and they still weren't answering, one of Clara's sister's went over to the house where they all lived on Charles Brown Road.

She forced open the locked door and discovered the first of six bodies that would eventually be found inside the house.

At a press conference Monday morning authorities identified the victims as Crystal's parents, her uncle Charlie, 45, his longtime girlfriend Rachel McGlothlin-Pee, 43, her 12-year-old daughter Sapphire and her mother Marsha Nuckols.

A seventh victim, Shirley Fehrle, 69, was killed at her home nearby on Luby Brown Road after Michael Cummins allegedly stole her car.

A GoFundMe has been set up for funeral expenses for Marsha, Rachel and Sapphire which has raised more than $1,200 so far.

Crystal's grandmother was found beaten within an inch of her life at the home and is currently in the hospital in critical condition.

'I'm thankful that at least she made it,' Crystal said.

Rachel McGlothlin-Pee (left) and her 12-year-old daughter Sapphire (right) lived in the home on Charles Brown Road where six of the seven slayings took place

Crystal said her older brother had been 'acting crazy since he got out of jail back in January, so I kind of steered clear of him lately.'

'My mom was trying to take him to a mental place but he didn't want to go and he wouldn't take his medication,' she said, noting that Michael was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 'and something else' as a child.

She explained: 'My mom and my dad and my uncle helped him out so many times. He got everything he needed and wanted from them.'

Crystal said the last time she saw her brother was about a week ago and that he was 'going up and down the road taking his shirt off and talking to himself, screaming out'.

Michael has a seven-year-old daughter whose mother hasn't allowed him to have contact for the last year, Crystal said.

'His little girl she don't understand,' she added. 'I have to be strong for my son. I can't tell him what happened and I don't know what happened.

'He's been asking to go over there [to the grandmother's house] but I can't bring him there. He loved to play with all of them.

'I want to know what happened but I also don't know if I could handle it.'

Cummins is currently on probation for setting his neighbor's house on fire in September 2017, according to Sumner County court records. The suspect is seen above in Facebook photos

Authorities identified the seven victims at a press conference Monday morning where Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch (left) described the slayings as 'gruesome' and 'complex'

Sumner County District Attorney Ray Whitley called the string of slayings one of 'the most horrific cases' he has ever investigated.

Police have not revealed how each of the victims were killed but local media reports indicated that they were all shot as Cummins was armed at the time of his arrest.

Authorities say he was seen wearing a bloodstained shirt and told acquaintances he was saving a bullet for himself, according to an affidavit filed with a warrant for his arrest.

No motive in the attack has been reported, though the suspect has a long, court-documented history of mental health issues.

WROC-TV reported that he has a lengthy criminal background in Sumner County with signs of escalating violence.

He was first arrested in December 2012 for violation of an order of protection and simple possession of drugs. He was released about a month later on time served.

In August 2013, he was arrested again for domestic assault and sentenced to 150 days in jail.

A few years later, in 2017, Cummins was arrested in Sumner County three more times.

In February 2017, he was charged with theft under $1,000 and evading arrest. Police records indicate he posted bond.

Later in June, he served nearly two months in jail for robbery, domestic assault and violation of probation for the theft charge.

After his release from jail in 2017, he set fire his neighbor's house, according to documents filed in Sumner County Criminal Court.
An Oregon high school is dealing with its third racist scandal of the year - and second just this week - after a blackface cake was made during a cooking class.

Students at Cleveland High School were shocked when a picture of the chocolate cake, decorated with blue eyes and exaggerated lips, was shared on Twitter.

The cake had been made just days after a teacher discovered string tied like a noose hanging from one of the entryways of the Portland school.

Cleveland High School Principal Ayesha Freeman emailed parents and students on Monday about the noose. On Thursday, she was emailing them again about the cake.

A blackface cake (pictured) was made during a cooking class at Cleveland High School in Portland, Oregon last week

The blackface cake had come to light thanks to senior Brody Kreiter, who saw a photo of the cake on Snapchat and then posted it on his Twitter.

'A bunch of white girls at my school made a blackface chocolate [cake] and we're all pissed about it,' he wrote in the caption.

Student Jesse Hodgson said he immediately thought the cake looked like blackface when he saw the photo.

'People were sharing on their Snapchat stories that they saw this, and they're like "Oh, this looks like Jim Crow, this looks racist,' he told KATU.

Fellow student Saphron Billings-McBee said she couldn't believe that such an incident 'happened at my school'.

'There are really terrible issues that go on in this school and it doesn't get dealt with in a serious matter,' she added.

Kreiter said he decided to share the photo because he wanted something to finally be done after a string of similar incidents at the school.

The blackface cake had come to light thanks to senior Brody Kreiter, who saw a photo of the cake on Snapchat and then posted it on his Twitter

'I just believe that certain communities within Cleveland get treated unfairly and I'm sick of it,' he told The Oregonian.

'And it's our job as members of those communities to come together and take action.'

The incident comes just six months after swastikas and 'hateful words' were written on fliers for the school's Jewish Student Union.

Cleveland High School is 69 percent white. Only three percent of students at the school are black.

In her letter to parents, Freeman said there was 'no place for hate speech, bias, or discrimination' at the school.

'We are working together towards a restorative process to heal our community from the hurt and harm that has been caused by a series of incidents this year,' she added.

The district has since opened an investigation into the cake and said it is 'still gathering the facts to determine exactly what happened'.

The cake had been made just days after a teacher discovered string tied like a noose hanging from one of the entryways of the school (pictured)

'We want and expect our schools to be places where all students feel safe, welcome, included and respected by staff and classmates,' it added.

'Any act of racism, racial insensitivity or discrimination of any sort is completely unacceptable at our schools. Our primary focus in the days ahead is on giving our students any and all supports they need as they begin to heal from this incident.'

Hodgson said he believes the school needs to do a better job of educating its students about the issues at hand.

'They just think, it's not something that happens at our schools,' he said. 'But it does happen, and they need to be educated about that.'

Freeman said that the school will hold a panel discussion with students of color this week and will hold an anti-hate assembly.

Social studies teachers will also deliver lessons on racism and the history of blackface to their classes this week.
Surfing legend Vincent 'Sunny' Garcia spoke of his depression and battling demons on social media before he was found unconscious at his home.

The World Surf League confirmed on Tuesday that Garcia had been discovered at his Oregon property in the US before he was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Only the day before the incident, the 49-year-old took to Instagram to reflect on how far he had come in life.

Garcia posted a photo, showing a young, sun-kissed Garcia smiling widely at the camera while enjoying a snow cone.

'If I told this kid the things he would go through and things he would achieve he would tell me Im crazy lol,' the post read.

'Wow its been a crazy ride since this photo was taken.'

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The World Surf League confirmed on Tuesday that Garcia had been discovered at his Oregon home in the US before he was taken to hospital in a critical condition

Only the day before the incident, the 49-year-old took to Instagram to reflect on how far he had come in life (pictured, an old photo of Garcia as a young boy was posted to the surfing phenom's social media site, as Garcia reflected on his life)

Garcia is a record, six-time Hawaiian Triple Crown Champion, 2000 ASP World Champion and an inductee in the Surfing Walk of Fame

Garcia is a record, six-time Hawaiian Triple Crown Champion, 2000 ASP World Champion and an inductee in the Surfing Walk of Fame.

But behind closed doors, the celebrated surfer is known to have wrestled with depression.

In a 2014 Instagram post he revealed he had been struggling with the condition.

'Depression is no joke,' he posted at the time.

'Waking up feeling like youre ready to take on the world, then a couple of hours later, feeling down on life and wondering whats wrong with you.

'Well, I know Im not alone and Im not sure whats wrong with me because I have no reason to feel the way I do and its been happening for about two years.'

As recent as early April 2019, Garcia admitted he had been having some 'bad days'.

As recent as early April 2019, Garcia admitted he had been having some 'bad days'

'Doesnt get easier you just get stronger so as long as you keep fighting to be better life can be beautiful,' he said in a post.

'And sure we might have those moments when you just want to give up but you have made it so far so keep fighting.

'Ive been having some bad days but Im back to training and seriously been feeling a lot better.'

In a March 21 post, Garcia addressed mental illness and its attendant struggles.

'Doesn't matter what kind of mental illness you suffer from, we all suffer in silence and deal with it best we can and most people that don't suffer can't understand the pain and frustration that we go through.

'I have a incredible life surrounded by people that love and care for me, and I get to travel to beautiful places to surf and meet different people from all over the world.'

For anyone in need of advice or assistance contact Lifeline in Australia on 13 11 14.

For U.S. readers in heed of help or assistance, call 1-800-273-8255.

The surfing legend made his debut at the young age of 17 in the 1986 Gotcha Pro at Sandy Beach

Sunny Garcia at the REEF Hawaiian Pro competition in 2013

Behind all the fame and glamour, Garcia is known to have wrestled with depression (pictured, Garcia celebrates his win at 2000 surfing competition)
Kristy Lynn Phillips, 41 (pictured), of High Springs, Florida is accused of chasing down her husband in a separate vehicle and shooting at him from her car

A Florida woman has been arrested and charged with two felonies after authorities say she fired a weapon at her husband, following a domestic dispute.

Kristy Lynn Phillips, 41, is accused of chasing down her husband, Dustin, 38, in a separate vehicle and shooting at him from her car, according to an Alachua County Sheriffs Office arrest report.

No one was injured during the April 18 incident, The Gainesville Sun reported.

Dustin told DailyMail.com that Kristy is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, that this isn't the first time she's fired a weapon at him, and the two will likely divorce. He said he's feeling drained following the events.

Kristy has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and firing a weapon from her vehicle, Alachua County court records show.

A no-contact order between the parties was entered on April 24, Alachua County court records show.

Kristy (left), of High Springs, is said to have gotten in her car and chased after Dustin (right)

'I feel bad for my wife, I really do, but she's a sick person,' Dustin said.

'She knows she's supposed to take her medication, but doesn't take it, and she's diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Shes supposed to be my wife. I'm not supposed to have to babysit her like my child.'



Dustin told DailyMail.com that Kristy fired a weapon at him shortly after Thanksgiving, and that this incident was likely the last straw for the couple who married on February 7, 2018.

'I would really hate to see her go to prison,' he said. 'I'd rather see her just get help so this doesn't happen again to the next unfortunate fellow.'

Kristy, of High Springs, is said to have gotten in her car and chased after her husband, who fled their shared home in his truck following an argument between the two of them.

She allegedly pulled into oncoming traffic to block Dustin's vehicle and fired a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun in his direction.

This latest incident occurred near the intersection of County Roads 236 and 239.

'She followed me all the way to Union County to the police station,' Dustin said, 'and the police were waiting with guns drawn on her.'

Dustin was said to have been leaving their shared home (pictured) in his truck following an argument between the two of them

She allegedly pulled into oncoming traffic to block her husband's vehicle near the intersection of County Roads 236 and 239 (pictured)

Kristy (right) is said to have fired several shots from her car at her husband, Dustin (left)

Kristy is said to have fired several shots from her car.

According to sheriff's deputies, Kristy does not dispute firing the weapon.

She said she was trying to see if the gun was loaded when it jammed, and that she fired 'one or two shots' through her window on the driver's side of the vehicle.

She said the gun then jammed and she threw it from the window.

Kristy is said to have fired a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun in her husband's direction

She said she was trying to see if the gun was loaded when it jammed, and that she fired 'one or two shots' through her window on the driver's side of the vehicle

Kristy said the gun then jammed and she threw it from the window. Authorities said Kristy told them she then stopped her vehicle to retrieve the weapon and placed it in the console of the car

Authorities said Kristy told them she then stopped her vehicle to retrieve the weapon and placed it in the console of the car.

Dustin, however, said Kristy fired six more shots, emptying the clip in the gun, and that all of the gunshots could be heard on a recorded 911 call that he made from his phone during the incident.

Kristy remains in custody at this time, according to court records.

The accused's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
A circuit court judge has declared that statues of Confederate generals in Charlottesville, Virginia cannot be removed without permission from the state.

In a nine-page ruling released last Thursday, Judge Richard E. Moore asserted that the controversial statues of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson - who fought against the abolition of slavery in the Civil War - meet classification as 'memorials for war veterans' and, as such, are protected by Virginia law.

Moore stated: 'I find this conclusion inescapable. It does no good pretending they are something other than what they actually are.'

The Code of Virigina declares that it is 'unlawful for the local authorities to disturb or interfere with any monuments or memorials'.

It's a setback for protesters, who will now have to wait until September to learn whether their proposed removal of the statues can proceed to trial.

The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville (pictured) has been designated as a 'memorial for war veterans' meaning it is currently protected in place by Virginia state law

The statue of Thomas Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson (pictured) has also been protected in Judge Moore's ruling, meaning its removal by the local government would be illegal

STATUES AT ISSUE IN THE RULING ROBERT EDWARD LEE SCULPTURE The statue of Lee - a commander of the Confederate Army and a fierce defender of slavery - was commissioned in 1917, and completed in 1924. It sits in Charlottesville's Lee Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. In 2017, the City Council of Charlottesville voted 3 to 2 in favor of its removal. THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON SCULPTURE The statue of Jackson - also a commander of the Confederate Army- was erected in Charlottesville's Court Square in 1921. It was similarly listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Advertisement

Although the judge has ruled that the statues are memorials of the Civil War, the statues were not erected until decades after the conflict ended in 1865.

Many confederate statues were unveiled during the 1920s and 30s, as Jim Crow laws enforcing racial segregation were introduced in the southern United States. Charlottesville's Stonewall Jackson statue was unveiled in 1921, and the Robert E Lee statue in 1924.

Opponents claim the statues of Confederate generals were not built as memorials, but as a means to intimidate African Americans and glorify white supremacy.

The ruling comes almost two years after a 'Unite The Right' rally saw white supremacists marching on Charlottesville to protest the removal of Confederate war monuments across the south.

The August 12, 2017, rally ended in the death of Heather Heyer, 32, who was run down by in a car driven by white nationalist, Alex Fields Jr, 20.

Heyer was a counter-protester, expressing her opposition to Unite The Right, when Fields Jr. sped his car through the street, killing her and injuring 28 others.

Last December, he was found guilty of first degree murder and nine other counts, including hate crimes. He was sentenced to life in prison, plus 419 years. He pleaded guilty to 29 federal crimes in order to avoid the death penalty.

Given these recent events in Charlottesville, many expressed disappointment with Moore's ruling last Thursday.

Don Gathers, the former chair of the city's Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces, told CNN: 'Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's right or it's moral. I'm fearful what this has done is given the vile evilness that descended upon us in August of 2017 to come back'.

In August 2017, white supremacists marched on Charlottesville to protest the removal of Confederate war monuments across the south

Heather Heyer (left) was killed by white nationalist, Alex Fields Jr (right), while counter-protesting in Charlottesville in August 2017

Following the death of Heyer, the monuments were covered with black tarps on and off for six months (pictured)

Following Heyer's death, the two monuments were covered with black tarps on and off for six months. Last February, Judge Moore ordered the black shrouds to come down permanently.

Meanwhile, other Confederate monuments have been removed from many other public parks in other southern cities.

The removals largely began in the wake of the 2015 Charleston church shooting at the hands of a white supremacist.

In September 2017, a large statue of Robert E. Lee was removed from a park in Dallas.

Construction crews brought in a large crane to take away the stone structure, while police officers with automatic rifles provided security.

In September 2017, a large statue of Robert E. Lee was removed in Dallas (pictured)

Statues of Confederate war generals have also been removed in Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida and Louisiana.

Many other remaining statues have been vandalized by protestors.

Last year, students at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, destroyed a Confederate statue on campus after administration said it 'did not have clear legal authority' to take it away'.

Last year, students at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, destroyed a Confederate statue on campus
A judge has signed off on plans to put a homeless shelter on Manhattan's 'Billionaires Row' over fierce opposition from residents.

State Supreme Court Justice Alexander Tisch on Monday overruled opposition from the West 58th Street Coalition neighborhood association, which argued the old Park Savoy Hotel was unsafe in the event of a fire.

The controversy has been brewing since January 2018, when Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, quietly sent out letters announcing plans to convert the former hotel fronting Central Park into a 150-bed men's homeless shelter.

Neighbors have opposed having a homeless shelter nearby for fear it would lead to an increase in crime, a decrease in quality of life, and a drop in the values of their homes.

The proposed shelter at the Park Savoy is near skyscrapers like One57, where Michael Dell spent $100M on a penthouse, and 220 Central Park South, where Ken Griffin broke the US record for home purchase price by buying a $238M penthouse in January

Ken Griffin (left) and Michael Dell (right) both own penthouse properties on 'Billionaires Row', where a planned homeless shelter has drawn local opposition

The area is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, and has seen a building boom of skyscrapers catering to the ultra-rich.

Directly behind the Park Savoy sits One57, where in 2014 Dell founder Michael Dell broke the city's record for most expensive home purchase by buying a penthouse for $100million.

On the next block, hedge fund boss Ken Griffin shattered that record in January, buying a $238million penthouse at 220 Central Park South - making it the most expensive home ever sold in the U.S.

Not far away sits 432 Park Avenue, where Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez bought a three-bedroom condo in 2018 for $15.3 million, which they put back on the market in January 2019.

Saudi billionaire Fawaz Alhokair and Caryl Englander, the wife of billionaire hedge-funder Israel Englander, are also known to have purchased units in 432 Park Avenue.

The controversy has been brewing since January of 2018, when Mayor Bill de Blasio (above) quietly sent out letters announcing plans to convert the former hotel into a homeless shelter

The now defunct Park Savoy Hotel is creating controversy in a Manhattan neighborhood of sprouting luxury towers dubbed 'Billionaires' Row'

The local neighborhood association, West 58th Street Coalition, sued the city last year, arguing that because the only way out of the Park Savoy is the main stairwell and lobby, there wouldn't be room for escaping residents and first responders in the event of a fire.

'That is why emergency relief is urgently needed now to prevent this shelter from opening imminently,' the group's complaint stated.

'Not only is the building unsafe, but crime and loitering' will lead to 'irreparable injuries that have been found to warrant emergency injunctive relief to block the opening of a homeless shelter,' their law lawsuit claims.

On Monday, Judge Tisch rejected that argument, ruling on the safety issue that 'these are all aspects for which the City and its agencies are supposed to be given deference', the New York Post reported.

Tisch said 'the building is presumably safe and in compliance with applicable laws' because the city has granted the shelter a partial temporary certificate of occupancy.

He also ruled that claims the neighborhood already had more than its 'fair share' of shelters were 'without merit.'

One57 is one of a number of 'supertall' skyscraper residents that together make up a cluster of high-end apartments near Central Park known as 'Billionaires' Row' (pictured)

Randy Mastro, attorney for the West 58th Street Coalition, told the Post that the group was 'disappointed in today's decision and plans to pursue an immediate appeal.'

'This unsafe building should not be permitted to operate as a homeless shelter,' Mastro said.

'Placing the homeless in this building puts their lives at risk, as well as the lives of staff, neighbors and firefighters responding there.'

Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks said that the homeless shelter will begin operations as soon as possible.

De Blasio's administration wants to open a total of 90 homeless shelters across New York's five boroughs within the next five years.

The city's homeless population has been estimated to number more than 63,000.
Simon Hayes has been jailed for his part in a plot to dump a dementia-suffering American pensioner in rural England

A British man who helped his American friend 'granny dump' his dementia-suffering father in the UK so he could get free healthcare has been jailed.

Simon Hayes helped his best friend Kevin Curry bring his elderly father Roger Curry to the UK in 2015 to avoid paying costly medical bills in the US.

After Kevin and his mother Mary flew 78-year-old Mr Curry to Britain, Hayes took him to Hereford, a city in the west of England, and pretended to have found the pensioner lying face down in a country road.

Mr Curry, who is from Whittier, California, had no ID and was unable to remember his name or personal details when he was discovered, prompting a long-running, worldwide investigation to find out who he was.

Hayes and Curry's plot was eventually uncovered by police and, after admitting charges of fraud and perverting the course of justice in a British court, Hayes was today jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Kevin Curry is under investigation in the US for elder abuse, fraud and kidnapping, the court heard.

The victim was cared for by Britain's free-to-use National Health Service (NHS) while a public appeal and criminal investigation continued, costing the taxpayer-funded service up to 20,000. He was safely returned to the US in 2016.

Roger Curry, above, who suffers from Alzheimer's, could not tell British police who he was. he was given free healthcare in the UK worth 20,000 while authorities figured out his identity

Kevin Curry, pictured with his mother Mary, flew his father into Britain with his father. The court heard today he is under investigation in the US for elder abuse, fraud and kidnapping

Prosecutor Simon Davis QC said of Hayes: '[He] was part of a plan to bring Roger from the US and dump him in Hereford, abandoning him so he could receive care from local health care providers.'

Described in court as a 'pathological liar', Hayes' actions and false witness statements led detectives on a 'wild goose chase' trying to work out where Mr Curry had come from, and how he had got to the UK.

Opening the case on Tuesday, prosecutor Mr Davis said Hayes was contacted by 'best mate' Kevin Curry  the victim's son  then living in California.

They exchanged a series of calls before Kevin Curry flew with his mother and father to London Gatwick on November 5 2015. On November 23, Kevin Curry and his mother, Mary, flew to Denmark  without his father.

At 4.20pm on November 5 2015, Hayes, dressed in a fake military uniform and putting on a US accent, took Mr Curry to Hereford bus station, near the hospital, telling a nurse and later paramedics that he had found the elderly man in a country lane.

Hayes, of Taunton, left Mr Curry with medics after claiming he could not give any contact details because he was 'working with the SAS' at their nearby camp.

Mr Davis said Hayes then joined Kevin Curry and his mother on a holiday to France and Copenhagen in Denmark.

Back in Hereford, the mystery of Mr Curry's identity  dubbed 'Credenhill Man' after the location where he was found  triggered an international police appeal for information, even involving the FBI, before the truth came out.

Simon Hayes arriving at Worcester Crown Court. He was jailed for two and a half years for fraud and perverting the course of justice today

Police began to suspect he had been deliberately dumped, and suspicion even fell on the nurse Hayes had initially spoken to at the bus station as 'police could not establish if she was telling the truth'.

By March 2016, Roger Curry, who had an autistic spectrum disorder and Alzheimer's, had managed to tell nurses his name.

Inquiries led authorities to ring Kevin Curry's address in Whittier, California, but he claimed nobody called Roger lived there.

The police got a break when Hayes, for reasons which are still a mystery, called West Mercia Police, identifying himself as the man who handed the victim to medics.

Hayes, pictured after his arrest, is starting a jail term today for a crime from which he obtained no perceivable benefit

Jailing Hayes for two and a half years, Judge Daniel Pearce-Higgins QC said: 'There's no certainty that had he not done that, he'd ever have been found.'

But Hayes again lied, claiming he and a 'Canadian Army serviceman' had found Mr Curry, that he lived in Los Angeles, and that at the time he had been 'attending a course at the SAS base'.

The court heard Hayes had spent some time in the US but was deported in January 2013 after a drink-driving conviction.

He also twice changed the exact location he allegedly found the elderly victim, but it was 'all lies', said Mr Davis.

When Hayes claimed he was visiting his parents in Taunton, police spoke to his father Ken, who confirmed his son knew Roger and Kevin Curry.

Detectives arrested Hayes, who claimed he was a 'qualified physiotherapist' and 'had met Sir Frank Williams, David Coulthard and also trained racing drivers', Mr Davis told the court.

The prosecutor added: 'He said he had been in the SBS and been in Hereford for a short while  but was unable to answer a simple question any serviceman would know  "what's your Army number?".'

Hayes admitted perverting the course of justice and a separate case of fraud, in relation to a false character reference, ahead of a sentencing hearing today.

A friend of Hayes told MailOnline that he no longer talks to the Currys and feels they 'stitched him up'.

Mr Curry (left and, right, in earlier life) was abandoned in the town of Hereford, 5,330 miles from home. It took months to work out his true identity

Mr Curry was dumped at Hereford bus station, not far from the city's hospital

After Hayes was deported from the US he sent unsuccessful visa applications in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

These were supported by a fake reference claiming to be from British Major-General Francis 'Buster' Howes.

The reference claimed Hayes had been a captain in the Royal Marine Commandos, and had won the Military Cross in the Gulf War.

Maj Gen Howes told police he had never heard of Hayes, the court was told.

Hayes' lawyer Ashley Hendron told the court: 'There are many aspects that involve the defendant that makes no sense. This is not your average case or your average defendant.'

Describing the crime as a 'well-planned deception', Judge Pearce-Higgins QC said: 'There was an enormous waste of police and public resources because of false information put forward by the defendant.

'I cannot find any case remotely similar to the facts of this case, curiously because there appears to be no apparent benefit to the defendant.'
A woman surprised Mexican authorities on Friday when she turned in a missile as part of a gun buyback program.

The resident, who name was not revealed in accordance with the disarmament program, placed a call to 911 dispatchers last week to say she needed help delivering the rocket to a local municipal building in the border city of Ciudad Juarez where the buyback was taking place.

Local reports claim the missile was manufactured in the U.S.

The woman told TV Azteca that she was dumbfounded when she found it at her home.

A police officer in Ciudad Juarez holds an American-made missile that was turned over by a resident as part of a gun buyback program that was launched last week

The rocket did not hold any explosive residue

'When I saw it I said "this is f***** up." But I left it there,' she said.

'A lot of things crossed my mind when I thought about throwing it away and somebody finding it or calling the cops.'

The weapon, which is now under custody of the Mexican National Defense Secretary's office, was missing its warhead and did not contain any explosive residue.

The woman said she decided to hand over the rocket after she was told of a local man who received 4,000 pesos, about $210, for turning a weapon in.

She was rewarded 800 pesos, close to $42, for the missile.

Called, 'Armate de Valor  Y Desarmate' ['Arm yourself with Courage and Disarm Yourself'], the buyback program is part of a project launched last Thursday that aims to slow down crime in Ciudad Juarez, once ranked as the most dangerous city in the world.

A woman (center) is led away by cops in northwestern Mexico after she handed over a rocket which she said she found inside her home

The woman (left). who turned over the rocket to the police in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, received a reward of 800 pesos, about $42

There have been 449 homicides reported in the border town already this year, according to El Diario de Juarez.

Officials said residents can turn their weapons over from Monday through Friday, with no questions asked.

Cash rewards range from 2,000 to 7,000 pesos, approximately $105 to $370.

Last year's buyback program resulted in 170 weapons being taken off the streets.

'We are not going to seek any information from the person who comes to exchange a weapon,' said Ciudad Juarez Brigade General Commander, Omar Garcia Vazquez, according to El Diario de Juarez.

'The citizen will be free to do it without being asked where they got the weapon from.'
Governor Andrew Cuomo has claimed he's never watched The Simpsons after the show's writers mocked upstate New York on Sunday.

Politicians across the area failed to see the funny side of the episode which saw Homer Simpson driving his family to Niagara Falls while performing a parody version of Frank Sinatra's New York, New York.

Before breaking into the musical number, he told Marge: 'Cheer up honey, we're headed to the one place that can never decline because it was never that great: upstate New York!'

Homer sings a parody version of Frank Sinatra's New York, New York which mocks unemployment and other problems in the area

Homer describes upstate New York as 'the one place that can never decline because it was never that great'

The family then pass through places including Buffalo, Utica and Oriskany, as the song mocks unemployment and other problems in the area.

The state is shown with ghost towns, crumbling infrastructure and leaking water towers.

At one point, a group of millennials take selfies outside of a Kodak factory as it is demolished.

When asked about the episode, Cuomo told the NY Post he'd never watched the show, saying: 'No. No. Sorry. No disrespect to The Simpsons but no.'

He also added: 'I'm going to write a letter to The Simpsons. Now if they respond I'll really be worried.'

Rich Azzopardi, a senior advisor to Cuomo, also hit out at the show for making 'dumb cheap shots'.

He tweeted: 'There always remains work to be done but  dumb cheap shots aside  facts are facts: jobs are up, unemployment is down, millennials are coming back and it's clear that Poochie was an uncredited writer on that episode.

'However, I still want a Fighting Hellfish tattoo.'

Niskayuna supervisor Yasmine Syed also attacked the portrayal, taking to Facebook to say she would love to show the family the fancy part of the town.

Rich Azzopardi, a senior advisor to governor Andrew Cuomo, hit out at the show for making 'dump cheap shots'

Governor Andrew Cuomo has claimed he's never watched the Simpsons after the show's writers mocked upstate New York on Sunday

She wrote: 'Homer believes theres no "fancy part of it," but during their all too brief pass through the Town of Niskayuna they likely missed our splendid open spaces like Blatnick and River Road Park, the scenic Mohawk Hudson bike trail, our gorgeous and safe neighborhoods, our burgeoning retail centers like the Niskayuna Co-Op, ShopRite Square and Mohawk Commons, and our award winning school district where Bart, Lisa and eventually little Maggie would receive an education superior to anything offered in Springfield.

'I hope Homer and Marge will take me up on my offer to be their personal tour guide so they can see for themselves that our water tower is leak-free and that Homers satirical song rings hollow when it comes to Niskayuna.

'I can promise theyll like it so much, they may even stay a while and help boost the upstate population by five.'

New York state Republicans used the episode to mock the governor's record in the state.

GOP chair Ed Cox said: The Simpsons may be a comedy but the failures under Andrew Cuomo are no laughing matter'.
Guilty: Mexican drug lord El Chapo, pictured in a 2016 mugshot, was found guilty in February and faces life imprisonment

Mexican drug lord El Chapo should not get a retrial, prosecutors have said, despite claims of improper conduct by the jurors who found him guilty.

Government lawyers dismissed the 'dubious allegations' that jury members had defied the judge's orders and followed media coverage of the New York trial.

Citing 'overwhelming evidence' of El Chapo's guilt, they said the claims would not warrant a new trial even if they were true.

The gangster was convicted of running a huge smuggling operation in February and faces life imprisonment when he is sentenced in June.

A report in VICE News days after the guilty verdict claimed that jurors had a five-minute conversation about press coverage of the case.

It reportedly included discussion of child rape allegations against El Chapo, real name Joaquin Guzman, which the judge had ruled should not be heard in his drugs trial.

Jurors are said to have feared arrest if they admitted to the judge that they had been following the press coverage.

Defense lawyers have demanded a retrial after the claims emerged.

But in a new 110-page submission, government lawyers argue that there is not sufficient evidence of jury misbehavior to warrant a new trial.

In court: Claims emerged in February that jurors had wrongly read press coverage about the Mexican gangster, pictured in a courtroom sketch in New York

Calling the allegations 'dubious', they say the anonymous juror had not brought the claims to the court's attention 'despite ample opportunity to do so'.

'Considering... the overwhelming evidence against the defendant, the alleged media exposure did not prejudice the defendant,' the filing says.

'Thus, even if the allegations in the article are true, the Court still should deny the defendant's motion for a new trial.

'As the article raises no concern that the defendant is innocent and that the jury wrongfully convicted him, a new trial is not justified.'

Lawyers argued the reporting in the VICE story was based on 'unsworn hearsay and double hearsay'.

They also cast doubt on whether the anonymous whistleblower was really a member of the El Chapo jury.

Arrest: El Chapo is escorted from a plane to a waiting vehicle in New York after he was extradited to the United States in early 2017

Members of the jury were kept anonymous for safety reasons during the trial of the Mexican drug lord.

The evidence of his drugs crimes was 'equally as horrific as the allegations of sex with underage girls', which would therefore not sway a jury any further against him, prosecutors argued.

'The Court therefore should conclude that the alleged media exposure was harmless,' they said.

Jurors heard that Guzman and his murderous Sinaloa drug cartel made billions in profits by smuggling tons of cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana into the U.S.

The evidence against El Chapo covered a 25-year period from January 1989 until December 2014.

El Chapo being escorted to a helicopter in handcuffs by Mexican navy marines at a hanger in Mexico City, after he was captured overnight in the beach resort town of Mazatlan in 2014

'The success of the Sinaloa Cartel relied upon the use of violence to maintain their power throughout the region and beyond,' authorities said.

'Numerous co-conspirators testified that Guzman Loera directed his hitmen to kidnap, interrogate, torture and shoot members of rival drug organizations, at times carrying out acts of violence himself.'

One witness testified that El Chapo beat two men with a branch until their bodies 'were like rag dolls,' before shooting them and ordering them tossed on a bonfire.

The former hitman also testified that Guzman Loera interrogated a rival drug cartel member, shot him and ordered that he be buried alive, the Justice Department said.

In addition, El Chapo's crime syndicate allegedly 'took advantage of a vast network of corrupt government officials'.
Convicted baby killer Kathleen Folbigg has told a court she believed a supernatural power took three of her four children away.

Folbigg made the admission during the second day of an inquiry into her conviction at the NSW Coroners Court on Tuesday.

The 51-year-old is serving a minimum 25-year-sentence over the deaths of her children Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura in the decade from 1989.

Folbigg has maintained her innocence and told a court during the inquiry that she believed there were 'things going on beyond my control'.

Convicted baby killer Kathleen Folbigg (pictured) has told a court she believed a supernatural power took three of her four children away

Folbigg made the admission during the second day of an inquiry into her conviction at the NSW Coroners Court on Tuesday

Her first child Caleb was born on February 1, 1989, though was found lifeless in his cot 19 days later.

Her third child Sarah was born on October 14, 1992 though was found dead at 10 months of age.

Both children's deaths were ruled as being caused by SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

In June 1990, Folbigg's second son Patrick was born, but four months later he too was found lifeless in his cot, having suffered from an 'acute life-threatening event'.

He was resuscitated but was diagnosed with epilepsy and cortical blindness. Four months later, Patrick was found dead by Folbigg.

Her fourth child Laura was born on August 1997, but died at the age of 18 months.

Prior to her death, Folbigg made a diary entry in October 1997: 'Wouldn't have handled another like Sarah. She saved her life by being different.'

'"She saved her life by being different" is my hope and dream that Laura being different would have saved her life. But in the end, it didn't,' Folbigg said.

NSW District Court judge Reginald Blanch, QC, asked Folbigg if she believed supernatural powers were the cause of her other children's deaths.

'Are you saying to me that you believed that there was some supernatural power that took the other three children away from you, and you were concerned that that same supernatural power would take Laura away from you, and that she saved her life by being different on that basis?'

Folbigg replied: 'Yes, along those lines.'

She denied suggestions put to her by barrister Margaret Cunneen SC, representing her ex-husband Craig Folbigg, that 'homicidal rages' or 'psychological mood swings' made her smother her babies to death.

She said a January 1997 diary entry about having done 'terrible things' due to stress didn't mean she'd killed her first three children.

Folbigg has maintained her innocence and told a court during the inquiry that she believed there were 'things going on beyond my control'

She denied suggestions put to her by barrister Margaret Cunneen SC, representing her ex-husband Craig Folbigg, that 'homicidal rages' or 'psychological mood swings' made her smother her babies to death (pictured, Folbigg breaks down in court on Monday)

'It's a broad spectrum of things that I am using the word 'terrible' for,' she said on Tuesday.

'It could be me placing my child down to let her cry for even 30 seconds - that's a terrible thing, in my view.'

But Ms Cunneen noted Folbigg described her father's murder of her mother as 'selfish and unthoughtful' and 'a stupid mistake' in other entries.

Folbigg's mother - Kathleen - was murdered on January 8, 1969 after she was stabbed multiple times.

When Folbigg questioned the relevance of that comparison, her ex-husband's barrister said she was trying to get 'into her lexicon' and use of words.

Folbigg said she believed her moods affected 'everything' including her children who 'died and decided they didn't want to be with me anymore'.

Ms Cunneen said: 'Of course, you know, that babies don't decide whether or not to live?'

Folbigg replied: 'At that stage in my life, I did not know that.'

'My concerns were almost paranoia,' she said.

Folbigg in February 1997 wrote: 'My guilt of how responsible I feel for them all haunts me. My fear of it happening again haunts me.'

Folbigg said she believed her moods affected 'everything' including her children who 'died and decided they didn't want to be with me anymore'

The Crown's case was simply that Folbigg smothered her four children including Patrick (bottom left), Caleb (bottom right), Laura (top left) and Sarah (top right)

She rejected Ms Cunneen's suggestion she only felt guilty because the children died at her hands.

Six of her diaries before the inquiry were used by prosecutors in past court proceedings. Five other diaries are unaccounted for.

Folbigg recalls throwing one of them out but denies it contained incriminating material.

Barrister Chris Maxwell QC, representing the director of public prosecutions, on Monday accused Folbigg of minimising the meaning of her writings and providing farcical explanations.

Mr Blanch will prepare a report on the inquiry's results for the NSW governor.
The warrant for Tori Spelling's arrest has been dropped amid her ongoing legal battle with the bank that is suing her and husband Dean McDermott for failing to make payments on a $400,000 loan.

A bench warrant was issued for the actress after she skipped out on a March 29 court hearing and a judge set her bail at $5,000.

But the warrant has now been dismissed and the mother-of-five is ordered to be deposed on May 10 where she'll face questions under oath about her messy finances, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com

This comes as good news for the financially troubled star who has been in hot water over her years-long lawsuit with City National Bank, which is demanding the couple pay back over $250,000 in debt.

The bench warrant for Tori Spelling's arrested has been dismissed and her court hearing has been pushed back in City National Bank's lawsuit against Tori and her husband Dean McDermott - who failed to make payments on a $400,000 loan

The 90210 star skipped the hearing at the end of March and instead was spotted on a girls trip to Israel with Jennie Garth just days later.

A judge subsequently issued the bench warrant and set her bail at $5,000.

Tori was not taken into custody and the hearing was rescheduled for May 1, but that date has now been pushed back to July 1.

The new court documents show that Tori has been ordered to have a judgment debtor examination in two weeks.

She will be required to answer, under oath, questions about her finances so the creditor can determine how it can collect the money if Tori and Dean fail to pay up.

She will likely face questions about any assets she owns and her income, but this examination would give her the opportunity to possibly cut a deal with the bank before her July 1 hearing.

Tori, 45, and her husband Dean, 52, have struggled to make ends meet since their reality shows on Oxygen and Lifetime were canceled.

Her father Aaron Spelling famously only left his daughter $800,000 at his passing in 2006. His widow Candy, 73, retained control of his $600 million fortune.

In February, the couple was served by City National Bank and were ordered to appear in court to assess their finances as part of the bank's efforts to recoup their payment.

In December, one of their nannies opened the door of their Woodland Hills home only to be served papers on a $1,400 credit card debt that had been sent to collections.

Last year, the court ruled on a default judgment in the City National Bank case due to the pair missing the deadline to respond to the suit.

The McDermotts have also amassed a trail of creditors over the past five years, including the IRS ($707,487), California State Taxes ($282,655), American Express ($88,000 and $37,000).

But court appearances and strapped finances were not enough to stop Tori from taking the working vacation last month.

While the bench warrant was being ordered, Tori jetted to Tel Aviv peddling a fashion line with 90210 costar Jennie Garth

Tori, 45, and her husband Dean, 52, have struggled to make ends meet for themselves and their five children since their reality shows on Oxygen and Lifetime were canceled

While the bench warrant was being issued, the blonde nineties star posted a photo alongside her 90210 costar Jennie Garth from Tel Aviv.

'Best Friends in life and business... So excited to be in Israel filming an amazing commercial for @castrofashion_kids with my bestie @jenniegarth #90210 #donnaandkellyforever,' she captioned.

The actresses recently signed on to the 90210 reboot, along with their other former colleagues from West Beverly Hills High.

As DailyMail.com reported in February, many of the cast have signed on to appear in a revamp of the popular series which originally ran from 1990 to 2000, as 'heightened versions' of themselves.

Hopefully for Tori, the earnings from the reboot will take some pressure off her financial woes.
Australians will be able to drink fresh milk that's been in the fridge for three months, thanks to a food technology company's world-first breakthrough.

Naturo Pty Ltd, from the Sunshine Coast, is behind the revolutionary innovation, which is set to bring in a fortune in exports.

The patented technology is able to kill the bacterium that makes untreated milk harmful to drink, and allows for refrigerated milk to stay fresh for 91 days.

The innovation has been given the green light after being independently tested and validated by industry regulator Dairy Food Safety Victoria, who approved the process as healthy and safe.

Naturo founder and CEO Jeff Hastings is behind the revolutionary innovation, which will bring in a fortune in exports, and has already received $250,000 in funding from the Queensland government

'The primary difference between our milk and pasteurised milk is the fact that we don't "cook" the milk to make it safe for human consumption,' Naturo founder and CEO Jeff Hastings told the Courier Mail.

Mr Hastings says Naturo's milk is closer to the original state, and has been proven to be better than regular milk in terms of nutrition.

'Pasteurisation heats milk to a minimum of 72C for at least 15 seconds to make it safe whereas we are able to kill pathogens without relying on heat.'

He said that heating pasteurised milk makes it safer, but kills alkaline phosphatase activity, which helps with liver function and bone development.

Another issue with pasteurised milk is that heating it reduces the Vitamin B2 and B12 levels, Mr Hastings said.

But despite the impressive breakthrough, Mr Hastings said the same taste is still guaranteed

'Our milk tastes like milk straight from the cow. It is safer, better for you and lasts longer,' he said.

The innovation has been given the green light after being independently tested and validated by industry regulator Dairy Food Safety Victoria, who approved the process as healthy and safe

Only a small amount of standard Australian milk - which goes off after two weeks - is currently exported by plane to Asian countries like Japan and China, where it can sell for up to $13 a litre.

Milk is one of the biggest exports of the dairy industry, which is worth $585 billion.

Australia produces more milk it consumes - meaning large amounts can be exported.

Naturo has already received a quarter of a million dollars in funding from the Queensland government, but now they're looking for potential sites for a pilot plant investment.

Jeff Hastings - who is a qualified agricultural engineer - says Naturo's milk is closer to the original state, and has been proven to be better than regular milk in terms of nutrition

The plant will need to be capable of producing 10 million litres of milk a year.

Naturo plans on employing 32 full-time workers at the plant to allow them to establish their own brand of products, and eventually increase production in the future.

Mr Hastings - who is a qualified agricultural engineer - said the opening of new markets for Australia's fresh milk will bring 'a healthy return' for struggling farmers.

He's already thrown his hat in the ring of global business, recently commercialising technology that produces 'no-browning' cut avocados.

The company has the potential to be shipped all over the world.
Leaked emails containing derogatory jokes dating from 2013-2014 have led to the suspension of both fraternities at a private liberal arts college in Pennsylvania.

At least one past member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at Swarthmore College is said to have written crass emails sent through the school's listserv that included degrading and racist comments about women, minorities and the LGBTQ community, as well as jokes about sexual assault.

Redacted versions of the emails circulated throughout the group, which is commonly referred to as 'Phi Psi,' were published in the Swarthmore Phoenix, a student publication, on April 18.

Following protests at the Phi Psi house and after reviewing the unredacted materials, the president of the Philadelphia school sent a letter to students on April 27 informing them that all fraternity activity would be temporarily shut down.

'We have consulted with an external investigator, President Valerie Smith wrote. 'In consultation with the investigator, I have decided to suspend fraternity activities pending the outcome of an investigation.'

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Leaked emails containing derogatory jokes dated from 2013-2014 have landed fraternities at a Pennsylvania's Swarthmore College suspended from the campus, at least for the time being. The Phi Psi house at Swarthmore College in Philadelphia is shown

The emailed documents have been referred to as 'minutes,' and are said to be recaps of Phi Psi fraternity activities.

During the Spring of 2013 at Swarthmore, a student referendum was held on Greek life, which was referenced in one particularly offensive email dated April 8, 2013, according to the Phoenix, which read:

'We just took a nice sloppy poop on that referendum and we control the social scene. I feel like the only move at this point is manifest destiny. I mean am I wrong? Expand our territory and wipe out every other group in our path. First stop WRC next stop BCC (sorry [NAME] and maybe [NAME] its just a pawn in the grand scheme of things). Just taking over one building at a time until we possess enough building space to start our own milf sex trafficking ring. God that would be hot. Anyways, it was so packed in Phi after the concert that I was legitimately scared of being accused of sexual harassment for rubbing up against so many tits. Every time I turned around I felt like I just whacked a girl in the cans. Sluts.'

An entry from the same date is said to read: 'Up to this point, I honestly thought that a male getting sexually assaulted was a hoax. A myth. A masquerade fashioned by elitist feminists to legitimize their own troubles. I just could not comprehend how a man could allow a woman to sexually conquer him without putting up a fight. This view, however, completely changed after this past Thursday. [NAME] was legitimately assaulted. Deflowered, if you will. Some broad rolled into Phi Psi and was not going to take no for an answer. She tickled his tits, groped his cock, and rubbed her wet vag all over his neatly pressed khakis. An all out estrogen mugging.'

An email dated May 9, 2013, allegedly read: 'One of the funniest stories from formal of course involved troll [NAME]. Hot dick over here just absolutely smacked [NAME]s ass for no reason. It was a good windup too. He made solid contact and acted like it aint no thang. Let me tell you something. [NAME] was not at all happy. She looked at him like he had just killed her 3rd grade pet guinea pig.'

After the documents were published, NBC reported that roughly 70 students staged a sit-in at the Phi Psi and Delta Upsilon fraternity houses on April 27, which are leased to the organizations. Smith said the Phy Psi building housed at least one student member.

The students were calling for the school to no longer lease space to Phi Psy, or the school's other fraternity, Delta Upsilon.

Student protests calling for the school to stop leasing space to Phi Psi and the campus's other fraternity, Delta Upsilon, preceded the suspension. Protesters are shown outside the DU house

It was that demonstration that got the attention of college officials, and led to the suspension of all fraternities, until further notice. Protesters are shown at the DU house at Swarthmore

The emailed documents have been referred to as 'minutes,' and are said to be recaps of Phi Psi fraternity activities. Protesters are shown outside the Phi Psi house at Swarthmore College

It was that demonstration that got the attention of college officials, and led to the suspension of all fraternities until further notice.

Mike Girardi, the 2012 Phi Psi president, who graduated in 2013, told the Phoenix that he was not sure whether he had read the recently uncovered emails.

Girardi described the Spring of 2013, which has been referred to as 'The Spring of our Discontent,' as a time of reckoning not only within Phi Psi but at the Swarthmore campus in general.

'There were those who saw issues that shouldve been addressed and others who didnt quite understand the issues at hand and thus believed everything was fine,' Girardi said.

'I believe that [a] culture regarding racism, sexism, sexual assault and homophobia were all at a crossroads at Phi Psi and a choice was to continue building on changes that were focused on rooting out the negative aspects of our culture or to go backwards.'

Conor Clark, another former president of Phi Psi who graduated in 2016 and an individual whose name appears in the documents, told the student publication Voices that he 'thought we had addressed and put these issues to rest back in 2014.'

The crass emails were sent through the school's listserv which included degrading and racist comments about women, minorities and the LGBTQ community, as well as jokes about sexual assault. Protesters are shown inside the Phi Psi house at Swarthmore, where one student is said to live

2012 Phi Psi president Mike Girardi, who graduated in 2013, described the Spring of 2013, which is included in the time when the emails were allegedly sent, as a time of reckoning not only within Phi Psi but at the Swarthmore campus, in general. Protesters are shown inside the Phi Psi house at Swarthmore

The so-called 'minutes' were sent out via email listserv over the college's server at first, another past Phi Psi president named Conor Clark said, before the fraternity's leadership eventually put a stop to it

The so-called 'minutes' were sent out via email listserv over the college's server at first, Clark said, before the fraternity's leadership eventually put a stop to it.

'The acting president at the time made a very good call and said, "This cannot happen, this is not us, this is not what we do," and decided it [the 'minutes'] could no longer be on the listserv. After that point [the 'minutes' were] shared basically on Gmail or whatever. You had to opt in to receive it [the emails],' he said.

Clark added: 'These acts never touched the character of the majority of brothers of Phi Psi, both past and present.'

'When these documents were first "leaked," I almost wished that my name had not been redacted. I stand by my actions and my words during my time at Swarthmore, and I am not embarrassed in the slightest by that. What I am embarrassed about, is the hurtful commentary and dialogue surrounding me in these documents. Those statements do not represent me, and they are not representative of Phi Psi.'

The current leadership at Phi Psi told Voices the documents 'are not representative of who we are today.'

Swarthmore's chapter of Phi Kappa Psi is not nationally affiliated with the greater fraternity, the Washington Post reported.

The unaffiliated Phi Kappa Psi headquarters said in a statement that the organization was 'shocked by their actions,' referring to the emails sent by past Swarthmore Phi Psi members.
A woman in China has been devastated after her beloved pet chicken said to be worth 1,000 was captured by a neighbour and killed for its meat.

The expensive rooster is a type of fighting cock and had been kept by its owner, Ms Li, for nearly two months.

Ms Li from the city of Zhuji claimed her rooster, a Zhongyuan Fighting Cock, weighed around 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) and could fetch about 9,000 yuan (1,025) on the market.

The chicken (circled) is seen wandering on a pavement in China after escaping from its cage

Two pedestrians slowly approach the animal before catching it and taking it home for food

When officers found the culprit, she had already killed the pet, plucked its feathers and was about to cook it for a meal, according to Zhuji Police.

Ms Li told police that she found her pet missing last Thursday night after forgetting to close the chicken cage.

She called the police on Friday morning after failing to find the pet.

Surveillance footage released by Zhuji Daily shows the animal wandering on a pavement before being captured by two pedestrians.

The chicken's owner claims the expensive rooster to be a Zhongyuan fighting cock (file photo)

The police handout provided by the pet owner shows the rooster before it was killed

Upon investigation, police discovered that the pet had been taken by a 51-year-old woman surnamed Hou and her friend surnamed Bian.

Ms Hou, who lives nearby, told police when she and her friend saw the animal roaming the road, they thought it was an ordinary chicken, therefore they decided to take it home to cook.

Ms Li, who bought the chicken on March 5 for 2,000 yuan (229), accused Ms Hou and Ms Bian of stealing.

However, police disagreed.

Since Ms Hou and Ms Bian were not aware of the value of the chicken, they did not have the motive of illegal possession while taking the animal, police told Zhuji Daily.

After negotiation, Ms Li agreed to a cash compensation of 3,000 yuan (341) and said she had forgiven Ms Hou.
Two men are on trial for manslaughter today more than two years after the Ghost Ship fire in California in which 36 people were killed at a concert venue.

Derick Almena, 49, and Max Harris, 29, are due in court in Oakland today to face 36 counts each of involuntary manslaughter.

Prosecutors claim the Northern California warehouse had been converted illegally into a music venue before the deadly blaze broke out in December 2016.

The pair are accused of cramming the warehouse with flammable furniture, art pieces and other items that made it difficult for visitors to find exits during the fire.

Charged: Max Harris, left, and Derick Almena, right, are on trial for manslaughter more than two years after the Ghost Ship fire in California in which 36 people were killed

Harris and Almena face up to 36 years each in prison if convicted on all counts.

Almena allegedly rented the building, which was permitted only to store industrial and commercial products.

Prosecutors say he converted the dilapidated building into a series of bedrooms, places to park campers and concert rooms.

They allege that Harris collected rent and scheduled concerts before the fire.

The cause of the fire has never been determined, which the two men's attorneys have said will be a central argument of their defense.

The pair each pleaded no contest to 36 counts of manslaughter last summer as part of a plea bargain, but the deal was thrown out in August 2018.

Grim remains: Oakland fire officials walk past the remains of the Ghost Ship warehouse after it was wrecked by the deadly blaze in December 2016

Almena had agreed to admit responsibility in exchange for a nine-year prison sentence and Harris agreed to a six-year term.

However, families of victims objected to the sentences as too light and Judge James Cramer felt Almena had not shown remorse.

Almena's attorney, Tony Serra, will argue that the fire could have been started by an arsonist or had other causes unrelated to the men's management of the property.

Hours after the fire, Almena posted a comment to his Facebook page that stoked anger among victims' families.

'Everything I worked for is gone,' he wrote. He later said he did not know people had died when he posted the comment.

Wreckage: The remains of the burned-out warehouse in Oakland are seen in an aerial view from December 2016

In 2017 investigators said smoke inhalation was the cause of death for all 36 victims of the blaze.

Harris' attorney, Curtis Briggs, will say that others such as the city of Oakland and its fire department, as well as the warehouse's landlord, share the blame for the fire.

City codes require commercial buildings to be inspected annually, but the Oakland Fire Department and city officials said they could find no records of building inspectors examining the building.

Warehouse owner Chor Ng, who has never been charged, is also being sued for negligence in lawsuits started by victims' families.
Distressing footage has emerged of a little boy screaming in fear as his family swim across a river from Mexico into the US on a car tire.

They were filmed making the desperate crossing over the Rio Grande from the borough of Piedras Negras in northern Mexico.

According to local media, the family of four migrants had to call out for help when they struggled against the strong currents.

A little boy clings his father and screams in fear as his family desperately try to cross the Rio Grande river into the US

The man behind the camera reportedly jumped into the river to help. The clip was shared on Facebook where it has been seen 510,000 times.

In the footage, the panicked boy is seen screaming as he clings onto his father's back.

A woman, thought to be the boy's mother, and an older boy were also filmed clutching the tire as they floated in the murky water.

The father can be heard saying to the cameraman: 'The need, bro. The need forces us to do this.'

The family-of-four are thought to have got stranded due to strong currents after setting off from the borough of Piedras Negras in northern Mexico

A woman and older boy, thought to be the child's mother and elder sibling, clutch the tyre as they float in the murky waters

Reports said the helper had to abandon his rescue attempt due to the strong river currents.

But he believes that the family managed to get to the other side and grab an overhanging tree branch.

The eyewitness then saw US border patrol throw them a rope, but he does not know what happened to them after that.
Workers have benefited almost nothing from the Trump administrations corporate tax cut, an investigation has found.

This is despite lawmakers promising the billions saved by big companies would trickle down to staff in the form of wage increases.

The 2017 Tax and Jobs Act - President Donald Trumps one major piece of enacted legislation - slashed the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 per cent, the biggest such cut in US history.

Yet, only six per cent of the $150billion saved by corporations in 2018 was spent on workers, according to not-for-profit Just Capital.

The 2017 Tax and Jobs Act - President Donald Trumps one major piece of enacted legislation - slashed the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 per cent, the biggest such cut in US history

'More than half of which takes the form of one-time bonuses, as opposed to permanent raises or benefits,' their report explained.

In the first three months after the bill was passed by Trump on 22 December 2017, the average yearly salary increased by just $233 a year, $6.21 a week.

The bulk of the cut went into shareholder dividends and stock buy-backs, helping only the ten per cent of Americans who own 84 per cent of the stocks.

Yet the new legislation was sold to citizens as a move which would boost the economy, with the president saying that it would bring the average American household around a $4,000 pay raise.

A six-month investigation into the 2017 Tax and Jobs Act, by Center for Public Integrity, a not-for-profit news agency based in Washington DC, involved interviews with several key players and independent tax experts.

It found that prior to the finalizing of the law, deficit hawks who were against adding any more to the existing $20tn in US debt insisted on any tax cut having revenue neutrality, but eventually folded.

Even those hired by the Trump administration to craft the bill were disappointed by it. Dana Trier, a New York lawyer, told the Center that parts were not well thought through and known problems were left due to how quickly it passed

The investigation also discovered the bill was drafted in secret so lobbyists would have less chance to try and change it.

The rushed and secretive process was blasted in a 68-page study by thirteen tax law professors from across the country, who said it resulted in a deeply flawed legislation.

Even those hired by the Trump administration to craft the bill were disappointed by it.

Dana Trier, a New York lawyer, told the Center that parts were not well thought through and known problems were left due to how quickly it passed.

So, I mean I want to be honest with you, I was completely sick, he said. You know from my perspective I took one for the team and my reason for taking one for the team had not been fulfilled.

I thought I could make it work. I could be one of those people who could help make it work. And in fact we didnt reach my standard.
Cops hunting the Delphi killer have hit out at people sharing images of who they think murdered two schoolgirls in 2017 alongside newly-released sketches of the suspect, pictured, on social media

Cops hunting the Delphi killer have hit out at people sharing images of who they think murdered two schoolgirls in 2017 alongside newly-released sketches of the suspect on social media.

Indiana police have already received 2,000 fresh tips since sharing a new mockup of the man who is suspected of killing Liberty German, 14, and Abigail William, 13.

The pair vanished on February 13, 2017, after a relative dropped them off for a hike near the Monon High Bridge.

A day later their bodies were found in a rugged, wooded area at the back of a property about half-a-mile away.

The sketches have been widely shared, but now police are asking citizens to use the official tip lines instead of 'ruining innocent peoples lives' by accusing men publicly on Facebook or other platforms.

In a post on Facebook, officers from the Carroll County Sheriff's Office said: 'Please STOP posting side by side pictures of people you think did this.

'You are ruining innocent peoples lives. Before posting a side by side, imagine that is your son, brother, or father.

'If you have a tip, we have given you the proper way to report it.'

Liberty's desperate sister Kelsi shared a screenshot of the post requesting people exercise caution on Twitter, shortly after she took to the website to beg for help.

The sketches have been widely shared, but now police are asking citizens to use the official tip lines instead of 'ruining innocent peoples lives' by accusing men publicly on Facebook

Liberty's desperate sister Kelsi previously took to Twitter to share the newly-released sketch of the suspected killer and beg for help, but shared a screenshot of the post telling people to use official tiplines

Kelsi also shared personal pictures of she and her sister from 2008, saying 'I miss you'

Sharing snaps of the murder suspect, she previously wrote: 'RETWEET. Please help FIND OUR KILLER! Libby and Abby were murdered February 13, 2017 while walking on our local trails.

'Their killer is still on the loose. Libby got a video that recorded his voice and a blurry picture of him walking towards them.'

Kelsi also shared personal pictures of the pair together when they were kids.

She told RTV6: 'I've met so many people who are connected with the girls because of my post. Before maybe they didn't see it as an important case to look.'

Kelsi decided to turn to social media for help with finding her sister's murderer after meeting Michelle Cruz, whose sister was killed by the Golden State Killer.

She encouraged her to share the photos and spread awareness of the case to increase the chances of someone being caught.

Last week, police released the sketch and footage of the killer on the Monon High Bridge where the girls had been, as well as updated audio of the killer speaking. The footage and audio was retrieved from Liberty's cellphone.

Police said they believe the man is between the ages of 18 and 40 and either lives or lived in Delphi or works in the area.

Spt. Doug Carter addressed the killer directly during the emotional press conference and acknowledged he could even be in the room.

Within days of the killings, authorities released a grainy photo of a suspect walking along the abandoned railroad bridge

Liberty German, 14, and Abigail William, 13, vanished on February 13, 2017, after a relative dropped them off for a hike near the Monon High Bridge

'We have a witness. You made mistakes. We are coming for you and there's no place for a heartless coward like you to hide that gets his thrill from killing little girls,' he said.

'Only a coward would do such a thing. We are confident that you have told someone what you have done.

'I believe you have just a little bit of a conscience left. I can assure you, that how you left them in that woods is not what they're experiencing today.'

Police have disclosed few details in their two-year investigation and have never publicly revealed how the teenagers were killed despite autopsies being carried out.

Prior to Monday's announcement, police had received around 35,000 tips since the slayings.

Liberty and Abigail were eighth graders at Delphi Community Middle School when they were killed.

Both girls played softball and were gearing up for spring practices before they died.

The murders shook Delphi, a small town of 2,877 people set amid farm fields of the Hoosier heartland, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
Former Vice President Joe Biden fired up his attacks on President Donald Trump as he launched his first full day of campaigning in Iowa Tuesday, calling for the return of a president children could 'look up to.'

Biden, 76, put himself back on the campaign trail in earnest, holding a pair of campaign rallies sandwiched around an ice cream stop where he met Iowans  while touting general policy programs and calling for 'unity.'

'Everybody knows who Donald Trump is,' Biden said at the culmination of remarks that ran for nearly 40 minutes and drew references to his father, John Kennedy, German philosopher Emmanuel Kant, and conservative economist Milton Friedman.

'We've got to learn who we are. They got to know who we are. We choose hope over fear. We choose unity over division. We choose truth over lies. And we choose science over fiction,' Biden said, whipping up a crowd at a Dubuque hall that seats 1,000.

'Folks, pick up your head. Remember we are not a joke. This is the United States of America,' Biden said, after blasting the modern GOP as 'not your father's Republican Party as the old saying goes.'

Former Vice President Joe Biden kicked off his Iowa campaign Tuesday, a day after launching his presidential effort in Pittsburgh

At a pair of campaign event, Biden lauded President Barack Obama, who put him on the ticket after trouncing him in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, after releasing a video that captured Obama lavishing him with praise.

'When he was president our kids could have someone to look up to,' Biden said.

'His values, his morals, are the polar opposite of Donald Trump's,' Biden said.

His two-day push in Iowa came as new polling showed him Trumping to a strong front-runner position  although it was far too early to tell how determined his new supporters are to stick with him.

Biden mostly stuck to the same things at his pair of speeches, eschewing a teleprompter that he used at his campaign launch in Pittsburgh.

'We can't let eight years of this president forever and fundamentally alter the very character of this nation', Biden said.

Biden made a stop at an ice cream parlour in Monticello, Iowa. 'It's a heck of a thing after all these years to be known for two things: sunglasses and ice cream,' he said

'We have to put an end, electorally, to this administration,' he said. 'The stakes are too high.'

Biden vowed to return to the state, and at several points said he would provide more specifics at a later time, not wanting to burden his audience.

'I'll be talking about a lot of this in detail,' he told his audience after a riff on higher education costs.

'I don't have time. I don't want to keep you standing around here,' he said, about 30 minutes into his remarks.

'Good news and bad news: You're going to see a whole heck of a lot from me,' he told a crowd of supporters in Cedar Rapids earlier Tuesday. 'No one's going to work harder in Iowa than Joe Biden,' he said.

Biden, who has invoked his own personal family struggles throughout his campaigns, was introduced at his first event in Cedar Rapids by a firefighters union member, then promptly thanked first responders for aiding him during one of his brain aneurisms years ago.

'Most people don't make it,' Biden said of the cranial aneurism he suffered. 'They save my life.'

'I suffered from a cranial aneurism. It means a bleed in one of your arteries going into your brain, in your head. Most people don't make it.'

'They got me in the middle of a snowstorm,' and took him to Walter Reed national medical center. 'They got me in time down there for a 13-hour operation. They saved my life,' Biden said.

Biden suffered two aneurisms in 1988.

He also referenced how responders used the 'jaws of life' to save the lives of his two sons after a car crash involving his first wife and daughter.

'They saved the lives of both my sons when I lost my wife and daughter,' Biden said.

Soon, he pivoted to a moment he mentioned in his debut campaign video, the time President Trump said there were 'very fine people, on both sides' of the clash in Charlottesville.

'He now has come down and doubled down on concocting a phony story about how these violent thugs only want to protect the statue of Robert E. Lee,' Biden said of the confederate general.

'Give me a break. Enough's enough, man. This is nonsense.'

'Anti-Semitic chants were clear. Hatred was on the march, and he knew it,' Biden said.

Later, Biden hailed President Obama as 'an extraordinary man' and vowed to 'finish the job' on Obamacare.

Hugging the last Democratic president on the day he released a campaign video featuring Obama, Biden said: 'Everything but locusts landed on his desk' during his tenure.

Biden blasted President Trump and corporate greed in his remarks

Biden once again ripped into President Trump for his comments about Charlottesville

'There wasn't a single solitary day that I served with him that I wasn't proud to be with him,' Biden said.

'The Affordable Care Act was one of those most important days,' Biden said.

'I told President Obama it was a big deal or words to that effect,' he quipped, referencing his own 'big f****** deal' remark when it passed.

As he did during his campaign launch, Biden saved some of his fiery rhetoric against President Trump for the end of his remarks.

'Everybody knows who Donald trump is. I want to make sure they know who we are, who I am,' Biden said. He called for choosing 'science over fiction,' and called Trump  who has been going after Biden on Twitter  someone who 'abuses the power of the presidency ... whose entire agenda has been to divide the country.'

He once again went after the president's tax cut, on a day when the New York Times reported on a slew of top companies that pay no corporate income tax.

'There's $2 trillion tax cut last year. Did you feel it? Did you get anything from it? Of course not. Of course not,' Biden said.

'We have to deal with that god-awful tax cut,' he said at one.

He blasted 'corporate culture,' telling a crowd: 'They don't care about you. They are squeezing the life out of you' and stripping away ''personal dignity.'

Biden said it was time to 'raise our heads and remember who we are. This is the United States of America,' he said.

'The very core values of our nation, our standing in the world, our very democracy. Everything that's made America America is at stake' in the election, he said.

'We can repair now, God willing what we've gone through,' Biden said.

Biden and his aides are taking steps to try to keep the candidate, whose previous two runs for the White House have failed, on message. In Pittsburgh on Monday he used a teleprompter. In Cedar Rapids, he went without one, and then spent several meetings meeting with Iowans and posing for photos.

However he brushed off a rope-line question from a reporter, exchanging greetings instead.

Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden makes a stop at the The Cone Shoppe while campaigning on April 30, 2019 in Monticello, Iowa

2020 Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S., April 30, 2019

Biden was introduced by a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters

COLD WAR CONUNDRUM: Biden quipped that it's awkward to talk about foreign policy to reporters with an ice cream cone in his hand

After his first scheduled event, Biden made a stop at an ice cream shop in Monticello, Iowa. 'It's a heck of a thing after all these years to be known for two things: sunglasses and ice cream. Oh God, what a dull guy,' he said to a group of reporters who accompanied him.

'After all these years, to be known for two things, sunglasses and ice creams, He dodged a question on Sen. Bernie Sanders, who took him on about trade and other issues, then left $40 to pick up the tab for some people behind him.

He ordered a cone of chocolate-vanilla swirl. Hours later, he ordered up a pint of cookies and cream ice cream for the ride home, a source told DailyMail.com.

Biden fielded a question about the turmoil in Venezuela, saying: 'I think it's that very important that we stay calm here and what I think ultimately what's required is for the international community to demand that that there be a free election.'

'There is one democratic election that has taken place in that place, and it's for the Assembly. They're the people who were actually democratically elected. [Nicolas] Maduro was not democratically elected. And there's got to be a commitment that there be  that we hold democratic elections,' Biden said.

Biden kicked off his Iowa campaign following a poll that sealed his status as the Democratic front runner, leading rival Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by 24 points.

Biden garnered 39 percent of the vote to Sanders' 15 percent in the CNN poll.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren came in third with 8 per cent, followed by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 7 per cent, former Rep. Rep. Beto O'Rourke at 6 per cent and Sen. Kamala Harris at 5 per cent.

Although Biden begins his effort without an endorsement form the man who elevated him, President Barack Obama (Obama said he asked him not to offer it), his campaign put out a new campaign featuring the former president speaking of Biden in glowing terms.

Obama calls Biden 'somebody who's been forced to wander through the darkness himself and who knows who to lean on to find the light. That's Joe Biden. Resilient, loyal, and a patriot,' Obama says in the web ad.

Biden made his Iowa in a historic Veterans coliseum that was under water during the devastating floods of 2008.

The campaign set up about 50 folding chairs in the below-ground venue, and booked a blues guitar and harmonica player.

Supporters filled in bleacher seats brought the total attendees to a few hundred.

Biden, 76, took just 1 per cent in the Iowa Caucuses in 2008, but leads the field now

Sarah Riley, a local plaintiff's attorney, caucused for Biden eight years ago, and says she backs him again due to his experience.

'The fact that he's been vice president for eight years, people know him,' she said. She said Biden, who got only 1 per cent of delegates, actually performed better than it appears due to the state's viability rules when counting support.

'In 2008, the Obama factor was just so overwhelming,' she said. She defended Biden for backing the crime bill, a piece of legislation that has fallen out of favor on the left.

'I was around when the crime bill was passed. It had support from the African American community,' she said.

Now, years later, she says Biden could have an edge with older caucus goers, even if Sen. Bernie Sanders once again turns out the young. 'Seventy-six - four years older than the guy in office right now. Not a problem,' she said. 'If he has a problem stumbling on words,' it might be another matter she said.

Jean Michaels, a California transplant who was born in England, said backs Biden and came because her daughter started a disability caucus for him.

'We're the same generation,' said the 85-year old who worked in several medical professions. 'I just hope that he uses the wisdom. He needs some strong support,' she said.

Earlier Tuesday, Biden released a new campaign video where he's highlights his ties to former President Barack Obama.

The video features a voice over of Obama talking about Biden during the ceremony where Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom combined with images of Biden's time as vice president.

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill sat for an interview in Pittsburgh with ABC's 'Good Morning America

Orla Nelson, a retiree who has lived in Iowa for 41 years, says she came to hear Biden talk about social justice and mental health.

'My concern with Biden is that he's very compassionate  I'm not sure that message comes through to people that haven't been ill,' she said. He's a very kind man and I deeply appreciate that attitude. He is who he is,' Nelson said.

She said she values Biden's 'wisdom.'

'At one point, I was probably the worst person for age attitudes,' she said, citing her time in her 40s with aging parents.

'I've come to respect the wisdom of a man like Biden. But he's going to need energy around him. Maybe he can develop that. He's a wise man,' she said.
A man has appeared in court charged with assaulting an Afghanistan veteran-turned barman with a bottle.

Jack Shepherd, 31, appeared before Plymouth Magistrates' Court via video link for a short hearing on Tuesday.

The defendant faces one charge of wounding with intent on March 16, 2018 at the White Hart Hotel in Mortonhampstead on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon.

Jack Shepherd, 31, appeared before Plymouth Magistrates' Court via video link for a short hearing on Tuesday. He is seen in a court sketch (left) and an undated photo (right)

He is accused of 'unlawfully and maliciously' wounding former soldier David Beech.

The charge is contrary to section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

Shepherd, formerly of Bristol, did not enter a plea to the single charge against him.

He spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address, and that he understood the proceedings.

District Judge Diane Baker sent the case to Exeter Crown Court for a hearing on May 30.

'It is an allegation of assault with a bottle on a barman,' the judge said.

The court heard Mr Beech was a former soldier who had served in Afghanistan.

She told Shepherd: 'At the moment, Mr Shepherd, there is no application for bail.

'I am going to formally send up the section 18 wounding matter to Exeter Crown Court for trial.

'The date that I give you isn't a trial date, it is a plea and case management hearing at Exeter Crown Court.'

Claire Tresidder appeared for the Crown Prosecution Service during the hearing.

Shepherd, wearing a white t-shirt, was represented by Richard Egan.

He will next appear before Exeter Crown Court on May 30.
A heavily-tattooed man who confronted John Ibrahim at his home has been arrested after allegedly making a series of inflammatory social media posts aimed at several people.

Mohamed 'Butch' Haochar, 37, was arrested at Ryde Police Station in Sydney's west on Tuesday morning.

He was originally visiting the local police station to report for bail, as he faces charges for attempted stalking or intimidation against his brother Ali, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

But now Haochar has been charged over a number of social media posts allegedly inciting violence aimed at Mr Ibrahim, Danny Green, Bassam Hamzy, as well as members of the Hamzy family.

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Mohamed 'Butch' Haochar, 37, was arrested at Ryde Police Station in Sydney's west on Tuesday morning

But now Haochar has been charged over a number of social media posts allegedly inciting violence aimed at Mr Ibrahim (pictured), former boxer Danny Green, and convicted murderer Bassam Hamzy, as well as members of the Hamzy family

Who are Danny Green and Bassam Hamzy? Bassam Hamzy is a convicted killer who was sentenced to jail in 1998 over the shooting murder of Kris Toumazis outside a Sydney nightclub. He was also convicted for conspiring to murder a witness. While he was in Lithgow jail, Hamzy founded the notorious gang Brothers 4 Life in 2008. He is currently locked up at Goulburn's Supermax prison, about 195km south-west of Sydney.

Danny Green is an Australian professional boxer. He held the WBA light-heavyweight title between 2007 to 2008, the IBO Cruiseweight title in 2009 and 2013 and the WBC interim super-middleweight between 2003 and 2005. Advertisement

Hamzy is a convicted killer who was jailed in 1998 over the shooting murder of Kris Toumazis outside a Sydney nightclub.

He is also the founder of the notorious gang Brothers 4 Life.

Danny Green is an Australian professional boxer who has enjoyed a successful career in the ring with numerous titles tucked under his belt.

Mr Ibrahim is a nightclub mogul better known for his venues in the once-thriving Kings Cross district in Sydney.

Last Saturday, a video showed Mr Ibrahim calmly turn Haochar away from his Dover Heights mansion after he was approached over an alleged money issue.

Footage shows Haochar, who has 'execution', '187' and a grenade inked across his forehead and King Kong tattooed on his knuckles, trying to provoke a dramatic confrontation.

'John, Habib, it's me, Butch,' he shouts before walking over to ring the doorbell.

'Let's see if he answers...come on, John.

'He's not answering, f***.' Come on, John, answer it's me,' he says becoming visibly frustrated.

But when Ibrahim finally comes to the door, Haochar stops recording.

Footage of what happened next, however, was later shared by Ibrahim who captured the moment on his home security camera.

Haochar is seen approaching the 48-year-old, greeting him with an extended hand which Ibrahim swats away.

During the confrontation, which is not audible, Ibrahim seems calm and collected while speaking to Haochar in tracksuit pants and sandals.

Seconds later, Haochar appears to be dismissed and is seen walking away quietly.

Hamzy (pictured) is a convicted killer who was jailed in 1998 over the shooting murder of Kris Toumazis outside a Sydney nightclub

Danny Green (pictured) is an Australian professional boxer who has enjoyed a successful career in the ring with numerous titles tucked under his belt

Butch Haochar reportedly also spells his last name Haouchar.

Although it is not clear what his tiff with the nightclub baron was about, the Ibrahim and Haouchar families are known to have a history of bad blood between them.

Osman Haouchar lost his right eye during a drive-by outside his family's Merrylands home in 2008.

His brother Bilal was later filmed in jail threatening revenge on the Ibrahim family.

According to sources close to the Haouchar family, Butch and Osman are not blood related.

Mr Haochar will front Burwood Local Court on Wednesday where he will fight charges of four counts of publish indecent article.

Michael Ibrahim, who served six years behind bars for manslaughter, was shot in the shoulder in 2015, months after his release.

That year, Australian Federal Police later detained Osman at Sydney Airport to question him over the shooting, but he was released without charge hours later.

Michael was later arrested in 2017 for drug and money laundering charges to which he will be sentenced for later this year.

There is no suggestion that John Ibrahim was involved in the shooting of Osman or any of the activities of Michael Ibrahim as referred to.

Haochar (pictured) is seen approaching the 48-year-old, greeting him by extending his hand, which Ibrahim swats away
Police are searching both a garage and backyard at the home of a babysitter following the disappearance of eight-month-old nearly two months ago.

Amiah Robertson was last seen with her mother's ex-boyfriend, Robert Lyons, around 1.15pm on March 9 in Indianapolis, reported WISH-TV.

Local police and forensic officers are searching the babysitter's premises once again in the hopes of finding new clues in the case that is now being classified as a homicide investigation.

The house in the 200 block of South Holmes Avenue is where the baby girl was believed to last be seen alive.

The disappearance of Amiah Robertson, eight months (left), of Indianapolis, Indiana, was reclassified as a homicide investigation. Robert Lyons, 20 (right), is the main suspect after he took her from a home around 1.15pm and returned at 10pm without her

Neighbors said that upon arrival police started digging in the backyard and searching inside a garage which sits behind the house, local media reports.

The ground will be searched with the assistance of an anthropology team of students and faculty from the University of Indianapolis, according to a spokesman for Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

However, that search is not likely to take place until Tuesday. A search is currently taking place at the residence, the spokesman added.

Both Amiahs grandfather and her mother, Amber Robertson, are at the scene along with a crowd of neighbors watching the investigators search.

The little girl wasn't reported missing to police until March 16 as her family initially didn't believe Amiah to be in any danger.

Police are searching both a garage and backyard at the home of a babysitter following the disappearance of the eight-month-old

Local police and forensic officers are searching the premises once again in the hopes of finding new clues in the case that is now being classified as a homicide investigation

Lyons, 20, was arrested on Saturday for an unrelated domestic charge and has been named the main suspect in the case.

Ms Robertson initially told police that her daughter was last seen alive on March 14 at a babysitter's house before revealing further details.

Authorities say Lyons was supposed to bring Amiah to the babysitter's house, and Robertson had agreed.

He left the home driving a 1996 Maroon Isuzu Rodeo SUV that was in poor condition, WISH-TV reported.

Lyons allegedly returned to the home around 10pm without the baby. The babysitter said Lyons never brought Amiah over.

Amiah's mother, Amber Robertson (pictured, with Amiah), said she was fighting with Lyons because she was trying to reconcile with her daughter's father

Police Chief Bryan Roach said at a press conference on Saturday that it turned from a missing persons case to a homicide investigation after things 'didn't add up.'

'The Missing Persons Unit, because of their expertise and experience, figured out quickly through their investigation that this was a little different than most missing person of a small child,' he said.

'We're telling you now that this is a homicide investigation, but it has been all week.'

Robertson, 19, told WTHR that she had been fighting with Lyons because she was trying to reconcile with her daughter's father.

Lyons was arrested on an unrelated domestic charge and has given police several locations of where Amiah could be, but the baby has not been found. Pictured: Lyons' car he was driving when Amiah disappeared

According to police, Lyons has been taunting Robertson ever since about possible locations where her daughter is.

During questioning, he is said to have been given several locations on where Amiah could be, but officers have been unable to find the baby in any of those places.

'Robert has told family, friends, and myself where Amiah should be alive and OK. All of these locations and homes were checked with full cooperation from residents. Some places she was said to be by Robert do not exist,' said Detective Jeannie Burkert said.

Amiah is described as a white baby who is 23 inches tall, weighs 13 pounds, and has blond hair with blue eyes.

Police are asking for anyone with information to contact the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (917) 262-8477(TIPS).

'I think that we all hope for the best always, but I think that we can't ignore the reality of the situation,' Lt Bruce Smith during the press conference.

'Amiah cannot take care of herself. And absent somebody else who is currently taking care of her that hasn't come forward, we are very concerned about what happened to her.'
Theresa May and six female Cabinet members had a night out with the wife of a former Vladimir Putin ally who had donated 135,000 at a Tory fundraiser.

Lubov Chernukhin was entertained by the Prime Minister at the five-star Goring Hotel in Belgravia on Monday evening.

It is understood the banker won the dinner as an auction prize at the Conservative Partys Black and White ball earlier this year. The 135,000 bid takes Mrs Chernukhins donations to the Tories over the past seven years past the 1million mark.

The party has insisted that Mrs Chernukhin, now a British citizen, is not a Putin crony. But the money will raise fresh questions about the Tories links to Russia just a year after the Salisbury spy poisoning. Five years ago, David Cameron faced questions after Mrs Chernukhin successfully bid 160,000 at a party fundraising dinner to play tennis against him and Boris Johnson.

1 Karen Bradley, Northern Ireland Sec; 2 Baroness Evans, Leader of the Lords; 3 Caroline Nokes, Immigration minister; 4 Amber Rudd, Work and Pensions Sec; 5 Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the Commons; 6 Liz Truss, Treasury Chief Sec; 7 Theresa May; 8 Lubov Chernukhin

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss posted the picture of the cabinet ministers with Theresa May from the Goring Hotel on her Instagram account

The former PM was accused of hypocrisy over the donation, which came at a time when he was pushing for tougher Western sanctions against Moscow in response to its annexation of Crimea and the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

Todays revelations are likely to lead to similar accusations against Mrs May, who has pledged to get tough on the issue of Russian money and influence in the UK in the wake of last years nerve agent attack in Salisbury.

The PM warned at that time that it could no longer be business as usual with Russia.

Security minister Ben Wallace went further, pledging a wide-ranging crackdown on Russian money in London. He said oligarchs could be hit with unexplained wealth orders by the courts if they were unable to demonstrate the source of their assets. It was part of a strategy of making life uncomfortable for them in London.

Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, revealed news of Monday nights dinner by posting a photograph on Instagram of Mrs May, several of her female ministers and a group of mystery women at the Goring, which is near Buckingham Palace.

Lubov Chernukhin (wife to Vladimir Chernukhin) leaves court at the conclusion of a very late session

The picture includes Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the Lords, Baroness Evans, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley and immigration minister Caroline Nokes. Miss Truss, who has become known for her regular and eye-catching updates on social media, wrote the caption: And its ladies night, cabinetandfriends, girlpower.

Downing Street and the Conservative Party yesterday refused to comment on the identities of the women beside Mrs May in the picture, claiming it was a private event.

But the Daily Mail discovered that it was a dinner thrown for Mrs Chernukhin and her friends after she successfully bid for the prize at the ball.

They were served a three-course meal of asparagus, beef Wellington and Eton mess.

A source said: It was bit like Cabinet at the start, very polite, but then a fair amount of wine was drunk and then it became a very relaxed and talkative dinner.

The guests were also thought to include Lady Nuttall, a fashion designer who had an affair with a cousin of the Queen in the Bahamas, and Lucy Hyde-Dunn, a vet who is the wife of the head of the Dragon School in Oxford.

DWP Secretary Amber Rudd (left) and Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley, who were both at the event, arriving at this morning's Cabinet meeting in Downing Street

Both Mrs Leadsom and Ms Truss looked fresh this morning as they arrived for the Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street

Louise Petano-Heathcote, who is standing for the Tories in local elections in Oxford on Thursday, is thought to be another of the women in the photograph. The wife of the artist Peregrine Heathcote commented on Instagram: Fabulous women, wonderful evening.

Electoral Commission records show Mrs Chernukhin was declared an impermissible donor in 2012 when she attempted to give 10,000 to the Tories. Since then, however, she has made donations to the party worth more than 903,000, which have all been accepted, including 389,000 last year.

The 135,000 donation for the auction prize has yet to be declared on the Electoral Commission website. At last years Black and White Ball Mrs Chernukhin won two more auctions  20,000 to dine with Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson and 30,000 to dine with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson. Earlier this year, Mrs Chernukhin donated 9,500 to the war chest of Tory chairman Brandon Lewis.

It was not known whether the match involving Mr Cameron and Mr Johnson ever went ahead, but last March  following the spy poisoning  Mr Johnson finally admitted it had. He said: Its very important that we do not allow a miasma of suspicion about all Russians in London  and indeed all rich Russians in London  to be created.

Mrs May faced criticism last summer after it emerged she had accepted another six-figure donation from Mrs Chernukhin.

The Queen leaves the Goring Hotel with David Morgan-Hewitt. The Queen was in attendance for the yearly Christmas Lunch for her staff at the Goring Hotel, London

At the time, Labours shadow cabinet minister Jon Trickett said: Theresa May needs to explain what checks have taken place, and why her party has accepted money from individuals with links to Putins regime, despite her promises.

The Tories have repeatedly defended taking money from Mrs Chernukhin, saying her husband, Vladimir, who served as deputy finance minister under Putin in the early 2000s, fell out with the president after being dismissed from his job in charge of a state-run bank before moving to London.

Both the Conservative Party and Downing St refused to comment last night.

There is no suggestion that Mr and Mrs Chernukhins wealth is illegitimate.

The Goring is where the Duchess of Cambridge spent her last night as a commoner ahead of her wedding to William.

Vlads ex-minister worth 230m... and wife whos given a fortune to the Tories

Mr Chernukhin, who served as a minister in Vladimir Putins first presidency between 2000 and 2002. He then became chairman of Vnesheconombank, a state-owned investment bank

By Jemma Buckley for The Daily Mail

Lubov Chernukhin is a long-standing Tory donor and the wife of former Russian deputy finance minister Vladimir Chernukhin.

She is believed to have given the Conservatives more than 903,000 in donations since 2012.

Mrs Chernukhin, 46, held a Russian passport before gaining British citizenship and settling in London. She and her husband have a 7million mansion overlooking Regents Park.

In 2014 she paid 160,000 in an auction at the Tory summer fundraising ball for the ultimate tennis match with former prime minister David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

But controversy over her husbands past Kremlin links provoked an embarrassing backlash after Russias military intervention in Ukraine resulted in the shooting down of passenger jet MH17.

In June last year, the Tory party was accused of sheer hypocrisy after it was revealed it had accepted 50,000 in donations from Mrs Chernukhin on the same day that Theresa May pointed the finger at Russia over the poisoning of spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

Last year Mrs Chernukhin gave at least 389,500 to the Conservatives. At one point she bid 30,000 to have dinner with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and tour Churchills War Rooms. It is unclear whether the event went ahead.

As a British citizen she is eligible to make donations to UK political parties.

But in 2012 Electoral Commission records show she was declared an impermissible donor when she attempted to give 10,000 to the Tories. This is thought to have been because she was not on the electoral roll at the time.

President Vladimir Putin (right) gestures as he speaks to Vladimir Chernukhin at a meeting in 2008

Mrs Chernukhin is believed to have married Mr Chernukhin in November 2007. He served as a minister in Vladimir Putins first presidency between 2000 and 2002. He then became chairman of Vnesheconombank, a state-owned investment bank.

However, he is said to have fallen out of favour with the Russian president for his loyalty to Mikhail Kasyanov, a critic of Mr Putin, and was dismissed from his role, leading the couple to settle in Britain.

Earlier this year it emerged that City financier Nat Rothschild created a 275,000-a-year job for Mr Chernukhin in 2004 to enable him to get a British visa.

In 2014 she paid 160,000 in an auction at the Tory summer fundraising ball for the ultimate tennis match with former prime minister David Cameron and Boris Johnson

Mr Chernukhin told a court that he fled Russia after being tipped off that he was to be arrested in a swoop on opponents of Mr Putin.

He said that once he had been in Britain for five years, and could obtain leave to remain in the UK, he repaid 1.3million to Mr Rothschild because the job had required no actual work.

Details of the arrangement emerged during a courtroom battle between Mr Chernukhin, 49, and the oligarch Oleg Deripaska, 51, over ownership of a textile factory on a valuable 22-acre site in central Moscow.

Although Mr Chernukhin was a state employee until 2004, the court heard he had amassed 230million at the time from his real estate empire. He was formerly in a 16-year relationship with Lolita Danilina, who was also dragged into the court battle, although he did not marry her.

Mrs Chernukhin was educated in the United States, studying at Merrimack College in Massachusetts from 1990 to 1995 and completing an MBA at the prestigious Stern School in New York between 1997 and 1999.

In documents filed with the UKs Companies House, she has variously listed her occupation as banker, investment director and consultant.
Social media sensation and chef Salt Bae has been handed a 4,500 fine for threatening to kill one of his former employees.

Turkish celebrity chef Salt Bae, real name Nusret Gokce, verbally assaulted Ali Ihsan Kandil after he sat female customers at the same table as male customers at one of Gokce's restaurants, the name of which has not been revealed.

Gokce became enraged at Kandil seating the women with the men and shouted at him: 'Did you sit the women there you pimp, are you selling women in my restaurant? I will kill you, f*** off, I am firing you.'

Gokce shot to fame in 2017 after his theatrical, cobra-like style of sprinkling salt on his steaks went viral as a meme (pictured)

The incident occurred in 2015 and former chef Kandil then filed a suit against Gokce.

The Istanbul 23 Penal Court of First Instance has found in his favour, punishing Gokce with a fine of 35,000 Turkish lira (4,540) for verbal assault.

He also has to serve 5 years of 'supervised liberty' which will mean regular checks by police, although it is unclear how this will affect his international travel.

He allegedly yelled 'are you selling women in my restaurant?' at Ali Ihsan Kandil before telling him to 'f*** off' and threatening to kill him

Kandil told reporters that Gokce never apologised to him and added: 'I got involved in a case which had nothing to do with me.

'I had to go to court. I won the case with 35,000 Turkish lira but they still haven't paid me.

'During the court process I could not find a job.

'In three years I had to work in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Moscow.'

Gokce owns a chain of Nusr-Et restaurants and is known as Salt Bae for his theatrical, cobra-like style of sprinkling salt on his steaks.

He went viral in 2017 after posting videos of himself salting meat in this way, and now has more than 21 million Instagram followers and his restaurants in the Middle East, New York and Miami charge several hundred dollars for some cuts of meat.

However, this is not the first time he has been caught up in controversy since he shot to fame.

In September, four tourists were seriously injured, some suffering severe burns, after a flame show went wrong at Gokce's Nusret Etiler Steakhouse in Istanbul.

Nusret Gokce - known online as Salt Bae - has been fined for verbally assaulting a former employee who seated men and women together at his restaurant

The same restaurant had hit the headlines just a week before, after a visit from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sparked fury in his impoverished homeland, where there are widespread shortages of food and medicine.

Maduro was lavished with the gourmet steak lunch and cigars in Istanbul during a two-hour stop-off.

'While Venezuelans suffer and die of hunger, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia enjoy one of the priciest restaurants in the world, all with money stolen from the Venezuelan people,' tweeted opposition politician Julio Borges, the former head of Congress.

Venezuelans protested outside Gokce's resaurants in Miami and New York.
A university student in south China has been hailed a hero after she jumped in front of her classmate to protect her when a knife-yielding man attacked them.

Cui Yiwen, 20, and her friend, Liang Yuying, 19, were returning to their college dormitory after class at Guilin University of Electronic Technology in Guangxi on March 10 when a man suddenly lunged at them and slashed Liang with a knife.

Realising her friend was the intended target, Cui immediately stepped in and used her body to shield her from the blows, resulting in her being stabbed eight times.

20-year-old Cui Yiwen, a university student in south China, has been hailed a hero after she jumped in front of her classmate to protect her when a knife-yielding man attacked them

Cui Yiwen, 20, and her friend, Liang Yuying, 19, were returning to their college dormitory after class at Guilin University of Electronic Technology in Guangxi on March 10 when a man suddenly lunged at them and slashed Liang with a knife. Above, the scene of the attack

The brave student was slashed in the chest, waist, abdomen and arm, according to Ningbo Daily in a report yesterday, and needed emergency operation on her gallbladder and liver.

The friend that she was protecting was stabbed 15 times, the report added. Both survived the horrifying ordeal after weeks of treatment in hospital.

'I only knew that if I didn't help her, she would have died,' the Ningbo native told reporters.

Brave student Cui was slashed in the chest, waist, abdomen and arm, according to Ningbo Daily in a report yesterday, and needed emergency operation on her gallbladder and liver

The friend that Cui was protecting was stabbed 15 times, the report added. Both survived the horrifying ordeal after weeks of treatment in hospital

'I thought that if I didn't get stabbed in the heart, I wouldn't die,' she said. 'I totally forgot about covering my liver!'

As a daughter of a veteran, Cui said she felt it was her duty to step forward. Her father, Cui Hongwei, was in the army for 28 years.

'My child's face was as white as a sheet of paper. There was no colour on her cheeks or lips,' the heart-broken father said.

Following a 17-day treatment in hospital, Liang has returned to classes - bearing permanent scars all over her body. The story of the brave student touched the hearts of the nation

The 20-year-old suspect (pictured above), identified by his surname Liang, was immediately arrested on the spot after the attack. He was also a student at the university and carried out the attack due relationship problems with Liang

The 20-year-old suspect, identified by his surname Liang, was immediately arrested on the spot after the attack.

He was also a student at the university and carried out the attack due relationship problems with Liang. He had also made repeated threats on social media before the incident, according to police.

Following a 17-day treatment in hospital, Liang has returned to classes - bearing permanent scars all over her body.

On April 22, the Guangxi Lingchuan County government awarded her with a certificate for her heroic actions.

The horrifying knife attack happened on March 10 at the Guilin University of Electronic Technology in Guangxi Autonomous Region. The suspect has been arrested

On April 22, the Guangxi Lingchuan County government awarded Cui with a certificate for her heroic actions

The story of the brave student touched the hearts of the nation, with many net users calling Cui 'the most courageous girl they've ever seen'.

'I am so proud of you, young woman! I hope you have a bright future!' one comment said on Chinese microblogging site Weibo.

'You are the prettiest woman - both inside and outside!' another user said.
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Eerie images have revealed the abandoned remains of an underground factory where the Merlin engines that powered the iconic Spitfire planes were made during World War Two.

The haunting pictures show the dark, dank tunnels that would have been navigated by munitions workers during the war as well as industrial equipment left behind and forgotten office furniture.

Other striking shots show ladders leading down long shafts, flooded sections filled with water and an exterior doorway that provides an entrance to the hidden factory.

This is an amazing photograph of an underground factory created during the Second World War to build aircraft engines

The War Office wanted to develop underground facilities to protect them from air raids during times of conflict

An anonymous urban explorer took photographs of the former top secret site in Birmingham, West Midlands

Herbert Austin - Lord Austin - who became Chairman of the Government's shadow factory scheme in 1936, is pictured (right) visiting the shadow factory site at Longbridge in 1937

Lord Austin (in foreground), an Australian-born industrialist, founded the Austin Motor Company - which had already turned its services to the war effort from 1914 to 1917

The spooky snaps were taken in Birmingham, UK by an urban explorer who wished to remain anonymous.

'This place is widely renowned in the urbex world for The Shadow Factory Tunnels,' they said.

'These are the remnants of Lord Austin's secret plans that were hatched to bolster British military might in the face of German military aggression in the arms race that led up to the start of the Second World War.

'These images show you the bare bones of what used to be a necessary secret and a thriving employer for the people of Birmingham, a truly British industry. This was where munitions workers produced the Merlin engines that powered the Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes used to regain control of the British skies during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

'You can see toilets, batteries, work spaces and air shafts; Air conditioning machinery, old storage boxes and the car parts, industrial graffiti, mould and empty packets of park drive.'

The British government developed plans for 'Shadow factories' in order to protect war time industry from bombing

However, more than 70 years after the end of the war, the vital factories lie abandoned and derelict, filling with flood water

Modern health and safety regulations would ban ladders such as this as they would be deemed as excessively dangerous

In many cases, the shadow factories were excavated underneath the existing facilities meaning it was easy to transfer production

In some cases, the shadow factories were repurposed after 1945 and used as possible Cold War nuclear bunkers

The anonymous person continued: 'This is my favourite type of place to explore as it gives you a chance to see something you would never normally get to see and how it works,' added the urban explorer.

'The Shadow Scheme involved two parts - building nine new factories and extending existing factories - including the Longbridge plant.

'Australian-born industrialist and Conservative MP, Lord Austin - also the founder of Austin Motors - had already contributed to the war effort in the First World War, turning his factories to munitions and engine production.

'After the war, the factory returned to producing automobiles and the tunnels were abandoned. By the late 1960s, the Longbridge plant was the second largest car plant in the world.

'But since the collapse of MG Rover, part of the site was redeveloped for housing and commercial purposes. It's sad to see yet interesting.

'The last mini of Longbridge was sold at auction to a motor museum eventually, the back seat of the orange Mini Clubman 1275 GT can be seen in my images.'

According to the urban explorer responsible for these images: 'Australian-born industrialist and Conservative MP, Lord Austin - also the founder of Austin Motors - had already contributed to the war effort in the First World War, turning his factories to munitions and engine production'

Today, the vital role these factories played during the Second World War risks being forgotten as they disappear

At the end of the war, many of the aircraft factories shifted production above ground and returned to making cars

It looks like someone has been into this section of the factory and stripped out all the copper pipe and cable for scrap

The Austin Rover box, pictured, provides evidence that this could have been part of the Longbridge plant

Parts of Britain's vital wartime industry was dispersed to alternative locations to ensure continued production

Many of the workers involved in aircraft production during the war were women allowing men to join the armed services

According to the unnamed urban explorer: 'You can see toilets, batteries, work spaces and air shafts; Air conditioning machinery, old storage boxes and the car parts, industrial graffiti, mould and empty packets of park drive'

The urbex explorer said: 'But since the collapse of MG Rover, part of the site was redeveloped for housing and commercial purposes. It's sad to see yet interesting'

According to the explorer: 'This was where munitions workers produced the Merlin engines that powered the Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes used to regain control of the British skies during the Battle of Britain in 1940'

Many of the tunnels have been flooded or filled with a strange looking sludge

An sign warns people to keep the gangway in the abandoned factory clear 'at all times' as the steel beams of the tunnel slowly corrode

This abandoned box has Rover printed on the side - meaning it is one of the more modern things dumped in the factory

A Jaguar box has also been left in one of the decaying tunnels underneath the Longbridge plant in Birmingham

A sign on the wall warns that something should not be moved - possibly the light switch at the corner of the tunnels
North Korea has warned Donald Trump of 'undesired consequences' if the U.S. does not change its position in nuclear talks.

Pyongyang said it would not keep its promise to denuclearize unless Washington showed more flexibility by the end of the year.

The North also fired back at Mike Pompeo's 'foolish and dangerous' remarks on U.S. policy in another personal attack on Trump's Secretary of State.

Pompeo had said that the U.S. could 'change paths' if Kim Jong-un did not co-operate but North Korea insisted angrily that it could do the same.

The comments by North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister mark the latest in a series of angry exchanges since the failure of Trump and Kim's second summit in Vietnam.

Clash: North Korea has warned 'undesired consequences' in another sign of failing relations since Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un (pictured together) failed to reach a deal in Hanoi

The minister, Choe Son Hui, said: 'Changing paths is not a privilege that only the United States has, but it could be our own choice if we make up our mind,' according to the official KCNA news agency.

'If the United States fails to reestablish its position within the timeline we gave, it will see truly undesired consequences.'

Denuclearization would happen 'when the time comes', but only if the United States changed its current calculations, she said.

'We know the path we will take, but we're just hesitating to choose as we have set the deadline for the United States, for the end of the year' she went on.

Trump and Pompeo have dismissed the North's deadline, calling for Kim to take action to break the deadlock.

Happier times: North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un meets U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang last year. Kim's regime has demanded that Pompeo is replaced as envoy

The North launched an extraordinary attack on Pompeo two weeks ago, questioning 'whether he is indeed unable to understand words properly'.

Pyongyang demanded that he stand down from nuclear talks to be replaced by someone who is more 'careful and mature in communicating'.

'I am afraid that, if Pompeo engages in the talks again, the table will be lousy once again and the talks will become entangled,' an official said.

Last year he was condemned by the North for his 'gangster-like' insistence that the North move towards unilateral disarmament.

Earlier this month satellite images from the North's nuclear site in Yongbyon sparked fears that Pyongyang was preparing bomb fuel.

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

A U.S. think tank said the pictures showed movement at the site which could indicate the reprocessing of radioactive material.

Satellite imagery from April 12 showed five specialised railcars near its Uranium Enrichment Facility and Radiochemistry Laboratory, the report said.

A second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi in February ended suddenly with no progress towards denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

The first historic meeting in Singapore last year had sparked hopes of a deal but relations have deteriorated again since then.

Sanctions against the North over its nuclear and missiles programs remain in place.

Experts have estimated the size of North Korea's nuclear arsenal at anywhere between 20 and 60 warheads.
A violent fugitive was shot dead after pulling a handgun on police on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Lawrence Bottoms, 29, of Louisiana, was trying to flee a home in Bayside Park in Waveland, Hancock County, Mississippi, after deputies went to serve a high-risk warrant.

He was fired at by officers when pointing a gun at Hancock County Sheriffs deputies and died at the scene despite medical assistance.

Lawrence Bottoms, 29, of Louisiana, was trying to flee a home in Bayside Park in Waveland, Hancock County, Mississippi, after deputies went to serve a high-risk warrant

Video courtesy WLOX

Bottoms was wanted in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, for being a felon in possession of a gun and had also been convicted of stabbing a teenager with a screwdriver, according to The Advocate.

Police were given information that he was being harbored at the house, which was also being used to sell drugs from, according to officers.

Investigators also had information that Bottoms was possibly armed and were prepared for trouble because of his extensive criminal record, Sheriff Ricky Adam said.

Deputies repeatedly asked Bottoms to come out of the house upon arrival for 15 to 20 minutes and eventually used tear gas when the suspect refused to exit the home.

Bottoms jumped from a second-floor window and ran into a nearby woods before pointing a 9mm handgun at the deputies pursuing him. He was then shot during the stand-off by a deputy.

Allison Rainey surrendered to deputies and is charged with disorderly conduct, failure to comply, harboring a fugitive and resisting arrest

A woman who was also inside the home at the time was arrested following the use of tear gas.

Allison Rainey surrendered to deputies and is charged with disorderly conduct, failure to comply, harboring a fugitive and resisting arrest.

She is being held at Hancock County Jail pending her initial appearance and is believed to be the fugitives girlfriend, local media reported.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting, Sheriff Adam said.

Bottoms pleaded guilty in 2017 of aggravated battery after stabbing a teenager with a screwdriver in April 2015, according to the Livingston Parish Clerk of Courts Office. The teenager died months after the stabbing.

Bottoms was arrested in August 2017 in Waveland and charged with possessing a firearm while a convicted felon.
A California man is under investigation after he allegedly dumped his dementia-suffering father in England so that he wouldn't have to pay his medical bills.

Kevin Curry is currently being investigated for elder abuse, fraud, and kidnapping.

Prosecutors claim Curry enlisted the help of his British best friend to abandon his father Roger, who suffers from Alzheimer's, in England for its free healthcare.

Curry allegedly reached out to Simon Hayes and together they concocted a plan that would launch an international eight-month investigation.

A British court sentenced Hayes to two-and-a-half years in prison this week for his part in the plot.

California man Kevin Curry is being investigated after he allegedly dumped his elderly father Roger (pictured) in England so that he wouldn't have to pay for his costly medical bills

Prosecutors said that Curry and his mother Mary Jo Curry flew Roger, 78, to England in November 2015.

It was there that they met with Hayes, who then took Roger to Hereford, a small town west of England.

Hayes, dressed in a fake military uniform and using a fake American accent, brought Roger to Hereford bus station, near a hospital, and told a nurse and paramedics that he had found the elderly man lying face-down in a country road.

Roger, who is from Whittier, had no ID and was unable to remember his name or personal details when he was discovered, prompting a long-running, worldwide investigation to find out who he was.

Hayes left him with the medics, claiming he couldn't give any contact details because he was working with the Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British Army, at their nearby camp.

He then flew to France and Copenhagen to vacation with Kevin and his mother.

Kevin Curry (pictured with his mother Mary Jo Curry) is being investigated for elder abuse, fraud, and kidnapping. Prosecutors claim Curry enlisted the help of his British best friend to abandon Roger, who suffers from Alzheimer's, in England for its free healthcare

Roger was cared for by Britain's free-to-use National Health Service (NHS) while police and the FBI appealed for information and tried to figure out his identity, an investigation that would cost British taxpayers $26,000.

Prosecutor Simon Davis said Hayes told police a 'pack of lies' that led them on a 'wild goose chase'.

Police began to suspect that Roger had been deliberately dumped, and suspicion even fell on the nurse Hayes had initially spoken to at the bus station.

By March 2016, Roger had managed to tell nurses his name. He was adored at the nursing home where he was being taken care of during the investigation, known for his love of chocolate muffins and sherry.

Amanda Bow, the manager of the nursing home, told a BBC reporter that the staff would be devastated if he was identified and had to leave.

Curry allegedly reached out to his best friend Simon Hayes (pictured). A British court sentenced Hayes to two-and-a-half years in prison this week for his part in the plot

'He's our Roger,' she said. 'We've adopted him.'

But there was a break in the case after the BBC put out a new appeal for information, catching the attention of American Debbie Cocker.

Cocker posted a 1958 yearbook photo of a man named Earl Roger Curry from Edmonds High School in Washington state.

His name was then traced to a house in Whittier, where neighbors immediately recognized the mystery man who had been left behind in Britain.

It was then that troubling stories began to emerge about Roger's relationship with Curry.

Roger had taken a restraining order out on his son 19 years ago, claiming Kevin had choked him when he refused to let him move back in.

'Kevin choked me with his hands and arms. Kevin threatened to "mess" me up. Kevin said, "I could kill you!"', the restraining order from February 2000 reads.

Roger was abandoned in the town of Hereford, 5,330 miles from home. It was his yearbook photo from 1958 that finally helped crack the months-long case

It them emerged that Roger had taken a restraining order on his son 19 years ago (pictured)

'The police were called. Kevin returned to my house two more times. I stayed locked in my bedroom. I called the police each time.'

One neighbor recalled hearing Curry pounding on his parents' front door in the middle of the night, screaming at them and trying to get in.

In 2014, Roger and Mary Jo's house was badly damaged by a fire and they moved out. Authorities fenced off the property, but one neighbor spotted the couple sleeping in the backyard the following summer.

Jerry Maiques revealed he saw Mary Jo on an inflatable mattress. There was a cooler packed with food and water nearby. It was nearly 90 degrees F.

Maiques called the police, who said Curry had locked his parents behind the gate and was bringing them food. But Mary Jo told investigators it was her idea and he was never charged.

Three months later, Roger turned up in England.

British authorities called Curry at his home in Whittier, but he claimed that no one named Roger lived there.

In 2014, Roger and Mary Jo's house was badly damaged by a fire and they moved out (pictured). But authorities spotted the couple sleeping in the backyard in the summer of 2015

A neighbor called the police and it was discovered Curry had allegedly locked his parents behind the gate and was bringing them food

Then Hayes, for reasons that remain a mystery, called British police and confessed he was the man who handed over Roger to the medics.

But Hayes, who was described in court as a 'pathological liar', continued to spin his story.

He claimed to British authorities that he and a Canadian Army serviceman had found Roger. Hayes said he lived in Los Angeles and had been in Hereford to attend a course at the SAS base.

Hayes told investigators that he was a 'qualified phsyiotherapist' who 'trained racing drivers'.

It was then uncovered that Hayes had been deported from the US in 2013 after he was convicted of driving under the influence.

Curry (pictured outside of the home) later old a BBC reporter that Roger had fallen ill while they were vacationing in England and that he asked someone to take him to the hospital

He sent unsuccessful visa applications in 2014, 2015, and 2016, claiming he was a captain in the Royal Marine Commandos and had won the Military Cross in the Gulf War.

Curry had stories of his own. He told a BBC reporter that Roger had fallen ill while they were vacationing in England and that he had asked someone to take him to the hospital.

But he had no explanation for why he hadn't tried to find his father for months afterward, and refused to comment further.

Roger was flown back to Los Angeles in 2016 and local authorities there are now in control of his care. Curry's case is ongoing.
A Kansas City Democrat resigned on Monday after allegations unearthed by the Missouri House Ethics Committee said he attempted to pursue a sexual relationship with an employee and later got her fired for declining his advances.

According to a report published by the committee, Assistant Minority Leader DaRon McGee sent repeated communications to a woman under his supervision for more than 10 months, showing him attempting to engage in an amorous relationship.

A panel of four Democrats and four Republicans unanimously determined McGees romantic pursuits were 'not welcomed' by the unnamed employee.

They also say the lawmaker thereafter took actions which resulted in the termination of the womans employment, ultimately determining that McGee had acted 'unethically'.

Assistant Minority Leader of the Missouri House of Representative DaRon McGee sent repeated communications to a woman under his supervision for more than 10 months

Investigators said the lawmaker thereafter took actions which resulted in the termination of the womans employment, ultimately determining that McGee had acted 'unethically' (pictured: an excerpt of the committee's report)

In an interview on Monday, McGee denied that he was at the center of an ethics complaint, but the Houses report details that McGee was notified of the allegation in January.

He also testified before the committee in March and April, after they filed for a subpoena and ordered the disclosure of the texts shared between McGee and the employee, dated between 2017 and 2018.

In an interview on Monday, McGee denied that he was at the center of an ethics complaint, but in the Houses report its detailed that McGee was notified of the allegation in January

Several of the text messages instigated by [McGee] were flirtatious in nature, and gave the appearance of [McGee] attempting to establish an amorous relationship with the Employee, investigators determined.

Following the conclusion, the House offered a number of recommendations for how they believe McGee should be reprimanded, including the removal from committee assignments and demoting him from his leadership role.

They also wanted the Democrat to pay $7,408 in compensation to the House for the cost of their probe.

If McGee refused to agree to the committees terms, the final recommendation was that he be expelled from the House.

The Committee finds that [McGee] has repeatedly delayed and obstructed these proceedings and impeded the resolution of this matter, the committee said.

[McGees] actions demonstrate disrespect to the House of Representatives and a failure to acknowledge the severity of his actions towards the employee.

The woman McGee is said to have harassed worked under his employment at the Missouri State Capitol building (above). The texts were said to have been exchanged between 2017 and 2018, before a complaint was filed in January

Within hours of the report being made public, McGee announced his resignation to House Speaker Elijah Haahr, in a letter

Within hours, McGee published a letter of resignation address to the committees chairman, Representative J. Eggleston, explaining that hed be returning to Kansas City having secured a new job.

I have accepted an employment position in Kansas City, Missouri which will, unfortunately, cause me to return to my district full-time, McGees statement read. I regrettably submit my resignation as District 36 State Representative effective immediately. It has been an honor to serve.

In a statement, House Speaker Elijah Haahr expressed that it is vital that members of the House of Representatives are held accountable for unacceptable actions that cause harm to individuals or harm to the integrity of the institution.

The Committees report makes it clear that the actions by Rep. McGee are inexcusable and absent his resignation from the House, the Committee was prepared to recommend to the entire body severe disciplinary action, the statement continued.

[The] report is an indictment that Rep. McGees behavior, in the course of his duties as a State Representative, has substantially broken the trust placed in him and constitutes abuse of his position.

In a statement, House Speaker Elijah Haahr (right) expressed that it is vital that members of the House of Representatives are held accountable for unacceptable actions. He said McGee had 'broken the trust placed in him'

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade added to Haahrs condemnation of McGees alleged conduct, adding that he engaged in behavior that cannot be tolerated from an elected official, and as a result should no longer hold a place in public office.

Earlier this month, another representative was scolded by the Missouri House Ethics Committee, after it was determined hed spread a false rumor that a House employee was engaging in an affair with a lawmaker.

After a several month-long investigation, Rep. Rocky Miller was said to have engaged in conduct unbecoming of a state legislator.

However, he evaded substantial punishment because the subject of the rumor wasnt experiencing a hostile work environment, and the rumor wasnt considered severe or pervasive in association with the states sexual harassment law.

McGee served assistant minority floor leader, the second highest-ranking member of the Democratic Party in the House.

Its believed he was considering running for the state Senate, either for the seat of Sen. Kiki Curls or Sen. Jason Holsman whose terms will end in 2020.
Kareem Lashley-Weekes, 21, and a 16-year-old boy are accused of hunting down and 'butchering' 19-year-old Hasan Ozcan (pictured) on February 3 last year

An alleged killer boasted in raps of stabbing rivals after taking part in a tit-for-tat revenge attack on a teenager, a court has heard.

Kareem Lashley-Weekes, 21, and a 16-year-old boy are accused of hunting down and 'butchering' 19-year-old Hasan Ozcan on February 3 last year.

The pair were allegedly part of a 'close knit team' from Dagenham, east London, which was prepared to use violence to settle a score with a group from a nearby Barking estate.

After Lashley-Weekes was arrested, police found images 'mocking' the victim and lyrics of two rap songs saved on his mobile phone a few days after Mr Ozcan's death, the Old Bailey heard.

Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC said the raps 'boasted of stabbing rivals and taking on the opposition'.

He told jurors: 'It will be for you to decide whether the images and the lyrics are simply thoughtless bravado on Lashley-Weekes's part or whether in fact they reveal his true character and expose the pride he feels in having killed a rival.'

Mr Glasgow told how Mr Ozcan was stabbed by three youths on bicycles who had gone to the Gascoigne estate in Barking 'seeking revenge for what they perceived to be a loss of respect'.

Just hours before, a youth was stabbed and injured in Dagenham, close to the defendants' territory on Academy Way, jurors were told.

On hearing of the attack, Lashley-Weekes and the 16-year-old along with Jonathan Efionayi, 22, and Kamaal Modest, 22, allegedly 'sprang into action' at a nearby chicken shop.

Lashley-Weekes and Efionayi grabbed chairs from the restaurant while the youth produced a knife from his jacket pocket, it was claimed.

Mr Glasgow said there was a short 'stand-off' between the two groups which ended with the people that had hurt the defendants' friend running away.

A couple of hours later, the two murder accused and a third unidentified man cycled into the rivals' territory, with hoods and masks covering their faces, searching for a target, the court heard.

They allegedly spotted Mr Ozcan and his friends in a playground and chased after them.

The victim was stabbed seven times, despite trying to ward off the blows, and bled to death in a car park.

After Lashley-Weekes was arrested, police found images 'mocking' the victim and lyrics of two rap songs saved on his mobile phone a few days after Mr Ozcan's death, the Old Bailey heard

Mr Glasgow told jurors: 'The first two defendants were both part of the armed group that went looking for people from the Gascoigne estate.

'They chased down their target. They produced their weapons and they butchered him.

'It matters not who inflicted which injury, who was armed with which weapon, or even whether they actually took part in the violence.

'What matters is that both of them knew there was to be an attack and both of them played their part in it.'

Jurors were told Mr Ozcan, who lived with his family a mile from the estate, was part of the group which had a postcode rivalry with the group from Dagenham.

Mr Glasgow said: 'Given the number of injuries Hasan suffered and given the ferocity of the attack, no-one is likely to suggest that he did anything to bring about what happened to him.'

All four defendants have denied violent disorder while the teenage defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has admitted possession of a knife.

Lashley-Weekes, from Newham, east London, and the 16-year-old youth have pleaded not guilty to murder.
A majority (54 percent) of Americans feel they have not personally benefited much or at all from U.S. economic growth since Donald Trump took office  but the wealthiest Americans are the most likely say they've been enriched over the past two years, according to a new survey.

Overall, 12 percent of Americans say they've benefited a 'great deal,' while 31 percent say they've seen 'some' personal improvement from the economic upturn, according to the survey of 801 adults by Monmouth University Poll.

However, results broke dramatically along socioeconomic lines, with just 34 percent of those making less than $50,000 a year and 41 percent of those earning $50,000-$100,000 saying they have benefited at least somewhat from the economy's upswing.

By comparison, 58 percent of those earning more than $100,000 a year say they have benefited.

This graph illustrates what share of Americans believe they have benefited - and how much - from the economic upturn that has occurred since Trump took office

Overall, 18 percent of Americans believe that middle-class families have benefited 'a lot' from Trump's policies so far, while 37 percent say they've benefited 'a little' and another 36 percent say they haven't seen any improvement in their situation.

'There just isn't a sense that Donald Trump has come to the rescue of the middle class. He has his staunch defenders, but there hasn't been any clear success in winning over the public on bread-and-butter issues,' said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Among all Americans, 58 percent said that wealthy families have benefited a great deal from Trump's policies, while 22 percent say they've benefited a little and 9 percent said not at all.

More than half (51 percent) of Americans say the poor have not benefited at all under Trump, compared to 26 percent who think they've seen small improvements and 14 percent who say poor people have benefited a lot under the president.

This graph illustrates how much Americans believe poor, middle class and wealthy families have benefited financially since the economic upturn that has occurred under Trump

Notably, more people expected the poor would fare better when Trump first took office, with 21 percent saying in January 2017 that low-income families would see a lot of benefit from the president's new policies.

Workers barely benefited from Trump's corporate tax cuts Workers have benefited in almost no way from the Trump administration's corporate tax cut, an investigation has found. This is despite lawmakers promising the billions saved by big companies would trickle down to staff in the form of wage increases and bring the average American household 'around a $4,000 pay raise.' The 2017 Tax and Jobs Act - President Donald Trump's one major piece of enacted legislation - slashed the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent, the biggest such cut in U.S. history. Yet, only 6 percent of the $150billion saved by corporations in 2018 was spent on workers, according to not-for-profit Just Capital. In the first three months after the bill was passed by Trump in December 2017, the average yearly salary increased by just $233 a year, or $6.21 a week. The bulk of the cut went into shareholder dividends and stock buy-backs, helping only the 10 percent of Americans who own 84 percent of the stocks. Advertisement

Despite seeing a disparity in who has benefited under Trump, 54 percent of all Americans say their current financial situation is stable, while 20 percent say they are struggling and 25 percent saying that things are improving.

The number who say they are struggling has declined from 29 percent in January 2017, when Trump first took office.

Those earning less than $50,000 a year are the most likely (32 percent) to say they are struggling  down from 41 percent a year ago. By comparison, 13 percent of those earning $50,000-$100,000 and 7 percent of those earning more than $100,000 say they are struggling.

'One bit of good news in this poll is the decrease in the number of low income families who feel like they are struggling to stay afloat. However, this does not erase the general sense that administration policies really haven't been of much help to working Americans,' said Murray.

The poll also asked Americans about their biggest worries right now, with the cost of health care topping the list at 19 percent, followed by taxes (9 percent), every day bills (8 percent) and job security (7 percent).

Just 14 percent of Americans said the federal government's actions have helped their family with the issue they are most concerned about over the past year.

Some 42 percent said the government's actions have actually hurt their family on the issue they were most concerned about.
President Donald Trump is seeking to blacklist the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, a far-reaching step that would place the United States firmly on the side of its authoritarian allies in the Middle East.

'The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process,' said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

The Brotherhood, a nearly century-old Islamist movement born in Egypt with pockets of support across the Arab world, was designated a terrorist organization by Cairo after the military in 2013 ousted Mohamed Morsi, a democratically-elected president with roots in the movement.

Placing the Muslim Brotherhood on Washington's list of foreign terrorist organizations would make it a crime for any American to assist the group and would ban from the United States its members, who are active in political parties in several countries.

Donald Trump hosted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi - who has cracked down heavily on the Muslim Brotherhood - at the White House on April 9

Protesters hold a banner with images of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egypt's deposed president Mohamed Morsi during a December 2017 rally in Istanbul

The move comes three weeks after Trump welcomed Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has cracked down heavily on the Muslim Brotherhood as well as other movements ranging from Islamic State extremists to secular activists.

During their White House talks, Trump praised Sisi for 'doing a great job,' saying the United States and Egypt had 'never had a better relationship.'

The terrorist designation would delight Sisi as well as Saudi Arabia, which despite its ultra-conservative Wahabi ideology disdains the Muslim Brotherhood due to its support for political change in the kingdom, including over Riyadh's alliance with Washington.

But targeting the movement would be a major new impediment in US ties with NATO ally Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pushed an Islamist foreign policy that includes support for the Muslim Brotherhood inside Egypt.

Another US ally friendly toward the Muslim Brotherhood is Qatar, with the issue becoming a key source of friction with its neighbors Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been a longtime supporter of designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, co-sponsoring legislation with fellow conservatives to take the step when he was a member of Congress.

The Muslim Brotherhood has emerged in recent years as a favorite bugbear for the US far-right, with numerous social media users on Tuesday hailing Trump's push by sharing unfounded conspiracy theories that the group had infiltrated former president Barack Obama's administration or was attempting to impose Islamic sharia law in the United States.

But the proposal has seen pushback from policymakers who say that it is inaccurate to lump together the Muslim Brotherhood, which includes more moderate and democratic strains, with groups set on apocalyptic violence such as the Islamic State movement and Al-Qaeda.

Human Rights Watch has argued that a terrorist designation would 'unfairly taint anyone alleged to be linked to the Muslim Brotherhood,' meaning that people based in the United States could face prosecution - or, if not citizens, deportation - for backing charities or advocacy groups accused of ties to the movement.

Long enmity: Ousted former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi (second right) on trial in Cairo in 2013. Al-Sisi ousted Morsi, installed himself as president then put hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood leaders and those who protested the takeover on trial. 75 were sentenced to death

Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which generally backs hawkish policies in the Middle East, doubted that the whole Muslim Brotherhood could be declared a terrorist group under normal processes.

'There is near zero likelihood of the entire network, with all its disparate parts, meeting legal criteria,' he tweeted.

'But targeting the violent branches is certainly viable. That, in turn, can enable further designations based on financial ties.'

The debate comes less than a month after the Trump administration took the sweeping decision to declare Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group, the first time it has designated a unit of a government.

Egypt is one of the biggest US strategic partners -- an Arab country that made peace with top US ally Israel 40 years ago and remains one of the largest recipients of US aid, at more than $1 billion a year.

Trump has all but ended criticism of Egypt's rights record. When Sisi took over in 2013, security forces killed some 700 protesters who had assembled in two Cairo squares -- with courts then sentencing to death 75 people, including Muslim Brotherhood leaders, over the uprising.
President Trump blamed a former aide for his flawed infrastructure plan his first year in office and praised a $2 trillion proposal put forward by Nancy Pelosi at Tuesday meeting in the White House, where he shared a box of Freshmint Tic Tacs with her.

Trump told lawmakers he never wanted a public-private partnership because 'you get sued' and would be willing to go a route that 'may not be typically Republican,' a Democratic source told DailyMail.com.

The president said a top aide who's no longer with the administration, Gary Cohn, crafted the proposal he seemed eager to ditch.

'That was a Gary bill. That bill was so stupid,' the source said Trump told a room of Democratic lawmakers.

The president agreed to double his original ask from Congress for repairs, the source said, settling on $2 trillion because he favors the big, round number.

'I like the number you've been using, Nancy. Two trillion,' he said. 'Two trillion. That number you can talk about.'

He also promised Democrats, in the closed-door meeting, 'I'll lead on this.'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats had a 'productive' meeting with President Trump on Tuesday. She's seen here leaving the West Wing with Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

The first topic that Trump brought up with not infrastructure, the source revealed. He made immigration and trade his first priorities, claiming the 'border is a disaster' and Democrats must help him fix it.

The source did not say whether Trump mentioned the wall he's trying to build. One of his closest aides told DailyMail.com he considers it an infrastructure project earlier in the day.

Pelosi told Trump that her caucus would like to pass comprehensive immigration reform, which typically includes a pathway to citizenship.

And the president claimed that he was 'out front' on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an Obama-era policy his administration says is unconstitutional. He says his hands were tied by the courts.

Trump used the conversation to push his U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal, as well. He signed it five months ago, but Congress has yet to bring it up for a vote.

Pelosi told Trump that Democrats continue to have concerns about prescription drug provisions in the deal.

The president said that a top aide who's no longer with the administration, Gary Cohn, crafted the proposal he's eager to ditch

After a discussion on infrastructure, in which Trump said 'I would like to do something. It may not be typically Republican,' the president returned to the topic of prescription drugs.

He claimed it would be 'so easy' to bring the costs down as part of a bipartisan effort.

Trump also asked Sen. Patty Murray about a bipartisan healthcare overhaul she'd been working on with Republican colleague Lamar Alexander.

She told him she stopped working on it because she was informed he would veto it. Trump insisted he never said that and encouraged to get back to it.

According to the source, who provided DailyMail.com with detailed notes, Sen. Debbie Stabenow told Trump as he talked about immigration and trade that he must not forget the U.S.-Canada border and the ports of entry there, in addition to the ones down south, that would be affected by any change in policy.

The Michigan lawmaker brought up the Great Lakes, to which the president asked, 'Whats happening with the fish?'

Trump was referring to an invasive species of Asian carp, she realized, and invited him to have a separate discussion with her on a government study that's about to come out.

At one point in the meeting, the president took out a box of Tic Tacs  a refreshment his Access Hollywood tape revealed him to prefer. He took one for himself and offered the the breath mints to Pelosi. She took several for herself and returned it.

The source who shared details from the meeting indicated Trump and Schumer, who he's known for many years, have a better relationship than meets the eye, too.

In fact, they were so busy gabbing, Pelosi had to say, 'If I may have your attention ... Mr. President Chuck Kids'

The anecdotes suggested that Trump and Democratic leaders are getting along better than they let on. Trump had referred to Schumer as 'Cryin' Chuck' in tweets, in relation to a claim that the Democratic leader bawled the night Hillary Clinton lost, but he has not used the slam in several months.

Schumer told press, 'In previous meetings the president has said if these investigations continue I can't work with you. He didn't bring it up, and so we're going. I believe we can do both at once. We can come up with some good ideas on infrastructure, and we want to hear his ideas on funding

After the meeting, Pelosi told reporters that Democrats had a 'productive' meeting with President Trump, despite their 'difficulties' in other areas, and Schumer said it was a 'constructive' talk. Both leaders said investigations into the president did not come up.

A White House statement described it as an 'excellent' conversation on infrastructure improvements.

It was marked change from the last time the leaders, their aides and other lawmakers sat down together to discuss a funding priority at the White House.

Trump memorably stormed out a January meeting on immigration when Pelosi refused to bend to his will, and the leaders had not sat down for formal talks since the blow-up until Tuesday.

An unexpected detente between Democratic leaders and the White House emerged, however, as the two parties agreed to work toward a $2 trillion infrastructure deal that cannot pass without bipartisan support. They said they'll rendezvous to discus it in three weeks and could use the kindling to develop a drug pricing agreement.

WHAT TRUMP WANTS Possibly wall funding

Repairs to bridges and roads

Money to stop water main breaks

A better air traffic control system

Broadband internet in rural areas

5G internet for smartphones

Artificial intelligence development Advertisement

'It was a very constructive meeting. It's clear that both the White House and all of us want to get something done on infrastructure in a big and bold way,' Schumer, a New York senator, told reporters outside the White House.

He added, 'There was goodwill in this meeting, and that was different than some of the other meetings that we've had which is a very good thing.'

'We told the president that we needed his ideas on funding, that the last bill he proposed which, a, was smaller, but, b, took as much money away, and the speaker emphasized this, took as much money away as it put in wasn't going to work, so where does he propose that we can fund this because certainly in the Senate, if we don't have him on board, it will be very hard to get the Senate to go along,' he said.

Schumer declared it a 'very, very good start' and shared his optimism for a 'constructive conclusion' to the bill-making process.

The White House had warned earlier in the day that talks would fall apart if Democrats pushed climate change projects and investigations into the president during the meeting.

Democrats had also zeroed out talks about Trump's soon-to-be-released immigration overhaul.

It was unclear whether Trump discussed the details of the plan with Democrats during the meeting, but both sides seemed happy with the outcome.

Pelosi said Democrats in the room, including tax committee Chairman Richard Neal, didn't bring up probes, and a White House statement suggested Trump's border wall was also a moot topic.

Democratic leaders and President Donald Trump attempted to reset their relationship, following months of fiery disputes over illegal immigration and Trump's conduct, in the Oval Office in a Tuesday meeting the White House kept out of the public eye

Schumer told press, 'In previous meetings the president has said if these investigations continue I can't work with you. He didn't bring it up, and so we're going. I believe we can do both at once. We can come up with some good ideas on infrastructure, and we want to hear his ideas on funding.

'And the House and the Senate can proceed in its oversight responsibilities. The two are not mutually exclusive, and we're glad he didn't make it that way,' the top-ranking Senate Democrat said.

He said they would reconvene with Trump in May, and they expect the president to come ready with a new funding proposal for the project.

'We agreed that the same group would meet in about three weeks, and the president would present his ideas on funding, and we would take it from there,' Schumer said.

While he has not talked about his vision for infrastructure reform for some time, aside from White House complaints that Democrats should work with him on the issue instead of scouring his past for possible crimes, Trump's latest budget included the $1 trillion infrastructure plan the source said he's disavowing.

His proposal called for $200 billion in new federal spending. The rest of the money was supposed to come from public-private partnerships and private investment.

Pelosi and Schumer sent a letter to Trump on Monday that spelled out specific areas of concern.

'A big and bold infrastructure plan must have strong Buy America, labor, and women, veteran and minority-owned business protections in any package,' it said. 'This bill can and should be a major jobs and ownership boost for the American people  manufacturers, labor contractors, and women, veteran and minority-owned businesses.'

The White House closed the meeting to press to keep another scene like this one from playing out. Trump bickered with Democrats on national television and made claims he didn't keep

The letter outlining Democratic funding priorities suggested that trouble could be brewing.

'To truly be a gamechanger for the American people, we should go beyond transportation and into broadband, water, energy, schools, housing and other initiatives,' they said. 'We must also invest in resiliency and risk mitigation of our current infrastructure to deal with climate change.'

Trump has called climate change a 'hoax' and his administration has made the ultra-progressive 'Green New Deal' climate change proposal a punching bag.

On Tuesday morning, before Democrats arrived at the White House, counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway warned Democrats to stay on topic rather and away from climate change proposals they

'We welcome this meeting, they requested the meeting. The president and Speaker Pelosi have spoken at length about it, in fact the president tweeted about it the last few months that when they hung up the phone they agreed to work on some of the issues,' she said.

'But it has to be about infrastructure,' she added. 'I read the letter yesterday  hopefully they're coming here not to try a shot at the Green New Deal to get through Congress with a single Democratic vote but we'll be listening.'

Conway told DailyMail.com that Trump wants to develop 5G internet and expand broadband into rural areas, in addition to 'basic infrastructure' repairs of roads of bridges.

'So I know people like to joke it's infrastructure week again, I'm very happy that it's bipartisan infrastructure day, anyway, and that the Democrats are coming here. I only hope that they're honest brokers that this is about infrastructure,' she stated.

Trump stormed out of a January meeting after they refused to kowtow to his immigration demands. Schumer and Pelosi are seen leaving an earlier meeting, in December, where Trump promised not to shutdown the government on camera

Trump, seen here on Saturday at a rally in Wisconsin, didn't keep his word. He shut down the goverment

The meeting with Democrats took place off camera, and Conway suggested it was to keep the opposing party from grandstanding.

'Well you can get them to hear  I think they behave differently  some people behave differently when the press is in the room than when they're not,' she said. 'Having been in the room when press is there and having been in the Situation Room where it's closed press, and the Situation Room, I can assure you that it's different.'

Leaked information from the meeting suggested that Trump also takes on a different demeanor when he's with Democrats in private versus meetings that take place on camera. It also revealed that he was the who strayed from the agreed upon topic.

Trump was the one who brought up immigration, the source said, in keeping with White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders' admission on Monday that the topic could up.

The president believes his wall is a major infrastructure project, and he still wants Democrats to fund it.

'Certainly the wall is part of infrastructure, but that's not what we're talking about today, maybe he'll mention it,' Conway told DailyMail.com on Tuesday. 'But it tells you how important it is to, first that the infrastructure projects really should be to secure our sovereign nation and to give it borders that are real and that work.'

Trump's meeting with Pelosi and Schumer was the first since since an immigration blow-up on Jan. 9 that preceded his national emergency declaration.

The president says he left the meeting after the Democratic leaders denied to pay for his border wall.

He called it a 'total waste of time' in a tweet. 'I said bye-bye, nothing else works!' he declared.

Pelosi and Schumer were similarly displeased with the meeting, which came amid a partial government shutdown.

'It's cold out here, and the temperature wasn't much warmer in the Situation Room,' she told journalists waiting for her outside the White House.

Tensions have since thawed a little between Trump and Pelosi since the dispute. He's made it known that he is pleased by her opposition to some Democratic lawmakers' desire to impeach him.

Sanders observed Monday that the new meeting was on its face a sign of remarkable progress.

'I think it is a big step that both sides who have frankly had a lot of hostility towards one another over the last couple months are sitting down at the table and discussing an issue that has to be addressed,' she stated. 'And they both are showing a willingness to do something about it. And I think that's a good first step.'
Michael Gove was blasted today for refusing to 'declare a climate change emergency', after meeting climate change protesters who brought London to a halt over Easter.

The Environment Secretary met members of Extinction Rebellion, who brought 10 days of disruption to the capital, in Westminster but they said he refused their demand.

They accused him of 'a moral and political failure' after prior meetings with Labour's shadow John McDonnell and Sadiq Khan.

Mr told them climate change was a 'grave' challenge, but stopped short of calling it a climate emergency.

'Politicians should be judged on actions not words,' he said.

'We should show that we're making a difference rather than simply telling everyone how important it is to change.'

Extinction rebellion's Clare Farrell, who was at the meeting at Defra headquarters, said it had been 'less sh*t than I thought it would be, but only mildly'.

She said Mr Gove voiced support for placing less debt burden on young people, but added: 'Unfortunately what failed to emerge was an actual way forward.

'I'd like to remind him that we have a one per cent chance of hitting 1.5 degrees (the maximum safe increase in global temperature)  that urgency wasn't in the room.'

Representatives of Extinction rebellion met Michael Gove (right) today, following the Easter demonstrations across central London. They accused him of 'a moral and political failure'

Activists also met Labour's John McDonnell. They said he 'listened to the urgency of our demands but we need our politicians to be more ambitious'

Extinction Rebellion is demanding the government declare a climate emergency and to allocate resources to tackling the issue. They want greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced to net zero by 2025 and create a citizen's assembly of members of the public to lead on decisions to address climate change.

'The fact that Michael Gove cannot even commit to declaring a climate and ecological emergency at the moment is not only a political failure, we believe that's a moral failure on behalf of our politicians,' said Sam Knights, a 22-year-old Extinction Rebellion activist after the meeting.

During the campaign of street protests and roadblocks which saw 1,130 arrests over Easter, Mr Gove said that it was 'appropriate' for Extinction Rebellion to raise awareness of climate issues, but said some of their tactics were 'over the top'.

He made clear then that he was ready to meet the protesters, saying: 'The point's been made, let's now have a serious conversation collectively about how we deal with this situation.'

And he attended a meeting in Parliament with 16-year-old Swedish protester Greta Thunberg, the inspiration for the global School Strike for Climate, telling her he felt 'a sense of responsibility and guilt' because his generation had not done enough to deal with the issue.

'The time to act is now, the challenge could not be clearer, Greta you have been heard,' Mr Gove told the teenager.

At some of the protest sites, like in Hyde park and Marble Arch there was an almost carnival atmosphere

Extinction rebellion's campaign of street protests and roadblocks led to 1,130 arrests over Easter as they blocked locations including Parliament Square and Oxford Circus

Earlier protesters criticised Mr McDonnell after a meeting with the shadow chancellor.

An ER spokesman said he 'acknowledged the failure of previous Labour Party policies' but 'did not commit to changing the proposed date in the Labour Party motion which currently aims to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, although he said will consider a new target of 2030'.

'We also raised this with Jeremy Corbyn ahead of the debate tomorrow in the House of Commons,' the spokesman added.

'Were glad that John McDonnell listened to the urgency of our demands but we need our politicians to be more ambitious.

'Our childrens future is on the line. The International Rebellion will continue until politicians prove they are willing to act on all three of our demands.

'We wait to see if the Labour Party will act with the courage and determination needed in this moment.'
An amputee has spoken of the humiliation he suffered after he was forced to crawl on his belly during a holiday with his wife because United Airlines confiscated batteries for his electric scooter.

Despite losing his left arm and right leg in a workplace accident in 1984, Stearn Hodge, 68, has retained his independence thanks to his mobility scooter.

But as he tried to get a flight from Calgary Airport, Canada, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a holiday to celebrate his 43th wedding anniversary with wife Jan, he was told the batteries were not allowed on board the plane.

An agent with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and a United Airlines official cited fire safety concerns over the potentially volatile batteries - even though the Hodges had secured the required written permission from the airline beforehand.

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Despite losing his left arm and right leg in a workplace accident in 1984, Stearn Hodge, 68, has always retained his independence and dignity thanks to his mobility scooter that allows him to enjoy holidays with his beloved wife, Jan

While lithium-ion batteries are a potential fire hazard, global standards issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) allow people with disabilities to travel with compact lithium batteries for medical devices in carry-on luggage.

Hodge said that neither CATSA or United Airlines officials would listen to or read his written approval from the airline and his IATA documents in support.

Unable to move around without his scooter when they got to their hotel, Hodge was forced to crawl on the floor in front of his wife to use the bathroom.

He spent much of the holiday in bed - something he described as 'the most humiliating experience I can think of.'

Now the former contractor wants his case heard by the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and told CBA: 'It unmasks how real my disability is I haven't been the same since.'

Unable to move around without his scooter, Hodge was forced to crawl on the floor in front of his wife to use the bathroom and spent much of the holiday in bed - something he described as 'the most humiliating experience I can think of' (Hodge demonstrates how he was forced to crawl on his belly)

'They're taking my legs  and not only that, my dignity,' said Hodge, who can only wear a prosthetic leg for a short period of time due to pain and risk of infection.

To add further insult, after being told he couldn't bring his batteries on board, a CATSA agent suggested he get a wheelchair instead.

'How's a one-armed guy going to run a wheelchair? How am I going to go down a ramp and brake with one hand? But that shouldn't even have to come up,' he said.

Hodge's wife Jan had recently undergone cancer treatment, which affected her spine, meaning she couldn't push a wheelchair for her husband either.

In an email sent to Hodge by a United Airlines complaint resolution official, they said: 'it appears we were in violation of federal disability requirements,' and offered an $800 travel certificate and apologized for the 'inconvenience.'

'Inconvenience is when it rains on your holiday,' said Hodge. 'This was a life-changing moment for me and my wife.'

On May 9, Hodge's lawyer, John Burns, will ask a Federal Court judge to compel the commission to hear the case.

'It's a failure of the Canadian Human Rights Commission to grant access to the remedy that the statute provides,' said Burns.

The Canadian Human Rights Act allows for up to $20,000 in damages for each count of pain and suffering, with a further maximum of $20,000 if the discrimination is 'willful or reckless.'
A woman who was convicted of killing of her stepdaughter by starvation has been sentenced to death by lethal injection.

Tiffany Moss, 36, showed no emotion on Tuesday morning as a jury in Gwinnett County, Georgia delivered the death sentence for the murder of 10-year-old Emani Moss in 2013.

On Monday, Moss was found guilty of all counts, including murder, cruelty to children and trying to conceal the death of Emani by burning her body in a trash can. The girl weighed just 32 pounds when she died.

Moss represented herself at trial and mounted no defense. She made no opening statement or closing argument and called no witnesses, saying she hoped that God would see her through the case.

Her husband Eman Moss - Emani's biological father - is serving life in prison without parole for his role in the crime, after pleading guilty to felony murder in 2015 in exchange for testifying against his wife.

Tiffany Moss watches as the jury is polled about the verdict sentencing her to death on Tuesday in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Moss was found guilty of all counts including murder, cruelty to children and trying to conceal the death of 10-year-old stepdaughter Emani Moss

Emani (left and right) weighed just 32 pounds when she died of starvation in 2013. The court heard that Moss and her husband tried to burn the girl's body in a trash can

Eman Moss, Emani's biological father, testified that he and Tiffany stuffed Emani's body in a trash can and burned it. He pleaded guilty for a life sentence in exchange for testifying

Her death sentence was the first handed down in Georgia in more than five years.

At trial, prosecutors painted a damning picture of Moss, who they said kept her young stepdaughter confined to a bedroom in their Lawrenceville-area apartment, slowly starving her to death.

A medical examiner described how Emani wasted away without food or water and lived in waste in her own bed because she'd become too weak to move.

Authorities say she weighed just 32 pounds when she died.

Prosecutors highlighted text messages sent by Tiffany Moss to her husband Eman during the time when Emani was being starved.

At least twice, Moss sent her husband pictures of meals she had prepared for him and her own two children the couple shared.

Prosecutors said it likely took weeks for Emani to die of starvation.

Tiffany Moss enters the courtroom for her sentencing. She was sentenced to death

Robin Moss, front, Emani's grandmother, and others, including family members and Emani's fourth grade teacher, react as a jury sentences Tiffany Moss to death

Emily Gilbert, left, and Brad Gardner, state capital public defenders and standby council for Tiffany Moss, react to the verdict on Tuesday

After the girl's death, Tiffany and Eman Moss stuffed her emaciated body in a trash can and set it on fire.

Their two other children, whose ages have not been revealed, were with them when they tried to dispose of the body.

Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter urged the jury to choose the death penalty for Tiffany Moss, rather than life without parole.

'She's shown you too much of her capacity for cruelty. There will always be that dark side waiting to come out,' he said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Porter slammed Moss as an 'evil stepmother' in his opening statement saying that the case was like 'a Cinderella story gone horribly wrong'.

Asked by the judge if she wanted to say anything to the jury before sentencing, to explain her life or circumstances, Moss only replied 'No'.

Earlier in the trial, DA Porter (center) slammed Moss as an 'evil stepmother' in his opening statement saying that the case was like 'a Cinderella story gone horribly wrong'

Tiffany Moss listens as a jury sentences her to death on Tuesday in Lawrenceville, Georgia

District attorney Danny Porter,left, and Tiffany Moss stand as the jury is discharged on Tuesday

Late Monday, hours into sentencing deliberations, jurors asked Gwinnett Superior Court Judge George Hutchinson if they could go home to 'sleep on' the sentencing decision after reaching an impasse.

The jury of six men and six women agreed to the death sentence after resuming deliberations at 9am on Tuesday.

Hutchinson polled the jurors individually to assure that their decision was unanimous.

Moss is now the only woman on Georgia's death row, and would become the third to be executed in the state's history when the sentence is carried out.
A probation officer for Michael Cummins, 25, was preparing a warrant for his arrest one day before he was accused of murdering seven people in Westmoreland, Tennessee, on Saturday

A Tennessee man accused of killing seven people was going to be arrested for violating probation the day before the bodies were found, but the probation officer didn't have time to get the warrant signed by a judge, it has emerged.

A violation of probation affidavit against 25-year-old Michael Cummins was filed on Monday, two days after he was arrested in connection with the deaths of seven people, including his parents, uncle and a 12-year-old girl, across two crime scenes in the small town of Westmoreland.

The affidavit claims that Cummins failed to undergo a court-ordered mental health evaluation stemming from his conviction for setting a neighbor's home on fire in 2017.

It also stated that he violated a no contact order with that neighbor, whom he assaulted as she was trying to put the fire out.

District Attorney Ray Whitley revealed on Tuesday that Cummins' probation officer had prepared the warrant on Friday but didn't have time to get it signed by a judge.

The exact date of the probation violation is unclear.

'Notwithstanding the deaths, he was going to get the probation violation Monday. It was an incidental question of timing,' Whitley said.

Authorities have said the murders may have occurred days before the bodies were found.

District Attorney Ray Whitley (above) said Tuesday that Cummins' probation officer had the violation of probation warrant drawn up Friday but didn't have time to get it signed by a judge

Cummins was in jail from September 2017 until mid-January of this year in connection with the arson case.

He signed a plea agreement last summer under which he was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years probation.

A second affidavit filed against Cummins on Monday accused him of killing his neighbor, Shirley Fehrle, and stealing her car during his crime spree discovered on Saturday.

The affidavit states that Fehrle, whose body was found at her home on Luby Brown Road, 'appeared to have blunt force trauma to her face as well as other injuries to her extremities.

The remaining six victims were found at a home on Charles Brown Road. The suspect's sister, Crystal Cummins, told DailyMail.com that her brother lived there with their parents, David and Clara Cummins, and their uncle, Charlie Hosale, all three of whom were killed.

Hosale's longtime girlfriend Rachel McGlothlin-Pee, 43, her 12-year-old daughter Sapphire and her mother Marsha Elizabeth Nuckols, 64, were also killed.

The sole survivor of the attack was Crystal and Michael's grandmother, who is fighting for her life in the hospital after suffering a brutal beating.

Clara Cummins, 44, and David Cummins, 51, (left and right) were among the seven victims allegedly murdered by their son Michael in Westmoreland, Tennessee

The alleged shooter's uncle, Charlie Hosale, and a woman believed to be his partner, Rachel McGlothlin-Pee, were also killed during the violent rampage across two homes in Sumner County, police say. Hosale and McGlothlin-Pee are pictured together in a Facebook photo

Rachel McGlothlin-Pee's 12-year-old daughter Sapphire (left) was also killed along with Rachel's mom Marsha Elizabeth Nuckols, 64 (right)

The home on Charles Brown Road where six of the seven bodies were discovered is seen above

Both Crystal and her uncle Brian Cummins have said that they believe Michael is responsible for the string of slayings that officials say is Tennessee's deadliest homicide event in at least two decades.

Speaking to DailyMail.com on Monday, Crystal's voice was thick with anguish as she said: 'It's obvious that he had to have done it. He was the only person who was there who didn't die besides my granny.'

The 22-year-old admitted that she knows very little about the shootings that have shattered her family and the small community she grew up in.

'I lost everyone and they won't tell me anything,' she said of investigators.

Despite the lack of information, Crystal said: 'Truly in my heart I believe he had something to do with it.

'I can't imagine my brother doing that to his own family. He had to have.'

She said she sensed something was wrong last week after she hadn't heard from her parents, David, 51, and Clara, 44, for a couple days.

'I called my mom on Thursday, no answer, called by granny, no answer, called my dad, no answer, called my uncle Charlie, no answer. I thought maybe they were sick so I stopped calling,' she said.

When Saturday rolled around and they still weren't answering, one of Clara's sister's went over to the house where they all lived on Charles Brown Road.

She forced open the locked door and discovered the first of six bodies that would eventually be found inside the house.

A GoFundMe has been set up for funeral expenses for Marsha, Rachel and Sapphire which has raised more than $1,200 so far.

Brian Cummins said of his nephew Michael Cummins: 'I love him to death, but when he killed my brother and them, I wish I would've killed him that night'

Brian Cummins, whose brother David was killed, told WSMV that he wishes he had taken justice into his own hands on Saturday night before Michael's arrest.

'I love him to death, but when he killed my brother and them, I wish I would've killed him that night.'

According to court documents, Brian saw Michael on Saturday evening wearing a white t-shirt stained with blood.

The suspect allegedly claimed that the stains were chocolate.

'I said no it ain't. I said that's dry blood,' Brian said.
Embattled Chicago attorney Kim Foxx is fighting a subpoena to appear in court over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case.

On Tuesday, Foxx filed a motion in court asking a judge to dismiss the requests of Sheila O'Brien, a former judge who is asking for Foxx and her attorney to face tough scrutiny over their handling of the case.

She said that, contrary to public opinion and O'Brien's claims, she had no 'actual conflict of interest' in the Smollett case.

Embattled Chicago State's Attorney Kim Foxx is fighting a subpoena to appear in court over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case and says she had no conflict of interest

Foxx stepped away from it in February, 'colloquially' recusing herself, after exchanging text messages with a member of Smollett's family.

She then continued to meddle in it, telling her deputy Joseph Magatas via text message that it was excessive for a grand jury to indict Smollett on 16 felony counts for allegedly lying to police about being attacked.

The charges were suddenly dropped in March in exchange for Smollett doing community service and giving up $10,000 in bail money.

Retired judge Sheila O'Brien subpoenaed Foxx and her deputy, Joseph Magats

Foxx maintains her office did nothing wrong but she and Magatas had been subpoenaed to appear before a judge on Thursday.

O'Brien also requested that Smollett appear but he has not responded to her requests.

In her motion, Foxx wrote: 'The states attorney had no actual conflict in this case, nor has petitioner brought forth any facts or evidence of such a conflict.

'What petitioner seeks  an independent inquiry into decision that were made by the States Attorneys Office in this matter  has already been called for by the States Attorney herself, and is underway,' according to The Chicago Sun Times.

The mayor of Chicago and the city's police chief were among those to condemn her office's decision to drop the case against Smollett.

Foxx has claimed that it was standard procedure for a case of this kind but text messages sent on the day the decision was announced show her office scrambling to come up with other examples.

Meanwhile, the two Nigerian brothers who say Smollett paid them to attack him are suing his attorneys for defamation.

Smollett denies making anything up. He has been recovering from the scandal in Hawaii with his family.
David Lloyd, police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Hertfordshire slammed middle class drug users

A police chief has slammed middle-class drug users, claiming they are more worried about the supply line of the coffee they drink than the cocaine they use.

David Lloyd, police and crime commissioner for Hertfordshire, made the comments as he gave evidence to a House of Commons inquiry on serious violence.

He told the Home Affairs committee: 'One of the real issues we've got at the moment is around use of drugs.

'Frankly, the middle classes who are really concerned about their fair trade coffee, and what the supply line of that is, don't seem to have the same concern around the cocaine that they take.'

Taking cocaine is 'not victimless', Mr Lloyd said, adding: 'Organised crime groups are using violence to enforce an unlawful market.'

His remarks echo those of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, who previously said that middle class cocaine users worry about issues like the environment and fair trade but believe there is 'no harm' in taking drugs.

London mayor Sadiq Khan and Justice Secretary David Gauke have also made similar comments.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said recently that a Government review into the ways drugs are fuelling serious violence will bring home to middle-class drug users that they are part of the problem.

He added: 'They may never set foot in a deprived area. They may never see an act of serious violence, but their illicit habits are adding fuel to the fire that is engulfing our communities.'

The issue has come under intense scrutiny recently, following a rise in murder and knife crime in London and across the country.

LBC's Nick Ferrari (left) asked Met Police Chief Cressida Dick about the link between recreational drug use and crime and she said that middle-class users of Class A substances have 'blood on their hands'

Figures published last year indicated that cocaine use among people from wealthier homes in England and Wales was at its highest in nearly a decade.

In 2017/18, 3.4 per cent of 16 to 59-year-olds living in households with an income of at least 50,000 reported taking the drug in powder form during the last year.

The percentage was the highest recorded since 2008.

Dame Louise Casey, a former senior official who left the civil service after 18 years in 2017, said the Government's strategy for tackling serious violence is 'woefully inadequate' and 'not a match for what we are dealing with'.

Dame Louise, whose previous roles include independent commissioner for victims and witnesses of crime, said: 'Somebody somewhere has to say ''we need to draw a line in the sand'' and work out how we go forward across the whole of society and across the whole of government.'
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday opposed a bid by President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone to obtain unredacted portions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election to help his defense against criminal charges brought by Mueller.

'The government does not intend to provide that portion of the report to counsel for Mr. Stone absent an order of the court to do so,' prosecutor Jonathan Kravis told U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson during a hearing in the case due to go to trial on Nov. 5.

Jackson said she understood why Stone should not get a copy of the entire report but raised questions about why he might not be entitled to parts that relate to him directly, especially because some already is in the public version of the report.

Justice Department prosecutors don't want to allow longtime Donald Trump ally Roger Stone to review unredacted portions of Mueller's report before his trial

Stone pleaded not guilty earlier this year to lying to a congressional committee that was investigating Russian election meddling

'We're in a situation where 500 pages of analysis has been made public,' the judge said. 'Is there a different standard that applies once that door is open?'

Mueller's investigation led to criminal charges against 34 people including Stone, a self-proclaimed Republican political 'dirty trickster' who pleaded not guilty in January to seven counts including lying to Congress, obstructing an official proceeding and witness tampering.

Tuesday's hearing marked the first time Stone appeared in court since Mueller ended his 22-month inquiry on March 22.

Attorney General William Barr on April 18 released a version of Mueller's report with portions blacked out to protect certain types of sensitive information.

Roger Stone was a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump. They had known each other since the 1990s

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia has taken over handling Stone's case from Mueller.

Stone's attorneys have asked the judge to order the prosecution to provide an unredacted copy of Mueller's report, saying in a court filing that it 'contains the government's evidence and conclusions on matters essential to Stone's defense.'

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives separately have subpoenaed the Justice Department for an unredacted copy.

Kravis told Jackson during the hearing that Stone is not entitled to receive an unredacted copy, even for portions related to his case.

The prosecutor said redacted parts concerning the Stone case 'relate to mental impressions and conclusions of government attorneys' that are exempted from disclosure rules.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is overseeing the case, may privately examine the portions of Robert Mueller's report about Stone and make a decision on whether he can view them

A more detailed response opposing Stone's request will be filed with the court on Friday, Kravis said.

Stone also is seeking to have his indictment thrown out on a number of legal grounds including constitutional arguments and because he was not charged with an underlying crime of conspiring with the Russian government.

His attorneys are expected to present arguments for dismissing the case at a May 30 hearing.

Mueller's report detailed numerous contacts by Trump's campaign with Russia and that the campaign expected to benefit from Moscow's actions, but found insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy.
Officials from a New Jersey amusement park say their prized roller coaster is 100 percent safe, despite reports earlier this month that two crash test dummies fell out from their seats mid-ride and crashed onto the roof of a nearby hotel.

The two inflatable mannequins  which had been filled with water  were thrown from the Gale Force roller coaster at Playlands Castaway Cove, in Ocean City, during a safety test on April 20.

Nobody was injured in the incident but the airborne dummies did cause damage tto the roof of the Ebb Tide Suites, NBC 10 reported.

Its an unfortunate situation, Park Vice President Brian Hartley told the station. Obviously its not something that would ever happen with a person in it, he added.

The dummies exited the Gale Force (shown) roller coaster at Playlands Castaway Cove

Park officials claimed the dummies, which had been filled with water, had suffered punctures that went undetected before they were loaded onto the ride

Explaining his point, Hartley claimed that both of the dummies had suffered punctures that went undetected before they were loaded onto the ride.

Its an inflatable water tube, just like an inflatable raft you would use, he told the Press of Atlantic City. There was a hole in the [dummy] so when it deflated obviously it shrunk down to a very small size as the water leaked out  and it came out of the harness.

None of the coasters components failed, Hartley insisted. He added that in two decades of working at the park he had never seen a dummy fall from a ride.

You know you dont lose rigidity in a person, Hartley later elaborated to NBC. The lap bar comes down. Youre secured in there.

Nobody was injured in the incident but the airborne dummies did crash onto the roof of the Ebb Tide Suites (right), causing damage to plywood and roofing. Park Vice President Brian Hartley (left)

The Gale Force roller coaster opened in 2017, but after riders complained that the high-speed coaster was too bumpy, the park decided to carry out maintenance last year to address tiny ridges in the track that were causing the discomfort.

Standing at 125ft tall, the pulley coaster undergoes around two hours of testing every day and has remained open since the incident involving the dummy.

Safety is our top priority, Hartley said. Its something we do every single day. Were checking the rides in and out. Were going to have to do a better job at checking those tubes and making sure theres no leaks obviously, before we send them out.

Hartley added that the two dummies that were allegedly punctured have since been thrown away.
Barack Obama is back at work.

Twenty-eight months after exiting the Oval Office after serving two terms in The White House, the former president and his wife Michelle have revealed their first slate of film and television projects for Netflix.

It is a diverse and varied list of projects that offers something for viewers both young and old, from a preschool program about vegetables produced by one of the people behind Drunk History to a whole lot of documentations and non-fiction fare.

'We created Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling. Thats why we couldnt be more excited about these projects,' said the former president.

'Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe each of these productions wont just entertain, but will educate, connect, and inspire us all.'

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Hollywood: The Obamas (above in 2016) unveiled the seven projects currently in production by their company Higher Learning on Tuesday

Books: There are two documentaries that are complete and two novels that have been optioned - Michael Lewis' Fifth Risk and Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

Two of the projects - the documentaries Crip Camp and American Factory - were purchased after debuting at festivals.

Crip Camp is about a camp for disabled teens in upstate New York while American Factory follows the transition after a Chinese billionaire purchased an old Ford plant in Detroit.

Bloom will take a look at the struggles faced by women of color in the fashion industry post-World War II while Overlooked is an extension of a New York Times column that releases obituaries for notable Americans whose passings were never covered by the paper.

The Obama's Higher Ground production company has also optioned two books for upcoming projects: The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.

'We love this slate because it spans so many different interests and experiences, yet its all woven together with stories that are relevant to our daily lives,' said then former first lady in a statement.

'We think theres something here for everyonemoms and dads, curious kids, and anyone simply looking for an engaging, uplifting watch at the end of a busy day. We cant wait to see these projects come to life  and the conversations theyll generate.'

The Obamas signed their deal with Netflix last May, and brought on Priya Swaminathan and Tonia Davis to oversee the production company.
Re: the letter They oughtta know better

No, Dale Dirks, you are wrong.

Jody Wilson-Raybould in no way broke the law, Wernick was not her client. Her clients were the people of Canada.

But it was OK with you when Butts recorded conversations, right?

I'm proud of her for showing Canadians the real law breakers  Justin Trudeau and the PMO.

This PM is the first in history to have an ethics violation  he has five of them!

He lied about the pressure that was put on her, he lied about having conversations with her, he just keeps lying.

And he just gave one of Canada's most profitable companies $12 million so they can buy new fridges.

I don't know about you, but handing out taxpayer money to one of Canada's richest companies while veterans and Indigenous suffer just doesn't sit well with me and the people I know.

Keith Gossen, West Kelowna
A leading member of Nigel Farage's Brexit Party has been slammed for defending an IRA bombing which devastated the town she could end up representing as an MEP.

Claire Fox was a leading member of the far-left Revolutionary Communist Party which defended the IRA's Warrington bombing on March 20, 1993 - and she could now represent the town.

The party's newsletter, published days after the atrocity, defended 'the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures necessary in their struggle for freedom'.

As well as being a leading member of the RCP, she was also reportedly a member of the Irish Freedom Movement, which backed dissident republicanism.

Ms Fox is the number one candidate in the North West of England for the Brexit Party, and polls indicate she is likely to become Warrington's MEP.

Brexit Party MEP candidate Claire Fox (C), next to leader Nigel Farage, has been criticised for comments supporting the IRA

Tim Parry, 12, and Johnathan Ball, three, were both killed in the bombing which left 56 injured.

Tim died in his father Colin's arms five days after the atrocity at Liverpool's Walton Hospital.

Mr Parry OBE, now says that Ms Fox should explain her comments.

He said: 'What she said at that time is highly inappropriate.

'For somebody to come out with comments I believe she made, and being an apologist for the IRA, is absolutely disgraceful.

'If this woman would care to explain her comments back at that time to me and my wife, I would like her to do so.

Warrington IRA bomb victims Johnathan Ball, three (left), and Tim Parry, 12 (right) both died in the blast

'She should disavow these comments if that's her position and say, ''I was wrong, I was foolish''.

'I simply say I think voters in the constituency of the North West, which is a big area, really should be aware, as voters should be in general should be aware, of the political positions of candidates, even if they disavow them from a former life.'

Asked what voters would make of the matter, Mr Parry added: 'I would hope they would be absolutely disgusted by these comments.'

Mr Parry and Tim's mother, Wendy Parry, later set up the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace, which has since become an internationally recognised centre for conflict resolution and victim support.

Asked if Nigel Farage should drop Ms Fox as a candidate, Mr Parry said: 'I wonder whether he knows? I wonder whether the Brexit Party know this about her? Maybe they don't think it's an important issue.'

Colin and Wendy Parry, the parents of son, Tim, murdered by the IRA. Mr Parry has slammed MEP candidate Claire Fox

Ms Fox later said: 'I feel the greatest sympathy for the Parry family.

'The loss of their son was tragic and must have been terribly painful, as for all victims of violence during the Troubles.

'My personal politics and views are well known and I have never sought to disguise them, though on this issue they have remained unaired for many years.

'Whatever the rights and wrongs, the history of Ireland has been marked by tragedy and I acknowledge that without hesitation and with genuine feeling for all involved.

'My political views have never made me insensitive to the pain and suffering caused to the innocent victims of events such as the Warrington bomb.

'In fact, I have always been inspired by the humane conduct of Mr Parry in the way he responded with compassion and dignity to the tragic loss inflicted on his family.'

A spokesman for the Brexit Party said Ms Fox does not deny she did hold those views in the past, but they were made more than 20 years ago and she supported a peaceful solution and the Good Friday Agreement, which brought and end to the violence.

Local Warrington Councillor Dan Price said Ms Fox was 'totally unfit for office'.

Councillor Price, one of Change UK's candidates for the European elections, said: 'Since Fox's candidacy was announced and her history has surfaced, I've been approached by lots of people in Warrington who are furious she could soon be representing them.

'I live in Warrington, I know the Parry family and I've seen first-hand the work their peace foundation has done.'
President Donald Trump on Tuesday demanded European countries take back the 1,800 ISIS prisoners captured in the collapse of the caliphate in Syria and Iraq.

'We have 1,800 ISIS Prisoners taken hostage in our final battles to destroy 100% of the Caliphate in Syria. Decisions are now being made as to what to do with these dangerous prisoners....,' he wrote on Twitter.

The president also complained European nations were failing to take back prisoners from their specific countries.

President Donald Trump demanded European countries take back the 1,800 ISIS prisoners captured in the collapse of the caliphate in Syria and Iraq

'European countries are not helping at all, even though this was very much done for their benefit. They are refusing to take back prisoners from their specific countries. Not good!, he added.

Trump has made this demand of European allies before.

In February, he tweeted European countries should take the 800 prisoners being held, a request that was received mixed reaction across the ocean.

'The Caliphate is ready to fall. The alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them,' Trump warned at the time.

Some of the prisoners are natives of European countries such as Shamima Begum, the British schoolgirl turned ISIS wife and mom, and Lukas Glass, who is German.

French jihadis made up the largest contingent of European recruits.

The prisoners were actually taken by Kurdish militias, backed by U.S. and other coalition forces including France and Britain.

But few European nations have have embassies in Syria or Iraq - the two countries where the prisoners are being held - let alone extradition treaties.

Plus there is the question of the prisoners' families.

And then there's the concern the prisoners could face torture or the death penalty. The European Union opposes the death penalty.

Britain refuses to take back its subjects who have joined ISIS and has stripped them of their citizenship.

The topic could come up in talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and President Trump during June's state visit by the Trumps to the United Kingdom.

Shamima Begum, the British schoolgirl turned ISIS wife and mom, is one of the prisoners in question

Three men that Democratic Forces of Syria fighters claimed were Islamic State fighters sit on a pick-up truck while being held as prisoners in Syria in 2016

Meanwhile, the Guardian reported Iraq and the U.S. are in talks to transfer the ISIS fighters from Syria to Iraq, including their families, with Iraqi officials seeking a multibillion dollar fee to receive them.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNBC in February while at the Munich security conference that he had concern over the 'so many foreign fighters' who were trying to return home after the collapse of ISIS.

Stoltenberg described the return of potential terrorists back into domestic society as 'a challenge for all of us.'
Thomas Dewald, 20, was arrested on Monday in southern Pennsylvania

Police say a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man entered a home's unlocked front door, snatched a four-year-old girl from her bed and bound and locked her in a wooden trunk at his grandparents' house.

Thomas Anthony Dewald, 20, was arrested and charged with kidnapping on Monday in Waynesboro, about 165 miles west of Philadelphia, near the Maryland line.

As he was taken into custody by Pennsylvania State troopers, Dewald made an obscene gesture toward news cameras.

The young girl was reported missing at about 3.30am on April 25, and was found safe several hours later.

Police say that Dewald entered the unlocked home, crept into the girl's bedroom and took her. Investigators believe it was a random crime, and say Dewald had no connection to the victim's family.

Thomas Dewald is escorted by Pennsylvania State troopers Monday night after being charged with abducting a four-year-old girl from her bad and locking her in a trunk

As he was taken into custody by Pennsylvania State troopers, Dewald made an obscene gesture toward news cameras

According to a criminal complaint, Dewald confessed to bringing the girl back to his grandmother's home, where he said he laid in his bed with her fully clothed and then masturbated near her.

Dewald allegedly admitted to investigators that he bound the girl with duct tape and placed her in a wooden trunk in his bedroom when he had to leave for work on Thursday morning, telling her he would return around noon.

That morning, his grandmother went to check that Dewald's bed was made and heard what sounded like a baby crying in the bedroom.

The grandmother tried to located the source of the crying, which was coming from near the air conditioner, but was unable to determine where it was coming from, she told police.

The woman said that she went to confront Dewald, but that he had already left for work.

By means that have not been made public, the girl was able to free herself and was found wandering in the street at about 10am on Thursday, within a mile of her home.

An area canvas led police to the home of Dewald's grandmother. The woman showed police where she had heard the crying, and cops observed a wooden trunk directly under the air conditioning unit.

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Dewald had returned to the area a few weeks prior to live with his grandmother

Inside the trunk, they found a strip of tape covered in dirt and grass, and blonde hair that appeared similar to the abducted girl's.

Police say that Dewald confessed to casing the neighborhood for other children to take, looking in particular for homes that did not have any security cameras nearby.

Dewald allegedly said that he took the girl because he believed she lived in 'deplorable conditions' and wanted to save her.

Cops say he admitted to entering another home on April 28 with intent to abduct the children there.

'He related he observed all three children sleeping in their beds. Dewald continued to relate he decided not to take any of the children because of the acceptable conditions of the residence,' the criminal complaint read.

Police say that Dewald heard a dog barking and fled the residence without harming the children.

Dewald is charged with kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, burglary, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, criminal trespass, indecent assault and reckless endangerment.

The investigation continues, and police are actively looking into the possibility that Dewald may have been responsible for similar unsolved crimes.
This is the incredible moment an acrobat pulls off a double skip while performing a backflip.

Slow-motion footage shows circus artist Quentin Greco, 26, fling himself backwards as well as propel the skipping rope in reverse over his head.

The topless tumbler executes the trick perfectly, with the cord just passing under his feet before he lands.

Frenchman Quentin Greco, 26, performs a backflip with a skipping rope in a park by the sea

The topless tumbler executes the trick expertly and the cord just passes under his feet before he lands

Travelling the world to places such as Montreal, Majorca, parts of Australia and Germany, the flexible Frenchman performs amazing feats of speed with small hoops and skipping ropes.

The clip cuts to Mr Greco at the end of a seaside park, take a run up and then launch himself into a roundoff then front flip - with the skipping rope passing around him twice.

In the same movement he goes into another roundoff which he partners with a twisting somersault. Again, the cord somehow spins around his body twice.

the acrobat also performs tricks through hoops, in a sport called Chinese hoop diving (pictured)

What is Chinese hoop diving? The sport, which started in China, is made up of a set of wooden or metal hoops of varying diameters that are balanced one on top of the other on the ground. An acrobat then has to propel themselves through the hoops while performing various gymnastic moves such as somersaults. Advertisement

In another shot at a riverside location, Mr Greco can be seen running up to two small hoops - one above the other.

He pulls out yet another roundoff, before stiffening his body to fit through the highest hoop horizontally. This time his landing is less perfect, but he still avoids injury.

Mr Greco, who is currently in Melbourne, Australia, is part of a Chinese hoop diving duo with Evan Tomlinson Weintraub and they perform under the stage name Duo BFB.

Mr Greco's YouTube videos have been seen more than 13,000 times.

He discovered his passion for the circus when he was 13 in his hometown of Lyon, France.

He said he enjoyed it so much because it matched with his 'daredevil attitude and hyperactive temperament'.

After graduating, Mr Greco went to Ecole Nationale de Cirque de Montreal (ENC) - where he met Mr Weintraub.
An Arizona State trooper rescued three adorable bear cubs from the roadside on Monday, after their mother was tragically struck and killed by a car.

According to the states Department of Public Safety, the family was crossing the State Route 77 near Dudleyville in the early hours of the morning when the convoy were struck by a passing driver.

Officers arrived to the scene to find the mother dead from the impact of the crash, but her three distressed cubs were unscathed.

Realizing the cubs wouldnt make it on their own, a quick thinking trooper scrambled to gather up the orphaned cubs, managing to secure two of them in the back of his patrol vehicle.

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Realizing the cubs wouldnt make it on their own, a trooper scrambled to gather up the orphaned cubs, placing two in his car (pictured)

Before dropping off the two cute four-month-old cubs to SWCC, the officer conducted a heart-warming photo-shoot of the brown-furred mammals playing on and climbing in his car

SWCC will work to make sure the cubs are healthy before returning them to the wild

The third bear was successfully captured by another officer shortly afterwards, and all three are being checked over at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center (SWCC) as of Tuesday.

Before dropping off the two cute four-month-old cubs, the officer conducted a heart-warming photo-shoot of the mammals climbing over the back-seat of his car.

Handlers are the SWCC posted an update on the bears on Monday evening, insisting they arrived in good condition, although one cub suffered a bump to the nose.

They'll have a more thorough medical examination tomorrow after they've had a chance to settle in, the center said in a statement.

They're only 4-months-old, so they're pretty helpless right now, James O'Brien of Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center explained to AZ Family.

Handlers are the SWCC posted an update on the bears conditions on Monday evening, insisting they arrived in good condition

One of the bears suffered a bump on the nose, a spokesperson said

SWCC will work to make sure the cubs are in good health before returning them to the wild.

Bears are incredibly smart animals, O'Brien said. They need to be challenged. Our bears here are given games to play and puzzles to do.

Vanessa Sevilla, a spokesperson for the Arizona State Troopers, commended the officer for his smart work, saying: [The cubs] might not make out there on their own, so he wanted to do his part.

One officer was scratched while trying to rescue the bear, but Sevilla said the injury wasn't serious.

The driver of the car who struck the bears was unharmed.
A mother accused of slitting the throats of her two young children before leaving them for dead on a New York City sidewalk has surrendered to police.

Authorities say Shanice Martin's clothes were soaked in blood when she arrived at the police station two blocks from the scene of the attack on Saturday night in the Bronx.

Miraculously, Martin's two-year-old daughter and six-year-old son are expected to survive despite having been cut from ear to ear with a razor blade.

The victims were rushed to Lincoln Hospital after witnesses flagged down passing police and Martin walked off.

Shanice Martin, 24, has been accused of slashing the throats of her two-year-old daughter and six-year-old son on a sidewalk in the Bronx on Saturday. Sources say the suspect was covered in blood when she surrendered to police two blocks from the scene of the attack

'Go ahead and arrest me,' the 24-year-old suspect said as she handed over the bloody blade, according to the New York Daily News.

Police sources claimed that Martin was 'covered in blood' and 'made incriminating statements' about how she harmed her children.

She has been charged with assault, child abandonment, endangering the welfare of a child and weapon possession.

The mother was scheduled to undergo a psychiatric evaluation on Tuesday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have released footage of more than 100 immigrants crossing into Arizona.

The footage shows young children being helped over a barrier by adults as they entered the U.S. on Sunday.

'#YumaSector Border Patrol agents apprehended a group of 111 Central Americans after they illegally entered the country on Sunday night. @CBP #SouthwestBorder,' the Arizona CBP tweeted.

The families were then escorted to a large truck waiting nearby.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have released footage of 111 immigrants crossing into Arizona. Agents said the group crossed into the U.S. on Sunday night

The number of immigrants trying to enter the U.S.  legally and illegally  at the Southern border is still rising dramatically, despite efforts by the Trump administration to stem the flow, according to Department of Homeland Security data.

Officials track the number of immigrants arrested between border points, as well as how many are legally seeking asylum at official ports of entry.

Border crossings were up to 103,492 in March  a 77.5 percent increase compared to January, according to federal data.

The increase forced the Trump administration to start releasing some migrants immediately after they arrive  without processing them through ICE.

President Donald Trump has pledged to end such a 'catch-and-release' policy, but has so far been stymied by the sheer volume of migrants flowing across the border.

The increase has been driven largely by people fleeing gang violence, poverty and corruption in the Northern Triangle region of Central America  Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Most have sought asylum in the U.S., saying they would face threats of violence and death if they returned to their home countries.

The process for seeking asylum often last years and many are ultimately unsuccessful.

Some immigrants are allowed to live in the U.S. while awaiting their fate in court while others spend the time in detention centers.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said on Tuesday that the department is running out of money amid the crush of migrants crossing the Southern border, and the White House will send a supplemental request for more funds.

The footage shows young children being helped over a barrier by adults as they entered the US on Sunday

The families were then escorted to a large truck (pictured) waiting nearby

McAleenan told a House panel the money will be for temporary and semi-permanent facilities to process families and children and increase detention. He didn't specify a figure.

'Upgrades are badly needed,' he said. 'We will need funding even sooner.'

The facilities are outdated, designed when the flow of migrants over the border was mainly Mexican men who could be processed and returned quickly.

Now, most of the people coming are Central American families that cannot be easily returned.

McAleenan said Trump would also be sending legislative requests for faster deportations and to ask that families be detained for the length of their immigration case.

Right now, children cannot be detained longer than about 20 days per a federal court agreement that governs the rights of children in immigration custody.

Trump said in a memorandum signed on Monday that he would begin charging asylum seekers to process their applications, but did not specify a fee, and directed his administration to resolve cases within 180 days.

It can take months for cases to be resolved. The immigration court has a massive backlog of about 1 million cases.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan (left) said the department is running out of money amid the crush of migrants crossing the Southern border. He said Trump would also be sending legislative requests for faster deportations

He also wants to bar anyone who has entered or tried to enter the country illegally from receiving a provisional work permit and is calling on officials to immediately revoke work authorizations when people are denied asylum and ordered them removed from the country.

McAleenan told the Committee he was there to help try to solve the border crisis through bipartisan work - and he was praised by lawmakers from both political parties.

Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey, the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, congratulated McAleenan on taking over at a critical time for a department, but hinted it would be a tough job.

McAleenan, the former head of CBP, has been in charge about two weeks.

'It seems like the car is driving off the cliff with no one to take the wheel,' she said of the DHS, referring to the staff shake-up orchestrated by the White House that saw top leaders leave and resulted in the resignation of former Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

'Although I guess Mr. Secretary, you are now driving. Congratulations,' Lowey said.
Maria Butina, seen last year, spoke out Tuesday for the first time since her arrest

The Russian gun rights activist convicted in the U.S. of conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent has lashed out at the American justice system.

Maria Butina, 30, told reporters in Moscow in a conference call Tuesday from a U.S. jail that 'I didn't expect such a severe punishment.'

'This is absolutely absurd. This is a huge disgrace for the US justice system,' she said.

Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison last week. The nine months already spent in detention count toward her eventual release and deportation to Russia.

The comments were her first public remarks since she was detained in Washington in July.

She also bemoaned the conditions in jail prior to her sentencing.

'There was no torture, but I really was held in isolation for a long time,' she said, according to TASS.

'For 22 hours, I was locked alone in my cell. For two hours at night, from 1am to 3am, I was given time for a shower, to use my phone - absolutely anything,' she said.

Butina, a Russian gun rights activist, is seen in an undated photo. She called her prison conditions deplorable and blasted her sentence as a 'disgrace' to justice

She said that conditions had improved following her sentencing under a plea deal, and that she is now housed in general population with normal phone privileges.

Butina complained that she received the same sentence one would receive for selling secret information to China, rather than failing to register for an otherwise legal activity.

Butina was arrested after attending several annual meetings of the National Rifle Association, where she glad-handed with conservatives. She also made public overtures to U.S. student gun rights' groups on Facebook, saying she wanted to start a similar organization in Russia.

Prosecutors said that although she worked openly and was not tied to any Russian intelligence agency, she was sending back reports to a high-level Russian government official and posed a threat to the United States.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the US justice department over its handling of Butina's case.

Putin, who is in Beijing, described the sentence as 'an outrage'.

The Russian leader told reporters: 'It's not clear what she was convicted of or what crime she committed. I think it's a prime example of 'saving face'. They arrested her and put the girl in jail. But there was nothing on her, so in order not to look totally stupid they gave her, fixed her up, with an 18-month sentence to show that she was guilty of something.'

Butina, pictured at a US gun show, attended several NRA annual meetings. Prosecutors claimed she was trying to influence US politics without registering as a foreign agent

Butina was accused of sending reports on her activities to her old boss Alexander Torshin, then the Russian Central Bank deputy governor. They are seen together in 2012

At her sentencing earlier this month, Butina begged for leniency after accepting a plea deal that she hoped would lead to her quick deportation.

'I humbly request forgiveness. I'm not this evil person depicted in the media,' she told the court in Washington before her sentence was announced.

Dressed in a dark blue pajama-like prison uniform, her long red hair pulled behind her shoulders, Butina's voice broke as she addressed the court in fluent, Russian-accented English.

She told the court she had only wanted to work towards better US-Russian relations and would have registered as a foreign agent if she had known it was required by law.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the U.S. told Russia to 'stop playing games' in the case of a U.S. Marine who was detained in Moscow in what was widely seen as a tit-for-tat over Butina's arrest.

The comments from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow were the sharpest yet from Washington in the case of Paul Whelan, who was detained in a Moscow hotel room on December 28 and accused of espionage, a charge he denies.

On Tuesday, the U.S. told Russia to 'stop playing games' in the case of Paul Whelan (seen in February), who was detained in Moscow in what was widely seen as a tit-for-tat over Butina

Whelan attends a hearing at the Moscow City Court last month to appeal against extending his arrest on espionage charges. He faces up to 20 years if convicted

Whelan, 49, holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, and if found guilty could be imprisoned for up to 20 years.

His case has dragged already dire U.S.-Russia relations lower, as has that of another American, prominent investor Michael Calvey, who is under house arrest while being investigated on embezzlement charges.

U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman visited Whelan in a Moscow jail on Tuesday. Following this Andrea Kalan, a spokeswoman for the embassy, said the situation surrounding Whelan was beyond a joke.

'Today marks 124 days in detention for #PaulWhelan,' Kalan wrote on social media.

'Why havent Russian officials provided proof? Perhaps its lost along with Pauls mail. Complete lack of evidence + Paul's isolation = greater likelihood officials will try to get a forced false 'confession.' Stop playing games,' she wrote.

Kalan complained that Huntsman's visit was 'a joke' since under the rules of Moscow's Lefortovo jail he was unable to read aloud letters from his family, unable to ask him to sign a power of attorney, and banned from 'talking about anything that actually matters'.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Whelan after an acquaintance handed him a flash drive containing classified information.

Whelan's lawyer says his client thinks he was set up by the acquaintance and the FSB.
Police are investigating the disappearance of an Illinois mother who is said to have vanished eight months ago.

Tiffini Murphy, 38, of Lacon, Illinois, was last seen being dropped off by her live-in boyfriend at a gas station over Labor Day Weekend, authorities said.

Though her family and friends claim she disappeared on September 1, police said she was not reported missing until January 10, which has left them at a loss for where to begin their search.

A family friend said Murphy was reported missing sooner, but the claim was dismissed by police, Dateline NBC reported.

Murphy is described as having blonde hair and brown eyes, standing five-feet-six-inches tall and weighing 160 pounds.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts or the circumstances surrounding her disappearance is asked to call the Marshall County Sheriffs Department at (309) 246-2115.

Police are investigating the disappearance of Tiffini Murphy, 38 (pictured), who vanished eight months ago on September 1 from the now-closed Casey's Gas Station in Lacon, Illinois, but wasn't reported missing until January 10

According to authorities, Murphy was reportedly last seen at 3am or 4am Central being left at Caseys Gas Station in Lacon on September 1.

Murphy's teenage daughter posted a plea on Facebook on February 23 asking for help to locate her mother.

'6 months ago today my mom went missing,' the teen wrote.

'I would love to find her or just even hear from her. This breaks my heart to pieces. I love her so much! So please!!!!! If you know anything or see her contact me or my family! We all love her so very much [heart emojis] && we want her to be safe! Thank you please share!!'

Police say a search is not underway due to lack of a direction to start looking, but they have 'people of interest' and are continuing to investigate

Murphy's teenage daughter posted a plea on Facebook on February 23 asking for help in locating her mother

The post tagged an account under the name Tiffini Murphy, which had no public activity since March 24, 2018.

Authorities said her social media accounts and her bank accounts have been inactive since she was last seen, and that Murphy didn't have a phone at the time.

The comments on the post by Murphy's daughter generated several suggestions of people who police might want to question, but authorities have not released the names of any suspects related to the disappearance.

'We have people of interest,' Marshall County Sheriffs Department Chief Deputy Terry Hattan told Dateline NBC, adding that he 'honestly [does] not know right now' if any criminal activity is involved.

The department has not initiated a search for Murphy, either.

Murphy is described as having blonde hair and brown eyes, standing five-feet-six-inches tall tall and weighing 160 pounds

'My feeling right now is the only way to do searches would be to pull up a map and throw a dart and look where it lands,' Hattan said. 'But weve talked to the last person that reported seeing her and other individuals who had seen her shortly before that last time. And were still talking to some people.'

Hattan added: 'There are too many variables right now as to where she may have gone.'

Authorities also said evidence is lacking in the case, such as surveillance footage, due to the delayed reporting of her disappearance.

'Nobody reported her missing for an extensive period of time, so any videotape was recorded over,' Hattan said. 'They dont keep [the footage for] that long.'

The gas station where Murphy is said to have gone missing is also no longer open for business, police said.

Murphy's longtime friend Stephanie Sievert said Murphy's family had tried to report her missing sooner, but was 'not taken seriously.'

'Weve done not public searches, but some family and friends searches. We have not found a thing,' Sievert said. 'Weve put fliers up all over [town.] We have multiple fliers out there with her picture.'
The New York Times has come under fire once again after it ran an op-ed article claiming that Jesus was Palestinian and not Jewish.

It comes just days after the paper apologized for publishing an anti-Semitic cartoon of Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in its international print edition.

The Times issued the correction a week after the article was published on April 19. The line in question read: 'Jesus, born in Bethlehem, was most likely a Palestinian man'.

The New York Times has come under fire once again after it ran an op-ed article claiming that Jesus was Palestinian and not Jewish

The Times issued the correction a week after an article that ran on April 19 read: 'Jesus, born in Bethlehem, was most likely a Palestinian man'

It was later changed to: 'But Jesus, a Jew born in Bethlehem, presumably had the complexion of a Middle Eastern man'.

The sentence appeared in the op-ed 'As a Black Child, I Couldn't Understand Why Jesus Had Blue Eyes'.

'Because of an editing error, an article last Saturday referred incorrectly to Jesus' background,' the Times wrote in its correction.

'While he lived in an area that later came to be known as Palestine, Jesus was a Jew who was born in Bethlehem.'

Rabbi Abraham Cooper told the Jewish Journal that the original sentence had been a 'grotesque insult to Jesus'.

Boston College lecturer Elliot Hamilton called the op-ed 'historical revisionism at its finest'.

'Jesus existed before the name "Palestine" was even coined by the Romans,' he tweeted. 'The @nytimes is truly the worst.'

The sentence appeared in the op-ed 'As a Black Child, I Couldn't Understand Why Jesus Had Blue Eyes' (pictured)

Boston College lecturer Elliot Hamilton called the op-ed 'historical revisionism at its finest'

The Times apologized for the Trump cartoon on Saturday, acknowledging that it included 'anti-Semitic tropes', was 'offensive', and that 'it was an error of judgement to publish it'.

'Apology not accepted,' the American Jewish Committee tweeted in response to the Times' clarification on Saturday.

'What does this say about your processes or your decision makers? How are you fixing it? Naked antisemitism such as in this image is not 'an error of judgment,' it continued.

'We have to wonder if the @nytimes editors would've published a similar cartoon depicting any other country or people.'

The uproar prompted the Times to issue a longer, more detailed apology on Sunday.

It comes just days after the paper apologized for publishing an anti-Semitic cartoon of Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in its international print edition

The American Jewish Committee released a statement saying it did not accept the Times' explanation on Saturday for printing the anti-Semitic cartoon

The Times apologized for the Trump cartoon on Saturday, acknowledging that it included 'anti-Semitic tropes', was 'offensive', and that 'it was an error of judgement to publish it'

In response to the continued outrage, the Times issued a lengthy apology on Sunday

'We are deeply sorry for the publication of an anti-Semitic political cartoon last Thursday in the print edition of The New York Times that circulates outside of the United States, and we are committed to making sure nothing like this happens again,' the Times Opinion section tweeted in a statement.

'Such imagery is always dangerous, and at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide, it's all the more unacceptable.'

'We have investigated how this happened and learned that, because of a faulty process, a single editor working without adequate oversight downloaded the syndicated cartoon and made the decision to include it on the Opinion page.'

'The matter remains under review, and we are evaluating our internal processes and training. We anticipate significant changes.'

Donald Trump Jr, the president's eldest son, tweeted: 'Disgusting. I have no words for flagrant anti-Semitism on display here. Imagine this was in something other than a leftist newspaper?'

The cartoon in question portrays Trump as a blind man wearing a yarmulke while being led by a dog with Netanyahu's face imposed on the pup's body.

A blue Star of David is seen dangling from Netanyahu's 'collar' while Trump holds the leash.

The cartoon itself was drawn by political cartoonist Antonio Moreira Antunes of the Lisbon, Portugal-based newspaper Expresso.

Donald Trump Jr, the president's eldest son, called the cartoon 'disgusting' in a tweet on Saturday.

The cartoon was drawn by political cartoonist Antonio Moreira Antunes of the Lisbon-based newspaper Expresso

'I have no words for flagrant anti-Semitism on display here,' he wrote. 'Imagine this was in something other than a leftist newspaper?'

The cartoon was intended as a criticism of the Trump administration's perceived pro-Israel bias.

Palestinian leaders have said Trump cannot be an honest broker for peace after he broke with long-standing US policy and recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017, moving the American embassy to the city last May.

Trump also established a precedent by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.
The April 28 article Dont want dump water" contained a number of incorrect statements.

Robert Lake has a history of significant volume change because it has no natural drainage outlet. Aerial photos over the past 60 years show how it changes in size and volume between wet and dry periods. Water in the lake is under the authority of the province and the lake is not connected to water collection at the landfill.

During the freshet of 2018, operations pumped stormwater for the first time into Robert Lake to avoid flooding the landfill and creating unmanageable volumes of leachate (water that has come into contact with garbage).

At that time, Robert Lake was already at flood level. To ensure this action was not exacerbating the levels of Robert Lake, the city, as part of emergency flood measures, installed temporary pumps at Robert Lake to move water towards Brandts Creek.

The pumps were activated on April 16, 2018. When pumping stopped on July 26, 2018, the level of Robert Lake was more than 25 centimetres lower than on April 16, which demonstrates the citys pump activities did not increase flooding of Robert Lake.

On April 17, the City of Kelowna received authorization from the province to temporarily release water from Robert Lake, similar to last year. Neighbours were informed of the approval by letter on April 19 and the city met with local residents to answer questions about the temporary pumping on April 26.

Local property owners expressed concerns about rising water levels, pump noise, environmental impact and public access in the provincial and privately monitored kettle lake. The city will work to address some of their concerns related to the temporary pumping and will explore options for property owners related to their long-term concerns.

The claim in the article that leachate is being pumped into Robert Lake is incorrect.

The city is currently diverting the excess clean surface water around the landfill from north to south. Diverting clean surface water is a common practice for landfills, and is authorized in the Landfills Operational Certificate and Operations Plans. Temporary pumps and storm water pipes installed under John Hindle Drive convey this water past the landfill. It is easier, better for the environment, and less expensive to keep clean water clean, while treating smaller volumes of landfill leachate.

By diverting the excess clean water into Brandts Creek, city infrastructure is protected, our waste water treatment system isnt overloaded, flooding on Glenmore Drive is minimized and environmental impacts to the area are lessened.

City staff are monitoring and adjusting flow rates to prevent Brandts Creek from exceeding its capacity and an environmental consultant will monitor surface water quality during the four to six weeks this operation is expected to last.

Kevin Van Vliet, Utility Services Manager

City of Kelowna
A dog owner in Mexico dressed his Chihuahua as Iron Man ahead of the 'Avengers: Endgame' premier in Mexico last week.

The Marvel fan decked out Arlo in a detailed replica of Tony Stark's iconic suit and even dubbed the little dog 'Tony Bark'.

However, Arlo appeared unimpressed with his superhero garb and fell asleep on his a bed in Tepic, a city in the western Mexican state of Nayarit.

An avid fan of the Avengers decked out his pet Chihuahua, Arlo, in a replica Iron Man suit

The pooch perhaps was a bit too tired after remaining still while its owner dressed him up as Iron Man and settled for a nap before waking up

A Chihuahua in the western Mexican state of Nayarit was welcomed by its owner as the latest member of the Avengers ahead of the film's debut

Waking the dog up, the owner said in Spanish: 'You have to fight with Thanos. Hey, hey. You have to fight against Thanos.'

The Chihuahua became fidgety as the owner tried to place Iron Man's helmet over his tiny head.

Finally, the pooch gave in.

'Put the helmet on. Let's go. You have to fight Thanos. Let's go, let's go. There you go,' the owner said.

After Arlo the Chihuahua was fully dressed as Iron Man, its owner gave it a pep talk about getting ready for a fight with Thanos

'Avengers: Endgame,' the hugely-anticipated superhero series-ender from Marvel, set a new standard for Hollywood blockbusters this weekend with stunning hauls of $357 million in North America and $1.2 billion worldwide, industry data showed Monday.

The fourth and final chapter in the adventures of Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and company managed 43 times the domestic take of the No. 2 film, Marvel's 'Captain Marvel,' which made $8.3 million.

With a star-studded cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper and Josh Brolin, it took in a jaw-dropping $330 million in China alone, the highest ever opening in the Middle Kingdom.
Simon Hayes left Roger Curry with paramedics outside Hereford Hospital, claiming he had found the 78-year-old dementia sufferer in a country lane

A fantasist who dumped an American friend's father in an NHS hospital to help him dodge US medical bills was jailed yesterday after the case of the unknown identity of the pensioner was solved by a amateur internet sleuth.

Simon Hayes left Roger Curry with paramedics outside Hereford Hospital, claiming he had found the 78-year-old dementia sufferer in a country lane.

And the pensioner's identity went unknown for months until Debbie Cocker, 48, from Manchester, spotted a picture in a 1950s American school year book of an 'Earl Roger Curry'.

Noting a striking resemblance between the pensioner and the teenager photographed she sent the picture to the BBC's panorama team who traced the Curry family to Whittier in Los Angeles County.

Hayes, who was dressed in a bogus Army uniform when he left Mr Curry in Hereford, refused to give his own name, saying it was a security risk because he was working at the SAS base in the city.

The pensioner's identity went unknown for months until Debbie Cocker, 48, from Manchester, spotted a picture in a 1950s American school year book of an 'Earl Roger Curry'

Police spent four months trying to identify Credenhill Man before the internet sleuthing skills of a charity worker uncovered his background in California. Pictured, A BBC panorama investigation tried to discover his identity

The 53-year-old had stripped Mr Curry of his passport and other papers and dressed him in British clothing to further obscure his identity. Hospital staff could not work out who their patient was and Mr Curry spoke his name just once  after he was moved to a care home in the nearby village of Credenhill.

Police spent four months trying to identify Credenhill Man before the internet sleuthing skills of Ms Cocker uncovered his background in California.

Mr Curry, who went by his middle name Roger, spent nine months in the Credenhill care home, paid for by the taxpayer, following the stint in Hereford County Hospital which cost the NHS 20,000.

He was safely returned to the US in 2016 and is now believed to be in a care home in Long Beach.

Worcester Crown Court was told that Hayes concocted the cruel plan in 2015 with Mr Currys son Kevin. The pair had become best friends while sharing a flat in Los Angeles before Hayes was deported in 2013 for drink-driving.

Simon Davis QC, prosecuting, said Hayes arranged to meet Kevin along with his father and mother Mary-Jo at Gatwick, before driving Mr Curry the 150 miles to Hereford.

Roger Curry in his 1958 high school yearbook. The striking resemblance between this photo and Mr Curry led to the discovery of the dementia sufferer's identity

Kevin Curry with his mother Mary Jo Curry. Hayes joined Kevin and his mother on a holiday to France and Denmark before the Americans flew home

Mr Davis said: The defendant was part of a plan to bring Roger from the US and dump him in Hereford, abandoning him so he could receive care from local healthcare providers. It was clearly planned.

Hayes then joined Kevin and his mother on a holiday to France and Denmark before the Americans flew home.

Jailing Hayes for two-and-a-half years yesterday, Judge Daniel Pearce-Higgins QC said the deception had wasted time and energy and public resources.

Hayes ran a race driver fitness business and has boasted of being a physiotherapist for ex-F1 driver David Coulthard and of knowing team boss Frank Williams

He added: I cannot find any case remotely similar to the facts of this case, curiously because there appears to be no apparent benefit to the defendant.

Hayes, from Taunton in Somerset, was caught after he identified himself as the man who handed over Mr Curry to paramedics. The judge said that had he not contacted West Mercia Police there was no certainty that hed ever have been found.

Mr Davis said: He said he had been in the SBS and been in Hereford for a short while  but was unable to answer a simple question any serviceman would know, whats your Army number?.

Hayess barrister, Ashley Hendron, told the court: It is possible he believes his own fantasy.

Hayes ran a race driver fitness business and has boasted of being a physiotherapist for ex-F1 driver David Coulthard and of knowing team boss Frank Williams.

He admitted perverting the course of justice and a separate case of fraud in relation to a false character reference when he submitted three unsuccessful US visa applications.

He had claimed he was a hero with a Military Cross from the Gulf War.

The court was told that his son is under criminal investigation in California for elder abuse, fraud and kidnapping.
The Royal Family's active part in wartime efforts to deceive the Nazis about the D-Day landings is to be revealed in a documentary.

George VI, the Queen Mother and even a young Princess Elizabeth were involved in efforts to distract Axis attention away from the intended location of the Allied invasion of Europe in Normandy by planting a trail of false leads.

In 1944 the king was actively working on behalf of British intelligence, according to Channel 4's D-Day: The King Who Fooled Hitler.

Bombed: The king and queen at Buckingham Palace in 1940. The Royal Family's efforts to deceive the Nazis over the D-Day landings has been revealed

A fleet of Landing Craft Assault passing a ship during exercises before the invasion of Normandy. King George VI (out of shot) is taking the salute on board the headquarters ship HMS Bulolo. A documentary on the king is to be released called D-Day: The King Who Fooled Hitler

King George VI with Princess Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, at the Royal Lodge at Windsor Castle on July 8, 1946. All members of the family planted false leads to distract Axis attention away from the intended location of the Allied invasion

He had been fully admitted into the ultra-secret planning for Operation Overlord, the codename for that June's D-Day landings.

On March 3 his private secretary Sir Alan Lascelles noted in his diary: 'Two 'MI' men called on me yesterday, and explained how the king's visits in the next few months could assist the elaborate cover scheme whereby we are endeavouring to bamboozle the German intelligence over the time and place for Overlord.'

In the programme, intelligence expert Dr Rory Cormac describes the entry as a 'really significant clue, as it just gives us a little hint that the king not only knew about one of the biggest secrets of the war, but had an active and personal role in it himself'.

A new Channel 4 documentary has even suggested King George (pictured broadcasting to the country on Christmas Day, 1944) was actively working on behalf of British intelligence in 1944

Sir John Anderson, Clement Attlee, Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden photographed with King George VI in the grounds of Buckingham Palace on August 3, 1944. The king was admitted into the secret planning for Operation Overlord, the codename for the D-Day landings

Intelligence expert Dr Rory Cormac said an entry in the king's private secretary Sir Alan Lascelles's diary noted the king not only knew about one of the biggest secrets of the war, but had an active and personal role in it himself'. Dr Cormac said it is a clue that the king had an active and personal role in the D-Day preparations

He said George's visits to troops in southern England  previously thought to be random photo opportunities  were part of an elaborate disinformation campaign.

In particular, visits to the South-East were publicised to convince the Nazis that Calais was the point of attack, rather than Normandy, and that the invasion was imminent rather than still in preparation.

Princess Elizabeth was also enlisted in the deception strategy. A newspaper report on March 24 said she had made her first 'full-length tour' to inspect troops with her parents. Such publicity around a visit from the whole Royal Family was used to 'amplify' the efforts to deceive the Nazis.

King George's visits to troops in the south of England (pictured), which were thought to be random photo opportunities, were part of an elaborate disinformation campaign, according to Dr Cormac

Visits by the king (pictured on an inspection of troops with Queen Elizabeth and Princess Elizabeth on her first inspection on March 24) to the South-East of England were publicised to convince the Nazis Calais was the point of attack, rather than Normandy

Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth and King George VI in 1942 at Buckingham Palace. A visit by the king to the Orkneys was real but its purpose was deception - helping divert German resources towards defending Scandinavia

On May 15, 1944, the Daily Mail reported that the king had 'taken leave' of his fleet 'before battle'. Although the report did not state that he was at Scapa Flow, clues in describing 'cold and lonely northern waters' were signposts intended to help the Nazis arrive at that conclusion.

The king's visit to the Orkneys was real. But its purpose was pure deception, helping divert German resources towards defending Scandinavia from an invasion that never came.

By the day of the Normandy landings on June 6, Hitler himself had been taken in enough to initially dismiss it as a diversionary raid.

D-Day: The King Who Fooled Hitler will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Sunday at 8pm.
The Tories may have to accept a permanent customs union to get Brexit through Parliament, the Cabinet was warned yesterday.

In a blunt analysis, the Government's chief whip Julian Smith said there was no chance of passing a version of Mrs May's deal without Labour's support  and warned that the Government could be 'sunk' if it tried.

A source said Mr Smith told yesterday's meeting of the Cabinet: 'It's a customs union or a second referendum, and we are not having a second referendum.'

It came as Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey - who has attended the Tory-Labour talks - has said the Government may have no option but to move towards a customs union if it wants to get its Brexit deal through Parliament.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright reportedly said after a 90-minute discussion in No 10 yesterday: 'The options are like being in an acid bath because there are no good options'.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove told the Cabinet it would be better to have the 'unpalatable' outcome of a deal with Labour than the 'disastrous' outcome of Brexit not happening at all.

He reportedly argued that if Mrs May's promised to deliver the 'benefits of a customs union' - the Tories could pursue free trade deals but it would give a Labour government wriggle-room to push through a full customs union.

The Telegraph reported a Cabinet source as saying some Brexiteers in the room were were unhappy about the way Mrs May was handling the issue.

Chief whip Julian Smith reportedly told a meeting of the Cabinet that their only choice is between a customs union or a second referendum

Mrs May leaves 10 Downing Street for the Commons today as she reportedly edges towards a deal with Labour

Although no decisions were taken at the meeting, one Cabinet minister described the presentation as 'pitch rolling for a customs union' ahead of last-ditch talks with Labour on a soft-Brexit compromise next week.

Mr Corbyn, pictured today, and Labour made it clear that a customs union would be the minimum price for its support

Mrs May told ministers that she wanted to bring the month-long talks with Labour to a 'conclusion' next week, in the hope of getting a Brexit deal through Parliament in the coming weeks.

But Labour has made it clear that a customs union would be the minimum price for its support.

Rebecca Long-Bailey said today Labour is waiting to see if the Government is prepared to move on some of its positions in the cross-party talks aimed at finding a compromise deal which can win support in the Commons.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said that, on the crucial issue of a customs union - which Labour supports but many Tory MPs strongly oppose - the Government may have to give ground.

'I think, pragmatically, that they potentially may have no option in order to be able to push this deal through,' she said.

'We are fleshing out the details to see how far the Government can move towards us and then we will be able to ascertain how far we are able to move towards them.

'There are certain issues that we think they will be prepared to move on and we might be prepared to support certain positions.

'There are certain areas which we haven't seen any movement at all. We want to take a view on the whole package, the whole deal, to see if there has been any true movement.'

Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer, shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey and shadow Environment Secretary Sue Hayman leaving the Cabinet Office in Westminster after talks with the Tories on Monday

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom has led calls for the Government to introduce the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which would ratify Mrs May's Brexit deal, and dare MPs to vote it down.

But Mr Smith yesterday issued ministers with a detailed paper highlighting the risks involved. He said it was clear that Labour would vote against the legislation unless the Government met its demands for a soft Brexit. With 34 Tory rebels and the DUP also still opposed, the legislation would have no chance of passing.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called the idea of a customs union 'bad policy'

Ministers were warned that in order to bring the deal back later, they would then have to prorogue Parliament [terminate a session until November], with no guarantee that the DUP would back a Queen's Speech  potentially bringing about the collapse of the Government.

'Basically he told us the Government would be sunk if we tried it,' the source said.

Another source said: 'The point, which was reflected by many ministers, is that the choices we are facing as a result of Parliament rejecting the deal, are now very unpleasant.'

International development secretary Penny Mordaunt called on Mr Smith to 'not give up on the 34' Tory rebels. But sources said she was backed only by Mrs Leadsom and the international trade secretary Liam Fox.

Mrs May has yet to make a formal offer to Labour on a customs union, with ministers instead trying to persuade their opposite numbers that her deal delivers most of the benefits they want.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt yesterday rejected the idea of a customs union calling it 'bad policy'.

Speaking to the Mail during a trip to Africa, Mr Hunt said: 'Personally I think a customs union is bad policy.

'I haven't seen any experts who think the customs union which is on offer from the EU would be in any way sustainable for an economy the size of Britain.'

Mr Hunt also warned that a soft Brexit agreement with Labour could anger so many Tories that it might be defeated anyway.

He added: 'There is always a danger of doing a deal with Labour that you lose more Conservative MPs than you gain Labour MPs. But I think the essential question is whether Labour are serious about delivering Brexit.'
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All eyes are on Venezuela after the nation's interim president Juan Guaido called for an uprising to overthrow Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday, sparking violence in the streets.

People across the globe, including refugee Venezuelans who fled their home country in the midst of political and economic turmoil, have gathered for watch parties and rallies to join the protest in Venezuela.

Guaido urged Venezuelans to take to the streets Tuesday after he announced that the final phase of 'Operation Freedom' to overthrow Maduro is underway.

Crowds have gathered in Madrid's Puerta del Sol, in the streets of a Miami neighborhood known as 'Little Venezuela', and outside the Venezuelan embassies in Washington D.C., Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro to rally behind Guaido and demand the liberation of Venezuela from Maduro's choke-hold.

Protests and watch parties are taking place across the globe as a violent uprising in Venezuela unfolds. Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido pictured at a rally outside the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington D.C. on Tuesday

Protesters against the Maduro regime wore the flag of Venezuela on their backs as they shouted in support of Guaido's government

Guaido urged Venezuelans to take to the streets Tuesday after he announced that the final phase of 'Operation Freedom' to overthrow Maduro is underway

Guaido's rally call sent hundreds of people into the streets, but Maduro's military retaliated with rubber bullets, tear gas, and plowing through groups of civilians in armored vehicles

Supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaido pictured above outside the Washington D.C. Venezuelan Embassy

Guaido declared that the military, which is Maduros last stake in the embattled nation, has deserted Maduro.

However, on Tuesday the military appeared to remain in Maduros pocket as gunfire rang out through Caracas, Venezuelas capital, and white armored vehicles and tanks were seen plowing through protesters in the streets.

Maduro said he had spoken with his officers who assured him of their 'total loyalty'.

Maduro's government then shut CNN off air and 52 were reportedly injured after military deployed gunfire, teargas and water cannons at demonstrators, according to CNN.

In a shocking video posted online, a group of protesters could be seen throwing missiles at white armored vehicles.

A second armored vehicle is then seen mowing down a group of people.

On Tuesday Juan Guaido, Venezuela's interim president seeking to overthrow Nicolas Maduro, announced that the country is in the final phase of Operation Freedom

After Guaido called for protesters to take to the streets and demanded a military uprising, demonstrators faced off with Bolivarian National Guard troops in armored vehicles which are controlled by Maduro

An injured demonstrator is driven off on a motorbike by paramedics, during anti-government protests in Caracas, Venezuela on Thursday

Protesters who support Maduro pictured above Thursday protesting Juan Guaido

Guaido urged protesters and members of the military to join what he called the 'final phase of Operation Freedom in a video taken at La Carlota airbase in the capital Caracas while surrounded by heavily-armed soldiers.

The troops then set up defensive positions around the base before Maduro's forces arrived and opened fire with teargas followed by live rounds, according to witnesses.

President Donald Trump declared his support for Guaido on Tuesday.

He tweeted threatening sanctions on Cuba if Cuba's troops don't stop its military operations in Venezuela.

'If Cuban Troops and Militia do not immediately CEASE military and other operations for the purpose of causing death and destruction to the Constitution of Venezuela, a full and complete embargo, together with highest-level sanctions, will be placed on the island of Cuba. Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!' he tweeted Tuesday.

Venezuelans in the U.S. gathered on Thursday for watch parties to following the Venezuela uprising on Tuesday

Locals of Doral Florida gathered in the neighorhood known as Little Venezuela after news broke that Guaido was calling for a military uprising this morning. Locals had their eyes glued to the screen as live updates of the turmoil poured in

Many gathered outside a restaurant called El Arepazo in Florida to protest the Maduro regime

President Donald Trump declared his support for Guaido on Tuesday. He tweeted threatening sanctions on Cuba if the nation's troops don't stop its military operations in Venezuela

52 people were reportedly injured after Maduro's military deployed gunfire, teargas and water cannons at demonstrators. Venezuelans in Miami pictured above Tuesday at a gathering to follow updates of the uprising

Outside of the restaurant people began chanting as they followed news of the uprising

All eyes on the TV: Locals of Doral, Florida pictured staring at the TV screen to keep up with news updates on the uprising

The U.S. isn't the only nation throwing their support behind Guaido.

Protesters gathered in Madrid and Argentina waving the Venezuelan flag and a hand-painted banner that read 'SOS Venezuela'.

Stateside, in Miami and D.C. people gathered to watch live footage and updates of the uprising.

Locals of Doral Florida gathered in the neighorhood known as Little Venezuela after news broke that Guaido was calling for a military uprising this morning. Locals had their eyes glued to the screen as live updates of the turmoil poured in.

'Today is very important for Venezuelan people and the country. I think that today is the beginning of the end of Maduro's government. It's very important for Venezuelan people to see the end of Maduro's usurpation,' Oscar Lopez, a former Venezuelan politician, said to DailyMail.com.

When asked how long it'll take the Maduro government to meet its demise, Lopez says it could take mere days or weeks.

Venezuelans in Rio de Janeiro pictured above protesting the Maduro regime

Protesters in Buenos Aires, Argentina held signs depicting tombstones in front of Venezuela's embassy on Tuesday
Universities must be more 'ambitious' in lowering entry grades for poorer students, a watchdog report has warned.

The Office for Students (OfS), which regulates universities, said drastic changes must be made to admissions criteria when it comes to those from deprived areas.

One academic believes Russell Group universities, which include prestigious Oxford and Cambridge, should be pushing entry grades as low as BCC for poor students, when normally they would ask for A* grades.

An expert believes Russell Group universities, including the University of Oxford, should be reducing entry grade requirements for poor students to as low as BCC

Already, many universities let in disadvantaged students with one or two grades less, but the OfS said many institutions are not lowering requirements enough.

New research shows youngsters from rich neighbourhoods are six times more likely to get into a top university than those from poor areas.

The OfS said part of the reason is that those in deprived areas have had more disadvantages, and this should be recognised when their potential is being assessed.

Today's OfS report comes as it holds its conference.

Chairman Sir Michael Barber will say: '

'A young person from a council estate who gets decent A levels has often had to work a lot harder than the young person from a better off neighbourhood who gets a few grades more.

'That's why it is right that contextual admissions are now an increasing part of the picture.

'We are wasting talent, denying opportunity and hurting our economy by not making the most of our greatest asset: our people.'

Education secretary Damian Hinds said: 'A university education should be available to everyone who has the talent to benefit from it and we have made great progress in ensuring universities are open to all, with record rates of disadvantaged 18-year-olds in higher education.

'But there is more to do and we know that contextual offers can play an important part in levelling the playing field so those from disadvantaged backgrounds can flourish in higher education.

'I want institutions to consider a broad range of information in their offers, including the context in which a student's results were achieved.'
Jeremy Corbyn not only endorsed a book arguing that banks and newspapers were controlled by Jews - he was the star speaker at its 3-a-head launch, MailOnline can reveal today.

Mr Corbyn wrote the foreword for a new 2011 edition of economist JA Hobson's Imperialism: A Study - and said the work - written in 1902 - was 'brilliant, and very controversial at the time'.

Hobson, an English economist who influenced Lenin, spread conspiracy theories about the Rothschild banking family and said finance in Europe was controlled 'by men of a single and peculiar race'.

But Mr Corbyn, then a backbencher, endorsed the book now branded anti-Semitic, calling it a 'great tome' eight years ago.

And today a poster promoting the book's north London launch emerged online and hailed Mr Corbyn as 'presenting' to guests who paid 3 to attend.

Last night he refused to apologise, saying he had praised the 'classic study' but 'completely rejects the anti-Semitic elements of his analysis'.

Labour's Margaret Hodge said: 'For Corbyn to praise a book packed full of antisemitic conspiracies is disgusting. Ignoring this book's blatant antisemitism is inexcusable & part of his shameful record of condoning antisemitic hate'.

A poster emerged online today showing that Mr Corbyn was top of the bill at the launch of a controversial book

Mr Corbyn (pictured outside his north London home today) refused to apologise, saying he had praised the 'classic study' but 'completely rejects the anti-Semitic elements of his analysis'. Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey also defended the Labour leader but appeared to laugh in the interview

Today a senior Labour MP was accused of laughing by BBC radio listeners as she was forced to defend her leader as he was engulfed in a new anti-Semitism row.

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said today: 'Jeremy vigorously would not support any antisemitic statements made by that writer or any other writer.'

The work's author, JA Hobson, an English economist who influence Lenin, said finance in Europe was controlled 'by men of a single and peculiar race'. Mr Corbyn is mentioned at the bottom of the front cover (pictured)

But listeners to the BBC's Today programme claimed she laughed during the grilling.

Responding to the claims fellow Labour MP Wes Streeting tweeted afterwards: 'My advice to any Labour MP today: refuse to defend Jeremy Corbyn lauding a book containing classic antisemitic tropes. If he wants to defend the indefensible he should go on the airwaves and defend himself. He has a responsibility to explain himself'.

While a backbench MP, the Labour leader wrote a foreword to a new edition of the 1902 book Imperialism: A Study. He described it as a 'great tome' even though it spread conspiracy theories about the Rothschild banking family.

MP Stephen Kinnock said he's 'deeply concerned' about Corbyn's involvement and added: 'The foreword Jeremy Corbyn wrote to the book wasn't in 1902... I think it would be good if [Corbyn] were to make a public statement or do an interview about the issue'.

Mr Corbyn praised the book's 'brilliant' analysis of Western imperialism at the start of the 20th century, noting it was 'very controversial at the time'.

However, critics pointed out that Labour members have been suspended for retweeting comments containing Rothschild conspiracy theories.

Mr Corbyn wrote his preface in 2011, four years before he was elected Labour leader.

Labour MP Wes Streeting said Mr Corbyn should be defending himself, not relying on his colleagues

Hobson's book claimed imperialism was driven by finance, which he said was controlled 'by men of a single and peculiar race' who 'are in a unique position to control the policy of nations'.

The author also specifically mentioned the Rothschilds, saying: 'Does anyone seriously suppose that a great war could be undertaken by any European state, or a great state loan subscribed, if the house of Rothschild and its connections set their face against it?'

He claimed 'great financial houses' have 'control which they exercise over the body of public opinion through the Press'.

In his foreword, Mr Corbyn praised the 'correct and prescient' passages 'railing against the commercial interests that fuel the role of the popular Press with tales of imperial might'.

Former Labour MP Ian Austin, who quit the party in disgust over its anti-Semitism problem, said: 'This is disgusting.

'Decent people will be sickened to see him describing as 'brilliant' a book by someone who pushed deeply and clearly racist theories about Jewish people.

'Labour members have been suspended for retweeting Rothschild conspiracy theories  and this man has written a whole foreword!'

Radio 4 listeners claimed that the shadow minister was heard laughing in the interview

Last month two Labour candidates for local council elections were suspended for sharing Rothschild conspiracy theories on social media.

Euan Philipps, of Labour Against Anti-Semitism, added: 'The revelation Jeremy Corbyn wrote the foreword for a reportedly deeply anti-Semitic book is damning and damaging.'

A Labour Party spokesman said: 'Jeremy praised the liberal Hobson's century-old classic study of imperialism in Africa and Asia. Similarly to other books of its era, Hobson's work contains outdated and offensive references and observations, and Jeremy completely rejects the anti-Semitic elements of his analysis.'

It is not the first time Mr Corbyn has turned a blind eye to anti-Semitism.

Last year he was forced to admit defending an artist who painted a mural depicting a group of 'hooknosed' men around a Monopoly board.

When the artist complained on Facebook in 2012 that it was being painted over, Mr Corbyn replied: 'Why?', before going on to condemn previous destruction of controversial political art.

Jewish groups condemned the image, saying it contained 'vile anti-Semitic tropes' such as the idea that Jewish people controlled the world.
Suspect: Trystan Terrell (pictured), 22, has been charged with two counts of murder and four of attempted murder after Tuesday's University of North Carolina shooting

The college dropout gunman who opened fire on his old school on Tuesday, killing two people and injuring four others, smirked as he was led into the police station afterwards and proudly told reporters: 'I went into a classroom and shot some guys.'

Trystan Terrell, 22, was arrested at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte after running out of ammunition in a classroom where he had opened fire.

He killed two people and injured four but his motive for the shooting spree is unclear.

It began at 5.40pm when he burst into an anthropology class while students were giving presentations.

The victims were named on Wednesday morning as Riley Howell, 21, and Ellis Parlier, 19.

Drew Pescaro, 19, Sean Dehart, 20, Rami Alramatin, 20, and Emily Houpt, 23, were injured.

Terrell was a student at the college until this semester but dropped out. The circumstances around his departure are not yet known.

According to a 2016 blog post by his father, he is autistic. He had moved to North Carolina from Texas where he lived with his maternal grandfather.

His mother, Robyn, died from breast cancer in 2011.

Terrell has been charged with two counts of murder and four of attempted murder.

He also faces four charges of assault with a deadly weapon and two for alleged firearms offences.

A video taken as he made his way into the police station on Tuesday showed him turning to answer a reporter who asked what happened and saying without a hint of remorse: 'I went into a classroom and shot some guys.'

He is due in court on Thursday afternoon.

Trystan Terrell, the 22-year-old suspect in the shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Tuesday, was seen smirking as he was led into the police station during his arrest

Terrell is shown with his sister and father in a photograph that was uploaded to social media two weeks ago

He opened fire in a classroom with a handgun, according to witnesses.

He shot until he ran out of bullets, they said, and then was taken into custody.

Terrell grew up in Arlington, Texas, but moved to Charlotte two years ago to live with his father.

His grandfather reacted in shock to the news on Tuesday and said he never showed any interest in guns or weapons.

Riley Howell, 21, died on Tuesday in his classroom in UNC. He died 'jumping' on the gunman to try to save others, according to witnesses

Drew Pescaro (left) and Emily Houpt (right) were both injured but will make a full recovery

Video posted on social media from moments earlier shows police taking Terrell, the suspected gunman, into custody in Charlotte on Tuesday

The gunman shot dead two people and wounded four others on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Rold told The Associated Press that the actions dont sound like his grandson.

He said: 'You're describing someone foreign to me. This is not in his DNA.'

He added that Trystan had never shown any interest in guns or weapons and claimed he taught himself French and Portuguese.

But classmates described him as 'quiet' and introverted.

'He just seemed really quiet and standoffish.

'I've never seen him talk to anyone else or socializing really like the rest of the people around campus, because we're pretty close-knit.

'Everyone knows everyone pretty much and I've never seen him at events or parties or anything like that,' one told Fox 46.

According to an eyewitness, Terrell burst into a classroom with other students when he decided to open fire.

'There was an active shooter in my room in the Kennedy building at UNC Charlotte, get to safety immediately,' Tristan Field, a student at the Charlotte campus, tweeted on Tuesday.

'Why would anyone do this. We were just doing presentations and someone started shooting up the room.

'We didn't do anything but our work. Stay safe UNCC..'

Field added: 'The shooter at UNCC didn't say anything. He just started shooting during our final presentations and we all ran out.

'I'm praying for everyone that got hit and UNC Charlotte as a whole.

'Why here? Why today? Why UNC Charlotte? Why my classroom? What did we do?'

Authorities later said that there were three people in critical condition.

The Alpha Tau Omega fraternity posted a tweet saying one of its members, Drew Pescaro, was wounded in the shooting.

'We support the students and personnel at UNC-Charlotte affected by todays tragic shooting,' ATO's national office tweeted on Tuesday.

'ATO brother Drew Pescaro was shot and is currently hospitalized in stable condition. We are keeping Drew, the chapter and the campus in our prayers.'

Students posted images on social media showing themselves during the lock down.

One of the gunshot victims is seen in the above photo being helped by another person

A blood stained shirt is seen above after a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Tuesday

The image above shows students at UNCC remaining in place after news about the shooting broke

Shattered glass is seen on the floor at the entrance to a building on campus in Charlotte on Tuesday

The school's official Twitter handle tweeted alerts to students and faculty

On Tuesday night, the university's chancellor released a statement to say it had been the 'saddest' day in its history.

'This is the saddest day in UNC Charlottes history. Earlier this evening, the unthinkable happened on our campus.

'Families of the deceased victims are being notified, and university staff are with those who are injured. The entire UNC Charlotte community shares the shock and grief of this senseless, devastating act. This was an attack on all of Niner Nation,' he said.

Finals that had been scheduled to take place on Wednesday are now due to happen on Sunday.

Dramatic video posted on social media shows students the Charlotte campus being evacuated after the shooting.

Uniformed police officers were seen running toward the location of the shooting while panicked students fled in the opposite direction, some with hands up.

A helicopter was also seen flying overhead during the tense moments.

One video posted to social media shows a large group of students with their hands up in the air

The campus was to host a concert at the schools football stadium to mark the last day of classes

The campus was to host a concert at the schools football stadium to mark the last day of classes.

Students were on their way to Jerry Richardson Stadium to see the rapper Waka Flocka Flame.

'I'm safe y'all,' the rapper tweeted on Tuesday.

The university has more than 26,500 students and 3,000 faculty and staff.

Sam Rice, a senior on UNC Charlotte's tennis team, told Spectrum News that he was in the library studying for a final exam when he heard people yelling 'shooter, shooter.'

He said he heard police yelling for people to stay down and stay on the floor.

Students were on their way to a campus stadium for a scheduled concert by rapper Waka Flocka Flame (seen in the above stock image)

The rapper tweeted on Tuesday: 'I'm safe y'all' (seen above)

He was 'waiting for someone to tell us everything was going to be OK.'

When people were told to leave, he ran out in his socks, running over glass on the floor.

His reaction is 'just shock,' he told the television station. 'It doesn't feel real.'

Susan Harden, an UNCC professor and Mecklenburg County Commissioner, was at home when she heard of the shooting.

She went to a staging area, she said, to provide support.

Harden said she has taught inside the Kennedy building, where the shootings occurred.

'It breaks my heart. Were torn up about whats happened,' Harden said.

People gathered across from the campus of UNC Charlotte on Tuesday moments after the shooting

Law enforcement officials secure the main entrance to UNC Charlotte on Tuesday evening

'Students should be able to learn in peace and in safety and professors ought to be able to do their jobs in safety.'

Charlotte's mayor, Vi Lyles, tweeted: 'We are in shock to learn of an active shooter situation on the campus of UNC Charlotte.

'My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives, those injured, the entire UNCC community and the courageous first responders who sprang into action to help others.'

U.S. House Rep. Mark Walker, a Republican from North Carolina, tweeted: 'Absolutely heartbroken to learn of the two deaths at UNC-Charlotte.

'Details still unfolding, but prayers with those receiving medical care right now.'

Concerned students gather on campus after the shooting on Tuesday afternoon

A UNC Charlotte campus police officer carries a tactical shield after the shooting on Tuesday

A number of emergency vehicles are seen on Mary Alexander Road on the UNC Charlotte campus on Tuesday

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis said on Twitter: 'Absolutely horrific news at #UNCC Susan and I are grateful for the first responders at the scene and our thoughts are with the @unccharlotte community.'

Said Rep. Richard Hudson on Twitter: 'Renee & I are heartbroken to see violence at my alma mater @unccharlotte.

'Grateful for the quick action of 1st responders & police.

'Our prayers are with victims, their families & the #49er community.

'Ill continue to monitor the situation & pray for the safety of our campus #UNCC.'

North Carolina's governor, Roy Cooper, tweeted: 'This is a tragic day for Charlotte and this great university.

Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head and wounded in an assassination attempt in January 2011, tweeted: 'I am so sorry for these young people and their families. We fail as a nation when we fail to protect our children. You deserve better.'

'We mourn the lives lost and we will all be here to support each other.

'I commend the first responders for their quick action and am grateful that the campus is now secure.'

Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head and wounded in an assassination attempt in January 2011, tweeted: 'I am so sorry for these young people and their families.

'We fail as a nation when we fail to protect our children. You deserve better.'

Since the shooting, Giffords has become an advocate for gun control legislation.
Pioneering classes that teach parents to be stricter with their children could reverse Britain's obesity epidemic, it was claimed last night.

The eight-week 50 course encourages adults to show who's in charge and tackles 'pester power', healthy eating and bedtimes.

Since the classes were introduced in Leeds a decade ago, the rise in obesity levels has reversed among four and five-year-olds. The city has seen the proportion who are obese fall from 9.4 per cent in 2014 to 8.8 per cent in the three years to 2016.

That's a vast improvement on the obesity crisis in England, where, in the same period, the rate stayed largely the same.

Belinda Mould from Leeds, West Yorkshire with her three-year-old daughter Libby-Joy Mould

When children leave primary school, more than a third are now overweight, one in ten are obese and 4.1 per cent are severely obese.That has contributed to a diabetes timebomb, with nearly 7,000 under-25s receiving treatment for the condition in England and Wales in 2016/17. Obesity costs the NHS in England 6.1billion a year.

Kim Roberts, chief executive of the national charity Henry, which provides the classes, said: 'To see this kind of reduction is unprecedented.

'The indicators are that this isn't happening in other cities.'

The fussy eater who gave peas a chance Belinda Mould had a toddler who only wanted to eat sausages and beans. If she was served anything else, Libby-Joy would turn her bowl upside down. But after attending the classes, Miss Mould, 40, was able to persuade her little girl to eat peas every other day. She said: 'I used to get frustrated but the classes taught me to be more patient and persistent.' Miss Mould, who works in the beauty industry, was taught strategies to get Libby-Joy to sleep by comforting her, and set times when she was allowed TV. She said: 'The most important thing I learned was to keep calm and not get upset so much when things were not going well. 'If you get annoyed, they try to compete with you and have a tantrum.' Advertisement

Professor Susan Jebb, who led a study on the strategy from the University of Oxford, said: 'The most dramatic thing is if you look at it by deprivation, the most deprived group [where obesity levels are generally higher] in Leeds is doing especially well. That is astonishing.'

Professor Jason Halford, an obesity expert from the University of Liverpool and chairman of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, said: 'This approach may seem to be common sense, but it empowers parents to help children by giving them choices rather than pushing them into healthy behaviours, which they may find off-putting. It is very encouraging to see this working at a community level and it could be an important tool in tackling child obesity. We just need more evidence from other cities to prove it works.'

The two-month Henry programme, which stands for 'Health, Exercise, Nutrition for the Really Young,' has been rolled out in 34 local authority areas since 2008.

The study of the Leeds programme, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, is the first to assess its potential effects on child obesity.

Mrs Roberts added: 'Authoritarian parenting is when children are told what to eat and what to do, such as being banned from leaving the table until they have eaten their sprouts.

Since the classes were introduced in Leeds a decade ago, the rise in obesity levels has reversed among four and five-year-olds

That's a vast improvement on the obesity crisis in England, where, in the same period, the rate stayed largely the same

'Permissive parenting is asking children what they want to do.

'But Henry encourages a third approach, known as authoritative parenting, where parents make it clear they are in charge but also respond to their children.'

Every health visitor, nursery nurse and children's centre worker in Leeds has been trained in the Henry approach, totalling more than 1,000 professionals. The training programme, held at children's centres, has been attended by 10,000 families since 2009.

Professor Jebb said: 'It's not about blame, it's about helping parents find solutions.'

How to lay down the law Don't say to your child: What do you want to eat? Do say: Do you want carrots or broccoli? Don't say to your child: Are you ready for bed? Do say: It's bedtime  where do you want to read your bedtime story? Don't say to your child: Thank you for being helpful  have some chocolate as a reward. Do say: Thank you for being helpful  as a reward, add another brick to the tower we are building. Don't say to your child: Switch off the television. Do say: Shall I switch off the television or would you like to? Advertisement
A set of newly leaked images offer the clearest look yet at what could be Motorola's Razr revival.

The renders show off a thin device with a notch that folds in half vertically, according to SlashLeaks, which obtained the images from a since-deleted Weibo post.

Speculation has been building about the possibility of a refresh of the classic flip phone, but Motorola has yet to offer many details.

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A set of newly leaked images offer the clearest look yet at what could be Motorola's Razr revival. The renders show off a thin device with a notch that folds in half vertically

The design differs greatly from other folding phones released by Samsung and Huawei, which fold open to become tablet-sized.

Instead, the new Razr would reportedly fold in half vertically, allowing it to fit comfortably in your pocket, not unlike the original flip phone.

The leaked images appear similar to designs shown in a Motorola patent from earlier this year.

Additionally, the renders seem to show the device as being sold with a wireless charging stand.

However, the renders don't clearly show whether or not the device has a small display on the outer panel when folded vertically.

Speculation has been building about a refresh of the classic flip phone, but Motorola has yet to offer many details. Unlike other folding phones, the new Razr folds vertically

Rumors of a new Razr phone first began to develop after a Wall Street Journal report in January.

At the time, the report suggested that the Razr would be priced at $1,500 when it's eventually released.

It's not yet clear when Motorola intends to release the device.

In February, the company confirmed that a folding phone has been in the works for 'a long time.'

'We started to work on foldables a long time ago,' Dan Dery, Motorola's vice president of Global Product told Engadget. 'And we have been doing a lot of iteration.

He added that the company has 'no intention of coming later than everybody else in the market.'

The patent showed off a folding device that looks similar to the iconic flip phone (pictured), aside from a folding screen on the inside and another display on the outside of the device

Motorola has confirmed that it plans to reboot the Razr this year as a folding phone with a touchscreen. Pictured are sketches of a folding device from a Motorola patent

Motorola recently filed a patent showing off a folding device that looks similar to the iconic flip phone, aside from a folding screen on the inside and another medium-sized display on the outside of the device.

While the Mate X and Galaxy Fold unfurl to become a larger device, Motorola's patent shows a phone that would be folded to become more compact and portable.

Sketches of the device show that it would keep some of the familiar elements of the 2000s-era Razr, like the large chin at the bottom of the phone, as well as the hinge allowing it to flip open and closed.

Dery told Engadget that the company was pursuing this type of design so that the screen would be less likely to become damaged.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Toyota will start building the Lexus NX SUV at its Cambridge, Ont., plant starting in 2022, the company announced Monday, saying the move demonstrates its commitment to staying in the province.

The plant will produce both a standard and hybrid version of the vehicle to supply the North American market.

Fred Volf, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, said the announcement is good news for Ontario auto workers.

"It means that Toyota's Canadian manufacturing operations are here to stay," he said during a news conference at the plant held with the prime minister.

Toyota will have extra capacity at the plant after announcing in March that it would shift production of the hybrid RAV4 SUV to its plant in Georgetown, Ky.

Last year, the company committed to invest $1.4 billion in its Cambridge and Woodstock plants in Ontario. The federal government committed $110 million to support the investment.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said government funding will always play a role in securing the future of the Canadian auto industry.

"I think the question that Canadians rightly have about public money invested in any industry is, are we investing in the future of the industry or are we investing in keeping things the way they were?" Trudeau said.

"We see that the auto industry is evolving rapidly and that's why ... being part of that and making those investments for the future also by investing in research, in science and in education and training for Canadians is how public investments are going to ensure that we continue to have great jobs right across Canada for many years to come."

Trudeau said Toyota's decision amounts to a "significant" vote of confidence at a time when the auto sector is facing many challenges.

The new product announcement by Toyota comes after the Ontario manufacturing sector was hit by major job loss announcements in recent months.

General Motors Canada announced last November that it would close its Oshawa, Ont., plant by the end of the year at a loss of close to 3,000 jobs, while Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said in March that it would cut a shift at its Windsor, Ont., plant later this year at a loss of about 1,500 jobs.
Samsung wants millennials to use this new TV as a mobile phone by making the device functional horizontally and, for the first time, vertically.

The Sero -- Samsung's latest installment to its TV lineup -- is capable of rotating vertically to mimic content orientation on mobile phones.

Samsung hopes the feature will encourage viewers -- decidedly those in the millennial age range -- to cast social media onto the device.

The company says the design, which can switch between horizontal and vertical modes by just pressing a button, aims to capitalize on the growing number of users engaging in more dedicated and long term viewing on their mobile devices.

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A new round of 'lifestyle' TV's offer a number of new features like customizable bezels, art mode, and even vertical orientation (Sero shown on right)

The 43-inch TV, which sits atop a navy blue stand, is also voice-command ready, with a built in microphone that is controlled by Samsung's personal voice-assistant, Bixby.

According to a press release, the company will release the TV in Samsung's home market of South Korea for a starting price of around $1,600.

Once in its vertical orientation, Samsung also says the TV, which is equipped with 4.1 channel 60 watt speakers, can double as a standalone music kiosk with a built-in visualizer.

Samsung's Sero will add to what the company is calling a new wave of 'lifestyle' TV's that offer varying design and conceptual riffs on conventional products.

Samsung's Sero tows the line between concept and shipment-ready by offering users a vertical viewing option that it hopes will translate to content made for mobile devices.

Among the other options will be two other concept-focused sets, called The Serif and The Frame.

The Serif is designed to blend seamlessly into viewers' living rooms with the help of some aesthetically-minded features like a cloth that conceals ports in the back of TV and even a shelf that runs along the top.

Similarly, The Frame is meant to blend into homes by mimicking a piece of artwork. The TV is only 2 inches thick and comes with various attachable framing options in wood grain and solid colors.

The frame is meant to blend seamlessly with one's living room and offers different bezel options that come in solid colors and wood grain.

With the company's 'Art Mode' the TV can also be used to display high definition artwork when it's not in use.

To access Samsung's catalog of 800 pictures, customers will have to pay an additional $4.99 per month.

The frame went on sale initially in 2017, but a new release will feature a QLED display capable of boosting the quality of even 4K picture.

Samsung will showcase its new round of TV's a pop-up store in Seoul and says it plans to release additional pricing details on the Sero in the months to follow.
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine believes the prospect of a killer asteroid colliding with Earth isn't something reserved for science fiction films.

Bridenstine made the case for why the US should be fortifying its defense against meteor events on Monday at the 2019 Planetary Defense Conference in Washington, D.C.

It comes as NASA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other parties will conduct a defense drill at the conference that simulates what it would be like if an asteroid were heading straight for Earth.

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NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine made the case for why the US should be fortifying its defense against meteor events at the 2019 Planetary Defense Conference in Washington, D.C.

'We have to make sure that people understand that this is not about Hollywood, it's not about the movies,' Bridenstine said at the conference.

'This is about ultimately protecting the only planet we know, right now, to host life and that is the planet Earth.'

He pointed to the Chelyabinsk Event as evidence of the increasing seriousness and potential for these events.

The meteor, which blazed across the southern Ural Mountain range in February 2013, was the largest recorded meteor strike in more than a century, after the Tunguska event of 1908.

More than 1,600 people were injured by the shock wave from the explosion, estimated to be as strong as 20 Hiroshima atomic bombs.

While those kinds of events are estimated to occur once every 60 years, Bridenstine said they've happened three times in the last 100 years.

Bridenstine's comments come as NASA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other parties will conduct a defense drill at the conference that simulates what it would be like if an asteroid were heading straight for Earth

By that line of thinking, it means another event on the scale of the Chelyabinsk Event could occur within our lifetime.

'I wish I could tell you these events are exceptionally unique,' Bridenstine said. 'But they are not.'

Bridenstine said planetary defense is just as critical as other NASA objectives, like landing humans on the moon.

He added that NASA is working to detect and track 90 percent of nearby asteroids that are 459ft or larger, which can cause potentially fatal damage upon impact.

Part of NASA's efforts to defend the Earth against asteroids include the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which is slated to lift off in June 2021 and includes help from Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The groundbreaking mission will be the first demonstrated attempt to deflect an asteroid by purposely crashing an object into it at high speed.

After launching from California's Vandenberg Air Force base atop a Falcon 9 rocket in 2021, the DART craft is expected to reach the object Didymos in October 2022, when it's 6.8 million miles (11m km) from Earth.

The DART mission relies on what's known as a 'kinetic impactor'  in this case an eight foot long (2.4m) craft with solar electric propulsion.

DART will be targeting the binary near-Earth asteroid Didymos, which measures roughly 2,600 feet (800m) across.
Analysis of a lock from Renaissance inventor Leonardo da Vinci's hair could finally solve a centuries-long mystery over the authenticity of his alleged remains.

The lock of hair, which had previously been locked away in a private US collection, is going on public display for the first time in Leonardo's birth town of Vinci, in Tuscany.

DNA comparison between the hair and da Vinci's supposed skeleton will finally confirm if the remains, unearthed after being lost for almost 60 years, are his.

Researchers had previously traced da Vinci's living descendants, whose DNA will also be compared with that sampled from the lock of hair.

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Analysis of a lock of hair from Leonardo da Vinci (pictured) could finally solve a centuries-long mystery over the authenticity of his alleged remains, which are buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert in France's Loire Valley

'We found, across the Atlantic, a lock of hair historically tagged "Les Cheveux de Leonardo da Vinci" ', said married historians Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato in a statement.

'This lock of hair, which has remained a secret up until now in an American collection, will be exhibited in a world first along with the documents which attest to its ancient French origins,' Dr Vezzosi told the AGI news agency.

'This relic is what we needed to make our historical research even more solid from a scientific point of view,' the researchers told The Guardian.

'We are planning to carry out DNA analysis on the relic and compare it to Leonardos living descendants as well as to bones found in da Vinci burials that we have identified over the past years.'

Mrs Sabato said that the investigation into da Vincis DNA might also resolve controversy regarding 'his presumed remains in the tomb in Amboise, France'.

Following his death on May 2, 1519, Leonardo's remains were interred in the Collegiate Church of Saint-Florentin, with the stone fortifications that surrounded the Chateau d'Amboise, a royal residence in France's Loire Valley.

Da Vinci had visited the chateau as a guest of King Francis I of France in the winter of 1515, while staying in the nearby Chateau du Clos Luce.

The two buildings are connected by an underground passage.

By the end of the French Revolution, however, the chapel containing Leonardo's remains had fallen into such disrepair that an engineer appointed by Napoleon declared it a lost cause.

In 1863, the French novelist Arsene Houssaye reported unearthing a partially complete skeleton believed to be that of Leonardo da Vinci. The remains were re-interred in the nearby Chapel of Saint-Hubert (pictured), where they can be found today.

The chapel was demolished in 1807, with its remaining stonework re-purposed to repair the Chateau d'Amboise.

Exactly what happened to da Vinci's remains, however, has been uncertain.

In 1863, the French novelist Arsene Houssaye reported unearthing a partially complete skeleton from the foundations of the erstwhile chapel.

The remains were reportedly accompanied by stone fragments, now lost, that bore an inscription, 'EO [...] DUS VINC', that contained some of the letters of Leonardo's full name.

This finding  together with the skeleton's unusually large skull  convinced Houssaye that the remains were those of Leonardo.

The unearthed skeleton was then re-interred nearby in the Chateau d'Amboise's smaller Chapel, Saint-Hubert, where it remains today.

However, other accounts suggest that heaps of bones were relocated around the site of the demolished chapel, and the provenance of the skeleton put forward by Houssaye has been cast into doubt.

A wall plaque in the tomb in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert now cautions that the remains are only presumed to have been those of Leonardo.

In 2016, Vezzosi and Sabato revealed that they had traced Leonardo's family tree, linking the genius' half-brother, Domenico, to 35 modern-day descendants. (Pictured: some of the descendants gather at the theatre of Vinci, near Florence, Italy, during a press conference)

Italian director and producer Franco Zeffirelli was revealed as one of Leonardo's living relatives

In 2016, Dr Vezzosi and Mrs Sabato revealed that they had traced Leonardo's family tree, linking the genius' half-brother, Domenico, to 35 modern-day descendants.

Most of these relative were still living around the Tuscany region that da Vinci would have once called home.

Leonardo himself never married, and so had no direct descendants.

The hair will be displayed at the Ideale Leonardo da Vinci museum in Vinci, the town in Tuscany where the artist was born, as part of their 'Leonardo Lives' exhibit, beginning on May 2, 2019  the 500th anniversary of the Renaissance giant's death.

The year-long celebrations in honour of Da Vinci began on April 29 in Amboise.

Leonardo's alleged remains are interred in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert at the Chateau d'Amboise in France's Loire Valley. The hair will be publicly displayed in the Ideale Leonardo da Vinci museum in Vinci, Tuscany, the town of birth of the noted inventor
SpaceX has received FCC approval for a plan to launch thousands of broadband satellites into orbit around Earth.

America's Federal Communications Commission has given billionaire Elon Musk's 'starlink' plan to provide reliable internet worldwide the go-ahead.

The company already gained approval to launch the constellation in November 2018 but it has since tweaked its plans.

They originally had permission to launch 4,425 Starlink satellites into orbit - between 689-823 miles (1,110 to 1,325 kilometres) above Earth.

However, they learned from test satellites that the lower orbit allows coverage with fewer satellites, reducing the amount of space debris.

The modified initiative would fly more than 1,500 of the satellites at a lower orbit of around 342 miles (550km).

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SpaceX has received FCC approval for its modified plan to launch thousands of broadband satellites into orbit around Earth. America's Federal Communications Commission has given billionaire Elon Musk's 'starlink' plan to provide reliable internet worldwide the go-ahead

SpaceX argued that it would be easier to get rid of satellites at this new altitude when they can no longer function properly in orbit.

A request was sent to the FCC to partially revise the plans in November.

This is a major regulatory hurdle the company needed to clear in order to launch its first operational satellites as early as next month.

'This approval underscores the FCC's confidence in SpaceX's plans to deploy its next-generation satellite constellation and connect people around the world with reliable and affordable broadband service,' Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceXs president.

But not everyone is positive about the ruling; OneWeb and Kepler Communications objected to the new plans citing that their satellites would interfere with their own.

However the FCC ruled that it didn't believe the satellites would create 'significant' interference.

'We deny the petitions to deny of OneWeb and Kepler. We note that there is no increase in the number of satellites in the constellation,' they said in the ruling.

ELON MUSK'S SPACEX SET TO BRING BROADBAND INTERNET TO THE WORLD WITH ITS STARLINK CONSTELLATION OF SATELLITES Elon Musk's SpaceX has launched more than 1,600 of its 'Starlink' space internet satellites into orbit. They form a constellation designed to provide low-cost broadband internet service from low Earth orbit. The constellation, informally known as Starlink, is under development at SpaceX's facilities in Redmond, Washington. Its goal is to beam superfast internet into your home from space. While satellite internet has been around for a while, it has suffered from high latency and unreliable connections. Starlink is different. SpaceX says putting a 'constellation' of satellites in low earth orbit would provide high-speed, cable-like internet all over the world. The billionaire's company wants to create the global system to help it generate more cash. Musk has previously said the venture could give three billion people who currently do not have access to the internet a cheap way of getting online. It could also help fund a future city on Mars. Helping humanity reach the red planet is one of Musk's long-stated aims and was what inspired him to start SpaceX. The company has previously filed plans with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch 4,425 satellites into orbit above the Earth  three times as many that are currently in operation. 'Once fully deployed, the SpaceX system will pass over virtually all parts of the Earth's surface and therefore, in principle, have the ability to provide ubiquitous global service,' the firm said. 'Every point on the Earth's surface will see, at all times, a SpaceX satellite.' The network will provide internet access to the US and the rest of the world, it added. It is expected to take more than five years and $9.8 billion (7.1bn) of investment, although satellite internet has proved an expensive market in the past and analysts expect the final bill will be higher. Musk compared the project to 'rebuilding the internet in space', as it would reduce reliance on the existing network of undersea fibre-optic cables which criss-cross the planet. In the US, the FCC welcomed the scheme as a way to provide internet connections to more people. Advertisement

The initiative is that they would fly over 1,500 of the Starlink satellites at a lower orbit of 550km (around 342 miles). This was because they learned from test satellites that the lower orbit allows coverage with 16 fewer satellites. Here, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Florida

This is a major regulatory hurdle the company needed to clear in order to launch its first operational satellites as early as next month.

Regulators also didn't find a significant risk of collisions in the new orbit, noting that each of the satellites would have thrusters to make manoeuvres to escape.

'SpaceX claims, because all its satellites have propulsion and are maneuverable to prevent collisions, they are considered to pose zero risk to any other satellites in this orbital region,' the FCC said in the ruling.

The companys long-term plan to launch nearly 12,000 satellites into orbit to beam internet coverage down to Earth.

But Elon Musk isn't the only entrepreneur looking to home in on the internet satellite service potential.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wants to put 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit in his space project, according to federal records.

The effort aims to cover areas that struggle with current infrastructure and boost these nations access to broadband internet.

They have reportedly not yet filed with the Federal Communications Commission for US market access for the system.
NASA is hoping to send out a mission to study Uranus and Neptune, the furthest planets in our solar system, 30-years after its last mission to the distant worlds.

The two distinctly blue-coloured planets are relative unexplored compared to the likes of Jupiter or Saturn, due to their icy conditions.

Dubbed the 'ice giants', scientists want to study its atmosphere by adapting a device used for Jupiter to function in their sub-zero environments.

While US space agency has no formal plans to launch a probe craft to Neptune or Uranus, a team is using technological advances to create the probe.

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NASA is hoping to send out a mission to study Uranus and Neptune, the furthest planets in our solar system, 30-years after its last mission. This is an image of the planet Uranus taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2, which flew closely past the seventh planet from the Sun in January 1986

The two distinctly blue-coloured planets are relative unexplored compared to the likes Jupiter or Saturn, due to their icy conditions. This image of Neptune was taken by NASA's Voyager 2 in 1989, taken at a range of 4.4 million miles from the planet, shows the Great Dark Spot and its companion bright smudge

NASA scientists want to adapt a probe like the one used to study Jupiter's atmosphere on the Galileo mission in the 80s and adapt it for sub-zero conditions.

Thirty years on the team is hoping a new probe, primarily a radiometer device used in Galileo, will be smaller and more capable of collecting data at a quicker speed.

Known as the 'net flux radiometer', the instrument was a sensor mounted into the spacecraft which plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere in 2003 during NASA's Galileo mission to study Jupiter.

The instrument will tell scientists where heating and cooling occurs in a planet's atmosphere and helps define what the heat sources are that are driving these motions, according to NASA.

The space agency said on their website: 'The next-generation radiometer is specifically being developed to study the atmospheres of Uranus or Neptune, but could be used on any target with an atmosphere.'

Dr Shahid Aslam, who is leading the team said that it significant changes to the sensors will make it smaller and able to support faster data collection.

Dr Aslam said: 'Available materials, filters, electronic detectors, flight computing, and data management and processing have all improved.

'Frankly, we have better technology all the way around. It's clear that the time is now to develop the next generation of this instrument for future atmospheric entry probes.'

During a prior mission by NASA's Voyager 2 in 1989, a flyby caught glimpses of Neptune's moon which have intrigued scientists ever since.

HOW WILL NASA STUDY NEPTUNE AND URANUS? NASA scientists want to adapt a sensor like that used to study Jupiter's atmosphere on its Galileo mission to use in the sub-zero conditions on Neptune and Uranus. The team is hoping the updated probe, primarily a radiometer device, will be smaller, and more capable than the one used in the Galileo mission. Known specifically as the 'net flux radiometer' it was used to study Jupiter's atmosphere in 2003 during NASA's Galileo mission. It one of several mounted inside the probe  measured radiation that reached the planet from the Sun above as well as the thermal radiation or heat generated by the planet itself below. The instrument will tell scientists where heating and cooling occurs in a planet's atmosphere and helps define what the heat sources are that are driving these motions, according to NASA. What was NASA's Galileo mission? The mission was to study Jupiter and its moons and lasted between October 1989 and September 2003 NASA's mission dropped the Galileo probe into Jupiters atmosphere on September 21, 2003. The probe was launched in 1995 on its way to Jupiter to investigate the engine driving its atmospheric circulation. On its way to Jupiter it also made lots of other discoveries such as of an asteroid as well as capturing images of Venus in 1990 as it flew past. The measuring devices used by the Galileo spacecraft and its atmospheric probe will be adapted for the newly announced mission to Neptune and Uranus. The atmospheric probe includes the Net Flux radiometer and helium abundance detector among others. What scientific instruments from Galileo will be updated for Neptune and Uranus? It will be a successor to a similar type instrument that gathered data about Jupiters atmospheric conditions, before being crushed by Jupiters atmospheric pressure in December 1995. The atmospheric probe will include: Thermophile sensors which convert heat or infrared wavelengths or heat into electrical signals. Lightning and radio emission detector Ultraviolet spectrometer - this measures UV waves in the atmosphere Dust detector Helium abundance detector Source: NASA Advertisement

Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun, and Neptune is the eighth.

Neptune and Uranus remain relative unexplored due to their icy conditions, says NASA.

This is compared to the likes of Jupiter and Saturn which the Galileo mission and Cassini mission were specifically designed to examine.

NASA has never flown dedicated missions to the planets as it has done with Saturn and Jupiter via the Galileo (1989-2003) and Cassini (2004-present) missions, respectively.

According to NASA, both Uranus and Neptune have a 'slushy' surface layer that is a mix of water, ammonia, and methane ices while their atmospheres consist of molecular hydrogen, helium, and methane gas.

The US space agency last probed the two planets in the 1980s, via its Voyager 2 spacecraft which was the first and only spacecraft to fly by Uranus and Neptune, in 1986 and 1989, respectively.

Voyager 2 was designed to find and study the edge of the solar system beyond the orbits of the planets and is still in space.

During its flyby it captured images of the ice-giants but these were not in the same detail as we have for other planets like Jupiter and Saturn from their dedicated missions.

It was however not able to capture it in the level of detail we have for other planets such as Jupiter or Saturn, for which dedicated missions have been launched.
Glaciers will melt away in half of the Natural World Heritage sites where they currently exist if global greenhouse gases emissions continue unchecked.

This is the finding of experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and ETH Zurich, who made the first global study of World Heritage glaciers.

Even in a low-emission future, eight sites will still lose their glaciers by the end of the century, the researchers found.

In any case, 3360 per cent of the ice volume currently found in Natural World Heritage sites in 2017 will be gone by the year 2100.

Natural World Heritage sites are currently home to some of the Earth's most iconic glaciers  including Greenland's Jakobshavn Glacier, Nepal's Khumbu Glacier and Switzerland's Great Aletsch Glacier.

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Natural World Heritage sites are currently home to some of the Earth's most iconic glaciers  including Greenland's Jakobshavn Glacier (pictured)

Natural World Heritage sites are currently home to some of the Earth's most iconic glaciers (pictured). In total, the sites contain 19,000 individual glaciers

In their study, the researchers combined computer modelling with a global inventory to assess glaciers presently found on World Heritage sites and predict how they will likely change over the 21st Century.

From this, the researchers collated the first ever register of the glaciers covered by the UNESCO World Heritage list, comprising 19,000 glaciers in total.

Glaciers are currently present in 46 of the 247 Natural World Heritage sites.

Should greenhouse gas emissions continue largely unchecked, researchers found that 21 of the 46 currently ice-covered Natural World Heritage sites would lose their glaciers by 2100.

Even under a low emission scenario, eight sites will still become ice-free by the end of the century, experts found.

Overall, between 33 and 60 per cent of the total ice volume that was present in the heritage sites in 2017 will have melted away by 2100, depending on the extent of future greenhouse emissions.

Natural World Heritage sites are currently home to some of the Earth's most iconic glaciers  including Switzerland's Great Aletsch Glacier (pictured)

The researchers found that many iconic landscapes within the World Heritage sites will be altered by rising temperatures.

Home to some of the largest glaciers on the Earth, Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park is predicted to lose around 60 per cent of its current ice volume by the turn of the century.

In Europe, the small glaciers in the Pyrenees  Mont Perdu site are expected to completely disappear as soon as 2040.

Home to some of the largest glaciers on the Earth, Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park (pictured) is predicted to lose around 60 per cent of its current ice volume by 2100

Over 70 per cent of the glacier ice found in Canada's Rocky Mountain Parks (pictured) will be lost by 2100, models predict

The researchers also found that, in North America, over 70 per cent of the glacier ice found in Canada's Rocky Mountain Parks, the Olympic National Park in Washington state and the Glacier National Park will be lost by 2100.

This will occur even if carbon dioxide emissions are radically reduced.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Te Wahipounamu park  which presently contains 75 per cent of the country's glaciers, including the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier  will lose from 25 up to 80 per cent of its current ice volume by the end of the century.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Te Wahipounamu park  which presently contains 75 per cent of the country's glaciers, including the Franz Josef (pictured) and Fox Glacier  will lose from 25 up to 80 per cent of its current ice volume by the end of the century

Glaciers are vital for both ecosystems and societies located across the globe.

'Losing these iconic glaciers would be a tragedy and have major consequences for the availability of water resources, sea level rise and weather patterns,' said IUCN World Heritage Programme director Peter Shadie.

'This unprecedented decline could also jeopardise the listing of the sites in question on the World Heritage list.

'States must reinforce their commitments to combat climate change and step up efforts to preserve these glaciers for future generations.'

Natural World Heritage sites are currently home to some of the Earth's most iconic glaciers  including Nepal's Khumbu Glacier (pictured)

'To preserve the iconic glaciers found in World Heritage sites, we urgently need to see significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions,' said study author Jean-Baptiste Bosson, who is a member of the IUCN's World Commission on Protected areas.

'This is the only way of avoiding long-lasting and irreversible glacier decline and the related major natural, social, economic and migratory cascading consequences.

'This study on glacier decline further emphasises the need for individual and collective actions to achieve the mitigation and adaptation aspirations of the Paris Agreement on climate change.'

In November 2017, an IUCN report concluded that climate change is the fastest growing threat to Natural World Heritage sites.

The the number of such sites challenged by climate change has doubled between 2014 and 2017.

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Earths Future.
The UK must get stop selling traditional diesel and petrol cars by 2030 because electric vehicles will match them by then.

MPs on the climate change committee say that electric cars will have an equivalent range and price as fossil fuel models by that date.

They are calling for the date of the ban on the sale of polluting cars to be brought forward a decade from its current target of 2040.

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The Committee on Climate Change is expected to state that the ban should be moved forward a decade to 2030, or 2035 at the latest

WHAT ARE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO ERADICATE PETROL AND DIESEL CARS? At present, the Government's ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is set to come into effect by 2040. Scotland has a different set of guidelines, indicating the switch-over and ban of petrol or diesel vehicles should happen by 2032. The Committee on Climate Change believes the date should be brought forward to 2030  or 2035 at the very latest. It predicts electric cars will be roughly the same price as their traditionally powered counterparts by around 2024 to 2025. Current targets in England mean internal combustion engines will still be n the road in 2050, producing large amounts of greenhouse gases. Advertisement

The report is also expected to state that the installation of charging ports will need to be rapidly sped up in order to meet demand.

However, MPs warn that restrictions in obtaining the required natural resources for the batteries, mainly the element cobalt, means the 2030 may be missed.

It is therefore expected to recommend 2035 as the latest possible date.

Issues with rolling out battery-powered cars, according to previous recommendations from the committee, focus on a lack of charging points.



Mary Creagh, chair of the environment audit committee, told the BBC: 'Ministers are useless.

'They seem to think the market will miraculous provide charging point and the government has no job to regulate charging points.'

Current targets in England mean internal combustion engines will still be n the road in 2050, producing large amounts of greenhouse gases.

By this point, according to government targets, the UK should be entirely carbon neutral.

Scotland has a different set of guidelines, indicating the switch-over and ban of petrol or diesel vehicles should happen by 2032.

Insurance group LV said: 'The UK is in a fortunate position in that motor manufacturers have already matched demand with a production line stacked with electric car and plug-in hybrid models, as the clamour from consumers' changes to cleaner motoring.'
The world was watching a lunar eclipse on January 21 when a meteorite struck the moon at 38,000 mph (61, 000 kph).

This astronomical projectile caught the eye of star-gazers and now scientists have calculated its exact speed on impact.

Researchers calculated that the incoming rock had a mass of 100 pounds (45kg), measured 1-2 feet (30 to 60cm) across, and likely left a crater up to 49 feet (15 meters) in diameter.

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The meteorite that struck the moon on January 21st 2019 during the lunar eclipse was travelling at 38,000 mph (61, 000 kph), scientists have revealed. Sky-gazers watching the eclipse were also treated to the sight of an asteroid impact (point shown by the arrow)

Professor Jose Maria Madiedo of the University of Huelva, and Dr Jose Ortiz of the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia made the latest calculations.

The two academics operate the Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System (MIDAS) which used eight telescopes in the south of Spain.

Video footage from MIDAS recorded the moment of impact.

Professor Madiedo said: 'Something inside of me told me that this time would be the time', said Madiedo, who was impressed when he observed the event, as it was brighter than most of the events regularly detected by the survey.

At the time of the event, Professor Madiedo tweeted out footage of the incredible phenomenon not long after the eclipse.

The impact occurred during totality  when the face of the moon glowed an eerie blood red.

While it was over in the blink of an eye, telescopes from the MIDAS survey were watching all the while and documented the fleeting event.

Professor Madiedo spotted it at 5:41 am Spanish local time.

The so-called 'super blood wolf moon' was the first full moon of 2019, and brought the last total lunar eclipse we'll see until May 26, 2021.

Researchers have calculated that the incoming rock had a mass of 99lbs (45kg), measured 1-2 feet (30 to 60cm) across, and likely left a crater up to 49 feet (15 meters) across. The impact was captured by Jamie Cooper, 49, from Northamptonshire while photographing the eclipse

A meteoroid had as much force as between 0.9 and 1.8 tons of dynamite, scientist have previously said.

The debris ejected may have reached a peak temperature of 5400 degrees Celsius, roughly the same as the surface of the Sun.

The space rock had previously been estimated by researchers from Colombia and the Dominican Republic who published their findings in the journal Icarus and posted on Cornell University's pre-print server.

They estimated impact speeds of around 30,890 mph (50,000 kph), but the latest report from Spanish academics have stated a higher figure of 37, 903.643 mph (61, 000 kph).

January's full moon was known as the Wolf Moon.

It wasn't just a stroke of good fortune that led researchers to document the meteoroid impact.

Academics operating the Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System (MIDAS), using eight telescopes in south of Spain to monitor the lunar surface, made the latest calculations.

The MIDAS survey was designed to identify these flashes on the dark side of the moon  or the region not illuminated by the sun at any given time.

The moon's surface regularly suffers impacts from little space rocks like this; the surface acquires an average of 140 craters a year.

However, Earth has relatively thick atmosphere and most smaller rocks burn up when they attempt to career towards it.

The impact took place at around 11:41 p.m. ET and was captured in live-streams all around the world.

The study was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Controversial scientist He Jiankui has been condemned by academics who say his work editing the genes of unborn twin girls was unnecessary, substandard and posed unnecessary risks to the babies.

Researchers Haoyi Wang and Hui Yang, both well-known experts in the field of gene editing, penned an opinion piece in the well-respected scientific journal Plos Biology comprehensively dismantling the science behind his work.

They say his procedure was not only morally reprehensible and far beyond the scope of any ethical consideration, but also that his scientific method was lax and took unnecessary risks.

They state in the piece that 'gene-editing early embryos does not provide benefits for the babies, while posing potentially serious risks on multiple fronts.'

The disgraced researcher used gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls nicknamed 'Lulu' and 'Nana'.

Dr He's justification for the experiment was to confer HIV immunity to the embryos to avoid infection from the father, who is HIV positive.

He has since been fired from his university post and is under investigation from Chinese authorities.

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He Jiankui speaks during an interview at a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province. The Chinese scientist claims he helped make world's first genetically edited babies: Twin girls whose DNA he claims to have altered

The experts argue that Dr He's work was fundamentally misconceived  starting with the fact that, in the circumstances, the gene editing was entirely unnecessary.

Dr Wang and Dr Yang state the infection could have been avoided during conception by using already well established assisted-reproduction technologies.

Similarly, infection could have been avoided after birth by simply avoiding any potential risks of HIV exposure.

This, they note, 'suffices for most people'.

The gene Dr He edited is called CCR5, and it is involved in regulating the body's immune system.

Although naturally-occurring mutations in CCR5 have been associated with higher levels of resistance to infection specifically in European populations, these do not block all strains of HIV.

He sought to disable a gene called CCR5 that forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell.

All of the men in the project had HIV and all of the women did not, but the gene editing was not aimed at preventing the small risk of transmission, Dr He said.

Dr He also failed to present a long-term plan to monitor the two children in order to assess the knock-on impact of the procedure, they say.

The conduct of Dr He and his colleagues, the researchers conclude, 'represents a gross violation of both Chinese regulations and the consensus reached by the international science community.'

'We strongly condemn their actions as extremely irresponsible, both scientifically and ethically,' they added.

The scientist sparked global controversy in November when he announced in a YouTube video what he had done.

The scientific world and the general public were stunned when Dr He Jiankui released his YouTube video claiming to have successfully created gene edited human twins.

Academics condemned his unethical actions and slammed his procedure, intentions and whimsical approach to morality.

The government halted work at his lab and is carrying out an investigation, saying it would take a 'zero tolerance attitude in dealing with dishonourable behaviour' in research.

Between March 2017 and November 2018, He forged ethical review papers and recruited eight couples to participate in his experiment, resulting in two pregnancies.

This graphic reveals how, theoretically, an embryo could be 'edited' using the powerful tool Crispr-Cas9 to defend humans against HIV infection

Five others did not result in fertilisation while one opted to leave the experiment.

It is believed he is under constant watch by armed guards following death threats and imminent legal proceedings.

Punishment for his actions would likely be severe and some have speculated it could result in the death penalty.

William Nee, China Researcher at Amnesty International, said: 'China executes more people than any other country in the world, and the country's death penalty system is shrouded in secrecy.

'Suspects often do not have access to lawyers during key phases of the legal process and the use of torture to extract forced confessions is rife.

'In highly politicised cases the trial is often a mere spectacle with the outcome already decided.'

The Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in the city of Shenzhen, said in a statement on its website that He had been fired.

HOW DID DR HE DESCRIBE THE WORK? 'The gene editing occurred during IVF, or lab dish fertilisation. 'First, sperm was 'washed' to separate it from semen, the fluid where HIV can lurk. 'A single sperm was placed into a single egg to create an embryo. 'Then the gene editing tool was added. 'When the embryos were three to five days old, a few cells were removed and checked for editing. 'Couples could choose whether to use edited or unedited embryos for pregnancy attempts. 'In all, 16 of 22 embryos were edited, and 11 embryos were used in six implant attempts before the twin pregnancy was achieved.' Advertisement

'Effective immediately, SUSTech will rescind the work contract with Dr. Jiankui He and terminate any of his teaching and research activities at SUSTech,' the statement said, adding that the decision came after a preliminary investigation by the Guangdong Province Investigation Task Force.

Dr He was trained as a physicist, not a biologist, and was therefore unqualified and likely unable to carry out the research himself.

It is believed he used his own 40 million fortune to fund the project and privately recruited highly-trained scientific professionals to carry out the research.

Little is known about the research which staggered scientists for its brazen flaunting of every rule and guideline on ethics and legality in genetics.

The whereabouts of the Chinese researcher have been a mystery since November. Reports claimed He was placed under effective house arrest in Shenzhen after making an appearance at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong in late November.

He and his family are living in university housing on the grounds of Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, with guards stationed outside his apartment, according to a recent Bloomberg report citing Dr William Hurlbut, an adjunct professor at Stanford Medical School who has been in touch with the Chinese scientist.

'He told me that in both his living situation and in the process of the investigation, he's being treated respectfully,' Dr Hurlbut, a neurobiologist whom Dr He had consulted over the past two years on his genetics research, told reporters.

The two children, LuLu and Nana, were born in October, it is believed, and the potentially dangerous changes made to their genome may then be passed down to future generations, a field of research still in its infancy and widely unknown.

He's controversial work, which earned him the nickname of 'Chinese Frankenstein', was condemned by the medical community and Chinese health officials, who said they know nothing of the experiment.

Gene editing is banned in Britain, the US many other parts of the world, and researchers said that, if Dr He's claims are true, the 'monstrous' experiment was 'not morally or ethically defensible'.

There is no independent confirmation of Dr He's claim, and it has not been published in a journal, where it would be vetted by other experts.

It's 'unconscionable ... an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible,' said Dr Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert and editor of a genetics journal.

'This is far too premature,' said Dr Eric Topol, who heads the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. 'We're dealing with the operating instructions of a human being. It's a big deal.'

'If true, this experiment is monstrous,' said Professor Julian Savulescu, Director of the University of Oxford's Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics.

'These healthy babies are being used as genetic guinea pigs. This is genetic Russian Roulette.'

In recent years scientists have discovered a relatively easy way to edit genes, the strands of DNA that govern the body.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DOUBTS SURROUNDING DR HE'S CLAIMS? Several scientists reviewed materials that Dr He provided to the AP and said tests so far are insufficient to say the editing worked or to rule out harm. They also noted evidence that the editing was incomplete and that at least one twin appears to be a patchwork of cells with various changes. 'It's almost like not editing at all' if only some of certain cells were altered, because HIV infection can still occur, famed Harvard University geneticist Professor George Church said. Church and Dr Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert, questioned the decision to allow one of the embryos to be used in a pregnancy attempt, because the Chinese researchers said they knew in advance that both copies of the intended gene had not been altered. 'In that child, there really was almost nothing to be gained in terms of protection against HIV and yet you're exposing that child to all the unknown safety risks,' Dr Musunuru said. The use of that embryo suggests that the researchers' 'main emphasis was on testing editing rather than avoiding this disease,' Church said. Even if editing worked perfectly, people without normal CCR5 genes face higher risks of getting certain other viruses, such as West Nile, and of dying from the flu. Since there are many ways to prevent HIV infection and it's very treatable if it occurs, those other medical risks are a concern, Dr Musunuru said. There also are questions about the way Dr He said he proceeded. He gave official notice of his work long after he said he started it - on November 8, on a Chinese registry of clinical trials. It's unclear whether participants fully understood the purpose and potential risks and benefits. For example, consent forms called the project an 'AIDS vaccine development' program. The hospital linked to the controversial project denied approving the procedure and accused Dr He of forgery. Advertisement

The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to operate on DNA to supply a needed gene or disable one that's causing problems.

It's only recently been tried in adults to treat deadly diseases, with all edits confined to that person, meaning they cannot be passed down to their children.

Editing sperm, eggs or embryos is different - the changes can be inherited.

In the US, it's not allowed except for lab research. China outlaws human cloning but not specifically gene editing.

Dr He Jiankui, who goes by 'JK,' studied at Rice and Stanford universities in the US before returning to his homeland to open a lab at Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, where he also has two genetics companies.

Dr He said he chose to try embryo gene editing for HIV because these infections are a big problem in China.

The fathers had their infections deeply suppressed by standard HIV medicines and there are simple ways to keep them from infecting offspring that do not involve altering genes.

Instead, the appeal was to offer couples affected by HIV a chance to have a child that might be protected from a similar fate.

Dr He recruited couples through a Beijing-based AIDS advocacy group called Baihualin.

Haoyi Wang and Hui Yang's full comments were published in the journal PLOS Biology.
Amazon's AI assistant will soon be able to speak more than just English in the U.S.

The internet giant has launched a new program that will allow U.S. developers to build skills for Spanish-speaking users.

In doing so, it will allow Amazon to build a more robust experience for Alexa users when it launches full Spanish-language support later this year.

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Amazon's AI assistant will soon be able to speak more than just English. The internet giant has launched a new program that will allow developers to build skills for Spanish-speaking users

'We're excited to announce that now developers can start building skills for Spanish-speaking customers in the US using the Alexa Skills Kit with the new Spanish for US voice model,' the company wrote in a blog post on Monday.

'Skills that developers create now and are certified for publication will be available for participants in the Alexa Preview program, and to all customers when Alexa launches in the US with Spanish language support later this year.'

It comes as tech rivals have been racing to make their voice assistants multilingual.

Currently, Google Assistant leads its competitors in the number of languages its supports.

Assistant can now converse in more than 30 languages in over 80 countries, including French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portugese and Urdu.

The company added support for Spanish to Assistant last summer.

Tech rivals have been racing to make their voice assistants multilingual. Amazon's Alexa currently trails Google Assistant and Apple's Siri in the number of languages they support

Apple's Siri isn't far behind, with the ability to converse in 21 languages in 36 countries.

Additionally, the iPhone maker recently added Spanish language support to the HomePod in the U.S., Spain and Mexico last September.

Microsoft's Cortana has narrowly edged out Alexa, speaking eight languages, compared to Amazon's digital assistant, which only speaks five.

Prior to the update, Alexa could only speak Spanish in Mexico in Spain, but it will now bring that capability to America.

The US now has the second largest concentration of Spanish speakers in the world, behind Mexico, with a total of 48.6 million Spanish speakers in America, Engadget noted.

Amazon has already rolled out similar capabilities in Canada, where users can choose between Canadian French or English.
Photo: Calgary Police

Police say a suspect in the possible homicides of a missing woman and her toddler daughter may have tried to burn evidence and are urging the public to report any unusual fires in a rugged area outside Calgary.

"Through the investigation we have learned that items may have been purchased that would destroy evidence," Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta said Monday.

He declined to elaborate on what those items were.

Aliyah Sanderson, 22-months old, and her mother Jasmine Lovett, 25, have not been seen since April 16 and were reported missing a week later after they failed to show up for a family dinner.

Police are seeking information from anyone who may have seen signs of a suspicious fire between April 16 and April 20 around the hamlets of Bragg Creek and Priddis or in the nearby Kananaskis wilderness area popular with hikers and mountain bikers. In particular, police are seeking tips about fires outside designated fire pits.

The search in the Rocky Mountain foothills west and southwest of Calgary remains on hold because of heavy snowfall on the weekend.

Members of the public are being warned not to search on their own because it could result in accidental destruction of evidence under the snow.

Even without the snow, it's a tough place to search because of mountainous terrain, dense forest and wildlife, Schiavetta said.

"Right now our primary goal is to get back into the Kananaskis area and we need Mother Nature to co-operate with us for that."

He added police are also still looking for information regarding a grey Mercedes-Benz SUV seen in the area around the time the woman and child disappeared.

"We have received dozens and dozens of tips that are currently being actioned by investigators," said Schiavetta. "Sometimes the smallest piece of information is the piece that leads us forward and progresses the investigation."

A forensic search of the home in southeast Calgary where Lovett and her daughter lived has been completed and the owner was able to return Monday.

A man who was taken into custody was released Friday without charges, but Schiavetta said he remains the primary suspect. Police have not released his name.

A man who identified himself as Robert Leeming told CTV on Friday that he is that person and that he is innocent. He confirmed that he owns the SUV that has been seized by police.

Leeming, 34, said he is also the owner of the townhouse where Lovett and her daughter live.

Schiavetta said police still have the SUV.

He said because no charges have been laid, there are not conditions stopping the suspect from leaving the country. Leeming said he is a British citizen but has permanent resident status in Canada.

Schiavetta added there is no public danger, as it's believed the suspected homicides were targeted.
An internal email sent to employees of a major NASA contractor appears to confirm speculation that SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule exploded during a failed test earlier this month.

The email obtained by the Orlando Sentinel directly addresses footage that circulated on social media following the April 20 'anomaly,' referring to it as 'video of the failed test.'

At the same time, the memo warned employees not to record activity inside the Kennedy Space Center  if they do, they risk being fired.

SpaceX was attempting a static-fire test of the abort system on its new capsule when it suffered an undisclosed anomaly that sent plumes of dark orange smoke billowing into the air all around Florida's Cape Canaveral launch site.

Nearly two weeks on, neither NASA nor SpaceX have publicly confirmed the footage or provided any details on what went wrong.

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A cloud of orange smoke rises over nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as seen from Cocoa Beach, Fla., Saturday, April 20, 2019. SpaceX reported an anomaly during test firing of their Dragon 2 capsule at their LZ-1 landing site

The email obtained by the Orlando Sentinel was sent to employees of the aerospace company Jacobs, who are working as contractors under NASA's Test and Operations Support Contract.

As most of you are aware, SpaceX conducted a test fire of their crew capsule abort engines at [Cape Canaveral Air Force Station], and they experienced an anomaly, the email states, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Subsequently, video of the failed test  which was not released by SpaceX or NASA  appeared on the internet.

'It is up to NASA and other companies onsite to make the determination about what information related to their activities is released to the public,' the email also states, according to the Sentinel.

Software engineer K. Scott Piel later tweeted about the new rules, revealing the new policy that emerged after the failed test prohibits employees from 'photographing or sharing images from any operations here at KSC.'

An email sent to employees after the SpaceX footage leaked warned them not to record activity inside the Kennedy Space Center  if they do, they risk being fired

While SpaceX and NASA have both remained tight-lipped about what exactly went wrong, the leaked footage suggests the issue was serious.

If so, it would be a major setback for NASA's plans to send astronauts to orbit later this year.

SpaceX was testing the Dragon's abort thrusters at Cape Canaveral, Florida, when the incident occurred. The company said the test area was clear and no one was injured.

Unverified footage was later shared online by Twitter user @Astronut099, who claims to work at Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center and posts frequently about activity at the site.

It appears to show the Dragon capsule suddenly exploding on the test pad.

Earlier this month, the Dragon crew capsule that flew to the International Space Station last month was engulfed in smoke and flames on an engine test stand. Above, the SpaceX Crew Dragon is pictured during its approach to the ISS in March

Dailymail.com has reached out to SpaceX for comment.

This Dragon was supposed to be reused in a launch abort test in June, with another capsule making the first flight with a crew of two as early as July.

The SuperDraco abort thrusters are crucial to protect astronauts in flight; they're designed to fire in an emergency and pull the capsule safely away from the rocket.

At the time, NASA said it's too early to revise the target launch dates, given that the accident is still so fresh.

'This is why we test,' NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement that weekend.

'We will learn, make the necessary adjustments and safely move forward with our commercial crew program.'
Instagram is testing out a new way to take the pressure off scrolling through your feed.

The social media platform announced at Facebook's annual F8 developer conference that it's hiding 'Like' counts on photos for users in Canada as part of a limited test.

As part of the change, users won't be able to see like counts on a photo, or video views on a post.

Instead, the account owner will have to click through the post to view those metrics, while the public won't see them at all.

The company said it wants its users to stop focusing on measures of popularity such as like counts and followers and more on the photos and videos being shared.

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The social media platform announced at Facebook's annual F8 developer conference that it's hiding 'Like' counts on photos for users in Canada as part of a limited test.

WHAT IS INSTAGRAM'S NEW CAMERA? Instagram is launching a new camera that will make it easier to post without the need for a photo or video. Users will soon be able to open the camera into 'Create Mode,' where they can select fun effects, stickers and text, then upload that to their Stories. 'This new camera will make it simpler to use popular creative tools like effects and interactive stickers, so you can express yourself more freely,' the firm said. The new camera will roll out in the coming weeks. Advertisement

It's unclear if the company will roll it out more broadly, but it's clear that Instagram is looking into ways of reducing some of the addictive behaviors associated with the app.

'We want people to worry a little bit less about how many likes theyre getting on Instagram and spend a bit more time connecting with the people that they care about,' Instagram head Adam Mosseri said on stage.

'We don't want Instagram to feel like a competition.'

Test users in Canada will be served a notice at the top of their feed saying there will be a 'change of how you see Likes.'

Previously, eagle-eyed app developer Jane Manchun Wong had spotted the update, noticing that instead of a like count, the post would state if people you follow liked the post, but not a total number.

Among the other features launched at F8 include a revamped Instagram camera that makes it easier for users to share updates without a photo or video.

Called Create Mode, users can open the camera to share creative posts with Q&As, text and other fun effects.

The new camera will roll out to users in the coming weeks, according to Instagram.

Another feature that's launching for Instagram Stories lets users post donation stickers.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg debuted 'Create Mode' at Facebook's annual developer conference, which is a new feature that lets users post text updates to Instagram without a photo or video

Called Create Mode, users can open the camera to share creative posts with Q&As, text and other fun effects. The new camera will roll out to users in the coming weeks

Users can raise money for a nonprofit or cause they care about by posting an interactive sticker to their Stories post.

Donation stickers are available in the U.S. now and will launch for more regions soon.

Instagram is also debuting 'Shopping from Creators,' which lets influencers tag products in their photos, so that users can purchase them straight from the app.

Shopping from Creators is expected to roll out soon, with limited tests being held now.

'Instead of taking a screenshot or asking for product details in comments or Direct, you can simply tap to see exactly what your favorite creators are wearing and buy it on the spot,' the firm said.

'Anyone in our global community will be able to shop from creators.'

Instagram is also working on tools to prevent bullying on its platform, which is something it has consistently received feedback on, Mosseri said.

'Sometimes bad things happen on Instagram, we know that,' he said on stage.

'One of the issues we hear about time and time again is bullying...So what we aspire to do is to lead the fight against online bullying.'

Users can now raise money for a nonprofit or cause they care about by posting an interactive sticker to their Stories post. Pictured is Miley Cyrus testing out the feature on Stories

Instagram product head Adam Mosseri debuted new anti-bullying features for Instagram at the company's F8 developer conference in San Jose on Monday

Mosseri laid out some tools that Instagram is experimenting with to stave off bullying behaviors on the app.

Among the features being tested are a 'nudge' tool that will urge users to rethink their comment if it includes something hurtful or aggressive.

Another tool, called 'Away Mode,' will encourage users to opt out of using Instagram when they're going through a 'sensitive moment,' like moving to a new school.

It allows them to take a break from the constant barrage of aspirational content and notifications on Instagram while going through a tough time.

Mosseri also mentioned a tool called 'Manage Interactions,' that will give users greater controls over how their followers interact with them on the app.

For example, users would be able to prevent someone from receiving DMs from a user, while still allowing them to view photos they post.

These features may roll out soon, or they may never make it into the app, Mosseri said.

The Instagram updates were announced alongside a bevy of other updates from Facebook, including a complete redesign of the main Facebook and Messenger apps, as well as new privacy-focused features like encryption and interoperability.

Facebook also shared new details about its Tinder copycat, Facebook Dating.
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If, thanks to Netflix, you're enjoying 1993's Jurassic Park all over again and now feel the urge to experience the real thing - you could do a lot worse than a trip to the island of La Reunion.

The Indian Ocean island has got everything you need for a Jurassic Park-style holiday (minus the dinosaurs, obviously) - volcanic landscapes, jungle gorges, lava caves and, with one experience that's just hit the market, even a waterfall helicopter ride reminiscent of the 'arrival' scene from the cult film.

The trip, called 'Like Nowhere Else on Earth, is being offered by adventure holiday firm Off the Map Travel.

If, thanks to Netflix, you're enjoying Jurassic Park all over again and now feel the urge to experience the real thing - you could do a lot worse than a trip to the island of La Reunion. Pictured is one of the helicopter rides it's possible to experience on the island - reminiscent of the 'arrival' scene from the cult movie

Off the Map Travel offers a trip to the Indian Ocean island, pictured, called 'Like Nowhere Else on Earth

As part of the trip, guests get to spend the night in a see-through bubble tent, sleeping underneath the stars

The company describes the French island as being the crossroads of African, Indian, European and Chinese cultures and very similar to Hawaii - where Jurassic Park was shot.

The trip starts with guests enjoying a helicopter flight over the cavernous, waterfall-strewn ravines, moon-like volcanoes and the lush forest.

The helicopter then lands at Hiker's Edge, a lodge retreat deep in the mountains.

The trip starts with guests enjoying a helicopter flight over the cavernous, waterfall-strewn ravines, moon-like volcanoes and the lush forest

The French island is described as being the crossroads of African, Indian, European and Chinese cultures and very similar to Hawaii - where Jurassic Park was shot

Jonny Cooper, founder of Off the Map Travel, said: 'La Reunion is a dramatic land of fiery volcanoes, steep-sided jungle landscapes and starlit skies  off-the-beaten track and offering a taste of Creole culture with a splash of luxury'

There they will enjoy a Creole lunch cooked over an open fire followed by an on-land exploration upward through the area's lava tubes and caves created by lava flow and a zip-lining experience through the jungle.

As darkness falls, guests are taken to the small village of Les Makes, 1,500 metres (4,900ft) above sea level and in the middle of the tropical forest.

Here they will settle into one of four individual see-through bubble tents, where the night sky and surrounding wilderness form a natural outdoor blanket.

Each transparent bubble provides a sleeping and relaxation space and is connected to a shared bathroom and lounge.

As darkness falls, guests are taken to the small village of Les Makes, 1,500 metres (4,900ft) above sea level and in the middle of the tropical forest, where the bubble accommodation is located

Off the Map Travels La Reunion 'Like Nowhere on Earth' program is offered year-round. It says that the itinerary can be tailored to each guest, but prices for a seven-night, eight-day itinerary start from 1,899

Each transparent bubble provides a sleeping and relaxation space and is connected to a shared bathroom and lounge

Jonny Cooper, founder of Off the Map Travel, said: 'Picture Jurassic Park all around you.

'La Reunion is a dramatic land of fiery volcanoes, steep-sided jungle landscapes and starlit skies  off-the-beaten track and offering a taste of Creole culture with a splash of luxury.

'It's an area unmarred by tourism and filled with adventures.'

Off the Map Travels La Reunion 'Like Nowhere on Earth' program is offered year-round. It says that the itinerary can be tailored to each guest, but prices for a seven-night, eight-day itinerary start from 1,899.

Included are daily breakfasts; all transfers; accommodations in hotels and villas in the coastal town of Sainte-Gilles; one night in a see-through bubble; a tour into the lava caves; a jungle zipline and a heli-hiking experience to Hikers Eden with lunch. Flights are additional.

Other volcanic adventures are available.
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A hiking trail where walkers can spot some of the world's most endangered species has opened inside the Korean Peninsula's heavily armed demilitarized zone (DMZ).

The Goseong-area route has opened on the eastern side of the DMZ in the first phase of what's known as the 'Peace Trail' project.

It is one of three trails set to open on the peninsula, with tours running twice a day, six days a week.

The first group of hikers tackle the newly opened peace trail inside the Korean Peninsula's heavily armed demilitarized zone

The Goseong-area route has opened on the eastern side of the DMZ in the first phase of what's known as the 'Peace Trail' project

The first trail opened on Saturday and marked the first anniversary of the signing of the Panmunjom declaration, the first summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

The DMZ is a 160-mile-long zone north of Seoul and was established at the end of the 1953 Korean War to divide the two nations. Pictured are the vibrant blue Military Armistice Commission Conference Rooms, which straddle both North and South Korea

The trail opened on Saturday and marked the first anniversary of the signing of the Panmunjom declaration, the first summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

A group of 20 hikers were the first to tackle the course, which is surrounded by barbed wire fencing and minefields and takes walkers from the Unification Observatory to the Mount Kumgang Observatory.

The DMZ is a 160-mile-long zone north of Seoul and was established at the end of the 1953 Korean War to divide the two nations.

Heavily land-mined, watched over day and night by snipers, surrounded by artillery and criss-crossed by patrols, it plays host to one of the largest concentrations of military might on the planet.

The course is surrounded by barbed wire fencing and minefields and takes walkers from the Unification Observatory to the Mount Kumgang Observatory

Since the DMZ was created, rare wildlife has flourished there as it has been closed to human interaction

Since it was created, it has almost been closed off to human interaction, which has allowed plants and wildlife to flourish.

Among the rare wildlife that has been spotted in the DMZ are crested shellduck birds. Rare red-crowned and white naped cranes have also been spotted in the zone.

The DMZ acts as a stopping off point for migrating fairy pitta and ring-necked pheasant birds, too.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, large creatures spotted in the zone include black bears, leopard cats and water deer.

Kim Seung-ho, head of the DMZ Ecology Research Institute, has been studying the wildlife in the DMZ almost every weekend for the past 20 years.

Among the rare wildlife that has been spotted in the DMZ are crested shellduck birds. Rare red-crowned and white naped cranes have also been spotted in the zone

Heavily land-mined, watched over day and night by snipers, surrounded by artillery, and criss-crossed by patrols, the DMZ plays host to one of the largest concentrations of military might on the planet

He says he is particularly interested in the rare migratory birds that come from Siberia to the warmer DMZ during the winter months.

He told CNN: 'If you were to do an experiment on how new species could be restored when the Earth has gone to ruins, the DMZ would be the best place.'

General Robert B. Abrams, the commander of the United Nations Command, which provides security and stability on the Korean Peninsula, said: 'United Nations Command (UNC) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) government have demonstrated superb teamwork, collaboration, and coordination throughout the entire peace trail process and will continue to do so.

'The ROK military has worked extremely long hours to ensure the success of this very important initiative, while assuring visitors their safety remains paramount.'
Less than a week after details of Daniel Craigs final outing as 007 were revealed, the actor has already been spotted filming scenes in Jamaica.

Fans of the franchise were thrilled to hear Oscar winner Rami Malek is taking on the role of villain, who will force Bond out of his quiet retirement in the Caribbean island.

Rami Maleks bad guy will have to be pretty villainous to lure 007 back into the world of evil and espionage. After all, it took the attempted assassination of Judi Denchs M in Skyfall to do that last time around.

Rami Malek can take inspiration from Bonds gallery of rogues, which features some pretty malevolent and devious characters that wanted nothing more than to hurt the superspy

He can definitely take inspiration from Bonds gallery of rogues, which features some pretty malevolent and devious characters trying to do everything from start a nuclear war, to humiliating Bond and the MI6 in a sordid sex scandal.

To mark Rami Maleks appointment as the 25th tormentor of James Bond, here is our definitive ranking of Bond villains, in order of greatness.

Dr Julius No, Dr No (1962)

Joseph Wiseman's ice-cold, clipped delivery as Dr No is terrifying as he shoots down Bond with withering lines, no need for fancy weapons for the first ever Bond villain.

He also set the standard for all other villains to come: Private island? Check. Evil gimmick? Check. Super strength metal hands? Naturally. Random medical condition? Of course. All to help carry out his evil plan of using a nuclear beam to disrupt America's missile launches and sell unexploded rockets to the Russians.

Joseph Wiseman's ice-cold, clipped delivery as Dr No is terrifying as he shoots down Bond with withering lines, no need for fancy weapons for the first ever Bond villain.

Max Zorin, A View to a Kill (1985)

A very 80s Bond movie full of microchips, Silicon Valley and a killer Duran Duran title track, A View to a Kill was uneven to say the least.

However, it did give the world a blond Christopher Walken, who plays the evil industrialist Max Zorin, a creation of Nazi medical experiments.

His plan revolves around triggering a massive California earthquake to wipe out his microchip competition, and while that may not sound as grand as initiating a third world war, Walken's eerie performance, full of oddly-timed sinister laughs, betrayals and grimaces leaves a lasting impression.

The movie may not have been a hit with the critics, but Christopher Walken's eerie performance as Max Zorin, full of oddly-timed sinister laughs, betrayals and grimaces leaves a lasting impression

Irma Bunt, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Ilse Steppat's Irma Bunt holds a special place in Bond's gallery of rogues. Although only a henchwoman, Bunt's legacy elevates her to a place at a very exclusive table of villains: the ones who hurt Bond on a deeply personal level.

Ilse Steppat's Irma Bunt holds a special place in Bond's gallery of rogues after appearing in On Her Majesty's Secret Service

It was Bond who pulled the trigger and killed Bond's new wife at the end of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, thereby emotionally crippling George Lazenby's momentarily happy agent.

Emilio Largo, Thunderball (1965)

Emilio Largo was evil. No two ways about it. Played by the Italian actor Adolfo Celi, Largo wore an eye-patch; he threw henchmen who failed to apprehend Bond into pools full of sharks, and his big bad plan was to steal two atomic bombs and blackmail NATO, thus following the SPECTRE rule book to the letter.

Played by the Italian actor Adolfo Celi, Emilio Largo had all the hallmarks of a Bond villain: eye-patch, terribly expensive tuxedos, an evil plan and of course, a pool full of very hungry sharks

Dr Kananga/Mr Big, Live and Let Die (1973)

So evil he plays two villains. Yaphet Kotto's physically imposing dictator Dr. Kananga doubles up as Harlem drug dealer Mr Big  face mask and all  whose evil plan is to use the heroin produced in the fields of his Caribbean country, the fictitious San Monique, and give it out for free on the streets of New York, thereby wiping out his competitors.

So evil he plays two villains. Yaphet Kotto doubles up as the dictator of a fictitious Caribbean nation called San Monique called Dr. Kananga, and as a Harlem drug dealer called Mr Big

Once his competition is out of action and his clients are hooked, Kananga planned to aggressively increase the price again, simultaneously turning the addicts into criminals and the streets to chaos (and making him richer in the process, of course).

This villain though, is most famous for one of the most bizarre deaths in the franchise, even by Bond standards. 007 force feeds Kananga a gas pellet which causes the dictator to inflate, rise out of the water and ultimately pop like a balloon.

Francisco Scaramanga, The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)

Famously one of the least critically-acclaimed Bond movies, 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun does boast one of the better villains in Christopher Lee's elegant assassin Scaramanga, who forces Bond to duel him on his private island, culminating in a showdown inside a bizarre maze-like funhouse.

Renowned for playing villainous characters throughout his illustrious career, the late, great actor Christopher Lee brought his trademark elegance and style to the role of assassin Scaramanga

Franz Sanchez, License To Kill (1989)

The drug baron villain is a popular one in the Bond series during the 1970s and 1980s, but Robert Davi's Franz Sanchez made it personal in 1989's License To Kill when he took Largo's shark tank gimmick and elevated it a very dark territory.

He is one of the few villains who goes after Bond's extremely small, but extremely close circle of friends when he attacks his best friend and CIA agent Felix Leiter and his new wife, feeding the latter to the sharks and maiming the former.

Robert Davi's drug baron Franz Sanchez (right) took the Bond franchise to seriously dark territory when he maimed Bond's friend and murdered his wife by feeding her to sharks

Jaws, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)/Moonraker (1979)

Richard Kiel's assassin Jaws, a giant of a man with razor-sharp metal teeth, gives Bond plenty of trouble over the course of two movies: 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me and 1979's Moonraker.

Nothing Bond does can do any damage to the hulking killer, who survived getting thrown into a shark tank, having ancient Egyptian stones fall on top of him, getting thrown out of a speeding train, and being electrocuted through his teeth.

Richard Kiel's performance as Jaws, the towering assassin with razor-sharp metal teeth in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker became an iconic part of the James Bond legacy

Ernst Blofeld, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majestys Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Spectre

A villain so villainous he heads the Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.

Made famous by Donald Pleasence in 1967's You Only Live Twice, and later by Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), and Charles Grey in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Blofeld is the archetypal villain.

A villain so villainous Blofeld heads the Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. Although a presence in the first four Bond movies, his face is never seen. Donald Pleasence (pictured) made the character famous when he appeared as the main villain in 1967's You Only Live Twice

He has a lair inside a volcano, a furry white cat, and most importantly he has the most off-the-wall evil plans. Some are hits, some are misses, but Blofeld is the only main villain to haunt Bond across more than two films.

Raoul Silva, Skyfall (2012)

While Skyfall's third act veered dangerously into Home Alone territory, the movie did offer up one of the most intriguing Bond villains to date in Javier Bardem's platinum-haired former MI6 agent Raoul Silva.

His plan is not for world domination or blackmail, but rather vengeance against Bond's mentor and boss M, who disavowed him when he got captured by the Chinese. Her ultimate death is what puts Silva so high up on this list (despite Bardem's hammy performance).

While Skyfall's third act veered dangerously into Home Alone territory, the movie did offer up one of the most intriguing Bond villains to date in Javier Bardem's platinum-haired former MI6 agent Raoul Silva

Alec Trevelyan, GoldenEye (1995)

Sean Beans agent 006 Alec Trevelyan is one of the best Bond villains not because of his planwhich is essentially to steal from the Bank of England and destroy the British economy in the processbut because of what he represented.

Sean Bean's resentful 006 agent Alec Trevelyan was one of the best Bond villains not because of his evil plan, but of the fact that he represented a darker version of James Bond

Trevelyan is what Bond could have become if the darkness of his past and the cynicism of his profession consumed him.

The parallels between the two are very obvious  both orphaned at a young age and subsequently drifting into military service, then rising to the very top of the British intelligence community.

But while Bond thrives of unquestionable loyalty to her Majestys secret service, Trevelyan is overwhelmed by vengeance and greed.

Goldfinger, Goldfinger (1964)

Do you expect me to talk?

No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!

A Bond villain with arguably the most iconic line in the franchise deserves a special mention on the list. With that one line Goldfinger, played by Gert Frobe but voiced by Michael Collins, is certainly villain gold.

Any Bond villain whose lines become so memorable, will go on to become iconic in their own right and, with that line Goldfinger, played by Gert Frobe but voiced by Michael Collins, is certainly villain gold

He kills his enemies by painting them with gold, and smuggles the precious metal by melting it down and adding it to his Rolls Royce Phantom.

His evil plan was to irradiate all the gold in Fort Knox, thereby making his own hoard infinitely more valuable. Its as brilliant as it is bizarre, and Goldfingers villainy is enhanced by the sheer extent of it.

Le Chiffre, Casino Royale (2006)

Mads Mikkelsens Le Chiffre is about as postmodern a Bond villain as you can get. He has no lair, no evil henchmen, and he uses an inhaler. However he is frightening in his own way, especially due to his haemolacria, which causes him to bleed from his eye.

Technically hes not even a villain but the villains banker and the whole plot of the movie revolves around Le Chiffre trying to recoup their money he managed to lose.

Mads Mikkelsens Le Chiffre is about as postmodern a Bond villain as you can get. He has no lair, no evil henchmen; he suffers from haemolacria and uses an inhaler. And yet, there is something so incredibly alluring about him

And yet, there is something so incredibly alluring about Mikkelsens performance. It may be that he nearly gets the best of Bond so many times and does it so smoothly, or that he subjects him to a truly ridiculous, and arguably the most painful torture in the whole franchise.

Or it may be that he is probably the only Bond villain ever to say Ooops in a way that sends a shiver down your spine.
Today show co-host, Georgie Gardner, displayed her softer side on Tuesday.

The veteran journalist was visibly emotional during a segment about two young children, Azura and Torrin, whose father Brett Watson was killed in Greengrove back in 2014.

The young children were taken in by their aunt and uncle after losing their father, and the Today show surprised the family by offering to complete renovations on their home.

Emotional: Georgie Gardner (right) was visibly emotional during a heartwarming segment on the Today show on Tuesday. Pictured left, Deborah Knight

After the segment, Georgie, 48, lost her composure and was overcome with emotion.

'Impossible not to be moved by that story. Remarkable,' she said tearfully.

Her co-host Deborah Knight, 46, was also touched by the emotional segment.

Tearful: 'Impossible not to be moved by that story. Remarkable,' Georgie said tearfully

The Today show has suffered poor ratings since debuting its revamped show in January.

Georgie and Deborah welcomed Tom Steinfort, 35, Brooke Boney, 31, and Tony Jones, 57, to the Today panel and viewers hace criticised everything from their lack of chemistry to their on-screen presentation.

During its debut in January, the revamped breakfast show was smashed in the ratings by Sunrise, drawing in a paltry 197,000 metro viewers.

Tragic loss: The veteran journalist was visibly emotional during a segment about two young children, Azura and Torrin, whose father, Brett Watson, was killed in Greengrove back in 2014

More recently, figures have since dropped for Today - which drew 176,000 on Good Friday, while rival Sunrise averaged 274,000.

In a statement to TV Tonight last month, Nine's Head of Content Production & Development, Adrian Swift, said viewers should give the Today show a chance.

'The reality is when you change your lineup it takes a long time to bed in,' he said.

'We're not concerned. We are absolutely convinced we will get there.'
He's the 26-year-old tradesman who feels at home in his hard hat and high-visibility work gear.

So it came as a surprise to fans when Married At First Sight's 'villain' Samuel Ball revealed his penchant for eye-wateringly expensive high-end designer furniture this week.

In a series of photos shared to his Instagram story, Sam flaunted an array of custom Versace furniture, worth an estimated $60,000.

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Money can't buy you class! Married At First Sight's Sam Ball (pictured) flaunted his custom Versace furniture worth $60,000 on Instagram this week

In one image, the Sydney-based star showed off what appeared to be a 'Jaipur' sofa from the luxury Italian fashion house, which retails at a staggering $31,000.

The plush velvet couch reflected the designer's affinity for over-the-top glitz and glamour as it was upholstered in a bold red and blue cheetah print.

Sam also offered his 88,900 followers a glimpse of a 'La Coupe' round rug in a rich custom colour palette, comprising of grey, black, cream and gold.

Hey big spender? The Sydney-based star showed off what appeared to be a 'Jaipur' sofa from the luxury Italian fashion house, which retails at a staggering $31,000

Iconic: Sam also offered his 88,900 followers a glimpse of a 'La Coupe' round rug in a rich custom colour palette, comprising of grey, black, cream and gold

The luxurious hand-tufted carpet, which has an impressive diameter of 300cm, is made of a blend of quality materials, including wool and bamboo.

Perhaps in an attempt to prove the rug's authenticity, Sam flashed fans the carpet's centrepiece, which boasted the Italian designer's iconic Medusa head symbol.

Elsewhere, the former MAFS star paraded an ornate red, gold and black Carre' bench.

Fans can snap up the designer's luxe Carre pouff for an estimated $2,450 each.

Daily Mail Australia reached out to Sam Ball to ascertain whether the Versace furniture belongs to him.

Splashing out? Elsewhere, the former MAFS star paraded an ornate red, gold and black Carre' bench, which retail at approximately $2,450 each

Lavish: Sam showed off more costly pieces from the luxury Italian fashion house on Instagram this week

Remorseful: Earlier this month, the MAFS star apologised for his behaviour on the show, telling fans: 'I'm ashamed of myself'

Earlier this month, the MAFS star apologised for his behaviour on the show, telling fans: 'I'm ashamed of myself'.

In an emotional video shared to Instagram this month, Sam said: 'I'm disgusted and ashamed of the way I acted and treated other people.'

'I made a lot of mistakes, and I'm going to be a better person for that,' he added.

Sam said that he was sorry to anyone he offended by calling his wife Elizabeth Sobinoff 'big' on their wedding day.

Sam was also criticised by Ines Basic, the woman he cheated on Elizabeth with, who was reduced to tears as she recalled how he broke her heart.
MasterChef hopeful Huda Al-Sultan recently revealed that she married her late sister's husband following a family tragedy almost two decades ago.

And as she made her reality show debut on Monday night, the 34-year-old was supported by partner Abdulmunem and two of their three children.

Abdulmunem was seen racing across the set while carrying the couple's daughter, before the family embraced.

PICTURED: MasterChef star Huda Al-Sultan's embraced her husband Abdulmunem and young daughter as she made her reality show debut on Monday

Huda appeared overjoyed to have them by her side during her big moment, tenderly kissing two of their children.

After marrying Abdulmunem 15 years ago, the budding cook revealed on Instagram last year that she practices mindfulness to keep the 'peace in my heart'.

'Mindfulness helps me identify, accept and manage situations with more effective responses instead of blaming others or myself,' she said in 2018.

'Mindfulness saved my relationships with many people; yet, I'm not perfect. It's a journey that I'm still learning.'

Supportive husband: Showing his support, Abdulmunem raced across the set while carrying their daughter, as the family embraced during an adorable moment

Family outing: Huda's son also applauded from the crowd, while watching his mum in action

In an interview with TV WEEK magazine on Monday, Huda revealed that she lost her older sister when she was just 16.

Then, when Huda was 18, her family arranged for her to marry her late sister's husband, Abdulmunem.

'It was awkward and I didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but I was young,' she told TV WEEK.

'My parents knew he was a good man and it's the traditional way of marriage [in Arab culture].'

Huda - who was born in Saudi Arabia - explained her sister, Zainab was just 18 when she died tragically while pregnant.

'I didn't know if it was the right thing to do': On Monday, Huda revealed that she married her late sister's husband Abdulmunem 15 years ago. Pictured Huda and Abdulmunem in 2014

Finding light through darkness: Despite the tragedy, Huda told TV Week she has been happily married for over 15 years, and has three children. Pictured Huda and her son in 2014

She said Zainab had been rushed to hospital during her her second trimester, but sadly neither she or the baby survived.

And she admitted she only found out the details surrounding her sister's death a few years ago, with her family never explaining what had happened to her.

Despite the tragedy, Huda said she has been happily married to her husband for over 15 years, and the couple are parents to three children.

She even described her marriage to Abdulmunem as a 'gift' from her late sister.

In a teaser video for the new season of MasterChef last week, Huda spoke about what had inspired her to appear on the hit cooking show.

'I grew up in a culture where it's male dominating... I want to represent the power of women,' she confessed.

Heartbreaking: Huda - who was born in Saudi Arabia - explained her sister, Zainab was just 18 when she died tragically while pregnant
Former Victoria's Secret Angel Erin Heatherton has reportedly filed for bankruptcy after racking up $560,242.13 in debt as well as battling two lawsuits against her over the past few years.

After 13 years of modeling, the Illinois-born 30-year-old listed only $6,465.57 in total assets and claimed she's only earned $2,820 this year - according to legal documents obtained by The Blast.

Erin - who earned $226K in 2017 - reportedly listed her most valuable possession as a $945 Jennifer Meyer diamond letter disc necklace, yet she owed $416K to City National and $41K in back taxes to the state of New York.

Mismanaged money: Former Victoria's Secret Angel Erin Heatherton has reportedly filed for bankruptcy after racking up $560,242.13 in debt as well as battling two lawsuits against her over the past few years (pictured March 27)

Career low: After 13 years of modeling, the Illinois-born 30-year-old listed only $6,465.57 in total assets and claimed she's only earned $2,820 this year (pictured in 2013)

$100K of Heatherton's (born Bubley) listed debt was owed to former business partner Clare Bryne, who filed a $10M lawsuit against her in 2017 for abandoning their sportswear line RetroActive.

The bankruptcy news came a year after the former SI Swimsuit stunner sold her two-bedroom West Village apartment for $2.68M following a 2016 lawsuit from her neighbors over 'unreasonable levels of noise' - according to WWD.

The 5ft11in catwalker - who was discovered age 17 in South Beach - has strutted down the runways of Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, and more.

Drowning in debt: Erin - who earned $226K in 2017 - listed her most valuable possession as a $945 Jennifer Meyer diamond letter disc necklace, yet she owed $416K to City National and $41K in back taxes to the state of New York (pictured in 2009)

Legal war: $100K of Heatherton's listed debt was owed to former business partner Clare Bryne (pictured), who filed a $10M lawsuit against her in 2017 for abandoning their sportswear line

Loud lady? The bankruptcy news came a year after the former SI Swimsuit stunner sold her two-bedroom West Village apartment for $2.68M following a 2016 lawsuit from her neighbors over 'unreasonable levels of noise'

Erin's last social media post to her 2.4M combined following was an April 11 snap at AIR Aerial Fitness in LA captioned: 'Hangin out #pow.'

Heatherton was only 22 when she dated Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio from December 2011 until October 2012, and their romance reportedly ended amicably.

The 44-year-old habitual modelizer - who never dates women older than 25 - has been in a relationship with 21-year-old IMG Model Camila Morrone since December 2017.

The 5ft11in catwalker's last social media post to her 2.4M combined following was an April 11snap at AIR Aerial Fitness in LA captioned: 'Hangin out #pow'
My Kitchen Rules star Romel Kouyan has slammed the cast of Married At First Sight, saying they have only themselves to blame for a 'bad edit'.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 42-year-old lashed out at MAFS participants who say their negative portrayals are all down to 'manipulative producers'.

'I call bulls**t on that, I really do. Your actions are your actions,' said Romel.

'Your actions are your actions': MKR's Romel Kouyan (pictured) has slammed Married At First Sight cast members for blaming their behaviour on 'bad editing and producers' tricks'

Romel added: 'Editing can manipulate things, but if you present yourself a certain way then that is how you're going to come across.

'If you're going to give [producers] drama, you have to remember that they will latch on to that and run with it.

'You can't then walk away, watch the show back and say, "That's not me and they've portrayed me a different way."'

'I call bulls**t on that': Romel, pictured with Ibby Moubadder (left), said that while editing can 'manipulate things', producers can only work with material that is provided for them

Drama! It comes after a handful of Married At First Sight stars publicly criticised the Channel Nine show, including Sam Ball (pictured) and Lauren Huntriss

It comes after a handful of Married At First Sight stars publicly criticised the Channel Nine show, including Sam Ball and Lauren Huntriss.

Sam, who had an affair with Ines Basic while married to Elizabeth Sobinoff, has repeatedly claimed that his illicit romance was staged by producers.

Likewise, Lauren has said she was given a 'disgusting' edit and even accused producers of 'forcing' her to read lines.

Claims: Lauren (pictured) has said she was given a 'disgusting' edit and even accused producers of 'forcing' her to read lines

By contrast, Romel, who came second on this year's series of MKR with Ibby Moubadder, has nothing but praise for Channel Seven.

'I can not say a single negative thing about the producers, the judges, the network or the competition,' he said.

'What you see on TV and what happened in the competition is who we are. We're two guys that are perfectionists, slightly outspoken and wear our hearts on our sleeves.

'That is all us and it wasn't editing, it wasn't Channel Seven - it was Ibby and Romel. The entire experience has certainly been a positive one.'
Photo: The Canadian Press

A gay student who came out during a valedictorian speech at Mormon-owned Brigham Young University has earned applause and admiration from fellow students and notable figures like actress Kristin Chenoweth and the husband of Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.

Matt Easton said Monday he hopes his decision helps ease loneliness felt by other LGBTQ students at the institution where an honour code forbids dating between members of the same sex.

"I hope they can know they're not alone in the ways that sometimes I've felt alone at BYU, to know there's support for them and they're not broken," he said. It could also show other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the success LGBTQ members can achieve.

"We deserve to have our voices be heard," Easton, 24, said.

The political science major said only a few people knew about his sexuality before Friday, when he spoke the words "I am proud to be a gay son of God" in a speech pre-approved by college officials.

Video of the speech online sparked accolades from Chenoweth, who tweeted her love and support as a straight Christian woman and Chasten Buttigieg, who responded with "Bravo!"

The church has a doctrinal opposition to same-sex marriage and intimacy, though the faith has gradually adopted a more compassionate stance. It said in 2016 that homosexuality itself is not a sin, and LGBTQ members have a valued place. This month, the church reversed policies banning baptisms for children of gay parents that advocates said were particularly demeaning and hurtful.

The faith's balancing act hasn't always been smooth, with some initiatives raising hopes among LGBTQ members and others leaving them deflated. At BYU, hundreds of students rallied April 12, calling on officials to be more compassionate with violations of the honour code, which also bans drinking and premarital sex.

Easton, a Utah native and lifelong member of the faith, spoke glowingly about his academic and spiritual experience at BYU, and said he's gotten personal support from people who knew about his sexuality.

But he said there's still a long way to go, like allowing an official club to support LGTBQ students. BYU didn't immediately comment on Monday.

Easton said it's only been in the last four years that he's come to terms with his own sexuality, and he's still figuring out how exactly how he'll reconcile it with his faith as he takes his first post-college job as a data analyst in Salt Lake City.
The third chapter of his John Wick series is set to hit theaters in just a couple weeks.

But Keanu Reeves took some time for himself on Sunday as he was spotted heading out in New York City.

The 54-year-old actor mixed classy with casual while enjoying a brisk day on the streets of Manhattan.

Dapper: Keanu Reeves took some time for himself on Sunday as he was spotted heading out in New York City

Looking dapper in a grey suit, the Matrix man kept a smile on his faced as he strolled the avenues.

He juxtaposed the classy look with a black and red trucker hat and tossed a red and grey scarf around his neck.

Keanu completed his cosmopolitan-meets-country look with a pair of brown boots.

His long brunette tresses flowed out the back of his cap and had a healthy salt-and-pepper beard.

Mixing it up: The 54-year-old actor mixed classy with casual while enjoying a brisk day on the streets of Manhattan

The highly-anticipated third installment in the John Wick franchise - John Wick 3: Parabellum - is set for release on May 17.

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.

Chad Stahelski is back in the director's chair for the third time, while Anjelica Huston is also set to make her first apperance in the series.

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.'
She's famous for her bold on screen choices.

And on Monday, Tilda Swinton showed off her on point sense of style at the Film At Lincoln Center's 50th Anniversary Gala in New York City.

The British actress, 58, wore a black coat dress with an angular neckline and eight silver buttons.

Headliner: Tilda Swinton led the stars at the Film At Lincoln Center 's 50th Anniversary Gala in New York City on Monday night

The dress fell to just above the knee and Swinton went bare-legged in dark green heels.

Her short blonde hair was styled with an off-center parting and slicked back from her forehead.

She completed her look with a touch of blush and some pink lip color.

On trend: The British actress, 58, wore a black coat dress with an angular neckline and eight silver buttons and went bare-legged in dark green heels

Gala look: Her short blonde hair was styled with an off-center parting and slicked back from her forehead. She completed her look with a touch of blush and some pink lip color

Swinton had jetted into New York Sunday especially for the prestigious gala.

She will be one of several guest speakers at the fundraising event alongside the likes of Darren Aronofsky, Pedro Almodovar, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Moore, Martin Scorsese and John Waters.

Film At Lincoln Center hosts the annual New York Film Festival and four of Swinton's films have been showcased during the festival over the years - 1987's The Last of England, 2003's Young Adam, 2007's The Man from London and 2013's Only Lovers Left Alive.

Headed out: Swinton had jetted into New York Sunday especially for the prestigious gala. She was snapped earlier leaving her Manhattan hotel on her way to the fundraiser

The actress has successfully juggled independent films with more mainstream Hollywood fare over the course of her three decades-long career.

She's appeared in such high profile movies as Vanilla Sky, Constantine, Michael Clayton, The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy and the Marvel superhero films Dr. Strange and Avengers: Endgame.

She has also starred in acclaimed lower budget films including The Deep End, Thumbsucker, Broken Flowers and We Need To Talk About Kevin.

The gala is set to include a collection of interviews and archival footage, photographs, and film clips that look back at the Film Society's previous five decades and the filmmakers it has featured.

Dapper: Jake Gyllenhaal, 38, whose film Wildlife premiered at the NYFF last year, was also a guest speaker and showed up in a black suit and a white shirt buttoned up at the collar

Supporting the cause: Wildlife director Paul Dano, 38, and partner Zoe Kazan, 34, with whom he wrote the screenplay were also part of the evening's planned festivities

Jake Gyllenhaal, whose film Wildlife premiered at the NYFF last year, showed up to support the fundraiser, as did his Wildlife director Paul Dano who wrote the screenplay with partner Zoe Kazan.

Gyllenhaal, 38, looked dapper in a black two-piece suit worn with a white shirt buttoned up at the collar.

Dano, 34, opted for a gray suit with white shirt and long black tie while Kazan, 35, chose a pretty floral-themed frock with white collar and cuffs.

Michael Moore, whose documentaries Roger & Me, Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint and Where To Invade Next all played at NYFF, and John Waters, who was the subject of a retrospective in 2014, also walked the red carpet ahead of the gala evening.

Also on hand were director Jim Jarmusch, who arrived with partner Sara Driver, filmmaker Dee Rees, accompanied by partner Sarah Broom, and Kiera Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin.

Celebrated filmmakers: Michael Moore, whose documentaries Roger & Me, Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint and Where To Invade Next all played at NYFF, and John Waters, who was the subject of a retrospective in 2014, were on hand

All in black: Director Jim Jarmusch, 66, arrived with partner and fellow filmmaker Sara Driver

Night out: Filmmaker Dee Rees, 42, was accompanied by partner Sarah Broom
Big Little Lies star Shailene Woodley busted a move while celebrating the Christian Dior couture SS/20 cruise collection at El Badi Palace in Morocco on Monday night.

The 27-year-old Independent Spirit Award winner was wearing the French designer's brown SS/19 'KaleiDiorscope' printed dress featuring embroidered tulle.

The Adrift actress dramatically fanned out her skirt as she danced up a storm at the lavish fashion festivities where the legendary Diana Ross and British electronic band The Orb performed.

Shake it! Big Little Lies star Shailene Woodley busted a move while celebrating the Christian Dior couture SS/20 cruise collection at El Badi Palace in Morocco on Monday night

Joining Shailene on the dance floor were the Dior-clad sisters of the LA pop band HAIM - Danielle Haim, Alana Haim, and Este Haim.

'There's not quite any words that can describe this experience,' Woodley, who was styled by Micaela Erlange, told WWD on Monday.

'It's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I think the colors of Morocco and the craftsmanship of Morocco speak so deeply to the core of this house.'

The SoCal native also posed with Golden Globe nominee Jessica Alba in a grey Dior bustier creation, and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o in a black Dior FW/19 'Toile de Jouy' jacquard shirt and sheer skirt.

Werrrk! The 27-year-old Independent Spirit Award winner was wearing the French designer's brown SS/19 'KaleiDiorscope' printed dress featuring embroidered tulle

Weeee! The Adrift actress dramatically fanned out her skirt as she danced up a storm at the lavish fashion festivities where the legendary Diana Ross and The Orb performed

'Aren't we aDIORable?' Joining Shailene on the dance floor were the Dior-clad sisters of the LA pop band HAIM - (from L-R) Danielle Haim, Alana Haim, and Este Haim

Woodley told WWD on Monday: 'There's not quite any words that can describe this...It's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I think the colors of Morocco and the craftsmanship of Morocco speak so deeply to the core of this house'

Birthday girl! The SoCal native also posed with Golden Globe nominee Jessica Alba (L) - who turned 38 on Sunday - and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o (M)

The Greenpeace activist made sure to greet the Italian woman of the hour, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, sporting a black star-spangled head scarf.

Earlier that morning, Shailene did the tourist thing by checking out the Marrakesh home of former Dior designer, Yves Saint Laurent, who died age 71 in 2008.

Naturally, Woodley rocked a Dior butterfly-print purse and Dior plastic slides while visiting the late Frenchman's textile-filled 'second home.'

Missing from the Cannes Chopard Trophy winner's side was her boyfriend - Racing 92 rugby player Ben Volavola - whom she met in Fiji back in 2017.

Dior dame: The Greenpeace activist made sure to greet the Italian woman of the hour, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, sporting a black star-spangled head scarf

Tourist: Earlier that morning, Shailene checked out the Marrakesh home of former Dior designer, Yves Saint Laurent, who died age 71 in 2008

'Living room!' Naturally, Woodley rocked a Dior butterfly-print purse and Dior plastic slides while visiting the late Frenchman's textile-filled 'second home'

The Descendants alum will next reprise her role as single mother and part-time bookkeeper Jane Chapman in the seven-episode second season of Big Little Lies, which premieres June 9 on HBO.

'I want little babies so bad now,' Shailene told WWD in March.

'Although the best thing about playing a mom on TV is you get to send them home at the end of the day with their real parents.'

'I want little babies so bad now': Missing from the Cannes Chopard Trophy winner's side was her boyfriend - Racing 92 rugby player Ben Volavola - whom she met in Fiji back in 2017 (pictured September 24)
Shane Warne raised eyebrows at the prestigious Royal Ascot in July 2013 when wrapped his entire mouth around a beer glass.

And over the weekend, the retired cricketer's 19-year-old son Jackson recreated his father's infamous party trick.

Jackson shared a video to Instagram of himself with his lips completely wrapped around the rim of a schooner during a boozy night out.

Like father, like son! Jackson Warne (left) has recreated his dad Shane's infamous beer glass trick (right, in July 2013) on a boozy night out

'How do you drink like this? Can someone please teach me,' Jackson captioned the bizarre video.

In the footage, Jackson tilts his head back as he tries to drink the beer with the glass lodged inside his mouth.

Meanwhile, a male friend comes up behind him and pulls his hood over his head.

Boys will be boys! Over the weekend, Jackson shared a video to Instagram of himself with his lips completely wrapped around the rim of a schooner

Making headlines: Shane raised eyebrows at the prestigious Royal Ascot in July 2013 when wrapped his entire mouth around a beer glass

Shane, who is considered one of the greatest spin bowlers of all-time, has embraced the notoriety surrounding his beer glass trick.

In December 2016, the 'Spin King' released a range of emojis, dubbed 'WarnieMojis', that included an homage to the glass sucking photo.

Jackson is Shane's son from his former marriage to model Simone Callahan.

Cheeky! Shane, who is considered one of the greatest spin bowlers of all-time, has embraced the notoriety surrounding his beer glass trick. Pictured in 2016 with his range of emojis

The former couple have two other children: daughters Brooke, 21, and Summer, 17.

Shane divorced Simone in 2005 following a decade of marriage and a handful of cheating scandals.

Fortunately, they are on good terms today.
She sported a sleek and straight style when attending the Dreamland screening on Sunday.

And Margot Robbie opted for a drastically different look the following day as she arrived at her hotel rocking a thick mane of curls.

The 28-year-old actress was photographed out in New York where she's been promoting movie Dreamland at Tribeca Film Festival.

Curly do: Margot Robbie rocked a very different look on Monday as she stepped out in New York during Tribeca Film Festival

The Aussie beauty teamed a black sweater with navy wide-leg pants and showed off bronze eye-shadow and a soft pink lip.

Margot stars in Dreamland opposite Travis Fimmel, Garrett Hedlund, Kerry Condon, Finn Cole and Darby Camp.

She plays a seductive bank robber on the run in 1930s Texas while Cole is an innocent young man who falls under her spell.

The drama, directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, is adapted from a screenplay by Nicolaas Zwart and got its official premiere on Sunday at Tribeca.

What a difference a day makes: Margot's curly locks were quite the contrast to her straight tresses on Sunday

Low-key chic: The 28-year-old beauty opted for a black sweater tucked into navy wide-leg pants

Wild thing: The star showed off thick wild curly locks

On Saturday Margot took to social media to share some Polaroid snaps she and her husband Tom Ackerley captured whilst vacationing recently.

'What a holiday,' she wrote.

Margot and Tom met back in 2014 on the set of Suite Francaise, where the Australian beauty played the role of Celine.

In 2016, the duo married in a private Byron Bay ceremony. They currently reside in Los Angeles.

Understated: Margot completed the look with some black heeled pumps

Margot recently wrapped filming of Birds Of Prey - the sequel of the very successful movie Suicide Squad, which will see her character Harley Quinn take centre stage.

'That's A Wrap,' she wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of herself sitting in a director's chair while in costume. Birds of Prey is set to hit screens in 2020.

Margot will also be seen in the highly anticipated Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood later this year, where she'll play the role of the late Sharon Tate.
Cassandra Wood is living the dream after being left heartbroken by Richie Strahan on Bachelor in Paradise.

Months after filming the show, she jetted to Bali with her new boyfriend Tyson Davis this week - and it seems the couple are having the time of their lives.

The lovebirds went to the beach in Canggu on Monday, with Cassandra turning plenty of heads in a skimpy patterned bikini.

Living the dream! Cassandra Wood and her new boyfriend Tyson Davis are having the time of their lives in Bali after she was left heartbroken by Richie Strahan on Bachelor in Paradise

Frolicking in the ocean with rugby star Tyson, Cassandra appeared perfectly happy and carefree following her reality TV rejection.

The 24-year-old accounting student displayed her toned physique in a floral two-piece featuring a pair of cheeky bottoms.

Cassandra couldn't keep her hands off her new man, jumping onto his back while her sister Sammy snapped photographs.

The pair later grabbed a surfboard each and caught a few waves together.

Moving on! Frolicking in the ocean with rugby star Tyson, Cassandra appeared perfectly happy and carefree at the beach in Canggu on Monday

She's a lucky lady! Cassandra couldn't keep her hands off the handsome Warringah player

Following their adventurous day out, Tyson took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to his girlfriend.

'Feeling super lucky this girl has come back into my life at the perfect time and that I'm now able to call her my girlfriend. Couldn't be happier,' he wrote.

Tyson first met Cassandra in 2017 but things didn't work out. They reconnected late last year after she returned from filming Paradise in Fiji.

Meanwhile, Cassandra shared her own gushing Instagram post featuring the caption: 'This is what happiness looks like'.

'Feeling super lucky this girl has come back into my life at the perfect time': Following their adventurous day out, Tyson took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to his girlfriend

'I can gladly say I'm the happiest I've ever been': Cassandra went public with Tyson on Sunday, following her tearful departure from Bachelor in Paradise

Bootylicious: The 24-year-old accounting student displayed her toned physique in a floral two-piece featuring a pair of cheeky bottoms

Cassandra confirmed her secret romance with Tyson on Sunday night.

After her final Paradise episode aired, she announced on Instagram: 'I can gladly say I'm the happiest I've ever been.'

In her post, Cassandra revealed she fell in love with the Warringah player shortly after returning to Australia late last year.

Her last days in Paradise were filmed in December but didn't air until Sunday. She left in tears after Richie, 33, said he didn't see a future with her.

Family affair! Cassandra and Tyson were joined by her sister Sammy, who happily took photos of the lovebirds in the ocean

Piggyback ride! At one stage, Cassandra leaped onto Tyson's back for another photo

Moving on! Cassandra's newfound happiness will no doubt delight Bachelor in Paradise fans, who watched Richie Strahan break her heart on Sunday's episode

Let's roll! The pair later grabbed a surfboard each and caught a few waves together

Explaining his decision, Richie said: 'You're in Sydney. I'm in Perth... It's probably the biggest thing that's playing on my mind.

'I have gone down this avenue before and I know how hard this would be and I know it's going to potentially do a lot of damage. Not just to you, Cass, but to me as well.

'It's so cliche to say, "It's not you, it's me". But it's not me and it's not you.'

Worked up an appetite? After an afternoon in the ocean, the couple sat down for dinner at a beachside restaurant
Miley Cyrus enjoyed a relaxed sushi dinner with husband Liam Hemsworth and pals on Saturday, after the hunky actor spent the day in Malibu surfing.

Liam and his big brother Luke both got shirtless while changing out of their wetsuits following a strenuous surf session in Malibu.

Later in the day a chic-looking Miley reunited with her husband for a relaxed meal, capping off their laid back Saturday.

Newlyweds: Miley Cyrus enjoyed a relaxed sushi dinner with husband Liam Hemsworth and pals on Saturday at Malibu's famed Nobu restaurant

Miley stood out in her Chanel sweater teamed with retro white framed shades and a high ponytail for the date at Nobu with her husband and their friends.

The group tucked into sushi and drinks, with Miley and Liam seen sitting next to each other at one of the celeb-favourite restaurant's outdoor tables.

Miley and Liam- who split in 2010 and 2013 - tied the knot December 23 at their $5.9M 33-acre, five-bedroom Franklin, TN farmhouse.

Hunk: Earlier in the day keen surfer Liam made the most of Malibu's waves by enjoying a spot of surfing with his older brother Luke

The 'survival partners' first fell in love in 2009 while co-starring as rebellious teen Ronnie Miller and volleyball player Will Blakelee in The Last Song adapted from the Nicholas Sparks novel.

Earlier in the day keen surfer Liam made the most of Malibu's waves by enjoying a spot of surfing with his older brother Luke.

Even a construction worker was distracted at the mesmerizing sight of the Australian siblings stripping down beside a pick-up truck.

Chic: Miley stood out in her Chanel sweater teamed with retro white framed shades and a high ponytail for the dinner

Tucking in: The star looked in good spirits as the group shared sushi and drinks

The bearded 29-year-old slowly peeled off his neoprene suit, exposing his 6ft3in form to the LA sunshine.

Earlier, the Isn't It Romantic hunk showcased his surfing skills while perched on his trusty white Emery surfboard.

Liam appeared to have a blast on his board, expertly navigating the tide.

Brothers: Both Liam and his brother Luke showed off their impressive physiques

Catcalling? Even a construction worker was distracted at the mesmerizing sight of the Australian siblings stripping down beside a pick-up truck

Alabaster: There was not an inch to pinch on Liam, whose arms and chest were surprisingly pale despite splitting his time between California and Tennessee

Meanwhile, Luke - who plays head of security Ashley Stubbs in HBO's Westworld - got some air while surfing on his S+ Surfboard.

Like many Aussies before them, both Hemsworth boys got their acting careers started appearing on the long-running, 10 Peach soap opera Neighbours.

37-year-old father-of-four Luke is 'so proud and stoked' for their middle brother - Chris - whom they all supported at the world premiere of Avengers: Endgame on April 22.

Rite of passage: Like many Aussies before them, both Hemsworth boys got their acting careers started appearing on the long-running, 10 Peach soap opera Neighbours

Hang 10! Earlier, the Isn't It Romantic hunk showcased his surfing skills while perched on his trusty white Emery surfboard

Tubular: The Hunger Games alum even managed to catch a tube while riding the waves

Weee! Liam appeared to have a blast on his board, expertly navigating the tide

Bodacious! Luke - who plays head of security Ashley Stubbs in HBO's Westworld - got some air while surfing on his S+ Surfboard

Miley and Liam are making the most of some downtime in their busy schedules.

With Woodstock 50 officially canceled, Miley (born Destiny) is next scheduled to headline the Tinderbox Festival on June 28 at Denmark's Millennium Forest in Odense.

The Nothing Breaks Like a Heart hitmaker also scored an acting role in the six-episode fifth season of British sci-fi anthology Black Mirror streaming soon on Netflix.

'I play one character, but I play a lot of different sides of that character and theres a lot of dimension to it,' the RuPaul's Drag Race guest judge teased on The Howard Stern Show on December 12.

'It was the first time I've left somewhere feeling really proud of my work...butyou know if I like it that might mean it's horrible.'

'Y'all gettin fed right today': Cyrus shared a number of cute selfies before her dinner
She is a Hollywood icon who is known for her age-defying looks and toned frame.

And Jennifer Lopez sizzled as she stepped out for another day filming on new film Hustlers in New York City on Monday.

The actress, 49, flaunted her perky cleavage in a tight grey bodycon dress with a plunging neckline as she stepped out of a vehicle.

Ageless: Jennifer Lopez sizzled as she stepped out for another day filming on new film Hustlers in New York City on Monday

Stunning: The actress, 49, flaunted her perky cleavage in a tight grey bodycon dress with a plunging neckline as she stepped out of a vehicle

The racy gown emphasised her ample assets and clung to her taut midriff as she strutted onto set.

Featuring safety-pin detail holding the dress together, the skimpy skirt revealed her honed legs, which she further emphasised with a pair of peeptoe platform heels.

The On The Floor singer accessorized with large hoop earrings.

Her caramel-colored tresses were left unencumbered and tumbled across her shoulders in waves while a rich palette of make-up accentuated her pretty features.

Alluding to her A-list status, the star carried a glittering Judith Leiber Stack of Cash Rich clutch, worth an eye-watering $5,695.

Shimmering: Alluding to her A-list status, the star carried a glittering Judith Leiber Stack of Cash Rich clutch, worth an eye-watering $5,695

Beauty: Jennifer flaunted her cleavage in a tight grey dress with a plunging neckline as she stepped out a vehicle

Hard work paying off: Her toned legs were also showcased underneath the short frock that featured a dangerously high slit up one leg

She joined her co-stars Constance Wu, Keke Palmer, and Lili Reinhart for the day of filming.

Keke stunned in a one-shoulder turquoise dress while shooting scene for the upcoming film.

The 25-year-old actress sported sparkling silver heels and had on a silver necklace and hoop earrings.

Constance, 37, sported a short sparkling sliver number and her long dark tresses cascaded over her shoulders.

Lili Reinhart, 22, wore a scintillating black number that highlighted her slender stems.

Working it: Keke stunned in a one-shoulder turquoise dress while shooting scene for the upcoming film

Sparkling: Constance, 37, sported a short sparkling sliver number and her long dark tresses cascaded over her shoulders

Scintillating: Lili Reinhart, 22, wore a scintillating black number that highlighted her slender stems

Lopez plays Ramona in the film, a thinly-veiled version of Samantha Barbash - who plead guilty to conspiracy, assault, and grand larceny in exchange for five years probation.

Like the 45-year-old con-artist, JLo is also from the Bronx, and she's been toning up by dancing on her portable stripper pole with trainer Johanna Sapakie.

The former Fly Girl - who's also executive producer on the project - has no intention of getting naked or using body doubles, according to Page Six.

The film is set to hit UK/US theaters September 13 and will feature a star line up.
They star together in the upcoming Netflix movie The Last Summer.

And on Monday night, Halston Sage and Maia Mitchell brought a summery vibe to the comedy's premiere in Los Angeles.

Both actresses bared a little skin in their chosen ensembles as they posed for photos on the event's blue carpet.

Lovely looks: They star together in the Netflix movie The Last Summer. And Monday night, Halston Sage and Maia Mitchell brought a summery vibe to the comedy's premiere in LA

Sage, 25, opted for a low-cut figure-hugging white dress that fell to the floor over her high-heeled black sandals.

It had black shoulder straps and the actress carried a small rectangular black purse.

The star of Fox TV's The Orville left her long blonde hair loose and accessorized with pendant earrings.

Stylish: Sage, 25, wore a figure-hugging white dress that fell to the floor over her high-heeled black sandals. It had black shoulder straps and she carried a small rectangular black purse

Summery: Mitchell, 25, chose a pretty pale blue tiered Self-Portrait dress with spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline. The frock featured flower motifs and fell to the ankle

Pretty: The Australian actress added lemon-colored sandal heels and carried a pale blue purse. She wore her brunette hair styled in an updo with tendrils left loose to frame her face

Mitchell, 25, chose a pretty pale blue tiered Self-Portrait dress with spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline.

The frock featured flower motifs and fell to the ankle.

The Australian actress, who starred on Freeform's The Fosters from 2013 to 2018, added lemon-colored sandal heels and carried a pale blue purse from Cult Gaia.

She wore her brunette hair styled in an updo with tendrils left loose to frame her face.

Mitchell posed for photos with her Last Summer co-star and on-screen love interest K.J. Apa.

The New Zealand actor, 21, who stars in The CW's Riverdale, wore a pinstripe suit with white tee.

Reunited: Mitchell posed for photos with her Last Summer co-star and on-screen love interest K.J. Apa, and was seen carrying a cute blue Cult Gaia purse

Quirky: The New Zealand actor, 21, who stars in The CW's Riverdale, wore a pinstripe suit with white tee and bright white trainers

Dapper duo: Also on hand from the cast were Tyler Posey, 27, in a plaid suit, left, and Jacob Latimore, 22, in a striking check suit, right

Famous face: Gabrielle Anwar, 49, also has a role in the movie and looked gorgeous in a silky white ankle-length dress paired with a white cardigan

Vibrant: Nicole Forester also stars in the comedy and opted for a fuchsia halter dress and nude sandal heels

The Last Summer revolves around a group of teens in Chicago and their last summer together before heading off to college.

The movie premieres on Netflix on May 3.

The premiere brought out a number of young stars including 13 Reasons Why star Anne Winters, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World actress Chloe East, Empire's Serayah McNeill and SEAL Team's Kerri Medders.

Dared to bare: Anne Winters, 24, whos tarred in Netflix's 13 Reasons Why, showed support for the premiere. She flashed her midriff and legs in a shimmery cropped top and mini skirt

Suits her: Kevin (Probably) Saves the World actress Chloe East, 18, was on trend in a white shirt and blazer paired with black trousers

Fashionistas: Empire's Serayah McNeill , 23, posed in a patterned pantsuit and low-cut top, left, while SEAL Team's Kerri Medders wore a sleeveless navy mini dress with yellow heels

Stunner: Model Tiana Parker was on the guest list and strutted the blue carpet in an off-the-shoulder gown slit to the hip on one side
It's set to be third time unlucky for Davey Lloyd on Bachelor in Paradise this week.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that in a shocking twist, Florence Moerenhout will dump Davey during the show's dramatic finale on Wednesday.

But the 29-year-old didn't stay heartbroken for long, as he struck up a romance with a woman named Georgia Cook shortly after filming the show late last year.

Bachelor in Paradise SPOILER ALERT: Davey Lloyd was pictured canoodling with his new girlfriend Georgia Cook in Mona Vale, Sydney on Sunday might

A source told Daily Mail Australia: 'At the final rose ceremony Davey was stoked because he had finally decided to commit to Florence and arrived with a ring for her.

'But she shocked him  and everyone  when she told him that she would prefer to be just friends. She felt that she couldn't completely trust him.'

According to the insider, Davey 'did not see [the rejection] coming', but PR worker Georgia, 21, was a shoulder to cry on once he'd returned to Australia.

It's over! Florence Moerenhout (right) will dump Davey (left) during the dramatic season finale of Bachelor in Paradise on Wednesday

'She felt that she couldn't trust him': Florence refuses a commitment ring from Davey in the Bachelor in Paradise finale, leaving him heartbroken. Pictured in the 2018 season

The couple are believed to have met in November when Davey first left Paradise, but weren't able to pursue things because he returned to the show just days later.

It wasn't until December, after Florence dumped him and he came back to Australia for a second time, that they started to date and 'quickly became exclusive'.

'Things are going so well for them that they have even moved into a new place together on the Northern Beaches [in Sydney],' added the source.

Going with the Flo! Davey, 29, didn't stay heartbroken for long, as he struck up a romance with Georgia, 21, shortly after filming the show late last year

Get a room! The couple, who became exclusive in December, couldn't keep their hands off each other on Sunday night

Early attraction: The couple are believed to have met in November when Davey first left Paradise, but weren't able to pursue things because he returned to the show just days later

Meanwhile, Daily Mail Australia has exclusively obtained photos of Davey and Georgia canoodling in Sydney on Sunday night.

Making no secret of their romance, Georgia straddled her boyfriend on the driveway of their Mona Vale home. They were also seen carrying boxes inside.

The couple later changed clothes and visited a local bar, where they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment.

Going strong! It wasn't until December - after Flo dumped Davey and he returned home again - that he and Georgia started to date. They are now living together on the Northern Beaches
UPDATED 4:29 p.m.

Richard Harding, North Okanagan Acute Health Services Administrator, said no decision has been made to relocate the Lions Vision Centre from the Pleasant Valley Health Centre.

Harding said the vision centre is currently experiencing a shortage of anaesthesiologists, which is a challenge being experienced across Interior Health, B.C. and Canada.

We are currently working with our physicians to reduce the impact to patients and to develop the best possible solution to continue to provide sustainable safe patient care. We are asking all our partners to give us the necessary time to work with our physicians to resolve this issue, said Harding.

While it is possible that relocation to Vernon may be required to sustain service for local patients, our preference is to find a way to keep the service in its current location.

Interior Health has a formal policy of consultation with third party donors and we will make certain the necessary collaboration takes place if a need to relocate appears unavoidable. We recognize the hard work and generous contribution of the Lions Clubs in support of this service.

They raised a lot of money to build it, they raised a lot of money to keep it going and they don't want it to go anywhere.

Local Lions Club members held a rally in front of the Armstrong Lions Vision Centre in the Pleasant Valley Health Centre to protest an Interior Health plan to move the facility to Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

Hundreds of people showed up for the rally that was held Monday afternoon.

Dennis Morgan, president of the Enderby and District Lions Club, said there is no reason to move the centre.

Morgan said several months ago the club heard there were plans to move the facility.

At first we heard it was going to be Kelowna, so we made some enquiries and we found out that yes indeed they had made some plans. There was a space in Vernon Jubilee Hospital and they were going top move it, said Morgan, adding no one from IH has actually contacted the Lions Club about the move.

This would not exist without Lions Club. We funded this, not only us, but other service organizations for several hundred thousand dollars. We don't see a need to move it.

Former Armstrong councillor John Trainor helped form the society that raised the money for the clinic. He was on the society for a decade and fears once the eye centre gets consumed by VJH, it will get lost in the line up of waiting for funding for new equipment and will go from a world-class facility to another underfunded hospital department, like it was before the service clubs stepped in.

It's frustrating to have decisions made arbitrarily by other people who were really were not involved in the first place, said Morgan.

Diann Boyd, president of the Armstrong Lions Club, said people access the Armstrong facility from throughout the Interior, and sending it to VJH will add to an already congested building both in terms of patients and parking.

I don't think it would be easier for them to access at all. I do volunteer driving and I drive a lot of people there for appointments and it is pretty aggravating just to find a parking spot and then you have to pay for it and make sure your parking time does not run out,  said Boyd. There are seven floors at the hospital, this is level entry. It's a very nice, easy going place to come to.

Officials with IH have not officially announced plans to move the centre.
She gave up her life in Perth for the Gold Coast to pursue her relationship with ex- boyfriend Dan Webb.

But despite their romance coming to an end, Married At First Sight's Jessika Power has decided to stay in the Queensland region.

Taking to her Instagram stories on Tuesday, the 27-year-old updated her followers on her living arrangements.

Risking an awkward reunion! MAFS' Jessika Power has confirmed she's staying on the Gold Coast despite moving there to be with ex-boyfriend Dan Webb... as she asks fans to help ship her car from Perth

'Morning guys! I'm needing some help today actually because as many of you know, I moved states after meeting Dan on MAFS and despite the outcome of our relationship I'm choosing to stay here as my family are all here and I love the lifestyle,' she wrote.

Having quickly uprooted her life in Perth to move in with Dan, Jessika managed to have forgotten one important thing - her car.

'I need to still ship my car from Perth!' she wrote alongside a crying face emoji.

'I'm needing some help today': The star took to Instagram on Tuesday asking fans to help her organise for her car to be shipped from Perth to the Gold Coast

Happier times? Dan Webb sensationally dumped Jessika Power after watching Jessika 'proposition' co-star Nic Jovanovic on the finale of MAFS

'I've never had to do this before so if you know of a company or you own a company and could give me some advice I would be soooo appreciative,' she added.

While fans may hope her decision to stay may mean there's chances of reconciliation between the two, it appears Jessika has already moved on.

Daily Mail Australia revealed on Monday that Jessika has been growing close to Adelaide-based disability support worker Ash Dudman in recent weeks.

Moving on from Dan Webb! Daily Mail Australia revealed on Monday that Jessika has been growing close to Adelaide -based disability support worker Ash Dudman in recent weeks

The potential new couple have been flirting up a storm on Instagram, with Ash even sharing a gushing post about the beauty to his 20,000 followers.

'Jess is nothing but kind, funny, loving and caring. And not to mention a personality to die for,' Ash publicly declared.

While the two have yet to meet face-to-face, Jessika revealed to Daily Mail Australia that she's hoping they will meet up as soon as their conflicting schedules allow it.
Daniel Craig, 51, is reportedly demanding a vast team of aides while filming the much-anticipated new James Bond movie in Jamaica.

Insiders revealed to The Sun that the 'perfectionist' actor is insisting on having a personal chef, a physio and a fitness trainer with him at all times to ensure he has all his needs catered to as he shoots the upcoming movie.

While Daniel has reportedly been making his demands, legendary producer Barbara Broccoli, 58, has insisted she would like him back for another Bond - despite the actor's previous reluctance to return even for the role in Bond 25.

Shocker: Daniel Craig is reportedly demanding a vast team of aides while filming the much-anticipated new James Bond movie in Jamaica

Daniel is back as James Bond, with the actor's first day of filming kicking off on the 25th 007 movie beginning in Jamaica on Monday.

The latest film sees Bond living a tranquil live in Jamaica after leaving active service before Felix turns up asking for help in a mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist.

The mission turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

It seems Daniel is keen to ensure he is at peak physical fitness as he allegedly hired the huge team to perfect things behind-the-scenes with an exclusive crew.

Hopeful: While Daniel has reportedly been making his demands, legendary producer Barbara Broccoli, 58, has insisted she would like him back for another Bond - despite the actor's previous reluctance (Barbara and Daniel pictured at last week's Bond 25 photocall in Jamaica)

Shocker: Insiders revealed to The Sun that the 'perfectionist' actor is insisting on having a personal chef, a physio and a fitness trainer with him at all times to ensure he has all his needs catered to as he shoots the upcoming movie

Sources claimed: 'Daniel is a perfectionist and his chef will only cook for him. That, coupled with having his own trainer with him, means he will be fighting fit for what is a slog of filming schedule.'

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Daniel for comment.

On Tuesday's episode of Lorraine, producer Barbara spoke about the possibility of Daniel returning to the role after endless discussion over the next Bond.

Weighing in on the discussion, she said: 'Well I don't want to say farewell to Daniel, I hope he wants to do another one.

The name's Bond... As well as Jamaica, filming will take place in Norway, Pinewood Studios, locations around London along with Matera, Italy (Daniel pictured in 2012)

Her hopes may be distant as Daniel gave an interview in The Guardian in 2015, in which he responded to queries over the new Bond stating: 'Look, I dont give a f**k.'

On reprising the role back then, he said: 'No, not at the moment. Not at all. Thats fine. Im over it at the moment. Were done. All I want to do is move on...

'I dont know what the next step is. Ive no idea. Not because Im trying to be cagey. Who the f**k knows? At the moment, weve done it...

'Im not in discussion with anybody about anything. If I did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money.'

Shocker: Her hopes may be distant as Daniel gave an interview in The Guardian in 2015, in which he responded to queries over the new Bond stating: 'Look, I dont give a f**k' (pictured in November 2015 at a Spectre launch)

As well as Jamaica, filming will take place in Norway, Pinewood Studios, locations around London along with Matera, Italy.

The film - scheduled for release on April 8, 2020 - will be Daniel's fifth outing as 007 and will be released five years after the 24th Bond film, Spectre.

The film will be Craig's final appearance as Bond, having previously starred in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015).

He's back! The film - scheduled for release on April 8, 2020 - will be Daniel's fifth outing as 007 and will be released five years after the 24th Bond film, Spectre (pictured in 2012's Skyfall)

Whipping him into shape? Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been drafted in to work on the new script

Scribe: The Brit is overseeing the Bond movie script to ensure it's #metoo appropriate

Bond 25 has reportedly been operating under the working title Shatterhand, a reference to the original Ian Fleming novels where Bond and his nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, first appeared.

Blofeld used the alias Dr Guntram Shatterhand in the 1964 novel You Only Live Twice, which follows Bond to Japan where he finds his arch- enemy living under that name, hinting at the setting and basis of the new film.

Last month Bond 25 was shot in Nittedal, Norway, where a mysterious, theatrically masked gunman was seen stumbling in pursuit of a terrified young girl as she fled across the ice.
Luke Perry has had a school named after him just two months after his untimely death.

His 18-year-old daughter Sophie took to Instagram to announce that she has had a school in Malawi named after the late Beverly Hills, 90210 star.

She shared a group photo which included her mother and Luke's ex wife Minnie Sharp in front of the building which had his name emblazoned on the side.

Amazing gesture: Luke Perry's 18-year-old daughter Sophie took to Instagram to announce that she has had a school in Malawi named after the late Beverly Hills, 90210 star

Alongside the image, Sophie wrote a thoughtful caption which read: 'Thank you to everybody who donated to help with our projects!

'Our first school is finished and I cant tell you how proud and excited I am to see it open on Wednesday. Thank you to my amazing partner Ruben for everything. Especially for fighting to name the school after my dad.'

Over the past few months Sophie and her friends Gabriella and Ruben have been living in the southeastern African country serving as development instructors to help build preschools in rural communities.

Bond: Back in early March, Sophie rushed back home after the Riverdale star had suffered a massive stroke. He later died at the age of 52

Back in early March, Sophie rushed back home after the Riverdale star had suffered a massive stroke. He later died at the age of 52.

Since his untimely death, his daughter and 21-year-old son Jack Perry have gotten back to work.

Jack made his return to professional wrestling earlier this month and posted a clip of highlights from the match to his Instagram later that day.

Back: After spending the last month grieving, Jack Perry made his return to professional wrestling earlier this month

The video showed Jack, aka Jungle Boy, triumphantly returning to the ring and winning his match.

'Im not sure Ill ever be ready, but Im back. Thanks for all the love and support. @gamechangerwrestling #jjsb3 #wrestlemaniaweekend2019,' he captioned the video.

Throughout the clip, Jack is seen pulling off a number of highly technical moves, and he ends it with a submission victory.

Volunteer work: Sophie Perry also revealed on social media Sunday that she has returned to her volunteer work in Malawi while wearing an Andrews Construction cap in a nod to her dad

Triumphant return: The 21-year-old wrestler posted a clip of highlights from the match to his Instagram later that day

Work: The video showed Jack, aka Jungle Boy, triumphantly returning to the ring and winning his match

Jack was last scheduled to wrestle on March 13 at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles, but revealed days before the match that he would be skipping the event.

'Unfortunately Jungle Boy will no longer be wrestling at our March 13th show,' the promotion said on its Twitter account. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time.'

Luke Perry - who shot to fame in the early 90s playing Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210 - died March 4, about five days after he suffered a massive stroke at his Sherman Oaks, California home February 27.

Changed: 'Im not sure Ill ever be ready, but Im back. Thanks for all the love and support. @gamechangerwrestling #jjsb3 #wrestlemaniaweekend2019,' he captioned the video

Motorcycle ride: Sophie also shared a video of herself riding three people on a motorcycle

Sophie meanwhile revealed on social media Sunday that she has returned to Africa to continue her mission work.

She posted a selfie wearing a blue cap with an Andrews Construction label while traveling in a vehicle and also a video of herself riding three people on a motorcycle for her roughly 92,000 followers on Instagram.

Luke at the time of his death was portraying Fred Andrews on Riverdale who owned his own construction company Andrews Construction.

Charity trip: The teenager cut short her six-month charity trip when Luke suffered the stroke

TV tribute: Sophie in a selfie wore an Andrews Construction cap in a nod to her father's character Fred Andrews on Riverdale

Sophie wrote in the caption: 'First few days back in Malawi have been very emotional but it feels right to come back, to finish what I started, to do the most with whatever time we have left.

'I recently learned that may not be as much time as we think. It was quick and scary to leave home again so soon, but theres a job to be done, and someone to make proud,' she wrote.

Sophie added: 'Also excuse my ''post 30 hours o travel'' face'.

Good times: She was back in Malawi where she was volunteering to develop pre-schools

In September Sophie, who lived in Dowagiac, Michigan, posted a video describing her charity work for non-profit One World Center, and asked for fundraising help for her trip.

'I'm in a group of eight people, seven of us are going to Africa and one of us is going to Brazil,' she said.

'We're going to be there for six months, and we're going to be working on community development projects. These can range from teaching teachers, building schools, helping with agriculture, providing water purification, all types of good stuff.'

Technique: Throughout the clip, Jack is seen pulling off a number of highly technical moves, and he ends it with a submission victory

Moving forward: Jack was last scheduled to wrestle on March 13 at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles, but revealed days before the match that he would be skipping the event

Loving: 'He was a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, he was always Dad,' he began

Jack posted a touching tribute to his father on Instagram two days after the actor died at the age of 52.

'He was a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, he was always Dad,' he began.

'He loved supported me in everything, and inspired me to be the best that I could possibly be.'

Jack continued: 'I've learned so much from you, and my heart is broken thinking about everything you wont be here for.

Touching: Jack posted a touching tribute to his father on Instagram two days after the actor died at the age of 52

'I'll miss you every day that I walk this earth.

'I'll do whatever I can to carry on your legacy and make you proud.

'I love you Dad.'

Memories: 'He was a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, he was always Dad,' he began
Actress Miranda Tapsell has spoken candidly about the representation of Indigenous women and communities in the film industry.

In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle on Tuesday, the 31-year-old spoke about the importance of representing Indigenous women in film.

'I can tell a story through my perspective, that's all I can do  by being honest about the way I've seen the world, and it hasn't been the same as Meg Ryan's, or Reese Witherspoon's or Julia Roberts',' she told the publication.

'The way I've seen the world hasn't been the same as Julia Roberts': Actress Miranda Tapsell spoke candidly about the representation of Indigenous women in film during an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle on Tuesday

'I've paid a lot of money to see films that have completely sidelined women like me,' Miranda added.

The Sapphires star explained that there is still a 'very negative image of Aboriginal people' when it comes to representation.

'I feel like my community doesn't always get put in the best light and I guess I just wanted for people to see the people that raised me and grew up and shaped me,' she said.

Candid: 'I can tell a story through my perspective, that's all I can do  by being honest about the way I've seen the world, and it hasn't been the same as Meg Ryan's, or Reese Witherspoon's or Julia Roberts',' Miranda told the publication. Pictured: Julia Roberts in March, 2019

Earlier this month, Miranda revealed that after years of bullying in high school, acting gave her the strength to embrace her gender and race.

'When you're on stage, it's like you're 10 feet tall,' the beauty told Australian Weekend Review.

'That's when I thought, 'OK, this is great, I can show people that my height, my gender and my race is what makes me special'.

Community representation: 'I feel like my community doesn't always get put in the best light and I guess I just wanted for people to see the people that raised me and grew up and shaped me,' she said. Pictured: Miranda attending the Top End Wedding premiere in April this year

'It doesn't diminish me as a person to be Aboriginal,' she added.

Miranda's admission comes as she promotes new romantic comedy, Top End Wedding.

Shot on the Tiwi Islands, the film centers around Miranda's character Lauren and her fiance, Ned (Bohemian Rhapsody's Gwilym Lee), who embark on a journey to find Lauren's missing mother in order to have their dream wedding.

Top End Wedding hits Australian cinemas from May 2.
Priyanka Chopra made a fashionable arrival at Mumbai airport to fly home to the US on Tuesday after her brother Siddharth's wedding was reportedly postponed.

Siddharth's wedding was said to be rescheduled because his fiancee Ishita Kumar needed time to recuperate from her recent surgery, Mumbai Mirror reported.

The actress, 36, looked glamorous in white trousers and a lightweight duster as she headed home after her fleeting visit to India.

Pictured: Priyanka Chopra made a stylish arrival at Mumbai airport to fly home to US on Tuesday 'after her brother Siddharth's wedding was postponed'

Change: Siddharth's wedding was said to be rescheduled because his fiancee Ishita Kumar (right) needed time to recuperate from her recent surgery, Mumbai Mirror reported

A source told the publication: 'There are rumours that the wedding has been called off, but it's not true.

'Ishita needs sometime to recuperate from her surgery and the families are looking for another.'

MailOnline has approached Priyanka Chopra's representatives for further comment.

Last week, Priyanka had reportedly touched down in her native Mumbai last week to attend her brother's nuptials.

During her trip, the Bollywood star cast her vote in India's 2019 election and enjoyed some quality family time.



Siblings: Last week, Priyanka (pictured with Siddharth) had reportedly touched down in her native Mumbai last week to attend her brother's nuptials

Busy: During her trip, the Bollywood star cast her vote in India's 2019 election and enjoyed some quality family time

The winner of the Miss World 2000 only recently got married to her husband Nick at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in traditional Hindu and Christian ceremonies.

The couple had three wedding receptions, with one including a Bombay red carpet affair for her fellow Bollywood stars.

The lovebirds got engaged while in London in late July 2018 while they celebrated her 36th birthday.

She's so stylish: The actress, 36, looked glamorous in white trousers and a lightweight duster as she headed home after her fleeting visit to India

Home time: Last week, Priyanka had reportedly touched down in her native Mumbai last week to attend her brother's nuptials

In recent weeks, Priyanka celebrated the Easter weekend with her husband Nick and his mother Denise.

However, the married couple have no plans to have any children just yet as Priyanka revealed they are taking their time.

Nick told Extra: 'We're taking our time.'
She is set to reprise her role as Lady Edith in the upcoming Downton Abbey film later this year.

And Laura Carmichael proved there's no rest for the wicked as she discussed her new miniseries The Spanish Princess during the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations at The Robin Williams Center in New York City on Monday evening.

The British actress, 32, embarked on a promotional trail for her new stint after admitting she hopes the Downton Abbey film wont destroy the image left with fans.

Busy bee: Laura Carmichael discussed her new miniseries The Spanish Princess during the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations at The Robin Williams Center in New York City on Monday

Back soon: She's set to reprise her role as Lady Edith Crawley (right, Laura, pictured with on-screen sister Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery) in the forthcoming Downton Abbey film, set for release later this year (pictured in 2014)

Looking every inch the style maven, the Burn Burn Burn star rocked a dark grey asymmetric jumpsuit, featuring a ruched bodice and straight-leg trousers.

The Marcella actress upped the fashion ante as she boosted her frame in a pair of black pointed heels.

Laura, who plays Margaret 'Maggie' Pole in Starz's The Spanish Princess, sported neutral-toned make-up and framed her stunning visage with her curly bob.

The miniseries, set to air on May 5, follows the story of Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope) - a young princess who becomes lost following the sudden death of her husband Prince Arthur (Angus Imrie).

Candid: The British actress, 32, embarked on a promotional trail for her new stint after admitting she hopes the Downton Abbey film wont destroy the image left with fans

Fashionista: Looking every inch the style maven, the Burn Burn Burn star rocked a dark grey asymmetric jumpsuit, featuring a ruched bodice and straight-leg trousers

In good company: Laura joined moderator Julie Kosin and fellow actress Charlotte Hope at the event

Standing tall: The Marcella actress upped the fashion ante as she boosted her frame in a pair of black pointed heels

Laura's outing comes after she gushed over reuniting with her Downton Abbey co-stars for the upcoming movie, revealing the filming process was 'so much fun, we had such a dreamy time'.

During an interview with Radio Times, the TV star shared: 'Its much quicker doing a film than eight episodes of a series, so it felt like a holiday with mates. It was nostalgic.

'All of us always felt that if Julian Fellowes wrote it wed do it, were so fond of our characters and what that job did for all of us.

'We really care about it and have a lot of affection for it. We hope its not destroying the image we left you with'.

Radiant: Laura, who plays Margaret 'Maggie' Pole in Starz's The Spanish Princess, sported neutral-toned make-up and framed her stunning visage with her curly bob

Working hard: Later that day, the blonde attended the Build Series to further discuss Starz' new miniseries

The much loved period drama, written by Julian Fellowes, ran for six series between 2010 and 2015 and won several accolades including Emmys and Golden Globes.

Downton Abbey's Christmas 2015 series finale wrapped up with the bombshell that Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) was pregnant with her second husband Harry Talbot's child.

The film is expected to pick up right where the series came to an end on New Year's Eve in 1925 when the Downton residents and staff were filled with utter joy.

Having fun: Laura's outing comes after she gushed over reuniting with her Downton Abbey co-stars for the upcoming movie, revealing the filming process was 'so much fun, we had such a dreamy time'

Other stars set to reprise their roles for the movie include Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Rob James-Collier, Phyllis Logan and Sophie McShera.

New faces will also be welcomed onto the Downton Abbey scene, including: Imelda Staunton, Geraldine James, David Haig, Simon Jones, Tuppence Middleton, Kate Phillips and Stephen Campbell Moore.

The movie is set for a European release on September 13, 2019, and US release on September 20, 2019.

The Spanish Princess will be broadcasted on STARZPLAY on Sunday.
They sparked romance rumours earlier this year when they enjoyed a day at the rugby.

And Alan Halsall has fuelled further speculation he is dating former Corrie co-star Tisha Merry as they cosied up under an umbrella in Cheshire recently.

The Tyrone Dobbs actor, 36, and the 25-year-old actress, who played Steph Britton on the soap, looked close as they headed for lunch at a Lebanese restaurant in Hale Village.

Cosy display: Alan Halsall has fuelled further speculation he is dating former Corrie co-star Tisha Merry as they cosied up under an umbrella in Cheshire recently

More than friends? The Tyrone Dobbs actor, 36, and the 25-year-old actress, who played Steph Britton on the soap, looked close as they headed for lunch at a Lebanese restaurant in Hale Village

Alan - who split from wife Lucy-Jo Hudson in 2018 - chivalrously held an umbrella over Tisha's head as the pair cosied up and headed into the restaurant.

He looked dapper in a khaki green shirt and skinny jeans while Tisha opted for a leather jacket and jeans for the lunch date.

Her tresses were styled sleek and straight while she accessorised with gold hoop earrings.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Alan and Tisha for comment.

Let's go: Alan - who split from wife Lucy-Jo Hudson in 2018 - chivalrously held an umbrella over Tisha's head as the pair cosied up and headed into the restaurant

Seeing double: The pair showed how close their bond is as they posed in Alan's Manchester home with the same healthy meal delivery

Fan favourite: Alan has played Tyrone Dobbs on Corrie since 1998

Alan first sparked rumours of a romance with his former co-star Tisha after the pair enjoyed a day at the rugby in February.

The soap star took to Instagram to post a series of snaps from their trip to Manchester's AJ Bell Stadium, where he and Tisha cheered on the Salford Red Devils.

Many fans took to the comments section to suggest that the pair make a 'lovely couple,' just a month after they also enjoyed an early-morning game of badminton together.

This isn't the first time Alan and Tisha have enjoyed some quality time together, after they both shared some hilarious posts from an early-morning badminton session last month.

Actress: Tisha played Steph Britton from 2013 to 2017, with a brief return stint last year

While he has played Tyrone Dobbs on Corrie since 1998, Tisha played Steph Britton from 2013 to 2017, with a brief return stint last year.

It comes just two weeks after Alan insisted that he was a single man, having been inundated with questions about his love life in an Instagram Q and A.

He split from former Corrie star Lucy-Jo in May last year  only a few months after theyd moved into a new home with their daughter, Sienna-Rae.

They had married in 2009 and just eight weeks after they announced their marriage was over, she revealed she was dating panto star Lewis Devine, with whom she swiftly set up home.
She's been in the grips of an ongoing lawsuit battle against ex husband Johnny Depp.

And actress Amber Heard was pictured on a low-key shopping trip around New York City on Tuesday.

The Aquaman actress, 33, still looked stylish in a long black woollen coat which she paired with dark jeans on her solo outing.

Downcast: Amber Heard was pictured on a low-key shopping trip around New York City on Tuesday amid her ongoing lawsuit battle against ex Johnny Depp

The star toted an incredibly envy inducing blue YSL handbag which featured a gold chain detail.

Proving she is the queen of style, Amber paired her trendy outfit with a pair of turquoise snakeskin Aquatalia boots which complemented her ensemble.

Under her fashionable coat, the actress wore a grey jumper, plaid shirt and a layer of gold necklaces as she toted a shopping bag.

Amber wore her long blonde tresses in a single messy braid and she opted for natural makeup while out and about.

Amber's outing comes amid news she is being called to give even more evidence on her messy divorce from actor Johnny, 55, according to the latest filing his ongoing legal battles, exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com.

Stylish: The Aquaman actress, 33, looked stylish in a long black woolen coat which she paired with dark jeans and a pair of turquoise Aquatalia boots

There were 10 more videos released from her August 2016 deposition in which she detailed her now-ex's alleged abuse.

According to the DailyMail.com report, the award-winning actor is suing his former law firm for $30million over claims of negligence.

The firm - Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal LaViolette Feldman Schenkman & Goodman - says Johnny has recently accused them of malpractice in connection with his divorce from Amber and therefore will need to depose the actress in order to build a defense in the case.

Drama: Amber's outing comes amid news she is being called to give even more evidence on her messy divorce from actor Johnny, 55

The firm asks that the plaintiffs - named as Depp and his film companies Scaramanga Bros and Infinitum Nihil, respond in writing to their questions  and demand the ability to ask Depp more questions over his 'newly articulated theories'.

Magic Mike XXL star Amber filed for divorce from the Kentucky native in May 2016 stating that he had been 'verbally and physically' abusive towards her.

Their divorce was finalized in January 2017, with the actress receiving a $7million settlement.

Former partner: There were 10 more videos released from her August 2016 deposition in which she detailed her now-ex's alleged abuse

It was recently revealed that Johnny's new girlfriend is a Russian go-go dancer who he wants to marry, DailyMail.com has learned exclusively.

Polina Glen, who is believed to be in her mid-twenties, met the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory star at a party in LA last year, a source close to her told DailyMail.com.

Polina, who is originally from St. Petersburg, is a trained dancer and choreographer. She has been living with the multimillionaire actor at his Sunset Boulevard mansion.

Meanwhile, Amber has embarked on a romance with film director Andy Muschietti, 45, following the demise of her two-year relationship with technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, 47.
She's the brunette beauty who is currently loved-up with Nathan Favro on Bachelor In Paradise.

And during Tuesday's episode, the brunette beauty almost suffered a wardrobe malfunction on the Channel 10 show.

While basking in the sunlight next to her hunky beau, the bikini-clad stunner almost flashed her nipple during the sartorial slip-up.

In an awkward scene, Tenille had pushed the straps of her bikini top down to her shoulder, perhaps to avoid tan lines.

As she continued to relax on the sun lounge, Tenille's nipples almost accidentally fell out of her bikini top, and she seemed unaware of the gaffe.

The scene comes after Bachelor in Paradise producers decided to crudely censor Tenille's backside on Sunday night's episode.

Whoops! Tenille Favios (pictured) almost suffered a wardrobe malfunction during this VERY racy bikini moment during Tuesday's episode of Bachelor In Paradise

Tanning: In an awkward scene, Tenille had pushed the straps of her bikini top down to her shoulder, perhaps to avoid tan lines

During a scene that aired early in the program, Tenille relaxed on a beach towel while Alex Nation and Bill Goldsmith watched her from nearby.

The lower half of Tenille's buttocks were covered with a black bar in post-production, something that has not been done previously on the show.

It's unclear why producers decided to cover Tenille's buttocks, as she has previously been shown on camera in revealing G-string bikinis.

Eek! As she continued to relax on the sun lounge, Tenille's nipples almost accidentally fell out of her bikini top, and she seemed unaware of the gaffe

Bottoms up! Bachelor in Paradise producers decided to crudely censor one of the female contestants' backsides on Sunday night's episode. Pictured: Tenille Favios

Last Thursday's episode of Bachelor in Paradise also revealed several female contestants wearing tiny bikini bottoms that exposed their bare buttocks.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment.

The U.S. version of Bachelor in Paradise, which has aired on ABC since 2014, is also known to occasionally censor women's bottoms.

Checking her out! During a scene that aired early in the program, Tenille Favios relaxed on a beach towel while Alex Nation and Bill Goldsmith watched her from nearby. Her buttocks were covered with a black bar, something that has not been done previously on the show
Jeff Goldblum was seen speaking to police on a beach in Hawaii on Saturday, amid claims thieves stole his belongings from a locker as he swam on a family break.

The Independence Day actor, 66, was snapped during a discussion with law enforcement on the beach, with TMZ reporting the star's personal possessions were snatched from the locker at the Outrigger resort in Waikiki, Oahu.

It was claimed the Jurassic Park star filed a report after placing his belongings in the locker before a swim, which were missing when he returned.

Police: Jeff Goldblum was seen speaking to police on a beach in Hawaii on Saturday, amid claims thieves stole his belongings from a locker as he swam on a family break

Police are now said to be investigating the incident.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Jeff and the Outrigger resort for comment.

The star is holidaying with wife Emilie Livingston, 36, with the dancer seen showing off her incredible frame in a black one piece.

The couple - who share sons Charlie Ocean, three, and River Joe, two- were seen spending quality time with their children as they enjoyed a refreshing dip.

Snapped: The star is holidaying with wife Emilie Livingston, 36, with the dancer seen showing off her incredible frame in a black one piece

Jeff has appeared in over 50 films including 1977's Annie Hall, 1986's The Fly, 1997's Independence Day and several Jurassic Park movies.

He wed Canadian dancer Emilie in 2015 with Emilie admitting it was 'scary' when she first laid bare her desire to settle down with the star, who was previously married to Patricia Gaul and Geena Davis.

She wrote on Instagram: 'Loved and appreciated! @jeffgoldblum always makes me feel loved- from the first day we met!

'At first I wondered if this feeling could be true because I hadn't experienced such innocent, passionate, tender, honest love before so quickly.

Family: The couple - who share sons Charlie Ocean, three, and River Joe, two- were seen spending quality time with their children as they enjoyed a refreshing dip

'Some people like to play games and play hard to get.

'But we were just honest and aware from day one and took our relationship day by day until I had to express my feelings of wanting a family with HIM and to share the rest of my life with his beautiful soul!

'That was a scary day, opening myself up completely, knowing he might not want kids or to marry again.

'And we just kept talking about it together and with our therapist until we decided that it was the right thing to do!'
Photo: BC Gov't

One of B.C.'s Interior ferry routes will get a new vessel.

A new, larger, electric-ready vessel will have almost twice the capacity of the MV Balfour on Kootenay Lake. It be able to accommodate up to 60 vehicles and will be used in tandem with the larger MV Osprey 2000 to significantly decrease wait times during peak seasons.

The announcement was made by federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Francois-Philippe Champagne and Michelle Mungall, MLA for NelsonCreston.

Upgrades will also be made to the Balfour and Kootenay Bay terminals.

Ottawa is contributing up to $17,176,667 to the project, while the provincial government will providing up to $37,515,720.

B.C. is aiming for full electrification of the inland ferry fleet by 2040.

Ferry service on Kootenay Lake operates between Balfour on the west side and Kootenay Bay on the east. The run is about nine kilometres, with a crossing time of about 35 minutes.
Charlotte Crosby opted for a pared-back beauty look on Monday as she promoted her reality programme The Charlotte Show in Brazil.

The 28-year-old Geordie Shore star shunned her favoured heavy cosmetics in favour of a minimalist look, which further illustrated the extensive work she has admitted to undergoing throughout her eight years in the spotlight.

She was joined by her boyfriend Josh Richie for the outing as she showed off her endless legs in short shorts and a jumper to pose up a storm for promo shots.

Changing faces: Charlotte Crosby opted for a pared-back beauty look on Monday as she promoted her reality programme The Charlotte Show in Brazil

Charlotte was keeping things low-key during her outing as she opted for minimal make-up with her hair worn in a straight style.

Her promo outing comes after The Mirror reported her recent Instagram post was awash with Charlotte's loyal fans begging her to 'stop the surgery' after undergoing both a nose and boob job, as well as lip filler over the last three to four years.

In the seemingly now-deleted comments, one follower is said to have written: 'Poor girl her face is badly swollen. Is it an allergy?' Another reportedly added: 'She should have stopped with the surgery, Botox & fillers a long time ago.'

Charlotte has spoke candidly about her various surgeries in the past and in 2016 she unveiled her new nose after a rhinoplasty procedure.

Changing: The 28-year-old Geordie Shore star shunned her favoured heavy cosmetics in favour of a minimalist look, which further illustrated the extensive work she has admitted to undergoing throughout her eight years in the spotlight

In good company: The TV personality appeared in great spirits as she joined by her boyfriend Joshua Ritchie

Happy days: Charlotte was keeping things low-key during her outing as she opted for minimal make-up with her hair worn in a straight style

Speaking about her decision to go under the knife, the reality star opened up to Heat magazine about why it was so important to her. Charlotte admitted scrutiny from the Geordie Shore audiences drove her to have the surgery.

She told the publication: 'It's not like I can hide it. If I'd not been on TV, I'd never have got it done. I do think [my nose] caused a lack of confidence, and you always compare yourself to other people who are on TV as well.'

She added: 'You just think, "I hate it", especially on television. I think it'll make a big difference to my life in terms of getting photographed and always being on the telly, not having to worry about where to stand or what angle to go from.'

Happy days: She looked chilled-out as she threw herself into the promo

Admiration: The 24-year-old Love Island star was in awe of his girlfriend as he stared at her show's banner during the event

Great spirits: The couple beamed with delight as they posed with a pal

However, Charlotte did face backlash from the Loose Women panellists after Janet Street-Porter grilled her about the procedure in 2016.

She said: 'Good luck to you, it's your choices, but what message does that send to teenage girls who watch your show, follow you on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, who might think, "My nose has a lump in it but I haven't got 4,000 to change it?"'

While during an appearance on Celebrity Juice later that year, show host Keith Lemon warned Charlotte: 'Don't go too far, because it's addictive.'

To which the former Geordie Shore star replied with: 'Never!'

Low-key: Josh went for a casual look as he sported a red jumper by Nike, tied in with grey shorts

Her promo outing comes after The Mirror reported her recent Instagram post was awash with Charlotte's loyal fans begging her to 'stop the surgery' after undergoing a series of cosmetic procedures

In October 2017, Charlotte confirmed she had undergone surgery to correct her 'uniboob' after she was bodyshamed by vicious online trolls.

Speaking to Heat magazine, the reality sensation - who suffers from a medical condition called congenital symmastia - admitted that she would also compare herself to other girls, leading her to undergo the corrective surgery.

She confessed to the publication: 'My uni-boob made me feel under-confident. It (congenital symmastia) really limited what I could wear without people saying, "What the f***'s wrong with her boobs?"'

And being in the public eye only meant that the Sunderland native was heavily targeted for her 'deformed' breasts on social media.

Busy bees: The pair were spotted leaving their hotel and on to their next destination

Nice to meet you: She was met by a series of eager fans during her time in Brazil

Hello there: Charlotte appeared overwhelmed as her fans asked for selfies

'Because I'm famous, if a picture of me is online, people say things like "What is wrong with her boobs? They're deformed! They're stuck together"' she revealed, before confessing she had the surgery because 'of the comments she got online.'

Charlotte, who has made no secret of the fact that she enjoys a night out, also lamented the lack of sexy clothing she could wear because of her condition.

The reality star is also a huge fan of lip filler and during an interview on This Morning in 2018, she admitted she only gets them done once a year.

She said: 'I get them done once a year, I had a big problem down the sides, but once a year thats it and I dont think theyre that bad.'

Shortly before her TV interview, Charlotte spoke to MailOnline about her surgeries as she said: ' I have no regrets over my surgery. I never went over the top. I'm very happy and feel a lot more confident since I had the correctional (boob job).'

Shocker: Charlotte admitted scrutiny from the Geordie Shore audiences drove her to have the surgery (pictured in 2012)
Being rejected on Tuesday's episode of Bachelor in Paradise marked Elora Murger's third unsuccessful attempt at finding love on the dating franchise.

And the self-proclaimed 'Tahitian goddess', who first appeared on Matty J's season of the Bachelor in 2017, blames the show's producers for her bad luck.

She furiously told 10 Daily: 'Yes, I wanted to find love, but I know that the producers don't care for finding me love, right?'

'They don't care about finding me love!' Elora Murger has slammed Bachelor in Paradise producers for sending her in so late - as she vows to NEVER appear on the dating show again

Elora arrived on Bachelor in Paradise in the fourth and final week of the program, after 13 contestants had already been eliminated or quit.

'It was going to be about testing everybody else's relationships. It wasn't anything about me, it wasnt my story,' Elora said, reflecting on her brief stint.

Elora was forced to pursue all of the male suitors in the hopes of swaying their decision at the rose ceremony - but they refused to switch allegiances.

'It wasn't about me, it wasn't my story': Elora was forced to speak to all the male suitors in the hopes of swaying their decision at the rose ceremony (Pictured being rejected by Mack)

Elora told 10 Daily she was 'over' being used as a tool by producers to 'shake things up' and genuinely wanted to find her perfect match.

'At the end of the day, I'm also going in there to find someone,' she said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment.

'I'm over it!' Potentially hinting at a boycott of future seasons, Elora told 10 Daily she would 'never let them put [her] last' again

Potentially hinting at a boycott of future seasons, Elora went on to say that she would 'never let them put [her] last' again.

After just two short days in Paradise, Elora was forced to leave the resort due to a lack of interest shown by the male contestants.

Bachelor in Paradise continues Wednesday at 8.40pm on Channel 10
Sonic The Hedgehog is one of the most beloved video games characters of all time.

And now the little blue Sega character is getting the Hollywood treatment.

Fans got their first look at the upcoming film when the trailer premiered online Tuesday morning.

Fast times: The first trailer for Sonic The Hedgehog was released on Tuesday

James Marsden is charming as ever as he plays Sonic's human counterpart, a small town sheriff named Tom Wachowski. Ben Schwartz voices the iconic character.

But it's Jim Carrey who truly steals the show as the sinister Dr. Robotnik, Sonic's signature villain. When Robotnik is invited to help the US Army find Sonic, he uses the opportunity to put wicked plans into motion.

Sonic explains how it's now his job to save the world from his archnemesis, telling his friend Tom 'Basically, it looks like I'm going to have to save your planet' - also seeming to suggest that he is not of this earth.

Several high octane scenes show the blue rascal conducting waves of electricity as he crashes head on into cars, surfs sand dunes, and literally pauses the flow of time.

Demented doctor: Jim Carrey who truly steals the show as the sinister Dr. Robotnik, Sonic's signature villain

Heroic: Sonic explains how it's now his job to undo this mess, telling his friend Tom 'Basically, it looks like I'm going to have to save your planet' - seeming to suggest that he is not of this earth

Turning heads: The mustachioed comedian certainly makes a splash in the trailer

Clock stopper: Several high octane scenes show the blue rascal conducting waves of electricity as he crashes head on into cars, surfs sand dunes, and literally pauses the flow of time

Strangely, much of the trailer is backed by the early 90s hip-hop track Gangsters Paradise.

Though the Sonic trailer certainly made waves, not all reactions were positive.

@JeremySmiles took to Twitter to toss in their two cents, with one writing: 'me: the sonic trailer will be bad,' adding 'me when the sonic trailer is bad' with a shocked reaction image.

'Good morning to absolutely everyone and everything other than live action Sonic the Hedgehogs creepy human teeth xx' wrote Inside Gaming reviews director Alanah Pearce.

Smile! 'Good morning to absolutely everyone and everything other than live action Sonic the Hedgehogs creepy human teeth' wrote one Twitter user

What were you expecting? Though the Sonic trailer certainly made waves, not all reactions were positive

Double take: Many were quick to compare Sonic to another upcoming live-action video game movie: Detective Pikachu.

And many were quick to compare Sonic to another upcoming live-action video game movie: Detective Pikachu.

'About that new Sonic the Hedgehog trailer...' gaming hardware company @Razer tweeted along with a side by side image of the characters.

'Calling it now: Detective Pikachu is the new MCU and the Sonic the Hedgehog movie is the new DCU.' another wrote with a shady reference to the Marvel/DC rivalry.

And others were more concerned with Sonic's anatomy, wondering if he was hiding anything down south.

Rivals: Another tweeted a shady reference to the Marvel/DC rivalry

Private part: Others were more concerned with Sonic's anatomy, wondering if he was hiding anything down south

After setting things up with a meme, @DavidMackAU tweeted: '...Ok i'll ask. where are sonic's genitals?'

Sonic The Hedgehog is the directorial debut from Jeff Fowler.

The project is a joint venture between Paramount Animation, Original Film, Sega, Blur Studio and Marza Animation Planet.

Sonic The Hedgehog will be out just ahead of the holiday season, set for a November 8 release.
She confirmed her romance with her toyboy art gallery owner in January.

And Sienna Miller looked loved-up as she bid farewell to her boyfriend Lucas Zwirner after an afternoon outing together in New York City, on Monday.

The Alfie actress, 37, cut a casual figure as she said goodbye to her waving beau, 28, in the West Village following a romantic lunch date.

Casual: Sienna Miller looked loved-up as she bid farewell to her boyfriend Lucas Zwirner after an afternoon outing together in New York City, on Monday

Sienna wore a pair of bleach skinny jeans which she teamed with a white T-shirt and a matching coloured knitted cardigan.

Layering her ensemble, she wore a beige fluffy bomber jacket, completing her look with a pair of black Converse, sunglasses and a burgundy tote bag.

Sienna appeared to go make-up free as she styled her blonde locks into a loose tousled relaxed hairdo, which framed her stunning facial features.

Her love: The Alfie actress, 37, cut a casual figure as she said goodbye to her waving beau, 28, in the West Village following a romantic lunch date

In February, the British-American actress was seen looking smitten as she and her art gallery owner boyfriend, Lucas, enjoyed ice cream during a romantic stroll around New York City.

The pair, who went public with their romance in January, appeared in good spirits as they enjoyed the mild weather during their day out.

The couple, who met through mutual friends in New York, went public with their romance last year when they attended her ex Tom Sturridge's birthday party in London together.

Lucas, who currently oversees 25 book releases a year as editorial director of David Zwirner Books, is a Yale-educated literature aficionado.

Good terms: The blonde beauty has a daughter, Marlowe, six, with her ex-fiance, Tom Sturridge, the two started dating in 2011 but ended in 2015 following a four year relationship (pictured in 2013)

Meanwhile, Sienna has paved a successful acting career starring in the likes of Layer Cake, American Sniper and Alfie.

The blonde beauty has a daughter, Marlowe, six, with her ex-fiance, Tom Sturridge, the two started dating in 2011 but ended in 2015 following a four year relationship.

Sienna and Tom remain on good terms, successfully co-parenting their daughter together, with the actress gushing to Harper's Bazaar last year that he's her 'best friend in the entire world'.

The star famously dated fellow A-lister Jude Law on-off from 2003, with the actor famously issuing a public apology to her after having an affair with his children's nanny.
Salma Hayek has slipped into black Latex for her new role in Hit Man's Bodyguard 2.

The 52-year-old actress shared several images to social media this week where she was showing off her slender figure in the sexy suit.

And on Tuesday the beauty revealed her husband Francois-Henri Pinault is a big fan of her new look - complete with blonde wig - as she posted a photo of him hugging her during a set visit.

So much love: Salma Hayek shared this photo to Instagram with her husband Francois-Henri Pinault on the set of her new movie The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

She's still got it: The 52-year-old actress shared several images to social media this week where she was showing off her slender figure in the sexy suit

How does she do it? The screen icon has kept a very slender figure as she showed in these new images. The stunner had a small waistline and sculpted arms and legs

The Frida actress wrote in her caption, 'I love when my real husband visit me at the office!

'Me encanta cuando mi verdadero esposo me visita en la oficina!'

She added the hashtags for the film, for 'life on set' and for 'husband.'

The Mexican siren and the fashion executive have been wed since 2009 and they share daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault, aged 11.

They sure look good together: The siren and the fashion executive have been wed for 10 years and have an 11-year-old daughter; seen at the 2018 LACMA Art+Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Pinault is from Paris and has deep roots there. His family operates the luxury conglomerate Kering which owns the brands Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, Brioni and Pomellato.

Hayek often models the designer's clothes to support her husband.

The Hitman's Bodyguard 2 has been titled The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard.

Hayek plays the wife, Sonia Kincaid.

Patrick Hughes returns as director.

Loving her new town! The Hollywood vet shared a photo from Croatia where the movie is being shot this month

And Ryan Reynolds and Samuel Jackson are returning as well.

Added to the cast for the sequel is Hayek's longtime friend Antonia Banderas, who she worked with on 1995's Desperado, 2003's Once Upon A Time In Mexico and 2011's Puss In Boots.

And Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo, and Richard E. Grant have also been cast.

The official synopsis reads: Set on the Amalfi coast, the mismatched, high-octane trio are unwillingly pulled onto the side of the good guys as they battle to save Europe from a vengeful and powerful zealot with a dangerously over-developed sense of national pride.

'Director Patrick Hughes returns to wrangle the onscreen comic mayhem, with Terry Stacey taking on cinematography and Russell De Rozario as production designer.

'Filming takes place in London, Croatia and Italy. Lionsgate will release the film in the United States, UK, as well as Latin America.'
He's the Australian hunk who is rumoured to have dated a slew of high-profile models, including Bella Hadid and Barbara Palvin.

But Jordan Barrett was spotted on the arm of a new mystery blonde on Monday as he walked the streets of New York at night.

The 23-year-old hunk and the slender beauty could barely keep their hands off each other as they packed on the PDA.

Hot and steamy! Jordan Barrett (L) could barely keep his hands off this mystery blonde R() as the pair passionately kissed up a storm on the streets of New York on Monday

Strutting down a sidewalk, Jordan was seen cuddling the mystery woman and caressing her face.

At one point, the inseparable pair stopped in the middle of the pathway to give each other what appeared t be a smooch.

For the occasion, Jordan looked handsome in a pastel blue jumper teamed with loose-fitting white jeans.

They're inseparable! Strutting down a sidewalk, Jordan was seen cuddling the mystery woman and caressing her face

Dapper: For the occasion, Jordan looked handsome in this pastel blue jumper teamed with loose-fitting white jeans

Jordan completed the chic look with a pair of blue converse sneakers.

The blonde bombshell looked simply sensational in bootleg denim jeans, a grey top and a leather jacket.

She wore black leather boots and styled her short blonde tresses is loose waves around her face.

Packing on the PDA! At one point, the inseparable pair stopped in the middle of the pathway to give each other what appeared to be a steamy smooch

Meanwhile, Jordan has graced the runway for a slew of high-end fashion labels, including Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino and Versace at Milan Fashion Week.

However the model's appeal lies beyond the catwalk, having been linked to the likes of 'it' girls Hailey Baldwin, Sofia Richie, Megan Blake Irwin, Lara Stone and Sahara Ray.

Jordan has been awarded the Model of the Year Award for three consecutive times since his first Tom Ford campaign.
She's currently starring as Ann Deever in the star-studded production.

And Jenna Coleman looked effortlessly chic as she made her way to The Old Vic theatre, London, on Tuesday for another performance of All My Sons.

The Victoria actress, 32, wore a stylish pair of green tartan flared trousers, which she teamed with a black jumper.

Chic: Jenna Coleman looked effortlessly chic as she made her way to The Old Vic theatre, London, on Tuesday for another performance of All My Sons

Jenna teamed her ensemble with a beige camel duster coat and a pair of white comfy-looking trainers.

The actress accessorised her look with a black and gold handbag, brown sunglasses, black headphones and a straw tote bag.

Jenna looked geared up for her night of performing ahead as she wheeled a red suitcase and carried a large paper carrier bag.

Stylish: The Victoria actress, 32, wore a stylish pair of green tartan flared trousers, which she teamed with a black jumper

Details: Jenna teamed her ensemble with a beige camel duster coat and a pair of white comfy-looking trainers

The actress is playing as Ann Deever in All My Sons, starring alongside Sally Field, Bill Pullman and Colin Morgan.

The play is based on a true story about a businessman who caused the deaths of 21 pilots when his firm sold faulty engines to the air force.

Jenna stars in the play alongside Sally and Bill, who play husband and wife Kate and Joe Keller, and Colin as their son Chris.

Finishing touches: The actress accessorised her look with a black and gold handbag, brown sunglasses, black headphones and a straw tote bag

Busy bee: Jenna looked geared up for her night of performing ahead as she wheeled a red suitcase and carried a large paper carrier bag

Stunning: The actress styled her brunette locks into a loose relaxed hairdo, she added just a slick of minimal make-up

A week ago, the cast all joined together for an after party following the opening night held at the Ham Yard Hotel in London.

The final performance of All My Sons will take place at the Old Vic Theatre on June 8.

Patrick Marmion for the Daily Mail gave it three stars out of five, adding: 'It has a harrowing sense of its characters going to hell in a handcart. For an audience, it can feel like were going to need to buckle up if were to make it home for Horlicks.

Plot: The play is based on a true story about a businessman who caused the deaths of 21 pilots when his firm sold faulty engines to the air force

'Im not sure I ever felt much troubled by Jeremy Herrins stellar new production featuring Sally Field, Jenna Coleman, Bill Pullman and Colin Morgan.

'Each of these impressive actors seems capable of delivering a mighty performance  but equally there are times when they feel like they are doing their own private turn.'

All My Sons continues at the The Old Vic, London.
TOWIE star Bobby Norris arrived at 10 Downing Street to hand in a petition to make online homophobia a criminal offence on Tuesday.

The Essex favourite, 32, snapped a selfie with the iconic Larry the Cat as he posed outside the famous residence.

Bobby handed in his petition after it reached a staggering 100,000 signatures, which means it will be considered for a debate by Parliament.

Proud: TOWIE star Bobby Norris arrived at 10 Downing Street to hand in a petition to make online homophobia a criminal offence on Tuesday

Bobby cut a casual figure as he arrived at Downing Street in a statement orange and white striped top, with his petition emblazoned with the iconic rainbow of the LGBT community.

As he headed to the front door, the star took a moment to grab a snap with Larry the official mouse-catcher, who was right at home as he perched happily at the front door.

After snapping a slew of Downing Street selfies, Bobby could be seen handing his petition to a security guard at the door. It is unclear whether he was allowed the enter the famous house.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Bobby Norris for more information.

Big cause: The Essex favourite, 32, snapped a selfie with the iconic Larry the Cat as he posed outside the famous residence

He's here! Bobby cut a casual figure as he arrived at Downing Street in a statement orange and white striped top

Important: His petition was emblazoned with the iconic rainbow to represent the LGBT community

Smile! As he arrived at Downing Street, Bobby posed for a selfie at the iconic front door after vowing to make such online homophobic trolling a criminal offence

Bobby has spoken openly about his homophobic abuse he has received on social media, and in February launched the petition to make it a criminal offence.

In the petition the star explained: 'As a gay man I find it devastating how members of the LGBT community are still subjected to homophobic abuse online.

'Just because I am on TV I dont think that makes it acceptable to be sent homophobic messages/ comments on social media platforms. Nobody should have to receive these comments.

'I wont go into detail as to the various names I have been called, but this should not be acceptable and can have an impact on peoples mental health and has certainly helped in making my anxiety and low self esteem worse by receiving them.'

What's new pussycat? Bobby briefly stopped to stroke Larry, Downing Street's official mouse-catcher

Say cheese! He also grabbed a playful snap with the relaxed feline as he arrived to hand in his petition to the government

Candid: Bobby has spoken openly about homophobic abuse he has received online, and vowed to make such a trolling a criminal offence

Here you go: After arriving at Downing Street, Bobby handed in his petition to a member of security at the door

At last! As the petition has now passed 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for a debate by Parliament

The star also spoke about his campaign on Loose Women last month, saying: 'For me, I have gone through this, what I can only call, vile and disgusting online homophobia.

'Dont get me wrong, I love social media but it has got so big now, you cant put that genie back in the bottle.

'The laws which were in place five or ten years ago, the internet is a very different world [now]... I have got a thick skin, I am a little bit older. I know if I was a teen and I was receiving that online hate...

'I dont think its any coincidence that mental health is on the rise. I am no psychologist but there has to be on a knock on effect.

'When I was at school, if you got bullied, it was at school. Now they wake up and they see it, they go to bed and they see it, its 24/7. It shouldnt be acceptable to throw that much hate [around].'

Open: The star previously spoke about his campaign on Loose Women, saying he thinks a rise in mental health could be a 'knock on effect' from such online abuse
In last Sunday's episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick were told they are each other's 'soulmates' by a local healer.

And Scott's girlfriend, Sofia Richie, 'doesn't care about the "soulmate" thing,' according to Us Weekly's source.

The 20-year-old model, who started dating Scott in the summer of 2017, is '100 percent fine with his and Kourtney's relationship. They have no issues and they get along,' the insider revealed.

Mature: Sofia Richie, 'doesn't care about the "soulmate" thing,' according to Us Weekly 's source; pictured on April 25 at the TVF for DVF party in Hollywood

The source claims that the soulmate line in the episode was made to 'be bigger than what it was on the show.'

The magazine's insider says that Kourtney and Scott 'will always be connected through the three kids, but at this time there's no romantic connection.'

Adding: 'They're simply two people that care for each other and for the family that they're raising together.'

Disick and Kourtney co-parent sons Mason, nine, Reign, four, and daughter Penelope, six.

Scott went to Bali with his ex Kourtney and their three children last fall and the trip has been highlighted on this season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

On Sunday's episode the exes were shocked when guru Mas Joko told them that even though they broke up three years ago, they are each other's 'soulmates.'

Uncomfortable: The 20-year-old model, who started dating Scott in the summer of 2017, is '100 percent fine with his and Kourtney's relationship. They have no issues and they get along,' the insider revealed; The guru told the exes - who split three years ago - that they are 'soul mates' which caught them off guard

A reading: Kourtney and Scott had a reading from Mas Joko on Sunday's Keeping Up With The Kardashians

That caused the 35-year-old Disick to talk about his currently girlfriend Sofia Richie, 20.

'If I was Sofia, I would be so insecure,' Khloe told Scott. 'I don't care how confident you are. It's weird if you're Sofia.'

'I mean, Sofia knew going into this that I was extremely close with Kourtney,' Disick said.

'She was like, "Listen, I will never get between you and your family and your children. Just speak to me and make me comfortable."'

His current love: Scott is dating Lionel Richie's daughter Sofia Richie; seen on April 25 at the ASOS Life Is Beautiful party in Los Angeles

'That's very mature of her,' Khloe said. 'I don't know if I could do it.'

'I couldn't. She's a better person than I am,' Disick responded. 'I thought for a very long time that I was going to live a very miserable life. I didn't think that I was going to have happiness again.

'My biggest thing to Kourtney was no matter who we're with, even though our children might not see everything, they do feel it and they can hear it and everyone needs to be okay with each other.'

He wants to be friends with Kourtney: 'My biggest thing to Kourtney was no matter who we're with, even though our children might not see everything, they do feel it and they can hear it and everyone needs to be okay with each other,' he said

He owes her: 'Whether Kourtney and I are soulmates or not, I feel like I owe a lot to Kourtney for the times that I missed when I wasn't the best partner to her. So I feel like I will forever be making up for that lost time for the rest of her life,' said Scott

'I definitely don't want to disrespect my relationship with Sofia because it means a lot to me,' he said.

'Whether Kourtney and I are soulmates or not, I feel like I owe a lot to Kourtney for the times that I missed when I wasn't the best partner to her. So I feel like I will forever be making up for that lost time for the rest of her life.

'At the end of the day, I don't want to hurt anybody,' he added. 'Sofia knows that we're raising three kids together and until our kids are 100, I'll still be making sure that Kourtney and my kids are a priority in my life.'

She nailed it: 'If I was Sofia, I would be so insecure,' Khloe told Scott. 'I don't care how confident you are. It's weird if you're Sofia'

Honest: 'At the end of the day, I don't want to hurt anybody,' he added. 'Sofia knows that we're raising three kids together and until our kids are 100, I'll still be making sure that Kourtney and my kids are a priority in my life'

But what about Kourtney? She has been single since splitting from Younes Bendjima

There was an awkward moment when the guru said Kourtney and Scott are 'soulmates.'

And Scott tried to give it a positive spin. 'I think at first when you hear soulmates, you assume two people must be together,' he began.

'We obviously aren't and we're doing very well. I think it's unbelievable that me and Kourtney are able to live the way we are and to be able to open up to each other.

'A lot of people, including us, didn't know that we were going to be able to do it. I thank God every day for it because my kids and my family are the most important thing to me.'

They have this in common: Kourtney, left, likes to pose in her lingerie; here she is seen in early April. And Sofia, right, also likes to show off her body in swimsuits

'For a very long time her and I were in a relationship romantically and we had three children,' Disick explained. 'Then we split about three years ago, and for the past couple of years we've been trying to make things work and I think we're doing a much better job now than we were.'

As far as the term 'soulmate,' Scott said, 'I don't really know what to think. I'm in another relationship. I just want to take whatever good away from it that I can.

'I just really wasn't expecting that this is what was going to come out of this reading,' Kourtney said. 'I feel really claustrophobic or something. We've come to such a good place  we're finally able to travel together as a family. There are so many positives. But the whole soulmate thing comes up  I don't know. It's just a lot to think about.'

Tough day: Later Kourtney and Khloe talk to someone else as they explore Bali

Us Weekly's source said that Kourtney 'approves' of ex Scott's relationship with Sofia, adding that she is 'happy that Sofia seems to bring out a positive side to Scott.'

Scott and Sofia were first seen spending time with each other in the summer of 2017; they began dating in September of that same year.

The lovebirds split briefly in June 2018 but got back together soon after.

The magazine's insider said the duo become 'stronger than ever' after the brief split, with Scott vowing to 'always be honest with her.'

Couple: Scott and Sofia were first seen spending time with each other in the summer of 2017; they began dating in September of that same year
Pete Davidson said Thank U, Next to a stand up gig after the club owner joked about his exes Ariana Grande and Kate Beckinsale.

The 25-year-old bailed on a scheduled appearance at The Stress Factory Comedy Club in Bridgeport, Connecticut moments before taking the stage on Monday.

Feeling 'disrespected' by comments made by owner Vinnie Brand, Pete took to social media to apologize to fans and explain that he wasn't going to perform.

Feud: Pete Davidson bailed on a comedy show moments before going on stage because he felt 'disrespected' by the club owner after he mocked his relationships with Ariana Grande and Kate Beckinsale on Monday

'Hey guys in Connecticut,' Pete began in a selfie video. 'I'm sorry that we had to leave the show before I got to go on.

'The owner, Vinnie Brand, disrespected me and did something that I told him not to do and I can't, you know, perform under those circumstances,' he explained.

A source told Us Weekly that the 'disrespect' that Pete felt was over being mocked for his former flames Ariana Grande and Kate Beckinsale.

The insider dished that Vinnie Brand wanted to go on stage and do a bit before Pete but since the SNL star travels with his own opener he said no.

The plan: The 25-year-old bailed on a scheduled appearance at The Stress Factory Comedy Club in Bridgeport, Connecticut when the audience was already seated

'Hey guys in Connecticut,' Pete said in a selfie video. 'I'm sorry that we had to leave the show before I got to go on. The owner, Vinnie Brand, disrespected me and did something that I told him not to do and I can't, you know, perform under those circumstances.'

Brand went out anyway in what the source called 'an obvious attempt to embarrass Pete, sarcastically said "don't ask any questions about his exes Ariana Grande or Kate Beckinsale."

Beckinsale and Davidson only ended things in their short lived romance just last week and the actor's engagement to Grande went by the wayside several months ago.

'Pete was not about to to let this guy ruin his show, disrespect him and abuse the names of women Pete respects and cares about,' the source told Us.

Adding: 'Pete has been doing great. He's happy and has been really enjoying traveling and doing shows. It's sad that people like this club owner would pull a stunt like this just to bring attention to himself and his club.'

Off limits: A source told Us Weekly that the 'disrespect' that Pete felt was over being mocked for his former flames Ariana Grande and Kate Beckinsale

Exes: Beckinsale and Davidson only ended things in their short lived romance just last week and the actor's engagement to Grande went by the wayside several months ago

Another source told the outlet that after Brand 'wouldn't get off stage' and ridiculed Pete's dating life, the comic 'didn't feel safe in a place owned by someone who would be so disrespectful and dishonest.'

Later, Us reported that Vinnie Brand was shocked over the whole incident, telling the magazine he and Pete were friends.

'What happened last night is beyond strange and shocking,' Brand said. 'His security team  sent me an email about Pete not wanting any cell phones out or anyone to yell out specifically about Ariana and Kate.  I said I would protect him and make a quick five-minute announcement about the [rules].'

Adding: 'Right before I went on stage, we were fine. Pete and I were friends!'

Drama: A source told Us Weekly that Brand 'wouldn't get off stage' and ridiculed Pete's dating life, the comic 'didn't feel safe in a place owned by someone who would be so disrespectful and dishonest.'

Brand's comments seem to contrast from his reaction to the incident in a video that on TMZ.

The club owner was seen on stage, playing Pete's social media message to the crowd and angrily calling Pete out, blaming the star's security for telling him to mention Pete's exes.

'You s**t on everybody here,' Brand snarled to the audience.

He then went on to talk about his personal relationship with Davidson, bringing up 'hard times' the SNL actor has had and then calling him a 'f**cking a**hole.'

At odds: A video posted on TMZ showed that Brand was furious over Pete's sudden departure as he took the stage and called Pete a 'f***ing a**hole'

The crowd who had arrived to see Pete quickly turned on him with screams of 'F**k you, Pete!'

They likely won't be lining up for the makeup show that Davidson promised in his original video message.

'Everybody who got tickets to that show,' Pete said to the camera, 'I am doing a free show for you guys. We'll figure out where it's going to be in the next week and we'll all get it all sorted out.'

Adding: 'Sorry again. This is not your fault.'
Photo: Colin Dacre

A Penticton woman will avoid jail time for a drug-fuelled incident that saw her spit on arresting officers.

The 24-year-old woman  who Castanet will be referring to as MR due to her mental-health struggles  pleaded guilty Monday to one count of uttering threats and one count of assaulting a police officer.

She received a 12-month suspended sentence.

Crown prosecutor Kurt Froehlich told court RCMP was called shortly after 6 p.m., Aug. 29, 2018 to a home on Hastings Ave. for a report of a woman on drugs freaking out.

Police arrived to find the accused in the middle of the street, yelling and screaming, with multiple nearby residents watching.

Officers arrested MR after she attempted to flee on foot while screaming at the top of her lungs. She had been inhaling gas from Co2 canisters, drinking alcohol and took a bunch of pills, court heard.

Once in the back of the police car, MR began slamming her head against the partition, cutting her face. At the police station, Froehlich said she continued to be aggressive.

While MR was being placed in a restraint chair, she began to spit at officers. Police placed a spit hood on her, but she managed to spit through the hood and onto an officers face and mouth. She was eventually taken to hospital, where she calmed down.

Ordinarily, given what I would call reprehensible behaviour of MR in this case, the Crown would seek a custodial jail sentence, Froehlich said, explaining bodily fluids carry a significant risk for frontline officers.

He noted, however, that MR has since attended treatment and appears to be on the right track.

In light of that, the Crown has taken what I would deem a merciful approach to sentencing, he said, requesting the 12-month suspended sentence, calling the proposal a significant break for MR.

Defence lawyer Michael Patterson reminded the judge about the courts desire to help people recover from drug addiction, agreeing with the term of probation. His client had one previous conviction for simple assault.

Id just like to say how sorry I am, to the police officers that had to deal with me, MR said. Im not normally like that  addiction.

She told the judge she had been using methamphetamine since she was 14 and heroin for about a year. The Co2 canisters were a new thing she had only been doing for a week at the time of the incident.

When Judge Gregory Koturbash referred to the opioid overdose crisis killing thousands across Canada, MR said she kind of wanted to die at the time.

You dont get to hear this kind of story too much in this courtroom, where people turn it around, Koturbash said. It's certainly not hard to have compassion for a person like you.

The struggle for you isnt going to be one thats over right away, he continued. Its going to be a long one. You are going to have to stay on your toes and fight those demons.

It wouldnt make a lot of sense to incarcerate you and throw you off the path that you are on now.

As part of her 12-months of probation, MR will be required to complete further treatment, leave the presence of her ex-boyfriend and father of her child and his request, and apologize to the officer she spat on.
She has recently sparked rumours of a romance with shamed banker, George Cottrell.

But Georgia Toffolo cut a solo figure as she stepped out for the JW Marriott Grosvenor House's 90th Anniversary Party in London on Tuesday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 24, slipped her slender figure into a rust coloured laser cut-out dress as she arrived to the bash.

Wow: Georgia Toffolo, 24, cut a solo figure as she stepped out for the JW Marriott Grosvenor House's 90th Anniversary Party in London on Tuesday

Opting for a pair of neutral flats, Georgia looked sensational in the pretty number, which featured tie detailing on the shoulders.

Georgia was recently spotted out with George Cottrell, 25, sparking rumours that she is dating the shamed banker and ex-Nigel Farage aide worth 300m who was jailed in the US over drugs money laundering scandal.

Friends say the beauty has been spending time with the wealthy aristocrat for just over a month after meeting him at a social event.

Chic: The former Made In Chelsea star slipped her slender figure into a rust coloured laser cut out dress as she arrived to the bash

Summery: Opting for a pair of neutral flats, Georgia looked sensational in the pretty number, which featured tie detailing on the shoulders

Happy: Georgia looked in her element as she happily posed away for cameras

New beau? Georgia was recently spotted out with George Cottrell, 25, sparking rumours that she is dating the shamed banker and ex-Nigel Farage aide worth 300m who was jailed in the US over drugs money laundering scandal

The former adviser to Nigel Farage, known by Farage's advisers as 'Posh George' his family are said to be worth 300million.

But the reality star told MailOnline: 'I am going on dates with people, but there's no one particularly of interest. Last year was really intense and I kind of neglected by friends and family.

'And, I'm a young woman, I didn't really see anyone, so now if a hottie asks me out on a date, of course I'm gonna go. But, there's no one in particular who's caught my eye.'

Meanwhile, Laura Whitmore also looked sensational at the hotel bash, as she arrived in a cute tartan style minidress.

Looking good: Laura Whitmore also looked sensational at the hotel bash, as she arrived in a cute tartan style minidress

Fashionista: The presenter teamed the look with a pair of black caged heels while toting her belongings in a matching black shoulder bag

Stunner: Laura looked every inch the blonde bombshell, with her luscious locks pinned back on one side, complementing her striking features

The presenter teamed the look with a pair of black caged heels while toting her belongings in a matching black shoulder bag.

Laura looked every inch the blonde bombshell, with her luscious locks pinned back on one side, complementing her striking features.

Victoria Pendleton commanded attention in an opulent black satin number with a glittering bedazzled midriff, collar and cuffs.

The dress showed off the flair for fashion and she teamed the look with a pair of trendy black boots.

Eyes on her: Victoria Pendleton commanded attention in an opulent black satin number with a glittering bedazzled midriff, collar and cuffs

Walk this way: The dress showed off the flair for fashion and she teamed the look with a pair of trendy black boots

Wow: Victoria appeared to be in her element as she worked her angles in front of the camera

Stunning: She sported a side parted shoulder length do and a simple coat of bronzed make-up

Also at the event was Caroline Flack who showed off her fashionista credentials in a black and silver foiled dress.

She added a thick black belt to the bardot number which cinched in her tiny midriff.

Caroline showed off her pink pedicure in matching silver high heels as she posed away.

There she is! Also at the event was Caroline Flack who showed off her fashionista credentials in a black and silver foiled dress

Style queen: She added a thick black belt to the bardot number which cinched in her tiny midriff

Glamorous: Caroline showed off her pink pedicure in matching silver high heels as she posed away

Pretty: Caroline wore sexy tousled waves and a heavy smokey eye for the outing

Dream team: Caroline Flack looked in high spirits as she mingled with Betty Bachz

Showcasing their love for each other, Lucy Mecklenburgh was also at the bash with her other half Ryan Thomas.

Lucy couldn't resist flaunting her gym-honed physique in a skintight floral dress which also flaunted her fabulous golden glow.

She perfectly clashed prints by adding a pair of leopard print tights to her look.

Lucy lived up to her beauty icon status with loose shoulder length curls, and accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings.

Showcasing their love for each other, Lucy Mecklenburgh was also at the bash with her other half Ryan Thomas

Honed: Lucy couldn't resist flaunting her gym-honed physique in a skintight floral dress which also flaunted her fabulous golden glow

Standing tall: She perfectly clashed prints by adding a pair of leopard print tights to her look

Pretty: Lucy lived up to her beauty icon status with loose shoulder length curls, and accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings

Handsome: Ryan cut a dapper figure in a tartan navy suit along with a burgundy tie

Elegant: Donna Air also cut a regal figure in a patterned blue dress which made the most of her statuesque height

Babe: She sported a glossy blowdry and kept things natural with a simple coat of dewy make-up

Red hot: Alice Eve looked sensational in a red mini-dress and matching peep-toe heels

Babe: Her locks were piled into a high bun and she accessorised with gold hoop earrings

Stylish pair: Kara Tointon and her other half Marius Jensen opted for matching ensembles

Donna Air also cut a regal figure in a patterned blue dress which made the most of her statuesque height.

She sported a glossy blowdry and kept things natural with a simple coat of dewy make-up.

Natalie Rushdie also oozed elegance in a pretty white dress which she paired with a two-toned pastel coloured handbag.

Elegant: Natalie Rushdie also oozed elegance in a pretty white dress which she paired with a two-toned pastel coloured handbag

Together: Kirk Newmann and Hayley McQueen made for a stylish arrival at the event

Two peas in a pod: Richard Biedul and Melissa Tarling showed off their style credentials by colour co-ordinating
Stassi Schroeder says she's 'grossed out' by how rapper 50 Cent handled his money matter with her friend Randall Emmett.

The Vanderpump Rules star, appearing on Watch What Happens Live on Monday, slammed the rapper for dragging her costar Lala Kent's relationship with Emmett into the feud.

The whole thing kicked off on Friday when 50 Cent called out Emmett on Instagram, humiliating the film producer in an attempt to get back the $1 million he loaned him.

'I'm really actually grossed out by the whole entire thing,' Stassi, 30, told Andy Cohen.

'I'm grossed out': Stassi Schroeder slammed 50 Cent for bringing pal Lala Kent's relationship with Randall Emmett into his feud with the movie producer over the weekend

'I don't understand why this has become, like, a relationship thing  like, he's in love with Lala.'

'And why is it that [50 Cent] is posting about money? Like, Venmo request, PayPal request,' Schroeder added, joking, 'I dont understand why this is a whole Instagram thing. If so, tag me, because I could use some more followers!'

She continued on a more serious note, 'It's really dark,

'And you know, I've spent so much time with Lala and Randall. Beau and I are upset about it.' she added, referring to boyfriend Beau Clark.

Saturday Night Live star Cecily Strong, Andy's other guest on Monday, also chimed in.

'I don't understand why this has become, like, a relationship thing  like, he's in love with Lala.'

'And why is it that [50 Cent] is posting about money? Like, Venmo request, PayPal request,' Stassi added, joking, 'I dont understand why this is a whole Instagram thing.

Stassi continued on a more serious note, 'It's really dark,'

'Beau and I are upset about it.' she added, referring to boyfriend Beau Clark

'I thought 'Fofty' didn't need to bring Lala involved, only because I thought, "Wow, has Rand really emasculated himself,"

'I mean, those [text messages] were -- wow -- I needed to faint. They were so much.'

The rapper had been on a social media warpath against Emmett and his fiancee Lala over a $1million loan launching a public attack on Friday demanding he pay back the six-year-old loan.

Emmett, who repeatedly pleaded to be left alone and claimed he was going to the hospital from stress over the feud, finally wired the rapper all the money on Monday.

Andy's other guest Cecily Strong also weighed in on the feud, saying 'I thought 'Fofty' didn't need to bring Lala involved, only because I thought, "Wow, has Rand really emasculated himself,"

Social media drama: It took threats of cracked heads, merciless memes, and even a chime-in from Chrissy Teigen, but Randall finally paid 50

The pair's row boiled to the surface on Friday after 50 Cent shared a clip of Kent, 28, talking to her co-star about the first time she had sex with Randall.

'I let him hit it the first time and we were inseparable; he would just send me, like, really expensive gifts,' Kent, who got engaged to Emmett last fall, tells castmate Stassi Schroeder in the clip.

'The first night we banged, I got a car the next day. He was like, "Do you want a Range Rover?"'

50 Cent, 43, made fun of Kent in his Instagram caption, writing: '10 seconds left in the 4 quarter h*** are Winning. Do you want A range rover, yes, b**** yassss. Then just run out and s*** a d***. LOL smh.'

Kent was quick to respond in the comments, telling 50 Cent she was 'disgusted'.

'We've sat up at dinners solo with you, you showing mad love, while begging Rand to put one of your new talentless b*****s in a film, and this is how you come for me? On the gram?'

Emmett, who repeatedly pleaded to be left alone and claimed he was going to the hospital from the stress of the feud, finally paid the rapper on Monday afternoon

50 Cent was unswayed by Emmett's claims of health issues, even posting this photo of Emmett standing in a medical facility with a number of devices strapped to his chest

'She swears she's a thug from south side Jamaica queens & she's up in here watching Bravo,' Kent added, hitting back at the rapper. 'Someone has forgotten where they come from. Coming for me on the gram!? I smell fish coming from fifty's direction.'

That only seemed to fuel the flames as 50 Cent began sharing grabs of his text exchanges with Emmett, who paid $250,000 of the $1million loan on Friday.

'I said I'm sorry fofty,' Emmett wrote, misspelling the rapper's name. 'I'm heading to emergency room. I'm not doing well. Please don't text me anymore. I'm sorry for everything.'

'This is too much for me. I'm so hurt and not feeling well. This is very bad for me on all levels going to ER to make sure not having heart attack. Please fifty no more.'

But 50 Cent was unswayed, writing 'get the f**k out of here Randell'.

'You f****g loser, did you tell her you owed me a million dollar over 6 years. Keep playing with me and get ya f*****g head cracked in front of everybody.'

50 Cent also posted a meme of late Sanford and Son star Redd Foxx mimicking having a heart attack with text of Emmett's claim he was headed to the emergency room for a check-up

And his meme onslaught against the producer continued as he repeatedly warned Emmett to pay him back by Monday

In yet another meme, 50 Cent photostopped his head on every star in the Vaderpump Rules cast photo and changed the show's title to 'FOFTY CENT RULES'

50 Cent ramped up his social media attack on Emmett on Sunday, warning the producer he had one day to clear the debt.

'Your not gonna die before Monday @randallemmettfilms go ahead knock your self out. LOL,' he wrote, sharing a photo of Emmett standing in a medical facility with a number of devices strapped to his chest.

'You should have gave me my money,' 50 Cent wrote, adding, 'What the f*** is really going on LOL.'

50 Cent even created $32 T-shirts for his G-Unit brand that read 'I'm sorry Fofty' and are still available online for purchase.

He also shared before and after shots of Emmett's Wikipedia page, showing the introduction had been changed to how he owed 50 Cent 'a million by Monday, or else'.

50 Cent created $32 T-shirts for his G-Unit brand that read 'I'm sorry Fofty' and are still available online for purchase

He also shared before and after shots of Emmett's Wikipedia page, showing the introduction had been changed to how he owed 50 Cent 'a million by Monday, or else'

On Sunday, in celebration of the night's Game of Thrones episode, 50 Cent shared a meme showing him sitting on the Iron Throne with the words "Monday is Coming."

In yet another meme, 50 Cent photostopped his head on every star in the Vaderpump Rules cast photo and changed the show's title to 'FOFTY CENT RULES'.

Meanwhile, Kent continued to hit back at 50 Cent to defend Emmett, claiming in an Instagram story that the rapper was being blatantly misogynistic toward her.

The reality TV star claimed that 50 Cent's posting of the Vanderpump Rules clip was done 'to diminish the validity of the #MeToo movement,' urging her followers not to be quiet in similar situations.

'That I will not stand for,' she said. 'If you have been affected by a man like 50, do not be quiet. We're not going to be silenced. I have your back.'

'We need to let these f*****s know that they are not safe. Because once they think they've silenced us, we're all f****d.'

The pair's row boiled to the surface on Friday after 50 Cent shared a clip of Kent, 28, talking to her co-star about the first time she had sex with Randall

He repeatedly shared Emmett's pleas for forgiveness, revealing the producer had even asked him to be in his upcoming wedding to Kent

The ongoing feud caught the attention of Bravo superfan Chrissy Teigen, who tweeted: 'I never want 50 Cent to be mad at me'

In response, 50 Cent reposted the clip with the caption: 'Hey how is the Range Rover? There's no difference between Harvey Weinstein and Randel Emmett! This is reality, not reality TV.'

The ongoing feud caught the attention of Bravo superfan Chrissy Teigen, who tweeted: 'I never want 50 Cent to be mad at me'.

'Please love me, fofty,' she added, using Emmett's typo of the rapper's name.

50 Cent couldn't help but share screenshots of the tweets from one of his most famous fans, writing: 'I love you @chrissyteigen & john, these people just keep trying me.'

As the feud neared its inevitable end, the rapper shared yet another text exchange from Emmett.

As the feud neared its inevitable end, the rapper shared yet another text exchange from Emmett, who finally paid him back on Monday afternoon

'Fif I agree to all the terms can you please stop posting,' he wrote. 'Money will be there in the am.'

'You made this f*****g mess, when the money hits the accounts everything comes down,' the rapper shot back.

The next day 50 Cent texted Emmett once again after he received the money in full.

'Ok I just got the wire a*****e,' he wrote. 'Back to my regular scheduled program.'

The rapper then took to Instagram to reveal Emmett had finally paid him back, saying he now has no problem with the producer.

'In fact, I'm wishing him and his family a very blessed day,' he wrote. 'Positive vibes now guys. LOL.'

Everything about the feud has since been wiped from both 50 Cent and Kent's Instagrams. But the memes - and the birth of 'fofty' - will surely last forever.
She's a gorgeous Irish presenter known for her sophisticated style.

And Laura Whitmore displayed her slender pins in a stylish green gingham dress on Tuesday, as she attended the JW Marriott Grosvenor House's 90th Anniversary bash in London.

The blonde beauty, 33, cut a chic figure in the simple printed mini dress as she arrived for the star-studded event.

Looking good: Laura Whitmore displayed her slender pins in a stylish green gingham dress on Tuesday, as she attended JW Marriott Grosvenor House's 90th Anniversary bash in London

Laura ensured her amazing legs were on full display as she sported the thigh-skimming green dress for the swanky celebration.

The Survival Of The Fittest presenter's dress boasted a simple gingham print as well as a high neck and puffed sleeves.

Laura finished her simple look with high-heeled mesh boots, while her blonde tresses were styled into loose curls.

Stylish: The blonde beauty, 33, cut a chic figure in the simple printed mini dress as she arrived for the star-studded event

Looking good: Laura finished her simple look with high-heeled mesh boots, while her blonde tresses were styled into loose curls

The star's outing came after she took to Instagram to share a daring post, as she went topless for a relaxing dip in the hot tub.

In the image, captured by boyfriend Iain Stirling, Laura wore a pair of bikini bottoms and posed with her back turned away for the camera.

'Until I get a towel I'm pretty much trapped in here,' she joked in the caption.

Earlier, Laura took to her Instagram Story to post a clip of herself and Iain treating themselves to a glass of champagne each at the Chewton Glen in Hampshire.

Flawless: Laura carried her essentials in a tiny black cross-body bag as she made her arrival for the celebration

Pretty: The star also posed up a storm among a lush green setting inside the hotel, as she displayed her trim figure in the chic dress

Dressed to impress: Laura looked effortlessly chic as she arrived for the hotel anniversary celebration

Laura and Iain's romantic trip away comes after The Sun revealed they were preparing buy a house together after a year of dating, hinting their relationship was becoming more serious.

A source told the publication: 'Because of their busy jobs they don't get to spend a lot of time together but this will mean they will see a lot more of each other.

'They are very steady as a couple and it is the natural next step.'

The couple met in 2016 but things did not heat up between the two until the following summer when Iain gushed about his girlfriend in March last year.

Revealing: The star's outing came after she took to Instagram to share a daring post, as she went topless for a relaxing dip in the hot tub
Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas only had eyes for each other as they attended the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London 90th Anniversary on Tuesday evening.

The couple were inseparable as they made their way into the celebratory event, held in honour of the iconic Park Lane address and its nine decade milestone.

Sporting a distinctive floral print dress, Lucy, 27, commanded attention as they posed for photos on the red carpet shortly after arriving at Grosvenor House.

Smitten: Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas only had eyes for each other as they attended the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London 90th Anniversary on Tuesday evening

With noticeably a sheer hem and form-fitting design, the dress drew attention to the self-confessed gym fanatic's slender physique.

The former TOWIE star added to her look with a pair of on-trend leopard print heels, while gold hoop earrings and a black leather handbag proved to be her only notable accessories.

Evidently in high spirits, the brunette offered a beaming smile as she posed for photos before joining guests including Georgia Toffolo, Victoria Pendleton and Donna Air.

Looking good: Sporting a distinctive floral print dress, Lucy, 27, commanded attention as they posed for photos on the red carpet shortly after arriving at Grosvenor House

Smart: Joining his girlfriend, former Coronation Street star Ryan, 34, looked appropriately dapper in a check blue two-piece suit

Joining his girlfriend, former Coronation Street star Ryan, 34, looked appropriately dapper in a check blue two-piece suit.

The actor added to his ensemble with a powder blue dress shirt and red tie, while clear rimmed glasses rounded things off.

Lucy recently shared that she is keen to take the next step in her relationship with boyfriend of two years Ryan by becoming engaged.

Upbeat: Evidently in high spirits, the brunette offered a beaming smile as she posed for photos

Blooming lovely: With noticeably a sheer hem and form-fitting design, the dress drew attention to self-confessed gym fanatic Lucy's slender physique

In an interview with OK! magazine in late 2018, Ryan said: 'Shes always dropping hints about what she wants to happen. I think Lucy wants me to propose next year!'

Lucy added: 'Youd better get saving because I want a really heavy left hand!

'I wouldnt waste my time with someone if I didnt believe we were on the same page about children and getting married. I know we both want the same things in the future.'
Dakota Johnson was dressed casually for a business meeting In Los Angeles' Studio City neighborhood on Monday.

The 29-year-old actress donned black boots, light denim jeans and an oversized sweater for a California comfy look.

This comes after the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson was seen dining with her boyfriend Chris Martin's ex wife Gwyneth Paltrow in LA.

California comfy: Dakota Johnson donned black boots, light denim jeans and an oversized comfy sweater for a business meeting in Studio City April 29

The Fifty Shades Of Grey star kept things simple with a brown hobo bag and sunglasses as her only accessories.

She wore her long brown hair down in loose waves and rocked her usual fringe bangs.

Dakota and Chris are coming off a security incident that lead to them filing a restraining order.

A woman had reportedly visited the Coldplay frontman's property a number of times, leaving notes about death and suicide inside the gates of his Malibu home.

Fifty shades of comfy: The actress kept things simple with a brown hobo bag and sunglasses as her only accessories.

'He said he was afraid, which is very uncommon for Mr Martin,' Chris's head of security, Terry Abbott, told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas on Monday.

Martin filed a restraining order against the woman, who he said had 'delusions' that she was dating the rock star.

But the bad blood doesn't seem to be affecting the couple outside of the stalker.

Consciously co-mingling: Gwyneth Paltrow, 46, was spotted out at a swanky dinner Monday night with her arm around Dakota Johnson, 29, the girlfriend of her ex-husband Chris Martin

So many fun people there: Paltrow brought her husband Brad Falchuk and Neil Patrick Harris was seen with his spouse

Johnson recently joined her beau's ex Paltrow for a friend's celebratory dinner.

During the swanky dinner Monday night in LA, Gwyneth put her arm around Dakota for a photo that said 'all good here!'

Martin did not appear to be attendance at the birthday event for Derek Blasberg.

Johnson's next movie is The Friend which will come out in 2020.

She works with Jason Segel and Gwendoline Christie in the film directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite.
She rose to fame in the all-singing, all-dancing US girl group, The Pussycat Dolls.

And Ashley Roberts looked sensational as she attended the Jourdan Dunn x Maybelline party in London on Tuesday night.

The former Strictly star, 37, wowed in a perilously plunging black jumpsuit with chic eighties-inspired shoulder pads.

Fierce: Ashley Roberts, 37, looked sensational as she attended the Jourdan Dunn x Maybelline party in London on Tuesday night

Ashley looked incredible as she showed off her dance-honed physique in the daringly low-cut number.

The star added to the stylish look as she scraped half of her blonde locks into a high bun.

Fussing over her tresses to make sure it looked perfect, Ashley looked in her element as she posed away.

Ashley is in a relationship with Giovanni Pernice and the pair have been inseparable since striking up a romance after the 2018 series of Strictly wrapped.

Mane attraction: Fussing over her tresses to make sure it looked perfect, Ashley looked in her element as she posed away

While rumours swirled about the pair during the live shows, it wasn't until the series ended in December did the good looking pair confirm they were an item.

Just weeks after the series wrapped, Giovanni joined Ashley for Christmas in Miami.

Speaking to Weekend Magazine in January, Ashley insisted their romance was in the early days, explaining: 'It's just starting now! This is when it's starting, but it's still early days!'

In good condition: The star added to the stylish look as she scraped half of her blonde locks into a high bun

Wow: Ashley looked incredible as she showed off her dance-honed physique in the daringly low-cut number

'Yes we are seeing each other. And now the show is done we can spend a bit more time together.

We're getting to know each other, and it's nice,' she concluded.

The 2018 series of Strictly sparked another romance as it was confirmed a week ago that winner Stacey Dooley is dating her professional partner Kevin Clifton, after splitting from her boyfriend of three years.

Personal: Ashley is in a relationship with Giovanni Pernice and the pair have been inseparable since striking up a romance after the 2018 series of Strictly (Pictured with Vanessa White)




Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth showed up for lunch duty at Byron Bay Public School just hours after a mother allegedly attacked one of the teachers.

Karina Fatima Sbaraini, 31, has been charged after allegedly stabbing Zane Vockler, 28, in the face and arm at the primary school on Kingsley Street at about 7am on Tuesday.

Coincidentally, later that day Hemsworth, 35, and his actress wife Elsa Pataky, who live locally, arrived with boxes of sushi rolls to help out at the cafeteria.

Incident: Zane Vockler (pictured left with his partner Ashleigh Blake) was allegedly stabbed in the face and arm at Byron Bay Public School on Kingsley Street at about 7am on Tuesday

Alleged attack: Mr Vockler has been described as a 'gentle and caring' teacher. He has undergone surgery after suffering stab wounds on Tuesday morning

Police allege that Sbaraini and Mr Vockler were 'speaking on the premises before she approached him with what's believed to be a pair of scissors'.

Sbaraini fled the scene after the alleged attack, but was later arrested at her home on Beachside Drive in Suffolk Park at about 10.30am.

She was found crouching in her backyard when police arrived and questioned for hours before being taken to the station

Later that day, she was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and trespassing.

She was refused bail and will face Tweed Heads Local Court on Wednesday.

Pictured: Karina Fatima Sbaraini, who has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and trespassing

Mr Vockler, who has been described as a 'gentle and caring' teacher, was initially taken to a local hospital before being transferred to Tweed Hospital for surgery. He is in a stable condition.

The school was placed in lockdown from 7.20am to 11am but police said there was no ongoing danger to students as it was a targeted attack.

'There was never any stage where students were at risk. It seems to be very isolated and not an ongoing or common problem,' Inspector Chad Deegenaars said.

Later that day Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky, who live in Byron Bay, arrived with boxes of sushi rolls to help out at the school canteen

Having a laugh: Footage shared to Instagram showed Hemsworth and Pataky inside the canteen preparing food with other parents

Hemsworth and Pataky (left) live locally with their three young children

Pictured: Byron Bay Public School on Kingsley Street (pictured)

Allegations: Police allege Karina Fatima Sbaraini and Mr Vockler were 'speaking on the premises before she approached him with what's believed to be a pair of scissors'

One parent wrote on Facebook that their child had seen a 'pool of blood' on the ground near the school's library.

Another local said it was sad to hear about the attack on the first day back at school after the holiday break.

'The most lovely teacher,' they wrote on Facebook. 'So undeserving of this. May his recovery and healing be swift.'

Another person posted: '[He's] a great teacher and a gentle and caring soul.'

Arrest: Sbaraini is accused of fleeing the scene after the alleged attack, but was later arrested at a home on Beach Side Drive, Suffolk Park at about 10.30am

In footage shared to Instagram just hours after the alleged incident, Hemsworth and Pataky were seen carrying food into the school before helping out at the canteen.

Pataky, who shares three children with the Avengers: Endgame star, captioned one of the clips: 'Another dad to help in the canteen today!'

Another video showed them inside the canteen preparing food with the other parents.

At one stage, Chris said, 'I've got a bigger pile than you', and gestured towards a mound of sushi rolls wrapped in paper on the table in front of him.

He then started rolling out more sushi servings while singing happily, 'Roll, roll, roll your boat!'

The other volunteer parents smiled and told Chris he didn't do 'too bad', to which he replied: 'Too bad? We dominated! Dominated!'
Bahrain's King Hamad urged authorities to take into account "the nature of crimes committed"

Bahrain's king Sunday ordered the citizenship of 551 Bahrainis to be restored, after his country was harshly criticised by the UN and rights groups for revoking people's nationalities.

"His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has issued an order, reinstating the citizenship of 551 convicts whose nationality had been revoked as per court rulings," state-run Bahrain News Agency reported.

US ally Bahrain has been gripped by bouts of unrest since 2011, when authorities cracked down on Shiite-led protests demanding political reform.

Since then, hundreds of protesters have been jailed and those convicted of terrorism offences have been stripped of their nationality.

Bahrain has accused Iran of training and backing demonstrators in order to topple the government, charges Tehran denies.

BNA news agency said King Hamad, who can reverse court decisions, requested that the competent authorities take into account "the nature of crimes committed".

He has instructed the interior ministry to examine each case and prepare a list of those whose nationalities can be reinstated.

Human rights groups estimate that 990 mainly Shiite people have had their citizenship revoked since the start of judicial proceedings in 2012 against those who took part in the protests.

Ruled for more than two centuries by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, Bahrain has a majority Shiite Muslim population, according to unofficial estimates contested by the government.

Sunday's decision comes after a Bahraini court on Tuesday sentenced 138 people to prison terms and revoked their citizenship, at the end of a mass trial denounced by rights group Amnesty International.

Those convicted -- Shiite Bahraini citizens, according to a judicial source -- belonged to a group of 169 people accused of forming a "terror" group with links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

- 'Serious concerns' -

Bahrainis take part in a protest against the revocation of the citizenship of top Bahraini Shiite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim, on June 20, 2016 in the village of Diraz, west of Manama

This was the biggest group of people to have been convicted and to have lost their citizenship as a result of a single trial since 2012, according to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday expressed alarm about the court's decision.

"Tuesday's convictions give rise to serious concerns about the application of the law, particularly through a mass trial that reportedly lacked the procedural safeguards necessary to ensure a fair trial," rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.

"Deprevation of nationality must not be arbitrary, especially on discriminatory grounds," she said, stressing that "arbitrary deprivation of nationality places the individuals concerned and their family members in a situation of increased vulnerability to human rights violations."

Bahraini authorities have repeatedly denied taking discriminatory measures against citizens of the kingdom, and say they are facing violence from Iran-backed groups despite denials from Tehran of any involvement.

Since 2011 all opposition groups have been banned and disbanded.

In January, Bahrain's supreme court upheld a life term against Sheikh Ali Salman, the head of the main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq, for allegedly spying for rival Qatar.

Prominent rights defender Nabeel Rajab in December lost his final appeal against a five-year jail term for writing tweets deemed offensive to the state.

And last year King Hamad signed off on a decree allowing military courts to try civilians accused of "terrorism".
President Donald Trump has staked his presidency on his insistence that the United States is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers

US President Donald Trump has directed his administration to charge fees for asylum claims and handle cases within 180 days, the White House said in a statement Monday night.

The announcement came as Trump blasted what he described as the United States' "weak, ineffective and dangerous" immigration laws on Twitter.

The memo outlined other changes including charging asylum seekers to file work permit applications, and barring people who enter the US illegally -- or attempt to -- from receiving temporary work permits before being approved for relief.

It also directed officials to revoke the work permits of immigrants who receive final deportation orders.

The order came two weeks after Attorney General Bill Barr directed immigration judges to no longer allow asylum seekers apprehended after entering the country illegally to post bail, according the US media reports.

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 barriers 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 billions of dollars in funding for his controversial wall project, and has also deployed troops to the border with Mexico.
In addition to the Namazis, at least four US citizens are currently detained in Iran on security grounds.

An Iranian-American serving a ten-year sentence for spying will request conditional release due to a change of Tehran's prosecutor, his lawyer said, quoted by state media Tuesday.

Dual national Siamak Namazi was convicted in October 2016 of "espionage and collaboration with the American government".

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison along with his 80-year-old father Baquer, a former official for the UN's agency for children, UNICEF.

Siamak Namazi has now served four years of his sentence, having been jailed ahead of his conviction.

"Given the time he has already served in prison, based on the law Siamak Namazi should be eligible for conditional release," lawyer Mehrdad Ghorbani told Iranian news agency IRNA.

Siamak Namazi has not been granted a single day out of prison in his four years behind bars, Ghorbani said, adding that his father Baquer is undergoing medical treatment outside prison due to illness and old age.

"Since the supreme court had rejected our request for a re-trial we were not hopeful that a conditional release request would be accepted. But now we will put in the request as the Tehran prosecutor has been replaced," he added.

Outgoing prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi was appointed during mass protests in 2009 against the disputed re-election of ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He was replaced Monday by Ali Alghasi-Mehr, the former prosecutor of Fars province.

In addition to the Namazis, at least four US citizens are currently detained in Iran on security grounds.

One is Chinese-American Xiyue Wang, a Princeton University researcher, who is serving a 10-year sentence for espionage.

And Michael White, 46, was last month sentenced to 10 years for insulting the country's supreme leader and posting a private picture, according to his lawyer.

Relations between Iran and the US deteriorated sharply last year when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a multilateral accord on Iran's nuclear programme and re-imposed sweeping sanctions.
Photo: CBS News

The FBI said it got tips about a social media post threatening violence against Jews just minutes before a gunman killed a worshipper and wounded three others at a Southern California synagogue  an attack that makes him "part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries," the suspect's family said Monday.

The tips to an FBI website and hotline included a link to the anonymous post but did not offer specific information about its author or the location of the threat. The bureau said employees immediately tried to determine who wrote it, but the shooting occurred before they could establish his identity.

John T. Earnest, 19, was charged with murder and attempted murder in Saturday's attack as well as arson in connection with a nearby mosque fire last month. He was expected in court Tuesday.

His parents said their son and five siblings were raised in a family that "rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do." They said they were shocked and mystified.

"Our son's actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold," the family said in its first public comments.

They said they were co-operating with investigators to help "uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act." They do not plan to provide their son with legal representation, according to their attorney, Earll Potts. A public defender will likely be appointed.

Earnest burst into the Chabad of Poway synagogue Saturday on the last day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday that celebrates freedom, and opened fire with an assault-style rifle on the crowd of about 100.

Lori Kaye, a founding member of the congregation, was killed. Rabbi Yishoel Goldstein was shot in the hand, while Noya Dahan, 8, and her uncle Almog Peretz suffered shrapnel wounds.

Kaye, 60, was remembered for her kindness Monday at a memorial service at the packed synagogue in Poway, a well-to-do suburb north of San Diego.

Earnest fled when the gun jammed, calling 911 to report the shooting and surrendering a short time later, authorities said.

He was a star scholar, athlete and pianist whose embrace of white supremacy and anti-Semitism has dumbfounded the people closest to him.

Earnest made the dean's list both semesters last year as a nursing student at California State University, San Marcos. In high school, he had stellar grades and swam on the varsity team.

His father, John A. Earnest, is a popular physics teacher at the public high school he attended in San Diego.

Owen Cruise, 20, saw the younger Earnest every day during senior year at Mt. Carmel High School, when they were in calculus and physics together. They were also members of the school's amateur radio club.

Earnest was a nationally recognized pianist who brought audiences to their feet when he played at talent shows, Cruise said. He did a rendition of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and played Chopin and Beethoven.

"Crowds would be cheering his name," Cruise said Monday. "Everybody loved him."

Earnest showed no signs of harbouring dark thoughts or racist views, Cruise said, adding that he had friends who were Jewish and black.

"He was very close to his dad," Cruise said. "He always hung out in his classroom, came to see him at lunch. He always seemed like a nice guy. ... He didn't seem like the type of person who would go off the deep end."
Guinea's President Alpha Conde (C, pictured Aril 25, 2019) became the first freely-elected president in the country's history in 2010 and was re-elected five years later

Supporters and opponents of a third presidential term for Guinea's Alpha Conde clashed Tuesday, with several hurt and others arrested, witnesses said.

Conde, 81, became the first freely-elected president in Guinea's history in 2010 and was re-elected five years later.

Although Guinea has a two-term ceiling, he has repeatedly questioned the relevance of presidential term limits and has been criticised for the use of deadly force to crush protests.

In the town of Kankan in east Guinea, protesters shouted slogans such as "Don't touch my constitution", witnesses told AFP by telephone.

Supporters of the president attempted to block the protesters' route, and clashes broke out, leaving several injured on both sides, opposition member Mory Kourouma told AFP.

Conde supporters also threw stones and opponents gathered in a hall, said Kourouma.

"At least six opponents were injured and at least 12... arrested and taken to unknown destinations."

A medical source confirmed six people were treated for injuries at a hospital in Kankan.

In the town of Sangaredi, in western Guinea, young women "armed with stones and clubs" marched to express their opposition to a third term from 2020, a security source said.

Police used tear gas to try and disperse the group, but without success.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) - Slovakia's Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a request by the country's prosecutor general to ban a far-right party that has 14 seats in the country's parliament.

In his request filed two years ago, Jaromir Ciznar said the far-right People's Party Our Slovakia is an extremist group whose activities violate the country's constitution and its goal is to destroy the country's democratic system.

But the court ruled the prosecutor general failed to provide enough evidence for the ban.

The verdict is final.

"The ruling has clearly showed that our party is legitimate and democratic," party chairman Marian Kotleba said on Monday. He said it was "a political trial."

The prosecutor's office didn't immediately comment.

Marian Kotleba, center, chairman of the far right People's Party Our Slovakia, walks to the Supreme Court in Bratislava, Slovakia, Monday, April 29, 2019. The Supreme Court is considering a request from the Prosecutor General to ban Marian Kotleba's parliamentary far-right party. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Kotleba's supporters applauded in the court room while the opponents unveiled a banner in front of the court that read "Stop Fascism."

The party openly admires the Nazi puppet state that the country was during World War II. Party members use Nazi salutes, blame Roma for crime in deprived areas, consider NATO a terror group and want the country out of the alliance and the European Union.

If granted, it would have been the first ban on a parliamentary party.

There is a precedent, though. In 2006, the same court banned a predecessor of People's Party, the neo-Nazi Slovak Togetherness-National Party, also led by Kotleba.

It was a fringe political group then. Today, the popularity of Kotleba's group is on the rise. Some recent polls suggested it's the second most popular political party in the country. Kotleba finished fourth in the first round of Slovakia's presidential election last month.

Its simple slogan - "With courage against the system!" - attracts young people fed up with corruption and the inability of mainstream parties to deal effectively with the post-communist country's problems.

In contrast to most of Europe's far-right groups, analysts say it's truly neo-Nazi because it advocates the legacy of the Slovak Nazi war state.

It celebrates Jozef Tiso, a Catholic priest and politician who was Slovakia's war president. During his rule, some 60,000 Slovak Jews were transported to Nazi death camps. He was sentenced to death and hanged in 1947.

Kotleba's party made news by launching patrols on trains in 2016 in a reaction to a robbery blamed on a member of the Roma minority. Parliament outlawed them.

The party "unequivocally aims at the removal of the current (political) system," said Ivan Minar, one of the prosecutors representing the prosecutor general at the trial. "Democracy has a right, and also a duty to defend itself," he said.

But Judge Jana Zemkova said the prosecutors' arguments were not "legally relevant," and "lacked evidence" for such a serious decision as a ban.

"It's certainly a boost for the party,"said Grigorij Meseznikov, an analyst. "The Supreme Court proved them right to claim they're a standard part of the political system."

The party stands a good chance of winning seats in next month's European Parliament elections.

Marian Kotleba chairman of the far right People's Party Our Slovakia, walks to the Supreme Court in Bratislava, Slovakia, Monday, April 29, 2019. The Supreme Court is considering a request from the Prosecutor General to ban Marian Kotleba's parliamentary far-right party. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Marian Kotleba chairman of the far right People's Party Our Slovakia, arrives at the Supreme Court in Bratislava, Slovakia, Monday, April 29, 2019. The Supreme Court is considering a request from the Prosecutor General to ban Marian Kotleba's parliamentary far-right party. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Protesters hold a banner outside the Supreme Court in Bratislava, Slovakia, Monday, April 29, 2019. The Supreme Court is considering a request from the Prosecutor General to ban parliamentary far-right party People's Party Our Slovakia. The banner reads: "Stop Fascism". (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Marian Kotleba chairman of the far right People's Party Our Slovakia, arrives at the Supreme Court in Bratislava, Slovakia, Monday, April 29, 2019. The Supreme Court is considering a request from the Prosecutor General to ban Marian Kotleba's parliamentary far-right party. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
The CEO of Boeing defended the company's safety record and declined to take any more than partial blame for two deadly crashes of its best-selling plane even while saying Monday that the company has nearly finished an update that "will make the airplane even safer."

Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg took reporters' questions for the first time since accidents involving the Boeing 737 Max in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people and plunged Boeing into its deepest crisis in years.

Muilenburg said that Boeing followed the same design and certification process it has always used to build safe planes, and he denied that the Max was rushed to market.

"As in most accidents, there are a chain of events that occurred," he said, referring to the Lion Air crash on Oct. 29 and the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Max. "It's not correct to attribute that to any single item."

The CEO said Boeing provided steps that should be taken in response to problems like those encountered by pilots of the planes that crashed. "In some cases those procedures were not completely followed," he said.

The news conference, held after Boeing's annual meeting in Chicago, came as new questions have arisen around the Max, which has been grounded worldwide since mid-March.

Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg speaks during a news conference after the company's annual shareholders meeting at the Field Museum in Chicago, on Monday, April 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Young, Pool)

Southwest Airlines said over the weekend that Boeing did not disclose that a feature on the 737 - an indicator to warn pilots about the kind of sensor failures that occurred in both accidents - was turned off on the Max. Southwest said it found out only after the first crash of the Lion Air Max. Boeing said the feature only worked if airlines bought a related one that's optional, and in any case the plane could fly safely without it.

Separately, published reports said that federal regulators and congressional investigators are examining safety allegations relating to the Max that were raised by about a dozen purported whistleblowers.

The Boeing event occurred on the same day that the Federal Aviation Administration convened a week-long meeting in Seattle of aviation regulators from around the world to review the FAA's certification of MCAS, a key flight-control system on the Max.

A spokesman said the FAA will share its technical knowledge with other regulators, but their approval is not needed before the plane resumes flying in the U.S.

Boeing has conceded that in both accidents, MCAS was triggered by faulty readings from a single sensor and pushed the planes' noses down. Pilots were unable to control the planes although the Ethiopian Airlines crew followed some of the steps that Boeing recommended to recover.

Muilenburg told shareholders that Boeing is close to completing an upgrade to flight software on the Max "that will ensure accidents like these never happen again."

In the brief news conference that followed, Muilenburg took six questions from reporters, including whether he will resign - he has no intention of doing that - and left as reporters persisted, including one who pointed to the deaths of 346 people and urged the CEO to take more questions.

Besides the software update, Boeing will present the FAA with a plan for training pilots on changes to MCAS. The company is pushing for training that can be done on tablet computers and, if airlines want to offer it, additional time in flight simulators when pilots are due for periodic retraining.

A requirement for training in simulators would further delay the return of the Max because of relatively small number of flight simulators.

The union for American Airlines pilots wants mandatory additional training including, at a minimum, video demonstrations showing pilots how to respond to failures of systems on the plane. Dennis Tajer, a 737 pilot and union spokesman, said Boeing and the FAA must require more training rather than leaving the option to airlines.

"Not every pilot that goes out there and flies is a Boeing test pilot," Tajer said. "If something happens anywhere in the world, it affects all of us."

During the one-hour annual meeting, shareholders elected all 13 company-backed board nominees, including newcomer Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who lobbied for a Boeing plant there, and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Several shareholder resolutions were defeated, including one to name an independent chairman whenever possible instead of letting the CEO hold both jobs. It got 34% support.

A chairman-CEO "is not always a bad thing, but at times of crisis it's hardly ever a good idea," said Matt Brubaker, CEO of business-strategy consultant FMG Leading, who was not involved in the debate. "The place they are in now, they need the scrutiny of an inwardly focused CEO to drive change."

Muilenburg opened Monday's meeting with a moment of silence for victims of the two crashes. Later that day, lawyers for two Canadian families who lost relatives in the Ethiopian Airlines crash filed the latest in a growing number of lawsuits against Boeing, claiming the plane maker was negligent about safety.

Hiral Vaidya, whose in-laws and four other family members died in the crash, said there were no remains left to cremate.

"We have no closure, we have no peace, we have no answer," she said, fighting back tears.

___

David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter

Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg speaks at the Boeing Annual General Meeting in Chicago, Monday, April 29, 2019. (John Gress/Reuters via AP, Pool)

Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg speaks during the company's annual shareholders meeting at the Field Museum in Chicago, Monday, April 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Young, Pool)

The Boeing board of directors including Nikki Haley, right, and Caroline Kennedy, third from right, are announced by Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg at the Boeing Annual General Meeting in Chicago, Monday, April 29, 2019. (John Gress/Pool Photo via AP)

Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg speaks during their annual shareholders meeting at the Field Museum in Chicago, Monday, April 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Young, Pool)

Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg speaks during their annual shareholders meeting at the Field Museum in Chicago, Monday, April 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Young, Pool)
NEW YORK (AP) - From lunch with a civil rights leader in Harlem to meetings at a historically black university in South Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is making a new, concerted effort to appeal to African American voters and put behind him criticism of his record on race.

His main strategy: Talk less, listen more.

"I know what I believe, I know what my values are, I've got policy ideas," the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana said. "But I know I've got a lot to learn and I'm ready to make sure I'm understanding the concerns that are top of mind for the different audiences I speak to, to make sure what I have to say rhymes with what they're most concerned about."

The approach is aimed at addressing one of the biggest questions about Buttigieg's upstart campaign : Can he win over black voters who are key to a Democratic victory in 2020?

As he's risen to the top tier of candidates in the crowded 2020 field , the growing crowds at Buttigieg's events have been overwhelmingly white. That included rallies with hundreds of people in South Carolina, where black people make up the majority of Democratic voters, and at his campaign launch in South Bend, a community of roughly 100,000 people that's about 27% black and 13% Hispanic.

Buttigieg also has faced growing scrutiny of his record leading the city since 2011. Critics, including many residents, have blasted him for firing the city's first black police chief shortly after taking office, for prioritizing South Bend's downtown over its neighborhoods and for issues of housing, crime and inequality.

In this April 29, 2019, photo, Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg, from South Bend, Ind.,, listens during a lunch meeting with civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton at Sylvia's Restaurant in Harlem neighborhood of New York. Buttigieg is making a new, concerted effort to appeal to African American voters and put behind him criticism of his record on race. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, Pool)

Buttigieg said Monday his campaign is now "working to broaden our coalition."

He had lunch at the iconic soul food restaurant Sylvia's with the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights leader, who encouraged him "to engage with people who may not find their way to me who I need to go out and find my way in front of," Buttigieg said.

He'll spend May 5 and 6 in South Carolina, where he'll meet with African American leaders in Charleston and participate in a round-table discussion at South Carolina State University, the state's only public, historically black university. A stop also is planned at a conference of clergy focused on equity and justice in Columbia. Buttigieg's campaign says he won't have a speaking role.

South Bend resident Bobbie Woods, whose son was shot and killed in 2003, was part of an anti-violence group Buttigieg created early in his first term in response to the rising number of murders in the city. Like many other black residents, her opinion of the mayor is mixed.

The anti-violence initiative, which included face-to-face meetings between victims and inmates, gave offenders second chances but didn't do enough to help families and neighborhoods dealing with the trauma of violence, and who feel forgotten, she said. The revitalization of downtown was good for the city but needs to be extended to black neighborhoods as well.

But the biggest lingering issue has been the firing of the police chief, whom Buttigieg said was under federal investigation for improperly recording several white officers' phone conversations. A police employee who heard the tapes described them as including "discriminatory racial comments."

"You had some people really angry about that, and who are still angry," Woods said of the firing. "I don't know if he can say enough or do enough to ever justify that."

How does Woods think Buttigieg would do as president?

"I think he will have good intentions," she said. "Will he be able to make those come to pass is a good question."

Solomon Anderson, a banker from South Bend, said he didn't like what happened with the police chief but he likes what Buttigieg is doing with his hometown, and he believes the mayor has learned from his mistakes. He's leaning toward supporting Buttigieg in 2020, but still wants to hear more from him, as well as some other candidates.

"Irrespective of who's in office, no one is going to be everything to everybody," Anderson said. "I like how the city has moved forward. We're turning the page on a new era."

Buttigieg also has had to explain his use of the phrase "all lives matter" in the early days of the Black Lives Matter movement. He said at a meeting of Sharpton's National Action Network that he meant to show solidarity with the movement. He said he stopped using it when he realized it was seen by some as minimizing black people's specific grievances, and that some who opposed the Black Lives Matter movement used it to antagonize supporters.

Charlene Carruthers, an activist from Chicago who helped form Black Youth Project 100, said she's troubled by Buttigieg's focus on data when making political decisions, including the signature project of his first years in office: Fixing or demolishing 1,000 vacant and abandoned properties in his first 1,000 days as mayor.

Buttigieg says the large number of vacant and abandoned homes was the main issue he heard from voters as he campaigned. But critics have said the process, particularly early on, was too aggressive and displaced some property owners who didn't have the money to quickly fix the homes.

"This is a politician who's driven by data. When I hear that . that automatically, for me, sends a red flag that they may not actually look at the people and the systemic issues that underlie the data," Carruthers said. "Being president of the United States and being mayor of a small-sized city, the impact is exponentially greater. Frankly, our people can't afford to deal with more mistakes from elected officials."

Buttigieg said he learned early on in his political career that "having good intentions is not enough and that things don't look the same depending on your life experience."

He said racial justice and quality are important to him, and he believes his easy re-election to a second term "was the result of a lot of listening, learning and willingness to adjust on things."

Buttigieg says he will speak in South Carolina about his agenda for America as a whole and black Americans in particular, ranging from home ownership to health, criminal justice reform and voting rights.

"But I'm also there to listen, especially in this relatively early stage," he said.

___

Burnett reported from Chicago. Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard contributed to this report from Columbia, South Carolina.

Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg, from South Bend, Indiana, listens during a lunch meeting with civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton at Sylvia's Restaurant in Harlem neighborhood of New York, Monday, April 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, Pool)
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Archaeologists in Mexico announced Tuesday they have found a Spanish anchor off the Gulf coast of Veracruz that dates to around the time of the Spanish conquest.

The anchor was found at a site north of the current city of Veracruz, near where Hernan Cortes intentionally sank 10 of his ships in 1519 to prevent his troops from deserting.

Cortes landed in Veracruz 500 years ago, in April 1519. By August 1521 he had defeated the Aztec empire.

The National Institute of Anthropology and History said the anchor hasn't been proven to be from Cortes' ships, but the search for evidence continues.

Another Spanish expedition came to the area just after Cortes, so the anchor could have been from those ships.

The institute said Tuesday the anchor's wooden crosspiece was still intact, which allowed it to be dated to a tree that grew between 1450 and 1530. The wood was identified as a type of oak that grows in northern Spain.

Mexico has struggled with how to mark the 500th anniversary of the conquest, which resulted in the death of a large part of the country's pre-Hispanic population.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has demanded an apology from Spain for the conquest
By Shri Navaratnam and Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, April 30 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan officials said on Tuesday security forces were maintaining a high level of alert after intelligence reports that Islamist militants were planning fresh attacks before the start of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan.

The head of the police ministerial security division had said in a letter to lawmakers and other officials that attacks were expected on Sunday or Monday by militants dressed in army uniform.

There were no attacks on Sunday and Monday but security across Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka remains ramped up, with scores of suspected Islamists arrested since the April 21 attacks on hotels and churches that killed more than 250 people, including 42 foreign nationals.

"Security will stay tight for several days because military and police are still tracking down suspects," a senior police intelligence official said on Tuesday.

Another government source told Reuters a document has been circulated among key security establishments instructing all police and security forces across the Indian Ocean island nation to remain on high alert because the militants were expected to try a strike before Ramadan.

Ramadan is scheduled to begin in Sri Lanka on May 6.

The government has also banned women from wearing face veils under an emergency law that was put in place after the Easter Sunday attacks.

Authorities suspect members of two previously little-known groups - National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim - of carrying out the attacks, although the Islamic State extremist group has claimed responsibility.

Authorities believe Zahran Hashim, the founder of NTJ, was the mastermind and one of the nine suicide bombers.

In India, police said they had arrested a 29-year-old man in the southern state of Kerala, close to Sri Lanka, for planning similar attacks there. The man had been influenced by speeches made by Zahran, the government's National Investigation Agency said in a statement. (Reporting by Ranga Srilal and Shri Navaratnam Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan Editing by Paul Tait)
BUCHAREST, April 30 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Tuesday.

MARKETS

Romanian markets resume trading after the Orthodox Easter break.

BUDGET DATA

The finance ministry may release consolidated budget balance data for the first quarter.

DEBT PLANS

Romania's finance ministry plans to sell 4.08 billion lei ($956.20 million) worth of leu currency bills and bonds in May, including 480 million lei at non-competitive tenders.

CEE MARKETS

Czech stocks regained some ground late on Monday after Prime Minister Andrej Babis clarified he did not support a possible measure to introduce a new tax on banks and telecoms.

MONEY SUPPLY

Romanian M3 money supply rose by 9.0 percent on the year to 383.06 billion lei ($89.77 billion) in March, but fell 0.5 percent on the month, central bank data showed.

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 ------------------------------------------------------ ($1 = 4.2619 lei)
MAPUTO, April 30 (Reuters) - Aid workers in northern Mozambique scrambled planes and helicopters packed with aid to communities cut off, sometimes without any supplies, for at least two days after Cyclone Kenneth brought torrential rain to the region.

Kenneth slammed into Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province on Thursday, killing at least 38 people, flattening entire villages and bringing relentless downpours that grounded aid operations and turned streets in the port city of Pemba to rivers.

More rain was expected on Tuesday, and aid workers raced to mobilize before it started again.

A light plane was on its way to Matemo island with medical supplies while a helicopter was moving food and health provisions to the mainland district of Quissanga, the United Nations (U.N.) said via WhatsApp and on Twitter.

After Quissanga, the World Food Programme (WFP) was planning to travel to the island of Ibo, where up to 90 percent of homes were flattened, Deborah Nguyen, WFP spokeswoman, said.

Kenneth, packing storm surges and winds of up to 280 km per hour, devastated villages and islands along a 60-kilometer stretch of coastline in Mozambique's north. Nearly 35,000 houses have been completely or partially destroyed, the government said, with infrastructure and crops also wrecked.

The death toll is expected to rise further as officials make their way to areas that have not yet been reached. Kenneth has dumped more than 570 millimeters of rain in Pemba and is forecast to bring more.

It struck just six weeks after Cyclone Idai destroyed the port city of Beira, further south, and brought deadly floods, submerging entire villages, vast swathes of land and 700,000 hectares of crops. It killed over 1,000 people across Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Kenneth has caused the Megaruma river to overflow, prompting flooding in the district of Mecufi, south of Pemba, and five villages, the National Directorate of Water Resources Management said. Water levels in a number of rivers in the north are still climbing.

Rivers in their region are expected to hit their "flood peak" between Tuesday and Thursday, analysis commissioned by Britain's Department for International Development has estimated.

It also killed four people in the Comoros before smashing into Mozambique, marking the first time on record two powerful storms had hit the country in such a short space of time. (Reporting by Emma Rumney in Johannesburg and Manuel Mucari in Maputo; Writing by Emma Rumney, editing by Ed Osmond)
By David Lague and Benjamin Kang Lim

TAIPEI, April 30 (Reuters) - One of China's greatest fears is the threat of blockade from the United States and its allies in the event of a conflict or crisis, according to senior Chinese and Western military officials.

As the Chinese navy expands its operations into the Indian Ocean, it is also building the capability to protect the sea lanes that carry China's imports of vital oil and raw materials from the Middle East and Africa.

Flotillas of Chinese warships and submarines, often with air support, are also routinely deploying to the Western Pacific on training missions for combat at sea. In 2017, China sent ships to train with the Russian navy in the Baltic Sea.

Senior Chinese officials point to incidents in the past where the U.S. Navy has threatened China's merchant fleet. In 1993, the U.S. Navy stopped a Chinese container ship, the Yinhe, or Milky Way, in international waters and demanded to board and inspect the vessel, suspecting it was carrying chemical weapons materials bound for Iran.

After a three week standoff, the vessel docked at a port in Saudi Arabia, where American and Saudi inspectors found no chemical weapons materials. Washington refused to apologize on grounds that it had acted in good faith on intelligence.

"We cannot allow this to happen again," a source with ties to the leadership in Beijing told Reuters. "China needs a strong navy to protect its commercial ships."

China's two-way trade totalled $4.6 trillion in 2018, according to official Chinese trade statistics.

Since 2008, Beijing has deployed ships on 32 escort missions to the Gulf of Aden as part of international anti-piracy operations. In 2017, China opened its first foreign base, in Djibouti, to support its military operations in this region. Chinese warships and submarines are increasingly seen on other patrols in the Indian Ocean.

A navy with global reach also gives Beijing the capacity to deploy forces to protect its offshore investments and citizens working abroad. In 2015, the Chinese navy evacuated almost 600 Chinese nationals and more than 200 foreigners from Yemen's southern port of Aden amid fierce fighting.

(Reporting by David Lague and Benjamin Kang Lim. Edited by Peter Hirschberg.)
Photo: The Canadian Press Premier-designate Jason Kenney addresses the United Conservative caucus in Edmonton on Friday, April 26, 2019.

Former federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party are to officially take control of Alberta's government today.

Kenney is to become Alberta's 18th premier and his cabinet members are to be sworn in during a ceremony at Government House in Edmonton.

They are expected to get right to work with their first meeting immediately after.

It will be the formal end of the four-year NDP government under Premier Rachel Notley.

Kenney's UCP defeated the New Democrats in the provincial election April 16 when the party won 63 seats to the NDP's 24.

Notley has promised to stay on as Opposition leader and will have an experienced caucus that includes 12 former cabinet ministers.

A new session of the legislature is to begin later in May.

Kenney has promised his government's first piece of legislation will be to repeal a carbon tax the NDP brought in.

He has said that there will be a new department and minister tasked to working with stakeholders and other departments to cut administrative red tape by one-third over the next four years.
KHARTOUM, April 30 (Reuters) - Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) said on Tuesday it had accepted the resignations of three of its members.

The members, who resigned last week, include Lieutenant-General Omar Zain al-Abideen who headed the TMCs political committee. The other two are Lieutenant-General Jalal al-Deen al-Sheikh and Lieutenant-General Al-Tayeb Babakr Ali Fadeel.

The Sudanese Professionals' Association, the main protest organizer, had demanded that the three be dismissed, accusing them of involvement in a crackdown that killed dozens of protesters. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz Writing be Lena Masri Editing by Andrew Heavens)
By Niklas Pollard and Anna Ringstrom

STOCKHOLM, April 30 (Reuters) - Scandinavian airline SAS cancelled more than 500 flights scheduled for Wednesday, which will ground some 47,000 passengers, as a strike by pilots entered a fifth day with no sign of talks between management and unions.

More than 300,000 travellers have been hit by the stand-off over wages and other pilot demands which analysts estimate could cost SAS $10.5 million a day, threatening to wipe out the airline's annual profit.

SAS, which is part-owned by the Swedish and Danish governments, said that union demands entailed "significant cost increases" that would threaten competitiveness and jobs.

"SAS has clearly stated that we are prepared to continue negotiating and find a solution," SAS Chief Executive Rickard Gustafson said on Tuesday.

Pilots at the airline went out on strike on Friday as wage talks broke down, grounding around 70 percent of SAS flights.

The SAS Pilot Group, a union body representing 95 percent of the airline's pilots in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, has said the dispute concerns more than simply wages, pointing to demands for more predictable and transparent working hours.

"The unions have not yet indicated that they are ready to release their ultimate demands and return to the negotiating table, which means that we remain in a deadlock," Gustafson said in a statement from the airline.

STRIKE TAKES TOLL

As the strike dragged on, DNB Markets lowered its rating on SAS shares, sending them 3.9 percent lower by 1034 GMT, and estimated the strike could cost the airline as much as 100 million Swedish crowns ($10.5 million) per day.

DNB Markets lowered its rating to "hold" from "buy" after nearly halving its 2019 earnings per share estimate for SAS due to the strike and high fuel prices, and said it may cut estimates further unless the strike is ended by Wednesday.

"We believe investors will remain lukewarm as long as the earnings trend remains negative and as the pilots' strike puts the targeted 3 billion crown cost savings by 2020 in jeopardy," it said in a note.

The aviation industry's employer body in Sweden has said pilots sought a 13 percent wage hike despite what it called already high average wages of 93,000 Swedish crowns ($9,777 ) a month, demands it labelled as "extreme".

The SAS strike does not affect flights operated by its partners, which make up roughly 30 percent of all departures.

Rival Norwegian Air said separately it would add 35 extra flights from May 1-3 to meet additional demand during the SAS strike. ($1 = 9.5151 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Niklas Pollard and Anna Ringstrom, additional reporting by Johan Ahlander in Stockholm and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; editing by Ed Osmond and Alexander Smith)
TURIN, Italy, April 30 (Reuters) - A rescue plan by U.S. asset manager BlackRock for Carige would allow a fund financed by Italian lenders to take part in a cash call at the troubled Italian bank, the chief executive of Intesa Sanpaolo said.

CEO Carlo Messina said the BlackRock plan was consistent with a restructuring plan drawn up by Carige's temporary administrators which allowed the Italian banking fund to take a stake in the Genoa-based lender by converting a bond into equity.

Italian banks propped up Carige in November last year by buying - through a depositor guarantee fund - a 320 million euro hybrid bond needed to beef up Carige's total capital.

Speaking at Intesa's annual general meeting, Messina said Intesa indirectly held through the fund 25.3 percent of that bond. (Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro, writing by Valentina Za, editing by Maria Pia Quaglia)
By Alex Lawler

LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - OPEC oil supply hit a four-year low in April, a Reuters survey found, due to further involuntary declines in sanctions-hit Iran and Venezuela and output restraint by top exporter Saudi Arabia.

The 14-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 30.23 million barrels per day (bpd) this month, the survey showed, down 90,000 bpd from March and the lowest OPEC total since 2015, the Reuters survey showed.

The survey suggests that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are maintaining even larger supply cuts than called for by OPEC's latest deal, shrugging off pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to increase supply to lower oil prices.

Crude oil is trading above $73 a barrel and hit a six-month high above $75 last week, boosted by Saudi supply restraint and curbs in Venezuela and Iran, which face U.S. sanctions that are limiting their exports.

"The Iran sanctions come on top of already fragile supplies and raise concerns about tightening markets," Norbert Ruecker of Swiss bank Julius Baer said.

OPEC, Russia and other non-members, an alliance known as OPEC+, agreed in December to reduce supply by 1.2 million bpd from Jan. 1. OPEC's share of the cut is 800,000 bpd, to be delivered by 11 members - all except Iran, Libya and Venezuela.

In April, the 11 OPEC members bound by the agreement achieved 132 percent of pledged cuts, the survey found, compared to 145 percent in March, due to higher production in Nigeria and small increases in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

But lower supply in two of the exempt producers more than offset these gains, the survey found. Iran posted OPEC's biggest supply drop this month of 150,000 bpd.

Iran's crude exports dropped in April to their lowest daily level this year, suggesting buyers are curbing purchases before Washington clamps down further on Iranian shipments as expected next month.

In Venezuela, supply fell by 100,000 bpd due to the impact of U.S. sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and a long-term decline in production, according to the survey.

The latest OPEC+ deal came just months after the group agreed to pump more oil, which in turn partially unwound their original supply-limiting accord that took effect in 2017.

April's output is the lowest by OPEC since February 2015, excluding membership changes that have taken place since then, Reuters surveys show.

The Reuters poll aims to track supply to the market and is based on shipping data provided by external sources, Refinitiv Eikon flows data and information provided by sources at oil companies, OPEC and consulting firms. (Additional reporting by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Dale Hudson)
April 30 (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido is attempting to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro. In January he invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduro's re-election in 2018 was illegitimate.

On Tuesday Guaido made his strongest call yet to the military to help him, and violence broke out at anti-government protests as the country hit a new crisis point after years of political and economic chaos.

Following is a list of who supports whom in the OPEC member country's escalating crisis:

SUPPORTERS OF MADURO

* The top brass of Venezuela's military has shown no sign of leaving Maduro's side, although there have been some low-level defections. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Tuesday that the armed forces would continue to defend the constitution and "legitimate authorities" and that bases were operating as normal.

* Russia, a major investor in Venezuela's oil industry and lender of last resort, has stood by Maduro and criticized U.S. interference. The Kremlin has supplied weapons and sent nearly 100 military personnel to Caracas.

* China, also a significant creditor to the indebted government, has backed Maduro and in recent weeks offered help with medicine and the power supply after a series of blackouts.

* Turkey has repeatedly voiced support for Maduro and said Guaido's call for an uprising was a challenge to the constitutional order.

* Iran has voiced support for Maduro and criticized U.S. sanctions against his government. Earlier this month, a delegation visited the country to discuss opening a new flight route at a time when many airlines have stopped flying to Venezuela.

* The Venezuelan Supreme Court, stacked with Maduro loyalists, has remained solidly behind the socialist leader, ruling in January that all actions taken by the congress - led by Guaido - are null and void.

* State oil company PDVSA, which accounts for most of Venezuela's export earnings and is also led by Maduro appointees, has stood by the socialist president.

* Some left-leaning Latin American governments, including Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua, continue to back Maduro. Havana's support for Caracas led Washington to ratchet up sanctions against it.

* Mexico, where leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office last year, has dropped the previous government's opposition to Maduro and urged dialogue.

GUAIDO

* There are signs that Venezuelan military defections may be rising, with increasing numbers deserting and arriving in Colombia and Brazil.

* The United States recognized Guaido shortly after he assumed the interim presidency and has been one of his most vocal international supporters. The conservative administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed a raft of sanctions in an attempt to dislodge Maduro from power. Trump has refused to rule out military intervention but there is little apparent appetite in Washington for such a move.

* Brazil, South America's largest country and Venezuela's neighbor, has given its full backing to Guaido under new far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, describing Maduro as a dictator. The government says it has not considered military intervention.

* Most other major South American governments, led by centrist or right-leaning heads of state, have backed Guaido, including Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru.

* Britain, Germany, France and Spain and more than a dozen other members of the European Union recognized Guaido in a coordinated action in February. The EU has emphasized that it wants a political solution to the crisis rather than a military one.

(Compiled by Rosalba O'Brien and Caracas bureau; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
The mountaineering expedition team of the Indian Army has claimed that it spotted a few mysterious footprints  of the mythical creature, the Yeti  close to Nepals Makalu Base Camp.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019

Last checked, comic book hero Tintin had a brief interaction with Yeti when he was on a mission to save his young friend, Chang. Chang, however, had developed kind feelings for the Yeti who saved him in the icy mountains, following a terrible plane crash.

But, despite this charming and heart-warming backdrop, former J&K CM Omar Abdullah cracked a kill-joy joke on Twitter.

BJP must be working out how to fit this in to the rest of the campaign. https://t.co/myxvuPxCzv  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 30, 2019

There are similar snide remarks galore on social media which directly relate this incident of the Army showing proof of what could be the Yeti's footsteps with that of the Army apparently not showing Balakot attack proofs, etc. Also, there's much speculation on whether Yetis have only one foot or do they prefer catwalking perhaps, etc., etc.

But its a serious issue!

Theres a reason why the Yeti is referred to as a mythical beast.

There are frightening stories, interesting folklore, whimsical novels and intriguing movies on the Yeti that make you sit on the very edge of your imagination.

No one has surely claimed to have seen the beast or the snowman or the ape-man  whatever it is called  or have complete knowledge of how it looks, where it stays, what it eats, etc., as yet.

Huge footprints with three toes on the snow are the only tell-tale signs.

But with these goes a great deal of our imagination and our moral mind.

According to a BBC report, the Yeti is an ominous figure in Sherpa folklore  something like, maybe, Thanos.

Those stories revolved around the ferociousness of the Yeti, presumably told to keep Sherpas always on their guard when on higher altitudes.

Good Yeti? Bad Yeti? No one really knows. (Photo: Book cover)

The Yeti has its own trajectory in these folk stories  somewhere, the beast gained strength, somewhere, it moved to higher altitudes.

"Perhaps folktales of Yeti were used as a warning or for morality, so that kids wouldn't wander far away and they'd be always close and safe within their community," Shiva Dhakal, writer of Folk Tales of Sherpa and Yeti said to BBC.

But Western interest in finding this strange creature changed everything.

Are we afraid of the Yeti? Or should the Yeti be afraid of us? (Photo: Twitter)

In The Sherpa and The Snowman (1955), author Charles Stonor wrote of local hearsay about the Yeti. Thloh-Mung was the original name of the creature which looked like a man, was covered with long, dark hair and was more intelligent than a monkey. The Sherpas call this Yeti, which has an interesting etymological history  Yeti is the Western version of 'Yeh Teh'. The word 'Teh' refers to the animal and 'Yeh' means a rocky place, which makes 'Yeti' a dweller of a rocky place.

In the 1950s, some regulations were even issued on 'Yeti hunting' for Western adventurers  Sherpas are generally Buddhists and they never wanted to hunt the Yeti. They preferred to let the Yeti be as a creature that lives in the highest place we humans know  our thoughts.

But now that the Indian Army has sighted the footprints, and Twitter has been quick to make fun of it, we are sure the fabled 'figment of imagination' will be hunted mercilessly, till derision forces the Yeti, a shy creature by all accounts, into the wildlife of social media  where it will be killed with cruel remarks.

Also Read: Spare a thought for wildlife this summer
Islamist terror haunts the globe, from Manchester to Paris to Kabul through to Pulwama and Colombo. The perpetrators are indoctrinated and bigoted Islamists. Their bigotry, taught to them at their extremist universities, tells them there is only one God, he is Allah, and only those who believe in him must rule the world.

Those who do not accept this must be killed.

Let's be clear: The perpetrators of the horrific Sri Lanka Easter terror attacks were indoctrinated Islamists. (Source: Reuters)

Those who wish to live must either convert to Islam or pay jizia and live as dhimmies. This belief is the driving force for most Islamist terrorist activities across the world today and this belief draws adherents, regardless of economic status or education. Yet, some national silly-billies continue to spout the usual gibberish about terror having no religion. Terror can have a religion  and some terrorists themselves proclaim this.

It is not yet confirmed who committed this latest massacre although ISIS claimed responsibility two days after the attack. The ISIS Amaq News Agency stated that Islamic State fighters had carried out the attack on nationals of the Coalition and Christians in Sri Lanka. But the target was obvious  innocent Christians celebrating the resurrection of Christ.

This confirms that the target was selected on religious grounds.

Rukmini Callimachi, an American journalist who has extensively covered ISIS activities, recently commented that the attacks were sophisticated, with six sites attacked in three cities by seven terrorists.

1. The Islamic States news agency has claimed responsibility for the string of bombings in Sri Lanka which left 321 people dead. Its taken them more than 2 days to do so, which is unusually long for ISIS: pic.twitter.com/DolnkeSAkc  Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 23, 2019

All were successful, unlike those in Paris in 2015, where one terrorist killed only himself and the death toll from 10 attacks was 130 while that in Sri Lanka, fatalities were more than 250 and growing.

The ISIS disclosed the noms de guerre of the seven terrorists, and mentioned which one of them targeted the three churches separately. The video released by the ISIS is revealing  eight of these men pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi against the backdrop of an ISIS flag.

When they struck Paris: The 2015 attack in the French capital left nearly 130 people dead. (Source: Reuters)

This does not mean that the ISIS either planned or carried out the attacks. It merely depicts a group advertising its allegiance to the ISIS and claiming instant global notoriety; more likely, they were inspired by ISIS but not directed by them.

This leaves Indian security agencies with a serious concern about similar radicalised groups in India.

There is also a distinct possibility of other terrorist groups, from Pakistan, claiming allegiance to ISIS  thus absolving Pakistan of any role in any future attacks in India. Considering that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had admitted some time ago that there was a need for Pakistan to create such terrorists at one time, but that need was over, assuming he has the authority to say so, and, the military, the intention to implement this, one is left wondering where these de-mobilised jihadis would go.

Colombo, April 21, was a replica of Mumbai, March 12, 1993  except that the targets in Mumbai were mostly commercial. Over 250 are believed killed in this series of explosions in and near Colombo. Both attacks were born out of hatred. The Colombo attack selected churches and upmarket hotels to target local Christians and western tourists. Some now conveniently portray this as a revenge attack for the killings in Christchurch New Zealand, although the Colombo terrorist attack might have been planned much earlier.

Some portray the Sri Lanka terror attacks as 'revenge' for the killings in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Source: AP)

Sri Lankan authorities have arrested and killed other terrorists following shootouts as well as recovered lethal equipment, indicating a much larger conspiracy, which may even have extended beyond Sri Lanka.

There are claims by Sri Lankan intelligence that they had received inputs from a foreign intelligence agency about 10 days prior to the attack. The reasons why this intelligence was disregarded or ignored  even the highest in the land were not informed  is not known. There have been allusions to internal political differences that prevent a coherent approach to such threats. Sri Lanka seems to be operating in different silos where the Prime Minister is not even a member of the National Security Council.

The BBC attempted to give this carnage a different colour when it reportedly mentioned that this attack might have been carried out by Buddhists. This potentially damaging conjecture was proffered despite the fact that none of the recent terrorist attacks has been the handiwork of Buddhists but other fanatics. After Christchurch, commentary in the West clearly identified the victims as Muslims and the attackers, white supremacists, inspired by their ideology of racism and Islamophobia. After the Sri Lanka terror, only one of 20 world leaders, from Luxemburg, actually mentioned that the victims were Christians  not one of these leaders mentioned the word Islam.

It was the French President Emmanuel Macron speaking to the media on April 25 who remarked, Political Islam wants to secede from our republic and that We are talking about people who in the name of religion, pursue a political project.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called out political Islam for acts of violence. (Photo: Reuters)

When Christchurch happened, the liberal reaction was loud and clear  but when Colombo happened, there was a deafening silence. Rod Liddle was right when he wrote in The Spectator, London, "The victim group was not named and nor was the ideology... Why should that be?"

The world led by western liberalism has got itself into a tangle over Islam and Islamophobia. What the west does, we in India tend to automatically follow. Therefore, it becomes difficult for this lot to state the truth that the Colombo attack was carried out against Christians by Muslims in the name of Islam.

For this lot, it would be Islamophobic to say so.

Instead, liberals assert that Islam is a religion of peace while terror in the name of Islam is the work of a few nut-jobs and extremists. It is true that there are extremely peaceful Muslims globally who abhor terror in their name  but there is another statistic that should worry us.

After the London terror attacks on July 7, 2005, a poll carried out in 2006 showed that one-fourth of British Muslims polled said the attacks were justified. Earlier, 37% of British Muslims felt that Jews were a legitimate target. A BBC poll in 2015 found that 45% of British respondents polled thought that those imams advocating violence were part of mainstream Islam. Extending this survey globally, Pew Research had found that only 57% of Muslims in the world disapproved of Al Qaeda. This leaves a large number of Muslims who either approve of Al Qaeda or at least have no opinion. The gap between moderates and extremists may not be that wide and this should be a matter of great concern for all because we are talking of millions of Muslims who approve of Al Qaeda  or even ISIS.

The presence of National Thowheeth Jamath (NTJ) in Tamil Nadu, and its affiliates in different parts of the world, needs to be closely watched with renewed international cooperation.

Its links with ISIS should be under a microscope.

At the same time, we need to be careful about blindly assuming that ISIS exists in our region. Seasoned intelligence officers like Amrullah Saleh, former chief of Afghan intelligence, have been consistent in asserting there is no ISIS in Afghanistan; all that has happened is that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has assumed this cover for its activities inside Afghanistan to reduce international allegations against Pakistan of interference in the country.

For Pakistan, attribution of terror to ISIS and/or Al Qaeda is a convenient camouflage that delivers desired results in India and Afghanistan  and they do not even have to issue any denials about their involvement.

As in the case of both the three Mumbai attacks in 1993, 2006 and 2008, and now, in Colombo, there must have been considerable and meticulous planning. The recruitment, indoctrination and training of the suicide bombers must have taken some time. There must have been severe restrictions on security and protection of the trainee bombers. The source of material, manufacture of the explosive vests, funding the venture and venue for the training would need an organisation operating with utmost secrecy  over months.

Much like the Mumbai attacks of 2008, there was meticulous planning behind the Sri Lanka Easter attack of 2019. (Source: Reuters)

There must have been some dry runs to select the targets. Conceivably, there is an external dimension. So, connections in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, where the ISIS boasts its East Asia Province, the Maldives, Pakistan, Afghanistan, KSA and UAE would need to be ascertained. Sri Lankans, many from the well-educated and elite sections, had joined ISIS in Syria while other Sri Lankans work in large numbers in the Gulf countries where recruitment and indoctrination is possible. There have been reports that some of the wealthy Ibrahim family members were indoctrinated while studying in Australia. The Sri Lanka NTJ, a radical Muslim group, was linked to the destruction of Buddhist temples last year.

The discovery of a huge terror plot close to our borders  and possible linkages in south India  should be a concern to the security establishment in India. In the short term, central intelligence agencies (Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing and National Technical Research Organisation) would have to be alert and work in close coordination  but it is vital that the state intelligence agencies, where the effect of terrorist action will be, are ahead of the curve.

Media speculation and revelations should be avoided as these alert terrorists. The tendency to claim successes or foreknowledge defeats counter-terror efforts. TRPs may be good for business  but they can be disastrous for the security of the nation. The Sri Lankans also showed that while they slipped badly on acting on advance intelligence, their reaction to the attack was immediate and professional.

It is important that in the aftermath of an attack, the state is seen to be in control, speculation and loose talk is avoided, apart from taking care of the casualties; there should be only one spokesperson who replies and briefs media at regular events. It is always better to avoid taking questions until more authentic information about an incident is available. Our record on this in the past has been less than perfect.

But these short term quick-fix solutions will not solve security problems. Terror is a long term security problem  it is international in effect, multi-lingual and multinational in content. Subject expertise built over years is necessary; overnight batsmen will not help. Additionally, terrorism will get even more dependent on high-end technology. Intelligence agencies need these skills  in huge numbers now  to manage these threats.

Also read: In the heat of electoral battle do not forget Sri Lanka. Terror must be tackled
The following companies are subsidiares of Stryker: ActiViews, Aimago SA, Alcott Indemnity Company, Arrinex Inc, Arrinex Inc., Ascent Healthcare Solutions, Berchtold, Berchtold + Fritz GmbH, Berchtold Consulting GmbH, Berchtold Corporation, Berchtold GmbH & Co. KG, Berchtold Holding Switzerland GmbH, CHG Hospital Beds, Cactus LLC, Cardan Robotics, Changzhou Orthomed Medical Instrument Company Limited, Concentric Medical, Concentric Medical Inc., Entellus Medical, Entellus Medical Europe Ltd, Entellus Medical Inc., GYS Tech LLC, Gaymar Industries, Gongping (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., Groupe Bertec, HeartSine Technologies LLC, HeartSine Technologies Limited, Howmedica International S. de R.L., Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Hygia Health Services, Hygia Healthcare Services Inc., HyperBranch, HyperBranch Technology Inc., ITAPCo Limited, Image Guided Technologies, Imorphics Limited, Infinity MSD Corp., Infinity MSE Corp., Infinity MSF Corp., Infomedix Communications, Instratek, InstruMedics L.L.C, Invuity Inc., Ivy Sports Medicine, Ivy Sports Medicine LLC, Jiangsu Chuangyi Medical Instrument Company Limited, Jolife AB, K2M Germany GmbH, K2M Group, K2M Group Holdings Inc., K2M Holdings Inc., K2M Iberia Medcomtech S.L.U., K2M Inc., K2M Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, K2M Spine Solutions (Schweiz) GmbH, K2M UK Limited, Loon Intermediateco LLC, MAKO Surgical, MAKO Surgical Corp, Memometal Technologies, Mobius Imaging, Mobius Imaging LLC, Muka Metal, Muka Metal Ticaret ve Sanayi Anaonim Sirketi, NV Stryker SA, Nettrick Limited, Novadaq Corp, Novadaq Hong Kong Ltd, Novadaq Technologies, Novadaq Technologies ULC, OOO "Stryker", Orneo Ozel Saglk Hizmetleri Medikal Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, OrthoSpace, OrthoSpace Ltd., OrthoSpace US Inc., Orthomed (Hong Kong) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Orthovita, Orthovita Inc., OtisMed, P.C. Sweden Holding AB, Patient Safety Technologies, Patton Surgical, Pficonprod Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control, Physio-Control (Shanghai) Sales Co. Ltd., Physio-Control Brazil Vendas Ltda., Physio-Control Czech Sales s.r.o., Physio-Control Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Physio-Control Holdings Inc, Physio-Control Hungary Sales Kft, Physio-Control Inc., Physio-Control India Sales Pvt. Ltd, Physio-Control Investments LLC, Physio-Control Lebanon Sales Offshore s.a.l., Physio-Control Manufacturing Inc., Physio-Control Operations Netherlands B.V., Physio-Control Sales Limited Liability Company, Physio-Control Singapore Pte. Ltd., Physio-Control South Africa Sales Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control UK Sales Ltd., Pivot Medical, PlasmaSol, Porex Technologies, SSI Divestiture Inc., SYK Costa Rica Services Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, SafeAir AG, SafeWire, Sage Products, Sage Products Coperatief U.A., Sage Products Holdings II LLC, Sage Products Holdings III LLC, Sage Products LLC, Scopis GmbH, Sightline Technologies, Small Bone Innovations, SpineCore, Spirox Inc., Stanmore Implants Worldwide, Stanmore Implants Worldwide Limited, Stanmore Inc., Stryker (Barbados) Foreign Sales Corporation, Stryker (Beijing) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Shanghai) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Suzhou) Medical Technology Co Ltd, Stryker (Thailand) Limited, Stryker AB, Stryker Acquisitions BV, Stryker Asia Holdings CV, Stryker Australia LLC, Stryker Australia Pty. Ltd., Stryker Austria GmbH, Stryker B.V., Stryker Berchtold BV, Stryker Beteiligungs GmbH, Stryker Canada GP ULC, Stryker Canada Holding Company, Stryker Canada Manufacturing ULC, Stryker Canada ULC, Stryker Canadian Management ULC, Stryker Canadian Sales Holding Company ULC, Stryker Capital BV, Stryker China Limited, Stryker Colombia SAS, Stryker Communications Inc., Stryker Corporation (Chile) y Compania Limitada, Stryker Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Stryker Customs Brokers LLC, Stryker Czech Republic s.r.o., Stryker Delaware Inc., Stryker EMEA Supply Chain Services BV, Stryker Employment Company LLC, Stryker European Coordination Center BV, Stryker European Holdings Cooperatief U.A, Stryker European Holdings I LLC, Stryker European Holdings II LLC, Stryker European Holdings LLC, Stryker European Holdings V LLC, Stryker European Operations B.V., Stryker European Operations Holdings I BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings II BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings III BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings LLC, Stryker European Operations Limited, Stryker European Technologies C.V., Stryker Far East Inc., Stryker Foreign Acquisitions Inc., Stryker France Holding SNC, Stryker France MM Holdings SAS, Stryker France SAS, Stryker Funding B.V., Stryker GI Services CV, Stryker Global Technology Center Private Limited, Stryker GmbH, Stryker GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Grundstucks GmbH & Co KG, Stryker Grundstucks Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Holdings BV, Stryker IFSC Designated Activity Company, Stryker Iberia SL Unipersonal, Stryker India Private Limited, Stryker International Acquisitions BV, Stryker International Holdings BV, Stryker Investment Holdings B.V., Stryker Ireland Holding Unlimited Company, Stryker Ireland Limited, Stryker Italia S.r.l. S.U., Stryker Japan Holdings BV, Stryker Japan K.K., Stryker Korea Ltd., Stryker Lebanon (Offshore) S.A.L., Stryker Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Stryker Luxembourg Sarl, Stryker Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Mauritius Holding Ltd., Stryker Medical London LP, Stryker Medtech K.K., Stryker Medtech Limited, Stryker Mexico Holdings B.V., Stryker Mexico SA de CV, Stryker NV Operations Limited, Stryker Nederland BV, Stryker New Zealand Limited, Stryker Osteonics AG, Stryker Pacific Limited, Stryker Performance Solutions LLC, Stryker Polska Sp.z.o.o., Stryker Portugal - Produtos Medicos Unipessoal Lda., Stryker Professional Latin America S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Puerto Rico Limited, Stryker Romania SRL, Stryker Sage Inc., Stryker Sales Corporation, Stryker Servicios Administrativos S.de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Singapore Private Limited, Stryker South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Stryker Spine SAS, Stryker Spine Sarl, Stryker Sustainability Solutions Inc., Stryker Tibbi Cihazlan Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Stryker Trauma GmbH, Stryker Turkish Holdings BV, Stryker UK Ltd, Stryker Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Vietnam Company Limited, Stryker do Brasil Ltda, Surpass Medical, Synergetics, TG SP Holdings Corp, TSO3 Corp, TSO3 Inc, Trauson, Trauson (China) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Trauson (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (BVI) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings Company Limited, VEXIM SA, Vexim, Waterloo Bedding Co., Wright Medical Group, ZipLine Medical Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ZipLine Medical Hong Kong Limited, ZipLine Medical Inc., and eTrauma.com.
Glencore Plc engages in the production and marketing of metal, mineral, and energy and agricultural commodities. The firm serves the automotive, steel, power generation, battery manufacturing, and oil sectors. It operates through the following segments: Marketing, Industrial, and Corporate and Other. The Marketing segment includes net sale and purchase of physical commodities, and provision of marketing and related value-add services. The Industrial segment comprises the sale of physical commodities over the cost of production and/or cost of sales. The Corporate and Other segment represents Group related income and expenses. The company was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.

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Photo: The Canadian Press Premier-designate Jason Kenney addresses the United Conservative caucus in Edmonton on Friday, April 26, 2019.

A Senate committee is set to hear today from Albertans  including their new premier  on the federal government's bill to ban tankers off the British Columbia coast.

The committee on transport and communications is holding public hearings in Edmonton on Bill C-48.

The bill would prohibit oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 tonnes of crude oil in the waters between the northern tip of Vancouver Island and the Alaska border.

The legislation passed in the House of Commons last spring and is being debated in the Senate.

An agenda posted online shows the committee is to hear from incoming premier Jason Kenney of the United Conservative Party, Chief of Ermineskin Cree Nation Craig Makinaw, Mayor Don Scott of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, as well as numerous academics from Alberta universities.

The committee heard earlier this month from outgoing NDP premier Rachel Notley, who urged the Senate to toss the bill "in the garbage."

She said the proposed law is discriminatory because it wouldn't be able to stop international tanker traffic, but would impede Alberta's efforts to get oil to new markets.

Notley added that it's a double standard given that Ottawa supports the liquefied natural gas industry, tankers on the St. Lawrence Seaway and Newfoundland's Hibernia oil project.

"Let's show Canadians that 90,000 jobs in downtown Calgary are just as important as 90,000 jobs in downtown Montreal,'' Notley said on Apr. 9 via video link from Calgary to senators in Ottawa.

"Don't block us, back us," she added.

Kenney has also criticized the tanker bill. He agreed with Notley that it unfairly targets "ethically produced" Alberta oil instead of "dictator oil" imported from overseas.
Cenovus Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region. The company operates through Oil Sands, Conventional, and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment develops and produces bitumen in northeast Alberta. Its bitumen assets include Foster Creek, Christina Lake, and Narrows Lake, as well as other projects in the early stages of development. The Conventional segment holds assets primarily located in Elmworth-Wapiti, Kaybob-Edson, and Clearwater operating areas of British Columbia and Alberta, as well as various interests in natural gas processing facilities. The Refining and Marketing segment transports and sells crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs. This segment owns a 50% ownership in Wood River and Borger refineries located in the United States; and owns and operates a crude-by-rail terminal in Alberta. Cenovus Energy Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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17 minutes ago

Jurors in the Elizabeth Holmes trial may take next week off

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)  The jurors responsible for assessing 11 charges of fraud and conspiracy against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes began their third day of deliberations Thursday. If they haven't reached a verdict by the end of the day, U.S.

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Photo: CTV News

Surrey wants more cops.

In the wake of two deadly shootings last week and continued gang violence, voices are calling for more police.

"I take precautions. I don't go out late in the dark or unaccompanied if it's very late," Surrey resident Karen Gudbranson, who lives near Surrey Central Skytrain Station, told CTV News.

Mayor Doug McCallum has called for the formation of municipal police force, while Coun. Linda Annis is pushing for more police in general, RCMP or otherwise.

"I think it's very unfortunate the last budget council defeated a request from the RCMP to hire 12 additional officers," Annis told CTV.

"Our population is 85 per cent of Vancouver's population, where they have about 1,400 officers," said Annis. "Based on that math, we should have almost 1,200 officers here in Surrey, and probably more when you consider our geographic size. We're almost three times the size of Vancouver."

"We need help right away," says Gurpreet Singh Sahota, founder of the community group Wake Up Surrey, who wants a municipal force fast-tracked.

Annis, meanwhile, feels Surrey could use up to 300 more police officers.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
GlaxoSmithKline Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceuticals R&D; Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on developing medicines in respiratory and infectious diseases, oncology, and immuno-inflammation. The Pharmaceuticals R&D segment focuses on science related to the immune system, the use of human genetics and advanced technologies, and is driven by the multiplier effect of Science x Technology x Culture. The Vaccines segment produces pediatric and adult vaccines to prevent a range of infectious diseases including, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, typhoid, influenza, and bacterial meningitis. The Consumer Healthcare segment develops and markets brands in the oral health, pain relief, respiratory, nutrition and gastro intestinal, and skin health categories. The company was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Middlesex, the United Kingdom.

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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.
CAE Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and supplies simulation equipment and training solutions to defense and security markets, commercial airlines, business aircraft operators, helicopter operators, aircraft manufacturers, and healthcare education and service providers worldwide. The company's Civil Aviation Training Solutions segment provides training solutions for flight, cabin, maintenance, and ground personnel in commercial, business, and helicopter aviation; flight simulation training devices; and ab initio pilot training and crew sourcing services, as well as end to end digitally-enabled crew management, training operations solutions, and optimization software. Its Defence and Security segment offers training and mission support solutions for defense forces across multi-domain operations, and for government organizations responsible for public safety. The company's Healthcare segment provides integrated education and training solutions, including surgical and imaging simulations, curriculum, audiovisual and centre management platforms, and patient simulators to healthcare students and clinical professionals. The company was formerly known as CAE Industries Ltd. and changed its name to CAE Inc. in June 1993. CAE Inc. was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Canada.

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BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Photo: The Canadian Press People bow toward the Imperial Palace as Emperor Akihito's abdication ceremony is held in Tokyo Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony Tuesday in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era.

"Today, I am concluding my duties as the emperor," Akihito said as he stood in front of the throne, as other members of the royal family and top government officials watched.

"Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so. I sincerely thank the people who accepted and supported me in my role as the symbol of the state," Akihito said in his last official duty as emperor.

As he walked out of the room following his speech and officials were taking away the imperial regalia in a box, Akihito turned around, paused and bowed to the audience.

His reign ran through midnight, when his son Crown Prince Naruhito, who observed Akihito's abdication ceremony, became the new emperor and his era began.

Naruhito will formally ascend the Chrysanthemum throne on Wednesday. In a separate ceremony he will receive the imperial regalia of sword and jewel as well as the imperial seals as proof of his succession as the nation's 126th emperor, according to official palace count, which historians say could include mythical figures until around the 5th century.

Naruhito's wife Masako and daughter Aiko are barred from the ceremony because they are female members of the royal family, a palace tradition that the government upheld despite criticism that it is out of step with modern values.

The emperor is defined as a symbol of the state and the people's unity and has no political power under Japan's postwar constitution. His official duties are largely managed by a highly controlling Imperial Household Agency. But Akihito's dedication in reaching out to the people, especially those suffering or less fortunate, made him more popular than any politician.

Many people gathered outside the palace compound hours before Tuesday's ceremony despite unseasonably wet and cold weather, and even though they were not allowed to look inside.

"We came because today is the last day of (the emperor's era of) Heisei, and we feel nostalgic," said Akemi Yamauchi, 55, standing outside the palace with her husband.

"He has worked hard for the people, he is very thoughtful, and kind to everyone," said her husband, Kaname. The couple came from Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital where emperors lived until about 150 years ago.

Messages have come from global leaders.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed gratitude in a letter to Akihito for his emphasis on peace and contributions to developing relations between Seoul and Tokyo. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed appreciation for his contribution to the two countries' close relations. Trump had a courtesy meeting with Akihito during his 2017 Japan visit and will be the first foreign leader in May to meet the new emperor.

Japanese television talk shows displayed a countdown to the midnight transition, and programming was dominated by the abdication and looking back at major events in Akihito's era, including a massive 2011 tsunami, a deadly earthquake in Kobe in 1995, and the Tokyo subway nerve gas attack in 1995 that shook Japan's sense of safety and confidence.
China Mobile Limited provides mobile telecommunications and related services in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The company offers local calls; domestic and international long distance calls and roaming services; and value-added services, such as caller identity display, call waiting, conference calls, and others. It also provides wireless Internet service, as well as digital applications comprising music, video, reading, gaming, and animation; wireline broadband services; and wireline voice services. In addition, it offers dedicated line and IDC services to corporate customers in a range of industry sectors; and basic corporate communication products comprising corporate VPMN and SMS, and tailor made solutions. Further, the company provides international telecommunications services, which includes IDD, roaming, Internet, MNC, and value added business services. Additionally, it offers telecommunications network planning, design, and consulting services; roaming clearance, IT system operation, and technology support services; value-added platform development and maintenance services; mobile data, and system integration and development services; network construction and maintenance, network planning and optimizing, and training services; electronic communication products design and sale of related products; and non-banking financial services. It also provides mobile cloud research and development services; call center services; e-payment, e-commerce, and Internet finance services; and mobile Internet digital content services, as well as operates a network and business coordination center. The company serves 950 million mobile customers and 187 million wireline broadband customers. The company was formerly known as China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to China Mobile Limited in May 2006. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Central, Hong Kong. China Mobile Limited is a subsidiary of China Mobile Hong Kong (BVI) Limited.

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iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF's stock was trading at $123.88 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, LQD shares have increased by 7.1% and is now trading at $132.68.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
ConocoPhillips engages in the exploration, production, transportation and marketing of crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, natural gas liquids, and liquefied natural gas on a worldwide basis. It operates through the following geographical segments: Alaska; Lower 48; Canada; Europe, Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Other International. The Alaska segment primarily explores for produces, transports and markets crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The Lower 48 segment consists of operations in the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment is comprised of oil sands development in the Athabasca Region of northeastern Alberta and a liquids-rich unconventional play in western Canada. The Europe, Middle East and North Africa segment consists of operations and exploration activities in Norway, the United Kingdom and Libya. The Asia Pacific segment has explorations and product operations in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. The Other International segment handles exploration activities in Columbia and Argentina. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Barclays: Adler Toy Holding Sarl, Aequor Investments Limited, Alymere Investments Limited, Alynore Investments Limited Partnership, Analog Analytics, Analog Analytics Inc, Analytical Trade Holdings LLC, Analytical Trade Investments LLC, Analytical Trade UK Limited, Archstone Equity Holdings Inc, Ardencroft Investments Limited, B D & B Investments Limited, B.P.B. (Holdings) Limited, BB Client Nominees Limited, BBAIL SAS, BCAP LLC, BIFML PTC Limited, BMBF (No.24) Limited, BMI (No.9) Limited, BNC Brazil Consultoria Empresarial Ltda, BNRI ENG 2013 Limited Partnership, BNRI ENG 2014 Limited Partnership, BNRI ENG GP LLP, BNRI England 2010 Limited Partnership, BNRI England 2011 Limited Partnership, BNRI England 2012 Limited Partnership, BNRI Limehouse No.1 Sarl, BNRI PIA Scot GP Limited, BNRI Scots GP LLP, BPB Holdings SA, BVP Galvani Global S.A.U., Barafor Limited, Barclay Leasing Limited, Barclaycard Funding PLC, Barclaycard International Payments Limited, Barclays (Barley) Limited, Barclays Aldersgate Investments Limited, Barclays Alzin Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Asia Limited, Barclays Asset Management Limited, Barclays BR Investments S.a r.l., Barclays BWA Inc., Barclays Bank (Suisse) S.A., Barclays Bank Delaware, Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Barclays Bank Ireland Public Limited Company, Barclays Bank Mexico S.A., Barclays Bank PLC, Barclays Bank UK PLC, Barclays Bayard Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Bedivere Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Bordang Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Brasil Assessoria Financeira Ltda., Barclays CCP Funding LLC, Barclays Cantal Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Capital (Cayman) Limited, Barclays Capital Asia Holdings Limited, Barclays Capital Asia Limited, Barclays Capital Canada Inc., Barclays Capital Casa de Bolsa S.A. de C.V., Barclays Capital Derivatives Funding LLC, Barclays Capital Effekten GmbH, Barclays Capital Energy Inc., Barclays Capital Equities Trading GP, Barclays Capital Finance Limited, Barclays Capital Futures (Singapore) Private Limited, Barclays Capital Holdings (Singapore) Private Limited, Barclays Capital Holdings Inc., Barclays Capital Inc., Barclays Capital Japan Securities Holdings Limited, Barclays Capital Luxembourg S.a r.l., Barclays Capital Mauritius Limited, Barclays Capital Nominees (No.2) Limited, Barclays Capital Nominees (No.3) Limited, Barclays Capital Nominees Limited, Barclays Capital Principal Investments Limited, Barclays Capital Real Estate Finance Inc., Barclays Capital Real Estate Holdings Inc., Barclays Capital Real Estate Inc., Barclays Capital Securities Client Nominee Limited, Barclays Capital Securities Limited, Barclays Capital Securities Mauritius Limited, Barclays Capital Trading Luxembourg S.a r.l., Barclays Claudas Investments Partnership, Barclays Claudas Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Commercial Mortgage Securities LLC, Barclays Converted Investments (No.2) Limited, Barclays Corporation Limited, Barclays Direct Investing Nominees Limited, Barclays Directors Limited, Barclays Dryrock Funding LLC, Barclays Electronic Commerce Holdings Inc., Barclays Equity Holdings Limited, Barclays Equity Index Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Europe Client Nominees Designated Activity Company, Barclays Europe Firm Nominees Designated Activity Company, Barclays Europe Nominees Designated Activity Company, Barclays Executive Schemes Trustees Limited, Barclays Financial LLC, Barclays Financial Planning Nominee Company Limited, Barclays Funds Investments Limited, Barclays Funds and Advisory Japan Limited, Barclays Global Service Centre Private Limited, Barclays Global Shareplans Nominee Limited, Barclays Group Holdings Limited, Barclays Group Operations Limited, Barclays Group US Inc., Barclays Index Finance Trust, Barclays Industrial Development Limited, Barclays Industrial Investments Limited, Barclays Insurance Guernsey PCC Limited, Barclays Insurance Services Company Limited, Barclays Insurance U.S. Inc., Barclays International Luxembourg Dollar Holdings S.a r.l., Barclays Investment Management Limited, Barclays Investment Solutions Limited, Barclays Investments & Loans (India) Limited, Barclays Korea GP Limited, Barclays Lamorak Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Leasing (No.9) Limited, Barclays Leto Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Long Island Limited, Barclays Luxembourg EUR Holdings S.a r.l, Barclays Luxembourg Finance S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg GBP Holdings S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg Global Funding S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg Holdings SSC B, Barclays Marlist Limited, Barclays Mauritius Overseas Holdings Limited, Barclays Mercantile Business Finance Limited, Barclays Merchant Bank (Singapore) Ltd., Barclays Nominees (George Yard) Limited, Barclays Nominees (Guernsey) Limited, Barclays Nominees (Jersey) Limited, Barclays Nominees (Manx) Limited, Barclays Oversight Management Inc., Barclays Payment Solutions Inc., Barclays Pelleas Investments Limited Partnership, Barclays Pelleas Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Pension Funds Trustees Limited, Barclays Principal Investments Limited, Barclays Private Asset Management (Monaco) S.A.M, Barclays Private Bank, Barclays Private Clients International Limited, Barclays Receivables LLC, Barclays SAMS Limited, Barclays Securities (India) Private Limited, Barclays Securities Japan Limited, Barclays Security Trustee Limited, Barclays Services (Japan) Limited, Barclays Services Corporation, Barclays Services Jersey Limited, Barclays Services LLC, Barclays Services Limited, Barclays Shea Limited, Barclays Singapore Global Shareplans Nominee Limited, Barclays Switzerland Services SA, Barclays Tenedora De Immuebles SL., Barclays Term Funding Limited Liability Partnership, Barclays UK Investments Limited, Barclays US CCP Funding LLC, Barclays US Funding LLC, Barclays US GPF Inc., Barclays US Investments Inc., Barclays US LLC, Barclays Unquoted Investments Limited, Barclays Unquoted Property Investments Limited, Barclays Wealth Management Jersey Limited, Barclays Wealth Nominees Limited, Barclays Wealth Services Limited, Barclays Wealth Trustees (India) Private Limited, Barclayshare Nominees Limited, Barclaytrust Channel Islands Limited, Barcosec Limited, Barsec Nominees Limited, Blossom Finance General Partnership, Branchcall Computers (Pvt) Limited, Braven Investments No.1 Limited, CP Flower Guaranteeco (UK) Limited, CP Newco 1 Limited, CP Newco2 Limited, CP Newco3 Limited, CP Propco 1 Limited, CP Propco 2 Limited, CP Topco Limited, CPIA Canada Holdings, CPIA England 2008 Limited Partnership, CPIA England 2009 Limited Partnership, CPIA England No.2 Limited Partnership, CPIA Investments No.1 Limited, CPIA Investments No.2 Limited, CRE Diversified Holdings LLC, CREW Tahoe Holdings LLC, CREW Tahoe LLC, Calthorpe Investments Limited, Capton Investments Limited, Carnegie Holdings Limited, Central Platte Valley Management LLC, Chapelcrest Investments Limited, Charles Schwab Europe, Claudas Investments Limited, Claudas Investments Two Limited, Clydesdale Financial Services Limited, Cobalt Investments Limited, Compania Regional del Sur S.A., Compania Sudamerica S.A., Condor No.1 Limited Partnership, Cornwall Homes Loans Limited, Crescent Crown Land Holding SPV LLC, Crescent Legacy LLC, Crescent Plaza Residential L.P., Crescent Plaza Residential LLC, Crescent Plaza Residential LP LLC, Crescent Real Estate Member LLC, Crescent Resort Development LLC, Crescent TRS Holdings LLC, Crescent Tower Residences GP LLC, Crescent Tower Residences L.P., Curve Investments GP, DBL Texas Holdings LLC, DMW Realty Limited, Desert Mountain Development LLC, Desert Mountain Properties Limited Partnership, Develop Training Group Limited, Dorset Home Loans Limited, Durlacher Nominees Limited, EWRD Summit LLC, Eagle Financial and Leasing Services (UK) Limited, East West Resort Development V L.P. L.L.L.P., East West Resort Development VII LLC, Equity Limited Partnership, Equity Value Investments No.1 Limited, Equity Value Investments No.2 Limited, Erimon Home Loans Ireland Limited, Expobank, FIRSTPLUS Financial Group Limited, Finpart Nominees Limited, First Assurance, Foltus Investments Limited, Full House Holdings Limited, Gallen Investments Limited, Global Dynasty Natural Resource Private, Globe Nominees Limited, Gracechurch Services Corporation, Grays Station LLC, Grupo Financiero Barclays Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hawkins Funding Limited, Heraldglen Limited, Holding Stuttgarter Strae GmbH, Hurley Investments No.1 Limited, Imalivest Mineral Resources LP, Investors In Infrastructure Limited, J.V. Estates Limited, JV Assets Limited, Kirsche Investments Limited, LTDL Holdings LLC, La Torretta Beverages LLC, La Torretta Hospitality LLC, La Torretta Operations LLC, Lagalla Investments LLC, Leonis Investments LLP, Liability Partnership, Long Island Assets Limited, Long Island Holding A LLC, Long Island Holding B Limited, MK Opportunities GP Ltd, MK Opportunities LP, MVWP Investors LLC, Maloney Investments Limited, Marbury Holdings LLC, Menlo Investments Limited, Mercantile Credit Company Limited, Mercantile Leasing Company (No.132) Limited, Meridian (SPV-AMC) Corporation, Mintaka Investments No. 4 Limited, Mira Vista Development LLC, Mira Vista Golf Club L.C., Mountainside Partners LLC, Murray House Investment Management Limited, Naxos Investments Limited, Nile Bank, North Colonnade Investments Limited, Northstar Mountain Properties LLC, Northstar Trailside Townhomes LLC, Northstar Village Townhomes LLC, Northwharf Investments Limited, Northwharf Nominees Limited, OGP Leasing Limited, Oakes Millers Ltd, Ownership Trustee Limited, PIA England No.2 Limited Partnership, Palomino Limited, Pecan Aggregator LP, Pelleas Investments Limited, Pelleas Investments Two Limited, Pippin Island Investments Limited, Preferred Liquidity LLC, Preferred Liquidity Limited Partnership, Procella Investments LLC, Procella Investments No.1 LLC, Procella Investments No.2 LLC, Procella Investments No.3 LLC, Protium Finance I LLC, Protium Master Grantor Trust, Protium Master Mortgage LP, Protium REO I LP, R.C. Grieg Nominees Limited, RVH Limited, RVT CLO Investments LLP, Razzoli Investments Limited, Real Estate Participation Management Limited, Real Estate Participation Services Limited, Relative Value Holdings LLC, Relative Value Investments UK Limited, Relative Value Trading Limited, Roder Investments No. 1 Limited, Roder Investments No. 2 Limited, Ruthenium Investments Limited, SPM GP Limited, Securitized Asset Backed Receivables LLC, Servicios Barclays S.A. de C.V., Societe Civile Immobiliere 31 Avenue de la Costa, Solution Personal Finance Limited, Southern Peaks Mining LP, Standard Life Aberdeen, Surety Trust Limited, Surrey Funding Corporation, Sussex Purchasing Corporation, Sutton Funding LLC, Swan Lane Investments Limited, TPLL LLC, TPProperty LLC, Tahoe Club Company LLC, Tahoe Club Employee Company, The Logic Group Enterprises Limited, The Logic Group Holdings Limited, Third Energy Holdings Limited, US Real Estate Holdings No. 2 Limited, US Real Estate Holdings No.1 Limited, US Real Estate Holdings No.3 Limited, US Secured Investments LLC, Union Center LLC, United Counties Bank, Verain Investments LLC, Walbrook Group Ltd, Wedd Jefferson (Nominees) Limited, Wessex Investments Limited, Westferry Investments Limited, Wilmington Riverfront Receivables LLC, Woolwich Homes Limited, Woolwich Plan Managers Limited, Woolwich Qualifying Employee Share, Woolwich Surveying Services Limited, Woori BC Pegasus Securitization Specialty Co. Limited, and Zeban Nominees Limited.
Photo: The Canadian Press Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, left, is welcomed to the stage by wife Jill, before addressing a rally at the Teamster Local 249 Hall in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 29, 2019.

Jill Biden says she's been the target of men invading her personal space  as some women have criticized her husband, Joe Biden, for doing.

And she says the former vice-president and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate "is going to have to be a better judge of when people approach him and how he's going to react."

Jill Biden told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview aired Tuesday that Joe Biden "connects with people" through physical contact, especially from "men and women looking for comfort."

She says she kept silent in the past when men were in her "space." But she adds, "Women are in a different place now. We have to honour that."

She says if a man invaded her space now she'd "turn around and say, 'What do you think you're doing?'"
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..
Enbridge Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The company operates through five segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution and Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. The Liquids Pipelines segment operates pipelines and related terminals to transport various grades of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons in Canada and the United States. The Gas Transmission and Midstream segment invests in natural gas pipelines, and gathering and processing facilities in Canada and the United States. The Gas Distribution and Storage segment is involved in natural gas utility operations serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ontario, as well as natural gas distribution and energy transportation activities in Quebec. The Renewable Power Generation segment operates power generating assets, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and waste heat recovery facilities; and transmission assets in North America and Europe. The Energy Services segment provides energy marketing services to refiners, producers, and other customers; and physical commodity marketing and logistical services in Canada and the United States. The company was formerly known as IPL Energy Inc. and changed its name to Enbridge Inc. in October 1998. Enbridge Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of EnerSys: ABSL Power Solutions Inc., ABSL Power Solutions Ltd., Acumuladores Industriales EnerSys SA, Alpha Alternative Energy Inc., Alpha Broadband Services Inc., Alpha Innovations Industria e Comercio de Produtos Eletronicos Ltda., Alpha Innovations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Alpha Mexico Network Power S.A. de C.V., Alpha Tech Energy Solutions India Private Limited, Alpha Technical Services Ltd., Alpha Technologies Ltd., Alpha Technologies Pty. Ltd., Alpha Technologies Services Inc., Alphatec Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Argus Research Ltd., Batterias Hawker de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Battery Power International Pte Ltd., Coppervale Enterprises Inc., DCPM Engineering Sdn Bhd, EH Batterien AG, EH Europe GmbH, EH Global Holdings GmbH, EH Swiss Holdings GmbH, ENAS Industrial Batteries Morocco Sarl, EnerSys (Chaozhou) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (China) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (Chongqing) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (Jiangsu) Huada Batteries Company Limited (94.7%) *, EnerSys (Luxembourg) Finance Sarl, EnerSys (Yangzhou) Huada Batteries Co. Ltd., EnerSys A/S, EnerSys AB, EnerSys AD, EnerSys AE, EnerSys AS, EnerSys Advanced Systems Inc., EnerSys Argentina S.A., EnerSys Asia Limited, EnerSys Australia Pty Ltd., EnerSys BV, EnerSys BVBA, EnerSys Battery Private Limited, EnerSys Brasil Ltda., EnerSys Bulgaria EOOD, EnerSys Canada Inc., EnerSys Capital Inc., EnerSys Cayman Euro L.P., EnerSys Cayman Holdings L.P., EnerSys Cayman Inc., EnerSys Delaware Inc., EnerSys Delaware LLC I, EnerSys Delaware LLC II, EnerSys Delaware LLC III, EnerSys Delaware LLC IV, EnerSys Delaware LLC V, EnerSys Energy Products Inc., EnerSys Europe Oy, EnerSys European Holding Co., EnerSys GmbH, EnerSys Holdings (Luxembourg) Sarl, EnerSys Holdings UK Ltd., EnerSys Hungaria Kft., EnerSys India Batteries Private Ltd., EnerSys JSC, EnerSys LLC, EnerSys Ltd., EnerSys Malaysia Sdn Bhd, EnerSys Mexico Holdings LLC, EnerSys Mexico Management LLC, EnerSys Participacoes Ltda., EnerSys Reserve Power Pte. Ltd., EnerSys S.r.l., EnerSys SARL, EnerSys SNC, EnerSys South East Asia Pte. Ltd., EnerSys de Mexico II S de R.L. de CV, EnerSys de Mexico S de R.L. de CV, EnerSys s.r.o., EnerSys sp. z o.o., EnerSystem Chile Ltda., Enersys Aku Sanaya Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Esfinco LLC, Hawker GmbH, Hawker Power Systems Inc., Hawker Powersource Inc., Hawker Systems GmbH & Co. KG., ICS Industries Pty Ltd, ICS Industries Pty Ltd., ICS Sheet Metal Pty Ltd., Industrial Battery Holding Ltda., International Communication Shelters Australasia Pty Ltd., Lancord Pty Ltd., Lenmic Pty Ltd., MIB Energy Sdn Bhd, N Holding AB, National Infrastructure Pty Ltd., National Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd., NaviSemi Energy Pte Ltd., NaviSemi Inc., New Pacifico Realty Inc., NorthStar Battery Company LLC, NorthStar Battery Company LLC, NorthStar Battery DMCC, Outback Power Technologies Inc., Powercom (NSW) Pty Ltd., Powersonic S de R.L. de CV, Purcell Systems, Purcell Systems Inc., Purcell Systems International AB, Quallion LLC, Riverfront Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Shenzhen Huada Power Supply Mechanical & Electrical Co. Ltd. , SiteTel Shanghai Co Ltd., SiteTel Sweden AB, Telecomponents & Supply (Hong Kong) Ltd., The Enser Corporation, UTS Holdings Sdn Bhd, UTS Technology (JB) Sdn Bhd, UTS Technology (PG) Sdn Bhd, YCI Inc., and Yecoltd S. de R.L. de CV.
First Data Corporation provides commerce enabled technology and solutions for merchants, financial institutions, and card issuers in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through three segments: Global Business Solutions, Global Financial Solutions, and Network & Security Solutions. The Global Business Solutions segment provides solutions to merchants, such as retail point of sale merchant acquiring, e-commerce, and mobile payment services, as well as cloud based point of sale operating system that include a marketplace for proprietary and third party applications. The Global Finance Solutions segment provides technology solutions for bank and non-bank issuers, such as credit, retail private label, commercial card, and loan processing, as well as licensed financial software systems; suite of account services that include card personalization and embossing, customer communications, and professional services; and call center solutions and back office processing. The Network & Security Solutions segment offers EFT network, stored value network, and security and fraud solutions, as well as other value added solutions to its clients in GBS and GFS segments, smaller financial institutions, and other enterprise clients. First Data Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Photo: The Canadian Press An anti-government protester walks near a bus that was set on fire by opponents of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro.

Anti-government demonstrators clashed with troops loyal to Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro at an air base in the capital hours after opposition leader Juan Guaido took to the streets in a bold and risky attempt to lead a military uprising against the embattled socialist.

The early-morning rebellion seems to have only limited military support.

But it was by far the most-serious challenge yet to Maduro's rule since Guaido, with the backing of the U.S. and dozens of other countries, declared himself the country's interim president in January in rejection of a government he accused of stealing last year's presidential election.

The dramatic events began early Tuesday when Guaido, flanked by a few dozen national guardsmen and some armoured crowd control vehicles, released a three-minute video filmed near a Caracas air base in which he called on civilians and others in the armed forces to join a final push to topple Maduro.

In a surprise, standing alongside him was Leopoldo Lopez, his political mentor and the nation's most-prominent opposition activist, who has largely been silent and unseen since he was detained in 2014 for leading a previous round of anti-government unrest. Lopez said he had been released from house arrest by security forces adhering to an order from Guaido.

"I want to tell the Venezuelan people: This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers," Lopez declared.

As the two opposition leaders co-ordinated actions from vehicles parked on a highway overpass, troops loyal to Maduro sporadically fired tear gas from inside the adjacent Carlota air base.

A crowd that quickly swelled to a few thousand scurried for cover, reassembling later with Guaido to a nearby plaza.

A smaller group of masked youths stayed behind on the highway, firing rocks and Molotov cocktails in an attempt to storm the air base. Amid the mayhem, an armoured utility vehicle drove at full speed into the crowd. It was unclear if anyone was hurt.

"It's now or never," said one of the young rebellious soldiers, his face covered in the blue bandanna worn by the few dozen soldiers joining the "Operation Freedom" insurrection.

Amid the confusion Maduro tried to project an image of strength, saying he had spoken to several regional military commanders who reaffirmed their loyalty to his socialist revolution.

"Nerves of steel!," he said in a message posted on Twitter.

The events, playing out in the opposition's stronghold in a wealthier neighbourhood of eastern Caracas, appeared not to have triggered a broader military revolt.

Flanked by top military commanders, Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez appeared on national television and condemned Guaido's move as a "terrorist" act that was bound to fail.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said the "right-wing extremists" would not succeed in fracturing the armed forces, which have largely stood with the socialist leader throughout the months of turmoil.

"Since 2002, we've seen the same pattern," he told The Associated Press, adding that most of Caracas was calm. "They call for violence, a coup, and send people into the streets so that there are confrontations and deaths. And then from the blood they try to construct a narrative,"

Hundreds of government supporters, some of them brandishing firearms, gathered at the presidential palace, answering the call by socialist leaders to come to the embattled Maduro's rescue.

"It's time to defend the revolution with arms," Valentin Santana, head of a militant group, said in a video posted on social media as he brandished an automatic rifle.

Guaido said the troops who had taken to the streets were protecting Venezuela's constitution and that in the coming hours he would release a list of top commanders supporting the uprising.
The following companies are subsidiares of Darling Ingredients: B.V. CTH Groep, Best Commodity Trade B.V., Boca Industries, CTH B.V., CTH Belgie BVBA, CTH GmbH, CTH Porto - Industria Alimentar Unipessoal Lda, CTH US Inc., Changchun Sonac Biotechnology Co. Ltd, China Millers Ltd, Craig Protein Division Inc., Custom Blenders, DII Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Darling (GI) Limited, Darling (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd, Darling Global Finance B.V., Darling Global Holdings Inc., Darling Green Energy LLC, Darling Ingredients Belgium Holding BV, Darling Ingredients Germany Holding GmbH, Darling Ingredients International Holding B.V., Darling Ingredients International Rendering and Specialties B.V., Darling Ingredients Nederland B.V., Darling Ingredients Nederland Holding B.V., Darling International Canada Inc., Darling International NL CV, Darling International NL Holdings B.V., Darling International Netherlands B.V., Darling National LLC, Dentrans BV, EV Acquisition LLC, Ecoson B.V., Global Ceramic Materials Ltd, Griffin Industries, Griffin Industries LLC, HR-Service Nederland B.V., Harimex do Brazil Ltda, Hepac B.V., Hunan Teijsen Casings & Food Co. Ltd, IT Services B.V., Kanzler GmbH, LARU GmbH, MD Entsorgungsges. fur Schlachtnebenprodukte mbH, National By-Products, Nebraska By-Products, Nevada Darmen- und Schlachtnebenprodukte Handels GmbH, Qionglai Sonac Biotechnology Co. Ltd, RVO BioPur, Rendac B.V., Rendac BVBA, Rendac CES SA, Rendac Icker GmbH & Co. KG, Rendac Jagel GmbH, Rendac Lingen GmbH, Rendac Rotenburg GmbH, Rendac Son B.V., Rendac Transport BVBA, Rendac UDES SPRL, Rendac Udes Transport SPRL, Rothsay, Rousselot (Da'an) Gelatin Co. Ltd, Rousselot (Guangdong) Gelatin Co. Ltd, Rousselot (M) SDN.BHD, Rousselot (Whenzou) Gelatin Co. Ltd, Rousselot (Zhejiang) Gelatin Co. Ltd, Rousselot Angouleme SAS, Rousselot Argentina SA, Rousselot B.V., Rousselot BV, Rousselot Dubuque Inc., Rousselot Gelatin SL, Rousselot Gelatinas do Brasil Ltda, Rousselot GmbH, Rousselot Inc., Rousselot Isle sur La Sorgue SAS, Rousselot Japan KK, Rousselot Peabody Inc., Rousselot SAS, SNP Handels- und Beteiligungs GmbH, Sanrec GmbH, Schmalzbaron Handels GmbH, Siping Sonac Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Sobel GmbH, Sobel Luxembourg Sarl, Sonac (China) Biology Co. Ltd, Sonac (Guangdong) Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Sonac (Luohe) Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Sonac Almere BV, Sonac Australia PTY Ltd, Sonac Bad Bramstedt GmbH, Sonac Belgie BV, Sonac Bergheim GmbH, Sonac Brunen GmbH, Sonac Burgum B.V., Sonac Eindhoven B.V., Sonac Elsholz GmbH, Sonac Erolzheim GmbH, Sonac Functional Products B.V., Sonac Gelsenkirchen GmbH, Sonac Gent BV, Sonac Harlingen B.V., Sonac Kiel GmbH, Sonac Lingen GmbH, Sonac Loenen B.V., Sonac Lubien Kujawski spolka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia (sp.z.o.o.), Sonac Mering GmbH, Sonac Osetnica Sp.z o.o., Sonac Son B.V., Sonac Transport BV, Sonac USA LLC, Sonac Usnice Sp.z o.o., Sonac Versmold GmbH, Sonac Vuren B.V., Sonac do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Sub Produto Animal Ltda, Terra Renewal Services, Treuhand SNP Icker GmbH, Triperia CTH Espana SL, Vion, and Zhejiang Sonac Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
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 SK Telecom Co.,Ltd: ADT CAPS Co. Ltd., ADT Caps, Atlas Investment, CAPSTEC Co. Ltd., Cyworld, DongGuan Iriver Electronics Co. Ltd., Dreamus Company, Eleven Street Co. Ltd., FSK L&S (Hungary) Co. Ltd., FSK L&S (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FSK L&S Co. Ltd., FSK L&S Vietnam Company Limited, Hana Card, Hanaro Telecom, Happy Hanool Co. Ltd., Home & Service Co. Ltd., ID Quantique, Id Quantique LLC, Incross Co. Ltd., Infra Communications Co. Ltd., Iriver China Co. Ltd., Iriver Enterprise Ltd., K-net Culture and Contents Venture Fund, Korea Thrunet, LG HelloVision, Life & Security Holdings Co. Ltd., Life Design Company Inc., Mindknock Co. Ltd., Onestore Co. Ltd., PS&Marketing Co. Ltd., Panasia Semiconductor Materials LLC, Quantum Innovation Fund I, SK Broadband, SK Broadband Co. Ltd., SK Communications Co. Ltd., SK Global Healthcare Business Group Ltd., SK Infosec Co. Ltd., SK M&Service Co. Ltd., SK O&S Co. Ltd., SK Planet Co. Ltd., SK Planet Global Holdings Pte. Ltd., SK Planet Japan K. K., SK Telecom China Fund I L.P., SK Telecom China Holdings Co. Ltd., SK Telecom Innovation Fund L.P., SK Telecom TMT Investment Corp., SK Telink Co. Ltd., SK stoa Co. Ltd., SK telecom Japan Inc., SKP America LLC, SKT Americas Inc., SKinfosec Information Technology (wuxi) Co. Ltd., Service Ace Co. Ltd., Service Top Co. Ltd., Shopkick, Tbroad Nowon Broadcasting Co. Ltd., YTK Investment Ltd., iRiver Ltd, and id Quantique Ltd..
Rayonier Advanced Materials, Inc. engages in the production and sale of cellulose products, which is a natural polymer commonly used in the production of cell phone and computer screens, filters, and pharmaceuticals. It operates through the following segments: High Purity Cellulose, Forest Products, Paperboard, Pulp and Newsprint, and Corporate. The High Purity Cellulose segment manufacture and market high purity cellulose, which is sold as either cellulose specialties or commodity products in U.S., Canda, and France. The Forest Products segment manufacture and market construction-grade lumber in North America through seven sawmills located in Canada. The Paperboard segment comprises paperboard products. The Pulp and Newsprint segment involves in the production of pulp and newsprint in Canada. The Corporate segment consists senior management, accounting, information systems, human resources, treasury, tax, and legal administrative functions that provide support services to the operating business units. The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL.

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Photo: The Canadian Press LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz

The head of LNG Canada says Ottawa's trade and diplomatic frictions with Beijing have had no impact on the massive project that will one day ship liquefied natural gas from British Columbia to major Asian economies  including China.

In an interview Tuesday, Andy Calitz says the tensions between Canada and China have never been raised at any of LNG Canada's executive committee meetings.

The state-controlled Chinese energy firm, PetroChina, owns a 15-per-cent stake in the $40-billion project  which Calitz says is on track to start transporting gas in late 2023.

Calitz says China is actually quite proud that it plans to bring in Canadian gas to help it replace its coal power plants, improve air quality and lower greenhouse-gas emissions.

In recent weeks, China has blocked Canadian canola-seed shipments  which is widely seen as a response to Canada's move in December to arrest senior Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of the United States.

Since Meng's arrest, China has detained two Canadian citizens on allegations of endangering Chinese national security and has sentenced two Canadians to death for drug-related convictions.
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF's stock was trading at $37.30 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, VWO stock has increased by 31.9% and is now trading at $49.21.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
The following companies are subsidiares of Waste Management: 635952 Ontario Inc., 8242348 Canada Inc., Acaverde S.A. de C.V., Access Computer Products, Advanced Environmental Technical Services L.L.C., Akron Regional Landfill Inc., Alliance Sanitary Landfill Inc., Alpharetta Transfer Station LLC, American Landfill Inc., American Oil Recovery LLC, Ameriwaste LLC, Anderson Landfill Inc., Anderson Rubbish Disposal, Antelope Valley Recycling and Disposal Facility Inc., Arden Landfill Inc., Atlantic Waste Disposal Inc., Automated Salvage Transport Co. L.L.C., Avalon South LLC, Azusa Land Reclamation Inc., B&B Landfill Inc., Big Dipper Enterprises Inc., Bluegrass Containment L.L.C., Burnsville Sanitary Landfill Inc., CA Newco L.L.C., CR Group LLC, CWM Chemical Services L.L.C., Cal Sierra Disposal, California Asbestos Monofill Inc., Canadian Waste Services Holdings Inc., Capels Landfill LLC, Capital Sanitation Company, Capitol Disposal Inc., Carolina Grading Inc., Cedar Ridge Landfill Inc., Central Disposal Systems Inc., Chadwick Road Landfill Inc., Chambers Clearview Environmental Landfill Inc., Chambers Development Company Inc., Chambers Development of Ohio Inc., Chambers of Georgia Inc., Chambers of Mississippi Inc., Chemical Waste Management Inc., Chemical Waste Management of Indiana L.L.C., Chemical Waste Management of the Northwest Inc., Chesser Island Road Landfill Inc., City Environmental Services Inc. of Waters, Cleburne Landfill Company Corp., Coast Waste Management Inc., Coastal Recyclers Landfill LLC, Connecticut Valley Sanitary Waste Disposal Inc., Conservation Services Inc., Coshocton Landfill Inc., Cougar Landfill Inc., Countryside Landfill Inc., Curtis Creek Recovery Systems Inc., Cuyahoga Landfill Inc., DHC Land LLC, Dafter Sanitary Landfill Inc., Dauphin Meadows Inc., Deep Valley Landfill Inc., Deer Track Park Landfill Inc., Deffenbaugh Disposal Inc., Deffenbaugh Group Holdings Inc., Deffenbaugh Industries Inc., Deffenbaugh Recycling Company L.L.C., Deffenbaugh of Arkansas LLC, Del Almo Landfill L.L.C., Delaware Recyclable Products Inc., Dickinson Landfill Inc., Disposal Service Incorporated, Dolphin Services & Chemicals LLC, Dolphin-One LLC, ELDA Landfill Inc., Earthmovers Landfill L.L.C., East Liverpool Landfill Inc., Eastern One Land Corporation, Eco-Vista LLC, Elk River Landfill Inc., Energy Injection Services of Mississippi LLC, EnviroSolutions Dulles LLC, EnviroSolutions Holdings Inc., EnviroSolutions Real Property Holdings Inc., Envirofil of Illinois Inc., Evergreen Landfill Inc., Evergreen Recycling and Disposal Facility Inc., Finch Waste Co LLC, Firetower Landfill LLC, Fred J. Eckert Sanitary Service Inc., Furnace Associates Inc., G.I. Industries, GA Landfills Inc., Gallia Landfill Inc., Garnet of Maryland Inc., Gateway Transfer Station LLC, Georgia Waste Systems Inc., Giordano Recycling L.L.C., Glades Landfill LLC, Glen's Sanitary Landfill Inc., Grand Central Sanitary Landfill Inc., Greenbow LLC, Greenleaf Compaction Inc., Greenstar Allentown LLC, Greenstar Georgia LLC, Greenstar LLC, Greenstar Managed Services - Connecticut LLC, Greenstar Managed Services - RLWM LLC, Greenstar Mid-America LLC, Greenstar New Jersey LLC, Greenstar Ohio LLC, Greenstar Paterson LLC, Greenstar Pittsburgh LLC, Greenstar Recycled Holdings LLC, Greenstar Recycling LLC, Guadalupe Mines Mutual Water Company, Guadalupe Rubbish Disposal Co. Inc., Ham Lake Haulers Inc., Harris Sanitation Inc., Harwood Landfill Inc., Hedco Landfill Limited, High Mountain Fuels LLC, Hillsboro Landfill Inc., Holyoke Sanitary Landfill Inc., IN Landfills L.L.C., Illini Disposal, International Environmental Management Inc., Jahner Sanitation Inc., Jay County Landfill L.L.C., K and W Landfill Inc., Keene Road Landfill Inc., Kelly Run Sanitation Inc., King George Landfill Inc., King George Landfill Properties LLC, Kirby Canyon Holdings LLC, L&K Group Holdings LLC, LCS Services Inc., Lakeville Recycling L.P., Land South Holdings LLC, Landfill Services of Charleston Inc., Laurel Highlands Landfill Inc., Liberty Landfill L.L.C., Liquid Logistics, Liquid Waste Management Inc., Longleaf C&D Disposal Facility Inc., Looney Bins Inc., Mac Land Disposal Inc. II, Mahoning Landfill Inc., Mass Gravel Inc., Mc Ginnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation, McDaniel Landfill Inc., McGill Landfill Inc., Meadowfill Landfill Inc., Michigan Environs Inc., Midwest One Land Corporation, Modesto Garbage Co. Inc., Moor Refuse Inc., Mordell, Mountain Indemnity Insurance Company, Mountainview Landfill Inc., Nassau Landfill L.L.C., National Guaranty Insurance Company of Vermont, New England CR L.L.C., New Milford Landfill L.L.C., New Orleans Landfill L.L.C., North Manatee Recycling and Disposal Facility L.L.C., Northwestern Landfill Inc., Nu-Way Live Oak Reclamation Inc., OAKLEAF Waste Management LLC, OGH Acquisition Corporation, Oak Grove Disposal Co. Inc., Oakleaf Global Holdings Inc., Oakleaf Waste Management Inc., Oakridge Landfill Inc., Oakwood Landfill Inc., Okeechobee Landfill Inc., Ozark Ridge Landfill Inc., P & R Environmental Industries L.L.C., Pacific Waste Management L.L.C., Pappy Inc., Peltz H.C. LLC, Pen-Rob Inc., People's Landfill Inc., Peterson Demolition Inc., Phoenix Resources Inc., Pine Grove Landfill Inc., Pine Tree Acres Inc., Prime Westport LLC, Quail Hollow Landfill Inc., Questquill Limited, R & B Landfill Inc., RAA Colorado L.L.C., RAA Trucking LLC, RCI Hudson Inc., RTS Landfill Inc., Recycle America Co. L.L.C., Recycle America Holdings Inc., Redwood Landfill Inc., Refuse Inc., Refuse Services Inc., Reliable Environmental Transport, Reliable Landfill L.L.C., Remote Landfill Services Inc., Reno Disposal Co., Resco Holdings L.L.C., Resource Control Composting Inc., Resource Control Inc., Richland County Landfill Inc., Riverbend Landfill Co., Rust Engineering & Construction Inc., Rust International Inc., S & J Landfill Limited Partnership, S & S Grading Inc., S&T Materials LLC, SC Holdings Inc., SF Land Acquisition LLC, Sanifill de Mexico (US) Inc., Sanifill de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Shade Landfill Inc., Shawnee Rock Company, Sierra Estrella Landfill Inc., Southern Alleghenies Landfill Inc., Southern One Land Corporation, Southern Waste Services L.L.C., Spruce Ridge Inc., Stony Hollow Landfill Inc., Suburban Landfill Inc., Summit Energy Services Inc, Swire Waste Management Limited, TN'T Sands Inc., TX Newco L.L.C., Texarkana Landfill L.L.C., Texas Pack Rat - Austin #1 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - Dallas #1 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - Houston #1 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - Houston #2 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - Houston #3 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - San Antonio #1 LLC, Texas Pack Rat Service Company LLC, The Peltz Group LLC, The Waste Management Charitable Foundation, The Woodlands of Van Buren Inc., Thermal Remediation Solutions L.L.C., Trail Ridge Landfill Inc., TransAmerican Waste Industries, Transamerican Waste Central Landfill Inc., Trash Hunters Inc., Twin Bridges Golf Club L.P., USA South Hills Landfill Inc., USA Valley Facility Inc., USA Waste Geneva Landfill Inc., USA Waste Landfill Operations and Transfer Inc., USA Waste Services of NYC Inc., USA Waste of California Inc., USA Waste of Texas Landfills Inc., USA Waste of Virginia Landfills Inc., USA Waste-Management Resources LLC, USA-Crinc L.L.C., USB LIHTC Fund 2010-1 LLC, UWS Barre Inc., United Waste Systems Leasing Inc., Valley Garbage and Rubbish Company Inc., Vern's Refuse Service Inc., Vickery Environmental Inc., Vista Landfill LLC, Voyageur Disposal Processing Inc., WM Avon Inc., WM Bagco LLC, WM Billerica Inc., WM Biloxi Hauling LLC, WM Biloxi Transfer Station LLC, WM Boston CORE Inc., WM CCP Solutions LLC, WM Conversion Fund LLC, WM Corporate Services Inc., WM Curbside LLC, WM DC 1 LLC, WM Emergency Employee Support Fund Inc., WM Energy Resources Inc., WM Energy Services Holdings LLC, WM Energy Services of Ohio LLC, WM Energy Solutions Inc., WM GTL Inc., WM GTL JV Holdings LLC, WM GTL LLC, WM Green Squad LLC, WM GreenOps LLC, WM Healthcare Solutions Inc., WM Illinois Renewable Energy L.L.C., WM Intellectual Property Holdings L.L.C., WM International Holdings Inc., WM KS Energy Resources LLC, WM LNG Inc., WM LampTracker Inc., WM Landfills of Ohio Inc., WM Landfills of Tennessee Inc., WM Leasing Services of Texas LLC, WM Leasing of Arizona L.L.C., WM Leasing of Texas L.P., WM Logistics India Private Limited, WM Logistics LLC, WM Mercury Waste Inc., WM Middle Tennessee Environmental Center L.L.C., WM Mobile Bay Environmental Center Inc., WM ND Energy Resources II LLC, WM ND Energy Resources LLC, WM Nevada Renewable Energy L.L.C., WM North Broward Inc., WM Organic Growth Inc., WM PA Holdings LLC, WM PRG L.L.C., WM Pack-Rat LLC, WM Pack-Rat of California LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Illinois LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Kentucky LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Maryland LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Massachusetts LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Michigan LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Nevada LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Ohio LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Rhode Island LLC, WM Partnership Holdings Inc., WM Phoenix Energy Resources LLC, WM Propane LLC, WM Quebec Inc., WM RA Canada Inc., WM Recycle America L.L.C., WM Recycle Europe L.L.C., WM Recycling Latin America LLC, WM Refined Coal LLC, WM Renewable Energy L.L.C., WM Resource Recovery & Recycling Center Inc., WM Resources Inc., WM Safety Services L.L.C., WM Security Services Inc., WM Storage II Inc., WM Storage Inc., WM TX Energy Resources II LLC, WM TX Energy Resources LLC, WM Texas Pack Rat LLC, WM Trash Monitor Plus L.L.C., WM WY Energy Resources II LLC, WM WY Energy Resources III LLC, WM WY Energy Resources LLC, WM of North Dakota Energy Disposal Solutions LLC, WMI Mexico Holdings Inc., WMNA Container Recycling L.L.C., WMRE of Kentucky LLC, WMRE of Michigan LLC, WMRE of Ohio LLC, WMRE of Ohio-American LLC, WMSALSA Inc., WTI Air Pollution Control Inc., WTI Rust Holdings Inc., Warner Company, Waste Away Group Inc., Waste Management Arizona Landfills Inc., Waste Management Buckeye L.L.C., Waste Management China Holdings Limited, Waste Management Collection and Recycling Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Colorado Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Maine Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Maryland Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Massachusetts Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Oregon Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Pennsylvania Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Virginia Inc., Waste Management Energy Services of Texas LLC, Waste Management Holdings Inc., Waste Management Inc. of Florida, Waste Management Inc. of Tennessee, Waste Management Indycoke L.L.C., Waste Management International Inc., Waste Management National Services Inc., Waste Management National Transportation Services Inc., Waste Management Partners Inc., Waste Management Recycling and Disposal Services of California Inc., Waste Management Recycling of New Jersey L.L.C., Waste Management Service Center Inc., Waste Management of Alameda County Inc., Waste Management of Alaska Inc., Waste Management of Arizona Inc., Waste Management of Arkansas Inc., Waste Management of California Inc., Waste Management of Canada Corporation, Waste Management of Carolinas Inc., Waste Management of Colorado Inc., Waste Management of Connecticut Inc., Waste Management of Delaware Inc., Waste Management of Fairless L.L.C., Waste Management of Five Oaks Recycling and Disposal Facility Inc., Waste Management of Georgia Inc., Waste Management of Hawaii Inc., Waste Management of Idaho Inc., Waste Management of Illinois Inc., Waste Management of Indiana Holdings One Inc., Waste Management of Indiana Holdings Two Inc., Waste Management of Indiana L.L.C., Waste Management of Iowa Inc., Waste Management of Kansas Inc., Waste Management of Kentucky Holdings Inc., Waste Management of Kentucky L.L.C., Waste Management of Leon County Inc., Waste Management of Londonderry Inc., Waste Management of Louisiana Holdings One Inc., Waste Management of Louisiana L.L.C., Waste Management of Maine Inc., Waste Management of Maryland Inc., Waste Management of Massachusetts Inc., Waste Management of Metro Atlanta Inc., Waste Management of Michigan Inc., Waste Management of Minnesota Inc., Waste Management of Mississippi Inc., Waste Management of Missouri Inc., Waste Management of Montana Inc., Waste Management of Nebraska Inc., Waste Management of Nevada Inc., Waste Management of New Hampshire Inc., Waste Management of New Jersey Inc., Waste Management of New Mexico Inc., Waste Management of New York L.L.C., Waste Management of North Dakota Inc., Waste Management of Ohio Inc., Waste Management of Oklahoma Inc., Waste Management of Oregon Inc., Waste Management of Pennsylvania Gas Recovery L.L.C., Waste Management of Pennsylvania Inc., Waste Management of Rhode Island Inc., Waste Management of South Carolina Inc., Waste Management of South Dakota Inc., Waste Management of Texas Holdings Inc., Waste Management of Texas Inc., Waste Management of Tunica Landfill Inc., Waste Management of Utah Inc., Waste Management of Virginia Inc., Waste Management of Washington, Waste Management of West Virginia Inc., Waste Management of Wisconsin Inc., Waste Management of Wyoming Inc., Western One Land Corporation, Western Waste Industries, Western Waste of Texas L.L.C., Westminster Land Acquisition LLC, Wheelabrator Technologies, Wheelabrator Technologies International Inc., White Lake Landfill Inc., Willow Oak Landfill LLC, and eCycling Services L.L.C..
The following companies are subsidiares of Valero Energy: AIR BP-PBF DEL PERU SAC, BELFAST STORAGE LTD, CANADIAN ULTRAMAR COMPANY, COLONNADE TEXAS INSURANCE COMPANY LLC, COLONNADE VERMONT INSURANCE COMPANY, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LLC, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OF CANADA INC., DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL HOLDINGS LLC, DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL LLC, DIAMOND K RANCH LLC, DIAMOND OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., DIAMOND SHAMROCK REFINING COMPANY L.P., DIAMOND UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., DSRM NATIONAL BANK, ENTERPRISE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT INC., GCP LOGISTICS COMPANY LLC, GOLDEN EAGLE ASSURANCE LIMITED, HAMMOND MAINLINE PIPELINE LLC, HUNTWAY REFINING COMPANY, MAINLINE PIPELINES LIMITED, MAPLE ETHANOL LTD., MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT GP LLC, MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT L.P., MRP PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, NECHES RIVER HOLDING CORP., NORCO METHANOL LLC, OCEANIC TANKERS AGENCY LIMITED, PARKWAY PIPELINE LLC, PENTA TANKS TERMINALS S.A., PI DOCK FACILITIES LLC, PICKARD PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, PORT ARTHUR COKER COMPANY L.P., PREMCOR USA INC., PROPERTY RESTORATION L.P., PURE BIOFUELS DEL PERU S.A.C., PURE BIOFUELS HOLDINGS L.P., Parkway Pipeline, Premcor, Pure Biofuels Del Peru, SABINE RIVER HOLDING CORP., SABINE RIVER LLC, SAINT BERNARD PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, SUNBELT REFINING COMPANY L.P., THE PREMCOR PIPELINE CO., THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC., THE SHAMROCK PIPE LINE CORPORATION, TRANSPORT MARITIME ST. LAURENT INC., ULTRAMAR ACCEPTANCE INC., ULTRAMAR ENERGY INC., ULTRAMAR INC., Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, V-TEX LOGISTICS LLC, VALERO (BARBADOS) SRL, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS GP LLC, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS LIMITED, VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ARUBA ACQUISITION COMPANY I LTD., VALERO ARUBA FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA HOLDING COMPANY N.V., VALERO ARUBA HOLDINGS INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA MAINTENANCE/OPERATIONS COMPANY N.V., VALERO BROWNSVILLE TERMINAL LLC, VALERO CANADA FINANCE INC., VALERO CANADA L.P., VALERO CAPITAL CORPORATION, VALERO CARIBBEAN SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO COKER CORPORATION ARUBA N.V., VALERO CUSTOMS & TRADE SERVICES INC., VALERO EAST BAY LLC, VALERO ENERGY (IRELAND) LIMITED, VALERO ENERGY ARUBA II COMPANY, VALERO ENERGY INC., VALERO ENERGY LTD, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS LP, VALERO ENERGY UK LTD, VALERO ENTERPRISES INC., VALERO EQUITY SERVICES LTD, VALERO FINANCE L.P. I, VALERO FINANCE L.P. II, VALERO FINANCE L.P. III, VALERO FOREST CONTRIBUTION LLC, VALERO GRAIN MARKETING LLC, VALERO H2 PIPELINE COMPANY LLC, VALERO HOLDCO UK LTD, VALERO HOLDINGS INC., VALERO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., VALERO LIVE OAK LLC, VALERO LOGISTICS UK LTD, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY (PANAMA) LLC, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY COMPANY, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPY INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO MARKETING IRELAND LIMITED, VALERO MKS LOGISTICS L.L.C., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEW AMSTERDAM B.V., VALERO OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONS SUPPORT LTD, VALERO PARTNERS CCTS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS EAST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS WEST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS EP LLC, VALERO PARTNERS HOUSTON LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LOUISIANA LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LUCAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MCKEE LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MERAUX LLC, VALERO PARTNERS NORTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS OPERATING CO. LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PAPS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PORT ARTHUR LLC, VALERO PARTNERS SOUTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS TEXAS CITY LLC, VALERO PARTNERS THREE RIVERS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WYNNEWOOD LLC, VALERO PAYMENT SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE LLC, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE OIL TERMINAL LTD, VALERO PLAINS COMPANY LLC, VALERO POWER MARKETING LLC, VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL PARTNERS LLC, VALERO REFINING AND MARKETING COMPANY, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-ARUBA N.V., VALERO REFINING COMPANY-CALIFORNIA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-OKLAHOMA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-TENNESSEE L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-MERAUX LLC, VALERO REFINING-NEW ORLEANS L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-TEXAS L.P., VALERO RENEWABLE FUELS COMPANY LLC, VALERO SECURITY SYSTEMS INC., VALERO SERVICES INC., VALERO SKELLYTOWN PIPELINE LLC, VALERO TEJAS COMPANY LLC, VALERO TERMINAL HOLDCO LTD, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO TEXAS POWER MARKETING INC., VALERO ULTRAMAR HOLDINGS INC., VALERO UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., VALERO WEST WALES LLC, VRG PROPERTIES COMPANY, VTD PROPERTIES COMPANY, WARSHALL COMPANY LLC, and ZELIG COMMERCIAL INC..
"To not do what we've been doing for 20-something years, to have that taken away from us last year, you love something this much, once you have it back in your hands, you love it, you cherish it, protect it that much more. So I just want to put a guitar around my shoulders and stand out in stage center and say, 'Let's go.'"
This years Taste of Monticello Wine Trail Festival will include meals, tours and tastings throughout the week. The festivals third annual Rose Lunch, set for 11 a.m. Friday at Barboursville Vineyards, is expected to draw a healthy crowd.

Thats been one of the Trail weeks most popular events, because who doesnt love rose? Said Rachel Stinson of Stinson Vineyards. Rose is good year-round, but particularly this time of year, with all the spring produce.

Spencer Crawford, chef at Barboursville Vineyards Palladio restaurant, said creating the menu around rose has been a pleasant way to welcome spring.

Its the best time of year, and youre tired of sweet potatoes, Crawford said. You want to brighten it up and shake off winter. You get rid of your root vegetables and you get to work with something green.

Crawford said Barboursvilles rose is drier than most, which offers more options for food pairings. You dont have to balance the sweetness, he said of the wine, which is particularly good with fish and all kinds of vegetables.
 The Womens Initiative offers free walk-in clinics providing one-on-one sessions with a counselor free of charge to women needing immediate short-term assistance, including tools for self-care, emotional support, assessment of needs and goals, referral services and resource connection. Clinics are offered from 10 a.m. to noon each Monday at the Westhaven Clinic; 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays at Jefferson City School Center; and 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to noon Fridays at the Womens Initiative office. In case of a mental health emergency, reach crisis services 24/7 by calling Region Ten Emergency Services at (434) 972-1800 or calling 911. Details: thewomensinitiative.org or (434) 872-0047.
A Lake of the Woods man faces multiple charges of sexual assaulting a child after an April 26 investigation by the Orange County Sheriffs Office and Orange County Social Services, investigators said.

Kevin Lee Goodman, 64, was arrested and charged with three counts of indecent liberties with a child younger than 15 who is a family member and three counts of crimes against nature with a child between 13 and 18 years old.

Goodman is currently being held without bond at the Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange.

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Photo: Meiklejohn Architects

Some changes are coming to Kelowna's Orchard Park Mall.

City council Monday gave its approval to a redevelopment plan for the northeast portion of the mall, formerly occupied by Sears.

The retail giant vacated both its main store and the Sears Home store in January of last year when Sears Canada shut down.

As Castanet first told you last month, Canadian retail giant Mark's will be moving into a portion of the 80,000 square foot space vacated by the main Sears store.

Planner Terry Barton told council nearly 50 per cent of that space (38,000 sq. ft.) will be demolished and renovated into the new store.

There will also be a second un-named retailer in the space.

The renovation will also provide a new east entrance, while the parking lot will be expanded and reconfigured to add 263 new stalls.

"The existing vehicle access south of Dilworth Drive, which is so close to that intersection, will be closed and restored as a landscape boulevard," said Barton.

It's a change Coun. Gail Given agrees with.

"Having spent 25 years of my work life in that building, I think this is a brilliant adaptation to Sears departing," she said.

"I wholeheartedly agree with closing that exit. When I'm in the mall, I would never use that exit because it's an accident waiting to happen."
Two men were injured Monday evening in a shooting at Granite Park Apartments off Commonwealth Drive in Albemarle County.

The victims were taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center, but their injuries were not life-threatening, said Capt. Darrell Byers with the county police. One man was injured by a gunshot while the other was bludgeoned.

Byers said officers do not have a suspect in the case and do not yet know how many people were involved.

We feel this is an isolated incident, he said, adding that police do not think there is a threat to the community.

Officers responded to reports of the shooting at 6:10 p.m. Monday. After the victims were taken to the hospital, Byers cordoned off a section in front of 2236 Commonwealth Drive, as well as around the back of the building, which has six apartments.

Byers said police have not yet determined the circumstances around the shooting.

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At the Zion substation, which also serves customers in Fluvanna and Louisa counties, CVEC plans to start connections in August or September.

Its a big substation for us, and if we get weather like we had a few months ago, thats going to be pushed back, Creekmore said. All that rain really hurt us in Appomattox, it really slowed us down.

The Cashs Corner substation, which also serves customers in Louisa, is near the Zion substation. A VATI grant application was submitted for the Cashs Corner substation but was not successful.

Were right here, were going to take the risk and just do it while were up there anyway, even though we didnt get that grant, Creekmore said.

He said the Cashs Corner connections are expected to be done about a month after the Zion connections are completed.

In December, Albemarle entered into an agreement with CVEC for $550,000 to expand the fiber-optic network over the next five years.

Allison Wrabel is a reporter for The Daily Progress. Contact her at (434) 978-7261, awrabel@dailyprogress.com or @craftypanda on Twitter.

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The University of Virginia School of Engineering will host Vinton Cerf, a father of the internet, at a symposium Wednesday.

Cerf co-designed the TCP/IP protocols of the internet, according to a press release.

He will speak as part of the National Academy of Engineerings regional meeting and symposium.

Cerf will speak at 10 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information on the all-day symposium, visit engineering.virginia.edu/national-academy-engineering-regional-meeting.

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Photo: Contributed

Schoolkids showcased their family histories at the Okanagan Regional Heritage Fair on Tuesday.

Sixty-five grade schoolers from across the Central Okanagan took part in the event at the Laurel Packinghouse.

Similar in nature to a science fair, the Heritage Fair allows students to present their own unique perspectives, presenting their work to a panel of judges.

Our history is passed down from generation to generation, and it is always a delight to see the unique interpretations that the students bring to their projects, said Linda Digby, executive director of Kelowna Museums Society.

Three students will be selected to attend the provincial fair in Victoria this July.
A man who reportedly said to get inspired by the Sri Lanka bombings mastermind allegedly conspired to commit a terrorist attack in Kerala. The suspect has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency or NIA. The man identified as Riyas A, who also goes by Riyas Aboobacker and Abu Dujana, will be produced before the court in Kochi today. The 29-year-old Riyas, originally a resident of Palakkad in Kerala, has reportedly confessed to having been inspired by Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of deadly suicide bombings on Easter Sunday in Sri Lankas Colombo, in which over 390 were killed.



NIA arrested Riyas Aboobacker y'day in Kasaragod ISIS module case for conspiring to commit a terrorist act. He'll be produced before NIA Court in Kochi today. Case was registered in July 2016 after 15 youths disappeared from Kasaragod&their subsequent migration to ISIS. #Kerala pic.twitter.com/oyP02VPoUv  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

"He had been following speeches and videos of Hashim and Zakir Naik for last one year," a senior NIA officer said.

According to NDTV, the officer said that Riyass disclosure was more alarming on how he was planning to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala. Meanwhile, Hasim is the leader of National Thowheed Jamaath, which is believed to have executed the highly coordinated blasts in Sri Lanka on April 21.

Riyas also claimed that he tried to convince other members of the module to follow Hashim, according to NDTV reports. "The suspect is well versed with Tamil and followed Hashim's speeches and videos. He tried to rope in others but could not convince as they didn't know Tamil", an official said. He also said that they are interrogating Riyas to determine his targets in Kerala.

Also read: ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi alive; calls Lanka blasts 'revenge attack' in latest video
by Wang Zhicheng

Against a backdrop of chaotic organisation and tightly-controlled media, BRI forum saw Xi Jinping take centre stage. BRIs main projects are the ports of Piraeus (Greece) and Gwadar (Pakistan) and railway lines to Europe and South East Asia. However, pollution and corruption have cast their shadow over the initiative.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  The Second Belt and Road Initiative Forum for International Cooperation, which ended on Saturday, left many participants unhappy.

One major issue was the lack of a clear schedule, leaving attendees either waiting for hours on end or scrambling to catch up after an event started suddenly.

Another issue was tight media control and the inability of Chinese officials to speak to any media organisation about the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) itself or the trade war between China and the United States. Only Xi Jinping's speech received broad coverage.

At the end of the Forum, a joint statement was issued, signed by China and 37 other countries in which a certain number of infrastructural projects (ports and railways) were touted as symbols of what the BRI can do.

Beijing hoped to use the Forum to counter world mistrust vis-a-vis its plans and show that BRI can meet the expectations of local populations and investors.

BRIs highlights include the Port of Piraeus (Greece) and that of Gwadar (Pakistan). According to several experts, the Greek port has the possibility of becoming Chinas "gateway to Europe".

State-owned shipping firm Cosco Holdings took a 67 per cent stake in the port in 2016. Greeces largest seaport is now ranked 36th of the worlds 100 biggest ports, up from 93rd in 2008.

Gwadar's port is another flagship BRI project, but its funding by China is under investigation for graft. Pakistans new prime minister, Imran Khan, who was elected last year, wants to review the project.

Railways are BRIs other main area. Topping the list is the China Railway Express, which is expected to connect Chongqing, in central China, to London.

Launched in 2011, the railway will eventually link 60 Chinese cities with 50 cities across Central Asia and Europe. More than 14,000 freight trains are expected to use it every week. However, its environmental impact is one of the reasons it is disliked by some European countries.

Other railway projects mentioned include the China-Laos Railway, the China-Thailand Railway, the Hungary-Serbia Railway, and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway.

There was no mention of the East Coast Rail link in Malaysia. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who earlier threatened to cancel the deal because of its high cost, this month signed a new agreement for the project with China after Beijing cut the price by 30 per cent.
When contacted, Tata Starbucks spokesperson said: "As a responsible organization, Tata Starbucks conducts its business ethically and complies with all the local laws and regulations".

New Delhi: The GST investigative arm has found Tata Starbucks guilty of profiteering to the tune of Rs 4.51 crore by not reducing prices of coffee despite a cut in the rate.

Investigation by the Directorate General of Anti Profiteering (DGAP) has revealed that Tata Starbucks, the equal joint venture between the Tata and global coffee chain Starbucks, had hiked the base price of one its coffee variant after the GST Council cut tax rates on restaurants from 18 per cent to 5 per cent with effect from November 15, 2017.

This kept the retail sale price of the product pre and post GST rate reduction intact.

Sources said the DGAP has concluded its investigation in March and found that Starbucks profiteered Rs 4.51 crore.

This case will be now heard by the National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA), which will pass the final order about the quantum of profiteering.

When contacted, Tata Starbucks spokesperson said: "As a responsible organization, Tata Starbucks conducts its business ethically and complies with all the local laws and regulations".

The company, since its entry in October 2012, operates around 140 outlets across Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Pune and Kolkata.

GST rate on restaurants was slashed to 5 per cent without benefit of credit on inputs with effect from November 15, 2017. Before that the tax rate was 18 per cent with input tax credit (ITC).

Following that, restaurants were supposed to adjust their base price after taking into account the unavailability of credit on input. However, there have been complaints from customers that restaurants have hiked their base price of the products in such a way that the final sale price remained the same both pre and post GST rate cut.

"According to estimates the unavailability of ITC benefits can push up the cost of product by 10-12 per cent. However, in some cases we have seen that the base price has been increased by as much as 85 per cent," one of the source told PTI.

After studying the books of accounts of a company, the DGAP gives its report to the NAA for further action. If the NAA finds a firm guilty of profiteering then the amount profiteered has to be refunded to consumers by the company.

In case where the consumers cannot be identified, the amount has to be deposited into the consumer welfare fund of the Centre and states.

In February, the NAA had found another restaurant chain Jubilant FoodWorks, the operator of Dominos Pizza in India, guilty of not passing on GST-cut benefit of Rs 41.42 crore on sale of some pizza products.
In response, a PepsiCo India spokesman said in a statement that it has already proposed to amicably settle with people who were unlawfully using seeds of its registered variety.

New Delhi: An influential Hindu nationalist group with close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modis ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused PepsiCo Inc of coercing four Indian farmers who have been sued by the US company for allegedly infringing a patent.

After suing four farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety, grown exclusively for PepsiCos popular Lays potato chips, the snack food and drinks maker on Friday said it wants to amicably settle the issue.

The Purchase, New York-based company said the four farmers had to either sell their potatoes to PepsiCo or stop cultivating the FC5 potato variety. In return, PepsiCo said it would withdraw the suit filed against the farmers.

Ashwani Mahajan, who heads the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, said PepsiCo was coercing the farmers by using legal action to force them to either sell their output to the company or to stop growing the FC5 potato variety at all.

SJM is the economic wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Modis BJP.

The dispute comes at a particularly sensitive time in India, which is about half-way through a 39-day staggered general election, in which its rural population still has a dominant voice. Modi and the BJP are seeking a second term and most political strategists think they will likely get it.

Other than coercing these farmers, PepsiCo is also intimidating and exploiting them. It is a clear case of a large MNC (multi national corporation) arm-twisting Indias poor farmers, Mahajan told Reuters.

The federal government should step in to ensure that the farmers do not get harassed by PepsiCo, he said.

In response, a PepsiCo India spokesman said in a statement that it has already proposed to amicably settle with people who were unlawfully using seeds of its registered variety.

Adding: The company was compelled to take the judicial recourse as a last resort to safeguard the larger interest of thousands of farmers that are engaged with its collaborative potato farming program.

Less moisture

The FC5 variety has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips.

PepsiCo maintains that it developed the FC5 variety, which has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips, and registered the trait in 2016.

In April, the company filed the lawsuit in a court in Ahmedabad, the business hub of Gujarat, requesting the court to retrain the four farmers from growing the FC5 variety. The court has asked the farmers not to use the variety until the next hearing scheduled for June 12.

The court also appointed an officer to examine the issue.

Other than filing the lawsuit, the company has also sought more than 10 million rupees (USD 142,840) each from the four farmers for alleged patent infringement.

PepsiCo shouldnt have gone to the court seeking heavy damages from farmers and a large corporation cannot be allowed to take on a handful of farmers, Mahajan said.

PepsiCo, which set up its first potato chips plant in India in 1989, supplies the FC5 potato variety to a group of farmers who in turn sell their produce to the company at a fixed price.

The state government of Gujarat has assured the farmers that it will help them, Nitin Patel, deputy chief minister said last week.

The opposition Congress party has also criticised PepsiCo for suing the farmers.

Pepsis decision to take Gujarats potato grower farmers to court is ill-advised and brazenly wrong, senior Congress party leader Ahmed Patel, who comes from Gujarat, said in a Tweet.

The All India Kisan Sabha, or All India Farmers Forum, has asked the Indian government to protect the farmers and also called for a boycott of Lays chips and PepsiCos other products.

So far the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has not commented on the issue.

PepsiCo is the second large US company to face major patent infringement issues in India.

Stung by a long-standing intellectual property dispute, seed maker Monsanto, now owned by German drugmaker Bayer AG, withdrew from some businesses in India over a cotton-seed dispute with farmers.
Along with a picture, where the old besties can be seen sharing a light moment, Rahul announced the news to the world. RISHI KAPOOR (CHINTU) is CANCER FREE!!!!, he captioned the picture.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor whose sudden shift to the United States a few months ago left his fans worried under the speculations that Rishi was undergoing cancer treatment. While neither he nor anyone from the Kapoor family confirmed the news, Rishis director friend Rahul Rawail confirmed that the actor is healthy and hearty.

A close friend of the actor, Rawail took to his Facebook putting an end to the rumours surrounding Rishis health condition.

Along with a picture, where the old besties can be seen sharing a light moment, Rahul announced the news to the world. RISHI KAPOOR (CHINTU) is CANCER FREE!!!!, he captioned the picture. In September 2018, when Rishi left the country he took to social media to announce the news saying, Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. Its been 45 years plus of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes,I will be back soon! (sic).
Mumbai: On the occasion of this April marking 100 years of the tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre, renowned filmmaker Shoojit Sircar presents the first look of his biopic Sardar Udham Singh- the rare and untold story of one of the bravest freedom fighters of India.

Shoojit Sircar takes forward his distinctive legacy of unconventional stories onscreen, by showcasing the life of Udham Singh, the great Martyr and Indian freedom fighter who bravely assassinated Michael O' Dwyer (the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab) in 1940, London.

Starring the talented game-changer and NextGen leader Vicky Kaushal as Sardar Udham Singh, the film will witness an unprecedented massive shoot schedule across various countries this year (The first schedule is currently underway in Europe as we speak), with the theatrical release pegged for 2020.

Director Shoojit Sircar speaks on bringing alive such a unique subject on film, "I chose this event as it is one of the most pivotal revolutionary contributions to the freedom movement which has albeit gone unnoticed for generations. Udham's struggle and sacrifice is a very important story for today's audiences to be made aware of, and I have collaborated with my esteemed writers Riteish Shah and Shubendu Bhattacharya, along with my friend and producer Ronnie Lahiri once again for this humble tribute to the maverick freedom fighter and his story. Vicky is unquestionably one of the most dynamic actors we have today, and together we shoulder great responsibility to deliver due justice in bringing alive this inspiring story onscreen."

Shoojit Sircars Sardar Udham Singh is a Rising Sun Film Production, produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar.
Mumbai: Jacqueline Fernandez is one of the most active celebrities on social media and one of the most popular accounts as well. Using the platform to interact with her fans as well as put it to the benefit of others, Jacqueline has been creating an impact on the masses using her fan following - focusing her energy equally on socially driven causes.

The actress has been an active voice when it comes to social issues. The actress who has advocated many causes like marine conservation and animal welfare, has been associated with charity work, as well. Her choice of brands has also been keeping in view, animal testing.

Earlier, Jacqueline Fernandez became the first ever Indian celebrity to collaborate with a cosmetic brand which also, launched eyelashes inspired by the beauty, Jacqueline Fernandez.

Banking upon her social media fandom, brands are constantly attempting to make her the face of their lines and products.

With several brand endorsement to her credit, Jacqueline Fernandez has emerged as one of the most bankable actresses in addition to being the commercial front runner.

The actress has been currently creating a buzz as she would return to Salman Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala's franchise with Kick 2.
Tollywood actor Sharwanand, who has done a few Tamil films before and is, in fact, a known face in the Tamil cinema circuit, has signed a Tamil film after a long time. Looks like the actor is determined to reach a larger audience.

S. R. Prabhu will be bankrolling the film, and a debutant director will helm the project. The actor signed the film because of its story, but he does want to reach a larger audience, said a source close to the actor. The film will be released in Telugu as well, though. Sharwanand is in Kenya at the moment, busy shooting for the remake of 96.

He is also nearing completion with Sudheer Varmas forthcoming directorial, which is anticipated to release this summer. And although the actor seems to be taking his own sweet time with every film, he has a good number of projects waiting in line for his availability.
The tribal leaders introduced Pletnikoff to the pastor, who was eager to help after the two brainstormed ideas and arrived at the concept involving the non-native reindeer. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay)

Anchorage: An Alaska pastor has launched a campaign to help an impoverished Aleut village create a new economy with the plentiful supply of reindeer that roam its isolated island home.

John Honan sees great potential for establishing a small commercial reindeer processing plant in Saint George, home to 60 people and an estimated 350 reindeer.

Honan, a Protestant pastor who runs an emergency housing ministry on another island, has started a donation drive for equipment, contacting local businesses to get involved, and has set up a relief fund for Saint George.

Donations so far include a portable band saw, a table saw, two sets of butchering knives and $730 to go toward a refrigerated shipping container he envisions serving as the processing plant building.

Saint George is a neighbouring island, and we love our neighbours, Honan said. Honan got involved when Saint George Mayor Pat Pletnikoff reached out to tribal leaders in Unalaska for help after an Alaska airline began offering regular flights between the two communities last year.

Pletnikoff says at least half of Saint George residents are on welfare, and other than a small halibut fishery, the few jobs available come from the local and tribal government. He envisions a reindeer plant creating three or four jobs, which would be a big deal in the village, he says.

The tribal leaders introduced Pletnikoff to the pastor, who was eager to help after the two brainstormed ideas and arrived at the concept involving the non-native reindeer.

The US government initially introduced 15 reindeer on the Bering Sea Island in 1911 to provide a stable source of meat.

In 1980, long after the animals had died off, the village Native corporation, Tanaq, transported another group of reindeer from Umnak Island, about 230 miles (370 kilometres) south in Alaskas Aleutians. Honan delivered the equipment gathered so far during trips to the village 220 miles (354 kilometres) from Unalaska Island.

Pletnikoff said the village is waiting for all the equipment to come through before contacting state officials about the required next steps. Its just the genesis of an idea, of what can we do to develop an economy on the island, he said.
Giant pandas were threatened with extinction when they were originally loaned to the San Diego Zoo by the Chinese government in 1996. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay)

Los Angeles: The last two giant pandas living at the San Diego Zoo in California will be sent to the Peoples Republic of China this spring, ending a more than two-decade conservation program that helped bring the black-and-white bears back from the brink of extinction.

The two remaining pandas, Bai Yun and her 6-year-old cub Xiao Liwu, will be sent to China in the coming days after three weeks of goodbyes that culminated over the weekend, the last chance for Californians to see them.

We knew when we started the program that they were not our bears and that they wouldnt be staying so that was always in our minds, the pandas keeper, Dallas Dumont, told Reuters.

But were very proud of what weve accomplished. We set out to help the species and keep it from going extinct and with our Chinese colleagues weve accomplished that, she said.

Giant pandas were threatened with extinction when they were originally loaned to the San Diego Zoo by the Chinese government in 1996, in what was initially intended to be a 10-year program to help re-establish the species. The initial loan was extended to last some 23 years.

In 2016, the status of giant pandas was changed from endangered to vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, reflecting their comeback. As of 2019, there were 2,000 wild pandas in China, their native habitat, according to the zoo.

China believes in having their animals retire back in their country, or be repatriated, so Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu are now going back home to China, Dumont said.

Bai Yun was born in 1991 at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Centre in China and was among the original cohort of bears loaned to the zoo in 1996. She has since given birth to six cubs and is considered the matriarch of the San Diego panda family.

One of her cubs, Xiao Liwu, is considered essentially a teenager in bear years and zookeepers hope he will breed with a female bear in China. His father, Gao Gao, returned to China in October 2018.

In the United States, giant pandas are also kept at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, and at zoos in Memphis and Atlanta.

San Diego Zoo officials said they were working with their counterparts in China to bring pandas back to California.
Hyderabad: A 28-year-old man who had kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered three aged between 11 and 18 years was arrested by the Rachakonda police on Tuesday.

Tension prevailed in Hazipur in Bommalaramaram mandal of Yadadri Bhongir district on Tuesday after villagers set ablaze the house of the accused, Marri Srinivas Reddy, as news of his arrest spread. Police were posted in the village to prevent violence.

The body of the first victim, an 11-year-old girl who went missing in 2015 was recovered from a well by special teams constituted to investigate the case. Srinivas confessed to having sexually assaulted and killed her. Police had recovered the bodies of two other victims, P. Shravani, 14, T. Maisha, 18, from the same well in a span of two days.

Addressing the media, Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat said that Srinvas kidnapped T. Kalpana on April 23, 2015. She was on her way to Maisireddipally on foot from Hazipur after visiting her maternal grandmother.

Srinivas kidnapped Kalpana and raped her before throttling her to death. The body was buried in the well, which had been abandoned for a long time. The incident came to light only after he confessed during questioning, said the commissioner.

On March 25, Srinivas kidnapped P. Shravani who was on her way home from school after offering her a lift, raped and killed her, said another police officer associated with the investigation.

In a similar way, he had kidnapped T. Manisha and killed her last year. Her family believed she had eloped, and had not filed a complaint. Her body was also buried in the well on his land.

The commissioner said Srinivas was caught by locals and beaten up for teasing a woman from Maisireddipally, in 2015. A case was registered but the victim struck a compromise. He developed a grudge against the villagers after the incident and was taking revenge. He is perverted and psychotic in nature. We need to do a psychiatric analysis of his mental condition, the commissioner said.

While Shravanis body was being recovered recently, Srinivas was present in the crowd. Anticipating that his name would surface, he escaped and took shelter in his cousins house. The special teams nabbed him on Monday and placed him under arrest on Tuesday.

Mr Bhagwat said that any person involved in rape and murder would sentenced to death. Srinivas is involved in three such offences where the victims were all minors. We will try to ensure that Srinivas receives the death penalty, he said.
Alappuzha: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who calls himself the 'chowkidar' of the country, is facing the ire of several real chowkidars for the humiliations they have suffered at the hands of the government. While a former Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, Tej Bahadur Yadav, who was dismissed from service, will take on Mr Modi in Varanasi as candidate of the Samajwadi Party, a former Malayali jawan is also seething with anger at the cruelty perpetrated on him by the higher-ups. The crime that led to Yadav's dismissal was that he had circulated a video criticising the food given to the forces on the frontlines. Similarly,

Shibin Thomas, 35, hailing from North Aryad here, who served in the BSF for 13 years, was sacked in March 2017 for trying to expose graft in the forces. He believes that Mr Modi's 'chowkidar' campaign is an eyewash.

"Yadav and I were dismissed from the force during the same period for the same crime of exposing corruption in the force. I hope the people of Varanasi will recognise the real chowkidars of the nation. Yadav's life was ruined due to his sincerity. The corrupt people in the force are emboldened by the Modi dispensation," said Thomas who was a constable with the 28 battalion of BSF.

"I stood up against corruption and moved an RTI to the Ministry of Home Affairs to know about fund allocation for individual battalions. The ministry never provided me the information claiming that it comes under national security. Instead they started torturing me mentally and physically till the date of dismissal. The people must recognise fake chowkidars in the country," he said.

Thomas, who was held in custody at Raiganj in West Bengal, was locked up in a dingy cell for ten days and wasn't allowed to contact anybody, including his parents.

"Disobeying command (one of the five charges framed against him to sack him) is not a genuine ground for the dismissal of a jawan," he pointed out. "I refused to do duty on the Bangladesh border and work under a female commandant after I filed the RTI, for I felt it was a conspiracy to trap me. If I obeyed their instruction, I would have been framed with more serious charges. Another charge on using unprofessional language against a subordinate was fabricated. They did it to take revenge on me for filing an RTI application seeking battalion expenses from the Ministry of Home Affairs," he recalled.

Senior commandants were scared that he would expose their organised plunder with the patronage of the government. "I had spent 13 years of my life to protect the borders of our country. They could have removed me on either unsuitability or medical ground. Because of the dismissal, I can't work with a reputed company, and I will not get even a security job. I had approached the Home Ministry many times to get a reprieve. But the government ignored me," he said.

When he was released from the cell in the morning of March 3, 2017, the vehicle with his belongings was waiting in front of the office. They did not give him even a moment to stay there after the collar-cutting event (the last ritual performed in security forces on a dismissed jawan) was done. He was allowed to change into civil dress only in the vehicle. He was dropped at the Raiganj railway station without giving him even pocket money to reach home, he said.

His family consisting of his father Thomas John, 57, mother Rosamma Thomas, 51, and wife Sophiya depends on him for its survival. He is still in trauma and is unconvinced of the reason for his dismissal.
New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, cornered by the BJP in the Supreme Court over his chowkidar slogan, seized the moment later in the day to hit back at the ruling party when a fire was reported from Shastri Bhavan in the national capital. The bui-lding in the heart of the city houses ministries of law, information and broa-dcasting, corporate affa-irs, chemicals and petrochemicals, human resour-ces department and various files are stored there.

Though there was no word about the damages, Mr Gandhi took at an immediate dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom his party accuses of corruption and crony capitalism.

Modiji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming, Mr Gandhi said in a tweet.

A fire broke out at Shastri Bhavan on Tuesday afternoon. Seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire, which broke out at sixth floor of the building, was later brought under control by 2.55 pm. No injury or casualty has been reported, a senior fire officer said.

Prima facie short-circuit could be the reason behind the fire, they said. However, the exact cause of fire is yet to ascertained.

The Delhi fire service has denied the allegations made by the Congress chief regarding the fire.

Refuting to his tweets, they said that the fire broke at sixth floor terrace which doesnt have any government offices. The area where fire took place only had old furniture and waste materials lying there, not even a single file or government documents were damaged or gutted in fire.
Chennai: The Madras high court on Tuesday held that Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi cannot interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the elected government in the Union Territory as it represents the will of the people.

The decision taken by the Council of Ministers and the Chief Minister is binding on the Secretaries and other officials, Justice R Mahadevan held in allowing a petition by Congress legislator K Lakshminarayanan representing (ironically) the Raj Bhavan constituency, who complained that Bedi runs a parallel and diametrically opposite government within the government while holding meetings directly with the secretaries and other officials, and issuing orders.

Setting aside two communications issued in January and June, 2017, by the Union Home Ministry elevating the power of the administrator (Lt Governor), Justice Mahadevan said, The Central Government as well as the Administrator should be true to the concept of democratic principles. Otherwise, the Constitutional Scheme of the country of being democratic and republic would be defeated.

The Administrator has no exclusive authority to run the administration in derogation of the Constitutional principles and the Parliamentary laws governing the issue, said the judge, adding, Notable and appreciable is the action of the Central Government to re-delegate further powers to the Council of Ministers in the communication dated 27.09.2018.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, who has been at loggerheads with Bedi over several issues, hailed the HC verdict as historic and victory of democracy in as much as it stated unequivocally that Kiran Bedi does not have independent powers and she must work in tandem with the elected government in administrative and service matters, financial aspect of governance.

Responding in guarded manner while giving enough hints there would be an appeal to the Supreme Court, Bedi said, We are examining the judgment, after which we shall take a view. Meanwhile, we are still in the Model Code of Conduct of Elections period. Files which require Lt Governor's approval such as service matters, of promotions, appointments, disciplinary matters and financial sanctions for Grants in Aid are being received and being examined and cleared on merits of each case. The weekly disposal is also placed on record as was the earlier practice, Bedi said in a statement to the media.

Elaborating on her selfless motive in insisting on being in the driver's seat rather than just a rubber stamp, she said, I wish Puducherry well. Its people deserve the best. The UT needs utmost integrity, accountability and careful financial management to save it from running into a debt trap. Most of the people of Puducherry deserve quick decision- making with accessible governance.

In arriving at his conclusion favouring the petitioner, Justice Mahadevan referred to the Supreme Court verdict on the tussle between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lt Governor Anil Baijail, and said restrictions imposed on the Government of Delhi are not applicable to the Government of Puducherry. The apex court has clearly held that there is a distinction between the National Capital Territory of Delhi and Puducherry, he said, adding that though Puducherry is not a state, its Legislative Assembly would have the same powers as that of a state.

Senior lawyer P Chidambaram represented petitioner Lakshminarayanan, who submitted that there are political differences between the elected Government of Puducherry and the Centre. She (Bedi) conducts review meetings with the officials directly, by-passing the elected government, carries out inspections and issues on-the-spot orders and thereby runs a parallel and diametrically opposite government within the government, he said while alleging that Bedi interfered in the day-to-day administration of the territorial government, its policies and programmes.

The judge observed that the court had already discussed the role of secretaries. They normally act only as a medium of communication, utmost to render their opinion at circumstances and have no power or authority to override the decisions of the Council. Though they may report to the Administrator nominated by the President, still they cannot shed their duty to the decision of the Council of Ministers taken as per the procedure laid down in the Government of Union Territories Act and the Rules of Business of the Government of Pondicherry, 1963, said Justice Mahadevan, adding that the secretaries cannot jump the gun and run a parallel Government under the directions of the Administrator.

The judge also pointed out that the elected representatives of the government play a major role in decision making, or else, there would be no purpose in having an elected government, who are the true representatives of the people.

The elected government functioning through the Council of Ministers cannot be defeated by the act of the Administrator, who is also functioning under the provisions of the Constitution, by way of interfering in the day to day affairs of the Government, he said.

Alluding to the petitioner's complaint that Bedi was using the social media to summon officials, the Judge said, The Government officials cannot use their personal media to address the grievances of the public. A public redressal forum in the form of official e-mails, telephone numbers are to be circulated and used, if already not put into use.
Footprints claimed by the Indian Army in its twitter account to be of the mythical beast Yeti.

New Delhi: The elusive Abominable Snowman roaming secretly in the high Himalayas was in the limelight after Indian Army released pictures taken by its mountaineering expedition team, of giant footprints in snow at Makalu base camp in Nepal, which it said could belong to mythical Yeti.

A mountaineering expedition led by Major Manoj Joshi to Mt Makalu while acclimatising at Langmale Kharka on April 9 saw a series of huge mysterious large footprints measuring 32 X 15 inches.

The pictures were sent by the team using satellite communication.

For the first time, an Indian Army mountaineering expedition team has sighted mysterious footprints of mythical beast Yeti. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past, said a tweet by Indian Army.

Sources said that the tweet was not meant to create a buzz.

The idea is to share so that the issue can be addressed in a scientific way, said sources.

As they say nature, history and science never write their final story, they added.

However, there is no credible scientific evidence till now to prove existence of Yeti but movies and serials have kept interest in the mythical creature alive.

The folklore of Yeti started in Nepal where it is described as a mythical ape-like huge creature roaming in Himalayas. However, it also caught the fancy of West in 19th century and a series of movies, books and serials were made on it including science fiction The Abominable Snowman.

It also made appearance in popular comic Tintin. Since then people have claimed to have sighted Yeti all around the world.

The team is presently at Makalu base camp and likely to attempt the Makalu summit in the second week of May and is expected to de-induct to India by last week of May or first week of June.

The team will hand over these photographs and videos to subject matter experts on return of the expedition, said sources in Indian Army.
Bhopal: BSP president Mayawati on Tuesday said she would reconsider her support to the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh after the party's Guna candidate pulled out of the election race and joined the Congress.

In a dramatic turn of events late on Monday evening, BSP candidate for Guna, Lokendra Singh Rajput joined the Congress after announcing to withdraw from the contest giving a boost to prospects of Congress candidate for the constituency Jyotiraditya Scindia to retain the seat, which is going to polls in the six phase parliamentary elections on May 12.

The BSP candidate was intimidated and threatened and forced to drop out but the BSP will give a reply by contesting under its own symbol and will also consider whether to continue its support to the state Congress government, Ms Mayawati twitted.

She accused the Congress of misusing official machinery to woo the BSP leader to join the party. Congress is no different from the BJP as far as misusing official machinery is concerned, she said.

Minutes after Ms Mayawati threatened to withdraw support to Nath government which has outside support from three BSP MLAs, two SP legislators and one independent MLA, Mr Rajput released a video statement denying allurement or coercion by anyone to join Congress.

I am inspired by Mr Scindias leadership and intent to usher in development of the region by joining the Congress, he was heard saying in the video clip.

Guna LS seat has a sizeable number of Dalits, which is the main support base of the BSP.

The Congress returned to power in MP in the 2018 assembly elections by securing 114 out of total 230 seats, falling short of majority by two seats.

The party however formed the government with outside support from the BSP and SP MLAs and an Independent.

The BJP had secured 109 seats in the last years assembly elections.

Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading.
New Delhi: Days before the high-profile contest in Amethi between Rahul Gandhi and Smriti Irani, the Union home ministry on Monday served a notice on the Congress president seeking a clarification on his citizenship status.

The home ministry notice to Mr Gandhi sought a reply within 15 days on his factual position on his citizenship status following a representation from BJPs Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy.

Mr Swamys letter mentioned that in a British companys annual returns filed on October 10, 2005, and October 31, 2006, Mr Gandhis date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970, and he had declared his nationality as British, the ministry said.

It said the letter mentioned that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Mr Gandhi as one of its directors.

The Congress brandished documents of the said company which list Mr Gandhis citizenship as Indian. Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the notice showed the desperation of the Modi government.

In 2015, the SC had dismissed a PIL seeking a CBI investigation into the citizenship of Mr Gandhi while noting that PIL pleas were not meant to target one individual or organisation but was a medium to resolve human suffering through good governance.

A bench of then Chief Justice of India H L Dattu and justice Amitava Roy had rubbished the plea questioning the source and authenticity of the documents attached to a petition.

In 2016, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had forwarded to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee, headed by veteran BJP leader L K Advani, Swamy's complaint of ethical misconduct against Gandhi that he had accessed documents in which the Congress leader had called himself British.

In his reply to the ethics committee on the allegations of British citizenship, Gandhi had said he had never sought or acquired British citizenship and that his identity is that of an Indian.

Gandhi also questioned the committee's decision to look into a complaint that is not in order, claiming it was an endeavour to malign him.

The panel had issued him a notice, seeking an explanation to whether he had once declared himself a British citizen on the legal papers of a company in the United Kingdom. The BJP described Mr Gandhi as a man of mysteries.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra asked which is the real one  Rahul Gandhi London wale or Lutyens wale.

Patra said the entire Rahul Gandhi's citizenship saga is a story of three Cs  citizenship, confusion and clarification.
PM Modi was accused of violating the poll conduct for his references to Pulwama and Balakot air strikes during the campaign. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India will meet on Tuesday to decide on Model Code of Conduct violation complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

On Monday, the Congress had moved the Supreme Court complaining that the Election Commission had been sitting on numerous complaints alleging Model Code of Conduct violations against PM Modi and Amit Shah.

In her petition, Congress leader Sushmita Dev alleged that both indulged in hate speeches and used armed forces for political propaganda".

PM Modi was accused of violating the poll conduct for his references to Pulwama and Balakot air strikes during the campaign. Another issue pending with poll body is for PM Modis mini roadshow and speech in Gujarats Ahmedabad.

The officials were also examining the complaint against BJP chief Amit Shah for dubbing the armed forces "Modi Sena" - a remark that army officers had objected to and wrote to the Defence Ministry.

The BJP had complained against Rahul Gandhi for his "chowkidar chor hai" slogan.

The election panel has been active after it was pulled up by the Supreme Court earlier this month over allegations of inaction in cases of Model Code violation.

Earlier, the poll body had temporarily banned number of politicians  including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, Mayawati, Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan and Congress's Navjot Sidhu.

Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading.
New Delhi: In a bid to bolster its capabilities to tackle threats emanating from hackers, mostly from China and Pakistan, India is all set to have Defence Cyber Agency (DCA) by next month, headquartered in the capital. Senior Navy officer Rear Admiral Mohit Gupta will be the first head of the DCA.

"We are working to raise the Defence Cyber Agency in May itself. The work has almost been completed. A new building has been hired in the national capital which will act as the headquarters of the formation," sources in the Defence Ministry told ANI.

DCA is one of the three agencies along with the Special Forces and Space to be set up as per the clearance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Combined Commanders' Conference in Jodhpur last year. The DCA will include a lot of existing capability with the armed forces for tackling threats in the cyber domain and will also have the elements of DRDO working in it, sources said.

While the Cyber agency is ready to be launched with its headquarters in New Delhi, the setting up of the Space agency will take some time as the structure for it is still being discussed.

The Special Forces agency would be headed by a Major General rank officer of the Army and is likely to come up at Agra, which already has a Para brigade and the wherewithal to airlift Special Forces operatives in large numbers as the base co-exists with an IAF transport aircraft squadron specialising in these operations.

One of the top Army officers, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen MM Naravane had recently stated that the units of the Cyber agency will be spread across the country. There will be units or cells or dedicated officers at every headquarter to deal with the aspect of cybersecurity, he had said.

According to defence sources, almost on a daily basis, efforts are made by hackers, especially from Pakistan and China to break into the military systems to steal information and create disruption.

The tri-services Integrated Defence Staff is also holding an exercise with NTRO, RAW, National Security Council and DRDO where cyber attacks would be launched on critical military infrastructure and the authorities concerned would thwart them using their tools and skills in the domain.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested the man who was allegedly conspiring to commit a terrorist attack in Kerala, reportedly inspired by the alleged mastermind of the Sri Lanka bombings, in Kasaragod ISIS module case. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested the man who was allegedly conspiring to commit a terrorist attack in Kerala, reportedly inspired by the alleged mastermind of the Sri Lanka bombings, in Kasaragod ISIS module case.

The accused, Riyas Aboobacker or known as Riyas A, would be produced before the NIA Court in Kochi on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old suspect has reportedly confessed to have been inspired by Zahran Hashim, the alleged mastermind behind Sri Lanka Easter suicide bombings in which at least 250 died. "He had been following speeches and videos of Hashim and Zakir Naik for last one year," a senior NIA officer said.

According to the officer, more alarming was Riyas A's disclosure on how he was planning to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala reported NDTV. Riyas also claimed that he tried to convince other members of the module to follow Hashim. "The suspect is well versed with Tamil and followed Hashim's speeches and videos. He tried to rope in others but could not convince as they didn't know Tamil", an official said, adding that they are interrogating Riyas to determine his targets in Kerala.

Riyas had admitted that he was in contact with the missing accused Abdul Rashid Abdulla for a long time and had been following his audio clips, including the one which he had circulated on the social media platforms instigating others to carry out terror attacks in India.

He also disclosed that he was in contact with Abdul Khayoom, an accused in Valapattanam ISIS case, who was believed to be in Syria.

The NIA on Sunday conducted a raid at the houses of three suspects (two in Kasaragod and one in Palakkad district), who allegedly have links with the accused who left India to join terror organisation ISIS in 2016.

The case was registered in July 2016 following the disappearance of 15 youths from Kasargod.
During an election rally in Sreerampur on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had claimed that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the general elections. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress Tuesday alleged that Narendra Modi's recent speech, where he claimed that 40 TMC MLA's are in touch with him, indicates "impending horse-trading" and asked the Election Commission to cancel his nomination for such "provocative and undemocratic" statements.

In its letter to the EC, the TMC demanded "strong action" for the "unfounded, inappropriate and illegal" campaign and utterances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During an election rally in Sreerampur on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had claimed that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the general elections.

"We would like to bring to your kind notice the lies uttered by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister regarding horse trading, hinting that the members of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) will cross over to the Bharatiya Janata Party and using this lie to influence the voters," a letter from the party to the EC said. The TMC said it is "shocked and surprised" to hear the utterances of the Prime Minister that 40 AITC MLAs are in touch with him and will cross over to BJP after declaration of results of Lok Sabha election.

Read: 40 TMC MLAs in touch with me, will cross over after I win polls: Modi

"You (EC) are thus requested to ask Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister for evidence in support of his statement, failing which his nomination should be cancelled for violation of the Model Code of Conduct by making such provocative and undemocratic statements," the letter said.

The TMC said it is very "unbecoming" of the Prime Minister as he is trying to influence the voters to vote for BJP, by creating a mala fide impression in their minds that many MLAs of AITC are in touch with him and will cross over to his party. The party also lodged a strong protest against the "mischievous" campaign of Modi.

"Moreover, this tone of speech is very likely to create an indication of impending horse-trading related to election. We demand that the EC take cognizance of this unfounded, inappropriate and illegal campaign and utterances of Narendra Modi and take strong action against him as per rules," the letter said.

Alleging that the BJP's campaign has been "appalling", the TMC claimed that the leaders and members of the party in power at the Centre have shown no regard or respect for the Model Code of Conduct or the guidelines issued by the EC.

"Initially, the leaders of BJP tried to seek votes by appealing to the people in the name of the martyrs of the Pulwama attacks. The leaders even attempted to dissuade the electors against other parties by using the same propaganda.

"Thereafter, they tried to use religion to persuade the voters. Now, they are hinting at horse trading and how the opposition parties are making arrangements with BJP for the 2019 General Elections," the party alleged.

Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar share a light moment during an election rally in Muzaffarpur on Tuesday. (Image: PTI)

Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that the scales have been tilted in favour of the ruling NDA in the first four phases of the general elections, and the remaining three would determine the magnitude of its victory and the Oppositions defeat.

Addressing a rally in Bihars Muzaffarpur, Mr Modi urged the masses to vote for NDA so that terror factories running inside and out of the country can be wiped out.

This chowkidar is alert and will never allow terror factories to run anywhere in the country. Our policy on national security is clear we dont spare anyone who has been involved in terror attacks but this mahamilawti (Opposition camp) has never revealed their stand about the issue, he said.

This was PM Modis sixth political rally in Bihar since the poll dates were announced. He was campaigning for BJP candidate Ajay Nishad in Mu-zaffarpur. Mr Singh has been pitted against grand alliance candidate Rajbh-ushan Nishad of the Vika-sheel Insan Party (VIP).

Political analysts claim that VIP, being a grand alliance partner, is hoping to get the support of RJDs traditional Muslim-Yadav and a sizeable number of OBC and EBC votes.

According to political analysts, the BJP has been worried about the possibility of vote split as both the candidates belonging to the same caste are locked in a neck to neck contest in Muzaffarpur.

The Prime Minister, however, expressed confidence that the NDA will emerge as a winner in the Lok Sabha elections.
Hyderabad: The TRS leadership is worrying about squabbles between Congress legislators who defected to the party and the party old-timers.

The party leaders are upset that the responsibility of selecting candidates for the local bodies has been entrusted to defectors, who are giving priority to their supporters and denying opportunities to those who have been with the party all along.

It may be recalled that as many as 11 MLAs from the Congress have defected to the ruling party.

Sensing trouble, TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao in his address to party leaders and cadres on the partys foundation day, on April 27, cautioned party leaders not to indulge in street fights.

After elections to Mandal and Zilla Parishads were notified, party chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao had announced that the local MLAs and ministers of districts concerned will select the candidates who will contest the elections to Mandal Parishad and Zilla Parishad territorial constituencies.

With this decision, the Congress MLAs who have defected to the TRS took the responsibility of selecting candidates and issuing the B Forms to them.

Sources in the party disclosed that this has upset party leaders who have been associated with the party since a long time and also the candidates who were defeated in the December 2018 assembly elections.

One of these defeated MLAs said on condition of anonymity that during election time he had promised party tickets to several lower rung leaders for Zilla and Mandal Parishad elections, but due to the entry of the Congress-men, he and others like him are unable to get party rickets for their close followers.

He said that this kind of situation is being faced by all the defeated MLAs of the party, as the Congress MLAs have taken pole position in the ruling party. He said that party cadres are mounting pressure on them for tickets and are raising a hue and cry because the new entrants in the party are getting priority.

Another defeated MLA disclosed that the unrest among the party cadre on account of the new entrants has been brought to the notice of the party working president.

He said the working president is trying to pacify some of the leaders who want the MPTC and ZPTC seats by telling them they will be suitably rewarded in the future. He said the party working president has been advising party workers not to give the Opposition an opportunity to pounce upon the government, but if anything goes wrong, the workers are worried about their position in the party in view of the influence of the Congress MLAs.
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councilor Avtar Singh, who used to sell tea for a living, was on Monday elected unopposed as the new mayor of North Delhi.

Singh is also the first Dalit Sikh to reach the position.

He was nominated for the election by Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and was elected unopposed in the election held at general house meeting of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said a senior municipal corporation officer.

Singh is a very hard working BJP cadre. He has used his hard work to reach to the post of mayor from his humble beginning as a tea seller," said a senior Delhi BJP leader.

The election of mayor is indirect in which councilors of the civic body participate. The BJP has a majority in NDMC.

The term of mayor is for one year. The third term of the five-year tenure of the corporation is reserved for SC candidates to become mayor.

Earlier, Anju Kangra, BJP councilor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation was elected mayor of the Civic body.

Anju Kamlakar, BJP councilor, is also stated to be elected unopposed as new mayor of East Delhi Municipal Corporation ruled by the party.
Hazra, who had switched over from Trinamool Congress in March after being expelled for anti-party activities, left the BJP red faced after he met senior TMC leader Anubrata Mondal fuelling speculation over his return to the party. (Photo: ANI)

Kolkata: Facing flak from within BJP for meeting a senior TMC leader, its candidate from the prestigious Jadavpur seat Anupam Hazra Tuesday blamed the media for politicising his "courtesy visit".

Hazra, who had switched over from Trinamool Congress in March after being expelled for anti-party activities, left the BJP red faced after he met senior TMC leader Anubrata Mondal fuelling speculation over his return to the party.

He had called on Mondal, TMC's Birbhum district president, at the latter's party office on Monday, the day when polling in two seats of Birbhum district was held in the fourth phase.

"I had met Anubrata Mandal in a courtesy visit yesterday. It has nothing to do with politics. His mother passed away few days ago so I went to meet him. What's wrong in it? The media has unnecessarily politicised it," he said at a press conference at the state BJP office with party leader Mukul Roy seated next to him.

Polling in Jadavpur seat will be held in the last phase on May 19. "One of the reasons why I quit TMC was my differences with Anubarata Mandal as his way of functioning was not acceptable to me," Hazra said refuting speculations that he might return to Mamata Banerjee's party after elections.

Roy came to his defence and said Hazra is a victim of "political conspiracy".

The BJP had on Monday sought explanation on the visit from Hazra, who had had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Bolpur seat in Birbhum district on a TMC ticket.

"Anubrata Mondal is the last word in Birbhum district. I came to offer condolences on the demise of his mother," Hazra had said on Monday and added that the TMC strongman as his "uncle".

Asked whether he will rejoin the TMC, he had said only time can tell that.

Mondal had said he had exchanged pleasantries with Hazra but did not wish him victory in the Jadavpur seat.

Read: West Bengal BJP candidate meets Trinamool leader, fuels speculations

"If he (Hazra) accepts his mistake, he may come back to us (TMC). I can make him MP again. I can speak to (TMC supremo) Mamata Banerjee about it," he had said.

An angry BJP state president Dilip Ghosh had said he will talk to Hazra about it.

"He (Hazra) has said it was a courtesy visit. But it would have been better had he met Anubrata Mondal on some other day. In our party we have discipline and all of us have to maintain it," Ghosh had said.

Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading.
Two Surat-based sisters had approached police in 2013 alleging that they were raped by Asaram and Narayan Sai. (Photo: ANI)

Mumbai: Narayan Sai, the son of rape convict and self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Surat sessions court, news Agency ANI reported.

Two Surat-based sisters had approached police in 2013 alleging that they were raped by Asaram and Narayan Sai.

One of the victims accused Sai of raping her multiple times between 2002 and 2005 while she was staying at his ashram.

Sai, 47, was arrested in December 2013 from Pipli in Haryana.

Asaram is serving a life sentence after being convicted in a rape case in Jodhpur.
Attacking Narendra Modi for claiming that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said the prime minister should be 'banned for 72 years' for his 'shameful' speech. (Photo: File)

Lucknow: Attacking Narendra Modi for claiming that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said the Prime Minister should be "banned for 72 years" for his "shameful" speech.

The Election Commission has recently barred several leaders including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu from campaigning for 72 hours due to poll code violations.

"Vikas (development) is asking... Did you hear the shameful speech of Pradhanji (PM)? After losing the faith of 125 crore countrymen, he (Modi) is now relying on the unethical assurance of defection allegedly given by the 40 MLAs," he tweeted.

"This reflects his (Modi) black money mentality. He should be banned for not 72 hours but for 72 years," he said.

On the campaign trail in West Bengal's Serampore Lok Sabha seat in Hoogly district and Barrackpore constituency in North 24 Parganas, Modi assailed TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee over her prime ministerial ambitions, saying "Didi, Dilli door hai (Delhi is far away)."

"Didi, even your MLAs will desert you when the results of this election are out. Your 40 MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the election. Political ground has slipped from under your feet," Modi said.

"With just a handful of seats, 'Didi' you can't reach Delhi. Delhi is far away. Going to Delhi is just an excuse. Her real intention is to politically establish her nephew," he had said.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership was quick to hit back, accusing the prime minister of horse trading, and saying it would complain to the Election Commission about it.

Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading.
Emperor Naruhito is to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1 on the abdication of his father, Emperor Akihito, in his favour on Tuesday. (Photo: AFP)

Emperor Naruhito is to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1 on the abdication of his father, Emperor Akihito, in his favour on Tuesday. Such an imperial relinquishment is occurring in Japan for the first time in over 200 years, but by his Oxford training, and temperament, the new man on the throne can be said to be well-equipped to negotiate the demands of modernity in every sense, not excluding the appreciation of politics, technology and cultural change.

Japan's 1947 Constitution, established with American inspiration after Japan's unconditional surrender in the Second World War, precludes any role for the monarch in government and politics. Nevertheless, the monarch's role was retained  not jettisoned  as a symbol of unifier at a time of great historical trauma and national stress.

Emperor Naruhito is said to have a strong modern as well as a strong peace strain. These are ideal prerequisites in a monarch of a country of extraordinary technological attainments, although one that has come under political uncertainty due to the prickly rise of China as well as the nuclearisation of North Korea  both in Japan's immediate

neighbourhood.

Not long ago, Japan has embarked on a policy to allow thousands of guest workers. The Emperor, in his role as unifier, has to look at this aspect closely. In Japans period of uncertainty, India-Japan ties have struck extraordinary cordiality, beginning with the visit to New Delhi of the Emperor and Empress of Japan, a first, in late 2013.

The new government that takes office after May 23 will do well to lay the groundwork to invite Emperor Naruhito to this country at an early date to reinforce the strong foundations of our ties.
This is not day-dreaming. In 1990-91 when P.V. Narasimha Rao initiated the first dismantling of the centrally-planned state, the GDP of India at current dollars was a little over $200 billion.

Exactly 35 years ago, soon after I returned from Harvard, I undertook a long journey through Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh to understand what the situation there was and why. This was published as The Children of the Ganga: An Enquiry into the Poverty of the Gangetic Plains. The study examined the distance of Bihar and UP on most major parameters from the average and the best. On all indices Bihar was way behind. That is pretty much the situation now, though the only index where it compares now with the best is in primary school enrollment.

But why Bihar was in this parlous condition was still the big question. How did the state, which the University of California Professor of Public Administration, Dr John Appleby, had determined as the best-administered state in 1952, turn into a bureaucratic and administrative nightmare?

The answer, it seemed, was not difficult to seek for those who believed that economic growth in India, then as it is now, is state-driven. The money that the central government spent had a direct bearing on the economic outcomes of states and on the well-being of their people. The evidence was very clear. Right from the First Five-Year Plan, Bihar and UP suffered from under-investment by the Centre. If there was per capita development expenditure for each Plan, Bihar was always furthest from it.

When I computed the investment foregone, by getting so much less in every consecutive plan, in 1984  over 30 years ago  Bihar was shortchanged by as much as Rs 27,000 crores. That number is now as much as a dozen times more. For a start the Plans had become bigger. Bihar is still last in terms of per capita development expenditure, and industrial and infrastructure investment. The highest-ranking states in terms of government investment get as much as six times more than Bihar in per capita terms.

Bihar was then the second largest state in India. It is in many ways the heart of India. It is certainly the cradle of Indian civilisation, which evolved on the banks of the Ganga. And it is still very clear that India cannot go forward by leaving Bihar behind. But the question that still stays is whether Bihar would have done as well as the high-fliers if the money were provided. This is what now requires study.

In the years since I have done many more studies evaluating the performance of other states in India. Clearly there are high performers and laggards. But why are some this and others that is an answer that still eludes me. We seem condemned by our ways of comparison analysis to see things in terms of inputs and outputs, without ever really wondering if there are other processes at work which makes different states within one country, within one constitutional system, within one economic system and sharing a long and common ethno-cultural history which make a difference.

Now think of this. India is the third largest economy in the world in PPP terms and it is predicted that by 2050 it will be a $30-55 trillion economy, depending on whose projections is music to your ears. 2050 is just over 30 years from now and in a nations lifetime that is a mere blink. This is not day-dreaming. In 1990-91 when P.V. Narasimha Rao initiated the first dismantling of the centrally-planned state, the GDP of India at current dollars was a little over $200 billion. Twenty-eight years later it is almost 15 times that. Increasing by 20 times over in just over 30 years is really not a tall order.

India has grown at an average rate of over seven per cent since 2000. Between 2008-11 it grew at more than nine per cent. In consonance with global trends Indias growth also has tapered off these past two years. Nevertheless, overall the trends have never been like this before and there is optimism about the long term, despite recent troubles. It is a country where many state GDPs are bigger than many countries.

The size of Maharashtras economy would place it just about alongside as Singapore and bigger than Hong Kong or Nigeria. This overall performance, however, masks a diversity of performances. The HDI of Kerala is Indias highest, at 0.790, which would place it ahead of China, while at the other end of the spectrum is Chhattisgarh, with 0.358, which would place it just alongside Chad, one of the worlds poorest and most backward countries. At 0.790, Kerala would find a place in the high HDI list of nations.

The incidence of poverty is always a contentious matter in India. While the government tries to downplay the numbers by having a somewhat self-serving index (now 22 per cent), other measures such as the UNDPs $1.25 a day suggest that almost 37.5 per cent of Indians live in dire poverty. At $2 a day, as much as 70 per cent of India is below an internationally-determined basic standard of living index.

Other indices are just as damning. India's abysmal track record at ensuring basic levels of nutrition is the greatest contributor to its poverty as measured by the new international Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI). About 645 million people, or 55 per cent of India's population, is poor as measured by this composite indicator made up of 10 markers of education, health and standard of living achievement levels.

The new data also shows that even in states generally perceived as prosperous such as Haryana, Gujarat and Karnataka, more than 40 per cent of the population is poor by the new composite measure, while Kerala is the only state in which the poor constitute less than 20 per cent. The MPI measures both the incidence of poverty and its intensity. A person is defined as poor if he or she is deprived on at least three of the 10 indicators. By this definition, 55 per cent of India was poor, close to double Indias much-criticised official poverty figure. Almost 20 per cent of Indians are deprived on six of the 10 indicators.

But even more a matter of concern is the growth regional disparities. Eastern India has been languishing and has the densest concentration of poverty, while the northern and southern states have showed very good performances on this front. Western India has the nations main industrial centres and naturally overall figures tend to be good here. But if the big cities are removed, here also we get a bit of a dismal picture. Clearly the southern and northern states seem to be doing better.

While economic institutions are critical for determining whether a country is poor or prosperous, it is politics and political institutions that determine what economic institutions a country has. Some states are structured around extractive political institutions where the institutions serve to satisfy the aspirations of a narrow elite alone. Colonialism was clearly an extractive political system. But does India still have an extractive political system? Many economists will argue that the data suggests just this. When we see the evolving politics through this prism we have an answer for the growth of family or clan-dominated political parties on one side, and the notable expansion of the upper classes and the growing power of family-owned businesses.

Standing in sharp contrast to the nations dominated by extractive political institutions are the nations based on inclusive political and hence economic institutions. This is amply evidenced by why and what happened in England that made it the centre of the Industrial Revolution. The Bill of Rights of 1689 became one of the most important documents in Britains political history, and ever since then the monarchy never enjoyed absolute political power. The consequent development of pluralistic political institutions opened new vistas of education and unleashed long-dormant creative powers stifled for long by a system that conferred monopolistic extractive powers to a small class.

In a global system having almost 200 independent states at various states and stages of development, we can have a wide disparity, as each one of these economies represents a sovereign entity, bounded by a border. But in a system bound by its Constitution, its history and its civilisation as one, as is India, can we afford to risk too much diversity in economic well-being?

The writer, a policy analyst studying economic and security issues, held senior positions in government and industry. He also specialises in the Chinese economy
The exploit, as Fisher calls The Inception Bar method, can be used to display a fake address bar that wont disappear until you go to another site.

A security vulnerability in Google Chrome browser reportedly allows malicious users to launch a phishing attack using a fake address bar.

The bug, as discovered by James Fisher, leverages how the Chrome mobile app disappears the address bar when you scroll down.

The exploit, as Fisher calls The Inception Bar method, can be used to display a fake address bar that wont disappear until you go to another site, Engadget reports.

The exploit goes further to restrict you from seeing the real address bar when you scroll up. Although Fisher has demonstrated a proof of concept, the bug could theoretically allow large-scale phishing campaign to steal user information.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
A 24-year-old Indian man has been charged with kidnapping, assault and theft after he drove off in an elderly woman's car from outside a medical centre in the US with her grandchildren inside the vehicle. (Representational Image)

New York: A 24-year-old Indian man has been charged with kidnapping, assault and theft after he drove off in an elderly woman's car from outside a medical centre in the US with her grandchildren inside the vehicle.

Dalvir Singh, a heroin addict, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of kidnapping, felonious assault for dragging Nita Coburn, 69 and grand theft, Middletown Division of Police said in a statement.

Coburn was injured when she tried to stop Singh as the kids jumped out of the car. The police is also hailing Coburn's 8-year old grandson Chance as a hero for saving his 10-year-old sister's life by pulling her out of the car as Singh took off in it.

The Middletown Police said that on the evening of April 25, it received a call that a car with children inside had been stolen at a medical centre in Middletown, Ohio and that an elderly lady was injured.

Coburn had taken another woman to the hospital and her two grandchildren were with her in the back seat.

When they got to the emergency room, she pulled up close to the door and was helping the other woman into the emergency room.

About 10 seconds after she got out of the car, Singh jumped into the driver's seat and took off with the children still in the back.

The little boy opened the door to escape and his sister Skylar started to jump out also but Singh grabbed the hoodie of the little girl not allowing her to leave.

As she tried to get away, Chance grabbed hold of her and pulled her away from Singh and they both tumbled out of the vehicle as it was moving.

Police said Coburn did not realise that the children were able to escape because they flew out of the passenger side and by that time she was chasing the car on the driver's side.

She opened the driver's door to regain control of the vehicle she thought her grandchildren were in, but Singh slammed the door shut again and locked the door.

She hung onto the vehicle panicking because she thought the children were still inside. The vehicle dragged her until it accelerated at a high rate of speed and she was forced to let go.

Two police officers observed the stolen vehicle fleeing the scene and chased Singh, who was then taken into custody and charged.

Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw lauded the heroic attempt by Chance to save himself and his sister from the kidnapping attempt. "This little guy is a hero. No question. He pulled his sister out of the car with no concern for his own safety. That is incredible at his age," he said.

The Middletown Division of Police said it will be recognising the little boy's quick action to not only get out of the vehicle but also making sure that his sister got out with him.
Islamabad: Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are negotiating a $8 billion bailout package, officials said.

Officials said that Pakistan had offered extra Rs 600 billion tax target to IMF officials during a meeting attended by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman and tax officials.

Pakistan officials have also briefed the IMF officials over tax reforms and limiting tax exemption system was also discussed, an official said.

Meanwhile, Pak officials trying to reach a consensus with IMF officials on the amnesty scheme also briefed over assets disclosure scheme that would increase income.

Pakistani officials had told the IMF that money laundering laws would not apply to the scheme which will be discussed further.

On Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan held separate meetings with IMF managing director Christine Lagarde and World Bank chief executive officer (CEO) Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

In his meeting with Ms Lagarde, he apprised her of measures taken to improve the countrys economy and the governments poverty alleviation programme.

With Ms Georgieva as well he discussed a financial assistance package and recent steps taken for improving the fiscal situation.

On Friday, he made five suggestions for progress in his address to the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

He said, we must undertake joint efforts to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change, establish BRI tourism corridors to promote people to people and intercultural understanding, anti-corruption office, poverty alleviation fund and concerted efforts to further liberalise trade and investment flows encouraging the private sector and businesses to collaborate in projects.
Colombo: The Sri Lankan government has lifted a ban on social media platforms intended to stop the spread of rumours after the Easter Sunday bombings, a source from the president's office said on Tuesday.

The ban on platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber has been lifted with immediate effect, the source told Reuters.

Security in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka remains tight after the April 21 suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches that killed more than 250 people, including 42 foreign nationals.
Airport police arrested two Goan women who arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) after they were deported from Kuwait on April 28.

The accused were trying to immigrate to Kuwait using fake employment visas procured from their associates in Bengaluru.

Helena Ekka (31), resident of Pale Valesao, Cansaulim, South Goa and Instianna Rebello, a resident of Godgal, Zambaulim, Quepem, South Goa were arrested.

According to the police, the women had boarded flights from KIA and had travelled to Oman using tourist visas.

The duo successfully passed through KIA immigration, producing travel documents that showed they were tourists visiting Oman.

Upon arrival in Oman, they used fake Kuwaiti employment visas to travel to Kuwait.

Police have made the duos associates, Sunil and Shetan Ribello, residents of Bengaluru, as co-accused.

During immigration clearance at Kuwait, officials found the visas to be fake. The women were then deported. As they arrived in an Air Arabia flight in the wee hours of April 28, immigration officials picked them up.

The women confessed they had associates in Bengaluru, who arranged the fake visas. Immigration officials then filed a complaint at the airport police station. The women and two associates were booked for cheating. The associates are yet to be arrested.
India's fingers are crossed as it expects China to finally lift its Technical Hold on the process at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to sanction terrorist leader Masood Azhar, who is based in Pakistan and has been masterminding attacks in India.

A breakthrough in India's negotiations with China seems imminent and New Delhi expects that Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leader, may come under the full spectrum United Nations' sanctions  asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo  soon, maybe as early as on Wednesday, sources told the DH.

A spokesperson of the Chinese government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Geng Shuang, told journalists in Beijing on Tuesday that "positive progress" had been made in the consultations at a committee of the UNSC on the issue of designating Masood Azhar as a terrorist linked to Al Qaeda, Taliban and Islamic State and thus placing him under UN sanctions.

"On the listing of the 1267 Committee, we have stated our position many times. I wont go into details here. I just want to emphasise that, first, China supports the issue of listing, which should be resolved through political consultation within the framework of the 1267 Committee, PTI quoted the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chinese Government saying in Beijing. At present, the relevant consultations are under way in the 1267 Committee. And positive progress has been made. Thirdly, we believe in the joint efforts of all parties. This problem can be properly solved.

The Narendra Modi-led BJP government is likely to get a shot in the arm ahead of the last three of the seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections, if India could finally make China help impose UN sanctions on the JeM chief. Modi has been harping on his government's achievement on national security front  particularly in combating cross-border terrorism coming from Pakistan to India  in his speeches at the election rallies across the country.

The opposition Congress, however, has been targeting the government over its "failure" to make Beijing change its policy of shielding terrorists based in Pakistan from UN sanctions  despite the thaw in India-China relations in 2018 and the personal bonhomie between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The 1267 committee is a panel set up by the UNSC pursuant to its resolutions numbered 1267 (adopted in 1999), 1989 (adopted in 2011) and 2253 (adopted in 2015). The commttee is mandated to designate individuals, groups, undertakings and entities as the ones linked to the Al Qaeda, Taliban and Islamic State in Iraq and Libya (Da'esh) and impose sanctions on them.

China has been routinely shielding Azhar and other terrorist leaders based in Pakistan from United Nations sanctions, ostensibly to save its all-weather friend from embarrassment.

The latest move to bring Azhar under UN sanctions was initiated by three of the five permanent members of the Security Council  United States, United Kingdom and France  after his organisation carried out an attack on the Central Reserve Police Force of India. Over 40 CRPF soldiers were killed in the February 14 attack at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

China, however, blocked the move on March 13 by putting the proposal on technical hold  for the fourth time since 2009.

The US, the UK and France, however, of late initiated a fresh move to sanction the JeM chief by circulating a new draft resolution at the UN Security Council itself.
Robust strategic relations notwithstanding, India and the United States may be heading for a big showdown on the trade front thats key to sustained bilateral engagement on equitable terms. The US seems to have turned snobbish vis-a-vis India, stoking fears of a full-scale trade war between the two countries. Otherwise, how does one explain the latest US Federal Court stand declining to intervene in cases where Indian technology professionals with H-1B visas were denied permission to switch jobs? Theres hardly any logic in the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services decision to repeatedly deny requests by US companies seeking transfer of Indian professionals with H-1B status. This apart, the Trump administration has denied spouses of technology professionals the right to work in the US. Also, its resistance to granting visas to high-value technology professionals on flimsy grounds, repeated and periodic increases in visa fees are steps abhorrent of the tenets of free trade that have always been aggressively marketed by the US in the past.

US President Donald Trump and his trade team led by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer seem to have embarked upon a restrictive trade policy that threatens the annual bilateral trade, worth $125 billion, with India. The US decision to withdraw export incentives to Indian exporters on 1,900 items under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) impacts exports worth $5.8 billion. GSP benefits by nature are non-reciprocal and non-discriminatory arrangements to support developing countries. The withdrawal comes into effect beginning May 2, but India continues to hope that these concessions may be extended. Trade tensions between the two countries have heightened after the US government slapped additional duties on Indian steel and aluminium exports a year back. Indias patience in dealing with the Trump administration came to be tested as New Delhi repeatedly put off its move to slap counter-measures on 29 items exported by the US.

Apart from Harley Davidson motorcycles and US whiskeys, Trumps quixotic regime seems keen on pushing medical devices, such as stents, at irrational prices, dairy products and information technology and communication industry items unabashedly. The aggressive approach is notwithstanding the fact that companies like Apple, Amazon, Uber, Facebook and Google benefited from Indias liberal and open e-commerce regime. This has also led to a huge reduction in trade surplus enjoyed by India to a modest $4 billion. The self-centred US trade policy paradigm is untenable as Indias weighted average tariff at a modest 7.6% compares very well with those of several developing economies and is within WTO-mandated bound rates. A new Indian government will have to quickly settle festering trade issues with the US on a priority basis to mutual benefit.
India's coast is extremely vulnerable to cyclones. With a coastline of 7517 km, the country is exposed to nearly 10 per cent of the world's tropical cyclones. Although cyclones affect the entire coast of India, the eastern coast is significantly more prone to cyclones as compared to the western coast.

Among the cyclones that are formed in the Bay of Bengal, over 58 percent approach and cross the eastern coast. On the other hand, only 25 per cent of the cyclones that develop over the Arabian Sea approach the western coast. The Bay of Bengal witnesses cyclones both pre-monsoon as well as post-monsoon. But why is the eastern coast of the country so prone to cyclones?

Surface sea temperatures and humidity are directly related to the formation of cyclones. Since, the Bay of Bengal receives high average rainfall, the possibility of cyclone formation is also high.

The winds over the Bay of Bengal are said to be a lot more sluggish compared to the Arabian Sea and therefore, the winds fail to reduce the surface temperature of the sea.

Tropical depressions are the primary reason for the monsoon rains that the Indo-Gangetic plains and most of northern India receive. It is also the primary reason for the formation of cyclones that create havoc and disaster on a yearly basis on the eastern coast of the country.

The average temperature in the Bay of Bengal around the year is high - about 28 degrees. Warm air-currents intensify this. When the bay receives fresh water from the Brahmaputra and other rivers, the surface temperature is replenished, resulting in the formation of a tropical depression.

The Bay of Bengal also serves as a medium for transferring cyclonic winds from other water bodies. Cyclones usually weaken when encountering a landmass, and the lack of a landmass in the basin propels the cyclone to move towards the Indian coastline.

Cyclone Fani, which is strengthening into a severe cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal, and a low pressure surrounding it are expected to cause fairly widespread rainfall in several parts of Malnad and South Interior Karnataka, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.


The decision of the government to remove Group D and non-clinical workers from government hospitals is inhumane, said the workers.

Staging a protest under the aegis of CITU, in front of the deputy commissioners office in Madikeri on Monday, Group D and Non-clinical Employees Association President P R Bharat said that around 400 employees in the district were working on contract basis as sanitation workers in various government hospitals in the district. But the government has decided to terminate most of these workers.

He further said that the order is inhumane. Even though the order has been stalled owing to the model code of conduct, there are possibilities of issuing the order in June.

The contract workers are panic struck, he added.

Stating that removing the workers who have been working for the last 10 to 20 years is an injustice to them, Bharat said that the fight against the governments move will be continued till justice is attained.

The government has not provided any job security to the contract workers. The government should provide minimum wages to all Group D and non-clinical workers, along with providing Provident Fund benefit. Workers should be sanctioned four days of leave every month. The monthly salary should be fixed at Rs 18,000. ESI facilities should also be extended to them, he said.

Association secretary H K Janaki said that she has been working in the hospital for the last 20 years.

If the government terminates our job all of a sudden, I cannot survive. The authorities in the government should consider continuing the temporary workers on compassionate grounds, she said.

Stating that she has not been paid for the last two months, Janaki urged the government to pay the salary before the fifth of every month.

Association members Navin, Lokesh and B S Manjula took part in the protest among others.
PHILADELPHIA  An Aldan woman facing jail for a DUI in Delaware County has been arrested in Philadelphia for stealing from three separate estates in her official capacity as a court-appointed guardian for the elderly, according to authorities and online court records.

Gloria Frances Byars, 58, of the first block of South Woodlawn Avenue, a former Orphans Court guardian, is charged with four counts each of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received, all third-degree felony offenses, according to a released issued Tuesday by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasners office.

Gloria Frances Byars actions are despicable and what she did to these three elderly families as their court appointed guardian is deplorable, Krasner stated in the release. I would like to thank the good work of my offices Economic Crimes Unit, the County Detectives supporting them, and want to make it clear to everyone that their investigation into this defendant is far from over.

Arrested at her home April 25, Byars was released on her own recognizance the following morning. Her next appearance in court is a status hearing Friday in the Stout Criminal Justice Center.

According to the District Attorneys office, the investigation into Byars stated when the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas notified the Philadelphia District Attorneys office about calls centering on questionable expenditures they were receiving from several clients Byars was assisting.

In one case, the Economic Crime Unit began looking into the paperwork, financial records, and inventory related to Estate #1. The investigation found that Byars listed her place of business as Global Guardian Services LLC in Clifton Heights.

The estate was valued at about $570,000 and owned by a husband and wife living in an assisted-living facility. The husband had dementia, the wife was diagnosed with cancer, and both were elderly. Their home, which was not a hoarder house, was in both of their names and was free and clear of all liens and encumbrances. According to family, their home was kept in immaculate condition. They owned a grandfather clock, a large collection of German steins, and expensive jewelry and heirlooms. All of these mysteriously disappeared after Byars was appointed guardian, the District Attorneys office alleges. The investigation also found multiple instances of Byars routing funds from the estate into accounts linked to the Byars.

For example:

* An invoice for cleaning and disposing of entire contents of Hoarder House requires a (10) man team, (3) days, (3) 50 yard dumpsters, (621) trash bags and remove broken appliances, total cleanout cost $11,000;

* $10,250 in checks, endorsed by Byers, made out to Asia Jones who was supposedly a home health care worker. After being contacted, Asia Jones said that she was not employed as a home health care worker and did not sign the checks;

* $4,600 for roof repairs for the estate, though no such roof work was needed or made.

During this time, according to the District Attorneys office, Byars and her husband planned a second fantasy wedding, to the tune of $39,000, to renew their vows.

A second estate owned by an incapacitated person, with a son in a nursing home, valued at $539,000 and comprised of two properties in Philadelphia and two properties in New Jersey, and bank accounts and investment totaling $236,000. According to the District Attorneys office, after Byars was replaced as guardian, the new guardian found a court petition to sell one property for $158,000; two requests to spend $78,000, which included an $8,400 payment to a cleanout business owned by Byars husband; and a petition to sell a second property for $168,000. Byars documented the total proceeds from the sale of both properties as $151,000. When the court issued a decree ordering Byars to file an inventory account, the court found, minus approved expenses, she did not account for over $104,000 in missing funds and losses to the estate.

In the third case, investigators interviewed the niece of an estate owner who had died. The estate included real estate, bank account savings, and bonds totaling more than $278,000. Before her death, the estate owner was a 78-year-old, non-verbal, blind woman suffering from Alzheimers and requiring a feeding tube most of the time. She was also living in an assisted-living facility with 24-hour care. But Byars billed the estate over $30,000 payable to a company that does not appear to exist. These payments were then deposited into an account linked to the Byars, according to the District Attorneys office. Additionally, after reviewing the contents of a safe deposit box, the investigation found 26 missing gold Krugerrand coins valued at approximately $32,000, with Byars as the only one with access to the coins.

In an unrelated court case in Delaware County, Byars entered a negotiated guilty plea before Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge John P. Capuzzi Sr. for a DUI involving a controlled substance, a misdemeanor offense that occurred June 22, 2018, in Aldan.

Her attorney in that case, Stephen Schukraft, said Byars was sentenced April 29 as a first-offender to serve 72 hours to six months at the county prison. Her report date is May 16.

As for the latest offenses in Philadelphia, Schukraft said he has not been retained as her attorney.
SWARTHMORE  A number of Swarthmore College students have made themselves home in a fraternity house at the focus of a bombshell report detailing their members alleged years-long activities of bigotry and sexual assault.

A sit in has taken place at the Phi Psi Fraternity House on the liberal arts college campus since Saturday by student organizers working to combat violence that is widely reported in fraternity culture. An over 100-page document was posted by the college student-run news publications The Phoenix and Voices almost two weeks ago detailing in fraternity members own words how they assaulted woman, spoke disparagingly against others, and detailed spaces in the house called the rape attic and rape closet.

Swarthmore College President Valerie Smith suspended all fraternity activities on the campus on April 27 pending a further investigation, affecting Phi Psi and one other fraternity, Delta Upsilon, whose house is right next to Phi Psi and is also subject to inquiry about the behavior of its own members.

A lot of students have been organizing against fraternity violence for a long time and weve been meeting with different administrators about both of the houses and the sexual violence, racism, homophobia, transphobia that has happened by the members, said Swarthmore junior Maya Henry Monday afternoon outside the Phi Psi house.

Henry said she didnt have to hear about the contents of the published documents to know what really goes on in these houses.

For three years she has served as a member of the SwatTeam, a student organization that helps ensure the safety and responsibility of Alcohol-Registered Events held on campus.

From first-hand experience Ive seen the way people treat each other, the way they speak, the music that people listen to, the slurs people are using  very drunk upperclassmen having inappropriate interaction with younger girls, she said. Ive been cornered and made to feel uncomfortable by a fraternity member who flirted with and harassed (me).

The SwatTeam, according to Henry, is supposed to be the first line of defense before calling campus security. But even then, she claims, security doesnt help, allegedly taking part in a game of beer pong at a fraternity house.

Meanwhile, she added, events on the campus that are attended mostly by persons of color or people of the LGBT community get more frequent, unsolicited visits by campus police.

When asked if the campus security is complicit in their affairs with the fraternities as is alleged, college Interim Director of Communications Mark Anskis said public safety department is to work in partnership with the community.

Public Safety works to preserve the peace by promptly and effectively responding to the needs of our community, fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and consideration among all its diverse members, and justly enforcing local, state, and federal rules and regulations, he wrote in a Monday afternoon email, a reworking of the informational blurb written on the public safety departments website.

Dean of Students Jim Terhune wrote in a campus-wide letter on April 18, the day Voices and the Phoenix published the documents, that administration shares the outrage that has been expressed today.

The kind of vulgar and offensive language used and behavior described in these reports contradicts the stated values of our community and is in direct violation of our policies, reads a portion of Terhunes letter. There is a natural and understandable desire in these moments to take action. We support your right to express views and demonstrate in response to events and issues affecting our community. We are also a community that is built on, and relies upon, mutual respect and shared responsibility for meeting and upholding community standards.

At Phi Psi Monday banners were placed all around the front of the house to show passersby that it was a sex shack of debauchery and misconduct, some signs alleging that the administration and public safety are complicit in letting the behavior continue.

No further comment was provided by the communications office outside of Smiths April 27 address statement saying fraternity activities were suspended until an external investigation is complete. Anskis did not respond to an email inquiry into who would be conducting the investigation, reportedly to authenticate the documents detailing the comments and actions of the fraternity members.

Henry said the goal of the sit in is to stop fraternity violence and to end these social organizations on campus.

People believe Swarthmore and what its goal is as a community is to have a community thats safe for everyone, and fraternities are antithetical to that purpose, she said. We dont want them to have these houses because thats a big source of their power and their recruitment and maintaining membership. We have a house, we have a space and we can do whatever we want in this space and control it.'

Henry said there are no plans to leave the house.
SALT LAKE CITY  After 20 years of working together, Taking Back Sunday still loves making music, touring and playing shows for their enthusiastic fans.

"It's amazing that 20 years down the line we're still here and we're still playing shows and they're packed and people are having fun," Mark O'Connell, the drummer for Taking Back Sunday, told the Deseret News.

The band is on a world tour to celebrate its two-decade anniversary. Theyll stop in Salt Lake City May 2 and 3 with The Maine opening the show.

The tour has already been to Australia and parts of Asia. O'Connell said it was amazing to be back on tour, seeing fans from all over the world get excited about the band's music. His favorite thing during concerts is watching how the crowd reacts to their favorite songs.

It looks like there's a riot going on sometimes, OConnell said.

These loyal fans are part of the reason the band has lasted this long. Many have been with Taking Back Sunday since Day One and continue to follow and love the band to this day.

"There are people who met at our shows, and they're married now with two or three kids, then they'll bring out the whole family," O'Connell said.

In a way, Taking Back Sunday has grown up with its fans. O'Connell said he felt a lot of pressure and anxiety when the band first started, "Just worrying about this and that and what this person said, when it doesn't matter." Over the years he and the rest of the band have learned to relax a little.

"I tell people all the time, we get along better now than we ever have," O'Connell said. "We've all matured a lot and we get along really well because of it."

Because this tour is a celebration of the years theyve grown together and how they started, they are playing their entire debut album Tell All Your Friends each night. Additionally, they will flip a coin to choose between playing Where You Want To Be or Louder Now. They may be playing music from their past for tour, but the band has plenty of newer music and is planning to release more.

In January they released "Twenty," a 21-track, career-spanning compilation album. Along with the 19 tracks fans will know well, the album includes two new songs, "All Ready To Go" and "A Song For Dan," a tribute to a friend of O'Connell's who committed suicide.

OConnell said theyve learned a lot and become better musicians over the years working with talented producers and other artists, but their songwriting process has remained relatively the same as when they started. O'Connell and other band members usually begin writing individually, then bring the song to the rest of the band to add their ideas and work on it collaboratively.

"I write a lot of songs on my phone, just on GarageBand," O'Connell said. "Sometimes you come up with something really great you know everybody's going to love and then other times it's like Oh, this is horrible When it is horrible usually you start off (thinking), 'This is great, everybody's going to love this.' Then you put it down for a little bit, then the next day you listen to it and you're like, 'Oh man, this is really bad. I can't show this to anybody."

Fans can look forward to more new Taking Back Sunday music soon, maybe even a whole album.

We're even talking about getting in (the studio) next January  seeing what we can do and having a new album, and then just keep it going, OConnell said.

The band has accomplished many things over its 20-year career. Including opening for Green Day (one of O'Connell's fondest memories), reaching top 10 on the Billboard chart and recently becoming the youngest inductees to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

Though there is plenty to look back on, O'Connell is glad there's more to come.

"I'm most proud that we're still a band and still relevant, having people come out to see us and having a great time," he said. "That's definitely what I'm most proud of."

If you go 

What: Taking Back Sunday's 20th anniversary tour

When: Thursday, May 2, and Friday, May 3, 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Complex, 536 W. 100 South

How much: $35

Web: thecomplexslc.com
SALT LAKE CITY  Marine experts say that a recently discovered beluga whale may be working for the Russian military, CNN reports.

Fishermen off Norways northern coast found the beluga whale wearing a harness last week. The whale had a mounted camera on its head, according to CBS News. The fishermen found the whale swimming alongside their ship and nudging against it, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK reported.

"We were going to put out nets when we saw a whale swimming between the boats," fisherman Joar Hesten said, according to NRK. "It came over to us, and as it approached, we saw that it had some sort of harness on it."

Marine experts suggest the beluga whale may be working for the Russia military.

"The whale seemed playful but our instincts said that it was also asking for help to get out of the harness, Jorgen Ree Wiig, a marine biologist, told CNN.

Wiig said the harness was specially made and it wore "mounts for GoPro cameras on each side of it. Wiig added that the animal is a trained animal. The harness included the phrase "Equipment St. Petersburg."

Martin Biuw, a marine mammal researcher at Norway's Institute of Marine Research, told CNNthat the footage of the whale convinced him it's a trained animal.

"It's quite clear that the whale is searching out the boat, and that it's used to being around boats. The whale is coming up with its head above the water, opening its mouth, which suggests that it's expecting to be fed fish as a reward."

Audun Rikardsen, a professor at the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe, told The Associated Press that he asked scholars in Russia and Norway about the animal and said neither country has been experimenting with beluga whales.
SALT LAKE CITY  Religious freedom is deteriorating around the world and efforts to protect it haven't kept pace with persecution, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's latest report, released Monday.

World leaders, including presidents and prime ministers, may speak often about the value of religious freedom, but these statements do little to deter the surveillance, imprisonment or murder of vulnerable people of faith. It will take additional action, such as targeted sanctions and increased funding, to make a difference for marginalized communities, members of the commission said.

"The international community is increasingly responsible for allowing  governments to get away with systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom without consequence or accountability," the report explains.

The report, which explores religious freedom developments in 2018, addresses a broad range of violence, from explosions at houses of worship to forced conversions. Across the globe, people suffer because of what they believe, whether they're directly targeted by their own governments or ignored when they cry out for help.

The commission does highlight some positive events and trends, such as last summer's high-profile gathering of diplomats, people of faith and human rights activists from more than 80 countries on religious persecution in Washington, D.C., which resulted in new partnerships and action plans. However, these bright spots do little to quiet the fear, sadness and frustration stirred up elsewhere in the document.

"Although some foreign governments have joined the fight to promote freedom of religion or belief, others brazenly suppress it," the commission notes.

The report is a wake-up call for American officials and citizens, who often don't understand the full scope of religious persecution in other countries, according to speakers at the Monday launch event for the report. We need to do more than just express sympathy when worshippers are killed or faith leaders are arrested, they said.

Religious freedom "is a universal human right that we take for granted," said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, a frequent advocate of religious freedom whose wife, Gayle Conelly Manchin, serves on the commission.

New report, familiar findings

The report's findings will not come as a surprise to people who have followed the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's work tracking religious persecution over the last two decades.

The organization, which is part of the federal government but operates independently of the White House and State Department, has repeatedly called out government inaction since its first report in 2000. Additionally, countries rarely drop from its annual list of "countries of particular concern."

In 2000, the commission's report focused on three countries: Russia, Sudan and China. In its 20th report, those countries are joined by 13 others on the list of Tier 1 "countries of particular concern," which are distinctive for allowing "systematic, ongoing and egregious" religious freedom violations.

"Despite two decades of tireless work to bring an end to religious-based discrimination, violence and persecution, innumerable believers and nonbelievers across the globe continued in 2018 to experience manifold suffering due to their beliefs," wrote members of the bipartisan commission, who are appointed by the president and Republican and Democratic congressional leaders.

This year's report also lists 12 Tier 2 countries, where persecution isn't as severe or routine as in Tier 1 countries but is still deeply problematic, and five "entities of particular concern," which are non-state actors like the Islamic State.

The bulk of the report is dedicated to in-depth analysis of the countries and entities of particular concern. Commissioners explain what led to each designation and offer suggestions on how the U.S. government should respond.

Among the many horrifying stories recounted, developments in China stand out, said Gary Bauer, who serves on the commission, at the launch event.

"If I were to rate the Tier 1 countries, China would be in a category all by itself," he said.

Tibetan Buddhists are detained if they're caught with a photo of the Dalai Lama, their spiritual leader. Christian churches are shut down and the Bible is censored. Muslims are sent to concentration camps and told to renounce their faith.

Chinese officials "are an equal opportunity persecutor," Bauer said.

And yet the U.S. government and other champions of religious freedom have pulled their punches, the report explains. As religious violence in China has escalated over the last two decades, world leaders have done little to interfere, likely because they've come to depend on trade with the country.

"Although a handful of foreign governments  including the United States, Britain and Turkey  have harshly condemned the Chinese government for these egregious abuses, China has faced few, if any, consequences," the report says.

Power and money aren't the only tools religious persecutors use to avoid sanctions, according to the commission. Many countries of particular concern say their actions are aimed at improving national security and reject attempts to push them to change their ways.

"Governments perpetrating or tolerating (faith-related) abuses often decry 'interference in internal affairs' when they are rightfully admonished," the report says.

Moving forward

Although the report features familiar themes, it also notes how religious persecution has changed in recent years, said Kristina Arriaga, vice chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, during Monday's launch event. For example, non-state actors are playing a growing role in faith-related violence.

To groups like the Islamic State or the Taliban, the world is borderless, she added. They can't be addressed in traditional ways, such as dialogue between diplomats or financial sanctions.

"The world is changing," Arriaga said.

So the U.S. approach to international religious freedom needs to change, as well, according to the report.

Increasingly, houses of worship have been  targeted by terrorists and others. People of all faiths should be able to go to their own houses of worship in safety.  Tony Perkins

Commissioners suggest appointing a special adviser on religious freedom to the president's National Security Council, increasing the use of targeted sanctions and promoting tolerance through various state-sponsored funding programs. The report also noted that defense funding could be used to train other countries' police officers or military members who are assigned to guard houses or worship or sacred sites.

"Increasingly, houses of worship have been  targeted by terrorists and others," said Tony Perkins, who also serves on the commission. "People of all faiths should be able to go to their own houses of worship in safety."

The U.S. government already took several steps in the right direction in 2018, the commission said. Officials built stronger relationships with leaders in Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan; President Donald Trump's pick for ambassador at-large for international religious freedom, Sam Brownback, was sworn in; and the State Department hosted a high-level meeting on religious freedom in Washington, D.C., in July.

"It was the first time since the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights that a group of countries got together to discuss, at a ministerial level, one issue and one issue only," Arriaga said.

This gathering, called the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, brought together diplomats from more than 80 countries and led to a new declaration on this human right and a variety of new programs aimed at promoting it around the world. The State Department will host a second such meeting this July.

Moving forward, Americans, both inside and outside the government, must commit to protecting religious freedom however they can and not let partisanship stand in the way, Manchin said.

"I get frustrated with this place sometimes," he said. "Tribalism makes it impossible to do the things that we want to do."
SALT LAKE CITY  A crowd of balloon artists cheered, whistled, whooped and hollered Monday as Marvin Hardy, author of "Balloon Magic" instructional books and world-renowned balloon artist, greeted them at Salt Lake's first Balloon Jam, a three-day convention where balloon artists take classes, exchange designs and twist balloons.

"We're here and we love it and I still do what I do from a wheelchair," Hardy, 85, told the crowd Monday.

Balloon conventions take place around the country and the world but this is the first to be held in Utah, according to Shan Ingleby, balloon artist and organizer of the event.

The idea for Balloon Jam came just three months ago in February after Ingleby put on a Valentine's Day balloon event celebrating Hardy and his wife, Penny, at the senior living facility where the couple live.

People on social media saw the event and reached out to Ingleby, saying they would love to celebrate the Hardys and would fly out if another event was held.

Typically, it takes one year or more to plan a Balloon Jam, Ingleby said, but this jam was unique.

Marvin Hardy suffers from health issues related to Agent Orange exposure from his time in the Vietnam War and predicted he didn't have much time left to live  certainly not an entire year, he said.

Penny Hardy also said she didn't have long to live because she has stage 4 cancer.

Because of these health complications, organizers only had a few months to plan the large event  Ingleby said more than 100 people registered for the first day of festivities and he estimated they would go through close to 70,000 bio-degradable balloons by the end of the three days.

They decided to plan the event to coincide with Penny Hardy's birthday  she turned 70 Monday on the first day of the convention, where she announced her stage 4 cancer had gone into remission earlier this month.

The couple, well-known in the balloon art world as pioneers of the medium, met in the 1980s when Penny Hardy typeset Marvin Hardy's famous "Balloon Magic" books, where he introduced how to create motorcycles, airplanes and helicopters out of balloons  "fancy figures" he developed that had never been done before.

Marvin Hardy later became an ambassador with Pioneer Balloon Company which sent the couple around the world to more than 50 countries to teach their unique twisted-balloon objects.

It was those books that inspired many balloon twisters who attended the event.

S. Frank Stringham is one such twister who celebrated his 36th anniversary of balloon twisting Easter Sunday of this year.

Stringham's mother bought Hardy's balloon twisting instructional kit and put them in each of her seven children's Easter baskets in 1983. Stringham, the oldest of the crew, blew through his balloons and took his siblings as well.

His mother then called the Hardys up, using a phone number on the kit, and inquired where to get more balloons  and thus began the close friendship between Marvin Hardy and Stringham.

Stringham, through tears, called Marvin Hardy "my second dad."

This love for Marvin Hardy was shared by most balloon enthusiasts at the convention.

Willy Monroe, balloon performer, traveled from Madrid, Spain to attend the event for Marvin Hardy.

"We are a family," he said of the balloon world. He said he was honored to attend the event and said he was inspired by Marvin Hardy and his work.
SALT LAKE CITY  A former Latter-day Saint bishop was convicted Monday of inappropriately touching a teenage family friend in his congregation and being lewd with other boys.

A jury found Jeffrey Byron Head, 54, of Draper, guilty of attempted forcible sexual abuse, a third-degree felony, and two counts of lewdness, a class B misdemeanor. Jurors also found him guilty of a lesser offense of sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor, instead of a more severe count of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.

Prosecutors say Head went to one boy's house in May 2016 and asked about a recent surgery to his genitals, then asked "to see the surgery" before the teen pulled his pants down and Head inappropriately touched him. The same boy said Head rubbed his shoulders and placed the boy's hand on his own thigh during an outing to buy milkshakes in 2016.

At a preliminary hearing in February, the teen testified the behavior happened when he was 16 and 17. Head was his bishop and the teen sometimes attended church but was not very devout, he recalled.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said it removed Head from his position, notified police after the allegations surfaced and emphasized that abuse of any kind cannot be tolerated.

Another boy told police that Head would discuss sex "all the time" and once drove him home from a church activity in August 2017, but locked the doors and insisted they discuss masturbation, charges state. Their discussion continued about a week later when Head came to that boy's house unannounced and the two sat on the teen's bed.

A third boy told investigators that Head was "really touchy feely," but the touching stopped at shoulder rubs, hand rubs and thigh grabbing.

Head was originally charged with another count of forcible sexual abuse, but prosecutors reduced the count to attempted forcible sexual abuse in February, court records show.

His attorney Scott Williams declined comment Monday.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 11.
LEHI  Still a few months shy of its year-and-a-half anniversary, expense management innovator Divvy has been on a scorched-earth rampage, building its client list from zero to 3,000 in that time and on Tuesday, announcing a whopping $200 million funding round.

The new capital infusion is led by bi-coastal venture giant New Enterprise Associates with participation by existing investors Insight Venture Partners and Cottonwood Heights-based Pelion Venture Partners, and it's one of the biggest single-round raises ever for a Utah company.

The Series C funding brings Divvy's total financing to date to nearly $250 million.

Divvy co-founder and CEO Blake Murray told the Deseret News that in spite of the company's breathtaking growth rate, the new funding will accelerate ongoing product development with the goal of making Divvy an indispensable tool for expense finance professionals.

"We're going to remain heavily indexed on product and engineering," Murray said. "And continue to have a maniacal focus on who our buyer is, the CFO, the vp of finance, the comptroller  and responding to what they need in their day-to-day job.

"We want it all to roll through Divvy."

The company has built a novel software platform to manage the full breadth of expense management that also enables users to create unique identifiers for every vendor and discrete credit card numbers for each employee that needs one. Purchase limits and restrictions can be pre-set and dynamically altered when necessary. Also, the product is free. Divvy earns its money on the banking side of its transactional system.

In a Medium post earlier this month, Tyler Hogge, Divvy's new vice president of strategy, shared a vision for how the company's platform will fit into the future of business expense management.

"What Salesforce was to revenue, account management, and the VP of Sales, Divvy will be to spend, expenses, and the VP of Finance." Hogge wrote. "Imagine one platform that can manage all cash flow a finance leader has to manage, both cash in and cash out.

"It would need to cover employee expenses, bill pay for vendors, short-term cash flow needs to grow the business, and more. All wrapped in beautiful, delightful software."

Along with the mammoth new capital, Divvy also gets access to the deep institutional knowledge that New Enterprise Associates brings to the table, with over four decades of investment experience. New Enterprise Associates managing general partner Scott Sandell will join Divvy's board, and is one of only four investors who have been named to the Forbes Midas List of the top tech venture capital dealmakers every year since 2007. Sandell has been involved in investments with numerous marquee operations including Uber, Houzz and Workday and his online profile notes 24 of his portfolio companies have completed IPOs or mergers.

Last summer, Anthony Bott, Jane.com's director of finance, told the Deseret News his company, a Lehi-based online retailer of clothing for women and children as well as accessories and home decor, switched to Divvy expense management. The change, Bott said, has led to both time savings and more thorough accountability.

"It was simple to set up and I can log in to the (Divvy) interface at any time to review all pending and completed transactions," Bott said. "If anybody is having any issues, I can see it and resolve them easily."

Bott noted the software allows Jane's department managers to oversee and track expenses their staff is accruing, monitor budgets and, if necessary, approve expenditures and adjust permissions for individual employees.

In addition to attracting a quarter billion dollars in investment, Divvy has built its employee roles from 30 to 200 and, according to the company, was the conduit for over 1.5 million transactions in 2018 along the way while helping finance pros create some 20,000 budgets and issue 200,000 virtual credit cards.

Pelion Venture principal and investment veteran Ben Lambert said Divvy's growth and early success, even in the fast-moving realm of tech innovators, has been impressive.

We have never seen product market fit like this before," Lambert said. "Divvy is creating a category that businesses of all sizes and industries are adopting rapidly.

"Ive never been part of a company that has scaled as fast as Divvy from a customer perspective. The potential is hard to explain, with Divvy every single company can have the tools they need to manage their finances for free. Divvy is as much of a no-brainer for an investor as it is for potential clients.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Anthony Bott, the finance director of Jane.com, as Anthony Fox.
SALT LAKE CITY  A Salt Lake man who police say hand delivered a letter to the governor's office threatening vandalism during the upcoming Pioneer Day now faces a criminal charge.

Anthony Dominic Seven, 50, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with making a threat of terrorism, a second-degree felony.

According to charging documents, on March 8, Seven delivered a letter to Gov. Gary Herbert's office at the state Capitol. The letter was addressed to a U.S. federal magistrate.

"The letter states in part that Seven would be 'retaliating on the government treason on Pioneer Day, July 24, 2019," according to the charges.

Seven then threatens that during the Pioneer Day Parade, he would "break the glass windows along 100 South," including the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, the charges state.

The letter acknowledges that "Seven previously made threats to take the lives of multiple public officials, including Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and George Bush," according to court documents.

The letter also demands "a settlement from the government of $100 million," the charges state.

On April 2, investigators learned that Seven had sent an email to Sen. Ron Wyden D-Oregon, regarding Seven's mother who lives in Oregon, the charges state. In the email, Seven talked about the letter he delivered to Hebert and claimed the letter "also details my intended retaliation if government corruption is not remedied."

On April 24, an investigator called the phone number listed on both the letter and email and talked to Seven.

"The FBI is a criminal entity in my case. OK? So, if I say something like, 'I'm going to cut off Robert Mueller's head because he's the responsible party,' you can't do (expletive). And if you touch me, I'm going to  attack you, you understand that?" he told the investigator, according to the charges.

A $100,000 warrant was issued for Seven's arrest.

In January 2018, Seven was charged with criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor, in 3rd District Court. In that case, Seven called police after he had broken windows at an abandoned building at 205 E. 200 South because "he thought is was a federal building and the FBI was not helping him," according to charging documents.

In that case, Seven requested to represent himself in court. He was found guilty in September, placed on probation and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, according to court records.
UTAH STATE PRISON  Former Davis High School teacher Brianne Altice, who was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing three students, has been granted parole.

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole announced Tuesday that Altice, 39, will be released from the Utah State Prison on Sept. 10.

Altice, a former Davis High School English teacher, pleaded guilty to three counts of forcible sexual abuse stemming from sexual relationships with three students in 2015 who were 16 or 17 at the time. One relationship continued while she was out on bail following her initial arrest. Her combined penalties resulted in a sentence of two to 30 years in prison. Her case made headlines nationwide.

According to the board of pardons, members determined the impact on the victims was an aggravating factor in making the determination of whether to grant parole. But her completion of programs while in prison was a factor in her favor.

During her parole hearing two weeks ago, a confident sounding Altice told the board that she had made a lot of progress since even her first parole hearing in 2017. She completed the prison's sex offender treatment program and a business tech program. She said what treatment in prison has taught her is how to have self-confidence and that it's OK to ask others for help.

"The relationship I had with myself was very negative," she said of how she was in 2015, adding that she would isolate herself from any emotional or mental support. "I alienated my values."

Altice said she has confidence today that she didn't have even just two years ago.

"I have found self-love and self-compassion again," she said. "To be able to say I have self-love is huge.

"I'm accountable for this. I did this. And with that knowledge comes growth," she further stated. "I continue on this path of growth."

During the hearing, Altice said that if she were released, she already had an offer to work full time with Canines With A Cause, a group that matches shelter dogs with military veterans for emotional and psychological support. It's a program she has been working with while in prison.

Altice said she would also continue counseling with a therapist.

The state sentencing guidelines for a case like Altice's is 60 months. She will be released after serving 56 months.
SALT LAKE CITY  Sophia Anderson, who turns 5 on Friday, gleefully played with her brother and cousin Tuesday outside the Salt Lake Main Library, laughing loudly as she ran around the grounds.

One would never guess the young girl's had four heart surgeries, three of which were open-heart operations, received two life-saving tissue donations and lives with a rare congenital heart disease that causes complications to the left side of her heart, known as Shone's complex.

"She looks sweet but boy she is tough; she has been in a fight for her life since before she was even born," her mother, Sharon Anderson, said Tuesday. "Today she lives a beautiful life, and every day we are grateful for her life that's made possible through tissue donation."

Anderson shared her family's story at a panel, hosted by Donor Connect (formerly Intermountain Donor Services), where those personally impacted by tissue donation shared their stories to raise awareness of tissue donation and close out National Donate Life Month.

Anderson said her daughter's "complex, patchwork heart" is made up of heart valves from tissue donors  what she called a "priceless gift."

"What a difference valves can make  a huge difference it can make in having a functioning heart," she said. "Tissue donation is just as important as organ donation."

It's been about two years since Sophia's last heart surgery and, according to her mom, she is "rocking life."

"She is clever, fun and full of light," Anderson said. She also is "tenacious," her mother added, and loves to sing, ride bikes and play in the park.

Unfortunately, according to Anderson, none of her surgeries cured her condition and she will still need lifelong care and future interventions because of her heart complications.

"But today, her life is bright and happy," she said. "Our entire family is grateful for tissue donation and the quality of life that Sophia has enjoyed is tremendous  we just can't say thank you enough."

Donor tissue can also help improve the quality of life for individuals suffering from chronic pain.

A disc in D. Louise Brown's neck disintegrated about a decade ago, making simple everyday activities like walking, sitting or even holding her husband's hand difficult or impossible for Brown.

"All of those essential life abilities started to leave rather quickly 10 years ago," she said. "This searing pain became my constant companion."

In 2010 she received a piece of cadaver bone, smaller than a dime, that went in her neck. She said the relief was almost immediate after she woke up from surgery and recovered from the effects of anesthesia.

Even years later, she thinks about and enjoys her regained mobility and ponders about the bone she received.

"I'm aware how critical that little piece of bone was and the profound price that was paid for it," she said.

It's difficult to express her deep gratitude for her late donor and their family, she said, but she still made an attempt in a letter she sent them.

"What on earth do you say in a situation like this?" she wondered aloud Tuesday. "How do you say: 'I'm so sorry for your loss, but I'm so grateful for my gain?'"

She realized to honor her donor she needed to remain an organ and tissue donor herself and encourage others to check the donor box on their driver's licenses as well.

In addition, she said she needs to always remember the role her donor played in her life and live a "life worthy of that gift."

"The quality of my life that was restored came about because someone else's life had ended," she said.

Similar to Brown, Taryn Sorensen received a spinal cord injury from a devastating car accident in high school that also left one of her cervical discs ruptured. Her doctor told her she was lucky she wasn't paralyzed.

She described the intense pain Tuesday as similar to the "pins and needles" sensation experienced when an arm or leg falls asleep, but multiplied by 100.

Doctors used donated tissue to help repair her injuries.

"I am very, very lucky," Sorensen said. While there are still certain movements she still can't do today, such as looking up high or twisting her body in certain ways, she said her life has improved significantly thanks to her donor.

Since the surgery, she has graduated college, married her husband, had three kids, run multiple races and gone to Disneyland.

"I will forever be in debt to those who have made that decision (to donate) because of how it's effected me personally," she said.

Anderson said she hoped donor families found peace in knowing their loved one's tissue and organs helped save lives.

"I am heartened that there are people in this world who think of others even in those difficult personal times," she said. "I am thankful for families choosing to donate when they very easily could  and understandably  could choose not to."

One such person who thought of others in difficult times was Connor Walsh  a service-oriented 23-year-old who, among other things, was an emergency medical technician, Eagle Scout, intern at his local sheriff's office and lifeguard.

He died unexpectedly in 2017 after suffering a heart attack following a seizure.

His mother, Alice Walsh, described her only son as a "superhero" who was selfless both in life and in death.

"His desire was always to be a donor," she said at the news conference. "He generously donated his corneas, heart valves, bones, tendons, ligaments and tissues."

Walsh's corneas were donated to a woman in New Jersey, where Connor lived, and another woman abroad.

"I am comforted in knowing that my son gave sight to two individuals and he would be so proud that his gift of sight generously benefited and enriched someone else's life," the mother said. "My tragedy gave hope to those who needed it most in their darkest moments of despair."

Gifts of skin, bones, tendons and ligaments take a little longer to place since they are earmarked for individuals who match a specific criteria, Walsh explained.

Walsh's skin, bones and tendons are awaiting a project that should take place in a few months, she said. Tissue donors can save potentially help and heal 50 to 100 people, according to Donor Connect.

Donor skin can save the lives of burn victims and help in the healing process of vasectomy and post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, according to Pam Rawlins, regional director for tissue processor MTF Biologics.

"I'm so very proud of Connor's accomplishments and how he touched so many lives in his passing," Walsh said.

Though she may never meet the people who benefited from her son's donations, she said she knows they are grateful, just like Brown, Anderson and Sorensen are.

To become an organ and tissue donor, visit Utah Donor Registry at yesutah.org.
Many female actors put their acting career on hold after getting married. And perhaps thats why many consider it as a roadblock in their career and put plans of settling down at the back burner. However, for TV actor Shubhangi Atre, this was never a thing to worry about. She got married in 2000, at the age of 19, and later pursued her acting dream. And she doesnt hesitate a bit in giving all the credit to her husband Piyush Poorey for giving wings to my passion. In fact, Shubhangi feels that starting her career post marriage worked best in her favour.

When I was taking the baby steps in this industry, I wasnt alone. My husband was there by my side. Moreover, I was a mother to two-year-old daughter Ashi, and leaving her at home to start my career left me in dilemma. The initial couple of years [of my career] were full of ups and downs, but my family became my strength, says Shubhangi, who made her debut in TV with Kasautii Zindagii Kay (2007) and went on to do lead roles in Kasturi, Do Hanson Ka Jodaa and Chidiya Ghar.

The actor shares how with a support system back home, shooting outdoor was never an issue. If I was going for an outdoor shoot for 15 days, I never had to worry about what will happen to my daughter. Rather, it was Piyush, who used to bring her to the sets, so I could spend time with her, she adds.

Hailing from Indore, Shubhangi shifted base to Mumbai to pursue her dreams and she admits that its not easy to leave your family behind and one often gets directionless, too. There are actors who start getting name, fame, money and dont know how to handle it. Some even get in a wrong company and get influenced by wrong things, says the actor, remembering late actor Pratyusha Banerjee aka Anandi of Balika Vadhu, who committed suicide in 2016.

I felt she [Pratyusha] was such a lovely girl and a wonderful actor. I used to love her screen presence; whatever happened with her was really sad. During her pursuit of acting in this city, she was alone and vulnerable. So, I feel one always needs to have someone by your side, be it your parents, good friends or your spouse with whom you can share everything and never feel any kind of void, asserts Shubhangi.

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Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan are all set to reunite on screen for Bharat and we can already see them light up the screen together with their trademark chemistry in the trailer of the film. Katrina recently opened up about the film and her character Kumud Raina to Mumbai Mirror and made a startling revelation about working with Salman on this project. For the excited fans it might come as a bit of shocker that both Salman and Katrina were not on talking terms while they were filming Bharat.





While you take that in and wonder what went wrong, let us tell you that all is well between the former couple. Katrina revealed, "Yes, Salman and I share great chemistry, but when I walked onto this set, I was very clear that the script demanded a different kind of dynamics between us and I had to maintain it."

So there you have it, the actors strictly adhered to the script and tried to maintain a distance even when they were not filming. Even though Katrina and Salman are great friends they remained in their character to make their chemistry look more natural on screen. "So, I would not have lunch or hang out with him. It's different with an action film like Tiger where you can chat and chill. But here, I wanted Bharat and Kumud to appear like two people meeting for the first time and forging a connection. I hope you see that in the film," the actress added.

Bharat releases in theatres on Eid, 5 June 2019. The film is the Bollywood adaptation of the Korean film An Ode To My father.
Rishi Kapoor has spent a while in New York ailing from an illness that his fans know nothing about. The actor had last year in September announced that he was heading to the U.S. for, some medical treatment but never actually came out in the open about the nature of his disease. Several reports suggest that he will be back in India very soon and so far many celebrities have paid Rishi Kapoor a visit in New York including Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, Anupam Kher and Sonali Bendre while fans prayed for his recovery back in India. While many speculations were made that the veteran actor might be suffering from cancer, all such reports were soon shot down by Rishi Kapoor himself or his family.

Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. Its been 45 years plusof wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes,I will be back soon!  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) September 29, 2018

This is to dispel all notions and wrong speculations of my hair turning grey/white overnight. My hair was dyed by Awan Contractor for a film produced by Honey Trehan and Sony pictures directed by Hitesh Bhatia. Film is untitled. Trust this clears the air pic.twitter.com/0v5Z0nFcDN  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) October 9, 2018

Recently director Rahul Rawail paid the actor and visit and made a startling revelation about his health. A Facebook post by the filmmaker stated Rishi Kapoor (Chintu) is cancer free!!!! The news is certainly worrisome but it is indeed a relief to know that Rishi Kapoor is ailing well. There has been no confirmation on the news from the Kapoor family.





Last month Ranbir Kapoor too had said that his father will be back in India soon sending a round of cheer amongst the fans praying for his health. At an award show Ranbir revealed, Hes doing very well, and he will be back very soon. He is missing the movies and working in films. I really hope that with all your wishes and prayers he comes back very soon.
Two of Axiatas subsidiaries have requested arbitration from the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes over a tax bill relating to the groups acquisition of the Nepali operator Ncell.

Together with Axiata Investments (UK), Ncell is taking its case against Nepals Large Taxpayers Office (LTPO) to the countrys Supreme Court. The LPTO ordered the operator to pay a tax bill of NPR39.06 billion ($348 million) by 22nd April following the acquisition, but Ncell has contested the amount.

The promotion and protection of investments in the UK and Nepal is covered by a bilateral treaty between the governments of the two countries. Axiata Investments (UK) and Ncell argue that Nepals tax authority has acted in contravention of its international law obligations under the bilateral investment treaty.

The Supreme Court has acted on Axiatas petition by hitting the Inland Revenue Department, LPTO and Ministry of Finance with a show cause order, as well as a temporary stay order that will prevent them from taking any further action against Ncell before a hearing currently scheduled for 6th May.
Opening remarks by Minister Helen McEntee at Flanders Fields Memorial

Speech

***Check Against Delivery***

Excellencies, Speaker Peumans, Lord Mayor Ring, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to represent the Government of Ireland at the opening of this Flanders Fields Memorial.

Todays ceremony recalls both the many thousands from across the island of Ireland who travelled to Flanders just over 100 years ago and the local Flemish people who endured such terrible suffering atthat time. Both found their lives and destinies unexpectedly entwined, and for many Irish soldiers, Flanders became their final resting place. Recent years have provided an important opportunity for Ireland to give appropriate remembrance to these men and women.

The story of the Irish role in Flanders between 1914 and 1918 has been a particularly important part of that remembrance. In some respects, Irelands journey of First World War remembrance during this Decade of Centenaries began with Taoiseach Enda Kennys tour of Flanders with Prime Minister David Cameron in 2013, visiting the Island of Ireland Peace Park in Mesen, the grave of Major Willie Redmond MP, Tyne Cot and Wytschaete war cemeteries, and the Menin Gate in Ieper.

It was in Flanders too, that the life of the Meath-born poet and soldier, Francis Ledwidge, was so tragically cut short in 1917 at the battle of Passchendaele. As a fellow native of Meath, it was a great personal honour for me to represent the Government in 2017 at a very poignant State Commemoration in Slane to mark the centenary of his death.

Also in 2017, the Island of Ireland Peace Park in Flanders hosted a special joint Ireland-UK ceremony on the centenary of the Battle of Mesen. This was a battle at which  during a time of great political strife at home - any animosities between the largely nationalist 16th Irish Division and mainly unionist 36th Ulster Division were forgotten when they fought side-by-side for the first time during the war. Attended by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the Duke of Cambridge and Princess Astrid of Belgium, this ceremony took place alongside another at the nearby Wytschaete War Cemetery which is home to the Celtic Cross memorial to the 16th Irish Division and the graves of many Irish soldiers.

At this ceremony in Wytschaete, the soil from the battlefields of Flanders, which forms the heart of todays ceremony, was presented to Irish representatives.

The Battle of Mesen has undoubtedly become an important symbol of reconciliation on the island of Ireland.

In 1998, President Mary McAleese and Queen Elizabeth II inaugurated the Island of Ireland Peace Park there. This seminal event was the culmination of monumental work by the late Paddy Harte, Glen Barr and many others. It became a watershed moment in how we remember the First World War here in Ireland.

This commitment to remembrance has continued. Our Embassy in Brussels, alongside representatives of the Defence Forces, attended more than 30 commemorative ceremonies throughout Belgium during last Novembers Armistice Weekend marking the centenary of the wars end.

While the First World War witnessed the largest engagement of Irish soldiers on Flemish soil, the shared military history of Ireland and Flanders goes back centuries.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, thousands of Irish soldiers fought on both sides of the conflict which overwhelmed the then Spanish-ruled Flanders. We cannot forget those Irish exiles, the Wild Geese, who fought at a later period, as part of the famed Irish Brigade, in battles which took place in the area.

This shared military heritage can be traced back to 1298, when the 1st Earl of Kildare travelled with Edward the First on his military expedition in support of the Count of Flanders.

This Memorial brings together soil from the resting place of so many Irish First World War soldiers who died in Flanders, with earth from the four provinces of their homeland. Given the intertwining histories of Ireland and Flanders, it is a deeply moving and poignant symbol of the ties that bind our peoples.

I would like to thank Speaker Peumans for being here today. I commend the Government of Flanders and Dublin City Council for their efforts in establishing this wonderful memorial. I would also like to thank the Belgian Ambassador, Pierre-Emmanuelde Bauw and our Ambassador Helena Nolan for their work. This memorial, in the heart of Dublin, will now stand as a monument to the shared history of Ireland and Flanders.

I take this opportunity to pay special tribute to the people of Flanders. Their efforts in preserving the resting places of Irish First World War soldiers have been crucial in ensuring that this part of Irish history has not been forgotten. I thank them for the care they have shown for our dead over the past one hundred years and for the welcome they have unfailingly shown to the many thousands of Irish people who have travelled to Flanders seeking part of their own family history or simply a better understanding of this sad chapter of our shared history.

And so, on behalf of the Irish Government:

Go raibh maith agaibh;

Dank uwel.

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Tech news portal Wired got an early access to the near final pre-production model of the OnePlus 7 Pro.

OnePlus will launch the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro on May, but Wired got access to the near final pre-production model of the Pro variant, and tested out the camera of the phone. The Chinese company has already announced that the OnePlus 7 pro will have a triple camera setup on the back, and this was confirmed in an image that was leaked over the weekend. Wired says that it tested the camera of the phone and has revealed that the phone has a 3x optical zoom and a 10x digital zoom.

Apart from that, the publication also talked to one of the key company executives. Before we proceed to tell you about what the tech news platform said of the OnePlus 7 Pro camera, lets just look at the details of the camera configuration. There is the 48MP primary camera, which is paired with an 8MP sensor with a telephoto lens having an aperture of f/2.4, and a 16MP sensor with f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens.

As mentioned, the phone has a 3x optical zoom. Wired says that OnePlus 7 Pros camera doesn't beat the Huawei P30 Pros 5x zoom, of course. the publication talks about marginally less detail, more noise and a difference in colours in the zoomed images. It also says that the video recorded with the 3x zoom have some degree of stabilization. Whats interesting is that OnePlus knows that it cannot beat the like of Huawei P30 Pro, and their main goal is to give users a simple user interface.

On our previous phones, we wanted to maintain a nice phone body that wasnt too thick, and to make sure the lens didnt stick out too much. In this case, the users input on forums helped me to get these features onto the phone. But we tried to find the balance over the entire phone experience. I think we have a shot at competing with the first tier phones. I dont think we can beat them, but the imaging world is always subjective, Wired quoted OnePlus Imaging Director Simon Liu, as saying.

The news comes a day after OnePlus CEO Pete Lau revealed that the OnePlus 7 Pro has received an A+ display rating in DisplayMate's Lab Tests, which was confirmed by DisplayMate in a tweet. Pete Lau tweeted the information saying, Can't wait for you to experience our A+ rated display (there is no A++ so we hit the ceiling) by the renowned independent research and test lab - DisplayMate. OnePlus also claimed that the phone scored exceptionally well across parameters like colour accuracy, brightness, contrast accuracy, pixel density, among others.

In a related news, an advertisement in the print publication of the New York Times has confirmed what we know so far. OnePlus got a full-page ad published in the US daily showing the schematics as well as the selling points of the phone. The image published on the newspaper shows a triple camera setup, and a pop-up camera tucked inside the body. There is a OnePlus branding, above all, there is a tagline, Just a better phone.

No bells and whistles.

No bezel.

No notch.

Just a better phone.



Now that's newsworthy.@nytimes pic.twitter.com/85DgxLG7YN  OnePlus USA (@OnePlus_USA) 29 April 2019
The magazine announced on social media that the cover photo of their latest issue featuring actor and activist Jameela Jamil, was shot using the OnePlus 7 Pro.

The OnePlus 7 launch is looming large over us and every few days, a new feature of the upcoming flagship is being disseminated by the brand to create hype leading up to the launch. After announcing that the OnePlus 7 Pros display has been rated A+ by DisplayMate, and confirming triple cameras on the back via a newspaper ad, it was revealed the latest cover photo of Harpers Bazaar magazine was shot using the OnePlus 7 Pro.

The magazine announced on social media that the cover photo of their latest issue featuring actor and activist Jameela Jamil, was shot using the OnePlus 7 Pro. The actor insisted that the photos required no digital retouching or airbrushing.

The photograph was shot with Jameela in Los Angeles, on a rooftop terrace, according to an ANI report.

Its a picture-perfect camera, and the output was amazing. I could not believe we had an option to shoot RAW images without having to connect it to an app or computer. We used the photo to capture behind-the-scenes clips and notcied the video was even better, Harpers Bazaars creative director said in a press release.

This is not the first time OnePlus has collaborated with a fashion magazine to show off its camera prowess. Back when the OnePlus 6 was launching, the company did a similar collaboration with Vogue India magazine where actor Aditi Rao Hyadris photograph was taken with the OnePlus 6 for the magazines cover photo for the May 2018 issue.

We have asked OnePlus for a comment regarding the use of professional lighting, post-processing and the exif inforrmation of the photo. The article will be updated with more information as and when we receive it.

OnePlus 7 Pro camera specs

The cover photo indicates the OnePlus 7 Pro will come with a better camera sensor that can shoot in RAW format. The phone might even offer new lenses. So far, OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 7 Pros camera will offer 3x zoom as well as a triple-camera setup on the back. This was also confirmed by the full-page ad on the New York Times on Tuesday where the company published the schematics of the upcoming flagship. The schematics reveal that the OnePlus 7 Pro will not only come with a triple-camera setup, but also sport a pop-up selfie camera, allowing the display to stretch entirely to the edges.

While we are still awaiting key details of the camera hardware, the photo makes us expect a good improvement in camera performance over the OnePlus 6T. The phone is likely to bring better zoom as well as better low-light shooting capabilities as indicated by an image shared by OnePlus product manager Szymon Kopec on Twitter.

Its likely that the OnePlus 7 Pro will incorporate the 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor thats also there on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro and the Honor View20. Furthermore, a 16MP wide-angel camera is also expected as part of the camera stack along with an 8MP telephoto lens offering 3X zoom.

Alongside the OnePlus 7 Pro, the company is also expected to launch the OnePlus 7, marking the first time that the company will launch two phones under one series. The OnePlus 7, based on leaks and rumours, is likely to come with a dual-camera unit.

OnePlus 7 Pro specs

In addition to an upgraded camera, the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro, like all its predecessor, will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. Furthermore, the phone is expected to come with a display with a refresh rate of 90Hz which should result in a smoother viewing experience. Apart from this, we expect the upcoming flagships to offer at least 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage, along with an in-display fingerprint sensor and Warp Charging.

OnePlus 7 launch

The OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro will be announced simultaneously in three cities  Bangalore, New York and London on May 14. Fans can buy tickets for the Bangalore event from the companys e-commerce site, and those wont be able to attend the launch in person can tune in to a live stream. The event starts at 8:15PM.

Images Courtesy: Harper's Bazaar, OnePlus
by Mathias Hariyadi

The government has yet to find a new location. President Widodos decision is designed to encourage economic development outside of Java, in other regions of the country. Moving the capital may take up to ten years. According to some reports, the choice is likely to be a city in Kalimantan (Borneo).

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  After years of deliberations and analyses, Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (pictured) announced today that Jakarta will no longer be the capital of Indonesia.

National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said that the government decided to leave Java, the countrys main island, but has yet to decide on a new location.

During a cabinet meeting chaired by the president, three viable options were presented to cabinet. In the first one, Jakarta would remain the capital and government ministries would remain in the Monumen Nasional area. In the second one, the new capital would rise some 50-70 kilometres from Jakarta. The third one would see the capital move to another island.

"The president has chosen the latter option," Brodjonegoro noted. This "crucial decision" is due to the need to stimulate economic growth in other regions. So far, it has been centred in Java, home to almost 60 per cent of Indonesias 260 million people.

More than 10 million people live in Jakarta, about a third of the larger urban area. The city loses about 100 trillion rupiahs (US$ 7.04 billion) a year due traffic and congestion problems, Brodjonegoro explained.

The capital is also subject to flooding and sinking because of overuse of underground water, often illegally.

Citing examples like those of Brazil and Kazakhstan, the Planning Minister said that moving the capital could take up to ten years. Brodjonegoro noted that the government is looking to the east for its new capital.

According to some reports, the new capital could move to Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), either Palangka Raya (Central Kalimantan province), Tanah Bumbu (South Kalimantan) or Panajam (East Kalimantan).
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NEW YORK (AP)  Woodstock 50 is proving to be as chaotic as the original festival held in 1969.

A financial investor in the festival announced Monday it was pulling its funding from the anniversary event, set to take place Aug. 16-18 in Watkins Glen, New York.





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SEATTLE  Washington State Ferries will hold a series of community meetings throughout May for each route it serves.

Topics will include proposed changes to passenger fares, the agency's 2040 long-range plan, and route-specific issues and projects.





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BELLEVUE  Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bellevue, at 9625 N.E. Eighth St., has sold for $8.5 million, according to King County records.

The seller was the church, which had owned the property for decades.





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KIRKLAND  The seven-unit Freshwinds Apartments, at 5210 Lake Washington Blvd. N.E. in Kirkland, sold for $4 million, according to King County records.

The buyer was Foremost Enterprises LLC, which is associated with a local investor group on the Eastside.





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Jet employees propose Rs7,000-cr bailout for grounded carrier

Employees of Jet Airways have proposed to take over the ailing airline, investing about Rs7,000 crore  with Rs3,000 crore coming from an external source and the remaining Rs4,000 crore in employee stock options (ESOPs)  in an attempt to salvage the grounded airline.

In a letter addressed to the State Bank of India (SBI)-led lenders consortium, the employees have laid out their plan to join hands with an external investor. They have, however, not disclosed the identity of the external investor.

We would like to suggest that Jet Airways be taken over by a consortium of employees and external investor(s)...the contribution of the employee group over a hypothetical over-five-year Employee Stock Ownership Programme (ESOP) is likely to be upward of Rs4,000 crore. In addition, we are confident of securing up to Rs3,000 crore from outside investors, says the letter, addressed to SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar.

On the basis of extensive discussions with various employee groups across the company, and also with colleagues who have in the past successfully held senior management positions, we would like to suggest that Jet Airways be taken over by a consortium of employees and external investor(s), the letter written by Ashwani Singh, general secretary, Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots, and Ashish Kumar Mohanty, president of Jet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Welfare Association, adds.

The other signatories to the letter include PP Singh, senior vice-president (operations) and accountable manager  JetLite, and BB Singh  manager, human resources, Jet Airways.

It is realistic to understand that the employees would not have the cash or credit needed to buy the company outright. The contribution from employees would be realised from their future earnings and increased productivity, a value that can be quantified in advance with a fair degree of certainty, the letter stated.

According to Tyagi, the employees have already approached some investors. We are in conversation with other employee unions as well, he said.

We have discussed these issues informally with our colleagues in different sections of the company who have reposed their confidence and faith in an employee-led turnaround plan that is modelled on similar turnarounds in the West, like that of United Airlines in 1994, the letter said.

This exercise will necessitate a complete overhaul of the management team of the company and re-establishment of priorities of the short, medium and long term. The required investment and other modalities on the financial aspects can be duly deliberated over meetings to ensure complete confidence of the bankers in this unique effort of recreating and establishing a version 2.0 of Jet Airways, it added.

As things stand, there are four bidders, including Etihad (which holds 24 per cent in Jet Airways) who are keen to acquire the company and the bidding process is set to conclude on 10 May. But, there are concerns that the lenders may have to take a large haircut on their Rs8000-crore exposure.

Jet Airways announced a temporary shutdown on 17 April citing lack of funds.
NIA arrests terror plotter in Kerala; Sri Lanka bars burkha

Security has been tightened in southern states of India even as the Sri Lankan government banned wearing of the burkha ot the veil in public places amidst warnings of a fresh wave of attacks on the island state by Islamic terrorists.

In India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested an Islamic State sympathiser and a close follower of Zahran Hashim who was the mastermind of the Easter Sunday suicide attacks in Sri Lanka.

Riyas Aboobacker was arrested from Kerala after he disclosed to NIA investigators that he has been following speeches and videos of Hashim, a radical Tamil-speaking cleric who was behind the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka that left 253 people dead and over 500 others injured.

The 29-year-old informed the NIA officials that he has been following Hashim for more than a year and has also followed the speeches of Zakir Naik, an absconding Indian Islamic preacher and founder of the now-banned Islamic Research Foundation.

Aboobacker admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala. He was being questioned by the NIA since Sunday when the agency unearthed the Kasaragod module of the terrorist outfit in Kerala during multiple raids at the house of three suspects.

Aboobacker alias Abu Dujana, a resident of Palakkad in Kerala, has been arrested on charges of conspiring to commit a terrorist act, an NIA statement said.

The suspect, NIA said, revealed during his interrogation that he had been in online contact with an absconding suspect Abdul Rashid Abdulla for a long time and has been following his audio clips, including the clip which he had circulated in the social media instigating others to carry out terror attacks in India.

Aboobacker revealed that he was also having online chat with Abdul Khayoom, a suspect in Valapattanam Islamic State case, who was believed to be in Syria, said the anti-terror agency.

The NIA had earlier received inputs that a group of four persons was in contact with some accused identified as Abdul Rashid, Ashfaq Majeed and Abdul Khayoom who had already migrated to Afghanistan and Syria.

After verification, NIA carried out searches at three places (two in Kasaragod and one in Palakkad district) on Sunday.

The agency said three group members have been interrogated for their Islamic State links and their plans and that this case was registered in July 2016 following the disappearance of 15 youths from Kasaragod and their subsequent migration to the Islamic State (14 persons went to Afghanistan and one person to Syria).

Aboobacker will be produced before a special NIA court in Kochi today, the agency said.

Meanwhile the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has released a video showing its leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi making his first appearance since July 2014. The terror outfit has claimed that Baghdadi is alive.

Screen grab showing the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi making his first appearance since July 2014. The terror outfit has claimed that Baghdadi is alive. In the video, Baghadadi is seen sitting and talking to three individuals, whose faces have been blurred to deliberately conceal their identity. The video comes just days after the terror outfit claimed responsibility for one of the deadliest attacks in the history of Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.

ISIL's Al Furqan network published the video on Monday in which it said that revenge would be sought for the death of its fighters. While the time of shooting the video is unclear, Baghdadi is seen referring to the end of the outfit's fight in Baghouz in Syria in the past tense, which indicates that the video may have been shot recently. "The battle for Baghouz is over," Al Jazeera translated him as saying.

Al Jazeera also reported that Baghdadi referred to Sri Lanka attacks as a 'revenge' and said that 'there will be more to come after this battle' in what is believed to be in reference to the final fight at Baghouz.
NDRF, Coast Guard on alert as Cyclone Fani intensifies

Cyclone Fani has intensified into a severe storm on Monday evening and is headed towards the Odisha coast scraping through Tamilnadu and Andhra coasts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.

IMD said `Fani could develop into an extremely severe cyclone by Wednesday, when it crosses the Odisha coast.

Fishermen who were at sea have returned to shore in Kothapatnam in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh as Fani intensified into severe cyclonic storm on Monday evening. The government also put the National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Coast Guard on high alert.

The storm currently lays about 620 km east-northeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka, 770 km east-southeast of Chennai and 900 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, the IMD stated in release in the morning today.

The Cyclonic storm Fani (pronounced as Foni) over Southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 16 kilometres per hour in last six hours, intensified into a severe cyclonic storm. It is very likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm during next 24 hours and into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours. It is very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards towards the Odisha coast, the bulletin said.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the countrys top body to deal with emergency situation, on Monday took stock of the situation arising out of cyclone Fani and assured the state governments concerned of all assistance from the central government to face the storm.

The NDRF and the Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert and fishermen have been asked not to venture into the sea as cyclone Fani is expected to intensify into a very severe storm by Tuesday, the home ministry said. The wind speed of a cyclonic storm is 80-90 kilometres per hour with wind gusting up to 100 kmph. In case of an extremely severe cyclonic storm, the wind speed goes up to 170-180 kmph and could gain the speed of 195 kmph.

Light to moderate rainfall at a few places is very likely over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and south coastal Odisha on Thursday. The precipitation is likely to increase intensity with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over coastal Odisha and adjoining districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh from Thursday. Light to moderate rainfall is expected at many places. Downpour at isolated places is also very likely to start over coastal districts of West Bengal from Friday, the IMD said.

The NCMC met here under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha and took stock of the situation. Chief secretaries, principal secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal attended the meeting through video conference. Senior officers from the central ministries and agencies concerned also attended the meeting.

The NDRF and the Indian Coast Guard are coordinating with the state governments. The home ministry has assured the state governments to release in advance the first installment of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), as per their request, a Home Ministry statement said.

During the meeting, officers of all the state governments concerned confirmed their full preparedness to deal with any emerging situation arising out of the cyclonic storm. Further, the state government highlighted that there is a seasonal ban on fishing in sea up to June 14 due to breeding season. The state governments were advised to effectively enforce this ban.

The IMD has been issuing three hourly bulletins with latest forecast to all the states concerned. The home ministry is also in continuous touch with the state governments and the central agencies concerned, the statement said. The NCMC meeting followed directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is closely monitoring the situation. The NCMC will meet again Tuesday to take stock of the situation.
Gardai are appealing to taxi-drivers and to vehicle users who were in the Letterkenny vicinity during the early hours of Monday morning, to check their dash-cam footage as it may assist gardai with their investigations.

Two men were taken to Letterkenny University Hospital as a result of injuries, which are understood not to be life threatening, following an incident which took place outside of a nightclub.

It is understood that a male suffered a head injury as a result of a blow to the head which subsequently resulted in his falling and hitting his head off concrete.

Gardai say the attack is believed to be 'unprovoked.'

The investigation is still at a very early stage and gardai are trawling through CCTV and speaking to witnesses who have come forward, to date.

A second male was taken to hospital with injuries linked to the incident. His involvement in this incident is under investigation at present.

Garda Grainne Doherty say they are particularly keen to hear from taxi drivers who may have been in the area at the time and have dash-cam footage.

A taxi rank is near where the incident took place. People can ring Letterkenny Garda Station on 074 91 67100 or call the garda confidential line on 1800 666 111.
A Georgia man with an outstanding warrant in his home state was arrested after allegedly breaking into an automobile in the 500 block of Chinook Street in Dothan.

James Edward Willis, 42, of Dallas, Georgia, was arrested Monday, April 29, and is charged with unlawful breaking and entering a motor vehicle.

Police say Willis is a fugitive, fleeing an outstanding warrant in Georgia.

During the investigation it was determined on April 23 Willis allegedly broke into a vehicle and took documents from the vehicle including a tag receipt, Dothan Police Lt. Lynn Watkins said.

Willis is currently in jail on a $2,500 bond.

Follow Michele Forehand on Twitter @micheleforehan1

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In 1965, eight days after our daughter Andrea Beth, was born, we woke up and she was dead. The doctor had come to my door at St. Johns Hospital in Missouri and told us she was fine.

The most comfort I have is: What better place could my child be than in the arms of Jesus? And Ill see her again, in heaven. She will be given back to me whole. As we say in church, God is good all the time.
Home Two wheelers Yamaha R15 V3.0 Introduced With New Colour Options In Indonesia  Will It Make Its Way To India? oi-Rahul Nagaraj

Yamaha Motors has just introduced three new colours on their R15 V3.0 offering in the Indonesian market. The new colour options also come with updated decals as well. The Indonesian-spec Yamaha R15 V3.0 is almost identical to the one available in India.

Yamaha has now introduced three new paint schemes and updated body graphics for the R15 in the international market. The three colour options include: Racing Blue, Racing Yellow and Racing Black.

Apart from the addition of the new colours, no other changes have been made to the motorcycle. Considering the Indonesia-spec Yamaha R15 is almost identical to the one sold in India, we can expect the brand to bring the new colour options to the country as well.

The Yamaha R15 is one of the most popular offerings from the brand in the Indian market. The latest version of the R15 was introduced in India back in 2018 at the Auto Expo. Currently, Yamaha offers the R15 in India with just three paint schemes - Thunder Grey, Racing Blue and Dark Knight.

Both the Indonesian and India-spec models are powered by the same 155cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine producing 19.3bhp and 14.7Nm of torque; mated to a six-speed gearbox.

The India-spec Yamaha R15 comes with conventional telescopic front forks and a monoshock at the rear. Braking is handled by discs at both ends, supported by dual-channel ABS. Yamaha also offers the R15 with a slipper-clutch as standard as well.

The Indonesian-spec Yamaha R15 differs from the Indian-spec with the addition of upside-down front forks. However, the Indonesian-spec does miss out on ABS; a feature made mandatory in India.

Other common features on the Yamaha R15 v3.0 include tank pad, skid plate, frame sliders, seat covers, smartphone charging and a Daytona exhaust muffler.

Thoughts On The Yamaha R15 V3.0 New Colours

The Yamaha R15 has been a very popular entry-level sportbike offering in the Indian market. The motorcycle has been on sale for a long time, bringing in consistent sales to the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer. The Yamaha R15 in the Indian market rivals the likes of the Bajaj Pulsar RS200, KTM RC200 and the Suzuki Gixxer SF.

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A new contemporary urban arts festival has been announced for Dundalk, titled Seek 2019.

Speaking on behalf of the Seek committee, Town Centre Commercial Manager, Martin McElligott, said that he was delighted to announce the latest addition to their 2019 festival plan.

The festival is centred around promoting visual arts in Dundalk over a five year period by commissioning established and emerging artists - local, national and international - to help promote the town culturally and artistically, repositioning the area as a vibrant hub for creativity.

Seek 2019 will highlight the important influence art can have in the public domain, its role as a catalyst for change, helping reinvigorate and refresh some of our town centre spaces. In turn the story behind the artwork helps with both telling Dundalks story and connecting people to our heritage.

Local Artistic Curator, David Callan, explained that Dundalk has a wealth of history, with many historical layers throughout the ages which are being forgotten. The festival aims to communicate Dundalks unique stories, using the arts to reconnect with it.

Mr McElligott continued by saying that they have been working with stakeholders and sponsors, which include Louth County Council, Dundalk Tidy Towns, Dundalk Museum, Creative Spark, Grandson Design Studio, Imperial Hotel, OHR Marketing, The Hairshop, Glengat House and Thinking Cap, to ensure that not only the people of Dundalk rediscover its heritage, but that visitors to the town will get a better sense of the area and its heritage over the many ages right up to the present day.

Colourtrend paint will be the headline sponsor for the 2019 festival. Speaking on the partnership, Managing Director of Colourtrend, Kevin OConnor said: We at Colourtrend are honoured to be sponsoring Seek Dundalk 2019. As an Irish family brand, it is important for us to celebrate and support local culture. Colourtrend is a brand that's found throughout homes across Ireland, so we are always excited to see our brand used in this creative fashion.

We are delighted to be in a position to assist in bringing the colour of this wonderful festival to life, celebrating the culture of Dundalk through creative murals. We look forward to seeing what the incredible team of talented artists, come up with this summer.

Sarah Daly from Creative Spark added: the Seek committee has been one of the most creative she has had the privilege of working on to date, drawing expertise from Killian Walsh, Grandson Design and lead designer on the project, local artist Barry Finnegan(Thinking Cap design), Martin McElligott (Dundalk BIDs), and local Artistic Curator, Dave Callan.

Three Irish artists have been invited to create a mural each in (location). The artists are Aches (Dublin), James Earley (Dublin) and Omin (Dundalk).

They will respond to the area and its people by creating bold and impactful murals which draw on Dundalks rich heritage - historically, culturally, geographically and mythologically.

This years festival is focused on historical figures associated with the town. Participating artist Omin will be commissioned to create a piece on pioneering engineer Peter Rice, the focus of the local exhibition in the County Museum and two recently released documentaries.

James Earley will produce a piece drawing on the mythology of Cuchulainn and Aches will focus on the story of the Last King of Ireland Edward Bruce and the Kings Irish connection, Edward who is buried in Faughart Grave yard.

All works will have QR codes directing the public through their smartphones to information regarding the historical significance of the subjects.

A launch event will take place on June 15 at 7pm in Creative Spark.

The public will also be able to see the work in progress during the week and watch the power of art transforming our urban landscape.
15:40 - The opener is a decent betting heat for punters and I'm going to go with last year's winning combination, John Gleeson and John Gleeson Jnr. They won last year with Just Wait and See and return this year with the less fancied BAILY FOX (25/1). At a big eachway price, it might be worth taking the chance that the Gleeson's have come up with another expert piece of placement here. The horse wasn't disgraced in a point-to-point start behind Festival Opera in March.

16:20 - Klassical Dream is an odds-on shot here and should win but I'm siding with his stablemate ARAMON (7/1) to pull off a minor shock in this. Although he was 11 lengths behind the favourite in the Supreme at Cheltenham, he was a lot closer at Leopardstown back in February on good ground. The ground is drying all the time at Punchestown and could come into Aramon's favour by Tuesday afternoon. He perhaps hit the front a tad early that day and had Klassical Dream working hard to deny him by a head on the line.

16:55 - This is an opportunity for Henry de Bromhead to continue a good season with RAYA TIME (7/1). He hasn't won since joining the Waterford handler's yard last summer but he's been in the front three on four out of five of those occasions. He also won by 14 lengths on good ground at Killarney before joining Henry's string and that bodes well for the going expected in Punchestown. He put in an eye-catching piece of form at Leopardstown at Christmas when he was third, five lengths behind City Island, a subsequent Cheltenham winner. Another strong Cheltenham performer, Dallas Des Pictons, was second that day.

17:30 - This is a real puzzle but I've landed on UN DE SCEAUX (10/3) for Willie Mullins. Min will be the hotpot after demolishing a good field at Aintree but Un De Sceaux won this race last year and could go well again. Although a long way from his free-wheeling wins of a couple of years ago, he wasn't disgraced in the Ryanair at Cheltenham, finishing eight lengths behind Frodon. His performance to finish four lengths behind the all-conquering Altior at Sandown last December also reads very well in light of that rival's record-breaking exploits.

18:05 - This is a minefield and not really one to invest too much in with many horses on debut, but perhaps SON OF CAMAS (3/1) for Nicky Henderson and Patrick Mullins is the one to side with. He is a relatively expensive purchase and made Henderson's select team to make the trip across the Irish Sea.

18:40 - DELTA WORK (2/1) was a warm order for the RSA at Cheltenham only to be denied by Topofthegame but back on good ground, the odds look a steal for this Gordon Elliott star. That RSA was very strong and the cream rose to the top with Delta Work, Topofthegame and Santini coming to the line as a blanket. On good ground, he's accounted for the likes of Le Richebourg and Mortal and should be too good for his rivals here. A Plus Tard was an impressive winner at Cheltenham but he'll still have a bit to find with a hardy Delta Work who will relish the trip.

19:15 - Experience can count for a lot in these big-field flat races and with that in mind, FIVEALLIN (14/1) is the selection. Jessica Harrington enjoys a winner at Punchestown and could be rewarded for getting two runs into this one before this race. He's finished fourth on two starts and although not setting the world alight, he represents good value for the experience.
Gardai have questioned 36 men across Leinster over the weekend about the purchase of sex.

As part of Operation Quest garda were questioning people in Louth, Dublin, Wexford, and Kildare.

The purchase of sex was made a criminal offence in Ireland in 2017.

Led by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau, in liaison with local Detective Units, the investigations took place over Friday, Saturday and Sunday in a bid to clamp down on human trafficking and prostitution.

A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said: "The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 criminalises the purchase of sexual services and the soliciting or purchasing of sex from a trafficked person.

"On the 26th, 27th, and 28th of April 2019, An Garda Siochana conducted intelligence-led operations across six (6) of its divisions, nationally, urban and rural (DMR North, DMR East, DMR South Central, Wexford, Louth and Kildare to target the demand for prostitution and to enforce legislation which criminalises the purchase of sexual services. These Days of Action were coordinated by the Operation Quest team at the Garda National Protective Services Bureau, in liaison with local Detective Units.

"During the course of this intelligence-led operation, thirty-six (36) individuals were stopped and spoken to by members of An Garda Siochana, arising from suspicion of having purchased sexual services from an individual involved in prostitution. A number of files will now be prepared for forwarding to the Director of Public Prosecutions, with a view to establishing if any criminal prosecution should be initiated, arising from the Days of Action.

"This operation reinforces An Garda Siochanas commitment to target the demand for prostitution and to protect vulnerable persons, including victims of human trafficking involved in prostitution."
The family of Dundalk woman Lisa Smith is hoping that she can do an interview on the Late Late Show when she returns to Ireland.

According to reports in The Irish Sun Lisa Smith's family believe that a chat with Ryan Tubridy will help to "smooth things out" if she returns to Ireland.

The report also claimed that Smith's family had requested a closed set for the potential interview.

RTE declined to comment when they were contacted by the Irish Sun for a comment.

The 37-year-old Dundalk woman is currently stuck in a refugee camp in Syria and wants to bring her daughter back home with her to Ireland.

Smith, a former Defence Forces member was detained by US troops in the north of Syria as she was suspected to be supporting ISIS in March.

Meetings took place between the Defence Forces and the Department of Foreign Affairs to draw up a plan to bring Smith home last month.

When asked about the possibility of Lisa Smith returning home Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: Going to Syria or going to live in what was called Islamic State is not in itself an offence or a crime. So we will need to carry out an investigation. I know the authorities there will want to interrogate her to see if she has been involved in any crimes there. But its very possible that wasnt a combatant.

Read the report in The Irish Sun here.
With just 11 days to go until Darkness into Light on May 11, the event organisers, Pieta, proudly supported by Electric Ireland since 2013, are calling on as many people as possible to join them to raise much need funding and awareness for the prevention of suicide and self-harm and the promotion of positive mental health.

The Dundalk event takes place from 4:30am at DkIT. See www.darknessintolight.ie/event/dundalk for more details.

Over 200,000 people are expected to come together in the pre-dawn hours in 19 countries across 5 continents to take part in the global movement that seeks to remove the stigma around suicide and self-harm and spread the power of hope in Ireland and around the globe.

Last year, Darkness into Light walkers raised 6 million from the event, of which 800,000 was raised across our international venues.

In Dundalk last year 3,332 people registered to attend the event and raised 102,314 to support their vital services.

Worldwide close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year - one person every 40 seconds. In Ireland 392 people took their own lives in 2017. (Source: National Office for Suicide Prevention.)

2019 marks the 7th year Electric Ireland have walked alongside Pieta to bring hope to customers, staff and communities across Ireland that have been affected by suicide. To join the thousands of people around Ireland who are taking part in this years Darkness into Light 5k walk, go to www.darknessintolight.ie.

The funds raised from Darkness into Light help to keep Pieta centers open, offering free therapy, the 24 /7 Helpline line, education and bereavement counselling for people in need of support. In 2018, over 8,000 clients were supported with face to face therapy by Pieta experts. Since 2006, over 40,000 people received support from our intervention and bereavement counselling services. By the end of this school year, Pieta will have reached out to over 7,500 students with a bespoke schools programme called the Resilience Academy a free programme for second year students in secondary schools designed to increase young peoples resilience, hope for the future, ability to cope with difficult feelings and connection to their school.

Siobhan Leijen, Clinical Manager, Pieta Midlands Its difficult to describe the incredibly hopeful feelings created by Darkness Into Light. As a therapist and Clinical Manager we see firsthand the undisputable need for Pieta to be present in our communities. The walk is about far more than just the raising of fund. It brings people together from all over the world every year because the need for change is immense.

Leijen added Among those who walk are the people we have been so humbled to assist in their greatest time of need, their families, friends, neighbors and coworkers the list is relentless. Darkness Into Light is unity and true human compassion from one human being to another. It is Hope.

Irene Hehir, from Ennis, is one of the many thousands of people who have experienced challenging times and sought the help of Pieta. Almost 2 years ago during a time of deep crisis Pieta Midwest in Limerick took great care of me and helped me to find my way to a better life, one where I learned to believe in myself, to learn what a good person I was and to learn skills to help me get through day to day life without the thought of suicide.

Hehir added This year, I will rejoice in the life I now have and will relish the dawn when it breaks letting us all come from the Darkness into the light on Saturday May 11th and let that be a new dawn of fresh hope and love to all that need it the most.

Pieta operates a free 24-hour suicide helpline on 1800 247 247

Darkness Into Light is vital for fundraising, for raising awareness and for bringing people together in a spirit of solidarity and comfort in giving all hope.

To find your nearest venue and for registration, visit www.darknessintolight.ie
Three sites

A4labs have been established in three arid to semi-arid sites in Africa. One is situated in the Nile Basin in Tekeze, Tigray region, Ethiopia. Two others are situated in the Limpopo basin in Mzingwane, Matabeleland, Zimbabwe and Gaza Province, Mozambique.

These arid and semi-arid lands are often considered marginal and lost to socio-economic development due to water scarcity.
Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company, today begins its annual Sydney Summit, showcasing the latest technology trends alongside some of the worlds biggest and most innovative companies and public institutions.

More than 15,000 attendees are expected to visit Sydneys International Convention Centre over the next three days, making it one of Australias largest technology conferences.

To remain competitive, every company in the world has to keep transforming its customer experience, and the way they does business, said Paul Migliorini, Managing Director for AWS in Australia and New Zealand.

Cloud technology has paved the way for accelerated innovation, helping businesses remain relevant and competitive by lowering costs, and providing the solutions to create and bring services to market quickly.

Its clear that the rapid evolution of AI, ML, and cloud computing technologies is changing the way we live, work, and play.

Dynamic Business will be attending the AWS Sydney Summit to talk to some of the leaders in this innovative space over the next few days. The scheduled interviews are with both AWS representatives to talk about start-up tech and investment as well as other leadings companies such as Canva and Formula 1 that are now using AWS to better their customer experiences through tech.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), Kate Carnell today welcomed the announcement of an Australian Business Growth Fund, a recommendation in the ASBFEOs Affordable Capital for SME Growth report.

Our report identified the need to address a critical funding gap for long-term, patient capital to enable our up-and-coming, high growth potential small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to flourish, Ms Carnell said.

We support government investment of $100 million into the Australian Business Growth Fund and a matching commitment by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank and HSBC Bank.

However, we question the absence of commitment by Westpac, ANZ and Australias super funds.

Importantly, the Fund will be managed by private sector expertise and will benefit SMEs with annual turnovers between $2 million to $50 million.

Minority shareholding up to 40% will enable these businesses to retain control of their company; a very different scenario from traditional private equity funding.

Similar models in the UK and Canada are tried and tested; addressing barriers to accessing affordable capital for businesses that have gone on to demonstrate successful growth.

We also support modification of Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) regulations to set an appropriate risk weighting to make it a viable proposition for private sector investment.

Media release distributed by AAP Medianet.
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Apple and Qualcomm on Tuesday unexpectedly announced a settlement as their case entered the second day of a hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Diego.

In related news, Intel on Tuesday announced it was getting out of the 5G smartphone chip business.

The Apple-Qualcomm settlement provides the following:

An unspecified one-time payment from Apple to Qualcomm;

A six-year licensing arrangement, effective April 1, 2019, under which Apple will source chipsets directly from Qualcomm instead of having its OEMs do so. This agreement has a two-year extension option; and

Apples agreement to pay royalties to Qualcomm.

The settlement will free Apple to enter the 5G smartphone competition, where it has been outstripped by Android device manufacturers.

Barriers to 5G Removed

At least 10 companies  including Apple arch-rival Samsung and LG Electronics, as well as Huawei, Oppo and other Chinese smartphone makers  are producing 5G smartphones or have announced them.

Apple reportedly planned to delay offering a 5G smartphone until 2020 or later. That would have hit it hard.

Even in 4G, Apple is up to two years behind Android devices, noted Chris Taylor, a research director at Strategy Analytics.

It looks like they were going to be behind in 5G as well, he told TechNewsWorld.

Apple had agreed to source 5G smartphone chips from Intel. However, it was behind on Apples requirement for chips, and Apple had a commitment for a 2020 5G release, remarked Ray Wang, principal analyst at Constellation Research.

Qualcomm has stayed very innovative and, at the end of the day, has the better chip, he told TechNewsWorld.

Further, Qualcomm has outgeneraled Apple:

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

It is producing, or plans to produce, 5G chipsets including the Snapdragon Automotive Platform announced at MWC in February;

It Demonstrated at MWC 18 an industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) 5G application using industrial equipment from Siemens;

At MWC 19, it demonstrated how it can reach 99.9999 percent reliability in its 5G over-the-air test network in San Diego. At Messe 2019 in April, Hannover Messe selected Qualcomm and Nokia as the technology partners to provide 5G OTA connectivity for research collaboration with Bosch on features in the next 5G standard release  3GPP Rel-16;

Also at Hannover Messe 2019, Qualcomm announced partnerships with Gosch, IFAK, Siemens, Zeiss and other key industrial players to develop 5G IIOT applications; and

Earlier this month, it announced commercial 5G services in Europe with Swisscoms 5G network in Switzerland as well as a number of device makers, including LG Electronics, Opportunities and Askey.

Troublesome Docs Introduced in Court

Apple, which had battled Qualcomm fiercely for years  alleging that it had overcharged for its chips and was leveraging its monopoly  apparently folded in the face of evidence of deception that emerged in court on Monday.

The opening remarks in the latest action in San Diego detailed documentation from Apple indicating [it] had been acting disingenuously and had embarked on a five-year plan to destroy Qualcomm, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Both Apple and Intel were caught stealing IP from Qualcomm, which could have resulted in criminal charges, Enderle told TechNewsWorld. Folks do get jail time for IP theft, and the result would have opened up Apple to other IP theft charges that would have been far more difficult to defend.

Further, the disclosure of the documents would turn the regulatory agencies that Apple had fooled dramatically against it  and that may still happen, Enderle said. This had the potential to put Apple out of business.

Germany and China banned sales of some iPhone models because of the litigation.

To top things off, Apple faces an antitrust challenge in the EU that could spread to the United States and China, Enderle noted.

With all these factors adding up, this simply became a fight [Apple] could no longer afford, he said.

Intels Weakness

Apples selection of Intel as its 5G chip supplier posed yet another problem.

Intel just makes the transceiver and baseband process, and that works with the Apple applications processor, so its basically two digital processors in the iPhone, Strategy Analytics Taylor said. Everybody else in the world puts these both together in an SoC, which is what the Snapdragon is.

That gives Intel a very limited market.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Further, Intel decided to use what it knows best  the x86 architecture, Taylor said. Everybody else uses ARM-based processors for smartphones because they draw very little power.

Also, Intels 5G technology was tied to the theft of IP from Qualcomm, Enderle pointed out. That cloud will likely hang over Intel for some time. Repercussions from IP theft have, in the past, knocked companies out of industries. Intel admitted this was likely to happen to them, and, effectively, it did.

Winners and Losers

The industry as a whole won with the settlement of the litigation, Taylor suggested. A lot of people in the industry were concerned because Apple was refusing to pay for the use of Qualcomms IP, and it looks like that principle is saved.

Apple can argue that it was overcharged, but thats a contractual matter between it and Qualcomm, he said. Refusing to pay  that seems pretty low.

Apple, Qualcomm and Intel all win, Enderle said.

Long term, win or lose, Apple would be weakened by the fight and the chance of a monumental settlement would have cratered their stock. Intel had taken its eyes off its core business and was being carved up by AMD, he added.

Qualcomm was badly damaged by the litigation, Enderle noted. The settlement will allow it to recover, and they were vindicated by this.
By Helen West, RD (UK)

Chia seeds are tiny but extremely nutritious.

Just 2 tablespoons (30 grams) contain 10 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 138 calories (1).

They're a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and some minerals essential for bone health, including calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Chia seeds are also flavorless, making them easy to add to many foods and recipes.

Here are 35 fun ways to eat chia seeds.

1. Chia Water One of the simplest ways to include chia seeds in your diet is to add them to water. To make chia water, soak 1/4 cup (40 grams) of chia seeds in 4 cups (1 liter) of water for 2030 minutes. To give your drink some flavor, you can add chopped fruit or squeeze in a lemon, lime, or orange.

2. Juice-Soaked Chia Water isn't the only liquid you can soak these seeds in. Add 1/4 cup (40 grams) of chia seeds to 4 cups (1 liter) of fruit juice and soak for 30 minutes to make a drink that's full of fiber and minerals. This recipe gives you several servings of juice. Just make sure to keep your intake moderate, as fruit juice contains lots of sugar.

3. Chia Pudding You can make chia pudding as you would chia water. For a thicker, pudding-like texture, add more seeds and let the mixture soak longer. You can make this treat with juice or milk, including flavorings like vanilla and cocoa. Chia pudding makes a delicious dish that can be eaten for breakfast or as a dessert. If you don't like the seeds' texture, try blending it to give it a smoother finish.

4. Chia in Smoothies If you want to make your smoothie even more nutritious, consider adding chia seeds. You can use chia in almost any smoothie by soaking them to make a gel before adding.

5. Raw Chia Toppings Although many people prefer to soak chia seeds, you can eat them raw, too. Try grinding and sprinkling them on your smoothie or oatmeal.

6. Chia Cereal To try something a little different for breakfast, you could swap your usual cereal for chia cereal. To make it, soak the seeds overnight in milk (or a milk substitute like almond milk) and top with nuts, fruit, or spices like cinnamon. You can also use mashed banana and vanilla extract to make a delicious morning treat.

7. Chia Truffles If you're often in a hurry, you can use chia seeds to make a great on-the-go snack. For a quick and easy no-bake snack, try chia truffles that combine dates, cocoa, and oats.

8. In a Stir-Fry You can also add chia seeds to savory dishes like stir-fries. Just add a tablespoon (15 grams) of seeds and mix.

9. Added to a Salad Chia seeds can be sprinkled on your salad to give it some texture and a healthy boost. Simply mix them in and add your favorite salad vegetables.

10. In Salad Dressing You can also add chia seeds to your salad dressing. Commercially prepared salad dressings are often loaded with sugar. Making your own dressing can be a much healthier alternative.

11. Baked in Bread It's possible to add chia seeds to many recipes, including bread. For example, you can try a homemade buckwheat bread that's healthy and flavorful.

12. As a Crispy Crumb Coating for Meat or Fish Another fun way to use chia seeds is as a coating for meat or fish. Ground into a fine powder, the seeds can be mixed with your usual breadcrumb coating or used to substitute it altogether, depending on your preference.

13. Baked in Cakes Cakes are usually high in fat and sugar. However, chia seeds can help improve their nutritional profiles. Adding them to your cake mix will boost the fiber, protein, and omega-3 content.

14. Mixed With Other Grains f you don't like the gooey texture of soaked chia seeds, you can mix them with other grains. You don't need a fancy recipe. Simply stir 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of seeds into a cup (180 grams) of rice or quinoa.

15. In Breakfast Bars Breakfast bars can be very high in sugar. In fact, some contain as much sugar as a candy bar. However, making your own with chia is quite easy. Just be sure to cut back on the sugar content.

16. In Pancakes If you like this fluffy breakfast food, you could try adding chia seeds to your pancake mix.

17. In Jam Chia seeds can absorb 10 times their dry weight in water, which makes them a great substitute for pectin in jam. Pectin is quite bitter, so substituting pectin with chia seeds means that your jam won't need a lot of added sugar to make it taste sweet. Better yet, chia jam is much easier to make than traditional jam. Try adding blueberries and honey  and skipping the refined sugar.

18. Baked in Cookies If you love cookies, chia seeds can give your cookie recipe a nutritional boost. Both oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies are good options.

19. Chia Protein Bars Like breakfast bars, many commercially prepared protein bars can be high in refined sugar and taste more like a candy bar than a healthy snack. Homemade chia-based protein bars are a healthy alternative to prepackaged ones.

20. In Soup or Gravy Chia seeds can be a great replacement for flour when thickening stews or gravies. Simply soak the seeds to form a gel and mix it in to add thickness.

21. As an Egg Substitute If you avoid eggs, keep in mind that chia seeds make a fantastic substitute in recipes. To substitute for 1 egg, soak 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of chia seeds in 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water.

22. Added to Dips Chia seeds are a versatile ingredient and easily mixed into any dip. You can add them into homemade dip recipes or stir them into your favorite store-bought version.

23. Baked in Homemade Muffins Muffins are often eaten for breakfast or dessert, depending on their ingredients. Notably, chia seeds can be added to both savory and sweet versions of this baked good.

24. In Oatmeal Adding chia seeds to oatmeal requires very little effort. Simply prepare your oatmeal and stir in 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of whole or ground seeds.

25. In Yogurt Chia seeds can make a great yogurt topping. If you like a bit of texture, sprinkle them on top whole. If you want to avoid the crunch, mix in ground seeds.

26. To Make Crackers Adding seeds to crackers isn't a new idea. In fact, many crackers contain seeds to give them extra texture and crunch. Adding chia seeds to your crackers is a good way to include them in your diet.

27. As a Thickener for Homemade Burgers and Meatballs If you use eggs or breadcrumbs to bind and thicken meatballs and burgers, you could try chia seeds instead. Use 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of seeds per pound (455 grams) of meat in your usual meatball recipe.

28. As a Homemade Energy Gel Athletes looking for a homemade alternative to commercially produced energy gels could consider using chia. You can buy chia gels online or make your own.

29. Added to Tea Adding chia seeds to drinks is an easy way to include them in your diet. Add 1 teaspoon (5 grams) into your tea and let them soak for a short time. They may float at first but should eventually sink.

30. To Make Tortillas Soft tortillas can be eaten with a variety of fillings and are a delicious way to enjoy chia seeds. You can make your own or purchase them pre-made.

31. In Ice Cream or Ice Cream Pops Chia seeds can also be added to your favorite treats, such as ice cream. You can blend and freeze chia puddings to make a smooth ice cream or freeze them on sticks for a dairy-free alternative.

32. To Make a Pizza Base Chia seeds can be used to make a high-fiber, slightly crunchy pizza crust. Simply make a chia-based dough and add your toppings.

33. To Make Falafel Falafel with chia can be especially enjoyable for vegans and vegetarians. You can combine them with a variety of vegetables for flavor.

34. In Homemade Granola Making granola is simple. You can use any mixture of seeds, nuts, and oats you like. If you don't have time to make your own, plenty of commercial granolas include chia.

35. In Homemade Lemonade Another interesting way to consume chia seeds is in homemade lemonade. Soak 1.5 tablespoons (20 grams) of seeds in 2 cups (480 ml) of cold water for a half hour. Then add the juice from 1 lemon and a sweetener of your choice. You can also experiment with adding extra flavors like cucumber and watermelon.

The Bottom Line Chia seeds are a versatile and tasty ingredient. They can be added to numerous foods and recipes for a boost of protein, antioxidants, and fiber. If you're interested in including these seeds in your diet, try out one of the various options above.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Healthline.
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Eskoms struggle to meet South Africas energy demand has accelerated the drive to explore alternative energy sources. However, making sure that the lights stay on is just one of the reasons why renewables are the answer to South Africa immediate and long-term energy supplies.

Decreasing the carbon footprint, decentralising power supply to create more economic opportunities and, over time, dramatically reducing the cost of electricity, all present a compelling case for a significant increase in renewable energy supply to optimise the countrys energy mix.

South Africa is widely acknowledged for being well-endowed with natural energy sources, including a climate with the potential to produce an abundant supply of solar energy. Solar PVs modular build nature lends itself well to quick deployment and scaling. However, when it comes to harnessing energy for power, there are several hurdles to overcome for to fully realise this potential particularly in the solar PV rooftop market.

According to Green Cape, the solar PV rooftop market accounts for over just 94 MW of installed capacity in South Africa, with an estimated market size of R2-billion. From a global perspective, at an output of 123 GW recorded in 2018, the worlds markets are on schedule to meet the International Energy Agencys (IEAs) Sustainable Development Scenarios growth targets, with countries such as China, India, Australia and US blazing a trail that other countries would be hard put to match.

Even though technology costs in the rooftop solar market have reduced significantly since 2009 in South Africa, installation and energy conversion costs for solar PV still present an affordability barrier for partial off-grid and grid-connected solar purchases with prices ranging from R80 000 to R150 000 as stated in a recent radio interview with a leading expert on renewables.

Regulatory gridlock, particularly to do with licensing restrictions in terms of the Electricity Regulation Act to municipalities, independent power producers and other interested parties, are largely seen to have had a dampening effect on any hopes of widescale adoption of solar PV rooftop. Other reasons which have been put forward for this is the significant on-selling revenue that municipalities derive from buying electricity from Eskom and selling it to the public.

There are positive signs. According to CSIRs Statistics of utility-scale polar PV, wind and CSP in South Africa 2018, 4,6% of the countrys electricity needs were supplied through a mix of renewable energy sources, which ought to have seen an overall decline in electricity tariffs. Jeff Radebe, the minister of energy, recently allayed fears that some of Eskoms financial losses were because of governments renewable energy programme.

In a recent interview on SAFM, the head of electricity and energy at the South African Local Government Association, Nhlanhla Ngidi, presented the view that renewable energy held more opportunities than threats to municipal income including potentially reducing penalties imposed by Eskom for exceeding electricity purchase thresholds. So, what drives the growth of solar PV rooftop in the model countries mentioned?

Policy and regulatory environment

Firstly, the policy and regulatory environment must support the growth of the renewables sector. In countries such as China and the USA, where policy vigorously supports solar PV, weve seen what could be described as explosive growth in solar PV power generation. China recorded an increase in demand from 10% in 2012 to 55% in 2017. Theyve continually adjusted their targets upward in line with increasing demand, and there is no reason why South Africa cant do the same.

Incentivising of use of alternative energies

As part of a larger drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the US offers tax incentives for renewable energy producers and households powered by renewables. This, according to the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Dropping costs of technology and installation

According to the IEA, global solar PV costs have fallen by approximately two thirds over the past five years. Will we see a gradual reduction in prices as is typical with most technologies? Not an easy question to answer. South Africa is an importer of solar technologies so exchange rates are one of the determinants of costs. Typically, prices decrease in response with rises in demand, creating more demand which ultimately lowers the affordability barrier. So far in South Africa, significant demand has tended to spike during periods of load-shedding.

As stated earlier there is ever growing case for renewables and solar PV in meeting South Africas power needs. There are positive signs that through the efforts of both public and private sector players, South Africa is moving in the right direction. With increased commitment from all sides, the full benefits of solar PV could be realised sooner rather than later.

Send your comments to energize@ee.co.za

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To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020.
Every day that goes by in which wealthy nations fail to hold themselves accountable for achieving net zero reductions is a declaration that they dont care if developing nations drown or dry up.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co., Ltd. (FAW Xiali) announced on April 29 that it has signed a framework agreement with the new energy vehicle (NEV) startup Nanjing Bordrin New Energy Vehicle Co., Ltd. to build a joint venture focusing on manufacturing NEVs.

According to the announcement, FAW Xiali is going to make capital contribution in such asset forms as land use right, plants and facilities, while Bordrin will invest in the joint venture with cash. The joint venture will be located at Xiqing District, Tianjin, where FAW Xiali is based.

Bordrin was found in 2016 with a registered capital of RMB126.52 million. Its business scope extends to cover the R&D, production, sales, technology services, transfer and consultation of new energy complete vehicles and auto parts. Based on the agreement, the startup guaranteed that the joint venture's capacity should be fully utilized in terms of the future new product roll-out and development planning.

The Nanjing-headquartered startup displayed two modelsthe Bordrin iV6 and iV7at the Auto Shanghai 2019. Of that, the presale of the iV6 started at the same time with prices ranging from RMB250,000 to RMB350,000. However, Bordrin is not qualified to produce NEVs by the time the joint venture with FAW Xiali is founded.

FAW Xiali saw its full-year revenue in 2018 decline 22.5% year on year to RMB1.125 billion. Annual net profit reached round RMB37.31 million. Nevertheless, excluding non-recurring gains and losses, the automaker still suffered a net loss of RMB1.263 billion.
Blackwater mercenaries are ready for a coup in Venezuela

The founder of the controversial private security firm Blackwater and a prominent supporter of Trump has been pushing a plan to deploy a private army to help topple Venezuela President Maduro.

Erik Prince - the founder of the controversial private security firm Blackwater and a prominent supporter of US President Donald Trump - has been pushing to deploy a private army to help topple Venezuela's socialist president, Nicholas Maduro, four sources with knowledge of the effort told Reuters.

PRINCE'S COUP PLANS

Over the last several months, Erik Prince - the founder of the security firm has sought investment and political support for such an operation from influential Trump supporters and wealthy Venezuelan exiles. In private meetings in the United States and Europe, Prince sketched out a plan to field up to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire on behalf of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, according to two sources with direct knowledge of Princes pitch.

Erik Prince

One source said Prince has conducted meetings about the issue as recently as mid-April.

One of Princes key arguments, one source said, is that Venezuela needs what Prince calls a dynamic event to break the stalemate that has existed since January, when Guaido - the head of Venezuelas National Assembly - declared Maduros 2018 re-election illegitimate and invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency.

Maduro has denounced Guaido, who has been backed by most western nations, as a US puppet who is seeking to foment a coup.

BLACKWATER'S CIVILIAN MASSACRE IN IRAQ

Prince was a pioneer in private military contracting during the Iraq war, when the US government hired Blackwater primarily to provide security for State Department operations there.

In 2007, Blackwater employees shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians at Nisour Square in Baghdad, sparking international outrage.One of the Blackwater employees involved was convicted of murder in December and three others have been convicted of manslaughter.
'EU should admit Turkey's economic success'

Turkey is becoming one of the worlds largest economies, and we should be pleased with its success, says former German president.

Turkey is becoming one of the worlds largest economies, and this should be acknowledged, said a former German president on Monday.

"WE MUST ADMIT TURKEY'S DEVELOPMENT"

"My German friends probably will not be happy to hear this, but we must admit Turkey's development. Because German companies played an important role in the development of Turkey, we should be pleased at Turkey's success," Christian Wulff told a conference in Istanbul sponsored by Baskent University and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

We must see and admit that there will be the [worlds] largest airport in Istanbul, he added, referring to the new Istanbul Airport, which opened last fall and is planned to be a major new hub. Turkey is building roads and tunnels and the countrys industry is developing, while the country is becoming one of the worlds largest economies, he said.

Saying he feels like home in Istanbul, Wulff cited Napoleon's comment: "If the world was a single country, its capital would be Istanbul."
'Germany supports territorial integrity of Iraq'

German chancellor meets Iraqi premier, pledges to strengthen political and economic ties between two countries.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has reaffirmed Germanys support for the territorial integrity of Iraq and pledged closer political and economic ties between the two countries.

"WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT"

Speaking at a joint news conference with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi in Berlin, Merkel praised the governments efforts to preserve the unity of Iraq.

I have once again clearly expressed our support for the territorial integrity of Iraq, she stressed. We have very intensive relations with the regional government in Erbil, but always as an integral part of Iraq, and we will continue to follow this approach, she added.

Merkel said Germany was interested in further strengthening cooperation with Iraq in the fields of economy, energy and security, and pledged continued support for the reconstruction efforts in Iraq after years of fighting with the Daesh terrorist group.

Following Merkels meeting with Abdul-Mahdi at the Chancellery, German technology giant Siemens and Iraqs Minister of Electricity Luay al-Khateeb signed a memorandum of understanding on upgrading Iraq's electricity infrastructure.

Abdul-Mahdi told reporters that Iraqs plan to upgrade its electricity infrastructure would consist of four stages, with various projects worth around $14 billion ( 12.5 billion). The Iraqi premier said Siemens has had good chances of winning majority of the contracts.
Guaido says troops have joined him to end Maduro presidency

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has announced that the 'final phase' to oust President Nicolas Maduro has begun.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Tuesday he had begun the final phase of his plan to oust President Nicolas Maduro, calling on Venezuelans and the military to back him to end Maduros usurpation.

FINAL PHASE

A Reuters journalist later saw Guaido near the La Carlota air force base in Caracas, surrounded by a group of men in uniform. Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez tweeted that the government was confronting a small group of military traitors seeking to promote a coup.

Guaido, in a video posted on his Twitter account, spoke in the company of men in military uniform and opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, who is under house arrest. The national armed forces have taken the correct decision, and they are counting on the support of the Venezuelan people, Guaido said.

Guaido says troops have joined him to end Maduro presidency WATCH



Guaido, the leader of Venezuelas opposition-controlled National Assembly, in January invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduros re-election in 2018 was illegitimate. He has been traveling outside the capital, Caracas, more and more in recent weeks to try to put pressure on Maduro to step down.

Protests are planned for Wednesday, May 1, including what Guaido has said will be the largest march in Venezuelas history, part of what he calls the definitive phase of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections. Around 50 countries including the United States have recognized Guaido as Venezuelas interim president.

Maduro calls Guaido a US-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. The government has arrested his top aide, stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and opened multiple probes. It has also barred him from leaving the country, a ban Guaido openly violated earlier this year.

Last week, Guaido said his congressional ally - opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro - had been detained, and that 11 members of his team had been summoned to appear before the Sebin intelligence agency.
Russia: We wont allow Idlib to be a safe zone for terrorists

Presidential envoy for Syria says Russia opposes any large-scale military offensive in the region.

Russia will not allow the de-escalation zone in Syrias Idlib to be a safe zone for terrorists, presidential envoy for Syria said on Monday.

"THE PROBLEM WILL HAVE TO BE SOLVED SOONER OR LATER"

No one is interested in it. The fight against terrorists will no doubt continue, but this will require additional time. We still work on it, and want to stabilize the situation, Alexandre Lavrentyev told Russias state-run news agency TASS in an interview. At this stage, Russia also opposes any large-scale military operation in the region, Lavrentyev said, citing numerous civilians who can be used as human shields by the militants. "We will think (about how to solve the problem). It may be necessary to use the capabilities of our aerospace forces or international forces. The problem will have to be solved sooner or later," he said.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-militarized zone after a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia's coastal city of Sochi. Ankara and Moscow signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the stabilization of the situation in Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are prohibited.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.

On the invitation of Iraq and Lebanon to join the Astana format as observers, Lavrentyev said they were invited to the next round of talks since being neighbors of Syria. There were many applications, but so far "they do not fit" to the format "for some reasons", he added.

According to the diplomat, it is possible to organize meetings in the Kazakh capital Nur Sultan in quadrilateral format with the participation of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, which along with the UN, has the observer status from the very beginning of the Astana format, to solve the existing problems.

Lavrentyev went on saying that despite of "softer rhetoric" from Riyadh, London, Paris and Washington, the position of these countries regarding the fate of Assad has not changed, and they still stand for his resignation. The Astana format does not have consultations with the Western countries following its meetings, but brief in the bilateral contacts, and they inform the Astana countries of the decisions within a "small group". Both Astana format and small group are blending the efforts on the Syrian settlement, he said.
US Deputy Attorney resigns over Mueller probe

Rod Rosenstein submitted his resignation letter to Trump, ending a tumultuous two -years in which he tried to steady a rocky Justice Department and its relationship with the White House.

US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein submitted his resignation letter to Donald Trump on Monday, capping a nearly two-year term marked largely by his handling of tense relations between the department and the White House.

"THE RULE OF LAW IS THE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA"

The resignation is effective May 11, Rosenstein said in his letter. That gives the Senate a little less than two weeks to confirm Jeffrey Rosen, the Transportation Department's No. 2 official whom Trump has nominated to replace Rosenstein.

"I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education and prosperity," Rosenstein wrote to Trump. "The rule of law is the foundation of America. It secures our freedom, allows our citizens to flourish, and enables our nation to serve as a model of liberty and justice for all," he added.

It was Rosenstein's decision to appoint Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose two-year investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and allegations of collusion between Trumps campaign team and Moscow provoked the president's rancor.

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions had recused himself from matters pertaining to Russia, setting the stage for Rosenstein to make the appointment in May 2017, a fact that Trump repeatedly fumed about in private and in public.

Rosenstein was expected to resign in March but stayed on to assist Attorney General William Barr, who took office in February, ahead of the public release of Mueller's findings.

Barr said in a statement that Rosenstein's "devotion to the Department and its professionals is unparalleled". "Rod has been an invaluable partner to me during my return to the Department, and I have relied heavily on his leadership and judgment over the past several months."

Rosenstein previously served in the Justice Department as a prosecutor, deputy assistant attorney general and US attorney in a career that spanned three decades.
US representative James Jeffrey visit to Turkey and Switzerland

According to the statement by the State Department, talks will include addressing Turkeys legitimate security concerns and security in northern Syria.

Two US representatives will travel to Turkey and Switzerland to discuss Syria, the State Department said Monday.

"THE SOLUTION FOR CEASEFIRE AND COUNTRY POLITICS"

James Jeffrey, who also serves as the US special envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, and Washington's special envoy Joel Rayburn will make the April 30-May 2 trip to Ankara, where Jeffrey will lead a delegation to discuss the situation with Turkish officials.

The State Department said talks will include "addressing Turkeys legitimate security concerns, promoting stability and security in northern Syria as the US military draws down its presence," as well as the defeat of Daesh and implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2254, which demands a cease-fire and political solution for the country.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.

As the US continues its preparations to drawdown its presence in Syria, Turkey has aired concerns about Washingtons support for YPG/PKK terrorists in northeastern Syria.

Jeffrey has spoken on this concern, saying earlier this month that the US will continue working on an established safe zone along the Turkish-Syrian border, in which YPG/PKK forces would withdraw to ensure it remains free of any threat to Turkey. After visiting Turkey, the US officials will travel to Geneva where they will meet with other Syria envoys from Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.

In Geneva, Jeffrey and Rayburn will "discuss the latest developments in the ongoing Syrian conflict, with particular emphasis on rising violence in northwest Syria, the need for unhindered humanitarian assistance throughout the country, and further support for UN efforts to foster a Geneva-based political process," the State Department said.
Abstract:

This Editorial, written by a former United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator under President Barack Obama, is adapted from the author's keynote address on June 25, 2018 at the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists in Gothenburg, Sweden. It reviews the important history of environmental economics and how it has influenced rulemaking at the EPA. It discusses how attacks on science are being used to weaken environmental regulations and how these attacks extend to the science of environmental economics. It concludes with a call to action that reminds environmental economists that continuing to do good science is as important as ever.
Maria Harrison, William H. Crocker Professor at Boyce Thompson Institute and Adjunct Professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Maria Harrison, William H. Crocker Professor at Boyce Thompson Institute and Adjunct Professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) at Cornell University, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Harrison is one of 100 new members announced on April 30. The organization recognizes her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research in plant science.

At BTI, researchers in Harrison's lab study the mechanisms by which flowering plants exchange nutrients with symbiotic soil fungi, which could eventually help reduce the use of fertilizer in agriculture.

"Being elected to the National Academy of Sciences is one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive," said BTI President David Stern. "Having personally witnessed the emerging story of mycorrhizal symbiosis over the years, including its many surprises, I can easily understand why the Academy would choose to honor Maria. Her generous service to BTI and the larger research community no doubt also contributed to her recognition."

Because much of the phosphorus in soil is poorly soluble and therefore unavailable to plants, farmers need to supply this nutrient via fertilizer, which is costly to both the farmer and the environment. Harrison's lab studies the symbiotic association of plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, in which the plant trades carbon for phosphorus from the fungi. Understanding the mechanisms of this exchange could help plant breeders generate strains of crops optimized to obtain phosphorus via the fungi, which could ultimately reduce phosphorus fertilizer usage.

"It is a tremendous honor to be elected to the National Academy, and I give much of the credit to the Harrison lab postdocs, students and research assistants, past and present, who have contributed to our research on arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis," said Harrison. "Many thanks to everyone at BTI for their daily support and for making BTI an exciting place to work, and to colleagues within the Institute, Cornell SIPS and more broadly on the Cornell campus who together generate a vibrant research community that enables discovery."

Harrison earned her doctorate in biochemistry and applied molecular biology from the University of Manchester in 1987. She then joined the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation as a postdoctoral researcher and later as a staff scientist, and was also an Adjunct Professor at Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M University prior to joining BTI in 2003.

Her successful scientific program and widely cited research publications earned her the honor of being included by Thomson Reuters in its list of 2016's most highly cited researchers. Harrison is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2012) and the American Academy for Microbiology (2013). She also received the Dennis R. Hoagland Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists from 2015-2018, and the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring award in 2015.

The NAS is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Currently, it has 2,347 active members and 487 foreign associates. The NAS recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and--with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine--provides science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.

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About Boyce Thompson Institute

Boyce Thompson Institute is a premier life sciences research institution located in Ithaca, New York on the Cornell University campus. BTI scientists conduct investigations into fundamental plant and life sciences research with the goals of increasing food security, improving environmental sustainability in agriculture and making basic discoveries that will enhance human health.

BTI employs 150 staff, with scientists from 40 countries around the world and has twice been named as one of the Best Companies in New York State. Its 15 principal investigators are leading minds in plant development, chemical ecology, microbiology and plant pathology, and have access to the institute's state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities with computerized controls and a system of integrated pest management. BTI has one of the largest concentrations of plant bioinformaticians in the U.S., with researchers who work across the entire spectrum of "omics" fields. BTI researchers consistently receive funding from NSF, NIH, USDA and DOE and publish in top tier journals. Throughout its work, BTI is committed to inspiring and educating students and to providing advanced training for the next generation of scientists. For more information, please visit https://btiscience.org/.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Quebec's criticism of Justin Trudeau's French serves to position him as an "outsider" to Quebecois identity, according to a professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

Yulia Bosworth, assistant professor of French linguistics at Binghamton, studied Quebec's "obsession" with Justin Trudeau's French, which pundits and scholars perceive as terrible and construe as a major failure on his part, both personal and professional. She determined that Quebec's criticism reflects its view of Canada's current prime minister as an outsider and its denial of him as a francophone, or someone who speaks French. Bosworth determined that Quebec's language attitudes and ideologies are dominated by linguistic purism and French monolingualism.

"This collective stance denying Justin Trudeau the status of a francophone speaks to the larger issue of what it takes to "belong" in today's Quebec," said Bosworth. "It is not at all surprising that being a francophone serves as the basis for membership in Quebec's collective identity. What is controversial is the way that Quebec appears to construe what it means to be a francophone, which seems to be strongly biased in favor of monolingual French speakers of French-Canadian ancestry. This conceptualization of identity is likely to find itself at odds with Quebec's current and projected demographic situation, including the trend of increasing bilingualism, and its commitment to a pluralistic society that prizes diversity, by othering those who do not conform to this identity, which potentially describes a fairly large segment of Quebec's population, in particular, in urban settings."

Bosworth added that language is frequently used to discriminate against others.

"Language can be and often is used as a proxy for fostering negative judgments or making negative comments about an individual or a group," she said. "It is not okay to do so based on gender, race, sexual identity, etc., but criticizing the way someone speaks is not perceived in the same way. This is not a new idea, but it is crucial to our understanding of what I demonstrate to be Quebec's near-obsession with Trudeau's 'bad' French. Namely, language is used here as a way to criticize Trudeau as a politician and as an individual, with an underlying objective to position him as an outsider in Quebec, despite the fact that Trudeau himself strongly identifies with French and with Quebec, as evidenced in his personal interviews and his recent autobiography."

Bosworth investigated Quebec's fixation with the "bad" French of Trudeau and what it means in the larger context of identity, linguistic insecurity and Canadian bilingualism. Quebec's "obsession" with Trudeau's linguistic transgressions is demonstrated in an analysis of the harsh commentary generated in Quebec's mainstream press during the 2015 Canadian Federal Election. The intensely negative judgment, fostered and propagated by Quebec's educated elites, is shown to be rooted in the interplay of language ideologies and a complex sociolinguistic history of Quebec, which features the linguistic legacy of Trudeau's famous father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Bosworth said that Quebec's negative view of his father's politics influences the way they perceive Trudeau.

"In fact, it is not that the language makes them view him as an outsider, but that they use his French as a means to portray him as such," she said, "For better or worse, in Quebec, Justin Trudeau is inextricably linked to the legacy of his father, Pierre-Elliot Trudeau, whose tenure left a bitter taste in the mouths of Quebecers, to say the least. Curiously, his Quebec-born father was criticized for not speaking like a Quebecer, because he made a choice to align his French with the so-called International French spoken by educated Parisian elites. Justin Trudeau's French, on the other hand, is very much Quebec French, but he does not get credit for the aspects of it that are viewed positively by Quebecers at large and is acrimoniously criticized for those that are viewed negatively, although widely present in the speech of many, if not most, Quebecers."

Bosworth analyzed the roots of this fixation and extreme negativity, explaining and "debunking" this collective behavior. She suggested that the criticism is partly conditioned by Quebec's long-standing adherence to linguistic purism, which stems from its historical struggle against widespread negative perceptions of Quebec French.

"The negative judgments are also conditioned by the long-standing tradition of linguistic purism and normativism, which tells speakers that there is only one "correct" way to use the French language, that aligned with the usage of educated Parisian elites," she said. "Any deviation from this usage constitutes a violation, a deviation, incorrect usage. I show that when Trudeau is being accused of speaking French badly, it is either due to the use of anglicisms, or to the use of language - words, expressions, sentence structure and pronunciation - that characterize everyday use of an average Quebecer in a familiar setting."

Although Quebec's criticism of Trudeau's French was the most severe in 2015, Bosworth said the topic is still relevant today.

"On a larger scale, this forces us to draw a parallel between Quebec's denial of the status of francophone to Justin Trudeau and that of other Quebec's bilinguals, representing other French-speaking minorities in Canada, as well as immigrants from other French-speaking regions, strongly favored by Quebec's immigration practices, where French is spoken differently and carries with it cultural connotations that differ from those internalized by Quebecers of French-Canadian ancestry," said Bosworth. "Very recently, a discussion of Justin Trudeau's 'bad' French has made its way back into the media, albeit on a much more limited basis, and what is interesting about it this time around is that we see testimonies from other young English-French bilinguals representing French-speaking communities in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, who state that they very much identify with Justin Trudeau's French and its negative perception by Quebecers, because it strays from what Quebec views as 'correct,' 'good,' authentic French."

Bosworth plans to continue studying language attitudes and perceptions in Quebec and their connection to how Quebecers collectively construe identity.

The article, "The 'Bad' French of Justin Trudeau: When Language, Ideology, and Politics Collide," was published in the American Review of Canadian Studies.

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A team of scientists led by LIU Wu and WU Xiujie from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported the first ever Middle Pleistocene human skull found in southeastern China, revealing the variation and continuity in early Asian humans. Their findings were published on April 30 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Excavations in Middle Pleistocene cave deposits in southeastern China yielded a largely complete skull that exhibits morphological similarities to other East Asian Middle and Late Pleistocene archaic human remains, but also foreshadows later modern human forms.

Fossil evidence for human evolution in East Asia during the Pleistocene is often fragmentary and scattered, which makes evaluating the pattern of archaic human evolution and modern human emergence in the region complicated.

WU Xiujie and his colleagues reported the recent discovery of most of a skull and associated remains dating to around 300,000 years ago in Hualong Cave (Hualongdong). The features of the Hualongdong fossils complement those of other East Asian remains in indicating a continuity of form through the Middle Pleistocene and into the Late Pleistocene.

In particular, the skull features a low and wide braincase with a projecting brow but a less prominent midface, as well as an incipient chin. The teeth are simple in form, contrasting with other archaic East Asian fossils, and its third molar is either reduced in size or absent.

According to the authors, the remains not only add to the expected variation of these Middle Pleistocene humans, recombining features present in other individuals from the same time period, but also foreshadow developments in modern humans, providing evidence for regional continuity.

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SAN FRANCISCO (April 30, 2019) - Scientists are analyzing a rare snapshot in time of urban plants and animals. To better understand whether rapidly growing cities are hosting the same species, a concept known as urban homogenization, a team from the California Academy of Sciences analyzed an immense volume of data gathered by citizen scientists during the four-day global City Nature Challenge. The 14 U.S. cities included in the study amassed more than 65,000 wildlife observations identified to species level through the mobile app iNaturalist. Study findings suggest that despite similarities across cities, urban biodiversity still strongly reflects the species that are native to a region. However, observations of shared "cosmopolitan" species like pigeons, white-tailed deer, and dandelions were more numerous than locally occurring species. The study, published today in the journal PeerJ: Life & Environment, highlights the value of citizen science data in addressing complex questions about rapid changes in urban ecology.

"We found that the best predictor for the composition of a city's plant and animal community is the surrounding region," says Dr. Misha Leong, lead author and postdoctoral researcher. "This is reassuring in many ways because it tells us that urban biodiversity is not converging at the pace some predicted."

Previously, multi-city studies examining urban homogenization were limited to simple species lists, but data gathered from the 2016 - 2018 City Nature Challenges allowed researchers to compare relative species abundance as well. Over 5000 species were documented in the 14 U.S. cities involved in the study. Of those documented, only 100 species occurred in half of the participating cities. Even though the proportion of cosmopolitan species to native species is small, cosmopolitan species are more abundant--leaving researchers to investigate why.

"We're seeing a greater abundance of common city species like crows and white-tailed deer versus native species in part because they probably actually are more abundant in cities, but also we have to consider the bias of the observer," says Dr. Michelle Trautwein, co-author and curator of entomology. "Widespread cosmopolitan species are more recognizable. Citizens may be more inclined to take pictures of familiar wildlife rather than cryptic, native species."

In addition to making comparisons between cities, the study also compared plants and animals within a city. The team analyzed each city across five levels of urban intensification ranging from natural areas to dense city centers. They found that community composition for any given land use type is most strongly predicted by its regional flora and fauna.

"It's encouraging that in some cases, the species we expect to see in a region's natural landscapes are still making a living in densely urban areas as well," says Trautwein. "However, when comparing across land use types, we did see that dense city centers are the least regionally specific--likely because they host more species that thrive in cities all over the country."

The rapid growth of human populations across the globe has facilitated the spread of certain species, like rats and fruit flies, that thrive off human-created habitats. As a result, dense city centers host a greater abundance of human-adapted plants and animals. Species that are closely associated with humans tend to be generalists as opposed to specialists. According to the study team, their success is something that warrants further investigation through more collection of citizen science data.

"Up until this point, a major limitation for analyzing urban biodiversity was collecting enough data from different cities in the same experiment," says Leong. "With the City Nature Challenge we can ask new questions and analyze data that have been captured as a snapshot in time. We also have the rare opportunity of gathering data from both public and private property."

The City Nature Challenge is an annual event organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. The 2019 Challenge runs April 26 - May 5 and involves over 150 cities around the globe. Observations are now being identified with results announced on May 6. Participants can contribute observations any time of the year --advancing scientific studies like this one--by downloading the free mobile app iNaturalist and documenting nature in their neighborhood.

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About Research at the California Academy of Sciences

The Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences is at the forefront of efforts to understand two of the most important topics of our time: the nature and sustainability of life on Earth. Based in San Francisco, the Institute is home to more than 100 world-class scientists, state-of-the-art facilities, and nearly 46 million scientific specimens from around the world. The Institute also leverages the expertise and efforts of more than 100 international Associates and 450 distinguished Fellows. Through expeditions around the globe, investigations in the lab, and analyses of vast biological datasets, the Institutes scientists work to understand the evolution and interconnectedness of organisms and ecosystems, the threats they face around the world, and the most effective strategies for sustaining them into the future. Through innovative partnerships and public engagement initiatives, they also guide critical sustainability and conservation decisions worldwide, inspire and mentor the next generation of scientists, and foster responsible stewardship of our planet.
ITHACA, N.Y. - Blockchains have been hailed as fair and open, constructed so a single user can't falsify or alter records because they're all part of a transparent network.

The reality is not so simple, according to new Cornell Tech research.

Like high-frequency traders on Wall Street, a growing army of bots exploit inefficiencies in decentralized exchanges, which are places where users buy, sell or trade cryptocurrency independent of a central authority, the study found. The researchers also found that high fees paid to prioritize certain transactions pose a security threat to the entire blockchain.

These practices allow predatory users to anticipate and profit from everyday trades, siphoning millions or possibly billions of dollars a year in cryptocurrency.

"In a traditional system you have a broker or someone you're trading through, and you trust them, or they're legally required to do the right thing," said Philip Daian, Cornell Tech doctoral student in computer science and first author of "Flash Boys 2.0: Frontrunning, Transaction Reordering and Consensus Instability in Decentralized Exchanges," which was presented at the Cornell Blockchain Conference April 13 at Cornell Tech.

"In these systems, the broker is replaced by the blockchain, which seems like a trusted third party, but in reality there are a lot of different moving parts in the blockchain that can be manipulated," he said. "So you have to be very careful about what the blockchain is actually giving you."

To conduct the study, an eight-person team led by Ari Juels, professor of computer science at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech and senior author of the paper, spent 18 months tracking trades on six decentralized exchanges. They then measured when they heard about the transactions, who reported them and at what time.

The information revealed how bots were exploiting time delays in the system to make trades far faster than human users could, allowing them to use tactics such as frontrunning - making deals based on advance information, which is illegal in many markets. The bots could also change the sequences of their own transactions to make them more profitable, or take advantage of human error.

Blockchains function like a constantly updated database distributed among a network of computers. Smart contracts use blockchain technology to automatically determine the flow of money among parties. Transactions on the blockchain are verified by "miners," users who solve a series of problems in exchange for payment.

The miners determine the order of transactions on the blockchain, and the researchers found that this authority can also lead to corruption. Miners may accept higher fees to prioritize certain trades, making the entire system vulnerable, or they may even rewrite blockchain history to steal funds already allocated by smart contracts, the study found.

"The miners have a tremendous amount of power," Daian said. "The blockchain doesn't get rid of the middleman. It just turns one middleman into 100 middlemen, who you hope are not all being bribed or working against you for their own reasons. In some systems that could be good, but it doesn't guarantee that your trades are going to be fair."

Though the researchers studied only decentralized exchanges, which comprise a small but growing share of cryptocurrency trading, they said it's likely these tactics are also used on centralized exchanges - potentially a billion-dollar issue.

That's the bad news. But the good news is that many of these practices could be halted by increased security and better design, Daian said.

"If you use a cheap bank vault to store your expensive pile of gold, it will be more attractive for someone to break into it," he said. "A lot of users are trading on these exchanges and having experiences that are not as good as they could be if the exchanges were designed better."

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Also contributing to the paper: Steven Goldfeder, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell Tech; Tyler Kell, a research engineer at the Initiative for Cryptocurrencies and Contracts (IC3); Iddo Bentov, a research scientist at Cornell Tech; and researchers from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Carnegie Mellon University; and ETH Zurich.

The research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation and IC3.
Researchers have shown that when fruit flies co-evolve with viruses, different genetic changes occur to those caused by encountering a virus for the first time, altering the insects' susceptibility to future infection.

The findings, published in eLife, help to address a fundamental question in infectious disease biology: why are some individuals genetically resistant to infection, while others are genetically susceptible? Answering this question has potential implications for reducing disease, for example where genetic variation plays a role in a mosquito's ability to transmit malaria.

"Whether you look at humans or bacteria, you find some individuals are resistant to pathogen infection but others are susceptible," explains Frank Jiggins, Group Leader at the University of Cambridge, UK, and an author of the study. "These differences are frequently thought to result from co-evolution between pathogens and their hosts, and we wanted to formally test this idea using flies and viruses."

The team used four species of fruit fly to compare genetic variation caused by naturally occurring (endemic) insect viruses, called sigma viruses, with variation caused by non-endemic viruses from other insect species. Within all four species of fruit fly, there was a significantly greater variation in susceptibility to the endemic sigma viruses than to viruses from other species. For example, there was a 1,294-fold increase in viral load (the number of viral particles) in one of the species of fruit fly for the non-endemic viruses, compared with the endemic virus. This suggested the flies were more susceptible to non-endemic virus infection.

The team next investigated whether the genetic basis of resistance to the viruses was different for the endemic (co-evolved) and non-endemic viruses. They searched for known genetic variants in the fruit-fly genomes and looked at their effects on viral load. Their effect was greater on the endemic virus than on the viruses from other species, meaning that genetic variants which provide resistance to endemic sigma viruses do not protect against other virus species.

These initial experiments sampled flies with diverse genetic make-up from a single location. To further investigate how virus co-evolution shapes fly genetics, the team mapped known resistance genes in a collection of genetically similar fruit flies from around the world. The results confirmed their earlier findings - that there was considerably more genetic variation in susceptibility to the co-evolved virus than the non-endemic virus. The earlier result from a single fly population held true when sampling flies from across six continents.

"We have found greater genetic variation in susceptibility to viruses that naturally infect fruit flies compared to viruses that do not, suggesting that selection by these pathogens has acted to increase the amount of variation in susceptibility," concludes Ben Longdon, Sir Henry Dale Wellcome Trust and Royal Society Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, UK, and an author of the study. "Our results indicate that when a pathogen infects a novel host species, there may be far less genetic variation in susceptibility among individuals than is normally the case. This may leave populations vulnerable to epidemics of pathogens that have previously been circulated in other host species."

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Reference

The paper 'Host-pathogen coevolution increases genetic variation in susceptibility to infection' can be freely accessed online at https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.46440. Contents, including text, figures and data, are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license.

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About eLife

eLife is a non-profit organisation inspired by research funders and led by scientists. Our mission is to help scientists accelerate discovery by operating a platform for research communication that encourages and recognises the most responsible behaviours in science. We publish important research in all areas of the life and biomedical sciences, including Evolutionary Biology, which is selected and evaluated by working scientists and made freely available online without delay. eLife also invests in innovation through open-source tool development to accelerate research communication and discovery. Our work is guided by the communities we serve. eLife is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Society, the Wellcome Trust and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Learn more at https://elifesciences.org/about.

To read the latest Evolutionary Biology research published in eLife, visit https://elifesciences.org/subjects/evolutionary-biology.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- In collaboration with the University of Kentucky, the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, Rush University Medical Center, the University of Cambridge in the U.K., and other institutions, Mayo Clinic researchers helped to establish a name for a degenerative brain disease that afflicts the elderly and mimics features of Alzheimer's disease. This working group describes "limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy," or LATE, as an underrecognized risk for public health and calls for an urgent focus on research to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The report appears in the journal, Brain.

"LATE is a prevalent but underrecognized condition in the elderly," says Dennis Dickson, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neuropathologist. "We have been studying this protein for many years, but now we have a common goal to target, which is something we want to make clinicians aware of. LATE needs to be recognized and differentiated from Alzheimer's disease."

Researchers from Mayo Clinic were among the leaders of the working group, with the University of Kentucky leading the study. Dr. Dickson and colleagues identified the first pathological manifestation of LATE in 13 elderly patients with dementia and brain changes in 1994. Other groups have built and expanded on his and others' early work.

"Given that persons of advanced age (past 80 years) are at greatest risk for LATE and constitute a rapidly growing demographic group in many countries, LATE has an expanding but underrecognized impact on public health," the report says.

The report is a call to action, says Melissa Murray, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic molecular neuroscientist. "This consensus paper is an accumulation of research from multiple groups that have spent the past decade working on this. We've come together to declare that LATE is its own disease entity -- a disease in and of itself."

Clifford Jack Jr., M.D., a Mayo Clinic neuroradiologist, and Rosa Rademakers, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic neurogeneticist, also are co-authors of the report.

Among the goals of the working group was to agree to a name and common nomenclature for the disease. Age-related TDP-43 proteinopathy has been known to clinicians for about a decade, but a common terminology was lacking. Identifying the disease is an important step in catalyzing future research, the report says.

The working group recommends that TDP-43 testing be performed as part of routine autopsy evaluation in all older patients. Also, more investigation is needed to test for memory and nonmemory symptoms that distinguish LATE from other degenerative disorders. No diagnostic tests are available to identify patients with LATE, though an exciting area of research will be the development of biomarkers for brain imaging, with the goal of revealing the disease early in the patient's progression, Dr. Murray says.

Research on neurological diseases such as LATE has been made possible by resources in the Brain Bank at Mayo Clinic's Florida campus. This Brain Bank, which contains more than 6,000 specimens, is one of the largest repositories of brain tissue specimens in the world.

The LATE research, says Dr. Murray, is an "example of how crucial organ donation programs are to advancing scientific knowledge."

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Funding included grants from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health. Full funding and conflict of interest information can be found in the publication.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, providing expert, comprehensive care to everyone who needs healing. Learn more about Mayo Clinic. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network.
Charles R. Broderick, an alumnus of MIT and Harvard University, has made gifts to both alma maters to support fundamental research into the effects of cannabis on the brain and behavior.

The gifts, totaling $9 million, represent the largest donation to date to support independent research on the science of cannabinoids. The donation will allow experts in the fields of neuroscience and biomedicine at MIT and Harvard Medical School to conduct research that may ultimately help unravel the biology of cannabinoids, illuminate their effects on the human brain, catalyze treatments, and inform evidence-based clinical guidelines, societal policies, and regulation of cannabis.

Lagging behind legislation

With the increasing use of cannabis both for medicinal and recreational purposes, there is a growing concern about critical gaps in knowledge. In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued a report calling upon philanthropic organizations, private companies, public agencies and others to develop a "comprehensive evidence base" on the short- and long-term health effects -- both beneficial and harmful -- of cannabis use.

"Our desire is to fill the research void that currently exists in the science of cannabis," says Broderick, who was an early investor in Canada's medical marijuana market.

Broderick is the founder of Uji Capital LLC, a family office focused on quantitative opportunities in global equity capital markets. Identifying the growth of the Canadian legal cannabis market as a strategic investment opportunity, Broderick took equity positions in Tweed Marijuana Inc. and Aphria Inc., which have since grown into two of North America's most successful cannabis companies. Subsequently, Broderick made a private investment in and served as a board member for Tokyo Smoke, a cannabis brand portfolio, which merged in 2017 to create Hiku Brands, where he served as chairman. Hiku Brands was acquired by Canopy Growth Corp. in 2018.

Through the Broderick gifts to Harvard Medical School and MIT's School of Science through the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, the Broderick funds will support independent studies of the neurobiology of cannabis; its effects on brain development, various organ systems and overall health, including treatment and therapeutic contexts; and cognitive, behavioral and social ramifications.

"I want to destigmatize the conversation around cannabis -- and, in part, that means providing facts to the medical community, as well as the general public," says Broderick, who argues that independent research needs to form the basis for policy discussions, regardless of whether it is good for business. "Then we're all working from the same information. We need to replace rhetoric with research."

MIT: Focused on brain health and function

The gift to MIT from Broderick will provide $4.5 million over three years to support independent research for four scientists at the McGovern and Picower institutes.

Two of these researchers -- John Gabrieli, the Grover Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences, and a member of MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research; and Myriam Heiman, the Latham Family Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the Picower Institute -- will separately explore the relationship between cannabis and schizophrenia.

Gabrieli, who directs the Martinos Imaging Center at MIT, will monitor any potential therapeutic value of cannabis for adults with schizophrenia using fMRI scans and behavioral studies.

"The ultimate goal is to improve brain health and wellbeing," says Gabrieli. "And we have to make informed decisions on the way to this goal, wherever the science leads us. We need more data."

Heiman, who is a molecular neuroscientist, will study how chronic exposure to phytocannabinoid molecules THC and CBD may alter the developmental molecular trajectories of cell types implicated in schizophrenia.

"Our lab's research may provide insight into why several emerging lines of evidence suggest that adolescent cannabis use can be associated with adverse outcomes not seen in adults," says Heiman.

In addition to these studies, Gabrieli also hopes to investigate whether cannabis can have therapeutic value for autism spectrum disorders, and Heiman plans to look at whether cannabis can have therapeutic value for Huntington's disease.

MIT Institute Professor Ann Graybiel has proposed to study the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor, which mediates many of the effects of cannabinoids. Her team recently found that CB1 receptors are tightly linked to dopamine -- a neurotransmitter that affects both mood and motivation. Graybiel, who is also a member of the McGovern Institute, will examine how CB1 receptors in the striatum, a deep brain structure implicated in learning and habit formation, may influence dopamine release in the brain. These findings will be important for understanding the effects of cannabis on casual users, as well as its relationship to addictive states and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Earl Miller, Picower Professor of Neuroscience at the Picower Institute, will study effects of cannabinoids on both attention and working memory. His lab has recently formulated a model of working memory and unlocked how anesthetics reduce consciousness, showing in both cases a key role in the brain's frontal cortex for brain rhythms, or the synchronous firing of neurons. He will observe how these rhythms may be affected by cannabis use -- findings that may be able to shed light on tasks like driving where maintenance of attention is especially crucial.

Harvard Medical School: Mobilizing basic scientists and clinicians to solve an acute biomedical challenge

The Broderick gift provides $4.5 million to establish the Charles R. Broderick Phytocannabinoid Research Initiative at Harvard Medical School, funding basic, translational and clinical research across the HMS community to generate fundamental insights about the effects of cannabinoids on brain function, various organ systems, and overall health.

The research initiative will span basic science and clinical disciplines, ranging from neurobiology and immunology to psychiatry and neurology, taking advantage of the combined expertise of some 30 basic scientists and clinicians across the school and its affiliated hospitals.

The epicenter of these research efforts will be the Department of Neurobiology under the leadership of Bruce Bean and Wade Regehr.

"I am excited by Bob's commitment to cannabinoid science," says Regehr, professor of neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School. "The research efforts enabled by Bob's vision set the stage for unraveling some of the most confounding mysteries of cannabinoids and their effects on the brain and various organ systems."

Bean, Regehr, and fellow neurobiologists Rachel Wilson and Bernardo Sabatini, for example, focus on understanding the basic biology of the cannabinoid system, which includes hundreds of plant and synthetic compounds as well as naturally occurring cannabinoids made in the brain.

Cannabinoid compounds activate a variety of brain receptors, and the downstream biological effects of this activation are astoundingly complex, varying by age and sex, and complicated by a person's physiologic condition and overall health. This complexity and high degree of variability in individual biology has hampered scientific understanding of the positive and negative effects of cannabis on the human body. Bean, Regehr, and colleagues have already made critical insights showing how cannabinoids influence cell-to-cell communication in the brain.

"Even though cannabis products are now widely available, and some used clinically, we still understand remarkably little about how they influence brain function and neuronal circuits in the brain," says Bean, the Robert Winthrop Professor of Neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. "This gift will allow us to conduct critical research into the neurobiology of cannabinoids, which may ultimately inform new approaches for the treatment of pain, epilepsy, sleep and mood disorders, and more."

To propel research findings from lab to clinic, basic scientists from HMS will partner with clinicians from Harvard-affiliated hospitals, bringing together clinicians and scientists from disciplines including cardiology, vascular medicine, neurology, and immunology in an effort to glean a deeper and more nuanced understanding of cannabinoids' effects on various organ systems and the body as a whole, rather than just on isolated organs.

For example, Bean and colleague Gary Yellen, who are studying the mechanisms of action of antiepileptic drugs, have become interested in the effects of cannabinoids on epilepsy, an interest they share with Elizabeth Thiele, director of the pediatric epilepsy program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Thiele is a pioneer in the use of cannabidiol for the treatment of drug-resistant forms of epilepsy.

Despite proven clinical efficacy and recent FDA approval for rare childhood epilepsies, researchers still do not know exactly how cannabidiol quiets the misfiring brain cells of patients with the seizure disorder. Understanding its mechanism of action could help in developing new agents for treating other forms of epilepsy and other neurologic disorders.

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RELATED LINKS

John Gabrieli https://mcgovern.mit.edu/tile/john-gabrieli/

Ann Graybiel https://mcgovern.mit.edu/profile/ann-graybiel/

Myriam Heiman https://picower.mit.edu/myriam-heiman

Earl Miller https://picower.mit.edu/earl-k-miller
Surprisingly complex movements in an important neurotransmitter receptor may help explain the brain's unpredictable response to drugs, according to a new study. New research from an international team, published this week in the journal Neuron, has revealed that the resting state of signaling proteins are much more dynamic than previously thought.

In the brain, most drug targets consist of signaling proteins that go awry in central nervous system diseases, for example with autism in childhood, schizophrenia in adolescence, or Alzheimer's disease in old age. The aim of drug treatment is to correct the inappropriate behavior of these proteins and restore normal brain function.

Correctly identifying drug targets is a major challenge for modern medicine. Although a lot of time, effort and money has been dedicated to the development of drugs for neurological disease over the years, the failure rate has been significant. "One of the main reasons for failure is due to the lack of drug efficacy and off-target effects," explains Dr. Derek Bowie, Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, and one of the paper's senior authors. "These outcomes, in particular, have put into question the validity of strategies used by pharmacologists to identify and target signaling proteins. An understated concern is that the basic tenets of drug targeting may be flawed."

An exciting but unexpected discovery

Through a collaborative effort consisting of scientists from McGill, the University of Cambridge, the University of Copenhagen and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, the researchers uncovered an important property of the ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) protein, which they believe will have important ramifications for biomedical research as well as for future drug development.

Though traditionally drug developers have targeted proteins in an active state, the researchers found that iGluRs in a resting state are highly mobile and dynamic, which profoundly affects how they respond to drugs. "Importantly, this behaviour is regulated by our genes which act as a master-switch to turn the effect of the drug on or to switch it off completely," says Prof. Bowie.

A major drug target for decades, despite their importance, few drugs targeting iGluRs have reached the clinic for the treatment of neurological disease. "Our recent findings introduce a new complexity into our understanding of iGluRs, which may explain previous disappointments while also shedding light on how to best move forward," adds Bowie.

A series of fortunate events

The discovery came about serendipitously, spawning from an unplanned discussion between Bowie and Dr. Jette Sandholm Kastrup in Copenhagen in 2013. "Our collaboration was initiated at a Benzon Symposium in Copenhagen when Dr. Bowie and I discussed the idea that AMPA receptors - the most common type of receptors found in the nervous system - might be modulated by anions," says Dr. Kastrup, Professor at the University of Copenhagen and one of the study's senior authors. "At that time we did not imagine that this collaboration would extend to combine efforts of four universities. Our work, using X-ray crystallography, allowed us to locate the anion binding site in the atomic structure of the AMPA receptor."

Dr. Kastrup thought that this new crystallized AMPA-type ionotropic glutamate receptor her lab had developed could help shed light on an observation Dr. Bowie had made in 2002. Upon his return to McGill, Dr. Bowie's lab used the crystallized structure to help identify that a single amino acid was responsible for determining whether different genetic isoforms of the same AMPA receptor could be either fully regulated or not regulated at all.

The next important breakthrough then came, again by chance, when Dr. Bowie visited Cambridge in 2015 and met with Dr. Mike Edwardson, who had been working with Dr. Nelson Barrera from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile to use atomic force microscopy to study protein movement in real time. Dr. Bowie shared some of the unpublished data and Dr. Edwardson agreed to run a few experiments. "To our surprise, we found that the key amino acid that conferred different properties on the same AMPA receptor was due to changes in the (nanoscale) mobility or movement of the protein's resting or apo state," explains Dr. Edwardson, the Sheild Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge and senior author on the paper.

The impact of the findings have broad appeal to many other signaling proteins inside and outside of the brain. Consequently, the study uncovers an important aspect of biology that may need to be considered when developing drugs in the future. "I cannot stress how unexpected this finding was to us since most of the field had overlooked that the resting protein can have complex dynamics," notes Dr. Bowie. "This oversight can also be extended to almost all biomedical research on signaling proteins where the underlying assumption has been that only the active form of the protein is worthwhile studying and not the resting or apo state. Our recent study shows that assumption needs to be revised, which opens up an entirely new area of study that could have impact on other areas of investigation such as in cancer, heart disease in addition to our findings on an important brain neurotransmitter receptor. "

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"Nanoscale mobility of the apo state and TARP stoichiometry dictate the gating behavior of alternatively-spliced AMPA receptors," by G. Brent Dawe, et al, was published online in the journal Neuron on April 30, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2019.03.046
Psychologists from the Medical University of South Carolina have just published one of the largest post-disaster screening projects in U.S. history. The report, available online through JAMA Network Open, measured the magnitude of Hurricane Maria's impact on the mental health of children in Puerto Rico.

Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo, an assistant professor at MUSC in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, grew up in Puerto Rico and led the study. "More than seven percent of youth, 6,900 of the children surveyed by the Puerto Rico Department of Education, reported clinically significant symptoms of PTSD," she said.

Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, affecting their ability to cope with everyday life. PTSD can cause nightmares, flashbacks, the feeling of being always on guard, trouble sleeping and an inability to remember parts of the traumatic event.

Other key findings of the survey, in which more than 96,000 third through 12th graders took part:

More than 80% saw houses damaged on an island roughly the size of Connecticut.

About 45% had damage to their own home.

Almost 58% had a friend or family member leave Puerto Rico.

About a third had to deal with a lack of food or water.

More than 15% still didn't have electricity several months after the September 2017 storm.

Orengo-Aguayo said the survey also found that more than 6,000 children reported a family member, friend or neighbor may have died as a result of the storm. "What students reported aligns with an article in the New England Journal of Medicine on mortality rates after Hurricane Maria." That article, by researchers at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, estimated there were about 4,600 deaths related to the storm. The government of Puerto Rico puts the death toll at about 3,000 people.

While more than 7% of the children surveyed had PTSD symptoms, that's actually lower than anticipated. Regan Stewart, an assistant professor in MUSC's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, is part of the research team. "I expected it to be higher, based on other studies that have been done in the mainland U.S. in which rates are somewhere between 13 and 30%."

Why would the PTSD rate be lower among the children surveyed in Puerto Rico than their mainland counterparts surveyed after other disasters? Stewart said one potential protective factor may be a concept called "familismo" in Spanish. "It's the importance of family and community. Puerto Ricans place a high value on these social connections. We know from the literature that social support may be a protective factor after a traumatic event."

The PTSD rate might also have to do with the timing of when the Puerto Rico Department of Education conducted the survey, she said. "Most surveys have been done at the six to 12-month mark, given all it takes to get this funded and done. In this case, the department administered the surveys at five to nine months, which is sooner. Many of the students were still dealing with losses of basic necessities-food, electricity. Their focus could still be on getting these basic needs met and mental health difficulties may have developed later at the six to 12-month mark, which was not captured in this survey."

Orengo-Aguayo, Stewart and another bilingual MUSC mental health expert, Michael de Arellano, have been part of the effort to help schoolchildren in the aftermath of Maria almost from the beginning.

Soon after the storm, a friend in Puerto Rico told Orengo-Aguayo that the education secretary was looking for people who could come up with a comprehensive plan to help teachers and students deal with Maria's aftermath. Schools were closed, utilities were out and loved ones were leaving.

Orengo-Aguayo and her colleagues at MUSC, along with a psychology intern from Puerto Rico, sprang into action. They realized they could use a grant they already had from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network to fund the work in Puerto Rico.

They've worked with the Puerto Rico Department of Education to train teachers in how to take care of their own mental health while also caring for the kids who weathered the storm.

Since their first visit in October of 2017, the MUSC psychologists have been back multiple times to continue their work. They emphasize the importance of asking what people need instead of telling Puerto Ricans what to do. They've also worked closely with Joy Lynn Suarez-Kindy, a clinical psychologist who lives there, to strategize and analyze what is needed.

Orengo-Aguayo said the survey shows a few things in addition to data. One, more funding is needed to pay for mental health services in Puerto Rico. Two, the island needs better ways to reach people in rural areas that don't have mental health providers around. Telehealth, which uses technology to connect patients with experts, is one possibility being explored. Three, all storm-prone areas should try to assess what mental health resources they have before a future disaster occurs, not after.

She also wants to make sure people on the mainland U.S. don't forget about their fellow citizens in Puerto Rico, including children. "Puerto Rican youth experienced significant disaster exposure and reported trauma symptoms that warrant evidence-based services. Academics partnering with community stakeholders is the way to go to change the world one child at a time. That is our lab's motto."

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Children with cerebral palsy will now be able to have a surgical procedure that can improve their ability to walk, after analysis by the NIHR Guy's and St Thomas' Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and King's College London showed it to be effective.

The procedure, known as selective dorsal rhizotomy, involves cutting some of the sensory nerves from the legs as they enter the spinal cord in order to relieve stiffness, improve mobility and reduce children's pain levels. The operation is irreversible, and it had not previously been fully established whether it helped to improve children's quality of life, or what the longer term effects were.

Because of the lack of evidence of the benefits of the procedure, NHS England established an innovative study that assessed eligible children with cerebral palsy before and after the operation. Researchers at King's College London were commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to find out whether selective dorsal rhizotomy did improve outcomes for these children with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is the name for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination, caused by abnormal development or damage to the brain that occurs before, during or soon after birth. In the UK around 1,700 children every year are born with cerebral palsy. Treatments include medicines to relieve muscle stiffness, pain relief, and physiotherapy to aid walking.

Professor Janet Peacock, data analytics co-lead at the NIHR Guy's and St Thomas' BRC and Professor of Medical Statistics at King's College London, said: "We were commissioned to fill an evidence gap around selective dorsal rhizotomy for treating cerebral palsy - previous trials didn't look at children's quality of life and there was not enough evidence about how children fared in the longer term. Those were both important aspects to be considered. Our study provided convincing evidence that the procedure helped the children.

"NHS England have now decided that this procedure will be funded as a direct result of this innovative project. It's great to get this decision so that it will make a difference to patients."

Five centres were selected to perform selective dorsal rhizotomy, resulting in 137 children receiving the procedure. The team at the NIHR Guy's and St Thomas' BRC and King's Technology Evaluation Centre (KiTEC) then collected and analysed data on patients' progress for two years after their operations. Their results, published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, showed the procedure benefitted children by improving their movement, quality of life and levels of pain. They also found that there were no significant health risks to the children from the procedure.

This evidence was strong enough that NHS England has decided to fund the procedure for eligible children aged 3-9 years.

Dr Chris Verity, a consultant paediatric neurologist at Addenbrookes Hospital, chaired the steering committee set up by NHS England to plan and oversee the study. He said: "This procedure is for children with cerebral palsy who can walk, but are having problems because stiffness in their legs leads to pain and a lack of control over movement. Because it involves cutting nerves, the procedure is irreversible. It was key to gather robust evidence of improvement after the operation when deciding whether or not it should be routinely available for suitable children in England and Wales.

"This study shows objectively that the procedure does improve motor function, and doesn't have dangerous side effects. For some children with cerebral palsy and their families this could really improve quality of life and help children walk more easily and without the use of walking frames and other aids."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This is a revolutionary treatment which has the power to transform the lives of young children with cerebral palsy and give fresh hope to their families.

"Every parent dreams of seeing their children live long, healthy and happy lives and I'm absolutely delighted the NHS is funding this new procedure as part of our Long Term Plan."

Meindert Boysen, director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE, said: "NICE welcomes the results of this study, which was commissioned and funded by NHS England and managed by NICE as part of the Commissioning through Evaluation programme. The study supports the recommendation for selective dorsal rhizotomy as an option to improve walking ability in some children we made in our 2012 clinical guideline on the management of spasticity. This addition to the evidence base means that some children with cerebral palsy will now be able to access this treatment within the NHS in England."

John Stewart, director of specialised commissioning at NHS England, said: "Thanks to this study the NHS has been funding this innovative treatment for children. As well as being fantastic news for patients and their families it is also an example of the kind of innovations that the NHS will continue to deliver as part of the Long Term Plan."

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Contact: Anna Perman, Communications Manager, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' and King's College London tel: 07717 817 714 or e-mail: anna.perman@gstt.nhs.uk

'In the UK around 1,700 children every year are born with cerebral palsy' - source: http://www.cerebralpalsy.org.uk/ Note to editors: About the NIHR Guy's and St Thomas' Biomedical Research Centre

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London works to develop and deliver new medicines and diagnostics to patients, drive research and innovation into the NHS, and provide national systems leadership for maximum impact to patients.

With our research activity organised into nine themes, each holding an individual Athena Swan Silver award highlighting our commitment to equality and diversity, and supported by our interdisciplinary, world leading infrastructure, we are poised to deliver the next step change for the health and wealth of our nation. http://www.guysandstthomasbrc.nihr.ac.uk/

About the NIHR

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the nation's largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR:

 Funds, supports and delivers high quality research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care  Engages and involves patients, carers and the public in order to improve the reach, quality and impact of research  Attracts, trains and supports the best researchers to tackle the complex health and care challenges of the future  Invests in world-class infrastructure and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services  Partners with other public funders, charities and industry to maximise the value of research to patients and the economy

The NIHR was established in 2006 to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research, and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. In addition to its national role, the NIHR commissions applied health research to benefit the poorest people in low- and middle-income countries, using Official Development Assistance funding.

This work uses data provided by patients and collected by the NHS as part of their care and support and would not have been possible without access to this data. The NIHR recognises and values the role of patient data, securely accessed and stored, both in underpinning and leading to improvements in research and care. http://www.nihr.ac.uk/patientdata

About King's College London

King's College London is one of the top 10 UK universities in the world (QS World University Rankings, 2018/19) and among the oldest in England. King's has more than 31,000 students (including more than 12,800 postgraduates) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 8,500 staff.

King's has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), eighty-four per cent of research at King's was deemed 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' (3* and 4*).

Since our foundation, King's students and staff have dedicated themselves in the service of society. King's will continue to focus on world-leading education, research and service, and will have an increasingly proactive role to play in a more interconnected, complex world. Visit our website to find out more about Vision 2029, King's strategic vision for the next 12 years to 2029, which will be the 200th anniversary of the founding of the university.

World-changing ideas. Life-changing impact: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/headlines.aspx

About NICE

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for driving improvement and excellence in the health and social care system. NICE develops guidance, standards and information on high-quality health and social care. NICE also advises on ways to promote healthy living and prevent ill health.

NICE's aim is to help practitioners deliver the best possible care and give people the most effective treatments, which are based on the most up-to-date evidence and provide value for money, in order to reduce inequalities and variation.

NICE's products and resources are produced for the NHS, local authorities, care providers, charities, and anyone who has a responsibility for commissioning or providing healthcare, public health or social care services.

To find out more about what NICE does, visit its website: http://www.nice.org.uk and follow it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Scientists have long known that the support of friends and family plays a key role in protecting people's physical health.

But a new study suggests that the benefits don't go to people who may really need it - those with low self-esteem.

Results showed that perceived social support didn't help people with low self-esteem when it came to one measure of physical health: inflammation. But it did assist those with a more positive attitude about themselves.

"People with high self-esteem already have advantages compared to those with low self-esteem, and social support only helps them more," said David Lee, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at The Ohio State University.

"It's a case of the rich getting richer."

Lee conducted the study with Baldwin Way, professor of psychology at Ohio State. Their research appears online in the journal Health Psychology and will be published in a future print edition.

Previous research has shown that chronic inflammation is a potent driver of diseases, including cancer and heart disease. This research examined one marker of inflammation - a protein in the blood called C-Reactive Protein (CRP) - to determine how it was related to levels of self-esteem and perceived social support. Higher levels of CRP indicate higher levels of dangerous inflammation.

Data from the study came from the Survey of Midlife Development in the United States and included 1,054 healthy adults.

Participants rated how much support they felt from those closest to them, including family, friends and spouse. They also completed a 7-item questionnaire that measured their levels of self-esteem.

About two years after the survey, the same participants gave a blood sample in which they were measured for levels of CRP, the marker of inflammation.

Results showed that increased levels of perceived social support were linked to lower levels of CRP, an indicator of harmful inflammation - but only in people with higher self-esteem.

People with low self-esteem did not get the expected health boost from more perceived social support.

Way said that social support may not work in the same positive way for people with low self-esteem as it does in those with a healthy view of themselves.

"People with a negative self-view may actually feel more stress when people try to help them," Way said.

"They may feel they don't deserve the help or they worry that they're asking for too much from their friends and family. The result is that they may not get the benefits of social support."

These findings could contribute to developing more effective intervention strategies to reduce stress-related inflammation in those who have low self-esteem, the researchers said.

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Lee will be an assistant professor of communication at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York, beginning this fall.

Contact: David Lee; Lee.4152@osu.edu

Baldwin Way, Way.37@osu.edu

Written by Jeff Grabmeier, 614-292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu
CORVALLIS, Ore. - A pharmaceutical sciences researcher at Oregon State University has received a five-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a way for cystic fibrosis patients to get molecular treatment via an inhaler, a potential vast improvement over existing therapeutic methods.

The treatment would be designed to work on every cystic fibrosis patient, regardless of the specific genetic mutation behind his or her case.

Gaurav Sahay of the OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy will collaborate with Kelvin MacDonald of Oregon Health & Science University, a scientist and physician who specializes in working with cystic fibrosis patients.

Sahay and MacDonald's project is based around lipid nanoparticles carrying messenger RNA that can correct the underlying genetic defect that causes the disease: a mutation in the gene that encodes an ion transporter protein.

"We want to come up with a way to make the nanoparticles stable enough to pass through the mucus in the patients' lungs, but based on structural changes inside the nanoparticles, once in the cells they can release the RNA," Sahay said. "That's the novelty of the system."

Cystic fibrosis is a progressive genetic disorder that results in persistent lung infection and afflicts 30,000 people in the U.S., with about 1,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

More than three-quarters of patients are diagnosed by age 2, and despite steady advances in alleviating complications, the median life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients is still just 40 years.

One faulty gene - the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, or CFTR - causes the disease, which is characterized by lung dehydration and mucus buildup that blocks the airway.

To date more than 1,200 different disease-conferring mutations have been found, meaning there is a lot of variance from patient to patient in how the disease progresses.

Treatment to "rescue" the mutant protein produced by the bad gene is available to some patients, although almost one patient in five discontinues therapy because of the high cost and the side effects.

Also, about 30% of patients have a gene mutation with no protein rescue treatment option, and toxicity concerns limit protein rescue therapy to patients older than age 6.

The new treatment approach involves loading chemically modified CFTR messenger RNA into the lipid-based nanoparticles, creating molecular medicine that could simply be inhaled at home.

Rather than trying to mend the patients' existing mutant protein, the mRNA-loaded nanoparticle approach causes the cells to make the correct protein - allowing cells to properly regulate chloride and water transport, which is critical to healthy respiratory function.

The approach - adding back the gene that makes the protein - can function as a one-size-fits-all treatment and should vastly help in the area of patient compliance.

"If you have a kid you have to bring to the hospital six hours a week on three different days, that could become logistically difficult and you might not always be able to make it happen," Sahay said. "And the drugs often make them quite sick. We hope that repeated doses of nanoparticles would not make people sick, and would also let patients stay at home and likely increase compliance."

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A breast cancer test has been found that helps doctors make treatment decisions for some breast cancer patients, following research carried out at Queen Mary University of London and funded by Cancer Research UK.

The test was successful in predicting whether chemotherapy would be beneficial for patients with the most common type of breast cancer (oestrogen-receptor positive, HER2-negative), thereby helping to direct patients with a high-risk of metastasis to chemotherapy, while allowing lower-risk patients to opt out of the treatment and its potential side effects.

Approximately 85 per cent of breast cancer patients are now diagnosed as oestrogen receptor positive, which means that the cancer grows in response to the hormone oestrogen. Doctors treating the majority of these women increasingly use multigene tests to determine each patient's prognosis and risk of metastasis, and advise on the best suitable treatment.

The new study, published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment and carried out in the UK, Austria and Spain, has found that a multigene test called EndoPredict (Myriad Genetics) is able to predict whether chemotherapy will work for an individual patient.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London, the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Group and the Spanish Foundation Research Group in Breast Cancer performed a combined analysis of three large clinical trials, including a total of 3,746 women, who received treatments including hormone therapy and chemotherapy.

The study results showed that patients with a high EndoPredict test result - indicating a high risk of metastasis - who received chemotherapy in addition to hormonal therapy had statistically better 10-year outcomes than those who only received hormonal therapy.

The study was therefore able to show that EndoPredict is not only a prognostic test, but for the first time was able to demonstrate that EndoPredict also has predictive abilities with regards to chemotherapy.

Traditionally clinical features such as tumour size, grade and nodal involvement are used to determine prognosis and treatment. In cases where it is unclear from these clinical features whether a woman is at high enough risk to receive chemotherapy, the EndoPredict test can give additional prognostic and indirectly predictive value in terms of chemotherapy benefit.

Multiple guidelines, as well as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regulations, recommend multigene tests to be used by oncologists around the world to aid in their decision-making process about treatment for women with the most common type of breast cancer - oestrogen-receptor positive, HER2-negative.

With the added predictive benefit of EndoPredict demonstrated by this study, use of this test might become more commonly used to determine whether chemotherapy will effectively treat a patient, bringing enormous benefit to women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Lead author Dr Ivana Sestak of Queen Mary University of London commented: "Our new results give clinicians good quality data to inform specific treatment recommendations for women. Our data shows that using the EndoPredict test to assess the risk of metastasis can spare women unnecessary chemotherapy if the test results show that a woman is at low risk of recurrence by the test."

Professor Miguel Martin is the Chairman of GEICAM, the leading academic group in clinical epidemiological and translational breast cancer research in Spain. He commented: "The Spanish group GEICAM is very proud of having contributed to this analysis that can help clinicians select the best adjuvant therapy for their breast cancer patients. In the era of personalized medicine, avoiding chemotherapy when it is of little or no value is a need for the patients".

Dr Sestak added: "It is clinically important to determine which women with hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative breast cancer need chemotherapy in addition to standard 5-years of hormonal treatment. We have shown that EndoPredict has the ability to predict chemotherapy benefit, which will ultimately help clinicians in their decision-making process about adjuvant treatment."

Professor Daniel Rea, Cancer Research UK's breast cancer expert, said: "This important study is one of the few to provide not just information on the risk of a patient's breast cancer coming back, but also whether their cancer is likely to be sensitive to chemotherapy. The Endopredict test has the potential to help some women diagnosed with early hormone receptor positive, HER-2 negative breast cancer, avoid needless chemotherapy, and may reassure those where it's needed.

"This research highlights the progress being made in genetic testing and could be a valuable addition to the current tests available to doctors, helping them advise patients on the best treatment. Trials in the UK are ongoing to provide more evidence to help us make the best use of these tests."

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This study was funded by Cancer Research UK and Myriad Genetics.

For more information, please contact:

Joel Winston

Public Relations Manager (School of Medicine and Dentistry)

Queen Mary University of London

j.winston@qmul.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 7943 / +44 (0)7968 267 064

Notes to the editor

Research paper: 'Prediction of chemotherapy benefit by EndoPredict in patients with breast cancer who received adjuvant endocrine therapy plus chemotherapy or endocrine therapy alone'. Ivana Sestak, Miguel Martin, Peter Dubsky, Ralf Kronenwett, Federico Rojo, Jack Cuzick, Martin Filipits, Amparo Ruiz, William Gradishar, Hatem Soliman, Lee Schwartzberg, Richard Buus, Dominik Hlauschek, Alvaro Rodriguez-Lescure, Michael Gnant. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. DOI: 10.1007/s10549-019-05226-8

Available online after the embargo lifts here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-019-05226-8

About Queen Mary University of London

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

In 1785, Sir William Blizard established England's first medical school, The London Hospital Medical College, to improve the health of east London's inhabitants. Together with St Bartholomew's Medical College, founded by John Abernethy in 1843 to help those living in the City of London, these two historic institutions are the bedrock of Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Today, Barts and The London continues to uphold this commitment to pioneering medical education and research. Being firmly embedded within our east London community, and with an approach that is driven by the specific health needs of our diverse population, is what makes Barts and The London truly distinctive.

Our local community offer to us a window to the world, ensuring that our ground-breaking research in cancer, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, and population health not only dramatically improves the outcomes for patients in London, but also has a far-reaching global impact.

This is just one of the many ways in which Queen Mary is continuing to push the boundaries of teaching, research and clinical practice, and helping us to achieve the previously unthinkable.

About Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is the world's leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.

Cancer Research UK's pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.

Cancer Research UK receives no funding from the UK government for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on vital donations from the public.

Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.

Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK's ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years.

Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.

Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit http://www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Observers watching January's total eclipse of the Moon saw a rare event, a short-lived flash as a meteorite hit the lunar surface. Spanish astronomers now think the space rock collided with the Moon at 61,000 kilometres an hour, excavating a crater 10 to 15 metres across. Prof Jose Maria Madiedo of the University of Huelva, and Dr Jose L. Ortiz of the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, publish their results in a new paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Total lunar eclipses take place when the Moon moves completely into the shadow of the Earth. The Moon takes on a red colour - the result of scattered sunlight refracted through the Earth's atmosphere - but is much darker than normal. These spectacular events are regularly observed by astronomers and the wider public alike.

The most recent lunar eclipse took place on 21 January 2019, with observers in North and South America and Western Europe enjoying the best view. At 0441 GMT, just after the total phase of the eclipse began, a flash was seen on the lunar surface. Widespread reports from amateur astronomers indicated the flash - attributed to a meteorite impact - was bright enough to be seen with the naked eye.

Madiedo and Ortiz operate the Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System (MIDAS), using eight telescopes in south of Spain to monitor the lunar surface. Video footage from MIDAS recorded the moment of impact.

The impact flash lasted 0.28 seconds and is the first ever filmed during a lunar eclipse, despite a number of earlier attempts.

"Something inside of me told me that this time would be the time", said Madiedo, who was impressed when he observed the event, as it was brighter than most of the events regularly detected by the survey.

Unlike the Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere to protect it and so even small rocks can hit its surface. Since these impacts take place at huge speeds, the rocks are instantaneously vaporised at the impact site, producing an expanding plume of debris whose glow can be detected from our planet as short-duration flashes.

MIDAS telescopes observed the impact flash at multiple wavelengths (different colours of light), improving the analysis of the event. Madiedo and Ortiz conclude that the incoming rock had a mass of 45kg, measured 30 to 60 centimetres across, and hit the surface at 61,000 kilometres an hour. The impact site is close to the crater Lagrange H, near the west-south-west portion of the lunar limb.

The two scientists assess the impact energy as equivalent to 1.5 tonnes of TNT, enough to create a crater up to 15 metres across, or about the size of two double decker buses side by side. The debris ejected is estimated to have reached a peak temperature of 5400 degrees Celsius, roughly the same as the surface of the Sun.

Madiedo comments: "It would be impossible to reproduce these high-speed collisions in a lab on Earth. Observing flashes is a great way to test our ideas on exactly what happens when a meteorite collides with the Moon."

The team plan to continue monitoring meteorite impacts on the lunar surface, not least to understand the risk they present to astronauts, set to return to the Moon in the next decade.

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Media contact

Dr Robert Massey

Royal Astronomical Society

Tel: +44 (0)20 7292 3979

Mob: +44 (0)7802 877699

press@ras.ac.uk

Science contact

Prof Jose M. Madiedo

University of Huelva

Spain

Tel: +34-959219991

Mob: +34-606858001

madiedo@cica.es

Images and videos

https://ras.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-04/impact_flash.jpg

https://ras.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-04/impact%20flash%20with%20arrow_0.jpg

The flash from the impact of the meteorite on the eclipsed Moon, seen as the dot at top left (indicated by the arrow in the second image), as recorded by two of the telescopes operating in the framework of the MIDAS Survey from Sevilla (Spain) on 2019 January 21. Credit: J. M. Madiedo / MIDAS

YouTube video explaining the MIDAS observations. Credit: J. M. Madiedo / MIDAS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ir8nPSSLYQ&feature=youtu.be

Further information

The new work appears in "Multiwavelength observations of a bright impact flash during the January 2019 total lunar eclipse", J. M. Madiedo, J. L. Ortiz, N. Morales and P. Santos-Sanz, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Oxford University Press, in press. A copy of the paper is available from: https://ras.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-04/Madiedo%20et%20al.pdf

Notes for editors

The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS, http://www.ras.ac.uk), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organizes scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognizes outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.

The RAS accepts papers for its journals based on the principle of peer review, in which fellow experts on the editorial boards accept the paper as worth considering. The Society issues press releases based on a similar principle, but the organisations and scientists concerned have overall responsibility for their content.

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A 12-year retrospective clinical study of patients who received peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) for malignant neuroendocrine tumors demonstrates the long-term effectiveness of this treatment, which also allows patients to maintain a high quality of life. The study is featured in the April issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

While PRRT has been used for more than 20 years to treat patients with inoperable or metastatic somatostatin receptor-positive tumors, knowledge of long-term outcomes has been limited. A number of clinical studies have demonstrated PRRT's efficacy, and the overall response rate (including complete response, partial response, minor response, and stable disease) is about 70-80 percent for the two most commonly used radiopharmaceuticals: yttrium-90 (90Y)-DOTATOC (best suited for treating larger tumors) and lutetium-177 (177Lu)-DOTATATE (preferred for smaller tumors). For patients who respond to PRRT, the prognosis is generally favorable, with a median time to disease progression of three to four years.

This study included 44 patients (27 men and 17 women) with advanced tumors and enhanced somatostatin receptor expression. Mean age at initial diagnosis was 60 years (age range of 40 to 84). Median follow-up was 80 months. For 177Lu-PRRT, the mean number of cycles administered was 5.3  2.5; for 90Y-PRRT, the mean number of cycles administered was 5.5  2.6.

Median overall survival was 79 months, but 32 percent of the patients (14 of the 44 patients--6 men and 8 women) were still alive more than 12 years after starting PRRT. Progressive disease occurring early after therapy began resulted in a poor prognosis, while women and patients with no more than two tumor sites seemed to benefit the most from PRRT.

"This study clearly demonstrates the long-term efficacy of PRRT over more than a decade in patients with metastatic tumor disease of neuroendocrine origin," explain Michael Gabriel, MD, and Irene J. Virgolini, MD, of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria. They add that the research shows, "PRRT can be repeatedly used with limited side effects. From this perspective, a relatively stable tumor situation can be achieved over many years in a large number of patients. None of the patients who were still alive at the end of the observation period were dialysis-dependent, and most of the patients showed a still very high KPI (key performance indicator), which underlines the positive effect of PRRT in terms of the quality of life."

Gabriel and Virgolini also point out the value of molecular imaging in therapeutic decision-making and, looking ahead, recommend "new prospective studies combining the nuclear medicine therapy approach with other therapeutic modalities to further increase efficiency."

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Authors of "Twelve-Year Follow-up After Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy" include Michael Gabriel, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, and Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology, Kepler University Hospital, Linz, Austria; Bernhard Nilica and Irene J. Virgolini, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria; and Bernhard Kaiser, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology, Kepler University Hospital, Linz, Austria.

For more information or to schedule an interview with the researchers, please contact Rebecca Maxey at (703) 652-6772 or rmaxey@snmmi.org. Current and past issues of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine can be found online at http://jnm.snmjournals.org.

About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, vital elements of precision medicine that allow diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.

SNMMI's more than 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit http://www.snmmi.org.
SAN ANTONIO -- April 30, 2019 -- Southwest Research Institute is designing and supporting the building of a state-of-the-art remotely operated rescue vehicle as part of a $7.7 million project for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The system will feature a shallow and a deep water vehicle designed to connect with disabled submarines (DISSUB) to allow for the rescue of people trapped on board. They will be among a handful of remotely operated air-transportable submarine rescue systems in the world.

The first remotely operated submarine rescue vehicle was developed in the early 2000s, in the wake of the Kursk submarine accident, when a Russian nuclear submarine disabled by a sudden internal torpedo explosion sank in the Arctic Ocean. Difficulty locating the sub and inability to connect a rescue submersible to the escape hatch of the Kursk resulted in the death of more than 100 Russian sailors.

The project is in support of the SEA1354 Phase 1 Submarine Escape, Rescue and Abandonment System and a collaboration with Phoenix International in addition to multiple subcontractors in Australia.

Matt James, program manager in SwRI's Marine and Offshore Systems section, will lead a team of engineers to design the hull for the remotely operated rescue vehicle (RORV) for deep water rescue, which has a capacity of 12 evacuees plus two crewmembers. SwRI is designing and fabricating uniquely dexterous transfer skirts for both the deep water RORV and the shallow water vehicle. Submarines contain a small compartment known as an escape trunk, to escape a DISSUB. The transfer skirt is a rotating apparatus on the rescue vehicle that attaches to the hatch of the escape trunk.

"The deep water RORV will reach depths up to 600 meters," James said. "The shallow water rescue vehicle will operate up to 80 meters. The U.S. Navy submarine rescue vehicle has a transfer skirt that can rotate 45 degrees, but the RAN vehicles will rotate up to 60 degrees, giving them increased flexibility."

A main concern in deep water rescues is decompression sickness, a potentially debilitating illness that can arise from depressurizing too quickly. If a person transitions too quickly between pressurized states, dissolved gases can come out of solution, forming bubbles that move throughout the body, causing joint pain, paralysis and even death.

"The deep water RORV will be pressurized to match the pressure of the disabled submarine," James said. "This allows for a rescued person to transfer to a decompression chamber when they reach the surface and avoid the risk of decompression sickness."

The rescue system will be transportable via aircraft and will launch from ships, mobilizing within hours of an incident. While they will primarily serve Australia's navy, the system will also be capable of supporting other submarine operating nations by means of the NATO standard escape hatch.

For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/marine-structures-engineering.

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Together with the colleagues from the USA universities, they discovered a new path for the synthesis of helical molecules - helicenes.

The international team of scientists has discovered a new way of synthesis of helicenes helical molecules- a unique class of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are precursors of biomolecules.

In the course of theoretical and experimental work of the scientists of Samara University, the University of Hawaii, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Florida International University, new properties and mechanisms for the formation of helicenes were studied. The results of the work are presented in the article "Gas Phase Synthesis of [4] - Helicene" published in Nature Communications journal. The methods of synthesis of helicenes helical molecules, existing in the scientific world, are complex and laborious because they involve a large number of intermediate steps. In the process of synthesis, molecules have to overcome high activation energy barriers, and it requires significant energy costs.

"We have proposed a new approach to the synthesis of helicenes using gas-phase chemistry methods, - said one of the authors of the article, the scientific supervisor of megagrant "Development of Physically Grounded Combustion Models" at Samara University, Professor at Florida International University Alexander Mebel. - Within the study, Samara University scientists discovered the mechanism of the reaction of the aromatic radical - phenanthrenyl (C14H9) with the C4H4 vinyl acetylene molecule, leading to the formation of the simplest helicene (C18H12). And our colleagues from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory confirmed the proposed mechanism by conducting a complex laboratory experiment using synchrotron radiation and a highly sensitive mass spectrometer."

The results obtained in the course of the experiment will be in demand by the scientists who are investigating combustion reactions. The fact is that the compound [4] - helicene is formed during the combustion of hydrocarbons and is contained in the same exhaust of automobile engines. "On the Earth polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are harmful substances formed because of incomplete combustion of fuel, and are involved in the formation of soot that pollutes the environment, whereas in the interstellar space PAHs are precursors of biomolecules. Studying the structure and dynamics of the formation of twisted molecules of helicenes, we begin to better understand the mechanisms of formation of helical DNA molecules, which are an important part of the chemical evolution of the Universe. Therefore, the detailed understanding of the mechanisms for the formation of PAHs is important both for the development of environmentally friendly combustion technologies and for answering the question of the origin of life both in space and on the Earth", - concluded the Professor of Florida International University.

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For reference:

Helicenes are a class of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in which the benzene building blocks are connected one after the other into a spiral chain. The attention of the scientific community is drawn to the study of the properties and structure of helicenes for two reasons: they are "building blocks" in the formation of more complex PAHs, and they also have unique properties associated with the presence of helical symmetry in helicene molecules.

Megagrant "Development of Physically Grounded Combustion Models" has been implemented within the Russian Federation governmental support for scientific research. International scientific laboratory "Physics and Chemistry of Combustion" under the guidance of Professor of Florida International University Alexander Mebel was established to implement the megagrant in the University. The project is aimed at solving the burning problem -- prevention of environmental pollution. Within the megagrant, an experimental facility to study world-class combustion reactions is being created at Samara University.

The results of research conducted by the scientists of Samara University in close cooperation with both international and Russian research centres will contribute to the creation of more environmentally friendly and efficient combustion chambers for gas turbine engines.

The mechanism for the synthesis of PAHs proposed in the framework of this study by an international team of scientists is universal and can be used to explain the synthesis of higher order helicenes in various gas-phase hydrocarbon media. And the use of features of helicenes structure allows them to be used in various fields - organic and physical chemistry, materials science, nonlinear optics.

Nature Communications is a journal that publishes high-quality research from all areas of the Biological, Medical, Physical, Chemical, and Earth Sciences. According to the Scimago Journal Rank, the journal has the highest quartile Q1 in all scientific areas defined in the database: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy. According to the Journal Citation Reports, in 2017, the impact factor was 12.353. In terms of citation levels, the journal has quartile Q1 in the field of Multidisciplinary Sciences.

Samara National Research University, being a multidisciplinary scientific and educational centre with a pronounced aerospace core, conducts current research on the socio-humanitarian, natural-science, economic, legal areas of personnel training and science. The university participates in the implementation of important projects of a national scale. Among them there is the first launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, when Samara rocket sent a fundamentally new Earth remote sensing device, the "AIST-2D" satellite (created by the scientists and students of Samara University in partnership with the JSC SRC "Progress" specialists) into orbit. The university is one of 21 participants of the "Project 5-100" - the Russian initiative of academic excellence, aimed at improving the competitiveness of the country's leading universities at the world level. This is one of 29 higher educational institutions of Russia, having received the category of "National Research University". Samara University is a participant of the project aiming at creation of one of 15 world-class scientific and educational centres on the territory of the Samara Region.
PHILADELPHIA - Antibiotic resistance is a major health threat, with about two million people in the US getting an antibiotic-resistant infection per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Gram negative bacteria, including types like E.coli and Salmonella, are often more difficult to kill because of their two-pronged defenses - they have two membranes rather than one, and also have numerous toxin pumps embedded in the membranes to expel any antibiotic that may have made it through. Now Jefferson researchers have uncovered how to target both of these defenses with one hit, which could help make antibiotics more effective.

"We showed that interfering with a transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule, in a way that is unique to bacteria, cripples the bacterial cell's ability to make membrane proteins required for the drug barrier and efflux activity," says senior author Ya-Ming Hou, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University). The work was published in the journal Cell Systems.

tRNA molecules are not a typical antibiotic target. These molecules are part of the protein-building machinery that is essential for the daily function of cells in every living being. However, Dr. Hou's team examined a kind of chemical "decoration" process in bacterial tRNAs that is absent from human cells. This difference between bacteria and humans makes this process a better drug target, since it's less likely affect human cells.

tRNAs are decorated with chemical groups that are added on after tRNAs are synthesized in a cell. Dr. Hou's group examined one such decoration, the addition of a methyl group to one particular location on the spine of several tRNAs. In earlier work, Dr. Hou's lab showed that when these tRNAs were deficient in this one methylation, they were more likely to create errors in protein building. But not just any protein, the deficient tRNAs were particularly prone to mistakes at building proteins that sit within cell membrane.

This result made Dr. Hou think that perhaps a defect in the tRNA methylation might affect not only the bacteria's toxin-pump, but a host of other types of proteins that help keep the membrane stable and cohesive.

In this paper, together with first author postdoctoral fellow Isao Masuda and others, Dr. Hou tested whether these defective tRNAs could make bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics, by creating bacteria that are genetically deficient in making the methyl-group decoration.

Through an elegant series of experiments, Dr. Hou's team showed that these bacteria had membranes that were less cohesive and more permeable than normal. The bacteria with defective tRNAs were less effective at pumping out chemicals relative to the normal bacteria, suggesting that their toxin pumps were affected. Finally the team showed that when the bacteria with defective tRNAs were exposed to various antibiotics, they died faster and were also less capable of developing drug resistance.

"Speed of killing is important in antibiotics," says Dr. Hou. "The longer it takes for bacteria to die from antibiotics, the more likely they are to develop resistance."

While pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca and GSK have discovered compounds that can inhibit the enzyme from making the critical methylation on tRNAs, progress has stalled. The primary reason is that the inhibitors are unable to permeate through the bacterial membrane structure, which resonates with the major challenge confronting the entire field of antibiotic discovery.

Dr. Hou acknowledges the challenge. "First, we need to formulate the inhibitors in such a way as to be able to enter the cell more effectively," says Dr. Hou. "Then, combining these inhibitors with traditional antibiotics to kill bacteria faster and reduce the likelihood of antibiotic resistance."

At the moment, there are no drugs that can effectively attack this pathway. Dr. Hou's lab is currently working on developing better inhibitors.

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The study was funded by grants from the US National Institutes of Health (GM108972, GM114343 and GM080279) and the National Science Foundation (DMR-1120901 and MCB-1149328), the Allen Discovery Center at Stanford on Systems Modeling of Infection (to KCH), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR MOP-77688), a JSPS postdoctoral fellowship and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub.

Article Reference: Isao Masuda, Ryuma Matsubara, Thomas Christian, Enrique R. Rojas, Srujana S. Yadavalli, Lisheng Zhang, Mark Goulian, Leonard Foster, Kerwyn Casey Huang and Ya-Ming Hou, "tRNA Methylation Is a Global Determinant of Bacterial Multi-Drug Resistance," Cell Systems, DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2019.03.008, 2019.

Media Contact: Edyta Zielinska, 215-955-7359, edyta.zielinska@jefferson.edu
A first-of-its-kind study using family-based genetic analysis has confirmed a gene involved in male hormone production, DENND1A, plays a major role in the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The discovery will enable personalized medicine approaches to PCOS, including better disease prediction. The findings are available online in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

PCOS is among the most common endocrine conditions in reproductive-age women and is the leading cause of infertility and type 2 diabetes. The cause of PCOS is unknown, but there is a strong inherited susceptibility to the disorder. A number of common PCOS genetic variants that slightly increase disease risk have been mapped in previous genome-wide association studies, however the genes found to date account for only a small amount of PCOS disease risk.

"PCOS is a major cause of female infertility and is associated with other serious health problems," said one of the lead authors of the study, Andrea Dunaif, MD, Chief of the Hilda and J. Lester Gabrilove Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Our findings provide important new insights into the mechanisms by which genetic variation causes PCOS. The rare genetic variants we found may be much better for predicting the condition than the common variants. Further, targeting pathways regulated by this gene could lead to new therapies for the condition."

In the study, the researchers explored the genetic basis of PCOS by conducting whole-genome sequencing on DNA from the members of 62 families of women with PCOS. These families included both parents and one or more reproductive-age daughters with PCOS as well as unaffected daughters. Bioinformatic analyses were performed to determine which genes contained variants that were likely to be damaging. Only genes that were inherited from a parent were included for further analysis.

Dr. Dunaif and her colleagues found that reproductive and metabolic hormone levels were associated with rare genetic variants in DENND1A in approximately half of the families. This gene is important in testosterone production in the ovary; increased ovarian testosterone production is a major hormonal abnormality in PCOS. The findings indicate that this type of genetic variation contributes to the distinctive hormonal profile of the disorder.

The research was begun by Dr. Dunaif at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and completed at the Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai.

"After sequencing the entire genomes of many families affected by the disease, this has enabled us to study how certain rare genetic variants are associated with PCOS," said Geoffrey Hayes, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine - Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and co-lead lead author of this study. "We hope our results will help uncover some of the involved hereditary mechanisms and ultimately teach us more about the molecular drivers of the disorder."

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Matthew Dapas, PhD Candidate in the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, was the first author on the study and integral to this research.

This research was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest integrated delivery system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai's vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,480 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools", aligned with a U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" Hospital, No. 12 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in six other specialties in the 2018-2019 "Best Hospitals" issue. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology and 44th for Ear, Nose, and Throat. Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, Mount Sinai West, and South Nassau Communities Hospital are ranked regionally.

For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The discovery of the Medusavirus holds clues to the evolution of more complex life. The paper published in the Journal of Virology earlier this year has been creating waves because of the ability of the Medusavirus to turn amoeba into "stone." However, the bigger discovery is the possible relationship between the Medusavirus and the evolution of complex life. Tokyo University of Science has released a video, and an infographic, to explain this phenomenon.

A team of scientists led by virologist Masaharu Takemura at Tokyo University of Science and Hiroyuki Ogata at Kyoto University in Japan have discovered a giant virus that, much like the mythical monster Medusa, can turn almost amoeba to a stone-like cyst. Isolated from a hot spring in Japan and eponymously dubbed Medusavirus, this virus infects a species of amoeba known as Acanthamoeba castellanii and causes it to develop a hard, stony shell.

With the Medusavirus, scientists discovered that DNA replication occurred in the nucleus of the host amoeba and observed evidence of exchange of genetic information between the host and the virus as they coevolved. They also found that the giant virus harbors in its ancient genome some of the complex proteins that make up the building blocks of eukaryotic organisms such as animals, plants, and humans. Understanding the presence of these proteins in the virus' genome may help scientists tackle some of the hardest questions about our origins. In fact, "genomics research of the giant virus indicates that there is likely a relationship between the Medusavirus and the origin of eukaryotic life," says Professor Takemura from Tokyo University of Science.

A virus does not have the necessary "machinery" to replicate. It does this inside its host cell, by releasing its genome and "hijacking" the cell's machinery. When a virus invades an organism, it uses some of the host genes in order to replicate itself. This can leave a mark, like a fingerprint, on the host's DNA, which is then passed on for generations. The host also interacts with the virus, and the virus adopts new sequences that are preserved through time. The host and virus coevolve, and it is this "coevolution" that is at the forefront of this insightful study.

Viruses are classified based on their genetic characteristics, that is, by how they generate mRNA to produce proteins and genetic material. The Medusavirus is a nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus, which belongs to a group of recently discovered eukaryotic viruses with large and complex double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. It is interesting because, unlike most viruses, it contains genes that encode for proteins involved in DNA packaging. The Medusavirus has a full set of histones, which are proteins that have evolved to keep the DNA folded inside the nucleus and regulate gene expression. This is particularly strange when you consider that viruses have no nucleus; this could mean that during the coevolution, the virus might have acquired the genes that encode these histones. With these findings, this study also makes a claim that the Medusavirus is a completely different family of viruses.

When the Medusavirus petrifies the amoeba, it does so by hijacking the cell directly from its nucleus. The virus transfers its DNA to initiate replication and uses its own DNA polymerase (enzyme that synthesizes DNA) and histones, but overall, it relies on the host to complete the process. The results of an evolutionary analysis done by the authors suggest that in the evolution tree, the Medusavirus DNA polymerase lies at the origin of the DNA polymerase found in eukaryotes. As one of the authors, Dr Genki Yoshikwa from Kyoto University, puts it, this could mean that our DNA polymerase "probably originated from Medusavirus or one of its relatives."

Luckily, the Medusavirus won't be turning us into stone anytime soon.

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Lighter than aluminum, harder than a diamond, more elastic than rubber and tougher than steel. These are only a few of the characteristics of graphene, a super material that acts as an excellent heat and electrical conductor. Due to its features, it is called upon to be a key player in future technological advances in the fields of research, electronics, IT and medicine.

The FQM-346 Organic Chemistry research group at the University of Cordoba came up with the way this material acts in a luminescent way, a new feature it did not have before and that now ushers in a new range of applications. Professor Francisco Jose Romero Salguero, one of the authors of the research piece, explains that luminescence is a characteristic of some substances which allows them to emit light at a different wave length than the one they absorbed it at. In other words, luminescent materials can emit visible light from energy, a property that makes them useful as photocatalysts and fluorescent tags that can be displayed in macromolecules and biological materials. Now, thanks to this new research, luminescence is added to the long list of services graphene can provide.

This research was published in Chemistry---A European Journal, sponsored by the main chemical societies in Europe, and also involved the work of UCO researchers Juan Amaro Gahete, Cesar Jimenez-Sanchidrian and Dolores Esquivel, along with another Belgian research group. Because of its degree of relevance, this prestigious journal described the article as a hot paper.

Though previous attempts have been made to endow this super material with light properties, all of those were unsuccessful. What really makes graphene special is its hexagonal structure based on highly cohesive carbon atoms by means of a kind of electronic cloud in the shape of a sandwich. If the connection between the atoms in this cloud is interrupted, part of the properties are lost, explains researcher Francisco Romero.

Specifically, overcoming this obstacle is where the success of the research lies. The group was able to incorporate luminescence into this material without affecting its other qualities, thus safeguarding the functionality of its complex structure. In order to do so, europium was integrated into graphene. Europium is a metal that perfectly coordinates with the modified molecules of this super material and is the one that grants it its luminous properties.

The results offer immediate applications, since this luminescent graphene could be used in biological material and for analyzing tissue cells. However, the research goes even further. The use of europium "is just a concept test," explains University of Cordoba Professor Cesar Jimenez-Sanchidrian.

Henceforth, this study opens the door to the use of a variety of chemical elements that could be combined with graphene to confer new characteristics on it. For instance, if certain kinds of metals are integrated, a magnetic graphene could be generated. Ultimately, it is a line of research that this group, which belongs to the the University Institute of Nanochemistry (abbreviated to IUNAN in Spanish) and the College of Science, will continue to work on with the aim of adding new properties to the list of graphene's qualities. Doing so will increase the versatility of this substance that holds very promising characteristics and that has already earned the right to be called a material of the future.

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References:

Luminescent graphene based materials via europium complexation on dipyridylpyridazine?functionalized graphene sheets. Juan Amaro-Gahete, Anna M. Kaczmarek, Dolores Esquivel, Cesar Jimenez-Sanchidrian, Pascal Van Der Voort,Francisco Jose Romero-Salguero. 18 March 2019 https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201900512
82% of cannabis users say they partake before, after exercise

Eight out of 10 marijuana users in states where cannabis is legal say they partake in the drug shortly before or after exercise, and most report that it motivates them to work out, helps them enjoy exercise more and improves their recovery, according to surprising new University of Colorado Boulder research.

The paper, published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, is among the first to explore the complicated intersection between cannabis use and physical activity.

While many assume the former impedes the later, the data suggest otherwise.

"There is a stereotype that cannabis use leads people to be lazy and couch-locked and not physically active, but these data suggest that this is not the case," said senior author Angela Bryan, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute for Cognitive Science.

She stresses that she is in no way recommending using cannabis as an adjunct to exercise.

"The evidence is not there yet," she said. "But I am also not convinced it is harmful."

Marijuana is now legal for recreational use in 10 states and medicinal use in dozens more. Yet, little is known about how rising acceptance could impact public health measures like physical activity and obesity.

Some have speculated that increased use could worsen the obesity epidemic by fueling a sedentary lifestyle. On the other hand, the authors note, the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibits cannabis use in sporting competitions due to its potential to improve performance.

Anecdotally, ultrarunners sometimes use marijuana to battle nausea and boredom on long runs. And epidemiological studies show cannabis-users tend to be leaner, less prone to diabetes and have healthier blood sugar levels.

"There are a lot of interesting data points and hypotheses out there but not a lot of them have been tested," says Bryan.

In a first step toward filling the research gap, she and her colleagues surveyed 600 adult marijuana users in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, asking - among other questions - if they ever used cannabis within one hour before or four hours after exercise.

Eighty-two percent said 'yes.'

"We were stunned it was that high," says Bryan.

A follow-up question of 345 "co-users" (people who use cannabis with exercise) found they were more likely to use it after than before. But 67% said they did both.

Among those who co-used, 70% said it increased enjoyment of exercise, 78% said it boosted recovery, and 52% said it heightened motivation.

"Given that these are all recognized barriers to exercise, it is possible that cannabis might actually serve as a benefit to exercise engagement," the authors write.

Only 38% said it boosted performance, and in fact some small previous studies have suggested it may harm it.

Notably, those who co-used also got about 43 minutes more exercise per week than those who didn't.

How might cannabis, physiologically, impact physical activity?

"There is evidence to suggest that certain cannabinoids dampen pain perception, and we also know that the receptors cannabis binds to in the brain are very similar to the receptors that are activated naturally during the runners high," said co-author Arielle Gillman, a former PhD student in Bryan's lab who recently published a review paper on the subject. "Theoretically, you could imagine that if it could dampen pain and induce an artificial 'runner's high,' it could keep people motivated."

Cannabis is also anti-inflammatory, which could aid recovery.

The study did not look at which kind of cannabis (edibles, smoked flower, etc.) people use alongside exercise.

The authors note that the survey has limitations, in that it looked only at people who use cannabis regularly and focused on states which have already legalized it.

But more research is already in the works at CU Boulder, comparing the activity levels of older adults who use cannabis with those who do not.

Preliminary results of that separate study show that after embarking on a 16-week exercise program, the cannabis users exercised more than the non-users.

"As we get older, exercise starts to hurt, and that is one reason older adults don't exercise as much," Bryan said. "If cannabis could ease pain and inflammation, helping older adults to be more active that could be another benefit."

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Graduate students Sophie York Williams (first author), Charleen Gust and Raeghan Mueller, Assistant Professor Cinnamon Bidwell and Professor Kent Hutchison contributed to this study.
Small molecules such as hormones and ions are constantly transported in and out from our cells. This regulates what the cells do in our bodies. That is also why many researchers try to understand what controls the different channels in our cells. They have now greatly improved this understanding for muscle cells.

In a new study, an international and inter-disciplinary team involving researchers from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen have mapped the structure of a channel that transports chloride into our muscle cells. Detailed structures of the chloride channel will provide vital information in the quest to fully understand its regulation and thereby optimize development of better treatments of important diseases such as ALS, SMA or Myasthenia gravis.

"This channel in the muscle cells may be essential for the group of illnesses we call neuromuscular diseases. That applies, for instance, to ALS, which many people might know from the late physicist Stephen Hawking. Others have discovered that blocking the channel can alleviate the symptoms of ALS. Our new findings will spark on-going development efforts to block the channel," says Pontus Gourdon, Associate Professor at Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Cryo-electron microscopy

The researchers have investigated proteins that exist in the cell membranes of human cells using a state-of-the-art so-called cryo-electron microscope. It uses rays of electrons to visualise the 3D-structures of different biological molecules.

In this instance, the researchers have taken what one might call a 3D-photography of this chloride-channel in muscle cells. Visualisations like these pave the way to more efficient drug development because they allow a more rational effort on medical compounds that can bind to that specific 3D-structure.

NMD Pharma

Previous work from Aarhus University has revealed that the chloride-channel is critical for maintenance of skeletal muscle function during physical activity, and this led to the formation of NMD Pharma, a pharmaceutical company that is pursuing new treatments for neuromuscular disorders by targeting the chloride channel.

The researchers have now initiated a collaboration with NMD Pharma that will use the new knowledge for drug development. A postdoc from the research group at the university will collaborate closely with scientists of NMD Pharma to help make the most of the new findings.

Value in society

The new post-doc employment is part of the public-private partnership called BRIDGE between university and industry. The goal is to make sure that knowledge from research results makes it beyond scientific publications and has a positive impact in society. The program is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

"We are extremely proud of the fact that our research might lead to real impact in society through this collaboration. And also of the fact that the industry can see the values of our findings," says Pontus Gourdon.

He emphasizes that drug development can take a long time and that approval of new drugs is no quick process either.

The new results are especially relevant for neuromuscular diseases such as Thomsen's disease.

It is a heritable disease named after the Danish physician Asmus Julius Thomas Thomsen who described the disease in 1876. Many in his family, including himself, suffered from the disease.

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The study is funded by The Lundbeck Foundation, Knut and Alice Wallenbergs Foundation, The Carlsberg Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

The new study is published in the scientific journal PLOS Biology. Read the scientific article: "Structure of the human ClC-1 chloride channel".
A "sleeping giant" hidden in permafrost soils in Canada and other northern regions worldwide will have important consequences for global warming, says a new report led by University of Guelph scientist Merritt Turetsky.

Scientists have long studied how gradual permafrost thaw occurring over decades in centimetres of surface soils will influence carbon release to the atmosphere. But Turetsky and an international team of researchers are looking at something very different: rapid collapse of permafrost that can transform the landscape in mere months through subsidence, flooding and landslides.

"We are watching this sleeping giant wake up right in front of our eyes," said Turetsky, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Integrative Ecology.

The team discusses the importance of abrupt thaw for carbon release estimates, northern ways of living and climate policy in a commentary in the May 2 issue of Nature. The researchers put together results from abrupt thaw studies from a range of environments across the permafrost zone to estimate the overall effect.

Permafrost affects about one-quarter of land in the northern hemisphere. These frozen soils lock up carbon in biomass from dead plants, animals and microbes over millennia, preventing its breakdown and keeping it out of the atmosphere. As a result, permafrost region soils now hold twice as much carbon - about 1.6 trillion tonnes -- as is contained in the atmosphere.

"We work in areas where permafrost contains a lot of ice, and our field sites are being destroyed by abrupt collapse of this ice, not gradually over decades, but very quickly over months to years," said Turetsky.

Co-author Miriam Jones, a United States Geological Survey research geologist, said: "This abrupt thaw is changing forested ecosystems to thaw lakes and wetlands, resulting in a wholesale transformation of the landscape that not only impacts carbon feedbacks to climate but is also altering wildlife habitat and damaging infrastructure."

Describing the formation of thaw lakes and landslides triggering mass movement of soil and sediment into rivers and streams, Turetsky adds: "It's happening faster than anyone predicted. We show that abrupt permafrost thawing affects less than 20 per cent of the permafrost region, but carbon emissions from this relatively small region have the potential to double the climate feedback associated with permafrost thawing."

Unlike gradual thaw that affects mostly the surface and penetrates the ground slowly, abrupt permafrost thawing disrupts deeper carbon stockpiles more rapidly. In addition, abrupt thaw releases more methane -- a stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide -- than does gradual thaw.

In their paper, the team calls for more measurement and monitoring of Arctic permafrost, as well as improved modelling and reporting of effects of thaw on climate.

University of Alaska Fairbanks emeritus professor Dave McGuire said, "There is an urgent need to make substantive progress on representing the effects of abrupt thaw on the carbon cycle in Earth system models. This will inform policy-makers about how the release of carbon from abrupt thaw may affect the implementation of carbon management strategies to control the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere."

The researchers say rapid permafrost collapse will have local, national and international effects, from altering traditional travel and hunting patterns in the North, to causing costly infrastructure damage to roads and rail lines, to making it even more difficult to meet emission targets intended to limit global warming.

Despite threats to northern permafrost and climate, Turetsky remains optimistic.

"If we can limit human emissions, we can still curb the most dangerous consequences of climate warming. Our window for action is getting narrow, but we still have it and can make changes to save the Arctic as we know it, and the Earth's climate along with it."

Ted Schuur, professor at Northern Arizona University, said, "Synthesis science designed to bring ideas and people together to create new knowledge is critical for understanding abrupt thaw impacts across the permafrost region at the scale where it affects climate."

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Noonan Syndrome (NS) is a rare genetic syndrome typically evident at birth and often linked to early-onset severe heart disease. NS is part of a group of diseases termed RASopathies that are caused by activating mutations of proteins belonging to the Ras and mitogen-activated protein kinase families.

In a new study, researchers at Universite de Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center show that a MEK inhibitor called trametinib can reverse hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and valvular obstruction in patients with RIT1-associated NS. The groundbreaking research is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

''Up to this finding, our therapeutic options were limited to surgery, including heart transplant, and symptomatic relief with medication," said the study's author, Dr. Gregor Andelfinger, a pediatric cardiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine, a researcher at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center in the fetomaternal and neonatal pathologies axis, and an associate research professor in the pediatrics department of Universite de Montreal.

"Trametinib treatment is the first approach specifically targeted to the molecular cause of RASopathies," said Dr. Andelfinger. "While our numbers are still very limited, we report the first patients in whom we were not only able to stabilize, but to reverse the disease of the heart. These results pave the way for larger trials, which are now needed."

Dramatic improvement

Infants less than six months old with NS, HCM and congestive heart failure normally have a poor prognosis, with a one-year survival rate of 34 per cent. In the new study, the Sainte Justine clinical teams used trametinib, an inhibitor targeted specifically against the activating nature of the mutations, to try to treat NS in two patients.

They observed dramatic improvement of clinical and cardiac status in the patients only three months after treatment. Hypertrophy regressed in both patients, with sustained improvement over a total of 17 months of treatment, and normalization of laboratory values. One of the patients, who required ventilation, could be extubated after six weeks of treatment. Both patients showed better overall growth after treatment was started.

"The findings described in this report suggest that a life-threatening form of heart disease affecting young infants might be treatable, which, if true, would be unprecedented and so meaningful for the families whose lives this devastating problem touches," commented Dr. Bruce Gelb, director of the Mindich Child Health and Development Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City.

"Now we need to perform a proper clinical trial to prove that this drug is definitely working for this particular problem," he said.

A promising first

Although the study was limited to two patients, given the promising results these outcomes suggest that MEK inhibition merits further study as a mechanistic treatment option for patients with RASopathies, the researchers believe. The study raises important questions for the treatment of such cases, in particular with respect to long-term efficacy and impact on other RASopathy manifestations.

Because of the role MEK plays in signaling heart growth, Gregor Andelfinger believes studies with a larger number of participants are now required to evaluate long-term side effects, optimal dosing and optimal treatment windows as well as investigate this treatment for other types of heart disease. It is conceivable that MEK inhibition may prove most effective during a fixed time window before the onset of irreversible cardiac remodeling in RASopathies, including those caused by genes other than RIT1.

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About the researchers

Dr. Gregor Andelfinger is a pediatric cardiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine, a researcher at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center in the Fetomaternal and Neonatal Pathologies axis, and Associate Research Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Universite de Montreal. He also holds the National Bank Research Excellence Chair in Cardiovascular Genetics. This work was made possible through the collaboration of researchers in many specialties and departments at Sainte-Justine, including pharmacy, hemato-oncology and genetics.

How the study was funded

Dr Gregor Andelfinger is a Senior Research Scholar of the Fonds de Recherche du Quebec - Sante and holder of the National Bank Research Excellence Chair in Cardiovascular Genetics. The study also received support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF): NSEuroNet (FKZ 01GM1602A), GeNeRARe (FKZ 01GM1519A). Dr. Bruce Gelb received support from the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (HL135742).

About CHU Sainte-Justine

The Sainte-Justine university hospital centre (CHU Sainte-Justine) is the largest mother-child centre in Canada. A member of the Universite de Montreal extended network of excellence in health (RUIS), Sainte-Justine has 5,457 employees, including 1,532 nurses and nursing assistants; 1,000 other healthcare professionals; 520 physicians, dentists and pharmacists; 822 residents; and more than 204 researchers, 411 volunteers and 4,416 interns and students in a wide range of disciplines. Sainte-Justine has 484 beds, including 67 at the Centre de readaptation Marie Enfant, the only exclusively pediatric rehabilitation centre in Quebec. The World Health Organization has recognized CHU Sainte-Justine as a "health promoting hospital".

http://www.chusj.org
ANN ARBOR--Muslim leaders face a perilous task when asked to publicly respond to violent attacks carried out by Muslim extremists.

Expressing empathy can satisfy non-Muslims, but accepting group responsibility can cultivate a perception of collective guilt, according to a newly published University of Michigan study.

Researchers used three experiments--two real incidents and one fictional incident involving extremist attacks--to examine how empathy and responsibility within Muslim leaders' media-based responses affected response satisfaction of non-Muslim audiences.

Leaders in minority groups, who must strategically fight for justice and equality without triggering bias or prejudice from the dominant group, are frequently asked to publicly respond to transgressions--such as terrorist attacks--of fellow group members.

Despite the fact that such acts are perpetrated by individuals, people make inferences about the group as a whole, which can be problematic for Muslims who are often viewed as a threatening outgroup in the United States, said Daniel Lane, a doctoral student in the U-M Department of Communication Studies and the study's lead author.

"Muslim Americans are presented with the unique challenge of responding to the acts of individual extremists in ways that address the psychological needs of the majority group, without further damaging their own group's reputation or perpetuating perceptions of group culpability," he said.

They can express empathy to victims--a way to highlight the peaceful nature of Islam--but that sometimes doesn't change the perceptions of non-Muslim Americans, said Muniba Saleem, assistant professor of communication studies and a faculty associate at U-M's Institute for Social Research.

In the first experiment, an online survey was done several weeks after Muslim extremists carried out a series of bombings in Brussels in 2016. A sample of 472 participants viewed an online news article--which noted the group claiming responsibility, ISIS--with a response about the attacks from a Muslim American leader. The response was manipulated in terms of empathy (empathy expressed vs. no empathy expressed) and responsibility (responsibility accepted vs. responsibility denied).

The findings indicated that expressing empathy and accepting responsibility increased satisfaction with the Muslim leader's response, motivated by genuine sympathy for victims. But by accepting responsibility and feelings of guilt, it could pose problems and negative stereotypes with later consequences, the researchers said.

The second experiment focused on the proximity to respondents--a shooting perpetrated by a Muslim American at an Orlando night club in 2016. The sample included 333 participants who disclosed how much trust they had in Muslim Americans.

Expressions of empathy led to more satisfactory and trustworthy responses but, again, statements accepting responsibility increased the perceptions that Muslims felt collectively guilt for the attack.

Finally, a fictional extremist attack purportedly carried out in Oslo, Norway, was highlighted in the third experiment, which used a sample of 397 people. Empathy indirectly led to more satisfactory and trustworthy responses, in part mediated by a decrease in perceptions that Muslim leaders were motivated by external pressure, Lane said.

"These results demonstrate that by increasing perceptions of collective guilt, statements that accept responsibility can backfire, and increase the perception that Muslim Americans as a group are to blame for terrorist acts," he said.

Overall, the researchers--which also includes Masi Noor, a social psychologist at Keele University in England--say while expressing empathy for victims after an extremist attack may alleviate negative responses from non-Muslims, the effects pertaining to accepting or denying group responsibility are mixed.

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The findings appeared in the April issue of the journal Media Psychology.

Study: Damned if you do, damned if you don't: Effects of empathy and responsibility in Muslim leaders' mediated responses to extremist attacks

Daniel Lane

Muniba Saleem
Growing evidence, including new observations by University of Oregon researchers, find that bonobo females control the meat, sometimes with a show of force

EUGENE, Ore. -- April 30, 2019 -- Small forest antelope in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have more to worry about than being eaten by leopards. In at least one portion of jungle, Weyn's duikers are the preferred meat consumed by bonobos, according to anthropologists.

Based on observations made over six months in a 16-square-kilometer (9 square miles) area of the Lomako Forest, researchers from the University of Oregon and Northern Kentucky University found that female-dominated bonobos capture and consume meat at higher rates than previously believed and at the same frequency as male-dominated chimpanzees. Most research on the evolution of food consumption and sharing among apes has focused on chimps, with such behavior in bonobos rarely seen.

In a study published in the journal Folia Primatologica, the UO team also documented that female bonobos keep possession of carcasses and become aggressive, especially against adult males trying to take pieces of meat, but they also show tolerance and share with subadult males.

In one instance, an adult male seeking to retain control of a carcass was seen running away from a group while holding it, said co-author Alexana J. Hickmott, a University of Oregon doctoral student. In another, a female controlling a carcass punched a persistently begging young male in the face with a closed fist, she added.

Duikers weigh about 17 kilograms (37 pounds) and measure barely 100 centimeters (just over 3 feet) in length. They are easily carried by bonobos both along the ground and up onto tree branches.

"Bonobos are a type of chimpanzee, and we are continuing to assess the differences between these different species," said Colin M. Brand, a doctoral student of co-author Frances White, a UO anthropologist who has been studying bonobos in the difficult-to-reach forest since 1983. "We are finding a lot of similarities and some key differences. Meat-eating seems to be a very similar behavior of both species in terms of the rate at which they do it."

And such similar behavior by the two species, which diverged from a common ancestor almost 2 million years ago, is surprising some researchers, White said. Chimps have a broad range in much of Africa, but bonobos live only in the forest along the big bend of the Congo, the world's ninth-longest river.

"People often think of bonobos as hippy apes, that they make love not war," White said. "That's fine at some level, but it also is a gross miscategorization. In general, it doesn't pay to be aggressive for bonobos, but when it does they can be just as aggressive as chimps.

"It depends on where they are at," she said. "Bonobos will attack humans, but people don't like to hear that. People want to hear that bonobos are kind, are sweet, and much like animals that we have domesticated. But that's not true. Some of the nastiest fights seen have been among bonobos."

Team members recorded meat-eating led by female bonobos on three occasions. They inferred another event from duiker hair-filled fecal samples. They also saw bonobos fleeing a carcass. While the team only witnessed events involving duikers, bonobos are also known to eat monkeys, some birds and hyrax, which are small mammals similar in build to guinea pigs and marmots.

Bonobo meat preferences may vary across their habitats, driven by broken or heavy forest and possibly by the cultures developed by bonobo groups in differing areas of the Congo, said White, head of the UO Department of Anthropology and curator of primate osteology at the UO's Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

"It's interesting that bonobos do these behaviors and at a rate similar to chimps," Hickmott said. "But you also see variation across bonobo sites in both meat-consumption and meat-sharing. To understand the behavioral variation, we need to know more about how these behaviors differ across locations."

###

Monica L. Wakefield of Northern Kentucky University was the study's lead author. Other co-authors were Ian Y. Takaoka and Lindsey M. Meador, both of Northern Kentucky University, and Michel T. Waller, who earned a doctorate from the UO in 2011 and is now affiliated with the UO Department of Anthropology and the Department of World Languages and Culture at Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon.

The study primarily was supported by a grant the Leakey Foundation to Wakefield and a grant from National Geographic Society to Brand. Wakefield also received funding from programs at Northern Kentucky University. Brand also received a Global Oregon Graduate Research Award from the Global Studies Institute in the UO's Office of International Affairs.

Sources: Frances White, professor, Department of Anthropology, 541-346-5278, fwhite@uoregon.edu; Alexana Hickmott, doctoral student, anthropology, ahickmot@uoregon.edu; and Colin Brand, doctoral student, anthropology, cbrand2@uoregon.edu

Note: The UO is equipped with an on-campus television studio with a point-of-origin Vyvx connection, which provides broadcast-quality video to networks worldwide via fiber optic network. There also is video access to satellite uplink and audio access to an ISDN codec for broadcast-quality radio interviews.

Links:

About Frances White: https://anthropology.uoregon.edu/profile/fwhite/

White's Research Lab: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/fwhite/

Department of Anthropology: https://anthropology.uoregon.edu

Museum of Natural and Cultural History: https://mnch.uoregon.edu/

White's doctoral students: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/fwhite/phd-students/
The modern-age adage "work smarter, not harder" stresses the importance of not only working to produce, but also making efficient use of resources.

And it's not something that supercomputers currently do well all of the time, especially when it comes to managing huge amounts of data.

But a team of researchers in the Department of Computer Science in Virginia Tech's College of Engineering is helping supercomputers to work more efficiently in a novel way, using machine learning to properly distribute, or load balance, data processing tasks across the thousands of servers that comprise a supercomputer.

By incorporating machine learning to predict not only tasks but types of tasks, researchers found that load on various servers can be kept balanced throughout the entire system. The team will present its research in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the 33rd International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium on May 22, 2019.

Current data management systems in supercomputing rely on approaches that assign tasks in a round-robin manner to servers without regard to the kind of task or amount of data it will burden the server with. When load on servers is not balanced, systems get bogged down by stragglers, and performance is severely degraded.

"Supercomputing systems are harbingers of American competitiveness in high-performance computing," said Ali R. Butt, professor of computer science. "They are crucial to not only achieving scientific breakthroughs but maintaining the efficacy of systems that allow us to conduct the business of our everyday lives, from using streaming services to watch movies to processing online financial transactions to forecasting weather systems using weather modeling."

In order to implement a system to use machine learning, the team built a novel end-to-end control plane that combined the application-centric strengths of client-side approaches with the system-centric strengths of server-side approaches.

"This study was a giant leap in managing supercomputing systems. What we've done has given supercomputing a performance boost and proven these systems can be managed smartly in a cost-effective way through machine learning," said Bharti Wadhwa, first author on the paper and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computer Science. "We have given users the capability of designing systems without incurring a lot of cost."

The novel technique gave the team the ability to have "eyes" to monitor the system and allowed the data storage system to learn and predict when larger loads might be coming down the pike or when the load became too great for one server. The system also provided real-time information in an application-agnostic way, creating a global view of what was happening in the system. Previously servers couldn't learn and software applications weren't nimble enough to be customized without major redesign.

"The algorithm predicted the future requests of applications via a time-series model," said Arnab K. Paul, second author and Ph.D. candidate also in the Department of Computer Science. "This ability to learn from data gave us a unique opportunity to see how we could place future requests in a load balanced manner."

The end-to-end system also allowed an unprecedented ability for users to benefit from the load balanced setup without changing the source code. In current traditional supercomputer systems this is a costly procedure as it requires the foundation of the application code to be altered

"It was a privilege to contribute to the field of supercomputing with this team," said Sarah Neuwirth, a postdoctoral researcher from the University of Heidelberg's Institute of Computer Engineering. "For supercomputing to evolve and meet the challenges of a 21st-century society, we will need to lead international efforts such as this. My own work with commonly used supercomputing systems benefited greatly from this project."

The end-to-end control plane consisted of storage servers posting their usage information to the metadata server. An autoregressive integrated moving average time series model was used to predict future requests with approximately 99 percent accuracy and were sent to the metadata server in order to map to storage servers using minimum-cost maximum-flow graph algorithm.

###

This research is funded by the National Science Foundation and done in collaboration with the National Leadership Computing Facility at Oak Ridge National Lab.
After recovering significantly in March, the KOF Economic Barometer (EB) fell in April dragging the Swiss Franc (CHF) lower against a basket of major peers.

According to the KOF Swiss Economic Institute, the latest release puts the EB below the long-run average and suggests that Swiss economic activity is likely to be sluggish in the coming months.

Above: UK Consumer Confidence Versus Retail Sales

Key Points:

- The KOF Economic Barometer drops by 0.9 points in April, from 97.1 (revised from 97.4) to an index value of 96.2

- The decline is largely due to the indicators for the manufacturing sector

- The signals for private consumption as well as the banking and insurance sector are almost unchanged

- The outlook for other service providers, accommodation and food service activities and for foreign demand is slightly better than in the previous month

- In the goods producing sectors (manufacturing and construction), almost all sub-indicators recorded a negative development in April

- Within the manufacturing sector, the outlook for the metal, electrical, textile and clothing industries is clouding over

Key Quotes:

From the KOF release: "The KOF Economic Barometer falls slightly in April, after last month's recovery, which had followed five consecutive declines. In April, however, it only loses a small part of the increase of the previous month. The Barometer value is still clearly below average. The Swiss economy is likely to develop sluggish in the coming months."
BREXIT POUND LIVE UPDATE MAY 1: Sterling remained on the front-foot into Wednesday's session following reports that cross-party talks could be heading towards a conclusion which could yield a version of the EU withdrawal deal which appeases a majority of UK lawmakers.

While recent reports have been mixed, markets appeared to err on the side of optimism amid reports that talks between the government and Labour Party could conclude as early as mid-week next week.

According to sources close to the talks, PM May could be - much to the chagrin of eurosceptic Conservatives - on the verge of agreeing to a permanent, UK-wide customs union with the EU, an aspect which has always been the Labour party line and would likely appease the DUP given it would negate the necessity for the Irish backstop arrangements to come into effect.

While the British  has largely outperformed developed market peers through the first quarter of 2019, plunging volatility following the European Council's decision to delay Brexit until October 31st has seen the Sterling trade with a distinct lack of directional bias over recent weeks with the  drifting towards recent range-lows.

Tuesday's session however saw currency markets injected with some directional impetus with the GBP boosted amid reports that UK lawmakers engaged in cross-party talks were making progress towards possible compromises which would allow for a joint deal with the potential to receive a majority backing in the House of Commons to emerge.

At the time of writing, the GBP/USD was last seen trading at $1.30232, having retaken the key $1.3 level.

Meanwhile at last check, the Pound-to-Euro exchange rate was trading at 1.1607, up 0.34% and struggling at the critical 1.6 pivot point.

Citing unidentified Labour Party sources, a report by the Times newspaper said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Theresa May's government had made considerable headway in the cross-party talks.

Labours business spokeswoman Rebecca Long-Bailey said that while talks had been productive, the government were as yet unwilling to shift on their red lines. Speaking to Sky News, Long-Bailey said "Honestly I think the discussions so far have been productive, they've gone into a lot of detail, there seems to be a willingness on both sides to move towards some form of consensus, adding "But as yet we haven't seen the government move on any of their red lines, we're having further discussions this week and hopefully we'll see some movement."

A spokesperson for PM May also hinted that talks could be nearing their final stages with the PM hopeful for talks to conclude by the end of next week.

Speaking to reporters, the spokesperson said "Cabinet received an update on the Brexit talks with the opposition, including the negotiations last night, which were serious and constructive. Further talks will now be scheduled in order to bring the process toward a conclusion," adding "Cabinet also discussed the need to secure safe passage for the withdrawal agreement bill, or WAB, as soon as possible, in order to deliver upon the result of the referendum."

While PM May has been under considerable pressure from within her own party to secure a Brexit deal which leaves the UK free to negotiate post-withdrawal trade deals - the Labour Party line has backed closer post-Brexit ties with a preference for a permanent, UK-wide, customs union to remain in place, mitigating the need for the Irish backstop arrangements while ensuring the continuation of friction-less trade across the channel.

According to sources close to the talks, PM May could be willing to accept the possibility of a post-Brexit customs union, much to the chagrin of the more eurosceptic elements of her own party.

Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday morning, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said Conservative Party MPs would not accept a cross-party Brexit compromise involving a customs union.

"If we were proposing, which I very much hope we dont, to sign up to the customs union, then I think there is a risk that you would lose more Conservative MPs than you would gain Labour MPs," said Hunt.

With the best will in the world, Jeremy Hunt, like the rest of the government, clearly hasnt got a clue how the withdrawal agreement can be passed. #R4Today  Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) 30 April 2019

Meanwhile across the Channel, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier called on UK lawmakers to make use of the Brexit extension to "find an agreement."

Speaking to French broadcaster LCI over the weekend, Barnier expressed frustration over the government's inability to progress Brexit on any meaningful front.

"I observe that nothing has been done to build a positive majority on this treaty over the past year and a half, he said. We have just seen negative majorities and we cannot create the conditions of Britain's orderly exit with negative majorities. That is where we are now... This week will be very important. We will have the results of negotiations between the Labour Party and the Theresa May's government. Are these talks going to yield something?

For the Pound Sterling, while reports of progress have supported the GBP to fresh one-week highs against a basket of peers, the overarching issues remain as-yet unresolved with analysts remaining pessimistic over a near-term deal. Should it emerge however, forecasts put the Sterling higher against peer currencies.

May is still under pressure to pass her deal; however, we dont see a breakthrough anytime soon, Nordea analysts write in a note to clients, adding "Instead, we expect May to be ousted over the summer, leading to another extension beyond October 31. This postpones a BoE (Bank of England) hike and should weigh on GBP.

With a more-upbeat outlook on the GBP's prospects given expectations of a deal before year-end, Lloyds Bank analysts see the British  higher against both the Euro and US Dollar over H2 2019.

"We forecast the British pound to strengthen on the expectation and confirmation of an 'orderly' EU withdrawal," wrote Lloyds analysts, adding "Our targets for GBPUSD are 1.34 for end-2019 and 1.36 for end-2020. For GBPEUR, we forecast 1.18 for end-2019 and end-2020."
Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Parents are frequently faced with news articles related to the latest research data along with recommendations related to screen time use by chidden and teens. Also, various professional organizations publish new or revised guidelines suggesting appropriate limits for the use of digital devices for different age groups.

Just last week the press carried news of the World Health Organization (WHO) releasing new guidelines recommending no screen time for all children under 2 and no more than one hour for children between two and four. These are similar to recommendations published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2016.

The news articles rarely define screen time and thus parents may think it only pertains to specific devices. However, these guidelines usually pertain to all devices including watching TV, movies, computers, video games, phones, and tablets.

Most parents are busy and don't have time to devise a plan. Simply taking the devices away or insisting on strict time limits usually does not provide good results.

In a recent article on Parenting Today, child psychologist Dr. Robert Myers outlines some of the most recent research and provides some suggestions for not just curtailing use but lifestyle changes consistent with the AAP guidelines. These suggestions are meant to apply to the entire family and promote more outdoor physical activity, more family interaction along with encouraging creative playtime for younger children and constructive actives for older children and teens.

Dr. Myers is the author of a newly released book, The Well-Balanced Family: Reduce screen time and increase family fun, fitness and connectedness".
Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Get ready to snap, crackle and truly POP using the social media platforms for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram PLUS how to get to your ideal target market. It all happens this month.

Those who heard Karen Liz Albert at the April AuthorYOU meeting in Colorado were WOWWED by what she revealed and demonstrated. Now, anyone can see it no matter where you live and what your time zone is. How?  you ask. Simply by registering for our special weekly webinar series starting Thursday.

On THURSDAYS, AuthorYOU will deliver a live session beginning at 11 a.m. Mountain Time throughout May. Each will last up to 90 minutes, depending on questions. This is a special PAID webinar series, not a freebie. Replays will ONLY be available to those who pay. No exceptions.

Put May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 on your calendar now. If you are registered, you will get the replay. It will not be available to the public.

Dont delay  REGISTER NOW  you will be sent the link to sign up for which webinars you select. https://authoru.org/events.html

There are two ways to participate.

Get all 5 for $100 (saving $25) Cherry pick which ones you want at a $25 each

May 2  Session 1 (up to 90 Minutes):

How To Identify & Connect With Your Target Market Using Social Media

In this interactive 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert, you will conduct exercises that will help you gain clarity on your target market, how to locate that target market on the internet through strategic keyword research, and use the top social media platforms to increase brand awareness and book sales.

May 9  Session 2 (up to 90 Minutes):

How to Strategically Use Facebook Business Pages to Increase Reach & Engagement

In this 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert, you will learn the most effective ways to post, when to post and what to post to gain massive exposure and community engagement. In addition, you will learn powerful action-steps that will help you connect with strategic referral partners and find relevant content for your community using your Facebook business page.

May 16  Session 3 (up to 90 Minutes):

How To Gain Followers & Increase Brand Awareness Through Your Instagram Business Page

In this 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert you will learn the most effective ways to use your Instagram business page to increase followers through business page optimization, strategic use of hashtags, images and call to actions.

May 23  Session 4 (up to 90 Minutes):

How to Maximize Your Use of LinkedIn

In this 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert you will learn the importance of being found by the right LinkedIn contacts and finding the right LinkedIn contacts to establish powerful connections that will increase your sales force.

May 30  Session 5 (up to 90 Minutes):

How to Strategically Use Twitter to Gain Brand Awareness and Book Sales

In this 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert, you will learn Twitter tips & tricks that will help you strategically manage your twitter account to connect with the influencers and your target market.

Power Packed Social Media BIG 5 MAY Webinar Series

Heres what to do NOW  tell us what your choices are:

Count me in for all 5: $100

I want just a few ( identify which):

Session 1  Target Markets $25

Session 2  Twitter $25

Session 3  Facebook $25

Session 4  Instagram $25

Session 5  LinkedIN $25

REGISTER NOW  you will be sent the link to sign up for which webinars you select. https://authoru.org/events.html

Latest posts by Judith Briles see all)

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Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Get ready to snap, crackle and truly POP using the social media platforms for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram PLUS how to get to your ideal target market. It all happens this month.

Those who heard Karen Liz Albert at the April AuthorYOU meeting in Colorado were WOWWED by what she revealed and demonstrated. Now, anyone can see it no matter where you live and what your time zone is. How?  you ask. Simply by registering for our special weekly webinar series starting Thursday.

On THURSDAYS, AuthorYOU will deliver a live session beginning at 11 a.m. Mountain Time throughout May. Each will last up to 90 minutes, depending on questions. This is a special PAID webinar series, not a freebie. Replays will ONLY be available to those who pay. No exceptions.

Put May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 on your calendar now. If you are registered, you will get the replay. It will not be available to the public.

Dont delay  REGISTER NOW  you will be sent the link to sign up for which webinars you select. https://authoru.org/events.html

There are two ways to participate.

Get all 5 for $100 (saving $25) Cherry pick which ones you want at a $25 each

May 2  Session 1 (up to 90 Minutes):

How To Identify & Connect With Your Target Market Using Social Media

In this interactive 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert, you will conduct exercises that will help you gain clarity on your target market, how to locate that target market on the internet through strategic keyword research, and use the top social media platforms to increase brand awareness and book sales.

May 9  Session 2 (up to 90 Minutes):

How to Strategically Use Facebook Business Pages to Increase Reach & Engagement

In this 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert, you will learn the most effective ways to post, when to post and what to post to gain massive exposure and community engagement. In addition, you will learn powerful action-steps that will help you connect with strategic referral partners and find relevant content for your community using your Facebook business page.

May 16  Session 3 (up to 90 Minutes):

How To Gain Followers & Increase Brand Awareness Through Your Instagram Business Page

In this 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert you will learn the most effective ways to use your Instagram business page to increase followers through business page optimization, strategic use of hashtags, images and call to actions.

May 23  Session 4 (up to 90 Minutes):

How to Maximize Your Use of LinkedIn

In this 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert you will learn the importance of being found by the right LinkedIn contacts and finding the right LinkedIn contacts to establish powerful connections that will increase your sales force.

May 30  Session 5 (up to 90 Minutes):

How to Strategically Use Twitter to Gain Brand Awareness and Book Sales

In this 1-hour session with Karen Liz Albert, you will learn Twitter tips & tricks that will help you strategically manage your twitter account to connect with the influencers and your target market.

Power Packed Social Media BIG 5 MAY Webinar Series

Heres what to do NOW  tell us what your choices are:

Count me in for all 5: $100

I want just a few ( identify which):

Session 1  Target Markets $25

Session 2  Twitter $25

Session 3  Facebook $25

Session 4  Instagram $25

Session 5  LinkedIN $25

REGISTER NOW  you will be sent the link to sign up for which webinars you select. https://authoru.org/events.html
After 20 years of secrecy, a citizens advisory committee to city-owned CPS Energy has agreed to report to the public the content of its monthly discussions with utility officials.

The public, however, still will be barred from its meetings. Instead, the committee will release its meeting minutes.

CAC Chairman Robert Romeo said thats because opening the meetings to the public would hinder the committees 15 members  10 of whom are nominated by the city and county and five by the existing members  in their task of advising CPS officials.

OnExpressNews.com: CPS tests batteries to store solar power

The CAC believes its current meeting format is the most effective method to represent the community and provide candid advice to CPS Energy staff, Romero wrote in an April 19 letter to John Steen, chairman of CPS board of trustees.

The letter was made public at the boards meeting Monday.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg, a member of CPS board of trustees, has pushed for the CAC to become more transparent.

In addition to calling for opening the meetings to the public, Nirenberg has asked for meeting agendas to be publicly posted and for the minutes of the meetings to be released afterward.

Nirenberg also has proposed live-streaming the utilitys board of trustees meetings and for public comment to be allowed at the monthly meetings.

CPS board of trustees is studying Nirenbergs overall transparency plan, which the mayor announced at the urging of environmental groups.

OnExpressNews.com: San Antonio's CPS Energy: More green energy, but coal stays in the mix

The citizens committee started two decades ago, but its proceedings have taken place outside public scrutiny. The committee doesnt make its agendas available to the public, and doesnt announce when and where its meetings will take place.

In his letter, Romeo said: The CAC agrees with the mayors call for more transparency in our process and is in favor of posting the meetings agendas and minutes for our meetings.

At its April 10 meeting, he said, The CAC reaffirmed our commitment to public engagement and transparency.

Environmentalists have been critical of the private CPS meetings.

This is a sticking point for us for many years, said Alan Montemayor, a member of the executive committee of the Alamo Group of the Sierra Chapter. CPS energy is a publicly owned utility, yet they act as a private company.

While announcing meeting agendas and releasing meeting minutes is a good step, Montemayor said, the CAC remains an insulating layer between the board and the citizens.

He said he and other environmentalists have brought up issues regarding CPS alternative energy policies to CAC board members, only to find out later that the issues never were brought up at the advisory meetings.

CPS Energy generates about 20 percent of its energy from solar and wind, but environmentalists want the utility to ratchet up its reliance on clean sources. They also want CPS to quit using coal-fired plants.

OnExpressNews.com: CPS Energy selling headquarters building in downtown San Antonio, Villita Assembly Building and other properties

The CAC does not represent environmental interests, Montemayor said.

Kelley Shannon, executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, said the private meetings also seem to go against the spirit of the Texas Open Meetings Act.

During Mondays trustees meeting, CPS staffers outlined their community outreach efforts. They said the citizens committee served as a channel for two-way communications between the community and the utility.

The CPS web site notes: The CAC meets monthly with the primary goal of providing judicious advice from a customer perspective on utility-related projects and programs.

While ratepayers and interest groups cant attend the CAC meetings or make comments at the board of trustees meetings, CPS officials say they offer other opportunities for the public to express their views. They said trustees have held three public input sessions since June 2018.

In an interview, Romeo said the community advisory committee always is seeking the views of CPS customers. He said CAC members attend numerous neighborhood and community meetings, and always represent ratepayers view to CPS officials.

In the past, he said, CAC members have dealt with numerous issues, from switch-yard expansions to CPS solar power initiatives.

He said CAC members believe keeping the meetings confidential will prevent the misinterpretation of the utilitys business and initiatives out of public circulation.

He said each CAC member appointed by a council member also fulfilled the role of adviser by providing information to the council member who appointed him or her.

Its a step in the right direction, Nirenberg said in an interview, referring to the disclosure of meetings agendas and publication of meeting minutes. He said he still favored opening CAC meetings to the public, except when sensitive topics such as cybersecurity are discussed.

Several of at-large appointees  made by existing CAC members  either worked in or formerly worked in the energy industry. Romeo, who is retired, served 35 years in the nuclear power industry. Chairman-elect David Walter is the vice president for business development at San Antonio pipeline operator NuStar Energy.

Another CPS-appointed member is Bill Day, the corporate communications manager at Frost Bank. Day had held a similar position at locally based oil refiner Valero Energy Corp.

CPS trustees Monday directed staff to review how much it would cost the utility to televise meetings and what equipment it would need. Nirenberg said CPS officials have increased public disclosure over the past several years, but that its not enough.

It is also the reality, given this age that we live in, that the publics expectations for transparency and access are evolving much faster than communities can keep up, so we have to deal with that, he said.

Since the utility is city-owned, Nirenberg said, San Antonio residents essentially are shareholders and entitled to watch the meetings through video-streaming  even though few actually might watch  and also present their views directly to trustees.

Also Monday, Steen, CPS chairman, directed the CAC to do the same  study the possibility of televising its meetings and allowing public comment.

CAC members are scheduled to discuss the issues at their May 8 meeting at CPS headquarters.

This time, the public may get some insight into committee members opinions  CPS spokesman Seamus Nelson said the committee will release its meeting minutes for the first time.
Cliently, a technology startup that recently moved to San Antonio from Myrtle Beach, has raised $1 million in seed funding.

The company helps small- and medium-sized businesses connect with prospective customers using short personalized video messages, emails, postcards, notes and gifts. Clientlys platform also provides analytics such as open and response rates.

Companies of that size often dont have the resources, time or know-how to manage sales leads, said founder and CEO Spencer Farber. Clientlys platform is intended to be quick, efficient and easy to use, he said.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio artificial intelligence startup raises $1.5 million

A lot of (businesses) have great products but no clue how to get (them) in front of people, Farber said.

The focus on smaller companies also helps set Cliently apart from its main competitors, Outreach and SalesLoft, Farber said. Both companies also help businesses interact with clients, but focus on mid-market businesses.

Farber and his wife, who also works for Cliently, recently moved to San Antonio from Myrtle Beach, S.C. They relocated to contribute to the citys expanding technology scene and to be closer to Active Capital, the San Antonio-based investment group that led the seed round and also includes Altair Capital, a venture capital firm.

Active Capital invests in business-to-business software as a service (SaaS) companies in the Alamo City and nationwide. It recently led another $1.5 million seed round for FunnelAI, a San Antonio startup that uses artificial intelligence to help car dealerships find prospective customers.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios venture-capital investments lag, but climate here is changing

Cliently has around 10 employees, most of whom do not work in San Antonio, and is looking to hire locally. It recently brought on a new chief technology officer, Huey Ly, who previously worked at Rackspace and Mailgun in San Antonio.

The startups revenue has grown 250 percent over the last few months, though Farber declined to disclose specific financial figures. The company plans to use the funding to further develop their product and are working on some new features, he said.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
Artist and gay rights advocate Gene Wesley Elder saw his entire life as an art project, including his colon cancer diagnosis last fall.

Im talking about it as my final art piece, Elder, 69, said in a lengthy telephone interview Feb. 25. Being an archivist, I had gotten into the importance of always documenting things. History just slides by, and its gotta be documented.

Elder, who died Sunday, won national attention for a low-key performance art series in front of the Alamo, but he likely will be best remembered in San Antonio for maintaining the Happy Foundation Archives, which were established in 1988 to preserve the stories of the LGBTQ community.

He died at home, which is how he wanted to go, said Madeline Guyer, a close friend since they met as students at Trinity University.

He was able to leave this life, in the company of friends, at his home, across the street from the San Antonio River he loved, Guyer wrote in an email. San Antonio will not be the same without Gene.

At Elders request, there will be no memorial service.

He is survived by his older brother, Bill, and by his sister-in-law Cheryl.

On ExpressNews.com: Artist Brad Braune dies at 67

He has been true to his life mission, albeit a strange one at times, and he has loved his family and friends, his brother wrote in an email. He will be loved and remembered and missed by those who know him.

Elder, whose art and activism often drew media attention, notified the San Antonio Express-News when he knew his time was short, sending an email noting, I know someone will want to write something after I die, but I would prefer that you get all facts straight, so, if you would like to start with that and speak to me while I am still lucid, I am available to talk over the phone.

He called often afterward, offering advice and additional information. He had been particularly moved when his friend Thomas Lauderdale, founder of the musical group Pink Martini, had dedicated the groups April 10 concert at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts to him. Lauderdale noted the importance of Elders work on the Happy Foundation Archives.

I thought youd like to know that, and Id really like to have that put in there, Elder said in a telephone message, his voice breaking.

Elder covered a lot of ground in his lifetime.

He was born on Independence Day in 1949 in Dallas. He came to San Antonio in the 1970s to study at Trinity University because, he said, a friend had enrolled there and said he needed a roommate.

He decided to study art. His work, he said, started off being collage, painting, the usual kind of thing. Then you start realizing the art world is a bigger place.

It wasnt really until after I graduated that the whole experience started to make sense to me and I realized, Oh, art is important. Its not just hobby stuff or entertaining, its important.

As he was developing his identity as an artist, he went to work managing the San Antonio Country, a gay nightclub. His friend Connie Wright, who, like Guyer, met Elder at Trinity, worked at the club, too.

During the day, he and other artists sometimes had art shows, and there was time to talk with the customers, Wright recalled in an email. At night, it was like being in the most festive and outrageous Fellini movie. Gene created an environment that was fun, filled with friendship, love, art, acceptance for all  gay, lesbian, transsexual, bisexual, drag queen, straight  everyone was welcome.

There was a darker aspect to life at the club. Elder said he often witnessed harassment of patrons by military and city police and wanted to do something in response.

On ExpressNews.com: Beauty, horror found in David Zamora Casas new installation

I was furious at the time, as my young, furious, radical mind would be, and it all culminated in this idea to do this ballet, he recalled. It was perfect revenge: Ill show you; Ill just write this ballet.

The piece was called Fairies Fiasco, and it included a plea for tolerance. The ballet will be part of TransSanAntonian: Examining Trans Identities and Gender Fluidity in the Archives, an exhibit opening June 20 at the McNay Art Museum.

His other high-profile projects included I Try to Appear in As Many Home Movies in Front of the Alamo as I Can, which was the subject of a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal in 1999. The title explains the whole thing: He made it a point to pop into the scene as tourists shot home videos on Alamo Plaza. The story noted that he stopped keeping count of how many appearances he had made once he hit 300.

He also ran the Mud Gallery, a spot on the River Walk that focused largely on pottery, for about 10 years; ran for mayor in 1981 on the Party Party ticket, designed to raise awareness of the arts; and recruited artists to open studios and galleries in the Blue Star Arts Complex when it was being developed by his friend Arthur Hap Veltman and Bernard Lifshutz.

This, to me, was the best time to have been there, Elder said. It was really fun. Youd come to the Blue Star in the early morning, thered be a drunk passed out and vomiting on the steps. It was really fun in the first evolution struggles of trying to make a contemporary art space. Now, to me, all the funs out of it, because its all been taken over by successful stuff.

Much of his time was spent maintaining the archive, which is housed at the Bonham Exchange, a downtown nightclub. The archive was created in 1988 as a way to preserve the stories of a community that was being decimated by AIDS. Elder kept everything he could get his hands on: journals, news clippings, photos, personal papers, artwork, posters and everything in between.

For me, as a historian, it was quite an experience to go through all of those files and realize the value of what he had collected over the years, said Melissa Gohlke, who spent an internship working on an inventory of the archive. Its really remarkable.

Gohlke, who is now an assistant archivist in special collections at the University of Texas at San Antonio, worked alongside Elder for nearly 10 years. She has been working to make sure the Happy archives are preserved for the long term.

I did promise Gene that I will ensure that the archives continue, she said. To have a record of the history of our community is really critical, and he has the most comprehensive record for our community.

Without Elders work, much of the archive would be in landfills.

I had been watching as various people, friends and people I didnt know but heard about, when they died of AIDS, at the time, the family was very embarrassed by their gay member and would throw out everything in the house, he said. It didnt matter how good it would have been  it all goes in the trash.

And so I realized that we did not have anybody saving our history, and everybody was forgetting about events. Preserving that history was the next step in our liberation movement. If you dont know where youve been, you dont know where youre going.

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN

Deborah Martin is an arts writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
Vancouver-based Lululemon did not specify the location to analysts, according to a transcript of the event, but the Tribune reported last May that Lululemon was planning a store on that corner, which is in the Lincoln Park community area and the Ranch Triangle neighborhood. A construction permit issued by the city at the time indicated the space would include a restaurant and workout space.
More local school districts are moving their eighth-graders out of grade-level math and into Algebra 1, usually a ninth-grade course, according to this years passing rates for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness released Monday.

The school districts that shifted virtually all eighth-graders into algebra have historically had the lowest eighth-grade math STAAR results. But officials variously pointed out that the higher-level material is more focused for teaching and learning and that the acceleration will pay academic benefits in high school and beyond.

Fifth-grade reading and math passing rates in Bexar County generally decreased, the numbers released Monday show. Statewide averages show small dips in fifth-grade scores and slight increases in eighth-grade scores. Eighth-grade results in Bexar County were mixed  in part, due to the increased number of students opting into algebra.

OnExpressNews.com: San Antonio-area school district picked for leadership program

The tests are considered high stakes, required for promotion to the next grade, including the Algebra I end-of-course exam for eighth-graders taking that course. The algebra exam will be administered next week.

Last year, the majority of eighth-graders in Edgewood and East Central independent school districts took the general math course. In Edgewood, 55 percent passed, and in East Central, 47 percent passed.

But both districts decided to move eighth-graders into algebra this year anyway. Only three Edgewood students took the eighth-grade STAAR math exam earlier this month. In East Central, only four took it.

Students who take algebra earlier can take higher-level math in high school, which prepares them for advanced degrees, technical vocational courses or internships, said Ashley Chohlis, the East Central ISD spokeswoman.

Access comes before accomplishment, she said. There was a lot of discussion, and we know that kids learn, and its about making sure they are exposed to that rigorous curriculum.

This years eighth-graders took a blend of seventh- and eighth-grade math last year to prepare them for algebra, Chohlis said.

Edgewood and East Central consulted with Somerset ISD, which for six years has had eighth-graders take algebra. All three districts are in the same cohort of a federal GEAR UP college readiness grant, and Edgewoods chief of secondary schools was formerly Somerset High Schools principal.

OnExpressNews.com: Fewer San Antonio-area eighth-graders are taking STAAR math test

Last year, 84 percent of Somersets eighth-graders passed the Algebra I end-of-course exam on the first try. Students who might have struggled with eighth-grade math can pass algebra in part because eighth-grade math includes several different topics, while with algebra, you get to focus only on, and drill down on, that one mathematical strand, said Sheila Collazo, the districts associate superintendent of curriculum.

At Somerset Junior High, students are grouped and regrouped every week and assigned to one of four teachers depending on the skills they need to learn, Collazo said. The algebra course is entirely project based, she said.

It depends on how the algebra is taught, Collazo said. If you have a stand-and-deliver algebra teacher, clearly kids are going to struggle. Its the approach that makes a difference for us, and we havent mastered it, but were going to get there.

A small group of algebra students in Somerset ISD also took the eighth-grade math exam to assess their readiness for Advanced Placement geometry, Collazo said. Virtually all of them passed.

All eighth grade students are enrolled in Algebra I in Edgewood to improve rigor in mathematics and increase access to higher level math and science courses, said Theresa Salinas, senior executive director of academic services. It also builds a strong foundation for success in the STEM and career and technology courses that lead to industry certifications, she said.

The three students who took the eighth grade math exam transferred to the district recently and had not taken Algebra I at their previous school, Salinas said.

The districts fifth and eighth grade students passed their reading exams at the lowest rate of all districts in Bexar County, Salinas acknowledged, but some schools performed well, including elementary campuses that saw double-digit gains.

Our current fifth and eighth grade students have made significant gains when we compare their performance last year as fourth and seventh graders on the reading and math assessments. Our cohort data indicates that students are making progress, she said.

In Southside ISD, more than a third of eighth-graders took algebra, an increase from last year, Assistant Superintendent Genese Bell said. The school district is moving toward having most students take algebra in eighth grade, she said.

The districts eighth-grade math passing rate for the first round of testing plunged this year compared to last year, because many of the students who would have passed the test were in algebra instead, Bell said. (That also happened at Southwest ISD, which switched to Algebra I for most of its eighth graders last year.)

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We just want our kids to be able to access the higher-level math and science courses that lead to the jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which we know are higher income positions, Bell said.

Southsides passing rate for fifth-grade math dropped 12 percentage points compared to last years first administration of the test, to 55 percent, the lowest in Bexar County.

Teachers are working with the students who didnt pass and preparing them for the second round of testing, Bell said, noting that this was the first year all fifth-graders attended their neighborhood elementary schools instead of Losoya Intermediate, which in August will become a middle school.

Often, when things change, there is a little implementation dip, she said. Our scores this year are a little flatter than we would like. We always want to see our kids do better.

Janis Jordan, deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Bexar Countys largest school district, Northside ISD, said she couldnt explain the trends until the test questions are released and educators can see what skills were assessed.

Northside improved by 2 percentage points in eighth-grade reading compared to the first round of testing last year  but the passing rates in reading for eighth-graders still learning English improved 17 percentage points, Jordan said. The district has improved teacher training, ensured all teachers have the proper certifications to teach English as a second language and started an engagement program for the families of English-learner students, Jordan said.

Were very proud of that, she said. Its not a large group of students, but it shows putting those efforts and systems in place has had a payoff.

In the San Antonio Independent School District, which is entering the final year of an ambitious five-year turnaround effort, fifth-grade passing rates remained essentially flat compared to a year ago, while eighth-grade rates increased significantly.

The number of fifth-graders who met the highest standard on the STAAR math exam increased by 6 percentage points, and the number of eighth-graders who met the college-ready standard in math increased by 10 percentage points.

Thats telling us that more students are succeeding at the highest levels, said Leslie Price, SAISD spokeswoman. Were doing a better job at succeeding beyond the minimum and making sure more students are college ready, and were on a good trajectory.

Fifth- and eighth-graders have three chances to pass STAAR reading and math exams for promotion to the next grade level. Eighth-graders taking algebra must pass the end-of-course exam for promotion, although if they fail, a campus committee can decide to promote them with conditions, such as re-taking algebra in high school.

Passing standards for the exams remained the same as last year, according to the Texas Education Agency. STAAR exams begin in the third grade and the TEA uses them to calculate letter-grade accountability ratings for schools and districts, though other factors have been given increased weight in recent years.

New supports for test-takers were offered this year, such as Spanish-language versions online for elementary grades. Students with qualifying disabilities could also access online sign language videos, an online basic calculator or a screen reader for refreshable braille display devices.

South San Antonio ISD, whose eighth grade math passing rate improved by 18 points from last year, attributed the growth to changes in teacher collaboration and lesson-planning.

Teachers have been working together within campuses and across middle schools to better align lessons to the states standards and assessment material, the districts Division of Academics said in a statement.

These teachers are talking the standards, theyre practicing, theyre actually rehearsing the lessons with much more intensity than in previous years, the statement said.

That model is being used throughout the district, but this one group of teachers just were committed to the process, which helped improve math performance this year, the district said.
In November, GM announced plans to shut the four U.S. factories and one in Canada. That will cost about 3,300 workers in the U.S. their jobs, as well as 2,600 in Canada. Another 8,000 white-collar workers have been targeted for layoffs. The company said cuts are necessary to stay financially healthy as GM faces large capital expenditures as it shifts to electric and autonomous vehicles.
A city hall recommendation to shrink the electric scooter industrys footprint in San Antonio  cutting the number of permitted vehicles by two-thirds and the companies renting them to three  got its first airing Monday before a City Council panel that voted 2-1 to send it to the full council for more discussion in two weeks.

A sizeable majority of Council members have said they favor tighter controls on scooters, with more emphasis on safety and fighting sidewalk clutter, through a request-for-proposal (RFP) process that would grant concessions to a select few companies and force them to play by city rules on everything from nighttime curfews to where they can park.

That was the model that John Jacks, director of the Center City Development and Operations Department, outlined to the Councils transportation committee Monday after reporting on the citys six-month dockless vehicle pilot program. A more permanent concession arrangement could launch this fall, he said.

Council members Rey Saldana and Ana Sandoval voted to refer the matter to the full Council for a May 15 briefing and seemed to endorse an RFP as a next step.

Council member Shirley Gonzalez did not.

Why are we doing this? asked Gonzales, an avid cyclist who suggested that scooters were getting way more scrutiny than cars for their safety, urban clutter and cost to society. Using Jacks figures, she said approximately 147 scooters injuries reported to the San Antonio Fire Department since September out of a total of some 1.85 million scooter rides doesnt amount to a blip in comparison to auto deaths.

I understand that people dont like scooters. Believe me, I do, she said. But when I hear people saying we should make scooter riders go through lessons on how to ride, I think, why dont we have lessons for automobile drivers? I just dont believe in this.

She favors no limit on the number of companies or scooters operating in San Antonio and believes customer demand and common sense will sort things out. Gonzales got a nod of support from Saldana when she said the citys approach to scooter regulation might be limiting transportation options.

Currently seven scooter companies can operate here. Jacks recommended picking three and cutting the total number of dockless vehicles from the 16,100 allowed by the pilot program to no more than 5,000. During an interim period before the concessions are awarded, every company with more than 1,000 vehicle permits would see its permits cut in half.

On ExpressNews.com: Can San Antonio convince  or force  e-scooter riders to wear helmets?

An 11 p.m. curfew on scooters the Council imposed in February after a deluge of complaints seems to have dramatically reduced injuries, Jacks said. But Sandoval said she would not favor a curfew after hearing from many residents who wanted scooters as a way to get home from late-night jobs.

She did support a strict no-sidewalk rule. Scooters currently are allowed on sidewalks but are supposed to stay two feet away from pedestrians.

There was no discussion of helmets or whether the city should mandate company policies to make their use more common.

On ExpressNews.com: Did we actually sign that? How e-scooter user agreements straitjacket riders

Scooters arrived in downtown San Antonio virtually overnight in June of last year, delighting many tourists and a largely under-40 crowd, but irritating others who saw them as urban litter and a danger to pedestrians and the riders themselves. Their fans said scooters filled an obvious need - short downtown rides that are too difficult or time-consuming for cars or buses - and are simply fun.

Last week, Jacks said he was hearing from the Council that complaints have gone down.

They used to get a phone call every hour, he said. Things look better on the streets than, say, in December. Companies seem to have adjusted to the demand and are putting scooters out more strategically.

Related: San Antonio City Council tightens scooter rules

There have been at least eight scooter-related deaths nationwide, including one each in Austin and Dallas, and a number of personal injury lawsuits - plus three class action cases in California. Small towns from New Braunfels to Beverly Hills have banned them entirely.

Responding to complaints, some companies have improved the safety features of their latest models. Rather than view the citys RFP process as meddlesome, most of the scooter companies welcome the prospect of a level playing field that might eliminate some outlaw behavior, Jacks said before Mondays meeting.

Jacks has said the RFP will likely have some sections that strongly urge things the Council decides not to outright require, such as coming up with better parking procedures, the use of helmets and perhaps user agreements that are easily understandable by customers.

He also recommends the city increase its current fee of $10 per permitted vehicle charged to the scooter companies, to $40 to $60 annually. Those fees generated $165,000 to fund the six-month pilot program, specifically administrative costs, education, enforcement, signage and infrastructure such as designated parking areas or corrals.

Bruce Selcraig is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read his stories on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | BSelcraig@express-news.net
Today is the last day of early voting for the San Antonio City Council, numerous school boards and suburban cities.

Polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 40 sites across the city, including most public libraries. Unlike election day, voters dont have to go to their specific voting precinct to cast a ballot during early voting.

More than 11,500 people voted Monday, bringing the total to 46,602 since early voting began April 22.

Election day is Saturday.

On ExpressNews.com: Everything you need to know about early voting

Mayor Ron Nirenberg is seeking re-election, facing a challenge from Councilman Greg Brockhouse, along with seven lesser-known candidates.

Seven incumbent council members are seeking reelection; three seats are open.

A complete list of candidates is available on the citys website, sanantonio.gov

Alamo Heights Independent School District has one contested race on its ballot; Harlandle ISD has three. Judson ISD has three contested races and Northside ISD also has three. San Antonio ISD has three contested seats and Southside ISD has four.

On ExpressNews.com: Teachers union gets active in San Antonio ISD board elections

Several suburban cities also are having city council elections, including: Balcones Heights, Castle Hills, Elmendorf, Hollywood Park, Leon Valley, Olmos Park, Shavano Park, Somerset and Universal City.

In addition to deciding one contested alderman race, Shavano Parks voters are being asked whether the city should continue its crime control and prevention district for another five years and the sale tax that funds it.

Helotes and Kirby dont have any council races on their ballots, but they are asking their respective voters whether to reauthorize the local sales tax of a quarter penny for street maintenance. Kirby also is asking its voters whether its crime control and prevention district should be continued along with its sales tax.

Windcrest is having a special election on 15 charter amendments, prompted by confusing recall efforts last year.

On ExpressNews.com: Windcrest voters to decide on recall procedures in May

To vote, take a photo ID and your voter registration card to expedite the process. Acceptable IDs include a passport, a Texas drivers license and a Texas Department of Public Safety-issued personal identification card, among others. These IDs are acceptable even if theyre expired, so long as theyre not more than four years out of date. For voters who are 70 or older, the four-year limit doesnt apply. To see a full description of the ID requirements, go to bexar.org/elections

If a voter doesnt have one of the approved photo IDs and cant reasonably obtain one, there are several other ways to establish identification, including a current utility bill with the correct address, a bank statement or government check, among other documents. But these voters must sign a reasonable impediment declaration. Visit sos.state.tx.us for complete details.
La Medina isnt a place that Texas students will recognize. It doesnt appear on maps of the Spanish colonial period, when its ranches flourished and later contributed to the American Revolutionary effort.

That void, as wide as it is, will begin to be filled by a new partnership between Texas A&M University-San Antonio, whose campus sits on part of that historic tract, and TexasTejano.com, an independent San Antonio publisher and history website that has long promoted Tejano contributions to Texas history.

It was founded by businessman and historian Rudi Rodriguez, whose own family has a long ranching history.

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The project is admittedly starting small, a TAMUSA official said Monday, beginning with a series of speakers this fall. Exhibits and archaeological field work will follow, as will academic research that better explores the rich history of the 160-square-mile area along the Medina River.

La Medina was just 20 miles south of whats now downtown San Antonio. The areas western edge began in the town of LaCoste and stretched east to Elmendorf.

Fed by the Medina River and its many creeks, La Medinas ranches were predominantly, but not exclusively, pioneered by Tejanos from the late 1700s through the 1800s, Rodriguez says.

Historians have yet to do a deep dive into the areas history, but acknowledge the wealth of material that awaits them. For now, the TAMUSA project is a long-term one thats still relatively vague.

Last week Rodriguez delivered the first of what will be a series of talks on La Medina that he says will elevate, educate and celebrate this relatively unknown chapter in Texas history.

TAMUSA provost Mike OBrien called the project historically important to the university, because of its geographic location. He said the universitys interest in La Medina also rests in its potential impact on students as a source of pride and a sense of belonging.

That drives Rodriguez, too.

OnExpressNews.com: Beyond its origins, Fiesta has evolved into a celebration of San Antonio

Identity is so important, he said. We need to give students an identity. We dont know we were a significant part of Texas history.

While the Spanish colonial missions south of the city had significant ranching and farming operations, La Medina evolved after the missions were secularized in the late 1700s.

Its ranches started with Spanish land grants and included native Texas Longhorns and Mustangs. La Medina ranchers conducted trail rides long before the King Ranch was established, Rodriguez said.

The first references Rodriguez found to La Medina were in baptismal records (as a place of birth) and in cattle brand registries. He found ranches run by former Tejano military officers, politicians and other male leaders with recognizable names such as Seguin, Losoya, Ruiz and Herrera.

Tejanas operated ranches, too, and registered cattle brands under the names of Justa Villagran, Francisca Amador and Margarita Dias.

During the Civil War, La Medina had a policing unit made up mostly of Tejanos who also patrolled the frontier, Rodriguez said. They were called the Medina Home Guards and were drafted into the Confederate States Army.

In a written summary of the projects hopes, Rodriguez points out that La Medina ranchers assisted the American Revolution by providing over 10,000 head of Longhorns to the north to supply beef and other supplies to the revolutionary effort.

Theyre untold stories of the first ranching families of Texas, of San Antonio, and they were Tejano, he said.

Why La Medina has been so overlooked by historians is a mystery, though TAMUSA associate professor of history Amy Porter says it might have been the overriding focus on two other critical waterways  the San Antonio River and San Pedro Creek.

Students who attended Rodriguezs lecture last week asked why, too.

Were not sure why, Porter said. Perhaps its because it wasnt founded in the same clear-cut way as other towns.

The name La Medina was really about how the ranching community defined itself. The project has jump-started a new way of thinking about local history, Porter said.

Well have to start to think of the history of San Antonio in a much broader way, she said.

Francis X. Galan, an assistant professor of history at TAMUSA, agreed.

This is something that has a lot of potential, he said, noting the layers of history that could tell a richer story of Native Americans, Tejanos, Canary Islanders and immigrants from the American South who landed in Texas.

Right after he gets his current book published, Galan plans to start a new research project involving La Medina.

eayala@express-news.net | @ElaineAyala
Empower Texans made its name by using its political action committees deep pockets to threaten Republicans with aggressive primary challenges if they fell out of line with the conservative groups hardline agenda.

Then the 2018 elections happened.

State records show the Tea Party-aligned group spent a record sum of more than $4 million last year  more than three times the amount it spent in the 2016 presidential year. Yet the majority of the candidates it endorsed, 26 out of 47, lost their primary, general and special elections.

If its increasingly irate email blasts are any indication, thats led to a frustrating legislative session for the group  one thats often left it on the sidelines of major debates.

The budget, with an additional $9 billion for public education and tax reform, is oversized, members complain. Property tax solutions offered up thus far are not relief, just reform, they scoff. Some conservative lawmakers are voicing the same critique.

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Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, who prevailed over an Empower Texans-backed opponent in the March primary, says the group can blame itself for aggressive tactics and contrarian viewpoints that have eroded the confidence of the Republican party.

When Larson was first elected in 2010, he said 25 to 30 members in the House seemed to take cues from the organization and its signature Texas Scorecard website, which ranks legislators based on its so-called fiscal responsibility index. Now, he said, that number has dwindled to fewer than 10. In part, he credits that to new House Speaker Dennis Bonnen.

People want people that are likely to come in with ideas on how to fix things and not just be against everything, Larson said. The Speakers done a great job of empowering members and bringing solutions to the table, and theres been very little regard to the Empower Texans, their whole issue.

As the group fights for legislators attention this session, its also seeking another kind of recognition  media credentials from the Legislature for two writers for Texas Scorecard.

Texas Scorecards request for press credentials was approved for the first time this year by the state Senate, led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has received more than $850,000 from the Empower Texans PAC in the last five years.

But in the House, the groups request was refused by administration committee chair Rep. Charlie Geren, a Fort Worth Republican who turned it down based on Texas Scorecards close association with the lobbying group.

Empower Texans sued Geren and the state earlier this month in federal district court in Austin claiming the denial constituted viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. Geren declined to comment. Empower Texans did not respond to requests for comment.

Geren and Empower Texans have been at odds for several election cycles as the group tries to unseat the veteran lawmaker.

For subscribers: Attorney General Ken Paxton sides with Empower Texans in lawsuit against Texas Ethics Commission

The suit represents a microcosm of the civil war inside the Republican Party in Texas between hardliners and moderates, said Brandon Rottinghaus, professor of political science at the University of Houston.

Empower Texans has been losing its grip on conservative politics in Texas in part because the state is changing politically, and members often shift accordingly, Rottinghaus said.

Some members of the House Freedom Caucus said Empower Texans is not alone in its frustration over spending this session but stressed that theres still time to work out differences before taking score.

I think were working in the House as members to get the best possible solution, and I think theyre working on the outside in the realm that theyre in to do the best that they can to help push for lower property tax, said Rep. Mike Lang, R-Granbury, who leads the caucus and received about $158,000 from the group since 2015. We just have different avenues.

Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredricksburg, agreed and said its something the caucus is working with leadership to address.

This session, it seems like the Legislature leadership is fearful of last election, so theyre just overspending so they can try and please people, and thats totally against the Republican party platform, Biedermann said. Empower Texans actually supports the Republican party platform more than the Republicans do.

PAC or media organization?

Empower Texans, which was formed in 2006 and receives much of its funding from Midland oil and gas developer and its chairman Tim Dunn, consists of two nonprofits in addition to the political action committee.

The group and affiliates have contributed more than $9.5 million to candidates and political groups since 2007, state records show.

The lawsuit filed this month marks the latest attempt by Empower Texans to brand itself as a media organization.

The group has been engaged in a long-running legal battle with the Texas Ethics Commission since 2014, when a two-year probe led the regulator to slap Sullivan with a fine for failing to register as a lobbyist. Sullivan has contended that he is a journalist exempt from such disclosures.

That case has wound its way to the Texas Supreme Court, which has not yet decided whether to hear it.

Sullivan is also claiming in two Travis County district court cases that the ethics commission lacks the constitutional authority to take enforcement actions.

According to the most recent lawsuit, the organization put in media credential applications in January for plaintiffs Brandon Waltens, and Destin Sensky, who write for the Texas Scorecard.

Among House criteria for approval is a requirement that an organization be editorially independent of any institution, foundation, or interest group that lobbies the government and principally a general news organization.

No other applicant was denied a credential this session, according to the suit.

The suit cites tweets that Geren has posted in the past about the organization showing his distaste for Empower Texans and notes that the group has backed his political opponents in the past to build an argument that the denial was made in bad faith.

Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, said he considers the group a "political organization" and not a "legitimate media organization at all" and that neither chamber should have awarded its members passes.

A lot of the things they say and assert are based on absolute falsehoods, Seliger said. When it comes to fake news, there is no clearer example in the state of Texas.

Biedermann, who has received about $199,000 from the group since 2016, said he doesnt see what Empower Texans does as lobbying. Instead, he said theyre spreading truth and holding Republicans accountable when they stray from fiscal conservative values  and that true conservatives in Texas cant count on mainstream media for that information.

They give lots of information out to the public, Biedermann said. Where else you going to get that information?
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and members of Congress vowed a major push to aid military veterans during a day-long gathering on Capitol Hill organized by a Texas organization working to help victims of battlefield burn pits.

As of this week, 175,375 veterans and service members had joined the department of Veterans Affairs Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry  more of them in Texas than in any other state, government records show.

With help from Castro and others in Congress, Burn Pits 360, based in Robstown, on Tuesday mobilized veterans groups and leading researchers on Capitol Hill in the first-of-its-kind gathering to lobby for legislation to improve care and benefits for victims.

Castro, D-San Antonio, described how more than 200 of the smoldering pits burned round the clock in Iraq and Afghanistan, often near where soldiers and marines worked and slept.

These were situations where chemicals, plastics, human wastes and all sorts of things were thrown into open-air burn pits and our service members exposed for days and weeks and months, Castro said.

Our service men and womens exposure to this toxicity is undeniable and the level of toxicity cannot be questioned. This issue is bipartisan, which is a good thing in Congress, and it impacts veterans of every creed and color regardless of party affiliation or where they come from. All of us here in Congress understand that, he said.

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U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., a physician, echoed a complaint heard frequently during the day about the VA being slow to acknowledge burn pits-related illnesses, from lung disease to cancers, and grant disability benefits to those who suffer.

It doesnt take a genius to understand that theres an association between toxic smoke and ill health, he said.

The VA says that it is funding medical studies and has granted disability claims in more than 2,000 cases. But the agency contends that theres a lack of scientific evidence to prove long-term health effects from burn pits.

Nonetheless, researchers gathered in a congressional auditorium described what they had found in veterans theyd studied, displaying microscope slides of lung tissue laden with metals and other impurities.

For subscribers: Veterans exposed to battlefield burn pits seek care and compensation

Dr. Robert Miller, a researcher at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said he discovered abnormalities in lung biopsies of many soldiers returning from wars to Fort Campbell, in Kentucky.

They no longer met the armys physical fitness standards. They were no longer deployable, he said.

Among recent bills in the new Congress, Castro and Ruiz introduced legislation making it easier for ailing veterans to win disability benefits by adding constrictive bronchiolitis - a lung disorder - to the list of afflictions that qualify for VA compensation.
AUSTIN  Secretary of State David Whitley is meeting privately with Democratic Senators this week as he tries to keep his job. But several Democrats say they still wont vote to confirm Whitley, despite the settlement Monday of federal lawsuits that challenged Texas bungled attempt to purge up to 95,000 suspected noncitizens from the voter rolls.

I dont think that harm can be repaired, said Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, one of the 12 Senate Democrats who have pledged to block Whitleys confirmation. It doesnt change a thing.

Whitley has been under fire since late January, when his office wrongly flagged tens-of-thousands of Texans as potential non-citizens to be removed from the states voter rolls.

Though he was nominated by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in December, Whitley still needs sign-off from the 31-member state Senate. Without the support of two chamber Democrats, Whitley will likely lose his job at the end of the legislative session in May.

A few Democrats indicated they might reconsider their opposition if Whitley pledges to boost statewide election participation by allowing online voter registration or same-day voter registration. Under current laws, Texas voters must register a month before the election, the most strict deadline allowed by the federal government.

That could be a game changer, said Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio. That would show me theres a desire to help people be engaged in the process.

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Both those proposals, however, would need legislative approval. And neither has gained much traction in the Republican-controlled House or Senate this session.

Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, said Whitley didnt mention same-day or online voter registration when they met for 30 minutes Monday.

I made it very clear to him he needs 2 votes, Miles said. I cant be one of them.

In a statement, a spokesman said Whitley looks forward to meeting with the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus to discuss the settlement agreement and voter registration list maintenance going forward.

He looks forward to addressing the concerns of the Caucus and receiving feedback on ways to enhance access to the ballot box in Texas, Whitleys spokesman Sam Taylor said in a statement.

The settlement calls on Whitley to rescind his offices January advisory, which announced the purge to county elections administrators, and to advise them to take no further action on data files the office released in connection to that advisory.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott didnt respond to a request for comment, though he has defended Whitley and cast blame on the Texas Department of Public Safety for providing faulty citizenship data.

If Whitley isnt confirmed, Abbott must nominate someone else to the post, though its not clear who that might be. In addition to overseeing elections, the secretary of state also keeps business records and is a liaison for the governor on Mexican and border affairs.

On Monday, more than 20 civil rights groups sent a letter to Texas Democrats urging them to continue blocking Whitleys confirmation. Public service is a privilege, not a right, and there are a number of other qualified people that the Governor can appoint to this position, said the letter, without naming names.

Meanwhile, the Democrat-led U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee is still pursuing an investigation into the attempted voter purge. On Monday, Chairman Elijah Cummings wrote a letter to state officials demanding they turn over documents the committee had requested earlier this month, including any correspondence with Abbott and the Trump administration. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has denied the records request.
If everything had gone right, you might have been reading this column online with a Samsung smartphone that folded open into a tablet. Or, if you have an iPhone to read this, you might have been charging it on a mat that could juice up three different devices at once.

But neither of those things is possible. In both cases, the products never saw the light of day. One was canceled 18 months after it was introduced at a glitzy product showcase; the other was yanked just days before it was scheduled to ship to stores and pre-order customers.

Both were epic product fails, and each was handled very differently by their respective creators. How these stumbles were handled says a lot about the individual companies, but they also are representative of the frantically competitive nature of 21st century consumer electronics. Being the first with the shiniest object has its pitfalls.

Know when to fold em

Samsung had planned to start selling its Galaxy Fold, the first smartphone that could be unfolded into a tablet format, on April 26. Other companies - including Huawei, Motorola, Oppo and Royole - have one in the works, and several were demonstrated at Januarys CES electronics show. But Samsung appeared to the be first out of the gate with a commercially available one, albeit with a sky-high price tag: $1,980.

As smartphone companies often do, Samsung sent technology reviewers samples of the Galaxy Fold the week before it was to become available. A few days after the journalists got their hands on the Fold, problems arose. In some cases, the displays became corrupted, and eventually died. In other instances, bulges appeared under the screen near the hinge. The reviewers, who were not under embargo, began posting photos of their defective Folds on social media.

FOLDING: Samsung Galaxy Fold wont launch as planned

It turns out that, in some cases, the problem was caused by a reviewer peeling away a protective film on the Folds inner screen. Most smartphones come with a temporary film on their screens to protect them during shipping, and its normal to remove it. That was not the case with the Fold, and the reviewers had not been warned to not remove the film.

Samsung did not address the problem for a full day, leaving the complaints about the problem to take off on social media and in the tech press. When the company finally broke its silence, its tone was almost severe:

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.

A few days later, the company said it was postponing the Fold launch to continue investigating. Its not clear now when Samsungs folding smartphone will see the light of day.

Unpowered

Contrast that with the debacle of the AirPower wireless charging mat, a product announced by Apple in September 2017, at the same time it unveiled the iPhones 8, 8 Plus and X. All three of those smartphones used wireless charging, and the AirPower was to be Apples cutting-edge product in that category.

The mat, according to the presentation at the time, would be able to wirelessly charge an iPhone, an Apple Watch and a soon-to-be released wireless charging case for the AirPods Bluetooth earbuds. Not only that, but users would not have to place the devices precisely on specific spot on the mat, which is the case with most wireless chargers. Anywhere would do.

Apple was vague about the shipping date, saying it would arrive sometime in 2018. But a year later, when the company unveiled the iPhones XS, XS Max and XR, the AirPower was nowhere to be found. When Apple executives were asked about AirPower by journalists, their no comments were curt.

POWERLESS: Apple cancels AirPower charging mat

When 2018 ended and AirPower was still MIA, and some references to it had been wiped from the companys website. But confusingly, AirPower references suddenly showed up in early test versions of iOS, the operating system for iPhones and iPads. Rumors percolated that a March 2019 launch was imminent.

But thats not what came last month. Instead, Apple formally canceled the product. Though it didnt specify why, sources told Bloomberg that Apple simply could not make AirPower work, and that the product was bedeviled by heat issues. In its statement, Apple issued a rare apology:

After much effort, weve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have canceled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward.

Shipping early

Ethan Rasiel has a unique perspective on how these two product failures were handled by Samsung and Apple. He was head of Samsung public relations in the United States from 2011 to 2013, and worked on 200 product launches for the South Korea-based company. Today, hes the co-founder and chief executive of Lightspeed PR, which counts among its clients iHome, a consumer electronics manufacturer.

Rasiel said Samsungs culture is is one of crisis, which is something its proud of. But he also said Samsung has an inferiority complex, having come from a background of producing knock-off products in its earliest days, he said. The fact that the initial Galaxy smartphones looked and behaved a lot like the early iPhones - which resulted in an epic series of court battles between the tech giants  is testimony to this.

Never be comfortable, never be complacent, he said of his former employer. They are always rushing to stay ahead of the other guys.

In an article he wrote for PRWeek, Rasiel said Samsung  in its rush to be first to market with a folding smartphone  failed to adequately test the Fold before sending it to reviewers. Samsung also didnt appear to communicate adequately with the journalists, or provide them with a reviewers guide to using the product. The company also didnt communicate quickly enough with journalists, or brief them adequately on the product, he wrote.

Every company is going to have failures, Rasiel said in an interview. But there are two kinds of failures - one where a product doesnt sell well, and one where the product actually stops working.

Samsung suffered the latter, and it came on the heels of its nightmare with the Galaxy Note 7, an oversized smartphone that had a problem of exploding in its users pockets. The problem was so bad that it was banned from airline flights.

Apple didnt handle its issues with AirPower that well, either.

Apple typically does not try to be the first, Rasiel said. Apple lets others launch a product, then they perfect it, and get it to market right.

With AirPower, Apple may have unveiled the product too soon, but at least it didnt actually get out the door, even in a limited amount, he said.

I give Apple credit for making the hard decision and ripping off the band-aid before anyone put their hands on it, he said, adding that Apples statement  while it came 18 months after the unveiling of AirPower  was more human.

Apple apologized, he said. Samsung pointed fingers at the reviewers.

In the end, both Apple and Samsung jumped the gun. Both were done in by technical limitations, but Samsungs mistake is more damaging to its reputation, particularly in the wake of the Note 7 disaster.

One of the things that will be certain to happen if you push the envelope is that it will, occasionally, burst.

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GREENWICH  After the weekend shooting at a San Diego-area synagogue, Rabbi Yossi Deren from the Chabad of Greenwich hopped on a plane and flew across the country to check on a longtime friend and fellow rabbi.

When Deren arrived in California, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who had been shot in the hand in the attack on Chabad of Poway, jumped up and gave him a hug. The two rabbis shared a greeting, exchanging words from the prophets.

Man must help his fellow, Goldstein said. And Deren responded by saying, And brother must give strength to his brother.

The two longtime friends had time for only a brief visit, but it was a meaningful one. The Chabad movement around the world is a very tight-knit organization, Deren said Monday. Many of the rabbis went to school together in it. You make a lot of friends there.

On Saturday, the shooter entered the synagogue in California during preparations for the end of Passover services. Two other people were injured in the shooting, and Lori-Gilbert Kay was killed after witnesses said she put herself between the shooter and Goldstein, possibly saving the rabbis life. Her funeral services were held Monday.

During the shooting, Goldstein tried to shield himself from the bullets, was hit in the hands and lost a finger. He tried to continue the services even after being shot. A day later, Deren said his friend was in both physical and mental pain.

The shooting suspect has been identified as 19-year-old John Earnest, who reportedly posted an online manifesto praising the recent mass murder in New Zealand in which two mosques were attacked. Earnest also reportedly took credit for a recent arson at a California mosque, but he has not been charged in the fire.

The shooting occurred on the sixth-month anniversary of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed and seven more injured.

Deren returned Monday to Greenwich from his visit, hoping to make a difference at locally as incidents of hatred and bigotry seem to be increasing globally. The rabbi said the problems weigh heavily on him, with increased instances of anti-Semitism. But Deren said the issues touch on all faiths because it is about how man treats his fellow man.

This is not about Chabad, Deren said. This is not about people being murdered while they are in bible study at their church. This is not about people being murdered while going to their mosque.

Its about an entire society where we are raising children who can turn into monsters who are capable of committing acts like these and are capable of going to their schools and killing their classmates, he said. You look at this and you have to ask, What have we done? We have to have a response for this.

Deren wants to work locally on an effective response. He had intended to call Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei on Monday, but Tesei reached out to him first, expressing his deepest regrets and offering his full support.

One idea that Deren said he supports is offering youth a chance for quiet meditation every day in school. Citing his support for the Constitutional separation of church and state, the rabbi said it would not be mandated prayer but rather a chance for young people to reflect.

I think it will do a lot of good, Deren said.

No policies have been proposed, but Deren said he hopes to meet with local clergy from all faiths as well as with civic leaders. Tesei said he will meet with the Greenwich Police Department and local clergy to discuss security issues. Police monitor the community after such incidents, but Tesei said he wanted to see more done.

This kind of violence points to a very real problem and one we are not taking lightly, Tesei said.

For the longer term, Tesei said he absolutely supported the type of effort Deren is advocating for. The first selectman said he is proud of Greenwichs diversity and how the community comes together. He said mass shootings show the deep-seated hatred in some people as well as the need for more mental health care in the community.

There needs to be a broader effort, Tesei said.

During his visit to Poway, Deren said he met with the congregants and saw the blood-soaked floor of the synagogue. He called it a heart-wrenching scene, but the rabbi added that the community is hurt and afraid but also strong in the face of the tragedy.

Deren said he spoke to a woman who lives near the synagogue who is not Jewish but who has grown close to the people who attend services there. The woman, who was in tears, had brought a friend and they were standing near the synagogue together with the congregation. Deren said he has seen similar support from believers and nonbelievers of all kinds across the world.

It is inspiring to see so many people coming together after something like this, Deren said. The way others have rallied to support the community sets a very powerful example for all of us.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
HARTFORD - Officers working a private job jumped into action after they witnessed an illegal dirt bike driver strike a pedestrian in a construction site Monday afternoon.

The officers gave the victim medical aid while other officers chased Nathaniel Dejesus, 19, of Hartford, on foot, police said.

Dejesus was taken into custody quickly and charged with multiple offenses including first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, interfering with police and evading responsibility.

He is being held on $50,000 bond until his arraignment Tuesday in Hartford Superior Court.

"We take public safety seriously and do not chase dirt bikes," Hartford police said on their Facebook page.

"We are happy we could assist the victim and apprehend the suspect."
HARTFORD  A lawsuit brought by the mother of an Oxford teen who died in a police chase led to a debate in the state Supreme Court Monday about when police should and shouldnt pursue suspects.

The boy, 15-year-old Brandon Giordano, was riding in the back seat of his friends Ford Mustang when it crashed in Oxford March 9, 2012, after a chase that began in Seymour when Police Officer Anthony Renaldi saw Ramirezs illegal ground effects lights.

Mother Angela Borellis lawsuit initially sought $15 million in damages when she filed the lawsuit, which claimed Renaldi shouldnt have chased Ramirezs car.

Derby Superior Court Judge Theodore Tyma threw the case out of court in September 2017, agreeing with the town that Renaldi was acting with discretion during the chase, and thus clothed in discretionary act immunity which protects the town.

Lawyers representing Borelli and the town argued before the Supreme Court Monday over the meaning of a state law concerning police chases, and what amount of discretion cops should have in deciding when  and when not to  engage in a pursuit.

Borellis lawyer, Steven J. Errante, said it should be up to a jury to decide whether the Renaldi acted appropriately based on expert testimony  and that he has lined up a former state trooper to testify Renaldi should not have chased Ramirezs car for a traffic infraction.

Were going down that road of basically they can chase with impunity, it doesnt matter if its a traffic violation, as it was in this case, or theyre chasing a murderer, Errante said. There should be a difference between those things but there doesnt seem to be in the laws.

A lawyer representing Seymour, Thomas Gerarde, said if that was a rule, no one will ever stop.

I think as a simple matter of law and order, the police have to try and stop people, at least initially, Gerarde said. And then you make the judgment calls along the way and thats the discretion thats built into the statute.

Ramirez was sentenced to serve seven months behind bars after he pleaded no contest to charges of negligent homicide and engaging police in pursuit.

Renaldi was cleared by an internal investigation.
They then hired Nate Berkus and Marvin Herman Associates to perform a gut rehab on the unit, which now has a custom floor plan, 4 baths, quarter-sawn solid oak floors throughout, custom trim and millwork, pivot-hinged flush-mount doors, designer light fixtures, automatic shades in every room, premium surround sound, a wet bar with cerused oak cabinetry, a master suite with two walk-in closets, and a kitchen with a breakfast room, Calcutta marble countertops and appliances by Sub-Zero, Gaggenau, Wolf and Miele.
SAN DIEGO  The American Southwest is known for the meshing, coalescing and fusing of many cultures. Here, custom and tradition no son ni de aqui ni de alla (Spanish for are neither here nor there).

Nowhere is this better represented than in the lowrider culture, where lowering an automobile elevates its prestige and helps families bond over shared values and traditions.

Richard Ochoa, president of Society Car Club in Mesa and owner of Motorsport Showcase, an exhibition company, said lowriders are more popular than ever.

This has happened because of the internet, he said. Theres mechanisms in place that let people who havent seen (the style) to participate.

The Day at the Bay car show in San Diego speaks to Ochoas point. The show has been growing steadily since its inception in 2011, said its coordinator, Jose Pelon Alvarado.

Last year we had about 5,400 spectators, he said. This year, we had close to 7,500 in total.

This years Day at the Bay drew 1,200 motorcycles and vehicles  a 33 percent increase from last years 900.

From Mesa to the coast

Ochoa founded Society Car Club in 1980. This year, 18 members made the trip for the San Diego show.

One of the 18 was Manny Sandoval, who wanted to showcase the family principles that Society prides itself in. The car Sandoval exhibited at this years event formerly belonged to his brother-in-law, whose death inspired the vehicles design.

The car was made for him  he was my friend from childhood and we were passionate about lowriders, Sandoval said. We grew up around lowriders and always talked about his dreams and what he wanted to do to them.

Seventy-six car clubs from Arizona, California and New Mexico participated in Day at the Bay, with the first two states being the most represented.

Latin Bombas of Imperial Valley, California, was among them.

What we like is getting together with our families, our wives, our children and grandchildren. This is a family club, Bombas member Manuel Molina said.

For Molina, taking part in the customs and traditions of lowrider culture goes far beyond customizing a slab of steel on wheels.

It all comes together, he said. The way we dress, the way we talk  this is our culture, and thats what we all represent.

Society Car Club, Latin Bombas and other collectives help dispel the at-times negative perception of lowrider culture, Molina said.

Everyone thinks were nothing but gang members, but if you actually look at what we invest  thats not true. We work, we provide for our families  and thats what our culture is founded upon, he said. Time changes things, and we keep working to change that negative perception that people have of us.

Molina is referring to the strong cultural links between lowriding and the pachucos, a subculture that started among young people of Mexican descent in the twin cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in the 1930s and 40s. Pachucos were known for their exaggerated zoot suits and flamboyant, sometimes rowdy, behavior.

Mexican-American youth saw the pachucos as a revolt against white societys attempts to erase their Mexican roots, Ochoa said. However, much of white society associated the subculture with gang violence, crime and drug use.

Therefore, the pachucos identity focused on contradicting the cultural norms imposed by Anglo society. This is where the stylistic rebelliousness that shows in their clothing and demeanor was born.

It was not until the culture reached Los Angeles that the practice of lowering a car as close to the pavement as possible was developed in the mid-1940s.

The lowrider style is defined by its colorful paint schemes, elaborate graphics and undersize wheels on older, bigger cars  often Chevrolet Impalas, Oldsmobile Cutlasses and Buick Regals. Many incorporate designs that are rooted in Mexican culture, including Mayan and Aztec symbolism.

To get them low, the cars are equipped with powerful hydraulic systems that often allow owners to jack up the front, the back and either side  then drop the whole thing back to an inch of the blacktop.

Ups and downs for lowrider economy

The 1990s were a high point for Phoenixs lowrider culture, said Luis Miranda, a mechanic in downtown Phoenix.

People would cruise all along Central Avenue, all the way from the buildings to the mountains, said Molina, adding that this custom was inherently rooted in Phoenixs lowrider culture and its origins in the late 70s and early 80s.

At 51, Miranda still manages his own car shop, Mirandas Customs, which specializes in repairing and building lowriders. It opened in 1989.

Miranda said his is one of the few such shops left in Phoenix, thanks to the Great Recession, which began in 2007.

Lots of (them) went out of business, he said, noting that the total number of lowrider shops in Phoenix went from about 20 or 25 to seven. There were very few people still investing money  I stayed because Ive been in this business for many years and changing professions would have been very difficult.

Miranda has great faith in his craft.

Im very proud of my work and its what I like doing, he said. What Im interested in is using what God gave me  in the best way possible, to help people achieve what they want to have.

Like Molina, Miranda also expressed a desire to change the way in which lowrider culture is generally perceived.

People think were just gang members, that we sell drugs. But its not like that anymore. People have to change the way they view it because its like anything else  it evolves.

Miranda said this cultural evolution is reflected in the international reach of lowrider culture: Theres people in Japan, in Europe, in Australia that make lowriders.

But us Mexicans from the Southwest are the originators. No one can do it better.

Have a story idea? Email us at cronkitenews@asu.edu.

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RED VALLEY  Arizona isnt known as a big oil producing state, like Texas and North Dakota, but what oil is produced here is on Navajo land.

Arizonas largest oil field, the Dineh-bi-Keyah, also known as the peoples field, has produced 19 million barrels of crude since the deposit was discovered in the 1960s, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Capitol Operating Group, based in Louisiana, took over the oil field in 2016.

Since then, the operation has shifted from oil to helium drilling. Oil and natural gas rights to land in the Holbrook Basin in particular are a hot commodity for energy developers who see Arizona as the Saudi Arabia of helium.

Those helium wells come from a reservoir thats deeper than the oil, company president David Burns said.

Capitol Operating Group already has converted eight wells from oil to helium, a change that has been positive for the environment, Burns said.

Weve reduced emissions, particularly on that field  even though they were acceptable previously, they are significantly less than they were before, he said.

The company plans to convert two more wells over summer.

According to the EIA, oil production at Dineh-bi-Keyah has dropped from a high of 35,000 barrels a month to 1,000.

Arizonas history with oil

Arizona became the 30th petroleum-producing state on Oct. 13, 1954, after Shell Oil Co. drilled a natural gas well in Apache County, on the Navajo Reservation.

That well began producing 3.6 barrels of oil a day but it wasnt long before competitors joined in.

In 1958, the Humble Oil Co. drilled near Shells well, and by 1961, it was its own natural gas well.

By 2016, Arizona had 32 oil and natural gas wells.

Over the past 100 years, more than 1,100 oil and gas exploration wells have been drilled in Arizona.

Renewable energy

Arizona has few fossil fuel resources, but it does have abundant renewable energy sources, primarily solar, according to the EIA.

The state has an average of 299 sunny days a year, ranking second in the nation behind Nevada in total solar generation in 2017. That same year, Arizonas electricity generation from solar energy exceeded generation from hydroelectric power for the first time.

The states total installed solar-powered electricity-generating capacity has increased substantially over the past two decades, according to the EIA.

Arizona ranks third in the nation in installed solar generating capacity, after California and North Carolina.

Theres been a push on the Navajo Nation to move away from fossil fuels altogether and toward renewable energy.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez recently signed a proclamation calling clean energy on the nation a top priority.

Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Democrat who represents Tucson, says Congress should help tribal communities go green by pushing legislation to incentivise clean energy on lands like the Navajo Nation.

We need to encourage renewables, Grijalva said. We need to assist those nations in being able to look at wind, look at solar, geothermal, etc.

Challenges to going green

Though Arizona is a leader for solar energy, not all Arizonans support renewable energy.

In the 2018 general election, voters defeated Prop 127 which would have required Arizona utility companies to get 50% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.

The battle over Prop 127 was one of the most expensive in the states history with more than $60 million spent. And some argued the proposition would spike electric bills.

Matthew Benson, a spokesman for Arizonans for Affordable Electricity  also known as No on Prop 127  said Arizonans could expect a hefty increase in utility costs if the measure passed.

For the typical Arizona family, that means a $1,000 or more in added utility costs over the course of the year, he said, arguing at the time, that low income families and seniors living on fixed incomes would be hit the hardest.

The current renewable portfolio standard remains unchanged.

That standard, set by the Arizona Corporation Commission, requires the states 16 regulated electricity providers to get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2025.

On top of pushback for renewables in Arizona, U.S. energy use hit an all time high in 2018 with 80 percent of that energy coming from fossil fuels.

 Video by Lillian Donahue/Cronkite News

This story is part of the Elemental series Coming Clean, a report on the traditions of oil and gas in the western United States and the transitions to renewable energy sources. Elemental: Covering Sustainability is a multimedia collaboration between Cronkite News, Arizona PBS, KJZZ, KPCC, Rocky Mountain PBS and PBS SoCal.
Some days, grain traders who are naturally long the market have a hard time looking at the price charts. Farmers, who by nature are always long the market, have to take a gulp before they go to the computer or the paper to look at current prices.

Times have been tough on corn, soybean, and wheat prices. The wheat is depressed beyond belief. The corn and soybeans make regular new life-of-contract lows, no matter how much we talk about the coming impact of a huge deal with China.

The market frankly has gotten so tired of talking about Chinese business that it is trading futures currently as if there is no deal in sight. There is the chance they are right.

The end of November, on the sidelines of multi-national meetings in Argentina, representatives of the U.S. and China agreed to agree. That is, they entered an agreed-upon period of three months to wring out a comprehensive trade deal between the two countries.

Although we in the agriculture business focus on the grain part of it, the trade accord would include all products. There seems to be agreement on the grain portions, and rumors have been floated that are generally believed. There would seem to be a tripling of agricultural trade to the level of around $50 billion a year. That would require not just soybeans, but also corn, feeds and meats to reach that level.

And, yet, prices have continued to drop, especially in the last two months. Perhaps that is because the March 1 target has come and gone, and talk is cheap.

This week our Treasury Secretary and chief negotiator are in China. We are told that there is anticipation that the presidents of the two countries would meet for a signing around Memorial Day. Or not.

The uncertainty has left the market defensive, then reeling.

According to rumor, the problems come in negotiating the Chinese theft of intellectual property and the enforcement of the agreement. We have waited until we are starting to give up, if you believe what is happening on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Corn prices, especially, have shown the effect of what has become negative news. The spec funds have added to record short positions three weeks in a row. They have shorted soybeans to near-record levels. The result is a new low for December corn futures last week at 3.71 3/4, more than 30 cents off the recent high of 4.02 1/2 made on March 25. November soybeans made a new low at 8.80 1/2 Monday of this week.

Sliver of silver lining

Now, the good news. We are staging the market for a big rally, depending upon events of the next few weeks. Last weeks trading put in a huge chart technical signal in the corn.

Called an exhaustion tail, the markets traded sharply lower Thursday, then recovered. The result was a tail on the chart where we traded 8 cents lower on December futures, then reversed and closed almost 6 cents off the low. That resulted in an actual gain for the day, and it was followed by gains the next three days. We are near 3.82 this Tuesday morning as this is written.

Add to this technical signal the fact that we are entering a period of delayed planting that has every sign of continuing. The U.S. is normally at 27 percent planted on corn as of Sunday night a few days ago. We are now at 15 percent nationally, and Ohio has only planted 2 percent, up from one last week.

In my weekly conference call with 20 other Russell associates across the Midwest, the trend was clear. There are dry spots where the crop is getting in on time. For the most part, however, planting is hardly started or not started at all. And, rain is forecast all week.

We expect planting to be seriously delayed by the next USDA Crop Progress Report, released next Monday. If the delayed planting continues and there is finally good trade news, we are off to the races.
Animal rights and vegan activists have created a petition to stop a Yorkshire school slaughtering pigs as part of lessons looking at meat production and food provenance.

A new addition to Farsley Farfield's on-site farm in Leeds has created 'quite a stir', according to the primary school.

The school farm grows vegetables, keeps hens and rears Gloucester Old Spot pigs as part of efforts to teach pupils the food chain.

On the school's website, it said that through keeping the pigs, children will learn more about the provenance of their food and issues around animal welfare.

They have plenty of space to root around in. They particularly enjoy looking for windfall apples that the children have hidden around their enclosure, the school said.

The pigs are of the heritage Gloucester Old Spot breed that used to be kept in orchards and, according to folklore, their black spots are bruises from falling apples. They are the perfect breed for Farfield Farm.

But a petition has since launched which calls on the school to drop its pig session, saying that keeping animals for slaughter will 'traumatise' children.

The petition, launched by vegan Ix Willow six months ago, has gathered more than 2,800 signatures.

She said: Schools have a duty of care to support children, teach them fair values and to provide a safe and happy environment for them.

By teaching children that it is okay to exploit and kill animals they are in breach of this, and this could also be traumatising for children getting to know the animals and then knowing they are going to die.

However, headteacher Peter Harris said he only wanted pupils to become 'more knowledgeable and sensitive to animal welfare' as a result of rearing pigs.

He explained in a statement: There was consultation on this before the pigs came and the project has the overwhelming support of the school's families.

The pigs have never been pets. Our animals are just one part of a comprehensive, award-winning farming, food and cooking curriculum that means our children are much better-informed than most about where their food comes from.

Comments left on the school's website shows that the majority of people are in favour of keeping the pigs.

One person who left a comment, Tanya Hepton, said that despite some individuals views on social media, having pigs on the school farm is a 'brilliant idea'.

All of my children have been brought up knowing where our food comes from and it does not stop them eating any of it, she said.

Jade Thompson added: Fab addition to the school, my daughter is very excited to have them in the school and what a great way for the children to learn the true food cycle.
In the U.S., sometimes if someone makes a mistake, as long as you understand them, people are very accepting. In France, its sort of the other way around, he said. (There) it would almost be considered a faux pas not to correct someone, as in, youre not very nice because youre not really helping them out, whereas here, its like, Hey, who are you to correct me? It's a whole different cultural approach, and that relates to the pronunciation of food, but also relates to just social norms and etiquette in general.
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Guyana Goldfields Inc. provides exploration and production of gold. It engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and operation of gold mineral properties. The company also owns and operates gold drilling rights. The company was formerly known as Chiboug Copper Company Limited and changed its name to Guyana Goldfields Inc. in January 1995. Guyana Goldfields Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. As of August 25, 2020, Guyana Goldfields Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Company Limited.

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"John didn't just make his feature film debut in 1991 with 'Boyz n the Hood,' he exploded into Hollywood, our culture and our consciousness with such a powerful cinematic depiction of life in the inner city. The groundbreaking film would go on to make him the youngest person and the first African American ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. For the next three decades, John's career as a film director flourished with such culturally resonant films ranging from 'Poetic Justice' and 'Rosewood' to 'Shaft' and '2 Fast 2 Furious.' His expansion into television was no less powerful, with his direction of 'American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson' earning him a DGA Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series in 2016. I was so fortunate to be a collaborator with John on the show 'Snowfall,' and witnessed first-hand the enormous impact he had on so many."
Be Careful!

In the picture, Rani looks bold, defiant and fearless as the top cop who launches an investigation to go head on with this extremely clever and vicious villain.

Mardaani Is & Will Always Be Close To Rani's Heart

Earlier when Mardaani 2 was announced, Rani had issued an official statement that read, "Mardaani is and will always be extremely close to my heart. Right since its release, everyone has asked me time and again when I would be doing Mardaani 2 and I am sure that this announcement will come as a pleasant surprise to them all. Gopi has written an extraordinary script that we all love and I can't wait to start shooting this film soon."

Rajasthan Diaries

Rani recently headed to Rajasthan for the second shooting schedule of the film.

Speaking about it, director Gopi Puthran said, " It's an intense one-month long schedule in Rajasthan which forms the backdrop to the story of Mardaani 2. Rani's investigation will take her to Jaipur and Kota. Given that we are shooting in peak summer of Rajasthan, it will be physically demanding because Rani will be doing action sequences too. The entire team is thrilled to be shooting in the beautiful state of Rajasthan and we are looking forward to the love and cooperation from the people."

TV Actor Vikram Singh Chauhan To Make His Bollywood Debut With Mardaani 2

"Working in a Yash Raj film is a dream for any actor. It was so overwhelming to even step into the office. Shooting in the studios was completely surreal, to say the least. And while that took time to sink in, I had Rani ma'am as my co-star. I have most of my scenes with her and it was like a dream come true for me to work with her."
Vicky Kaushal Nails The First Look

Sharing this still on his Instagram page, Vicky wrote, "Running my fingers through the bullet holes at Jallianwala Baug, little did I realise that I would one day get a chance to re-live and depict the anger & anguish of the lesser known martyr, revolutionary...SARDAR UDHAM SINGH.

#SardarUdhamSingh @shoojitsircar @ronnie.lahiri #SheelKumar @writish1 #ShubenduBhattacharya #RisingSunFilms @sadarudhamfilm."

Why Shoojit Sircar Felt Vicky Was The Right Person To Play Udham

When Shoojit Sircar was quizzed if Vicky was recognized by the locals in St. Petersburg, Russia where they are currently shooting for the film, he told Mumbai Mirror, "He was recognised by the Indians there. The others liked his commitment. (Chuckles) I like that too, along with his dynamism and continued attempts to experiment with different roles like Masaan, a beautiful character and film. There's a burning intensity and anger that I saw in his eyes during our first meeting itself, that convinced me he was the right man to play Udham."

The Director Is Nervous & Emotional About This Film

Sircar further told the tabloid, "I heard the inspiring story when I was just out of college, doing theatre in Delhi. I came to Mumbai with the idea of making a film on it. I didn't have the money or the courage or even a script.

Now, with my writers Ritesh Shah and Shubhendu Bhattacharya my friends Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar, and Vicky Kaushal, one of the most dynamic young actors today, and my years of experience, I want to bring this largely unknown revolutionary alive on screen. I'm both nervous and emotional."

On Shooting In Russia

"This is my first period film and it's hard to create that environment and these characters that are a part of our history. The Russians love India... They love Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun da (Chakraborty). If you want something you only sing " Jimmy Jimmy' from Disco Dancer."

He further added, "We will be shooting for six-seven months, all through the year during different seasons. The film is scheduled for a 2020 release."
Sandalwood actor Darshan recently attended a college fest in Bangalore. He was invited as a guest at BIT, during which he addressed several issues. While interacting with the students, the actor used the platform to warn the students about following traffic rules and road safety measures. Remembering the accident he was involved in a while ago, D Boss told the youngsters to be drive vehicles carefully and responsibly. At the event, he even spoke about farmer loans and the need for the government to act upon it.

Until recently, we saw Darshan and the Chief Minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy involved in a verbal brawl as they campaigned for the candidates in Mandya region. Issues concerning farmers was constantly spoken during the canvass. Kumaraswamy time and again questioned Sumalatha and her supporters' intention as he blamed them for looting farmers.

During the fest, Darshan yet again discussed the above issue. He stated, "We are all farmers. But, the soldiers fighting at the border is the only reason we are able to conduct agricultural activities at peace over here. Many have said that they will clear the entire loan taken by farmers."

"There is no need for that. Rather, they should help us receive a better rate for our produce at the market. If this is done, the farmers will be able to clear the loans by themselves, without any help," Darshan further added.

Darshan Has Bought A New Lamborghini Only A Few Weeks After Puneeth Rajkumar! Are They Competing?

The results for the Lok Sabha elections will be declared on May 24, 2019. Darshan had previously said that once the results are out, he will respond to all that Kumaraswamy had said. On the professional end, he had started shooting for his forthcoming film Robert, which is said to be his 50th movie.
@_SagarRavinath

"Please dub @Bharat_TheFilm to Kannada. We would like to watch this film in Kannada. @BeingSalmanKhan @SKSfilm_official..@aliabbaszafar. #bharatinkannada" - (sic)

@AnkithRaj_5

"Who authorized a dubbing ban?? People of Gandhinagar neither don't know the art nor how to appreciate it..! Our constitution gives us the rights to watch in the language of our choice. #BharatInKannada" - (sic)

@SalamRockyBhai3

"Recently released KGF is the finest example for @BeingSalmanKhan & team to understand why Dubbing is important in India. Dubbing in will help #Bharat movie to reach even outside Bengaluru. Large number of rural population will see the movie if its in Kannada. #BharatInKannada" - (sic)

@adichamp007

"#BharatInKannada heyy @BeingSalmanKhan Anna, you have fans in Karnataka who don't understand Hindi so we want ur help in releasing @Bharat_TheFilm in Kannada for the ppl of Karnataka. #BharatInKannada @Bharat_TheFilm @BeingSalmanKhan @TSeries #bharatInKannada." - (sic)

@vijaykalyana13

"Most of Salman Khan's hit movies would have Run 100 days in BLR. This would have been possible only because Of majority living Kannadigas here.Kannadigas are comfortable with kannada more than Hindi! Why shouldn't your @Bharat_TheFilm get dubbed into Kannada? #bharatinkannada" - (sic)

@vijaykalyana13

"Dubbing was banned illegally in Kannada for nearly 5 decades. But, now everything is fine here. People are ready to accept dubbed contents itself. It would be great hearing Salman speaking in Kannada. Please Dub #BharatInKannada" - (sic)
High River, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2019) - The Western Investment Company of Canada Limited (TSXV: WI) ("WICC") announced today it has filed its 2018 Financial Statements and MD&A on SEDAR.

In a message to shareholders, WICC CEO Scott Tannas reported:

"We are pleased with our progress in 2018. Our four foundation companies are all profitable, with strong opportunities for growth. Our year end net income stands at $1.13 million (3.7 cents per share). When our onetime costs for 2018 acquisitions are deducted (we call this NPIO) our net income is $1.7 million (5.6 cents per share). NPIO is a non-GAAP financial measure explained in WICC's MD&A."

Portfolio Company Reports "In 2018, GlassMasters grew sales by 9% and net income by 18% over the prior year. Two new stores were opened in 2018, and management is focussed on getting these new locations contributing to profits in 2019.

Golden Health Care saw growth in both revenue and profit of 1% and 7% respectively as a result of rent increases introduced early in 2018. We continue to work with Golden Health Care's management and our partner investors to plan expansion of the existing network. In the meantime, our homes in Estevan, Regina (Emerald Park), and Prince Albert continue to operate at full occupancy with healthy waiting lists.

In our first year of operations at Ocean Sales, we had strong revenue and profits at the fall and winter consumer shows as well as the marquee summer events, including the Stampede, PNE, CNE and a number of US State fairs. The in-store partnership with a major global retailer lost momentum in the second half of the year, and the team at Ocean Sales is working through some new and unanticipated operating expenses in the USA operation. Canadian and US in-store sales are in transition as new innovative products are introduced. Ocean Sales remains profitable, and we have confidence that the issues in the in-store partnership programs in the US and Canada are temporary.

Also, our first year as owners of Foothills Creamery has been a delight, with strong sales and improving margins leading to EBITDA and Net Income well above expectations. Foothills also purchased a non-dairy ice cream brand in late 2018, Screamin' Brothers located in Lethbridge, Alberta. Production is expected to move to our central facilities and strong consumer demand for innovative plant-based ice cream will be a growth story for the company going forward."

Proposed Fortress Insurance Transaction "In 2018, we searched for - and found - an entry point into the specialty insurance industry. Our deal to acquire 50% of Fortress Insurance provides us with a rare opportunity to develop and sell specialty insurance products and provide surplus lines capacity in Alberta and the other western provinces. We are working diligently to obtain regulatory approvals for the transaction, and concurrent licencing approvals for the new product lineup at Fortress Insurance. We expect to be able to report positive news in the coming days."

"So, while we made significant progress across many fronts in 2018 - including an encouraging financial result - we believe there are still many opportunities for our company to improve and grow all our businesses. We remain a small company with big plans. Persistence and strong execution are critical to our continued success."

About The Western Investment Company of Canada Limited

WICC is a unique publicly traded, private equity company founded by a group of successful Western Canadian businesspeople, and dedicated to building and maintaining ownership in successful Western Canadian companies, and helping them to grow. The company's shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol WI. For more information on the company, please visit its website at www.winv.ca.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The Western Investment Company of Canada Limited

Scott Tannas President and Chief Executive Officer

(403) 652-2663

stannas@winv.ca

Advisory

This news release may contain certain forward-looking information and statements, including without limitation, statements pertaining to future plans, acquisitions, financings and earnings. Statements containing the words: 'believes', 'intends', 'expects', 'plans', 'seeks' and 'anticipates' and any other words of similar meaning are forward-looking. All statements included herein involve various risks and uncertainties because they relate to future events and circumstances beyond Western's control. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. A description of assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information and a description of risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in Western's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Any forward looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Western 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44408
MOSCOW, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the Russia-China Investment Fund (RCIF) have started implementing projects in the framework of coupling the EAEU and the Chinese Belt and Road initiative aimed at accelerating mutual economic integration between Russia and China.

New projects of RDIF and its international partners announced during the Belt and Road forum in Beijing will strengthen cooperation between Russia and China in a number of sectors, such as infrastructure construction, genetic research, artificial intelligence and others.

The strategic partnership with China's BGI Group is a new RDIF project with one of the world's leading genetics companies.



The agreement will enable RDIF to attract new investment in Russia's high-tech sector and help develop breakthrough solutions in healthcare.

Another example of joint projects in the healthcare sector is the involvement of Chinese co-investors in the project to create a leading Russian pharmaceutical holding based on JSC PE Obolenskoe.



The expansion of the pharmaceutical holding will be carried out by merging Obolenskoe with the pharmaceutical company Binnopharm.

Cooperation with the Chinese innovation-focused company Tus-Holdings, supported by Tsinghua University, to jointly build a science and technology park on the premises of Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) and a science and technology park at the former Tushino airfield in the north-west of Moscow .



RCIF and Tus-Holdings have also launched the Russia - China venture fund with initial capital of $100mn .

RDIF and RCIF attract new Chinese partners to Intergeo company focusing on the development of the Kingash (located in the Krasnoyarsk region of Russia ) and Ag-Sug (located in Russia's Tyva Republic) polymetallic deposits, both of which have significant reserves of copper, nickel and a number of other non-ferrous metals. The total value of investment to development these deposits and associated infrastructure will exceed RUB 178bn . Together with new initiatives, RDIF and RCIF are committed to implement ongoing projects under Belt and Road initiative.

The construction of the first ever railway bridge across the Amur river on the Russia - China border has entered its final stage. Now that the Russian and Chinese parts of the bridge have been connected, experts are preparing to install the railway track and complete the transport infrastructure. The bridge will significantly increase the turnover of goods and the competitiveness of Russian producers and exporters in the region, reducing the distance of transportation to the final consumer by about 700 km compared to other existing export railway routes. The bridge is set to open in 2020.

Establishment and development of Tigers Realm Coal, a coal mining company in Chukotka.



The company is exporting coal to Asian markets, including China .

Expansion of the network of regional airports and creation of the largest transport hub in the Far East, based at Vladivostok airport.



In 2018, international air passenger traffic grew by more than 45%.

Development of RFP Group, the largest exporter of timber products in Russia's Far East. The majority of the company's products are exported to China .

Development of the Dakaitaowa online platform aimed at exporting Russian food products to China .

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of RDIF and Co-CEO of RCIF, said that current activation of infrastructure and economic ties between Russia and China is a result of the evolution of bilateral relations that has allowed for an unprecedented high level of cooperation, which Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have repeatedly stressed. "RDIF actively promotes the Belt and Road initiative aimed at developing mechanisms for regional economic partnerships and fostering economic growth amongst participating countries. It is important that investments by RDIF and partners are not limited to infrastructure projects, i.e. construction of bridges. 'Bridges' between Russia and China are being built across various sectors including genetics, modern technology parks, pharmaceuticals and beyond. Investment cooperation with our Chinese partners is truly comprehensive and reflects the current unprecedentedly high level of cooperation between Moscow and Beijing."
SHANGHAI, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With China's first four-day May Day holiday approaching, its outbound tourism market continues to heat up. According to the statistics from several OTAs in China, about 60% of Chinese tourists will travel abroad during the holiday, and their destinations are increasingly diversified.

So far, tourists can use UnionPay cards conveniently in 174 countries and regions. And since the beginning of this year, it is increasingly easy to use UnionPay cards in Europe, Africa, and South Asia. Recently, UnionPay International has teamed up with tens of thousands of well-known merchants in 40 countries and regions outside mainland China to provide special discounts of up to 20% for UnionPay cardholders. Among these participating merchants, over 10,000 will provide discounts for customers who pay with UnionPay mobile payment products.

UnionPay continues to enhance its service capacity

To date, UnionPay payment is available at over 26 million merchants outside mainland China, covering almost all popular tourist destinations. And UnionPay cards are accepted in an increasing number of sectors. In Europe, for instance, over 90% of countries and regions have already accepted UnionPay cards. In the first quarter of 2019, a large number of F&B merchants, hotels and supermarket in the Baltic countries, namely Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have started accepting UnionPay cards; which will drive the overall acceptance rate of UnionPay in these countries to 50%. In Northern Europe, UnionPay has recently achieved 100% acceptance in Denmark, while in Sweden and Finland over half of the local merchants accept UnionPay cards.

With the user number of the UnionPay app exceeding 150 million, an increasing number of merchants outside mainland China are accepting the app to attract Chinese tourists. So far, the UnionPay app users can enjoy mobile payment services offered by UnionPay, including QR code payment and contactless payment, in 46 countries and regions outside mainland China. UnionPay QR code payment is available at over 200,000 merchants outside mainland China. In Hong Kong and Macau alone, there are 5,000 more merchants, including the Rosedale Hotel and Metropark Hotel, which have supported this service since this year. Now, there are over 14,000 merchants in Hong Kong and Macau accepting UnionPay QR code payment.

Special discounts for UnionPay mobile payment users are available at more merchants

During this May Day holiday, the merchants providing special offers for UnionPay cardholders include international airports, shopping centers, landmark department stores, feature restaurants, car rental companies, hotels, as well as popular tourist attractions. Among them, airport is a crucial sector where UnionPay is providing special offers.

During the holiday, a total of 100 major airports in and outside China will provide special offers for UnionPay cardholders, with 14 international airports in the Czech Republic, South Africa and India participating for the first time this year. In addition to discounts available at duty-free shops, UnionPay cardholders can also enjoy a variety of privileges at these airports, such as booking shuttle buses at a better price at the New York and San Francisco airports, renting WIFI at Kuala Lumpur Airport, and entry to the VIP lounge at the Moscow Airport.

It is worth noting that much more number and types of merchants are offering discounts for customers who pay with UnionPay mobile payment products. These merchants are mainly located in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Pacific, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Russia. And discounts for UnionPay QR code payment are available at large duty-free shops and brand stores for the first time. In Shila Duty-free in South Korea and Thomas Sabo in Singapore, for instance, discounts are available for the UnionPay app users who pay for a certain amount by scanning the UnionPay QR code.

Customers who pay with UnionPay mobile contactless payment can also enjoy offers in fields of transit and convenience stores. For example, tourists can enjoy discounts when using UnionPay mobile QuickPass to take the Moscow Aeroexpress and Kaohsiung MRT. Instant discounts for UnionPay contactless payments are also available at Woolworths supermarkets in Australia and CR Vanguard in Hong Kong.
This year, the director of Elf, Iron Man, the live-action Jungle Book and the forthcoming live-action version of The Lion King is taking no chances. Favreau, who gigged around Chicago improvisation and sketch comedy stages in the late 1980s and early 90s, has agreed to accept the 2019 Renaissance Award on one condition: The gala, featuring an onstage interview conducted by his fellow Marvel Studios regular Robert Downey Jr., will be preceded by a Weiners Circle drop-by.
April 30, 2019 - Aker Solutions' revenues and earnings strengthened in the first quarter of 2019, as the company won new orders and made good progress on its portfolio of projects.

1Q 2019 Financial Highlights (including effects of IFRS 16)

Revenue NOK 7.3 billion

EBITDA NOK 634 million

EBITDA margin 8.7%

EBITDA ex. special items NOK 636 million

EBITDA margin ex. special items 8.8%

Earnings per share ex. special items NOK 0.57

Order intake NOK 5.5 billion

Order backlog NOK 33.3 billion

High activity in several ongoing Field Design projects, as well as increased activity and progress in the subsea segment, on the back of work won last year, contributed to a solid financial performance by Aker Solutions in the first quarter.

"An active market for early phase studies, combined with high project tendering activity, means the company is well positioned to take advantage of current market conditions," said Aker Solutions' Chief Executive Officer Luis Araujo.

Orders totaled NOK 5.5 billion in the quarter, bringing the backlog to NOK 33.3 billion. Key awards included the subsea gas compression FEED contract from Chevron for the Jansz-Io field offshore Australia. "This is the international breakthrough for our subsea compression technology, which already has provided great results at Asgard for Equinor since 2015," said Araujo.

The contract is for front-end engineering and design of a subsea compression station as well as an unmanned power and control floater. This is the first service order under the master contract to develop the field.

During the first quarter, Aker Solutions completed the delivery of the topside processing platform for Equinor's Johan Sverdrup field. In Africa, Total started production on Kaombo South at the end of the quarter. Aker Solutions delivered the subsea production system for this significant project in Angola.

Demand for early-phase work continued to be strong. In the first quarter Aker Solutions was awarded 31 front-end contracts, from a range of customers and regions.

In the first quarter, Aker Solutions made a strategic investment in Airborne Oil & Gas, an innovative manufacturer of fully bonded, Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP). The lightweight, high strength and corrosion resistant composite pipes provide cost and operational benefits in subsea production & oil field service applications. The company will work with Airborne to introduce thermoplastic composite pipe solutions into its subsea portfolio.

Revenue and EBITDA

Revenue rose to NOK 7.3 billion in the quarter from NOK 5.5 billion a year earlier, supported by progress and deliveries on key projects in several markets. The EBITDA was NOK 634 million, compared with NOK 425 million in the first quarter of 2018. Excluding special items, the EBITDA was NOK 636 million with a margin of 8.8 percent compared with 7.1 percent in the same period last year. EBITDA for 1Q 2019 include 140 million of lease effects from the new IFRS 16 accounting standard, while comparative figures have not been re-stated. The 1Q EBITDA margin, excluding the IFRS 16 effect, was 6.8 percent.

Aker Solutions has two reporting segments: Projects and Services. Revenue in Projects rose 40 percent to NOK 6 billion in the quarter from NOK 4.2 billion a year earlier, mainly driven by the field design sub segment. Excluding special items, EBITDA margin was 8.0 percent in the quarter versus 7.6 percent a year earlier.

Revenue in Services was NOK 1.3 billion, up 12 percent from NOK 1.2 billion in the same quarter last year, with the increase driven by international growth in the company's production asset services sub-segment. The EBITDA margin excluding special items was 14.4 percent in the quarter, an increase from 11.7 percent a year earlier.

Outlook

Tendering activity remains high in main markets - and Aker Solutions is currently bidding for contracts totaling about NOK 55 billion. The majority of this is in the subsea area - and key projects are anticipated to be awarded this year.

In the longer term, Aker Solutions expects an increase in global energy demand and that investment efforts in sustainable energy solutions will be rewarded.

Aker Solutions sees overall revenue in 2019 up close to 10 percent from 2018 on the back of a strong order intake last year and continued high tendering activity, with overall 2019 underlying EBITDA margin up year-on-year, and to remain around year-to-date level excluding the effects of the implementation of IFRS 16.

ENDS

Media Contact:

Ivar Simensen, mob: +47 464 02 317, e-mail: ivar.simensen@akersolutions.com (mailto:ivar.simensen@akersolutions.com)

Investor Contact:

Fredrik Berge, mob: +47 450 32 090, e-mail: fredrik.berge@akersolutions.com (mailto:fredrik.berge@akersolutions.com)

Aker Solutions helps the world meet its energy needs. We engineer the products, systems and services required to unlock energy. Our goal is to maximize recovery and efficiency of oil and gas assets, while using our expertise to develop the sustainable solutions of the future. Aker Solutions employs approximately 15,000 people in more than 20 countries.

Visit akersolutions.com (http://akersolutions.com/) and connect with us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AkerSolutions/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/akersolutions/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/aker-solutions), Twitter (https://twitter.com/akersolutions) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/akersolutions).

This press release may include forward-looking information or statements and is subject to our disclaimer, see https://akersolutions.com (http://akersolutions.com/)

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

1Q 2019 Presentation (http://hugin.info/163509/R/2242957/885435.pdf)



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: Aker Solutions ASA via Globenewswire


NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kazakhstan's new president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has begun a tour of the country's provinces to meet with local communities and workers. This is part of his efforts to connect with people across this Central Asian country, the ninth largest in the world, and to hear first-hand the issues that they face.

The president began his tour in East Kazakhstan, the leading industrial-agrarian region of the country. Last year industrial output grew by 9.3% here, boosting Kazakhstan's economy despite an uncertain global outlook.

On Saturday, after visiting a hospital and a local university, Tokayev visited the Abay Museum in Semey, dedicated to the 19th-century humanist poet Abay Kunanbaev, whose forward-looking vision of Kazakhstan is widely acknowledged.

"President Tokayev is keen on protecting our heritage," said Abay Museum Director Bolat Zhunisbelov. "He said Kazakhs must recognise that our past fits with our future as a modern nation."

The nearby infamous Soviet-era nuclear test site of Semipalatinsk was closed in 1991 by the country's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. President Tokayev called on Semey authorities to step up assistance to victims of the Soviet nuclear tests, speed up the construction of a nuclear medical centre, and to build a new centre for children's rehabilitation.

At a meeting with the public in the regional capital Ust-Kamenogorsk, the president also pointed out the need to develop small and medium-sized businesses. "At present, the share of local businesses in the regional economy is only 16 percent," he said. "The creation of new enterprises and jobs will be our priority."

On Sunday, Tokayev toured the Pavlodar region in northeastern Kazakhstan. After meeting residents in the regional capital, he visited the Pavlodar Oil Chemistry Refinery, one of the country's three refineries.

"The president met with our workers and congratulated them on their continuing efforts to keep this refinery at the forefront of our world-class oil and gas industry," General Director Ospanbek Alseitov said.

Kazakhstan has the largest proven reserves of crude oil in the Caspian region, and production is expected to double over the next decade to over 3 million barrels per day.

President Tokayev also visited a youth development centre in Pavlodar. "Kazakhstan has embarked on a new stage of its movement towards progress and prosperity," he said. "Our youth are at the forefront of this progress and we will continue putting into place policies to promote them."

In March, as then Speaker of the Senate, Tokayev became president when former president Nazarbayev resigned after nearly 30 years in charge. Tokayev then called a snap presidential election for June 9th to ensure continuity and stability. Last week the ruling Nur Otan party's congress unanimously chose Tokayev as its candidate. Nine candidates are standing so far in the upcoming election.
On 30 of April 2019 at 9:00 (EET) AB Klaipedos nafta (hereinafter - the Company) holds a conference webinar for its shareholders, investors, mass media representatives and other stakeholders. The presentation is held in English.

The webinar is hosted by KN Chief Financial Officer Jonas Lenksas who introduces the Company's financial results for the three months of 2019 and will answer the participant questions.

Webinar presentation is enclosed.

Jonas Lenksas, Chief Financial Officer, +370 694 80594

Attachment
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire Zielpuls, a technology consultancy headquartered in Germany. The acquisition will bolster the capabilities of Accenture Industry X.0 in the design of smart products and services for automotive companies and will be expanded to support clients in the medical technology, industrial equipment and high-tech industries.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005400/en/

Technology consultancy Zielpuls will bolster the capabilities of Accenture Industry X.0 in the design of smart products and services for automotive companies

Zielpuls provides architecture, development, engineering and management services for complex digital products and services. Work examples include an automated car parking system and development of the architecture for driver assistance systems. The firm helped medical technology companies automate production and align it to Good Manufacturing Practices standards. It also defined the entire IT architecture to operate high-speed trains for a leading transportation company.

Founded in 2008, Zielpuls will bring a team of 190 highly skilled professionals with a background in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Zielpuls is headquartered in Munich and has offices in Wolfsburg and Hanover, Germany, Shanghai and Beijing, China.

Frank Riemensperger, senior country managing director for Accenture in Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Russia (ASGR), said, "Zielpuls excels at designing architectures and operating systems for smart, connected products and services. It will add to the deep expertise we have been building in this area and complement previous acquisitions, including award-winning strategic design consultancy designaffairs."

Axel Schmidt, managing director and global lead of Accenture's automotive industry practice, said, "The team of engineers and technologists of Zielpuls will strengthen our ability to develop connected, intelligent architectures for automotive clients, both in Germany and globally. Like designaffairs, Zielpuls has established business in Germany and China, which is strategic for us."

Upon close, Zielpuls will become part of Accenture Industry X.0, which helps clients master the digital reinvention of industry by using advanced digital technologies to transform core operations, worker and customer experiences, and business models.

Andrew Smith, managing director and Accenture Industry X.0 lead in ASGR, said, "Zielpuls has started to branch out into other areas, such as medical technology, where software and data-driven services will transform the core products. Its engineering know-how and ability to orchestrate operating systems for smart products will help us build an organization that can co-create and reimagine smart connected products and services with clients from ideation through production."

Following completion of the acquisition, the Zielpuls co-CEOs Markus Frey and Dr. Marc Poppner will join Accenture as managing directors. They will continue to lead the Zielpuls team along with their existing management team and support the firm's transition to Accenture Industry X.0.

Markus Frey, co-CEO of Zielpuls, said, "We are excited to become part of Accenture Industry X.0 which will allow us to scale our services for clients, get access to the best brands in the world and capitalize on the huge market opportunity in the area of smart connected products and services."

Zielpuls will be the latest of several acquisitions Accenture has recently made to expand Accenture Industry X.0. These include strategic design consultancy designaffairs (Germany), Pillar Technology (US) with its strong focus on embedded software development for the automotive industry, hardware engineering firm Mindtribe (US), and Enterprise System Partners (Ireland), a consulting and manufacturing services provider for the life sciences industry.

Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world's largest delivery network Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 477,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Industry X.0 helps businesses master the digital reinvention of industry when they use advanced digital technologies to transform core operations and unlock new revenue streams and business models. We support every aspect of our clients' multi-phase transformation including workforce, customer experience, R&D, engineering, manufacturing, business support and ecosystems. Visit https://www.accenture.com/industry-x0.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "positioned," "outlook" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture and Zielpuls will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties' ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for Accenture; Accenture's results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic and political conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company's clients' businesses and levels of business activity; Accenture's business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company's services and solutions including through the adaptation and expansion of its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the changing technological environment could materially affect the company's results of operations; if Accenture is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company's business, the utilization rate of the company's professionals and the company's results of operations may be materially adversely affected; Accenture could face legal, reputational and financial risks if the company fails to protect client and/or company data from security breaches or cyberattacks; the markets in which Accenture operates are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; changes in Accenture's level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company's effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; Accenture's profitability could materially suffer if the company is unable to obtain favorable pricing for its services and solutions, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies; Accenture's results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; as a result of Accenture's geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; Accenture's business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture's work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; if Accenture does not successfully manage and develop its relationships with key alliance partners or fails to anticipate and establish new alliances in new technologies, the company's results of operations could be adversely affected; Accenture's ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; Accenture might not be successful at acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; if Accenture is unable to protect its intellectual property rights or if Accenture's services or solutions infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company loses its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others, its business could be adversely affected; changes to accounting standards or in the estimates and assumptions Accenture makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; many of Accenture's contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company's revenues and impact its margins; Accenture's results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; Accenture might be unable to access additional capital on favorable terms or at all and if the company raises equity capital, it may dilute its shareholders' ownership interest in the company; Accenture may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the "Risk Factors" heading in Accenture plc's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture's expectations.

Copyright 2019 Accenture. All rights reserved. Accenture and its logo are trademarks of Accenture.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005400/en/

Contacts:

Jens R. Derksen

Accenture

+49 175 57 61393

jens.derksen@accenture.com



Youssef Zauaghi

Accenture

+49 175 57 66458

youssef.zauaghi@accenture.com



Thomas Wittek

Accenture

+49 175 57 63105

thomas.wittek@accenture.com
Ramirent Plc Press Release April 30, 2019 at 11.35 EET

Ramirent Finland Ltd has signed an agreement to acquire the site module rental business of Rocla Solutions Oy, one of the leading internal logistic companies in Finland. The deal includes the module fleet and existing rental contracts.

Rocla Solutions' module business has mainly been focusing on industrial and logistic companies. In addition to the today announced transaction, the companies will further strengthen their co-operation in providing full-scale rental services, especially for larger industrial and logistic customers.

"This acquisition supports perfectly our strategy execution in Finland. The Rocla Solution's site modules are modern and well equipped and they fully complement our rental module offering. With this transaction, we will further strengthen our position as the leading rental service provider for the industrial customers in Finland," says Mikael Kampe, Managing Director of Ramirent Finland.

"The deal will strengthen our co-operation with Ramirent. Intralogistics solutions including strong development of digital services are at the heart of our business. Combining our knowledge of internal logistics with Ramirent's offering enables us to offer more extensive solutions for our customers", says Jukka Viinikainen, Managing Director of Rocla Solutions Oy.

Ramirent's industrial customers include e.g. shipyards as well as forest, mining, steel and oil and gas industries. In 2018, industrial segment represented 18% of the net sales of the Ramirent Group. Ramirent has a broad offering for industrial customers from light tools to complicated scaffolding solutions and special equipment.

For further information, please contact:

Mikael Kampe, Managing Director, Ramirent Finland Ltd, tel. +358 40 192 3535, mikael.kampe@ramirent.fi (mailto:mikael.kampe@ramirent.fi)

Ramirent is a leading service company offering equipment rental for construction and other industries. Our mission is to help our customers gear up on safety and efficiency by delivering great equipment and smooth service with a smile. We have 2,905 co-workers at 294 customer centers across 9 countries in northern and eastern Europe. In 2018, Ramirent Group net sales reached a total of EUR 712 million. In Finland Ramirent serves its customers in almost 60 Customer Centers all over the country. Ramirent - Gear Up. Equipment rental at your service

Rocla Solutions Oy is Finland-based company. Their offering consists of full-scale intralogistics services and the core of their business is to build solutions to customers' needs. Rocla Solutions Oy is part of MCFE (Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift Europe B.V.) which operates under MLE (Mitsubishi Logisnext Europe). Mitsubishi Logisnext Ltd. is one of the leading companies in the forklift industry.

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: Ramirent Oyj via Globenewswire


- Company's central research institute to act as an R&D hub for its global centers in the U.S., Europe, China

- Completed four major facilities including R&D centers in Europe and the U.S. as well as the plant in the Czech Republic

SEOUL, South Korea, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexen Tire, a leading global tire manufacturer, announced that it held the grand opening ceremony of 'THE NEXEN univerCITY' that is expected to be the driving force for future growth on Tuesday April 30, 2019.

The grand opening ceremony was attended by more than 300 people, including Nexen Tire Chairman Kang Byeong Jung, Nexen Tire Global CEO Travis Kang, the Chairman of Korea Employers Federation Sohn Kyung Shik, the Chairman of Federation of Middle Market Enterprise of Korea Kang Ho Gab, executives and staff members of Nexen Central Research Institute.

Located at the Magok Industrial Complex in Seoul, Nexen Tire invested KRW 200 billion over two years to develop 'THE NEXEN univerCITY' -- a building over 57,000 square-meters with eight floors above and two floors underground -- that includes research and business complexes.

The workspace has been designed as an open innovation environment to maximize concentration and teamwork. To help pave the way for smarter technology, various facilities include a research and development (R&D) center that can predict and implement optimal performances such as OE/RE product manufacturing, AI technology and virtual tire technique, a performance research center to evaluate the performance of tires and vehicles, and a material research center to analyze diverse nano and macro dimensions on various materials.

With the establishment of these facilities, Nexen Tire plans to advance its R&D capabilities by responding quickly to the rapidly changing market as well as the particular demands of the local and global automotive industry. Furthermore, the Magok Central Research Institute will act as an R&D hub for its local and global R&D centers that are located in Yangsan, Changnyeong, Germany, the Czech Republic, U.S., and China.

'THE NEXEN univerCITY' combined the concept of 'Nexen Universe' and 'City' that contains the company's core values -- Challenge, Creativity, and Collaboration -- and its business philosophy that displays the infinite possibilities and values that Nexen can accomplish.

The courtyard and multi-helix green roof is the key space in 'THE NEXEN univerCITY' containing Nexen Tire's corporate culture that focuses on communication and cooperation.

In addition, the exterior of the facility is materialized with tire tread patterns that defines the industry's attributes. At the lobby, an amazing media wall that is 30 meters wide and 7 meters high, is displayed through a video that represents the creative and artistic concept of 'THE NEXEN univerCITY'. The environment friendly building was designed with a solar power system, a cooling and heating ventilation ground system, and a green rooftop to prevent thermal heat damage that obtained a level 1 building energy efficiency rating certificate from the Korea Energy Agency.

"The Magok Central Research Institute really defines Nexen Tire's growth DNA and its identity that has advanced quickly than any other company in the world," said Travis Kang, Global CEO of Nexen Tire. "We will carry out a pivotal and global role that will raise the value of the movement, shifting the paradigm in the tire industry by creating new changes and future values that no one has seen before."

Meanwhile, as this year marks the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Nexen Tire, the company has dedicated the new Magok Central Research Institute and completed the establishment of four global facilities. Since the new expansion of the R&D centers in Europe and the U.S. including the operation of the plant in the Czech Republic and the opening of the Magok Central Research Institute in Seoul, Nexen Tire has established infrastructure for the future growth of 'Global Nexen'.

About Nexen Tire

Nexen Tire, established in 1942, is a global tire manufacturer headquartered in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, and in Seoul, South Korea. Nexen Tire, one of the world's fastest growing tire manufacturers, works with 491 dealers based in 141 countries around the world (as of July 2015) and owns three manufacturing plants -- two in Korea (Yangsan and Changnyeong) and one in Qingdao, China. Another plant in Zatec, Czech Republic will be operational by 2019. Nexen Tire produces tires for passenger cars, SUVs, and light trucks with advanced technology and excellence in design. The company also focuses on producing UHP tires, which are based on advanced technologies. Nexen Tire supplies OE tires to global car makers in various countries around the world. In 2014, the company achieved a grand slam of the world's top 4 design awards for the first time amongst the various tire makers in the world. For more information, please visit http://www.nexentire.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879647/Panoramic_view_and_Courtyard_view_of__THE_NEXEN_univerCITY___Source__L2_ARCHIVE.jpg
30 April 2019

Acron Posts 2018 Annual Report on its Website

Today, Acron. To comply with the Russian law, the report is subject to approval by the annual general meeting.

Mediacontacts:

Sergey Dorofeev

Anastasiya Gromova

Tatiana Smirnova

Public Relations

Phone: +7 (495) 777-08-65 (ext. 5196)

Investor contacts:

Ilya Popov

Investor Relations

Phone: +7 (495) 745-77-45 (ext. 5252)

Background Information

Acron Group is a leading vertically integrated mineral fertiliser producer in Russia and globally, with chemical production facilities in Veliky Novgorod (Acron) and the Smolensk region (Dorogobuzh). The Group owns and operates a phosphate mine in Murmansk region (North-Western Phosphorous Company, NWPC) and is implementing a potash development project in Perm Krai (Verkhnekamsk Potash Company, VPC). It owns transportation and logistics infrastructure, including three Baltic port terminals and distribution networks in Russia and China. Acron's subsidiary, North Atlantic Potash Inc. (NAP), holds mining licences for 11 parcels of the potassium salt deposit at Prairie Evaporite, Saskatchewan, Canada. Acron also holds a minority stake (19.8%) in Polish Grupa Azoty, one of the largest chemical producers in Europe.

In 2018, the Group sold 7.3 million tonnes of various products to 67 countries, with Russia, Brazil, Europe and the United States as key markets.

In 2018, the Group posted consolidated IFRS revenue of RUB 108,062 million (USD 1,723 million) and net profit of RUB 13,318 million (USD 212 million). Acron's shares are on the Level 1 quotation list of the Moscow Exchange and its global depositary receipts are traded at the London Stock Exchange (ticker AKRN). Acron employs approximately 11,000 people.

For more information about Acron Group, please visit www.acron.ru/en.
CHICAGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Weigh-In-Motion System Market by Type (In-Road, Bridge Weigh, Onboard), Vehicle Speed (Low, High), Component (Hardware, Software & Services), End Use Industry (Highway Toll, Oil & Refinery, Logistics), Sensors, function and Region-Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Weigh-In-Motion System Market is estimated to be USD 913 million in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 1,656 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 8.89%. The increasing government initiatives towards intelligent transportation system, increasing public-private partnerships (PPPs), increasing traffic congestion, and low cost compared with static weigh system are projected to drive the Weigh-In-Motion System Market.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Weigh-In-Motion System Market"

77 - Tables

51 - Figures

163 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=242065043

The low-speed WIM system segment is estimated to be the largest Weigh-In-Motion System Market, by vehicle speed

The low-speed WIM system segment is estimated to dominate the Weigh-In-Motion System Market. The low-speed system offers various advantages such as low operating cost, low maintenance, ease of installation, and higher accuracy than the high-speed weigh-in-motion systems. Low-speed systems are installed in logistics centers, oil & refinery, agriculture, and mining industries. According to inputs from industry experts, industries such as mining and agriculture are potential markets for the low-speed WIM system. In Asia Pacific and North America, most of the highway tolls are equipped with low-speed weigh-in-motion systems. The key reason behind the high adoption rate of a low-speed weigh-in-motion system in the Asia Pacific region is the low cost compared to the high-speed weigh-in-motion system. In North America, regularity authorities do not allow a system with lower accuracy.

The onboard system is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the Weigh-In-Motion System Market during the forecast period

The onboard weigh-in-motion system is fitted to the vehicles, rather than to the road. This system can transfer vehicle weight information at any point of time from a moving vehicle to the data storage system. As of 2019, the onboard system had a very less market share. However, it is expected to be the fastest growing market during the forecast period. According to insights from industry experts, the onboard system is the future of the WIM system market. Onboard weigh-in-motion system has numerous advantages over other systems. It has low cost, requires less maintenance, and can work at any vehicle speed.

Europe and Asia Pacific are estimated to be the largest and fastest growing market for weigh-in-motion system, respectively

Europe is estimated to be the largest Weigh-In-Motion System Market during the forecast period due to increased freight traffic and free movement of goods between European countries, which have increased traffic in national and international highways in toll plazas. WIM systems are used to detect overweight vehicles without disturbing the traffic flow. The Asia Pacific WIM system market is estimated to be the fastest growing market because of increasing investments in intelligent transportation system, smart traffic management, and smart cities, especially in China and India.

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Some of the key players in the Weigh-In-Motion System Market are Kapsch TrafficCom (Austria), Q-Free (Norway), METTLER TOLEDO (US), Avery Weigh-Tronix (Illinois Tool Works) (US), TE Connectivity (Switzerland), International Road Dynamics (Quarterhill) (US), Kistler (Switzerland), TransCore (Roper Technologies) (US), Axis Communications (Sweden), and EFKON (Austria).

Browse Related Reports:

Artificial Intelligence in Transportation Market

by Machine Learning (Deep Learning, Computer Vision, Context Awareness, NLP), Application (Semi & Full-Autonomous, HMI, Platooning), Offering (Hardware, Software), Process, and Region - Global Forecast to 2030

Truck Platooning Market by Type (DATP, Autonomous), Systems (ACC, AEB, FCW, GPS, HMI, LKA, BSW), Sensor (Lidar, Radar, Image), Services (Telematics- ECall, ACE, Tracking, Diagnostics, & Platooning- Pricing, Match Making), Region - Global Forecast to 2030

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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.

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global compressor oil market size is estimated to reach USD 5.59 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., progressing at a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period. Growing industrial sector in the Middle East and Asia Pacific is anticipated to drive the demand for compressor oils over the forecast period.

Key suggestions from the report:

Synthetic base oil dominated the global compressor oil market with a revenue share of over 43.0% in 2017. Synthetic oils are preferred for compressors owing to their molecular makeup

Asia Pacific is likely to observe a remarkable CAGR of 4.9% in terms of volume during the forecast period, on account of abundant availability of raw materials and high rate of industrialization in the region

Large industrial base is expected to augment the market in North America

Some of the key participants present in the market are Royal Dutch Shell ; ExxonMobil; Lukoil; Total S.A; Chevron Corporation; British Petroleum; The Dow Chemical; BASF; Sinopec Limited; Sasol Limited; Fuchs Petrolub; and Croda International

Read 163 page research report with TOC on "Compressor Oil Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Base Oil (Synthetic, Mineral, Bio-Based), By Compressor Type (Positive Displacement, Dynamic), By End Use, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/compressor-oil-market

Manufacturers have to comply with regulations and guidelines regarding disposal of industrial compressor oils. Surging demand for bio-based products owing to rising environmental concerns are projected to play a vital role in market expansion. However, high costs associated with production of bio-based product type are poised to remain a key challenge for market participants.

Bio-based compressor oils have significantly shown an increase in terms of market share. Croda International Plc aims at competing with major synthetic lubricant manufacturers by introducing bio-based lubricants. In 2014, the U.S Department of Agriculture approved four Bio-based lubricants of Croda. The bio content in each of the products varies from 70.0% to 90.0%.

Compressor oils are largely used for industrial applications and companies follow the franchise model for establishing good distribution and sales network. These manufacturing companies are realizing the need to concentrate on core competencies by either outsourcing their retail distribution or establishing a subsidiary company.

Compressor oils are capable of performing several functions owing to their anti-wear performance, copper corrosion resistance, foam resistance, rust protection, hydrolytic stability, and oxidation stability properties. In order to achieve a particular performance parameter, compressor oil manufacturers have to invest heavily for experimentation and testing of performance of a particular chemical composition and thus, need to invest heavily in R&D activities.

Grand View Research has segmented the global compressor oil market on the basis of compressor, base oil, end use, and region:

Compressor Oil Compressor Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

Positive Displacement Compressor



Dynamic Compressor



Compressor Oil Base Oil Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

Synthetic



Semi-Synthetic



Mineral



Bio-Based



Compressor Oil End-Use Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

Manufacturing



Oil & Gas



Power Generation



Automotive



Other Industries



Compressor Oil Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

North America



U.S.





Canada





Mexico





Europe



U.K.





Germany





France





Spain





Russia





Asia Pacific



China





India





Japan





South Korea





Australia





Middle East & Africa

&

Saudi Arabia





South Africa





Kuwait





Iraq





Central & South America



Brazil





Argentina





Venezuela

Find more research reports on Petrochemicals Industry, by Grand View Research:

Benzene And Its Derivatives Market - Global benzene and its derivatives market is expected to witness strong growth over the forecast period owing to increasing demand in coating & paints and automotive industries.

Global benzene and its derivatives market is expected to witness strong growth over the forecast period owing to increasing demand in coating & paints and automotive industries. Propanol Market - Global propanol market is expected to augment over the forecast period, owing to rising demand from end-use industries.

Global propanol market is expected to augment over the forecast period, owing to rising demand from end-use industries. Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) Market - Global vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is expected to grow positively owing to growing construction industry coupled with piping industry over the forecast period.

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: +1-415-349-0058

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Informa Markets focused on helping specialist markets and communities around the world to trade, innovate and grow

LONDON, April 30, 2019, a division of Informa PLC (LON:INF) formerly known as Informa Exhibitions, today introduced its new name and brand identity and launched a new corporate website, reflecting the ongoing development and expansion of the business and its focus on enabling the success of its customers and the specialist markets in which they work.



A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

"From Health & Nutrition to Construction, Healthcare & Pharma to Agriculture, Fashion to Hospitality and much more, we live and breathe specialist markets," said Charlie McCurdy, CEO of Informa Markets. "Informa Markets really brings to life the role we play helping to bring energy, opportunity, growth and success to the specialist markets our customers operate in, and to our customers' businesses."

He continued: "The new Informa Markets identity reflects the continued expansion of our services both at exhibitions and beyond the show floor, into data and digital products and specialist content, as well as the expansion of our own business. After combining with UBM's powerful event-focused brands in 2018, Informa Markets is a single, strong identity that brings together all our teams, partners and customers across our increasingly broad and international portfolio."

Informa Markets is the leading global platform for industries, specialist markets and communities to trade, grow and engage. It consists of more than 550 international B2B events and brands, as well as specialist digital content and data solutions, with over 4,400 colleagues based in more than 40 countries around the globe. Informa Markets provides customers with meaningful experiences where they can engage, experience and do business, helping global communities to thrive 365 days a year.

"Similar to how people and companies evolve, so has our brand identity," said Richard Brook, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Informa Markets. "It has progressed over the years as we have produced impactful events, brands, digital offerings, a distinctive culture and engaged communities around the globe. The new Informa Markets identity is a fantastic representation of what and who we are today, and how that will develop in the future as we continue to advance and provide platforms that facilitate connections and the best customer experience."

To explore the new branding and website visit www.InformaMarkets.com .

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals to Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organiser, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com .

Contact Information

Ashley Womack

Director of External Communications, Informa Markets

Ashley.C.Womack@informa.com

415-307-4858

A video accompanying this release is available at https://youtu.be/jSkp5O5NSps
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX-V: BAY; OTCQB: ATBHF) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company"), through its wholly owned subsidiary Blue Ridge Mining Inc. ("Blue Ridge" or "BRM"), is pleased to announce that it has completed its initial drill program on its recently acquired Buckingham Gold Property located in Central Virginia, USA. A total of 878 meters were drilled in six drill holes targeting gold-bearing quartz veining and disseminated mineralization. Sampling of the core is ongoing, with results anticipated in the coming weeks.

"The program was initiated quickly and executed smoothly," stated Thomas Ullrich, CEO of Aston Bay. "The drilling tested a small area of a larger gold anomaly. We look forward to the results setting a solid foundation for further exploration and drilling in this area."

QUALIFIED PERSON

As per National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Michael Dufresne, M.Sc., P.Geol., P.Geo., a Director of and a consultant to Aston Bay, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has prepared, validated and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release. The Company strictly adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines in conducting, documenting, and reporting its exploration activities on the Company's Aston Bay and Blue Ridge Mining Projects.

ABOUT ASTON BAY HOLDINGS LTD.

Aston Bay is a publicly traded mineral exploration company exploring for large, high-grade, copper, zinc and precious metal deposits in Nunavut, Canada and Virginia, USA. The Company is led by CEO Thomas Ullrich with exploration directed by Chief Geologist Dr. David Broughton, the award-winning co-discoverer of Kamoa-Kakula and Flatreef, in conjunction with the Company's advisor, Don Taylor, the 2018 Thayer Lindsley Award winner for his discovery of the Taylor Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit in Arizona.

The Company is 100% owner of the 1,024,345-acres (414,537-hectares) Aston Bay Property located on western Somerset Island, Nunavut, which neighbours Teck's profitable, past-producing Polaris (Pb-Zn) Mine just 200km to the north. The Aston Bay Property hosts the Storm Copper Project and the Seal Zinc Deposit with drill-confirmed presence of sediment-hosted copper and zinc mineralization.

The Company has also acquired the exclusive rights to an integrated dataset over certain prospective private lands at the Blue Ridge Project, located in central Virginia. These lands are located within a copper-lead-zinc-gold-silver mineralized belt, prospective for sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) and Broken Hill (BHT) type base metal deposits, as well as Carolina slate belt gold deposits. Don Taylor, who led the predecessor company to Blue Ridge and assembled the dataset, has joined the Company's Advisory Board and will be directing the Company's exploration activities for the Blue Ridge Project.

The Company's public disclosure documents are available on www.sedar.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements made in this press release, including those regarding the completion of the acquisition, management objectives, forecasts, estimates, expectations, or predictions of the future may constitute "forward-looking statement", which can be identified by the use of conditional or future tenses or by the use of such verbs as "believe", "expect", "may", "will", "should", "estimate", "anticipate", "project", "plan", and words of similar import, including variations thereof and negative forms. This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect, as of the date of this press release, Aston Bay's expectations, estimates and projections about its operations, the mining industry and the economic environment in which it operates. Statements in this press release that are not supported by historical fact are forward-looking statements, meaning they involve risk, uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Although Aston Bay believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which apply only at the time of writing of this press release. Aston Bay disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by securities legislation. We seek safe harbour.

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 news release.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:



Thomas Ullrich, Chief Executive Officer

thomas.ullrich@astonbayholdings.com

Telephone: (416) 456-3516

Sofia Harquail, IR and Corporate Development

sofia.harquail@astonbayholdings.com

Telephone: (647) 821-1337

SOURCE: Aston Bay Holdings Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543442/Aston-Bay-Completes-Initial-Drill-Program-at-its-Buckingham-Gold-Property-in-Virginia-USA
WINDERMERE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / iCoreConnect Inc. (OTC Pink: ICCT), a national provider of secure, HIPAA-compliant communications as well as cloud-based practice management software, announces its common shares begin trading under the stock symbol "ICCT." iCoreConnect develops software that allows anyone to share information at the highest levels of security, backed by highly engaged customer support.

iCoreConnect board member Sam Fortenbaugh states, "This is an important step for the company, its clients and investors. Under the leadership of President and CEO Robert McDermott, every product continues to evolve to fit the unique and critical needs of our customers."

Approximately 2,000 physicians and dentists helped design and develop iCoreExchange HIPAA-compliant email as well as iCoreMD and iCoreDental cloud-based practice management Electronic Health Records (EHR) software applications. "We are on a mission to generate better patient outcomes while increasing efficiency and productivity for healthcare providers," says McDermott. "iCoreConnect offers powerful, cloud-based and highly secure tools to make managing healthcare delivery more accessible and less costly.

"Our customers often tell us that the 'one-size-fits-all' systems available in the marketplace today do not serve their needs," explains McDermott. "We offer them the ability to customize their software with only the modules they need. And, we keep the conversation open with our customers, allowing us to improve the software through cloud-based updates released approximately every four to six weeks."

All iCoreConnect healthcare industry applications meet the federal government's five Technical Safeguard laws for HIPAA-compliant communication. Its EHR applications have achieved certification by the federal government's Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC).

Recent iCoreConnect recognitions include:

Top 10 Encryption Solution Providers by Enterprise Security Magazine

Top 10 Dental Solutions by Healthcare Tech Outlook

Top 50 Products of 2017 by Dental Products Report Magazine

iCoreConnect's unequivocal commitment to responding to the market has resulted in the following agreements and endorsements to date:

Colorado Dental Association (iCoreExchange)

Florida Dental Association Crown Services (iCoreExchange, iCoreDental)

Georgia Dental Association (iCoreExchange)

Louisiana Dental Association (iCoreExchange)

Maine Medical Association (iCoreExchange, iCoreMD)

Michigan Dental Association (iCoreExchange)

New Orleans Dental Association (iCoreDental)

New York State Dental Association (iCoreExchange)

South Carolina Dental Association (iCoreExchange)

StartUp Health (iCoreExchange, iCoreMD, iCoreDental, iCoreCodeGenius)

Texas Dental Association (iCoreExchange, iCoreDental)

Virginia Dental Association (iCoreExchange)

Wyoming Medical Society (iCoreExchange, iCoreMD, iCoreCodeGenius)

Forward-Looking Statements

In this news release, the use of the words "believe," "could," "expect," "may," "positioned," "project," "projected," "should," "will," "would" or similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements that represent the Company's current judgment about possible future events. The Company believes these judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any events or financial results, and actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors.

SOURCE iCoreConnect Inc.

PUB NO. 2000.016.04291

Media Contact:

Cile Spelce

512.784.5851

cspelce@iCoreConnect.com

SOURCE: iCoreConnect

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543440/iCoreConnect-Trading-Under-Stock-Symbol-ICCT-Effective-April-29-2019
DIDCOT UK / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Altus Strategies Plc (AIM: ALS & TSX-V: ALTS), the Africa focused royalty and project generator, announces its audited final results for the year ended 31 December 2018. These are available in the attached file or can be downloaded from the Company's website at http://altus-strategies.com/investors/financials/ and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. You can also find our Final Results at the following PDF link: https://www.accesswire.com/media/543486/Altus-Strategies-plc-2018-Final.pdf

Corporate Highlights

Completion of the Plan of Arrangement with Legend Gold Corp.

Dual listing of the Company's shares on the TSX-V alongside AIM listing

Agreement to vend Cameroon Bauxite JV into JV partner for equity plus royalty

Discussions with potential Joint Venture partners across project portfolio

Operational Highlights

Potential VMS style copper and gold discovery at Daro in Ethiopia

New copper and zinc focused exploration licences granted in Morocco

Major artisanal gold workings discovered at the Zolowo licence in Liberia

Grant of the Company's first exploration licence in Cote d'Ivoire

Additional high grade iron ore discovered at Bikoula licence in Cameroon

Drill targets defined at Lakanfla gold project in Mali

Financial Highlights

Fundraise of 2.3m/C$4.1m (before expenses) in April 2018 with strong institutional support

Cash outflow of 1.8m/C$3.1m from operating activities during the year

Cash and marketable securities of 1.6m/C$2.8m (cash balance of 0.7m/C$1.3m and listed equity holdings of 0.9m/C$1.5m as at 31 December 2018

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 until the release of this announcement.

For further information you are invited to visit the Company's website www.altus-strategies.com or contact:



Altus Strategies Plc

Steven Poulton, Chief Executive Tel: +44 (0) 1235 511 767

E: info@altus-strategies.com SP Angel (Nominated Adviser)

Richard Morrison / Soltan Tagiev Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0470 SP Angel (Broker)

Richard Parlons / Jonathan Williams Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0471 Blytheweigh (Financial PR)

Tim Blythe / Camilla Horsfall Tel: +44 (0) 20 7138 3204

About Altus Strategies Plc

Altus is a London (AIM: ALS) and Toronto (TSX-V: ALTS) listed royalty and project generator in the mining sector with a focus on Africa. Our team creates value by making mineral discoveries across multiple licences. We enter joint ventures with respected groups and our partners earn interest in these discoveries by advancing them toward production. Project milestone payments we receive are reinvested to extend our portfolio, accelerating our growth. The portfolio model reduces risk as our interests are diversified by commodity and by country. The royalties generated from our portfolio of projects are designed to yield sustainable long term income. We engage constructively with all our stakeholders, working diligently to minimise our environmental impact and to promote positive economic and social outcomes in the communities where we operate.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release contain forward-looking information. 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 the completion of planned expenditures, the ability to complete exploration programmes on schedule and the success of exploration programmes. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking information, which speak only as of the date of this news release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Altus Strategies Plc

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543486/Audited-Final-Results
Health concerns related to artificial food additives, the toxic nature of colors used for production of additives, surge in need for naturally extracted carmine that can be utilized in processed food, and increase in demand for natural colors owing to health benefits & cost-effectiveness have fueled the growth of the global carmine market

PORTLAND, Oregon, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Carmine Market by Form (Powder, Liquid, and Crystal), Application (Dairy & Frozen Products, Food & Beverages, Cosmetics, Bakery & Confectionery, and Meat products), and End User (Food Processing Companies, Beverage Industry, Catering Industry, and Cosmetics & Pharmaceutical Industry): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 - 2025." The report provides a detailed analysis of drivers & opportunities, market size & share, segmentation, top investment pockets, and technology trends that prevail in the industry. Information about the major market players operating in the segment are also discussed. As per the report, the global carmine market was estimated at $33.9 million in 2017 and is expected to hit $57.5 million in 2025, growing at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2018 to 2025.

Health fears over artificial food additives, the colors used in the production of such additives, growth in need for naturally extracted carmine for processed food, and rise in demand for natural colors on account of health benefits & cost-effectiveness have fueled the growth of the global carmine market. On the other hand, slow adoption of carmine in developing nations, lack of awareness in undeveloped nations, and high cost associated with extraction of carmine on account of biotech processes have hindered the growth to some extent. Nevertheless, technological advancements in food industries and continuous R&D for deriving cost-effective carmine by private organizations and government have created multiple opportunities in the segment.

Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5247

Powder segment to remain dominant through 2025

Based on form, the powder segment contributed to more than three-fifth of the total market and also came out as the fastest growing segment, registering a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period. The increasing demand for non-toxic natural coloring ingredient used in the food industry has spurred the growth.

Dairy and frozen segment to rule the roost

Based on application, the dairy and frozen product segment held nearly two-fifth of the total market share and is anticipated to dominate throughout the study period. Its extensive use in dairy products such as drinking yogurt, chocolate milk, eggnog, and whey-based drinks has driven the growth. Also, wide consumption of dairy & frozen products in the developing countries has propelled the growth of the market.

North America to retain its highest share during the study period

Based on region, North America accounted for more than one-third of the total market share and is anticipated to maintain its dominance till 2025. High consumption of meat products in the region over the past few years has driven the market.

For Purchase Enquiry at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5247

Frontrunners in the market

Leading market players analyzed in the research include Hansen Holding A/S, Amerilure, DDW The Color House, Chr. Naturex, colorMaker, Inc., Roha, Sensient Colors LLC, Proquimac, The Hershey Company, and Biocon. They are expanding the scope of their business operations in the developing countries by incorporating cutting-edge products in their product portfolios.

Access KNOWLEDGE TREE (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/knowledgetree

Knowledge tree is a cloud-based intelligence platform that offers more than 2,000 selective, off-the-shelf reports on niche markets to enable our clients gain deep insights on the latest trends, dynamic technologies, and emerging application areas.

Similar Reports:

Bakery Ingredients Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025

Milk Powder Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025

About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

Contact:

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ASCHHEIM, Germany, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Integration of Google Pay with Wirecard's mobile payment solution enables Android users in Switzerland to make cashless payments using their smartphone

In addition to Switzerland , boon now also supports Google Pay in Slovakia

Wirecard, the global innovation leader in digital financial technology, is enabling Android users in Switzerland to benefit from the launch of Google Pay with boon. The mobile payment solution is now available for download in the Swiss Google Play Store. In Slovakia, boon users can now also pay with Google Pay.

Google Pay is a mobile and secure payment method for contactless payment in-store, in apps and for online shopping. By adding the digital boon Mastercard to Google Pay, customers can now pay quickly and easily with any NFC-enabled Android device. In stores that accept Google Pay as a payment method, it is sufficient to hold the mobile device to the POS terminal without having to open the boon app.

Florence Diss, Head of EMEA Commerce Partnerships at Google, said: "As of today, customers in Switzerland can use Google Pay to pay securely, quickly and easily both nationally and internationally. We are delighted that Wirecard with boon is once again on board when we launch in another new country. Together, we are driving forward the digitalization of payments."

Georg von Waldenfels, Executive Vice President, Group Business Development at Wirecard, added: "With innovative payment solutions, we want to help as many consumers as possible to shop quickly and conveniently at any time, without cash. The additional expansion of our offering in Switzerland and Slovakia shows that we are on the right track. With the help of boon, contactless payment will continue to establish itself throughout Europe."

boon is the fastest growing mobile payment solution in Europe and the industry's first fully digital mobile payment solution that can be used independently of banks and telecommunications providers. The app is already available for Google Pay in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Further details can be found at http://www.beboon.com/.

To download boon, please click here.

About Wirecard:

Wirecard (GER:WDI) is one of the world's fastest growing digital platforms in the area of financial commerce. We provide both business customers and consumers with a constantly expanding ecosystem of real-time value-added services built around innovative digital payments by using an integrated B2B2C approach. This ecosystem concentrates on the areas payment & risk, retail & transaction banking, loyalty & couponing, data analytics & conversion rate enhancement in all sales channels (online, mobile, ePOS). Wirecard operates regulated financial institutions in several key markets and holds issuing and acquiring licenses from all major payment and card networks. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (DAX and TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060). Visit us on www.wirecard.com, follow us on Twitter @wirecard and on Facebook @wirecardgroup.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG

Jana Tilz

Tel.: +49(0)89-4424-1363

Email: jana.tilz@wirecard.com
BROOKFIELD, Wisconsin, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cielo, the world's leading strategic Recruitment Process Outsourcing provider, today announced it has hired Darren Simons as President of the Americas. A proven innovator in transforming talent acquisition and talent management, Darren will lead Cielo's rapidly growing business in North and Latin America and provide thought leadership and direction as Cielo continues to deliver strategic advantages for its clients.

"Darren's 25-plus years of experience globally in RPO, MSP, and contingent labor, coupled with his strong track record as a leader of teams, make him a perfect fit to guide our accelerated growth in North and Latin America," said Sue Marks, Cielo's Founder and CEO. "Darren's deep understanding of the global talent market will add significant value to our business, our clients, and our teams by driving innovation and maintaining the high quality of service that our clients have come to expect from Cielo."

"Cielo's entrepreneurial culture, commitment to innovation and service excellence, and tremendously talented people make it a highly attractive place to work," said Darren. "I look forward to helping Cielo transform how companies manage complex and evolving workforce demands and ensuring that our clients have the right talent engaged in the right way to enable their business objectives."

Darren's hiring comes as Cielo also promotes two key leaders into new roles. Seb O'Connell moves from Managing Director, Europe & APAC, to President of EMEA & APAC, while Marissa Geist transitions from Executive Vice President & Managing Director of the Americas to become Cielo's first Chief Operating Officer. Darren's appointment and elevation of Seb and Marissa to new roles mark the latest leadership investments that will propel Cielo's aggressive global product and growth strategy.

To learn more about Cielo's services, please visit cielotalent.com.

About Cielo

Cielo is the world's leading strategic Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner. Cielo leverages its global reach, local talent acquisition expertise and customized solutions to help clients achieve a sustained advantage and outstanding business outcomes through their talent practices. Cielo's dedicated recruitment teams serve clients in the financial and business services, consumer brands, technology and media, engineering, life sciences and healthcare industries. Cielo's global presence includes more than 2,000 employees, serving 177 clients across 95 countries in 39 languages. Cielo knows talent is rising - and with it, an organization's opportunity to rise above. For more information, visit cielotalent.com.

Contact:

Matt Quandt

(262) 439-1673

matt.quandt@cielotalent.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879031/Cielo_Darren_Simons.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/336468/Cielo_Logo.jpg
Sobi, an international biopharmaceutical company transforming the lives of people affected by rare diseases, announced today the publication of data demonstrating the continued burden of severe lower respiratory tract infection due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in preterm infants in the U.S.

The data represent the results of the SENTINEL1 study, in which 46 hospitals across the U.S. collected observational data on preterm infants born at 29-35 weeks gestation who did not receive immunoprophylaxis for RSV and were subsequently hospitalized for RSV disease during the 2014-2015 or 2015-2016 RSV seasons (roughly October through April). A total of 1,378 infants with community-acquired RSV hospitalization were evaluated; of these, 45% were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), 19% required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and two infants passed away. In the subset of earlier and younger preterm infants (born at 29-32 weeks gestation and less than 3 months old when hospitalized for RSV), the burden was more severe, with 69% of these infants admitted to the ICU and 41% requiring IMV; the two deaths both occurred in this earlier and younger preterm group.

The study also found that among preterm infants discharged from the hospital after birth during the RSV season (November 1 March 31, for this analysis) and subsequently readmitted due to RSV infection, 46% were readmitted within 30 days and 82% were readmitted within 60 days. For the subset of earlier and younger preterm infants, the mean hospital charge incurred across both seasons was $122,301.

The results were similar across both the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons, indicating the continued burden of severe RSV disease on preterm infants born in the U.S. and on the healthcare system. SENTINEL1 represents the largest study ever conducted in the U.S. of preterm infants hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed severe RSV disease. The data were published in the American Journal of Perinatology in April 2019 and are available online via open access.

"RSV is the most common cause of infant hospitalization in the U.S. Despite remarkable advances in the care of preterm infants over the past two decades, this study demonstrates that RSV causes significant morbidity among preterm infants who do not receive RSV immunoprophylaxis. This morbidity translates into a substantial burden on the healthcare system," said Evan J. Anderson, M.D., lead author on the paper and Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine.

About Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in infants and young children worldwide and is the most common cause of infant hospitalization in the U.S. Preterm infants are at higher risk of being hospitalized for an LRTI resulting from RSV infection than infants born at term. There is currently no specific treatment approved for RSV once it is contracted, other than supportive care while the disease runs its course, making the availability of RSV prophylaxis a critical public health priority.1

About Sobi in North America

As the North American affiliate of international biopharmaceutical company Sobi, our team is committed to Sobi's vision of providing sustainable access to innovative therapies and transforming the lives of people affected by rare diseases. We bring something rare to rare diseases a belief in the strength of focus, the power of agility and the potential of the people we are dedicated to serving. Our product portfolio includes multiple approved treatments, focused on immunology and genetics/metabolism. With North American headquarters in the Boston area, Canadian headquarters in the Toronto area, and field sales, medical and market access representatives spanning North America, our growing team has a proven track record of commercial excellence. More information is available at www.sobi-northamerica.com. For more information about Sobi, visit www.sobi.com.

References:

1. Adamko DJ, Friesen M. Why does respiratory syncytial virus appear to cause asthma? Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2012;130(1):101-102. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2012.05.024.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005118/en/

Contacts:

Trista Morrison

781-810-0490

trista.morrison@sobi.com
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The company's full-stack solution suite enables end-to-end supply chain digitisation and management in the intermodal freight transportation space

LONDON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the European market for intermodal IoT solutions for freight forwarding, Frost & Sullivan recognises the Switzerland-based Nexiot AG with the 2019 European Enabling Technology Leadership Award. The company connects non-powered transport assets using energy harvesting smart sensor modules and delivers data analytics capabilities as well as electronic and visual interfaces to customers. The disruptive technology provides each link in the supply chain with unprecedented levels of information and provides end customers with fleet-level intelligence.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879099/Nexiot_AG_Award.jpg

"While competitors only offer discrete services, Nexiot presents an integrated, full stack solution that covers hardware and data integration to analytics and front-end and standard interfaces. Beyond geofence and condition monitoring, the platform facilitates the loading and distribution of waybills, digital documents, and asset pictures all along the value chain," said Suriya Anjumohan, Industry Analyst. "Significantly, Nexiot efficiently connects logistics companies' assets, such as containers, rail freight wagons, and boxes, with ultra-low power, maintenance-free hardware and wireless sensors with harvesting technologies to generate data that is processed and enriched."

Its smart sensors draw low current and harvest enough energy through temperature variations, vibration, and a small solar cell to sustain itself as long as it is an industrial asset. The sensor module receives commands from the control system every five minutes and shares data with any IT system. With the aggregated data and asset-based intelligence, the technology can enhance asset utilisation and route optimisation, which minimises greenhouse gas emissions related to intermodal transportation.

The technology also has a self-developed script language that enables customised triggers and events in addition to data analytics algorithms that detect intermodal changes. Another important function is its customisable application programming interfaces (APIs) and front-end, which transmit and visualise information for customers and end customers. Nexiot leads the digitalisation of Europe's rail cargo market both in terms of contracted subscriptions and deployed devices, and is looking to replicate this success in the shipping industry.

"Although Nexiot's smart sensors are tools, their true value lies in the data and information that the platform provides," noted Suriya Anjumohan. "Its integration capabilities with third-party solutions and its client's existing enterprise resource planning systems, exceptional features, and broad range of solutions make it the ideal technology provider for freight transportation companies."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to a company that has developed a pioneering technology that not only enhances current products, but also enables the development of new products and applications. The award recognises the high market acceptance potential of the recipient's technology.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognise 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 Nexiot AG

Nexiot AG, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, is a pioneer and industry leader in the development and delivery of digital supply chain management solutions. It is a spin-off of ETH Zurich, one of the world's leading technical universities. Founded in 2015, the company can rely on more than ten years of research in the areas of complex systems, big data algorithms and ultra-low power embedded technology. Three successful investment rounds enable the company to pursue ambitious global expansion plans. In addition to its headquarter in Switzerland, the company has offices in Germany and the USA.

More information can be found at http://www.nexiot.ch

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 .

Contact:

Frost & Sullivan

Bianca Torres

P: 1.210.477.8418

E: bianca.torres@frost.com

Press Contact Nexiot

Stephanie Stuhler

P: +49 30 2061 41 30 27

E: digital@mar-berlin.de

General Contact Nexiot

Uwe Bormann

P: +49 171 99 32 518

E: uwe.bormann@nexiot.ch
JACKSONVILLE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Duos Technologies Group, Inc. ("Duos" or the "Company") (OTCQB: DUOT), a provider of intelligent security analytical technology solutions, is scheduled to participate at the following financial conferences during the month of May 2019:

Event: The ThinkEquity Conference

Date: May 2, 2019

Presentation: Thursday, May 2 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time

Location: The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, NY

Executive: CFO Adrian Goldfarb

Event: Rocky Mountain Microcap Conference IV

Date: May 7, 2019

Presentation: Tuesday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time

Location: Coors Field in Denver, CO

Executive: CFO Adrian Goldfarb

Event: 20th Annual B. Riley FBR Investor Conference

Dates: May 22-23, 2019

Presentation: Wednesday, May 22 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time

Location: The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA

Executive: CFO Adrian Goldfarb

For additional information or to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Duos management, please contact Duos' IR team at (949) 574-3860 or DUOT@liolios.com.

About Duos Technologies Group, Inc.

Duos Technologies Group, Inc. (OTCQB: DUOT), based in Jacksonville, Florida, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Duos Technologies, Inc., provides advanced intelligent security and analytical technology solutions with a strong portfolio of intellectual property. The Company's core competencies include intelligent technologies that combine machine learning, artificial intelligence and advanced video analytics that are delivered through its proprietary integrated enterprise command and control centraco platform. The Company provides its broad range of technology solutions with an emphasis on mission critical security, inspection and operations within the rail transportation, retail, petrochemical, government, and banking sectors. Duos Technologies also offers professional and consulting services for large data centers. For more information, visit www.duostech.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "expects", "may", "will", "should", "anticipates", "plans", or similar expressions or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause Duos Technologies Group, Inc.'s actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in Item 1A in Duos' Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference, and other factors as may periodically be described in Duos' filings with the SEC.

Contacts: Duos Technologies

Corporate

Tracie Hutchins

Duos Technologies Group, Inc.

(904) 652-1601

tlh@duostech.com

Investor Relations

Matt Glover or Tom Colton

Liolios

(949) 574-3860

DUOT@liolios.com

SOURCE: Duos Technologies Group, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543415/Duos-Technologies-Sets-May-2019-Conference-Schedule
Ken Frohling, formerly of TripAdvisor Attractions and Viator.com, will be responsible for further developing travel partners for Eatwith experiences

PARIS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Eatwith, the world's largest community for authentic culinary experiences with locals, has announced that Ken Frohling will join the team as Global Head of Business Development, effective immediately.

Ken brings more than 25 years of experience in travel and experience-focused business development and sales to Eatwith, and will be responsible for developing and expanding partnerships with the travel industry, content and media partners.

Prior to joining Eatwith, Frohling was the Vice President of Global Partnerships for TripAdvisor Attractions, as well as a member of the executive management team at Viator.com (acquired by TripAdvisor in 2014). During his 12-year tenure at Viator.com, Ken managed an expansive global network of more than 2,000 distribution partners - from major international airlines to online travel agencies and hotel companies - which significantly contributed to the company's global success.

Frohling is a well-established name in the travel industry, having held previous positions as a Strategic Advisor at Tiqets.com, Country Manager Americas for Cendant Corporation (HotelClub.com and RatesToGo.com), Director of Sales at Atinera, and Regional Sales Manager at Renaissance Cruises.

Commenting on his appointment as Global Head of Business Development, Frohling said: "Helping travel companies discover and provide unique experiences for their customers has been a long-time passion for me. I am very excited to share the word of social dining and culinary experiences with my travel industry partners and look forward to joining the Eatwith team."

Eatwith Co-Founder and CEO Jean-Michel Petit said: "We are delighted to welcome Ken to Eatwith. His great experience and business acumen will be instrumental in accelerating the deployment of our unique immersive food experiences across the world."

Frohling will be based in the United States. He commences his role on April 29, 2019 and can be contacted on ken@eatwith.com .

About Eatwith:

Eatwith is the world's largest community for culinary experiences, in over 130 countries. From a dinner party in an elegant Paris home, to a food tour on the streets of London, or a cooking class in Tokyo, Eatwith connects hand-selected local hosts with people seeking unique food experiences.

Previously known as VizEat, Eatwith was founded in 2014 and was named one of Apple's "Best apps of" 2016 and 2017.



Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879736/Eatwith_Logo.jpg

Contact:

KIMBERLEE OO

kimberlee@eatwith.com,
Offer designed to stop the same type of spear-phishing attacks that influenced the 2016 election outcome

FOSTER CITY, California, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Agari, the next-generation Secure Email Cloud that restores trust to the inbox, today announced it will make available to all U.S. presidential campaigns the Agari Secure Email Cloud, in a bid to protect the 2020 presidential election cycle from being attacked, breached or impersonated.

Recent Agari research and analysis shows that 83 percent of the top candidates have vulnerable email accounts and are at risk for advanced email threats. Also, 91 percent of campaign domains are susceptible to being used in phishing attacks against voters, donors and volunteers.

The offer is available to any candidate, regardless of political party.

It is intended to protect candidates, staff, volunteers and donors from advanced email attacks like spear phishing that could enable malign actors to gain access to campaign email systems and would also protect against phishing attacks that impersonate campaign domains in order to commit fraud or disseminate fake news on behalf of these campaigns.

In its January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment , the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed that Russian intelligence services conducted cyber operations against targets associated with both political parties during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. It also noted that "immediately after Election Day, we assess[ed] Russian intelligence began a spear-phishing campaign targeting U.S. Government employees and individuals associated with U.S. think tanks and NGOs in national security, defense, and foreign policy fields."

"I can think of no greater aspiration than protecting the integrity of the United States presidential elections, which lie at the core of our democracy," said Patrick Peterson , CEO, Agari. "Spear-phishing attacks disrupted the 2016 presidential elections, when John Podesta was victimized and his emails ended up on Wikileaks, undermining trust in the electoral process. Our goal is not only to restore trust to the email inbox, but also to ensure trust in the 2020 elections."

The Agari Secure Email Cloud is a next-generation email security solution that protects against phishing and identity deception attacks. Agari eliminates unauthenticated email, implements protection against advanced email threats, and automates incident response to protect your organization from breaches, fraud and theft.

Agari has a long history of protecting the Federal government. It currently works with the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Census Bureau and the United States Postal Services, among other government agencies.

Learn more about the Agari 2020 U.S. presidential campaign email security program by visiting www.agari.com/election2020

For more information, read the accompanying press release .

About Agari

Agari is transforming the legacy Secure Email Gateway with its next-generation Secure Email Cloud powered by predictive AI. Leveraging data science and real-time intelligence from trillions of emails, the Agari Identity Graph detects, defends, and deters costly advanced email attacks including business email compromise, spear phishing and account takeover. Winner of the 2018 Best Email Security Solution by SC Magazine, Agari restores trust to the inbox for government agencies, businesses, and consumers worldwide. Learn more at www.agari.com.

Media Contact:

Jean Creech Avent

Agari

Senior Director, Global Corporate Communications

jcreech@agari.com

+1 770-862-7978

Emily Quick

Account Manager

eclat

agari@eclat.co.uk

+44 (0) 1276 486000

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879527/Agari_campaign.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879526/Agari_Logo.jpg
Provides Update on AngloGold Ashanti Transaction

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - Royal Road Minerals Limited (TSXV: RYR) ("Royal Road Minerals" or the "Company"), a gold and copper focused mineral exploration and development company, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Pollitt & Co. Inc. ("Pollitt"), whereby the Company has engaged Pollitt as its agent in connection with a proposed private placement offering (the "Offering") of up to 40,000,000 ordinary shares (the "Shares") of the Company, at a price of C$0.20 per Share (the "Issue Price"), for gross proceeds to the Company of up to C$8,000,000, to be conducted on a best-efforts agency basis.

The Company has had discussions with a key investor, which has expressed its intention to purchase approximately $5 million (assuming the Offering is fully subscribed) of the Shares to be issued pursuant to the Offering.

The net proceeds received by the Company from the Offering will be used to finance the Company's previously announced acquisition of assets in Colombia and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or about May 17, 2019, and is subject to the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a statutory four-month hold period.

In consideration for its services, Pollitt will receive a cash commission equal to 6.0% of the gross proceeds of the Offering. As additional compensation, the Company will issue to Pollitt warrants to purchase a number of Shares equal to 6.0% of the number of Shares issued under the Offering at a price per Share equal to the Issue Price.

The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction.

Transaction Update

The Company is pleased to announce that it intends to close its previously announced acquisition of Northern Colombia Holdings Limited from Compania Kedahda Limited, an affiliate of AngloGold Ashanti Limited, on or before May 31, 2019, and satisfy or waive its financing condition on or before May 4, 2019 in order to proceed with the transaction on this basis. On and subject to closing, the Company will acquire a title package comprised of mining concession agreements covering approximately 36,000 hectares of land, and the rights with respect to applications that have been made to acquire mining concessions over approximately 215,000 hectares of land, in prospective mineral belts in the Narino, Cauca and Antioquia departments of Colombia.

Acquisition of Minority Interest

The Company also announces that it has agreed to acquire (the "Acquisition") the remaining 2% minority equity interest in Minerales Camino Real S.A.S., ("RRM Colombia"), following which RRM Colombia will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. RRM Colombia is a Colombian corporation, through which the Company holds various mineral exploration interests and carries on its operations in Colombia. Under the terms of the Acquisition, the Company will issue 1,200,000 ordinary shares as consideration for the minority equity interest. The closing of the Acquisition is expected to occur concurrently with the closing of the Offering, subject to obtaining necessary regulatory approvals.

The Acquisition constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") because the minority equity interest is being acquired from Ivan Devia Manchola, the Company's Chief Operating Officer. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The Company did not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of the Acquisition, which the Company deems reasonable in the circumstances so as to be able to complete the Acquisition concurrently with the Offering and avail itself of the proceeds of the Offering in an expeditious manner.

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 may contain certain information that constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan," "expect," "project," "intend," "believe," "anticipate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include statements regarding the expected closing date and proceeds of, and the use of proceeds from, the Offering, the intention of the key investor to invest in the Offering, and the completion of the acquisition of Northern Colombia Holdings Limited and the minority interest in its subsidiary pursuant to the Acquisition. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the inherent risks involved in financing and completing transactions, the exploration and development of mineral properties, the hiring and retention of directors and officers, the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological data, fluctuating metal prices, permitting and licensing and other factors described above and in the Company's most recent annual information form under the heading "Risk Factors", which has been filed electronically by means of the Canadian Securities Administrators' website located at www.sedar.com. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For further information please contact:

Dr. Tim Coughlin

President and Chief Executive Officer

USA-Canada toll free 1800 6389205

+44 (0)1534 887166

+44 (0)7797 742800

info@royalroadminerals.com

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44421
MONTREAL, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Caprion Biosciences announced today that the company acquired Serametrix Corporation, a specialized provider of immune monitoring services headquartered in Carlsbad, California. Caprion plans to leverage the proprietary expertise of Serametrix in the analysis of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), as well as its international operations in the US, UK, Australia and China to expand its global geographic coverage. The acquisition also reinforces Caprion's leadership position in the provision of immune monitoring and biomarker services to the biopharmaceutical industry.

"Joining forces with Serametrix enables Caprion to strengthen its immunology biomarker offering and provides CAP and CLIA-certified services for supporting Phase 1 through Phase 4 trials from seven different strategic locations in North America, Europe and Asia," said Martin LeBlanc, President and CEO of Caprion.

Founded in 2008 by Phoebe Bonner and Henry Hepburne-Scott, Serametrix offers CLIA-certified flow cytometry services to support pre-clinical and clinical studies. "We fully share the vision of Caprion to provide cutting edge immune-monitoring solutions enabling the developing of innovative immune and cell therapies," said Phoebe Bonner, CEO of Serametrix. In collaboration with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Serametrix has developed unique expertise in the analysis of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), whose presence in the blood constitutes a critical determinant of resistance to immune-based cancer therapies. "These capabilities can stratify patients who respond well to checkpoint inhibitor therapies and evaluate the efficacy of drugs that inhibit the suppressing activity of MDSC," added Martin LeBlanc.

This is Caprion's third acquisition since GHO Capital's investment in 2016. In addition to its headquarters in Montreal, Canada, and sites in Belgium and California, Caprion adds 4 locations in California, England, Australia and China. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Caprion Biosciences, Inc.

Caprion is the leading provider of specialized immunology and proteomics services to the biopharmaceutical industry. Caprion has achieved top-tier growth in recent years based on its proprietary multiparametric flow cytometry for monitoring of immune responses and mass spectrometry services for quantitative and robust measurement of protein biomarkers. For more information: www.caprion.com .

About Serametrix

Serametrix provides solutions to the clinical monitoring of the immune response to immunotherapies. In partnership with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and other leading institutes, Serametrix has developed immunoassays that monitor anti-tumour immunity in patients enrolled into clinical trials for novel cancer therapies. For more information: www.serametrix.com .

About GHO Capital

Global Healthcare Opportunities, or GHO Capital Partners LLP, is a leading specialist healthcare investment advisor based in London. We apply global capabilities and perspectives to unlock high-growth healthcare opportunities in Europe, building market-leading businesses of strategic global value. Our proven investment track record reflects the unrivalled depth of our expertise and network. We partner with strong management teams to unlock value in a global system that demands the provision of better, faster, cheaper healthcare. For more information: www.ghocapital.com .

Contact:

Patrick Tremblay,

Corporate Development Officer,

Caprion Biosciences,

ptremblay@caprion.com,

514-513-1998
Company bolsters best-in-class security protocols to support growing roster of global brands and world-class partners

Decibel, the leading global digital experience intelligence provider, today announced continued growth into 2019, marked by a 124 percent increase in year-over-year bookings and record year-over-year revenue growth. This momentum is driven by strong industry partnerships, world-leading Digital Experience Intelligence platform capabilities and a recognizable customer bench, which has collectively exceeded an impressive 91 percent retention rate. To continue supporting this global network of brand customers and partners, Decibel has also leveled up its strict data privacy policies and certifications.

"The customer experience industry momentum is drastically picking up, and Decibel is core to that ecosystem and pushing full steam ahead," said Ben Harris, CEO, Decibel. "Decibel provides global, modern brands with the intelligence required to increase customer lifetime value and ROI through engaging experiences and does so with exacting attention to the growing data privacy standards that are critical. Brands are no longer competing on product and price alone."

2018 Momentum Sets Stage for Strong 2019

Decibel's platform is powered by the Digital Experience Score (DXS), the first-ever metric for brands to quantitatively measure customer experience across their digital properties. As a result of its ability to provide brands with such a powerful, yet simple metric, Decibel has dramatically strengthened its position in the travel, retail, automotive and finance industries, as businesses around the world recognize the importance of customer experience. Throughout the year, Decibel has enhanced its Digital Experience Intelligence platform capabilities, introducing Decibel for Apps to support mobile app experiences and Journeys to show the exact steps customers take on their online journey.

Backed by these new and enhanced solutions and a rich product pipeline for the first half of 2019, Decibel saw substantial investments from major clients in 2018 as more brands than ever discover a direct link between DXS, conversion rates and revenue. The world's leading tourism group, TUI, for example, implemented Decibel and found a strong correlation between a higher DXS and conversion-in fact, a one-point improvement in DXS allowed TUI to predict $30 million in revenue growth. As such, TUI executives are now planning, forecasting and budgeting for future investments in digital experience.

Air France-KLM Group is one of several brands to have signed on with Decibel over the past year. "With customers relying on our digital properties to browse our flight options, it's essential for our online experiences to be flawless," said Frederic Jeugnet, Manager QOS, Air France-KLM Group. "We recently signed on with Decibel to meet that objective. Working with the company to pinpoint and improve every digital customer experience will be a crucial part of our digital strategy moving forward."

Additionally, the partner and integration ecosystems remain essential for Decibel's continued expansion. Over the past year, Decibel strengthened its Adobe Exchange Premier Partner status by building an integration into Adobe Audience Manager and participating in their Leaders Learners program. Decibel also built key integrations with Qualtrics, Domo, Medallia, AT Internet, Usabilla and Blueconic to expand its reach into business intelligence tools and customer data platforms. Decibel's platform and innovation did not go unnoticed by industry organizations either, as the company was listed as a Gartner Cool Vendor and received awards from Martech Breakthrough and Red Herring.

Decibel's achievements can also be attributed to its fast-growing, global team. Last year, Decibel made strategic executive-level hires, surpassed the 100-employee mark globally and expanded its Boston and San Francisco teams. In 2019, it expects to increase its employee headcount by 35 percent.

Furthering a Commitment to Data Privacy and Security Standards

To support its growing customer roster and their need to ensure data privacy, Decibel also recently received an ISO 27001 certification for information security management by the British Standards Institution (BSI), the world's first National Standards Body. While Decibel has adhered to the ISO 27001 standard since the company's inception, achieving this internationally recognized, strict certification showcases Decibel's commitment to ensuring a positive, protected consumer experience.

The company has also once again successfully passed the Cyber Essentials Certification from the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, safeguarding against a wide variety of the most common cyber attacks.

"It's vital in today's digital world for organizations to demonstrate that they are safeguarding sensitive information to give peace of mind to customers," said Carla Whyte, Key Accounts Proposition Manager at BSI. "Decibel should be delighted that they have achieved this certification, proving that the company is committed to ensuring information is well-managed and that it has a robust information security management system in place."

For more about Decibel, please visit www.decibelinsight.com.

About Decibel

Decibel provides real-time intelligence that enables businesses to measure and improve online customer experiences at scale.

Pioneering the world's first technology designed specifically to quantify experiences, Decibel's Digital Experience Intelligence platform captures unique experience data, enriched by machine learning, to reveal digital body language, understand user state of mind and pinpoint problem areas on your website, web applications and native apps.

Our go-to, universal metric for measuring experiences online, the Digital Experience Score (DXS) automatically rates the quality of experiences and can be segmented across your entire digital offering and audience for immediate insight into where the biggest wins lie. This intelligence powers best-in-class forensic tools that allow digital teams to investigate exactly how and where to optimize for better experiences. Built on a flexible, fast, open API, Decibel makes it easy to integrate and export smart experience data to enrich your entire stack or model in-house.

The world's largest companies including Lego, General Motors, British Airways and AllState Insurance use Decibel to discover opportunities to transform digital experience, drive brand loyalty and grow their businesses. Find out more at www.decibelinsight.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005583/en/

Contacts:

Shannon Casey, PR for Decibel

decibelPR@V2comms.com
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Norra Metals Corp. (the 'Company' or "Norra") is pleased to announce that the company has been moving forward with exploration plans on our recently acquired Scandinavian properties. The four Scandinavian projects, three properties in Norway and one in Sweden, provide Norra with a portfolio of prospective properties for our newly created European Business Unit and will provide our shareholders with substantial value creation upside (see News Release dated Dec 13, 2018 for property details). The properties contain historic mining areas and/or historic, drill-defined zones of polymetallic base metal mineralization (zinc-lead-copper) with variable levels of precious metal enrichments (silver  gold).

There is very good exploration potential on all four properties and Bleikvassli as a former Cu-Zn-Ag ( Au) producer, represents an immediate and significant exploration target for the company. The Bleikvassli property is located in central Norway, contains power and paved roads onsite, is close to tide water and nearby rail service. The property hosts the Bleikvassli mine, a past-producing sediment-hosted massive sulphide Zn-Pb deposit with minor Cu, Au and Ag credits. The mine closed in 1997, following continuous operation since 1957 which saw the extraction of 5.0 million tonnes grading 4.0% Zn, 2% Pb, 0.15% Cu, and 25g/t Ag.

Historic resources remaining at time of mine closure, according to the Norwegian Geological Survey (2017), were 720,000 tonnes grading 5.17% Zn, 2.72% Pb, 0.27% Cu, 45g/t Ag, 0.2g/t Au. However, previous workers did not outline their key assumptions, parameters and methods of resource estimation and did not specify resource categories for this estimate and as such are not compliant with NI 43-101 standards. These historical estimates have not been verified and Norra is not treating these estimates as current resources. Though little work has been done on showings outside the main deposit, there are numerous documented mineral occurrences outside the main mine workings that have received little or no recent exploration despite being of the same mineral style and hosted in similar geology as the Bleikvassli deposit.

Norra has begun reviewing the historic drilling data and incorporating that data into a Leapfrog 3D Geological Modeling software program that also contains the underground mining development as well as the previously mined areas of the deposit. Records indicate that there have been more than 1400 diamond drill holes completed on or in the deposit however, most of the holes were drilled from the underground drifts and in the historically mined areas. Many of the holes would have been drilled in advance of mining so are likely mined out. The underground workings are currently flooded at this time, planned drilling in the deposit will have to be competed from surface. However, the company is also examining the option of possibly dewatering a portion of the mine that would allow access to complete underground drilling.

A review of the drill hole data and areas of past mining has shown three areas of drill holes that lie outside the areas of past mining. These three areas are located; at the north end of the deposit, under the main area of mining and at the south end of the deposit. These three areas represent target areas for the company to begin a preliminary diamond drill program.

Previous work by the operators of the mine in 1986 recognized two lenses of unexploited mineralization at the north end of the deposit. These lenses, reportedly intercepted by the old galleries and drillholes, appear to be unmined based on the current review of the available cross sections. The reports at that time indicated that 'Lens A' contained between 125,000 -162,000t grading 3.25 % Pb, 0.42 % Cu, 7.27 % Zn and 41 g/t Ag. Previous workers did not outline their key assumptions, parameters and methods of resource estimation for 'Lens A' and did not specify resource categories for this estimate and as such are not compliant with NI 43-101 standards. These historical estimates have not been verified and Norra is not treating these estimates as current resources. 'Lens B', which is reportedly insufficiently explored, contains thickness between 1.2m-4.27m grading between 6.7-9.4% Zn, 2.00-4.4% Pb, 0.05-0.08% Cu and 18.7-63.7 g/t Ag. The following table lists some of the intercepts from the past drilling at the north end of the deposit (true widths unknown):

North End Drilling

Hole Hole Type From (m) To

(m) Length (m) Zn (%) Cu (%) Pb (%) Au (ppm) Ag (ppm) AuEq (ppm) ZnEq (%) CuEq (%) DH1-82 S 243.9 248.3 4.4 7.69 0.72 3.50 54.31 12.46 5.90 T17-80 U/G 36.0 40.5 4.5 8.47 0.13 3.42 29.11 11.53 5.46 DH49-88 U/G 0.0 18.9 18.9 4.81 0.07 2.33 37.69 7.14 3.39 DH44-91 U/G 65.2 69.0 3.8 4.91 0.68 2.57 52.32 8.93 4.23 DH4-83 S 239.1 243.3 4.2 10.23 0.22 3.16 35.06 13.40 6.35 DH32-92 U/G 14.0 17.6 3.6 4.56 0.36 1.71 21.00 6.82 3.23 DH24-74 U/G 121.8 126.0 4.2 5.73 0.18 2.55 7.83 3.71

Metal prices used to determine metal equivalents were: Au $1291/oz, Ag $15.10/oz, Cu $2.87/lb, Zn $1.36/lb and Pb $0.92/lb

Metal equivalents assume 100% recoveries and metal prices are quoted in US dollars.

Hole Type- U/G- drill hole from underground workings. S- drill hole from surface

The following table lists some of the intercepts from the past drilling under the main area of historic mining (true widths unknown):

Main Area Drilling

Hole Hole Type From (m) To

(m) Length (m) Zn (%) Cu (%) Pb (%) Au (ppm) Ag (ppm) AuEq (ppm) ZnEq (%) CuEq (%) DH10-96 U/G 151.1 161.9 10.8 3.85 0.25 1.88 0.11 15.83 4.38 6.06 2.87 DH10-97 U/G 0 41.4 41.4 3.44 0.60 1.85 0.26 36.76 5.00 6.91 3.28 DH10-96 U/G 151.1 161.9 10.8 3.85 0.25 1.88 0.11 15.83 4.38 6.06 2.87 DH19-97 U/G 38.6 52 13.4 3.28 0.25 0.67 0.05 11.97 3.27 4.52 2.14 DH19-97 U/G 52.3 80 27.7 5.20 0.23 2.01 0.09 22.05 5.44 7.53 3.57 DH2-90 S 387.1 394.5 7.4 3.64 0.40 1.64 0.07 23.14 4.38 6.07 2.87 DH35-86 U/G 42.15 49.15 7.0 4.26 0.38 1.77 28.45 6.72 3.18 DH40-90 U/G 65.1 70.4 5.3 6.58 0.64 3.33 45.15 10.91 5.17 DH47-92 U/G 34.8 39 4.2 4.56 0.20 1.87 38.89 6.88 3.26 DH47-92 U/G 43.95 50.1 6.2 7.39 0.19 3.86 92.44 11.90 5.64 DH49-92 U/G 4.95 21.5 16.6 3.76 0.59 2.21 48.28 7.28 3.45 DH58-91 U/G 31 35.3 4.3 3.82 0.23 1.36 25.00 5.63 2.67

Metal prices used to determine metal equivalents were: Au $1291/oz, Ag $15.10/oz, Cu $2.87/lb, Zn $1.36/lb and Pb $0.92/lb

Metal equivalents assume 100% recoveries and metal prices are quoted in US dollars.

Hole Type- U/G- drill hole from underground workings. S- drill hole from surface

The south end of the deposit shows the most likely area to test based on the holes that contain good grades and lie at the edges of the previously mined areas of the deposit. The following table lists some of the intercepts from the past drilling at the south end of the deposit (true widths unknown):

South End Drilling

Hole Hole Type From (m) To (m) Length (m) Zn (%) Cu (%) Pb (%) Au (ppm) Ag (ppm) AuEq (ppm) ZnEq (%) CuEq (%) DH5-91 U/G 6.0 8.7 2.7 8.49 0.35 1.53 70.41 11.39 5.35 DH9-91 U/G 0.5 10.4 9.9 2.90 0.26 1.95 69.51 5.88 2.76 DH2301-75 U/G 16.6 20.0 3.4 7.82 0.22 5.18 11.79 5.59 DH2301-80 U/G 8.0 13.0 5.0 3.81 0.20 3.41 70.28 7.68 3.64 DH2302-75 U/G 6.55 10.5 4.0 6.50 0.58 5.00 11.11 5.26 DH2801-75 U/G 12.3 20.3 8.0 6.26 0.23 2.11 8.17 3.87

Metal prices used to determine metal equivalents were: Au $1291/oz, Ag $15.10/oz, Cu $2.87/lb, Zn $1.36/lb and Pb $0.92/lb

Metal equivalents assume 100% recoveries and metal prices are quoted in US dollars.

Hole Type- U/G- drill hole from underground workings. S- drill hole from surface

Development at the Bleikvassli mine spans several levels which extend for over a kilometer of strike length accessed via a portal and ramp system. Operations ceased at the mine in 1997 and there are no records of any subsequent development or exploration work.

Primary access to the Bleikvassli property is via paved road, with the site of the former mine connected by paved and maintained road to the town of Bleikvasslia, which is itself connected to the rest of Norway via the national highway system. Passenger rail service is available from Oslo or Trondheim to the town to Bjerka, 30 km to the north. The nearest airport is in Mo i Rana 60 km to the north, which has daily connecting flights to Oslo and Trondheim. Electrical power is actively supplied by commercial operators to the site of the Bleikvassli mine. Concentrates or mining equipment could be shipped through the port of Mo i Rana.

Norra, in conjunction with our partner EMX Royalty, are in the process of submitting the appropriate permits to the Norwegian government authorities for planned exploration programs. Management will be on site beginning May 1st to continue advancing the exploration planning and will meet with surface rights holders and the local Sami indigenous community to keep them informed as to our activities.

About Norra Metals Corp.

Norra Metals Corp. is a Canadian-based junior exploration company comprised of highly qualified mining professionals with two very prospective copper-gold exploration projects located in northwestern British Columbia on or within the Golden Triangle and now three exciting zinc-copper-lead-silver projects in Norway and an additional prospective zinc-copper-silver-gold project in Sweden. Norra has filed our NI43-101 reports on SEDAR on all four of our newly acquired Scandinavian properties; Bastutrask in Sweden, and the three Norwegian properties; Bleikvassli, Meraker and Sagvoll.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF

NORRA METALS CORP.

Per: 'Minaz Devji'

Minaz Devji,

CEO and Director

Contact info:

Tel: (604) 258-8666

Email: mike.devji@norrametals.com

This news release was prepared by Company management, who take full responsibility for its content. George Cavey P.Geo., Director, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure in this release.

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: Norra Metals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543191/Norra-Metals-Prepares-a-3D-Geological-Model-for-Bleikvassli-Norway
Property is contiguous with Pure Gold's Madsen Project in Northwestern Ontario's Red Lake Gold Camp

VICTORIA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: GLD) ("GoldON" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") with Great Bear Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: GBR), wherein GoldON has the option to earn an initial 60% interest and a subsequent 100% interest in Great Bear's West Madsen gold property.

The Property is comprised of two contiguous claim blocks (Block "A" and "B" - Figure 1), each roughly six kilometers (km) by three km in size for a total area of 3,860 hectares, and is a newly identified geological continuity of the greenstone belt within the Balmer and Confederation assemblages. Block A is contiguous with Pure Gold's Madsen Project, which is host to the historical Madsen and Starratt Olsen gold mines; and where Pure Gold recently completed a Feasibility Study on the Madsen deposit and a Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Fork, Russett South and Wedge deposits.

In order to earn an initial 60% interest in the Property, GoldON must:

incur minimum Exploration Expenditures on the Property, as follows:

(I) $100,000 on or before the first anniversary of the Definitive Agreement;

(II) a cumulative total of not less than $350,000 on or before the second anniversary of the Definitive Agreement; and

(III) a cumulative total of not less than $750,000 on or before the third anniversary of the Definitive Agreement; and



pay cash to Great Bear as follows:

(I) $50,000 within 10 days of signing a Definitive Agreement;

(II) $50,000 on or before the date that is 10 days after the first anniversary of the Definitive Agreement; and

(III) $75,000 on or before the date that is 10 days after the second anniversary of the Definitive Agreement; and



issue common shares of GoldON to Great Bear as follows:

(I) 250,000 Shares within 10 days of signing the Definitive Agreement;

(II) 250,000 Shares on or before the date that is 10 days after the first anniversary of the Definitive Agreement; and

(III) 375,000 Shares on or before the date that is 10 days after the second anniversary of the Definitive Agreement.

In order to earn the remaining 40% interest, for a total of 100% interest, GoldON must:

incur additional Exploration Expenditures on the Property of at least $750,000 on or before the fourth anniversary of the Definitive Agreement, and



pay $500,000 cash or issue 500,000 Shares to Great Bear at GoldON's election on or the date that is 15 days after the third anniversary of the Definitive Agreement.

Great Bear will retain a 2.5% Net Smelter Return royalty after GoldON completes the initial 60% earn-in. GoldON shall have the right to buy back 1% of the Royalty for $500,000 at any time prior to a production decision being made on all or part of the Property.

The LOI and pending Definitive Agreements are subject to Exchange approval.

R. Bob Singh, P. Geo, an independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Company.

About GoldON Resources Ltd.

GoldON is an exploration company geographically focused on discovery-stage properties located in the prolific gold mining belts of Ontario, Canada. The Company's flagship project is the Slate Falls property in northwestern Ontario where at least 18 Au-Ag mineralized zones have been identified over 7 kilometers of the property. Slate Falls is fully permitted for exploration and drilling. To learn more about the Company please visit our website and view our latest presentation by clicking here.

For additional information contact Michael Romanik.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Signed "Michael Romanik"

Michael Romanik, President

Direct line: (204) 724-0613

Email: info@goldonresources.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: GoldON Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543379/GoldON-to-Option-West-Madsen-Property-from-Great-Bear
Not for Distribution to a United States Newswire or for Dissemination in the United States

VANCOUVER, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Sarama Resources Limited ("Sarama" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced private placement offering of 68,949,585 common shares at a price of C$0.085 per common share for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of C$5,860,714.73 (the "Private Placement").

ASX listed mid-tier gold producer, Silver Lake Resources Limited will become a cornerstone investor in Sarama by investing C$2,509,965 representing an interest of 11.78% in the Company.

Andrew Dinning, Sarama Resources CEO commented: "We are pleased with the interest and support shown in this capital raising and welcome Silver Lake Resources as a new cornerstone investor. We intend to use proceeds from this raise to accelerate the growth of our oxide and free-milling mineral resource base which will in turn allow us to more rapidly define the development opportunity that we have in the southern Hounde belt."



Figure 1- Sarama Resources' Exploration and Development Projects in South-West Burkina Faso

The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund payments to regain 100% ownership of the South Hounde Project (news release dated 27 November 2018), exploration activities and to meet working capital requirements of the Company. Sarama intends to start framing up potential project development options and undertake a resource development program to firm-up and expand existing oxide and free-milling mineral resources on the South Hounde and ThreeBee Projects.

The South Hounde Project hosts an inferred mineral resource of 2.1Moz Au(1), including an oxide and transition component of 611koz Au(1). The ThreeBee Project hosts the Bondi Deposit which has a historical mineral resource(1) of 282koz Au measured and indicated; and 150koz Au inferred. Together, these projects form the foundation for possible development in the region.

Exploration drilling in 2018 has identified extensions to the Bondi Deposit and new zones of high potential. The ThreeBee Project also hosts the Bamako Property where a +3km-long gold-quartz vein system has been identified that has returned rock-chip assays up to 18.9g/t Au and gold-in-soil values of up to 13.6g/t Au and historical scout drilling results including 16m @ 6.1g/t Au.

Insiders of the Company subscribed for an aggregate of 23,117,647 common shares in the Private Placement, not including 29,529,000 common shares subscribed for by Silver Lake Resources Limited, which will be an insider as of the closing of the Private Placement. A material change report is being filed in connection with the insider participation in the financing less than 21 days in advance of closing of the financing, as the Company did not have prior confirmation of such participation.

The Private Placement remains subject to the receipt of all applicable final regulatory approvals. The securities issued in connection with the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period expiring August 30, 2019.

No broker fees were paid as the Private Placement was conducted on a non-brokered basis to accredited investors pursuant to prospectus exemptions available under applicable securities laws and is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Shares have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from registration is available. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Shares within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined under Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act), nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

For further information on the Company's activities, please contact:

Andrew Dinning or Lui Evangelista

e: info@saramaresources.com

t: +61 (0) 8 9363 7600

ABOUT SARAMA RESOURCES LTD

Sarama Resources Ltd (TSX-V: SWA) is a West-African focused gold explorer and developer with substantial landholdings in Burkina Faso. Sarama is focused on consolidating under-explored landholdings in Burkina Faso and advancing its key projects towards development.

Sarama's 100%-owned(7) South Hounde and ThreeBee Projects are located within the prolific Hounde Greenstone Belt in south-west Burkina Faso and are the exploration and development focus of the company. Its exploration programs have successfully discovered an inferred mineral resource estimate of 2.1Moz gold(2) at the South Hounde Project which is complemented by the ThreeBee Project's Bondi Deposit (historical estimate of mineral resources of 0.3Moz Au measured and indicated and 0.1Moz Au inferred(2)).

Together, the projects form a cluster of advanced gold deposits, within trucking distance of one another, which potentially offers a development option for a multi-source fed central processing facility in the southern Hounde Belt region of Burkina Faso.

Sarama has also built a growth pipeline which features a new 600km exploration position in the highly prospective Banfora Belt in south-western Burkina Faso. The Koumandara Project hosts several regional-scale structural features and trends of gold-in-soil anomalism extending for over 40km along strike.

Sarama holds a 25% participating interest in the Karankasso Project Joint Venture ("JV") which is situated adjacent to the Company's South Hounde Project in Burkina Faso and is a JV between Sarama and Savary Gold Corp. ("Savary"). Savary is the operator of the JV and in October 2015, declared a maiden inferred mineral resource estimate of 671,000 ounces of contained gold(3) at the Karankasso Project JV.

Incorporated in 2010, the Company's Board and management team have a proven track record in Africa and a strong history in the discovery and development of large-scale gold deposits. Sarama is well positioned to build on its current success with a sound exploration strategy across its property portfolio.

FOOTNOTES

1. South Hounde Project - 43.0Mt @ 1.5g/t Au (reported above cut-off grades ranging 0.3-2.2g/t Au, reflecting the mining methods and processing flowsheets assumed to assess the likelihood of the inferred mineral resources having reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction). This mineral resource contains an oxide and transition component of 16.0Mt @ 1.2g/t Au for 611koz Au (reported at a cut-off grade of 0.3g/t Au for oxide and 0.8g/t Au for transition material). The effective date of the Company's inferred mineral resource estimate is February 4, 2016. For further information regarding the mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report South Hounde Project Update, Bougouriba and Ioba Provinces, Burkina Faso", dated March 31, 2016 and prepared by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered to be independent of Sarama. The technical report is available under Sarama's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

2. Bondi Deposit - 4.1Mt @ 2.1g/t Au for 282,000oz Au (measured and indicated) and 2.5Mt @ 1.8g/t Au for 149,700oz Au (inferred), reported at a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off.

i. The historical estimate of the Bondi Deposit reflects a mineral resource estimate compiled by Orezone Gold Corporation ("Orezone") which has an effective date of February 20, 2009. The historical estimate is contained in a technical report titled "Technical Report on the Mineral Resource of the Bondigui Gold Project", dated date of February 20, 2009 and prepared by Yves Buro (the "Bondi Technical Report"). Yves Buro is an employee of Met-Chem Canada Inc and is considered to be independent of Orezone and Sarama. The technical report is available under Orezone's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

ii. Sarama believes that the historical estimate is relevant to investors' understanding of the property, as it reflects the most recent technical work undertaken in respect of the Bondi Deposit.

iii. The historical estimate was informed by 886 drillholes, assayed for gold by cyanidation methods, were used to interpret mineralised envelopes and geological zones over the area of the historical estimate. Gold grade interpolation was undertaken using ID methodology based on input parameters derived from geostatistical and geological analyses assessments. Field measurements and geological logging of drillholes were used to determine weathering boundaries and bulk densities for modelled blocks.

iv. The historical estimate uses the mineral resource reporting categories required under National Instrument 43-101.

v. No more recent estimates of the mineral resource or other data are available.

vi. Sarama is currently undertaking the necessary verification work in the field and on the desktop that may support the future reclassification of the historical estimate to a mineral resource.

vii. A qualified person engaged by Sarama has not undertaken sufficient work to verify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource and Sarama is therefore not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource.

3. Karankasso Project - 9.2Mt @ 2.3g/t Au (at a 0.5g/t Au cut-off). The effective date ("Effective Date") of the most recent Karankasso Project JV mineral resource estimate that is supported by a technical report is October 7, 2015. For further information regarding that mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "Technical Report and Resource Estimate on the Karankasso Project, Burkina Faso", dated October 7, 2015 and prepared by Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa. Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa are employees of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and are considered to be independent of Savary and Sarama. The technical report is available under Savary's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Sarama has not independently verified Savary's mineral resource estimate and takes no responsibility for its accuracy. Savary is the operator of the Karankasso Project JV and Sarama is relying on their Qualified Persons' assurance of the validity of the mineral resource estimate. Additional technical work has been undertaken on the Karankasso Project since the Effective Date, including but not limited to, metallurgical testwork, exploration drilling and mineral resource estimation, but Sarama is not in a position to quantify the impact of this additional work on the mineral resource estimate referred to above.

4. The ThreeBee Project comprises the Djarkadougou, Botoro, Bamako(5) and Bouni(5) Properties and Sarama has, or is entitled to have, a 100% interest in each of the properties. The Djarkadougou, Bamako and Bouni Exploration Permits are going through a process with the government of Burkina Faso where it is required they be reissued as new full-term exploration permits. The Company anticipates this to be completed in due course, though there can be no assurance that the process will be successfully completed on a timely basis, or at all.

5. For further information regarding the drilling on the Bamako and Bouni Properties, please refer to the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report South Hounde Project Update, Bougouriba and Ioba Provinces, Burkina Faso", dated October 28, 2013 and prepared by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered independent of Sarama. The technical report is available under Sarama's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

6. Drilling previously disclosed in Sarama news release of September 20, 2018.

7. Upon completion of definitive agreements between Sarama and Acacia Mining plc

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information in this disclosure that is not a statement of historical fact constitutes forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information includes statements regarding the completion of the Private Placement and the intended use of proceeds therefrom, the potential for the receipt of regulatory approvals, the completion of definitive agreements, the potential of the projects to host mineralization of significance to support regional development plans, the timing and prospects for the reissuance of the Djarkadougou, Bamako and Bouni Exploration Permits by the government of Burkina Faso, plans for exploration at the South Hounde, ThreeBee and Koumandara Projects, the potential to expand the present oxide component of the existing estimated mineral resources at the South Hounde Project and the reliability of the historical estimate of mineral resources at the Bondi Deposit.

Actual results, performance or achievements of the Company may vary from the results suggested by such forward-looking statements due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such factors include, among others, that the business of exploration for gold and other precious minerals involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative in nature; changes in world commodity markets, equity markets, costs and supply of materials relevant to the mining industry; change in government and changes to regulations affecting the mining industry; Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves, they do not have demonstrated economic viability, and there is no certainty that they can be upgraded to Mineral Reserves through continued exploration; few properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; the actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. There can be no assurance that any mineralisation that is discovered will be proven to be economic, or that future required regulatory licensing or approvals will be obtained. However, the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, Acacia's continued funding of exploration activities, the Company's ability to carry on its exploration activities, the sufficiency of funding, the timely receipt of required approvals, the price of gold and other precious metals, that the Company will not be affected by adverse political events, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain further financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Sarama does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws.

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.

QUALIFIED PERSONS' STATEMENT

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the Company's exploration activities in Burkina Faso is based on information compiled or approved by Guy Scherrer. Guy Scherrer is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Guy Scherrer consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the preparation of the South Hounde Project mineral resource estimate is based on information compiled or approved by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered to be independent of Sarama Resources Ltd. Adrian Shepherd is a Chartered Professional Member in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Adrian Shepherd consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure, in respect of the Bondi Deposit relating to mineral resource and exploration information drawn from the Technical Report prepared for Orezone on that deposit has been approved by Guy Scherrer. Guy Scherrer is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Guy Scherrer consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the quotation of the Karankasso Project's mineral resource estimate is based on information compiled by Paul Schmiede. Paul Schmiede is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a Fellow in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Paul Schmiede has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Paul Schmiede consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. Paul Schmiede and Sarama have not independently verified Savary's mineral resource estimate and take no responsibility for its accuracy.

SOURCE: Sarama Resources Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543485/Sarama-Resources-Closes-C59-Million-Private-Placement
CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / CanadaBis Capital Inc.("CanadaBis or the Company") is pleased to announce that it will begin trading as a Tier 2 Life Sciences Issuer on April 30th, 2019 under the symbol CANB and that it has officially launched its new corporate website, which is now available at www.canadabis.com .

The new website will showcase the Company's products and services, as well as provide shareholders and potential investors a better understanding of CanadaBis's vision for the future. CanadaBis anticipates being in position to expand business, increase cultivation facilities, add retail locations, further develop into extractions and processing in preparation of the upcoming legalization of edibles, and continue to be a vertically-integrated cannabis company offering a keystone portfolio in Western Canada.

CanadaBis, through its subsidiaries, will operate the business of Stigma Grow and continue to be focused on producing high-quality and uniquely crafted products for the Alberta market. The facility in Red Deer was awarded a Standard Cultivation License by Health Canada on March 8th of 2019. This cultivation license is one of only twelve administered in Alberta by Health Canada and will allow for the possession, production and distribution of cannabis in dried, fresh, plant and seed form. In addition, the Company has been awarded a Standard Processing License which will allow the Red Deer facility to process dried flower and manufacture cannabis oil products.

Stigma Grow has the benefit of over three years of independent genetic research on 42 proprietary strains making the Company perfectly positioned to supply Albertans with a portfolio of uniquely developed craft cannabis products that offer potency, consistency and high-quality experience.

About CanadaBis

CanadaBis Capital Inc. is an Alberta-based cannabis company that, through its wholly owned subsidiary Stigma Grow, produces high-quality products for the Alberta marketplace. The Company exhibits the highest standards in quality control, optimal yields and wide ranging cannabinoid profiles. The newly constructed 22,000 square foot growth facility in Red Deer County is licensed by Health Canada to cultivate and process cannabis, with further expansion planned in 2019/2020.

For more information please contact:

Investor Relations

1-888-STI-GMA1

info@stigmagrow.ca

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to our business and operations including development and expansion plans and the timing thereof. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: compliance with extensive government regulation, the general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; requirement for further capital, delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; the results of operations and such other matters as set out in the Filing Statement available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. 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. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflects management's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on our future results, performance or achievements.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although we have attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. We do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: CanadaBis Capital Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543454/Canadabis-Capital-Resumes-Trading-and-Launches-Corporate-Website
Alex Johnstone brings new strategic capability to CFO role

Boden, Sweden--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - Hydro66 Holdings Corp. (CSE: SIX) (OTCQB: HYHDF) ("Hydro66" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Alex Johnstone has been promoted to CFO effective June 1, 2019. Mr. Johnstone will take over from Juliet Pedrazas who has been with the company since its inception. The Company thanks Juliet for her sterling work with the Company and wishes her all the best in her future endeavours.

Mr. Johnstone was brought onboard as Chief Investment Officer in September 2018 and brings a wealth of experience in traditional finance and cryptocurrency. Previously he was a key member of the Active Credit Portfolio Management team at Santander UK, focusing on Significant Risk Transfer transactions and has worked as Director, Credit Structuring at Erste Group Bank AG and Head of European Bond Syndication at Banco Santander.

Anne Graf CEO commented, "We are delighted Mr. Johnstone is picking up the reins. His wealth of experience in traditional finance and the cryptocurrency sector will be a major asset to the company as we continue to execute on our Enterprise and cryptocurrency colocation strategy."

Mr. Johnstone added "The opportunity to take Hydro66 forward as a dynamic and significant player in crypto infrastructure and Enterprise hosting is extremely attractive on a professional and personal level. I will be using my years of investment experience to identify and support those blockchain projects with the most potential to enhance and expand the cryptocurrency ecosystem. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to create shareholder value along with the rest of the senior management team and the Board."

For additional information contact: investors@hydro66.com

About Hydro66

Hydro66 owns and operates an award-winning colocation data center in Sweden specializing in High Performance Computing ("HPC") hosting. The Company hosts third party IT infrastructure, utilizing 100% green power, at amongst the EU's lowest power prices and within an ISO27001 accredited facility.

Hydro66 is uniquely positioned to capitalize on opportunities in blockchain infrastructure as well as the traditional Enterprise colocation data center market. The Company provides truly green power at a leading price, purpose-built space and cooling, telecoms, IT support services and 24/7 physical security in their facility in Boden, Sweden. www.hydro66.com

Forward-Looking Information

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements may be discussed in this news release and the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis filed at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44405
King orchestrated the lynching in Jasper and, for a while, he was one of the most loathsome men in America. A self-proclaimed white supremacist, he rekindled memories of a vile part of our nations history that some thought had been buried 40 years before. He reminded us that hatred and bigotry, when cast into a shallow grave, could simply kick off the dirt and rise again with an even greater vengeance.
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: MGM) (OTCQB: MGMLF) (FSE: M3G) ("Maple Gold" or the "Company") has completed its winter 2019 drilling program, with approximately 6,050 metres drilled in 15 holes, distributed across the Nika, Porphyry, 531 and Exploration Target areas (see Fig. 1). Several of the drill-holes were drilled to greater than planned depths as a result of visually significant sulfide mineralisation noted at the originally planned depths.

The primary objective of this work was to demonstrate continuity of higher grade areas both near surface and at moderate depths (at or beyond base of conceptual pit depths). All of the holes, including exploration drilling 1km south of the resource area, encountered visually significant sulfide mineralisation; all assays are pending. About half of the drill core has been sawed to-date; Maple Gold's in-house technicians will complete this work in the coming weeks to prepare samples for shipment to ALS Laboratory. Assay results are expected to be released as received over the course of the next 8-10 weeks.

Maple Gold's VP Exploration, Fred Speidel, commented: "Our drilling within the Nika and Porphyry Zones was designed to follow up on some of our best results from 2018, with the aim of extending zones and confirming continuity of higher-than-deposit-average-grade mineralisation within these respective areas. We are equally excited about pending results from the more limited drilling we completed at the 531 Zone and Exploration Target; the latter has very limited drill density, has not been drill tested for years and our updated geological model gives us reason to believe there is excellent potential for new discoveries there."

Additional Drill Campaign Details

2019 contract drilling costs were approximately 15% cheaper on a per-metre basis than in 2018, and drill program support costs were also reduced. The Company was pleased to surpass its targeted meterage with this 15-hole campaign and believes the results and new data will make meaningful contributions to the Company's evolving deposit-wide 3D models.

Nika Zone: 1,794 metres drilled (4 drill-holes)

These holes tested near surface and moderate depth extension of the new Nika Zone discovered in 2018, in particular DO-18-218 (50m averaging 1.77 g/t Au) and DO-18-217 (17m averaging 1.08 g/t Au, within a broader slightly lower-grade interval), and also deepened one historical hole that ended in 21.10 g/t Au on the western edge of the Nika Zone.

Porphyry Zone: 3,120 metres drilled (8 drill-holes)

These holes mainly tested the continuity of higher than average grades, particularly from 2018 drill intercepts such as in DO-18-216 (21m averaging 7.87 g/t Au uncut, including visible gold, and within a broader lower grade interval), DO-18-247 (21m averaging 3.49 g/t Au uncut, including visible gold) and DO-18-254 (27.5m averaging 1.24 g/t Au within a broader lower grade interval). The holes tested both contact style and syenite-hosted mineralisation.

531 Zone: 432 metres drilled (1 drill-hole)

This single hole tested the near-surface continuity of higher grade mineralisation in historical hole D-92-41 which gave 1.37 g/t Au over 31.5m in contact style mineralisation including a fault zone.

Exploration Target: 699 metres drilled (2 drill-holes)

Drilling at the Exploration Target tested expansion potential of locally high grade (2.08-17.45 g/t Au from historical drilling) contact style mineralisation in area with mixed syenite-basalt, located about 1km south of the southern limit of the Porphyry Zone.





Fig. 1: Distribution of 2019 drill-hole collars on gradient magnetic base map

To view an enhanced version of Fig. 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/44416_maple2.jpg



Corporate Updates

The Company is pleased to advise that its Annual General Meeting will be held at 1pm PST on Thursday, June 13, 2019 at the Company's offices in Vancouver, B.C., located at Suite 600, 1111 West Hastings Street. The Company further reports that it will not be proceeding with a second tranche to the financing as announced on March 26, 2019. The Company has therefore closed on a total of $2.3 million of the previously announced $2.6 million.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc, P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration, of Maple Gold. Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this news release through his direct participation in the work.

Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC)

Maple Gold implements strict Quality Assurance ("QA") and Quality Control ("QC") protocols at Douay covering the planning and placing of drill holes in the field; drilling and retrieving the NQ-sized drill core; drill-hole surveying; core transport to the Douay Camp; core logging by qualified personnel; sampling and bagging of core for analysis; transport of core from site to ALS laboratory; sample preparation for assaying; and analysis, recording and final statistical vetting of results. For a complete description of protocols, please visit the Company's QA/QC page on the website at: http://maplegoldmines.com/index.php/en/projects/qa-qc-qp-statement

About Maple Gold

Maple Gold is an advanced gold exploration and development company focused on defining a district-scale gold project in one of the world's premier mining jurisdictions. The Company's ~355 km Douay Gold Project is located along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone (55 km of strike) within the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt in northern Quebec, Canada. The Project benefits from excellent infrastructure and has an established gold resource3 that remains open in multiple directions. For more information please visit www.maplegoldmines.com.

ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD.

"Matthew Hornor"

B. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO

For Further Information Please Contact:



Mr. Joness Lang

VP, Corporate Development

Cell: 778.686.6836

Email: jlang@maplegoldmines.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Forward Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about the prospective mineral potential of the Porphyry Zone, the potential for significant mineralisation from other drilling in the referenced drill program and the completion of the drill program. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding timing and completion of the private placement. When used herein, words such as "anticipate", "will", "intend" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on certain estimates, expectations, analysis and opinions that management believed reasonable at the time they were made or in certain cases, on third party expert opinions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual events, results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future events, results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.'s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company's website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44416
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - Great Bear Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GBR) (the "Company" or "Great Bear") today reported the discovery of a new gold control within its Dixie Limb Zone ("DL") target which is associated with thickened and higher-grade gold mineralization. The new discovery enhances the DL as a significant potential host of high-grade gold. The DL is the original gold discovery at the Dixie project, made by Teck Resources. It is located approximately 200 metres to the north of, and is sub-parallel to, Great Bear's 2018 high-grade gold discovery at the Hinge Zone ("DHZ").

Nine additional drill holes have also been completed into the Hinge Zone for which assays are pending; these results will be released when available. Continued drilling of the DHZ remains a top priority through 2019 and 2020, as part of the Company's fully-funded 60,000 metre drill program.

The Company also reports it has entered into a binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") with GoldON Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: GLD, "GoldON") wherein GoldON has the option to earn an initial 60% interest, and a subsequent 100% interest in Great Bear's West Madsen property.

New High-Grade Drill Strategy in the Dixie Limb

The Dixie Limb zone is a major gold target at the Dixie project, second only to the Hinge Zone in exploration importance. This is due to its potential size, strong continuity of grade, and the presence of gold extending to within a few metres of surface. Great Bear's recent drilling successfully tested newly interpreted high-grade gold controls in the zone. Results include:

New drilling has intersected a " Hinge Zone style" east-west trending high grade gold vein which intersects the DL and is associated with increased grades and widths of mineralization at the intersection, as shown in Figure 1.





intersects the DL and is associated with increased grades and widths of mineralization at the intersection, as shown in The newly discovered gold control allows Great Bear to prioritize drill targeting of high-grade zones within the broader mineralized system in the DL.





within the broader mineralized system in the DL. New drill results include 17.55 g/t gold over 2.55 metres within a broader interval of 9.15 g/t gold over 5.30 metres , and 24.21 g/t gold over 1.30 metres within a broader interval of 5.05 g/t gold over 15.85 metres .





within a broader interval of , and within a broader interval . The DL has been drill defined along a 600-metre strike length where all (100%) of more than 100 drill holes have encountered gold mineralization at a geological contact between various basalt and metasediments units.





where all (100%) of more than 100 drill holes have encountered gold mineralization at a geological contact between various basalt and metasediments units. The DL has considerable depth potential based on geological and structural modeling. The deepest drill hole intersects the zone at approximately 450 metres vertical depth, and the zone remains open to extension in all directions.





based on geological and structural modeling. The deepest drill hole intersects the zone at approximately 450 metres vertical depth, and the zone remains open to extension in all directions. The newly defined intersection provides a predictable plunge of high-grade gold mineralization which Great Bear successfully targeted during recent drilling. Great Bear has also used a similar predictive plunge technique to define high-grade gold mineralization in the Hinge Zone.

Current DL drill results are shown in Table 1. All drill results which intersect the DL within 50 metres along strike to either side of the predicted intersection are shown in Table 2.

Table 1: Current drill results from the DL. Higher-grade mineralization is associated with a newly defined steeply-plunging structural intersection. All widths are drill indicated core length as insufficient work has been completed to define true widths.

Drill Hole From To Width Gold Vertical Comment (m) (m) (m) (g/t) Depth

(m) DL-041 112.70 120.80 8.10 5.44 92 At

Predicted Intersection including 113.75 115.20 1.45 10.65 and including 118.50 120.80 2.30 9.29 and including 118.50 119.00 0.50 24.38 DL-042 130.80 142.10 11.30 4.67 118 At

Predicted Intersection including 136.45 141.75 5.30 9.15 and including 138.30 140.80 2.50 17.55 and including 138.30 139.80 1.50 20.12 DL-045 144.45 160.3 15.85 5.05 140 At

Predicted Intersection including 147.00 149.00 2.00 9.67 and including 159.00 160.30 1.30 24.21 and including 159.60 160.00 0.40 74.91 Drill holes listed below were drilled elsewhere in the DL,

away from the intersection plunge DL-040 186.90 197.30 10.40 0.76 162 Away from Predicted Intersection including 187.40 187.90 0.50 2.79 and including 196.30 196.80 0.50 4.27 DL-043 135.30 139.25 3.95 2.13 105 DL-044 121.70 133.95 12.25 1.77 105 including 128.00 128.5 0.50 5.81 and including 132.10 133.95 1.85 4.06 DL-046 154.65 159.6 4.95 1.40 117 including 155.75 156.25 0.50 3.00

Chris Taylor, President and CEO of Great Bear said, "While it's hard to compare almost any mineralization to the exceptional gold at the Hinge Zone, the Dixie Limb displays impressive silica-sulphide replacement with gold that predictably occurs in over 100 drill holes targeting the same geological contact across a large area. We now observe that the same late gold event that has led to high-grade mineralization in the Hinge Zone also positively affects the Dixie Limb. We look forward to further defining high-grade steeply-plunging gold zones within this target, and will drill to determine how many of these "upgraded" gold zones are present within the DL."

Table 2: Historical drill holes from Great Bear and previous explorers intersecting the DL along 100 metres of strike length centred on the predicted intersection. All widths are drill indicated core length as insufficient work has been completed to define true widths.

Drill Hole From(m) To(m) Width(m) Gold(g/t) Vertical Depth (m) Comment DL-004 56.20 62.50 6.30 5.56 48 Great

Bear's

Drilling including 59.50 62.50 3.00 6.45 and including 62.00 62.50 0.50 16.40 DL-005 162.60 173.00 10.40 16.84 131 including 164.60 172.45 7.85 21.53 and including 171.40 172.45 1.05 130.10 DL-020 173.00 195.00 22.00 4.31 150 including 178.20 195.00 16.80 5.60 including 179.35 186.00 6.65 9.43 and Including 179.35 182.05 2.70 14.92 and Including 180.85 182.05 1.20 22.86 DL-021 188.50 198.00 9.50 3.60 161 including 193.00 198.00 5.00 5.48 including 194.15 195.15 1.00 11.35 and including 194.65 195.15 0.50 19.03 DL-024 225.00 244.00 19.00 3.08 199 including 225.50 229.30 3.80 6.27 including 227.10 229.30 2.20 7.97 DL-036a 368.45 377.90 9.45 2.38 358 and including 377.40 377.90 0.50 15.67 DL-04-04 222.90 232.77 9.87 5.08 192 Previous Explorers including 228.15 232.77 4.62 9.75 and including 230.05 232.15 2.10 18.46 and including 230.82 232.15 1.33 23.32 DL-04-06 333.33 345.67 12.34 7.66 322 including 333.33 342.49 9.16 9.86 and including 335.42 336.88 1.46 40.27

Recent drilling has intersected both the DL and Dixie Hinge Zone ("DHZ") within the same north-south directed drill holes, crossing the intervening area between the two zones as shown on Figure 1. It was recently noted that an east-west trend of gold mineralization is present between the two zones in the northern, hanging wall portion of an ultramafic unit and fault that divides the DL from the DHZ. The new mineralized trend is a gold-bearing quartz vein similar to gold-bearing vein in the Hinge Zone, which occurs to the south.

Figure 1: Map showing newly discovered east-west trending, Hinge Zone style high-grade gold-bearing quartz vein, and intersection location of this vein and the DL.





To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5331/44418_fe06930894dc3aa1_002full.jpg

It was noted by the Company that most historic drill holes within the DL display increased grades and thicknesses of gold mineralization along approximately 100 metres of strike length centred on the predicted intersection of the the new gold-bearing vein and the DL. Three follow-up drill holes (DL-041, 042 and 045) were recently completed to test the predicted intersection and all encountered higher grade gold mineralization.

During the Company's ongoing fully funded 60,000 metre drill program, the Company's drilling within the DL will test both the currently defined steeply-plunging zone of high-grade gold mineralization, and will also explore to define additional structural intersections within the DL that may also relate to higher grades. Drilling will also continue at the DHZ as previously disclosed on April 1, 2019.

LOI to Option West Madsen Property

Chris Taylor said, "Great Bear recently announced a significant expansion of its drill program at our flagship 100% owned Dixie property. While we are optimistic about the exploration potential of West Madsen, our primary focus is significantly accelerating our exploration efforts at Dixie. We are therefore pleased to have GoldON actively explore West Madsen for potential on-strike gold mineralization from Pure Gold Resources' Madsen property. A retained net smelter royalty, together with share and cash payments to Great Bear, will continue to provide positive exposure for our shareholders to any discoveries that may be made at West Madsen."

Signing of the LOI will be followed by finalization of a definitive agreement between Great Bear and GoldON. In order to earn an initial 60% interest in the property, GoldON must:

(a) incur minimum exploration expenditures on the property, as follows:

(I) $100,000 on or before the first anniversary of the definitive agreement;

(II) a cumulative total of not less than $350,000 on or before the second anniversary of the definitive agreement; and

(III) a cumulative total of not less than $750,000 on or before the third anniversary of the definitive agreement; and

(b) pay cash to Great Bear as follows:

(I) $50,000 within 10 days of signing a definitive agreement;

(II) $50,000 on or before the date that is 10 days after the first anniversary of the aefinitive agreement; and

(III) $75,000 on or before the date that is 10 days after the second anniversary of the definitive agreement; and

(c) issue common shares of GoldON to Great Bear as follows:

(I) 250,000 shares within 10 days of signing the definitive agreement;

(II) 250,000 shares on or before the date that is 10 days after the first anniversary of the definitive agreement; and

(III) 375,000 shares on or before the date that is 10 days after the second anniversary of the definitive agreement.

In order to earn an additional 40% interest, for a total of 100% interest, GoldON must:

(a) incur additional exploration expenditures on the property of at least $750,000 on or before the fourth anniversary of the definitive agreement, and

(b) pay $500,000 cash or issue 500,000 shares to Great Bear at GoldON's election on or before the date that is 15 days after the third anniversary of the definitive agreement.

Great Bear will retain a 2.5% Net Smelter Return royalty after GoldON completes the initial 60% earn-in. GoldON will have the right to buy back 1% of the royalty for $500,000 at any time prior to a production decision being made on all or part of the property. The LOI and pending definitive agreements are subject to Exchange approval.

About Great Bear

The Dixie property is located approximately 15 minutes' drive along Highway 105 from downtown Red Lake, Ontario. The Red Lake mining district has produced over 30,000,000 ounces of gold and is one of the premier mining districts in Canada, benefitting from major active mining operations including the Red Lake Gold Mine of Goldcorp Inc., plus modern infrastructure and a skilled workforce. The Dixie property covers a drill and geophysically defined 10 kilometre gold mineralized structure similar to that hosting other producing gold mines in the district. In addition, Great Bear is also earning a 100% royalty-free interest in the Pakwash, Dedee and Sobel properties, which cover regionally significant gold-controlling structures and prospective geology. All of Great Bear's Red Lake projects are accessible year-round through existing roads.

Mr. R. Bob Singh, P.Geo, Director and VP Exploration, and Ms. Andrea Diakow P.Geo, Exploration Manager for Great Bear are the Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the accuracy of technical information contained in this news release.

For further information please contact Mr. Chris Taylor, P.Geo, President and CEO at 604-646-8354, or Mr. Knox Henderson, Investor Relations, at 604-551-2360.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Chris Taylor"

Chris Taylor, President and CEO

Inquiries:

Tel: 604-646-8354

Fax: 604-646-4526

info@greatbearresources.ca

www.greatbearresources.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



This new release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

We seek safe harbor

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44418
Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), a leader in advancing copyright, accelerating knowledge, and powering innovation, announces its new office in Central London. Housed in the Ivory House in St. Katharine Docks and close to the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and the River Thames, the location helps CCC meet growing demand from customers based in Europe.

Ivory House was built in 1858 and is the only original warehouse building still standing in St. Katharine Docks. It was restored to its current state in 1973 and today houses a mixture of shops, restaurants and high-end luxury apartments. The warehouse became known as the Ivory House due to the vast quantities of ivory that passed through it.

At the 2019 London Book Fair, CCC recently hosted an invitation-only program on "Open Dialogue: The Key to Advancing Scholarly Communications." It also produced several industry-focused panel discussions as a Premium Partner of the Book Fair, including, "Scholarly Publishing Through the Brexit Lens."

ABOUT COPYRIGHT CLEARANCE CENTER

Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) builds unique solutions that connect content and rights in contextually relevant ways through software and professional services. CCC helps people navigate vast amounts of data to discover actionable insights, enabling them to innovate and make informed decisions. CCC, with its subsidiaries RightsDirectandIxxus, collaborates with customers to advance how data and information is integrated, accessed, and shared while setting the standard for effective copyright solutions that accelerate knowledge and power innovation. CCC is headquartered in Danvers, Mass., with offices across North America, Europe and Asia. To learn more about CCC, visit www.copyright.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005079/en/

Contacts:

Craig Sender

Director, Public Relations

csender@copyright.com

978-646-2605
Fornebu, Norway - April 30 2019: REC Silicon ASA (REC Silicon) will release its Q1 2019 results on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at 07:00 a.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST).A presentation of the results will be held at 08:00 a.m. CEST at Hotel Continental, Stortingsgata 24/26, Oslo, Norway.The presentation will be in English.A live webcast from the presentation can be accessed at www.recsilicon.com or with the following link:https://webtv.hegnar.no/presentation.php?webcastId=97815703It will also be possible to listen to the presentation through a conference call. To join this event, use one of the following access numbers. Please make sure to dial in 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.Norway Dial-in (Tollfree/Freephone): 800 51 084Norway, Oslo (Dial-in Local): +47 2100 2610United Kingdom (Dial-in Tollfree/Freephone): 0800 358 6377United Kingdom (Dial-in Local): +44 (0) 330 336 9125United States (Dial-in Local): +1 929 477 0324United States/Canada (Dial-in Tollfree/Freephone): 800 458 4121Other international: +44 (0) 330 336 9125Participant Passcode: 5632920For further information, please contact:Nils O. Kjerstad, IR ContactPhone: +47 9135 6659Email: nils.kjerstad@crux.noAbout REC Silicon:REC Silicon is a leading producer of advanced silicon materials, delivering high-purity polysilicon and silicon gas to the solar and electronics industries worldwide. We combine over 30 years of experience and proprietary technology with the needs of our customers, and annual production capacity of more than 20,000 MT of polysilicon from our two US-based manufacturing plants. Listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: REC), the company is headquartered in Fornebu, Norway.For more information, go to: www.recsilicon.comThis information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

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.
Leveraging Enyx's FPGA-enabled technology within Vela's electronic trading stack

Vela, a leading independent provider of trading and market access technology for global multi-asset electronic trading, and Enyx, a leading developer and provider of ultra-low latency technologies and solutions for the financial industry, today announced a partnership to provide Vela clients with access to Enyx's FPGA-based technology, initially focused on ultra-low latency market data solutions.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005262/en/

The two firms have successfully completed a Proof of Concept integrating the Enyx nxFeed, an ultra-low latency FPGA-enabled feed handler, into Vela's award-winning software-based feed handlers to deliver wire-speed performance and jitter-free determinism at scale through a single, normalized API to access global markets. This allows Vela's existing and future feed handler clients to leverage the improved performance of Enyx's FPGA-powered solutions without the need for further integration effort as it is provided through Vela's existing API that already supports over 250 venues.

The partnership aims to deliver a best-of-breed hardware and software solution to clients that need market-leading latency and performance as well as global scale and coverage from their latency-sensitive trading applications. The two companies will work together to identify opportunities to bring the technology to market through Vela's range of market data, execution, and automated trading products.

Ollie Cadman, Global Head of Product Management and Business Operations at Vela, commented, "This partnership with Enyx aligns with our strategy to provide global clients with a suite of modular components that support the full electronic trading ecosystem." Adding, "As we continue to innovate and enhance our products, our focus is always on delivering the best possible solutions that support the business requirements of our clients and the markets in which they operate. By joining forces with Enyx, our clients have access to a powerful and fully-integrated technology solution that meets their need for speed in electronic trading markets."

Laurent de Barry, Founder Managing Director, Trading Solutions at Enyx, says, "We are delighted to be working with Vela as Enyx continues to focus on providing clients with flexible and transparent high performance solutions for their latency sensitive trading strategies. Leveraging our FPGA-enabled solutions to accelerate and enhance Vela's market data offering is only the first step." Adding, "We expect that the integration of nxFeed into the Vela feed handlers will be the first of many opportunities to further enhance the ultra-low latency solutions being delivered to Vela clients."

About Vela

Vela is a leading independent provider of trading and market access technology for global multi-asset electronic trading. Our software enables clients to rapidly access global liquidity, markets, and data sources for superior execution. We help firms successfully differentiate and innovate in an ever-changing, increasingly-regulated and fiercely-competitive landscape, while also reducing total cost of ownership.

Vela's ticker plant, execution gateways, trading platform, and risk and analytics software deliver a unique, ultra-low latency technology stack to simplify and streamline electronic trading. We leverage the latest innovations in technology to deliver cutting-edge performance, features and reliability. Our modular stack provides access to a comprehensive set of trading, data and risk APIs and can be delivered as-a-Service from multiple co-location data centers globally.

With access to more than 250 venues, Vela provides global coverage across all major asset classes. Clients are supported by an award-winning team of technical and business experts available 24x7 from our multiple offices in the US, Europe, and Asia. Vela's clients include traders, market makers, brokers, banks, investment firms, exchanges, and other market participants.

Visit us at www.tradevela.com. Follow us on Twitter @TradeVela.

About Enyx

Enyx is a leading developer and provider of ultra-low latency FPGA-enabled technologies and solutions for the financial, telecommunications, and high performance computing industries.

Focused on delivering higher performance with a lower datacenter footprint, Enyx provides off-the-shelf, end-to-end solutions for the finance industry. The Enyx stack includes ultra-low latency market data normalization and distribution, order execution and in-hardware algo acceleration. Additionally, the Enyx product range features wireless network solutions and pre-built hardware IP blocks compatible with a range of FPGA platforms.

With a passion for customer service and transparency, Enyx designs products made to deliver the next generation of technology, while maintaining accessibility and flexibility. Among our clients are financial service providers, exchanges, market data vendors, investment banks, brokers and investment funds.

Enyx offers global support to our clients worldwide with offices located in Paris, New York, Chicago and Hong Kong.

For more information, please visit www.enyx.com, follow us on Twitter @EnyxFpga or visit our LinkedIn page.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005262/en/

Contacts:

Melanie Budden

The Realization Group for Vela

Email: melanie.budden@therealizationgroup.com

Tel: +44 7974 937970

Jacqueline Genow

VP Marketing Communications

Enyx

Email: jackie.genow@enyx.com

Tel: +1 646 513 2924
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - StillCanna Inc. (CSE: STIL) ("STIL" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has begun its agricultural initiatives in Poland to farm over 1,500 hectares of its propriety high CBD content hemp varietal.

StillCanna has ordered and anticipates delivery in July of special harvesters and conveyors with proprietary dryers to make the harvest easy and efficient. The high-tech equipment is capable of speeds up to 15km per hour with a special four and a half meter wide cutting device. It's estimated that the Company's 2019 harvest will produce over 16 million grams of pure CBD. As our proprietary strain of hemp has a gestation period of 45 days, the Company is considering planting two crops on a number of its properties to increase its CBD production capabilities for 2020.

The Company anticipates breaking ground in May for its new CBD refinement facility in Poland, which is expected to cost approximately $6 million to complete its development. The facility is designed to have the capacity to initially produce up to 40 million grams of CBD annually with the ability to further build out the facility to increase production as necessary.

"Spring is an exciting time for global agriculture and StillCanna," explained Jason Dussault, Chief Executive Officer of StillCanna. "The expansion of our EU footprint into Poland is yet another milestone in the implementation of our business initiatives. With over 20 years experience in hemp cultivation, we look forward to meeting the ever increasing demand for quality CBD from our fields and facilities."

The Company also announces that it has engaged Native Ads Inc. to provide and manage a comprehensive digital media marketing campaign for the Company.

The Company has entered into an eight week programmatic digital advertising campaign for an approximate cost of one hundred thousand dollars for digital advertising, paid distribution, media buying and content creation. Neither Native Ads nor any of its directors and officers own any securities of the Company.

About StillCanna Inc.

StillCanna Inc. (CSE: STIL) www.stillcanna.com is a Canadian early-stage life sciences company focused on large scale CBD production in Europe. The company believes that its proprietary intellectual property allows it to extract CBD more efficiently and at a lower cost. The company has signed an initial extraction contract in Europe to be the exclusive extractor for Dragonfly BioSciences LLC, a United Kingdom-based supplier of CBD. Upon the completion of the Olimax transaction, StillCanna will be one of the largest processor and providers of market ready CBD in Europe.

On Behalf of the Board,

Joel Leonard,

Chief Financial Officer and Director

E-mail: joel@stillcanna.com

The CSE has not in any way passed upon the merits of and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements: This release includes certain statements and information that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding the anticipated delivery in July of the harvesters and conveyors, the Company's anticipated 2019 CBD yield of 16 million grams, the anticipated timeline of May for beginning construction of a CBD extraction facility in Poland, and the anticipated level of production at the planned CBD extraction facility in Poland and its anticipated cost. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should" or "would" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on certain material assumptions and analysis made by the Company and the opinions and estimates of management as of the date of this press release, including that the harvesters and conveyors will be delivered in July, the Company's will have a 2019 CBD yield of 16 million grams, the construction of a CBD extraction facility in Poland will begin in May, and the level of production at the planned CBD extraction facility in Poland and its anticipated cost will be as anticipated by the Company's management. Although the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors may include, among others, that the harvesters and conveyors will not be delivered in July, the Company's will not have a 2019 CBD yield of 16 million grams, the construction of a CBD extraction facility in Poland will not begin in May or at all, and the level of production at the planned CBD extraction facility in Poland and its anticipated cost will not be as anticipated by the Company's management. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44425
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - OSPREY GOLD DEVELOPMENT LTD. (TSXV: OS) (OTCQB: OSSPF) (the "Company" or "Osprey") is pleased to report it has entered into an agreement to amend the terms of its option agreement (the "Option Agreement") pursuant to which Osprey may acquire a 100% interest, subject to certain royalties, in the Goldenville Gold Project ("Goldenville") and three additional earlier stage projects in Nova Scotia.

"We're pleased to have renegotiated this cornerstone agreement for Osprey," said Company President Cooper Quinn. "The amended agreement reduces the remaining required cash obligations of the underlying option from $600,000 to $225,000, and provides the Company significantly enhanced flexibility; enabling us to allocate more funds to build value for shareholders through exploration."

Under the amended terms, in order to exercise the option and acquire Goldenville, Osprey must, on or before March 14, 2021 make annual payments $600,000, of which $225,000 shall be payable in cash, and at the election of Osprey, a portion or all of the remainder may be payable in common shares of Osprey subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, through issuance of common shares of Osprey at a price per share determined based on the applicable market prices at the time such election is made.

The amended payment terms, and the original payment schedule relating to the remaining obligations are outlined below:

Amended Option Terms Original Option Terms Payment Schedule Cash Payment Payable in Cash or Shares Cash Payment At Amendment Date $ 50,000 $ 75,000 $ 250,000 1st Anniversary from Amendment $ 75,000 $ 100,000 $ 350,000 2nd Anniversary from Amendment $ 100,000 $ 200,000 -

The option agreement was originally announced by the Company in news releases dated January 10, 2017 and March 2, 2017. The option agreement originally provided for a total of $1,000,000 payable in cash, of which $400,000 has been paid.

About Goldenville and Osprey

Osprey is focused on exploring five historically producing gold properties in Nova Scotia, Canada. Osprey has the option to earn 100% (subject to certain royalties) in all five properties, including the Goldenville Gold Project, Nova Scotia's largest historic gold producer. Goldenville hosts a current NI 43-101 Inferred Resource of 2,800,000 tonnes at 3.20 g/t gold for 288,000 ounces of gold (2,800,000 tonnes at 4.96 g/t gold for 447,000 ounces of gold uncapped) near the town of Sherbrooke, NS. All five properties in Osprey's current portfolio have a history of high-grade gold production. A copy of the Company's technical report titled "Technical Report on the Goldenville Property, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia Canada" prepared by David G. Thomas, M.Sc., P. Geo. and Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P. Geo. is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Additional information regarding Osprey and the Goldenville property is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and at www.ospreygold.com.

ON BEHALF OF OSPREY GOLD DEVELOPMENT LTD.,

"Cooper Quinn"

Cooper Quinn, President and Director

For further information please contact Osprey at (778)986-8192 or cooper@ospreygold.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.

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to Osprey within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Osprey provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to receipt of requisite corporate and regulatory approvals, exploration findings, results and recommendations, as well as those risks and uncertainties identified and reported in Osprey's public filings under Osprey's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although Osprey has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Osprey disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44420
Blockchain Software Provides Efficient Next Day Payment Option for Publishers

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - Good Life Networks Inc. (TSXV: GOOD) ("GLN", or the "Company"), a Vancouver-based programmatic advertising technology company, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Memorandum Of Understanding ("MOU" or the "Agreement") with Horizon Globex GmbH (www.horizon-globex.com) to license its full suite of blockchain software solutions to power GLN's accounts receivable ("AR") blockchain product. Globex develops, licenses and operates proprietary blockchain software that provides an end-to-end solution for the primary issuance and secondary trading of tokenized securities.

This year will mark a major milestone in the world of advertising. For the first time, digital ad spending in the US will exceed traditional ad spending.1 Also this year, worldwide digital ad spending will rise by 17.6% to $333.25 billion.2 One of the biggest challenges for media companies is sustaining cash flow while working to collect AR. Typically media AR is paid on 60, 90, 120 and even 180-day cycles, tying up billions of dollars of working capital across the digital publishing industry. GLN's AR solution using blockchain technology is designed to substantially accelerate the AR payment cycle using a SEC regulated security token. This solution will provide next day payments to publishers without requiring third party intermediaries such as factoring agents.

Jesse Dylan, CEO of GLN, commented, "We believe our patent pending AR solution can be a game changer for the digital advertising industry. This will give GLN three unique competitive drivers: Speed, Brand Safety (GLN's tech does not collect Personal Identifiable Information) and now, an efficient, exclusive payment solution for our publishers."

GLN will license several key products including KYCware and AMLcop, to onboard, verify, and whitelist investors through a smartphone app, allowing quick and easy investor accreditation to streamline the investment process.

Tokenetics, the underlying issuance and digital securities allocation system, will be incorporated into GLN's ERC-20 based digital securities, incorporating a range of features unique to the company's AR offering such as dividends and other distributions tied to future profits.

Custodyware is being licensed by GLN and its Transfer Agent, granting GLN's Transfer Agent the ability to custody Ethereum ERC-20 securities while compliantly maintaining the identity of holders to facilitate the future payment of any dividends or distributions in currencies such as US dollars.

Pursuant to the MOU, Globex will work with GLN to implement the security token strategy of the GLN securitized AR product.

The GLN Story

GLN's patent pending technology is the engine that sits between advertisers and publishers. A highlight of GLN's tech is that it does not collect PII (Personal Identifiable Information). Built for cross device video advertising: Mobile, In-App, Desktop and CTV (Connected Television) the GLN Programmatic Video Advertising Platform has among the lowest fraud rates of similar vendors in the industry. Advertisers make more money by reaching their target audience more effectively. GLN makes money by retaining a percentage of the advertiser's fee.

GLN is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with offices in Newport Beach and Santa Monica California, New York and UK and trades on the TSXV under the stock symbol "GOOD" and The Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the stock symbol 4G5. For further information on the Company, visit www.glninc.ca

About Globex:

Globex offers a suite of integrated blockchain software applications for compliant issuance and secondary trading of digital securities. Truly a compliance-first business, our solutions combine Wall Street and Silicon Valley to power the next generation of exchanges and securities offerings in the US and around the world.

Current SaaS product solutions include digital securities issuance and transfers through Tokenetics (tokenetics.com); white label investor onboarding and KYC identity verification through KYCware (kycware.com); watchlist management sanctions and PEP screening through AMLcop (amlcop.com); and transfer agent custody tools through Custodyware (custodyware.com). All software applications can be utilized independently or integrate with one another. Learn more at https://horizon-globex.com/.

1: https://content-na1.emarketer.com/us-digital-ad-spending-will-surpass-traditional-in-2019

2: https://content-na1.emarketer.com/global-digital-ad-spending-2019

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:

Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs regarding future events of management of GLN. 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, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to the Company's agreement with Globex. 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 Company's Blockchain patent application, approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, approval of the associated securities and exchange commissions and general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation that Globex will successfully develop, license and operate GLN's AR end-to-end solution for the primary issuance and/or secondary trading of tokenized securities in the time expected by management, receive all regulatory approvals and will generate the anticipated results including but not limited to; revenue, adoption of the AR token strategy by clients, investors and industry per GLN management's expectations. GLN 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 GLN's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

For further information, please contact:

investors@glninc.ca

CEO Jesse Dylan

604 265 7511

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44406
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - Wildflower Brands Inc. (CSE: SUN) (OTCQB: WLDFF) (the "Company") is excited to announce that the City of Vancouver has approved and issued a building permit for City Cannabis Co's 2317 Cambie Street location. Wildflower recently announced a letter of intent to acquire City Cannabis Co. With the City of Vancouver's Letter of Recommendation to the Provincial Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, City Cannabis is on track for the opening of their third Vancouver location with a target opening in Summer 2019.

The Cambie Street location is two blocks away from the intersection of Broadway and Cambie which is one of the busiest corners of the city. The location will be connected by two Skytrain rapid transit lines (Broadway-UBC coming soon) and is situated amongst high traffic big-box stores including Whole Foods, Save-On-Foods, Canadian Tire, Best Buy, Home Depot, London Drugs, Winners and one of the busier BC Liquor stores in Vancouver. The arterial flow of traffic coming into the city over the Cambie Street Bridge has 30,000 vehicles daily during the morning workday commute. The pedestrian traffic between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. continues to grow year-over-year with a current measure of 12,000 plus per day. The growth experienced with-in the retail trade area of Cambie Village has a measurable trajectory that is extremely favorable.

William MacLean, CEO of Wildflower Brands, says, "City Cannabis is the first multiple location operator to come out of British Columbia and has a proven track record in opening and licensing premier cannabis retail locations. With the addition of the Cambie Village location, their current 610 Robson Street location will congruently continue to strengthen brand dominance. BC has always been considered the most cultured cannabis market in the world and City Cannabis is building a cohesive network of operations that will provide consumers with the ultimate retail experience anywhere in Canada."

ABOUT CITY CANNABIS CO.

City Cannabis is a cannabis retailer holding two of the three City of Vancouver licenses to sell cannabis and the only company with multiple licenses in the Province of B.C. City Cannabis has been profitably operating various dispensaries in Vancouver since Vancouver commenced licensing cannabis retailers.

ABOUT WILDFLOWER BRANDS INC.

Wildflower Brands is a Vancouver-based company developing and designing brands that focus on plant-based health and wellness products. All of our brands work in synergy, toward becoming a global wellness leader.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"William MacLean"

____________________________________

William MacLean

Director and CEO

Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements and information are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "appear", "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "approximate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "would" and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the risks associated with the marijuana industry in general such as operational risks in growing; competition; incorrect assessment of the value and potential benefits of various transactions; ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; failure to obtain required regulatory and other approvals and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws and government regulations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.

The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws or the Canadian Securities Exchange. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

The Canadian Securities Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

Corporate Communications:

NetworkWire (NW)

New York, New York

www.NetworkNewsWire.com

212.418.1217 Office

Editor@NetworkWire.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44419
He was lucky in love, married for 56 years to his wife, Peggy, until her death in 2010. He had a lucrative career in manufacturing, which allowed him to provide for the couples nine children. Theyre grown now with families of their own, giving Dwyer a fulfilling role as family patriarch. He has volunteered, traveled the globe extensively and served in the Army.
SpendEdge, a leading provider of procurement market intelligence solutions, has announced the completion of their new article on the importance of third party risk management and ways to improve them. The article which is now available for free downloadhighlights how deceptive selling and predatory behaviors exhibited by third-party suppliers is posing serious challenges for best-in-class companies.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005641/en/

Best practices in third-party risk management (Graphic: Business Wire)

This free resource shows how the rising scrutiny by institutions such as Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CPFB) and other regulators is compelling companies to take the responsibility of their actions as well as the action taken by their vendors and suppliers. It also offers a comprehensive overview of the best practices followed by companies to improve third-party risk management.

Best practices in third-party risk management

Best Practice 1: A comprehensive account of third parties

Identifying risks and mitigating them requires an updated supplier database. This usually becomes a big undertaking as supplier databases are either incomplete or outdated.

Having a database that can cover all third-party information is imperative to manage third-party risks. It can be started off by conducting an enterprise based survey and devising accurate data models.

Collating a list of third parties is a tumultuous task. Request a free demo and utilize our third party risk management solutions.

Best Practice 2: A catalog of third-party risks

Developing a comprehensive list of risks that can be posed by third-party to customers is critical for companies to successfully carry out audit routines. Such risks vary across different categories of suppliers, depending upon the nature of customers.

Identifying risks helps in devising a risk catalog and implementing a master register of breakpoints. This helps firms to understand true drivers of risk and significantly improve third-party risk management capabilities. For detailed insights, request for more information.

Best Practice 3: A risk-based segmentation

Categorizing supplier relationships based on the level of risk enables companies to identify high-risk relationships irrespective of the total number of third parties they associate with.

Formulating a risk assessment process further allows firms to implement a different approach to assign third parties to risk tiers. The approach can either be score-based or rules-based depending on the types of risk.

To know the complete list of practices that can be implemented to manage third party risk, download the complete article here.

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.

Request free proposal to know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005641/en/

Contacts:

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

US: +1 630 984 7340

UK: +44 148 459 9299

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us
Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 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 discussing Cannabix Technologies Inc. (CSE: BLO) (OTC: BLOZF) and its development of the Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer, seeking to provide consistent, convenient, and accurate THC detection for both law enforcement and workplace applications.

In August of 2018 the Canadian federal government approved the use of the Drager DrugTest 5000 by law enforcement officials for the detection of THC in drivers. The Drager device is, to this point, the only such device that has made it through the testing process conducted by the independent Canadian Society of Forensic Science. The government has been touting saliva tests as an important tool in the campaign to limit drug-impaired driving, but so far the impact has been limited.

Many factors play into the current state of roadside testing. Even though the Drager device was approved by the Forensic Science commission, one study conducted in Norway found false positive and false negative rates of around 14% for THC when compared to blood samples. The manufacturer recommends using the testing device in temperatures ranging from four to 40 degrees Celsius, presenting problems in Canadian conditions that are often far colder. As a result, many police departments have been waiting to adopt the technology. On top of the $6,000/unit cost, there are concerns that results could be challenged in court.

Recently, those concerns have played out in real life as a Nova Scotia medical marijuana patient is challenging the legality of the test. She was arrested and her license was suspended for seven days based on a positive saliva test for THC during a traffic stop. The charges were dropped and she was released when the police took her back to the station for a behavioral sobriety test that showed her to be unimpaired.

Alcohol is metabolized by the human body at a predictable rate, and certain levels of blood alcohol have fairly consistent effects on behavior. THC, meanwhile, is stored for a long time in fatty tissues and can be detected long after any possibility of impairment. Additionally, drug concentrations in saliva do not accurately reflect drug concentrations in the blood. Finally, the current tests are unable to distinguish between the different metabolites of THC that are processed in the body once the cannabis is consumed.

Eric Dumschat, legal director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, sums up the reality of the current situation nicely. "We had expected there would have been more devices approved to this point and hopefully in the longer run, the technology is able to be improved. In an ideal world, we would have the equivalent of the breathalyzer, but alcohol is a very simple molecule compared with THC," he said.

Development of the Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer

Cannabix Technologies Inc. (CSE: BLO) (OTC: BLOZF) is deep into its development of the Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer, seeking to provide consistent, convenient, and accurate THC detection for both law enforcement and workplace applications. The Breathalyzer utilizes field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) technology to detect THC from breath samples. FAIMS is an analytical chemistry technology that filters and identifies substances by separating ions. Cannabix is also working to develop sensitivity for different metabolites of marijuana. By detecting and measuring different metabolites of marijuana, Cannabix is working to provide a much more accurate picture of the recency of cannabis use.

From the company's recent press release update on the Breathalyzer's progress:

In addition to THC, Cannabix scientists are using FAIMS to detect two key metabolites of THC, being 11-hydroxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol in standards and in breath.

Marijuana contains several cannabinoids in addition to THC, several of which are metabolized in the body relatively quickly and have shorter half-lives. THC can be detectable in blood for weeks; whereas, metabolites such as 11-hydroxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol are only detectable for a few hours after consumption of cannabis. The detection of THC and its metabolites in human breath provides for real-time pharmacokinetic analysis. Such analysis provides a method for the identification of "recency of use" that will be important for determining impairment at the roadside. Detection capability of the metabolites provides analysis of frequent users of marijuana who tend to retain THC in their body for longer periods of time, relative to infrequent marijuana users who tend to clear THC from their body more quickly. This data and analysis will be important for an eventual court approved device. Furthermore, 11-nor-9- carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol is the primary metabolite from the liver, which is prevalent from the consumption of edibles.

Should Cannabix successfully bring the Breathalyzer, now in its Beta 3.0 phase, to market, it could provide just the solution public safety experts and advocates are longing for. In the meantime, police and government officials will continue to look for answers to the vexing problem of detecting and preventing cannabis-impaired driving.

Please follow the link to read the full article: https://www.cannabisfn.com/roadside-cannabis-saliva-test-facing-challenges/

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/

Frank Lane

206-369-7050

flane@cannabisfn.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44422
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - MLI Marble Lending Inc. (CSE: MRBL) ("Marble" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it continues to implement on its 'Fresh Start" program by partnering with Smarter Loans to offer clients access to Marble's proprietary credit wellness platform and Marble's flagship unsecured consumer proposal discharge loan product.

"Marble is very excited with our "Fresh Start' program and its acceptance with industry brands that provide access and information to Canadians seeking to rebuild their credit. Smarter Loans will greatly assist Marble in gaining exposure to Canadians seeking a proactive approach to credit rebuilding." says Mike Marrandino, Marble's CEO. "Our historical success with assisting Canadians in a consumer proposal with an unsecured discharge loan, starts them rebuilding their credit on day one. This unique offering to Canadians allows them to accelerate their credit rebuilding in less than half the time relative to the typical consumer proposal process."

"At Smarter Loans we always seek to bring more innovative financial solutions to Canadians, and are excited to partner with Marble Financial, which offers a new way to rebuild credit, especially for people in a consumer proposal." states Vlad Sherbatov, President and Co-Founder of Smarter Loans.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Mike Marrandino, President & CEO

About Smarter.Loans

Smarter Loans is Canada's Online Loan Directory that enables people to find any loan, for any purpose, while dealing only with Canada's most reputable financial companies. Since 2016, Smarter Loans has helped thousands of Canadians compare their loan options and obtain personal and commercial financing in a safe and convenient way. Companies listed on Smarter Loans adhere to a defined set of quality standards and are recognized with the Smarter Loans Quality Badge, as a symbol of trust and quality for Canadians. For more information please visit: https://smarter.loans/

About MLI Marble Lending Inc.

MLI Marble Lending Inc., dba Marble Financial (CSE: MRBL) provides Canadians with a second chance to rebuild their credit and to fast track their way back to mainstream lending using socially responsible lending and fintech solutions. Since 2016, the Company's flagship product has funded in excess of $10 million in loans and helped over 1,100 Canadians rebuild their credit scores. Marble's proven consumer credit rebuilding strategy accelerates the timeline for its consumers by 50% relative to the current traditional methods available through Consumer Proposals.

For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.marblefinancial.ca .

Mike Marrandino, CEO, Director

Email: ir@marblefinancial.ca

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT 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/44415
The development reflects the Company's strong operational progress and long- term positive outlook

Petroceltic International Plc, today announces that it has rebranded as Sunny Hill Energy ("Sunny Hill").

Sunny Hill invests in large-scale and significant energy projects in Europe and North Africa. It owns and operates oil and gas concessions in Egypt, a gas production-to-storage conversion project in Bulgaria and a high-value exploration license in Italy. Its principle activity is delivering the world class Ain Tsila gas and condensate development project in Algeria.

The rebranding reflects the Company's evolution from its Irish heritage, its strong recent progress and its bright future. The current management took control of Petroceltic in June 2016 and streamlined the business within six months, driving production increases and operational efficiencies that transformed it from a heavy loss-making to a profitable business.

The management has since achieved several key operational milestones, including a corporate restructuring that returned the company to profitability and commercial initiatives that culminated in March 2019 with its Algerian Ain Tsila project awarding a $1bn engineering, procurement and construction contract to Petrofac International. The contract is expected to be completed within 42 months, bringing gas and associated hydrocarbon liquids production to European markets.

With a lean operating model and collaborative approach, Sunny Hill is working successfully with governments, local partners and financial stakeholders to help deliver the goals of energy security in a number of European and emerging market territories.

Further information about Sunny Hill Energy can be found at www.sunnyhillenergy.com

Commenting on the name change Angelo Moskov, Chairman of Sunny Hill Energy said

"Since taking control nearly three years ago, the current management have made great strides in developing our assets and working with a wide range of stakeholders to bring long term stability to the European energy market.

The business has evolved considerably in the last few years and the major operational milestones it has achieved only highlight the success of the evolved Company structure and approach. Therefore, as we enter a new and exciting period, we thought it appropriate to re-brand as Sunny Hill Energy".

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005695/en/

Contacts:

Sunny Hill Energy (enquiries via Hudson Sandler)

Lucia Mandzakova

Tel: +44 (0)20 7796 4133

Hudson Sandler

(PR Advisers to Sunny Hill Energy)

Charlie Jack

Emily Dillon

Tel: +44 (0)20 7796 4133
Joins DIFC's fintech accelerator

DUBLIN and DUBAI, UAE, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Fenergo, the leading provider of digital Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions for financial institutions, has appointed financial services industry veteran, Cormac Sheedy as Head of Sales for Middle East & Africa (MENA). Cormac will join Sean Moore, Head of MENA and Fenergo's existing team in Dubai and brings 25 years' experience to the role. Cormac will deliver on Fenergo's strategic objective to provide innovative CLM solutions that streamline compliance processes and digitally transform client journeys.

In line with Fenergo's ongoing MENA expansion the company is now fully licensed by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC); an innovative financial hub for businesses in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Fenergo will relocate to DIFC's fintech accelerator, the Fintech Hive.

Fenergo will work closely with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regional banks and large financial institutions to deliver out-of-the box API-first CLM solutions. With increasing scrutiny on regulatory compliance in the region, financial institutions will benefit from Fenergo's deep expertise in Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundering (AML) and market-leading regulatory rules engine. Coupled with Fenergo's regulatory community-based approach to product development, customers will become future proofed against upcoming regulation while optimising customer experiences.

Marc Murphy, CEO, Fenergo, said: "Until recently MENA has lagged behind somewhat in terms of regulatory compliance. However, due to the onset of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), the Dubai Financial Services Authority and other regulators are applying increased scrutiny to financial institutions. There is the expectation that firms will need to increase their investment in regtech applications in order to adhere to regulatory requirements and reduce financial crime. As we respond to market demand, Cormac's in-depth knowledge and experience of MENA financial services along with our DIFC alliance will be invaluable."

Cormac Sheedy, Head of Sales, MENA, Fenergo said, "Many of the world's largest and the region's most established financial institutions now have a presence in the DIFC, and it's imperative to ensure they're adhering to international regulatory standards. The growing focus on regulation and compliance in the region has created an unprecedented demand for fintech and regulation technology, which provides enormous opportunities for growth. I'm very excited to be joining Fenergo, a recognised world leader in the regtech space, and am looking forward to helping grow the company's presence across the MENA region"

Prior to joining Fenergo, Cormac Sheedy held senior positions with Invesco Asset Management, Fidelity and Royal Bank of Canada, and most recently at Jersey Finance Limited.

About Fenergo (www.fenergo.com)

Fenergo is the digital enabler of client and regulatory technology for financial services. It provides digital Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) software solutions for Financial Institutions including; Corporate & Institutional Banking, Commercial & Retail Banking, Asset Management & Asset Servicing, Private Banking & Wealth Management. Counting 70+ global Financial Institutions as clients, its award-winning CLM suite digitally transforms how Financial Institutions manage clients; from initial onboarding to KYC/AML and regulatory compliance, to data management and ongoing lifecycle KYC reviews and refreshes. Fenergo CLM empowers financial institutions to deliver a faster, compliant and digital customer experience while achieving a single client view across channels, products, business lines and jurisdictions.

Fenergo's community-based approach to product development allows clients to collaborate on solution design on a global scale. Its rules-driven solution ensures compliance with multiple global and local regulatory frameworks including AML, KYC, SFTR, Tax (CRS, FATCA, 871M), OTC Derivatives (EMIR, Dodd-Frank, MiFID II, Margin Requirements) and data privacy rules (GDPR). It supports the collection, centralization and sharing of client and counterparty data and documentation across the institution and deploys an API-first approach to advanced integration with a host of external KYC, AML and entity data providers, KYC and industry utilities. The solution is underpinned by next generation Artificial Intelligence, Robotics Process Automation and Machine Learning technologies, using advanced OCR and NLP capabilities to extract information, expedite compliance and improve operational efficiencies.
Advanced, AI-powered technology enables the world's leading brands to listen to, analyze and engage with consumers on every channel

Clarabridge Inc., the leading provider of Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions for the world's top brands, revealed new digital customer care innovations at its 11th annual Clarabridge Customer Connections (C3) conference. The technology unveiled in Miami will provide customers with a deeper understanding of the digital conversations happening on every channel, the tools to operationalize customer feedback data across all business operations, and the insights required to drive customer loyalty.

"Consumers want exceptional, empathetic, and effortless experiences everywhere, and to do that, brands need to understand their customers as people," said Mark Bishof, CEO of Clarabridge. "The innovations we're bringing to market empower organizations to build relationships internally and externally at scale, implement insights from customer feedback data across all areas of the business, and evolve the traditional, siloed approach to customer experience into one that is data-driven and focused on digital customer care."

Clarabridge Engage Predictive Reason Detection Take Digital Conversation to the Next Level

Communication channels like social media and messaging are converging, requiring companies to take a holistic approach to understanding digital conversations. In keeping with this trend, Clarabridge has rebranded CX Social to Clarabridge Engage. Combined with new live chat features and increased support for all major messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter, Viber, and Telegram, customers can leverage the power of Clarabridge's expert listening, engagement and analytics capabilities for all digital conversations.

Its critical for companies to have a deep and nuanced understanding of how digital conversations drive the customer experience. To provide that understanding, Clarabridge has introduced Predictive Reason Detection. With award-winning AI technology, companies can now pinpoint why a customer initiated a conversation, improving contact deflection, reducing interaction length and ultimately revealing patterns and insights that businesses can act upon.

Clarabridge has also added Swedish language support, new data transformation capabilities and an expanded list of data connectors across its suite of CEM services. With these additions, it's now even easier for customers to access omnichannel data sources and understand digital conversations.

Clarabridge Pulse Automated Interaction Scoring Break Customer Feedback Out of Its Silo

Customer feedback data is a critical source of information that can transform business operations across product development, marketing, service policies and more. Clarabridge Pulse, a new iOS app, puts the voice of the customer in every employee's pocket. With quick, mobile access to Clarabridge, employees across the organization can now tap into powerful customer feedback insights to inform their everyday business decisions.

The contact center remains an untapped resource of customer feedback data that can be operationalized across organizations. Clarabridge is committed to helping companies leverage these insights, and has seen significant growth in demand from customers across industries. In response, the company is also bringing Automated Interaction Scoring to market. This new, AI-powered approach to contact scoring analyzes one hundred percent of customer interactions across channels, including those with contact center agents. With a complete view into every single agent-customer interaction and beyond, companies can make data-driven, customer-centric decisions about how to optimize and innovate internal processes.

Clarabridge's Advanced Emotion Detection Drives Customer Loyalty

Clarabridge's new Advanced Emotion Detection technology leverages the company's best-in-class NLP capabilities to identify the specific emotions expressed during customer interactions, track the intensity of those emotions, and understand the impact on customer loyalty. By combining value, effort and emotion, companies that leverage Enhanced Emotion Detection will add a competitive edge to their customer experience programs, and drive brand loyalty.

The innovations announced at C3 will be made widely available to customers later this summer. To find out more information about a specific feature, receive information about how to schedule a product demo or sign up for a beta program, please visit www.clarabridge.com.

About Clarabridge

Clarabridge helps the world's leading brands take a data-driven, customer-focused approach to everything they do. Using AI-powered text and speech analytics, the Clarabridge experience management platform enables brands to extract actionable insights from every customer interaction in order to grow sales, ensure compliance and increase operational efficiency. For more information, please visit www.clarabridge.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005285/en/

Contacts:

LaunchSquad for Clarabridge

Annie Betz, 212.564.3665

clarabridge@launchsquad.com
BRIDGEWATER, NS / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Silver Spruce Resources Inc. ("Silver Spruce" or the "Company") (TSXV: SSE) (Frankfort: S6Q1) is pleased to announce that it has received the assays from confirmation samples taken by a third-party, arm's length company at the two, large potential bulk tonnage targets, El Terrero and the Gossan areas on its Pino de Plata project in western Chihuahua State, Mexico. The Company contracted Prospeccion y DesarrolloMinerodel Norte, S.A. de C.V. ("ProDeMin") to complete detailed geologic mapping, sampling and reconnaissance at the project under the direction and supervision of Qualified Person, Dr. Craig Gibson, Ph.D. The field program is complete, and three assays from seven rock-chip samples taken during the program returned three over-limit values for silver and two over-limit values for lead, which further confirm the presence of high-grade mineralization at the project. Assaying and multi-element analysis was conducted by ALS Global in Vancouver, B.C.





*AgEq (Silver Equivalent) calculated using silver and lead values only: Ag price US$15.10/troy ounce and Pb price US$0.875/pound @ 26 April 2019, per www.kitco.com closing bid prices.

Please see geologic map of Pino de Plata project with recent sample locations here: http://www.silverspruceresources.com/i/maps/pdp/pino-de-plata-geology-2019.jpg

"We are very pleased with the results from the recently completed field program at Pino de Plata. In addition to the discovery of new vein targets and the significant expansion of the large target areas of El Terrero and the Gossan, assays of samples taken by ProDeMinverify the tenor of existing mineralization in two large areas that may host significant mineralized tonnage. With the data generated during this program we are now prepared to drill Phase I with greater confidence," stated Karl Boltz, CEO of Silver Spruce.

ProDeMin Field Program Objectives

The main goals achieved for the completed field program were to:

Conduct limited confirmation sampling of known mineralized locations at El Terrero and the Gossan areas, and

Determine the extent of outcropping alteration at the El Terrero and the Gossan areas, and

Investigate the existence of additional veins and mineralized structures, and

Utilize a portable XRF (x-ray fluorescence) analyzer and a NIR (near-infrared) spectrometer to obtain immediate indications of mineralization, pathfinder elements and associated alteration that occur at known target areas, and

Analyze geological, XRF and NIR data to refine drill hole locations and orientations.

The first objective of additional, third-party confirmation of mineralization at El Terrero and the Gossan areas is complete and very successful.

Analysis of XRF and NIR data continues with conclusions and proposed drill hole collars and orientations progressing. Cross sections of planned drill holes are being produced and will be presented shortly. The final report from ProDeMin with results of the field program will be posted on the Company's website as soon as completed.

El Terrero-La Perla Target

The El Terrero structure is confirmed to be a low angle structural zone in the intrusion and could host significant tonnage. This 800 m x 400 m (32 hectares) zone appears to consist of a wide zone of multiple flat-lying brecciated zones hosted by a zone of strong argillic alteration observed extending from the El Terrero workings to the La Perla and Sierpe veins.

Field reconnaissance, mapping and sampling produced indications that the expanded 800 m x 400 m area of intrusive alteration identified at El Terrero may extend and be continuous with the expanded 600 m x 400 m(24 hectares) area of gossan to the east. A drill hole is now planned to confirm this. It will be oriented to drill under the shallow cover of volcanic rocks to the west of the Santa Clara vein to reach the targeted mineralization below.

The Gossan Area

The Gossan area measures about 24 hectares and provides a second, large scale, potential bulk tonnage target. One recent sample taken from a quartz vein in the eastern Gossan area assayed 255 g/t Ag with anomalous Cu and Pb. Mapping in the Gossan area has further delineated and expanded the contact between intrusive rocks and hornfels. Mapping indicates that the gossan may have formed along north-south and easterly-trending structural zones as seen at the other targets at the project. Drilling is planned to test for massive sulfide replacement bodies along these structures as well as the contact zones with hornfels and limestone at the Santa Elena target where skarn is observed.

Historical Sampling at Pino de Plata

Several reports dated February 1985, October 1998 and May 1989 prepared by the Servicios Geologicos de Mexico ("SGM"), the Mexico equivalent of the USGS, show that the historical workings at El Terrerooccur along about 100 metres of the zone and extended for about 50 metres down dip along the relatively flat-lying structure. SGM surface sampling averaged 0.1 g/t Au, 206 g/t Ag, 0.6% Cu, 1.3% Pb, and 0.14% Zn for an average sample width of 1.15m (10 samples), and 16 samples in the workings averaged 0.04 g/t Au, 206 g/t Ag, 2.5% Cu, 1.7% Pb, and 1.2% Zn over an average sample width of 1.1m.

Previous sampling by Silver Spruce yielded values up to 553 g/t (17.8 opt) Ag and 1.4% Pb. These samples also returned anomalous values of gold (Au), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu).Please see table of previous sample assay highlights here:http://www.silverspruceresources.com/i/pdf/reports-and-tables/Selected-Assays-PdP.pdf

Silver Spruce was attracted to the 397 hectare project by the assays originally presented by the previous owner, a private Mexican citizen and professional metallurgist.

The previous owner presentedassay certificates from various Mexico laboratories, including ALS Chemex, Comision de FomentoMinero, now part of SGM, and several other labs, that spanned the period between October 1983 and January 2012. The assay values ranged up to 26.4 kilograms per tonne silver, 31% lead, 19.9% zinc, 18.4% copper and 8.2 grams per tonne gold (Please see Company news release of 20 March 2019). Of the approximately 173 sample assays presented by the owner, 80 had values of between 100-1,000 g/t Ag. An additional 38 sample assays were over 1,000 g/t Ag up to 26,400 g/t Ag or as much as 2.64% silver.

These previous owner assay data have not been independently verified and should not be relied upon as representative of the average grades present on the project. The samples were likely selective, hand-sorted and were collected for the purpose of developing a small scale operation to mine high grade material for direct shipping to mills and smelters.

Silver Spruce fieldwork continues to verify the existence and tenor of the mineralization at Pino de Plata.

Potential Opportunity with Coeur Mining, Inc.

The tenor of outcropping mineralization associated within the large areas of intrusive alteration suggest potential to delineate a bulk-tonnage resource at El Terrero and the Gossan areas. The Pino de Plata project is located just 15 straight-line kilometres from the Palmarejo Mine, owned and operated by Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE:CDE) ("Coeur").

Coeur stated during its recent Q4 2018 Earnings Conference Call February 21, 2019, 11:00 AM ET, that the company is "prioritizing capital to Palmarejo, which continues to prove itself with strong operating cash flow. With excess mill capacity finding supplemental ore sources that can further improve profitability remains a priority."

Coeur acquired the mining concessions surrounding Pino de Plata via its acquisition of Paramount Gold and Silver Corp. ("Paramount") (NYSE MKT and TSX: PZG) in an all-stock transaction valued at US$146 million, in 2015.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Samples were prepared and analyzed by ALS Global, a certified worldwide analytical services provider at their facilities in Chihuahua and Vancouver, respectively.Analysis was by the AuME-TL43 method, with analysis of all elements by ICP-MS and ICP-AES with aqua regia digestion. Au was determined as part of the package with a 25 gram digestion.Over-limits for Ag and Pb, values of >100g/t and >10,000ppm, respectively, were completed by the OG-46 method by ICP and aqua regia digestion.

Dr. Gibson supervised the data collection and sampling at the project as well as data compilation, drafting and interpretation.The Company uses standard QA/QC procedures, including inserting control samples, standards and blanks, in the sample stream. No quality assurance/quality control issues have been identified to date.

Qualified Person

Dr. Craig Gibson, Ph.D., CPG, is the Company's external Qualified Person for the Pino de Plata project and is responsible for the technical content of this press release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), under TSX guidelines.

About Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

Silver Spruce Resources Inc. is a Canadian junior exploration company pursuing development of the Pino De Plata project, located in the prolific Sierra Madre Occidental region of western Chihuahua State in Mexico. The Company also holds an indirect interest in the Kay Mine project according to terms of the sale agreement with Croesus Gold Corp., which was announced in the Company's news release on January 30, 2019. Silver Spruce Resources Inc. continues to investigate opportunities that Management has identified or that have been presented to the Company for consideration.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The company seeks Safe Harbour.

Contact:

Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

Karl Boltz, President/CEO/Director

(866) 641-3397

info@silverspruceresources.com

www.silverspruceresources.com

SOURCE: Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543504/Pino-de-Plata-Sampling-Yields-1278-gt-AgEq-Highest-Silver-Assay-to-Date-for-Silver-Spruce
Ideal for global accounts, MindManager mind mapping and information visualization software is now available in eight languages



Directors, team leaders, and C-level executives in the finance sector are invited to join half-day workshop in Breukelen

OTTAWA, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MindManager 2019 for Windows (https://www.mindmanager.com/mindmanager-windows/?utm_source=MMnewsRelease&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=SMPRMM) is now available in Dutch and Spanish language versions, extending the software's native support to two new languages. MindManager 2019 delivers control, clarity, and structure to drive alignment and success. The latest release offers individuals and teams new ways to visualize complex information, intelligent automation to work faster, and added views to quickly draw connections and stay on track.

Dutch and Spanish customers can now build diagrams, organize information, and work seamlessly in their native language. The expanded language options continue MindManager's commitment to offer powerful solutions that meet the specific needs of global customers and larger enterprise accounts.

In addition to Dutch and Spanish, MindManager 2019 for Windows is available in English, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Russian. To access the new languages, current MindManager 2019 users can download the free update from the Product Download Library (https://www.mindmanager.com/support-info/download-library/?utm_source=MMnewsRelease&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=SMPRMMmm-win-19). Users can easily change the MindManager interface to their preferred language using built-in application settings. To try MindManager 2019 for Windows in the language of your choice, download a free 30-day trial here: mindmanager.com/myfreetrial (https://www.mindmanager.com/myfreetrial/?utm_source=MMnewsRelease&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=SMPRMM).

To support multi-platform organizations, MindManager 12 for Mac (https://www.mindmanager.com/mindmanager-mac/?utm_source=MMnewsRelease&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=SMPRMM) is also available in English, French, and German.

MindManager Enterprise (https://www.mindmanager.com/mindmanager-enterprise/?utm_source=MMnewsRelease&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=SMPRMM) , which includes MindManager 2019 for Windows, MindManager 12 for Mac, MindManager Reader (Windows & Mac), and MindManager Server App for SharePoint, is available with volume licensing discounts and maintenance options for teams of five or more. For more information, please visit www.mindmanager.com/enterprise (https://www.mindmanager.com/mindmanager-enterprise/?utm_source=MMnewsRelease&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=SMPRMM).

Workshop Event

Concept Mapping: The Key to Unlocking Complex Knowledge Transfer

MindManager (https://www.mindmanager.com/?utm_source=MMnewsRelease&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=SMPRMM) and Helidor Consultancy (https://www.helidor.com/) will be hosting a half-day workshop at Nyenrode Business Universiteit in Breukelen, Netherlands on May 9, 2019. Intended for team leaders, directors, and C-level executives in the finance sector, the workshop will highlight the power of concept mapping and its potential for employee onboarding and knowledge transfer. The workshop will include an overview of real-world use cases and a live demonstration of a mind mapping exercise using MindManager.

Speakers:

Mr. Gerard Frank Sollman, a 12-year veteran of PwC, the former manager of the Competence Centre Finance of the Achmea Group, and a docent professor of Financial Reporting in Nyenrode Business Universiteit's Faculty of Accountancy

Mr. Gerard Hellwig, co-owner and director of Helidor Consultancy, CEO of BSIacademy, and a pioneer in the concept of Skeleton Concept Mapping for businesses

For more information, please visit the event registration page (https://go.mindjet.com/concept-mapping-workshop-breukelen-9-5-2019.html??utm_source=MMnewsRelease&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=SMPRMM).

About MindManager

MindManager helps individuals, teams, and enterprises do great work faster by simplifying the way they capture, organise, and share information. Transforming scattered ideas and unstructured data into dynamic visual maps, MindManager gives people a clearer understanding and greater control over their time, work, and world. Millions of global users choose MindManager to brainstorm ideas, plan and execute projects, and communicate knowledge. MindManager is brought to you by Mindjet, a division of Corel Corporation. For more information, please visit www.mindmanager.com (https://www.mindmanager.com/?utm_source=MMnewsRelease&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=SMPRMM).

 2019 Corel Corporation. Corel, MindManager, the MindManager logo, and Mindjet are trademarks or registered trademarks of Corel Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in Canada, the U.S., and elsewhere. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. Patents: www.corel.com/patent (http://www.corel.com/patent)

Media Contact

Lucy Screnci

lucy.screnci@corel.com (mailto:lucy.screnci@corel.com)

www.mindmanager.com (http://www.mindmanager.com/)

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b319d368-8703-4fb0-ac53-71004c230824 (http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b319d368-8703-4fb0-ac53-71004c230824)

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af010dea-c4b7-47fc-8b1e-683d70ef6ded (http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af010dea-c4b7-47fc-8b1e-683d70ef6ded)

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/563a5741-9d7d-4e2d-8141-83d7ddbea7fa (http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/563a5741-9d7d-4e2d-8141-83d7ddbea7fa)
TALLINN, ESTONIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / DTEP Security OU is delighted to announce that the full public launch of the DECOIN trading & exchange platform will take place on April 30, 2019. The DECOIN platform and wallet are fully regulated in the European Union, having recently secured the relevant operating licenses from the Estonian authorities. The launch is a significant milestone, marking the culmination of over eighteen months spent in the development of the DECOIN exchange, wallet, and DTEP blockchain.

Features of the DECOIN Exchange

DECOIN is an easy-to-use, secure exchange for cryptocurrencies with various standout features.

Benefits to DTEP Coin Holders

From the point of launch on April 30, DECOIN will operate a revenue sharing model for its users. Up to 20 percent of quarterly transaction fee revenues will be distributed to holders of DTEP coins that are registered on the DECOIN exchange. Revenue distribution will be pro-rata in relation to the value of the DTEP holdings.

Unlike many other cryptocurrencies which are developed on platforms such as Ethereum, DECOIN is driven by the DTEP coin. DTEP is an independent blockchain using proof of stake (PoS) based on the X11 hashing algorithm, which enables a 60 second block time - far faster than the current block time of the Bitcoin blockchain.

Under the proof of stake model, each DTEP wallet account acts as a node where coin holders stake their coins and receive an annual interest of 6.2 percent. DECOIN is able to guarantee the interest payment by allocating 70 million DTEP coins for this purpose.

For the first two months, DECOIN will offer 0% zero trading fees for all. In the future, DTEP coin holders will also be eligible for a discount of up to 50% on trading fees when using the DECOIN exchange, reducing the commission to 0.075% compared to 0.15% for general users.

DECOIN Crypto Index

DECOIN employs a team of experienced research analysts, who are tasked with scouring the cryptocurrency markets to find the most promising blockchain projects. From these, eight projects will be hand-picked to participate in the DECOIN Cryptocurrency Index Fund.

Participating companies will be required to swap their own coins for DTEP, ensuring that they are mutually invested in the success of the index fund and DECOIN as a whole. This will also ensure the long-term value of the DTEP coin, providing further opportunities for attractive returns to DTEP coin holders.



Social Trading

Expert traders who are willing to share their trading strategies on an anonymous basis will be rewarded in DECOINs. This serves two purposes. Firstly, it makes DECOIN an attractive platform for the most active and experienced traders, helping to ensure ongoing liquidity for the exchange.

Furthermore, for newer or less experienced traders, it makes DECOIN the ideal platform to learn and develop their trading game based on the experience of leading traders.

High Security with Zero Downtime

DECOIN takes security seriously. To ensure that funds are out of reach from hackers, 97 percent of funds invested on the DECOIN exchange are kept offline in cold storage wallets. The remaining three percent, used for exchange operations, are stored online in hot wallets but fully insured to protect against any loss.

All trades and withdrawals require multi-factor authentication. Personal data is protected by industry standards, and as an entity licensed in the European Union, DECOIN operates under EU data protection laws.

DECOIN is hosted on AWS, using multi-regional hosting to prevent the risk of any exchange downtime. The DECOIN trading platform is capable of executing up to one million order matches per second, making it one of the fastest exchanges on the market today.

24/7 Multi-Lingual Customer Service

Users of DECOIN have access to live customer support services in multiple languages, 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Whereas most exchanges offer standard chat and email support, DECOIN users can also pick up the phone and talk to an experienced professional - any time they need.

CONTACT:

Shay Perry, CEO

shay@decoin.io

+972-545-464-238

SOURCE: DECOIN

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543505/DECOIN-Cryptocurrency-Exchange-Set-for-Public-Launch-Today
F&C Commercial Property Trust Ltd - Notice of EGM

F&C Commercial Property Trust Limited

(a closed-ended investment companyincorporated in Guernsey with registration number 50402)

(The "Company")

LEI Number: 213800A2B1H4ULF3K397

30 April 2019

NOTICE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given that an Extraordinary Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held at the offices of Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited, Trafalgar Court, Les Banques, St Peter Port, Guernsey on 30 May 2019 at 12.00pm.

In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.3, the Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting and proxy form have been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at: www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM

Enquiries:

Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited

The Company Secretary

Trafalgar Court

Les Banques

St Peter Port

Guernsey

GY1 3QL

Tel: 01481 745001

END
Ive been a cop for 31 years, so pressure really doesnt play into it at all, he said. You know, at the end of the day you have to stay on the path that you think will help reduce crime in this city. You know, its not (a) secret. ...You cant wave a magic wand to reduce crime. It just doesnt work like that.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 30, 2019)) ("Rockridge" or the "Company") is pleased to report results from the first two drill holes of its inaugural winter drill program at its flagship Knife Lake Project located in Saskatchewan (the "Knife Lake Project" or "Property"). Interpretation and QA/QC has been completed on the first two holes and additional results on the remaining ten holes will be released as interpretation and QA/QC work is completed. Rockridge recently entered into an Option Agreement with Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. to acquire a 100% interest in the Property that covers the majority of the historical Knife Lake Cu-Zn-Ag-Co VMS deposit. The contiguous claims total approximately 85,196 hectares and are located approximately 50 km northwest of Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan.



Knife Lake VMS Project Map:

http://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/Knife_Lake_Region_20181011.pdf

Analytical results ranged from trace values to broad, high grade intercepts, as summarized below. Drill hole KF19001 intersected net-textured to fracture-controlled sulphide mineralization between 7.5m to 40.6m, returning 33.1m (core length) of 1.28% Cu, 0.12 g/t Au, 4.80 g/t Ag, 0.13% Zn, and 0.01% Co for an estimated 1.49% CuEq. Drill hole KF19002 intersected net-textured to semi-massive sulphide mineralization between 9.7m to 53.5m, returning 43.8m (core length) of 0.78% Cu, 0.07 g/t Au, 2.54 g/t Ag, 0.07% Zn, and 0.01% Co for an estimated 0.93% CuEq. Of note, anomalous gallium of up to 23.1 ppm and indium of up to 15.2 ppm were intersected in both the mineralized zones from holes KF19001 and KF19002. Drill holes KF19001 and KF19002 successfully confirmed mineralization in historical drill holes. Highlighted intersections from the first two drill holes are reported in the table below.

Drill Results Table:

Hole From To Core

Length * Cu Au Ag Zn Co CuEq ** (m) (m) (m) (%) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%) (%) KF19001 7.50 40.60 33.10 1.28 0.12 4.80 0.13 0.01 1.49 Upper Int. 7.50 13.60 6.10 1.67 0.21 7.20 0.31 0.01 1.99 Includes 7.50 11.50 4.00 2.29 0.29 9.80 0.43 0.01 2.72 Middle Int. 19.50 24.10 4.60 1.70 0.14 5.90 0.15 0.01 1.94 Includes 21.50 23.50 2.00 2.06 0.23 8.20 0.26 0.02 2.46 Lower Int. 30.70 40.60 9.90 1.56 0.13 6.10 0.11 0.02 1.81 Includes 36.70 38.70 2.00 3.37 0.33 14.40 0.26 0.03 3.88 KF19002 9.70 53.50 43.80 0.78 0.07 2.54 0.07 0.01 0.93 Includes 24.30 42.00 17.70 1.27 0.11 3.71 0.07 0.02 1.47 Includes 25.40 30.50 5.10 2.03 0.10 5.04 0.11 0.02 2.28 Includes 29.50 30.50 1.00 5.97 0.21 15.4 0.28 0.04 6.49

* Drill indicated intercepts (core length) are reported as drilled widths and true thickness is undetermined

** Assumptions used in USD for the copper equivalent calculation were metal prices of $2.80/lb Cu, $18.00/lb Co, $1,300/oz Au, $17.00/oz Ag, $1.20/lb Zn and a processing cost of $11.55/tonne. Copper equivalent (CuEq) was calculated using the formula CuEq = Cu% + ((Zn%*Zn Price*Zn Recovery*Zn Payable*22.0462) + (Co%*Co Price *Co Recovery*Co Payable*22.0462) + (Augpt*Au Price*Au Recovery*Au Payable/31.1035) + (Ag *Ag Price*Ag Recovery*Ag Payable/31.1035)) / (Cu price*CuRecov*Cupayable*22.0462)

Rockridge's President and CEO, Jordan Trimble commented: "We are excited to report the results from the initial two holes of the winter drill program as they illustrate the shallow, strong tenor of copper mineralization at the Knife Lake Project. Results from ten additional drill holes are pending which will provide steady news flow and catalysts over the near term. This inaugural drill program represents the first meaningful exploration carried out on the project in over eighteen years as we execute on our strategy of going back into overlooked projects in favourable jurisdictions and applying modern exploration techniques and methodologies to make new discoveries."

Knife Lake Plan Map and Drill Collar Locations:

http://rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/maps/Knife-Lake-Plan-Map-2019.pdf

The Company has completed twelve holes consisting of 1,053m of diamond drilling in the 2019 winter drill program. This represents the first work on the property since 2001 and has two primary objectives: confirm the tenor of mineralization reported by previous operators and expand known zones of mineralization. All activities will advance the project toward the goal of completing a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate.

Compilation and initial modelling indicates potential for expansion of the historical deposit at depth. The current drilling has been focused on resource upgrade and expansion as well as infill drilling between historical holes. The program will also give the Company's technical team valuable insights into the property geology, alteration, and mineralization that will be applied to future regional exploration on the highly prospective and underexplored land package.

Knife Lake contains typical VMS mineralogy which has been significantly modified and partially remobilized during the emplacement of granitic rocks. Therefore, the known historical deposit may represent a remobilized portion of a presumably larger "primary" VMS deposit based on general observations about the mineralogy, mineral textures and metal ratios in the deposit. Most of the historical work consisted of shallow drilling at the deposit area with little regional work carried out and limited deeper drilling below the deposit. As a result, there is strong discovery potential both at depth and regionally.

Knife Lake Geology and History:

The Knife Lake Project is interpreted to be a remobilized VMS deposit. The stratabound mineralized zone is approximately 15m thick and contains copper, silver, zinc and cobalt mineralization which dips 30 to 45 eastward over a strike-length of 4,500m, with an average horizontal width of approximately 300m. Over 400 diamond drill-holes have been completed in and around the current property boundaries, with much of the drill core stored under cover and in very good condition.

Knife Lake Deposit Map:

http://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/Knife_Lake_Location_and_Highlights_20181011.pdf

The deposit is hosted by felsic to intermediate volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks which have been metamorphosed to upper amphibolite facies. The deposit is typical of VMS mineralogy which has been significantly modified and partially remobilized during the emplacement of granitic rocks. The mineralization straddles the boundary between two rock units and occurs on both limbs of an overturned fold.

The Knife Lake area saw extensive exploration from the late 1960s to the 1990s with the last documented work program completed in 2001. Drilling has outlined a series of stratabound mineralized lenses which are controlled by complex geological structures. In the copper mineralized zone, significant thickening of the mineralization occurs near the central portion of the deposit. Sulphides and rare native copper are visible in outcrop. Massive sulphides consist of 25% to 60% pyrrhotite and 0.2% to 10% chalcopyrite mineralization. Pyrite is present as irregular disseminations and masses. Locally, up to 8% sphalerite (zinc mineralization) is present.

The first documented work in the Knife Lake showing area occurred between 1969-1973, consisting of ground and airborne geophysical surveys and extensive soil geochemical sampling. The discovery drill-hole, collared in September 1969, returned 2.37% Cu over 4.48 m from 19.96-24.44m, including 3.5% Cu over 2.5 m from 20.27-22.77m. A total of 96 diamond drill holes (8,232m) were completed between 1969 and 1971, and in 1973 Straus Exploration announced a maiden resource on the Knife Lake Deposit. Other previously reported historical drill results include 1.37% Cu, 5.07 g/t Ag, 115 ppm Co, 1182 ppm Zn over 60.13m (core length) beginning at a depth of 2.37m in hole K-96-02 as well as 0.99% Cu, 4.73 g/t Ag, 103 ppm Co over 38.83m (core length) beginning at a depth of 6.11m in hole K-96-36.

Hudson Bay Exploration and Development Company Ltd. later carried out a regional Airborne EM geophysical survey in the Knife Lake - Scimitar Lake area, followed up by geological mapping, prospecting, ground geophysics, and diamond drilling. The property was subsequently optioned to Copperquest Incorporated in 1989, who carried out further geophysical and geochemical surveys and optioned the property to Leader Mining International in 1996. Between 1996 and 2001, Leader flew various airborne geophysical surveys in the area, including electromagnetic ("EM"), magnetic, and gravity surveys. This was followed up with stripping and trenching of the outcropping deposit area. Ground TEM, magnetic, ground IP/Resistivity and VLF-EM surveys were completed over and adjacent to the main deposit area.

Between 1996 and 1998, Leader completed 315 diamond drill holes, outlining a broad zone of mineralization occurring at less than 100 meters depth (AF 63M-0006, Report 10). Late in 1998, Leader published a historical estimate for the deposit, reporting a drill-indicated resource of 20.3 million tonnes grading 0.6% Cu, 0.1 g/t Au, 3.0 g/t Ag, 0.06% Co and 0.11% Zn. Within the historical estimate, there is a higher grade zone containing 11.0 million tonnes grading 0.75% Cu in addition to other metals (SMDI 0406). All disclosed historical estimates were completed prior to the passing of NI 43-101 into law and as such the Company advises that these mineral resource estimates, as disclosed, are not supported by a compliant National Instrument 43-101 technical report, contrary to NI 43-101. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify these historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves in accordance with NI 43-101. The above resource estimates are from the Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index (SMDI) 0406. The Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. These estimates do not comply to categories prescribed by National Instrument 43-101 or the Canadian Institute of Mining, and are disclosed only as indications of the presence of mineralization and are considered to be a guide for additional work. The historical models and data sets used to prepare these historical estimates are not available to Rockridge and the author is not aware of any more recent resource estimates or data.The 1998 historical resource was calculated using the cross-section method and used assay data from 241 Leader holes and from 6 other holes drilled prior to Leader's drilling. A cutoff grade of 0.3% copper-equivalent and a minimum composite length of 3.0 meters was used. Holes were plotted on vertical drill sections ranging from Section 20760 N to Section 24905 N, covering a strike length of 4,145 meters. The categories used for the Leader Mining 1998 historical resource estimates are stated as being "drill-indicated". This is not a resource category as defined under 43-101 CP Section 2.4 (1) and (2)6 but based on the methodologies and drill hole spacing it would likely be equivalent to an inferred resource category.

In 1997, Leader International shipped a 2.4 tonne bulk sample of mineralized material excavated from the surface outcrop of the Knife Lake deposit to Lakefield Research Limited for metallurgical test-work. Lakefield concluded that the copper metallurgy was straightforward. Following a simple flowsheet, greater than 90% copper recovery was achieved at a concentrate grade of 28% Cu. Gold recovery in the copper concentrate was 80%. The cobalt recovery in the copper cleaner concentrate was 13%, with 28% of the cobalt present in cleaner tailing products. Another 48% of the cobalt was present in the sulphide concentrate.

A 357kV powerline runs within 16 km of the Knife Lake Deposit area, greatly enhancing the project's infrastructure.

QA/QC:

Samples were sent for geochemical analysis with ALS Global, Vancouver for the following analyses: 48 element four acid ICP-MS (ME-MS61) and gold (Au) 30 g Fire Assay - AA finish (Au-AA23). Over limit analysis were completed using the following analyses: Ore Grade copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) - four acid ICP-AES (ME-OG62).

On receipt of final certificates of analysis, the QA/QC sample results were reviewed to ensure the order of samples were reported correctly, that the blanks ran clean, and that the results for each standard had minimal variance from its certified value. QA/QC for the Knife Lake drilling included certified reference material ("CRM's") and blanks that were inserted into each sample batch in order to verify the analytical from the lab. The CRM's from the first two drill holes reported passed within 2 standard deviations and the blanks returned acceptable values. All of the lab internal standards and duplicates were within acceptable values.

Complete analytical results are available on the Rockridge Resources website.

Drill Collar Summary Table:

Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Depth (m) (m) (m) (m) KF19001 641595.5 6194192.6 387 283 -90 90 KF19002 641622.7 6194154.3 389 283 -65 90

Qualified Person:

The drill program was carried out by Michelle McKeough, of TerraLogic Exploration Services Ltd. under the supervision of Charles C. Downie, P.Geo., a "qualified person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and a Director of Eagle Plains Resources Ltd., who has prepared, reviewed, and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

About Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Rockridge Resources is a new publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral resource properties in Canada, specifically copper and base metal projects. The Company's flagship project is the Knife Lake Project located in Saskatchewan, which is ranked as the #3 mining jurisdiction in the world by the Fraser Institute. The project hosts the Knife Lake deposit, which is a VMS, near-surface copper-cobalt-gold-silver-zinc deposit open along strike and at depth. There is strong discovery potential in and around the deposit area as well as at regional targets on the 85,196-hectare property. Rockridge's goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Rockridge Resources Ltd.

"Jordan Trimble"



Jordan Trimble

President and CEO

For further information contact myself or:

Nick Findler

Corporate Development and Communications

Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Telephone: 604-639-3850

Toll Free: 800-567-8181

Facsimile: 604-687-3119

Email: nfindler@rockridgeresourcesltd.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward Looking Statements:

Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "expects" and similar expressions. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.


30 April 2019



Admiral Group plc announces agreement to purchase Acierto, a digital insurance broker in Spain, in partnership with Oakley Capital



Admiral Group plc ('the Group') announces that it has agreed to form a joint venture with Oakley Capital and MAPFRE S.A. ('MAPFRE') to combine Rastreator Comparador Correduria de Seguros S.L. ('Rastreator') with Asesor Seguros Online S.L. and Asesor Consumer Services S.L. (together 'Acierto') two of Spain's most regarded digital brokers for insurance and other financial products.



Rastreator is the Group's digital insurance broker in Spain. Acierto is a digital insurance broker in Spain that provides the full completion of the sales process for customers, enabling consumers to compare prices from over 30 insurance providers. Oakley Capital is a private equity investor with a successful track record investing in digital brokers in Italy and Germany.



Under the terms of the transaction, a joint venture company will be established as holding company of both Rastreator and Acierto. Admiral and MAPFRE will collectively retain majority ownership of the joint venture company while Oakley Capital will hold a minority stake alongside management.



Completion of the transaction is subject to merger control clearance by the EU Commission as well as the approval of the Spanish Insurance Regulator (Direccion General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones).



David Stevens, Group CEO, commented:



'We are pleased to announce this transaction and partnership with Oakley Capital, which will strengthen the Group's insurance proposition in Spain as a digital insurance broker. The holding of both Rastreator and Acierto allows us to take advantage of synergies to enhance the customer experience, which will benefit customers across Spain.'



The Group was advised by Clifford Chance, Fenchurch Advisory Partners and KPMG in connection with the transaction.



For more information, please contact:



Admiral Group plc Marisja Kocznur Investors & Analysts +44 (0) 29 2060 2034 James Carnduff Media +44 (0) 29 2043 4232



FTI Consulting Edward Berry +44 (0) 20 3727 1046 Tom Blackwell +44 (0) 20 3727 1051



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: Admiral Group PLC via GlobeNewswire



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Regulatory News:

AKKA publishes its Integrated Report for the 2018 financial year:

The report is available on the company's website at https://www.akka-technologies.com/ in the Investors space, under "Financial Information".

Copies of the registration document may be obtained by calling +32 (0)2 712 60 95 or by email at shareholders@akka.eu.

The English version will be available shortly.

Upcoming events:

Q1 2019 Revenue Publication: Monday, 6th May 2019

H1 2019 Revenue Publication: Thursday, 25th July 2019

About AKKA

AKKA is the European leader in engineering consulting and R&D services in the mobility segment. As an innovation accelerator for its clients, AKKA supports leading industry players in the automotive, aerospace, rail and life sciences sectors throughout the life cycle of their products with cutting edge digital technologies (AI, ADAS, IoT, Big Data, robotics, embedded computing, machine learning, etc.).

Founded in 1984, AKKA has a strong entrepreneurial culture and is pursuing its fast-paced growth and international development in line with its CLEAR 2022 strategic plan. With 21,000 employees, who are passionate about technology and dedicated to advancing the future of industry, the Group recorded revenues of 1.5 billion in 2018.

AKKA Technologies is listed on Euronext Paris Segment A ISIN code: FR0004180537.

For more information, please visit www.akka-technologies.com

Follow us on: twitter.com/AKKA_Tech

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005831/en/

Contacts:

AKKA Contacts

Investor Relations

Dov Levy

VP Investor Relations

Tel: +33(0)6 22 67 41 41

dov.levy@akka.eu

Media Relations

Markus Leutert

Group Head of Communications

Tel.: +32(0) 4 96 26 27 55

markus.leutert@akka.eu

FTI Consulting

akka@fticonsulting.com

Media Relations, France

Emily Oliver

Tel.: +33(0) 1 47 03 68 65
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that its Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation will host a roundtable on May 6 to hear from small businesses and their investors. The roundtable will celebrate the kickoff of National Small Business Week, which is May 5-11.

The event will feature discussions between small businesses and venture capital investors on the successes and challenges they have experienced in raising capital and investing outside of the more traditional financing "hot spots" along the U.S. coasts. Venture-backed companies in the U.S. raised over $99 billion across over 5,000 deals in 2018, yet companies in just three states accounted for over three-quarters of that funding. Participants will explore ways to encourage the efficient flow of capital and expand investment opportunities.

The panelists will include:

Cathy Connett - CEO and Managing Partner, Sofia Fund, Minneapolis, MN

Bob Crutchfield - Managing Director, BrightEdge Fund, Atlanta, GA

Harold Hughes - Founder and CEO, Bandwagon Fan Club, Greenville, SC

Nic Wilson - Co-Founder and CEO, Anglr, Pittsburgh, PA

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, Commissioners, and staff will participate in the event. The roundtable will be held at the SEC's headquarters at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. and will run from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET. It will be open to the public and webcast live on the SEC's website. Doors will open at 9 a.m., and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors will be subject to security checks.

Continuing the recognition of National Small Business Week, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET the SEC's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee will hold its inaugural meeting, as announced last week. The Committee will hear from Bill Hinman, Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, on the SEC's capital formation initiatives. The Committee will then begin to outline its next steps and discuss areas of focus for the coming months.

As set forth in the OASB Foundational Business Plan, the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation is conducting outreach across the nation to small businesses and their investors to solicit perspectives on small business capital formation issues and to strengthen the voice of small businesses within the SEC and the broader regulatory landscape.
A well-known market intelligence solutions provider, Infiniti Research, has announced the completion of their recent free downloadable resource on Canadian retail forecast 2019: Key opportunities and challenges. The supplement provides key insights into the current retail scenario in Canada. In the article, our industry experts also highlight some of the key challenges facing retailers in the country.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005865/en/

Key trends and challenges in the Canadian retail market (Graphic: Business Wire)

The Canadian retail industry is highly lucrative for investors. Last year, several top international brands entered the retail market in Canada by opening their first stores in the country. However, this does not mean that the industry is free from roadblocks and challenges. Several factors including market uncertainties, international trade disagreements, geopolitical tensions, technological challenges, and increased labor shortages are contributing to the economic slowdown in Canada.

Canada is an attractive market for global manufacturers and consumer goods companies. However, there are several key challenges to tackle to succeed in this market. Request Free Brochure to know how we can help you formulate effective strategies to survive in this market.

Key trends and challenges in the Canadian retail market

Store closures

This year commenced with a rocky start for retailers in Canada. Several major chains in the country filed for bankruptcy and some announced the shutdown of their stores. However, this does not mean complete bad news for retailers in the Canadian market. Some retail chains in the country continue to see strong sales and growth.

Canada continues to attract international retailers

Canada continues to be a lucrative market for international retailers. According to several industry experts, the country remains an attractive growth market for companies testing the waters before expanding globally. Furthermore, plenty of Asian retailers are also opening stores in Canada, while others are expanding their already established businesses here. Furthermore, Canada has also seen an influx of luxury brands over the past several years.

Dynamic market conditions often pose difficulties for companies in gathering customer data. It becomes easier to track changing customer demands and expectations with an experienced market intelligence partner. Gain more insights into our service portfolio. Request a free proposal

Transformation of shopping centers in Canada

The Productivity in terms of sales per square foot in Canadian shopping centers has been observed to be on the rise throughout 2018 in comparison to that of 2017. This trend is expected to continue this year as well. Furthermore, the addition of large-format food halls and food markets is one of the latest trends in Canada's shopping centers. With an increased focus being given to providing better shopping experiences, some shopping centers are even adding non-retail attractions to draw in visitors.

Request for more information and know how we can help you leverage robust customer intelligence solutions that can tap into the market requirements and meet customer needs.

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/20190430005865/en/

Contacts:

Infiniti Research

Anirban Choudhury

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US: +1 844 778 0600

UK: +44 203 893 3400

https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-us
Softwood lumber prices have generally fallen faster than the costs for sawlogs throughout the world in late 2018, resulting in lower margins for the sawmilling sector, according to the WRQ. In western US and western Canada, margins fell to unprofitable levels and many sawmills in the region curtailed production in late 2018 and early 2019

SEATTLE, WA, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumber prices in North America continued their decline from the 3Q/18 with another quarter of substantial reductions. Average lumber prices for southern yellow pine were down 12% quarter-over-quarter in the 3Q/18, which was then followed by a reduction of 17% in the 4Q/18. With practically no change in log or chip prices, gross margins, and the EBIDTAs, have plunged in the Southern states, after having reach a 13-year high in the 2Q/18, as reported in the latest issue of the WRQ. However, the region's sawmill margins were still well above their ten-year average margin. With lumber prices continuing to decline faster than log prices in early 2019, profit margins have continued to slide in the 1Q/19.

Sawmills in British Columbia have also seen the prices for lumber in the US market come down substantially during the second half of 2018. Despite the weaker lumber market, sawlog prices still increased from the 3Q/18 to the 4Q/18 because of tighter supply and a rise in hauling costs. Sawmills saw their gross margins plunge to unprofitable levels and many companies decided to take market-related downtime in late 2018 and early 2019.

In Europe and Russia, market prices for lumber were much less volatile than in North America, with only small price adjustments from the 4Q/17 to the 4Q/18. Log costs were unchanged in Finland during most of the year, while the costs for spruce sawlogs in Sweden jumped in late 2018. Gross margins for sawmills in both countries are still at healthy levels and, in the 4Q/18, were close to the highest they have been in four years.

Sawmills in Siberia continue to expand exports to China with fairly stable lumber export prices the past three years. However, in the 4Q/18, lumber prices fell to their lowest level in almost two years. This occurred at the same time as sawlog costs remained unchanged from the previous quarter, resulting in reduced gross margins for many lumber producers at the end of 2018. Sawmill margins for 2018 were slightly below their five-year averages, but still higher than the average for the past 14 years.

Global lumber, sawlog and pulpwood market reporting is included in the 56-page quarterly publication Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). The report, which was established in 1988 and has subscribers in over 30 countries, tracks sawlog, pulpwood, lumber and pellet prices, trade and market developments in most key regions around the world. To subscribe to the WRQ, please go to www.WoodPrices.com

Wood Resources International LLC

Hakan Ekstrom

info@woodprices.com

www.woodprices.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/wood-resources-international-llc/r/sawmill-profit-margins-fell-substantially-in-north-america-during-the-second-half-of-2018-after-reac,c2800925

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Paris, Las Vegas, April 30, 2019 - Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announces it has been recognized as part of Dell EMC's exclusive President's Circle with an award for Global Alliances EMEA Systems Integrator and Strategic Outsourcer Partner of the Year. This year's awards were presented at Dell Technologies World 2019, during Dell EMC's Global Partner Summit, which took place in Las Vegas on April 29. During the event, Atos also received an award for Global Alliances Growth Partner of the Year in recognition of an exceptional year-on-year revenue growth.

Dell EMC President's Circle recognizes the top partners globally for their incredible performance and rewards those that have delivered outstanding value to Dell EMC and its customers. Working with Dell EMC, Atos delivers best-in-class technologies and digital solutions for Hybrid Cloud, Digital Workplace and IoT - and a deep knowledge set to guide, optimize and fuel its customer's business.

Commenting on the award, Eric Grall, Senior Executive Vice President, Global Operations at Atos said: "Being recognized by Dell EMC as its Systems integrator & strategic outsourcer partner of the year for EMEA and Global Alliances Growth Partner of the Year is an exciting recognition of our strong partnership with Dell EMC. We are delighted with this award, and we are continuously working on our joint solution and service portfolio to better answer our customers' needs powered by Dell EMC's technology".

"We are honored to recognize Atos - one of our strategic partners - as our Systems integrator & strategic outsourcer partner of the year for EMEA and Global Alliances Growth Partner of the Year and would like to congratulate them on receiving this Award" said Jay Snyder, Senior Vice President, Global Alliances, Industries and Service Providers at Dell EMC. "Atos has proven to be a valuable partner over the years thanks to their increasing performance and innovative approach to resolve issues in this constantly changing world".

The Alliance agreement between Dell and Atos has become one of the largest partnership relationships Dell EMC has anywhere in the world. This enhanced Alliance includes joint investments and dedicated resources to develop an extensive portfolio of IT solutions and services, and a governance at top Executive level.

Meet Atos experts at Dell Technologies World in Las Vegas from April 29th until May 2nd and join our breakout session on how to innovate in regulated industries or extreme conditions thanks to a unique, managed on-premise IoT solution from Atos, Dell and Microsoft, powered by Siemens MindSphere.

***

Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Technologies Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners. The use of the word "partner" or "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership relationship between Dell, EMC and any other organization.

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 120,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of over  11 billion. European number one in Cloud, Cybersecurity and High-Performance Computing, the Group provides end-to-end Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud, Big Data, Business Applications and Digital Workplace solutions through its Digital Transformation Factory, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across all business sectors. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Syntel, Unify and Worldline. Atos is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.

Press contact

Lucie Duchateau - lucie.duchateau@atos.net - +33 7 62 85 35 10

Attachments
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Stans Energy Corp. ("Stans" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the following updates:

Lithium Project

Stans has started negotiations with Joint Stock Company Atomredmetzoloto ("ARMZ") of the terms of the joint venture ("JV") to restart production of lithium concentrate at the Zavitinskoye mine site, and build a new lithium carbonate production facility at the Krasnokamensk uranium production site which is managed by ARMZ. The recently completed initial negotiations set the basic structure of the 50/50 JV. The Draft JV terms agreement should be completed by the parties by the end of May and submitted for approval to Stans Board and ARMZ parent Rosatom. ARMZ is the mining subsidiary of the Russian government Nuclear Power Agency "Rosatom".

Cost proceedings in the UK Court levied against the Kyrgyz Republic

Under the Default Costs Certificate issued on April 15, 2019 the Kyrgyz Republic has to pay all of Stans' court costs (in the amount of 397,483 plus interest) related to the Republic's failed set-aside proceedings against the Arbitration Tribunal jurisdiction award. The Republic had 14 days for payment.

Shares for Debt Settlement

The Company reports that COO, Boris Aryev, has been issued 200,000 shares at $0.05 per share to settle partial debt owed from salary arrears dating from December 2018 to March 2019. The Company also reports that CFO, Olga Stevens, has been issued 190,000 shares at $0.05 per share to settle partial debt owed from compensation arrears dating from February to April 2019. The Shares for Debt Settlement Agreements were approved by Stans Board of Directors on April 25th, 2019.

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.

About Stans Energy

Stans Energy Corp. is a resource development company focused on advancing rare and specialty metals properties and processing technologies. Stans is now transitioning into to become a supplier of materials and technologies that will assist in satisfying the future energy supply, storage and transmission needs of the world. Previously, the Company acquired, among other things, the right to mine the past producing rare earth mine, Kutessay II, in the Kyrgyz Republic. Due to the expropriation actions taken by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Company is undertaking international arbitration litigation to protect the Company's rights and recover damages estimated at over US$210,000,000, caused by the Republic.

We seek safe harbour.

Contact Details



Rodney Irwin

Stans Energy Corp

Interim President & CEO

rodney@stansenergy.com

647-426-1865 Boris Aryev

Stan Energy Corp

Chief Operating Officer

boris@stansenergy.com

647-426-1865

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This document includes forward-looking statements as well as historical information. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, use of proceeds from the Offering, the completion of the Offering, the continued advancement of the company's general business development, research development and the company's development of mineral exploration projects. When used in this press release, the words "will", "shall", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intent", "may", "project", "plan", "should" and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements. Although Stans Energy Corp. believes that their expectations reflected in these forward looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statement. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements include the potential that fluctuations in the marketplace for the sale of minerals, the inability to implement corporate strategies, the ability to obtain financing and other risks disclosed in our filings made with Canadian Securities Regulators.

SOURCE: Stans Energy Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543555/Stans-Energy-Corporate-Update
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Lithoquest Diamonds Inc. (TSX-V: LDI) ("Lithoquest", or the "Company") today announced that it has completed a thorough review of all available data and defined 20 priority target areas on its 100% owned North Kimberley Diamond Project in Western Australia.

Three criteria were used to select the priority target areas: 1) the presence of Kimberlite Indicator Minerals (KIMs), 2) geophysical anomalies, and 3) areas of interest resulting from a geospatial analysis designed to detect kimberlites. Three target areas met each of the criteria and are considered the highest priority. A majority of the remaining 17 target areas met at least two of the three criteria.

KIM Targets: Rock, stream or loam samples that yielded diamond, KIMs with diamond inclusion chemistry or KIMs in high abundance were considered significant. 15 targets have been identified based on the sample results from the 2018 field program and historical KIM occurrences.



Geophysical Targets: Magnetic, electromagnetic, radiometric and gravity datasets were reviewed for anomalies with characteristics typical of a kimberlite pipe. A total of 14 geophysical targets were identified.



Geospatial Analysis Targets: A proprietary algorithm-based geospatial analysis of all available data relevant to kimberlite and diamond exploration on the property was conducted by Flood Consulting. The study was focused on the area enclosed by the airborne magnetic survey conducted in November 2018. A total of 93 targets were identified with 11 considered "very high" priority, including two targets that ranked higher than the 1804 kimberlite.

Click here to view a pdf map of the area of interest.

The objective of the 2019 field program is to investigate and prioritize the target areas, followed by drill testing of the most promising kimberlite targets. Field work to define drill targets is expected to commence in early June and will include geologic mapping, prospecting, geophysical surveying and KIM sampling. Drilling is expected to begin in August.

Qualified Person

The technical contents of this news release have been reviewed and approved by Bruce Counts, P. Geo., President, CEO and a Director of Lithoquest Diamonds Inc. and Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Lithoquest Diamonds Inc.

Lithoquest is a Canadian diamond exploration company focused on the discovery and development of economic diamond deposits on its 100% owned North Kimberley Diamond Project located in Western Australia, approximately 65km east of the community of Kalumburu.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information

This news release includes certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, the Company's strategic plans, future operations, future work programs and objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. 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 information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

For further information, please contact:

Lithoquest Diamonds Inc.

+1 (778) 373-1485

info@lithoquest.com

SOURCE: Lithoquest Diamonds Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/543574/Lithoquest-Diamonds-Identifies-20-Priority-Target-Areas-on-North-Kimberley-Diamond-Project
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - David J. Wilson (the "acquiror") announces that he has ceased to be a 10% securityholder of Canadian Premium Sand Inc. ("CPS"). An early warning report ("Report") in respect of this change in ownership has been filed.

A joint actor of the acquiror disposed of 411,771 common shares in the capital of CPS ("Shares") on April 22, 2019 (the "Disposition") by way of transfer to persons with whom the acquiror does not exercise trading authority nor voting power. After giving effect to the Disposition, the holdings of the acquiror together with joint actors decreased to less than 10% of the issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis.

Prior to the Disposition, the acquiror and joint actors held 2,365,808 Shares as follows: (i) the acquiror holding 820,000 Shares; (ii) 710719 Alberta Inc. holding 933,333 Shares; (iii) David and Penny Wilson Family Foundation holding 200,704 Shares; and (iv) David Wilson Family Trust holding 411,771 Shares. Such holding of 2,365,808 Shares represented 11.14% of the outstanding Shares. After giving effect to the Disposition, the acquiror and joint actors held 1,954,037 Shares or 9.20% of the outstanding Shares as follows: (i) the acquiror holding 820,000 Shares; (ii) 710719 Alberta Inc. holding 933,333 Shares; and (iii) David and Penny Wilson Family Foundation holding 200,704 Shares.

The Shares were disposed of pursuant to investment purposes. In the future, the acquiror and joint actors may, subject to applicable law, acquire or dispose of securities of CPS depending upon a number of factors, including but not limited to general market and economic conditions and other available investment opportunities.

A copy of the Report is filed under CPS's corporate profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For further information regarding the Report, please contact the acquiror at 403-294-0154.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44445
Around 10:20 p.m., the officer was exposed to a controlled substance while searching a house in the 5900 block of South Laflin, according to Chicago police.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) -Braingrid Limited ("Braingrid" or "Company") (CSE: BGRD), a global technology provider of real-time cultivation analytics in Precision Agriculture using its affordable, scalable and easy-to-deploy sensor platforms, is pleased to provide this corporate update.

Product & Service Platform Transition

The Company announced on April 17, 2019 the launch of a new program initiative called Braingrid Data Intelligence ("BDI"). The BDI program provides regular analytical reports to customers on data collected from sensors provided by Braingrid and other third parties. Braingrid's highly trained Data Science Team analyzes data that customers don't have the time or in-house expertise to do, thereby providing recurring cost-efficient reports on valuable statistics. Currently there are six reports available dealing with Anomaly Analysis in Temperature, Humidity, CO2, Powdery Mildew and Spider Mite Scores, and Vapor Pressure Deficit Chart Analytics. More reports are currently in development. This transition from focusing primarily on sensors to offering customers valuable cultivation information they can act on, still relies on Braingrid's real-time sensor platform providing enhanced visibility on yield variances and predictive pathogen outbreaks. It is anticipated that eventually these reports will be expanded to deal with other cost-driving challenges facing the agriculture sector such as energy consumption. In addition to analytic reports and sensor equipment, the Company is now offering access to its in-house Data Science Team on an hourly rate basis to allow customers a way to achieve deep learning on millions of data points. Current and new customer response to Braingrid's new BDI program has been exceptional.

Investment Rescission

As disclosed in the Company's listing statement, in October 2018, MGX Minerals Inc. ("MGX") purchased 812,500 units (consisting of common shares and common share purchase warrants of Braingrid) of Braingrid Corporation (exchanged for 1,625,000 common shares of Braingrid Limited on completion of the transaction with Match Capital) for a total consideration of $650,000 with the consideration to be satisfied through the issuance of 1,000,000 common shares in the capital of MGX at a deemed issue price of $0.65. Although the Company delivered the certificates for the securities underlying the units to MGX, it did not receive the 1,000,000 common shares of MGX that were to be issued to pay for such securities despite repeated assurances that such certificates would be delivered. MGX has rescinded the transaction and the 1,625,000 common shares and common share purchase warrants have been returned for cancellation. As set forth in the Company's listing statement the Company had intended to dispose of the shares of MGX on the market on an if and when needed basis and the rescission of the transaction has reduced the cash available for the Company to operate as planned. The Company is currently reviewing potential financing sources to address this short-fall in anticipated funds. Further details regarding any potential financing will be provided once known.

Staff Changes

The transition of product positioning to data analytics has caused a shift in the development needs for product software. As a result the Company has laid-off a certain number of employees to streamline its operations and focus on its new initiatives. The Company appreciates and thanks the employees who are no longer with the firm and wishes them the best in their future endeavors.

R2G

On May 16, 2018, the Company entered into a Strategic Alliance Agreement with R2G Global, LLC and Rent2Grow Canada Inc. (collectively "R2G"). R2G intended to deploy franchised grow facilities throughout North America allowing individuals to safely and cost-effectively grow their legal limit of four plants in a 4X4 foot smart pod. Braingrid's role was to provide controls and monitoring for the pods. The agreement required purchases over a three year period, the first year set to occur prior to May 15, 2019 for 1500-3000 pods. R2G encountered partnership difficulties which in turn caused financial challenges culminating in the failure of the venture to raise its required funds. As a result, the Company will be terminating the agreement and Braingrid is considering its options for the recovery of damages. The loss of these sales over the three year period during which the agreement was to run will have a material impact on the Company's projected revenues which may or may not be recovered with new sales initiatives, some of which are described in this Update. The technology developed for R2G remains with Braingrid as valuable hardware and software that can be redeployed in other products. The Company is also exploring funding opportunities with the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) leading to commercialization of a new/updated product.

Integration Partners

In addition to a long-standing relationship with Canada's market leader Ample Organics, the Company has during the last two months announced new integration relationships with A&L Laboratories, Cannabis OneFive, Scanit, Isolocity and TRAK. These relationships are valuable to customers since all information is shown in one place. Equally important, Braingrid is able to analyze customer data generated from various third party systems to gain deeper learning to achieve better crop yields and avoid pathogen risks. Integration relationships also foster new business for Braingrid and its partners once new customers learn about these efficiencies. Braingrid expects to continue to build these relationships and plans to announce new integrations throughout North America.

New Business Partnership

Braingrid is in discussions with a US based seed-to-sale company ("USCO") with customers in over 20 states and a dozen countries. The parties are negotiating a Letter of Intent to enter into a long term business partnership whereby USCO will use its extensive sales network to promote Braingrid's products and services in the US to bolster their existing offerings. Braingrid currently has two US customers and considers the US to be the next large market for expansion of its global products and services.

Media Contact:

Doug Harris

Chief Financial Officer

Braingrid Limited

416-480-2488

ir@braingrid.io

www.braingrid.io

About Braingrid

Braingrid Limited (www.braingrid.io) is a global technology company committed to the best long term interests of growers in the Precision Agriculture industry. The company provides valuable cultivation analytics by capturing real-time environmental data using our technology platform. Braingrid is committed to increase grower's revenues by improving yield and reducing grow risks such as pathogens. Braingrid also provides the cannabis industry with powerful technology solutions together with its integration partners in quality management, laboratory testing, pathogen detection and energy conservation.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release includes forward-looking information and statements, which may include, but are not limited to, information and statements regarding or inferring the future business, operations, financial performance, prospects, and other plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs of Braingrid. Information and statements which are not purely historical fact are forward-looking statements. Such statements include statements regarding (i) the development of new reports under the BDI initiative, (ii) the planned development of the relationships with the Company's integration partners, (iii) the review of additional sources of financing and (iv) the potential for recovery of damages relating to the R2G relationship. Forward-looking information and statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of Braingrid to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information and statements herein. Although Braingrid 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, Braingrid 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44443
Appointment signals new phase of growth

CAMBRIDGE, England, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambridge-based life sciences and healthcare consultancy Cambridge Healthcare Research (CHR) has announced the appointment of Stella Wooder as a strategic adviser as it embarks on a new phase of growth. Stella brings to the role more than 25 years' experience of healthcare and technology consulting.

The appointment comes as the company is seeing a growing demand for its services from some of the world's largest pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device organisations.

"It is exciting to be joining CHR in this pivotal year as demand for its high-quality work and strategic decision support reaches record levels," said Stella. "It's crucial that we capture this momentum, consolidate what's been achieved and build a successful framework to grow an efficient organisation that can continue to deliver great work to even more clients. I worked with CHR at Team Consulting and look forward to helping it scale its winning formula and preserve what makes it special."

Stella has an extensive track record in technology and healthcare consulting. She currently chairs the board of trustees at Team - which works with many large pharmaceutical and medical device companies to design and develop medical devices - after spending time delivering client projects at the consultancy through a significant phase of growth. She is also a non-executive director of Gynii Me - an early-stage company in the fertility treatment sector - and an honorary lecturer at the Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. Stella's career has also included the role of operations director at science, technology and product development company Sagentia - where she worked for more than a decade - as well as time at life sciences consultancy Pope Woodhead & Associates.

"We are delighted to welcome Stella to the team as we begin this new chapter in our growing success story," said Edward Cartwright, a partner at CHR. "Her expertise in building successful healthcare consulting firms will be invaluable as we expand our global business to help even more healthcare clients, as well as product and brand teams, make sense of their rapidly evolving markets and inform their winning strategy."

Notes for editors

Cambridge Healthcare Research is a management consultancy providing strategic decision support to the pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer healthcare industries. Working closely with clients on asset commercialisation, product strategy and opportunity assessments, CHR enables its partners to navigate difficult commercial decisions, mapping their position in a complex marketplace as well as outlining competitor activities, intent and capabilities.

The team is passionate about healthcare and medical innovation, and its evaluation of market dynamics - combined with a targeted understanding of key trends in the prescriber, regulator and payer environments - equips clients to make the best decisions from an optimally informed position.

CHR's team spans the globe, with offices in Cambridge and London as well as consultants located across Europe, Asia and North America. For more information, visit: http://www.camhcr.com.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/816355/Cambridge_Healthcare_Research_Logo.jpg)

Contact:

media@camhcr.com

www.camhcr.com

Twitter, LinkedIn

+44-1223-900-191
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - iCo Therapeutics (TSXV: ICO) (OTCQB: ICOTF) ("iCo" or the "Company"), today reported financial results for the year ended December 31, 2018. Amounts, unless specified otherwise, are expressed in Canadian dollars and presented under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS").

Stated Andrew Rae, President and CEO of iCo Therapeutics Inc., "2018 represented a year of significant advances as we entered into a clinical trial for Oral Amphotericin B and saw positive Phase 2 data related to iCo-008 (also known as bertilimumab). As a result of these developments iCo is entering an exciting phase of mid stage clinical study for our antifungal candidate in 2019, including additional work in Australia given its generous tax incentives."

2018 Financial and Operational Highlights

Oral Amp B Delivery System

On June 27, 2018, iCo announced a positive primary end point in its Phase I clinical study. The study met its primary endpoint of safety and tolerability of iCo-019 (oral Amphotericin B) following oral administration of single ascending doses in healthy subjects. There were no serious adverse events and no drug-related adverse events in the four study cohorts. All drug doses were well tolerated, including the highest dose of 800 mg with no indication of kidney or gastrointestinal toxicity.

On July 16, 2018, iCo announced a positive secondary endpoint in its Phase I clinical study and advancement into later stage clinical trials. It was noted that the distinguishing features of the Company's Oral Amphotericin B candidate were enhanced plasma area under the concentration time curve, which is a measure of systemic drug exposure, and longer blood circulation time without the associated gastrointestinal effects or liver and kidney toxicity.

During the year, the Company's subsidiary received its Australian tax credit of $462,000 AUD related to its research and development work in Australia. Additional tax credit reimbursement is expected for the period beginning July 1, 2018.

iCo-008

On May 15, 2018, positive results were reported from a completed bullous pemphigoid (BP) trial. Subjects in the study experienced a decline in the BPDAI Activity Score of 81% (p=0.015) at day 84 from a mean baseline score of 67, with 86% of subjects showing at least a 50% improvement in the BPDAI Activity Score and 57% showing at least a 90% improvement.

On July 30, 2018, the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency issued a positive opinion on the application for orphan drug designation for bertilimumab for the treatment of BP. On August 20, 2018, it was announced that the FDA granted orphan drug designation to bertilimumab for the treatment of BP.

On September 11, 2018, it was announced that the FDA had granted Fast Track designation to bertilimumab for the treatment of BP.

Corporate

On August 14, 2018 iCo filed a short form base shelf prospectus (the "Base Shelf") with securities regulators in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. The Base Shelf allows iCo to offer, from time to time in one or more public offerings, up to $25,000,000 of common shares, preferred shares, debt securities, subscription receipts, units or warrants, or any combination thereof, during the 25-month period ending September 14, 2020. iCo filed the Base Shelf to provide the Company with financing flexibility going forward.

Subsequent to year end

Subsequent to the year end, the Company closed several non-brokered private placements, issuing 25,000,000 units at $0.05 per unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,250,000. Net proceeds were $1,150,000 after related expenses.

On February 15, 2019, the Company delivered written notice terminating, with immediate effect, the iCo-008 sublicense agreement with IMMUNE (Immune Pharmaceuticals) based on a number of IMMUNE breaches, including but not limited to, the attempted subordination of iCo intellectual property to investors. Subsequent to the termination, IMMUNE filed a voluntary petition for bankruptcy in the District of New Jersey on February 17, 2019. The Company is seeking all materials related to IMMUNE's historical activities, including but not limited to its patient database and regulatory filings. iCo is also pursuing new development partners to further advance iCo-008.

Financial results for Year End 2018

We incurred a total comprehensive loss of $1,712,724 for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to a total comprehensive loss of $1,237,308 for the year ended December 31, 2017, representing an increased loss of $475,416. The increase in the loss is primarily the result of higher research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses recognized during 2018 partially offset by higher other income.

Research and development expenses were $1,420,457 for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to $808,534 for the year ended December 31, 2017, representing an increase of $611,923. The increase related to higher contract research expenses related to the completion of the Oral Amp B Phase 1 clinical studies.

For the year ended December 31, 2018 general and administrative expenses were $781,282 compared to $664,814 for the year ended December 31, 2017, representing an increase of $116,468. The increase reflects increased professional fees associated with filing an annual information return and the Base Shelf prospectus.

Liquidity and Outstanding Share Capital

As at December 31, 2018, we had cash and cash equivalents of $10,140 compared to $1,127,934 as at December 31, 2017.

As at April 29, 2019, we had an unlimited number of authorized common shares with 109,457,713 common shares issued and outstanding.

For complete financial results, please see our filings at www.sedar.com.

About iCo Therapeutics Inc.

iCo Therapeutics identifies existing development stage assets for use in underserved ocular and infectious diseases. Such assets may exhibit utility in non-ophthalmic conditions outside the Company's core focus areas and if so the Company will seek to capture further value via partnerships. iCo shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "ICO" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "ICOTF".

For more information, visit the Company website at: www.icotherapeutics.com.

No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the content of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulatory Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "will," and similar references to future periods. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on iCo's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to iCo and relate to, among other things, anticipated financial performance, business prospects, strategies, regulatory developments, market acceptance and future commitments, including statements relating to reporting further data regarding studies for Oral Amp Delivery System, the timing of receipt of the statistical analysis for clinical data, the timing, receipt and amount of Australian refundable tax credits, any decrease in research and development expenditures and the completion of additional funding and commencement of additional clinical studies. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are based only on information currently available to iCo and speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by iCo in its public securities filings and on its website, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. In evaluating forward-looking statements, readers should consider the risk factors set out herein and in the Company's Annual Information Form dated April 29, 2019, a copy of which is available under iCo's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and as otherwise disclosed in the Company's filings under its profile on SEDAR from time to time. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and iCo disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Andrew Rae, CEO

778-772-7775

rae@icotherapeutics.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44450
There is no major mention of labour reforms in the BJP manifesto, even the Congress manifesto which speaks GST reforms and job creation has paid no significant attention to labour law reforms

Editor's Note: This story was first published on 30 April, 2019. It is being republished to mark International Workers' Day. The theme of Labour Day 2019 is 'Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement.'

Is the absence of private investments the only major hurdle for job creation in India? No, it is not. In a recent research note, JP Morgan has offered some interesting findings on Indias job problem. According to this note, it is not only lack of private investments but also the high effective cost of labour in relation to the capital that is playing a villain when it comes to job creation.

Unsurprisingly, Indias growth has been very capital intensive. Back in 2000, two-thirds of Indias export basket comprised labour-intensive exports (agricultural products, textiles, gems and jewellery, and leather). Today 50 percent comprise capital-intensive auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and capital goods, the note said.

So what is to be done? Policy urgently needs to reduce the effective cost of labour by easing labour laws, lengthening job contracts to incentivise on-the-job skills acquisition, both reforming and investing more heavily in health and education, and avoiding fiscal subsidies to capital (like accelerated depreciation) that further discriminate against labour. Only then will India create enough jobs to pull people out of agriculture, as China did, the JP Morgan note said.

In short, the point here is reforming labour laws is highly critical at this point to revive the lost momentum in job creation. Are our politicians serious about it? Sadly, very little has been done to reform labour laws not just in the last five years of Narendra Modi-government but even during the UPA years. There is no major mention of labour reforms in the BJP manifesto, even the Congress manifesto which speaks GST reforms and job creation has paid no significant attention to labour law reforms.

Instead, what are the major national political parties--the BJP and the Congress--intend to do if they come to power? Congress wants to offer an assured minimum income of Rs 72,000 to poorest 20 percent of the population. The party has easy solutions on how will it find the resources---tax the rich, spare the middle class, roll in other subsidies-easier said than done. Only in 2016, India scrapped a wealth tax finding it less rewarding to the exchequer.

There are about 950 centrally sponsored schemes targeting the needy in specific areas. There is no reliable, updated income data to identify the bottom 20 percent in the income graph. On the other hand, the BJP too is not far behind in competitive populism. It wants to give interest-free loans to farmers, extend Rs 6,000 Kisan yojana to all farmers and offer pensions to all small farmers and shop owners. All these have nothing to do with job creation, at best these can be some sort of consumption drivers.

In both these manifestos, the common factor is a fading focus on land, labour reforms and skill development. The Modi-government began its tenure with a host of schemes on skill development and manufacturing to change India into a global manufacturing hub. But, at the end of this five-year-term, even BJP's political rallies are silent about these schemes.

The unwillingness of politicians to focus on real issues that are roadblocks to job creation will prove costly in Asias third-largest economy. The unemployment levels are rising with more number of people in Indias workforce not getting job opportunities. In the first three weeks of April, the unemployment rate in the country showed a sharply increasing trend, coming at an average 8.1 percent, compared with an average 6.7 percent in the month of March and 7.2 percent in the month of February, according to data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

In the first week of April, the rate was recorded at 7.9 percent, in the second week at 8.1 percent and in the third at 8.4 percent, the economy watchdog said citing the findings of its household survey. In February this year, a Business Standard report had said that the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) which conducts household surveys on employment situation wasnt given permission to release job data that showed the country's unemployment rate at a 45-year-high of 6.1 percent in 2017-18.

Explaining the job problem, JP Morgan researchers noted that labour intensity in organised manufacturing in India has fallen by a factor of five in the last three decades, which explains the strong-growth but weak-jobs disconnect, it said, adding Indias effective cost of labour remains inordinately high both because of strict labour laws (on the demand side) and educational/health/skill constraints (on the supply side).

To sum up, the JP Morgan note clearly spells out the big challenge for the next government, if it is serious about tackling the unemployment problem--work on reviving the long-missing private investments and simultaneously work on labour law reforms. But, will there will be takers for these real solutions for job problem amid the mad race of competitive populism?
This is the first time that employees have come together with a proposal to run the more than 25-year-old Jet Airways

New Delhi: As uncertainty continues over the fate of the shuttered Jet Airways, an employees' consortium has proposed to take over the airline with at least Rs 3,000 crore expected from outside investors for the bid, according to two staff unions. This is the first time that employees have come together with a proposal to run the more than 25-year-old Jet Airways, which temporarily suspended operations on 17 April.

Two associations representing pilots and engineersSWIP and JAMEVAhave written to State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Rajnish Kumar proposing that they would take over the airline and can bring in up to Rs 7,000 crore.

The Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) and the Jet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Welfare Association (JAMEVA) have written a letter to the SBI chief asking the lead lender to consider "employee consortium" as an intending bidder for the carrier. While SWIP has around 800 members, there are about 500 employees with JAMEVA.

The contribution from employees would be realised from their future earnings and increased productivity... As per our initial estimate, the contribution of employees group over a hypothetical 5-year Employee Stock Ownership Programme (ESOP) is likely to be upward of Rs 4,000 crore.

"In addition, we are also confident of securing an investment commitment of up to Rs 3,000 crore from outside investors," the letter, dated 29 April, said.

The letter has been signed by four peopleSWIP General Secretary Ashwani Tyagi, JAMEVA President Ashish Kumar Mohanty, Jet Airways Manager (Human Resources) B B Singh and Jet Lite Senior Vice President (Operations) and Accountable Manager P P Singh.

The deadline for submitting initial bids have already ended and the list of shortlisted entities is expected to be finalised on 10 May.

SBI Capital Markets, on behalf of the lenders' consortium led by the SBI, is managing the bidding process.

"We confirm that a proposal for employee takeover of Jet Airways has been submitted by us... We are optimistic that the banks and Government of India will give our plan a serious consideration," the two unions said in a joint statement.

Tyagi said the letter has also been signed by two officials of the airline.

Cash-starved Jet Airways stopped operations on April 17 after lenders decided not to extend emergency funds. Since then, employees have held gatherings in various cities and have also met various ministers with pleas to save the airline.
Jet Airways employees are now out in the job market, leading to a supply glut as other airlines are not in a position to absorb even a quarter of them

Mumbai: With the grounding of Jet Airways leaving tens of hundreds of trained staff up for grabs, there can be a short-term salary correction in the industry, as there are not enough jobs in the market due to the supply glut, say headhunters.

Teetering for months, the full service airline Jet Airways was finally grounded on 17 April, leaving over 22,000 employees in the lurch. The once premium airline used to employ around 1,300 pilots and over 2,000 cabin crew.

They are now out in the job market, leading to a supply glut as other airlines are not in a position to absorb not even a quarter of them due to their poor finances.

"Given the current situation, there are plenty of professionals willing to take a salary cut of up to 50% to grab a job. However, this will only be for the short-term as we see demand improving as the aviation sector is poised to grow further," Michael Page India director Mohit Bharti told PTI on Monday.

He also said the current employment outlook in the sector is more optimistic than what is being reported.

"There are definitely not enough jobs in the market now to absorb the influx of Jet employees in one go. But, it is very encouraging to see other airlines increase their hiring as they recognise the availability of good talent and the potential to secure them for their businesses in the future," said Bharti.

In addition, the domestic aviation sector has historically been a talent-short market, so the current scenario will help bridge that gap to a large extent, he pointed out.

Further, he said, jobs which are very specific to the sector and do not see movement to other sectors will be most vulnerable in the short-run.

"However, the domestic industry has always faced scarcity of pilots, engineers, network optimisation and revenue management professionals, therefore, the situation should not be as discouraging as is being made out now," Bharti argued.

Echoing similar views, TeamLease Services vice- president for recruitments Ajay Shah opined that there will be salary rationalisation due to the higher salary structure that Jet had, and also due to the supply glut.

"Salary across the aviation industry has been quite high ever since the launch of Kingfisher Airlines which offered very high salaries in its bid to get the best talent, forcing other airlines to follow suit to retain talent. So, I feel that now a rationale will be built," he said.

Though jobs across the segments will be affected in the short term, however, customer services-related roles will be the most vulnerable in the long-term, he added.

Executive search company GlobalHunt managing director Sunil Goel said trained staff will have ample opportunities with other airlines or even in other sectors as people from the airline sector are also in demand in hospitality, travel & tours, event management, customer care services and customer experience-based jobs.

According to recruitment portal Shine.com chief executive Zairus Master, there was an increase in job postings for pilots, both freshers and experienced on the portal since the Jet crisis began in December.

Besides, he said, there is also a steady growth in hiring across departments, including ground staff, cabin crew, flight operations, and back office among others.

"Also, when it comes to ground staff and cabin crew, attrition is quite high, so it's a continuous replacement hiring cycle that goes on. We saw an increase in the number of job postings on our platform as well between December 2017 and December 2018, when we saw a 51% jump in job postings for the aviation sector," he added.
PepsiCo is the second large US company to face major patent infringement issues in India.

New Delhi: An influential Hindu nationalist group with close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modis ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused PepsiCo Inc of coercing four Indian farmers who have been sued by the US company for allegedly infringing a patent.

After suing four farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety, grown exclusively for PepsiCos popular Lays potato chips, the snack food and drinks maker on Friday said it wants to amicably settle the issue.

The Purchase, New York-based company said the four farmers had to either sell their potatoes to PepsiCo or stop cultivating the FC5 potato variety. In return, PepsiCo said it would withdraw the suit filed against the farmers.

Ashwani Mahajan, who heads the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, said PepsiCo was coercing the farmers by using legal action to force them to either sell their output to the company or to stop growing the FC5 potato variety at all.

SJM is the economic wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Modis BJP.

The dispute comes at a particularly sensitive time in India, which is about half-way through a 39-day staggered general election, in which its rural population still has a dominant voice. Modi and the BJP are seeking a second term and most political strategists think they will likely get it.

Other than coercing these farmers, PepsiCo is also intimidating and exploiting them. It is a clear case of a large MNC (multi national corporation) arm-twisting Indias poor farmers, Mahajan told Reuters.

The federal government should step in to ensure that the farmers do not get harassed by PepsiCo, he said.

In response, a PepsiCo India spokesman said in a statement that it has already proposed to amicably settle with people who were unlawfully using seeds of its registered variety.

Adding: The company was compelled to take the judicial recourse as a last resort to safeguard the larger interest of thousands of farmers that are engaged with its collaborative potato farming program.

Less moisture

The FC5 variety has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips.

PepsiCo maintains that it developed the FC5 variety, which has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips, and registered the trait in 2016.

In April, the company filed the lawsuit in a court in Ahmedabad, the business hub of Gujarat, requesting the court to retrain the four farmers from growing the FC5 variety. The court has asked the farmers not to use the variety until the next hearing scheduled for 12 June.

The court also appointed an officer to examine the issue.

Other than filing the lawsuit, the company has also sought more than 10 million rupees ($142,840) each from the four farmers for alleged patent infringement.

PepsiCo shouldnt have gone to the court seeking heavy damages from farmers and a large corporation cannot be allowed to take on a handful of farmers, Mahajan said.

PepsiCo, which set up its first potato chips plant in India in 1989, supplies the FC5 potato variety to a group of farmers who in turn sell their produce to the company at a fixed price.

The state government of Gujarat has assured the farmers that it will help them, Nitin Patel, deputy chief minister said last week.

The opposition Congress party has also criticised PepsiCo for suing the farmers.

Pepsis decision to take Gujarats potato grower farmers to court is ill-advised and brazenly wrong, senior Congress party leader Ahmed Patel, who comes from Gujarat, said in a Tweet.

The All India Kisan Sabha, or All India Farmers Forum, has asked the Indian government to protect the farmers and also called for a boycott of Lays chips and PepsiCos other products.

So far the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has not commented on the issue.

PepsiCo is the second large US company to face major patent infringement issues in India.

Stung by a long-standing intellectual property dispute, seed maker Monsanto, now owned by German drugmaker Bayer AG, withdrew from some businesses in India over a cotton-seed dispute with farmers.
The SpiceJet aircraft was stuck on the runway due to which all arrivals and departures were halted

Mumbai: A Boeing 737 aircraft operated by low-cost carrier SpiceJet Monday overshot the runway while landing at the Shirdi airport, bringing the regional facility to a complete halt, airport director Dhiren Bhosale said.

The incident took place at 4.30 pm, the airline said, adding that all the passengers and the crew are safe.

The airline also grounded both the pilots pending an internal enquiry, while the regulator DGCA has dispatched off an official to the airport to carry out the initial probe into the matter.

However, a full-fledged investigation will be conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which has the mandate to probe all serious incidents and accidents involving all commercial and private planes.

According to sources, passengers and the crew were trapped inside the plane for over two-and-a-half hours, but are however, safe, and efforts are on to tow away the aircraft from the runway and resume operations at the earliest.

"A SpiceJet aircraft shot-off the runway by about 50 meters and skidded off. There is no injury to any passenger and the crew, though.

"Our first priority is to evacuate passengers without compromising their safety," Bhosale told PTI over phone from the Shirdi airport that primarily serves the pilgrims to the popular Hindu shrine, and is around 180 km north-east off the megapolis.

The number of passengers and crew on board the B737-800 aircraft is not known immediately, he added. The airline also refused to share the passengers and the crew details.

He said the aircraft is stuck on the runway due to which all arrivals and departures are halted.

"We are making all efforts to tow away the aircraft and clear the runway," Bhosale said, adding the Shirdi airport does not have the required wherewithal to tow away the stuck plane.

The operations are expected to resume only on Tuesday as airport authorities have sought infrastructure and expertise from other airports such as Pune, Mumbai and Aurangabad to retrieve the plane, he said.

"We are expecting to retrieve the aircraft on Tuesday, only after that we will be able to recommence operations," Bhosale said.

SpiceJet, in a statement, said its B737-800 aircraft (SG 946) from New Delhi to Shirdi was involved in the incident.

"While landing at Shirdi, the aircraft overshot the runway. The passengers and the crew who are safe are being deplaned normally," the airline said.

The airport handles 24 flight flights per day, 12 departures and arrivals each, operated by Air India's regional subsidiary Alliance and SpiceJet.

Meanwhile, Alliance Air was forced to cancel its Hyderabad-Shirdi flight, which was on the way to the temple town when the incident took place.
Rahul Gandhi was seemingly referring to the draft of the Indian Forest Act, 2019, that proposes an overhaul of the Indian Forest Act, 1927

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice-president Prabhat Jha has sent a legal notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi for saying, Narendra Modi Sarkar ne ek kanun banaya hai jisme ek line likhi gayi hai ki adivasiyon ko goli se mara ja sakega" (Narendra Modi government has passed a law in which one line allows the shooting of tribals). Rahul made the statement at a rally in Bhopal.

Rahul was seemingly referring to the draft of the Indian Forest Act, 2019, which proposes an overhaul of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The draft law proposes providing indemnity to forest officers using arms to prevent offences. This is in addition to the immunity provided under Section 197 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, for certain categories of public servants.

The value of this ecosystem, protected by forest officers, amounts to Rs 6 lakh crore ($120 billion). As per Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) data, over 30,382 wildlife crimes have been recorded till 31 December, 2016. Responding to complaints being received consistently by the forest department about illegal mining and encroachments, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Jai Raj, in January, said any encroachment on forest land should be removed without delay. From safeguarding the green cover from encroachment, poaching, smuggling and ensuring the protection of tribals against insurgents, the forest department officials have a massive task on their hands.

Even if such an Act was passed, where was Rahul and his 44 MPs at the time? Rajya Sabha MP Prabhat Jha wondered. Jha said the BJP has given Rahul three days to respond and if he doesnt, a defamation case will be filed against him. He added that the Congress party president is a parliamentarian and wondered that if such a law had been passed in his presence, why he chose to keep mum till election season.

In the 25-page legal notice, the BJP warned the Congress chief that his remarks on Narendra Modi are "defamatory, derogatory, lacking verification and without any substance." In the context of Rahuls statement, the notice stated: You, being the parliamentarian, and law maker carry equal responsibility in framing the rules of law for our country in the interest of citizens of India. Parliament frames and legislates any act or rules framed and notifications further is the constitutional duty of all parliamentarians including you.

If the Congress president wanted to make a serious attempt to reach out to the Madhya Pradesh tribals, he could have stuck to issues of malnourishment and displacement and the measures the newly-elected Congress government is taking to fix what went wrong during Shivraj Singh Chouhans tenure as detailed in this 2018 ground report from the tribal regions of Madhya Pradesh: Mandla, Shahdol, Dindori, Umariya, Anuppur and Balaghat (Baihar).

In December 2017, the Department of Tribal Welfare responded to an RTI query regarding the status of implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006 by stating that in Madhya Pradesh, 4,22,403 tribals filed personal suits for forest land by November 2017. Of these, the district level committee rejected 2,01,393 claims (47.7 percent of the total claims). Out of 8,466 claims in Satna, 6,398 (75.6 percent) were rejected. In Sidhi, 78.8 percent claims were rejected; in Umaria, 63.9 percent; in Seoni, 67.4 percent; 66.8 percent in Panna; 61.7 percent in Damoh. In Jhabua, where more than 80 percent of the population is tribal, 65.5 percent claims to forest land by tribals were rejected. Rahul's party is now in power in Madhya Pradesh, but the outreach to tribals isn't centred on delivery but on criticism of the central government.

The Congress party president today filed his reply before the Supreme Court in connection with a contempt case filed by BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi, who sought action against him for misattributing his remarks to the top court. Rahul, in his reply, said he had made the 'chowkidar chor hai' remarks "in the heat of the moment", and expressed 'regret', but did not apologise. Rahul added he had no intention of dragging the court into the political arena, and claimed Lekhi, was seeking political mileage under the pretext of contempt proceedings. The Supreme Court allowed Rahul to file a new affidavit on Monday after his lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi assured the bench Rahul would apologise and that the rectified affidavit would contain the word apology.
Masood Azhar was responsible for the suicide attack at Pulwama that left 40 members of Indian CRPF personnel dead on 14 February, sparking off a series of events that almost brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war

The Director-General of Pakistan Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) wing held an unusually long press conference two days ago. He rambled on much to the annoyance of many journalists and media persons. Major-General Asif Ghafoor, DG-ISPR needs to be ready for one more such interaction because soon enough India's bete noir and Pakistan's darling, Masood Azhar, founder and leader of the radical terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) is likely to be declared an international terrorist by the United Nations.

It was China's endorsement that was missing and preventing the UN Security Council (UNSC) from going ahead with what the international community must do when an internationally well-identified terrorist group and its leader continue to act with impunity. Azhar was responsible for the suicide attack at Pulwama that left 40 members of Indian CRPF personnel dead on 14 February, sparking off a series of events that almost brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

On 13 March, 2019 led by France and the UK, the US too re-initiated the process to designate Azhar; the move has been blocked four times in the past 10 years at China's instance, thus giving the JeM a certain indemnity that it has been exploiting at will. This time too China again placed a technical hold on the issue pending further clarification. Circumstances since that date may have changed marginally but some aggressive diplomacy on the part of India does appear to be making a difference. How will the combination of prevailing circumstances and plain-speaking diplomacy convert a frustrating situation for India into something more meaningful in the fight against trans-national terrorism?

The importance of this analysis should be gauged from the fact that at least two major acts of terror (Uri and Pulwama) emanating from Pakistan in the past three years have forced doubtful credibility about its claims of not having any linkages with sponsored terror in Kashmir. The admission of the presence of Azhar by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Quereshi and the subsequent denial of the same by the DG-ISPR fly in the face of Pakistan's claims and give the international community enough reason to pursue the case in the UNSC. China will be wary of its own credibility.

First, the circumstances that allowed it to pursue the denial of sanctions in the UNSC in the past few years appear have undergone considerable change. China is under pressure from the US on trade issues like never before and there have been situations in the recent past when it has quietly sought India's cooperation in this regard. Second, the Wuhan spirit that has driven Sino-Indian cooperation over the past year (after the Doka La standoff of 2017) or so is yielding a situation as much advantageous to China as it is to India. Not for nothing did Global Times publish a piece preceding the Indian foreign secretary's recent visit to Beijing, outlining the need for India to draw away from politico-military ties with the US, which in Chinese perception has somewhat altered India's foreign policy.

Blindly supporting Pakistan on an indefensible issue in the face of mounting evidence that Pakistan wishes away is not the way China would want to leverage advantage of the Wuhan spirit. It perceives that spirit as central to keeping India in dilemma on how far to go in its strategic partnership with the US and how much to display in optics such as Exercise Malabar. In mid-March 2019 when China decided to withhold support in the UNSC and sought greater clarification, it was essentially playing for time to reassess the military situation in the subcontinent.

Moving away from its traditional support to Pakistan would have weakened Pakistans position substantially and perhaps encouraged a more aggressive stance from India; this would obviously not have been advantageous to China in any way. Given Pakistan's precarious economic situation, it would also have been a body blow to its credibility in the pursuit of bailouts it sought. Six weeks later, China has possibly consulted enough and realised that there was no longer any strategic advantage to support a renegade terrorist and his organisation on a world platform.

Although the suicide bombings in Sri Lanka are just a recent phenomenon, they have had an international impact. The world is concerned about the ability of the Islamic State (IS) to continue being effective after its military defeat. The happenings in Sri Lanka could be the tip of the iceberg with much more to follow; international intelligence does not have the capacity to comprehensively monitor the globe.

China has its own problem of unrest and homegrown terror that has all the potential of being exploited. After all, a very large number of frontline fighters of the IS were Uighurs from China's restive Xinjiang region. At some time, China and India could look towards cooperation in this regard, after all, India manages one of the world's largest minority Muslim populations with a degree of aplomb. For China to support Azhar for the sake of its strategic loyalty to Pakistan is a misplaced idea.

What we need to be clear about is that China's acquiescence to accepting the labeling of Azhar will in no way dilute its strategic support to Pakistan. Besides the historical aspect of the support it has extended to Pakistan, the current geopolitical environment existing in the crucial belt from South to Central Asia (the traditional New Great Game zone) makes Pakistan a very significant State. India's continued absence at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) makes China wary, but in many ways it is the consistency of India's stand that also keeps it under pressure.

How far will the potential new label on Azhar and JeM impact the world view on Pakistan?

This is not about a black and white perception. While important nations condemn international terror and are largely aware of the role of Pakistan in sponsoring terror in Jammu and Kashmir, and elsewhere in India, they will continue to play their cards close to the chest. That is because two major reasons continue to make Pakistan a strategically important State for the world.

The first is the role it plays and will continue to play in Afghanistan, especially with the relationship it enjoys with the Taliban. The second relates to the nuclear weapons it possesses and of which the world is always suspicious. Unless something more definitive emerges in Afghanistan, not much may change in terms of attitude. However, India can expect more pressure on Pakistan at the Financial Assistance Task Force (FATF) deliberations; extraction of greater assurances and some demonstrated action against the India-focused terror groups could be an outcome it could seek.

The hype built around the entire issue of labelling of Azhar an international terrorist may probably have a greater internal impact in India than externally. Potentially, it would give a fillip to the Narendra Modi government in the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha election. However, the external impact could depend on the manner in which the international security environment pans out in the next couple of months.

It will, however, impose greater caution on Pakistan to take meaningful control of the wayward groups that could force a bitter standoff between India and Pakistan, which is completely detrimental to mutual interests. The ability to remain in credible denial is fasting diluting; at least that is where China's labelling of Azhar will make a difference in the future.

The author is a retired lieutenant-general of the Indian Army and tweets @atahasnain53
A statement from a Foxx aide in February said she recused herself out of an abundance of caution since she communicated with a relative of Smolletts in the early phases of the investigation. She declined to provide details at the time, but communications later released to the Tribune showed Foxx had asked police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to turn over the investigation to the FBI after she was approached by Tina Tchen, former chief of staff to first lady Michelle Obama.
Today's top stories: SC to hear plea by Congress MP Sushmita Dev alleging poll code violation by Narendra Modi, Amit Shah; Rahul Gandhi's contempt case will also be in court today; TMC has accused Narendra Modi of horse trading; and more.

Fourth phase of polling concludes, campaigners hit trail once again

The fourth phase of the 17th Lok Sabha elections was held on Monday across 72 parliamentary seats in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Ahead of the fifth phase, Bharatiya Janata Party's star campaigners Narendra Modi and Amit Shah will be addressing rallies once again. Modi is scheduled to hold meetings at Muzaffarpur (11 am), Bahraich (2.40 pm) and Barabanki (4.25 pm). The BJP chief is expected to address meetings at Dausa (11 am), Alwar (12.40 am) and Bharatpur (2.15 pm) in Rajasthan and Muraina in Madhya Pradesh (4 pm).

TMC files a complaint against Modi for 'horse-trading'

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O' Brien on Monday accused Narendra Modi and then registered a complaint with the Election Commission, saying that he has indulged in "horse-trading" for saying at a poll rally that 40 TMC MLAs are in touch with him. "Expiry Babu PM, lets get this straight. Nobody will go with you. Not even one councillor. Are you election campaigning or horse trading! Your expiry date is near. Today, we are complaining to the Election Commission. Charging you with horse trading," Brien tweeted.

Modi while addressing an election rally at Sreerampur in Hooghly district on Monday said that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once BJP wins the general elections.

SC likely to hear Modi, Shah poll code violation plea

The Supreme Court is likely to hear a plea by Congress MP Sushmita Dev alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah have been violating the Model Code of Conduct during their campaigning for Lok Sabha polls.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it would hear Dev's petition on Tuesday.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Dev, has alleged that Modi and Shah have been violating the Model Code of Conduct and that the Election Commission has not been acting on her complaint.

SC likely to hear Rahul Gandhi contempt case

The Supreme Court is also likely to hold a hearing on a contempt case against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his chowkidar chor hai remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul, on Monday, filed his reply before the court.

In his affidavit filed before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Rahul reiterated his stand but did not apologise and expressed only regret for his comment.

The answering Respondent (Rahul) has not done nor remotely intended to do anything to lower the majesty of this Honble Court in any manner whatsoever, the reply read.

Saradha chit fund case also in SC today

The Supreme Court is also likely to conduct a hearing on the Saradha chit fund case. In the last hearing, the CBI had alleged non-cooperation by West Bengal Police, claiming that the state police did not hand over all call records of relevant individuals involved in the chit fund cases and had tampered with evidence. Former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar had sought time to reply.

In February, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had launched a 'Save the Constitution' protest in Kolkata after the CBI had tried to question Kumar. Alleging a coup against her government, Mamata had conducted a dharna.

Jet Airways employees consortium to raise Rs 3,000 cr

The Jet Airways employees' consortium has proposed to take over the airline with at least Rs 3,000 crore expected from outside investors for the bid, according to two staff unions. This is the first time that employees have come together with a proposal to run the more than 25-year-old Jet Airways, which temporarily suspended operations on 17 April.

Two associations representing pilots and engineers, SWIP and JAMEVA, have written to State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Rajnish Kumar proposing that they would take over the airline and can bring in up to Rs 7,000 crore.

The Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) and the Jet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Welfare Association (JAMEVA) have written a letter to the SBI chief asking the lead lender to consider "employee consortium" as an intending bidder for the carrier.

RCB, RR look to keep playoffs hopes alive in IPL 2019

Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals will take on each other in the bottom-of-the-table clash in IPL on Tuesday. Rajasthan, with 10 points from 12 games, and Bangalore, with eight points from 12 matches, still have a theoretical chance to make it to the playoffs. But both sides need to win their remaining two matches. Also, they would require table-toppers Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals to defeat their respective opponents. The loser of the match on Tuesday will be eliminated from IPL 2019.

New data to give insight into Facebooks influence on elections

Facebook has announced a new set of research projects that will look into the impact of its platform of elections. According to a blog post by Facebook, 60 academics will be given access to privacy-protected Facebook data which will include APIs for CrowdTangle, its Ad Library and an anonymized URL dataset. Facebook has also said that it will not be interfering with the research.

Moonlight director pushes Avengers: Endgame for 2020 award season

Acclaimed filmmaker Barry Jenkins has praised Marvel Studios' latest offering Avengers: Endgame for its emotional quotient as well as technical elements, pitching the film as a major contender for the 2020 award season. In a lengthy post on Twitter, the director of 2017's Oscar-winning feature film Moonlight, hailed the performances by Brie Larson as Captain Marvel and Mark Ruffalo as Hulk.
A fire broke out at the Cama Industrial Estate in Mumbai's Goregaon in the wee hours of Tuesday.

A fire broke out at the Cama Industrial Estate in Goregaon in the wee hours of Tuesday. Presently, 12 fire tenders are attempting to douse the flame which broke out at around 2.30 am.

No casualties have been reported so far, and the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Firefighting operations are underway, ANI reported.

#SpotVisuals: Fire broke out at Cama Industrial Estate in Mumbai's Goregaon around 2:30 am; 12 fire tenders present at the spot. Fire fighting operations underway. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/ocR07hkJ9N  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

On Monday, a fire broke out in a ground-plus-one building housing a Big Bazaar outlet in the city's Matunga West area, as the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election was underway in the city. At least five fire engines, a Quick Response Vehicle, one ambulance and several Fire Brigade personnel were engaged at the site for dousing operations, PTI quoted officials as saying.

All the people who were inside the store at the time of the fire managed to rush out to safety and no casualty has been reported as yet, the report added.

With inputs from agencies
In the recent past, Jawahar Bhawan has been home to free discussions and debates on the kind of politics that might be against the ruling dispensation. It stands out in Delhi, where spaces are becoming less welcoming to debate, either because of the price they command or the politics they don't want to support

It is about half past five in the evening. Im seated inside an auditorium where public intellectual Pratap Bhanu Mehta will soon be on the stage to discuss how to make choices in the age of populism. People of all ages have begun to trickle in. Mehta takes the stage, where he is introduced by well-known professor and columnist Apoorvanand. In the audience are people like the former ABP anchor Punya Prasun Bajpai.

This is the second of the Neelabh Mishra Dialogues, the first was held in February with economist Amartya Sen and journalist Sidharth Vardarajan. The politics, therefore, is of a liberal nature, the treatment also of an alternate, progressive variety, but the venue is markedly different. This isnt the India International Centre (IIC), a university hall or even the Press Club. This is Jawahar Bhawan.

Over the course of a year or so, Jawahar Bhawan has quietly become the site of alternate politics  even dissent. Seasoned journalist Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay believes this is a welcome change. I have noticed it for the last year or so. Jawahar Bhawan is now open to free discussions and debates on the kind of politics that might be against the ruling dispensation. It is reflective of shrinking open spaces, in general, in India. They have either become too expensive or have been party to the squeezing out of one particular group, Nilanjan says. The more popular venues in the capital that let out space for political discussions of this sort are IIC and the India Habitat Centre (IHC). But as Apoorvanand explains, even these popular arenas have become difficult to get. Ive had a personal experience with IIC myself. Previously, universities and other sites were easy to get and they were liberal enough to allow all kinds of discussions. Over the last three or four years, it has become much more difficult, he says.

Jawahar Bhawan's history is as chequered and controversial as its present is eventful. It was bought by Indira Gandhi during the time of the Emergency. There was a battle for proprietorship between the old and the breakaway Congress in the 80s, and a possible shift of the Congress headquarters to the building never quite materialised as Rajiv Gandhi had once planned. To add to that, it has an unwieldy design, a sentiment that Nilanjan echoes. Yubaraj Ghimire, in a column in 1992 even plainly called it ugly. I find the design very odd. Ive never really understood it, the entry and exit of it all, Nilanjan says.

Getting to the auditorium took me a fair amount of navigation as well. The architecture aside, the politics has surely woken up over the last year or so. Last month, former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Ashutoshs book Hindu Rashtra (Westland) was launched at the Bhawan. There is hostility in the environment and open debate and discussion has been difficult. Many places have become reluctant to lend their space due to the threat of violence and also the fear of the central government and its agencies. Several educational institutions have witnessed violent activities by affiliates of ruling party, Ashutosh says.

Ashutosh also points to the fact that not only have spaces shrunk in the capital, but have also become dangerous to gather at. Jawahar Bhawan has become a place of dissent. One of the reasons is that it is very liberal in lending its place. And there is some sense of security too, that hostile elements would not dare come over there, he says. Apoorvanand speaks of the liberal attitude of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in this respect. The Foundation looks after the upkeep and operations of the Bhawan. The foundation has been open-minded and allowed for liberal use of the venue at affordable rates. That part is important. If you want to quieten certain voices, there are two ways to do it: Either refuse space, or simply make it unaffordable. The fact that the Foundation is allowing the venue to be used liberally of late is welcoming. Perhaps, even fitting, that it embodies the liberal values of Nehru himself, Apoorvanand says.

Appreciation for this new open-arms stance is across the board, but how does one analyse the role of the Congress party in all of this? I believe it is a way of building partnerships. If you look at other places that have served as affordable sites, it was the Gandhi Peace Foundation on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, even through years when the Congress was in power. Jawahar Bhawan is more central, more comfortable, and that is why it also makes more sense. I am confident it will now continue to be so, Nilanjan says. The side gate that serves as one of the exits directly overlooks the office of the Youth Congress. The manner in which a Congress-run facility has thrown its door open to alternate politics is at least a signal of its intent, if not its politics. Ill be most disappointed if this did not continue, should the Congress come to power in May. I will be the first one to raise my hand then, and question. Because that is our job, that is what we are doing at these venues, we are asking questions, Nilanjan says.
Karnataka SSLC Result 2019: The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) announced the 2019 SSLC Class 10 results today on karresults.nic.in and kseeb.kar.nic.in.

Karnataka SSLC Result 2019 | The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) announced the 2019 results of the Karnataka SSLC Class 10 exams today (Tuesday, 30 April). Candidates who had appeared for the SSLC Class 10 exam can check their scores on karresults.nic.in and kseeb.kar.nic.in.

Srujana D from St Philomena English High School, Bangalore, and N Parameshwar Naik from Colaba Vithob Shanbhag, Uttara Kannada, topped the SSLC 10th exams with 100 percent (625 marks). As many as 11 students secured 624 marks.

The overall pass percentage stands at 73.7 percent, with girls at 79.59 percent and boys at 68.46 percent.

Follow LIVE updates here

The SSLC Class 10 exam was conducted between 21 March and 4 April, in which over 8.41 lakh students had registered. The results were declared on 7 May in 2018.

Steps to check your Karnataka SSLC Class 10 results for 2019:

Step 1: Visit the official websites  karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in

Step 2: Select 'SSLC result' on the homepage

Step 3: Enter your login details such as roll number, hall ticket number

Step 4: Your result will be displayed on the screen

Step 5: Download the KAR SSLC result sheet and keep a print out

In 2018, the overall pass percentage for SSLC Class 10 examination was 71.93 percent, with girls at 78.01 percent and boys at 66.56 percent.

This year, the board moved to the digital mode from having details of students updated manually. All State board schools across Karnataka updated the information of over 1 crore students onto the student tracking system (STS), which was implemented by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Karnataka (SSA Karnataka), The Times of India reported.

In case there are any discrepancies in the marksheets, students should contact their school or the dedicated student helpline launched by KSEEB. Students dissatisfied with their results can opt for re-evaluation. The board will announce the date for re-evaluation process after declaring the Class 10 results. Any changes in the scores after re-evaluation will reflect in the updated marksheets.
In north Karnataka, sugar factories are owned by powerful politicians across the spectrum who hold considerable sway in their regions

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

***

Belgaum: Karnataka is the third largest grower of sugarcane in India, but it also owes its cane farmers Rs 3,990 crore as of 2018-2019 (almost Rs 900 crore more than it did four years earlier). Karnataka has 11 of the 100 leading sugarcane producing districts of the country, spread across both the southern regions of Mandya, Mysore and Chamrajnagar, and Belgaum, Bijapur, Bidar, Raichur and Bagalkot in the north.

In arid Belgaum, where 35 percent of the states sugarcane is grown, farmers are a harried lot. On top of declining production, rising costs of cultivation and drop in support price for the crop, they have to weather long-pending arrears from cane crushing and sugar manufacturers. Their dramatic protest last November, of gatecrashing the Vidhan Soudha compound in Belagavi with tractors and lorries laden with sugarcane, was not good optics for the new JD(S)-Congress government. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy made things worse when he responded sarcastically to a woman farmer and also alleged that the protests were "politically motivated".

Angry farmers  this time not just from Belgaum  descended on Bengaluru that very weekend demanding sugarcane MSP be increased from Rs 2,500 per tonne to Rs 3,000. They argued that the MSP for per ton is Rs 3,500 in Maharashtra, Rs 3,500 in Punjab and Rs 3,000 in Haryana. No significant announcement followed the resulting talks between the chief minister, farmer leaders, cane growers and mill owners.

The meeting happened in Vidhana Soudha where the mill owners must have felt quite at home, considering most of them are also politicians. There are 65 sugar factories in the state, of which 58 are functional. There are 22 factories in the cooperative sector, with only two factories under government control, 34 are privately owned, of which 33 are owned by political leaders. In north Karnataka, sugar factories are owned by powerful politicians such as Prakash Hukkeri, MB Patil, Murugesh Nirani, Umesh Katti and Siddi Namagowda.

Of the 60-odd sugar factories, only two are state-owned; the rest are in the private and cooperative sector. And among the 34 mills in private hands, 33 factories are owned by political leaders. In north Karnataka, sugar factories are owned by powerful politicians across the spectrum who hold considerable sway in their regions irrespective of which government is sitting in Bengaluru.

In fact, during the November protests, the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers Association asked the state government to amend the Karnataka Sugarcane (Regulation of Purchase and Supply) Act, 2013, to include provisions for imposing penalty and putting behind bars mill owners who do not pay dues to farmers. Such a provision had become a necessity to protect farmers interests, they felt, considering most of the mills by are owned by ministers, MLAs and MPs.

Parties give these farmers no option but to vote into office the very people who push them into debt. Once prosperous thanks to fertile soil, plenty of water and a reasonable price for their produce, sugarcane farmers today are reeling under declining yield due to drought conditions for the past three years and deteriorating soil quality.

The average yield of sugarcane in Karnataka (and with it, the states contribution to national production) has reduced from a high of about 101 tonnes per hectare in 2009-2010 to 73 tonnes per hectare in 2016-2017, largely because of continuous irrigation, indiscriminate use of fertilisers and the practice of ratoon or stubble cropping.

There is also criticism that the farmers have also been slow to adopt new farming technology like drip irrigation. Farmers should learn new ways of agriculture and concentrate on other crops, said Vishwanath Udagatti, a young farmer of Mudhol. Udagatti is an engineer who gave up a job in Australia to take up farming. Farmers use too much water. What they use for one acre, I use for three acres. Drip irrigation is best. Maharashtra made drip irrigation mandatory for sugarcane growers. The Karnataka government gives subsidy for drip irrigation but it is not being properly utilised.

Vishwanathan pointed out that it costs Rs 50,000 per acre to install an ISI certified drip irrigation system, with the state giving a subsidy of Rs 35,000. I installed a non-ISI drip irrigation system for just Rs 10,000 per acre. But other farmers are not interested in installing drip irrigation. Worse, the yield has further plummeted in the past two years. We used to grow 60 to 80 tonnes per acre but now it is just 30 to 40 tonnes, said Muttappa Komar, a farmer of Ingalagi and a member of Raita Sanga, a farmers organisation. The rate too came down from Rs 3,010 per tonne in 2016-2017 to Rs 2,150 per ton. Then there is the cost of harvesting and transportation. We get no income from growing sugarcane as we have to clear the loans taken for seeds and fertiliser.

The farmers biggest problem, however, remains the factories that buy their cane, but dont clear payments on time. We get the first payment three months after supplying cane, added Muttappa. Even though the Sugarcane (control) order, 1966, mandates payment within 14 days of purchasing the cane failing which the sugar factories are supposed to pay an interest of 15 percent per annum on the remaining amount due. But mills are allegedly flouting the order with impunity. A few factories of Belgaum have not cleared the dues of ten years back. said Muttappa.

India produces 35 million lakh tons of sugar per annum but consumes only 26 million lakh tons, said Dr RB Khandagavi, director of Nijalingappa Sugar institute Belgaum. The excess stock remains in the factories. The market price of sugar has also not been attractive, so factories delay payments to farmers and struggle to pay fixed remunerative price (FRP) price.

On the issue of arrears from the sugar units, Vishwanathan alleged that factory owners are cheating farmers by claiming they are running under heavy losses. They also pollute groundwater by dumping their waste in ponds and canals, Vishwanathan said. The sugar mill here has polluted the environment of Mudhol. Black ash, spent wash (wastewater of distilleries), chemicals and carbon have polluted the environment, soil and water sources of the area. Mudhol has around 4,000 cancer cases and its residents have gone to the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal. He protested the release of spent wash from mills into the water channels and accompanied the District Environment Officer for a spot visit. The hearing is on.

Another problem is the complicated payment formula, which farmers are unable to comprehend. This formula, devised by the Rangarajan Committee in 2012, proposed decontrol of sugar and for sugar mills to pay farmers an FRP plus a share in its revenue, based on the publication of half-yearly ex-mill prices and values of sugar and by-products like ethanol, molasses and bagasse, which make up about 15 percent of production.

The commission recommended an FRP of Rs 275 per quintal at 10 percent sugar recovery level for 2018-2019 (meaning one ton of sugar from 10 tons of cane). As per the rules, the FRP is to be paid to the farmer up front with the second installment being a percentage of the mill's revenues. But most mills are yet to pay farmers the second installment after paying the upfront purchase price.

This revenue sharing formula, adopted by Maharashtra and Karnataka, has not worked. Farmers have little knowledge of the products, prices and revenue earned by the mills. Farmers are now demanding that the state switch to State Advised Price (SAP), which gives farmers a fixed amount based on input and other production costs and involves no revenue sharing. In fact, in 2013-2014, Karnataka had decided to adopt SAP. But factory owners prevailed on the state government to retain the revenue sharing formula.

The revenue sharing system is unscientific, added Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, president of Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangh and Hasiru Sene (green army). SAP was farmer friendly which the FRP is not. Fixing the recovery rate at 10 percent is also arbitrary. Also, the Centre released Rs 5,000 crore to enable factories to clear farmers dues, but no farmer has benefitted.

Perhaps any lack of punitive action against mill owners for not clearing farmers arrears is because most mills  take for instance the ones in Bagalkot  are owned by MLAs: Murugesh Niranis Nirani Sugars limited, Sai Priya sugars and MRN sugars, Nyamagoudas Jamakhandi Sugars Limited, SR Patils Bilagi Sugar Mill Limited, and Shamnurs Gudaguntis Prabhulingeshwar Sugars.

Payments of Rs 310 a tonne in 2016-2017, Rs 500 tonne in 2017-2018, and the remaining payment for 2018 (the first payment Rs 2,150, against the FRP of Rs 2,750, has been made) are pending, said Gangadhar Meti, a farmer from Mahlingapur. Before the start of the 2018-2019 season, when we went on strikes and hartals, the state government allowed the factories some time to pay the dues and had taken bonds from them for this, but our bills are not yet cleared. We are struggling to arrange money for school fees of our children, marriages and agricultural expenses, added Gangadhar Meti. Unless the government solves our problems soon, we will continue our strike.

The author is a Belgaum-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters
On 26 April, the court had convicted Narayan Sai in the 2013 rape case under IPC sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy).

Surat: A sessions court in Surat on Tuesday sentenced Narayan Sai, the son of jailed self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, to life imprisonment in a rape case filed against him by a former woman devotee in 2013.

Additional Sessions Judge PS Gadhvi handed down the sentence to Sai and asked him to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the survivor.

Besides Sai, lodged at the Lajpore jail since 2013, the court sentenced his three aides, including two women, to 10 years each in jail after holding them guilty of various offences.

His driver Rajkumar alias Ramesh Malhotra was sentenced to six months in prison.

The court had convicted Sai in the case on 26 April under IPC sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy).

Sai's three aides, Dharmishtha alias Ganga, Bhavna alias Jamuna and Pavan alias Hanuman, were sentenced to 10 years each, while his driver was convicted under IPC Section 212 (harbouring an offender).

Of the total 11 accused, the court had acquitted six on 26 April.

In 2013, after Asaram was arrested for allegedly raping a girl in Rajasthan, two Surat-based sisters had accused the self-styled godman and his son of sexual exploitation.

While the elder sister accused Asaram of sexual assaults between 1997 and 2006, when she lived at his Ahmedabad ashram, the younger one accused Sai of the crime when she lived at Asaram's ashram in the Jahangirpura area of Surat between 2002 and 2005.

Sai was arrested from the Delhi-Haryana border in December 2013.
The Indian Navy said early on Tuesday that it is prepared to provide assistance in case of any emergency that might arise out of cyclone Fani, reports said. The India Meteorological Department has informed that the cyclone intensified into severe cyclone at 5:30 pm on 29 April.

The Indian Navy said early on Tuesday that it is prepared to provide assistance in case of any emergency that might arise after cyclone Fani makes a landfall. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has informed that the cyclone intensified into "severe cyclone" at 5:30 pm on 29 April and could take the shape of an "extremely severe cyclone" by Thursday, while moving towards the Odisha coast.

Severe Cyclonic FANI is very likely to intensify into a Very Severe Cyclonic during next 12 hrs & into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic during subsequent 24 hrs. To move northwestwards till 01st May evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards towards Odisha Coast. pic.twitter.com/8JrTkkiH6b  India Met. Dept. (@Indiametdept) April 29, 2019

The government has put the National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Coast Guard on high alert. The navy has kept ships with adequate divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats and relief material on stand by, reported ANI.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's top body to deal with emergency situations, has also assured state governments of all assistance from the Centre. The NCMC met in New Delhi on Monday, under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha and took stock of the situation. Chief secretaries, principal secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal attended the meeting through video conference.

The NCMC will meet again on Tuesday to take fresh stock of the situation.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Public Health of Odisha, Hara Prasad Pattanaik, has also alerted all chief district medical and public health officers. The storm is expected to make landfall on 3 May at 5.30 pm and reach Odisha's Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Puri, Khorda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Angul, and Keonjhar districts.

The Odisha government has directed the State Disaster Management Authority to keep a close watch on the situation and has asked concerned departments to stay prepared to deal with any challenges.

According to the IMD's forecast, Fani is located 880 km southeast of Chennai as it continues to move northwest and is predicted to change its path to northeast from Wednesday.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and BrahMos Aerospace have put on hold the test-firing of the air-launched version of a supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft.

Fishermen in coastal areas have been advised to not venture into the sea. In Odisha, the government has asked fishermen who are out in deep sea areas to return to the coast by Tuesday night.

With inputs from agencies
National Investigation Agency (NIA) raids at the homes of three people in Kerala following a Sri Lankan government statement that the mastermind behind the Easter blasts had links to south India have not raised any eyebrows in the state.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) raids at the homes of three people in Kerala following a Sri Lankan government statement that the mastermind behind the Easter blasts had links to south India have not raised any eyebrows in the state. For the past couple of decades, Malayali names have been cropping up with some regularity with regard to terror attacks. The Malayali connection to blasts outside the country started coming under the scanner of authorities after the 2015 Paris theatre attack which killed over 100.

A French anti-terror investigation agency grilled Thodupuzha resident Subahani Haja Moideen in December following an NIA revelation that he knew the ultras who carried out the attacks at the theatre in the French capital. Subahani, who was arrested from Tamil Nadu by the NIA in 2016 in connection with a plot targeting judges and tourists in the Kerala, is now lodged in Viyur Central Jail in Thrissur district. He pleaded ignorance about the Paris blast plot. The NIA raided the homes of two persons in Kasargod and one youth in Palakkad on Sunday after they were found following Zahran Hashim, who is believed to have masterminded the Lanka attacks, on social media networks.

Following the raids, the NIA sleuths have taken into custody Riyas Aboobacker from Kollangode in Palakkad and asked Ahammed Araft and Aboobacker Siddique from Kasargod to appear before the NIA office at Kochi. During the search, a number of digital devices including mobile phones, SIM cards, memory cards, pen drives, DVDs of preacher Zakir Naik and untitled DVDs, CDs with religious speeches, books of Naik and Syed Kutheb as well as diaries with handwritten notes in Arabic and Malayalam were seized, according to an NIA statement.

Even though the NIA could not establish any direct link between the three and the suspected Lankan blast mastermind, a leader of the Sri Lankan National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), the NIA has found evidence linking them to the Tamil Nadu-based Thowheed Jamath, which denied any connection with the Sri Lankan outfit. However, the NIA is not ready to accept the denial given the Sri Lankan government's statement that Hashim spent a lot of time in south India. Moreover, the Islamic State circulated the video claiming responsibility for the blasts in Tamil and Malayalam languages in addition to Arabic and English.

State intelligence has also been collecting details of those associated with Thowheed following the Islamic State communique. They found 60 people from Vandiperiyar, Perumbavoor, Thrissur and Palakkad who allegedly attended meetings organised by Thowheed Jamath in 2016 in Madurai and Namakkal. The NIA is looking for the links of the three suspects from Kasargod and Palakkad with Islamic State sympathisers. An Indian Express report quoted NIA IG Alok Mittal as saying they suspected three persons of having links with 21 youths who left Kerala in July 2016 to join Islamic State. Curiously, 17 of them from Kasargod and four from Palakkad.

The report said one of the three was found to be in touch with Abdul Rashid Abdulla, a Kozhikode youth who joined the Islamic State in 2016. Rashid was found luring people to join Islamic State even after he left India. He attended a course on Islam in Sri Lanka before joining the jihadist outfit. The names of Aboobacker and Arafat were also mentioned by Shaibu Nihar of Koduvally in Kozhikode district after he was arrested from Kozhikode airport on his return from Qatar on 10 April in connection with a case related to facilitating the travel of some people to Syria. The two will be questioned on the basis of the information provided by Shaibu, who is in judicial custody.

The state police have taken the suspicion of Sri Lankan authorities over the links of the blasts accused with south India, especially the nexus between terrorism and international drug trade seriously since many of the people from the state who have joined the IS had either attended courses in Sri Lanka or gone via Colombo. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena had claimed that the suicide bomb attacks that rocked his country on the Easter Sunday were a reprisal for his hard campaign against drug trafficking, which, he says, is the main source of funding for terror groups.

Rising drug smuggling and its usage have been a big headache for the state. State Excise Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh said the state was becoming a hub for transporting drugs to national and international markets. He said his department seized drugs worth Rs 700 crore in the last two years. The radicalisation is viewed with surprise by Kerala watchers since the state has been one of Indias most diverse and its people the most educated. Though seeds of extremism were sowed in the state by cleric Abdul Nassar Madhani with the launch of a radical outfit called Islamic Sevak Sangh (ISS) as a counter to the RSS following the foundation stone laying of Ram temple at Ayodhya in 1989, terror raised its ugly head after the demolition of the Babri mosque.

The demolition led to the emergence of several organisations such as Al-Ummah, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Development Front (NDF), Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which made their presence felt through acts of violence. The first organised attack came five years to the day the Babri Masjid was demolished  6 December, 1997  when bombs ripped through a train compartment of the Chennai-Alappuzha Express train at Thrissur station. Though no such terror strike has taken place in the state since, many were found involved in blasts in Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other cities. Many of them, including Madhani, are in jail in connection with these cases.

The Islamic State targeted members of these outfits mostly when they started recruiting people from India in their mission to reestablish an 'Islamic Caliphate' across the world. Islamic State recruiters operated mainly through religious centres, offering the dream of heaven. Kerala is a major hub for Islamic State recruitment. According to police, more than 100 people from the state have joined the outfit. Of these, 21 were from Kasaragod and 38 from Kannur. Since 2016, sixteen have been killed in raids by US and other forces fighting the Islamic State in various countries.
Of the 8,25,468 students who appeared for the Karnataka SSLC exams, 6,08,336 students cleared them, bringing the overall pass percentage to 73.7 percent.

SSLC Result 2019 Karnataka LATEST updates | The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) declared the 2019 SSLC Class 10 results today. Of the 8,41,666 students who registered for the Karnataka SSLC exams, 8,25,468 appeared for them and 6,08,336 cleared them, bringing the overall pass percentage to 73.7 percent.

Girls outperformed boys in the Class 10 exams with a pass percentage of 79.59 percent, as compared to 68.46 percent of boys. The districts of Hassan, Ramanagar and

Bangalore fared the best.

Candidates who had appeared for the SSLC Class 10 exam can now check their scores at karresults.nic.in and kseeb.kar.nic.in.

In 2018, the overall pass percentage for SSLC Class 10 examination was 71.93 percent with girls at 78.01 percent and boys at 66.56 percent. Last year, Udupi district had the highest passing percentage in the state with 88.18 percent.

Follow LIVE updates here.

This year, the SSLC Class 10 exam was conducted between 21 March and 4 April in which over 8.41 lakh students had registered. The visually impaired candidates and those with learning disabilities were given an extra hour for all papers.

In case the official website is slow or crashes due to heavy traffic, students can also check their scores via alternative websites such as examresults.net, indiaresults.com and results.nic.in.

Students can also check their scores through SMS by typing  KSEEB10ROLLNUMBER  and sending it to 56263.

Steps to check your Karnataka SSLC Class 10 results for 2019:

Step 1: Visit the official websites  karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in

Step 2: Select 'SSLC result' on the homepage

Step 3: Enter your login details such as roll number, hall ticket number

Step 4: Your result will be displayed on the screen

Step 5: Download the KAR SSLC result sheet and keep a print out

KSEEB came into existence in 1964 and has been conducting the SSLC and other examinations. The board supervises secondary education in Karnataka. It also governs other activities such as devising courses, prescribing syllabus, granting recognitions to schools, besides others.
The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) declared the 2019 SSLC Class 10 exam results today on karresults.nic.in and kseeb.kar.nic.in.

SSLC Result 2019 Karnataka | The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) declared the 2019 SSLC Class 10 examination results today (30 April). Candidates can check their scores on karresults.nic.in and kseeb.kar.nic.in.

Srujana D from St Philomena English High School, Bangalore, and N Parameshwar Naik from Colaba Vithob Shanbhag, Uttara Kannada, topped the SSLC 10th exams with 100 percent (625 marks). As many as 11 students secured 624 marks.

The overall pass percentage stands at 73.7 percent, with girls at 79.59 percent and boys at 68.46 percent.

Follow LIVE updates here

The SSLC Class 10 exams were conducted between 21 March and 4 April, in which over 8.41 lakh students had registered.

Steps to check your Karnataka SSLC Class 10 results for 2019:

Step 1: Visit the official websites  karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in

Step 2: Select 'SSLC result' on the homepage

Step 3: Enter your login details such as roll number, hall ticket number

Step 4: Your result will be displayed on the screen

Step 5: Download the KAR SSLC result sheet and keep a print out

The official website has the chance of crashing or becoming unresponsive due to heavy traffic. In that case, students can also check their scores via alternative websites such as examresults.net, indiaresults.com and results.nic.in.

Students can also check their scores through SMS by typing  KSEEB10ROLLNUMBER  and sending it to 56263.

Candidates dissatisfied with their results can opt for re-evaluation. The board will announce the date for re-evaluation process soon. Any changes in the scores after re-evaluation will reflect in the updated marksheets.

In 2018, the overall pass percentage for SSLC Class 10 examination was 71.93 percent with girls at 78.01 percent and boys at 66.56 percent. Last year, Udupi district had the highest passing percentage in the state with 88.18 percent.
A bill under consideration in Illinois would effectively end academic redshirting in the state.

The practice of holding a child out of kindergarten for a year to give the child an advantage over his or her peers is popular among some parents. Others argue that it simply allows a child who isnt ready either academically or socially to mature and perform better.

The proposed law in Illinois would require children in the state to attend kindergarten if they are 5 on or before May 31. Parents of children with summer birthdays would be allowed to decide whether to send them to kindergarten or wait until the following year.

The measure has already passed the state Senate and is under consideration in the state House.

This is really aimed at closing the achievement gap for children, which eventually becomes, unfortunately, the wage gap and the quality of life gap and, way too often, the life expectancy gap, the bills sponsor in the House, Rep. Kam Buckner of Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune .

Bruce Atchison is a principal at the Education Commission of the States , a nonprofit and nonpartisan group of researchers who track policies related to education. He says he doesnt see any drawbacks to the bill.

A child might enter kindergarten pretty far behind in terms of language development and social-emotional development, said Atchison. By requiring children to start school a little bit earlier theres the potential that you are indeed helping to close the achievement gap.

If this bill becomes law, Illinois would join 11 other states that require children to attend kindergarten at 5. Atchison notes that 24 states require attendance at age 6, while 13 do so at age 7. Two states dont require attendance until 8, but Atchison says its rare to see a parent hold their child out that long. The majority of parents put their kids in school as soon as they can, he said.

Katie Colt of Willmette, Ill., supports the bills aim to reduce the achievement gap as well as the flexibility that it gives parents in her situation.

My almost-4 year old has a summer birthday, and while he is physically tall for his age, it will be an important decision we come to as a family when it is time for him to enroll, and given hed be the youngest in his class, I appreciate that option, said Colt.

Katherine OBrien of Chicago also supports the bill. She says Chicago Public Schools already prohibit redshirting, and she thinks having the same policy statewide would make the educational system more equitable.

In other parts of the state, redshirting at parent discretion allows those with the mostly socioeconomic privilege of doing so to game the system in an attempt to give their kids the edge that comes with being older: more mature, physically bigger and stronger, greater executive function, and readiness to learn, said O Brien.

Image by Getty
During cross-examination, Durkin blasted the agents assertion that he never tried to guide Daoud into any attack plot. Durkin noted that the agent was 20 years older than Daoud and with far more experience. Daoud seemed at a loss as to how car bombs worked, at one point asking the agent whether he would have to be inside the vehicle when it exploded.
On Friday, Telangana police had found a 14-year-old girl's body in a dry well in Hajipur village. On Monday, while searching for clues pertaining to her case, police found the body of an 18-year-old girl who had gone missing in March.

The bodies of two girls, one a minor, were recovered from a well and its surroundings in Hajipur village of Telangana over three days, according to several media reports.

On Friday, Telangana police found a the body of a 14-year-old girl in a dry well in the village, reported The News Minute. On Monday, while searching for clues pertaining to her case, police also found the body of an 18-year-old girl who went missing in March.

A Hindu report quoted Yadadri DCP K Narayana Reddy as saying that an investigating team led by the Bhongir inspector found a student bag's in the corner of the well, which led to the discovery of a semi-decomposed body.

Both girls, according to police, were sexually assaulted before being killed. While the younger girl's parents lodged a police complaint last Thursday after she went missing. The parents of the older girl had not filed a missing person's report because they assumed that she eloped with her boyfriend.

Several suspects, including the owner of the land on which the well well is located, have been detained.

On Monday night, reported Times of India, Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat suspended Bommalaramaram sub-inspector (SI) K Srinivas for neglecting crime prevention duties.

Police have also begun looking for another 11-year-old girl who went missing from the same village in 2015.
A trip to a fine chinaware store, a Georgian restuarant and candid conversations with locals  the best of Moscow is lurking in corners where the first-time traveler would not look

Moscow is not a city to visit only once; one is drawn to it again and again. Unlike the great capitals of Europe, such as Paris and Prague, it is not teeming with tourists and the people one sees on the streets are mainly locals. On ones first visit, it is best to get over with the sights like the Kremlin Armoury Museum with its Faberge eggs, St Basils Cathedral and its onion domes, and the works in the old and new Tretyakov Galleries, from the icons of Andrei Rublev to the modernist masterpieces of Kandinsky and Malevich.

From the second visit onward, what one should do in Moscow is to simply loaf about.

The best thing about Moscow is its Metro system, and it is inexpensive. I had always presumed that public transport would be affordable everywhere until I visited London and Paris; you really have to think before travelling on the metro. In London, the benevolent Jamaican at the ticket booth actually advised me to do some thinking (You sure you want this, man? Think about it.), but in Moscow you can do a single trip of any distance, even changing trains for RUB 55 (about Rs 60). Catching a train is no issue, since there is one on each route every half minute, and there is usually sitting place (except during peak hours). Some of the stations are decorated magnificently with statues and art, well worth an excursion on their own.

Once youve got tourist attractions out of the way, the remaining activities are mainly eating, drinking and walking around. The best place to hang out in Moscow is in the city centre in the vicinity of the Kremlin or near about Arbat Street. This part of Moscow is expensive to stay in and its cheaper to stay in the outskirts close to a metro station. The first time I was in Moscow, it was with a friend and we stayed close to the metro station Botanichesky Sad. We had been warned not to stay out late at night, which meant that we had dinner at the hotel. The restaurant was deserted but two inebriated Russians sitting at the next table wanted us to drink Russian Vodka  and go on drinking it! To make matters more alarming they were off-duty policemen and I made the error, when the uncertain conversation commenced, of bringing the subject around to cinema. Denis, the younger of the two, said Avatar was the best film he had ever seen and I foolishly responded by naming the Russian film Cargo 200 as my own favourite. This made Denis wild with fury and I recollected with horror that the protagonist of that film had been a murderous policeman! I can honestly say that we escaped with only a group picture inflicted on us because of the other man Evgeny, who was peaceable and also more sober.

This time in Moscow I was on a work trip and was therefore put up at a more expensive hotel in the city centre. Patriarch Ponds  where Bulgakovs novel The Master and Margarita (1940) begins, was only a stones throw away. It being spring, pieces of ice were still floating but the ducks were swimming about and being fed. When I was returning to the hotel, a Muscovite stopped me to ask where I was from. From there on, we got taking about the pros and cons of being Russian, how they were different from Europeans, and so on; his name was Vladimir and he lived in an apartment on the other side of the road. He also asked if I was Jewish and I learned later that it could have been on account of my nose.

Being approached by people is a fairly common experience in Russia, and in St Petersburg a complete stranger once stopped us and wanted a translation of some old Hindi songs into English. The man was apparently an unemployed ship building engineer, earning his livelihood giving English lessons. He had a quaint way of speaking and prefixed every sentence with 'My esteemed friends and honourable colleagues'. Since he had time on his hands, he volunteered to escort us to the apartment once occupied by Dostoyevsky. He had bought a daily metro pass and could afford to accompany us indefinitely without having to buy tickets.

Vodka and beer are cheap if bought in a shop (a bottle of good vodka might cost as little as RUB 300) but more expensive in an average restaurant  especially in the city centre, but it would still add up only to the cost in India in a fairly upmarket restaurant. In a pub I walked into in Moscow the man at the counter said three thousand for a glass of stout and then corrected it to three hundred after the resulting laughter. Russians smoke an enormous amount and evidence could be seen on the pavement outside. A short distance from the pub (and on Tverskaya Street) is a small showroom of Imperial Porcelain, the best known manufacturers of fine chinaware in Russia. I stepped inside without an intention of making any purchases, since fine porcelain is prohibitively expensive, but what I saw was much too tempting. This is a strategy shopkeepers can try out: If they are selling exquisite stuff that is also expensive, they should also exhibit smaller objects less dear, alongside. There seems to be some kind of emotional transference operating here  people who cant afford the expensive stuff end up acquiring the smaller items, as if to compensate. I myself bought a couple of porcelain rabbits.

Shopping in Moscow usually implies the Glavnyj Universalnyj Magazin (GUM), which faces the Red Square, the main department store where you can get all brands and which also houses a large number of restaurants of various kinds. It was once the official state departmental store but is now apparently in private hands. The Tsentralnyi Universalnyi Magazin (TsUm) is a high-end department store meant for apparel and fashion accessories. Arbat Street is another public favourite, since it is a paved walkway meant only for pedestrians. Arbat is a great place for books as well as art and it is where people look for souvenirs like Matryoshka dolls  a series of wooden dolls representing peasant women, one inside the other.

But my own preferences go much lower and I prefer the flea markets, although they are open only on weekends. There are two of them, and the more spectacular of the two is called Market Levsha (established in 1824), 30 kilometres from Moscow, not accessible by metro. You need to take the suburban train from the Leningradsky Railway station to the station of Novopodrezkovo. The flea market is located just beside the railway station and occupies several acres. The Russian government prohibits the export of items older than a hundred years, and you have to be careful about what you buy. In most flea markets around the world, wily professionals have stepped in and either the prices are exorbitant (as in Paris) or (as in China) they fool you with fake memorabilia. Getting back from Levsha in a bus can be an experience as I discovered one Sunday. The buses are infrequent and nearly as crowded as a Mumbai suburban train on a working day. The conductor couldnt even make it through the bus and had to use both doors, and I nearly got stuck in one. Carrying fragile glassware back made the trip doubly worrisome. But rather than getting angry at having my elbow in their faces, the passengers accommodated my bag under a seat; the hour and a quarter back to the Moscow metro was not unbearable, though I was twisted into helical shape.

The other flea market is not nearly as good as Levsha, but it is easily reached. Izmailovsky market is within walking distance of the Partizanskaya metro. It is organised around a kitschy castle popularly called the Izmailovsky Kremlin, and the flea market is open from around 9 am on weekends. Rather than say what can be found in a Russian flea market, it is easier to say what cant be since the contents of the stalls are so varied and indescribable. But the key thing is that they are not tourist traps but genuinely convey a sense of Russian households in the past century or more. I got an icon of the Madonna and the infant Jesus at Izmailovsky market that must be several decades old. Being rather sticky and smelling of some kind of oil, I tried to clean it with Russian vodka but the stickiness would not go. When I checked it out on Google, I discovered that icons were traditionally soaked in boiled linseed oil to protect them; sticky is how the icon of the Madonna and the infant Jesus has hence remained.

On my last night in Moscow, my Russian friend Eugene took me to a Georgian restaurant located in a basement close to the Red Square named Khinkalnaya. Russia food is good, but Georgian food is among the best. Georgians also drink a kind of grape vodka  distilled from the grape residue after making wine - called chacha that does not taste like spirit the way vodka does, but has a distinctive flavour. Eugene also introduced me to red bean soup and Khinkali dumplings. On my next trip to Moscow, Ill be sure to visit it again.

MK Raghavendra is a film scholar and author of seven books, including The Oxford India Short Introduction to Bollywood (2016)
Former Madras High Court judge, Justice CS Karnan also said he will contest elections against Modi from Varanasi.

In the key electoral battles lined up this poll season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi certainly wins the title of leading the most interesting one. In fray is the most eclectic array of candidates -- from a sacked BSF jawan, to 111 protesting farmers, to PM's lookalike, who claimed they will contest against Modi from Varanasi, which goes to poll in the last phase, on 19 May.

At the top of the list is, Tej Bahadur Yadav, a sacked Border Security Force (BSF) constable, because being the Uttar Pradesh gathbandhan candidate, his candidature is expected to be taken most seriously. He will also have the army of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party cadres to campaign for him, at least in theory. Yadav was last in news for kicking up a storm by alleging on social media that the senior officials illegally sold off the food supplies meant for the troopers and were serving substandard meal to the jawans.

He was later removed from service. He alleged that he was persecuted by the forces for exposing the corruption and had even requested Prime Minister Modi to intervene. However, upset over lack of support, Yadav announced his candidature in March 2019, stating that to contest the elections to eliminate corruption in the armed forces.

"I had raised the issue of corruption but I was sacked. My first objective will be to strengthen and eliminate corruption in the forces," he said.

On Monday, he was officially fielded as the SP-BSP-RLD alliance candidate to take on Modi.

Apart from Yadav, former Madras High Court judge, Justice CS Karnan who was the first sitting judge to have been sentenced to prison, also said he will contest elections against Modi from Varanasi. He also contested from Chennai.

Karnan had said that his focus would be to expose corruption in the government and the judiciary. In May 2018, Justice Karnan had launched a political party, 'Anti Corruption Dynamic Party'.

In May 2017, the Supreme Court had convicted him of contempt for accusing top court judges of corruption, but the former HC judge has maintained that he was being targeted for being a Dalit.

A group of 111 farmers from Tamil Nadu and fluorosis victim Ansala Swamy are also among those set to take on Modi in Varanasi

Speaking to PTI, the farmers' leader P Ayyakannu, who spearheaded agitations in Delhi in 2017 for over 100 days, said the "moment they assure in their manifesto that our demands will be fulfilled, we will drop our decision to contest against Modi". In the event of that not happening, he said they would go ahead and contest against Modi. Asked why they were raising the demand with BJP alone and not other parties like the Congress to include it in their manifestos, he said the BJP was still the ruling party and Modi the Prime Minister.

The same group had staged protests in Delhi outside the Parliament in 2017.

Then there are others, too, like the victims of fluorosis from Nalgonda (Telangana) and Prakasam (Andhra Pradesh), led by activists Vadde Srinivas and Jalagam Sudheer. Fluoride contamination of groundwater is a serious issue in the two states and their aim is to talk about it from a place that will be in focus. "We want both Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi to realise how important it is to tackle the problems of fluorosis. Other parts of the country are also affected but our primary aim is to get focus on to the problem in the Telugu states," Srinivas told The Times of India.

Apart from these people, Vishwambhar Nath Mishra a professor at the department of electronics engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Banaras Hindu University, and one of the foremost critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Namami Gange project had also announced he will contest against Modi.

Mishra, who is also the mahant, or high priest, of Varanasis famous Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple, told Business Standards, "Varanasi needs a 'resident' MP, someone who lives here, who is approachable. I don't understand what we get by proclaiming that the PM is our MP. Such a person would visit rarely, would execute his mann ki baat, and is sure to be unapproachable."

Mishra also said that the development work undertaken during Modi's tenure was missing the essence of Benaras, a city he claims has a living, thriving ethnic culture of its own.

"In the last five years, in the name of building a corridor, this history, several temples and labyrinthine galis erased and occupants relocated in the name of rehabilitation. Why would people visit Banaras when it becomes another version of a Gurgaon, or any other big city?," Mishra alleges.

Abhinandan Pathak, Modi's lookalike who used to campaign for the BJP, is another person who has said that he will file his nomination from Varanasi as an Independent candidate, adding that he will support Congress president Rahul Gandhi if he wins.

Pathak is known for mimicking the prime minister's style, targeting him over his promises of "achche din" and depositing Rs 15 lakh in the bank accounts of every Indian.

"Since I look like Modiji, people will always ask me where are the 'acche din' (good days), as promised by Modiji ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Hurt by seeing problems of the common man, I left the BJP's ally to join Congress last month," NDTV quoted him as saying.

Pathak had earlier participated in door-to-door canvassing for the BJP during the Gorakhpur bypoll which the party eventually lost. He was also a member of BJP ally, Republican Party of India (Athawale), which he quit last year.

It was not immediately clear that how many of these have managed to file their papers on or before Monday, the last day of filing nomination from Varanasi. However, what is evident from the profile and vision of these candidates is that they are highly individualistic disgruntled voices, clubbed together in the cacophony of election-time campaigning. Perhaps, by contesting from a high-profile constituency against the prime minister himself, these people hope that their sidelined yet pertinent issues might take centre stage.
Modi who addressed public rallies at Barrackpore and Srerampur in West Bengal and also at Koderma in Jharkhand on Monday will address public rallies at Muzaffarpur in Bihar and Barabanbki and Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Congress president Rahul, who addressed rallies at Churu and Jaipur in Rajasthan on Monday, will address public rallies at Tikamgarh, Damoh, and Panna in Madhya Pradesh.

The fourth phase of voting for the 2019 Lok Sabha election concluded across 72 parliamentary constituencies in nine states on Monday. In the fourth phase, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal voted. Bengal recorded the maximum voter turnout among all the states that went to polls and Maharashtra recorded 52.07 percent polling with the voting percentage in Mumbai stopping at 51.11 percent.

The eight seats in West Bengal saw a turnout of over 76 percent till 6 pm. Madhya Pradesh recorded the second highest voting percentage in the fourth phase at close to 66 percent.

Now, the fifth phase of voting will take place in seven states comprising 51 Lok Sabha constituencies on 6 May. Voting will take place in some seats of Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Amethi are the 'high-profile' seats in Uttar Pradesh that will vote in the fifth phase. Campaigning ahead of the fifth phase will commence in full swing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed public rallies at Barrackpore and Srerampur in West Bengal and also at Koderma in Jharkhand on Monday, will address public rallies at Muzaffarpur in Bihar and Barabanbki and Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh.

BJP president, Amit Shah will address a public meeting at Dausa in Rajasthan. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who addressed rallies at Churu and Jaipur in Rajasthan on Monday, will address public rallies at Tikamgarh, Damoh, and Panna in Madhya Pradesh.

On Monday, Congress MP from Silchar in Assam Sushmita Dev moved the Supreme Court and filed a petition alleging that Modi and Shah have violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) at various occasions during campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has agreed to hear the petition on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Rahul, who was issued a contempt notice by the Supreme Court last week for wrongly attributing "chowkidar chor hai" jibe to the apex court, on Monday filed a counter- affidavit wherein the Congress chief reiterated his stand that attributed this remark to the apex court in the 'heat of political campaigning' and expressed 'regret' but did not rendered an apology for the same.

On Tuesday, while the Supreme Court will hear Devs plea alleging violation of the poll code by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the contempt petition against Rahul will also come up for hearing, as Supreme Court had earlier ruled that it will hear the contempt petition along with the pending review petition against the verdict in Rafale case on 30 April.
The Congress party on Sunday urged Election Commission of India (EC) to bar Prime Minister Narendra Modi from campaigning for a period of 'at least' 48-72 hours for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

New Delhi: The Congress party on Sunday urged Election Commission of India (EC) to bar Prime Minister Narendra Modi from campaigning for a period of "at least" 48-72 hours for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah are not above EC and MCC. It is even more necessary, that to give a clear and simple message, prime minister should be barred from campaigning for 48 to 72 hours," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said while talking to reporters outside the EC office.

Earlier, a Congress delegation comprising of its senior leaders namely Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Randeep Singh Surjewala met EC officials to lodge a complaint against Modi and Amit Shah. "We went to EC on three issues. First two are related to Prime Minister's objectionable speeches which he has been making since last one month without hesitation and without any due respect for law and MCC," Singhvi said.

"He has been dragging our armed forces in politics and violating the laws of EC in this regard. What he said on 25 April in Varanasi, we have quoted that. Direct mention of Pulwama terror attack and Balakot air-strikes and seeking votes on that. On 26th, he gave an interview in which he shamelessly sought votes on the basis of these  that I hit Pakistanis in their backyard and so vote for us," he added. The Congress leader alleged that despite lodging 10 complaints against Modi since 10 April, EC has not acted on them

"We first complained against Modi and Shah on 1 April. It has been 29 days since then. Why EC has not acted on our requests? We asked this question to EC," said Singhvi. He also alleged booth capturing during polls held in Tripura on 11 April. "By every means, polls conducted in Tripura on April 11 are vitiated and we have demanded that this should be countermanded. Re-polling should be done," Singhvi said.

Speaking after Singhvi, Congress' communications chief Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the prime minister of shedding his responsibility and being busy in acting. "When Pulwama attack happened, prime minister was shooting for a movie. When the country was mourning, he was completing his passion for acting. When he should have chaired a CCS meeting, then prime minister was busy chairing shooting of movies in Jim Corbett Park," Surjewala said.

"Unfortunately, the same Prime Minister who chose acting over responsibility is now using the valour of our forces. There is a rush to take credit for valour but not to accept the responsibility of the position (of prime minister)," he added.
While addressing a rally in Wardha on 1 April, the prime minister had reportedly said, the Congress was 'scared' to field its leaders from constituencies where the majority dominates.

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Tuesday gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his speech in Wardha in which he lashed out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Wayanad and had "indicated" that the Kerala constituency had more voters from the minority community.

"The matter has been examined in detail in accordance to the extant guidelines/provisions of the Model Code of Conduct, the Representation of the People Act and the report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra. Accordingly, the commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation has been noticed," an EC spokesperson said.

The Congress had earlier in April approached the EC and had sought action against Modi's "divisive" speech.

While addressing a rally in Wardha on 1 April, the prime minister had reportedly said, the Opposition party was "scared" to field its leaders from constituencies where the majority dominates.

He made the remark in reference to Rahul's decision to contest from a second Lok Sabha seat Wayanad in Kerala. Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi.

"The Congress insulted Hindus and the people of the country have decided to punish the party in the election. Leaders of that party are now scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by the majority (Hindu) population. That is why they are forced to take refuge in places where the majority is a minority," Modi had reportedly said.

The Congress had alleged that Modi had made some "hateful, vile and divisive" remarks against Rahul.
Days after BJP's Bhopal candidate Pragya Singh Thakur courted controversy for saying she had cursed Hemant Karkare, Sumitra Mahajan shed doubt on the IPS officer's steadfastness as a cop.

Congress veteran and the party's candidate from Bhopal, Digvijaya Singh, has responded to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's claim that late Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare made arrests on his behalf, saying that he was "honoured" to have been connected with the "Ashok Chakra winning martyr".

"Sumitra tai, I am proud that you connect me with Ashok Chakra winning martyr Hemant Karkare. Even if your colleagues insult them, I am proud that I have always been with the people who talk of national unity and integrity," Digvijaya wrote on Twitter.

Days after Bharatiya Janata Party's Bhopal candidate for the Lok Sabha election Pragya Singh Thakur courted controversy after saying Karkare had died in the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai because she had cursed him, Mahajan, on Sunday, shed doubt on the IPS officer's steadfastness as an ATS officer.

The BJP's seven-time MP from Indore, who was earlier in the news for writing that she was uninterested in contesting the 2019 polls, told The Indian Express that while Karkare was a "martyr", his role as a police officer was not above board.

In an interview to the newspaper, she said, "There are two aspects to Hemant Karkare. He became a martyr because he died in line of duty, but if his role as a police officer was not correct, we will say it was not correct."

Mahajan, however, said she had no evidence to substantiate the claim that Digvijaya and Karkare had, indeed, been friends.

Moreover, she claimed it was not just Pragya who was allegedly tortured in custody but also one Dilip Patidar, who was picked up by the Maharashtra ATS in 2008 and has disappeared since.

The BJP had sought to stress on the "torture" angle while distancing itself from Pragya's controversial comment, saying it was her personal view that she might have made "due to years of physical and mental torture".

Among those who have criticised Pragya were Maharashtra chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis who said her comments were "extremely wrong" and advised her to be "careful".
Lok Sabha Election 2019 LIVE updates: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, requesting him for some relaxation in Model Code of Conduct in the state for drought relief works. A total of 151 talukas in the state have been declared drought hit and Centre has passed a budget of Rs 4,714 crore for drought relief in the state, Fadnavis said in the letter.

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The Centre on Monday asked the Supreme Court to defer Tuesday's hearing on the pleas seeking review of the Rafale deal verdict on 14 December, 2018 saying it needs time to file a detailed reply on these petitions.

The Supreme Court is also likely to hold a hearing on a contempt case against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his chowkidar chor hai remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul, on Monday, filed his reply before the court.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Dev, has alleged that Modi and Shah have been violating the Model Code of Conduct and that the Election Commission has not been acting on her complaint.

The Supreme Court is likely to hear a plea by Congress MP Sushmita Dev alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah have been violating the Model Code of Conduct during their campaigning for Lok Sabha polls.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who has been excused from making a personal appearance in the Supreme Court regarding a contempt petition against him, will be rallying across Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. He is scheduled to campaign in Tikamgarh and District Damoh of Madhya Pradesh and then will head to Panna for another public meeting.

Leaders of the BJP and Opposition will hit the campaign trail have hit the campaign trail on Tuesday in preparation for the fifth phase of the election scheduled to be held on 6 May.

The fourth phase of the 17th Lok Sabha elections was held on Monday across 72 parliamentary seats in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Ahead of the fifth phase, one of Bharatiya Janata Party's star campaigners, Narendra Modi will be addressing rallies on Tuesday. Modi is scheduled to hold meetings at in Bihar's Muzaffarpur and Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich and Barabanki.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship. The notice came after BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's complained about Rahul's alleged British citizenship. The MHA requested Rahul to "intimate factual position on the matter".

The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear pleas seeking a review of its Rafale deal verdict of 14 December last year. In a setback to the Centre, the apex court on 10 April allowed the pleas which relied on leaked documents for seeking review of its Rafale judgment and dismissed the government's preliminary objections claiming "privilege" over them.

The poll panel will also examine charges levelled against Rahul alleging that the Congress chief charged the prime minister with his "baseless" allegations.

The apex court is also scheduled to hear Congress MP Sushmita Dev's plea against Modi and Shah.

The Election Commission will hear charges of Model Code of Conduct violations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday. The poll panel will then submit its report to the Supreme Court.

"Modi ji has no answer for unemployment, Modi ji has no answer for agrarian distress and black money, that's why he's resorting to a fake narrative through his government's notices to divert attention.," he said.

Soon after the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi over a complaint regarding the his alleged British citizenship, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the "entire world" knows that Rahul is an Indian citizen "by birth". He also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over various issues.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, in preparation for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election. He slammed the previous governments for "non-development" and "cast politics" in the state. "The Opposition only wants to hide its wrongdoings, their only aim is to form a majboor government in the Centre," he said.

"In the years before our government, there were bomb blasts everywhere, but the government of the time did nothing. In Sri Lanka, militants killed 250 people, so we see that the risk of terrorism is worldwide. Do you want a weak government, who cannot give a fitting reply to terrorists? If there is a threat to India, we will target their homes," he said.

Attacking the Opposition in his rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Opposition leaders "will not even win" enough votes to be Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, but that they are "dreaming" of being prime minister. He also targeted previous governments over "inaction" against terrorism.

"We are ensuring your safety, but have you ever heard any Opposition leader speak about national security? No, because they have allergy of the terms 'air strikes' and 'surgical strikes' because they are scared of Modi now."

Reiterating the BJP's poll plank of national security on the back of the Balakot IAF strikes in February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for the NDA government's action on terrorists after the Pulwama terror attack.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in tweet and said that the prime minister has restricted himself to the petty politics of horse trading which is playing out in West Bengal post voting in phase four of Lok Sabha Election 2019. Akhilesh further added that for this, the prime minister should be banned not just for 72 hours, but for 72 years.

The Election Commission meeting chaired by CEC Sunil Arora has begun. The panel will hear complaints of Model Code of Conduct violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

"This is only protocol. When a member of Parliament writes to any ministry, the action required on their query is taken (by the ministry). It is not a big development, it is normal process." he said. Rahul has been given two weeks to reply to the notice.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh defended the MHA's notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his alleged British citizenship. Amid accusations that the government was targeting Opposition leaders, Singh said that there was "no vendetta" behind the MHA's notice.

"The order came on a writ petition filed by Puducherry Congress MLA Lakshminarayanan in 2017 questioning the L-Gs powers to interfere in day-to-day administration despite the presence of a council of ministers," News18 reported.

The Madras High Court on Tuesday ruled that Governor of Puducherry, Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi, does not have the "power to interfere" with the everyday-activities of the Union Territory. The court curtailed Bedi's power, who has engaged in a war of words with Chief Minister V Narayansamy over alleged interference in the government's policies.

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi will not be hearing Congress MP Sushmita Dev's petition alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah have violated the Model Code of Conduct in their election speeches, India Today reported.

On Monday, Modi "warned" TMC chief Mamata Banerjee that at least 40 members of the party were "in touch" with the BJP. He also accused Mamata of nepotism, insisting she wants to politically establish her nephew in West Bengal.

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has asked the Election Commission to cancel Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nomination for the ongoing Lok Sabha election, over accusations of "horse-trading".

He said that a "dumb and deaf" Dalit, could climb the ranks in the BJP, he could become "national security or even the president," he said, in a veiled attack on Kovind. "if I was deaf and dumb, they would make me the prime minister, if it was the need of the hour," he said.

Former BJP leader Udit Raj hit out at the party and President Ram Nath Kovind and said that Kovind had approached him a few years ago to find some footing in the saffron party. Raj joined the Congress after the party denied him a ticket in the ongoing Lok Sabha election.

"I have joined Congress but I am not interested in fighting elections. While I was in BJP, I asked for a ticket on the basis of the fact that I work for Dalits. But BJP is an anti-Dalit party ruled by just two," he says in a reference to Modi and Shah.

Congress leader Udit Raj, who targeted President Ram Nath Kovind, also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "destroying" every institution of the country which questions him.

"The government had information six days before the attack that there is danger to troops' movement in Pulwama. Why didn't they act? What was your intelligence doing?" he said, adding, "350 kilograms of RDX was somehow smuggled, what did the intelligence do?"

Congress leader Udit Raj also questioned the "lapse in security" which resulted in failure to prevent the Pulwama terror attack on 14 February.

On Tuesday, Hans tweeted his thanks for the "enthusiasm" that people showed for his campaign.

The BJP and Opposition parties are hitting the campaign trail in preparation for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election. The BJP completed its list of candidates for Delhi on Monday, with the announcement of Hans Raj Hans' candidature from the North-West Delhi seat.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit the campaign trail on Tuesday, addressing rallies in Madhya Pradesh. In the Tikamgarh rally, Rahul said that "lakhs of youth had lost jobs due to demonetisation and GST."

He said, "I am in Delhi to meet the Election Commission of India regarding the by elections of Patkura Assembly seat, that it should be postponed in case the cyclone hits Odisha."

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik approached the Election Commission on Tuesday to appeal for the postponement of the by-election to be held in the Patkura Assembly seat in the upcoming phase of the state's Assembly election. Patnaik is making the request in view of Cyclone Fani 's likelihood to hit Odisha.

Shah said that the country had been "waiting" for a prime minister who would work for the "poor, backward, and Adivasi" communities in the country.

BJP president Amit Shah addressed a rally in Rajasthan's Dausa on Tuesday. The BJP chief and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are campaigning in preparation of the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election, due on 6 May.

"(All) of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh?" she was quoted by ANI as saying.

Regarding the Ministry of Home Affair's notice to Rahul over BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's complaint alleging that Rahul is a British citizen, she said that the BJP "just wants to defame him". She said, "Their intention is not good."

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi addressed the allegations against her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi and said that "all of India" knows that Rahul is Indian. "Rahul Gandhi has grown up in front of the country, the whole country knows he is Indian."

As the war of words between the BJP and TMC continued throughout the day on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi "warned" West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee that 40 TMC MLAs were "in touch" with the BJP and TMC hit back with accusations of "horse-trading", Mamata addressed a public rally in West Bengal's Bhadreswar on Tuesday.

He said that Modi had worked for 18 out of 24 hours for 20 years, and slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for taking "vacations abroad".

BJP president Amit Shah addressed a rally in Rajasthan's Dausa on Tuesday and lauded the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and the former BJP government in the state led by Vasundhara Raje.

The polltime frenzy surrounding the citizenship of Rahul Gandhi brought out a short tweet from Congress leader Sanjay Jha in which he accused the BJP of recycling old charges.

The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing of the Rafale review petitions till 6 May, which also happens to be the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election. The Centre has also asked for four weeks to file a fresh affidavit in reply to the slew of review petitions filed of its 14 December, 2018 order.

The advocate of BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi, who has filed the petition against Rahul said that the two affidavits filed by Rahul are identical. He said, "Two affidavits have been filed, second is identical to the first. There is only one word.. regret in both the affidavits. This is the grossest form of contempt."

The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the contempt case against him for his attribution of 'chowkidar chor hai' statement to the apex court. The bench, headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi has asked for an unconditional apology.

"You are contradicting yourself in your affidavit," the court said. adding that Rahul must accept the mistake made.

The bench, led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi, rapped Rahul over the lack of apology in the two affidavits he filed in response to the contempt petition after he "wrongly attributed" a 'chowkidar chor hai' comment to the top court.

"I made three errors and I apologise," Rahul Gandhi's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi said during the hearing in the Supreme Court regarding the contempt petition against the Congress chief.

The Supreme Court asked for a statement on the apology from Congress president Rahul Gandhi after his counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted a verbal apology in the court. The apex court was hearing the contempt petition filed by BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi against Rahul's attribution of 'chowkidar chor hai' comment to the court.

The Supreme Court asked for a statement on the apology from Congress president Rahul Gandhi after his counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted a verbal apology in the court. The apex court was hearing the contempt petition filed by BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi against Rahul's attribution of 'chowkidar chor hai' comment to the court.

The Supreme Court allowed a new affidavit to be filed in the contempt case against Congress president Rahul Gandhi on 6 May. Singhvi said that his client will apologise for attributing "Chowkidar Chor Hain" remark to the Supreme Court.

AAP leader Atishi and Gautam Gambhir, who recently joined the BJP, continued their war of words on Tuesday. After Gambhir refused to engage in debate with Atishi, she asked him "why he had joined politics". The cricketer-turned-politican was quoted by CNN-News18 as saying that he doesn't engage in "debates and dharnas".

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday addressed a rally in Haryana's Sonipat and slammed the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government over non-fulfillment of promises to youth and farmers.

Priyanka said, "I took the advice of all senior leaders of our party and colleagues in Uttar Pradesh. They firmly felt that I have the responsibility of looking after 41 seats (in the state). I felt that they (the candidates) would be disappointed if I focused on only one place."

Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that she took the advice of all the senior Congress leaders on whether she should contest the ongoing Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Speculation was rife about her candidature before the party declared Ajay Rai as its candidate. Varanasi is also Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency.

Kerala CEO seeks report over complaint of bogus voting against UDF workers Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Rama Meena sought a report on complaints of fake voting allegedly by Congress-led UDF workers in Kannur and Kasaragod constituencies on 23 April. The report was sought from the district collectors of Kannur and Kasaragod in view of the complaints of the ruling CPI(M)-headed LDF on the alleged bogus voting by activists of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), an ally of the UDF. "There will not be any compromise in the actions taken against bogus voting. We are seeing the issue with utmost seriousness. The complaints will be looked into once the reports come," Meena told reporters here. PTI

West Tripura: Two micro-observers, three presiding officers suspended Two micro observers and three presiding officers of the West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency were suspended for "willful insubordination and dereliction of duty" on 11 April when polling was held in that seat. Opposition parties like the Congress and the CPI(M) have alleged large scale rigging by the ruling BJP in West Tripura seat and demanded repoll in many booths. The saffron party, however, denied the charge.

Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming. https://t.co/eqFvTJfDgY

Rahul Gandhi takes a jibe at PM after fire reported at Shastri Bhawan Rahul Gandhi responded to the news of a fire that was reported at New Delhi's Shastri Bhawan, which houses various ministries. He said that Modi is burning files in order to wipe out his government's wrongdoings in th last five years.

Gautam Gambhir issued show-cause notice over poll code violation Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to BJP's East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir for allegedly violating the model code of conduct after an advertisement featuring him appeared in a national daily. The Media Certification and Monitoring Committee of East Delhi noticed the advertisement which appeared on 26 April in the newspaper promoting a cricket game app - CricPlay - along with a photo of Gambhir, according to the notice issued by the Returning Officer of the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. EC has asked Gambhir to submit or produce documents or certification by 2 May, failing which action will be initiated.

Narendra Modi in Bahraich latest updates SP, BSP leaders will tear each others clothes after poll results, says Modi At a public meeting in Uttar Pradeshs Bahraich, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the mahagathbandhan expiry date is 23 May. "Leaders of the SP, BSP, RLD will tear each others clothes once results of the Lok Sabha polls are out on 23 May. Their expiry date is 23 May evening. Congress is not even sure whether it will be in a position to become the leader of Opposition and its leaders are getting clothes stitched to oath as prime minister," Modi said

Supreme Court seeks ECs response on MCC violation allegations against Modi, Shah The Supreme Court Tuesday sought response of the Election Commission on a plea by a Congress MP alleging Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah on their alleged hate speeches and using armed forces for "political propaganda". Dev has alleged that "inaction" by EC on complaints against top BJP leaders was "a sign of invidious discrimination" as also "arbitrary, capricious and impermissible" as it was destructive of the integrity of electoral process. The plea listed out several alleged instances of MCC violations by Modi and Shah in their meetings and referred to as the first violation the speech of Modi at a rally at Wardha, Maharashtra, on April 1 where he had allegedly raised the issue of 'bhagva aatankwad' (saffron terror)

Amit Shah in Muraina latest updates Kamal Naths government believes in taking money and passing orders, says Amit Shah in Muraina In the 15 years that there was Shivraj Singh Chouhans government in Masdhya Pradesh, the state went from being a BiMaRU state to one progressing swiftly towards development. The BJp government introduced schemes for farmers, poor and daughters, Amit Shah said at a rally in Madhya Pradeshs Muraina. During Shivrajs tenure, law and order was taken seriously. Under Kamal Nath, law and order means take money and pass orders. In raids at properties owned by those close to Kamal Nath, crores of rupees were found. If this is the scam that they have executed in three months, what state will they leave Madhya Pradesh in in 60 months? Shah asked. Shah further said, Not a single scam was reported against the BJP during Modis tenure. They (Congress) misquoted a Supreme Court judgement and said that Chowkidar chor hai. Rahul Gandhi had to apologise for his statement after a notice from the Supreme Court in this regard.

Gautam Gambhir, BJP's East Delhi Lok Sabha candidate on AAP candidate Atishi's allegations of him holding 2 voter-ID cards: I have only one voter-ID, from Rajendra Nagar. I don't have any other voter-ID. pic.twitter.com/6Mg9UwV0n6

Atishi, AAP candidate from East Delhi, has claimed that Gambhir has two voter identity cards from Rajender Nagar and Karolbagh constituencies.

BJP nominee from East Delhi Gautam Gambhir said on Tuesday that he only has a voter ID from Rajendra Nagar. :I don't have any other voter ID," he said.

CM @Dev_Fadnavis writes to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for relaxation of Model Code of Conduct for effective implementation of drought relief works. pic.twitter.com/NPsSEDR33A

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, requesting him for some relaxation in Model Code of Conduct in the state for drought relief works. A total of 151 talukas in the state have been declared drought hit and Centre has passed a budget of Rs 4,714 crore for drought relief in the state, Fadnavis said in the letter.

State chief electoral officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi informed Varma, in reply to the latter's letter, that the movie should not be released till the Model Code of Conduct was in force.

The Election Commission Tuesday directed film maker Ramgopal Varma Tuesday not to release 'Laxmi's NTR', the biopic based on the life of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister NT Rama, reiterating its 10 April order not to screen it and another movie until further orders. The biopic was planned to be released on 1 May.

Lok Sabha Election 2019 LATEST updates: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, requesting him for some relaxation in Model Code of Conduct in the state for drought relief works. A total of 151 talukas in the state have been declared drought hit and Centre has passed a budget of Rs 4,714 crore for drought relief in the state, Fadnavis said in the letter.

Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that she took the advice of all the senior Congress leaders on whether she should contest the ongoing Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

AAP leader Atishi and Gautam Gambhir, who recently joined the BJP, continued their war of words on Tuesday. After Gambhir refused to engage in debate with Atishi, she asked him "why he had joined politics". The cricketer-turned-politican was quoted by CNN-News18 as saying that he doesn't engage in "debates and dharnas".

The Supreme Court allowed a new affidavit to be filed in the contempt case against Congress president Rahul Gandhi on 6 May. Singhvi said that his client will apologise for attributing "Chowkidar Chor Hain" remark to the Supreme Court.

"I made three errors and I apologise," Rahul Gandhi's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi said during the hearing in the Supreme Court regarding the contempt petition against the Congress chief.

The bench, led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi, rapped Rahul over the lack of apology in the two affidavits he filed in response to the contempt petition after he "wrongly attributed" a 'chowkidar chor hai' comment to the top court.

"You are contradicting yourself in your affidavit," the court said. adding that Rahul must accept the mistake made.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the contempt case against him for his attribution of 'chowkidar chor hai' statement to the apex court. The bench, headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi has asked for an unconditional apology.

The advocate of BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi, who has filed the petition against Rahul said that the two affidavits filed by Rahul are identical. He said, "Two affidavits have been filed, second is identical to the first. There is only one word.. regret in both the affidavits. This is the grossest form of contempt."

The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing of the Rafale review petitions till 6 May, which also happens to be the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election. The Centre has also asked for four weeks to file a fresh affidavit in reply to the slew of review petitions filed of its 14 December, 2018 order.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi addressed the allegations against her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi and said that "all of India" knows that Rahul is Indian. "Rahul Gandhi has grown up in front of the country, the whole country knows he is Indian."

Regarding the Ministry of Home Affair's notice to Rahul over BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's complaint alleging that Rahul is a British citizen, she said that the BJP "just wants to defame him". She said, "Their intention is not good."

"(All) of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh?" she was quoted by ANI as saying.

BJP president Amit Shah addressed a rally in Rajasthan's Dausa on Tuesday. The BJP chief and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are campaigning in preparation of the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election, due on 6 May.

Shah said that the country had been "waiting" for a prime minister who would work for the "poor, backward, and Adivasi" communities in the country.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik approached the Election Commission on Tuesday to appeal for the postponement of the by-election to be held in the Patkura Assembly seat in the upcoming phase of the state's Assembly election. Patnaik is making the request in view of Cyclone Fani's likelihood to hit Odisha.

He said, "I am in Delhi to meet the Election Commission of India regarding the by elections of Patkura Assembly seat, that it should be postponed in case the cyclone hits Odisha."

Former BJP leader Udit Raj hit out at the party and President Ram Nath Kovind and said that Kovind had approached him a few years ago to find some footing in the saffron party. Raj joined the Congress after the party denied him a ticket in the ongoing Lok Sabha election.

He said that a "dumb and deaf" Dalit, could climb the ranks in the BJP, he could become "national security or even the president," he said, in a veiled attack on Kovind. "if I was deaf and dumb, they would make me the prime minister, if it was the need of the hour," he said.

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has asked the Election Commission to cancel Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nomination for the ongoing Lok Sabha election, over accusations of "horse-trading".

On Monday, Modi "warned" TMC chief Mamata Banerjee that at least 40 members of the party were "in touch" with the BJP. He also accused Mamata of nepotism, insisting she wants to politically establish her nephew in West Bengal.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh defended the MHA's notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his alleged British citizenship. Amid accusations that the government was targeting Opposition leaders, Singh said that there was "no vendetta" behind the MHA's notice.

"This is only protocol," he said. Rahul has been given two weeks to reply to the notice.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet and said that the prime minister has restricted himself to the petty politics of horse trading which is playing out in West Bengal post voting in phase four of Lok Sabha Election 2019. Akhilesh further added that for this, the prime minister should be banned not just for 72 hours, but for 72 years.

Attacking the Opposition in his rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Opposition leaders "will not even win" enough votes to be Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, but that they are "dreaming" of being prime minister. He also targeted previous governments over "inaction" against terrorism.

"In the years before our government, there were bomb blasts everywhere, but the government of the time did nothing. In Sri Lanka, militants killed 250 people, so we see that the risk of terrorism is worldwide. Do you want a weak government, who cannot give a fitting reply to terrorists? If there is a threat to India, we will target their homes," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, in preparation for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election. He slammed the previous governments for "non-development" and "cast politics" in the state. "The Opposition only wants to hide its wrongdoings, their only aim is to form a majboor government in the Centre," he said.

The Election Commission will hear charges of Model Code of Conduct violations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday. The poll panel will then submit its report to the Supreme Court.

The apex court is also scheduled to hear Congress MP Sushmita Dev's plea against Modi and Shah.

The poll panel will also examine charges levelled against Rahul alleging that the Congress chief charged the prime minister with his "baseless" allegations.

The Centre on Monday asked the Supreme Court to defer Tuesday's hearing on the pleas seeking review of the Rafale deal verdict on 14 December, 2018 saying it needs time to file a detailed reply on these petitions.

The Centre's prayer was made before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi which did not say anything on the issue of adjournment of the scheduled hearing on Tuesday. However, the bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, allowed senior advocate R Balasubramanian, appearing for the Centre, to circulate a letter of adjournment among the parties which include petitioners who have filed the review pleas.

The Centre's letter said it needs time to file reply on merits on the review petitions. The review petitions filed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan is listed for hearing before a bench headed by the chief justice on Tuesday in the post-lunch session.

Two other review petitions  filed by Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh and advocate Vineet Dhanda  are also listed for hearing on Tuesday. The Centre has said in the letter that it has raised certain preliminary objections on maintainability of certain documents relied upon in the review petitions and the court had decided the issue on 10 April.

It said that since the government has not filed any reply on the merit of the review pleas, it would need some time to file a detailed reply to the petitions seeking review of 14 December, 2018 verdict in Rafale fighter jet deal case.

In a setback to the Centre, the apex court on 10 April allowed the pleas which relied on leaked documents for seeking review of its Rafale judgment and dismissed the government's preliminary objections claiming "privilege" over them.

The Centre had submitted that three privileged documents were unauthorisedly removed from the Defence Ministry and used by the petitioners to support their review petitions against the December judgment of the apex court which had dismissed all pleas challenging the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

The top court had rejected the objections raised by the Centre that those documents were not admissible as evidence under Section 123 of the Indian Evidence Act, and no one can produce them in court without the permission of the department concerned as they are also protected under the Official Secrets Act.

It had noted that all the three documents were in "public domain" and published by prominent daily The Hindu were "in consonance with the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech".

It had said the documents used in the pleas were published in The Hindu' in February and one of the papers was also published by The Wire'.

The apex court had also noted that no law enacted by Parliament specifically barring or prohibiting the publication of such documents on any of the grounds mentioned in Article 19(2) of the Constitution has been brought to its notice.

The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation. A deal to procure the jets was signed between India and France in 2015. The delivery is expected to begin in September this year.

In the December 2018 verdict, the apex court said there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France and dismissed all the petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal. The top court had said there was no substantial evidence of commercial favouritism to any private entity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed public rallies at Barrackpore and Srerampur in West Bengal and also at Koderma in Jharkhand on Monday, will address public rallies at Muzaffarpur in Bihar and Barabanbki and Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh.

BJP president, Amit Shah will address a public meeting at Dausa in Rajasthan. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who addressed rallies at Churu and Jaipur in Rajasthan on Monday, will address public rallies at Tikamgarh, Damoh, and Panna in Madhya Pradesh.

On Monday, Congress MP from Silchar in Assam Sushmita Dev moved the Supreme Court and filed a petition alleging that Modi and Shah have violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) at various occasions during campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has agreed to hear the petition on Tuesday.
On the home ministry notice to Rahul Gandhi, Congress asked why the BJP was raising this topic during the election, and did not in the past five years.

New Delhi: The home ministrys notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi regarding his citizenship is a ploy to divert peoples attention from the real issues plaguing the nation, said the party on Tuesday.

The Congress also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of resorting to a fake narrative to divert the attention of the people as he has no answers for unemployment, farmer distress, and tax terrorism unleashed on the traders of the country.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: The electoral boat of PM Modi and BJP has completely sunk. The bankruptcy of new ideas is now making them lose the political balance by resorting to such malicious allegations against Rahul Gandhi.

The entire country knows he is a citizen of India. Rahul Gandhi complained to the Ethics Committee of Parliament regarding the same issue one and a half years ago. The truth is that there is no truth in the allegations, said Surjewala.

PM Modi raised the same issue in 2015 and again in 2017 when he approached the home ministry with a complaint against Rahul Gandhi. For the past five years, were the BJP leaders sleeping? Why is this topic being raised during the election season only? he asked.

D Raja, CPI leader, said: Rahul Gandhi has been issued a voter ID. Then why is there confusion over his citizenship? The timing of issuing this notice to the Congress president is questionable.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday issued a notice to Rahul regarding his citizenship after receiving a complaint from Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy.

Swamy has alleged that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in the year 2003, and that Rahul was one of its directors and secretary.

Swamy has also stated that the Congress president had declared his nationality as British at a UK-based company.

It has been further brought out in the complaint that in the Companys Annual Returns filed on 10 October, 2005, and 31 October, 2006, your date of birth has been given as 19 June, 1970, and that you had declared your nationality as British. Further, in the Dissolution application dated 17/02/2009 of the above-referred company, your nationality has been mentioned as British, the notice said.

The ministry has asked Rahul to respond within a fortnight to the allegations.

On 20 April, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao had also raised a similar objection to Rahuls citizenship at a press conference.
Around 1:40 a.m., the two of them were greeted by a young man wearing a snapback hat and holding a cup. When they told him that there was a shooting, he darted into a house next door, saying, Im trying to stay out of trouble.
That the prime minister to encourage this improper contact beggars belief because it amounts to abetment, perhaps encouragement, of an improper, if not illegal, act.

In Serampore, a town less than 50 kilometres from Kolkata, Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought opprobrium upon the office he holds at a rally on Monday. Betraying the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) desperation to scrounge some crumbs from the West Bengal table, he said, astonishingly, that 40 Trinamool Congress MLAs were in touch with him.

In some other context, one could argue, there was something of a studied ambiguity about this statement. But in the context of the entirety of his rhetorical excess, it can be seen as what it is: a not so veiled threat that the BJP is fully prepared to launch a variant of Operation Lotus in Bengal. "As of date, a total of 40 Trinamool MLAs are in touch with me. Didi, they will dump your party after lotus blooms all over the state when Lok Sabha election results are out on 23 May," Modi was reported saying.

The prime ministers claim  that 40 Trinamool MLAs are in touch with him  was meant to be a boast. Unpacked, it meant that his party was prepared to, in fact, preparing to, destabilise an Opposition government by engineering defections. This would have been exceedingly improper coming from, say, the president of the state unit of the BJP, but coming from the prime minister of the country, no less, it is appalling. It goes against the letter and spirit of the anti-defection law.

Let us assume, in the first place, that it is true that 40 Trinamool MLAs are in touch with Modi. Note the continuous tense. They got in touch with him at some point of time in the possibly recent past and are still in touch with him. What would the plain duty of a prime minister be if such a thing had really happened? The answer is fairly obvious. He should have rebuffed them: that is his constitutional duty. And then he should have reported them to the relevant authority, who would probably be the Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

That the prime minister to encourage this improper contact beggars belief because it amounts to abetment, perhaps encouragement, of an improper, if not illegal, act. This is particularly true because Modi did not provide any details of the circumstances surrounding the contact. The claim that 40 MLAs are in touch with the prime minister elides the question of agency. How was this contact established? Did the MLAs in question approach the prime minister through whatever channel of their own accord? Or were they encouraged to do so through inducements of some sort by the prime minister through his aides? These are issues that need to be investigated, especially since Modi also claims that they will dump Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees party when the lotus blooms in Bengal.

The matter would have been different had it not been clandestine. If, for instance, these 40 supposed defectors had resigned their Assembly seats and approached the prime minister publicly seeking admission into his party, there would have been no question of impropriety.

There is also a crucial question of timing. It is to be remembered that an election is in progress. The prime minister was holding a campaign meeting. For him to spring this information in such a forum at such a time could well amount to an infringement of the Model Code of Conduct, which is, however, not something that he has baulked at throughout the election campaign. But this seems to be a particularly egregious violation. At the very least, the Election Commission must look into the matter without delay when the Trinamool Congress lodges a complaint, which it is going to do.

Modis claim tells us something that the BJP is as desperate to pick up a decent number of seats in Bengal as it is scared that it will fare no better than it did in 2014, when the Modi wave failed to wash over Bengal. The 40 MLAs story could well be a figment of the prime ministerial imagination trotted out bang in the middle of the elections in the desperate hope that it will give the BJP the traction it desperately needs but does not have.
Narendra Modi is aware that the BJp's organisational strength is weak in West Bengal, and most of his leaders may not be perceived as strong.

It couldnt have been a coincidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi held two massive rallies in West Bengal  in Srirampur and Barrackpore  when Phase 4 of the Lok Sabha election was underway in other parts of the state on Monday. In the age of 24x7 electronic media and social media, where breaking news is instantly disseminated, it must have been part of a smart strategy on his part to pull the state's attention away from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees politics.

Modi landed in Bengal when the election in the state was already making news for violence at polling booths. There were reports of incidents of BJP poll agents not being allowed by the Trinamool Congress workers to enter their designated booths. There were also reports of sections of genuine voters not being allowed to cast their votes in some areas and of TMC workers allegedly vandalising BJP sitting MP and Union minister Babul Supriyos car.

While addressing the rally, Modi turned the heat on Mamata. This was his first rally in West Bengal after the chief minister said she would send him mud- and stone-filled rosogullas. She had made the remark in response to Modi revealing in an interview to actor Akshay Kumar that the Trinamool boss sent him specially-selected kurtas and boxes of famed Bengali sweets.

Modi went on at length about Mamata's statement at the rally. "She is so angry that she is saying she will send me rosogullas filled with Bengal's soil. What a fortune I have. Bengal's soil means the footprints of Ram Krishna Paramahans, Swami Vivekananda, Chaitnaya Mahaprabhu, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and others. I will be blessed to get that. She is also saying that the sweets will be filled with 50 hundred stones, stones that would have otherwise been used by goons. By sending those stones to me, she will save people from head injuries."

Mamata's response to this statement is keenly awaited. But what the TMC took immediate objection to was Modi's statement that 40 TMC legislators were in touch with the BJP and a large-scale desertion of the TMC was in the offing, soon after results of the parliamentary election are declared on 23 May. The Bengal ruling party saw this as open provocation for defection.

Although Mamata, on her own, has not expressed her prime ministerial ambitions, her party leaders have publicly talked about it on various forums. Modi took a dig at that, as well.

In the last parliamentary election, Mamata's TMC, despite being a regional party, had fewer numbers than the Congress in Lok Sabha, Modi pointed out. In these elections, Mamata should not expect a leader from her party to win any of the 42 seats from West Bengal as this time, the BJP has made strong inroads in the state, he added.

Didi, Delhi is a long way from here. Should I tell you what is really inside Didis heart. Delhi is just an excuse. What she really wants is to establish her nephew here," Modi claimed.

Mamatas nephew and Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal Abhishek Banerjee has been making news in the state as her perceived successor in politics and leadership role in the party.

Furthermore, Modi also used news about the days violence during polling to build a narrative against Mamata, accusing her of crossing all limits by unleashing her partys "goons" against BJP workers and voters.

The prime minister is aware that his partys organisational strength is weak in West Bengal, and most of his leaders may not be perceived as strong. This would explain his rallying in the state during polling in its other parts. He also warned Mamatas alleged associates that after results of the election are declared, she would not be able to shield culprits in the chit fund cases.
The MHA sent a notice to Rahul following a complaint filed by Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy who had cited a United Kingdom-based company's documents to allege that the Congress leader is a British national

Reacting sharply to the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) notice to Rahul Gandhi, asking him to reply to a British citizenship allegation, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra rubbished the allegations of his foreign nationality.

The MHA has sent a notice to Rahul following a complaint filed by Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy who had cited a United Kingdom-based company's documents to allege that the Congress leader is a British national.

The MHA has subsequently sought "factual position in the matter" from Rahul within a fortnight.

The letter, dated 29 April, read that Swamy has alleged Rahul to be one of the directors and secretary of a firm named Backops Limited which was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003. It mentions how Swamy has claimed that Rahul had declared his nationality as "British" in the company's annual returns filed in 2005 and 2006.

Speaking to reporters in Amethi, Priyanka told reporters, "The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up here." She was addressing poll meetings in support of Rahul who is seeking a re-election from the constituency.

#WATCH Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on MHA notice to Rahul Gandhi over citizenship, says," The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh?" pic.twitter.com/Rgt457WMoi  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

The development was, however, downplayed by Union minister Rajnath Singh who said that the home ministry is duty-bound to respond to questions raised by any Member of Parliament.

Earlier, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao had raised similar objections to the Congress chief's nationality at a press conference in New Delhi. Similarly, Independent candidate from Amethi, Dhruv Lal, had also raised objections against Rahul and protested against the latter's nomination from the constituency.

The Congress, in the meanwhile, has said that the government's notice is a ploy to divert people's attention from the real issues plaguing the country. The party also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of resorting to a "fake narrative to divert people's attention as he has no answers for unemployment, farmer distress and tax terrorism."

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala was quoted by ANI as saying, The electoral boat of Modi and BJP has completely sunk. The bankruptcy of new ideas is now making them lose the political balance by resorting to such malicious allegations against Rahul Gandhi.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, general secretary of the Congress for eastern Uttar Pradesh, has joined the debate on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's caste without actually being a part of it

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, general secretary of the Congress for eastern Uttar Pradesh, has joined the debate on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's caste without actually being a part of it.

"To this day, I do not know his caste. The Opposition and Congress leaders are raising issues of development. We never made any personal remarks against him," she told reporters on Sunday.

There's a background to Priyanka's remarks: A few days earlier, BSP leader Mayawati had said that Modi was not a "born" member of a backward caste, unlike Mulayam Singh or Akhilesh Yadav. She claimed Modi was an upper caste but included that caste in the list of backward castes during his reign as Chief Minister of Gujarat.

This prompted Modi to launch a broadside on the Opposition for making the election a caste cauldron. "This country didn't know my caste till my detractors abused me... I am thankful to Mayawatiji, Akhileshji, Congress people and the 'mahamilavatis' that they are discussing my caste...I believe that taking birth in a backward caste is an opportunity to serve the country."

Given this context, Priyanka's "I dont know his caste" statement is a clever way of underscoring the doubts the Opposition wants to create over his caste antecedents. It gets her full marks for electoral rhetoric. But that is an insignificant gain for a scion of a dynastic party that once prided itself in being the umbrella party representing all castes and all religions of India.

Priyanka does not have to dig very deep into her party's history to understand this. She has her father's ready example. A week before his assassination, Rajiv Gandhi held a public meeting in eastern Uttar Pradesh. It was at the height of the Mandal-Masjid divisions that dominated the politics of the time. But Rajiv dismissed the phenomenon of castes and religion as "inconsequential" issues for a national party like the Congress.

He politely chided a group of reporters who persisted with queries on caste. "Arre bhai, samajhte kyon nahi? Humein sabka support hai (Why don't you understand? We have the support of everyone)," he said.

Rajiv was right, even if he was out of tune with the changing political themes of the time. Nobody could imagine till 1991 that the Congress could ever narrow its politics to smaller caste identities so quickly. This facade  of the Congress being the umbrella party  was assiduously maintained, albeit with difficulty, right until 2014 when Rajiv's widow Sonia was steering the party.

But their progeny don't seem to think much of giving up the party's all-embracing posturing. With Priyanka playing ball with Mayawati and Akhilesh to question the caste antecedents of Modi, the mask has fallen off. Like all other parties clinging to caste and religious identities, the Congress is as antediluvian as it gets.

It is quite understandable to see Mayawati or Akhilesh raising doubts about Modi's caste identity. It shows the measure of their desperation to stop OBCs and Dalits from gravitating towards Modi because the isolation of Yadav-Jatavs and Muslims is not a sustainable proposition. Akhilesh and Maywati, both practitioners of identity politics, know that the consolidation of non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav scheduled caste in favour of the BJP would spell their doom. Hence, they will resort to rabble-rousing on caste and create doubts even on Modi's caste credentials.

There is another reason for Akhilesh and Mayawati to use this ploy. In Uttar Pradesh, the surname "Modi" is identified with Banias (trader castes) who, unlike in Bihar, figure as forward castes. But Modi belongs a caste known as "Ghandhi" in Gujarat. It is equivalent to the "Telis" of Uttar Pradesh who appear at the lowest rung of the OBC hierarchy. Akhilesh and Mayawati can pretend not to know this well-known fact at the peak of an election campaign.

But what is completely beyond the range of cognition is Priyanka playing a supporting role in this sad fake news story put up by the Samajwadi Party-BSP coalition, quite oblivious to the history of the Grand Old Party and its politics of co-opting all sections of society. It just underscores the cluelessness of the Congress' revival plans.

Follow all the latest Lok Sabha election updates here
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that his party will provide 22 lakh government jobs to people if voted to power following the ongoing elections.

Dholpur: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that his party will provide 22 lakh government jobs to people if voted to power following the ongoing elections.

"I do not promise 2 crore jobs from this stage. I talked about NYAY and lakhs of people would get employed. When we form the government, I can guarantee that Congress will give 22 lakh government jobs," Gandhi said while addressing a poll rally. "I will not say 2 crore jobs, will speak the truth of 22 lakh jobs. In 10 lakh Panchayats, youths can be employed," he said.

Speaking further, Gandhi said: "Through demonetisation, he (Narendra Modi) took money from your pockets and he rolled out Gabbar Singh Tax and took youre your remaining money as well. "People stopped purchasing and as result companies were forced to shut down that led to unemployment," he added.

The Congress president reiterated his poll promise of NYAY in which the party will give Rs 72,000 to 20 percent of poor whose income is under Rs 12,000 if voted to power. "NYAY scheme money will into the bank accounts of 5 crore women. Two separate India will not be created here. If Narendra Modi can deposit crore of money in bank accounts of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi then Congress will deposit money in 5 crore people," he said.

Speaking further about his party's vision, Gandhi said: "Our government will spend crores of rupees on education, health. Your children will get a better education because this is your money, not Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi."
The MHA letter, dated 29 April, read that Subramian Swamy has alleged Rahul Gandhi to be one of the directors and secretary of a firm named Backops Limited which was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003

Rejecting allegations of political vendetta against Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship row, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the home ministry is duty-bound to respond to questions raised by any member of Parliament.

"If any Member of Parliament asks answer from a ministry, then the ministry has to answer it. This has happened following the same course," Singh told CNN-News18.

Earlier in the day, acting on a complaint received from Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi to clarify his position on his nationality. Swamy had cited a United Kingdom-based company's documents to allege that the Congress president is a British national. The MHA has sought "factual position in the matter" from Rahul within a fortnight.

Ministry of Home Affairs issues notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship after receiving a complaint from Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy; MHA asks Rahul Gandhi to respond in the matter within a 'fortnight'. pic.twitter.com/rkFu6TJ7lu  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

The letter, dated 29 April, read that Swamy has alleged Rahul to be one of the directors and secretary of a firm named Backops Limited which was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003. It mentions how Swamy has claimed that Rahul had declared his nationality as "British" in the company's annual returns filed in 2005 and 2006.

The complaint also added that in the application for dissolution of the company, dated 12 February 2009, Rahul's nationality was again declared to be British.

An MHA official, quoted by The Hindu, said the complaint dates back to 2015.

This isn't the first time that objections have been raised over Rahul's citizenship. On 20 April, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao had raised similar objections to the Congress chief's nationality at a press conference in New Delhi.

Independent candidate from Amethi, Dhruv Lal, had raised similar objections against Rahul and protested against the latter's nomination from the constituency.

Ravi Prakash, Lal's lawyer, had then said that on the basis of certificate of incorporation of a company registered in the UK, the Congress leader has declared himself as its citizen.

He had added that a non-Indian citizen cannot contest polls in the country.

Ravi Prakash, lawyer of independent MP candidate from Amethi, Dhruv Lal who has raised objections on Rahul Gandhi's nomination papers: On basis of certificate of incorporation of a company registered in UK, he declared himself a UK citizen. A non-citizen can't contest polls here. pic.twitter.com/A8ifZgbGhC  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 20, 2019

In the meanwhile, Congress leaders have criticised the MHA's notice with party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was resorting to fake narrative through "his government's notices".

Randeep Surjewala,Congress: The entire world knows Rahul Gandhi is Indian citizen by birth. Modi ji has no answer for unemployment, Modi ji has no answer for agrarian distress&black money, that's why he's resorting to fake narrative through his govt's notices to divert attention. pic.twitter.com/pfNM1ZMsRQ  ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

All India Mahila Congress General Secretary Apsara Reddy also claimed the Supreme Court had dismissed Swamy's petition on Rahul's citizenship in 2015 and blamed the ruling party of trying to "pollute the electoral air".

The SC dismissed @Swamy39 petition in 2015. Why would the ill informed govt send a notice now on @RahulGandhi Jis citizenship? Trying to pollute the electoral air with their (BJPs) devious lies and gimmicks yet again!  Apsara R (@talktoapsara) April 30, 2019

The MHA's notice came even as the Congress chief has been vigorously campaigning across states before voting for the Lok Sabha Election comes to an end.

With inputs from agencies
The first Model Code of Conduct complaint against Narendra Modi was filed on 5 April after he brought up the religious demographics of Kerala's Wayanad after Rahul Gandhi decided to contest from the seat.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred the hearing of Congress leader Sushmita Dev's petition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct. The court issued a notice to the Election Commission after hearing the plea and scheduled the hearing for 2 May.

A two-judge bench of Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna heard the petition filed by the chief of the All India Mahila Congress, in which she sought action against Modi and Shah for making hate speeches and using the armed forces for "political propaganda".

A two-Judge Bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna assembles to hear the @INCIndia MP @sushmitadevmp petition. Sushmita Dev had sought for ECI to decide on multiple complaints filed against @PMOIndia and @BJP4India Amit @AmitShah. @ECISVEEP  Bar & Bench (@barandbench) April 30, 2019

The Supreme Court asked the petitioner to wait for the Election Commission's decision on the matter after it apprised the court of a meeting it held on Tuesday.

The bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi earlier took note of the submissions made by Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who filed the plea on behalf of Dev.

The petition sought a top court direction to the Election Commission to decide on the complaints filed against Modi and Shah "without any delay or demur, and in any case not later than 24 hours from the [courts] order", Scroll reported.

The plea also alleged that despite several complaints, the Election Commission had failed to take any action against Modi and Shah for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct during their election rallies.

Dev claimed that the poll panel's "inaction" on the complaints against the top BJP leaders was "a sign of invidious discrimination" and was "arbitrary, capricious and impermissible" as well as was destructive of the integrity of the electoral procedure.

The first complaint against Modi was filed on 5 April after he brought up the religious demographics of Kerala's Wayanad following Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from the constituency, reported The Indian Express.

On 9 April, while addressing a rally in Maharashtra, the prime minister had urged first-time voters to dedicate their votes to defence forces. The poll watchdog had said it was still reviewing Modi's speech.
The fourth phase of the 17th Lok Sabha elections was held on Monday across 71 parliamentary seats in nine states. The average turnout reported was 64 percent.

The fourth phase of the 17th Lok Sabha elections was held on Monday across 71 parliamentary seats in nine states. The average turnout reported was 64 percent.

In the heartland states, where the BJP had won 30 out of 32 seats in 2014, 67.73 percent turnout was recorded in Rajasthan (13 seats), 58.56 percent in Uttar Pradesh (13 seats) and 67.09 percent in Madhya Pradesh (6 seats), according to the Election Commission.

West Bengal recorded a high turnout at 76.66 in the eight seats though clashes broke out between supporters of TMC and BJP in Nanoor, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Suri areas of Birbhum seat, leaving several people injured.

The stakes are high for the BJP which had won 56 of these 72 constituencies in the 2014 polls. About 12.79 crore people were eligible for voting in the fourth phase. With this round, polling has been completed in 374 seats out of 543.

With inputs from PTI
Reuters

Boeing Co CEO Dennis Muilenburg emerged with his job intact at an annual meeting on Monday and promised to win back the public's trust after facing tough questions in the wake of two fatal crashes of the 737 MAX plane.

Battling the biggest crisis of his nearly four years as chief executive officer, Muilenburg survived a shareholder motion to split his chairman and CEO roles.

He later told reporters he would continue to lead the company through a crisis that has triggered the grounding of Boeing's fastest-selling plane, lawsuits, investigations and lingering concerns over the 737 MAX's safety.

"I am very focussed on safety going forward," he said after the meeting when reporters asked if he had considered resigning. "I am strongly vested in that. My clear intent is to continue to lead on the front of safety, quality and integrity."

However, Boeing will need to win back the trust of customers, passengers and regulators following the crashes.

"We know we do have work to do to earn and re-earn that trust and we will," Muilenburg said before ending the 16-minute news conference and ignoring shouted questions from reporters as he walked away.

The family of one American victim, 24-year-old Samya Stumo, staged a silent protest outside the meeting site in Chicago, while the families of other victims among the 157 killed in the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX on March 10 held a tearful press conference at a Chicago law firm.

That plane plunged to the ground shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, five months after a similar Lion Air nosedive in Indonesia that killed all 189 passengers and crew.

The families spoke after filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Boeing and Rosemount Aerospace Inc, which designed the sensors used in the 737 MAX, in Chicago federal court, one of dozens of lawsuits Boeing is facing over both crashes.

Stubbed toe

Daniel Johnson, an engineer and an intermittent Boeing shareholder since 1984, said the company "really stubbed their toe" by allowing the plane's anti-stall system - called Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System or MCAS - to rely on only one sensor.

"The question is: Will they need to rebrand? We dont know how much the general public actually knows what a 737 MAX is, Johnson said outside the meeting.

About 150 shareholders gathered in the auditorium of the Chicago Field Museum for the meeting, but only a handful questioned Muilenburg over the MAX or the push to split the chairman and CEO jobs.

One shareholder asked Muilenburg what Boeing was doing on safety assessments following the crashes. The CEO said the company's commitment to safety has not wavered.

Safety is at the core of what we do. Every day, we try to get better," Muilenburg said at the meeting, which took place exactly six months after the Lion Air crash.

Shares of the company, worth $214 billion, have lost nearly 10 percent of their value since the March 10 crash.

Boeing is under pressure to deliver a software fix to prevent erroneous data from triggering the MCAS system and a new pilot training package that will convince global regulators, and the flying public, that the aircraft is safe.

Boeing has acknowledged that the accidental firing of the software based on bad sensor data was a common link in the chain of events leading to the two accidents.

"We know we can break this link in the chain. Its our responsibility to eliminate this risk," Muilenburg told shareholders. When asked by reporters if the MCAS system was flawed, he said only that Boeing was making improvements to it.

$1 billion impact

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration could clear Boeing's 737 MAX jet to fly in late May or the first part of June, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday, though Boeing has yet to submit the updated software and training for review.

Some pilots have warned that draft training proposals do not go far enough to address their concerns.

Boeing said on Monday it was making progress to certify its grounded jets with the software update.

Meanwhile, deliveries of the 737 MAX, which airlines around the world had been relying on to service a growing air travel industry for years to come, are on hold.

Muilenburg said Boeing has been talking to customers and is sensitive to the impact of the crisis on their operations. He said the focus is on getting the MAX flying again.

Last week Boeing abandoned its 2019 financial outlook, halted share buybacks and said lowered production due to the 737 MAX grounding had cost it at least $1 billion so far.

Shareholders have filed a lawsuit accusing the company of defrauding them by concealing safety deficiencies in the plane. The model is also the target of investigations by U.S. transportation authorities and the Department of Justice.

Manant Vaidya of Canada, who lost six family members in the Ethiopian crash, said he had repeatedly heard Muilenburg defending the design and certification of the 737 MAX.

"At the end of the day, if everything was followed how could the crash have occurred?" Vaidya asked at the news conference at Clifford Law Offices.
tech2 News Staff

On 29 April, Facebook announced its first research grants to academics studying the impact of social media on elections, part of an effort to prevent manipulation of social platforms.

The company says some 60 researchers from 30 academic institutions across 11 countries were selected under a review process by the Social Science Research Council and the independent group Social Science One.

You can also find the full list of research grants awarded and other details on the announcement from the SSRC and Social Science One.

To assure the independence of the research and the researchers, Facebook did not play any role in the selection of the individuals or their projects and will have no role in directing the findings or conclusions of the research.

"Facebook began the research initiative last year after revelations of foreign influence campaigns on the 2016 US election and the Brexit vote in Britain", Elliot Schrage, Vice President for Special Projects and Chaya Nayak, Strategic Initiatives Manager clarified in a Facebook blog.

Facebook began soliciting proposals last year, and on Monday unveiled its first research grants.

"We hope this initiative will deepen public understanding of the role social media has on elections and democracy and help Facebook and other companies improve their products and practices."

The researchers will be granted access to Facebook's internal data through a "first-of-its-kind data sharing infrastructure to provide researchers access to Facebook data in a secure manner that protects people's privacy," Schrage and Nayak wrote.

"Some of these steps include building a process to remove personally identifiable information from the data set and only allowing researcher access to the data set through a secure portal."

"In addition to building a custom infrastructure, were also testing the application of differential privacy, which adds statistical noise to raw data sets to make sure an individual cant be re-identified without affecting the reliability of the results. It also limits the number of queries a researcher can run, which ensures the system cannot be repeatedly queried to circumvent privacy measures," the blog reads.

Gary King and Nathaniel Persily of Social Science One said in a statement the researchers will seek to move swiftly to help social networks improve their security and integrity.

"The urgency of this research cannot be overstated," they wrote.

"Elections in India are already underway, the European Parliamentary elections will take place in short order, and the US presidential primary campaigns have begun in earnest. Concerns about disinformation, polarization, political advertising, and the role of platforms in the information ecosystem have not diminished. If anything, they have heightened."

Some of the research groups cited are based at Northeastern University, Ohio State University and New York University and Virginia Tech University in the United States; France's Institute of Political Studies; National Chengchi University in Taiwan; Italy's Universita di Urbino Carlo Bo; University of Sao Paulo in Brazil; Germany's Technical University of Munich; the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands; and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile.

With inputs from Press Trust of India.
While Morales rescued the Uber driver and his other friend from the car, a good Samaritan stopped to pull Matariyeh's friend out of the passenger seat of the Infiniti, carrying her over his shoulders, Murphy said. The man later told authorities that Matariyeh had walked up, admitted he was driving the car and tried to take his friend with him. He appeared drunk and he was slurring his words, Murphy said.
tech2 News Staff

Google's Android developer website hosts a distribution dashboard that details the adoption of the different versions of Android.

With more than 2 billion active Android devices out there, this is a useful metric in knowing whether Google's latest version of Android was actually rolling out to more devices every month and at what rate.

However, as noted by VentureBeat, Google has not updated its Android distribution dashboard with new statistics since 26 October 2018. Meanwhile, Android Q is also just around the corner and Googles dashboard still doesnt include Android Pie in its listings. That's because any version of Android running on less than 0.1 percent of devices, were left out of being mentioned on the dashboard.

Given that Android Pie is now standard on new Android devices and has already rolled out to most high-end flagships, it should ideally be on the dashboard by now. But we won't even know simply because Google's dashboard site has been "under maintenance" for the past six months.

That may be a fine excuse for a while, leaving little reason to doubt it. But a full six months later, we have to consider if maintenance is not the reason it was halted.

It feels as if Google has either put this statistic on the back burner or is simply no longer willing to reveal these stats. But why would Google do that?

Well, as pointed out by PhoneArena, once the distribution table gets updated (ie., if it ever does get updated), Android Pie will very likely be at the 4-5 percent mark as most Android manufacturers have already updated many of their devices to the latest official version.

This data would have also given us precious data on how well Google's Project Treble is doing.

For the uninitiated, Project Treble promised faster software updates for non-Pixel Android phones by modularising code and making it easier for OEMs to push updates. In other words, Project Treble was deviced to tackle Android's fragmentation problem. So could Treble have been a failure? Again, there's no way to know.

With Google I/O just around the corner, perhaps Google might be a little bit more transparent with the problem at hand with developers. But until that happens, we don't really have a definitive answer to any of these questions.
Press Trust of India

France may send its scientific instruments on board India's missions to Mars and Venus, French envoy to India Alexandre Ziegler said Monday.

He said France and India are cooperating on the Gaganyaan project, India's human spaceflight mission, especially in the area of space medicine. "We are considering the possibility of embarking French scientific instruments on board in India's missions to Mars and Venus," he said while delivering the inaugural address at the ORF's Kalpana Chawla Space Dialogue.

This, he said, is in line with the India French joint vision for space cooperation signed in March 2018.

Under this, the two countries also resolved to work on interplanetary missions to Mars and Venus. The two countries are also working on building a constellation of satellites for maritime surveillance in the Indian Ocean.

India and France share the same interests and values in the outer space and the two countries intend to maintain their freedom of access to space, the envoy said. "And, we therefore refuse any destabilising arms race, which would be detrimental to all of us," he said.

.@FranceinIndia What can we forsee for the future? Id say continuity of course, and also renewed ambition. Our bilateral cooperation must progress in a coordinated and supportive manner. #ORFKC2019  ORF (@orfonline) April 29, 2019

Last month, India demonstrated anti-satellite missile capability by shooting down a live satellite and described it as a rare achievement that put the country in an exclusive club of space superpowers.

On one hand, many hailed the feat, several from the international community criticised India's move stating that it added to the space debris.

Ziegler also emphasised on the regulation of space traffic in view of the overlapping trajectories of satellites.

Dr. B.N. Suresh: We have launched more than 300 foreign satellites from 32 foreign countries. This speaks volumes about our space cooperation - something we wish to strengthen in the future. #ORFKC2019  ORF (@orfonline) April 29, 2019

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist B N Suresh said India has so far launched 300 satellites of 23 countries.

Speaking at the event, Rod Hilton, the Australian Deputy High Commissioner, said India is, has been, and will be one of Australia's top-tier international partners.
By Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) - A white beluga whale is loitering off the coast of northern Norway, and that is starting to worry Norwegians, who are afraid it might not be able to fend for itself. Also, it might be a spy.

By Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - A white beluga whale is loitering off the coast of northern Norway, and that is starting to worry Norwegians, who are afraid it might not be able to fend for itself. Also, it might be a spy.

The whale first showed up a few weeks ago when it swam up to Joar Hesten's fishing boat. Hesten got in touch with the authorities, who were interested, because Hesten was off the northern coast and whales don't often show up there this time of the year.

"We asked him if he could just try to have it around his boat until we arrived," Joergen Ree Wiig, an inspector at the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, said on Tuesday. That wasn't hard, it turned out.

"The whale was really friendly, came up to us and started opening its mouth, checking us out," Wiig said. "We were trying to talk to it. It was really friendly. It was seeking contact with us."

Possibly it was trying to tell them something. Possibly it was trying to say 'Get this thing off me!', because the whale was wearing a harness strapped around its neck, and written on the harness strap was "Equipment St. Petersburg".

Hesten and Wigg obliged, and then they turned the harness over to the police, because the nearest St. Petersburg to Norway is in Russia. The thought occurred to people that they might have some kind of Russian spy whale on their hands. The harness held a camera mount, so the thought was not entirely outlandish.

On the other hand, it didn't entirely make sense, either. The lettering on the harness was in English, not Russian, and used the Roman alphabet, not Cyrillic. It seemed unlikely the Russians wanted to make it easier for Westerners to identify any of their lost spy whales.

AVOIDING A 'KEIKO' SITUATION

On yet another hand, Russia does have spy whales, although it's not claiming this one just yet.

"We have restarted training of military dolphins ...," said Colonel Viktor Baranets, a Russian military expert. "Their tasks remain the same. As to the use of common bottlenose dolphins, for instance, or beluga whales, I was told in the Sevastopol dolphinarium that these animals are not used (at the Russian Black Sea naval base) in Sevastopol.

"As to Russias North ... I was told that Russian scientists are using beluga whales for tasks of civil information gathering, rather than military tasks."

Exactly what the difference might be, the colonel didn't say. In any case, the Norwegian police security service, PST, took custody of the harness, presumably to try to track down its origin.

"They collected it from me an hour ago. They said they would look into it," Wiig said. PST did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Wiig's Fisheries Directorate is more now concerned about how the whale will make out. It shows no inclination to go home, wherever that might be.

"The beluga whale has been spotted again in the area. We are very concerned that it is not able to feed itself," he said, adding that the animal's behaviour suggested it may have been tamed.

The Directorate is considering whether to take further action to help it, Wiig said. "What we want to avoid is a 'Keiko' situation."

Keiko was an orca who had been captured and tamed and starred in the 1993 Hollywood movie "Free Willy".

He was set free off Iceland in 2002, and visitors would come from far afield to spot him in a particular fjord on Norway's northwest coast.

But things did not go well. Keiko was unable to re-adapt to the wild, and died off the coast of Norway in 2003.

(Additional reporting by Gennady Novik; editing by Larry King)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By James Oliphant PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden officially kicked off his White House campaign on Monday by hosting a union event in Pittsburgh just hours after securing his first labor endorsement. Biden told Teamsters members who attended his first event as a 2020 contender that restoring a vibrant middle class would be the theme of his campaign

By James Oliphant

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden officially kicked off his White House campaign on Monday by hosting a union event in Pittsburgh just hours after securing his first labor endorsement.

Biden told Teamsters members who attended his first event as a 2020 contender that restoring a vibrant middle class would be the theme of his campaign.

"I make no apologies. I am a union man. Period," Biden told the packed union hall. "The country wasn't built by Wall Street bankers, CEOs and hedge fund managers, it was built by you."

Among those who introduced Biden was Harold Schaitberger, the president of the International Association of Firefighters, a 300,000-member union that endorsed him ahead of the Pittsburgh event.

In a Twitter fusillade, Trump said that while leaders of the firefighters and other unions would endorse Democrats in the 2020 race, "the members love Trump."

Biden soon fired back on Twitter. "I'm sick of this president badmouthing unions," he said.

Biden, who joined the 2020 Democratic race last week, has long styled himself as a champion of blue-collar workers. He is counting on organized labor to comprise a significant part of his support.

In endorsing Biden, IAFF's Schaitberger called him "one of the staunchest advocates for working families."

In Pittsburgh, Biden, 76, laid out his vision for bolstering the nation's middle class. He will next head to the early voting state of Iowa.

The Democratic field now features 20 contenders, many of whom are making bids for backing by labor. Six other Democratic candidates on Saturday addressed union members at an event in Las Vegas, pledging support for policies such as a $15 federal minimum wage.

(Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2Ff62ZC)

This may be the most pro-union group of candidates weve seen in decades, making it tougher for any one candidate to line up significant union support, said Steve Rosenthal, a former political director for the AFL-CIO who is advising unions on their 2020 strategies.

Biden's record as a U.S. senator and his two terms serving as former President Barack Obamas No. 2 could complicate his efforts to draw union voters.

As a senator from Delaware, Biden supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has become a sore point with unions that blame it for jobs going overseas.

As vice president, he was part of an administration that promulgated labor-friendly regulatory policies, but also pushed through trade deals with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea over the objections of several unions and many other Democrats.

A massive 12-nation trade deal backed by Obama and Biden, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, was opposed by labor and became an issue in the 2016 presidential race, when Donald Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, used it to criticize Democratic policies.

Once Trump became president, he pulled the United States out of the TPP, which went into effect last year. His administration currently is advocating for Congress to pass a negotiated replacement for NAFTA, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Trump, too, has a solid claim on union support. In beating Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, he turned in the best performance by a Republican candidate among union households since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

NO RUSH TO ENDORSE

Labor unions have indicated that, with the sprawling Democratic field, they have the luxury to choose candidates who tailor policies to their specific goals.

Working people are heading into this election with a high bar, said John Weber, a spokesman for the AFL-CIO in Washington. Your trade policy shouldnt be about reducing the collateral damage of harmful corporate trade deals. It should be about replacing them with agreements that actually strengthen working families.

While organized labor has lost political clout with the decline of industrial jobs in America, it remains a key Democratic constituency, valued for its capacity to mobilize voters.

At this juncture, Biden may have to worry most about U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who, along with Biden, sits atop public opinion polls of the 2020 Democratic field.

Sanders, a progressive who consistently has railed against free-trade agreements, showed surprising strength among rank-and-file union members during his 2016 presidential primary challenge to Clinton even though she received the formal endorsement of most national unions.

That divide within unions between Clinton and Sanders is one reason, Rosenthal said, why some unions this time may wait deep into the primary process before endorsing a candidate  or may not endorse one at all.

Because so many unions rushed to endorse Secretary Clinton in 2016, there will likely be a much more thorough process, including more rank-and-file input from some unions this cycle, he said.

(Reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Lisa Shumaker and Alistair Bell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The FBI said it got tips about a social media post threatening violence against Jews just minutes fire at a California synagogue  an attack that makes him 'part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries' the suspect's family said Monday.

Poway: The FBI said it got tips about a social media post threatening violence against Jews just minutes before a gunman killed a worshipper and wounded three others at a Southern California synagogue  an attack that makes him "part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries," the suspect's family said Monday.

The tips to an FBI website and hotline included a link to the anonymous post but did not offer specific information about its author or the location of the threat. The bureau said employees immediately tried to determine who wrote it, but the shooting occurred before they could establish his identity.

John T Earnest, 19, was charged with murder and attempted murder in Saturday's attack as well as arson in connection with a nearby mosque fire last month. He was expected in court on Tuesday.

His parents said their son and five siblings were raised in a family that "rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do." They said they were shocked and mystified. "Our son's actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold," the family said in its first public comments.

They said they were cooperating with investigators to help "uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act." They do not plan to provide their son with legal representation, according to their attorney, Earll Potts. A public defender will likely be appointed.

Earnest burst into the Chabad of Poway synagogue on Saturday on the last day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday that celebrates freedom, and opened fire with an assault-style rifle on the crowd of about 100.

Lori Kaye, a founding member of the congregation, was killed. Rabbi Yishoel Goldstein was shot in the hand, while Noya Dahan, 8, and her uncle Almog Peretz suffered shrapnel wounds. Kaye, 60, was remembered for her kindness Monday at a memorial service at the packed synagogue in Poway, a well-to-do suburb north of San Diego.

Earnest fled when the gun jammed, calling 911 to report the shooting and surrendering a short time later, authorities said. He was a star scholar, athlete and pianist whose embrace of white supremacy and anti-Semitism has dumbfounded the people closest to him.

Earnest made the dean's list both semesters last year as a nursing student at California State University, San Marcos. In high school, he had stellar grades and swam on the varsity team. His father, John A Earnest, is a popular physics teacher at the public high school he attended in San Diego.

Owen Cruise, 20, saw the younger Earnest every day during senior year at Mt. Carmel High School, when they were in calculus and physics together. They were also members of the school's amateur radio club.

Earnest was a nationally recognised pianist who brought audiences to their feet when he played at talent shows, Cruise said. He did a rendition of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and played Chopin and Beethoven. "Crowds would be cheering his name," Cruise said on Monday. "Everybody loved him."

Earnest showed no signs of harbouring dark thoughts or racist views, Cruise said, adding that he had friends who were Jewish and black. "He was very close to his dad," Cruise said. "He always hung out in his classroom, came to see him at lunch.

He always seemed like a nice guy He didn't seem like the type of person who would go off the deep end." His father worked at the school for 31 years and volunteered to help students with exams and homework, said Cruise, who praises his former teacher for having a big impact on his life.

On the morning of the shooting, the elder Earnest was hosting a study hour for the Advanced Placement exam and brought cookies, Cruise said. Cruise, now a sophomore at the University of California, San Diego, said Earnest lived at home and saw his parents every day.

"They only raised him to be the best man he could be," Cruise said. A tipster told The Associated Press that he called the FBI tip line at 11.15 am on Saturday because the post linked to a manifesto that said the author was responsible for the mosque arson in Escondido.

He says he found online that had the mosque attack had happened and feared the new threat was real. The online manifesto, written by a person identifying himself as John Earnest, was an anti-Jewish screed that praised the suspects accused of carrying out attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month and at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue that killed 11 on 27 October.

The tipster, who refused to provide his name because of security concerns, said the call with the FBI lasted four or five minutes and the shooting happened soon afterward. He described the FBI as quick and professional and said he doesn't know what the bureau could have done.

The shooting happened around 11.30 am Earnest's gun jammed and an off-duty Border Patrol agent fired at him as he fled, missing him but striking the getaway vehicle, authorities said. Oscar Stewart, an Army combat veteran, rushed the suspect just before the agent opened fire, authorities said.

"This is an evil person whose religion is hate," Stewart, 51, told KGTV in San Diego.
A homicide investigation into the deaths of four members of a Sikh family in the United States will explore the 'hate crime' angle, reports said on Tuesday.

Four members of a Sikh family in United States' Ohio were shot dead in their home in the West Chester apartment complex on Sunday. The local police has said that they will also explore the 'hate crime' angle, reports said on Tuesday.

The victims, three women, and one man were found dead inside the apartment with multiple gunshot wounds. Children also live in the apartment, but they were not present at the time of the shooting, reports said.

Chief of police, Joel Herzog was quoted as saying that multiple gunshots were fired inside the apartment, but he didn't specify how many, or whether the victims had been shot more than once. Police wasn't of the opinion that one of the victims was the shooter, reports said.

While the police did not specify whether they were looking for one or more suspects, Herzog said that they had evidence of forced entry.

Herzog also said that it was too early to suggest a motive and it doesnt appear that there was any return fire. He said Butler Countys coroner will determine the cause of death and release the victims identities.

Herzog said the shooting appeared "isolated" and he doesn't believe there's any danger to the community.

"Authorities established a perimeter around the apartment complex early Monday morning and are now searching on a larger scale. Investigators towed two vehicles from the scene at about 7 am Monday. Investigative teams continued to canvas the apartment complex and surrounding areas for evidence Monday. A dive team searched a pond on the property, and investigators have searched the grounds extensively," WCPO Cincinnati reported.

Reports quoted the local temple's executive committee president, Jasminder Singh, as saying that he was shocked when he learned of the deaths. "This is a horrible, horrible happening, in our community especially," he says. "Everybody is really shocked and at the same time scared."
Islamic State's caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis message will give hope to jihadists in many parts of the world, but its important to remember that IS has sustained itself, and expanded in new regions without hearing from him

He confessed his sins under the dubious shade provided by a single, scraggly tree on a blazing afternoon. Then, he obediently bent his head over the block of wood his executioners had prepared for him. His head was pulled back, and his neck slowly sawed through with a carving knife. The decollation was filmed with languid precision: gonzo pornography, but with death as its climax, instead of orgasm.

Since 2014, when Islamic State began broadcasting mass killings, led by chief executioner Muhammad Emzawi, the savage spectacle has defined its global danger. Except, this particular video had nothing to do with the Islamic State. Its author was Mexicos Viagras in Michoacan, and the video was just one of the thousands released by rival narco cartels in a war that has claimed over 1,25,000 lives.

Earlier this week, the Islamic State released its latest video: a short proof-of-life testament from the self-proclaimed caliph of this dystopia, Ibrahim Awwad al-Badri, also known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Large volumes of commentary have since been generated on the videos significance.

The truth is, it has almost no consequence at all.

Following 9/11, the world went to war on terror. That war has failed: its proved impossible to build states and polities in which violence isnt the language of power. In such political landscapes, the death of an al-Badri is only an interlude, which will enable another to arise.

The video

Few terrorists, it seems fair to say, have been proclaimed dead quite as often as al-Badri. In the summer of 2016, there were reports he had been injured in an airstrike in Iraq, killed in another one in Syria, and then poisoned by an assassin. Then, in 2017, he was, among other things reported to have been killed in a United States-led artillery bombardment, and killed again in a Russian airstrike.

The urge to proclaim al-Badri dead tells us something important: the death of the evil monster, we hope, like children reading a fairy-tale, will allow good to triumph again. There will be no Colombo, we imagine, if there will not be an al-Badri.

In truth, al-Badri is just part of a large cohort of voices who fire the mind of young jihadists globally. Figures like al-Qaedas Anwar al-Awlaki, slain in 2011, or Abdullah Azzam have inspired jihadists across generations  and research shows motivation by local ideologues and peers is often key to recruitment.

Forty seconds long, the Islamic State clip released on 29 April does little other than to establish al-Badri is alive  a message of hope to his global following.

"The battle of Baghuz is over, he says, referring to the eviction of Islamic State forces from their last territorial in Syria by Kurdish forces in late March.

But it did show the savagery, brutality and ill intentions of the Christians towards the Muslim community.

Truthfully, he goes on, the battle of Islam and its people against the cross and its people is a long battle.

Later in the video, text running across the screen lauds our brothers in Sri Lanka for their allegiance to the caliphate".

"And we advise them to stick to the cause of God and unity and to be a thorn in the chest of the crusaders, it adds.

Al-Badris message will give hope to jihadists in many parts of the world. But its important to remember the jihadist movement has sustained itself, and expanded in new regions like the Philippines, West Africa and Sri Lanka  without hearing from al-Badri.

Civilisational threat

The problem is this: in many parts of the world, savagery is the norm. In 2015, many were shocked by the Islamic States public burning of Jordanian air force pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh. Its a fair bet many others werent: apartheid collaborators and opponents in South Africa met the same fate, often delivered as a sentence by popular courts. Protestors in Brazil, Cote dIvoire and Haiti have used the same means.

La Familia Michoacana, one of Mexicos major cartels until 2011, had evolved an ideological project with evangelical roots, casting its criminality as a militarised form of Christianity. In territories under its control, La Familia flogged sinners, ranging from sex workers to teenagers wearing sagging pants or hairnets.

"Skinning people, cutting out their hearts, castrating them or cutting off their breasts, throwing them in a vat of acid, or setting them on fire while they are alive is incrementally becoming more accepted in narcoculture," the scholar David Amador observes.

That, he went on, is "creating a growing cadre of hardened killers; some of whom are still in their childhoods".

Even this isnt new. Hundreds used to gather in Kabul to witness and applaud brutal stoning of purported criminals in Taliban-era Kabul  they still do in the parts of the country it controls. Even though the Taliban were evicted from power after 9/11, it proved impossible to rebuild civil society and robust state institutions.

In Kampuchea, the French-educated Saloth Sars revolutionaries carried out public savageries on an industrial scale in the 1970s, killing more than two million people. The scars, decades later, are still visible, in the form of repressive government.

Killing an Osama bin Laden or al-Badri gives the illusion of progress in the war against terrorism  but its only an illusion. Afghanistan isnt any less an incubator for jihadism now Bin Laden is dead; in fact, levels of violence have grown. In terms of its geographical reach, al-Qaeda has expanded.

Islamic State savagery, of the kind seen recently in Sri Lanka and so many times earlier, isnt an invention of the Islamic State. Jihadism, like all other forms of terrorism has emerged and grown in a specific milieu: nation-states which have degenerated into tyrannies; societies unable to mediate conflicts; cultures where civic norms and values have vanished.

Historian Walter Benjamin imagined the angel of history thus: "Where we perceive a chain of events, he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage upon wreckage and hurls it in front of his feet. The angel would like to stay, awaken the dead, and make whole what has been smashed."

But a storm is blowing from Paradise; it has got caught in his wings with such violence that the angel can no longer close them.

This storm, he concluded, we call progress.

For Indians, the image ought be one that provokes reflection. India escaped the fate of its neighbours  a murderous civil war in Sri Lanka, the transformation of the state itself into a religious tyranny in Pakistan  because of relatively robust democratic institutions, and a civil society capable of mediating crisis of identity and class.

Today, however, with India in the midst of seismic political and cultural changes, the weave that ties the country together is strained as never before.
On Wednesday morning, Naruhito will inherit the Imperial Treasures in his first ritual as emperor and usher in the Riewa era. He is set to become Japan's 126th emperor and will take over the title of His Imperial Majesty The Emperor.

Japan's 85-year-old Emperor Akihito has stepped down from the throne, becoming the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in more than 200 years, after saying that he felt unable to fulfil his role because of age and declining health.

His elder son, Crown prince Naruhito, will ascend the Chrysanthemum throne now, beginning a new era. Even though the emperor in Japan holds no political power, he serves as a national symbol. The emperor's role is largely ceremonial, focusing on public engagement with citizens and meeting foreign dignitaries.

Emperor Akihito's reign in the Heisei era has been marked by his interactions with people suffering from disease and disaster, which endeared him to many Japanese people.

On Wednesday morning, Naruhito will inherit the Imperial Treasures in his first ritual as emperor and usher in the Reiwa era. He is set to become Japan's 126th emperor and will take over the title of His Imperial Majesty The Emperor.

The 59-year-old Oxford-educated Naruhito became the crown prince at the age of 28 taking forward the oldest continuing hereditary monarchy in the world which legends say could date back to about 600 BC. Therefore, unlike his father, who was crown prince since birth, he had the opportunity to pursue his own education and dreams when he was young.

After graduating with a degree in history from Tokyo's Gakushuin University, Naruhito studied at the Oxford University's Merton College from 1983 to 1985. He studied the history of transport on the River Thames, highlighting his interest in waterways and navigation. He later revisited these years in his book, The Thames and I  a Memoir of Two Years at Oxford.

Given his interest in global water issues, he was also an honorary president of the United Nations' Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation from 2007 to 2015. He is also an honorary member of the World Commission on Water for the 21st century and patron of the Global Water Partnership, established by the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Swedish Agency of Development.

During his early years, Naruhito was involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities and has also climbed the highest peaks in three of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom: Scotland's Ben Nevis, Wales' Snowdon and Scafell Pike in England. Upon his return to Japan, he enrolled once more in Gakushuin University to earn a Master of Humanities degree in History, which he got in 1988.

In a marked departure from the imperial tradition where the crown prince is raised by their subjects, Naruhito lived with his family until the age of 30. Like his father, Naruhito married a commoner. Masako Owada in June 1993. Owada was a 33-year-old worldly diplomat with an economics degree from Harvard at the time of the marriage. The couple has one daughter, Aiko, Princess Toshi.

In Japan, Naruhito's birthday is termed "Mount Fuji Day" by Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures because of his reported love of the mountain.

Even as he is all set to take over the throne on 1 May, Naruhito's enthronement ceremony will only take place tentatively on 22 October.
By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's vice foreign minister said on Tuesday the United States will face 'undesired consequences' if it fails to present a new position in denuclearisation talks by the end of the year, state media reported. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has set a year-end deadline for the United States to show more flexibility after his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump failed to produce a deal to end Pyongyang's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's vice foreign minister said on Tuesday the United States will face "undesired consequences" if it fails to present a new position in denuclearisation talks by the end of the year, state media reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has set a year-end deadline for the United States to show more flexibility after his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump failed to produce a deal to end Pyongyang's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

But Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have brushed aside the deadline, calling for Kim to take action on his pledge to denuclearize after years of pursuing nuclear and rocket programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.]

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui singled out Pompeo's interview last week with CBS in which he said the United States may have to "change paths" if the negotiations break down.

"Changing paths is not a privilege that only the United States has, but it could be our own choice if we make up our mind," Choe said, according to the official KCNA news agency.

"If the United States fails to reestablish its position within the timeline we gave, it will see truly undesired consequences."

She also said North Korea's determination to denuclearize remained unchanged. It would happen "when the time comes," but only if the United States changed its current calculations.

"We know the path we will take, but we're just hesitating to choose as we have set the deadline for the United States," Choe said.

The North had been seeking a deal to ease sanctions in exchange for dismantling some of its nuclear facilities, but Trump called for a "big deal" in which sanctions would be lifted if Pyongyang handed over all its nuclear weapons to the United States.

Choe's remarks continue the North's attack on Trump's point person on the nuclear negotiations, after another foreign ministry official rejected Pompeo as a counterpart, demanding a switch to someone "more careful and mature."

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Choe's remarks, but Pompeo reiterated on Monday that he was still in charge of the U.S. negotiating team.

"The president gets to decide that," he said in an interview with The Hill. "We dont get to decide who my counterpart is, and President Trump gets to decide who will represent America."

Trump has said he is open to a third summit with Kim, but has stressed that sanctions will remain in place.

In answer to a question in the Monday interview, Pompeo said he did not know whether a third summit could take place as soon as the summer.

"We want to make sure that we create the conditions where if we deliver that, if the two leaders get together, that we can make substantial progress," he said, while adding that Washington was working diplomatically with Russia, China and others to ensure sanctions are enforced.

"And were confident that as we continue to apply the economic pressure to North Korea that well get another opportunity to unlock and get North Korea to denuclearize," he said.

(Reporting By Hyonhee Shin and Jane Chung in Seoul and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Nick Macfie and Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
LIMA (Reuters) - Peru plans to deport about 50 Venezuelan migrants for concealing that they had criminal records, the interior ministry said on Monday, in the first large expulsion since hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans fled to the Andean nation last year to escape their country's crippling economic crisis. The migrants were detained in different districts of the capital Lima early on Monday and will be flown to Venezuela later in the day, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry accused the migrants of providing false sworn declarations in their residency applications stating they had no criminal record, a violation of Peru's migration law that is punishable with deportation.

LIMA (Reuters) - Peru plans to deport about 50 Venezuelan migrants for concealing that they had criminal records, the interior ministry said on Monday, in the first large expulsion since hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans fled to the Andean nation last year to escape their country's crippling economic crisis.

The migrants were detained in different districts of the capital Lima early on Monday and will be flown to Venezuela later in the day, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry accused the migrants of providing false sworn declarations in their residency applications stating they had no criminal record, a violation of Peru's migration law that is punishable with deportation.

Peru has granted special residency permits to 330,000 Venezuelans, allowing them to work and receive health and education services, and another 160,000 applications are being processed, according to Peru's immigration department.

The planned deportation follows reports in local media in recent months about Venezuelan nationals involved in criminal rackets including an alleged kidnapping-for-ransom gang that police announced they disbanded last week.

Some 3 million Venezuelans have left their homeland since 2015, seeking to escape the economic crisis under Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that has deprived many of basic foods and medicine, according to a U.N. estimate. Another 2 million are expected to emigrate this year.

Most Venezuelan migrants have ended up in other South American countries, straining public services in developing nations unaccustomed to absorbing large migratory waves and fuelling a backlash in some places.

Peru is home to the second-biggest population of Venezuelan migrants after Colombia. More than 700,000 Venezuelans now reside in Peru, a country of some 32 million people.

(Reporting By Mitra Taj; Editing by Will Dunham)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The combat veteran also said she felt  and still feels  a sense of duty to those soldiers who saved her life and the thousands of U.S. service members who remain there. Being a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over the nation's common defense, military operations, service member pay and retirement, military family benefits and the selective service system, allows her to keep a close watch on their welfare. So did the trip. When she was a wounded warrior, my buddies helped in bringing me back to my family, Duckworth said. When I went this time, I had the ability to help our troops now and make sure theyre doing OK.
So deeply entrenched is our impression of equating the violent Islamism of the Islamic State to the everyday habits of followers of Islam that it skipped the attention of the world at large that Sri Lanka had become only the second ever country in Asia to enforce such a countrywide ban.

A week after coordinated blasts hit three churches and three luxury hotels, killing over 250 people and inuring more than 500 others in Sri Lanka, President Maithripala Sirisena made it illegal for Muslim women in the country to wear any form of face veils in public.

So deeply entrenched is the impression of equating the violent Islamism of the Islamic State to the everyday habits of followers of Islam that it skipped the attention of the world at large that Sri Lanka had become only the second ever country in Asia to enforce such a countrywide ban.

With the ban, Muslim women will still be able to wear the hijab (which covers the head and neck but leaves the face clear) but must eschew the niqab (a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear) and the burqa (which covers the entire face).

A borrowed idea

While a really large section of the world would not know how a burqa is different from a hijab, vast swathes of political discourse have been devoted into convincing people that such items of clothing stand in the way of ensuring a terror-free world.

This political discourse had until now only reached the legislative echelons in countries witnessing a rightist resurgence in Europe. In Asia, with its enormous Muslim population (often forming parts of diverse societies), criticism of these quaintly Muslim items of clothing has been restricted to polltime complaints by right-wing leaders like Sanjiv Balyan.

Never until now had a democratically elected government in Asia felt the need to exact a ban on face covers. An exception to this is China, where face veils are indeed banned. There, however, government repression of Uighur Muslims is systematic and operates on a universal consensus that it is cruel.

To harness the future of a nation's safety to a measure that affects the personal freedom of women is certainly a novelty in Asia. Which brings us to the question if such a move exists to normalise the rhetoric of the European Far-Right.

Expression of anxiety

It is no coincidence that the two European countries with two of the most lenient sets of laws for absorbing refugees were the first to translate their spirit of welcome into anxiety and ban Muslim face veils. In 2011, France and Belgium were the first European countries to introduce a niqab and burqa ban. Women who wear such veils now face fines of up to 150. The alternative is an yet surprising assertion of European cultural snootiness -- they will be required to take "citizenship courses".

Unsurprisingly, this ban was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights in July 2014. The road to what would essentially amount to be religious intolerance was laid, with prompt bans by Austria (2017), the Netherlands (June 2018) and Denmark (August 2018). The extent of the bans differed with the countries. In Austria, you are only required to keep your face open in courts and schools and other public spaces. In Denmark, you pay 1,000 krone for any garment which keeps your face hidden. In the Netherlands, while you must take off your veil in schools, on public transport, and at hospitals, you can keep it on on public streets.

In Germany, drivers of any vehicles must take off their veils. A partial burqa and niqab ban is also operative for judges, civil servants and soldiers. In Switzerland's Tessin, a fine of over 9,000 euros was imposed on face veils in 2016.

Italy and Spain have both gone back and forth over similar bans.

While debates raged in the rest of Europe as to how best to word such bans so they could be taken as a measure of "inclusivity", France was taking things one step further as is their unique wont to. In 2016, a Muslim woman at a beach in Nice was forced to remove the outer item of her clothing by armed police officers after a ban on the burkini, a portmanteau of the bikini and the burqua that allows wearers of the latter to enjoy the water repellent benefits of the former.

How useful?

The criticism was unsparing, with several thinkers pointing out that administrative agents compelled to strip a woman "exposes the fallacy of the idea that laws policing womens bodies somehow contribute to their liberation."

The measure hearkened back to the flash legislation brought by Kemal Ataturk in 1920s Turkey, where headscarves where banned to ensure the country adopted constitutional secularism in spirit and law. The new millennium has seen Recep Tayyip Erdogan's conservative government take down the ban from every public institution, one by one.

Sri Lanka's situation now may be equated with many African countries where the face veil was banned in spite of sizeable Muslim populations, in the aftermath of terror attacks. Two suicide bombs attacks in a single month in 2015 led to a ban in Chad and Cameroon both. In Boko Haram-hit regions of Nigeria, the veil is banned as well.

Concerns over government intelligence reaching the wrong hands will always keep people from coming to any fact-based conclusion on how far such bans go in preventing future terror attacks. Anger simmers among those most hurt by such knee-jerk legislation, even though a particular religion is astutely never mentioned in statements by lawmakers.
Thousands of IS fighters have dispersed from Iraq and Syria to protect themselves and are trying to return to their countries of origin, this also includes the case of IS brides like Shamima Begum, who though, aren't directly involved in inflicting violence but hold extremist views which can influence young teenagers to commit themselves to the jihadist cause.

The Sri Lanka Easter Sunday attack and its aftermath involving a frantic search for people and organisations linked to the suspects (all suicide bombers) has opened up a can of worms about the thriving extremist network in South Asia and how it is fast spreading its tentacles in relatively peaceful countries such as Sri Lanka.

According to the latest report by The Indian Express, intelligence agencies are tracking over a dozen men from Tamil Nadu and Kerala whose phone numbers were found in the Call Detail Records (CDRs) of 29-year-old Zaharan Hashim, the suspected mastermind behind the blasts.

On Monday, as part of its probe into Hashims India links, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested one of the three men, detained on Sunday, on suspicion of being an Islamic State (IS) recruit and for conspiring to commit a terrorist act.

The NIA team has also claimed to have stumbled upon a video involving Hashim in which he can be seen exhorting Muslims from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka to fight for the cause of Islam.

Hashim, the agency believes, travelled to both Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the past couple of years. It further raided seven locations and arrested six for suspected links with the IS, including R Ashiq, Ismail, Salavuddin, Jafar Sadiq Ali, Shahul Hameed, Shamsuddin.

The agency has identified the man arrested in the recent raid as Palakkad resident Riyas Abubakar alias Abu Dujana who apart from admitting to following IS leaders and their principles and agendas, said that he was into the speeches of (Islamic preacher) Zakir Naik and inspired from them, wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala, the report states. It is based on similar videos and audio clips as found with Riyas during the NIA raid, that the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) had in December 2018, alerted the Sri Lankan authorities of an impending attack on the island nation.

The agency has claimed that almost all the men which it has zeroed in on have been in contact with various IS fighters based out of Syria and Afghanistan and also carrying out talks with local handlers and recruiters.

The Hindustan Times had reported that Hashim and another Sri Lanka bomber, Mohammad Azaan, had travelled to India in 2017 and 2018 to discuss the plans of IS.

The Islamic State came on the radar of Indian intelligence agencies in 2013 when local reports from Syria suggested that a few Indians too were fighting alongside the IS in the region. However, the group was not considered a direct threat to India and its citizens until 2014 when IS kidnapped 39 Indians in Iraq and executed them.

In fact, an IS map of the Khorasan Caliphate shows some of Indias states as its part. BBC reporter Andrew Hosken, who has included the map of the targeted areas in his book 'Empire of Fear: Inside the Islamic State'  released in 2015  said IS wants "to take over all of what they see as the Islamic world".

Since then there have been various reports of Indians travelling to Iraq and Syria to fight alongside IS and as many as 100 have been arrested by the agencies either on return from the region or while preparing to join them. Many have been arrested for preparing to carry out an attack in India after being inspired by the group's module and thinking.

Meanwhile, the IS, after initial successes, finally ceased to exist in a limited area in eastern Syria when the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces officially declared its end by taking over the village of Baghouz in March. However, the biggest challenge lies with the handling of the post Caliphate face of the group as the fighters start to move back to their countries raising risk of influencing more people to join the network.

Thousands of IS fighters have dispersed from Iraq and Syria to protect themselves and are trying to return to their countries of origin, this also includes the case of IS brides like Shamima Begum, who though, aren't directly involved in inflicting violence but hold extremist views which can influence young teenagers to commit themselves to the jihadist cause.

Further, the IS has very effectively used the internet and social media to create global support. Most of its international networks are run by handlers who reach out to people through encrypted messaging platforms and by putting out videos promising a life of dedication and supreme sacrifice to the God (Allah), often brainwashing them into travelling to the Caliphate.

However, those who are left behind try to create their own outfits swearing allegiance to the IS and are potential threats for their native nations or countries of residence. A report by PBS News Hour, had highlighted that how around 40,000 IS fighters were stranded after the group started shrinking, and even though many of them faced prosecution thereafter, their eventual fate was unknown.

On Tuesday, IS released a video of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi acknowledging its defeat in Baghouz. However, Baghdadi in his address sounds far from defeated as he swore to continue creating havoc on the Christian community ("battle of Islam and its people against the cross") and also hinted at the group's plan to expand and reclaim its territories soon.

Americans and Europeans failed as we congratulate our brothers in Sri Lanka for their allegiance to the caliphate, Baghdadi says in the video. And we advise them to stick to the cause of God and unity and to be a thorn in the chest of the crusaders. We ask God to accept their martyrdom and help the brothers fulfil the journey they started," the terror mastermind puts it out loud and clear.

As The Guardian notes, the IS, while no longer able to control its territory, is believed to be regrouping in towns and villages on both sides of the Syrian border, and planning for a return to the years of insurgency that followed the US invasion of Iraq.

And this, may not immediately ring alarm bells for India, but the South Asian country should well sense trouble considering how the group is now spreading its fangs to the region with many of its sleeper cell networks also operating throughout it. Even as the agencies continue to crack down on suspected handlers, a tactical approach to defeating the group's purpose and ideology is required to disallow it from attracting susceptible youth.
By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr objects to testifying before the House Judiciary Committee in a closed session dedicated to redacted portions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, a congressional Democratic aide said on Sunday.

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr objects to testifying before the House Judiciary Committee in a closed session dedicated to redacted portions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, a congressional Democratic aide said on Sunday.

Barr is threatening to skip his planned appearance on Thursday, the aide told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The committee's chairman, Democrat Jerrold Nadler, has proposed that Barr's public testimony be followed by a second round of questioning, where sensitive matters would be discussed behind closed doors and include committee staff lawyers, a House Democratic aide told Reuters.

Barr opposes both stipulations, according to the aide.

The attorney general is also scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

A Justice Department spokeswoman did not immediately return calls for comment.

The attorney general, a Trump appointee, released a redacted version on April 18 of Mueller's report on the 22-month investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race.

The report detailed a series of actions by Trump to impede the probe, but did not make a conclusion on whether those actions constituted the crime of obstruction. It also concluded that Trump and his campaign had not engaged in criminal conspiracy with Moscow.

Nadler has subpoenaed the Justice Department for the full report.

The House of Representatives panel's Republicans sided with Barr, saying Democrats' demands were unreasonable. "Democrats have yet to prove their demands anything but abusive and illogical in light of the transparency and good faith the attorney general has shown our committee," they said in a statement.

The Democratic aide said there was precedent for committee staff to question Cabinet-level officials and Senate-confirmed officials, citing political scandals including the Watergate break-in of the 1970s and the Iran-Contra scandal of 1987.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Additional reporting by David Morgan and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Peter Cooney)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The economic and political situation in Venezuela has caused an estimated 3.7 million Venezuelans to leave their homes and move to Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and other countries in the region, the UN said in a report. Around 1.2 million of them are in Colombia, often living in vulnerable host communities with already overstretched resources, said UNICEF.

Caracas: The United Nations on Monday said that nearly 3,27,000 children from Venezuela are living as migrants and refugees in Colombia due to lack of healthcare and education facilities in their own country.

At a time when anti-migrant sentiment is growing worldwide, Colombia has generously kept its doors open to its neighbours from Venezuela, said Paloma Escudero, Director of Communication at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), after completing a four-day visit to Cucuta, on the Colombian side of the border with Venezuela.

The economic and political situation in Venezuela has caused an estimated 3.7 million Venezuelans to leave their homes and move to Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and other countries in the region, the UN said in a report. Around 1.2 million of them are in Colombia, often living in vulnerable host communities with already overstretched resources, said UNICEF.

Escudero said, As more families make the painful decision to leave their homes in Venezuela every day, it is time for the international community to step up its support and help meet their basic needs, adding, We cannot let that generosity wear thin. For most families, the decision to leave is only a measure of last resort, she said.

Power blackouts have lasted for days in Venezuela, leaving over 70 percent of the country without electricity and forcing the government to close schools and suspend work, CNN reported. Embattled President Nicolas Maduro blamed the blackouts on a terror attack and American sabotage.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognised as Venezuela's legitimate leader by more than 50 countries, including the European Union and the United States, blames it to be a result of corruption and mismanagement by the Maduro-led government. He has accused the Maduro government of neglecting the power grid and stealing the funds that could have kept it running.

Last Thursday, Maduro boasted that schools are now back and the water and electricity problems are being solved. However, many Venezuelans are sceptical that these basic services will continue for long, but they have few alternatives. Amid the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis, neighbouring Colombia has offered to interfere and provide free education to migrant children from Venezuela.

UNICEF says that more than 1,30,000 Venezuelan children are enrolled in schools across Colombia today, up from 30,000 in November 2018. Nearly 10,000 of these students are in the border town of Cucuta and close to 3,000 of them commute from Venezuela every day to go to school.

UNICEF is working closely with other humanitarian agencies, national and local authorities, non-governmental organisations and communities in Colombia to provide migrant children, as well as children in host communities with health, nutrition, education and protection.
"What we are seeing today in Venezuela is the will of the people to peacefully change the course of their country from one of despair to one of freedom and democracy," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted in an early reaction. "The U.S. stands with them."
He not only cared from the bottom of his heart for the Italian-American community, he cared for all other ethnic groups, said Chicago funeral director Lou Rago, a longtime friend and lunch companion. There was not another ethnic group or race that Dominic did not have a friend in, and he was a telephone call away from all of them, and you know what  he brought people together.
The U.S. posturing is as likely to taint the opposition as it is to help it. Worse, the strong words may lead Guiado and his supporters to believe Washington will use force on their behalf. Its dangerous to encourage that hope  because it may induce them to take unwise risks, and because it could lead us to plunge into another country where our interests, like our understanding, is minimal.
A leader in fuel-cell solutions, Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE) is expected to report first-quarter earnings on May 6. Concluding its first year as a publicly traded company, Bloom Energy left 2018 with momentum that it expects to carry into 2019, although management recognizes that there will be challenges to overcome early in the year.

Analysts estimate it will report a loss of $0.24 per share, but savvy investors know that a company's quarterly performance transcends more than one metric. So, let's dig in a little deeper and see what we can expect management to address when it reports earnings.

Take it from the top

Booking sales of $742 million in 2018, Bloom Energy grew its top line 97% compared with 2017. Although management doesn't expect revenue to increase at the same clip as it did last year, it's still guiding for revenue growth of 20% to 30% in 2019 compared with 2018. In terms of the first quarter, management hasn't provided specific revenue guidance, but analysts expect the company to report sales of $197 million.

According to management, investors should recognize the same trend in 2019 as that which the company has experienced over the past few years. Due to the effects of seasonality -- namely winter challenges in the Northeast -- revenue in 2019 should be weighted toward the second half of the year. This reflects the company's success in geographically diversifying its customer base. In 2011, for example, 100% of the company's acceptances (the transition of projects out of backlog) were located in California; however, in 2019, Bloom Energy estimates that California will account for less than 30% of acceptances.

Keep a close eye on Korea

For Bloom Energy, expanding beyond California means more than operating in six states in the Northeast. The company has made significant inroads into Asian markets, including South Korea and Japan. On the company's Q4 2018 conference call, K.R. Sridhar, Bloom Energy's chairman and CEO, characterized South Korea "as a very attractive market to grow our business now and in the future."

In terms of Q1, though, the company expects that its dealings in South Korea will help compensate for the effects of seasonality stemming from the Northeast. Investors, specifically, can look for Bloom Energy to report the fulfillment of orders reflecting four projects in South Korea -- projects that should account for $57 million in revenue. Moreover, investors can look for commentary indicating that the company remains on track to deliver on additional projects slated for Korea in the backlog. Based on management's estimate that Korea can account for 25% to 30% of 2019 revenue, this translates to approximately $250 million for the year.

Margin call

While Bloom Energy hasn't issued specific guidance regarding its bottom line, investors can focus on two metrics, both of which are reported on a dollars-per-kilowatt basis: average selling price (ASP) and total installed system costs (TISC), which provide some insight into the company's profitability. In the first quarter, Bloom Energy expects ASP in the range of $6,750 to $7,050, and it forecasts TISC of $5,600 to $5,900. If the company, therefore, achieves the midpoints of these ranges, it will report a $1,150-per-kilowatt margin.

According to management, the lower margin that the company is expected to report in Q1 reflects the effect of deliveries to South Korea. But on the Q4 conference call, management attempted to allay investors' concerns regarding the margin contraction. Sridhar stated, "We consider this an investment that will pay off as early as the second half of this year, and we expect our margins in Korea to be in line with our corporate target."

What's on the line for Bloom

For those familiar with the absence of profitability among fuel-cell players, the analysts' estimate of a $0.24 loss per share should hardly come as a shock. Instead of the bottom of the income statement, investors should be keenly focused on the top, confirming that the company is continuing to report sales growth. Although Bloom Energy doesn't report on its backlog on a quarterly basis, investors can look for news regarding additional orders from South Korea, which would represent a green flag, indicating that the company is effectively executing its growth plan.
While mayors and their administrations turn over  as they should, per the democratic process  we need and deserve a holistic investment in this type of work that will transcend elected officials. By establishing an office of gun violence prevention under the office of the mayor, we can protect the longevity and effectiveness of the office. The funding for such an office would support not only essential staff personnel but also community-based programs, focused on areas with the highest risk for gun violence, to implement scientifically proven intervention and prevention strategies.
Every day, Wall Street analysts upgrade some stocks, downgrade others, and "initiate coverage" on a few more. But do these analysts even know what they're talking about? Today, we're taking one high-profile Wall Street pick and putting it under the microscope...

After underperforming the S&P 500 by more than 17 points over the past year, Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) delivered a pleasant surprise to its shareholders last week, outperforming analyst expectations and beating on both earnings and revenue. The $0.17 per share that Alaska earned in fiscal Q1 2019 topped consensus estimates by more than 50% -- and the airline even eked out a small sales beat with its $1.88 billion in Q1 revenue.

Not everyone was impressed.

Here at the Fool, for example, Fool.com contributor Adam Levine-Weinberg gave credit where credit was due, noting Alaska's improved revenue per available seat mile (RASM) -- up 2.2% in Q1 -- and its prediction that "RASM will rise 2% to 5% year over year" in Q2. At the same time, he made some pointed observations about Alaska's history of "several quarters of sharp earnings declines," its continued contractions in profit margin, and its reliance on "a lower tax rate to drive higher earnings."

Analysts still optimistic

Nor was Levine-Weinberg alone in finding both bad and good in the report. Analysts at Buckingham Research cut their price target on Alaska Air to $78 a share, and Deutsche Bank cut its target to $68 (but both kept buy ratings on the stock), according to reports from StreetInsider.com (subscription required).

And today, the best news of all came when JPMorgan decided that on balance, there was enough good news in Alaska's report (and elsewhere, as we'll soon see) to justify upgrading the airline to overweight, with a $72 price target.

Why buy Alaska Air?

So what did JPMorgan find encouraging in Alaska Air's report? For one thing, the analyst liked Alaska's higher RASM target -- and in fact, believes this target is "easily achievable."

No haste means no waste, in this case

But what's really interesting here is why JPMorgan thinks Alaska is set up to perform well in Q2. According to the analyst, competition is declining for Alaska in the San Francisco market, and JPMorgan anticipates lessened competition in Seattle as well.

Perhaps more important is that one of the reasons for this lessening in competition is the global grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX airplanes, which we discussed yesterday. You see, in contrast to many of its rivals, Alaska Air does not yet have any 737 MAX planes in its air fleet. So while many of its rivals have been forced to remove MAX planes from operation during the grounding, and probably won't be able to resume flying them before August, Alaska faces no such issues with its planes. (Indeed, although Alaska has ordered 30 737 MAX planes, the first isn't expected to arrive before June 2019.)

In today's upgrade, JPMorgan notes rival discount carrier Southwest's somewhat less fortunate scenario. At Southwest, 737 MAX 8 aircraft make up more than 4% of the carrier's air fleet, yet cannot be flown at all right now -- a fact that weighed on results last quarter (and, as Levine-Weinberg recently pointed out, will continue to do so "for at least the next quarter or two"). This fact wasn't lost on JPMorgan, which mentioned the "neutering" of Southwest's growth as a point in Alaska's favor.

What it means to investors

In the near term, therefore -- at least until the FAA grounding of 737 MAX planes ends -- Alaska appears to have a competitive advantage over Southwest and other operators of the beleaguered Boeing aircraft. What's more, with a share price only 17 times trailing earnings, a 2.3% dividend yield, and a 14.3% projected growth rate (according to S&P Global Market Intelligence), JPMorgan sees Alaska Air as a good enough bargain to justify a buy rating.

Now personally, I think I still prefer Southwest at 12 times earnings, a 1.2% dividend, and 11% projected growth -- it's a more modest valuation, and leaves more room for upside should things turn around for the 737 MAX. But that's neither here nor there.

The real point to focus on is that JPMorgan has hit upon a perhaps underappreciated factor working in Alaska Air's favor, and working against Southwest and some of the Alaskan carrier's other rivals. That's the reason JPMorgan is upgrading today -- and it's a point worth bearing in mind.
What happened

What went up is coming back down. Shares of ATM manufacturer Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE:DBD), which soared earlier this year on the back of a positive note from Wall Street stock shop D.A. Davidson, are plummeting today as an analyst's endorsement proved premature.

This morning, Diebold reported its fiscal first-quarter 2019 earnings -- or, rather, its Q1 2019 losses -- and the news was even worse than you think. Instead of the $0.35-per-share loss that Wall Street had forecast for the stock, Diebold reported that it lost $1.74 per share last quarter ($0.63 on a pro forma basis). Sales for the quarter -- $1 billion and change -- likewise fell short of estimates.

So what

Diebold's $1 billion in Q1 revenue declined 3% year over year, while its net losses more than doubled to $132 million on a GAAP basis.

On the plus side (yes, there was a plus side), cash burn at the North Canton, Ohio-based company was cut in half, to just $72 million in negative free cash flow this Q1 -- as opposed to the $162 million in cash it burned one year ago.

Now what

Despite the worst-than-expected GAAP results, Diebold also held fast to its previously issued guidance. The company continues to believe that full-year revenue will run from $4.4 billion to $4.5 billion, with positive "adjusted EBITDA" (not the same as GAAP profits) of between $380 million and $420 million. Diebold will also continue to make progress on stamping out its cash fire. Indeed, by year end, Diebold projects breakeven free cash flow, with capital expenditures of $80 million fully paid for by $80 million in cash from operations.

Long story short, Diebold's news wasn't great -- but I suspect it was a whole lot better than investors are giving Diebold credit for today.
Why do they hate us? Why? Wiesel replies. So I know all the answers. In the beginning it was religious reasons. Other times, it was social reasons. They hate us either because we are too rich or too poor, either because we are too ignorant or too learned, too successful or too failing. All the contradictions merge in the anti-Semite. And yet, one thing he knows: He hates Jews. He doesnt even know who Jews are. In general, I say, the anti-Semite  let him tell me why he hates me. Why should I answer for him?
PARIS -- In a speech during his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised: "We're getting out of the nation-building business and instead focusing on creating stability in the world."

Neocon members of the Trump administration are overtly working against Trump's stated cause. They have made no secret of their regime-change agenda, which is directly responsible for lightening the wallets of Americans -- notably at the gas pump.

The actions of these neocons are affecting three major oil-producing countries: Venezuela, Iran and Libya. Here's how you're footing the bill for their shenanigans.

Venezuela has long been a major source of oil for American refineries. It produces an estimated 6.5 percent of America's imported crude oil. The regime-change aficionados in the Trump administration -- most notably Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton -- convinced Trump to sanction Venezuela so heavily on Jan. 28 that by March, imports of Venezuelan crude oil had virtually dropped to zero.

The apparent hope was that this act of economic strangulation would make Venezuelans so desperate that the Trump administration's hand-picked puppet, Juan Guaido, who was unilaterally declared "interim president" of Venezuela in January by the Trump administration and American allies, would ascend to legitimacy. So far, that hasn't happened, although yet another coup attempt was launched against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday.

Venezuela has mitigated the drop in American oil sales by diverting those barrels to India and other countries whose identities the U.S. Energy Information Administration admits to not knowing. The U.S. has since pressured India, a close ally, to stop buying Venezuelan oil, which will now be sold to Russia and China instead. You can't control the whole world -- although some in the Trump administration might try.

The administration's regime-changers have also tried to control the situation in Iran (as well as the options available to U.S.-allied nations) by pulling out of the multi-country nuclear agreement with Iran last year, despite the assessment from U.S. intelligence that Iran was holding up its end of the deal.

Trump reinstated sanctions on Iran and has made it so difficult for European allies to uphold their end of the nuclear deal that Europe has had to create a whole new trading mechanism to bypass American sanctions without having to worry about the U.S. bringing charges against executives of European multinationals.

Iran has reacted by threatening to close the Hormuz Strait -- a move that would block oil shipments to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia, America's second-largest oil supplier (13.4 percent of imports) behind Canada (39.5 percent).

Panic over the potential closure of this vital shipping route could explain the odd volte-face on America's position in Libya. There's currently a Libyan coup underway, led by a Libyan-American military officer named Khalifa Haftar. When Muammar Gadhafi was still in charge of Libya, Haftar was a CIA asset used in an attempted overthrow of Gadhafi. Haftar has since expanded his nation-state sponsorships, courting foreign interests looking for a Libyan horse on which to bet. This latest coup would reverse the U.S.-backed coup in 2011, and Pompeo denounced this latest coup attempt just weeks ago.

But now, faced with the prospect of a Hormuz Strait closure, Trump is all in for yet another coup in Libya. He has engaged with Haftar via phone and praised the Libyan warlord publicly. Trump may be hoping that he can secure some Libyan oil to make up for all the messes this administration has made with formerly reliable oil supplies.

It's easy for casual observers to dismiss the current global flashpoints where the Trump administration is involved in regime-change efforts as irrelevant to daily life. But then you'll wake up one day, drive to the gas station and wonder why it's costing you a fortune to fill up your vehicle. Keep in mind that it's the price of gas that sparked the "yellow vest" protests here in France last year, launching an ongoing popular revolt. Pompeo, Bolton and the other hawks pounding the war drums in Trump's ear are doing America a disservice by pretending that their agenda only harms America's foes and not Americans themselves.

( Rachel Marsden is a columnist, political strategist and host of an independently produced French-language program that airs on Sputnik France. Her website can be found at www.rachelmarsden.com.)

(c) 2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A&W Opens Flagship Restaurant in Asia as Centennial Nears

At least 45 international and domestic locations to open this year

April 29, 2019 // Franchising.com // LEXINGTON, Ky. - Just two months shy of A&W Restaurants 100th anniversary, its Second Century Growth Initiative is kicking into high gear with the opening of a flagship company-owned restaurant in Singapores new Jewel Changi Airport. It is the latest of at least 45 international and domestic locations expected to open this year.

A&W returned to Singapore April 17 after a 16-year absence. In 1966 it was the first American quick-service restaurant to enter the country and remains beloved throughout Southeast Asia. Guests waited up to three hours for Root Beer Floats and Coney Dogs, as well as other all-American and regional favorites.

Jewel Changi Airport is both an urban center for local residents and an international hub. Open 24 hours, the 80-seat A&W is testing menu and service initiatives to be used in future locations. A total of 35 restaurants will open this year across Southeast Asia, where A&W is focusing much of its international expansion.

In the U.S., A&W currently has 17 franchised U.S. restaurants in various stages of development, with five to open in May and June. Two new franchisees recently signed agreements for restaurants in Las Vegas and Tonopah, Nevada, with the Tonopah A&W the brands first hotel and casino location. New development agreements also were signed earlier this year for Bingham Lake, Minn., Prescott Valley, Ariz. and Yermo, Calif.

Since A&W franchisees acquired the company in 2011, weve been working to rebuild the brand worldwide, said CEO Kevin Bazner. The amazing responses to our Singapore return, combined with the interest we are seeing from new U.S. franchisees, clearly show that A&W is a second-century growth brand.

Earlier this year, A&W announced an incentive plan consisting of lower royalties for new U.S. franchisees. On June 20, it will become the first American restaurant chain to turn 100. There are currently more than 960 restaurants worldwide  597 in the U.S. and 372 in Asia.

A&W still makes Root Beer fresh in each restaurant from real cane sugar, water and a proprietary blend of herbs, bark, spices and berries that are served in a frosty mug alongside burgers, fries, chicken tenders and other All American Food favorites.

Media Contact:

Brad Ritter

Ritter Communications

BRitter@bradritter.com

866.284.2170

SOURCE A&W

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An Awareness Drive With Heart - Big And Small. Lapels Dry Cleaning Donates Services To American Heart Association Awareness Campaign

April 30, 2019 // Franchising.com // WALTHAM, MA and HANOVER, MA - Lapels Dry Cleaning, an environmentally friendly dry-cleaning franchise headquartered in Hanover, Massachusetts, recently opened its heart and Waltham location to help the American Heart Association celebrate national Heart Health in February. Lapels specific donation was dry cleaning services for 1,500 red stocking caps knitted by volunteers and distributed to newborns at Boston area hospitals as part of the Little Hats Big Hearts campaign.

Little Hats, Big Hearts is a month-long campaign as part of Heart Health Month that raises awareness for congenital heart defects. Taking place across the nation, little red hats are handed out to newborns at participating hospitals.

Our wonderful volunteers did such a great job knitting these hats for the newborn babies. We knew we needed a special kind of dry cleaner to clean the hats without damaging some of the delicate needlework, said Stefani Barba, coordinator of the Little Hats, Big Hearts campaign in Massachusetts. We reached out to Lapels location at 1036 Main Street in Waltham and they volunteered their services and did a fantastic job getting the hats ready.

Lapels has pioneered an eco-friendly dry cleaning experience over the past 18 years. Part of that effort includes a partnership agreement with GreenEarth, the dry cleaning industrys only non-toxic cleaning alternative. Using these kinds of solutions and the latest technology in equipment, Lapels is one of the few dry cleaners able to boast that there is no hazardous waste in their process. Consequently, its gentler on clothes and you can see, feel and smell the difference.

We were delighted to help out with the Little Hats, Big Hearts campaign, said Kevin Dubois, CEO of Lapels Dry Cleaning. As a parent, you never take your childrens health for granted. We are more than proud to be asked to volunteer our expertise and services to help the American Heart Association on this great campaign. Its a great reminder for everyone of the importance of heart health. As the hats correctly imply that starts from the day we are born.

According to the American Heart Association, which organized the program in connection with the Childrens Heart Foundation, congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect in the country.

For more information about the Little Hats, Big Hearts program, visit heart.org/littlehatsbighearts.

For more information on Lapels Dry Cleaning and its range of dry cleaning services and locations, visit www.mylapels.com.

Lapels Dry Cleaning  Environmentally Friendly Cleaners

Each Lapels Dry Cleaning store offers a full slate of services, including: same-day dry cleaning; shirt service; tailoring; shoe repair; wedding gown preservation; suede and leather processing; box storage and fur storage. Lapels Dry Cleaning has stores in Arizona (Gilbert, Chandler, Phoenix, Scottsdale), California (Gilroy, Hollister), Colorado (Littleton), Connecticut (Cromwell), Florida (Fleming Island, Orange Park, Tampa) Louisiana (Monroe, West Monroe, Delhi, Rayville, Winnsboro), Massachusetts (Abington, Allston, Bedford, Boston, Boston Seaport, South Boston, Brighton, Burlington, Cohasset, Dedham, Dover, Easton, Framingham, Hanover, Hingham, Kingston, North Andover, Malden, Marshfield, Marthas Vineyard, Newtonville, Norton, Somerville, Stoughton, Walpole, Waltham, Wakefield, Wellesley, Westford, Westwood, W Roxbury and Wilmington), Michigan (Beverly Hills, Rochester Hills, West Bloomfield), Mississippi (New Albany, Tupelo, Oxford, Pontotoc), New Jersey (Brick, Somerville), Ohio (Liberty Township), Oklahoma (Edmond, Oklahoma City), Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg), South Carolina (Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island), Tennessee (Arlington, Brentwood, Franklin, Germantown, Nashville), Texas (Bee Cave, Brownsville, Katy, Little Elm, Prosper, Richmond, Spring, Sugar Land). Additional locations are coming soon to Boston, MA, Olive Branch, MS, Charlotte, SC, Latham, NY, and Fort Mill, SC.

Lapels Dry Cleaning has received a number of accolades in the franchise world. That includes being ranked as the number one franchise in the Dry Cleaning and Delivery Services category for Entrepreneurs Annual Franchise 500 for 2016. Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 is the best and most comprehensive rating of franchises in the world and is based on objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation. Lapels Dry Cleaning has also been named to Franchise Times Top 200+.

Lapels has also achieved acclaim in the dry cleaning industry. Lapels Dry Cleaning CEO Kevin Dubois is the co-author of Entrepreneurial Insanity in the Dry Cleaning Business, sold on Amazon.com.

Lapels Dry Cleaning corporate offices are located at 962 Washington Street, Hanover, MA 02339.

Additional information and up-to-date company news can also be found on the companys Web site, www.lapelsdrycleaning.com.

Media Contact:

Steven V. Dubin

(781) 582-1061

sdubin@prworkzone.com

SOURCE Lapels Dry Cleaning

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Chicken Salad Chick Grows Tennessee Footprint With New Location In Cookeville

Fast Casual Concept Celebrates 13th Restaurant In The State With Free Chicken Salad For A Year

April 30, 2019 // Franchising.com // Auburn, AL - Chicken Salad Chick, the nations only southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today it will be expanding in Tennessee with its newest restaurant in Cookeville. Located at 1265 Interstate Drive in the Shoppes at Eagle Point, the new restaurant, which will be offering free chicken salad for a year to the first 100 guests, will open on May 7th and marks the brands 13th location in the state.

During grand opening week, guests will experience the southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for, with giveaways and specials that include:

Tuesday, May 7 - Free Chicken Salad for a Year - The first guest will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year; the next 99 guests receive a free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month.* Any guest not part of the first 100 in line can make a purchase and enter to win free chicken salad for a year.**

- Free Chicken Salad for a Year - The first guest will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year; the next 99 guests receive a free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month.* Any guest not part of the first 100 in line can make a purchase and enter to win free chicken salad for a year.** Wednesday, May 8 - The first 50 guests at 10a.m. and the first 50 guests at 5p.m. to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free 30oz RTIC Chick tumbler.

- The first 50 guests at 10a.m. and the first 50 guests at 5p.m. to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free 30oz RTIC Chick tumbler. Thursday, May 9 - The first 50 guests at 10a.m. and the first 50 guests at 5p.m. to purchase a Chick Special will receive a free upgrade to a Chick Trio.

- The first 50 guests at 10a.m. and the first 50 guests at 5p.m. to purchase a Chick Special will receive a free upgrade to a Chick Trio. Friday, May 10 - Chicken Salad of the Month Club & Mothers Day the Perfect Pair- The first 50 guests at 10a.m. and the first 50 guests at 5p.m. to purchase a Chick Special will be automatically enrolled in the Free Chicken Salad of the Month Club. Each guest will receive one scoop of chicken salad per month for a year.*** In honor of Mothers Day, guests can enjoy any two scoops at $5.99 all day long and the first 200 moms will receive a free long stem rose.****

- Chicken Salad of the Month Club & Mothers Day the Perfect Pair- The first 50 guests at 10a.m. and the first 50 guests at 5p.m. to purchase a Chick Special will be automatically enrolled in the Free Chicken Salad of the Month Club. Each guest will receive one scoop of chicken salad per month for a year.*** In honor of Mothers Day, guests can enjoy any two scoops at $5.99 all day long and the first 200 moms will receive a free long stem rose.**** Saturday, May 11 - Free Cooler & Mothers Day the Perfect Pair - The first 50 guests to purchase two large Quick Chicks will receive a free large Chick cooler. In honor of Mothers Day, guests can enjoy any two scoops at $5.99 all day long and the first 200 moms will receive a free long stem rose.****

The Cookeville restaurant is owned and operated by multi-unit franchise owner Hudson Sandefur and his partner Christy Eischeid of Cookeville Chick, LLC. With nearly 30 years of experience in the fast-casual sector, Sandefur and Eischeid know what it takes to successfully manage foodservice franchises. Sandefur owns six Zaxbys locations across Alabama and Mississippi and Eischeid previously owned and operated three Zaxbys locations in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. Sandefur celebrated the grand opening of his first Chicken Salad Chick restaurant in DIberville, Mississippi last fall and is thrilled to be opening a new location in Cookeville with his close friend and valued partner.

I was already a huge fan of Chicken Salad Chick when Hudson came to me about potentially becoming franchise owners, so it didnt take much convincing to get me onboard, said Eischeid. Ive called Tennessee home my entire life and Ive built meaningful relationships with the residents here. I know what theyre looking for in a dining experience and the rich flavors, comforting atmosphere and genuine nature of Chicken Salad Chick fits in perfectly. I look forward to serving the residents in Cookeville and know in time, these guests will turn into my little Chick family.

The Chicken Salad Chick concept was established in 2008 by founder, Stacy Brown. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu offers a variety of options suitable for any guest. In 2015, Eagle Merchant Partners purchased a majority stake in Chicken Salad Chick, and under the leadership of CEO Scott Deviney and team, the company now has 117 restaurants currently open in 13 states and remains a standout brand within the fast casual segment.

Chicken Salad Chick in Cookeville will be open Monday - Saturday from 10:00a.m. - 8p.m. For more information, visit http://www.chickensaladchick.com or call (931) 651-2530. Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

*Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age, purchase The Chick and are required to download the Craving Credits app. Redemption will start 5/13.

** Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age, must make a purchase and are required to download the Craving Credits app. 10 winners will be announced on Facebook Live at the end of the day and will receive a free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.

***Eligible winners must be over 16 years of age, purchase the Chick Special and are required to download the Craving Credits app. Redemption will start 5/13.

****Includes any two scoops of chicken salad, egg salad or pimento cheese for $5.99. No substitutions for alternative items are included. Loyalty members can receive double points for CravingCredits.

For more information on giveaways and specials, visit https://www.facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickCookeville/

About Chicken Salad Chick

Founded in Auburn, Alabama, in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Today, the brand has 117 restaurants in 13 states and is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in Franchise Times' Fast & Serious in 2019, Fast Casual.com's top Movers and Shakers, Nation's Restaurant News' Next 20 in 2017 and Inc.'s list of the 500 fastest-growing companies in the U.S. in 2016. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.

SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick

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Shoneys Set to Host Nashvilles Premiere Annual Gathering at 11th Annual 5K Family Fun Run & Free Festival on May 18 at Nissan Stadium

Americas Iconic Restaurant Brand Set to Exceed $200,000 Benefitting Nashville Police Department with Annual 5K Fun Run and Festival

April 30, 2019 // Franchising.com // NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Americas favorite red, white and blue restaurant brand is putting its emphasis on the blue with Nashvilles premiere annual event - the 11th Annual Shoneys 5k Fun Run & Festival - which provides 100% of proceeds to its hometown men and women in blue: the Nashville Police Department.

On Saturday, May 18 at Nissan Stadium, the day will start with a 5K run followed by a kids fun run, which has become a Nashville family tradition. The event will feature a FREE festival with activities for the entire family. The 5K Family Fun Run & FREE Festival will be based in Nissan Stadiums Lot T, which is adjacent to the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. Parking is available in Lot R, across from Lot T.

For more than 70 years, Shoneys has been about food, family and fun and without our police officers, none of those things would be possible, said Shoneys Chairman and CEO Mr. Davoudpour, who for the past ten years has personally matched all funds for the event, which has raised more than $200,000 for the MNPD, and has also fed all participants a Shoneys Legendary Breakfast Fresh Food Bar during that time. I am absolutely committed to our hometown of Nashville and the men and women in blue who keep our city safe and I cant wait to roll out the Shoneys red carpet for them and all of our valued families in Music City.

Registration for the run will begin at 7 a.m. and the 5K will start at 8 a.m. The 3.1-mile scenic run starts and ends on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge and is highlighted by parts of historic downtown, the Country Music Hall of Fame, Music City Center, Bridgestone Arena, Musica Statue and Music Row. There will be a Kids Fun Run/Walk following the race at 9 a.m. All times are CST. A registration form is available at https://5krun.shoneys.com/. MNPDs own Sgt. Clifton Knight is a special guest and will be performing the national anthem.

5k Fun Run & Festival - Shoney's

5krun.shoneys.com

Race. Mark your calendars for the 11th Annual Shoneys 5K Fun Run & Festival! The race takes place on Saturday, May 18, 2019 and begins at Nissan Stadium Lot T.

At the conclusion of this years 5K, Shoneys legendary breakfast fresh food bar will once again be served in Lot T to race and festival participants as part of one of the best post-race festivals in the city. The festival will feature an awards presentation, fantastic live music (back by popular demand: Danielle Lauderdale), random drawings, the display of police vehicles & equipment, and special activities for children (face painting, giant inflatables, games, a balloon artist and an appearance by the famous Shoney Bear). Complimentary beverages and fruit will be available for runners at the finish line.

This annual event has proven to be a great family experience that affords an opportunity for folks of all ages to meet Nashvilles police officers while viewing a variety of our resources, including a helicopter, police horses, SWAT gear, Bomb Disposal Robot and specially equipped vehicles, Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said. We are extremely grateful to Shoneys and its great leader Mr. David Davoudpour for sponsoring this event for the 11th consecutive year.

The Nashville Police Support Fund, a component of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, was established primarily to help defray costs for officers working to complete higher education degrees. Through the generosity of Davoudpour and his Shoneys brand, over $200,000 has been raised for the fund since the 5K Family Fun Run and FREE Festival began in 2009. Dozens of officers have received higher education grants from the fund over the past five years.

The entry fee is $30 through May 17 and $35 on the day of the event. Teams of 3 or more are $20 per person. The entry fee for Shoneys employees is $10, $25 for police cadets and $5 for students ages 11-18. Kids 10 & under are free. Online registration closes on May 17. Walk-up registration is available on race day beginning at 7 a.m. CST.

Prizes of $500 cash will be awarded to the top finishers in the male and female categories. Male and female first place winners in each age category will receive a $25 Shoneys gift card. Second place winners in each age category will receive a $10 Shoneys gift card. The age categories include 9 and under, 10-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 and up.

About Shoneys

Shoneys is headquartered in Nashville, operates in 17 states and is now growing through franchising following an extensive revitalization effort. For over 70 years, guests have enjoyed Shoneys family-friendly, casual dining experience. Visit www.shoneys.com for more information on restaurant hours, locations and special offers. Shoneys is offering franchising opportunities to qualified single and multi-unit candidates. You can also follow Shoneys on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Media Contact:

Derek Farley

150PR for Shoneys

704-941-7353

derek@150pr.com

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The Seattle-based company portrayed the moves as confirmation that the Northern Virginia facility will be a true second headquarters, with high-level executives building teams there, and not merely a satellite office.

The company said it is leasing 45,500 square feet of temporary space from JBG Smith at 2345 Crystal Drive, so new employees can begin work in June. Earlier this month, JBG Smith said it had finalized three leases and two sales agreements with Amazon for other buildings nearby.

"The strong support from state and local government has allowed us to make significant progress toward establishing our presence here," Williams said. "We are ahead of schedule and on pace to create 400 new jobs this year and a total of 25,000 over the next decade plus."

Amazon must meet those targets to qualify for state grants totaling up to $550 million for the first 25,000 jobs, and up to $750 million if a total of 37,850 are eventually created.

The agreement with the state specifies how many jobs are to be created each year, with the average wage rising 1.5 percent each year from a base of $150,000. The state gives Amazon the grant money four and half years after the jobs are created.
Bobby van Hoven said he did not attend college, but two of his brothers did.

I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I just wanted to work. Having that direction was a little easier for me because thats what my family was into.

Some of todays students, on the other hand, dont know what career field they want to pursue and need guidance as well as the opportunity to do some hands-on work, he added.

Nine out of 10 may say, This is not for me, but that one out of 10 will say, You know what? I dont need to have the $150,000 of college debt  this is what I want to do, Bobby van Hoven said.

He mentioned a potential greenhouse partnership with Eastern View High School in Culpeper.

Its limited what we can do. We cant go out and build a greenhouse for Culpeper County schools, but you can steer them to the right people, in the right direction and try to help them understand that steering kids to vocations, whether its agricultural or mechanics, its a big win for everyone in the world that has people who use their hands, Bobby van Hoven said.
QUESTIONING GOD

Then David explained that he went through a very dark period of grief when he asked existential questions that seemed to me to be very universal questions in times of trauma and grief: "God, why is this? Where are you? Why did I not die with them? Is God even real?"

But life had to continue, and David would persevere, and eventually he encountered the man who ordered the soldiers to kill his students. He saw the man in town and walked up to him.

At this point in the interview, I was barely able to breathe. Was he going to kill this man who had ordered the execution of his students?

David continued, "I didn't plan to do it, but I went straight up to him and said [to the man] I know you are the one. I want you to know I have forgiven you.'" And then immediately David described this feeling of relief, even happiness.

After this he realized, "Oh yes, I could finally reason. Why I am alive? There must be something I should do, and it would be to promote forgiveness in the process of creating healing and peace."
Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017 following the recusal of then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and oversaw much of his work. His exit leaves the department without the official most closely aligned with the probe as officials grapple with public and congressional scrutiny of the special counsel's findings and the department's handling of the report.

He not only supervised Mueller's work for much of the last two years but also defended the investigation against attacks from congressional Republicans and Trump, who has blasted the probe as a "witch hunt." In so doing, Rosenstein sometimes found himself at odds with Trump. He was nonetheless spared the brunt of anger directed at Sessions, whose recusal from the Russia investigation infuriated the president, leading to his forced resignation last November.

As deputy, Rosenstein was a central character in some of the most consequential, even chaotic, moments of the Trump administration. He wrote a memo criticizing James Comey that the White House used as justification for the firing of the FBI director, then a week later appointed Mueller to investigate the Trump campaign's ties to Russia. That investigation swiftly grew to include whether the firing of Comey constituted obstruction of justice.
Sierra Clubs support of solar farm is naive

I am disappointed that the Sierra Club supports the sPower solar farm in Spotsylvania. Of the concerns I have with their arguments, I find this one particularly naive:

Decommissioning worries seem to be a major concern, but they dont reflect reality. sPower is buying the land, not leasing it. Why would any for-profit company invest in the land, build a solar farm, and then walk away from it? They would not; instead, they would continually upgrade the site and keep it functioning into perpetuity, to keep profits coming.

There are many cases of corporations buying land, polluting it beyond the pale, and then walking away. Example: Hooker Chemical was cleared of wrongdoing at the Love Canal.

SPower exists to create profit. Land developers often do whatever they want and then pay chump-change fines. Example: Landslide at Fones Cliffs caused by inadequate erosion controls.
An image of Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie has been circulating on the internet, and fans have opinions.

Fans were a skeptic when Paramount Pictures announced they were making a Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Movie adaptations of popular video games have never had the best track record.

With that said, with the positive reception towards Pokemon: Detective Pikachu marketing, maybe Hollywood was finally starting to realize how to sell the idea a video game movie properly.

However, despite how well Detective Pikachu is marketed, the Sonic the Hedgehog has received nothing but bad press. From the oddly shaped Sonic figure on the teaser poster to the leak images of Sonic himself, nothing about the film has made fans any less worry. The opposite may have happened.

While casting Jim Carrey as the main villain may seem like AN odd choice, it isnt even remotely close to being the worse decision in a series of bad decisions that the film appears to be making. Jim Carrey has always been a popular actor, yet his physique has never matched that of Dr. Robotnik, who is generally portrayed on the heavier side.

On April 29, SEGAbits on Twitter shared an image of Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. They share a rumor that there will be a trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie coming out tomorrow.

Rumor: First look at Robotnik in the #SonicMovie, trailer releases tomorrow pic.twitter.com/IMf4pjQX6U  SEGAbits (@SEGAbits) April 29, 2019

It isnt known if the image or rumor is legit, but Scott Wampler on Twitter appears to confirm it is real. He claims to have seen two trailers at CinemaCon, one of which focused on Carreys role as Robotnik. Scott Wampler is an editor for Birth.Movies.Death, and has the coveted blue check mark next to his name.

Can confirm thats real. We saw two trailers at CinemaCon, one which was entirely focused on Carrey as Robotnik. Hes playing the character in what I would describe as late 90s Jim Carrey mode. https://t.co/t0HHJzy43s  Scott Wampler (@ScottWamplerBMD) April 29, 2019

The image, of course, trended on Twitter, with many fans having mixed opinions on the look. Though compared to the overall negative response towards Sonics look, maybe a mix response was probably the best outcome for Carreys look as Robotnik, provided if the image is real.
As another year marked by the global pandemic comes to an end, our photojournalists remain challenged  and, frequently, awed - by the constant state of change.



We documented our ever-evolving world in ways few photo staffs could as we all worked to regain normalcy amid COVID-19s seemingly unbreakable hold on our communities. We showed the relieved faces of people receiving a coveted vaccine, telling the story of a scientific breakthrough with images of those benefitting from it. We covered new workplace policies, school protocols and policing practices. We traveled half-way across the world to an Olympics where the athletes couldnt hug each other, masked medalists step atop the podium and no one came to watch.



The Chicago Tribune faced its own series of changes, too. We have new owners. New bosses. Endured another move. Gained new talented journalists and lost many others from the newsroom ranks. The one constant has been our dedication to providing photography on a daily basis that is relevant to the communities we cover: The joy of picnicking at the lakefront on a summer afternoon, the pain of children, police officers and neighbors all falling victims to violent crime. Documenting whos in and whos out in the political landscape, escaping to your favorite cultural event or sports competition.



We hope this installment of the annual Photos of the Year project reminds us of the moments that shaped our lives and the thoughtful way we portray them. Its also a platform for acknowledging the talent and dedication of Tribune photographers, and all photojournalists, who make change a way of life.



The Chicago Tribune staff photographers for 2021: Brian Cassella, Erin Hooley, Terrence Antonio James, Vashon Jordan Jr., John J. Kim, Youngrae Kim, Jose M. Osorio, Antonio Perez, Armando L. Sanchez, Chris Sweda, Abel Uribe, E. Jason Wambsgans, Stacey Wescott and Raquel Zaldivar.



Tribune visual editors: Mark Hume, Andrew Johnston, Marianne Mather, Steve Rosenberg and Peter Tsai.

- Todd Panagopoulos, Director of Content/Visuals
Have you read your Benton County Voters Pamphlet? If you vote for Measure 2-123 you will be asking for more taxes that will raise about $29.4 million. This is (and I quote) an estimated dollar amount. Most amazing is that with over 50,000 people in Corvallis, there is this statement (and I quote): No arguments against this measure were filed. The same has occurred in the past with the League of Women Voters supporting such measures along with all of our politicians.

The argument for voters have done a poor job of explaining where past dollars have gone, except to say they have had to cut back. Advertisements provided dire warnings that the library will be harmed, kids will not be able to swim, and (I guess) we will never see "Damn Yankees" at the Majestic Theater. Why are we giving Oregon State University our tax monies? Are we not paying for free buses via our water bills? We have to pay off a $200 million new bond for schools. Obviously, Corvallis is faced with a community apocalypse. Look at page 17. Every conceivable group or politician has their hand out. And the grandiosity does not end until you read (and I quote) this levy would have a net zero effect on your property tax bill. Yeah, but ... it is a tax measure. Rents and property taxes have jumped a lot due to the $200 million bond. Anyone notice that fact? Glad you are rich.
Georgia: The Culinary Muse of the Caucasus owes a lot to Barbare Jorjadze - GeorgianJournal
Flipkart offers up to 25% off on bestselling laptops Features oi-Harish Kumar

Flipkart's recent sale scheme looks impressive not only for devices but also for other gadgets. The portal comes with great discounts and other attractive deals on these wares. To the surprise, users can obtain some laptops with up to 25% off, which indeed can relieve you if you are keen on having a few high-end laptops. Check out the list of some of the best laptops at the bottom that come with greatly reduced price option.

The best available offers catered by Flipkart include- no cost EMI option, great exchange and cashback offers, extra discount, 5% off with Axis Bank Buzz Credit Card, extra Rs. 1000 off on prepaid transactions, and more. The consumers get 1-year additional warranty covering manufacturing defects & software issues.

You get free pickup-drop and repair with genuine parts. While purchasing a couple of laptops from the list, users can seek 1-year international travelers warranty(ITW). These laptops also have many great features that can tempt you for the purchasing. These features include- HD+ LED Backlit display, high-performance processor, NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1050Ti for desktop level performance, Pre-installed Genuine Windows 10 OS, and many more.

Apple MacBook Air Core i5 5th Gen Buy This offer on Flipkart

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802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible Lenovo Ideapad 330 Core i5 8th Gen Buy This offer on Flipkart

Key Specs Processor: 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 1.6GHz base processor speed, 3.4GHz Max speed, 4 cores, 6MB SmartCache

Operating System: Pre-loaded Windows 10 Home with lifetime validity

Display: 15.6-inch Full HD (1920x1080) Laptop | Antiglare display

Memory & Storage: 8GB DDR4 RAM with Integrated Graphics | Storage: 1TB HDD

Design & battery: Laptop weight 2.2kg | Battery Life: Upto 5.5 hours as per MobileMark 2014

Warranty: This genuine Lenovo laptop comes with 1 year domestic warranty from Lenovo covering manufacturing defects and not covering physical damage. For more details, see Warranty section below

Pre-installed Software: Windows 10 Home Acer Predator Helios 300 Core i5 8th Gen Buy This offer on Flipkart

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NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1050Ti for Desktop Level Performance

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Light Laptop without Optical Disk Drive

Pre-installed Genuine Windows 10 OS 21% off on Dell Vostro 15 3000 Core i5 8th Gen Buy This offer on Flipkart

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15.6 inch Full HD LED Backlit Display

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Preloaded MS Office Home and Student 2016

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Upto 6 hours battery backup Asus ROG Strix Core i7 8th Gen Buy This offer on Flipkart

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Processor: 8th Gen Intel core i7-8750H processor, 2.2GHz base processor speed

Operating System: Preloaded Windows 10 Home with lifetime validity

Display: 15.6-inch Full HD (1920x1080) 120Hz 3ms display

Memory & Storage: 16GB DDR4 RAM with NVidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB graphics

Storage: 1TB Firecuda HDD with 256GB PCIE SSD

Design & battery: Laptop weight: 2.6 kg 19% off on Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Core i5 8th Gen Buy This offer on Flipkart

Key Specs

15.6 inch Full HD LED Backlit Anti-glare Display

Pre-installed Genuine Windows 10 OS

Preloaded MS Office Home and Student 2016

65 W AC Adapter

3 cell Battery 20% off on MSI GL Series Core i5 8th Gen Buy This offer on Flipkart

Key Specs

15.6 inch Full HD LED Backlit Wideview Anti-glare TN Display

NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1050 for Desktop Level Performance

Light Laptop without Optical Disk Drive

Pre-installed Genuine Windows 10 OS

135 W AC Adapter

6 cell Battery

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Amazon announces new Alexa skill kit with Spanish support for the US News oi-Karan Sharma Americans will be able to talk with Alexa in Spanish soon. All you need to know about the new addition to the AI.

On Monday Amazon has announced a new voice model which will allow Spanish-speaking users to develop skills. In simple terms, the American users will be going to soon talk to their Alexa devices in Spanish with this new inclusion. The company has made some addition to the Alexa Skills Kit for its developers.

"We are pleased to announce that as of today it is possible to offer skills for Spanish-speaking Alexa clients in the United States using the Spanish voice model for the United States. From this moment, the skills that the developers believe and that are certified for the publication will be available for the participants in the Alexa Preview program and for all the clients when Alexa launches the Spanish support for its clients in the United States, later this year," reads Amazon blog post.

This new inclusion has come a month after Amazon decided to bring full Spanish support to all Alexa enabled devices like the Echo series and more by the end of 2019.

According to the reports, the US has 48.6 million speakers which makes it the second largest concentration of Spanish speakers across the globe after Mexico. Developers in Spain and Mexico have already started writing skills in Spanish for Alexa devices.

It seems Amazon has seen this multilingual support for Alexa devices as a big scope of attracting multilingual customers. This might be a reason why the company is promoting different languages on Alexa devices.

Just to recall, developers in Canada already have the choice of building skills in English or Canadian French. Moreover, Alexa skills are also available in French, Japanese, German, Italian and Portuguese.

Do note that the Alexa in Spanish will not only available on Echo devices but it will be also made available for third-party Alexa enabled devices. Meanwhile, companies like Bose, Sony and Facebook also support the Spanish language.

Last year in August, it was reported that Alexa is also capable of learning Hindi. "Alexa gets smarter every day and now customers in India can help Alexa learn Hindi, and other Indian languages, using the new Cleo skill," Amazon said in a statement.

Let's see how soon Alexa is going to learn Hindi in India.

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US warns UK of risks to intelligence sharing over Huawei

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 04:46PM

A senior US official has hinted that Britain could be denied having access to American intelligence if it goes ahead with involving Chinese giant telecommunication company Huawei in plans to build its next-generation internet network.

Robert Strayer, an assistant deputy for cyber affairs in US State Department, said on Monday that Washington may withhold intelligence from the UK if London uses Huawei as a partner for building its future 5G network.

"It is the United States' position that putting Huawei or any other untrustworthy vendor in any part of the 5G telecommunications network is a risk," said Strayer, adding, "If other countries insert and allow untrusted vendors to build out and become the vendors for their 5G networks we will have to reassess the ability for us to share information and be connected with them in the ways that we are today.

The warning comes amid a row in Britain over Prime Minister Theresa May's decision to allow Huawei to build some parts of the country's 5G network.

May's critics have demanded a rethink of the decision, saying allies like the US and Australia have banned the Chinese company from similar plans.

The row intensified last week after details of a meeting in which government decided to give the green light to Huawei leaked to the British media.

Several senior ministers in May's cabinet have been blamed for the leak although they deny the accusation. An extensive inquiry has been launched with cabinet ministers even warned of a criminal investigation over the leak.

China's ambassador to London said on Sunday that the UK government should think of its national interests while dealing with the case rather than bowing to external pressure.

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Suspected UAE spy held in Turkey commits suicide

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 07:54AM

One of the two suspected UAE spies detained by Turkey earlier this month has committed suicide, Turkey's media outlets said on Monday.

The detainee committed suicide in Silivri prison on the outskirts of Istanbul, they said. A source within Turkey's Justice Ministry also confirmed the report.

The two suspects were arrested in Istanbul on April 15 as part of a counter-intelligence investigation.

The pair confessed to spying on Arab nationals on behalf of the Untied Arab Emirates, a senior Turkish official said, adding that Turkey was investigating whether the arrival of one of them could be linked to the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year.

"We are investigating whether the primary individual's arrival in Turkey was related to the Jamal Khashoggi murder," the official said, adding the suspect had been monitored for the past six months.

"It is possible that there was an attempt to collect information about Arabs, including political dissidents, living in Turkey."

Khashoggi  a prominent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  was killed and his body was dismembered by a Saudi hit squad after being lured into the consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.

Turkey, which said it was in possession of audio evidence of Khashoggi's murder soon after he failed to exit the consulate, has indirectly suggested that bin Salman ordered his killing.

The Washington Post, for which Khashoggi was a columnist, reported in November last year that the CIA had also concluded that bin Salman ordered his killing.

After weeks of outright denial, the Riyadh regime eventually acknowledged the murder but has attempted since to shift the blame to bin Salman's underlings and away from the prince himself.

International suspicion, however, remains largely directed at the heir to the Saudi throne.

Ankara has demanded that Riyadh extradite the suspects in the case to stand trial in Turkey. Saudi Arabia has refused to do so.

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Man Suspected of Spying for UAE Commits Suicide in Turkish Prison - Reports

Sputnik News

13:37 29.04.2019(updated 13:38 29.04.2019)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - One of the two Turkish prison detainees suspected of spying for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has committed suicide, Turkey's Haberturk media outlet reported on Monday, citing a senior official.

The two suspects were arrested in mid-April on suspicion of spying for the UAE, in connection with, according to Turkish Anadolu news outlet, an ongoing investigation launched by Turkish prosecutors into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, who was a well-known critic of Saudi policies, went missing last October after he entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul. Riyadh initially denied any knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts but eventually admitted that Khashoggi had been killed inside the embassy and alleged that his body had been dismembered.

Saudi authorities have charged 11 people with Khashoggi's murder, while Ankara demands that the accused be extradited to Turkey, and that Riyadh reveals where the journalist's remains can be found.

Relations between Turkey and the UAE have recently seen a downward trend. Abu Dhabi has repeatedly condemned Turkey's actions in Syria, urging Ankara to "respect Arab sovereignty and deal with its neighbours with wisdom and rationality".

In turn, Ankara accused the UAE of backing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), considered a terrorist entity in Turkey, amid Abu Dhabi's reported support for the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which Ankara believes is connected to the PKK.

 Sputnik

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Prominent Taliban Spy Arrested in Kabul - Reports

Sputnik News

13:29 29.04.2019

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A special unit of the Afghan National Police has arrested a prominent Taliban spy in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the Khaama Press news agency reported on Monday, citing the Afghan Interior Ministry.

According to the outlet, the police operation to arrest the spy known as Qudratullah was held on Sunday evening.

Besides planning and coordinating Taliban attacks, the arrested spy is believed to have collected and shared information on supply convoys that were traveling on Kabul-Maidan Wardak highway, the media outlet said.

Taliban has not commented on the arrest so far.

Afghanistan has long been gripped by war and political instability, but the two main rivals  the Afghan government and the Taliban  have been making efforts toward achieving peace by holding indirect talks.

 Sputnik

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USS Cheyenne Returns From Deployment

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190429-05

Release Date: 4/29/2019 11:09:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton, Submarine Force Pacific Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Cheyenne (SSN 773) returned from a deployment to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, April 26.

"I am very proud of the way our Sailors took care of each other during deployment and am extremely humbled by what the team accomplished through innovation, perseverance, and sometimes sheer grit," said Cmdr. John Gonser, a native of Amityville, New York, and Cheyenne's commanding officer. "Now we are blessed with the chance to share some aloha with the family and friends who sacrificed and supported us. Their support makes our mission possible."

During the deployment, 17 Sailors advanced to the next pay grade, three officers were promoted, and 32 Sailors earned their submarine warfare qualification.

"The greatest accomplishment during this deployment for me was getting my fish [submarine warfare qualification]," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Connor X. Kedrowski, a native of Mount Dora, Florida. "It feels super rewarding to know that all the hard work I put in to get my fish has not gone unseen. All of my shipmates were there to assist me throughout this journey and I am proud to be a part of this new family."

Cheyenne's deployment allowed the crew to test their training and demonstrate their ability to complete high-end tactical missions in any environment.

"Our warship is outfitted with state of the art systems and technology, but it is our crew that makes USS Cheyenne stand out from the rest," said Senior Chief Fire Control Technician Sean Hingle, a native of Daytona Beach, Florida and Cheyenne's chief of the boat. "Our Sailors put a great deal of time and effort into preparing and training for this deployment to ensure that we would not only be ready, but capable of taking on any mission and dominating it."

Cheyenne's capability was highlighted by its participation in Keen Sword, a joint, bilateral field-training exercise involving U.S. military and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel, designed to increase the combat readiness and interoperability of the Japan-U.S. alliance.

"The biggest lesson I learned on this deployment was keeping your head up," said Lt. j.g. Benjamin M. West, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania. "Keeping not only my head up but helping others keep theirs up as well when the schedule changes and challenges arise. Perseverance and continuing to push on is what submariners are made of and our crew has embodied that."

Cheyenne enjoys a strong relationship with its namesake city highlighted by the Cheyenne, Wyoming mayor traveling to Pearl Harbor to greet the crew as they returned from deployment.

"I could not be more proud than I was today welcoming home USS Cheyenne," said Marian J. Orr, mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming. "It was a profoundly touching and patriotic event to be aboard God's Boat as we came home to Pearl Harbor. Speaking on behalf of our great city, I thank the submariners  of our namesake city  who risk their lives to protect our nation. We salute you."

USS Cheyenne is named after the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and it is the last of the 62 Los Angeles-class submarines to enter service in the U.S. Navy. Commissioned on Sept. 13, 1996, Cheyenne measures more than 360-feet long and weighs more than 6,000 tons when submerged.

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NMCB-3 Completes Indo-Pacific Deployment, Relieved by NMCB-4

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190429-09

Release Date: 4/29/2019 1:35:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Lopez, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 Public Affairs

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 transferred authority of all Indo-Pacific Region Naval Construction Force (NCF) missions to NMCB-4 during a Relief in Place/Transfer of Authority (RIP/TOA) ceremony at Camp Shields in Okinawa, Japan, April 19.

The RIP/TOA symbolizes the end of NMCB-3's six-month deployment and the start of NMCB-4's deployment to the Indo-Pacific Region under the operational authority of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment.

Capt. Steven Stasick, commodore of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, presided over the ceremony.

"Seabees of NMCB-3, I want to congratulate you on an outstanding deployment," said Stasick. "Sharing an observation between myself and my staff: you all pushed to the end with quality and safety. It's easy when you're close to the end to become more relaxed on safety and cut corners on quality for the sake of finishing a project while leaving the oncoming battalion to fix the mistakes, but you all did not of that and you worked hard until the end. Thank you."

Stasick extended his welcome to NMCB-4 as the oncoming battalion.

"NMCB-4, welcome aboard," said Stasick. "We are grateful to have you here. It's a great time to be in the Pacific and there's a lot going on to keep you busy and challenged. I look forward to working with you throughout this deployment."

In delivering his remarks, Cmdr. Joseph Harder, commanding officer of NMCB-3, described the goal behind the battalion's deployment.

"When we deployed here we had a clear purpose," said Harder. "We were going to provide capability and readiness to the 7th Fleet and be an integral part of the team here in Okinawa, but most importantly, we left our families to make a difference. We serve our nation to make a difference, and while we were out here we wanted to give meaning and identity to that effort that pulls us away from our loved ones."

Harder addressed the Seabees of NMCB-3, explaining that they have exceeded his rigorous expectations.

"You delivered on every single mission," said Harder. "You served your nation with honor on foreign soils with a level of dedication, commitment, and sacrifice that has earned the respect and trust of the citizens of our great country. Through the execution of 50 projects in 12 nations, 148 warfare devices, hours of deck-plate leadership, accountability and mentorship, I'm convinced you have built combat-ready Seabees. Thank you for leading our Seabees with loyalty and integrity."

In closing, Harder welcomed NMCB-4 and described his wishes for their way forward.

"Skipper Santiago and the Seabees of NMCB-4: you now have the watch," said Harder. "I will tell you that we genuinely have given you our best effort to enable your successful deployment and we would also like to thank you for what you have done to prepare to make this RIP/TOA transparent, professional, and thorough. You all have an impressive head of steam, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you getting off with a fast start. My great desire is that your deployment is exceedingly successful."

Following Harder's remarks and the transfer of authority to Cmdr. Angel Santiago, commanding officer of NMCB-4, the ceremony continued with the command master chiefs and command master-at-arms of both battalions lowering NMCB-3's battalion flag and raising NMCB-4's to signify the transfer.

Santiago delivered remarks in conclusion of the ceremony and in setting the tone for the start of NMCB-4's deployment.

"To the Seabees and families of NMCB-4: I'm extremely proud of your hard work during our arduous homeport preparing for this deployment," said Santiago. "I am honored to serve with you and I'm thrilled to finally make it out to the Indo-Pacific theatre. As I've mentioned to you before, I only ask that you give me your best each and every day, and give your best on and off duty and continuously trust in each other and build upon the amazing legacy of the Seabees."

Before the RIP/TOA occurred, an overlapping period of inspection and review was conducted of all equipment, supplies, projects, facilities, and civil engineering support equipment to ensure accountability and the success of the oncoming battalion in executing NCF missions.

During their deployment, NMCB-3 conducted humanitarian aid and disaster recovery (HA/DR) efforts, construction readiness operations (CRO), theater security cooperation, engineering projects, and multi-national exercises while maintaining constant readiness to support major combat operations throughout the duration of the deployment.

NMCB-3 Seabees provided Defense Support of Civil Authorities relief efforts to the island of Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in response to the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yutu. The Seabees constructed over 60 emergency temporary roofs during the HA/DR mission to make many of the local resident's homes habitable again.

The Seabees carried out construction civic action detail missions constructing school houses and completing quality-of-life enhancing engineering projects in several geographic locations included the Philippines, Timor Leste, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

NMCB-3 completed 15 CRO projects on Navy and Marine Corps installations throughout Diego Garcia, Japan, San Clemente Island, and South Korea valued in excess of $2.9M. Seabees in Japan planned and constructed three k-span structures, completed two pre-engineered buildings, a shade structure, and constructed concrete trash enclosures for residential base housing. Projects on San Clemente Island include completion of a pre-engineered building and a BQM target drone launcher pad, as well as blasting and quarry operations, which yielded over 7,500 cubic yards of mineral products. Seabees in Diego Garcia constructed a bus stop and tension fabric structure as well as placed concrete pads to store U.S. Air Force and war reserve equipment. Seabees in South Korea placed concrete pads for storing gangways and built a dog park to enhance quality of life. In addition to tasked projects, the Seabees completed many discretionary projects to improve living conditions on the respective installations they supported.

Additionally, NMCB-3 participated in seven multinational and bilateral exercises to enhance interoperability with units from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and U.S. Marine Corps as well as military engineers from multiple host and partner nations to include Australia, Canada, China, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand.

NMCB-3 is home-ported in Port Hueneme, California. Seabees are the expeditionary engineering and construction experts of the naval service. They provide task-tailored, adaptable and combat-ready engineering and construction forces that deploy to support Navy objectives globally.

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USS Ross Conducts Bilateral Exercise with Turkish Navy

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190429-02

Release Date: 4/29/2019 10:19:00 AM

By Ensign Drake Davis, U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

BLACK SEA (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) participated in maritime interoperability training and replenishment-at-sea with Turkish maritime counterparts April 27 in the Black Sea.

After receiving fuel from the Turkish Navy Akar-class replenishment oiler TCG Yarbay Kudret Gungor (A 595), Ross completed a series of tactical communications and maneuvering exercises with the Turkish Navy Yavuz-class frigate TGC Turgutreis (F-241) and a Turkish Maritime Patrol Aircraft before sailing in formation for a group photo exercise.

"It was an absolute pleasure operating with the Turkish Navy today," Cmdr. Dave Coles, commanding officer of USS Ross, said. "They are steadfast and reliable partners who routinely operate with the utmost professionalism, and today was no different. It is imperative that we continue to hone our interoperability through exercises like these."

The U.S. Navy routinely practices high-end warfare with allies and partners in the Black Sea.

Multinational training improves capabilities and operational effectiveness, thereby enhancing regional maritime stability, combined readiness and naval capability with our NATO allies and partners.

Ross, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, deployed from Naval Station Rota March 8 on its 8th forward-deployed naval forces patrol.

While on patrol, Ross is scheduled to conduct naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.



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Ready for Refit: Navy-Owned Research Vessel Getting Suped-Up for Service

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS190429-13

Release Date: 4/29/2019 1:43:00 PM

By Warren Duffie Jr., Office of Naval Research

Office of Naval Research

Office of Naval Research

Office of Naval Research Public Affairs

ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- Like a classic car being restored, the research vessel (R/V) Roger Revelle is undergoing a year-long makeover to extend its working life, enhance its operating systems, and strengthen its research capabilities for the Navy and scientific organizations.

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at the University of California San Diego, has operated and maintained the U.S. Navy-owned Revelle since 1996, under a charter lease agreement with the Office of Naval Research (ONR)which manages the ship on behalf of the service.

"This refit of the R/V Revelle is important because it bolsters the scientific and seagoing capabilities of a true workhorse of a ship," said Dr. Tom Drake, head of ONR's Ocean Battlespace and Expeditionary Access Department.

The Revelle usually spends more than 250 days at sea yearly.

"The refit will allow the Revelle to continue to support Navy and national oceanographic research objectives," Drake continued. "It also enables additional years of service; hundreds of thousands of ocean miles sailed; research opportunities for thousands of scientists; and the training of the next generation of sea-going scientists and technicians."

During the mid-life refitconducted in Portland, Oregon, by Vigor Shipyardthe Revelle will receive brand-new diesel engines that run cleaner and more efficiently. The 273-foot vessel will boast the latest navigation and ship-positioning systemsas well as sophisticated sonar, allowing it to map the ocean floor in sharper detail.

The Revelle's laboratories will be updated to include advanced IT infrastructure and improved real-time communications with shore. Several critical sensor systems also will be replaced, providing upgraded scientific capabilities and increased reliability.

The $52 million refitsponsored by ONR, Scripps and the National Science Foundationis a much better price tag than the $200 million it would have cost to build a new research vessel. And it will extend the Revelle's life by another 15-20 years.

"Boosting the ship's capabilities, while keeping the costs relatively low, is of great value to the Navy, the scientific community and the U.S. taxpayer," said Rob Sparrock, the program officer overseeing ONR's research vessel program. "For example, the refit will update the propulsion systems with the newest in marine technology. This means better diesel-electric generation and distribution systems, stronger compliance with environmental requirements, and reduced obsolescence of various systems and components."

The Revelle is one of three Navy-owned research vessels undergoing refit. The R/V Thomas G. Thompson, operated by the University of Washington since 1991, completed its refit in 2018. The R/V Atlantis, operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution since 1997, is scheduled for refit in 2020.

"The Revelle belongs to a class of research vessels that can do things few other research ships can do," said Stephen Kelety, marine superintendent at Scripps. "It can accommodate a large number of scientists and scientific equipment, operate in bad weather and high seas, and is adaptable to the research needs of the scientists onboard. It's an important vessel for gathering scientific knowledge."

Since the end of World War II, the Navy has provided state-of-the-art research ships to select universities and oceanographic institutions to perform scientific studies of the marine environment. Currently, the Navy owns six of these vesselspart of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, whose research at sea supports Navy and national oceanographic research objectives and trains the next generation of oceanographers.

The Revelle is named for Roger Revelle, a Navy officer who was instrumental in the founding of ONR and was among the first scientists to study climate change and the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates.

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Pompeo says US support for Saudi-led war on Yemen is 'in America's best interest'

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 09:53PM

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has defended US support for the Saudi-led war on Yemen, saying it is 'in America's best interest".

"The support we're providing to the Saudis as they attempt to engage these dangerous missiles systems is in America's best interest," said Pompeo, according to the The Hill on Monday.

Pompeo made the comments in reference to missile attacks launched by Yemen's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement, which is defending the country against the Saudi-led invasion.

Seeking to deter the Saudis from further attacks, Ansarullah has targeted a number of strategic Saudi installations, including airports.

"Airplanes flying through King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh are at risk, and the United States has an obligation to protect our citizens," said Pompeo.

The US has been generously providing arms support for the kingdom and its allies during their onslaught against Yemen. Washington has also provided the coalition logistical assistance, including bombing coordinates.

Washington's support for Riyadh's war, however, has come under increasing scrutiny in Congress ever since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey last October.

Earlier this month, the US President Donald Trump vetoed a congressional war powers resolution against US support for the war. Backers of the resolution believe the American involvement is an act of war and, therefore, needs approval from Congress.

Last week, senior US Senator Bernie Sanders, who originally co-sponsored the anti-war resolution, wrote a letter to fellow Senators urging them to override Trump's veto in a bid to "protect" Congress's constitutional authority.

The Senate is expected to act on Trump's decision later this week, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. It is, however, not clear what type of vote will be made in response to the veto.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the former Saudi-sponsored government back to power.

Earlier this month, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization tracking casualties in Yemen, announced that the death toll from the Saudi-led war surpassed 70,000 deaths, with more than 10,000 being killed in the five last months alone.

The war has also taken a heavy toll on the country's infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.

The UN has warned that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the worst global famine in more than 100 years.

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Palestinians reject tax revenues amid Israeli deduction

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 02:46PM

The Palestinians have restated their refusal to accept tax revenues in the wake of the Israeli regime's controversial deduction of certain amounts from the tax it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

"Our position is as it was: We will not receive any money from Israel if it is incomplete."

"This is something we will not accept at any cost."

Those were the remarks made by PA President Mahmud Abbas during the weekly cabinet meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday.

In early July 2018, Israel's parliament (Knesset) passed a bill to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in funds from the Palestinians over welfare payments given to prisoners and their families.

Tel Aviv in February invoked a law to deduce tax revenues relative to the amounts the Ramallah-based PA pays to the Palestinians languishing in Israeli jails or the families of those killed by the Israeli military.

At the time, several senior Palestinian officials condemned the decision, which they described as "piracy and an illegal economic aggression."

The stipends benefit roughly 35,000 families of the Palestinians killed and wounded by Israel. The PA says the payments are a form of welfare stipend to the families who have lost their main breadwinner. The Israeli regime calls that "terrorist salaries."

Abbas has time and again defended such payments as an important function of his administration.

In a speech in June 2017, he argued that "payments to support the families are a social responsibility to look after innocent people affected by the incarceration or killing of their loved ones."

Last week, the Arab League pledged to provide the PA with $100 million monthly, potentially averting a financial crisis caused by the row.

Abbas on Monday called on the body to honor that pledge, averting a crippling financial crisis.

"We do not have high hopes, but perhaps the amount could be considered a debt that we return as soon as Israel returns" the money, he said.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has taken a harsh stance against the Palestinians. In August 2018, the administration announced it was slashing millions of dollars in support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Millions of dollars have also been cut in aid to the Palestinians for projects in the West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip, including to hospitals in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.

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Yemeni troops seize villages in Dhale from pro-Hadi forces

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 09:55AM

Yemen's army and allied forces have reportedly seized two villages from forces loyal to the country's former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in the southwestern Province of Dhale.

On Sunday, Yemeni forces gained control of the villages of Beit Sharji and al-Adhab, located northwest of the district of Qatabah, following fierce exchanges of gunfire with Saudi-backed troops there, the media bureau of Yemen's Operations Command reported.

Yemen's al-Masirah television network also quoted a military source as saying on Monday that Yemeni troops had targeted several Saudi positions in the border regions of Jizan, Najran and Asir overnight, killing or wounding an unspecified number of them.

They also staged an ambush against Saudi-paid militants in the al-Rabu'ah military base of Asir.

They fired domestically-manufactured Zelzal (Earthquake)-1 ballistic missiles at the gatherings of Saudi mercenaries in Najran's al-Baqa'a desert as well as al-Fariza military base in Jizan, inflicting human and material losses on them.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the government of Hadi back to power and crushing Houthis.

UN report: Death toll at 102,000

According to new figures from the United Nations, the Saudi war in Yemen will have claimed about 102,000 lives by the end of 2019, indicating that the invasion has killed far more people than previously reported.

The UN-commissioned report by University of Denver also revealed that more Yemenis are dying of hunger, disease and the lack of health clinics and other infrastructure, London-based Middle East Eye reported.

The 68-page study, called Assessing the Impact of War on Development in Yemen, showed that about 131,000 more Yemenis will have died from the side effects of the conflict between the start of 2015 and the end of 2019.

The combined death toll from war and disease is 233,000, or 0.8 percent of Yemen's 30 million-strong population. Researchers also said thatfive years of war will have cost Yemen's economy $89 billion.

According to Jonathan Moyer, an assistant professor and lead author on the report, the vast majority of the victims are children under five.

The report said that one child dies from the war and its side effects every 11 minutes and 54 seconds.

"It's worse than people expected," Moyer told the Middle East Eye.

"It's one of the highest-impact internal conflicts since the end of the Cold War. On par with Iraq, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo - conflicts with an impact on development that lasts for a generation."

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Afghanistan kicks off grand peace assembly in Kabul under tight security

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 09:37AM

Thousands of Afghans have got together under tight security in the capital Kabul to hold four days of negotiations aimed at finding ways to strike a peace deal with the Taliban militant group.

President Ashraf Ghani opened the rare gathering, known as a Loya Jirga, under a huge tent in central Kabul on Monday, with some 3,200 tribal elders as well as senior community and religious figures from all over the country in attendance.

"It is a proud moment for me to have representatives from all over the country here and today we are gathered to speak about the peace talks," Ghani said in the opening ceremony.

Much of the capital has been locked down under security measures for the event, which started weeks after the Taliban announced their so-called spring offensive, during which the militant group steps up its attacks across the country.

Opposition leaders and government critics, including former president Hamid Karzai, have however boycotted the event.

They accuse the president of using the grand traditional assembly as a platform to boost his status in anticipation of winning a second term in the presidential election set for September.

Ghani has invited the Taliban, but the militants have rejected the offer and urged others to boycott it.

The group has also alleged that this is an attempt by the government to deceive the country and extend its 'illegitimate rule.'

"Do not participate in the enemy's conspiracy under the name of Jirga; instead find ways to further sideline the shaky administration of Kabul," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

The Taliban has, however, held several rounds of talks with the US in Qatar's capital Doha.

US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad signaled progress in the talks last month, saying the two sides had reached an "agreement in draft" on the issues of troops withdrawal and counter-terrorism assurances.

Conversely, he said in an interview with Afghanistan's largest private television station, Tolo News, that "No agreement will be done if we don't see a permanent ceasefire and a commitment to end the war."

"If the Taliban insist on going back to the system they used to have, in my personal opinion, it means the continuation of war, not peace," he said.

The Taliban's demands are focused on the withdrawal of US forces from the country.

"We are seeking peace and [a] political settlement... We want peace to give us the possibility to withdraw," Khalilzad added.

The Taliban's five-year rule over at least three quarters of Afghanistan came to an end following the US-led invasion in 2001, but 18 years on, Washington is seeking truce with the militants, who still control large swathes of land.

US forces have remained bogged down in Afghanistan through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump.

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Trump admin boosts US military spending for first time in 7 years: SIPRI

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 02:08AM

The US military spending has risen for the first time in seven years, reflecting the Trump administration's policy, according to a new report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Worldwide military spending also rose by 2.6 percent to $1.8 trillion overall last year, SIPRI calculated.

It was the second year running the global figure has risen, bringing military spending to its highest level since 1988.

"The increase in US spending was driven by the implementation from 2017 of new arms procurement programs under the Trump administration," said Aude Fleurant, director of SIPRI's Arms and Military Expenditure (AMEX) program.

The US figure alone of $649 billion was as much as the next eight highest military budgets.

But Chinese as well as US spending helped push the overall spending figures for the year higher, said the report.

China's spending has risen 83 percent since 2009, bringing it up to second place, ahead of Saudi Arabia, India -- which is modernizing its armed forces -- and France.

China has spent 1.9 percent of its gross domestic output (GDP) on military spending since 2013.

Russia meanwhile dropped out of the top five spenders, with its military budget declining since 2016, said the report.

Western countries' economic sanctions against Russia, in place since 2014 because of its conflict with Ukraine, have hit the country's military budget.

In Ukraine itself meanwhile, military spending rose 21 percent on the previous year to $4.8 billion, SIPRI calculated.

In August 2018, US President Donald Trump signed the 2019 US military spending bill into law, authorizing the Defense Department to invest around $717 billion into military strategies that will target Russia and China.

The new act allowed the Pentagon to spend $639.1 billion in base funding, while earmarking another $69 billion to fund wars overseas and some $8.9 billion for obligatory military expenditures.

Earlier this month, former US President Jimmy Carter said he has told President Trump the reason why China is overtaking the US is that Washington has been at war with other countries for most of its history.

"Since 1979, do you know how many times China has been at war with anybody?" Carter asked. "None. And we have stayed at war."

He said the US 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 Washington's tendency to force other nations to "adopt our American principles."

Carter said that China, in contrast to the US, had made massive economic progress by maintaining peace with its neighbors. "How many miles of high-speed railroad do we have in this country?" he asked.

The US has "wasted, I think, $3 trillion" on military spending. "It's more than you can imagine. China has not wasted a single penny on war, and that's why they're ahead of us. In almost every way."

"And I think the difference is if you take $3 trillion and put it in American infrastructure you'd probably have $2 trillion leftover. We'd have high-speed railroad. We'd have bridges that aren't collapsing, we'd 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.

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Report Finds Rising Military Spending In Europe Amid Russia Fears

By RFE/RL April 29, 2019

Military spending in Ukraine and several other Central and Eastern European countries rose sharply in 2018, largely in reaction to perceived threats from Russia, a leading research institute says in a new report.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said on April 29 that spending by Ukraine rose 21 percent to $4.8 billion last year, in line with similar percentage rises in Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, and Lithuania.

"The increases in Central and Eastern Europe are largely due to growing perceptions of a threat from Russia," said Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at SIRPI. "This is despite the fact that Russian military spending has fallen for the past two years."

Spending in Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, and Lithuania rose from 18 percent to 24 percent each, SIPRI's Trends in World Military Spending 2018 said. Poland's expenditures rose 8.9 percent to $11.6 billion.

Russia's military spending, meanwhile, dipped 3.5 percent from 2017 to 2018, but its outlays remained the sixth-highest in the world at $61.4 billion.

Western-supported Ukraine has struggled since 2014 against Russia-backed separatist militants who seized parts of eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people. Russia also seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014.

Countries with the highest relative increases in military spending in 2018 included Armenia (up 33 percent), Bosnia-Herzegovina (26 percent), Bulgaria (23 percent), Ukraine, Romania (18 percent), and Kazakhstan (16 percent).

Armenia's total expenditure, at $609 million, was 4.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), making its military spending burden among the top 10 in the world, along with Russia at 3.9 percent.

Iran's military spending declined 9.5 percent in 2018 to $13.2 billion as the country's economy and its currency suffered in the face of renewed financial sanctions imposed by the United States.

Washington accuses Tehran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons in defiance of UN resolutions and of fomenting extremist violence in the region. Iran denies the charges.

After years of declines, Afghanistan's military increased 6.7 percent in 2018 to $198 million.

Western-backed Afghanistan continues to struggle against Taliban and other extremist groups attempting to overthrow the government in Kabul.

However, its overall military burden remained relatively low at 1 percent of GDP. Much of its military expenses have been assumed by the United States, which has had a military presence in the country since a 2001 invasion drove the Taliban from power.

Pakistan increased spending by 11 percent to $11.4 billion, making it the 20th-largest spender in the world. Spending rose to 4 percent of GDP -- the highest since 2004.

Meanwhile, neighbor and bitter nuclear rival India increased military outlays by 3.1 percent to $66.5 billion and 2.4 percent of GDP.

Violence flared between India and Pakistan early this year in and around the disputed region of Kashmir. The region is administered in parts by each country but claimed in its entirety by both.

Worldwide, the report said military spending rose 2.6 percent in 2018 to $1.822 trillion, or 2.1 percent of global GDP.

The five largest spenders were the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, India, and France -- which combined accounted for 60 percent of global military outlays.

Military expenditures by the United States (up 6.4 percent to $649 billion) rose for the first time since 2010. Spending was 3.2 percent of GDP.

China's spending rose 5 percent to $250 billion -- the 24th consecutive annual increase for the Asian power.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/military-russia -spending-ukraine/29909506.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Beluga Whale With Russian Harness Raises Alarm In Norway

April 29, 2019

Norwegian officials say they are concerned that a harnessed beluga whale found in the Arctic Sea may have come from a Russian military facility.

The white whale was wearing a harness that had "Equipment St. Petersburg" written on it, Joergen Ree Wiig of the Norwegian Fisheries Directorate said on April 29. He said the harness also had a mount for a camera.

Ree Wiig said fishermen in the Arctic Sea off of Norway reported that the tame beluga came to their boat seeking food.

He added that Norwegian military officials had shown "great interest" in the harness.

Professor Audun Rikardsen from the Arctic University of Norway said he thought the Russian Navy in the nearby city of Murmansk is involved.

Russia does not have a known history of using whales for military purposes although the U.S.S.R. had a training program for dolphins. The facility in Sevastopol, Crimea, was closed following the collapse of the Soviet Union, though it was operated by Ukraine until Russian forces took control of it after seizing Crimea in 2014.

But Dmitry Glazov, deputy head of a beluga-whale program who works at the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Interfax on April 19 that the Russian military might be working with belugas.

He said that "the military has these animals" and used them during the Sochi Olympics in 2014, the Black Sea resort city where he said they were still kept.

Glazov said there was an institute in St. Petersburg that works with the military studying animals for "applied purposes" that operates in the Black Sea's Cossack Bay and in Murmansk.

Based on reporting by AP, the BBC, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/beluga- whale-with-russian-harness-raises- alarm-in-norway/29910989.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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USS Ross Conducts Military Exercise With Turkish Navy in Black Sea - US Navy

Sputnik News

18:43 29.04.2019(updated 18:48 29.04.2019)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross conducted a military exercise with the Turkish navy over the weekend in the Black Sea, the US Navy said in a press release on Monday.

"The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross participated in maritime interoperability training and replenishment-at-sea with Turkish maritime counterparts April 27 in the Black Sea," the release said.

The bilateral exercise saw the USS Ross receive fuel from the Turkish Navy Akar-class replenishment oiler Yarbay Kudret Gungor, before completing a series of tactical communications and manoeuvering exercises with the Turkish Navy Yavuz-class frigate TGC Turgutreis and a Turkish Maritime Patrol Aircraft, the release said.

The release noted that the US Navy regularly participates in military exercises with allies and partners in the Black Sea.

Earlier in April, NATO countries conducted military drills in the Black Sea. The Russian Navy carried out its own drills with the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko warning that increased NATO activity in the area heightens the risks to regional security.

Grushko added that Russia is ready for any changes in the military security in the Black Sea region and will take additional defense measures if necessary.

 Sputnik

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Norway Claims to Have Caught Runaway "Spy Whale From Russia"

Sputnik News

14:54 29.04.2019(updated 16:05 29.04.2019)

A white whale with a sort of harness and a camera mount caught off the coast of northern Norway has triggered suspicions of "Russian spying".

Fishermen in Finnmark County have had a series of strange encounters with a white beluga whale. According to them, the animal looked "tame" and seemed to specifically look for the fishing boats outside the island of Ingy, national broadcaster NRK reported.

"We were going to cast a drag net when we saw a white whale swimming between the boats", fisherman Joar Hesten recalled. "As it approached, we saw it had some sort of harness on it".

According to Hesten, the animal kept approaching other fishermen's boats in an attempt to peel off the straps.

The strange encounter with the tame attention-seeking whale has instantly spurred a theory, inplicating Norway's vast eastern neighbour.

"This is not something any Norwegian scientist has been going on with. What we think is that this may come from Russia", Audun Rikardsen, a professor at the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology at the Norwegian Arctic University in Troms (UiT) told NRK. "We know that in Russia they have had domestic whales in captivity and also that some of these have apparently been slipping free. Then they often seek out boats".

His colleague Martin Biuw went so far as to suggest that the Russian Navy is behind the whale experiment.

"If this comes from Russia and there is great reason to believe it, then it's not Russian scientists, but rather the Navy that has done this", Martin Biuw said. "This is not a method scientists use, and as far as I know, Russian scientists do not mark white whales this way".

The inside of the harness was marked with "Equipment of St. Petersburg", the newspaper Verdens Gang reported. On the harness there was also a mount for a GoPro camera.

Marine Biologist Jrgen Wiig interpreted this as a sign of the animal fleeing captivity from Russia. He also stressed that the animal was "completely tame" and allowed scientists to pet it.

The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries has published a series of photographs on Facebook, alleging that the whale escaped from Russia where it may have been trained to perform various missions such as underwater photography.

To this a user wryly reacted that Norway should perhaps try and exchange the whale for Norwegian national Frode Berg, who has been sentenced to 14 years for espionage.

Saamuli Haapala of the Finnish Defence Forces was also alarmed by the whale, suggesting that the animal had fled a Russian Navy base close to Murmansk. He added the hashtag "combat whale" to his tweet.

The newspaper Dagbladet went so far as to call the animal a "Russian military whale".

The beluga whale is an Arctic and sub-Arctic species and a close relative of the narwhal. It is also known as the white whale, for being the only marine mammal of this colour, and the sea canary, for its high-pitched calls.

The beluga whale's body size is between that of a dolphin's and a true whale's, with males growing up to 5.5 m long and weighing up to 1,600 kg.

Belugas are one of the whale species most commonly kept in captivity and are housed in aquariums, dolphinariums, and wildlife parks across the globe. They are popular with the public due to their colour and expressions.

 Sputnik

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Russian Missiles in Venezuela Heighten US Tensions

By Martin Arostegui April 29, 2019

Russian military personnel flying into Venezuela in recent weeks were likely sent to ensure the nation's sophisticated S-300 surface-to-air missiles remain a credible deterrent to any U.S. military action against the government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro, according to defense analysts in Latin America, the U.S. and Russia.

Analysts say the Russian military contingent, which reportedly arrived in late March, included air defense specialists with the necessary skills to ensure the decade-old missiles can be kept operational in spite of Venezuela's crumbling infrastructure and frequent power failures.

The Venezuelan government has displayed the S-300 missiles at military parades. U.S. Defense Department officials confirm their presence in the country, as do former Venezuelan military personnel. But few details have been revealed about their operational status or deployment.

According to defense experts in the region and satellite imagery obtained by the Israeli company Image Sat, at least four mobile batteries of S-300 missiles have been installed in different parts of Venezuela over recent months to protect key military bases and government centers.

U.S. President Donald Trump has left open the possibility of using force to oust Maduro and has repeatedly called on Venezuela's military to stage a coup in support of U.S.-backed parliamentary leader Juan Guaido. But prospects for an internal army uprising seemed to fade last week when the most senior general to publicly support Guaido, ex-intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal, was arrested on drug charges in Spain where he had gone into hiding.

Russian missile system

Venezuela acquired advanced S-300VM systems a decade ago when it was flush with oil money as part of an $11 billion package of Russian arms bought by Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez. That package also included Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets capable of delivering BrahMos cruise missiles, T-72 tanks, Komar torpedo boats and an assembly plant for AK-103 assault rifles.

"The S-300 is reckoned to be one of the best air defense missiles around and Russian motivation is probably twofold: to pose a challenge to the U.S. in its own backyard and to raise the costs to the U.S. of any invasion of Venezuela," said Nigel Inkster, an international security expert with London's International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The missiles have proliferated in other conflict zones such as the Middle East, where Iran acquired S-300s to protect its nuclear installations from any U.S. or Israeli air attacks. Russia has supplied S-300s to Syria, while Turkey is negotiating to purchase the even more advanced S-400 system.

Venezuela originally purchased eight batteries consisting of multiple tube erector launchers on tracked vehicles. The S-300 fully automated radar guidance systems  managed from mobile command posts  are capable of intercepting cruise missiles, fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned drones, and countering electronic countermeasures by filtering out false targets.

At least four S-300 batteries have been delivered to Venezuela, according to Jose Marulanda, a U.S.-trained Colombian intelligence officer and leading defense analyst in Latin America. He says that 100 Russian servicemen who landed in Caracas on board Antonov and Ilyushin military transports at the end of March have the mission of "refurbishing" the system to get it up and running to mount a defensive air screen over the center of the Venezuela.

According to Venezuelan exiled admiral Ivan Carruto, a former spy chief who is in close touch with elements in Venezuela's military, S-300VM batteries have been installed near Caracas as well as the main naval base and oil terminal of Puerto La Cruz. They are also deployed on Margarita Island  covering Venezuela's northern approaches  and Guarico, a key military complex in the country's interior where Su-30 warplanes and T-72 tanks are also based with Russian maintenance crews.

Guarico also holds the tracking station for the Simon Bolivar satellite that was launched by China about 10 years ago to provide Venezuela's military with advanced capabilities to control national territory and communications, forming a key element in the Maduro government's ability to counter internal unrest.

Countering power failures

Much of Venezuela's economy has collapsed, with food, medicine and power shortages affecting large portions of the population. But Russian advisers are "operating under extreme conditions" to keep the military machine going, according to Moscow defense expert Oleg Morozov, who spoke on Russian television about President Vladimir Putin's growing commitment to protect Maduro.

One of the main tasks of the recently arrived Russian air defense specialists is "setting up autonomous power generation systems to secure the capacity of S-300 systems to function during power cuts," according to Marulanda. The Russians arrived on March 24, less than three weeks after a nationwide power failure blacked out most of the country on March 7.

S-300 missiles have a standard range of 200 kilometers, although recently enhanced versions can reach targets at almost twice that distance, according to Russia arms contractor Rosoborexport, which has managed the sales to Venezuela.

"They may present a serious consideration for any planning action against Venezuela, but are not a game changer," said professor Ewan Ellis, a Latin America expert with Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He added that the U.S. circumvented the same system in conducting surgical airstrikes in Syria, and could probably neutralize the Venezuelan missiles at a very early stage of an invasion.

Hundreds of Russian man-portable Igla surface-to-air missiles supplied to special forces and irregular units may present more of a long-term challenge to any intervention force, according to U.S. intelligence analysts who say the Venezuelan military years ago adopted a doctrine of "dispersed defense" under Cuban guidance. U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton has said 20,000 Cuban troops and intelligence agents are embedded in Venezuela, a statement Cuban officials have challenged.

When U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo directed the CIA, he expressed concern that shoulder-fired missiles in the hands of pro-regime paramilitary "colectivos," linked with Hezbollah and Colombian guerrilla groups, could be used for terrorist attacks.

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Pompeo says Russia will be meddling in US elections for decades

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 06:29PM

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed that Russia would seek to interfere in American elections for decades to come, after allegedly meddling in the 2016 presidential elections.

In an interview with The Hill newspaper on Monday, Pompeo waned that Washington would try to thwart Moscow's efforts to influence future elections in the US.

"It goes without saying, they were a threat to our elections in 1974, too, and they interfered in our elections in the '80s," Pompeo said.

"And we should expect in 2050, the Russians will be at it still," he added.

The top US diplomat said that Trump "has directed us all to be incredibly focused" on countering meddling by Russia as well as other adversaries.

The investigation by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which had cast a shadow over Trump since he took office, claims that Russia attempted to influence the 2016 US election but did not find that the Trump election campaign colluded with Moscow.

US intelligence agencies claim Moscow meddled in the election with a campaign of email hacking and online propaganda aimed at sowing discord in the United States, hurting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and helping Trump.

Russia denies election interference and accuses the US of illegal interference of its own in the domestic affairs of countries such as Venezuela.

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Sri Lanka on alert for attacks by militants in military uniforms

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 07:13AM

Sri Lankan security officials have warned that militants behind a series of deadly blasts targeting churches and hotels on Easter Sunday are planning a new wave of such attacks and could disguised in military uniforms.

Reuters cited security sources as saying that five locations are the target of the assaults, which were planned to take place on Sunday and Monday.

"There could be another wave of attacks," the head of ministerial security division (MSD), a unit of the police, said in a letter to lawmakers and other officials, seen by Reuters on Monday. "The relevant information further notes that persons dressed in military uniforms and using a van could be involved in the attacks."

No attack was reported in Sri Lanka on Sunday. Security forces have beefed up security across the country amid worries over imminent attacks later on Monday.

Sri Lankan police on Sunday raided the headquarters of a radical group suspected of being behind a series of bloody bomb attacks on churches and hotels, as the country announced new security measures, including the cancellation of all Sunday masses as well as a ban on face covering, for fear of further such bombings.

On Sunday, the country marked one week since eight bomb attacks hit churches and luxury hotels in the capital, Colombo, and two other cities. At least 253 people were killed and hundreds of others wounded in the bombings, which took place when churches were crowded with worshipers marking Easter Sunday.

Police forced stormed the headquarters of the so-called Nations Thawahid Jaman (NTJ) in the town of Kattankudy, searching the place and detaining a man there, Reuters reported.

The NTJ's founder, Zahran Hashim, is believed to have masterminded the serial blasts. He blew himself up at a hotel in Colombo on the day of the carnage.

Sri Lankan authorities have banned the group under the emergency laws they announced in the aftermath of the attacks.

The authorities suspect that another local group known as Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim has also had a hand in the bloodshed, which was claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terror group.

Daesh released footage of eight men whom it said were the Sri Lanka bombers swearing allegiance to the terror group's ringleader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before the carnage.

'Hashim's relatives killed in Friday police raid'

On Friday, security forces and police engaged in a gun battle with armed men after raiding a house in the town of Sainthamaruthu in eastern Sri Lanka. Fifteen bodies, including six children, were found in the scene of the clashes, the following day.

According to police sources, the father and two brothers of Hashim were also killed in the gun battle.

Zainee Hashim, Rilwan Hashim and their father Mohamed Hashim had appeared in an undated video circulating on social media, calling for all-out war against "non-believers."

In an apparent reference to the men, Daesh said on Sunday that three of its members had clashed with Sri Lankan police for several hours on Friday and later detonated their explosive vests. The group did not name the men.

Police has so far detained more than 100 people, including foreigners in connection with the attacks.

The government has ordered an emergency state, which gives police extensive powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders.

Face covering banned under emergency law

As part of the emergency law, President Maithripala Sirisena imposed a ban on any Muslim face coverings, which could hide people's identities.

All face coverings would be banned in the country beginning Monday to allow authorities to identify people, he said in a decree.

"The ban is to ensure national security No one should obscure their faces to make identification difficult," his office said in a statement.

The country has a population of about 22 million people, 70 percent of whom are Buddhist, 13 percent Hindu, 10 percent Muslim, and seven percent Christian, according to the country's 2012 census.

Last week, senior Muslim officials called on Muslim women to remove their face-covering, known as niqab or burqa, for all security checks.

The Muslim community was also urged not to go to mosques for the Friday prayers.

Sunday masses cancelled amid fears of further attacks

On the first Sunday since the attacks, the archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Ranjith, also asked churches to suspend Sunday mass due to security fears.

He delivered a televised special sermon from a chapel at his home, attended by the president, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The archbishop described the attacks "an insult to humanity," saying, "We pray that in this country there will be peace and co-existence and understanding each other without division."

Though the churches were empty on Sunday, a large crowd of people gathered for a public service outside the site of one of the deadliest bombings, St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo.

People also lit candles and placed them in a makeshift memorial for the victims of the attacks.

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IS Claims Video Shows Reclusive Leader, Calls for Revenge

By Jeff Seldin April 29, 2019

The Islamic State issued a new video Monday claiming to show its reclusive leader delivering a message to his followers, urging them to seek revenge for the fall of the terror group's self-declared caliphate In Iraq and Syria.

The more than 18-minute-long video posted to the internet by IS's al-Furqan media division shows a man, allegedly Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, sitting cross-legged against a white backdrop with a machine gun and a couple of pillows by his side.

The man is seen speaking with other IS members, whose faces are blurred or covered with masks, acknowledging the recent fall of the last IS-held territory in Baghuz, Syria, and praising the Easter Sunday terror attack in Sri Lanka that killed more than 250 people.

He described the terror group's fight now as a "battle of attrition" and "stretching the enemy," and promised IS will seek revenge for the killing and imprisonment of its fighters.

"Jihad continues until judgment day," he warned.

U.S. reaction

Officials at the Pentagon and the State Department, as well as at U.S. intelligence agencies, said they were aware of the tape but had yet to verify the man in the video is actually the IS leader.

"We are aware of the video that surfaced today," State Department spokesman Michael Lavallee said. "Analysts will review this recording and we will defer to the intelligence community to confirm its authenticity."

If confirmed, the video would be the first to show the 48-year-old Baghdadi since the IS leader gave a sermon at the al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, Iraq, in July 2014.

Since then, Baghdadi's efforts to communicate with a mass audience have been limited to audio recordings posted online in September 2017 and August 2018.

In a 2018 recording, Baghdadi urged followers to persevere even as IS was losing ground to U.S.-backed forces.

"For the mujahedeen, the scale of victory or defeat is not dependent on a city or town being stolen or subject to that who has aerial superiority, intercontinental missiles or smart bombs," he said at the time.

The lack of public appearances and the sporadic messages have led to speculation about his whereabouts while also sparking numerous rumors of his death. But U.S. military and intelligence officials have long believed Baghdadi is alive, hiding in remote areas of Syria or Iraq where IS remains entrenched, possibly with local support.

Praised IS fighters

In the video issued Monday, the man claiming to be Baghdadi praised the IS fighters who defended the northeastern Syrian town of Baghuz, the last to remain under IS control, before succumbing to U.S.-backed forces last month.

"The battle of Baghuz had ended and in it the barbarity and savagery of the nation of the Cross towards the Ummah of Islam was clear," Baghdadi said, according to a translation by SITE Intelligence. "At the same time, the bravery, steadfastness and endurance of the Ummah of Islam was evident."

Baghdadi also praised IS fighters "in the provinces" for seeking revenge, claiming they had carried out almost 300 operations across eight countries, before addressing the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka.

"As for your brothers in Sri Lanka, they have put joy in the hearts of the monotheists with their immersing operations that struck the homes of the Crusaders in their Easter, in vengeance for their brothers in Baghuz," Baghdadi said.

"This is part of the vengeance that awaits the Crusaders and their henchmen, Allah permitting," he added. "Praise be to Allah, among the dead were Americans and Europeans."

Baghdadi also praised IS fighters in Libya and welcomed pledges of allegiance from jihadists in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Some former counterterror officials caution the release of the new video is worrisome, as it could serve to lift the spirits of IS supporters.

"It is important because he came out," said retired Col. Chris Costa, who served as the senior director for counterterrorism at the start of the Trump administration.

"He's obviously the face of ISIS and we hadn't seen him in sometime," he said, using an acronym for the terror group. "Now he's out there saying Sri Lanka, that's what we want  more of it."

But Costa and others are cautious about giving IS or Baghdadi too much credit, cautioning that even if Baghdadi was to be removed from the battlefield, a difficult fight remains.

"That's a key piece of dismantling or degrading an organization, but it is not a cure-all," former National Counterterrorism Center Director Nicholas Rasmussen said at a conference Monday in Washington. "We still would very much be confronting an ideological narrative that still finds resonance across conflict zones all across the world."

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Russian vessels arrive in Qingdao for joint exercise with Chinese navy

Global Times

Source:Xinhua Published: 2019/4/29 23:29:06

Russian naval vessels arrived in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on Monday to participate in the Sino-Russian "Joint Sea-2019" exercise.

After the Russian cruiser Varyag arrived, the military band of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy played the Russian and Chinese national anthems.

Qiu Yanpeng, chief director of the exercise from the Chinese side and deputy commander of the Chinese PLA Navy, said in his speech that the Chinese and Russian navies aim to achieve greater breakthroughs in the content, command and organization of the exercise to further deepen friendly cooperation between the two countries and the two armed forces.

Alexander Vitko, chief director of the exercise from the Russian side and deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, said he believed that with the exercise, officers and soldiers of both navies would improve their coordination with each other.

Set for April 29 to May 4 in nearby sea and airspace of Qingdao, the joint exercise will focus on joint sea defense, Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, said earlier.

The exercise aims to consolidate and develop the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, deepen pragmatic naval cooperation, and improve their capabilities to jointly respond to security threats at sea. The exercise does not target any third party, he said.

Two submarines, 13 surface ships, as well as fixed-wing airplanes, helicopters and marines, will participate in the exercise.

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Russian warships arrive in Qingdao for joint exercises

Global Times

By Guo Yuandan and Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2019/4/29 16:51:11

Russian warships arrived in Qingdao, a port city in East China's Shandong Province, on Monday to hold scheduled joint naval exercises with China, as military experts said the navies will practice joint defensive operations and show a high level of mutual trust.

A Russian fleet led by the Varyag guided missile cruiser, the flagship of Russia's Pacific Fleet, arrived at the Dagang Port of Qingdao on Monday to join the joint Naval Interaction-2019 exercises, as the Russians were warmly welcomed by their Chinese counterparts, according to a statement by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy sent to the Global Times on Monday.

The Russian fleet also includes a submarine, two anti-submarine ships, a corvette, a landing ship, a tanker and a rescue vessel.

The PLA Navy will send a submarine, two guided missile destroyers, three guided missile frigates and a submarine rescue ship in the exercises, the statement said.

Seven fixed wing aircraft, four helicopters and 80 marine members from both sides are also part of the drills, according to information released by China's Ministry of National Defense on Thursday.

The drills are scheduled to start on Monday and last until Saturday.

Joint maritime defensive operations will be the theme of the drills, the Chinese Navy's statement said.

Exercise subjects include joint maneuvering, organization of communication, missile and artillery firing at sea and air targets and search and rescue support, Russia's Sputnik news agency reported.

Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow with the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told the Global Times that since the theme of the exercise is joint maritime defensive operations, the subjects may also include anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and submarine rescue.

During these subjects, the parameters of both navies' weapons and equipment including radar and sonar will become open to each other, which is an indication of the high-level strategic mutual trust between the two militaries, Zhang said.

The aim of the drills is to consolidate and enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia, deepen practical cooperation between the two militaries and boost the two navies' capability to jointly deal with maritime security threats, the statement said.

The annual China-Russia Naval Interaction exercises continuously strengthen the level of cooperation at all levels by setting up the likes of joint command center and joint directing departments, Zhang said.

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Border patrol officers keep Xinjiang secure

Global Times

By Liu Xin and Fan Lingzhi in Aksu, Xinjiang Source:Global Times Published: 2019/4/29 22:28:40

Farmers and herdsmen have been deployed as civilian border guards in Aksu Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to work with local police officers to patrol border areas to stop any suspected terrorists from either leaving or sneaking into Chinese territory.

Aksu shares a 263.8 kilometers of border with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and the total area designated as border area measures 16,700 square kilometers, according to a release from the publicity department of Aksu Prefecture.

Located in the southern part of Xinjiang, Aksu has long been the frontline in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

"Aksu has prioritized safeguarding the stability of border areas and has formed a system that relies on people and technology," reads the release.

Local line of defense

Organizing local herdsmen and farmers to act as border guards is one strategy to stop any illegal cross-border incidents as these local people are familiar with the environment in the area, officials from the department on border security in Aksu said.

Tuohuti Tilaixi, 54, from the Kirgiz ethnic group in Yamansu village of Wushi county is a third generation border guard in his family.

Every day, he walks more than 30 kilometers along China's border with Kyrgyzstan to make sure no suspicious person has been there. He usually takes a nan bread and water for lunch. In winter, when the snow is too heavy to walk, Tuohuti patrols on horseback.

"My father taught me what I should pay attention to during patrol - to observe suspicious footprints on the ground, especially in winter, and to talk to strangers and listen to their accents," Tuohuti said.

Such long walks and horse rides horses have made Tuohuti's hands and feet swell. The wind and sunshine in the mountains that are 2,000 meters above sea level have weathered his wrinkled face.

He began this life when he was 19, following in his father and grandfather's footsteps.

In 1962, Tuohuti's grandfather helped local police stop a man who tried to cross the border to Kyrghyzstan. As a teenager, Tuohuti's father followed his father to herd sheep in the mountainous border area and helped local police stop those who wanted to escape or steal into China's Xinjiang.

By the end of 1985, his grandfather had retired. His father stopped patrolling one year before he passed away.

Tuohuti says he wants to patrol the area until his last breath. "I was born and grew up in the border lands. It is my responsibility to safeguard it. As long as I stick to my duties, the area will be safe, and so will the country," he said.

Tuohuti's son and daughter-in-law have taken on the family tradition and now work as the fourth generation of border guards in the family.

Like Tuohuti, there are several thousand border guards in Wushi and Wensu counties in Aksu prefecture. Most are farmers and herdsmen from the Uyghur and Kirgiz ethnic groups. Wushi and Wensu share 137.2 kilometers and 126.6 kilometers of border with China's neighboring countries.

Border guards usually work in three shifts - one shift for the usual patrol, one to train and one to rest. The training includes China's border policies, relevant laws and regulations, information collecting and the procedures after they find suspects, Shu Yabang, an official from the border security department in Wensu county, told the Global Times.

Border guards reached by the Global Times in Wensu and Wushi are all very cautious and have a strong sense of confidentiality, especially when asked about details of their daily work.

"If we could not shut up, and we told people details about the mountain passes to neighboring countries or neglect suspicious situations we spot, how could we ensure border security?" Tuohuti asked.

Shu said that every border guard is equipped with a telescope, an electric baton and a cellphone. Those who patrol mountain areas are given subsidies to buy a motorcycle or a horse.

If border guards spot suspicious people or activities, they are suggested to talk or follow them and report the situation to the local border security station.

"Protecting their safety is the priority," Shu said.

Border guards have been given a monthly subsidy since 2004 and the money has increased from 600 yuan to at least 2,000 ($297) yuan a month to improve their living situation.

Local governments in Wensu and Wushi have also built houses in the border area for border guards. Staples such as rice, flour, cooking oil and water are delivered to the houses regularly. Coal is offered for heating, Shu said.

"When my grandfather patrolled the border area, he lived in a partly underground cave at night, and he had nothing but damp firewood to burn to warm himself," Tuohuti said, noting that his life as a border guard has greatly improved.

Thanks to the work of the border guards, border security departments in Aksu have seized several suspected terrorists who tried to escape or get into China's territory through the four mountain passes to Kyrghyzstan since 1959, Wang Fuli, a police officer from Ying'ate border police station in Wushi county, told the Global Times.

Solid border wall

Aside from the border guards, police officers and auxiliary police officers in border police stations form another line of defense to safeguard border security in Northwest China.

Border soldiers and officers in Xinjiang have become members of the frontier police assigned to entry-and-exit check stations. These soldiers, who used to belong to the Xinjiang Public Security Frontier Corps, became police officers of the region's general exit-and-entry frontier inspection station in January, China News Service reported.

The change is part of a reform announced by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in March 2018.

Alikam Aniwar, 35, now works in Pochengzi border police station in Bozidun village in Wensu county.

The station is right at a vital communication point of two branches of a main road - one heads to the China-Kazakhstan border and the other to Xiate pass, which connects Wensu county in Aksu in southern Xinjiang and Zhaosu county in northern Xinjiang's Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture. Xiate pass is the shortest route between northern and southern Xinjiang.

Checking the passing vehicles and people are important duties of Alikam and his colleagues. Other duties include regular drills, border patrols and dealing with tourist emergencies.

Serving in the army since 2006 and working in the frontline on safeguarding border security for years, Alikam has dealt with several cases of terrorists who wanted to escape or sneak into the territory.

In January 2012, Alikam and his colleagues received reports from civil border guards about five strangers who appeared in the mountains carrying long knives.

Since most police officers were away for the Spring Festival holidays, Alikam, accompanied by seven other officers, went to check out the situation.

They fired blank shots to warn the suspects, after which there was a confrontation. With the help of 20 officers who came to reinforce them, they seized the group.

"They had several bags of eggs and nan bread. They finally confessed that they had taken part in the terror attacks in Urumqi on July 5, 2009. They came here and wanted to illegally cross the border and go to Afghanistan and Syria. They wanted to plan 'something big' when they returned to Xinjiang," Alikam said.

Illegal cross-border incidents are rare these days as Xinjiang's regional government has strengthened efforts on border security. However, the workload for security stations in border areas has not decreased.

Gu Dongxin, a 27-year-old police officer who came to work in Pochengzi border security station in January, told the Global Times that he usually drives with two to three police officers to check several security points along the border. The furthest one is 4,000 meters above sea level.

"The sand road is bumpy with many cliffs in the mountains. I still need to patrol with a senior police officer because I'm not very familiar with the situation in the area," Gu told the Global Times.

Aside from the weekly checks on security points, Gu and his colleagues also need to join a monthly large-scale check on the whole border area with civilian border guards and staff from border security departments, especially in sparsely populated areas.

Despite the hard work of the police officers and hundreds of civilian border guards, they are still shorthanded, Wang Fuli from Ying'ate border police station said.

Take Ying'ate border police station as an example. Ying'ate border police station is responsible for safeguarding a large border area with some mountain passes connecting adjacent countries, Wang said.

To ensure no terrorist escapes from or enters into Chinese territory, the border police station has deployed electronic radar monitoring system in key areas, which can help trace quickly moving targets and send back alarm signals, Wang said.

Ying'ate police station also uses patrol dogs.

"Dogs have better noses than people and they sometimes are more alert than us. We also encourage five to seven civilian border guards as a group to raise a dog, which protects them and their sheep from wolves," Alimujiang Abulaiti, a police officer from Ying'ate station, told the Global Times.

He noted that in one night in February, before a civilian border guard was aware of the situation, his dog stopped several drunken men who tried to cross the warning line.

Dedicated to the job

No issue is too small when it concerns border security - the sentiment was the same from almost every police officer reached by the Global Times. While dedicating themselves to serving the motherland, many of them are unable to fulfill their family duties by being a good spouse or a responsible parent.

On a message board at Ying'ate border police station, a police officer wrote that he wishes to bring his fiancee to Xinjiang and have their own home. Another wrote that he "wishes the best and good health to my family."

The Pochengzi station in Wensu where Gu lives is surrounded by mountains and all the officers work and live in the same three-story building.

It takes at least two hours to get to the county town. But Gu, who was born in Meizhou, South China's Guangdong Province and had served in the army in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for eight years, does not think life is boring.

"Before applying for the job here, I have prepared myself mentally. I used to learn about violent terrorist attacks in Xinjiang and I really wanted to make my own contribution to change the situation," Gu said.

Gu noted that his parents supported his decision.

However, for Alikam from the Ying'ate station, who has been married for 10 years, it is not easy to balance life and work.

"I have four to five days as holidays a month and that's when I can go back home to meet with my wife and two children. But sometimes, when we have to deal with some urgent situations, there's no time to see them," Alikam said.

His wife complained when they were first married as the burden of taking care of their parents and children mostly fell on her.

But she gradually understood Alikam and supported his work to keep where the family and other people live safe and sound.

For Alimujiang, safeguarding the border area is not only to serve the country. It means more.

A soldier, who taught Alimujiang almost everything when he first joined the army, was killed when two terrorists drove an explosive-laden car into a group of soldiers in Kashi in August 2008.

Sixteen people died and 16 were injured in the incident, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

"He was more like a teacher or parent to me. I didn't even have the chance to share the happiness of being enrolled in the police academy with him," he said with tears in his eyes.

"Some terrorists have destroyed the image of our people and only by removing them can we experience better development. It is every Chinese person's responsibility to safeguard the country, no matter which ethnic group he or she is from," Alimujiang said.

He wants his son to be a soldier in the future to make his contribution to the country.

Thanks to the contributions of civilian border guards and police officers, China's Northwest border line has remained safe with few terrorists succeeding in illegally crossing it in recent years, which has contributed to the country's and the world's anti-terrorist efforts, experts said.

"One important characteristic of global terrorist activities now is that domestic and overseas terrorists conspire and conduct acts of terror together. Terrorists who have returned after training with international terror groups pose a greater threat to a country's security, especially after the Islamic State has been scattered," Li Wei, a Beijing-based anti-terrorism expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Strengthening the security along the border in Northwest China's Xinjiang not only prevents the infiltration of terrorism and the return of terrorists, it also secures domestic stability and contributes to Central Asia as well as the global anti-terror efforts, Li told the Global Times.

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China slams Washington's 'gross interference' over Hong Kong matter

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 02:28PM

China has denounced the behavior of the US Department of State as "gross interference" in the issue of the imprisonment of activist leaders of a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Four prominent members of Hong Kong's so-called Umbrella Movement were jailed last week for their role in the 2014 protests that paralyzed Hong Kong's central business district for months and infuriated China with its show of anger over the city's leadership.

The four leaders of the movement were sentenced to jail terms ranging from eight to 16 months.

Following the imprisonment sentence, the State Department said it was "disappointed" and called on the city to respect the rights of residents to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.

"We express strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to these comments. It is a gross interference in China's internal affairs and the internal affairs of the Hong Kong SAR (special administrative region)," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing in the capital Beijing on Monday.

"China urges the US to respect China's sovereignty, respect the rule of law in Hong Kong, respect the judicial independence that the US claims is important, and stop interfering in Hong Kong's internal affairs in any form," Geng added.

Washington also voiced concern last week over Hong Kong's plans for an extradition treaty with mainland China, under which those people wanted in China would be sent there for trial.

Geng defended the policy and said the treaty was necessary for preventing the city from turning into a "sanctuary" for fugitives and criminals.

Thousands of people marched on Hong Kong's parliament on Sunday to demand scrapping of proposed extradition rules that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial.

Under the policy, Hong Kong would have the right to order the extradition of wanted offenders to China, Macau, and Taiwan as well as other countries not covered by Hong Kong's existing extradition treaties.

The laws will be debated by a council committee and are expected to be passed later this year.

Hong Kong was reunited with China under a deal between Britain and China in 1997, but it was decided that the territory should continue to enjoy its freedoms, including a separate legal system. China says that those privileges have been protected but insists it could not tolerate movements that seek full independence from the mainland.

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Pompeo: US-China Trade Talks Will Not Be Impacted by End of Iran Oil Waivers

By Nike Ching April 29, 2019

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington's decision to end Iran oil waivers to China will not have a negative impact on the latest trade talks between the world's two leading economies.

"We have had lots of talks with China about this issue. I'm confident that the trade talks will continue and run their natural course," Pompeo told an audience in Washington on Monday.

China is Iran's largest oil buyer.

Pompeo added the U.S. would ensure the global oil markets are adequately supplied.

Last Monday, the United States announced it was ending waivers on sanctions to countries that import Iranian oil, including China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey. Since the sanctions were reintroduced, Italy, Greece and Taiwan have halted their Iranian oil imports.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Beijing on Tuesday, for the latest round of negotiations. The two sides will discuss intellectual property, forced technology transfer, non-tariff barriers, agriculture, and other issues.

Vice Premier Liu will then lead a Chinese delegation to Washington for additional talks on May 8.

Washington and Beijing have held several rounds this year to resolve a trade war that began in 2018 when President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports. He has been trying to compel Beijing to change its trade practices. China retaliated with tariff increases on $110 billion of U.S. exports.

Positive tone

The U.S. and China have struck a positive tone ahead of this week's talks in Beijing, aimed at ending the trade war, as both countries work toward an agreement.

"We're doing well on trade, we're doing well with China," President Trump told reporters last week.

In Beijing, Chinese officials said that "tangible progress" has been achieved.

"Both sides are also maintaining communication. We believe that both sides' trade delegations can work together, meet each other halfway and work hard to reach a mutually beneficial agreement," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said last week.

As the United States and China appear close to reaching a negotiated settlement over trade disputes, a group of American business and retailers has called for a "full and immediate removal of all added tariffs" on Chinese goods in a deal, saying anything less would be a "loss for the American people."

Business groups from "Americans for Free Trade" have asked the Trump administration to "fully eliminate tariffs" on Chinese goods, saying tariffs are taxes that American businesses and consumers pay.

"Americans have paid over $21 billion in taxes due to the imposition of new tariffs," said a letter to President Trump April 22.

Some experts say the administration lacks confidence in China's enforcement of a trade deal, and predict some punitive tariffs are likely to remain.

"I cannot imagine China accepting a deal where all the tariffs stay in place. I don't see how [Chinese President] Xi Jinping can take that to his people. There has to be something for China. On the other hand, I guess I will be surprised if the U.S. removed all of the tariffs because clearly, the USTR team would like to keep at least some of them in place," David Dollar, Brookings Institution's senior fellow, told VOA Mandarin.

"The smart thing would be to remove the tariffs on all of the parts and components, and perhaps on some consumer goods. It seems likely to get that compromise," he added.

VOA Mandarin service reporter Lin Feng also contributed to this report.

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Iran, Russia to perform joint Navy maneuver: Navy cmdr (Updated)

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, April 29, IRNA -- Navy Commander Rear-Admiral Hossein Khanzadi announced on Monday that Iran and Russia are due to carry out joint naval drills in the southern Iranian seas.

Khanzadi made the announcement at a press conference held this morning in Tehran.

Based on bilateral talks, Russian vessels planned to get berthed at southern Iranian ports in next coming months to perform maneuver, the Navy commander added.

The commander said that Iran's naval forces will follow technical, educational and operational cooperation with their Russian counterparts.

Asked about naval cooperation between Iran and Italy, the commander replied that Italian flotilla has already taken berth at the Iranian ports, so that Iran may take reciprocal visit to the Mediterranean Sea at the invitation of the Italian side.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the commander answered to a question about the threat made by the Zionist regime of Israel against the Iranian oil tankers, saying Iran as an independent country will surely interact with the world countries which demand Iranian oil.

Free seas belong to all world nations, and all can peacefully use the international waters, the Iranian Navy commander said in a reference to International Law of the Sea.

Iran will keep escorting Iranian commercial ships, said Khanzadi adding 'Iranian oil tankers are part of national territory,' and the naval forces will confidently defend the tankers.

Elaborating on his recent travel to China, the commander said the two sides held talks on ways to promote technical and naval cooperation.

As Khanzadi said, the main point of the meetings held in China has been security in high seas, exchange of information and broad cooperation.

Touching upon the presence of the United States in the region, the commander said they are after divergence in the region.

At the end of his remarks, the Navy commander stressed the importance of focusing on the issue of teaching and joint training in order to reach international understanding in the high seas.

Iran enjoys good geographical position in the region.

The Strait of Hormuz, the passage for Iranian territorial waters, is situated on southern part of the country. It is at the mouth of Persian Gulf on southern Iran is the world's most important sea lane for carrying 30 percent of crude oil.

1483**1416

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Iran, Turkey sign agreement on border security

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, April 29, IRNA -- Iranian and Turkish delegates held a meeting in Van City to review safety of border lines and signed an agreement on border security.

According to Turkish media 'Anadolou News Agency' the meeting was co-chaired by Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez and Khoy governor Mohammad Abedi.

Both sides discussed ways to ensure border security and campaign against terrorism and smuggling.

Bilmez expressed hope for mutual cooperation to develop security at borders.

He added that Van shares 285 km common border with Iran.

The Turkish official called for solving border trade problems and facilitating citizens commutes.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Bilmez wished for Iran-Turkey common borders to become an unsafe place for terrorists.

Meanwhile, Abedi described as important border agreement on fighting terrorism, smuggling and trespass.

Last Tuesday, Orumiyeh Governor-General Alireza Molla Mohammadzadeh met with the governor of Hakkari province in Turkey on ways to beef-up border security.

The two sides also signed a deal on maintaining border security between the two border provinces.

9376**1416

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Iran oil clients to find ways of resisting US sanctions: Zarif

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 29 April 2019 / 12:21

Tehran (ISNA) - Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif says the US decision to end sanctions waivers on imports of Iranian oil has angered Washington's allies, noting that they will find ways to resist the measures.

"People are not happy. China is not happy, Turkey is not happy, Russia is not happy. France is not happy. US allies are not happy that this is happening and they say that they will find ways of resisting it," Zarif told Fox News Sunday.

"How they will do it, it's up to them, and it's up to them looking at their own future, if they want to have their lives ruled by the United States," he added.

President Donald Trump withdrew the US in May 2018 from a multilateral nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was reached between Iran and six world powers in 2015. Afterwards, Washington reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the deal.

Last November, the US enforced sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic's banking and energy sector. However, it granted waivers to eight major importers of Iran's oil, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Italy and Greece, fearing market instability.

Last week, Trump decided not to renew the waivers when they expire in early May, Press TV reported.

Zarif called the move "coercion, pure and simple."

According to a report by Bloomberg, Ankara has joined a group of nations determined to keep buying oil from Iran and is working on a mechanism to avoid US sanctions.

Zarif noted that the US intends to make life hard for the Iranian people so that they will "take action" against the Tehran government.

"They are wrong in their analysis. They are wrong in their hope," Zarif said, stressing that the people of Iran will instead resist such pressure.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif said that US regional allies, including Saudi Arabia, are pushing Washington towards war with Iran.

"They have all shown an interest in dragging the United States into a conflict," the top diplomat said.

End Item

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US plan to cripple Iranian economy doomed to fail: First VP

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 06:01PM

Iran's First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri says a recent plan by the administration of US President Donald Trump to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero is doomed to fail, because Americans ignore the country's immense economic potentialities.

Jahangiri made the remarks while addressing an economic meeting on the role of free trade zones in helping the country skirt the unilateral sanctions imposed by Washington against Tehran, in the southern Iranian island of Kish on Monday.

"They (Americans) seek to cripple the country's economy and pile up social pressure [on the government] through reducing the government's sources of revenue  but thanks to plans made [to counter such measures] this move will certainly fail," Iran's first vice president said.

The US administration said in a statement on April 22 that, in a bid to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero, buyers of Iranian oil must stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions. The move ended six months of waivers, which allowed Iran's eight biggest buyers -- Turkey, China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan -- to continue importing limited volumes.

"The United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ... along with our friends and allies, are committed to ensuring that global oil markets remain adequately supplied," the White House statement said, adding, "We have agreed to take timely action to assure that global demand is met as all Iranian oil is removed from the market."

Last November, the US enforced sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic's banking and energy sector. However, it granted waivers to the eight major importers of Iran's oil, fearing market instability.

Jahangiri further said the Iranian people have already been through many tough days, but they are still steadfast and will by no means forget injustices and pressures, adding, "They will give an appropriate response to those behind these pressures in due time."

"The Americans must consider real statistics and understand that their plans to make Iran's economy collapse are doomed to fail in view of the country's unique potentialities," he said.

The Iranian vice president noted that Tehran would export as much oil as it deems necessary and called on all officials to come up with strategies and means to find new sources of revenue for the country.

Speaking at a meeting with a large group of Iranian workers on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the US administration's hostile attempts to block Iran's oil sales will lead nowhere, and that the country will export "as much crude as it needs and wishes" in defiance of American sanctions.

"In the first place, such attempts will lead nowhere, and we are capable of exporting as much oil as we need and want," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

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US sanctions on Iran's oil industry harm global markets' stability: Official

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 02:11PM

A senior Iranian official says US sanctions against Iran's oil industry will harm the stability of global markets, adding that the three European sides to a 2015 landmark nuclear agreement should live up to their promises to make up for Washington's restrictions.

"These sanctions are an example of the US bullying reaction to the changing balance of power in the world," Iranian Deputy Minister of Petroleum for International and Commercial Affairs Amir Hossein Zamaninia told a session of Expert Workshops of the World Petroleum Council (WPC) in Tehran on Monday.

He added that although Washington's sanctions make life more difficult for ordinary Iranians, the Islamic Republic will get through them even under the current difficult circumstances.

Oil prices hit their highest level since November after the administration of US President Donald Trump said in a statement on April 22 that, in a bid to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero, buyers of Iranian oil must stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions. The move ended six months of waivers, which allowed Iran's eight biggest buyers -- Turkey, China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan -- to continue importing limited volumes.

"The United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ... along with our friends and allies, are committed to ensuring that global oil markets remain adequately supplied," the White House statement said, adding, "We have agreed to take timely action to assure that global demand is met as all Iranian oil is removed from the market."

The US president withdrew Washington in May 2018 from the multilateral nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was reached between Iran and six world powers in July 2015.

Afterwards, Washington re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the deal.

Last November, the US enforced sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic's banking and energy sector. However, it granted waivers to the eight major importers of Iran's oil, fearing market instability.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian oil official dismissed claims by certain countries that they can fill Iran's void in the oil market.

"This idea that some countries can fill the empty place of Iran's oil in the market is false from different viewpoints, including a technical and political view," Zamaninia said.

He emphasized that the Persian Gulf can be regarded as an international route for transferring oil only if all countries, and not just a few, are able to use it.

Speaking at a meeting with a large group of Iranian workers on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the US administration's hostile attempts to block Iran's oil sales will lead nowhere, and that the country will export "as much crude as it needs and wishes" in defiance of American sanctions.

"In the first place, such attempts will lead nowhere, and we are capable of exporting as much oil as we need and want," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Later on Friday, Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh accused Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of exaggerating their ability to replace the country's oil in the wake of Washington's push to zero Tehran's exports by implementing "brutal" economic sanctions.

"I believe they are overstating their oil capacities," Zangeneh said.

Iran sanctions, oil price volatility dragging regional economic growth: IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also said on Monday that the US sanctions on Iran have a negative impact on economic growth in the Middle East.

In a bi-annual economic outlook report, the IMF warned that prospects for the Middle East are "clouded by elevated levels of uncertainty."

"Such uncertainty may increase investors' perception of risk for the whole region, leading to capital outflows and exchange rate pressure," the international lender said.

It added that rising unrest in the Mideast and North Africa as well as oil price volatility are other reasons that could drag the regional economic growth.

The organization noted that Iran's economic problems could have a knock-on effect on the regional figures.

It said rising conflict, corruption, slow reforms, high levels of debt and continued oil price fluctuations have negative impacts on economic growth in the broader region.

"Social tensions are rising in the context of lower growth and reform fatigue, threatening macroeconomic stability," the IMF added.

Overall regional economic growth is expected to remain subdued at 1.3 percent this year from 1.4 percent in 2018.

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Iran, Russia navies to stage joint drill in Persian Gulf

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 09:24AM

Iranian and Russian military forces will stage a rare naval drill in the Persian Gulf later this year, the commander of Iran's Navy has announced.

Rear-Admiral Hossein Khanzadi made the announcement during a press conference on Monday upon return to Tehran from a high-profile visit to China, where he met with his counterparts from other countries.

"Our negotiations with Russia revolved mostly around technical and operational topics and we plan to hold a joint naval exercise" this year, he said.

While Iranian and Russian naval forces have in the past trained together in the Caspian Sea, the upcoming Persian Gulf drill is expected to take bilateral cooperation to a new level.

The announcement comes at a time when Iran has threatened to close the Hormuz Strait, a strategic chokepoint through which a large chunk of world's oil transits every day, in response to threats by the United States to zero out Tehran's crude exports.

The Persian Gulf has also become the center of another showdown between Iranian and American forces following US President Donald Trump's recent move to designate Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization.

Iran has in response designated the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees all US forces' operations in the region, terrorist and vowed to confront those forces in case of any trespassing on its territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.

In January, Admiral Khanzadi said upon announcing joint drills in the Caspian Sea that military-to-military work with Russia "will surely take us to a new level of cooperation in strategic, tactical, and operational areas at sea."

The Iranian Navy has celebrated significant advances over the past years and expanded its global operating range.

Admiral Khanzadi announced that the force would soon receive the Damavand destroyer, which he said is currently being equipped with the latest domestic technologies for naval combat.

Iran, China sign military cooperation agreement

The Iranian commander also announced that he had signed an extensive cooperation agreement with Chinese authorities during the trip.

"Expanding technical and training capacities will be some of the issues we have on agenda for our interactions with the Chinese Navy," he added.

Khanzadi noted that besides China, Iran has received invitations from India, Pakistan and even Italy for joint training projects.

"Currently, our officers are being trained in some of these countries and some of them have sent officers to Iran to receive training," he said.

Iran to defend oil tankers against Israel

Asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu's recent remarks about the possibility of using military action to hinder Iranian oil exports, Khanzadi said the armed forces were ready to protect Iran's tanker fleet.

"The Islamic Republic's tankers are part of our country's territory and we will surely protect them," he asserted.

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Iran to ignore EU demands, get even with US: Larijani

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 07:01AM

Parliament speaker Ali Larijani says Iran no longer holds value for Europe's demands as European governments have let it down in fighting hostile US policies, pledging that the Islamic Republic will "get even" with the US on its own.

"We are trying to find out why European leaders and the European Union only support us in rhetoric or only [use words] to express regret at America's actions," Larijani said during a meeting with Wolfgang Gerstl, the head of Austria-Iran parliamentary friendship group in Tehran on early Monday.

"Sure you might say there are problems because of US pressure and it might sound logical but we look at this from our own point of view and the most important thing for us is that this behavior has raised questions about EU's credibility and it means that the EU lacks the weight to solve problems," he asserted.

Larijani said Europe has yet to deliver on the promises it made to Tehran to save the 2015 nuclear deal in the wake of US President Donald Trump's decision to abandon it last year.

"The European Union, too, has taken certain measures but we are yet to see any results," Larijani said.

Following Trump's announcement in May 2018, Washington moved to reinstate sanctions that had been removed under the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He also introduced new bans targeting Iran's oil and other industries, warning Europeans against business with Iran.

Facing pressure from Tehran to save the deal, the EU took months before unveiling the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) in January 2019.

Designed by France, Germany and the UK -- the three European signatories to the 2015 Iran deal  the measure sought to help European companies circumvent the US bans and continue trading with Iran.

In its initial stage, the transactions channel was intended to be used for selling food, medicine and medical devices to Iran, but efforts are underway by the trio to expand INSTEX to cover other areas of trade, including oil sales.

"The Europeans say the US is threatening the private sector," Larijani said. "Back then, they also said that they would come up with a clear mechanism for trade and oil in a few weeks but it has already been a year."

According to Larijani, they first said they would complete the transactions through France's central bank but then mentioned the Special Payment Vehicle (SPV) and finally set up INSTEX which "has had no benefits for us overall."

Europe has yet to react to Washington's latest move.

'Iran to get even with US on its own'

Larijani said Iran did not need Europe's help in getting back at Washington.

"We will get even with America," he pledged. "They should know that they cannot keep doing this and pressure Iran and expect us to keep silent."

The EU "should not demand anything from us anymore because it hasn't done anything for us," he added.

"All in all, I think more serious developments are bound to happen and maybe it is better this way so that Trump comes back to his senses because some political leaders won't start to understand unless they hit their heads hard against a stone," he said.

Larijani also criticized Austria for stopping oil imports from Iran following the Trump administration's recent announcement that it would drive down Iran's crude exports to zero.

Gerstl, for his part, admitted that the recent developments showed how deeply Europe was dependent on America in various fields.

However, he attempted to justify the EU's conduct with regards to the nuclear deal and US sanctions by noting that the bloc "had no authority over governments specially on businesses."

"We can only facilitate the framework for relations," he said.

'Iran will use all option to defend national security'

Also on Monday, Iranian First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri said during a trip to the southern Iranian island of Kish in the Persian Gulf that America's sanctions were "inhuman" and amounted to economic terrorism.

"Unlike their claims that the sanctions are aimed at putting the Iranian government under pressure, these bans target the Iranian nation and cause major problems in their lives," he said, pointing to difficulties the country is facing in importing medicines and medical equipment.

Reiterating Tehran's commitment to defend its interests in the Persian Gulf, Jahangiri added: "Whenever a step is taken against Iran's national interests, the country would do anything necessary to defend national security. That is our redline as it is with any other country."

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Iran decries Europe's inaction, pledges response to 'unlawful' US behaviors

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 29, 2019 01:52AM

Iran says it soon will give an appropriate response to the unlawful behaviors of the United States after making a comprehensive assessment of the present situation.

The remarks were made by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi in a meeting with a group of Austrian lawmakers in Tehran on Sunday.

"By making a comprehensive assessment of the present conditions and without emotional reactions, we will soon adopt an appropriate response to the illegal US actions," he said.

"The United States has violated the UN Security Council resolution 2231 by withdrawing from it, but unfortunately the Security Council or European countries have failed to give an appropriate response to this illegal action," Araqchi regretted.

He lashed out at Europe's slow pace in implementing its special mechanism to save the nuclear accord, warning that "the patience and tolerance of the Islamic Republic is not unlimited."

Iran has so far given enough time and chance to other parties to compensate for the consequences of the US withdrawal from the deal, and now it is time to act, he said.

"We welcome the political positions of the European Union, but political support per se does not at all help to preserve the JCPOA. The JCPOA is not an economic agreement and it is of security nature. If it matters to Europe, then it should also pay the costs to maintain it," Araqchi went on to say.

For his part, Wolfgang Gerstl, the head of Austria-Iran parliamentary friendship group, praised Iran's wise policies regarding the nuclear deal, and once again reiterated Europe's commitment to the 2015 accord.

He stressed that Austria and the European Union reject the US decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, and are worried about the decline in the value and importance of this agreement.

"This is a fact that Europe needs the JCPOA more than the US does; therefore, Austria, along with the European Union, remains committed to supporting the deal," Gerstl added.

Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had once again complained about the delay by European partners to make operational the non-dollar direct payment channel with Tehran, saying they now have "no excuse" for further postponement of the project.

In late January, the Europeans introduced the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchange (INSTEX) as "a preliminary measure" - as part of their multiple commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - following Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear accord, he said.

In order to begin honoring their commitments, the Europeans were required to set up INSTEX, Zarif noted.

He also stressed that the European partners are "lagging behind" in fulfilling their commitments and "should not believe that the Islamic Republic will [continue to wait] for them."

"I wonder how much time do the Europeans need [to set up] a preliminary mechanism?" Zarif exclaimed.

In its initial stage, INSTEX is expected to facilitate trade of humanitarian goods such as medicine, food and medical devices, but it will later be expanded to cover other areas of trade, including Iran's oil sales.

American sanctions were re-imposed against Iran last year following Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA.

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Iran Won't Negotiate With US Under Pressure - Revolutionary Guards General

Sputnik News

11:04 29.04.2019(updated 11:25 29.04.2019)

Earlier this month, relations between Washington and Tehran deteriorated as the US formally designated the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organisation, while Iran retaliated by blacklisting the entire US military as terrorists.

General Qasem Soleimani, Chief Commander of the IRGC Quds Force, which is responsible for extraterritorial operations, has slammed the US position on negotiations with Iran, stressing that the Islamic Republic won't engage in talks under pressure.

"By putting economic pressure on Iran, America wants to force us to enter talks with this country any negotiation under the circumstances is surrendering to America and it will never happen", he told the semi-official Fars news agency.

The statement comes just a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested that the country might leave the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (commonly known as the NPT) if the US continues to escalate sanctions against Tehran.

This May marks a year since US President Donald Trump announced that the US would be withdrawing from the 2015 JCPOA agreement and ordered sanctions be re-imposed on Iran in two stages during the course of the year. According to Reuters' sources, Washington is now considering additional sanctions against Iran that would target areas of its economy that have not been affected by the previous restrictions.

 Sputnik

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Iran is a 'Force for Stability in the Region'  Foreign Minister Zarif

Sputnik News

01:48 29.04.2019(updated 07:58 29.04.2019)

Javad Zarif has noted the role that Iran plays in the Middle East region, while criticising the US, who sees itself as a "force for good" despite "aligning with the wrong people".

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif outlined Iranian foreign and military priorities in an interview with CBS Sunday.

"You see, we are operating in our own region. That's why it's called the Persian Gulf, not the Gulf of Mexico. We are operating in our own region. We are a force for stability in our region. History shows that", Zarif said.

Talking to "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan, Zarif contrasted Iranian conduct with that of the US, who operates far from its shores.

"The United States is operating far from its shores, in our region", he said.

According to Zarif, Iran's military goal is fighting terrorism in the region.

"We have been helpful everywhere. We have fought terrorism in Syria. We have fought terrorism in Iraq", he said.

Zarif reminded Brennan that he had attended a ceremony commemorating Iranian fighters who died fighting Daesh in Iraq, noting that both the Iranian president and PM sent letters to the event.

"Everybody recognises the role of Iran in bringing stability. I haven't seen them commemorating any martyrs from Saudi Arabia fighting Daesh, or [from the] UAE", he said.

He criticised US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who, testifying before Congress earlier in April, said that "there is no doubt there is a connection between the Islamic Republic of Iran and al-Qaeda  period, full stop".

"He's wrong because [the US] have aligned themselves with the wrong people in our region. And they cannot accept that they're suffering defeat because they simply chose the wrong side", he said, asserting that Saudi Arabia and the UAE  both US allies  are the ones responsible for creating terrorist threats in the Middle East.

"Their allies, their clients  Saudi Arabia and the UAE  have spent billions upon billions of dollars trying to create unrest, trying to support terrorist organisations, even in areas [in which] we are not present, like in North Africa", Zarif said. "You need to look at the trouble, where it actually is coming from. It's not coming from Iran. Who provided the ideology for Daesh? Who provided the ideology for al-Qaeda? Are they following our ideology? Come on".

According to Zarif, Pompeo and the US must get things straight, because "making up stories" about Iran will not solve US problems, but will lead to more useless military expenses.

"If Secretary Pompeo wants to make up these stories, then he can continue doing so, but that wouldn't resolve America's problems. That would lead to President Trump saying 'we spend seven trillion dollars in this region and brought nothing but misery to ourselves and to the people of the region'", he said, referring to Trump's 2018 statement, in which he said US spent this amount of money in the Middle East.

"We have spent seven trillion dollars in the Middle East over a seventeen year period, and we have nothing. Nothing, except death and destruction. It's a horrible thing", Trump said at the time.

Commenting on a question about whether Zarif continues to talk to former US Secretary of State John Kerry, who Trump accuses of giving Iran "bad advice"  Zarif quipped that he does not take "any advice from any foreigners."

"President Trump needs to look at the history of Iran. We didn't survive 7,000 years by acting on the advice of foreigners", he said.

When asked whether Tehran sees opportunities for cooperation with the US, Zarif argued that the US has to "make the right recognition" about "who's doing the work for stability" in the region. Despite having no diplomatic relations, Iran still keeps the negotiation table open on prisoner exchange with Washington.

He lamented Washington's unilateral abandonment of the Iranian Nuclear Deal, as well as other treaties, including The Paris Accord and the INF, saying these steps damage the reputation of the US as a reliable partner for negotiations. He noted that should Washington proclaim 2 May the deadline for the rest of the world to stop buying Iranian oil, it will "show to the Iranian people that the United States is not worthy of being a negotiating partner".

Earlier in January, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the US a "force for good" in the Middle East.

"And it's the truth, lower-case 't', that I'm here to talk about today. It is a truth that isn't often spoken in this part of the world, but because I'm a military man by training, I'll be very blunt and direct today  America is a force for good in the Middle East," said Pompeo, speaking at The American University in Cairo.

 Sputnik

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Eight Nominees Submit Applications To Run For Kazakh President

By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service April 29, 2019

NUR-SULTAN -- Eight nominees, including interim President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, who is expected to win, have submitted applications to run for president of Kazakhstan in the June snap election, the Central Election Commission said on April 29.

A ninth presidential hopeful, nominated by the Central Asian nation's Union of Constructors, Talghat Erghaliev, withdrew his candidacy on April 29. The deadline for applications ended on April 28.

Nominated by the ruling Nur Otan party, Toqaev is not expected to be challenged seriously as other candidates are either relatively unknown political figures nominated by pro-government parties and groups, or do not have enough time to campaign for the early poll.

The only registered party in the country that positions itself as opposition to the government, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party (ZhSDP) announced its decision to boycott the election, on April 26.

'Puppet' Candidates

The decision was made at a party congress to protest what party members say is the participation of "puppet" candidates proposed by pro-government parties to help secure an election victory for Toqaev of the ruling Nur Otan party.

A ZhSDP statement declares that fielding a candidate in the election would damage the party's reputation because it could be seen as a political group that is controlled or being used by the government.

Toqaev, a former diplomat who had been the speaker of Kazakhstan's Senate, became interim president on March 20 -- one day after the country's long-time leader Nursultan Nazarbaev announced his resignation from the presidency.

Toqaev on April 9 announced that a snap presidential election would be held on June 9 -- moving forward the date of the next scheduled presidential election by nearly one year.

Critics say the snap election is aimed at shortening the political transition and decrease the chances of instability following the resignation of Nazarbaev, who had ruled Kazakhstan in an autocratic manner since 1989 when it was still a republic of the former Soviet Union.

The announcement of the election just two months before the actual vote has given Toqaev's potential opponents little time to mount a campaign, greatly reducing their chances of becoming known by voters in a country where the political opposition has been marginalized and politics is still dominated by Nazarbaev.

The registration of the candidates is scheduled to continue through May 11.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eight-nominees- submit-applications-to-run-for- kazakh-president/29910399.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Libyan National Army Says Gains Ground on Way to Country's Capital Tripoli

Sputnik News

19:20 29.04.2019(updated 19:29 29.04.2019)

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) under the command of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar managed to drive back the units of the Government of National Accord (GNA) on the approaches to Tripoli and are moving toward the city centre, LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said on Monday.

"The armed forces pushed the terrorists in all directions around Tripoli and are moving towards the centre of the city," Mismari wrote on Facebook.

At the same time, the Libyan media reported that violent clashes, involving grenade launchers and artillery, in the areas of Salah al-Din, Al-Khilla, Biar Alliak, Al-Sabia on the outskirts of the Libyan capital continued.

According to the Internet portal Libya Akhbar, LNA aviation attacked the GNA forces before another attempt to storm the capital.

The clashes in Libya erupted on April 4, when Haftar ordered his troops to advance on Tripoli to free it from what he called terrorists. As a result, the LNA gained control over the cities of Surman and Garyan. On April 7, the UN- and EU-backed GNA announced a counteroffensive, dubbed Volcano of Rage, to confront the LNA.

Libya has been suffering from unrest since 2011 when long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. Since then the country has been split between two rival governments, with an elected parliament, supported by Haftar's army, governing the country's east and the GNA ruling the west from Tripoli.

 Sputnik

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Libyan National Army Claims It Possesses Evidence of Turkey Supporting Daesh

Sputnik News

12:30 29.04.2019(updated 12:31 29.04.2019)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, said on Monday that it possessed documents and other evidence confirming Turkey's support for Daesh*.

"Turkey is one of the countries supporting terrorism around the world. We posses leaked #Turkish documents and other evidence that prove the Turkish regime's support for #ISIS," LNA said on its official Twitter account.

The statement added that the LNA was fighting al-Qaeda* terrorist organization in Tripoli.

Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari accused Turkey on Friday of supporting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* terrorist group and other terrorist groups in Syria's militant-held Idlib region.

For years, Libya has been split between two governments. The eastern part of the country is controlled by the parliament elected in 2014 and backed by the LNA, while the UN-backed Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) governs Libya's western parts.

Earlier in April, Haftar ordered an offensive to retake Tripoli from the GNA-backed forces. The LNA has already recaptured a number of settlements as well as the Tripoli International Airport, located some 20 miles from the capital. GNA's forces have meanwhile announced a counteroffensive, dubbed Volcano of Rage, to repel the National Army.

*Daesh, al-Qaeda, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham  a terrorist group banned in Russia

 Sputnik

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EU Extends Myanmar Sanctions by Another Year Over Rights Violations

Sputnik News

17:13 29.04.2019(updated 17:37 29.04.2019)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Council of the European Union extended its sanctions against Myanmar on Monday for another year over continued rights violations in the country and repression against the Muslim Rohingya minority, according to an official statement published on the EU website.

"On 29 April, the Council prolonged the restrictive measures in place on Myanmar/Burma for one year, until 30 April 2020  The legal acts were adopted by the Council by written procedure," the statement said.

According to the statement, the sanctions included an embargo on arms that "can be used for internal repression" and dual-use goods, as well as ban on military training and military cooperation with the Myanmar Armed Forces.

Among the restrictions are also personal sanctions against 14 individuals, including senior officials, for serious human rights violations against the Rohingya people.

The European Union first introduced arms embargo against Myanmar back in 1990. Later, it suspended any defense cooperation with the country, halted any aid other than strictly humanitarian assistance and adopted visa bans on members of the military ruling the country.

After clashes broke out between government forces and the Rohingya in the state of Rakhine back in 2016, Myanmar's military has been also accused of committing atrocities against this Muslim minority. The government deployed police and military units to the region, accusing the insurgents of attacking security posts in Rakhine in 2017. The Rohingyas have been forced to flee their homes for fear of persecution. Over 700,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh since August 2017.

 Sputnik

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India Should Not 'Test Our Resolve': Pakistan Army to India on Nuclear Threat

Sputnik News

19:57 29.04.2019

The Pakistan Army has sought to remind India that it is no more a country of 1971 when the latter managed to divide the Islamic nation.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  Witnessing escalating Indian rhetoric in its ongoing parliamentary elections, the Pakistan Army on Monday sought to clarify and convey to India that it would not hesitate to use its full might if a nuclear attack was attempted as an alternative.

"In your [Indian] rhetoric, you keep using nuclear power as a threat. Nuclear powers are not a threat, they are a weapon of deterrence that should not be mentioned lightlyDo not test our resolve", Pakistan's Armed Forces' chief spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said.

While speaking about India during the press conference, Major General Asif Ghafoor stressed that the Pakistan Army will fully defend its 207 million people if and when required, calling India's threat of nuclear attack an empty bark and no bite.

The Pakistani military's latest reactions came against the backdrop of a statement by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made during the ongoing poll in the parliamentary elections. Earlier this week, Modi said that India was no longer afraid of the nuclear threats by Pakistan.

"India has stopped getting scared of Pakistan's threats. I have done right, no? Else every other day they (Pakistan) used to say 'we have [a] nuclear button'.What do we have then? Have we kept it (nuclear button) for Diwali (India's light festival)?" the Indian prime minister recently stated.

Pakistan termed it "highly unfortunate", saying that such nuclear brinkmanship should be discouraged.

The Pakistan Army's spokesperson said that India has been lying about the number of deaths in the Balakot strike on 26 February and the downing of an F-16 jet of the Pakistan Air Force during the first ever air clashes on 27 February.

"Two months have passed since and India has told countless lies on the matter. We have not responded to the lies, not because we can't, but because we don't want to retaliate", the Ghafoor said.

"We have not retaliated because we want peacewe asked you (India) to ask America about our F-16s' strength. In this day and age, hiding the downing of a plane is impossible. In this time, even if a motorcycle crashes the world finds out", the spokesperson added.

The tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbours rose to an unprecedented level following a terrorist attack by the Jaish-e-Muhammed terrorist organisation on an Indian security personnel convoy on 14 February, killing 40 Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir. India launched air strikes on 26 February in Pakistan's Balakot area, targeting terror camps to avenge the attack.

 Sputnik

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Pakistan Moving to Bring Madrassas Under State Control

By Ayaz Gul April 29, 2019

Pakistan announced Monday a major reform plan for the "mainstreaming" of more than 30,000 Islamic seminaries, known as madrassas, amid long-running allegations some of these religious schools promote violent extremism and maintain ties to transnational terrorist networks.

Islamabad is under international pressure to act against Islamist groups that continue to operate religious seminaries and other facilities in the country despite being designated as global terrorists by the United Nations.Some of these groups are blamed for plotting cross-border attacks against India and Afghanistan.

Military spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor told a news conference at military headquarters in Rawalpindi the reforms to "mainstream" madrassas are being implemented in three phases.He said more than 2.5 million children are studying in madrassas across Pakistan.

"Islamic education will continue to be taught at these madrasas, but there will be no hate speech," Ghafoor said.

Ghafoor noted a government screening of religious schools across the country has found "less than 100 of the more than 30,000 are encouraging violent extremism and terrorism."The rest, he added, are not indulging in such activities and students in these madrassas receive only Islamic education, having no access to contemporary subjects.

The general said Prime Minister Imran Khan has set up a special committee to work with organizations running madrassas to incorporate modern subjects in their syllabus.

Until recently, Ghafoor revealed, the madrassas in Pakistan were under "the purview of the ministry of industries".He did not further explain, but said the religious schools have now been brought under the purview of the education ministry.

Introducing reforms in madrassas has been a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan and Islamist groups running them strongly oppose any such attempts, dismissing them as an anti-Islam Western plot.Supporters acknowledge that madrassas are the only education available to millions of poverty-stricken families in Pakistan and shutting them down is not a practical option.

Ghafoor stressed that religious scholars and clerics are fully behind the government's reform plans and want their students to be taught modern subjects.

This will help children graduating from these institutions to avail the same carrier opportunities that those coming from private and other schools are able to avail," he said.

The spokesman said years of sustained security operations have reduced the threat of militancy and improved security in Pakistan, allowing the government to focus on reforming the madrassas.

Ghafoor explained that a legislative bill is being drafted and will be placed before the parliament within two months, enabling the government to allocate funds and appoint new teachers to teach contemporary subjects to be introduced in the madrassa syllabus.

"The state of Pakistan is determined to do it because we are about to be relatively done with the job of fighting terrorism.Now we have to eliminate this violent extremism from Pakistan and that is possible when all our children have the same education and opportunities," emphasized the army spokesman.

Prime Minister Khan has repeatedly vowed in recent months that militant groups will no longer be allowed to operate out of Pakistan. Authorities have recently also seized control of hundreds of seminaries and charitable medical health units run by proscribed organizations, including those accused of orchestrating attacks in India.

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Siberian Regional Leader Demands Military Tests Be Moved After Blast Injures Teen

By Siberia Desk, RFE/RL's Russian Service April 29, 2019

KYZYL, Russia -- The head of Russia's Siberian region of Tyva is demanding the Defense Ministry relocate a military test field away from an area close to a village after a teenager was seriously injured in an explosion.

Sholban Kara-Ool said at a regional government session on April 29 that the explosion took place two days before, when three teenagers, whose identities and ages were not disclosed, found a military explosive device in the village of Kara-Khaak near the regional capital, Kyzyl. https://vk.com/karaool?w=wall180881822_32974

Tyvan Health Minister Orlan Dongak said at the session that the boy remains hospitalized with serious facial and eye injuries but his life is not at risk. The two other boys with him were uninjured.

The military test site abuts the village and local residents and shepherds have protested it being too close to their homes and pastures since its first portion was built in 2017.

Tyva is a remote republic of some 308,000 people on the Russian-Mongolian border.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is a native of Tyva.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/siberian-regional- leader-demands-military-tests-be-moved-after- blast-injures-teen/29911015.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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New Report Documents 'Ever-Increasing Array of Laws' Used In Russian Political Repression

By RFE/RL April 29, 2019

The number of political prisoners in Russia has reached above 230 as President Vladimir Putin's government implements an "ever-increasing array of laws specifically designed to criminalize acts of everyday life," according to a new report created with input from the Moscow-based rights group Memorial.

The report, released on April 29, says that political opponents of the government, civil society activists, and journalists are at particular risk of being targeted.

Also in the crosshairs are Ukrainian activists, religious and ethnic minorities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists, all of whom face potential prosecution under laws that "allow the authorities to arrest, detain, and imprison anyone they want."

"There has not yet been a sustained effort to sanction the officials responsible for the persecution of political prisoners more broadly. This must change," it said. "Unless serious consequences are imposed on these officials, the Kremlin will continue to believe it can act with total impunity."

The report, titled The Kremlin's Political Prisoners: Advancing A Political Agenda By Crushing Dissent, was written by Washington-based public-interest law firm Perseus Strategies with support from the Memorial Human Rights Center, one of Russia's oldest and best-known human rights advocacy organizations.

The report highlighted how the Kremlin and lawmakers in parliament -- both houses of which are dominated by the ruling United Russia party -- have used new legislation, amendments to existing laws, and changes in administrative regulations as a tool to target dissidents and political opponents.

Since 2012, the report said, the list of new and updated crimes and violations added to the country's Criminal Code and code of administrative offenses includes:

-- Mass simultaneous presence in public causing a violation of public order;

-- Criminal defamation;

-- Illegal receipt of a state secret;

-- Insulting the religious feelings of believers

-- The promotion of "non-traditional" sexual relations among minors;

-- Public calls for actions violating Russia's territorial integrity;

-- The deliberate dissemination of false information regarding the U.S.S.R.'s activities during World War II;

-- Public desecration of the symbols of Russia's military glory; and

-- Spreading information about Russia's military or memorial commemorative dates that is disrespectful of society.

The report also focused on two laws in particular: the 2012 Foreign Agent Law, which requires Russian organizations to register with the Justice Ministry if they receive foreign funding and engage in broadly-defined "political activity."

'Undesirable Organizations'

That law was followed three years later by the so-called Undesirable Organizations Law, which gives the Prosecutor-General's Office authority to designate organizations as "undesirable" and ban their activities if they are deemed to threaten "Russia's defense, security, or constitutional system."

Among the political prisoners highlighted by the report are Aleksei Pichugin, whom Memorial considers to be Russia's longest-serving prisoner. A former security chief for Mikhail Khodorkovsky's now-defunct oil giant Yukos, Pichugin was arrested in 2003 and later convicted on murder charges in a trial that right groups say was marred by serious due process violations.

Others include Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year sentence in a Russian prison after being convicted of plotting terrorist attacks in a trial that supporters called absurd and politically motivated, and Anastasia Shevchenko, who was arrested in January and is the first person to face criminal charges under the "undesirable organizations" law.

Established in the late 1980s by Soviet dissidents including the late Nobel laureate physicist Andrei Sakharov, Memorial itself has come under growing pressure from Russian authorities in recent years.

Several of its regional branches have been labeled "foreign agents" under the 2012 law, and several regional directors have been prosecuted on charges that supporters say are dubious and politically motivated.

On April 25, Russian state TV launched a blistering attack on the group, accusing it of betraying Russia by highlighting the topic of repressions and brainwashing Russian children. The attack followed a decision by the group to bar a reporter from state-run Rossia television from attending its essay competition for children.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/new-report- documents-ever-increasing-array-of-laws-used-in-russian- political-repression/29910498.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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French English





PRESS RELEASE

Luxembourg, 30th April 2019

VELCAN HOLDINGS: ANNUAL RESULTS 2018

POSITIVE NET RESULT DESPITE POOR FINANCIAL MARKETS PERFORMANCE AND DECLINE OF REVENUES

SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS OF THE LAND ACQUISITION FOR THE INDIAN HYDROPOWER PROJECTS

NON AUDITED KEY CONSOLIDATED FIGURES 2018 2017 Var % Revenues (EUR m) 2.6 3.1 -17% EBITDA (EUR m) -1.6 -1.7 +4% Net Income (EUR m) 0.5 -9.6 NA Shareholders Equity (EUR m) 118 123 -4% Cash and Financial assets 98 101 -3% Market Capitalization 46 66 -30% Concession Portfolio 586 MW 657 MW -11% Shares Outstanding net of Treasury shares (000) 5,813 6,226 -7%

During 2018, VELCAN HOLDINGS Group continued to develop and to consolidate its hydropower concessions located in India (571 MW), which have made significant progress mainly in the land acquisition procedure.

The Rodeio Bonito plant generated 21% more power than in 2017, which was a very severe drought year. Power generation remained very moderate due to precipitation levels still below historical average in 2018. At constant foreign exchange rate the turnover, despite the increase in electricity generation, is stable because of the MRE (Energy Reallocation Mechanism) negative impact. In Euro the turnover is down by 17% (EUR 2.6 m in 2018 vs EUR 3.1 m in 2017) due to the depreciation of the Brazilian currency in 2018. The EBITDA is up by 4% (EUR -1.6 m in 2018 vs EUR -1.7 m in 2017).

The Group finalized its exit from Indonesia through the sale of its last advanced hydropower project there, the Redelong HEP (18 MW).

VELCAN HOLDINGS also continued to manage actively its treasury by continuing the diversification of its financial investments portfolio, but it was impacted by the general poor performance of the financial markets. The rise of the USD against the EURO impacted favorably the net result, slightly positive at EUR 0.5 m (vs. EUR -9.6 in 2017).

FINANCIAL YEAR 2018  MANAGEMENT COMMENTS ON THE BUSINESS

India

The Group continued to develop the hydroelectric concessions obtained in 2007 in the State of Arunachal Pradesh.

Progress has been made towards the acquisition of the land, the procedure of which has passed successfully the preparation of the Social Impact Assessment, the related public hearings, the positive recommendation of the Expert Group and finally the official consent of the land owners and village councils to the acquisition of their land, which is a major step for the projects, following which the State Government was bound to issue the Section 11 notification by 27th March 2019 (within 12 months following the Expert Group recommendation). Such notification validates the procedure previous steps (SIA, hearings, etc.), acknowledges the consent of the land owners and approves that the land is to be acquired by the Government for a particular project. However, due to the preparation of local elections during the month of April 2019, and the applicability of the Code of Conduct during such pre-elections period (which prevents the Government from undertaking anything else than day to day current affairs), the State Government has issued in late March 2019 an extension of time until 26th September 2019 for the issuance of the Section 11 notification.

Once section 11 will be issued, the State Government will have to conduct another set of surveys and procedural steps such as detailed and individual census of affected families, marking land boundaries, hearing of individual objections, preparation of Rehabilitation & Resettlement plans (section 19), public hearing on such plans, financial awards (Sections 23 and 31), and the physical possession of the Land (Section 38).

Administrative issues related to Land status are still the most sensitive and significant issues, and keep slowing down the development of the projects. As per the current concession agreement, the acquisition process and ownership disputes settlement are the responsibility of the licensing Government. The concession contract provides for an extension of the development period in case of any delay which is not the responsibility of the developer. Negotiations with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh for such an extension of the concession agreement and the update of installed capacities are still opened but have not progressed in 2018.

The timely availability of appropriate road infrastructure is also an important issue that VELCAN HOLDINGS has been attending with the Central Government whenever possible, although no progress has been made by the Government on this side during FY2018. The scheduled dates of completion of the roads upgrade are still scheduled in 2022 and the budgets for speeding the works and bringing such date forward have not yet been sanctioned. However, the new hydropower policy published on 7th March 2019 provides for budgetary support to be granted to hydropower for road infrastructure development, which may help in the future to speed up road works completion (see below).

For a several years, the Indian commercial and financial market conditions have been unfavorable to the sale of hydropower, as the market has remained constrained by the indirect competition of solar and wind tariffs, the bad financial health of electricity distribution companies (DISCOMS), the insufficient regulatory framework not allowing the sale of power through long term bankable PPAs and the heavy exposure of the banking sector to bad infrastructure loans.

The Government of India has however undertaken to reverse the above negative conditions by publishing on 7th March 2019 a new hydropower policy which features the following main measures:

All Hydropower Projects, including above 25MW, to be declared as Renewable Energy source; Hydro Purchase Obligation (HPO) will be imposed on DISCOMS, which means DISCOMS will be obliged to purchase hydropower (Annual HPO targets and necessary amendments will be introduced in the Tariff Regulations, which are yet to be notified); Tariff rationalization measures including providing flexibility to the developers in order to lower the first years tariffs. The computation modalities are yet to be determined by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). Budgetary support to be granted by the Government towards development of roads and bridges on case by case basis, limited to Rs. 15 m (193 kEur) per MW for projects up to 200 MW like Tato-1 HEP and to Rs. 10 m (128 kEur) per MW for projects above 200 MW like Heo HEP.

Although the results will take some time and depend on implementation modalities not yet known, this policy is a significant measure and positive sign towards the recovery of the hydropower market, which could help the development of the Projects.

In terms of long term power demand, even if some states are in power surplus scenario on the short term (1-2 years) they should all be experiencing peak and average deficits at the end of 20221. The demand could even become significantly larger (> 20 GW) if new Ministry Of Environment and Forest norms for coal based power plants are enforced to meet emissions standards and if renewable energy capacities are under achieved. That should leave room for the procurement of hydropower by DISCOMS if a proper regulatory framework is in place.

The Groups team pushes all project activities which are now mainly the post TEC site investigations and studies, the land acquisition, the transport infrastructure, the amendment of the concession agreements, the stage 2 Forest Clearance and the preliminary search for a bankable PPA. However, apart from the site investigations, these requirements are mainly under the purview and responsibility of the State and Central Governments and the Group scope of work in this regard is to file applications, to attend requests, to provide support to Government services and to follow-up and pursue the procedures. The search for a PPA will be tightly linked to the recovery of the market as explained above.

No additional provision has been decided for FY 2018 (In view of the uncertainties of the Indian market and the delays encountered, the Company had already decided to book a provision in 2017, of EUR 2.2m (16%) on the intangible value of the Indian projects).

Brazil

The production of 49,987MW during 2018 (against 41,321 MWh in 2017, +21%) was moderate due to the rainfall in Rodeio Bonito catchment still well below the historical long term average. This reflects the low precipitation levels in Brazil in 2018.

This resulted in an overall MRE (Ensured Energy Mechanism) in deficit, as it has been the case since 2014, and a negative impact amounting to BRL -1.5m in 2018 (compared to BRL - 4.6m for 2017) for Rodeio Bonito. Translated in Euros, the consumed purchases (Mainly MRE) impacted the annual operational result by EUR 0.4 m in 2018 against EUR 1.3 m in 2017. The operation and maintenance of Rodeio Bonito are satisfactory with a technical availability of 95% for 2018.

Due to these combined effects and the forex variation, the turnover has decreased by 17% when expressed in Euro and was stable when expressed in BRL in 2018 (EUR 2.6m or BRL 11.1m) compared to 2017 (EUR 3.1m or BRL 11.2m).

The EBITDA (earnings before interests, taxes and amortization) of the plant amounted to BRL 7.3m against BRL 4.5m in 2017 and BRL 11.0m in 2016. When converted in EUR, the EBITDA was up to EUR 1.7m vs 1.2m in 2017, mostly due to the lower MRE payments (EUR -0.9 m).

Indonesia

After the Meureubo 2 (59 MW) HEP and the Sukarame (7 MW) SHP were sold in 2017 because of the administrative blockages encountered, including the unavailability of satisfactory PPAs, the Redelong HEP was the last project of the Group in Indonesia. The Group has fully divested the project on 28th June 2018, sold to an Indonesian industrial group. The small size of the Redelong project (18 MW) did not economically justify having operations in the country.

Like other projects of the Group in Indonesia, the Redelong project costs were already fully impaired as of 31st December 2017. The sale price, which is to remain confidential, allowed only a partial recovery of such costs, given the uncertainties affecting the sector in Indonesia.

As of the date of this report, the Company has shut down its entire operations in Indonesia.

Financial Assets

As it has done since 2005, and very actively since 2008, the Group has kept managing its treasury to cover the operational costs and provide financial returns. The Group has invested over the years in an extremely diversified array of financial assets including mostly : corporate and government bonds in local and reserve currencies, equities, derivatives, direct lending and private equity investments.

In 2018, the group main investments have been mainly in corporate bonds again. After an important increase between the beginning of 2016 year when the exposure was EUR 28.9 m and the end of 2017, the exposure has stabilized from 49.9 m at 2017 year end to 50.1 m at 2018 year end. The group is mainly exposed to issuers in the BBB, BB, B and Non Rated categories (as defined by Standard & Poors). The maturities span a wide range. Although the majority is less than 6 years, some bonds have more than 30-year maturities. A few are of perpetual nature. In 2017 the group invested mostly in USD bonds, from issuers coming both from developed markets and emerging markets. At year end the biggest lines (above EUR 2.0 m of exposure) of the Group are with the following issuers : CMA CGM (France), Olam (Singapore), BBVA Bancomer (Mexico), NORDDEUTSCHE LANDESBANK GIROZENTRALE (Germany), TRAFIGURA GROUP PTE LTD (Singapore), UBS AG (Switzerland), COMCEL TRUST (Guatemala), OMAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS LTD (Oman), the republic of Argentina and PUMA INTERNATIONAL FINANCING SA (Singapore). These bond investments had performed very well in 2017 at constant exchange rates but the Group suffered from the US dollar weakening. In 2018 the performance has been negative, although less so than the market, but the US dollar strengthening has compensated the losses. The Group has invested in bonds since 2008 and it has proved a good way to enhance the profits of the Group so far. The fact that the Group has suffered little from defaults in the past is no predictor that it will not do so in the future.

As of 31st December 2018, the Group also owns private investments worth EUR 4.6m including private equity (EUR 1.3m) and direct lending (EUR 3.3m).

Most of the Private equity and direct lending investment are invested in the shipping sector. Given the recent poor performance of this sector these investments have contributed negatively to the performance of the Group between 2016 and 2018. The Group is actively monitoring these investments in the shipping sector to try to maximize their value.

As of 31st December 2018, the Group had investments worth EUR 2.3 m in listed equities, EUR 2.5 m in equity funds. The Group believes the current equity markets provide no sufficient reward vs the risks entailed by their level. Were the situation to change, the Group may reinforce significantly its investments in listed equity. The Group has increased its position in hedge funds up to EUR 7.9 m against EUR 2.5 m in 2017.

As of 31st December the Group financial assets were mostly exposed to the US Dollars.

Finally a significant part of the treasury of the Group was kept in cash or cash equivalents (EUR 30.4m equivalent). Starting from a very low base, the recent increase in US Treasury rates means these deposits now provide some marginal income.

Foreseeable evolution of the Group

After the closing of this financial year, the Group is pursuing the following main objectives as a priority for FY 2019:

Pursuing the development of the Indian hydropower projects;

Continue the diversification of its financial investments;

FINANCIAL YEAR 2018  MANAGEMENT COMMENTS ON THE UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Income Statement (unaudited consolidated)

Turnover amounted to EUR 2.6m (against EUR 3.1m in 2017, a 17% decrease), mainly from electricity sales. The turnover in local currency remained stable. The depreciation of the Brazilian currency vs the Euro currency was responsible for such decrease.

Current operating result amounted to EUR -2.8m (against -7.8m 2017):

Payments by Velcan for the MRE (Energy Reallocation Mechanism) were EUR 0.4m in 2018 vs. EUR 1.3m in 2017 because of better precipitations and hydropower plant operators protection in Brazil.

Depreciation and amortization of tangible and intangible assets of Rodeio Bonito plant amounted to EUR 0.7m (EUR 0.8m in 2017), while depreciation on intangible projects under development was NIL vs an amount of EUR 2.3m, mainly on Indian projects, in 2017.

Staff expenses amounted to EUR 2.9m in 2018 vs EUR 4.5m in 2017 2 .

. External expenses are totaling EUR 1.5m in 2018 vs EUR 2.0m in 2017.

Net Financial Gain for the group amounted to EUR 3.1m in 2018 mostly because of the USD appreciation (4.4% compared to end of 2017) and its impact on the Groups cash and financial assets position despite poor financial performance on the Groups investments excluding forex. This gain of 3.1m compares to EUR -4.2m in 2017.

In 2018 and 2017, other operating income consisted mainly of divestment gains on Indonesian assets while the costs were fully impaired (EUR 0.5m of gain in 2018 vs EUR 3.0m in 2017 when other Indonesian assets, Sukarame and Meureubo 2 projects had been divested).

Income tax expense amounted to EUR -0.2m in 2018 vs EUR -0.6m in 2017 (where the Group suffered deferred tax depreciation).

The net result, Group share, was EUR 0.6m in 2018 FY compared to EUR -9.6m in 2017 FY.

The Groups EBITDA (earnings before interests, taxes, depreciation and amortization) reached EUR -1.6m compared to EUR -1.7m in 2017.

The depreciation of BRL and INR (Indian Currency) rates when compared to Euro, at 2018 closing date, has negatively impacted the other comprehensive income as the Groups main investments (tangible and intangible) have been done in local currency (EUR -1.7m in 2018 against EUR -3.4m in 2017). The total comprehensive income amounts to EUR -1.2m in 2018 against EUR -13.0m in 2017.

Balance sheet  Assets (unaudited consolidated)

Net intangible assets stands at 13.6m in 2018 and are down by EUR 0.2m versus 2017 because of INR and BRL currencies depreciation vs Euro during the year.

Net tangible assets stands at 8.7m in 2018 and decreased by EUR 1.6m between 2017 and 2018, mainly because of depreciation of the Rodeio Bonito hydropower plant (EUR -0.6m) and because the plant being booked in BRL currency, foreign exchange impact on retranslation of the Rodeio Bonito power plant resulted in a EUR -1.0m loss (EUR -1.7m loss for 2016 FY).

Cash, cash equivalent assets and financial assets have decreased from EUR 101m in 2018 to EUR 98m in 2017 (-3%) mainly because of share buyback programs.

Financial assets are mainly consisting in listed bonds and equities.

Finally total assets decreased by 4% during 2017 FY (down by EUR 5.0 m).

Balance sheet  Liabilities (unaudited consolidated)

Non-current provisions amount to EUR 0.8m at 31 December 2018 and arise from litigations related to the 2 biomass plants previously owned by the Group (Satyamaharshi SMPCL  7.5 MW and Rithwik RPPL  7.5 MW, owned between 2006 and 2010). The existing provision represents the major part of the claims.

Own shares, booked directly against Equity of the Group at their historical cost, reduce the net shareholders equity of the Group by EUR -3.9m versus EUR -3.2m at 31st December 2017 following the own shares held at opening (379,332 shares), the share buyback programs (323,475 repurchased and cancelled in 2018 first semester and 94 793 repurchased and not yet cancelled as of December 31st 2018) and the use of 5,263 shares for free shares allocations.

As at 31st December 2018, unrealized losses on conversion reserves, booked directly against Equity amounted to EUR -9.5m versus an unrealized loss of EUR -7.8m at 31st December 2017, mainly because of the BRL depreciation (see above comment on comprehensive income).

With a consolidated equity of EUR 118.2m (-EUR 4.6m compared to 2017), the Group still has no significant debt as of 31st December 2018. Various provisions, payables and financial instrument liabilities amount to EUR 2.4m (vs EUR 2.9m 2017).

The full annual report 2018 is available at:

http://www.velcan.lu/investors/reports-accounts/



SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

Balance Sheet - Unaudited

ASSETS (EUR 000) 2018 2017 NON-CURRENT ASSETS 25 872 29 413 Intangible Assets 13 630 13 862 Tangible Assets3 8 674 10 315 Non-Current Financial Assets 3 567 5 236 Other Non-Current Assets - - CURRENT ASSETS 94 776 96 282 Current Financial Assets 63 839 57 869 Cash and Cash Equivalents 30 383 37 536 Other Current Assets 554 877 TOTAL ASSETS 120 647 125 694





LIABILITIES (EUR 000) 2018 2017 Equity (Group Share) 118 213 122 770 Minority interests 8 21 TOTAL EQUITY 118 220 122 790 NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES 1844 1876 CURRENT LIABILITIES 583 1 028 Bank Debt - - TOTAL LIABILITIES 120 647 125 694

Income Statement (EUR 000) - Unaudited

2018 2017 Revenues 2 580 3 112 Operating expenses (4 727) (7 768) Amortizations, depreciations and Provisions (696) (3 135) Ordinary Operating Result (2 843) (7 791) Other operating Income 514 2 960 Operating Result (2 329) (4 831) Net Financial Income (Loss) 3 071 (4 159) Tax Income (Expense) (203) (576) Income  Minority Share (12) 55 Net Income  Group Share 552 (9 621) EBITDA (1 633) (1 696)

Audited statutory statements next page

SUMMARY AUDITED STATUTORY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Lux Gaap)

Balance Sheet

ASSETS (EUR 000) 2018 2017 FIXED ASSETS 150 734 151 945 CURRENT ASSETS 3 255 1 782 Debtors & prepayments 189 359 Investments4 2 021 0 Cash at bank and in hands 1 045 1 423 TOTAL ASSETS 153 988 153 727





LIABILITIES (EUR 000) 2018 2017 CAPITAL AND RESERVES 122 099 125 858 PROVISIONS 5 5 CURRENT LIABILITIES 583 1 028 Creditors 31 885 27 865 TOTAL LIABILITIES 153 988 153 727

Income Statement (EUR 000)

2018 2017 Gross profit or loss 544 (3 184) Value adjustments (90) (2 520) Income from other investments & loans forming part of the fixed assets 543 2 014 Other interest receivable and similar income 1 91 Value adjustments in respect of financial assets and of investments held as current assets (536) 1 091 Interest payable and other similar expenses (1 230) (2 039) Other taxes (5) (3) Profit or Loss for the financial year (772) (4 549)

* * *

Investor Relations Contact investor@velcan.lu



About Velcan:

Velcan Holdings is a Luxemburg headquartered investment holding company founded in 2005, operating as an independent power producer in emerging countries and managing a global portfolio of financial assets.

The company owns and operates a 15MW hydro power plant in Brazil that it developed and built in 2009. The company is developing a major cascade of hydropower concessions located in India and totalling 571 MW.

Hydropower concessions provide long periods of cash generation but their development outcome is uncertain and many years are needed to bring these projects to maturity in emerging countries: it involves field studies in remote places, obtaining the necessary authorizations and permits, and land acquisition in political and regulatory environments that can be unstable or heavily hampering. Meanwhile Velcan Holdings actively manages its treasury, investing in listed and unlisted financial instruments.

Velcan Holdings headquarters are in Luxembourg, with administrative and financial offices in Singapore and Mauritius. The team dedicated to the development of the Indian hydropower cascade is based in New Delhi and at the project site (Arunachal Pradesh). The team dedicated to the Rodeio Bonito plant is based in Sao Paulo and Chapeco (Santa Catarina State).

The company was launched more than 10 years ago by its reference shareholder Luxembourg Hydro Power SA, owned by Velcan Holdings management team.

Velcan Holdings is listed on the Paris Euronext Growth Stock Market (Euronext Growth/Ticker ALVEL/ISIN FR0010245803).

Velcan Holdings never performed any Public Offer as understood under Directive 2003/71/CE of the European Parliament and Council.

Disclaimer

This press release contains prospective information about the potential of the projects in progress and/or of the projects of which the development has begun. This information constitutes objectives attached to projects and shall not be construed as direct or indirect net income forecast of the concerned year. Readers attention is also drawn on the fact that the performance of these objectives depends on future circumstances and that it could be affected and/or delayed by risks, known or unknown, uncertainties, and various factors of any nature, notably related to economic, commercial or regulatory conjuncture, which occurrence could be likely to have a negative impact on future activity and performances of the Group.

This announcement does not constitute a public offering (offre au public) nor an invitation to the public or to any qualified investor in connection with any offering. This announcement is not an offer of securities in the United States of America or in any other jurisdiction/country.







1 Source Central Electricity Authority and Electric Power Survey

2 the 2017 increase was due to the impact of an allocation of free shares to the benefit of the management and the employees of the Group. Simultaneously equity warrants and stock options were cancelled. The allocation had no impact on cash and on equity

3 Almost exclusively constituted of the Rodeio Bonito Hydro Power Plant asset

4 Own Shares





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THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IONIC Brands Corp., formerly Zara Resources Inc. (CSE: IONC; FRA: IB3) (IONIC BRANDS or the Company) is pleased to announce that IONIC BRANDS flagship brand Ionic is first to launch Lucid Green, Incorporated (Lucid Green or LG) revolutionary technology platform designed to enhance trust and transparency in the cannabis industry as an enrichment to the Ionic Certified Clean Program.



Lucid Green is a powerful platform designed to provide vital safety information about cannabis products. By simply scanning the packages QR code with a smartphone camera, Lucid Green provides access to a library of product specific insights instantaneously - including test results, dosage guidance, effects and more, while also earning Ionic loyalty rewards. Lucid Green is a technology company that was the first in the cannabis industry to develop a direct-to-consumer data platform, that enables consumers to have a safe, consistent and enjoyable cannabis experience. Lucid Green will hit shelves on Ionic packaging in early May 2019. IONIC BRANDS is the first company to launch LG in California and will be expanding the LG platform to Washington, Oregon and Nevada.

IONIC BRANDS Chairman and CEO John Gorst states In an effort to craft the finest quality products on the market and provide our customers with true and accurate information, we have paired our Ionic Certified Clean program with the trust and transparency Lucid Green platform . Certified Clean means that every product that leaves our facilities meets or exceeds State mandates on pesticide testing. This is conducted by individually testing every batch. Our pairing of Certified Clean with Lucid Green allows IONIC BRANDS to provide consumers with the highest quality products, with the best curated experiences. This testing ensures that we deliver to our customers the safest and cleanest products possible. IONIC Brands strategy strives to create unyielding brand loyalty through safe and effective products that results increase product demand.

"Ionic sets the bar for trust and transparency in California by partnering with Lucid Green to ensure that consumers have all the information they need to have a safe, consistent and enjoyable experience. Everyone knows how to take a photo with their phone. It's like getting personal guidance from the most knowledgeable budtender in the world - by just aiming your phone at the product in your hand and clicking on the link that pops up! We created Lucid Green to create a standard that drives trust, transparency and guidance in the cannabis retail environment," says Larry Levy, Co-Founder and CEO, Lucid Green Inc.

The Company also announces the granting of 5,700,000 stock options to officers, directors, employees and consultants of the Company on April 11, 2019. Stock options have an exercise price of $0.65 per share, exercisable for over a five-year period and vests 50% immediately, 25% after three months and the balance after nine months from the date of grant.

About IONIC Brands Corp

IONIC BRANDS is a national cannabis holdings company based in Washington, led by a team of successful entrepreneurs. The company is focused on building a multi-state consumer-focused cannabis concentrate brand portfolio focusing on the premium and luxury segments. The cornerstone Brand of the portfolio, IONIC, is an accomplished #1 vaporizer brand in Washington State has aggressively expanded throughout the west coast of the United States and is currently operating in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California. IONIC BRANDS strategy is to be the leader of the highest-value segments of the cannabis market and expand nationally.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John Gorst

John Gorst

Chairman and CEO

For further information, please contact:

John Gorst,

Chairman & CEO

Email: info@ionicbrands.com

Website: www.ionicbrands.com

Phone: 253-248-7927

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 limitation: 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.
English Lithuanian

The resolutions of the Ordinary General Shareholders Meeting of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL held on 30 April 2019:

1. Presentation of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL consolidated annual report for 2018.

Shareholders of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL are presented with the consolidated annual report of the Company for 2018 (there is no voting on this issue of agenda).

2. Presentation of the independent auditor's report on the financial statements and consolidated annual report of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL.

Shareholders of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL are presented with the independent auditor's report on the financial statements and consolidated annual report of the Company (there is no voting on this issue of agenda).

3. Approval of the consolidated and stand-alone financial statements for 2018 of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL.

To approve the consolidated and stand-alone financial statements for 2018 of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL.

4. Resolution regarding profit distribution of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL.

To distribute profit of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL as follows (thousand EUR):

1) Retained earnings (loss) at the beginning of the financial year of the reporting period; 44,279 2) Net profit (loss) for the financial year; 343 3) Profit (loss) not recognized in the income statement of the reporting financial year  impact of applied new standards; 960 4) Transfers from reserves; 0 from the reserve for the acquisition of own shares 0 from the mandatory reserve 0 from share premium 0 from share based payments reserve 0 5) Shareholders contribution to cover loss (if all or part of loss is covered by the shareholders) 0 6) Distributable profit (loss) in total; 45,582 7) Profit transfers to the legal reserves; 0 8) Profit transfers to the reserves for own shares acquisition 0 9) Profit transfers to the reserve for granting equity incentives 0 10) Profit to be paid as dividends; 0 11) Profit to be paid as annual payments (bonus) and for other purposes; 0 12) Retained earnings (loss) at the end of the financial year. 45,582

5. Resolution regarding purchase of own shares of the public joint-stock company Invalda INVL.

Until the day of the General Shareholders meeting the reserve for the purchase of own shares which is equal to EUR 9,888 thousand is not used.

To use the reserve (a part of it) for the purchase of own shares and to purchase shares in Invalda INVL under these conditions:

1) The goal for the purchase of own shares - to ensure shareholders a possibility to sell companys shares.

2) The maximum number of shares to be acquired - the nominal value of own shares may not exceed 1/10 of the share capital.

3) The period during which the company may purchase its own shares - 18 months from the day of this resolution.

4) The maximum and minimal one share acquisition price: the maximum one share acquisition price - value of consolidated equity per one share calculated according to the last publicly announced data of the consolidated equity of Invalda INVL before the decision of the Board is taken; minimum one share acquisition price - EUR 1.

5) The conditions of the selling of the purchased shares and minimal purchase price: Purchased own shares (including the shares acquired before the adoption of this decision) may be cancelled by the decision of the General Shareholders Meeting or by the decision of the Board granted the right to acquire the shares for the employees upon conditions of the Rules for Granting Equity Incentives, or sold by the decision of the Board upon the condition that minimum sale price for one share isnt lower than value of consolidated equity per one share calculated according to the publicly announced data of the consolidated equity of Invalda INVL before the decision of the Board is taken, and the sale procedure will ensure equal possibilities for all shareholders to purchase these shares.

The Board of Invalda INVL is delegated on the basis of this resolution and the Law on Companies of the Republic of Lithuania to organise purchase and sale of own shares, to organise purchase and selling procedure of own shares and to determine an order and timing for purchase and sale of own shares as well as the amount of shares and shares price, and to complete all other actions related with purchase and sale procedure of own shares.

From the date of this resolution the resolution of the General Shareholders Meeting on 30 April 2018 on the acquisition of own shares expires.

6. Resolution regarding the specific number of ordinary registered shares of the public joint-stock company Invalda INVL for which during year 2019 employees shall be offered stock options contracts and regarding the price of the shares.

It is offered for the employees of Invalda INVL and of the companies, in which Invalda INVL owns 50 per cent or more of shares, during the year 2019 to sign stock options contracts, on the basis of which, according to the procedures and terms established in stock options contracts, in year 2022 employees will be able to exercise the right to acquire up to 80,000 ordinary registered shares of Invalda INVL of EUR 0.29 nominal value, by paying for every acquired share EUR 1 (one). The acquisition price of shares is fixed; it does not change depending on performance results of the company and / or other companies of the group or on ordinary registered share price of Invalda INVL on a regulated market.

7. Resolution regarding increase of authorised capital of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL.

Increase the authorised capital of the joint stock company Invalda INVL by additional monetary contributions from EUR 3,441,137.97 to EUR 3,456,480.71.

8. Class, number, nominal value and minimum issue price and payment of the issued shares.

The authorized capital of Invalda INVL is increased by issuing 52,906 ordinary registered shares with a nominal value of EUR 0.29.

The minimum issue price of one share is EUR 1 (minimum total issue value - EUR 52,906).

The issue price of newly issued shares is paid in cash. The share subscription agreements are concluded until 12 June 2019, the maturity date is until June 14, 2019.

If not all shares are subscribed for during the subscription period, the authorised capital will be increased by the sum of the nominal values of the subscribed shares. On the basis of this decision, the Board of the Company must amend the Articles of Association and the number of shares accordingly in the Articles of Association and submit the amended Articles of Association to the Registrar of Legal Entities.

9. Cancellation of the pre-emptive right of shareholders of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL to acquire shares issued by the Company.

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 57 of the Law on Companies of the Republic of Lithuania, to cancel the pre-emptive right of the shareholders of Invalda INVL to acquire 52,906 ordinary registered shares with a nominal value of EUR 0.29 each.

Priority will be revoked according to decision of the General Meeting of Shareholders held on 29 April 2016, on the basis of which employees of the public joint-stock company Invalda INVL and employees of the companies where more than 50 per cent of the shares are owned by the Company, signed stock option contracts to acquire 52,906 ordinary registered shares of the public joint-stock company Invalda INVL.

Accordingly, the pre-emptive right to acquire the newly issued 52,906 ordinary registered shares of the public joint-stock company Invalda INVL is granted to the employees of the joint stock company Invalda INVL and employees of the companies with more than 50 per cent of the shares owned by Invalda INVL, who have concluded the aforementioned option contracts (the list of employees who are entitled to acquire the newly issued 52,906 ordinary registered shares of the public joint-stock company Invalda INVL is stored in the premises of Invalda INVL, in order to ensure the protection of employee's personal data the list of employees is not published).

10. Amendment of the Articles of Association of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL and approval of the new wording of the Articles of Association.

Taking into account the decisions of the agendas items 7, 8,9 and in accordance with the Law on Companies of the Republic of Lithuania, to approve the new wording of the Articles of Association of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL (the draft Articles of Association is attached), changing the entire text of the Articles of Association (without separately approving the amendment of each clause of the Articles of Association).

To authorise Darius Sulnis, the president of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL, to sign the new wording of the Company's Articles of Association.





The person authorized to provide additional information is:

Darius Sulnis, President of Invalda INVL

E-mail Darius.Sulnis@invl.com

Attachments
French English





Combined shareholders meeting to be held on May 23, 2019

Availability of the documents relating to the combined shareholders meeting

Saint Cloud, April 30, 2019 - Elis shareholders are invited to the Combined General Shareholders Meeting to be held on May 23, 2019, at 3pm at Capital 8 conference center, 32, rue de Monceau, 75008 Paris, France.

Holders of bearer shares should ask their financial intermediaries for proxy or distance voting forms. Holders of registered shares will directly receive these forms with their convening notice.

The documents referred to in the article R.225-73 of the French commercial Code are available on the Companys website at http://www.corporate-elis.com/en/investor-relations under General Meetings.

The corresponding notice of meeting was published in the Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires of 12 April 2019 n 44 ( http://balo.journal-officiel.gouv.fr ) that contains the agenda and the draft text of the resolutions due to be submitted to a shareholder vote. The terms and conditions to participate and vote to this general Shareholders meeting are detailed in this notice of meeting.

Contacts:

Nicolas Buron, Investor relations Director, Phone: +33 1 75 49 98 30 - nicolas.buron@elis.com



Audrey Bourgeois, Investor relations, Phone: +33 1 75 49 96 25  audrey.bourgeois@elis.com



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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A recent gathering of European energy and utility companies focused on critical path needs and concluded that digital transformation of spend management and the supply chain is important for the future of the industry. The utility companies convened in Italy on April 9 for Procurement Digital Transformation in Energy & Utilities sector, hosted by JAGGAER, the worlds largest independent spend management company.



Technology provides necessary acceleration for processes, and project implementation needs to be smart. For example, our company was running JAGGAER Sourcing and Supplier Management in just two months. The future is digital for our industry, and Robotic Process Automation will play an important role in increasing productivity, says Mitterrutzner, Head of Digital Transformation from Alperia.

Several large European companies including A2A, Snam, Alperia, 2i Rete Gas, Acquedotto Pugliese, Metropolitana Milanese, ACEA, Aimag, Ascopiave participated in the event to share their digital transformation experiences. Topics covered included the need for more robust supplier management, advanced sourcing and intelligent contract lifecycle management.

JAGGAER provides Source to Pay spend management solutions to nearly 80 utilities companies globally. Customers include Q8, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, KNPC (Kuwait National Petroleum Company), Pakistan Petroleum (PPL), Renewable Energy project Development Office (REPDO), the companies Spanish Cepsa, Enagas and Iberdrola, the Italian Terna Energia, IREN, SOGIN (Nuclear Plant Management Company), AGSM.

JAGGAER solutions allow us to manage sourcing and supplier in an integrated way and in compliance with the needed transparency levels, helping us to increase procurement process efficiency says Mario Ontini, CIO from Ascopiave.

We have been using JAGGAER ONE for three years for managing purchasing needs gathering, sourcing and supplier management and are very satisfied. JAGGAER provides an integrated solution that is critical for the fluidity of our entire process, says Federico Prosio, Head of Purchasing and Services from 2i Rete Gas.

About JAGGAER: Global Source to Pay Spend Management Solutions

JAGGAER is the worlds largest independent spend management company , with over 2000 customers connected to a network of 3.7 million suppliers in 70 countries, served by offices located in the Americas, APAC, Asia and EMEA. JAGGAER offers complete SaaS-based Source to Pay eProcurement solutions with advanced Spend Analytics, Sourcing, Supplier Management, Contract Lifecycle Management, Savings Tracking, and intelligent workflow capabilities all on a single platform, JAGGAER ONE. JAGGAER has pioneered spend solutions for over two decades and continues to lead the innovation curve by listening to customers and stakeholders in all industry sectors, public services and academia. Additionally, JAGGAER holds 37 patentsmore than any other spend management company.

Visit our media centre for more press on JAGGAER or join the conversation on Twitter @JaggaerPro .
TORONTO, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tanzanian Gold Corporations, formerly known as Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation (TSX:TNX) (NYSE American:TRX) (the Companys) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the entering into subscription agreements for the sale of 2,316,084 common shares at $0.6609 per share raising $1,530,700 in the aggregate with certain investors.



The proceeds from the sale of common shares will be used in furtherance of the Companys Three-Phase Drill Program at the Buckreef Project previously announced.



The common shares are being offered pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form F-3, which was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and declared effective on September 5, 2018. The sale of the common shares is expected to close on or around May 2, 2019, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including acceptance of the listing of the common shares by the NYSE American and the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Respectfully Submitted,

James E. Sinclair

James E. Sinclair

Executive Chairman

For further information, please contact Michael Martin, Investor Relations, m.martin@tanzaninaroyalty.com , 860-248-0999, or visit the Company website at www.tanzanianroyalty.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

Certain of the statements made herein may contain forward-looking statements or information within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Often, but not always, forward- looking statements and forward-looking information can be identified using words such as plans, expects, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, or believes or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, ,occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information herein include, but are not limited to the Positive Feasibility Study on Buckreef, the timing and the results of the proposed drilling program.

Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. We have made certain assumptions about the forward-looking statements and information and even though our management believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statement or information will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the following: gold price volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; mining operational and development risk; litigation risks; regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability; risks of sovereign investment; currency fluctuations; speculative nature of gold exploration; global economic climate; dilution; share price volatility; competition; loss of key employees; additional funding requirements; and defective title to mineral claims or property, as well as those factors discussed in the sections entitled Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors in the Companys Form 20-F Annual Report dated November 29, 2018.

There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements or information contained herein. Except as required by law, we do not expect to update forward- looking statements and information continually as conditions change and you are referred to the full discussion of the Companys business contained in the Companys reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and the U.S.

Cautionary Note Regarding Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources

The terms Mineral Reserve, Proven Mineral Reserve and Probable Mineral Reserve used in this release are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the CIM) Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council on August 20, 2000 as may be amended from time to time by the CIM. These definitions differ from the definitions in the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Guide 7. In the United States, a mineral reserve is defined as a part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time the mineral reserve determination is made.

The terms Mineral Resource, Measured Mineral Resource, Indicated Mineral Resource, Inferred Mineral Resource used in this release are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with National Instruction 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the CIM Standards. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

For a detailed discussion of Buckreef resource and reserve estimates and related matters see the Companys reports, including the Form 20-F Annual Report dated November 29, 2018 and technical reports filed under the Companys name at our website at: www.TanzanianRoyaltyExploration.com.

Cautionary Note to US Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources

Note to U.S. Investors. While the terms mineral resource, measured mineral resource, indicated mineral resource, and inferred mineral resource are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, they are not defined terms under standards in the United States and normally are not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. As such, information contained in this report concerning descriptions of mineralization and resources under Canadian standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S companies in SEC filings. With respect to indicated mineral resource and inferred mineral resource there is a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and a great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an indicated mineral resource or inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves.
SANTIAGO, Chile, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ITAU CORPBANCA (NYSE: ITCB; SSE: ITAUCORP) announced today its Management Discussion & Analysis Report (MD&A Report) for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019.



The financial information included in the MD&A Report is based in our managerial model that we adjust for non-recurring events and for additional reclassifications of P&L lines in order to provide a better understanding of our performance.

For the full MD&A Report, please refer to the following link:

https://ir.itau.cl/files/doc_financials/quarterly_reports/2019/q4/2019-Q1-MD-A.pdf

On Thursday, May 2, 2019, at 11:00 A.M. Santiago time (11:00 AM ET), the Companys management team will host a conference call to discuss the financial results. The call will be hosted by Gabriel Moura, Itau Corpbancas Chief Financial Officer, and Claudia Labbe, Itau Corpbancas Head of Investor Relations.

Conference Call Details:

Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: +1 (877) 790-7811 (US Toll Free Dial In), or +1 (647) 689-5491 (Standard International Dial-In). Please quote "Itau Corpbanca" to the operator.

A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available Friday, May 9, 2019, by dialing +1(800) 585-8367 (Encore Dial In). Access Code: 9461549#

Slides and Audio Webcast:

There will also be a live, and then archived, webcast of the conference call, available through the Companys website. Participants in the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast. The webcast can be found at:

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1957313/4642EEAFB0F531A975CF8C2382371326

About Itau Corpbanca

ITAU CORPBANCA (NYSE: ITCB; SSE: ITAUCORP) is the entity resulting from the merger of Banco Itau Chile with and into Corpbanca on April 1, 2016. The current ownership structure is: 38.14% owned by Itau Unibanco, 28.57% owned by the Saieh Family and 33.29% owned by minority shareholders. Itau Unibanco is the sole controlling shareholder of the merged bank. Within this context and without limiting the above, Itau Unibanco and CorpGroup have signed a shareholders agreement relating to corporate governance, dividend policy (based on performance and capital metrics), transfer of shares, liquidity and other matters.

The bank is the fifth largest private bank in Chile and as per its mandate is the banking platform for future expansion in Latin America, specifically in Chile, Colombia and Peru. Itau Corpbanca is a commercial bank based in Chile with additional operations in Colombia and Panama. In addition, Itau Corpbanca has a branch in New York and representative offices in Madrid and Lima. Focused on large and medium sized companies and individuals, Itau Corpbanca offers universal banking products. In 2012, the bank initiated a regionalization process and as of the date hereof has acquired two banks in Colombia Banco Corpbanca Colombia and Helm Bank becoming the first Chilean bank with banking subsidiaries abroad. The merger with Banco Itau Chile and the business combination of our two banks in Colombia, represent the continued success of our regionalization process.

As of February 28, 2019, according to the Chilean Superintendency of Banks, Itau Corpbanca was the fifth largest private bank in Chile in terms of the overall size of its customer loan portfolio, equivalent to 10.1% market share. As of January 31, 2019, according to the Colombian Superintendency of Finance, Itau Corpbanca Colombia was the seventh largest bank in Colombia in terms of total loans and the eighth largest bank in Colombia in terms of total deposits, as reported under local regulatory and accounting principles. As of the same date, its market share by loans reached 4.7%.

Investor Relations  Itau Corpbanca
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocwen Financial Corporation (NYSE: OCN) (Ocwen or the Company) will hold a conference call on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. (ET) to review the Companys first quarter 2019 operating results. These events will follow Ocwens first quarter 2019 earnings release. The release will also be available on the Ocwen Financial Corporation website at www.ocwen.com (through a link on the Shareholder Relations page).



A live audio webcast and slide presentation for the call will be available at www.ocwen.com (through a link on the Shareholder Relations page). Those who want to listen to the call should go to the website at least fifteen minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software.

A replay of the conference call will be available via the website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for approximately 30 days.

For more information on prior releases and SEC Filings, please refer to the "Shareholder Relations" section of our website at www.ocwen.com .

About Ocwen Financial Corporation

Ocwen Financial Corporation is a financial services holding company which, through its subsidiaries, services and originates loans. We are headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, with offices throughout the United States and in the U.S. Virgin Islands and operations in India and the Philippines. We have been serving our customers since 1988. We may post information that is important to investors on our website ( www.ocwen.com ).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
YORK, Pa., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glatfelter (NYSE: GLT) a leading global supplier of engineered materials, today reported its results for the first quarter of 2019. Due to the divestiture of Specialty Papers, its results are classified as discontinued operations for all periods presented in this release. The Companys first quarter 2019 and 2018 results are summarized in the following table:



Three months ended March 31 2019 2018 In thousands, except per share Amount EPS Amount EPS Net income $ 5,286 $ 0.12 $ 5,716 $ 0.13 Income from continuing operations 4,603 0.10 2,264 0.05 Adjusted earnings from continuing operations 7,283 0.16 3,904 0.09

On an adjusted basis, earnings from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2019 were $7.3 million, or $0.16 per share compared with $3.9 million, or $0.09 per share, for the same period a year ago. Adjusted earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure for which a reconciliation to the nearest GAAP-based measure is provided within this release.

Consolidated net sales totaled $229.1 million and $211.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Excluding the Steinfurt, Germany acquisition and on a constant currency basis, Advanced Airlaid Materials net sales increased by 19.2% and Composite Fibers net sales decreased by 3.3%.

We reported solid results in the first quarter of 2019 delivering on growth targets for our Advanced Airlaid Materials business and making significant progress with the corporate cost reduction initiatives, said Dante C. Parrini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Airlaid Materials shipments and operating income grew nearly 40% compared with the first quarter a year ago, reflecting strong organic growth enabled by the Fort Smith, Arkansas capacity expansion in addition to the Steinfurt, Germany acquisition. In Composite Fibers, shipments of food and beverage products improved, driven by single-serve coffee; however, our results were negatively impacted by weak demand for our wallcover and metallized products as well as continued disruptions in the availability of a key fiber due to a fire at the suppliers facility.

Mr. Parrini added, We remain on track to deliver the previously announced $14 million to $16 million of corporate cost reductions by the end of 2020. Additionally, the recently completed debt refinancing is expected to reduce annual interest expense by $6 million in 2019 and $8 million per year going forward, giving us the flexibility and liquidity needed to fuel organic and strategic growth initiatives. And, after many years of litigation, we are pleased the court has approved the consent decree we entered into to resolve our Fox River liability.

As we look ahead, in Airlaid Materials, we are confident in our growth prospects and believe we will deliver performance at the higher end of our legacy growth rate estimate of 8% to 10%, and the Steinfurt acquisition is on track to deliver the previously communicated $7 million to $9 million of operating profit in 2019. For Composite Fibers, we are encouraged by new business development activities and moderating pulp prices; however, we are monitoring the market dynamics and managing the risks in our wallcover segment and, as a result, we expect overall volumes for this business to be flat in 2019 versus 2018. We remain confident in the strategic direction of the new Glatfelter and are optimistic about our ability to enhance shareholder value as a more stable, higher-margin, growth-oriented engineered materials company, Mr. Parrini concluded.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of results on a GAAP basis to an adjusted earnings basis, a non-GAAP measure:

Three months ended March 31 2019 2018 In thousands, except per share Amount EPS Amount EPS Net income $ 5,286 $ 0.12 $ 5,716 $ 0.13 Exclude: Income from discontinued operations, net of tax (683 ) (0.02 ) (3,452 ) (0.08 ) Income from continuing operations 4,603 0.10 2,264 0.05 Adjustments (pre-tax) Strategic initiatives 107 468 Airlaid capacity expansion costs 1,014 3,033 Cost optimization actions 3,923  Debt refinancing 992  Fox River environmental matter (2,509 )  Timberland sales and related costs (458 ) (1,115 ) Total adjustments (pre-tax) 3,069 2,386 Income taxes (1) (389 ) (566 ) U.S. Tax Reform  (180 ) Total after-tax adjustments 2,680 0.06 1,640 0.04 Adjusted earnings from continuing operations $ 7,283 $ 0.16 $ 3,904 $ 0.09

(1) Tax effect on adjustments calculated based on the incremental effective tax rate of the jurisdiction in which each adjustment originated and the related impact of valuation allowances.

The sum of individual per share amounts set forth above may not agree to adjusted earnings per share due to rounding.

A description of each of the adjustments presented above is included later in this release.



First Quarter Business Unit Results



Composite Fibers

Three months ended March 31 Dollars in thousands 2019 2018 Change Tons shipped (metric) 31,529 36,332 (4,803 ) (13.2 )% Net sales $128,717 $141,598 $(12,881 ) (9.1 )% Operating income 11,349 15,289 (3,940 ) (25.8 )% Operating margin 8.8 % 10.8 %

Composite Fibers net sales decreased $12.9 million, or 9.1%, primarily due to a 13.2% decline in shipping volumes partially offset by higher average selling prices totaling $0.9 million. Food and beverage shipping volumes were up 4.5% but were more than offset by declines in wallcover and metallized products, which were lower by 27% and 22%, respectively. Currency translation was unfavorable by $8.2 million.

Composite Fibers first quarter of 2019 operating income totaled $11.3 million, a decrease of $3.9 million compared to the year-earlier quarter. Lower shipping volumes and machine downtime to manage inventory levels impacted results by $2.9 million. Higher raw material and energy prices of $5.3 million and costs related to the disruption in the supply of a key raw material were partially mitigated by $3.0 million in benefit from our cost reduction actions and lower depreciation. Currency translation was $1.0 million favorable compared to the year-ago quarter reflecting hedging instruments that matured, more than offsetting the impact of a lower Euro translation rate.

Advanced Airlaid Materials

Three months ended March 31 Dollars in thousands 2019 2018 Change Tons shipped (metric) 33,177 23,846 9,331 39.1 % Net sales $ 100,416 $ 69,609 $ 30,807 44.3 % Operating income 10,038 7,210 2,828 39.2 % Operating margin 10.0 % 10.4 %

Advanced Airlaid Materials net sales increased $30.8 million primarily due to the Steinfurt acquisition and a 13.4% organic increase in shipping volumes reflecting strong growth in wipes, hygiene and table top products. Higher average selling prices contributed $1.8 million and currency translation was unfavorable by $3.1 million.

Operating income for the first quarter of 2019 increased $2.8 million primarily due to higher shipping volumes which contributed $4.1 million. Higher selling prices were offset by $2.1 million of higher raw material and energy costs. Higher depreciation from the new capacity at Fort Smith negatively impacted income by $0.9 million.

Other Financial Information

The amount of Other and Unallocated expense in our table of Business Unit Performance totaled $9.6 million in the first quarter of 2019 compared with $14.8 million in the first quarter of 2018. Excluding the items identified to present adjusted earnings, unallocated expenses declined $4.8 million in the quarter-to-quarter comparison primarily reflecting the impact of corporate cost reduction initiatives.

In the first quarter of 2019, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $1.9 million on income from continuing operations of $6.5 million. On adjusted pre-tax income of $9.5 million, income tax expense was $2.2 million compared to $6.4 million and $2.5 million, respectively, in the first quarter of 2018. The lower effective tax rate in the first quarter of 2019 was primarily due to the closure of certain tax audits. The Company currently estimates its full-year 2019 effective tax rate on adjusted earnings will be approximately 38%.

In February 2019, the Company entered into a new 5-year, $400 million revolving credit facility and a 220 million term loan facility. The proceeds from the term loan facility were used to redeem, at par, all outstanding $250 million, 5.375% Notes. As a result, the Company expects interest expense to be reduced by $6 million in 2019 compared with 2018 and $8 million on an annualized basis, thereafter.

During the first quarter, the Company entered into a consent decree with the United States Government, the State of Wisconsin, and Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products, under which Glatfelter resolved its liability for the Lower Fox River and Green Bay environmental remediation and related Superfund litigation. Pursuant to the consent decree, the Company paid $20.5 million to the governments to settle claims for oversight costs. In connection with the courts approval of the consent decree, the Company reduced its reserve for the Fox River matter by $2.5 million during the first quarter. This amount is excluded from adjusted earnings reported herein.

Balance Sheet and Other Information

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $76.7 million as of March 31, 2019, and net debt was $313.8 million compared with $269.1 million at the end of 2018. (Refer to the calculation of this measure provided in the tables at the end of this release.)

Capital expenditures during the first three months of 2019 and 2018, totaled $5.9 million and $20.1 million, respectively. Adjusted free cash flow for the three months of 2019 was $(30.0) million compared with $(15.9) million in 2018. (Refer to the calculation of this measure provided in the tables at the end of this release.)

Discontinued Operations

On October 31, 2018, we completed the previously announced sale of our Specialty Papers business unit on a cash-free and debt-free basis to Pixelle Specialty Solutions LLC, an affiliate of Lindsay Goldberg for $360 million.

The results of operations for our Specialty Papers business unit have been classified as discontinued operations for all periods presented in the consolidated statements of income.

Conference Call

As previously announced, the Company will hold a conference call today at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern) to discuss its first quarter results. The Company will make available on its Investor Relations website this quarters earnings release and an accompanying financial presentation which includes significant financial information to be discussed on the conference call including the Companys outlook pertaining to financial performance. Information related to the conference call is as follows:

What: Glatfelters 1st Quarter 2019 Earnings Release Conference Call When: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 11:00 a.m. (ET) Number: US dial 888.335.5539 International dial 973.582.2857 Conference ID: 5188809 Webcast: http://www.glatfelter.com/about_us/investor_relations/default.aspx Rebroadcast Dates: April 30, 2019, 2:00 p.m. through May 14, 2019, 11:59 p.m. Rebroadcast Number: Within US dial 855.859.2056 International dial 404.537.3406 Conference ID: 5188809

Interested persons who wish to hear the live webcast should go to the website prior to the starting time to register and ensure any necessary audio software is installed.





P. H. Glatfelter Company and subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Income

(unaudited)

Three months ended

March 31 In thousands, except per share 2019 2018 Net sales $ 229,133 $ 211,207 Costs of products sold 193,516 174,647 Gross profit 35,617 36,560 Selling, general and administrative expenses 24,622 29,931 Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net (669 ) (1,116 ) Operating income 11,664 7,745 Non-operating income (expense) Interest expense (4,746 ) (3,450 ) Interest income 505 54 Other, net (962 ) (323 ) Total non-operating expense (5,203 ) (3,719 ) Income from continuing operations before income taxes 6,461 4,026 Income tax provision 1,858 1,762 Income from continuing operations 4,603 2,264 Discontinued operations: Income before income taxes 714 4,459 Income tax provision 31 1,007 Income from discontinued operations 683 3,452 Net income $ 5,286 $ 5,716 Basic earnings per share Income from continuing operations $ 0.10 $ 0.05 Income from discontinued operations 0.02 0.08 Basic earnings per share $ 0.12 $ 0.13 Diluted earnings per share Income from continuing operations $ 0.10 $ 0.05 Income from discontinued operations 0.02 0.08 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.12 $ 0.13 Cash dividend declared per common share $ 0.13 $ 0.13 Weighted average shares outstanding Basic 44,027 43,700 Diluted 44,279 44,567





Business Unit Financial Information

(unaudited) Three months ended March 31 Dollars in millions Composite Fibers Advanced Airlaid Materials Other and Unallocated Total 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 Net sales $ 128.7 $ 141.6 $ 100.4 $ 69.6 $  $  $ 229.1 $ 211.2 Costs of products sold 106.6 114.7 86.0 59.7 0.9 0.2 193.5 174.6 Gross profit (loss) 22.1 26.9 14.4 9.9 (0.9 ) (0.2 ) 35.6 36.6 SG&A 10.8 11.6 4.4 2.7 9.4 15.6 24.6 29.9 (Gains) losses on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net     (0.7 ) (1.1 ) (0.7 ) (1.1 ) Total operating income (loss) 11.3 15.3 10.0 7.2 (9.6 ) (14.8 ) 11.7 7.7 Non operating expense     (5.2 ) (3.7 ) (5.2 ) (3.7 ) Income (loss) before income taxes $ 11.3 $ 15.3 $ 10.0 $ 7.2 $ (14.8 ) $ (18.5 ) $ 6.5 $ 4.0 Supplementary Data Metric tons sold (thousands) 31.5 36.3 33.2 23.8   64.7 60.1 Depreciation, depletion and amortization $ 6.7 $ 7.4 $ 5.3 $ 2.8 $ 0.8 $ 1.1 $ 12.8 $ 11.3 Capital expenditures 3.2 5.1 2.2 13.2 0.5 1.8 5.9 20.1

The sum of individual amounts set forth above may not agree to the consolidated financial statements included herein due to rounding.

Selected Financial Information

(unaudited) Three months ended March 31 In thousands 2019 2018 Cash Flow Data Cash from continuing operations provided (used) by: Operating activities $ (24,145 ) $ (7,149 ) Investing activities (7,240 ) (18,939 ) Financing activities (23,611 ) 15,842 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 12,788 11,336 Capital expenditures 5,865 20,068





March 31 December 31 2019 2018 Balance Sheet Data Cash and cash equivalents $ 76,666 $ 142,685 Total assets 1,297,865 1,339,754 Total debt 390,426 411,747 Shareholders equity 536,188 538,898

Reconciliation of GAAP Financial Information to Non-GAAP Financial Information

This press release includes a measure of earnings before the effects of certain specifically identified items, which is referred to as adjusted earnings, a non-GAAP measure. The Company uses non-GAAP adjusted earnings to supplement the understanding of its consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP adjusted earnings is meant to present the financial performance of the Companys core operations, which consist of the production and sale of composite fibers papers and airlaid non-woven materials. Management and the Companys Board of Directors use non-GAAP adjusted earnings to evaluate the performance of the Companys fundamental business in relation to prior periods. For purposes of determining adjusted earnings, the following items are excluded:

Strategic initiatives. These adjustments primarily reflect one-time professional and legal fees incurred directly related to evaluating and executing certain strategic initiatives.

Airlaid capacity expansion. These adjustments reflect non-capitalized, one-time costs incurred related to the start-up of a new airlaid production facility in Fort Smith, Arkansas and implementation of a new business system.

Cost optimization actions. These adjustments reflect charges incurred in connection with initiatives to optimize the cost structure of Composite Fibers in response to changes in business conditions and costs related to the organizational change to a functional operating model. The costs are primarily related to executive separation, other headcount reduction efforts, professional fees, asset write-offs and certain contract termination costs.

Debt refinancing costs. Represents a charge to write-off unamortized debt issuance costs in connection with the redemption of the Companys $250 million, 5.375% Notes.

Fox River environmental matter. This adjustment reflects a decrease in the Companys overall reserve included in income for the Fox River matter primarily due to the resolution of the litigation in the first quarter of 2019.

Timberland sales and related costs. These adjustments exclude gains from the sales of timberlands as these items are not considered to be part of our core business, ongoing results of operations or cash flows. These adjustments are irregular in timing and amount and may significantly impact our operating results.

U.S. Tax Reform. These adjustments reflect amounts estimating the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) which was signed into law on December 22, 2017. The TCJA includes, among many provisions, a tax on the mandatory repatriation of earnings of the Companys non-U.S. subsidiaries and a change in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.

Unlike net income determined in accordance with GAAP, non-GAAP adjusted earnings does not reflect all charges and gains recorded by the Company for the applicable period and, therefore, does not present a complete picture of the Companys results of operations for the respective period. However, non-GAAP adjusted earnings provide a measure of how the Companys core operations are performing, which management believes is useful to investors because it allows comparison of such operations from period to period. Non-GAAP adjusted earnings should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Calculation of Adjusted Free Cash Flow Three months ended

March 31 In thousands 2019 2018 Cash from operations $ (24,145 ) $ (7,149 ) Less: Capital expenditures (5,865 ) (20,068 ) Add back: Airlaid capacity expansion - 11,320 Adjusted free cash flow $ (30,010 ) $ (15,897 )





Net Debt March 31 December 31 In thousands 2019 2018 Current portion of long-term debt $ 19,852 $ 10,785 Long term debt 370,574 400,962 Total 390,426 411,747 Less: Cash (76,666 ) (142,685 ) Net Debt $ 313,760 $ 269,062

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements included in this press release which pertain to future financial and business matters are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company uses words such as anticipates, believes, expects, future, intends, plans, targets, and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements are based on the Companys current expectations and are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable or uncontrollable factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to changes in industry, business, market, and economic conditions, demand for or pricing of its products, market growth rates and currency exchange rates. In light of these risks, uncertainties and other factors, the forward-looking matters discussed in this press release may not occur and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and Glatfelter undertakes no obligation, and does not intend, to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release. More information about these factors is contained in Glatfelters filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at www.glatfelter.com.



About Glatfelter

Glatfelter (NYSE: GLT) is a leading global supplier of engineered materials. The Companys high-quality, innovative and customizable solutions are found in tea and single-serve coffee filtration, personal hygiene and packaging products as well as home improvement and industrial applications. Headquartered in York, PA, the Companys annualized net sales approximate $950 million with customers in over 100 countries and approximately 2,600 employees worldwide. Operations include eleven manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Philippines. Additional information about Glatfelter may be found at www.glatfelter.com.

Contacts: Investors: Media: Samuel L. Hillard Eileen L. Beck (717) 225-2743 (717) 225-2793




Richland WA, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vivos Inc. (OTCPINK: RDGL), provides an update on the progress towards commercialization of Y-90 IsoPet for animal therapy.



Animal Testing

This week we will be treating our last dog in the test series for soft tissue sarcoma therapy at the University of Missouri (Missouri). Missouri will write up the test report, which we will review and forward to the FDA. The primary purpose of the testing was to answer key FDA questions regarding the Radiogel/ IsoPet technology and to confirm our claims related to the safety and effectiveness in treating solid tumors. Following completion of the canine sarcoma study, we plan to expand our contract with Missouri to begin testing for treatment of equine sarcoids.

Dr. Mike Korenko, Vivos Inc. CEO stated, I am encouraged by the outstanding preliminary results of the canine sarcoma treatments with Isopet. All of the test subjects are alive and well and are showing objective evidence of tumor destruction. We will continue to track their progress based on their follow-up examinations. Dr. Charlie Maitz, the principal investigator at Missouri, did an excellent job demonstrating proficiency in administering IsoPet according to the procedures on our Label. The new state-of-the-art PET/CT equipment at Missouri provided objective evidence of IsoPet near-uniform dose distribution via perfusion within the tumor. These results confirm precise delivery of a high dose of therapeutic radiation and address multiple questions the FDA has previously asked regarding the product.

Pilot Clinic for Commercial Sale of Isopet 

We have been placing a high priority on obtaining the Radioactive Material License for our pilot clinic, Vista Veterinary Hospital. This process has taken longer than expected in part because Vista has not previously been licensed to handle any radiopharmaceutical material and because this is the first experience in the country that regulators have had with Isopet. To address this, we agreed to additional oversight for the first few treatments to demonstrate safety of the procedures for handling and administering the product. This will help establish standard permit conditions for other clinics that to use IsoPet in the future.

The Washington Department of Health conducted a pre-licensing inspection at Vista in the first week of April. They provided a list of actions that they wanted completed and decided to do a final inspection prior to issuing the license. Washington is an Agreement State, i.e. the State has been granted authority to implement US Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations for medical uses of radioactive materials. When an Agreement State issues a license for a new product it sets a precedent for all other Agreement States. This will have a benefit when we begin expanding IsoPet therapy to regional clinics across the country, since all but twelve states are agreement states.

Within this regulatory framework, we have decided to sell IsoPet as part of a development effort wherein new users agree to provide data on the safety and efficiency of IsoPet administration procedures and report on the overall effectiveness of the therapy. This is consistent with the licensing practices of new products and guarantees that we harvest data which we will share with the FDA and other clinics.

About Vivos Inc. (OTC: RDGL)

Vivos Inc. is a pharmaceutical company researching and developing minimally invasive treatments to combat cancer in humans and animals. It has developed an Yttrium-90 based brachytherapy injectable device, for the treatment of tumors in animals (IsoPet) and in humans (Radiogel). Brachytherapy uses highly localized radiation to destroy cancerous tumors by placing a radioactive isotope directly inside the treatment area using the companys proprietary hydrogel formulation. The injection delivers therapeutic radiation from within the tumor without the entrance skin dose and associated side effects of treatment that characterize external-beam radiation therapy. This feature allows safe delivery of higher doses needed for treating both non-resectable and radiation-resistant cancers.

IsoPet is a hydrogel liquid containing tiny yttrium-90 phosphate particles that may be administered directly into a tumor. This hydrogel is an yttrium-90 carrier at room temperature that gels within the tumor interstitial space after injection to keep the radiation source safely in place. The short-range beta radiation from yttrium-90 localizes the dose within the treatment area so that normal organs and tissues are not adversely affected.

IsoPet also has a short half-life  delivering more than 90% of its therapeutic radiation within 10 days. This compares favorably to other available treatment options requiring up to six weeks or more to deliver a full course of radiation therapy. Therapy can be safely administered as an out-patient procedure and the patient may return home without subsequent concern for radiation dose to the family.

The IsoPet Solutions division is using university veterinary hospitals to demonstrate the safety and therapeutic effectiveness for different animal cancers. The testing on feline sarcoma at the Washington State University is completed and the testing on canine soft tissue sarcomas at the University of Missouri is near completion.

The Company recently obtained confirmation from the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine that IsoPet is classified as a device according to its intended use and means by which it achieves its intended purpose. The FDA also reviewed the product labeling which included canine and feline sarcomas as the initial indications for use. FDA does not require pre-market approval for veterinary devices so no additional approval is required for treating skin cancer, which is the largest market sector. Following this demonstration phase, Vivos can begin to generate revenues through the sale of IsoPet to University animal hospitals and private veterinary clinic consortiums.

IsoPet for treating animals uses the same technology as RadioGel for treating humans. The Food and Drug Administration advised using different product names in order to avoid confusion and cross-use.

The Company is also engaging the FDA for premarket clearance to market RadioGel for the treatment of advanced basal and squamous cell skin cancers in humans.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by the use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimates," "projects," "intends," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to successfully execute its expanded business strategy, including by entering into definitive agreements with suppliers, commercial partners and customers; 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 technical advances and delivering technological innovations, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, regulatory requirements and the ability to meet them, government agency rules and changes, and various other factors beyond the Company's control.

CONTACT:
TORONTO, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amarillo Gold Corporation (Amarillo or the Company) (TSX.V:AGC; OTCQB:AGCBF) is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities at its Lavras do Sul exploration properties (the LDS Project or LDS) located in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.



The LDS Project is comprised of more than 22 gold exploration prospects centered on old gold workings or geochemical anomalies over a 12 km by 7 km area. Amarillo holds the exploration rights on more than 22K hectares in the LDS area. Amarillo conducted exploration drilling in the area from 2007 to 2012 and plans to restart drilling this year. The Company plans to systematically drill test each of the prospects with a view towards establishing sufficient resources to justify a central processing facility fed by the many satellite ore bodies.

LDS 2007  2012 Diamond Drilling Highlights:

See the following link to our website containing the table for all drill hole results: https://www.amarillogold.com/W0p23B/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/LDS_DDH_Results_Table_PR_2007-2012.pdf

Butia

1.95 Au g/t over 231 m core length in Hole LDH-122  See Press Release dated April 21, 2009

3.52 Au g/t over 120 m core length in Hole LDH-128  See Press Release dated April 21, 2009

9.51 Au g/t over 14 m core length in Hole LDH-146  See Press Release dated March 8, 2010

4.23 Au g/t over 8 m core length in Hole LDH-204  See Press Release dated June 20, 2012

8.84 Au g/t over 6 m core length in Hole LDH-209  See Press Release dated June 20, 2012

12.25 Au g/t over 12 m core length in Hole LDH-220  See Press Release dated July 9, 2012

15.45 Au g/t over 4.7 m core length in Hole LDH-224  See Press Release dated July 9, 2012

Caneleira

3.13 Au g/t over 10 m core length in Hole LDH-110 - See Press Release dated December 18, 2007

15.40 Au g/t over 2 m core length in Hole LDH-111 - See Press Release dated December 18, 2007

Cerrito

1.88 Au g/t over 14 m core length in Hole LDH-04 - See Press Release dated July 18, 2007

3.38 Au g/t over 3 m core length in Hole LDH-166 - See Press Release dated March 28, 2012

11.91 Au g/t over 2 m core length in Hole LDH-183 - See Press Release dated March 28, 2012

Paradao

4.54 Au g/t over 12.0 m core length in Hole LDH-105  This is the first disclosure of this hole.

13.71 Au g/t over 2.5 m core length in Hole LDH-109  This is the first disclosure of this hole.

Valdo Teixeira

7.90 Au g/t over 2.0 m core length in Hole LDH-191  This is the first disclosure of this hole.

Uncut Au g/t assays over drill core lengths in meters

The Butia prospect contains 215,000 ounces of gold in the Indicated category from 6.4 Mt at 1.05 g/t Au, and 308,000 ounces of gold in the Inferred category from 12.9 Mt at 0.74 g/t Au using a 0.3 g/t cut-off grade and is open along the structure. In December 2018, the company completed a 1,000-line kilometer UAV magnetic survey over the Butia and Matilde prospects (see the 2018 magnetic survey map posted below).

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1d0cb602-1dd8-4739-8fe0-c93fbb691471

The Company has so far completed a total of 13,448 soil samples at LDS, including 12,475 soil samples taken between 2009 and 2012 to test most of the known prospects located within the southern half of the LDS granitic intrusion. A total of 973 soil samples were taken in 2018 from the northern and western portion of the LDS granite. Several gold anomalies were identified in the region including the Matilde gold anomaly spanning over 300 meters in length.

See the following link to our website containing the soil sample map with the 2019 target areas:

https://www.amarillogold.com/W0p23B/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/LDS-Soil-04292019.pdf

The recent exploration work, in conjunction with the results from past years work have identified three main targets for additional exploration drilling. Marc Ducharme, the Companys Chief Exploration Geologist commented Three structural trends are observed within the LDS granite which include east-west, southeast and northeast fractures or faults highlighted on the regional magnetic map. The known LDS mineralized deposits are generally spatially associated along east-west to locally southeast trending structures. The gold soil sampling map illustrates that gold anomalies can be traced along the main east-west to southeast structural trend but are also newly interpreted to be spatially related to northeast trending structures. Future exploration work will include testing the mineralized potential along the northeast trend.

See the following link to our website containing the regional magnetic map with the 2019 target areas: https://www.amarillogold.com/W0p23B/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/LDS-Magnetic-04292019.pdf

Amarillo CEO, Mike Mutchler commented In 2018 we completed the preparatory work to enable us to restart drilling at LDS for the first time since 2012. In 2019 we plan to complete a small, highly targeted drilling campaign to further test the Butia, Matilde and Valdo Teixeira prospects. LDS is a large target area and we plan to be very judicious with our drill meters to maximize the returns.

ABOUT AMARILLO

Amarillo is developing an open pit gold resource at its Mara Rosa Project in the mining friendly jurisdiction of Goias State in Brazil. The Mara Rosa Project, also known as the Posse deposit, was awarded its main (LP) permit which provides the social and environment permission to mine. Amarillo is progressing toward obtaining an installation permit (LI). Based on the NI 43-101 Pre-Feasibility Study 2018 (PFS 2018) update filed on SEDAR on November 21, 2018, the Mara Rosa Project contains estimated 513,000 ounces of gold in the Proven category from 9.6 Mt at 1.65 g/t Au, and 574,000 ounces gold in the Probable category from 14.2 Mt at 1.26 g/t Au, for total estimated Reserves of 1,087,000 ounces from 23.8 Mt at 1.42 g/t Au. In addition to the Mara Rosa Project, Amarillo has an advanced exploration project with excellent grades at Lavras do Sul, Brazil. A Mineral Resource Estimate Study (NI 43-101 technical report) for Lavras do Sul was filed on SEDAR on October 4, 2010. The Lavras do Sul Project is an advanced exploration stage property (190 sq. km.) comprising of more than 22 prospects centered on historic gold workings. The initial resource estimate at the Butia prospect reported 215,000 ounces of gold in the Indicated category from 6.4 Mt at 1.05 g/t Au, and 308,000 ounces of gold in the Inferred category from 12.9 Mt at 0.74 g/t Au using a 0.3 g/t cut-off grade. Both projects have excellent nearby infrastructure.

Marc Ducharme, Chief Exploration Geologist of the Company, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 guidelines and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure relating to exploration content and drilling results in this news release.

Mike Mutchler, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 guidelines and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure relating to the 2018 PFS in this section of the news release.

For further information, please contact:





Mike Mutchler or Karen Mate President & CEO External Communications 416-294-0736 416-230-6454 mike.mutchler@amarillogold.com karen.mate@amarillogold.com 32 Richmond St. East Suite 201 Toronto, ON Canada, M5C 1P1 Website: www.amarillogold.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 news release contains Forward Looking Statements regarding the Companys current expectations regarding future events, including with respect to the Companys business, operations and condition, and managements objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. Various factors may prevent or delay our plans, including but not limited to, the trading price of the Common Shares, the ability of the Company to obtain approvals from the TSX-V in respect of the transactions contemplated hereby, contractor availability and performance, weather, access, mineral prices, and success and failure of the exploration and development carried out at various stages of the program. Permission from the Government and community is also required to proceed with future mining production. Readers should review the Companys ongoing quarterly and annual filings, as well as any other additional documentation comprising the Companys public disclosure record, for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. Readers should also review the risk factors applicable to junior mining exploration companies generally to better understand the variety of risks that can affect the Company. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any Forward-Looking Statements whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as me be required by law.

PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/933bd102-86b3-4736-a098-2d1a052e90dd
Oslo, 30 April 2019: Scatec Solar ASA held its Annual General Meeting on 30 April at 10:00 am CET. A total of 69,121,511 shares, representing 60.76 % of the share capital was represented at the General Meeting.

The General Meeting resolved the Board of Directors proposal of a dividend of NOK 0.95 per share. The Company's shares will trade on Oslo Stock Exchange exclusive the right to receive dividend as from 2 May. The dividend is expected to be paid on or about 15 May 2019. For key information related to the cash dividend, refer to stock exchange release from 25 January 2019 .

All proposals were resolved as presented in the notice convening the General Meeting distributed on 29 March 2019 and as further set out in the minutes from the General Meeting attached hereto. Attached is also the revised instructions for the Nomination Committee.

For further information, please contact:

Ingrid Aarsnes, VP Communication & IR

tel: +47 950 38 364 ingrid.aarsnes@scatecsolar.com



About Scatec Solar

Scatec Solar is an integrated independent solar power producer, delivering affordable, rapidly deployable and sustainable clean energy worldwide. A long- term player, Scatec Solar develops, builds, owns, operates and maintains solar power plants and has an installation track record of more than 1 GW. The company has a total of 1.7 GW in operation and under construction in Argentina, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Honduras, Jordan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Ukraine.

With an established global presence and a significant project pipeline, the company is targeting a capacity of 3.5 GW in operation and under construction by end of 2021. Scatec Solar is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SSO. To learn more, visit www.scatecsolar.com .

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act

Attachment
CALGARY, Alberta, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FluroTech Ltd. (TSX-V: TEST) (OTCQB: FLURF), (FluroTech or the Company) is pleased to announce the appointment of Duane Sniezek as the full-time Director of Science and Technology. Duane will be hands-on in leading enhancements of the CompleTest.



The continuing commercialization of the CompleTest is our number one priority, stated Danny Dalla-Longa. Duane has demonstrated his ability to bring new technologies to market and will head the Companys development team.

Great science makes great products! I look forward to leveraging the science and expanding the core technology that has been created by the team at FluroTech into new and innovative products for the cannabis industry. Amazing things are possible with a knowledgeable and innovative science and engineering team like the one at FluroTech, commented Duane. In this emerging market there is a great opportunity for fast, affordable, accurate and easy to use test and measurement instruments. FluroTech is taking the lead and I am excited to use my background and experience to help to accelerate products into the market.

Duane Sniezek is the CEO of Terecel Inc., a technology management company focused on driving business results from technology. Duane has a proven executive management track record starting and running 12 private and public companies. With over 30 years of technology strategy, management, product development and commercialization experience, he has a successful track record of launching new products to market. Duane holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Saskatchewan, and a Diploma in Electronics Engineering Technology from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

About FluroTech (TSX-V: TEST) (OTCQB: FLURF)

FluroTech is a technology and marketing company whose core business is focused on the commercialization of new technologies in the cannabis industry. FluroTechs proprietary spectroscopy-based technology allows for the testing and identification of organic and inorganic compounds contained within biological samples. Using the technology that was developed at the University of Calgary, FluroTech has developed a two-part solution comprising an instrument called the CompleTest and consumable testing kits.

To learn more, visit www.FluroTech.com .

Contact Information

Danny Dalla-Longa

Chief Executive Officer

403.680.0644

danny@flurotech.com

FluroTech Ltd.

Alistair Ross Technology Centre

Suite 111, 3553-31 Street NW

Calgary, AB T2L 2K7

info@flurotech.com

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the securities laws of any state and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the benefit or account of U.S. persons, absent such registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally refers to information about an issuers business, capital, or operations that is prospective in nature, and includes future-oriented financial information about the issuers prospective financial performance or financial position. The forward-looking information in this news release includes disclosure about continuing commercialization of the CompleTest, opportunity for fast, affordable, accurate and easy to use test and measurement instruments and FluroTech taking the in the market.

The Company made certain material assumptions, including but not limited to prevailing market conditions and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, the need and demand for the CompleTest technology in the cannabis and hemp industry, to develop the forward-looking information in this news release. 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.

Actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this news release due to certain material risk factors. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, adverse market conditions and regulatory and other risks associated with the cannabis and hemp industries in general, users of the Companys the CompleTest failing to achieve the anticipated benefits of the product, competition from other developers of similar technology, failure to reach commercialization of the technology and failure for the products anticipated market to develop. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material risk factors and assumptions is not exhaustive.

The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information in this news release, unless it is required to do so under Canadian securities legislation.

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 of this release.
Erlanger, KY, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kirks, a business specializing in natural soap and bath products, is proud to announce national certification as a Womens Business Enterprise by the Ohio River Valley Womens Business Council (ORV-WBC), a regional certifying partner of the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). When retailers, suppliers, corporations and government agencies include women-owned businesses as part of their supply chains, they demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity.



As a sister and mom-owned and operated company, all products from Kirks Family of Natural Brands are created with women and families in mind. WBENC certification aligns with our values by advocating for diversity and empowering women to achieve success in life, says Molly Vollmer, co-owner and co-CEO.



WBENCs national standard of certification implemented by the ORV-WBC is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women. We are proud that our ownership goes well beyond the 51% requirement, says Vollmer.



For Vollmer and her sister, co-owner and co-CEO Katherine Jarnigo, the journey began in 2011, when their father, Rich Oliver, put them to work in the family business. Jarnigo recalls, Before we were able to purchase the company from our father, we had to earn our roles. In order to understand all aspects of the operation it was important that we worked in every department, starting in the warehouse. We learned firsthand the dedication required to run a business, and fostered a deep respect for our employees.



To learn more about Kirks, please visit www.kirkssoap.com.



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About WBENCFounded in 1997, WBENC is the nations leader in womens business development and the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with more than 13,000 certified Womens Business Enterprises, 14 national Regional Partner Organizations, and over 300 Corporate Members. More than 1,000 corporations representing Americas most prestigious brands as well as many states, cities, and other entities accept WBENC Certification. For more information, visit www.wbenc.org.



About Kirks Kirks is dedicated to crafting the highest quality, natural and hypoallergenic soaps and cleansers. For 180 years, families have trusted their Castile products, made from 100% premium coconut oil instead of animal fats and chemical detergents, using them in the bath, kitchen and beyond. All products have been certified under the control of a dermatologist by an independent clinical testing lab as hypoallergenic, non-irritating and safe for sensitive skin. American made and family owned and operated, Kirks is available at a wide range of retailers nationwide, including Walmart, Target, Kroger, Whole Foods and online at Amazon.com.



About Kirks Family of Natural BrandsFounded 180 years ago, Kirks Family of Natural Brands is one of Americas oldest, continuously-operated soap makers. Today, we proudly carry on our familys soap-making traditions with a growing portfolio of innovative body care products. Our family of brands has grown over the past 23 years and brings Kirks, The Grandpa Soap Company and South of France Natural Body Care all under one roof. And with approximately 70 products ranging from bar soap, liquid soap, foaming hand wash, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and sugar polishes, were just getting started. We are Molly & Katherine Oliver, two sisters turned CEO-moms - with a vision driven by our desire to create high-quality natural products for both our own growing families as well as yours.

Attachments
Vancouver, British Columbia, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Future Farm Technologies Inc. (the Company or Future Farm) (CSE: FFT) (OTCQB: FFRMF) is pleased to announce that it has begun preparations for the propagation of its 2019 hemp-for-wellness crop in Belfast, Maine. The Company will be growing its Cherry Wine cultivar over 100 acres of farmland in Hersey, Maine, but is first propagating the plants indoors at the Belfast facility.



Future Farm expects to harvest over 120,000 pounds of biomass this season, with each plant producing approximately one pound of biomass. Planting on 100 acres requires a tremendous amount of planning to align labor, care for the plants at each stage, preparation of the field, and transplanting of the seedlings. Future Farm is planning to have the biomass from its Maine operations processed into full spectrum hemp oil, CBD distillate and CBD isolate for sale to manufacturers of products using those valuable ingredients. Building on its ongoing successful seed business, the Company projects that it will produce over two million hemp seeds in 2019, almost double the production of its 2018 inaugural season. This plan positions Future Farm to be among the largest suppliers of high-quality hemp seed in the Northeast United States.

We have been focused on caring for the seeds we are about to grow since we harvested them in 2018 because they have outstanding genetics that provide high propagation rates and high CBD content, comments Zachary Lapan, General Manager of Future Farm Maine. He continues, "It's always exciting for me, as a farmer and a manager, to see that first sprout.

For further information, contact William Gildea, Director, at (888) 387-3761.

On behalf of the Board,

Future Farm Technologies Inc.

William Gildea, CEO

About Future Farm Technologies Inc.

Future Farm is a Canadian company with holdings throughout North America including California, Massachusetts, Florida, Maine, Puerto Rico and Newfoundland. The Companys mission is to advance sustainable agriculture through production of wholesale and retail cannabis products, including hemp. As a leader in its field, Future Farm is committed to using only the highest quality processes and products. Towards this goal, the Company acquires or partners with licensed cannabis operators, and acquires or develops leading technologies in cannabis production, breeding, genetics, and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Future Farms scalable, indoor CEA systems utilize minimal land, water and energy resources. The Company holds an exclusive, worldwide license to use a patented vertical farming technology that, when compared to traditional plant production methods, generates yields up to 10 times greater per square foot of land.

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. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not in any way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.
MILLS RIVER, NORTH CAROLINA, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legacy at Mills River, a new proposed continuing care retirement community with an innovative, forward-thinking approach to senior living, is now accepting pre-construction reservation deposits for residents to reserve their homes. Opening in 2021, Legacy is advancing the concept of senior living through its Equity Modelgiving its residents the option to not only live in their own home, but to own itin turn creating next generation retirement living.

Under the leadership of David Ammons, CEO of Retirement Living Associates (RLA) and Developer and Operations Manager of Legacy, residents will have the very best a senior living community can offer. RLA is partnering with Beverly-Grant, the premier North Carolina contractor specializing in healthcare and commercial development, to build a variety of living options and amenities that include:

210 customized independent living homes

Continuum of care with assisted living and nursing options

A physician-staffed health and wellness center

Eco-conscious LEED standards in construction and maintenance

Transportation services and 24-hour security

Picturesque walking trails and fishing lake

With an American Arts & Crafts style of architecture, residents can customize their homes to their likingchoosing every finish and fixture. Nestled among the natural glories of North Carolinas Blue Ridge Mountains, residents will live a life of luxury while creating their own legacy for future generations. This unique ownership model with customization options for senior living puts Legacy at the forefront of desirable retirement communities in North Carolina and beyondwithout the wait list that many others have.

Simply put, Legacy is a step above other retirement communities. It will be an exceptional place to live and our ownership concept will allow our residents to create the life they want while building equity, says Ammons. They will become invested members of a community that will not only benefit them but their families as well. We are proud of what we can provide for our future residents and its a model we hope will soon transform the industry, nationwide.

For more information or to make a reservation for a future home at Legacy at Mills River, please call (828) 696-1554or visit legacyatmillsriver.com.

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Legacy at Mills River

Legacy at Mills River is a proposed, equity-model Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) being built on 112 acres in North Carolinas beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Conveniently located near Asheville, Brevard and Hendersonville, the community will offer a full continuum of carewith diverse independent living options, private assisted living suites, and spacious private rooms for skilled nursing and memory care. The unique ownership model of Legacy will give every resident lasting value by allowing them to build real equity in their home.

The expansive Legacy community will be managed by a locally-based management team, spearheaded by David Ammons of Retirement Living Associates (RLA). RLA is working with Beverly-Grant on construction and development, then the RLA team will manage all aspects of Legacy both during development and after the community is open. legacyatmillsriver.com

Retirement Living Associates, Inc.

Founded by David Ammons in 1990, RLA is North Carolinas premier choice for the planning, development, marketing and daily operations of senior living communities. With over 25 years of experience, they demonstrate a commitment to the creation and execution of exceptional communities for senior citizens. Some of their more notable projects include Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community, Mars Hill Retirement Community and SpringShire a Continuing Care Retirement Community. www.rlainc.com



Beverly-Grant, Inc.

Founded in 1955 Beverly-Grant is the premier general contractor based in Western North Carolina and specializing in healthcare, commercial, and industrial construction. As the largest general contractor in North Carolina, Beverly-Grant has earned a reputation for quality, professionalism, and honesty that spans generations. Most recently they were featured in Long Term Living Magazine for designing and building the Laurel Park Medical Centre. They also received the Honor Award by the American Institute of Architects for their work on the Capital Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The company is led by Rick Grant, President. www.beverly-grant.com

Attachments
Washington, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum conferred its 2019 Elie Wiesel Award, the institutions highest honor, on two recipients at its National Tribute Dinner on Monday, April 29. Both recipients have advanced our common humanity in exceptional ways: Serge and Beate Klarsfeld through their extraordinary contributions to Holocaust memory, education and justice; and the Syria Civil Defence, commonly known as The White Helmets, through their remarkable courage, saving lives at enormous personal risk.



Elie Wiesel said indifference always benefits the aggressor  never his victim, said Museum Chairman Howard Lorber. After World War II, when many in Europe wanted to avoid discussing their culpability during the Holocaust, the Klarsfelds refused to remain silent and sought to bring Nazi perpetrators to justice. Today, as the Assad regime ruthlessly targets its own citizens, the White Helmets risk their lives to save their fellow citizens. The courageous actions of all the honorees are the embodiment of Elies warning about the perils of indifference.

Established in 2011, the Elie Wiesel Award recognizes internationally prominent individuals whose actions have advanced the Museums vision of a world where people confront hate, prevent genocide and promote human dignity.

Elie Wiesel, the Museums founding chairman, was the first recipient of the award, which was subsequently renamed in his honor. Engraved on the award are words from Wiesels Nobel Prize acceptance speech, One person of integrity can make a difference.

The awards were presented during the Museums annual 2019 Days of Remembrance, when the Museum leads the nation in remembering the victims of the Holocaust. At the dinner, the Museum also presented its National Leadership Award to two visionary leaders from the Mid-Atlantic region for their contributions to preserving Holocaust history and its relevance for new generations: Shelley and Allan Holt. The son of Holocaust survivors, Allan Holt serves as the vice chairman of the Museum and chair of its Strategic Advancement Committee. More than 1,200 people, including some 45 Holocaust survivors, attended the event, which raised $3.1 million.

The Klarsfelds

Serge and Beate Klarsfeld have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the cause of Holocaust remembrance and singular leadership in combating the impunity of perpetrators of the Holocaust era and advancing Holocaust memory and education.

Serge played a key role in the prosecution of high ranking Nazi officials and French collaborators including Klaus Barbie, Rene Bousquet, Jean Leguay, Maurice Papon, and Paul Touvier. Beate Klarsfeld boldly confronted former Nazis serving in the West German government, and Serge Klarsfeld conducted path-breaking research on child deportees and the Holocaust in France and Romania, including documenting the stories of thousands of French Jews sent to the gas chambers. The Klarsfelds have aggressively campaigned against antisemitism in Europe and the Middle East, and to confront massacres elsewhere, such as Sarajevo and Burundi.



Syria Civil Defence (The White Helmets)

The largest civil society organization operating in areas outside of government control, the White Helmets is a volunteer organization comprised of people from all backgrounds  bankers, tailors, engineers, pharmacists, painters, carpenters, students, and many more  that operates in parts of Syria and Turkey. They conduct search and rescue operations in response to bombing and gas attacks, medical and other evacuations, and essential service delivery including reconnecting electrical cables, providing safety information to children, securing buildings and more. At enormous risk to themselves and their families and in the face of horrific attacks by the Syrian government, the Syria Civil Defence have courageously saved lives and delivered critical services to a desperate population.

Their motto is To save one life is to save all of humanity. To date, 261 members of the White Helmets have been killed while saving more than 115,000 lives.

Previous recipients of the Museums Elie Wiesel Award can be found here: https://www.ushmm.org/information/about-the-museum/the-elie-wiesel-award.

The Museums National Tribute Dinner was held on Monday, April 29 at the Washington Hilton. The events co-chairs were Pamela Kurland and David Marchick.

The National Tribute Dinner supports the Museums $1 billion campaign, Never Again: What You Do Matters, which allows the Museum to make critical investments to keep Holocaust memory alive as a relevant force for change  inspiring people worldwide to confront hate, prevent genocide and promote human dignity.



About the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors. For more information, visit www.ushmm.org.

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Attachments
Dublin, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Ophthalmology PACS Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Integrated, Standalone), By End Use (Hospitals, Specialty Clinics), By Delivery Mode (Cloud-based, On-Premise), And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global ophthalmology PACS market size is expected to reach USD 170.96 million by 2025



It is projected to witness a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period and is driven by rising adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) solutions globally. Moreover, rising prevalence of eye diseases, such as cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, is expected to fuel demand for ophthalmology PACS in near future.



The Department of Ophthalmology of National University of Singapore conducted a study in collaboration with National University Health System, Singapore and South Central Asia. According to this study, the number of glaucoma cases diagnosed in 2013 was 17.06 million, which is anticipated to reach around 32.9 million by 2040.



Product development, geographical expansion and M&A are some sustainability strategies adopted by major companies in this market. For instance, in August 2017, Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc., acquired Veracity Innovations, LLC, a U.S.-based medical software company that delivers cloud-based platforms to maximize clinical performance and work efficiency. These platforms help ophthalmologists in delivering personalized technology-enabled care to their patients. The acquisition is intended to expand the former company's eye care-based digital solutions portfolio. The company is also focusing on expanding the business in Asia Pacific owing to larger patient pool in this region.



Further key findings from the study suggest:

Increasing cases of ophthalmic diseases, lack of skilled ophthalmologists, and growing usage of teleophthalmology solutions in developed countries are the factors driving the market

According to BrightFocus Foundation's survey, prevalence of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is anticipated to rise up to 22 million by 2040. This is also likely to boost market growth

Cloud-based PACS is anticipated to register lucrative growth during the forecast period owing to features, such as interoperability and mutual performance, privacy and security, reduced errors, and improved quality

North America held the major share of the market in 2017 due to increased ophthalmic disease burden and healthcare expenditure by public and private firms in this region

Asia-Pacific is anticipated to register the highest CAGR during forecast period due to rising prevalence of glaucoma coupled with high demand for an effective diagnostic solution

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG; Topcon Corp.; Merge Healthcare, Inc. are the major companies in the global ophthalmology PACS market

Most of these companies are focusing on technological advancements, M&A, and R&D as part of their business expansion strategies

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Report Scope



Chapter 2 Research Methodology



Chapter 3 Report Objectives



Chapter 4 Executive Summary



Chapter 5 Market Definitions



Chapter 6 Ophthalmology PACS Market: Industry Outlook

6.1 Market Variable Analysis

6.2 Market Driver Analysis

6.2.1 Rising prevalence of eye diseases

6.2.2 Technological advancements in ophthalmic diagnostic instruments

6.2.3 Government initiatives for increasing awareness related to visual impairment

6.3 Market Restraints Analysis

6.3.1 Lack of trained ophthalmologist in developing nations

6.3.2 High cost of devices in developing in nations

6.4 Business Environment Analysis Tools

6.4.1 Ophthalmic Based Healthcare Preventive Technologies - SWOT Analysis, By Factor (Political & Legal, Economic And Technological)

6.4.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis



Chapter 7 Regulatory & Political Forces

7.1 Regulatory Landscape



Chapter 8 Competitive & Vendor Landscape

8.1 Market Participation Categorization

8.1.1 Market leader

8.1.2 Innovators

8.2 Strategic Initiatives & Outcome Analysis



Chapter 9 Ophthalmology PACS Market: Type Analysis

9.1 Product Business Analysis

9.2 Standalone PACS

9.3 Integrated PACS



Chapter 10 Ophthalmology PACS Market: Delivery Mode Analysis

10.1 Product Business Analysis

10.2 On-Premise System

10.3 Cloud-Based System



Chapter 11 Ophthalmology PACS Market: End-use Analysis

11.1 Product Business Analysis

11.2 Hospitals

11.3 Specialty Clinics

11.4 Others



Chapter 12 Ophthalmology PACS Market: Regional Analysis By Type, By Delivery Mode, By End-use



Chapter 13 Company Profiles



Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

Topcon Corporation

Heidelberg Engineering GmbH

Sonomed Escalon

Visbion

EyePACS, LLC

VersaSuite

Merge Healthcare Inc (IBM Watson Health)

ScImage, Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2oo9wa





Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
English Dutch

Ideal for global accounts, MindManager mind mapping and information visualization software is now available in eight languages



Directors, team leaders, and C-level executives in the finance sector are invited to join half-day workshop in Breukelen

OTTAWA, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MindManager 2019 for Windows is now available in Dutch and Spanish language versions, extending the softwares native support to two new languages. MindManager 2019 delivers control, clarity, and structure to drive alignment and success. The latest release offers individuals and teams new ways to visualize complex information, intelligent automation to work faster, and added views to quickly draw connections and stay on track.

Dutch and Spanish customers can now build diagrams, organize information, and work seamlessly in their native language. The expanded language options continue MindManagers commitment to offer powerful solutions that meet the specific needs of global customers and larger enterprise accounts.

In addition to Dutch and Spanish, MindManager 2019 for Windows is available in English, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Russian. To access the new languages, current MindManager 2019 users can download the free update from the Product Download Library . Users can easily change the MindManager interface to their preferred language using built-in application settings. To try MindManager 2019 for Windows in the language of your choice, download a free 30-day trial here: mindmanager.com/myfreetrial .

To support multi-platform organizations, MindManager 12 for Mac is also available in English, French, and German.

MindManager Enterprise , which includes MindManager 2019 for Windows, MindManager 12 for Mac, MindManager Reader (Windows & Mac), and MindManager Server App for SharePoint, is available with volume licensing discounts and maintenance options for teams of five or more. For more information, please visit www.mindmanager.com/enterprise .

Workshop Event

Concept Mapping: The Key to Unlocking Complex Knowledge Transfer

MindManager and Helidor Consultancy will be hosting a half-day workshop at Nyenrode Business Universiteit in Breukelen, Netherlands on May 9, 2019. Intended for team leaders, directors, and C-level executives in the finance sector, the workshop will highlight the power of concept mapping and its potential for employee onboarding and knowledge transfer. The workshop will include an overview of real-world use cases and a live demonstration of a mind mapping exercise using MindManager.

Speakers:

Mr. Gerard Frank Sollman, a 12-year veteran of PwC, the former manager of the Competence Centre Finance of the Achmea Group, and a docent professor of Financial Reporting in Nyenrode Business Universiteits Faculty of Accountancy

Mr. Gerard Hellwig, co-owner and director of Helidor Consultancy, CEO of BSIacademy, and a pioneer in the concept of Skeleton Concept Mapping for businesses

For more information, please visit the event registration page .

About MindManager

MindManager helps individuals, teams, and enterprises do great work faster by simplifying the way they capture, organise, and share information. Transforming scattered ideas and unstructured data into dynamic visual maps, MindManager gives people a clearer understanding and greater control over their time, work, and world. Millions of global users choose MindManager to brainstorm ideas, plan and execute projects, and communicate knowledge. MindManager is brought to you by Mindjet, a division of Corel Corporation. For more information, please visit www.mindmanager.com .

 2019 Corel Corporation. Corel, MindManager, the MindManager logo, and Mindjet are trademarks or registered trademarks of Corel Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in Canada, the U.S., and elsewhere. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. Patents: www.corel.com/patent

Media Contact

Lucy Screnci

lucy.screnci@corel.com

www.mindmanager.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b319d368-8703-4fb0-ac53-71004c230824

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af010dea-c4b7-47fc-8b1e-683d70ef6ded

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/563a5741-9d7d-4e2d-8141-83d7ddbea7fa
Taipei, Taiwan, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gearlab, an award-winning design company and pioneer of the first modern Greenland-style paddles with exchangeable tips, introduces its latest high-performance open-water excursion paddle to North America. The Gearlab Greenland paddles engineering provides for long range, efficiency, and precision while reducing injury and fatigue.



Gearlab paddles and accessories use ancient wisdom and modern materials, fusing efficiency and technology like no other design in the world.



The Kalleq (from the Inuit word for lightning), with its signature patent-pending swappable paddle tip, is now 13.5 percent lighter than its top-selling Akiak, (750 g  30 g in the 220 cm paddle). The leaner edge radius is reduced from 2 mm to 1.1 mm, which makes for a substantial improvement in performance. The paddle is slightly wider at 8.8 cm/3.5 inches and the exchangeable tips are slightly smaller and lighter. This full seamless carbon paddle is a newly engineered hybrid thats noticeably faster than former models.



The Kalleqs new sharper edge improves water splicing efficiency and paddling stability. The longer paddling surface area improves paddling efficiency per stroke compared to previous models. The Kalleq has a redesigned internal structure that improves strength and durability in harsh conditions. At roughly 750 grams, it is a very lightweight paddle.



Gearlab believes the Greenland-style paddle is the best paddle for ocean kayaking. And the Kalleq is the ultimate solution. While Euro blades are designed for rivers and whitewater, long and streamlined Greenland blades are innovated for open bodies of water.



With the Kalleq, we hope to bring the best and most efficient paddling experience to all ocean kayakers around the world, says lead designer and co-founder Henry Chang.



Touring kayakers are passionate about the paddles advantages, with Gearlab quickly gaining a respected reputation and loyal following.



Just when I thought Gearlab s carbon fiber Greenland paddles were as good as they could be, the talented engineers at GL created a superior paddle unlike any in the industry. The new Kalleq paddle takes the best of Gearlabs touring paddle linequality construction, light weight, a convenient flush two-piece design, and replaceable tipsand adds a sleeker design with a sharper edge that slices the water with each stroke. The slightly wider blades, strategic dihedral, and carbon composite construction move more water with no underwater flutter or drag, resulting in a super smooth stroke and a fluid paddling experience. The Kalleq makes paddling 30-plus miles on smooth water or confronting rough ocean tides easier than with any other paddle on the market, Greenland or Euroblade. I have spent decades searching for the perfect paddle and have finally found it in the Kalleq. Maureen G. Nowak, Gearlab Ambassador, Chester, New Jersey



I was out testing the new Kalleq (KQ) yesterday, bringing along both the old prototype and new. Remarkable difference. The new one is of course lighter and swings better. Also somehow the paddle is calmer in the sea: no wobbling even when I tried to provoke it. I find my top speed to be better with it. I really like the new look, and the center marking is sweet when using a paddle without shoulders. Lars Midtsand, Gearlab Norway Athlete



I took the new KQ out for a 30 km trip yesterday in Thailand. I was immediately impressed with how light this paddle is and the sharpness of the blade. It makes for a great long-distances paddle. I normally don't paddle a shoulderless, which took a bit of getting used to, but I was really happy with the speed-to-effort ratio. Peter Strand, Gearlab U.S. Athlete



Chung-Shih Sun, co-founder of Gearlab and design developer, explains the new paddle design: With the Kalleq, I set out to craft the best paddle ever. The paddle is the result of two years of development, as well as drawing on experience with both the Akiak and Nukilik models. The new tip excels in the water, and it grabs the water with solid feedback. The Kalleqs lean shape supports the paddler to push the kayak forward. I am very satisfied with Kalleq. I believe it will be the perfect paddle on the market for quite a long time.



The companys location in Taiwan is central to product development and manufacturing, which means the design and development process is agile and efficient. Gearlab products go through systematic and rigorous research, usability analysis, and eld testing. The result is a paddle that is easy to transport, buoyant, efficient, light, and strong.



About GEARLAB:

For the past eight years, Gearlab has designed and manufactured Greenland-style carbon-fiber paddles for ocean kayakers around the world. Created by a team of award-winning industrial designers and outdoor enthusiasts, the paddles are adapted from indigenous Inuit designs. Greenland paddles allow kayakers to travel farther with greater efficiency and precision, while reducing injury and fatigue. Made from 100 percent continuous carbon-fiber material, Gearlab paddles perfect thousand-year-old ergonomics with advanced material strength and durability. Gearlab paddles will open up a new realm of adventure for both recreational and advanced kayakers. Discover the benefits of Gearlab paddles at GearlabOutdoor.com.



Contact: Mike Shih | GEARLAB | mike.shih@gearlab.com.tw

Communications: Beth Cochran | What's UP PR | cochran@whatsuppr.com

Attachments
Poyry PLC Press Release 30 April 2019 17:00 CET

The 260 MW Hanuman Wind Farm Project, owned by the Energy Absolute Public Company Limited (EA), the largest renewable energy company in the SET, has recently entered commercial operation. Composed of five sub-projects located in Chaiyaphum Province, the project is set to be one of the biggest of its kind in Thailand.

International engineering consultancy company Poyry provided owner's engineering services for the WTG erection and commissioning of the wind farms. This included reviewing and inspecting the WTG supplier's site management plans, progress reports and commissioning and testing reports, monitoring the actual progress of erection and commissioning works and regular reporting to owner, attending system walk downs to identify punch list items, as well as re-inspections after remedial actions by WTG supplier.

Poyry was selected to handle the project's OE services because of the company's extensive experience in wind farm projects and expertise in the renewable energy business.

The electricity output from this project will be sold to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), per Thailand's power purchase agreement.

"As one of the biggest wind power projects in Southeast Asia, the Hanuman project sets an example to South East Asian nations on how to substantially increase the domestic renewable energy production in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions, to diversify national energy production portfolio, and to reduce long term operating cost of the power system," said Esa Holttinen, Poyry's Business Director, Wind Power.

For further information, contact:

Petteri Harkki, Regional Director Asia I, Thermal Power and Renewable Energy

Tel. +66 81 854 3712

Esa Holttinen, Business Director, Wind Power

esa.holttinen@poyry.com

Did you know?

Poyry has contributed to over 3,000 MW of wind power in Asia.

Poyry is one of the largest power sector consulting engineering companies in Southeast Asia, currently involved in over 30GW of ongoing thermal, hydro and renewable energy projects in the region.

AF Poyry is an international leader within engineering, design and advisory services. We create solutions to support our customers worldwide to act on sustainability as well as the global trends of urbanisation and digitalisation. We are more than 16,000 devoted experts within the fields of infrastructure, industry and energy operating across the world to create sustainable solutions for the next generation.

Visit our website at www.poyry.com and follow us on Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube
30 April 2019

Admiral Group plc announces agreement to purchase Acierto, a digital insurance broker in Spain, in partnership with Oakley Capital

Admiral Group plc ("the Group") announces that it has agreed to form a joint venture with Oakley Capital and MAPFRE S.A. ("MAPFRE") to combine Rastreator Comparador Correduria de Seguros S.L. ("Rastreator") with Asesor Seguros Online S.L. and Asesor Consumer Services S.L. (together "Acierto") two of Spain's most regarded digital brokers for insurance and other financial products.

Rastreator is the Group's digital insurance broker in Spain. Acierto is a digital insurance broker in Spain that provides the full completion of the sales process for customers, enabling consumers to compare prices from over 30 insurance providers. Oakley Capital is a private equity investor with a successful track record investing in digital brokers in Italy and Germany.

Under the terms of the transaction, a joint venture company will be established as holding company of both Rastreator and Acierto. Admiral and MAPFRE will collectively retain majority ownership of the joint venture company while Oakley Capital will hold a minority stake alongside management.

Completion of the transaction is subject to merger control clearance by the EU Commission as well as the approval of the Spanish Insurance Regulator (Direccion General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones).

David Stevens, Group CEO, commented:

"We are pleased to announce this transaction and partnership with Oakley Capital, which will strengthen the Group's insurance proposition in Spain as a digital insurance broker. The holding of both Rastreator and Acierto allows us to take advantage of synergies to enhance the customer experience, which will benefit customers across Spain."

The Group was advised by Clifford Chance, Fenchurch Advisory Partners and KPMG in connection with the transaction.

For more information, please contact:



Admiral Group plc

Marisja Kocznur Investors & Analysts +44 (0) 29 2060 2034

James Carnduff Media +44 (0) 29 2043 4232

FTI Consulting

Edward Berry +44 (0) 20 3727 1046

Tom Blackwell +44 (0) 20 3727 1051
English French

Paris, 30 April 2019

MBWS FY 2018 Results and Q1 2019 Net Sales

Full-year EBITDA -28.0m, as previously announced

2018 net loss of -61.9m

Sequential improvement in H2 2018 EBITDA across all clusters

Q1 2019 Net Sales flat vs year-ago; Branded Business up 12.8%

Progress on refinancing and ongoing discussions with banking partners

Marie Brizard Wine and Spirits (Euronext: MBWS), today announced its consolidated results for the full year 2018. The accounts were approved by the companys Board of Directors on 30 April 2019. The audit procedures on the consolidated financial statement as of year-end 2018 are in progress. The Company also reported its consolidated unaudited Q1 2019 net sales.

For the full-year 2018, MBWS reported net sales of 388.9m, a decrease of -6.2% versus the previous year. [1] EBITDA[2] totalled -28.0m in FY 2018, compared to -11.9m in FY 2017. Attributable net loss in FY 2018 is -61.9m, versus -67.3m in 2017.

Q1 2019 consolidated net sales reached 81.6m, a slight +0.2% increase versus Q1 2018 on an organic basis. The Branded Business delivered +12.8% net sales growth to 41.2m. This growth was partially offset by net sales in the Other Businesses, which decreased by -10.0% to 40.4m.

Andrew Highcock, CEO of MBWS, commented, Full-year EBITDA for 2018 totalled -28.0m, as expected and previously announced. However, most of this EBITDA loss was concentrated in the first half of the year, with all MBWS clusters delivering sequential improvement in H2 2018, an encouraging sign that underscores the relevance of the measures being taken to move our business forward in each of our key markets. The momentum in MBWS results was further confirmed by Q1 2019 net sales, with the Branded Business growing double-digits. While 2019 remains a year of transition, I am confident that we are on the path to reestablishing profitable businesses across our clusters in the medium term, and setting the bases for future growth.

We are working full-speed ahead to execute the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, and remain focused on implementing the measures to address the challenges facing each one of our markets, as well as identifying top-line and cost synergies to be generated through our close collaboration with COFEPP. The activities that will be implemented through this strategic relationship are key to improving profitability at MBWS in the years ahead, continued Mr. Highcock. I am also pleased to announce that the Short Term Stock Warrant program was finalized yesterday. MBWS shareholders collectively subscribed 15.4% of the issued warrants, yielding MBWS 20.1m in new funds which will be used to execute the strategic plan. We are grateful for the ongoing support and investment of our shareholders, and I look forward to reporting in the coming months on the progress we are making to create value for all of MBWS stakeholders, he concluded.





FY 2018 Condensed Income Statement

In m, except EPS FY 2017 Restated* FY 2018 H1 2018** H2 2018** Net Sales (excluding excise tax) 414.7 388.9 190.0 198.9 Gross profit 125.6 105.3 48.6 56.7 Gross margin 30.3% 27.1% 25.6% 28.5% EBITDA -11.9 -28.0 -21.1 -6.9 Current operating loss -26.8 -37.9 -27.5 -10.4 Attributable net loss -67.3 -61.9 -35.6 -26.3 Earnings per share -2.42 -2.23 -1.28 -0.95

* FY 2017 figures have been restated to reflect the impact of the IFRS 15 accounting norm; ** Unaudited figures

FY 2018 net sales, excluding excise tax, decreased -6.2% to 388.9m in FY 2018 versus the previous year. Gross profit was 105.3m for the year, a -16.2% decrease versus 2017, resulting in a gross margin of 27.1%. This represents a 3.2 percentage point erosion as compared to FY 2017 gross margin of 30.3%. The narrowing of consolidated gross margin is due to the greater weight of Other Businesses in the consolidated net sales mix in FY 2018 (49.7%) as compared to the previous year (44.4%). Additionally, gross margin suffered the impact of top-line decreases  attributable to both volume and price across all clusters. Gross profit improved on a sequential basis, and the operating loss narrowed in the second half of the year compared to the first semester.

Operating expenses decreased by -6.1% in 2018 versus year ago. However, this reduction was not enough to offset the gross profit decline, and consequently consolidated EBITDA for the full year 2018 fell to -28.0m, a further decrease from -11.9m reported for FY 2017, and as announced previously. Nevertheless, -6.9m EBITDA in H2 2018 represents a year-on-year improvement versus the EBITDA of -10.0m generated in H2 2017, and a sequential improvement compared to H1 2018 EBITDA of -21.1m.

Attributable net loss was -61.9m in FY 2018.







FY 2018 Net Sales by Cluster

In m



IFRS 15 FY 2017

Restated* Organic



Growth** Forex impact FY 2018 Organic Growth (excl.foreign



exchange impact) Reported Growth (incl.foreign



exchange impact) Branded Business 230.7 -34.2 -0.7 195.8 -14.8% -15.1% WEMEA 131.7 -13.5 0.1 118.4 -10.3% -10.2% France 108.9 -12.1 0.0 96.9 -11.1% -11.1% Rest of cluster 22.8 -1.5 0.1 21.5 -6.4% -5.8% CEE 69.0 -12.1 0.4 57.3 -17.5% -16.9% Poland 39.8 -11.2 0.4 29.0 -28.2% -27.2% Rest of cluster 29.2 -0.9 0.0 28.3 -3.0% -3.0% Americas 25.6 -7.3 -1.2 17.0 -28.6% -33.5% Asia Pacific 4.4 -1.3 0.0 3.1 -29.2% -29.4% Other Businesses 184.1 8.0 1.2 193.3 4.4% 5.0% Sobieski Trade 100.2 6.1 1.2 107.5 6.1% 7.3% Private Label 83.9 1.9 0.0 85.8 2.3% 2.3% TOTAL MBWS 414.7 -26.2 0.5 388.9 -6.3% -6.2%

* FY 2017 net sales restated to reflect the IFRS 15 Accounting norm. ** At constant exchange rate and scope. Net sales and EBITDA are recalculated at the exchange rate of the base year (in this case, 2017); the exchange rate of the base year is applied to the data for the current year. No change in scope between 2017 et 2018.

FY 2018 EBITDA by Cluster

FY 2017 Restated Organic Change Currency impact FY 2018 H1 2018 H2 2018 Branded Business WEMEA 9.2 -5.3 0.0 3.9 0.5 3.4 CEE -7.6 -6.9 0.1 -14.5 -11.2 -3.3 Americas 3.7 -6.3 0.2 -2.4 -1.6 -0.8 Asia Pacific -0.6 -0.3 0.0 -0.9 -0.6 -0.3 Total Branded Business 4.8 -18.9 0.2 -13.9 -12.8 -1.1 Corporate expenses -13.1 2.3 0.0 -10.8 -6.7 -4.0 Other Businesses -3.6 0.2 0.0 -3.4 -1.6 -1.8 TOTAL MBWS -11.9 -16.3 0.1 -28.0 -21.1 -6.9





In FY 2018, the Branded business generated net sales of 195.8m, a -14.8% decrease versus the previous year. The top-line fall-off was attributable primarily to the WEMEA and CEE clusters, which saw their net sales decline by -10.3% and -17.5% respectively. The Americas and Asia Pacific clusters also generated net sales decreases of -28.6% and -29.2% respectively. Other Businesses posted net sales growth of +4.4%.





Branded Business EBITDA was -13.9m in 2018 compared to 4.8m in 2017. These results are attributable to the top-line decrease, which drove down gross and operating margins, in spite of greater operating efficiency across the clusters. Corporate expenses decreased by 18.1% during the year due to the implementation of effective cost-cutting measures.





Other Businesses generated an EBITDA loss of -3.4m in FY 2018, a slight improvement compared to -3.6m in FY 2017.





Western Europe, Middle East and Africa: Sharp EBITDA decrease mainly attributable to spirits category slow-down

FY 2018 net sales in the Western Europe, Middle East and Africa cluster (WEMEA) totalled 118.4m, a -10.3% decrease versus the previous year. In France, which accounted for 82% of the clusters top-line, sales decreased -11.2% during the year to 96.9m. The top-line performance of MBWS France reflects the impact of the dynamics in the overall market, with the value of the spirits category declining by -1.8% in 2018. Moreover, the value of MBWS largest categories decreased even more sharply during the year: Scotch whisky -3.3%, vodka -2.8% and fruit-flavored wine beverages -10.0%. In response to this decline, promotional pricing increased across the category, resulting in a volume and pricing decrease for MBWS which in turn drove down gross margin. FY 2018 net sales in the rest of the cluster fell by -6.4% to 21.5m.

FY 2018 EBITDA was 3.9m, a -57.3% decrease compared to the previous year of which H2 EBITDA reached 3.4m, a sequential improvement vis-a-vis the 0.5m EBITDA generated in the first half of the year. The top-line decline during the year, due to a commercial policy that did not generate the anticipated results, largely explains the EBITDA decrease in the cluster.

Central and Eastern Europe: Negative EBITDA due to destocking in first half of year

Top-line in the Central and Eastern Europe cluster (CEE) totalled 57.3m in FY 2018, marking a -16.9% decrease versus the previous year, mainly attributable to net sales in Poland, which declined -28.2% over the period to 29.0m. This decrease was due to the proactive destocking policy implemented in Poland by MBWS in H1 2018, with the intent to normalize stock levels of the companys products in the spirits market. Consequently, net sales in Poland decreased -62.0% in H1 2018, partially offset by a +22.6% top-line increase in H2 2018. The new agreements signed with a broader network of distributors in Poland drove sales growth in the second half of the year.

In the rest of the CEE cluster, top-line decreased -3.0% to 29.0m in 2018 due to the impact of regulatory issues in Lithuania early on in the year, with sales in that market gradually recovering in the second half. Thus, the CEE cluster generated top-line growth in H2 2018 of +5.2%.

The CEE cluster generated an EBITDA loss of -14.5m in FY 2018, versus -7.6m in 2017, due largely to Poland. On a half-year view, H2 2018 EBITDA of -3.3m in the CEE cluster marked an improvement compared to the -9.8m EBITDA generated in H2 2017, and also improved sequentially compared to the 11.2m reported for H1 2018.

Americas: Negative EBITDA, but H2 improved versus H1

The Americas cluster reported FY 2018 net sales of 17.0m, a decrease of -28.8% versus the previous year, as the US vodka category continued to suffer the effects of a highly competitive market. Shipments were also affected by destocking in some US markets. Nonetheless, Marie Brizard liqueurs and Cognac Gautier continued to grow dynamically off of a small base.

The cluster generated an EBITDA loss of -2.4m in FY 2018, versus EBITDA of 3.7m in FY 2017. The loss in 2018 is attributable most significantly to the downturn in net sales. The result in H2 2018, with EBITDA of -0.8m marks a sequential improvement compared to H1 2018 EBITDA of -1.6m

Asia-Pacific: investing in infrastructure for growth in 2018

The Asia-Pacific cluster reported net sales of 3.1m in FY 2018, a -29.2% decrease versus full-year 2017. EBITDA in the Asia-Pacific cluster was -0.9m for the full-year, a -67% decrease compared to FY 2017.

Other Businesses

Other Businesses generated an EBITDA loss of -3.4m in FY 2018, almost flat compared to FY 2017.





Corporate Expenses

Corporate expenses totalled 10.8m for full year 2018, an improvement of 2.3m compared to the previous year. The operating efficiency gains were due in large part to the cost control measures, largely related to head-count and salary freezes, implemented over the course of the year, in light of the difficult top-line and profit outlook.





FY 2018 Balance Sheet items

At 31 December 2018 the company had shareholders equity of 103.3m, a -36.9% decrease versus the previous year, resulting from the net loss recorded during the year.

Net debt totaled 68.9m at year-end 2018, as announced previously, an increase of 65.3m compared to year-end.

Q1 2019 Net Sales

The Groups consolidated non-audited net sales in the first quarter of 2019 totaled 81.6m, +0.2% versus Q1 2018 on an organic basis. However, the Branded Business generated net sales growth of +12.8% to 41.2m. These gains were partially offset by a -10.0% contraction of the Other Business top-line to 40.4m. The Branded Business accounted for 50.5% of total sales, an increase from 44.4% in Q1 2018.







Q1 2019 net sales, by cluster (IFRS 15)





In m



IFRS 15 Q1 2018 Organic



Growth Forex impact Q1 2019 Organic Growth (excl.foreign



exchange impact) Reported growth (incl.foreign



exchange impact) Branded Business 36.5 4.7 0.1 41.2 12.8% 13.0% WEMEA 25.0 -0.9 0.0 24.1 -3.6% -3.6% France 21.6 -1.2 0.0 20.4 -5.5% -5.5% Rest of cluster 3.4 0.3 0.0 3.7 8.6% 8.6% CEE 8.6 4.1 -0.2 12.5 48.0% 46.1% Poland 3.0 2.9 -0.2 5.7 94.9% 89.6% Rest of cluster 5.5 1.2 0.0 6.8 22.5% 22.5% Americas 2.5 1.4 0.2 4.1 53.6% 63.0% Asia Pacific 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.5 23.7% 23.7% Other Businesses 45.6 -4.5 -0.7 40.4 -10.0% -11.4% Sobieski Trade 26.4 -2.0 -0.7 23.8 -7.4% -10.0% Private Label 19.2 -2.6 0.0 16.6 -13.5% -13.5% TOTAL MBWS 82.0 0.1 -0.6 81.6 0.2% -0.6%





Western Europe, Middle East and Africa (WEMEA): First impact of new commercial policy in France; strong growth in the rest of the cluster

The top-line in France decreased by -5.5% to 20.4m in Q1 2019, in line with expectations and as a consequence of the suspension of promotional activity. MBWS management expects that this commercial policy, whose objective it is to drive greater profitability, can deliver the anticipated results. The decrease in France was partially offset by +8.6% growth to 3.7m in the rest of the cluster, with the export markets performing strongly.

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): Strong growth in quarter driven by Poland

In the CEE cluster, top-line increased by 48.0% to 12.5m during the quarter. This growth was due primarily to the ongoing momentum driven by expanding distribution in Poland, where net sales increased +94.9% versus year-ago to 5.7m. This top-line growth also reflects improving product mix, one of the main objectives of the commercial policy implemented beginning in H2 2018.

Elsewhere in the cluster, sales grew by 22.5% to 6.8m, due largely to strong sales in Lithuania in advance of an excise duty increase that went into effect in early March, and may have an impact on sales growth in Q2 2019. Bulgaria also performed strongly during the quarter.

Americas: Sales growth across the cluster

Top-line in the Americas cluster increased +53.6% during the quarter to 4.1m. This year-on-year increase was largely attributable to the end of de-stocking of Sobieski in the US market which affected 2018 net sales. The sales increase in Q1 2019 was in evidence across most of the regions where MBWS products are sold. Year-over-year top-line growth in Brazil also boosted the clusters net sales during the period.

Asia-Pacific: Growth off of a low base

In the Asia Pacific region, net sales increased +23.7% off of a low base in the first quarter, to 0.5m.

Other Businesses

The Other Businesses reported a sales decrease of -10.0% to 40.4m in Q1 2019, attributable to lower sales at Sobieski Trade and the Private Label business. Sobieski Trades top-line declined by -7.4% to 23.8m due in part to a larger portion of MBWS-Polskas sales flowing through new distribution agreements, and to the decision to focus on better margin products. Private Label top-line decreased by -13.5% in the quarter to 16.6m due to fewer third party contracts during the period.

Events after year-end 2018

Lancut distillery now operating

Operations at the Lancut distillery in south-eastern Poland began in February 2019, and are now in the rampup phase. The new distillery is expected to produce distillate for use in MBWS vodka production, and in particular, the Krupnik and Sobieski brands.

Management changes in Poland

MBWS has appointed Robert Cooper as the new General Manager of its Polish subsidiary, MBWS-Polska, following the recent departure of Ania Jakubowski who left the company to pursue other interests.

Robert Cooper is a seasoned general manager who has worked previously in Poland with SAB Miller, where he was part of Andrew Highcocks management team. He brings significant leadership experience to his new role at MBWS, developed over the course of his career at large spirits companies such as Diageo and Campari. Robert, who joined MBWS in mid-April, has a track record of driving results and building strong teams. He will build on the progress made at MBWS-Polska over the last year.

Short-Term Stock Warrants

The period to exercise the Short-Term Stock Warrants began on 29 March 2019 and ended at the close of market on 29 April 2019. Over the course of that period, 15.4m Short-Term Stock Warrants were subscribed, out of a potential 37.76m warrants. COFEPP subscribed 11.5m Short Term Stock Warrants, accounting for 5m newly created shares for an amount of 15m, and representing 74% of the total. Other shareholders, both institutional and individual, subscribed 3.9m Short-Term Stock Warrants equivalent to 1.7m newly created shares for a total amount of 5.1m, and 26% of the total. Overall, 20.1m in new funds were generated.

Update on discussions with financial partners

As previously announced, MBWS has continued discussions with its banking partners, in the presence of COFEPP, and aims to reach an agreement regarding the Groups refinancing within the framework of the ongoing conciliation process.

Over the course of these discussions, and in order to enable the Groups access to financial resources, with a view to enable the carrying out of its Strategic Plan, COFEPP has proposed a new financing arrangement, to be disbursed in several allotments. As of the writing of this press release, it is proposed that the any amount of financing provided by COFEPP should be reduced in relation to the level of the funds generated via the subscription to Short-Term and Long-Term Stock Warrants that have been or will be received by the Company on and after 23rd April 2019 (at present, amounting to roughly 5m).

COFEPPs proposal remains subject to several conditions, in particular those pertaining to (i) the progress of the discussions with banking partners regarding the continuation of the stand-still granted on the medium-term loan of 45m, in principal amount, and to the potential terms and conditions under which the latter would continue working with MBWS in the future, particularly via the reestablishment of a revolving credit facility, (ii) the conclusion of ongoing negotiations regarding the modification of a Scotch Whisky supplier contract, and (iii) a change to the rescheduling plan granted by the Commission of the Heads of Financial Services of Ile-de-France ("CCSF").

Additionally, discussions are also ongoing with one of the Groups banking partners in Poland, seeking to extend its authorization for the financing of operations (overdraft authorization and short-term line of credit) beyond 31 May 2019.

As indicated in the press release of 25 March 2019, without this new financing or additional subscription as a result of the exercise of the Warrants, the Group may have to consider future asset disposals in order to ensure its medium-term in the context of the execution of its Strategic Plan.

Availability of the 2018 Registration Document

MBWS 2018 Registration Document, including full financial statements, management report, and the auditors report, will be available on or before 15 May 2019.

Outlook

MBWS reiterates the objective provided in its 2019-2022 strategic plan, which is to gradually return to profitability, and to set the conditions for future growth with the objective of generating EBITDA in a range of 13m to 19m in the year 2022.

The Group is currently assessing its geographic reporting structure, and may modify the composition of its clusters in future quarters.

Financial Agenda

MBWS will report H1 2019 Net Sales on 25th July 2019.

Investor Contact



Raquel Lizarraga



raquel.lizarraga@mbws.com



Tel : +33 1 43 91 50 18 Press Contact



Simon Zaks, Image Sept



szaks@image7.fr



Tel : +33 1 53 70 74 63











Appendix 1: FY 2018 Consolidated Income Statement





(in thousands of euros)



31 Dec 2017



(12 months) 31 Dec 2018



(12 months) Net Sales 414,742 388,905 Cost of Goods Sold (289,103) (283,631) External expenses (63,700) (59,949) Salary expenses (67,283) (67,000) Taxes and duties (5,910) (5,239) Depreciation and Amortization (9,017) (10,744) Other operating income 8,723 12,313 Other operating expenses (15,283) (12,545) Recurring operating profit (26,831) (37,891) Extraordinary income 14,042 1,371 Extraordinary expenses (59,927) (13,029) Operating profit (72,716) (49,549) Interest income 95 42 Interest expense (5,727) (6,120) Net cost of debt (5,632) (6,078) Other interest income 16,323 7,461 Other interest expense (5,410) (8,006) Net interest expense 5,281 (6,624) Pre-tax income (67,435) (56,173) Income tax/credit 39 (5,826) Income from ongoing operations (67,397) (61,999) Attributable net income (67,328) (61,905) Earnings per share -2.42 -2.23











Appendix 2: FY 2018 Consolidated Balance Sheet

(in thousands of euros) 31.12.2017 31.12.2018 (in thousands of euros) 31.12.2017 31.12.2018 Long-term assets Total shareholders equity 163,875 103,347 Goodwill 15,046 15,036 Employee benefits 5,963 5,776 Intangible assets 85,392 88,622 Long-term provisions 208 705 Property, plant and equipment 67,067 69,451 Long-term loans 13,339 11,812 Financial assets 16,285 2,298 Other long-term liabilities 2,224 1,889 Long-term derivative instruments 127 58 Long-term derivative instruments 889 201 Deferred taxes 806 4,315 Deferred tax liabilities 9,832 19,652 Total long-term assets 184,723 179,780 Total long-term liabilities 32,455 39,415 Short-term provisions 4,137 4,053 Inventory 69,435 64,558 Short-term portion of long-term debt 48,577 48,897 Trade receivables 81,359 61,905 Short-term debt 1,366 30,115 Tax receivables 3,109 1,987 Supplier and other payables 87,911 67,888 Other short-term assets 23,221 29,782 Tax liabilities 865 811 Short-term derivative instruments 273 94 Other short-term liabilities 82,702 64,348 Cash and cash equivalents 59,731 21,832 Short-term derivative instruments 1,438 580 Total current assets 237,127 180,158 Total current liabilities 226,997 216,692 Assets held for disposal 1,476 138 Liabilities held for disposal TOTAL ASSETS 423,326 360,076 TOTAL LIABILITIES 423,326 360,076











Appendix 3: FY 2018 Consolidated Cash flow Statement

(in thousands of euros) 31.12.2017 31.12.2018 Total consolidated net profit (67,396) (61,999) Amortization and provisions 48,057 8,515 Revaluation gains/losses (fair value) 209 (90) Gains/losses on disposals and dilution (11,245) (44) Operating cash flow before net cost of debt and tax (30,375) (53,618) Income tax charge (credit) (39) 5,826 Net cost of debt 5,632 6,078 Operating cash flow after net cost of debt and tax (24,781) (41,713) Change in working capital 1 (inventories, trade receivables and payables) 45,196 3,337 Change in working capital 2 (other items) 7,063 (20,176) Taxes paid (2,838) 1,179 Cash flow from operating activities 24,640 (57,372) Acquisition of minority interests (1,061) Purchase of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets (22,221) (22,488) Increase in loans and advances granted (807) (312) Decrease in loans and advances granted 3,562 16,659 Disposal of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets 15,524 5,040 Impact of change in consolidation scope (56) Cash flow from investing activities (5,060) (1,101) Capital increase 35 51 Share buybacks (2,746) (306) New loans 48,082 11,885 Loan repayment (50,625) (6,216) Net interest paid (3,316) (6,667) Net change in short-term debt (1,185) 22,080 Cash flow from financing activities (9,755) 20,826 Impact from changes in foreign exchange rates (23) (252) Change in cash and cash equivalents 9,803 (37,899)









Appendix 4: EBITDA reconciliation

(in thousands of Euros) 31.12.2018 31.12.2017 Current Operating Profit / Loss (37,891) (26,831) Items to be included : - Amortization 10,744 9,017 - Retirement benefits 336 391 - Provisions 9,790 12,211 Items to be excluded : - Provision reversals (10,993) (6,734) = EBITDA (28,015) (11,947)











[1] All percentage growth rates in this document are expressed in organic terms and exclude foreign currency impact, unless stated otherwise.

[2] EBITDA = EBIT  provisions for current assets  amortization  retirement benefits







Attachment
English French

TORONTO, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Who: Foresters Financial, a purpose-driven financial services provider committed to doing more for families and communities, is offering assistance to its eligible members1 affected by flooding in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. What: Eligible members living in the affected area who are experiencing significant personal hardship as a result of the flooding can receive grants to help with immediate needs. Disaster relief assistance is one payment per household. Members who are directly affected by the floods can contact Foresters toll-free at 800 828 1540 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday, or e-mail Foresters at service@foresters.com.

About Foresters Financial

Since 1874, Foresters Financial has been providing socially responsible financial services to individuals and families. Foresters Financial includes The Independent Order of Foresters, the oldest non-denominational fraternal benefit society. Foresters is a purpose-driven organization that exists to enrich family and community well-being and offers insurance products to over three million members and clients in Canada, the US and the U.K. For 18 straight years, The Independent Order of Foresters has received an A (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best.1 For more information please visit foresters.com

1. The A.M. Best rating assigned on August 2, 2018 reflects the overall strength and claims-paying ability of The Independent Order of Foresters (IOF) but does not apply to the performance of any non-IOF issued products. An A (Excellent) rating is assigned to companies that have a strong ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders and have, on balance, excellent balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile when compared to the standards established by A.M. Best Company. A.M. Best assigns ratings from A++ to F, A++ and A+ being superior ratings and A and A- being excellent ratings. See ambest.com for our latest rating.
OAKVILLE, Ontario, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Broadway Gold Mining Ltd. (Broadway or the Company) (TSX-V: BRD) (OTCQB: BDWYF) (FWB: BGH) is pleased to announce that it has signed an Earn-In with Option to Joint Venture Agreement with Kennecott Exploration Company (Kennecott), part of the Rio Tinto Group, on its Madison copper-gold project located in the Butte Region of Montana.



Key Points:

Kennecott earn-in milestones in order of dollar value are as follows:



USD$30-million earn-in over 11 years that generates a 30% retained interest for Broadway shareholders; or,



USD$15-million earn-in over eight years that generates a 35% retained interest for Broadway shareholders; or,



USD$5-million earn-in over five years that generates a 45% retained interest for Broadway shareholders;





Minimum of USD$1 million of exploration expenditures in the first year.





Cash to Broadway of USD$225,000 over the first five years.





Kennecott may request Broadway to conduct exploration on its behalf during the first year in return for a 10% administration charge.





Broadway has the right to conduct independent drilling and exploration of the skarn zones during the first year.





Broadway has a Right of First Offer to acquire Kennecotts interest in the property in the event Kennecott wishes to divest its interest.





The Joint Venture (JV) may be formed with 55% to Kennecott and 45% to Broadway upon the satisfaction of the first earn-in; 65% to Kennecott and 35% to Broadway upon the satisfaction of the second earn-in; or 70% to Kennecott and 30% to Broadway upon the satisfaction of the third earn-in.





The JV will be managed by Rio Tinto and funded by each participant in accordance with their interest.





Broadway may elect to not fund its interest and be diluted down to a 10% interest. If Broadway is diluted below a 10% interest, its interest will convert to a 2% net smelter royalty capped at USD$50 million.

Under the terms of the Earn-in Agreement, Kennecott has an option to acquire a 55% undivided interest in the property by incurring exploration and related expenditures of USD$5 million within the first five years, including a minimum exploration budget of USD$1 million in the first year. If Kennecott exercises the first option, it may elect to earn an additional 10% undivided interest, for a total undivided interest of 65%, by incurring additional expenditures of USD$10 million within the following three years. If Kennecott exercises the second option, it may elect to earn an additional 5% undivided interest, for a total of 70%, by incurring additional expenditures of USD$15 million within the subsequent three-year period. Kennecott may elect to create the JV after exercising each option to earn-in.

The initial exploration program applications have been submitted to the Bureau of Land Management, Montana.

Signing this agreement is testimony to the excellent technical work performed to date by our team of geologists and consultants, said Duane Parnham, Executive Chairman of Broadway. We are ideally located near Butte, Montana, in a porphyry camp with what appears to be a Cadia-like skarn-over-porphyry deposit.

Robert S. (Bob) Middleton, P.Eng., Broadways Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

About Broadway Gold Mining Ltd.

Through its wholly owned Montana-based subsidiary, Broadway Gold Corp., the Company is focused on the exploration and development of its two mines, the Broadway and Madison mines, and the delineation of the porphyry source of their mineralization. The Company owns a 100% interest in the two mines and has staked an area of four-square-miles in the Butte-Anaconda region of Montana, a porphyry-based mining district. The Company is permitted for mining and exploration.

Approximately $20 million has been invested in the exploration, development and bulk sampling of the Madison mine since 2005. Whereas the Broadway mine produced 144,000 ounces of gold at an average grade of 0.32 oz/ton Au from 1880 to 1950, the Madison produced bulk samples of 13,242 tons at an average grade of 25% Cu and 0.32 oz/ton gold from 2005 to 2011.

The Company has expanded known copper and gold zones that are open to depth and has worked a surface exploration program that identified new anomalies along the two-mile contact zone identified by its soil geochemistry, geophysics, and discovery of Latite porphyry in holes C17-24 and C17-C27 (see news release dated January 22, 2018 ) that appear to be of significant size with intercepts to-date measuring up to 234 meters, open in all directions.

For more information:

Duane Parnham

Chairman & CEO

Broadway Gold Mining Ltd.

1-800-680-0661

IR@broadwaymining.com

www.broadwaymining.com



Media:

Adam Bello

Primoris Group Inc.

+1 416.489.0092

media@primorisgroup.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release or other future plans, objectives or expectations of Broadway 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Broadway's plans or expectations include risks relating to the actual results of current exploration activities, fluctuating commodity prices, possibility of equipment breakdowns and delays, exploration cost overruns, availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions, regulatory changes, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by Broadway with securities regulators. Broadway expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. 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.
Consolidation of Shares 4:1 & Name Change

Changes to Board of Directors

Provides Strategy Update

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centenera Mining Corporation (the Company) - (TSXV: CT, OTCQB: CTMIF) announces, subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the TSXV), a restructuring of the Company (the Restructuring), consisting of changes to the board of directors (Board Changes), a consolidation of the Companys common shares on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation common share for every four (4) pre-consolidation common shares (the Consolidation), a name change (the Name Change), and a non-brokered private placement of post-Consolidation common shares for gross proceeds of up to $4 million (the Financing). Management believes that as the resource sector recovers in the coming years, there will be a corresponding increase in demand for drill-ready exploration projects. In conjunction with the Restructuring, the Company will further develop its business model as a Prospect Generator.

Prospect Generator Strategy

The Company will move forward with a Prospect Generator model focusing on the acquisition of prospective exploration properties at minimum cost, completing initial evaluation through cost-effective exploration to establish drill targets, and ultimately securing joint venture partners to fund drilling and advanced exploration.

This business model is beneficial for shareholders, as it typically reduces the share capital dilution associated with funding expensive drill programs. The Company would maintain a minority ownership in each joint ventured property and depending on the structure of the deal, would expect to receive consideration in the form of cash or shares of the joint venture partner. Ultimately, shareholders are exposed to the upside of a significant discovery without the dilution associated with funding the highest-risk grassroots exploration. A well-funded Prospect Generator can potentially continue to operate without the need to regularly seek additional financing.

Success as a Prospect Generator is driven by the quality of properties, which in turn is driven by the quality of the management team that acquires them. By way of example, in October 2018, the Company announced that it had signed an option agreement with Yamana Gold Inc. (Yamana) on its 100% owned Organullo property, Salta Province, northwest Argentina (see news release October 22, 2018). Under the terms of the option agreement, Yamana can earn an initial 70% interest in the Organullo property through aggregate cash payments of US$1.25 million to the Company, completion of exploration valued at US$5 million within the first 4 years, and by delivering a prefeasibility study prepared under National Instrument 43-101 with a minimum resource size of 1 million ounces of gold equivalent.

The Organullo property was acquired by staking and the Companys success in attracting Yamana as a partner speaks to the underlying quality of the property.

Latin American Focus

With an existing portfolio of high-quality exploration properties located in Argentina, it is expected that new acquisitions by the Company will be located outside of Argentina, but within well-established mining jurisdictions such as Peru and Chile.

At advanced exploration projects like Esperanza, where drilling in 2018 intersected 387m (0 to 387m) grading 0.27g/t gold and 0.57% copper (see news release May 8, 2018), the Company intends to secure a joint venture partner to move the project forward. At earlier-stage properties such as those in Santa Cruz, the Company will move forward with grassroots exploration.

Consolidation

The Company currently has 82,626,923 common shares issued and outstanding. After giving effect to the Consolidation, the Company will have approximately 20,656,741 post-consolidation common shares issued and outstanding, before the Financing is closed (on a non-diluted basis), and each shareholder will hold the same percentage of common shares outstanding as such shareholder held immediately prior to the Consolidation.

The exercise price and number of common shares of the Company issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options, warrants or other convertible securities will be proportionately adjusted to reflect the Consolidation in accordance with the terms of such securities. Where the Consolidation results in a fractional common share, the number of common shares will be rounded to the nearest whole common share. The effective date for the Consolidation will be set subsequent to the Company obtaining the requisite approvals.

Name Change

In conjunction with the Consolidation, the Company intends to change its corporate name from Centenera Mining Corporation to a to-be-determined name. As a result of the Name Change, the Company expects to change its trading symbol on the TSXV from CT to a to-be-determined trading symbol.

Financing

The Financing will be a non-brokered private placement of up to 32 million postConsolidation common shares in the capital of the Company offered at $0.125 per share to raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to $4 million. Any securities issued in connection with the Financing will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day in Canada.

The proceeds of the Financing are intended to be used in connection with the acquisition and exploration of the recently announced Tres Cerros projects in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina (see news release March 8, 2019), as well as for the acquisition of additional projects, settlement of amounts owed to certain creditors and for general working capital purposes. The Company may pay finder's fees on a portion of the Financing consisting of a cash commission equal to 7% of the aggregate gross proceeds raised and finder's warrants equal to 7% of the total number of shares issued, where each finder's warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one post-Consolidation common share in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of $0.125 per share for a period of 12 months from the closing of the Financing.

Board Changes

In connection with the Restructuring, the Company announces that Ms. Anne Labelle and Mr. Stephen Pearce have both resigned as directors, effectively immediately. In their place, the Company has appointed Mr. David Cass and Mr. Ryan King to the board of directors of the Company, effective immediately. The Company thanks both Ms. Labelle and Mr. Pearce for their service to the Companys board of directors over the past years.

Mr. Cass is a geologist with over 25 years of international experience in mineral exploration and mining for precious and base metals, with most of this experience focused in Latin America. Mr. Cass spent 15 years of his career with major international mining company Anglo American plc, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in jurisdictions, including South and Central America, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, Iran and Eastern Europe. Mr. Cass time at Anglo also includes four years as Senior Geologist in Peru, and six years as Exploration Manager for North America, where he was responsible for Anglo's exploration programs throughout Canada, Central America, Mexico, mainland USA and Alaska. More recently, Mr. Cass has worked in executive roles for several junior exploration companies exploring in Canada, Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador and Peru. Currently, Mr. Cass is Vice President of Exploration for Bluestone Resources Inc. and is a board and audit committee member for several junior companies. Mr. Cass is a practicing member (P.Geo.) of the Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia and Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists.

Mr. King brings an established approach to business in the natural resource sector, with specific and targeted applications for delivering shareholder value in the mining industry. Mr. King has over 15 years of experience in increasingly senior capacities in capital markets in the resource sector and was responsible for leading the investor relations activities for Newmarket Gold, as the company completed a $2 billion transformational merger with Kirkland Lake Gold. Before joining Newmarket Gold, Mr. King was involved in starting Terrane Metals which acquired the Mount Milligan Copper-Gold Project in British Columbia. From 2006 through to 2010, Mr. King was involved in financing, corporate development, all investor relation activities and assisting with the acquisition of Terrane Metals in 2010 by Thompson Creek for $800 million. During his career, Mr. King has assisted in raising $250 million for previous companies. Mr. King holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Royal Roads University in British Columbia, Canada. He currently sits on the board of Pinecrest Resources, Edgewater Exploration and is the Vice President of Calibre Mining.

Qualified Person

Keith J. Henderson, P.Geo., is the Company's qualified person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for portions of this news release. He has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Henderson is not independent of the Company, as he is an employee of the Company and holds securities of the Company.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein in the United States, or in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or sale would be unlawful. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any United States state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to the account or benefit of a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or a person in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

CENTENERA MINING CORPORATION

"Keith Henderson"

President & CEO

For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's web site ( www.centeneramining.com ) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

For further information, please contact:

Keith Henderson

Phone: 604-638-3456

E-mail: info@centeneramining.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 news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the Restructuring (and, in particular, the Board Changes, Consolidation, the Name Change and the Financing), the Company's expectation that it will be able to operate as a Prospect Generator and enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties and attract joint venture partners, the anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs in respect of mineral properties (including the joint venture with Yamana for the Organullo property), anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that it will obtain TSXV acceptance for filing of the Restructuring (and, in particular, the Board Changes, Consolidation, the Name Change and the Financing), that it will be able to operate as a Prospect Generator and enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties and attract joint venture partners for the exploration and development of same, that improving market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Companys minerals properties in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Company's projects, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws.

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 differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the inability of the Company to operate as a Prospect Generator and enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties and attract joint venture partners for the exploration and development of same, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities at the Company's mineral properties, the fact that the Companys anticipated interests in the mineral properties will only be an option and there is no guarantee that such interest, if earned, will be certain, actual results of exploration activities, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals and copper, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays or the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance for filing of the Restructuring (and, in particular, the Board Changes, Consolidation, the Name Change and the Financing), any current or future property acquisitions, financing or other planned activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's latest Management Discussion and Analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein.
IRONWOOD, Mich., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Keweenaw Land Association, Limited (OTC US: KEWL) today announced that it has qualified as Pink Current on the OTC Markets. OTC Markets Group (previously known as "Pink Sheets") is an American financial market providing price and liquidity information for almost 10,000 over-the-counter (OTC) securities. OTC Pink provides for transparent trading and best execution.



Chairman Jamie Mai commented, We are pleased that our efforts over the past several months to retain a PCAOB-registered audit firm and expand our periodic disclosures have resulted in this recognition from the OTC. We believe that quotation on the OTC Pink Current tier will benefit our stockholders over the long-term by facilitating increased trading and liquidity of our stock.

Also, the Company previously announced that the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Keweenaw Land Association, Limited will be held at Gogebic Community College, Room B22, Jacob Solin Center for Business Education, E4946 Jackson Road, Ironwood, Michigan 49938, on Monday, May 6, 2019, at 9:00 a.m., local time. Those unable to attend in person can participate telephonically. A copy of the presentation will be available on Keweenaws website under Company Reports.

Date: Monday, May 6, 2019

Time: 10 a.m. Eastern time (9:00 a.m. Central time)

US Toll-free dial-in number: 1-800-309-2350

US Toll dial-in number: 1-816-400-1040

International dial-in numbers are available at https://www.turbobridge.com/international.html

Conference ID: 49938

Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact TurboBridge Support at 1-888-666-3620.

About Keweenaw Land Association, Limited: Keweenaw is a forest products and land management company located in Ironwood, Michigan. Keweenaw has land holdings exceeding 183,000 surface acres and 400,000 acres of mineral rights, located predominantly in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin. Additional information is available on the Company's website at www.keweenaw.com. Forward-Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and should not be relied upon as predictions of future events or promises of a given course of action. A number of factors such as changing economic conditions, price fluctuations, land use, environmental and other governmental regulations, and risk of loss from natural disasters, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. As with any investment, past performance is not a guarantee of future results. The Company is currently not subject to the filing requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company is categorized as "current" under the OTC Pink Sheets.
TORONTO, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE: MUX) (TSX: MUX) is pleased to report its first quarter results for the period ended March 31, 2019 (Q1). Production during the quarter was 36,315 gold equivalent ounces(1) (GEOs). The operational challenges we experienced in the first two months of the quarter have largely been resolved. We made progress implementing better mining practices at the Black Fox mine and advanced towards commercial production at the Gold Bar mine. Nevertheless, the temporary production delays at Black Fox and a slower start-up at Gold Bar did lower our revenue in the first quarter, contributing to our consolidated net loss of $10.1 million(2), or $0.03 per share. Our consolidated production rebounded during the month of April with approximately 16,500 GEOs, and we are back on track to deliver our guidance for 2019.



The Company closed a registered direct offering of shares for gross proceeds of $25 million on March 29, 2019, and had cash, investments and precious metals of $40.3 million and $50 million in debt as of March 31, 2019.

Our quarter end conference call will occur on Wednesday, May 1st at 11am EDT. Details are provided below.

The table below provides production and cost results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019, comparative results from last year, and production and cost guidance for the full year 2019.





Production and Costs Q1 Full Year

2019 Guidance 2018 2019 Consolidated Production Gold (oz) 35,069 26,938 162,000 Silver (oz) 695,651 703,219 3,225,000 GEOs(1) 44,344 36,315 205,000 San Jose Mine, Argentina (49%)(3) Gold (oz) 10,822 10,559 49,000 Silver (oz) 692,052 701,341 3,225,000 GEOs(1) 20,049 19,910 92,000 Cash Costs ($/GEO)(1)(4) 934 749 830 AISC ($/GEO)(1)(4) 1,148 1,115 1,060 El Gallo Mine, Mexico GEOs(1) 12,217 5,432 13,000 Cash Costs ($/GEO)(1)(4) 691 967 875 AISC ($/GEO)(1)(4) 753 989 915 Black Fox Mine, Canada GEOs(1) 12,078 8,943 50,000 Cash Costs ($/GEO)(1)(4) 849 805 905 AISC ($/GEO)(1)(4) 1,188 1,454 1,080 Gold Bar Mine, Nevada GEOs(1) - (5) 50,000 Cash Costs ($/GEO)(1)(4) - - 930 AISC ($/GEO)(1)(4) - - 975





Notes:

1. Silver and gold production are presented as gold equivalent ounces (GEOs). GEOs approximate prevailing spot prices at the beginning of the year. The silver to gold ratio used for 2018 and 2019 is 75:1.

2. All amounts are reported in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

3. Represents the portion attributable to us from our 49% interest in the San Jose Mine.

4. Earnings from mining operations, total cash costs per ounce, all-in sustaining costs (AISC) per ounce, and cash, investments and precious metals are non-GAAP financial performance measures with no standardized definition under U.S. GAAP. See Cautionary Note Regarding Non-GAAP Measures for additional information, including definitions of these terms.

5. Pre-commercial production at Gold Bar during Q1 2019 was 2,030 GEOs.

For the SEC Form 10-Q Financial Statements and MD&A refer to: http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0000314203

The table below provides financial highlights for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, and comparative results from last year.







Financial Highlights



Quarter Ended

Mar 31, 2018 Quarter Ended

Mar 31, 2019 Treasury Cash, Investments and Precious Metals ($ millions)(4) 55.4 40.3 Working Capital ($ millions) 39.3 32.7 Debt (Term loan) ($ millions) nil 50.0 Earnings from Mining Operations(4) Black Fox Mine ($ millions) 3.1 0.6 San Jose Mine (49%) ($ millions) 3.5 4.8 El Gallo Mine ($ millions) 12.4 2.0 Consolidated Net Income Net Income (Loss) ($ millions) (5.2 ) (10.1 ) Net Income (Loss) per Share ($) (0.02 ) (0.03 ) Cash Flow Net Cash Provided By (Used In) Operations Activities ($ millions) 6.2 (10.8 )



Financing

We completed a registered direct offering in March 2019 for aggregate gross proceeds of $25 million, $3 million of which was subscribed for by insiders and is contingent on shareholders approval at our upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 23, 2019. The offering was completed in order to fully fund our current mining projects and exploration prospects, and was required in part because of the deferral of revenue from Black Fox and Gold Bar during Q1.

San Jose Mine, Argentina (49%)

The mine is on-track to achieving our full year guidance for 2019 of 92,000 GEOs. Our attributable production from San Jose in Q1 was 10,559 gold ounces and 701,341 silver ounces, for a total of 19,910 GEOs, compared to 20,049 GEOs in 2018. Total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs (AISC) were $749 and $1,115 per GEO, respectively. We received approximately $2 million in dividends from our interest in San Jose during Q1.

El Gallo Mine, Mexico (100%)

Production and cost guidance for 2019 are for 13,000 GEOs at a cash cost and AISC of $875 and $915 per GEO, respectively. During Q1, the mine produced 5,432 GEOs, compared to 12,217 GEOs in 2018. Total cash costs and AISC were $967 and $989 per GEO, respectively. Mining ceased at El Gallo by the end of May 2018, and the mine continues to recover gold from residual leaching of the heap leach. During the quarter, the process plant underwent a small expansion to improve efficiency and enable faster gold recovery.

Fenix Project

During Q1, we spent $0.8 million on activities required to advance the Fenix Project. Work on the Fenix Project feasibility study and permitting is progressing. We expect the feasibility study to be complete in the second quarter of 2019 and permitting in the third quarter of 2019.

Black Fox Mine, Canada (100%)

Production and cost guidance for 2019 are for 50,000 GEOs at cash cost and AISC of $905 and $1,080 per GEO, respectively. During Q1, the mine produced 8,943 GEOs, compared to 12,078 GEOs in 2018. Total cash costs and AISC were $805 and $1,454 per GEO, respectively. AISC was elevated in Q1 due to higher underground development expenses incurred to open more mining areas, an investment that will position the mine for a strong second half of 2019.

Gold and silver production decreased in Q1 as a result of some temporary operational challenges. Beginning in January, the operation had difficulty accessing mineralized material within a working area, and subsequently a fire damaged the crushing plant operated by a contractor. These incidents caused eight weeks of delays in crushing and shipping mineralized material to the mill. Production has now returned to normal.

Our 2019 exploration budget for the Black Fox Complex is $17 million and includes surface and underground drilling. Surface drilling with seven drill rigs started in April, and we will begin announcing assay results in late May.

Gold Bar Mine, USA (100%)

The first gold ingot was poured at Gold Bar on February 16th. During Q1, pre-commercial production totalled 2,030 GEOs. Revised production and cost guidance for 2019 are for 50,000 GEOs at cash cost and AISC of $930 and $975 per GEO, respectively. We expect Gold Bar to achieve commercial production during the second quarter of 2019.

The ramp-up of production at Gold Bar is progressing and we are addressing commissioning challenges with the crushing and screening plants. Issues related to material handling have been resolved and the throughput of the ore handling and stacking system is increasing. Other aspects of the mine are performing as designed. Guidance has been revised from 55,000 to 50,000 GEOs as a result of the slower than expected start-up.

Los Azules Project, Argentina (100%)

We defined a new low altitude all-year access route (Northern access route) in Argentina during 2018. The route was explored by overland expedition during March 2019 and confirmed to be viable for access and also for the proposed electrical transmission line. Preliminary engineering, cost and schedule estimates are in progress. Additional evaluation studies on infrastructure have been ongoing.

During Q1, we spent $0.9 million on technical and environmental baseline monitoring work, to advance permitting efforts. We are targeting the submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment within the next twelve months and expect the Environmental Impact Declaration to be received during 2020.

Conference Call and Webcast

We invite you to join our conference call, where management will discuss our Q1 financial results and project developments and follow with a question and answer session. Questions can be asked directly by participants over the telephone or can be emailed in advance to info@mcewenmining.com . Please email questions prior to the start of the call.

Wednesday, May 1st, 2019

11:00 am EDT Toll Free US & Canada: 1 (844) 630-9911 Outside US & Canada: 1 (210) 229-8828 Conference ID Number: 7153978 Webcast Link: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/f9aq4wwd

An archived replay of the webcast will be available for one week after it takes place. Access the replay using the link https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/f9aq4wwd or by calling (855) 859-2056 (North America) / (404) 537-3406 (International), Conference ID Number 7153978.

ABOUT MCEWEN MINING

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's principal assets consist of: the San Jose mine in Santa Cruz, Argentina (49% interest); the Black Fox mine in Timmins, Canada; the Fenix Project in Mexico; the Gold Bar mine in Nevada; and the large Los Azules copper project in Argentina, advancing towards development.

McEwen has approximately 360 million shares outstanding. Rob McEwen, Chairman and Chief Owner, owns 22% of the shares.

Reliability of Information Regarding San Jose

Minera Santa Cruz S.A., the owner of the San Jose Mine, is responsible for and has supplied to the Company all reported results from the San Jose Mine. McEwen Minings joint venture partner, a subsidiary of Hochschild Mining plc, and its affiliates other than MSC do not accept responsibility for the use of project data or the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Technical Information

The technical contents of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Chris Stewart, P.Eng., President & COO of McEwen Mining and a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects."

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING NON-GAAP MEASURES

In this report, we have provided information prepared or calculated according to U.S. GAAP, as well as provided some non-U.S. GAAP ("non-GAAP") performance measures. Because the non-GAAP performance measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP, they may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

Total Cash Costs and All-in Sustaining Costs

Total cash costs consist of mining, processing, on-site general and administrative costs, community and permitting costs related to current operations, royalty costs, refining and treatment charges (for both dore and concentrate products), sales costs, export taxes and operational stripping costs, and exclude depreciation and amortization. All-in sustaining cash costs consist of total cash costs (as described above), plus environmental rehabilitation costs, amortization of the asset retirement costs related to operating sites, sustaining exploration and development costs, sustaining capital expenditures, and sustaining lease payments. Both cash costs and all-in sustaining costs are divided by the gold equivalent ounces sold to determine cash costs and all all-in sustaining costs on a gold equivalent basis. For both total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs we include our attributable share of total cash costs from operations where we hold less than a 100% economic share in the production, such as MSC, where we hold a 49% interest. For MSC, total cash cost and all-in sustaining cash cost per ounce sold are calculated on a co-product basis by dividing the respective proportionate share of the total cash costs and all-in sustaining cash costs for the period attributable to each metal by the ounces of each respective metal sold. We use and report these measures to provide additional information regarding operational efficiencies both on a consolidated and an individual mine basis, and believe that these measures provide investors and analysts with useful information about our underlying costs of operations. A reconciliation to the nearest U.S. GAAP measure is provided in McEwen Mining's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

Earnings from mining operations

The term earnings from mining operations is a Non-GAAP financial measure. We use and report this metric because we believe it provides investors and analysts with a useful measure of the underlying earnings from our mining operations. We define earnings from mining operations as Gold and Silver Sales from our El Gallo Project and Black Fox mine, and our 49% attributable share of the San Jose mines Net Sales, less their respective production costs applicable to sales. To the extent that Production Costs Applicable to Sales may include depreciation and amortization expense related to the fair value increments on historical business acquisitions (fair value paid in excess of the carrying value of the underlying assets and liabilities assumed on the date of acquisition), we exclude this expense in order to arrive at production costs applicable to sales that only include depreciation and amortization expense incurred at the mine site level. A reconciliation to the nearest US GAAP measure, gold & silver sales and production costs applicable to sales, is provided in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

Cash, investments and precious metals

The term cash, investments and precious metals used in this report is a nonGAAP financial measure. We report this measure to better understand our liquidity in each reporting period. Cash, investments and precious metals is calculated as the sum of cash, investments and ounces of dore held in inventory, valued at the London PM Fix spot price at the corresponding period. A reconciliation to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure is provided in McEwen Mining's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, including "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements and information expressed, as at the date of this news release, McEwen Mining Inc.'s (the "Company") estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs as to future events and results. Forward-looking statements and information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies, and there can be no assurance that such statements and information will prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements and information. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results or future events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, factors associated with fluctuations in the market price of precious metals, mining industry risks, political, economic, social and security risks associated with foreign operations, the ability of the corporation to receive or receive in a timely manner permits or other approvals required in connection with operations, risks associated with the construction of mining operations and commencement of production and the projected costs thereof, risks related to litigation, the state of the capital markets, environmental risks and hazards, uncertainty as to calculation of mineral resources and reserves, and other risks. The Companys dividend policy will be reviewed periodically by the Board of Directors and is subject to change based on certain factors such as the capital needs of the Company and its future operating results. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information included herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to reissue or update forward-looking statements or information as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. See McEwen Mining's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the caption "Risk Factors", for additional information on risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to the forward-looking statements and information regarding the Company. All forward-looking statements and information made in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement.

The NYSE and TSX have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release, which has been prepared by management of McEwen Mining Inc.
CALGARY, Alberta, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (Gran Tierra) (NYSE American:GTE) (TSX:GTE) (LSE:GTE), announces that the Company will release its 2019 first quarter financial and operating results on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, before market open. The Companys Annual General Meeting will be held at 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time (1:00 p.m. Eastern Time) the same day, Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Details of the Annual General Meeting are as follows:

Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2019 Time: 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time (1:00 p.m. Eastern Time) Location: 3rd Floor, West Tower, Centennial Place, 250  5 Street SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

About Gran Tierra Energy Inc.

Gran Tierra Energy Inc. together with its subsidiaries is an independent international energy company focused on oil and natural gas exploration and production in Colombia and Ecuador.

Gran Tierras Securities and Exchange Commission filings are available on a web site maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov and on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com and UK regulatory filings are available on the National Storage Mechanism website at www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/nsm.

Contact Information

For investor and media inquiries please contact:

Gary Guidry

Chief Executive Officer

Ryan Ellson

Chief Financial Officer

Rodger Trimble

Vice President, Investor Relations
LAND Rovers highly anticipated all-new Defender off-road SUV is now undergoing its final stage of testing in Kenya, where a prototype is serving as a donor vehicle for wildlife conservation charity Tusk Trust.

By the time the new Defender is revealed towards the end of the year, Land Rover will have conducted over 45,000 individual tests on its legendary off-roader in a broad range of conditions and environments.

The Tusk Trust prototype will be used at Kenyas Borana Conservatory where it will tow heavy loads and carry supplies across the conservatorys 14,000 hectares of unforgiving terrain, including river crossings.

Land Rover has a partnership with Tusk Trust dating back 15 years, which Jaguar Land Rover executive director of product engineering Nick Rogers said provided a great opportunity to fine-tune the Defender.

In addition to the extensive simulation and rig testing, weve driven new Defender 1.2 million kilometres across all terrains and in extreme climates to ensure that it is the toughest and most capable Land Rover ever made, he said.

The incredible opportunity to put it to the test in the field, supporting operations at the Borana Conservancy in Kenya, with Tusk, will allow our engineers to verify that we are meeting this target as we enter the final phase of our development programme.

Few concrete details of the Defender have been released, however it is understood it will continue to fly the off-road flag for the brand while improving the comfort and refinement of its rough-and-ready predecessor.

It has been tested in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius down to -40 degrees inside the Arctic Circle, while venturing as high as 10,000 feet into Colorados Rocky Mountains to ensure seamless operation in a range of conditions.

On-road dynamics tests are being held at the Nurburgring in Germany, while the Defenders off-road chops have been honed in a range of environments including muddy Eastnor, UK, the rocky trails of Moab, Utah, and the sand dunes of Dubai.

The new Defender will be constructed at a purpose-built facility in Slovakia, and will forego the rugged ladder-frame chassis and live axles of its predecessor for a more modern and comfortable monocoque chassis and independent suspension all round that Land Rover says will  bring unparalleled breadth of capability and new levels of comfort and driveability to the Defender family.

No details have been released on the powertrains that will underpin the new Defender, however it is expected the 2.0-litre Ingenium four-cylinder engine will power cheaper versions, while a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder Ingenium donk will be employed on higher-end variants. Mild and plug-in hybrid variants will also be on offer.

As with the outgoing model, three wheelbase lengths  90, 110 and 130 inches  will be offered, in three- and five-door wagon style as well as with a pick-up body.

Camouflage shots suggest the Defender will wear evolutionary styling that hints at the boxy dimensions of the original while incorporating Land Rovers modern design language.

More details on the Defender will be released when the model is unveiled later this year.

The Road to Recovery podcast series
Virginia is taking its changes in education to the streets.

Gov. Ralph Northam, alongside state and local school officials, announced Monday a new initiative dubbed Virginia Is for Learners that aims to tell Virginia residents about the reforms to the states education system.

Education is one of our most effective ways of making good on the promise of equal opportunity for all people no matter who they are or where they live, Northam said.

The marketing campaign will try to tell the story of recent changes to the states high school graduation requirements, accreditation standards and early childhood education. At the announcement Monday inside Richmonds Patrick Henry Building, Northam  surrounded by superintendents from across the state  said not enough people know about them.

The initiative includes the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Board of Education and other partners.

Most of the changes being highlighted in the campaign started in November 2017, when the Virginia Board of Education shook up how schools are rated and the states graduation requirements.

The new accreditation ratings take more than test scores into account, using student growth, achievement gaps and absenteeism, among other things, as ways of grading a school. The system hadnt seen changes to that scale in the past 20 years.

With the new system, 92 percent of Virginias public schools are accredited this year, up from 86 percent last year under rules that focused almost entirely on how students fared on Standards of Learning tests.

Virginia Is for Learners is a strong platform to highlight the important revisions the Board made to the Standards of Accreditation that focus on continuous improvement for all students and the persistent equity work of the Board, the Department and our public schools across the commonwealth, Board of Education President Daniel Gecker said in a statement.

The new graduation requirements dropped the number of required verified credits needed for both an advanced-studies diploma and a standard diploma to five from six. Course requirements for both diplomas stayed the same.

A verified credit is given for a course in which a student earns a standard credit, but also passes the courses SOL test or an alternative assessment approved by the state board. Under the new requirements, fewer SOL tests are needed in order to graduate.

Mondays announcement was Northams first major K-12 announcement since a racist picture found on his medical school yearbook page became public in early February. Hes resisted calls for his resignation, instead promising to promote equity across the state  something he said the new campaign does.

Education is the tide that lifts all boats, Northam said. A quality education can empower and equip people to make a better life for themselves, their families and their community. Education is the most powerful tool we have to turn the tide against generational poverty, systemic racism and other ills that hold too many of our fellow Virginians back.

James Lane, the state superintendent of public instruction, said he hopes the work continues after the state spreads the word to parents, community members and businesses so people not only know what were doing with the education system, but why.

Virginia Is for Learners doesnt end with this public information campaign, he said.
VANCOUVER, April 30, 2019 - Group Eleven Resources Corp. (TSX.V: ZNG; OTCQB: GRLVF; FRA: 3GE) ("Group Eleven" or the "Company) is pleased to announce the closing of the second and final tranche of its non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") through the issuance of 533,300 units ("Units") at a subscription price of $0.12 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $63,996. In total, the Company issued 3,883,265 Units for aggregate gross proceeds of $465,872 in this Private Placement.

Each unit will consist of one common share and one half non-transferrable common share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share in the capital of the Company at $0.24 per share for two years from the date of issue.

Finder's fees of $3,150 are payable in cash on a portion of the private placement to parties at arm's length to the Company. In addition, 26,250 non-transferable finder's warrants are being issued (the "Finder's Warrants"). Each Finder's Warrant entitles a finder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.24 per share for two years from the date of issue.

Net proceeds of the financing will be used to fund the Company's focussed drill program on the Ballinalack project and exploration on other projects in Ireland, as well as, general working capital.

This financing is subject to regulatory approval and all securities to be issued pursuant to the financing are subject to a four-month hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws.

About Group Eleven Resources

Group Eleven Resources Corp. (TSX.V: ZNG; FRA: 3GE and OTC: GRLVF) is a mineral exploration company focused on advanced stage zinc exploration in Ireland. The Company's large land package allows Group Eleven to leverage new geological approach and geophysical technology to systematically rethink key aspects of the Irish zinc district. The Company's two key projects in Ireland include: a 60% interest in the Ballinalack project (joint ventured with Nonfemet - one of the largest zinc producers in China), located in north-east Ireland, hosting potential Navan Bed mineralization in the Pale Beds; and a 75.56% interest in the Stonepark project (joint ventured with Arkle Resources plc), located near Limerick, next to one of the world's largest undeveloped zinc deposits: Glencore's Pallas Green deposit. The Company's team includes accomplished mining professionals with direct experience in finding mines, building companies and exploring Irish zinc deposits.

Additional information about the Company is available at www.groupelevenresources.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bart Jaworski, P.Geo.

Chief Executive Officer

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. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. federal and state registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities in the United States.

SOURCE Group Eleven Resources Corp.







Contact



Spiros Cacos, MA, Vice President, Investor Relations, s.cacos@groupelevenresources.com | T: +1 604 630 8839


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Soda taxes were proposed in five states this year.

A soda tax bill in California has been shelved.

In late February, when Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont delivered his budget address at the state capitol, a number of Republican lawmakers showed up carrying Double Gulps -- 64-ounce drinks from 7-Eleven -- to protest the Democratic governors proposed tax increase on sugary sodas.Lamont views the 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax as a means of balancing the budget and improving public health. But GOP state Rep. Anne Dauphinais says that's a crock of nonsense. She argues the measure would be regressive, hitting those who can afford it the least in a state already among the highest taxed in America.Similar debates are happening in a number of legislatures this year. Statewide taxes on sugary drinks have been proposed in California, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).But soda taxes face a steep climb.The last state to enact one was Arkansas in 1992. That law is still on the books, but soda companies and the powerful American Beverage Association (ABA) wage a perennial and expensive fight against taxes on their products nationwide.According to a recent analysis by ABA spent over $1 million on lobbying in the Golden State in 2017 and 2018, while PepsiCo spent $371,482 and Coca-Cola spent $352,469. Last month, ABA reported that it spent $604,000 on ads attacking Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney over his citys existing soda tax.There are better ways to help reduce the amount of sugar people get from beverages than a tax that places an unfair burden on working families and neighborhood businesses already struggling with the states high cost of living," the ABA-backed Keep CT Affordable told The Hartford Courant last month. It will hurt small businesses, coffee shops, gas stations and corner stores that will lose revenue and may be forced to cut jobs.One such business, Averys Beverages in New Britain, Conn., is now printing special labels for its bottles that include a plea to the governor: Dont Tax Me Ned!It isnt just Republicans and business interests that oppose the taxes. In some cases, Democrats have argued against them as well. Connecticut's Progressive Caucus came out against the soda tax on the same grounds as Dauphinais, that the tax is regressive and would unduly impact lower-income residents.Still, public health advocates continue to emphasize the benefits of soda taxes.They educate the public about the harm to health caused by overconsumption of sugary drinks. They encourage reduced consumption. They are most effective in reducing consumption among low-income people, who are the greatest targets of soda marketing and have a higher prevalence of the consequences of soda consumption -- higher risks of type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions related to overweight, says New York University professor Marion Nestle, author ofThe soda industry is like the tobacco industry, argues California state Rep. Richard Bloom, who authored a soda tax bill in his state this year. Both use deep-pocketed spending and robust advertising to push an addictive product, he believes. Bloom acknowledges that he's up against a pretty savvy opponent, but he believes there's a growing awareness around this issue, reflected by the various local governments, states and counties taking this up.Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia all impose statewide excise taxes on sugary drinks, according to NCSL. Localities currently imposing soda taxes include Boulder, Colo.; Philadelphia and the California cities of Albany, Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco.But in some places, state lawmakers have banned cities and counties from passing more soda taxes. Such preemption bills have become law in Arizona, California and Michigan.The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association describe sugary drinks as a grave health threat to children and adolescents. In late March, the pair of leading medical groups called on more governments to support taxes, warning labels and advertising regulations for the soda industry.These measures, however, have a mixed record in the courts.In January, ABA persuaded a federal appeals court that a San Francisco ordinance mandating warning labels on soda advertising violated the First Amendment. In 2014, New Yorks highest state court rejected former New York City Mayor Michael Bloombergs ban on large sodas. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, however, upheld Philadelphia's soda tax last year.Nestle, the NYU professor, says the success of a soda tax proposal can depend on how the revenue will be spent. Kenney sold Philadelphia's measure as a means of funding universal pre-K, jobs programs and development.People readily grasp the two wins: less soda consumption producing better health and whatever the revenues are used for, Nestle added. The critical factors seem to be community organizing for public support and trust that the revenues will be used for their intended purpose.Even Lamonts allies in Connecticut acknowledge the challenge he faces. State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg told thethat the sentiment among legislators is very mixed. ... I think that we have more work to do to bring more in line, but I think thats a winnable fight.The fight wasnt winnable in California this year. Earlier this month, Bloom shelved his legislation, saying it didnt have enough support."I think every issue has its time, he says. We've really turned the corner when it comes to fighting big tobacco. It took many decades to make that happen. This one's going to take time, too."
We Backed Off a Little Bit

Democrats Take Governorships

Toward the end of 2018, the Trump administration seemed to be marching briskly toward its goal of requiring able-bodied adults in Medicaid to prove they had jobs to participate in the public health plan for the poor.But while a number of states still are adopting work requirements, the path has gotten murkier in recent months, both because of court rulings and political calculations.In three red states that might have been expected to adopt work requirements, lawmakers failed this year to pass legislation. Some governor seats recently occupied by Republicans changed hands as 2019 opened, bringing in executives who oppose work requirements.And a federal judge in Washington, D.C., last month ruled that Trumps Department of Health and Human Services had improperly approved work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky. The same judge is considering a similar challenge to HHS approval of New Hampshires plan to impose work requirements in its Medicaid program.While the rulings, which the administration is appealing, do not prohibit work requirements in other states, state legislators in at least two states took notice, and adopted narrowing provisions they hope will enable their Medicaid work requirements to survive judicial review in the face of expected legal challenges.Its not surprising that a state would not want to spend a lot of money setting up a program that may be struck down by a court, said Leonardo Cuello, director of national health policy at the National Health Law Program, which brought the lawsuit against the work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky. You would think any rational state would not engage in this type of legislation at this point.Legislation on Medicaid work requirements died in West Virginia and Wyoming in February and in Iowa in March at virtually the same time a U.S. district judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that work requirements in Medicaid in Kentucky and Arkansas were illegal.To be sure, other states whose work requirement plans have been approved by HHS are moving ahead, including Arizona, Michigan, Ohio and Utah. Not including the two states affected by the court ruling, HHS has approved Medicaid work requirements in seven states and is considering applications from six others.Nobodys panicking, Rea Hederman, vice president of policy at the Buckeye Institute, an Ohio-based free-market think tank that favors work requirements, said about the court rulings. Its a lot of business as usual, but there are more yellow lights flashing now.While federal public assistance programs relating to nutrition, housing and cash assistance have imposed work requirements since the mid-1990s, policymakers didnt move to impose them as a condition for medical assistance.Conservatives began clamoring for a work requirement in Medicaid as well after the Affordable Care Act expanded eligibility to childless adults in 2014.Two years ago, then-HHS Secretary Tom Price and Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, alerted governors of the Trump administrations welcome of work requirements.States must seek permission from the federal government for certain changes in their programs, such as the imposition of work requirements. In some states, governors can apply for those changes; in others, the state legislatures must sign off as well.In Arkansas, which was the first state to impose Medicaid work requirements last July, the state disenrolled more than18,000 residents by December for failing to meet the requirement or submit proper documentation. (The state hasnt updated the numbers since then.)Starting in March 2018, the Trump administration began handing out permission for work requirements to any state that applied, lending a sense of nationwide momentum to the policy change. But as 2019 legislative sessions unfolded, bills on Medicaid work requirements faltered in several conservative states where they might have been expected to pass.Even before the court rulings, we saw some states showing a new reluctance to pursue work requirements, said Joan Alker, executive director and co-founder of Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families.As a legislative effort fizzled in the Iowa Senate, the Republican chairwoman of the state House human resources committee, Shannon Lundgren, announced her panel wouldnt even look at proposals this year.While not philosophically opposed to work requirements, she told the Gazette newspaper of Cedar Rapids, Its just that we want to do it mindfully where we are not hurting people that certainly do need the assistance (and) we are appropriately catching the people that are taking advantage of the system.(Lundgren did not respond to a request for comment from Stateline.)Lisa Heddens, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said in an interview with Stateline she thought Republicans also were concerned about the estimates from the legislative financial analysts. They estimated it would cost $5 million in the first year of operation and $12 million in the second for the state to set up a system to verify that beneficiaries are meeting the requirements.Those are funds, she said, the state could ill afford to waste if a court ultimately threw out the states work requirements. Thats not something you want to do with a tight budget, she said.In West Virginia, Democratic state Del. Larry Rowe, an outspoken opponent of work requirements, said he thinks Republicans feared work requirements would be politically unpopular. He noted that West Virginia is the state with the highest share  29%  of residents on Medicaid, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. If you take away peoples health care, theyre going to be looking for someone to blame.Rowe also pointed out that the states hospitals were adamantly opposed to work requirements. You want to take on the biggest employer there is in many of these rural counties? he said.Republican legislative leaders in West Virginia did not return calls from Stateline.Some state legislatures that have passed work requirement measures this year have tweaked them in the wake of the March ruling by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., throwing out work requirements for Arkansas and Kentucky.Boasberg said the requirements conflicted with the objective of Medicaid, which is in the federal law that created the program: to furnish medical assistance to the poor.The Idaho legislature passed a Medicaid expansion law this month with a work requirement. (State voters approved Medicaid expansion in a ballot initiative in November.) But the Republican sponsor of the bill, state Rep. John Vander Woude, said in an interview that the legislature, taking note of the court rulings regarding Arkansas and Kentucky, added a last-minute provision.If work requirements do not ultimately pass judicial review, instead of throwing nonworking beneficiaries off Medicaid, Idaho would impose copayments on them.We backed off a little bit in light of that judges decision, Vander Woude said.Earlier this month, Montana became the latest state to expand its Medicaid program to childless adults in keeping with provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Democrat Jon Sesso, the Senate minority leader, said in order to pass the bill, Republicans insisted that it include a work requirement.But, he said, Democrats were able to add exemptions for certain beneficiaries, such as pregnant women and the chronically homeless, and to lessen bureaucratic burdens on enrollees to reduce the chances they would be dropped. Hopefully, weve limited the number of people who would be thrown off, Sesso said.Republicans also agreed to a provision ensuring that if a court throws out work requirements in Montana, the Medicaid expansion would remain in place. It also included a provision that could result in a suspension of the work requirements if more than 5% of beneficiaries are dropped from the rolls.Novembers elections also had an impact on work requirements. Immediately after taking office as Maines new Democratic governor in January, Janet Mills withdrew the states application from HHS for approval of work requirements.Wisconsin and Michigan also saw their governor seats switch from Republicans who had sought and received permission to impose work requirements to Democrats, who are likely to pressure their state legislatures to drop the requirements or modify them.In Wisconsin, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has indicated that he opposes work requirements. But during the lame-duck session last fall, Republicans passed a measure requiring legislative approval to lift the work requirements.As a result, Jim Jones, head of the states Medicaid agency, said in an interview with Stateline, Wisconsin is stuck with work requirements. He said the requirements will cost the state about $120 million in administrative and employment support services over the next two years.While Michigans new Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she is concerned that the states work requirement could result in as many as 183,000 people losing Medicaid coverage for a years time, she stopped short of saying she would seek its repeal. Instead, she indicated she would seek unspecified changes to minimize unwarranted losses of coverage.
In a last-minute move, the Washington Legislature Sunday night passed Initiative 1000, a measure that overturns the state's 20-year-old, voter-approved ban on affirmative action.By Monday morning, a group opposing the initiative had already filed a referendum seeking to put the measure to a public vote.The development sets up a possible clash over views on race and equity this November at the ballot box -- the place where the debate began.I-1000 repeals Initiative 200, a measure approved by Washington voters 20 years ago. I-200 blocked the government from giving preferential treatment to, or discriminating against, people and groups on the basis of sex, ethnicity, color, race or national origin.In Sunday night votes in the waning hours of Washington's 2019 legislative session, Democratic majorities in the House and Senate propelled I-1000 to passage. The House approved it 56 to 42, and the Senate passed it 26 to 22.No Republicans favored the measure; one Democrat in the House and one in the Senate opposed it.During the debate, Sen. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, urged his colleagues to approve the measure."We can't close our eyes to say there's no racism, or there's no institutionalized racism or institutionalized barriers, because there are," said Hasegawa. "And the statistics show up in the criminal justice system, the education system, from top to bottom."In a statement Monday, Metropolitan King County Councilmember Larry Gossett cheered the measure's passage, saying the signatures gathered for the initiative represented a call for lawmakers for action."Last night, the legislators heeded that call, adopting I-1000 and ending the two decades of the onerous barriers that I-200 created for people of color, underserved populations, women, and veterans," Gossett said in a news statement.During the debate Sunday, Republicans argued against the initiative. Senate GOP Deputy Minority Leader Sharon Brown of Kennewick said she taught her mixed-race children to achieve their goals through hard work."They don't want a seat on the corporate board because of their race, because of their gender, they want it because of their experience," said Brown. "They want it because of their merit."Outside the House and Senate chambers, meanwhile, a handful of protesters loudly protested, chanting, "Let people vote!"One of those people was Kan Qiu, a 49-year-old Bellevue resident who on Monday morning filed the referendum against I-1000.Qiu said he grew up in China, protested at Tiananmen Square during the infamous 1989 demonstrations, and later came to America for college.He went from watching his grandfather struggle with unemployed because he wasn't in step with China's communist regime, Qiu said, to seeing his mother blocked from attending college in that country. But he went on to build a life in America and send his son to Northwestern University."It's all determination," said Qiu, who is part of WA Asians 4 Equality, a group that has opposed I-1000. He called the measure "divisive."Roughly 130,000 signatures from registered voters would be needed by July 27 to get the referendum on the Nov. 5 general election ballot, according to the Washington Secretary of State's Office.Early this year, the I-1000 campaign submitted approximately 400,000 signatures, more than any previous initiative to the Legislature.As an Initiative to the Legislature, lawmakers could have chosen not to act on I-1000, which would have sent the measure to the fall ballot.Last August, community advocates kicked off the I-1000 campaign at Seattle's Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle. Former Govs. Dan Evans, Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire, along with Gov. Jay Inslee, all threw their support behind it.But after collecting those signatures, the campaign also found itself deep in debt. It owed more than $1.3 million to the companies and people who collected signatures on the petitions.The measure passed in the final hours on the last day of the Legislature's regularly-scheduled 2019 session. It came to the House and Senate floors after lawmakers struggled to finish a key bill on time. But legislators found a compromise on the bill to raise caps on how much money school districts could raise through local tax levies, and ended the session on-time.
St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, a target of a U.S. government investigation into political favors traded for campaign contributions, was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on charges of bribery, mail fraud and theft of honest services.Stenger also resigned as county executive on Monday in a letter to County Counselor Peter Krane, writing that "it is in the best interest of our County and my family."The council plans to convene an emergency meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday to vote on a successor, Council Chairman Sam Page said in a statement.In a copy of the indictment unsealed on Monday, prosecutors said that from October 2014 to Dec. 31, 2018, "Stenger and various individuals and companies schemed to defraud and deprive the citizens of St. Louis County of their right to his honest and faithful services, and the honest and faithful services of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership's Chief Executive Officer, through bribery and the concealment of material information."Stenger also helped a Rallo company, Wellston Holdings, LLC, obtain options to purchase two properties in Wellston, Missouri which were held by the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority.Stenger also helped a company that is not named in the indictment get a 2019 -- 2021 state lobbying contract from the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership.Stenger lied in public statements and took other actions to cover up the crimes, prosecutors said.He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Monday at 1 p.m.At a Oct. 23, 2014 dinner while Stenger was campaigning, Rallo complained that "he was tired of giving money to politicians and not getting anything in return," the indictment says. He had no such problems with Stenger, according to the indictment.Rallo repeatedly made political donations to Stenger before his election with the understanding that he would get contracts from the county or associated entities, and continued to do so afterwards.A Post-Dispatch investigation in 2017 and 2018 put a spotlight on the deals with Rallo. The indictment noted that when a reporter sought information in August 2017 about the Wellston deal, Sheila Sweeney, the CEO of the Partnership appointed by Stenger, instructed Rallo not to talk to the reporter."No don't meet him," Sweeney texted back. "Trying to make the Steve & you connection."Sweeney instructed Rallo to remove his name from public filings connecting him to Cardinal Consulting as a way to cover Stenger and, she added, "me too!!!"In May 2018, Stenger also told Rallo not talk talk to Post-Dispatch reporters, according to the indictment. The indictment did not make it clear whether the conversation was in texts or if it was a recorded phone conversation."You can't talk to the f---ing press," Stenger told him. "I bent over f---ing backwards for you, and I asked you one simple f---ing thing, don't talk to the f---ing press. And I'm telling you, you're gonna f---ing kill yourself, alright, you're gonna kill yourself with this shit."Stenger told Rallo the paper's interest would die down after he won his August primary."Our goal is not to give him anything. This is just a rehash of what he already has. Rehash of that same old story. It's gonna pass in August, because the reason for what they're doing is gonna die ... I'm winning in the polls .. ilt'll go away."The indictment also revealed why Rallo's Cardinal Consulting had been paid $130,000 on a contract for which he had bid $100,000, an inconsistency explored by the Post-Dispatch.According to the charges, Stenger directed Sweeney to have Rallo forward the $30,000 balance to another individual, identified by the initials "JC," who had helped with Stenger's political campaign. Rallo did not know JC, and JC did not do any work for the payment, according to the indictment.Lawyers for Sweeney and Rallo said Monday they would not comment.The indictment also demonstrated Stenger's disdain for subordinates who refused to carry out orders to direct county business to his donors. He described Mike Chapman, one of his earliest policy advisers, as a "major pain in the ass." And when Director of Administration Pamela Reitz would not go along with awarding an insurance contract to Rallo, Stenger wrote to adviser Jeff Wagener that "I am absolutely done with her. As soon as a replacement can be found I want her gone."St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said Monday that Stenger made the right decision to resign.Despite a bitter cold war with a bipartisan majority on the County Council, Stenger appeared to be at the top of St. Louis' political world as recently as weeks ago, enjoying wide support from unions and business leaders. After raising an unprecedented $4.4 million for his reelection, he narrowly vanquished a deep-pocketed primary foe in Mark Mantovani and easily dispatched Republican Paul Berry III in the general election.He was sworn into his second term on Jan. 1, promising "transformational" change in affordable housing, access to medical care and unemployment. Days later came news that the nonprofit advocacy group Better Together was planning to launch a campaign to put a merger of St. Louis city and county on a statewide ballot in November 2020. The plan called for Stenger to emerge as the metro city's first mayor.Even so, clouds were building over his political future. Post-Dispatch investigations pointed to several instances, including the deals involving Rallo, where county contracts went to Stenger's political donors. Stenger's council rivals launched an ethics probe and called for state and federal investigations into the county's long-term lease for office space at the former Northwest Plaza, which is owned by developers who gave Stenger's campaign $365,000.Stenger repeatedly denied any quid pro quo and complained about the newspaper's coverage of his administration and its "misleading and tiresome" focus on the county's relationships with his campaign benefactors.In July, two council members said their sources told them federal agents had tailed Sweeney. The Partnership board forced her out following Post-Dispatch investigations into low staff morale and high turnover at the Partnership, the agency's procurement practices and the awarding of contracts to Stenger's campaign donors. Several former employees told the Post-Dispatch that Stenger essentially ran the office through Sweeney.A federal subpoena issued to St. Louis County on March 21 sought records of every contract and grant issued by the county since Stenger took office on Jan. 1, 2015. It also sought personnel files for five people he hired as well as records of all his communications.St. Louis County Council Chairman Sam Page revealed the subpoena's existence to a Post-Dispatch reporter in an interview on March 24, a Sunday morning. That same day, Better Together executive director Nancy Rice told Post-Dispatch metro columnist Tony Messenger that the statewide ballot initiative was being redrawn to remove Stenger as the metro mayor.The Partnership confirmed later that week that it was cooperating with three federal subpoenas served to itself and two county agencies it staffs -- the St. Louis County Port Authority and the St. Louis County Land Clearance for Redevelopment Agency.Stenger attempted to spin the bombshell as a routine event in the course of an executive's political career, noting that the U.S. government had previously commanded St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and former St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley's administrations to turn over records, and that he wasn't the target of the subpoena. But Slay and Dooley immediately rebutted his comments, saying the government had never subpoenaed records of their communications.Days later, assistant U.S. attorney leading the investigation, Hal Goldsmith, clarified in a letter that the county should start by turning over records from a list of grants and contracts -- most of them involving Stenger's campaign donors.As the county began producing records to comply with the subpoena, the ranks within Stenger's inner circle began to thin. Chief of staff Bill Miller quit on April 12, followed by senior policy advisor Lance LeComb on April 16. Other senior staff members in his office, Tom Curran and Linda Henry, also decided to retire.University of Missouri-St. Louis political scientist Dave Robertson said some politicians feel bullet proof after getting into office."It's easy for people who have their validation from voters to feel that they are entitled to use a lot of power and some of those individuals use that power for things that are illegal -- that's what's at stake here," he said. "Ask a few former Illinois governors about that."He said the Stenger case forms at a time time in politics when candidates want "massive election war chests.""Hubris," he added, "makes you dumb."Ed Rhode, a spokesman for the merger campaign Unite STL, said Monday in a statement: "While the reunification effort is unaffected by today's development, we do believe that it underscores the need for change and the potential benefit of reforming and streamlining St. Louis Government."It was a stunning end to a political career that saw Stenger rise from two terms on the council to oust a seemingly entrenched county executive Charlie Dooley in the Democratic primary in 2014, then narrowly defeat Republican Rick Stream in the general election.The day of Stenger's announcement that he intended to challenge Dooley, he told a reporter in an interview that his top priority was "restoring integrity to St. Louis County government."
The Supreme Court dealt a setback to former Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joseph Arpaio on Monday, declining to review a lower court decision to appoint a special prosecutor in a case related to his contempt of court conviction.Arpaio was found in contempt of court in 2017 because he continued to make immigration arrests after he was ordered to stop. But before his sentencing, President Donald Trump pardoned Arpaio, getting rid of any possible sentence.Arpaio then moved to also wipe away the guilty verdict. The district court, however, denied Arpaio's request, a decision he appealed.At the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Justice Department said it did not intend to defend the district court's order that went against Arpaio.
Shocked by Saturday's mass shooting at the Chabad of Poway, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed Monday to significantly increase funds for security at synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions in California that face threats of hate-motivated violence.Newsom announced his support after the 14-member California Legislative Jewish Caucus made an urgent request for $15 million to be budgeted this year for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which only provided $500,000 last year.The money would go to nonprofit organizations including religious congregations, private and nonprofit schools, LGBTQ organizations, and women's health groups to pay for reinforced doors and gates, high intensity lighting and alarms, security guards and other protective measures.The funding announcement came the same day that authorities revealed they staved off a terror plot targeting Jews, churches and police officers, but it was not immediately clear whether Newsom's decision was influenced by that news. It also came before the Anti-Defamation League released a report Monday documenting that the number of Jewish people targeted in anti-Semitic assaults had tripled last year."We all must call out hate -- against any and all communities -- and act to defend those targeted for their religious beliefs, who they love or how they identify," Newsom said Monday. "An attack against any community is an attack against our entire state -- who we are and what we stand for."The governor said he will include the $15 million in his revised spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1 that will be unveiled next month.If approved by the Legislature, the funding would be the largest ever under the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. The money was first proposed by lawmakers earlier this month, but they said Monday that it has taken on new urgency since a gunman entered a synagogue on Saturday and shot four people, including a 60-year-old woman who died in the attack.Hundreds of applications for security grants have gone unfunded, including requests last year for $7.5 million.The money has been provided during the last four years in competitive grants of up to $75,000 each to nonprofit institutions. The lawmakers said Monday that they want the grants to be increased to up to $200,000.The state has provided $4.5 million since 2015 -- including $2 million that first year -- while a related federal program has provided $12 million in security grants in California.The increase is justified, lawmakers said, because of an increase in violent hate crimes including the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and a mass shooting this year at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the bombings of churches and hotels on Easter in Sri Lanka.The Anti-Defamation League's report on Monday, which came after Newsom's announcement, examined the 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents last year that the ADL identified by combing through reports from police, victims and news publications. That total was the third-highest since the annual accounting began four decades ago. -- The budget request endorsed by Newsom is not the only pending proposal to address hate crimes.Newsom said the budget he released in January also included $10 million for the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and $2 million for the California Museum in Sacramento, which houses the Unity Center, to help increase educational efforts to reduce anti-Semitism.Newsom also said Monday that he will work with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to make sure training is up to date in dealing with hate crimes.Newsom noted that the Trump administration has made deep cuts in federal funding to combat domestic terrorism. Newsom said that if the president will not take action to shield Californians from that threat, the state will "step into that position of leadership.""Anti-Semitism is on the rise," Newsom said. "To be fair, it was on the rise before Trump took the oath of office. But they have accelerated it. Hate has been weaponized."The Jewish Caucus welcomed the governor's commitments."With the stark rise in hate-motivated violence, we must do more to secure gathering places to prevent future attacks, and educate people on the dangers of anti-Semitism and hate of all forms," said Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), chairman of the caucus.Newsom told reporters at the Capitol that he was relieved that the FBI was able to thwart a potential terrorist attack in Long Beach, in part by having an undercover operation respond to social media posts by the suspect.The governor said such cases raise concerns about hate speech on the internet and the need for such posts to be better policed by those who run social media sites. "I think it would be in the interest of the (tech) leaders to come up here and work with us in a collaborative spirit so we don't have to legislate," Newsom said.The news conference by the governor and several legislators was held just hours after the state Legislature marked a day of remembrance for Holocaust victims from World War II."We are all one humanity, and the fact that we forget that is part of the reason we need to remember it today," Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) said during the memorial ceremony on the Senate floor, noting she had relatives who died in the Holocaust.Because the Legislature marked Holocaust Memorial Day during its session Monday, some Holocaust survivors and family members were at the Capitol and voiced support for the increase in funding for security measures.Newsom was scheduled to attend a private event with the Holocaust survivors later Monday."Another tragic shooting has hit home," said Senate Leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), adding there is "No place in our community for hate. I believe San Diego is better than this. Our hearts are with the Chabad of Poway Synagogue families and our larger Jewish community."
A day after the Texas House made history by backing reduced penalties for pot possession, the effort was declared suddenly and unceremoniously dead.On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced his opposition to a bill that would lessen the repercussions for people caught with less than an ounce of marijuana. Patrick, who serves as president of the Texas Senate, said the legislation would not survive in the chamber.House Bill 63 "is dead in the @Texas Senate. I join with those House Republicans who oppose this step toward legalization of marijuana," he tweeted.The Texas House gave the bill its preliminary approval on Monday. On Tuesday, the House gave it final approval, voting 103 to 42 to send to bill to the Senate. But its chances of becoming law were soon called into question after a top senator told The Texas Observer he didn't think it had enough support in that chamber."I try not to bring issues that are going to be time-consuming if they're not going to get support," Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, told The Observer. "At this stage, time is value. I still don't want to do a show-and-tell. I'd like to have a hearing on something that's got some traction."Whitmire chairs the Committee on Criminal Justice, where the bill would need to be debated and passed to reach the Senate floor. Patrick's tweet noted Whitmire was "right" about the legislation's fate.Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, has tried for multiple sessions to pass this legislation. On Monday, he said it's been 45 years since the lawmakers have eased state marijuana laws.Under current law, getting caught with an ounce or less of marijuana is punishable by up to 180 days in jail and up to $2,000 in fines. Moody's bill would lessen this to a maximum fine of $500 and no jail time and make it easier for people to expunge their criminal records after one year. It would also prohibit police from arresting anyone caught with small amounts of pot.In 2017, more than 60,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. They accounted for more than half the drug possession arrests in the state.Ahead of the final House vote Tuesday, Moody addressed Patrick's comments. While Gov. Greg Abbott has not openly backed the bill, he said the governor's office "worked diligently" with him to craft it."This bill is backed by overwhelming majority of those in this body and by an overwhelming majority of those back home who you represent," Moody said. "Whatever you think about Colorado-style legalization -- this isn't it. It's not even a step toward it."Moody also told his House colleagues not to forget this episode, hinting it may elicit reprisals against the Senate's priorities."Let's vote this across the hall so they can get to work on the House's priorities. ...And so we can see how those priorities are respected as we consider Senate bills over here over the next few weeks," Moody said. "Dan Patrick is the odd man out here and the ball is in his court."Abbott's staff did not returned requests for comment.
(TNS)  Think about your best online experiences  shopping or otherwise.The best websites remember your personal data and preferences and even anticipate your needs.It's a lofty goal, but that is what InnovateOhio wants to bring to an array of state government websites and online services under the leadership of Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.Built upon $202 million in state informational-technology spending since 2012, the effort will finish the migration of the state's online offerings to a common, centralized platform.Ohioans should be given a "digital wallet" that permits them to deal with a variety of state agencies, over taxes, licenses and other matters, with a minimum of frustration and fuss, Husted said.His stated goal is that taxpayers should never again have to walk into a state government office, because all their needs can be met online. DeWine is promoting "a user-friendly way to deal with the government."The governor signed an executive order on Monday requiring all state agencies to be online with the common InnovateOhio platform within one year.Husted said InnovateOhio will focus on three primary elements -- customer service, data analytics to help deliver better government services and improve Ohioans' lives and security to safeguard personal information."You can't get it almost right, you have to get it completely right," Husted said.Director Kimberly Murnieks of the Office of Budget and Management said her agency will be the first to go online with an improved website and data search tools as part of the technological upgrade.The project holds the promise of also ultimately saving taxpayer money through centralized data collection and processing, state officials said. The $202 million in spending on IT optimization since 2012 led to savings of $162.5 million through 2017, a state spokesman said. Numbers on savings for the past and current fiscal year have not been calculated.DeWine's two-year state budget proposal seeks $20 million to fund InnovateOhio, with the hardware and software components housed within the budget of the Department of Administrative Services.State lawmakers increased Husted's annual salary beyond that of the lieutenant governor ($113,947) to $176,426 as the leader of InnovateOhio.2019 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS)  For this year's annual Town Meeting, Town Moderator Mark DiSalvo has launched his newest initiative: remote voting.DiSalvo teased the idea last month and has now launched the page ( in Google form ) on which voters can chime in from home  albeit with votes that won't count in any official capacity  from home, or work, or the grocery store or wherever they have Internet access."North Andover continues to be a laboratory for what Town Meeting may be like in the future. One sometimes hears that Town Meeting does not represent the opinion of the citizenry at large," DiSalvo said in a statement announcing the new idea. "In order to test this presumption, I will be conducting a survey inviting the public to state their opinion on each article whether they attend Town Meeting or not. Comparative results will be published post the adjournment of the meeting."You can find the form at northandoverma.gov/tmsurvey . Just put in an email address, click "yes" or "no" on each warrant article, and submit. The survey will be available on the town website until Town Meeting adjourns.It must be emphasized that votes submitted online will not have any weight in the passage or denial of any warrant article. Only those in the room on May 14 will have an actual say. Remote voting will be a test for informational purposes only, with DiSalvo stressing that "completing this is not a substitution to attending Town Meeting as all deliberative benefits and power is in the room."In fact, you can fill out the online form and attend Town Meeting, if you wish.DiSalvo  chairman of the Massachusetts Moderators Association 2040 Committee now in his seventh year as North Andover's town moderator  has made a habit of adding new innovations to Town Meeting, the town's legislative body and the oldest form of government in New England. His earlier changes included three-minute speaking time limits, requiring financial disclosure from speakers (where it's warranted), providing child care, live-streaming the meeting, electronic check-in and more."We need to ensure that Town Meeting does not become an anachronism  a dinosaur of governance anchored to history and not relevant to the lives and society in which we live," said DiSalvo. "I am pleased by the reception of the community for my innovations and that other communities in the Commonwealth are now planning the adoption of what we have pioneered."But remote voting has never been tried before, anywhere. And DiSalvo conceded that an actual virtual Town Meeting is likely many years away. But this test is a way to get concrete data to start that discussion."While Town Meeting processes should not be set in stone, change should guarantee that it preserves the very nature of participatory democracy so that Town Meeting remains a vibrant, modern and forward-looking form of government that embraces the changes in a contemporary society and keeps it relevant and respected," DiSalvo wrote in his annual Moderator's Message.Town Meeting will be held on May 14 at 7 p.m. in the North Andover High School auditorium.
Cuyahoga County, Ohio, has named Andy Molls, also the countys administrator of infrastructure and operations, as interim chief technology officer amid an ongoing corruption investigation of the county government by state authorities.According to a news release from the county, Molls was appointed to fill the role in an interim capacity on April 26, the day former CTO Michael Youngs resignation went into effect.A graduate of the University of Kentucky with a bachelors degree in communications, Molls has more than two decades of experience in IT roles in both the private and public sector. According to the news release and his LinkedIn profile , he has been an IT manager at Eaton Corp. and Realty One, a telecommunications manager for Cuyahoga County, a telecommunications manager for Kent State University and the director of information services and business intelligence at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office. He is now responsible for all aspects of the countys IT infrastructure, including network, telephony, Internet and data center operations.Molls is stepping into the role at a complicated time for Cuyahoga County, a jurisdiction of more than 1.2 million people which is undergoing a $25 million overhaul of its IT systems  enterprise resource planning, specifically  as well as an investigation by the Ohio Attorney Generals Office.Neither Molls nor the county responded to requests for comment before deadline.According to Cleveland.com , Cuyahoga Countys IT department has been in turmoil amid an investigation into the alleged mishandling of a $300,000 grant, conflicts of interest related to the ERP project and the departments subsequent refusal to give the county inspector general access to employee emails. Cleveland.com has reported that former Deputy CIO James Hay resigned in October 2018 after being mentioned in several subpoenas and asked to repay a $15,000 bonus; the IT departments general counsel Emily McNeeley resigned in January, a few weeks before a grand jury indicted her on 17 corruption-related charges; and former IT Director Scot Rourke was placed on paid administrative leave in February after being named in the same grand jury subpoena.Cleveland.com also reported that former CTO Michael Young didnt specify a reason for resigning last week, although a county spokeswoman told them it was for personal reasons. Young was identified last year as the person in charge of the ERP project by former Chief of Staff Earl Leiken, who stepped down in January for health reasons.In a hearing last month, according to Cleveland.com, county council members accused Young of resisting councils call for a different project manager because he didnt want someone overseeing his own work. The website also reported that the ERP project was approved in 2016, was originally supposed to be complete by January 2018, and is now expected to wrap up in December 2019.
Alfa Romeo Racing driver Kimi Raikkonen has revealed the team already knew about the front wing potentially being an issue since China, as Raikkonen was forced to start from the pitlane because the front wing breached the rules.

The 39-year-old salvaged a point for Alfa Romeo in the end, finishing tenth and keeping his streak of points-scoring alive. It could have been more, however, had he not been disqualified.

Raikkonen revealed Alfa knew about the issue, but the front wing modification didn't give them a performance advantage.

"Last race I had an issue at the end of the race with a broken stay on the front wing and we lost the downforce. So probably it is a similar thing that has caused it, unfortunately," the Finn was quoted by F1i.com.

"We knew the issue after the last race but we didnt have time to produce a new one so this is what you get. It surely doesnt make us faster but this is what it is. Hopefully then its fair for everybody."

The former champion put in another impressive shift, as he remains the only driver outside of the top three teams to have scored points in all races so far this season.

"We got one point, so better than nothing, but [it] was difficult, just not enough grip really," he continued.

"I don't think we really made the tyres work really well, to get the grip out of it. We did what we could.

"I think one point obviously is the best that we could do today, so we'll take it. I think next race should be easier for us."

Read more Raikkonen thinks it's unjustified to judge Giovinazzi so early
Bosch has formed an alliance with Powercell Sweden AB, the Swedish manufacturer of fuel-cell stacks. Under the agreement, the two partners will work jointly to make the polymer-electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell ready for production. Bosch will then manufacture this technology under license for the global automotive market.

The stack will complement the Bosch portfolio of fuel-cell components, and is to be launched in 2022 at the latest.

In the fuel-cell domain, Bosch already has a strong hand, and the alliance with Powercell makes it even stronger. Commercializing technology is one of our strengths. We are now going to take on this task with determination and develop this market. Dr. Stefan Hartung, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector

Over the long term, the mobile fuel-cell business is potentially worth billions of euros for Bosch. It estimates that as much as 20% of all electric vehicles worldwide will be powered by fuel cells by 2030.

Bosch believes the best opportunities for broad adoption of fuel-cell technology are in the commercial-vehicle market.

The EUs fleet requirements for trucks call for a reduction of CO 2 emissions by 15% on average by 2025, and 30% by 2030. Boschs view is that this target can only be reached by electrifying more and more of the powertrain.

The fuel cell can play a decisive role here. Once they have become established in trucks, Bosch fuel-cell powertrains will then increasingly find their way into passenger cars. But for this to happen, the cost of fuel-cell systems needs to be progressively reduced. The biggest cost item is the stack, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total cost of a fuel-cell system.

Through commercialization and widespread marketing of this technology, Bosch will achieve economies of scale and push down costs. Stefan Hartung

Costs also have to fall when it comes to hydrogen. Currently, this fuel is mainly produced for industrial applications, at a kilogram price that frequently exceeds five euros. As production grows, the price should fall. One kilogram of hydrogen contains as much energy as about three liters of diesel. For 100 kilometers, a modern 40-ton truck requires seven to eight kilograms of hydrogen.

If it uses green electricity, the production of hydrogen can be climate-neutral. Various industrial enterprises are working to perfect this process. In addition, there is a small network of more than 60 hydrogen filling stations in Germany, and this number is set to rise.

With its 60 associates, Powercell is gradually moving from manual production of fuel cell stacks to ramp-up of a semi-automatic production. Powercell has developed cutting edge fuel cell technology and its stacks provide an output of up to 125 kilowatts.

Headquartered in Goteborg, Sweden, the company was spun off from the Volvo Group in 2008. It already supplies fuel cells for use as prototypes in trucks and cars.

Bosch sees itself as a systems supplier, and already has a broad portfolio of components for fuel cells in trucks and cars. These include an air compressor with power electronics and a control unit with sensors.

As well as PEM fuel cells, Bosch is already actively involved in solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC). Since the middle of last year, Bosch has been working with the the British specialist Ceres Power to further improve SOFC technology for applications such as distributed power supplies to factories and computing centers.
The combined total of light-duty all-electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) sold in China in 2018 was more than 1 million, or 8.1% of the light-duty vehicle market there, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE).

This compared to 386,000 plug-in vehicles sold in Europe and 361,000 plug-in vehicles in the United Statesabout 2% of the market in both places.

Europes plug-in vehicle sales have been nearly equally split between EV and PHEV since 2015, while more EV than PHEV have been sold in China and the United States.





Sales of New Electric & Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles by Country/Region, 2015-2018. Sources: China - Data summarized by Argonne National Laboratory from Hewu WANG, Xu HAO. Data Base of Electric Vehicle Production in China, State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University.

Europe - European Alternative Fuels Observatory.

United States - Argonne National Laboratory, Light-Duty Electric Drive Vehicles Monthly Sales Update Program, March 25, 2019.
GREENSBORO  A Greensboro man faces a murder charge Tuesday after a missing persons report led Greensboro officers to skeletal remains in Brunswick County.

Greensboro police charged Gary Terrell Everette, 25, with first-degree murder and concealment of death.

The charges stem from a report filed with Greensboro police on Sept. 26, 2016, that 22-year-old Darace Xavier Bolton was missing.

Police followed leads provided by family, friends and advocacy groups and learned Bolton's body would be found in Brunswick County.

In December 2018, Brunswick County Sheriff's office and the Brunswick County District Attorney's office helped investigators locate skeletal remains that was later confirmed through DNA analysis to be Bolton.

Investigators did not say how police connected Everette to Bolton's death or how Bolton was killed.

He is being held in the Guilford County jail without bail.
GREENSBORO  Police are investigating after two people were shot Monday.

Around 6 p.m., officers responded to the 1200 block of Elmer Street on a discharge of firearm call, a police news release stated.

Officers found the two victims who had each sustained a gunshot wound. They were taken to a local medical facility for treatment.

Due to this being an active investigation, Elmer Street between Textile Drive and Taylor Street is currently closed to all traffic.

Police say people should avoid this area and use alternate routes of travel.
GREENSBORO  The N.C. Department of Labor has fined the city of Greensboro and its water resources department $26,000 and cited them for serious safety violations after a city employee fell to her death in late 2018 at a water tower in McLeansville.

Sheria Stringer, 28, died Nov. 1 when she fell 80 feet while descending a ladder inside the 219-foot tower. A 911 caller said at the time that Stringer didnt fall to the ground, but was dangling inside the tower after she fell.

The four citations, all classified as serious, describe deficiencies in training and equipment procedures.

The penalties are in no way designed to make up for loss of life, Mary Katherine Revels, a spokeswoman for the state Labor Department, wrote in an email. Fines are issued to penalize the offending employer, but also to get the attention of other employers with similar work environments.

According to state documents, four employees were inside the Knox Road tower when Stringer died.

Stringer, a graduate of Guilford Technical Community College, was a part-time employee. She had worked at other water-treatment companies before coming to the city.
Brooks said that when the new rates took effect last summer, a typical residential customer using that much power saw their monthly bill rise from $108.27 to $113.49.

In his filing, Stein said that Duke Energy should not be rewarded for brushing aside warnings from environmentalists and even some of its own employees that storing coal ash in unlined basins was risky.

He cited the February 2014 spill at the former Dan River Steam Station near Eden, noting that the company pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from that incident.

This practice caused the third-largest release of coal ash into the environment in United States history and led to admissions of criminal negligence by Duke, Stein said in the brief. The leaking coal ash ponds polluted lakes and rivers, contaminated groundwater and left communities across our state without a permanent source of drinking water.

Dukes monitoring wells have recorded almost 6,000 test results that show violations of state groundwater rules.
South Africa: Young scientists jet off to China for exchange programme

Winston Nxumalo, who is one of the recipients of the Young Scientists Exchange Programme (YSEP), says he hopes to not only engage in writing research but ultimately ensure that the research yields economic fruit.

We hope that whatever research we will be working on, it will lead to innovation and perhaps something commercial that will benefit everyone and create jobs, said Nxumalo from the University of Limpopo.

The exchange programme is part of a five-year agreement that was signed by the South African Department of Science and Technology and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology in 2017 to give young researchers from both countries an opportunity to share knowledge and develop skills.

Through the programme, Nxumalo and six other young scientists will leave South Africa for China as part of the first batch South Africa-China YSEP.

The programme will promote the development of scientists, scholars and researchers, focusing on various scientific fields, including biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, ICT systems, green technologies, the exploitation of mineral resources, and space science and astronomy.

Speaking at a farewell ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria, Lizelle van Dyk, from the University of the Witwatersrand, said she sees this as an opportunity to learn.

I see this as a growth opportunity for me on personal and professional level. I believe that I have much to learn.

The Wuhan Institute of Technology is well known for technology development and my research project in the recovery of phosphorus from water also holds much potential for China and South Africa, said Van Dyk.

On a personal level, Van Dyk said she is excited to be exposed to the Chinese culture, its food and many beautiful places that she has only seen on photos.

On my to do list is to see the Great Wall of China, doing scuba diving in the lake that contains a submerged part of the Great Wall of China and to learn basic Mandarin and perhaps take some Chinese cooking lessons, she said.

The YSEP is jointly funded with the aim of cultivating future leading scientists by promoting the exchange of researchers between research institutes, universities and enterprises in an effort to advance research and development, and produce academic papers, new patents and innovative products.

The majority of the successful students, selected through a call issued by the National Research Foundation earlier this year, come from historically disadvantaged institutions.

Other students are Nokuthula Peace Mchunu from the Durban University of Technology, Ndanduleni Lesley Lethole, Peace Prince Mkhonto and and Wynston Ray Woodenber and Anthony Walters University of KwaZulu-Natal.

They will spend up to 12 months at universities across China  Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan University Beijing, the Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Tongji, the National Astronomical Observatories of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Department of Science and Technology Acting Director-General Daan Du Toit said this exchange is a fulfilment of an action plan drafted last year during President Xi Jinpings state visit with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This exchange is an investment in the future and the next generation of South African scientists, said the Acting DG.

Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, said the YSEP shows commitment from both governments to strengthen cooperation and deepen people to people cooperation.

It is our sincere hope that there will be more Chinese scientists who will also come here [South Africa] for our joint research projects.

It is also our sincere hope that you will use your time in China to travel and learn about our Chinese culture and return to tell the true story of China, he said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Its been a little while since Franklin Graham offered up a shovel of moral manure, so lets go over the drill when the reverend does his thing.

In a tweet Wednesday, Graham blasted presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for having the nerve to be publicly gay. He called on Buttigieg, a Democrat from Indiana, to instead repent.

It was a typically ripe bite of bigotry from Graham. As before, there are some things to remember:

Graham does not represent most Americans. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll this month showed more than two-third of Americans  68%  are either enthusiastic or comfortable with a presidential candidate who is gay or lesbian.

An American Values Atlas survey released last month showed that Christians overwhelmingly support non-discrimination protections for the LGBT community.

All of which might explain why Grahams pulpit pounding is getting a different kind of response these days. Last week, there were a few frowns, but mostly, America shrugged.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the N.C. General Assembly can honor it by taking action now on House Bill 144 Hands Free N.C. Act sponsored by independent insurance agent Rep. Kevin Corbin, R-Macon. Forty-seven states now ban texting and driving; 38 ban any cellphone use by young drivers, and 20 ban phone use by school bus drivers (North Carolina is in all three groups). Now is the time for us to join the 17 other states that have already gone hands-free.

The distracted driving epidemic is the cause of 1 in 5 car crashes on our roads, leaving more than 28,000 people injured and killing nearly 200 more in 2017. Earlier this month, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey stated that distracted driving has gained momentum as a leading cause of accidents, putting upward pressure on auto insurance rates.

Last year, Georgia passed a similar hands-free law, and in just the first six months of its implementation, the state saw an 11% decrease in the number of crashes there. A hands-free law will reduce accidents, save lives, and help keep auto insurance rates low in North Carolina.

Aubie Knight

Cary

The writer is CEO, Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina.
BROWNS SUMMIT  If you noticed a little extra spring in Skyylar Corbetts step on Monday, you really cant blame her.

The McNair Elementary student returned to school after a nine-week absence due to an extended illness.

Ive been waiting for this moment, said Skyylars mother, Angela Neely. Shes my miracle baby.

Skyylar, 6, was hospitalized in February because of complications stemming from a flu virus.

When her condition worsened, she was transferred to an intensive-care unit at a hospital in Chapel Hill.

We were told she would be in the hospital for six months, Neely said.

Yet on March 15, Skyylar was released.

She couldnt talk. She couldnt walk, Neely recalled. She had been under so much sedation, she had no memory. She didnt even know who I was.

Over the next six weeks, Skyylar gradually recovered, leading to her triumphant return Monday.
Two weeks ago, the City Council gave approval to a plan to swap land with Carroll for a parking deck on the southwestern corner of Bellemeade and Eugene streets and to enter into a "multiple-use development plan."

The land gives him a block that fronts Eugene and Bellemeade streets to Friendly Avenue, adjacent to the parking deck that the city plans to build on a portion of the property.

In recent years, Carroll has suggested he might build another hotel and offices on the site either above or adjacent to the parking deck. The rumored hotel brand has been Aloft, according to that company's website.

But Carroll backed off the suggestion that he'll build on top of the deck last year after he and the city revised their plans for the parking deck, which would no longer be built with a structure strong enough to support buildings overhead.

In a plan he revealed to a developer's group last June, Carroll showed renderings of a project with a hotel on one side of the deck and an office building on the other.

For years, Carroll has stoked expectations that he would build a major development in Greensboro. In 2015, he told the Greensboro Rotary Club about "Project 561," a 561-foot-tall skyscraper that he would place somewhere in the city. He has since said that project would require the right anchor tenant for it to make sense financially.

Contact Richard M. Barron at 336-373-7371 and follow @BarronBizNR on Twitter.

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WASHINGTON  After more than a 20-year hiatus the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would receive funding for firearm injury and mortality prevention research under a budget plan supported by a House Appropriations subcommittee led by Representative Rosa DeLauro.

The research money is included in an appropriations bill that would provide $189.8 billion in discretionary funding in the next fiscal year to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education that DeLauros subcommittee is considering.

The $189.8 billion spending proposal for 2020 represents an $11.7 billion increase over current funding and $47.8 billion more than President Donald Trump requested in his 2020 budget. DeLauro has called Trumps proposal cruel and reckless, saying it would do irreparable damage to critical social safety net programs such as Social Security and Early Head Start.

The bill includes $25 million for the CDC and $25 million for the National Institutes of Health to fund firearm injury and mortality prevention research. Its been more than two decades since Congress included specific funding for the CDC to conduct such research.

Republicans last month said they were wary of providing new money for gun research, claiming Democrats are trying to score political points because the CDC already has the authority to study gun violence. However, the CDC, which collects data on gun violence injuries, said its limited in what it can do without more money. A 2018 budget deal clarified that the federal government can study gun violence, as long as it doesnt use the research to promote gun control, according to Politico.

DeLauros subcommittee proposal would reject Trumps proposed cuts and instead invest additional funding in many of these programs.

This years Labor-HHS-Education funding bill  the Peoples bill  makes historic investments in programs that provide opportunities for millions of people, she said.

The bill would increase funding for:

Early childhood education, child care, public schools, and higher education programs like Pell Grants and the Federal Work Study program;

Workforce training, apprenticeship programs, and worker protection programs at the Wage and Hour Division and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and;

Medical research at National Institutes of Health, public health and food safety infrastructure at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and womens health.

Through billions in smart, increased investments, our bill will help people across the country at every stage of their life. I look forward to passing it into law, DeLauro said.

The Labor-HHS-Education bill is the largest non-defense appropriations bill. It will be the first of 12 annual appropriations bills to be considered by the Appropriations Committee for fiscal 2020.

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey supports the proposal.

Not only does this bill resoundingly reject the proposed cuts in President Trumps budget that would have hurt working families, it provides a robust increase in funding for important national priorities that create jobs and grow the economy, improve health security, and build a stronger future for all Americans, she said.

Bill summary:

$99 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services  $2 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $6.9-billion above the Presidents budget request.

$75.9 billion for the Department of Education  $4.4 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $11.9 billion above the Presidents budget request. It includes $21 million for Special Olympics education programs. The Trump administration had proposed eliminating the program.

$13.3 billion for the Department of Labor  $1.2 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $2.4 billion above the Presidents budget request. Much of the additional funding would go to job training programs.
GREENWICH  Police and elected officials in Greenwich will hold a summit on security at houses of worship next week.

In the wake of a deadly shooting at a San Diego-area synagogue this past weekend, as well as other recent attacks on houses of worship in the U.S. and abroad, Greenwich police will meet with religious leaders May 7 at police headquarters.
As we approach May, Google is gearing up for its upcoming announcement of its entry into the mid-range smartphone segment with the Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL. We can understand why Google would want to do this. It needs to diversify to better compete in the smartphone market.

During Googles earnings call on Monday, Googles CFO Ruth Porat admits that the company sold fewer Google Pixel devices in Q1 compared to Q1 of last year. Porat named some of the recent pressures in the premium smartphone market as the determining factor of the weaker sales.

Maybe making $1000+ phones isn't such a great idea after all?  Janko Roettgers (@jank0) April 29, 2019

She didnt exactly elaborate on what those pressures were, but we know that the Pixel 3 and 3 XL had prices set well into the $800-$1000 price range to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apples offerings. It also didnt help that the Pixel lineup remains a Verizon-exclusive in the US and American consumers dont like the idea of paying for a high-end phone out of pocket.

Its not to say the Pixel 3 wasnt a great smartphone. The high-end smartphone market is too saturated and it takes a lot to stand out from the fierce competition.

Google Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 3

The steadily rising price of smartphones gives consumers even more reason to hold onto their phones for longer, especially when updated models only sport incremental improvements over the previous model.

Googles hardware revenue numbers consist of all Googles hardware products like Nest, Chromecast devices, laptops, Google Home devices, as well as the sales of its Pixel smartphones and tablets. So, we dont know exactly how much money the Pixel devices raked in.

Revenue for Q1 of last year was $4.35 billion and this years Q1 saw an increase to $5.45 billion. We know that the Pixel wasnt to thank for that boost and we look forward to seeing how Googles imminent midrange lineup will boost Pixel sales and which markets it will enter with the 3a and 3a XL.

Source | Via
Samsung announced its financial results for Q1 2019 and they look as grim as predicted back in late March. The company reported consolidated sales of KRW52.4 trillion, which is 13% lower on a yearly basis. The decline of profit is even sharper - just KRW6.23 trillion, down 60% compared to the same period a year ago.



Samsung Q1 2019 financial results

Samsung stated in its press release the main reason for the poor performance is the weak memory chip demand. However, the Samsung Galaxy S10 sales are solid, reporting a quarterly rise in revenue, despite a decrease in overall market demand. The revenue is rising mostly due to higher prices - Samsung revealed smartphone shipments were limited due to a lineup reorganization of mid-range and low-end products.

The manufacturer promises to strengthen its product lineup through innovations and continued reorganization of its product offerings, giving the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and the Galaxy A80 with a rotating camera as examples.

Since the demand for OLED panels is declining, while the LCD industry is staying at the same level, Samsung expects increased demand for premium TV panels like UHD, 8K and ultra-large TVs. The company will strive to improve profitability by focusing on value-added products, so expect even more TVs to flood the market soon.

Expectations for the future are sales to keep increasing, despite intensified market competition. Samsung will also try to maintain solid performance in the second quarter on the commercialization of 5G and expansion of overseas LTE networks. It will keep supplying 5G equipment to South Korea and the United States.

Source
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Jackson County will receive nearly $2.7 million in Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) revenues this year -- money which supervisors intend to use to fund multiple drainage projects throughout the county.

The $2,685,857 Jackson County will receive is part of an overall GOMESA disbursement to Mississippi of $31,723,856, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the funds.

The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 calls for Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas to receive a portion of the revenues generated by leases for oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.

The funds being disbursed to Mississippi and the other three states were generated during fiscal 2018.

GOMESA monies must be used for projects tied to water access or water quality, explained Jackson County supervisor Troy Ross.

Thats going to have to be used for something like flood mitigation, dredging, access to the Gulf or cleansing the Gulf, Ross said. Thats a a tight scope of what it can be used for. It can get a little broader than that, but in general, a boat ramp, some type of water access, dredging -- anything in that realm it can be used for.

In Jackson Countys case, the money is being targeted for multiple drainage projects, Ross said.

We did a drainage study about a year ago and that money will fund a lot of the projects identified in that study, he said.

Ross noted that Jackson Countys share of the GOMESA funds went up nearly $500,000 from a year ago. It was the most received by any of Mississippis three coastal counties, with Harrison County getting $2.47 million and Hancock County nearly $1.2 million.

The State of Mississippi receives the bulk of the GOMESA payments. This year, the state government will receive more than $25 million.

Ross said the County typically receives their GOMESA check about a month after the disbursement is announced.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- As has become customary, the City of Ocean Springs and Jackson County will each host National Day of Prayer services this Thursday at noon.

The National Day of Prayer is observed on the first Thursday of May each year since its designation by Congress in 1952. Earlier versions of the observance were enacted by the Second Continental Congress from 1775 until 1783, and by President John Adams in 1798-1799.

Since it was formalized as an annual event in 1952, the President typically issues a proclamation declaring the National Day of Prayer.

The constitutionality of the National Day in Prayer has been challenged in court by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, but their attempts to block the observance have failed.

The National Day of Prayer is observed by Americans across many faiths, including Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus.

The City of Ocean Springs ceremony is set for noon until 1 p.m. in front of Ocean Springs City Hall on Porter Avenue. The observance will include a reading of the national prayer, along with additional prayers, presentations and music. Religious leaders from multiple denominations will participate.

Likewise, the Jackson County observance will also run from noon until 1 p.m. on the steps of the Jackson County courthouse.

Numerous prayers will be offered, led by Pastor Eric Camp, Sen. Brice Wiggins, Pasagoula High principal Caterrina Payton, and Sheriff Mike Ezell, among others.

The Home of Grace in Vancleave will also host a National Day of Prayer observance at noon.




Haiti - FLASH : The Dangerous Gang Leader Tije dies under the bullets of the PNH





Inspector Gary Desrosiers, deputy spokesman of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) confirmed that Monday evening in Delmas 83, the powerful Chief of Gang Jean Sony aka "Tije", responsible for the massacre at the impasse Eddy (Carrefour-feuilles) which killed 20 people on April 24th https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27559-haiti-flash-massacre-of-carrefour-feuilles-death-toll-climbed-cspn-emergency-meeting.html was shot dead in intense clash with BRI agents during a major anti-gang police operation, involving multiple units (PNH).



Senior officers of the PNH, including Michel-Ange Gedeon the Director General of the PNH and Carl Henry Bouche DG of the Central Directorate of Administrative Police (DCPA) were on site.



Following the announcement of the death of "Tije" residents of Carrefour Feuilles were jubilant while others were worried about who would succeed "Tije"...



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27569-haiti-flash-big-police-operation-in-carrefour-feuilles-small-balance-sheet.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27295-haiti-politic-revised-minimum-wages-according-to-the-bill-voted-by-the-deputies.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27557-haiti-flash-massacre-at-carrefour-feuilles-at-least-14-victims.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27516-haiti-flash-the-pnh-will-deploy-in-all-gang-territories.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27514-haiti-artibonite-violent-clashes-between-the-pnh-and-men-of-arnel.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27490-haiti-security-pm-promises-to-fight-against-urban-guerilla.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27475-haiti-security-violence-ignites-cite-soleil-the-inhabitants-remain-cloistered-at-home.html



TB/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Senatus promises to publish the names of people in contact with Arnel





Senator Jean Renel Senatus, after putting under the spotlight the phone calls between Senator Delva and the powerful Gang Leader "Arnel" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27541-haiti-flash-senatus-reveals-the-existence-of-relations-between-the-senator-delva-and-the-head-of-gang-arnel.html envisages against all, to make public this Tuesday, April 30, the names of the political personalities and the private sector having had telephone contacts with the Chief Arnel "Today we must realize that it is necessary to privilege the interests of the country [...]"



He informs that the records of wiretaps conducted by the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) from January 15 to March 1, 2019 totaling 400 pages, have allowed members of the Senate Committee on Justice and Public Security, which he chairs, to identify the owners of the numbers (political leaders, entrepreneurs, Garcia Delva and journalists) having regular relations with the Gang Leader of the village of Dieu.



Moreover, the documents of the DCPJ would reveal the existence of close links between several leaders of gangs at the national level, who would have spoken with Arnel to coordinate several actions on the national territory.



Senator Lareche is in favor of publishing the list of the names of the people involved, but he believes that this decision belongs to the 7 members of the Commission and not only to his colleague Senatus.



Otherwise, Senatus said last Friday on a radio of the capital that the Croix-des-Bossales market was controlled by armed bandits in the service of a former Deputy of Port-au-Prince (whose he did not not mention the name), which would receive every week large sums of money to provide weapons to the bandits, a situation that, according to him, would be known to the police who let ...



To be continued...



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27583-haiti-politic-senator-gracia-delva-excluded-from-the-aaa-party.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27549-haiti-flash-conatel-denies-providing-a-phone-record-of-delva-to-the-senate.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27541-haiti-flash-senatus-reveals-the-existence-of-relations-between-the-senator-delva-and-the-head-of-gang-arnel.html



TB/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Security : A police officer shot dead in a Tap-Tap





Monday, April 29, at midday on the National Road #1, at Cite Soleil, Fertil Gabriel, a police officer in civilian clothes, assigned to the Directorate of Traffic and Traffic Police (DCPR) was fatally wounded by several bullets, by at least 3 individuals while on his way to his house on a Tap-Tap.



Although injured Fertil Gabriel reportedly shot back, injuring 2 of his attackers before giving. The police offcier's weapon disappeared, probably carried away by one of the attackers according to Evens Leveque, the Justice of Peace of Cite Soleil in charge of the report.



According to our information, one of the wounded individuals is presently being questioned by the departmental judicial police, while the other is in the hospital to undergo surgery.



For the moment one not known the reasons for this police officer murder, the 14th since the beginning of the year.



PI/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





300 Haitians stranded in Chiapas

On Monday, some 300 Haitians arrived at the 21st Century Station of the National Institute of Migration in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico, on the border with Guatemala, demanding their regularization in the country and be able to continue their journey to United States. Our compatriots settled on the outer esplanade of the federal enclosure await the decision of the authorities.



Back deadly wedding 13 victims

Friday a road accident occurred at the 3rd communal section of Bassin Bleu, after the brake of a vehicle were lacking. Balance, five dead, including one girl and eight wounded who were returning from a marriage.



Cooperation Chile-Haiti

Chile's Ambassador in Haiti Patricio Utreras and Jerry Chandler, Director of the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC), proceeded to the opening of a training workshop on capacity building for community interventions in the event of urgency (CERT). This intensive training of trainers, which is part of the bilateral cooperation program Chile-Haiti, will extend over a week and the first of a series of training that will take place across the national territory.



International Dance Day

On Monday, April 29, the Ministry of Culture celebrated International Dance Day and praised the dedication, creative spirit, ingenuity and tenacity of all practitioners of this art evolving in Haiti. The Ministry expresses a deep respect for the audacity, courage and above all the passion that drives trainers and dance professionals who, thanks to their work, have allowed young people to discover another world.



Universal Accessibility Training

As part of the mission of the Office of the Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (BSEIPH) aiming, inter alia, to promote universal accessibility standards with a view to contributing to autonomy and the free movement of persons with reduced mobility, two training days were organized jointly with Christian Blind Mission (CBM) in Hinche. This training brought together about thirty participants, including representatives of organizations of or for disabled people and engineers.



Meeting between the CFI and the Haitian artisanal textile sector

On Monday, a working meeting was held between the Investment Facilitation Center (CFI) and members of the Haitian textile / handicraft sector, with the aim of preparing Haiti's participation in the "Apparel Textile Outsourcing 2019" trade fair, that will be held in Miami from May 28 to 30, 2019. This fair will be an opportunity for the CFI to promote the textile and craft sectors to investors, suppliers, buyers who will attend this event.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : The gang leader Arnel Joseph wounded





After having confirmed the death of the dangerous Gang Leader "Tije" under the bullets of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) during an intense confrontation with agents of the Brigade of Research and Intervention (BRI) during the a major anti-gang police operation, involving several specialized units of the (PNH) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27595-haiti-flash-the-dangerous-gang-leader-tije-dies-under-the-bullets-of-the-pnh.html , the PNH has just confirmed that the gang leader Arnel Joseph was wounded during an operation conducted by the National Police at Savien in the Department of the Artibonite.



The police institution also confirms that his right arm was killed during the shootings during the same operation.



Recall that a bonus of 2 million is offered for the capture of the gang leader "Arnel" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27429-haiti-flash-arnel-challenges-the-pnh-to-reach-the-arrest-him.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















A Wolf Point nonprofit has shifted gears to start its first hemp oil processing plant in Havre, and is reminding local producers the deadline is Wednesday to register with the Montana Department of Agriculture to grow the crop.

Morgan Elliott of IndHemp LLC said her family has been operating a nonprofit in Wolf Point since 2011, and has been working on opening a hemp processing plant in Glasgow.

That location keeps running into delays, so IndHemp decided to try Havre, where it always planned to eventually open a plant.

The change just moves up the schedule, she said. IndHemp has found a facility in Havre.

"We take ownership Wednesday and start construction Wednesday," she said.

She said the facility will be a food-grade processing plant, and will take a lot of work - although equipment already is on the way.

Elliott said they hope to have the processing plant running by fall.

"We anticipate to be up and running by the time farmers are ready to get it off the farm," she said.

Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corp., said the economic development agency staff is excited by the potential hemp has in the area.

"We are kind of excited for the potential that provides for the region and as an alternative crop for our growers," he said.

Elliott said IndHemp had been working with growers farther east in the state, but wants to get local growers involved.

She said IndHemp, which is a licensed and bonded commodity and seed distributor, is wiling to work with producers, and has supporting information on the agronomy, harvesting and storage requirements for hemp grain available for our contract growers.

"We have a lot of information and are more than willing to talk to people," she said.

She said the pressing facility will make oil that can be used for products such as salad dressings, lotions and so on.

They anticipate hiring five to seven people, she said, both for the processing part and office staff members to handle logistics, and wants to hire them quickly. Having the employees working on the upgrade of the facility and installation of equipment will give them a better understanding of the process and a feeling of ownership, she said.

With expansion, the facility could end up with 10 to 15 employees, she said.

She also said, especially with the massive increase in the industry, farmers need to be sure they are working with licensed commodity dealer. She said IndHemp wants all hemp companies to flourish, but wants them to make sure they are doing it the right way.

"Farmers need to be cautious," Elliott said.

Although Wednesday is the deadline to register with the state, a press release from IndHemp said this is a good time to be contracting.

"With the ideal planting window for hemp being end of May, beginning of June the clock is certainly ticking for those interested for this year," it said.

Farmers interested in growing hemp for IndHemp this season can contact the companay via email at [email protected] and may also register to be a grower on the grower's page of its website http://www.indhemp.com /.
Dear Editor,

The Havre Area Chamber of Commerce wishes to thank everyone involved in the Womens Expo that was held this weekend. Saturday was a great success with 300-plus attendees browsing the 60-plus booths. Sundays weather hampered the event a bit, but we still enjoyed the day.

A big thanks goes out to the vendors that traveled to our area for the two-day event, from as far away as Sidney.

As an entry fee either one dollar or a can of food was collected. The food has been delivered to the Havre High School food bank. More than 100 cans were donated.

Thanks much to the Tourism Business Improvement District for their help in granting us some advertising funds and as always thank you to New Media Broadcasters, the Havre Daily News and the Havre Herald for continuing coverage of all Chamber of Commerce events.

The Events Committee and Chair Tera Verploegen did an outstanding job putting on the Expo and they deserve much credit.

Jody Olson

Executive director Havre Area Chamber of Commerce
This past Thursday was the last day of Montanas 66th legislative session.

In the Senate, after passing some key bills to fund the state for the next two years, a motion was made to do something about tie votes in interim committees. As everyone was trying to figure out how that all would work, a substitute motion was made to sine die, and with that came a quick end to the session. Now, we wait to see what bills the governor is willing to sign.

I am happy to say there is money coming to this area for drinking water projects, sanitary sewer systems, wastewater treatment, storm drain systems, and some county and museum grants that will also become available. Just to mention a couple of the projects that are toward the top of the list: Town of Geraldine waste water, Chouteau County and the North Central Water System. All these projects and many more are listed in House Bill 14, which lays out how the state will proceed on maintenance and upgrading of infrastructure.

Being home and doing some cleanup on the farm has been a nice little break. This Sunday, however, the GOP has a gathering I am invited to, followed by invites the next two weeks. There is still plenty of work to be done.

Many have asked, How is it in Helena? The questions are not about the bills or laws being passed, but about life in and around the capital. From January to April, Helena is more than a city. Government takes on its own life, with many moving parts. First of all, we have a legislative staff that is top notch. In my three committees, bills, fiscal notes, informational packets, and everything else I need to do my job is always where it needs to be, and its the same when we go to the floor. The pertinent information seems to be right there.

My fellow legislators are a great group: men, women, rural (although few), urban, outspoken, quiet, and to the point, most trusted, and all working for Montana. The lobbies were most trustworthy, straight with information, and very helpful when gathering information. It is difficult to put Helena into words, but being in the center of government, information-processing, and decision-making for our state is awe-inspiring. Thank you all for your support and input these past four months. Yes, it is good to be home.



Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, can be emailed at [email protected]
Induced pluripotent stem cells can turn into any type of cell in the body or remain in their original form. In the current edition of Molecular Cell, scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen describe how cells decide which of these two directions to take. During their research, they identified a protein and a ribonucleic acid (RNA) that play a highly significant role in this process. Their discovery also allows a better understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)*, a progressive neurological disease that affects motor neurons.

Thanks to their ability to transform into any type of cell in the body, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells)** could make a key contribution to regenerative medicine. In order, for example, to generate artificial beta cells for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, it is essential to understand the mechanisms that underlie cell differentiation. Together with his team, Dr. Micha Drukker from the Institute of Stem Cell Research (ISF) at the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, has now shown how such processes are controlled at the molecular level. It all began with a structure in a cell nucleus that was visualized with the aid of fluorescence microscopy.

Two key factors in the cell nucleus

We noticed that nuclear domains named paraspeckles*** do not occur in iPS cells, but are quickly formed during the differentiation process, irrespective of the cell type that we created, says Dr. Miha Modic, who was a member of Dr. Drukkers working group. Drukker and Modic hypothesized that this phenomenon was linked to the ability of stem cells to differentiate into body cells. Along with Prof. Ule Jernej from University College London and Markus Grosch, a PhD student in Dr. Drukkers group, the researchers discovered key molecules in the cell nucleus that orchestrate the appearance of paraspeckles and how they regulate differentiation.

Two factors play key roles in the decision as to whether cells differentiate or remain pluripotent, says Drukker. We identified NEAT1, a ribonucleic acid (RNA), and TDP-43, a protein that binds to RNA. NEAT1 exists in two forms. The short form is stabilized by TDP-43, and in this case, no paraspeckles develop. The cell remains pluripotent, and is not altered. Conversely, a decrease in TDP-43 creates the long form of NEAT1. Paraspeckles are formed, and an iPS cell begins to differentiate. Modic adds: This control system may be general for stem cells to make a choice when to differentiate. Modic further notes, Dr Silvia Schirge and Prof. Heiko Lickert from the Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research (IDR) helped us to show that paraspeckles are also crucial for efficient differentiation during murine embryonic development. Together, their study provides a breakthrough in understanding processes of differentiation and development.

Link to diseases

In Drukkers view, these findings will do more than just provide a contribution to basic research. Paraspeckles are linked to many diseases, but up until now they have rarely been examined in the context of developmental and stem cell biology, he explains. In the case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the role of TDP-43  as well as the appearance of paraspeckles  is particularly evident. In motor neurons, the cells that operate our muscles and are affected by ALS, TDP-43 is oddly regulated and forms toxic aggregates; and there is an increased occurrence of the long form of NEAT1, and more paraspeckles can be detected. These mechanisms are regarded as an early sign of ALS  even before patients present with clinically relevant symptoms. In the next stage, Drukker and his team of scientists hope to examine other cell types for paraspeckles, RNAs and their interactions. By then it will also be apparent whether the newly discovered molecules will provide suitable targets for pharmacotherapies.

Further information

Original publication:

Modic M et al (2019), Cross-Regulation between TDP-43 and Paraspeckles Promotes Pluripotency-Differentiation Transition. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.03.041

1 Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are stem cells that are generated in the laboratory from ordinary body cells via reprogramming. They can then turn into any type of body cell. This process is known as cellular differentiation.

2 Paraspeckles are structures in the cell nucleus that can be visualized by fluorescence microscopy. They do not always occur, but are detectable in certain cell states, for example when iPS cells differentiate into normal body cells. Paraspeckles consist of special proteins that bind ribonucleic acids (RNAs).

3 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)* is an incurable neurological disease that progressively affects the motors by inability to activate them. In ALS patients, certain nerve cells, the so-called motor-neurons, which are needed to control the movement of skeletal muscles, are degenerated.
Ticking of DNA methylation clocks tied to higher odds of asthma and atopy in children

Known as the atopic or allergic march, its a familiar progression to pediatricians and parents alike: atopic dermatitis and food allergies emerge in infancy or early childhood, followed by rhinitis and asthma as the child gets older. But what if it were possible to stop this march in its tracks? A new study in Project Viva by investigators at Brigham and Womens Hospital looks beyond genetics to the realm of epigenetics  in this case a DNA modification that influences what sections of the genetic code are read out  for clues about asthma and allergies in childhood. Project Viva is a groundbreaking cohort study focused on characterizing early life factors that influence long-term health. Researchers at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and colleagues have followed Boston-area mothers and children enrolled in Project Viva for almost two decades. Using data from Project Viva, the investigative team evaluated the association between molecular markers of epigenetic changes and the occurrence of allergy and asthma to find a connection to accelerated DNA methylation age. The teams results are published in The Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

We know that the prevalence of allergies and asthma has been increasing over the past decade. The genome hasnt changed, but some of the ways that the environment is interacting with our genomes may have, said senior author Dawn DeMeo, MD, MPH, a pulmonary/critical care specialist and senior respiratory genetics researcher in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at the Brigham. We wanted to explore if these mechanisms can be captured or measured by examining the epigenome. If so, we may have a way of better understanding early susceptibility to asthma and allergies and what exposures may be influencing the emergence of disease.

As part of Project Viva, investigators collected blood samples from children at the time of birth (umbilical cord blood), in early childhood and then in mid-childhood. For this study, DNA was extracted from these samples and DNA methylation data was collected. Methylation represents a chemical change that can activate or repress a segment of DNA without altering the DNA sequence.

To understand how changes across the epigenome might correlate with allergies and asthma, the team used epigenetic clocks to measure how much DNA methylation was occurring in each participant. As humans age, methylation naturally changes over time. These changes can be aggregated to capture the idea of biologic age or an epigenetic clock. In some individuals, the epigenetic clock appears to be ticking faster  a phenomenon referred to as accelerated DNA methylation age (DNAmAge). Previous research has focused on DNAmAge in adult diseases, including physical and cognitive decline, Parkinsons disease and lung cancer, but it has not previously been studied in childhood asthma or allergy.

The team found that by mid-childhood, accelerated DNAmAge was associated with higher levels of IgE (antibodies typically found in the blood of people with allergies) and greater odds of atopic sensitization, environmental allergies, food allergies and asthma. The team replicated their findings in a collection of samples from children in Costa Rica.

We believe that there are early environmental exposures that push toward the appearance of accelerated epigenetic age, since were seeing this association by mid-childhood, said DeMeo.

Theres are likely environmental exposures and DNA changes that are occurring in this window of time that do not seem to be apparent at birth. If we can target our future investigations on early exposures such as nutrition, we may be able to use epigenetic clocks to find out what changes we can make to modify this trajectory toward the development of asthma and allergy.

The authors note that the association between DNAmAge and allergies/asthma is correlative, and from the data alone it cannot be determined if the epigenetic changes are causing increased risk of allergic conditions or vice versa. In addition, the epigenetic clocks used in this study were optimized for adults, not for children. The research team hopes to further refine its epigenetic investigations by studying larger cohorts of children with epigenetic clocks optimized for younger individuals.

The Project Viva study is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH R01 HL 111108, P01 HL 132825, R01 NR013945, R01 HD 034568, UH3OD023286, K23 ES022242, R01 AI102960).

BRIGHAM AND WOMENS HOSPITAL
There are murmurers amongst Christians now, as there were in the camp of Israel of old. There are those who, when the rod falls, cry out against the afflictive dispensation. They ask, "Why am I thus afflicted? What have I done to be chastened in this manner?" A word with thee, O murmurer! Why shouldst thou murmur against the dispensations of thy heavenly Father? Can he treat thee more hardly than thou deservest? Consider what a rebel thou wast once, but he has pardoned thee! Surely, if he in his wisdom sees fit now to chasten thee, thou shouldst not complain. After all, art thou smitten as hardly as thy sins deserve? Consider the corruption which is in thy breast, and then wilt thou wonder that there needs so much of the rod to fetch it out? Weigh thyself, and discern how much dross is mingled with thy gold; and dost thou think the fire too hot to purge away so much dross as thou hast? Does not that proud rebellious spirit of thine prove that thy heart is not thoroughly sanctified? Are not those murmuring words contrary to the holy submissive nature of God's children? Is not the correction needed? But if thou wilt murmur against the chastening, take heed, for it will go hard with murmurers. God always chastises his children twice, if they do not bear the first stroke patiently. But know one thing-"He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." All his corrections are sent in love, to purify thee, and to draw thee nearer to himself. Surely it must help thee to bear the chastening with resignation if thou art able to recognize thy Father's hand. For "whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons." "Murmur not as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer."
The spirits are always nearby in Cambodia. Practically every house in both cities and the countryside offer up places of honor where nature gods and the souls of departed ancestors are invited to rest. These ubiquitous spirit houses range from rustic to palatial and the specific purposes for them vary by region, but you can count on finding them everywhere.

The ashes of the departed are placed inside spirit houses seven days after death.

The most basic spirit houses are flimsy roadside affairs put together with scrap wood or metal sheeting. The fanciest spirit houses look like ornate miniature temples atop decorative pillars. Many of them feature nagas, the symbolically rich mythical serpents that represent fertility, steadfastness and royalty in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The larger houses are handmade with concrete, then painted a blinding gold. They can take two to four days to build and go for the equivalent of $600 or more.

Artisan Em Sameoun crafts spirit houses and Buddhist statuary at his roadside workshop.

Buddhism, with its belief in reincarnation, is the official religion in Cambodia. Khmer traditions calling for honoring ancestors and nature spirits predates Buddhism and is a practice that holds firm, especially in rural areas. Spirit houses can fit into multiple traditions at once. Both Buddhists and animists believe that building spirit houses shows respect to spirits of people who died recently.

Spirit houses are often modeled on Buddhist temples like this one in Phnom Penh.

Buddhists believe that leaving offerings of food and water provide the recently deceased with the fuel they need to get to the underworld, where they can await rebirth. Family members place the ashes of the dead into spirit houses seven days after they died, sending them off on their journey to their next life, explained artisan Em Sameoun, who crafts spirit houses and Buddhist statuary at a roadside workshop in Cambodias Takeo province. Followers of animist beliefs leave food, flowers and incense in spirit houses to appease the nature spirits, lest they get angry and come inside peoples homes to inflict disease or other misfortune.

A new spirit house is for sale at a roadside shop.

While the designs vary by region, spirit houses are also popular in Burma, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
This year, Heifer International is celebrating its 75th anniversary. As a part of the celebration, were sharing some important moments in our organizations history.

An egg company, Creighton Brothers, donated a third of the eggs needed for Hatching Eggs for Korea in 1952.

War broke out between North Korea and South Korea in the middle of 1950, leaving families mourning loved ones and struggling after the loss of homes and livestock. In 1951, Heifer Project International responded to aid requests from South Korea and assessed the situation. By 1952, Heifer and the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency planned a first shipment of hatching eggs to the country.

The first Heifer project to South Korea came to be known as Hatching Eggs for Korea and consisted of 210,000 eggs in three shipments. The projects success led to more requests from South Korea to Heifer Project.By 1954, Heifer Project had shipped 222 goats, 331 pigs, 70 chickens, 216,000 hatching eggs, 500 rabbits and 200 hives of honey bees to South Korea.

After the war, much of Heifers work in South Korea focused on orphanages. By the end of 1954, there were more than 400 registered orphanages in South Korea, and they grew by about 1,000 children a week. Animals were in critically short supply post-war, so Heifer Project provided livestock for improvement of nutrition and as the foundation for vocational training.

Heifers work in South Korea ended in 1976. By that time, 3,200 animals, including heifers, rabbits, bees, goats, sheep, pigs and chickens, had been sent to 17 different parts of the country.



The following photos from the Heifer archive showcase some of our work in South Korea from 1952 onward.

Heifer sent more than 200 goats to South Korea between 1952 and 1954.

The donation of livestock helped to support the rebuilding of South Korea after the war.

The 7,000th animal Heifer Project sent went to a community in South Korea.
The victim of an alleged IRA man who raped two teenage boys at a "republican safe house" two decades ago has said his dream life was in "tatters" from the moment the man entered his house.

Seamus Marley (45), of Belfield Court, Stillorgan Road, Dublin, had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to charges of sexually assaulting and raping two boys in Co Louth on dates in the early 1990s.

After a six-day trial, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on a total of six counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape.

A character reference from Marley's pastor described him as "an excellent Christian" with a "charitable spirit".

During the trial, Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, told the jury that the two complainants lived in a large home owned by a "dedicated republican" and that it began to be used as a "safe house".

Detective Garda Seamus Nolan told Mr Gageby that Marley was one of the guests and that he was welcomed into the family.

The older of the two victims woke up one night to find Marley raping him. After the incident, Marley warned him against telling anyone what had happened and said he "could be found dead on a Border road".

On another occasion, the victim was raped by Marley in a tent, Mr Gageby told the court.

Marley had no previous convictions. The court heard that he was from a large family in Belfast and that his father was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries.

Despair

In his victim impact statement, which was read out in court, the older victim said he has spent 27 years living in despair and looking over his shoulder.

He said he had finally reached the end of the tunnel and was taking his life back.

The younger victim, who also read his victim impact statement, said that as the house was beside a graveyard, they had "quiet neighbours, dead ones".

He said that he had learned that it is "not the dead we should be afraid of, but the living".

He said that Marley "preyed on me, groomed me, abused me and raped me".

He said the life he had dreamed of was in "tatters" from the moment Marley entered the house.

"Marley was always lurking in the back of my mind," the man said.

He said in the years subsequent to the abuse, he suffered panic attacks and experienced a "deep depression so black" it was hard to put into words.

He said that the "fabrication of stories" to discredit him made the trial much harder.

John Fitzgerald SC, defending, said that his client had been in a relationship for 16 years and that his partner had been present in court throughout the trial.

He handed in a letter from Marley's pastor which described him as being "an excellent Christian" who possessed a "charitable spirit".

Mr Justice Paul McDermott remanded the man in custody and adjourned the matter for sentencing on Thursday.
A bathroom company secretary who stole more than 5,000 from her employer has been given two weeks for a "definitive answer" on when she will pay compensation.

Mother-of-three Jenny Mor-an (31) took the money in small sums by putting cash refunds on to her own debit card over a 16-month period while she was working in administration for the firm.

Blanchardstown District Court heard Moran took the money not for enrichment but to pay her bills.

The defendant, of Druid Court, Ballymun, had pleaded guilty to multiple counts of theft at Project Tile Design, Damastown Industrial Estate, Mulhuddart, on dates between May 2015 and August 2016.

Her case was heard last year and adjourned for compensation, but when it came back before the court, Judge David McHugh heard only 550 had been paid.

Willing

The accused had taken part in a restorative justice programme, as directed.

The court heard Moran was now working as a temporary secretary for another firm.

Defence barrister Jennifer Jackson said the reason for the delay was simply that "the funds weren't available" and Moran was doing her best.

Judge McHugh said the acc-used was "effectively impecunious". She had paid just over 10pc of the compensation, leaving a "considerable hole".

Ms Jackson said she was willing to pay the money and had offered a direct debit. The difficulty, she said, was time.

Judge McHugh adjourned the case to a date next month and said he wanted a "definitive answer" then.

The court also heard Moran had been co-operative, made early and full admissions to the thefts and was at a low risk of re-offending.
Two teenage boys have pleaded not guilty to the murder of schoolgirl Anastasia Kriegel and a jury has been sworn in for the trial.

The boys, who were 13 at the time, are alleged to have killed the 14-year-old, who was known as Ana, in Co Dublin, last May.

The teenagers, who are now 14, both said they were "not guilty" when the charge was put to them before the Central Criminal Court yesterday.

One of the boys also denied a charge of aggravated sexual assault.

A parent sat in the dock with each boy when the charges were read out.

Boy A, who sat with his father, stood up in the dock and identified himself as the accused person.

Witnesses

When the charges were put to him by the court clerk, he replied "not guilty" both to murder and to aggravated sexual assault.

Boy B also stood, identified himself as the accused, and when asked by the court clerk, he too told the court he was "not guilty" of murder.

The two accused cannot be identified because they are minors.

The trial is expected to hear from more than 130 witnesses, the majority of whom are members of An Garda Siochana. It is expected to last around six weeks.

The boys are charged with the murder of 14-year-old Anastasia Kriegel at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road, Lucan, last May 14.

Her naked body was found at the disused farmhouse three days after she was reported missing.

Yesterday afternoon, before Mr Justice Paul McDermott, a jury of eight men and four women was sworn in to hear the trial.

When they were being selected, Judge McDermott told the potential jurors that the offences before the court were "very serious" and that the nature of the evidence could cause upset.

He told them the details may be "very upsetting".

The judge said the fact that the events involved young people could make it more disturbing than other cases, and further informed potential jurors that the teenagers were entitled as children to anonymity, both now and into the future.

He said it was an offence, punishable by a fine or imprisonment, for them to disseminate or disclose the teenagers' identities or any details relating to the case which may identify them.

The jury was told that the court will sit between 10.45am and 4.15pm each day, with lunch between 1pm and 2pm and two 15-minute breaks in the morning and afternoon.

Concentration

This was because the trial involved young people, the judge said.

The evidence and details would also require a "concentration of effort" on their part, Mr Justice McDermott added.

The trial is expected to get under way this morning, with prosecutor Brendan Grehan giving his opening address to the jury.
In these stills from Samuel Johnsons dashcam video, the passenger can be seen verbally and physically abusing the driver of the taxi

A taxi driver assaulted and racially abused by a passenger has called for justice to be served and admitted he now fears for his safety.

Samuel Johnson (47) managed to capture footage on his dashcam of the assault inflicted on him by a male passenger on Easter Sunday night in Dublin.

The footage was shared online hundreds of times and led to the passenger, a man who appeared intoxicated, handing himself in to gardai as Twitter users attempted to identify him.

Equality

The Herald understands that the suspect made a statement to gardai but has yet to be formally arrested over the incident.

Mr Johnson, from Nigeria, who's been living in Ireland for 19 years and is an Irish citizen, is concerned justice will not be done, and said it must be enacted to help combat such incidents in future.

The married father said: "I want justice, equality to prevail. That is what I want.

"It's not about being sorry or not sorry. I want equality to prevail."

Mr Johnson said he'd never experienced racism in Ireland previously and referred to the Irish as "nice, welcoming people".

But he felt there were racists everywhere and it was the justice system itself that had to ensure this behaviour was stamped out.

Mr Johnson told the Herald: "We have these types of people all over the world, we have them everywhere, we cannot eliminate them in the system.

"There's nothing we can do but we need justice so we can minimise [the problem] or so it [racism] will be reduced so these people will change and become better people.

"I was really in shock as this has never happened to me before.

"I still remember. I still feel the pain that something like that can happen."

Mr Johnson said he cannot afford to give up his work driving a taxi but is more afraid since the incident.

"Sometimes I'm afraid to work. I'm still working but I'm not really productive," he said.

"I'm driving because I have to pay bills, but I'm being more careful about who I let into the taxi."

Ireland does not have any legislation to prevent hate crimes despite having one of the highest rates of hate crimes in the EU against people of an African background.

The Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) issued a report on this last year entitled The Lifecycle Of A Hate Crime: Country Report For Ireland.

The ICCL said it would not comment on an ongoing case but said there were "significant gaps in Irish law, policy and criminal justice practice around how we respond to the problem of hate crime".

The ICCL strongly feels Ireland needs to introduce legislation on hate crime to protect people.

The footage of the male passenger repeatedly racially abusing the taxi driver and then lashing out and physically striking Mr Johnson caused shockwaves across social media with calls from users for justice.

Mr Johnson said he now believed it should be compulsory for all taxi drivers to have dashcams on board, as an insurance policy against antisocial passengers.

"I want to believe things will change, that with dashcams for taxis everyone will behave themselves - both the taxi driver and passenger.

"The dashcam proved what happened to me, it showed everything.

"I'm only out to work but supposing a passenger has a knife or that I'm attacked and as a result I'm dead - this is not what we'd be talking about today.

"My wife and kids are supporting me.

"The injury is not physical but I feel pain emotionally, inside.

"I just want to get on with my life and be more careful.

"If I suspect any bad behaviour from a passenger I'll refuse to drive and that's it."

Statement

Gardai would not comment on any further updates on the incident.

They reissued a statement provided to media 24 hours earlier, stating: "Gardai in Clontarf are investigating the alleged assault of a taxi driver that occurred at approximately 10pm on the Malahide Road, Donnycarney, on April 21, 2019.

"A suspect in the case has presented themselves at a north Dublin garda station and gardai are following a definite line of inquiry," the statement went on to add.
Right balance between work and home is hard to achieve

Only 13pc of Irish workers say they have a "great" work-life balance, a new survey has revealed.

The recent poll of 1,000 workers found 9pc suffer from a "terrible" work-life balance while only 13pc describe theirs as "great".

The survey, commissioned by developer Dublin Airport Central, found 38pc of workers polled described their work-life balance as "middle of the road", with 11pc describing it as "not quite terrible".

However, the survey found that the overwhelming majority of workers struggled to juggle responsibilities at work with their personal lives.

It also found most workers were more concerned about job satisfaction than a good salary or security.

Flexible

Thirty-seven per cent of respondents cited job satisfaction as the most important aspect to their work, followed by job security (18pc), a good salary (17pc), career progress- ion (8pc), flexible work hours (6pc) and other issues (10pc).

Only 1pc of workers cited health insurance as a perk of the job.

Not surprisingly, the age of a worker dictated their job priorities. Those aged between 45 and 54 cited job security as their main concern, followed by job satisfaction and a good salary.

They were also the age group most likely to work overtime, with 55pc putting in extra hours.

However, both young (18 to 24) and older workers over the age of 55 cited job satisfaction as their main concern, cited by around half of respondents in both age groups.

However, for younger workers starting out in their careers or jobs, a good salary was the most important consideration for those aged 18 to 24.
The Animal Shelter of Sullivan Countys Board of Directors will hold a pancake breakfast on May 18 to raise money to pay for improvements to the Sullivan County Animal Shelter building in Blountville.

The event, sponsored by Woodmen Life Chapter 1150, will be held from 8-11 a.m. at Applebees on Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, Tennessee.

Tickets can be purchased at the door for $5 per person or in advance at Woodmen Life, 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 230, in Bristol or Total Look Hair Salon, 110 Lebanon Road, Kingsport. For more information about the fundraisers or to contact individuals to purchase tickets for the pancake breakfast, see the announcements section of the Animal Shelter of Sullivan County group Facebook page.

Woodmen Life will accept donations of Purina-brand dog and cat foods for the shelter outside Applebees on May 18.

The board, which will eventually take over operations of the Blountville shelter with initial funding assistance from Sullivan County, is also planning a second fundraiser called Paws and Jaws for Sept. 14 at the Ron Ramsey Regional Agriculture Center off state Route 75 on Spurgeon Lane in Blountville. The board hopes it will be an annual event.
Good news, and bad news: The United States held 1.5 million people in prison in 2017, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported last week. This is the lowest number in a decade. It is still extremely high relative to numbers in other free nations.

Crime rates are far down since the 1980s and early 1990s, when politicians embraced get-tough-on-crime policies that ballooned the prison population. As policymakers eased up in recent years  and as courts ordered prisoner releases from overcrowded penitentiaries  the incarcerated population has declined.

The number of people in state or federal correctional facilities dropped 6.7% between 2007 and 2017. From the 2009 peak, the incarcerated population is down 7.8%. The number of sentenced prisoners as a proportion of the total U.S. population has declined steadily over the past decade. Though black men are still locked up at a far higher rate than white men, the black adult imprisonment rate declined 31% over the decade, cutting into the disparity.

States from Connecticut to Texas deserve credit for pushing reform, which includes diverting people from prison when more cost-effective and constructive responses to their crimes exist, improving conditions inside prisons and discouraging recidivism.
Once is enough when it comes to big news stories
Police in both cities have been prohibited from enforcing the gambling laws at the businesses by a temporary restraining order put in place in September 2018.

Attorneys for both the company and the cities reacted positively to the ruling.

Trapp called the decision a victory and said his client intends to stay in business.

Last September, they were all going to all have to completely shut down, Trapp said.

They have continued to operate up until April 29 with all their machinery, and then after that, now April 30, they are still in operation. So thats a victory.

Trapp said Tuesday morning that, to his knowledge, his clients businesses were in compliance with the order.

Overall, we feel good about the order, Culpepper said. I think with additional discovery of the source code on the fish games, the city will be able to show the fish games are also not legal.
North Carolina teachers will gather in Raleigh on Wednesday for the Day of Action rally where teachers will rally in support of their schools, students and coworkers.

Alex Ward, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators of Hickory and social studies teacher at Hickory Career and Arts Magnet, said he will be attending the rally to speak for school personnel who were left out in the minimum wage increase that many state employees received in the last year.

Our teachers assistants, our cafeteria workers and our bus drivers, Ward said. Its not fair for them to be paid less for some reason we dont know. I want to go out there and show support for them so they get a $15 minimum wage. So they can try to make ends meet.

Ward said he is also rallying for funding for mental health professionals, social workers and nurses.

While we appreciate what we have, the need is growing and we dont have the personnel to meet it due to funding, Ward said.

Ward said the rally takes place on a school day because the North Carolina Legislature will be in session and will be discussing the budget for the next year.
In August 2017, the Supreme Court, in Puttaswamy vs Union of India, unanimously recognised privacy as a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. Before the historic judgment, the right to privacy had remained contested and was determined on a case-by-case basis. By understanding privacy as the preservation of individual dignity and autonomy, the judgment laid the groundwork to accommodate subsequent landmark legislative moves  varying from decriminalising homosexuality to limiting the use of the Aadhaar by private actors.

Reflecting the importance gained by privacy within public imagination, the 2019 elections are the first time it finds mention across major party manifestos. In 2014, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was the only political party to have made commitments to safeguarding privacy, albeit in a limited fashion. For the 2019 election, both the Congress and the CPI(M) promise to protect the right to privacy if elected to power. The Congress promises to pass a law to protect the personal data of all persons and uphold the right to privacy. However, it primarily focuses on informational privacy and its application to data protection, limited to the right of citizens to control access and use of information about themselves.

The CPI(M) focuses on privacy more broadly while promising to protect against intrusion into the fundamental right to privacy of every Indian. In a similar vein, both the Congress and the CPI(M) also commit to bringing about surveillance reform by incorporating layers of oversight. The CPI(M) manifesto further promises to support the curtailment of mass surveillance globally. It promises to enact a data privacy law to protect against appropriation/misuse of private data for commercial use, albeit without any reference to misuse by government agencies.

On the other hand, the Samajwadi Party manifesto proposes the reintroduction of the controversial NATGRID, an overarching surveillance tool proposed by the Congress in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. In this backdrop, digital rights for individuals are conspicuous by their absence from the Bharatiya Janata Partys manifesto. Data protection is only seen in a limited sense as being required in conjunction with increasing digital financialisation.

The favourable articulation of privacy in some of the manifestos should be read along with other commitments across parties around achieving development goals through the digital economy. Central to the operation of this is aggregating citizen data. Utilising this aggregated data for predictive abilities is key to initiatives being proposed in the manifestos digitising health records, a focus on sunrise technologies, such as machine learning and big data, and readiness for Industry 5.0 are some examples.

The right is then operationalised in a manner that leads data subjects to pick between their privacy and accessing services being provided by the data collector. Relinquishing privacy becomes the only option especially when access to welfare services is at stake.

The discourse around privacy in India has historically been used to restrict individual freedoms. In the Puttaswamy case, Justice DY Chandrachud, in his plurality opinion, acknowledges feminist scholarship to broaden the understanding of the right to privacy to one that protects bodily integrity and decisional privacy for marginalised communities. This implies protection against any manner of State interference with decisions regarding the self, and, more broadly, the right to create a private space to allow the personality to develop without interference. This includes protection from undue violations of bodily integrity such as protecting the freedom to use public spaces without fear of harassment, and criminalising marital rape.

While the articulation of privacy in the manifestos is a good start, it should be much more. Governance must implement the right to look beyond the individualised conception of privacy so as to allow it to support a whole range of freedoms, rather than limiting it to data protection. This could take the shape of modifying traditional legal codes. Family law, for instance, could be reshaped to allow for greater exercise of agency by women in marriage, guardianship, succession etc. Criminal law, too, could render inadmissible evidence obtained through unjustified privacy violations. The manifestos do mark the entry of a rights-based language around privacy and bodily integrity into mainstream political discourse. However, there appears to be a lack of imagination of the extent to which these protections can be used to further individual liberty collectively.

Ambika Tandon and Aayush Rathi are policy officers at the Centre for Internet and Society

The views expressed are personal
International Jazz Day is celebrated around the world on April 30 every year to recognize jazz and its diplomatic role in uniting people. The day was designated in the year 2011 by UNESCO and is currently chaired by Director General Audrey Azoulay and legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and Chairman of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. International Jazz Day is a culmination of Jazz appreciation month which raises awareness about the extraordinary history and heritage of Jazz throughout the month of April.

Significance

Jazz day is observed to bring together communities, artists, schools, academics, historians and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to celebrate jazz, its roots, history and future and most importantly how it brings people together. It also aims at raising awareness about the importance of intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding. On April 30 each year, this art form is recognised for promoting dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human rights, eradicating discrimination and gender bias and most importantly promoting peace. International Jazz Day also aims at highlighting the role of youth in enacting social change across the globe.

The saxophone is a staple instrument in jazz, and is also popular in pop and rock, as well as other genres. (In Pic) Saxophonist Alexaxx performs at House A, a nightclub in Delhi.

Celebrations

The program for 2019 as announced by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock will be launched in Australia and will be celebrated across more than 190 countries. On April 29 and 30, a wide range of jazz performances, education programmes and community service initiatives will be presented in partnership with the Melbourne Conservatorium, University of Melbourne, featuring more than a dozen celebrated jazz masters. The events will finally end in an All-Star Global Concert at the Melbourne Arts Centres renowned Hamer Hall and will be available on Youtube and Facebook for viewing.

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Actor Rani Mukerji is all suited up as a cop as she shoots for Mardaani 2, a sequel to her well-received Mardaani that saw her as a no-nonsense police officer taking on a ring of child traffickers. The latest iteration of the film is being directed by Gopi Puthran  he had written the script of Mardaani -- and will release in 2019.

Gopi had said earlier, Its an intense one month long schedule in Rajasthan which forms the backdrop to the story of Mardaani 2. Ranis investigation will take her to Jaipur and Kota. Given that we are shooting in peak summer of Rajasthan, it will be physically demanding because Rani will be doing action sequences too.

In an earlier still from Mardaani 2, Rani was wearing a white shirt paired with jeans. According to sources, Rani plays a cop in Mardaani 2. Shivani will face a cold, merciless villain who has no empathy, no fear of God and is pure evil. The character has been written superbly and Im excited to find out who the actor will be, Rani had said.

Also read: Katrina Kaif says one of Zeros scripts had Katrina Meri Jaan as its name, was to star her and Shah Rukh Khan as dwarfs

Mardaani is and will always remain very close to my heart. Right since its release every has asked me time and again when I would be doing Mardaani 2 and I am sure this announcement will come as a surprise to them. Gopi has written an extraordinary script that we all love and I cannot wait to start shooting the film, Rani had said when Mardaani 2 was announced in December last year.

Produced by Aditya Chopra, Mardaani 2 will be Ranis next release after the hit film, Hichki. Reports claim Chunkey Pandays nephew Ahaan Panday may feature as the antagonist in Mardaani 2.
It has been seven months since veteran actor Rishi Kapoor left his fans shocked after he shared on social media that he would be leaving for America for some medical treatment and there have been various stories about his undisclosed ailment. And now, putting all speculation to rest, filmmaker Rahul Rawail, yesterday shared a happy news.

Posting a picture of Rishi and himself, Rahul wrote: RISHI KAPOOR (CHINTU) is CANCER FREE!!!! It is not clear if the picture is a recent one. When contacted, Rahul told us, Yes, Rishi is absolutely cancer free, now. I havent met him but spoke to him over the phone. He called me in the morning [Tuesday] and gave me the [good] news that he has totally recovered from cancer. Theres just a small follow up and procedure that he needs to get done to ensure that there is no recurrence anytime. So, thats all that is left now.

When asked if the actor would be coming back to India anytime soon, Rawail added, I have no idea on that, yet. But he definitely wants to come back as soon as he can. Also, it has been a very personal conversation with him, so thats all I can share.

We also got in touch with Rishis elder brother, Randhir Kapoor, and he, too, confirmed the news and said, Yes, he is much better, and he will come back soon. [On whether he is completely cured], hes on his way to full recovery and it takes time, hes got to finish the whole course, but hes fine.

Rishis daughter, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, is also relieved that her father is on his way to recovery. Though she said she would not like to comment on her dad, she told us, Yes, he is recovering. With everybodys prayers and wishes he is doing well.

While there has been no official statement from the family, the actors wife, Neetu Kapoor, did give a hint about Rishis ailment, when she posted a picture from the familys New Years celebration and wrote, Happy 2019. No resolutions only wishes this year !!! Less pollution traffic!! Hope in future cancer is only a zodiac sign!!! No hatred less poverty loads of love togetherness happiness n most imp. Good health.

Even though Rishi has been away for all this while, he made sure that he stayed connected with his fans and fraternity through Twitter. Not just this, several Bollywood celebrities including Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, Anupam Kher, Javed Akhtar, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sonali Bendre , Maniesh Paul, also visited the senior actor in New York, and shared pictures on social media.

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Actor Priyanka Chopra had come to India for the wedding of her brother Siddharth Chopra, which has now been postponed. A report in Mumbai Mirror says Siddharths fiance Ishita Kumar had to undergo an emergency surgery just before the ceremony that was slated to take place during the weekend.

A source told the daily, There are rumours that the wedding has been called off but it is not true. Ishita needs some time to recuperate from the surgery and the families are looking for another mahurat.

Priyanka had earlier welcomed Ishita into the family by sharing a picture from their roka ceremony. She had captioned the picture, So proud of my baby brother. Ishita welcome to the family...you are so beautiful together...I wish you both the best for the future! Happy Roka!! @ishittaakumar @siddharthchopra89.

Priyanka was spotted at the Mumbai airport on Monday night in an all white look as she left for home to be with husband Nick Jonas. The actor had spent quality time with her family and friends during her short stay. Many pictures of her dinner with her family, her girls night out at friend Isha Ambanis residence and her fun time with cousin Parineeti Chopra can be found on her Instagram page.

Priyanka Chopra after casting her vote, at her mothers office and at the Mumbai airport.

She had also cast her vote on Monday, post which she visited her mother Madhu Chopras office in Mumbai. She shared a few pics on her Instagram confirming the same. She had also written a note for her mother that read, One of the greatest individual challenges we face in our lives is the ability to constantly evolve as people and professionals. It means pushing yourself to challenge the status quo. Its something I work towards everyday with everything I do. And its a lesson from my mother Dr. @madhumalati. She has constantly reinvented herself in the pursuit to be her best self in her many roles from a physician in the army, to a film producer, an entrepreneur to a daughter, wife, sister, mother and a friend.

Also read: Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti Chopra attend a girls night out at Isha Ambanis house, tease Alia Bhatt for missing the fun. See pic

And today was no different. She took yet another step in her professional journey with a new addition to her successful venture @studio_aesthetique. So proud to stand beside her and her partner @drneetikamodi in this new offering as they unveiled it to the world. Congratulations mom... your ability to challenge yourself to excel at everything you do has inspired us to be the people we are today! Heres to many more milestones!

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Police raided the house of two-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former chief parliamentary secretary Sukhpal Singh Nannu in Ferozepur after a newly married man accused him of kidnapping his 24-year-old wife who went missing five days back.

Nannu was Ferozepur MLA from 2002 to 2007 and 2007 to 2012.

My wife Navpreet Kaur went missing on April 24 midnight under mysterious circumstances. We got married on April 6. When we investigated, it was found she had telephonic conversations with Sukhpal Singh Nannu, said the complainant, Satnam Singh, of Aku Wala village in the district . Navpreet had gone to her parents place at Ratto Ke village in Tarn Taran district on April 9 and she returned after 10 days. But she went missing on April 24, he said at a press conference.

In a letter purportedly written by Navpreet, she accused Satnam for having extramarital affair. He, however, denied the charges. A case under Section 365 of the IPC was registered against unidentified persons. As the family accused Sukhpal Singh Nannu of abducting her, we are investigating the matter, said Ferozepur SSP Sandeep Goel. At the time of raid, Nannus house was found to be locked.
By May 19, close to 600 million Indians will have cast their ballots in what will be the largest electoral process in human history. More than two-thirds of the 900 million eligible voters, living across the length and breadth of the country, are expected to vote in this election. The scope, size, and complexity of the election are a testimony to the quality of Indias democracy. Much time and effort has been expended to make the electoral process encompassing and inclusive. However, one group of voters will, again, have little say in determining who will lead the country in the next five years: non-resident Indians (NRIs).

There are more than 13 million NRIs. Of that number, fewer than 75,000 will vote in this election. That is less than 1%. The reason for the low NRI voter participation is that Indian election law requires a person to be physically present in his or her constituency on the polling day to vote. For Indias first 15 elections, only Indians residing in India were allowed to vote. The nations strict voting law prohibited anyone not physically present in the country from even registering to vote.

In 2010, the government changed the law to allow NRIs to register their names in the electoral rolls in the place listed on their passports as home and then to vote if they are present at the voting booth on the polling day. Despite its restrictive nature, it was a good first step to engage Indian citizens abroad in the electoral process. It is time to take the next step and to fully enfranchise NRIs. This can be accomplished by making it easier for NRIs to vote by eliminating the requirement that an NRI be at the local polling place on voting day in order to cast a vote. This requirement is extremely burdensome.

This is proven by the fact that Indias nearly decade-long experience with the NRI voting experiment shows that it is not working. This year, despite high-profile marketing efforts by Indian missions worldwide, fewer than 75,000 NRIs have registered to vote. A major factor contributing to this paltry voter registration is the logistical difficulties of travelling to the constituency to vote. If one is an Indian citizen living overseas, it would require a significant investment of financial resources and time to exercise ones democratic right.

Making it even more difficult for overseas citizens is the long-drawn nature of the countrys election process. Unlike in the United States, which has a fixed polling calendar, Indias election dates vary considerably, and voters get to know the polling schedule just a few weeks before the election day. This year, the election schedule was not announced until March 10. The first phase of polling was on April 11. It is unreasonable to expect people employed abroad to make travel plans at such a short notice.

There is a simple and straightforward solution to solve this problem. It is to reform the election law and to let NRIs vote from where they are. They could cast either postal votes or vote online.

There was a legislative attempt, two years ago, to let overseas citizens vote through proxies. The Lok Sabha, dominated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, passed the Representation of the People Amendment Bill 2017, but it failed to clear the Rajya Sabha, the upper house.

Worldwide, many democracies allow their citizens to cast postal votes. In fact, India already has provisions for postal voting for government officials and members of its armed forces. The same should be extended to the overseas voters.

Another option would be to allow overseas citizens to vote online. The country has already adopted electronic voting in parliamentary elections. It wouldnt require a significant technology upgrade to let overseas voters cast ballots online.

There are three primary reasons why the election law should be reformed.

First, it is the equitably correct. The fact that a citizen of India is residing in another country should not make him or her any less of a citizen. It should not take away the fundamental right to vote.

Second, it makes India a global beacon of hope for democracy and, in addition, it strengthens the Indian democracy. It does this by ensuring that all voices are heard. In this current national election, and the one preceding it, the Election Commission has taken numerous actions to ensure maximum voter participation. This would reinforce those initiatives.

Third, it recognises the size and economic contributions of NRIs. If NRIs were to form a country, they would be the 75th largest nation in the world, bigger in size than countries such as Portugal, Belgium, Sweden and Israel. It is hard to overstate the economic contributions of the Indian diaspora. According to the World Bank, the diaspora remittances to India last year touched $80 billion.

In conclusion, from the time of its founding, India has been a democracy that embraced and empowered a broad and diverse swath of voters living in India. Enfranchising NRIs builds on Indias enviable democratic history and extends its reach worldwide.

Frank F. Islam is an entrepreneur, civic leader, and thought leader based in Washington DC

The views expressed here are personal
Avtar Singh, 54, who was on Monday elected mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, prides himself on having been a chaiwala (tea-seller) for 10 years before becoming a councillor. His east counterpart, Anju Kamalkant, is a homemaker from Vishwas Nagar.

The north and east municipalities, both ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Monday chose their third mayors in their five-year term that began in 2017.

The mayors, deputy mayors and three members of their respective standing committees are changed annually. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation had chosen councillor Sunita Kangra, a teacher, as mayor on Friday.

Owing to financial hardships, Avtar Singh and his wife ran a tea stall called Tea Peepal Meridien under a tree at Chabi Ganj in Kashmere Gate from the year 1990 to 2000. I feel proud to have been a chaiwalla like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Singh, who belongs to the Sikh Malhar community and is Delhis first Sikh Dalit mayor.

Singh, who studied in a municipality school, said improving the standard of education in corporation schools would be his priority after taking charge. The safety of children attending municipal schools has to be made a priority. Vocational classes for them are important as they come from economically weaker sections and are looking for livelihood options, said Singh, councillor from Civil Lines.

Anju Kamalkant, newly elected mayor of East Delhi is felicitated by her supporters, at MCD Office, Patparganj, in New Delhi, on Monday, April 29, 2019. (Sushil Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Anju Kamalkant said she will focus on improving the financial condition of the east corporation and sanitation in east Delhi. We all know EDMC has been in a poor financial situation. We are constantly interacting with the AAP-led Delhi government to provide more funds to us. Also, since sanitation is the municipalitys main job and residents look up to us for clean dhalaos and drains, we have to work towards it, she said.

In north Delhi, Yogesh Verma of Ashok Vihar ward from BJP became the new deputy mayor. Adesh Gupta (BJP), Jai Prakash (BJP) and Ravinder Bhardwaj (AAP) were elected as the three new members of the north corporations standing committee.

In east Delhi, Sanjay Goyal of the Vivek Vihar ward from the BJP became the new deputy mayor. Bipin Bihari Singh (BJP), Ajay Sharma (BJP) and Abdul Rahman (AAP) were elected as the three new members of the east corporations standing committee.
He had scored 98% in his class 12 exams from a government high school in northeast Delhi and also earned an MBA degree from a Ghaziabad college. But when 31-year-old Mohammad Sajid failed to get a good job to feed his family of five, he tried his hand at giving English and math tuitions to children in his neighbourhood. When the extra effort also failed to bring in the money, he started his own gang of burglars, police said.

On Sunday, Sajid was arrested with 72 mobile phones he had stolen during three burglaries in the past six months. Police said Sajid gave tuitions during the day and burgled at night.

Deputy CP (crime) G Ramgopal Naik said Sajid stealing was caught by CCTV cameras twice in the past four months.

We had identified him. He used to live Sunder Nagri with a brother and mother. When he came to know that police are searching for him, he moved. On Sunday, we got information that he would come to a cinema hall to meet one of his associates. He was spotted and arrested, Naik said.

The DCP said, Sajid took them home from where they recovered 72 mobile phones. Sajid claimed to have stolen these phones during three burglaries which he committed in the past six months.

During interrogation, Sajid told police that he completed his MBA about 10 years ago. He said he could not get any well-paying job and started giving tuitions. He used to teach 5-6 children at a time, the DCP said.

Sajid told police that he roped in his friend Pankaj and they started stealing mobile phones and selling them. Police said they sold most phones for around 6,000-7000. Gradually, they took to burglaries and used specially modified rods to break open the lock of closed phone shops. They used to target shops in Nand Nagri, Karawal Nagar and Loni in Ghaziabad. Sajid continued with his tuition classes during the day, the DCP said, adding that searches to locate Pankaj are underway.
In a notable diplomatic victory for India, Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-based terrorist organisation, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), is likely to be listed as a global terrorist by the United Nations (UN). Indian efforts to get the JeM chief sanctioned had been frustrated for long by China. The last instance of a Chinese technical hold came on March 13  barely a month after the dastardly terrorist attack in Pulwama claimed by JeM. The UN had named JeM in a statement condemning the Pulwama attack. But that did not make China budge on Azhars listing.

To be sure, the UN listing, if it happens, is a symbolic move. Even if Azhar hadnt been listed, JeM was. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its chief, Hafiz Saeed, are also listed under the UN 1267 resolution. These listings have done little to stop the terrorist groups from operating freely in Pakistan and mounting attacks on Indian soil. The grey-listing of Pakistan by Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental body that targets money laundering and terrorist financing, has been a little more effective in forcing Islamabad to take some action, albeit cosmetic, against the terrorist groups.

Pakistans defiance is a real problem. But Indias options are limited. First, it can undertake military actions against terrorist groups operating on Pakistani soil. The 2016 surgical strikes and the Balakot airstrikes in February this year show that New Delhi is increasingly preferring this route. By taking to military options, it hopes to increase Pakistans costs of using sub-conventional assets against India. But with Pakistans nuclear status, there is an upper limit to what India can achieve. Second, it can put diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to stop anti-India terrorist activities on its soil. The sanctions under the UN and FATF are part of this approach. However, as Chinas resistance to Azhars listing shows, this is not an easy route either. Moreover, there is no guarantee of a result  a genuine crackdown on Azhar and JeM in Pakistan remains elusive. Three, India can try to get a global buy-in for a comprehensive convention against terrorism. The idea of a convention does hold some promise. Just like an agreement on nuclear non-proliferation, that is NPT, changed the perception of a nuclear weapons test from a prestigious activity to one inviting international condemnation, such a convention against terrorism can increase the reputational cost for countries supporting terrorism. India will need to pursue all options simultaneously.
Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) has declared the Karnataka SSLC result of class 10th exam today, on April 30. A total of 73.7% students passed the exam.

Candidates can check their results at the official website of Karnataka Board. Here is the direct link to check the Karnataka SSLC result 2019 . In case the official website is not opening due to heavy traffic, candidates can check their results on some other alternate websites.

examresults.net

indiaresults.com or karnataka.indiaresults.com

schools9.com

Karnataka SSLC Class 10 results 2019: How to check

Visit the official websites - karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in

You can also visit any of the above listed websites to check the results.

Click on link for Karnataka SSLC result on the homepage

Enter the required details like registration number and submit

Your result will be displayed on the screen

Download the Karnataka SSLC result 2019 and take a print out of the same

Follow LIVE UPDATES of Karnataka SSLC Result 2019 here

Karnatak SSLC Results 2019 : HIGHLIGHTS

This year, 8,25,486 students appeared

6,08,336 passed or 73.70%. Pass percentage in 2018 was 71.93

This years pass percentage -school wise:

- Government: 77.84%

- Aided: 77.21%

- Unaided: 82.72

- Total school educated: 79.38%

Gender-wise:

- Boys: 68.46% (last year 66.56%)

- Girls: 79.59% (last year 78.01%)

Girls continued to outshine boys, by recording a higher pass percentage. While 79.59% girls passed the exam, up from 78.01 last year, 68.46% boys passed, an increase from 66.56% of last year.

Pass percentage by social group

SC: 75.01

ST: 77.27

Others: 80.09

Area wise pass percentage

Urban : 70.05 (last year 69.38

Rural : 76.67 (last year 74)

Rural areas continued to perform better than urban. The pass percentage for rural areas was 76.67%, up from 74% last year, and the corresponding figure for urban areas was 70.05%, a slight increase from 69.38% recorded last year.

Medium wise pass percentage (last year figures in brackets)

Kannada : 70.19 (67.33)

English : 80.88 (81.23)

Urdu: 79.87 (57.29)

Marathi: 70.87 (75.86)

Students who hailed from English medium schools performed better than their counterparts from regional language medium schools. The pass percentage for students who appeared in the English medium was 80.88%, for Kannada 70.19%, Urdu 79.87%, Marathi 70.87%.

Candidates who scored

625 out of 625: 2

624 out of 625: 11

623 out of 625: 19

622 out of 625: 39

621 out of 625: 43

620 out of 625: 56

Among the toppers, two students secured all 625 marks, 11 students secured 624 marks, 19 secured 623 and 39 secured 622 marks out of a total 625 marks.

100% pass percentage by school type

Govt : 593 (102)

Aided: 130 (414)

Unaided: 903 (826)

Total : 1626 (1342)

Students from private unaided schools performed better than their peers from government and aided schools. The pass percentage in unaided schools was 82.72%, while in aided schools it was 77.21% and 77.84% in government schools.

Among the districts, Hassan pipped Udupi to the top spot in terms of pass percentage. As many as 89.33% candidates from the district passed. Ramanagara district finished second with a pass percentage of 88.49, followed by Bengaluru Rural with 88.34. Yadgir district in the northern Hyderabad- Karnataka region was the worst performing of the 34 educational districts in the state, recording a pass percentage of 53.95%.

(With inputs from Vikram Gopal in Karnataka)

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The pass percentage of students who appeared for Karnataka 10th SSLC (standard Secondary School Leaving Certificate) examination, results of which were announced on Tuesday, rose to 73.7% this year from 71.93% last year.

As per the results released by the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB), a total of 8,25,468 students appeared for the exam, of whom 6,08,336 passed.

Girls continued to outshine boys, by recording a higher pass percentage. While 79.59% girls passed the exam, up from 78.01 last year, 68.46% boys passed, an increase from 66.56% of last year.

Students from private unaided schools performed better than their peers from government and aided schools. The pass percentage in unaided schools was 82.72%, while in aided schools it was 77.21% and 77.84% in government schools.

Rural areas continued to perform better than urban. The pass percentage for rural areas was 76.67%, up from 74% last year, and the corresponding figure for urban areas was 70.05%, a slight increase from 69.38% recorded last year.

Students who hailed from English medium schools performed better than their counterparts from regional language medium schools. The pass percentage for students who appeared in the English medium was 80.88%, for Kannada 70.19%, Urdu 79.87%, Marathi 70.87%.

Among the toppers, two students secured all 625 marks, 11 students secured 624 marks, 19 secured 623 and 39 secured 622 marks out of a total 625 marks.

Among the districts, Hassan pipped Udupi to the top spot in terms of pass percentage. As many as 89.33% candidates from the district passed. Ramanagara district finished second with a pass percentage of 88.49, followed by Bengaluru Rural with 88.34. Yadgir district in the northern Hyderabad- Karnataka region was the worst performing of the 34 educational districts in the state, recording a pass percentage of 53.95%.

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2 students have scored 625/ 625 in the exam

Two students who have scored 625 out of 525 have emerged as Karnataka SSLC 2019 toppers.

Medium wise pass percentage:

Kannada : 70.19 , English : 80.88, Urdu: 79.87 , Marathi: 70.87

593 government schools of Karnataka have 100 pass percentage

100% pass percentage by school type: Govt : 593 , Aided: 130 , Unaided: 903 , Total : 1626

Pass percentage of rural area students is higher than urban students

Surprisingly, area wise pass percentage of rural students is higher than urban students

Urban - 70.05 (last year 69.38)

Rural- 76.67 (last year 74)

Here is the pass percentage of social group:

Pass percentage by social group- SC: 75.01, ST: 77.27, Others: 80.09

Girls again outscore boys with a margin of 11%.

This year also, girls have outperformed boys in Karnataka SSLC Results.

- Boys: 68.46% (last year 66.56%)

- Girls: 79.59% (last year 78.01%)

Karnataka SSLC Result declared

KSEEB has declared the Karnataka SSLC results 2019. A total of 73.7% students have cleared the exam.

Alternate websites to check Karnataka SSLC Result 2019

due to heavy traffic the website may not respond for few hours after the result is declared. In that case, candidates can check their results on some other alternate websites. Click here to check alternate websites to download Karnataka SSLC Result 2019

KSEEB will declare the results soon

Candidates are advised to have patience and wait for their results. KSEEB will release the results at 12:45 PM today

Just one hour to go!

Only one hour left for the Karnataka SSLC Results to be declared. KSEEB will declare the Karnataka Result today at 12:45 PM

8.4 Lakh candidates anxiously waiting for their results

Around 8.4 lakh candidates are anxiously waiting to get their Karnataka SSLC Result 2019. The result will be announced at 12:45 PM today.

Karnataka SSLC Result 2019 delayed

KSEEB has delayed the declaration of result. Now, the Karnataka SSLC result 2019 will be out at 12:45 PM

KSEEB has already declared PUC 2nd exam result.

The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) on April 15, 2019 declared the results of this years pre-University (PUC) 2nd exams. A total of 6.71 lakh students appeared in the PUC 2nd year exam this year, out of which 4.14 lakh passed.

Karnataka SSLC Result 2019 will be uploaded online

After the press conference the Karnataka SSLC result 2019 will be released on the websites at karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in. Heres how to check

KSEEB officials will hold a press conference at 12 PM today

KSEEB officials will hold a press conference today 12 noon and release the Karnataka SSLC results online.

Karnataka SSLC Result 2019 will be out at 12 noon

KSEEB will declare the Karnataka SSLC Result 2019 today at 12 PM. Earlier, the result was expected at 10 AM.

Get Karnataka SSLC Result 2019 on SMS

To check KSEEB Class 10th 2019 result SMS - KSEEB10 ROLLNUMBER - Send it to 56263

KSEEB has declared Karnataka PUC result earlier on April 15

The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) on April 15, 2019 declared the results of this years pre-University (PUC) 2nd exams

KSEEB is declaring the result very early this year

Just after 26 days of concluding the Karnataka SSLC Exam 2019 on April 4, KSEEEB is declaring the result today. Last year it was out on May 7.

KSEEB Karnataka SSLC Exam was conducted from March 21 to April 4

According to reports, 8.4 lakh candidates had appeared for the Karnataka SSLC exam 2019 that was conducted from March 21 to April 4.

8.4 Lakh students anxiously waiting for their results

8.4 lakh students were registered for the KSEEB Karntaka SSLC Exam 2019. Those who had appeared for the exam will get their results today.

How to check KSEEB Karnataka SSLC Exam result

Visit the official website of Karnataka results at karresults.nic.in and key in your registration/ roll number and date of birth. Heres the direct link to check your KSEEB result.

Karnataka SSLC 10th Result will be out today at 10 AM

The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) will announce the Karnataka SSLC result today at 10 AM.

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A one-and-a-half-yearold child was allegedly murdered by an 8-year-old boy in south Delhis Fatehpur Beri during the early hours of Saturday.

Police said the boy allegedly killed the toddler by drowning him in a small water tank near their house. Terming the murder an act of revenge, police said the boy was angered after his brother had fallen and injured himself a few days ago. He blamed the toddlers elder sister for this and allegedly killed the child in revenge, police said.

According to the police, the incident came to fore when the childs mother, a contractual wage earner from western Uttar Pradesh, woke up on Saturday morning and could not find her child around. We received a call at the Fatehpur Beri police station that a one-and-a-half-yearold child had gone missing while his mother and 10-year-old sister were asleep on the roof of their house. A police team reached the spot and launched an intensive search for the boy. After about an hour, the toddler was found in a drain nearby, a police officer, who did not wish to be identified, said.

He was bleeding from his right ear, police said, adding that he was rushed to a hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. The body was preserved for a post-mortem examination at AIIMS and the police began probing his death.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Vijay Kumar said during investigation, local residents were questioned and it came their attention that another boy, aged eight years, was also missing since morning.

A search for the boy was launched and after about two hours, locals and police teams managed to locate him about a kilometre away from his house. When he was questioned about the toddler, he said he had drowned the child into a water tank near their house, the DCP said. Quoting the eight-year-old, police said a few days ago, his younger brother had fallen while playing with a few children in the neighbourhood. This had caused a minor swelling on his brothers head. He said he held the toddlers elder sister responsible for pushing his brother and therefore, wanted to teach her a lesson. In that rage, he said he took the boy and drowned him. Later, he threw him into the drain, the officer said.

Police have registered a case of murder under IPC Section 302. Police said the statement of the 8-year-old child was recorded in presence of counsellors and that he will soon be produced before the juvenile justice board.

Although heinous crimes in which such young children are culprits are not often reported in Delhi, in 2017, there was another incident in which a fourand-a-half-year-old boy was booked for raping his classmate inside the classroom as well as the washroom of a prominent private school in west Delhi, police said. The girl, who was of the same age as the boy, told her mother that the boy used his finger and a sharpened pencil to assault her sexually.
The Armys tweet on Monday night saying one of its mountaineering teams recently sighted the mysterious footprints of the Yeti has added to the Nepali lore about the mythical beast. Many mountaineers and locals have contributed to it in the past.

The Army said the elusive snowman has only been sighted at the Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. The remark appeared to refer to footprints British explorer Eric Shipton sighted in 1951 near Mount Everest.

Tales of the big mythical beast, which people in Nepal say could be living in the Himalayas, have been shared across the world since the 1920s.

Many including mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary have launched expeditions to search for the creature. In 1960, he went on an expedition to a location situated along the Nepal-China border, but nothing came out of the mission.

Sir Edmund Hillary and Mr Desmond Doig, who have been on a Yeti-hunting expedition in Nepal, arrived in London by air yesterday with the scalp of what is believed in Khumjung village to be a Yeti, the Guardian wrote in an article published in December 1960. It was later established that the scalp did not belong to the mythical beast.

In 1937, English mountaineer Frank Smythe took photographs of big footprints in

the snow near Nepals Mount Makalu.

The footprints were examined and experts found that they belonged to a bear, an animal that is found in the region and has often fuelled the Yeti lore.

Daniel C Taylor, who has written a book on the mystery of the Yeti, told news agency Reuters on Tuesday that the footprints the Army reported were likely those of bears. If that is the footprint of an animal or a single animal, it is the size of a dinosaur, he added.

Several other scientists have written the creature off as a centuries-old myth originating in Tibet, with forensic results of previous samples proving to be from bears.
The Army revived the debate over the legend of Himalayan Yeti in a late Monday night tweet saying that one of its mountaineering teams had recently sighted the mysterious footprints of the mythical beast on the slopes of the worlds fifth highest mountain, Nepals Makalu. The Army said the footprints measured 32 inches by 15 inches.

Scientists and experts argued that there was no evidence to back the presence of the mythical beast also known as the Abominable Snowman. But the Army insisted its account was based on physical proofs of on-the-spot narration, photos and videos and aimed to excite scientific temper.

A Major Manoj Joshi-led 18-member mountaineering team collected the evidence the Army referred to. The Army team found it while acclimatising at Langmala Kharka on April 9 two weeks after its expedition was flagged off from New Delhi. It will attempt to climb to the summit of the 8,485 metre-high Mount Makalu in the second week of May. For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast Yeti measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past, the Army tweeted, along with three pictures of the footprints.

The photos, which the team sent to the Army Adventure Wing over satellite phone, showed only the prints of a single foot, sparking memes on Twitter. The Army said it tweeted about the Yeti as it thought prudent to excite scientific temper and rekindle the interest [in the beast]. Some of us, who reject the story, surely shall have a definite answer to the evidenceAs they say, nature, history and science never write their final story, an Army official said on condition of anonymity. Maheshwar Dakal, a joint secretary in Nepals forest department, said the Makalu-Barun National Park has a healthy brown bear population but they have no evidence that the Yeti exists in the area. We cannot ascertain the presence of the Yeti unless we have proof in the form of pictures or others. The footprint does not explain all and could be [that] of a bear or snow leopard, Dakal said. The Army said the evidence would be handed over to experts after its team returns to Delhi in June.

World Wide Fund (WWF)-Indias species and landscape programme director, Dipankar Ghose, said it was unbelievable that such a species exists which has not been discovered yet.

Because of atmospheric pressure and heat, the hind paws of animals disappear while walking on snow. Only forepaws are visible which are splayed over time, Ghose said, explaining the lack of the second footprint in the Armys photos. Several scientists at Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, who have worked in Nepal, also said the footprints could be those of a bear.

It could be the footprints of a brown bear and I do not believe that such a species [the Yeti] exist in that part of the Himalayas, said Bivash Pandav, a senior scientist at the institute.

WWF Nepals Santosh Mani said people in the region used to call brown bear Yeti several decades ago.

Locals in common parlance used the term. But now they are well sensitised and understand how a brown bear looks like, he said, adding that the footmarks could be of an overgrown brown bear.

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Senior Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia, who failed the alcohol test just before he was to command a flight on November 11 and was subsequently removed from the post of director (operations), has been appointed as a regional director by the national carrier.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had suspended the flying licence of the 56-year-old pilot for three years on November 12, a day after an unacceptably high alcohol count was found in his blood just before he was scheduled to pilot a flight from New Delhi to London.

He was also demoted to executive director by Air India.

Captain Arvind Kathpalia will take over the charge of the post of regional director (northern region) with effect from May 1, 2019, reads an order issued by Amrita Sharan, director (personnel), AI, with approval from Air India chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani.

Air Indias pilot body, Indian Commercial Pilot Association, has condemned the move and said that Kathpalia would now be able to take action against those who deposed against him.

ICPA strongly condemns this move. Top officials are bending backwards to elevate a tainted official. Hes been made incharge of NR [northern region] where he will be able to intimidate people who are given statements in police enquiry. Disciplinary action against commanders comes under RD-NR. Its ethically wrong.

A person who has broken the law and chargesheet pending against him cannot take disciplinary action against other employees. ICPA strongly condemns this and will withdraw support. We need justice. Its yet again proven people with strong political connections can get away with any crime, ICPA said in a statement.

An air India official, however, said that the power to take action against pilot will not be given to Kathpalia and he will only look after the administrative work.

Kathpalia was previously suspended for three months in January 2018 when he was tested positive for alcohol consumption during a pre-flight breathalyser test. He had resumed duty after that.

Air India spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar said, Appointment of Arvind Kathpalia as Director Northern Region is according to law. Earlier he was Executive Director and Regional Director is equivalent to Executive Director.

According to International Civil Aviation Organisations regulations, the level of blood alcohol compatible (BAC) with safe flying is zero. Kathpalia had 007% BAC.

A third violation could mean the permanent cancellation of the licence.

Meanwhile, the pilot association has said that if the decision is not withdrawn, they will stop supporting the airline.

We worked extra when Air Indias check-in system collapsed to ensure normalcy in operation. We wont support the airline if this continues, said a member of the association.

On January 19 last year, Kathpalia flew a Delhi-Bengaluru flight without going through the mandatory breathalyser test. He did not even take the test after landing in Bengaluru.

Delhi Police had then registered a first information report (FIR) against Kathpalia and the matter is currently under investigation.

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The Telangana police on Tuesday arrested a 28-year man who had allegedly raped and killed three minor girls at Hajipur village of Bommalaramaram block of Yadadri Bhongir district and another woman in Andhra Pradeshs Kurnool district over a period of four years.

Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagawat told reporters in Hyderabad that the accused, identified as Marri Srinivas Reddy, was a bachelor and was addicted to alcohol and pornographic movies.

He attempted to wipe out evidences by dumping the dead bodies of three minor girls in abandoned wells in the on the outskirts of the village and that of the Kurnool victim in the water tank of her house, Bhagawat said.

While the body a 14-year-old ninth standard girl who went missing on Friday evening, was fished out of an abandoned well on the outskirts of village late in the night, skeletal remains of another 17-year-old girl, who had gone missing from the same village in March, were found in the same well on Monday.

Bhagawat also confirmed that Reddy had raped and murdered another 12-year-old girl of Maisireddipalle village, adjacent to Hajipur, who went missing in 2015. On Tuesday, the police with the help of local villagers, searched the agricultural well to trace the body of this girl. The body is likely to be exhumed by late in the evening, he said.

The Commissioner said the 14-year-old girl who was the latest victim was returning from her school and was waiting under a tree at Bommalaramaram for transport, when Reddy offered her a lift. Since Reddy belonged to the same village, she did not suspect him. On their way, he took her to isolated place near an abandoned well, raped her and smothered her, before throwing her body into the well, he said.

Following a complaint by the girls parents, the police launched a manhunt and later in the night found her school bag near the well. Later, they fished out the girls body from the well. Post-mortem confirmed that she was raped and beaten to death.

The police apprehended Reddy on Sunday after a tip off. During the interrogation, he admitted to have committed the offence, the commissioner said.

He further said Reddy also admitted to have committed rape and murder of two more minor girls and a woman since 2015.

On March 9 this year, he had raped and murder of another 17-year-old undergraduate commerce student and dumped her body in the same abandoned well. The police team, which went to the crime spot to recreate the scene of offence, found the skeletal remains of the girl in the well.

Though the girl had gone missing, her father did not file any police complaint thinking that she might have eloped with her boyfriend. But after the police discovered her skeletal remains, he lodged a formal complaint.

In 2015, Reddy abducted an 12-year old girl of Maisireddipalle village while she was on her way to home from Hajipur village. He took her to an isolated place, sexually assaulted her and later killed her by smothering. He packed her body in a gunny bag and dumped it in the well belonging to a local farmer. We are now trying to exhume the body by tonight, Bhagawat said.

In 2016, Reddy went to Kurnool for fixing a lift on behalf of a private lift manufacturer and stayed in a rented house along with four others. They engaged a sex worker and after spending time with her, they killed her and dumped her dead body in the water tank, before vacating the house. In 2017, he and four others were arrested by Kurnool police. Later, he came out on bail, the commissioner said.

Meanwhile, the situation in Hajiipur turned tense as soon as the second body was recovered. Reddys family fled the village after irate villagers set fire to his house and demanded that the accused be killed by police.

The Rachakonda police seized a motor bike, two mobile phones and a tool kit from Reddys possession. He will be produced in the court on Wednesday.

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A landmark United Nations interagency report compares the threat from drug-resistant diseases to that from climate change and calls for urgent collaborative global action to prevent 10 million deaths annually by 2050 and economic losses as catastrophic as the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.

If countries do not scale-up financing for new drug development and regulate misuse in human, animal and plant sectors, where antimicrobials are widely used as growth promoters, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will push at least 24 million people into extreme poverty by 2030, said report by the UN Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on Antimicrobial Resistance on Monday.

Antimicrobial (including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungal and antiprotozoal) agents are critical to fight diseases in humans, animals and plants, but misuse and overuse is making an increasing number of them ineffective.

AMR is a threat to everyone, everywhere. The WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) collects data from 71 countries including India, in which more than a third of countries reported widespread resistance to common pathogens. In some member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), about 35% of common human infections are already resistant to available medicines, and in some low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), resistance rates are as high as 80%-90% for some antibiotic-bacterium combinations. Resistance to second- and third-line antibiotics, the last lines of defence against some common diseases, are projected to almost double between 2005 and 2030, said Dr Haileyesus Getahun, director of the IACG on Antimicrobial Resistance at the World Health Organization in Geneva, in an email interview.

Drug resistance currently causes at least 700,000 deaths each year, including 230,000 from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The most common drug resistant pathogens, including E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Salmonella spp., Acinetobacter spp., S aureus, S pneumoniae, N gonorrhoeae, and Shigella spp, causing a variety of blood stream infections, respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted infections and urinary tract infections, have increasingly become untreatable, according to GLASS data collated from 3,097 hospitals and 2,358 outpatients clinics in 2017.

Concurrently, inadequate access to existing antibiotics kills nearly 6 million people annually, including a million children who die of preventable sepsis and pneumonia, said Dr Getahum. If there isnt collective leadership and action between governments, pharmaceutical companies, international agencies and civil society, predictions suggest there could be as many as 10 million deaths worldwide by 2050. This would mark a return to the old days of people dying from common infections and injuries, said Dr Getahun.

Learning from climate change, the Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance comprising WHO, World Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health, has called for a One Health approach with agencies responsible for human, animal and environment health working together like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The report recommends prioritising national action plans to scale-up financing and capacity-building efforts, including putting in place stronger regulatory systems, prudent use of antimicrobials by professionals in human, animal and plant health, investing in research and development for new drugs and technologies to combat antimicrobial resistance, and urgently phasing out the use of critically important antimicrobials as growth promoters in agriculture.

Unregulated and widespread sale and misuse of antibiotics have amplified the AMR crisis in India, where poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate health care infrastructure and weak food safety and waste management systems are increasing infectious diseases in animals and humans and contributing to the spread of drug-resistant infections.

There is a need for reliable and validated diagnostics for rapid and early diagnosis of drug resistance, both in India and globally, to reduce AMR-associated complications and deaths and lower hospitalization and length of hospital stay to consequently decrease cost of healthcare. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)s AMR diagnostics taskforce is mandated to establish a mechanism for the validation of rapid AMR diagnostics and develop target product profiles for diagnostics in the country, said Dr Kamini Walia, programme officer AMR, division of epidemiology and communicable diseases, ICMR.

Indias national programme on containment of AMR launched in 2017 is floundering because of a lack of leadership. Banning fixed drug combinations have worked, but the redline campaign (red line on medicine packages to mark sale against prescription only) needs to be strengthened. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has banned certain drugs for growth promotion, but better convergence is needed for ongoing initiatives, including whether AMR programmes should be run by the Centre or driven by the states, said a scientist in the health ministry who did not want to be named.

The biggest challenge is the lack of a sustainable innovation ecosystem. The bankruptcy of small biotech firm Achaogen, which successfully developed a new antibiotic that was effective at treating drug resistant urinary tract infections, highlights the challenge to developing new antibiotics and bringing them to market. Going forward, its important to find ways to incentivize investment in research and development to replenish the pipeline of antimicrobials Unless we act today, a disaster will (be) unleash(ed) in a generation, said Dr Getahun.

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The Election Commission on Tuesday said it will seek further clarification from the ministry of home affairs on certain aspects for the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Commission decided that it will also seek the opinion of an eminent Legal Expert on the ongoing Presidents rule in the state. The poll panel has held several deliberations on the matter till now.

The governors office and the MHA have recommended holding elections in September, while observers had said that the polls could be conducted once the Lok Sabha polls end.
Four members of a Sikh family, including a relative visiting from Punjab were found shot dead at their home in West Chester, Ohio state Sunday night, police said.

West Chester Police Chief Joel Herzog told reporters the victims were found by another relative who called the police. My wife and my family are bleeding ... theyre on the ground and theyre bleeding, the family member said on the 911 call that was released by the police.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said one of the deceased was an Indian national on a visit to US while others were persons of Indian origin.

The matter is under investigation by the Police but it is not a hate crime. Our Consul General in New York is coordinating with the concerned authorities and will keep me informed, Sushma Swaraj tweeted.

West Chester police had not identified the victims, but a local news publication, The Enquirer, reported they were Hakikat Singh Panag, his wife Paramjit Kaur, their adult daughter Shalinder Kaur and his sister-in-law Amarjit Kaur. The 911 call is believed to have been made by Panags son-in-law.

Police have not given details or the motive of the crime. There were no indications if it was hate crime. No suspect has been identified.

An official of the local Guru Nanak Society of Greater Cincinnati, which held a prayer service Monday, said that the victims had been shot in the head. The official also said one of the victims was a relative visiting from Punjab, India, probably Amarjit Kaur.
The CPI (ML) has alleged that the Nitish government is again trying to hush up a case of sexual abuse of girls at a shelter home at Muzaffarpur in 2013.

Citing a report published in a vernacular daily, CPI (ML) politburo member Kavita Krishnan said here on Monday that during an investigation of infamous Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case, former superintendent of police, Harpreet Kaur, had stumbled upon sexual exploitation of girls at a short stay home.

Strangely, on November 19, 2013 three FIRS were lodged in this connection. It was alleged that three girls were raped. Eight persons, barring government officials, were made accused in it, she said. At that time 18-19 girls stayed in the shelter home.

Krishnan said six persons were arrested but two could not be traced. The shelter home was closed and the girls were first shifted to Patna then to Muzaffarpur. However, there is no record of how many girls out of 19 were shifted to which place, she alleged.

The CPI politburo member said the incident took place when Nitish Kumar was the CM and Sushil Kumar Modi was deputy chief minister. Now, both are talking of protecting the girls, but they are not safe in Bihar, she said, adding in election they were raising the issue and after polls they would take it up in a big way.

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The Union home ministry has served a notice on Congress president Rahul Gandhi asking him to explain in a fortnight his position on a claim by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy that he is a British national and not an Indian  a contention the opposition party termed as rubbish and a move it described as a sign that the BJP was facing defeat in the general elections.

Swamy wrote a complaint on September 21, 2017, to Union home minister Rajnath Singh about the registration in 2003 and dissolution in 2009 of a company called Backops Ltd in London in which Gandhi was named as one of the directors.

It has been brought out in the complaint that in the companys annual returns filed on 10/10/2005 and 31/10/2006, your date of birth has been given as 19/06/1970 and that you have declared your nationality as British. Further, in the dissolution application dated 17/02/2009 of the above refereed company, your nationality has been mentioned as British, said the letter to Gandhi from BC Joshi, director of citizenship at home ministry.

You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this Ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication, said the letter dated April 29.

With three phases of polling still due to be completed in the 17th general election that will end on May 19, the move is expected to inject a new element of bitterness into a campaign that has already been marred by allegations and counter-allegations of malfeasance, violations of the model code of electoral conduct, and Opposition complaints about malfunctioning electronic voting machines. The Opposition has also accused the Election Commission of India (EC) of ignoring violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A petition was also filed before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court that called on the court to cancel Rahul Gandhis Lok Sabha membership, claiming the Congress leader had filed tax returns in London in which he was described as a British national. Indias Constitution says that any person voluntarily acquiring a foreign passport automatically loses Indian citizenship.

In November 2015, the Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the citizenship of Gandhi while noting that PILs were not meant to target one individual or organisation but was a medium to resolve human suffering through good governance.

The Congress said the notice was a move by the BJP to divert peoples attention from key electoral issues. The entire world knows Rahul Gandhi is an Indian citizen by birth. Modi ji has no answer for unemployment, he has no answer for agrarian distress and black money, thats why hes resorting to a fake narrative, said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost the plot. After four phases of elections, it is clear that Modiji and the BJP are hurtling towards an imminent defeat at a breakneck speed. Consequently, they seek to manufacture one malicious and fallacious agenda everyday, Surjewala said at a press conference.

He cited a certificate of incorporation of the UK firm, Backops, in which Rahul Gandhi worked as a director, to support his claim that Gandhi had duly disclosed his Indian nationality.

In Amethi, Rahul Gandhis sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said the home ministrys notice was rubbish.

I have never heard such rubbish. All know Rahul Gandhi was born, raised here, she said. The entire country knows he was born here. He was brought up in front of them. What rubbish is this? Priyanka Gandhi shot back when asked about the notice.

Home minister Rajnath Singh said the timing of the communication was not relevant even though it had been served in the middle of general elections.

If any member of Parliament raises a question in Parliament, it becomes necessary to respond to it. If any MP writes a letter to any ministry, then necessary proceedings are undertaken. It is not a big development, it is a normal process, Singh said in Lucknow, adding that Swamy had written about the issue to the home ministry several times and raised it in Parliament.

Swamy, in his complaint to Rajnath Singh, asked him to take necessary steps to see if this prima facie evidence is rebuttable, and if not, order that Rahul Gandhi be stripped of his citizenship, and his membership of the Lok Sabha, forthwith.

A senior home ministry official, who requested anonymity, said a fresh complaint was received by the ministry this month and as per procedure a notice was sent to him [Gandhi] to clarify his citizenship status.

The BJP had also alleged discrepancies in Rahul Gandhis nomination form for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. The documents were found to be valid by the returning officer.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told a press conference on Tuesday that Gandhi seemed to be a mystery man.

This is about three Cs: citizenship, confusion and clarification. The question of citizenship raised by the home ministry is based on authenticated documents, he said. We would like to ask him if he is Rahul Gandhi London wale, or Rahul Gandhi Lutyens wale. Since he has created the confusion, only he can clear it, he said.

Rahul Gandhi chooses to become UK citizen but probably wants to remain Indian by compulsion because he is a Lok Sabha MP and does politics in the name of his family, Patra added.

On Tuesday, other opposition parties backed Rahul Gandhi. Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, whose party is an ally of the Congress in Bihar, said the allegations were baseless.

These type of baseless allegations to grab headlines for a day, which is the intention of Subramanian Swamy. He is a guided missile, he said.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) general secretary DP Tripathi said: Subramanian Swamy has been raising these issues for several years but has never produced concrete proof to support his allegations. The home ministry should not have served notice to him [Gandhi] without any proof.

Communist Party of India leader D Raja said: Rahul Gandhi has been issued a voter ID. Then why is there confusion over his citizenship? The timing of issuing this notice to the Congress president is questionable.

Three phases of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections have been completed so far. The next three rounds are due to take place on May 6, 12 and 19.
Trade in three key winter-sown crops  mustard, lentil (masur) and gram (channa)  has got off to a poor start, selling mostly below federally mixed minimum support prices (MSPs) in key agricultural markets of the country, official data shows, highlighting the continuing agrarian crisis.

Price data from Agmarknet, the government arm that tracks commodity rates in major agricultural markets, indicate that farmers income could take a hit again this year if prices dont pick up. After poor prices roiled agricultural incomes in 2016-17 and 2017-18 amid bumper harvests, farmers staged protests in several states. This prompted the government to set MSPs, an assured price, at 1.5 times the input costs  or expenses incurred by farmers towards cultivation  so that cultivators get at least 50% returns.

Winter harvests began arriving in wholesale markets on April 1, which marks the beginning of the peak rabi or winter-sown marketing season. So far, prices of major crops have barely touched MSP levels, except for wheat. Wheat usually gives higher returns to farmers because it is bought by the government in large quantities at declared MSPs.

In October 2018, the Centre raised the MSP of winter lentils (masur) by 5.3% to Rs. 4,475 a quintal (100 kg), while the support price for mustard, the winter oilseed, was raised by 5% to Rs. 4,200 per quintal. Wheat MSP was raised to Rs.1,840 a quintal, a 6% hike over the previous year. The support price for gram or chickpeas was raised by 5% to Rs. 4,620 per quintal.

MSP is a floor price set by the Centre to help avoid distress sale and also serve as a benchmark rate, but price trends show farmers will find it tough to sell winter crops at such prices. Experts say the government isnt buying sufficient quantities at these rates (known as procurement) to mop up surpluses and pull up overall rates. This is a key reason stoking the countrys continuing agrarian distress.

Mustard has so far on average sold 17% below MSP (between April 1 and 15). In most markets in Rajasthan, the largest grower of winter mustard, the commodity has failed to reach MSP levels.

For instance, between April 1-15 in Rajasthans Alwar, which is categorised as a principal market for that commodity, mustard prices ranged between a low of Rs. 3,425 a quintal (on April 1) and a high of Rs. 3,650 a quintal (on April 10), against an MSP of Rs. 4,200, the data showed.

Thats 16% below MSP. During this period, about 8,971 quintals were traded in Alwar, with daily arrivals of nearly 1000 quintals, which indicates Alwar is a major mustard trading hub.

In Uttar Pradesh, the fourth largest producer of mustard, the commodity sold 15% below MSP between April 1 and 15. In the states Hapur agricultural market, mustard prices last week trended 13% below MSP, ranging between a high of Rs. 3,660 (April 25) and a low of Rs. 3,600 (April 29) against an MSP of Rs. 4,200.

This year will end up like last year because most items are selling below MSP. I dont think wheat is doing any better in states where the governments procurement system is weak. That is why we have been demanding a law prohibiting buying of crops below MSP, said Rakesh Tikait, the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.

Farmers arent getting MSP rates for gram, another major winter crop, which on average sold 12% below the MSP rate of Rs. 4,620 between April 1 and 15. In Gujarats Dahod agricultural market, gram sold on average for Rs. 4,250 a quintal (8% below an MSP of Rs. 4,260) in this period.

Gram prices continue to be depressed elsewhere. Between April 23 and April 29 in Madhya Pradeshs Dewas and Vidisha market, gram fetched on average Rs. 3,900. In Vidisha, the commodity touched MSP levels on April 27 before dipping again. Lentil prices too were lower than MSP by 9% in the last fortnight. In Madhya Pradeshs Ujjain, for instance, the average price was Rs. 3,400 against an MSP of Rs. 4,475.

An official overseeing procurement of oilseeds and pulses said on condition of anonymity that since this is the beginning of the procurement season and prices would improve in the next two months. In states such as Rajasthan, which has a less robust procurement machinery compared to states such as Punjab, even wheat was trending below MSP in some markets. For instance, in Alwar, wheat sold for Rs, 1,725 between April 23 and April 27, about 6% below the MSP of Rs. 1,840. The government procured only about half of maximum allowable limit of 25% oilseeds and pulses in 2018. It must at least procure 25% to effect a change in market rates, said Abhishek Agarwal, Comtrade Ltd.

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China is expected to lift its hold on blacklisting Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar at a UN sanctions committee on May 1, paving the way for further global financial sanctions against the banned group, people familiar with the development said.

Azhars designation as a global terrorist would be a major diplomatic victory for the Narendra Modi government, which has been pushing for the move particularly since the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama.

May Day is going to be the death knell for Masood Azhar, as he will be designated as a global terrorist by the UNs Islamic State and al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, with Beijing caving in to the global demand led by the US, France and the UK that the main orchestrator of the Pulwama attack be brought to book, said a senior official who asked not to be named.

Also Read | Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Imran Khan, calls for improvement of Indo-Pak relations

China is expected to lift the technical hold which it had placed on March 13 on the proposal by the US, the UK and France, with all other Security Council members approving the move, he added.

While there were reports suggesting that Beijing wanted to lift the hold around May 15, the other members of the UN Security Council, led by the US, have made it clear that time was running out for China and its all-weather ally Pakistan on the issue of Azhar.

Soon after the Pulwama attack by a JeM suicide bomber that killed 40 Indian troopers, France, with the backing of the US and the UK, moved a proposal at the UNs 1267 Sanctions Committee to designate Azhar as a global terrorist.

Also Read | UK optimistic about listing of Masood Azhar as global terrorist at UN

Members of the committee, who are the same as the 15 members of the Security Council, had 10 working days to raise objections to the proposal. On March 13, the final day, China placed a hold on the proposal, saying more time was needed to discuss the matter.

This was the fourth time China blocked the designation of Azhar even though JeM was proscribed by the UN in October 2001.

The development infuriated the US and its allies, which circulated a draft resolution on listing Azhar among the UN Security Councils members to force Chinas hand.

During a visit to India last week, the US principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells, conveyed to her Indian interlocutors that Washington was looking for action against Azhar in the near term, people familiar with the developments said.

The UK high commissioner, Dominic Asquith, also told reporters last week that his country was optimistic about Azhars listing.

Azhar was released on December 31, 1999, in a hostage swap at Kandahar airport after an Indian airliner was hijacked by Pakistani terrorists. He has been accused of masterminding some of the most heinous terror attacks in India. Before Pulwama, the JeM was responsible for the 2016 attack on Pathankot airbase, the 2001 attack on Parliament, the Jammu and Kashmir assembly attack the same year, and a series of assaults against security forces in Kashmir.

The 50-year-old Azhar is suffering from a life threatening spinal cord ailment and is bed-ridden but plays an active role in orchestrating attacks against India with the help of brothers Athar Ibrahim and Rauf Asghar. The JeM operates from a newly built headquarters in Bhawalpur, which also houses the grave of Azhars father Sabir Alvi. Three of his kin, including two nephews, have been gunned down by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir since 2017.

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Though most Indians remained satisfied with the way democracy was working in their country, the number of those dissatisfied had grown, registering the biggest jump among the more than two dozen countries surveyed for a new study released Monday.

The number of Indians dissatisfied jumped by 22 points from 11% in 2017 to 33% in 2018, said the study by Pew Research Center, which was the most among the 27 nations surveyed. Though those satisfied were still in majority at 54%, which was higher than 40% and 42% in the United States and the United Kingdom respectively and the 27-nation median of 45% (51% of them were dissatisfied).

But there was a party-line split on the perception of the functioning of democracy across the board. Dissatisfaction was higher among people who did not support the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance than among its supporters, the study found. While only 16% of those who supported the National Democratic Alliance were dissatisfied with the way democracy was working in the country, 42% of those who did not support the ruling coalition were dissatisfied, according to India-specific data provided by Pew in response to a request from Hindustan Times.

India was also no exception to the strong correlation found by the survey generally between assessments of the functioning of democracy and views of the state of the economy  dissatisfaction was linked to poor or bad economy. While 12% of Indians thought the economy was in a bad shape in 2017, 30% for them subscribed to that dismal view in 2018.

India stands out as the country in which concerns about the economy increased the most of any of the 27 surveyed, said Laura Silver, a senior researcher at Pew.

Asked how relevant these findings, which were based on a survey conducted a year ago in the spring of 2018, could be in the elections currently underway in India, Silver said that though some level of fluctuation in peoples satisfaction with democracy is possible (over time)  some of the patterns weve identified here could be relevant for the Indian election.

Silver suggested three findings that could. Two of them were, as already reported. One, dissatisfaction with the working of democracy was higher among people who dont support the ruling NDA; and, two, those unhappy with the economy will be most dissatisfied.

The third finding, true also for other countries, was the impact of frustrations with political corruption on the assessment about the functioning of democracy. In India, 64% agreed with the statement posed to them in the questionnaire that the statement most politicians are corrupt describes their country well. People who feel this way tend to be more dissatisfied with democracy, the report said.

That was 10 points above the 27-nation median of 54% of respondents who believed politicians are generally corrupt, reflecting the mood in the 27 countries surveyed, some of whom seemed more frustrated than others. In Russia, for instance, 82% of those surveyed said they agreed politicians were corrupt, and so did 70% of the Italians and Hungarians and 69% of the Americans.

Other factors that could have an impact, though much weaker. included the perception of respondents about the the rights of people to express themselves, a fundamental right. Of Indians not satisfied with the state of democracy in their country, 52% agreed with one of the questions posed to them that free speech was not protected in the country.
A Surat sessions court on Tuesday sentenced Narayan Sai, the son of jailed self-styled godman Asaram, to life imprisonment in a rape case filed against him by a former woman disciple in 2013.

Additional sessions judge P S Gadhvi handed the life sentence to 47-year-old Sai and imposed a fine of ~1 lakh on him.

The court also directed Sai to pay 5 lakh as compensation to the victim.

The court had pronounced the judgement in the case on April 26 when it convicted five of the 11 accused and acquitted the rest.

Besides Sai, who has been lodged at Surats Lajpore jail since his arrest in 2013, the court sentenced his three aides, including two women, to 10 years each in jail for various offences related to the case. His driver Rajkumar alias Ramesh Malhotra was sentenced to six months in jail. Dharmishtha, Bhavna and Pavan were fined

~5,000 each by the court.

There was no medical or any other evidence against Sai. The judgement was given based on statement of the victim. The verdict should be challenged in the high court, said Sais lawyer B N Gupta. The court had convicted Sai under IPC sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy), while his aides were found guilty of abetment to the crime.

Dharmishtha, Bhavna and Pavan were held guilty of being part of a conspiracy, while Sais driver Malhotra was convicted under IPC section 212 (harbouring offender).

Sai was arrested from Pipli near Haryanas Kurukshetra in December 2013 after two sisters from Surat filed rape complaints against him and his father Asaram in October that year.

One of the women had accused Sai of repeated sexual assaults when they were living at Asarams ashram between 2002 and 2005 in Surat. The victims elder sister also made a similar allegation against Asaram while she was living at an ashram on the outskirts of Ahmedabad between 1997 and 2006.The defence lawyer had pleaded for four years imprisonment as the victim was neither a minor nor had left the ashram after the rape on multiple occasions. The court also dismissed the defence argument that victim had taken 10 years to file the complaint.

We had sought for life imprisonment as Sai had exploited his powerful position as a religious leader. Besides, the law says that irrespective of delay in filing of FIR, the statement of victim is important, said public prosecutor P N Parmar.

 I want to tell fellow women in India to stay away from fake and corrupt sadhus, said the complainant, hours after court awarded life imprisonment.

Sais father Asaram was convicted by a Jodhpur court in a rape case in April last year and sentenced to a life term.
Scientists and experts said on Tuesday there is no evidence to back the presence of the mythical Yeti after the Indian Army said it has sighted the footprints of the ape-like creature of folklores in eastern Nepal.

The army tweeted late on Monday to say that one of its mountaineering expedition had come across the footprints of the Yeti, or the abominable snowman as it is known in legends, near the Makalu Base Camp earlier in April. It also posted pictures of what it said were the mysterious footprints of only a single foot.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast Yeti measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past (sic), the army tweeted.

Watch | Indian Army tweets it found Yeti footprints, gets trolled

Joint secretary of Nepals forest department Maheshwar Dakal said the Makalu-Barun National Park has a healthy population of the brown bear but they have no evidence that the Yeti exists in the area.

We cannot ascertain the presence of the Yeti unless we have proof in the form of pictures or others. The footprint does not explain all and could be of bear or snow leopard, Dakal said.

Dipankar Ghose, the director of the species and landscape programme of the World Wide Fund-India, said it was unbelievable that such a species exists which has not been discovered yet.

Because of the melting of snow, sometimes footprints of animals are splayed on snow. Also the hindpaw prints of bears look like human footprints which cause confusion to untrained eyes, Ghose explained the lack of the second footprint in the armys photos.

Several scientists at Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who have worked in Nepal but not in the park, also said the footprints could be those of a bear.

It could be the footprints of a brown bear and I do not believe that such a species (Yeti) exist in that part of the Himalayas, Bivash Pandav, a senior scientist at the institute, said.

Santosh Mani of WWF Nepal said that people in the region used to call the brown bear Yeti several decades ago.

Locals in common parlance used to term a brown bear as Yeti. But, now they are well sensitised and understand how a brown bear looks like.

He said that the footprints could be of an overgrown brown bear.

The Yeti, said to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, has largely been regarded by scientists as a mythical creature in the past as well.

A 2017 study of the genetic research on purported specimens of the legendary beast said to live in the Himalayan region, analysed nine bone, tooth, skin, hair and faecal samples from museum and private collections attributed to the Yeti and found that eight came from Asian black bears, Himalayan brown bears or Tibetan brown bears and one came from a dog.

This strongly suggests that the Yeti legend has a root in biological facts and that it has to do with bears that are living in the region today, Charlotte Lindqvist, the biologist who led the study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, had said then.

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been issued a notice by the home ministry to explain his position over complaints on his citizenship. The complaint has been filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy who has alleged that Rahul Gandhi is a British citizen.

The home ministry asked the Congress chief to explain his factual position in the matter within a fortnight of receipt of the communication.

The home ministry said it has received a representation from Dr Subramanian Swamy in which it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in the year 2003, with address 51 Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9EH and that you were one of the directors and secretary of the said company.

Also Watch: Nonsense: Priyanka Gandhi on notice to Rahul Gandhi on citizenship row

It has been brought out in the complaint that in the complaint that in the companys annual returns filed on 10/10/2005 and 31/10/2006, your date of birth has been given as 19/06/1970 and that you have declared your nationality as British. Further, in the dissolution application dated 17/02/2009 of the above refereed company, your nationality has been mentioned as British, says the letter from BC Joshi, director of citizenship, home ministry.

Also read: Rahul Gandhis Amethi nomination papers valid, says Election Commission officer amid row

Congress said the notice is a political move by the BJP to divert the attention of the public from key issues. The entire world knows Rahul Gandhi is Indian citizen by birth. Modi ji has no answer for unemployment, he has no answer for agrarian distress and black money, thats why hes resorting to fake narrative, said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

The BJP had raised allegations of discrepancies in Rahul Gandhis nomination form for Amethi Lok Sabha seat. His nomination papers were found valid by the returning officer.

A petition was also filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court that wanted the judges to cancel Rahul Gandhis Lok Sabha membership, claiming that the Congress leader had filed tax returns in London in which he was described as a British national.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the Centre four days instead of four weeks to file its reply to the review petitions filed in the Rafale case and allowed Congress president Rahul Gandhi to file a good affidavit in a related contempt case after the judges said they werent convinced by his expression of regret on the matter.

Attorney general KK Venugopal sought four weeks time to file the Centres reply. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, directed the government to file its reply by May 4 and posted the matter for hearing on May 6. The bench, also comprising justice Sanjay Kaul and justice KM Joseph, sought the Centres reply on a separate plea by the petitioner to initiate perjury action against officials who allegedly misguided the apex court in the Rafale case.

Venugopal told the court: The Centre has circulated a letter in the review petition for adjournment of the proceedings. We need time to file counter in the review petition. No formal notices have been issued.

On December 14, the Supreme Court dismissed all petitions seeking a court-monitored probe of the ~59,000 crore Rafale fighter jet deal with France, saying that there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the deal. The petitioners, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and advocate Prashant Bhushan, moved the Supreme Court for a review of the verdict.

The petition said the verdict contained errors and relied on incorrect claims made by the government in an unsigned note given in a sealed cover to the court.

On the contempt petition against Gandhi filed by the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) Meenakshi Lekhi, the CJI told the Congress presidents lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi: We have difficulty in understanding what you are trying to say [in the affidavit]. You make a statement and justify it. How can you attribute the statement to us? Where is the complete regret? You take 22 pages to express regret.

Gandhi last week filed an affidavit to explain his first reaction to the April 10 court ruling on use of leaked defence ministry documents for the Rafale review petition. Gandhi then appeared to remark that the court said Chowkidar chor hai [the watchman is a thief], repeating a slogan that he and the Congress have used to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gandhi has told the court that his remarks were not meant to obstruct administration of justice or scandalise the court in any manner. Gandhi also apologised for ascribing comments to the court and said this happened in the heat of campaigning.

CJI Gogoi questioned Gandhis latest affidavit and asked: What is the meaning of expression of regret ?

Justice Kaul said: The affidavit is full of contradictions. At one point you say I was misled by the situation, at some other place you say something else. When you make a mistake, admit it.

Singhivi tried to persuade the judges that Gandhi had clearly regretted the mistake and said:Regret is same as apology, I have checked the dictionary. If there is a deficiency in the previous affidavit, please allow me to file a new affidavit. I will make a better affidavit. I sincerely apologise for attributing the comments to the Supreme Court.

But when he didnt satisfy the court, the senior lawyer offered to file a fresh affidavit.

Appearing for Lekhi, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi asked the court to reject Gandhis affidavit and proceed against him. Rohatgi argued: He has put words in the mouth of Supreme Court for political gains. Identical affidavit was filed 10 days back. This is the grossest form of contempt.

Speaking to reporters later, Lekhi said: His lawyer apologising on his behalf in the court is not enough. Rahul Gandhi should file a written affidavit seeking an apology. It is clear that our petition was right and they have committed a crime, they are trying to justify their crime, meaning they have no fear of the judiciary.

The court will now hear the contempt case against Rahul Gandhi on May 10.

The National Democratic Alliances decision to enter an $8.7 billion government-to-government deal with France to buy 36 Rafale warplanes made by Dassault Aviation was announced in April 2015, with an agreement signed a little over a year later. This replaced the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regimes decision to buy 126 Rafale aircraft, 108 of which were to be made in India by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

The deal has become controversial with the opposition, led by the Congress, claiming that the price at which India is buying Rafale aircraft now is ~1,670 crore for each, three times the ~526 crore, the initial bid by the company when the UPA was trying to buy the aircraft. It has also claimed the previous deal included a technology transfer agreement with HAL.

The NDA has not disclosed details of the price, but the UPA deal, struck in 2012, was not a viable one, former defence minister Manohar Parrikar has previously said, implying that it would have never been closed and that, therefore, any comparison was moot. Indeed, the UPA was not able to close the deal till 2014, largely over discussions related to pricing of items not included in the initial bid.
A SpiceJet aircraft carrying 189 passengers from Delhi overshot the runway while landing at Shirdi airport on Monday evening. While no passenger injuries have been reported, officials said the plane was stuck on the ground and airport operations had to be temporarily shut down.

SpiceJet officials said two pilots operating the aircraft have been suspended pending an inquiry. The airlines spokesperson confirmed SpiceJet aircraft SG 946 flying from Delhi to Shirdi overshot the runway. Passengers and crew were safe and deplaned normally, the spokesperson said.

Dhiren Bhosle, airport director of Shirdi said, We have sought help from various nearby airports to tow the stuck aircraft on the runway and resume operations. However, our operations will remain suspended until Tuesday morning.

The incident is reported to have happened at 4.30pm with the aircraft overshooting the 2,500-metre runway by around 50 metres. An airport official said flights that had lined up to depart thereafter had to be cancelled or were delayed. This included an Alliance Air flight that was flying to Mumbai from Shirdi.

An Alliance Air flight from Hyderabad to Shirdi had to return soon after take-off.

Officials at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said their representatives reached Shirdi airport in the evening for preliminary investigation after which the case will be handed over to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
The Telangana police are questioning a 28-year old air-conditioner mechanic who allegedly raped and murdered three girls at Hajipur village of Bommalaramaram block of Yadadri Bhongir district, about 50 km east of Hyderabad, over the last four years.

While the body a 14-year old girl studying ninth class, who went missing on Friday evening, was found in a deep, abandoned well on the outskirts of village late in the night, the skeletal remains of another 18-year old girl, who had gone missing from the same village in March, were found in the same well by the police on Monday.

Following this, the police are now suspecting that another 12-year old girl of Maisireddipalle village adjacent to Hajipur, who had been missing since 2015, could also have met the same fate. On Tuesday, the police with the help of local villagers undertook excavation of the well to trace the body of the third girl.

We have taken one Marri Srinivas Reddy, a local air-conditioner mechanic into custody on Sunday for questioning. Reddy is allegedly a drug addict, Bhongir deputy superintendent of police Narayana Reddy told the reporters Tuesday.

A police official familiar with the investigation said Reddy admitted to have committed rape and murder of the ninth standard girl on Friday. She had alighted from an autorickshaw near Bommalaramaram and was walking towards Hajipur, which was five kilometres away, when the accused offered her a lift on his bike.

Since he belonged to the same village, she did not suspect him. But before they reached the village, he took a detour and raped and murdered her before dumping her body deep into the abandoned well, the official said.

Following a complaint from the girls parents, the Bhongir police launched a manhunt and later in the night found her school bag near the well. Later, they fished out the girls body from the well and a post-mortem was conducted in the Bhongir hospital the following day revealed that she was raped and beaten mercilessly to death.

Based on the inquiries, the police took Srinivas Reddy into custody for questioning and he finally admitted to have committed the crime. The police who went to the well to recreate the scene of offence as part of investigation, found the skeletal remains of another girl in the same well.

With the help of fire services staff, the police excavated the skeleton which was sent for forensic examination. Based on a identity card in a backpack found in the area, the police identified the remains as that of a 18-year old commerce undergraduate student of Hajipur studying in Keesara, who had not returned home since March 15.

Her father had not lodged a police complaint after she went missing thinking that she might have eloped with her boyfriend. But after the police discovered her skeletal remains, he lodged a formal complaint. The police now suspect that this murder also could have been committed by Srinivas Reddy.

The discovery of the remains of second girl led to a tense situation in the village, as a large number of people rushed to the open well. Reddys family fled the village following the incident and irate villagers set fire to his house and demanded that the accused be shot dead by the police.

The police are now investigating whether Reddy was behind the missing of another 12-year old girl from neighbouring Maisireddypally village since 2015. The girl had come to Hajipur to meet her aunt on April 22, 2015, but never returned. The case had since been closed as she could not be traced despite hectic search.

The police initially suspected a few youth in the village, but concluded that Reddy could have committed all the three murders alone. He is expected to be formally arrested soon and produced in court.

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Three more AIADMK legislators, loyal to former party chief VK Sasikalas nephew and Amma Makkal Munntera Kazhagam (AMMK) general secretary, TTV Dhinarakan, face the prospect of being axed with Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker, P Dhanapal issuing notices on Tuesday, asking why they should not be disqualified from the House.

The three rebel legislators A Prabhu (Kallakurichi), V Rathinasabapathy (Aranthangi), VT Kalaiselvan (Vriddachalam) have to respond to the notices within seven days.

The Speakers action followed a complaint by AIADMK Chief Whip S Rajendran on Friday charging the three MLAs with acting against the party and the government headed by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Rajendran was accompanied by Law Minister CV Shanmugam. Recommending their disqualification, they submitted photographs with Dhinakaran as proof of their anti-party activities.

The Speakers notices come close on the heels of the Lok Sabha poll and Assembly bypolls for 18 seats and ahead of the May 19 bypoll to four assembly seats.

Commenting on the development, Dhinakarans lieutenant, Thanga Tamilselvan described it as a panic reaction of the AIADMK as it is rattled about the partys imminent rout in the Lok Sabha elections for 39 constituencies in the state and the bye-election to the 18 assembly seats. They have lost all hope, and hence resorting to this, Tamilselvan said.

The Speaker is once again misusing the powers vested with him. The disqualification of 18 MLAs in 2017 itself was an unethical move and a murder of democracy. Now, he is proceeding on the same path. This clearly shows how rattled is the AIADMK leadership about facing a whitewash in the Lok Sabha polls and the assembly bypolls, he said.

The three rebels have continued to support Dhinakaran even after the disqualification of 18 MLAs in September 2017. The disqualification of the 18 MLAs was upheld by Madras High Court in October 2018 and elections have been held to those constituencies along with the LS poll on April 18. And the remaining four are going to the polls on May 19.

Rajendrans meeting with the Speaker also fuelled speculation of an impending move to disqualify Thamimun Ansari of the Muslim outfit, Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi. But Ansari who was among the three independents who contested on the AIADMK tickets and extended support to the DMK-led alliance in the LS elections, was let off the hook.

Earlier on Friday and subsequently, Rajendran and Shanmugam have told the media that they have tendered enough proof to take action against the trio.

The trio have associated themselves with Dhinakaran and hold office in his party. We have submitted to the Speaker necessary proof about their anti-party activities and recommended to take action against the errant MLAs, they explained.

While Rathinasabapathi maintained that he would respond to the notice once he received it, VT Kalaiselvan wondered how the Whip concluded that his actions were against the government.

I have never acted against the government and I continue to support it. Have I ever gone against the Whip? Or spoke against the government in the Assembly? he asked.

The three MLAs maintain that they were given ticket by Amma (Jayalalithaa) and that any action against them is tantamount to denigrating her.

In the 234-member House, the AIADMKs strength has been reduced to 113, including the Speaker, after the disqualification of 18 Dhinakaran supporters. Among the 113 are the three rebels and three independent MLAs who won on the AIADMK ticket but remain fence sitters. While the DMK has 88 MLAs, its allies, the Congress has 9 and IUML 1. TTV Dhinakaran who became an independent MLA in December 2017, launched his party in March 2018.

In the event of the disqualification of the trio, the AIADMKs strength would come down to 110 which is below the requirement of 116 MLAs for a simple majority. As such, the Assembly bypoll has become a litmus test for the AIADMK.
As global challenges in peace-keeping, development and governance and trust intensify, the field of international relations is finding it necessary to make profound adjustments. China has been an active participant in multilateral cooperation, most notably through APEC, G20 and BRICS, yet interpretations of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) vary in view of China's involvement in global governance, which gave rise to a heated discussion at a roundtable in Beijing last Saturday.



The Wanshou Roundtable, a special session of the 28th Wanshou Forum co-hosted by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and Tsinghua University, had the theme of "Multilateralism and Global Governance." Officials and experts attending the 2nd Belt and Road Forum last week were invited to participate.

During the roundtable, questions were raised about whether China intends to lead the reform of global multilateralism through the BRI.

He Changchui, executive president of the Academy of Digital China and former deputy director-general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, addressed this question: "The BRI can restore, or at least help the world to restore, faith in multilateralism and global governance."

"The whole idea of BRI is based on the principle of seeking shared benefits through extensive consultation and joint contribution, by which every participant country can get involved and feel the achievement," He added. He also noted that China's concept of a human community with a shared future dovetailed with the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals, which could contribute to the improvement of global governance.

Furthering the discussion, Zhang Feng, vice dean of the Department of International Relations at Australian National University, pointed out the BRI's vision of seeking common ground while setting aside differences.

"The mission of BRI is to narrow down differences and to expand the intersection between East and West regarding how to practice global governance. However, this requires continuous self-improvement of the BRI," Zhang said, appealing for a responsible, moral, moderate, and systematic approach to the BRI.

"The BRI should be responsible both to China and to the international community. It should contribute to balanced development of the domestic economy, and meanwhile, it must ensure fiscal sustainability in countries along its route. The so-called 'debt trap' doesn't exist, but the debt problems resulting from unsustainable development policy must be handled properly."

Zhang further recognized the institutional improvement of the BRI signaled by China's endorsement of the Guiding Principles on Financing the Development of the Belt and Road.
Rahul Gandhis sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came out in defence of her brother after the party president was issued a notice by the government to explain his position over complaints on his citizenship.

The Bharatiya Janata Partys lawmaker Subramanian Swamy filed the complaint alleging that Rahul Gandhi is a British citizen.

The Union minister of home affairs has asked the Congress chief to explain his factual position in the matter within a fortnight of receipt of the communication.

The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh? Priyanka Gandhi asked on Tuesday, according to news agency ANI.

Also read: Govt notice to Rahul Gandhi over citizenship complaint, Congress says fake narrative

The Congress party had said earlier that the notice was a political move by the BJP to divert the attention of the public from key issues.

The entire world knows Rahul Gandhi is Indian citizen by birth. Modi ji has no answer for unemployment, he has no answer for agrarian distress and black money, thats why hes resorting to a fake narrative, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had said.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday after a fire broke out at New Delhis Shastri Bhawan that houses offices of several ministries.

Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming, Gandhi tweeted.

The fire department was alerted about the incident around 2:45pm and the fire was doused within 10 minutes, said Atul Garg, chief fire officer (Delhi Fire Services). He added that seven fire tenders were sent to the spot.

Garg said files were not gutted in the fire. ...some old computers, wires, coolers stored for repair and old furniture were burnt. These were stacked on the terrace of the sixth floor of the building, said Garg.

Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming. https://t.co/eqFvTJfDgY  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 30, 2019

Gandhi continued his attack on Modi in Madhya Pradeshs. In the Bundelkhand regions Tikamgarh district, he said Modis face has shrivelled as he is staring at an imminent defeat in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

He reiterated his allegation that Modi sided with rich businessmen, while assuring that the Congresss proposed minimum income guarantee scheme, or Nyay, for the poorest families will be a game-changer.

Narendra Modi haar rahe hai. Unka chehera sikud gaya hai. Unka interview dekhiye. Woh jhijhak-jhijhak ke bol rahe hai...darr kar bol rahe hai. Congress party ki sarkar aa rahi hai (Narendra Modi is going to be defeated. His face has shrivelled. Watch his interviews. He is speaking with hesitation...He is afraid. The Congress party is coming to power), he said.

BJP state spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, Gandhi has been making wild allegations throughout the campaign. The people can see through it. They want a strong country, and they want Modiji back as the prime minister.
After their attempts to forge an alliance in Delhi for the Lok Sabha polls failed, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress are vying for the support of the Muslim community, which plays a decisive role in three of the seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi. A split in this support base will benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), say political analysts.

While campaigning in Muslim-dominated areas, the two parties are asking people to choose wisely. Muslims are a sizeable population in Chandni Chowk, North East Delhi and East Delhi parliamentary constituencies.

Trying to stage a comeback in Delhi, the Congress, which governed the city for 15 years till 2013, is reaching out to the community. But the Congresss bigger worry is that these votes may be spilt.

Political analyst Sanjay Kumar, director, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, said, There is likely to be a split in the non-BJP votes. The Congress is likely to get support of Muslims as it is a national party and people see it as an alternative to BJP. But had the two (AAP and Congress) come together, the scenario would have been different.

Arvinder Singh Lovely, a three-time MLA and Congress candidate from East Delhi, said, Congress will be the party which will form a non-BJP coalition government. We are asking people not to waste their votes by supporting the AAP. In the end, they will also support a coalition, which will be headed by the Congress. He has already held public meetings in Muslim-dominated areas such Okhla, Trilokpuri, Nizamuddin in his constituency.

AAPs North East Delhi candidate Dilip Pandey said, The work the AAP government has done in the last four years is unmatched. The Congress has neglected the constituency. We have got the water lines and sewage lines laid, upgraded school infrastructure and provided better medical facilities to people and they acknowledge this.

The North East Delhi constituency has about 23% Muslims, the highest among all seven constituencies, concentrated largely in Mustafabad, Seelampur, Ghonda. In the Chandni Chowk segment, Ballimaran, Matia Mahal and Chandni Chowk assembly constituencies have a sizeable Muslim population.

In 2015, minorities, the slum and unauthorised colony dwellers, who were considered to be Congress supporters, had voted en masse for the AAP, helping the party win 67 of 70 assembly seats.

But in the 2017 municipal elections, the Congress regained some of the ground it ceded to AAP. In East Delhi Municipal Corporation, the difference between the vote share of the Congress ( 22.8%) and the AAP ( 23.4%) was just 0.6%.

The votes of the Muslim community consolidating in favour of a single party would be bad news for all three parties, experts say.

This was one of the reasons why the recent move by the Delhi Waqf Board to give increased honorarium/salary to imams and muezzins had the BJP and the Congress seeing red.

The BJP Saturday had alleged that the AAP had misused public funds to appease Muslims. Its MLA Vijender Gupta said, The AAP is misusing the Waqf Board funds to appease voters of a particular religion to get their support. They are distributing crores to the imams and muezzins in the name of honorarium/salary.

Calling the move a political stunt, Haroon Yusuf, Delhi Congress working president, questioned the timing of the decision. It is a political stunt to garner the support of Muslims. It is a violation of the poll code.

But the AAP defended the decision and said it was taken long back. Amanatullah Khan, chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, had said, Delhi Waqf Board is an autonomous body. The decision to increase the salary was taken in November 2018, which is now being implemented. There is no violation of the poll code.
The second leg of three-phased polling for Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency witnessed around 10.32 % polling on Monday, amid stray incidents of stone pelting.

Officials said that 11 incidents of stone pelting were reported from different parts of Kulgam district, which went to polls on Monday.

The election process ended peacefully despite some stray incidents of violence in which miscreants tried to disrupt the poll process, poll officials said. As many as 10 people were injured in clashes with the security forces , health officials said.

High security arrangements were made for smooth and secure polling in the Kulgam district that has witnessed several militancy-related killings and incidents in the past two years.

Voting began at 7am in 433 polling stations and a total of 3.45 lakh electors were eligible to vote in the second leg of the poll process.

Poll officials said 1.1% polling was recorded in Homeshalibug assembly constituency, 1.7% polling in Kulgam, 16.6% in Devsar and 20.5% in Noorabad.

People queue up to cast their vote at a polling station at Damhal Hanjipora Kulgam district on April 29, 2019. (AFP)

Also Read | Lok Sabha elections 2019: Kashmir sees least participative polls, voter turnout lowest in two decades

The voting took place amid a shutdown call extended by separatists Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) for Kulgam district.

As a precaution, mobile internet services were suspended in areas where voting took place. Train services between Baramulla and Banihal were also cancelled. More than 20, 000 security force personnel were deployed to secure polling stations that were declared hypersensitive. Army was also involved in area domination and patrolling of sensitive localities. This is the first time when a three phase polling is being held for a single Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir. On April 23, in the first phase of polling in Anantnag district 13.8% voting was recorded.

In the two phases held so far, Homsgalibug assembly segment recorded the lowest 1.1% polling while Noorabad assembly segment witnessed the highest 20.5% polling. In first phase, highest polling was recorded in Pahalgam assembly segment with 20.37% while Bijbhera had witnessed lowest voter turnout of 2.04%.

Over 1,700 Kashmiri Pandits vote outside Valley

In a striking contrast to low voter turnout in Anantnag, out of 2,779 Kashmiri Pandit voters, 1,784 exercised their right to franchise at various polling booths set up in Jammu, Udhampur and New Delhi on Monday recording around 64% polling.

Returning officer for the Kashmiri migrants, Pankaj Anand, said that out of the 1,784 voters who exercised their franchise 939 were males and 845 females.

In Udhampur, out of 89 registered migrant voters, 32 cast their votes. There were reports of some Kashmiri Pandit voters not finding their names in electoral rolls despite having filled the M Forms. In the third phase, Pulwama and Shopian districts will vote on May 6. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Anantnag constituency had witnessed 28.9 % polling when Peoples Democratic Party wrested the seat from National Conference.

The high-profile elections are crucial for the political future of Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP.

Since the formation of the party in 1999, four districts of south Kashmir became the partys bastion with its candidates winning 12 seats in 2008 and 11 in 2014 assembly election.

However, fighting for its survival, the party has pinned all its hopes on Mehboobas victory, which could give a boost to the otherwise demoralised cadres of the PDP.
The Election Commission on Tuesday barred senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan for 48 hours from campaigning due to his objectionable comments against local poll authorities. This is his second censure this month.

In a statement, the poll watchdog said Khan, who is fighting the elections from the Rampur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, made highly provocative speeches in his public utterances against the district election machinery and also on religious lines that have the propensity to polarize the elections.

At a rally last week, Khan had alleged that the district election authorities were biased during elections to the Uttar Pradesh constituency that was held on April 23.

A case has already been registered against him.

The EC said Khan had sought votes on religious lines and added that it strongly condemned his statements and warned him to not repeat such misconduct in the future. His 48-hour ban comes into effect from 6 am on May 1. There are three phases of elections left in UP, which sends the highest number of members, 80, to the Lok Sabha.

This is the second time the EC has taken action against Khan, who is up against his former protege, actor, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Jaya Prada for the seat. On April 15, the poll body had banned Khan for 72 hours for objectionable comments made against Jaya Prada during an election rally.

A Samajwadi Party spokesperson said: He had kept quiet and stayed indoors when the last time EC had banned him. He had followed the ban to the letter and spirit. This time it will be easier for him Azam Khan is not speaking anymore anyways. The elections in his constituency were over on April 23.
While the Opposition party in Himachal is showing off its solidarity, cracks in Congress were laid bare when its candidate from Kangra parliamentary constituency Pawan Kajal filed his nomination on Monday.

The two-term MLA was accompanied by former CM Virbhadra Singh, in-charge of party affairs for Himachal Rajni Patil, All India Congress committee (AICC) secretary and Punjab in-charge Asha Kumari, AICC secretary Sudhir Sharma, Himachal Congress chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore and leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri.

The filing of nomination was followed by a rally held at Dari locality where party cadre, including former Union minister Anand Sharma, Congress national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergil, Rajya Sabha member Viplove Thakur, former minister GS Bali and former MP Chander Kumar were present among other leaders.

Even as Congress party leaders launched scathing attacks on BJP and PM Narendra Modi, they covertly took a dig at each other, too.

While GS Bali expressed displeasure over not being invited to accompany Kajal during filing of papers, former CM Virbhadra Singh forgot to mention names of few party leaders, including GS Bali, Chander Kumar, Viplove Thakur and Suresh Chandel, in his speech. However, in the middle of his speech, Singh expressed regret and said he had forgotten to mention the names and his act was unintentional.

The disgruntled Bali, without naming any leader, said, No one asked me to accompany Kajal during filing of nomination papers. I was told about the rally and hence directly came to the venue.

Addressing the rally, former Union minister Anand Sharma hit out at BJP and PM Modi for taking the political discourse of the country to a new low. He advised the PM to observe restraint in his speeches, which could be damaging for the nation. Its a struggle of ideologies. On one side is the Congress with a 134-year glorious history of inclusive and progressive ideology, while on the other hand the BJP divides people on caste, creed and religion, said Sharma, as he lashed out at BJP over unfulfilled promises made during 2014 election.

PM and BJP are avoiding real issues with silence when asked about the promises made in 2014, he said.

He added further, They dont talk about employment but nationalism and terrorism. The PM is playing with emotions.

In his address, leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri took a dig at CM Jai Ram Thakur over his statement that he was disgusted with Congress manifesto. Why? Because Congress talked about farmers, women and poor? Agnihotri asked.
After getting Indian citizenship recently, around 35 Sindhis, who migrated from Pakistan years ago and made Pimpri-Chinchwad their home, cast their votes for the first time on Monday for Maval Lok Sabha constituency. The district collector gave them citizenship of the country recently. After getting citizenship, the Sindhis of this group registered their names as voters and participated in the democratic process of the election.

One of them, Rajendra Thakur, 52, migrated to India from Pakistan 37 years ago. Today, Thakur looked a happy man after voting for the first time in India. It has been over 37 years that I have been living in Pimpri-Chinchwad. All those years, except discussing politics, I could not take part in any democratic process such as election and could not cast my vote. But today, for the first time, I voted, he said.

Thakur thanked Balasaheb Runwal of Mere Apne Foundation and Pune district collector Naval Kishore Ram for helping in getting citizenship.

Pune district collector Naval Kishore Ram said the applications of all these people were pending before him. I decided to look into the long-pending issue and expedited the entire process of issuing permanent citizenship certificates by bringing all authorities concerned together. And in one go, all these people were issued their citizenship certificates, the bureaucrat said, adding that while issuing the certificates, the district administration also got them to fill their voter registration forms.

Voters from villages and residential societies from urban parts of Shirur and Maval turned out in large numbers braving blistering heat to cast their vote for parliamentary elections on Monday. From first timers, physically challenged and senior citizens, large number of voters turned up at polling booths at various localities under Hadapsar assembly segment which is part of Shirur seat and Wakad, Pimple Gurav, Pimpri-Chinchwad areas of Maval Lok Sabha seat.

Senior citizens, physically challenged and sick people were given direct access to the polling venue in cars and autorickshaws by the policemen at Mohammadwadi, Undri and Hadapsar. According to the police, polling was relatively peaceful and citizens were seen in a long line outside polling centres till the evening deadline.

Residents of the newly added areas of Kondhwa, Undri, Mohammadwadi and Hadapsar demand better infrastructure  roads, water and drainage system in place and the same echo was found among voters who cast their ballot for the polls on Monday.

The mood was upbeat at Wakad, Pimple Gurav and Pimpri, the areas under Shirur. Voters stepped out of their homes early morning to escape the heat. By afternoon though, there were fewer number of voters, who preferred to stay indoors.

Representatives of residential societies helped members in finding out booth details. Daljeet Goraya, NIBM Citizens Watch Group president, said that residents from large residential societies stepped out early in the morning and cast their votes.

We organised many awareness programmes about voting rights and carried out voter registration drives in which many citizens took part. Many residents from Mohammadwadi area comprising Gemini, Ganga Florentina, Raheja Vista and nearby housing societies, including Cloud 9 stepped out to exercise their right to vote, he said.

Sanjeev Saxena, a 75-year-old ex-serviceman who stays with his son in Jalandhar, came all the way to vote in Pune. We are registered as voters in Pune. I came from Jalandhar to exercise my right to vote. I hope that my vote will bring about a positive change in governance as the new government is formed at the Centre, he said.

Homemaker Sandhya Ghule from Undri said, We have voted for development this time. Undri faces severe water shortage and public representatives have failed in providing us water facility for the past one decade. We expect a change in 2019, she said.

Sanjeev Kumar Patil, president, Wagholi Housing Society Association, said that the society members came out in large number to vote for development of Wagholi. We assisted the government in smooth conduct of the polls and thank all the residents for their response, he said.

Anil Patil, Kondhwa police station incharge, said, We have taken strong security measures for the polling and it passed off peacefully with co-operation from all sections of society , he said.

KC Garg, secretary, Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Federation, said that the federation conducted awareness campaigns for successful voter turnout. A troupe comprising 10 boys and 4 girls performed street plays across Wakad and adjoining areas of Maval constituency to spread voter awareness. The federation also distributed pamphlets and posters to members of 5,000 housing societies in the area. It also worked with Probodhan Manch to promote voting. Through probodhan Manch, the federation performed 10 street plays, he said.
Breaking her silence on why she did not contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday said that she was advised against the move by the senior leaders of the party.

I took advice of all senior leaders of our party and colleagues in UP. They firmly felt that I have responsibility here of looking after 41 seats. I felt that they (candidates) would be disappointed if I focused on only one place, Priyanka Gandhi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The Congress then named and repeated its 2014 candidate Ajay Rai to take on Modi once again in Varanasi. In the 2014 contest, Rai ended up in the third position with just about 7% votes.

Priyanka, who is in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, was widely expected to make her electoral debut in Varanasi. Congress workers wanted to avoid a 2014-like eventuality and urged the leadership to her from either Varanasi or Allahabad, party functionaries said.

Also read| In big battle in UP, Congress relying on small players too

The buzz around her candidature gained momentum when she said a decision on the matter rests with party president and her brother Rahul Gandhi.

You will come to know when the party takes a decision. I have said time and again, I will do whatever the party tells me to do, Priyanka Gandhi had said when asked about her candidature.

Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda, however, had claimed that it was Priyankas decision to not contest from Varanasi.

Pitroda said Congress president Rahul Gandhi had left the decision to her. It was she who thought there are responsibilities for her; rather than concentrating on one seat, she should focus on the job she has at hand. The decision was finally hers, said Pitroda.

Also read| What rubbish?: Priyanka Gandhi on govt notice to Rahul Gandhi on citizenship row

Meanwhile, on April 29, the Samajwadi Party replaced its candidate, Shalini Yadav, in favour of dismissed BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav to take on PM Modi in Varanasi.

Tej Bahadur was dismissed from the service in 2017 after he made public a video complaining about the quality of food served to the troops. AT the time of making the video, he was stationed in the region along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.
BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday sniped at the Congress threatening to rethink her support to the Madhya Pradesh government, a day after her partys candidate withdrew from the race and joined the Congress.

The BSP candidate was intimidated and threatened and forced to drop out of the race but the BSP will give a reply by contesting under its own symbol and will also rethink whether to continue its support to the state government or not, Mayawati tweeted. The BSP leader said the Congress was no better than the BJP in misusing official machinery.

Lokendra Singh Rajput, the Samajwadi Party-BSP alliance candidate from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, quit on Monday and came out in support of Congress candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia.

An agitated Mayawati took to Twitter on Tuesday threatening to re-consider her support to the Kamal Nath government in the state.

Mayawati had supported the Congress in Madhya Pradesh after the party fell two short of majority in the Assembly elections.

In the 230-member House, the Congress has 114 MLAs, the BJP 109, BSP 2, SP 1 and Independents 4. The Congress has a slim majority in the House where the halfway mark is 116.

If the BSP withdraws support, the Kamal Nath government will be in minority and if the SP follows its alliance partner, trouble for the state government will grow.

Guna goes to polls on May 12, the sixth round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not violate the poll code of conduct in his Wardha speech in which he had claimed the opposition was scared to contest from seats where the majority community accounted for most of the constituencys population. The remark was seen as an attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi who has decided to contest from Keralas Wayanad seat as well as Amethi.

Leaders of that party are now scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by the majority (Hindu) population It is evident from the fact that one has to contest a seat where the minority is majority, the PM Modi said, according to the complaint filed by the Congress party.

The Congress had alleged that the prime minister had, in this speech of 1 April, made some hateful, vile and divisive remarks against party president Rahul Gandhi and tried to spread hate for electoral gains.

The Election Commission, however, said it had examined the complaint in detail in line with the model code of conduct, the law and the report of Maharashtras Chief Electoral Officer.

Accordingly, Commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation has been noticed, the commissions order, delivered almost a month after Prime Minister Modis speech, said.

The Election Commissions decision came after the Congress approached the Supreme Court complaining that the poll panel had gone soft on PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. The top court did not go into the details of the petition by Congress lawmaker Sushmita Dev on Tuesday after the poll panel said the commission was meeting today to take a decision.
Braving scorching heat, voters exercised their right to franchise in 13 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections amid reports of EVM malfunctioning and minor clashes from several areas.

Seats which went to polls on Monday included Shahjahanpur (SC), Kheri, Hardoi (SC), Misrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi and Hamirpur. A total of 152 candidates were in the fray in this round of polling.

Prominent candidates whose fate were sealed in the EVMs include Dimple Yadav (Kannauj), Salman Khursheed (Farrukhabad), Sriprakash Jaiswal (Kanpur) and Sakshi Maharaj (Unnao).

On four out of 13 seats -- Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Misrikh and Etawah -- the BJP has named new candidates. The BSP has fielded six candidates, while the SP seven. The Congress has fielded candidates on all seats, except Kannauj. Technical snags in electronic voting machines (EVM) disturbed polling at several booths in almost all the constituencies. SP president Akhilesh Yadav posted tweets complaining to the Election Commission regarding technical problems in EVMs. The highest number of complaints of EVM malfunctioning were reported from booth number 189 in Kannauj.

Polling remained suspended in Kannuaj for over two hours due to EVM snags. At booth number 186 in Chhibramau, EVMs were replaced thrice.

Similar complaints were received from Rasoolabad, Bidhuna and Kannauj Sadar. At booth number 224 in Akbarpur, polling could not start till 8.30 am as the EVM was out of order.

In Kannauj, a representative of Samajwadi Party candidate Dimple Yadav, Guddu Saxena, complained to observers that the district administration was not allowing SP leaders and workers to move out of their houses. He complained that security personnel had been deployed outside the houses of SP leaders before polling began. At a polling booth in RS School in Barra (Kanpur), two voters got agitated when the EVM did not work. Superintendent of police (south) Ravina Tyagi rushed to the spot and pacified the agitated voters. The EVM at the booth was also replaced.

Voters of Mohammadpur Narval village in Akbarpur boycotted the elections claiming that they did not receive the benefit of government welfare schemes.

In Kanpur, BJP workers clashed with police and allegedly threatened circle officer, Gwaltoli, Janardan Dubey and his subordinates posted on election duty. Dubey said some BJP agents forcibly tried to enter a polling booth in Parmat primary school and when they were stopped they threatened him.

A case has been registered against BJP leader Suresh Awasthi and six others in this connection, district magistrate, Kanpur, Vijay Vishwas Pant said.

In Pali area of Kanpur, about 1,300 voters, including the chairman of Pali nagar panchayat Deepa Awasthi, could not vote as their names were missing from the voter list. The area had the total of 2,500 voters out of which 1,300 names were missing. The voters got agitated when, after standing in a queue for over an hour, they were informed that their names were not on the voter list.

They shouted slogans against the district and poll officials. The nagar panchayat lodged a complaint with the district magistrate who assured stern action against the officers concerned.

Meanwhile, women, first-time voters and the elderly voted enthusiastically.

Sushil Bajpai, a first-time voter from Kanpur, said: I had been eagerly waiting for the polling day. I feel so privileged in casting my vote. I hope that the new government who would work for the bright future of the young generation.

Rajnikant Sharma. another first-time voter from Kanpur said, I felt sad when I could not cast my vote during assembly elections, as I was not in the country. But this time, I am happy to cast my vote. I voted at 7.10 am and was the first to at my polling booth. In Kanpur, 100-year-old Manwati Arya, a founder member of the Azad Hind Fauj, also exercised her franchise. She arrived at the polling booth on a wheel chair.

WOMAN INJURED IN SKIRMISH

A woman sustained injury on her arm when she was allegedly shot at following a skirmish between two groups during polling in Shahjahanpur, police said.

Circle officer Mangal Singh Rawat said the injured woman was identified as Sushila, 45. It has not yet been ascertained if she was injured by a gunshot or something else. We have deployed a police quick reaction team at the polling booth. The injured woman was rushed to a nearby hospital from where she was discharged after first aid, Rawat said.

In Kheri, polling remained peaceful barring a few incidents of EVM snags, which were timely attended. People boycotted elections in Chaukhariya, Godhiya and Basaha Bhood villages. DM, Kheri, Shailendra Kumar Singh and SP Poonam remained on their toes and also visited model booths.
Residents of Palam on Monday welcomed Congress candidate from West Delhi Mahabal Mishra with the song, jiya ho Bihar ke lala (long live, son of Bihar) even as Mishra insisted that he was here to serve everyone irrespective of where they come from.

Mishra began his campaign with supporters giving him bites of litti chokha, a delicacy popular in Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

This is the beauty of Delhi, people from across the country come here and become its own. But that was not always the case. There was a time when Purvanchalis were treated as outsiders. It was the Congress that fought for a place for the migrants, Mishra said, addressing the crowd as they shouted slogans hailing him as the son of Bihar.

Though Mishra is back in the electoral fray only after a gap of five years, several young voters in the area did not recognise him. He was the Member of Parliament from West Delhi from 2009 to 2014 before BJPs Parvesh Verma defeated him. Verma is the BJP candidate again.

Parvati Shukla, 23, who was part of the crowd with her mother and sister, did not know who the Congress candidate was from a crowd of over a dozen people on stage till Mishra was called to speak.

This will be the first time I vote, last time I was a few months short of turning 18. No one cares for their local candidate here, every family has their political leanings, Shukla said.

There were many in the crowd who were impressed by Mishras promise of a West Campus for undergraduate and graduate students but there others who wanted work to speak over hollow promises.

No government focused on West Delhi. We still have to stand in queues to get water from the tankers and during summers, the electricity is off for hours. He was the MP, what did he do? said Sriniwas Tiwari, a resident of Mahavir Enclave.

He said they have also approached various authorities to close an open drain in the area, which has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

From the Nala Road towards the Palam Colony, there is an open drain where all the residents dump their garbage. The sewer line of the unauthorised colonies also opens into the drain. The smell is so toxic that we can barely stand there, Tiwari said.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah held a series of public meetings in Uttar Pradesh where he pitched party as one of nationalists under whom the nation was secure and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi while describing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as mauni baba (the silent one).

In his public meetings in Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj and Jaunpur, Shah spoke of the National Register for Citizens (NRC) that the BJP government had introduced in Assam to identify outsiders. The NRC of 1951 is being updated in Assam under the supervision of the Supreme Court. We identified outsiders, but our political opponents united in their support. These politicians arent worried about the security of our people but are concerned about the human rights of intruders. When the Modi government is re-elected, we would introduce NRC across the country, Shah said in his meetings.

He also reiterated that if re-elected, the BJP would scraps Articles 370 and 35 (A), granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Union home minister Rajnath Singh, too, had supported Shahs statement.

Shah also referred to the Pulwama terror attack and the Indian response to it. During the 10-year rule of UPA, Sonia Gandhi and Mauni Baba (Manmohan Singh), the then government could not do anything when terrorists from Pakistan crossed the border and beheaded soldier Hemraj. In contrast, when 40 soldiers were killed in the Pulwama attack the Modi government ensured a befitting response on the tehrvi (Hindu religious ceremony on 13th day of death) of martyrs by carrying out aerial strikes on terror camps in Pakistan. Thats because Modiji has a 56-inch chest and that is the reason why Pakistan is scared, he said. In Jaunpur, too, Shah mentioned the Pulwama attack while lashing out at the Congress, the SP and the BSP leaders.

After aerial strike, the country rejoiced. But at two places, mourning was witnessed. First, in Pakistan where it was genuine but the second was back home in the offices of Rahul Baba, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, for reasons better known to them, he said. The five-year rule of the Modi government is better than the 55-year rule of the Congress or the 25 years of SP and BSP governments in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Baba (Congress chief Rahul Gandhi) keeps asking what the BJP has done in the last five years? I challenge him to visit the nearest crossing in Prayagraj and even our BJP youth activists will easily tell you about it, he said.

Shah had addressed rallies in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday too and on Monday again he said while PM Modi hasnt taken a single day off, Rahul Baba, bua (Mayawati) and bhatija (Akhilesh Yadav) take off to foreign countries as the heat rises in the state.

In Prayagraj, Shah lauded the Yogi Adityanath government for organising the best managed Kumbh since 1980.

I have never missed a Kumbh Mela since 1980 but the one organised by Yogi Adityanath government was memorable, mishap free and one where a record 24 crore devotees took a dip, he said.

Announcing that Akshaywat would soon be opened 24x7 on all 365 days every year, the BJP chief said, After years of calling this holy pilgrimage place of Sangam as Allahabad, the name given by Akbar, now finally we can call it Prayagraj.

One more term for PM Modi will make India become all the more powerful and a world leader, he added.
The sessions court on Tuesday sentenced a 64-year-old man to life imprisonment for cheating a public sector bank of 1.04 crore, by forging the documents and signatures of a non-resident Indian (NRI) in 1999 and encashing the amount from the NRIs account. The court has also imposed a fine of 5.3 crore on him.

The convict, Narendra Chotalal Patel, had forged the documents and signatures of a United Arab Emirates (UAE) resident Hussain Ali Nensey and encashed 1 crore from the latters fixed deposit. Patel further used that amount to procure a loan from the same bank, by creating Nenseys fake account.

In 1996, Nensey met an individual named Homi Patrawala, who introduced him to Vrushali Namjoshi, the then manager of the banks Hughes Road branch, where Nensey had an account since 1986. He opened a fixed deposit for a three-year term maturity and deposited 1 crore. Nensey then left for Sharjah in the UAE, where he resided with his wife.

In 1999, when Nensey returned to India, he approached the bank to obtain a loan against his fixed deposit. However, to his shock, the bank authorities informed Nensey that the amount had already been withdrawn. The bank authorities also discovered then that a false savings account was opened in Nensey and his wifes name.

The prosecution submitted before the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge judge SR Tamboli, that Patel, a south Mumbai resident had forged Nenseys signatures to withdraw 1 crore from Nenseys account.

According to Chetan Kumar Nandode, the counsel for the CBI, after withdrawing the amount, Patel connived with Patrawala, Namjoshi and another bank official  Umakant Shirodkar  and opened a fake account in Nenseys name at the same branch. The four then deposited 1 crore in the fake account and used it as a security deposit to procure a 80 lakh-loan from the branch.

The CBI submitted that Patel forged Nenseys signatures for cheques and loan applications. During his testimony in the court, Nensey identified his signature on the original fixed deposit but stated that the signatures on the forged documents were not his.

In 2015, Namjoshi, Shirodkar and Patrawala were found guilty of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy and sentenced to three years in jail. Patel had been absconding since 2001, soon after the CBI filed the chargesheet against him. He was arrested in 2016 after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him.

This is the third life sentence awarded in a cheating and forgery case by the judge Tamboli within a week. On April 25, the court had awarded life sentence to a Thane resident in a 2.83 crore cheating case. On April 26, the court had sentenced six people, including a former assistant general manager of a national bank, in connection with a 2.5 crore fraud.

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Members of the Juhu Morgaon Macchimar Vividh Karyakari Sahakari Sanstha (JMMVKSS), a group of local fishermen, have said they will pursue a contempt petition against Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

According to the JMMVKSS, the MSRDC has destroyed mangroves by constructing a casting yard within 50 metres of mangroves on Juhu beach. The Bombay high court (HC) will hear the matter on June 12.

On April 26, the JMMVKSSs contempt plea was tagged with a petition filed by activist Zoru Bhathena, and the HC revoked the permission given to MSRDC by Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), to build the yard in Juhu for the Versova-Bandra sea link (VBSL). The court cited a violation of coastal regulation zone norms to revoke the clearance.

On Friday, the division bench of chief justice Pradeep Nandrajog and justice Nitin Jamdar asked the petitioners if they wanted to withdraw the contempt plea. But we said the matter needs a logical conclusion because environment destruction took place, said a JMMVKSS member.

JMMVKSS will continue to pursue the contempt petition, alleging that the MSRDC violated an HC order from 2018, which imposes a blanket ban on mangrove destruction in Maharashtra.

Dinesh Mangela, JMVKSS secretary and the petitioner, said they have proof of MSRDC building the yard on a 7.8-hectare plot near the Juhu mangroves. Tidal water to the mangroves was cut off through debris dumping to dry out the area, Mangela said.

RL Mopalwar, the vice-chairperson and managing director, MSRDC, refused to comment on the contempt plea saying it matter is sub judice. We will file a special leave petition in the SC this week to challenge the HC order, Mopalwar said.

Another MSRDC official said the mangrove cell had clarified in January that mangroves were located 150m away from the casting yard site and there was no obstruction to tidal water.

While the mangrove cell did not comment on the matter, a copy of its report (accessed by HT) reads: A few bushes of clerodendroninerme [classified as mangrove associate] were seen dried up, but this can by no means be interpreted as mangrove destruction.

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Rajasthan showcases a straight battle between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Theres no wave in the Marwar region of the desert state; the soft winds are whistling the Modi name in pockets dominated by the BJPs core constituents. The Prime Minister has galvanised them by his nationalist pitch.

The April 29 vote in the first leg of the two-phase poll has sealed the fate of contestants in 13 of the 25 seats. Of these, the outcome in Jodhpur could be the microcosm of the big picture that emerges on May 23.

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot was not in the fray in the constituency from where he first entered the Lok Sabha in 1980. What transformed the poll to a battle between him and Narendra Modi was the candidature of his son, Vaibhav, against the BJP MP and central minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The latter is the PMs protege.

Vaibhavs campaign rode on the Gehlot name. In Jodhpurs Mali-dominated Mahamandir area, where the CM spent his childhood, many people saw him for the first time when he came campaigning with his father.

The electorates refrain there was that theyd back him for Gehlots sake: Yahan vote Ashok ke naam par hoga [the vote here will be in Gehlots name].

His clansmens rally behind the CM made clear the de-facto nature of the face-off. If Gajendra wins, hed be a giant-killer/ If he doesnt, he could say he lost to Gehlot, not to a rookie thats Vaibhav. In either case, the outcome would have far-reaching political implications.

Gehlot has to retain Jodhpur to ensure his regime, which rests on a small majority in the 200-member assembly, keeps going. The amateur magician has had to use multiple tricks to try and conjure up a win for his son.

There will be no looking back for Gajendra if he retains the prestigious seat. With Modis blessings, hed be ready then to fill, in the longer run, the vacuum left by the other Shekhawat  the late Bhairon Singh, who, like Gehlot, was the CM of Rajasthan three times. The BJP direly needs a Rajput face in the state where the community has an influential presence.

Gajendra fits the bill. His family migrated to Marwar from the Shekhawati region associated with Bhairon Singh, who rose to become Indias 11th vice-president. His 2002 elevation in a parliamentary vote saw Rajputs members transcending party lines to back his candidature by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime.

Gehlots ostensible advantage in the fight was his long association with Jodhpur as its five-term MP.

As CM, Gehlot represents Sardarpura, one of the citys three assembly segments. His position was bolstered by the six legislators his party has out of a total of eight in the parliamentary seat.

Gajendras counter push was bolstered by the near-total support of Rajputs, whose 250,000-strong community outnumbered other communities by a big margin. His bid was to ensure a higher turnout of his relatively laid back clansmen, in an expression identical to the kinship that helped Bhairon Singh become vice-president with more votes than the National Democratic Alliances strength in the electoral college.

For an on-ground check, I went to the Rajput-dominated Shergarh segment along the 500km journey from Jodhpur city to Pokhran.

Most homes in the constituency nestling in the Thar desert have a family member in the armed forces. Not surprising then that the seat won by the Congress in the 2018 assembly polls now supports Modis nationalism call and his allusion to Indias nuclear arsenal at a rally in nearby Barmer.

The vote here is for Modi...in national interest, said Jabbar Singh Bhati. He was a taxi driver who didnt know who the BJP candidate was. Nor was he moved, like so many others, by the local Congress legislators appeal for a vote for the CMs son. A few residents talked, however, about silent voters who might back Vaibhav: He had a good meeting here...he has androoni [subterranean] support.

The voices on the ground altered, as did the political terrain, a 100km down the megaway to Pokhran, the testing site for Indias nuclear programme. The Muslim-dominated assembly seat has a sizeable sprinkling of Rajputs and scheduled castes and tribes. Here its the Congress, said a local journalist, Chandrashekhar Dave. He said the constituents owed a lot to the CM, whos a regular visitor to the area.

The arguments one heard from the common people in Pokhran reflected the mood one had countenanced at the start of the long journey.

At the Luni assembly segments Dawa village, a group of Bishnois celebrated the Congresss one-plus-one offer: What better can we ask for than an MP whos father is the CM....

Amateur caste experts abound in the Marwar countryside. They insisted the outcome would be determined by the Jats and Bishnois in the Jodhpur Divisions four Lok Sabha seats.

The fight is keen in Jodhpur and Barmer-Jaisalmer; the BJP has an edge in Pali and Jalore-Sirohi.

In Barmer, Manvendra Singh, son of former defence minister Jaswant Singh, is on a Congress ticket against the BJPs Kailash Chaudhary. He depends for the Jat vote on fellow Congressman, Harish Chaudhary, the Bayatu MLA who is a cabinet minister.

The BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha stood third last year in the assembly elections in Bayatu. The situation has since changed with Jat chieftain Hanuman Beniwal sealing a pact with the saffron party.

As the Jats generally vote for Jats, Manvendra, a Rajput, has had to walk the extra mile to woo them. Questions nevertheless linger about the level of support he may get from the community despite the denial of ticket to sitting BJP MP, Sona Ram.

The Sona Ram factor cannot be deciphered without studying his mentor Vasundhara Rajes role in Gehlots Marwar.

As an in-house adversary of Gajendra, she has reportedly helped Vaibhav by persuading a cabal of local leaders, including sitting and former BJP MLAs, to not actively campaign for Gajendra. These quasi-renegades included prominent Brahmin and Rajput leaders. The tacit understanding between the Congress-BJP old guard rested on their commonly shared fears. For Gajendras victory could spell the eclipse not just for Gehlot but also Raje.

The whole of Rajasthan knows about the former chief ministers hand in stalling his elevation as the BJPs state unit chief after the removal of her camp-follower, Ashok Parnami.

Having always fought Shekhawat-1, Raje wouldnt brook the rise of Shekhawat-2 in her fiefdom. Moral of the story? In Jodhpurs hands is the fate of two titans: the incumbent CM and his predecessor.
Actor Dhanush, who is currently shooting for Vetrimaarans Tamil revenge drama Asuran, shared a new poster on Monday evening. It guarantees that the film will be high on action and bloodshed. Dhanush took to Twitter to share the poster in which hes seen wearing a blood-stained shirt and wielding a sickle.

He further wrote that the shoot of final schedule began from Monday. He wrote: #Asuran .. final schedule .. from today.

Asuran marks the fourth-time collaboration between Dhanush and Vetrimaaran. Their last film together was Vada Chennai. Asuran also marks the Tamil debut of well-known Malayalam actor Manju Warrier.

The film is based on Tamil novel Vekkai, written by Poomani. It is tipped to be a revenge drama that traces the fight of an oppressed community against those oppressing them.

Also read: Rishi Kapoor is cancer-free, confirms brother Randhir Kapoor, director Rahul Rawail shares the news

The makers are yet to reveal complete cast and crew details of the project. However, recent reports indicate that Tamil director Balaji Sakthivel, best known for directing award-winning films Kadhal and Vazhakku En 18/9, has been roped in for a crucial role, and according to the grapevine, he plays the antagonist.

The report is yet to be verified but reliable sources close to Vetrimaaran havent denied it. The film, which was announced last December soon after the release of Vada Chennai, also stars Ken Karunas in a pivotal role.

Last seen playing a local ruffian in Maari 2, Dhanush will be seen playing a daily wage labourer in Asuran, and he will be seen in a fierce avatar. Being produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu under the banner of V Creations, the film has music by GV Prakash Kumar.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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US President Donald Trump, his three eldest children and his company flied a lawsuit on Monday to prevent two banks from handing over their financial records pertaining to the Trumps in response to a congressional subpoena.

In an unrelated development, Rod Rosenstein, the department of justice No 2 official who had ordered a special counsel probe into Russian meddling and possible collusion by the Trump campaign, has put in his papers. He will leave next month ending a tumultuous two-year tenure, for much of which he was in the presidents cross-hairs.

Rosenstein is moving on now that Mueller probe, which he had defended from the president and congress Republicans, is over. It cleared President Trump of collusion but said it could not exonerate him for obstruction of justice.

Democratic-led House of Representatives, however, continues to probe the president, his family and his companies for alleged corruption, obstruction of justice and abuse of power.

Two House committees  for intelligence and financial services  had issued subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capital One two weeks ago. Deutsche Bank has had a long relationship with the Trump organization, going back decades to the 1990s. It continued to lend to Trump when most other Wall Street banks shunned him over unpaid debts and defaults.

The Trump lawsuit filed in Manhattan, where the Trump organization is headquartered, questioned the subpoenas, saying they serve no legitimate or lawful purpose and that they were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses and the private information of the president and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage. No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one.

Democrats heading the two committees, Adam Schiff and Maxine Waters, dismissed the lawsuit as meritless and said in a joint statement, As a private businessman, Trump routinely used his well-known litigiousness and the threat of lawsuits to intimidate others, but he will find that Congress will not be deterred from carrying out its constitutional responsibilities.

This lawsuit is not designed to succeed; it is only designed to put off meaningful accountability as long as possible.
Japanese Emperor Akihito, in his final remarks as his three-decade reign drew to a close on Tuesday, thanked the people for their support and expressed hope for a peaceful future.

Akihito, 85, the first monarch to abdicate in two centuries, had sought to ease the painful memories of World War Two and bring the monarchy closer to the people, including those marginalised in society.

The popular Akihito was the first monarch to take the Chrysanthemum Throne under a post-war constitution that defines the emperor as a symbol of the people without political power.

His father, Hirohito, in whose name Japanese troops fought World War Two, was considered a living deity until after Japans defeat in 1945, when he renounced his divinity.

To the people who accepted and supported me as a symbol, I express my heartfelt thanks, Akihito, wearing a Western-style morning coat, said at a brief abdication ceremony in the Imperial Palaces Matsu no ma, or Hall of Pine.

Together with the empress, I hope from my heart that the new Reiwa era that begins tomorrow will be peaceful and fruitful, and pray for the peace and happiness of our country and the people of the world, said a solemn Akihito, referring to the new imperial era.

Standing on a white dais flanked by Empress Michiko, who wore a long white and grey dress, Akihito bowed after he spoke.

About 300 people attended the ceremony broadcast live on television. They included Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, as well as the heads of both houses of parliament and Supreme Court justices.

Akihito, together with Michiko, his wife of 60 years and the first commoner to marry an imperial heir, carved out an active role as a symbol of reconciliation, peace and democracy.

Akihito, who has had treatment for prostate cancer and heart surgery, said in a televised address in 2016 that he feared his age would make it hard for him to carry out his duties fully.

At the start of the ceremony, chamberlains carried the state and privy seals into the hall along with two of Japans Three Sacred Treasures - a sword and a jewel - which together with a mirror are symbols of the throne. They are said to originate in ancient mythology.

While keeping in our hearts the path that the emperor has walked, we will make utmost efforts to create a bright future for a proud Japan that is full of peace and hope, Abe said ahead of the emperors remarks.

At the end of the ceremony, Akihito descended from the dais and took Michikos hand as she stepped down. Before exiting the room, he paused, turned toward the audience and bowed again.

Earlier, Akihito performed a ritual announcement of his abdication in three palace sanctuaries, including one honouring the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, from whom mythology says the imperial line is descended, and two others for departed emperors and Shinto gods.

NHK television showed Akihito, wearing a dark orange traditional robe and black headdress, walking slowly into the first sanctuary with a white-robed courtier holding the train and another carrying a sword. Naruhito conducted a similar ceremony.

NEW ERA

Crowds gathered outside the Palace, a 115-hectare compound in the heart of Tokyo protected by moats and walls, that is home to the emperor and empress. Security was tight with several thousand police officers on duty in Tokyo, media reports said.

I think the emperor is loved by the people. His image is one of encouraging the people, such as after disasters, and being close to the people, said Morio Miyamoto, 48.

I hope the next emperor will, like the Heisei emperor, be close to the people in the same way, he said.

The Heisei imperial era, which began on Jan. 8, 1989 after Akihito inherited the throne, saw economic stagnation, natural disasters and rapid technological change.

Not everyone was excited by the imperial changeover.

Its a normal day. That kind of political stuff is irrelevant to us ordinary people, said Masato Saito, a 40-year-old construction worker.

As long as they make our lives easy to live, thats all I care.

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania offered their heartfelt appreciation to the royal pair in a statement.

Naruhito, 59, will inherit the throne in ceremonies on Wednesday. He studied at Oxford and together with his Harvard-educated wife, Masako, will give the monarchy a cosmopolitan flavour.

Akihito officially remains emperor until midnight, when the new Reiwa era, meaning beautiful harmony, begins. Informal countdown events for the start of the new era were scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Japanese traditionally refer to the date by the era name, or gengo, a system originally imported from China, on documents, calendars and coins but many people also use the Western calendar.

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A day before the UN sanctions committee is to decide on a global terrorist tag for Masood Azhar, China on Tuesday signalled a sharp change in its stand on blacklisting the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief. Beijing, which has blocked four attempts by the United Nations Security Council over the last decade, on Tuesday spoke about the positive progress that had been made.

This problem can be properly solved, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said to a question on media reports that Beijing was finally ready to lift its technical hold on blacklisting the Jaish terror group founder.

Hindustan Times had first reported on Monday that China is likely to go along with the terrorist tag for Masood Azhar. In the past, Beijing has cited both lack of evidence and consensus on why it had stood in the way.

The renewed focus on blacklisting comes against the backdrop of the Pulwama suicide bombing in February that killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir. Masood Azhars Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the terror attack.

Read | Positive progress made: China on global terrorist tag for Masood Azhar

At its media briefing on Tuesday, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson made three points.

One, that China supports the issue of listing which Beijing said, should be through political consultation within the framework of the world bodys sanctions committee.

I think that is also the consensus of the overwhelming majority of the members of the Council, the official said, pointing that relevant consultations were underway in the sanctions committee.

Within the framework. And positive progress has been mad, the foreign ministry said.

Thirdly, we believe in the joint efforts of all parties. This problem can be properly solved, the spokesperson said.

Also Read | Masood Azhar: Inside the mind of a global terror merchant

The statement and its language are seen as a contrast to its previous ones. Before China had last blocked the move, it had underlined that it would adopt a responsible attitude act responsibly and continue to participate in discussions.

The development infuriated the US and its allies, which circulated a draft resolution on listing Azhar among the UN Security Councils members to force Chinas hand.

In backroom negotiations, China conditioned its support to blacklist Azhar on India carrying out a military de-escalation on the border and resuming bilateral dialogue with Islamabad on all outstanding issues including Kashmir.

Azhar was released on December 31, 1999, in a hostage swap at Kandahar airport after an Indian airliner was hijacked by Pakistani terrorists. He has been accused of masterminding some of the most heinous terror attacks in India. Before Pulwama, the JeM was responsible for the 2016 attack on Pathankot airbase, the 2001 attack on Parliament, the Jammu and Kashmir assembly attack the same year, and a series of assaults against security forces in Kashmir.
A US army veteran who was allegedly plotting a large-scale terror attack near Los Angeles as revenge for the recent mass shootings in New Zealand has been arrested, authorities said Monday.

Mark Steven Domingo, 26, who had combat experience in Afghanistan and recently converted to Islam, faces federal terror-related charges for plotting mass casualties via a home-made bomb at a white nationalist rally in Long Beach this past weekend, officials said.

This was a case in which law enforcement was able to identify a man consumed with hate and bent on mass murder, and stop him before he could carry out his attack, US Attorney Nick Hanna told reporters.

Nevertheless, the criminal case outlines a chilling terrorism plot that developed over the past two months and targeted innocent Americans that he expected to gather this past weekend, he added.

Domingo was arrested Friday after receiving what he thought was a live bomb packed with nails that was delivered by an undercover agent.

According to court documents, Domingo expressed support in online posts and conversations with an FBI source for violent jihad and aspired to become a martyr by seeking retribution for attacks against Muslims.

After considering various options -- including targeting Jews, churches, and police officers -- Domingo decided to detonate an IED at the Long Beach rally, which ended up not taking place, authorities said.

- The taste of terror -

At times Mr Domingo said that he wanted to kill Jews as they walked to synagogue, Hanna said. At other times he said he wanted to kill and target police officers, attack a military facility or attack crowds at the Santa Monica pier.

He added that Domingo, of Reseda, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, even considered killing a neighbor as a prelude to a much larger attack.

Domingo, who served in Afghanistan between September 2012 and January 2013, apparently began mulling carrying out a terror attack in early March and decided to move forward after the March 13 mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead.

One message he posted to a private group online in early March referred to another mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017 that left 58 dead.

America needs another Vegas event... that would give them the taste of terror they gladly spread all over the world, he said.

In another posting on March 14, a day after the New Zealand attacks, he wrote: There were mosque shootings in New Zealand. There must be retribution.

Hanna said Domingo repeatedly spoke about becoming a martyr and vowed to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State terror group if it managed to set up a presence in the United States.

- Rise in hate -

After several weeks of plotting with an undercover FBI informant, Domingo finally set his sights on the rally in Long Beach and bought several hundred three-inch (7.6-centimeter) nails to be used as shrapnel inside a pressure cooker bomb, the complaint says.

He believed the nails would be effective because they would be long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs.

He was arrested after an undercover officer handed him an inert device he thought was active and the pair traveled to the Long Beach park where the rally was set to take place to conduct surveillance.

Im extremely glad to be announcing that we interdicted a potential terrorist attack, rather than outlining the FBIs response to yet another tragedy, said Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office.

At no time was the public in danger and there is currently no known threat to public safety.

Domingo has been charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. He faces up to 15 years in prison on the charge.

He appeared in federal court on Monday and was ordered held without bail pending trial. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 31.

His arrest comes two days after a 19-year-old California man, John Earnest, was arrested for shooting dead one worshipper and wounding three others at a synagogue near San Diego.

Last year, the Anti-Defamation League, which combats anti-Semitism and discrimination, reported a 57 percent leap in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017, the sharpest yearly spike since the 1970s.
The second bloodiest defeat in 1864 Atlanta campaign devolved into a full frontal catastrophe

William T. Sherman never mentioned the Battle of Picketts Mill in his memoirs, even thoughor perhaps becauseit was his second bloodiest defeat in the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, after Kennesaw Mountain. Yet in the embittered memory of one Union officer, Lieutenant Ambrose Bierce, Picketts Mill was a criminal blunder. As examined here, it is also a tragic Civil War example of how an intended flank attack could turn into a bloody frontal assault, with catastrophic results.

SHERMAN LAUNCHED HIS CAMPAIGN from Chattanooga, Tenn., on May 5, 1864. Two weeks later, in Georgia, he had pushed General Joseph E. Johnstons Army of Tennessee from Dalton through Resaca and Cassville. Despite being reinforced by more than 20,000 Confederates (including coastal garrison troops and Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polks three Mississippi infantry divisions), Johnston kept retreating along the Western & Atlantic Railroad, his supply line to Atlanta. By May 21 he had taken a position at Allatoona Mountain,

some 45 miles south of Dalton. About that time, Sherman commanded 92,000 men against Johnstons 70,000the most favorable odds Southerners would hold in the campaign, actually.

Cump Sherman knew the strength of this position, having visited the area in 1844 during his younger U.S. Army days. For the first time in his advance, Sherman ordered his troops to pack rations for a march away from the railroad, heading for Dallas, Ga., 12 miles southwest of Allatoona. Before Shermans men set out on the morning of May 23, Rebel cavalry had alerted Johnston about the likely enemy movement. Johnston was able to reach Dallas first, lay out a defensive line, and wait for the Yankees to test it.

Test it they did on the afternoon of May 25 at New Hope Churcha Methodist chapel four miles northwest of Dallas. This was the right of Johnstons six-mile line, held by Lt. Gen. John B. Hoods Corps. A testy Sherman, annoyed that his movement was being blocked by Johnstons rapid deployment, ordered an attack. In two hours, the Federals were repulsed with losses of 1,664 killed, wounded, and captured or missing. Casualties in Confederate Maj. Gen. Alexander P. Stewarts Division totaled some 475.

Both sides spent May 26 fortifying and skirmishing, as well as occasional maneuvering. Having flanked Johnston out of his Allatoona position, Sherman now began to sidle eastward back toward the railroad. The Federal line ran from Dallas on the right (15th and 16th Corps) across New Hope (Fighting Joe Hookers 20th Corps). That day Sherman extended his left by shifting Maj. Gen. Oliver

Howards 4th Corps beyond Hooker. Brigadier General Richard Johnsons division (14th Corps) also marched east behind Howard. By 11:30 a.m., Maj. Gen. John Schofields 23rd Corps had taken a position on Howards left. One of Schofields officers recorded that nothing has transpired as yet to indicate whether the enemy are in force, but it is supposed they are on the defensive and awaiting us. They were. After Confederates spotted the Federals marching eastward on the morning of the 26th, Hood shifted his leftmost division, Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindmans, to his right. Hindmans troops aligned on high ground in good defensive position.

Later in the day, Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburnes Division was also ordered to the right, further extending the Confederate line eastward. Cleburne placed one of his brigades, Brig. Gen. Lucius E. Polks, on Hindmans right. Then to Polks right, a 12-gun artillery battalion was set. To support the guns, one regiment of Brig. Gen. Daniel C. Govans Brigade took position. The rest of it, and Cleburnes other two brigades (Brig. Gens. Hiram B. Granburys and Mark Lowreys), were held in a second line behind Polk.

The infantry on the front line dug in that night, now the extreme right of Johnstons position. Historians have accordingly come to call it his DallasNew HopePicketts Mill Line. (The latter point is in recognition of the gristmill owned by Martha Fanny Pickett, a 29-year-old widow and mother of four, whose husband, 2nd Lt. Benjamin Pickett of the 1st Georgia Cavalry, had died at the Battle of Chickamauga on September 19, 1863.) Two Confederate cavalry brigades under Brig. Gen. John H. Kelly extended the flank almost to Picketts Mill Creek.

Howards line was at some points just 100 yards from the Confederates. One of Howards division commanders, Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Wood, would write that his men had spent the 26th in very brilliant and successful maneuvering to determine the exact position of the enemys intrenched [sic] line. From the other flank, Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson informed the commanding general that his troops had entered Dallas that afternoon. They had encountered some Rebels; I shall move against them in the morning.

Sherman was determined to keep up the pressure on Joe Johnston. That night he issued a special field order outlining his plans for May 27. First, the 20th, 4th, and 23rd Corps artillery were to open a morning barrage on the Confederate center and right. Then Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas, commanding the Army of the Cumberland in Shermans army group, would wheel General Howards Corps southward. By ordering Howard to wheel like that undoubtedly meant Sherman intended a flanking move, not a direct assault. The 23rd Corps would offer support, with Hooker launching a diversionary attack on his front, and McPherson was instructed to push his Army of the Tennessee on the right toward New Hope Church.

Military science can be unpredictable, as Cump discovered when his plan fell apart. After the barrage ended about 9 a.m., McPherson informed Sherman that the enemy was too strong to be driven. Thomas and Howard then realized the Confederate line was extended farther to the east than they had believedin the thick woods, the deployment of Hindmans and Cleburnes divisions had not been detected.

Sherman responded by canceling his original plan in favor of a leftward movement. Thomas had Howard send a division farther to the left, seeking an opportunity to find the edge of the enemy line, and attack at that point. Howard chose Woods 3rd Division; Johnsons 1st Division (14th Corps) would lend support.

About 7 a.m., Howard ordered Woods division back to the rear to form in column of brigadesmeaning Woods three brigades were now

arrayed one behind another. Howard got his troops marching about 11 a.m. For commanders, the chief advantage of column formation was that they could move faster and more effectively control their men, who could better hear officers sounding out orders. Once Howards demi-corpssome 12,500 menleft the open field in which it had formed, the column encountered thick woods and rough ground. For a mile the march was nearly due southward, Wood recalled, through dense forests and the thickest jungle, a country whose surface was scarred by deep ravines and intersected by difficult ridges. Officers called for frequent halts and changes in direction. Brigade buglers would sound these orders, which would be taken up by regimental and company horns, making it a perfect din of sounds, as one soldier recalled. Lieutenant Alexis Cope of the 15th Ohio recorded the mens dismay at all the horn-blowing, noting [M]ore than one officer and man exclaimed: If we are expected to surprise the enemy, why dont they stop those d-d bugles?

Actually, Cleburne already knew of the enemy activity in his front. About 7 a.m., he had sent out Govans Brigade to reconnoiter. Upon the brigades return a few hours later, Cleburne posted it on Lucius Polks right, extending the Confederate line farther toward Picketts Mill Creek. Govan left skirmishers in front, however, and they, along with Kellys cavalrymen, picked up the movement of Wood and Johnson. Cleburne had his men strengthen their works.

After about a mile, Howard, believing he had turned the Confederate right, had Woods troops form for an attack. By then a brigade from Schofields 23rd CorpsBrig. Gen. Nathaniel McLeanshad joined in support. When Wood sent out skirmishers, though, the Federals learned the enemys line was still very much in their front. Immediately the skirmishers were withdrawn and the column moved rapidly by the left flank at least another mile to the east, Howard remembered. But it was a blind marchWoods division had no cavalry in front, so he was unaware of how far the Rebel line extended. Colonel Benjamin Scribner, leading a brigade in Johnsons division, was only one Federal venting his frustration when he later wrote of the Confederates seemingly interminable intrenchments.

Eventually their march brought the Federals near Picketts Mill about 2 p.m., when they halted. For the next hour and a half, Howard and his officers inspected the ground ahead of them. I was standing in the edge of a wood, and with my glass following along the lines of Johnston, to see where his batteries were located, Howard later wrote, and to ascertain if we had reached his limits. He could see Rebel earthworks, he recalled, but they did not seem to cover General Woods front, and they were new, the enemy still working hard on them. Then he had a member of his staff, Colonel Thomas Morgan, ride off with this message to Thomas:

GENERAL: I am on the ridge beyond the field that we were looking at this morning. No person can appreciate the difficulty in moving over this ground unless he can see it. I am on the east side of the creek on which Pettits [Picketts] Mill is, facing south, and am now turning the enemys right flank, I think. A prisoner reports two divisions in front of us, Cleburnes and Hindmans.

Actually, Hindmans Division would not be engaged that day, although Cleburne had two of his brigades as reserves. Since Govans morning report of Yankees marching toward his right, the Irishman had been diligent. His position was on high ground, an east-west ridge

covered with trees and undergrowth. Cleburne directed that much of the brush be left standing in front of his troops works for purposes of concealment. Because the undergrowth of vines and chinquapin bushes covered the interior of his line, too, Cleburne had paths cut laterally and vertically to help his men move when under fire.

He paid special attention to his artillery. Seeing that the embrasures that had been constructed allowed the guns to deliver only direct frontal fire, he had them torn away to allow oblique firingmore deadly against enemy infantry. He also had two 12-pounder howitzers placed at the very end of his line, to enfilade the advancing enemy. Moreover, during the morning Kellys 800 cavalrymen dug rifle pits from the end of the infantry line to Picketts Mill Creek.

Twenty-five minutes after Howard sent his enemys right flank, I think message, Morgan brought back a reply: General Thomas says that Major General Sherman wishes us to get on the enemys flank and rear as soon as possible. This put Howard in a predicament. His reputation had been tarnished the year before when his 11th Corps had been surprised and routed at Chancellorsville and then was shattered at Gettysburg (even some of his own men turned his O.O. initials into disparagement by calling him Uh-Oh Howard). He may also have heard that Sherman, who did not particularly care for Howards piety, once remarked that he ought to have been born in petticoats. Now, Thomas had made it clear that the commanding general wanted results. Indeed, about that time, Sherman jotted a note to Schofield declaring, We must break his line without scattering our troops too much, and then break through.

Obviously, Sherman demanded action. Should Howard continue sidling to his left, determining the end of the Rebel line? It was now 4 p.m.; he had already spent much of the day marching, so more of the same promised little benefit. Besides, Howard honestly thought he had reached the enemys right flank. Fully believing from a careful study of the whole position that we had at last reached the end of Johnstons line, Howard decided to attack.

He did so only half-heartedly, however. Instead of sending in Woods and Johnsons divisions together, Howard opted for a rather tepid reconnaissance-in-force, one brigade at a time, starting with Brig. Gen. William B. Hazens. Howard and Wood were discussing the plan within hearing of Hazen and his topographical officer, Lieutenant Ambrose Bierce. According to Bierce, Wood told Howard, We will put in Hazen and see what success he has.

Hazen expressed his mortification 20 years later in his memoirs. This was a revelation to me, he wrote, as it was evident there was to be no attack by column at all. (A column assault would have advanced Woods three brigades in five minutes succession.) To Hazens right was McLeans brigade, but it was only to demonstrate against the enemy in their front. To his left rear was Scribners brigade, but it was too distant to offer support. Thus, it became evident that with his brigade sent in alone, his 1,500 men were essentially being sacrificed. Indeed, one Union officer well after the war claimed to have heard Howard himself telling Hazen, General, you will have to charge and turn the enemys flank if you sacrifice your brigade. Yet Hazen was too true a soldier to protest. As he rode back to his command, he uttered never a word, Bierce remembered; only by a look which I knew how to read did he betray his sense of the criminal blunder.

About 4 p.m., as Hazens troops were forming for their assault, Cleburne strengthened his flank by ordering Granburys Brigade out of reserve and to Govans right. Time was critical; without sending the order through regimental commanders, Granbury called out, Attention, Brigade! Right face! Forward! Double quick, march! Lieutenant Robert Collins of the 15th Texas Cavalry (Dismounted) recalled, We were off on a run. Soon they were lining up for battle, but with no time to build any protective works.

At 4.30 p.m. precisely the order was given to attack, Wood recorded. Hazens brigade then advancedHazen with them on foot, as all officers horses had been sent to the rear. The Federals did not know what lay ahead of them.

They quickly found out. Bierce painfully remembered the advance as a quarter-mile uphill through almost impassable tangles of underwood. Color-bearers kept their flags furled lest the cloth be ripped by tree branches. The regiments [were] inextricably intermingled, rendering all military formation impossible, Bierce wrote. Soon, Confederate musket volleys brought down scores of Hazens men.

Three decades after the war, Silas Crowell of the 93rd Ohio remembered, We were ordered to charge a hill, our brigade in the lead. We got about two-thirds way up when we were met with a galling fire. Some Northerners got so close that they could hear the Southerners taunting them. Come on! We are demoralized! they shouted, referring sarcastically to the rumor that Johnstons frequent retreats during the campaign had weakened their will.

On Granburys right, Federals got close enough to yell, Damn you, we have caught you without your logs now, Cleburne wrote after the battle. But, as he added, Granburys attackers didnt need logs to turn back the attackers. Our men have no protection, a Texan, Captain Samuel Foster, recorded in his diary, but they are lying flat on the ground, and shooting as fast as they can. Lieutenant Sebron Sneed of the 6th/15th Texas (Consolidated) wrote his wife a week after the battle, [T]hey came up bravely, but our men kept such a shower of minnies [sic] in their faces that flesh and blood could not stand it.The balls flew as thick as hail and death stalked around.

Indeed it did. In his report, Cleburne wrote that Granburys Texans slaughtered them with deliberate aim, leaving piles of his dead on this front. Bierce, watching the assault from Hazens right, observed a dead line maybe 10 yards in front of the Rebelsa well-defined edge of corpsesthose of the bravest who had gotten closest to the enemy line before being shot down. Unable to break Granburys line, Federals sought shelter behind trees and rocks, returning fire as best they could.

Things went better for the Federals on Hazens left. As they lost their formation, the attackers veered so far toward the creek that they pushed back Kellys dismounted cavalrymen and threatened Granburys flank. The Texans called for help. Because McLean had not advanced, Govans Brigade was not engaged, so Cleburne could pull it out of line and rush it over to stop Hazens advance. For good measure, Cleburne committed his last brigade, Brig. Gen. Mark P. Lowreys, which had been held in reserve. Cleburne told Lowrey: Secure Granburys right. Hurrying into a cornfield abutting the creek, Lowrey succeeded in blunting the Northerners advance.

Hazen needed help. He sent staff officers back to summon Woods other brigades, which did not come. Forty minutes after the start of his assault (according to Hazen; Bierce remembered 45), the general ruefully recalled, My command had now lost 500 men and was powerless to go farther, so he ordered his survivors to fall back.

In their milling to the rear, one Ohio officer came upon Hazen and asked, General, where is our brigade? We wish to report to our regiments. With tears rolling down his cheeks, Hazen answered, Brigade, hell. I have none. But what is left is over there in the woods.

The only thing worse than a frontal attack is a piecemeal frontal attack, which is precisely what the rest of the battle devolved into. Scribners brigade advanced around 5:30 p.m., well after Hazens troops were retiring. Brushing aside Kellys cavalrymen, the Federals were stopped by Lowreys men. Gibsons brigade went in about 6 p.m., encountering the same withering fire that had ruined Hazensit withdrew after an hour. Finally, with sunset approaching, Wood ordered Colonel Frederick Kneflers brigade to advance, not so much to attack but to retrieve the Union wounded.

Many Federals were left hugging the ground before the Confederate lines after nightfalleven in the darkness, they feared falling back, as the Rebels kept shooting randomly. We could hear the Yanks just in front of us moving among the dead leaves,wrote Texas Captain Samuel Foster, like hogs rooting for acorns; but not speakingabove a whisper. About 10 p.m. Cleburne ordered Granburys Brigade forward to sweep the field. To its right, Lowreys Brigade also advanced into the cornfield.

It was of course hard to distinguish between friend and foe. The Southerners demanded that shadowy figures identify their regiments. Sometimes the answer would be the 40th, and our boys knew that we dit [sic] not have no 40th Regt. in our Brigade, wrote one Texan, and, therefore, they would Kill such. Sometimes the answer would be the 24th, and when they would ask the 24th What, the 24th Ohio, and they were servet the same.

Confederates held the battlefield on May 28 and hence were left to bury the dead. It was a sickening spectacle to Foster, who recorded seeing men lying in all sorts of shapes.It seems like they have all been shot in the head, and a great number of them have their skulls bursted open and their brains running out.

Union casualties were 212 killed, 927 wounded, and 318 missinga total that far exceeded the 448 casualties Cleburne reported (85 killed, 363 wounded), to which should be added probably 100 or so of Kellys cavalrymen. By percentage, Wood suffered approximately 20 percent casualties of his 7,000 men engaged to Cleburnes 8.6 percent.

In the end, the Federals repulse occurred because Wood threw his brigades in piecemeal, and Cleburnes alert movement of troops to the threatened flank was another factor. What Sherman, Thomas, and Howard had hoped would be a basic flank attack turned into a bloody headlong assault. This of course happened quite often in the Civil War, meaning Picketts Mill possibly doesnt deserve Ambrose Bierces characterization of it as a criminal blunder. But it doesnt mitigate the tragedy of that bloody spring day in Georgia.

Stephen Davis of Cumming, Ga., is author of A Long and Bloody Task (2016) and All the Fighting They Want (2017), which cover the Atlanta Campaign.

_____

My Fighting Texans

The Confederate brigade at the center of Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburnes defensive victory at Picketts Mill hailed from an area of Texas between Houston and Dallas. Like most early volunteers, these Lone Star boys were full of fight. As one of them, Robert Collins, later recalled, The idea of the Yankees heading for Texas soil to despoil our fair homes, insult our women and eat up the substance of the people was just a little more than we proposed to submit to.

Eight regiments, recruited between the summer of 1861 and the spring of 1862, became Granburys Brigade: the 6th, 7th, and 10th Texas Infantry, plus the 15th, 17th, 18th, 24th, and 25th Texas Cavalry. Their eventual leader, Hiram Bronson Granbury, had formed the Waco Guards (Co. A of the 7th). The 7th was captured at Fort Donelson. After release, Granbury was promoted as its colonel.

In the summer of 1862, the five Texas cavalry regiments were dismounted, leading to much grumbling among the men and some desertions. After their capture at Arkansas Post in January 1863, 2025 percent of the 6th, 10th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 24th, and 25th died in Northern prisons. The survivors were exchanged and ordered to Braxton Braggs Army of Tennessee.

Their consolidation into two regiments followed in June 1863. Brigade command devolved to Brig. Gen. James Deshler, who would be killed at Chickamauga; Brig. Gen. James Smith succeeded. After Chickamauga, the 7th Texas, already with Bragg, joined the Arkansas Post Brigade and the strengthened unit became Smiths Texas Brigade, part of Cleburnes Division.

By mid-November 1863, Smiths Brigade consisted of the 6/10/15 Texas under Colonel Roger Mills, the 17/18/24/25 Texas (Major William Taylor) and Granburys 7th Texas.

The brigade shone on November 25, 1863, when Cleburnes men repelled William Shermans assault on Missionary Ridge. After Smith was wounded in that battle, Cleburne put Granbury in charge of the brigade. It repeated its strong performance at Ringgold Gap two days later, when Cleburnes Division, the rear guard of Braggs retreating army, successfully held off the pursuing enemy. Granburys subsequent promotion to brigadier general was made effective February 29, 1864.

In the early days of his advance against Johnstons army, Sherman launched an attack against the Confederate left flank at Dug Gap. During the Federal assault on May 8, when Granburys Brigade moved up as reinforcements, Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee shouted, Here are my fighting Texans!

The soldiers from the Lone Star State had earned their reputation.S.D.
In 1914, as World War I erupted across Europe, James Mac McConnell knew he could no longer stay on the ground.

BUNDLED HEAD-TO-TOE IN THEIR FUR-LINED FLIGHT SUITS, Edmond Genet, Edwin Parsons, and James Mac McConnell, pilots of the famed Lafayette Escadrille in World War I, walked across an airfield in Saint Juste, France, to their Nieuport 17 biplanes. McConnell, suffering from a wrenched back (the result of a horrific crackup), had to have his French mechanics help him into his bucket seat. Soon, the three aluminum-painted aircraft were bobbing in close formation in the cold, misty skies above Ham, 80 miles north of Paris. Although it was just 9 oclock in the morning of March 19, 1917, this was the squadrons third patrol of the day. The three pilots had been ordered to protect the larger, more cumbersome observation machines soaring above no mans land.

Flying low at first, the pilots could easily see the French cavalry overrunning the countryside. In this sector the Germans were in full retreat, pulling back to a heavily fortified position known as the Hindenburg Line. Having systematically destroyed all the abandoned towns and villages, the Germans were leaving behind a barren, burned-out, and abused landscape. Before we had gone very far Parsons was forced to go back on account of motor trouble, Genet wrote two days later. But he and Mac kept going. Genet reported that at about 10 oclock, Mac suddenly headed into the German lines toward Saint Quentin and I naturally followed close to his rear and above him.

Well inside hostile territory the American airmen encountered two enemy single-seatersdark green fish-like Albatros D.IIIsand accelerated into combat. McConnell and Genet quickly lost track of each other in the swirling melee that ensued. Within moments, one of Genets left airfoils was torn apart by a stream of explosive bulletsprojectiles banned by the 1899 Hague Convention because they were considered inhumane. I was momentarily stunned by part of [the airfoil], he recalled, noting that it dug a nasty gouge into my left cheek. A battery of enemy antiaircraft guns now joined the fray, their shells exploding into ominous spider shapes.

Also locked in a circling dance of death, McConnell and the other German each jockeyed for an advantage, sometimes darting within 25 yards of each other. Now the familiar dull staccato of machine-gun fire, the smell of motor fuel and hot gun oil, and the dizzying thrill of high-speed airborne combat filled the Americans senses. Jimmy McConnellbon vivant, ideologue, thrill-seekerwas exactly where he wanted to be.

JAMES ROGERS McCONNELL WAS BORN IN CHICAGO ON MARCH 14, 1887. Two years later his father, Samuel P. McConnell, a judge on the Circuit Court of Cook County, moved the family to New York City, where he worked as the president of a large building-contracting firm and as a legal representative of the massive interests of the Vanderbilt family. For Judge McConnell the next stop, in 1905, was Carthage, North Carolina, as the president of a railroad company.

Aside from these moves and his familys affluence, young McConnells childhood was shaped by several strong influences. His Chicago home, according to historian Philip Alexander Bruce, was close to that of one of the earliest pioneers in aviation, who was in the habit of studying the wings and flight of birds, and testing the results of his observations with primitive machines in a vacant lot just under the boys window. (The unnamed pioneer was most likely French-American civil engineer and aviation authority Octave Chanute, whose 1894 book, Progress in Flying Machines, carefully analyzed every method of manmade flight thus far attempted.) McConnell also formed an enduring attachment to France from spending many happy years there with his mother and two younger sisters. It was clear, too, that he craved adventure. In June 1902 McConnell and a friendboth of them just 14got into a four-horsepower automobile in New York City that hed bought three months earlier to drive all the way to Chicago (some 1,000 miles). The feat attracted lots of attention from the press, and crowds of well-wishers lined their route.

In 1907 McConnell, who had been educated at private schools, registered at the University of Virginiaa stuffy Southern school deeply rooted in the past. Students walking the campus, for example, only acknowledged those to whom they had been formally introduced. While many freshmen there felt snubbed, the broad-shouldered, cheerful youngster from Chicago exuded self-confidence and quickly became popular among his peers. Considered a rather brilliant student, McConnell nonetheless manifested his genius in extracurricular activities. He was an assistant cheerleader and a member of Beta Theta Pi, Theta Nu Epsilon, ribbon-society T.I.L.K.A., the German Club (which organized cotillions), and the extremely secretive Seven Society. He helped found the University Aero Club and was editor in chief of Corks and Curls, a student publication. He entertained throngs of well-lubricated students by playing the bagpipes and was blamed for firmly attaching a chamber pot to the head of a statue of Thomas Jefferson, UVAs founder, just before it was unveiled for a crowd of dignitaries that included President William Howard Taft. (McConnell was not expelled for the incident, probably because a plumber removed the pot just in time.) McConnells most notable UVA distinction, however, was his reign as king of the Hot Foot Society, a student organization whose annual coronation ceremony featured a raucous parade, in which the king and queen led an assortment of wildly dressed medieval-style pages, musicians, cupbearers, jesters, and guards.

McConnell left in 1910 without a degree. Bouncing around, he first worked in New York City, and then returned to North Carolina for a position with his fathers railroad.

JIMMY McCONNELL WAS STILL IN CARTHAGE WHEN, on July 28, 1914, World War I erupted across Europe. By the end of the year, with northern France overrun by the Germans and more than 300,000 French soldiers killed and wounded, McConnell knew he could no longer simply stay on the sidelines, despite the United States neutrality.

To McConnell, a great crusade beckoned. France, the nation he so adored, was facing an evil of immense proportions. Many feared that the very future of Western civilization was at stake. The war to end all wars promised glory, romance, and escape. It was, as McConnell saw it, the opportunity of a lifetime.

In January 1915 McConnell told a startled friend in Carthage that he was all fixed uphe had a job driving an ambulance in France. These Sand Hills will be here forever, he said, but the war wont; and so Im going.

A month later McConnell was a driver with Section 2 of the American Ambulance Field Service headquartered at Pont-a-Mousson on the Moselle River in northeastern France. In Europe he joined the ranks of thousands of young, idealistic American ambulance volunteers serving the cause of humanity in the Great War. (A number of them later went on to great fame, including E. E. Cummings, Ernest Hemingway, and John Dos Passos.) Tomorrow, I am going to the front with our squad and twelve ambulances, McConnell wrote a stateside friend in April. I am having a glorious experience.

Not content merely to drive an ambulance, McConnell soon began writing articles for publications in the United States, whose readers were hungry for details about the horrors of the European conflict. His piece in the September 1915 issue of Outlook, with an introduction by former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt, was considered one of the best written about the ambulance service. The work at night is quite eerie, and on moonless nights quite difficult, McConnell wrote. It is only in the dazzling light of the illuminating rockets that shoot into the air and sink slowly over the trenches that one can see to proceed with any speed. It is at night, too, that our hardest work comes, for that is usually the time when attacks and counter-attacks are made and great numbers of men are wounded. Sometimes all twenty of the Section cars will be in service. It is then that one sees the most frightfully wounded: the men with legs and arms shot away, mangled faces, and hideous body wounds. It is a time when men die in the ambulances before they reach the hospitals.

ON OCTOBER 5, 1915, McCONNELL WAS AWARDED FRANCES CROIX de GUERRE WITH STAR, for courage and fearlessness worthy of the highest praise. But for McConnell, that wasnt enough. All along I had been convinced that the United States ought to aid in the struggle against Germany, he wrote. With that conviction, it was plainly up to me to do more than drive an ambulance. The more I saw of the splendour of the fight the French were fighting, the more I felt like an embusquewhat the British call a shirker. So I made up my mind to go into aviation.

On October 1, 1915, following the acceptance of his application, a series of examinations, the signing of a flurry of documents, and his swearing of allegiance to the French Foreign Legion (not the nation of France, thus adhering to U.S. neutrality), Jimmy McConnell officially joined the Aeronautique Militaire. He soon found himself at a flying school outside Pau, France, at the base of the Pyrenees, 400 miles south of Paris. There, prospective pilots began by first skittering down the airfield in rouleurs (rollers)wingless Bleriot XIs dubbed Penguins because they couldnt possibly take offthen advancing to low-powered planes capable of limited flight. Once theyd mastered the controls, landing and taking off, and completed 30 hours in the air, students received their brevet militaire, or pilots license, after passing an altitude test (maintaining the height of 6,000 feet for one hour) flying two 40-mile petit voyages, and completing three triangle air flights. For these jaunts, the novice airmen, using just a compass, map, and landmarks on the ground, had to fly to two distant towns and have their papers signed by local officials before returning to their aerodrome.

Then came classroom instruction, a three-week course in aerial gunnery, an intense and frequently fatal four-week course in acrobatics and air combat, and another class in formation and group flying. McConnell received his brevet militaire on February 6, 1916. With his training well underway, he was excited to finally wear a French uniform. What thrilled him even more, however, was learning that he would soon become a member of a new, all-American escadrille de chasse, or fighter squadron.

Escadrille N. 124 (a.k.a. the Escadrille Americaine) was the brainchild of Norman Prince and William Thaw, scions of extremely well-to-do American families. By late 1915, both were serving as combat pilots in the French air service. When theyalong with another American pilot, Elliot Cowdinwere given leave to return to the States, the enthusiastic press coverage of their visit convinced them that France would gain tremendous American support with the formation of an all-American squadron. With the backing of powerful allies in the French government, and among the wealthy Americans living in Paris, Prince and Thaw sold their idea to General Auguste Edouard Hirschauer, the head of French aviation.

Escadrille N. 124 became official on April 16, 1916. Its original roster included McConnell and six other Americans: Cowdin, a Harvard University graduate from Long Island, New York; Prince, another Harvard man, from Massachusetts; Thaw, a Pennsylvanian whod left Yale University to pursue a career in aviation; Tennessee-born Kiffin Rockwell, whod attended Washington and Lee University in Virginia; New York Cityborn Harvard graduate Victor Chapman; and Weston Birch Bert Hall, who, though charming, was an inveterate liar (nobody was ever sure of his real birthplacehe named severalor whether the amazing experiences he was so fond of recounting were true). In these other AmericansHall exceptedMcConnell found young men of the same stripe: They were well-heeled, idealistic, and spirited. They were also eager to help France in her dire time of need. In command of this unique collection of volunteers were two prominent French fliers, Captain Georges Thenault and Lieutenant Alfred de Laage de Meux.

The members of the Escadrille Americaine first assembled at Luxeuil-les-Bains, an old spa town near the Swiss border. McConnell wrote enthusiastically of the aerodromes wonderful facilities and numerous technicians, but then noted the ancient custom of giving a man selected for the sacrifice a royal time of it before the appointed day. At Luxeuil the squadron was issued 80-horsepower Nieuport 11s, which were affectionately known as bebes because of their diminutive size. What they lacked in bulk, however, they more than made up for in speed, maneuverability, and rate of climb.

During the squadrons first sortie, the pilots soared to 13,000 feet then headed over the trencheswhat McConnell called a series of brown, woodworm-like tracings on the ground. Suddenly, he continued, two balls of black smokeappeared close to one of the machines ahead of me, and with the same disconcerting abruptness similar balls began to dot the sky above, below, and on all sides of us. We were being shot at with shrapnel.The roar of my engine drowned the noise of the explosions. Strangely enough, my feelings were wholly impersonal.

In May 1916, N. 124 was transferred to the Bar-le-Duc airfield behind the Verdun sector. Here the war was brutally real. Over the furnace of Verdunas the massive killing field would become knownthe squadron fought 146 combats and recorded 13 confirmed victories. Many of its flights involved protecting French observation and range-finding aircraft. Sailing high above these machines we felt like an old hen protecting her chickens, McConnell wrote. Often flying three missions a day, the Americans also patrolled the front and escorted bombers over enemy territory. Now the east is pink, and overhead the sky has changed from gray to pale blue, Mac, as the pilots were now calling him, wrote. (The nickname was stenciled on his fuselage). The country below has changed into a flat surface of variegated figures. Woods are irregular blocks of dark green, like daubs of ink spilled on a table; fields are geometrical designs of different shades of green and brown, forming in composite an ultra-cubist painting.

McConnell, who participated in many of these missions, was determined to bag an enemy plane. Getting started is the hardest part of an attack, he wrote. Once you have begun diving youre all right.Now the black Maltese crosses on the Germans wings stand out clearly. You think of him as some sort of big bug.The rattle of the gun that is aimed at you leaves you undisturbed. Only when the bullets pierce the wings a few feet off do you become uncomfortable. You see the gunner crouched down behind his weapon, but you aim at where the pilot ought to bethere are two men aboard the German craftand press on the release hard. Your mitrailleuse [machine gun] hammers out a stream of bullets. Despite his attempts, McConnell never scored an official kill.

IN LATE AUGUST, McCONNELL BARELY SURVIVED A NASTY CRACKUP when he misjudged the length of the landing field. Coming down at the end of the airfield, his Nieuport bolted along the ground, toward the woods, at 100 miles an hour. I saw soldiers running to be in at the finish and I thought to myself that Jamess hash was cooked, he later wrote, but I went between two trees and ended up head-on against the opposite bank of the road. The plane was smashed and his back was badly injured. McConnell was determined to remain at the fronthe flew in pain for several daysbut Thenault ordered him to the rear to recuperate.

Ironically, while he was away from the front, McConnell made his greatest contribution to the Allied war effort by writing action-packed articles for the November 1916 and March 1917 issues of Worlds Work magazine. At the Paris residence of a close friend, he quickly expanded these pieces into a 157-page book titled Flying for France that was published by Doubleday, Page & Company of New York.

Here was a taste of combat fresh from the smoked-filled skies over the Western Front. And here, in McConnells graphic descriptions, the American people were given ample evidence of the need for their assistance. Through [McConnell] more than any other single individual, America is beginning to catch the real and very vital significance of this most tremendous of all world struggles, Edwin Alderman, the president of the University of Virginia, wrote to Judge McConnell. Through him we are at last waking to the realization that the cause of the Allies is our own.

Unfortunately for McConnell, the war went on without him. From Bar-de-Luc the Escadrille Americaine returned to Luxeuil, where it remained until mid-October. There the pilots acquired a mascota lion cub they named Whiskeyand there they were issued Nieuport 17s, flying machines larger and more powerful than the Nieuport 11s. The 17s were also better armed, boasting a synchronized, belt-fed Vickers machine gun that fired through the propeller as well as an optional Lewis gun above the upper wing. On November 16, yielding to German diplomatic protests (the United States was still a neutral nation), the Escadrille Americaine was renamed the Escadrille des Volontaires. On December 6, because of both wartime international squabbling and the desire to honor the Marquis de Lafayette, World War Is most famous fighter squadron received the name by which it is knownand reveredto this day, LEscadrille Lafayette. From Luxeuil the squadron was transferred to Cachy, 60 miles north of Paris, its home until late January 1917. Ravenel was N.124s next posting, and the squadron remained there until early April.

By late February, McConnell had finagled his way back into the squadron, flying sorties against German observation balloons. His back pain was so bad that he needed help getting dressed. Worse yet, because it restricted his head movement, he no longer had total vision in the cockpit, essential for survival in the air.

Five days later, on March 19, Mac flew his last mission. When Genets plane was blasted by explosive bullets, the stunned pilot unloaded his machine gun at the enemy, and then headed home. Muffled antiaircraft detonations chased him back toward friendly lines. I straightened out over Ham at a thousand meters, Genet later wrote, and began to circle around looking for Mac or the other Boche, but saw absolutely nothing.

Four days later a French cavalry patrol discovered the shattered remains of Macs Nieuport No. 2055 in a small apple orchard near Petit Detroit, just south of Flavy-le-Martel. McConnells horribly mangled corpsestripped of everything, including his bootsstill lay alongside the wreck. The cavalrymen had witnessed Macs last combat, reporting that two enemy two-seaters had shot up his Nieuport just before it plummeted to earth, though the Germans credited the kill to Second Lieutenant Heinrich Kammerer of Jagdstaffel (Fighter Squadron) 20. The machine was scarcely distinguishable so badly had it smashed into the ground, wrote a distraught Genet to Paul Rockwell, and there is scarcely any doubt, Paul, that Mac was killed while fighting in the air, as no pilot would have attempted to land a machine in the tiny rotten field.

Thus perished James Rogers McConnell, one of the Lafayette Escadrilles original seven flyers. Of the units initial roster, Victor Chapmanthe first American pilot killed in World War Ihad been shot down on June 23, 1916; a dogfight with a German two-seater claimed Kiffin Rockwells life on September 23 of that year; and Norman Prince had been mortally injured in a landing crackup on October 12. McConnell, the fourth original member of N.124 to die, became the last American pilot killed before the United States officially entered the war on April 6, 1917.

He was buried where he fell. The citizens of a nearby village, Ham, raised enough money to erect a memorial stone at the site. Locals still refer to the little field as lentroit de laviateur, or place of the flier. (In 1928 McConnells remains were transferred to the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial near Paris.)

The citizens of Carthage, North Carolina, where McConnell was living when World War I broke out, also erected a memorial to hima tall granite obelisk that was dedicated on April 1, 1917. Later that same year France sent an additional memorial in honor of Jacques McConnell.

The University of Virginia community was shocked to learn of McConnells death. Although it had been seven years since his departure, his many antics there were still the topic of campus banter. In the summer of 1917thanks to monies pouring in for a memorialthe university commissioned internationally renowned sculptor Gutzon Borglum to produce a statue of McConnell. Rather than portraying his subject in a French uniform, Borglumbest known for completing the massive Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 1941sculpted instead a winged, nearly naked, warrior poised in flight. Titled The Aviator, the 12-foot-tall bronze depicts McConnell as Icarus, the character from Greek mythology who, after crafting wings of bird feathers held together with wax, flew too close to the sun and fell to earth. Borglums statuebearing the inscription Soaring like an eagle into new heavens of valor and devotionwas unveiled in 1919.

Back at the Ravenel aerodrome just days after McConnell died, his escadrille mates opened a letter hed left containing instructions regarding his funeral and where to send his meager belongings. My burial is of no import, he wrote. Make it as easy as possible for yourselves. I have no religion and do not care for any service. If the omission would embarrass you I presume I could stand the performance. Good luck to the rest of you. God damn Germany and vive la France. MHQ

Rick Britton, a historian and cartographer, lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

This article appears in the Spring 2019 issue (Vol. 31, No. 3) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: The Aviator

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 Flash

China firmly opposes nuclear proliferation in whatever forms and participates in the political resolution of regional nuclear proliferation issues in a responsible manner, a Chinese envoy said on Monday.

For decades China has shown maximum transparency with respect to its nuclear strategy, exercised great restraint in developing its nuclear force and taken extreme caution in its policy related to the use of nuclear weapons, Fu Cong, head of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

China has consistently adhered to a nuclear strategy of self-defense; it has strictly honored its commitment not to be the first to use nuclear weapons and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States and nuclear-weapon-free zones; it has kept its nuclear force at the minimal level required by national security, he said.

As for the regional nuclear proliferation issues, the envoy said that China strives to maintain the momentum for dialogue and detente in the Korean Peninsula, and firmly supports the establishment of a Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) in the Middle East and of the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, Fu said.

The world today is undergoing major development, changes and adjustments, he said, adding that the call for peace and cooperation rather than war and confrontation has become the common voice of the international community.



Improving the universality, authority and effectiveness of the NPT remains the major trend of the times, Fu said.

In order to further strengthen the NPT's role in preserving international peace and security, and to empower the NPT with a greater meaning of serving global development in the new era, the Chinese envoy proposed five suggestions.

The first suggestion is to continue to improve the international security situation. The international community should uphold the concept of building a community of shared future for mankind, discard the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game doctrine, and seek peace and security through cooperation.

Secondly, the Chinese envoy called on the international community to stick to the line of pragmatic and effective nuclear disarmament. "The complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons is in the interest of all humanity."

The countries possessing the largest nuclear arsenals should, in accordance with the consensus of the international community and provisions of the relevant UN documents including the General Assembly's resolutions, fulfill in earnest their special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament, keep and renew their bilateral nuclear disarmament treaties and take further steps to make drastic and substantive cuts of their nuclear weapons, he added.

The third and fourth suggestions are to keep the direction of consolidating political and diplomatic solutions to nuclear non-proliferation issues, and tap the enormous potential of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as an inalienable right empowered by the NPT, represent an important means for the international community to meet in unison the challenge of climate change, increase the driving force for global economic development, and achieve green development and the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, Fu noted.

"At the same time, such cooperation should not be politicized. Much less should it be used as a tool for major power competition," he added.

Fifthly, the envoy called for faithfully safeguarding the NPT mechanism. "It is imperative to increase dialogue and urge the countries concerned to accede to the NPT as non-nuclear-weapon states without preconditions and further delay," he said.

Since 1995, NPT review conferences have produced decisions, action plans, practical steps and measures to improve the effectiveness of the review process itself.

The NPT, signed in 1968 and effective since 1970, is the only treaty that contains legally-binding commitments to pursuing nuclear disarmament. A total of 191 states have joined the treaty.
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China's efforts to steer towards green economy will encourage other countries to follow the same footsteps, Nepali Minister for Forest and Environment Shakti Basnet said here on Sunday.

The minister's remarks came on the same day when the world's largest International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 kicked off in Beijing under the theme "Live Green, Live Better", attracting the participation of 110 countries and international organizations.

Talking exclusively with Xinhua, the Nepali minister appreciated the way China has led in promoting green development and supporting ecologically sensitive development.

"For country like China which is moving ahead economically and growing as a global power, the way the Chinese leadership has raised the issue of green economy, it's a positive aspect and in today's need," the minister said.

Stating that China's green economy will contribute to policy formation, technological development and the enhancement of people's livelihood, Basnet said that the concept will persuade other countries, especially neighboring countries in the region, to adopt sustainable green economy and save mother nature.

"Climate change and its adverse impacts are increasing particularly in this region, so the Himalayan-range countries should be more serious and sensitive towards the issue," he said.

The minister is of the view that countries should work together to pursue harmony between human and nature, to maintain ecological balance and to improve the livelihoods of all human beings.

"Nepal is now in the phase of developing infrastructures, which is our national priority. Thus, we are trying to build environment-friendly infrastructures which will make lives easier and happier.

Forests cover 45 percent of the total area of Nepal, and the country has adopted a popular statement of "Green Forest is Nepal's Wealth." The minister said that forest could be a major component of Nepal's prosperity.

"Environment protection, greenery promotion and sustainable development are the important base of our national vision of Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali," Basnet stated.
Renovation

30 April 2019

Waterfront Hotel (10 Washington St., Oakland, Calif.), located in the vibrant neighborhood of Jack London Square, reveals a multi-million dollar refresh. In collaboration with Oakland-based design firm Studio Hatch, the marinafront lifestyle hotel's renovations enhance the lobby and collective spaces, meeting venues, as well as 145 guestrooms and suites. Waterfront Hotel now adorns a modernized finish, incorporating a lighter color palette and materials inspired by its maritime location.

Waterfront Hotel features an inviting, cozy interior with subtle nautical influences. Surrounded by panoramic views of Oakland and San Francisco Bay, the hotel has transitioned to include pale blues, light wood, rust, and coral tones. Upon arrival, guests are welcomed by a marine-influenced chandelier with white rope supports and glass fixtures beneath a high ceiling with wood paneling reminiscent of a sailboat. A custom-printed wallcovering in the lobby resembles beads of water beside a specially designed fluted white oak desk, embellished with pale blue penny tiles and wavelike curves.

Guests will also find abstract artwork, curated by artist Shushi, along the walls of guest room corridors, the reception area, and collective spacesas a nod to the property's location and historical landmarks within Oakland and Jack London Square.

In tandem with its revitalized look, Waterfront Hotel welcomes General Manager Jeffery Durkin, who brings more than 25 years of diverse hospitality management experience to the role. Leading with a hands-on approach to hospitality, Durkin will lead the property's implementation of elevating guest service standards and manage various departments and hotel staff.

Prior to joining the Waterfront Hotel team, Durkin served as general manager at The Lauren Inn, another distinctive Joie de Vivre property in San Franciscowhere he headed the 49-room boutique hotel through a $3.1 million renovation in 2017. A veteran hospitality professional, Durkin also served as general manager for a number of top-tier boutique properties in Northern California including Larkspur Landing properties in Milpitas, Pleasanton, Campbell, and Sunnyvale; as well as Hilton Sonoma Wine Country and Ultima Hospitality's Holiday Inn Express in Mill Valley.

With a focus on guest touchpoints, Durkin strives to enhance transient guests' itineraries with localized packages that highlight Oakland's lively restaurants, urban breweries, wineries, and diverse arts and culture scene. This includes amenities such as the Urban Wine Trail Package, through which Waterfront Hotel guests are welcomed with a bottle of local Oakland wine to be enjoyed with the self-led wine tour through Jack London Square's favorite urban wineries housed in renovated warehouse spaces.
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Two families filed lawsuits against Boeing in Chicago on Monday over the 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people, the same day when Boeing held its shareholders meeting at the James Simpson Theatre in the Field Museum of Natural History in downtown Chicago.

Manant Vaidya, the plaintiff, lost his father Pannagesh Bhaskar Vaidya, mother Hansini Pannagesh Vaidya, sister Kosha Pannagesh Vaidya, brother-in-law Preritkumar Dixit and two nieces, 14-year-old Ashka Dixit and and 13-year-old Anushka Dixit in the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019.

"I lost three generations of my family, my parents, my sister, my nieces. If a person lost just one life, their whole life is shattered. But right now with me, I'm more like, I don't know. I'm completely lost right now," said Vaidya at a news conference held at the Clifford Law Offices room in downtown Chicago on Monday.

Paul Njoroge, another plaintiff, lost his wife Carolyne Nduta Karanja, mother-in-law Ann Karanja, 6-year-old son Ryan Njoroge Njuguna, 4-year-old daughter Kellie W. Pauls and 9-month-old infant daughter Rubi W. Pauls.

"I stay up all night crying, thinking of the horror that they must have endured as pilots struggled to keep the plane flying for six minutes," he said. "The terror that my wife must have experienced with little Rubi on her lap ... Our two children beside her, crying for their daddy, my mom in law, feeling helplessness, those six minutes will forever be embedded in my mind. I was not there to help them. I couldn't save them."

Njoroge choked several times while reading his statement, Vaidya stood up and walked over to pat him on the back at one point.

Kevin Durkin, a partner at Clifford Law Offices, promised that if Boeing denies its negligence in the crash, his firm would "seek every single email, text message that was between them and the FAA".

Alleged problems with the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) have been widely reported to be a likely contributor to the crashes.

In a written statement published earlier, Boeing President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said, "We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX accidents ... All of us feel the immense gravity of these events across our company and recognize the devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished."

"We've had teams of our top engineers and technical experts working tirelessly in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and our customers to finalize and implement a software update that will ensure accidents like that of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 never happen again," the statement read.

Boeing said it remains confident in the aircraft and has promised software changes to the MCAS function. "It will be among the safest airplanes ever to fly," read the statement from Muilenburg.

Muilenburg disputed the saying that the 737 MAX was rushed to market. "It was a six-year development; 1,600 test-flights of the airplane; 3,700 flight hours of development on the Max, so it was thorough and it was disciplined," he told investors during a Q&A session at Boeing's annual shareholder meeting in Chicago on Monday.

Outside the Field Museum there were six protestors carrying the photographs of crash victims.

Laurie Engel carried photos of Bennet and Melvin Riffel, two brothers from California of the United States who lost their lives during the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash. She told Xinhua that she just wanted to raise the awareness of Boeing and "not to put profit before people's safety".

Tarek Milleron, uncle of 24-year-old Samya Stumo who was killed on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, was among the protestors.

The crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 made headlines around the world, and finally led to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft by European, Asian and American authorities. Boeing's stock lost 20 dollars per share of value since March 11, the day after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, equivalent to a 5 percent drop in the stock price.

The families' lawsuit was filed in the federal district court in Chicago.
Appointment

30 April 2019

Naples Grande Beach Resort is pleased to announce the appointment of Melinda Hutchins to Director of Sales and Marketing at one of the leading luxury resorts in the destination. Melinda's 18 years of experience in hospitality and sales will serve as an impressive addition to the already seasoned team.

Prior to joining Naples Grande Beach Resort, Melinda spent 13 years at the Trump National Doral Miami. As the Director of Group Sales, she was an instrumental leader with a team of over seven direct report Sales Managers. Melinda's professional background is diverse and includes experience with both branded hotels such as Marriott International and Trump Hotels throughout Florida and Georgia, as well as independent brands in Florida. Her strategic thinking and hands-on involvement in all things sales, marketing, revenue management, and client relations, has shaped her into a strong and accomplished leader.

As a graduate of Florida State University, Melinda has spent almost her entire career within Florida and has a distinctive perspective on the bustling hospitality industry. The Naples Grande Beach Resort team is thrilled to have Melinda on the team and is looking forward to sharing her impressive background and talents with the resort.
Appointment

30 April 2019

The Estate Yountville is pleased to announce the appointment of Victor Scargle to the position of Executive Chef overseeing culinary direction at Vintage House, an intimate and undeniably refined hotel experience and Hotel Villagio, which embodies bold and glamourous accommodations unlike any other in Napa Valley. Effective immediately, Scargle will direct all food and beverage operations including the daily breakfast buffet, in-room dining, and on-site catering & banquet service. In addition, Scargle will prepare and design all banquet menus for on-property events, working closely with the catering department to create tailored menus based on the requests and needs of guests.

With more than 30 years of professional culinary experience, Scargle most recently served as Culinary Director at the Boisset Collection, which currently sits as France's third largest wine group, and Burgundy's largest wine producer making him uniquely qualified to delve into the notable Napa Valley food scene. During this time, he managed all culinary and food operations for the collections. He also helped to launch a production line of goods for its retail shop in Yountville. Prior to this role, Scargle also served as Executive Chef for the Culinary Institute of America, where he oversaw the private dining rooms and special events, which required plating for 400 to 600 attendees. Scargle has extensive experience working in hotels such as Bardessono Hotel, where he managed and created a team that increased the profitability of the property's restaurant, Lucy, by nearly 140 percent. He also spent time working with Hotel Monaco, where he conceived and introduced a highly-successful shellfish bar, adding significant incremental revenue and encompassing the theme of a French Brasserie.
Supplier News

30 April 2019

ALICE, the hospitality industry's leading concierge and hotel operations technology, is newly-integrated with transportation automation platform Chauffeur Express. The integration, built via ALICE's Open API, is making it considerably easier for concierges to book guest transportation - and make transportation booking a better experience for guests - at Firmdale Hotels' eight London properties.

"Today, when we talk about hotel operations, everything is about being efficient, in control, and reliable, while offering a great experience to guests," says Chauffeur Express CEO Alex Dicu. It's for this reason "the integration between ALICE and Chauffeur Express makes perfect sense for concierges."

Prior to integrating ALICE and Chauffeur Express, Firmdale concierges were already using both systems to improve guest service. Concierges were using ALICE to track guest requests and make guest reservations, create guest itineraries and letter confirmations, and improve concierge team organization and communication. "ALICE is an essential tool in our day-to-day operation as it makes communicating very efficient between our team. Without the help of ALICE, we would not be able to provide the kind of service we provide," notes Oliver Koenicke, Head Concierge at Firmdale flagship Ham Yard Hotel.

Alongside ALICE, Firmdale concierges were also using Chauffeur Express to optimize transportation operations across the group's portfolio of London hotels. Chauffeur Express helps hotels expertly manage transportation requests by instantly assigning rides first to hotel-owned resources before assigning them to hotels' preferred transportation providers - automating the booking process for concierges via an easy-to-use web interface.

By integrating ALICE and Chauffeur Express, concierges can now book guest transportation all in one interface and have confirmations and real-time status updates automatically communicated to guests via email and text. Explains Chauffeur Express's Dicu: the integration "automates and syncs transportation tasks and other information between both platforms, from the guest info in the hotel PMS to ALICE to Chauffeur Express - every transportation booking and change updates in real time, without the concierges being involved. This is very important at the concierge level, as this integration reduces the time to process these types of tasks and also eliminates all possible errors, as booking details are validated in Chauffeur Express and passed over to ALICE in real time."

Integrating two systems concierges rely on heavily in their day-to-day was a no-brainer for the ALICE and Chauffeur Express teams, who used ALICE's API to facilitate the integration.

"We are in a moment when hotels are actively looking for tools to better help them operate their business," says Dicu. "In a world of real-time everything, the guests expect the real-time feeling in everything they do - from the moment they book a room, to how they can access additional services, to the in-room experience and even after, when they write a review. And I think the key to make all those tools appealing for hotels is to offer them 'plug-in solutions' that integrate different vendors seamlessly without requiring hotel employees to change any of their habits."

Concurs Koenicke, the integration "makes our lives much easier, as before we had to log the car services individually which was very time consuming. That's now all automatically transferred in a one-to-one format. We as the team are delighted and appreciate the support from both ALICE and Chauffeur Express to make that happen."
Press Release

30 April 2019

Today, Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) announced Homes & Villas by Marriott International, a home rental initiative offering 2,000 premium and luxury homes located in over 100 destinations throughout the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. Starting next week when the offering launches, we expect members of Marriott Bonvoy can earn and redeem points at these highly-curated homes, providing even more choice of accommodations that suit a range of travel needs around the world.

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"The launch of Homes & Villas by Marriott International reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation as consumer travel needs evolve," said Stephanie Linnartz, Global Chief Commercial Officer, Marriott International. "What started out as a pilot a year ago is now a global offering, providing our guests with the space and amenities of a home backed by a trusted travel company, and the very best in loyalty benefits."

Marriott's expansion into home rentals was developed as a result of the 2018 pilot under the brand extension Tribute Portfolio Homes. Of the guests who booked a home during the pilot, which was only available in select European cities, nearly 90 percent were members of Marriott Bonvoy and over three-quarters were traveling for leisure with family and friends. During the pilot, the average guest stay was more than triple the typical hotel stay. These insights, along with Marriott's commitment to providing travelers with unique and different accommodations including spacious homes with one or more bedrooms, large kitchens, in-unit laundry and more, played an important role in guiding the selection of luxury and premium homes, as well as the key leisure markets available at launch that complement the core offerings of Marriott's hotel portfolio.

Luxury & Premium Offerings

The introduction of Homes & Villas by Marriott International adds nearly 40 new leisure destinations for Marriott Bonvoy members to earn and redeem points, including Sorrento, Italy and the Amalfi Coast, Italy; North Lake Tahoe, California; and St. Barts in the Caribbean. This curated selection of homes aims to connect travelers to thousands of rental properties around the world and sets the stage for guests' most treasured travel moments - home-cooked dinners with extended family, lawn games in the backyard or celebrating a milestone birthday with family and friends. Homes include:

A four-bedroom cottage on six private acres of California wine country.

A six bedroom villa in Sorrento, Italy with an infinity pool overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and a wood-fire pizza oven.

An oceanfront villa in Anguilla with private beach and a personal butler and house staff.

A 18th century Irish Castle that sleeps 17 and features a private lake for boating and fishing.

A six-bedroom townhouse in London with a children's playroom and climbing wall.

Marriott is launching Homes & Villas by Marriott International with select property management companies that are already managing these homes. These trusted property management companies provide guests a professionally cleaned home with 24/7 support, high speed Wi-Fi, premium linens and amenities, and family-friendly conveniences upon request. At launch, the property management companies selected by Marriott include TurnKey Vacation Rentals, LaCure, Loyd & Townsend Rose, Veeve, London Residents Club as well as current hotel owners and operators like Mainsail Lodging, and Reserva Conchal. Over time, Marriott expects to introduce Homes & Villas by Marriott International in additional markets as well as increase the number of homes offered in these launch destinations.

"Our approach to home rentals allows us to curate an incredible collection of homes that deliver an elevated travel experience," said Jennifer Hsieh, Vice President, Homes & Villas by Marriott International. "By working with a select group of professional management companies that understand and operate in this dynamic landscape, we are able to focus on what we do best - selecting a breadth of homes in inspiring destinations, setting standards for responsive service and designing a seamless booking experience that helps our guests navigate an increasingly complex and uncertain set of home rental choices."

How to Book

Starting next week, we expect travelers can search and book homes on the Homes & Villas by Marriott International site - www.homesandvillasbymarriott.com. At that time, travelers searching on Marriott.com for accommodations for three-plus nights in markets where home inventory exists will see links to Homes & Villas by Marriott International, promoting home rentals as an offering to meet their needs. Marriott is in the process of determining how it will sell Homes & Villas by Marriott International through other channels, including the Marriott Bonvoy app and travel advisors, and will provide an update in the near future.

Marriott Bonvoy

Members of Marriott Bonvoy, the new name of the travel program replacing Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, will be able to earn and redeem points for every Homes & Villas by Marriott International stay. Today, Marriott Bonvoy members can earn points at Marriott's 29 hotel brands including The St. Regis, The Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Westin Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Tribute Portfolio, Edition, Element, AC Hotels and others. Just like with Marriott's lodging brands, members will have a choice to pay with either cash or points when booking. Other benefits for loyalty members staying at Homes & Villas by Marriott International include:

Members will earn points based on the same criteria as Marriott's long stay hotel brands - 5 points for each $1 spent

Members will be eligible for Bonus points based on Elite status

Eligible members will receive an Elite Welcome Gift of special amenities or points

Members can use the points they earn on redemption stays at all participating hotels around the world, as well as experiences exclusively available on Marriott Bonvoy Moments.

Marriott Bonvoy Moments

Homes & Villas by Marriott International will be the setting for experiences exclusively available to members by using their points on Marriott Bonvoy Moments. This platform provides members with access to more than 8,000 exclusive experiences that tap into their passions for sports, music, culinary or the arts. The Moments developed in conjunction with Homes & Villas by Marriott International will amplify the memory-making events and activities that take place in homes around the world like game nights, gourmet cooking, backyard sports, BBQs and more. Additionally, through Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities, anyone can discover and book attraction tickets and tours in over 1,000 global destinations. All 120,000 of these experiences can be booked using a credit card. Members will earn points on each purchase.

Note on forward-looking statements: This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws, including the number and location of homes and villas that may be added in this and future years, and similar statements concerning possible future events or expectations that are not historical facts. We caution you that these statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including changes in market conditions; changes in global and regional economies; supply and demand changes for hotel rooms and home rentals; competitive conditions in the lodging industry and the home rental industry; relationships with clients and property owners; and other risk factors that the company identifies in its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q. Any of these factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations we express or imply in this communication. We make these forward-looking statements as of the date of this communication, and undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Press Release

30 April 2019

Hotel associations have developed a proposal of global guidelines to be taken over by the different administrations of all cities over the world to reform tourist accommodation

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The meeting brings together hotel associations from Barcelona, New York, Paris, Buenos Aires, London, Japan, Western Australia and Mexico City, among others, and representatives of the City Councils of Barcelona, Paris and Dubrovnik and, leaders of neighborhood associations

Barcelona - Barcelona has been for two days the venue of the ReformBnB, an international meeting where the world's leading hotel associations have worked in a common front to fight against the serious issue caused by the illegal tourist accommodation.

Barcelona Hotel Association has been the host of this meeting, in which have participated representatives from more than 30 hotel associations from all over the world, responsible for the City Councils of Barcelona, Paris and Dubrovnik in the field of tourism and spokesmen for the association of neighbors of Barceloneta (Barcelona), one of the neighborhoods that has long been denouncing the serious problems that generate for residents these illegal accommodations.

This meeting takes over from the summit promoted by the New York Hotel Association last November, together with the Barcelona Hotel Association, the main hotel associations of Paris (AHTOP and GNI), Buenos Aires (FEHGRA) and the Montreal Hotel Association.

At the opening ceremony, the president of the Barcelona Hotel Association, Jordi Clos, stated that "We are glad to bring together in Barcelona the hotel associations of the main cities of the world. It is very enriching to be able to share and to debate the experiences that we all experience every day in our respective cities".

Jordi Clos has highlighted that "We are facing a global problem and not a problem of individual cities, and therefore, it is a priority to join efforts to require the administrations to take measures and combat illegal tourist accommodation".

Proposal for a consensus for the administrations

The sessions of the different ReformBnB Barcelona working groups have culminated with the elaboration of a proposal of global guidelines to be assumed by the different administrations over the world.

This consensus document is structured around 7 guidelines: registration, taxation, limitations, safety and health, decision making by neighbors, liability and enforcement and control.

The first proposal calls for a registration system that is essential for authorities to know which properties are rented, who leases them and for how long. Cities such as Barcelona, Paris, Buenos Aires and Toronto and countries such as Colombia, Croatia, Greece, Sweden and Germany already apply this registration system, but the measure is intended to be extended to other cities. This first point also contemplates that platforms should be enforced to add the registration number in all listings. The second measure focuses on taxation and claims that the same number of fees and taxes applied in hotels must be paid by the tourist accommodation industry. Compliance with tax regulations is a key factor for fair competition and would also make it more difficult for hosts to evade taxes. The consensual text also asks administrations to set thresholds to protect against negative social impacts. In this way, authorities would identify regular professional suppliers, which must comply with the same rules as hotels, hostels and other accommodations. It would allow for a healthy competition on the tourism market. Safety and health are other highlights of the document. Short term rentals accommodations must comply with the applicable sectorial rules, which must ensure the provision of an optimal and safe service covering consumer rights and decreasing the problems with the coexistence with its environment. This legislation is already applied in Madrid. These guidelines also give voice to the opinion of the neighbors in their building of the different tourist districts of the cities, who have to deal with the tourists. Neighbors should be able to choose who they want to live with and therefore, Short term rentals accommodations should not operate in their buildings without their consent. Another measure, which has long been applied in Barcelona and Paris, puts on the table that the legal responsibilities of platforms and hosts need to be clearly defined. In this sense, landlords, online platforms and authorities must assume their responsibilities towards the client. The final point calls on local authorities to regulate, to restrict or to cease practices that they consider illegal and to define penalties for those who break the rules and for platforms that do not respect the established regulations.

A big challenge for cities around the world

Tourist rental has increased over the past decade due to a poorly regulated environment. In this sense, the almost total absence of rules has led to the rapid growth of rental platforms, being Airbnb, in particular, the most developed platform within this regulatory chaos.

The meteoric growth of online marketing platforms, such as Airbnb, has had a very high social cost for citizens, damaging housing accessibility and, promoting the expulsion of neighbors from the most touristic neighborhoods of the cities and the loss of the essence of these.

Next summit Reformbnb

During the day, it was announced that Buenos Aires will host the next Reformbnb summit at the end of October 2019.
Press Release

30 April 2019

Vienna/Rostock - arcona focuses on holiday hotel business, Vienna House expands portfolio of city hotels.

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The Austrian hotel group Vienna House buys 17 city hotels and two projects from Rostock-based arcona Group effective 30 April 2019. In the future, arcona plans to focus on the holiday hotel business. In addition to eight successful arcona Living and four arcona Hotels, the purchase also concerns the five Steigenberger operations of franchisor Deutsche Hospitality as well as two projects in Greifswald and Mannheim. The parties have agreed not to disclose any details as to the purchase price. "The arcona city hotels fit perfectly into the portfolio of Vienna House. Here two partners have found each other who are focusing on their brand positioning, who want to grow meaningfully from it and who also get along splendidly," says Rupert Simoner, CEO of Vienna House. All employees of the affected arcona city hotels will be taken over by Vienna House. The hotels will be managed as lease operations under the umbrella brand Vienna House. The largest Austrian hotel group currently operates and is developing over 40 hotels in Europe with a focus on city hotels under the brands Vienna House, Vienna House Easy and Vienna House R.evo.

In contrast, arcona Managing Director Alexander Winter sees his hotel market of the future in the holiday hotel sector. Remaining in the arcona portfolio are six hotels in successful destinations such as Sylt, Kitzbuhel and Rugen as well as the Hotel Elephant in Weimar and the Romantik Hotel at Wartburg Castle in Eisenach. An important growth driver in the future will be the Barefoot Hotels, as arcona recently signed a long-term agreement with Barefoot founder Til Schweiger for the worldwide implementation of the concept as a licensee. "With the remaining houses and the Barefoot concept, we will now be concentrating fully on the growing holiday hotel market and successfully embarking on the future together with our employees," say arcona shareholders Alexander Winter and Stephan Gerhard. A total of 20 Barefoot hotels are to be opened over the next ten years. "We see tremendous potential here, both nationally and internationally," Winter confirms. The arcona headquarters will remain in Rostock, where the group will move into its new corporate headquarters, Villa Zeeck, in the second half of 2019.

For the successful sales process, arcona would like to thank ECOVIS and Wenske Legal while Vienna House thanks the representatives of Hogan Lovells International LLP and PricewaterhouseCoopers Vienna. The transaction was accompanied by Treugast Solution Group.

The following operations are being added to the Vienna House portfolio:
Supplier News

30 April 2019

TrustYou has announced today the release of its latest research paper, highlighting the impact of review content on the booking behavior of digital natives. The free white paper is based on a study which was undertaken in collaboration with the IUBH International University of Applied Sciences and the travel company TUI. The study narrowed down its target group to consumers of the age of 18 to 28, born between the years 1990 and 2000 and unveils their preferences in terms of consuming online review content. Furthermore, the research reinforced the importance of review scores and widgets on hotel websites, OTAs, and tour operators, along with their role in guiding the purchase decisions of modern travelers. The study is available as a free download.

As the importance of a good online reputation undeniably impacts travelers' booking decisions, TrustYou has now participated in this research to target younger generations of travelers, born and raised in the technological era, pinpointing the exact review attributes that drive them towards a booking.

Among the findings of this study, the most important insights can be summarized in the following way:

83% of the digital natives say that reviews play an important or a very important role for making a booking decision

To trust a review, young travelers appreciate an authentic writing style (73%) as well as detailed (69%) and current (66%) reviews, not older than 3 months

For hotel bookings, they prefer Booking.com (68%), followed by Google (61%), TripAdvisor and Expedia with 30% each as a review source.

68% believe that scores are the best way to present reviews. Furthermore, 51% consider a consolidated representation (e.g. combination of a visual (e.g. stars) and score) to be good and 29% prefer widgets.

"Our company's vision is to enable hoteliers to listen to what their guests have to say, in order to adapt, adjust, and deliver an excellent guest experience. It is our firm belief that studying the particularities of each generation of travelers gives us specific insights into what they want, expect, and demand from a hotel business. We are positive that the results of our latest study will prove themselves beneficial for many businesses" said Valerie Castillo, TrustYou's VP of Marketing. "Given our findings, we emphasize the rising importance of user-generated and visual content, when referring to online reviews. It has become essential for hotels, OTAs, and tour operators to provide supporting content on their website - such as scores and widgets - in order to encourage a booking."

The German version of the study is available on the website of the IUBH International University of Applied Sciences.

Find more information on TrustYou and the guest feedback platform on www.trustyou.com.
Amazon frequently receives credit for successfully employing machine learning to engage consumers and drive sales with its well-known recommendation engine, which generates 35% of the companys revenue, according to McKinsey. However, competitor Walmart has a surprising amount of machine learning activity going on behind the scenes.

Amazon frequently receives credit for successfully employing machine learning to engage consumers and drive sales with its well-known recommendation engine, which generates 35% of the companys revenue, according to McKinsey. However, competitor Walmart has a surprising amount of machine learning activity going on behind the scenes. For instance, Walmart created a facial recognition system that allowed the company to pinpoint customers who were unhappy about waiting in line. The system alerted sales associates that new lanes needed to be opened, which increased customer satisfaction and helped the retailer to manage employee workflow more efficiently. While hotels are, in some ways, worlds away from retailers in terms of the scope of operations and product, the hospitality industry can learn from the experience of retailers when it comes to machine learning, positive customer service, and merchandising.

Machine learning automates the analysis and modeling of large volumes of disparate data, on a scale and scope that is impossible to do manually in a timely and cost-effective way. For those in customer service, machine learning can provide customized recommendations and promotions and, as Shopify notes, optimize pricing strategies in real-time with models that can take key pricing variables into account, including supply, seasonality, and demand and offer insights on how to adjust... prices accordingly. For revenue managers in hotels or hotel groups, machine learning can provide real-time pricing, offer assortment, and recommendation decisions for bookings and upselling that maximize profit without requiring teams of analysts, and can do this at any point in the guest journey, from booking to pre-arrival to check-in to in-stay.

Historically a front desk supervisor provided a rate table to agents with static room rates for upgradable rooms. Take, for example, a King to a King Suite upgrade offer - the static rate table showed the upgrade could be offered at $100. But with machine learning, an intelligent system would present an offer to the agent based on a high probability of conversion; that $100 per night upgrade should actually be priced at $130, because the model has predicted its the appropriate price for that guest for that stay. Consider that extra $30 across even just ten two-night reservations each week and a property has brought in an additional $30K+ that never would have been realized using a static rate table. Then consider that the same system can be used to calculate pricing for everything from breakfast add-ons to late check-outs. This heretofore unrealized incremental revenue directly impacts the bottom line.

While the financial benefit of pursuing this unrealized revenue is obvious, there are more significant ramifications for the guest. Netflix uses machine learning to solve a wide range of business and technical problems. Their recommendation system helps viewers discover more content that theyll like so theyll keep binging on Netflix. According to Netflix, the machine learning system saves the company $1 billion per year. Why the savings? Because the recommendations increase viewership and keep churn rates down. They lose fewer viewers to competitors like Hulu and Amazon because they make it easy for viewers to get more of what they like without having to search for it. Martech notes that Netflix can spend more money on new content because they know that the viewers will keep coming back. By investing in keeping the viewer happy and engaged, they can improve their product.

The same holds true for hotels. An upgrade isnt just a revenue line item; upgrades create a better overall experience for the guest. Who doesnt have a better experience in a more spacious room where room service can be enjoyed not on the bed but on a table, perhaps with a view? Each of these thingsthe spacious room, the room service, the viewcomes at a price to the guest, but when it comes at the right price (as predicted by the model, which is generated by feeding data into an algorithm) to the right guest, the guest has a better experience, may provide a better online review, and will probably return, perhaps via a lower-cost channel.

Lets go back to the front desk. Most front desk agents receive a commission for upselling generally between 5% to 15%, but many incentive programs give agents discretion to discount the upgrade within a maximum and minimum rate range (a King Suite would typically sell for $600 per night but can be offered for no less than $450, for instance). This widely accepted model is rife with problems, the first of which is that it puts an undue burden on the front desk agent to determine the right offer at the right price for the right guest. Further, it encourages front desk agents to offer the lowest possible rate in order to achieve the upgrade, which reduces revenue potential. Though one would think agents would be inclined to go high, they will mostly go low to get a little commission rather than get no commission at all. Or they will abandon upselling on average rooms, looking instead to make the offer to just a few guests who have the potential to upgrade to the best possible suite. With machine learning predicting the right offer for the right guest, hotels can generate the most upgrade revenue while agents are assured of the maximum possible commission. Their only task is to offer the upgrade at the rate provided and focus on delivering excellent service to the guest standing in front of them.

The impact of machine learning on just this one aspect of hotel operations (upselling) has a ripple effect throughout the organization - increased revenue, happier and better compensated front desk agents, and more satisfied guests. Each of these, in turn, has effects that cascade outward including more operational funds for physical improvements, increased employee retention, and more reliable future revenue from loyalty, all from applying machine learning to upsell pricing.



In times of tight capital budgets, large-scale spending on new systems isnt easy to come by. A more achievable solution is the application of artificial intelligence like machine learning to existing systems to reveal hidden revenue and benefits, the ones have a ripple effect across the organization, that will keep some hotels profitable and healthy in the days to come when economic swings are inevitable. The hotels that join the Amazons and Netflixs of the world in finding innovative ways to generate revenue while reducing churn rates will survive and thrive.



About Jason G. Bryant, Nor1 Founder and CEO



Jason G. Bryant, Nor1 Founder and CEO, oversees day-to-day operations, provides visionary leadership and strategic direction for the upsell technology company.

With Jason at the helm, Nor1 has matured into the technology leader in upsell solutions. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Nor1 provides innovative revenue enhancement solutions to the hospitality industry that focus on the intersection of machine learning, guest engagement and operational efficiency.

A seasoned entrepreneur, Jason has over 25 years experience building and leading international software development and operations organizations. Prior to Nor1, he founded and grew DRCI into a world-class offshore software development organization which maintained facilities in India and Mexico. DRCI focused on providing services to the travel industry, specialized in both high-volume transaction systems and internet technologies.

Jason is a frequent speaker on technology and entrepreneurship. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan. Jason also volunteers his time to a number of non-profit organizations. He currently sits on the boards of CYC  Giving Foster Youth A Voice and Impact As One, a Silicon Valley based technology non-profit.



About Nor1, Inc.





Nor1 is the leader in hospitality upgrade, up-sell, and merchandising technology. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices across the world, Nor1 provides data-driven pricing and merchandising products that maximize incremental revenues for Hilton, IHG, Radisson Hotel Group, Accor, Wyndham, and other global hotels and resorts.

Nor1s real-time pricing and merchandising intelligence engine, PRiME, powers eStandby Upgrade, eXpress Upgrade, CheckIn Merchandising, eReach, and eDirect to recommend the most relevant upgrade to the right guest at the right time for the most optimal price.

Investors include Concur Technologies, Goldman Sachs, and Accel Partners.

For more information, please visit www.nor1.com.

All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this press release are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, and brands does not imply endorsement.

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The Air Jordan 4 is one of the most iconic Jordan Brand models of all time and this weekend, it will be released in the OG "Bred" colorway with "Nike Air" branding on the back. Sneakerheads have been anticipating an OG release of the "Bred" for a long time now so it's safe top say this will be one of the biggest releases of the year. For now, it seems as though there will be plenty of stock to go around so you won't have to deal with those pesky resellers.

As for the shoe, it comes in the same great colorway you remember, as black suede dresses the upper and red highlights make their way to the cuff and the midsole. Cement grey is also on the midsole, lending the nickname "Black Cement" as opposed to "Bred.

If you're looking to cop these, they will be dropping on Saturday, May 4th for $200 USD.

Check out the official store list below courtesy of Sneaker News.

Image via Nike

Image via Nike
Jordan Brand has released a plethora of highly coveted women's exclusive Air Jordans this year and the momentum will continue throughout the Spring and into the Summer. Just yesterday, Jordan Brand officially revealed the 2019 Summer Women's Collection, which includes an all-new "Atmosphere Grey" Air Jordan 1, as well as the "Pink Snakeskin" Air Jordan 11 Low and "Midnight Black" Air Jordan 12.

In addition to those styles, Jordan Brand reportedly has plans to release this women's exclusive Air Jordan 7.

Dubbed the "Topaz Mist" Air Jordan 7, the kicks come equipped with a white leather upper accompanied by Topaz Mist, Ember Glow, and Gym Red detailing throughout. The kicks are highlighted by a colorful geometric pattern about the glossy, leather ankle collar.

Jordan Brand has not yet revealed official images, but rumors suggest the Air Jordan 7 GS "Topaz Mist" will be available on May 18 for the retail price of $140.
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U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday over the issue of Ankara's purchase of S-400 missile defense system, said the White House.

Trump and Erdogan discussed trade, security concerns in northern Syria, and Turkey's planned purchase of the Russian made S-400 system, according to a White House statement.

Turkish Presidency said in a statement the same day that Erdogan had brought forward the proposal to form a working group concerning the procurement of the S-400 systems from Russia during his phone conversation with Trump.

The White House statement, however, made no mention of the Erdogan's working group proposal.

The United States has been in a feud with Turkey over the latter's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense system.

The United States argued that Russian missiles on Turkish territory could gain valuable intelligence on the technical systems of the U.S.-made stealth F-35 jets expected to be delivered to Ankara in November.

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 system.

On April 3, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned Turkey against purchasing the S-400 system from Russia, despite Ankara's firm stance on the deal.

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.

Washington also reportedly threatened to reject sales of Patriot missiles to Turkey in case of the latter's purchase of Russian systems.
This morning, anticipation started to build as the minutes were counted down until the full line-up would be unveiled for this year's iteration of the Austin City Limits Festival. In past years, Texas residents have travelled to witness some of the most popular musicians in the world perform at the show, inviting plenty of the brightest young stars to perform. This year, not much has changed because along with some old-time favourites, a bunch of prominent up-and-comers will be featured on the ACL lineup. The full thing has just been announced and it's looking good.

Taking place during two weekends in October, Austin City Limits Festival will feature a ton of remarkable guests. Headliners include Guns N' Roses, Mumford & Sons, The Cure, Tame Impala and more. As for the big hip-hop acts coming through, Cardi B, Childish Gambino, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, and others will be coming through. Artists like Kali Uchis, Lizzo, Tierra Whack, Denzel Curry, Kaytranada, and more will also be hitting the stage, leading many to take advantage of early tickets. Closing out the card are musicians like Taylor Bennett, Koffee, Pink Sweat$, Megan Thee Stallion, and so many more.

Tickets are available here. Let us know who you're most excited to see this year.
According to TMZ, a Brazillian model was found dead after jumping into the ocean to try and save her dogs after they fell off a boat in the ocean. Caroline Bittencourt was at sea with her husband and their two dogs when a ferocious storm hit close to Sao Paulo. Their sailboat started to rock and during the commotion, the two dogs fell into the water. Attempting to save the animals, Bittencourt jumped in and tried to reach her pets when she drowned while trying to make the rescue. Her husband, Jorge Sestini, tried to save his wife and the two dogs but he was unsuccessful. He was ultimately unable to find Bittencourt's body and it's unclear whether or not the dogs were saved. Bittencourt was 37-years-old.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTPmwyclTaB



The model's daughter Isabelle confirmed the tragic news on social media, writing, "We are grateful for the support and affectionate messages we have received from Carol's friends and fans. This energy drive fills our hearts with so much love."

Earlier today, we learned that Lauren Braxton, Toni and Tamar Braxton's niece, had passed away yesterday after suffering from an incurable heart condition. These two deaths and the unfortunate passing of John Singleton add to the already high celebrity death toll this year. RIP Caroline Bittencourt.



Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images
The racketeering case Tekashi 6ix9ine is involved in has left hip hop divided. His fans are hoping that the rapper comes home sooner than later, but there are others who adhere to the law of the streets, not the courts, and believe that snitches aren't welcome. As the debate as to whether 6ix9ine is just protecting himself and his life or turning over on his friends and associates continues, DJ Vlad had radio host and culture commentator D.L. Hughley sit down for an interview. The pair discussed how things have changed since their days, especially when it comes to what society deems as acceptable.

"It was Michael Cohen, them Nigerian brothers with Jussie Smollett, and Tekashi snitch-nine, 6ix9ine," Hughley said. "Who snitched the best? It was a little run where [they out-snitched each other]. Those Nigerians told fast...Michael Cohen snitched. Michael Cohen snitched so good I thought he was gon' tell us who killed Biggie and Tupac," Hughley joked.



Bob Levey/Getty Images

The comedian was asked whether or not he thinks that 6ix9ine can get out of jail and continue his rap career with this controversy hanging over his head. "I think that it depends on what his base is willing to accept. I think it's primarily up to his fans." DJ Vlad then says, "I think his fans don't give a sh*t," to which Hughley agreed.

Later Vlad said, "During our day, if someone announced that Rakim did not write any of his rhymes, he had co-writers, we would stop putting him in our top five lists. We'd look at him very different. If we found out that Jay Z had a ghostwriter...Drake was exposed and nobody cared. He continued to get bigger! It almost made him bigger. At the end of the day the rules...there's no gatekeepers anymore, which I think is a good thing."

"I think that ultimately, you have to be able to adjust to the norms of society," Hughley responded. "Or, you can rage against the machine and not be heard. I think it's futile to pretend or lament the days gone by when they're just that. They're finished." When Vlad mentioned that telling on people is not considered to be taboo, Hughley had to correct him.

"It is in some places now," he said. In a recent interview with Vlad, Boskoe100 talked about how snitches used to just turn up dead. Hughley added to that saying, "Now you get record deals...snitches don't get stitches, they get residuals. Snitches don't get stitches, they get a deal from the prosecution."
Warning: Spoilers Ahead.

MONIECE EXITS STAGE LEFT

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Good news came in for Scrapp Deleon in this weeks episode. The television personality announced his departure from the halfway house and transition onto probation. While the news pleased the King family, the drama still ensued amidst the many women in Scrapps life.

Precisely, Scrapp Deleon and Monieces torrid affair came to an abrupt end. The two found themselves at odds after Scrapp was seen lip-locking with his ex-girlfriend, Tommie Lee. As Moniece believed their relationship to be serious, the reports pained her deeply. The two called it quits shortly after Scrapps amicable talk with his childs mother, Tierra. Scrapp and Tierra discussed their previous violent encounter and agreed to keep the peace from now on.

NO MORE MO'

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw3BcFnBlij



This weeks episode chronicled a series of unfortunate events for Ms. Karlie Redd. The reality stars previous attempts to get pregnant came to a morose end after an unexpected miscarriage. While Karlie could count on close friends like Mimi to support her through such tough times, the same could not be said of her fiance Mo.

Throughout the entire episode, numerous cast members cited Mo as gone to handle business in Arkansas. Nevertheless, Karlie was not pleased upon her boos return. Both isolated and defeated by the news, she was hit with further madness after catching her fiance in talks with another woman. Once Mo finally returned, he admitted to possibly being the father of another child. The latter must have been the final straw for Karlie who immediately called off their engagement.

A CHE MACK APOLOGY

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Following the tumultuous series of events which went down on the previous episode, Che Mack admits to feeling apologetic. The DJ and mother was placed in charge of spinning the turntables at Karlie Redds engagement party and felt a bit sour Karlie didnt remember her. Upon sharing the news with close-friend Pooh, who is still salty about not being invited to Karlies engagement party, the two plotted on exposing Karlie at her own party. Once the deed was done, things quickly went left for Che Mack who not only lost her job but was also kicked out of the party.

In this weeks episode, Che Mack showed immense regret and apologized to Karlie at Erica Dixons surprise party. While Karlie accepted her apology, she remained adamant on bearing a grudge against arch-nemesis Pooh Hicks.

KIRK + RASHEEDA = COUPLE RETREAT

Kirk and Rasheeda are planning a couples retreat and are selectively choosing its participants. Thus far, the invited includes Joc and his new lawyer boo, Kendra along with Sierra & BK. While Rasheeda happily handed an invitation to Karlie and her ex-fiance Mo, she was shocked to find out the two called off their engagement.

BLACK HYPOCRISY?

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Spices journey to defeat black hypocrisy continues. While Mimi attempted to cut through the cultural differences and make Spice see the wrong in her actions, her efforts failed to change the Jamaican rappers outlook. Following a day visiting various museums centered on black history, the two clashed over the matter again. Spice called out Mimis light skin privilege and unapologetically stated she would carry forward with her skin-whitening plans.

ERICA DIXONS SURPRISE PARTY

Most of the cast were invited over to an improptu get together at Erica Dixons home. Upon the guests arrival, the mother announced she was carrying twins by proudly flaunting her protruding belly. The news came to shock everyone mainly due to Erica Dixons extreme privacy on the matter. The father of the twins remains unknown and Erica D. fully intends to keep it that way.
Thutmose teams up with Tory Lanez for his latest track, "Wipe Me Down," a sleek R&B-infused banger finding the two artists flexing over a hypnotic trap beat. The Nigerian-born rapper's new single is undoubtedly one of his hottest records to date. He and Tory have the ability to effortlessly maneuver and blend different genres of music with "Wipe Me Down" showcasing that at its best.

"Coming from Nigeria, you hear all about the American dream, but I feel like I finally get to live it," Thutmose told HNHH about his new collaboration with Tory. "When Tory heard my music and wanted to get in the studio, we linked up in Miami at his spot and we knew we had to make something special. Tory didnt want to do a short verse he wanted to go crazy, he brought rap Tory and RnB Tory and you already know how I do haha, I know yall gunna enjoy this one!"

Quotable Lyrics

She be callin' me the sensei

Spanish bitch with the white milk

When I hit it all I see is la leche

Used to pull up in a rented

Now I'm smoking only presidential and they call me El Presidente
Amelie Wen Zhaos literary career almost imploded before it had even begun.

Her debut novel, Blood Heir, was six months from publication, but it was getting pummeled. The controversy started in January, when some readers argued that Zhaos depiction of slavery was racially insensitive. It quickly snowballed into an online pile-on, as some commenters who hadnt read the young adult fantasy book expressed outrage about its contents.

Zhao was stunned. There were so many voices chiming in, and only a few people had read the book, she said in a recent interview at her publishers office.

Overwhelmed by the criticism, she told her publishers to cancel the novels June release.

[ Keira Drake, an author who faced criticism on social media for her book, talks about how she responded. ]

Afterward, Zhao, 26, agonized over her decision. She kept herself occupied at her day job as a portfolio manager at an international bank. Then she collected herself and re-read her book several times, examining the plot and characters to see if the critics were right.

She decided they werent. In March, Zhao called her editor at Delacorte Press and told her that she wanted to move forward with the novel after all. She made some revisions, and Blood Heir is now scheduled to be released in November.

Ultimately, its true to my vision, she said.

Zhaos decision to move ahead with publication will likely reignite the fractious, ongoing debate about diversity, representation and cancel culture in the young adult literary world. While some see the discussion about cultural appropriation in fiction as a necessary, if painful, step toward addressing the lack of diversity in publishing, others argue that the online YA community has become too cutthroat, even intolerant, in its attacks on first-time authors who tackle challenging social issues or write outside their immediate cultural experience.

When the controversy over Blood Heir erupted, battle lines were quickly drawn within the close-knit childrens publishing community. A small but influential group of authors argued that the novel dealt insensitively with race and the legacy of slavery, and was an affront to nonwhite communities. The books cancellation then prompted an equally passionate backlash to the backlash from a camp that rallied to Zhaos defense, arguing that the novels critics, who claimed to be championing diversity, had bullied a young Asian woman into silence. How a Twitter Mob Derailed an Immigrant Female Authors Budding Career read one headline in Tablet magazine. Other people faulted the author herself for caving to pressure.

Zhao is of course not the first  or even the most recent  YA novelist to be buried under an avalanche of criticism before her book even came out. Keira Drakes fantasy novel, The Continent, was delayed by her publisher and rewritten after readers blasted it as racist trash and offensive in early reviews. In 2017, Laurie Forest was bombarded with hundreds of negative reviews on Goodreads by readers who claimed her debut fantasy novel, The Black Witch, was bigoted, months before the books release. And in February, Kosoko Jackson pulled his young adult debut novel, A Place for Wolves, a story set in the 1990s during the Kosovo war that features two gay American teenagers. Jackson decided to cancel the publication after a firestorm erupted on social media over his decision to set the story against the backdrop of genocide, and to make the storys villain an Albanian Muslim. I apologize to those I hurt with my novel, he wrote in a statement.

The blowup over A Place for Wolves, which was scheduled to be published in March by Sourcebooks Fire, was particularly fraught, because Jackson, a young gay black man, works as a sensitivity reader, or an expert who helps authors and publishers vet books for potentially problematic content and stereotypes. Jackson was also part of the chorus of voices denouncing Blood Heir, an ironic twist that was seized upon by observers who claim the movement to police potential cultural appropriation in literature has gone too far.

From the outside, this is starting to look like a conversation focused less on literature than obedience, Ruth Graham wrote in an article on Slate about Jacksons novel.

While there are often controversies simmering in the young adult literary world, the magnitude and speed at which the backlash builds seems to have accelerated, often amplified by social media.

Its a platform where outrage travels quickly and often out of context, said Kat Rosenfield, a pop-culture writer and young adult novelist. Its possible that some of the successful campaigns to either pull books or edit books have emboldened people to feel like initiating some of these complaints on Twitter can lead to some concrete action.

As a result, authors and publishers have grown increasingly wary of stepping into cultural minefields. Many are turning to sensitivity readers to help them identify potential cultural pitfalls before publication. Still, some free speech advocacy groups worry that the environment has gotten so heated that it could lead to self-censorship.

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What is worrying to us is the chilling effect, said Svetlana Mintcheva, director of programs at the National Coalition Against Censorship, an advocacy organization that is developing a support network for young adult authors who face pressure to call off their books. If youre a white author, would you want to have a minority character?

Of course, critiquing a work of literature is by no means equivalent to censorship. Many who advocate for more diversity in childrens publishing note that the problem isnt authors who write outside their own cultural backgrounds, but those who do it badly, in a way that perpetuates stereotypes.

If were going to push for diversity and push for representation in YA literature, then it should be done right, said Ricci Yuhico, managing librarian for young adult services at the Mid-Manhattan Library in New York. We want to make sure our teen patrons have good books to turn to when they ask for stories that represent them and can broaden their worldview.

Zhao was surprised to find herself in social medias cross hairs. Born in Paris and raised in Beijing, Zhao had been writing fiction since she was in grade school but never imagined she could make a living from it. She studied economics at UCLA and New York University, and found a job in finance in the United States when she graduated.

She came up with the plot for Blood Heir in 2014, during a family trip to Russia. She imagined a fictional empire where a group of people called Affinites, who have special powers, are feared and trafficked for labor by the powerful elite  a system that is challenged by a fugitive princess who wields magic. In describing the plight of Affinites, Zhao aimed to invoke real-world issues, including human trafficking and indentured servitude in Asia.

What I sought to interrogate and critique was the modern-day epidemic of human trafficking and endured labor, Zhao said. It wasnt something I had seen in YA literature.

She also drew on her own experience as an immigrant and her feeling of being powerless and not belonging, she said.

After Delacorte sent out advance reader copies of the novel to reviewers, librarians and booksellers, many of the early responses were positive. But those were soon drowned out by blistering critiques. This book is about slavery, a false oppression narrative that equates having legitimately dangerous magical powers that kill people with being an oppressed minority, like a person of color, a reader wrote on Goodreads.

A social media conflagration ensued. Within days, Zhao issued an apology on Facebook, announcing that she had asked her publisher not to release the book. For a young debut author, it felt like a fatal blow to her career.

I was really caught off guard, she said. It was very devastating to me that the book was read in a totally different cultural context.

Her editor, Krista Marino, was similarly taken aback. We had had many readers at that point and hadnt received any such feedback, she said. Still, Delacorte said they would support her decision to withdraw the book or move ahead with the release.

After Zhao decided she wanted to release the book, she and her publisher sought feedback from scholars and sensitivity readers in an effort to resolve any ambiguity around the type of indentured labor depicted. They had academics from different multicultural backgrounds, as well as one who studies human trafficking in Asia, evaluate the text, and Zhao added new material and made changes based on their comments. They had additional sensitivity readers vet the book for racial and other stereotypes.

Its unclear whether such efforts will mollify Zhaos critics, or if the release of Blood Heir this fall will ignite another cycle of outrage  a backlash to the backlash to the backlash. Theres also the risk that the controversy will dampen enthusiasm for the book among readers and booksellers.

But Zhao and her publisher seem more excited than wary that readers will have a chance to evaluate the book for themselves.

We ultimately think our YA readers are very smart, Marino said. They can read what they want to read and use their critical thinking skills to work through it.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Brazilian-American virtuoso Clarice Assad is a Grammy-nominated composer, an innovative vocalist, a celebrated pianist and an educator, all wrapped into one.

She has shared the stage with prominent artists, performed at world-renowned venues from Carnegie Hall to Belgiums Le Palais des Beaux-Arts, released seven solo albums, won several prestigious awards, and even established her own improvisational workshop called VOXploration, in which participants are challenged to use only their body and their voice as a musical instrument. Orchestras worldwide have presented her work, and revered musicians like cellist Yo-Yo Ma and percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie have recorded it.

But when it comes to her musical style, well, she says shes still searching for it. Perhaps the uncertainty of what she describes as her lifelong pursuit contributes to her array of accomplishments, as she continues to push the boundaries of the classical-music industry.

On Sunday, Assad will make her debut with two Houston-based ensembles, Kinetic and Aperio, Music of the Americas, whose musicians will be collaborating for the first time in their season-finale concert, Flor de La. The evening at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston will celebrate the sounds of Brazil, featuring three works by Assad, alongside pieces by two other Brazilian composers  Concerto for Percussion and Strings by Camargo Guarnieri and Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9 by Heitor Villa-Lobos.

A big part of the process of curating musical programs is research, Kinetics artistic director Natalie Lin says of exploring the possibilities with Aperios Michael Zuraw. We came across Clarice Assad and were completely drawn to her music and her charisma.

Fittingly, Assad, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, finds inspiration in the musical melting-pot heritage of her native country, which the Portuguese, led by diplomat Pedro Alvares Cabral, colonized in 1500 among the already-present indigenous people.

Brazil became a major importer of slaves and remained so throughout much of its history, but out of this adversity blossomed a new style of music, a cultural fusion of syncopated African rhythms with sophisticated European harmonies, Assad explains.

Thats the only good thing I can think that came out of the tragedy of violence, she says. It was bridging these things together that created the music that today we call jazz and samba.

Assads Impressions, written in 2008 for a string orchestra, brings to life the joyful, upbeat sounds of Brazilian dance in a classical setting before slowing into a lovely waltz and ultimately displaying technical proficiency in a powerful example of musical precision at its finest.

Flor de La: New Brazilian Classics When: 6 p.m. Sunday Where: MATCH, 3400 Main Details: $35; 713-521-4533; kineticensemble.org, aperioamericas.org See More Collapse

The whole piece has this kind of vintage feel to it, she says. It wasnt written long ago, but it sounds like it has echoes from the past.

Reflecting her own past in a way, Three Sketches is a work that includes a melody she composed when she was only 13 years old. It was a tune that her father, guitarist Sergio Assad, remembered and recommended she develop into a theme while she was living with him in France.

Her newest piece, out of the three on the program, is a four-movement song cycle for a small chamber ensemble that is inspired by the four elements of nature - earth, fire, water and air. From a fleeting song resembling the flight of a bird to a ballad detailing the life of a jellyfish moving within the rising and falling of a tide, the text of Elementos, written in Portuguese by lyricist Daniel Basilio, is connected to the theme, but only implicitly.

Earth is a very grounded, solemn movement that is the most abstract of all of them perhaps, Assad says of the first section, Flor de La. It doesnt really tell a story.

The music, rather than the words themselves, portrays a heaviness that consistently draws its listeners down to the surface. Sound plays a similarly dominant role throughout the fiery and energetic Fogareu, in which Assad produces a percussive effect with her mezzo voice, imitating that of an instrument.

Regardless of her inspiration, her work represents the true beauty of Brazil  its varied and diverse culture.

If you had to put it in a category, I would definitely not call it world music, but more like a fusion, she says. I like the idea of inspiring people through music. That somehow they feel like we are together in that moment. Its very important to me, to be in the moment.

Lawrence Elizabeth Knox is a Houston-based writer.
How do I know a restaurant has captured my interest at a primal level? When I compulsively note its exact distance, down to the tenth of a mile, from my front door.

That happens rarely. Yet I now know that I must travel precisely 18.7 miles to reach Avesta Persian Grill, and that I count the odyssey along the Westpark Tollway to Westheimer and then Wilcrest a breeze if at the end of it, I have set before me a golden plateful of Zaffar Anzaris chicken chenjeh kabob.

Under a glossy, saffron-tinted baste, these torpedos of breast meat are almost satiny in texture, their juices pooling on the plate. Theres an intoxicating whiff of charcoal on the nose and on the palate, a nip of lime juice and a faint, rounded note of onion and garlic on the finish. In a world of dismal, overcooked kabobs, this one is fabulous.

Im sure of that because I ordered the chicken chenjeh kabob twice. Thats another thing that happens rarely, on those few occasions when I wonder, Can this really be as good as I think it is? In this case, the answer was yes.

I love the accessories for Avestas chicken chenjeh kabab, too. The slightly charred tomato halves and sections of onion; the fluffy rice pilaf, each long, slender grain springy and distinct, some of them tinted saffron to match Avestas snug saffron-and-butter-yellow room, where quiet jazz lends an edge of sophistication.

Burger Friday: Alison Cook finds a solid-A burger at Fanoosh in Sugar Land

One night, my mound of rice came with a pat of butter melting into it, to mix in with a jumble of tart-sweet little dried barberries strewn on top. (On other visits, the butter came in foil-wrapped pats, a classic touch in Houstons Persian restaurants.) Thats my favorite combo here, with the barberries popping against the savory rice and chicken. I like to order a side dish of yogurt mixed with moosir, the imported dehydrated shallots, and eat it with the chicken and rice. I dream about that plate.

I dream about the voluptuous baked eggplant dip called kashk-e-bademjan, too. Bronzy with walnuts and caramelized onion, zigged and zagged with tart yogurt, its made for scooping up Avestas house-baked flatbread wheels called taftoon. Scattered with white and black sesame seeds and cut into quarters, the loaves are cooked to a crackle on the bottom.

Avesta Persian Grill One star 2691 Wilcrest; 713-781-5555 Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday & Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday Credit cards: all major Prices: starters $3.99-$5.29; entrees $10.49-$16.59; desserts $4.29-$5.29 Must-orders: chicken chenjeh kabob; zereshk polo (barberry pilaf); yogurt with moosir (shallots); kashk-e-bademjan (baked eggplant dip with walnuts and caramelized onion); Persian hummus; koobideh kabob of ground sirloin; lamb shank with eggplant Reservations: taken; walk-ins welcome Noise level: quiet to moderate Parking: ample in adjacent lot Website: avestahouston.com STAR RATINGS Four stars: superlative; can hold its own on a national stage. Three stars: excellent; one of the best restaurants in the city. Two stars: very good; one of the best restaurants of its kind. One star: a good restaurant that we recommend. No stars: restaurant cannot be recommended. See More Collapse

Some people like the bread softer, allowed chef-owner Anzari during one of the solicitous turns hes able to make through the dining room when the kitchens not slammed. You have 15 minutes to eat it before it turns into a cracker, he joked to the table behind me. That short shelf life is one of its charms, I think; that this bread is a fleeting pleasure makes it more precious.

Anzari is proud of his Persian hummus, too, although the chickpea-and-tahini dip is not widely popular in Iran. He makes the hummus from scratch, and the silky, pale-brown blend is more about tahini and garlic than, say, chickpea and lemon. Its interesting stuff.

All kabobs are not created equal here. The koobideh kebab of ground sirloin is nicely seasoned with onion, but I found the chicken version to be a little too bouncy-textured and relatively bland. Beef chenjeh kabob of marinated filet tasted gripping with its charcoal edge, but it was too well-done to make me happy. Just a bit of rose at the heart of each chunk, and I would have been a fan.

Tender lamb shank with melting planks of caramelized eggplant in a tomato broth was simple and satisfying. Ghormeh sabzi, the Iranian beef and kidney bean stew made with lots of herbs and greens, had a tart lift of dehydrated limes but seemed disappointingly thin in flavor. I was happier with the punchy tomato-bashed beef stew with split peas and a bounce of dried lemon; its fried onion and eggplant elements gave it a lush quality. Its particularly good with Avestas dill pilaf studded with lima beans.

The dill rice is one of three variations on the basic pilaf; the others being barberry and sour cherry rice. The last came to the table one night practically buried under a comical explosion of dried cherries  too much of a good thing, and one of the little quirks that crop up here.

Sometimes the charred onion gets left off a kabob plate. Or the radishes on the complimentary herb-and-feta plate look a little tired. Or three baklava desserts materialize instead of the one you thought you ordered, and the nuts involved are stale.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Alison Cook finds a lot to love at Ayesha Currys International Smoke in CityCentre

But such bobbles pale in comparison to that magisterial chicken chenjeh kabob plate, the ingratiating dips and the warmth of hospitality imparted by Anzari, whose every reflex seems welcoming and who loves to send newcomers off with an extra taste of this and an extra piece of that in their to-go bags. He lights up when he talks about his food, and that is fine to see.

Anzari comes from Tajikistan, which explains his affinity for skewered meats. That Central Asian nation lies between Xin Jiang, China, and Afghanistan along what I think of as the Great Kabob Belt, which stretches down through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and the Levant. Guests from many of those nations flock to Avesta, which serves Halal meat and is alcohol-free.

Its a relaxed family crowd with a smattering of empty-nesters and businessmen hosting dinners. People eat on the late side, and its not unusual to see guests drifting in around 9 p.m. or later. The restaurants hours, which are continuous 7 days a week, make it particularly useful.

The ponytailed staffers, clad in black shirts, black pants and black aprons  I think of them as the Young Women of Many Nations  have adopted the owners welcoming ways, mostly, save for one who seemed terrified of getting our order wrong that evening we ended up with triple dessert.

Even that slip seemed as sweet and endearing as Avesta itself.

Alison Cook is the Chronicle's James Beard Award-winning restaurant critic. Follow her on Twitter, and keep up with Houston's latest dining and drinking news and reviews by subscribing to our free Flavor newsletter.
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France took note of Spain's legislative election's result, and pledged to work with the new government in a way to defend Europe's sovereignty and unity, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"Spain is France's major partner, to which we associate a cooperation based on great confidence and strong convergence of views on main European issues," the ministry said.

"We want to work with the next Spanish government in favor of a sovereign, united, democratic Europe," it added.

On Sunday, the incumbent Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist Party (PSOE) won a national election, but failed to gain a parliamentary majority, forcing him to seek partners to form a new government.




Courtesy photo

Fort Bend County Judge KP George led a prayer vigil on Sunday, April 28, in support of the Sri Lankan community devastated by a series of bombing on Easter Sunday.

George held, organized, and lead a prayer vigil in remembrance of victims of the bombings centered in and around Colombo. The bombings targeted churches and hotels. The Prayer vigil event occurred on the steps of Sugar Land City Hall and began at 7 p.m.
The day of reckoning inside an Upstate New York courtroom did not go as planned - at least for prosecutors and the victim's family.

Last Thursday, Shane Piche, a former bus driver for the school district in Watertown, N.Y., received his sentence. Two months earlier, the 26-year-old had pleaded guilty to third-degree rape. According to the Watertown Daily Times, Piche had raped a 14-year-old girl who was on his bus route.

But rather than hand Piche a prison sentence, Jefferson County Judge James McClusky gave the defendant 10 years probation, and assigned him the lowest level status on New York's sex offender registry. The judge's ruling goes against prosecutors' hopes - and against the wishes of the victim's family.

"I wish Shane Piche would have received time in jail for the harm he caused to my child," the victim's mother wrote in a statement obtained by WWNY. "He took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety."

Piche's sentencing joins a list of controversial punishments in sexual assault cases, many of which have been pulled into the larger debate over sexual violence and whether courts adequately weigh the wishes of victims.

Most infamously, former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner was sentenced to six months in jail in 2016 following his conviction for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. The case's outcome sparked national outrage and prompted the recall of the California judge who issued the sentence.

Last August, Houston doctor Shafeeq Sheikh was convicted of raping a patient, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. A jury, however, handed Sheikh 10 years of probation.

And four months later, a former Baylor University fraternity president, Jacob Anderson, was accused of a campus rape. Last December, he entered a deal with prosecutors that reduced his charges in exchange for a sentence of three years of deferred adjudication probation, counseling and a $400 fine.

Last February, the mother of Piche's victim told WWNY the defendant was her daughter's school bus driver for the public school district in Watertown, about 70 miles north of Syracuse, N.Y. The unnamed mother told the television station Piche "bought her daughter gifts and invited her and other minors to his home where he gave them alcohol." Piche raped the victim at his house.

Piche was arrested on Sept. 5, 2018. He was charged with second-degree rape, first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child and endangering the welfare of a child.

As the Daily Times reported, Piche pleaded guilty on Feb. 21 to a lesser charge of third-degree rape. Prosecutors had asked the judge to hand Piche a Level 2 sex offender designation, which under New York state law would have meant Piche's residential information would have been posted online to the state's sex offender registry.

MORNING REPORT | NEWSLETTER: Get all the news you need to start your day in Houston

But last Thursday, McClusky decided to place Piche under the state's lowest designation, Level 1, a placement for offenders with a "low risk of re-offense," according to the state. Piche's future address will not be on the online registry.

In making his ruling, McClusky pointed out that Piche had no prior arrests and that there was only one victim in the case, the Daily Times reported.

Piche is also not allowed to be alone with anyone who is younger than 17, and will be forced to pay $375 in court fees and a $1,000 special sex offender registration fee. He is reportedly no longer employed by the school district.

Despite the disappointment of the victim's mother, Piche's attorney, Eric Swartz, defended the punishment.

"He'll be a felon for the rest of his life. He's on the sex offender registry for a long time," Swartz told WWNY. "Maybe not the rest of his life because of the level but this isn't something that didn't cause him pain and this isn't something that didn't have consequences."
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Iranian and Russian forces will stage a naval drill in the Gulf later this year, the commander of Iran's Navy was quoted as saying by Press TV on Monday.

Iran and Russia have negotiated over the technical and operational details of the joint naval exercise in prospect, said Hossein Khanzadi.

The Iranian Navy commander said earlier that military collaboration with Russia "will surely take us to a new level of cooperation in strategic, tactical, and operational areas at sea."

Iran and Russia have held joint naval exercises in the Caspian Sea in the past years.




National security adviser John Bolton made some news on Sunday. In an interview with "Fox News Sunday," he denied that the Trump administration paid the $2 million medical bill North Korea sent for Otto Warmbier.

And in doing so, he showed yet again that when President Donald Trump denies a report, you can't take him at face value.

Bolton told Chris Wallace that the administration had "absolutely not" paid the bill, which The Washington Post's Anna Fifield reported last week that North Korea had sent. But he confirmed that he had been "told" that a U.S. representative had indeed agreed to pay it, as Fifield also reported.

"That is what I'm told, yes," he said.

Bolton's interview confirmed basically all the key details of Fifield's report, but it also came after Trump on Friday called the story "fake news."

"There was no money paid," Trump said. "That was a fake news report that money was paid. I haven't paid money for any hostage."

But Fifield never reported that the money was paid - and neither did anyone else. All she reported was that a U.S. representative had agreed to pay it, upon North Korea's request:

The bill went to the Treasury Department, where it remained - unpaid - throughout 2017, the people said. However, it is unclear whether the Trump administration later paid the bill, or whether it came up during preparations for Trump's two summits with Kim Jong Un.

The White House declined to comment. "We do not comment on hostage negotiations, which is why they have been so successful during this administration," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders wrote in an email.

So the White House doesn't comment on hostage negotiations . . . until it does, repeatedly. And Trump's "fake news" claim wound up being a complete straw man, denying something that had never been reported in the first place, while the actual report was confirmed by his own aide. A tremendous display of honesty and consistency all around.

This is, of course, hardly the first time Trump or his aides have denied a report that they later wound up confirming. This happened over and over again in the Mueller report, as has been pointed out by multiple outlets.

Trump defenders will note that Trump only denied that the money had been paid, which is true. But he also indicated that the report had said this, which is false. There was no "fake news" here - just a president either badly misunderstanding or, more likely, mischaracterizing a report that made his administration look bad.

The question from there is whether the agreement should have been signed in the first place. Fifield reported that North Korea made it a condition of Warmbier's release to come back to the United States. The representative, Joseph Yun, phoned then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who consulted with Trump about what to do. Trump said to sign the agreement. So either the U.S. signed the agreement with no intent to follow through, or it changed its mind.

This comes as the Trump has set about playing up his hostage negotiation skills, even tweeting a quote allegedly from his chief hostage negotiator, Robert O'Brien, calling Trump the "greatest hostage negotiator" he knew of in U.S. history. The State Department has not offered on-the-record confirmation of the quote.

Bolton suggested that sources for Fifield's report might have misremembered how the decision was made to sign the agreement. But he didn't dispute the reporting. So for now, the White House still isn't directly disputing that Trump agreed to pay $2 million for Warmbier's release.

Trump and the White House have emphasized they haven't paid for any of the hostages they've brought home. But signing that agreement, regardless of the intent, sure seems like a concession - one that they now have to account for.
 Flash

Russia and Turkey are jointly developing advanced aircraft and helicopter systems and armored vehicle components, Russian state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport, part of Rostec Conglomerate, said in a statement Monday.

"In addition, Turkey is interested in Russia's latest remote weapon stations, air defense assets of varying ranges, as well as anti-tank guided missile systems," the statement quotes Rosoboronexport's CEO Alexander Mikheyev as saying.

Rosoboronexport will be showcasing the best-selling and promising new products from the Russian defense industry at the 2019 International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF), which will be held on April 30-May 3 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Rosoboronexport is the organizer of a joint Russian display at IDEF 2019, which includes over 450 pieces of weaponry and military equipment from more than 10 domestic defense manufacturers, the statement said.

CEO of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, said in the statement that Turkey is among the key partners of Rostec and Russia.

Rostec has discussed with Turkey the implementation of a number of critical projects in both military technical cooperation and civil industry fields and is ready for various formats of technology cooperation, including in such high-tech areas as the aerospace, helicopter and power industries, he said.

Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has signed a 3.5-billion-U.S.-dollar deal to purchase Russian advanced S-400 air defense systems.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon threatened to block the transfer of the F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and remove it from the F-35 joint production program unless Ankara dropped the S-400 deal.

Washington also threatened to reject sales of Patriot missiles to Turkey in case of the latter's purchase of Russian systems.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that the S-400 purchase was irreversible and his country could buy a second batch of S-400 and look for military aircraft elsewhere if Washington refuses to supply its Patriot.
The Qatar-sponsored Qatar Harvey Fund will give $1 million to help support more than 500 students within the Texas A&M University System who withdrew from school in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and never returned, according to a recent release from the university.

The scholarship fund, the fourth of its kind, will help cover tuition, fees, books, living and emergency expenses at the five colleges within the system, including A&Ms flagship in College Station, Texas A&M at Galveston, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Qatar has already supplied aid for students at Houston Community College, the University of Houston and Lamar University in Beaumont.

Texas A&M system students who are eligible for assistance include those who are registered and currently attending the school, those who had to withdraw in the aftermath, or individuals who were admitted but could not attend the university in the beginning of fall 2017 as a result of the storm. Current undergraduates must also hold a 2.0 cumulative GPA, graduate and doctoral students must have a 3.0 GPA; and all students must demonstrate with data or anecdotes how the hurricane effected their finances. The grant will be available to students in the fall.

STUDENT PROFILE: His dream? College graduation. And then Harvey struck

The Texas A&M University System is very thankful for this grant, John Sharp, Chancellor of the Texas A&M System said in a statement. This money will help rebuild the future for hundreds of deserving Texans whose dreams of obtaining a degree were rained on by Harvey.

The grant was provided by State of Qatar through its Harvey Fund, a $30 million fund established in 2017 for the long-term recovery of southeast Texas post-hurricane.

RELATED: Qatar-funded scholarship program to aid UH system students still recovering from Harvey

Both the Qatar Harvey Fund and Rebuild Texas Fund, a collaborative project of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and One Star Foundation, will grant the money to students starting in the fall.

When we saw the devastation from Hurricane Harvey, we created the Qatar Harvey Fund to help our friends in Texas recover from the storm, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatars ambassador to the U.S, said in a statement, emphasizing the significant relationship Texas has to Qatar.

The Middle Eastern country hosts the Texas A&M University at Qatar campus in Doha, Qatars capital city. The A&M campus in Qatar has awarded about 900 engineering degrees in more than a decade.

We are proud to once again partner with the Rebuild Texas Fund to support Texas students impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Al-Thani said.
The Harris County District Attorney is once again seeking the death penalty against a convicted cop killer who won a new punishment trial nearly three decades after the slaying of a Houston police officer.

Shelton Jones was originally sent to death row for the April 1991 murder of Officer Bruno D. Soboleski, but a federal district court overturned his sentence in light of bad jury instructions.

"We put police officers in harm's way to protect us from violence, and it is our duty to forever protect society from this killer," District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement Monday. "Sgt. Soboleski's family was forever changed by this horrific attack, and no matter how long it takes, Jones deserves the ultimate punishment."

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Houston state senator demands end to reading of killers' last statements after they're executed

The night of the slaying, Soboleski was on patrol and driving in his squad car with a grand juror when he spotted two men at the intersection of Calhoun and Hull near the University of Houston.

Soboleski stopped the pair, though it's not entirely clear why. As he searched them, Jones pulled out a 9mm pistol and started shooting, according to court records. After the officer fell to the pavement, Jones shot him again, then fled with his confederate.

Afterward, a third man opened fire, getting off six rounds but missing the officer. Instead, he shot up the lawman's patrol car where the grand juror was trying to radio for help.

The grand juror escaped unscathed, while Soboleski lingered in the hospital for five days, undergoing multiple surgeries before dying in intensive care.

Longtime Harris County District Attorney Johnny Holmes prosecuted the case personally, winning a guilty verdict and a death sentence.

But for nearly three decades, Jones has fought his sentence, raising a slew of concerns including claims about the effects of widespread publicity and police presence in the courtroom.

COUNTY GOVERNMENT: High turnover continues at Harris County DAs office

The media coverage at the time included a letter to the editor suggesting Jones be hung from a "tall tree" with a "short rope," according to court filings. He tried for a change of venue in light of the press, and later argued that the 15 to 25 officers in the courtroom had prejudiced jurors, implicitly demanding a guilty verdict with their presence.

At one point, Jones also asked for additional funding for investigative findings and discovery, but the courts determined that they weren't "reasonably necessary." Even though the courts denied his appeals on those grounds, Jones won a new punishment phase over on bad jury instructions.

And, since life without parole was not a sentencing option at the time of his crime, Jones could be eligible for parole some day if the jury rejects a death sentence, Ogg said. Defense attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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A deputy patrolling a rural road northwest of Alvin saw the flames beyond a fence and knew that nearly two dozen beloved bee hives were on the other side.

The law man grabbed his fire extinguisher and jumped the fence along Country Road 149 near Highway 6 to try and save the burning bee homes, Brazoria County Sheriffs Office spokesman Lt. Varon Snelgrove said.

However, the flames  the work of a vandal  had already done irreversible damage.

Steven Brackman, head of the Brazoria County Beekeepers Association, blamed hooligans for the arson, which authorities said erupted before 2 a.m. Friday. He estimates that his beekeepers lost half a million or more of the treasured bugs.

Everything is just a huge gigantic mess, Brackman said.

Because the culprit was working under the shadow of darkness, any bees that escaped the blaze would have been without the ultraviolet light necessary to guide their way home. After setting some hives ablaze, the vandal then rolled some of them into a retention pond.

Those bees would have drowned, he said.

After the vandalism, Brackman found that some bees were buzzing around a brood frame floating in the water.

Lost them all

The hives were once home to European honey bees which, when raised commercially, are responsible for pollinating about $15 billion worth of North American crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a perk, the bees produce honey.

In addition to causing more than $10,000 worth of damage, the vandal likely put a dent in the money some beekeepers would earn selling bees wax products and 1,000 pounds of the sticky sweet fluid at farmers markets.

Eight of the torched hives belonged to beekeeping hobbyist Sam Degelia. He sells the harvested honey, while his wife makes candles, lotion bars and lip balm with the bee wax.

Everything from the hive is beneficial. Amazing creatures the Lord made, he said.

Degelia won't know the full extent of damage to his bee colonies until the days to come.

Im reckoning I lost them all, Degelia said. There might be a few bees left, but I dont know.

The beekeepers group has since raised more than $10,000 to rebuild the colonies.

No leads on suspect

If something  or someone  is disturbing a hive, colonies will come out to investigate, Brackman said. Despite being at night, when the insects are most docile, he hopes the bees had a chance to fight back.

Were hoping thats what happened to them actually, Brackman said. Even though those bees would have had a hard time seeing you in the dark, they can detect the heat and hunt you down.

The beekeeping association is offering an unspecified reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, he said.

A suspect has not been identified in the arson and sheriffs investigators have not found any surveillance cameras in the area that would have captured anything related to the incident, Snelgrove said. The access gate was still locked when the deputy encountered the fire.

Whoever it was, Snelgrove said the suspect would had to have known the hives were housed on the rural country road near the train tracks. And they may have been on foot.

You would have to have prior knowledge, Snelgrove said. You wouldnt be able to see them in the dark.
Days after the disclosure that MD Anderson Cancer Center moved to oust three Asian researchers found to be in violation of federal granting agency rules, a national federation of Chinese American organizations is expressing "grave concern" that ethnically Chinese scientists have become "collateral damage in the crossfire" of deteriorating U.S.-China relations.

In a statement citing the ousters at MD Anderson, United Chinese American said Chinese American scientists "have been made to feel increased scrutiny and increasing suspicion of their loyalties based on their ethnic background." It also noted that at least 10 such scientists at MD Anderson have recently retired, resigned, been fired or placed on administrative leave.

"Last week's news reports on what is likely the first wave of a crackdown targeting primarily Chinese American scientists at MD Anderson Cancer in Houston are unsettling," says the statement, "because of the manner in which the investigations were carried out and the fear they have generated."

The statement noted that no Chinese American scientist has been charged with a federal crime. The crackdown follows concerns expressed by U.S. government officials, including the FBI and Congress, about the threat to intellectual property from foreign governments.

The faculty ousters have roiled not just Chinese and Chinese American communities, but also MD Anderson, where administrators last week tried to assure employees the dismissals werent based on race or ethnicity. The assurances were made at a faculty town hall the day after the Chronicle and Science magazine broke the story.

The cancer center gave the Chronicle copies of internal documents that showed the results of investigations into concerns raised by the National Institutes of Health that five of its professors broke agency rules involving keeping peer review confidential or disclosing foreign ties.

RELATED: MD Anderson ousts 3 scientists over concerns about Chinese conflicts of interest

The cancer center invoked the termination process for three professors, two of whom resigned ahead of proceedings and one just beginning due process requirements. Officials determined termination was not warranted for one of the other professors and are still investigating the fifth.

In the article, MD Anderson President Dr. Peter Pisters said that as stewards of taxpayer dollars invested in biomedical research, the institution has an obligation to follow up when asked to investigate grant recipients. He denied MD Anderson engaged in racial profiling and called the investigations part of a much larger issue the country is facing  trying to balance an open collaborative environment and at the same time protect proprietary information and commercial interests.

The ousters were the first to become known since Dr. Francis Collins, director of the NIH, told a Senate panel earlier this month to expect related firings at institutions across the country soon. The agency has directed dozens of U.S. institutions to investigate possible rule violations by grant recipients.

The agencys instructions come amid heightened government concern that China and other foreign governments are exploiting U.S.-funded research for their own benefit  such as enlisting researchers to share intellectual property from confidential grant applications or operate shadow laboratories in their countries. In 2018, FBI officials met with Houston medical and academic leaders to alert them to the threat.

RELATED: FBI warns Texas academic and medical leaders of security threats

At the MD Anderson meeting last week, according to audio obtained by Science, chief scientific officer Giulio Draetta noted I have a lab thats half Chinese and half Italian and said his Chinese students are very concerned.

One Chinese faculty member said that since the news of MD Andersons actions broke, he has been getting calls from around the world asking, Is everything OK with you? Are you leaving MD Anderson? He said, Maybe thats not the intention of the leadership, but thats a consequence that a specific ethnic group has to bear.

There are competitors  international competitors, competitors within the country  who will make us believe  that MD Anderson is doing something wrong, Draetta said in the recording. Were not doing anything wrong. Were responding to the (NIH) letters.

The United Chinese Americans statement says the deterioration of U.S.-China relations has endangered academic freedom, causing Chinese-American scientists whove made tremendous contributions to America to be questioned, investigated and suspended. It says some scholars with Chinese backgrounds or ties have been forced to change the direction of their research or nature of their grant application or reduce or end reciprocal collaboration with China.

To address the situation, the statement called on higher education and scientific communities in the United States to continue to uphold collaboration around the world. It also called for Chinese American scientists to adhere strictly to all applicable regulations and cooperate in reporting any breaches to appropriate authorities but to also to strengthen U.S.-China relations rather than retreat; for the Chinese government to protect U.S. intellectual property rights and improve its supervision of Chinese talent programs to reduce doubt other countries may have; and for U.S. law enforcement agencies to strengthen internal training and safeguards to reduce bias.

The appeals outlined by United Chinese Americans should apply to all researchers and all countries, Pisters said in a statement to the Chronicle Monday. Now more than ever, we must unite in our collective efforts to accelerate discovery and accomplish the goal of eliminating cancer.

todd.ackerman@chron.com

twitter.com/chronmed
Four out of 12 jurors believed a Houston teen was not guilty in the 2016 deaths of his parents, forcing a mistrial last week, a court official confirmed.

The jury members couldnt come to a unanimous decision after more than 38 hours of witness testimony and 19 hours of deliberation. They were deadlocked until the end, when eight jurors voted that Antonio Armstrong, Jr. was guilty of fatally shooting his mother and father, Dawn Armstrong and Antonio Armstrong, Sr. on July 29, 2016.

The teens attorney, Rick DeToto declined to discuss the split on Friday and said it wasnt a win or a loss for his client, who is 19 years old.

We now know that there are people that do not believe the states theory of the case, DeToto said. We are going to keep fighting for this young man as long as we have to.

The trial stretched over almost four weeks in state District Judge Kelli Johnsons court. The teen has sworn for years that an intruder was to blame, and his defense attorneys sought to prove reasonable doubt in the case.

Prosecutors said Armstrong was the only person able to have committed the crime, because the home was essentially sealed the night of the murders. They described Armstrong, who was 16 at the time, as a liar and manipulator who was angry at his disciplinarian parents.

The son was certified to be tried as an adult. If convicted, he faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. Because he was a juvenile, he isnt eligible for the death penalty.

Armstrong is due back in court on May 21, where attorneys will discuss resetting the case for another trial. The court has sealed jurors names.

We appreciate the tremendous effort by the jury, prosecutor John Brewer said in a statement Friday night. Antonio Armstrong Jr. murdered two citizens of our county and we will continue to fight for justice and bring him to trial again.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com

Twitter.com/sam_kett
Two students have been indicted in connection with an armed robbery last fall at Lamar High School, according to court records.

Rayshun Dewayne Dallas, 19, and Desmond Gibran Gaines, 18, are facing charges of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. A Harris County grand jury indicted them last week.

Houston Independent School District police first learned about the robbery around 7:30 a.m. Oct. 12, according to the arrest affidavit. The victim told police that he had been robbed at gunpoint shortly after dismissal the previous day.

MORNING REPORT: Wake up to the news you need. Sign up at HoustonChronicle.com

He said a student pulled a gun on him and asked for his money in the a third-floor restroom. Another student stood watch at the door as the gunman "cocked" his weapon and said "give me your money," he said. The victim said they stole about $220 from his wallet.

HISD police watched security camera footage that showed Gaines, Dallas and a third student walk toward the third floor restroom that day. The third student appeared to be serving in a lookout role in video footage, but he later told police he didn't have anything to do with the robbery, according to the affidavit.

In the video, police saw Gaines and Dallas running from the restroom down a stairwell to the first floor. The victim was seen following them for a short time. The two suspects eventually ran out of the building.

Later, school administrators pulled Dallas and Gaines from class. Dallas admitted to being in the restroom at the time but told police that he didn't know what happened, the affidavit said. Gaines also said he went to the third-floor restroom but that "nothing happened," the affidavit said.

At the time, police searched Gaines and found a jar of 11 baggies of marijuana, the affidavit said. They also found a loaded handgun in his car in the student parking lot, the affidavit said.

Both men were taken into custody after they were identified in a photo array.

Their next court date is scheduled for 9 a.m. May 3 in the 208th Judicial District Court.

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.
UPDATE at 9:37 a.m.

The skateboard appears to have been found, but Hawk is waiting for someone to verify on Twitter.

Apparently it was tucked away near the cell phone parking lot at Bush airport, according to social media reports.

A Facebook post from Sean Riggs reads, "Look who found the skateboard that Tony Hawk left at the airport for someone to find !!!"

Sean told Chron.com that his wife Bunny Riggs heard about the scavenger hunt, and recognized the location near her workplace at Bush Airport. He said she found the board just as other people started swarming the area.

"She called me and said, 'I found it! I found Tony Hawk's skateboard'," said Sean Riggs.

He said he had no idea about the scavenger hunt. "Well, who do we have to give it back to?" he replied.

"No, he left it for me to find," said his excited wife.

Coincidentally, it turns out today is Bunny's birthday.

***

The clock is ticking for anyone in Houston who wants a free skateboard from Tony Hawk.

The legendary skateboarder posted a photo on Twitter of the skateboard at an undisclosed location near George Bush Intercontinental Airport. In the photo, the skateboard is resting upright behind a guardrail along the road.

"I just left my skateboard kinda close to Houston airport," Hawk said. "Finders keepers if you can figure out where this is. Please reply with the hashtag on the griptape if found. Go now!"

The photo has already been viewed hundreds of times since it was posted at 8:19 a.m., so you'd better get started.

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.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari in Beijing on Monday.

China highly values the development of bilateral relations, and supports Nepal's efforts in safeguarding national independence, sovereign and territorial integrity, and in exploring a development path suited to Nepal's own conditions, Xi said.

He expressed appreciation for Nepal's long-time firm support on issues related to China's core interests and major concerns, and Nepal's active participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.

China and Nepal should strengthen cooperation in infrastructure construction, and continue to advance the construction of cross-border economic cooperation zone, Xi said, adding that China is willing to continue to support Nepal's economic and social development.

Xi called on the two countries to intensify exchanges among legislative institutions, political parties, youth, think tanks and media, consolidate public support for China-Nepal friendship, and advance the friendly cooperative relations to a new level.

Bhandari said that China's prosperity and stability present opportunities to Nepal, and her country is willing to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China in various fields.

She said that Nepal adheres to the one-China policy, and that Nepal will not allow any forces to engage in anti-China activities by using the territory of Nepal.

The two heads of state attended a ceremony for the signing of bilateral cooperation documents after the talks.
Responding to what it called criminal levels of contamination, the Harris County District Attorneys office said Monday that it has charged Intercontinental Terminals Company with five misdemeanor counts of water pollution arising from a March plant fire that sent toxic chemicals into nearby waterways and a thick plume of smoke over the Houston area for days.

The discharge from the ITC fire into Tucker Bayou is a clear water pollution case, said Alex Forrest, the environmental crimes division chief for the DAs office, in a written statement. We are looking forward to reviewing the reports of other local and federal agencies, as they complete their investigations, so that we can determine if other charges will follow.

The charges are the most recent example of District Attorney Kim Oggs more aggressive approach toward chemical companies in the aftermath of environmental disasters that have outraged the public and drawn national attention.

This is the beginning of our review, not the end, said Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the DAs office.

According to the DAs Office, water pollution in Tucker Bayou was at criminal levels from March 17 through March 21. Prosecutors filed one count for each of the five days the company allegedly violated the law at its Deer Park plant. Each charge carries a fine of up to $100,000.

People living in Deer Park and the other neighboring residential areas near ITCs plant deserve protection, Ogg said. When public health is at risk, its a public safety concern.

An attorney for ITC, which stores petrochemicals for companies including Chevron, Philips 66 and Exxon, defended its efforts.

Although we have not seen the charges, there is no question that there was a large fire and an enormous effort to extinguish it which resulted in a discharge into Tucker Bayou, said Michael Goldberg, an attorney for ITC, in a written statement.

The Deer Park blaze began when a leak at one of ITCs petrochemical storage tanks caught fire on March 17. The conflagration created a thick plume of toxic smoke and chemicals that blanketed parts of greater Houston. During the days-long disaster, a containment wall breached, pouring large amounts of toxic chemicals such as xylene and benzene into Tucker Bayou. The blaze and spills led neighborhoods and schools to shelter in place, prompted a temporary closure of the Houston Ship Channel, and raised fears about air and water quality throughout the metro area.

More than two weeks later, one worker was killed and two others were critically wounded during a fire at KMCOs Crosby chemical plant. State officials have filed lawsuits against ITC as well as KMCO in Crosby for pollution caused by fires at both facilities.

ITC also faces a blizzard of lawsuits filed by area residents in the aftermath of its fire, which destroyed 11 chemical tanks and is under investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Harris County officials previously estimated that its response to the disaster cost approximately $1.9 million in services, materials, supplies and labor.

Mondays court action against ITC marks the second time Ogg has pursued criminal charges against Houston-area companies in high-profile pollution cases. After a chemical fire during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Ogg brought a criminal case against the chemical company Arkema and two of its executives for the reckless release of an air contaminant.

Investigators found that the companys emergency plan provided little direction to employees on how to handle major floods, and as a result, it couldnt keep combustible organic peroxides cool, according to federal documents. Over the next week, nine trailers of organic peroxides erupted in flames, sending pillars of fire and thick plumes of black smoke into the air.

Prosecutors recently charged the company and a third executive with reckless assault, citing injuries sustained by two deputies who responded to the scene based on the companys assurances. Company officials have defended their actions in both suits and accused Oggs office of prosecutorial overreach.

A fire also broke out at Exxon Mobils Baytown refinery in mid-March but was contained hours later. The investigations are ongoing.

Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas, a state advocacy group, said Mondays charges send an important message to companies.

It really raises the bar for industrial facilities, Metzger said.

Harris County has stepped up oversight of the petrochemical industry since Ogg took office in 2016, and the 2018 election brought in new Democratic leadership on the Commissioners Court.

Oggs office recently called for an additional $850,000 to fund eight new positions in the environmental crimes division, including tripling the number of prosecutors  from two to six  focused on such violations.

Thats a change, Metzger said, adding that the most that companies could previously expect for violating a permit was a a weak fine. He expects employees and companies will demand more resources to invest in prevention and safety to avoid facing future criminal charges.

In February, the Commissioners Court approved a 28 percent budget increase for the Pollution Control Department. The investment made little difference during the ITC and KMCO fires. The department was still unprepared for a multi-day response, despite experiencing one during the 2017 Arkema fire. The department told commissioners that it would take days to get air-quality test results related to the ITC fire. Five of the countys 12 ozone monitors were broken and it had no mobile air-monitoring vehicles at its disposal.

Prosecutors have previously won convictions against ITC for water pollution, but not recently. The company paid a $500 fine for a 1975 conviction and $650 in a 1990 case.

In the decade before the March fire, ITC violated federal and local environmental rules multiple times, racking up fines of more than $65,000 since 2009.

Residents echoed Metzgers support for more aggressive oversight.

Duncan Stewart lives a few miles from the plant. He wasnt surprised by the decision to charge ITC. He thinks polluters will take a criminal process more seriously than a simple civil penalty.

A fine like that is a token for a company like ITC, Stewart said.
AUSTIN  He is so light in the loafers he floats off the ground at times.

Those were the words Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick used on Fox News on Monday night to describe Beto ORourke, suggesting that the Democrat running for president is gay.
Cindy Vivas-Esteban woke up on Tuesday alarmed by hundreds of emails and messages that had flooded her phone since the pre-dawn hours.

Something very different was going on in Venezuela, Vivas-Esteban said. It was the first time she and many other Venezuelans abroad had seen the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, surrounded by military officers supporting him. Photos and videos were going viral on social media.

This is exactly what we needed to knock down (President Nicolas) Maduro, said Jose Marquez, a leader and spokesman for Unidad Houston, a coalition that coordinates activities of Venezuelans in Houston.

Now Playing: Venezuelans in favor of Juan Guaido demonstrate in protest of Nicolas Maduro on Westheimer Road. Video: Godofredo Vasquez, Houston Chronicle

As news from Venezuela unfolded, more than 100 Venezuelans gathered in the Galleria area Tuesday, singing their anthem and carrying Venezuelan flags and signs reading Venezuelas Freedom Starts Today, and Socialism means Tyranny.

The Associated Press reported that street battles erupted in parts of Caracas, the capital, on Tuesday in what was the most serious challenge yet to Maduros rule. The events began with a surprise video shot at dawn of Guaido, flanked by a group of heavily armed national guardsmen, urging a final push to topple Maduro.

Venezuelans at the demonstration in Houston saw the developments as an indication that the end of Maduros government was nearing.

More for you Social media remains key to Venezuela's opposition, despite efforts to block it

I have suppressed my emotions for so many years because I saw no hope. I cannot repress them any more; I see hope now, I see the possibility of freedom, the possibility for the rebirth of my country, said Ana Mena, a Venezuelan who has lived in Houston for more than a decade.

Marquez said it was important for Venezuelans living abroad to effectively communicate what is happening to families and friends in Venezuela.

Marzuez said news is not reaching many Venezuelans as the Maduro administration controls the local media. CNN reported that the government pulled its broadcast off the air after the network broadcast images of military vehicles running over protesters in Caracas, the capital.

Videos and photographs emerged from Tuesdays events in which Guaido announced the release of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez by friendly military officers after five years in prison. Guaido called for a military uprising and declared that his movement was beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom, marked by armed forces moving to his side.

Still, AP reported that the surprise rebellion seemed to have garnered only limited military support.

In Houston, Venezuelans say they are closely monitoring the events and will possibly gather downtown on Wednesday. Marquez said information about the groups plans would be distributed on social media.

Liliana Toro, one of the opposition supporters at the demonstration in Houston, was carrying Honey, a dog dressed in the colors of the Venezuelan flag.

Torres, who has lived in Houston for 27 years, said Honey is supporting little dogs of Venezuela to get humanitarian aid and dog food because there are many puppies on the street and people are giving away their puppies because there is no food for them.

Torres said that she posted a photo of Honey on Facebook with a message about the dogs cause, and she got almost 2,000 likes in less than an hour.

Milagros Duran, the communications coordinator for Unidad Popular in Houston, said events such as the one in Houston were taking place in several U.S. cities and Europe.

olivia.tallet@chron.com
Hurricane Harvey left its mark not just by the more than 60 inches of water it unleashed on the Houston area but also by the nearly 4,000 tons of unpermitted air pollution it spewed even after the storm ended.

With just under a month left in the session, a bill that would allow the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to set performance standards for above-ground storage tanks, which are prone to failing during natural disasters, was left pending Monday by a Senate committee.

Senate Bill 1446 would allow the agency to require the tanks have certain protective devices, such as anchors and dome covers.

Most forms of below-ground storage tanks are already regulated by the agency while above-ground tanks are not, said Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, who is sponsoring the bill, at the Senates Water and Rural Affairs Committee meeting Monday.

What were not doing is coming in here with a bunch of Draconian, super-expensive, one-size-fits-all kind of measures, Johnson said. This is simply trusting, putting some faith in the TCEQ to do its job in this area, just as it does in every other area.

About a dozen people spoke before the committee on Monday. Most were residents, public officials and environmental activists in support of the bill, while a few industry representatives spoke against it.

Loren Raun, chief environmental science officer at the Houston Health Department, said Houston-area residents referred to the pollution that resulted from the Valero benzene leak as the second storm after Hurricane Harvey.

During Hurricane Harvey, more than 15 floating roof storage tanks failed, releasing a combined 3.1 million pounds of volatile chemicals across the Houston area, according to reports the companies filed with environmental agencies.

The tanks were also behind the single-biggest spill of the storm when two storage tanks at the Galena Park storage complex of Magellan Midstream, an Oklahoma pipeline company, let out some 11,000 barrels, or nearly 500,000 gallons, of gasoline.

While the spill was largely contained to Magellans property, much of the gasoline evaporated, releasing some 2.5 million pounds of pollutants into the air, including 13,000 pounds of benzene.

While tanks can be inspected for basics, theres clearly a need for performance standards to prevent the kind of disasters exemplified recently, Raun said. We need these performance standards.

Cory Pomeroy, vice president and general counsel at Texas Oil and Gas Association, said the bill would create construction standards and thats not typically what TCEQ does. He said American Petroleum Institute is the pre-eminent standard-setting entity.

Putting construction standards in statute, however, limits the ability to evolve and change as technologies come about and new situations arise, Pomeroy said.

Adrian Shelley, director of Public Citizens Texas office, responded later in his comments by saying that the APIs standards are based on over 50-year-old analysis of rainfall frequency.

Trying to assuage industry members concerns, Johnson reminded them of the collaborative nature of the standard-setting process, which would involved public hearings and allow for back-and-forth between the agency, companies and the public.

Honestly, the TCEQ is not known for being a hostile left-wing organization, Johnson said. Theyre going to do a good job, and I trust them. And I would trust the industry to want to work with them.

Committee chair Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, did not appear fully convinced as of Monday.

I think the concern is the prescriptive nature of some of the things inside the bill that gets into very, very clear specifics, Perry said. And they may be something thats needed, but at least what I believe, we dont know whats needed. Its worth the conversation, for sure.

After the meeting, Stephanie Thomas, a Houston-based researcher for Public Citizen, and other environmental advocates said they were unhappy that the committee didnt take a vote on the bill.

"We've been waiting almost two years for action since Harvey, so it's disappointing to be this close to the end of session and not know that we're going to get real action, even with something like the ITC fire having just recently happened, Thomas said.
The Texas House on Monday approved a bill that would reduce the criminal penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana.

The House voted 98-43 in favor of House Bill 63, which would make possession of less than one ounce of marijuana a class C misdemeanor, punishable with a fine of up to $500 and no jail time. Under existing laws, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana can lead to a jail sentence of up to 6 months. The bill by state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, initially called for entirely decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, but Moody amended it in a compromise with the Republican majority.

Although this compromise isnt as far as I would like to go, Im not going to sacrifice the good for the perfect, Moody said when introducing his amendment to the bill.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said in a gubernatorial debate last year he would consider signing a bill that decreased the penalty for marijuana possession to a class C misdemeanor. However, the legislation could stall in the Texas Senate, which is controlled by Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has indicated he wont favor any loosening of marijuana laws  neither in criminal court nor for medicinal purposes.

Texas Take: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday

Patrick is strongly opposed to weakening any laws against marijuana [and] remains wary of the various medicinal use proposals that could become a vehicle for expanding access to this drug, he said in a statement to the Texas Tribune last month. Patricks staff did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The amendment was worth making for the same reason every change Ive made to that bill for the past 6 years has been worth making: it advances the conversation to get the results that we want for people, Moody said. That result is not wasting taxpayer resources, law enforcement resources, prosecutor resources, on these low-level offenses and eliminating collateral consequences for what are mostly young offenders.

The most vocal opposition during debate Monday came from Rep. Cecil Bell Jr., R-Magnolia, who called marijuana a gateway drug.

I just want to be clear to this body, if you vote for this, youre voting to legalize marijuana, Bell said.

For subscribers: Police groups decry Texas push for marijuana decriminalization

Moody said he thinks his bill would have passed the House in its original form, but that would have been the end of the conversation this session, after the bill was sent to the Senate. My goal isnt just to have a conversation about it on the House floor, my goal is to pass this bill, Moody said.

Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston and chairman of H.B. 63s likely next stop, the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said he is not sure how the Senate or his committee will handle the bill. Sen. Jose Rodriguezs Senate companion to Moodys bill has been yet to have a hearing in the Criminal Justice Committee as Whitmire waited to see how the House would proceed.

Its unknown at this stage, but its getting late, with less than a month remaining in the legislative session, Whitmire said.

Despite the bills uncertain future in the Senate, H.B. 63 gathered bipartisan support in the House and marks the furthest any bill reducing penalties for marijuana possession has progressed in the Texas Legislature.

I remember when I first filed this bill, I think back in 2003, I couldnt even get a hearing and people around here basically asked me what I had been smoking, said Rep. Harold Dutton Jr., D-Houston.
 Flash

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will deploy up to 40,000 troops to help maintain the peace during the country's midterm elections on May 13, a military spokesperson said on Tuesday.

AFP public affairs chief Col. Noel Detoyato said the troops will help the police in ensuring the safety of the voters.

Already, he said the AFP has identified areas described as "hot spots" or where violence is likely to erupt.

"They will be deployed in areas extra security is needed like areas of conflict or insurgency," Detoyato said.

Detoyato said the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) has tapped the military to transport election paraphernalia or materials like ballot boxes.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has also identified at least 701 election hot spots in midterm elections.

The number includes 223 areas of concern, 382 areas of immediate concern, 94 areas of grave concern, and two areas under control of the Comelec, the PNP said.

The PNP said a place tagged as an area of concern means it has a history of election-related incidents in the last two elections and intense political rivalry, and it had been previously declared under Comelec control.

Meanwhile, the PNP said areas of immediate concern are those where there is serious armed threat posed by the New People's Army (NPA), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and rogue elements of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and other lawless elements.

AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo further said that during the conduct of the elections, the counter-insurgency operations will continue.

Dozens of election-related killings have been reported in the run-up to the May 13 elections. Many deaths are triggered by local rivalries in villages, towns, cities and provinces.
From the rolling sand dunes of Monahans to the bayous and backwaters of Caddo Lake, Texas state parks are known for their natural beauty. The Palo Duro Canyon, Americas second largest, reaches 800 rugged feet down into the heart of the Texas Panhandle, with geologic formations that date back some 250 million years. State parks along the coastal bend, such as Goose Island, Mustang Island and Galveston Island, showcase the scenic bays and estuaries of our windswept coast.

State parks preserve scenic natural treasures, conserve wildlife and their habitats and allow the public to enjoy their vast recreational resources. But they do more, too, playing an important role in Texas emergency response infrastructure.

When Hurricane Harvey hit, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) game wardens, state park police and other department employees provided emergency response services. Besides evacuating park visitors out of harms way, they used department resources to conduct more than 12,000 water rescues throughout greater Houston and the coastal bend.

I chair a committee in the Texas House that oversees the state park system. This January, we reviewed TPWD and its response to Harvey. During a hearing, one of the committees Houston-area members recounted his experience boating through affected neighborhoods with game wardens and witnessing the role the department plays.

In emergency response situations, from hurricanes to floods to wildfires, TPWD personnel put their lives on the line alongside the state guard, DPS officers and local responders to protect and rescue citizens and manage the crisis.

Our state parks also provide emergency shelter. During Harvey, 30 TPWD facilities, including 16 state parks, sustained about $22 million in damage. But a host of inland parks provided free shelter to 8,175 displaced residents for periods of time that ranged from days to months in camp shelters and sites.

Despite fulfilling such important roles, our state parks are often taken for granted. State funding has been unpredictable. Funds intended for the upkeep and maintenance of our state parks have too often been diverted elsewhere. Since 1993, when the Legislature voted to fund state parks with the portion of sales tax revenues collected on the sale of sporting goods, only 47 percent of the nearly $2.8 billion collected has been appropriated to state parks.

As a result, deferred maintenance in our state parks now exceeds $800 million, causing some parks to temporarily close, while others are forced to close due to lack of capacity. Several parks arent accessible to the disabled. Group-use facilities have become so inadequate, more than half the groups seeking to use them last year were unable to do so.

State parks are often among the first items cut in a lean budget year. In 2011, funding cuts resulted in more than 60 layoffs to park staff, including some of the same positions that played such valuable roles during the response to Harvey. Following those cuts, services were also reduced at 23 state parks.

Diverting funds from state parks happens at our own expense. Besides important conservation, recreation and emergency response functions, state parks and the departments management of state lands and wildlife combine for billions of dollars in annual economic impact and more than one million Texas jobs through outdoor sporting, hunting, fishing and tourism industries.

Too much is on the line to allow this funding uncertainty to continue. That is why I worked with Sen. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham to file companion legislation to place a state constitutional amendment on this Novembers ballot to ensure that sales tax revenues collected from sporting goods are dedicated to their intended purpose of funding our parks and historical sites. This legislation, Senate Bill 26 and Senate Joint Resolution 24, has now passed the House and is awaiting Senate concurrence before heading to Gov. Abbotts desk.

If finally approved, Texans will have the opportunity to vote to give our state parks a reliable funding system that befits the vital roles they play in our state.

Rep. Cyrier (R-Lockhart) is chairman of the House Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism and a captain in the Texas State Guard.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito recognized Williamstown's efforts in developing affordable housing on Tuesday during a stop at Highland Woods. State Rep. John Barrett III refers to Highland Woods as a model for other communities. Elton Ogden, president of Berkshire Housing Development Corp., explains the housing projects on Cole Avenue and in Lenox and Great Barrington his organization is involved with. Select Board member Jeffrey Thompson State Sen. Adam Hinds Polito speaks with Planning Board Chairwoman Amy Jeschawitz. Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Michael Kennealy The lieutenant governor with, from left, Elton Ogden, Brian O'Grady, Sen. Adam Hinds, Jeffrey Thomas, Jason Hoch, Secretary Keannely, and Rep. John Barrett III. The planned Cole Avenue development. The Sawmill housing development in Lenox. Bostwick Gardens project in Great Barrington. PreviousNext

Polito Touts Housing Choices Bill in Williamstown



Town Manager Jason Hoch welcomes state officials to Highland Woods. At right is a illustration of the planned housing project on Cole Avenue.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The administration of Gov. Charlie Baker continued Tuesday its statewide blitz to promote legislation it hopes will allow communities to more easily adapt zoning bylaws to meet the commonwealth's need for housing.

The Act to Promote Housing Choices would lower the threshold for most zoning bylaw amendments related to housing from its current two-thirds "supermajority" to a simple majority vote.

On Tuesday afternoon, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Michael Kennealy joined local officials in the common room at the Highland Woods senior housing project to explain why the proposed change is necessary.

Polito explained the scope of the housing crisis in Massachusetts.

"While our population has grown by over half a million people since 2000, we clearly have not kept up with the pace of housing growth," she said. "In the '80s and '90s, we were producing about 30,000 to 40,000 new units of housing, which was a good pace. In the last couple of decades, we've been building about 8,000 to 10,000 units of housing.

"So, clearly, off track."

And even though Tuesday's event was in Berkshire County, home of the commonwealth's steepest population declines this century, diversifying the housing stock is an issue, officials say.

"Maybe if you make it easier for young families to find housing and have more housing density in our downtowns, we can get some of that population to come back," Kennealy said prior to the start of Tuesday's event.

Williamstown officials would agree with that sentiment.

Planning Board Chairwoman Amy Jeschawitz was among the scheduled speakers at the hour-long event.

Her body has put before May's annual town meeting the kind of zoning bylaw proposal that is intended to be helped by Baker's "Housing Choices" legislation. The Williamstown Planning Board openly has discussed the difficulty of crafting bylaws that will both allow meaningful change to happen and palatable enough to clear the two-thirds majority threshold.

"So, as you can all guess, I am definitely a fan of the Housing Choices initiative that is being put forth," Jeschawitz said.

"We've done well in our business zones with mixed use. We've done some good things there.  But when it comes to our residential zones, that's where we have the hardest time, convincing the people who live here to make changes to allow other people to come and live in the community."

Williamstown Select Board member Jeffrey Thomas said the Housing Choices bill will make zoning bylaw amendments more like other questions that come before town meeting, requiring a simple majority for passage.

"I think, most importantly, as scientists, as I am, it will give us the opportunity to test different strategies," Thomas said. "I mean  no one knows the answer, but you've got to try some things to figure it out. And when you need a supermajority to try anything, it's really hard, right?"

State Rep. John Barrett III, D-North Adams, and state Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, were among the officials to speak at Tuesday's event.

Hinds talked about housing being one of the fundamental issues that could impede a state economy that otherwise is doing well.

"We definitely look forward to rolling up our sleeves on the legislation and doing all we can to support our communities," Hinds said.

Barrett was more full-throated in his support of Baker's initiative, which is before the Legislature for the second straight session.

"The Baker administration, I can't say enough good things," Barrett said. "I've said this several times over the past four years, they get it, they understand it, and they're dealing with it.

"Hopefully, the Legislature will be stepping up to the plate and doing our job and making sure programs like this are successful. This certainly is a model that other communities should follow around here, and, as [Williamstown Town Manager Jason Hoch] said, giving you the necessary tools to do the job."

Local officials used the appearance by Kennealy and Polito, who has visited all 351 Massachusetts municipalities, to celebrate Williamstown's success with the subsidized housing project, Highland Woods, built in response to the loss of hundreds of homes at the former Spruces Mobile Home Park after Tropical Storm Irene.

Elton Ogden of Berkshire Housing Development Corp., which built Highland Woods, was on hand to welcome the lieutenant governor and housing secretary and remind them about another Williamstown project, the former Photech building at 330 Cole Ave., which is currently before DHCD in search of funding.

Kennealy touted the administration's efforts to support affordable housing, including a $1.8 billion housing bond bill, "the biggest such bond bill in the history of the state," he said.

"We've invested, since the start of the Baker-Polito administration, $1.1 billion in the housing ecosystem, which created 17,000 units, 15,000 of which are affordable, 2,600 of which are affordable to people with extremely low income," Kennealy said.

But publicly-financed housing is just part of the solution, he said. The Promote Housing Choices Act would help municipalities do their part by modifying zoning bylaws without needing a two-third majority either of city councillors or town meeting voters.

"What we need is for the market to respond," Kennealy said. "There's only so much government can do. We need the housing market to be more functioning.

"And that's where Housing Choice comes into play. The particulars of the bill was the byproduct of a lot of brainstorming sessions and meetings and focus groups with a broad range of stakeholders. And what we settled on were nine different types of housing developments where if, in our view, we could lower the approval threshold from a super majority to a simple majority, we could unlock all types of housing production across the state."

Among the zoning proposals that would go from a two-thirds majority to a simple majority if the bill passes, according to a news release from the administration are the following:

 Building mixed-use, multifamily, and starter homes, and adopting 40R "Smart Growth" zoning in town centers and near transit.

 Allowing the development of accessory dwelling units, or "in-law" apartments.

 Approving Smart Growth or Starter Homes districts that put housing near existing activity centers.

 Granting increased density through a special permit process.

 Allowing for the transfer of development rights and enacting natural resource protection zoning.

 Reducing parking requirements and dimensional requirements, such as minimum lot sizes.

The "accessory dwelling units" provision is particular note in Williamstown, where one of the Planning Board's proposed amendments for May's meeting has drawn fire from, among others, a member of the five-person panel.

On Tuesday, neither Jeschawitz nor Town Planner Andrew Groff, who provides staff support to the Planning Board, expressed an interest in pulling the current proposal and saving it for a day when Baker's Promote Housing Choices Act may have passed and created an easier path for the changes.

In his prepared remaks, Hoch alluded to the competing interests that have driven debate at the Planning Board for the last two years.

"We're blessed to be in a place where people want to stay, which is wonderful, and also blessed to be in a place where people want to come to," Hoch said. "So there's an inherent challenge based in those two things."




iciHaiti - Insecurity : Gunshots near the US Embassy





On Monday, gunfire was fired near the back entrance of the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, forcing personnel into the building.



Following this incident, the US State Department posted on its twitter account an alert to US citizens present in Haiti "Gunfire coming from the rear entrance to the Embassy. Shelter in place is in effect for the Embassy compound. If you are traveling to the Embassy, find a safe area to shelter in place."



Since then, neither the State Department nor the Embassy has provided further details on the origin of these shots.



Recall that the State Department ordered on February 12 all children of US embassy US diplomatic personnel to leave the territory, as well as non-essential US personnel and adult members of families of this staff to leave Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26920-haiti-flash-6th-day-of-paralysis-the-country-sinks-into-chaos.html . Two days later Washington had recalled all its non-essential diplomats and urged US citizens not to travel to Haiti raising its level of alert to the maximum level, level still in effect at date https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26948-haiti-flash-usa-raises-to-maximum-travel-advisory-levels-for-haiti.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26948-haiti-flash-usa-raises-to-maximum-travel-advisory-levels-for-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26920-haiti-flash-6th-day-of-paralysis-the-country-sinks-into-chaos.html



PI/ iciHaiti


















Indonesia detains Vietnamese fishermen after high seas clash

April 29,2019 | Source: AFP

Indonesia's navy said that the Vietnamese coastguard rammed one of its vessels off the coast of Borneo as it moved to intercept a boat suspected of fishing illegally in its waters.



The navy subsequently arrested a dozen Vietnamese fishermen after the high-seas clash in the southernmost reaches of the South China Sea on Saturday, it added in a statement late Sunday.



Jakarta claims the area as its exclusive economic zone -- waters where a state has the right to exploit resources.



The navy said two Vietnamese coast guard ships tried to prevent the apprehension by ramming its vessel, causing damage to the hull.



The fishing boat sank possibly due to an accidental collision, Indonesian authorities said without elaborating.



Two fishermen escaped detention by jumping into the water. They were picked by the Vietnamese coast guard, which then fled, the navy said.



"The arrest happened in Indonesian waters," Yudo Margono, commander of Indonesia's Western Fleet, said in a statement.



"The Indonesian vessel acted appropriately," he added.



Video circulating on social media purported to show a Vietnamese patrol boat ramming the left side of the Indonesian vessel as the armed navy crew shouted expletives.



Two years ago, Indonesia changed the name of the southern part of the South China Sea to the North Natuna Sea in a bid to show its sovereignty in the waters.



More recently, it inaugurated a new military base in the chain of several hundred small islands to beef up its border defence.



The moves have prompted criticism from Beijing whose claims in the sea overlap Indonesia's around the remote Natuna Islands.



Indonesia, the world's biggest archipelago nation, has been trying to stop foreign vessels fishing illegally in its territory, claiming it costs the economy billions of dollars annually.

 2016 - 2019 PT. Niskala Media Tenggara

Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods.
Non-EEA migrants on Irish trawlers gain new immigration rights

by Felicity Lawrence and Ella McSweeney

April 22,2019 | Source: The Guardian

African and Asian migrants working on Irish fishing trawlers are to be given new immigration rights to protect them from trafficking and modern slavery.



Non- European Economic Area (EEA) fishing workers will no longer be tied to employers and will be able to leave a boat to find other work without fear of deportation under a new immigration agreement between the Irish government and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), the Guardian has learned.



The deal, concluded to stave off litigation, comes after the ITF took the unprecedented step of taking the Irish government to the high court in Dublin for facilitating modern slavery with its permit scheme for fishing workers from outside the EEA last year.



Boat owners will no longer be able to deduct the typical fee of 1,000 (865) for permits from their wages. The government has also pledged to introduce new statutory instruments to bolster regulations on pay, maximum hours of work, minimum hours of rest, and minimum safe numbers of crew. Workers who are exploited will be able to claim compensation as well as unpaid wages.



The permit scheme in question was introduced in response to a Guardian investigation that uncovered persistent allegations of trafficking and severe exploitation of migrant workers in the Irish fleet in 2015. Under the scheme, boat owners were given a legal route to acquire visas for hundreds of foreign crew members who had previously been brought in and employed illegally as cheap labour. However, the scheme tied workers to individual employers, leaving many vulnerable to abusive conditions and in fear of deportation if they complained or wanted to leave.



The ITF collected testimony for the court from dozens of Ghanaian, Egyptian and Filipino migrant workers that showed that under the permit scheme some trawler companies were still paying a fraction of the legal minimum wage, and were regularly requiring migrants to work dangerously long hours without sleep, resulting in repeated cases of industrial injury.

 2019 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
PRAGUE  Dr Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, on Tuesday held a bilateral meeting with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. They discussed energy and climate issues affecting Europe and the world, as well as the Czech Republics domestic energy priorities, including electricity, nuclear, renewables and electric vehicles.

Earlier in the day, Dr Birol gave a keynote address at the European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF) about the role nuclear energy can play in meeting climate and electricity security goals. The ENEF is an annual event at which stakeholders discuss the opportunities and risks of nuclear power in relation to the energy challenges faced by the European Union and its members.

Dr Birol told the forum that while nuclear power is currently Europes largest source of low carbon electricity, its contribution is set to fall sharply. Without policy changes, three-quarters of Europes ageing nuclear fleet would be decommissioned by 2040.

Nuclear power can contribute to reducing global CO2 emissions and improving energy security, Dr Birol said, but unless the barriers it faces are overcome, its growth will be limited.

The IEA is preparing a special report, Nuclear Power in a Clean Energy System which will examine these issues and develop policy recommendations for government, industry and financial institutions. The report will be launched in late May 2019 at the 10th Clean Energy Ministerial meeting.

Here are the slides from Dr Birol's presentation at ENEF:
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has demanded the immediate release of a group of journalists abducted by Ansar Allah (Houthis) in 2015 after the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate issued new warnings that they have been tortured. The IFJ and YJS condemned the use of the journalists as bargaining chips in the country's ongoing conflict.

Despite warnings from international organisations, including the IFJ, Ansar Allah have repeatedly broken all international conventions and norms on the treatment of prisoners. The journalists - Abdulkhaleq Ahmad Omran, Akram Saleh Al-Walidi, Al-Hareth Saleh Hameed, Tawfeeq Mohammed Al-Mansouri, Hisham Ahmad Tartoum, Hisham Abdulamalek Al-Yousefi, Haitham Abdulrahman Raweh, Issam Ameen Balgheith, Hassam Abdullah Anab and Salah Mohammed Al-Qaidi - have been subjected to physical and psychological violence and were denied health care or family visits. Journalists safety is a major concern in Yemen, where 36 media workers have been killed since 2011. Earlier this year the YJS denounced the arrest and torture of another journalist, Sabri Bin Mkhashen, at the hands of the security forces in Hadramout region which is under the control of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

The YJS said in a statement that it condemns the criminal acts to which journalists have been subjected for several years including denial of family visits, access to health care and conditions of detention contrary to human dignity. The Union reiterates its call for the release of journalists and calls on the judiciary to prosecute those responsible for these criminal acts against journalists.

Anthony Bellanger, IFJ General Secretary, said: We condemn any form of violence against journalists and demand that Ansar Allah complies with international conventions and norms. All those involved in the detention and torture of our colleagues will be held accountable. We also call on the UN agencies and UN envoys to Yemen to include these atrocities in their official reports to the UN bodies and take immediate actions to ensure the safety and well-being of our colleagues.
Imperial Valley News Center

Empowered Women Pave the Way to Economic Progress

Washington, DC - I recently traveled to Africa to advance the White Houses Womens Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, or W-GDP, which seeks to reach 50 million women in the developing world by 2025. We will work to achieve this goal by supporting women in the workplace, helping them succeed as entrepreneurs, and by advancing legal reforms that will create greater gender equality.

The most remarkable part of the trip was connecting with women from across the continent who have overcome tremendous barriers to pave the way to change. Their stories are tangible proof of what is possible if we deliver smart development assistance to empower women to succeed in their economies.

In Ethiopia, I met Sara Abera. Fourteen years ago, Sara started Muya, a textiles and pottery manufacturing business. With assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and private sector partners, she has grown her business from less than 10 to nearly 600 employees. Sara hires and trains women, creating a direct multiplier effect, benefiting thousands of families far past the initial investment of American foreign development assistance. Today, Sara is Ethiopias top exporter of handmade woven garments and pottery and her products sit on the shelves of stores across the United States.

Read the full op-ed here.
Imperial Valley News Center

Vice President Pence to Crew Members of the USS Harry S. Truman

Norfolk, Virginia - Remarks by Vice President Pence to Crew Members of the USS Harry S. Truman:

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Vice Admiral Lewis, for that kind introduction and those inspiring words. And thank you, sailors. At ease. You may be seated.

To Captain Dienna, Captain Snowden, Command Master Chief Carter, to the extraordinary men and women who serve on this ship: It is my great honor to join you aboard Americas Lone Warrior, the USS Harry S. Truman, where for more than 20 years youve been giving em hell on every deployment. (Applause.)

And its especially great to return to the Truman. You know, I first set foot on this great ship just over 16 years ago, when my wife and I had the privilege of visiting with courageous sailors of this ship when it was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We arrived on a COD aircraft. I walked on today. (Laughter.) I preferred coming here on the COD, if youre taking notes. So thanks again for the warm welcome back.

And as I begin, allow me to bring greetings from a friend of mine and a great supporter of all of the men and women who wear the uniform of our armed forces. I bring greetings from your Commander-in-Chief and the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.)

It really is an honor to stand before all of you here at the largest naval base in the world, to stand before men and women who stepped forward to serve in our all-volunteer Navy, to serve in a cause greater than yourselves, and to consider others lives more important than your own. It is the noble calling, and youve answered the call in the cause of freedom, and you have the respect and gratitude of the American people.

As we gather here today to honor what all of you do in the defense of freedom, I know our hearts and the hearts of the American people are elsewhere in this hemisphere, as well with the people of Venezuela as they take to the streets at this very hour in Operation Libertad. As we stand here today aboard this ship, the people of Venezuela are seeking to reclaim freedom and democracy in their nation  a nation impoverished by dictatorship, socialism, and oppression.

And so we say to President Juan Guaido, to all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela: Estamos con ustedes  we are with you. And America will stand with you in this hemisphere of freedom until your democracy is restored. (Applause.)

And to the freedom-loving people of Venezuela, we say: As you stand for freedom, we stand with you. Vayan con Dios  go with God.

It is an honor to be with all of you today. The United States Navy is the greatest force for good the Seven Seas have ever known. (Applause.)

And President Trump asked me to be here today to pay a debt of gratitude and a debt of honor to each of you who have answered the call to serve and stand in defense of this nation, above and below these decks every day.

As President Trump said in our first year in office, in his words, American sailors are the best warfighting sailors anywhere in the world[and] our carriers are the centerpiece of American military might overseas. (Applause.)

You know, I couldnt be more proud to serve as Vice President to a President who cares so deeply about the men and women of our armed forces and who fights every day on behalf of those who fight for us.

You know, after the last administration depleted our military through constant budget cuts, Im pleased to report to all of you gathered here that President Trump has taken decisive action to rebuild our military, and we are restoring the arsenal of democracy. (Applause.)

Last year, President Trump signed the largest investment in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan and called for the building of 350 ship Navy. And we are on our way. (Applause.)

In fact, just a few months ago, your Commander-in-Chief proposed the largest defense budget in American history  some $750 billion  to ensure that the strongest fighting force in the history of the world is stronger still.

And the Presidents budget for shipbuilding is the largest shipbuilding request in more than 20 years. (Applause.) The Presidents budget request would give the United States Navy the resources to buy 12 new battle force ships. Well fund 55 ships over the Future Years Defense Program, and well bring the United States Navy to 355 battle force ships by 2034. (Applause.)

And Im pleased to report the Presidents budget has given the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States not only the respect that you deserve every day, but the resources. This President signed the largest pay increase for men and women of our armed forces in more than 10 years. (Applause.) And you deserve every single penny.

And you can know with confidence that, under President Trumps leadership, we will always give our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard the resources and the support you need to accomplish your mission and come home safe.

And our historic investments in our military have already had a critical impact here in the Hampton Roads area. Under President Trumps leadership, Hampton Roads saw three additional vessels homeported here, compared with two years ago. And the largest Navy installation population got even bigger, growing by more than 25,000 families.

And while it is very secondary to our national defense, the economic impact of the Navy in this region grew by more than $13 billion. Thats more than $600 million of investment in this local economy in Norfolk and in Virginia than just one year ago  promoting prosperity and jobs and support for all of your families. (Applause.)

My fellow Americans, Im also pleased to report to you that that economic growth is not unusual these days, despite what some have been saying lately. Thanks to President Trumps leadership, the American economy is soaring. Over the last two years, businesses large and small have created 5.5 million new jobs, and there are more Americans working today than ever before in American history. This economy is roaring, and America is back. (Applause.)

The truth is, the nation that you defend is more prosperous today than ever before. And the peace that you secure is making possible unprecedented growth. And every American is grateful for your service in defense of our freedom, in defense of our nation.

You know, it really is an honor to be back aboard the Truman. And looking out at all of you and your shining faces is incredibly inspiring. You all serve this country with great distinction. Theres a lot of stories to tell about the people who have served on this ship  past, present, and future  but let me acknowledge a couple of crew members before I leave.

Petty Officer Lamont Sewell  where are you?  from Chester, Pennsylvania. Where are you, Lamont?

Since joining the United States Navy 18 years ago, Petty Officer Sewell has grown into one of the most skilled aviation support equipment technicians here at Norfolk. He is an incredible sailor. Would you join me in congratulating the Trumans 2018 Sailor of the Year, Petty Officer Lamont Sewell? Great job. (Applause.)

Were also joined by another Petty Officer from the Bronx, New York. Throughout her career in the Navy, including her current role as a logistics specialist here aboard the Truman, shes actually consistently upheld the highest levels of professionalism and leadership. And Im sure it was no surprise to all of you when she was named the Petty Officer of the Year.

And let me see if I can  where is Petty Officer Gonzalez at? Lets give her a big round of applause. (Applause.) Great job. Great job.

These are just a couple of examples of sailors who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. So Im grateful that youve joined me in showing your appreciation for their excellence. Its really emblematic what all of you do here each and every day. And the truth is, I have no doubt that these sailors are emblematic of each and every one of you and the service that you provide.

But let me also say, as we give credit where credit is due, I know for many of you, you do not serve alone. Mrs. Pence was at Norfolk just a couple of short weeks ago acknowledging the families that are behind our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard. So, how about a big round of applause for the Navy families that are out there  (applause)  and the wonderful spouses and kids that support you each and every day? (Applause.)

I know, for so many of you, you couldnt do it  you just couldnt do it without the support of the folks at home, without the spouse, without the encouragement of your kids, without your proud parents. And we remember them today.

For more than 20 years, the USS Truman and its crew have played a vital role in defending our nation and protecting our interests across the globe. And its humbling for me to stand among all of you that have continued that tradition. This ship has served as a constant sign to the world that we will always ensure our security and we will always stand for peace through strength.

During each deployment in its prolific career, the USS Truman has taken the fight  taken the fight to the enemy on our terms, on their soil, particularly when it comes to the battle against radical Islamist terrorism.

The USS Truman launched over 2,000 sorties throughout the Middle East in the last year alone. And the 7,500 sailors who serve in the Trumans Carrier Strike Group played an essential part in crippling ISIS, bombarding their territory, Im told with nearly 1,600 precision munitions, the most of any U.S. Strike Group. And now the ISIS caliphates territory is no more. Job well done, Truman. (Applause.)

The Truman has also been there to provide desperately needed relief to Americans suffering in the wake of natural disasters and tragedies, including the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Im told the crew of this ship delivered meals, clean water, and other vital supplies to those whose lives were torn apart in that devastating storm.

And just last year, this ship helped revolutionize naval warfare when it became the first carrier to deploy under Dynamic Force Employment. This new approach will make our Navy strategically predictable, but operationally unpredictable, ensuring that our readiness and long-term reliability never undermine our security.

As part of that deployment, the Truman made history and participated in Trident Juncture, the largest NATO military exercise since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It involved some 14,000 American troops, 29 NATO members.

And last year, this ship became the first American carrier to operate within the Arctic Circle in more than two decades. Job well done. You showed the U.S. Navy stands ready to defend Americas interests anywhere in the world. (Applause.)

You know, this history and these achievements are a testament  a testament to your professionalism, the professionalism that each one of you shows every day. Its inspiring to see. Its a testament to your dedication, your leadership, and the remarkable efficiency and command readiness.

Im told, last year, actually, the USS Truman was awarded the Battle E, which is given to the ship that demonstrates the highest level of performance of any carrier on the East Coast. Give yourselves a round of applause. (Applause.) Thats just a sign of excellence and commitment thats making our nation safer.

Im here to tell you that President Trump and I are proud of the Truman. In fact, I met with the President at the White House this morning, and I told him I was going to be with all of you here on the deck of the Truman. And I can assure you the President and I understand the importance of the work that you do every day. And I know that I speak on behalf of all the American people when I say that we couldnt be more proud and we couldnt be more grateful for your patriotism and your selflessness.

And as I stand before you today, I know that the future of this aircraft carrier is the subject of some budget discussions in Washington, D.C. And as we continue to fight Congress to make sure that our military has the resources you need to accomplish your mission, President Donald Trump asked me to deliver a message to each and every one of you on the deck of the USS Truman: We are keeping the best carrier in the world in the fight. We are not retiring the Truman. (Applause.)

The USS Harry S. Truman is going to be giving em hell for many more years to come. (Applause.)

You know, the ship you serve aboard bears a proud and noble name. Its a man who distinguished himself as an artillery officer in World War I. He answered the call to public service. He served in the United States Senate, was a Vice President, and then President of the United States of America.

But throughout his life, Harry S. Truman was tried and tested, and he always met the challenge  just like all of you. Through adversity, his greatness emerged. And history now records the enormous contributions that President Harry S. Truman made to the life of this nation.

You all have been tested, as well, during your service here aboard the ship that bears his name. And youve shown your greatness as well.

So to all of you who serve here aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, this Vice President has a simple word for you: Thank you for your service.

And I urge you to press on. Maintain the standards of excellence that are synonymous with this ship throughout its more than 20-year history. Be vigilant. Mind your mission. Take care of one another. The American people are counting on you.

You know, my life never took me into the uniform of the United States, but Im the proud son of a combat veteran from the Korean War, and Im the proud father of an aviator in the United States Marine Corps.

In fact, just last year, as his mother and I were awaiting word, our son did his first capture aboard an aircraft carrier. I think we were more nervous than he was. (Laughter.) The truth of the matter is, we were confident not so much in his abilities, but in the people that had trained him; the people on that deck that were looking after him as they called the ball and made his way in.

So let me just close today with a word of gratitude on behalf of all the parents around America who appreciate what you do, appreciate the way you look after our sailors, our airmen, and all those who serve on this ship, who come and go into harms way from this place and sail with you into harms way.

We all know that your service comes with sacrifice for you, for your families. And I want you to know that as you serve and as you sail, you do not go alone. You carry with you the strength and the pride and the confidence of the American people.

And you also carry with you one more thing, and that is the prayers of millions of Americans who carry each one of you before the throne of grace every day, who pray for your families and for your mission, for your safety, and for your success. And I pray that as you sail and as you serve, you would do so with confidence and with faith yourself.

And as the Old Book tells us, If [you] rise on the wings of the dawnif [you] go up to the heavenseven there [His] hand will guide [you] and [His] right hand will hold [you] fast. And you do not go alone.

As I look out across this deck today, I see men and women who have answered the call to put on the uniform of the United States of America, the greatest nation in the history of the world.

And I know, as long as we have men and women of courage and selflessness, like all of you gathered here; as long as we have heroes willing to put the lives on the line for our freedom; as long as we have patriots like all of you, we will protect this nation. We will defend our freedom. We will forge a future of security, and prosperity, and peace for ourselves and our posterity.

God bless the crew of the USS Harry S. Truman as you sail on in defense of America. Thank you. And God bless you.
Statement from President Donald J. Trump Regarding the Abdication of His Majesty the Emperor Akihito

Washington, DC - On behalf of the American people, the First Lady and I offer our heartfelt appreciation to Their Majesties the Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. As the Heisei era draws to a close and a new generation prepares to ascend the throne, I want to recognize the tremendous importance that the United States attaches to its close relationship with Japan.

Emperor Akihito welcomed five United States presidents to Japan and reigned from the end of the Cold War to the present day. Our bilateral relationship was critical to navigating the global challenges of those times. Melania and I were honored to be His Majestys guests in 2017, and we look forward to continuing the tradition of partnership and cooperation with Japan, our great ally, in the new era.
Three years ago, I quit my job to start a business without thinking through the idea very much. Having very little savings, I knew that New York City was not somewhere I'd be able to afford to build my company. So I headed to Spain where I knew I could get an apartment for a few hundred dollars a month in a small village.

Since it was difficult to get a visa in Spain to stay long term, I then moved across borders to other locations like Romania where I knew I could afford to run my business. I stayed abroad for two years and it was an amazing experience, but here's why I've chosen to put down my passport this year.

Stability is important for business.

I recently bought a bathmat for my apartment in NYC and realized my current living situation is the most stability I've had in years--and it felt nice. Digital nomad life was exhilarating, but it was also very stressful and unpredictable. Having to reorient yourself to a new city can be both draining and distracting when you're trying to run a company.

Constantly country hopping can take its toll when you're always having to say goodbye to friends, relationships and colleagues. Each time I'd leave, I'd have a very stressful two week period of tying up lose ends and saying goodbyes. Simply changing locations can eat away your time as you find new apartment and orient yourself to a new local. Instead of having more time and freedom--I started to feel like time for my business was being cannibalized by moves and changes. Not only were constant changes eating up time where I could be focusing on work, but it was also causing uncessary stress. This stress impacted both my productivity and also negatively effected my health--another toll on my business.

If I were to digital nomad again in the future, I'd pick one location to stay for a year and make it my base. Then if I were to travel throughout the year I'd have a stable home to come back to. When building a business, think about how having stability can help you grow your business even further.

Your client pipeline might dry up.

There was a point when I was in Korea where I realized my client pipeline had started to dry up. Though I had been nurturing my network digitally, the lack of physical presence was starting to become apparent.

I love Korea and it's one of my favorite places on earth. But when I was living there it was very hard for me to do business without speaking the language. While there, I tried to learn the language and do business, but I did not have much success as I could never speak at at the level necessary to be taken seriously. Though I romantized the idea of doing business abroad, it was a better decision to come back home to increase my client load. Coming back home was the kick-start my business needed to flourish once again.

If you're able to sustain your current business, customers or clients, then digital nomadism could be a great option for you. But if you're struggling, it might be time to come back home.

It may be difficult to build strong relationships.

Both professionally and socially, having a stable home has helped me gain stronger connections with those around me. When I was a digital nomad, I was always leaving and forced to say goodbyes often. This can take a toll on your mental health when you don't have a supportive network around you.

Since coming back to New York, I've reestablished a community and have been even more productive than while I was traveling abroad. No matter if you're a digital nomad or based at home, it's important for a business owner to establish strong connections in their city. Not having a strong support network again contributed to increase stress that both effected my productiviety and also health.

When I announced I was moving back to New York City many people reached out saying "It's great you're back, now we can work together." Simply having a physical presence back in the states has lead to a number of new opportunities including new client contacts and design projects. I'm glad I've based myself back home this year.
When Uber realized, in 2016, that customers didn't resonate with the logo, they decided to change it up. Their complete redesign leaned heavy into simplicity, with much more focus on customers perception of what they could offer over a non-resonating logo. Perhaps what Uber didn't realize then was the forward thinking approach to creative they strategized around would be the market trend just a few years later. I brought in Andre Filip of California based Global Creative Ad Agency ELA, to talk about this and more.

Creativity Is Getting Bland

Filip founded ELA ("Everything LA") in 2004 to capture the spirit, culture, vibe, and attitude of LA, where his creative energy and zest for advertising began. At ELA, their teams are encouraged to push boundaries and embrace chaos, and based on their client list- PepsiCo, Thermador, Starbucks, to name a few- this strategy seems to be working. In a world full of by-the-rules ad agencies, Filip proved a true creative visionary, and very generous with his knowledge. For me, a RISD graduate with over 25-years of innovating experience, it's easy to see the branding perception gap growing. Creativity is falling flat is so many places, so it's important to look to outliers, like ELA, for inspiration in these growing pains.

Let's Talk About the Gap

This brand perception gap represents what a business thinks of themselves (or thinks the consumer thinks of them) versus what the consumer actually thinks. And to be honest, this misalignment happens more often than you might think. Businesses need to be having honest conversations about their long-term brand perception goals, to stay in alignment with where they stand with consumers.

Kicking Out Comfort

As Filip puts it, we are all born with the knowledge that anything is possible, but eventually we lose that, and social programming leads us to most often choose what's comfortable. To close the brand perception gap, we have to get away from this- we have to be willing to choose new, uncomfortable, different- and we have to learn to trust the voices that most resonate with our brands and consumers. Why? Because this is how we increase revenue while increasing our impact.

Get Comfortable with Freedom

The thing about creative freedom is that it doesn't always fit in a box, nor should it, but owners and startups have to be okay with this. Ditch the matching luggage set. Think about cohesion plus uniqueness... think about strategy plus creative execution... think about breaking every single piece down, to rebuild it all new. "If we knew what we would find, we wouldn't go through the process." In action, this approach looks like:

Trusting your voice. Allow your voice to carry the same message, but change across different platforms. What you would put on Instagram, you might not put on a commercial or Facebook ad. Skip the templates, change it up, accept freedom as a way to connect more authentically with your people.

Questioning everything. This will allow you to break down every process and belief system you are holding onto, to potentially make room for something that is going to work so much better.

Getting personal. Own every piece of what you're building, and then allow yourself to step in and out of that internal place. When a business owner can separate from their business to see what's best, that's when Filip says the most progress is made. And we know progress is another word for profit.

At ELA they believe that experimentation leads to freedom, which ultimately leads to thinking in different ways, which is how everyone should approach their marketing and branding anyway. Filip is often saying to new clients, let's break it and build it back better, an indicator of just how committed he is to helping brands step into their own big shoes.

Last But Definitely Not Least
Protestors gathered outside Warsaws National Museum and ate bananas to protest against what they called government censorship, after an artwork featuring the fruit was removed under claims it was improper.

The 1973 video installation Consumer Art, by Natalia LL, depicts a young woman eating the fruit. It had been a part of the National Museums display for many years, but was removed last week after the new museum head, Jerzy Miziolek, was summoned to the Ministry of Culture.

Artists and opposition politicians supported the protest by posting images of themselves eating bananas. Actress Magdalena Cielecka posed for a photo where she pointed a banana at her head like a gun, telling the Associated Press: An artist, to create, must be free.

Another 2005 video, by Katarzyna Kozyra, showing a woman walking two men, dressed as dogs, on a lead, was also removed.

Mr Miziolek, who was appointed by the right-wing government last November, told the Onet.pl portal that he was opposed to showing works that could irritate sensitive young people and suggested there had been visitor complaints.

Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures Show all 11 1 /11 Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures People eat bananas during a protest against the censorship of a 1973 artwork in which a woman eats a banana in a suggestive manner Reuters Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures Poland's National Gallery in Warsaw removed the artwork from display after the museum's new head Jerzy Miziolek was summoned to the Ministry of Culture AFP/Getty Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures People have taken to eating bananas outside the National Gallery in protest AFP/Getty Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures People eat bananas outside the National Gallery in Warsaw in protest against perceived censorship AFP/Getty Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures People hold up bananas outside the National Gallery in Warsaw in protest against perceived censorship Reuters Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures People hold up bananas outside the National Gallery in Warsaw in protest against perceived censorship AFP/Getty Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures People eat bananas outside the National Gallery in Warsaw in protest against perceived censorship AFP/Getty Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures People eat bananas outside the National Gallery in Warsaw in protest against perceived censorship AFP/Getty Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures A woman offers a banana to police officers during a protest outside Poland's National Museum in Warsaw Reuters Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures People play with banana peels during the protest outside Poland's National Museum in Warsaw Reuters Banana eating art removal sparks banana eating protests: in pictures Polish actress Magdalena Cielecka aims a banana like a gun at her head in protest AP

He said he appreciated the role of both artists in Polish culture, but that the gallerys limited space required creative changes to its displays.

Polish actress Magdalena Cielecka aims a banana like a gun at her head to protest the removal of an artwork from the National Museum in Warsaw (AP Photo/Dario Salina)

On Monday, Mr Miziolek announced that the works would be reinstated, but only until 6 May, when the whole museum was due for reorganisation. He denied that there was any pressure on the museum to return the artworks.

Culture Minister Piotr Glinski has faced repeated criticism in the past, including for cutting subsidies to art festivals that planned to show controversial plays with Catholic themes, firing a popular theatre director who criticised him, and firing the director of a World War II museum under claims its displays did not show Polands suffering or heroism enough.
The first trailer has dropped for Sonic the Hedgehog, giving a first full look at Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz and James Marsden's respective performances.

In the video, released on Tuesday, the video game character's infamous supersonic speed appears to cause a vast power outage across the Pacific Northwest.

The government enlists the help of Dr Ivo Robotnik (Carrey), Sonic's nemesis, to investigate the situation.

Sheriff Tom Wachowski (Marsden) partners with Sonic (voiced by Schwartz) against Robotnik, who appears determined to take over the world.

Neal McDonough also features as US Army Major Bennington, who tries rather unsuccessfully to rein in Robotnik's frantic energy.

Best films of 2019 (so far) Show all 49 1 /49 Best films of 2019 (so far) Best films of 2019 (so far) The Favourite Macabre and fraught though The Favourite gets, this isnt so much a film about sex or power as it is about plain mischief. Its a hilarious, buffoonish pleasure, right down to the sets and costume design, and a breeze to spend 120 minutes with. Christopher Hooton Fox Searchlight Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) Beautiful Boy Casting Chalamet as Nic was a very clever move. The young actor from Call Me by Your Name and Lady Bird has a natural charm and charisma. He still engages an audiences curiosity and sympathy even when his behaviour is at its most selfish and erratic. Geoffrey Macnab Amazon Studios Best films of 2019 (so far) The House by the Sea Guediguians storytelling style is deceptive. At first, it seems as if this is low-key social realism in the Dardennes or Ken Loach mould, albeit set on the French Riviera. Gradually, though, we realise how stylised and theatrical his approach really is. Geoffrey Macnab Best films of 2019 (so far) Stan & Ollie Director Jon S Baird, whose previous film was scabrous Irvine Welsh adaptation Filth, wrings every last drop of pathos he can from his material. This is very much a case of the tears of the clowns. Geoffrey Macnab Entertainment One Best films of 2019 (so far) Vice Vice is bravura storytelling. McKay isnt only taking us through Cheneys life and career but is giving us a whistle stop tour through US politics from the Nixon administration almost right to the present day. Geoffrey Macnab Annapurna Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) Can You Ever Forgive Me? Playing Lee Israel, McCarthy manages something very special: she makes a character who is odd, obnoxious, difficult and alcoholic seem lovable and even heroic. The rest of the world is at fault, not Lee. Geoffrey Macnab Fox Searchlight Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) Green Book "Green Book flatters the audience about its own good sense and tolerance. It deals with racism and homophobia but still has a fairytale, fantasy feel to it. Whatever humiliations Don endures on their road trip, we know no real harm will ever come to him as long as Tony is at his side. Geoffrey Macnab Universal Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) Velvet Buzzsaw The golden age of bonkers horror movies is gloriously evoked by Netflixs latest feature length presentation. Beginning as a satire of the arts world, Velvet Buzzsaw swiftly and gleefully descends into a savage splatter-fest, smeared in paint, viscera and garishly-bright blood. Ed Power Netflix Best films of 2019 (so far) If Beale Street Could Talk The setting is New York in the 1970s. Anyone who has watched Martin Scorseses Taxi Driver knows this was an era of violence, corruption and sleaze on a monumental level, but [Barry] Jenkins somehow makes the city seem like a modern-day Eden. Geoffrey Macnab Annapurna Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) All Is True Written by Ben Elton and directed by its star Kenneth Branagh, the film plays so fast and loose with the playwrights final years that they neednt have bothered fitting Branagh with a prosthetic nose  accuracy is clearly not the priority here. Alexandra Pollard Sony Pictures Classics Best films of 2019 (so far) The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is the doomed progeny of a celebrated genius  brilliant but slightly stunted by the knowledge they will never live up to their predecessor. Clarisse Loughrey Warner Bros. Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) Piercing Nicolas Pesces sleek and stylish horror comedy is repulsive and funny by turns. In adapting Ryu Murakamis cult novel, Pesce strikes just the right balance between humour and Grand Guignol-style shock tactics. Geoffrey Macnab Universal Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) Capernaum "The best moments here are remarkable. Labaki elicits an astonishing performance from her young lead. Hes an irrepressible figure with such an inbuilt sense of moral decency the film seems upbeat and optimistic, even at its darkest moments. Geoffrey Macnab Sony Pictures Classics Best films of 2019 (so far) The White Crow "Ralph Fiennes combines thriller elements with poetic flashbacks to ballet legend Rudolf Nureyevs childhood and keeps a tight focus on the dancer. When he is most at risk, Nureyev makes decisions with his artistic future more in mind than his personal safety. As Fiennes reminds us again and again in what is his best film yet as a director, the 'white crow' will do anything to put himself in the limelight, the one place he is convinced he belongs." StudioCanal Best films of 2019 (so far) Border "Border reverses the perspective taken by most other horror films. In more conventional genre fare, Tina and Vore would be portrayed as malevolent outsiders, but in the world conjured up by director Ali Abbasi, the humans are the monsters. Tina is the innocent  a visionary who hardly understands her own powers but who can sense human venality and corruption wherever it appears." TriArt Film Best films of 2019 (so far) Fighting with My Family "Certain scenes feel very trite and predictable but the film gets you in a choke hold early on and wont let you go. It is far more gripping than its subject matter might suggest. Who ever would believe a story about a wrestling family from Norwich could have quite such heart and resonance?" James Field Best films of 2019 (so far) Us "Doppelgangers abound in Jordan Peeles weird, creepy and ingenious new horror film. As in his Oscar-winning 2017 feature Get Out, Peele leavens matters with ironic humour but the joking becomes increasingly uncomfortable once the main characters come face to face with dark shadows of themselves which wish them extreme harm." AP Best films of 2019 (so far) Avengers: Endgame "The Avengers cycle comes to a rich and very satisfying conclusion with Endgame, surely the most complex and emotional superhero movie in Marvel history. At 181 minutes, this is a veritable epic, but with so many characters and plot strands, it fully warrants its lengthy running time." AP Best films of 2019 (so far) Eighth Grade "Its a rare and precious feeling when a film completely dismantles you. Eighth Grade  the directorial debut of US comedian Bo Burnham  breaks down every delusion we have about ourselves and burrows deep into those parts weve made such an effort to lock away. You may cry. You may shudder as every awkward social interaction thats kept you up at night replays in your head all at once. You may feel the sharp pain associated with those moments when you feel completely isolated from the world. Burnham may have crafted a simple story about the most ordinary of teenage girls, but it speaks with the emotions of a true cinematic epic." A24 Best films of 2019 (so far) Vox Lux "Natalie Portman gives her fiercest, most memorable performance since Black Swan in Brady Corbets enjoyably subversive satire about a troubled pop star whose loss of innocence mirrors the fall from grace of the US itself. Portmans character, Celeste, is certainly one of the most objectionable figures she has played: a pampered, hard-drinking drug-taking floozy whose appearance and high-handed behaviour rekindle memories of Liz Taylor and Joan Crawford at their monstrous worst." Neon Best films of 2019 (so far) High Life Robert Pattinson gives one of his most striking performances as Monte, the death-row criminal in outer space, tricked into making a voyage described at one stage as a class-one suicide ride. The former Twilight star makes his shaven-headed, gaunt-faced character seem hyper naturally sensitive and feral at the same time. A24 Best films of 2019 (so far) Amazing Grace Amazing Grace is as uplifting a film as you will see all year. Its a concert movie filmed over two nights and featuring Aretha Franklin, the first lady of soul, performing gospel standards in a church in Los Angeles in 1972, with a huge backing choir and an enthusiastic congregation. Neon Best films of 2019 (so far) Aladdin Disneys live-action remake of its 1992 animated feature is a rip-roaring, old-fashioned matinee-style spectacle that turns out far better than we had any right to expect. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) Booksmart Olivia Wilde is a visually inventive director, who keeps the tempo here so brisk that we hardly notice how glib the storytelling sometimes becomes. We can tell exactly how the film will end, but it still feels original both in its screwball energy and in the deft way it continually reverses stereotypes and gender cliches. Geoffrey Macnab Annapurna Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) Late Night Late Night is a caustic satirical comedy that turns into an unlikely tearjerker. Its by turns snide and uplifting, and often very funny too. Its writer/producer/star Mindy Kaling makes vicious observations about the inanity, narcissism and corruption of the mainstream US media at the same time as she celebrates the professionalism of many of those who work within it. The film has a glorious performance from Emma Thompson and a very sly one from Kaling. Thompson is at her most imperious as Katherine Newbury, a legendary entertainer, the only female in a male-dominated field, but one whose career is beginning to slide. Geoffrey Macnab Amazon Studios Best films of 2019 (so far) Gloria Bell Gloria Bell is somewhat exhausting  both unbearably intimate and at a constant remove  but it is endlessly pulled back into focus by Moore, who has a firm understanding of the delicate balance between contentment and yearning, joy and pain, recklessness and spontaneity. In a remake that could have felt indulgent in the hands of people less skilled, she more than justifies its existence. Geoffrey Macnab Curzon Best films of 2019 (so far) Toy Story 4 "The brilliance of the new film lies in the surefooted way it caters both for children too young to have seen its predecessors and for adults whove grown up (or grown older) watching the previous instalments. It takes some kind of genius for the Pixar animators to give such a searing emotional charge to a story in which one of the main characters is a single use plastic spork retrieved from the trash." Pixar/Disney Best films of 2019 (so far) In Fabric In Fabric feels like Peter Strickland at his most free and playful, drawing as much from the British sense of humour  dry and morbid to a fault  as from Italian glamour. Curzon Artificial Eye Best films of 2019 (so far) The Flood "Perhaps The Flood isnt quite the urgent, profound film a crisis of this scale deserves, but in a culture where refugees are so rarely shown any empathy in mainstream media, maybe this is the film we need right now." Best films of 2019 (so far) Midsommar "Ari Aster's follow-up to Hereditary serves up much of the same: its a break-up movie wrapped up in pagan horror. Its also bound to be one of this years most memorable films, proving that Aster is far from a one-hit wonder." A24 Best films of 2019 (so far) The Lion King "The Lion King is undoubtedly a technological marvel that, much like Avatar, will come to be viewed as a milestone in special effects history, yet its just as interesting to see how all this innovation has been employed." AP Best films of 2019 (so far) Varda by Agnes "For a film thats almost entirely narrated by Agnes Varda's own voice, it doesnt feel driven by ego, but by pure intellectual and emotional curiosity." Best films of 2019 (so far) Animals "Animals treats its subjects with patience and generosity. Youll find no life lessons here. Its main characters are free to pursue their desires, to whatever end." Best films of 2019 (so far) Blinded by the Light "Blinded by the Light offers not only a reminder of Springsteens lyrical genius, but of how hes always served as a beacon for the disenfranchised." Warner Brothers Best films of 2019 (so far) Good Boys Lined up against some of this years other more heartfelt offerings, including Booksmart, Good Boys offers further proof that putting a little humanity in our comedy always gets the best results. Best films of 2019 (so far) Hustlers "Hustlers is an electrifying response to the deluge of stories weve had over the years about very rich, very bad dudes. Finally, we can turn the tables on every film thats used women, specifically strippers, as decorative accessories to drape over businessmen as they conduct their illicit backroom meetings. Or, failing that, to shake their out-of-focus tits in the background of a shot." AP Best films of 2019 (so far) For Sama For Sama is one of the most profoundly intimate depictions of the Syrian conflict ever put to film. Its the push to help those on the outside process something so incomprehensible in the depth of its horrors. Republic Film Distribution Best films of 2019 (so far) Ad Astra The real drama here is not whether or not apocalypse can be avoided but whether Brad Pitts character can reconcile himself with his father and overcome his own extreme emotional repression. In other words, in spite of all the jargon and the hardware, this is an intimate family melodrama at heart. Thanks to Pitts performance and Grays delicate direction, it turns into a very moving one. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Best films of 2019 (so far) The Farewell Wrapped up in all the intricacies of immigrant identity and family politics, The Farewell is a comedy of warmth and bracing honesty. Simply put, its one of the best films of the year. A24 Best films of 2019 (so far) Judy This is Renee Zellwegers Judy. It doesnt belong to Rupert Goold, its director. Nor does it belong to Tom Edge, its screenwriter. Its a performance of such overwhelming force that it wrests authorship from every other hand that guided the films creation. Pathe Best films of 2019 (so far) Ready or Not As absurd and self-indulgent as Ready or Not can get, it doesnt mess around with its social commentary. The class system is the game we never asked to play, dont get a fair chance at, and have no hope of winning. Its a timeless metaphor. 20th Century Fox Best films of 2019 (so far) A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Despite its mouthful of a title, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon is an utter delight  proof that good storytelling and strong craft are what matters, however familiar the packaging. Studio Canal Best films of 2019 (so far) The Beach Bum Clearly, Harmony Korine is steered by his attraction to the theatrical, the absurd and the grimly nihilistic. The Beach Bum is all of that and absolutely none of it, too  a leisurely, neon-soaked stroll through chaos and hazy bohemia, full of slapstick and pathos. It is as much Korines most mature film as it is his most juvenile. Neon/Vice Best films of 2019 (so far) The Last Black Man in San Francisco Its a beautiful, frightening and tragic vignette of the urban nightmare, though The Last Black Man in San Francisco isnt really an angry film. Its less of a rallying cry against gentrification than a rumination on the kind of pained acceptance those who suffer its effects must face. A24 Best films of 2019 (so far) The Irishman Scorseses signature camerawork goes down like a glass of fine whisky, as smooth and as elegant as youd expect. The violence arrives in short, sharp shocks. Steven Zaillians screenplay even nails the mobster patter, with arguments about fish, tardiness, and business shorts that feel destined to one day be quoted to death. Netflix Best films of 2019 (so far) Le Mans '66 The films greatest trick is saved for its final reel. For much of its running time, youd be easily fooled into thinking Mangold had made a grand ode to the American dream. Its a film about an immigrant worker who, through perseverance and toil, gains the respect of one of the richest men in the country. And then the rug is pulled right out from underneath you. Le Mans 66 may relish in the high life, but its final moments feel devastatingly hollow. AP Best films of 2019 (so far) Marriage Story The film never loses its sense of humour and absurdity. Somehow, in spite of the bleakness of the subject matter, it feels more redemptive than despairing. Best films of 2019 (so far) The Report Adam Driver plays Jones, Annette Bening Senator Feinstein, and director Scott Z Burns captures the events in a cold, rigorously factual, and largely dispassionate manner. But thats the point. The Report chooses to value the truth over bombastic displays of morality. AP Best films of 2019 (so far) Knives Out Casting an ensemble film is a little like perfecting a cocktail blend, balancing flavours until they sing together in harmony. Knives Out hits the mark here: the actors all feel well-suited to their roles and they bounce off each other with ease. Lionsgate

Shortly after the trailer's release, viewers seemed surprised both by Sonic's human-looking teeth, which are part of the character's CGI design for the film, and the use of the 1995 song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring LV.

Sonic the Hedgehog will be released in November in the US and in December in the UK.

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The live-action film is a joint American-Japanese production.
TV naturalist Chris Packham has revealed he and his family have received death threats after he supported a legal challenge which resulted in restrictions on shooting birds.

The BBC Springwatch presenter said threats of a very serious nature and parcels containing human faeces had been sent to his home in a campaign of intimidation since Natural England revoked blanket licences to kill pest birds on farmland.

Wild Justice, a group co-founded by Packham, challenged three general licences which allowed the shooting of 16 species including crows, magpies, Canada geese and wood pigeons.

Dead crows were strung up outside the wildlife experts home last week, 24 hours after Natural England announced its decision.

Packham told Good Morning Britain on Tuesday: "The police have spent quite a considerable amount of time at my house over the last few days.

"We've had packages sent containing human excrement. Last night, a much more serious thing  Death threats of a very serious nature.

Endangered and threatened species of Britain Show all 10 1 /10 Endangered and threatened species of Britain Endangered and threatened species of Britain Hedgehog In 1950 there were an estimated 36 million hedgehogs in the UK, there are now only one million Getty/iStock Endangered and threatened species of Britain Hazel dormouse The population of the hazel dormouse is thought to have declined by over one third since 2000. It is threatened by loss of habitat Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Red squirrel Famously ravaged by the North American grey squirrel, the red squirrel is nowadays very rare with a population of around 140,000 Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Mountain hare The population in Scotland stands at 1% of its 1950 level and only one colony remains in England in the Peak District Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Natterjack toad Threatened by the disappearance of their coastal habitats, the natterjack toad is now only found at a handful of site across the UK Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Water vole Once found across Britain, the water vole is no longer anywhere to be seen in 90% of waterways Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Turtle dove On the Red List of conservation concern, the turtle dove population has declined by 97% since 1970 Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Small tortoiseshell butterfly Amid a general decline in butterfly population since records began in the 1970s, the small tortoiseshell saw a 38% drop in population in 2018 Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Noble chafer beetle Classed as vulnerable, the noble chafer beetle became increasingly rare throughout the 20th century due to habitat loss. Members of the public are encouraged to report any sightings to the People's Trust for Endangered Species gbhone Endangered and threatened species of Britain Stag beetle Their population is not known but due to habitat loss and other threats they are a protected species. Members of the public are encouraged to report any sightings to the People's Trust for Endangered Species Getty

He added: I can't speak too much about what happened last night because I haven't been in touch with the police yet."

Packham said business and charities he works with had also been targeted, including the Isle of Wight Zoo run by his partner, Charlotte Corney.

The zoo, which is run by a charity which rescues and rehabilitates animals, was forced to shut down its Facebook page last week due to "an influx of negative and damaging activity," including malicious lies about animal cruelty.

"I'm very resistant to this sort of thing," Packham said. "What worries me is that the charities that I'm affiliated with, the small businesses that I work for, these people aren't set up to take this sort of abuse, and yet they've had to close their websites, their TripAdvisor accounts have had to be shut down, because they've been bombarded by these bullies who want to take aim at me.

"My message is clear: please, take aim at me, but leave all of the charities, all of the other businesses that I work with, leave them out of it. They're not necessarily sharing my views. They're not a fair target."

Packham said he could understand the frustration of farmers because they have been "misinformed".

The three general licences allowed landowners to kill "millions" of birds over four decades, according to Wildlife Justice, but its legal challenge demonstrated them to be unlawful.

The not-for-profit group, set up this year to take on legal cases on behalf of wildlife, sought a judicial review of the licences. But Natural England ultimately decided not to fight case, accepting it would lose.

As a result, the general licences were revoked on 23 April, to be replaced by individual licences.

Since then, a new licence allowing the killing of carrion crows had been issued but farmers and gamekeepers have complained it is hurried, botched and completely unfit for purpose.

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Bodies including the British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC), Countryside Alliance, and the National Gamekeepers Organisation have written an open letter to environment secretary Michael Gove calling on him to intervene in Natural England's decision.

They said the revocation of licences which previously allowed them to freely shoot birds had placed livestock and crops at risk.

BASC last week condemned vandals targeting Packhams home but said the new licensing rules were causing havoc at one of the busiest times of the farming calendar.
Birmingham is one of the youngest cities in Europe, with almost 40 per cent of its population under the age of 25. As in the rest of Britain, the younger generation believe they are facing greater problems and anxieties than their parents and grandparents.

I think there is a slight resentment of older people in general, though not on an individual basis, says Chris Taylor, 29, an accommodation manager living in south Birmingham. No one hates their nan, but younger people object to the fact that everyones nans financial interests are very well protected, while other groups have had the hammer [brought down on them].

The definition of the younger generation as a group with the same collective interests has changed radically over the past 40 years. People in their thirties and forties frequently have more in common today with those in their twenties, and even younger, than they do with older age groups when it comes to high rents, insecure employment  and Brexit.
Week after week, No 10 has refused to answer a very simple question: What is the deadline for striking a Brexit deal with Jeremy Corbyn?

Even as the talks teetered on the brink of collapse  with sniping from both sides  Downing Street set no time limit on pursuing what most have always seen as a pie-in-the-sky compromise.

From the off, Theresa May had to run the gauntlet of Tory MPs condemning her for breaking bread with a Marxist antisemite and a man they considered simply not fit to govern.
Crowdfunding platform Indiegogo has announced it will no longer allow anti-vaxxers to fundraise on its platform.

According to BuzzFeed, the website will ban any projects making health claims that do not have a scientific backing.

The move comes after a campaign on the platform raised more than $86,000 (66,500) to create an anti-vaccination documentary entitled Vaxxed II: The Peoples Truth.

It was set to be a follow-up to Vaxxed: From Cover-Up To Catastrophe, a 2016 film directed by Andrew Wakefied, the discredited former British doctor who first linked the MMR vaccination to autism in a now-debunked research paper published in 1998.

The film  which reaffirms the idea of this non-existent link  was withdrawn from Tribeca Film Festival and has recently been removed from streaming sites Amazon Prime Video and Hoopla.

The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Show all 7 1 /7 The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Charlie Sheen Sheen fought a legal battle against ex-wife Denise Richards to try and block her from vaccinating their children. Richards of course won and Sheen was reportedly so bitter that he paid the paediatrician bill entirely in nickels Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Gwyneth Paltrow Paltrow's "health and wellness" company Goop hosted a notorious anti-vaccine speaker at their 2018 Goop Summit Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Rob Schneider Schneider demanded the freedom to decline vaccination Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Jenny McCarthy McCarthy has claimed that "people are dying from vaccinations", believes that her son caught autism from a vaccine and has pushed her opinions on the topic publicly for many years AFP/Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Bill Maher Maher has long spoken against vaccines sating on Larry King live that "a flu shot is the worst thing you can do." His stance appears to stem from a distrust of government AFP/Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Alicia Silverstone In Silverstone's book The Kind Mama, she wrote that "there is increasing anecdotal evidence from doctors who have gotten distressed phone calls from parents claiming their child was never the same after receiving a vaccine." Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Andrew Wakefield Godfather of the anti-vax movement, disgraced doctor Andrew Wakefield famously published a report in the medical journal Lancet claiming a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in 1998. The Lancet retracted the report in 2010 and Wakefield was struck off the medical register PA

The filmmakers will still receive the money they raised  excluding Indiegogos 5 per cent cut  but the new policy aims to avoid similar projects from being able to use the platform in the future. Fellow crowdfunding site GoFundMe has recently issued similar guidelines.

It was reported last week that the number of measles cases is at a 25-year high in the US, with health officials blaming the spread of misinformation around vaccination for the outbreak.

In the UK more than half a million children have not been vaccinated against the potentially deadly virus.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization warned that its preliminary data from the first three months of 2019 showed that the number of measles cases reported worldwide was 300 per cent higher than the same period in 2018.

Recommended Mother shares photos of baby girl with measles to educate on virus

Political figures such as Donald Trump and Italian deputy prime minister Mateo Salvini have been criticised for giving credence to false information linking vaccinations to autism.

Trump has since seemingly backpedalled and encouraged people to get their shots.

Other prominent anti-vaxxer celebrities include Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey and Charlie Sheen.

Indiegogo was founded in 2008 as a way to help creatives secure funding for their projects through small investments from members of the public.

The Independent has contacted Indiegogo for comment.
[This article was originally published in 2019]

Beauty is pain.

While some may agree with those words, others would argue that injecting your own blood back into your face in the name of beauty may be taking the saying a bit too far.

The vampire facial, otherwise known as a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) facial, has been widely debated ever since Kim Kardashian West underwent the procedure during an episode of the Keeping Up with the Kardashians spin-off, Kim and Kourtney Take Miami.

Now, the unusual treatment is under more scrutiny than ever before after two clients treated at a spa in New Mexico have tested positive for HIV. The two people with positive results had injection-related procedures at the spa between May and September 2018, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), said.

When Kardashian West had her vampire facial, she admitted in a blog post that she regretted it, explaining that the procedure was "rough" and "painful".

Before I got the procedure, I just found out that I was pregnant, so I couldnt use the numbing cream or a pain killer and both are suggested, she wrote.

New beauty launches for April 2019 Show all 20 1 /20 New beauty launches for April 2019 New beauty launches for April 2019 Ultra-Violet Eye Palette, 36.50, Bobbi Brown

Launching: 4 April



Bobbi Browns Ultra-Violet Eye Palette contains a spectrum of purple tones, ranging from translucent to smokey. Whether you want to experiment with subtle hints of the hue or a pop of purple, this palette has got you covered New beauty launches for April 2019 Black Opium Exotic Illusion 50ml, 72, YSL

Launching: 24 April



Yves Saint Laurent has launched a new limited edition bottle of its best-selling fragrance, Black Opium. Adorned with a glittering palm tree pattern, the translucent bottle has us dreaming of summer holidays already New beauty launches for April 2019 Nude Revolution Beyond Powder, 24, Illamasqua

Launching: Available now



If you're a fan of glowy makeup then you're going to want to get your hands on this new arrival from Illamasqua. With the choice to apply wet or dry, it gives skin a healthy flawless finish and can also be used on the body New beauty launches for April 2019 Better Than Sex Easyglide Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, 18, Too Faced

Launching: Available now



Following on from the success of its best-selling Better Than Sex Mascara, Too Faced has launched a cutting-edge liquid liner. The formula delivers ultra-deep black pigment thats smudge-proof and promises to last for 24 hours New beauty launches for April 2019 Feeling Fruity Sleep Mask, 50, SLIP

Launching: Available now



From the makers of the cult silk pillowcases, SLIP has launched a collection of sleep masks designed to ensure you get a peaceful sleep while treating overnight skin concerns. Made with its patented SlipSilk  a specially commissioned high-quality mulberry silk developed and refined over 10 years  these sleep masks help to reduce sleep crease, make sure you get the most out of your eye cream and reduce bedhead New beauty launches for April 2019 Voyageur Eyeshadow Palette, 28, Nars

Launching: 15 April



This month Nars is launching five new eyeshadow palette iInspired by destinations around the globe. Each palette contains six carefully curated shades, in finishes ranging from buttery mattes and lustrous satins to multi-dimensional glitters. New beauty launches for April 2019 Soleil Lash Rays Mascara, 38, Tom Ford

Launching: 12 April



Tom Fords Lash Rays Mascara is a long-wearing formula that keeps lashes full, curled and volumised all day long. The unique bristle brush gives lashes a feather-like finish while the innovative formula promises to withstand water, sweat and humidity New beauty launches for April 2019 Liquid Gold Foam, 14.99, Bondi Sands

Launching: Available now



Combining Bondi Sands worlds best selling self-tanning foam and the cult favourite Argan oil infused Liquid Gold, Liquid Gold Self Tanning Foam delivers a golden natural tan, that leaves your skin hydrated for a long lasting effortless tan. New beauty launches for April 2019 Sleep Gradual Tanning Drops, 19.99, Sienna X

Launching: Available now



One of the latest innovations in the world of tanning, concentrated drops mean you can easily tailor your results and avoid looking like youve been Tangod. Simply mix with your favourite moisturiser before bed and wake up with a natural healthy glow New beauty launches for April 2019 Next Level Heat Activated Volume Spray, 24, IGK

Launching: Available now



If your flat locks need a boost then this volumizing spray from IGK should be at the top of your shopping list. The soothing hair-must provides UV and heat protection while simultaneously improving thickness and shine New beauty launches for April 2019 Riviera Palette, 46, Anastasia Beverly Hills

Launching: Available now



The latest eyeshadow palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills includes 14 all-new paradise-inspired shades. Featuring a mix of matte and metallic formulas, the shades range from classic neutrals to bright pops of colour New beauty launches for April 2019 Multi-use Gloss, 20, Nars

Launching: 15 April



Nars' new limited-edition creamy multi-use gloss formula can be used on lips, eyes and cheeks. The collections five glittering shades can be worn alone or layered to create endless glossy combinations. New beauty launches for April 2019 Geranium Nefertum Eau de Toilette 50ml, 45, Molton Brown

Launching: 23 April



Fans of unisex fragrances should keep their eyes peeled for the launch of Molton Browns Geranium Nefertum Eau de Toilette. An unconventional yet refreshing scent, it delivers notes of crisp green fig leaf, milky sandalwood and minty geranium New beauty launches for April 2019 Nude Revolution Lipstick, 20, Illamasqua

Launching: Available now



Illamasqua's new collection of Antimatter Lipsticks provide long-wearing, non-drying colour to your pout. Available in seven highly-pigmented shades. New beauty launches for April 2019 Cannabis Hydrating Face Mask, 21, Milk Makeup

Launching: 23 April



Cult beauty brand Milk Makeup has tapped into the trend for CBD skincare with a solid clay mask stick. Made with hemp-derived cannabis seed oil, the Cannabis Hydrating Face Mask instantly moisturises, calms and soothes your complexion New beauty launches for April 2019 Dewy Set Setting Spray, 27, Anastasia Beverly Hills

Launching: Available now



Anastasia Beverly Hills Dewy Set Setting Spray is a coconut-vanilla-scented setting spray that seamlessly blends products together as it sets makeup. Ideal for those that prefer a radiant finish, the gentle mist promises to leave your skin with a dewy glow New beauty launches for April 2019 Ultra Light Daily UV Defense, 28, Kiehls

Launching: Available now



While we should all be using sunscreen year-round, its something many of us overlook. If youre guilty of neglecting this important step, invest in Kiehls new Ultra Light Daily UV Defence which employs a blend of sunscreen filters and pollution-shielding technology New beauty launches for April 2019 Acqua Metal Shadow (Limited Edition), 30, Tom Ford

Launching: 12 April



This cooling, long-wearing translucent liquid eye shadow lacquers lids with metallic shine thanks to a formula of mica-based pearl pigments and water-resistant polymers. Available in four shades New beauty launches for April 2019 Hair & Body Shine Mist, 25, Ouai

Launching: Available now



Haircare brand Ouai has launched a new Hair & Body Shine Mist that promises to give you silky locks and a glossy bod. The weightless mist includes ingredients like diamond powder, aramanth oil and squalene, which work together to ensure your skin and hair are healthy and hydrated New beauty launches for April 2019 Infra-Red Eye Palette, 36.50, Bobbi Brown

Launching: 4 April



Bobbi Browns Infra-red Eye Palette features eight smouldering shades from amber and bronze to browns and taupes. With a selection of matte and shimmer formulas, it contains everything you need to create a fiery look day or night

It was really rough and painful for me.

The vampire facial is a very contentious treatment in the world of facial aesthetics, as Dr Darren McKeown explains.

It essentially involves taking the blood from a patient, processing it in a centrifuge to extract the plasma - which contains platelets and growth factors - and then re-injecting it into the face, Dr McKeown told The Independent.

The theory is that the platelets and growth factors initiate a healing response which, over time, rejuvenates the skin.

It is controversial however because the evidence used to show that it works is conflicting at best.

Some studies have shown it to be effective, whilst others have shown it to have no effect whatsoever.

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The vampire facial gained a lot of prominence when it featured on the reality show, something that Dr McKeown felt torn about.

When Kim Kardashian posted her Instagram picture a few years ago of her blood-stained face during the procedure, the whole world went mad.

Everyone wanted it, and clinics were happy to provide the procedure, which became a big money spinner.

I always felt uncomfortable with it and most of my patients decided against it and went for other options by the time I explained my views on it.

Dr Munir Somji, a leading cosmetic surgeon and CMO of Dr MediSpa, frequently offers the procedure to his patients.

When we inject the platelets into the face, it tricks the body into thinking that there has been an injury and hence, bring growth factors to aid new collagen formation, he told The Independent.

I use it for facials and also after surgery to speed up healing.

Here at Dr MediSpa we area centre of regenerative medicine so we use PRP mixed with filler to reduce complications, increase collagen production, and also have longer lasting results.

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While Kim has decided against ever having a vampire facial again, she also wrote that she understands that the treatment may be better suited to different people.

Even though it wasnt for me, I know it has so many benefits for your skin, she added.

Kourtney is a huge fan and I know a lot of other people that love it, too.

Benefits or not, there are undeniably many more simpler and far less painful ways to achieve clear skin.
Game of Thrones star Gemma Whelan has been praised for sharing a photo of herself breastfeeding on set.

On Sunday, the 38-year-old, who plays Yara Greyjoy of the Iron Islands on the hit HBO show, posted a photo on Instagram showing her breastfeeding her daughter while dressed in character.

The actor gave birth to her daughter in October 2017 with husband Gerry Howell while filming for Game of Thrones season eight was well underway.

Just a tease and my actual life on set between whatever we actually were filming, Whelan wrote in the caption.

The actor also revealed in the comments that the photo was taken after she filmed one of her scenes for the first episode of Season 8 following concern from fans that the post was a spoiler alert.

Game of Thrones characters who died in the battle at Winterfell Show all 7 1 /7 Game of Thrones characters who died in the battle at Winterfell Game of Thrones characters who died in the battle at Winterfell Eddison Tollet/Dolorous Edd One of the most loyal and comical characters on the show, Lord Commander Dolorous Edd was stabbed by a wight after saving his fellow Night's Watchman, Samwell Tarly. And now his watch has ended. HBO Game of Thrones characters who died in the battle at Winterfell Lyanna Mormont What a legend. Fans were sad to see Lady Mormonth go, but she definitely got one of the most epic deaths in the episode. After refusing to run from a charging wight giant, the dying girl uses a final ounce of strength  even as the giant is crushing her body in his hand  and stabs him right through the eye. Her death was later confirmed when the Night King raised her as a wight. Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO Game of Thrones characters who died in the battle at Winterfell Beric Dondarrion It was a pretty safe bet that Lord Beric, who had died and been resurrected by his loyal friend Thoros of Myr a whopping six times, would meet his final death in this episode, given that Thoros wasnt around to save him anymore. He was stabbed multiple times by wights as he held them off to save Arya and The Hound. HBO Game of Thrones characters who died in the battle at Winterfell Theon Greyjoy Theon has enjoyed one of the best character arcs in the history of Game of Thrones. After first appearing on the show as a sycophantic brat at Winterfell, he was kidnapped and tortured into becoming Reek for the amusement of Ramsay Bolton. Once he was rescued, he managed to redeem himself after a long journey back to Winterfell (saving his sister along the way), where he pledged to fight alongside the Starks and protect Bran. He kept his word, fighting off dozens if not hundreds of wights before the Night King and his posse turned up. Bran called him a good man and thanked him, upon which Theon charged at the Night King knowing his death was inevitable. HBO Game of Thrones characters who died in the battle at Winterfell The Night King Technically he was already dead, but the Night King still counts given the entire build-up to episode three had been about destroying him. Right as he reached for his sword to kill Bran, Arya comes out of nowhere and attempts to plunge Littlefingers Valyrian steel dagger into his back. He catches her by the throat, but Arya is too smart for him. She drops the dagger into her free hand and stabs him in the stomach instead, triggering the deaths of all the wights and Wight Walkers the Night King created (literally all of them). HBO Game of Thrones characters who died in the battle at Winterfell Melisandre At least fans were prepared for this one. Given her knack for predicting future events, Melisandre saying she would die tonight at the Battle of Winterfell gave fans a pretty good idea of what to expect. Her final prophecy did indeed come true: after she used the power of the Lord of Light to help the Army of the Living, Melisandre walked into the battlefield, removed her magic necklace, and embraced her death. HBO / Helen Sloan Game of Thrones characters who died in the battle at Winterfell Ser Jorah Mormont Jorah Mormont had fully redeemed his betrayal of Dany by the end of episode three (some would argue he did when he saved her life back in series six). After she fell from Drogon as he was overwhelmed by wights, Jorah saved her from imminent death and ultimately died of his injuries right as the White Walker army was defeated. It was one of the most moving scenes of the episode, with Dany mourning while Drogon watches over them.

The post, which has since garnered more than 90,000 likes, received hundreds of comments from followers praising Whelan for sharing a photograph of her breastfeeding, with many calling it empowering and beautiful.

Proud of you, mama. Nothing like nursing sessions between battle scenes, Im sure, one person commented.

Another wrote: Yara. The ultimate feminist that women need. Woop woop.

A third person added: What an empowering and beautiful photo!! Youre a ninja!

Even HBO praised the actor, writing: Aggressive fighter, loving mother.

Earlier this month, Whelan revealed on Good Morning Britain that her daughter was on set for the entire duration of filming for the shows final season, meaning she would often have to breastfeed her baby in full costume between takes.

Im really sort of tied into my armour, Whelan said.

Its quite difficult to get to yourself, lets put it that way.

The star added that her baby daughter is also one of the very few people to know the ending of the beloved show.

She can't tell anyone. She can't speak, Whelan joked.
The Pink Beach in Komodo National Park is one of Indonesias most popular tourist destinations thanks to its rose-tinted sand dunes and crystal-clear waters.

But, as a travel blogging couple have revealed, the growing number of visitors is having a devastating impact on the tourist destination.

German-born Marie Fe and Australian-born Jake Snow spent time at Indonesias Pink Beach in 2018 and shared a striking photo of themselves lying on the sand on Instagram at the time.

Just one year later, the couple returned to the popular destination only to find that the beach was littered with rubbish.

To expose the devastating impact plastic pollution is having on the spot, the couple replicated their original photograph, only this time they were surrounded by washed up bottles, boxes and cups.

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These two photos were taken in exactly the same spot one year apart from each other, Fe and Snow explained in an Instagram caption of the photos, posted on 22 April.

Even the most secluded and untouched beauties of the world like this Pink Beach in the Komodo Islands are being drowned in plastic!

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We never imagined that upon return to our favourite beach in the world we would find such a disturbing scene! It really broke our hearts to see the amount of rubbish that had washed up on this once beautiful beach.

The couple went on to caution their followers that other beaches could face the same fate if people continue to dispose of single-use plastic so flippantly.

If we dont act now, this will become a normality! Our beaches our oceans and our world will be covered in plastic, they added.

Fe and Snow also warned other Instagram influencers about the danger of editing these kinds of photos, explaining that it will simply serve to conceal the true extent of the issue.

Photoshopping the rubbish out wont fix the problem, showing the reality of whats going on, will!

As a result of their discovery, the couple have launched the hashtag #plasticparadise with the hopes that it will bring about pressure and lead to change.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT, use #plasticparadise when you see a problem, share this post, refuse single use plastic and go one step further by letting businesses that still use them know that you dont support it by verbalising your stance!

While it is difficult to identify exactly how much plastic is in the ocean due to micro-particles and the amount that has sunk to the bottom, most scientists estimate that eight million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year - adding to the estimated 150 million metric tons already circulating our oceans.

The Foresight Future of the Sea report has estimated that the amount of plastic in the worlds oceans is set to treble in a decade unless action is taken to deal with the problem.

Plastic pollution is one of the greatest threats facing our oceans, with items ranging from whole plastic bottles to tiny microplastics being found in seas all around the world, Louise Edge, senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, previously told The Independent.

If strong action isnt taken now, the problem will get exponentially worse. More research is needed on the many different facets of plastic pollution, but it is already clear that we must end our relationship with throwaway plastic and find alternative packaging solutions which wont harm our environment."
Hollywood actors and models have spoken out in support of Danish supermodel Helena Christensen after former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman criticised her for wearing a black bustier.

The 50-year-old model wore the black lace bodice with a pair of high-waisted jeans to Gigi Hadids 24th birthday party in New York on 22 April.

Writing in her column for the Mail on Sunday last week, Shulman, 61, described the look as tacky and urged Christenen to call time on Ann Summers style, a look, incidentally, that no stylish young woman would dream of wearing.

Shulman, who left British Vogue in the summer of 2017 after 25 years at the helm, went on to suggest that the supermodel mightve been panicked when choosing an outfit in fitting with the partys denim theme and thought that turning up as the madam in a one-horse town would fit the bill.

Something you wore at 30 will never look the same on you 20 years later, she concluded. Clothes dont lie.

Christensen responded by posting a photo of herself with Tali Lennox and Camilla Staerk at Hadids party on Instagram, writing: Lets continue to elevate and support each other, all you beautiful, smart, fun, sexy, hard working, talented, nurturing women out there #oopssheworeabustieragain.

Actor Julianne Moore and models Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell were among those to leave comments of support underneath the image, with Campbell describing Shulmans jibe as a cheap shot.

She has no right or claims to be writing such a ridiculous article, Campbell continued, Ive known you 30 years and whatever you wear, you wear it well with class and dignity!!

Shulmans successor at Vogue, Edward Enninful, also left a comment on the image, writing: you are BEAUTIFUL inside and out.

It's not the first time Shulman has been called out for controversial comments. In November 2017, she told The Guardian that putting a black face on the cover of Vogue meant "you would sell fewer copies".

"I was judged by my sales," she said. "That was my remit. My chief remit was not to show ethnic diversity as a policy.
TalkTalk has been shamed for the quality of its broadband customer service in industry-wide figures released by Ofcom.

Customers of the provider are less likely than average to be satisfied with their service, have more reason to complain and are less likely to have their complaint resolved on first contact, according to the regulators annual customer satisfaction survey.

Meanwhile complaints about Plusnet, owned by BT, more than doubled in the last quarter of 2018 as the company experienced issues with a new billing system, complaints figures published by Ofcom for October to December show.

Overall, 83 per cent of broadband customers are satisfied with their service, similar to last years 80 per cent, while 13 per cent had reason to complain in 2018, down from 15 per cent in 2017.

BT has replaced Virgin Media as the most complained-about pay TV provider, while both companies drew the highest complaints figures for mobile, along with Vodafone.

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The main reasons for complaints about all three providers were issues around billing, pricing and complaints handling.

Across the industry, only about half of those who make a complaint are satisfied with how it is handled.

However, Sky broadband customers are less likely than average to have reason to complain, and more likely to be satisfied with the way their complaint is handled.

Among mobile providers, Vodafones customers are less likely to be satisfied with value for money (82 per cent), while Virgin Mobile customers have below-average satisfaction with how their complaint is handled.

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However, satisfaction with mobile reception has increased across the board to 87 per cent from last years 84 per cent.

Complaints to Ofcom about broadband firms fell by 23 per cent last year, from 75 complaints per 100,000 customers on average in 2017 to 58 in 2018.

Complaints to Ofcom about mobile companies fell by 15 per cent last year from 20 complaints per 100,000 customers on average to 17 last year.

Lindsey Fussell, Ofcoms consumer group director, said: Shabby service can be more than just frustrating, it can have a big impact on people and small businesses who rely on being connected.

When youre shopping around for a phone or broadband service, quality can be just as important as price. This information can help buyers make the right decision.

A Plusnet spokesperson said: Wed like to apologise to our customers as we know this isnt the service theyve come to expect from us.

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We worked with Ofcom to keep them informed and to ensure our customers received the best service through this difficult time.

This report refers to complaints during that time in October to December; since then weve been working hard to get things back on track and the most recent complaints data shows that we are heading in the right direction.

TalkTalk said: Were pleased that Ofcoms data again shows an improving trend for the number of complaints received about TalkTalk. And while some of the results in the quality of service report are disappointing, we are already seeing more customers than ever staying with us.

PA
A black hole nearly 8,000 light-years from Earth has been behaving strangely and astronomers are fascinated.

Though it was discovered in 1989, the V404 Cygni black hole first garnered global attention in 2015 when it brightened telescopes for two weeks as it consumed material from an orbiting star.

Not all of the matter was was consumed though, some of it, superheated by the gravitational force of the black hole, was shot far into space in bright jets of plasma.

While such outbursts are not out of the norm for black holes, usually they tend to emit from poles and go in the same direction.

However, a closer look at these jets revealed that instead they appeared to be firing in a wobbling pattern known as procession.

On Monday, in the journal Nature, James Miller-Jones, and his team of researchers from the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research in Australia, published their observations on the 2015 event and offered an explanation for V404 Cygni's odd behaviour. The black hole is misaligned.

We were gobsmacked by what we saw in this system  it was completely unexpected, said the University of Alberta's Gregory Sivakoff in a statement from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

The black hole itself is surrounded by a six-million-mile-wide disk of spinning matter known as an accretion disk. Generally, it is expected that the disk spins on the same axis as the black hole itself, but the strange pattern of the jets show that in V404 Cygni's case it is not.

NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Show all 21 1 /21 NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Robert McCalls mid-1970s prediction of NASAs space shuttle building a modular space station is close to what finally happened, except that the real shuttles only flew one at a time. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Ed White photographed by Gemini 4 Commander Jim McDivitt. During the first of 66 orbits, they made an unsuccessful attempt to rendezvous with the spent upper stage of their Titan launch vehicle. On McDivitts advice, White waited one more orbit to recover from the effort of the failed rendezvous, and then exited the Gemini for his historic spacewalk on June 3, 1965. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Apollo 9 CM pilot Dave Scott emerges from the hatch, testing some of the spacesuit systems that will be used for lunar operations. The photo was taken from the hatch of the docked LM by Rusty Schweickart in March 1969. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Mothership Balls Three overflies an X-15 in 1961. Three operational X-15s were constructed and flown for 199 test flights between them, as they pushed at the envelopes of speed and altitude, and reached the very edges of space. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The Mercury Control Center (MCC) at Cape Canaveral supervised seven human spaceflights between May 1961 and March 1965, into the beginning of the Gemini era. Meanwhile the more advanced control complex in Houston was taking shape ahead of Apollo. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Technicians working at the base of Alan Shepards Mercury-Redstone 3 launch vehicle are swathed in vapour from vented excess oxidiser gas on May 5, 1961. Subsequent rockets could not be so closely approached when fueling. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The Rendezvous Docking Simulator at Langley prepared Gemini astronauts for the strange physics of orbital flight. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Ahead of Gemini 10, Commander John Young explains to the media how copilot Michael Collins will inspect the Agena Target Docking Vehicle during his spacewalk, 1966. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Navy divers prepare to retrieve the Gemini 6A crew on December 16, 1965. Green dye was released by spacecraft on splashdown, making it easier to spot from the air. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The U.S. geological Surveys map of the area around Tycho Crater, famous as the site of a mysterious alien monolith in the 1968 science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In real life, this chaotic and rugged terrain would have been too difficult for an Apollo mission to access. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Apollo 11 Command Module Pilot Michael Collins inspects NASAs Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, where rock samples collected by Apollo were analysed. Nitrogen gas protected the rocks from accidental corrosion in Earths oxygen-rich atmosphere. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives NASA scientists are confident that Buzz Aldrins boot prints from Apollo 11 are still as sharp and distinct today as when they were first stamped down in 1969, because the Moon has no air or rain to erode them. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives NASAs Anechoic Chambers are among the quietest places anywhere on earth. Walls absorb almost all stray echoes, whether sound or radio. This 1972 model of a shuttle, being tested for radio characteristics, has thruster pods on the wingtips. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Lightning strikes the launchpad of Space Shuttle Challenger on August 30, 1983 prior to STS-8, the first pre-dawn launch of the space shuttle program. Launchpads are surrounded by tall lightning towers and other conductive systems.These create a giant Faraday Cage, diverting the electric charge of strike well away from the spacecraft. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000. Its habitable volume is equivalent to a Boeing 747s. An international crew of six people live and work while traveling at five miles (8 km) per second, orbiting Earth once every 90 minutes. This is the single most complex and ambitious engineering effort in history, even when compared to Apollo. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) is a hybrid of parachute and balloon technology. A new generation of flexible heat shield materials could enable a huge shield to be deployed from a small storage canister just before a spaceraft hits the atmosphere of its target planet. In July 2012 a HIAD survived a trip through Earths atmosphere at 7,600 mph. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives In April 2016, ocean scientists at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, analysing data from Landsat 8, found mysterious lines crisscrossing the vegetation in the shallow waters of the North Caspian Sea.The cause turned out to be ice gouging at the seafloor in winter, before melting in the spring, and leaving just these clues. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Curiosity made this self-portrait on August 5, 2015, by maneuvering the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on the end of a seven-foot-long robotic arm. Multiple overlapping frames were acquired, then digitally stitched together by image analysts at JPL. The arm moved into a new position for each frame but the camera always pointed toward a specific vanishing point to minimize parallax distortions. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Jupiter's moon Io is dwarfed by the planet it orbits, as seen by the Cassini spacecraft en route to Saturn. Cassinis 13-year tour of the ringed planet changed the course of planetary exploration. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives A technician prepares to unlatch a small door built into the guide vanes of the Transonic Wind Tunnel at Langley Research Center in 2010. The vanes prevent turbulent eddies from interfering with the tests. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Courtesy of NASA

That misalignment was likely caused by the force of the supernova that created the created the Black Hole in the first place and combined with a phenomenon known as frame dragging it creates the spinning type like wobbling effect.

"This is the only mechanism we can think of that can explain the rapid precession we see in V404 Cygni," Miller-Jones said. First posited by Albert Einstein as part of his general theory of relativity, frame dragging happens when the intense gravitational force of the black hole pulls space-time around it as it spins.

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Prof Sivakoff said: Finding this astronomical first has deepened our understanding of how black holes and galaxy formation can work. It tells us a little more about that big question: How did we get here?'
Dangerous asteroids flying past Earth are not rare, and more meteor strikes happen than the public is aware of, the head of Nasa has said.

At the International Academy of Astronautics Planetary Defence Conference on Monday, Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine said: I wish I could tell you these events are exceptionally unique  but theyre not.

He said more work is now underway to protect our planet from the impact of meteor strikes.

While the subject has long been the preserve of big-budget action films, he said: What were doing is very serious.

We have to make sure that people understand that this is not about Hollywood, its not about movies, he said.

NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Show all 21 1 /21 NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Robert McCalls mid-1970s prediction of NASAs space shuttle building a modular space station is close to what finally happened, except that the real shuttles only flew one at a time. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Ed White photographed by Gemini 4 Commander Jim McDivitt. During the first of 66 orbits, they made an unsuccessful attempt to rendezvous with the spent upper stage of their Titan launch vehicle. On McDivitts advice, White waited one more orbit to recover from the effort of the failed rendezvous, and then exited the Gemini for his historic spacewalk on June 3, 1965. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Apollo 9 CM pilot Dave Scott emerges from the hatch, testing some of the spacesuit systems that will be used for lunar operations. The photo was taken from the hatch of the docked LM by Rusty Schweickart in March 1969. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Mothership Balls Three overflies an X-15 in 1961. Three operational X-15s were constructed and flown for 199 test flights between them, as they pushed at the envelopes of speed and altitude, and reached the very edges of space. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The Mercury Control Center (MCC) at Cape Canaveral supervised seven human spaceflights between May 1961 and March 1965, into the beginning of the Gemini era. Meanwhile the more advanced control complex in Houston was taking shape ahead of Apollo. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Technicians working at the base of Alan Shepards Mercury-Redstone 3 launch vehicle are swathed in vapour from vented excess oxidiser gas on May 5, 1961. Subsequent rockets could not be so closely approached when fueling. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The Rendezvous Docking Simulator at Langley prepared Gemini astronauts for the strange physics of orbital flight. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Ahead of Gemini 10, Commander John Young explains to the media how copilot Michael Collins will inspect the Agena Target Docking Vehicle during his spacewalk, 1966. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Navy divers prepare to retrieve the Gemini 6A crew on December 16, 1965. Green dye was released by spacecraft on splashdown, making it easier to spot from the air. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The U.S. geological Surveys map of the area around Tycho Crater, famous as the site of a mysterious alien monolith in the 1968 science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In real life, this chaotic and rugged terrain would have been too difficult for an Apollo mission to access. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Apollo 11 Command Module Pilot Michael Collins inspects NASAs Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, where rock samples collected by Apollo were analysed. Nitrogen gas protected the rocks from accidental corrosion in Earths oxygen-rich atmosphere. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives NASA scientists are confident that Buzz Aldrins boot prints from Apollo 11 are still as sharp and distinct today as when they were first stamped down in 1969, because the Moon has no air or rain to erode them. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives NASAs Anechoic Chambers are among the quietest places anywhere on earth. Walls absorb almost all stray echoes, whether sound or radio. This 1972 model of a shuttle, being tested for radio characteristics, has thruster pods on the wingtips. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Lightning strikes the launchpad of Space Shuttle Challenger on August 30, 1983 prior to STS-8, the first pre-dawn launch of the space shuttle program. Launchpads are surrounded by tall lightning towers and other conductive systems.These create a giant Faraday Cage, diverting the electric charge of strike well away from the spacecraft. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000. Its habitable volume is equivalent to a Boeing 747s. An international crew of six people live and work while traveling at five miles (8 km) per second, orbiting Earth once every 90 minutes. This is the single most complex and ambitious engineering effort in history, even when compared to Apollo. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) is a hybrid of parachute and balloon technology. A new generation of flexible heat shield materials could enable a huge shield to be deployed from a small storage canister just before a spaceraft hits the atmosphere of its target planet. In July 2012 a HIAD survived a trip through Earths atmosphere at 7,600 mph. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives In April 2016, ocean scientists at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, analysing data from Landsat 8, found mysterious lines crisscrossing the vegetation in the shallow waters of the North Caspian Sea.The cause turned out to be ice gouging at the seafloor in winter, before melting in the spring, and leaving just these clues. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Curiosity made this self-portrait on August 5, 2015, by maneuvering the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on the end of a seven-foot-long robotic arm. Multiple overlapping frames were acquired, then digitally stitched together by image analysts at JPL. The arm moved into a new position for each frame but the camera always pointed toward a specific vanishing point to minimize parallax distortions. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Jupiter's moon Io is dwarfed by the planet it orbits, as seen by the Cassini spacecraft en route to Saturn. Cassinis 13-year tour of the ringed planet changed the course of planetary exploration. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives A technician prepares to unlatch a small door built into the guide vanes of the Transonic Wind Tunnel at Langley Research Center in 2010. The vanes prevent turbulent eddies from interfering with the tests. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Courtesy of NASA

This is about ultimately protecting the only planet we know, right now, to host life and that is the planet Earth.

Mr Bridenstine used the example of the Chelyabinsk Event in 2013, in which a meteor about 65 feet across entered the Earths atmosphere over Russia. The huge blast it created as it entered injured more than 1,500 people, and damaged over 7,000 buildings.

Statistically, meteor events of that size happen once every 60 years, but Bridenstine pointed out there have been three such incidents over the last 100 years.

A meteorite trail is seen over Chelyabinsk in 2013 (AP Photo/Chelyabinsk.ru)

On the very same day as the Chelyabinsk Event, another, even larger asteroid, measuring 100 feet across and known as Duende passed the Earth.

We are fortunate that it missed, Mr Bridenstine said. It is forecast to fly past Earth again in 2123.

We have to use our systems, use our capabilities to ultimately get a lot more data, and we have to do it faster, he added.

We know for a fact that the dinosaurs did not have a space programme. But we do, and we need to use it.

Nasa has been directed by the US government to detect and track 90 per cent of near-Earth objects 460 feet or larger.

But there are an estimated 25,000 objects in this category, and the agency has only catalogued about one third of them to date.

Mr Bridenstine said tackling large asteroids which posed a threat to Earth required more resources and more countries needed to work to build more powerful rockets like Nasas Space Launch System, which will be the most powerful rocket it has ever built.

He said this was necessary so that ultimately, when discoveries are made, and risk needs to be mitigated, we have more options than we would otherwise have.

The Space Launch system is to be used for the next manned mission to the Moon in 2024.

Nasa is also working on a joint project with Elon Musks Space X company to test their ability to deflect threatening meteors.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will send a rocket to collide with a near-Earth asteroid in an attempt to change its path.
A former journalist alleged to have been involved in the brutal killing of a father in front of his two children is now on Europes most wanted list.

Detectives have been hunting for fugitive Christopher Guest More Junior since he fled the country shortly after the murder of Brian Waters in 2003.

The 44-year-old victim was tortured and beaten to death in front of his adult children at the remote Burnt House Farm near Knutsford, in Cheshire.

Mr More, now 41, who a court heard described himself an undercover journalist, has links to Spain, Malta and South America, but detectives believe he could be anywhere.

Cheshire Police confirmed he had been added to Europes most wanted list on Tuesday.

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Former undercover BBC researchers James Raven, 60, Otis Matthews, 41, and John Wilson, 69, are all serving life sentences after being convicted of Mr Waters murder.

Mr More is alleged to have been with the men when they stormed the derelict property, where Mr Waters was running a cannabis farm, in a row over a drugs debt.

The men tied Mr Waters to a chair before battering him in front of his son Gavin, who was also attacked, and daughter Natalie, who had just turned 21 and was held at gunpoint and forced to watch.

The father was whipped, burned, attacked with a staple gun, hung upside down and beaten and sexually assaulted with an iron bar in a three-hour ordeal during which he sustained 123 injuries, a trial heard.

Mr More, who is described as white and 6ft tall, is wanted for questioning in connection with Mr Waters death along with the attempted murder of a second man and the false imprisonment and assault of other victims at the scene.

Detective Superintendent Sarah Pengelly said on Tuesday: This is a significant step forward in our bid to locate him and I hope that this latest development will help to generate a renewed interest in this case and, most importantly, valuable information as to his whereabouts.

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Our determination to find Christopher Guest More Jr has not faltered and, over the years, we have remained committed to locating and arresting him for his alleged involvement in the death of Brian Waters.

Despite the passage of time, we have never given up hope and a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes out of the public eye, in a bid to piece together as much information as possible as to his whereabouts.

Graham Roberts, regional manager at the National Crime Agency, added: Were very keen to continue supporting Cheshire Police in finding More Jr, who has been on the run for a long time.

We have an international network of officers and links to partners abroad which we are using in his pursuit.

Mr Mores cousin Raven worked on programmes including the BBCs MacIntyre Uncovered and Crooked Britain, as well as Channel 4s Sleepers, infiltrating gangs involved in car crime, drugs and counterfeiting.

The BBC previously confirmed Mr More worked for the broadcaster as researcher on a freelance basis alongside undercover reporter Donal MacIntrye.

A Chester Crown Court trial in 2004 heard Mr More also bragged about work as a surveillance-type journalist and had been following Mr Waters son nine days before the murder in what he described as a reconnaissance mission.

Anyone with information on Mores whereabouts should call Cheshire Constabulary on 101 quoting IML 387578, or give the details at cheshire.police.uk/contact/general-enquiries
Detectives hunting a rapist who abducted two women off the streets of London have identified a 33-year-old suspect.

Scotland Yard said Joseph McCann, who has a slight Irish accent, has links to Watford, Aylesbury and Ipswich, and is known to use false names, including Joel.

Detective chief inspector Katherine Goodwin said: We would ask anyone with any information about McCanns whereabouts to contact us immediately  McCann is considered extremely dangerous and a risk to the public and we ask people not to approach him, but instead call 999.

The suspect is described as being of muscular build and 5ft 10ins tall with blue eyes, a bald head or shaved blond hair and a light-coloured short beard.

He has a slight Irish accent and a distinctive tattoo of the name Bobbie on his stomach.

Detectives are searching for 33-year-old Joseph McCann(pictured) who has been named as a suspect after two women were abducted from streets in north London and raped. (Metropolitan Police)

Officers believe Mr McCann may attempt to disguise his appearance.

The first woman was abducted from a street in Chingford, north London, at about 12.30am on Thursday 25 April.

The second victim was then snatched from a street in Edgware at about 12.15pm.

The women, both in their 20s, were driven to a hotel in Watford where the suspect attempted to book a room at about 1pm.

When none were available, he left the premises.

Metropolitan Police releases images of suspect's silver or grey Ford S-Max after two women in their 20s were abducted and raped in north London on 25 April 2019. (Metropolitan Police)

The women managed to escape at about 2.30pm after a struggle on Osborne Road, in Watford.

Police released CCTV images of a suspect and a silver or grey-coloured Ford S-Max people carrier with false registration plates which they are attempting to trace.

A 33-year-old man arrested on Sunday 28 April on suspicion of conspiracy to rape has been released under investigation.

Anyone who can help is asked to call the incident room on 020 8785 8244 or 999 quoting CAD 3041/25Apr.

Alternatively tweet @MetCC and or Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111.
Police officers are searching a plane at Glasgow airport after a security incident was declared on an inbound flight from London.

Operations at the airport were temporarily suspended on Tuesday after a security alert on the plane was raised by crew members at around 10.25 am.

Flights to and from the site were halted and emergency services attended the scene, an airport spokesperson said.

There were reports of a security alert on an inbound easyJet flight from Gatwick, the spokesperson said.

Operations were temporarily suspended. The incident was stood down and we are now operational.

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All the passengers and crew members have disembarked from a plane which is currently being searched by police following a security alert reported by the crew of a flight at Glasgow Airport, a Police Scotland spokesperson said.

Officers and the other emergency services are in attendance.

The airports runway has now reopened.

There have been no reports of any injuries.

easyJet can confirm that passengers on flight EZY883 from London Gatwick to Glasgow were delayed disembarking on arrival in Glasgow, purely as a precaution, due to additional security checks, a spokesperson for the airline said.

The passengers have been disembarked and taken into the terminal.

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Additional reporting by agencies
Jeremy Hunt has warned Theresa May that signing up to a customs union with Labour to break the Brexit impasse would alienate Tory MPs.

The foreign secretary said agreeing to Labour's foremost demand could backfire for the prime minister, as the government "would lose more Conservative MPs [it] would than gain Labour MPs".

It comes as speculation mounts over a possible breakthrough in the cross-party talks, which were described as "positive" and "productive" by David Lidington, the de-facto deputy prime minister.

Mr Hunt, who is seen as contender to succeed Ms May, made the comments on a week-long trip to Africa where he is seeking to extol the virtues of post-Brexit trade.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If we were proposing, which I very much hope we don't, to sign up to the customs union, then I think there is a risk that you would lose more Conservative MPs than you would gain Labour MPs.

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"If, on the other hand, it was something different, then the result could be different as well."

Mr Hunt insisted there was a "great sense of urgency" in the negotiations with Labour but his comments will cast doubt on the prospect of success.

He also sought to ramp up pressure on the Labour leadership, saying: "Labour voters want this result remember, they don't want Brexit paralysis affecting their jobs and businesses.

"There are many Leave voters in Labour seats who voted Labour, they have Labour MPs and they want to see the party honour its own commitment to abide by the referendum result."

Recommended Tory activists warn Theresa May of leadership challenge amid Brexit

Both parties will be punished at the ballot boxes in the upcoming local and European elections if Brexit is not delivered, he added.

Mr Hunt also dodged questions about whether Theresa May should quit, saying a change of prime minister "doesn't actually change the parliamentary arithmetic".

It comes as grassroots Tories told the prime minister she could face a challenge to her leadership at an unprecedented summit in June.

Local constituency chairman have reached enough support to force an emergency general meeting to discuss Ms Mays premiership and her strategy on leaving the European Union.

The prime minister was reportedly notified of the news by the head of the National Conservative Convention, Andrew Sharpe, on Monday, after more than 10 per cent of local parties signed a petition calling for her to go.

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Meanwhile, Labour was embroiled in an internal row over whether to commit to a Final Say referendum on any Brexit deal.

The party's ruling National Executive Committee is meeting on Tuesday to finalise its position on Brexit for the upcoming European Parliament elections.
Theresa May will abandon attempts to strike a Brexit deal with Labour if no cross-party agreement can be struck within one week.

The prime minister has bowed to pressure to finally set a deadline for ending the talks with Jeremy Corbyn if necessary  deciding the Labour leader must be on board with seven days, a government source said.

If Labour agrees not to block the withdrawal agreement bill, it would then be put to the Commons  but the government will move in another direction if no guarantee is given, The Independent was told.

The deadline was set after Mondays talks went better than expected. The prime ministers spokesperson described them as serious and constructive.

Until now, Downing Street has refused to say how long it would allow negotiations with Labour to continue  despite mounting Conservative anger at the tactic.

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Ministers are already resigned to taking part in next months European elections  and a likely thumping by Nigel Farages new Brexit party  because of the lack of progress.

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Despite warmer words after Mondays talks, the two sides remain far apart on Labours demands for a customs union and on how to ensure any deal is not ripped up by Boris Johnson, or another Brexiteer new prime minister.

It is unclear what moving in another direction would entail, but Ms May is likely to tack back to trying to win the backing of the Democratic Unionist Party.

The source said that the cabinet agreed there was a need to get on with it and that the impasse must come to a head if no progress was apparent by the middle of next week.

It is understood that the ultimatum  which the prime minister believes is necessary to allow her party to set out a firm stance before the European elections on 23 May  has been delivered to Labour.

Introducing the bill to ratify a deal might still allow Brexit to be completed in time to prevent MEPs taking their seats in Brussels at the start of July.

However, to move ahead, Ms May needs to be certain that Labour will not vote down the legislation immediately  forcing her to prorogue parliament and risk a Queens Speech that could accelerate her departure from No 10.

Even the prime ministers plan B, further indicative votes to try to establish a Commons majority behind one Brexit option, is believed to rest on Labour support.

For the first time, Ms Mays spokesperson, discussing Tuesdays cabinet meeting, referred to the talks with Labour heading towards a conclusion.

Cabinet received an update on the Brexit talks with the opposition, including the negotiations last night which were serious and constructive, he said.

Further talks will now be scheduled in order to bring the process towards a conclusion.

Cabinet also discussed the need to secure safe passage of the withdrawal agreement bill as soon as possible in order to deliver upon the result of the referendum.

However, it is understood there will be no further talks this week, with the local elections taking place on Thursday.
The father of a schoolboy killed in an IRA bombing has condemned a Brexit Party candidate for "absolutely disgraceful" comments made in the days after the attack.

Claire Fox, who is standing for Nigel Farage's new outfit in the European elections, was previously a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP,) which defended the Warrington bombing on 20 March 1993.

The party's newsletter, published in April 1993, defended "the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures necessary in their struggle for freedom".

Ms Fox is a lead candidate for the new Brexit party in the North West of England, meaning she could represent Warrington, in Cheshire, if the party performs well at the ballot boxes.

Colin Parry, whose son Tim, 12, died following the bombing which left 56 people injured, said voters would be "absolutely disgusted" and urged Ms Fox to disavow her comments.

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Mr Parry said: "What she said at that time is highly inappropriate.

"For somebody to come out with comments I believe she made, and being an apologist for the IRA, is absolutely disgraceful.

"If this woman would care to explain her comments back at that time to me and my wife, I would like her to do so.

"She should disavow these comments if that's her position and say, 'I was wrong, I was foolish'.

"I simply say I think voters in the constituency of the North West, which is a big area, really should be aware, as voters should be in general should be aware, of the political positions of candidates, even if they disavow them from a former life."

Asked how voters would view the remarks, Mr Parry added: "I would hope they would be absolutely disgusted by these comments."

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Asked if Nigel Farage should drop Ms Fox as a candidate, Mr Parry said: "I wonder whether he knows? I wonder whether the Brexit Party know this about her? Maybe they don't think it's an important issue."

Mr Parry and Tim's mother, Wendy Parry, later set up the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace, in memory of their son and 3-year-old Johnathan Ball, who was also killed in the attack.

A Brexit Party spokesman said Ms Fox does not deny she did hold those views in the past, but that she supported the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland, and does not hold those views now.

He said: "It's a desperate attempt to cause trouble. That was 20 years ago and she is committed to democracy and peaceful solutions."

Warrington councillor Dan Price said Ms Fox was "totally unfit for office".

Mr Price, one of Change UK's candidates for the European elections, said: "Claire Fox should not be hiding away in London, she should come to Warrington and explain to the Parry family her views on the IRA atrocity that devastated our town.

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"Nigel Farage has made a big mistake in making her his priority candidate for Warrington and he is treating us with contempt."

Ms Fox has been approached for comment.

Recent polls have indicated Mr Farage's new outfit could capitalise on anger among Tory voters over delays to Brexit.

An Opinium survey at the weekend put the party neck and neck with Labour on 28 per cent for next months elections, with Tory support collapsing to 14 per cent in the 23 May contest.
Northern Ireland has now been without a government for two years.

The devolved executive and assembly which have powers over the region collapsed in January 2017 owing to ongoing disagreements between the DUP and Sinn Fein, and all attempts to restore power-sharing have since failed.

The region currently holds the world record for the longest period without a sitting government, which it passed after 589 days.

Here, we explain how the political impasse came to be and what a future deal could look like.

How and why did the Northern Ireland Executive collapse?

The Northern Ireland Executive collapsed on 9 January 2017 with the resignation of Martin McGuinness as Deputy First Minister.

Due to the unique nature of history and circumstances in Northern Ireland, both unionists and nationalists must join together in a power sharing executive in order to lead the assembly. Since 2007, the DUP have been the largest unionist party and Sinn Fein have been the largest nationalist party.

With the larger mandate, the DUP have always been given the post of First Minister, while Sinn Fein have been given Deputy First Minister, but the two roles are effectively a joint office, with equal power, and can only exist with the full support of the other.

This arrangement has largely weathered a decade of politics, but in November 2016 a scandal emerged surrounding a Renewable Heat Incentive (also referred to as the RHI scandal or Cash for Ash), signed off by First Minister Arlene Foster in 2012. Its mismanagement had cost the Northern Ireland Executive 480m.

Sinn Fein called for Ms Foster to stand aside from her position to allow for an independent inquiry into the scandal, but she refused.

Having served as Deputy First Minister for ten years, Mr McGuinness then resigned in January 2017 and Sinn Fein announced they would not be replacing him. This stripped Ms Foster of her title as First Minister and collapsed the executive.

Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness pictures with Prime Minister Theresa May before the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive

What happened next?

The then-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, called fresh elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly in March 2017. It returned the DUP and Sinn Fein as the largest parties, but the gap between them had closed dramatically. Only 1,000 votes separated them in the popular vote. The DUP fell by 10 seats to 28, with Sinn Fein not far behind on 27. Crucially, it was the first time that unionists no longer held an overall majority in the Assembly.

The parties then had three weeks to reach a deal, and when that time passed, Mr Brokenshire decided not to call fresh elections, as he is entitled to do. Instead, talks continued in stops and starts throughout the year  played out against the backdrop of the dramatic 2017 UK General Election (in which the DUP played a key role), and the Brexit drama which has followed.

All the while, Northern Ireland has had no functioning government, and has effectively been run by civil servants on diminishing resources. Westminster passed a budget in November 2017 for Northern Ireland for the ongoing financial year, but this was very much a temporary fix, and all involved refrained from calling it direct rule, still holding out for a deal.

In January 2018, Karen Bradley was named Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and began talks between the parties again. On 14 February, after a draft deal appeared to have been agreed by all sides, it suddenly fell through. This was rumoured to have included provisions for an Irish Language Act, which was denounced by the DUP grassroots when details were leaked. A continued state of no government has persisted since.

Who was involved in talks?

Any talks in Northern Ireland are co-chaired by the Secretary of State Karen Bradley, representing the British government, and the Irish Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister), Simon Coveney, representing the government in Dublin.

The majority of the talks are between the DUP and Sinn Fein, the two largest parties, who must strike a deal together if power sharing is to be restored. However, the Alliance Party, the SDLP and the UUP are also involved in some levels of discussion.

In late 2018, there was some discussion - even from Karen Bradley herself - that another mediator may need to be brought in, someone not from Britain or Ireland. This has precedent, as former US Senator George Mitchell oversaw the negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley greets Prime Minister Theresa May in Belfast

What have parties been discussing in talks?

Although it was mainly the RHI scandal and the position of Arlene Foster which sparked this crisis, Sinn Fein had other complaints too  namely that funding was being cut to Irish language services and that the DUP had abused a parliamentary mechanism known as the Petition of Concern to prevent the introduction of same sex marriage in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein has called for a standalone Irish Language Act  in the style of the Welsh Language Act  which would give Gaelic parity with English in Northern Ireland. This has been resisted by the DUP, who see it as an erosion of British identity.

There may also be some discussion around reforming the Petition of Concern. It allows a bill to be blocked from passing in the Northern Ireland Assembly if one side of the community feels the other is oppressing their rights.

The DUP used this to prevent the passing of same sex marriage, despite the assembly having a clear majority, much to the anger of many on both sides of the community divide. Other parties have also misused this mechanism in the past, but when considered in its correct usage, it may prove to be too crucial to be removed altogether.

All of these issues have remained on the table, as well as more outstanding problems such as how Northern Ireland should deal with its troubled past, and whether or not prosecutions  particularly of the armed forces  should play a role in any reconciliation process.

What would a deal look like?

The Irish Language Act has become the most prominent discussion point, not just for Sinn Fein, but among mainstream media and broadcasters, and across Northern Ireland in general. Its unclear what it would entail, and whether its merely a matter of Irish on road signs and public buildings, or something greater like equal opportunities for English and Irish speakers in public sector jobs.

But any deal would almost certainly have to include it in some shape or form, even if it means the DUP insisting on similar protections for the lesser used Ulster Scots dialect.

Owing to her position in the negotiations, and her own determination not to bow to the demands of Sinn Fein, it appears Arlene Foster may be returned as First Minister - a position Sinn Fein appear to have softened on in 2018.

The DUP know that same sex marriage in Northern Ireland is only a matter of time, but it is unlikely that they will simply gift it to Sinn Fein in any deal, considering how badly this would play with their conservative base.

However, they may quietly agree not to block it, or the Petition of Concern could be reformed somewhat to prevent them from using it again.

The new Sinn Fein Vice President Michelle ONeill

What happens if the parties cannot reach an agreement on a deal?

If the parties cannot agree a basis on which to re-enter powersharing at Stormont, then Northern Ireland will be governed by direct rule from Westminster. In theory, the Northern Ireland Secretary could attempt to avert this by calling another election for the assembly, but this is unlikely to return anyone other than the DUP and Sinn Fein as the two largest parties, thus ending up back at the start.

Northern Ireland has been under direct rule from Westminster before, notably for the duration of The Troubles between 1972 and 1998, but it has largely been run by devolved government ever since. The return of direct rule would be a major setback for the province, and for cross-community reconciliation. Since Sinn Fein abstain from taking their seats at Westminster, it would leave Northern Ireland solely represented by 10 DUP MPs in the House of Commons.

Ironically, social issues that the DUP have stood against, such as same sex marriage and legalising abortion, could be almost immediately implemented once the affairs of Northern Ireland are left to a House of Commons who largely support these measures  both already legal across the rest of the UK. Therefore, despite their hold over the Conservatives, direct rule is not an ideal scenario for the DUP, and will only be greeted by more hardline loyalists who believe Northern Ireland should always be ruled directly by London.

From Sinn Feins perspective, direct rule is also not desirable  as their mandate in Northern Ireland elections is increasing, and this would undo that work. But if the alternative is a bad deal, its unclear how they would walk back on that after such a lengthy political stalemate.
Grassroots Conservatives have warned Theresa May she will face a challenge to her leadership at an unprecedented summit in June.

Amid fury over delays to Brexit, local constituency chairman have reached enough support to force an emergency general meeting to discuss Ms Mays premiership and her strategy on leaving the European Union.

The prime minister was reportedly notified of the news by the head of the National Conservative Convention, Andrew Sharpe, on Monday, after more than 10 per cent of local parties signed a petition calling for her to go.

It comes as the Conservatives were braced for a mauling at the local elections amid warnings they could lose more than 800 seats in Thursdays poll.

A meeting of 800 constituency chairmen and women and senior activists is expected to take place in June, according to The Sun.

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London East Conservatives chairwoman Dinah Glover, who organised the petition, said: I am extremely sad that we have had to organise this.

Unfortunately, the prime minister is no longer the solution to the problem, but is actually the block to Brexit.

The petition said the signatories no longer feel that Ms May is the right person to continue as prime minister to lead us forward in the negotiations.

We therefore with great reluctance ask that she considers her position and resigns, it adds.

The move is said to be unprecedented in the partys 185-year history, and would place huge pressure on Ms May to step down as party leader.

The prime minister survived a confidence vote led by Tory backbenchers in December, which means she cannot be challenged by the parliamentary party for a year.

Conservative anger has threatened to spill over after Britains departure from the European Union was delayed until October, as Ms May repeatedly failed to win Commons backing for her Brexit deal.

Party bosses are expecting a difficult night at the polls on Thursday, as local elections are expected to crystallise anger around Brexit.

Election expert and Tory peer Robert Hayward warned that delays to Brexit and her decision to stand down as Tory leader could see the Conservatives lose more than 800 seats, with the Liberal Democrats most likely to capitalise on the collapse in Tory support.

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There are 8,374 seats up for grabs in England  the majority of which are Tory-held  at 33 metropolitan councils, 119 district councils, and 30 unitary authorities.

The European Parliament elections later in May  which are being held as a result of the Brexit delay  are also expected to go badly for the party amid the threat from Nigel Farages new Brexit Party.
The UK must throw as much effort into stopping climate change as was deployed in defeating the Nazis, Theresa May is told today  ahead of new warnings from experts that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut further and faster.

The prime minister is told to put the country on a war footing and end climate appeasement to avert disaster, by a new cross-party group of politicians including Labours Ed Miliband and the Greens Caroline Lucas.

The call comes as Ms May prepares to receive fresh advice from her own climate watchdog that the current official target  to slash carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050  is inadequate and must be ripped up.

The Committee on Climate Change is expected to say the UK must reach zero emissions by as early as 2040, to help limit global temperature increases to 1.5C and avoid catastrophic effects.

The new target is also likely to pose challenges for Labour, which has set an ambition of zero emissions by 2050  one day after it attempts to force the Commons to declare a climate emergency.

Environment news in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Environment news in pictures Environment news in pictures Davos 2019: David Attenborough issues stark warning about future of civilisation as he demands practical solutions to combat climate change Sir David Attenborough has issued a stark warning about climate change to business figures gathered in Davos, telling them that "what we do now...will profoundly affect the next few thousand years". On the eve of this year's World Economic Forum, the renowned naturalist told the audience that the worlds of business and politics should "get on with the practical solutions" needed to prevent environmental damage. "As a species we are expert problem solvers. But we've not yet applied ourselves to this problem with the focus it requires. "We can create a world with clean air and water, unlimited energy, and fish stocks that will sustain us well into the future. But to do that, we need a plan," he said. The broadcaster made his speech after receiving a Crystal Award, which is awarded by the forum to "exceptional cultural leaders". AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures At least 60% of wild coffee species face extinction triggered by climate change and disease Two decades of research have revealed that 60 per cent of the worlds coffee species face extinction due to the combined threats of deforestation, disease and climate change. The wild strain of arabica, the most widely consumed coffee on the planet, is among those now recognised as endangered, raising concerns about its long-term survival. These results are worrying for the millions of farmers around the world who depend on the continued survival of coffee for their livelihoods. As conditions for coffee farming become tougher, scientists predict the industry will need to rely on wild varieties to develop more resilient strains Alan Schaller Environment news in pictures Warming Antarctic waters are speeding the rate at which glaciers are melting The Antarctic ice sheet is losing six times as much ice each year as it was in the 1980s and the pace is accelerating, one of the most comprehensive studies of climate change effects on the continent has shown. More than half an inch has been added to global sea levels since 1979, but if current trends continue it will be responsible for metres more in future, the Nasa-funded study found. The international effort used aerial photos, satellite data and climate models dating back to the 1970s across18 Antarctic regions to get the most complete picture to date on the impacts of the changing climate. It found that between 1979 and 1990 Antarctica lost an average of 40 gigatonnes (40 billion tonnes) of its mass each year. Between 2009 and 2017 it lost an average 252 gigatonnes a year. This has added 3.6mm per decade to sea levels, or around 14mm since 1979, the study shows Nasa/Getty Environment news in pictures Greater Manchester to ban fracking, paving way for confrontation with government over controversial industry Greater Manchester is to effectively ban fracking, raising the prospect of fresh confrontation with the government over the controversial industry. All of the regions 10 councils are to implement planning policies which create a presumption against drilling for shale gas in their areas, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced. Campaigners said the move was the latest sign that the tide was turning against fracking, which has been the subject of multiple legal battles across the country. Critics of fracking say it poses environmental and health risks. Drilling at the UKs only operational fracking site, run by Cuadrilla in Lancashire, has repeatedly been halted due to earth tremors. But ministers support the industry and last year unveiled plans to accelerate the development of new drilling sites Ross Wills Environment news in pictures Japan confirms plan to resume commercial whaling in its waters from next year Japan will resume commercial whaling next year for the first time in more than three decades, in a move that has provoked strong criticism from campaigners and the international community. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said his nation would leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting the marine mammals in Japanese waters. However, he stated the activity would be limited to Japans territory and the 200 mile exclusive economic zone along its coasts. This means controversial scientific trips to Antarctica in which Japanese vessels killed hundreds of whales, as well as activity in the northwest Pacific, will stop in 2019 AP Environment news in pictures COP24: Environmental groups criticise morally unacceptable climate deal reached after major Poland summit Diplomats from around the world have agreed a major climate deal after two weeks of United Nations talks in Poland. But climate campaigners warned the deal  effectively a set of rules for how to govern the 2015 Paris climate accord  agreed between almost 200 countries lacked ambition or a clear promise of enhanced climate action. Activists cautiously welcomed elements of the plan, saying important progress had been made on ensuring that efforts to tackle climate change by individual nations can be measured and compared. But environmental groups were also highly critical of the agreement, warning it lacked ambition and clarity on key issues, including financing for climate projects for developing countries. The COP24 deal, which is aimed at providing firm guidelines for countries on how to transparently report their greenhouse gas emissions and their efforts to reduce them, was confirmed on 15 December, after talks overran Reuters Environment news in pictures Unprecedented changes needed to stop global warming as UN report reveals islands starting to vanish and coral reefs dying Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, including the total loss of every coral reef, the disappearance of Arctic ice and the destruction of island communities, a landmark UN report has concluded. Drawing on more than 6,000 scientific studies and compiled over two years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings, released this morning, warn enormous and rapid changes to the way everyone on Earth eats, travels and produces energy need to be brought in immediately. Though the scientists behind the report said there is cause for optimism, they recognised the grim reality that nations are currently nowhere near on track to avert disaster AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures Africas three biggest elephant poaching cartels exposed using DNA from illegal ivory shipments DNA taken from massive shipments of ivory has been used to identify the three largest wildlife trafficking gangs operating at the height of Africas elephant poaching epidemic. Ivory tends to be shipped around the world from African ports in bulk, and scientists have used genetic evidence gleaned from intercepted batches to reveal their origins. Led by Dr Samuel Wasser from the University of Washington, they traced a number of these shipments to three cartels operating out of Kenya, Uganda and Togo. Evidence collected by Dr Wasser has already helped convict ivory kingpin Feisal Mohamed Ali, and as his team joins the dots between shipments they plan to shore up the cases against more of the continents most prolific smugglers Art Wolfe

Meanwhile, Extinction Rebellion will demand the UK moves even faster by reducing net emissions to zero by 2025, when the group meet Michael Gove, the environment secretary, on Tuesday.

This will be Michael Goves opportunity to show hes ready to act on the climate and ecological emergency, a spokesperson said, and added that the meeting would be filmed and released to the public.

The group will also meet John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, days after ending its Easter street protests, which brought huge disruption to central London and led to 1,130 arrests.

The battle against climate change is increasingly being likened to the situation facing governments in the 1930s, when all other considerations were sidelined by the need to fight Nazi Germany.

That comparison is brought to life in the launch of a new environmental justice commission by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank, which also includes Laura Sandys, a former Conservative MP.

Mr Miliband called climate change the biggest threat to our economic and social wellbeing and to our national security, and has demanded a green new deal putting our country to work.

Politics needs to be on a war footing to deal with this enemy but too often it sends the message that business as usual will do, he said.

We need a revolution in political leadership; the problem we face is not just climate denial but climate appeasement.

Ms Lucas said: We must now focus on what is scientifically necessary, not what is seen as politically possible. Maintaining the status quo is to gamble with the fate of humanity and the prosperity of all who live in this country.

Ms Sandys said the Easter disruption was nothing in comparison to the upheaval and change to our way of life that we will face if we dont take transformative action to address the climate emergency now.

The IPPR commission includes leading figures from business, trade unions, civil society and academia, as well as climate activists including a member of Extinction Rebellion.

Its protests have electrified the debate by demanding action by 2025 to limit climate catastrophe, which is even earlier than the 2030 date set by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last autumn.

That report prompted the government to ask its own climate change committee to advise on what target UK should set for net zero emissions and how it could be achieved.

Chaired by Lord Deben, a former Conservative environment secretary, the committee is expected to make reducing emissions from heating homes, by replacing gas boilers, a key part of achieving a tougher target.

Reducing the use of petrol and diesel in vehicles and increasing the use of electricity from low-carbon sources are also expected to feature strongly in Thursdays report.

Chris Stark, the committees chief executive, in a speech last month signalled that a radical change of approach was needed if the UK was to continue to feel proud of its climate performance.

A great deal has changed since 2008. The UK has signed the Paris Agreement, which expects greater ambition from developed countries  and references 1.5 degrees as a global temperature goal, he said.

Whether we can continue to claim global leadership now depends on what we do next.

Mr Stark said the predicted costs of a low-carbon transition  estimated to be 1-2 per cent of GDP  were now much lower than we thought.

He stressed Britains huge influence, and added: The international signalling of the UK setting, and then achieving, a tougher emissions target can be a powerful signal to other countries.

Ahead of the meetings with Mr Gove and Mr McDonnell, Sam Knights, a member of Extinction Rebellions political strategy team, said: The legacy of our political leaders will stand or fall by what they do now.

Either they take steps to give our children the future they deserve or they do nothing. They must respond to the climate and ecological emergency with the clarity and urgency our children demand.
A gunman killed two people when he opened fire on the Charlotte campus of the University of North Carolina, medical officials said.

Their bodies were found at the scene according to the Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency, which added that two people sustained life threatening injuries in the attack.

Another two were injured, but their injuries were not thought to be life threatening.

The university tweeted that an active shooter had been reported near the universitys Kennedy Hall administrative building shortly before 6pm local time. Students should run, hide, fight, it said. Secure yourself immediately, it added. Monitor email.

On its website it said that the campus was on lockdown and that students and staff should remain in a safe location.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The injured were taken to Carolinas Medical Centre.

It was not immediately clear whether the victims were students or whether a suspect was in custody, but Nasim Fekrat claimed on Twitter that one of the injured was a 20-year-old from Saudi Arabia.

Mr Fekrat who describes himself as a blogger and learner, wrote: The shooter was detained immediately," he tweeted.He ran out of bullets, emptied one magazine and that was it.

He added later that they were surrounded by police.

Video footage posted to social media showed students evacuating campus buildings with their hands raised as police officers ran past them towards the scene of the shooting.

Police officers were sweeping buildings across the campus, the university tweeted, telling students to follow officer commands.

A spokeswoman for Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department confirmed there had been an active shooter at the university but declined to give any further information.

Officials at the university which has more than 26,500 students and 3,000 faculty and staff, could not be reached for comment.

The police department set up a media staging area nearby.
Law enforcement officials have released little information about a police shooting on Friday afternoon in an Oklahoma town, declining to provide answers to what led officers to shoot at a robbery suspect in a pickup truck  injuring him and three of the four children inside.

Agents with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) say they are still interviewing witnesses to the shooting, which occurred at 2pm on Friday near a residential home in Hugo, a town of 5,000 people.

Hugo police detectives had been looking for William Devaughn Smith, a 21-year-old suspect in an 11 April robbery at a local Pizza Hut.

The detectives were attempting to make contact with Mr Smith at a community food centre on Friday when shots were fired at 400 West Bissell Street, state authorities said in a news release.

Mr Smith, a woman and four unidentified children were in a green pickup truck when the shooting broke out. Mr Smith was injured, as were three of the children.

Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Black Lives Matter protesters march through the streets as they demonstrate the decision by Sacramento District Attorney to not charge the police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year Getty Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Dominique Harrell stands in solidarity as she joins other protesters staging a sit-in for Stephon Clark at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento AP Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Representing a group called A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), Jamier Sale leads a crowd of about 50 people in protest of the Sacramento DA's ruling on the Stephon Clark case AP Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Black Lives Matter protesters march through the streets as they demonstrate the decision by Sacramento District Attorney to not charge the police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year Getty Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Black Lives Matter protesters march through the streets as they demonstrate the decision by Sacramento District Attorney to not charge the police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year Getty Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Black Lives Matter protesters block an entrance to a Trader Joe's store as they demonstrate the decision by Sacramento DA's on the Stephon Clark case Getty Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Protesters hold signs bearing a graphic of Stephon Martin Getty Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Black Lives Matter protesters march through the streets as they demonstrate the decision by Sacramento District Attorney to not charge the police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year Getty Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Black Lives Matter protesters march through the streets as they demonstrate the decision by Sacramento District Attorney to not charge the police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year Getty Police shooting verdict sparks protest in California: in pictures Protesters stage a sit-in for Stephon Clark at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento AP

Authorities have not released the names of the injured children, but OSBI spokesperson Brook Arbeitman said they were aged five, three and one, and sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Olivia Hill identified herself as the woman in the truck in an interview with local TV station KXII.

Ms Hill is the mother of the four children, she told the station.

My four-year-old daughter was shot in the head, and she has a bullet in her brain, Ms Hill said through tears as she prepared to visit her injured kids at a childrens hospital in Tulsa.

My five-year-old has a skull fracture. My one-year-old baby has gunshot wounds on her face, and my two-year-old wasnt touched with any bullets.

I mean my children, for crying out loud, Hill said. Four innocent little children.

Two Hugo detectives were involved in the altercation, authorities said.

Both have been placed on administrative leave. The OSBI has not released the names of the officers involved or how many shots were fired.

Ms Arbeitman did not disclose whether Smith or others in the pickup truck had a gun, or if the gunfire was one-sided.

She said the nature of the shooting  including the events that led to the gunfire  remain under investigation.

We are still working to determine through our investigation exactly what happened between the officers making contact with him and a shooting ensuing, Ms Arbeitman said on Saturday afternoon.

But according to reporting from KXII, Hugo police officials said that two officers were trying to approach Mr Smith when he allegedly backed up the pickup truck and hit one of the officers, causing minor injury.

Another officer was nearly hit, KXII reported, and began firing his weapon because he feared for his safety.

 Teenage 'drug gang' live stream their own deaths in police shooting

Ms Arbeitman said that Mr Smith was taken to a hospital in Paris, Texas, 30 miles south of Hugo, and treated for his injuries.

He was released into police custody and faces a felony charge of aggravated robbery.

The 11 April robbery took place just after 8am at a Pizza Hut in Hugo.

A man wearing black clothing entered the rear entrance to the restaurant and pressed an object into the back of an employee, police said. The man demanded money then fled.

Washington Post
Joe Biden has pledged to take on Americas broken political system" as he hit out at Donald Trump for "abusing the power of office" during his first major campaign speech.

Speaking in Pittsburgh, the former vice president said that Mr Trump was more interested in his own hardline supporter base than the rest of America. With too many people left out or left behind... Were tearing America apart rather than lifting it up, he told the crowd, who chanted we want Joe.

The country was suffering from a broken political system thats deliberately being undermined by our president to continue to abuse the power of the office, Mr Biden added.

The choice of Pennsylvania was significant, with Mr Biden acknowledging how crucial the state is to Democrat chances of taking back the White House. If Im going to beat Donald Trump in 2020, its going to happen here, he said, adding that the party has had a little bit of trouble in the state in 2016. Hillary Clinton lost Pennsylvania to Mr Trump, a key win on the path to the Oval Office.

Mr Biden, the current Democrat frontrunner, made clear that he was ready to go toe-to-toe with Mr Trump. He invoked the deadly synagogue attack in Pittsburgh last year and another last week in California to say that there is now a battle for Americas soul.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

That echoed a refrain that Mr Biden has used repeatedly over the last couple of years, having made oblique references to Trump. His rally speech also included many of the key themes that the former vice president has used on the stump over that time, such as the economy and the middle classes.

The middle class is hurting. Its hurting now, Mr Biden said. The stock market is roaring, but you dont feel it. There was a $2 trillion tax cut last year. Did you feel it? Did you get anything from it?

Mr Trump believes that the economy is one of his strong points, and it is true that unemployment is down. However, that trend had started during predecessor Barack Obamas time in office.

Mr Trump will not give up on Pennsylvania without a fight and was quick to tweet about Pittsburghs jobless rate hitting a low point not seen since the 1970s. He also used his mocking sleepy Joe moniker to criticise Mr Bidens work during the Obama presidency.

The Media (Fake News) is pushing Sleepy Joe hard. Funny, Im only here because of Biden & Obama. They didnt do the job and now you have Trump, who is getting it done - big time!

Mr Trump lashed out at Mr Biden targeting unions, whose support will be crucial for Mr Biden in a crowded Democratic primary before he even gets to face Trump. With Mr Biden receiving an endorsement from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the first major labour union to throw its support behind a candidate in the 2020 race, Mr Trump tweeted he would never get support from union bosses but members love Trump.

The president sees Mr Biden as a clear threat, having told aides of his concern of beating beaten by a man who has a history of gaining support from white, working class voters in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Working class, high-school educated white voters are a key part of Mr Trumps base and those states will be an important part of his re-election strategy.

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However, Mr Biden will have to concentrate on rivals like Bernie Sanders first. The Vermont senator sees Mr Biden as his main obstacle to the Democrat nomination and has issued a thinly veiled attack on the former vice presidents support for the North American Free-Trade Agreement (Nafta) with Canada and Mexico as he too targets gains in regions hit hard by manufacturing losses.
The head of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff has said that he will be sending a criminal referral to the Justice Department (DoJ) over the conduct of Donald Trump-backer Erik Prince.

Mr Schiff told a Washington Post event there was evidence that Mr Prince, who founded the now defunct Blackwater security firm, had willingly misled the committee.

The evidence is so weighty that the Justice Department needs to consider this, Mr Schiff said. He added that it would be up to the DoJ to decide whether the allegations rise to the level of criminal prosecution.

Part of the evidence Mr Schiff pointed to was a meeting that took place nine days before Mr Trump took office in January 2017, between Mr Prince and a Russian financier close to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Seychelles islands.

Mr Prince told congressional officials examining Russias interference in the presidential election in November 2017 that the meeting happened by chance and was not taken at the behest of the incoming administration, testimony that Mr Schiff and the Democrats now believe was false.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Mr Prince, the founder of the private security firm Blackwater, had been pressed by the committee about whether the meeting constituted an attempt to set up secret communications between the Trump administration and Russia.

The Blackwater founder said that he had no official or really unofficial role in the Trump campaign and his only involvement in helping was attending fundraisers and placing signs. He said he had little contact with Trump campaign officials.

Investigators from Robert Mueller probe into Russian interference are said to have received a different version of the Seychelles meeting from Mr Prince to his sworn testimony to the House committee.

We know from the Mueller report not that that was not a chance meeting, Mr Schiff said. The Congressman added that he believed the Mueller Report showed Mr Prince had "willingly misled" the committee.

Representatives for Mr Prince could not immediately be reached. Mr Prince has always denied acting on behalf of the administration over the Seychelles meeting.

Mr Prince told Mr Mueller's investigation that he had briefed Trump advisor Steve Bannon on the meeting, but Mr Bannon denies this. The Mueller report sad these conflicting accounts could not be reconciled using communications between the pair as text messages were missing. Phone provider records showed that Mr Bannon and Mr Prince had exchanged dozens of messages they were not found on their phones.

Mr Prince denied deleting messages while Mr Bannon said he did not know why the messages were not found.

Last month, Mr Prince admitted to meeting with members of the Trump campaign in August 2016. The meeting at Trump Tower was initially reported by The New York Times last year and is said to have included Donald Trump Jr, Trump campaign officials and an emissary for two Gulf princes.

Mr Prince told Al Jazeera that they were discussing "Iran policy". When asked why a transcript of his testimony to the House committee did not include this meeting, Mr Prince initially said he disclosed any meetings, the very, very few he had.

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When pressed Mr Prince said: I don't believe I was asked that question. But later in the interview he said that he did tell the panel about the meeting and that I don't know if they got the transcript wrong.

He later also said that not all of the discussion that day was transcribed.

Replying to those comments, Mr Schiff told NBC's Meet the Press that Mr Prince was certainly not telling the truth in that interview.

There's nothing wrong with our transcript, Mr Schiff said. He did not disclose that meeting to our committee.

During the Washington Post event, Representative Schiff refused to say whether the panel also planned to submit referrals for President Trump's son-in-law and White House advisor Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr.

Associated Press contributed to this report
Hillary Clinton has mocked the man who beat her in 2016, reading from a portion of the Mueller report in which Donald Trump says "Im f*****".

The former US secretary of state poked fun at Mr Trump during a brief break from a speaking tour with her husband, Bill. The two sat down with comedian Jordan Klepper to read through the report.

During their chat with Klepper  who hosts the Comedy Central show Klepper  the trio began discussing GoFundMe causes they believed were worth $1,000 donations.

Klepper then noted that there is a campaign raising money to have Ms Clinton read the entire special counsel report.

Gosh, I would definitely do that, she said in response.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

The video then cut to her reading the portion of the report in which the president found out that Robert Mueller would be leading the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Oh my god. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. Im f*****, Ms Clinton said, mocking the presidents speaking pattern ever so slightly.

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The Clintons have at least five more speaking dates set up for their tour, in Vancouver, Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

The two political titans have so far refused to put their support behind any of the candidates in the Democratic primary, where at least 20 candidates are vying for the chance to take on Mr Trump in 2020.
Joe Biden has said that he needs to be more sensitive about whether to show affection in the wake of allegations from a number of women that the 2020 candidate touched them inappropriately.

Speaking with his wife Jill during his first major interview since announcing his run for the presidency, Mr Biden said that he had a responsibility to judge his behaviour better having faced accusations that he had made women feel awkward and embarrassed when greeting them.

I've always thought that part of leadership, part of politics was listening to people, hearing them, making them feel comfortable, Mr Biden told ABCs Good Morning America.

It's my responsibility to be more sensitive to whether or not someone wants me to reassure them or wants to say hello or wants to show affection. And that's my responsibility.

Former Nevada assembly member Lucy Flores was the first to speak out about Mr Biden, writing an essay about an incident from 2014 where Mr Biden put his hands on Ms Flores shoulders, smelt her hair and kissed the back of her head at a political event. Ms Flores wrote in New York Magazines The Cut that the behaviour was demeaning and disrespectful and wrote of the power imbalance that Mr Biden was the beneficiary of.

I didn't even know what to do, she later told ABC News. I didn't know how to react It was the president of the United States of America, you dont expect that to happen.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Further accusations followed and Mr Biden released a video statement that said he understood that social norms are changing. He promised he would be much more mindful.

But days later he joked about having permission to hug union leader Lonnie Stephenson during an event, which got cheers from a largely male audience. There has been no outright apology for his actions.

Ms Biden said that her husband has to now judge whether to approach people or not. I think what you don't realise is how many people approach Joe. Men and women, looking for comfort or empathy, she said. But going forward, I think he's gonna have to judge  be a better judge  of when people approach him, how he's going to react. That he maybe shouldn't approach them.

Mr Biden was also asked about the treatment of Anita Hill during Senate testimony as part of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas confirmation hearing in 1991. She had accused Justice Thomas of sexual harassment, which Mr Thomas had denied. A young black law professor, Ms Hill faced aggressive questioning from the all-white, all-male judiciary committee that Mr Biden chaired.

I believed her from the very beginning, but I was chairman. She did not get a fair hearing. She did not get treated well. That's my responsibility, Mr Biden told ABC. As the committee chairman, I take responsibility that she did not get treated well. I take responsibility for that.

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Mr Biden is the frontrunner to take the Democratic presidential nomination, with a new CNN poll putting him well ahead of the more than 20 people who have declared to run in the Democrat primary.

The poll of 1,007 adults in the days following Mr Bidens campaign announcement shows 39 per cent of Democrat voters or Democrat-leaning independent voters would pick the former vice president as their top choice. That is more than 20 percentage points up on Vermont senator Bernie Sanders who is second with 15 per cent. Since his campaign launch, support for Mr Biden has increased by 11 per cent according to the poll.
Donald Trump has hired his sons girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, to officially serve on his 2020 re-election campaign.

The former Fox News host will act as a senior adviser for the campaign after joining Donald Trump Jr in his travels across the country during the 2018 midterm elections.

She previously worked at the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action as vice chairwoman shortly after leaving the network in July 2018.

"President Trump has a clear record of accomplishments and promises kept as he continues to Make America Great Again," Brad Parscale, the presidents campaign manager, said in a statement Monday confirming a slate of new hires to the team.

"These exceptional additions to the re-election effort will help us take our case to the voters and ensure victory, he added.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

The presidents children and their spouses have become intrinsically intertwined with his campaign and presidency.

His daughter, Ivanka Trump, serves as a senior adviser in the White House, along with her husband, Jared Kushner. While she spearheads several efforts surrounding womens issues, Mr Kushner has been tasked with restoring peace in the Middle East and overhauling the nations criminal justice system, though it remains unclear how he plans to address either issue.

Recommended Donald Trump Jr considering running for office

Eric Trump oversees the Trump Organisation as a trustee and executive vice president, while his wife, Lara Trump, serves as the face of his fathers 2020 re-election campaign.

Mr Trump Jr continues to remain a force along the campaign trail and on social media for his fathers campaign, sharing messages  sometimes with misleading or outright false facts  of support for the Trump presidency.

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Along with Ms Guilfoyle joining the campaign are Marty Obst, who will serve as a senior strategist for vice presidential operations, Nathan Groth as in-house counsel, Hannah Castillo as director of coalitions and Samantha Menh as director of vice presidential operations.
A young man who accused Pete Buttigieg of sexual assault has fully rescinded the allegations, claiming he was swept up in a despicable setup coordinated by two of the most infamous right-wing trolls.

It all started when notorious conspiracy theorist Jacob Wohl reportedly approached several men in recent weeks to discuss a task force set up by the Donald Trump administration to undermine the 2020 presidential hopefuls candidacy. Mr Wohl was hoping to use the men and their identities in a series of false accusations against the Indiana mayor, according to Daily Beast.

Mr Buttigieg, who has been rising in national polls, was viewed by Mr Wohl as a terminal threat to Mr Trumps presidency, one of the approached men told the outlet. That anonymous source provided an audio recording of his interactions to verify his account.

Hunter Kelly, one of the men reportedly contacted by Mr Wohl, later confirmed he had not actually been assaulted by the Democratic politician in a Facebook post.

Its important for everyone to know that I was not sexually assaulted and would never falsely accuse anyone, he wrote. To keep it brief for now, I was approached by a political figure to come to DC to discuss political situations from the standpoint of a gay Republican. When I arrived they discussed Peter Buttigieg and started talking about how they would be working a campaign against him.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

I went to bed and woke up to a fake Twitter @RealHunterKelly and an article that I in no way endorsed or wrote, he continued. I have since left and am working on a formal statement to give to everyone including the Buttigieg family.

Before Mr Kelly could deny the allegations, they had already been published in at least one major right-wing site called Big League Politics, which has since amended its post on the matter.

The Medium post originally published with the false allegations has also been removed from the platform. It previously claimed Mr Hunter was raped by Mr Buttigieg, and that he had been contemplating suicide while deciding to come out with the accusations.

Mr Buttigieg brushed off the controversy in a statement to the Daily Beast.

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Its not going to throw us, he said. Politics can be ugly sometimes but you have to face that when youre in presidential politics.
President Donald Trump issued new restrictions on asylum seekers at the Mexican border on Monday  including application fees and work permit restraints  and ordered that cases in the already clogged immigration courts be settled within 180 days.

In a memo sent to Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security, and Attorney General William Barr, the president took another step to reshape asylum law, which is determined by Congress, from the White House.

The restrictions do not take effect immediately.

Mr Trump gave administration officials 90 days to figure out how his orders could be carried out.

They are among the first significant changes to asylum policy since Mr McAleenan replaced Kirstjen Nielsen as homeland security secretary and the president signalled he would take a tougher stance on the asylum-seekers swamping the border.

Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Show all 23 1 /23 Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border A group of migrants climb the US border fence in Tijuana AFP/Getty Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border A group of migrants cross the dried up Tijuana river AFP/Getty Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Mexico police emerge from a cloud of tear gas Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Mexico police work to keep migrants from getting over the border with the US AP Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border US border patrol agents stand guard as migrant seek to cross the border at Tijuana Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Adults help a child over the US border fence AFP/Getty Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Migrants near the US border in Tijuana Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Migrants climb the US border fence in Tijuana AFP/Getty Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Migrants clash with riot police as they near the US border in Tijuana Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border A migrant is detained by US border patrol officers after illegally crossing the border Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border A group of migrants cross the dried up Tijuana river Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Tear gas is deployed at the border Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border A group of migrants make their way to the US border fence Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border A migrant man wears a homemade gas mask Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Migrants stand on the banks of the Tijuana river opposite the US border fence Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border A group of migrants cross the Tijuana river Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Migrants gather at the border crossing in Tijuana AP Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Tear gas is fired by border police to deter migrants EPA Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border A migrant covers his face as tear gas surrounds him Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Migrant families seek to cross the US border at Tijuana Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Mexico police try to stop migrants from crossing Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Migrants force their way through the border fence at Tijuana Reuters Migrants clash with authorities as they seek to cross the US border Reuters

The administration has already restricted the number of migrants who can apply for asylum per day, who qualifies for asylum and where they must wait for a resolution  immigrations that have been the subject of multiple federal court cases.

Carrying out the presidents orders will be an early test for Mr McAleenan, who was named acting secretary this month.

The purpose of this memorandum is to strengthen asylum procedures to safeguard our system against rampant abuse of our asylum process, Mr Trump said in the memo.

The memo did not make clear how the plans would be carried out in immigration courts.

More than 800,000 cases are pending, with an average wait time of almost two years.

The Trump administration added to that backlog when it directed immigration authorities to reopen thousands of non-violent removal cases.

The memo specifically called for the authorities to set a fee for asylum-seekers filing their claims and for their work permit applications.

Migrants who have entered or tried to enter the United States illegally would also be barred from receiving a work permit until their claim is adjudicated.

Theres a reason that we give people work permits while they are waiting for asylum, so that they can support themselves and dont have to be depending on government assistance during that time, Michelle Brane, the director of migrant rights and justice at the Womens Refugee Commission.

This month, the White House took action over the rising number of border crossings when Trump forced out Ms Nielsen, who oversaw attempts to tighten the asylum process and the administrations family separations policy.

The next day, the White House pushed out multiple other homeland security officials.

 Donald Trump defends use of tear gas at Mexico border

The Coyotes and Drug Cartels are in total control of the Mexico side of the Southern Border, President Trump said last night on Twitter. They have labs nearby where they make drugs to sell into the U.S.

"Mexico, one of the most dangerous countrys in the world, must eradicate this problem now. Also, stop the MARCH to U.S.

One of Trumps White House aides, Stephen Miller, has berated homeland security officials over what the White House sees as a broken immigration system.

Recommended Trump attacked over death threats to journalists

At the current pace of nearly 100,000 migrants each month, officials estimate more than 1 million people will have tried to cross the border within a year.

While most migrants pass their initial interview, only about 20 per cent of asylum-seekers ultimately win the right to live and work in the United States.

Applicants must show evidence of past persecution and establish a well-founded fear that they would face danger if they returned home.

Ms Brane said the new restrictions would turn asylum on its head.

The entire idea of asylum is that its something that you need because you are fleeing some sort of violence or persecution, she said, and to then say that its only accessible to people who can pay a fee doesnt make sense.

Speaking of the Trump administrations broader approach to asylum, she said, All of it has been aimed at reducing the number of people who can access the system as opposed to reducing the need for asylum by addressing root causes.

Mr McAleenan, a former commissioner for Customs and Border Protection, helped carry out the Trump administrations zero tolerance policy to prosecute parents caught crossing the border illegally, which led to family separations.

 Donald Trump: family separation policy was effective for deterring illegal immigrants

But he has also emphasised the importance of aid to Central American countries  even though Trump cut State Department funding to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala this year.

The acting secretary is seen by many as someone who can appeal to both Democrats and Republicans on the hill.

He will have an opportunity on Tuesday, when hes expected to testify in front of the House Appropriations Committee.

A spokesman for homeland security declined to comment on Monday.

The New York Times
 Close Trump compares US-Mexico border to Disneyland and calls end to family separations a disaster

Donald Trump has said drug cartels are in total control of the Mexico side of the Southern Border as he orders sweeping reforms to the US's immigration system.

The plans introduced in a memo by attorney-general William Barr and acting homeland security secretary Kevin McAleenan would see impoverished asylum seekers required to pay a fee to have their applications and work permits processed and migrants who have attempted to enter the US illegally prevented from receiving employment authorisation before any relief or protection is granted.

The president is meanwhile suing Deutsche Bank and Capital One to prevent them complying with House subpoenas and handing over records of his financial dealings with them as former adviser Roger Stone appeared in court Tuesday.

Stone, a longtime confidant of Mr Trump, appeared for a brief status conference after being charged in Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation with lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering.

His attorneys want to be able to view the full report as they prepare for trial. Material relating to Stones case was blacked out in the report.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Jonathan Kravis, an assistant US attorney, says the government has no obligation to provide the information Stone seeks. He says prosecutors have already given Stone significant information, including grand jury testimony and material that may be favourable to his defence.

The president also met with Democratic leaders Tuesday, with Chuck Schumer describing there being good will to work together.

Nancy Pelosi and congressional Democrats had asked for the meeting with Mr Trump to discuss launching an ambitious building program thats a top priority for the party and has been a rare area of potential bipartisan accord with Republicans. Mr Trump, too, has long promised a big infrastructure plan.

The dozen Democratic lawmakers in the meeting with the president called it a constructive start. They said Mr Trump agreed that infrastructure investments should go beyond roads and bridges and include broadband, water systems, and enhancements to the electrical grid.

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Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
In recent months, US national security officials have been preparing for Russian interference in the 2020 presidential race by tracking cyber threats, sharing intelligence about foreign disinformation efforts with social media companies and helping state election officials protect their systems against foreign manipulation.

But these actions are strikingly at odds with statements from President Donald Trump, who has rebuffed warnings from his senior aides about Russia and sought to play down that countrys potential to influence American politics.

The presidents rhetoric and lack of focus on election security has made it tougher for government officials to implement a more comprehensive approach to preserving the integrity of the electoral process, current and former officials said.

Officials insist that they have made progress since 2016 in hardening defences.

And top security officials, including the director of national intelligence, say the president has given them full support in their efforts to counter malign activities.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

But some analysts worry that by not sending a clear, public signal that he understands the threat foreign interference poses, Trump is inviting more of it.

In the past week, Justice Department prosecutors indicated that Russias efforts to disrupt the 2016 election are part of a long-term strategy that the United States continues to confront.

In a memo recommending a prison sentence for Maria Butina, an admitted Russian agent who tried to establish lines of communication with influential Republicans, federal prosecutors said that Russia has long targeted the United States and US allies.

They warned that activities such as Butinas could form the basis of other intelligence operations, or targeting, in the future. A federal judge sentenced her on Friday to 18 months in prison.

Special counsel Robert Mueller called Russias 2016 operations sweeping and systematic, and noted in his report on Russian meddling in the campaign that his office passed information about possible counterintelligence value to the FBI, as part of the bureaus mission to impede foreign spies in the United States.

Officials have said that work continues, separate from the special counsels now-closed investigation.

Senator Lindsey Graham, speaking on Sunday on CBS News, said that his takeaway from the Mueller report is that the Russians were very involved in the 2016 election, theyre coming at us again and Id like to stop them.

And one way to stop them is to make them pay a price, he added, arguing for more sanctions.

For more than two years, however, Mr Trump has recoiled when aides broached Russias 2016 theft and dissemination of Democratic emails and its manipulation of social media in an effort to sway the election.

Its a goddamn hoax, President Trump said in one meeting with advisers in 2017 when they tried to discuss what the government should do to deter Russian operations.

People who were present or were briefed about the meeting and other administration discussions spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Last week, some of Trumps top advisers echoed his sentiments.

Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, dismissed the significance of the 2016 interference as Russia buying some Facebook ads.

 Zuckerberg on countering Russian election interference efforts: 'This is an arms race'

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, one of Trumps lawyers, implied that future Kremlin assistance might even be welcome when he told CNN that theres nothing wrong with taking information from Russians.

Senator Graham on Face the Nation strongly disputed Mr Kushners analysis.

I like Jared a lot, but .. .this is a big deal. Its not just a few Facebook ads, he said. They were very successful in pitting one American against the other ... and they actually got into the campaign email system of the Democratic Party. An attack on one party is an attack on all.

Senior security officials say the president directed them to ensure that the 2018 midterm elections were protected.

On this issue, I want the American people to know that when we needed to brief the president or talk to the American people on the topic of election security in the run-up to the 2018 midterms, the intelligence community had the full support of the National Security Council and the White House, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats said in a statement.

I know, because I specifically asked the president for certain capabilities on behalf of the intelligence community and he quickly agreed and also encouraged several of us to speak to the American people. That support has not changed.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesman Tyler Houlton said: From early 2017 the Department has had clear guidance from the president  and support from his senior staff  on the need to secure our elections and our democracy.

He said that acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan, in his first two weeks in office, met several times with the departments top election security official and reiterated the administrations direction to take all action to protect the 2020 election. This is a top priority of the department, he said.

Security analysts have greeted Mr Muellers findings as an alarm call and have described them as a roadmap for how Russian operatives work in the United States.

But time and mounting evidence, including Mr Muellers indictment of 26 Russians in connection with their role in interference operations, hasnt made Mr Trump more open to frank discussion about the issue, current and former officials said.

In two meetings in the White House in recent months, Mr Trump said repeatedly that Russias efforts didnt change a single vote, even though his advisers have never suggested that they did, and he continually insisted that the campaign was not hacked, according to people who were present or were briefed about the meetings.

 Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen: Every US state must prepare for Russian election interference in midterms

During discussions in the Oval Office, the president has regularly conflated the threat of foreign interference with attacks on the legitimacy of his election, the current and former officials said.

In one meeting in late summer 2018 in the Situation Room, aides told Mr Trump that they wanted to talk publicly to raise voters awareness of the interference ahead of the midterm.

According to an official familiar with the meeting, Mr Trump placed a condition on any public statements: The aides must also make clear that Russia didnt influence his win.

At times, Mr Trump has implicitly acknowledged Russias actions, but he also has tried not to blame one country exclusively  saying that other nations are worse.

Several advisers said that Trump has mocked them for focusing on Russia, saying that China is the only game in town, and predicting that a bunch of other countries would try to emulate Russias efforts, current and former US officials said.

When Kirstjen Nielsen brought up election interference when she was secretary of homeland security, Mr Trump quickly moved the conversation to immigration enforcement, two administration officials said.

In one briefing before the 2018 election, Ms Nielsen went to the White House to talk about interference and Mr Trump changed the conversation to the caravan of immigrants coming from Mexico, aides said.

Some senior administration officials, including Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, told Ms Nielsen that she should pay more attention to immigration and border security because those were the issues the president cared about.

And there was tension among Trumps top officials.

Ms Nielsen blamed national security adviser John Bolton for not elevating election security on the presidents agenda, several current and former administration officials said.

Mr Bolton has not extensively focused on the subject or convened regular meetings about raising defences, White House officials said.

Aides say that the matter was instead addressed via interagency memos, and that officials reached few policy decisions.

 Hillary Clinton warned us about Russias interference with the US

Part of what youre seeing is her frustration with getting Bolton to focus on this, trying to get the [National Security Council] to pull together regular, constructive policy conversations on the matter.

Mr Nielsen called her own meetings twice in the run-up to the midterm with Daniel Coats, FBI Director Christopher Wray, then-National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers and later his successor, General Paul Nakasone, attending.

National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis defended Bolton.

National Security Council staff, led by Ambassador Bolton, works closely across government to address foreign malign influence and ensure election security, which is why the 2018 elections were secure. Any suggestion otherwise is patently false, he said in a statement.

Officials say they have been working to raise the countrys defences and awareness ahead of 2020.

The National Security Agency (NSA) has tracked intelligence overseas that might point to efforts by Russians or other adversaries to break into US computer networks or mount influence operations.

 'There's nothing wrong with taking information from Russians' Rudy Giuliani says

The agency has shared that intelligence with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security so that officials there can warn social media companies and other potential targets.

A group Nakasone set up with US Cyber Command and NSA personnel last year to counter Russian influence is now permanent.

As part of that effort, Cyber Command, pursuant to a presidential directive, blocked Internet access to Russian trolls as Americans voted in November.

The FBI established a Foreign Influence Task Force in 2017 that is monitoring efforts to mount influence operations, whether by targeting vulnerable Americans, creating fake personas on social media, or conducting cyberattacks on political parties and elected officials.

The task force works closely with the NSA and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as social media companies.

The department has contacted officials in all 50 states to help secure their election infrastructures, and is sharing threat data with state and local election offices, social media firms, political parties and others.

Election security and foreign influence task forces the department set up in 2017 have been made permanent under its new National Risk Management Centre.

Officials said these measures and others have been taken regardless of the lack of explicit direction from the president.

We dont seek daily validation from the White House on what our mission should be or is, one official said. We have clear authorities. We have budget. Were grown-ups here.

The Washington Post
Donald Trump, three of his children and seven of his companies have launched legal action against two banks in a bid to stop them complying with court orders to cooperate with congressional investigations into his financial dealings.

The federal lawsuit, filed in the US District Court's Southern District of New York, contends that Democrat-controlled House committees have no legitimate or lawful purpose in demanding records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One.

"The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family," court documents said.

The lawsuit alleges Democrats are hoping "they will stumble upon something they can expose publicly and use as a political tool against the President."

Democrat representatives Maxine Waters, who chairs the Financial Services Commission, and Adam Schiff, chair of the Intelligence Committee, called the legal action "meritless".

"This lawsuit is not designed to succeed; it is only designed to put off meaningful accountability as long as possible, they added in a joint statement. This unprecedented stonewalling will not work, and the American people deserve better."

Criminals who worked for Trump Show all 5 1 /5 Criminals who worked for Trump Criminals who worked for Trump Michael Cohen Former lawyer for Donald Trump was sentenced to three years in prison on counts involving evading income tax, false disclosure of the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels and another hush money charge Getty Criminals who worked for Trump Paul Manafort Former campaign manager for Trump Manafort was found guilty in February 2018 of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failure to disclose a foreign bank account. The crimes occurred prior to his appointment in Trump's campaign Getty Criminals who worked for Trump George Papadopoulos Former Trump campaign adviser Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in October 2017. He had lied about making contact with a professor who claimed that the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail Getty Criminals who worked for Trump Michael Flynn Former White House National Security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in December 2017. He had lied about conversations that he had with the Russian ambassador to the US during Trump's Presidential campaign. He was not given prison time due to his "significant assistance" to the Mueller investigation Getty Criminals who worked for Trump Rick Gates Deputy chairman of Trump's presidential campaign Gates pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in February 2018 AFP/Getty

The two committees issued summons to nine financial institutions for information on Mr Trump's finances on 15 April. Both Deutsche Bank and Capital One have been involved in the presidents property empire.

"The potential use of the US financial system for illicit purposes is a very serious concern, Ms Waters said in an earlier statement. The Financial Services Committee is exploring these matters, including as they may involve the president and his associates, as thoroughly as possible.

Mr Schiff said the summonses included a "friendly subpoena to Deutsche Bank" and were part of an investigation "into allegations of potential foreign influence on the US political process."

The president's businesses have benefited from Russian investment over the years and Mr Schiff said he wants to know whether Russians used laundered money for transactions with the Trump Organisation.

Mr Trump has repeatedly vowed to defy any efforts from the Democrats to dig into his affairs and has used similar tactics before to avoid scrutiny.

Last week he sued his own accounting firm, Mazars USA, and the Democratic chairman of the House Oversight Committee in a bid to stop the company turning over details of his financial dealings.

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The latest lawsuit, also brought by the presidents eldest children Donald Jr, Eric, and Ivanka as well as the Trump Organisation, states that the court has the power to declare the subpoenas invalid.

Last year a federal judge rejected a similar lawsuit brought by political research firm Fusion GPS, which had been looking to prevent TD Bank turning over financial records to congress.

A Deutsche Bank statement said: "We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorised investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations."

Mr Trump received more than $2bn in loans from the bank over two decades.

Capital One did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration is pushing for the Muslim Brotherhood to be designated a foreign terrorist organisation, a move that would put the US at odds with a number of countries across the Middle East.

Donald Trump and White House aides have directed national security officials and diplomats to find a path to placing sanctions on the group after meeting with Egyptian officials earlier this month.

In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said: The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern.

This designation is working its way through the internal process, she added.

However, the move has sparked fierce debate among members of the administration, with key members of Mr Trumps team having again put themselves at odds with career officials in both the Defence Department and diplomatic circles. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, and national security adviser John Bolton are reportedly both behind the move  with both favouring tough action against what they see as threats to America.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

But long-standing officials in the Pentagon see a more nuanced situation, with the Brotherhood now more a loose-knit selection of groups with political parties in Tunisia, Kuwait and Jordan all having historic ties to the group. While some parties, such as the Islamic Action Front in Jordan have broken ties with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, the movement as a whole has millions of members across the Middle East.

The decision to push for the designation came after a meeting earlier on 9 April with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, according to The New York Times.

Mr Trump has sought a close relationship with Mr Sisi, one of a number of autocratic leaders around the world that Mr Trump identifies with. After the meeting, Mr Trump called Mr Sisi a great president. A bipartisan group from across congress has recently expressed concerns over Mr Sisi's record on human rights, efforts to keep him in office for many years and planned Russian arms purchases.

The Muslim Brotherhood began in 1928, using violence to push for the end of the British occupation. The movement tuned away from violence in the 1970s. Former general Mr Sisi led a coup in 2013 to oust Egypts first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi  a former leader in the Brotherhood. What followed was a brutal crackdown on Brotherhood supporters, with the Egyptian government designating the group a terrorist organisation.

Mr Sisi is said to have repeatedly pushed the administration of Barack Obama to follow suit, with the White House resisting as it was against administration policy.

Mr Trump appears to have few such concerns, although some career officials have expressed apprehension privately that this marks another decision, after the announcement of a withdrawal of troops from Syria, that Mr Trump appears to have taken following discussions with foreign leaders and without consulting officials.

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The Trump administration had weighed up designating both the Muslim Brotherhood and Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as terror organisations early in 2017, but faced opposition from Pentagon officials. The IRGC was given the designation this year, with the Brotherhood the next to be assessed.

Some defence officials would prefer for the idea to be dropped, with the diplomatic fallout unknown. For example Turkeys president Tayyip Recep Erdogan is a key supporter of the Brotherhood. If not, some ideas being looked at include limiting the scope of the sanctions just to Egypt, or terrorist groups with links to the Brotherhood that have not yet been handed a terror designation, according to The New York Times.

But it is unclear what listing the group as a terrorist organisation would mean for US relief groups with ties to the Brotherhood, which is heavily involved with social affairs across the region.
The apparent firing of White House national security adviser John Bolton marks just the latest departure for an administration that has turned heads for its high level of turnover.

After Donald Trump became president in January 2017, the administration gained notoriety for its tumult and chaos as the newly minted administration found its legs.

While the rate of removal has slowed somewhat following the 2018 midterms, the sheer number of high-level departures is notable.

Heres a list of those departures, and how long they lasted in the White House.

Michael Flynn  national security adviser: Started 20 January 2017, left 13 February 2017

 national security adviser: Started 20 January 2017, left 13 February 2017 Sean Spicer  communications director and press secretary: Started 20 January 2017, left 21 July 2017

 communications director and press secretary: Started 20 January 2017, left 21 July 2017 Reince Priebus  chief of staff: Started 20 January 2017, left 23 July 2017

 chief of staff: Started 20 January 2017, left 23 July 2017 Anthony Scaramucci  communications director: Started 21 July 2017, left 31 July 2017

 communications director: Started 21 July 2017, left 31 July 2017 Steve Bannon  chief strategist: Started 20 January 2017, left 18 August 2017

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was 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 AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: 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 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Katie Walsh  deputy chief of staff: Started 20 January 2017, left 30 March 2017

 deputy chief of staff: Started 20 January 2017, left 30 March 2017 Michael Dubke  communications director: Started 6 March 2017, left 2 June 2017

 communications director: Started 6 March 2017, left 2 June 2017 Sebastian Gorka  deputy assistant to the president: Started 20 January 2017, left 25 August 2017

 deputy assistant to the president: Started 20 January 2017, left 25 August 2017 KT McFarland  deputy national security adviser: Started 20 January 2017, left 9 April 2017

 deputy national security adviser: Started 20 January 2017, left 9 April 2017 Tom Price  secretary of Health and Human Services: Started 10 February 2017, left 29 September 2017

 secretary of Health and Human Services: Started 10 February 2017, left 29 September 2017 Omarosa Manigault Newman  assistant to the president and director of communications for the office of public liaison: 20 January 2017, left 13 December 2017

 assistant to the president and director of communications for the office of public liaison: 20 January 2017, left 13 December 2017 James Comey  FBI director: Started 4 September 2013, left 9 May 2017

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A man has been arrested in Christchurch, New Zealand after a package containing a suspected explosive device and ammunition was found by police officers.

New Zealand police said officers responded to an incident in the city, where a lone gunman killed 50 people at two mosques last month.

Police have located a package containing a suspected explosive device and ammunition at a vacant address...in Christchurch, a spokesperson said.

Officers arrived at a property in the Phillipstown neighbourhood on Tuesday, after threats about an explosive device were reported.

Bomb disposal teams, ambulance and fire crews also arrived as nearby homes were evacuated, with police ordering people to stay clear of the area.

New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Show all 11 1 /11 New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Zakaria Bhuiyan People gather hoping to find out information about Zakaria Bhuiyan who is still missing after the mosques shootings in Christchurch. David Moir/AFP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Mucad Ibrahim Three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim, the youngest known victim of the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. Abdi Ibrahim via AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Nadeem Rasheed Nadeem Rasheed, brother of Pakistani Naeem Rashid who died alongside his son Talha Naeem, 21, who were killed in shooting at a Mosque in Christchurch, at their home town in Abbottabad, EPA New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Omar Nabi Omar Nabi speaks to the media about losing his father Haji Daoud Nabi, 71, in the mosque attack REUTERS New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Ash Mohammed Ash Mohammed, right, talks to a police officer about his father and two brothers who are missing near the Masjid Al Noor mosque AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Akhtar Khokhur Akhtar Khokhur, 58, shows a picture of her missing husband Mehaboobbhai Khokhar, 65. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Wasseim Alsati A note is seen on a window of a door at the family home of Wasseim Alsati in Christchurch on 17 March 2019. AFP/Getty Images New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Haroon Mahmood Relatives offer condolences to nephew (centre) of Haroon Mahmood, a Pakistani citizen who was killed in Christchurch mosque shootings. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Farid Ahmed Farid Ahmed (pictured) survived the Al Noor mosque shootings but his wife Husne was killed. AFP/Getty Images New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Syed Areeb Ahmed A relative shows a picture of Syed Areeb Ahmed, a Pakistani citizen who was killed the Christchurch mosque shooting. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Naeem Rashid A relative looks at a picture on a mobile phone of Pakistani nationals Naeem Rashid and his son Talha Naeem (right) who died in the Christchurch shootings. AFP/Getty Images

The suspicious package has been made safe by an explosives device unit.

Roads were cordoned off as emergency services staff worked at the scene.

Some residents were later allowed to return home after the cordon was lifted.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested and is currently speaking to police in regards to the incident, a police spokesperson said.

Members of the community are asked to continue to report any concerning behaviour or activity in their neighbourhoods as we all work together to ensure the safety of our community.

A no-fly zone has also been established in the area.

A spokesman for the St John Ambulance service said an ambulance had been on standby at the request of police but staff did not treat any patients.

The New Zealand government has tightened the countrys gun laws following the March 2019 terror attacks.

Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was charged with 50 counts of murder in the wake of the shootings.

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Additional reporting by agencies
An American art museum has demanded that a German far-right political party stop using one of its paintings in campaign material.

AfD, or Alternative for Germany, used the 1866 painting The Slave Market by Jean-Leon Gerome in publicity posters for the European parliament elections.

The painting, which is displayed in the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, depicts slave traders from the Middle East or North Africa inspecting a naked woman with lighter skin.

Posters featuring the painting were put up by the AfDs Berlin branch with the slogan So that Europe wont become Eurabia.

Olivier Meslay, the museums director, said: We condemn the use of the painting Slave Market by Jean-Leon Gerome from 1866, to advance AfDs political stance.

The painting is displayed in the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts (Public domain)

He said he had written to the party insisting that they cease and desist in using this painting, but accepted that because of the works age it was public domain and that there was no copyright law preventing the image from being used.

Political figures caricatured at German carnival Show all 22 1 /22 Political figures caricatured at German carnival Political figures caricatured at German carnival Donald Trump is depicted as a raging bull AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival Prime Minister Theresa May is depicted as piercing the economy with Brexit Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival US president Donald Trump is depicted as an angel flying behind Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman who is wielding a bloody chainsaw Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival Italian Inteior Minister and deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini is depicted as feeding racism and nationalism. He also bears a tattoo of affection for the mafia Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival Chairman of Poland's leading Law and Justice Party (PIS) Jaroslaw Kaczynski is depicted as crucifying liberal Poland Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is depicted running towards the EU for asylum AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is depicted running towards the EU for asylum Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival Planet Earth is depicted as eating plastic waste EPA Political figures caricatured at German carnival The frontside of a float depicting Germany's far-right party Alternative fur Deutschland (AFD)... Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival ...and the backside of the float. Depicting a German nazi AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin are depicted tearing up the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which the US recently pulled out of Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival A Catholic bishop is depicted as sleeping on "the merciless processing of abuse cases" Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is depicted as being covered in blood Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival Donald Trump is depicted as a raging bull Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival German Chancellor Angela Merkel is depicted as sitting on a knackered horse and holding out a carrot AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival The horse is called "Koalition" in reference to Germany's ruling coalition AFP/Getty Images Political figures caricatured at German carnival The carrot bears the label "AKK", an abbreviation of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Merkel's successor as leader of the Christian Democratic Union Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival A paper mache figure of a priest carrying an attache case reading "let the children come towards me" is seen during the presentation of the floats for the upcoming Rose Monday parade in Mainz, Germany Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival German Chancellor Angela Merkel is depicted as a rabbit waiting to be shot by her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival German Chancellor Angela Merkel is depicted as a rabbit waiting to be shot by her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer EPA Political figures caricatured at German carnival German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is depicted as holding a bent gun that he intends to aim at Chancellor Angela Merkel EPA Political figures caricatured at German carnival Andrea Naples, leader of the German Social Democrats (SPD) who are in coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's party AP

AfD, which is well know for its anti-Muslim stances, says it will not take the posters down.

The German public has the right to find out about the truth about the possible consequences of illegal mass immigration, said AfD politician Ronald Glaeser  apparently suggesting that immigration would lead to the enslavement of white people.

AfD has lost momentum since winning seats in the German parliament for the first time in 2017. The party is polling around 10 per cent to 12 per cent for the European elections next month, slightly down on its other scores.
At least 45,000 children in Iraq born into the so-called Islamic State may soon become stateless, in what right groups are calling a human timebomb.

Unless they are formally recognised, tens of thousands of minors  one in every five living in Iraqi camps  are barred from medical care, attending school or receiving food rations warned the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in a new report on Tuesday.

At its peak the jihadi group controlled nearly a third of Iraq and children born under the militants rule are now missing vital documentation, such as birth certificates.

Any papers issued by Isis are not recognised by the Iraqi state. Others have also lost their documentation or had it confiscated when they fled their homes.

The NRCs report, Barriers from Birth, found that it can take up a number of years for these children to receive documentation, but warned it is nearly impossible for those whose families are perceived to be have been affiliated with Isis to secure paperwork.

They said it resulted in collective punishment for thousands of innocent children.

Children are not responsible for crimes committed by their relatives, yet many are denied their basic rights as Iraqi citizens, said Jan Egeland, NRCs secretary general.

Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Show all 14 1 /14 Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Men who fled the last Isis-held area of Syria line up to be questioned by American and Kurdish intelligence officials Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A young girl pulls her belongings after arriving Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate An SDF fighter hands out bread to women and children after they arrive Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Sita Ghazzar, 70, after fleeing from the last Isis-held territory in Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A family from Russia who recently fled the last Isis-held area of Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent

We face a possible human timebomb. Allowing these children to have an education, healthcare, simply the right to exist, is key to ensuring a sustainable future for them and for the country, he added.

A society cannot be at peace if it allows a generation of stateless children in its midst.

During Isiss rule, the group established its own version of state bureaucracy, which included registering births, marriages and deaths.

After US-backed forces defeated the militant group and its self-styled caliphate, many Isis-affiliated families and civilians who lived under their rule were put in displacement camps.

Ahmad and his disabled son, Mithaq who is barred access to medical care in Hawija (Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC)

An estimated 225,000 children are believed to be living in such camps across Iraq.

One mother, Hana, who has seven children and now lives in a displacement camp in Kirkuk, said that her husband destroyed her life by taking her eldest son and joining Isis in Hawija, north of Baghdad. She said she fled the town once the Iraqi government retook it from the militant group, after which the authorities confiscated her family paperwork.

My husband took the wrong path. He took my oldest son and left us to fight with Islamic State. They are both dead now, and I am alone in this camp with my young children, the widow said.

Three of them dont even have identity documents. My husband destroyed our lives; me and my children suffer, she added.

Back in Hawija, another family said their son, Mithaq, who was born four days after Isis took control of the town in 2014 and is disabled, has also been barred access to proper documentation. He is also barred from receiving hospital treatment.

The number of undocumented children is also likely to significantly rise in the coming weeks with the expected return of more than 30,000 Iraqis from Syria, the NRC report warned.

Ninety per cent of the returnees are thought to be wives and children with suspected ties to Isis militants.

Recommended Isis leader Baghdadi has more PR advisers than a Hollywood actor

The rights group said as many as 80,000 households across Iraq may have family members missing at least one form of ID.

The total number of children may be even higher.

Undocumented children risk remaining left on the margins of society if this issue is not addressed immediately. This seriously undermines future prospects of reconciliation efforts, Mr Egeland said.

We urge the government to ensure that undocumented children have the right to exist like any other Iraqi citizen, he added.

 Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seen in new video for first time in five years

Foreign children affiliated with Isis are also at risk and face an indefinite stay in Iraq, with many countries unwilling to allow them to be repatriated.

According to Reuters, at least 700 children of suspected jihadi fighters are stuck in a central womens prison in Baghdad. Over 200 of them were born in the detention facility to mothers who arrived pregnant.
The death toll from a devastating war in Yemen could soar to nearly a quarter of a million by the end of 2019, the United Nations (UN) has warned, calling the conflict one of the greatest preventable disasters facing humanity.

In a 60-page report, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said the fighting between the Gulf-backed Yemen government and the Houthi rebels could also set the country back a generation in terms of development.

It warned that if a proper ceasefire is not brokered by the end of the year, the total number of dead could rise to 233,000, with 60 per cent of the deceased being children under the age of five.

The UNs projected count includes 102,000 killed in combat and 131,000 who will die due to a lack of food, health services and infrastructure in the war.

It represents a significant increase on the latest death toll, compiled by global mapping group the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled), which said last week 70,000 people have died in the war since 2016.

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)

British parliamentarians, meanwhile, urged the UK to halt weapons sales to a Saudi-led coalition fighting in the country, fearing it was contributing to the humanitarian crisis and numbers of deaths.

The current conflict in Yemen is one of the greatest preventable disasters facing humanity, the damning UNDP report said.

If that war continues it will continue to disproportionately kill children, mostly due to a lack of access to food, health services and infrastructure. It is already placed among some of the worst conflicts since the end of the Cold War.

Yemen has been ripped apart by a devastating conflict since the Iran-backed Houthis took control of the country in late 2014, ousting recognised President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf partners, including the UAE, launched a bombing campaign in March 2015 to reinstate their ally Hadi.

Recommended Hundreds killed and injured by Houthi landmines in Yemen

Four years on there is little hope to an end to the fighting, which has sparked what the UN has previously termed the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

Over 24 million people, or 80 per cent of the country, now rely on humanitarian aid, and more than 13 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

Peace negotiations are currently centred on a tense UN-brokered truce in the port city of Hodeidah, which is the main entry point for humanitarian aid and commercial imports.

The UN is trying to get both sides to pull troops out of the flashpoint city but the process has stalled, with both sides blaming each other for lack of progress. Fighting still rages in the southwestern province of Taiz.

UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt hosted Saudi and UAE ministers in London last week in a last-ditch attempt to hammer out peace terms.

Ahead of the meeting he had highlighted the plight of children in Yemen, saying on Twitter that more than 100 children die a day from extreme hunger.

However, the UK government has faced mounting criticism for its continued support for Saudi Arabia, which has spearheaded the devastating bombing campaign in Yemen.

Since the coalition began its aerial campaign in Yemen in March 2015, the UK has licensed at least 4.7 billion worth of weapons sales to Riyadh.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labour MP for Brighton Kempton, said the UK must immediately cease weapons and personnel support to the kingdom because of the mounting death toll highlighted in the UN report.

UK bombs routinely targeting civilian targets in Yemen are clearly not enough to shame the government into obeying UK arms export control law and suspending sales to Saudi Arabia, he told The Independent.

I have no faith that the government will stop unless the Court of Appeal compels them to do so, he added.

The leaders of five opposition parties, including Labour, have called on the UK government to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Figures from the UNDP report into the humanitarian disaster in Yemen (UNDP) (UNDP handout)

The UN report said that the conflict was morphing into a war on children, with one child dying every 12 minutes in the country.

By 2022 more than 330,000 children could be dead, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the total war death toll, it predicted.

It also raised concerns about potential famine in the country. Right now 13.4 million people are at risk of starvation in Yemen, with the figure set to rise if the conflict drags on.
Marriott is going into home rentals and Airbnb is going to run a hotel. That, in a nutshell, sums up the convergence that seems to be starting in the hospitality/accommodation business.

But how far will it go, and are there implications for other areas which have been disrupted by the new technologies?

Viewed in isolation, the Marriott initiative makes a lot of sense. It is the biggest hotel group in the world, with brands ranging from the Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, Westin, Meridien and so on. But despite being so huge there are sizeable cities where it does not have any hotels, for example in Bordeaux in France.
Sales of offal from beef, sheep and pigs is big business, with annual exports from cattle alone worth close to 230m, according to Bord Bia.

And while the bullock may start its days in the back field, it's certainly a globe-trotter of note - no pun intended - by the time it hits the plate.

Between tongues going to Japan, testicles to Hong Kong, and tails heading for Spain, there's an outlet somewhere on the map for every bit of the bovine.

Indeed, it's been said that the meat factories will sell every part of the cow except the moo.

Gallstones are possibly the most lucrative item on the list. These occur in tiny amounts in some older cows, and are valued at over 35,000/kg. They are used in traditional Chinese medicines, and are considered an aphrodisiac by some in the Far East.

Meat industry and minister clash on value of offal exports

A 160M differential has emerged between figures provided by the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, and the meat industry on the overall value of beef offal exports from Ireland.

Minister Creed told the Dail recently that total offal exports in 2018 were worth 770m, with beef offal valued at 395m. However, Meat Industry Ireland (MII) claimed the figure for the beef sector is closer to 230m. The figures provided by Minister Creed put the value of offal exports from pigs at 123m, from poultry at 195m, and from sheep at 11m. A further 46m in offal exports was categorised as 'other meat and meat products'.

While Cormac Healy of MII said he could not comment on the accuracy of Minister Creed's figures, he pointed out that Bord Bia's annual report for 2018 had a figure of 230m for beef offal and hide exports.

In his statement to the Dail, Minister Creed said the figures he provided were based on "combined nomenclature (CN) codes which are a tool for classifying goods, set up to meet the requirements both of the Common Customs Tariff and of the EU's external trade statistics".

"As such, it cannot be determined whether this data refers exclusively to offals and parts of the carcass that are not being used for meat production.

"It is likely that the above figures overstate the exact amount of our offal exports due to these classification categories," Minister Creed cautioned.

CSO figures put total exports of beef offal in 2018 at 467m.

However, over 228m of this total was categorised as 'prepared and preserved' meat and offal. This leaves a figure of 240m for the remaining offal.

Fianna Fail Agriculture spokesman, Charlie McConalogue, asked Minister Creed why farmers were not paid for the fifth quarter.

Minister Creed replied that he did not get involved in issues of pricing.

The farm organisations claim that unpaid-for-fifth-quarter material is worth between 120 and 150 per animal to the factories.

However, Cormac Healy pointed out that offals, skins and hides were an important part of "maximising the overall return from the market".

"In so far as possible, every part of the animal needs to find a market outlet and make a contribution.

"Returns from the fifth quarter are very much reflected in the price paid by processors for the animals they purchase," Mr Healy maintained.

Where it all goes

The Farming Independent asked Bord Bia's Joe Burke for a breakdown of the markets for the more mundane items from the beef animal.

From a 650kg animal producing a 350kg carcass, he said the following saleable offals are generally recovered:

Tongue - 1.5kg Currently the majority of tongues from over-30 month animals are exported in frozen form to the Japanese market. The remainder are vac-packed and go to France, and some to Britain and Belgium.
Brexit has been blamed for the delay in introducing an amended Fair Deal nursing home scheme for farmers.

The Government has stated that changes to the Fair Deal scheme - limiting contributions to the scheme from farm assets to a maximum of three years - would be introduced in 2019.

However, the Department of Health has said that it will be the end of the year at the earliest before the necessary legislation is ready to extend the full terms of the scheme to farmers and business owners.

It said the Government's focus on Brexit was a factor for the delays in drafting legislation for an amended Fair Deal scheme.

In response to queries from the Farming Independent, the Department of Health said that while it is working on the draft legislation to amend the Fair Deal terms for farmers, a number of complex policy and operational matters need to be addressed in the proposed legislation.

It is intended that this proposed policy change - the three-year cap on Fair Deal payments from farm assets - will be extended to eligible existing participants in long-term residential care so that they are not disadvantaged.

However, the Department added that there would be no retrospective recoupment of contributions for those who have paid contributions over and above the three-year period.

"The general scheme of a bill has been drafted and we are currently working closely with legal advisers on advice and legal quality control," said a Department spokesman.

Emergency funding

Figures from the Department show that extending full access for the scheme to include farmers will cost the Government up to 10m a year.

The full-year cost of capping contributions from farm assets is estimated at 7.3m for 2019 and it is estimated that the cost will increase to 10.6m per annum after this point.

If Fair Deal exceeds its allocated budget this year, it is expected the Minister for Older People Jim Daly will be forced to seek emergency extra funding from the Department of Health.

Mr Daly said demand for the scheme was "outside of expectations in the year so far" and he has requested more data.

The HSE confirmed that it is "currently experiencing increased demand for the Fair Deal scheme".

It added: "Activity levels are being monitored on a weekly basis and the HSE is in ongoing contact with the Department of Health."

Farmers took to the streets two weeks ago to protest against the impact the Fair Deal scheme terms are having on farm families and succession planning.

Over 23,200 people are currently availing of the Fair Deal scheme.

The scheme's budget was increased by 24.3m to 985.8m this year.
Kerrygold, has become the first Irish food brand to exceeded 1 billion in annual retail value

The Kerrygold brand was created by Sir Anthony OReilly, CEO of what was then called An Bord Bainne, in 1962.

His vision was to establish Kerrygold as a premium brand, befitting the rich quality of Irish milk.

Its phenomenal global success is attributed to farming families commitment and dedication to making the best quality milk in the world, coupled with state-of-the-art member production facilities and an ambitious and focussed brand strategy.

Today, Kerrygold is an international household name, loved around the world for its naturally superior, grass-fed dairy products.

While Kerrygold Butter has grown in popularity over the past five decades, the recipe has not changed since it was first produced in 1962.

Its distinct, rich flavour has established a committed following worldwide with 7.5 million packets of the iconic gold foil sold each week.

Kerrygold is the No. 2 butter brand in the US and the No. 1 butter brand in Germany, as well as being the fastest selling branded product on supermarket shelves in Germany.

Unveiling the news, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said: The Kerrygold brand is an amazing asset for Irish dairy farmers and its promotion of Irelands unique grass-fed credentials has been instrumental in enhancing Irelands reputation around the world as a sustainable food producer.

Roisin Hennerty, Managing Director, Ornua Foods, said while Kerrygold holds a unique place in the hearts of the Irish people, the company is especially proud that the brand has captured the hearts and imagination of consumers all over the world.

"The future is bright for Kerrygold  our unique connection to our consumers coupled with our way of farming and our members expertise will drive the next generation of success.

History of Kerrygold

1961 - An Bord Bainne (Irish for The Irish Dairy Board) is established to promote, facilitate, encourage, assist, co-ordinate and develop the exportation of milk and milk products

1962 - The Kerrygold brand name is chosen from a total of sixty suggestions (including Buttercup, Tub-o-Gold, Leprechaun, Golden Farm) and the Kerrygold brand is launched, not in Ireland, but in the UK

1964 - Kerrygold starts exporting to many more markets overseas, such as Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Middle East, Gulf States, Canary Islands, the Caribbean and Asia

1973 - Kerrygold is exported to EEC member states including Germany. Today, Kerrygold is the No.1 butter and cheddar brand in Germany

1973 - 11 years after launching in the UK and around the globe, Kerrygold goes on sale in Ireland

1979 - Kerrygold Regato Classic launches in Greece and is today No. 1 in its category

1980 - A new Kerrygold logo is unveiled

1982  Kerrygold adverts become as legendary as the butter. Put a bit of butter on the spuds Andre hits television screens in Ireland

1984 - Kerrygold Regato Classic airs its very own TV advert, becoming the first cheese brand to do so in Greece

1989 - Kerrygold becomes a proud title sponsor of the Dublin Horse Show, which goes on to achieve an international audience of 200 million

1991  Kerrygold milk powder launches in the Congo

1991 - Kerrygold expands the range of Kerrygold cheese and butter products to the US

1994  Back on the box  one of the much-loved classics Whos taking the horse to France? aired in 1994

1999 - Kerrygold Butter launches in the US and enjoys phenomenal success

2005 - Kerrygold gets its very own German street, renamed Kerrygoldstrasse

2009 - The iconic TV ad, The Sod airs in 2009

2010 - Kerrygold launches the new logo that you see today

2013 - Kerrygold becomes the title sponsor of Kerrygold Ballymaloe Lit Fest

2013 - Kerrygold celebrates 40 years in Germany

2014 - Kerrygold receives planning approval for a new home, Kerrygold Park, a butter manufacturing and packing plant in County Cork

2016 - Kerrygold Park opens - the new global home for the manufacturing and packaging of Kerrygold butter products

2017  The Kerrygold Ad, Memories in the Making airs in 2017

2019  Kerrygold launches global digital campaign A True Taste of Kerrygold putting farming families firmly in the spotlight
Co-op and meat processor-backed calf-to-beef schemes could potentially "eliminate" competition in the feed business, a group of independent grain merchants have claimed.

Acorn Independent Merchants, which represents 11 grain merchants, has hit out at the recently launched Glanbia and Kepak 'Twenty20 Beef Club' calf-to-beef programme, which requires participating farmers to buy all inputs from Glanbia.

Acorn Independent Merchants CEO Pat Murphy told the Farming Independent that no farmer should be tied in to any "closed loop scheme (that) is eliminating competition".

"Glanbia claim to have a unique circle - from inputs to farm produce - which gives farmers some golden access to better returns," he said.

"If a farmer signs up for the scheme, he's obliged to have all the inputs for his farm from Glanbia, without any competition. Competition is important for farmers. The farmer can't even talk to competitors.

"We don't believe in any closed loop. No one should be tied to any such scheme. No purchasers should make demands on suppliers to have a total closed loop."

Mr Murphy questioned why Glanbia can't pay the full market price for grain and fund it out of its own balance sheet.

In an open letter to Glanbia, Mr Murphy claimed "the media and farm organisations seem to have swallowed (the closed loop scheme) "hook, line and sinker".

He urged farmers to be careful when considering "signing up to any nicely packaged scheme" which would only be effective if "farmers are foolish enough to surrender their independence to pay inflated input prices and accept lower milk and grain prices while forgoing their rightful dividends".

A spokesperson for Glanbia said the Beef Club is an entirely voluntary offer and there has been strong farmer interest in it, and the reaction of competitors confirms it is a compelling offer for many beef farmers.

"All our voluntary farmer schemes in recent years have been oversubscribed," he said.

Ornua investment

Meanwhile, Glanbia plc chairman Martin Keane has said it is committed to Ornua for "the long term".

"It's very important to protect our own investment in it (Ornua)," he told the company's agm last week.

"We own 25pc, proportionally, of the shares of Ornua, and the relationship has been in existence for a long numbers of years and we hope it will continue in that vein."

His comments come after the firm launched a premium grass-fed cheese product in the US last year, a move which some in the industry felt that Glanbia was going head to head with Ornua in the US.

Mr Keane also told farmer shareholders at the agm that the milk price issue would be addressed at Glanbia Co-op's agm on May 29.

One farmer, Seamus O'Gorman, complained: "Fuel prices have risen by 600pc since 1995, fertiliser by 14.5pc, meal by 13.2pc - and our price of milk is basically the same.

"As a business, how are we supposed to stay going at that?"

Farmers, he said, should be receiving a base price of 34c/L for their milk.

Just over 20pc of shareholders voted against a proposal to increase a salary hike for Glanbia managing director Siobhan Talbot and finance director Mark Garvey.
By Mary Schlangenstein, Julie Johnsson, Bloomberg News | Apr. 29, 2019

Southwest Airlines Co. first learned from Boeing Co. after a deadly Lion Air crash in October that an alert warning pilots of a sensor malfunction linked to the disaster wasn't a standard feature on the 737 Max.

The world's largest 737 operator and its pilots had thought that the warning worked on all Max jets, as it had on the previous generation of 737 aircraft, Southwest said Sunday. The airline only learned after the accident that on the Max, the feature was connected to a separate indicator display -- available for a fee -- that provides readings from the plane's two angle-of-attack vanes.

"It was presented that it worked," Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest pilots union, said of the so-called angle-of-attack disagreement alert. "It wasn't presented that you had to have two AOA indicators on the primary flight display for it to work."

The revelation raises new questions about Boeing's best-selling jet as the company works to convince airlines and regulators that the Max will be safe once a software update is installed. The manufacturer is already under scrutiny over how it communicated critical details of the sensors and new software known as MCAS to airlines and regulators. U.S. pilot unions were furious to learn that MCAS wasn't explained in crew manuals and training materials.

The sensors, which measure the tilt of an aircraft against onrushing wind, played a role not just in the Lion Air crash off the coast of Indonesia but in a subsequent tragedy less than five months later in Ethiopia. The two accidents killed a total of 346 people, and regulators around the world grounded the plane after the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 fell out of the sky March 10 minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa.

In both disasters, erroneous readings from a single angle-of-attack vane activated the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, a previously obscure system that was added to the Max. That overwhelmed flight crews by repeatedly pushing the jet nose downward.

Southwest had assumed, until it learned otherwise from Boeing, that the Max's primary flight display included an alert that showed when the angle-of-attack vanes were sending conflicting data to the plane's flight computers, said Brandy King, a spokeswoman for the Dallas-based airline.

After the October crash, Boeing told the carrier that the so-called disagree light only worked if customers bought an additional angle-of-attack indicator display. That wasn't the case on the previous NG variant of 737s. The Max entered commercial service in May 2017.

Erroneous Manual

"After the Lion Air event, we were notified that the AOA disagree lights were inoperable without the optional AOA indicators on the Max aircraft," King said by email Sunday, referring to the equipment by its acronym. "The manual documentation presented by Boeing at Max entry into service indicated the AOA disagree light functioned on the aircraft, similar to how it works on our NG series."

She spoke in response to an account in the Wall Street Journal.

After discussing the matter with Boeing, Southwest opted to add the angle-of-attack indicator to the primary flight display of its Max fleet, which resulted in the disagree lights also being activated. Boeing has since decided to make the AOA disagree a standalone feature on the Max, independent of the indicator. The Chicago-based manufacturer will also add the indicator at no cost for airlines that want it.

"A new software update will separate those two features, making AOA disagree alert a standalone standard feature and keeping AOA indicator as an additional customer-selected option," Chaz Bickers, a Boeing spokesman, said in an email.

Grounding Discussion

The Wall Street Journal reported that the discrepancy at Southwest prompted some mid-level Federal Aviation Administration officials to consider grounding the 737 Max after the Lion Air jet plunged into the Java Sea, minutes after taking off from Jakarta on Oct. 29.

"We are not commenting on the so-called internal communication," the FAA said Sunday in an email.

King disputed that Boeing intentionally deactivated the angle-of-attack disagree lights on Southwest's jets, as the Journal suggested. And Southwest's pilots were never aware of any discussion at the FAA to ground the airline's Max aircraft shortly after the Lion Air crash, Weaks said.

The gauges aren't considered critical tools by most commercial pilots, although they may have alerted flight crews on the doomed flights to the haywire data reading that tripped MCAS along with audible and physical alarms known as a stick-shaker. Southwest aviators aren't trained to routinely use AOA indicators while flying, Weaks said.

"The AOAs are there as a nice crosscheck and another safety tool, but airlines don't train on flying by AOA," Weaks said. "Is it important? Sure. Is it nice to have? Sure. But it's not what we primarily base flying the airplane on."

'Not Happy'

Southwest is the largest operator of the Max, with a 34-jet fleet. The budget carrier has taken the aircraft out of its flight schedule through Aug. 5. The grounding of the Max, along with flight cancellations tied to weather and a labor disruption, carved US$200 million from first-quarter revenue and US$150 million from net income.

"We're not happy with the situation," Southwest President Tom Nealon said about the parked planes on an April 25 conference call. "Who would be? Boeing has already conceded that there are things that they need to address. And obviously, we totally agree with that."
STATE-owned postal company An Post has seen its profits surge after the closures post offices and the sale of its stake in the One4All gift voucher operation.

Profits shot up by 400pc to 41m last year.

It comes after 151 post offices closed, mainly in rural areas, and the price of stamps rose.

The profit of 41m was before transformation costs, pension interest and taxation.

It compares with a profit of 8.4m for 2017.

Revenues were up 7pc to close to 900m.

Last summer An Post announced the locations of 151 post offices that it is closing as part of a restructuring plan.

The greatest number of closures are in Galway, followed by Donegal , Cork and Kerry, and Mayo and Wexford.

Post offices in 25 of the States 26 counties are closing as part of the plan, with Dublin being the exception.

The shutting of the post offices has proved hugely controversial, especially in rural areas where commercial activities are under huge threat.

Back in 2016 An Post made a loss of 12.4m, according to chief executive David McRedmond.

He said the post office network had rebuilt its foundation with an agreed deal with the postmasters.

"In 2018 we built the foundations to transform An Posts core activities. The focus on e-commerce is seeing parcel volumes grow by almost 40pc, and the Post Office network has a radical modernisation programme underway."

He said operating costs are shifting into new areas of growth and the business is strongly cash positive.

Last year An Post sold its majority stake in The Gift Voucher Shop, which operates the One4All gift voucher scheme. It sold for 100m, netting the post office company 54m.

An Post has a 11pc shareholder in the operator of the National Lottery, Premier Lotteries Ireland.

Mr McRedmond said: "In 2019 we aim to automate core parcel operations; refresh the brand, marketing and customer interfaces; launch An Post Money and An Post Commerce; and develop a leaner, more flexible corporate centre.

An Post has reduced its staffing by 400 through voluntary redundancies, but it has increased its staffing by 200 in other areas.

The companys pension fund deficit fell to 48m, from 55m in the previous year.

Mr McRedmond said a large investment is being made in redefining the post office network, including reducing the number of post offices, modernising the postmaster contract and updating the brand.

The transformation costs are recorded below the operating profit line. This amounted to 14m for the financial year.
The board of Independent News and Media has agreed a sale to Belgian newspaper group Mediahuis for 145.6m.

The INM board has unanimously recommended the offer, which is conditional on acceptance by shareholders.

Independent News and Media publishes the Irish Independent, Independent.ie, 'Sunday Independent', 'Sunday World', 'The Herald', 'Belfast Telegraph' and several regional newspapers.

Mediahuis publishes major newspaper titles, including De Telegraaf and NRC Handelsblad in the Netherlands and De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium.

The acquisition represents a premium of approximately 44pc of INM's closing price of 7.28cents on 3 April 2019.

INM shareholders will be circulated details of a proposed scheme of arrangement for the sale of the business within 28 days, Independent News & Media chairman Murdoch MacLennan has said.

The chairman said the circulation of documents will be followed by a special shareholder meeting but the date of the emergency general meeting (EGM) where shareholders will vote on the proposal has yet to be determined.

Mr MacLennan outlined the process at the media group's annual general meeting (AGM) in Dublin. The meeting was held just hours after INM's board recommended acceptance of a 146m all cash takeover offer from Belgium headquartered Mediahuis.

Commenting on that bid Murdoch MacLennan said: "We didn't put the company up for sale they have made a cash offer for the business."

He described Mediahuis as a "top of its class" and as committed to maintaining editorial independence.

At the meeting, the chairman told shareholders he could say little in relation to the bid for the business or in relation to the ongoing probe of INM's corporate governance by High Court appointed inspectors.

Mediahuis is a private European media group with a strong portfolio of news media and digital brands.

It was founded in 2013 through the combination of the media assets of two long established Belgian publishers, Mediahuis Partners (formerly Corelio) and Concentra. Since 2013, Mediahuis has grown rapidly through acquisitions to become a leading media player in both Belgium and the Netherlands.

It currently employs more than 3,200 people, delivering a turnover of 819m in 2018.

As a publisher, Mediahuis believes unreservedly in independent and quality journalism, as well as in strong and relevant media that makes a positive contribution to people and society.

Mediahuis' offices are located in Antwerp, Brussels, Hasselt, Amsterdam, and Sittard.

In the Netherlands, the group operates, amongst others the news brands De Telegraaf, NRC Handelsblad, NRC Next, De Limburger and Noordhollands Dagblad, and achieves sales of almost 900,000 newspapers daily.

With news brands such as De Standaard, Het Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg, Mediahuis sells approximately 500,000 newspapers in Belgium daily.

Mediahuis has, in recent years, made significant progress in terms of the digital transformation of its news brands. The Mediahuis Group is committed to accelerating the digitalisation of its news brands without compromising the print editions of its strong portfolio of news titles.

Mediahuis successfully implements pay walls and digital subscription services across its news sites and remains focuses on optimising customer experience through innovative journalism, which results in continued growth in digital subscriptions and enhanced reader relationships.

Mediahuis also operates several significant classifieds platforms in Belgium and the Netherlands, such as Jobat, Jellow, Zimmo, Vroom, Gaspedaal and GroupDeal. The Group is active in the Belgian radio market through the recently launched radio station NRJ and the Nostalgie radio station, which reaches 430,000 listeners in Flanders daily and is the market leader in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Mediahuis also operates a series of regional TV channels.

Gert Ysebaert, CEO of Mediahuis, said:

We believe that there is a clear rationale for the acquisition and that INM will thrive under Mediahuis' ownership.

Furthermore, Mediahuis can contribute the relevant experience, skills and resources to invest in INM's brands and significantly enhance its operational and digital capabilities. Underpinned by our unreserved belief in independent and quality journalism, we are optimistic about the combination of Mediahuis and INM and its potential contribution to the Irish media landscape."
Consumers have been warned about scam websites offering quick loans.

The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau said a number of websites were targeting vulnerable people who have difficulty obtaining loans because of a poor history.

The websites are not regulated by the Central Bank.

Gardai said the dodgy operators are offering unsecured loans in what they call an advance-fee fraud.

These operations target vulnerable people, especially those who find it hard to get a loan from a conventional bank or credit union because they may have missed payments in the past.

Websites offering these loans offer to process applications quickly, and can also claim that loans are available without the need for a good credit rating.

The sites also claim there is no need to provide collateral for the loan, and even claim a loan can be obtained without having to provide any documentation apart from basic personal details.

Some operators claim to be regulated by the Central Bank when this is not the case.

Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan, of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, warned that the sites look very "sleek" and "professional".

There may also be instances where a firm clones the details of an authorised entity by taking those details and claiming to either be that entity or an associated entity.

He said within minutes of applying for these loans online, the applicant gets a phone call to say they have been approved.

The applicant is then told to send an advance fee to the lender. However, no application documents are ever sent, the loan is not issued and the fee is lost.

"It's difficult to know (how many of these sites there are), a number have been reported to gardai by the Central Bank, by other banks and by the victims themselves. As they're taken down, new ones can pop up very quickly," said Det Supt Cryan.

"It's an emerging problem and we're working with the Central Bank to have these sites identified and taken down," he said on RTE's 'Morning Ireland'.

The websites appear to be hosted outside Ireland.

Fianna Fail finance spokesperson Michael McGrath called on the Central Bank to probe the fraudulent websites.
Apps to control childrens screen time are popular, but they may now face restrictions. Stock picture

Apple is cracking down on apps that let parents control their kids' phones.

The tech giant has taken steps to restrict apps that do things like allow parents to block adult content on social media apps.

The move means that apps such as 'Ourpact' have had to restrict the things they can do, such as location tracking, "geofencing" and controls on usage allowance. A "kill" switch, available on some parental control apps, is now also forbidden.

Critics of the move say that it is now easier for tech-savvy children to get around Apple's Screen Time and the restrictions the company is placing on third-party apps.

But Apple says it is clamping down because the technology being used by the apps is too invasive and could lead to security or privacy breaches.

It says that the extent to which the apps want to control children's phones could open the door to hackers or thieves because of the amount of power it gives one phone over another.

But companies making the child protection apps say that Apple is doing it to promote its own Screen Time app, recently introduced to give users more control over limiting access to content.

The companies say that Apple also wants to protect its own iPhone sales, with ousted apps able to operate between Android and Apple phones compared to Apple's more iPhone-only oriented ecosystem.

Two of the app makers, Kidslox and Qustodio, have made a complaint to EU competition authorities on the matter. However, it is not clear if those complaints will be investigated.

Apple global marketing boss Phil Schiller said that the company was acting in the best long-term interests of consumers.

"Over the last year, we became aware that some parental management apps were using a technology called mobile device management, or MDM, and installing an MDM profile as a method to limit and control use of these devices," he said.

"MDM is a technology that gives one party access to and control over many devices.

"It was meant to be used by a company on its own mobile devices as a management tool, where that company has a right to all of the data and use of the devices."

Mr Schiller said that MDM technology is not intended to enable a developer to have access to and control over consumers' data and devices.

"But the apps we removed from the store did just that," he said. "No one, except you, should have unrestricted access to manage your child's device, know their location, track their app use, control their mail accounts, web surfing, camera use, network access and even remotely erase their devices."

He also said that MDM profiles could be used as a technology for hacker attacks "by assisting them in installing apps for malicious purposes on users' devices".

Mr Schiller said that some third-party apps, including 'Balance Screen Time' by Moment Health, allow parents to safely monitor kids' phones.

According to a report in 'The New York Times', Apple has removed or limited 11 of its App Store's 17 most popular parental control apps.

If European authorities investigate the matter as a competition complaint, it will raise issues of whether Apple's App Store is a market in itself to be regulated or just one of several ecosystems that do not need state competition regulation.

In the EU, iPhones have approximately 30pc of the market, with Android handsets from brands such as Samsung and Huawei making up the majority. However, Apple's app ecosystem is more active than that on Google-powered devices.

Recent research suggests that children spend several hours a day looking at screens.
Fianna Fail has reiterated its call to introduce an advertising tax on Facebook and Google in Ireland in an effort to find new ways to fund newspapers and broadcast media.

The party's communications spokesman, Timmy Dooley, said that money coming from the new levy would also go some way to supplementing the TV licence fee.

He said that because advertising income has rapidly shifted to the two online giants, a levy is now needed to support media services here.

"We believe that a levy should be extended to digital advertising so that you ensure that the Googles and Facebooks and Twitters make a contribution to the distortion in the market that they have created," Mr Dooley said on Newstalk's 'Between The Lines' podcast.

"It's well recognised that the digital platforms are now hoovering up vast amounts of the commercial revenues that were there to support the independent journalism that existed heretofore."

Mr Dooley added that such a levy should be managed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).

"We would also look at extending the remit of the BAI so that it would also be charged with doing similar work with the print sector," he said.

He said the current TV licence system should be replaced with a new broadcasting charge attached to every household.

Under the current law, an annual TV licence (160) is only legally required if a television set is on the premises. Other screens such as PC monitors or laptops that can access video content online do not require a TV licence.

"I would favour the idea of a broadcasting charge that extends to every household.

"It's not enough to say that just because you don't have a television that you're not consuming journalism or content that's expensive to produce.

"A lot of people now consume content on iPhones, iPads and laptops. But because the licence is somewhat technology specific, it means they're able to evade having a licence," added Mr Dooley.
Scisys works on the system for the European Space Agency

Dublin-listed Scisys has won a further 9.7m in orders in respect of the European satellite navigation system Galileo.

Scisys provides IT and software services to sectors including space and defence.

The orders are from Thales Alenia Space France for the development and implementation of security-relevant elements within the Galileo Ground Segment.

These orders are in addition to two initial orders valued at 3m announced in December 2018.

As a UK company it risked being cut off from EU contracts as a result of Brexit, including ongoing business in EU-funded European satellite navigation programmes, Galileo and Egnos.

A Brexit contingency plan that kicked in last November included a move to be listed in Ireland.

The group became the first London-listed firm to seek entry to the Irish Stock Exchange after the June 2016 Brexit vote.

Klaus Heidrich, CEO of Scisys, said:

"We are delighted with these significant follow-on orders, which further strengthen our order book and position in the EU-funded Galileo satellite navigation programme, notwithstanding Brexit uncertainties. We remain optimistic for the group's prospects going forward."
The latest global monthly trade figures show a downturn and indicate that volumes will fall through the year, which looks like bad news for our exporters.

Data published by the CPB Netherlands Bureau, a body whose numbers are watched closely, showed that world trade volumes fell by 1.8pc month-on-month in February, in part as protectionism bites deeper.

There may, however, be a silver lining in that protectionism for Europes hard-pressed exporters as the US and China go toe-to-toe in their tariff wars, at least in the short term, according to researchers with the Dutch central bank.

The US and China are embroiled in a bitter trade war that has seen Washington impose hefty tariffs on imports from its economic and diplomatic rival.

The research suggests that the EU would benefit from the economic battle between the worlds two largest economies after the US suddenly increased tariffs on nearly 50pc of its imports from China to be met with tariffs on more than 70pc of imports from the United States.

While two dogs (the US and China) are fighting for a bone, a third (the euro area) runs away with it. That is, the euro area may benefit from the US-China trade conflict in the short-run, two economists from the Netherlands central bank said this week.

Total exports from here stood at 140.8bn in 2018, of which 39.12bn or 28pc went to the United States and 5.47bn or 3.3pc went to China.

While the Chinese number is relatively small, business lobby group Ibec noted recently that it accounted for a fifth of net growth in Irish goods exports in 2016 and more than a third in 2017. The economic cycle here is more sensitive to that of the US than it is to that of the UK or the EU, according to recent research from the National Treasury Management Agency.

While the trade war between the worlds two economic superpowers will reduce overall global economic growth, the two researchers from the central bank, Wilko Bolt and Kostas Mavromatis along with Sweder Van Wijnbergen of the University of Amsterdam found there would be benefits to the eurozone.

They found that Chinese exports would be diverted to the euro area at lower prices while the prices of Chinese goods in the US, improving competitiveness vis-a-vis Chinese exporters in the US.

China and the US hurt each other significantly, but European employment picks up as exports become more competitive in the US and Chinese imports become cheaper, the economists wrote on Vox, the economic policy portal of the Centre for Economic Policy Research.

The analysis suggests that as long as it does not get involved in the conflict, the euro area profits from cheaper imports from China as they get diverted from the US, and it gains improved competitiveness in the US in response to tariffs against the Chinese and the appreciating dollar, the economists wrote.
Take that supporters queueing at the 3 arena

Take That fans certainly proved they have a little patience as they queued outside the 3Arena as early as noon yesterday for the first night of the band's Dublin gigs.

Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald weren't due to take the stage until 8.30pm last night but that didn't put their fans off lining up ahead of time - with some travelling from as far as away as Spain to get a piece of the action.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Take That in action at the 3Arena during the first night of their Greatest Hits Live Tour in Ireland. Pic Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 Take That performing their greatest hits at the 3 Arena in Dublin. Photos by Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 Take That in action at the 3Arena during the first night of their Greatest Hits Live Tour in Ireland. Pic Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 Take That performing their greatest hits at the 3 Arena in Dublin. Photos by Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 Take That performing their greatest hits at the 3 Arena in Dublin. Photos by Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 Take That performing their greatest hits at the 3 Arena in Dublin. Photos by Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 Take That performing their greatest hits at the 3 Arena in Dublin. Photos by Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 Take That performing their greatest hits at the 3 Arena in Dublin. Photos by Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 Rick Astley performing his greatest hits at the 3 Arena in Dublin. Photos by Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 Take That performing their greatest hits at the 3 Arena in Dublin. Photos by Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019 / Facebook

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Whatsapp Take That in action at the 3Arena during the first night of their Greatest Hits Live Tour in Ireland. Pic Steve Humphreys 29th April 2019

The trio - the remaining members of the original five-piece band - performed their Greatest Hits last night, with support from Rick Astley. They will perform again tonight.

But it was a case of the early bird catches the worm when it comes to concert-goers hoping to nab a coveted spot front of stage, so Lorraine Hanvey from Portadown, Co Armagh was sure to arrive in time yesterday.

Equipped with provisions for the day, she arrived in Dublin with four of her close pals, ready to relive their school days, when Take That first burst onto the scene.

"I had all the posters in my bedroom on the wall, we were all fans. They were the first big boyband and everyone copied them after that, they were the first before Boyzone and Westlife, before any of those people," Lorraine told the Herald.

It wasn't the first time the group had seen the band in action.

"The last time we were here we wanted to get first in the queue but there were 100 here before us. We made it today and are first in the queue," she said.

"We have been to Dublin a few times, Belfast and Manchester."

As for what song she was looking forward to most, it was the iconic number Never Forget.

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"It is all their old stuff tonight, the original stuff - their new stuff is good but you can't beat the old stuff."

Meanwhile, Catherine O'Shea (30) arrived around lunchtime from Wexford with her sister Leah Furlong excited for the night ahead.

"We do miss Robbie a little bit, it would have been nice to see him for 30 years, but it doesn't matter - the three of them are great," she said.

There was also some hometown support from Amy Cahill from Tallaght, who had a stool to rest her weary feet during the wait.

She said the band "were like family".

"I've been to every tour since 2006, I am a big fan. I go everywhere to see them - Amsterdam, the UK, I went to Belfast when they didn't play Dublin in 2007," she said.

"I am going to this one and in three weeks' time I am going to Middlesborough," she added.

"I grew up with them, I was four when they got together - they're like family, I love them."

And concert-goers were in for a treat last night as The Dublin Gospel Choir joined Take That on stage for Relight My Fire.

Musical director Orla Gargan said that despite singing with a number of stars over the years, working with Take That was "definitely a bit of a thrill".

"There are a lot of us, of a certain age, in the choir that were huge Take That fans in our day so it's amazing to share the stage with them," she said.

"Especially singing Relight My Fire, it's an absolute classic and great fun to sing - even if the choreographers had us working pretty hard."

As for who was her favourite in the 90s, she said: "I have to admit, I was a Robbie girl, but 'our Gary' was always a close second, and it has to be said, the years have been kind."
Sir Ringo Starr has paid tribute to the president of one of the US most prestigious jazz labels during an event celebrating the genre in London.

The former Beatle handed Don Was the lifetime achievement gong for his work as president of Blue Note Records at the Jazz FM Awards at Shoreditch Town Hall in east London.

The historic label has released music by John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey and Thelonious Monk since its inception in 1939.

Was, who has produced for stars including the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Sir Elton John, has been the labels president since 2012.

The Don is in the building! Jazz LEGEND and PPL Lifetime Achievement Award winner Don Was talks to Nigel Williams about signing Gregory Porter and becoming the President of @bluenoterecords at this years #JazzFMAwards pic.twitter.com/O04Ymtz7Pj  Jazz FM (@jazzfm) April 30, 2019

Sir Ringo, whose 1992 solo album Time Takes Time was produced by Was, said the award was much deserved, preaching peace and love to attendees.

He said: Good evening everybody, just wanted to say a few words on behalf of Don Was for the Jazz FM Awards.

Congratulations, Im sure youve all having a great night. Peace and love  you deserve it, love you Don.

Expand Close Poppy Ajudha and Nubya Garcia (Jazz FM Awards/PA) / Facebook

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The annual celebration of jazz, soul and blues featured a roll call of music industry stars including Beverley Knight, Jacob Collier and Quincy Jones.After scooping breakthrough act of the year in 2018, saxophonist Nubya Garcia earned the prize for best UK jazz act, which is determined by a public vote.

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A video message from record producer Jones was shown after Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist Collier, who Jones manages, won the PRS For Music Gold Award.

Jones, 86, said: My dear brother Jacob Collier, it is such an honour to have you as a member of our QJP (Quincy Jones Productions) family, and I couldnt be prouder of all that youve accomplished at your age, brother.

Expand Close Beverley Knight (Jazz FM Awards/PA) / Facebook

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I have socks older than you! It has been an absolutely beautiful journey to witness your growth over the past few years, and the only direction you can go from here is up.

Sons of Kemet won album of the year for the critically-acclaimed Your Queen Is A Reptile after being snubbed at the Mercury Prize Awards.

Composer and saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi was named breakthrough act, jazz collective Steam Down were awarded the innovation prize and south Londoner Poppy Ajudha clinched soul act of the year.
By Niklas Pollard, Jacob Gronholt Pedersen, Nerijus Adomaitis, Ishita Palli, Reuters | Apr. 28, 2019

Scandinavian airline SAS canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled for Monday and Tuesday as a pilot strike that has disrupted the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers entered its third day on Sunday.

SAS pilots went out on strike on Friday as wage talks broke down, grounding around 70 percent of the airline's flights and impacting about 280,000 passengers including the latest cancellations.

"We deeply regret that our customers are affected by the ongoing pilot strike when SAS now cancels flights on Monday and Tuesday," the airline said in a statement.

"The strike will affect an additional 61,000 passengers on Monday when 667 flights are canceled across Scandinavia. On Tuesday 49,000 passengers and 546 departures will be affected."

The deadlock in the dispute showed no sign of being broken early on Sunday with both SAS, Swedish and Danish pilots unions and Norway's employers association NHO saying no renewed contacts between the parties had been initiated.

The carrier created after World War 2, which remains part-owned by the Swedish and Danish governments, has said it was prepared to return to negotiations but warned that agreeing to pilots' demands would seriously damage the company.

The airline industry's employer body in Sweden has said pilots sought a 13 percent wage hike despite what it called already high average wages of 93,000 Swedish crowns (US$9,777) a month, demands it labeled as "extreme".

The SAS Pilot Group, a union body representing 95 percent of the airline's pilots in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, has said the dispute concerns more than wages, pointing to demands for more predictable working hours.

Having flirted with bankruptcy in 2012, SAS has run a net profit in each of the last four years. But rising fuel costs, volatile currencies and overcapacity among European airlines has put pressure on carriers, including SAS.

Sydbank analysts have estimated the strike costs the airline 60-80 million Swedish crowns per day, a rate which would wipe out the expected net profit this year in just two weeks.

The strike at SAS does not affect flights operated by its partners, which make up roughly 30 percent of all departures.
Fight: Pat Halpin and Ann Keane have been ordered to give up the Aberdeen Lodge Hotel. Photo: Tony Gavin

A couple opposing efforts to repossess their hotel over a 25m debt have "seriously and wrongly distorted" the result of a seven-year legal battle over their situation, the Commercial Court heard.

Patrick Halpin and his partner Ann Keane, owners of the Aberdeen Lodge hotel in Sandymount, Dublin, had engaged in a high-profile media campaign distorting the results of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal decisions which found they should hand over the premises to a receiver, the court was told.

They have paid just 100,000 of their debt, despite making some 4m from their hotel business in the past seven years, Mr Justice David Barniville heard.

Yesterday, he granted receiver Paul McCann permission to bring an application for the attachment and committal to prison of the couple following an attempt last month by Mr McCann's agents to take possession of the property.

Cian Ferriter SC, for the receiver, said the couple were ordered by the Supreme Court in 2016 to leave the property.

The couple then brought proceedings over Mr McCann's appointment which was originally made in 2012 by IBRC, before the debt was sold to Kenmare Property Finance.

In July 2016, the High Court dismissed their challenge.

An application to commit them to prison for breach of the court order was adjourned generally pending an appeal by them in relation to the receiver case.

As part of that adjournment, they agreed to pay 5,000 per month.

On February 15, the Supreme Court rejected their application. That gave the receiver the immediate right to take possession.

On March 28, the receiver's agents arrived at the hotel to be met with "a barrage of media" with Ms Keane and Mr Halpin making it clear they would not leave, counsel said.

They then "embarked on a high-profile media campaign and appeared live on the Miriam O'Callaghan show in which they have seriously and wrongly distorted what happened in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal", counsel said.

Ms Keane said she only received the papers from the receiver over the Easter break.

The judge adjourned the matter for four weeks.
A father of four took his own life after claims he was bullied in his workplace, an inquest has heard.

Bord na Mona employee Peter Duggan (51) died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on August 31, 2017.

The deceased, of Allenwood, Co Kildare, had made a number of complaints against co-workers over alleged bullying.

One of the allegations involved an incident at work with a mug, while another involved Mr Duggan's own SUV.

Giving evidence, his wife Catherine Duggan said there would be "something personally done to his machinery" if he left it unattended for long periods.

After his death, a note referencing the allegations was also recovered.

Bord na Mona said there is no evidence to suggest the instances of bullying occurred.

During the inquest, gardai, management at the company as well as Mr Duggan's co-workers were called to give evidence.

One former colleague said in a statement: "I never bullied Peter Duggan." Others recalled having no direct knowledge of the incidents.

Coroner Dr Denis Cusack had widened the scope of the inquest to allow for the effects of these allegations to be examined, without apportioning blame.

Former HR manager Louise Murphy, who was not employed by the company at the time of the alleged bullying incidents, said the complaint was not on Mr Duggans file despite supervisors giving evidence of an investigation taking place.

The inquest is also seeking to establish the person who was responsible for investigating bullying and harassment at the company at the time of the complaint.

Gareth Leech, an environmental manager with Bord na Mona, said his recollection was that the complaint was dealt with informally.

Dr Cusack said there was no record of any interviews being carried out or a conclusion to the investigation.

Emma McCormack, a daughter of the deceased, recalled her father being upset when discussing one of the incidents involving a mug.

She said her father was normally "full of life" and that he "lit up everyone's day in our house because of the person he was".

Dr Cusack said any reference to the term 'bullying' would be treated as a descriptive term and would be referred to as alleged incidents of bullying.

He also noted there were "tensions regarding certain persons" over the circumstances of the death.

Sgt Keith Heffernan, of Kilcock garda station, said there was no suggestion of third-party involvement or criminal involvement. He said the firearm discovered at the scene belonged to Mr Duggan.

The inquest was adjourned.
Maurice McCabe has been pressing his claims for years. Picture: Collins

Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe is seeking a ruling on damages after the State admitted liability in two of his claims against it.

The High Court heard yesterday that Mr McCabe, a former sergeant who exposed abuses of the motoring penalty points system within the force, was looking for a hearing date to assess the level of damages he is entitled to.

Mr Justice Kevin Cross was told liability had been admitted in a personal injuries claim brought by Mr McCabe in 2009 against the Garda Commissioner, Ireland and the Attorney General.

Paul McGarry SC, for Mr McCabe, said while liability had been admitted in this particular case, his client was seeking a hearing date when the level of damages can be assessed by a judge.

Counsel said the hearing of the assessment of damages should take two to three days.

Liability had also been admitted in another case also against the same defendants, which was lodged in 2011.

The case, in which Mr McCabe claims that he was defamed, is due to be mentioned before the High Court, counsel added.

Marguerite Bolger SC, for the State defendants, said while liability in the two cases had been "conceded in full", it was her clients' hope that the amount of damages could be mediated between the parties.

Mr McGarry said that while a previous mediation had not been successful, his side was ready to listen to what the State has to say.

Mr Justice Cross said the court was happy to give the prospect of a successful mediation "every blessing" and agreed to fix the hearing of the assessment of damages in the personal injuries action for early April.

The actions are two of a number of cases Mr McCabe has brought.

At the end of October, he retired after 30 years' service, weeks after the publication of a Disclosures Tribunal report in which Mr Justice Peter Charleton described him as having done the State "considerable service".

The tribunal found former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and then press officer Supt David Taylor ran a smear campaign against him.

The report concluded that Mr McCabe was a genuine person who had the interests of the people of Ireland in his mind at all times.
A retired garda who feared he was going to be doused with petrol and set on fire, has been awarded just under 50,000 damages at a garda compensation hearing in the High Court.

Karl Cummins, now aged 59, told Mr Justice Michael Twomey he had been on security duty at the Protection Post outside the Department of An Taoiseach in February 2009 when he was approached by a serial protester carrying a container of petrol.

"He kept clicking a cigarette lighter which thankfully did not light for him.

"It was probably why no-one was physically burned in the incident," Cummins said. He added that the terrifying incident had led to his developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which had changed his life.

Cummins, of Alderwood Lawn, Springfield, Tallaght, Dublin 24, said the protester had accused him mistakenly of having been part of a group of gardai who allegedly had beaten him up outside Dail Eireann sometime previously. The man concerned had become very agitated and angry and shouted expletives at him and other gardai.

He told his barrister Brid OFlaherty that when he smelled petrol fumes and saw the man, his face contorted in rage, threateningly click the lighter and brandish the petrol container close to him he had withdrawn and raised the alarm.

Cummins said this had led to a complete lock-down of the Department of the Taoiseach with no member of the Taoiseachs staff being allowed enter or leave the building in Dublins Merrion Street Upper.

He had caused the Taoiseachs Department to be alerted to the situation and advised that if the then Taoiseach Brian Cowen was on his way to his office he should be warned of the threat and enter the building by another entrance.

Ms OFlaherty, who appeared for Cummins with Hughes Murphy Solicitors, told Judge Twomey that the then Garda Cummins had called for back-up and gardai and firemen rushed to the scene.

Cummins said firemen had stood by training hoses on the protester in readiness of any attack until the arrival of the hero of the hour, Inspector John Rice from Pearse Street Garda Station. Inspector rice, despite being doused with petrol himself, had struggled with the protester and succeeded in "disarming" him.

Mr Cummins told the court he had considered himself to have been in grave danger and feared for his life. He had expected the petrol to have been thrown over him and then ignited. He did not know if the man intended also throwing petrol over himself and setting himself on fire.

Ms OFlaherty told Judge Twomey that Garda Cummins developed PTSD and had been off work for months, later retiring from the Garda Siochana. She said there was a conflict in opinion of psychiatrists for both Mr Cummins and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Neither was being called to give evidence and resolution of the matter was being left for the court to resolve on the basis of their expert medical reports.

Mr Cummins told the court he had developed intrusive recollections of the incident and suffered multiple symptoms including anxiety, sleeplessness and nightmares.

"I became a different man, both argumentative and irritable," he said.

Cummins told Kevin Dinneen, counsel for the Minister, that he had rarely taken alcohol prior to the incident but had "taken comfort" in it after the event.

Judge Twomey, awarding Mr Cummins damage of 25,000 together with more than 24,000 for expenses and loss of earnings, said he had suffered psychological injuries but had substantially recovered by May 2010.

He had been put in fear of his life and had received psychiatric treatment and counselling.
Brave: Annie Lafferty, who waived her right to anonymity so her rapist father Maurice could be named. Picture: Collins

A young woman who was repeatedly raped by her father said "my cry for help was ignored" when her mother refused to believe her about the abuse.

Maurice Lafferty (50) was jailed yesterday for 11 years for what a judge said were depraved attacks on his young daughter, Annie.

In her harrowing victim impact statement, which was read out to the court, Ms Lafferty, now aged 25, said her parents were more interested in drinking than being parents and she took over caring for her younger siblings.

Ms Lafferty said that, during the period she was abused by her father, "to say I was scared is an understatement".

She said that "instead of protecting me, he was the one who did me harm".

"My cry for help was ignored," said Ms Lafferty.

She said she told her mother about the abuse, only for her mother to turn her back on her and believe her father's version of events.

She said her father was the one who decided what she did and "it was like I was a puppet attached to strings".

The young woman, who waived her right to anonymity so her father could be named, said the "scars that man left on me will always be there".

Lafferty, a father of six, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to raping his daughter Annie at his home on dates between November 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011.

Garda Sergeant John Dorian told Paul Carroll SC, prosecuting, that the accused's wife worked in Letterkenny and lived away from the home four nights a week during the period of offending.

He said that on a night in November 2010, Lafferty came into his then 17-year-old daughter's bedroom.

"You're my good little girl, you're the only one I can trust," Lafferty said to her. He started to grope her and said he wanted to "show how much I love you".

His daughter tried to push him away and he called her "a tramp" before pinning her on the bed and raping her.

Afterwards, he told her not to tell anyone about what he had done. Lafferty said that no one would believe her and that her younger siblings would be taken away if she said anything.

Sgt Dorian said that Lafferty continued to rape his daughter once a week when her mother was out.

Mr Justice Alex Owens said that Lafferty was a violent and controlling man and said his attacks on his daughter were coercive and depraved.

He said that, in his opinion, an apology that was offered by Lafferty to the victim was not genuine.

A Probation Service report indicated that he blamed his intoxication at the time, and even laid some blame on his daughter.

Mr Justice Owens noted that Lafferty was assessed as being at a moderate risk of re-offending.

He imposed a sentence of 11 years and ordered that he stay away from any activity with children after his release from custody.

Anne Rowland SC, defending, said her client was "drinking extremely heavily" at the time of the offences.

She said he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

She said this condition caused Lafferty to "black out" during fits of extreme coughing.

Ms Rowland said that Lafferty had built his house himself and it was about to be repossessed.
Seamus Marley at the Central Criminal Court, Dublin. He was convicted of anally raping two young boys at a house in Co Louth. Picture: Collins

An alleged IRA man who raped two teenage boys at a "republican safe house" two decades ago was described as an "excellent Christian" who possessed a "charitable spirit".

Seamus Marley left his victims' lives in tatters when he raped and sexually assaulted them, the Central Criminal Court was told.

One told how Marley had "preyed on me, groomed me, abused me and raped me".

At a sentencing hearing yesterday, both men gave victim impact statements detailing how their lives had been torn apart by the events, sending them into a spiral of alcohol addiction and struggles with their mental health.

But a letter was handed into court from a pastor at the church where Marley (45) is a member, praising his "charitable spirit".

Mr Justice Paul McDermott remanded Marley in custody and adjourned the matter for sentencing on Thursday.

Marley, of Belfield Court, Stillorgan Road, Dublin, had pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually assaulting and anally raping two boys in Co Louth on dates in the early 1990s.

After a six-day trial, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on a total of six counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape.

During the trial, Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, told the jury that the two complainants lived in a large home owned by a "dedicated republican" and that it began to be used as a "safe house".

Detective Garda Seamus Nolan told Mr Gageby that Marley was one of these guests and that he was welcomed into the family.

The older of the two victims woke up one night to find Marley raping him. Afterwards Marley warned him off telling anyone what had happened and said he "could be found dead on a Border road".

The court heard that Marley raped one of the boys in a tent near his house.

The older victim said he has spent the previous 27 years living in despair and looking over his shoulder.

He said he had finally reached the end of the tunnel and was taking his life back.

The younger victim, who also read his victim impact statement, said that as the house was beside a graveyard they had "quiet neighbours, dead ones". He said that he had learned that it is "not the dead we should be afraid of, but the living".

He said that Marley "preyed on me, groomed me, abused me and raped me". He said the life he had dreamed of was in "tatters" from the moment Marley entered the house.

"Marley was always lurking in the back of my mind," the man said. He said in the years after the abuse he suffered panic attacks and experienced a "deep depression so black" it was hard to put into words.

He said that the "fabrication of stories" to discredit him made the trial so much harder.

One of the victims added how three weeks in court had been "gruelling".

"I have been waking with terrors of Marley hurting me again," he said.

"Getting the verdict doesn't dissolve the internal scars, but the guilty verdict was the start of the healing.

"If you are right and truthful, keep shouting, eventually someone will listen."

Marley has no previous convictions. The court heard that he is from a large family in Belfast and that his father was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries.

John Fitzgerald SC, defending, said that his client has been in a relationship for 16 years and that his partner had been present in court throughout the trial.

He handed in a letter from Marley's pastor which described him as being "an excellent Christian" who possessed a "charitable spirit".

They told of Marley's charity work overseas, and described him as a "compassionate and loyal" person who has no previous convictions, and who had co-operated fully with police.
The State used a law to cut payments to retired aviation workers to help address a 770m pension fund deficit and avoid industrial unrest among existing workers before the sell off of Aer Lingus in 2014/15, the High Court heard.

The circumstances of those still at work - active and deferred members of the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (IASS) - "was improved by disimproving the lot of existing pensioners" under the 2014 restructuring of the defined benefit scheme, Paul Gardiner SC said.

The State decided to solve a problem of the 770m deficit before Aer Lingus was sold to the International Airlines Group (IAG) by imposing the deficit on the existing pensioners because "they weren't going to go on strike", he said. The State had a 25 per cent shareholding in the company and got 335m from the sale.

Mr Gardiner was opening a test case by four of some 600 retired Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport Authority workers who are suing Ireland and the Attorney General over the restructuring.

They say entitlements were cut in the restructuring to address the airline workers' pension fund deficit just before the sale of Aer Lingus to IAG. The defendants oppose the case.

Using the 1998 Air Navigation (Amendment) Act, as amended by the Shannon Airports (Shannon Group) Act 2014, the State was able to present proposals to amend the superannuation scheme for presentation to the Pensions Authority for approval.

Mr Gardiner said this was a unique piece of legislation in the history of the State because it targeted a specific group rather than the population in general and interfered with the property rights of people without their consent.

Each of the IASS members had to compulsorily contribute to the scheme while they were working and they had therefore established constitutional property rights, counsel said.

It was a requirement of the scheme and a matter of law that the trustees would administer the pension fund in accordance with the rules of the scheme.

However, the law was changed to allow the State "unlawfully expropriate ten to 20 per cent of the money earned by the pensioners, some of who had paid into it for over 50 years".

If the Constitution did not protect the citizen in those circumstance, then it was sorely deficient, counsel said. But it was their case it was not deficient and the court should find in favour of the pensioners.

Mr Gardiner said his clients' case was based both on contractual rights and property rights under the Constitution.

In this case, the pension trustees were able to apply to the Pensions Authority to restructure with the "security blanket" of the new law even though the State argued that it could have done so without that law, he said.

The State interfered with a private trust (pension scheme) to avoid industrial unrest and consequent risk to the economy, he said.

Although it received a 335m "bounty" for the sale of its shares to IAG, the State claims it was not solely motivated by this enhanced value, counsel said.

It claimed that in introducing the legislation, it was part of a "complex social and economic" policy but an analysis of this matter would show that was not the case because it involved targeting a private trust and not the population generally.

Mr Gardiner said the court will first have to decide whether the pensioners are entitled to certain declarations as to whether the legislation used by the State was unconstitutional and in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. After that, the court would go on to decide whether damages should be awarded.

Separate from the constitutional claim are claims for damages for intentional infliction of economic harm, interference with contractual relations and unjust enrichment by the State.

The case continues before Ms Justice Teresa Pilkington.
A teenager has apologised for his part in a house burglary during which an urn containing the ashes of the homeowner's late husband was disturbed.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that a number of youths broke into the house in south Dublin in February 2016. They made off with a camera and laptop which contained the last photos and videos of the widow and her husband together.

Garda Ian Cummins told Maddie Grant BL, prosecuting, that the woman made a number of public appeals for return of the items, including contacting the Ryan Tubridy show on RTE radio.

None of the stolen items were ever recovered. Gda Cummins said the woman told them that an urn carrying her husband's ashes had been disturbed and gone through.

She also said that the stolen equipment recorded family memories that couldn't be replaced.

The 16-year-old from Bray, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty to burglary of a house in Dalkey on February 29, 2016. The homeowner's husband had died around four months previously.

The teenager, who cannot be identified, told Judge Melanie Greally he didn't realise the effects of his behaviour at the time but he does realise it now. He said he was sorry for his actions.

He has previous convictions for robbery, criminal damage, public order offences and breaches of the road traffic act.

He has been in Oberstown children detention centre since last year and a number of records of courses completed by him were handed into court.

Judge Greally read these and said it was clear he is making great progress in his development. She adjourned the case to October 17 next.
Murdered: Lyra McKee was shot dead by a New IRA gunman in Derry. Photo: Jess Lowe Photography/Handout via REUTERS

The family of murdered journalist Lyra McKee has expressed gratitude to the public for the outpouring of support they have received since she was killed by the New IRA in Derry.

The 29-year-old journalist was shot dead in the Creggan area of the city on April 18 during a riot.

The New IRA has accepted responsibility for the murder, saying one of its "volunteers" was engaging the PSNI as officers carried out searches in the area.

In a statement Lyra's family thanked all those who had supported them "through the darkest times".

"The outpouring of love, respect and admiration for our dear Lyra, has been of great comfort to us in these dark days," the statement read.

"To know that our wee Lyra was so well-loved across the Globe and by people of all walks of life, is a true testament to her personal philosophy and her vision for the world."

The family thanked all those who said a prayer, shared a thought, sent a message, attended a vigil, visited her home, respected their privacy or did "any other positive act" in response to her murder.

"We appreciate every single sentiment no matter how small. These things have helped to give us some strength while we are at our weakest," Lyra's family said.

"Whilst we have been both honoured and overwhelmed by requests for events in Lyras name or inspired by Lyra. We respectfully request that before anyone uses her life or death for any purpose that they consider her legacy of inclusivity and understanding.

"We know that as our nightmare continues in the weeks, months and years ahead, that we will not be alone. We know that you will all continue to support us and we know that we will all rejoice together on the day that justice is achieved for our Lyra.

"Until then, know that your continued love, support and sympathy will be our spiritual manna.

"In gratitude and love, The family of Lyra McKee."

The death of the talented journalist has put pressure on Northern Ireland political parties to re-enter talks to restore Stormont, with Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley saying there is a "narrow window" in which progress can be made to re-establish devolved powersharing.
China Aviation Daily | Apr. 29, 2019

Turhan Ozen, Chief Cargo Officer of Turkish Airlines and the head of the Turkish Cargo Brand, has been elected to the Board of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA).

Mr Ozen has an extensive knowledge of the territories surrounding Turkey, having overseen business development in the Balkans, Middle East, and African regions.

"With a sizeable and impressive new airport, Turkey is set to become a major aviation transport hub between Europe and Asia," said Sebastiaan Scholte, Chairman of TIACA and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jan de Rijk Logistics.

"Because Turhan will be present on the ground as this major project works towards completion, his insight will prove invaluable to the TIACA Board and its members."

Earlier this month Turkish Airlines moved all operations from Ataturk Airport to the new Istanbul Airport, an undertaking called the "Great Move" by the airline.

The new airport, due for completion in 2027, will be the busiest hub in the world, with six runways boosting capacity for cargo.

"The air cargo industry requires effective leadership to manage the changes demanded by continuously diversified customer needs," said Ozen.

"That leadership needs to be the clear manifestation of the common will to enable us to establish well-functioning processes and a sustainable future vision.

"I believe that my Board membership at TIACA will contribute to this leadership in terms of a positive way for the change and for the development of the international air cargo sector."

Ozen is one of several new members recruited to join the TIACA board as part of an ongoing strategy launched in 2018 to focus more on members and content.

Contributed by TIACA
The distressed family of a deceased patient who was placed in the overcrowded mortuary at the centre of upsetting revelations about leaving bodies in its corridor have sought answers from the hospital involved.

A spokeswoman for University Hospital Waterford confirmed that it has been contacted by a family since it was disclosed last week that the mortuary was so cramped and lacking in temperature control that dead bodies had to be placed in the corridor and, in some cases, they decomposed, forcing relatives to have closed-coffin funerals.

"University Hospital Waterford has been contacted by one family in relation to this matter. The hospital is engaging with this family," she said.

However, the spokeswoman said this did not amount to a complaint.

In the immediate term, a mobile refrigerated unit will be placed on the site. It will be "installed and available for use within one to two weeks".

The hospital has promised a minor extension to the existing mortuary building, and an additional refrigeration unit "will be on site and available for use in eight to 10 weeks".

The long-term plan is to construct a new mortuary, to be completed within two years, subject to capital approval.

Professor Rob Landers, one of a number of pathologists who signed a letter to the HSE last October about the overcrowded mortuary, said the situation was causing "unspeakable distress to relatives". The HSE refused to release the letter under Freedom of Information but a journalist from the 'Waterford News and Star' obtained it.

The need for an upgrade was recognised in 2004. Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane was told planning permission for the project will expire in October 2020.
The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) owed creditors 345,000 in 2018, according to its last financial statement.

The GP body, which now has an uncertain future following the mass resignation of its president Dr Maitiu O Tuathail and council due to their concerns about "serious governance issues", is to attempt to put together a "financial rescue package".

The organisation, which was set up in 2013 as GPs felt the financial strain of recession cuts in HSE fees, recorded a 33,000 deficit, according to its financial statements to the end of March 2018.

The NAGP, which has around 2,000 members, has seen a fall-off in subscriptions, which is adding to its difficulties.

It is facing the risk of liquidation or examinership.

A report on governance by Ampersand, which was commissioned by the NAGP, recommended a range of changes to tighten up how it is run.

One of the founding GPs, Dr Andrew Jordan, who is a director, said they will "strive to ensure that a rescue package will be in place within the next two weeks which will facilitate the continuation of the organisation and implement the recently commissioned Ampersand governance report".

Independent TD Dr Michael Harty, who is a long-time member of the NAGP, said yesterday it is unclear what will happen to the organisation in the future.

The NAGP annual meeting due next month was expected to discuss the Ampersand report, but this is now likely to be deferred. The report, which has been seen by the Irish Independent, recommends far-reaching changes, including various committees such as a finance sub-committee.

The NAGP has recently commissioned solicitors and debt collectors to act on a "no-win, no-fee" basis in relation to a dispute between GPs and the Department of Social Protection on photocopied illness benefit forms.
An extra armed support unit for the Border region is delayed despite the threat of feuding gangs, ATM raiders and dissident terrorists.

Plans have been in the pipeline since before Christmas to increase the locations of Garda armed support units in the region from two to three.

The geography highlighted the need for Cavan-based officers to help cover a region that sprawls from Co Donegal across to Co Louth.

Fears of a no-deal Brexit meant it was due to be fast-tracked and put in place by the end of March. But now urban centres including Cork and Limerick are being prioritised for extra armed officers.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had pledged the additional Garda unit for the Border would be happening Brexit or no Brexit.

But action has yet to be taken by Garda headquarters, despite worrying developments in the region.

It is understood that the delay is down to the long training process that is required to make an officer ready for armed duty. One senior garda said it can take between six and eight months to go through this tough process.

But with the Drogheda turf war between two drugs gangs erupting into violence and destruction, there is mounting pressure for a greater armed Garda presence.

Gardai in Drogheda are investigating more than 70 individual incidents directly related to the ongoing feud since last summer, it has emerged.

There have been seven firebomb attacks and an attempted gun murder in the past week, as the feud in the troubled town threatens to spiral out of control.

Armed officers are now patrolling the streets of the Co Louth town, and Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said that additional resources would be deployed.

However, he indicated that An Garda Siochana would need to wait until more rookie gardai graduate from Templemore in the coming weeks  and ultimately their deployment is a matter for the Garda commissioner.

Rank-and-file gardai will today call for armed support units (ASUs) to be located in each division, and specifically the Border.

The Drogheda feud has its roots in a drug turf war in which intimidation of people who run up drug debts has featured significantly.

"There's fear in the town, there's deep concern, we need and must have more gardai," said Fine Gael TD Fergus O'Dowd.

He warned the turf war between gangs was putting "the entire population of Drogheda at risk". He said an innocent young girl during last week's shooting dodged a bullet "by eight inches".

Mr O'Dowd said he had a letter from Assistant Garda Commissioner Finbar O'Brien acknowledging that the ongoing criminal feud has placed considerable strain on the resources of the Drogheda district and Louth gardai.

He said that he had spoken with the Justice Minister, and was reassured that armed gardai were patrolling the town's streets.

But he said Drogheda had 35 fewer gardai than Dundalk, even though they were towns of comparable size.

The GRA Central Executive Committee representative for Louth, Garda Derek O'Donoghue, confirmed that since the first attempted murder in Drogheda last June, "there have been 74 separate incidents directly related to the ongoing feud between criminal gangs".

"We need a strong police presence both overt and covert to take on these individuals."

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan insisted that criminal activity on the streets of Drogheda will not be tolerated by him or by gardai. He pledged additional resources will be deployed to Drogheda.

"In recent times additional gardai have been assigned to the Louth Division and again, over the next few weeks as more gardai come out of Templemore, I would expect that further resources will be deployed to the greater Drogheda area," he told Radio Kerry.

A Garda operation is under way in Drogheda, known as Operation Stratus, designed to take a small number of people who "seem to have no regard for the law" off the streets.

However, he acknowledged that operational and resourcing issues are a matter for Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

Prior to the latest graduation ceremony in Templemore, it was suggested that up to half of the 200 new gardai would be sent to the Border region.

Instead, a total of 62 new gardai, including only 49 probationers, were deployed there.

The 49 probationers were allocated across four divisions, with 15 to Cavan-Monaghan, 15 to Donegal, 12 to Louth and seven to Sligo-Leitrim.

The rest were re-allocations of personnel from other divisions.

There are regional Armed Support Units in Louth and Donegal, but gardai want greater 24-hour cover.

The president of the GRA Jim Mulligan, who is an officer based in south Dublin, said the gangs were "reckless, indiscriminate thugs".

"We have been making our case for better training, equipment and facilities for a number of years. Regrettably, we've not got the response we were looking for.

"However, too much is at stake to start playing a blame game. The safety of the public is the number one priority."

Moves have begun to hold a special meeting of the Drogheda Joint Policing Committee (JPC), which it is hoped Mr Harris will attend.

The written request came from the outgoing chair of the Drogheda JPC, Cllr Kenneth Flood.

And a rally titled 'Drogheda Stands Together Against Violence', is being organised for West Street, Drogheda, for 4pm this Saturday.

Meanwhile, armed Garda resources are to be deployed to Limerick and Cork.

Chief Superintendent Gerry Roche, who heads the entire Limerick Garda Division, said that he is to receive two additional ASUs to further complement the two presently based there.

This will bring the total number of armed gardai in the division to "approximately 70".
A Dublin boy (12) who was missing yesterday has been found safe and well.

Gardai thanked the public for their assistance and said that no further action is required.

The young boy's father took to Twitter to thank everyone who helped in the search.

"I cannot again express my gratitude enough to everyone on here who shared information and helped in the search to bring [him] home. You have been amazing. [He is] tucked up in bed safe, thanks to you all. You have my family's love eternally."
GARDA Commissioner Drew Harris has promised 25 extra gardai for Drogheda as gang feuding in the town continues to spiral out of control.

It came amid mounting pressure over garda resources in the town, which has seen more than 70 criminal incidents linked to the ongoing feud since last summer.

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In the past week there have been seven firebomb attacks and an attempted gun murder.

The Irish Independent today revealed how plans for a new armed Garda unit for the Border region have stalled despite being expected by the end of March.

The commissioners announcement of extra gardai for Drogheda came at the Garda Representative Association (GRA) conference in Killarney, Co Kerry.

Mr Harris said: [Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan] and I have been in contact over the last months around this feud. So what I was able to inform the minister today, is that next month we will increase the establishment in Drogheda itself by a further 25 members.

Mr Harris explained the number of personnel in armed support units was being increased, with an additional 79 members to be added by the end of the year.

He also said a new unit would be established in Cavan, but rejected the GRAs demand for an armed response unit in every division, insisting they would remain deployed on a regional basis.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he is very concerned about the situation in Drogheda.

Asked about the reported delay in providing a second armed garda response unit, he said there is now unprecedented investment in the gardai following years of under-investment because of the financial crisis.

Obviously, where resources are allocated is a matter for the Garda commissioner, but I have spoken to the minister for justice specifically about Drogheda, the Taoiseach said.

Im very concerned about the situation there. I very much feel for the citizens there, the residents there, just going about their normal lives who obviously are now in fear and were going to make sure the resources are in place.

However, Fianna Fail said even more resources were required for Louth and the Border region.

The party's justice spokesperson Jim OCallaghan said: The increased criminality, particularly from gangs targeting ATM machines, means that extra resources in the northern region are required.

An armed support unit devoted exclusively to the Cavan/Monaghan division would greatly assist in tackling increased serious crime in the area.

Earlier today, Mr Flanagan said gardai would have an 300 new vehicles by the end of the year, as well as improved IT capabilities.

The minister also rejected assertions by rank-and-file gardai that they are not properly resourced.

He said he was very concerned about the unacceptable feud, which he described was being led by a small number of thugs, all of whom are known to gardai.

He again indicated extra gardai recruits from Templemore will be deployed to Co Louth later this year, which was then confirmed by Mr Harris.

Mr Flanagan defended the Governments record on policing, pointing out that since September 2014, almost 2,400 recruits have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide, including 800 new trainees last year.

Meanwhile, members of An Garda Siochana will take part in Dublins Pride parade in uniform for the very first time this year. In 2017, uniformed gardai joined their PSNI colleagues in Belfasts Pride parade and marched in uniform in Dublin.

Members of the Garda Marching Band have been involved in Dublins Pride event since 2014.
SUCCESS AND FAILURE: Maurice McCabe and his wife Lorraine finally received some measure of justice. Photo: Tony Gavin

Former Garda Sergeant Maurice McCabe has settled his High Court proceedings against the State for an undisclosed sum.

A Justice Department official has confirmed that the garda whistleblower agreed to a confidential settlement following mediation with State officials.

Expand Close Lauded: Sergeant Maurice McCabe and his wife Lorraine at the Disclosures Tribunal in Dublin Castle. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins / Facebook

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Whatsapp Lauded: Sergeant Maurice McCabe and his wife Lorraine at the Disclosures Tribunal in Dublin Castle. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

An agreed settlement of these legal actions has now been reached through mediation.

The settlement agreement is confidential and no further comment will be made in that regard, a spokesperson for the department told the Irish Independent.

Mr McCabe, who retired from An Garda Siochana last October, had brought numerous High Court proceedings against State officials, including former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan, the Minister for Justice and the Attorney General as well as child and family agency Tusla.

He retired from the force after 30 years service a number of weeks after the Disclosures Tribunal, led by Mr Justice Peter Charleton, published its report exonerating the Cavan-based sergeant.

Mr Justice Charleton also thanked Mr McCabe for his considerable service to the State.

The Tribunal found former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and Superintendent David Taylor - formerly head of the Garda press office - had engaged in a smear campaign against Mr McCabe.

In February, the High Court was told that the State was to write an open letter to Mr McCabe and his legal team to see whether any of the legal actions against the State could be resolved through mediation.

Mr McCabes lawyers had filed a motion at the time seeking a judgment against the parties over their alleged failure to file a defence to his claims.

Gerald Meehan Bl, for the State defendants, had said his clients had not filed a defence as it would not help bring the sides together in a bid to see if a conciliatory mediation could take place.

Counsel said the proposed mediation would involve all cases taken against the State by Mr McCabe.

He said such mediation would not just be in the interests of all parties involved but in the public interest as well.

State officials would not comment on when the mediation took place, nor would they disclose the amount of the settlement reached.

However, the Justice Department said the Government fully acknowledges the findings of the Disclosures Tribunal since the report was published in October 2018.

The Government has made it clear its full acceptance of the report and the failings it identified, the spokesperson said in a statement.

The Minister for Justice and Equality met with former Sergeant McCabe and his wife Lorraine in November and apologised on behalf of the State for the manner in which he was treated, the statement read.

As had been stated previously, the Minister and the Governments clear wish was to ensure that the legal actions initiated by former Sergeant McCabe against the State were settled as quickly as possible to the satisfaction of Mr McCabe, without the need for litigation before the courts.

In its third interim report, the tribunal chairman found Sergeant Maurice McCabe, and who exemplified hard work in his own calling, was repulsively denigrated for being no more than a good citizen and police officer.

The damning report found that Mr Callinan and Supt Taylor engaged in a defamatory campaign against the whistleblower who highlighted abuses of the penalty points system and other shortcomings by the force.

But instead of being lauded by his then commissioner, he was targeted in a frontal attack during 2013 and 2014 to head off what Mr Callinan said he saw as the undermining of standards of duty and loyalty to which he had devoted his career.
Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has taken a swipe at former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, suggesting Ireland had a comedian as its leader before Ukraine.

The Conservative MP, who has been to the forefront of the Brexit debate, hit back at comments made by Mr Ahern over the weekend.

Speaking at the Women in Media Conference in Ballybunion, Co Kerry, Mr Ahern described Mr Rees-Mogg as a "lovely fella when he's asleep".

When asked by MEP Mairead McGuinness "how do you know?", he replied: "When he's awake, he definitely is a strange fish I tell you, in and out of the water.

"But the reality is he admitted to me he had no idea of what the Border was. I think a lot of British politicians thought the Border was something up around Dundalk or Newry, and that there was a gate on it.

"I mean the idea that it was 460km across the island and that you could criss cross it to farms and houses, they just didn't know it."

Quite funny but regrettably untrue. Perhaps Ireland had a comedian as its leader before Ukraine.https://t.co/NKNuum07Hp  Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) April 29, 2019

Mr Rees-Mogg responded on social media yesterday, saying the comments were "quite funny, but regrettably untrue".

"Perhaps Ireland had a comedian as its leader before Ukraine," he said, a reference to the recent election of Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

It comes as the UK government looks set to delay the next Queen's Speech until a Brexit deal is ratified. This would mean the parliamentary set-piece being postponed from the expected date in June to as late as the autumn.

Cross-party talks on the EU Withdrawal Agreement are showing little sign of progress, meaning hopes of avoiding EU elections appear to have evaporated.
Sarah Cass, from Kilkenny pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

Laura Berry, left,and Aine Casey, from Kilcullen, Kildare pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

Joanne Byrne, from Allenwood in Kildare pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

Davina, right, and her sister, Dawn Knight, from portarlington, Laois pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

Sarah Cass, from Kilkenny pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

Sarah Cass, from Kilkenny pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

Race-goers have braved the elements and turned out in style at Punchestown race course this afternoon.

The four-day festival kicks off today and already the fashionistas are out in force in their bid to be crowned the best dressed lady.

There will be one winner each day with the final held on Friday.

As the rain falls, there has still been plenty of colourful outfits coming through the turnstiles to brighten the gloomy day.

Expand Close Sarah Cass, from Kilkenny pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sarah Cass, from Kilkenny pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

Joanne Byrne (26) from Allenwood, Co Kildare looked sophisticated in a statement tan and red dress from Phoenix V.

She was looking forward to the day with friends and was hoping to sign up to compete in the Kildare Rose of Tralee selection.

Expand Close Sarah Cass, from Kilkenny pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sarah Cass, from Kilkenny pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

She said she had treated herself to the dress after achieving two personal goals: completing the first year of her Masters and losing three-stone.

My dress is Phoenix V and the reason I am wearing it is that I lost three stone and one year of my Masters. I treated myself to it, its like an accomplishment dress, she said.

Expand Close Laura Berry, left,and Aine Casey, from Kilcullen, Kildare pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook

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Whatsapp Laura Berry, left,and Aine Casey, from Kilcullen, Kildare pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

I love the races but this is the first year I said Id really dress up because I feel more comfortable.

I wanted something I felt nice in, and I do, so it was worth the buy!

Expand Close Joanne Byrne, from Allenwood in Kildare pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook

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Whatsapp Joanne Byrne, from Allenwood in Kildare pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

Meanwhile, midwife Sarah Cass (32) from Gowran, Kilkenny wasnt turned off by the rain.

I wore cream today as it would be better than wearing black on a dull day.

Expand Close Davina, right, and her sister, Dawn Knight, from portarlington, Laois pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook

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Whatsapp Davina, right, and her sister, Dawn Knight, from portarlington, Laois pictured at the first day of the Punchestown festival, Kildare. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM

She went for a mix of high-street and designer to put together a fresh look.

Her crowning glory was the head-piece she had purchased from Galway milliner Edel Ramberg  and she had a matching umbrella for practicality.

We started coming years ago as a family and I take a week off after Easter every year  just for a bit of fun here in Ireland.

The first race of the day takes place at 3.40pm, The Kildare Hunt Club Fr Sean Breen Memorial Steeplechase, in memory of Fr Sean Breen who passed away ten years ago.

A lover of horse-racing, a bronze statue will be unveiled in his honour at 3pm today.

The second race on the card is the Grade One Herald Champion Novice Hurdle, with the action taking place at 4.20pm.
I'm standing waist-deep in a sea of polystyrene packaging beans at one of the wackier fringe events at Milan Design Week. The Pleasure & Treasure installation by Advantage Austria, is situated in the Sala Reale, which was once the waiting room of the Royal House of Savoy at Milan's central station.

Architects Vasku & Klug have partitioned the majestic space with panels in bubble-gum pink and placed some pieces of furniture on plinths amid the sea of foam. Nobody seems to notice the furniture very much. They're too busy taking selfies and posting them to Instagram. "I've lost my handbag!" squeals a fashionista, diving head first into the foam like a child in a ball-pool. So that's the 'Pleasure' component.

Downstairs, a darkened room is centred on a gigantic black plinth on which smaller design pieces - mostly tableware - are displayed amid a hoard of golden chocolate coins. This must be the 'Treasure'. There is a strong smell of mint chocolate. Leaving the exhibition, I realise that I was so overwhelmed by the immersive experience that I forgot to look at any of the design.

Milan Design Week (April 8-14, 2019) is one of the biggest events on the interiors calendar, but it's hard to connect it to the real world. The central event is the Salone del Mobile furniture fair, where international brands promote their latest collections. The event was launched in 1961 as a way of promoting Italian furniture and has become a behemoth. Last year, it drew 370,000 design professionals, 5,000 journalists and 27,500 members of the public.

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The Salone del Mobile exists to sell furniture, but the stands look like art installations and, because it's a trade fair, there's nothing as vulgar as actual prices. Some of the brands are available in Ireland, but only through interior designers and in high-end shops. In general, it's pricy stuff and I certainly didn't see anything that I could aspire to buy.

Then I realised that, while some people go to the fair to do business, the rest of us are just looking for inspiration. In the same way that someone might admire a dress in Vogue, but buy one from Dunnes, there is great pleasure in gawking at luxury brands. It makes you feel that you know what cutting edge design is, even if you can't afford it.

I travelled to Design Week with DFS, a company that specialises in sofas and chairs. After the fair, I spoke to Lee Fisher, a buyer with DFS, about how the trends that he sees at international fairs filter through into more affordable furniture.

"Basically, we look at the market - at our competitors. We see what they are doing in terms of leather and fabric, colour, shape and form. Then we brief our designers and build our future plans based on those factors," he says, admitting that takes about two or three years for the trends to emerge in high-street furniture.

So, based on the Salone del Mobile 2019, what shape will our sofas take in years to come? "Curved sofas are still popular and hexagonal accent chairs are massive," Fisher says. This trend reflects the wider trend for open-plan living areas - a curved sofa is no use in a standard four-cornered sitting room.

"We're also seeing oversized sectional sofas with integrated storage and furniture," he continues. That's modular furniture with built-in side tables, lighting, or shelving, either at the ends or between the sections.

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Top marks for trend prediction go to DFS's Narnia sofa (1,299). Not only does it show the curved form so prevalent in 2019, but it's also available in rust. This bright earthy terracotta was the key colour of this year's show, with an emerging trend for nudes, taupes and skin tones, especially in leather. Shiny lacquered leather is a thing of the past and contemporary leathers tend to be sanded into a warm, buttery, soft texture. Fabrics are also textured, some with the boucle look of an old bobbly jacket; others with a metallic element within the weave so that it changes colour depending on where you're standing. Tonal accent cushions were everywhere.

There is also an interesting trend for backless, armless sofas. This is not nearly as nutty as it sounds. The backless sofa is a wide flat surface, like a daybed, with heavy triangular shaped cushions that function as armrests or backrests. You move them around to support you at the required angle. This arrangement sounds unstable, but it's actually not. The cushions stay put. For the easiest sofa-bed conversion ever, you just throw them on to the floor. "It's a key trend, especially on the high-end stands, but these sofas are not something we would develop for DFS," Fisher says. "They're a step too far for our customers."

If you fancy an armless sofa with moveable backrests, you'll find one of the original designs at Curated, a new interiors showroom in Sandyford, Dublin 18. It's called the Filiph and comes from an Italian brand called Art Nova (from 4,235 for a three-seater or 5,730 for a corner sofa). Mary Ryder, interior designer and one of the principals of Curated, is also just back from Milan. "Art Nova caught my attention with that design three years ago and now it's been widely copied by the big boys," she says. So it's clearly not just the high-street brands that are cribbing other companies' ideas.

I asked Ryder for her impressions of Milan. "The shape of 2019 is the pill!" she exclaims. "There wasn't a corner in the entire show. All the square and rectangular tables - from dining tables to coffee tables - have softened corners and the current shape is the lozenge. It's very child-friendly, really. There's nothing that would crack a child's head open anymore." Lighting is similarly curved. "Brass is the predominant finish and shades are opaque glass globes with a good wallop of Art Deco. Even the back plates for wall-fittings are all lozenge or disc-shaped."

Ryder also flagged a strong retro trend for exposing the framework of upholstered furniture, showing a tubular steel framework outside the upholstery. "It's more than a nod to Bauhaus design," she says. Textiles were in 50 shades of coral, ranging from the softest pink to deepest rusty terracotta, but with emerging tones of smoky blue. When it comes to pattern, though, 2019 shows no middle ground. The printed textiles at Milan were jungle to the max, patterned with lush tropical foliage or densely populated with fantastical animals and exotic birds on every available surface.

See advantageaustria.org, dfs.ie, and curated.ie.
Approximately 1,549 [406 Arona models and 1143 Ibiza models] vehicles in the Republic of Ireland are affected by this recall campaign. (David Cheskin/PA)

Approximately 1,549 [406 Arona models and 1143 Ibiza models] vehicles in the Republic of Ireland are affected by this recall campaign. Stock picture

A voluntary recall is being carried out by Volkswagen Group Ireland on certain SEAT Arona and Ibiza passenger vehicles.

The warning came through Safety Gate, the EU-wide rapid alert system for dangerous products.

The vehicles affected were produced between October 2016 and November 2018.

SEAT Ireland has identified a safety issue, whereby, it is possible that on affected vehicles with a rear drum brake, that operational wear of the brake lining and use-related settlement of the drum brake may result in inadequate and ineffective parking brake function.

Approximately 1,549 [406 Arona models and 1143 Ibiza models] vehicles in the Republic of Ireland are affected by this recall campaign.

Owners have already been contacted directly by mail and requested to bring their vehicles to an authorised repairer.

If you believe your vehicle may be impacted, you can call SEAT dealer at 1850 812 763.

Safety Gate issued over 2,257 alerts issued across the Eurozone last year.

Toys belonged to the most notified product category (31%), followed by cars (19%), and clothing, textiles and fashion items (10%), while the main risks flagged were chemical risks and injuries (25% each) followed by the choking risk for children (18%).

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has updates on all recalls that affect Ireland on its website www.ccpc.ie

Speaking at the launch of the 2018 report in Bucharest recently, EU Commissioner for Consumers, Vera Jourova, warned that she would continue to crack down on rogue manufacturers.

Just over half of all products reported to Safety Gate as hazardous originated in China.

Recently named among Time magazines Top 100 Most Influential People Of 2019, Commissioner Jourova has also introduced tougher rules to modernise the supply of digital content and sale of goods.

Two new directives will give consumers more protection when buying goods and services online.

For example, if you buy a smartphone advertised for its high-resolution camera from another EU country but find it takes blurry photos, you will have two years to go back to the online seller and ask them to fix the issue.

If the seller does not, or cannot, fix the problem, the buyer can choose to keep the phone and get a price reduction, or return the phone with a full refund.

The new rules will apply throughout the EU by the end of 2021.
My mouth is bone dry, I'm finding it hard to swallow and visions of humiliation fill my head as the cocky teenager scans my face for any trace of fear. It doesn't help that we are 35m above a dense woodland and terra firma is another 300m away in a cliff-like drop.

All I have got to do is negotiate myself (and those few extra pounds I gathered since Christmas) through the tree tops, over two lakes and a 17th Century hand-restored bridge.

Not being brilliant with heights has not been helped by the fact that the little rascal (my son) waited until I was halfway across a tightrope on the adrenaline-fuelled Octogon High Ropes Course before vigorously shaking the thread-like line I'm inching across.

Now is not the time for a dad to buckle, and with steely determination I surprise myself by taking a run and a giant leap into what can only be described as the most exhilarating thing I've done in ages.

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I even had time to take in the stunning views between shrieks of excited laughter.

The scenery comes courtesy of Castlecomer Discovery Park - home to the longest zipline in Ireland - in 80 acres of lush forest set in the former grounds of the Wandesforde Estate.

Opened in 2007, the Community Enterprise not for profit adventure park offers a range of activities including orienteering and walking trails, mountain biking, archery, canoeing, axe throwing (for my wife, Lucia), camping and raft building. For smaller children there's Timber Tumbles playground, the elf and fairies village or the magical bouncing net where they can run wild while mum and dad enjoy freshly ground coffee in the Canopy cafe.

All of that excitement takes its toll on body and mind (don't even get me started about the horrific roadworks on the M7) so thankfully we were staying in the luxurious four-star Newpark Hotel and Spa on the edge of Kilkenny City.

After checking into our spacious family room - welcomed by the most delicious chocolate-covered strawberries and a glass of chilled fine wine - the boy wonder Cameron and I headed for a well-deserved swim.

After a quick dip we retire to the outdoor infinity pool where the crisp March breeze mellowed as the spa pool's bubbles fizzed around our shoulders.

Totally famished, we dined in the hotel's fabulous Gulliver's restaurant - an intimate experience of the most decadent dishes.

The grilled Dublin Bay prawns in coriander butter served with garlic croutons were delightful as were the goat's cheese and sun-blushed tomato tartlet starters.

The 8oz sirloin steaks were to die for while the grilled fillet of wild Atlantic salmon was perfectly complemented by the citrus salsa verde and tender stem broccoli.

The following morning after a hearty breakfast we headed into the medieval Mecca for a spot of sightseeing, and first on the list is Kilkenny Castle - built soon after the Norman conquest of Ireland 800 years ago.

Soak up the history with a leisurely tour of the 12th Century buildings including the magnificent library, drawing room, bedrooms decorated in 1830s splendour and its piece de resistance - the Butler Art Gallery - which mounts frequently changing exhibitions of contemporary art.

Later that afternoon Cameron and I embarked on the must-do hurling tour run by local publican PJ Lanigan.

Steeped in GAA heritage, PJ's great-grandfather was playing for the Tipperary team when Michael Hogan was shot dead on Bloody Sunday in 1920, and his granddad went on to win two All Ireland medals for the Cats. After a brief introduction about the fastest ball game on the planet and a selfie with the Liam McCarthy Cup (one of only two replicas) we head to the home of Kilkenny hurling - the hallowed turf of Nowlan Park.

From there we cross the road to the O'Loughlin Gaels's ground for a crash course in how the beautiful game is played.

Being a Dub, the locals wrongly assume I wouldn't know my Bas from my elbow and are astonished when I win the Poc Fada and score two cracking goals during the mini tournament that followed.

I did feel sorry for the two girls from Texas who made a valiant effort and with a bit more practice would definitely make fine camogie stars.

The Kilkenny Way Ultimate Hurling Experience - a great workout and terrific fun - is consistently voted the No 1 attraction in the city through TripAdvisor.

While we nursed our aching limbs in the bar over an ice-cold Smithwick's (when in Kilkenny...) my shopaholic wife headed for the treatment rooms in the Hotel Spa where the house pedicure provided a soothing end to a day of serious retail therapy.

That night we headed straight to the locally renowned steakhouse - aptly named Butcher. Situated off St Kieran's Street, the US-style loft diner complete with blood red neon signs, is a one-minute stroll from the main strip.

Our waiter warned us about the portion sizes so we skip the starters and go straight for the meat feast of two 10oz rib eye steaks (medium rare) with rustic chips and mac and cheese. My wife - a pescatarian - opted for pan-fried king prawns and a green salad.

Wow. Steak succulence has been brought to a whole new level here as every sliver of beef melts in your mouth. A gastronomic delight and without doubt, these char-grilled cuts are the best I've ever eaten. The delicious crustaceans go down a treat too with the pickiest of eaters.

We finish off the night back in Lanigan's where a trad session with a twist leaves us speechless. In between the well-known ballads a super svelte male dancer explodes into a Riverdance routine as the delighted crowd whoop, cheer and stamp their feet. Another adrenaline rush which left all three of us feeling like the Cats who got the cream.

Getting there

Newpark Hotel has created a midweek package specifically designed for guests to experience all that Medieval Kilkenny has to offer.

Enjoy a two-night stay in Irelands Medieval capital, including breakfast and dinner on one evening in Scotts Bar & Brasserie. Guests are greeted with a pint of Smithwicks on arrival and tickets to Kilkennys Medieval Mile Museum. Newpark Hotel guests receive complimentary access to the Escape Health Club, Thermal Suite and Outdoor Infinity Pool. This package costs from 318 for two people sharing and is available from SundayThursday.

newparkhotelkilkenny.com

visitkilkenny.ie

thekilkennyway.com

discoverypark.ie

butcherrestaurant.ie
The capital of Taiwan in festive mood, with Taipei 101 standing tall over the city as the good luck rockets crackle

It was unlike any fireworks display I had ever attended. We had travelled by high- speed train from Taipei in the north of Taiwan to attend the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival in the south of the island.

This annual event is celebrated on the 15th day of each Lunar New Year, and commemorates a cholera epidemic that occurred in the late 19th Century. Fireworks were intended to drive away the evil spirits of that disease.

Nowadays, the festival has become notorious for its danger. What makes it so dangerous is that spectators are encouraged to stand as near to the fireworks as possible. They are also advised to wear multiple layers of protective clothing. The event lasts for many hours, with ear-splitting explosions and thousands of rockets being fired in all directions.

A local man told me that being hit by a rocket is said to be an omen of good fortune - and shortly after I was told this, I was struck by one of them. So I am expecting great things of this year.

Expand Close After much painstaking research, David Blake Knox found the top Irish bar in Taiwan / Facebook

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Taiwan is an island of striking contrasts. It is less than half the size of Ireland, but its population is almost four times as big. While just 10pc of Ireland is forested, more than 40pc of Taiwan consists of thick jungle. Taiwan's population is heavily urbanised, but many species of wildlife can still be found on the island. These include macaque monkeys, leopard cats and black bears. A few weeks ago, there were even reports that a Taiwanese clouded leopard, previously thought to be extinct, had been sighted.

Parts of the island are almost uninhabited, but the cities on its western coast are among the most densely populated regions on Earth.

The capital, Taipei, is a crowded and bustling metropolis of more than six million people where space is at a premium. Taiwan has become a global centre of high-tech industries and is a hub of commercial and consumer activities. Indeed, some of its department stores are so vast they make our own ones seem like corner shops.

Lunch was hosted on our first day by Henry Chen, director general of the Taiwanese Department of International Information Services. He told me that he had once been the principal representative of Taiwan in Ireland. The People's Republic on the Chinese mainland has cut off diplomatic relations with any country that recognises Taiwan as a separate state. As a result, Ireland does not give accreditation to ambassadors from Taiwan, so I was curious how Mr Chen had fulfilled his diplomatic duties when he was based in Dublin.

He told me that Ireland, like most other countries, maintained unofficial contacts that allowed him to function as a de facto ambassador. He also told me that a number of our TDs had visited Taiwan to explore ways in which economic bonds between the two islands might be strengthened.

There are certainly some lessons that we might usefully learn from Taiwan. Although the island has very few natural resources, it enjoys one of the highest standards of living in south-east Asia and boasts educational and health services that are comparable and sometimes superior to any western country.

At the end of World War II, the armies of General Chiang Kai-shek fought a bitter civil war against the communist forces of Mao Zedong. By 1949, the communists were victorious - but Chiang was able to evacuate around two million of his supporters from mainland China to Taiwan. He established a military dictatorship on the island and suppressed all political opposition.

Since the early 1990s, Taiwan has developed into a vibrant multi-party democracy. The current president, Tsai Ing-wen, is not only the first woman to lead the Taiwanese government, she is also the first member of an indigenous tribe to hold that office. President Tsai opened the Lantern Festival in Pingtung, in the south of the island, which we were also able to attend. This festival takes place on the last night of the Chinese New Year.

According to traditional astrology, we have just entered the Year of the Pig, and the lantern festival usually features the current sign of the Chinese zodiac. On this occasion, however, the main lantern was created in the shape of a huge bluefin tuna, and pig-shaped lanterns were confined to supporting roles. This was an evening of dance, music and dramatic spectacle, culminating in scores of light-carrying drones that created astonishing images in the night sky.

Back in the capital, we visited the Taipei World Financial Centre at its iconic headquarters. This remarkable building is usually known as Taipei 101, and was until recently the world's tallest skyscraper.

Taipei may seem an unlikely location for a building of this size since the city is prone to regular earthquakes, typhoons and intense tropical storms. In fact, the 101 is built on a fault line, but it incorporates a number of innovative safety features that make it one of the most stable buildings ever constructed. One of these features is a massive 'damper', a 660 tonne circular steel pendulum that sways to compensate for any movements in the structure. We were shown a video taken during a powerful tremor that rocked Taipei a few years ago: the damper moved a couple of centimetres - and the 101 remained undamaged.

We travelled to the top of this building in a lift that is said to be the fastest on earth. It managed to carry us from the ground floor to the 89th in just 37 seconds, and without causing our stomachs to lurch. We emerged above the clouds, and were afforded panoramic views of the city as well as the nearby mountains and the deep blue waters of the Taiwan Straits.

The architectural style of Taipei 101 combines ultra-modern design with elements of traditional Chinese culture. Its overall appearance resembles the structure of a bamboo cane, and it is divided into eight principal sections, a number that is traditionally associated in China with abundance and prosperity.

This gigantic building contains a great selection of high-end shops and numerous restaurants. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at one of the most celebrated of these. The Din Tai Fung Dumpling House is Michelin-starred and specialises, as its name indicates, in steamed dumplings.

These delicious morsels come in a variety of mouthwatering flavours and are produced by teams of staff who wear surgical masks and work behind plate glass windows. They have the appearance of medical researchers as they prepare the dumplings with meticulous care. We were also instructed in the correct way to eat them, making sure to puncture each soup dumpling so that it wouldn't burn our tongues.

Very few apartments in Taipei come with what Irish people might regard as a working kitchen. As a result, many Taiwanese eat out for almost all of their meals. This means that there is a great number and range of restaurants to chose from.

The Palais de Chine hotel in Taipei boasts another of the island's Michelin-starred restaurants, and we ate lunch there on our last day in Taiwan. We were served eight classic Chinese dishes, including two delicious courses of soup and two of duck. These were accompanied by a few glasses of the local Taiwan beer - which I can also recommend.

There were many other experiences that made this trip memorable for me, but perhaps the most outstanding of these was our visit to the National Palace Museum on the outskirts of Taipei.

The museum contains almost 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese artefacts and artworks. This enormous collection covers 8,000 years of Chinese history, and features work from the Ming and Qing imperial dynasties.

Chiang Kai-shek brought these to Taiwan from the Forbidden City in Beijing. For understandable reasons, the presence of such national treasures in Taiwan is resented by the government of the People's Republic. However, it is questionable how many of these precious artefacts would have survived the Cultural Revolution had they remained in mainland China.

The relationship between Taiwan and the People's Republic has been problematic for decades. In recent months, the cold war between the USA and mainland China has also intensified - with belligerent speeches being made by leading figures on both sides.

This is not the first time that Taiwan's future has seemed uncertain. Indeed, back in 1949, many people assumed that this small island would soon fall to the forces of communist China. Taiwan has managed to survive against formidable odds for the last 70 years.

Given the resourcefulness of its citizens, I would not be surprised if it manages to survive for many more years to come.

Take Two: Top attractions

'Surprising' art

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The Chimei Museum, near Tainan in Taiwan's south, opened its doors in 2014. It is devoted to Western art and culture. Forbes magazine praised it as 'one of the world's most surprising art collections'.

Tribute to Chiang

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The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall opened in 1980, five years after the death of the man who ruled Taiwan for 25 years. It contains a huge statue of Chiang and a museum dedicated to his life.

This story originally appeared in The Sunday Independent.
Former US vice president Joe Biden launched his presidential campaign with a message steeped in idealism. He was aiming for American voters, of course. But his words resonate around the world during a time when democracy and its ideals are under assault, steadily losing ground to authoritarian nationalism on every continent.

Biden's urgent, piercingly effective argument - that we face a transcendent "battle for the soul of this nation" - deserves to be heard as something even larger. The US election is the key contest in a campaign to return the world to its democratic path.

Hundreds of millions of people around the globe will watch the US election, because American voters may determine how far this challenge to democracy goes.

The notion that "all men are created equal... with certain unalienable rights", as Biden noted, is not unique to America. But it was the United States that promoted and defended this proposition with the greatest determination.

Over the years, proponents of democratic principles have looked to the country for inspiration and support. While the United States has not always lived up to its ideals, as Biden rightly noted, it took president Donald Trump to remove it from the fight.

Biden's campaign video uses images from an event that still makes many of us catch our breath in horror and disbelief. American Nazis marched in Charlottesville, Virginia nearly two years ago, carrying flaming torches against the dark sky and chanting a slogan that echoed their ideological forebears of the 1930s: "Jews will not replace us!"

But even more shocking than the march itself was Trump's uttering of a phrase that will forever cast a shadow on his character. There were some "very fine people" on both sides, he said.

As Biden rightly notes, Trump's remark signalled a profound change. The president has turned the United States into one of the battlegrounds in the global war over liberal constitutional democracy, attacking the press, calling for the imprisonment of political rivals, politicising what is supposed to be an independent judiciary, rejecting the authority of a co-equal branch of government and even half- joking about remaining president for life.

In the wider world, Trump has enthusiastically embraced the populist leaders who have been steadily undercutting democracy and rights in their own countries and among their neighbours. His state department made it clear early on that it would set aside efforts to defend human rights. Washington no longer speaks out for the cause of human freedom or those who would defend it.

To be sure, the United States has been historically inconsistent in its promotion of human rights and democracy, at times compromising its principles for the sake of its security interests. But it was never quite like this.

Trump has criticised rights abuses in Venezuela and Iran, but that is a geopolitical calculation that amounts to an exception. Few believe his interest is grounded in concern for democracy. He has made countless remarks showing that he views democracy as an inconvenience at home. Abroad, it's barely a consideration.

According to Freedom House, democracy has been in retreat around the world for more than a decade. Year after year, democratic principles fall by the wayside in one country after another. The losses have not yet outweighed the huge advances of freedom that came after the Cold War. But the trend is deeply disturbing.

Freedom has been losing ground in countries where it was well established and in countries where it was just taking root. And even in places devoid of democratic institutions, such as China, repression has intensified. To Trump, China is all about trade. Human rights are not part of the conversation.

Elsewhere, in the Philippines, Trump has praised President Rodrigo Duterte and his war on drugs, which has led to the assassination of thousands of people without a trace of due process, even as he relentlessly persecutes journalists who shine a spotlight on the violations.

Trump has found a soul mate in Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is systematically dismantling democratic institutions in his country after building support for his authoritarian policies on the strength of anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Trump has declared his enthusiasm for North Korea's Kim Jong Un, one of the most brutal dictators of our time. And he has given effusive backing to the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the president of Egypt, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who engage in brutality shocking even by their dismal standards.

To the extent that US diplomats and other officials still speak out against repression, it happens quietly, as if trying to prevent Trump from finding out.

Biden is right to sound the alarm. Whether he is the best man for the job, he is correct in his analysis of what is at stake.

The next US election could mark a reversal of the global drift towards autocracy. Or it could accelerate the loss of personal and political freedoms around the globe, making the world safe for torch-bearing nationalists and their ideologies. ( The Washington Post)
It's a while since Leo Varadkar evoked his mother's childhood on a farm near Dungarvan. But we may well hear it mentioned again soon.

The Cabinet is expected to meet in Cork tomorrow in a harking back to the good old boom days when Bertie Ahern took his ministers on tour to "meet the people" in their natural habitat.

Back in the noughties, the Fianna Fail-led governments toured our most scenic places holding ministerial meetings in, among other places, Muckross House, near Killarney; Ballaghaderreen, on the Roscommon-Mayo border; Glenveagh National Park in Donegal; and Ballymascanlon, at the gateway to Louth's splendid Cooley peninsula, to name but a few.

Such jolly rural jaunts were unthinkable during the recession. So, the return of the Cabinet roadshow - a bit like an upswing in sales of delivered pizzas - is another strong indicator of better economic weather.

It also speaks to Fine Gael's rivals' persistent talk that this Government is, on a good day, indifferent to the needs of people who live beyond the Pale. Or, the calumny that people like Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central), Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South), and Simon Harris (Wicklow), rarely get out beyond the greater metropolitan area to smell the fresh cow dung.

There is a deal of folklore and exaggeration at play here. But in politics, the legend can often be more potent than the facts.

So, they are travelling to Cork city - home of "Irish second city syndrome", and Tanaiste Simon Coveney. The Irish Farmers' Association is determined to register a presence there with a big demonstration aimed at highlighting the plight of beef farmers.

The farmers' representatives will be saying it takes more than a trip to the country's second metropolitan area to dispel claims that this Government is decidedly urban.

Beef farmers are badly stricken by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. They are by the admission of many within Government "losing their shirts" as things stand. And the impending horrors of Brexit continue to cast a long shadow of carnage deferred but by no means dispelled.

The farmer unions, like the IFA and ICMSA, make a good point. James Healy, president of the young farmers' organisation, Macra na Feirme, argues eloquently that much work was put into building the brand that is "Irish beef" beyond our shores - and it now risks being squandered by market dysfunction driving out beef farmers.

Much focus will be on beef. But the big one is broadband.

Government sources are insistent that this is not to be decided in Cork tomorrow. But they are being more than usually coy on the entire issue.

We know they have to deliver here - and soon. Local council and European Parliament hopefuls have been pounding the beat for some time.

They need very specific broadband answers for those rural canvasses.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at an event at Kensington Palace

The Duchess of Cambridge present shamrock to officers and guardsmen of 1st Battalion the Irish Guards as she attends the St Patrick's Day parade at Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday March 17, 2019. See PA story ROYAL Cambridge. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at the Scout's Early Years Pilot, Gilwell Park on March 28, 2019 in Epping, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge reacts during her visit to the Scouts' headquarters at Gilwell Park, north London on March 29, 2019

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, arrive to meet staff and volunteers from the Royal British Legions London Poppy Day Appeal at Kensington Palace in central London on November 7, 2013. AFP PHOTO/POOL/CARL COURT

File photo dated 29/04/2011 of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge kissing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, following their wedding at Westminster Abbey

File photo dated 29/04/2011 of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge emerging from Westminster Abbey after the wedding ceremony

Kate Middleton has been awarded a prestigious honour by the Queen in recognition of her efforts supporting her as head of state.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth has made Kate a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on the day she celebrates her eight wedding anniversary.

Awards under the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) are made personally by the Queen, not on the recommendations of Downing Street, for services to the sovereign.

The RVO has five classes from member to Knight or Dame Grand Cross, and Kate follows in the footsteps of the Duchess of Cornwall, who received the same honour in the Queen's 2012 Diamond Jubilee year.

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Whatsapp File photo dated 29/04/2011 of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge emerging from Westminster Abbey after the wedding ceremony

It is likely the honour recognises Kate's work over the past eight years as a member of the monarchy.

She has championed her own causes like supporting the early years development of children, travelled the Commonwealth on behalf of the Queen and raised awareness about mental health with William and the Duke of Sussex.

The honour also reveals the esteem in which Kate is held by the Queen and reflects her growing prominence as a senior member of the royal family.

The monarchy's official website says about the duchess: "She has been hugely inspired by the leadership the Queen has provided for over 60 years and will continue to play her part in supporting and celebrating the Queen in the UK and around the Commonwealth wherever possible."

Kate has joined the Queen at national events like the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, celebrating the Queen's official birthday at Trooping the Colour and joining members of the monarchy to welcome visiting heads of state.

William and Kate wed on April 29 2011 at Westminster Abbey and now have three children - Prince George, Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Expand Close Prince William, Duke of Cambridge fires an arrow as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge looks on during an Bhutanese archery demonstration on the first day of a two day visit to Bhutan on the 14th April 2016 in Paro, Bhutan. The Royal couple are visiting Bhutan as part of a week long visit to India and Bhutan that has taken in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kaziranga, Bhutan and Agra. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Prince William, Duke of Cambridge fires an arrow as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge looks on during an Bhutanese archery demonstration on the first day of a two day visit to Bhutan on the 14th April 2016 in Paro, Bhutan. The Royal couple are visiting Bhutan as part of a week long visit to India and Bhutan that has taken in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kaziranga, Bhutan and Agra. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

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Over the past eight years the duchess has developed her own public interests, from becoming patron of the National Portrait Gallery and Natural History Museum to becoming royal patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices.

Royal tours undertaken on behalf of Queen Elizabeth have taken William and Kate from Tuvalu in the South Pacific to Canada, India and America.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark (R) and her younger sister Princess Benedikte seen at the stairs to Amalienborg Palace during Princess Bebediktes 75th birthday party, which is hosted by the Queen, on April 29, 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images)

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary arrive at Princess Benedikte of Denmarks 75th birthday party hosted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark at Amalienborg Palace on April 29, 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images)

Denmark's Crown Princess Mary led the stream of elegantly dressed guests celebrating Princess Bebedikte's 75th birthday party

Mary, a former advertising executive from Australia who has married to Crown Prince Frederik for 15 years, was among the high-ranking royal guests at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen on Monday night to mark the milestone birthday of Queen Margrethe's sister. Mary arrived in a lace asymmetric midnight blue gown, while hand in hand with her husband in a complementary blue hued tuxedo.

The queen, wearing a delicate purple and black beaded gown and her sister, in eye-catching turquoise, arrived in vintage style in the form of a horse drawn carriage. Bebedikte lost her husband of 49 years - Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg - in 2017, while Margrethe's husband Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark died in 2018 after a battle with dementia.

Mary's wardrobe is a mix of floor length gowns for state dinners and formal evening events and chic business attire she wears for her daily duties and is often cited as the inspiration for style icons the world over, including Kate Middleton and French first lady Brigitte Macron.

Expand Close Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary arrive at Princess Benedikte of Denmarks 75th birthday party hosted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark at Amalienborg Palace on April 29, 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary arrive at Princess Benedikte of Denmarks 75th birthday party hosted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark at Amalienborg Palace on April 29, 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images)

People do buy what she wears, Henriette Schmidt, a Danish royal style expert, told the Telegraph last year. "We rarely see her mentioned without a comment about what she wore, which designer created her dress or who made her shoes. Shes master of reusing old pieces over and over again, and she does have a signature style: a pair of pointed pumps, mid-length skirts and coats, classy white pearl earrings, a simple blowout as hairstyle and natural makeup. Something most of us can copy."
Top models (from left) Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen walk the runway with Italian designer Donatella Versace (C) at the end of the show for fashion house Versace during the Women's Spring/Summer 2018 fashion shows in Milan, on September 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINAMIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images

Top models (from left) Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen pose at the end of the show for fashion house Versace during the Women's Spring/Summer 2018 fashion shows in Milan, on September 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINAMIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images

Italian designer Donatella Versace (3L) acknowledges the applause with former top models Carla Bruni (L), Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen (R) at the end of Versace Spring/Summer 2018 show at the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Alexandra Shulman, novelist and editor in chief of British Vogue, at the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival on April 1, 2017 in Oxford, England. (Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)

From left, Claudia Shiffer, Donatella Versace, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen on the catwalk at the end of the Versace women's Spring/Summer 2018 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) of the Versace women's Spring/Summer 2018 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Helena Christensen attends Gigi Hadid's 24th Birthday at L'Avenue in Midtown on April 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)

Helena Christensen has enjoyed a successful career both in front of and behind the camera (Jeff Spicer/PA)

Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman is under fire for her criticism of Danish supermodel Helena Christensen's choice to wear a black bustier at the age of 50.

The legendary model was among the famous face at Gigi Hadid's denim-themed 24th birthday party and pictures were published of Helena arriving to the bash in a strapless semi-sheer bustier top paired with high waisted flares. Shulman, who edited British Vogue for 25 years and now has a weekly column with the Mail on Sunday, described the look as "tacky", adding that she should "call time on Ann Summers style, a look, incidentally, that no stylish young woman would dream of wearing".

"Something you wore at 30 will never look the same on you 20 years later. Clothes dont lie," she wrote.

The article prompted a widespread backlash against Shulman, accusing her of not supporting other women and Naomi Campbell described it as a "cheap shot."

Expand Close Helena Christensen attends Gigi Hadid's 24th Birthday at L'Avenue in Midtown on April 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Helena Christensen attends Gigi Hadid's 24th Birthday at L'Avenue in Midtown on April 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)

"She has no right or claims to be writing such a ridiculous article," Campbell added in her comment on Instagram. "Ive known you 30 years and whatever you wear, you wear it well with class and dignity!!"

Christensen responded by posting a photo of herself with Tali Lennox and Camilla Staerk at the party on Instagram, writing: "Lets continue to elevate and support each other, all you beautiful, smart, fun, sexy, hard working, talented, nurturing women out there #oopssheworeabustieragain."

In her retirement, Shulman has adopted a more outspoken and somewhat controversial persona, saying in 2017 that the magazine "would sell fewer copies" if she put a black woman on the cover (having only featured Naomi Campbell and Jourdan Dunn as covergirls during her tenure).

After her successor Edward Enniful, a former stylist took the reins after her exit, she launched into a veiled criticism against a new wave of editors who think the "main part of their job is being photographed in a series of designer clothes with a roster of famous friends."

Every great editor I know spends a great deal of their time on the minutiae of their babys existence: checking that even the smallest picture helps tell the story, working on cover lines, encouraging contributors who will ally themselves exclusively to their brand, she wrote in her column.
Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Joseph McCann as detectives hunting a rapist who abducted two women off the streets of north London have identified the suspect as the 33 year old who has a slight Irish accent and is also known to use false names, including Joel. Photo: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire

Detectives hunting a rapist who abducted two women off the streets of north London have identified the suspect as Joseph McCann, 33, who has a slight Irish accent and is also known to use false names, including Joel.

The suspected rapist allegedly abducted two women and threatened to kill a builder who helped them escape.

Detectives are hunting for the attacker who they say is a danger to women and has a distinctive tattoo of the name Bobbie on his stomach.

Two women, aged in their 20s, were snatched separately in London on Thursday - the first shortly after midnight from a street in Chingford and the second around 12 hours later at 12.15pm from a street in Edgware.

The suspect drove the women to a hotel in the Watford area and attempted to book a room at around 1pm but left when this was unavailable. They managed to escape in Osbourne Road, Watford, at around 2.30pm.

The attacker was seen dragging one of the victims by the hair after she managed to flee.

Expand Close Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Joseph McCann as detectives hunting a rapist who abducted two women off the streets of north London have identified the suspect as the 33 year old who has a slight Irish accent and is also known to use false names, including Joel. Photo: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Joseph McCann as detectives hunting a rapist who abducted two women off the streets of north London have identified the suspect as the 33 year old who has a slight Irish accent and is also known to use false names, including Joel. Photo: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire

She jumped out of a silver or grey Ford S-Max and screamed for help, with builders who were working nearby rushing to her aid.

The boss of construction company Green Contractors Ltd, who wished only to be named as Alex, said that the attacker threatened to kill one of his employees who came to the women's rescue.

Two members of his staff were crossing Osbourne Road, where they were working, when one of the women managed to jump out of the car.

Alex said of the attacker: "He went after her really pulling her by the hair, when the girl started to scream 'help, help, help'.

"One of my workers went towards the victim and shouted 'leave it, leave it' and punched the perpetrator. He released the girl and started to get into a fighting position to fight back to the worker."

Other builders came to help their colleague, and one of the women managed to hit the suspected rapist over the head with a bottle.

He then fled, telling the rescuer: "My friend, you're dead."

Alex added: "He was very aggressive, they thought it was some kind of a domestic row.

"I'm very shocked how an adult can be dragged into a car like that."

He believes that one of the victims is Jewish.

Detectives have released CCTV images of the suspect, who is a white man of muscular build, in his late 20s or early 30s, with a bald head or shaved blond hair and a light-coloured short beard.

The car he was driving is believed to be a silver or grey Ford S-Max people carrier, with false registration plates.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to rape but police said the hunt for the rapist continues.

The Times reported that one of the victims may have been pregnant.
A left-wing Catalan party that holds the balance of power after the Spanish elections could insist on an independence referendum and an end to the prosecution of separatist politicians as the price of its support.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's centre-left PSOE party topped Sunday's contest, but needs the support of smaller parties to govern because it did not win an absolute majority.

But Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), which topped the vote in its region to win 15 seats, said that while it was willing to co-operate it would not write a "blank cheque" for Mr Sanchez.

"The question is not what ERC will do with the PSOE, but what the PSOE will do with Catalonia," Gabriel Rufian, the ERC's deputy leader in the congress, told Catalunya Radio.

"We will ask for a negotiation that brings together all the forces, that discusses a referendum and laws in order to lift the case against the separatist comrades."

The Spanish government has been refusing to hold an official independence referendum for Catalonia, despite a popular separatist movement winning control of the region's local government.

Expand Close Negotiations: ERC deputy leader Gabriel Rufian is willing to talk. Photo: Reuters / Facebook

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After the local Catalan administration held a referendum of its own and unilaterally declared independence in 2017, Spain's supreme court ruled the move was illegal, and issued orders for the arrest of many pro-independence politicians.

One such politician imprisoned for his role in the declaration of independence is Oriol Junqueras - the president of the ERC party the socialists must now try to do a deal with.

Mr Sanchez is likely to seek the support of Spanish leftist group Podemos, but would need the support of at least one smaller regionalist party to get near an actual majority.

PSOE, Podemos and ERC together would give any government a narrow majority to pass budgets.

Alternatively the socialists could try to rule as a minority, looking for support in votes on an ad hoc basis.

While it is relatively easy for minority governments to gain power under Spain's constitution, Mr Sanchez was already forced to call the snap election after regionalist parties refused to back his old government in a key vote.

Carmen Calvo, Spain's deputy prime minister, said yesterday morning that "the PSOE will try a government alone" - suggesting the socialists would not formally bring other parties into their administration, but instead work out an arrangement for confidence votes.

Coalitions with other parties - such as the esoteric liberal nationalist party Citizens - appear to be off the table.

That party's leader Albert Rivera had said during the campaign that he would do no deal with the socialists and has already declared himself "leader of the opposition".

And yesterday the party said again that it wants to lead Spain's political opposition, ruling out entering into a governing alliance with the Socialists.

Speaking on the day after the ballot, Citizens spokeswoman Ines Arrimadas rejected entering any negotiations with the party of Mr Sanchez.

A grand coalition with the defeat of the conservative Partido Popular is mathematically possible but politically extremely unlikely.

The right-wing parties - Citizens, Partido Popular and the far-right Vox - do not have enough seats between them as a bloc to form a government.

Spanish politicians were doing the maths on how Mr Sanchez might survive the next four years without a parliamentary majority.

In addition to Citizens, the other two parties are fighting over leadership of the right-wing after falling short of a majority in the parliament's Lower House.

The centre-right Citizens obtained 57 seats, more than in the last election three years ago.

But it is still behind its conservative rival in the right wing, the Partido Popular, which halved its presence in the Congress of Deputies, from 137 to 66 lawmakers.

The Partido Popular, dominant when power in Spain was a matter of only conservatives and Socialists, has acknowledged the bad results but says that it remains the leading opposition force.

Santiago Abascal, the leader of the Vox far-right party that went from zero to 24 deputies, yesterday blamed the right's inability to unseat Mr Sanchez on the Partido Popular's poor performance. ( Independent News Service)
Spotted: The whale with the harness. Photo: Joergen Ree Wiig/Norwegian Direcorate of Fisheries Sea Surveillance Unit via AP

When Norwegian fishermen spotted a beluga whale last week, there was nothing that immediately indicated a national security threat.

But when the whale defied normal behaviour and continued to harass their boats, the fishermen spotted a strange harness, wrapped around the whale's body. "Equipment of St Petersburg," read an inscription on it.

Researchers say that the harness could have carried weapons or cameras, triggering new speculations over a sea mammal special operations programme the Russian navy is believed to have pursued for years. While the Russian Defence Ministry denied the existence of such a programme, the same ministry published an ad in 2016, seeking three male and two female bottlenose dolphins, offering a total sum of $24,000.

Since the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, the Kremlin has been behind a series of creepy reminders of the massive military apparatus lurking on Europe's eastern outskirts: mystery submarines, unidentified jets that almost crashed with a passenger plane in at least one instance, and strange troop movements.

But numbers released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute yesterday prompt the question if Russia is punching above its weight. While the US accounted for 36pc of global military expenditure last year, Russia only spent 3.4pc - less than rapidly growing China, as well as Saudi Arabia, India and even France.

The Russian military is still considered to be among the world's most powerful, which is why European strategists remain concerned that the country could theoretically overrun the continent in days.

The Kremlin commands over a million active troops, compared to Germany's roughly 180,000. ( Washington Post)
Cesar Arnoldo Gomez had been ordered by a court to stay away from Griselda Santillan, due to domestic violence charges. Stock image

A Mexican man has been rescued after he became trapped in a hole while spying on his ex-girlfriend.

Cesar Arnoldo Gomez had been ordered by a court to stay away from Griselda Santillan, due to domestic violence charges.

But instead of complying, he dug a tunnel underneath the house of his former partner of 14 years to spy on her. The attorney general's office in Sonora state said the man had spent days digging the tunnel in the northern town of Puerto Penasco.

The plan backfired, after the 50-year-old became accidentally trapped in the tunnel. He remained there for around 24 hours and had been calling for help.

Ms Santillan had heard scratching noises from beneath her floor in the week before the tunnel was discovered. After the sounds grew louder, she investigated, and found the mouth of the tunnel, along with several knives and water bottles, according to 'Mexico News Daily'. Inside the tunnel was her former partner.

"I shouted to him and he ignored me," she said.

When rescuers arrived Mr Gomez refused to leave the tunnel and had to be removed by force. He has since been jailed for violating the restraining order. ( Independent News Service)
Japans Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako arrive at Imperial Palace to attend the ceremony of Emperor Akihitos abdication (Koji Sasahara/AP)

Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era.

Today, I am concluding my duties as the emperor, Akihito said as he stood in front of the throne, as other members of the royal family and top government officials watched.

Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so. I sincerely thank the people who accepted and supported me in my role as the symbol of the state, Akihito said in his last official duty as emperor.

As he walked out of the room following his speech and officials were taking away the imperial regalia in a box, Akihito turned around, paused and bowed to the audience.

His reign ran through until midnight, when his son Crown Prince Naruhito, who observed Akihitos abdication ceremony, became the new emperor and his era began.

Naruhito will formally ascend the Chrysanthemum throne on Wednesday.

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In a separate ceremony he will receive the imperial regalia of sword and jewel as well as the imperial seals as proof of his succession as the nations 126th emperor, according to official palace count, which historians say could include mythical figures until around the fifth century.

Naruhitos wife Masako and daughter Aiko are barred from the ceremony because they are female members of the royal family, a palace tradition that the government upheld despite criticism that it is out of step with modern values.

The emperor is defined as a symbol of the state and the peoples unity and has no political power under Japans postwar constitution.

His official duties are largely managed by a highly controlling Imperial Household Agency.

But Akihitos dedication in reaching out to the people, especially those suffering or less fortunate, made him more popular than any politician.

Expand Close Women read a copy of the extra edition of Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reporting on Emperor Akihitos abdication (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Women read a copy of the extra edition of Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reporting on Emperor Akihitos abdication (AP)

Many people gathered outside the palace compound hours before Tuesdays ceremony despite unseasonably wet and cold weather, and even though they were not allowed to look inside.

We came because today is the last day of (the emperors era of) Heisei, and we feel nostalgic, said Akemi Yamauchi, 55, standing outside the palace with her husband.

He has worked hard for the people, he is very thoughtful, and kind to everyone, said her husband, Kaname.

The couple came from Kyoto, Japans ancient capital where emperors lived until about 150 years ago.

Messages have come from global leaders.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed gratitude in a letter to Akihito for his emphasis on peace and contributions to developing relations between Seoul and Tokyo.

US President Donald Trump expressed appreciation for his contribution to the two countries close relations.

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Mr Trump had a courtesy meeting with Akihito during his 2017 Japan visit and will be the first foreign leader in May to meet the new emperor.

Japanese television talk shows displayed a countdown to the midnight transition, and programming was dominated by the abdication and looking back at major events in Akihitos era, including a massive 2011 tsunami, a deadly earthquake in Kobe in 1995, and the Tokyo subway nerve gas attack in 1995 that shook Japans sense of safety and confidence.

Security was extremely tight around the palace and across Tokyo, with thousands of police mobilised.

Police arrested a man on Monday night on suspicion of placing a pair of kitchen knives last week on the school desk used by Akihitos grandson.

Still, Japan was in festive mood over a change in an imperial era not caused by death.

Many people visited shrines and temples to receive stamps dated on the last day of Akihitos era of Heisei, or achieving peace.

Some amusement parks and shops offered free admission and special deals, while customers had their last Heisei meals at restaurants.

Naruhitos era of Reiwa, or beautiful harmony begins Wednesday.

The emperor has finished his duties and he is passing the baton to the crown prince, so its time for celebration, said Mitsuhiro Sugita, a 67-year-old green tea maker.

Akihito, 85, took the throne in 1989 and devoted his career to making amends for a war fought in his fathers name while bringing the aloof monarchy closer to the people.

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With his commoner-born wife, Empress Michiko, he reached out to the people, especially those who faced handicaps and discrimination, as well as those hit by disasters, illuminating the hardships of people often overlooked by society.

Akihito was the first modern emperor to marry a commoner, one of many changes he brought to the palace.

The couple also chose to raise their three children instead of leaving them with palace staff, and decided to be cremated upon their deaths in a smaller tomb side by side, also a tradition-breaking step.

Jeff Kingston, Asian studies director at Temple Universitys Japan campus, says Akihito served as Japans chief emissary of reconciliation, while acting as consoler in chief in reaching out to the people.

Akihito was also a strong advocate of the vulnerable and the marginalised in the Japanese society, he said. I think the people really warmed to him and felt that the monarchy was relevant to their lives because of these efforts by Akihito.

Recent media surveys have shown public support for the imperial family at 80%, the highest ever for the institution.

Such respect did not come overnight.

Akihito grew up during the Second World War and was 11 when his father Hirohito announced the end of the war on radio.

Akihito embraced his role as peacemaker and often represented his father on reconciliatory missions as a young crown prince, decades before he became the emperor himself.

He is the first emperor in Japans modern history whose era did not have a war.

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Though he has avoided outright apologies, he has stepped up his expressions of regret in carefully scripted statements on the war.

Akihito visited China in 1992 and offered what was considered the strongest expression of regret over the war.

He also visited the Philippines and other Pacific islands conquered by Japan that were devastated in fierce fighting as the US-led allies took them back.

That leaves his son Naruhito, the first emperor born after the Second World War, largely free of the burden of the wartime legacy, allowing him to seek his own role.

Naruhito has said he would largely emulate his fathers pacifist stance and compassion for the people, but also said he hopes to seek a role of his own, possibly in issues related to water, which he studied at Oxford University in the early 1980s.

That, or disaster resilience, or the environment, could appeal more to a people predominantly from postwar generations.

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Akihito will be known as the emperor emeritus and will no longer have official duties.

He will not even attend his sons succession rituals so as not to interfere with the serving emperor.

Akihito is expected to enjoy his retirement, going to museums and concerts, or spending time on research at a seaside imperial villa.

Akihito and Michiko will move to a temporary royal residence before eventually switching places with Naruhito.
Wild address: Supporters of US President Donald Trump wait to hear him speak at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Photo: Darren Hauck/Getty

US President Donald Trump's attorney general, William Barr, may refuse to attend this week's scheduled congressional hearing to review special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference.

The Justice Department has told the House Judiciary Committee it has objections over the format of planned questioning, according to a Democratic senior committee aide.

The department disapproves of plans to allow committee lawyers from both sides to question Mr Barr after the traditional round of questioning by committee members.

Justice officials also told the committee they are opposed to the panel's plan to go into a closed session if members want to ask about redacted portions of the Mueller report, the anonymous aide said.

House committee chairman Jerry Nadler has threatened to use subpoena powers should the attorney general refuse to attend this week.

The New York Democrat told CNN Mr Barr would not "dictate the format the witness is not going to tell the committee how to conduct its hearing".

Asked what would happen if the attorney general refused to testify on Thursday, Mr Nadler replied they would "have to subpoena him, and use whatever means we can to enforce the subpoena".

The Justice Department declined to comment on the dispute.

Mr Barr is also scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow, but the Republican-led committee is expected to have more traditional rounds of member questioning.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has passed the 10,000 falsehoods mark since taking office, according to fact-checkers, his flights of rhetoric at recent rally appearances seeing him hit an astonishing average of 23 untruths per day.

The president complained to Fox News on Sunday the US-Mexico border is now "like Disneyland" since his administration stopped separating migrant families, a remark that followed another wild address to supporters in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Saturday night, where he derided sanctuary cities, spread an extraordinary lie about abortion and imitated the accent of King Salman of Saudi Arabia.

The White House is meanwhile continuing to push back against congressional investigations into Mr Trump. ( London Independent)
The US has threatened to withhold intelligence from Britain if it allows Chinese technology giant Huawei to help build its 5G network.

Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber at the US State Department, said America will be forced to "reassess" its intelligence-sharing relationship with the UK. He warned the Chinese state could order Huawei to "undermine network security, skim personal information, distribute cyber attacks and disrupt critical infrastructure".

"What we really have here is a loaded gun, something Western authorities who value human rights should think very carefully about if they want to give that to an authoritarian regime with very different values about the use of data," he said.

"Having potentially-compromised equipment and software... in any part of that network is an unacceptable risk. If other countries allow untrusted vendors to become vendors for their 5G networks, we will have to reassess the ability for us to share information and be interconnected."
A TV camera and cars are seen outside Milans San Raffaele hospital Luca Bruno/AP)

Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi went to hospital suffering from renal colic on the day he planned to present his candidates for European Parliament elections.

Mr Berlusconis Forza Italia said the 82-year-old media mogul had still hoped to attend the presentation but that doctors at Milans San Raffaele clinic prohibited him from leaving.

In a statement, the press office said Mr Berlusconi had phoned his deputy, Antonio Tajani, to assure him he was OK.

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He was suffering from acute renal colic, which is pain often caused by kidney stones.

In excerpts of the speech he had planned to deliver, Mr Berlusconi railed against the isolationist bent of the current populist government of the right-wing League and the 5-Star Movement.

He warned that Italy couldnt confront the threat of African migration, Chinese imperialistic design and Islamic fundamentalism without European support.

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The three-time premier has suffered heart problems in the past.

He has said, despite his age, he wants to run for the European Parliament elections to restore Europe to its values.

His once-dominant Forza Italia party trails in the polls behind the League, the 5-Stars and the opposition Democratic Party.
US president Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One in an attempt to block a congressional summons for his business records.

The lawsuit by Mr Trump, his sons Donald Jr and Eric and daughter Ivanka, was filed in a US federal court in Manhattan.

The Trump Organisation and the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust are among the other plaintiffs.

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Two US congressional committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and several other financial institutions earlier this month as part of investigations into Mr Trumps finances.

US House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff said at the time that the subpoenas were part of an investigation into allegations of potential foreign influence on the US political process.

He has said he wants to know whether Russians used laundered money for transactions with the Trump Organisation. Mr Trumps businesses have benefited from Russian investment over the years.

The Trumps want a federal judge to declare the subpoenas unlawful.

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The lawsuit also seeks to block the financial institutions from disclosing information and complying with the subpoenas.

Deutsche Bank, a German asset management firm, has loaned Mr Trumps real estate organisation millions of dollars over time.

When the subpoenas were issued April 15, Eric Trump, executive vice president of The Trump Organisation, called them an unprecedented abuse of power and simply the latest attempt by House Democrats to attack the president and our family for political gain.
Opponents to Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro confront loyalist Bolivarian National Guard troops firing tear gas at them, outside La Carlota military airbase in Caracas, Venezuela (Fernando Llano/AP)

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has taken to the streets with a small contingent of heavily armed troops in a bold and risky attempt to lead a military uprising and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.

The early-morning rebellion seems to have only limited military support.

But it was by far the most-serious challenge yet to Mr Maduros rule since Mr Guaido, with the backing of the US, declared himself the countrys interim president in January in rejection of a government he accused of usurping power.

The dramatic events began early Tuesday when Mr Guaido, flanked by a few dozen national guardsmen and some armoured vehicles, released a three-minute video filmed near a Caracas air base in which he called on civilians and others in the armed forces to join a final push to topple Mr Maduro.

En el marco de nuestra constitucion. Y por el cese definitivo de la usurpacion. https://t.co/3RD2bnQhxt  Juan Guaido (@jguaido) April 30, 2019

Pueblo de Venezuela inicio el fin de la usurpacion. En este momento me encuentro con las principales unidades militares de nuestra Fuerza Armada dando inicio a la fase final de la Operacion Libertad.  Juan Guaido (@jguaido) April 30, 2019

In a surprise, standing alongside him was Leopoldo Lopez, his political mentor and the nations most-prominent opposition activist, who has largely been unseen since he was detained in 2014 for leading anti-government protests.

Mr Lopez said he had been released from house arrest by security forces adhering to an order from Mr Guaido.

I want to tell the Venezuelan people: This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers, Mr Lopez declared.

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As the two allies coordinated actions from vehicles parked on a highway overpass, troops loyal to Mr Maduro sporadically fired tear gas from inside the adjacent Carlota air base.

A crowd that quickly swelled to a few thousand scurried for cover, with a smaller group of masked youths reassembling outside the air bases gates where they lobbed rocks and other heavy objects.

Nervios de Acero! He conversado con los Comandantes de todas las REDI y ZODI del Pais, quienes me han manifestado su total lealtad al Pueblo, a la Constitucion y a la Patria. Llamo a la maxima movilizacion popular para asegurar la victoria de la Paz. Venceremos!  Nicolas Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) April 30, 2019

Its now or never, said one of the young rebellious soldiers, his face covered in the blue bandanna worn by the few dozen soldiers who stood alongside Mr Guaido and Mr Lopez.

Mr Maduro tried to project an image of strength, saying he had spoken to several regional military commanders who reaffirmed their loyalty to his socialist revolution.

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Nerves of steel!, he said in a message posted on Twitter.

The dramatic events, playing out in the oppositions stronghold in wealthier neighbourhood of eastern Caracas, appeared not to have triggered a broader military revolt.

Defence minister Vladimir Padrino on Twitter rejected what he called an attempt by a subversive movement to generate panic and terror.

The ruling socialist party chief, Diosdado Cabello, said most of Caracas was calm and called on government supporters to amass at the presidential palace to defend Mr Maduro from what he said was a US-backed coup attempt.

About a dozen government supporters, some of them brandishing firearms, gathered at the presidential palace, answering the call by Mr Cabello to defend Mr Maduro.

Its time to defend the revolution with arms, Valentin Santana, head of a militant group, said in a video posted on social media as he brandished an automatic rifle.

Mr Guaido said the troops who had taken to the streets were protecting Venezuelas constitution.

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He said that in the coming hours he would release a list of top commanders supporting the uprising.

The armed forces have taken the right decision, said Mr Guaido.

With the support of the Venezuelan people and the backing of our constitution they are on the right side of history.

To @jguaido, the National Assembly and all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today in #operacionlibertadEstamos con ustedes! We are with you! America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored. Vayan con dios! #FreeVenezuela  Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) April 30, 2019

As events unfolded, governments from around the world expressed a mix of support for Mr Guaido while reiterating calls to avoid violent confrontation.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton, in a Twitter post directed at Mr Padrino, said the armed forces must protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people.

US vice president Mike Pence was one of several figures in the Trump administration to tweet support for Mr Guaido.

Meanwhile, Spains caretaker government urged restraint, while the governments of Cuba and Bolivia reiterated their support for Mr Maduro.

We hope with all of our strength that there is no bloodshed. We support a peaceful democratic process in Venezuela. We support the immediate holding of an election for a new president, Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said.
Cabarrus Countys population is up over 18 percent from 2010, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The bureau recently released county population estimates for 2018, and the countys numbers have steadily increased since 2010.

The report says the census estimates in 2010 had the countys population at 178,087. The estimate for 2018 as of July 1 is 211,342. That is an 18.38 percent growth.

Other counties in the area that showed growth include Mecklenburg which grew from 923,258 in 2010 to 1,093,901. Iredell County was also up from 159,768 in 2010 to 178,435.

Rowan Countys population also grew from 138,532 to 141,262, which is a 2.09 percent increase since 2010.

According to the bureau, estimates show counties in the South and West lead the nation in population growth.
Taiwan murder suspect gets 29 months in jail Updated: 2019-04-30 07:35 By He Shusi in Hong Kong(HK Edition)

Chan Tong-kai, the 20-year-old Hong Kong resident alleged to have murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan in February last year, was jailed for 29 months by the High Court on Monday on charges of money laundering.

Chan was arrested after he fled Taiwan and returned to Hong Kong, where he was charged with stealing money from his pregnant girlfriend's bank account.

Chan has been in custody since March last year after he admitted stealing the victim's belongings, including bank cards, cash and digital devices. He had also admitted to murder while in detention.

The Hong Kong SAR Government has proposed amending the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in order to surrender Chan to Taiwan upon the request of Taiwan prosecutors.

With Chan likely to be freed by October this year at the earliest, there're fears he would flee Hong Kong after his release from prison before the amendments are passed in the Legislative Council.

The sentence has left time for the LegCo to scrutinize the bill.

However, legislator and solicitor Holden Chow Ho-ding said there's an urgent need to pass the proposed amendments to bring justice to the victim's family.

Noting that it's necessary to listen to different views of the community, Chow said he hoped those views can be thoroughly discussed by the bills committee scrutinizing the matter.

Barrister and lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun hoped that opposition lawmakers would raise reasonable questions during the deliberations and not resort to filibustering.

She also urged the government to consider the opinions of those who took part in a protest on Sunday against the planned amendments, and clarify details of the proposed laws in LegCo.

heshusi@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 04/30/2019 page4)
Bollywood knows how to crack a super-hit formula and then to use it in the best of their capacity! One such formula is cop-dramas. Be it Rohit Shetty or Prakash Jha, filmmakers know how to make a cop-drama and win hearts of the audience and for all the right reasons.

Just a few months ago, a Mumbai Mirror report claimed that Shetty and Salman Khan have been talking about collaboration for a cop-drama that will be helmed by Sajid Ali. Sources claimed that the film will release in the second half of 2020 and might be a Christmas release.

And now, we have another good news and an update for all the people who love cop-dramas, Mardaani 2 is one of the most anticipated films of the year! Rani Mukerji will be seen reprising the role of a fierce cop Shivani Shivaji Roy in Mardaani 2.

The first film released in 2014 and it starred Rani and Tahir Raj Bhasin in the lead roles. The film received a lot of love from the fans and the critics.

And now, in the upcoming film Mardaani 2, Rani will again be seen putting up a brave fight with the child traffickers. It is being reported that Rani Mukerji will be seen going on a hunt for her 21-year-old nemesis in Rajasthan. Today, the first look of Rani Mukerji from the cop-drama was unveiled and she looks impressive!

Here's the first still from the film that will make you all excited for the film.

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The second part of the film will be show Rani's character Shivani being promoted as the Superintendent of Police. The sequel is produced by Aditya Chopra and Yash Raj Films is starting the Mardaani franchise with the project.

Mardaani 2 will be directed by Gopi Puthran, the writer of the first film.

Yash Raj Films

"'Mardaani' is and will always be extremely close to my heart. Right since its release, everyone has asked me time and again when I would be doing 'Mardaani 2' and I'm sure this announcement will come as a pleasant surprise to them all. Gopi has written an extraordinary script that we all love and I can't wait to start shooting this film soon," Rani said in a statement.

The film will release by the end of this year and rumors also claim that Chunky Pandays nephew Ahaan Panday might star as the antagonist in Mardaani 2.

(Also read: Salman Khan And Rohit Shetty To Come Together For A Cop-Drama: A Formula That Never Fails!)


And now, in the upcoming film Mardaani 2, Rani will again be seen putting up a brave fight with the child traffickers. It is being reported that Rani Mukerji will be seen going on a hunt for her 21-year-old nemesis in Rajasthan. Today, the first look of Rani Mukerji from the cop-drama was unveiled and she looks impressive!





Now, a biopic based on the novel God of Sin: The Cult, Clout and Downfall of Asaram Bapu, Asaram Bapus journey to spiritual godhood, his massive fan following, downfall and rape conviction is in the works.

Game of Thrones season 8 is finally happening  it has officially begun. After 595 days, if anything says its worth it, then it was the epic battle of Winterfell. The Long Night finally came and the Night King and his army of dead are no more. There are three more episodes left but one more epic battle that will decide who finally sits on the Iron throne.





"Each day of the voting, in a different part of the country, is the day you are selected for the voting, is an important day. It is very important for each and every Indian to be a part of it. So, cast your vote. Both Kiran and I are here to do that today. We have just done that," he said while speaking to media here.



While a lot of other actors were clicked while they turned up for casting their votes, there was something special that people noticed about his pictures. In some of the pictures, he was seen helping an elderly woman climb the steps of the polling station.
In just less than a decade of being in the film industry, Varun Dhawan has already managed to establish a huge fan base. People love him and his fan pages on social media proves that people love him!

He is known for being a nice guy and we have time and again seen proof of the same. Yesterday, the actor and his father and filmmaker David Dhawan were seen at the polling station during the fourth phase of ongoing 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

PTI

The Indian film fraternity showed up in high numbers to exercise their franchise in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Actors Aamir Khan, Shabana Azmi, Farhan Akhtar, Kangana Ranaut, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and several other celebrities on Monday thronged polling stations in Mumbai to exercise their franchise in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

Flashing her ink-stained finger, Kangana Ranaut had also urged people to make use of the day and cast their vote.Taking a dig at the Congress party, Ranaut said: "The political leaders used to chill in London and the country used to suffer from an array of issues like poverty, pollution, rapes etc. The situation in our country was worst when Congress was in power. Now that our time has come, we should vote in large number."

While a lot of other actors were clicked while they turned up for casting their votes, there was something special that people noticed about his pictures. In some of the pictures, he was seen helping an elderly woman climb the steps of the polling station.

Here is how his fans reacted after the pictures went viral on the internet.





















After enjoying back to back superhits, Dhawan's last release Kalank proved to be a big disaster. He is currently focusing on his upcoming film Street dancer 3. The makers of the film kick-started promotions by using #3, and eventually revealed the title of the film. Along with the lead pair, the upcoming film also features Nora Fatehi, Aparshakti Khurana and Shakti Mohan in pivotal roles.
Food from ones city or town has a distinct flavour. At a new place, craving and nostalgia take place of the real taste that once was the part of daily cuisine.

But sometimes, one gets really lucky to find some places, where they can get authentic home food ingredients that satiates their palette and makes possible the preparation of their cuisine.

Durga Masala store at INA market is one such spot for the Kashmiri population living in Delhi.

The store has every possible variety of authentic Kashmiri spices available. The air around the store is filled with a balming scent of herbs.

It is also a spot for Kashmiri Pandits, Muslims and NRIs to meet and make friends, while they come to the store to stack up the masaala (spices) from the valley.

The following images capture a few moments of aromatic homecoming for the Kashmiris away from their roots.

1. Masaala being ground in stone grinder. One can customise the spices ratios to get the desired flavours.

2. Fennel seed or Saunf being powdered. Kashmiris use it instead of coriander or dhaniya powder in their dishes.

3. Kashmiri tikki masala. It used in preparation of vegetables and meat dishes.

4. Atooroo or female earrings that are worn by Kashmiri brides-to-be.

5. Ginger powder, popularly known in the region as Sauth, is another staple spice for Kashmiri dishes.

6. These special Kashmiri peas are considered a great remedy for joint pain.

7. Sikha Kaul, is a Kashmiri Pandit who lives in Cambodia with her family. Whenever, she visits Delhi she buys her stock of Kashmiri masalas to be used in her food preparations, away from home.

8. Shikhas list of items to be bought from the store, before she leaves the country.

9. Munir Malik, is a Kashmiri Muslim who has been living in Delhi for more than a decade. He is a regular at the store. He comes here as he gets all the spices that he needs.

10. List of items bought by Malik.

11. Ms. Bitta, is Kashmiri Pandit who has been living in Delhi for a long time. Her trips at the store has allowed her to make acquaintances with other Kashmiris living in Delhi.

12. Ms. Bitta buying masala tikki from the store.

All images are from the authors, who are New Delhi-based freelance contributors.
Kerala has become the first state in India to make sanitary napkin vending machines mandatory in all higher secondary schools.

BCCL/ Representational Image

With just weeks left for the schools in the state to reopen after summer vacations, the government has mandated all schools to have vending machines from the beginning of the new academic year.

The number of machines should be proportionate to the number of girl students in the school.

BCCL/ Representational Image

This will be implemented under the state government's She Pad' scheme which aims to provide sanitary pads to all girl students.

The education department has also directed all government, private, aided and unaided schools in the state to ensure clean drinking water and and separate toilets for boys and girls.

BCCL/ Representational Image

In a Facebook post, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said,

Every woman has a right to menstrual hygiene. The government's She Pad scheme is aimed to distribute healthy and clean sanitary pads to all school students across the state. A eco-friendly disposal system and distilleries for used pads will be distributed as part of the scheme. An estimated Rs 30 crore will be spent on this scheme in the next years. The project is being implemented with the support of local self-government institutions under the leadership of the State Women Development Corporation.

According to the government figures, there are a total of 1845 higher secondary schools in Kerala, including both private and government sector.
India was the fourth biggest military spender last year, trailing behind United States, China and Saudi Arabia, suggests a new data released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Read more

Here's more top news of the day:

1) Kings XI Punjab Co-Owner Ness Wadia Gets A Jail Term Of Two Years In Japan For Drugs Possession

BCCL/ FILE

The Financial Times, quoting Japan's national broadcaster NHK reported that Wadia was arrested in March at New Chitose Airport in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido while on a holiday after he was caught with about 25g of cannabis resin in his trouser pocket. Read more

2) These Vending Machines Are Printing Out Short Stories To Get People Off Their Phones In London

Londonist

Now that every other person that you see around is busy on their phones, mindlessly scrolling through the Facebook or Instagram feed or just playing games. Rarely, you encounter someone soaked in a book. Read more

3) ISIS Module Busted By NIA In Kerala Was In Touch With Sri Lankan Attackers, Were Planning Similar Attacks

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has thwarted a possible Sri Lanka-like attack in Kerala after it arrested three men from the state who had links the ISIS-inspired terror group which carried out the Easter bombings. Read more

4) Indonesia Is Moving Its Capital Because Jakarta Is Sinking. And It's Overpopulated.

Indonesia's National Development Planning Agency, also known as Bappenas, presented its initial study on the relocation plan, where the top executives discussed alternatives to establish a new political hub somewhere else. Read more

5) From Posting Pet Photos To Getting Radicalised, This Is What Social Media Activity Of Kerala ISIS Suspect Looks Like

In 2012 in his early 20's Riyas Aboobacker looked like anyone else in his age group. Clean shaven, smartly dressed and happily sharing photos of him, his friends, pets, vehicles, etc on Facebook. Read more
India was the fourth biggest military spender last year, trailing behind United States, China and Saudi Arabia, suggests a new data released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

In 2017, India was the fifth largest military spender while China took the second spot.

France also lists in top five military spenders, which account for 60 per cent of the global military spending.

BCCL

India is investing heavily in strengthening its military capability with new fighter jets, warships, helicopters, artillery guns and infantry weapons.

Indias military spending went up by 3.1 per cent to $66.5 billion. India accounts for 3.7 per cent of the global defence spending.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has thwarted a possible Sri Lanka-like attack in Kerala after it arrested three men from the state who had links the ISIS-inspired terror group which carried out the Easter bombings.

Riyas Aboobacker, a resident of Palakkad in Kerala, was arrested by the NIA on Monday while two of his associates Ahamed Arafat and Aboobacker Siddique, both from Kasargod have been taken into NIA custody.

According to NIA, the men were part of what has bee called as the ISIS Kasaragod Module, which first surfaced in 2016 after more than a dozen youths from Kerala joined ISIS in Syria and Afghanistan.

Aboobacker was said to be in touch with at least two of the men who had joined ISIS.

During the interrogation, Aboobacker admitted that he had been following speeches of Zahran Hashim, the Sri Lanka Easter blasts mastermind and Zakir Naik.

FILE IMAGE

He also admitted of a plan to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala targeting tourist destinations and religious places.

The arrests in Kerala comes as the investigations into the possible links between the National Towheeth Jamaat (NTJ) some Indian groups continue.

There are also reports that Hashim had traveled to India many times and had inspired others to carried out terror attacks in India.

AFP

The first time the NIA came across the possible links was following the crackdown of an ISIS-module in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The group was planning to carry out attacks targeting Hindus leaders in Tamil Nadu when they were caught.

It was during the interrogation of the ISIS Coimbatore module the NIA came to know about the NTJ's plans to carry out bombings in Colombo on Easter Day targeting churches and hotels. Despite India providing specific intelligence inputs, including the names of the attackers and targets the Lankan authorities failed to act on it.
A 10-year-old boy, who studies in Sydney, Australia has been saving pocket money for years and donated a sum of Rs 30,000 for the treatment of poor patients at PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Gurkiret Singh is following the footprints of his grandmother who donated all her life savings of Rs 60 lakh for the welfare of poor and needy.

Talking to Newsline, Harbajan Kaur said, It is pleasing to see that my third generation is also carrying forward the teachings of Sikh gurus, who emphasised on the joy of giving.

She added that the poor people need our help and we must come together to do as much as we can for them.

In the last four months, the family as donated Rs 2,20,000 for the treatment of poor patients.

Gurkiret said that he had been saving money for donation and helping the poor.

So far, Kaur has donated close to Rs 22 Lakh for the treatment of 37 patients at PGI.
The Sri Lankan government issued a decree to ban burqas and other face coverings in public. The ban effective from Monday (April 29, 2019), comes after the attacks on Easter Sunday that killed over 300 people and injured 500.

President Maithripala Sirisena said he was using an emergency law to impose the restriction. A series of blasts ripped through eight locations of the island country. The attacks were carried out by the Islamic State. In response, the Sri Lankan government banned burqas.

While many muslim leaders criticised the move, author Taslima Nasreen took to Twitter to show her support for the decision. Nasreen is a Bangladeshi-Swedish writer who has been living in exile since 1994. She termed burqa as a mobile prison.

Sri Lanka banned burqas for 'public protection' after bomb attacks. Good decision. It will help women feel like human beings. They deserve to have the right to not live in a mobile prison.  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) April 29, 2019

Nasreen has always been vocal about womens rights and women empowerment movement in Bangladesh and has also characterised Islam as a misogynistic religion. She has even faced backlash from Islamic right-wingers in Bangladesh.

In an earlier interview, Nasreen had mentioned her stance on burqas in general, "If you're truly secular, encourage Muslim women not to wear burqa and introduce a universal civil code."

But people on social media were divided on her opinion.

1.

Those women who will feel like human beings without it always had a choice to leave Islam, there was never any Compulsion in ISLAM.

Everything described is fixed,unchanged.

Either agree or disagree, Allah gave free will to choose.  UsAmA NeGaTivE (@Usama_Forever) April 30, 2019

2.

Isn't it suppression on minority living here if they want to wear this? Isn't it obstacle to the rights of minority's following?  Zafar Faruki (@AbuZaformohamm3) April 29, 2019

3.

Not everyone considers it as mobile prison . Some wear it by choice. Surprised that u think otherwise  angelism (@ANGELISMTWEET) April 29, 2019

4.

Illusion of choice  Jacqueline Paul (@Villa_Day) April 29, 2019

5.

Banning Burqa wont serve any purpose. Maybe some short term benifit but will only erk the extremists more... Also should'nt wearing burqa be a personal choice ?  RaghavendraDevisetty (@tommybabu) April 29, 2019

6.

Burqas are not the cause of terrorism & banning it only hurts the sentiments & freedom to wear clothing of ones choice. What kind of writers & intellectuals we have ?  Adv AV Sivasankaran. (@AvSivasankaran) April 30, 2019

7.

Your not in a position to say what women should were just like u were your clothes and advertise it, they have the right to choose what they wears. Majority of these women wants to cover up for there own personal reason.  shafiul khan (@shafiulkhan8) April 30, 2019

While this debate is not new, Nasreen's comment certainly seems to have added fuel to the fire.
Actor turned politician Sunny Deol, while filing his nomination from Gurdaspur got a felicitation he absolutely deserves.

A Handpump!

A supporter presented Deol with a hand pump as a tribute to the iconic scene from the movie Gadar where Deol uproots a similar pump with his bare hands.

A throwback from the 2001 blockbuster film Gadar' that people present in the rally simply loved!

Union ministers VK Singh, Jitendra Singh and Vijay Sampla were in attendance during the nomination rally while Sunny was accompanied by his brother Bobby Deol.

Deol reminded supporters about his dhai kilo ka haath during his four-minute speech and said he is a patriot but does not know much about politics.

After he filed his nomination papers, his father Dharmendra took to the micro-blogging site and tweeted in his support, "We are asking for your support. If you support us, the victory will be yours. The victory will be of my brother and sisters of Punjab and the beautiful Gurdaspur."

 .....      ......   .....  ....   ....        ...           pic.twitter.com/stnXcStKXZ  Dharmendra Deol (@aapkadharam) 29 April 2019

Eh dhai kilo da hathh je kise te penda hai, tan oh uthda nahin, utth jaanda hai, Deol was quoted by PTI.

In Gurdaspur, Deol is contesting against Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jhakar, People Democratic Alliances Lal Chand and Aam Aadmi Partys Peter Masih.
During general elections, we get to hear some out-of-world stories of people showing their allegiance to some parties.

This man took his love for BJP to the next level by covering his pooch with the party stickers, but his bizarre show of party loyalty got him and his dog in trouble.

Twitter/Reuters

According to reports, Eknath Motiram Chaudhary (65), resident of Navnathnagar area, was spotted with his dog near Andhare hospital on Monday afternoon.

The dog's body was found covered with stickers bearing the BJP's symbol and the message 'Modi Lao, Desh Bachao' (Vote for Modi, save the country), a local police official said.

As the polling was underway, police received a complaint about the dog and his man who were roaming around the town, he said. A case was registered against Mr Choudhary under section 171 (A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for violation of election rules which prohibit campaigning on polling day.

The police have asked the municipal corporation to take custody of the dog, the official added.
While we are tripping on the third episode of Game Of Thrones and competing for the title of 'the greatest fan of all', a guy bought a castle that apparently served as a set of Riverrun - one of the seven houses on Game Of Thrones. The Irish castle was sold for Rs 45,035,014.

The Province

The castle named Gosford Castle is a 17th-century product in Northern Ireland. The castle was sold at the price of a 835-square-foot downtown condo on Smithe Street, Vancouver, which by the way, was built in 2006, is just steps away from a Tim Horton's and a Boston Pizza.

The Gosford Castle was designed in the Norman Revival style by London architect Thomas Hopper and was occupied by the Earls of Gosford until 1921, says the Maison Real Estate.

Theprovince

The castle listing says,

During the Second World War the Castle was commandeered and used to accommodate troops and a prisoner-of-war camp was set up in the estate.

Following the war the Achesons sold the Castle to the Ministry of Agriculture who established the 590-acre demesne as Gosford Forest Park, which was later designated Northern Irelands first conservation forest in 1986. The castle fell back into military use during The Troubles before being run as a hotel from 1983.

The Province

With 15 huge bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, the castle sounds like a good deal, but it has no heating system - something that's going to be hard to overlook during winter.

Gosford Castle Development Ltd. in 2006 intended to restore the Grade A-listed building into 23 luxury residences after buying it and put forward a 4-million proposal.

The Province

The Maison sales brochure reads, The restoration was undertaken by artisans and craftsmen with a focus on retaining the character and historic integrity of the castle,

The castle is now viewed as a space that can be converted into six luxury apartments, each with an average space of 3,500 square feet.

The Province

The condo building that costs the same as this castle has proper heating, huge granite counter tops and even its own exercise center. The castle, on the other hand, seems to be a bit of a mess.

Well, a fan is a fan and no condo ever made it to a GoT episode.
The Yeti, also referred to as the Abominable Snowman, is a mythical legend  an ape-like creature taller than humans, believed to live in the Himalayas, Siberia, Central and East Asia.

Most of us only one person we know to have chanced upon this creature is, Tin Tin. Not anymore.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) 29 April 2019

In a post that reminded many of Tintin in Tibet episode, the Indian Army tweeted on Monday that its team had sighted mysterious footprints of the mythical beast Yeti.

During an expedition, the Mountaineering Expedition team came across mysterious marks measuring 32 X 15 inches. The Indian Army on Monday claimed to have sighted the 'mythical beast Yeti' near the Makalu Base Camp.

For the first time, an Indian Army mountaineering expedition team has sited mysterious footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32 x 15 inches close to Makalu base camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past, the Armys Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI) said in a tweet on Monday night along with couple of images of footprints in ice.

But soon the Indian Army's Yeti discovery was the butt of all jokes:

#1

Can you please search more? If any signs of Rambha & Urvashi as well? My every fantasy dream believe they exist too   Sarcasm (@SarcasticRofl) 30 April 2019

#2

Wun Wun? pic.twitter.com/qYbFJyxQwr  Chowkidar Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) 29 April 2019

#3

I always knew Tintin was right. He was the first to spot the mysterious beast Yeti. Time to re-read Tintin In Tibet pic.twitter.com/mEBdxhqTVx  bhavatosh singh (@bhavatoshsingh) 30 April 2019

#4

Too much monster Inc?? Snow Cones!!!? pic.twitter.com/Bndb0MkHY8  JayegaToModiHi-DESHBHAKT (@The_Art_Goddess) 30 April 2019

BJP MP Tarun Vijay congratulated the army for their achievement but took things to the next level by telling them off for using the word 'beast'. Vijay's argument is that being Indian, the army should 'show respect' and not call it a beast.

#5 Congratulations, we are always proud of you. salutes to the #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team. But please, you are Indian, dont call Yeti as beast. Show respect for them. If you say he is a 'snowman'.  Chowkidar Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) 29 April 2019

#6

The tweet from the official handle of the Indian army boasting about sighting "yeti" and the reply in all seriousness by a former MP would have been extremely hilarious if not for how embarrassingly cringeworthy this is  https://t.co/1koa0ZtgNI  Stop the Gaustapo (@atlasdanced) 29 April 2019

#7

Sir please refer to it as snowperson. It is possible that this could be the wife of the snowman, so we should not just assume the gender.  Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) 29 April 2019 #8 Can there possibly be a simpler explanation? pic.twitter.com/fqIuV0Q9Ri  Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) 29 April 2019

The hunt for the mythical beast can be traced back to 1950s when a British explorer Eric Shipton when he sighted a series of abnormal footprints while he was looking for a way to climb the Everest.

The existence of a Yeti might be laughable because it's something that we believed in as kids, but if the Indian Army is to be believed, the creature is out and about in the Himalayas.
Activist Shahid Buttar is campaigning to unseat longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi in the 2020 election for the 12th Congressional District seat in California. If elected, Buttar believes his voice could add value  citing Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna and Rep. Ilhan Omar as individuals whose views he says are similar to his. (shahidforchange.us photo)
The GPM core satellite passed over Tropical Storm Fani at 8:06 a.m. on April 29. GPM found the heaviest rainfall (pink) was in an area south of the center of circulation. There, rain was falling at a rate of about 1.6 inches per hour. Rainfall was occurring at rate around 1 inch per hour in bands of thunderstorms circling the center. (NASA/JAXA/NRL photo)
We now offer lithium prices and coverage free for reference. Click here to read all about it. Join our growing community of participants who want to learn more about electrification and how this market is developing.
Sixty is the new 45, 80 is the new 60, and 100 is  well, really dang old. But even centenarians know that once you stop learning, you star...
Dr. Sidi Ali Mohammed, a member of the Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative (PCNI), has revealed that members of Boko Haram group are paid $3,000 daily.

Mr Mohammed said this on Monday during the presentation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Sub-Sahara Africas Economic Outlook Report in Abuja.

He said that while members of the Nigerian army get N1,000 daily for being in the North East, Boko Haram fighters get even more.

I will give you an example. The Nigerian military, for example, gets N1, 000 per day for being in the Northeast, at the war front, as an allowance. The same Northeast, where if you are a member of Boko Haram you get $3,000 per day, as allowance. So it is lucrative. Sometimes they even give you money upfront. So we must do something about the youths from where they are recruiting, he said.

Mohammed also stressed further that everything must be done to ensure the youths on the street, will not serve as army for the insurgent group: If it is amnesty that will guarantee that peace, then we have to think of it. Most importantly, we need to deplete the army of youths on the streets and take them away from the streets so that Boko Haram does not recruit them. Dont forget, they (Boko Haram members) are being killed on a daily basis, but they are also recruiting on a daily basis. They are getting people to recruit because it is lucrative.

Part of the reason why this problem has refused to go away is the abundant natural resources in the Lake Chad Region. We need to think outside the box. It is now more like a cartel. When you see the type of weapons they use, it is more sophisticated than the type of weapons that our military are using.

He also described Boko Haram is like guerilla warfare. As we are here discussing, if somebody here is a member of Boko Haram, he will not say anything. He goes out there to strategise and comes back. It, therefore, means that the conventional ways of fighting warfare cannot work here. It, therefore, calls for thinking outside of the box.

According to Mr. Mohammed terrorist groups have flourished due to the failure of fovernment. States and local governments are supposed to be closest to the people. The local governments are supposed be closest to the people but in all honesty, are they really there? For those of us that know the North very well, not only in the Northeast, even in the Northwest, the only time you go to the local government secretariat and you see people is 26th, 27th and 28th of the month to collect their salaries, he said.

The moment they collect their salaries, they just disappear. 90% of local government chairmen, in the North, reside in their state capitals. So what do we see? That gap that has been created in terms of governance is what Boko Haram has taken advantage of. It might be news to yo, that Boko Haram are even collecting revenue from the people where they are operating. They collect taxes. They have government.

is
A new report has confirmed that Zainab Aliyu has been released.

According to the report, the Federal Government secured her release after she was arrested in Saudi Arabia for allegedly trafficking drugs.

Zainabs release was made known by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

The perm sec stated that the federal government was able to establish Zainabs innocence and that the other Nigerian involved in the case, Ibrahim Abubakar will also gain his freedom tomorrow.

Nigerians had taken to social media to call the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari to the case. The president, in turn, ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to see to the immediate release of Zainab.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora Affairs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, not long after this order was made, assured Nigerians of Zainabs return alongside the 2 others in the same situation.

Zainab, a student of Maitama Sule University, Kano, was arrested after tramadol, was found in her bag. She has since claimed the drug was planted in her luggage by unknown people.

Zainab had reportedly travelled with her mother, Mrs. Maryam Aliyu, and sister, Hajara Aliyu when she was arrested at the airport.
Following the outrage that trailed the arrest of Nigerian lady, Zainab Aliyu in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking, the Federal Government has secured her release.

The news was made known by TVC news Twitter handle. The post read:

Alleged drug trafficker, Zainab Aliyu, who was detained in Saudi Arabia has been released to the Nigerian mission in Saudi.

According to the report, Ibrahim Abubakir, the second person allegedly for drug trafficking will be freed on Wednesday.

This development was revealed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

President Muhammadu Buhari had given directed to the Attorney-General, Mr Abubakar Malami to secure the release of the lady, who had been wrongly arrested as a drug trafficker.
President Muhammadu Buharis spokesman, Garba Shehu says the president didnt need to inform the national assembly of his private trip to the UK.

The presidential spokesperson said this on Sunday while appearing as a guest on Channels TV programme.

Garba says the president didnt break any law, by not transmitting a letter to the national assembly, on his private trip to the UK.

He said the president didnt make a mistake by taking off without writing a letter to the national assembly because it was unnecessary. In some of the leading democracies, its conventional that in fact, a prime minister can be asked to leave the public space for a private time at least once in a month in some countries.

But as it is now, there is no constitutional or legal infraction that has happened. So, the president is doing his work from wherever he is, he said.

Yes, it is right that the president can operate anywhere he is. If you are a permanent secretary and the president calls you from Abidjan and says you go and repair that road, are you going to tell him that Mr President you are not a Nigerian in Abidjan, you are not going to do the work?

Do you think you will have your job waiting for you the next day? These are matters of common sense.
Fox TV series Empire will be back for season six but the sad part is, Jussie Smollett will not be coming back.

This was made known in a statement by the media giant on Tuesday.

By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smolletts option for season 6, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to Empire.'

This cannot be unconnected with the ongoing civil case between the actor and the City of Chicago.

Smollett is being sued for the costs of the investigation, wherein the actor was accused of allegedly faking a racist homophobic attack against him.
Popular critic and Online-Air-Personality (OAP) Daddy Freeze has voiced his opinion on the ongoing debate surrounding the marriage of Nollywood star, Regina Daniels to former lawmaker, Ned Nwoko.

Daddy Freeze is joining a long list of celebrities who have expressed support for the teenage actress despite a lot of criticisms from Nigerians at large.

Also Read: Leave her alone!  Tonto Dikeh blasts internet trolls over Regina Daniels marriage

Daddy wrote on a picture he posted on Instagram:

Daddy Freeze and the lobsters discussed this picture that surfaced online, on #AfterDark on @coolfmlagos yesterday and arrived at the conclusion that these people should be left alone to live their lives, as Regina owes no one an explanation.
The head of police Crime Response Unit(CRU) and an Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP) Yomi Shogunle has shared that prostitution is a crime in the Nigeria constitution.

Yomi Shogunles comment is as a result of the outrage that met the police clamp down on prostitutes in the Abuja metropolis.

Shogunle who spoke through his Twitter handle shared that prostitution is a crime because:

Prostitution is a crime under the law

Prostitution is a sin under the 2 main religions of FCT residents

Medicine says Prostitution is spreading HIV & STD

Prostitution is the lifeline of violent criminals

Prostitutes dont pay tax

Nigerias culture frowns at Prostitution

His tweet:

https://twitter.com/YomiShogunle/status/1123138507445239808
Leading broadband and internet services provider, Spectranet 4G LTE has earned the best 4G LTE provider of the year at the 2019 Beacon of ICT (BoICT) Awards.

The recognition presented to the brand by Communication Week Media, organizers of the well-regarded BoICT awards, underscores the consistency demonstrated by Spectranet 4G LTE in offering reliable and affordable internet services and products to subscribers.

Speaking on the award, Chief Executive Officer, Ajay Awasthi notes: Spectranet 4G LTE is a customer-centric, innovative and value-driven brand that has stayed true to giving the very best of products and services to its customers. We have maintained this culture over the years through purpose and commitment. We are indeed very grateful to Communications Week Media and everyone that voted in support of Spectranet 4G LTE for finding us worthy of this award. 

On Spectranets plans for subscribers and the countrys ICT industry, Mr Awasthi adds: We will draw strength from this honour to rededicate ourselves to the cause of increasing high-quality broadband penetration in Nigeria. The honour, indeed, motivates us to further strengthen our position as a leading provider of affordable, reliable internet connectivity and solutions. Spectranet 4G LTE remains committed to contributing significantly to the growth of Nigerias ICT industry. 

Chief Executive Officer, Communication Week Media, Ken Nwogbo lauded the brands efforts in deepening growth and development in the country through internet connectivity and solutions.

Spectranet 4G LTE has performed well with the provision of internet connectivity and solutions that aid business growth and operations. We hope this honour will inspire the brand to deliver more innovations.

Spectranet Limited was the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) to launch 4G LTE internet service in Nigeria. The brand is known for providing affordable, faster and more reliable internet broadband to Nigerian homes and offices. Its internet service is currently available across Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and Port Harcourt. Its state of the art network ensures high-speed internet connectivity for the customers.

Spectranet 4G LTE is a recipient of multiple awards for Best Internet Service and 4G LTE Provider in Nigeria in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
President Muhammadu Buharis aide on Social Media, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie has expressed dissatisfaction about how the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN) has gone about the continued captivity of Leah Sharibu and the remaining Chibok girls.

Sharibu was kidnapped alongside her schoolmates in their secondary school in Dapchi, Borno state in February 2018.

However, when the insurgents voluntarily returned her mates, Sharibu was left behind because she refused to denounce her Christian faith.

Speaking on the continued captivity of Leah Sharibu and the remaining Chibok girls, Mrs. Onochie accused CAN of acting like the girls were sitting under the tree and government has refused to rescue them.

She said while speaking via Twitter on Tuesday morning that the President is very pained by their continued abduction.

She wrote; Pres @MBuhari is pained by the continued captivity of Leah Sharibu and the remaining Chibok girls

We want them all back.

But the way and manner Christian Association Of Nigeria goes about it suggest the girls are just sitting under a tree and the govt has refused to rescue them.
The Anambra state police command has arrested a cult kingpin identified as Chigbo Aniegbu for his alleged involvement in the murder of a former lawmaker in the State.

The ex-lawmaker Frank Igboka, according to the suspect, was killed because he banished cultists from Nimo community.

PUNCH reports that the suspect confessed to the crime while he was being paraded at the Anambra State Police Commands headquarters on Monday.

The 27-year old suspect, while speaking with newsmen said the late legislator terrorised his gang during his time as President General of Nimo community.

Aniegbu, who is also known as Transformer, speaking further claimed that the deceased vowed he would not allow them back to the community until they change.

Aniegbu, who is a Vikings cult member, however, said he never fired the shot that killed Igboka adding that he was only asked to join the operation by his gang members but he was not told it would involve taking the life of the man.

Mustapha Dandaura, the state Commissioner of Police, while speaking on the case said three members of the gang were still at large and the police are working tirelessly to get them arrested

The CP ave the names of the fleeing suspects as Chukwunonso, Nwasami and Obinna Okafor and added that the state Governor, Willie Obiano, had increased the cash reward for anyone who catches the killers of the late lawmaker to N15m from N5m.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Yomi Shogunle has revealed why police are clamping down on prostitutes in the nations capital, Abuja.

According to the ACP, those unhappy about the clampdown of prostitutes must know that prostitution is a sin in the two major religion in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.  As well as a crime under the law of the country.

Shogunle also reveals that prostitution is a lifeline of violent criminals as well as a fast way to spread HIV.

He wrote via Twitter thus: Those making noise on the clampdown on prostitutes in #Abuja;

Prostitution is a crime under the law

P is a sin under the 2 main religions of FCT residents

Medicine says P is spreading HIV & STD

P is lifeline of violent criminals

P dont pay tax

 culture frowns at P.
Chart of the Day: Is Cisco the Best NASDAQ 100 Pick? Barchart - 28 minutes ago The Barchart Chart of the Day belongs to the computer equipment company Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO ). I found the stock by using Barchart to sort the NASDAQ 100 Index stocks first by the highest number... CSCO : 62.20 (+1.09%)

Hogs Firm Ahead of Quarterly Data Barchart - 1 hour ago Ahead of the NASS data release, lean hog futures are 12 to 45 cents in the black. May 22 is the exception with a midday loss of 40 cents. As a reminder the markets are closed tomorrow in observance... HEG22 : 83.325 (-0.03%) HEK22 : 91.400 (-0.11%) KMG22 : 93.125 (-0.40%)

Soy Market Higher Ahead of Christmas Weekend Barchart - 1 hour ago So far soybeans are working a penny to 4 1/4 cents higher ahead of the extended holiday break. Soymeal prices are also $1.30 to $2.90/ton higher. Front month soy oil futures trading has the board 54 to... ZSF22 : 1329-6 (+0.08%) ZSPAUS.CM : 12.9634 (+0.08%) ZSH22 : 1338-4 (+0.26%) ZSX21 : 1234-0s (+1.79%) ZSPX21US.CM : 12.3270 (+1.90%)

Corn Market Extending Gains Barchart - 1 hour ago Corn prices are adding to their gains through Thursdays midday with 1 3/4 to 2 3/4 cents so far. USDA data showed corn bookings were 982,870 MT from the week that ended 9/16. That was inline with the... ZCH22 : 605-4 (+0.50%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.9199 (+0.49%) ZCK22 : 606-6 (+0.46%) ZCZ21 : 588-6s (+0.77%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.9199 (+0.49%)

Shootin' the Bull Swift Trading Company - Thu Dec 23, 10:51AM CST There is little to discuss and with tomorrows on feed report, anything stated may be questionable.
After reviewing the feedback and analysing the market situation, the IA decided to maintain the limit at four. As such, a licensed individual insurance agent or insurance agency may represent a maximum of four insurers. According to the IA, around 85% of individual agents and 70% of insurance agencies sold or promoted products for less than four insurers, and it deemed the move to increase the cap unnecessary.

Read more: Hong Kong to revise number of insurers that agents can represent

The second set of rules set out the requirements on licensed insurance broker companies relating to financial and other aspects. While most proposals in the consultation paper were welcomed by the industry, there were some disagreements on certain items, such as the proposed increase of minimum paid-up share capital and net assets, and the minimum indemnity limit under professional indemnity insurance (PII) policy.

The IA decided to adopt most of the proposals with some modifications. According to the regulator, in order to ease the financial impact on the small-sized insurance broker companies, it will extend the transitional period for existing broker companies to effect the necessary capital injection for one additional year to slightly more than four years. The proposed increase of minimum indemnity limit under PII policy will not be adopted.

Following these conclusions, the IA will forward the two sets of rules to Hong Kongs Legislative Council for approval. After the legislative process, the rules will come into effect immediately upon the commencement of the new statutory regulatory regime for insurance intermediaries, it said.
Ming Dang, meanwhile, was working full-time as an Apollo principal when he started to work with Siddiqui and Caldera co-founder Stephen Cernich on the Bermuda-incorporated entity.

Apollo has a Code of Ethics, stated arbitrator Mark E. Segall. Both Siddiqui and Dang were employees of Apollo Management L.P. throughout their tenure at Apollo, and that entity paid their salaries and issued them W-2s. Becoming limited partners in Apollo carry vehicles neither changed their basic employment relationship nor did it relieve them of their obligations and duties under the code.

Both Siddiqui and Dang participated in trainings and certified their compliance with the code on an annual basis. Siddiqui conceded that he was bound to comply with the code, but Dang made the ridiculous claim that he did not know whether he was bound or not, and his counsel argued that as a limited partner he was not bound by the code, an argument that is belied by the language of the code itself and the testimony by several other witnesses on this subject at the arbitration hearing.

Segall noted that the code sets forth minimum standards that are expected of all Apollo employees. These include protecting business-sensitive information such as financial information about the group and its clients.

The arbitrator added: Beginning in mid-2016, Siddiqui and Dang began to engage in conduct that violated both the letter and the spirit of the Code of Ethics. Starting in July 2016 and continuing regularly thereafter, Siddiqui, while an Apollo partner, began sending internal Apollo reports, decks, and analyses from his personal Gmail account to the personal email accounts of Cernich, [Thomas] Daula, and Dang. There are at least five such examples from July 2016 through January 2017.

Information from these documents was incorporated into decks and models Caldera was using to solicit potential investors to invest in Caldera. There are at least four examples of this. Around the same time Dang began working surreptitiously on these matters and began using his fiances Gmail account for that purpose. Dang was involved actively in efforts to solicit Apollo investors to do business with Caldera going forward. Siddiqui bought Dang a laptop for his use on these matters.

Daula was a chief risk officer at Apollos insurance company affiliate Athene Holding. According to the arbitration document, he was involved early on in the venture but no longer had any meaningful involvement by some point in 2017.

Meanwhile it was also highlighted that many active steps were taken by Siddiqui and Dang to conceal their involvement. As per the code, engaging in an outside business activity requires the approval of Apollos chief compliance officer. Neither Dang  who in 2017 was spending as much as four to five hours per day on Caldera matters  nor Siddiqui sought the required approval.

At the same time that Siddiqui was working actively on an Apollo bid for FGL, which was a public company, he, with the assistance of Dang, was working on Calderas efforts to acquire FGL, added Segall. Siddiqui even went so far as to, in effect, grant Dang access to FGLs virtual data room. Another company (a Blackstone-controlled entity) was the winning bidder, but this episode demonstrates how both Siddiqui and Dang were working at cross-purposes with their employer.

Pursuant to the terms of the limited partnership agreements that Siddiqui and Dang had signed, they were not permitted to engage or participate in any competitive business.

Apollo has been awarded damages against Dang in the amount of $1 million; compensatory damages against Siddiqui and Caldera in the amount of $75,000; as well as punitive damages against Siddiqui in the amount of $150,000.

We are pleased with the arbitrators decision and believe it fully vindicates our position regarding the conduct of Mr. Siddiqui and Mr. Dang, commented an Apollo spokesperson in a statement sent to Insurance Business. We will continue to take any and all necessary steps to protect the trust and integrity of our business, our clients, and our investors.
When announcing the plan, the company outlined that the Sydney operation will deal with operations in both Australia and New Zealand, targeting SME business via coverholders, wholesale direct and facultative, as well as reinsurance treaty business.

The office is set to be led by Claudio Saita (pictured), who becomes country manager for Australia & Pacific and a member of the newly established Canopius Asia-Pacific leadership team. He was previously deputy CEO and executive director at Tokio Marine Management Australasia and will now report to CEO APAC & MENA Mark Newman who said he was delighted with the appointment.

His significant experience and knowledge will help us as we pursue further growth in this priority market, Newman said. Claudio has forged excellent distribution relationships, often built around modern technology, which will be a differentiator for Canopius as we target profitable business throughout the Pacific region.

Growing the Canopius portfolio in Australia and New Zealand is a very exciting proposition, continued Saita. This region presents significant opportunities for committed and locally empowered carriers that embrace technology, and I look forward to working with Mark and our team on the next steps in the Canopius APAC journey.
The company has been launched on the back of receiving $1.8 billion of initial committed capital and will draw down $1.6 billion to commence its business  with access to further capital as it expands. It has already picked up an A- (Excellent) rating from AM Best and has regulatory approval in London and Bermuda.

The launch of Convex distils vast industry experience and client focus to create the insurance company of the future, said Catlin. We begin unencumbered by legacy but rich with expertise and the strength of independence. There is evidence of pricing momentum in many classes and we are well equipped to prosper in a challenging market.

Paul and I have worked together since the early Catlin days and the team we have assembled all bring exceptional skills to the table. Together we have a once in a lifetime opportunity and I look forward to the journey that lies ahead.

The management team includes a host of well-respected industry names:

Stephen Catlin  Chairman and chief executive officer

Paul Brand  Deputy chief executive officer

Benjamin Meuli  Chief financial officer

Robina Malik  General counsel

Adrian Spieler  Chief operating officer

Doug Howat  Chief underwriting officer insurance

Matt Paskin  Chief underwriting officer reinsurance

Mark van Zanden  Head of portfolio optimization

The idea is that it will underwrite insurance and reinsurance for complex specialty risks while bringing together a group of talented underwriters. The invested capital comes from the Convex management team, Onex Partners V, Onex Corporations (TSX: ONEX) large-cap private equity fund, a consortium of co-investors and PSP Investors.

Convex is designed for the evolving insurance industry, and combines years of experience, knowledge and history in this market, said Brand. Stephen and I see a great opportunity; there is demand for an insurer to bring a refreshed and enhanced offering to market, one that puts fairness and honesty at the centre of its singularly client focused proposition. Convex will challenge the status quo to create value across the chain and provide a differentiated service in a personal way. We are very excited to be launching Convex today and look forward to working with our team to create an innovative partner that drives results for our clients.
With the theme of Shifting Market, Shifting Tides: A New Marine Insurance Landscape Is Emerging, the event will cover and/or feature the following topics:

Overview of the US P&C and marine market

Lloyds US underwriter/broker panel; market changes and impact of Lloyds closing the gap

Weather/NAT CAT and RMS modeling tool updates

Mega ship challenges

Emerging issues; marijuana/opioid crisis and punitive damages

Hurricane plans

Marine leadership panel

The interconnections are diverse and numerous among insureds, carriers/syndicates, underwriters, brokers, attorneys, and claims and other service providers. Even by the standards of the global insurance industry, the interactions and knowledge required are extraordinary in the ocean marine business, said Miklus in a statement.

Miklus explained that the event allows marine insurance practitioners to build connections and share their knowledge with colleagues. On top of the event, he said that the AIMU will continue to organize meetings, field trips, webinars, live courses, certificates, and other learning and networking opportunities throughout the year.
State legislatures, including Indianas General Assembly, are moving to protect themselves from an emerging version of legal alternative facts as yet another venerable American institution erodes its own credibility.

This week, Indiana legislators are scheduled to consider a resolution warning that the work of the American Law Institute  an organization formed to clarify and simplify the court-fashioned standards that form the guardrails of the rule of law  may no longer be completely trustworthy. This is a fight that, if lost, could ensnare all of us in a world where rules are less important than feelings  particularly so where the rules at issue are those by which we govern ourselves.

For nearly a century, the ALI has provided a valuable service to the legal community, both bar and bench, by aggregating and summarizing the court-developed common law. These restatements of law, as they are known, are critical in a court system where precedent governs outcomes. Law professors, students, attorneys, judges and everybody else engaged in the legal system study and cite these restatements as evidence of what the law is.

Yet increasingly, some have begun to complain that the ALIs restatements of certain laws  most notably in the area of liability and insurance  are inaccurate. Put simply, the ALI has been accused of endorsing summaries of the law that do not reflect what the law says, but instead what the ALI wants it to say. In his 2015 dissenting opinion in Kansas v. Nebraska, the late Justice Antonin Scalia warned of this development when he observed that, Over time, the Restatements authors have abandoned the mission of describing the law and have chosen instead to set forth their aspirations for what the law ought to be.

Now, legislators are pushing back.

Last year, neighboring Ohio recognized this development and passed legislation rejecting the ALIs Restatement of the Law, Liability Insurance, becoming the first state to do so. North Dakota enacted similar legislation just last month, and Kentucky passed a resolutionlast session rejecting the ALIs insurance restatement by a vote of 90 to 0.

The Indiana resolution is to be introduced by House Majority Floor Leader Matt Lehman. Lehman also happens to be the incoming chair of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators, a 50-year -old institution that allows lawmakers with extensive authority over the insurance industry to gather and compare notes during the year.

In the middle of this pushback, new reports have emerged charging that the ALI has engaged in unprecedented and questionable practices to help win back its authority. Reports state that the organization persuaded a couple of federal judges in Houston to host a free lunch as the first stop in the ALIs road trip across the nation to explain its recently adopted liability and insurance restatement to the legal community. Whether it is appropriate to have sitting judges host an event designed as an endorsement of ALIs work is up for debate, but the fact that it occurred has only doubled down on the controversy surrounding the organizations restatements.

If anything ever made sense as public policy, it is to avoid giving lawyers any kind free rein to degrade the system that we have worked so hard to create, improve and balance over centuries. This is especially so when it involves insurance coverage for millions of Americans.

Topics Legislation Indiana
Delawares Supreme Court has rejected an appeal in a lawsuit stemming from a 2012 airplane crash in the Congo that claimed the life of the chief adviser to that countrys president and left his finance minister seriously injured.

The companies that purchased, owned and managed the jet sued aircraft manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, claiming the crash, which also killed four others, was caused by failure of the jets braking system.

A Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit in February, saying the plaintiffs claims for economic losses were barred and that claims of fraud were conclusory because there was no evidence that the brakes were defective.

The Supreme Court dismissed the plaintiffs notice of appeal last week because it was received too late, having first been filed mistakenly in Superior Court.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits
Hartford InsurTech Hub, powered by Startupbootcamp, hosted its second Demo Day at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford, Conn., on April 26.

The InsurTech Accelerator is the first component of Hartford InsurTech Hub, an initiative established in 2017 by Hartford insurance companies, the City of Hartford and CTNext that is focused on addressing the need for attracting new technologies and talent in insurance and technology into the City of Hartford and the local ecosystem, according to a Startupbootcamp press release.

Out of 10 startups graduating from the programs latest cohort, three have secured pilots with insurance companies within the Hubs core sponsoring partners: Aetna, Capgemini, Cigna, Clyde & Co, The Hartford, Travelers, USAA and White Mountains.

InsurTech is emerging as a category of its own right with over $20Bn of investment received by startups serving the sector since 2015, said Sabine VanderLinden, CEO of Startupbootcamp InsurTech and partner at Rainmaking, in the release. While we are at the very beginning of our journey identifying those disruptive innovations that will affect the insurance sector forever, we need to be mindful that to do so, we need to create innovation centers and hubs that welcome unique innovative minds, talent and expertise.

At Demo Day, the 10 startups showcased technologies that help amplify health, life, and property and casualty insurance companies, with propositions ranging from improving customer engagement to digital health, to property insurance claims process, according to the release. This years theme, Amplified, included more than 500 attendees and more than 600 viewers on the livestream, the release stated.

Startups involved in the program have the opportunity to engage with our strong insurance ecosystem that includes a deep investor network, broad mentor group and robust program content, stated Dawn LeBlanc, managing director for Hartford InsurTech Hub, in the release. Startupbootcamps global network and name recognition attract the newest and brightest startups to the Hartford InsurTech Hub. As a program, we help identify trends and make the most relevant connections while growing the insurance ecosystem.

During the event, keynote speaker Erin Hatzikostas, founder and CEO of Authentic Inc., spoke with insurance companies about the importance of incorporating authenticity in the workplace in order to drive profits and attract talent.

Make it part of your strategy, she stated. Call it whatever you want, but be real and focus on it, thats how youre going to attract the talent.

Hatzikostas added that the two biggest issues she sees in the workplace today are gender diversity and a lack of engagement among employees.

I would argue that authenticity is the superpower that takes down those two statistically significant issues, she said.

Indeed, she shared an example from her own experience as the CEO of financial advisor Payflex for two-and-a-half years.

In that time, we took a company that was flat earnings for at least four years, and we tripled it, she said. Our culture index scores went up 12 percentage points. By empowering authenticity, by doing simple things that made people feel comfortable to give me their ideas, to walk into a room and make a contribution, to put on their out of office that says Im taking a real vacation, to be able to set up meetings with our teams how they saw fit, we saw authenticity spread like wildfire.

Each startup initially relocated to Hartford, Conn., for the three-month accelerator program. Three of the startups are from the United States, while the remaining seven have relocated from countries such as Australia, Switzerland, South Africa, Israel and Canada.

As well as securing pilots within Hartford Insurtech Hubs corporate partners, the startups have also been engaged with local Hartford and Connecticut communities. All of the startups in the cohort have hired students from the University of Connecticut and the University of Hartford as interns throughout the program. Both universities have established a joint InsurTech course as a result of the Hartford Insurtech Hubs program, and these interns are participating in the course, the release explained.

In the future, the accelerator program plans to stretch its reach to other cities in Connecticut.

Lets build Hartford as a global InsurTech capital where young ventures directly engage with the rich local ecosystem of insurers, adjacent market players, new entrants, local communities, city representatives, the governor, and the regulator to create differentiated capabilities that leverage Connecticut and Hartfords strengths, VanderLinden added in the release.

The ten teams that were showcased during Demo Day were:

Pineapple  Pineapple offers P2P insurance and comes to Hartford from South Africa.

Pineapple offers P2P insurance and comes to Hartford from South Africa. handdii  Coming from Australia, handdii is a digital platform that automates the property insurance claim process from FNOL through to claim finalization.

Coming from Australia, handdii is a digital platform that automates the property insurance claim process from FNOL through to claim finalization. Dream Payments  Dream Payments is a Fintech startup from Canada that powers digital and mobile payment services for business customers.

Dream Payments is a Fintech startup from Canada that powers digital and mobile payment services for business customers. Pitch Gauge  Pitch Gauge, from Georgia, is a roofing estimating application using mobile devices to do property inspections.

Pitch Gauge, from Georgia, is a roofing estimating application using mobile devices to do property inspections. Medyear  From San Francisco, Medyear is a social network for healthcare collaboration. It connects consumers to more than 190 health systems and 700,000 doctors to real-time chat, secure email, microblogging and personal health records.

From San Francisco, Medyear is a social network for healthcare collaboration. It connects consumers to more than 190 health systems and 700,000 doctors to real-time chat, secure email, microblogging and personal health records. SkyWatch  SkyWatch is a licensed insurance broker in all 50 U.S. states offering a software for connected, moving platforms. It is from Israel.

 SkyWatch is a licensed insurance broker in all 50 U.S. states offering a software for connected, moving platforms. It is from Israel. Talem Health Analytics  Coming from Canada, Talem Health Analytics provides data-driven insights on bodily injury claims cost.

Coming from Canada, Talem Health Analytics provides data-driven insights on bodily injury claims cost. See Your Box  Coming from Switzerland, See Your Box provides Industrial IoT tools to digitize supply chains. It is a tech-service platform that collects, analyses and extracts information related to goods across the supply chain.

Coming from Switzerland, See Your Box provides Industrial IoT tools to digitize supply chains. It is a tech-service platform that collects, analyses and extracts information related to goods across the supply chain. ClaimSpace  Coming from Australia, ClaimSpace is a platform that bridges the communication gap between customers, insurers and stakeholders during the claims process.

Coming from Australia, ClaimSpace is a platform that bridges the communication gap between customers, insurers and stakeholders during the claims process. CareValidate  Powered by a life-saving light bulb called SafeLight, CareValidate provides health, safety and quality of care telematics to transform workers compensation, senior living, long-term care, life and health insurance products with plug-and-play insurtech solutions. It is from Georgia.

Related:

Topics Claims InsurTech Tech Talent Training Development Canada Australia Connecticut Startups
Insurance industry veterans Stephen Catlin and Paul Brand announced they have launched an international specialty insurer and reinsurer, Convex Group Ltd.

Convex launches with $1.8 billion of initial committed capital and will draw down $1.6 billion to commence business; it will have access to further capital as the business expands. The company has received an A.M. Best rating of A- (Excellent) and regulatory approval to operate in London and Bermuda.

The management team includes well-respected insurance industry experts  all of whom once worked for Catlin Group and XL Catlin, the product of the 2015 purchase of Catlin Group by XL.

Convexs senior leaders are:

Stephen Catlin  chairman, chief executive officer and co-founder. Catlin has 45 years of insurance industry experience. He was the founder and CEO of Catlin Group (1984-2015). He became executive deputy chairman of XL Catlin (2015-2017), after XLs purchase of Catlin Group.

Paul Brand  deputy chief executive officer and co-founder. With 36 years of industry experience, Brand spent 31 years with Catlin or XL Catlin (which he joined in 1987). He was chief underwriting offers of Catlin between 2003 and 2015 and chief underwriting officer (insurance) of XL Group between 2015 and 2017. He became chairman of Accelerate, XL Catlins in-house innovation team in 2016, a position he held until 2018.

Benjamin Meuli  chief financial officer. With 40 years of insurance and finance experience, Meuli spent seven years at Catlin/XL Catlin, which he joined in 2009. He was chief investment officer of Swiss Re between 2004 and 2008 and held various senior roles at Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan between 1984 and 2004. He has been vice chairman of GAM Investments since 2016.

Robina Malik  general counsel. With more than 25 years of insurance and legal experience, Malik was general counsel, head of Compliance, Risk and Regulatory Affairs for XL Catlin Asia Pacific (2012-2017). She began her career at Lloyds in underwriting and claims on energy, marine and liability accounts.

Adrian Spieler  chief operating officer. With 25 years of insurance and asset management experience, Spieler was chief platform officer for insurance and a member of the XL Catlin leadership team (2015-2018). He was group chief administrative officer and member of the group executive committee at Catlin (20122015), when he led an ambitious transformation program. Previously, he had spent 17 years at Swiss Re, where he was chief operating officer, Swiss Re Asset Management.

Doug Howat  chief underwriting officer insurance. With 33 years of insurance industry experience, Howat was chief executive of Global Lines (including Specialty) at XL Catlin (2017). Prior to that, he was chief executive of the Energy, Property and Construction division (2015). He joined Catlin in 1989 as an assistant underwriter and was subsequently appointed class underwriter for the energy and energy/marine liabilities accounts and head of the Energy Research team. In 2006, he was appointed to Catlin Groups underwriting board, responsible for short-tail direct business. He started in the industry in 1985 when he worked in the marine claims departments of Eagle Star.

Matt Paskin  chief underwriting officer reinsurance. With more than 35 years of insurance industry experience, Paskin became chief underwriting officer of XL Catlin Re in 2015. At the time of the acquisition by XL in 2015, he was chairman of Catlin REXCo. He was appointed underwriting director at Catlin in 2002. Paskin joined Catlin in 1993 as a class underwriter for the reinsurance account. Before working at Catlin, he joined EF Williams Syndicate in 1985 and was appointed treaty underwriter in 1989. Paskin joined the insurance industry in 1982 at Pan Atlantic/Republic UK.

Mark van Zanden  head of portfolio optimisation. With more than 30 years of re/insurance industry experience, van Zanden joined Catlin in 2005 and was most recent chief executive of Underwriting Capital Management for AXA XL (2018). During his career, he spent time at a reinsurance broker as a consulting actuary, as an underwriter and within the ceded reinsurance and alternative capital areas. He is an actuary and a charterholder of the financial analyst designation.

Convex will underwrite insurance and reinsurance for complex specialty risks across a diversified range of business lines in London and Bermuda, the company said in a statement. The business brings together an exceptional group of talented underwriters who will focus on areas where they have a competitive advantage and aim to deliver top quartile, risk adjusted returns, the statement continued.

Convex said it will adopt a conservative investment strategy with a predominantly high-grade fixed income portfolio, and duration matched to the profile of the liabilities.

The invested capital comes from the Convex management team, Onex Partners V, Onex Corp.s (TSX: ONEX) large-cap private equity fund, PSP Investments and a consortium of co-investors.

The launch of Convex distills vast industry experience and client focus to create the insurance company of the future. We begin unencumbered by legacy but rich with expertise and the strength of independence, said Stephen Catlin, Convexs chairman and CEO. There is evidence of pricing momentum in many classes and we are well equipped to prosper in a challenging market.

Catlin noted that he and Brand have worked together since the early days of Catlin Group. [T]he team we have assembled all bring exceptional skills to the table. Together we have a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I look forward to the journey that lies ahead.

Convex is designed for the evolving insurance industry, and combines years of experience, knowledge and history in this market, said Paul Brand, deputy CEO.

Stephen and I see a great opportunity; there is demand for an insurer to bring a refreshed and enhanced offering to market, one that puts fairness and honesty at the center of its singularly client focused proposition, Brand continued.

Convex will challenge the status quo to create value across the chain and provide a differentiated service in a personal way. We are very excited to be launching Convex today and look forward to working with our team to create an innovative partner that drives results for our clients, Brand said.

Bobby Le Blanc, a senior managing director of Onex, said: We believe Convex is well-positioned to become a leading specialty insurer. It has a well-respected and experienced management team with an exceptional track record in building value. We are delighted to partner with Stephen, Paul and the entire Convex team and look forward to the years ahead.

We are thrilled to have the support of Onex and our co-investors and believe they will be valuable partners to us as we build our business, added Catlin.

Convex was advised by Evercore, JP Morgan and Slaughter and May.

Source: Convex Group Ltd.

Topics Carriers Excess Surplus Underwriting Reinsurance New Markets Market AXA XL
Canopius, the London-based global specialty re/insurer announced it is opening an office in Sydney, Australia, as part of its commitment to expand in the Asia-Pacific region.

Subject to regulatory approval, the local entity will be open to underwrite business in time for the June 30 renewal season, said Canopius in a statement.

The Sydney operation will provide a local underwriting hub for business in Australia and New Zealand, targeting a combination of business from small and medium-sized enterprises via coverholders, wholesale direct and facultative, as well as reinsurance treaty business.

The new office will be led by Claudio Saita as Canopius country manager Australia & Pacific. Saita will become a member of the newly established Canopius Asia Pacific leadership team. He reports to Mark Newman, CEO APAC & MENA.

Previously, Saita was deputy CEO and executive director of Tokio Marine Management Australasia, which he joined in June 2008.

I am delighted that Claudio has joined us. His significant experience and knowledge will help us as we pursue further growth in this priority market, commented Newman. Claudio has forged excellent distribution relationships, often built around modern technology, which will be a differentiator for Canopius as we target profitable business throughout the Pacific region.

Saita said the region presents significant opportunities for committed and locally empowered carriers that embrace technology.

Topics Australia
Boeing Co. was sued Monday by two Canadians who lost 10 family members in the March crash of a 737 Max in Ethiopia, adding to the aircraft manufacturers legal woes stemming from two deadly crashes by the jet.

Among the 157 people who died when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed minutes after takeoff on March 10 were plaintiff Manant Vaidyas mother, father, sister, brother-in-law and two nieces. Also on the doomed flight were the wife and three children of Paul Njoroge, the other plaintiff.

The series of complaints, filed in a federal court in Chicago, allege that Boeing was negligent in its design and certification of the 737 Max, including a system on the jet that automatically pushes the aircrafts nose down when sensor data indicate the plane is approaching a stall.

The Ethiopian Airlines crash and the October crash of a Lion Air 737 Max off the coast of Indonesia have been linked to the jets Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, which automatically pushes down the aircrafts nose to help prevent a stall. In both crashes, pilots struggled to keep the plane aloft after the system was activated by erroneous sensor data and ultimately pushed the planes into a fatal dive.

Every Email

If they deny their negligence, we are going to seek every single email, text message between them and the FAA, Robert Clifford, attorney for Njoroge and Vaidya, told reporters in Chicago on Monday.

Boeing declined to comment directly on the lawsuit, Peter P. Pedraza, a Boeing spokesman, said in an email.

Boeing extends our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the families and loved ones of those onboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, Pedraza said. As the investigation continues, Boeing is cooperating fully with the investigating authorities.

The lawsuits add to Boeings legal woes after the two crashes, including a lawsuit filed in late March on behalf of a Rwandan passenger who died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash. Prosecutors, lawmakers and the U.S. Transportation Departments internal watchdog are also leading probes into the jet.

Among the cases are Vaidya v. Boeing Co., 19-cv-02839, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Chicago), and Njoroge v. Boeing Co., 19-cv-02843, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Chicago)

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits USA Aviation Aerospace
The death of a Louisiana nurse who was attacked by a mental health patient has prompted the medical community to demand better hospital safety practices.

News outlets report Baton Rouge General Medical Center nurse Lynne Truxillo suffered serious injuries in the attack early this month and finished her shift before undergoing a medical exam.

She suffered several scratches and a torn ACL. She died days later from a blood clot that traveled to her lungs  something that the East Baton Rouge coroner ruled was directly caused by her injuries.

The man accused in the attack, 54-year-old Jessie Guillory, was arrested last week and charged with manslaughter.

The medical community is calling for more mental health care funding, staffing, security and better violence prevention plans, among other changes.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana
The Texas Senate has approved a bill intended to increase security and prevent on-campus incidents of violence at public schools.

Senate Bill 11, by state Sen. Larry Taylor of Friendswood, would direct the Texas Education Agency to develop rules for hardening existing campuses and ensuring future facilities are built with safety and security in mind. It would require that each district develop a multi-hazard disaster response plan, one that addresses prevention, preparedness, and recovery.

Districts would co-ordinate and file plans with the Texas School Safety Center, a school security think tank located in San Marcos. To oversee these plans, each district would create a dedicated school safety committee that would review and amend these plans at least once per semester. School officials would be required to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies to develop plans to increase police presence on campuses. Districts would also form risk assessment teams at each campus, to monitor school climate and student activity to head off any problems before they reach a crisis point.

Taylor, an independent insurance agent, says school shootings and other violent tragedies rarely come out nowhere.

Generally the people who have done these acts[other] people had some hint, some idea that they were going to do it before, he said. This bill is designed to help us recognize those people early on before they get to that point.

Teams would be trained at the School Safety Center not just to recognize potential violent threats, but also students who may be at risk for suicide or self-harm or substance abuse problems.

The bill includes a number of provisions relating to mental health, in order to identify students approaching crisis and intervene before the breaking point.

Regional school resource centers would be directed to partner with local mental health authorities to provide optional counseling and substance abuse assistance to the campuses they serve. It would require districts to train staff in trauma-informed care, a method to help people experiencing grief and trauma without exacerbating it, as well as guiding students affected by grief or trauma to available counseling services.

Taylor said the trauma-informed model is helpful even in non-violent situations, like natural disasters. Its just being able to recognize that kids have had different experiences, he said. Recently we had Hurricane Harvey. We have a lot of kids now who react to strong thunderstorms differently than they would have before, and its affected some of them.

He says its important that teachers, counselors and administrators can recognize signs of trauma in order to find ways to help students cope positively.

The bill now heads to the House for consideration.

Source: Texas Senate

Topics Texas Politics
A Florida man believed to be responsible for multiple fires in the Umatilla area of Lake County, Fla., has been arrested, according to a statement by Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis.

James Anthony Bennett was arrested this month on four counts of arson and two counts of armed burglary after a joint investigation by arson detectives from the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Lake County Sheriffs Office, and the Umatilla Police Department.

A joint investigation revealed that Bennett allegedly committed several acts of arson in the Umatilla area including two structure fires occurring at the Old Crow Real Pit Bar-B-Q and at Sunoco (793 South Central Avenue). In addition, he is a suspect in multiple vehicle fires occurring on Saltsdale Road, East Cemetery Road and Pine Tree Drive.

All fires occurred in the same region of Lake County and within a 25-hour time span.

Bennet was arrested on April 18 and booked into Lake County Jail on charges of 1st and 2nd degree arson and burglary. If convicted, he faces up to 150 years in prison.

Patronis called on the public to help catch the suspected serial arsonist back in February.

My dedicated arson detectives have been working tirelessly alongside local law enforcement to stop this wanted arsonist before he struck again, Patronis said.

He noted there were approximately $21 million in arson-related losses in Florida in 2017.

If you commit arson, you will be caught and you will be locked up, Patronis said.

Source: Florida Department of Financial Services

Topics Florida Arson
Vancouver, British Columbia - April 30, 2019 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Wildflower Brands Inc. (CSE: SUN) (OTCQB: WLDFF) (the "Company") is excited to announce that the City of Vancouver has approved and issued a building permit for City Cannabis Co's 2317 Cambie Street location. Wildflower recently announced a letter of intent to acquire City Cannabis Co. With the City of Vancouver's Letter of Recommendation to the Provincial Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, City Cannabis is on track for the opening of their third Vancouver location with a target opening in Summer 2019.

The Cambie Street location is two blocks away from the intersection of Broadway and Cambie which is one of the busiest corners of the city. The location will be connected by two Skytrain rapid transit lines (Broadway-UBC coming soon) and is situated amongst high traffic big-box stores including Whole Foods, Save-On-Foods, Canadian Tire, Best Buy, Home Depot, London Drugs, Winners and one of the busier BC Liquor stores in Vancouver. The arterial flow of traffic coming into the city over the Cambie Street Bridge has 30,000 vehicles daily during the morning workday commute. The pedestrian traffic between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. continues to grow year-over-year with a current measure of 12,000 plus per day. The growth experienced with-in the retail trade area of Cambie Village has a measurable trajectory that is extremely favorable.

William MacLean, CEO of Wildflower Brands, says, "City Cannabis is the first multiple location operator to come out of British Columbia and has a proven track record in opening and licensing premier cannabis retail locations. With the addition of the Cambie Village location, their current 610 Robson Street location will congruently continue to strengthen brand dominance. BC has always been considered the most cultured cannabis market in the world and City Cannabis is building a cohesive network of operations that will provide consumers with the ultimate retail experience anywhere in Canada."

ABOUT CITY CANNABIS CO.

City Cannabis is a cannabis retailer holding two of the three City of Vancouver licenses to sell cannabis and the only company with multiple licenses in the Province of B.C. City Cannabis has been profitably operating various dispensaries in Vancouver since Vancouver commenced licensing cannabis retailers.

ABOUT WILDFLOWER BRANDS INC.

Wildflower Brands is a Vancouver-based company developing and designing brands that focus on plant-based health and wellness products. All of our brands work in synergy, toward becoming a global wellness leader.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"William MacLean"

____________________________________

William MacLean

Director and CEO

Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. Forwardlooking statements and information are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "appear", "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "approximate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "would" and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forwardlooking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the risks associated with the marijuana industry in general such as operational risks in growing; competition; incorrect assessment of the value and potential benefits of various transactions; ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; failure to obtain required regulatory and other approvals and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws and government regulations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forwardlooking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.

The forwardlooking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forwardlooking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws or the Canadian Securities Exchange. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

The Canadian Securities Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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April 30, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellin and the Metropolitan Area - ACI Medellin, will present the reasons why Medellin is an ideal destination for foreign investment to businessmen and executives interested in investing in the city. This event will take place on Tuesday, April 30 from 1:00 pm at the Capital Factory facilities, ACL Room (701 Brazos Street, Suite 1601 - Austin, TX 78701 United States); and next May 2 at the same time in Miami, Florida, at the Consulate of Colombia located in 280 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables FL33134.

These meetings are called Why Medellin? are the tools for ACI Medellin to present investors with the advantages of the city as a business destination, its investment climate, its innovation ecosystem, and its growth as a technological development hub.

Supported by entities such as Procolombia, Ruta N and Capital Factory, the meeting will show some success stories of American companies installed in Medellin: Accenture, DAPI, IBM, Team International, Astound Commerce, Owens Illinois, Stanley Black & Decker, among others.

Information for journalists

Juan Carlos Valencia / Senior Communications Professional

(574) 320 34 30 Ext. 163 / jvalencia@acimedellin.org

Sandra Milena D'Alleman / Director of Communications

+573185285705 - sospina@acimedellin.org

More Info:

This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Bogota - April 30, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) New Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and expansions created more than 830,000 jobs in Latin America in 2016-2018. According to figures from the fDi Markets platform of the Financial Times, Bogota was the city in the region with the largest number of jobs created by foreign investment.

According to an analysis by the Research and Market Intelligence team of Invest in Bogota, FDI had a positive impact on the city thanks to the creation of more than 23,000 jobs, well above cities such as Mexico City, Lima, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Guadalajara.

10,060 new jobs were created in Bogota in 2018 alone, an 81% increase with respect to the same period in 2017, which is proof of the potential of FDI to stimulate the region's labor market. The Colombian capital placed above other large cities such as Lima (47%) and Sao Paulo (37%).

Jobs created by Greenfield FDI in 2016-2018

Latin American cities

In the national context, Bogota also accounted for the largest number of new jobs associated with FDI. Out of every ten jobs created by foreign investment in Colombia in the last three years, three of them were created in the capital.

The countries that added the largest number of new jobs to Bogota's economy were Spain (19.8%), Chile (16.9%), the United States (15.3%) and France (7.5%). Together, they account for about 60% of the jobs created in Bogota during the period.

Sectors that gained the most

"The majority of the jobs created over the last three years in the capital are found in the services and construction sectors as a result of the dynamic conditions of the economy, which is trending towards specialization in value-added services, the extensive development of infrastructure and urban renewal projects, and the quality and skills of the city's workforce," said Juan Gabriel Perez, Executive Director of Invest in Bogota.

The analysis conducted by Invest in Bogota shows that the sectors that benefitted the most in terms of job creation were: construction (31.3%), business services (16%), consumer products (12.6%), textiles (7.9%) and software and IT services(5.6%). Bogota's share was the highest in the country for all of these sectors, and for some of them, the highest in Latin America.

In construction, Bogota accounted for 12.2% of new jobs in Latin America, surpassing Lima (9.7%) and Medellin (6.9%), among other cities. Likewise, Bogota is the regional leader in job creation for the business services sector, with approximately 10% of the jobs created by new FDI projects in Latin America, above cities such as Sao Paulo (6.8%).

In terms of the challenges faced by the city to continue generating employment through foreign investment, Perez said that Bogota must continue "to make progress in its strategy to consolidate itself as an attractive investment destination in Asian countries with the purpose of adding more skilled jobs that involve a greater use of technology."

Contacto de prensa:

Miguel Angel Hernandez

Cel: (57) 304 3762439

ahernandez@investinbogota.org

More Info:

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Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Principality of Monaco - April 30, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) The Yacht Club de Monaco has thrown down the gauntlet for the sixth annual Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge, banning all fossil fuels and asking competitors and the Monegasque community to strive for zero emissions during the 5-day event. Torqeedo has partnered with Yacht Club de Monaco to ensure that all boats involved in the organisation of the event are 100% electric and will serve as the event's Technical Sponsor.

"It's essential that the yachting sector embrace clean energy sources to cut greenhouse gas emissions," stated Bernard d' Alessandri, Yacht Club de Monaco General Secretary.

The Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge aims to inspire technical innovation by matching the creativity of young engineers with experienced manufacturers to design, develop and race emission-free boats. The excitement of racing is balanced with key players tackling issues such as how the yachting community can effect change on environmental challenges in the marine environment, sustainability and energy efficiency during a concurrent series of lectures and open forums.

Co-founder of Solar Impulse and Solar Class sponsor Bertrand Piccard said, "We need to demonstrate where the latest technology is leading us: it's taking us a long way - in the right direction."

"The Yacht Club de Monaco is, once again, demonstrating that it is a nerve centre of the green yachting movement," said Dr. Christoph Ballin, co-founder and CEO of Torqeedo. "We're proud to support the continued efforts of the Yacht Club de Monaco and its members to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage the development of sustainable boating technology."

Teams from around world will gather at the Yacht Club de Monaco to participate in the Challenge from July 2 through July 6, 2019. The event is hosted in partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the International Powerboating Federation.

About Torqeedo

Torqeedo is the market leader for electric mobility on the water. Founded in 2005 in Starnberg, the company develops and manufactures electric and hybrid drives from 0.5 to 100 kW for commercial applications and recreational use. Torqeedo products are characterized by an uncompromising high-tech focus, maximum efficiency and complete system integration. Torqeedo is part of the DEUTZ Group, one of the world's leading independent suppliers of diesel and natural gas engines. www.torqeedo.com

Media Contact:

Tess Smallridge

Torqeedo

+49 8153 9999 060

Tess.Smallridge@torqeedo.com

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The ultimate owner of Aughinish Alumina in Limerick has said significant investment is planned for the facility, just months after US Government sanctions threatened the future of its 450-plus jobs.

Aluminium and power producer En+ Group, the owner of Rusal, which in turn owns Aughinish, said the Limerick facility was a "major asset" of the firm, and that its strategic position meant it would be bolstered by investment over the next three years.

The firm said in its 2018 report: "It is one of the most technologically advanced and energy-efficient alumina refineries in the world, one of Europes largest, and a major alumina asset of the group...Major developments at Aughinish over the next three years will prepare the refinery for different bauxites whilst maintaining its reliability."

En+ said key infrastructure includes a deepwater terminal on the Shannon estuary, a bauxite ore crushing and grinding plant, a single digestion processing unit, a hydrate processing plant, several gas-fired calcination units, and a gas-fired cogeneration plant.

Last year saw a new deep cone thickener in the mud circuit which would help Aughinish to "handle the different bauxites that are expected in the coming years", En+ said.

In its annual report, En+ said the US sanctions imposed on it throughout the majority of 2018 had contributed to a "significant impact on operational results" so far this year, including aluminium sales decreasing by more than 7%.

In January, the US Treasury officially lifted sanctions on Rusal and other companies linked to controlling stakeholder Oleg Deripaska, the Russian billionaire accused of having close ties with the Kremlin.

The US imposed crippling sanctions on Mr Deripaska's business interests and halved Rusals value in the process in April last year.

Shares in Rusal plummeted as sanctions reverberated across the entire aluminium industry as it scrambled to restore supply chains.

Rusal controlling company En+ said Mr Deripaskas shareholding was cut from 70% to 44.95% and his voting rights further cut to 35%.

His assets were frozen and he will not be able to receive any dividends from En+, the firm said when the sanctions were lifted in January.

The Russian firm hired House of Lords member Greg Barker to serve as chairman following its restructuring.

Mr Barker is a former climate change minister in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, before he was nominated to the Lords by David Cameron in 2015.

The months-long saga had cast a cloud over the future of Aughinish, which has been described as one of the region's best employers.

The fallout led to intense political lobbying to the White House by Irish political leaders, including Tanaiste Simon Coveney and Irish ambassador to the US, Daniel Mulhall.

A letter signed by ambassadors from Ireland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and the EU pressed the Trump Administration on the importance of Aughinish in the global supply chain, as well as to the Limerick region.

Mr Mulhall had warned of the unintended consequences of the sanctions on communities such as Aughinish, with 700 direct jobs at stake and another 1,000 who depend indirectly on it.
Retail sales rose strongly in the first quarter but the sales uplift still appears to be far from indicating a return to a boom-time spending spree.

The latest CSO figures suggest sales of clothing, furnishings and lighting, pharmacies, and supermarkets tapped large increases in retail spending in the first three months of the year from a year earlier.

However, other retail businesses including electrical goods appear to have been boosted by steep discounting, while bar sales were slightly lower in the same period.

Sales in motor trades fell slightly, measured in terms of both volume and the value of the sales. Furnishing and lighting sales climbed almost 21% in terms of volume and were up by over 15% in value terms from a year earlier.

Clothing sales were also up strongly, advancing 8% in volume terms and by 6.5% in value in the three months. In March, overall retail sales rose 4.9% in volume terms and by 4.5% in value terms from March 2018.

UCC economist Seamus Coffey, who also heads up the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, said there was solid growth in sales.

He said in a tweet:

Annual growth in core volumes surged to 8% but this is somewhat flattered by a dip in March 2018. Underlying growth in volume is probably around 5% to 6% which is a good clip

KBC chief economist Austin Hughes said the rise was in line with growth in incomes but that price discounting had also played its part.

These data are very healthy but they certainly dont suggest any major spending splurge when account is taken of both increased incomes and increased numbers of consumers in Ireland, he said, adding that price-conscious Irish households were responding to competitive pressures within Irish retailing.

Meanwhile, a new economic activity tracker by the S&P economists suggests the fortunes of the eurozone are picking up. It projects eurozone GDP grew by at least 0.25% in the first quarter, as temporary effects wane.

The car industry has seen car production and registrations rebound since last year. Protests in France are now having a much more limited impact on consumer spending, as the consumer confidence rebound in France over the past three months indicates, said S&P.

Nonetheless, economic confidence in the eurozone dropped for a 10th month in April to the lowest in more than two years, according to the European Commissions monthly survey. It showed an industrial morass is increasingly entrenched as companies continue to struggle with the global slowdown and homegrown difficulties.

The headline index, which assesses the mood of households and businesses, fell sharply to its lowest level since September 2016. Confidence in industry was particularly weak as managers become pessimistic about production expectations, order books and stocks.

In Germany, the reading hit its lowest level in three years. The eurozones persistent weakness  even as the US recorded strong growth in the first quarter  is becoming a major challenge for policymakers.

The ECB has already stretched out its stimulus efforts and is hoping for a marked improvement later in the year to avoid another rethink.

Additional reporting Bloomberg
The Academic have been announced as this years Live At the Marquee headliners.

The band will embark on their biggest Cork show to date this summer, June 27.
The Kerrygold brand has exceeded 1bn in annual retail value, the first Irish food brand to reach this milestone.

Farmer shareholders in the Ornua brand attended a celebration to mark the achievement at the Kerrygold Kitchen in Ornua.
Collecting eggs, packing tomatoes, weeding, checking animal welfare, harvesting fruits, and detecting pests in crops will all be performed by robots in the not-too-distant future, says Erik Pekkeriet, Business Development Manager for the Agro Food Robotics programme in the Wageningen University in the Netherlands, one of the worlds top-ranked universities for agricultural research.

In the Agro Food Robotics programme, Wageningen researchers work on development of robots in the intensive agriculture and food processing sectors, which are major sectors in the Netherlands.

But the factors making robots more important exist in other countries also.

With the international experience of fewer and fewer people being prepared to put up with the poor working conditions in agriculture, Wageningen researchers are developing robots that can do agricultural work, such as weeding, harvesting, and packing, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Equipped with cameras and sensors, motorised robot platforms and hands are more precise than human beings.

Ironically, it advances in information and communications technology (ICT) that have made robots more important in agriculture and food.

Pekkeriet explains that working conditions in these sectors have declined, primarily due to increased mechanisation and ICT.

The work used to be varied, and people were able to stop and chat with each other.

Now, they work by themselves, or together in noisy rooms with earplugs and protective clothing.

Social interaction is barely possible, and people do the same thing all day long. The human component of the work is very monotonous and extremely repetitive, explains Pekkeriet.

In the agriculture and food industries, the use of robots is very promising. Robots enable us to make up for the shortage in the workforce. It is also possible to achieve higher production with robots.

People have become a kind of machine. Only their productivity matters.

Software measures exactly how much someone harvests, processes, or packages.

Many businesses hang green/white/red lists in the break rooms.

Pekkeriet says: Employees in the green row are performing well, and will receive a bonus, those in the white row are acceptable, and those who spend two weeks in the red row will have to find a different job.

That puts a lot of pressure on the employees.

The work locations are anything but comfortable.

The temperature and humidity in greenhouses is high. Out in the fields, employees may spend the entire day under the burning sun. Packing work is done in freezing cold rooms, so that the products have a longer shelf life.

In the Netherlands, for years, Dutch people have rarely done this type of work, even during seasonal periods.

Foreign workers, especially Polish, have been filling this role.

However, even Polish workers, known for their strong work ethic, find it difficult to tolerate anymore.

Pekkeriet says that roughly one-quarter of the Polish workers have left the field in recent years, and that the number is growing.

Its not just the Netherlands that is struggling with shortage of suitable employees.

It is a worldwide problem.

For example, in China and Japan, young people are heading to the city for jobs in service or in ICT. The rural working population has become older.

Even in these areas, the increasing use of robots is considered a solution.

In Wageningen, about 60 researchers are involved in development of robots that can perform agricultural work such as weeding, harvesting, and packing.

Robots are still not quite able to perform these complicated processes properly.

Researchers are addressing that shortfall with auto-didactic systems, spectral camera technologies, and robot hands, among other strategies.

Pekkeriet explains that there are roughly two types of agricultural robots.

The motorised and airborne field robots are vehicles that can carry items such as weeding tools and cameras.

There are also robot hands and arms that can target individual products for harvesting, pruning, weeding, or packing.

Thanks to cameras and sensors, motorised robot platforms and hands are more precise, and work better than human beings.

They can collect all manner of data regarding time and place and can even detect diseases and pests.

If there are pests on the crop, it can be difficult for us to see whether there are more or less of them after three days.

A robot can do that exceptionally well and can also check more often, explains Pekkeriet. Furthermore, the robot can locally control or treat the pests or disease, which means decreased use of pesticides.

Robots have other advantages.

Extreme temperatures do not affect them.

Robot vehicles are lightweight, they do less damage to the soil in the fields. Robot vehicles operate in closed off fields instead of public spaces, and never move faster than 5 kilometres per hour.

Large field robots are already driving around without supervision, but commercial use is still in the initial stages, says Pekkeriet.

In the agriculture and food industries, the use of robots is very promising, says Pekkeriet. He expects that theyll be doing all the menial, repetitive work in ten to 20 years from now.

Since a robot can work day and night and can last for several years, they will soon be appropriate and affordable for smaller-scale farmers.

Robots make it possible to achieve higher production.

They work 24/7 too, so it is not a problem if they work a bit slower than people.

Its a far cry from the farm in the eastern Netherlands where mechanical engineer Erik Pekkeriet grew up.
By Cormac OKeeffe, Elaine Keogh and Sean ORiordan

The armed support unit in Co Louth is stretched to the limit as it battles to cover the escalating gang feud in Drogheda, rampaging ATM gangs and patrolling the border as far as Co Cavan.

It comes as new figures show there have been 74 incidents directly connected to the violent gang feud in Drogheda since last summer.

In the last week, there were seven petrol bomb attacks and a reckless daytime shooting, in which an innocent builder was injured and a pedestrian narrowly escaped the eight shots fired.

Armed support units are attached to regions (six in the country) and the Northern Region Armed support units is split between Dundalk, Co Louth and Ballyshannon in Donegal, with those units also having to cover the Sligo/Leitrim and Cavan/Monaghan divisions.

A planned unit for Cavan/Monaghan is thought to be behind schedule after a delay in recruitment, which has to be followed by a 16-week training period.

Garda representatives from the Northern Region are to push their demands for a dedicated armed support units for each of the 28 divisions in the country at the annual conference of the Garda Representative Association today.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and Garda commissioner Drew Harris, who are addressing delegates today, will face questions from the media on the issue and the feud in Drogheda.

Calls for Mr Harris to attend the Drogheda Joint Policing Committee have also been made by its outgoing chair Sinn Fein councillor Kenneth Flood and Fine Gael TD for Louth Fergus ODowd.

The violence appears to be escalating, said a garda source. The two groups are at each others throats and are not stopping until they get blood.

Local gardai are throwing as much resources as they can into it, but resources are not unlimited. Theres only so many gardai and theres only so much overtime they can do.

The Northern armed support unit is split between three or four units in Dundalk and two in Ballyshannon. The armed support unit unit is also involved in countering ATM robberies as well so its completely stretched, so that isnt helping things, the source said.

He said that with the most recent ATM thefts in Kells, Co Meath, well away from the Border (where the other raids have been), it further expands the geographical area the unit has to cover.

The source said intelligence suggests these ATM gangs are armed, requiring an armed support unit response as opposed to unarmed uniformed gardai.

The source said:

You add in that the unit in Dundalk also has to cover the border as far as Cavan/Monaghan and it is currently stretched to the limit

Separate sources have said the armed support unit presence in Louth cant guarantee around-the-clock service.

We dont have a full-time unit. Its as close to 24-hour cover as possible, within certain parameters, said one source. GRA Louth representative Derek ODonoghue declined to specifically comment on the ASU cover, but did say: All Garda sections in Louth, including the ASU, are stretched.

He said since an attempted murder last June, there have been 74 incidents linked to the feud. Speaking at its annual conference in Killarney, Co Kerry, GRA president Jim Mulligan said there was a need for a better equipped, better trained, more professionalised police force.

Events in Drogheda and elsewhere in Louth, Meath and Border counties has brought this need into stark focus in recent days and weeks. We have been making our case for better training, equipment and facilities for a number of years. Regrettably, weve not got the response we were looking for.

Mr Mulligan said the operational response to events like those in Drogheda is a matter for the commissioner and said the GRA supports any additional measures to crack down on these reckless, indiscriminate thugs.
A charity has deployed its latest rapid response medical jeep to help save lives in North Kerry and West Limerick.

Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) has based its 10th rapid response vehicle, a top-of-the-range Renault Kadjar Crossover, in Listowel Co Kerry, with support from Renault Ireland.

The vehicle has been kitted out with a range of medical equipment normally found in hospital emergency departments.

ICRRs rapid response service involves volunteer doctors working alongside frontline HSE emergency services to respond to medical emergencies.

Its latest service will be led by local volunteer Dr Andrei Brovchin who will be part of a medical team responding to life-threatening emergencies in areas including Tralee, Listowel, Ballybunion, Tarbert, Foynes, Newcastle West, Abbeyfeale and Castleisland.

The ICRR service will be tasked via the 999/112 medical emergency call system at the National Emergency Operations Centre to attend various serious life-threatening emergencies, alongside the HSEs National Ambulance Service.

They will be able to deliver critically life-saving medical interventions at the scene of the various incidents.

Dr Brovchin said all the evidence shows that having the right treatment in the right place as soon as possible is the key to saving lives in cardiac arrest patients.

By equipping volunteer doctors and responders with the tools to react quickly within their own communities, they have the best possible chance of getting to patients within the most crucial window of opportunity for survival, he said.

ICRR CEO John Kearney launched the new jeep at Garveys SuperValu in Listowel yesterday and said it is a very positive addition to the communities of North Kerry and West Limerick.

It costs 30,000 per year to fund this service and we are calling on the people of Kerry and Limerick to help us save lives by raising vital funds to keep this service operating year on year.

Since 2008, ICRR has developed a network of over 200 volunteer doctors nationwide.

Mr Kearney said it is hoped to increase that number to 250 volunteer doctors this year.

ICRR is also working with the HSE NAS and Department of Health to deliver Irelands first community air ambulance service.

But as revealed by the Irish Examiner just over two weeks ago, the helicopter has been sitting in a hangar in north Cork for several months, waiting for final approvals from the HSE to go live.

ICRR has leased a helicopter and arranged pilots and ground staff, while the HSE NAS is set to provide the paramedical crew to staff the helicopter.

Thanks to donations from the public, ICRR has built a dedicated air ambulance base in Rathcoole near Millstreetat a cost of 400,000.

Staff training is completed and the aircraft has been parked up in the hangar since January.

But the service is still awaiting final approval from the HSE, which then needs to be signed off by the Health Minister.

A spokesman for ICRR said once the final approvals are in place, the service will be airborne almost immediately.

With a top speed of 160mph, the AW109 aircraft can carry a pilot, two medics, a patient on a stretcher and a passenger.

John Kearney, CEO ICRR left with pilot Capt John Murray pictured with IrelandAos first-ever Charity Air Ambulance service. Photo: Don MacMonagle.

The AW109 will be able to operate during daylight hours only, seven days a week.

The flight-time from Rathcoole to Cork is about 10-minutes, its about 14-minutes to Bantry, about 22-minutes to Dingle and about 25-minutes to Waterford.

But ICRR says the aircraft will be a national asset, with enough endurance to fly from its base in north Cork to Malin Head, and on to Dublin, before requiring a refuel.

ICRR estimates that it will cost some 2m a year to operate the service.

ICRR was founded in 2008 and was a winning project at the 2013 Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awards.
Galway's European Capital of Culture project is seeking a new operations director after its current post holder announced his departure.

Damien Egan is returning to the corporate sector, and his post has been advertised with a closing date for applicants of May 10.

The operations director is a senior management post, reporting to the chief executive, and responsible for the day-to-day running of the capital of culture organisation, including finance and risk management.

In a statement, Galway 2020 thanked Mr Egan for his dedication and hard work and wished him every success.

It confirmed that Mr Egan had decided to pursue an opportunity with one of Galways newest multinational companies.

The project is also recruiting a new marketing manager but said that this was a replacement for a position recently vacated in the communications team of four.

Galway 2020 currently employs 31 people, including new creative director Helen Marriage and fundraiser Sarah Coop of British theatre company, Artichoke.

The project was hit with a number of resignations last year, which delayed its programming and corporate fundraising, and resulted in budget cuts being imposed on artistic groups.

However, its second chief executive Patricia Philbin and Ms Marriage have expressed confidence in the programme which is due for publication in September.

One of the highlights - flagged last month in London by the Galway International Arts Festival - will be a series of mirrored pavilions by acclaimed international artist John Gerrard, located in Galways Claddagh and on Derrygimlagh bog in Connemara.

It was at Derrygimlagh near Roundstone that Alcock and Brown crash landed in June 1919 after making the first transatlantic flight.

Galway 2020 received a boost to its budget earlier this week, following a decision by Galway County Council to double its funding commitment from 2 million to 4 million .

This increased contribution brings to 25m the total guaranteed budget for Galway 2020  just over half an original budget of almost 46m for the bid book.

Its main funder is the Department of Arts and Culture at 15m, while Galway City Council has committed 6m.

Some 2.8m of that total budget was spent last year, and less than 30,000, or 1% of a targeted 7m, was raised in sponsorship, according to recently published accounts.

Galway 2020 said the additional support from Galway County Council would contribute significantly to development of an ambitious series of large-scale county-based projects and is an expression of confidence that we hope will encourage others to come forward in response to its fundraising campaign.

This would help to ensure lasting legacy that will benefit Galway for many years to come, it said.
Gardai are weary of hearing about grand ideas that dont have the money to make them a reality, GRA president Jim Mulligan has told Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan.

He warned Mr Flanagan that the government would have to fully finance the recommendations made by Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland report.

Many of its recommendations contain improvements that we have long highlighted on matters such as training, equipment, uniform, accommodation, wellbeing supports, supervision gaps, diversity, transparency and governance, Garda Mulligan said.

We want to work in buildings and vehicles that are safe and be equipped with the technology needed to carry out the job of protecting our citizens effectively and transparently, he said.

However, Mr Mulligan said his association wanted to work constructively with the government to see the report implemented.

Mr Flanagan defended the government's record on policing, pointing out that since September 2014, almost 2,400 garda recruits have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide, including 800 new trainees last year.

The budget for An Garda Siochana has been increased to a record level of 1.76bn this year. The Commissioner (Drew Harris) plans to recruit 600 civilian staff. which will facilitate the redeployment a further 500 fully trained gardai from administrative duties to front-line policing in 2019, Mr Flanagan said.

I believe that the injection of this large number of experienced officers to frontline duties, along with the new recruits, will be really beneficial in terms of protecting communities, he said.

Mr Flanagan added that record resources are also being provided over multiple years for the purchase of necessary vehicles and ICT investment.

Over 300m is being invested in essential ICT and a record budget for the vehicles which are so necessary for your work, he told 160 GRA delegates.

In response to the GRA's plea for Armed Response Units (ARUs) to be set up in every garda division, Mr Flanagan said he would leave that decision to Commissioner Harris.

He added he "didn't have any plans to reopen the bulk of garda stations" closed in recent years.

Mr Flanagan also referred to the violent gang feud in Drogheda and stated those responsible for the crimes which have been committed there would be brought to justice.

This level of lawlessness will not be tolerated anywhere. Not in Drogheda, not in Dingle, and not in Dublin. It will not be tolerated and it will be dealt with, he said.
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has claimed that Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted to him that he had no idea what the Irish border was.

Mr Ahern was speaking about Brexit at the Women In Media Conference in Ballybunion with Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness when he spoke about his experience attending Brexit committees

Talking about Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Taoiseach described the chairman of the European Research Group as "a lovely fella when he's asleep" before adding: "When he's awake, he definitely is a strange fish in or out of water".

"The reality is he admitted to me he had no idea what the border was," the former Fianna Fail leader claimed.

I think a lot of British politicians thought the border was something up around Dundalk or Newry that there was a gate on and people could get in and out the gate.

"And regardless of the fact that a lot of these guys went to Oxford and Cambridge and Eton they're not very bright."

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has claimed Jacob Rees-Mogg had admitted to him that he had "no idea what the Irish border was" - https://t.co/geBypYc5rK pic.twitter.com/7YLcjJsrCD  BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) April 29, 2019

Mr Rees Mogg responded to the claim saying Ahern's assertion saying it was "quite funny but regrettably untrue".

"Perhaps Ireland had a comedian as its leader before Ukraine," he added, referencing the recent election of Volodymyr Zelenskiy

This comes as the Conservatives and Labour resumed talks yesterday as Theresa May looks to break the Brexit deadlock and attempt to get her withdrawal deal through

As it stands, there will be European elections on May 23 with Nigel Farage's Brexit party currently enjoying a six-point lead in the most recent polls.
A majority of Irish people are unaware that several diseases, including hepatitis, measles and tetanus, are still causing death in Europe, according to an EU study.

A survey commissioned by the European Commission also revealed that one in 10 Irish respondents question the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing infectious diseases.

A similar proportion said they did not believe that vaccines were rigorously tested before being authorised for use. More than 27,500 individuals across the 28 EU states, including 1,078 in Ireland, were questioned about their attitude towards vaccines.

The results showed that a majority of Irish respondents correctly identified that meningitis and flu are fatal diseases. However, only 43% believed that measles was a potentially fatal infection, and only 41% that hepatitis was. The figure for tetanus was 17%.

According to medical research, immunisation through vaccination is the best defence against serious and potentially fatal diseases that are also preventable, such as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, tuberculosis, polio, measles, and hepatitis B.

However, the European Commission, as well as national governments and medical professionals, is concerned about falling vaccination levels, driven in part by anti-vaccination campaigners.

Health Minister Simon Harris is seeking legal advice on whether requiring children to have mandatory vaccines before attending schools or creches would be constitutional.

While Europe has been polio-free since 2002, there were 89 cases of tetanus in the EU in 2017, of which 14 were fatal. Between February 2018 and January 2019, there were 12,266 cases of measles within the EU, of which 33 were fatal.

In 2016, there were 304 fatalities, arising out of 3,280 confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease, across the 30 EU/EEA member states.

A European Commission spokesperson said:

Vaccination is one of the most successful public health measures to date. Not only do vaccines prevent diseases and save lives, they also reduce healthcare costs.

While the European Commission said the results were positive, in that 85% of EU citizens believed vaccination is an effective way of preventing infectious diseases, it said it is worrying that 48% of Europeans incorrectly believed that vaccines often produce side-effects, while 38% thought vaccines can cause the diseases against which they protect.

The survey showed that 7% of Irish respondents have not had any vaccination in the past five years, because they think vaccines arent safe and can have side-effects  slightly below the EU average of 9%.

More than half  57%  incorrectly stated that vaccines often produce serious side-effects.

The Eurobarometer survey showed that 17% of Irish respondents disagreed that it was important for everyone to have routine vaccinations, while 13% disagreed that not being vaccinated could lead to serious health issues.

While the vaccination policy is an issue for national authorities, the EU is taking action to strengthen cooperation, with a target of achieving a 95% vaccination coverage rate, including targeted outreach for vulnerable groups.
The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) has failed to clarify what progress has been made in relation to new governance structures recommended by an independent review.

The organisation, whose national council resigned en masse at the weekend, was given a series of recommendations to improve governance last November, following an organisation review by Ampersand, prompted by concerns raised at last years AGM.

The review says there are some areas requiring critical examination prior to amending ways of doing business.

Among its recommendations are that:

The review says there are four pillar structures needed to support the smooth running of the organisation: finance subcommittee, rules and procedures subcommittee, conference standing orders committee, and a trustee function.

It says the first task of the rules and procedures group would be to critically review the procedures and conduct of all NAGP meetings at every level and that this review task will be extremely important and far-reaching.

The Ampersand report recommends a business and efficiency review... to look at, but not be confined to, Kilkenny head office requirements and shortcomings, financial accounting, and reporting practices.

Ampersand estimated it would take three years to implement the recommendations. It said a new board and pillar committees should be put in place as soon as possible.

The Irish Examiner understands little progress has been made in implementing the recommendations.

In a message to members at the weekend, the national council said serious issues of internal governance have arisen subsequent to the Ampersand report which have not been resolved.

The NAGP failed to respond to Irish Examiner queries yesterday in relation to progress made. Its public statements have focused on financial difficulties, attributed to members holding off on renewing membership subscriptions until they see what is in the new deal for GPs agreed between the Irish Medical Organisation and the Government.

The NAGP said its directors will strive to ensure that a new rescue package will be in place in the next two weeks to facilitate the continuation of the organisation and implement the Ampersand recommendations.
University Hospital Waterford has said there is no evidence to substantiate claims made by consultants of poor and dangerous mortuary facilities at the hospital.

There was widespread outrage last week after a letter written by four consultants at the hospital revealed dead bodies were being stored on trolleys in corridors due to lack of space.

However, the South/South West Hospital Group (SSWHG) and University Hospital Waterford has said it has not received any complaint from any member of the public regarding the mortuary and no incident reports have been lodged by any members of staff.

The SSWHG and University Hospital Waterford currently have no evidence that would substantiate the claims contained in recent correspondence, a statement read.

However, they said they have been fully aware of the challenge associated with the mortuary infrastructure for some considerable time and a new facility will be delivered in the next two years.

In relation to contact from bereaved families and funeral directors since the initial recent media reports, the hospital said it had received a query from one family and engaging with the family concerned.

Health Minister Simon Harris has committed to building a new mortuary at the hospital following the shocking details of conditions at the current facility. A mobile refrigerated unit will be installed until the new facility is built.

Mr Harris said there are a number of mortuaries around the country that now require investment and improvements and Waterford would be among the facilities that will be upgraded.

We have the funding in place to build a new mortuary, my understanding is they are going to submit tender documents to get on with that now in the coming weeks but taking interim measures is clearly important and thats what they have done now and they are bringing in extra refrigeration.

A meeting between local TDs, hospital management and the SSWHG CEO was held yesterday afternoon.

Waterford TD David Cullinane has also written to the chair of the Oireachtas Health Committee asking that the committee fully examine serious issues raised by four consultant pathologists in the letter to the South/Southwest Hospital Group, saying there are serious questions to be answered by hospital management, the hospital group, and the HSE.

It is understood that Hiqa have contacted the hospital and will be investigating the matter.
If a nun living in Cork doesnt hold the key to identifying relatives of a Private Ryan who won two World War One medals, those searching for them fear they are heading into no mans land.

The medals belonging to a Private William Patrick Ryan were found in the pocket of a jacket handed into a charity shop in West Cork a few months ago.

Since then those involved in the shop in Kealkil, near Bantry, and members of the Skibbereen Heritage Centre have been working around the clock to try and identify Ryans descendants so they can unite them with his medals.

Ed Smith, treasurer at the shop, said staff had recently received a letter from a person living in Nottingham, England which suggested that an elderly nun living in Bessborough, Cork, may be related to the soldier.

Mr Smith said he had since spoken to the nun, who is in her 90s, who has confirmed that her father was a former soldier by the name of Patrick Ryan, who was originally from Co Tipperary.

Mr Smith said:

We need to get more information on this to be sure. She is contacting other relatives

It could be a breakthrough because an eminent British military historian believes the Ryan they are looking for came from Co Tipperary.

Military historian Richard Moles trawled archives to show Ryan joined the 1st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers in the summer of 1915, when they were then based in Aghada, Co Cork.

He would have fought soon afterwards in the abortive Gallipoli campaign, which foundered when British and Commonwealth troops were hemmed in on the beaches by dogged Turkish resistance. At the time the Turks were allied with the Germans.

On February 25, 1916, his battalion received orders to move to France. Embarkation began in March and they disembarked at Marseilles between March 15-29.

Ryan and his comrades would later be involved in the Battle of the Somme, Battle of Guillemont and the Battle of Ginchy.

Remarkably he survived the bloodshed. However, after being demobbed he volunteered again to join up and exhume the dead at Western Front battlefields for Christian burial, though he could have been blown to pieces by unexploded shells.

The trail went cold after that because, as Mr Moles explained, regrettably some other records relating to Ryan may have been destroyed, along with those of many others, during the Blitz on London in 1940.
The Supreme Court, by a three to two majority, has rejected claims by a former school teacher it would be unconstitutional to permit his prosecution for alleged offences of gross indecency against a male pupil between 1978-80 when the boy was aged between 15 and more than 17 years.

The case involved the juxtaposition of the modern understanding of the sexual exploitation of young people and a "notorious" law, Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, that was "a key part of a legal regime that caused so much misery to many homosexual men here" until its repeal in 1993, Ms Justice Iseult O'Malley observed.

Section 11 provided, inter alia, that "any" male who commits "in public or in private" an act of gross indecency with another male, "shall be guilty of a misdemeanour".

The Supreme Court had in 1984 dismissed a challenge by Senator David Norris to the constitutionality of Section 11 but the European Court of Human Rights later found the provision was contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Section 11 was repealed in 1993 and replaced by an offence of gross indecency with a male under the age of 17 years.

There have been further reforms since in relation to offences of attempting to engage in sexual conduct with children under the ages of 15 and 17.

The DPP argued, as a result of the Interpretation Acts, it is still entitled in theory to bring prosecutions under Section 11 for historic offences committed before 1993.

It has undertaken there will be no prosecution of the teacher concerning any alleged offences committed after the boy turned 17.

After the Court of Appeal ruled the teacher lacked the necessary legal standing to argue Section 11 was unconstitutional, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a further appeal on the basis the case raised legal issues of general public importance.

It noted the alleged acts would have constituted criminal offences between 1978 to 1980 whether or not the complainant consented.

In the absence of consent, the applicant would also be prosecutable now on charges of buggery and indecent assault in respect of those acts committed at that time, it said.

There was no doubt such alleged activity today would constitute serious offences under the legislation that replaced Section 11 in 1993 or provisions enacted in 2006 but the question was whether it was constitutional to prosecute the applicant with gross indecency under Section 11, it said.

Three Supreme Court judges - Mr Justice Donal O'Donnell, Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne and Mr Justice John MacMenamin - agreed the Constitution does not preclude the applicant's prosecution under Section 11 and dismissed his appeal.

The Chief Justice, Mr Justice Frank Clarke, and Ms Justice Iseult O'Malley, dissented.

In his judgment, Mr Justice O'Donnell said, while this area was "particularly emotive", it was important to separate the narrow legal issues which arise.

What is alleged against the applicant has always been regarded as a serious criminal offence punishable by law, he said.

The question whether it is appropriate to prosecute such matters 40 years later was for the DPP, not the court, he noted.

As a person accused of an offence under Section 11, the applicant has legal standing to argue the criminalisation of such conduct is invalid on grounds it breaches his constitutional rights, particularly to privacy, he said.

However, the applicant had not made that case and cannot now seek to challenge Section 11 on the basis, if utilised, it criminalised consensual sexual activity between others, he held.

Dissenting, Ms Justice O'Malley held the applicant has standing to challenge Section 11 on the basis it criminalises all sexual activity between men, whether in public or in private, regardless of age or consent, because the complainant was, by reference to the then law on sexual offences, to be treated as an adult.

It is not possible to apply current legislative standards on the protection of young persons to events that took place decades before those standards were introduced and an age of consent could not be read into Section 11 so as to bring it into compliance with the Constitution, she held.
The Taoiseach is beginning a three-day campaign trail across the country ahead of the local and European elections.

Leo Varadkar will travel to Waterford, Cork and Limerick looking for a Yes vote in the plebiscite on directly elected mayors.

In May people in those counties will vote on whether to have directly elected Mayors.

But so far there has been little information to people about what that would actually mean and the powers those mayors would have.

Leo Varadkar is hoping to change that as he leads canvasses in the three cities this week starting in Waterford today.

The cabinet will also hold its weekly meeting in Cork tomorrow, taking a rare trip outside the capital.

It all comes ahead of the local and European elections votes that will be a crucial barometer of where the parties are.

The government of the day usually gets a bit of a kicking in these midterm elections - and will need a strong campaign to avoid ceding more ground, and more seats, to Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein.
A total of 36 people were stopped by gardai on suspicion of having purchased sexual services from a prostitute over the weekend.

Between Friday and Sunday last, Gardai carried out a series of intelligence-led operations across six divisions to target the demand for prostitution under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017. The legislation criminalises the purchase of sexual services and the soliciting or purchasing of sex from a trafficked person.

The operations were carried out across Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) North, DMR East, DMR South Central, Wexford, Louth and Kildare. A number of files will now be prepared for the DPP, with a view to establishing if any criminal prosecution should be initiated, arising from the operations.

In a statement, gardai said the actions carried out over the weekend showed its commitment to target the demand for prostitution and to protect vulnerable persons, including victims of human trafficking involved in prostitution.

It comes as Ruhama said it provided support to 313 women of 40 nationalities in 2018, including 122 victims of trafficking from 29 countries.

The organisation, which supports women affected by prostitution and sex trafficking, said the women it assisted last year were provided with a range of supports like advocacy and accompaniment, education and job-seeking, housing and social welfare supports and counselling.

Launching the organisations latest annual report, Ruhama CEO Sarah Benson said the new legislation can make Ireland a hostile market for pimps and sex traffickers.

This legislation decriminalises the individual in prostitution, and criminalises the so-called sex-buyer in recognition of the role they play in perpetuating sexual exploitation, she said.

Ms Benson welcomed the operations targeting those purchasing sex but pointed out there has only been one conviction of a sex-buyer to date.

The normative effect is the intention of the law: to ensure the public is aware that it is not okay to purchase sexual access to another person.

"You cannot simply bypass meaningful consent by paying money and thereby preying on someones financial need or desperately precarious situation, she said.

However, the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI), which represents sex workers, has criticised the legislation saying it has had the effect of making sex workers less safe.

Kate McGrew, director of SWAI, pointed out that sex workers sharing premises can be targeted under the law for brothel-keeping and that the penalties associated with this have increased under the legislation. As a result, she said that sex workers are now forced to work in isolation, which puts them at further risk of violence and exploitation.

Ms McGrew also pointed out that, although 36 men had been questioned over the weekend, 55 sex workers had been prosecuted for working together in safety.

Solicitor at Abbey Law, Wendy Lyon, took issue with the claim that the brothel-keeping section of the legislation was required to target pimps. She pointed out that they could be charged under organising prostitution or living off the earnings and that the law could be amended to exclude anyone who is selling sex themselves.

This story has been amended since its original publication
Netflix, May 4

Take a large dollop of Jackass, sprinkle it with some Bushtucker Challenge vibes from Im A Celebrity, and mix it all up in a huge barn in Co Antrim.

Basically, thats what well get in this new comedy game-show presented by Seann Walsh.

Contestants must do their best not to flinch in the face of rats, loud noises and other tests; otherwise theyll

instantly be subjected to nasty punishments such as electric shocks or snapping mousetraps.

Derry Girls

Netflix, May 8

If you missed out on season one during its original run on Channel 4, this gives you a chance to belatedly join in those water-cooler conversations.

As well as the excellent cast of school kids, youll spot comedy veterans Tommy Tiernan and Kevin McAleer.

Worth it alone for the How many bags of chips? scene.

Wine Country

Netflix, May 10

Amy Poehler makes her directorial debut by grabbing a bunch of her Saturday Night Live pals to star alongside her in the comedy film about a woman celebrating her 50th birthday in the Napa Valley.

ReMastered: The Lion's Share

Netflix, May 10

Fascinating documentary in the series that also gave us the tale of the massacre of the Miami Showband.

This time around, the focus is on Solomon Linda, the writer of The Lion Sleeps Tonight, a hit in various decades for which the South African musician never got paid properly for.

A reporter helps his family fight for compensation.

The Society

Netflix, May 10

The streaming channel hopes to repeat the success of Stranger Things with the ten-part series about a group of New England teenagers who suddenly find themselves in copy of their hometown without sign of their parents.

A bit 21st century Lord Of The Flies, their freedom feels fun at first, but they have to organise themselves, and find a way of surviving.

What/If

Netflix, May 24

Renee Zellweger leads the cast in a 10-part series that has been produced by Robert Zemeckis.

A pair of newlyweds accept a dodgy offer from a female benefactor in a thriller that Netflix describe as steamy.

Baby Driver

Netflix, May 27

Hugely enjoyable action film from 2017 starring Ansel Elgort as criminal getaway driver with a heart.

Also stars Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx.

Good Omens

Amazon Prime Video, May 31

The eagerly-awaited adaptation of the novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Michael Sheen's Angel, and the Demon played by David Tennant, set off on an adventure to find the Antichrist and save the world. The series will also become available on BBC Two.
The CEO of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty, sets out the citys vision for growth, and points out that next months historic boundary extension will finally give a voice at council to people who already participate in the life of the city

On May 31, Cork City will grow to nearly five times its size, taking in parts of the county that include Douglas, Rochestown, Ballincollig, Frankfield, Grange, Donnybrook, Blarney, Tower, and Glanmire.

As part of this historic expansion, the population of the city will grow by 85,000 to 210,000.

The Government sees significant untapped potential in our new city, and is pledging that, with the right investment and funding, our new city will offer such an attractive proposition to residents, investors, and business that its population will swell to 350,000 by 2040.

In the words of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the Cork Chamber of Commerce annual Dublin dinner:

For Ireland to succeed, we need Cork to succeed.

Cork City Councils vision is focussed on creating a city of sustainable urban growth  a city that is built for the future, where families can live close to work, schools, green spaces, and public transport.

We want a city of neighbourhoods, where our residents feel part of vibrant communities with a rich cultural offering: communities where they can walk easily, cycle easily, and rely on their bus service.

Key to this is the relocation of the Port of Cork to Ringaskiddy and the regeneration of the docklands, a game-changing project for our city. At 180 hectares in size, it will be the largest brownfield development site in the country. It will herald a new style of urban living in Cork, a kind that will justify a public transport corridor from Ballincollig to Wilton, to the docklands, and on to Mahon.

The Government has pledged 200m in BusConnects funding to Cork so we can fuel our ambition.

A view of St Patricks Street from the newly renovated bridge St Patricks Bridge

These public-transport corridors will determine where we build, live, and invest in our city.

We wont build simply for the sake of building, but where we can offer our citizens quality housing, transport, and services, where they have access to green public spaces that they want to relax in, where their children can safely play in.

Cork is a city rising. Theres a million square feet of office space in development or planning within the city centre, with the capacity to accommodate up to 10,000 additional jobs.

Aside from over 510m in office development, the city will see a 30% increase in hotel bedrooms in the next three to four years and over 1,000 student bed spaces have been completed or are under construction, with another 400 hostel beds given planning permission.

The Financial Times fDi Magazine named Cork as the most business-friendly small city in Europe last year. It was also included in its overall top 20 European Cities and Regions of the Future.

As we all know, one of our countrys big challenges is housing. Traditionally here in Cork, weve seen housing develop in towns adjacent to the city and in suburbs and rural areas that surround our city.

But Ireland is rapidly changing. We travel more. We are marrying later. We have fewer children. Ireland is an increasingly multicultural society  up to 42% of our city centre population is from new communities. Our planning policy needs to reflect these quickly-evolving demands.

The new generation of office workers want to be less car-dependent. We need a mix of quality city-centre apartments and suburban living with good public transport.

Simon Coveney and Port of Cork chairman John Mullins at last Junes launch of the Port of Corks 80m Cork Container Terminal development in Ringaskiddy. Picture: Clare Keogh

The city council has a Rebuilding Ireland target of 2,230 homes between 2017 and 2021.

These additional homes will be delivered through new construction, the purchase of vacant housing units, and leasing. It is envisaged that more than 1,500 of these homes will be provided through construction. Cork City Council met and exceeded our housing targets last year.

May 31 is a historic milestone as it is the first boundary extension in 50 years. Up to now, the Cork City boundary hadnt kept up with population growth. Lots of people worked and socialised in the city, and sent their children to city schools, but they werent politically represented in Cork City Council.

It is important that this deficit is being addressed in the local elections next month.

A lot of the communities that are due to come into the new city administration area are quite rural. We want to reassure these communities that we expect them to remain quite rural over the next 50 years.

Our new city is about planning for a growing city: its about laying the groundwork for a city with good job opportunities, with sustainable private and social housing, a city that has the density of population to support world-class public transport. However, all of this growth must be accompanied by policy to protect the uniqueness of Cork.

We know that local identity is a strong emotional pull for Cork people and thats why we developed the new plaza at Blackrock village, and also supported residents and traders to bolster community identity in new city-centre quarters including Douglas St and the Victorian Quarter (around MacCurtain St).

We will be just as committed to preserving and enhancing communities in Ballincollig, Tower, Blarney, Douglas, Grange, Frankfield, Togher, Glanmire, and Rochestown.

A lot of the newer neighbourhoods in the city have great community spirit that has been showcased through community activities like Tidy Towns. We will strongly encourage these groups and will work with them to strengthen community spirit further.

We believe that the new city is a city of communities; a city of neighbourhoods. We believe cities are for people.

Ann Doherty, Cork City CEO

If you cannot see the audio embed above please follow the link here to listen to the documentary.

Please feel free to send us your own contribution on what you feel Cork's future holds, what direction you feel the city is heading and what you want Cork to be in the decades ahead? Find out how to send your readers blog contribution for consideration here.
Lads, whats going on? Have ye forgotten the floodgates? The end of civilisation as we know it? The heavens falling in? Or have ye just lost your bottle, and given up the ghost entirely?

Were going to have a divorce referendum in a few weeks time.

Assuming the people vote yes, as I hope they will, the Constitution will no longer require a person applying for a divorce to have lived apart from his or her spouse for at least four years. The minimum period of four years of living apart set out in the Family Law (Divorce) Act 1996 will continue to apply, unless and until the Oireachtas changes the law.

Thats the language of the Referendum Commission, set up to supervise the voting and to answer all your questions on the issue. To its language, can I add the following: Once the referendum is passed, the Oireachtas will be free to decide the terms on which divorce will be allowed in Ireland.

In order to conform with the Constitution as it will then stand, the only things a court will have to consider is (a) if there is no prospect of reconciliation within the marriage, (b) that adequate provision has been made for spouses and children, and (c) that any other law passed by the Oireachtas has been complied with.

Talk about the wheel turning full circle.

If our existing Constitution had never existed, and we were a progressive, tolerant, live-and-let-live society, this is pretty well precisely the kind of divorce legislation we would have.

Give or take a year or two, our Constitution is 80 years old. For 60 of those 80 years, the Constitution said, explicitly and in one syllable, that the circumstances in which you could get a divorce in Ireland were zero. Zilch.

Never mind that you might have irreconcilable differences in your marriage. In Ireland it didnt matter if you were married to a serial philanderer, a constant abuser, or someone convicted of a string of serious crimes. Once you were married to that person, no matter what they did, you were married for life in the eyes of Irish law.

In the 1980s, after wed had 50 years experience of what an inflexible and sometimes barbaric law that was, we tried to change it, to enable the Oireachtas to provide for the dissolution of a marriage that was irretrievably broken down. We tried, and we ran into the most divisive and bitter campaign any of us had experienced up to that moment.

Priests and bishops all over the country told us that we would destroy the family. Organisations were set up to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds campaigning against any change. Families quarrelled on the issue, friends fell out, politicians left their parties. We tried back then, and we failed.

Ten years later, we tried again. This time we succeeded, but only just. The responsible minister at the time, Mervyn Taylor, had spent years bringing preparatory legislation through the Dail.

The effect of his work was such that by the time we asked the people the question in 1995, nearly everything that could be done to enable people to get out of a broken or abusive marriage had been done.

The only thing left was to give people a right to remarry, if that was what they wanted. Mervyn Taylor (and the rest of us) believed the people would only vote for that if the conditions were restrictive  and thats where the four year period of separation came from.

And again in the nineties, despite now 60 years of experience, that change squeaked through in the face of a bitter and divisive campaign. Hello Divorce, bye-bye Daddy, it said on thousands of posters all over the country. The floodgates will open, thundered the advocates of no change on broadcast after broadcast.

As it nearly always used to in those days (less so now, thank goodness), fear almost triumphed in that referendum too. It was always said afterwards that the only reason we won was because it was a sunny day in Dublin and lashed rain in the more conservative west. Whatever the reason, we decided in November 1995 to risk the floodgates in favour of a more reasonable approach to broken marriages.

But the floodgates never opened. Eurostat, which gathers the figures across Europe, shows the number of divorces in Ireland in the most recent year available as 0.7 per thousand persons in the population. Thats the lowest in the EU, oddly enough  lower even than Malta, which only introduced divorce in 2011.

Maybe thats the reason the architects of the floodgates, the predictors of the end of the world, have gone so silent this time. The Iona Institute, for example. You might remember them from virtually all the recent referenda, where they were always on the no side. I remember their leaflet on equal marriage, with the odd title of A Mothers Love is Irreplaceable  Vote No.

So if youre going to find a reasoned argument  or even just a tirade  against the next change, youll get it from the Iona Institute. I actually went to their website, wondering what fire and brimstone Id find.

But theres nothing. I thought I had found a very detailed legal opinion about the rights of parents in light of the proposed referendum, but as I began to plough through it (it was a struggle) I quickly realised that this was about the 2015 referendum on equal marriage. They have yet to post a single statement on their own website about a referendum thats due to take place in a few weeks time on a subject so dear to their heart.

And then I remembered. Of course. Iona are up for marriage and the family. But only heterosexual marriage and heterosexual families.

Theyve always been totally opposed to divorce, but theyre probably struggling to figure out how to respond to the idea of a gay couple getting divorced. Thats probably whats stopping them launching their big anti-divorce campaign.

Or maybe, just maybe, theres a dawning at last. In all the recent referenda weve had, weve made decisions that enable people to live their own lives, deal with their own dilemmas, express their own love for each other in their own way, trust their own judgments. Weve taken a view that in the difficult personal choices that people sometimes have to make, theres no reason why we should claim to know best.

Maybe those who have always claimed to know best whats good for us, and who used to be able to impose that on us with complete authority, have gradually realised it doesnt work any more.

Maybe were going to be allowed to make our own judgment this time, without hectoring, without misinformation, without scare-mongering.

It might be too soon to say its going to happen that way. Theres still time for a bishop or two to take to the pulpit. But if it did, and if we were allowed to make up our minds this time without the politics of fear, wouldnt that be some change? And wouldnt it be great!
The chief executive of aircraft leasing company Avolon, Domhnal Slattery has resourced and produced a key report on entrepreneurship in Ireland.

It should be mandatory reading for a group of people we do not normally associate with the world of business -- teachers, politicians and civil servants.

Avolon's 'Project I' report is packed with a set of ideas and suggestions that anyone who cares about the future of the Irish Republic should embrace.

I have long held the view that Irish nationalism and republicanism were terms held hostage by too narrow a group including advocates of violence and disorder.

They can instead be embraced by those who believe the Irish Republic can evolve into an independent economic powerhouse that taps the abilities of its citizens and the global diaspora to create waves of new businesses producing employment, wealth and dynamism on the island of Ireland.

The Project I report starts by calling out a key attribute in the Irish character which has been often leveraged for business success  storytelling. In the world of stockbroking, we spend all of our time effectively telling stories about the future and aiming to attract capital in support.

Unlike auditing or accounting, which focus on historical data, stockbrokers and entrepreneurs lay out their aspirations and future objectives to capital providers.

That process requires a huge amount of frog kissing but if successful can unleash a stream of investment that helps businesses grow and expand. The Irish are good at storytelling and that helps explain why so many of them are in the upper echelons of leading global investment banks.

There are numerous examples of successful companies on the Irish Stock Exchange but a key weakness in Ireland relates to early stage and startup companies.

This is what the Project I report is correctly most vexed about because it shows how we struggle to instill a spirit of entrepreneurship at a young age and fall short in either encouraging or empowering young entrepreneurs.

To address this shortfall, Project I recommends an aggressive collection of solutions including tax breaks that encourage business owners to keep their companies instead of selling them early, mentoring programmes that tap successful business peoples minds and a collaborative effort to showcase entrepreneurs to investors from around the world.

To do this requires leadership. The political system in Ireland finds it hard to take a stance on this because business success and tax breaks are terms than many politicians prefer to avoid.

You have to wonder why. Do you recall ever being told stories of business success at school? Have those companies that have succeeded around the world from an Irish base ever been properly celebrated by the national broadcaster?

Is it not odd that RTE has resources for an industrial relations correspondent but not for an entrepreneurship correspondent?

History may have something to do with this. Any analysis of the beginnings of the Irish Republic can easily find a seam of resistance to capitalism.

That could be tagged to an association of big business with British rule and particularly the management and ownership of Irish land. That, however, is termed history because it belongs in the past.

Ireland has created many spectacular business successes over a number of decades and that has happened despite and not because of the infrastructure in place supporting entrepreneurs.

Imagine what could be the potential if we get our act together around fostering and developing generations of new Irish entrepreneurial men and women who embrace risk taking to create new business opportunity?

We need a rebellion of another sort if the mindset of key influencers is to be pivoted in favour of an entrepreneurial culture.

Joe Gill is director of origination and corporate broking with Goodbody Stockbrokers. His views are personal.
After a brief ceremony in Tokyo today, Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, will become emperor and ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.

He will succeed his father, Akihito, who earlier reported his abdication to his ancestors, including the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, from whom the 2,600-year imperial line is purportedly descended.

Female members of the imperial family are not allowed to attend todays investiture, a convention retained despite criticism.

The idea of an emperor may seem quaint to a democratic, liberal, Netflix-watching, newly-vegetarian European.

Our long history, to use a Brexiteer phrase, as a vassal state inclines us to mix that bemusement with some scorn, but maybe we should accept that different cultures do leadership differently.

After all, Gerry Adams led Sinn Fein for five years more  35  than Emperor Akihito reigned.

Mr Adams may not have involved a sun goddess in his abdication, but he probably consulted forces just as mysterious.

There are many mysterious forces involved in leadership. Charisma is one, though it is no more than an introductory talent; an office-holder with charisma, but without leadership skills, is little more than an over-promoted court clown.

US president, Donald Trump, is the pre-eminent example of that incompleteness.

Mr Trump provokes such a visceral response that his opponents overreact. Some will march in protest when he visits in June, rather than shun him, denying him the thing he craves  attention.

Americas election cycle is tightening, but more than two dozen Democrats imagine themselves an alternative to the incumbent.

This shows how dangerous the leadership void is in Americas Democratic Party. These candidates will drain each other, while Mr Trump gleefully provokes and lies.

In the long ago, an Irish politician  Fianna Fails Seamus Brennan  went to America to see how to run a modern election campaign.

Maybe its time to reciprocate and save the Democrats from themselves.

Fianna Fail, even at its lowest ebb, would not have tolerated this panic-stricken charge of the self-indulgent.

The peace, affluence, and stability we enjoy are legacies of a leadership ethos shaped by the horrors of the last century.

Brexit is, sadly, a legacy of that, too. David Cameron, who reportedly earns 140,000 an hour speaking about Brexit, was at best unwise to concede a referendum, an error compounded by the very thin leadership of Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn.

A more bellicose kind of leadership is in action in Venezuela, where Juan Guaido said, yesterday, he had begun the final phase of his plan to oust president, Nicolas Maduro, calling on Venezuelans and the military to back him to end Mr Maduros usurpation.

A coup dressed as leadership.

In a European context, Sundays election placed a huge burden of leadership on Spains centre-left PSOE socialists, led by Pedro Sanchez.

If they can show that the social democratic centre-left can win elections by challenging the status quo with socially inclusive reforms, then the swing to the right might be derailed  an objective that becomes more and more important as European elections loom.

Doing so would surely make our own sun goddess smile.
Indonesia's president has chosen to move the country's capital out of Jakarta, a decision that is reportedly estimated to cost $33 bn.

Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta, and the region around it, is the world's second largest urban agglomeration after Tokyo and is rapidly sinking. The island it sits on, Java, is home to over 141 million people, or 56.7% of the country's population.

Reuters reports that the city sinks approximately 7.62 cm a year, with 40% of it already below sea-level. The coastal area near Jakarta is sinking at a much faster pace, with some places sinking as much as 27.94 cm a year.

A total of thirteen rivers flow through the region of Jakarta, making it highly susceptible to flooding with extensive swampland.

The World Economic Forum reports that Jakarta sits just eight metres above sea-level and has sunk by four metres in the last thirty years.

Following a cabinet meeting, Indonesia's Minister of National Development Planning, Bambang Brojonegoro, announced that President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has chosen to move the capital out of Java entirely.

Picture: Indonesian government.

A total of three ideas were presented to the President before making his decision, including moving the Central Government 50km to 70km away from Jakarta.

Mr Brodjonegoro said it is one of the most important decisions that the government has made and the cabinet will continue to discuss the details, including the design and master plan of the city.

If the Government moves the capital city within Java Island, it would not reduce the Islands burden, and not making our national development more Indonesia-centric, the Minister said.

The Presidents direction is to create a financing scheme that will not burden the State Budget but to involve as much participation as possible from third parties while still maintaining the Governments control.

Mr Brodjonegoro added that the new capital city will require a large amount of money, but the Finance Minister has confirmed that the costs are still 'within reasonable limits'.

According to the President, this is because the Government can work together with SOE's, private sectors, and business entities under the Public-Private Partnership Scheme.

The exact location of the new capital has yet to be decided, but the president seems open to suggestions, asking the public for their preference on twitter.

DKI Jakarta kini memikul dua beban sekaligus: sebagai pusat pemerintahan dan layanan publik, juga pusat bisnis. Banyak negara memindahkan ibu kotanya, sementara kita hanya menjadikannya gagasan di setiap era Presiden.



Menurut Anda, di mana sebaiknya ibu kota negara Indonesia? pic.twitter.com/sl7NljisE5  Joko Widodo (@jokowi) April 30, 2019

Mr Widodo said at the cabinet meeting: "We have to talk about the greater, long-term interests of the nation in facing global competition."

Mr Widodo posed the question: can Jakarta bear two burdens at once in the future, namely as administrative and business center of the country.
Business Large Corporations Dominate TiME Transparency Ranking

A City Mart outlet in Yangon's Mingalar Taung Nyint Township / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

The private sector is leading the way in terms of corporate transparency and disclosure, according to the latest Transparency in Myanmar Enterprises (TiME) report by the Myanmar Center for Responsible Business (MCRB).

In the 2019 report, known in Burmese as Pwint Thit Sa, seven of the countrys leading companies, including its largest retailer City Mart Holdings Co. Ltd (CMHL), First Myanmar Investment (FMI), Max Myanmar Group and Shwe Taung Group, maintained their status from last years report among the top 10, and all continue to improve their disclosure.

In its fifth report to date, MCRB said the owners of some Myanmar companies clearly understand the business case for corporate governance and transparency and that maintaining an up-to-date website contributes to Myanmars reform process.

The report assessed the websites of 248 large companies, including listed, public, privately owned and state-owned economic enterprises. The number of companies making information available increased from the 2018 and 2016 transparency surveys in which 182 companies and 100 companies were assessed respectively.

MCRB scored companies based on their online disclosure of information on their corporate profiles, corporate governance, sustainability management and reporting. In its assessment, it used criteria from the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS) as well as those linked to the globally respected Integrated Reporting Framework.

The report notes that while the overall disclosure of information by the companies, particularly those in the top 20, is up, the average score of all companies assessed dropped from 7 percent in 2018 to 5 percent this year.

Regarding the private conglomerates continued dominance of the transparency survey list, MCRB director Vicky Bowman said, This shows that what motivates their owners and top executives is not regulatory requirements but the business case for transparency, corporate governance and sustainability.

She added, They see it as a means to attract investors and business partners, and build their social license to operate. But they also see a focus on performancefor example on energy efficiencyas a means of making savings for their bottom line.

Nicolas Delange, managing partner at Yever, a consultancy firm, said, Most companies and business leaders are embracing transparency because being transparent is the key for them to get access to funding and convince their stakeholders and shareholders that they are doing good and well.

According to Bowman, the criteria are a way to measure whether the company walks the walk or just talks the talk. It is more challenging, as it requires companies to put in place systems to capture and measure performance data.

Above all I would like companies and government departments and enterprises to see that maintaining an up-to-date website is a win-win situation, which avoids misunderstanding between them and their stakeholders, whether these are voters, shareholders, journalists or potential investors, and is an important contribution to Myanmars reform process and SDG16, which concerns effective, accountable and inclusive institutions, she told The Irrawaddy in an email interview. SDG16 is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the UN in 2015. It refers to the goal of securing peace, justice and strong institutions.

According to the report, the situation concerning corporate governance, transparency and business integrity in Myanmar has generally been improving since political reforms were introduced in 2011 under the administration of former President U Thein Sein. It said the incumbent National League for Democracy (NLD) government continued the regulatory reforms including a new Investment Law in 2016, and a new Companies Law in 2017.

In August 2018, the government adopted the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan, which outlined steps to improve corporate governance and disclosure rules, and to enforce them, as well as ways to fight corruption and improve sustainability.

This is the second report on the subject of transparency released this month. In early April, the International Finance Corporation in partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Myanmar, the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) and the Yangon Stock Exchange published the Myanmar Corporate Governance Scorecard (MCGS), in which 24 large companies were assessed using the ASEAN CG Scorecard criteria.

Bowman explained, That MCGS study found that the average score of the 24 companies they assessed was 31 percent, compared to an ASEAN average of 69 percent or more. This partly reflects the greater number of publicly listed companies in some ASEAN markets, but also reflects the fact that CG [corporate governance] is a new concept for many Myanmar companies. Those that are keen to adopt it are pressing ahead.

MCRB said that 108, or 44 percent, of the companies assessed (based on 2017 DICA data) do not have corporate websites and most of those that do publish little or no corporate governance and performance data.

The five companies listed on the Yangon Stock Exchange had an average score of 32 percent based on a total of 143 criteria, and continue to outperform the public and private companies assessed, where the average score in each category was 4 percent.

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) were included in the 2019 report for the first time. Among the 28 SOEs, Construction and Housing Development Bank and Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation led the way in terms of disclosure. Overall, however SOEsincluding the military-owned Myanmar Economic Corporationhad the lowest average score in terms of overall disclosure of corporate governance information.

The report outlined a set of recommendations to the government for enforcing regulatory requirements to disclose information and getting companies to abide by the law.

Regulatory requirements to disclose beneficial ownership data, currently mentioned in several different directives from the Central Bank and others, should be made consistent and the information should be available via MyCo, the companies register. The government regulatorsmainly the Securities and Exchange Commission of Myanmar (SECM) and DICAshould start to enforce these requirements, including through fining companies who do not comply, Bowman said.

However, most companies seem unaware of the extensive regulatory disclosure requirements for listed and public companies with more than 100 shareholders.

Companies should disentangle the finances of their company from their foundations or donation programs, and improve the governance and transparency of these, to reduce the scope for these being used for corruption, Bowman said.

According to DICA, there were 61,631 companies registered as of March this year, but many of them are small and medium-sized enterprises and not included in MCRBs assessment.

The report also highlighted issues such as corruption, environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and beneficial ownership. Of the companies assessed, 52 disclosed their subsidiaries, of which 19 companies disclosed beneficial ownership data.

According to Bowman, It [information about beneficial ownership] facilitates banks in undertaking customer due diligence, which is why it is already mentioned in CBM [Central Bank of Myanmar] Directive 21/2015, and helps in combating money laundering. For the extractives sector, it will also enable Myanmar to be compliant with the EITI standards, which should encourage more responsible and transparent investment in the sector.

The government formed a beneficial ownership (BO) task force last June to encourage businesses to make more information available to the public as part of implementing the EITI standards. As an EITI candidate country, Myanmar is trying to meet 2016 EITI standards, one of which is having businesses BO information made available to the public.

According to Delange at consultancy firm Yever, as Investing is all about trust, investors will shun companies that do not disclose information on governance, strategy, shareholding structures and the like.

Companies which are able to embrace transparency will haveand already havea competitive advantage over their peers: we talk more about them, we respect them more, and we are more keen to do business with them. As an employee I may want to join a good company, as a customer I will select a company selling good products, as an investor I will choose a company with a good reputation. Therefore, being able to disclose information about ownership is essential for building trust. Moreover, in certain sectorsfinance, extractive, etc. it can be mandatory, he said.
Asia China's Xi Appeals to Youth Patriotism on Centenary of Student Protests

Students hold Chinese flags and cutouts of red stars as they perform a song titled "Me and my country", at a ceremony marking the primary school's new semester in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China on February 28, 2019. / Reuters

BEIJINGPresident Xi Jinping appealed to Chinas youth on Tuesday to love the country and dedicate themselves to the Communist Party, warning on the centenary of student-led protests there was no place for those who ignored the countrys needs.

The May 4 Movement of 1919 started out as anti-imperialist student protests against a decision at the Paris Peace Conference, after World War One, to award Japan control of German concessions in Chinas Shandong province.

It soon encompassed a broader debate about how China should modernize, having only just overthrown the emperor and ushered in a republic in 1911.

The issue of student protests is especially sensitive in China this year, which also marks three decades since the bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests on and around Beijings Tiananmen Square on June 4.

Speaking to officials and youth delegates at the Great Hall of the People, Xi said Chinas young should be grateful to the party, the country, the society and the people.

Tell every Chinese person that patriotism is ones duty, is an obligation, Xi said, in comments carried live on state television.

For Chinese youth of the new era, ardently loving the motherland is the foundation of building the body and of talent, he added.

Xi also warned about the need for young people to be morally upstanding and avoid what he termed mistaken thoughts.

In the new era, Chinese youth should consciously establish and practice the core values of socialism, and be good at drawing morality from the traditional virtues of the Chinese people, he said.

Consciously resist mistaken thoughts such as the worship of money, hedonism, extreme individualism, and historical nihilism, Xi added, referring to attempts to reevaluate core events and personalities of the partys revolutionary past.

Despite the optimism the May 4 Movement brought at the time, the period following it was marked by turmoil and civil war in China, which eventually lead to the overthrow of the Republican government which fled to Taiwan after the Communist revolution in 1949.

Xi said that China had to make achievements on the back of its own work, and not rely on anyone else. A bright China is not a gift that can be given by anybody, he said. While May 4 remains widely discussed in China, June 4 is taboo in China and it will not be marked by any officially approved events.

Xi is expected to be outside the country in early June this year, on a state visit to Russia and Central Asia.
Burma ARSA Denies Criminal Activities in Bangladesh Camps

Rohingya refugee children fly improvised kites at the Kutupalong refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on December 10, 2017. / REUTERS

YANGON  The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) has rebutted the findings of the International Crisis Group (ICG) released on Thursday, which warned that Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh are being increasingly operated with impunity by ARSA militants and gangs.

Nearly 1 million Rohingya who were expelled by Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, operations in 2017 have been in Bangladesh camps now for over 18 months. Returning to where they once lived in western Myanmars Rakhine State is still but a vague hope for them as fighting has intensified between the Arakan Army (AA) and government troops in northern Rakhine as of this month.

The United Nations has accused the military of acting against the Rohingya with genocidal intent and international rights groups are calling for the military chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing to be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in mishandling the crisis.

Amid numerous challenges for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, threats against camp leaders, civil society groups and political figures have become a major threat. The ICGs recent report Building a Better Future for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh claims ARSA militants and gangs mostly control the camps and often commit violence against the residents.

The report highlights the safety conditions of the camps Rohingya community leaders, the likelihood of the repatriation project agreed by Myanmar and Bangladesh authorities being carried out, and encouragements for authorities to lift the ban on the provision of formal education in the camps.

The ICG mentions that groups vying for control in the camps include ARSA, which it says is seeking to deploy deadly violence to further its aims: informal networks of religious leaders; non-violent political and civil society groups: and a random assortment of criminal gangs.

Violent groups operate freely in the camps. As evening draws in and humanitarian workers withdraw to their bases in Coxs Bazar town, security is in the hands of untrained and unarmed night watchmen appointed from among the refugees, the report says.

ARSA announced its denial of the report findings via its Twitter account on Tuesday, stating it is based on hearsay and is baseless. It also accuses the ICG of trying to defame and manipulatively discolor ARSAs legitimate long-running struggle for the persecuted Rohingya community in Rakhine.

ARSAs Twitter page is used as a communication channel for the group and is where it posts strong English-language statements. It denied any involvement in the act of intimidation and even likely extra-judicial killings as reported. The post invited credible international organizations to investigate such perceived crimes, saying they are ready to cooperate.

ARSA wrote that its own objective is to defend, salvage and protect the innocent Rohingya, an indigenous ethnic community of Rakhine State, and said they have rights to defend themselves under international law. They say that is why their attacks mainly target the Myanmar military.

Despite ARSAs denials, the ICG report stated that ARSA was likely responsible for the killing of Arif Ullah, a camp leader who was hacked to death in June 2018. Death threats against Arif Ullah made by ARSA had been widely circulated on Whatsapp, and accused him of being on good terms with the Bangladeshi army.

The ICG says refugees have expressed serious concerns about their personal security as the militants and gangs are intimidating, kidnapping and killing with impunity. It criticized homicides and other forms of deadly violence that commonly happen at night, saying that the police rarely investigate the cases and the perpetrators have almost never been brought to justice.

The ICG report says, A determined and often violent struggle is currently underway for de facto control of the camps. It quoted the expression of a prominent refugee leader that he was unable to sleep at night for fear of attack by militants and gangs.

The ICG suggested that the Bangladesh government ease restrictions on formal education in the camps, saying that local and international organizations are ready to provide such education. The report recommends the improvement of law and order in the camps by providing a regular and effective Bangladesh police service, investigating crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice.

Currently, Rohingya children largely rely on informal private tuitions in dwellings and networks of madrassas that purely teach the Koran [and] do not adequately fill the formal education gap.

The ICG said that banning education in the camp creates a risk of transnational jihadists groups gaining a foothold in the camps.

It claims the Chittagong-based Islamist movement Hefazat-e-Islamwhich has publicly called for jihad against Myanmarhas considerable influence over the madrassa network in the camps, through the funding and religious scholars that it provides.

This is the second time ARSA has denied a report on the refugee camps following another publication titled ARSA: End Abductions, Torture, Threats against Rohingya Refugees and Women Aid Employees launched by Fortify Rights in March.

ARSA carried out a third ambush this year in Myanmar when they targeted a police van transporting officers in northern Maungdaw in Rakhine State last week. Myanmars state-owned newspapers reported a police officer was wounded during the attack. Footage of the incident, which later went viral on Facebook, was believed to show men wearing ARSA uniforms.

In January, six police officers including a police colonel were wounded in the first ARSA attack of the year near Wat Kyein Village in Maungdaw. The second attack five days later saw three officers wounded in an artillery assault on police outposts near Wai Lar Taung Village.
Burma China to Provide 1 Billion Yuan Socioeconomic Grant to Myanmar

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomes State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to a Belt and Road roundtable discussion at the Yanqi Lake International Conference Center in Beijing on Friday. / State Counselors Office / Facebook

YANGONChina will provide a grant of 1 billion yuan (225.39 billion kyats, or approximately US$148 million) for socioeconomic development projects under an economic and technical cooperation agreement signed in Beijing last week.

Myanmars Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on Monday that the 1 billion yuan would be used to support socio-economic development, particularly projects to improve peoples livelihoods, feasibility studies for major projects and humanitarian assistance for IDPs in northern Myanmar.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi recently completed a six-day visit to China to attend the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is Xis signature foreign policy project. Unveiled in 2013, it is also known as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. The project aims to build a network of roads, railroads and shipping lanes linking at least 70 countries from China to Europe passing through Central Asia, the Middle East and Russia, fostering trade and investment.

Myanmar officially became a BRI partner country after signing a 15-point MoU establishing the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) in September. The estimated 1,700-kilometer-long corridor will connect Kunming, the capital of Chinas Yunnan province, to Myanmars major economic checkpointsfirst to Mandalay in central Myanmar, and then east to Yangon and west to the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

More than 5,000 high-level delegates from over 150 countries attended the 2nd BRI Forum, including 37 heads of state and government, and representatives of international organizations.

On Thursday last week, as part of the forum, Myanmar and China signed three agreements: the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation; a Memorandum of Understanding on the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) Cooperation Plan (2019-2030); and a Memorandum of Understanding on the Formulation of the Five-year Development Program for Economic and Trade Cooperation, which aims to enhance cooperation in investment and productivity.

According to the ministrys statement, the MoU on CMEC will promote cooperation in the following areas in line with the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan: industry, transportation, energy, agriculture, digital silk road, finance, tourism, environmental protection, people-to-people exchanges, science and technology, personnel training, water resources and flood prevention and control.

China has proposed 30 projects under the CMEC, but Myanmar has only approved nine so far. Under the CMEC agreement, the Myanmar government agrees to build three border economic cooperation zones in Shan and Kachin states.

Amid growing public concern that involvement with BRI projects will incur unsustainable debt to China, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said at the High-Level Meeting Session 1, which was held under the theme Belt and Road Cooperation: Shaping a Brighter Shared Future, that all BRI projects must win the confidence and support of local people.

Myanmar serves as a land bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia, in close proximity to large economies such as China, India and ASEAN. It has always been Myanmars policy to maintain close and friendly relations with all nations, especially with its neighbors, she said.

She also expressed her belief that BRI projects selected in line with Myanmars national plan and priorities will contribute to its endeavors for the improvement of much needed infrastructure that will not merely enhance domestic connectivity but also improve cross-border connectivity.

The State Counselor held separate bilateral talks with Xi and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang during the trip. The Foreign Ministry statement said the two sides emphasized promoting bilateral cooperation under the BRI framework; continued provision of assistance to Myanmars efforts for peace and national reconciliation; maintaining peace, stability and rule of law along the border areas, including a successful repatriation process in Rakhine State; and continued support to Myanmar at the UN and in other international forums.

Chinas recent effort to revive the controversial Myitsone Dam inflamed negative sentiments among the people in Myanmar. It was widely expected that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would use the Beijing visit to discuss the most controversial China-backed projects in Myanmar including Myitsone. However, the Myanmar Presidents Office said the dam was not on the agenda in Beijing, while promising that all developments related to the dam would be handled transparently and that nothing would be done without the publics knowledge.

Yangon-based ethnic affairs and China analyst U Maung Maung Soe told The Irrawaddy that the small grant comes at a time when local political tensions over Myitsone are on the rise.

You could say it is just to soothe the peoples feelings [over the Myitsone issue] and to assist border stability. The absence of larger grants at this time means the Myanmar government may need to negotiate [with China on major issues].

At the 2nd BRI Forum, China signed more than $64 billion in deals with several countries. It repeatedly reassured existing and potential partners that Beijing does not intend to saddle them with unsustainable debts and aimed to benefit all parties involved in the initiative.
Burma Medias Unfair Coverage Exhausts Militarys Patience: Spokesperson

Military spokesman Brig-Gen. Zaw Min Tun attends the four pillars meeting in Naypyitaw on April 30. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

The secretary of the militarys True News Information Team, Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun, told a news conference in Naypyitaw on Tuesday that the media had exhausted the militarys patience, giving it no option but to take legal action.

This [the militarys series of recent lawsuits against media organizations and critics] is a response to our grievances. If we remained silent, they would just take advantage of that [to commit more offenses], he said in response to reporters questions after a four pillars meeting of representatives of the media and the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.

The military recently sued The Irrawaddy News and Radio Free Asia (RFA) for defamation over their coverage of recent clashes between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, in Rakhine State.

The military said the cases were opened because the media organizations coverage was unfair.

We will continue with the cases as per the law, Brig-Gen. Zaw Min Tun added.

Asked why the military has resorted to taking action under controversial laws instead of the countrys media law, he said the latter only requires offenders to pay a fine, adding that this was not a harsh enough penalty.

The militarys ire has not been limited to the news media. Since the second week of this month, senior military officials have opened cases against several critics including an activist, a human rights film director and student activists. The activists and director were detained soon after charges were filed against them.
Burma Overall Corruption Situation Has Not Improved, Anti-Graft Chief Says

Anti-Corruption Commission chairman U Aung Kyi speaks at an event to mark International Anti-Corruption Day in Naypyitaw in December 2018 / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAWDespite the strenuous efforts that have been made to fight corruption, the practice remains rampant in the country, Anti-Corruption Commission chairman U Aung Kyi said.

The chairman stressed the severity of the situation as he submitted his agencys annual report for 2018 to the Union Parliament on Monday.

To assess the level of corruption and gauge the success of its measures to combat it, the commission hired an independent third party to conduct a nationwide survey. The survey, which did not include Chin State, was conducted from October through December.

According to the survey, corruption had not declined significantly by the end of 2018, and remained at the usual [level], U Aung Kyi told Parliament.

Asked for their opinions on the major factors contributing to corruption, survey respondents cited a self-interested mindset, resistance to change, ineffective action against corruption, and poor rule of law in certain places.

Corruption will remain as long as there is vast bureaucracy in government departments, said Lower House lawmaker U Nay Myo Tun of Htantabin Township.

For example, even the process of applying for a citizenship ID card is not simple. And [departments] ask for a lot of information and people cant present all the documents. So, they choose to pay bribes in order to get things done, which leads to corruption. Unless procedures are streamlined in the departments, this will continue to happen, U Nay Myo Tun told The Irrawaddy.

The commission received 1,054 complaints in 2018, of which only 46 could be handled under the Anti-Corruption Law. The remaining 1,795 complaints were referred to the concerned departments for action according to the code of conduct for civil servants.

Of the 1,795 complaints it handed over to the departments, the commission said action was taken on 536 complaints.

The Education Ministry will establish complaint-handling counters in the basic education sector next academic year, which starts in June, said the deputy director-general of the ministry, U Ko Lay Win.

For example, people with links to the Education Ministry offered appointments [as basic education teachers] and transfers [to schools in major cities] in exchange for money. They asked that the money be transferred via Wave Money, he said.

Wave Money, a provider of mobile financial services, is a joint venture between Norwegian telecom operator Telenor and local bank Yoma Bank.

In that case, we asked the Home Affairs Ministry to investigate. We can sue the perpetrators under other laws, but not under the Anti-Corruption Law, he added.

In cases of corruption among education staff and teachers, an internal investigation is done and action is taken against them under the code of conduct for civil servants. Punishments include demotions among other steps.

Corruption will not die unless and until it is viewed as a sin, as shameful by society. [But what is happening in reality is] that people take pride in getting rich due to corruption. That wrong notion is entrenched in society, said Yangon-based author Zarni Soe Htut.

Fighting corruption will take time, said U Aung Kyi, calling corruption the major obstacle to poverty reduction and development, and a problem that weakens the entire society, with harmful political, administrative, economic and cultural effects.

It is a long-term process to be carried out with a grand strategy that takes into consideration the structure of the country, strength of institutions, behaviors of citizens, traditions and customs, he said.

The fourth amendment to the Anti-Corruption Law has given the commission a broader mandate. The amended law gives the commission the authority to investigate any civil servant who is seen to be unusually wealthy at its own discretion. Previously, it could only probe allegations of corruption in response to formal complaints filed with strong supporting evidence.

The commission can also take action against bribe givers under the new law. The amendments also expand the anti-graft bodys reach, with commission branches to be opened in other states and regions. The new law also focuses on educating the public about combating corruption, starting in primary schools as well as in government departments.
World Cambodian PM says China Ready to Help if EU Imposes Sanctions

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during the welcome ceremony for the first Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China on 15 May 2017. / Reuters

PHNOM PENHChina will help Cambodia if the European Union (EU) withdraws special market access over its rights record, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday as he announced a 600 million yuan (US$89 million) Chinese aid package for his military.

Hun Sen, who is on a five-day trip to China to attend a Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum in Beijing, held bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping and signed several agreements with Cambodias most important ally.

Cambodia benefits from the EUs Everything But Arms trade scheme which allows the worlds least developed countries to export most goods to the EU free of duties.

But Cambodia risks losing the special access to the worlds largest trading bloc over its human rights records.

During a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, Li pledged to help Cambodia if the EU withdraws the market access, according to a post on Hun Sens official Facebook page.

In this regard  Prime Minister Li Keqiang also confirmed his efforts to help Cambodia, the post said.

China is Cambodias biggest aid donor and investor, pouring in billions of dollars in development aid and loans through the Belt and Road initiative, which aims to bolster land and sea links with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

Unlike, Western countries, China does not question Cambodias record on rights.

The EU, which accounts for more than one-third of Cambodias exports, including garments, footwear and bicycles, in February began an 18-month process that could lead to the suspension of the special market access.

Among the agreements Hun Sen struck in China was one for Huawei Technologies to help Cambodia develop a system for 5G technology. The Chinese tech giant has ambitions to build the next generation of data networks across the world and boasts 40 commercial 5G contracts worldwide.

China also agreed to import 400,000 tons of Cambodian rice, according to Hun Sens Facebook page.

China will continue to support the national defense sector in Cambodia, and in this regard, the Chinese president announced that China will provide 600 million yuan to Cambodias defense sector, the post said.
World Renewed EU Sanctions Dont Affect Us: Military Spokesperson

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing (second from right) at OJSC Muromteplovoz armored vehicle factory in Murom, Russia on April 25, 2019. / Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services

YANGONMyanmars military, or Tatmadaw, has said the European Unions (EUs) renewed embargo on arms and equipment wouldnt have any serious impact on it because the majority of its arsenal are of Russian and Chinese origin.

On Monday, the bloc extended sanctions which are already in place for a further year until April 2020.

The sanctions comprise of an embargo on arms and equipment that can be used for internal repression, an export ban on dual-use goods for use by military and border guard police, restrictions on equipment for monitoring communications, and a prohibition on military training and cooperation. Plus, asset freezes and travel bans on 14 people for serious human rights violations against the Rohingya population and civilians in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states.

Military spokesperson Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun told the media on Tuesday that a majority of the militarys weaponry system doesnt come from the EU, ..but from Russia and China, so Myanmar will not be affected very much. He added that as the military is trying to develop into a standard army, it would accept technology from any country.

This was a rare admission by a senior military official about the sources of military weaponry.

Crippled for decades by international sanctionsespecially by those imposed by the Westit has long been an open secret that the military relies on Russia and China for hardware. However, they have rarely revealed that. The two powerful countries have been long-time supporters of the military regime, especially since the 1990s and early 2000s during a time when Myanmar was shunned by the international community for its human rights abuses and political oppression. Even now, decades later, military ties between them still appear to be strong.

On April 21, Myanmars military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing left for Russia for his third trip since taking his post in 2011. During the six-day trip, at the invite of Russias defense minister, he participated in the 8th Moscow Conference on International Security. He also met the government of the Russian Federation and military leaders and visited plants and factories in Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk, Murom, Saint Petersburg and Moscow.

According to the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services website, in Ulan-Ude, he visited an aviation plant; he viewed the MIG-29 Service Support Center in Moscow while admiring a skills demonstration and the firing of armored vehicles manufactured by the OJSC Muromteplovoz Factory in Murom.

During his trip, Russian news outlets reported that six Sukhoi SU-30SM fighter jets are being assembled for Myanmar under a contract worth about US$204 million (300 billion kyats) which was signed between the two nations last year.

Prior to his Russian trip, also in April, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing was in China for a fifth time since 2011. He visited an armored vehicle training school in Beijing and met with senior officers of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) on April 11.

It wasnt known if the military chief made any deals on military hardware with China this time, but records show that Myanmar owns a number of Chinese-made aircraft. In June 2017, a Y-8 military tactical transport aircraft crashed into the Andaman Sea, killing 124 people onboard. The plane was made in China. The military later blamed bad weather for the crash.
On This Day The Day the British Blew Up the Sagaing Bridge

The Sagaing (or Ava) Bridge after it was dynamited by British troops
Tuesday, April 30th, 2019 (9:00 am) - Score 3,833

Ofcom has today published their 2019 survey of UK service quality, call waiting times, complaints and install times among the largest broadband ISPs and mobile operators. Overall TalkTalk attracted the lowest satisfaction for home broadband (79%) and Tesco Mobile did the same for mobile (90%).

As usual the annual report is based on data that the telecoms regulator has gathered (during 2018) via a combination of consumer research (survey of people and social media posts etc.), submitted complaints and some new statistics that have been obtained directly from broadband, landline phone and mobile providers.

Overall 83% of fixed line home broadband consumers say they are satisfied with their service (up from 80% last year), which compares with 93% for mobile (up from 91%) and 86% for landline phone (down from 87%). Subscribers to EE reported the highest levels of satisfaction with broadband (87%), while TalkTalk scored the lowest (79%).

In terms of mobile satisfaction, while Tesco Mobile did get the lowest score (90%) it still has to be said that this is generally pretty good and other mobile operators simply did even better on this specific ranking. Otherwise weve gone one step further than Ofcoms report and kept a log of how customer satisfaction has changed over time (see below).

As usual the big caveat below is that Ofcom are only looking at the largest providers and dont tend to factor in smaller players, which is a pity since many of the smallest players tend to rate higher than the big boys for a lot of key criteria.

Consumer Broadband Satisfaction (Change Over Time)

Consumer Mobile Satisfaction (Change Over Time)

The full results can be found below and you can skip past this if youd rather read about the service provision or repair performance of the major fixed line broadband ISPs. Among other things this reveals that Plusnet still has by far the longest call waiting times (6:47 mins!) of all broadband providers (i.e. when contacting support), while Tesco mobile (1:04 mins) did the same for mobile operators but by a much smaller margin.

Home Broadband

Landline (Phone)

Mobile

New Service Provision and Repairs (Fixed Lines)

Ofcoms study also examined how long it takes providers to deliver a new broadband or landline phone service to customers, as well as how long they may take to repair. Overall, 93% of all landline and broadband orders were delivered by the date agreed with the customer in 2018.

On average, it took 15 days for a landline or broadband order (whether it be a new service, home move or change to service) to be delivered in 2018. This was a slight increase on the 13-day average in 2017. Ofcom found that it also took a day longer to deliver a new service in a rural area than in an urban area.

Similarly full fibre (FTTP) services on average took four days longer to be delivered than other broadband services, which isnt a surprise since theyre often more complex and costly to setup on the first install.

NOTE: In 2018, 5% of orders (400,000) took more than 4 weeks to be delivered and less than 1% of new installations took more than 8 weeks!

In terms of missed appointments on Openreachs network, there were some 1.9% of missed appoints for new service installations (changed from last year) and 1.8% for repairs to an existing service (unchanged from last year). By comparison Virgin Media missed 0.1% of all engineer appointments for installations (0.4% in 2017) and for repairs they scored 0.4% (0.3% in 2017).

At this point its worth nothing that Ofcom has just introduced a new system for automatic compensation (here). As a result their 2020 Comparing Service Quality report will therefore include details of automatic compensation, additional data on faults and their repair times and more detailed information on installations and missed appointments.

Lindsey Fussell, Ofcoms Consumer Group Director, said: Shabby service can be more than just frustrating; it can have a big impact on people and small businesses who rely on being connected. When youre shopping around for a phone or broadband service, quality can be just as important as price. This information can help buyers make the right decision.

One last area that we should examine is complaints. Overall 13% of broadband customers had a reason to complain in 2018, down from 15% in 2017. The most common reason for customers to complain about their fixed broadband were service issues (84%) such as slow broadband speeds and intermittent or total loss of service, followed by billing, pricing or payment issues (12%).

TalkTalk and Virgin Media customers were more likely than average to have had a reason to complain about their broadband service in 2018 (17% and 15% respectively), while Sky Broadband customers were less likely (10%). The proportion of Sky customers with a reason to complain has decreased since 2017 (from 14%).

Stephen van Rooyen, Skys CEO for UK & Ireland, said: We are pleased to have consistently been the best performing major pay TV, broadband and landline provider for three years in a row, according to Ofcom complaints data. Its testament to the commitment of our brilliant customer service teams that Sky Mobile has also performed to our high standards in its first ever rating.

Weve included a summary of the latest Q4 2018 consumer complaints volumes below (i.e. total volume of complaints per 100,000 subscribers); this also covers Pay TV providers.

Fixed Line Home Broadband Complaints

Overall complaints from Plusnets broadband customers more than doubled in the last quarter of 2018 and they thus attracted the highest proportion of gripes. In that period, the company experienced issues with a new billing system it launched. Meanwhile Sky Broadband attracted the fewest complaints.

Fixed Line Phone Complaints

The situation for landline phone services echoes the broadband results, where once again Plusnet attracted the most complaints and Sky the fewest.

Mobile Complaints

In terms of mobile, BT, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile generated the highest volume of complaints (the main complaint drivers were complaints handling and issues relating to billing pricing and charges.), while Sky and Tesco Mobile generated the lowest volume.

Pay TV Complaints

BT generated the highest volume of complaints about pay-TV services (main complaint drivers were issues relating to billing, pricing and charges, followed by complaints handling and faults, service and provision issues), while Sky generated the lowest volume.
Motorola Solutions has teamed with CSE Genesis and TL Parker to deliver a digital communications network in New Zealand designed to enable commercial organisations to reach new levels of safety and productivity.

The OC3 (Orion Converged Communications Core) will be powered by Motorola Solutions advanced, MOTOTRBO Capacity Max technology, which Motorola says will provide highly secure and reliable voice communication, extensive coverage and access to feature-rich applications.

Modelled on a similar network in Australia, New Zealands Orion Network is being established by long-standing radio network operators and critical communications specialists CSE Genesis, a division of CSE New Zealand, and TL Parker, in association with Motorola Solutions.

Motorola Solutions general manager of radio channel for Australia and New Zealand, Dan Leppos, said the new network represented a major advancement for the company in New Zealand.

With New Zealands services sector continuing to thrive and strong employment and GPD growth forecast in coming years, advanced communications will be essential to securing the countrys long-term prosperity, he said.

New Zealands Orion network and OC3 suite of advanced applications draws on our successful partnership in delivering Australias largest commercial digital two-way radio network.

Each year we invest around US$500 million in research and development to deliver purpose-built technology for mission critical industries. New Zealands commercial organisations will benefit from that investment by accessing the Orion network.

CSE New Zealand managing director Harry Singh said the network was designed to meet the needs of any organisation with industrial and critical infrastructure.

The Orion network will provide converged voice, data and video applications that integrate seamlessly with cellular networks. The infrastructure includes a nationwide radio communications network that can connect with other public and private broadband LTE and Wi-Fi networks, creating a bridge between data and voice services.

The network will enable users to access a single platform of technologies to unify workgroups across their entire operations, regardless of the device they carry or where they are located.

TL Parker director and owner Garry Parker said the Orion network was suited to a broad range of organisations, from utilities to transport and logistics operations, government departments and beyond.

Secure and reliable communication between workgroups makes a big difference, especially in times of emergency to keep employees safe and informed as events unfold," he said.

Motorola Solutions says the network has already been rolled out in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and will be progressively extended across the nation for completion in 2020.

When complete, the network will also provide trans-Tasman connections linking the Orion network in New Zealand with all Australian states.
The United States says it sees no distinction between the core of a 5G network and its radio access network, and will reconsider sharing information with any ally that uses equipment made by Chinese vendor Huawei Technologies in its next-generation telecommunications network.

Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber, international communications and information policy at the State Department, said it was the US position that using gear from Huawei "or any other untrustworthy vendor" in any part of a 5G network was a risk, according to a recording provided to iTWire by the US State Department.

Claims about lack of separation between the core and the RAN of a 5G network were shown to be incorrect last November when, as iTWire reported, a 5G trial in Auckland conducted jointly by Huawei and New Zealand telco Spark used a Huawei 5G NR (New Radio on both the C-band and mmWave) and a 4G Radio Access Network, both of which were deployed by using dedicated hardware connected to the Cisco Evolved Packet Core, with each component isolated.

Similar claims have been made by the director of the Australian Signals Directorate, Mike Burgess, and Nigel Phair, director of UNSW Canberra Cyber, as pointed out by Dr Mark Gregory, a network expert from RMIT University.

Strayer's statement comes less than a week after it wasthat British Prime Minister Theresa May had agreed to let Chinese telecommunications equipment vendor Huawei Technologies play a role in the rollout of 5G networks in the UK.

The leak, from the National Security Council, was unprecedented and an inquiry is underway to find out how it happened.

Five British ministers  Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt  were said to have concerns about Huawei during the NSC meeting.

Strayer said: "If other countries insert and allow untrusted vendors to build out and become the vendors for their 5G networks we will have to reassess the ability for us to share information and be connected with them in the ways that we are today.

"Having potentially compromised equipment and software provided by vendors in any part of that network is an unacceptable risk.

"It is our position in the United States that there is no way that we can effectively mitigate the risk of having an untrustworthy vendor in the edge of the network."

For more than two years, the US has been pushing countries it considers allies to avoid using equipment from Chinese companies, Huawei foremost, in 5G networks. But Washington 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.

iTWire has contacted Huawei for comment.
Chinese mobile payments provider Alipay has partnered with online food and travel marketplace HarkHark in a deal offering restaurants around Australia a mobile "scan to order" platform and free menu translation service, to enable them to more effectively reach Chinese visitors.

Alipay says more than 500 restaurants Australia-wide have already signed on, and aims to bring more than 2000 restaurants into the program in the coming months. Nicholas Seafood, based at the iconic Sydney Fish Market, is the first to go live with the technology.

The program sits within the Alipay app ecosystem, and allows Chinese customers to scan an in-restaurant QR code to bring up a digital menu, and self-order and pay for their meal.

According to Alipay, self-service in the restaurant industry is growing in popularity in Australia. However, adoption remains low compared to China where self-service through mobile apps is becoming very common, due in part to the low cost of adoption compared to the costlier self-service kiosks which with Australians may be familiar.

Alipay and HarkHark are also offering restaurants a free menu translation service which, in tandem with the promotional tools already available to merchants in the Alipay app, are designed to bridge the gap between Australian restaurants and Chinese consumers. The translation service is also being adopted by other popular tourist destinations, including Sovereign Hill in Ballarat.

Alipay ANZ country manager George Lawson said the mobile ordering and translation service would help Australian restaurants better market their service to Chinese visitors, who contributed $11.5 billion to the Australian economy in the year ending September 2018.

Anyone who has travelled to a country with an unfamiliar language knows the challenge of trying to read a menu or communicate with restaurant staff. This is no different for many Chinese guests in Australia. This initiative will enable Chinese guests to more effectively interact with Australian restaurants and thereby create a better overall customer experience," he said.

Chinese tourism is an essential contributor to Australias thriving hospitality sector, and we are committed to helping merchants tailor their offer to meet the needs and expectations of this key market through our new mobile ordering and translation service, and our other mobile payments, lifestyle and marketing tools.

Nicholas Seafood manager Jason Berkeley said: Chinese visitors have always been an integral part of our customer base. Now in addition to our fresh, high-quality seafood, were excited to offer this new app-based translation and ordering service to create memorable dining experiences, and best-in-class customer service.

According to Alibaba's lifestyle platform Koubei, there are currently more than 300,000 restaurants on the Chinese mainland using scan and order solutions. For each meal, the estimated time to order food and pay for the bill is reduced by one-third, making the customer experience substantially more efficient.

Alipay says the in-app program also provides additional backend functionality for restaurant staff and management, including supply chain and customer relationship management, and other marketing and ordering tools.

According to Alipay, tens of thousands of merchants in Australia now offer Alipay, which also recently signed deals with major financial institutions Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Tyro.

Worldwide, Alipay and its regional partners claim more than one billion active users.
You may think of Google Drive mostly as a cloud storage service, but it also includes a suite of online office apps: Google Docs (word processor), Google Sheets (spreadsheet app), and Google Slides (presentation app). You can use them to collaborate with colleagues on a document, spreadsheet, or presentation in real time or asynchronously. These apps can also be used to import, export, and natively edit Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word documents.

With a Google account, you get free use of these apps and 15GB of free Google Drive storage. For more storage, Google One plans start at $2 per month.

For business use, Google sells several tiers of Google Workspace plans that include more storage as well as enterprise collaboration, security, and administrative tools. These plans start at $6 per user per month. Theres also a Google Workspace Essentials plan for organizations that dont need hosted email.

Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides work the same among these free and paid plans, but with a few extra features added to the Workspace ones. Unless otherwise noted, this guide covers sharing and collaborating with your documents under a free, personal Google account. Most steps are the same with a Google Workspace account, but note that your administrator may have disabled or limited some capabilities.

Most of this article covers sharing and collaborating via My Drive, the drive controlled by individual users whether they use Google Drive through a personal Google account or a Workspace account. A section at the end covers shared drives, which are available only through Google Workspace accounts.
Non-container vessel operators and users say the increasing size of container ships, and the narrowness of the channel, means that other ships are sometimes restricted from using the channel because container ships are so large no other vessel can occupy the channel.
The restaurant seats 169, including the bar and upstairs wine loft, which is open and overlooks the main dining area. As of now, there is no outdoor seating.

Two sections of the dining area are partially secluded for use for private parties if needed, said Severine Utiger, the director of sales and marketing.

The executive chef is David Swing, 36, a Winston-Salem native who grew up in Wilmington. Swing, a self-taught chef, has previously been the executive chef at Cross Creek Country Club in Mount Airy and Salem Glen Country Club in Clemmons, and sous chef at Bermuda Run Country Club in Bermuda Run.

My culinary background comes from my family, Swing said. My grandmother was super important in terms of letting me play around in the kitchen when I was kid. Then I started washing dishes in Wilmington when I was 15  when you could get away with that  and I pretty much worked my way up. As soon as I got into a professional kitchen and saw how it worked, I was sold.

Sir Winston offers room service to the hotel as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week to hotel guests and the general public.
A woman found dead in a bathtub in a mans apartment in Kernersville appeared to have been stabbed to death and the knife that authorities believe was used to kill her was discovered on a bed along with her cell phone, according to recently unsealed search warrants.

Deputies with the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office found the body of Kayla Melissa Dubuque at the apartment on Loradale Drive on Jan. 6, after the man who rented the apartment, Jaron Allen Kubler, told a police officer in Washington, D.C., that he had killed a woman and left her body in his apartment in Kernersville.

Kubler, 29, is now charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and misdemeanor soliciting prostitution. According to search warrants, Dubuque, 25, worked as a prostitute and advertised her services online. Kubler responded to those online advertisements and paid to have sex with her several different times, the search warrants said.

He also became friends with Dubuque on Facebook on Jan. 4, the search warrants said.

According to her obituary, Dubuque is from North Wilkesboro and enjoyed spending time with her nieces and nephews.
A group of 14 business executives statewide, including Don Flow of Winston-Salem, say they support Medicaid expansion in North Carolina in an op-ed article submitted to the Winston-Salem Journal and other newspapers.

The article coincides with state legislators discussing legislation to expand Medicaid coverage this year.

The article says in part, We all benefit from expanding access to insurance, starting with lower health care costs. When faced with a medical condition, those without insurance often have little choice but to rely on the emergency room, which legally must treat them regardless of ability to pay.

The cost of this care is passed on to consumers through higher insurance premiums and higher medical costs for those with insurance, the article says. Thats why premiums for people who buy their own health insurance are 7% lower on average in states that have closed their coverage gap compared to those that havent.

Flow, the chairman and chief executive of Flow Automotive., said in an email that expanding the Medicaid program in North Carolina makes economic sense.
The day of reckoning inside an Upstate New York courtroom did not go as planned  at least for prosecutors and the victim's family.

Last Thursday, Shane Piche, a former bus driver for the school district in Watertown, N.Y., received his sentence. Two months earlier, the 26-year-old had pleaded guilty to third-degree rape. According to the Watertown Daily Times, Piche had raped a 14-year-old girl who was on his bus route.

But rather than hand Piche a prison sentence, Jefferson County Judge James McClusky gave the defendant 10 years probation, and assigned him the lowest level status on New York's sex offender registry. The judge's ruling goes against prosecutors' hopes - and against the wishes of the victim's family.

"I wish Shane Piche would have received time in jail for the harm he caused to my child," the victim's mother wrote in a statement obtained by WWNY. "He took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety."

Piche's sentencing joins a list of controversial punishments in sexual assault cases, many of which have been pulled into the larger debate over sexual violence and whether courts adequately weigh the wishes of victims.
The point of spreading this video may have been to criticize Graham for his hypocrisy, which he certainly deserves. But at the very least you can say that in 1998 he was standing up for a principle. However cynical his motivations might have been, he argued that when the president violates not only the law but the standards to which we ought to hold a president, we should consider removing him.

But what principle is Graham, or any Republican, arguing for now? What standard of presidential behavior are they encouraging us to uphold? Where do they now perceive the line between acceptable and unacceptable conduct?

The answer is that they are arguing for no principle at all. There is no line that Trump could cross that would make them say, "Now he has gone too far." There is no volume of lies he could tell, no extent of his corruption that could be revealed, no amount of bigotry he could spread, no number of family members he could appoint to high positions in government, no degree of profiteering off the presidency, no amount of admiration he could express for authoritarian dictators, no obstruction of justice he could engage in, no assault on the integrity of his office too appalling for them not to enthusiastically defend him.
As many of our political leaders are searching for ways to take action to prevent climate change, each day we are adding to the debt our children will have to pay to clean up the mess we are making. More than 1,100 people have been arrested in the U.K. since April 15 in the Extinction Rebellion in attempts to convince politicians of the urgency of climate change. A sprinkling of North Carolina cities and counties (including Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro) have adopted resolutions that set stated goals for clean energy, and thats a good trend to see. However, what we need most is for the U.S. government to stop protecting the fossil fuel industry and do whats best for the health and wealth of the people when it comes to climate change.
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UEX Corporation (UEX:TSX) (UEX or the Company) is pleased to announce the fifth tranche of assay results have been received for twenty-three additional holes from the winter drilling program expanding the West Bear Cobalt-Nickel Deposit (the Deposit) on the 100% owned West Bear Property, located in the eastern Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan.

Highlights from the fifth tranche include hole WBC-126, which intersected 51.5 m averaging 0.41% Co and 0.57% Ni from 32.5 m to 84.0 m, which contained a subinterval of 1.27% Co and 1.57% Ni over 9.5 m from 59.0 m to 68.5 m, and WBC-128 which assayed 0.17% Co and 0.24% Ni over 7.2 m from 79.0 m to 86.2 m and included a subinterval of 0.75% Co and 0.57% Ni over 1.2 m from 84.5 m to 85.7 m. Both holes successfully extend the western end of the higher-grade subzone at West Bear in the down-dip direction.

The Company completed 126 holes totaling 11,412.5 metres during the winter drill program. To date, assay results have been received for 102 drill holes. UEX announced assay results from the first 79 holes in the Companys news releases dated February 7, 2019, March 18, 2019, April 1, 2019 and April 15, 2019, available at www.sedar.com or UEXs website at www.uex-corporation.com.

Assay results from fourteen of the twenty-three holes received in the fifth tranche returned composite grades that exceed the cobalt equivalent (CoEq) grade of 0.023% CoEq, the same cut-off grade used in UEXs maiden resource estimate for the West Bear Cobalt-Nickel Deposit announced on July 10, 2018 available at www.sedar.com or UEXs website at www.uex-corporation.com (see Table 1 and Figure 1).

Results for the remaining twenty-four holes drilled this winter are still outstanding. The Company has also collected and submitted to the laboratory an additional 757 samples from 60 historical sonic drill holes and 12 historical diamond drill holes identified as containing previously unsampled intervals considered favourable for hosting cobalt-nickel mineralization. UEX is still awaiting the laboratory results from these historical holes.

It is exciting to see the West Bear Co-Ni Deposit beginning to take shape as the assay results are gradually received. The Deposit is beginning to reveal its secrets. Listening to these secrets, our Exploration team has identified even more drill targets passed over by previous operators for uranium potential but we now consider to be high-priority cobalt drill targets in the immediate area of West Bear and across our existing Athabasca Basin land holdings.

 Roger Lemaitre, President & CEO

Sample Collection and Compositing

Samples are selected using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometer to aid in the identification of mineralized intervals. Selected drill core is then split in half sections on site and one half is collected for analysis with the other half core remaining on site for reference. Where possible, samples are collected at a standardized 0.5 m interval through zones of mineralization but respect geological units and intervals.

The samples were shipped to the Geoanalytical Laboratory at the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Analysis at the SRC laboratory for Cobalt and Nickel was completed using the ICP-OES method with an Aqua Regia digestion. The SRC Geoanalytical Laboratory is an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited facility (#537) by the Standards Council of Canada.

Assay intervals were composited using a cut-off grade of 0.023% Cobalt equivalent (CoEq) using the equation CoEq = Co + (Ni x 0.2). All depth measurements and sample intervals reported are down-hole measurements from drill core.

About the West Bear Cobalt-Nickel Deposit

The West Bear Property is an advanced exploration project located in the eastern Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan, Canada that contains both the West Bear Cobalt-Nickel Deposit and the West Bear Uranium Deposit. The Property is approximately 740 kilometres north of Saskatoon, west of Wollaston Lake and measures approximately 7,983 hectares comprising of 24 contiguous areas to which UEX has 100% ownership, with the exception of Mineral Lease 5424 in which UEX owns a 77.575% interest. The Deposit is located within an area of the Athabasca Basin that has excellent infrastructure and is situated within 10 km of an existing all-weather road and power lines that service Cameco Corporations nearby Cigar Lake Mine and Rabbit Lake Operation, as well as Oranos McClean Lake Operation.

The West Bear Cobalt-Nickel Deposit currently has a strike length of over 600 m and a dip length of over 100 m. On July 10, 2018, the Company announced a maiden inferred resource estimate for the Deposit of 390,000 tonnes grading 0.37% cobalt and 0.22% nickel, which equates to 3,172,000 pounds of cobalt and 1,928,000 pounds of nickel. The West Bear Cobalt-Nickel Deposit mineral resources were determined using a cut-off grade of 0.023 percent cobalt equivalent (CoEq), using the equation CoEq = Co + (Ni x 0.2). Only mineralization located within a conceptual open pit was included in the final resource estimate.

Qualified Persons and Data Acquisition

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Roger Lemaitre, P.Eng., P.Geo., UEXs President and CEO and Trevor Perkins, P.Geo., UEXs Exploration Manager, who are each considered to be a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About UEX

UEX (TSX:UEX, OTC:UEXCF.PK, UXO.F) is a Canadian uranium exploration and development company involved in nineteen uranium projects, including eight that are 100% owned and operated by UEX, one joint venture with Orano Canada Inc. (Orano) and ALX Uranium Corp. (ALX) that is 50.1% owned by UEX and is under option to and operated by ALX, as well as eight joint ventures with Orano, one joint venture with Orano and JCU (Canada) Exploration Company Limited, which are operated by Orano, and one project (Christie Lake), that is 60% owned by UEX with JCU (Canada) Exploration Company Limited which is operated by UEX.

The company is also involved in one cobalt-nickel exploration project located in the Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan. The West Bear Project was formerly part of UEXs Hidden Bay Project and contains the West Bear Cobalt-Nickel Deposit and the West Bear Uranium Deposit.

The nineteen projects are located in the eastern, western and northern perimeters of the Athabasca Basin, the world's richest uranium belt, which in 2017 accounted for approximately 22% of the global primary uranium production. UEX is currently advancing several uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin which include the Christie Lake deposits, the Kianna, Anne, Colette and 58B deposits at its currently 49.1%-owned Shea Creek Project (located 50 km north of Fissions Triple R Deposit and Patterson Lake South Project, and NexGens Arrow Deposit) the Horseshoe and Raven deposits located on its 100%-owned Horseshoe-Raven Development Project and the West Bear Uranium Deposit located at its 100%-owned West Bear Project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Roger Lemaitre

President and CEO

(306) 979-3849

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" for the purposes of Canadian securities laws. Such statements are based on UEX's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. Such forward-looking information includes statements regarding the West Bear Co-Ni Deposit drill program, UEX's drill hole results, uranium, cobalt and nickel prices, outlook for our future operations, plans and timing for exploration activities, and other expectations, intentions and plans that are not historical fact. Such forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions and is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from UEX's expectations include uncertainties relating to the, interpretation of drill results and geology, assay confirmation, additional drilling results, continuity and grade of deposits, fluctuations in uranium, cobalt and nickel prices and currency exchange rates, changes in environmental and other laws affecting uranium, cobalt and nickel exploration and mining, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in UEX's Annual Information Form and other filings with the applicable Canadian securities commissions on SEDAR. Many of these factors are beyond the control of UEX. Consequently, all forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by this cautionary statement and there can be no assurance that actual results or developments anticipated by UEX will be realized. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. Except as required by applicable law, UEX disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
BRIDGEWATER, NS / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Silver Spruce Resources Inc. ("Silver Spruce" or the "Company") (TSXV: SSE) (Frankfort: S6Q1) is pleased to announce that it has received the assays from confirmation samples taken by a third-party, arm's length company at the two, large potential bulk tonnage targets, El Terrero and the Gossan areas on its Pino de Plata project in western Chihuahua State, Mexico. The Company contracted Prospeccion y DesarrolloMinerodel Norte, S.A. de C.V. ("ProDeMin") to complete detailed geologic mapping, sampling and reconnaissance at the project under the direction and supervision of Qualified Person, Dr. Craig Gibson, Ph.D. The field program is complete, and three assays from seven rock-chip samples taken during the program returned three over-limit values for silver and two over-limit values for lead, which further confirm the presence of high-grade mineralization at the project. Assaying and multi-element analysis was conducted by ALS Global in Vancouver, B.C.

*AgEq (Silver Equivalent) calculated using silver and lead values only: Ag price US$15.10/troy ounce and Pb price US$0.875/pound @ 26 April 2019, per www.kitco.com closing bid prices.

Please see geologic map of Pino de Plata project with recent sample locations here: http://www.silverspruceresources.com/i/maps/pdp/pino-de-plata-geology-2019.jpg

"We are very pleased with the results from the recently completed field program at Pino de Plata. In addition to the discovery of new vein targets and the significant expansion of the large target areas of El Terrero and the Gossan, assays of samples taken by ProDeMinverify the tenor of existing mineralization in two large areas that may host significant mineralized tonnage. With the data generated during this program we are now prepared to drill Phase I with greater confidence," stated Karl Boltz, CEO of Silver Spruce.

ProDeMin Field Program Objectives

The main goals achieved for the completed field program were to:

Conduct limited confirmation sampling of known mineralized locations at El Terrero and the Gossan areas, and

Determine the extent of outcropping alteration at the El Terrero and the Gossan areas, and

Investigate the existence of additional veins and mineralized structures, and

Utilize a portable XRF (x-ray fluorescence) analyzer and a NIR (near-infrared) spectrometer to obtain immediate indications of mineralization, pathfinder elements and associated alteration that occur at known target areas, and

Analyze geological, XRF and NIR data to refine drill hole locations and orientations.

The first objective of additional, third-party confirmation of mineralization at El Terrero and the Gossan areas is complete and very successful.

Analysis of XRF and NIR data continues with conclusions and proposed drill hole collars and orientations progressing. Cross sections of planned drill holes are being produced and will be presented shortly. The final report from ProDeMin with results of the field program will be posted on the Company's website as soon as completed.

El Terrero-La Perla Target

The El Terrero structure is confirmed to be a low angle structural zone in the intrusion and could host significant tonnage. This 800 m x 400 m (32 hectares) zone appears to consist of a wide zone of multiple flat-lying brecciated zones hosted by a zone of strong argillic alteration observed extending from the El Terrero workings to the La Perla and Sierpe veins.

Field reconnaissance, mapping and sampling produced indications that the expanded 800 m x 400 m area of intrusive alteration identified at El Terrero may extend and be continuous with the expanded 600 m x 400 m(24 hectares) area of gossan to the east. A drill hole is now planned to confirm this. It will be oriented to drill under the shallow cover of volcanic rocks to the west of the Santa Clara vein to reach the targeted mineralization below.

The Gossan Area

The Gossan area measures about 24 hectares and provides a second, large scale, potential bulk tonnage target. One recent sample taken from a quartz vein in the eastern Gossan area assayed 255 g/t Ag with anomalous Cu and Pb. Mapping in the Gossan area has further delineated and expanded the contact between intrusive rocks and hornfels. Mapping indicates that the gossan may have formed along north-south and easterly-trending structural zones as seen at the other targets at the project. Drilling is planned to test for massive sulfide replacement bodies along these structures as well as the contact zones with hornfels and limestone at the Santa Elena target where skarn is observed.

Historical Sampling at Pino de Plata

Several reports dated February 1985, October 1998 and May 1989 prepared by the Servicios Geologicos de Mexico ("SGM"), the Mexico equivalent of the USGS, show that the historical workings at El Terrerooccur along about 100 metres of the zone and extended for about 50 metres down dip along the relatively flat-lying structure. SGM surface sampling averaged 0.1 g/t Au, 206 g/t Ag, 0.6% Cu, 1.3% Pb, and 0.14% Zn for an average sample width of 1.15m (10 samples), and 16 samples in the workings averaged 0.04 g/t Au, 206 g/t Ag, 2.5% Cu, 1.7% Pb, and 1.2% Zn over an average sample width of 1.1m.

Previous sampling by Silver Spruce yielded values up to 553 g/t (17.8 opt) Ag and 1.4% Pb. These samples also returned anomalous values of gold (Au), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu).Please see table of previous sample assay highlights here:http://www.silverspruceresources.com/i/pdf/reports-and-tables/Selected-Assays-PdP.pdf

Silver Spruce was attracted to the 397 hectare project by the assays originally presented by the previous owner, a private Mexican citizen and professional metallurgist.

The previous owner presentedassay certificates from various Mexico laboratories, including ALS Chemex, Comision de FomentoMinero, now part of SGM, and several other labs, that spanned the period between October 1983 and January 2012. The assay values ranged up to 26.4 kilograms per tonne silver, 31% lead, 19.9% zinc, 18.4% copper and 8.2 grams per tonne gold (Please see Company news release of 20 March 2019). Of the approximately 173 sample assays presented by the owner, 80 had values of between 100-1,000 g/t Ag. An additional 38 sample assays were over 1,000 g/t Ag up to 26,400 g/t Ag or as much as 2.64% silver.

These previous owner assay data have not been independently verified and should not be relied upon as representative of the average grades present on the project. The samples were likely selective, hand-sorted and were collected for the purpose of developing a small scale operation to mine high grade material for direct shipping to mills and smelters.

Silver Spruce fieldwork continues to verify the existence and tenor of the mineralization at Pino de Plata.

Potential Opportunity with Coeur Mining, Inc.

The tenor of outcropping mineralization associated within the large areas of intrusive alteration suggest potential to delineate a bulk-tonnage resource at El Terrero and the Gossan areas. The Pino de Plata project is located just 15 straight-line kilometres from the Palmarejo Mine, owned and operated by Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE:CDE) ("Coeur").

Coeur stated during its recent Q4 2018 Earnings Conference Call February 21, 2019, 11:00 AM ET, that the company is "prioritizing capital to Palmarejo, which continues to prove itself with strong operating cash flow. With excess mill capacity finding supplemental ore sources that can further improve profitability remains a priority."

Coeur acquired the mining concessions surrounding Pino de Plata via its acquisition of Paramount Gold and Silver Corp. ("Paramount") (NYSE MKT and TSX: PZG) in an all-stock transaction valued at US$146 million, in 2015.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Samples were prepared and analyzed by ALS Global, a certified worldwide analytical services provider at their facilities in Chihuahua and Vancouver, respectively.Analysis was by the AuME-TL43 method, with analysis of all elements by ICP-MS and ICP-AES with aqua regia digestion. Au was determined as part of the package with a 25 gram digestion.Over-limits for Ag and Pb, values of >100g/t and >10,000ppm, respectively, were completed by the OG-46 method by ICP and aqua regia digestion.

Dr. Gibson supervised the data collection and sampling at the project as well as data compilation, drafting and interpretation.The Company uses standard QA/QC procedures, including inserting control samples, standards and blanks, in the sample stream. No quality assurance/quality control issues have been identified to date.

Qualified Person

Dr. Craig Gibson, Ph.D., CPG, is the Company's external Qualified Person for the Pino de Plata project and is responsible for the technical content of this press release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), under TSX guidelines.

About Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

Silver Spruce Resources Inc. is a Canadian junior exploration company pursuing development of the Pino De Plata project, located in the prolific Sierra Madre Occidental region of western Chihuahua State in Mexico. The Company also holds an indirect interest in the Kay Mine project according to terms of the sale agreement with Croesus Gold Corp., which was announced in the Company's news release on January 30, 2019. Silver Spruce Resources Inc. continues to investigate opportunities that Management has identified or that have been presented to the Company for consideration.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The company seeks Safe Harbour.
The extent of major transactions at both the project & corporate level in the Andean mineral belt of Peru & Ecuador have markedly increased since early 2018 1 .

Fidelity Minerals is ideally positioned to transact via implementation of the Strategic Project Generator (SPG) business model.

Two significant acquisitions in La Libertad district of Northern Peru include: A 100% interest in a Porphyritic Copper Project with multiple high-quality targets with extensive copper anomalism (to >1% Cu). Initial 25% interest in a project company which holds 6 concessions, one of which hosts a prospective Polymetallic Project (200 tonne bulk sample returned grades* of up to 14.5 oz/T Ag, 1.1g/T Au, 13.7% Zn and 10.4% Pb, in 2018).



* The grades outlined above have been derived from historical sampling and have not been verified by Fidelity Minerals

Vancouver, BC / TheNewswire / April 29, 2019 - Fidelity Minerals Corp. (TSX-V: FMN | FSE: S5GM | SSE: MNYC) ("Fidelity Minerals" or "the Company") is pleased to provide the following corporate update, including details in relation to the acquisition of two significant projects:

A 100% interest in a Porphyritic Copper Project (1,200Ha) in La Libertad, Northern Peru.

An initial 25% interest in a project company that holds a portfolio of project concessions (3,500Ha) also in La Libertad, including an advanced stage Polymetallic Project.

As an early mover into Northern Peru following the emergence of Ecuador as a world-class mineral exploration region, Fidelity Minerals is well placed to become a key player in this highly prospective region flanked by world-class projects to the south and frantic corporate activity to the north in Ecuador. The relevance of the Company's Strategic Project Generator model has been validated by recent corporate transactions, including numerous project-level transactions in Ecuador and Southern Peru where the majors are aggressively acquiring large-scale copper and gold targets. For further details on recent corporate activity, refer to Figure 1.

In light of this unprecedented recent interest in high quality projects in the world-class mineral provinces of the Northern Andes, Fidelity Minerals has moved to rapidly evaluate a large number of proprietary opportunities which are not readily available to the major miners. The significant acquisitions announced today reflect the Company's initial success in rapidly implementing its recently announced Strategic Project Generator model.

Since BHP's investment in late 2018 in SolGold (the operator of the Alpala project in Northern Ecuador), BHP has announced a transaction with Luminex Resources where BHP has the right to earn up to a 70% interest in Tarqui, a relatively early stage copper exploration project in Southern Ecuador, through the staged investment of up to US$82 million (on March 19, 2019). Together with other recent transactions, the implied value of the Luminex-BHP deal highlights the demand and the relatively high valuations realisable for quality projects in this region, even at a relatively early stage of appraisal.

Fidelity Minerals is positioned to immediately benefit from the increased appetite for prospective projects in northern Peru through the origination and acquisition of proprietary opportunities at low cost. Fidelity Minerals will immediately add value and endeavour to secure farm-out commitments with the majors that are actively participating in regional transactions. By way of comparison, the acquisition of the Porphyritic Copper Project announced today by Fidelity Minerals, whilst at a relatively early stage of exploration, does not appear dissimilar to the Luminex-BHP Tarqui project.

Figure 1: Map Outlining Recent Corporate Activity





The above Map of the North Andean World-Class Mineral Provinces and the superimposition of recent corporate activity has been prepared by the Company for general illustrative purposes.

A large poster-sized version of the above Map of North Andean World-Class Mineral Provinces is available at: Click Here

Acquisition 1 - Porphyritic Copper Project Overview (FMN: 100%)

The Porphyritic Copper Project comprises three contiguous concessions covering 1,200Ha, located in an active mining and development district in La Libertad, Northern Peru. The project hosts near surface manifestations of visible copper mineralization (Figure 2), as well as small-scale artisanal workings developed for the purposes of producing small tonnages of gold bearing ore. A recent assessment of the "Upper" and "Lower" Zones has identified similarities in the type of mineralization hosted at the two zones that are situated approximately 4,000m apart. Both the zones of interest are in each case located immediately adjacent to a major regional (+60km) fault structure that is regionally associated with known copper projects. Encouragingly, at both the project and the regional copper projects, the mineralization is associated with variably altered monzodiorite(s) displaying copper sulphide (including bornite) and copper oxide mineralization.

Historical sampling at the project indicates grades2 of 0.36% - 0.66% Cu at the Upper Zone and higher grades at the Lower Zone including >1% Cu. Selected sampling results are outlined below.

During due-diligence activities relating to the acquisition of the project, Fidelity Minerals identified additional prospective geological features that extend beyond the current project area. In order to secure a larger footprint surrounding the project, the Company is in the process of acquiring adjoining concessions. Until such time that the Company has secured the adjoining concessions, additional details including the name of the project or the specific location will not be released.

In 2018 the project vendor commissioned a QP based in Canada to prepare a geological report3 in order to summarise the geological prospectivity of the project. The data relating to the project presented in this release has been largely taken from this geological report with the consent of the vendor. In the geological report, the QP states that "there is the distinct possibility that the two mineralized locations at the Project represent two exposed areas of mineralization that form part of a typical Cu-Mo Porphyry Copper System. The mineralogy, host rock type and texture, plus the presence of a skarn-type mineralized zone at the Lower Location, are very much the same characteristics to be seen at the Magistral Cu-Mo-Ag Porphyry Deposit in Ancash Province."

Fidelity Minerals considers the similarities of the Porphyritic Copper Project to the Magistral project to be highly encouraging as the Magistral project owned by Minera Milpo hosts significant mineralization with published mineral resources of 232 Mt @0.55% Cu, 0.05% Mo, 3.2g/t Ag.

Next Steps

The Company intends to perform an initial assessment of the prospectivity of the project by commencing with detailed geological mapping and a systematic surface sampling program to better define the extent of the surface manifestations of the interpreted zones of mineralization.

Acquisition Terms

Fidelity Minerals is acquiring a 100% interest in the Porphyritic Copper Project. The acquisition consideration consists of the issuance of 4,000,000 common shares in Fidelity Minerals to the vendor. At completion of the acquisition, a cash payment of US$7,000 is payable to the vendor.

The acquisition of the Porphyritic Copper Project remains subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions before closing, including exchange approval for the issuance of Consideration Shares.

Acquisition 2 - Polymetallic Project Overview (FMN: 25%, initially)

The Polymetallic Project comprises of 6 concessions covering 3,500Ha, located in an active mining and development district in La Libertad, Northern Peru. Fidelity Minerals has acquired a 25% interest the Polymetallic Project by acquiring a 25% interest in Norsemont II Resources Inc4. ("Norsemont"), the project company that holds the 6 concessions including the advanced stage Polymetallic Project, previously referenced by the Company in a Press Release dated March 13th, 2019.

The Polymetallic Project is proximal to Barrick's Lagunas Norte mine (9Moz Au resource) with both projects located within a proven mineralized belt that hosts several world-class precious metal projects, including Newmont's Yanacocha mine (>50Moz Au resource). For regional context, refer to the map outlined in Figure 1.

Mineralization at the Polymetallic Project is interpreted to be controlled by a series of ENE-striking polymetallic (Ag/Pb/Zn) veins which are understood to have extensive vertical and lateral continuity.

The project hosts near surface manifestations of visible polymetallic mineralization (Figure 3), as well as relatively small-scale underground development for the purposes of producing small tonnages of high-grade ore. An access tunnel has been driven into the primary vein system confirming the downdip continuity of mineralization encountered from surface outcrop.

Historical sampling at the project confirms the presence of high grades5 of polymetallic mineralization. Selected higher grade sampling results are outlined below.

Preliminary studies on samples taken from the 2018 bulk sample (PB062) outlined above have indicated that high metallurgical recoveries (>95% for Ag, Zn and Pb) are likely to be achievable.

Next Steps

The core concession that hosts the high-grade mineralization has been granted a small-scale mining permit, so it is possible small-scale production could occur in the near-term, as part of a larger resource appraisal program. There are also additional opportunities to contemplate a much larger operation based on integration with regional infrastructure, which may also present an opportunity for Fidelity Minerals to consolidate ownership of the project.

Fidelity Minerals is in the process of developing an appraisal program in order to guide potential development discussions with the majority owner of the Polymetallic Project. As Fidelity Minerals is currently exploring a number of strategic initiatives in relation the project, additional details including the name of the project will be released in due course.

Acquisition Terms

Fidelity Minerals is acquiring an initial 25% interest in the Polymetallic Project by acquiring a 25% interest in Norsemont II Resources Inc., a private Ontario project company that holds the six concessions minerals concessions in La Libertad, Northern Peru.

The acquisition consideration consists of the issuance of 3,000,000 common shares in Fidelity Minerals to the vendor. Fidelity Minerals is also required to make a number of staged cash payments totalling US$84,000. Total cash payments made to the vendor to date total US$28,000, with a final cash payment of US$56,000 payable to the vendor, at completion of the acquisition.

The acquisition remains subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions before closing, including exchange approval for the issuance of Consideration Shares.

Management Commentary

Proactive Investors Interview

Director & CEO of Fidelity Minerals, Mr. Ian Graham has given an interview with Steve Darling of Proactive Investors where he discusses the acquisitions announced today by Fidelity Minerals.

The interview can be accessed by visiting:

Director & CEO of Fidelity Minerals, Mr. Ian Graham commented: "The two acquisitions we announce today are the culmination of an extensive project origination, evaluation and acquisition effort that has been ongoing for some time. Whilst the two projects are quite different, they each provide Fidelity Minerals with a clear pathway to near-term value creation. The Porphyritic Copper Project is an exciting opportunity as we are acquiring 100% of this highly prospective project; we've moved quickly to make efforts to further expand the footprint of the project owing to its potential to host big copper of a scale that would interest the majors. In addition, we are acquiring an initial minority interest in the Polymetallic Project as this project provides Fidelity Minerals with great optionality. In addition to possibly delineating a sizeable Ag-Zn-Pb resource, and potentially commencing small-scale mining in the relatively near-term, we see this project as a platform for access to a number adjacent or synergistic opportunities with material scale. As we integrate these two acquisitions into the growing Fidelity Minerals portfolio, we continue to advance our assessment of the Greater Las Huaquillas project which has generated significant industry interest: we expect to have established a project dataroom around July this year."

Executive Chairman of Fidelity Minerals, Mr. Bahay Ozcakmak added: "In December 2018, when we announced the acquisition of an interest in the Greater Las Huaquillas project, we noted the increased industry interest to our immediate north in Ecuador. Since this time, the number and scale of transactions in both Ecuador and Southern Peru has only accelerated. In light of this increased interest by the majors to enter prospective projects, particularly copper focused projects, even at a relatively early stage, we decided to leverage our extensive in-country experience and to rapidly position Fidelity Minerals to opportunistically take advantage of this new interest. It is our expectation that as the realisation sets-in that the metallogenic belts of Chile and Southern Peru in-fact extend much further north than previously interpreted, we expect the regional transaction activity to spill-over into Northern Peru, a region that already hosts numerous truly world-class projects, but which has been overlooked in recent times. In order to benefit from this emerging interest, Fidelity Minerals is implementing what we are calling our Strategic Project Generator model. Through this strategy Fidelity Minerals is assembling a high-quality portfolio of proprietary project opportunities in Northern Peru, at attractive valuations, at a time when the global majors are frantically acquiring projects to backfill their depleted project pipelines. With the announcement of two significant project acquisitions today, our Strategic Project Generator model is already starting to bear fruit. We look forward to providing further updates on the composition of our project portfolio, in the near future."

About Fidelity Minerals Corp.

Fidelity Minerals Corp. is assembling a portfolio of high-quality mining assets in Peru through the implementation of our Strategic Project Generator (SPG) model. The project generator model involves the identification and acquisition of appraisal stage opportunities with near-term valuation catalysts, including potential for high-impact M&A. The company is backed by an experienced management team with diverse technical, market, and commercial expertise and is supported by committed and sophisticated investors focused on building long term value.

On behalf of the Board of Fidelity Minerals;

Ian Graham

CEO and Director

Tel: +1.604.671.1353

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Investor Contact:

Bahay Ozcakmak

Executive Chairman

Tel: +61.3.9236.2800

Email: 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 NEWS RELEASE.

Disclaimer & Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future events or future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of terminology such as "may", "should", "intend", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "project", "predict", "potential", or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. This news release may also contain inferences to future oriented financial information ("FOFI") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The information in this news release has been prepared by our management to provide a context for the project acquisition and to provide the reader with an outlook for our future activities and anticipated key projects and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements in this announcement include, (but are not limited to) advancing certain key project activities that could represent important milestones which the Company expects may represent material valuation catalysts, such as the design of a suitable geological or geophysical program; and that through the Strategic Project Generator model Fidelity Minerals is positioning itself to be a beneficiary in this environment of increased appetite for prospective projects in this region. The reader is further cautioned that certain sampling data has been referenced: however, the collection of samples was not supervised by an independent QP on behalf of the Company, and from the information supplied to the QP who prepared the unreleased NI43-101 report on behalf of the Vendors, there are four grab samples that were taken for assay, three at the Upper Location, and One at the Lower Location. The amount and weight of each sample is not known, nor is there any sketch or record of the precise location of each sample. With regard to Sample Preparation Analysis and Security it is not known whether any particular collection and preparation and security was taken by the field crew, but it is expected that they would have followed the normal protocols that are followed with initial sample collection, whereby each sample was taken, secured, and kept secured, without tampering, until it's final delivery to the laboratory. Although the specific ALS laboratory used is not known, it is expected that they would follow the normal industry protocol in the preparation and assay procedures of the samples. With respect to Data Verification, only an individual representing the Vendor was on site, to verify the samples as they were taken, and no check or duplicate samples were taken. In addition, the Company has reported certain grades for the Polymetallic Project, taken from certain underground workings, including certain samples taken from a 200-tonne bulk sample from a selected Gallery. There has been no independent verification of the sampling protocols or analytic methods on behalf of Fidelity Minerals, and there were no duplicate or control samples used in the process. Further, forward-looking statements in this release include that the Company believes that recent project-level transactions in both Peru and neighbouring Ecuador provides evidence that high quality projects in the Northern Andean Copper Belt could deliver excellent potential transaction-based outcomes for the Company, and that through the Strategic Project Generator model the Company is positioning itself to be a beneficiary in this environment of increased appetite for prospective projects in this region.

1 A summary of recent transactions is outlined in Figure 1.

2 ALS Method Code ME-MS41. The laboratory location, chain of custody record, use of blanks and standards by the Vendor is not recorded or independently verified by a Qualified Person. The Certificate of Assay / Analysis has not been independently verified for Fidelity Minerals Corp.

3 Draft NI43-101 Report: not finalized or published.

4 Norsemont holds six (6) concessions totalling 3,500Ha, all located in the Alto Chicama mining district of La Libertad, Northern Peru.

5 G&S Laboratory SRL (August 2018). The laboratory location, chain of custody record, use of blanks and standards by the vendor is not recorded or independently verified by a Qualified Person. The Certificate of Assay / Analysis has not been independently verified for Fidelity Minerals Corp.
VANCOUVER, April 30, 2019 /CNW/ - Group Eleven Resources Corp. (TSX.V: ZNG; OTCQB: GRLVF; FRA: 3GE) ("Group Eleven" or the "Company) is pleased to announce the closing of the second and final tranche of its non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") through the issuance of 533,300 units ("Units") at a subscription price of $0.12 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $63,996. In total, the Company issued 3,883,265 Units for aggregate gross proceeds of $465,872 in this Private Placement.

Each unit will consist of one common share and one half non-transferrable common share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share in the capital of the Company at $0.24 per share for two years from the date of issue.

Finder's fees of $3,150 are payable in cash on a portion of the private placement to parties at arm's length to the Company. In addition, 26,250 non-transferable finder's warrants are being issued (the "Finder's Warrants"). Each Finder's Warrant entitles a finder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.24 per share for two years from the date of issue.

Net proceeds of the financing will be used to fund the Company's focussed drill program on the Ballinalack project and exploration on other projects in Ireland, as well as, general working capital.

This financing is subject to regulatory approval and all securities to be issued pursuant to the financing are subject to a four-month hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws.

About Group Eleven Resources

Group Eleven Resources Corp. (TSX.V: ZNG; FRA: 3GE and OTC: GRLVF) is a mineral exploration company focused on advanced stage zinc exploration in Ireland. The Company's large land package allows Group Eleven to leverage new geological approach and geophysical technology to systematically rethink key aspects of the Irish zinc district. The Company's two key projects in Ireland include: a 60% interest in the Ballinalack project (joint ventured with Nonfemet - one of the largest zinc producers in China), located in north-east Ireland, hosting potential Navan Bed mineralization in the Pale Beds; and a 75.56% interest in the Stonepark project (joint ventured with Arkle Resources plc), located near Limerick, next to one of the world's largest undeveloped zinc deposits: Glencore's Pallas Green deposit. The Company's team includes accomplished mining professionals with direct experience in finding mines, building companies and exploring Irish zinc deposits.

Additional information about the Company is available at www.groupelevenresources.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bart Jaworski, P.Geo.

Chief Executive Officer

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. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. federal and state registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities in the United States.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - Ridgestone Mining Inc. (TSXV: RMI) (OTCQB: RIGMF) ("Ridgestone Mining") is pleased to provide a review of results from exploration on its Rebeico gold-copper project, Sonora, Mexico.

After optioning the project in April 2018, the Company commissioned Steven Weiss, PhD., CPG, of Mine Development Associates (MDA), Reno, Nevada, to prepare a NI 43-101 Technical Report on the project, which was completed on April 25th, 2018.

The report makes reference to two styles of mineralization recognized on the Rebeico property, both containing copper, gold and silver: the over one kilometre-long north-south trending Alaska vein, and the intensely altered breccia zones southwest of the vein.

Both styles of mineralization contain similar minor elements such as bismuth, suggesting that they are related to each other and may be close to a possible copper-gold porphyry at depth.

To further investigate this possibility, the author recommended a Phase 1 exploration program consisting of an induced potential and resistivity survey, mapping and rock-chip geochemical sampling, and diamond drilling.

An Induced Polarization (IP) geophysical survey, comprised of 18 line-kilometres, was carried out in 2018 by Zonge International of Tucson, Arizona. The IP survey consisted of nine east-west lines at 200 metre spacing by two kilometres in length.

In a preliminary interpretation of data obtained from the survey, Zonge observed a high chargeability anomaly which begins to be evident below where the mineralized breccia zone is observed on surface. Here, the anomaly appears at a depth of between 200 to 300 meters and progressively increases in size and intensity towards the last survey line, 600 meters to the south, remaining open.

Zonge also noted that the top of the zone of high chargeability appeared to decrease in depth going south and could reach surface near the Company's Elena mining concession. Subsequent field investigations in the Elena concession encountered several mineralized outcrops, some of which were sampled. The rock chip samples were submitted for analysis and the assay results are reported here:

Sample ID Width(m) Cu (%) Au(g/t) Ag(g/t) E1 1.0 0.985 0.023 6.6 E2 1.2 0.016 0.010 < 0.5 E3 1.0 0.310 0.070 7.4 E4 0.60 0.043 0.271 2.2 E5 1.0 1.915 0.098 19.8 E6 2.0 1.315 0.134 21.7 E7 1.5 0.052 0.258 0.6 E8 0.50 2.13 0.448 31.3 E9 1.5 3.77 0.012 3.2 E10 1.5 3.42 0.011 3.7 E11 1.0 0.029 0.020 < 0.5

These high copper values and the underlying large and intense chargeability anomaly provide further evidence that a substantial mineralized system may be present on the property. An extensive exploration program is required to further evaluate this exciting possibility.

Ridgestone also completed a 12-hole, 1,430 metre diamond drill program in December 2018, as summarized in the Company's news releases of December 13, 2018 and January 17, 2019. The drill program was designed to test for gold and copper mineralization beneath historical underground workings located along a 500 metre portion of the Alaska vein, which can be traced at surface for approximately 1.2 kilometres. The southern part of the Alaska vein is located approximately 900 metres northwest of the copper mineralized outcrops in the Elena claim with samples reported above.

The first ever drill program encountered significant gold and copper mineralization in eight of the twelve holes. Of the remaining four holes, two holes failed to intersect the vein, one was abandoned due to fracturing, and one intersected anomalous mineralization. Hole 19REB1 intersected the underground workings and was stopped.

A summary of all significant results is as follows:

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Cu

% Au

g/t 18REB1 116.03 116.65 0.62 0.96 1.02 120.90 121.70 0.80 1.41 2.95 18REB2 127.00 128.00 1.00 1.87 7.87 128.00 129.00 1.00 3.69 9.51 18REB4 73.80 75.20 1.40 trace 3.25 76.50 78.00 1.50 trace 1.39 18REB5 82.00 83.00 1.00 0.30 5.61 18REB6

including

and

and 84.90 88.20 3.25 2.41 8.31 85.70 86.20 0.50 1.31 6.95 86.20 87.20 1.00 5.95 17.7 87.20 88.20 1.00 0.83 5.59 18REB8 63.15 63.50 0.35 0.55 9.59 76.90 78.50 1.60 0.39 0.22 83.75 85.40 1.65 0.33 0.04 18REB9 85.12 86.00 0.88 0.30 1.40 18REB10

and 103.64 105.14 1.50 1.22 36.10 105.14 106.60 1.46 0.07 1.48

In summary, Ridgestone's exploration results since optioning the Rebeico property have proven very fruitful and justify a more comprehensive program including detailed mapping and sampling, further geophysical surveys, and extensive diamond drilling.

The Management and Board of Ridgestone would also like to extend our gratitude to Mr. Ron Birch, who passed away suddenly on January 9th this year, for his vision and faith in both the Rebeico project and the company. Ron was a founding Director, a guiding hand, and a true friend. He will be greatly missed by us all.

The technical information disclosed in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Steven I. Weiss, C.P.G., Ph.D., with Mine Development Associates ("MDA") of Reno, Nevada, USA. Mr. Weiss is a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and the author of the technical report prepared by MDA and filed on SEDAR titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Rebeico Gold-Copper Project; Central Sonora, Mexico".

Investor Relations Agreement

Ridgestone Mining has retained the services of MarketSmart Communications Inc. ("MarketSmart"), a Vancouver- based corporate communications company.

MarketSmart will work to develop and implement a strategic corporate communications program to increase visibility and exposure for Ridgestone Mining among industry stakeholders and investors across Canada. MarketSmart has been in operation since 2002.

In connection with the engagement, which is subject to TSXV approval, MarketSmart has been awarded a one-year investor relations contract effective April 23rd, 2019. Pursuant to the terms of the contract, MarketSmart will be paid $6,000 + GST per month.

About Ridgestone Mining Inc.

Ridgestone is a TSX Venture Exchange-listed junior mineral exploration company with offices in Taipei and Vancouver, B.C. The Company's focus is on precious metals and copper in Sonora, Mexico, and specifically the Rebeico Gold-Copper project.

For further information, please contact:

Erwin Wong, CFO & Director

Ridgestone Mining Inc.Telephone: 604-377-8758

This news release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. In this news release such statements include but are not limited to any ongoing drilling programs or exploration results, or any results from the MarketSmart program. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the Company's regulatory filings available on www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. The impact of any one factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as such factors are dependent on other factors, and the Company's course of action would depend on its assessment of the future considering all information then available. All forward-looking statements in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2019) - AXMIN Inc. (TSXV: AXM) ("AXMIN" or the "Company") AXMIN releases highlights from its Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2018, which has been filed on SEDAR (amounts are in U.S. dollars).

2018 highlights

Financial:

Revenue of $1.5 million (2017: $1.6 million);

Net Income of $1.5 million (2017: $1.2 million);

Shareholder Equity $0.9 million (2017: deficit $1.2 million)

Cash balance of $1.0 million (2017: $1.1 million);

Operational:

Senegal with Teranga Gold Corporation (Teranga)

NSR royalty from Teranga for the Gora Deposit was largely unchanged at $1.5 million from $1.6 million the previous year.

Work at Gora is now completed, but as of December 2018 there was remaining ore in stockpile to be processed by Teranga.

AXMIN holds an additional 16 properties in conjunction with Teranga subject to future development with no further capital participation contribution required from AXMIN.

AXMIN staff are in discussions with Teranga regarding progress on developing other properties in which AXMIN has an interest.

The Central African Republic (CAR)

AXMIN is delighted with the progress made in the Central African Republic to establish a lasting peace that will bring stability and development to the country. The Company is looking forward to being back on site and working at its Passendro gold asset near Ndassima in the near future.

AXMIN has appointed Mr Lifei Jiang as CEO of the two subsidiary companies of AXMIN in the CAR in preparation for our imminent return to operations. Mr Jiang benefits from a great deal of experience in mining and construction projects in Africa. He has worked for and with large Chinese state-owned enterprises and is very familiar with the laws and regulations in our jurisdiction.

Commenting on the annual results, Ms. Lucy Yan AXMIN's chairman, said:

"During the past year AXMIN has made excellent progress on many fronts. Internally, we have resolved a long-standing account payable and now benefit from a clean balance sheet with positive Shareholder Equity. We are pleased with the revenue we have received from the Gora deposit in conjunction with Teranga and look forward to future target properties being developed.

"In the CAR, we have seen positive steps taken by all of the stakeholders in the CAR with active support from international organizations such as the African Union and the United Nations as well as the neighboring countries to the CAR. We look forward to a continuation of this trend and a security solution to be implemented in Ndassima.

"In my report in January, I presented the way forward for AXMIN in 2019 building on the strong results in 2018. I am happy to confirm that we are on track to deliver the key milestones highlighted in my report. The appointment of Mr Jiang as CEO of Somio Toungou S.A and of Aurafrique SARL is a key development that will enable our successful development of the Passendro gold asset. We have also already identified and commenced dialog with several potential strategic partners to assist with developing our assets before even commencing the formal selection process.

"Also, as I stated in my January report the Company will be more communicative with the market going forward. AXMIN looks forward to updating its shareholders and the financial markets as a whole with operational developments in the CAR in the near future."

This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's audited annual report and accounts for the year ended December 31, 2018, together with its annual information form and management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2018, all of which are available from the Company's website and on SEDAR.

We seek Safe Harbor.

About AXMIN

AXMIN is a Canadian exploration and development company with a strong focus on central and West Africa. AXMIN is positioned to grow in value as it progresses its Passendro Gold Project towards development and builds on its project pipeline focusing on transitioning from an explorer to producer. For more information regarding AXMIN visit our website at www.axmininc.com. Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/axmininc.

This press release includes certain "Forward-Looking Statements." All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of AXMIN; and statements regarding the ability to develop and achieve production at Passendro 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from AXMIN's expectations have been disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in AXMIN's documents filed from time-to-time with the TSX Venture Exchange and other regulatory authorities. AXMIN disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether resulting from new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Neither 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.

Lucy Yan

CEO and Chairman

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

General Enquiries

David de Jongh Weill

Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

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+65 9781 8281

Investor Relations

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www.axmininc.com
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on the country's young people to be patriotic and strive for the bright prospect of national rejuvenation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping makes the remarks at a gathering held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 30, 2019 to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement. [Photo: Xinhua]

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a gathering held at the Great Hall of the People to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement.

The May Fourth Movement started with mass student protests on May 4, 1919 against the government's response to the Treaty of Versailles that imposed unfair treaties on China and undermined the country's sovereignty after the World War I. It then triggered a national campaign to overthrow the old society and promote new ideas, including science, democracy and Marxism.

Wang Huning presided over the gathering. Other Chinese leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng, and Wang Qishan were also present.

A gathering marking the centenary of the May Fourth Movement is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 30, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua/Liu Bin]

Xi said the May Fourth Movement was a great patriotic and revolutionary campaign pioneered by advanced young intellectuals and joined by the people from all walks of life to resolutely fight imperialism and feudalism.

With its mighty force, the movement inspired the ambition and confidence of the Chinese people and nation to realize national rejuvenation, Xi added.

PATRIOTISM

Zhang Yi, a bridge and tunnel worker born in the 1990s, is seen at an observation point while a bullet train runs on the railway in Yichang, central China's Hubei province, Jan. 19, 2017. [File photo: Xinhua]

Xi said the May Fourth Movement gave birth to the great spirit centered on patriotism, progress, democracy and science, with patriotism at the core.



"As long as the banner of patriotism is being held high, the Chinese people can unleash great powers in the endeavors to transform China and the world," Xi said.

The essence of patriotism is having unified love for the country, the Party and socialism, Xi added, urging young Chinese to follow the instructions and guidance of the Party, and remain dedicated to the country and the people.

Young people are also urged to establish belief in Marxism, faith in socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as confidence in the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

NATIONAL REJUVENATION

Gui Rubin, a railway worker born in 1993, is seen at a rail-change site near the Jinjicun Station in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 26, 2017. [File photo: Xinhua]

Xi said young people always play a vanguard role in realizing national rejuvenation.



In the new era, the theme and direction of Chinese youth movement and the mission of Chinese young people, Xi said, are to uphold the leadership of the CPC, and work along with the people to realize the two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi said Chinese youth of the new era should bear their responsibilities of the times and carry on the spirit of arduous struggle.

He urged them to hone abilities and nurture fine morality.

Xi also encouraged young people to not only care about their family and country, but also have concerns for humanity.

YOUTH WORK

Xu Mingsheng, a craftsman born in the 1990s, makes a clay sculpture at his studio in Daixi Township of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 6, 2018. [File photo: Xinhua]

Xi said nurturing the young generation is the whole Party's political responsibility.



"We should listen to young people's views on social issues and phenomena, as well as their opinions and advices on the work of the Party and the government," Xi said.

"Even if they express harsh or partial criticism, we should correct our mistakes when we have made any and guard against them when we have not," he added.

Xi called on the Party to address young people's concerns and asked the Communist Youth League of China to unite and lead the young people to strive for the national rejuvenation.

"Young friends," Xi said near the end of his speech. "Let your youth shine even more in the sacrifice for the country, the people, the Chinese nation and humanity."
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atico Mining Corporation (the Company or Atico) (TSX.V: ATY | OTC: ATCMF) is pleased to announce the end of the labor strike at its El Roble mine in Colombia. The Company has resumed all operations and re-initiated its diamond drill exploration program on the 6,300-ha land package.

It is expected that operations will reach normal levels within the following hours. Throughout the remainder of the year, the Company will make every operational effort to make up for as much lost production as possible.

2019 Adjusted Guidance

Due to the union negotiations and the strike at the El Roble Mine, the Company is adjusting the annual guidance as follows:

2019 Adjusted Production and Cost Guidance Previous New Copper (000s pounds) 20,000 to 21,000 17,000 to 18,000 Gold (ounces) 10,200 to 10,700 9,000 to 9,700 C1 Cash Cost ($US)(1) $1.50 to $1.55 $1.55 to $1.60

Note: Please see Non-GAAP Financial Measures at the end of this release. C1 cash cost per pound of payable copper produced net of by-product credits and selling costs.

El Roble Mine

The El Roble mine is a high grade, underground copper and gold mine with nominal processing plant capacity of 850 tonnes per day, located in the Department of Choco in Colombia. Its commercial product is a copper-gold concentrate.

Since obtaining control of the mine on November 22, 2013, Atico has upgraded the operation from a historical nominal capacity of 400 tonnes per day.

El Roble has Proven and Probable reserves of 1.47 million tonnes grading 3.40% copper and 1.88 g/t gold, at a cut-off grade of 1.93% copper equivalent as of June 30th, 2018. Mineralization is open at depth and along strike and the Company plans to further test the limits of the deposit.

On the larger land package, the Company has identified a prospective stratigraphic contact between volcanic rocks and black and grey pelagic sediments and cherts that has been traced by Atico geologists for ten kilometers. This contact has been determined to be an important control on volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) mineralization on which Atico has identified numerous target areas prospective for VMS type mineralization occurrence, which is the focus of the current surface drill program at El Roble.

Qualified Person

Mr. Thomas Kelly (SME Registered Member 1696580), advisor to the Company and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 standards, is responsible for ensuring that the technical information contained in this news release is an accurate summary of the original reports and data provided to or developed by Atico.

About Atico Mining Corporation

Atico is a growth-oriented Company, focused on exploring, developing and mining copper and gold projects in Latin America. The Company operates the El Roble mine and is pursuing additional acquisition opportunities. For more information, please visit www.aticomining.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Fernando E. Ganoza

CEO

Atico Mining Corporation

Trading symbols: TSX.V: ATY | OTC: ATCMF

Investor Relations

Igor Dutina

Tel: +1.604.633.9022

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.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act) unless pursuant to an exemption therefrom. This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This announcement includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation the use of net proceeds, are forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties and are based on certain factors and assumptions. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs; the need to obtain additional financing to maintain its interest in and/or explore and develop the Companys mineral projects; uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones for the Companys mineral projects; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed under the heading Risk Factors in the prospectus of the Company dated March 2, 2012 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The items marked with a "(1)" are alternative performance measures and readers should refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2018 as filed on SEDAR and as available on the Company's website for further details.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 30, 2019) - , April 30, 2019 - North American Nickel Inc. (TSXV: NAN) (OTCQB: WSCRF) (CUSIP: 65704T 108) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has appointed Ms. Zhen (Janet) Huang as a non-executive Director to the Board of the Company.

Ms. Huang has over 13 years of financing, accounting and mining experience. She is qualified through Deloitte UK as a Chartered Certified Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor and gained her knowledge in financial services, natural resources, and manufacturing through auditing and consulting engagements for public and private companies.

Ms. Huang currently serves as Head of Internal Audit for Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL). Formerly, she held the position of Investment Manager and continues to advise on CATL's overseas resource project acquisitions. She has in-depth knowledge and understanding in the lithium, nickel and cobalt metals industries and the importance of their application in the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) sector.

NAN CEO, Keith Morrison, commented: "We are very pleased to welcome Ms. Huang to our Board. Janet has extensive expertise in both mining and finance, which will add additional strength to our team, as we continue to advance our assets and evaluate new opportunities."

About North American Nickel

North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with 100% owned properties in Maniitsoq, Greenland and Sudbury, Ontario.

The Maniitsoq property in Greenland is a Camp scale permitted exploration project comprising 3,048 square km covering numerous high-grade nickel-copper + cobalt sulphide occurrences associated with norite and other mafic-ultramafic intrusions of the Greenland Norite Belt (GNB). The >75km-long belt is situated along, and near, the southwest coast of Greenland accessible from the existing Seqi deep water port with an all year-round shipping season and hydroelectric power potential from a quantified watershed.

The Post Creek/Halcyon property in Sudbury is strategically located adjacent to the past producing Podolsky copper-nickel-platinum group metal deposit of KGHM International Ltd. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure. Such geological structures host major Ni-Cu-PGM deposits and producing mines within the Sudbury Camp.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mark Fedikow

President

North American Nickel Inc.

For more information contact:

North American Nickel Inc.

Jaclyn Ruptash

Corporate Communications

(604) 770-4334

Toll free: 1-866-816-0118

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.
Air raids on Tripoli Sunday night killed four people and wounded 37, Libyas Government of National Accord (GNA) said Monday, blaming the attacks on strongman Khalifa Haftars self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA).

This came a day after a similar attack on the capital killed another four civilians and injured 20, according to the GNA.

Haftars LNA launched an offensive against Tripoli, the seat of the internationally-recognised GNA, on April 4.

After initial gains, Haftars forces have encountered stiff resistance on the southern outskirts and his troops have been pushed back in some areas.

At least 278 people have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded in the clashes, according to a toll released Wednesday by the World Health Organization.

The GNA accuses Haftar of using foreign planes to carry out air strikes, without naming a country of origin.

After Sundays raids, public hospitals received four dead people  three civilians and a soldier, and 37 wounded, Amin al-Hachemi, a spokesman for the GNA health ministry told AFP.

The toll may rise given that victims have been transported to private hospitals.

The parts of Tripoli struck were Abou Slim, a densely-populated residential area in the south, and Ain Zara, a southern suburb that has seen several violent clashes in recent weeks.

A spokesman for the LNA confirmed Saturdays strikes on the capital, but said they were aimed at military targets.

The capital is experiencing an escalation in the military offensive, war crimes, and indiscriminate bombings of residential areas, public facilities and infrastructure, Mohanad Younes, a spokesman for the GNA, said on the governments Facebook page.

Unmanned foreign planes participated in these raids, the latest ones having hit homes in Ain Zara and Abou Slim, said Younes.

The responsibility for these acts, he added, rests with the states which support the belligerent forces of the criminal Haftar.

Haftars offensive has sharpened fault lines in policy towards Libya among world powers.

On April 18, Russia and the United States opposed a British bid backed by France and Germany at the UN Security Council to demand a ceasefire in the North African country.

The White House revealed the next day that Donald Trump had reached out personally to Haftar in a phone call, during which the US president recognised Field Marshal Haftars significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libyas oil resources.

The country has been mired in chaos since the NATO-backed uprising that deposed and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

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Establishing the truth is at the heart of the work of the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD). In its final report, published on 26 March, the IVD stressed this requirement in its efforts to dissect the mechanisms of despotism and systemic crimes: denunciation, incarceration, torture, propaganda and electoral fraud. Among these acts of violence against men and women in the 60 years that democracy was absent, the report goes into great detail on the unlimited power of the ruling party and the abuses of the political police.

The seeds of the one-party State, continuously monitoring citizens and mobilizing all public resources to increase its power tenfold, were sown by President Bourguiba upon his accession to the presidency in July 1957. The ruling party became even more powerful and hungry for resources, both public and private, with the advent of President Ben Alis regime in 1987.

Control, monitor and punish

The multiplicity of mechanisms intertwining the interests of the ruling party and of State institutions is one of the most important findings of the IVD investigation teams, reinforced by evidence gathered in numerous archives, the report notes. National and regional members of the party were charged with missions of surveillance, intelligence gathering, infiltration of opposition parties, trade unions and NGOs, punishment, negotiation but also vengeance and compensation. They participated in human rights violations at many levels, particularly during Ben Alis time, according to the IVD.

250 documents were consulted to confirm the mechanisms adopted by the despotic system to establish a one-party State when Ben Alis RCD party membership card [a party created on 27 February 1988] became the identity card of thousands of people, the report says. To strengthen its forces in the field and during election campaigns, the RCD drew on a pool of agents, its activists working in public and semi-public companies who continued to receive their salaries despite their exclusively partisan missions. They were teachers, high school supervisors, civil servants of the Gafsa Phosphate Company, workers at the tobacco factory. The decision to attach them, for a renewable period of one year, to the service of the RCD had to be signed by the Prime Minister and approved by the minister under whom these elected representatives of the party fell. According to an official document dating from 2002 and signed by government Secretary General Mohamed Rachid Kechich, the officials belonging to these elite brigades of the RCD numbered 246, out of a total 1,241 agents made available to NGOs and opposition parties. This opposition was fictitious and totally subservient to Ben Ali.

Other records of the Presidency attest that Ben Ali himself intervened to ensure that officials of the Tunisian Trade Office and Trapsa Corporation (oil transport) were detached from their companies to lend a hand to these opposition parties, such as the Liberal Social Party, the Popular Unity Party, and the Socialist Democratic Movement.

Fictitious jobs and racketeering

Fictitious jobs are another mechanism. Here is how they worked: men and women were officially recruited from the leading Tunisian public and semi-public companies where employees enjoyed the best salaries, multiple bonuses and privileges, such as the Societe de phosphate de Gafsa, Banque de lHabitat, Caisse nationale de securite sociale (CNSS), Societe tunisienne dentreprises de telecommunications (Sotetel) and Tunis Air. But their colleagues never saw these invisible employees because they were charged by Ben Ali in person with the dirty work: propaganda, defamation of opponents, denunciation and infiltration of left-wing parties.

Funding for the RCD, particularly during the election campaigns and festivities of 7 November 1987 (the date of Ben Alis surgical coup detat), mobilized a significant amount of State resources and involved blackmail and predatory tactics. According to the IVD, public companies, private companies, banks and businessmen were all solicited by official letters from the Secretary General of the RCD or the chairs of the partys coordination committees to participate in the success of these political events.

A document from the partys archives, entitled 2004-2009: Comparative table of the financial contributions of businessmen and private companies to President Ben Alis two presidential campaigns, shows that the amount of funds made available to the RCD amounted to 7,751,432,350 dinars (695 million euros) in 2004. In 2009, it almost doubled to 14,874,581,103 dinars (1.322 billion euros).

Another document from the Coordination Committee of the RCD of Manouba, dated 2009, reveals that its administration received substantial sums of money from 22 public companies in the region, including the Razi Psychiatric Hospital, the Mohamed Kassab Institute of Orthopaedics, the National Sanitation Office, the National Crafts Office, the National Oil Distribution Company AGIL and the Tunis Chamber of Commerce  donations estimated at 65 million dinars (5.7 million euros).

General mobilization for funding

In addition to party governance based on racketeering and abuse (maintenance of RCD cars by public companies, non-payment of bank loans, rents, electricity and water bills, membership quotas for their employees in social security funds), party leaders used their position to obtain scholarships for their children and relatives to study at prestigious French and Canadian universities.

The President also received intelligence reports on candidates political positions, membership of the RCD, behaviour in the administration and professional career. One candidate meeting all these criteria was appointed Director General of Veterinary Services and another Director General of the Tunis Institute of Agricultural Research in 2001; a third became Director of the Civil Aviation Office in 2007; and a fourth was named chief of staff of the Communication Technologies Minister in 2009.

All the RCD coordination committees throughout Tunisia but also in the partys cells abroad  the Office des Tunisiens a letranger (OTE) and the Agence tunisienne de communication etrangere (ATCE)  were in charge of actively seeking funding for the party. During election campaigns, public institutions put their car and bus fleets as well as many premises at the service of the party. A RCD document shows that, in September 2002, at the end of the work of the partys Central Committee, 183 buses belonging to the National Transport Company (SNT) and 117 others attached to the fleet of regional transport companies were made available to participants and activists to come and welcome President Ben Ali.

Top secret organigram of the political police

According to a document marked Top Secret sent on 4 September 1991 by RCD Secretary General Chadly Naffati to the Secretaries General of the partys coordinating committees, the intelligence exercised by the various party structures was not excessive individual zeal but the very heart of the party activists mission. The meticulous networking of the country by the omda (heads of local cells), delegates, governors, coordination committees, professional cells within public and semi-public companies, neighbourhood committees, continued and went even further when the political police came into play.

The report of the truth commission states that in the Ministry of the Interior, there was never an administrative structure called the political police. This generic term actually encompasses a repressive system against all dissenting voices, consisting mainly of two services: the Directorate General for Special Services (DGSS) and the Directorate General for Technical Services (DGST). These special security forces, a parallel police force serving an authoritarian political system, carried out extra-judicial actions with total impunity, in return for privileges and rewards. They had special power within the security apparatus, the IVD states. This is what everyone in Tunisia calls the political police.

These intelligence agents, known for their extreme violence, were also found in other departments of the Ministry of the Interior: state security, general intelligence, presidential security. They had a slush fund to finance their operations, which was not subject to any control, even the Court of Auditors. Ben Ali developed and restructured the organization chart of the Interior Ministry, which remained secret for a long time, according to the IVD report, in order to avoid any accountability and erase the chain of responsibilities. The tasks of these agents included manufacturing rumours, photos and defamatory videos against opponents, torture, stalking, telephone tapping, and Internet surveillance.

Less than two months after the fall of Ben Ali on 7 March 2011, political police networks were officially dismantled. However, the Ministry of the Interior refused to hand over its archives to the Commission. The latter succeeded in reconstructing in a different way the organization chart of this ministry, which had remained secret.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  You can be jailed for selling your vote.

This is the warning of Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Spokesperson James Jimenez, with the likelihood vote buying happening as candidate ramp up their campaign less than two weeks before the midterm elections.

"Its an election offense. You can be sent to jail, you can be fined and you can be disqualified from holding public office. Both yan, both the buyer and the seller," Jimenez said in a media briefing on Tuesday.

The Comelec spokesperson responded to a statement of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, P/Gen. Oscar Albayalde that since voters cannot avoid accepting bribes, they should just vote based on their conscience.

P/Col. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, said Albayalde's comment was "made [in] jest," adding that the buying and selling of votes is against the law.

Under the election law, such violations are punishable with up to six years in jail and disqualification from public office.

"COMELEC has always said do not take the money at all and in all instances, vote according to your conscience," Jimenez said.

Based on a study the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG) on the prevalence of vote buying among the poor in Metro Manila, about 40 percent said they saw vote buying take place in their community while only 20 percent admitted to selling their votes. ASOG Dean Ronald Mendoza said the regular rate is usually at 500, but payoffs can go as high as 1,500 to 2,000 in areas where competition is tight. A pook (local) leader earlier revealed to CNN Philippines the amount of a vote increases as election day nears.

Data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Law Department obtained by CNN Philippines show that in the 2013 and 2016 elections, only a total of 171 vote-buying complaints were filed with the poll body. Of those, only six have made it to the court, while no one has landed in jail for vote buying.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  Public school teachers are urging President Rodrigo Duterte to make good on his promise of a pay raise this year.

"We, teacher-leaders from various public school federations and associations in the National Capital Region seek the valuable attention of the President on the fervent appeal of our classroom teachers for the grant of substantial salary increase as your administration has done for the uninformed personnel in 2018," teacher groups said in a two-page letter they delivered to Malacanang on Tuesday.

Led by the Public School Teachers Association in Metro Manila, the teachers reminded the President of his statement in January that he was willing to strike a deal with teachers to give them additional pay in 2019.

"Our federations and associations are very much willing to hold a dialogue with your office for a covenant signing for salary increase of teachers this year," the teachers said.

Policemen and soldiers had doubled salaries in 2018, but Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said there was not enough funds to apply this to public school teachers. In January 2019, Duterte renewed his promise in a speech at the unveiling of a high school in Bulacan.

"I am willing to strike a deal in the presence of Secretary [Leonor] Briones sa mga maestra (teachers). You can choose a date... Kayo ang isusunod ko this year (You are next)," he said.

A Teacher I earns a Salary Grade of 11 or at least 20,754 under the fourth tranche of a pay hike effective this year.

A number of labor groups are also calling for a wage increase, saying the daily minimum wage of P537 in Metro Manila, and even lower in the provinces, is not enough to cope with rising prices of goods and services. Protests have been set for May 1, Labor Day, which is also a holiday.

In a media briefing Tuesday, Malacanang said it defers to the wage boards in determining pay adjustments.

"Ang wage board and magdedetermine kung kailan o kung hindi, depende sa circumstances surrounding whatever petition they have in mind," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.
ASHLAND, Ore. -- "I walk two, three footsteps when I hear a loud bang," Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of the Chabad of Poway shares his story with a crowd in California. "Here is a young man standing with a rifle pointing right at me. and I look at him, he had sunglasses on. I couldn't see his eyes, I couldn't see his soul."

Jewish communities across the country are coming together to show strength in numbers. People gathered for prayer at the Chabad Jewish Center in Ashland on Monday.

Rabbi Avi Zwiebel said, "The best way to respond is not by being afraid and being cowards, that's what the terror wants to achieve, it's by not towering down and showing up to synagogue and being proud of our heritage and not backing down."

Moments after Zwiebel heard the news of the Poway tragedy, he made calls to local agencies to make sure the Chabad Jewish Center is as safe as it can be.

"We are reviewing getting a proper assessment of security measures to put in place and we are going to do training for if this ever happens [so we know] how to respond," Zwiebel told NewsWatch12. "We realize our vulnerability and that that gunshot wasn't just targeted to Lori K. and all those that were in the synagogue, she was targeted because she was jewish, that could happen anywhere."

The Chabad Jewish Center was filled Monday night. There wasn't an empty chair. Some that attended aren't even Jewish and just wanted to be supportive.

"I don't have religious affiliation, but I just don't think it's right," Jen Sturges, an Ashland resident, said. "I wanted to come and experience or share whatever these people are going through here."

Zwiebel says strength is in numbers.

"This week show up to synagogue and let's show them we won't back down."
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Oregon is sending state officials to check on foster children at a Utah facility following a riot during which more than 20 teenagers were injured.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Monday that one Oregon youth was injured Sunday at Red Rock Canyon School in St. George, Utah.

An official says no Oregon youth were directly involved in the altercation in the city 302 miles (486 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City, although one was treated for a shoulder issue and returned to the program.

The psychiatric residential treatment center houses 24 Oregon foster children.

The program is run by Sequel Youth and Family Services, a for-profit company that operates children's treatment facilities nationwide.

Officials say more than 80 Oregon foster children were housed at out-of-state programs as of last week.
PHOENIX, Ore.  Just days after police shot a cougar in Medford, the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) reported that someone spotted a mountain lion on Tuesday.

PPD said that someone had seen a cougar walking along Bear Creek near the corner of N Phoenix Road and Luman Road shortly before 10 a.m.

"The Phoenix Police Department would like to advised the residents in the area and individuals using the greenway in the area to stay alert, keep your pets inside and if you happen to see the cat, call dispatch at (541)776-7206," PPD said.

CLICK HERE for more on the cougar spotted repeatedly in Medford and the decision by police to kill it.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump's lawsuit (all times local):

6:35 a.m.

A German bank being sued by President Donald Trump in his attempt to block congressional subpoenas for his business records says it's "committed to providing appropriate information."

Deutsche Bank spokeswoman Kerrie McHugh said Tuesday in a statement, "We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations."

Trump is suing Deutsche Bank and Capital One. The lawsuit by Trump, his sons Donald Jr. and Eric and his daughter Ivanka was filed Monday in federal court in New York.

Two House committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and several other financial institutions this month as part of investigations into Trump's finances.

The Trump lawsuit seeks to block the financial institutions from disclosing information and complying with the subpoenas.

Capital One hasn't responded to a request for comment.

___

5:40 a.m.

President Donald Trump is suing Deutsche Bank and Capital One in an attempt to block congressional subpoenas for his business records.

The lawsuit by Trump, his sons Donald Jr. and Eric and his daughter Ivanka was filed Monday in federal court in New York. The Trump Organization and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust are among the other plaintiffs.

Two House committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and several other financial institutions earlier this month as part of investigations into Trump's finances.

The Trumps want a federal judge to declare the subpoenas unlawful and unenforceable. The lawsuit also seeks to block the financial institutions from disclosing information and complying with the subpoenas.

The banks have not responded to requests for comment.
Two Democratic candidates for president pose a distinct threat to their partys chances of defeating Donald Trump next year.: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Both represent the purist liberal wing of their party, a faction that has failed to elect a single president since the death of Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. And with only one out of four Americans calling themselves liberals in the last election, the notion that a doctrinaire left-winger can win in 2020 is an exercise in self-delusion.

Two historical examples reinforce that argument. George McGovern in 1972 and Walter Mondale in 1984 carried the liberal banner against incumbent Republicans and suffered historic defeats. Each won exactly one state.

Sanders says he is running to complete a "political revolution" he started in 2016, but at its core, this is not a revolutionary country. This is a moderate center-right country, and the only successful Democrats in the last half-century  Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama  ran on more pragmatic and less ideological platforms than the ones Sanders and Warren are advancing.
In announcing the framework for their initial president search, Clare and Pillen went on to say the NU Board of Regents soon will stage a series of listening sessions so stakeholders can tell them directly what they should look for in Bounds successor.

All sessions will be open to the public, they said.

Nebraskans should welcome the opportunity to offer their thoughts on the search for a new president. Nebraskans should take advantage of the opportunity regents are extending to express qualities they desire in NUs next president.

Weve seen during the years how NU and its four campuses drive the states economy. UNMC, UNL, UNO and UNK deliver academic leadership and the skilled professionals our state needs to grow and create good jobs so our sons and daughters can pursue careers close to home.

Theres no doubt the upcoming search is key to our state. It also is evident the regents selected a terrific leader when they handed the reins to Bounds. He emerged from a field for four public finalists and excelled in guiding NU. We urge the regents to maintain the open approach in selecting the next leader.
A dispute over stolen electronics ended with three men being arrested on kidnapping charges in Pleasant Prairie.

Jeffrey Taylor, 38, of Zion, Ill.; Lewis Fitzpatrick, 37, of Zion, Ill.; and Keany Parks, 40, of North Chicago, Ill., were all charged Tuesday with false imprisonment and disorderly conduct with a dangerous weapon. All three were also facing extradition to Illinois for kidnapping.

According to the criminal complaint, Pleasant Prairie Police were called to a home on the 7800 block of 88th Avenue Saturday afternoon for a disorderly conduct complaint.

Once there, police spoke to Fitzpatrick and a 32-year-old Zion man who said the person who lived in the Pleasant Prairie house had been posting items for sale on Facebook, including amplifiers and subwoofers, that Fitzpatrick said had been stolen from him and from his friends.

Once police separated Fitzpatrick from the 32-year-old, the Zion man told officers that he had been taken to the Pleasant Prairie home, the residence of a friend, against his will. He said Fitzpatrick threatened him with a rifle and punched him in the face.

At the Pleasant Prairie residence, Fitzpatrick himself called police, saying he wanted help getting his things back.

The gun in Fitzpatricks vehicle was an air rifle. There was also marijuana found in the vehicle.

The man told police he feared for his life and thought he was going to be shot.

Fitzpatrick told police he did not kidnap the man and that the man had come to Pleasant Prairie of his own free will. Parks also said he had nothing to do with taking anyone against their will.

Each of the three men is being held on $20,000 bond.

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The Kenosha Community Foundation is now accepting applications for its Cropley Scholarship.

The scholarship was established by the late Ward Cropley, the former head of classified advertising at the Kenosha News, and his wife Jesse.

Ward Cropley, who retired in 1962 after 43 years with the Kenosha News, established the scholarship endowment fund to provide financial assistance to needy and worthy students, who are desirous of and ambitious to receive a college, university, or other higher education, and who without financial assistance, would be unable to acquire such college, university or higher education.

Since 2015, the Kenosha Community Foundation has awarded 17 Cropley Scholarships totaling $46,500.

In 2018, the foundation awarded four Cropley Scholarships  each worth $3,000  to students attending UW-Madison, UW-Parkside (two awards) and UW-Whitewater.

To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must:

Be a resident of Kenosha County.

Be an undergraduate enrolled at an accredited college/university located in the state of Wisconsin and have completed at least one year of study.

Have a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA) out of 4.0.

Submit a scholarship application form, proof of GPA (such as a college transcript) and a photo.

In addition to a short application form and proof of grade point average such as a college transcript, the foundation requests that all applicants answer two questions:

How you are currently paying for your education?

What you want to do once you complete your academic studies?

Responses to each question must be 250 words or less. Applicants responses should be well-written, clear and concise.

The foundation strongly encourages that applicants have a family member or friend review the responses before they submit their application.

New this year: Applicants must attend a university or college located in Wisconsin.

We are making this change in the criteria to align the Cropley Scholarship with three other scholarships that the foundation manages  the Herman and Virginia Gunlach Scholarship, the Bradford High School Class of 1961 Scholarship and the Tremper High School Class of 1971 Scholarship, said foundation executive director Robert Schneider.

All applications must be submitted by email to scholarships@kenoshafoundation.org. The deadline to turn in applications is June 28.

Applications forms can be found at www.kenoshafoundation.org.

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Ten people overdosed on opioids in the city of Kenosha over a four-day period, all of them surviving after being revived with Narcan.

James Poltrock, division chief of emergency medical services for the Kenosha Fire Department, said paramedics were called to the 10 overdose cases between mid-day Thursday through the weekend.

Poltrock said seven of those people were revived by paramedics using Narcan, a medication used to counteract opioid overdose. Three people had been revived by family members or friends using Narcan before paramedics arrived.

Two of the calls in different areas of the city came within four minutes, Poltrock said.

He said the oldest victim was 64; the youngest, 29. The majority were men.

One person was found (unconscious) in a front yard. One person was slumped over in a car, Poltrock said, saying that overdose victims are often found in cars parked on streets or in public parking lots. He said it is important for people in the public who see someone who is slumped in a car to call for help. If you see something, say something. Call 911. Dont wait, he said.

The large number of overdoses over a short time in a relatively concentrated area of Kenosha has advocates on the Kenosha County Opioid Task Force concerned that a batch of strong, fentanyl or fentanyl analog-laced heroin may be being sold in the city.

You dont know what you are getting, Kenosha County Medical Examiner Patrice Hall said, saying people who buy narcotics have no way of knowing the strength of the drug they are purchasing, especially with fentanyl and analogs being added to heroin.

She said, of the five confirmed overdose deaths in the county in 2019, four involved fentanyl or a fentanyl analog. Fentanyl is an opioid pain medication that is about 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine.

Amanda Tuura, a public health nurse with the Kenosha County Health Department, works with people with addiction, including through the Vivitrol program that blocks the effects of opioids for people going through drug treatment.

Tuura said she urges drug users to make sure that, if they do use heroin, they dont use in a place where no one will find them if they overdose. Dont use alone, she said.

She said people who die of overdose are often found alone in locked bathrooms or in cars.

She said the AIDS Resource Center also has plans to begin distributing fentanyl test strips this spring that will help drug users know if heroin is laced with the stronger drug.

Kenosha County has been working to battle the opioid epidemic through programs ranging from treatment courts to counseling programs to peer advisers who work with people after they have been treated following an overdose.

The programs aim to help people overcome addiction.

But another major focus is saving people who are using drugs from overdose deaths. Since 2017, the county has used a grant-funded program to hand out free Narcan and do Narcan training sessions for anyone interested. The health department has trained organizations like police departments to use the drug, but has also trained family members and individuals concerned about people who are addicted. The Aids Resource Center of Wisconsin also distributes free Narcan from its Kenosha office.

Since 2017, the county has distributed 2,362 Narcan kits, according to Debbie Rueber, a health educator with the Kenosha County Health Department. People who have taken the kits have notified the department of 11 people saved, although more could have used the kits without reporting.

Hall said the Narcan distribution program saves lives and gives people who overdose another opportunity to overcome their addiction.

In 2018, Kenosha County did see a sharp decrease in overdose deaths. According to statistics from the medical examiners office, there were 46 drug overdose deaths in 2018, a 19 percent decline from the previous year.

Nationally, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control, overdose deaths fell 3.2 percent through September 2018, falling 4.6 percent during the same time period in Wisconsin.

Free Narcan and Narcan training is available by calling the Kenosha County Division of Health at 262-605-6741 or emailing narcan@kenoshacounty.org, or through the AIDS Resource Center at 262-657-6644 ext. 3004.

Help in finding treatment resources is available through the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Resource Center at 262-764-8555 or through Kenosha County Crisis at 262-657-7188 or 800-236-7188.

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Teachers are calling on the Kenosha Unified School Board and the district administration to collectively bargain a contract with a full cost of living increase of 2.44 percent, along with a $1,500 stipend for all active employees for use in contributing to health savings accounts and anticipated higher out-of-pocket expenses and deductibles for health insurance.

A petition, which began circulating late last month, also states that should such negotiations not progress, teachers would be working to contract, according to an online posting on actionnetwork.org. According to Erin Lampada, a Tremper High School speech language pathologist who spoke before the School Board on Monday night, the district and the KEA are expected to initiate negotiations for wages for the 2019-2020 school year on May 9.

During public comments, she said most staff members have been dissatisfied with the boards decision to switch from WEA Trust to United Health Care. According to Lampada, the results of a teachers union sent to one of the high schools revealed nearly 50 percent are seeking employment elsewhere due to poor compensation and benefits, workload and lack of prep time and overall feelings of not feeling valued.

She did not specify the high school.

I have spoken to several individuals who have already submitted their intent to resign or are giving serious thought to leaving the district, said Lampada, who added she will be among the educators resigning at the end of the year.

Educators have reached a point where there is very little left they are willing to tolerate, and there is motivation to ensure they have some incentive to stay in the district, she added, alluding to the petition.

This petition is a way to ensure that the board and the district leadership are committed to providing a full, cost-of-living increase to all staff, that you will make a concerted effort to help mitigate some of the significant out-of-pocket costs many will experience and that the current teaching and learning conditions in our schools will be improved to ensure the success of all our students.

Under the current health provider contract, which expires in June, Unifieds premiums are just over $60.1 million and were projected to increase to more than $70.4 million upon renewal. The districts total contribution amounts to $50.5 million toward premiums, with employees paying a total of $9.6 million under WEA Trust, according to consultant analysis.

Under the UHC Wisconsin Filed plan voted on by the board in March, total annual premiums would amount to just under $41.8 million, with an estimated district contribution of $37.2 million and total employee contributions at just under $4.6 million. The district looks to save more than $18.3 million, or 30.6 percent, on health care costs.

Tanya Ruder, the districts spokeswoman, said the district initiated the negotiations process on March 28 with the KEA and advised the union that it intends to offer the maximum base wage permitted under law i.e., a 2.44 percent base wage increase across the board for all full-time equivalent employees.

On April 2, the KEA confirmed (its) ability to participate in negotiations, and the district looks forward to negotiating in good faith with them on May 9, Ruder said.

Following the meeting, School Board President Dan Wade said he knows teachers arent happy with the board decision.

I know they are not happy with insurance because they wanted WEA Trust, but (WEA Trust) did come in at the highest bid, Wade said. We have a responsibility to the taxpayers as well, and we did get a lot of savings.

I can say that theres a strong possibility that will be returned to the employees in the form of raises.

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A nurse willing to forgive others. And to forgive herself.

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I was 5 years old on a busy New York City street with my mom, dad, and two sisters. A large man in shabby clothes holding a garbage bag in his hand stood on the corner waiting for the light to change.

My dad reached into his wallet and handed the stranger a $20 bill, patted him on the shoulder, and said, Have a good day, my man.

Dad knew everybody  even strangers, it seemed.

Back then, I didnt know what poor was, but I did know he was a stranger and dressed oddly. And I knew that $20 was a lot of money.

No one explained anything to me, and we just kept walking.

Now, I was raised in the Catholic church where only Catholics go to heaven. We prayed for the public children and their parents because they werent Catholic. They were going to hell.

If you missed a Sunday mass, a very large, dark spot appeared on your soul  youd be going to hell too.

I became defiant as I got older. I met the man of my dreams  or at least thought I did. He was this pseudo-intellectual hippie with Afro-eque hair and a long, unruly beard. His eyes were beedy and blue complementing his thin frame in a way. And he would always smoke those cigarettes. He was my magic man. We played music together, wrote poetry, too. I inhaled and exhaled his every word.

We bought a trailer on five acres, and we were going to live off of the land. I dumped my Catholic religion. As my parents said, we were living in sin.

But I was naive and young and came from a dysfunctional family with a mommie dearest and alcoholic dad. Daddy would drink a gallon of wine a night and bump into walls. Here he was Mr. IBM man who sent us to private Catholic school and owned the big brick house on the good side of town with a cute lake cottage and boat. The big, dark house disguised the sadness, the dysfunction, the negligent parents. The screams of emotional and verbal abuse. The message like a tape recorder over and over again:

Youre dumb and stupid and not pretty.

I thought I broke through  I became that nurse Mom told me I had to be!

We married and had three beautiful children. Before baby three, there was no future vision from my husband. Are we to stay in this two-bedroom trailer?

There was no movement from him. And so I got a second job as a nurse and saved money for a down payment to move out of that trailer and never look back.

It was a sad and tormented marriage. He had many lovers. Many infidelities. And though I put my heart into raising our children with the greatest joy, I always felt degraded and disrespected  and sad.

My husband, Ted, led a life of being a computer guru, public health servant, awesome father, and friend to others in the neighborhood, even a surrogate father to some.

Ted carried a glow to his universe.

Id work 60 hours a week as a nurse to make ends meet. I worked until I was exhausted.

But I carried on.

Thirty-seven years of marriage. And then my life came to a halt.

Tormented years of marriage, of the infidelities, of the emotional abuse. sadness and loneliness and always wishing for that happy marriage that never happened.

And in a blink of an eye, the only man I really ever knew, was gone. Liver and pancreatic cancer with mets to his lungs.

And today I wake up alone except for my pups; they stay by my side. Ive been through therapies to lessen the pain, the anger, the sadness, and the loneliness.

And it was recent that I woke up one morning, as the sun squeezed through my blinds. I had tears in my eyes.

I had rejected Jesus for a very long time.

But today I felt Him.

The five-year-old in me remembered my dad handing a poor man $20.

And there he was. Jesus.

The Jesus in all of us.

Kindness and love and forgiveness.

I felt that glow that I had lost long ago.

An old poem that I had cross-stitched many years ago came out of my top drawer.

Maybe an anonymous author:

He spun a thousand webs to capture me

One was faith, and one was simple grace,

A strand broken out into the wind 

I look today at all the tattered ends

And wove a web of prayer back up to Him.

Tonight I walked the dogs. And I looked up and saw the Big Dipper. I hadnt looked up in a long time.

The beauty of this universe, the stars, the flowers, the oceans, that newborn baby. The mountains.

I stand stripped and humble.

And willing to forgive others.

And to forgive myself.

Debbie Moore-Black is a nurse who blogs at Do Not Resuscitate.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
SEATTLE (AP) - Experts say it appears human error may have caused a crane collapse that killed four people and injured four others in Seattle over the weekend.

Based on videos of the collapse, they say it appears workers who were disassembling the construction crane had removed pins securing the sections of the crane's mast to each other, and that could explain why the crane toppled in relatively minor wind gusts.

South Carolina crane accident investigator Tom Barth said the only safe way to disassemble a tower crane is to hook up the section being removed to another crane, and then remove the pins from that section only. In this case, he says, it appears the workers removed pins from all of the sections in advance.

The same cause was blamed for a crane collapse that killed two workers in Dallas in 2012.

An Oregon ironworker and former Marine has been identified by a labor union as one of the four people killed when a construction crane collapsed in Seattle over the weekend.

Iron Workers Local Union 29 based in Portland, identified him as Travis Corbet.

His wife Samantha Corbet told Seattle television stations that her husband had served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years before becoming an ironworker.

They married last year and planned to go on their honeymoon in June.

Another ironworker killed in Saturday's accident was a member of Iron Workers Local 86, based in Seattle.

Officials say the crane was being disassembled when it fell from a building on Google's new Seattle campus.

It badly damaged the building and struck six cars below.

The ironworkers were in the crane when it fell. The other two people killed were in cars.

Seattle Pacific University said Sunday a freshman student was among those killed when the crane fell from a building under construction on Google's new Seattle campus onto Mercer Street.

The university said in a statement that Sarah Wong was a freshman who intended to major in nursing and lived on campus.

The university says Wong was in a car when the crane fell.
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - A 57-year-old Oregon man has been arrested on suspicion of murder with sexual motivation in the death of a Vancouver woman strangled in her bed nearly 25 years ago.

The Columbian reports Richard Eugene Knapp was booked into Clark County Jail Tuesday.

Audrey Hoellein, who was also known as Audrey Frasier, was found strangled at the Family Tree Apartments July 17, 1994.

A probable cause affidavit filed in Clark County Superior Court says officers who responded to Frasier's apartment that night collected DNA evidence, and that investigators developed a DNA profile for an unknown person.

According to the affidavit advances in forensic science led investigators to Knapp.

Authorities say after months of surveillance investigators obtained a cigarette butt belonging to Knapp and his DNA matched the original profile.

It wasn't known if Knapp had a lawyer.
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Lenovo Z6 Pro with 48MP Quad cameras, 12GB RAM and Snapdragon 855 launched



The Lenovo Z6 Pro is finally official. This is Lenovo's new flagship smartphone. The Z6 Pro is aimed to rival the likes of the upcoming OnePlus 7, as is evident from the price - the base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage costs CNY 2899 (approximately Rs 30,000) while the top variant with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage costs CNY 4999 (approximately Rs 51,900). The Z6 Pro is presently only available in China.



The Z6 Pro offers all the flagship-grade specifications - Snapdragon 855 chipset, up to 12GB RAM, 512GB storage and a quad camera setup at the rear. Lenovo has also announced a 5G variant of the Z6 Pro that will work with three major Chinese telecom operators that operate 5G networks. However, prices and availability for the 5G variant haven't been announced yet.



The Lenovo Z6 Pro is a successor to the Z5 Pro GT. The Z6 Pro ditches the manual sliding display of the Z5 Pro and goes for a conventional display with a waterdrop notch on the top. The display measures 6.3-inches and is a full HD+ AMOLED panel. It also houses an optical in-display fingerprint sensor. The display also supports HDR 10 and DC dimming. There's also a face unlock system.



Underneath, the Z6 Pro relies on the Snapdragon 855 chipset and comes with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. The phone runs on ZUI 11 based on Android 9 Pie. To make it appeal to smartphone gamers, Lenovo has added PC-grade Coldfront liquid cooling system that claims to keep the temperatures under control while playing games. Read More...


With just 11 days to go until Darkness into Light on Saturday, May 11, the event organisers, Pieta, supported by Electric Ireland since 2013, are calling on as many people as possible to join them to raise much need funding and awareness for the prevention of suicide and self-harm and the promotion of positive mental health.

Last year, In Kilkenny, 2,984 people walked in solidarity in Darkness into Light last year. This year the city DIL will start in the city's James Stephens army barracks while the inistioge walk will start from the GAA club.

Over 200,000 people are expected to come together in the pre-dawn hours in 19 countries across 5 continents to take part in the global movement that seeks to remove the stigma around suicide and self-harm and spread the power of hope in Ireland and around the globe.

Last year, Darkness into Light walkers raised 6 million from the event, of which 800,000 was raised across our international venues. Worldwide close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year - one person every 40 seconds. In Ireland 392 people took their own lives in 2017. (Source: National Office for Suicide Prevention.)

2019 marks the 7th year Electric Ireland have walked alongside Pieta to bring hope to customers, staff and communities across Ireland that have been affected by suicide. To join the thousands of people around Ireland who are taking part in this years Darkness into Light 5k walk, go to www.darknessintolight.ie.

The funds raised from Darkness into Light help to keep Pieta centers open, offering free therapy, the 24 /7 Helpline line, education and bereavement counselling for people in need of support. In 2018, over 8,000 clients were supported with face to face therapy by Pieta experts. Since 2006, over 40,000 people received support from our intervention and bereavement counselling services. By the end of this school year, Pieta will have reached out to over 7,500 students with a bespoke schools programme called the Resilience Academy a free programme for second year students in secondary schools designed to increase young peoples resilience, hope for the future, ability to cope with difficult feelings and connection to their school.

Siobhan Leijen, Clinical Manager, Pieta Midlands said: Its difficult to describe the incredibly hopeful feelings created by Darkness Into Light. As a therapist and Clinical Manager we see firsthand the undisputable need for Pieta to be present in our communities. The walk is about far more than just the raising of fund. It brings people together from all over the world every year because the need for change is immense.

Leijen added: Among those who walk are the people we have been so humbled to assist in their greatest time of need, their families, friends, neighbors and coworkers the list is relentless. Darkness Into Light is unity and true human compassion from one human being to another. It is Hope.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  Cagayan has become a new attraction for Chinese businesses, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Tuesday.

Six of the 19 deals signed between Chinese and Philippine businessmen during the Second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing last week involve setting up shop in that part of Northern Luzon. Officials said all the deals are worth a total of $12.2 billion.

They include the creation of the Asparas Yacht Club, a Green Textile Industry Park, the proposed expansion of the Cagayan North International Airport, an integrated resort with theme parks and lithium battery factory, a proposed smart city, and a financial center and hotel-resort complex all within the Cagayan Freeport and Special Economic Zone.

"Theres a good upside in that area and theres a good potential untapped. Chinese investors or any investor will really look at this place," Lopez told CNN Philippines' The Source.

Other agreements involve putting up the South Pulangi hydroelectric power plant, a petrochemical refinery plant in Davao Occidental, and an iron processing plant in Agusan del Norte.

The Cabinet official added that Secretary Raul Lambino has been aggressive in pushing for more projects as administrator of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.

Cagayan is in the northernmost part of the Philippines, and is south of Taiwan and of coastal provinces of Mainland China.

Apart from that, Lopez also noted that some projects are looking to cash in on local tourism.

"Tourism in the Philippines is really a winning sector. Thats where the Philippines can differentiate itself, maganda ang mga tourism investments," he said.

That is seen in deals inked to develop the Grande and Chiquita islands in Subic, plus the Cagayan-based yacht club and theme parks in the works.

Lopez added that the signed business deals are ready to go  which, once in place, can generate at least 21,000 jobs as early as the construction phase.

The Trade chief also dispelled fears that the Chinese will come in and take these new opportunities from Filipinos, saying that the assurance came from the People's Republic of China themselves.

"Unang-una, sinabi ni President Xi Jinping sa ating Pangulong Duterte: obviously, Filipino jobs will be encouraged, sila talaga 'yung priority doon," Lopez said.

[Translation: "First of all, President Xi Jinping told our President Duterte: obviously, Filipino jobs will be encouraged, they are really the priority."]

Some critics have flagged the growing presence of workers from China taking jobs in the Philippines, with a labor group reporting sightings of Chinese construction workers in the country.

Lopez clarified that only "highly technical" positions will be reserved for Chinese employees, with the rest up for grabs for Filipinos.
Several Democratic presidential candidates have embraced Medicare for all as a rallying cry. Others are calling for a variety of health care reforms, such as lowering Medicares eligibility age from the current 65 or offering a government-run public option in health insurance. To health care stocks  especially insurance companies, which in theory could see their businesses shrink or even shut down  many of the proposals are a nightmare. Investors, too, have contracted a bad case of anxiety. Many are dumping health care stocks. Standard & Poors health sector has gained a measly 2.7% this year while the S&P 500 has rocketed ahead 17.1%. (All returns in this article are through April 29 unless otherwise indicated.) But the odds of any radical restructuring of the health care system are somewhere between slim and none. In fact, health care stocks are likely to return to their favored status in the years ahead. Health Care: Its Still All About Politics The political argument is short and likely wont please some people depending on their stance. But as far as Medicare for All or any other type of single-payer medical insurance plan, forget about it  at least anytime soon. The Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) only managed to squeak through Congress because it had the backing of the health care industry. It also was to a large degree a proposal of the conservative Heritage Foundation and was first signed into law in Massachusetts by then-Gov. Mitt Romney.

Theres no way conservative Republicans today, however, would back a huge government expansion in medical care. Even in a best-case scenario for Democrats in which they hold the House and take the White House and the Senate in 2020, Republicans likely would hold enough Senate seats to, via filibuster, deny such a sweeping change in the health care system as anything remotely like Medicare for all. What does seem likely, regardless of which party wins in the next elections, are small steps to cut the price of some prescription medications and, perhaps, incremental expansion of the Affordable Care Act to cover some of those who are currently still uninsured. For the health care industry, that would mean slightly lower prices, but also more health care consumers. The Sectors Woes Are an Outlier This year marks a sharp reversal from 2018, when the S&P 500s health care stocks gained 4.6%  the best performance among all 11 sectors, and far better than the indexs 6.2% decline. Whats more, 2018 marked the fifth time in six years that health care stocks topped the S&P. Health care has long been my favorite sector because it tends to do well in both bull and bear markets. Why? Because demand for better medical treatments is extremely unlikely to stop growing, and health care is one of the last things people stop spending on when times are tight. Ed Yardeni, a market strategist, points out that the oldest of the Baby Boomers  people born in the 20 years after 1945 when World War II ended  turned 65 in 2011. Since the start of that year through March of this year, the number of seniors has increased by 13.3 million to 52.3 million, he writes.
Many people are still in shock after filing their 2018 federal and state income taxes. Because the new federal tax law  the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act  reduced marginal tax rates, many people expected a refund would be coming their way. But for some high-income households, that turned out not be the case.

Get More Taken Out of Each Paycheck.

Those who receive a W-2 form can contact their employer and change the amount of tax deducted from each paycheck for the remainder of 2019. For example, a married person can claim Married, but withhold at higher Single rate and 0 allowances on their Form W-4 payroll withholding form, which will increase the amount of tax taken out of each paycheck.

Set Aside More from Any Bonus or Stock Award.

Employers often dont withhold enough money from these one-time payments, causing people to underestimate how much they need to pay in taxes. Companies usually take out 22% for federal taxes on bonuses and stock awards, but if you are in the 37% tax bracket, you will owe more.

Adopt a Strategic Approach to Charitable Giving.

For those who didnt get the tax benefit of charitable deduction in 2018, consider setting up a Donor Advised Fund (DAF). A DAF enables a person or couple to essentially prepay their charitable contributions for the next few years by setting aside this money in the DAF now. You can decide how much and to which charities to donate the money to over the coming years, while receiving all of the tax benefit this year.
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Belgian cobalt refiner and major lithium-ion battery (LIB) cathode manufacturer, Umicore, lowered its guidance for 2019 earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), reporting challenging market conditions for its Energy & Surface Technologies business group.

The company has seen demand for its cathode materials soften in China and Korea during 2019 with the reduction in Chinese electric vehicle (EV) subsidies taking effect in April impacting domestic LIB producer purchasing, and safety incidents with Korean LIB energy storage systems resulting in a moratorium on new units. A postponed launch of a major EV platform in China is also to blame. Sales of cathode materials of 100kt in 2019 and capacity expansion to 175ktpy by end-2021, have now been pushed out by 1218 months. In addition, lower cobalt prices and artisanal mining feedstock were reported to be impacting Umicores Cobalt & Specialty Materials business, affecting sales volumes and margins.

Roskill view

A pull-forward of EV sales in China ahead of the subsidy change has been cited as the cause of the significant 118% rise to 254,000 of EV units sold in China in Q1 2019. The subsidy reduction capped a period of weaker sentiment and destocking in China that has endured since mid-2018 and that has underpinned recent declines in lithium and cobalt prices and premiums (higher refined output catalysed by higher prices being the other major contributor). Announcements by cobalt intermediates supplier Glencore and lithium producers Livent and Albemarle preceding Umicores announcement, mean this latest news should not have come as a surprise. Nevertheless, while lower subsidies would be expected to impact EV sales, the true effect will only be seen in Q2 sales figures, with Chinas NEV credit system expected to put pressure on OEMs to cover the subsidy cut (at least in part) or face fines that may exceed them, thus maintaining market growth. While the subsidy cut is significant, past reductions have not stopped momentum, and Chinas goal of 2M NEV sales in 2020 is considered a loose but important national target.

Roskill believes Umicores weaker 2019 may be compounded by greater domestic Chinese competition in its cathode material business, especially amongst a growing number of larger producers that are becoming increasingly backward integrated. Roskill estimates Umicores share of cobalt tetroxide (for LCO cathode) and sulphate (for NCM cathode) output was 4% each in 2018, and the company is disadvantaged versus now larger Chinese competitors like Jiana, Huayou, Tengyuan and Jinchuan which have captive mine feedstock of cobalt units in the DRC. While Jiana, Tengyuan and Huayou source concentrate from artisanal mines in the DRC, this practice is now more heavily scrutinised; thus Umicore may simply be disadvantaged by a reliance on more costly third-party metal and hydroxide from the likes of Glencore, placing its operations in the fourth quartile of refined chemical costs. Eyes are now on Chinese cobalt and cathode producers Q1 results to see if the subsidy cut is really to blame for Umicores lower guidance, or if there are other contributing factors that may be company specific.
BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian national to death on Tuesday for producing and trafficking the addictive stimulant methamphetamine, amid heightened tension between Beijing and Ottawa over the arrest of a Huawei Technologies executive.

Canadian Fan Wei was a leader in the production and trafficking scheme, the Jiangmen Intermediate Peoples Court said in a statement.

In response, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland condemned the use of the death penalty, calling it cruel and inhumane punishment which should not be used in any country.

Were very concerned by this sentence. Canada stands firmly opposed to the use of the death penalty everywhere... We are obviously particularly concerned when it is applied to Canadians, she told reporters in Ottawa.

Another suspect, Wu Ziping, was sentenced to death but Wus nationality was not given. The court did not specify the gender of either Fan or Wu.

The court also issued judgments against nine other people, including one American and four Mexicans.

It did not specify what sentences five of the nine received, though it indicated the minimum they got was life in prison. It said the other four were jailed but did not say for how long.

Court officials could not be reached for comment.

All 11 can appeal their sentences.

Fan is the second Canadian to be sentenced to death for drug offences in China this year, during a period of escalating tension between the two countries.

In December, Canadian police arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, at the request of U.S. prosecutors.

U.S. prosecutors have portrayed the company as a threat to national security and alleged it conspired to violate U.S. sanctions. Both Meng, who is out on bail, and Huawei deny the allegations.

China recently arrested two Canadians on national security grounds.

China has also canceled Canadian agribusiness Richardson International Ltds registration to ship canola to China this year.
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Alacer Gold Corp. (TSX: ASR; ASX: AQG), which has an 80% interest in the the Copler Mine in Turkey, reports a profit in the first quarter on sharply higher output and says it is on track to meet production guidance in 2019. First-quarter earnings were put at $3.3 million, or a penny per share, which Alacer says was $23.3 million lower than the year-ago period mainly due to a significantly lower level of incentive tax credits received in the January-March quarter as spending on construction of a sulfide plant concludes. Alacer reports that normalized earnings were $18 million, or 6 cents per share. Gold production was 89,354 ounces in the first quarter, including 36,933 ounces from the sulfide plant. The total was well up from 37,875 in the same period a year ago. Commercial production of the sulfide plant will be declared after continuous stable operations are achieved following the first scheduled shutdown, Alacer says. We had a good start to the year with gold production of over 89,000 ounces, generating positive unlevered free cash flow of ~$35 million in the quarter, says Rod Antal, president and chief executive officer. We are on track to meet our full-year gold production guidance of 320,000 [to] 380,000 ounces from our two producing plants.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Asanko UpBeat About Drill Results At Tontokrom Target

Asanko Gold Inc. (TSX, NYSE American: AKG) says gold has been discovered at the Tontokrom exploration target, part of the Asanko Gold Mine concession in Ghana. The mine is a 50-50 joint venture with Gold Fields Ltd. The company says 10 holes have been drilled for a total of 3,140 meters. Highlights include 74 meters at 1.9 grams of gold per tonne, 57 meters at 3 g/t, 44 meters at 1.7 g/t, plus mineralization open along strike to the southwest and plunging north. The drilling program at Tontokrom continues to deliver exceptional results, clearly demonstrating this deposit has encouraging widths of mineralization and grade in multiple parallel zones, says Greg McCunn, chief executive officer. With the deposit still open along strike, Tontokrom has the potential to become a bulk tonnage, open-pit source of ore feed for the existing milling operations at the AGM.
MOSCOW, April 30 (Reuters) - Russian aluminium producer United Company Rusal Plc has reduced its first-quarter sales of value added products (VAP) by 44 percent from a year ago and by 22 percent from the last quarter of 2018 because of sanctions by the United States.

Washington imposed the sanctions on Rusal, the world's largest aluminium producer outside China, in April 2018 but lifted them on Jan. 27 as company co-owner Oleg Deripaska reduced his stake after months of talks and several extensions of the deadline for sanctions to take full effect. Despite the lifting of the sanctions, the company said that its sales of VAP metal - alloyed ingots, slabs and some other products - were affected in the first quarter since the contracts were constrained by being signed while the company was still under the sanctions.

Sales of VAP metal fell to 259,000 tonnes in the first quarter, while the share of their sales in Rusal's total sales declined to 29 percent from 48 percent a year ago and 38 percent in the last quarter of 2018.

"As a general rule, the volume of sales is recognised at the time of delivery to the customer. Due to VAP lead times from Russian smelters to the customer's plant, VAP sales recognised in 1Q19 represent contracts that were serviced towards the end of 4Q18 and at the beginning of 1Q19," Rusal said in a statement.

Rusal's first-quarter aluminium sales fell 7 percent from a year earlier to 896,000 tonnes, while aluminium production declined by 0.3 percent to 928,000 tonnes, it said.

China's state-controlled Chalco said in March that it boosted its annual aluminium output by 16 percent in 2018, putting it ahead of Rusal as the world's second-biggest publicly traded producer of the metal. In the first quarter, Rusal's average realised price for aluminium fell by 7.8 percent from the previous quarter to $1,949 per tonne, under pressure from a seasonally weak period and the trade wars and U.S.-China tensions, Rusal said.

These trends will continue to negatively impact the aluminium price in the second quarter of 2019, Rusal said, despite the prospect of a potential agreement between China and the U.S. and certain positive economic indicators.

(Reporting by Polina Devitt; editing by Christian Schmollinger)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization, the White House said on Tuesday, which would bring sanctions against Egypts oldest Islamist movement.

The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern and this designation is working its way through the internal process, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an email.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked Trump to make the designation, which Egypt has already done, in a private meeting during a visit to Washington on April 9, a senior U.S. official said, confirming a report in the New York Times on Tuesday.

After the meeting, Trump praised Sisi as a great president while a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers raised concerns about Sisis record on human rights, efforts to keep him in office for many years and planned Russian arms purchases.

Sisi, who ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 and was elected president the following year, has overseen a crackdown on Islamists as well as liberal opposition in Egypt.

The proposal to declare the group a terrorist organization set off a debate within Trumps national security team, the senior U.S. official said.

White House national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo support the designation but officials at the Pentagon and elsewhere have been opposed and want more limited action, the senior official said.

The Brotherhood, which estimates its membership at up to 1 million people, came to power in Egypts first modern free election in 2012, a year after long-serving autocrat Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular uprising. But the movement is now banned and thousands of its supporters and much of its leadership have been jailed.

Istanbul-based Yehya Hamed, who served as investment minister in the Mursi government, said Trump is trying to fight with the wind, pointing to the prominent role of Islamist political parties in Tunisia and Morocco.

What Trump is doing is bringing more instability to the region, Hamed said.

Daniel Benjamin, former State Department coordinator for counterterrorism who now teaches at Dartmouth College, called the move mystifying. He said the State Department had considered the designation in 2017 but came to the conclusion there was no basis for doing so.

Benjamin said domestic political consideration could be at play with Trump facing re-election in 2020. There is no question that there has been an effort to meet the appetites of Trumps very Islamophobic base, he said.

The Egyptian government blamed the Muslim Brotherhood organization for a 2013 suicide bombing at a police station that killed 16 people. The Brotherhood condemned that attack and denies using violence.

Some conservative and anti-Muslim activists have argued for years that the Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt in 1928 and sought to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate by peaceful means, has been a breeding ground for terrorists.

Giving the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist designation could complicate Washingtons relationship with NATO ally Turkey. The organization has close ties with President Tayyip Erdogans ruling AK Party and many of its members fled to Turkey after the groups activities were banned in Egypt.

Turkey is under threat of U.S. sanctions if it pursues plans to purchase Russian S-400 missile defense systems, which are not compatible with NATO systems. Washington says Turkeys purchase of the S-400s would compromise the security of F-35 fighter jets, which are built by Lockheed Martin Corp and use stealth technology.

The U.S. administration debated the terrorist designation for the Muslim Brotherhood shortly after Trump took office in January 2017. (reut.rs/2J0Qefj)

Some branches of the Brotherhood have engaged in anti-government violence and provoked violent government reactions. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, was once a member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

Other offshoots in Turkey and Tunisia have forsworn violence and come to power by democratic means.
By Muvija M and Barbara Lewis

April 30 (Reuters) - Miner and trader Glencore lowered its target for 2019 copper output following severe flooding in Australia as well as safety outages that led to a 7 percent year-on-year drop in production in the first quarter.

The news drove Glencore's share price down 2.4 percent by 0845 GMT on Tuesday.

First quarter copper production fell to 320,700 tonnes, missing BMO Capital Markets' estimate by 11 percent, while cobalt output jumped 56 percent.

Glencore said it expects copper production for the year to be 1,460,000 tonnes, plus or minus 30,000 tonnes. It had earlier forecast approximately 1,540,000 tonnes.

This month, BHP Group , the world's biggest miner, and Rio Tinto , the second biggest listed miner, cut their forecasts for iron ore output after a tropical cyclone in Australia. Glencore also cited safety-related stoppages and smelter outages at Mopani copper mine in Zambia for its first quarter production shortfall.

In addition it narrowed its cobalt outlook, saying full year output should be 57,000 tonnes plus or minus 4,000 tonnes, versus plus or minus 5,000 tonnes previously.

The mining sector as a whole has come under pressure from concerns about its exposure to environmental and political risk.

Glencore is particularly vulnerable because of its presence in countries, viewed as high risk, such as Democratic Republic of Congo, although that is also where most of the world's cobalt, needed for electric vehicles, is found. Glencore's shares fell around 3 percent on Friday after the U.S Commodity Futures Trading Commission said it was investigating possible corrupt practices. This month Glencore's Katanga Mining unit in Congo restarted after work to treat cobalt which had excess uranium content, something that has constrained exports. Shipping also resumed this month but is still subject to monitoring.

Glencore, the world's biggest shipper of seaborne coal, has said it will limit its coal capacity as pressure mounts on miners to help curb carbon emissions.

Its coal output in the first quarter was up 8 percent from a year earlier, reflecting the integration of assets Glencore acquired.

BMO in a note said it was a weak first quarter, but maintained its "outperform" rating.

(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru and Barbara Lewis in London Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Jason Neely)
Henry Cooke at Stuff reports:

Already that lobby is hard at work. This week Family First released a shock poll from reputable company Curia, with just 18 per cent of respondents supporting lifting restrictions of cannabis for recreational use. This was drastically less than the 65 per cent of people in a poll from the same company in 2017 who supported it being either legalised or decriminalised for personal use. A few things explain this. One is the fact that the Family First poll also included a bunch of questions likely to make anyone think twice about relaxing cannabis rules like: Are tobacco companies pushing for cannabis legalisation? and Do you think that drivers using cannabis are more likely or less likely to cause accidents?.

The other is the question. Personal and recreational are very different words. Family First didnt let voters pick and choose between decriminalisation and legalisation, as the earlier poll did, it simply asked if people wanted the Government to Lift restrictions for recreational use, alongside another more popular option to Lift restrictions for medical but not recreational use.

This poll doesnt deliver the knockout blow to proponents of legalisation that Family First might have hoped. But it does show us two things: that the campaign is going to matter a lot and that the wording of the question will too.

This is very astute analysis. The two polls (both done by Curia) show that people respond different ways to how questions are framed, and what they are focused on. If people are thinking about whether people should be criminalised for personal cannabis use, they tend to say no. If people are thinking about the harmful effects of cannabis, they tend to be more cautious.

Until the Government comes up with a specific proposal and wording, it would be a brave person who predicts the outcome in advance.

The Green Party confidence and supply agreement read legalisation not decriminalisation  so this wont be a case of police looking the other way. But legalisation is different everywhere, from state monopolies in Uruguay to big business commercialism in the US. Kiwis will demand a real idea of what path we will be going down, especially as the vote will likely be binding.

Getting the details out in the open could see some supporters fall away as their preferred option is ruled out. On the other hand, it stops the anti-legalisation lobby from filling the void with suggestions every seven-year-old is going to be able to buy a joint at the corner dairy.

I dont favour state monopolies in anything!

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President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera after holding a joint press conference at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap



By Kim Yoo-chul



Chilean President Sebastian Pinera promised to support South Korea's bid to obtain associate member status in the Pacific Alliance, an economic bloc of four Latin American nations, during a summit with President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday.



South Korea, which is currently an observer of the Pacific Alliance, wants to become an associate member to expand trade with the region.



At the summit, Moon told his Chilean counterpart about Seoul's keen interest in becoming an associate member of the Pacific Alliance. The Chilean leader positively responded to the request, saying his country will have thorough discussions over the matter with other members of the economic bloc, Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.



Chile will take the role of "rotating chair" of the trade alliance, which includes Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in the latter half of this year. In 2012, the four nations launched the bloc, which represents a market of 215 million people, 40 percent of Latin America's GDP and 52 percent of regional trade.



During a joint press conference after the summit, Moon said, "South Korea wants to build its free trade agreement network connecting the Asia-Pacific region to Latin America by obtaining member status within the Pacific Alliance."



In response to Moon's remarks, the Chilean leader said all bloc members are on track to expand commercial networks and said the Latin American country will move forward in setting "high-standard free trade."



Pinera arrived here, Sunday, for a two-day state visit after attending the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. He's the first leader of a Latin American country to visit South Korea since Moon took power in 2017.



The two countries also agreed to expand collaboration in emerging business areas such as those linked to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and advanced network technologies.



Cheong Wa Dae officials said follow-up working-level talks will focus primarily on addressing challenges on several fronts such as high logistics costs, relatively low mutual cultural awareness, different levels of institutionalization in each bloc, potentially competing national interests and inadequate infrastructure.



Separately, the Chilean leader remained supportive of President Moon's drive to bring lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula, the Cheong Wa Dae statement added.



The two countries signed an agreement on defense cooperation and three non-binding memoranda of understanding (MOUs). Moon said Seoul will support Chile's efforts to tackle climate-related issues. Chile plans to host a United Nations climate summit, better known as COP25, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in its capital, Santiago, later this year.


Gloria Yoder lives in Flat Rock, Illinois. She likes to cook, bake, garden and being a mom! Readers can send her mail at P.O. Box 157, Middletown, Ohio 45042. For more recipes and information about the Amish lifestyle go to amish365.com.
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Teslas financial results released last week didnt mention that the automakers revenue included $200 million collected from regulatory credits. When Chief Executive Elon Musk answered questions from analysts, he didnt point that out, either.

The number was buried in the official government filing known as Form 10-Q that Tesla filed Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Without the revenue spike  which is unlikely to be repeated, analysts say  the companys first-quarter loss would have been much deeper than the $702 million that Tesla reported. Gross margins on Teslas cars, a key measure of manufacturing profitability and efficiency, would have taken a significant hit.



For the record: The original version of this story misstated the recent low for Teslas stock price.

Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghis reaction? Egad, he said in a note to investors.

Teslas shares fell 1.2% to $238.69 on Tuesday. The $235.14 closing price Friday was its lowest in more than two years.

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The new data add to Teslas already bleak financial picture. The $702-million loss followed a $139-million profit in the previous quarter. Sales fell sharply. Automotive revenue plunged 41%, to $3.7 billion from $6.3 billion in the previous quarter, as vehicle deliveries dropped to 63,000 from 90,700 the previous quarter.

Operating cash flow turned negative  a net $640 million going out the door over the three months compared to a positive $1.23 billion in the previous period. Cash on hand dropped from $3.69 billion at the end of last quarter to $2.2 billion, including $920 million to pay off convertible bonds.

The fall in gross margins was the largest decline in Teslas history, Sacconaghi said in his note. And, he warned, it is likely that Teslas average selling price will fall as cheaper Model 3s come online.

Asked about gross margins, a Tesla spokesman pointed to an investor letter the company published last week: We have refocused on operational efficiency of these businesses and are targeting gross margin improvements throughout this year.

The fact that Tesla did not report the $200 million of credit revenue last week and Musk did not raise it in the analyst call is likely to raise further eyebrows among investors, Sacconaghi wrote. Tesla always saved reporting of those credits for the 10-Q, Sacconaghi said, but he noted that the current amount is unusually high.

Musk blamed falling auto sales in part on difficulties the company encountered shipping cars to Europe and China. (Tesla broke off relations with its main European logistics contractor earlier this year; mislabeled Model 3s were held up at customs in China.) Musk told analysts Wednesday the company will deliver at least 90,000 cars in the second quarter, although it will continue to lose money until the third quarter.

Tesla did reveal a portion of its credit revenue last week, $15 million in Zero Emission Vehicle credits sold to other automakers as part of a California scheme to reduce pollution from internal combustion engines. Because Teslas all-electric offerings emit no tailpipe gases, the company earns credits it can sell to other automakers.

Its the non-ZEV credits that Tesla didnt report until Monday. The company didnt go into detail on where that money came from, but in the past it has sporadically reported non-ZEV credits generally in the range of $15 million to $30 million, about $1,000 per car, Sacconaghi said.

The far higher figure, he speculated, may have come from an emissions pooling deal Tesla recently struck to help Fiat-Chrysler meet greenhouse gas regulations in Europe. The $200 million amounts to $3,000 per car, he said.

Tesla is struggling on a number of fronts. Total solar installations have been declining since Tesla bought Solar City in November 2016  a business founded by Musks cousins. Tesla assumed Solar Citys heavy debt.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Tesla plans to cut solar prices in an attempt to boost sales and profits. Any price cuts could also attract new orders and deposits, which could boost much-needed cash flow for Tesla.

russ.mitchell@latimes.com

Twitter: @russ1mitchell
The Don Pedro hydropower project, just west of Yosemite National Park, has been churning out carbon-free electricity for nearly a century. As the Tuolumne River flows from the Sierra Nevada to the Central Valley, it passes through Don Pedro Dam, spinning four turbine generators.

None of the electricity is counted toward Californias push for more renewable energy on its power grid. A new bill advanced by state lawmakers last week would change that  and its being opposed by environmental groups, who say it would undermine the states landmark clean energy law by limiting the need to build solar farms and wind turbines.

Under Senate Bill 100, which was signed last year by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, California is required to get 100% of its electricity from climate-friendly sources by 2045. The law has become a model for climate change action in other states, with lawmakers in New Mexico and Washington recently approving similar legislation.

But the details of how to get to 100% still need to be worked out. And now SB 386, which was written by state Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), is reviving an old fight thats never been fully resolved.

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Central Valley lawmakers have long argued that large hydropower projects should count toward Californias renewable energy goals. From their perspective, excluding existing hydropower facilities forces utilities to buy additional solar and wind energy, raising energy costs for ratepayers in one of the poorest parts of the state.

But environmentalists are loath to encourage the construction of new dams, which they see as destructive projects that drain rivers and kill fish.

Although the era of dam building in California largely ended decades ago, many climate advocates also oppose categorizing existing hydropower as renewable energy. They say the states renewable energy program was designed to eliminate fossil fuels and create jobs by supporting the growth of new industries  primarily solar and wind power  not to give utilities credit for facilities already built.

Changing the program now to include existing hydropower plants, they say, would seriously undermine SB 100, delaying by as much as a decade the states push to replace gas-fired power plants with solar and wind.

Former state Senate leader Kevin de Leon, who wrote SB 100, called the new bill a bad idea at a terrible time.

California should be focused on how to reduce car and truck pollution, the leading cause of greenhouse gases in our air, instead of trying to unravel Americas most successful climate-fighting law, he said in an interview.

Heres why Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin de Leon are teaming up on climate change 

Hydropower plants such as Don Pedro will ultimately count toward SB 100s target of 100% clean energy by 2045, which defines clean energy as all resources that dont contribute to climate change. But SB 100 also set an interim target of 60% renewable energy by 2030, which hews to a narrower definition that includes solar, wind and geothermal power, as well as a handful of other resources, but excludes large hydroelectric dams.

Its the 60% target that worries climate advocates.

Large hydro projects have produced between 5% and 15% of the states electricity in recent years, depending on rain and snowpack levels. Allowing utilities to include that electricity in their renewable energy tallies, climate advocates say, would reduce the need to build new solar and wind farms between now and 2030. As a result, more gas plants would continue to operate, spewing planet-warming pollution into the atmosphere.

Wind turbines in the Tehachapi-Mojave Wind Resource Area in Kern County on Jan. 8, 2019. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

SB 386 would single out Don Pedro Dam for special treatment, allowing the two Central Valley irrigation districts that own and operate the 203-megawatt hydropower facility to count the generation toward their renewable energy goals. But if lawmakers carve out an exemption for the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts, the bills critics say, other utilities will come clamoring for the same treatment for their large dams.

If they do this for everybody, that completely guts SB 100, said RL Miller, a Los Angeles-area climate activist and chair of the California Democratic Partys environmental caucus. And so I think its very, very dangerous.

SB 386 could come to the Senate floor as soon as this Thursday, although Del Smith, a spokesman for the bills author, said its unlikely to get a vote so soon. The legislation was overwhelmingly approved last week by the Senates energy and utilities committee by a vote of 9 to 1, with three lawmakers not voting.

The committee signed off after hearing from representatives of the two irrigation districts that would benefit.

James McFall, an assistant general manager with the Modesto Irrigation District, told lawmakers that the agency has spent $85 million since 2010 on renewable energy resources that it wouldnt have needed if its share of Don Pedro counted toward the states goals. SB 386, McFall said, would save the utilitys customers  about one-third of whom live in disadvantaged communities  an estimated $14 million over the next decade.

Josh Weimer, government affairs manager for the Turlock Irrigation District, made a similar argument.

We simply want to count the existing carbon-free resources that our customers have paid for, he said.

L.A. Mayor Garcettis Green New Deal would phase out gas-fueled cars 

Together, the irrigation districts sell electricity to roughly 220,000 homes and business in several counties. They also supply irrigation water to nearly 9,000 agricultural customers across more than 200,000 acres. Theyve sparred with regulators and environmentalists over how much water should be left in the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers to support healthy fish populations.

Caballero, the state senator who introduced SB 386, is a moderate Democrat who was elevated from the Assembly to the Senate last year in a district that had been represented by Republicans for nearly a quarter-century. In last weeks committee hearing, she said solar power isnt going anywhere, and described her legislation as a narrow bill that will bring much-needed economic relief to communities in the Central Valley.

Were creating this obligation on the irrigation districts to buy these expensive solar and wind projects, and then to sell off the energy at a loss to their ratepayers. Thats really why we need this bill now, Caballero said.

Representatives from several environmental advocacy groups said they hadnt paid close attention to the bill until last week and were surprised it made it out of committee so easily. On Monday, a coalition of more than 40 groups, including Audubon California, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club California and the Union of Concerned Scientists, sent a letter to state Senate leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) laying out their concerns.

The American Lung Assn. sent a separate letter to Atkins. The group cited its most recent state of the air report, released last week, which ranked several California cities among the most polluted in the country and found that higher temperatures and wildfires fueled by climate change are making air quality even worse. SB 386, the group said, would increase the risk of a heavier reliance on fossil fuels, further fouling the air.

We are deeply concerned that the progress and leadership being shown through Californias critical policies to reduce harmful pollution would be undermined by this measure, and because of the precedent it would set for additional utilities to seek similar concessions, wrote Will Barrett, director of clean air advocacy for the American Lung Assn. in California.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently abandoned a plan to spend billions of dollars rebuilding three natural gas-fired power plants along the coast, including the Scattergood facility in El Segundo, shown on Feb. 11. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

If the Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts really need financial relief, critics of SB 386 say, theres already a provision in the states renewable energy mandate that allows publicly owned electric utilities to limit how much they spend. Matthew Freedman, an attorney with the Utility Reform Network, helped write that provision.

The cost cap limitation is sufficient to deal with the circumstances of these irrigation districts, Freedman told the Senate energy committee. And if this bill were to move forward and become law, you can be guaranteed that every single hydro-owning utility will have a bill before this committee next year seeking identical relief.

Asked why the Turlock district hasnt simply set a cost cap for its renewable energy purchases, spokesman Brandon McMillan said in an email that there has never been any clear guidance or regulatory assurances that a cost cap mechanism would be recognized by state officials. Invoking the cost cap provision, he said, could invite a long, potentially contentious legal/regulatory process that provides no certainty.

Other than the Turlock and Modesto districts, the one supporter of SB 386 identified in the energy committee staffs analysis of the bill is the California Municipal Utilities Assn. Barry Moline, the groups executive director, said the debate over SB 386 should not become a debate about the merits of hydropower.

Turlock and Modesto are standing up for their customers that want moderate costs, Moline said. The Central Valley has higher electric bills than the coast, or almost everywhere else. And thats a significant problem that policymakers have just ignored.

sammy.roth@latimes.com

@Sammy_Roth
A video circulating on the internet that appeared to show SpaceXs astronaut capsule exploding during an April 20 test was leaked from the test area, according to an internal memo issued by a major NASA contractor.

The memo appeared to confirm that the capsule was destroyed  a fact that neither NASA nor SpaceX have yet confirmed publicly.

As most of you are aware, SpaceX conducted a test fire of their crew capsule abort engines at [Cape Canaveral Air Force Station], and they experienced an anomaly, read the email issued by the aerospace company Jacobs and obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Subsequently, video of the failed test  which was not released by SpaceX or NASA  appeared on the internet.

Jacobs provides ground systems capabilities, flight hardware processing and launch operations under a test and operations support contract (TOSC) at Kennedy Space Center. The company said it was clamping down on employees taking photos inside Kennedys gates and warned them they could be fired if they did so.

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The video surfaced shortly after the accident, which SpaceX said occurred during a static fire test of the SuperDraco engines that push the capsule away from a rocket in the case of an emergency. The capsule, called Crew Dragon, is under development for NASA under its Commercial Crew Program, which endeavors to return astronauts to space from U.S. soil for the first time since the space shuttle was retired in 2011.

An accident of this magnitude puts into question the timeline for the program, which has had $6.8 billion in taxpayer dollars pumped into it from NASA through contracts with SpaceX and Boeing, which also is building an astronaut capsule.

But despite the cloud of orange smoke that billowed over the cape after the accident, NASA and SpaceX have been tight-lipped about the extent of the damage to the vehicle. Both have said they are focused on concluding their investigation, which SpaceX is leading with NASAs support, before releasing further details. They have not commented on how the accident may affect the future of the program.

The grainy video of the explosion first appeared on the Twitter account of user Astronaut099 but has since been deleted. It shows the Crew Dragon on a test stand at what appears to be Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where the accident took place. A few seconds into the video, the spacecraft explodes and bursts into flames, while voices are heard shouting expletives.

Oh no! one off-camera voice says.

Test and operations support contract employees were told in the email Monday that they were prohibited from photographing or videotaping operational activities that take place on KSC CCAFS property unless officially authorized, as well as releasing any imagery whatsoever regardless of its origin to the public.

It is up to NASA and other companies onsite to make the determination about what information related to their activities is released to the public, the email read.

Tracy Yates, a spokeswoman for Jacobs on the TOSC contract, confirmed that an email was recently sent out to its employees reminding them of the policy prohibiting the release of images related to TOSC or its customers activities at the space center.

This policy includes a standard warning which states that violation of guidelines could result in disciplinary action up to and including termination and removal from employment, Yates said in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel. This communication was intended as an internal reminder to our TOSC workforce. It is common practice for businesses to provide guidelines to employees regarding the release of information pertaining to company business or activities.

Yates added that the company did not believe a TOSC employee was involved in the video leak and cautioned that the rules were due to the sensitive nature of employees work.

NASA awarded SpaceX $2.6 billion and Boeing $4.2 billion in 2014 to develop their astronaut-rated spacecraft to end the United States dependence on Russia to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station at more than $80 million a seat.

SpaceXs development of the Crew Dragon capsule was moving forward successfully, particularly after the spacecraft performed a six-day test run to the space station in March. Up next, that same capsule was set to perform an in-flight abort test, proving it can separate and move away from the Falcon 9 rocket if there is a threat to astronauts safety.

SpaceX was preparing for that test during the static fire. A test with astronauts on board was initially scheduled for no earlier than July.

The initial investigation into what went wrong is currently focused on preserving the site of the accident, collecting data and developing a timeline of the anomaly, according to NASAs Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, which discussed the issue at a meeting Thursday.
Facebook Inc. unveiled a redesign Tuesday that focuses on the Groups feature of its namesake social network, doubling down on a successful but controversial part of the big blue app. Its another sign that Facebook is moving toward more private, intimate communication.

The changes, announced at the companys annual F8 developers conference in San Jose, make Groups a bigger part of the Facebook user experience. A new design for the Facebook mobile app highlights the groups that users have joined, and it now shows a personalized feed of activity across all the groups people are part of in a special tab. Its also getting a color change: It will be framed in white instead of the companys traditional blue.

The changes are Facebooks biggest in five years, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said onstage at F8. The company has been pushing more aggressively into groups for the last two years as people shy away from posting things publicly and look for more intimate ways to connect with friends and family. Fast-growing meme and community groups have been a recent bright spot for Facebook amid a series of privacy scandals, and the company is also shifting its focus to deal with its own projections that people are spending less time on its namesake site.

It has a much bigger focus on communities and making communities as central as friends, Zuckerberg said.

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The CEO opened his remarks by reiterating Facebooks plan to build a privacy-focused social platform. We dont have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, he said. We need to change the way were running the company today.

Groups, which can be public or private on the social network, can be used to help keep long-distance friends in touch, connect people with similar interests or passions, and organize events. Facebook is also making it easier to discover new groups based on users interests, and it will recommend relevant groups to people when they are in other parts of the app, such as Marketplace, the Gaming tab and the Watch video service. People will also be able to share content directly to their groups using the share button on the main News Feed, the same way they do with friends and family, Facebook said.

The company is even rolling out specific features for different types of groups. For example, members in health-related groups can ask the group administrator to post on their behalf to better protect their privacy. Facebook is also adding more chat features for groups focused on gaming.

The growth of Groups makes it more urgent for Facebook to reckon with the spammers, manipulators and hackers that exploit them to spread misinformation and conspiracy theories, among other things. In special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs indictment of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities over interference in the 2016 U.S. election, for example, several Facebook groups were cited as tools to support President Trumps campaign or oppose Hillary Clintons. More recently, Facebook groups have been blamed for amplifying anger and spreading misinformation during violent protests in France. On WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging service owned by Facebook, private groups have been used to spread dangerous misinformation that has led to physical violence and even deaths.

How WhatsApp is battling misinformation in India, where fake news is part of our culture 

In March, Zuckerberg said Facebook was undertaking a massive overhaul to focus on private, ephemeral and encrypted communication, saying that more people want to interact privately or in more intimate groups rather than the open-sharing model he built the company around. The company also aims to integrate Facebooks different online properties, enabling users to send messages between WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger.

Facebook also unveiled a slew of other new features Tuesday. The companys Dating service is getting a new feature called Secret Crush that lets people express interest in as many as nine of their Facebook friends. If those friends have opted into Facebook Dating, they will get a notification saying someone has a crush on them. If any of those friends adds the original admirer to their Secret Crush list, Facebook makes a match  digitally, at least. Facebook Dating, which was announced at last years F8, is still free to users.

Menlo Park, Calif.-based Facebook is also trying to facilitate non-romantic relationships. A Meet New Friends feature will make recommendations based on some shared connection  such as living in the same city or working at the same company. Its opt-in, so users will only see other people who are open to meeting new friends, the company said. It will also be integrated into Facebook Groups.

The social networks e-commerce service, Marketplace, also is getting an upgrade. People who sell goods on Marketplace will soon be able to take payment directly through Facebook, including shipping costs, the company said. Today, people who sell goods have to arrange payment outside of Facebook, though they can do so via Facebooks messaging app Messenger.

PayPal Holdings Inc. will process payments for purchases made directly inside Marketplace, according to a company spokesperson. Thats the same payments partner Facebooks Instagram is using to process in-app purchases. Facebook also said it was considering charging sellers a fee for facilitating these deals.

We are evaluating a selling fee that is in line with competitive platforms to help cover payment processing and programs such as purchase protection, a spokesperson said.

Also on Tuesday, Facebook said its Oculus virtual reality division will start shipping its new Quest and Rift S headsets on May 21.

The Quest is Facebooks second attempt at a stand-alone VR headset, while the Rift S is an updated version of Oculus classic headset that attaches to a high-end gaming PC. Both devices cost $399. The Rift S has improved straps and better visuals than its predecessor, while the Quest features far better performance than the Oculus Go, Facebooks first completely wireless VR goggles.

In a test, the Oculus Quest was fast to set up, had a clean virtual reality interface, and was comfortable to wear. It synchronizes with a mobile app, like previous Oculus headsets, to load games and set preferences.

The Quest adds Oculus Guardian feature, which sets up virtual boundaries to prevent a person from bumping into real world objects while wearing the headset. It also includes the same controllers as the Rift S, and integrated camera sensors so the device can better sense the external environment.

The Rift S will be able to play more than 1,000 games already available for the earlier Rift, while the Quest headset will be compatible with about 50 apps and games at launch.

The market for VR and augmented reality headsets is forecast to grow 54% this year to 8.9 million units, according to market researcher IDC. Sales of stand-alone headsets like the Quest will account for 59% of the total market for VR devices by 2023, IDC said.
Telemundo Los Angeles news anchor Ana Patricia Candiani is ready to call it a wrap on the sale of her Glendale home.

The newswomans Spanish Revival-style house in the Rossmoyne neighborhood is in escrow but still entertaining backup offers, according to the Multiple Listing Service. The asking price is $999,000.

The well-kept single-story, built in 1928, features hand-troweled stucco walls, vintage tilework, exposed beams and a kiva-style fireplace in the living room.

Three bedrooms and two bathrooms are included within the 1,772 square feet of living space. The galley-style kitchen has been updated and has a dining nook and a breakfast bar.

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Outside, theres a covered patio, a swimmers pool and fruit trees. A two-car garage sits in the rear.

Candiani got her start as a presenter of both television and radio programs in her native Mexico. She previously anchored Telemundos prime time national newscast as well as Radio Unicas national show Muy Temprano.

She won an Emmy for the show Mas Vida on CBS/Telenoticias.

neal.leitereg@latimes.com | Twitter: @LATHotProperty
Laurie Metcalf has a photo taped on her dressing room door of Hillary Clinton in sunglasses checking her Blackberry. Clinton looks cool, even imperious, but that persona is not in the house when Metcalf takes the stage in Hillary and Clinton, Lucas Hnaths new play that gives us an imagined glimpse of the private Hillary.

The performance earned Metcalf her sixth Tony Award nomination Tuesday. Her competition in the lead actress category includes some acting titans: Annette Bening in All My Sons, Laura Donnelly in The Ferryman, Elaine May in The Waverly Gallery, Janet McTeer in Bernhardt/Hamilton and Heidi Schreck in What the Constitution Means to Me. Then again, Metcalf is a winner for two years running, taking home honors as lead actress in Hnaths A Dolls House Part 2 in 2017 and as featured actress last year in Edward Albees Three Tall Women.

Metcalf helped to launch Chicagos Steppenwolf Theatre Company to fame in the 1970s. She made her off-Broadway debut in 1984, but her Broadway debut for the short-lived My Thing of Love in 1995 came during her Roseanne years, by which point TV stardom meant spending less time onstage.

Since 2008, however, Metcalf, 63, has resumed life as a creature of the theater. She returned to Steppenwolf twice, took to the stage in Los Angeles three times, played in Londons West End and appeared off-Broadway four times. This is her seventh Broadway show in that span.

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Laurie Metcalf, right, with Glenda Jackson in Three Tall Women. (Brigitte Lacombe)

Of course, she still found time to deliver her Oscar-nominated performance in Ladybird and to join the return of Roseanne, now famously renamed The Conners after Roseanne Barrs implosion.

Bouncing around and doing other things is what keeps me from burning out on theater, Metcalf says. I like theater by far the most and I like being busy, but five months of it is a stretch and then I need a little break.

Hnath sets Hillary and Clinton in a hotel room during the 2008 primary season, a self-proclaimed alternate universe very much like but maybe slightly different from this one. The actors do not wear wigs or do impersonations, but theres something about Metcalf thats perfect for giving us the private Clinton: She naturally embodies strong but vulnerable women as well as vulnerable but strong women  a slight distinction but a description that Metcalf considers a huge compliment.

TONY AWARDS: The complete list of nominees in every category 

Hillary is on the verge of losing New Hampshire and is frustrated enough with her top aide, Mark (Zak Orth), that she defies him and brings in her brilliant husband, Bill (John Lithgow), with his astute insights and endless baggage. Later, the show features a semi-polite confrontation between the Clintons and the rival candidate, Barack Obama.

The show is funny but also features heartbreaking moments. The audience empathizes with Hillary as she confronts Bill, but even as everyone is rooting for her as the protagonist, she is briefly overshadowed when Obama walks in. Even though its a fictionalized version, you can feel the audience react with a frisson of excitement  a poignant reminder that her loss after the plays action ends yielded something historic and wonderful for Democrats, something many in the audience actively supported.

Im sure each audience member brings their own thoughts of her and them, but maybe those thoughts get a little turned to a different angle, Metcalf says. Its gotta be such an interesting experience. I wish I could walk in blind and see this show. I think Id really like it.

I have no interest, frankly, in doing Shakespeare, Laurie Metcalf says. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

You mostly do new plays, although you mix in occasional modern classics by Arthur Miller, Eugene ONeill and Edward Albee. How do you choose?

Sometimes its whether I respond immediately to the material; other times its who you want to be in the room with. This had both, so it was an extremely easy decision. Im a huge fan of Lucas and of director Joe Mantello.

I have no interest, frankly, in doing Shakespeare. Im interested in contemporary pieces.

Have you developed a shorthand with Mantello after working with him on The Other Place and Three Tall Women?

I wouldnt describe it as shorthand, but we share a common sense of humor and sense of drama. What makes us able to work faster is that I trust him so completely I dont have to second guess or ask about any note he gives me. I write it down in this [she pulls a pad off her desk], and then I go over it the next day and put it in. If actors and a director arent clicking, theres going to be some hesitancy or pushback on both sides. Thats been eliminated.

Is it difficult to balance the humor and the drama? The play is very funny in parts, but it always tilts back to these intimate moments.

Thats what weve been learning during previews. Early on, when Bill and Hillary have been fighting and Bill says, Can I touch you?, we found a way quickly to play that for comedy, but we took that away. We made it start awkward and then have them come together for a real embrace. Its what resets them so they can start talking.

If it was played as funny, it would be too hard to then go into the monologues, especially when she talks about why shes got a wall up.

This is a play about a marriage. There are moments where you cant believe what they just said to each other, and others where you think, Oh, they are a good couple. Theyve been through something together and individually that the majority of us might not even survive  just the campaign trail, let alone one booby-trapped all over the place, not to mention everything else.

You and John Lithgow give performances that are anti-impersonations. But Peter Francis James as Barack has a hint of that famous Obama speaking cadence, and at one point, Lithgow is wearing the kind of running shorts Bill Clinton once did. Were you at all tempted to wear a pants suit?

Lucas stipulates in the script, Please dont do it.

If this play required an impersonation, Id never get cast. So this was very freeing for us to start from scratch

Yet it feels real and there are real events, like Hillary tearing up at a speech in New Hampshire, that are central to the play.

Were not imitating the real people, but theres real history in there. I cant have the experience that the audience does, but I have a feeling that these conversations, which may or may not have been like this behind closed doors, go in and out of focus for people. Yes, its Hillary and Bill, but its not them too.

And then youre left to imagine, Did that happen? Did Obama come over and talk? It must be like an optical illusion at some parts and make you doubt what you knew about them.

Some people have said it feels kind of cathartic for them. Some things get said that you wish Hillary would have  could have  given a voice to, and she just couldnt because of when the play is set and because of having so much of the deck stacked against her for so long.

Theres no reference to Donald Trump. Is the play more poignant and powerful than if Hillary had won in 2016?

I dont know that it would be produce-able if she had won. Its only worth revisiting this moment because of what happened. At the end, the whole audience knows whats in store for her in the next 10 years and the character doesnt. I find that really heartbreaking.

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See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts.
The Tony Awards proved to be a big fan of the underworld, vaulting Hadestown and its folk-operatic reimagining of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth into front-runner status Tuesday with 14 nominations.

Aint Too Proud  The Life and Times of the Temptations, the hit-packed bio-musical that had an earlier run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, followed with 12 nominations. Tootsie, the musical comedy based on the 1982 Dustin Hoffman movie, had 11 nominations including one for lead actor Santino Fontana, a front-runner in that category.

For the record: An earlier version of this report said Aint Too Proud  The Life and Times of the Temptations started its life at the Ahmanson Theatre. It premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Those three productions will face off in the marquee best musical race against Beetlejuice, an adaptation of the 1988 supernatural movie starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, which finished with eight nominations; and The Prom, a heartwarming show about a high school student banned from bringing her girlfriend to their small-town dance, with seven nominations.

TONY AWARDS: The complete list of nominees in every category 

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Hadestown, with book, music and lyrics by Anais Mitchell and direction by Rachel Chavkin, has drawn acclaim since its origin as a 2010 concept album from a regional theater production. It was staged in Canada and London before Broadway. Featured actress Amber Gray, who nabbed a nomination alongside castmates Eva Noblezada, Andre De Shields and Patrick Page, said the musicals appeal stemmed from the contrast between its romantic story lines and its anti-capitalist allegory.

I think Americans in particular are really craving this sort of story right now, something that acknowledges the current political situation onstage but also has these two love stories that just crack people open, Gray said by phone Tuesday. That simple idea of hope is so needed right now.

The Ferryman, written by Jez Butterworth and directed by Sam Mendes. (Joan Marcus)

The shows in contention for best play are The Ferryman, Jez Butterworths ensemble piece set during the Troubles of Northern Ireland in 1981, which has nine nominations; What the Constitution Means to Me, Heidi Schrecks autobiographical and political commentary piece, two nominations; Ink, the hit London transfer that recounts how Rupert Murdoch transformed the British tabloid the Sun, six nominations; Choir Boy, Tarell Alvin McCraneys drama about a prestigious prep school for African American boys (staged at the Geffen Playhouse in 2014), four nominations; and Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, Taylor Macs response to Shakespeares bloodiest tragedy starring Nathan Lane, which overcame decidedly mixed reviews to score seven nominations.

Notably absent from the best play contenders: Aaron Sorkins adaptation of Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird and Lee Halls adaptation of the Oscar-winning 1976 film Network  although Mockingbird did score nine nominations and Network five.

The Ferryman follows members of an Irish clan who, during the autumn harvest, are unexpectedly disturbed by a visitor at their farmhouse. With nominations for director Sam Mendes and three actors of the shows ensemble  and a running time of more than three hours  it has emerged as the play to beat.

I think audiences, be it theater or TV or novels, etc., are totally happy to spend hours on something they connect with, Butterworth said Tuesday via email. But I also get that its entirely reasonable to want to eat dinner before midnight! Ill try to make the next one shorter.

With so many new musicals debuting this season, only two revivals were eligible for nominations. An edgy production of Oklahoma!, which earned eight nominations, will go head to head with Kiss Me, Kate, which collected four. It is the first time in eight years that only two shows will compete for best musical revival.

Kelli OHara, star of Kiss Me, Kate, called it a home run of a season for new work. Although she leads a revival, she added, This is exactly where we want to be  moving forward, hearing from new voices, attacking new subjects in our art. The seasons where we dont have enough new stuff going on, I think those are the ones to worry about.

On collecting her seventh Tony nomination, OHara said by phone: It never gets old. Im incredibly grateful and excited. Its satisfying to work hard and have such a thing happen.

Kelli OHara and Will Chase, of Kiss Me, Kate, both nabbed nominations. (Joan Marcus)

Tony nominee Laurie Metcalf talks Hillary and Clinton 

The nominees for best revival of a play are All My Sons, the Arthur Miller classic with three nominations; Burn This, the revival of Lanford Wilsons intimate drama, three nominations; The Waverly Gallery, Kenneth Lonergans memory play about a woman battling Alzheimers, two nominations; The Boys in the Band, Mart Crowleys 1968 dramedy about pre-Stonewall gay men in New York, two nominations; and Torch Song, Harvey Fiersteins historic work about a gay drag performer, two nominations.

Of course, it wouldnt be the Tonys without a bit of star power. Jeff Daniels got a nod for To Kill a Mockingbird, as did Bryan Cranston for Network. Annette Bening was nominated for All My Sons, a revival of the Arthur Miller classic that got three nominations. Adam Driver got the nod for Burn This, the revival of Lanford Wilsons intimate drama, also with three nominations. Laurie Metcalf was the sole nominee for Hillary and Clinton, Lucas Hnaths imagining of Hillary Clintons 2008 presidential campaign, as was Ruth Wilson for the gender-swapped staging of King Lear.

Its hard to stay mad as hell when youre nominated for a Tony! Cranston said Tuesday morning in a statement that quoted the famous line of his Network character. As a 2014 Tony winner for All the Way and an Olivier Award (Londons equivalent of the Tony) winner for Network, Cranston is the frontrunner for lead actor, with his biggest challenge likely to come from Daniels.

Bryan Cranston in Network (Jan Versweyveld)

Adam Driver, Tony nominee, discusses Burn This and why self-doubt is where I live 

Familiar names not embraced by the Tonys this year included Glenda Jackson, the snubbed star of King Lear, as well as Keri Russell in Burn This, Tracy Letts for All My Sons and John Lithgow for Hillary and Clinton. Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano of True West and Lucas Hedges and Michael Cera for The Waverly Gallery also went overlooked. Armie Hammer missed out for Straight White Men. And though The Boys in the Band featured Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer and Andrew Rannells in its ensemble, its only acting nomination went to Robin De Jesus for his standout featured performance.

Another surprise was the lack of love for Be More Chill, which centers on a teenage outcast whose popularity soars upon ingesting a pill-size supercomputer. The show, which evolved from a 2015 regional production cast recording that went viral, got only one nomination  for Joe Iconis score.

The Cher Show, the musical tracing the performers 50-plus years in showbiz, earned only three nominations (including nods for Stephanie J. Blocks lead performance and Bob Mackies costumes) but was left out of the best musical race. The ambitious King Kong spectacle, reimagining the 1932 tale of the giant ape tragically enchanted by an actress, was recognized in only three craft categories (scenic design, lighting design and sound design).

The 73nd Tony Awards, celebrating the best of the Broadway season, will be held June 9 at Radio City Music Hall. Hosted by James Corden, the ceremony will air on CBS. Bebe Neuwirth and Brandon Victor Dixon read the nominations on behalf of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing on Tuesday morning.

ashley.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @cashleelee
Imagine focusing a camera when Lyndon Johnson began pressing Texas flesh, or being on the scene when Abraham Lincoln started out in Illinois. That same excitement of present-at-the-creation political discovery powers Knock Down the House, and no wonder.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has not always been the most talked about new member of Congress. She hasnt always been so well known that simply using her initials  AOC  conjures either delight or despair somewhere on the political spectrum.

Once, 18 months before her audacious primary challenge to a high-ranking member of the Democratic establishment, she was a bartender schlepping ice from a restaurant basement, an unknown woman putting on makeup in a tiny bathroom mirror and asking, How do you prepare yourself for something you dont know is coming?

To create a successful documentary film its at least as important to be lucky as it is to be good, and director Rachel Lears has been both. By being there at the start of what has already become a legendary career, she captured lightning in a bottle and now shows us the very genuine person behind the media firestorm.

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Knock Down the House did not begin as a film focused on Ocasio-Cortez and it is officially billed as something else: a look at four different and compelling women, each of whom mounted a grassroots primary challenge to an entrenched incumbent.

In truth, each of the other three women Lears follows as they campaign for the 2018 midterms has a fascinating story:

Cori Bush, a registered nurse and ordained pastor galvanized by the events in Ferguson to run in Missouri. The time is always right, she says, to do right.

Paula Jean Swearengin, a coal miners daughter and mad as hell, who took on conservative Democrat and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin.

Amy Vilela sold her house and went into debt to run for the House in Las Vegas after her daughter died due to a hospital situation that a strong healthcare system might have prevented.

All these women, as well as Ocasio-Cortez, were recruited to run by the groups Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress, both dedicated to giving representation to the working class by finding an alternative path to Congress for non-career politicians.

Ocasio-Cortez, who was brought to the groups attention by her brother, was in fact working in a restaurant when she was approached.

The hospitality business is great experience for a politician, she explains early on. Youre on your feet 18 hours a day and youre used to people trying to make you feel bad.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a scene from Knock Down the House. (Netflix)

One reason Ocasio-Cortez features so prominently in Knock Down the House is an accident of geography.

Filmmaker Lears lives in Brooklyn, and because the project didnt have a lot of funding early on, spending time with a fellow New Yorker  in fact getting Ocasio-Cortez on film more than a year before her historic primary victory  made economic sense.

It also becomes clear that the factors that led to AOCs upset victory are the same ones that make her the inevitable focus of a film that is nominally a group portrait.

Smart, impassioned and candid, with the grace of always being herself, she dominates this film just as she ended up dominating incumbent Joseph Crowley  who looks like he never knew what hit him despite being a veteran pol with 20 years in Congress.

Ocasio-Cortez comes increasingly alive in Knock Down the House, which also introduces her supportive boyfriend Riley Roberts and mother Blanca, who poignantly worries about her daughters safety.

She becomes savvy about the political landscape, a quick study who explains why she needs to gather 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot even though the law only requires 1,250.

It all comes together on election night, as Lears shadows Ocasio-Cortez and captures her disbelief as she nears her post-election party and suddenly realizes she has in fact won. Its precisely the kind of you-are-there moment, one of many, that makes Knock Down the House so satisfying.

------------

Knock Down the House

Rated: PG for thematic elements, language and brief smoking

Running time: 1 hour, 26 minutes

Playing: Opens Wednesday at the Landmark, West Los Angeles, and on Netflix
Boyz n the Hood wasnt the first John Singleton film I saw in theaters  that distinction goes to his 1993 romance Poetic Justice  but its the one thats stayed with me the longest. I spent much of my childhood in fear of the grim statistic that opened the film.

It comes at the films opening, in the form of a message flashing across the screen before the action begins: One out of 21 black American males will be murdered in their lifetime. Most will die at the hands of another black male.

Singleton, who died on Monday at the age of 51, following a stroke, was just 23 when he wrote and directed Boyz n the Hood, the 1991 film that made him the youngest and the first black director to be nominated for an Oscar, and minted his status as a visionary in black cinema.

He was pushed by the brutality of a statistic that threatened young black men like him in this country, the realities of which were barely depicted outside of rap music before Singleton  then fresh out of USCs film program  brought the coming-of-age hood drama about a group of black South Central teenagers to screen.

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APPRECIATION: With John Singletons brilliant Boyz N the Hood, the filmmaker found his voice from the start 

The film, which starred Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Laurence Fishburne, Nia Long, Regina King and Angela Bassett, was pulled from Singletons own experiences growing up in South Central during the 1980s, a time when young black men in Los Angeles were six times as likely to be killed as their white peers  a figure amplified in pockets of South Central where the murder rate was more than three times the per-capita rate of L.A.

That kind of ugly truth, and the trauma it brings to those facing it head-on, is what anchored Boyz n the Hood and crisscrosses much of Singletons work, from films like Higher Learning and Baby Boy to his FX series Snowfall.

In the nearly three decades since its release, Boyz n the Hood continues to rank among essential films in the canon of tales spun out of the dark realities of life on the frontlines of the inner city.

Watching it as a young black man felt like a rite of passage.

 With his 1991 drama Boyz N the Hood, director John Singleton became the first African American filmmaker nominated for a directing Oscar. He died following complications from a massive stroke he suffered on April 17.

On the surface, Boyz n the Hood is a cautionary tale about the horrors that confront black youth in neighborhoods devastated by gangs, drugs and violence.

Rappers had already been providing eyewitness dispatches from the hoods they came up in (the films title is lifted directly from an Eazy-E hit that appeared on an N.W.A album ), but the box-office success of Singletons debut spawned an entire subgenre of black-led hip-hop films as movie studios cashed in on a youthful market for street realism that humanized communities barely shown outside of news coverage.

Without Boyz n the Hood there would be no Juice, Menace II Society, Above the Rim, Fresh, South Central or Friday.

And yet it was Singletons exploration of manhood, friendship, optimism and responsibility that made the film hit home for this young black boy growing up in a lower-middle-class community in Cincinnati.

By then, I knew far too well the implications of making the wrong choice or the wrong move growing up in a neighborhood where dealers and bangers became surrogate fathers and big brothers.

It was Singletons exploration of manhood, friendship, optimism and responsibility that made the film hit home for this young black boy.

Id seen boys get jumped into a gang set and fight to survive. Before I could do long division, I mastered which neighborhoods and housing projects to never step foot in. I can easily remember running full speed from the bullets indiscriminately spraying out of a red IROC-Z Camaro; and the face of the man who put a gun to my temple in high school is forever seared into my brain.

Theres an adage that was drilled into me, always by an elder black man in my family or community, The day you were born, there was a pine box and a prison cell built with your name on it.

I imagine Singleton heard those words early in his life. It usually came during some form of the talk  not the one about the birds and the bees, but the one black boys have heard for decades about the threats that await their bodies.

His commitment to showing the realities of what it feels like to be constantly haunted by thoughts of mortality and the trauma of life surrounded by conflict  for me, thats what made Boyz n the Hood stick.

RELATED: Filmmaker John Singleton dies; Boyz n the Hood was his own personal L.A. story 

gerrick.kennedy@latimes.com

For more music news follow me on Twitter:@GerrickKennedy
It was kind of refreshing on Monday to hear Beto ORourke, the former Texas congressman who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, vow that if he becomes president, he will put a halt to new oil and gas leases on federal land on Day One.

Virtually every Republican candidate in 2016 had promised to overturn President Obamas signature law  the Affordable Care Act  on Day One. I can understand why those politicians made the pledge, since they demonized every accomplishment of Obamas.

What I could never understand was why their crowds were so hysterically receptive to the pledge. Why would you cheer a plan to yank health insurance from millions of your fellow Americans?

Global climate change has emerged as a priority in the Democratic field this campaign season. Its a stark difference between the parties. In November, when presented with the results of a study predicting that unchecked climate change will unleash havoc on the American economy, President Trump said, I dont believe it.

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Choosing between a Democrat and Republican should be an easy choice.

Choosing among Democrats, however, feels more like a nightmare right now. Do Democrats want an experienced hand, or a shiny new face? A man? A woman? A person of color? And for many voters, the most important question: Who can beat Trump?

ORourke, who rose from obscurity as a former Texas congressman when he very nearly toppled Republican Sen. Ted Cruz last year, is on a four-day swing through California, which started Saturday in Los Angeles.

Monday, he began his day very early in Yosemite, where he took a walking tour that was synchronized with the unveiling of his sweeping climate change plan.

ORourke continued his theme in the Central Valley, where he spent the afternoon at Modesto Junior College talking about the environment.

Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke listens to environmental advocates on Monday in Yosemite National Park. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP)

He lunched with 20 or so agriculture students who focused on irrigation, and dairy and beef cattle. Then he convened a campus roundtable with a varied group of environmentalists  ranchers, farmers, naturalists, earth science teachers and land management experts  to discuss how climate change is affecting water quality, water supplies and human health.

He listened intently, asked questions that were on point, and kept his notebook open, frequently jotting notes.

The goal, he said, is nothing short of saving the planet for human habitation.

Thats pretty much the position of all the Democratic presidential candidates. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Sens. Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren all say that climate change is a critically important issue.

As Americans begin paying attention to the Democratic field, which stands at 20 now that former Vice President Joe Biden has jumped in, its hard to get a grasp on how they differ on policy, mostly because they dont.

ORourke wasnt even the first Democratic hopeful to vow to end new gas and oil leases on federal land. Warren made the same pledge two weeks ago.

I mean, if they all agree on almost everything, how the heck are Democratic voters supposed to pick just one?

At some point in a presidential primary, almost every candidate seems to have a fleeting moment in the sun.

Then, another swoops in and blots out the light. Or the candidate self-destructs.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean had a lock on the Democratic nomination in 2004 until he flamed out, then sealed his fate with that infamous war whoop in Iowa.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was a formidable Republican challenger in 2012, until he started talking. Oops.

Jeb Bush was going to sweep the Republican field in 2016, until Trump made belittling him into a national Republican pastime.

For Democrats seeking the 2020 nomination, breaking out of the pack is a struggle.

Former Texas congressman Beto ORourke takes a selfie with Anne Kelly, center, director of the Sierra Nevada Research Stations, and environmental advocate Leslie Martinez in Yosemite National Park. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP)

Biden, of course, enters the field on top, with nowhere to go but down (something his nonchalant view of unwelcome touching may be hastening).

March was ORourkes moment. He was on the cover of Vanity Fair, posing on a dirt road next to an open truck door, hands in the back pockets of his jeans, hair tousled, looking, well, Kennedy-esque. I want to be in it. Man, Im just born to be in it, he said, the cringeworthy quotes appearing as cover lines.

ORourke had just lost one of the most expensive Senate races in American history. Why put him on the cover, and not, say Harris, who became a top-tier candidate as soon as she announced her run? Hes probably wondering the same thing now. After all, the attention did him no favors.

This month seemed to belong to South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is young, whip smart, gay and simply everywhere.

Well see who wins the month of May.

Debates are one of the surefire ways to separate the sheep from the goats.

The debates of 2016, between Trump and his numerous Republican opponents, then later between Trump and Hillary Clinton, were some of the most riveting and revealing moments in the campaign. The first Democratic debates are scheduled in late June.

Im looking forward to them with the same anticipation that others feel about this season of Game of Thrones.
A majority of Angelenos say theyre satisfied with their healthcare, public safety and neighborhoods  even their relationships with people with other races and religions.

Yet their opinion on their overall quality of life is just meh.

Why?

Its too expensive here, a new poll suggests.

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The high cost of living  for housing, in particular  continues to be a drag on their satisfaction, according to a recent UCLA quality of life survey conducted in Los Angeles County.

The overall rating is one point above the midpoint, which suggests an overall mediocre rating, said Zev Yaroslavsky, who oversaw the survey as director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. No way to get around that.

The annual survey examines several categories, including transportation, the economy and education. The responses are then weighted by their relative importance to Angelenos, forming an index of the general quality of life.

While satisfaction with some areas, such as the economy, has improved since the survey began in 2016, the most dramatic drop has been for the cost of living. For the first time, a majority of respondents say that housing is the most important factor to their overall satisfaction  suggesting that the rising cost of it is a factor in their views, the report says.

In general, homeowners and older residents were slightly more satisfied with the cost of housing, yet cost concerns cut across all income levels, according to the survey.

The results show the clear effect of the issue on Angelenos lives and perhaps on the regions future.

The survey found, for example, that more than half of the respondents  about 57%  say they or their close friends or family members have considered moving because of rising costs. More than 70% of renters have had that experience.

Despite those growing concerns, the survey did show some progress in other areas over time.

A strong majority of respondents said they were happy with their healthcare, neighborhoods and relationships with residents of different races and religions, though those categories appeared to be less salient in Angelenos lives. The poll also found that county residents overall satisfaction with their jobs and the economy has increased significantly since UCLA began the survey four years ago, up from an index score of 52 to 59.

There was, however, some evidence of a difference in satisfaction among Angelenos by age, income and housing status.

(Los Angeles Times)

In addition to the quality of life questions, the survey also asked Angelenos about the Woolsey wildfire, which burned 96,000 acres, destroyed 1,600 structures and killed three residents last year.

About three in four of the respondents said residents whose homes were destroyed should be allowed to rebuild in the same neighborhood. Yet a similar number said they were opposed to new development in areas with a high wildfire risk.

While the fire  the most destructive in county history  has informed Angelenos views about development, the survey indicates it also might have contributed to a five-point drop in satisfaction about the local environment, down to 56% from 61% four years ago.

Last year, about 23% of respondents said steps being taken to deal with climate change was most important. That increased slightly to 28% this year.

Clearly, we have seen an increase in concern about climate change this year, said Yaroslavsky, a former member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. This undoubtedly has to do with the disastrous California fires we experienced.

To come up with their findings, researchers conducted interviews online and by phone with 1,400 county residents earlier this spring. They asked respondents to rate the issues most important to their quality of life  and their satisfaction with each. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

The overall quality of life index score this year was 56, the same as last year  essentially midpoint on a scale of 10 to 100.

Still, the findings, which were presented at a UCLA conference last week, offer a roadmap to local leaders for focusing their attention and public investment.

This survey is important to our region and its communities, in that it helps capture at a point in time what county residents consider most important to them, personally, said Yaroslavsky.
As John T. Earnest was charged in the Poway synagogue attack Monday, a clearer portrait began to emerge of a troubled 19-year-old consumed by hate.

To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries, the mans family said in an open letter. How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us.

Earnest has been charged with one count of murder with a hate-crime special circumstance and gun allegations, three counts of attempted murder with hate-crime and gun allegations and arson of a house of worship.

Rabbi wounded in synagogue attack becomes global messenger of faith 

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Here is what we know from reporting in the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune:

Suspect trained at health system where victims husband is a doctor

Earnest briefly trained at a Scripps hospital, according to a memo sent Monday to all staff by the health systems chief executive officer.

In a passionate email to all staff and physicians, Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Healths president and CEO, expressed rage at the violence visited on the wife of one of his colleagues.

My rage only got worse once I learned the shooter was a nursing student who had performed some of his clinical training at a Scripps hospital, Van Gorder said. How can anyone who is training or has been trained to save lives take the life of another  because of hate?

While he did not address Earnest by name, Van Gorder did say Monday that the man performed some of his nursing clinical work at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.

Janice Collins, senior director of media relations at Scripps Health, said in an email that Earnests time at the facility was short.

Like all nursing students at the beginning of their studies, he trained at the hospital for short amounts of time as part of his introduction to health care, Collins said in an email. We dont have any observations regarding his performance. A nursing students college instructor is the best person to offer those insights.

Anti-Semitic assaults tripled in 2018, says a new Anti-Defamation League report 

Meanwhile, Scripps was in the process of coping with the slaying of Lori Gilbert-Kaye, the wife of Dr. Howard Kaye, a respected clinician who practices in Scripps Coastal Medical Groups Vista office.

The attack Saturday morning killed Gilbert-Kaye, 60, and injured three others, including the Poway synagogues rabbi.

Hate manifesto at the center of the case

Authorities say Earnest planned his attack on the Poway synagogue for weeks, inspired by horrific acts that preceded it: mass shootings at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and at two mosques in New Zealand. Authorities arrested Earnest soon after the shooting in Poway.

Earnest appears to have left a nine-page manifesto filled with racist rants and details of his personal life. The Rancho Penasquitos resident wrote that he is a nursing student from the depths of California.

In the document titled an open letter, Earnest allegedly said he was inspired by Brenton Tarrant, the Australian white nationalist who is accused of killing 50 people in attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15. It was the worst mass shooting in that countrys modern history.

That shooting, the author wrote, led to his decision a month ago to attack the Chabad in Poway.

How long did it take you to plan the attack? Four weeks. Four weeks ago, I decided I was doing this. Four weeks later, I did it, the manifesto said.

An anti-Semitic letter revealed the authors disgust for Jews and a desire to kill them. Earnest, who is white, said he was willing to sacrifice his future for the sake of my people.

The suspect also championed Robert Bowers  who is accused of killing 11 people and wounding six more in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh six months ago  as well as Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

He identifies himself as a man of European descent. He does not claim any political labels, but asserts that Jews seek to doom the white race.

In the screed, which is filled with quotes from the Bible, Earnest also appears to take credit for an arson attack at an Escondido mosque the week after the New Zealand shootings.

The FBI said Monday that it had received a tip about the manifesto minutes before the Poway attack, but that it was too late to take action.

Federal authorities said the tip included a link to a post but didnt offer specific information about its author or the location threatened. The bureau says its employees immediately took action to identify who wrote the post, but the shooting took place before they finished.

Earnest family: Son now part of history of evil

The Earnest family issued a statement Monday saying that they were shocked by the Poway attack and that they were cooperating with investigators.

Here is the full statement:

We are shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue. But our sadness pales in comparison to the grief and anguish our son has caused for so many innocent people. He has killed and injured the faithful who were gathered in a sacred place on a sacred day. To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries.

Our sons actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold. Like our other five children, he was raised in a family, a faith, and a community that all rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do. How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us, though we are confident that law enforcement will uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act. To that end, our family is cooperating with investigators. We ask only that the media and the public respect our privacy and allow the criminal justice system to work.

Our heavy hearts will forever go out to the victims and survivors. Our thanks go to the first responders who prevented even greater loss of life and the well-wishers who have supported us. And we pray for peace.

A voice of hope emerges

Hours after leaving the hospital, his own wounded hands wrapped in blue bandages, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein steeled himself to face the national media, delivering an emotional recitation of the tragedy.

His message from the shooting, intimately bound as it is to the message of Chabad-Lubavitch, is that heroism is needed to find the light.

The heroism is standing up to evil, standing up to darkness, he said. We cant just be a bystander; we need to be an activist and get out there and be a hero. And light pushes away darkness.
Police took an armed man into custody after he barricaded himself inside a store with customers in Koreatown, authorities said Tuesday afternoon.

Several people were locked inside the store on Vermont Avenue between 7th and 8th streets with the man, said Officer Lizeth Lomeli, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. They have since been released.

Police received reports that the man had a gun and fired shots outside businesses near West 8th Street and South Westmoreland Avenue the store shortly after noon on Tuesday. One person was shot in the foot, though the victims condition was not immediately known.

The gunman then reportedly ran about a mile away, to the area between 7th and 8th streets, and businesses in that area were put on lockdown, according to police and employees in the area. Police pursued the suspect on foot when he ran into the store.

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Theres a lot of SWAT and firetrucks, Monica Kim, an employee of East West Travel Center, which is in the area where the man was barricaded, said earlier. This whole block is blocked by police.

Several news outlets reported that the man was barricaded inside A&A Shine Bargain, but police did not immediately confirm that. Kim said she heard three or four faint shooting sounds nearby. Its unclear whether the man fired shots in that area.

Footage from ABC 7 showed several people being escorted out of one of the stores in the shopping center and led to an armored vehicle, before being released later.

The suspects name will not be released until he is booked.

Colleen Shalby contributed to this report.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra
A federal jury on Monday awarded $3.4 million to the parents of an unarmed man who was fatally shot by an Orange County sheriffs deputy in the parking lot of a Yorba Linda motel in 2016.

During the trial this month, jurors determined that Orange County Sheriffs Deputy Nicholas Petropulos used excessive force when he opened fire on Brandon Lee Witt, who was sitting in a parked car outside an Extended Stay America motel on Feb. 15, 2016.

Witts parents, Kathy Craig and Gary Witt, filed a federal lawsuit against Petropulos and the county more than a year after their sons death, alleging excessive force, battery, negligence and unreasonable search and seizure stemming from the fatal encounter, which lasted less than 10 minutes.

All of these cases are important because a lot of people feel there needs to be some accountability, particularly in regards to shooting cases, said attorney Dale Galipo, who represented Witts parents. I think this verdict has sent a message that people are not going to tolerate the shooting of unarmed people.

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Petropulos was honored as Yorba Lindas Deputy of the Year for 2016-17, according to a post on the sheriffs unions Facebook page. The deputy could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The Orange County Sheriffs Department did not immediately provide a comment on the verdict.

Witt, 39, was sitting in a gold Toyota Avalon in the parking lot of the Extended Stay America shortly before 1 p.m. when Petropulos approached him after he noticed the vehicle was missing a front license plate. Petropulos suspected Witt was under the influence of drugs.

Throughout the encounter, Deputy Petropulos continuously ordered Witt to get out of the car, turn the car off, keep his hands where he could see them, not to put the car in drive, and to place the car in park. Witt repeatedly disobeyed those commands, according to an investigative report released by the Orange County district attorneys office in October 2016.

Investigators said Petropulos lunged toward the car to grab Witts wrists and yelled that he had tried to put the car in drive. Witt pulled Petropulos head and shoulders into the drivers side window of the car, accelerated and used his free arm to rummage around the vehicle. Witt yelled that he was sorry and that he was scared, according to the report.

Petropulos shot Witt in the chest after he stepped on the gas pedal and the car lurched forward, eventually accelerating into a nearby drainage ditch. Witts autopsy revealed he had amphetamines in his system at the time, the report states.

The Orange County district attorneys office, which investigates shootings involving officers, found that Petropulos was justified in shooting Witt because he thought Witt was reaching for a weapon in the car.

However, Galipo said audio and video recordings of the incident that were shown to the jury during the trial provided evidence that the deputy was frustrated by Witts failure to comply with his commands and lost his temper.

At the end of the day, I think the jury felt while [Witt] didnt follow all of the deputys commands, it didnt justify killing him, Galipo said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry
He had faced a rifle-wielding assassin and witnessed the death of a beloved member of his congregation.

Hours after leaving the hospital, his own wounded hands wrapped in blue bandages, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein steeled himself to face the national media, delivering an emotional recitation of the tragedy.

Then he was home at last, in the circle of his family. Taking a moment to himself, he ate a quick meal. Then he returned to the rabbis duty. There was a sit-down television interview to do, and as soon as it was finished, Goldstein took a long call from a national official of Chabad-Lubavitch, the international Jewish movement that had brought him to Poway more than three decades ago.

Yehuda Krinsky had called to tell him that his news conference had carried Chabads words of hope and peace across the world.

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The message from Poway is reaching millions, Goldstein repeated excitedly to his younger brother Zalman and son-in-law Schneur Polter.

Spreading the message of light prevailing over darkness was more than a small solace for Goldstein, who has dedicated his life to a leader who professed and taught us the idea of unconditional love.

To spread that message further, Goldstein consented to one more interview, fighting sleep and pain to tell his story to The Times.

Goldstein said he grew up listening to the teachings of Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the leader who elevated a movement started in a Russian village called Lubavitch into one of the most influential Jewish outreach organizations of the 20th century.

The Rebbe, as he was widely known, himself a Holocaust survivor, addressed a generation of Holocaust survivors and their families who had abandoned their faith due to their suffering, who saw no future in Judaism, Goldstein said.

He embarked on a journey to revive the faith, vitality and the observance of Judaism.

He did it, Goldstein said, by dispatching his students to far-flung corners of the world and United States, to cities that didnt have strong centers of Judaism.

They were spreading a message described by the Jewish Journal in a tribute to Goldstein as a joyful, positive vibe that seems to be wired into every Chabad rabbi and rebbitzen.

As a boy growing up amid the Jewish ferment of the Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhood of Crown Heights, Goldstein was inspired by the challenge.

I said, I want to join,  he said.  I want to go to a city and establish a Jewish presence and attract an assimilated generation and give them a chance to get back to their roots. 

That city would turn out to be Poway, a San Diego suburb that had a growing Jewish population and no synagogue.

Goldsteins introduction to the West Coast came in 1981, when he worked as a summer camp counselor in San Diego.

I really enjoyed it, he said. He came back the following two years.

His path to Poway was blazed by a Kaiser emergency room doctor who had moved there and lobbied Chabads San Diego rabbi, Yonah Fradkin, to set up a Chabad center in his community.

Rabbi Fradkin recruited Goldstein for the job. As a 22-year-old, Goldstein jumped at the offer. They sought permission from the Rebbe, who gave his blessing.

Goldstein and the doctor became fast friends and collaborators.

Together we built the community, Goldstein said. We started in a little storefront, and then we found this piece of property. We put trailers there first. We put modular homes.

In 1996, the permanent synagogue went up. The financing was arranged by a congregation member who was a banker at Wells Fargo.

That congregation member was Lori Gilbert-Kaye, who was gunned down in the synagogue Saturday.

Over the years she had grown close to the Goldstein family, and when Goldsteins daughter Baila was married in Brooklyn in April, she attended.

With bandaged hands, Goldstein fumbled unsuccessfully on his cellphone searching for a photo. His brother found it for him.

It was a photo of Gilbert-Kaye at the wedding dancing with his daughter in her wedding dress.

Shes just incredible, he said, using the present tense.

Struggling to explain his message of hope, arising from such a loss, Goldstein repeatedly used images of light and dark.

He talked about astronomers recently revealed photo of a black hole, a place in the cosmos so dark that it sucks in light.

But around it, he said, was a ring of light.

Our job is to find that light, he said.

His message from the shooting, intimately bound as it is to the message of Chabad-Lubavitch, is that heroism is needed to find the light.

The heroism is standing up to evil, standing up to darkness, he said. We cant just be a bystander; we need to be an activist and get out there and be a hero. And light pushes away darkness.

doug.smith@latimes.com

@LATDoug
Condemned prison inmates in Texas for years could write final statements knowing officials would release their words to the public after they were executed.

Some inmates sounded remorseful in their statements, others unrepentant.

But the statement released last week on behalf of inmate John William Bill King after he was executed for the 1998 dragging death of James Byrd Jr. in Jasper, Texas, while simple, disturbed state Sen. John Whitmire.

Byrd, 49, was black. His three killers were white. One was sentenced to life without parole, the other two were executed. Neither expressed remorse at the executions, attended by several members of Byrds family.

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Kings final statement read: Capital punishment: Them without the capital get the punishment.

Whitmire, elected in 1983 and now the Texas Senates longest-serving member, described the statement in an interview this week as flippant and offensive.

Once and for all the Byrd family was going to have closure, with Kings death, he said, but the state kept his legacy alive.

On Monday, Whitmire wrote to Texas corrections officials demanding they stop issuing such final statements. And on Tuesday, Texas corrections officials agreed to halt the practice ahead of the next scheduled execution Thursday.

Should the offender choose to write a statement, it will be inventoried with their belongings and given to their pre-determined designee after the execution, Bryan Collier, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, wrote in a letter to Whitmire. The agency will only relay to the public the last verbal statement given in the execution chamber.

Whitmire, a Houston Democrat, said he did not oppose allowing condemned inmates a few last words, an opportunity to show remorse, apology, I love you to loved ones. But thats different than a final statement, he said, especially from someone like King, 44, an avowed racist.

He certainly didnt give James Byrd any opportunity for some last words, said Whitmire, chairman of the Texas Senates criminal justice committee. The prison system accommodates the worst of the worst by reading the statement. Why would we accommodate him at all?

It was Kings co-defendants execution that lead Whitmire to complain about Texas satisfying condemned inmates elaborate last-meal requests, ending the practice eight years ago.

Lawrence Russell Brewer, 44, had requested an epic last meal before his 2011 execution: two chicken-fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions; a triple-patty bacon cheeseburger; a cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and jalapenos; a bowl of fried okra with ketchup; one pound of barbecued meat with half a loaf of white bread; three fajitas; a meat-lovers pizza; one pint of Blue Bell Ice Cream; a slab of peanut-butter fudge with crushed peanuts; and three root beers.

He didnt eat any of it, Whitmire said.

Whitmire complained the next day, and Texas restricted final meals to the prison menu. He said he felt the same way about final statements: Why let these convicted capital murderers manipulate the system right up to their last breath?

Some inmates last words have proved incendiary, others bizarre or remorseful.

I did not kill anyone. Yall are killing an innocent man, Jonathan Green said before Texas executed him in 2012 for killing a 12-year-old girl a decade before.

Yosvanis Valle apologized before his 2009 Texas execution in connection with a gang killing, adding, I understand why I am paying this price.

States have great discretion in setting such death penalty procedures, according to Robert Dunham, executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, which researches and tracks executions.

Dunham said eliminating inmates final statements, like any other change to execution protocol, could become grounds for appeal.

On March 28, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped Texas from executing Patrick Murphy after his Buddhist spiritual advisor was denied access to the death chamber because he wasnt on prison staff like other chaplains. Texas corrections officials changed their policy, barring all spiritual advisors from executions, and Murphy is awaiting a new execution date.

Nationwide, 37 executions are scheduled this year, including half a dozen next month in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. Two are scheduled Thursday, both for double murders: Scotty Morrow in Georgia and Dexter Johnson in Texas.
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg met Monday with the Rev. Al Sharpton, as the Indiana mayor faces scrutiny of his record on race and is stepping up his outreach to African Americans.

Buttigieg and the civil rights leader met for lunch in Harlem at Sylvias Restaurant, a cornerstone of black American culture where Sharpton has long brokered difficult racial conversations with embattled political leaders.

Buttigieg said Sharpton suggested the meeting, which he says occurred as his campaign is working to broaden our coalition.

Ive talked a lot about generational change and generational politics, and one of the things I know I needed to do is to be in touch with every generation in the struggle for equality, Buttigieg said.

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Buttigieg said Sharpton wanted to know about his experience as mayor of South Bend and some of his most challenging times as mayor.

Its been complex, and its really formed me in terms of my understanding of race, politics, policy and community, Buttigieg said.

The 37-year-old military veteran and Rhodes scholar has gained in popularity since joining the 2020 race this year.

Along with the increased name recognition have come questions about his record in South Bend, where shortly after taking office Buttigieg fired the citys first black police chief, and about issues of housing and inequality in the city.

Buttigieg said racial justice and equality were important to him, and an important part of South Bends story.

One thing I learned early in is having good intentions is not enough and that things dont look the same depending on your life experience. Policing to economic inclusion, just because youre trying generically to take care of everybody, doesnt mean that support will reach everybody in the same way, he said.

There are too many structural  and in many cases, intentionally built  barriers to that. If youre not equally intentional about tearing down those barriers, youre gonna come up short. Our community held me accountable on that, they really educated me on that.

Buttigieg spent more than an hour at the restaurant, where he ate fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and collard greens before shaking hands with customers.

Earlier this month, Buttigieg was among several Democratic presidential candidates who attended Sharptons National Action Network conference in New York, where he was asked to explain his use of the phrase all lives matter in the early days of the Black Lives Matter movement. The mayor said he meant to show solidarity with the movement but stopped using the phrase when he realized it was antagonistic.

Buttigieg has also said hes learned some hard lessons as mayor, including on race, and that any white candidate needs to show a level of consciousness around issues like white privilege.

He plans to focus on black voters during a visit to South Carolina next month that includes a stop at a historically black university.

Sharpton sat down with another 2020 Democratic hopeful, California Sen. Kamala Harris, in February amid criticism of her record as a prosecutor.
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has released 10 years of tax returns.

Buttigiegs campaign posted the returns online Tuesday, saying candidates for president should play by the rules, pay their fair share and be held accountable by the voters.

The 37-year-old South Bend, Ind., mayor is the latest Democratic presidential contender to release his tax returns. He and other Democrats have criticized President Trump for refusing to do so.

Read More: Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the hottest thing in politics. Can it last? 

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Buttigieg and his husband reported earning $128,630 in taxable income in 2018. They paid $20,136 in federal taxes.

Buttigieg reported a taxable income of negative $3,920 in 2011, when he was running for his first term as mayor.

His highest reported taxable income was $136,129 in 2009, when he was working as a consultant for McKinsey & Co.
Its hard to imagine Southern California without giant pandas. Yet, sadly, the pandas that have become synonymous with the San Diego Zoo made their last public appearance on exhibit Monday and will leave for China sometime in the near future.

Id say they were returning to their homeland  and it is for the panda Bai Yun, 27, who arrived in San Diego in 1996. But the other panda, her son, Xiao Liwu, 6, was born here in San Diego. Alas, theres no birthright citizenship for pandas.

In fact, the contract under which the San Diego Zoo and the other three zoos in the U.S. that have pandas states that all the pandas here are on loan from China. Any offspring born here are sent to China around their third birthday. Xiao got to stay until he was 6. But they all go to China eventually. The 10-year contract with San Diego was extended to 23 years.

So they arent ours. Yet, they are.

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Weve been on panda baby watches, spent (or, some might say, wasted) hours watching the panda cam and become mesmerized by these bears that look like black and white stuffed toys come to life. The panda is the perfect antidote to life today  its not a lean, fast machine of any kind. Its so deliciously Type  C. It just tumbles about, languid and unapologetically round, constantly eating. It deigns to mate but one or two days a year, saving its lust for solitary pursuits like more relaxing and eating.

In those past decades, two different adult males have come and gone. Bao Bao, meanwhile, has given birth to six cubs, the first by artificial insemination and the rest by her second mate, Gao Gao  who went back to China in October.

In the spring of 2000, I went to San Diego with my 2-and-a-half-year-old nephew and his mother, who was game for this adventure despite being eight months pregnant, to visit whichever little panda fur ball of hilarity was the cub of the moment. (A look through the archives indicates that it must have been Hua Mei.) We waited in line, talked in hushed voices (as the zoo staff instructed us all to do, lest we disturb the little one) and hoped the pandas wouldnt wander off exhibit, as was their right, as we got to the front of the line. We were not disappointed. The baby gamboled with her mom and hung upside down from a low-hanging branch until she fell off and the crowd collectively let out a sotto voce awww. She scampered up and resumed playing.

We spent all these years in Southern California fostering them, and now China wants them?

I say: Dont go! Resist! Do what frustrated tenants across California do when threatened with eviction: Lawyer up and fight to keep your home. (Do you really want to winter in China?) Dont amble into the travel crate your keepers have, no doubt, spent months coaxing you to get accustomed to. Dont walk in no matter how much bamboo they pack into it as a lure.

We forget how endangered pandas were two decades ago and how rare it was to have a cub born and survive. The San Diego Zoos giant panda conservation and research program did much to develop new techniques to decrease panda infant mortality. Negotiating a contract with China (the only supplier on Earth of the rare pandas) to get pandas is financially and politically challenging. Zoos reportedly hand over $1 million a year to China for conservation efforts for each year of a contract.

The San Diego Zoo says it has spent millions over the last 25 years furthering conservation efforts for pandas in China. Two decades ago, the wild population of pandas was estimated at under 1,000. In 2014, that number had gone up to more than 1,800. In 2016, the status of giant pandas was upgraded from endangered to vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The San Diego pandas will go to a conservation and research center in China.

Los Angeles tried for pandas once, to no avail. Then-Mayor Jim Hahn attempted a panda deal on a 2002 trade mission to China. Instead, the Chinese offered us golden monkeys. Then the deal for the monkeys fell through too. Once San Diegos pandas depart, only three zoos in the U.S. will still have pandas: the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., Zoo Atlanta and the Memphis Zoo.

I checked the zoos panda cam one last time on Monday and there was a giant panda, gnawing on bamboo, lolling about, its rump covered in bits of grass. Again, I urge  just say no to China
The National Rifle Association has big troubles. Its wildly in debt. The attorney general of New York  where the NRA was founded in 1871 and where it remains incorporated  is investigating the tax-exempt status of what she has called a terrorist organization. The NRAs longtime chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, is in a bitter feud with its outgoing president Oliver North. Accusations are flying, including of attempted extortion and misuse of perhaps millions of dollars.

On the surface, the NRAs problems have little to do with the typical criticisms hurled at it by its biggest detractors. To them, the villainous NRA is too rich, too powerful and too well-run, not an outfit drowning in red ink and dysfunction. But it turns out that its real problems, in part, may stem from its outsized ambitions.

For most of its history, the NRA was a sporting club, dedicated to teaching gun safety and promoting hunting and marksmanship as a pastime. It was founded by two Union Army officers who had noticed that the Confederates tended to be better shots. In the 1930s, it started to dip its toes into lobbying, but in favor of limited gun control. The NRA, for instance, supported the Federal Firearms Act of 1938, which established federal gun licensing requirements. It wasnt until the mid-1970s, after passage of the federal Gun Control Act, that new leadership at the NRA made lobbying for gun rights central to its mission.

The GOP-NRA alliance came downstream from two larger social shifts.

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Still, that mission was notably bipartisan. Working from the common-sense assumption that gun rights would be better protected if support came from both parties, the NRA once supported candidates on either side of the aisle. In the 2000 campaign cycle, it spent $372,000 on some 66 Democratic incumbents. But by 2016, it contributed to just four.

What happened? The easy answer is that as the GOP increasingly embraced gun rights, the Democrats embraced gun control  or the other way around. Which side is guilty of policy extremism depends on your views on gun policy. (Asking which side is guilty of rhetorical extremism is pointless, because both are. The NRA is not a terrorist organization, but neither are its opponents a horde of anarchists, socialists and goons, as the NRAs media arm often portrays them.)

The GOP-NRA alliance came downstream from two larger social shifts. The first is the Big Sort  shorthand for how American society has self-organized not just into red and blue regions, but also worldviews. The end of the NRAs bipartisan lobbying strategy simply reflected the facts on the ground. In 1989, 64% percent of Republicans had a favorable view of the NRA, and so did 49% of Democrats. Today, those numbers are 88% and 24%, respectively.

The second reason is that the parties are weaker than they have ever been. The common assertion that Republican politicians are pro-gun because theyve been bought off with NRA blood money is mostly a paranoid conspiracy theory. The NRA doesnt actually give very much money to politicians, at least compared with, say, organized labor or trial lawyers.

What the NRA does do  incredibly effectively  is organize and inform voters, mobilizing them to vote reliably for philosophically aligned candidates. Historically, that was a function of political parties, but now its been largely outsourced to special-interest groups such as the NRA but also Planned Parenthood for the Democrats. These groups are motivated to get out the vote, but theyre also incentivized to monetize the voters.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

The net effect has been for these interest groups to go all in for the culture war  which is highly effective for fundraising  and take our elections with them.

NRA folks today inveigh against the socialists with the same vehemence they used to reserve for gun-grabbers. UCLA law professor Adam Winkler, author of Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America, observes that NRATV  the online media outlet of the NRA  has strayed far from the gun lane. Now its focused on immigration, race, health care, he told the New Republic. Dana Loesch, an NRA spokeswoman, has called the mainstream news media the rat bastards of the earth who deserve to be curb-stomped.

Weve come a long way since William F. Buckley came out in favor of the Brady Bill.

Political parties once had the desire and resources to manage their own brands  keeping activists and interests at a more healthy distance. Those days are gone. Parties  and the institutions that really run them  are simply uniforms for combatants in the culture war. In such a climate, its no surprise that things such as good corporate governance became an afterthought at the NRA.
To the editor: Virginia Heffernans column, Joe Biden is the white male savior weve finally outgrown, represents the attitude that will destroy the Democrats in 2020.

People like Heffernan eschew pragmatism for ideology. They seem unable to conceive a strategy for achieving long-term goals. Republicans, on the other hand, will fully support a reckless demagogue if he can win.

There will be plenty of time for the Kamala Harrises and the Beto ORourkes if, and only if, they can defeat President Trump. There is a rather large, politically moderate and affluent electorate made up of people who will vote for former Vice President Joe Biden over Trump, but not Sen. Bernie Sanders over Trump.

Take one step at a time. Defeat Trumpism first, and if the Democrats then prove they truly have the peoples backs, Bidens successor can implement more progressive policies.

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Carol Donald-Murray, Vista, Calif.

..

To the editor: Perhaps it comes as no surprise that I would agree with Heffernans take, as I am an older millennial, African American woman hungering to see new leadership emerge.

Electing Biden wont reset the country back to a pre-2016 time. Electing him wont erase the damage Trump has done. All of the bigotry, misogyny, resentment and ignorance that made Trump possible isnt going to go away. It will still be there, lurking, waiting to reveal itself at a later time.

We are better off confronting all of these issues head on, now, and not act if they will just go away.

Margaret Henderson, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: I couldnt agree more with Heffernan, but I believe Biden still has a role to play in the election.

Biden has come out swinging at Trump instead of the other Democratic candidates. True, we already know who Biden is, and he doesnt have to define himself as much as, say, Andrew Yang.

By attacking Trump, Biden will draw the most ire and venomous tweets. This will leave the other candidates free to deliver their messages and explain their policies without the constant name-calling and baiting from Trump.

Janet Dooley, Fawnskin, Calif.

..

To the editor: This feminist found Heffernans piece to be an appalling conglomeration of reverse racism and anti-male sexism.

That Biden found fine people on only one side in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 is to be applauded. That he evoked American heroes of earlier eras is to be celebrated.

My own father, a Russian-born immigrant who fought the Nazis in World War II, was one of those heroes. He quite literally set people free in Germany, and yet Heffernan dismisses his selfless, life-endangering actions as suffused with self-regard. How dare she.

Feminism asserts that all people should be granted equal rights and equal opportunity, including older white men. While my first choice for president is a somewhat younger woman of color from California, I will be proud to support Biden if he is the Democratic nominee.

Marcy M. Rothenberg, Porter Ranch

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Market Overview

Sandalwood oil is derived from steam distillation of chips and billets of various species of sandalwood. It has gained popularity majorly to its woody-floral scent. Apart from the smell, sandalwood oil has many characteristics which has made it useful and beneficial for health and wellness. It has various attributes such as antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and astringent which has increased its applicability in pharmaceuticals.

Increasing concern of skin health among the rising population is driving the market growth of sandalwood oil. Moreover, the historic presence of sandalwood oil in various customs where it is being used from cradle to cremation is adding fuel to the market growth of sandalwood oil. However, the availability of natural sandalwood oil has become rare and expensive which may restraint the growth of sandalwood oil market. Nevertheless, all these factors are projected to contribute to the estimated CAGR of 7.2% of Sandalwood Oil Market during the forecast period 2017-2023.

Sandalwood oil is an essential oil sourced from a small tropical tree known as Indian sandalwood or Santalum album. Its color ranges from pale yellow to golden yellow and is popular for its woody- floral smell. Sandalwood oil creates a calming and harmonizing effect in the minds. Moreover, it holds various attributes such as antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and astringent which is driving the market in pharmaceutical industry as well. Additionally, sandalwood oil has become an integral part in cosmetic products owing to its various skin beneficial attributes.

Key Findings

Sandalwood essential oil is majorly imported by the US from countries such as China, India, Mexico, and Germany

The major exporting countries include India, China, Canada, and Germany

A Free Sample Copy of This Report Is Available upon Request @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4626

Competitive Analysis

The Major Players in the Sandalwood Oil Market -

Doterra International Llc. (US)

Eden Botanicals (US)

Plant Therapy Essential Oils (US)

Santanol Group (Australia)

Sallamander Concepts Pty Ltd (South Africa)

Healing Solutions (US)

Khadi Herbal (India)

Market Segmentation

Sandalwood Oil Market is segmented on the basis of Type, Application, Distribution Channel and Region.

On the basis of Type , Sandalwood Market is segmented as natural and synthetic.

Based on Application , sandalwood oil is segmented on the basis of personal care products, pharmaceuticals, aromatherapy and others.

Based on the Distribution Channel, sandalwood oil is segmented as a store based and non-store based.

Regional Analysis

The Global Sandalwood Oil Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world (RoW). Asia Pacific is dominating the market followed by North America. China and India are dominating the sandalwood oil market in Asia Pacific based on the historic presence of sandalwood oil in the customs and traditions of this region.

European market is attracting sandalwood oil majorly for aromatherapy. Moreover, the Middle East and Africa hold an opportunistic market for sandalwood oil. Additionally, the US, China, Japan, Germany and Singapore are the major importers in this market.

Browse The Full Research Report At @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/sandalwood-oil-market-4626

Intended Audience
Rep. Anthony Brindisi does not want to talk about the Mueller report.

He doesnt want to talk about impeachment. Or subpoenaing President Trumps tax returns. Or the coming onslaught of House investigations.

The freshman Democrat prefers to talk about Spectrum, the loathed local cable company. Fighting the TV and internet provider was a marquee issue in his successful campaign to oust a pro-Trump Republican last year, and hes hoping to do the same while in office, even if his colleagues are getting more attention for focusing on weightier national issues.

As 2020 contenders and progressive House Democrats loudly push the party to pursue articles of impeachment, several moderates elected just months ago in parts of the country where the president is popular are trying to find a way to talk about something  anything  else, knowing that whatever side they take on impeachment is going to anger a sizable chunk of their district and make reelection harder.

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Brindisi is likely to face one of the toughest battles in 2020. His New York state district  a largely rural area of dairy farms dotted by medium-sized towns  is one of the countrys most conservative that is currently represented in Congress by a Democrat. He will run for reelection in a district that voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton by 15 percentage points, the biggest margin of any district that elected a freshman Democrat to the House.

Brindisi is perhaps the most ardent anti-impeachment Democrat. Among the first in the House to come out against removing the president, hed rather keep the conversation back home on the fight between his constituents and Spectrum.

Brindisi says hes responding to what his constituents want, noting that cable is one of the top issues that prompt people to call his office.

The way you win an election, but more importantly govern, is by focusing on issues that people care about, he said in an interview in an American Legion hall in his district. The more we can focus on issues and less on the president, the better it is for the country.

He said his constituents dont wake up thinking about the Mueller report or Russia. Youre thinking about: Im working two jobs, Im struggling to put food on the table, I now just got this big medical bill for my child that I have to figure out how to pay. 

Spectrum  which Brindisi says is charging too much and not providing adequate service  has taken a prominent spot in his first 100 days in office. Weeks into his tenure, he demanded that the FCC explain how it would hold the company accountable. Hes held a roundtable with people who have issues with Spectrum. His first bill would require any cable company fined by its state service commission to make disclosures on fees charged and internet speeds delivered. Hes wrapping the anti-Spectrum campaign in common Democratic themes, such as holding large corporations  which just benefited from a GOP tax cut  accountable.

Officials at Charter Communications, which operates Spectrum, did not comment on Brindisi. But they defended their service. The fact is Spectrum customers across upstate are receiving dramatically faster speeds and better value [than] they did before we began serving the area, the company said in a statement.

Brindisis position puts him at odds with liberal elected officials and voters who propelled the midterm blue wave into Congress just months ago. The Bronx district of Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is geographically only 200 miles away but couldnt be further away politically. Shortly after a redacted version of the Mueller report was released, she said shed support an impeachment resolution, joining a pro-impeachment cohort that includes Reps. Maxine Waters of Los Angeles and Al Green of Texas.

Some moderates, including Brindisi, are trying to walk a tightrope by saying they approve of additional oversight of the White House, such as the Houses investigations into Trump and his businesses, but draw the line at impeachment.

There has to be oversight, he said. But I would prefer to hear more in caucus meetings about what [are] our plans on infrastructure, what are we doing on healthcare costs.

The tension over impeachment gets to the heart of the struggle Democrats have ahead of 2020: If they are going to hang onto their newfound House majority, they need to win again in places like central New York. Brindisi and other moderates need to hang onto some of those Trump voters while not disappointing the Democrats who elected them to serve as a check on the president.

On the whole, the country may be more aligned with Brindisi. Only about one-third of registered voters say Congress should begin impeachment proceedings, according to a recent poll by Morning Consult and Politico. Even among those who view Trump unfavorably, there is not strong support for removing him from office. Only 57% of the people who have unfavorable views of Trump say Congress should start impeachment proceedings. That figure rose to only 64% among people who professed to have very unfavorable views of Trump.

Democratic leaders have tried to tamp down the impeachment talk. All 235 House Democrats were on hand Tuesday for their first closed-door meeting after a two-week recess and not a moment ... was spent on impeachment, said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

Even so, Brindisi and other moderate Democrats may not be able to avoid the uncomfortable topic entirely.

At a town hall meeting in his district last week, Brindisis constituents at first appeared uninterested in talking about Mueller. More than 120 people crowded into a middle-school theater to ask what Brindisi could do about limited broadband internet access and weak cellphone service, helping local dairy farmers become certified organic and the cost of flood insurance.

But after an hour, constituent Jeff Dunckle broached the impeachment question  asking Brindisi to be a vocal supporter of calls for impeachment. The crowd cheered.

In response, Brindisi pledged to speak out when the president was doing something to harm our community, state or country. But he said he didnt want impeachment. Hed rather focus on making sure a foreign country could not again interfere with the election.

The crowd applauded Brindisis reply, but for some people, including Dunckle, the answer appeared to fall flat.

You not only have a responsibility, in my opinion, to the people of New York 22, he said, referring to Brindisis district in a follow-up question. But you also have an astounding responsibility to this country.

Although the town hall crowd skewed liberal, the district does not. Registered Republican voters outnumber Democrats by nearly 30,000, and Brindisi suspects that Trump is popular in this region today.

For that reason, Republicans have made Brindisi a top target in 2020, hoping Trumps position at the top of the ballot will bring those GOP voters to the polls. Former Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney has hinted that shes considering a rematch.

Your first term is your most vulnerable one. Claudia Tenney is over his head like a sword of Damocles, said former Rep. Richard Hanna, a moderate Republican who represented this district from 2011 to 2017 and supported Brindisi in his 2018 campaign. Democrats cannot ignore the fact people like Brindisi are in seats they can easily lose. And its hard to get them back.

Brindisi has successfully balanced overtures to Trump on bipartisan issues like infrastructure while speaking out on certain issues, such as the child-parent separations at the southern U.S. border, according to Luke Perry, director of the Utica College Center of Public Affairs and Election Research. But that equilibrium may be shattered if the House takes a vote on impeachment or a censure of the president.

That could be a crucial moment, Perry said. The grassroots that helped to elevate [Brindisi] are very tolerant and patient with his middle-of-the-road approach. But they were inspired by the election of Donald Trump.That is terrain that he has to tread cautiously.

The latest from Washington 

More stories from Jennifer Haberkorn 
Think about the great California artists of the 20th century. Some names might pop up, like William Wendt, Granville Redmond, Edgar Payne, Guy Rose, Millard Sheets, Richard Diebenkorn, Wayne Thiebaud and John Baldessari.

Women are not always part of the conversation. But an exhibition at the Irvine Museum aims to change that.

Independent Visions: Women Artists of California 1880-1940" spotlights the achievements of female artists who created impressive paintings and sculptures in a variety of styles but often worked in the shadows of more famous men. The group show of about 40 works runs through Jan. 21.

The paintings range chronologically from Eliza Barchus majestic, realist oil on canvas, Three Brothers, Yosemite (1890), to Ruth Peabodys edgy Abstract Composition, an oil on canvas created around 1936.

As Jean Stern, executive director of the Irvine Museum, puts it, many of the female artists had the same education and artistic training as the men. But, like women in other fields, they were caught in the inequities of their time.

They were not afforded the same economic opportunities as the men, Stern said. Therefore, it was a double-edged sword, because the men artists generally found a dealer, they found a market and they painted in essence the same painting over and over again to meet the market demands. The women artists  it was unseemly for a woman to earn a living. They didnt have the same availability to the marketplace as the men, so they werent tied to one style, so they were free to explore.

Take Donna Schuster, for example. The longtime Los Angeles and Orange County resident has a couple of female portraits in the exhibit that are typical of American Impressionist work. Yet, she also has a couple of later paintings, Still Life with Blue Bowl and Los Angeles Harbor, that are more akin to Post-Impressionism and utilize the bright, bold colors of the Fauvists.

You could easily map out five different periods in her art, where there were distinctly different styles, Stern said. The women were the big experimenters.

Independent Visions features watercolor paintings by Marion Kavanagh Wachtel, who is now considered one of the most gifted watercolorists of her time. She was married to Elmer Wachtel, also a highly regarded artist whose favored mediums were oil and pen and ink. Marion didnt want to compete with her oil-painting husband, so she largely avoided that medium, but she took watercolors to new heights.

Large, tropical paintings by Jessie Arms Botke kick off the show. They once decorated the ballroom at the Oaks Hotel in Ojai, part of a gigantic mural that was on display from 1953 to 1992. In 1992, the hotel underwent a renovation and donated the Botke work to the newly formed Irvine Museum.

The Irvine exhibit also features works by Anna A. Hills, an important figure in Orange County art history. She was one of the founding members of the Laguna Beach Art Assn. in 1918, and served as its president from 1922 to 1925 and again from 1927 to 30. Under her leadership, the association purchased land at Pacific Coast Highway and Cliff Drive and built a gallery that would become the Laguna Art Museum.

Were getting a lot of really great feedback, said Dora James, the museums curator of education, about the current exhibition. Sometimes it seems like women artists never existed before. They did struggle for a long time to get recognized. I remember when I was studying art, in the textbook on page 599, there was Georgia OKeeffe. That was about it. Here, people are surprised we have a whole exhibit with just women.

Other artists in the show include Mabel Alvarez, Loren Barton, Elanor Colburn, Meta Cressey, Euphemia Charlton Fortune, Mary Hobart, Grace Carpenter Hudson, Evelyn McCormick, Louise Nimmo, Elsie Palmer Payne, Henrietta Shore, Julia Bracken Wendt, Blanche Whelan and Edith White.

The works on view are from the museums permanent collection, the Irvine family collection, and from other private collectors, including Janet and Mark Hilbert, who are supporting a museum of California art at Chapman University that is expected to open on a temporary basis in February.

Founded by Joan Irvine Smith, the Irvine Museum is on the ground floor of the 17-story Airport Tower, an office building located in an otherwise nondescript, business sector of Irvine. The museum used to be on the 12th floor of the building but relocated to the more spacious ground floor in 2002.

The private, nonprofit museum does not receive any government funding and is supported by a foundation whose chairwoman is Irvine Smith and president is her son, James Irvine Swinden.

The free museum sponsors school tours and pays for bus transportation. The museum also offers tours every Thursday at 11:15 a.m. and provides private tours for groups of 10 or more.

Stern hopes this exhibition of womens art will travel to other venues.

This is so popular, he said. People love this show.

*

IF YOU GO

What: Independent Visions: Women Artists of California 1880-1940"

Where: 18881 Von Karman Ave., Suite 100, Irvine

Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays

Cost: Free

Information: (949) 476-0294 (for general information and to book group tours); irvinemuseum.org
With its bright decor, dangling pinatas and walls adorned with glass liquor bottles, El Matador restaurant in Costa Mesa looks ready for a party.

And thats just whats on tap Thursday as the owners of one of the areas best-known Mexican food joints celebrate the venerable eaterys 50th anniversary.

Owning this place on the 50-year anniversary is very exciting, owner Greg McConaughy said as he sat in the restaurant Monday. Its been a lot of fun to operate this restaurant because of the community.

El Matadors unassuming facade, nestled along bustling Newport Boulevard between a doggie day care and an auto service shop, now boasts a sign trumpeting the anniversary.

New menus  just in this week, McConaughy said  also note the milestone.

The menus include an adage McConaughy says may best sum up his thoughts as he looks around the restaurant: Were still here, so we must be doing something right.

1 / 7 Greg and Jana McConaughy have owned El Matador restaurant in Costa Mesa since 2005. The establishment first opened in 1966. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot) 2 / 7 Owner Greg McConaughy prepares to open El Matador for lunch on Tuesday. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot) 3 / 7 The carnitas platter at El Matador in Costa Mesa. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot) 4 / 7 Costa Mesas El Matador restaurant will celebrate 50 years in business on Thursday. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot) 5 / 7 Esmeralda Segoviano helps a customer at El Matador in Costa Mesa on Tuesday. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot) 6 / 7 Jana McConaughy, who owns El Matador restaurant with her husband, Greg, chats with Casey Weaver at the bar, which has more than 200 varieties of tequila. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot) 7 / 7 Alex Prada prepares for the lunch rush at El Matador in Costa Mesa on Tuesday. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

What better way to toast the half-century mark than with a margarita? From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, patrons who buy any margarita at regular price can get a second for 50 cents.

Marcial Gallardo Sr., a native of Zacatecas, Mexico, opened El Matador in 1966. The restaurant has been open at the same location, 1768 Newport Blvd., ever since, McConaughy said.

After Gallardo died in 2003, a family feud eventually led to Orange County taking control of the restaurant. The county then put El Matador up for auction.

McConaughy, with his wife, Jana, bought the establishment in June 2005. They run it together.

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Since taking over, theyve doubled the size of the restaurant to about 3,000 square feet. They gave the exterior a facelift, remodeled the kitchen, added a new dining room and put in one of the restaurants most prominent features  a bar stocked with more than 200 varieties of tequila.

The menu, though, was left largely intact.

People really like the restaurant, and after wed owned it a couple of months, we realized changing anything would always be a big deal, McConaughy said with a chuckle. We dropped a few things over the years on the menu and there were always people upset.

El Matador has built a hefty roster of regulars in its 50 years, said manager Ernesto Silva, who has worked there since 2004.

The 30-year-old Costa Mesa resident said hes seen the same families come in so often that he has basically watched their children grow up before his eyes.

I grew up with a bunch of their kids just by them coming here, he said. You become part of their environment, sort of, and they become part of ours.

Corona del Mar resident Libby Wallace said she has been going to El Matador virtually her entire life. Shes 54 now and said her parents probably started bringing me here when I was 4.

Were still here, so we must be doing something right. El Matador owner Greg McConaughy on the restaurants 50-year anniversary

One thing I like about it is that its vintage, its old, its been here forever, Wallace said. The food is authentic and tasty. Every time I go, there is someone I know there. It has a great vibe.

Another longtime patron, Newport Beach resident Tina Dougan, said she recalls going on dates at El Matador with her future husband back when they were dating. The couple have now been married 45 years, and El Matador remains a favorite for them.

Dougan said shes a big fan of El Matadors customer service, food and, of course, margaritas.

Its pretty much locals who come here, she said. We run into people all the time that we know.

Costa Mesa resident Fabrizio Khalona, 49, has been a regular at El Matador for about seven years.

The relationships hes made keep him coming back, he said  not only those with El Matadors staff members and owners but with his fellow regulars as well.

Its kind of unique to this establishment, he said as he sipped a Pacifico beer at the bar. It has a very loyal clientele.

An ideal anniversary present for El Matador would be the return of its Ferdinand the Bull statue, which was stolen in early February.

The McConaughys are offering a $250 reward for the safe return of Ferdinand  a 4-foot-tall, 40-pound creature that had been a popular fixture at the restaurant for years.

--

Luke Money, lucas.money@latimes.com

Twitter: @LukeMMoney
A woman charged with murder and driving under the influence in a March 29 crash that killed three Las Vegas teenagers in Huntington Beach had been arrested two years earlier on suspicion of DUI, but because of a processing error the case never got to prosecutors, authorities say.

Bani Duarte, 27, was arrested in San Clemente on June 22, 2016, on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence. A deputy alleged he found her behind the wheel of an SUV illegally parked across multiple spaces at a Circle K convenience store, according to an Orange County Sheriffs Department investigation report.

However, the Sheriffs Department inadvertently did not send its report detailing the incident to the Orange County district attorneys office for possible charges, department spokesman Ray Grangoff said Wednesday.

Typically, the district attorneys office reviews police investigation reports to determine whether and what type of charges should be filed in a case.

A misdemeanor DUI conviction can result in a maximum sentence of six months in jail, along with fines, according to prosecutors.

The deputy who arrested Duarte alleged in his report, released Tuesday, that she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17% and showed signs of intoxication during a field sobriety test.

He also reported that an empty beer bottle and a glass water bottle that had been filled with vodka were found in the car. Duarte told the deputy that the alcohol belonged to her passenger, according to the report.

She was booked at the Sheriffs Department jail, received a citation and was released, Grangoff said.

Grangoff said the agency discovered the processing misstep early last month and launched an internal audit to determine how the case was forgotten. The review of documents from 2016 to this year found no other cases that were missed, he said.

One of the results of the audit is now were immediately sending reports over to the court system, Grangoff said. The importance of sending that over immediately has been emphasized with staff.

Duartes drivers license, which was suspended after her 2016 arrest, was reinstated in June 2017, according to the Sheriffs Department report.

Duarte, a San Clemente resident, faces three counts of murder and one count of driving under the influence causing injury, as well as a possible sentencing enhancement on allegations of inflicting great bodily injury, in connection with the March 29 crash in Huntington Beach. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

If convicted, she could be sentenced to 51 years to life in state prison, according to prosecutors.

Duartes defense attorney, Debra White, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Huntington Beach police allege in a document attached to an arrest warrant that Duartes blood-alcohol level an hour after the crash was 0.28%  more than three times the legal limit.

Officers found a partially empty 1-ounce bottle of vodka in Duartes purse, authorities wrote, and her Hyundai Sonata contained an empty 24-ounce can of a malt beverage that its manufacturer says has 8% alcohol content.

Duarte, a single mother of four children, told officers she had gone out for sushi with a friend and then stopped at the Stag Bar + Kitchen and Baja Sharkeez on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, where she had a total of two vodka sodas and one gelatin shot, according to law enforcement reports.

After leaving Sharkeez, Duarte believed  she was driving southbound on Pacific Coast Highway toward her home in San Clemente, Huntington Beach police Investigator Josh Page wrote. Duarte did not have any recollection of striking any curbs, stopping on PCH, being talked to by witnesses or colliding with the victims in this incident.

A witness who was driving with friends near the Hyundai in Newport Beach told authorities that he watched the car swerve and strike a curb after making a left turn onto West Coast Highway, Page wrote.

The witness, who was not identified, said the Hyundai driver parked just past Prospect Street and got out. The men offered her a ride because they believed she was impaired, but she turned them down, got back in her car and drove toward Huntington Beach, Page wrote.

The men called police and followed the Hyundai until it crashed into a Toyota shortly after 1 a.m. at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Magnolia Street. The Hyundai was traveling at 79 mph when it slammed into the back of the Toyota, which was stopped at a red light, Page wrote.

The impact pushed the Toyota through the intersection and into a pole, and it burst into flames. Three teenagers inside were killed. They were identified as Brooke Hawley, 17, Dylan Mack, 18, and A.J. Rossi, 17, all of whom were visiting Southern California from Las Vegas for spring break.

Alexis Vargas, a fourth teenager in the Toyota, survived the crash and was taken to a hospital for treatment, authorities said.

Duarte, who is listed in jail records as a receptionist, was initially arrested after the crash on suspicion of driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter and posted $100,000 bail three days later.

Investigators said they arrested Duarte again April 29 in Downey on a warrant after they received information that she may have intended to flee the country to avoid prosecution. It isnt clear what information led to that conclusion.

She is being held in Orange County Jail in Santa Ana with bail set at $4 million.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
A man was arrested Friday on suspicion of plotting terrorism intended to cause mass casualties, including a potential attack at a Huntington Beach rally Saturday, authorities said.

The FBI said former Army infantryman Mark Steven Domingo, 26, of Reseda was arrested after he accepted what he thought was a live bomb from an undercover FBI agent posing as a bomb maker.

Domingo was charged Saturday with attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

FBI investigators said Domingo revealed in online posts and conversations that he supported violent jihad and wanted to seek retribution for recent attacks against Muslims, according to an affidavit that accompanied the criminal complaint filed by the U.S. attorneys office, which was unsealed Monday.

America needs another Vegas: How hateful comments online turned into L.A. terrorism plot investigation 

Authorities allege Domingo plotted to detonate an improvised explosive device at a rally scheduled in Long Beach this past weekend. When it looked like the rally might be canceled, court documents allege, Domingo considered targeting a Huntington Beach event instead.

In a statement, Domingos family expressed shock at the accusations against him but declined to comment further.

In court Monday, his public defender, David Israel Wasserman, said Domingo did not carry out any of the alleged threats and didnt have a criminal record.

The Long Beach rally at Bluff Park was organized by a group called United Patriot National Front. The group created a Facebook event called Freedoms Safest Place, describing the rally as supporting freedom and free speech, according to the Long Beach Post. However, local activists called the event a white nationalist rally and said UPNF has ties to far-right groups, according to the Post.

A group called What You Can Do Now organized a rally in Huntington Beach on Saturday to protest Californias sanctuary state law that gives expanded protections to undocumented immigrants. Protesters congregated at Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway, with counter-protesters gathering across the street.

U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna speaks at a news conference in Los Angeles announcing the arrest of Mark Steven Domingo. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

On April 23, Domingo met with an FBI informant and said he was worried the Long Beach rally might be canceled. He proposed the Huntington Beach rally as an alternative, according to the affidavit.

Domingo said the Huntington Beach rally would be on the beach, which may make it more difficult to kill as many people because it was a wide open space, the affidavit said. Domingo ultimately didnt further the plot aimed at Huntington Beach, according to court documents.

On Friday, Domingo met with an undercover FBI source and undercover agent to scout the location of the Long Beach rally. Domingo said the plan was to arrive early to the event Sunday morning and pose as counter-protesters, according to court documents.

The FBI agent delivered to Domingo what the suspect thought were IEDs and showed him how to operate them, the affidavit said. The devices were not functional explosives.

According to the affidavit, Domingo said that if he and his accomplices survived the planned attack, he wanted to attack the Port of Long Beach and a train.

The planned rally at Bluff Park did not go ahead, as United Patriot National Front didnt show up.

Law enforcement officials said they didnt warn organizers of either rally because Domingo was captured Friday and investigators didnt believe he had any co-conspirators.

This investigation successfully disrupted a very real threat posed by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to cause the maximum number of casualties, said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna. Protecting Americans from terror attacks is the No. 1 priority of the Justice Department, and anyone who plots to use a weapon of mass destruction will be held to account.

If convicted of the charge of attempting to provide material support to terrorists, Domingo could face up to 15 years in federal prison, the U.S. attorneys office said.

Domingo had been assigned to Fort Campbell in Kentucky and served in Afghanistan from September 2012 to January 2013. Authorities said he left the armed forces shortly afterward. A Department of Defense representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Daily Pilot staff writer Priscella Vega and the Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.

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UPDATES:

This article was originally published at 5:15 p.m. April 29 and was later updated with additional information and comments.
The Laguna Beach City Council on Tuesday denied a request to convert a home in a commercially zoned area into a vacation rental.

Green Ruby LLC and its president, Navid Filsoof, asked the council to overturn a decision by city staff denying a request to allow short-term rentals at 1060 N. Coast Hwy.

The property, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house and an adjacent 200-square-foot commercial space, is in an area zoned for short-term lodging.

A city community development director denied the property owners request in May, citing substantial adverse effects to the neighborhood, such as traffic, noise and a lack of control over guests.

Filsoof appealed, but the council upheld the decision on a 3-1 vote, with Councilman Bob Whalen dissenting. Mayor Kelly Boyd was absent.

Councilman Steve Dicterow noted that the 1,350-square-foot home could theoretically be rented to different parties each day, comparing it to a hotel that would bring an incredibly intense use to the neighborhood.

Whalen suggested permitting the rental with the conditions that it require three-night minimum stays and ban pets other than service animals. His motion found no backing.

Calling the home an ideal location, given its commercial zoning and proximity to busy Coast Highway, Filsoof told the council he was an experienced operator who lives a few miles away and could address concerns if they arose. He wanted to restrict the unit to hosting five or fewer guests and noted sufficient parking.

We are part of this community, Filsoof said. We respect our neighbors.

Craig Coffin, who lives about 60 feet away, expressed concerns about rowdy guests, noise and an influx of cars in the nearby alleyway.

He also said he worried about guests jaywalking across Coast Highway to the beach.

Short-term rentals have been the source of fierce debate in Laguna Beach, given the surging popularity of rental sites like Airbnb.

In 2015 and 2016, the city issued a moratorium on new short-term lodging permits. By September 2016, the council banned them in residential zones, limiting them only to commercial areas, though the decision was overturned the following year by the California Coastal Commission.

Applicants for non-grandfathered, short-term rentals must now go through a hearing process that includes a public hearing and alerts to neighbors.

Bradley Zint is a contributor to Times Community News.
As a community meeting to discuss sober-living homes drew to a close in Costa Mesa on Monday, two messages from elected officials became clear.

One: There is no easy way to solve all the issues surrounding such facilities, and many obstacles can stymie even incremental progress.

Two: Residents throughout the state need to mobilize and demand action for that to change.

During the 2-hour meeting at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, presented by state Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) and the Assn. of California Cities  Orange County, officials touted one current effort as a step in the right direction.

Quirk-Silvas Assembly Bill 572 would require the state Department of Health Care Services to place an investigator in Costa Mesa to look into complaints against licensed treatment and recovery facilities for adult alcoholism or drug abuse.

The departments 16 investigators currently are headquartered in Sacramento.

There are complaints and we want them resolved, Quirk-Silva told Mondays crowd of about 100. But those complaints are being heard in Sacramento and theyre not being heard in a timely manner.

The bill sailed through the Assembly without a dissenting vote earlier this year. However, its been tied up in the state Senate Health Committee as that panels chairman  Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina)  hasnt brought it up for a hearing.

Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley urged supporters of the legislation to contact Hernandez and other members of the committee to make sure they know that this community cares.

We want something done, Foley said. We need the help of state elected officials to help resolve this for us in our local communities and help us to gain back some local control.

Quirk-Silva and Assemblyman Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach) said another issue at the state level is that, while problems with the sober-living industry are pronounced in Orange County, other areas of the state have been largely unaffected, so some legislators dont see the issue as pressing.

Its going to take a citizen movement to capture the attention of the Legislature to really achieve long-term reform over this issue, Harper said. Its not going to just take one or two bills to be able to truly address this issue within Costa Mesa and within Orange County.

For years, Costa Mesa residents have complained about the proliferation of local sober-living homes. Such facilities have been blamed for increased crime and noise, additional parking and traffic problems and harm to overall quality of life.

Another major issue, Foley said, is that some sober-living operators will evict, or curb, their residents without any kind of support.

Some of those residents, particularly those brought in from out of state, end up homeless.

Basically, its human trafficking for drug addicts and they are then being kicked out once their insurance expires or if they go off the program and now theyre on our streets, Foley said.

Costa Mesa has adopted a series of regulations aimed at stemming the proliferation of sober-living facilities and addressing their effects. Under those rules, such facilities  including existing ones  must apply for permits from the city to operate in town. Some operators need conditional use permits from the Planning Commission that can be considered by the City Council on appeal. Thus far, the council has rejected all conditional use permit applications it has considered.

Orange County Deputy District Attorney Hope Callahan, who works in the insurance fraud unit, said her office has prosecuted some sober-living operators on allegations of fraudulent billing practices.

We are also very aware that there are some bad actors among many good providers who take advantage of the population of addiction to bill insurance companies millions of dollars and are pocketing the profits for their own personal gain, Callahan said. This is organized crime.

Despite Costa Mesas regulations, cities options are limited because recovering alcoholics and drug addicts are considered disabled under state and federal law.

A sober-living home thats licensed through the state and has six or fewer residents, for instance, is essentially exempt from Costa Mesas rules, such as a requirement that such facilities be at least 650 feet from one another in residential areas.

Still, officials at Mondays meeting said theyre committed to finding solutions.

We have to work on enforcement, we have to work on licensing, we have to work on addressing what works, what doesnt work, Quirk-Silva said. These are not simplistic issues.

For more information about Costa Mesas sober-living home regulations or to see how to report issues or file complaints, visit costamesaca.gov/index.aspx?page=2116.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney

UPDATES:

3:30 p.m.: This article was updated with a website for more information or to report issues.

This article was originally published at 2:25 p.m.
Charter schools, on paper, seem like an intriguing concept:

Public schools that are run by private entities, and which are granted a large degree of autonomy; laboratories for experimentation and innovation that would inject some free-market magic and fresh thinking into an antiquated, risk-averse educational arena.

Indeed, throughout their existence, charters or at least the idea of charters  have at various times been championed by an array of backers from across the ideological spectrum.

Yet, in an educational landscape fraught with controversy, youd be hard-pressed to find any topic as contentious as charter schools. Across the nation, many charter operators have been dogged by allegations of corruption and mismanagement, and even absent such accusations charters are viewed by many as an exercise in unfulfilled promises, misguided policy and wasted resources.

A new report from the Network for Public Education charged that about $1 billion in federal funds for charter schools has been lost to fraud and waste. It also found that many charters, which are ostensibly open to all students, employed methods to limit enrollment to select groups.

A recent three-part Los Angeles Times series provided an alarming portrait of some of the problems plaguing charters. One part detailed the case of wealthy charter operators accused of self-dealing; another showed how some small districts were exploiting a state law that allows them to charge charters fees without restricting how the money is used, and a third addressed long-stalled reform efforts.

Despite these well-documented issues, positive change will not be easily achieved in such a combative environment. Even the history of charter schools is the subject of argument, with various factions putting forth versions of the origin story that happen to support their agendas.

As the larger debate rages, Orange County residents have their own reasons to be resentful and suspicious after a recent turn of events involving two planned charter schools. In March, the Orange County board of education defied its own staff recommendations and voted to approve charter proposals that the Newport-Mesa Unified and Ocean View school districts had deemed grossly inadequate.

Newport-Mesa Supt. Fred Navarro minced no words in his assessment of one of the charter proposals, calling the financial plan unsustainable and its educational plan unsound.

The petition sought to use taxpayer funds taken from our community as venture capital in a highly speculative, flawed proposition, he told the board.

Sadly, his opinion was ignored. The county education boards decision is final, and in the next school year the International School for Science and Culture (ISSAC) will begin operations in Newport-Mesa, and the Sycamore Creek Community Charter School will open in Ocean View. Both charter schools will be able to enroll students from the districts in which they operate and from other areas.

One of the approving trustees, Mari Burke, justified her vote by saying that children need choices.

I think choices include quality, and good schools will improve the quality of the education, the excellence of the education.

So once again, the idea of charter schools won out over what many believe will be flawed enterprises that will siphon needed funds away from established public schools.

Not surprisingly, evidence suggests that states with the loosest rules and lax oversight also have the worst outcomes when it comes to charters, while those with more vigorous accountability mechanisms have greater success.

California, home to more charter schools than any other state, has what many agree is a dysfunctional system, and lawmakers have long resisted taking on the political minefield of charter school reform.

Yet we might now be reaching an inflection point, as the charter school controversy ramps up and calls for reform take on a new sense of urgency. Indeed, there are signs that the state may at long last be poised to increase oversight of charters.

Our new governor, Gavin Newsom, has signaled that charter school reform could be a priority in his administration. He has already signed legislation making charters subject to the same public records, open meeting and conflict of interest laws that public schools must follow.

One point of contention is whether charters should be approved and overseen by one statewide entity  as is the case in some other states  or if that responsibility should rest with local districts.

A trio of state Assembly bills 1505, 1506 and 1507 would side with local school boards, giving them greater authority over charters. They would enable districts to deny proposals; cap the number of new charters; and prevent charters from operating outside the boundaries of the authorizing district.

These proposals will no doubt face stiff opposition, and even if they do pass it remains to be seen whether they would prove to be the right prescription.

Either way, its clear that there are profound problems with charters that wont be resolved absent a concerted, good-faith effort by all parties. For the sake of our children and future generations of children, the various competing interests must soften their rigid ideological positions, shelve their self-interest, and work together to find a means of providing rigorous standards and accountability to a broken system.

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Patrice Apodaca is a former Los Angeles Times staff writer, and is the coauthor of A Boy Named Courage: A Surgeons Memoir of Apartheid. She lives in Newport Beach.
The 22nd annual YWCA Glendales Legacy Luncheon held earlier this month was a heartfelt gathering of almost 300 supporters honoring Heart & Excellence award winners, past and present.

Chocolate bunnies were on every place setting, colorful YWCA banners on every corner and big-bloomed daisy centerpieces on every table.

A busy silent auction kicked off the reception. Racking up the bids were items from Los Gringos Locos, the Cheesecake Factory and In-N-Out Burger. Glendalians love their local restaurants.

Ani Adjemian and Jessica First, members of the YWCA Glendales board of directors, welcomed guests from the podium in the sunlit ballroom of the La Canada Flintridge Country Club.

Local dignitaries were introduced, including state Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian and Glendale City Council members Vartan Gharpetian and Paula Devine.

Courtney OSteen, Mrs. California United States 2019, offered words of inspiration. She then introduced Tara Peterson, executive director of the YWCA Glendale, who spoke about the organizations mission and impact on the community.

[This luncheon] will raise funds to increase awareness of the needs of women and girls through programs such as this summers Camp Rosie and our emergency shelter, said Peterson.

Then came the highlight of the afternoons program  the introduction of the 2019 Heart & Excellence honorees.

First up was Marisol Espinoza, who was introduced to the YWCA Glendale as a child when she took classes in gymnastics and dance there.

Today, she is the public affairs manager for SoCalGas in several cities throughout the western portion of Los Angeles County.

By helping the YWCA, Espinoza paves the way for a partnership among businesses, nonprofits and the community. She is also a member of the Glendale Educational Foundation.

Posing at the Legacy Luncheon are, from left, YWCA Glendale Heart & Excellence honoree Elissa Glickman, YWCA Board Member Seda Khojayan, and honoree Stela Fejtek. (Ruth Sowby Rands / Glendale News-Press)

For 25 years, Stela Fejtek has been a speech communication and lip-reading teacher for hearing-impaired adults. Her relationship with the YWCA Glendale started in the 1970s when she initiated the associations first girls gymnastics program.

Elissa Glickman is chief executive of Glendale Arts, a nonprofit that manages the Alex Theatre in Glendale.

Her organization is involved with several community-based programs, including Taste Walk Glendale, which will be held on Wednesday.

Glickman is also a partner with YWCA Glendales summer programs, which expose camp participants to arts and culture.

Linda Offray is the founder of Shepherds Door, a local resource center providing assistance and support to victims of domestic violence.

Offray collaborates with community partners such as YWCA Glendale and has helped thousands of individuals in the community.

Karen Swan is a retired elementary school teacher in Glendale Unified.

Her work with YWCA Glendale has included fundraising efforts to help women and children who need safe housing as well as educational, social and emotional support. Swan is also a member of the Glendale Educational Foundation.

Sue Wilder is chair of USC Verdugo Hills Hospitals board of directors and a member of the hospitals governing board.

Wilder is also the incoming chair of the Community Advisory Board. In addition, she is an active member of the local Soroptimist organization, which plays a key role in funding YWCA Glendales Camp Rosie, a no-cost empowerment camp for girls in seventh through ninth grades.

Another Heart & Excellence award went to the Armenian Relief Society of Western USA, which provides support to low-income residents in need of case management, employment assistance and senior services as well as assistance with immigration issues.

It partners with YWCA Glendale to provide services to victims of domestic violence.

Ruth Sowby Rands may be reached at ruthasowby@gmail.com.

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As a young officer candidate struggling to make the cut, I was eager to assimilate into the ethos of the Marine Corps and anticipated the day when I would be knighted and wear the gold bars as a lieutenant in the Marines.

I found one core value of this ethos extraordinarily poignant. Defined by a simple Latin phrase, nemo resideo (leave no one behind), it incorporates all that is divine about humanity.

When someone needs rescue, we never should count the price.

Therefore, during the aftermath of the Vietnam War, I never came to terms with the lack of Congressional and presidential resolve concerning a full accounting of soldiers missing in action and those taken as prisoners of war.

We reneged on the $3.3 billion that President Nixon promised, and they refused to be forthcoming regarding Americas MIAs. Over the years, there have remained too many unresolved questions regarding the truth of what happened to Americans who were never returned.

Attempting to forget the maladies of Vietnam, we took the 591 POWs repatriated by the Vietnamese, didnt ask questions and left.

Nothing is over! Nothing! You just dont turn it off, laments the character John Rambo played by Sylvester Stallone in the movie First Blood.

As depicted in such 80s blockbusters as Missing in Action, Uncommon Valor and First Blood, the debacle of the MIA and POW dilemma reached mythological proportions. Many eyewitnesses and other credible sources claimed Americans were left behind; similarly, many sources debunked that theory.

At the end of Operation Homecoming in the spring of 1973, 2,646 Americans did not return from Southeast Asia, according to the Defense POW-Missing Accounting Agency. Since then, 1,049 have been recovered and identified, leaving 1,597 unaccounted for. Of these, a considerable number are known casualties who have not been recovered. Some 135 were known to be prisoners of war who never returned home.

During the 1970s and 80s, Lucys Tiger Den, a bar in the Patpong district of Bangkok, Thailand spearhead the movement that adamantly maintained American soldiers were waiting for rescue in Cambodia and Laos.

The Defense POW-Missing Accounting Agency also reports that in World War II more than 78,000 Americans went missing and during Korea more than 8,000. The Dough Boy MIA Data Base reports that approximately 4,500 World War I soldiers remain unaccounted.

This year, the Les Tupper Award recognized the La Canada Memorial Day commemoration. In so doing, the Coordinating Council paid tribute to the children of the community who gather to honor the memory of Americas fallen and the adults who support them throughout the ceremony. Although I help out by organizing it, the commemoration is driven entirely by children since they will continue the solemnity of honoring American soldiers who gave their lives for us.

This year the commemoration will focus on those who never returned. The political ambiguity that surrounds war often overshadows the totality of human sacrifice. When a soldier dies the living go with them.

I particularly lament the families of those who went missing in World War I and II. They all passed on never knowing what happened to their loved ones. They simply went Over There and never returned, leaving behind only fading memories, fading photographs and unashamed tears.

Regardless of ideology, or hearts and minds or the convoluted platitudes of our highest ideals, soldiers fight for the one on the left and the right of themselves and carry the ethos to leave no man behind.

On Memorial Day, May 27 at 9 a.m. in La Canadas Memorial Park, Emilie Risha, a student at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, will assume the responsibilities as mistress of ceremonies and, to quote her, to lead the ceremony with grace and respect.

I want all veterans and active duty personnel on deck. Also, the attendance of readers of this column is respectfully requested. A soldier is only missing if theyre forgotten.

Joe Puglia is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us.

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April 30, 2019: Secure Data Destruction Report by Material, Application, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023 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 Secure Data Destruction 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.

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Table of Contents

Part I Secure Data Destruction Industry Overview

Chapter One Secure Data Destruction Industry Overview

1.1 Secure Data Destruction Definition

1.2 Secure Data Destruction Classification Analysis

1.2.1 Secure Data Destruction Main Classification Analysis

1.2.2 Secure Data Destruction Main Classification Share Analysis

1.3 Secure Data Destruction Application Analysis

1.3.1 Secure Data Destruction Main Application Analysis

1.3.2 Secure Data Destruction Main Application Share Analysis

1.4 Secure Data Destruction Industry Chain Structure Analysis

1.5 Secure Data Destruction Industry Development Overview

1.5.1 Secure Data Destruction Product History Development Overview

1.5.1 Secure Data Destruction Product Market Development Overview

1.6 Secure Data Destruction Global Market Comparison Analysis

1.6.1 Secure Data Destruction Global Import Market Analysis

1.6.2 Secure Data Destruction Global Export Market Analysis

1.6.3 Secure Data Destruction Global Main Region Market Analysis

1.6.4 Secure Data Destruction Global Market Comparison Analysis

1.6.5 Secure Data Destruction Global Market Development Trend Analysis

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Horse racing is the original sport ruled by sabermetrics. Play the percentages here, find value in the arcane stat there. Hunches are mostly plays for suckers.

But there is one statistic that has held true in racing, in perpetuity: The favorite wins about a third of the time. Anything else is an anomaly. But it seems of late that the real anomaly has been the most important race in the sport  the Kentucky Derby.

The favorite has won the Kentucky Derby the last six times. And that began 13 years after the favorite lost on the first Saturday in May for 20 straight years.

Making sense of all this is a little like trying to find a needle in a pile of horse feed.

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Mike Battaglia, who has been making the morning line for the Kentucky Derby since 1975, is less impressed by the six in a row than the steak from 1980 to 1999, when the favorite was beaten each time.

Its just the way racing is, Battaglia said. Six [favorites] in a row is strange but not that unusual. But 20 in a row is crazy. Its unthinkable. You try and sit here and try and think what happened. Could [favored] jockeys run bad races 20 years in a row? Nobody can give you a reason for it. I certainly cant.

In the eight years prior to the two-decade dry streak, there were six favorites that won, including Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid. Another favorite in that stretch, Alydar, was beaten by Affirmed.

The current steak of favorites goes back to Orb in 2013. He was followed by California Chrome, American Pharoah, Nyquist, Always Dreaming and Justify. American Pharoah and Justify won the Triple Crown. Nyquist entered the Derby undefeated.

Jon White, a racing historian who also does the morning line at Santa Anita, sees it as more than just chance.

Its not a coincidence that ever since the points system came in 2013 that this is happening, White said. If it were just two or three you could call it a coincidence. The key has been to see how the winner has done early in the race.

Prior to the points system, horses earnings were used to determine the field of 20 entrants. It allowed horses to accumulate wads of earnings as 2-year-olds. The points system rewards horses that peak just before the Kentucky Derby.

The points system has kept the 2-year-old speedballs out of the race, White said. If you focus on the races after Orb [who came from far back], California Chrome, American Pharoah, Nyquist, Always Dreaming and Justify were all just sitting off the pace, second or third in the early going.

The Derby is won in the final furlong. People get this picture of horses closing down the long Churchill [Downs] stretch. But the profile of the Derby winner, historically, is you can win from far back but you have to make your move early. Fifty-three of the last 56 winners were first or second with a furlong to go.

White also has a theory that the expanded field of 20 has helped the best horses rise to the top, mitigating the chance of an upset.

Now, [the best horses] have the tactical speed, White said. So, when the pace is not that hot, the competition toward the back can eliminate itself, especially if two or three of the main competitors get in some traffic trouble.

Battaglia doesnt completely agree.

I dont buy that, Battaglia said. If you put 20 horses out there the odds on the weaker horses diminish. The good ones will still move forward.

White also recognizes the streaky nature of things.

We just get runs of things, White said. We had runs of Triple Crown winners in the 30s and 40s but didnt in the 50s and 60s. Then we had three in the 70s and then nothing in the 80s, 90s and 2000s.  Now, were on a run of favorites. How long will it last? Who knows?

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You can say weve had six straight winning favorites and that should increase the chance that it will end. But each race is its own dynamic. What happened in the last six Derbies has no relevance on this year.

Omaha Beach, almost a lock to be the Kentucky Derby favorite, gets a workout April 29 at Churchill Downs. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

Omaha Beach, trained by Richard Mandella, is almost a lock to be the favorite unless he draws the No. 1 post, the most difficult spot to run from.

Battaglia will have all the odds done by the time the draw starts Tuesday morning and is unlikely to change them based on post position.

I quit modifying it based on post, Battaglia said. If I had time and could sit down for an hour, then I might change them. But its too tough to try and do it on the fly, unless they draw the one hole.

Battaglia said jockey Mike Smiths choosing to ride Omaha Beach over Roadster was huge. Smith rode Justify to the Triple Crown last year.

I think its going to be Omaha Beach as the favorite, Battaglia said. Game Winner is going to be a huge player too. Hes going to be dead fit.

Game Winner is trained by Bob Baffert, who has five Kentucky Derby victories, including the last two. Baffert also has Roadster and Improbable entered in this Derby.

If Baffert only had one horse and it was Game Winner, he might have been the favorite. Battaglia said. But all the Baffert money is going to be split among his three horses. Thats another reason Omaha Beach might be the favorite.

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sports@latimes.com
Call it the battle of the cruise ship mavens. Holland America has Oprah Winfrey. Now MSC Cruises is partnering with home and lifestyle guru Martha Stewart to design new excursions.

In the ongoing marketing war to win the hearts and wallets of American cruisers, Holland America took a big step forward in 2017 when it lined up media mogul Winfrey and her O magazine employees and friends to sail to Alaska and design activities for the line.

Oprah Winfrey, right, and Gayle King appeared on a Holland America cruise to Alaska in 2017. (George Burns Photography)

New cruise lines will explore Mexican waters, islands and towns 

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In addition, they took off on a Girls Getaway trip to the Bahamas last January.

MSC just announced its partnership with Stewart, 77, who will help the Swiss-based line plan culinary and discovery experiences on board and ashore. The program will begin June 1.

Martha Stewart will design itineraries for MSC Cruises, including activities such as horseback riding in the ocean. (Douglas Friedman)

Shore excursions, celebration gift packages and holiday dinner menus and recipes will get the Stewart treatment. The excursions will take place initially at multiple destinations across the Caribbean and include activities that Stewart enjoys, such as culinary classes and tastings, horseback riding in the ocean, hikes on the coast and visits to craft markets.

Excursions will range from $115 to $199 per adult.

Cruisers will be able to buy gifts, including a personalized letter from Stewart, for $10 to $89, as a surprise package for delivery to staterooms to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. In addition, Stewart is creating menus for Easter, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years Eve that reflect her cooking.

Excursions will be available at all destinations visited on itineraries served by MSC Seaside and MSC Armonia, including San Juan, Puerto Rico; Nassau, Bahamas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Roatan Island, Honduras.

Beginning in November, additional excursions will be available at destinations visited by MSC Divina and MSC Meraviglia while sailing the Caribbean. There will also be an excursion to MSC Cruises new private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, which will welcome its first guests in November.

MSC is the worlds largest privately owned cruise company. It primarily serves Europe, South America, the Arab Emirates and South Africa, and is seeking to build a clientele in North America.

Info: MSC Cruises

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
Every evening as 5 oclock approaches, the clogged, perpetually dusty streets of this industrial city in southeastern Nigeria begin to empty.

Groups of men just off work go inside, shut their doors and tune their radios to 102.1 FM.

Then an anthem begins to play, and a voice says Kedu  how are you in the Igbo language  to welcome listeners to the daily broadcast of Radio Biafra.

For the next 90 minutes, hosts and various guests proselytize for the revival of an old dream: the creation of an independent state called Biafra.

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The broadcasts, conducted live from an undisclosed location in Nigeria, are illegal, and the group behind them  the Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB  has been classified by the government as a terrorist organization since 2017. Its leaders say they eschew violence and want a peaceful settlement of the issue through a national referendum.

Activists say people caught listening to the station have been arrested or beaten. But many residents here say they are willing to take the risk.

Radio Biafra is a daily reminder of the bloody civil war that ravaged Nigeria between 1967 and 1970. The conflict started when a Nigerian military general, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, declared an independent state of Biafra. It ended after more than a million deaths, mostly from starvation after the government imposed a food blockade on the region.

Ultimately, the rebels surrendered and the area was reintegrated into Nigeria under the government motto No victor, no vanquished.

But the memory of the brutal war looms large in Aba, feeding enthusiasm for the broadcasts despite extremely long odds that Biafra will ever come to be.

Members of Indigenous People of Biafra talk Feb. 14 about the upcoming Nigerian general election. (Cristina Aldehuela / AFP/Getty Images)

The main host is a man who goes by the name Emma Powerful and dedicates much of his airtime to railing against the government and organizing protests such as a short-lived boycott of national elections this year.

Stay home to make an everlasting impression on the world stage that we Biafrans are prepared to sacrifice everything, he instructed listeners. Anybody or family found outside on election day will perpetually suffer the ignominy of being labeled a traitor.

Much of the radio stations wrath is directed at President Muhammadu Buhari, who was reelected in February and has said that Nigerias unity is not negotiable, shutting the door on any discussions about a referendum.

(Los Angeles Times)

Buhari is from the Muslim-dominated north.

The supporters of Biafran independence are from the southeast, mostly from the Igbo ethnic group, which numbers about 29 million people, or about 14% of the countrys population.

Many Igbo people feel marginalized by the government far away in the capital, Abuja, and resent the heavy military presence in the region.

In 2016, Amnesty International accused the Nigerian military of embarking on a chilling campaign of extrajudicial executions and violence that resulted in the death of at least 150 peaceful pro-Biafra protesters over the course of a year.

The military denied the claims, with Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar calling the report part of a series of spurious fabrications aimed at tarnishing the good image of the Nigerian military.

Outside experts and some locals suggested in interviews that tensions were on the rise.

We feel like slaves in our own land, says Victor Smith, a 23-year-old university student living in the city of Enugu. Its only a matter of time until [the army] pushes and people push back. We are getting stretched to the limit.

Smith, who studies political science, said he listens to Radio Biafra, but has mixed feelings about it. He said he would like more discussion of the concrete policies he thinks will be necessary for a new state to function.

What about policy discussions? Trade agreements? he said. We are making plans to leave, but where are we going? How are we going?

A frequent voice on Radio Biafra is its founder, 51-year-old Nnamdi Kanu, who is patched in from London. The station first aired in 2009, only to close because of financial difficulties. It was revived three years later, when Kanu founded IPOB.

In 2015, after Kanu said at a conference in Los Angeles that his group needed guns and bullets, he was arrested by the Nigerian government and charged with criminal conspiracy, intimidation and membership in an illegal organization. Kanus lawyers said his comments were political rhetoric and not an actual call to arms, according to the Telegraph newspaper in London.

A Nigerian army tank moves along a street in a pro-Biafra separatist zone in Aba. (Cristina Aldehuela / AFP/Getty Images)

Kanu spent 19 months in prison without trial before being released on bail in 2017. Later that year, according to IPOB, the Nigerian army raided his palatial home in Abia state, where Aba is located, and killed several of his supporters. The army denied that the raid ever took place.

This January, Kanu tweeted that he was in Britain. He holds citizenship there and in Nigeria.

The Nigerian government at various points has claimed to have blocked Radio Biafra broadcasts by shutting down radio frequencies and seizing transmitters.

But any successes were short-lived, and the efforts have become fodder for more ridicule of the government, including criticism that it is failing in its fight against the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, which nobody disputes is a terrorist organization.

The government is insistent on spending scarce resources on tracing and jamming Radio Biafra while northern Nigeria is terrorized by Boko Haram daily, Powerful, the main host, said in an interview.

Gauging support for the cause of Biafra is difficult, as is determining how many people tune in to the radio broadcasts.

One listener is Julius Nwokorocha, who at age 21 was drafted by Ojukwus army to fight in the war and served until he was injured in an explosion.

Today, the 72-year-old lives in a tiny concrete bungalow in Aba and never misses a broadcast.

Nwokorocha doesnt agree with everything he hears, but he believes that there needs to be a national conversation about independence for Biafra.

We still dont feel like a part of Nigeria, he said. The army said, No victor, no vanquished, but look at the federal roads here in the east. Most of them are bad. It feels like we are punished every day.

Kanu says a lot of things that are impossible, he said. But if Biafra happens tomorrow, it will be one of the greatest countries in the world.

The end of each broadcast means his day is complete.

Life begins to return to the city as listeners emerge from their homes and shops. In the beer parlors, arguments can be heard about the days show.

Special correspondents Adeshokan and Mahr reported from Aba and Johannesburg, South Africa, respectively.
For 30 years, he stood as a symbol of postwar Japan  wrestling with the memory of military aggression and defeat, persevering through natural disasters and guiding the nation through evolving questions of identity.

On Tuesday afternoon, Emperor Akihito officially abdicated that role, stepping down from the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan, becoming the first emperor to do so in more than two centuries. His reign expired at the stroke of midnight.

Today, I completed my role as emperor, Akihito said.

Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people. I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so.

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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, representing the nation, expressed deep gratitude to the emperor for sharing in the sorrows and happiness of the Japanese people.

Akihito was enthroned in 1990 in a $94-million, 10-day affair that was attended by 2,500 guests from around the world and incited protests from people opposed to the imperial system.

Tuesdays ceremony, before about 300 guests in the Pine Room of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, took all of 10 minutes. It was broadcast live on national television across Japan.

The emperor, dressed in a tailcoat and silver tie, slowly walked to a dais with two chairs in the middle of a wooden floor accompanied by his wife, Empress Michiko. He stared solemnly ahead as wrapped packages containing imperial regalia were placed before him. Abe, along with the guests, bowed deeply.

The following morning, his son Naruhito received the regalia and officially ascended to the throne in a minimalist ceremony.

In his first remarks as emperor, Naruhito said Wednesday that his father had served with profound compassion and that he would follow in his footsteps.

I sincerely pray for the happiness of the people, development of the nation and peace in the world, the new emperor said.

The only woman in the room was a government official, Satsuki Katayama, the minister of womens empowerment. The ceremony was off-limits to the women of the imperial family.

In the ashes of post-war Japan, a young Prince Akihito broke with tradition for an interview with an American 

Outside the palace, hundreds of Japanese gathered despite a light drizzle to pay their respects and take selfies to mark the final day of Akihitos reign, even though none of the proceedings were visible to the public.

I know we cannot see. We wanted to come here to feel close, said Mariko Kawano, a 40-year-old English teacher who was in town from Kobe with her husband.

Kawano said that she rarely thinks about the imperial household in her daily life but that the transition nonetheless felt significant and that she appreciated the legacy Akihito will be leaving behind.

He was very dedicated to achieving peace, she said. I could tell he had a sense of responsibility for the war, the burden of war.

Ichiro Okazaki stood out from the crowd, holding a pole twice his height with a giant Japanese flag and yelling from beyond the blockade and toward the castle: Thank you, thank you for working so hard for a long time.

Okazaki, 69, said hed come to show his gratitude to an emperor and empress who had cared about people.

I appreciate and Im happy that I was able to live with an emperor who was so wonderful, he said.

Akihito, 85, said age and increasingly poor health made it difficult for him to carry out his duties as emperor. Lawmakers passed a one-time law to allow for his abdication. His father, Hirohito, had reigned until his death in 1989.

Stripped of its once-mighty political power after Japans defeat in World War II, the imperial household figures little in the lives of average citizens except as fodder for curiosity and as ceremonial figures.

But in his 30-year reign, Akihito brought the monarchy closer to the people. He won Japanese hearts and established a moral authority during a period when the throne could have faded into obsolescence, said Jeff Kingston, a professor at Temple Universitys Tokyo campus and a scholar of modern Japan.

He totally reinvented the role of the emperor, Kingston said. He saw how important it was to make the monarchy relevant to contemporary society. Why do we have this anachronism in modern Japan? That question was on a lot of peoples minds, but also the emperors.

Akihito and Empress Michiko were subtle but stalwart champions of liberal, pacifist causes, advocating for the rights of the marginalized and for Japan to accept and atone for its aggressions in the first half of the 20th century.

Noriko Kawamura, a history professor at Washington State University and an author of a book on Hirohito, said perhaps the most direct U.S. equivalent to the emperor in modern Japan was the U.S. flag.

Best way to survive without controversy is to be like the American flag  just wave, she said.

But Akihito used the throne to delicately counterbalance a shift toward right-wing nationalism in politics in recent years under Abe. Akihito used increasingly strong language to apologize for Japans wartime belligerence and promoted peace while Abe advocated for revising the constitution to allow for Japan to again have an active military. Currently, the army is limited to defensive actions.

We are all watching to see how the pendulum of patriotism and nationalism is swinging, Kawamura said.

Naruhito, whose reign will officially be known as the era of Reiwa, or beautiful harmony, has echoed his fathers comments on the importance of peace.

He has also repeatedly spoken of the importance of diversity at a time when Japan is beginning to accept larger numbers of migrant workers in the face of a shrinking and rapidly aging population.

Hes not an unknown figure in Japanese society at all. Weve known them for a long time. Theres a lot of overlap in their thinking, said Takako Hikotani, a professor of modern Japanese politics and foreign policy at Columbia University.

Among the crowd gathered at Tokyos famed Shibuya district for the countdown to midnight were three migrant workers from Indonesia  two nursing care aides and a mechanic  who werent sure what the others had assembled for. The three friends, in their early 20s, had emerged from a K-pop concert.

Nearby, a group of five similarly aged Japanese medical students had been waiting for a couple of hours.

Its the rarest, most precious experience to see the transition, said Masao Fujiwara, 18.

Kumiko Mochida, 54, spends most Saturday mornings with the imperial family  that is, with the long-running TV program about the royals, Imperial Family Album.

Mochida had brought her 22-year-old daughter, Miho, a preschool teacher who barely pays any attention to the emperor or his family, to the palace on the day of Akihitos abdication because she wanted to pique her daughters interest. She said she felt it was important because the emperor espoused peace.

I want her to be more like them, she said. They paved a new way, pioneered a new era.

She said she is particularly taken with Empress Michiko, who raised her children herself, a decision that felt revolutionary at the time because it flew in the face of imperial tradition.

Mochida, a banker, snapped a selfie with her daughter with the palace in the background. She grew wistful recounting the last time there was a new emperor, when Akihito took the throne  a day she still remembers vividly.

Much like his last day, his first was overcast and drizzly, she recalled.

The weather was gloomy like this, she said. A time of transition.
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April 30, 2019: The global Dental Software market was valued at $XX million in 2017, and MAResearch analysts predict the global market size will reach $XX million by the end of 2028, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2028.

This report provides detailed historical analysis of global market for Dental Software from 2013-2018, and provides extensive market forecasts from 2018-2028 by region/country and subsectors. It covers the sales volume, price, revenue, gross margin, historical growth and future perspectives in the Dental Software market.

Leading players of Dental Software including:

3D Diagnostix Corp. (USA)

ABEL Dental Software (USA)

Amann Girrbach (Austria)

Anatomage (Italy)

Download sample Copy of This Report at: https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/2013-2028-report-on-global-dental-software-market/request-sample

ARTIGLIO SNC (Italy)

B&B DENTAL (Italy)

BTI Biotechnology Institute (Spain)

Dentsply Sirona (USA)

DOF, Inc. (Korea)

Drive Dental Implants (France)

EasyRx (USA)

EGS (Italy)

Elite Computer Italia (Italy)

Genoray (Korea)

Zirkonzahn (Italy)

imes-icore (Germany)

Institut Straumann AG (Switzerland)

Click For Report Details @ https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/2013-2028-report-on-global-dental-software-market

Kavo (UK)

LED Dental (USA)

Navadha Enterprises (India)

Nemotec (Spain)

Nobel Biocare Services AG (UK)

Ormco (USA)

Owandy Radiology (USA)

Schutz Dental GmbH (Germany)

SICAT (Germany)

Software of Excellence (UK)

VATECH (Korea)

Wieland Dental + Technik GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)

Market split by Type, can be divided into:

Design Software

Simulation Software

Diagnosis Software

Other

Market split by Application, can be divided into:

Hospital

Clinic

Market split by Sales Channel, can be divided into:

Direct Channel

Distribution Channel

Market segment by Region/Country including:

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Spain etc.)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and Southeast Asia etc.)

South America Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile etc.)

Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia etc.)

About Radiant Insights

Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, our experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions.

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Popular young Nigerian actress Regina Daniels who was rumoured to have married 59-year-old politician and billionaire, Ned Nwoko, is allegedly pregnant. It was alleged that the couple are expecting their first child together.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that Daniels and the former House of Representatives member were spotted at their first public event together. The politician had attended the event in Delta state as he was being honoured with an award.

According to e-NIGERIA, Daniels is reportedly four months pregnant for the 59-year-old politician. It was also gathered that the actress is the favourite wife of Nwoko who reportedly has more than one wife.

In the report, e-NIGERIA claimed that the politician acquired a house for Regina in an undisclosed location in London, United Kingdom.

READ ALSO: Regina Daniels, her mother and alleged billionaire husband Ned Nwoko seen dancing together at event (video)

Many photos and videos of Daniels cruising around in expensive vehicles and private jet has surfaced on social media numerous times.

PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app

It was also reported by a source who claimed that none of Nwoko's wives have access to his expensive fortune except Daniels. She drives around his Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Mercedez Brabus and private jet, which she takes almost everywhere.

PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that the actress had responded to the rumour that she was married to the 59-year-old billionaire in a cryptic message. The teen actress did not confirm or deny the rumour.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better

Can you marry an older lady or a younger man? - on Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Nigeria's average life expectancy has been put at 55 years

- According to a new report by the United Nations, Nigeria is behind war torn countries like Somalia and Syria where life expectancy rates are better

- The report also revealed that the fertility rate among Nigerian women has dropped from 6.4 in 1969 to 5.3 in 2019

The United Nations (UN) has said that Nigeria has the worlds third lowest life expectancy rate at 55 years.

In the UNs new report on Monday, April 29, the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) said the life expectancy of an average Nigerian in 2019 is only better than those in countries like Sierra Leone, Chad, and the Central African Republic, Premium Times reports.

READ ALSO: Just in: Wike, APC end political battle weeks after 2019 general elections

Those countries, according to the UN report, have life expectancy of 53, 54, 54 years respectively.

War torn countries have it better than Nigeria; Afghanistan has 65 years, Somalia has 58, while Syria has a whopping 73 years life expectancy.

The report also stated that the fertility rate among Nigerian women has dropped from 6.4 in 1969 to 5.3 in 2019, meaning that an average Nigerian woman gives birth to at least five children.

According to the report, child marriage in the country by age 18 years is 44% high, while adolescent birth rate at between the ages of 15-19 per 1000 girls in the country is 145.

UN also revealed that the use of contraceptive by any method among Nigerian women aged between 15 and 49 is 19%, while the modern method use among women in the same age bracket is 15%.

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Recall that Legit.ng earlier reported that UNFPA said that Nigerias current population hit a new high of 201 million.

This is contained in the 2019 state of the world population report which identifies that Nigerias growth rate has been at an average of 2.6 per cent from 2010 to 2019.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better

When last did you have light in your area? | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
At the moment, the Nigerian social media is buzzing with the news of teenage actress, Regina Daniels' alleged marriage to 59-year-old billionaire, Ned Nwoko.

Many have claimed that the youngster is the fifth or sixth wife of the billionaire politician but that does not seem to make any difference.

Curious fans have now dug deep into the life of Ned Nwoko. Photos of a pretty Moroccan woman have surfaced on the internet with many claiming she is Nwokos fourth or fifth wife.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Nigeria

Nwoko with his alleged wife Lisa Photo: Chris Kehinde Nwandu / Facebook

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Actress Regina Daniels and billionaire Ned Nwoko step out in public for the first time (photos)

According to reports, her name is Lisa Nwoko and she has children with the billionaire politician.

Moroccan beauty said to be Regina Daniels' co-wife Photo: Chris Kehinde Nwandu

Source: Facebook

One thing is clear however, it seems the 59-year-old man likes his women light skinned.

Meanwhile Legit.ng previously reported that Regina Daniels' former boyfriend, Somadina Adinma, has slammed trolls who resorted to mocking him because his ex is now with a rich man.

According to him, everybody now has an opinion about an issue that is none of their business.

READ ALSO: Personal letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Legit.ng (formerly NAIJ.com)

HELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better.

Nigerian Celebs Who Are Happy Together Despite The Age Gap - Dare Art-Alade, Kaffy and Peter Okoye| Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
Many Africans have been known to relocate to foreign countries in search of greener pastures. However, they sometimes experience something totally different.

Africans who work as domestic staff in foreign countries are sometimes mistreated by cruel bosses.

Legit.ng has gathered the report of a young lady from Uganda who is reportedly being maltreated by her boss in Jordan.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Nigeria

Lady working in Jordan claims her boss beats her daily (photo)

Source: Twitter

Her story was shared on Twitter by Sudhir Byaruhanga. According to his tweet the young lady, Patricia Kakondi, is crying out for help over her boss mistreatment.

The tweet reads: A Ugandan lady in the picture below Patricia Kakondi currently in Jordan is crying out for help, she alleges that her Boss has been mistreating her for a long time including beating her every day.

READ ALSO: Nigerian to give N300k to anyone who finds houseboy who ran away with huge sum of money

We hope she gets the help she needs.

In other news, Legit.ng reported that two Nigerians were maltreated on the streets of India. In what looks like a rage caused by a traffic incident, two Nigerian men resident in India, were attacked, beaten and ridiculed by an Indian mob.

READ ALSO: Personal letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Legit.ng (formerly NAIJ.com)

HELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better.

Williams Zanu: I rejected N100k from Kokun even though he arrested me with police | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  Thirteen days before the midterm elections, a furious Commission on Elections official warned the Philippine National Police that it has no authority to inspect the poll body's vote-counting machine hubs.

Cordillera Police Regional Director Police Brigadier General Israel Dickson was photographed by a journalist inside the COMELEC warehouse in Baguio City on April 22. The report said the police official inspected the vote-counting machines and other election paraphernalia days before the May 13 polls.

COMELEC Commissioner Rowena Guanzon tweeted that no one is allowed to inspect their hubs without permission, even if they are top police officials.

PNP spokesperson Bernard Banac promptly issued a response that Dickson was probably given permission to inspect, otherwise he wouldn't have been allowed to enter. That further earned the ire of Guanzon.

"PNP Director of Baguio was not given permission by our Regional Director Valeza. He entered when a logistics supplier not a COMELEC official was present. PNP, my problem is your spokesman talks too fast to defend their own, making me & our Director look like liars. Get out!," Guanzon tweeted on Tuesday.

Dickson said it was not his intention to inspect the hub, saying he went there to personally oversee the deployment of personnel securing the warehouse.

"It was just a coincidence that during the supervision, the VCMs were being unloaded and no warehouse supervisor from the COMELEC was in sight for a coordination to be made. Therefore no existing COMELEC laws and resolutions were violated," he said in a statement.

Senatorial candidate Chel Diokno on Monday wrote the commission to ask for an investigation into the PNP's alleged inspection of the machines crucial to ensure a fair and honest election. He said non-COMELEC personnel shouldn't be allowed in a restricted facility.

"Medyo nakaka-nerbiyos yon, dahil hindi na po yan perimeter security at wala naman kaalaman, wala naman kakayahan ang mga PNP na alamin yung PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan), kung gumagana ba 'yan, kung tama o mali. Ang mga eksperto lang ang may kaya niyan," he said.

Senate bet and election lawyer Romy Macalintal said inspection of the counting machines was not part of the mandate of the police.

Nakakabahala. Kailan pa ba nagkaroon ng authority ang PNP na mag-inspect ng vote-counting machines. Hindi porke't sila ay mga police inspectors ay pwede na sila mag-inspect ng vote-counting machines. It is not part of their being police," he said.
Martin Towers days may be numbered, but that didnt deter a man from breaking into the former Bethlehem Steel Corp. headquarters in search of anything of value, cops say.

Bethlehem police investigating a report of trespassers at 2:39 a.m. Sunday spotted Brian Jonathan Reynolds, 37, of the 6200 block of Woodlawn Drive in Zionsville, walking down a lighted stairwell of the tower at 1170 Eighth Ave. in Bethlehem, according to court documents.

Reynolds was carrying a book bag and a red case holding tools, including a hacksaw and a reciprocating saw, court records indicate. Reynolds admitted to police that he went into the tower to steal copper and made it up to about the fifth floor, cops say.

Police also arrested Jessica Ann Martin, 41, of the 5100 block of Laurel Lane in Whitehall, who drove Reynolds to the property, records state.

During an interview with police, Reynolds and Martin allegedly said that Martin drove them close to the property and they then snuck onto the property through a wooded trail to the east.

Police charged them both with felony charges of burglary and criminal conspiracy and a summary offense of defiant trespass. Reynolds also was charged with misdemeanor possession of an instrument of crime.

On Sunday morning, Reynolds and Martin were arraigned by after-hours District Magistrate Judge Michael Pochran. Reynolds remains jailed in lieu of $25,000 bail. Martin is fee after a bondsmen posted her $20,000 bail.

The 21-story building is slated for demolition on Sunday, May 19. The Bethlehem Planning Commission recently approved a master redevelopment plan for the property that calls for a mix of luxury apartments, medical office buildings, a hotel, a gas station, restaurant and some retail.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A mainstay in Eastons Historic District for nearly 100 years has moved to a new location.

Kaplans Enterprises, a family-owned custom awning business for the past 96 years, has moved to 1298 Spruce St. from Northampton Street. The business this past Saturday held a grand reopening reception, complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Guests were able to view Kaplans cutting and sewing operations, as well as learn how the business constructs its signature awnings onsite. Owner Randi Kaplan said the new location allows the business to run more efficiently with its large showroom offering hundreds of fabric awning swatches and samples from leading brands. Theres also an array of interior window treatments.

The business has moved several times since its founding by Morris Kaplan in 1923, in which it initially was located in a barn behind the familys home on Bushkill Street in Easton. It has been manufacturing and installing custom awnings since its existence. Second generation Sid Kaplan, Randis father, then assumed and oversaw all operations.

Today, third-generation siblings, Randi and her brother, David Kaplan, are at the helm. The brother-and-sister team have been involved with the business since they were children, Randi Kaplan said.

If you were big enough to use a pair of scissors, you would help cut out the awnings, she said.

Randi Kaplan described the business on Kaplans website as not the type you go to school for. She said, Its something you have to be involved in to learn how to do it. Its very hands-on, which is why there are few awning companies."

Additionally, Kaplans offers American, military and Easton flags in a variety of sizes and selections, decorative banners and various flag accessories. The company travels as far north as the Poconos, as far east as Morrisville, New Jersey, as far west as Allentown, and as far south as Milford and Frenchtown, to do work. Some of Kaplans clients include Lafayette College, Moravian College & Book Store, St. Lukes Hospital-Anderson campus in Bethlehem Township, Easton Canal Boat, and various Lehigh Valley school districts.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A 14-year-old Nazareth Area Middle School student has been charged in an arson Sunday at the old Nazareth Speedway, Colonial Regional police report.

The teenager was the videographer as a pole barn type structure was lit on fire, a crime that was broadcast on the social media site Snapchat, Detective Sgt. Michael Melinsky said Tuesday.

Police have evidence from the Snapchat, Melinsky said.

No one was hurt in the fire that was reported at 5:06 p.m., under control within 15 minutes and put out by about 6:30 p.m. by the Hecktown Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1, Melinsky and Hecktown Chief Jeff Seip said. The building was severely damaged.

The 14-year-old males case will be in juvenile court, Melinsky said. Charges involve arson, criminal trespass and criminal conspiracy to commit arson, Melinsky said. The names of those coming before a juvenile court judge are normally not released.

Another boy or more boys are expected to be charged in coming days, Melinsky said. The investigation is continuing.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The Combat Online Predators Act, which would add five years to penalties of those convicted of stalking children, got a public push on Monday from its U.S. Senate sponsor Pat Toomey at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown.

Senate bill 134, introduced Jan. 15, was referred to the Judiciary Committee. Its House counterpart, H.R. 570, sponsored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, was referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.

The bills were inspired by the terror experienced by Bucks County resident Madison Zezzo who, beginning at 13 years old, was cyber-stalked on social media by the 51-year-old father of a friend. The man, identified by WFMZ as Shane Holderer, was initially sentenced to probation and counseling after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of stalking, a news release from Toomeys office said. Three years later, Holderer resumed his stalking efforts and this time was sentenced to 18 months to seven years in state prison, the news release said. Holderer, now 57, remains jailed at SCI Fayette, records show.

It changed everything for the rest of my life almost because I dont know if this problem is ever going to go away, Zezzo said in an interview from two years ago when she was a high school senior. The interview was broadcast by WFMZ.

Toomey calls his legislation a simple bill. It is common sense, bipartisan and bicameral. ... The first thing it does is increase the maximum prison sentence a defendant can receive for violating federal criminal stalking laws, if the victim is a minor. The second thing it does is direct the justice department to submit a one-time report to Congress on best practices for enforcing anti-stalking laws on the federal, state and local levels.

Toomey said he is working with fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey to get the bill through the Senate, while Fitzpatrick is heading the effort in the House.

The ability of predators to misuse social media really forces Congress and our states to consider the anti-stalking laws that we have, Toomey said, according to the news release. In my view, we need strong penalties to dissuade the monsters that would prey on children in this way.

For Zezzo, in the interview broadcast by WFMZ, the request is simple.

I just want him to leave us alone, she said. I want him to stop thinking about me. I want him to somehow move on.

And if stalkers cant leave children alone, Toomey wants them to spend many more years behind bars.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Worshippers in a Sunday morning Mass at St. Theodores Roman Catholic Church were victimized as thieves hit the churchs parking lot, Mansfield Township police report.

Within a half hour on Sunday morning, thieves smashed windows of two vehicles and stole purses and other personal items at 855 Route 57 in the Port Murray section of the township, police said. And a generator was removed from a pickup truck in the lot but it was found nearby, police said.

Police responded at 11:38 a.m. and the Detective Bureau continues to investigate.

We urge everyone to take their valuables with them when they park their vehicles or lock them in the trunk out of view, police said in a news release. Be alert to your surroundings and report any suspicious activity to your local police department immediately.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
brewpub

LC- THE OREGONIAN

Brewers across Pennsylvania are up in arms over a 6 percent sales tax they will be required to collect on servings in their taprooms, starting July 1.

Many of them say they dont object to paying a tax on their product, but think a sales tax levied per glass or pint is the wrong way to go.

The problem with that is that 6 percent on every pint will result in us paying four or five times more than a wholesale tax, said Adam Harris, deputy executive director of the Brewers of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania collects a wholesale tax between others distributors and retailers, as with restaurants and grocery stores.

Theodore J. Zeller III, general counsel for the Brewers of Pennsylvania, said while restaurants pay about $9 in taxes on a half keg of beer, breweries would pay $40 or $45, considering the keg contains about 120 pints.

Since 2015, when the state allowed breweries to serve beer on their premises, it hasnt required a sales tax. The state revenue department says the tax isnt new, just a clarification of liquor laws that require breweries to collect sales tax. The brewers are negotiating with Gov. Tom Wolf and the Department of Revenue, hoping for a better deal.

What do you think? Should the state reconsider a 6 percent tax on sales in brewpubs? Have a say in our informal, unscientific poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comment section.
The African community in Laois is offering a hand of friendship to locals to celebrate the second annual Laois Africa Day together.

The first day held in 2018 was in Kavanagh's Courtyard in Portlaoise.

The public enjoyed African cuisine, learned about traditions, costumes, hair braiding, jewellery, music and dancing, while traditional Irish music by Portlaoise Comhaltas added to the cultural blend.

Below: Eaesar and Rihanna Adeyanju with Tolu Olotu at the 2018 Africa Day celebrations in Kavanagh's, Portlaoise. Pic: Alf Harvey.

It was such a well attended success that it has expanded this year to fill Portlaoise Parish Centre carpark, to take place on the Saturday of the June bank holiday weekend, a week after International Africa Day.

Arts performers are coming from Dublin and Cork, representing many nationalities that now call Ireland home.

They include Royal Vessels Gospel Choir, Deejay Matt, and dancer choreographer Adunni Alaso-oke.

This year there will again be live performances, free food tasting, music, drama, poetry, dancers, arts and crafts, showcasing of African clothes, kids hair braiding and face painting. There will be prizes for best African dress and best performance. There will also be a fitness area for children.

The chief executive of Laois County Council John Mulholland is a special guest.

African films will also be shown in the Dunamaise Theatre during the week. Members of the Laois African Support Group will also visit schools to talk to children about Africa.

Bolaji Adeyanju from Mountmellick is chairperson of the Laois African Support Group who are organising the festival.

This is about introducing Africa to our neighbours, to ensure better integration, it's about positivity, he said, thanking the parish centre and Dunamaise Arts Centre for support.

Laois Africa Day will be held on Saturday June 1, on the Bank Holiday weekend from 12 noon to 5pm. To volunteer or enquire, call Bolaji on 087 3880688.

The event is supported by Irish Aid and Laois Partnership Company, Laois County Council, the EU's Asylum, Migration and Integration fund, as well as local businesses.

Below: Xavier, Maisy, Kayla and Sola at the 2018 Africa Day celebrations in Kavanagh's, Portlaoise. Picture: Alf Harvey.
A Laois Resident woman has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of murdering her boyfriend by stabbing him in the chest in her Co Tipperary home over two years ago.

The accused and deceased were in a tempestuous and volatile relationship which was violent at times and the prosecution contends there is no question of self-defence in the case, the court has heard.

Inga Ozolina (48), originally from Latvia, but with an address at Old Court Church, Mounthrath, Co Laois has pleaded not guilty to murdering Audrius Pukas (43) at The Malthouse, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, on November 20, 2016.

In his opening address, prosecuting counsel Paul Murray SC said that Ms Ozolina and Mr Pukas had both been residents in Ireland for many years.

Mr Pukas was originally from Lithuania and he would stay at Ms Ozolinas apartment in Roscrea, said Mr Murray, adding that they may have had Russian as a common language.

Outlining the facts of the case, Mr Murray said that Ms Ozolina and Mr Pukas had been in a relationship for a few years and the jury will hear that this was a tempestuous and volatile relationship which was violent at times. The jury will also hear evidence about gardai being called to the property they resided at, he added.

Detailing the evidence that will be heard, Mr Murray said that Ms Ozolina was living in an apartment in Roscrea in November 2016 and it was leased by her.

In the early hours of November 20, Ms Ozolina arrived at Roscrea garda station. Following this, gardai went with the accused to her apartment and found Mr Pukas body in a bedroom.

By the time gardai arrived, Mr Pukas was clearly deceased, said counsel.

The prosecution barrister went on to tell the court that a post-mortem was carried out on Mr Pukas and the jury will hear that three knife wounds were found on his body, one of them fatal in nature.

Mr Murray said that Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis will give evidence that the fatal wound was to the left-hand side of the deceaseds chest and it had penetrated to a total depth of 25.5cm.

In its course this wounded the left lung, heart, aortic valve, left pulmonary artery and aorta, said counsel.

As a result of the wound, there was massive haemorrhaging to his left chest cavity and into the sack around the heart, he explained, adding that death would have ensued rapidly.

There were a second wound to the outer aspect of his right upper arm which had penetrated into the muscle to a depth of 13cm, he outlined. The third wound to the left-hand side of his chest was very superficial and more of an abrasion.

Mr Murray also indicated to the jury that they will have to consider the defence of self-defence. Evidence will be that Ms Ozolina told gardai that a physical altercation had occurred between her and Mr Pukas on the night and she had picked up a knife, he said.

He explained that the States case would be that self-defence does not apply in this incident and Ms Ozolina used the knife to kill Mr Pukas and had the intention of doing so at the time.

The barrister asked the jury to consider a number of questions during the trial including how was the fatal knife wound inflicted on the night in question and what happened to the knife afterwards.

In conclusion, Mr Murray said that if the jury are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms Ozolina is guilty of murder, then the verdict should be murder.

The trial continues on Thursday before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and a jury of seven men and five women. It is expected to last between three and four weeks.
A weapons amnesty held by Portlaoise prison inmates has lead to a big decrease in the number of assaults.

A unique programme run by the Irish Red Cross resulted in 40 weapons being surrendered in a week long amnesty in the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise in 2017.

The Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) programme trains prisoners to teach other inmates about their safety, health and wellbeing. Since it was introduced in Irish prisons in 2009, 1,000 prisoners have become Irish Red Cross volunteer inmates.

In Wheatfield prison when the programme was introduced, 90 handmade cutting weapons were handed in over several months, and the number of cutting related prisoner on prisoner assaults dropped from 97% to 6%.

The programme has also resulted in 80% of prisoners in Mountjoy voluntarily engaging in HIV screening.

The testing run by Irish Red Cross volunteers also saw 58% of prisoners in Wheatfield and 55% of prisoners in Cloverhill engage in voluntary HIV screening.

This week prison staff from all over the world are attending training in Portlaoise prison to hear about the Irish Red Cross' concept, for use in their own countries.

Delegates from as far away as Australia are in Portlaoise to learn about the Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) programme run in Irish prisons.

The unique programme is run by the Irish Red Cross, in conjunction with the Irish Prison Service and Education and Training Boards Ireland.

The Irish Red Cross is now deemed a global pole of expertise for its prison work within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Caron McCaffrey, Director General of the Irish Prison Service was in Portlaoise.

The programme can make life safer for staff, improve the sense of wellbeing amongst prisoners and make the prison environment better for everyone. Experience has shown that it can change the outlook of prisoners to become more proactive and positive towards developing their community for the better. The Irish Prison Service recognises the importance of this project and acknowledges the important changes that it has already brought about in prison life.

Pat Carey is Chairman of the Irish Red Cross.

The prison system has reached out in a way that many people didnt think could be done to make significant changes to the life circumstances of a large number of people, he said.

Steven OConnor is from the Education and Training Boards Ireland.

One of the main ways adults learn as opposed to children is that adults need to be involved in both the planning and evaluation of their learning and this programme does that superbly well.

The Community-Based Health in Detention Workshop was held in Portlaoise prison campus on April 29 and 30. Representatives from national prison services were joined by delegates from the Red Cross Societies in their countries for interactive training and workshops. Ireland is the first country in the world to introduce the CBHFA programme in a prison setting.

In 2018, 100 weapons were seized from prisoners in the Portlaoise campus, between the Midlands Prison and Portlaoise Prison.
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The Global Neonatal Care Equipments Market report includes all the important information regarding the overall Market situation and also reflect the Market condition in terms of driver, restraints, opportunities, demand, supply, challenges, sales, and current trend. This report also contains systematic gathering data on companies involved in the Market, their operations and potential customer base. This report will help to understand legislative trends, changing consumer preferences and where business needs to focus its efforts and resources. In fact, it is a statement that reveals the overall nature of the Market that will assist in making better decision to help business more successful.

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The following manufacturers are covered in this report, with sales, revenue, market share for each company:

Medtronic

Becton, Dickinson

GE Healthcare

Philips Healthcare

Roche Holdings

Siemens

Spacelabs Healthcare

Dragerwerk

Analogic corporation

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

Natus Medical

Phoenix Medical Systems

Masimo

Atom Medical

Carefusion

Utah Medical

Market size by Product

Infant Incubators

Infant Ventilators

Radiant Warmers

Feeding Tubes

Vital Sign Monitors

Other

Market size by End User

Home Based Users

Hospitals

Other

Market size by Region

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

Asia-Pacific

China

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Table of Contents - Snapshot

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Chapter 3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers

Chapter 4 Breakdown Data by Product

Chapter 5 Breakdown Data by End User

Chapter 6 North America

Chapter 7 Europe

Chapter 8 Asia Pacific

Chapter 9 Central & South America

Chapter 10 Middle East and Africa

Chapter 11 Company Profiles

Chapter 12 Future Forecast

Chapter 13 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis

Chapter 14 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis

Chapter 15 Research Findings and Conclusion

Chapter 16 Appendix

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Laois' county town Portlaoise is set to get another 30 public charging points for electric cars.

Laois County Council has confirmed that it has applied for funding for the installation of the ports in the town.

The local authority said it is engaging with the ESB and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on this project.

"These electric vehicle charging points are to be installed by next year subject to the final funding being approved," the acting senior executive engineer Farhan Nasiem stated, at the April council meeting.

Cllr Noel Tuohy from Portlaoise wants his town to exploit the potential of electric car drivers stopping off.

"We are not well served with charging points at the moment. Some motorway stop-offs have more recharging points than we do in Portlaoise. Very often the few public charging points are out of order. It still baffles me that we are charging people to park in them while recharging their vehicle instead of encouraging them".

"E-vehicles and hybrid cars are the future of transport and we have to put in place the infrastructure to support this and to exploit this benefit for Portlaoise and our county. give them another reason to stop off in our town instead of somewhere else down the M7 and M8 motorways," he said.

He tabled a motion to the meeting asking that the council engage with the ESB, SEAI the Automobile Association "and any other stakeholders as required to establish Laois as the best connected and most e-vehicle friendly location and hub in the country".

Cllr Tuohy also wants public seating with solar panels and USB sockets for people to charge their phones, "the norm all over Europe".

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) say that 1,129 new electric cars were registered in January and February, up from 176 in the same period in 2018.
A sick Laois child has been granted permission by her doctor to be treated with medicinal cannabis in Ireland after a long battle.

Last Monday April 29, Mary Claire Knowles from Ballyroan had her first dose of medicinal cannabis (CBD) in Ireland.

Her father says it is her last chance to prevent constant brain seizures that she suffers as a symptom of Dravat's Syndrome.

However the Health Service Executive will not pay for the expensive medication. It will cost over 2,600 every two months.

The Ballyroan family must instead foot the cost and continue to ask the public for help.

Mary Claire celebrated her third birthday at home last Sunday with her parents Rose and Anthony and her two big brothers. Her first two birthdays were spent in hospital. Any excitement can spark a seizure so it had to be a quiet celebration.

She had a nice quiet family day at home, no excitement just us as a family. She was in top form and enjoyed all the attention, said her mother Rose.

Mary Claire has defied the odds by remaining undamaged from repeated brain seizures.

She had five seizures last week alone.

They are not as bad nor as long as they used to be. There is no explanation for it, her father Anthony said.

Two months ago her neurologist in Temple Street finally approved the importation of medicinal cannabis for Mary Claire.

It was a massive relief, Anthony said.

Mary Claire first had to be slowly weaned off almost all her other medications before she could switch to the CBD.

We just hope its going to work. Its her last chance. It will take a couple of months to get her up to the dose she should be on, her father said.

Anthony travelled to Holland last week to buy the first batch. It is the best type of CBD on the market and the only one the Irish government approves he said.

I have the receipt. It cost 2,676. That will last two months, or a bit longer because she is starting on a small dose. They come in 10ml bottles and cost 178 a bottle. We have to get her up to 2ml a day, thats 178 every five days, he said.

Mary Claire's plight was highlighted during a television series about life in Laois last year. Her parents have stressed how vital Portlaoise hospital is to her life, as many seizures involve her being rushed by ambulance to the Emergency Department.

The family have received generous donations from the public and were lucky enough to win money on Winning Streak.

We will get about a year out of the money raised. After that I dont know, Anthony said.

He said that others in the same position are less lucky.

The government is paying for three children out of 16 in Ireland. Ive nothing against the three, more luck to them, but there are other people in our position, who got the go-ahead from their doctors, who cant afford to go for the medication. They are left behind. This should be available for everybody who needs it, he said.

Recent fundraisers saw 5,200 raised in Timahoe with a fashion show, and the Laois Rose selection night interval raffleproceeds.

Rose spoke publicly at the Laois Rose night, announcing the approval of CBD and the cost.

A video showed photos of Mary Claire from a small baby to the present day. In between the happy ones were many of her in hospital.

I cannot thank you enough as a mother from the bottom of my heart, Rose said.

The other side of things is that Mary Claire has met all her milestones. She is walking, talking, running, they told us she probably wouldnt. She bounces back like nothing happened. She is definitely a rare case, Anthony said.
Water discolouration in Portarlington has been caused by manganese which is a naturally occurring mineral in the area according to Irish Water.

Pictures of water from a tap in Kilnacourt, Portarlington were shared on the People of Port Facebook page on Sunday.

The Leinster Express asked Irish Water why there was water discolouration.

A spokesperson for the company said it is caused by isolated pockets of water main where the residual manganese has built up. It said the water in Portarlington does not exceed the allowable level.

"The likely cause of the discolouration in the water is from manganese which is a naturally occurring mineral in the water in the Portarlington area.

Irish Water completed flushing of the water mains in the area to remove any manganese that had built up over time. However, we have had occasional reports in the last months of isolated pockets of water main where residual manganese has occurred.

Customers who had found this evident in their tap water have contacted Irish Water and we have flushed the water mains in the affected area and resolved the issue.

There is a maximum level of manganese allowable in drinking water to ensure it meets drinking water quality standards. The water supply in Portarlington, as in all areas, is regularly tested and has not been found to exceed the allowable level, the spokesperson said.

The Bergerie Water Treatment plant in Portarlington that opened last December now treats the water for the town according to Irish Water.

Before this investment in the plant, there were no mechanisms in place to treat the water for manganese.

Irish Water has asked that anyone with discoloured water should contact them so they can flush the water mains to resolve this issue.

MORE: Laois Post Office taken over by supermarket owner as Postmaster retires
A team of three young Laois entrepreneurs and enthusiastic hurlers are the stars of an RTE news report on the children's TV programme news2day.

Cousins Simon and Noah Fingleton with Marc Ramsbottom have done Laois proud making it to the National Final of the Student Enterprise Awards this Friday in Croke Park.

The three transition year students in St Mary's CBS, Portlaoise came up with a winning solution for tidying up hurls and helmets.

They are senior winners in the Laois LEO Student Enterprise Awards 2019, for a smart business idea that mammies everywhere will thank them for. They are all proud players on the Ratheniska GAA Minor hurling team.

For their mini company project, they designed and hand made wall-mounted metal holders for hurls and helmets, calling their business Hurl Standz.

They made the metal holders in Marc's family's garage, retailing at 15 for a twin hurl holder and 20 for three hurls. They have sold 42, and with word spreading by social media, customers are from as far as Cork and Wexford.

The news2day reporter Cillian Sherlock travelled to Ratheniska to see where the magic happens and featured the club's brilliant ball wall mural. Watch the video in the tweet below.

PICTURES: Park-Ratheniska unveil ball-wall mural
A new multi-agency initiative has plans to tackle the drug litter problems in Newbridge.

SEE ALSO: Kildare gardai clamp down on prostitution across county

Local gardai and council members attended a meeting with the South Western Regional Drugs Task Force on April 11.

Cllr Morgan McCabe, who was in attendance, said: In Newbridge underneath the bridge, drug litter is a major problem, paraphernalia and syringes left.

Cllr McCabe said Kildare plans to follow the drug litter management model adopted in County Meath. It will involve issues like needle management.

So you have people bringing syringes into the pharmacy and they would get a three-pack back, with a little container to pop them into, so that would be a recycle mechanism to stop needles going all over the place. Plus it means pharmacies are in touch with these people.

The other side of it then is that there will be a selection of phone numbers available, a garda number, a county council number, and the drugs centres in Dublin as well.

What will happen is a team of people will be notified about collecting the paraphernalia up and using safe equipment to do so.

Cllr McCabe said he hopes the initiative will come into force in the coming months.

SEE ALSO: Gardai issue warning to Kildare public over sophisticated loan scam
A least fifteen individuals in county Kildare have so far been scammed by websites offering easy to get loans.

On April 30, gardai at the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNEC) issued a warning to the public over websites offering unsecured loans.

This morning, gardai said that at least 15 individuals, who are the customers of one particular bank, have been caught out by the scam. More may emerge as investigations continue.

While some of these were hit earlier this year, the GNEC were alerted to the problem three weeks ago and have been working on it since.

The amount of money lost to the 15 individuals is estimated to be between 100 and 500 each.

SEE ALSO: Gardai issue warning to Kildare public over sophisticated loan scam

It is not known yet the origin of the website/s, which keep changing names, but two pieces of key advice is that people should not transfer any money to any site and people should check with the Central Bank website to see if an institution is authorised by it. See www.registers.centralbank.ie/

Gardai say a number of websites offering unsecured loans are targeting vulnerable persons and persons who have had difficulty obtaining loans from established financial institutions in a fraud known as advance fee fraud.

The scam works when the victim applies for a loan through a website that offers loans, insisting it will be processed quickly.

The victim will then receive a call or communication within a very short time and will then be asked to send an amount of money to the lender in advance of the loan amount being issued, with different reasons given for this advance fee.
Dromod-based church furniture manufacturing company ICS Furniture, over the past six months, have secured three international furniture commissions thus adding to their already impressive portfolio of over 3,500 projects.

This includes a basilica and 17 cathedrals across Ireland and the UK, bespoke pieces for Notre Dame, St Patrick's Cathedral, New York and the Papal chair for the recent Popes visit to Knock.

Just before Christmas last year the company crafted seating for a private chapel in Rome. The bespoke chairs made from oak were shipped out to the clients just in time for Christmas Day.

"We worked with an Italian liturgical architectural specialist on this project and we were delighted to welcome them to our facility in Dromod in January of this year, where they came to see our facility and visit some of our completed projects in Knock Basilica and St Mels Cathedral, Longford,

"We are hoping to work with them again on a project that they are designing for a centre here in Ireland, commented Gavin Duignan, company owner and furniture designer.

For 50 years the family owned company started by Gavins father Charlie Duignan, have operated from their facility in Dromod.

The new year saw another commission for a church in Washington DC.

St Thomass, Washington DC

Gavin commented: "This project was for 200 bespoke oak chairs and a simple solid oak altar for a brand-new church which was being built in Dupont Circle.

"The chairs were dispatched in March and made the long journey to arrive in good time for Easter Sunday mass in their brand-new home.

"Next came a very exciting commission for curved seating for another new church, this time in Sweden.

Recounting how the project started, Gavin said: "The architect and priest involved in the re-design of the church had researched curved seating manufacturers all over Europe.

"Having reviewed our portfolio of curved seating projects across Ireland and the UK, we obviously made a good impression as this type of seating is very specialist. The priest himself came to Ireland three weeks ago where I personally took him to see similar projects we had completed in Dublin and Meath.

"He visited our facility in Dromod and also paid a visit to Longford Cathedral. Upon his return to Sweden he contacted us to say they he was more than happy to commission ICS to complete the project."

The project will be installed by ICS furniture in autumn of this year when their team will make the long journey by boat and truck across to Sweden to ensure the safe arrival of their bespoke pieces.

This is not before, however, they complete some major projects at home in Ireland and the UK.

On the company's busy production schedule Gavin noted: "We have a number of projects here in Ireland as always. From bespoke newly designed pews for a church in the north to restoration and refurbishment of pews in the midlands. Every week and every month is different for us here in ICS Furniture as no project is the same."
The best places to eat in Leitrim have been revealed by the All Ireland Irish Restaurant Awards. The national awards will take place on May 13 in the Clayton, Burlington Road where over 1,000 guests will sit down to a five-course gala dinner, prepared by previous winners of the Irish Restaurant Awards. The awards are one of the premier events in the hospitality industry, the largest and most prestigious event in the hospitality industry.

In addition to the regional awards, restaurants from each county will also be competing in national awards, which will be presented at the All Ireland Awards on May 13.

Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive Officer of the Restaurants Association of Ireland said, Now in their 11th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards have grown year on year and with over 90,000 nominations from the public in 2019, its a great showcase of all the excellent produce and skilled chefs that we have here in Ireland. The Irish Restaurant Awards prides itself on celebrating the best of the best, knowing that Irish restaurants are among the best in the world.

Ireland may be a small country, but it boasts everything from fine dining to high quality gastropubs, from the comfort of traditional Irish food to exploring the world though exotic world cuisine, the Irish restaurant industry has much to offer. We have an appreciation for what we eat and where our food comes from, as well as the dedication of those working in the food industry. We wish all those nominated the best of luck on the 13th May.

Leitrim winners:

Best Restaurant  Sponsored by Tindal Wine Merchants

The Cottage Restaurant, Jamestown



Best Chef  Sponsored by Nisbets

Shamzuri Hanifa of The Cottage Restaurant



Best Newcomer

Our Happy Place, Carrick-on-Shannon



Best Hotel and Guesthouse Restaurant  Sponsored by BWG Foodservice

The Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon



Best Restaurant Manager  Sponsored by AIB Merchant Services

Frances Cryan of Cryans Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon



Best Customer Service  Sponsored by Lockton

Cryans Hotel, Carrick-on-shannon



Best Cafe  Sponsored by Illy

Synergy Cafe, Carrick-on-Shannon



Pub of the Year  Sponsored by Jameson Caskmates

The Barrelstore, Carrick-on-Shannon



Best Wine Experience  Sponsored by Gilbeys with Bibendum

St.George's Terrace Restaurant, Carrick-on-Shannon



Best Gastro Pub  Sponsored by Elavon

The Oarsman, Carrick-on-Shannon



Best World Cuisine  Sponsored by HiUp

Spice India, Carrick-on-Shannon



Best Free From  Sponsored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro Gluten Free

Sweet Geranium Cafe, Drumshanbo



Best Kids Size Me

The Riverbank Restaurant at The Clubhouse Bar, Dromahair



Local Food Hero  Sponsored by Rewarding Times

Dave Fitzgibbon of St.George's Terrace Restaurant



Best Emerging Irish Cuisine  Sponsored by Odaios

Sweet Geranium Cafe, Drumshanbo



Best Casual Dining  Sponsored by Just Eat

Luna Restaurant, Dromahair

Also read: New holiday village in Manorhamilton attracting attention


Water Safety Ireland is concerned that cold water, a factor in almost five drownings every fortnight, will put lives at risk this May Bank Holiday weekend.

On average, five people drown in Ireland every fortnight (127 every year) and cold water is a factor in many of these drownings. The shock of cold water immersion and the onset of hypothermia are two factors that will put people at risk when visiting coastlines and inland waterways.

The dangers of cold water immersion: When cold water makes contact with your skin, the cold shock response causes an immediate loss of breathing control, possible dizziness and panic. This dramatically increases the risk of sudden drowning even if the water is calm and you know how to swim. For those who survive this but are unable to get out of the water, progressive body cooling leads to hypothermia and muscle cooling, making swimming more difficult or impossible. Children cool even faster than adults because they are smaller and have less fat.

What to do if you fall in to cold water: Avoid swimming, stay calm and relax. Float or tread water and if possible get as much of your body out of the water because you will always cool faster in water than in air. Wearing a lifejacket with a crotch strap will enable you to lessen heat escape by keeping your legs together and elbows by your side.

People have a responsibility to themselves and family to stay safe around water by knowing the dangers and learning from previous situations that have led to tragic drownings:

 Swimmers should swim parallel and close to the shore and be aware that water temperature, (11C coastal, 11C inland) is still too cold for extended swims. Wear a wetsuit and Swim within your depth and stay within your depth.

 Always wear a lifejacket when on water and when angling from shore. Ensure that it properly maintained and has a correctly fitted crotch strap.

 Shore walkers should stay away from the edge and beach walkers should remain vigilant to the risk of being stranded by incoming tides.

 Ensure that you are fully trained and competent for your aquatic activity. Find training providers at http://www.safetyzone.ie/

 Children require constant uninterrupted supervision near water. Parents of primary school children should check if local schools are teaching the classroom based water safety curriculum to children, all available at http://www.iws.ie/education/pa ws.2925.html

 Alcohol should be avoided before or during any aquatic activity. On average, a third of drowning victims had consumed alcohol.

 In an emergency call 112 and ask for the Coast Guard. Always call early.

The dangers of a new moon on Saturday 4th May

A new moon on Saturday will cause spring tides. Strong rip currents will create a higher risk than usual for swimmers. The tidal streams will run very strong, posing a risk to those boating, angling, yachting, canoeing and any other water related leisure activities on the coast. Stranding will also be a risk for many walkers as the lower tide will expose even greater areas of the coastline. Parents should be particularly alert to providing constant uninterrupted supervision as Lifeguards will not be on duty at local authority beaches over the Holiday weekend.

Those going afloat should carry a portable Marine VHF and/or a personal locator beacon and walkers should carry a mobile phone to call 112 in an emergency.

Also read: Local women preparing to swim 245km length of River Shannon in August
The Global Hexamine Market report includes all the important information regarding the overall Market situation and also reflect the Market condition in terms of driver, restraints, opportunities, demand, supply, challenges, sales, and current trend. This report also contains systematic gathering data on companies involved in the Market, their operations and potential customer base. This report will help to understand legislative trends, changing consumer preferences and where business needs to focus its efforts and resources. In fact, it is a statement that reveals the overall nature of the Market that will assist in making better decision to help business more successful.

Download Free Sample Report of Hexamine Market Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-38281

This report focuses on the top manufacturers' Hexamine capacity, production, value, price and market share of Hexamine in global market. The following manufacturers are covered in this report:

Hexion

Metafrax

Ineos

Shchekinoazot JSC

Chemanol

Caldic

MGC

KCIL

Simalin

Sina Chemical

Feno Resinas

Copenor

Runhua Chemical

Yuhang Chemical

Xiangrui Chemical

Yangmei Fengxi

Ruixing Group

Shengxuelong Chemical

Xudong Chemical

Linze Chemical

Gameron

Hexamine Breakdown Data by Type

Stabilized Grade

Unstabilized Grade

Other

Hexamine Breakdown Data by Application

Synthetic Resin Industry

Rubber Industry

Textile Industry

Other

Hexamine Production Breakdown Data by Region

United States

Europe

China

Japan

Other Regions

Access Report and Full Table of Contents of Hexamine Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/38281-hexamine-industry-market-report

Table of Contents - Snapshot

Chapter 1 Study Coverage

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers

Chapter 4 Breakdown Data by Product

Chapter 5 Breakdown Data by End User

Chapter 6 North America

Chapter 7 Europe

Chapter 8 Asia Pacific

Chapter 9 Central & South America

Chapter 10 Middle East and Africa

Chapter 11 Company Profiles

Chapter 12 Future Forecast

Chapter 13 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis

Chapter 14 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis

Chapter 15 Research Findings and Conclusion

Chapter 16 Appendix

About Us:

DecisionDatabases.com is a Global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research Report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.

Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

For More Details:

DecisionDatabases.com

E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com

Phone: +91-90-28-057900

Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/
Cavan Older Peoples Council take a new play entitled The Best Years of Our Lives Are Yet To Come to The Corn Mill Theatre stage on Friday, May 10.



This moving and hilarious play in co-written by the members and theatre practitioner Maura Williamson who also directs the play.

This drama captures the richness of older peoples experiences and allows the audience to understand the issues they face in negotiating a range of everyday situations.

The performance takes us through several scenes, giving us an insight into their perspective on life as an older person in todays society.



The Age Friendly social commentary uses humour to point up instances of older peoples unique perspective on the world.

Bob Gilbert, Chair of the Older Peoples Council said: I believe that drama is one of the most effective vehicles for exploring and raising awareness of issues affecting our society.

This drama project explores several issues encountered by older people in their daily lives.

The issues raised were suggested by the participants and the scenarios were created by them. This is proof of the enormous contribution that older people are making to our society.



The end product was all made possible by our marvellous Maura Williamson who encouraged our creativity and collated the various contributions into a cohesive final script.

Catriona O'Reilly, arts officer complimented the group, for their commitment to the project and the work over the past months with the guidance of Maura Williamson which has culminated in a really successful production.

This theatre project is an initiative of Cavan County Council Social Inclusion Office and the Arts Office and is supported by the Arts Council. This Older Peoples drama project won the 2019 All-Ireland Community and Council award for Best Community Initiative.



It is also on tour to Ramor Theatre Virginia on May 17 and Civic Centre Belturbet on May 24.

Doors open at 8pm at Corn Mill Theatre, Carrigallen on May 10 and booking is at (087) 2570363 or email:

bookings@cornmilltheatre.com

Also read: Corn Mill Theatre Group qualify for All Ireland Drama Finals
FINE Gael councillor Elenora Hogan has called for Limerick to become a plastic straw-free city.

Cllr Hogan, who also runs a pharmacy business in the city centre, wants Limerick to follow in the footsteps of Roscommon, which last week became the first Irish town to go plastic straw-free.

In a move backed by Roscommon Chamber and the County Council, plastic straws are being replaced by edible, paper straws or reusable steel tubes.

This is a very simple idea, and yet a very effective one, that could be introduced very quickly and at very little cost. Many of the international food franchises and hotel chains are committed to getting rid of straws over the next couple of years. I believe that we, the council, should get together with business and environmental groups to make Limerick a straw-free city, Cllr Hogan said.

We all know that we need to reduce, reuse and recycle, and the emphasis needs to be on reduce. Various campaigns are running to encourage change in our behaviour. Take three for the sea encourages us to pick up pieces of plastic litter on our beaches. The Conscious Cup Campaign offers a discount to people who bring their own coffee cup instead of taking a single use cup. All these campaigns need our support, Cllr Hogan added.

Cllr Hogan praised the efforts of everyone who took part in Team Limerick Clean-Up 5, which saw thousands of people volunteering to collect litter in their communities.




The Christian Association of Nigeria, Northern State chapter, has reacted to the news of the Federal government securing the release of Zainab Aliyu, the Nigerian lady that was wrongly detained in Saudi Arabia for trafficking Tramadol.

In a statement released by its public relations officer, Rev. Joseph Hayab, said the Christian body while celebrating Zainab's release, expressed concerns over the continued detention of Leah Sharibu, the only Dapchi school girl still in Boko Haram captivity since her abduction with 109 of her school mates in February 2018.

Reverend Hayab in the statement, said he rejoices with the family of Zainab Aliyu over her safe return but is forced to ask if some Nigerians are more important than others since the Federal government was fast in ensuring the safe return of Zainab. The statement in part reads




There is tension in Christchurch after a package containing a suspected explosive device and ammunition was found at a house in the Phillipstown area of Christchurch, New Zealand, early this morning.

A huge police operation is currently underway following the discovery. A bomb disposal team, ambulance and fire and emergency crews are at the scene.

The suspicious package was found in an empty property and has since been made safe by The New Zealand Defence Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, Mirror UK reports.

Nearby houses were evacuated as a precaution, while several officers and a police dog were seen going inside the house at the centre of the threat. A no-fly zone was also put in place over the area.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested and is "currently speaking to police".

Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price said: "Police have located a package containing a suspected explosive device and ammunition at a vacant address on Newcastle Street in Christchurch.

"Members of the community are asked to continue to report any concerning behaviour or activity in their neighbourhoods as we all work together to ensure the safety of our community."

The bomb scare comes weeks after 50 Muslims were killed in an attack carried out by a gunman on two mosques in the city.

A spokesman for the St John Ambulance service said an ambulance was on standby at the request of police but had not treated any patients during today's incident.




President Trump has described Mexico as one of the worlds "most dangerous" countries in a Monday night tweet.

The president claimed that drug cartels are "in total control" of the area south of the U.S. border and warned that Mexico "must eradicate this problem."

"The Coyotes and Drug Cartels are in total control of the Mexico side of the Southern Border. They have labs nearby where they make drugs to sell into the U.S. Mexico, one of the most dangerous countrys in the world, must eradicate this problem now. Also, stop the MARCH to U.S" Trump tweeted.

Just last week, Trump claimed that Mexican soldiers pulled their guns on U.S. troops "as a diversionary tactic" to cover for drug smugglers.

Two U.S. soldiers were stopped earlier this month by Mexican soldiers who thought they had mistakenly crossed the border, at which time a Mexican soldier reportedly confiscated a service pistol from one of the troops. The majority of drugs crossing the U.S.-Mexico border covertly enter at legal ports of entry.

In a second tweet Monday, President Trump repeated calls for Democrats to back tougher immigration laws. "If the Democrats dont give us the votes to change our weak, ineffective and dangerous Immigration Laws, we must fight hard for these votes in the 2020 Election!" he wrote.




The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 tasked in-coming and returning governors on the need to shun corruption.

He made the charge at the induction ceremony for the governors-elect and their returning colleagues at the State House, Abuja.

Magu who was among the panelists at one of the sessions of the event, stated that the twin evils of corruption and terrorism- financing, which have continued to bedevil the country have created a disastrous impact on governance and socio-economic advancement of the country.

According to him, "whether we like it or not, corruption and terrorism have become the twin evils, undermining our collective efforts to make Nigeria a truly great country." He further stated that Nigeria's failure to take full advantage of its natural resources could also be attributed to corruption as public office holders are in the habit of constantly pillaging public resources.

The anti-corruption czar observed that the country's loss to corruption in the last decade runs into trillions of Naira, noting that a review of the recoveries between 2017 and now, shows that in 2017, the EFCC recovered N473.065billion, $98million, 7million and 294,000, while N236.16billion was recovered in 2018, which give just an insight into what had been stolen so far.

The EFCC boss explained that the nexus between corruption and terrorism is that corruption promotes insecurity. "Indeed some development scholars are of the view, which I also subscribe to, that militancy in the Niger Delta and insurgency in the North-east are by-products of corruption," Magu said.

He congratulated the governors-elect and urged them to make the fight against corruption a cardinal point in their administrations. "If we can curb corruption, we can checkmate terrorists' activities," he said, adding that the only certain way for their re-election is to do what is right and take a stand in favour of the fight against corruption.
By: Henkilo Sanomat NY.

The American based Nigerian (marriage coun selor) and a popular TV presenter AJU2kobo in the United States has been issued with the Ambassadorial certificate by the United Nations Peace Federation Unit in North Carolina, USA.

Ambassador Mary-Jane AJU Elumelu-James (Diasporan Ambassador) received her certificate on April 27th as Peace Ambassador as well as the General Consultation Status on Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Ambassador Mary-Jane, make her first audience speech by thanking other Diaspora Ambassadors that stood by her to make her event meaningful.

She has made her vow to support the youths in her home country (Nigeria) which she represent through empowerment in Agriculture and other small scale businesses.

The celebrity Ambassador Mary-Jane, has already signed an 'Mou' with the African Development Concept in Finland for partnership in BeeFarming and honey processing in Nigeria, which she said that the project will boost employment opportunity in Nigeria.

The celebration called the attention of Peace Ambassadors from far and near.
The Global Guqin Market report includes all the important information regarding the overall Market situation and also reflect the Market condition in terms of driver, restraints, opportunities, demand, supply, challenges, sales, and current trend. This report also contains systematic gathering data on companies involved in the Market, their operations and potential customer base. This report will help to understand legislative trends, changing consumer preferences and where business needs to focus its efforts and resources. In fact, it is a statement that reveals the overall nature of the Market that will assist in making better decision to help business more successful.

Download Free Sample Report of Guqin Market Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-38284

The following manufacturers are covered in this report, with sales, revenue, market share for each company:

Nanyan

Yufeng

Tianzhong

Tianyinfang

Juntianfang

Longren

Xiansheng

Dafeng

Yuyang

Market size by Product

Paulownia

Chinese Fir

Other

Market size by End User

Music Teaching

Performance

Other

Market size by Region

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

Asia-Pacific

China

Access Report and Full Table of Contents of Guqin Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/38284-guqin-industry-market-report

Table of Contents - Snapshot

Chapter 1 Study Coverage

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers

Chapter 4 Breakdown Data by Product

Chapter 5 Breakdown Data by End User

Chapter 6 North America

Chapter 7 Europe

Chapter 8 Asia Pacific

Chapter 9 Central & South America

Chapter 10 Middle East and Africa

Chapter 11 Company Profiles

Chapter 12 Future Forecast

Chapter 13 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis

Chapter 14 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis

Chapter 15 Research Findings and Conclusion

Chapter 16 Appendix

About Us:

DecisionDatabases.com is a Global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research Report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.

Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

For More Details:

DecisionDatabases.com

E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com

Phone: +91-90-28-057900

Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/




Presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, this morning announced that the National Hajj Commission has hired Saudi Arabian lawyers to help in the facilitation of the release of Zainab Aliyu, the Nigerian lady falsely accused of drug peddling in Saudi Arabia.

Zainab was arrested in December 2018 with Tramadol, a banned substance.

Investigations by the Nigerian government have since revealed that the drug was planted in Zainab's luggage by a cartel that specialises in planting drugs in the bags of unsuspecting travelers.
There is no crop which is more egalitarian than the potato. From overpriced wedges to the plates of the poor, the humble potato is so omnipresent that any controversy surrounding it evokes sharp reactions. India recently landed in the midst of one such controversy after PepsiCo India sued at least four farmers from Gujarat for using its proprietary FC5 varietywhich goes into making Lays chipswithout the companys consent. The case is important for several reasons. For the first time in India, a group of farmers has been sued over intellectual property rights violation. The stakes are high since it will set a precedent, but to begin with, PepsiCo seems to have filed the case with an inaccurate understanding of existing Indian laws. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act, 2001, under which PepsiCos potato variety was registered in 2016, allows farmers to plant, grow, exchange and sell patent-protected crops, including seeds, and only bars them from selling it as branded seed". PepsiCo may be concerned that its competition is using the protected varieties grown by farmers to make chips, but it perhaps made the mistake of targeting the weakest element in the chain, the small farmer. By seeking damages of over 1 crore from each of thema sum they are unlikely to earn even in a lifetimeit may have committed a cardinal sin, that too in the middle of a general election.

Theres more. To gather evidence, the company carried out a sting operation by hiring detective agencies to pose as buyers who lured growers by offering them a higher price, farmer groups have alleged. According to them, PepsiCo should have collected evidence to nail its competitor, instead of suing farmers. Farm activists have also argued that while the potato variety was introduced in India in 2011, it was only registered five years later in 2016; therefore, it is natural that it spread among farmers who are not under any contractual arrangement with the company. After a social media campaign took off asking consumers to boycott PepsiCo products, the expected has happenedthe multinational giant offered to amicably settle the matter during a hearing in a commercial court in Ahmedabad last week, and the Gujarat government has pledged support to the farmers.

In this din, something crucial is ignoredthe reality that Indian farmers are keen to test and adopt new crop varieties even at the risk of legal action. Think of farmers in Maharashtra growing illegal herbicide-tolerant cotton to save on labour costs or recent evidence of farmers in Haryana growing genetically modified brinjal. In Gujarat, farmers have been cultivating genetically modified cotton since before it was approved by the environment ministry. India has deliberately chosen a patent law that allows its farmers considerable freedom to use patented varieties. As one researcher described it, the Indian law can be thought of as a patent-lite version, compared to strong IPR laws in the US. In such a situation, India has to invest more in public research since it is only natural that private companies are not keen to bring new technology. The controversy surrounding Monstantos Bt cottonand consequently Indias agriculture ministry regulating royalties payable to the companyis a case in point. The way to reduce corporate dominance over agriculture is by increasing investments in public research, not by arm-twisting or surrendering to farmer-friendly optics.

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Itchy eyes, a congested nose, sneezing, wheezing and hives: these are symptoms of an allergic reaction caused when plants release pollen into the air, usually in the spring or fall. Many people use hay fever as a colloquial term for these seasonal allergies and the inflammation of the nose and airways.

But hay fever is a misnomer, said Dr. Jordan Josephson, an ear, nose and throat doctor and sinus specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

"It is not an allergy to hay," Josephson, author of the book "Sinus Relief Now" (Perigee Trade, 2006), told Live Science. "Rather, it is an allergy to weeds that pollinate."

Doctors and researchers prefer the phrase allergic rhinitis to describe the condition. More than 50 million people experience some type of allergy each year, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. In 2017, 8.1% of adults and 7.7% of children reported have allergic rhinitis symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Worldwide, between 10 and 30% of people are affected by allergic rhinitis, Josephson said.

In 2019, spring arrived early in some parts of the country and later in others, according to the National Phenology Network (NPN). Spring brings blooming plants and, for some, lots of sneezing, itchy, watery eyes and runny noses. According to NPN data, spring reared its head about two weeks early in areas of California, Nevada and many of the Southern and Southeastern states. Much of California, for example, is preparing for a brutal allergy season due to the large amount of winter rain. On the other hand, spring ranged from about one to two weeks late in the Northwest, the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic U.S. [Watch a Massive 'Pollen Cloud' Explode from Late-Blooming Tree]

Symptoms

The symptoms of allergic rhinitis may at first feel like those of a cold. But unlike a cold that may incubate before causing discomfort, symptoms of allergies usually appear almost as soon as a person encounters an allergen, such as pollen or mold.

Symptoms include itchy eyes, ears, nose or throat, sneezing, irritability, nasal congestion and hoarseness. People may also experience cough, postnasal drip, sinus pressure or headaches, decreased sense of smell, snoring, sleep apnea, fatigue and asthma, Josephson said. [Oral Allergy Syndrome: 6 Ways to Avoid an Itchy, Tingling Mouth]

Many of these symptoms are the immune system's overreaction as it attempts to protect the vital and sensitive respiratory system from outside invaders. The antibodies produced by the body keep the foreign invaders out, but also cause the symptoms characteristic of allergic responses.

People can develop hay fever at any age, but most people are diagnosed with the disorder in childhood or early adulthood, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms typically become less severe as people age.

Often, children may first experience food allergies and eczema, or itchy skin, before developing hay fever, Josephson said. "This then worsens over the years, and patients then develop allergies to indoor allergens like dust and animals, or seasonal rhinitis, like ragweed, grass pollen, molds and tree pollen."

Hay fever can also lead to other medical conditions. People who are allergic to weeds are more likely to get other allergies and develop asthma as they age, Josephson said. But those who receive immunotherapy, such as allergy shots that help people's bodies get used to allergens, are less likely to develop asthma, he said.

Common allergens

The most common allergen is pollen, a powder released by trees, grasses and weeds that fertilize the seeds of neighboring plants. As plants rely on the wind to do the work for them, the pollination season sees billions of microscopic particles fill the air, and some of them end up in people's noses and mouths.

Spring bloomers include ash, birch, cedar, elm and maple trees, plus many species of grass. Weeds pollinate in the late summer and fall, with ragweed being the most volatile.

The pollen that sits on brightly colored flowers is rarely responsible for hay fever because it is heavier and falls to the ground rather than becoming airborne. Bees and other insects carry flower pollen from one flower to the next without ever bothering human noses.

Mold allergies are different. Mold is a spore that grows on rotting logs, dead leaves and grasses. While dry-weather mold species exist, many types of mold thrive in moist, rainy conditions, and release their spores overnight. During both the spring and fall allergy seasons, pollen is released mainly in the morning hours and travels best on dry, warm and breezy days.

Grass pollen is released mostly in the afternoon and evening hours during late spring and summer. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Pollen count

How do scientists know how much pollen is in the air? They set a trap. The trap  usually a glass plate or rod coated with adhesive  is analyzed every few hours, and the number of particles collected is then averaged to reflect the particles that would pass through the area in any 24-hour period. That measurement is converted to pollen per cubic meter. Mold counts work much the same way.

A pollen count is an imprecise measurement, scientists admit, and an arduous one  at the analysis stage, pollen grains are counted one by one under a microscope. It is also highly time-consuming to discern between types of pollen, so they are usually bundled into one variable. Given the imprecise nature of the measurement, total daily pollen counts are often reported simply as low, moderate or high.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology provides up-to-date pollen counts for U.S. states.

Tests & diagnosis

A physician will consider patient history and perform a thorough physical examination if a person reports having hay-fever-like symptoms. If necessary, the physician will do an allergy test. According to the Mayo Clinic, people can get a skin-prick test, in which doctors prick the skin on a person's arm or upper back with different substances to see if any cause an allergic reaction, such as a raised bump called a hive. [7 Strange Signs You're Having an Allergic Reaction]

Blood tests for allergies are also available. This test rates the immune system's response to a particular allergen by measuring the amount of allergy-causing antibodies in the bloodstream, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Hay fever treatments

Dr. Sarita Patil, an allergist with Massachusetts General Hospital's Allergy Associates in Boston, talked to Live Science about strategies for outdoor lovers with seasonal allergies.

Patil suggested figuring out exactly what type of pollen you're allergic to, and then avoiding planning outdoor activities during peak pollinating times in the months when those plants are in bloom. Many grasses, for example, typically pollinate in late spring and early summer and release most of their spores in the afternoon and early evening.

Her other strategies: Be able to identify the pollen perpetrator by sight; monitor pollen counts before scheduling outdoor time; go outside at a time of day when the plants that make you go achoo are not pollinating; and wear protective gear like sunglasses, among other tips. [7 Strategies for Outdoor Lovers with Seasonal Allergies]

Allergy sufferers may also choose to combat symptoms with medication designed to shut down or trick the immune sensitivity in the body. Whether over-the-counter or prescription, most allergy pills work by releasing chemicals into the body that bind naturally to histamine  the protein that reacts to the allergen and causes an immune response  negating the protein's effect.

Other allergy remedies attack the symptoms at the source. Nasal sprays contain active ingredients that decongest by soothing irritated blood vessels in the nose, while eye drops both moisturize and reduce inflammation. Doctors may also prescribe allergy shots, Josephson said.

For kids, allergy medications are tricky. A 2017 nationally representative poll of parents with kids between ages 6 and 12 found that 21% of parents said they had trouble figuring out the correct dose of allergy meds for their child; 15% of parents gave a child an adult form of the allergy medicine, and 33% of these parents also gave their child the adult dose of that medicine.

Doctors may also recommend allergy shots, a neti pot that can rinse the sinuses, or a Grossan Hydropulse  an irrigating system that cleans the nose of pollens, infection and environmental irritants, Josephson said.

Alternative and holistic options, along with acupuncture, may also help people with hay fever, Josephson said. People can also avoid pollen by keeping their windows closed in the spring, and by using air purifiers and air conditioners at home.

Probiotics may also be helpful in stopping those itchy eyes and runny noses. A 2015 review published in the journal International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology found that people who suffer from hay fever may benefit from using probiotics, or "good bacteria," thought to promote a healthy gut. Although the jury is still out on whether probiotics are an effective treatment for seasonal allergies, the researchers noted that these gut bacteria could keep the body's immune system from flaring up in response to allergens  something that could reduce allergy symptoms. [5 Myths About Probiotics]

Additional resources:

This article was updated on April 30, 2019, by Live Science Contributor Rachel Ross.
Performing sweeping culls of feral cats may be the only way to prevent the extinction of vulnerable Australian wildlife.

It's raining poison sausages in Australia, in regions of the country that are home to thousands of feral cats.

Airplanes dropped the deadly bait over dozens of square miles of ground, as part of the Australian government's initiative to reduce populations of feral felines. These invasive predators kill hundreds of millions of native birds, mammals and reptiles each year and have already driven many species in Australia to extinction, The New York Times reported on April 25.

The poison payloads are packed with kangaroo meat and seasoned with spices and chicken fat, and they also contain one deadly ingredient: a poisonous chemical called sodium fluoroacetate, which occurs naturally in Australian plants in the Gastrolobium genus. This compound is lethal to cats and other nonnative carnivores but will not harm indigenous Australian species that have evolved resistance to the toxin, according to the Times. [Photos: See the World Through a Cat's Eyes]

Sodium fluoroacetate is an odorless, tasteless white powder that prevents cells from processing energy, leading to unconsciousness and death, according to Australia's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPAC).

Another type of bait sausage being dropped in Australia contains a pellet of the toxic compound para-aminopropiophenone, which cats will swallow whole but smaller mammals will avoid, SEWPAC reported.

While cat lovers may be troubled at the prospect of felines being deliberately poisoned, Australia's out-of-control feral cat population has decimated the continent's wildlife for many decades.

Cats are an invasive species in Australia; they arrived with European settlers in the 1700s, and feral colonies were established in the wild by the 1850s, SEWPAC reported. Since then, 34 mammal species found only in Australia have vanished, and cats are thought to be directly responsible for 22 of those extinctions, the Times wrote.

Cats are currently identified as a threat to 35 species of birds, 36 mammal species, seven reptile species and three amphibian species, SEWPAC reported.

Researchers determined in 2018 that feral cats in Australia kill an estimated 1 million reptiles on average in a single day. Tallies of annual death tolls racked up by Australia's feral cats are staggering: about 316 million birds and 596 million reptiles, according to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

Between 2 million and 6.3 million cats roam Australia, and they can be found on nearly 100% of the continent, including 80% of its islands. When the latest feral cat cull was announced, in 2017, Australia Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews named cats "the single biggest threat to our native animals," declaring that the cull was necessary to safeguard the future of vulnerable wildlife, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Approximately 211,000 cats were culled in Australia in 2016; the current cull will take place through 2020, with the goal of eradicating 2 million cats through poison bait, shooting and trapping, the Herald reported.

Originally published on Live Science.
This beluga whale, spotted by fishermen off the coast of northern Norway on April 26, was wearing a harness that read "Equipment of St. Petersburg."

Fishermen in Norway came across a Russian spy late last week, but the interloper wouldn't reveal its mission, and with good reason: It couldn't, because it was a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas).

However, the beluga whale's outfit gave it away. The surprisingly tame whale was wearing a harness that read "Equipment of St. Petersburg," indicating that it was likely trained by the Russian navy to be used for special operations, according to news sources.

But why would the Russian navy use a beluga whale for special ops  as opposed to a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) or a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), like the U.S. Navy does? Here's a look at why these marine mammals are drafted into service by some countries. [Beasts in Battle: 15 Amazing Animal Recruits in War]

The short answer is that beluga whales are extremely intelligent, calm in difficult situations and easily trainable, said Pierre Beland, a research scientist in marine biology at the St. Lawrence National Institute of Ecotoxicology in Montreal, Canada. Beland has been studying belugas since 1982, but he wasn't involved with this whale's case.

Norweigan fisherman spotted the beluga near the fishing village of Inga, along the northern coast of Norway on April 26. Later, Norweigan scientists tracked down the whale and removed its very tight harness, according to the Norweigan news outlet VG. The harness had an attachment for a GoPro camera, but there wasn't a camera there anymore, Audun Rikardsen, a professor at The Arctic University of Norway in Troms (UiT), told VG.

Rikardsen added that as far as he knows, neither Norweigan nor Russian researchers put harnesses on belugas, which suggests that this was likely the handiwork of the Russian navy in Murmansk, a city in northwestern Russia, he said. The animal probably approached the fishermen's boat because the animal was used to people feeding it fishy treats, Rikardsen noted. He said that he hoped the whale would be able to hunt for food on its own, but that's still unclear at this point, Rikardsen said.

Beluga in Turkey

This isn't the first case of a Russian-trained beluga going AWOL. In the mid-1990s, Beland got a call from government officials in Turkey, asking if it was normal for a beluga whale to be in the Black Sea. "I said, 'No, not at all,'" Beland told Live Science. These animals live in the Arctic and aren't typically found in warmer waters.

Beland flew to Turkey, where he saw the whale with his own eyes, swimming off the country's northern coast. "It was tame, it would come to us and you could give him fish and pat him on the head," Beland recalled. He also noticed something curious: The whale's teeth had been filed down flat.

"It turned out [the beluga] was coming from a naval facility on the Russian side in the Crimea," Beland said. "We surmised they had filed its teeth so it could take a big object in its mouth, such as a magnetic mine that it could stick on the hull of a foreign ship for military purposes."

Beland later learned that a storm had ripped a net at this naval facility, allowing the beluga whale to escape. But the Russians found out; they parked their ship within international waters and someone, presumably the whale's trainer, was able to call the whale back. A year later, the whale escaped to Turkish waters again. By this time, the whale had quite a fan base in Turkey. But, once again, the Russians returned and collected the mammal, "and I never saw it again," Beland said. [Photos: See the World's Cutest Sea Creatures]

Naval service

Even the U.S. Navy has studied beluga whales, though with the purpose of learning how the animal's sonar could help scientists improve the sonar on submarines, Beland said.

The U.S. Navy doesn't appear to use beluga whales anymore; it's not clear why, but one reason could be water temperature. While the Navy has animal training facilities in California and Hawaii, both places are too warm for the Arctic animal, he said.

That said, it's no wonder that colder-climate countries such as Russia continue to train belugas. Naval sources from different countries have said that "beluga whales were far easier to train than dolphins," Beland said. "Maybe because dolphins are like a 3-year-old child  they don't have a very long attention span, they are temperamental. Whereas belugas are calmer."

Evolution likely plays a role in the beluga's temperament. Take, for instance, the beluga's icy home in the Arctic. If there were a dolphin and a beluga trapped under the ice, both would need to find an ice-free area where they could surface to breathe. "Dolphins would go in one direction and find there's no open water and come back and get frantic about it," Beland said. "But beluga whales have learned through selection or cultural evolution to sit there and listen, send sounds left and right and find out where the nearest open water is and then go there."

Moreover, like dolphins, belugas are smart. They can even mimic the rhythm and frequency of human speech, a 2012 study found. They're also deep divers, going as far as 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) underwater, Beland said.

"They're very social, very adept, very intelligent, very inquisitive," Uko Gorter, the president of the American Cetacean Society, told Live Science.

It's unclear how this particular whale ended up in Norway. It's possible it escaped from its facility, or maybe it just took a break from a mission, perhaps a reconnaissance patrol it was doing, Beland said. But regardless of what happened, it's a shame that a wild animal was trained for naval purposes, he said.

"I understand that we need them at some point because other countries, which are not necessarily friendly, have them. But I think we should leave animals out of it," Beland said.

Originally published on Live Science.
Catherine Mitchell has been named interim chief executive of Community Health Choice following the abrupt resignation earlier this month of its long-time head.

A search for a permanent replacement continues, the Houston-based insurer said.

Mitchell, who is from the Houston area, has been the chief operating officer for the insurance company since November 2018. She will continue in both that role and CEO during the transition, the company said in a statement.

She joined Community Health Choice in 2017 as senior vice president for strategic planning and partnership. Prior to that she had three decades of experience in the health care industry, holding leadership positions with Amerigroup and Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, the company said.

"Catherine Mitchell brings a depth of health industry experience as well as a necessary understanding of Community's operations and strategic initiatives," said Vicki Keiser, the nonprofit insurer's board chair, in a statement.

Ken Janda, the previous chief executive, stepped April 11 down after more than a decade at the helm of the organization. The abrupt decision, described as mutual in a company-wide email, appeared to come after a regular board meeting.

RELATED: Ken Janda, CEO of Community Health Choice, abruptly resigns

Janda had been a high-profile fixture in area health care discussions as the insurance industry underwent changes following the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Community Health Choice began in 1997 as a local health plan for children and pregnant women covered under medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program. It experienced dramatic growth under the health care law, offering plans on the federal exchange.

Currently the company has more than 400,000 members in 20 counties across Texas, the company said.

RELATED: Texas ACA enrollment steady despite challenges to health care law

"I'm honored by the Board's trust and excited to continue leading our team forward," Mitchell said in a statement, "We are building on a great 2018 and I look forward to Community achieving new milestones in our mission to open doors of access to health and well-being."
Joseph Santos, a native Laredoan and 2009 St. Augustine High School graduate, appeared in his first big movie alongside actors including Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, Adam Baldwin and Dane DeHaan.

READ MORE: Iconic Mexican banda Bronco headed to Laredo

"The Kid," which was released in theaters on March 8, was directed by Vincent D'Onofrio, who is also a well-known actor and producer.

In the movie, filmed in New Mexico, Santos played one of Hawke's sheriff's deputies named James Bell.

"Vincent is an artist," Santos said. "It's not just a typical western (movie). It's very well-thought-out and has an amazing script. He really wanted to make an artistic statement with this movie, and I think it shines through very, very well."

Santos said he was initially nervous going into the film but left it feeling an incredible power that he is an actor and can continue to succeed in the industry.

"I walked away just feeling completely validated in the sense that I can hang with the big boys. No one is touched by the hand of God and given this enormous, incredible hand of talent. ... It's work. It's hard work; that's it. And I'm totally capable of doing that. So that was the biggest thing, and I've taken that with me since I finished the film and on to other projects," Santos said.

Santos described Hawke as an amazing actor and said it was one of his greatest experiences working with him. Santos said Hawke throughout their downtime, and Santos is bringing that lesson into his future endeavors.

"Now whenever I'm on set, or I'm at work, I remember that any time where no one is calling action is a time for you to create choices, find interesting things to do, find motivation and find reason for action or reason to say a line," Santos said.

Laughing and joking during an interview with LMT, he compared acting in Los Angeles to being in love with a crazy girlfriend. He said that with as much love that comes with the love of the craft, you're also up against rejection.

"It's really what I feel God put me here to do; tell stories and explore humanity. But acting in (Los Angeles) is an experience for sure, and it teaches you what you're made of and teaches you a lot about yourself. ... There's no substitute for hard work or for a good performance.

"(LA) is great. I love it. It took some time for me to grow accustomed, being totally different from Laredo. It's a huge city and it's very easy to sort of feel small, but I wouldn't have done it any other way. It was the best decision I ever made to come out here and pursue my dreams," Santos said.

His love of acting first began as a freshman while attending St. Augustine High School. He joined the theater arts club led by the late Maria Eugenia "Jeannie" Lopez.

After winning the state finals that year with a classmate in a duet competition, Santos began performing in plays produced by the Laredo Little Theater, Laredo Theater Guild International and Laredo College. He said he had been looking for an identity during that time and found it on his journey.

After high school, Santos received a full-ride scholarship to California Institute of the Arts and graduated in 2013.

He has since appeared in a TV series called "God Complex"  to be featured on Amazon May 1  as well as an episode on the TV series "The Coroner: I Speak for the Dead," and his own short film that he wrote and produced called "Whitetail," which received awards at a film festival for best film, best screenplay, people's choice award and best overall film.

He attributes his success to his parents, Apolonio Santos Jr. and Molly Higgins Santos, and the hard work they've taught him.

"I've applied those skills to my life, and it led me to pursue an acting career in LA," he said. "That's the key to my success and the key to my future success. Working hard and never settling for anything but my best while continuing to love it and staying in love."

READ MORE: Laredoans thrilled by boxing at Fight Fest 18

Santos' advice to those wanting to also pursue an acting career is "to do it!" He said he is no one special and that anyone can succeed if they work hard.

Santos thanked all his mentors for getting him to where he is today, including his parents, Vernon Carroll and his wife, Mary Grace Galvan-Carroll, Joe Arciniega, Beto Chavarria, Maria Eugenia "Jeannie" Lopez, Ronnie Ramirez and Joseph "Joe" Crabtree.
About 1,800 workers are trapped at a Sibanye Gold platinum mine in South Africa after an accident halted operation of a shaft used to transport workers.

The company is exploring options to bring the workers to the surface and could use an adjacent shaft if repairs to the Thembelani shaft take too long, said spokesman James Wellsted. It may take a couple of hours to complete work on the shaft and the company can't say when the workers might be hoisted up, he said.
For 16 years, Mohamed Toure and his wife, Denise Cros-Toure - both descendants of politically powerful families in Guinea - lived and worked in the wealthy Dallas suburb of Southlake.

Their background placed them among an elite class: Toure was the son of Guinea's first president, and Cros-Toure's father was secretary of state. In Texas, the couple promoted African businesses, organized culture festivals and were written about in newspapers for their philanthropy. Their children played sports, graduated high school and went to college.

During that time, a girl named Djena Diallo lived alongside them. Like them, she was Guinean. She traveled to weddings, graduations and the Toure children's sporting events. To the outside world, she appeared to be a member of the family.

But at home, according to federal prosecutors, the family dynamics were far different.

Diallo was brought to the United States at age 5, according to authorities. She said she knew no one and spoke no English. The Toures, she said, forced her to cook, clean and nanny their children without paying her. She did not attend school. Diallo told authorities that she was beaten, was called "dog" and "worthless," and was banished to a nearby park as punishment, where she slept on a bench.

After 16 years under their control - in 2016 - Diallo finally fled, and she eventually reported her experience to police. Toure and Cros-Toure were arrested, indicted and convicted on federal charges of forced labor, conspiracy to commit alien harboring and alien harboring.

Now they are going to prison.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Reid O'Connor sentenced Toure and Cros-Toure, both 58, to seven years in prison and ordered them to pay $288,620.24 in restitution. They will be deported to Guinea after they are released from prison.

"Forced labor trafficking cases are notoriously difficult to prosecute - in part because victims are often afraid to speak out," U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said in a Justice Department statement. "It took tremendous courage for this young woman to share her story at trial. She was brought to this country at a young age, pressured to stay quiet, and forced to work for this family without pay for 16 years."

When the case went to trial in January 2019, attorneys for the couple depicted them as benevolent and charitable. They argued that Diallo's father sent the girl to the Toures so she might have "a better life in the United States," reported the Dallas Morning News. The defense said Diallo had concocted a false narrative around her upbringing to "destroy the family that took her in."

The girl's household chores, they said, were no different than those expected of the Toure children.

"This is one of the hardest things we've been through," Cros-Toure told the judge Monday before she was sentenced, reported the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We opened our home to everyone, and our hearts."

The woman's husband said Cros-Toure loved Diallo like a daughter. "We thought the truth would come out," Toure said.

The couple's supporters at the sentencing hearing echoed the same sentiment, reported the Star-Telegram. The Toure children testified on behalf of their parents, as did neighbors and friends. They described the family as loving and generous.

The couple's attorneys argued that Diallo lived in freedom, had social media accounts, attended family vacations and could leave the house when she wanted.

But prosecutors and Diallo offered a drastically different version of events.

They said the girl was sent to the United States alone as a child, against her mother's wishes, to be the Toures' servant. Her mother tried to hide her and prevent her from being taken, prosecutors said, because she "didn't want her (daughter) to be someone's slave."

Diallo testified that the couple physically, emotionally and verbally abused her. They hit her on multiple occasions, she said, including with a belt and an electrical cord, and called her "slave." They shaved her head and washed her outside with a hose.

Once, as punishment, Cros-Toure allegedly expelled Diallo from the house. She slept in a park and kept warm using a public restroom hand dryer, officials said. "They isolated her from her family and society and prevented her from receiving any education, while their own children attended school and college," the Justice Department statement said.

After a couple of particularly bad years, Diallo testified, she planned her escape with the help of friends and neighbors, according to the Dallas Morning News. In August 2016, she managed to flee the home and eventually relocated to the house of a former neighbor in a suburb of Houston.

"I hope that today's sentence brings some measure of justice and healing to the victim, who suffered untold trauma as a result of the defendants' heinous crimes," Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband said in the Justice Department statement. "The defendants stole her childhood and her labor for years, enriching themselves while leaving her with pain and an uncertain future. I am very grateful to all who supported, and continue to support, the victim as she attempts to rebuild her life."
WASHINGTON - Top Democratic congressional leaders cast aside a brewing showdown over presidential oversight Monday and pitched President Donald Trump on a "big and bold" infrastructure bill ahead of a White House meeting on the issue, insisting there are "significant majorities in both the House and Senate" ready to act.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are set to meet Trump on Tuesday, joined by other leading Democrats. In a letter sent Monday, the pair asked Trump to entertain infrastructure legislation with "substantial, new and real revenue" - as opposed to previous GOP plans that have focused on using smaller amounts of public money to leverage private investments. They did not specify a dollar figure for the package, though many Democrats have discussed $1 trillion as a bare minimum.

Paying for that sort of investment is the major challenge, and potential revenue sources all carry political risks. Lawmakers from both parties have discussed potentially increasing the federal gas tax for the first time since 1993, but Democrats are more keenly eyeing a rollback of the Republican tax cuts that Trump signed into law in 2017.

A Democratic official close to Schumer said the Senate leader would not consider a gas tax hike - which would be a disproportionate burden on working-class voters - unless Republicans consider undoing some of their tax cuts for corporations and wealthy Americans. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid about internal deliberations.

"We look forward to hearing your ideas on how to pay for this package to ensure that it is big and bold enough to meet our country's needs," the leaders wrote to Trump Monday.

Pelosi and Schumer also said any infrastructure bill must address "clean energy and resiliency priorities" and expand "beyond transportation and into broadband, water, energy, schools, housing and other initiatives." They also call for "strong Buy America, labor, and women, veteran and minority-owned business protections" - provisions important to key players in the Democratic coalition.

The Democratic leaders' emphasis on bipartisanship comes at a time when relations between the White House and congressional Democrats could hardly be worse, with Trump determined to resist virtually every effort on Capitol Hill to investigate and check his administration. For instance, Attorney General Attorney General William Barr's scheduled testimony this week before the House Judiciary Committee is in question amid a dispute over the format of the hearing.

But Pelosi and Schumer have insisted on making legislative entreaties to Trump - particularly on the issues of infrastructure and prescription drug pricing, where they see a path to a bipartisan deal.

They believe Democrats have to show progress, or at least a good faith effort, toward their kitchen-table campaign promises of growing paychecks, shoring up health care and otherwise improving middle-class life.

"Democrats are able to do two things at once," said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., chairman of the party communications committee. "We are going to aggressively demand that the administration officials we have sought testimony from come before Congress. . . . At the same time, we're going to continue to move forward on the agenda we ran on for the people of this country. We have the responsibility to do both things and we'll do them both vigorously."

Regarding infrastructure, Pelosi and Schumer wrote on Monday: "This bipartisanship is a reflection of the American people's recognition of the need to rebuild our infrastructure to promote commerce, create jobs, advance public health with clean air and clean water, and make our transportation systems safer - indeed, to improve the quality of life of all Americans."

But it remains to be seen what common ground, if any, can be found.

Reversing any part of the 2017 tax law could be a red line for Trump and congressional Republicans, who consider the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the crowning legislative accomplishment of the administration. Undoing the cuts, some fear, could undermine a strong economy.

Democrats, meanwhile, see that revenue as crucial to any deal, and any Republican willingness to engage in that conversation stands to be an early indicator of whether Tuesday's talks are fruitful.

The outline of the meeting is so unclear that Democrats do not know whether Trump will bring in the White House press corps the way he did for an infamous December meeting with Schumer and Pelosi just before the 35-day partial shutdown of agencies, a public exchange with Trump that Democrats believe set the stage for them to win the shutdown fight.

"Didn't work out so badly last time," Schumer said of the previous televised exchange.

But others hoped for a more substantive talk not carried live on cable TV. "I hope not," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said exiting a more than hourlong huddle prepping for Tuesday's Trump meeting. "That doesn't lead to productive discussions."

White House officials on Monday played down the prospect of a breakthrough at the meeting.

National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow told reporters Monday the meeting would be "a good sit-down, a good discussion," but the administration would not be pitching Democrats on any specific infrastructure proposal.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders suggested the meeting could touch on topics far afield from infrastructure.

"Look, the primary purpose of that meeting is to discuss infrastructure, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised at all if immigration comes up," she said Monday on Fox News. "It's a major problem in this country, and so far Democrats have refused to acknowledge it and address it."

The House Democrats joining Pelosi at the meeting include Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina and Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, as well as Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal of Massachusetts.

The Senate Democrats set to join Schumer are Minority Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois; Assistant Minority Leader Patty Murray of Washington; Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow of Michigan; Sen. Thomas Carper of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee; and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee.

- - -

The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim and John Wagner contributed to this report.
Former vice president Joe Biden said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that Congress would have "no alternative" but to impeach President Donald Trump if his administration seeks to block its investigations of issues raised in the special counsel's report on Russian election interference.

Appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America," Biden said that the report by special counsel Robert Mueller left several unanswered questions related to whether Trump obstructed the nearly two-year probe, and he argued that Congress should follow up.

"What the Congress should do and they are doing is investigate that," Biden said. "And if in fact they block the investigation, they have no alternative to go to the only other constitutional resort they have: impeachment."

"My job in the meantime is to make sure he's not back as president of the United States of America," added Biden, who formally launched his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination last week.

Biden's comments came during a wide-ranging interview in which he also continued to grapple with controversies over his affectionate, physical style with women and his handling of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' 1991 Senate confirmation hearing. He also declined to say whether he would pick a woman as his running mate.

Frustration has been building among House Democrats as the Trump administration refuses to cooperate with an array of congressional inquiries, including several related to the Russia report. Attorney General William Barr has threatened not to show up at a scheduled Thursday hearing in the House to address how he handled Mueller's findings.

Mueller's report did not find sufficient evidence to bring charges of criminal conspiracy with Russia against Trump or anyone associated with his campaign. It did not offer a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice.

Barr later concluded that there was not sufficient evidence for obstruction of justice. But Biden said in the ABC interview that are "about seven or eight things that are left undone" related to possible obstruction that Congress should pursue.

The interview aired on the same day that a new poll found Biden opening up a lead in the crowded Democratic presidential field.

In the poll released by CNN, 39 percent of voters who identify as Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents say Biden is their top choice for the nomination. His nearest competitor, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., got 15 percent of support in the poll.

The poll also showed the race remaining fluid, with only about a third of potential Democratic voters saying they would definitely support their preferred candidate.

A Washington Post-ABC poll conducted mostly before Biden's announcement also suggested there is room for other candidates to grow. It found that over half of Democratic-leaning adults had no preference for the party's nomination when asked an open-ended question that did not name any candidates, though Biden held a slight edge among those who did.

As he prepared to campaign in Iowa on Tuesday for the first time since his announcement, Biden also released a new video that heavily features former president Barack Obama - whose endorsement Biden has said he did not seek.

The video opens with Obama praising his then-vice president in January 2017 as he bestowed Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Obama calls Biden "an extraordinary man with an extraordinary career in public service."

In the ABC interview, Biden said he was "really proud" of his service in the Obama administration but that he is not running for a third Obama term.

"It's a new time, it's a new day," Biden said.

Biden also continued to try to move past the controversy over how he has interacted with women, publicly touching them in ways that some have said made them feel uncomfortable.

"I've always thought that part of leadership, part of politics was listening to people, hearing them, making them feel comfortable," Biden told co-anchor Robin Roberts in an interview, which was recorded Monday. "It's my responsibility to be more sensitive to whether or not someone wants me to reassure them or wants to say hello or wants to show affection toward. And that's my responsibility."

Sitting beside him, Jill Biden defended her husband, saying she had not heard negative stories in the 44 years they have known one another. But she also acknowledged his judgment needs to improve.

"I think what you don't realize is how many people approach Joe, men and women, looking for comfort or empathy," Jill Biden said. "But going forward, I think he's going to have to judge - be a better judge - of when people approach him, how he's going to react. That he maybe shouldn't approach them."

Biden also said that he takes "responsibility" for how Anita Hill was treated when she testified about alleged sexual harassment before the Senate Judiciary Committee during 1991 hearings over Thomas's nomination to the Supreme Court.

"I believed her from the very beginning, but I was chairman. She did not get a fair hearing. She did not get treated well. That's my responsibility," Biden said. "As the committee chairman, I take responsibility that she did not get treated well. I take responsibility for that."

During the interview, Biden said he has a different take on Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, made famous during his 2016 campaign.

"Make America Moral Again," Biden said. "Return to the essence of who we are, the dignity of the country, the dignity of people, treating our people with dignity. . . . End this God-awful deliberate division that's being taken . . . separating people to aggrandize his own power."

- - -

Scott Clement contributed to this report.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers maintained strict vigilance and recently seized more than $728,000 in fentanyl in a single enforcement action at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge.

Our frontline CBP officers continued to remain vigilant amid heavy Semana Santa traffic and that dedication to the border security mission yielded a significant seizure of fentanyl, said Port Director Albert Flores, Laredo Port of Entry.
WASHINGTON - Rep. Al Green, a longtime proponent of impeaching President Donald Trump, said Tuesday that he plans to force a vote to oust the president, though he offered no timetable on when he would act.

The Texas Democrat, who has been pushing the effort for more than a year, stood on the House floor and held up a copy of special counsel Robert Mueller's report to argue that "this Congress has a date with destiny" and must impeach Trump for obstructing justice.

"The bells of history are reminding us that we have a responsibility to our country that we must take up," Green said, saying did not want to force the vote but that he had a duty to do so. "I will not put party above people. I will not put politics above principle. And I will not put this president above the law."

He added: "I will not allow history to show that this Congress did not take a vote on the impeachment of a reckless, ruthless, lawless president. I absolutely believe that we must honor our date with history."

The development, while perhaps not surprising, comes amid a renewed drive for impeachment in the House as divided Democrats simmer over Trump's refusal to cooperate with their investigations. Trump last week declared that he would block all subpoenas while instructing administration officials to ignore requests for testimony and documents.

Further escalating the clash with Congress, Trump and his family, as well as the Trump Organization, filed suit Monday against one of their lenders and one of their banks late Monday, seeking to stop the financial firms from complying with subpoenas from congressional committees.

The lawsuit against Deutsche Bank, which has loaned Trump more than $360 million in recent years, and Capital One are designed to prevent the two institutions from providing records to the House Intelligence and Financial Services committees. The panels are led by Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Maxine Waters, D-Calif., respectively.

"The Trump lawsuits are baseless and they are likely to be dismissed in court," said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Tuesday morning. "[W]e are not going to run away from our constitutional responsibility to serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. That's not the Democratic Caucus playbook. That's not the Nancy Pelosi playbook."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., remains opposed to initiating impeachment proceedings, telling her fellow leaders on Monday night that they must stay focused on the legislative agenda ahead of the 2020 election. The California Democrat has said impeachment is "divisive" and that Trump is "not worth it."

But the pressure on Pelosi is growing, both inside and outside the halls of Congress. More and more Democrats are fed up with Trump's flagrant move to block their investigations. And on Tuesday, former vice president Joe Biden said the House may have "no alternative" but to impeach Trump if his administration keeps blocking investigations.

"What the Congress should do and they are doing is investigate that," the 2020 presidential candidate said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "And if in fact they block the investigation, they have no alternative to go to the only other constitutional resort they have: impeachment."

A new group of Democrats is starting to say the same. Freshman Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., said Tuesday morning that "if that road takes us to impeachment so be it."

"We're going to do our job. We're going to walk right down this road step by step by step," she said. "If they put up roadblocks, we have constitutional muscle, we have the rule of law that will allow us to get the information  and if that road takes us to impeachment, so be it."

The divide in the caucus that is only likely to worsen over time. And Green's move to force a vote in the House may exacerbate that split, forcing Democrats to cast a tough vote: with the base, which supports impeachment, or with the nation, which overall does not, according to recent polling.

When Green files articles of impeachment against Trump, leadership would have two legislative days to respond by scheduling a vote to table them, refer them to the Judiciary Committee or postpone consideration.

Green said he is not lobbying lawmakers to join his cause but merely asked that they vote their conscience. Waters and Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., two other vocal impeachment backers, similarly said Tuesday morning that they were not organizing at the moment to push leadership on the matter.

"I think the speaker has an awesome responsibility to act in the best interest of the entire caucus, and she's doing that - I get that," Waters said. "And I think those of us who chair committees have a responsibility to do the work that the Constitution mandates that we do, and that's what I'm doing."

Democrats opposed to starting impeachment now say there is no chance that the Republican-led Senate would convict Trump and force him out, despite Trump's refusal to comply with Congress.

"We know it's not going to be easy, and we recognize that all the effort he's putting into denying us access for information is just an affirmation that he's done something wrong," said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. "He's hiding from the American people, and that is a communication that we're gonna have to share with the American people: Talk to this president, tell the president you need to share the information that everyone is entitled to know."

She said the decision rests with the leadership of the committees "when they feel they cannot go any further and the leadership of our caucus when they've tried everything they can to get answers to their questions. But I live in the real world. And the real world is that there is a Senate that has no desire to do the right thing so long as Republicans are in charge. So we need to figure out: How do we keep the fire on the president?"

Trump's no-cooperation strategy comes in the aftermath of Mueller's report that found 10 potential areas of obstruction by the president. While Mueller did not charge Trump with conspiring with Russia or obstructing justice, he appeared to defer to Congress on the latter, noting Justice Department rules barring a sitting president from prosecution.
Laredo College Office of Student Life will be hosting the Student Leadership Awards Night on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Kazen Student Center at the Fort McIntosh Campus.

Laredo College student organizations keep campus life invigorated and vibrant year-round. It is these organizations and clubs that not only bring school spirit to life, but also encourage the student population to get involved and make a difference.
A man has been arrested after he allegedly broke into a vehicle in the Siete Viejo neighborhood in central Laredo.

The burglary was reported at about 8:20 a.m. April 10 in the 2300 block of San Leonardo Avenue.
WASHINGTON - In the opening moments of Congress' first hearing on Medicare-for-all, House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., addressed a theme that has begun to dominate the 2020 Democratic primary season: "Health care is a right for all," he said, "not a privilege for the lucky few."

That mantra, which he and others invoked Tuesday, is political ammunition for liberals' crusade to convert the U.S. health-care system into a single-payer model. The language casts a redesign, intended to guarantee all Americans access to care by enlarging the government's role, as a moral imperative.

The most poignant presence during the daylong hearing was that of Ady Barkan, a 35-year-old activist who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurological disease with no cure, who appeared weak and sweaty in a wheelchair and delivered his testimony through a computer because his diaphragm no longer allows him to speak.

"The ugly truth is this: Health care is not treated as a human right in the United States of America," said Barkan, who testified that his care costs $9,000 a month beyond what his private insurance covers, prompting him to resort to GoFundMe campaigns. "On the day we are born and on the day we die, and on so many days in between, all of us need medical care. And yet in this country, the wealthiest in the history of human civilization, we do not have an effective or fair or rational system for delivering that care."

But if the talk of rights bolsters progressives' health-care agenda, it also is polarizing among politicians, policy experts and voters elsewhere on the ideological spectrum. The disagreement makes the U.S. an outlier among developed nations, almost all of which long ago embraced the value of health care as a human right.

A Pew Research Center survey last September found that 60 percent of respondents said it is the government's responsibility to ensure all Americans have health coverage - a marked increase from about a decade ago when the country was more evenly divided. But the partisan differences are stark, with 49 percent of Democrats but only 12 percent of Republicans agreeing with that idea. Overall, just under one-third said they believe the government should run a single national insurance program.

Rules ranking member, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, called the Medicare-for-all measure introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., "a radical bill" and said Democrats have "not told us how much this massive new program would cost, who would pay for it, and how much taxes would have to go up. .. to pay for this program."

That dispute is part of the subtext playing out Tuesday in a small House hearing room as congressional proponents of Medicare-for-all put forth the moral, political and economic case for an idea pursued by the most liberal Democrats vying for their party's nomination for president.

The hearing, along with another planned by the House Budget Committee, offers single-payer proponents their congressional moments in the sun without necessarily moving legislation closer to becoming law. On Tuesday, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., said he also would schedule a hearing.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a single-payer skeptic, has not committed to other procedural steps that would lead to a floor vote on Medicare-for-all. And even if the measure were to be brought to a House vote, such legislation would have virtually no chance of prevailing in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The House legislation, introduced two months ago by Jayapal, with about 100 co-sponsors, lies at one end of debate amongDemocrats over whether the best way to improve health care for Americans is to tinker with the Affordable Care Act or to fundamentally restructure the way care is paid for.

Even among Medicare-for-all proponents, there is disagreement about the role for private insurance companies. Some, such as Jayapal and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., contend that private insurance should be eliminated, while others suggest that public and private insurance could coexist.

Under Jayapal's measure, consumerswould contribute nothing toward their medical bills, and even expensive longterm care would be covered. Her legislation does not predict how much the new system would cost, leaving it to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to come up with an annual budget.

The Congressional Budget Office is scheduled to release a report on Wednesday on the costs of single-payer coverage.

For an issue that can arouse considerable passion, Tuesday's hearing maintained a respectful tone among Democratic and Republican lawmakers and the witnesses invited by both parties.

A New York City emergency room doctor and single-payer advocate, Farzon Nahvi, told of patients who walked out of his hospital because they could not afford the care they needed.

Another Democratic witness, Doris Browne, a cancer specialist and retired colonel in the Army Medical Corps who is the recent past president of the National Medical Association, focused on the need for equitable care for people of all incomes, races and ethnicities. "It doesn't matter what you call it - Medicare-for-all, universal coverage, single payer - the care must be the same" for everyone, she said.

A Republican witness, economist Charles Blahous of the conservative Mercatus Center at George Mason University, said his analysis of earlier Medicare-for-all legislation estimated it would add $32 trillion to $39 trillion to federal health care expenditures. But he agreed with Democrats that most, if not all of that aggregate cost would be offset by the elimination of private health plans.

Among advocates with different views of exactly how Medicare-for-all should be designed, the idea of health care as a right is a unifying thread.

The idea has a lineage that goes back almost a century, and it has not always been associated with a single payersystem. In his 1944 State of the Union address, President Franklin Roosevelt called on Congress to adopt a second Bill of Rights that guaranteed Americans economic security, including "the right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health."

Roosevelt died the following year, his goal unrealized, but his widow, Eleanor Roosevelt, was a force behind the United Nation's adoption in 1948 of a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which said that everyone has the right to adequate medical care. That declaration was the foundation for a 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which said that people should be assured "medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness."

More than a decade later, President Jimmy Carter signed the convenant, but the U.S. never joined the nearly 170 countries, including most democracies, that ratified it.

In the 2008 presidential election, then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and his Republican opponent, the now-late Sen. John McCain of Arizona were asked during a campaign debate whether health care was a privilege, a right or a responsibility.

McCain said it was a responsibility. Obama said it should be "a right for every American."

Obama was not thinking of Medicare-for-all. He favored federal subsidies to help working- and middle-class people afford private health plans - an idea central to the Affordable Care Act, which a Democratic Congress passed in 2010, which helped millions of Americans gain insurance but stopped short of universal coverage.

But the idea of expanding Medicare, the popular federal insurance for older Americans, to everyone in the country goes back at least four decades.

As McGovern, the rules chairman, pointed out, Tuesday's hearing is Congress's first on legislation called Medicare-for-all, which he called historic. But the late Sen.Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., convened hearings around the country in 1971 to explore a single-payer plan financed through payroll taxes.

Conservative health-policy specialists contend that, if the government were saddled with the responsibility to provide univeral health care - the implication if health care and health were defined as a right - it would be difficult to draw the line about where that should stop. Should it be responsible for providing housing, nutritious food, clean air and other factors known to enhance health?

On the other hand, Don Berwick, a former acting director of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who ran unsuccessfully for Massachusetts governor on a single-payer platorm, said the U.S. "is a unicorn," compared to other developed countries, where the right to health care "isn't even a question anymore."
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Del. Dereck Davis, one of two Democrats vying to be elected speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates on Wednesday, has served nearly half of his life in the General Assembly.

He was first elected to represent his Prince George's County district in 1994, when he was 27. In November, at age 51, he was reelected to a seventh term.

Davis would be the first black presiding officer in Maryland history, and the fifth in the country, according to the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus.

"This is about everybody having a seat at the table," he said Monday. "For all those before me who served in leadership roles but never quite got the opportunity to make it all the way to the top."

Davis served three years as the deputy majority whip before being named in 2003 to lead the Economic Matters Committee. With the appointment, Davis became the fourth black person to lead a House standing committee in Maryland - and the only one from Prince George's.

He has a reputation for fairness and being willing to listen, but he has frustrated younger and more liberal lawmakers by taking centrist positions on some high-profile issues even as the majority Democratic legislature shifted left. He voted against same-sex marriage in 2012, opposed a 2019 bill that would have allowed doctors to prescribe a lethal dose of medicine to terminally ill patients and introduced a bill in 2017 to put the General Assembly in charge of setting the minimum wage and ban counties and cities from increasing the wage in their jurisdictions.

Davis said recently that those actions "best represented his constituency" but do not reflect a full picture of his career. He introduced the state's first renewable energy bill in 2004 and its first statewide minimum wage bill in 2006, and he joined liberals in voting to repeal the death penalty in 2013.

In 2016, Davis briefly ran to succeed then-Rep. Donna Edwards, a Democrat. He is competing for the speaker's gavel with Del. Maggie McIntosh, D-Baltimore, and has the support of a majority of the Black Caucus but not a majority of Democrats, according to lawmakers who are whipping votes. He would likely need support from Republican lawmakers to win on Wednesday.

Del. Edith Patterson, D-Charles County, described him Tuesday as "the most qualified, and the best candidate" to replace Busch. "(He) has the credentials. He has the position, and he has demonstrated leadership in his role as chair of Economic Matters," she said.

Born in the District of Columbia, Davis attended Central High School in Prince George's and earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in public policy at the University of Maryland.

He is deputy director of the Office of Community Relations in Prince George's and previously worked as an administrator for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the state Department of Labor, Licensing, Regulation and the Prince George's County Council.

His wife is Monique Davis, a former deputy schools superintendent in Prince George's who is a regional assistant superintendent in Anne Arundel County. They have two children and live in Mitchellville.
The Washington Nationals' latest roster scramble Tuesday left third baseman Anthony Rendon on the 10-day injured list, left-handed reliever Dan Jennings added to their bullpen, and right-handed reliever Austin Adams designated for assignment.

The moves continue the near-constant shuffling that has taken place since this season began March 28. Injuries to Rendon, starting shortstop Trea Turner and starting first baseman Ryan Zimmerman have forced the Nationals' hand in the past week. A struggling bullpen - despite 12 straight scoreless innings heading into Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals - has raised concerns and the need to do something. And Rendon, who suffered a left elbow contusion April 20, only provided the most recent puzzle for the Nationals to solve.

Washington opted to keep Rendon off the IL after he was hit by a 95-mph fastball against the Miami Marlins. He did not play for five days, leaving Dave Martinez to manage with 24 players, and then made four plate appearances in a loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday. Then he went on the shelf again, after the swelling in his elbow flared back up, and the Nationals waited until Tuesday, 10 days after the original injury, to officially place him on the IL. The earliest he can be activated again is May 7. It looks like a botched situation and a repeat of last April, when the Nationals waited eight days to put Rendon on the IL with a toe injury.

They considered it a calculated gamble that didn't go their way.

"You have to balance if Anthony Rendon is going to be ready in four or five days, rather than putting him on the 10-day IL. I'd rather play short for three, four, five days then lose Rendon for an extra five days," General Manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday of the approach with Rendon's elbow. "I think that went into the decision until we felt that it was time to give this some significant time. We'll see where he's at on May 7 when he can return, and hopefully he will be ready to come back."

Rendon had been the Nationals' best hitter this season, with a 1.182 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and six home runs in 20 games. That is why they held out hope he would recover quickly and, when he seemed to, Martinez placed him back in the lineup against San Diego. But he felt soreness following that appearance and was not up to playing in the following games until, by Tuesday, it was clear he would not be ready in the near future.

Martinez said Monday that Rendon could bend his elbow but felt pain when extending it. Rendon underwent his first MRI exam Sunday, it confirmed that it was only a contusion, and the Nationals drained fluid from his elbow thereafter. He was placed on the IL retroactively to April 27, which is why he could make it back for the second week of May.

"He wanted to play. He tried to play. It didn't work out," Martinez said Tuesday. "We thought he was getting a little better. But it got to a point where it was kind of a stalemate, so we had to make a decision. Being that our bullpen has been used quite a bit the last couple days, we thought about putting him on the IL and bringing another relief pitcher up."

That pitcher is the 32-year-old Jennings, whom Washington signed to a minor league contract in mid-April. To make room for Jennings on the 40-man roster, the Nationals designated Adams for assignment. Adams, 27, will now be placed on waivers, and Washington has 10 days to decide what to do with him. If Adams is not claimed in the 10-day window, the Nationals can offer a minor league assignment. Adams will then have the choice to accept that or opt to become a free agent. He made one appearance for the Nationals, against the Marlins on April 20, and he allowed a run while walking two, striking out two and hitting a batter.

Jennings had a 3.22 ERA in 72 appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season, and he becomes the eighth arm in the Nationals' active bullpen. That group had struggled all year before Sunday's and Monday's games, and it still entered Tuesday with a 6.25 ERA (ranked 29th among 30 teams). Jennings was assigned to the Class AA Harrisburg Senators after joining the Nationals, and he had a 2.45 ERA in 3 2/3 innings out of the bullpen there. He arrived in Washington by Uber late Monday night, all the way from Reading, Pa., about 150 miles away, and is available to pitch against the Cardinals.

"I think the guy was pretty surprised when he picked me up," Jennings said Tuesday. "He said: 'You ready to go? We're going a long ways.'"

The handling of Rendon's injury left Martinez shorthanded across the past 10 days. Now, with Rendon on the IL and Jennings up, Martinez has a full roster to work with again. The bullpen is stocked with four lefties - Jennings, closer Sean Doolittle, Tony Sipp and Matt Grace - as well as right-handers Kyle Barraclough, Wander Suero, Joe Ross and Justin Miller. Martinez is partial to an eight-man bullpen during this current stretch of 17 games in 17 days. And his four-man bench includes a catcher, Adrian Sanchez, Michael A. Taylor and Wilmer Difo, who started at third in place of Howie Kendrick on Tuesday.

"If you look at your lineup, we don't really pinch-hit for very many guys," Martinez said about why he favors a bigger bullpen and shorter bench. "And as I talked to everybody earlier, I use our extra catcher to pinch-hit as well. And I kind of like that because both [Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki] can hit."

It's not how the Nationals envisioned they would look heading into May. But it may prove to be a small step in the right direction.
MODESTO, Calif. - Former congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas, in the first major policy plan of his presidential candidacy, proposed Monday slicing carbon emissions to net zero in 30 years, spending $5 trillion to make the country's infrastructure more climate-friendly and ending oil and gas drilling on public lands.

O'Rourke, part of a historically large and diverse field of Democrats running for the White House, frequently talks during his town hall meetings about the urgency of reversing climate change. When asked recently to name his "north star" issue, he said, "If we are to do nothing else but save the planet from us, we'll have been successful."

It's the first detailed proposal released by O'Rourke, who is known for his inspirational message, eloquence on the stump and feel-good campaign events but has been light on policies and specifics. He toured Yosemite National Park on Monday and visited California's Central Valley to highlight his new initiative, and metwith farmers and climate scientists at Modesto Junior College here.

He's not the only one in the Democratic field focusing on climate change. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is making the issue the focus of his bidand plans to release his own initiative in the coming days.

O'Rourke's proposal comes as several Democratic presidential hopefuls are seeking to move beyond the initial buzz of their campaigns and offer distinctive policy ideas. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, for example, has proposed boosting teacher pay and expanding gun control. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has made detailed policy plans, particularly on income and racial inequality, a centerpiece of her campaign from the outset.

O'Rourke's climate policy drew criticism from some climate activists for not being as ambitious as the Green New Deal framework offered by a group of congressional Democrats. That plan - which has animated the left but faced criticism from Republicans and some Democrats as unrealistic - calls for transforming the power sector so that 100 percent of demand is met by "clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources" within 10 years.

The longer period laid out by O'Rourke for transitioning the economy to net-zero emissions - 30 years - dismayed some activists.

"Unfortunately, Beto gets the science wrong and walks back his commitments from earlier this month," said Varshini Prakash, executive director of the Sunrise Movement, which supports aggressive measures to address climate change. "Beto claims to support the Green New Deal, but his plan is out of line with the timeline it lays out."

A campaign aide disagreed, saying O'Rourke's 30-year goal, unlike the Green New Deal's 10-year time frame, does not include solely the power sector, but covers all greenhouse emissions - including, for example, gases from transportation and farming. The campaign also said his plan is "in line" with the Green New Deal.

"There is not a more aggressive plan out there," O'Rourke told reporters Monday.

Others concerned with climate change said the Green New Deal's 10-year benchmark is aspirational, and that O'Rourke's proposal is a contribution.

"Everything we can do is good," said Mark Jacobson, a Stanford University professor and climate expert.

Inslee's campaign issued a statement Monday criticizing O'Rourke's environmental record. "Beto O'Rourke will need to answer why he did not lead on climate change in Congress and why he voted on the side of oil companies to open up offshore drilling," the statement said.

Environmental advocates generally describe O'Rourke's performance as mixed. Last June, O'Rourke joined House Republicans to support legislation that the League of Conservation Voters said would "slash funding for clean energy programs" and jeopardize some imperiled species. A campaign representative noted that O'Rourke earned a 95% lifetime score from the LCV.

And important details about O'Rourke's climate plan remain unclear. It calls for the "single largest investment in fighting climate change in history," but says only that the initiative would be funded by unspecified "structural changes to the tax code."

The plan calls for O'Rourke to use his presidential executive power on his first day in office to quickly enact priorities such as reentering the Paris climate agreement and "rapidly accelerating" the proliferation of zero-emission vehicles.

In addition, the plan would set aside funding for parts of the country that feel the brunt of changing weather patterns.
WASHINGTON - More than a third of Americans say that illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border is at a "crisis," up 11 percentage points since January as Democrats have grown sharply more concerned about the issue, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

At the same time, Americans assign a similar level of blame to congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump for the situation, the survey finds, signaling that both political parties face challenges on immigration heading into the 2020 presidential election cycle.

The Trump administration is struggling to handle a surge of migrant families arriving at the southern border with Mexico, where the number of apprehensions by Customs and Border Protection topped 100,000 in March, the largest monthly total in a dozen years, according to federal data. Although Trump responded by installing new leadership at the Department of Homeland Security three weeks ago, the number of migrants was on pace to reach a similar level in April, authorities said.

The poll, conducted by cellular and landline telephone between April 22 and 25, finds that 35% of Americans believe the situation is a crisis, up from 24% in January. While that figure included a modest increase among Republicans and independents, the percentage of Democrats who agree jumped from 7% to 24%, nearly a quarter of the p arty.

A still-larger 45% plurality of the public overall says illegal immigration across the southern border is a serious problem but not a crisis, while 18% say it is not a serious problem.

The shifting views have altered the political calculus for Democrats, including the 20 candidates already in the race for the party's presidential nomination, who have sought to challenge Trump's hard-line rhetoric on immigration. Having once accused the president of falsely fanning public fears over a nonexistent crisis, Democrats have shifted to emphasizing the humanitarian challenges at the border, while still accusing Trump of demonizing immigrants and pursuing policies that have exacerbated the problems.

Trump's policies "have been an absolute failure for our country," former San Antonio mayor Julian Castro, campaigning for the 2020 Democratic nomination, said at a rally in that city this month. He has released an immigration plan that would decriminalize unauthorized border crossings.

But Trump has countered by trying to pin blame on Democrats for opposing hard-line policies that, he argues, would send a deterrence message to the record number of Central American families seeking asylum in the United States. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Trump noted that he reversed his administration's "no tolerance" policy of separating immigrant families last summer amid a political backlash - only to see the number of families increase sixfold since then, according to federal data.

"The problem is you have 10 times more people coming up with their families," Trump said in the interview, exaggerating the numbers. "It's like Disneyland now."

The Post-ABC poll finds that 64% of Americans oppose Trump's use of an emergency declaration in February to divert billions of dollars in federal funds from other programs to build a border wall - with 55% saying they "strongly oppose."

More women (71%) than men (57%) are opposed to Trump's declaration, and while a majority of all age groups oppose it, a larger share of younger Americans are opposed to it than older Americans.

A larger share of nonwhite Americans (82%), including 92% of African Americans, oppose the move, while a slim 54% majority of whites also oppose it.

More broadly, 57% of all adults disapprove of the way Trump is handling immigration in general, similar to the 54% who disapprove of his overall job performance. But 39% approve of Trump's handling of immigration, up slightly from 35% in 2017. That includes 74% of Republicans, a sign that the president's conservative base is sticking with him.

The poll shows a sharp divide among Americans over who is to blame for the growing numbers at the border. Thirty-five percent blame congressional Democrats, while 32% blame Trump, a breakdown driven largely along party lines.

A majority of Democrats blame Trump (62%) while a majority of Republicans blame congressional Democrats (71%). Independents are split about evenly.

The intensity of feelings about Trump's immigration agenda could be a liability for the president for his 2020 campaign. A 42% plurality of registered voters say Trump's handling of illegal immigration makes them more likely to oppose his reelection. An additional 34% say it makes them more likely to support him, while 22% say his handling of the issue is not a factor in their vote.

The president, who made stopping illegal immigration the centerpiece of his 2016 campaign, has continued to count the issue as central to his chances for reelection, and he has played to his conservative base even amid concerns in the White House that the rising level of border crossings threatens to undercut his message that his administration has been effective.

At a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wis., on Saturday, Trump boasted about a secret White House plan that aimed to have Immigration and Customs Enforcement release undocumented immigrants into "sanctuary cities" that do not always cooperate with federal enforcement efforts, as a way to target Trump's political opponents, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who represents San Francisco.

"I'm proud to tell you that was my sick idea," Trump told the crowd, referring to the plan. The idea was rejected in November and again in February by ICE, whose lawyers deemed it to be inappropriate. The Post first disclosed the existence of the plan in a report three weeks ago.

Americans are roughly equally divided between how the country should handle asylum protections for migrants - a major priority for the Trump White House, which has attempted to implement policies, blocked by federal courts, that would ban Central Americans from applying.

Trump aides have argued the asylum system makes it too difficult to quickly deport Central American migrants, especially families and children, who are usually released into the United States to await immigration court hearings, a process that can take more than a year amid huge backlogs.

The poll finds Americans in nearly a three-way divide over asylum protection laws, with 30% saying it should be harder for undocumented immigrants to request asylum, 27% saying it should be easier and 34% saying asylum protection should be left as it is now.

A 46% plurality of Republicans say asylum should be harder to claim, while Democrats are split between whether it should be left as it is now (40%) or made easier (38%).

The Post-ABC poll was conducted among a random national sample of 1,001 adults, with 65% reached on cellphones and 35% on landlines. Results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the full sample.

- - -

The Washington Post's Scott Clement contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) introduced H.R. 2335, the Border Patrol Pay Security Act of 2019, a bill amending the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to reinstate Border Patrol agent compensation for overtime for certain hours of work. Specifically, this bipartisan piece of legislation provides federal labor pay standards to those who are among both our most deserving and critically needed workers, maintaining the security and continued economic prosperity of South Texas and the U.S.

One of the biggest challenges facing CBP is the persistent recruitment and retention issue of front line law enforcement positions, said Congressman Cuellar. The Border Patrols recruitment and retention issue not only effects their ability to carry out our laws and keep our nation safe, it is impeding CBPs ability to process legitimate trade and travel, increasing wait times at the Texas Ports of Entry (POEs), and decreasing U.S. economic competitiveness. Addressing pay parity for Border Patrol agents is part of my comprehensive effort to ensure that our border and ports of entry are fully staffed with high quality personnel and that they are well equipped to sufficiently execute their jobs.
Back in November, dozens of homeowners in La Bota Ranch, a gated community in northwest Laredo, met with state Rep. Tracy King to voice their numerous concerns regarding the lack of representation on their homeowners association.

Two years before, this HOA, made up solely of the neighborhoods developers, had decided to raise the homeowners annual dues dramatically, a 70 percent increase. The developers had also, without notifying homeowners, voted to extend their control of the HOA board until 2050.

The board remains under declarant  or developer  control because the owners of the subdivision claim they have not finished building there. And HOAs under declarant control do not have to abide by the laws of homeowner-controlled boards.

So at their meeting with King, residents asked that he file legislation to address some of these weaknesses in the law.

RELATED: La Bota Ranch residents voice complaints of unsafe environment along Mines Road

In March, he filed House Bill 3445, which would expand the current property code on HOAs to apply when they are under declarant control. Right now, only one third of the board members must be elected by neighborhood homeowners after the 10th year of the subdivisions existence.

King is proposing to make it so that a majority of the board must be composed of homeowners after the subdivisions fifth year.

At a hearing before the House Committee on Business and Industry, King said that the property code currently lacks language that discourages developers from prolonging their development indefinitely.

The State of Texas has an opportunity to lead the way in HOA reform, he said.

Vanessa Perez is a homeowner in La Bota who has been leading the fight and subsequent lawsuit against the subdivisions developers.

In her testimony before the committee on Tuesday, she noted that homeowners associations are one of the few entities that can foreclose on a homestead. And residents in La Bota have lost their homes to foreclosure, she said.

A lot of homeowners are drowning  and I feel that with this bill, it offers a life buoy for a lot of people that are looking for some kind of relief, Perez said.

They do not want to take away the privilege that a developer has to build on their property, they just want to implement a term limit of their control, she said.

Were going on 25 years of declarant control. Were not seeing any development ..., Perez said. Were not getting answers as far as transparency, and were not getting a good clear sight as far as when the homeowners will have a voice.

READ MORE: Redevelopment issues discussed at housing summit

It becomes taxation without representation, because having homeowners make up only one third of the HOA board is not really a voice, she said.

So they can basically triple, quadruple, whatever percent they want to raise the dues. They run the board, so they set the amount, Perez told the committee.

Only a representative of the Texas Association of Builders came to testify against the bill.

Attorney Alex Valdez said he is concerned about the unintended consequences of the legislation.

The long and short of it is, there are a number of provisions that are effective now, at least as far as the associations that I represent, to give us relief if theres an issue where we have to petition a court to force a board or force the association to take some action, Valdez said.

The committee fought Valdez a bit on this. Rep. Nicole Collier, who represents Fort Worth, said if a developer hasnt done anything in five years, it seems like the homeowners should take ownership of their property through an HOA board.

And Rep. Drew Darby, the committees vice chair from San Angelo, said he suspects the residents of La Bota have been abused, based on the pleadings they have made in court.

Ive read some egregious actions with regard to homeowners associations, but this probably takes the cake, Darby said.

These words brought Vanessa Perez to tears, she told LMT. All day she had heard about how hard it is to get a bill passed in the Texas Legislature, and how hard it will be for them. For Darby to acknowledge the severity of their situation was personally validating for her, and it made it all worth it, she said.

Perez doesnt know if the law will pass, and if it does, she doesnt believe it will fix everything for HOAs. But she is hopeful for change.

King noted that this is the first homeowners association bill hes had any kind of work on in his 24 years in the Legislature.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
WASHINGTON - Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein - whose tumultuous two years as the No. 2 Justice Department official was marked by battles over the special counsel probe of President Donald Trump - submitted a resignation letter Monday indicating he will leave the job in two weeks.

Rosenstein's departure had been expected since the beginning of the year, but the date was repeatedly pushed back as special counsel Robert Mueller wound down his investigation and compiled a report detailing his findings.

Since his first days on the job, Rosenstein's role in the Trump administration was controversial, from the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey in May 2017 to the conclusion by Rosenstein and Attorney General William P. Barr that there was not sufficient evidence for an obstruction-of-justice case against the president.

In his resignation letter to Trump, Rosenstein praised the president for his personal charm and policy goals.

"As I submit my resignation effective on May 11, I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education, and prosperity, because 'a nation exists to serve its citizens'," Rosenstein wrote.

He ended his letter with a sentence that asserted the Justice Department's independence, before closing with a phrase from Trump's campaign: "We keep the faith, we follow the rules, and we always put America first."

The resignation letter was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The new attorney general praised Rosenstein's long career in federal law enforcement.

"Over the course of his distinguished government career, he has navigated many challenging situations with strength, grace, and good humor," Barr said in a statement. "Rod has been an invaluable partner to me during my return to the Department, and I have relied heavily on his leadership and judgment over the past several months."

Earlier this year, Trump nominated Rosenstein's replacement, current Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen, though Rosen still must be confirmed by the Senate. The Judiciary Committee said Monday it will consider Rosen's nomination on Thursday, which means he could be confirmed by early May.

Rosenstein's resignation letter comes days after The Washington Post reported that he had assured Trump in a call last year that the special counsel investigation would treat the president fairly, and that he was on Trump's team.

The September conversation, according to people familiar with it, followed an explosive New York Times report revealing that Rosenstein had suggested wearing a wear to surreptitiously monitor the president, or using the 25th Amendment to oust him from office - reporting that Rosenstein disputes.

"I give the investigation credibility," Rosenstein told Trump, according to an administration official with knowledge of what was said during the call. "I can land the plane."

While it is difficult to interpret Rosenstein's remarks, he was apparently trying to mollify Trump and save his own job, or at least his reputation.

"I can go. I'm ready to go. I can resign. But I don't want to go out with a tweet," the deputy attorney general said in a meeting with Trump's chief of staff before the call, according to one person's account. Trump routinely makes significant personnel announcements via Twitter.

In his resignation letter, Rosenstein extolled the Justice Department's accomplishments during the Trump administration.

"We enforce the law without fear or favor because credible evidence is not partisan, and truth is not determined by opinion polls,"" Rosenstein wrote. "We ignore fleeting distractions and focus our attention on the things that matter, because a republic that endures is not governed by the news cycle," Rosenstein wrote.

He also defended the department's handling of the Russia probe, writing the country "is safer, our elections are more secure, and our citizens are better informed about covert foreign influence efforts."

Rosenstein went on to cite the kinds of cases in which the president has expressed a personal interest. "We also pursued illegal leaks, investigated credible allegations of employee misconduct, and accommodated congressional oversight without compromising law enforcement interests," he wrote.

Matthew Miller, a Justice Department spokesman in the Obama administration, said he found particularly odd the "over-the-top praise for the president who has spent his entire tenure attacking the Department of Justice. . . . When one of the most consistent themes of the president's tenure has been attacking the career men and women at the Department of Justice, it's just inappropriate for a deputy attorney general to heap all of this unalloyed praise on him."

On Thursday, in one of his last public speeches as the deputy attorney general, Rosenstein lashed out at politicians and the media, denouncing what he called "mercenary critics, who get paid to express passionate opinions about any topic, often with little or no information. . . . They make threats, spread fake stories and even attack your relatives."

In recent weeks, Rosenstein has faced criticism for how the Justice Department released the findings of Mueller's investigation. Rosenstein signed on to Barr's conclusion - which went further than Mueller had been willing to go - that there was insufficient evidence to accuse Trump of obstructing justice, and he stood behind Barr when the attorney general repeatedly declared at a news conference that Mueller had concluded there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Democrats and legal analysts have asserted that Barr was casting Mueller's report in a way that was overly favorable to Trump, with public support from Rosenstein.

Rosenstein was long viewed as one of the last bastions insulating the Mueller probe from political interference. But Rosenstein's role was always deeply controversial, since it was a memo he wrote criticizing Comey that formed the public justification for firing him as FBI director - a shocking move that led Rosenstein, days later, to appoint Mueller as special counsel to carry on the Russia investigation.
WASHINGTON - The House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday made a criminal referral to the Justice Department for Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of the private military contractor Blackwater and an ally of President Donald Trump, accusing him of "knowingly and willfully" making false statements to Congress.

Prince's statements "impaired the Committee's understanding of Russia's attempts to contact and influence the incoming Trump Administration," Schiff wrote in his referral letter to Attorney General William Barr, describing six alleged instances in which Prince misled the panel about his January 2017 meeting in the Seychelles with a Russian banker tied to the Kremlin - and how much the Trump transition team knew about it.

"The evidence is so weighty that the Justice Department needs to consider this," Schiff said during a Washington Post Live event earlier Tuesday, announcing his intention to make the referral later in the day.

Democratic lawmakers have long suspected that Prince lied to them during his November 2017 interview before the House Intelligence Commitee, when he described his Seychelles meeting with Russian financier Kirill Dmitriev as a chance encounter, instead of one organized at the behest of the incoming administration. Their suspicions hardened after they read special counsel Robert Mueller III's depiction of the Seychelles meeting, which differed in several key respects with Prince's sworn testimony.

Mueller's team also learned that Prince had been in touch with Trump's chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, before the meeting and from the Seychelles, but it was unable to unearth the content those conversations, as the messages had disappeared from their devices, according to Mueller's report.

"We know from the Mueller report that was not a chance meeting. . . . We know there were communications after he returned," Schiff said during The Post event. "In very material ways I think the evidence strongly suggests that he willingly misled our committee, and the Justice Department needs to consider whether there's a prosecutable case."

The White House, the Justice Department and the Trump Organization had no immediate response to Schiff's comments.

In a statement, a lawyer for Prince said there "is no new evidence here." Matthew Schwartz said: "Erik Prince's House testimony has been public for months, including at all times that Mr. Prince met with the Special Counsel's Office. Mr. Prince cooperated completely with the Special Counsel's investigation, as its report demonstrates. There is nothing new here for the Department of Justice to consider, nor is there any reason to question the Special Counsel's decision to credit Mr. Prince and rely on him in drafting its report."

Schiff noted Tuesday that some of the information Prince gave investigators was presented during proffer sessions. He speculated that if Prince told Mueller's team what he knew "under the condition it not be used against him, then being able to prove" that he lied to lawmakers "might be problematic."

At this juncture, neither the Senate nor the House intelligence committees know the details of Prince's proffer with Mueller.

Congressional Democrats are also looking into whether White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. lied to them during their interviews with congressional panels.

Details in Mueller's report have solidified many Democrats' concerns that Trump Jr. lied to them about the details surrounding the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower that he and others from the Trump campaign held with a Russian lawyer promising "dirt" on presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The report also sparked new concerns that Kushner misled lawmakers about the pre-inauguration contacts his business associate, Rick Gerson, had with Dmitriev, the banker who met with Prince in the Seychelles.

But Democrats are reluctant to levy official accusations against Kushner and Trump Jr. until they are able to view the redacted information in Mueller's report, as well as the transcripts of the special counsel's witness interviews.

In a separate interview at The Washington Post Live event, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Republicans are also considering referring some congressional witnesses to the Justice Department for possibly lying to Congress.

Meadows said the GOP is looking at two or three people. He declined to name them but suggested at least one is connected to Fusion GPS, the firm behind a controversial dossier alleging Trump had personal and financial ties to Russia.

- - -

The Washington Post's Shane Harris contributed to this report.
"Last month alone, 100,000 illegal immigrants arrived at our borders, placing a massive strain on communities and schools and hospitals and public resources like nobody's ever seen before. Now we're sending many of them to sanctuary cities, thank you very much. They're not too happy about it. I'm proud to tell you that was actually my sick idea, by the way. No. Hey, hey, what did they say? 'We want them.' I said: 'We'll give them to you. Thank you.' They said, 'We don't want them.' "

- President Donald Trump, at a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 27, 2019

- - -

"We're releasing them into sanctuary cities almost exclusively. You know, sanctuary cities want them. But once we started releasing them, they didn't want them. So, you know, they want them, they talk - they talk a good game. But once you start saying: 'Okay. Congratulations. Here are some.' And they don't want them. And they fight very hard. So, the whole sanctuary city thing is a big scam."

- Trump, in an interview with Fox Business Network's "Mornings With Maria," April 29, 2019

- - -

First at a campaign rally and then in an interview, President Donald Trump claimed twice over the past week that undocumented immigrants were being released into sanctuary cities (and that the cities weren't taking them).

If that rings a bell, it's because the White House recently floated this proposal to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But ICE's legal department "rejected the idea as inappropriate," and that was the end of that.

Or was it?

The Facts:

The Washington Post reported April 11 that "White House officials have tried to pressure U.S. immigration authorities to release detainees onto the streets of 'sanctuary cities' to retaliate against President Trump's political adversaries, according to Department of Homeland Security officials and email messages."

For instance, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., represents San Francisco, a sanctuary city. Democratic strongholds such as Chicago and New York City also have sanctuary status.

The definition of a sanctuary varies, but the term commonly stands for policies that prevent local law enforcement agencies from helping ICE deport undocumented immigrants. ICE has authority to enforce immigration laws on its own in every U.S. jurisdiction, regardless of sanctuary status, but the task is harder without local officials' cooperation.

The White House first floated its plan to transport migrants to sanctuary jurisdictions in November, then floated it again in February. The Washington Post reported:

"The attempt at political retribution raised alarm within ICE, with a top official responding that it was rife with budgetary and liability concerns, and noting that 'there are PR risks as well.'

"After the White House pressed again in February, ICE's legal department rejected the idea as inappropriate and rebuffed the administration.

"A White House official and a spokesman for DHS sent nearly identical statements to The Post on Thursday, indicating that the proposal is no longer under consideration.

" 'This was just a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion,' the White House statement said."

Further discussion did not end. The day after that White House statement was published, Trump contradicted it.

"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 tweeted.

Three days later, Trump tweeted that immigrants detained along the border would be "given to Sanctuary Cities and States." He said the move would be "subject to Homeland Security."

So, is it happening?

The Department of Homeland Security has not announced that it is implementing Trump's plan to deposit migrants in sanctuary cities. A DHS spokesman declined to comment for this fact check and referred us to the White House, which did not respond to our questions. We also sent questions to ICE and did not receive a response.

Which takes us back to Trump.

At a campaign rally in Green Bay and in a Fox Business interview, the president claimed that immigrants were being released into sanctuary cities "almost exclusively," that "now we're sending many of them to sanctuary cities," that it was his "sick idea" and that the cities in question (none of which he named) were turning back migrants instead of receiving them.

We asked several of the biggest sanctuary jurisdictions whether the Trump administration had begun to release undocumented immigrants in their turf. "We have not seen any sort of uptick to warrant this claim," said Matthew McGrath, a spokesman for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat. "But if we did, and as the mayor has indicated, we'd welcome it." A spokesman for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, told us: "We have seen nothing to indicate such actions from the Trump administration, and we are certainly not turning anyone away."

Perhaps one sanctuary city on Trump's mind is Oakland, California. The president didn't mention it at the rally or in the interview, but he has feuded with Democratic Mayor Libby Schaaf in the past and criticized her again in an April 13 tweet: "So interesting to see the Mayor of Oakland and other Sanctuary Cities NOT WANT our currently 'detained immigrants' after release . . ."

In fact, Schaaf said the opposite. "My job as a mayor is to welcome people," Schaaf told NPR in an interview the same day as Trump's tweet. "I don't build walls. It's our job to welcome everyone into our city, ensure their safety, ensure that their families can thrive. And that is my job no matter where those people came from or how they got there." (There's no evidence that the Trump administration has begun to release immigrants into Oakland.)

Trump says Democrats oppose his idea because they don't want immigrants in their communities. But Democrats mentioned different reasons. As Schaaf put it: "This is about an outrageous abuse of power. The idea that you could use human beings, families as instruments of political payback to use public resources to exact retribution on your political enemies." As a Pelosi spokeswoman put it, "Using human beings - including little children - as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable."

U.S. immigration officials mostly release immigrants in Arizona and Texas, the two states where border apprehensions are highest. State law in both Arizona and Texas prevents local jurisdictions from adopting sanctuary-city policies.

The undocumented immigrants who get released - those with criminal records are ineligible - are mostly children, families and asylum-seekers. They often make their way to other states and cities on their own, including those with sanctuary policies. (However, Trump said that "we're releasing them into sanctuary cities" and that "now we're sending many of them to sanctuary cities," implying government action.)

The Post previously obtained data from Annunciation House, a nonprofit shelter in El Paso, Texas, showing the nationality and U.S. destination of one group of 1,545 migrants. They headed for 42 states after being released by U.S. immigration officials, including many places that are not considered sanctuary cities, the data shows. "Many migrants went to the Southeast and Midwest, regions that were not major immigrant destinations a generation ago," The Post reported.

Ruben Garcia, the founder and executive director of Annunciation House, told The Post that his shelter was at capacity and that he had asked ICE "about the possibility of the agency driving more families to Albuquerque, as well as cities as far away as Denver and Dallas, where churches and shelters have space for them."

Albuquerque is a sanctuary city, but there's no sign of officials there turning away migrants. In any case, Garcia was not asking ICE for a nationwide policy change, just a practical accommodation.

The Pinocchio Test:

There's no evidence that Trump's plan to release undocumented immigrants into sanctuary cities is being implemented.

We asked all the relevant Trump administration officials to confirm the president's claims. The silence coming from DHS, ICE and White House staff is deafening.

Let's not forget, the White House previously said of Trump's plan: "This was just a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion." ICE officials balked at and rejected the idea. As it stands, immigration officials mostly release immigrants in Arizona and Texas, where there are no sanctuary cities.

Trump made this claim twice in recent days, so it seems deliberate. He also claimed that sanctuary cities are turning back migrants, but the one example mentioned on his Twitter feed - Oakland - continues to welcome them.

The policy may not be real, but the Four Pinocchios are.
WASHINGTON - Top Democrats emerged Tuesday from a meeting with President Donald Trump touting progress toward a $2 trillion infrastructure agreement - a rare moment of bipartisanship in a divided Washington, but one that both parties fear could evaporate quickly amid thorny financing questions and a poisonous political climate.

Leaving the White House after the morning meeting, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., both said Trump had embraced their vision of "big and bold" legislation to build roads, bridges, mass transit and high-speed communications links, as well as other desperately needed upgrades, and praised the productive tone of the discussions.

"We were very pleased with the positive attitude toward recognizing the trillions of dollars of need," Pelosi said. "Now we have an opportunity to work together in a bipartisan way."

Back on Capitol Hill, however, Trump's fellow Republicans cast a much more skeptical note, questioning how any infrastructure program would be financed. Many ruled out one idea favored by Democrats: rolling back the 2017 Republican tax cuts for corporations and wealthy Americans.

"That's a nonstarter," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters.

Unlike other previous bull sessions with congressional Democrats, Trump did not invite the media, even briefly, to observe the meeting - a decision that lawmakers credited with preserving the civil tone. But it also meant that Trump's zeal for an infrastructure deal was only indirectly shared with the public.

"I would like to do something," Trump said, according to a Democrat familiar with the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss the deliberations. "It may not be typically Republican."

The White House did not respond to a question about that comment. In a statement, press secretary Sarah Sanders also called the meeting productive and spoke of the need for bipartisan cooperation but made no mention of a $2 trillion figure.

"The United States has not come even close to properly investing in infrastructure for many years, foolishly prioritizing the interests of other countries over our own," Sanders said.

The scene of Democrats sitting in the Cabinet Room arrayed around Trump, contemplating a new spending initiative of New Deal proportions, appeared to whet a shared appetite for bipartisan governance that has been rarely seen over the past two years amid incessant partisan battles - even if the sticky details went largely untouched Tuesday.

Many of the Democratic attendees rhapsodized about what might be after they returned to the Capitol, ticking off projects such as broadband connections that could be transformational to underserved rural and inner-city locales. They did so even as their colleagues, and some of the attendees themselves, brawl on a daily basis with Trump and his administration over their resistance to oversight requests.

"It couldn't have gone any better," said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., who is engaged in a high-profile effort to examine Trump's tax returns, one the president has vowed to fight tooth and nail.

Neal told reporters how he generated bipartisan chuckles at the meeting by mentioning Reagan National Airport's Gate 35X, a section particularly loathed by frequent fliers, and relayed productive side conversations on issues including prescription drugs and trade. "All of a sudden," Neal said, "there's an opening for some of these things."

But the question of paying for a $2 trillion plan looms. Pelosi and Schumer, who issued a joint statement saying they were "pleased [Trump] suggested $2 trillion," said they would meet again with the president in three weeks to discuss that contentious subject.

Schumer told reporters that Trump did not rule out tax increases - an idea many Republicans are unwilling to embrace, especially with an election next year - but offered no specifics.

"The ball is in their court," Schumer said. "We told him that, it was repeated over and over again, that unless he is willing to come up with the pay-fors for this large package, it will never get done, and he agreed."

Even before the meeting got underway, Trump's advisers sought to inject skepticism into the talks. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, Tuesday morning, said "it would not surprise me" if the negotiations faltered and said there was a greater likelihood of a revamped trade deal with Canada and Mexico passing Congress than an infrastructure plan.

Mulvaney said the real sticking point would be the White House's desire to change environmental laws so that roads and other projects can be built more quickly: "The disagreement isn't even so much on funding. The issue is that it takes so long to do projects."

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, told reporters that Trump had not endorsed the idea of paying for infrastructure with an increase in the federal gas tax, a move backed by some Democrats and business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"There are many different ways to pay for it," she said. "You could have private-public partnerships. I know the Democrats will want to raise taxes. They want to raise taxes for everything."

But Trump, who campaigned on addressing the nation's aging infrastructure, unveiled a plan focused on public-private partnerships last year that received a cool reception from members of both parties, who questioned the viability of relying on states, localities and the private sector to cover the bulk of its $1.5 trillion cost.

A plan released earlier by Senate Democrats would have relied far more heavily on direct federal government spending but would generate much of its revenue by rolling back the Republican tax cuts that Trump signed into law in 2017. But Democrats did not press that point inside the meeting Tuesday, multiple attendees said, preferring to give Trump leeway.

"We want to hear his ideas on funding," Schumer said, adding that Trump's views will be a "crucial point" to moving forward on a rare potential area of bipartisan cooperation.

That, however, has left Republicans skeptical that the negotiations will lead anywhere fruitful. As recently as 2015, Congress had to scrape together a hodgepodge of funding sources to finance a five-year, $305 billion transportation bill. That debate steered well clear of hiking the gas tax - let alone income taxes on corporations or individuals.

"Everybody's for the easy part, but the hard part still has to be debated," Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday, calling $2 trillion "a very, very big number" and characterizing the White House meeting as "very aspirational."

Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., a moderate member of the tax-levying Ways and Means Committee, said he was "very hard-pressed" to see any rollback of GOP tax cuts passing muster with Republicans. He said he was suspicious that Pelosi and Schumer were instead playing political games with the issue.

"What I'm afraid is happening here is that they are not going to put any proposal out, and they are going to say to the White House: 'See, you were the one that was supposed to come up with the tax increases. And because you won't, we're not going to negotiate any further,' " he said. "That's classic D.C. The American people are going to see right through that."

But Neal insisted Democrats would bring real proposals to the table: "We'll have some ideas, he'll have some ideas, and I think that's how we should proceed."

- - -

The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim and Erica Werner contributed to this report.
Hong Kong: Extradition law scrutiny urged

Secretary for Security John Lee today urged the Legislative Council to start the process of scrutinising proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance.

The Bills Committee on Fugitive Offenders & Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 held its second meeting this morning, but did not elect a chairman or vice-chairman.

Speaking to the media at LegCo, Mr Lee expressed disappointment and regret.

He said: For legislators who have different opinions it is best to express all these opinions in the Bills Committee so that they can make proposals, or at the end of the day they can also make amendments to the government proposal.

There are a lot of things that should be done in the Bills Committee so that the due process can proceed so as to address the two purposes we have all along been explaining that the bill wants to achieve.

The Government will do its best to ensure the legislative process will be completed before the end of this LegCo year, he added.

I sincerely urge the Legislative Council and the Bills Committee to start the process of scrutinising the bill, and discussing and exchanging opinions with the government team.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  President Rodrigo Duterte has issued an executive order which will help former combatants and other vulnerable sectors under the new Bangsamoro region to transition to civilian life.

Executive Order 79, which was signed April 24, seeks to carry out an efficient "normalization" and "decommissioning" process, which is part of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) peace deal.

Under the CAB, normalization is defined as the process where communities can can achieve their desired quality of life, which includes the pursuit of sustainable livelihood and political participation within a peaceful deliberative society. It also aims to ensure human security in the new autonomous region.

The order also paves the way for the creation of the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization. The group will coordinate as well as mobilize various government agencies to make sure the program is carried out smoothly.

According to the document, the program will cover combatant and non-combatant members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), families of decommissioned combatants, and other vulnerable individuals and sectors residing in the Bangsamoro region.

It shall also cover six MILF camps including Camp Bilal in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, Camp Omar ibn al-Khattab in Maguindanao, Camp Rajamuda in North Cotabato and Maguindanao, Camp Busrah Somiorang in Lanao del Sur, Camp Badre in Maguindanao, and Camp Abubakar as-Siddique in Maguindanao.

The MILF will also undergo decommissioning of forces and weapons, which will be conducted by the Independent Decommissioning Body.

The first phase of the process kicked off in March, when the rebel group submitted its initial list of combatants and weapons up for decommissioning. Under the CAB, the first phase shall take place when the Bangsamoro government is set up.

READ: First phase of MILF decommissioning underway as Bangsamoro region takes off

The Bangsamoro Organic Law was ratified in January. This paved the way for the creation of the new autonomous region.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao covers areas in the previous Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces, except Isabela City in Basilan), with the recent addition of Cotabato City and 63 North Cotabato barangays (villages) whose residents approved their inclusion in the new region during the recent plebiscite.

Malacanang on Tuesday also expressed confidence the MILF will abide by the procedure.

That means the MILF has embraced peace with the government, an in fact is working hand-in-hand for the attainment of peace in that area, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a media briefing.
Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously approved the hiring of four new prosecutors to investigate environmental crimes following two recent massive chemical fires caught the county unprepared.

District Attorney Kim Ogg, who unsuccessfully lobbied court members in February to approve 100 new prosecutor hires, found a more receptive audience to her argument that the county needed to more aggressively bring charges against polluters. The request also included two investigators and two support staff.
Texas lawmakers are trampling on the rights of voters under the guise of trying to maintain election integrity.

SB 9, one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks priorities this legislative session, moved out of the Senate on a 19-12 vote last month and is now in the Texas House for consideration.

The legislation is not all bad; it has some merit, but it could use some major fine-tuning to keep from intimidating voters and discouraging them from exercising their right to cast a ballot. SB 9 would require both electronic and paper ballots by the 2024 general election and addresses concerns about the lack of a paper trail in the event the system is hacked.

However, some of the other provisions in the bill have civil rights activists across the state concerned that it will make voting more difficult, confusing, and punitive for vulnerable populations in Texas.

They make a valid argument.

In the name of maintaining the integrity of the system and reducing voter fraud (in-person voter fraud, by the way, is virtually nonexistent), the bill creates new crimes that would send people to jail for making what are perhaps innocent mistakes on a provisional ballot or for providing assistance to a voter needing help casting a ballot.

Penalties for making a false statement on a voter application increases from a Class B misdemeanor to a state felony punishable by up to two years in a state jail and a $10,000 fine. It also allows for prosecution of cases in which the erroneous information was given mistakenly and there was no intent to deceive. It does not allow the fact that the ballot was never counted to be used as defense.

Such measures would only scare people from the polls and further make what has traditionally been low voter turnout worse. The broadening of the law in these areas invites abuses by overzealous prosecutors grandstanding to a political base.

Law enforcement officials also get more leeway in making voter fraud cases.

SB 9 gives them immunity from prosecution if they break the law as long as they are engaged in the investigation or prosecution of a weakness in the electoral process.

We support giving law enforcement the tools necessary to bring cases to justice, but it should not come with a get-out-of-jail-free card that allows the trampling of a suspects rights.

Despite the political rhetoric, Texas does not have a voter fraud problem. The number of prosecutions dont support those statements.

What the state does have is a terrible track record of trying to disenfranchise minority voters. Most recently, Texans witnessed this when Texas Secretary of State David Whitley attempted to purge 100,000 people who did not appear to be U.S. citizens from voter rolls. Federal litigation swiftly resolved that issue.

Those who break state election laws deserve to be punished to the full extent of the law. Ignorance of the law is never a valid defense in a court of law, but an individuals intent deserves to be a consideration when criminal charges are possible.

Texas needs to encourage voters to cast ballots, not set up roadblocks on the path to the polls.

SB 9 has some good points, but the legislation is in need of some major cleanup if the intent really is to maintain election integrity in Texas.

A better plan altogether, however, would offer measures that encourage as broad a voter participation as possible. We await the day when Texas takes this seriously.
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
The 11th Annual All Ireland Irish Restaurant Awards will take place on Sunday, May 13, 1 in the Clayton, Burlington Road, where over 1,000 guests will sit down to a five-course gala dinner, prepared by previous winners of the Irish Restaurant Awards.

The awards are one of the premier events in the hospitality industry, the largest and most prestigious event in the hospitality industry. Over 90,000 nominations were received in January during the first stage of the Irish Restaurant Awards, where members of the public nominated their favourite establishments.

Throughout March, the Regional Finals of the Irish Restaurant Awards were held in Kildare, Monaghan, Limerick and Sligo where the best restaurants, chefs and restaurant staff in each county were recognised for the hard work and dedication.

In addition to the Regional Awards, restaurants from each county will also be competing in National Awards, which will be presented at the All Ireland Awards on May 13. The National Categories are: Best Cocktail Experience, Best Private Dining and Club Restaurant, Best Cookery School, Best Seafood Experience and Best Digital Marketing

Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive Officer of the Restaurants Association of Ireland said, Now in their 11th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards have grown year on year and with over 90,000 nominations from the public in 2019, its a great showcase of all the excellent produce and skilled chefs that we have here in Ireland. The Irish Restaurant Awards prides itself on celebrating the best of the best, knowing that Irish restaurants are among the best in the world.

Below is the full list of regional winners in Longford:

-Best Restaurant  Sponsored by Tindal Wine Merchants: Longford- Nine Arches Restaurant

-Best Chef  Sponsored by Nisbets: Longford- Robert Groot Koerkamp of VM Restaurant at Viewmount House

-Best Newcomer - Vocella's

-Best Restaurant Manager  Sponsored by AIB Merchant Services: Lorna Halligan of Nine Arches Restaurant

-Best Hotel and Guesthouse Restaurant  Sponsored by BWG Food Service: VM Restaurant at Viewmount House

-Best Customer Service  Sponsored by Lockton: Tus Nua Restaurant

-Best Gastro Pub - Sponsored by Elavon: The Rustic Inn

-Best Cafe - Sponsored by Illy: Macs Shack

-Pub of the Year - Sponsored by Jameson Caskmates: Milos Bar

-Best Wine Experience - Sponsored by Gilbeys with Bibendum: Skellys Bar & Guest House

-Best World Cuisine  Sponsored by HiUp: Spice India

-Best Free From  Sponsored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro Gluten Free: Torc Cafe

-Best Kids - Sponsored by Size Me: Jac-O-Bites Cafe

-Local Food Hero  Sponsored by Rewarding Times: Eilish McLoughlin of Dial a Chef

-Local Food Hero, Leinster  Sponsored by Rewarding Times: Fiona Falconer of Wild About

-Best Emerging Irish Cuisine  Sponsored by Odaios; Tus Nua Restaurant

-Best Casual Dining - Sponsored by Just Eat: Richmond Inn
According to MEP Independent candidate for the Midlands North West, Dr. Fidelma Healy Eames, the new Irish MEPs that will be elected on May 24 will have a unique opportunity to bridge a Brexit deal.

She stated, "The time extension presents us with a unique opportunity to find a Brexit deal that will be acceptable to all sides.

"As things stand no one is telling Irelands story in the UK. Sinn Fein have an abstentionist policy, the DUP are in a world of their own and the Irish Government is overly-focused on Brussels."

Eames said we need to build good relations with the UK, who currently import six out of every ten Irish bullocks.

"We need to be reaching out to Britain to include them in the triad of negotiations. This is a real opportunity for Irish MEPs to make a difference. As your new MEP, I will use the opportunity of the Brexit extension to establish and build good relations with UK MEPs to find solutions that both the British and Irish governments can accept in order to bridge a deal that can be agreed at EU level.

"I am a trained facilitator and have the skills and temperament to lead this process. A Brexit deal is essential to safeguarding trade for our farmers, fisheries and all export-reliant businesses while at the same time forging strong bonds between both countries and maximizing areas which hold opportunity for Ireland."

EU candidate Eames says the relations between the UK and Ireland need to be built upon now to help ensure a deal is reached.

"Theresa May is on record as having said she hopes that Ireland and the UK will continue to work well together after Brexit and build an even closer relationship. But timing is critical and the extension gives us that. We need to build that relationship now to ensure we get a deal in the first place." she said.

"The EU are also on record as having said they will only support an agreement that Ireland is happy with. This is our starting point and the foundation on which we need to build. We need to build on the advantage that all the stakeholders involved in the decision making are rooting for Ireland. We have to stop talking about what cant be done and start focusing on what we can do."



Eames said if elected in May, she will play a big part in the bridge building process with the UK.

"Things are going to change in the EU because of the UK withdrawal. We need to have a strong voice in what that change will look like. Any group that cannot manage and implement change is doomed to failure. Ireland must not be one of them." she concluded.
Two decisions of Longford County Council to grant planning permission to the same company - Cignal Infrastructure Ltd - to erect telecommunication structures at locations in Ardagh and Longford town have been appealed to An Bord Pleanala.

Planners gave the green light on March 25 last, with eight conditions attached, to Cignal Infrastructure Ltd to proceed with their plan to develop communications infrastructure comprising of a 24 metre lattice structure associated equipment and cabinets, fencing, permission for access and access track at Knockahaw, Dublin Road, Longford.

An appeal against this decision was lodged with An Bord Pleanala by Thomas Daly last Tuesday week, April 16. Previously, the local authority planning department, on February 18, and again with eight conditions attached, granted permission to Cignal Infrastructure for the erection of a new 36m multi-user telecommunications support structure at Coillte Forest Drumbaun, Oldtown, Drumbaun, Ardagh.

Also read: South Longford residents at boiling point as boil water notice remains in place until further notice

It is proposed that this significant piece of infrastructure would carry 9 antennas and associated remote radio units, 6 communication dishes, 3 lighting finials and 6 outdoor cabinets, and it would all be enclosed within a security compound by a 2.4m high palisade fence with a 4m access gate, site access and site works.

Wicklow based company, Hibernian Cellular Networks Ltd, opposed the granting of this planning application and they lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanala on March 6 last. According to the An Bord Pleanala website, this case is due to be decided by July 9 next.

Following adjudication in the Knockahaw case, An Bord Pleanala says it will release its decision by August 19 next. In an objection submitted to Longford County Council against the proposed 24m Knockahaw structure, Mr Daly pointed out that his dwelling was within 90 metres of the development, it would be unsightly, take from the views of his home and leave his house unsaleable in the future.

Meanwhile, Hibernian Cellular Networks Ltd, in their objection against Cignals 36m structure in Ardagh, describe themselves as an independent tower provider and they have an existing tower at Garrycam, Ardagh Hill, Longford.

Hibernian Cellular Networks claims: Our tower has sufficient capacity to cater for additional operators and thus with this in mind, there is no reason for another tower within the vicinity.

They added, Coverage from our existing transmission site or indeed either of the other two transmission sites (one owned by ESB Networks and one by Three Ireland) on the hill is more than sufficient for the area.
A judge has warned rivalling factions embroiled in a bitter feud to call a truce before someone is seriously hurt or eliminated.

Judge Seamus Hughes issued the warning to both parties after details were heard at last weeks District Court sitting over how gardai were becoming increasingly alarmed at the situation.

Its getting very serious, said Detective Garda Joe Esler, as he gave evidence of having arrested and charged Margaret Stokes, of Lisnanagh, Edgeworthstown, Co Longford following an incident at the Aldi Car Park, Longford less than 24 hours earlier.

Ms Stokes was charged under the Public Order Act which included a Section 8 offence of failing to comply with the directions of a garda. The mother of seven was further charged with a Section 107 offence of failing to give information to Garda Paul Stuart as to the identity of the driver of a car during a previous incident.

Also read: Longford motorist clocked at over twice the speed limit

Det Garda Esler said he arrested Ms Stokes as gardai responded to an incident in the aforementioned car park.

During the course of those enquiries, he said Ms Stokes came upon the scene and quickly became very abusive and threatening.

Det Garda Esler said he asked Ms Stokes to leave the scene, but after failing to do so, he arrested her and brought her to Longford Garda Station. Under direct questioning from Judge Hughes as to the reasons behind the decision by the State to pursue a Section 107 charge against Ms Stokes, he said the matter stemmed from a previous incident two weeks earlier.

The Section 107 is connected to an investigation thats ongoing between two families from an incident on April 1 just gone by and is currently under investigation.

The same two families were involved and a motor car was involved, he said, which resulted in a serious assault to a man.

This lady (Ms Stokes) was questioned over a car involved in the first incident on April 1.

As a result, a young man was seriously assaulted.

Its alleged these people left the scene in a car registered to this lady.

In defence, solicitor Brid Mimnagh put it to Det Garda Esler that her client was, in fact, asked about the alleged use of the car in the April 1 incident while in a cell at Longford Garda Station.

I believe so, said the Det Garda, with Ms Mimnagh also claiming Ms Stokes had given statements to another garda based in Edgeworthstown.

She made statements, but didnt answer the question, said Det Garda Esler, in response.

Ms Mimnagh, though, was insistent in her stance over calling for the case to be adjourned.

Its not 24 hours since this incident occurred and its quite unfair that it would proceed today, she said, while asking for all necessary statements to be disclosed to her office.

By way of a further means of mitigation, Ms Mimnagh revealed Ms Stokes husband had been very seriously assaulted as a result of the April 15 incident. Det Garda Esler said he was not in a position to confirm or deny Ms Mimnaghs position, but did concede the car in which Ms Stokes husband had been sitting in, was damaged.

Ms Stokes, herself, attempted to add further clarity to what might have occurred by claiming she had been walking from a nearby Iceland discount store and was the victim in the incident. Passing his own opinion on the situation, Judge Hughes appealed to those involved in any contentious dispute to consider their actions.

I am a long time here when it comes to feuds and this is serious, he said.

If things keep going on the way they are someone will get eliminated.

The case was adjourned to a sitting of Longford District Court on May 21.

In the lead up to that, Ms Stokes was ordered to abide by a number of bail conditions, including a 9pm to 8am curfew, to sign on twice weekly at Granard Garda Station and not to enter the curtilage of the shopping complex where last Monday weeks alleged incident occurred.
Following consultation with the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Longford County Council has this evening announced that the Boil Water Notice (BWN) for the area supplied by the Ballymahon Public Water Supply, affecting approximately 8,247 people, has now been lifted following drinking water quality testing and upgrade works at Abbeyshrule Water Treatment Plant.



The Boil Water Notice was put in place last Wednesday week, April 17 due to the failure of an alarm alerting that there was an increased level of turbidity in the water at the Abbeyshrule Water Treatment Plant.

Also read: South Longford residents at boiling point as boil water notice remains in place until further notice



Turbidity is an increased level of cloudiness and could indicate issues with water quality and as such the BWN was put on as a precautionary measure. The issue with the alarm has now been fixed and ongoing testing of the water since the BWN was put in place show that the water is now safe to drink.



Irish Water drinking water compliance and operational experts worked with colleagues in Longford County Council to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.



Commenting on the lifting of the Boil Water Notice, John ODonoghue, Irish Water Assets Operations Manager for the East and Midlands said, "Irish Water is aware of the impact and inconvenience caused by this Boil Water Notice to homes and businesses in the Ballymahon area. We wish to thank the community in Ballymahon for their ongoing patience and cooperation while this issue was resolved. Irish Waters priority is the provision of safe, clean drinking water and safeguarding that water supply for the future is a vital focus."
Family & Parenting, Music, Movies & Entertainment, Arts & Culture, Travel & Local Attractions, Seasonal & Current Events

By Meg Parisi Published: April 30 2019

May 4th, also known as Star Wars Day is serving up some exciting events on LI. Check out where to head for the day

May the Fourth be With You. This year, Star Wars Day falls on a Saturday, offering up even more options to celebrate the noted sci-fi movie series. Long Island venues hosting events will include: Vanderbilt Reichert Planetarium in Centerport, and the South Country Library in Bellport.

We will explore several space-faring technologies of science fiction and discuss how they could possibly become a reality, said Vanderbilt astronomer Matt Garber. Well take the audience on a journey to various worlds and famous locations seen throughout the Star Wars saga and make connections between these destinations and real locations that could possibly be lurking within our own galaxy. Fans are encouraged to dress as their favorite characters for all three events.

Star Wars Brunch

11 a.m.-2 p.m.

CM Performing Arts Center and Village Idiot Irish Pub are teaming up to celebrate "May the Fourth!" The event will include: Brunch, Pool Noodle Craft, and Jedi Training with characters fans know and love. The event will be capped at 50 people. CM Performing Arts Center, 931 Montauk Hwy, Oakdale, cmpac.com. For reservations, call 631-218-2810, $20.

Screenings & Local Activities

Screening: 10 a.m., Activities,1-4 p.m.

Hone your lightsaber skills with The Saber Guild of Long Island Endor Temple, play games with an R2D2 droid from the Long Island R2 Builders Club, and enjoy crafts, Padawan training, photo ops, stellar giveaways and more! Of course, well also be showing the original Star Wars Trilogy starting at 10 a.m. South Country Library, 22 Station Rd, Bellport.

Planetarium Tour of Galaxies Far, Far Away

7 p.m., 8 p.m. & 9 p.m.

Astronomers will act as droids that take the audience on a tour of the Star Wars galaxy. Come 30 minutes before each showtime to enjoy the activities in the decorated Planetarium lobby. The audience will be divided into the Light and Dark sides of the Force and will compete to answer trivia questions. Prizes will be awarded. The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Rd., Centerport, vanderbiltmuseum.org, $25.
Conflict between revolutionary and counter-revolutionary forces has divided the Arab world in recent years. The hostility is not as significant as the struggle for regional hegemony between Saudi Arabia and Iran that has heightened Sunni-Shiite tensions. But it has partly determined the recent history of the region and is continuing to do so.

The Arab Spring is not dead. It was buried alive by forces that were unwilling to accept change. The recent toppling of Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir, in peaceful, mass protests only confirms that the revolution is still ongoing in the Arab world.

The Sudanese and Algerian revolts are part of both the political stalemate in these countries and the long term process of democratization in the Arab world. If there is an acceleration today it is because the two logics have collided, said Mohammad Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, professor of international history at the Graduate Institute in Geneva.

At the same time, the counter-revolutionary camp has continued to be active. A constitutional amendment in Egypt, allowing President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to extend his term, was approved by 88 percent in a referendum last Tuesday. The vote is yet another sign of the counter-revolutionaries determination to hang on to power for as long as possible and to ignore the popular aspirations that have challenged the established order in recent years. The Arab Spring called into question the idea that authoritarianism was the best model of government for peopleincorrectly viewed as violent and fanatical by naturein the region, that geopolitics explained everything and that the societal and political stupor in Arab societies could last forever.

The events of 2010-2011 highlighted the dysfunction of the Arab authoritarian model when dealing with younger and more educated populations. But this image was quickly tarnished, and the Arab Spring gained a negative reputation. The uprisings became associated with instability, war and the rise of Islamists and jihadists and were accused of being responsible for all of the ills that have since taken place since. Decades of authoritarian rule were all too quickly forgotten, as if societies where politics had been excluded from the public sphere could become Scandinavian democracies overnight.





"In ten years or fifteen years, they will be gone"

The Arab revolutions faced two obstacles in recent years: countries that tried to benefit from them and countries that tried to smother them. The first camp was led by Qatar and Turkey and the second by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Qatar and Turkey supported the Muslim brotherhood in an attempt to increase their influence in the region. Saudi and the UAE came to the aid of traditional, conservative institutions, especially security services, to lead the counterrevolution. That division led to a geopolitical power struggle between Sunni states that derailed the Arab Spring in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. The conflict in Syria is a different case. There, Iran is the main counter-revolutionary force from the region while Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey supported the revolution with the aim of toppling Bashar al-Assads regime.

In recent years, the counter-revolutionaries have won everywhere. Authoritarian leaders have returned to power, pushing modernization without political rights. They have increased their repression and hunted their opponents. The Algerian and Sudanese revolutions could be a source of worry for these authoritarian leaders who survived the Arab Spring or emerged in its aftermath. The most recent revolutions show that authoritarianism cannot withstand the march of history indefinitely.

The neo-authoritarian push-back can only defer this inevitable rendezvous that is the issue of a representative Arab state. Rebuilding a state-society relationship is an arduous process that began in the 1980s and has already taken over two generations. The fact that Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has reinstated the Mubarak system in Egypt will not prevent the possibility of a Tahrir 2.0 just as Mohammad Bin Salmans despotism must not blind us to the energy of an ever-demanding Saudi social-political scene, Mohamedou, the professor, said.

In an interview with the LOrient-Le Jour last month, Egyptian author Alaa al-Aswany, whose books are banned in his country, expressed a similar viewpoint: The revolutionaries only have two things: dreams and courage. The old regime has everything: the military, the police, the media, the businessmen. So at first, the old regime will win. But at some point it wont be able to continue for a very simple reason: the age of the revolutionaries. They are between 20 and 30 years old, and the age of the opposing camp is around 60-70 years. In ten or fifteen years, they will be gone.





(This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 26th of April)




Have you taken Apple Uproar 101? Well, if not, heres the notes from the syllabus: When someone complains about Apple, type it up.

Thats pretty much it. Its a short course. Usually a J-term class.

Writing for The New York Times, Jack Nicas claims Apple Cracks Down on Apps That Fight iPhone Addiction.

Over the past year, Apple has removed or restricted at least 11 of the 17 most downloaded screen-time and parental-control apps, according to an analysis by The New York Times and Sensor Tower, an app-data firm.

Why would Apple do that? Well, surely because it wants your kids to use their iPhones more, thats why! When you dont look into it and take the word of the companies that make these apps at face value, theres literally no other way to see it.

Executives at the app makers believe they are being targeted because their apps could hurt Apples business.

Well, that must be it. It couldnt be because they might be violating the terms of use of Apples iOS enterprise management tools, could it?

Wait, what?

Unlike on Android, iOS apps can only affect other apps to very limited degrees. So, the only way to provide system-wide restrictions on the level necessary for such parental controls apps is to use mobile device management tools intended for organizations like schools and companies to manage the devices they give to students or employees. Apple has already said that these tools are only intended for use in those situations and, in January of this year, banned a Facebook app that was abusing their purpose in order to collect more user information.

Surely it will come as a shock to you that Facebook was trying to collect more user information, presuming you are a doe-eyed anime character that lives in a magical realm of candy rainbows and gumdrop trees. Anyone else, not so much.

So, why is signing your kids device up for one of these services a bad thing? Because this level of managementwhich involved enrolling the device in a program and accepting the installation of a device management profile, provides whoever issues the profile almost complete control over the device and deep visibility into the use of it, including all the internet traffic. The Verge wrote a piece about this type of misuse back in February.

Their incentives arent really aligned for helping people solve their problem, said Fred Stutzman, chief executive of Freedom, a screen-time app with more than 770,000 downloads before Apple removed it in August.

Unlike how the incentives of companies that take complete control over and insight into the use of a device are perfectly suited to the interests of children.

Apples real incentive here, according to these companies, is to get your kids addicted to their iPhones so they can rack up more app purchases. Surely these companies arent trying to sell anything.

Nicas doesnt delve into any of the technical details of this, choosing instead to let these app makers have all the say except for one paragraph of response from Apple. The Macalope was initially inclined to believe that that was all of Apples reply. The company is not exactly chatty. According to Phil Schiller, however, The Times did not share our complete statement, nor explain the risks to children had Apple not acted on their behalf.

Now, you might wonder why Apple didnt act on the behalf of children for all the years it allowed these companies to sell their wares. The reason is most likely because its own Parental Controls just werent good enough. Apple knew it was a bad situation, but wasnt yet in a place to do anything about it. Screen Time isnt perfect, but its good enough the company felt it could now cut off these apps.

The Macalope is somewhat sympathetic to the companies complaints about the meagre feedback they got as part of the app review process. This is a well-documented problem. Still, the horny one suspects the companies knew exactly why they were getting banned, they just assumed theyd be able to get away with it forever.

It is a little rich to read a piece that so glibly takes the word of people trying to retain access to the internet traffic of children coming from the very same publication that just earlier this month was demanding that Apple fix the privacy violations of Facebook and Google. Like, dipping a donut in Cool Whip and kicking it back with a nice tall glass of melted butter kind of rich.

There are many legitimate complaints to be made about Screen Time, the rules of the App Store and how Apple picks and chooses which rules it enforces and when and its poor communication with developers. The way to make them, however, is not to take the word of one side at face value. Particularly when its the side that likes having access to your kids browsing history.
On December 11 2018 the European Parliament discussed the proposal for a regulation on the transparency and sustainability of EU risk assessment in the food chain amending, inter alia, Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 [General Food Law].

Public controversy regarding the use of genetically modified organisms and herbicide glyphosate paved the way for an initiative which entailed a legislative proposal by the European Commission (COM (2018)0179). The ensuing regulation will amend the EU's General Food Law Regulation.

On February 11 2019 the European Parliament and the European Council reached a provisional agreement on the EU Commission's Proposal.

At present, the transparency rules of the European Food Safety Association (EFSA) are not as harsh as those of the other agencies  the proposed regulation makes the authorisation procedure harsher than at other agencies. Other agencies (for instance, the European Medicines Agency) publish applications and studies at the time when they publish their opinion.

It is of central interest to the food industry what this proposed regulation requires of companies in terms of when the publication of information and underlying studies in relation to applications are due and which documents must be produced. In accordance with the proposed legislative text, food companies will need to inform the EFSA immediately of the subject matter of studies commissioned.

The revised regulation will entail automatic publication of all studies and information submitted to the EFSA to support the authorisation of a proposed product or ingredient. This data will be uploaded to the EFSA website early in the approval process.

Furthermore, the regulation will establish a database of studies for the EFSA to identify whether all relevant research on a substance is considered in evaluating market applications, and stakeholders and the general public should be involved in consultations and notify the EFSA of any potentially omitted information.

The suggestions presented by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, for making the proposal more workable, including the requirement that the EFSA should set up a preliminary opinion first and studies and non-confidential information should be published afterwards, were not accepted.

Under the new suggested regulation (see http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-1030_en.htm for updates on the status), the applicant cannot prevent its innovative idea and know-how connected to a new product being presented on the website of the EFSA at the commencement of the application procedure so that any competitor has access to such documents.

Authorisation procedures at the EFSA take up to 59 months  a time period during which competitors in third countries outside the EU will have access to sensitive data while the European application procedure is carried out.

The fact that data and studies will not be published after a consultation period but right at the commencement of the procedure imposes a serious risk of idea and know-how piracy.

EU legislation applicable to the food industry is already considered as very transparent, and the proposal which received the agreement of the council and the commission raises concerns about efficient protection of proprietary information of agri-food companies within the EU.

In this approach, the protection of intellectual property rights comes second to a transparent risk assessment process and it remains unclear how companies are supposed to comply with the requirement to provide a justification for requesting non-publication of their confidential information.

Dr Gisela Grabow

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Elisenhof, Elisenstr 3D-80335, Munich, GermanyTel: +49 89 74 72 660 Fax: +49 89 77 64 24 info@maiwald.eu www.maiwald.eu
A few days ago, a photograph of a bottle of Dutch tequila began circulating on the web. The creators of this product, which has not yet hit the market and probably never will, claim to have improved the taste of original tequila, based on Dutch gin, and now feel ready to enter the European market.

On March 20 2019, in a ceremony held at the European Commission, the European commissioner of agriculture handed over to the undersecretary of foreign affairs of Mexico, the certificate of registration granted to tequila, recognising it as a spirit with geographical indication in the markets of the countries of the European Union.

Mexico signed an agreement in 1997 with the EU on the mutual recognition and protection of spirits from third countries. In 2012, the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT), with authorisation from the Mexican government, asked the European Commission to also recognise the denomination of the origin of tequila in its internal law.

The European Commission granted that recognition. Tequila was thus protected under EU regulation 110/2008 at the same level as European beverages, which only Guatemalan rum and pisco in Peru have achieved.

Therefore, no one can use the geographical indication tequila for any identical product, similar product, or services, without the authorisation of the CRT. It is also forbidden to use a name "similar in degree of confusion." In case of imitations or use of the word tequila without permission, the CRT can take criminal action.

In 2018, Mexico exported almost 19 million litres of tequila to the EU, but the United States remains the country to which Mexico exports the most. The National Chamber of the Tequila Industry (CNIT) expects 2019 exports to grow from four to five percent.

According to the CRT, since 2002 more than 50 thousand litres of fake tequila have been confiscated in the world. More than half of these seizures occurred in countries in the EU.

While the European Union and Mexico celebrated new agreements to protect tequila, two Dutch businessmen decided they could improve the taste of one of the most iconic and traditional beverages in Mexico. As a result, they want the recognition given to tequila to be withdrawn, since they consider it a generic term that should not be exclusively used by Mexico.

We will watch this case carefully, since the Dutch businessmen threatened to file legal appeals to make use of the name as, according to them, tequila is a generic name. They should know that the geographic protection of tequila only reinforces a denomination of origin protected by international laws. This is not the only case of its kind in the courts. The litigation with the French beer Desperados continues.

The CRT has explained that the way in which the beer Desperados tries to circumvent the denomination of origin of tequila is buying some authentic tequila and evaporating it to flavour millions of litres of beer. The Mexican norm establishes that in order to sell a mixed drink "with tequila" it is necessary for it to represent 25% of the content of the product. If it were made "from tequila", then that content would have to reach at least 51%

Maria Ordorica

Olivares

Pedro Luis Ogazon No 17

Col San Angel

01000 Mexico DF

Tel: +5255 53 22 30 00

Fax: +5255 53 22 30 01

The material on this site is for law firms, companies and other IP specialists. It is for information only. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice before using the site. All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws.  2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQs.

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Trademark owners who have assured their rights in Myanmar through the current best practice combination of Declaration of Ownership registration and Cautionary Notice publication are now being faced with a challenge deciding how to prepare for the imminent implementation of the Trademark Law, which is the first of its kind in the country. While it is certain that the Trademark Law will take effect in 2019, its specific mechanisms, which may be well-defined in many instances in the text of the law, are far from settled.

Not only is the Trademark Law a new piece of legislation, but concepts embodied therein are novel and foreign to Myanmar's civil service, which will be the prime operator of the law. Such personnel not only must familiarise themselves with the provisions of the law but must also gain adequate insight into the legislative intent behind every substantive provision before the new legal infrastructure can become operative. The law was drafted with involvement from WIPO, but its implementation will be exclusively Burmese, and it would be unreasonable to expect internationally-familiar concepts transplanted into Myanmar through the law to be interpreted in the usual internationally-familiar manner.

The most significant cause of worry for trademark owners is the lack of clarity in terms of what additional rights would be obtained through submission of a duly stamped Declaration of Ownership with a new trademark registration under the Trademark Law. Chapter 10 of the law contains three sections on priority rights under the Paris Convention or the WTO, i.e. application or exhibition priority with which we are familiar. However, Section 17, which provides a list of documents and evidence required that must be submitted with applications filed under the new law, lists proof of registration made at the Office of the Registrar of Deeds alongside other proofs of valid rights to claim priority, which suggests that complementing a new application with the duly stamped Declaration of Ownership would give the applicant some form of priority. While the Paris Convention or WTO priority claims are subject to a time limit of six months, the law is silent on how far back priority can be claimed based on a registration made under the former (now still current) practice. Further, it is unclear how priority thus claimed would affect the examination process of the IP office, which is yet to be established in a yet unknown location.

A critical new official body to be set up under the Trademark Law is the Intellectual Property Court. Section 67 provides that the Myanmar Supreme Court may establish intellectual property courts and may confer powers and jurisdiction to any relevant court of law to adjudicate intellectual property cases prior to establishment of the specialised intellectual property courts. While these provisions clearly allow for the establishment of specialised IP courts, there is no guarantee that such bodies will in fact be formed. Specialised IP courts require a specialist judiciary, which is currently unavailable in Myanmar.

Despite an atmosphere of uncertainty enveloping the formative period of Myanmar's Trademark Law, we believe this should be seen as an exciting time. Where no trademark registration system has existed before, in a matter of months trademark owners will be able to apply to register their marks under a regime that resembles and is motivated by international standards, complete with a specifically delineated scope of protection and penalties, even with a promise of efficient vindication of trademark rights through customs recordals. These benefits are not to be lightly discounted because of uncertainties in their details, and we highly recommend that brand owners eyeing the vast business opportunities in Myanmar take advantage of the new possibilities.

However, in the same spirit as Mrs Wallis Simpson's remark that a woman can never be too thin or too rich, we advise that, at this time of myriad ambiguities in Myanmar, brand owners can never be too cautious. Commercially significant marks must be prioritised, and, if they have been previously registered through Declarations of Ownership, registering fresh declarations with the most complete and updated details should be contemplated, as well as Cautionary Notice re-publication, even if it has not been three years since the last publication. These steps will arm a brand owner with evidence of rights and public notice of the same. Once the Trademark Law takes effect, time will be of the essence, and having all documents ready for application filing on the first days of the new law will provide an added edge against would-be squatters, who are also seeking to take advantage of the new law.

Dhanasun

Chumchuay Saowaluck

Lamlert

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Local churches have been moving domino-style.

The two-year-old Passion Praise Outreach Ministries has moved into Agape Bible Christian Fellowships old home on Market Street, and Agape, which was founded in 2001, resettled in the former sanctuary of Villa Heights Baptist Church, which has folded after 58 years.

Passion Praise Ministries is settling in at 240 E. Market St., Martinsville, a former Sara Lee building across from Martinsville Middle School.

Elder Terrel Johnson, the pastor of Passion Praise, lives in Richmond but comes to Martinsville two or three times a week for services. He plans on moving to Martinsville eventually, he said.

Born in New Rochelle, N.Y., Johnson came to Martinsville with his family when he was 7 or 8 years old, he said. The family includes mother Gracie Oliver Payne and grandmother Pandorian Johnson, both of Fieldale, and sister Tashiana Johnson of Greensboro, N.C.

Johnsons church involvement started at Meadowview AME in Martinsville. The musician (he plays organ, drums and saxophone) became licensed as a minister there, and he became Meadowviews youth minister.

In 2007 Johnson moved to Lynchburg to take classes in Information Systems Engineering at what is now called American National University. Then he moved to Norlina, North Carolina, where he was the minister of music for two years for Full Gospel Ministries.

Then it was on to Garment of Praise in Richmond, where he was a musician for eight or nine years and became ordained as an elder. He also worked at a funeral home and as a licensed real estate agent.

Though he was established in Richmond, his heart remained in Martinsville, he said. He opened Passion Praise Ministry in 2017 in Collinsville.

Nine people were in that original congregation. The ministry has grown pretty strong and its still growing, he said: Now there are about 110 people on the roll.

The members of the congregation are truly Holy Ghost-filled, he said. The Lord moves us in a mighty way. Weve seen miracles happen in the service.

The churchs slogan is All We Do, We Do in Love.

Passion Praises efforts focus on reaching people outside the church. Pastoring is not just the flock you have within your four walls but you are devoted to the community you serve, he said.

A church evangelist team goes out in the community to offer prayer and sometimes meals.

Shavis Lipscomb, who became an associate minister at Living Waters on Fayette Street, is part of Passion Praise. So is Elder Anthony Taylor, who is the assistant pastor.

Taylor and Joe Dixon plays organ, with Johnson on organ occasionally. Clarence Plunkett plays drums and Markus Carson plays keyboard and drums. John Smith, who plays everything, is the minister of music, Johnson said.

Services are held at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. each Sunday. Mid-week at 7 p.m., the Womens Ministry meets on the first and third Wednesday and Bible study is held on the second and fourth Wednesday.

 We have a very strong youth department, with close to 30 or more, Johnson said. That group of very strong, smart kids meets at 10 a.m. Sundays.

On occasional Friday nights they have Friday Night Live services, with guest speakers and choir or sometimes games and socializing.

The non-denominational church is part of Garment of Praise International Ministries in Richmond, which is under Apostle Brenda Conyers, Johnson said.

Taylor described the worship style as more like Pentecostal.

 Its definitely a prophetic ministry, Taylor added.

Johnson credits Tracy Bruce as a force behind the church. She is now the church clerk.

Well before Passion Praise was formed, she started calling me pastor. She pushed it, he said.

It was Bruce and his grandmother who looked for buildings to house Passion Praise before it opened, he said.

The church not only has been blessed with a new, bigger home, but is also has started a mini-fleet of vehicles. Another ministry gave it a 30-passenger bus, and Passion Praise bought a church van for only $200.

 Need a ride, were here, he said.

Agape and Villa Heights

Agape, which has been in the former Sara Lee building for more than 10 years, has moved to the former Villa Heights Baptist Church at 38 Corse Ave. Agape was founded by Dr. C. Lee Hagwood.

The Villa Heights Baptist Churchs building is on 12 acres in a neighborhood off English Road and Smith Rucker Road off Virginia Avenue. Its final pastor was Keith Spangenberg.

The March/April edition of The Caller, Henry County Baptist Associations newsletter, has a message titled The Legacy of Villa Heights Baptist Church signed by Former Trustees & Pastor.

It states that Villa Heights had been a church within the Henry County Baptist Association for 58 years.

It states, We reached the point that many of our sister churches may be familiar with: we werent the church we used to be in size, ministries, and capabilities; we're an aging congregation that was having to cut back services because we didnt drive at night, cook like we used to, and becoming less physically able to get out into the community; each year the budget had to be reduced; the future looked bleaker.

The members did not want the building to become a funeral home or used car lot, it states.

The church agreed to let Agape use its property and to let Amanacer of Collinsville, a church with services in Spanish, to use the fellowship hall, it states.

Villa Heights took a survey and vote dto divide remaining assets among Agape, Amanacer, Grace Network, the Gideon's, Pregnancy Care Center, Good News Jail Ministry, and the Horne Homes residents, the passage states.

Holly Kozelsky reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. She can be reached at holly.kozelsky@martinsvillebulletin.com

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Security will be one of the issues discussed when the board of directors of Ohev Zion Synagogue in Martinsville holds its regularly monthly meeting this week.

Martha Woody, president of the board, offered that piece of information when she was asked if the synagogue would be taking any special steps after the recent attacks on places of worship in Pennsylvania, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and, just last weekend, California.

Thats where, on Saturday, the last day of Passover, a gunman burst into Chabab of Poway synagogue near San Diego and opened fire with an assault-style rifle, killing a woman and wounding a rabbi and two others. Roughly six months ago, on Oct. 27, 11 were killed in a similar assault at a synagogue on a quiet street in Pittsburgh.

Certainly what has happened in California and similar events in the past have made us a bit more cautious, Woody said. We perhaps [are paying] a bit more attention than we have in the past. For example, when I go to the synagogue, if I am the only one there, I lock the door behind me.

But, that said, she wants to make it clear that in the Martinsville-Henry County community, there have been no threats against the synagogue, no phone messages. And no one associated with the synagogue has been targeted.

Our synagogue is in the middle of a residential community, she said. Its very obvious. Theres a large Star of David on it.

Weve been very fortunate. We have not felt any animosity in our home community. I dont think any of us feel threatened at this point, or concerned about being targeted by the Martinsville-Henry County community. And we are certainly fortunate in that regard.

And what about from people outside Martinsville-Henry County?

As a Jewish community, we are concerned about the rise of anti-Semitic speech and hate speech in Virginia, she said.

As she pointed out, Judaism isnt the only faith that has been targeted by gun-wielding attacks on houses of worship. There were estimates that more thany 300 mostly Christians were killed  the count has been fluctuating  in bombings on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. Fifty Muslims were killed March 14 by gunmen in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Thats more than 400 killed and hundreds more injured in faith-based attacks during the past six months. So its easy to understand why safety is an agenda item for a board meeting.

Ohev Zion, being a small synagogue, doesnt have paid security guards like congregations in large cities, Woody said. She said members are being more attentive to the synagogue than normal, for example, perhaps driving by the synagogue more often to check on it and locking the doors.

And Woody praised the Martinsville Police Department. They do an excellent job on community policing, she said.

Woody said her husband  Robert Becker, who is a member of the board of directors of Ohev Zion  said that any time any group is targeted, marginalized, attacked by members of a broader community, its a sign there is something wrong in the broader community. There are problems and issues that need to be addressed.

She said he pointed to President Lyndon Johnson, who, when he was pushing for civil rights legislation in the 1960s, said prejudice and intolerance hurt not only minorities but the larger community and people who hold those views.

Its incumbent on all us to make the situation better in Martinsville-Henry County, Virginia, the United States and the world. Weve all got to do our part. Woody said.

Khalil Shadeed of the Martinsville-Henry County Islamic Center said that, for the most part, we are always vigilant.

People watch the door. We make sure no very strange persons are showing up at the front door, he said. Most people going there know each other. Its fairly open, friendly and inviting.

The Islamic community is well established in the area, he said.

The families that attend the Islamic Center were born there and raised [in the area] and know the terrain pretty well, he said.

There previously were a couple of incidents with vandalism  nothing we can attach to hate crime, he said. Since then, we have taken precautions.

He declined to elaborate.

For the safety and protection of churches and their members, church and local law enforcement officials did not want to discuss specific security measures that have been taken.

Henry County Sheriffs Capt. Wayne Davis wrote in an email that for about five years, the Henry County Sheriffs Office has been offering a free, educational presentation on security plans for any houses of worship that have requested assistance.

Davis said the presentations cover topics such as active shooters; individuals with emotional issues; people who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol; domestic incidents; security teams; concealed carry of firearms on church property etc.

A deputy will come to the location and conduct the presentation and discuss these issues with the leadership, he said.

He said those interested should contact Lt. Steve Raines at 276-656-4213.

As the incidents of violence have increased so have the number of facilities that are becoming proactive and taking measures to increase their safety and security, he said. We are regularly working with houses of worship throughout the county on security issues.

There was a church that contacted us last week in regards to having the security presentation brought to them.

He declined to name which church that was.

Martinsville Deputy Police Chief Rob Fincher said for a number of years the police department also has been assisting houses of worship with security concerns. He urges churches that have concerns to call the police department. An officer can meet privately with church officials and give advice for that particular building.

Last year, the police department held a seminar on church security, led by a retired employee of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Fincher said roughly 30 people attended the class, representing a number of churches.

In addition, the police department is doing extra patrols of churches on Sunday mornings to check buildings and parking lots, he said.

Ishmael LaBiosa, director of communications for the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, said a lot of churches are thinking that way  from smaller churches to bigger churches.

He said that at some of its larger events, the SBC of Virginia has done break-outs on security at church, and it also has online resources it shares with affiliated churches.
A year ago, two individuals sat across from each other for the first time, unsure what the following 365 days might hold. One was Amanda Mandi Bartlett, who works at the Ravenel Oncology Center in Martinsville. The other was Serenity Bradshaw, a participant in the Martinsville YMCAs Reach and Rise mentorship program.

As Bartlett spoke with Bradshaw, her father, Kelvin Bradshaw, and Reach and Rise Director Terri Hairston, she developed a first impression of the young lady she would soon come to call a friend.

 She was really sweet and really shy, Bartlett said. She had a difficult time opening up at first and I did too.

After their initial meeting, the two set off on a new adventure each week.

Bartlett planned each outing based on the same structure. First, the two had dinner together. Then, they both participated in a fun activity.

 Mandi planned and she did an exceptional job doing that, Hairston said. She intentionally devised a plan and provided a structure that was consistent. Young people need structure.

Some of their favorite activities to do together included making arts and crafts, writing, going to the movies, skating and honing their arcade skills at Uptown Pinball.

While mentors may spend any amount of money on their outings, it doesnt take a lot to enhance a childs life.

 There are lots of things you can do around here, Hairston said.

The director equips each mentor with a list of the top 40 free or low-cost kid-friendly activities in Martinsville and Henry County, provided by VisitMartinsville, the local tourism department.

 They do a list and they do all of this research, Hairston said. People arent aware of these little nuggets. I was even surprised.

Participating in activities together helps the mentor and child's connection grow in a fun and healthy way. Doing things that the child and adult both enjoy often opens communication lines.

 The biggest [accomplishment] was working on self-confidence, Bartlett said. She made a lot of progress.

The two also explored the importance of honesty, especially in communications and relationships.

As the year progressed, Bartlett watched Serenity open up and grow.

 It gave me a sense of pride, watching how she developed over the year, Bartlett said. From week to week, it seemed so small.

Even though the gains seemed minute at times, the friendship the two formed changed both of their lives in a big way.

As the year ended and the group met for one last time, Hairston also noted a positive outcome.

 Its rewarding, especially when you see a match like that one, Hairston said. I could see two lives had changed. I could see tears in Serenitys eyes, but she looked up and said, We make an awesome team.

While Serenity and Bartletts pairing couldnt have been more perfect, for some people, a storybook match could be thwarted by fears that never become realities.

Before she became a mentor, anticipatory questions ravaged Bartletts mind. Would she be cool enough? Was she fun enough? Was she good enough? Did she really have the time?

The fears quickly vanished as Bartlett and Serenitys friendship grew.

 he rewards you get out of it far outweigh the concerns, Bartlett said. I dont regret a minute. Its worth it.

Bartlett plans to mentor through Reach and Rise again in the future, but wont jump right back into the program this year. She often manages her time helping both local youth and children overseas. In August, she will spearhead a charity hike up Mount Kilimanjaro for her nonprofit organization, Give Hope, Inc., and continue to assist a Tanzanian community that shes helped since 2012.

 With all the work Ive done overseas, its important to me to invest in kids in my own community, too, Bartlett said. Reach and Rise is a great opportunity to do that.

For those who wish to positively impact the youth in Martinsville and Henry County, there are mentoring opportunities available through the Reach and Rise program.

 You can come together. You can invest in somebody. You can tell somebody theyre worth it, Bartlett said.

Potential mentors must first complete an application, which can be found online at www.martinsvilleymca.com or at the YMCA located at 3 Starling Ave in Martinsville. Then, mentors go through 15 hours of training. All potential mentors also have a background screening and a face-to-face interview with Brad Kinkema, YMCA executive director, and Hairston.

 Im big on safety. This is a positive program. We take every measure to make sure our mentors and our mentees are safe, Hairston said.

Throughout the year, Hairston meets with mentors, the children and parents once a month to ensure a positive, productive match.

 I m looking for someone whos passionate and wants to make a difference in a childs life, Hairston said.

Over the six years Hairstons directed the program, mentors have come from all over. Several live in the Martinsville area, but others travel from North Carolina. County and state lines dont determine a positive role model, but a passion for helping children and shaping tomorrows leaders does.

 I have seen, just recently, people doing a lot of things in our community to help people, Hairston said. If we are going to be a strong community, we need to invest in our youth. These are our future law enforcement officers, our future mayors. These are our future community leaders.

For those interested in becoming a Reach and Rise mentor, contact Hairston through email at terri@martinsvilleymca.com or by calling the YMCA at (276) 632-1772.
Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and parent company NiSource announced a settlement in a lawsuit brought by the Figueroa family of Lawrence, seven months after a natural gas disaster left the members of the family seriously injured and homeless.

The gas company did not disclose the settlement amount, but said the agreement was amicably resolved between the parties. The settlement also includes a motorized wheelchair, mobility van and modifications to the familys residence, according to a statement by Columbia Gas.

Things will never be the same for the Figueroa family, but today is an important step forward on a long road towards healing. The Figueroas continue to rely on their faith in God for strength and would like to thank everyone who has supported them throughout this very difficult time, the Figueroas attorney Socrates De La Cruz said in a statement.

The explosions caused by over-pressurized gas lines wreaked havoc across the Merrimack Valley on Sept. 13, inflicting serious damage on the Figueroas home at 35 Chickering Road in Lawrence, where they had lived for three years.

De La Cruz filed a lawsuit on behalf of Omayra Figueroa and her children, Shakira, Christian and an unnamed juvenile, for substantial personal injury and profound pain and suffering they are experiencing because of the gross negligence of Columbia Gas, MassLive reported in September. The attorney called the disaster preventable and said it caused deep, deep pain for his clients.

While Omayra and her daughter Shakira were inside the home, Christian was sitting in a car with a friend, 18-year-old Leonel Rondon who had just received his drivers license, when the explosion hit. The impact caused the homes chimney to fall onto the car, killing Rondon.

Shakira underwent multiple surgeries, and now suffers from limited mobility, according to Columbia Gas.

The familys attorney said representatives of Columbia Gas have been true to their word and worked closely with the Figueroas throughout.

The company recognizes the devastating impact of what happened, and they knew they needed to help try to make things better for the family and the Merrimack Valley Community," De La Cruz said in a statement. With this settlement, they have done just that.

Joe Hamrock, the chief executive officer and president of NiSource, said he is glad the company could reach a positive resolution with the family.

We know that what happened on September 13 was absolutely tragic, and that many residents will live with the consequences for the rest of their lives. Our hearts go out to the Figueroa family and the entire community, Hamrock said in a statement.
Every day when he returned from school Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino would walk into the kitchen of the blue house he shared with his family and give his grandmother a hug and a kiss.

He would always see me give me a hug and a kiss, always, and tell me I love you grandmother, I love you, Ivelisse Cornielle said during testimony in a Salem Superior Court on Tuesday. Mathew Borges, 17, is facing trial for first degree murder charge.

He is accused of killing his classmate 16-year-old Viloria-Paulino and later decapitating him and cutting off his hands.

But before Viloria-Paulinos name would become synonymous with his beheading, he was known as a popular student at Lawrence High School. His friend said he was like sunshine.

Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino, 16.

The 16-year-old lived on the second level of a multi-family home filled with his uncles, mother, grandmother along with other relatives on Forest Street in Lawrence.

He was always happy and would enter the kitchen singing just before 4 p.m. on school days, Cornielle told jurors on Tuesday. She appeared to be in mourning, wearing a black suit and dark scarf in court. She spoke through a Spanish interpreter and wept when she said abuela or Lee Manuel.

Cornielle was one of 12 people called by the prosecution in the second day of testimony in Borges trial in Salem.

Cornielle said the last day she saw her grandson alive followed a familiar rhythm. Viloria-Paulino greeted his grandmother and told her he loved her.

Well, I love you more, Cornielle told him.

The teenager waved his hand in front of his face, wafting the scents of her cooking into his nose before asking what was on the menu.

On that Friday night Cornielle made a lot of options - white rice, red kidney beans, beef stew, fried eggplant and plantains, she told jurors through tears.

Cornielle, who is a retired bilingual business teacher at Lawrence High School, sat at the table with her grandson and talked about his homework. They were both tired and had been up late the night before because Viloria-Paulino had fallen behind on some school work.

After eating dinner, Viloria-Paulino went back to the upper level of the house he shared with his mother - who was away in the Dominican Republic at the time - to take a nap.

That was the last time Cornielle saw her grandson alive, she said in court.

Cornielle, Viloria-Paulinos uncle Samuel Paulino and Christine Michaud, who was living with the family at the time, testified on Tuesday, remembering their increasingly frantic search to find the teenager.

When Paulino came home from work that night, he told his mother he had just seen two teenagers walking in their backyard. The door to Viloria-Paulino and his mothers apartment was opened, and the 16-year-olds door was locked.

Paulino told his mother he confronted one of the boys, but one wearing a hooded sweatshirt kept walking. Viloria-Paulino often wore an orange Hollister sweatshirt or a black Wu Tang Clan hoodie his uncle bought him, family said.

I wondered if its Lee, but he never leaves without asking for permission, Cornielle told the court. Paulino, who works as a software engineer, started knocking on his nephews door but there was no answer.

At his mothers instruction he used a butter knife to get the door open. When they walked into the room Viloria-Paulino was gone.

Paulino testified that he thought his nephew snuck out of the house. He piled pots, pans and a curtain rod on top of a daybed and rolled it in front of the door. He thought when Viloria-Paulino tried to sneak back in, hed knock over the items and they would catch him, Paulino said.

The family spent the rest of the night waiting.

We waited, assuming he would come home, Paulino told jurors Tuesday. We were listening intently for noise upstairs but didnt hear anything at all.

The next morning when the family found everything as they left it they called the police. The family started canvassing the neighborhood and calling his friends.

By Sunday -- growing more panicked -- the family searched Viloria-Paulinos room, Michaud, who dated his uncle, said during her testimony. She found his cell phone, which had been cracked a few days earlier, ringing from underneath his pillow. She also found his wallet and his keys.

Paulino took the SIM card out of the teenagers iPhone and in a different phone the family had in the house. This way, the could see the calls and texts coming through.

Michaud said she copied the numbers down and called his friends back, but no one had heard from Viloria-Paulino.

On Monday Michaud went to Lawrence High School and tracked down friends there but got no information.

Days later, Lawrence police detectives visited the high school with a photo from a surveillance video the family tracked down. They had better luck.

The photo shows a young man, with curly hair, walking on Forest Street the night Viloria-Paulino disappeared. The schools assistant principal identified the boy as Borges.

Borges was interviewed for the first time police that day - and though he said he didnt know what happened to Viloria-Paulino, he guided officers to the last place he saw him.

Borges led detectives to the south side of the riverbank where he said he last saw and smoked weed with Viloria-Paulino.

On Dec. 1, a man walking his dog discovered Viloria-Paulinos decapitated body floating in the water.

At first, his girlfriend thought it was a mannequin, she testified.

"When I got closer I saw that it wasnt, she said.

Nearby the teenagers head, wrapped in a Market Basket shopping bag, bobbed in the water, according to a Massachusetts State Police trooper.
Wynn Resorts handling of the sexual misconduct allegations against its founder will cost the company more than $35 million, but it gets to keep its casino license and open Encore Boston Harbor in June.

In the suitability report released Tuesday night, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission ruled that Wynn Resorts will keep the sole eastern Massachusetts license as long as an independent monitor reviews the policies and changes outlined by the company during its regulatory investigation. The independent monitor is expected to conduct reviews for five years.

Chief Executive Officer Matt Maddox, whom commissioners grilled during the three-day suitability hearing, was hit with a $500,000 fine but got to keep his license.

The decision comes less than two months before the $2.6 billion Everett casino is scheduled to open.

Wynn Resorts spokesman Michael Weaver said in a statement that the company received a copy of the decision late Tuesday.

We are in the process of reviewing that decision and considering the full range of our next steps, he said. We will not have further comment until we have thoroughly reviewed and considered the MGCs decision.

The commission found that Wynn Resorts violated at least five regulations and several of its own company policies meant to protect employees from inappropriate behavior. Throughout the report, commissioners state they were troubled and disturbed about the findings, but that there was not enough evidence to show that Wynn Resorts willfully misled regulators.

Given systemic corporate failures, the truth may never be uncovered, which troubles us most, the commission wrote in its decision. We are, however, at an important juncture and we recognize that no casino in Massachusetts should ever operate at the risk of its safety and well-being of its employees.

The commissioners also called out Wynn Resorts officials for failing to acknowledge control exerted over employees who alleged sexual misconduct: We note the artificial lines drawn by the licensee in this matter, attempting to distinguish sexual assault and misconduct from acts where power is so unequally distributed that individual choice is inherently absent.

When the company and its executives were approved for the license in 2014, they were required to demonstrate good character, honesty, integrity and solid business practices, among other attributes.

All of that was called into question after a January 2018 Wall Street Journal article detailed workplace rape and sexual harassment allegations against Steve Wynn dating back to 2005. Company executives denied the allegations and stood by Steve Wynn until after he resigned in February 2018.

Wynn has denied the allegations. He declined interviews with Massachusetts regulatory investigators.

Massachusetts and Nevada regulators opened investigations into Wynn Resorts executives. In the wake of the scandal, the company shook up its board of directors. Several top executives resigned or were terminated after internal company reviews confirmed that they knew of the misconduct complaints and lawyers efforts to quash the allegations.

Wynn Resorts changed its human resources policies to include more training, additional channels for reporting complaints and restrictions on the companys use of outside attorneys.

Regulatory investigators completed their investigation last year, but the report was delayed several months after regulators and Wynn Resorts were hit with a lawsuit from Wynn. He alleged that the company had handed over information protected under attorney-client privileges.

Wynn and the others settled on March 1, and the Investigation and Enforcement Bureau completed its findings on March 15. The investigatory was released April 2, the first of the companys three-day suitability hearings in Boston.

Wynn Resorts also was hit with a $20 million fine from Nevada regulators in January.

This is a developing story.
An American art museum is demanding that a German far-right party stop using one of its paintings, portraying a 19th-century slave auction, in a campaign poster for the European elections.

"We are strongly opposed to the use of this work to advance any political agenda," Olivier Meslay, the director of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, told The Associated Press. "We did not supply the painting to the AfD," he said, using the acronym for the party Alternative for Germany.

The 1866 oil-on-canvas painting "Slave Market," by Jean-Leon Gerome, shows a black, apparently Muslim slave trader displaying a naked young woman with much lighter skin to a group of men for examination.

The AfD's Berlin branch said they put up 30 posters of the painting across the German capital with the slogan: "So that Europe won't become Eurabia."

The party, known for its anti-Muslim stance, said it wont take down any of the posters.

An election campaign poster of the German Alternative fuer Deutschland (Alternative for Germany), AfD, party displayed at a road in Berlin, Germany. The poster for the European Parliament elections shows the painting 'Slave Market' from 1866 by the french artist Jean-Leon Gerome. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)AP

Meslay said the museum had written to the party "insisting that they cease and desist in using this painting." However, he acknowledged, the painting is in the public domain and "there are no copyrights or permissions that allow us to exert control over how it is used other than to appeal to civility on the part of the AfD Berlin."

A spokesman for the Berlin branch of the AfD called the museum's request "a futile attempt to gag the AfD."

"The German public has the right to find out about the truth about the possible consequences of illegal mass immigration," said Ronald Glaeser. He did not explain further.

The AfD and other far-right groups have blamed Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow in hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers from war-torn countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan for multiple social problems.

Some far-right supporters argue that migrants are responsible for an increase in serious crimes, especially attacks on women. Last summer they paraded through the eastern town of Chemnitz carrying posters of German women they allege were killed by migrants.

Glaeser complained that opponents of the AfD have been continually destroying this and other campaign posters in Berlin and that party workers have had to repeatedly put up new copies, only to see them destroyed again the following night.

The AfD was founded in 2013 and elected to Germanys national parliament for the first time in 2017.
A Mississippi man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy on board a cruise ship traveling between Boston and Bermuda.

Adam Christopher Boyd, 32, was accused by federal authorities of raping the intoxicated teenager while the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship was docked in Bermuda in August of 2017.

The child subsequently reported the rape to ship security, who notified Bermudian authorities, the Office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a statement. In the course of the Bermuda Police Services initial investigation, they arrested Boyd and notified authorities in the United States.

The victim told investigators that he met Boyd in the early morning hours of August 18, 2017 while walking the deck of the ship after drinking with people he had met on the cruise, FBI Special Agent Brendan Fogerty wrote in an affidavit. Both the victim and another witness told Fogerty that Boyd was aware the victim was only 15 years old.

After talking with Boyd and a group of other cruise-goers, the teenager asked for help getting back to his room. Boyd volunteered to escort him, and proceeded to kiss, grope and rape him in isolated areas of the ship, the victim told investigators.

Minor A reported that he asked Boyd what he was doing, but otherwise was too drunk and froze, not knowing what to say or do, Fogerty wrote in his affidavit.

The victim quickly told friends he had been raped, and later that day told a family member who reported the assault to ship security. The teenager was interviewed by Bermuda police and had a rape kit taken at a nearby hospital.

Boyd was initially released following his arraignment in federal court, but was detained in November of 2018 after violating his conditions of release and being arrested in Mississippi.

The charge he pleaded to carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and at least five years of supervised release.
The threat of anti-Semitic violence is rising nationally and in Massachusetts, according to new data from the Anti-Defamation League.

On Saturday, a gunman who reportedly shouted anti-Semitic slurs killed one person and injured three at a Chabad synagogue in Poway, California, near San Diego, as worshippers prayed on the last day of Passover. That attack came exactly six months after a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the single deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.

The ADL, a national organization that fights anti-Semitism and hate, released its annual report of anti-Semitic incidents on Tuesday.

It found that the violence appears to fit into a growing trend. The report tracked 39 anti-Semitic assaults reported nationwide in 2018, including three in Massachusetts. Fifty-nine people were victims of those assaults, not counting the police officers injured responding to the Tree of Life Synagogue. By comparison, in 2017, there were 19 anti-Semitic assaults reported, and none in Massachusetts.

Unfortunately, what was experienced in San Diego County was similar to what many Jews felt last year, said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in a conference call with reporters, soon after returning from Poway.

Greenblatt said anti-Semitic assaults are sharply on the rise, and anti-Semitism remains a serious problem in the country. He called assaults the worst form of anti-Semitism, the kind of in your face attacks against Jews that are visceral and often violent.

Nationally, 2018 marked the third-highest number of anti-Semitic incidents, 1,897, since the ADL started tracking the data in 1979.

The 2018 assaults in Massachusetts include:

In January, an elementary school-aged boy in Dedham was choked by another student on a bus home from school and told, I want to kill you because you are Jewish.

In March, a Jewish student at Hampshire College in Amherst experienced ongoing anti-Semitic harassment and an assault on campus.

In November in Cambridge, the police say Jarrett Harris physically assaulted a 66-year-old woman while yelling anti-Semitic statements at her.

People across Massachusetts continue to experience anti-Semitism at historically high rates, said ADL New England Regional Director Robert Trestan in a statement. After years of hate becoming normalized, bigots are turning their anti-Semitism into action through violence."

The ADL documented 144 anti-Semitic incidents in Massachusetts last year. That is fewer than the 177 incidents reported in 2017, but is still the second highest number of annual incidents of anti-Semitism in the state recorded by the ADL. They include 59 incidents of harassment and 82 cases of vandalism.

Massachusetts had the fourth-highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in the country, after California, New York and New Jersey. These are all states with large Jewish populations.

The largest number of incidents in Massachusetts, 59, occurred in K-12 schools, and another 20 happened on college campuses.

Just in December at UMass Amherst, a Jewish student was called an f-ing Jew and had the word Jew written on his dorm room door. A swastika was carved into the bathroom wall in a residence hall and another swastika was drawn on a Hanukkah sign on a resident assistant's door. A swastika was drawn on the face of an unconscious person at a men's lacrosse party.

In December in East Longmeadow, Jewish students were called anti-Semitic names on a school bus. A swastika was taped to the back of a high school student in Amherst. A Jewish boy was harassed by other students at a gym in Agawam.

At a public park in Easthampton, anti-Semitic, racist, and vulgar images were spray-painted on trees and a sign. In Pittsfield, a woman found her car, parked outside her house, vandalized with swastika graffiti.

Oren Segal, director of ADLs Center on Extremism, said a worrying trend is the 249 acts of anti-Semitism in the U.S. tied to known extremist groups, the highest number since 2004. These include a flyering campaign by white supremacists, and a series of anti-Semitic robocalls on behalf of Californias failed U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Little, a Republican neo-Nazi who was denounced by the Republican Party.

The report does not include incidents of online extremism.

Greenblatt said the rise in anti-Semitic incidents comes as anti-Semitic rhetoric has been present in both political parties, from Republican President Donald Trump repeating a theory that Jewish financier George Soros is funding a caravan of migrants to Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar suggesting that the pro-Israel lobby is buying off U.S. politicians to support Israel.

Greenblatt said these types of comments feed into the conspiracy theories that already exist in white supremacist circles, suggesting that Jews are manipulating events and controlling government with their money.

What we have is the normalization of anti-Semitism, Greenblatt said. Now people feel its sort of a bug in the system, a part of the public conversation in the way it wasnt a few years ago.

Greenblatt warned that the rise in anti-Semitism has implications outside the Jewish community. Jews truly are the canary in the coal mine when it comes to the state of hate generally in society, he said. When anti-Semitism is on the rise, typically so too are other forms of intolerance.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker re-established a Task Force on Hate Crimes in November 2017, responding to an uptick in hate crimes since the 2016 presidential election.

One of the reasons we reinstalled, or reinvigorated, the hate crimes task force in Massachusetts a couple years ago is because we saw an uptick in the number of incidents that involved hate crimes associated with religious affiliation, Baker said Monday.

Baker said the task force has led to increased training and intelligence coordination among religious leaders and federal, state and local law enforcement. Theres a constant ongoing dialogue between federal law enforcement folks and state and local folks about all these issues associated with hate crimes, and especially those associated with religious persecution, Baker said.

Asked whether the administration has talked to religious institutions about security measures like adding metal detectors or a police presence, Baker said if any institution reaches out for assistance, state officials will help them. But he said leaders at many institutions believe that noticeably upping physical security would be a terrible step backwards.

They want to be open, they want to be welcoming, Baker said. They want to be a place where everybody feels they can come.
SPRINGFIELD - As the investigation into an off-duty Springfield police officer drawing a gun on an civilian in the Boston Road Walmart parking lot continues, the Hampden District Attorneys office on Tuesday issued a plea for any witnesses to the April 20 incident to come forward.

The office of DA Anthony Gulluni issued a press advisory Tuesday morning asking for the publics help.

It notes detectives are interested in speaking with anyone who may have witnessed a confrontation in the Walmart parking lot located on Boston Road." The incident occurred at around 9:30 p.m. on April 20, which was the night before Easter Sunday. The incident in question resulted in a firearm being drawn.

The statement never mentions Labelle by name or give any particulars about the case.

Reached by phone, Gullunis communications director James Leydon confirmed that it involves the Labelle investigation, but they are downplaying that aspect so as not to influence any potential witnesses.

Labelle, a 21-year-veteran of the Springfield police, has been under scrutiny since the April 20 incident. Off duty at the time, Labelle is accused of drawing a gun on a civilian during some kind of altercation in the parking lot.

Springfield police have previously reported that Labelle and an unnamed man apparently had gotten into an altercation in the parking lot as a result of what was described as road rage.

Labelle had apparently cut off the other man in traffic, and the man confronted him in the parking lot about it. Words were exchanged, and it escalated to the point where Labelle drew his weapon. It is not clear why Labelle drew his weapon, or if the confrontation reached a point where he felt threatened and drew it in self defense.

The Springfield police Major Crimes Unit investigated initially, but because the matter involves a member of the department, the investigation was turned over to state police detectives assigned to Gullunis office.

Labelle was quickly suspended for 5 days without pay by acting Police Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood. The penalty is the maximum allowed by law without a hearing before the state Civil Service Commission.

Once the five days are completed, Labelle will remain on paid administrative leave until the DAs investigation is completed.

Leydon said state police detectives are working off Walmart surveillance video of the parking lot and have identified a number of people who were at the store that night.

The state police continue to seek individuals who were there, and are looking to see if they can shed light on what happened, he said.

A still photo from footage that was released of the lot from approximately the time of the incident shows the lot is packed with several parked cars. There are also vehicles pulling in and out and people walking to and from the store.

Leydon said the investigators may complete their work and forward it to Gulluni for a determination very soon.

Anyone who recalls witnessing a disturbance at the Walmart that night is asked to call the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit at 413 505-5931. People may also use Text-a-Tip by texting the word CRIMES (2-7-4-6-3-7) and type the word SOLVE into the body of the message followed by the tip.
SPRINGFIELD  A communal Holocaust Remembrance Service, one of many being held around the country during a week that also saw a deadly weekend shooting at a California synagogue, will be held Wednesday at Sinai Temple, 1100 Dickinson St.

The 7 p.m. Yom Hashoah Service, as it is referred to using Hebrew, will include participants from nearly a dozen Jewish organizations, and will be followed by a 7:30 p.m. talk, Holocaust Diaries: Victim Voices from the Abyss by scholar Amy Simon.

Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, as it is officially known, was established by the Israeli government in 1951, as an annual observance on the Hebrew date that corresponds to the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in April 1943. The uprising began on the second night of Passover and continued for 27 days - the Germans had planned to liquidate the ghetto in three days - until the ghetto was destroyed by fire.

Some six million Jews died as a result of Nazi policies during World War II that also sought to wipe out other populations deemed inferior.

The Holocaust Day remembrance service is held because the Holocaust was such an extreme act, people felt it necessary to add a holiday for its remembrance, said Sinais Rabbi Jeremy Master of the annual observance.

The Holocaust remembrance service usually entails lighting six candles to symbolize the six million who were murdered. We invite Holocaust survivors and children of survivors to light the candles. We also recite prayers of mourning.

Asked about the increasing number of attacks around houses of worship, Master said those in attendance are likely to have many feelings given the most recent  a weekend shooting at a synagogue near San Diego that left one person dead and several injured.

The massacre at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue in November that left 11 dead and six wounded including four police officers was the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. Accused gunman Robert Bowers, who posted anti-Semitic and racist rants, comparing Jews to Satan, has been charged with 63 federal crimes, about one-third of which carry the death penalty.

I would say there are many feelings in the community, said Master of the synagogue attacks, a sense of resignation that we have seen this so many times before in our past, resilience in the sense that we have experienced this countless times, but we are still here and nobody is going to stop us, fear that such anti-Semitic acts have not occurred like this in America in some time and wondering if thanks to the hateful rhetoric of some of our leaders that this might become a new normal.

He said Holocaust remembrance service would also remember Lori Gilbert Kaye, the 60-year-old founding member of Chabad of Poway who was killed during the concluding Passover service at the California synagogue April 27 when 19-year-old suspect John Earnest now in custody and charged with murder possibly in conjunction with a hate crime is alleged to have open fired. Three others were injured including Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein who has said Kaye jumped between him and the shooter, possibly saving his life.

Kayes husband, a doctor, rushed to aid the victim and fainted upon realizing it was his wife just as the couples 22-year-old daughter arrived, according to Goldsteins account in the media.

Participants in the service besides Master include Rabbi Amy Wallk Katz and Cantor Elise Barber, Temple Beth El; Stewart Bromberg, Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts; Rabbi Yafa Chase, Harold Grinspoon Foundation; Rabbi James Greene and Michael Paysnick, Jewish Community Center, and Rabbi Alana Wasserman, coordinator, JCC Havurah Initiative coordinator; Rabbi Devorah Jacobson, JGS Lifecare; Rabbi Noach Kosofsky, Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy; Rabbi Emeritus Mark Shapiro; Maxine Stein, Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts; Rabbi Yakov Wolff, Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy, Bnai Torah/Forest Park Minyan; and Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe, Bnai Torah.

Simon, whose talk follows the service that each year alternates among the three synagogues participating, holds the William and Audrey Farber Family Chair in Holocaust Studies and European Jewish History at Michigan State University.

She completed her doctorate at Indiana University in 2015 and was the recipient of a Saul Kagan Claims Conference Fellowship as well as the Leon Milman Memorial Fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Her research examines victim representations of perpetrators in Yiddish diaries written in the Warsaw, Lodz, and Vilna ghettos during World War II.
SPRINGFIELD  The citys top lawyer on Tuesday described an incident that led to the reassignment of a school resource officer as a conflict and a physical interaction.

But officials, speaking at a City Hall press conference, offered few additional specifics about the allegations or the incident, which they said happened April 22 at M. Marcus Kiley Middle School.

Acting Police Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood promised a full and complete investigation into the matter. The officer has been assigned to inside duty at the police station pending the investigations, she said.

City officials went public with the case Monday, saying that an officer with the Quebec Unit at Kiley Middle School had been reassigned over misconduct claims. Officials have not named the officer.

In reviewing the facts that we know so far, that has led to the parallel paths of the internal investigation and the separate investigation which will follow the advice of the district attorney, City Solicitor Edward M. Pikula said Tuesday, referring to a probe by the police departments Internal Investigation Unit.

Asked to elaborate on the nature of the incident, Pikula said: It was a conflict  an interaction, a personal, physical interaction between an officer and a student.

Asked whether the interaction was violent, Pikula said: I would hesitate in describing it, other than there was an interaction and it rises to the level that it warrants investigation.

Clapprood said the incident was first reported by the childs doctor who noticed a bruise during an exam. When asked how that happened, the child said it was from this interaction with a police officer at school.

Sarno acknowledged there is video footage of the incident.

The state Department of Children and Families is conducting its own investigation under a state law that requires the reporting of cases of suspected child abuse or neglect.

We want to get to the bottom of this situation ASAP to properly and swiftly remedy this situation in order to continue to restore and enhance our Police Departments integrity and professionalism, Sarno and Clapprood said in a joint statement Monday.

The Quebec Unit is a team of officers assigned to city schools to provide security and to work with students to build support and trust.
BERNARDSTON  A state trooper arrested two Springfield men on various charges, including trafficking cocaine, after he stopped their car for speeding on Interstate 91 Friday night.

The incident began when Trooper Anthony Lavigne, patrolling on the northbound side of the interstate, saw a Ford Fusion traveling at speeds of over 70 mph in a place where the posted speed limit is 45 mph, according to a state police release.

The driver told Lavigne he did not have a drivers license and at first verbally gave a false name and date of birth. He was eventually identified as 37-year-old Shawndell Collins.

The passenger, 20-year-old Jeremy Garcia, also did not possess a valid drivers license, state police said. Lavigne told both men to get out of the car.

As Garcia got out, the trooper saw materials commonly used in the packaging of illegal narcotics on the floor near where he had been sitting. A search of Garcias person yielded a baggie containing multiple orange pills which were identified as a controlled substance and a large amount of crack cocaine.

Both men were arrested and taken to the Shelburne Falls barracks for booking. During that process, it was discovered that Collins had a revoked drivers license and was wanted by Vermont State Police on a charge of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child. Custody of Collins was eventually handed over to Vermont State Police.

Bail was set at $7,500 for Garcia and Collins was ordered held without bail.

Both suspects were charged with trafficking cocaine. Collins was also charged with operating with a revoked license, fugitive from justice, proving a false name to a police officer, speeding and marked lanes violation.

Garcia was also charged with possession of a Class E drug, conspiracy to violate drug laws and tampering with an official record.
Wegmans plans to roll out its new meal delivery service in Massachusetts later this year.

A company spokesperson confirmed that the new app-powered service, called Wegmans Meals 2GO, will be introduced in Massachusetts later in 2019.

Wegmans stores in Medford will launch the delivery service implemented in the week of May 27, while Wegmans Natick will launch the service in the week of June 24. More stores will receive the program through July and August, a spokesperson said.

The grocery chain headquartered in Rochester, New York has six locations across Massachusetts in Burlington, Chestnut Hill, Medford, Northborough, Westwood and Natick, where the company opened its first two-story mega-market last year.

The mixed-use supermarket chain is known for offering an immersive food experience, carrying traditional supermarket products with an atmosphere akin to a street marketplace. Fresh takeout stations, bakeries, international options, cafes and restaurants can be found at many Wegmans stores.

The new delivery service partners Wegmans with DoorDash, a Silicon Valley delivery company. The venture requires users to download the Wegmans Meals 2GO app, through which they will be able to order any food option -- sushi, pizza, wings, subs, salads, soups, Asian, desserts, ready-to-heat meals, drinks and more, the company said in a statement.

The minimum cost for a Wegmans delivery order is currently $20, and the service is available between 11:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. any day of the week, the company announced.

The 2GO service is already online for four stores in Rochester and one store Sterling, Virginia. The company confirmed it will roll the program out in more than 40 stores in 2019, and expand it even further in 2020.

Wegmans has 99 stores across New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland.
Activists who favor tighter gun regulations might be tempted to snicker at the strife within the National Rifle Association, which has engaged in an increasingly public power struggle between CEO Wayne LaPierre and NRA president Oliver North.

That is, until they realize the result.

Yes, this is the same North who captured the publics imagination at the Iran-Contra hearings more than 30 years ago. Hes stepping down as president after losing his internal NRA battle with LaPierre, the public face of the organization during this tempestuous generation.

How much will this change the NRAs position and influence within the debate over tighter gun laws and the Second Amendment. Probably not at all.

If anything, it could consolidate LaPierres power. This would not be good news for advocates of tighter gun regulations. Their best bet remains a change of power in the 2020 presidential election.

The NRA power struggle wasnt about policy or philosophy, but about matters the NRA would have rather kept behind closed doors. That ended when the NRA filed suit against a public relations firm it had paid handsomely for articulating the NRAs lobby points.

North said the NRA should create a committee to review the organizations finances and operations. Its an especially sensitive issue in New York, where government officials are considering a move to remove the NRAs status as a nonprofit organization.

Norths suspicions of NRA activities went further and included questions of alleged misspending and sexual harassment, according to reports. That LaPierre could withstand the power challenge of a gun-rights superstar like North gives an idea of his power within an organization that counts 5 million members.

To assume all gun owners agree with the NRAs hard-line, uncompromising stance is a mistake. Many gun owners dont belong to the organization, and thats one of the reasons. Within the NRA, appearances of a united front have been maintained, despite public outcry after a numbing succession of unspeakable tragedies increased the clamor for tighter gun regulations.

North and LaPierre showed little if any disagreement on the groups controversial gun-ownership stances. Their dispute was over how the NRA itself was being run - and who would have the last word in running it.

That word clearly belongs to LaPierre. Gun regulation activists should take no pleasure in the NRAs intramural split, which figures to have little policy impact beyond possibly emboldening LaPierre even more. That wont be good news for those frustrated by the NRAs lobbying power while a Republican president, Senate and most of the partys 27 governors (though not Charlie Baker in Massachusetts) cater to its desires.
Former Massachusetts Environmental Police Col. James McGinn, who was fired last year over alleged timesheet irregularities and employee surveillance, plans to file a whistleblower claim against the state, WCVB reported on Tuesday.

McGinn, who was appointed to lead the agency under Gov. Charlie Baker, told WCVB that he made the state aware that there was a complete lack of accountability" within the department. He also said he refused to participate or accept what he believed to be unethical and illegal activities in the agency.

The claim comes months after an internal agency report accused McGinn of using hidden cameras and hiring a private firm to spy on officers at a Westborough facility. It also delved into allegations of ticket-fixing, which were referred to the State Ethics Commission.

McGinn was suspended without pay in early October, then fired following the internal agency review. His 2017 pay came in at $132,215, according to state records.

A retired Massachusetts State Police sergeant, McGinn was Gov. Charlie Bakers campaign driver during the 2014 election before being appointed to head the Environmental Police.

The Environmental Police is one of several state agencies mired in scandal, ranging from alleged threats to scrutiny over its shifts. In September 2016, Democrat J.D. Parker-OGrady, who was running for state Senate against incumbent Sen. Don Humason, a Westfield Republican, claimed that his fiancee Cynthia Lewis had faced threats and retaliation at her job at the Environmental Police.

The allegations prompted an internal investigation that led to the termination of Jared Valanzola and a Department of Conservation and Recreation personnel officer. Michael Valanzola, Jareds cousin, resigned as chief operating officer for Bakers energy and environmental affairs secretariat resigned days later.

The split shift controversy in late 2016 surfaced after WCVB reported that Environmental police get paid time and a half by the DCR to work details patrolling state pools and parks, and they are allowed to split their regular shifts to accommodate the details. WCVB also reported that GPS devices stopped tracking the Environmental Police trucks. McGinn said in December 2016 that the policy had changed, but the issue resurfaced two years later.
In a crowded field of Democratic presidential hopefuls, candidates from New England faced mixed results.

A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released Tuesday shows how likely voters in New Hampshire would cast their ballots in the 2020 presidential primary. The race currently features more than two dozen Democrats seeking the nomination.

Joe Biden, who announced his campaign last week, took an early lead among New Hampshire voters. The former vice president received support from 20 percent of likely voters polled.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg followed in a close second and third, with a respective 12 and just under 12 percent of support.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren didnt receive double-digit support at 8 percent.

Of those polled who did not select Warren, likely voters were asked why. About 18 percent said they do not believe she can beat President Donald Trump. Just over 20 percent said she doesnt excite them or she comes off as angry. Less than 5 percent cited her references to Native-American heritage.

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton was one of more than a dozen Democrats to receive under 1 percent of support from likely voters in New Hampshire. The representative from Salem, who entered the race last week, received report from a single person surveyed.

The Suffolk University Political Research Center surveyed 800 likely New Hampshire voters from Thursday to Sunday. Read the full results here.
SPRINGFIELD  A Hampden Superior Court judge on Tuesday told murder defendant Erick Buchanon  known for interrupting judges and clashing with his own lawyers  at some point youre going to run out of attorneys."

Judge Francis Flannery allowed a motion by lawyer Jeffrey Brown to end his job as stand-by counsel for Buchanon, accused of murder in the 2015 fatal stabbing of Salina Merritt in Springfield.

Buchanon has also been charged with stabbing and wounding two other people.

Buchanon, 50, of Springfield, is representing himself in his murder case, but Brown was appointed as stand-by counsel. That meant Buchanon could consult Brown on legal issues in the case.

Flannery said he still believes it would be best to have stand-by counsel for Buchanon.

As to whether someone willing to do that job can be found, Flannery was not positive.

Maybe we can find you one, maybe we cant, Flannery told Buchanon.

With most of his past lawyers, Buchanon has claimed there is a conspiracy between the prosecution and defense.

Assistant District Attorney Paul J. Caccaviello is now prosecuting the case. Melissa Doran, who left the Hampden District Attorneys Office to become assistant clerk in Hampshire Superior Court, was the prosecutor for years. Buchanon continually bashed Doran verbally, even trying to aim his comments directly at her in court. He often interrupts judges.

Flannery set a May 7 date for Buchanon to be brought back to court to see if there is a new stand-by counsel.

Buchanon has undergone mental health evaluations a number of times and has been deemed competent to stand trial.

He went through six appointed lawyers before being allowed to represent himself with Brown as stand-by counsel. Four of those reported being unable to work with Buchanon and two left the case for other reasons.

Buchanon contended recordings of police interviews in the investigation of Merritts death have been tampered with; he has repeated his conspiracy theories to each judge hes appeared before.

When Buchanon began to complain about Brown Tuesday, Flannery said he has known Brown for a long time  and that Brown is a skilled and very patient lawyer.

In May 2018 Buchanon told a judge in open court that if his court-appointed lawyer Adam T. Narris comes near him, Im going to hurt him. ... Im going to attack him. Judge Richard J. Carey said Buchanon should work with Narris or would have to represent himself. Buchanon said he would represent himself with stand-by counsel.

Police arrested Buchanon on a warrant on April 22, 2015 for the stabbings, reported on March 11, 2015. Police found Merritts body at 356 Belmont Ave.; the two other victims said they were stabbed at that address.
SPRINGFIELD  A 67-year-old Chicopee man on Tuesday denied a charge of rape and two counts of indecent assault and battery involving a fellow patient at Holyoke Medical Center.

John Zawada, appearing for his arraignment in Hampden Superior Court, also denied a charge of failing to register as a sex offender.

Assistant Hampden Superior Court Clerk Brian Dolaher ordered Zawada held without right to bail until a May 7 hearing to determine if he is too dangerous to be released under any conditions. The date was set at the request of Assistant District Attorney Katharine A. Johnson and defense lawyer Joseph Harty.

Zawada was initially charged after he allegedly committed a sexual assault on an unconscious woman in the hospitals emergency room on Nov. 25. The incident was captured on video, according to an arrest report.

Following his arrest, Zawada was committed to Bridgewater State Hospital to be evaluated for criminal responsibility and competency to stand trial. In February a District Court judge deemed him too dangerous to be released under any conditions and order him held without right to bail for four months.

A new dangerousness hearing must be held now that the case has been moved to Hampden Superior Court.

The indictment for failure to register said Zawada is a Level 1 sex offender, the category deemed least likely to reoffend. He pleaded guilty in 2014 to a Chicopee District Court case alleging possession of child pornography and got six months probation.

The victim has filed a civil suit against Holyoke Medical Center and Zawada in Hampden Superior Court. Documents in the suit have been impounded by a judge at the request of the plaintiffs lawyer. The victim is not identified in the suits title in court records.
Poitin is a spirit usually associated with shebeens, rebels and criminal activity, not fancy cocktails and swanky decor. But that is now changing: Nate Brown investigates a Dublin bar that is taking Irelands original spirit upmarket.

Dublin is no stranger to the concept of revolution. Yet, with hindsight, the peaceful corner of Green Street and Little Britain Street in the unpopular Smithfield area of the city seems like an unlikely place to make a start. It is here, in an old dingy drinking den that Dave Mulligan is looking to transform not just the venue, not just the area, but to redefine industry views of Dublin as a cocktail powerhouse.

This used to be what you might call an unsavoury bar. We found like 250 spent heroin packets in the basement, pronounces Mulligan, and you see that building across the street? Thats a dry hostel. Loads of people warned me off the area. Its the wrong side of town.

Needless to say, this didnt stop Mulligan from acquiring the site for his latest bar venture, and his first permanent offering in Dublin. 1661 is a cocktail bar with a strong penchant for the nations own spirit  poitin, which alongside the likes of Irish Single Pot Still was recently granted GI status by the EU.

But I look around and I see the park, the church that will forever be our backdrop, the fruit markets  what an amazing thing to have the doorstep of a cocktail bar  daily, seasonal shopping. We got so much press from our pop-up that it confirmed to me there was an appetite for what were bringing. Dublin needs a bar like this.

The name refers to the year when Irelands colonial rulers placed a market ban on the production of homemade spirits, or poitin. Since then, the spirit had descended into folklore. Every Irish expat could get their hands on a bottle, often of dubious quality, without ever knowing anyone directly involved in the production.

Recently however, Mulligan and handful of others have sought to bring poitin back into the spirits fold. Today, Daves own brand, Ban, can be found on the menu at the American Bar in the Savoy among a whole host of other prestigious menus. Big players Teeling have released their own Spirit of Dublin, and are accompanied by an increasing number of smaller producers from all over the island.

Nobodys ever given poitin a proper platform. Some bars here might have two, but they dont do anything about them, people are always asking me where can I drink it in Dublin?

Fast forward to this weekend and 1661 is preparing to open its doors to the public for the first time. Mulligan has taken a step away from the purely poitin offering of his pop-up in 2017; the bar is a cocktail bar first and foremost, whilst hoping to deliver a unique showground for poitin.

Stepping into the space itself feels like entering into a classic cocktail bar in New York or further afield. The walls are dark with clever, gold accentuations, the wooden table tops have been carved from Irish oak and sycamore  the natural cracks filled in with traditional carpenters bows. The deep green of the seating is the only obvious nod to the Irishness in the concept. The bar counter is raised to poser height, which combined with the drinks shelves in the windows outside give 1661 an unmistakably continental vibe. The centrepiece of the room is a huge sharing table belying the community feel that Mulligan wants 1661 to evoke.

Unsurprisingly therefore, one of his traits is an eagerness to heap praise on those around him. He repeatedly tells us that he wouldnt have been able to do this without Oakheart Joinery. There are real touches of finesse throughout the space, an upmarket feel that is not expected in a shrine to Irelands underbelly spirit. Even Mulligan notes his surprise at the levels of sophistication: Weve created the type of bar Im usually not allowed into.

The impressive back bar is testament to this sharing ethos: 1661 has a large collection of poitins, not just Mulligans own brand, and many of which feature as strongly as Ban on the cocktail list. These sit alongside some real gems in other categories. Where most Dublin venues align strongly with either Diageo or Pernod Ricard listings, 1661 is fiercely independent.

The cocktails themselves are a collection of whiskey highballs, poitin-based creations and a signature Belfast Coffee made with in-house cold brew and Ban. Luckily for Dave, execution of these is in the well-travelled hands of one of Dublins (and Londons) most respected bartenders, Gillian Boyle. Expect lots of wild Irish ingredients, hedgerow fruits and orchard flavours.

The aforementioned basement has been cleared up, and Mulligan has big plans for the space. He says away from calling it a lab, and instead offers the label of R & D space. There will be vacuum stills to create new spirits, not just deviations on the poitin he so adores.

I want to be the first bar to transcend Dublin, to feature on the global scene.

Is Dublin ready? It better be.

Nate Brown has owned and operated spirit specialist cocktail bars in London for the better part of a decade. Hes a regular speaker on industry panels, a judge for various spirit awards and has been known to harbour an opinion or two.
People suffering from a debilitating and often discounted disease known as chronic fatigue syndrome may soon have something theyve been seeking for decades: scientific proof of their ailment.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have created a blood test that can flag the disease, which currently lacks a standard, reliable diagnostic test.

Too often, this disease is categorized as imaginary, said Ron Davis, PhD, professor of biochemistry and of genetics. When individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome seek help from a doctor, they may undergo a series of tests that check liver, kidney and heart function, as well as blood and immune cell counts, Davis said. All these different tests would normally guide the doctor toward one illness or another, but for chronic fatigue syndrome patients, the results all come back normal, he said.

The problem, he said, is that theyre not looking deep enough. Now, Davis; Rahim Esfandyarpour, PhD, a former Stanford research associate; and their colleagues have devised a blood-based test that successfully identified participants in a study with chronic fatigue syndrome. The test, which is still in a pilot phase, is based on how a persons immune cells respond to stress. With blood samples from 40 people  20 with chronic fatigue syndrome and 20 without  the test yielded precise results, accurately flagging all chronic fatigue syndrome patients and none of the healthy individuals.

The diagnostic platform could even help identify possible drugs to treat chronic fatigue syndrome. By exposing the participants blood samples to drug candidates and rerunning the diagnostic test, the scientists could potentially see whether the drug improved the immune cells response. Already, the team is using the platform to screen for potential drugs they hope can help people with chronic fatigue syndrome down the line.

A paper describing the research findings was published online April 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Davis is the senior author. Esfandyarpour, who is now on the faculty of the University of California-Irvine, is the lead author.

Providing the proof

The diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, when it actually is diagnosed, is based on symptoms  exhaustion, sensitivity to light and unexplained pain, among other things  and it comes only after other disease possibilities have been eliminated. It is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis and designated by the acronym ME/CFS. Its estimated that 2 million people in the United States have chronic fatigue syndrome, but thats a rough guess, Davis said, and its likely much higher.

For Davis, the quest to find scientific evidence of the malady is personal. It comes from a desire to help his son, who has suffered from ME/CFS for about a decade. In fact, it was a biological clue that Davis first spotted in his son that led him and Esfandyarpour to develop the new diagnostic tool.

We clearly see a difference in the way healthy and chronic fatigue syndrome immune cells process stress.

The approach, of which Esfandyarpour led the development, employs a nanoelectronic assay, which is a test that measures changes in miniscule amounts of energy as a proxy for the health of immune cells and blood plasma. The diagnostic technology contains thousands of electrodes that create an electrical current, as well as chambers to hold simplified blood samples composed of immune cells and plasma. Inside the chambers, the immune cells and plasma interfere with the current, changing its flow from one end to another. The change in electrical activity is directly correlated with the health of the sample.

The idea is to stress the samples from both healthy and ill patients using salt, and then compare how each sample affects the flow of the electrical current. Changes in the current indicate changes in the cell: the bigger the change in current, the bigger the change on a cellular level. A big change is not a good thing; its a sign that the cells and plasma are flailing under stress and incapable of processing it properly. All of the blood samples from ME/CFS patients created a clear spike in the test, whereas those from healthy controls returned data that was on a relatively even keel.

We dont know exactly why the cells and plasma are acting this way, or even what theyre doing, Davis said. But there is scientific evidence that this disease is not a fabrication of a patients mind. We clearly see a difference in the way healthy and chronic fatigue syndrome immune cells process stress. Now, Esfandyarpour and Davis are expanding their work to confirm the findings in a larger cohort of participants. Recruitment for the larger project, which aims to further confirm the success of the diagnostic test, is being done on a rolling basis. Those who are interested in participating should contact clinical research coordinator Anna Okumu.

Doubling up

In addition to diagnosing ME/CFS, the researchers are also harnessing the platform to screen for drug-based treatments, since currently the options are slim. Using the nanoelectronics assay, we can add controlled doses of many different potentially therapeutic drugs to the patients blood samples and run the diagnostic test again, Esfandyarpour said.

If the blood samples taken from those with ME/CFS still respond poorly to stress and generate a spike in electrical current, then the drug likely didnt work. If, however, a drug seems to mitigate the jump in electrical activity, that could mean it is helping the immune cells and plasma better process stress. So far, the team has already found a candidate drug that seems to restore healthy function to immune cells and plasma when tested in the assay. The drug, while successful in the assay, is not currently being used in people with ME/CFS, but Davis and Esfandyarpour are hopeful that they can test their finding in a clinical trial in the future.

All of the drugs being tested are either already approved by the Food and Drug Administration or will soon be broadly accessible to the public, which is key to fast access and dissemination should any of these compounds pan out.

Davis is a member of Stanford Bio-X, the Stanford Cancer Institute and the Stanford Maternal & Child Health Research Institute.

Other Stanford authors of the study are research scientists Mohsen Nemat-Gorgani and Julie Wilhelmy and research assistant, Alex Kashi.

The study was funded by the Open Medicine Foundation. Davis is the director of the foundations scientific advisory board.

Stanfords departments of Genetics and of Biochemistry also supported the work.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  In a bid to reduce instances of unreasonable cancellations, a ride-hailing app company updated its policies to promote better services.

In a statement dated April 29, transport network company Grab said they were tackling a "core problem" that was bringing down "the quality of transport network vehicle services (TNVS)  unreasonable cancellation behavior."

According to Grab, drivers will receive appropriate sanctions for the following infractions regarding ride cancellations:

- if they go below the required completion rate

- if they excessively ignore or cancel booking requests

- if they receive passenger complaints and low ratings

Penalties include being locked out of the platform, suspensions, and banning.

However, drivers who go "above and beyond" will be able to use a tipping feature on the app for passengers to reward them.

Meanwhile, passengers who unduly cancel rides will also be subject to sanctions:

- if they make excessive cancellations

- fines for cancellations after 5 minutes of getting a ride

- if they do not show up at the pick-up point within the allotted time

A 50 fee will be charged to passengers who make cancellations after 5 minutes and for no-shows.

Grab said the cancellation fee will go directly to the driver "to compensate them for fuel and effort they have already spent travelling to the passenger."

Grab President Brian Cu said, "Our intention in implementing this new policy is to create a better ride-hailing ecosystem, where both passengers and drivers practice the responsible use of the Grab platform.

The company has also put in safeguards to clarify to passengers that no fees will be collected in the following situations:

1. No fee if passenger cancels within 5 minutes of getting assigned a driver.

2. No fee if the driver isnt moving towards the pick-up point (or going the wrong direction)

3. No fee if the driver takes 15 minutes longer than the first estimated time of arrival (for

example, if the passenger gets a driver who is 3 minutes away, but he or she has waited

more than 18 minutes for the driver to arrive, the cancellation is free)

4. No fee if the driver indicates that he has arrived when he or she has not

5. In addition, Grab promises to refund any fees that were charged wrongly within 48 hours, when reported via their in-app Help Centre.

When asked when these new policies would be enforced, Grab told CNN Philippines, "We will follow a staggered roll out with full implementation set by end of May. For the first week, it will be rolled out to the first 10% of our drivers and passengers. Note that all drivers and passengers have been notified via in-app announcement, sms and/or EDM."

Grab said it has notified notified the Land Transportation and Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) of the new policy.
Global Medical Sensors Market  Key Players

Some of the players leading the market include GE Healthcare, First Sensor AG, Medtronic Plc., Measurement Specialties Inc., NXP Semiconductors N.V., STMicroelectronics N.V., Honeywell International, Inc., STMicroelectronics, Smiths Medical, Given Imaging, Inc., and Philips Healthcare among others.

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Global Medical Sensors Market  Segmentations

The analysis is segmented into four key dynamics for the convenience of understanding;

By Types: Blood Glucose Sensors, Temperature Sensors, Blood Oxygen Sensors, Image Sensors, ECG Sensors, Motion Sensors, Pressure Sensors, and Inertial Sensors among others.

By Application: Diagnostics, Monitoring, Medical Therapeutics, Imaging, and fitness among others.

By Sensor Placement: Strip sensors, Implantable sensors, Wearable sensors, Invasive/non-invasive sensors, Ingestible sensors, and others.

By Regions: Europe, North America, APAC and the Rest-of-the-World.

Global Medical Sensors Market  Overview

Medical sensors have become a perpetually essential part of medical technology and have become a mainstream commodity in todays tech landscape. With the point of making therapeutic gadgets much more powerful and secure with the improved operations, medical sensors have entirely changed the paradigm of healthcare.

Manufacturers and suppliers of sensor system solutions for medical technology are doing far, a better job bringing about medicinal innovations by studying and measuring the applications they are delivering with the ideal sensor system solutions for.

Considering the importance of sensors as a component of the quality and reliability of medical products and solutions, manufacturers operating in the market are working in accordance with certified processes and procedures to develop adept medical sensors distributing equal focus on the production and service activities.

These tiny devices have traveled far; from wearable to embedded to medicinal. They have not just changed the way users receive and send data across the world but have also changed the way users can administer the medication; paving the way for the healthcare sector to grow exponentially.

Overwhelming innovations in medical technology are driving the global medical sensors market rapidly. Also, the evolving sensor technology and increasing adoption of IoT has escalated the market on the global platform.

Global Medical Sensors Market  Competitive Analysis

The well-established medical sensors market appears fragmented due to a number of matured players illustrating the space as highly competitive. These players are focusing on developing their product portfolio with the help of advanced technologies.

Innovation, mergers & acquisitions, and brand reinforcement remain the key trends for leading players. Large players are investing in internal R&D activities to bring novelties to their existing products as well. Increasing government funding is also expected to motivate key companies to develop new medical sensors that match the changing trends and needs of the patrons.

Industry/ Innovation/ Related News

December 24, 2018  Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Israel), a multinational pharmaceutical company announced receiving of FDA approval for its digital respiratory therapeutic  ProAir, a Digihaler. ProAir is the only digital inhaler with built-in sensors and a companion mobile app designed to provide inhaler use information to people with asthma and COPD. The built-in sensor is designed to detect when the inhaler is used as well as measure inspiratory flow.

December 24, 2018  A team from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia developed a paper sensor for diabetics to monitor blood sugar using the inkjet technology. These paper sensors are sensitive to small sugar concentrations in biofluids as well.

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Global Medical Sensors Market  Geographical Analysis

The North American region accounts for the dominating market for the medical sensors. Factors substantiating the growth of the market in the region include technological advancements and the wide uptake of technologies in healthcare.

Substantial investments in the R&D activities for the development of new sensors and the extensive uses of sensor technology in the diagnosis, prognostic treatments, and drug delivery drive the market growth.

Moreover, factors such as the rising geriatric population, high healthcare expenditures, increasing government initiatives and funding for research are positively impacting the market growth in the region.

The European region is estimated to qualify as the second-largest market for medical sensors. Factors such as the availability of advanced treatment facilities, well-established healthcare infrastructure, and the growing demand for quality healthcare propel the market in the region.

Whereas, the Asia Pacific medical sensors market is proliferating, emerging as one of the promising markets, globally. The rising healthcare expenditure and improvement in the standard of living due to the improving economic conditions in the region are propelling the market growth in the APAC.

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Smart fabrics and textiles are new fields of research, which have wide applications in healthcare. Sensors that are integrated into textiles and have contact with the body are able to capture physiological signals. Recently, medical engineering has brought a revolution in the field of medicine promoting new methods for the treatment and diagnosis of diseases. The demand for medical sensors and monitoring devices, evolving methods of diagnosis, increasing burden of diseases, and extensive use of wearable medical devices are driving the growth of this market. The higher cost of smart textiles acts as a restraint for this market.

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Key players

Google Inc. (US),

Intelligent Clothing Ltd. (UK),

International Fashion Machines (US),

Textronics, Inc. (US),

Interactivewear (Germany),

Sensoria Inc. (US),

Schoeller Textiles AG (Switzerland),

Vista Medical Ltd. (Canada),

Gentherm (US).

Segmentation

The Global Medical Smart Textile Market is segmented on the basis of technology, application, and end user.

By technology, the Global Medical Smart Textile Market is segmented into smart fabric technology, textile sensors, and wearable and joining technology.

By application, the Global Medical Smart Textile Market is segmented into surgery, hygiene, drug release systems, bio-monitoring, therapy, and wellness.

On the basis of end use, the Global Medical Smart Textile Market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, and others.

Regional Market Summary

The medical smart textile market is dominated by North America owing to the extensive use of medical devices and applications in medical engineering for monitoring vital health indicators. It consists of two regions, namely, North America and South America. Most of the market players are engaged in continuous technological advancements in medical devices for ease of diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment.

It is estimated that Europe stood second in the global medical smart textile market. Rising government initiatives to promote the healthcare sector and increased adoption of research and development activities in the healthcare domain drive the market in this region. Moreover, the entry of market leaders into strategic partnerships and collaborations with the chemical industry contributes to the growth of the market in Europe.

Asia-Pacific is likely to witness growth in the medical smart textile market during the forecast period owing to the increasing number of healthcare organizations, increasing prevalence of diseases, extensive demand for advanced medical devices, and increasing applications of technology in the early diagnosis of diseases. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of geriatric population in the region influences the market growth. China, India, and Japan are the key market players in this region and Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market for medical smart textiles.

The Middle East and Africa holds the least share in the global medical smart textile market due to the presence of stringent government policies and poor economies.

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Detailed Table of Contents

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 Restraints

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Challenges

4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment

Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis

5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis

5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers

5.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers

5.1.3 Threat Of New Entrants

5.1.4 Threat Of Substitutes

5.1.5 Intensity Of Rivalry

TOC Continued!

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Market Segmentation

Segments in the global refurbished medical devices market have been determined on the basis of diagnostic devices, therapeutic devices, and region. Diagnostic devices include CT scanners, MRI machines, X-Ray machines, ultrasound machines, ECG Systems, patient monitors, and others.

Therapeutic devices include defibrillators, heart-lung machines, coagulation analyzers, infant incubators and warmers, infusion pumps, and others.

Regions covered the global refurbished medical devices market report include Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

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Competitive Players:

Leading market participants included in MRFRs global refurbished medical devices market report are GE Healthcare, Toshiba Medical System, First Source, Inc, DMS Topline, Block Imaging International, Agito Medical, Soma Technology, Siemens Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker Corporation, and Phillips Healthcare.

Refurbished Medical Devices Market  Insights

Medical devices have become an essential part of the modern healthcare sector due to the accuracy and efficiency they offer in various medical applications. Market Research Future has performed extensive research of the global refurbished medical devices market to find the markets rate of growth and various important details governing the markets upcoming projection period which ends in 2023. MRFRs findings suggest growth at a healthy 10.8% CAGR during the projection period. Refurbished medical devices are older models of commonly used medical devices and machinery which are restored to original factory settings by manufacturers or others and are then resold for use.

Refurbished medical devices often undergo rigorous quality checks to ensure that the devices are properly calibrated and offer an efficient degree of accuracy for diagnostic or therapeutic applications. The rising use of medical devices has raised the issue of increased waste, particularly of the electronic form as hospitals often update their equipment.

Refurbished medical devices offer a more affordable alternative to expensive medical devices and have long-use periods which mitigate the issue of medical waste and improve market growth. Refurbished medical devices are particularly popular in developing or under-developed economies as they help offer affordability in medical devices and make treatment or diagnosis more affordable as well. The increasing population across the globe, with larger population in poor parts of the world, is another factor which drives the growth of the refurbished medical devices market.

However, considerable taxes are levied on the import of medical devices, thus challenging market growth. Moreover, there is a significant lack of awareness with regards to refurbished medical devices which restrains the market.

Latest Industry News

The FDA has recently announced new supportive regulations regarding the servicing and refurbishment of medical devices.

Project MEND is building a larger facility for medical device refurbishing in Texas, U.S.A.

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Refurbished Medical Devices Market  Regional Analysis

North America leads the global refurbished medical devices market due to the regions high adoption of medical devices and the resulting presence of a high volume of medical devices that may otherwise go to waste. Many organizations in the region refurbish medical devices for low-income bracket patients in the North American market. Europe and the Asia Pacific are neck and neck in terms of market size. However, it is likely that the Asia Pacific will make more significant progress during the review period due to the high adoption rate of refurbished medical devices in the many underdeveloped parts of the region. Emerging economies such as India, China, and many others have significant rural areas where the healthcare sector is expanding. Adoption of refurbished medical devices is expected to provide the regions healthcare sector with an overall boost. Meanwhile, the Middle East and Africa regional market have the smallest share of the market. However, the region displays potential due to the significant presence of poor countries where healthcare is a growing need.

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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.

Acknowledging the enormous growth, the market perceives currently; Market Research Future (MRFR) in its recently published study report asserts that the global Scar removal treatment Market would register an increase of USD 15 BN by 2022 registering an impressive CAGR throughout the forecast period (2017 to 2022).

Scar Removal Treatment 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.

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

com

Scarguard Labs LLC

Merz Pharma

TorquePharma

WONTECH

Suneva Medical Inc.

and Z-Roc Dermatology among others.

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.

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Additionally, factors contributing the market growth include the growing population and rapid urbanization. Simultaneously, improving economic conditions, worldwide provide impetus to the growth of the market, increasing consumers purchasing power. People are increasingly becoming aware of body aesthetics, and are spending huge money on for the removal of scars through cosmetic procedures and other skin rejuvenation treatments.

Advancements in technologies transpired in the field have offered many innovative procedures, techniques & treatments such as cosmetic laser procedures & laser scar removal, etc. Although Laser Scar removal has garnered more popularity among the aesthetics community, cosmetic laser procedures are profitable too.

Scar Removal Treatment 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.

Study objectives of Scar Removal Treatment Market:

To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the scar removal treatment market

To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth

To analyze the scar removal treatment market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc.

To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.

To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective.

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Scar Removal Treatment 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.

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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).

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by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, April 29, 2019

When Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee set out to discover what fuels successful D2C brands, there were all kinds of reasons to focus first on the health and beauty category. For one thing, its a category that includes pioneer powerhouses like Glossier, Harrys and Dollar Shave Club. For another, its one thats rattling the cages of the biggest legacy brands, including Procter & Gamble, LOreal and Unilever. And of course, he wanted insights about the changing relationships between consumers and brands.

Most of my work has been with big brands, and everyone keeps saying that these direct brands have changed the nature of business, he tells Marketing D2C Weekly. My sense is that there is something bigger happening, and something more fundamental, a change in what I think of as the essenceor maybe the soulof branding itself.

The surprise? Evidence that D2C success is perhaps less about products and business models, and more about a fundamentally different consumer. They dont just care about equality, for example, but are so committed to fairness that theyre turned off by anything that seems binaryin race, in gender.

Honesty is essential. New consumers look for transparency everywhere, at a level that is often impossible for legacy brands to fathom. And they have equally high expectations about intelligence: Brands must know not just what customers want, but when and how they want it.

The D2C brands they love have created a new normal. They have come to expect these things, so it is inexcusable when brands dont deliver, says Chatterjee, who is vice president and principal analyst serving CMO professionals.

Legacy brands that cant find this kind of cultural relevance are being squeezed out of the conversation. Entrepreneur-led Anastasia Beverly Hills 19 million Instagram followers dwarf traditional brands. Gillettes share of the mens razor market sank from 70% in 2010 to 54% in 2016.

Companies like Roman, melding telemedicine with direct access, are threatening the prescription drug process and pharmaceutical category.

The shift is most significant online. While the top 20 cosmetics brands capture 90% of dollars spent at brick-and-mortar retailers, outsiders capture 86% of the online share.

The study looked closely at 38 health and beauty brands selling everything from razors to vitamins to tampons. Forrester reviewed positioning and analyzed communication, running textual sentiment analytics on ways companies describe themselves. It also did consumer research, including focus groups and an online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults.

Traditional companies put brands on top, and built on an industrious dedication to creating products, the report says, quoting Jim Stengel, P&Gs former CMO. Insurgent brands reverse that process, starting with personality, then tribe, and then brand and product.

And yes, legacy brands are striking back, with acquisitions and their own direct offers. And surely, Chatterjee says, many of these D2C brands wont survive, even as they grow bigger and start to emulate older brands mass advertising and retail footprints.

But that still wont change the demands of these consumers. They dont want to be told what to do, or what is beautiful. They want to buy products that let them invent beauty and health on their own terms. They want to know more about the people behind their brands. Passionate, opinionated founders are more believable to them than armies of nameless, faceless product-pushers at big brands.

Whether traditional companies survive this shift doesnt have much to do with whether they go direct or not. Its about serious cracks in your relationship with your customers, who have put you on notice, he writes. People want change. And they want you to be the brand you say you are.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, April 30, 2019

Greg Smith, the longtime Chief Creative Officer at Portland, Maine-based The Via Agency died April 20. He was 52.

An article in the Portland Press Herald published two days ago reported that Smith took his own life after battling addiction and mental illness. Smiths wife Emily confirmed the cause of death to the newspaper.

I put it out there because its important that people talk about it, Emily Smith told the PressHerald. He so knew how to help others, but he could never figure out how to help himself.

Smith was CCO at the agency for 20 years and is credited with helping it become a force in the industry, applying his creative skills to accounts such as Welchs, Klondike, Unilever, Samsung and L.L. Bean.

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Earlier, he was new business director at Vreeland Advertising and founder-creative director at Front Porch Productions.

Via Agency CEO Leeann Leahy told the Press Herald : Greg was dynamic and exciting and passionate and inspiring, and just raw energy and creativity  He was never just selling chickens, he was feeding families. He was never just selling clothes, he was getting people outdoors. He was never just selling ice cream, he was bringing lightheartedness into the world.

"There was always a higher order to the work he did.
NBC News chairman Andy Lack was behind the launch of online-only site Mississippi Today three years ago. But only now is he discussing his involvement.

Lack was interviewed for the first time about Mississippi Todayby APs David Bauder.

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Though born and raised in Manhattan, Lacks mother is from Mississippi; his great-grandfather was mayor of Greenville.

Inspired by the Texas Tribunes success as a nonprofit, digital-first publisher, as many local newspapers nationwide are forced to shutter or shrink dramatically, Lack invested $1 million in the local news initiative Mississippi Today.



The publication is based in Jackson, Mississippi. Previously, only a handful of reporters covered local government. The state has 19 daily newspapers.



Youre beginning to see an understanding that local news is a public responsibility central to a working democracy, and its core to the good health and life of every community, Lack told AP.

The Ford Foundation  Mississippi Todays biggest backer with three grants totaling $1.8 million  and former Newscape CEO James Barksdale, also support the endeavor.

Ryan Nave is Mississippi Todays editor-in-chief.

We just want to provide something that is unique and special, a little deeper and with a little more texture than other media that is just breaking news, Nave told AP.

The site also licenses its content to other news organizations.

Lacks role seems primarily advisory. He supplies Nave with some ideas. Given his position in the media world, he is able to give Nave and the Mississippi Today staff access to influential players in the industry.

Looking ahead, Mississippi Today is interested in sponsoring and hosting events to enhance community relations and bring more local attention to the site.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, April 30, 2019

Maryland's new online electioneering law is pitting newspapers against the watchdogs

The "Online Electioneering and Transparency Act," which took effect last July 1, requires online news sites, social media services and other platforms with more than 100,000 unique monthly users to post information on their sites about political ads.

Maryland lawmakers passed the measure in response to revelations that Russian operatives purchased ads on the major tech platforms in order to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun and other newspapers sued to block the measure, arguing that it violates the First Amendment by compelling them to post material.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul Grimm agreed with the newspapers. He ruled that requiring newspapers to publish specific information infringed on their right to control the content of their publications.

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Maryland officials are now asking the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse Grimm's ruling. The state is drawing support from the nonprofit watchdogs Common Cause Maryland and Campaign Legal Center, which argue in a recent friend-of-the-court brief that the law actually advances the First Amendment rights of Maryland citizens by offering them more information.

The Act responds to the dramatic migration of political advertising to digital platforms and accounts for unique features that make digital platforms particularly appealing to those seeking to influence voters without detection, the organizations write. The Act also facilitates detection and enforcement of other campaign finance violations by ensuring that online platforms preserve information about the digital political ads they disseminate after the ads disappear from their websites.

The newspapers are expected to respond to the arguments next month.
She and her colleagues presented their findings at the European Congress on Obesity , which this year took place in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Louise Lindberg, from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, is the lead researcher of the new study.

Now, a new, nationwide study connects obesity and anxiety among young people, finding that obesity is an independent risk factor for anxiety and depression among children and teenagers.

About 32% of young people ages 1317 have had an anxiety condition at some point in their lives, according to research published last year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 35% of young adults in the United States are obese.

Researchers have recently examined the link between mental health conditions and obesity in over 12,000 children and teenagers. The results show that obesity raises the risk of anxiety and depression, which is something that physicians and healthcare professionals should be vigilant about.

Lindberg and her team examined data on over 12,000 children and teenagers ages 617 who had received treatment for obesity, and they compared them with the data of more than 60,000 counterparts who did not have obesity.

Researchers sourced the data in 20052015 as part of the Swedish Childhood Obesity Treatment Register. Over an average period of 4.5 years, more than 4,200 of the children and teenagers developed anxiety or depression.

The girls with obesity were 43% more likely to experience anxiety or depression compared with their age- and sex-matched peers. The risk of anxiety and depression was also 33% higher among boys with obesity, compared with their peers who did not have obesity.

The team adjusted for other risk factors for depression and anxiety, such as migration background, other neuropsychiatric conditions, a history of mental health issues in the family, and socioeconomic status.

After adjusting for these factors, obesity still raised the risk of developing anxiety and depression.

Specifically, 11.6% of the girls who had obesity received such a diagnosis, compared with 6% of girls without obesity. Also, 8% of boys with obesity received the diagnosis, compared with 4.1% of boys without obesity.

We see a clear increased risk of anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents with obesity compared with a population-based comparison group that cannot be explained by other known risk factors such as socioeconomic status and neuropsychiatric disorders, explains Lindberg.

These results suggest that children and adolescents with obesity also have an increased risk of anxiety and depression, something that healthcare professionals need to be vigilant about. Louise Lindberg

The scientists also acknowledge some limitations to their study; for example, that it is observational and cannot say anything about the mechanisms behind the associations.

Importantly, they had no access to any information on the height or weight of the boys and girls in the control group.

Finally, the data on how many people have anxiety and depression may be biased. This is because many people who live with these conditions do not seek professional help.

Given the rise of obesity and impaired mental health in young people, Lindberg goes on to say, understanding the links between childhood obesity, depression, and anxiety is vital.

Further studies are needed to explain the mechanisms behind the association between obesity and anxiety/depression, she concludes.
Prof. Davis and colleagues published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

Ron Davis, Ph.D.  a professor of biochemistry and of genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine  devised the test together with his team, which includes first study author Rahim Esfandyarpour.

However, the results of a new study may soon change this. Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine in California have discovered a biomarker for ME/CFS and developed a test that could soon diagnose the condition accurately.

Currently, physicians can only diagnose ME/CFS by examining a persons symptoms and medical history, and by excluding other possible illnesses.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), is a serious condition that may affect up to 2.5 million people in the United States.

Scientists have developed a test for chronic fatigue syndrome that detects the reaction of the immune cells and blood plasma to stress. The findings may also help screen effective drugs for the condition.

Prof. Davis shares the motivation for his research, saying, Too often, [ME/CFS] is categorized as imaginary. He goes on to explain that physicians often misguidedly test liver, kidney, and heart function, as well as take blood samples and immune cell counts from people who seek help for ME/CFS.

All these different tests would normally guide the doctor toward one illness or another, says Prof. Davis, but for [people with ME/CFS], the results all come back normal. The issue, he adds, is that none of these tests look deep enough.

Instead, their new diagnostic test looks at how a persons immune cells react to stress. Specifically, the scientists used a nanoelectronic assay, which measures small changes in energy to assess the health of immune cells and blood plasma, to see how the immune cells and blood plasma process stress.

To develop the test, the team took advantage of advancements in micro/nanofabrication, direct electrical detection of cellular and molecular properties, microfluidics, and artificial intelligence techniques.

The test detects biomolecular interactions in real time by using thousands of electrodes to create an electrical current, and by using small chambers that contain blood samples with only immune cells and blood plasma.

Inside the small chambers, the immune cells and plasma interact with the electrical current, altering its flow.

The scientists used salt to stress the blood samples of some people with ME/CFS and some people without the condition. They then assessed the changes in electrical current.

The bigger the changes, the less healthy the blood sample, explain the scientists; the changes in electrical current reflect the changes on a cellular level. A significant change indicates that the immune cells and blood plasma do not react well to stress and cannot process it effectively.

In the experiments that Prof. Davis and team carried out, all of the blood samples that came from people with ME/CFS showed a clear spike indicating large changes in electrical current, whereas blood samples from people who did not have the condition showed an even course.

We dont know exactly why the cells and plasma are acting this way, or even what theyre doing, says Prof. Davis. However, the findings offer scientific evidence that this disease is not a fabrication of a patients mind.

We clearly see a difference in the way healthy and chronic fatigue syndrome immune cells process stress. Prof. Ron Davis

The researchers applied the test to the blood samples of 40 people, 20 of whom had ME/CFS and 20 whom did not.

Their test accurately identified all of the people with ME/CFS without misidentifying any of the people who did not have the condition.

Also, they wish to apply the test to identify effective drugs for ME/CFS. Using the nanoelectronics assay, explains Esfandyarpour, we can add controlled doses of many different potentially therapeutic drugs to the patients blood samples and run the diagnostic test again.

This way, if the test still finds spikes in electrical current after the treatment, it means that the drug didnt work and the immune cells still respond poorly to stress. However, if the drug smoothes out the spikes, it could mean that they are helping the immune cells and blood plasma process stress more effectively.
BUDAPEST, Hungary

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.

April 30, 2019

Budapest

Cambridge, MA

Lisbon, Portugal

Mohamed Jahromi

Kuwait

Mehdi Tafti

Switzerland

Peter Meintjes

Thursday, May 9

Mehdi Tafti

Switzerland

Mohamed Jahromi

Kuwait

Lisbon

Marcello Scala

Portugal

Nina Lauterbach

Portugal

Spain

Portugal

May 08 - May 11

May 09 - May 10

May 08

12pm - 2pm

May 08

2:30pm - 5pm

May 09

12:15pm-13:00pm

Oana Toma

Bucharest

Satu Koskela

Valia Bravo-Egana

Nina Lauterbach

Mette Christiansen

Mette Christiansen

Budapest, Hungary

Cambridge, MA

and/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Global molecular diagnostics company Omixon, headquartered inwith US offices in, announces today that Holotype HLA and other Omixon products will be featured in 12 poster presentations at the annual meeting of the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI) in. Among the major scientific events, Omixon's Lunch Symposium on Thursday will focus on HLA typing for disease associations using NGS, featuring two guest speakers, Dr.from the Dasman Diabetes Institute,and Prof.from the University of Lausanne,, while the interactive User Group Meeting on Wednesday will be a forum where participants can learn about Omixon's products, interact with current users and network with NGS and HLA experts.Poster presentations featuring Holotype HLA span the full spectrum of interests at the EFI meeting, including those on Technology Validation (P177 & P202 - implementation of NGS for high-throughput registries, P200 integration with mTILDA LIMS, P217 - Automation on Eppendorf liquid handlers, P221 implementation on the new Illumina iSeq), Diseases, Genetics and Genomics (P119, P145, P180, P223, P224, P233) and epitope matching through HLA Twin with PIRCHE for bone marrow (P219) and solid organ transplantation (P208). "Omixon is extremely proud to see how Holotype HLA has shaped the scientific and technical output of our customers in the EFI Community", says Omixon's CEO, Dr.. "The research presented here are an excellent example of cutting edge science and technology that improves clinical decision making, and the subsequent outcomes for patients".Omixon's Lunch Symposium, titled "Advances in Disease Associations Using NGS-based HLA Typing" onwill feature two customer experience stories: Professorform University of Lausanne inwill present on their experience with Holotype HLA v3 for HLA associations in narcolepsy, while Dr.from Dasman Diabetes Institute inwill present on the characterization of Type-1 Diabetes in the Kuwaiti population using NGS-based HLA Typing. Omixon's Head of Product, Efi Melista, will conclude the session with updates about Omixon's product pipeline for the remainder of 2019 and automation options for Holotype HLA across a range of liquid handlers, including the recent collaboration with Eppendorft to automate on the EpMotion 5075t (P217).Among the highlights for Omixon being in, is that the Portguese Bone Marrow Donor Registry (PBMDR) is one of Omixon's high-throughput registry customers using Holotype HLA., VP Sales, EMEA & Asia Omixon says, "It is a privilege to be here inwhere Dr. Martinho from the Portuguese Bone Marrow Donor Registry has been typing his samples using Holotype at 576 samples per week on a MiSeq". Dr., Omixon's Senior Field Application Scientist co-authored the poster of collaboration (P202) with Dr. Martinho of the PBMDR. Omixon and ZMWay - Omixon's distributor inandsuccessfully won the tender for the PBMDR in early 2018, have typed over 16,000 samples so far, and intend to scale the relationship four-fold by including two additional sites for almost all registry typing acrossand clinical samples.Omixon at EFI 2019| Omixon will be exhibiting at Booth #16 throughout the conference| HLA Twin Live Software Demos at Booth #16| Distributor Workshop| Interactive User Group Meeting| Lunchtime Symposium - Advances in Disease Associations Using NGS-based HLA TypingOmixon Scientific Posters P119 | Masson et al. (2019) - What is the Best Method to Determine the Risk of Hypersensitivity Linked to HLAB*57:01 P145 | Binder et al. (2019) - The Complete Genomic Sequence of HLA-DRB1*03:40, an Allele which is Part of an HLA-DR11/DQ3 Haplotype with a DRB1*03:01 Sequence Motif in the HLA-DR Beta 1-chain P177 |et al. (2019) - Validation of NGS method for HLA typing in the National HLA Laboratory fromP180 |et al. (2019) - Comparison of HLA Imputation Methods and Reference Datasets in the Finnish Population P200 |et al. (2019) - Interfacing a Next Generation Sequencing Bioinformatic Pipeline with a Laboratory Information Management System for Use with High Resolution HLA Typing Results and Reporting P202 |et al. (2019) - High Throughput HLA Typing Using NGS with Semi-automated Workflow P208 |et al. (2019) - Donor Selection for Solid Organ Transplantation Guided by NGS High Resolution HLA Typing in Combination with PIRCHE P217 | Vera Siffnerova et al. (2019) - Automating Holotype HLA on Eppendorf's epMotion Liquid Handler and Validating it for Routine HLA Typing P219 |et al. (2019) - NGS High Resolution Typing in Combination with PIRCHE as a Tool to Select a Permissible HSCT Donor P221 | Libor Kolesar et al. (2019) - Evaluation of Omixon Holotype HLA on the iSeq 100 Instrument P223 | Elena Shagimardanova et al. (2019) - Novel HLA Alleles Based on Polymorphism Outside the Key Exons as a Result of Full Length NGS: What Now? P224 | Binder et al. (2019) - Completing a rare HLA-DRB1*04 Genomic Allele Sequence based on Long Range Amplicons and Next Generation Sequencing P233 | Ogret et al. (2019) - HLA-B Signal Peptide Sequence and HLA-E Polymorphism in HIV Positive PatientsAbout Omixon Omixon is a global molecular diagnostics company, headquartered in, with US offices inthat commercializes disruptive technologies for clinical and research laboratories. Omixon's flagship product, Holotype HLA, is the world's leading NGS-based HLA genotyping product that delivers the most accurate high-resolution HLA genotyping available, and is used in more than 50 hospitals worldwide. Omixon's research software, HLA Explore analyzes data from any sequencing technology and determines HLA genotypes from Whole Exome/Genome Sequencing experiments. Omixon maintains an active grant-funded research program with a product pipeline focused on pre- and post-transplantation, and HLA genotyping applications beyond transplantation. For more information, visit http://www.omixon.comSOURCE Omixon
PHILADELPHIA

April 30, 2019

Philadelphia

Gunes Bender

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas

Louisiana State University

University of Texas-Arlington

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Swarthmore College

University of Wisconsin

Philadelphia

Wilmington, Delaware

/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --intellectual property law firm Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP is pleased to announce that, Ph.D., a registered patent agent, has joined the firm as a new member of the firm's life sciences practice group. In his new role, Bender provides technical support and scientific expertise in the pharmaceutical and biotechnical arts and assists in the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, as well as conducting searches and reviews for due diligence, patentability and freedom to operate analyses."I'm excited to join Panitch Schwarze and its team of skilled, knowledgeable and accomplished lawyers and advisors," said Bender. "I look forward to joining my colleagues in providing superior IP protection to our clients in the life sciences industries."Prior to joining Panitch Schwarze, Bender was a research associate at the. He was also a patent researcher at Article One Partners, an online prior art and intellectual property crowd-based search service and worked as a technology manager intern at theOffice of Innovation and Technology Commercialization.In addition, Bender served as an adjunct lecturer of biochemistry at theand conducted postdoctoral research on enzymology of acetyl-CoA synthase, key metabolic enzymes in amino acid sensing during cell division and cancer, and lipid-oxidizing lipoxygenases, at theand other universities.Bender received a bachelor's degree with high honors in biology/chemistry fromand a Ph.D. in biophysics from the. He has written numerous articles and reviews in peer-reviewed journals; for a complete list, click here.About Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP  Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP is a boutique intellectual property law firm with offices inand. The firm's IP law practitioners provide strategic litigation, licensing and counseling service relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, domain names and internet issues domestically and internationally. The firm's long-standing relationships with a network of associates worldwide enable its attorneys and advisors to provide clients with global intellectual property advice and protection.SOURCE Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP
Vicky Kaushal needs no introduction. His brilliant performance and choice of films work as his business card for him. After proving his mettle to the world, the actor is now all set to take up another challenging role. Kaushal will play legendary freedom fighter and martyr, Sardar Udham Singh in his upcoming biopic. The movie will narrate the story of the revolutionary who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer, who was the Lt. Governor of Punjab when the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place.

Instagram

Today, the actor shared his first look from the movie where he is seen standing on the streets of St. Petersburg, with a fierce gaze (that can scare the wits out of you) and a scar on his face. Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the biopic is expected to release in 2020.

As Vicky Kaushal gears up to stun his fans with another stellar performance, here's a look at some of his best movies so far that made us shout 'How's the Josh?' each time we watched him on screen:

1. Uri: The Surgical Strikes

The amount of love this movie has received speaks volumes about the brilliant acting of Vicky Kaushal and that of every other actor who was a part of it. After all, there is a reason why 'How's The Josh?' became such a huge thing and almost everyone was using the dialogue.

Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film was based on the Indian Army's surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC), as a retaliation to the 2016 Uri attack.

RSVP Movies

2. Manmarziyaan

Kaushal played the role of a guy named Vicky, a handsome part-time DJ who loses his girlfriend to another guy because of his commitment issues. This movie explained the dynamics of a relationship and love like nothing else.

Phantom Films

3. Sanju

Vicky Kaushal's character Kamlesh, aka Kamli, wasn't just a supporting character. He was one of the strongest characters in the film and in Sanjay Dutt's life. He stayed with Sanjay Dutt through thick and thin and continued to support him even when the world turned against him. Vicky's flawless performance made all of us feel that both Kamli and Vicky are the kind of friends that every person deserves in their lives.

Fox Star Studios

4. Raazi

'Raazi' was owned by Alia Bhatt, but Vicky Kaushal too caught our attention with his portrayal of Iqbal Syed, a commander in the Pakistan army. His struggle of choosing between his feelings for his wife (who was an Indian spy) and his duties towards his country touched all our hearts.

Dharma Productions

5. Masaan

Vicky made his Bollywood debut with 'Masaan' in 2015 and his performance left even the stalwarts awestruck. Vicky played a boy from the Dom community, whose family works at the cremation ghats. His transition from a young passionate guy in love to someone in immense grief over losing someone was flawless.

Phantom Films
Spoilers.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a long-standing tradition of heavily manipulating their trailers, especially when it comes to movies like 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Avengers: Endgame'. Or, maybe it's just the Russo brothers being very extra.

We all know how much of a secret the plot of 'Endgame' was, as even the actors weren't given full scripts and the Russo brothers even made some of them shoot fake scenes to keep them in the dark. Yes, they went to extreme lengths to keep everything under wraps so obviously, they wouldn't have undone all of that by just straight up giving away scenes in the trailers, teasers, and TV spots.

Last year, we managed to find a bunch of differences between scenes in trailers and the actual scenes in the movie for 'Infinity War'. Now, for 'Endgame', the stakes are higher and so it the secrecy.

Here are all the scenes from the trailer that were manipulated or just didn't appear in the movie:

1. Nat Practicing To Fight Thanos With A Gun???

Well, if a freaking axe made from a dying star can't kill the giant grape, a gun will, apparently. Okay, I don't want to be so mean about a scene that never even made it to the movie - probably because it was stupid - but what was the point? Sorry Nat, you can't kill Thanos with a gun.

2. Black Widow's Hair, Part One

If you recall, Scott Lang showing up at the Avengers compound is what set everything in motion. Also, that happened five years after the Avengers managed to kill the present day Thanos. So, during that time jump, Nat has been keeping busy making peanut butter sandwiches and getting emails from a racoon, so of course, she let her hair grow out. In this particular scene in the movie, her hair is long and almost entirely red and not short and blonde.

3. The Avengers Walking In Their New Suits

This was one of the best moments from all of the trailers when it came out because we saw everyone together. At that time also, a lot of people noted the absence of Thor and Bruce Banner. Well, now we know they were there but their look for the movie couldn't be revealed before.

4. 'Bring Me Thanos' (Again)

A scene from 'Infinity War' that wasn't even in 'Infinity War'. This is basically a different version or maybe just a close of the best moment from the third Avengers movie - Thor's entrance in Wakanda.

5. Steve Crying

In the trailers, the scene is set up as if he's crying because they couldn't stop Thanos before he snapped his fingers, but in reality, this comes after Natasha Romanoff's sacrificial death to get the Soul Stone. Moreover, there's someone else in the shot as well, standing in the back. (I can't remember who, I'm sorry, I've only watched the movie once yet)

6. Black Widow's Hair, Part Two

I love how Natasha's red/blonde hair is used to make a timeline and also used for manipulation. This exact scene happened after the five-year time jump in the movie, therefore her hair was red and not 'Infinity War' blonde by that time.

7. Cap's Shield

Captain America's shield is literally the most reliable and constant thing throughout the entire MCU and it's almost indestructible. But, it was time for Cap to get a new, improved weapon so the shield's gotta go. In the movie, when he's strapping on the shield to his arm, it's almost completely broken, thanks to the grape I mentioned before, so that crucial information sure as hell couldn't be revealed in the trailer. Also, is it just me or does this gif has 'I can do this all day' energy?

8. Cap's Giddy Optimism

'I missed that giddy optimism' - turns out Cap and Tony weren't all hugs and smiles when Tony actually said this line. In the trailer, it seems like he said this to Cap as a joke right at this point, but obviously, it came at a different time in the movie. Tony said this to Cap at his house, not the Avengers compound and plus, it wasn't a friendly comment but rather a taunt.

9. Captain Marvel's Helmet
On Monday, the Indian Army made an interesting claim on their Twitter account that has left the internet divided. The claim was about the discovery of 'mysterious footprints of the mythical beast 'Yeti' '. Yes, they even posted pictures of what looks like the footprints of Yeti, the 'elusive snowman'.

According to the post, the Mountaineering Expedition Team of the Indian Army discovered these footprints of the 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches, near Nepal's Makalu Base Camp on April 9.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019

Since time immemorial, people have been debating about the existence of the Yeti, a creature that resembles an ape and is found in various folklores and mythological stories. According to some people, the Yeti apparently live in the Himalayas and is quite skilled at hiding its whereabouts and existence.

As the never-ending debates continue to trigger people's imagination and perception about the Yeti, the Army has said that they have "photographed and handed over to subject matter experts" the "evidence" for scientific evaluation.

According to the Times Of India, the Indian Army held on to the "photographic evidence" about the Abominable Snowman for nearly 10 days, but then decided that they matched the earlier theories. "So, we thought it prudent (to go public) to excite scientific temper and rekindle the interest."

Anyway, people on Twitter are not convinced with the Indian Army's claim and they expressed their disapproval in the most hilarious (yet logical) way possible.

"Mitroon..ye 'Yeti' pichle 60 saal mein dikha tha kya, main puchta hoon dikha tha kya? Nahin dikha tha na. Aaj 'Yeti' ko humlog dekh rahe hai kyunki Dilli mein majboot sarkar hai.



Congress ki sarkar jo kaam 60 saalon mein nahin kar saki, wo humne 60 mahine mein kar dikhaya" pic.twitter.com/nBZYCaCFrn  IRONY MAN (@karanku100) April 30, 2019

This is deeply, deeply embarrassing: whoever in the Indian Army's PR has circulated this is disgracing the institution, and India, in the world's eyes. https://t.co/f11OvolnUb  Praveen Swami (@praveenswami) April 30, 2019

With all due respect to everyone, what we call Yeti is with all probability either the Himalayan Brown Bear or Tibetean Blue Bear. Both are endangered, can grow over 7 feet and are bipedal. The single foot print forms when the bear walks on 4 feet.  Kunal  (@RunMUFC) April 30, 2019

Also sighted: a delighted Yeti after being tweeted by the Indian Army pic.twitter.com/YzKSWpLDbV  Sachin Kalbag (@SachinKalbag) April 30, 2019

So Yeti has only one foot?    (@akdwaaz) April 29, 2019

What the hell is wrong with you guys? Just look at those pics for heaven's sake. That's not a bipedal. Couldn't you guys call a single animal expert before posting this ? Unless you are claiming your yeti walks on a single foot and travels by jumping.  Anusuya (@_IC1101_) April 29, 2019

Can there possibly be a simpler explanation? pic.twitter.com/fqIuV0Q9Ri  Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) April 29, 2019

The result of reading to much Tintin in one's childhood  Sanjeev Sanyal (@sanjeevsanyal) April 29, 2019

This is Indian Army's official account. Such utter drivel. On finding footprints of Yeti. https://t.co/zPxkRKfNYn? https://t.co/XUZHQACOJc  Raju Narisetti (@raju) April 30, 2019

Same as engineering students take their midterm exams  Harshal Vanik (@HarshalVanik) April 30, 2019

How seriously should we take this News ????  khadaksingh_ (@khadaksingh_) April 30, 2019

So #Yeti is doing catwalk. At least pug marks are suggesting so. https://t.co/idE6l77Gx6  Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) April 30, 2019

However, there are some who believe the Yeti actually came out to cast his vote in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2019, as a responsible citizen of India.

Modiji ko vote karne bahar aaya hoga   Rudra (@awasthi_rudra) April 29, 2019

Being an Indian yetizen he has all rights to vote.  Pradyumndev Jodha (@Bhadrajun) April 30, 2019
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Katrougalos, will conduct a tour of the Gulf region from 30 April to 3 May, successively visiting Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain.

Regional development will be at the heart of the Minister of Foreign Affairs contacts, with an emphasis on the crisis in the Middle East and the developments in the Gulf region as well as in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greek diplomatic initiatives will be at the centre of the talks, as well as their positive effect on the regions stability.

In addition, deepening of economic cooperation between Greece and these three countries will be sought, with an emphasis on increasing Greek exports and attracting investment in areas such as infrastructure, energy, pharmaceuticals, and tourism.

More specifically, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will initially travel to Muscat where, on Tuesday 30 April, he will have a meeting with his Omani counterpart, bin Abdullah, as well as with the Ministers of Tourism bin Nasser Al Mahrizi, and the Minister of Commerce and Industry, bin Masoud al Sunaidy.

On the following day, Wednesday 1 May, Giorgos Katrougalos will travel to Doha, Qatar, where is expected to meet, inter alia, with his counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as well as with the President of the Qatar Foundation for Education and Science, Sheikha Moza, as well as with the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari.

On Thursday, 2 May, the Minister for Foreign Affairs will visit Manama in order to hold talks with a number of Bahranian officials, with an emphasis on regional issues and the economy.
UPPER THUMB  Without fanfare, public input or public hearings, the Gagetown Village Council approved an ordinance dealing with marijuana establishments.

The ordinance outlines the prohibition of marihuana businesses and establishments in the village in regard to the marihuana Act from ballot proposal 1 of 2018.

November's election legalized recreational marijuana use by a record-setting turnout of 58 percent of the states eligible voters.

Although Michigan law allows for recreation use by those over the age of 21, it is still against federal law.

As of Dec. 6, 2018, residents over the age of 21 can grow up to 12 plants for personal use, and possess 2.5 ounces for personal use. And, the law outlines a 10-ounce limit at a residence and that amounts of more than 2.5 ounces has to be in locked containers.

The approval of that ordinance came with a different set of guidelines than the Medical Marihuana Act (MMA) law.

Under the states MMA, if municipalities did nothing, then the state would automatically exclude them; but under the recreational marijuana law, a municipality has to have a specific ordinance prohibiting a marijuana business in order to ban it.

The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) will govern the recreational-use market, but rules and regulations are in the process of being developed for recreational marihuana.

In other matters in Gagetown, residents will see an increase in their water bill. The rate will go up by 3 percent, per the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Gagetown Village Council also is seeking a grant for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). An AED is a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart.

The device provides audio and visual commands, and it is basically designed where most anyone can use it by following instructions that can result in saving a life, according to information from the American Red Cross.

It is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It can analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.

Sudden cardiac arrest is among the leading causes of death in the United States. More than 350,000 people will suffer a cardiac arrest this year.
UPPER THUMB -- Godwin's Furniture and Mattress, as a member of Furniture First National Buying Group, has announced two charitable donations are being made in honor of the cooperative's 25th Anniversary.

Donations of $5,000 will be donated to the American Cancer Society and Red Cross. The $5,000 donation for the Red Cross has been designated for Midwest flood relief.

The donations were announced earlier this month at Furniture First's Anniversary Gala, which took place in High Point, North Carolina, during the semi-annual furniture industry trade show. Retailers and manufacturers affiliated with Furniture First attended the event.

"Furniture First has 223 retail members. All together that's more than 500 storefronts, in 47 states," said Andrew Kauffman, CEO of Furniture First. "These are independent, family-owned businesses that are fixtures in their communities. Many of them are in areas impacted by this year's floods. As a group, we can chip in and make a difference."

Regarding the Red Cross donation, Kauffman noted several individuals who were instrumental in the group's growth over the years have suffered from cancer.

"We thought this was a good way to honor their legacy and contribution to our group," he added.

Godwin's Furniture and Mattress joined Furniture First in 1996. Membership in the cooperative buying group helps them access better pricing on merchandise and services so that they can keep prices lower and compete with large big box chains. The strategy has helped the independents outlast many of the large chains they once considered a threat.
HARBOR BEACH  With a signature from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, over 60 communities  including the city of Harbor Beach  will be receiving grant money for land acquisition and development projects.

House Bill 4244 recently cleared the Michigan Senate, which authorizes the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (NRTF) to use $26 million in restricted funds to support 30 land acquisition projects and 34 development projects. Local matching funds of $15.9 million would bring the total investment to $41.9 million.

As part of the bill, the city of Harbor Beach is to receive $49,000 from the state for its plans to expand Lincoln Park. The plan includes the acquisition of a 0.69-acre parcel of property along Lake Huron and adjacent to Lincoln Park.

The land purchase will ensure additional public access to the lake and increase the size of Lincoln Park, adding 80 feet of lake front property. The total cost of the project is $100,000; with Harbor Beach putting up $51,000 toward the acquisition.

The Senate recently approved the measure by a unanimous 38-0 vote. The House approved the plan by a 105-0 vote on March 7.

"At every step of the way, this plan to help people enjoy Michigans natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities has won unanimous and bipartisan support, said bill sponsor State Rep. Phil Green, of Millington. "I look forward to this plan becoming law  and knowing it will help our outdoor heritage live on with our kids and grandkids."

As it sits now, the city will have to arrange the sale of the property with its current owner and finalize the transaction. It will then be reimbursed by the state.

"We've been awarded the grants, now we have to get the property appraised, get everything agreed to with the owner, and then follow through with the purchase of the property," said Harbor Beach Mayor Gary Booms. "After that, we get reimbursed by the state of Michigan. That's where it's at right now."

The NRTF is supported by interest earned on funds generated from the development of state-owned mineral rights. The funds dollars are constitutionally restricted to recreation improvements and land acquisitions. The program dates back to the 1970s.
UPPER THUMB  Many officials are opposing the Trump administrations proposed roll-backs on the Clean Water Act, which would affect the Great Lakes.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Water Act establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters.

Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA has implemented pollution control programs, such as setting wastewater standards for industry, and developing national water quality criteria recommendations for pollutants in surface waters.

In December, the Trump administration announced a proposal that would remove protections from vast amounts of wetlands and thousands of miles of U.S. waterways.

The proposal would change the EPAs definition of waters of the United States, limiting the types of waterways that fall under federal protection to major waterways.

The Trump administration is proposing a significant rollback of clean water protections for our nations streams and wetlands that jeopardizes the drinking water for millions of people and threatens the aquatic habitat for fish, water fowl and other wildlife, said Jan Goldman-Carter, senior counsel for the National Wildlife Federation. We urge the administration to withdraw this proposal. The administrations proposal of rollback is sweeping in its scope and devastating in its impact.

According to Goldman-Carter, the proposal would remove pollution protections for about half of the nations wetlands and up to 70% of the nations streams.

One of the reasons that we are so concerned is that many of the waters that would lose protections under this rule feed public drinking waters supplies, Goldman-Carter said. The bottom line is that we cannot allow pollution into small waterways without it affecting the rest of the water that we depend on.

Goldman-Carter and the National Wildlife Federation feels the best way to protect and improve water quality is to prevent pollution at its source, which is cheaper than trying to remove pollution downstream.

We believe that streams should be safeguarded from pollution and destruction, she said.

Chad Lord is the policy director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which consists of more than 155 local, state, regional and national organizations.

Its common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes, and its top priority has been to secure a strong Great Lakes restoration plan and a federal policy to implement it.

The coalition strongly opposes the Trump administrations proposal to weaken clean water act protections, Lord said. The action, if allowed to go forward, will undermine Great Lakes restoration efforts, threaten drinking water for millions of people, and harm the outdoor recreation economy.

Clean water is a basic need, he added. With so many of our cities and towns living with unsafe drinking water, now is not the time to cut back on clean water enforcement. We need more, not less protection for clean water.

The failures that have led to the drinking water crises in Flint, Toledo and elsewhere make it clear that the government needs to step up its efforts to protect our drinking water, not scale back the rules.

The proposed change by the Trump administration aims to provide states and landowners the certainty they need to manage their natural resources and grow local economies, according to EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler.

However, in March, Wheeler stated that clean drinking water is the biggest environmental threat, despite the proposed rollbacks.

According to Wheeler, the proposal would allow farmers to decide which water on their property is subject to federal regulation without paying thousands of dollars for consultants and engineers, and will also allow them to avoid expensive permits from the Obama-era regulation definition, which was put forward in 2015.

The 2015 Waters of the United States new definition have had no effect on farming, none, said Laura DeYoung, owner of the Spicy Lamb Farm in Peninsula, Ohio. In fact, since the beginning of the Clean Water Act, agriculture has always been exempt. If land can be farmed, it is already being farmed. The 2015 definition did not stop anyone from farming their land.

We can today, swim in Lake Erie, she added. I can walk down to the river and kayak, something that was unthinkable when I was a child. Once declared dead, we now have 60 different species of fish, and we have come a long way in terms of restoration.

DeYoung stated that her main concern, is that under the proposed Clean Water rollbacks, the only beneficiary is the developer, taking more land out of food production, developing rural farmland over urban, vacant land, creating more impervious lands, which creates serious storm water runoff problems.

The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972 after the Cuyahoga River, located in Ohio, caught on fire due to pollution.

States are currently joining together to oppose the rollback proposal, and EPA public comment on the issue ended April 15.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  Authorities have launched an investigation on the "espionage" or spying allegations against Chinese tech company Huawei, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Tuesday.

PNP Spokesperson P/Col. Bernard Banac, however, said officials have yet to receive validated information that Huawei products are being used for surveillance activities.

Patuloy ang imbestigasyon na isinasagawa ng Philippine National Police doon sa mga impormasyon na natatanggap natin na diumano ay may mga ganong alegasyon ng espionage, spying sa paggamit ng kanilang produkto, Banac said in a media briefing.

[Translation: We will push through with our investigation regarding the information we have been receiving regarding the espionage allegations using their products.]

This comes amid a report that the Foreign Affairs department had warned the government against partnering with the tech giant due to security concerns.

The department, however, denied this.

"This is regrettable as the published document clearly bears no such warning by the Department," it said in a statement Tuesday. "More than anything, the Department is disturbed that a confidential document has been published, and it calls on relevant agencies to investigate the matter."

U.S. warnings on Huawei

During his visit to the Philippines in March, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasized his country's warnings on the security risks of using a Huawei mobile device, particularly one that has a built-in fifth generation (5G) wireless technology.

The U.S. government has repeatedly expressed concern on the use of the technology, saying it could be used by Chinese spies.

Pompeo, during his state visit, said the competition in the tech industry should be "open, free, and transparent." He added that the U.S. government worries that Huawei has not met such standards.

The Chinese tech giant, which has been accused of stealing trade secrets, has denied the allegations.

PNP said the body has no existing contract with Huawei. However, the Interior Department is set to launch a P20 billion closed-circuit television (CCTV) project with China Telecom and Huawei.

The project, dubbed as "Safe Philippines," targets to put up 12,000 camera surveillance systems around Metro Manila and Davao City.

RELATED: Gov't won't allow info leaks on China-funded CCTV project  Palace

CNN Philippines has reached out to Huawei Philippines for comment, but it has yet to reply as of publishing.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report.
MIDDLETOWN  Middlesex Community Colleges Center for New Media Productions is hosting a film screening for student-created Long Island Sound Blue Plan videos Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Room 808 in Chapman Hall.

Students, along with their teacher Dan Nocera, produced six videos in the fall for the state of Connecticut Long Island Sound Blue Plan.

Long Island Sound is Connecticuts greatest natural resource and an ecological treasure. It supports diverse uses, and a variety of species that swim, skitter, burrow, undulate, and soar through its many habitats. Yet, despite its economic, ecological and aesthetic value, there is no coordinated means to manage the sound as a whole, Nocera said in a prepared statement.

The Blue Plan changes this by presenting a collective vision for sustaining what we love about the sound for generations to come, he added.

For the first time, this initiative identifies and protects Significant Human Use Areas and Ecologically Significant Areas based on the best available scientific data and stakeholder input, the release said.

The plan development team, in partnership with the Middlesex Center for New Media, invites the public to this world premiere of a short video series which explores the many facets of the sound, and how the Blue Plan is protecting each of them while planning for the future.

Middlesex Community College is located at 100 Training Hill Road. For information, email DEEP.BluePlanLIS@ct.gov, call 203-568-6307 or visit ct.gov/deep/lisblueplan.
PORTLAND  Theyre electric ride-on carts.

But the real power that makes them go comes from the heart.

Under the leadership of Dylan Bernard, the Portland High School technology education teacher, a group of students has modified four motorized carts.

The carts have been donated to four young children who have limited mobility or who may have more significant learning challenges, Superintendent of Schools Philip B. OReilly said.

OReilly visited the high school to watch some of the modifications being made by the PHS students working with Central Connecticut State University students.

The Go Baby Go! program struck me as something that represents everything good about our small but successful school district, OReilly said following his visit.

The program was originated by engineering students at the University of Delaware and rapidly spread to other colleges and universities with engineering programs, OReilly said.

Among the universities that embraced the program was CCSU.

Go Baby Go! made the jump from Central to Portland through the efforts of Bernard, who is a CCSU graduate.

Not only did Bernard persuade a central professor and several engineering students to join the high schoolers in Portland, but he also wrote a grant application to fund the program.

The grant proposal was submitted to the Gildersleeve Foundation, which approved it and supplied a generous grant, OReilly said.

Bernards central role in recruiting the PHS students to embrace the program, coordinating the involvement of the CCSU personnel, and in seeking and winning the Gildersleeve grant has earned him a special designation from OReilly.

I now refer to him as a superhero, the superintendent said.

The effort played out over two days.

On the first day, the Portland students partnered with CCSU faculty and students to design and modify the ride-on cars, OReilly said.

The second day was marked by delivering the modified cars to the young children, one of whom is a Portland resident.

Each car was specifically modified to meet the individual needs of each of the children, OReilly explained.

As delighted as he was to see the children receive their cars, OReilly was equally proud of the participation of the Portland students and thankful for the cooperation of the team from CCSU.

He was just as pleased and proud of the efforts of Bernard, he said.

So much of who we are is reflected in the steadfast, effective and inspirational work of our teachers and staff, he said. I want to extend my appreciation to Mr. Bernard and all our students participating in Portlands Go Baby Go! program.
In a recent editorial in Task and Purpose, an anonymous writer described as a junior Marine officer in the combat arms castigates Maj. Gen. David Furness, the commander of 2nd Marine Division, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, saying his rigid new basic daily routine for Marines "violates the core tenets of Marine Corps doctrine" and should be repealed.

Furness was less than impressed.

"I haven't seen it; I probably won't look at it," he said, when asked about the open letter. "I would love for that Marine officer to have the intestinal fortitude to come and talk to me about it. I can explain myself to anyone in the division at any time."

In an interview with Military.com this month about his decision to crack down on what he sees as failures of discipline in the ranks by instituting 5:30 a.m. reveilles, mandatory daily formations, and cleaning and hygiene time across the division, Furness said he did not anticipate the rapid -- and largely critical -- response that ripped across social media pages and military internet communities.

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"We sent [the April 16 policy letter] out to commanders and sergeants major. They printed it and put it in duty huts, and somebody took a screenshot. I did not anticipate that," Furness said. "That's a failure on my part."

In retrospect, he said, he would have involved public affairs in the rollout plan earlier and gotten in front of some of the controversy.

"If I were to grade myself for product, on why I'm doing this, I think it's an A. I don't think anyone can question better combat performance," he said. "How I rolled it out, if I'm being kind to myself, I'd probably give myself a D-minus."

Since his policy letter dropped, Furness has been called a micromanager, obsessed with the minutiae of personal grooming rather than larger questions of combat effectiveness. He has been taken to task online for describing the majority of casualties during a 2010 deployment to Afghanistan as the fault of the Marine who died, and for an anecdote he shared in an All Marine Radio interview about how wearing a seatbelt could have saved the life of a Marine driver who rolled over an improvised explosive device.

Blaming those who gave all for their fate might be seen as a rhetorical third rail. But Furness is not backing down or walking back any of it.

"That particular vignette, the importance of it is to highlight the unforgiving environment, the enormous consequences of not doing the right thing in combat," he said. "Doing the right thing in combat and doing the right thing in garrison are not mutually exclusive."

The anecdote he gave about a Marine fatally colliding with his steering column after hitting an IED, he described as a tragic event that he remembered vividly.

"I used it to gain [the Marines'] attention and to shock them a little bit," he said.

Furness said he hasn't been in touch with the commanders of 1st Marine Division, on the West Coast, or 3rd Marine Division, in Japan and the Pacific, to learn if they plan to institute similar standards with their units. He did get a call from Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller earlier this month, though.

"The commandant called me a week ago to ask me if I was doing OK," Furness said. "He was supportive. He was just checking up on one of his Marines."

Though Furness allows that not all Marines in 2nd Marine Division are thrilled about having Reveille blasted in the barracks at the crack of dawn, he maintains that most of the blowback on the policy is from an "external audience" of those outside the division. The basic daily routine policy, he said, was developed by a "council of sergeants" he assembled soon after taking command of the division.

"Marines in the division ... I think they understand, there is an issue here. We may have slipped a little bit; we need to do a better job," he said. "The sergeants remain supportive; they believe we're doing the right thing for the right reason."

Furness wouldn't point to any specific events that had triggered his decision to issue the policy letter. But he noted the problem was not just Marines' sloppy habits and appearances, but an unwillingness on the part of small-unit leaders to correct them.

As Furness sees it, what he observes at the division is a devolution 10 years in the making. The Marine leaders who trained him in the 1980s, he said, had vivid memories of the wild disarray of the post-Vietnam Marine Corps. Drug use then was rampant, racial tension was hot, and officers feared patrolling Marine barracks without a sidearm for their own protection.

The Corps implemented some zero-tolerance policies and cleaned up its act, but then came war and the frenetic operational tempo of the era following Sept. 11, 2001. Now, he said, Marines are no longer spending as much time deployed as they do at home, but some of the time and focus on professionalization has disappeared.

Some Marines don't believe personal grooming has much to do with combat effectiveness. Furness simply disagrees.

"One of the key attributes of a well-trained combat Marine or sailor is what I'll call vigilance-slash-attention to detail," he said. "That is not a skill one is born with; it's developed over much time. Grid coordinates for fire mission, or the nine-line process for an air mission -- all these requirements are very precise for how they're done and how they're executed."

Furness will kick off this new era of attention to detail in 2nd Marine Division with a stand-down event June 3-7, in which all Marines in the unit will participate. That will be followed by quarterly check-ins -- the next one is tentatively planned for September -- to dedicate time to the topics of leadership and discipline.

In his original policy letter, Furness offered Marines who couldn't get with his new program the opportunity to request a transfer out of the unit. So far, he said, nobody has taken him up on the offer. But he said he'll be paying attention to how junior leaders get in line with maintaining and enforcing the standard, particularly the officers.

"Those people that are not as courageous as we might like don't suddenly become courageous under fire," he said. "They probably need to find other employment."

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
Army Sgt. First Class Richard Stayskal isn't working to change an obscure court ruling that prohibits him from suing the military health system -- the one that missed his terminal lung cancer -- just for himself.

He is doing it for his wife, children and the service members who could become victims of military medical malpractice, he told members of the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee on Tuesday.

"My children are definitely the true victims of along with my wife. The hardest thing I have to do is to explain to my children ... is that I have no good answers," regarding their future, said the Green Beret, who is dying from metastatic lung cancer.

Stayskal's name appears on a new bill introduced Tuesday by subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, honoring the soldier's fight against a policy that bars U.S. troops from suing the federal government for medical malpractice.

The SFC Richard Stayskal Military Medical Accountability bill would amend the Federal Tort Claims Act to allow military personnel to sue the federal government for damages relating to injury or death in cases of medical malpractice by military doctors.

The bill would pave the way for those with pending claims against military providers at the time of passage. It would also allow service members with future claims to sue. It would not apply to past cases, nor would it apply to mistakes made outside military medical facilities or clinics, whether in combat, at battalion aid stations or on ships.

Speier said the legislation is needed because the federal government has "let service members down" in depriving them of legal rights.

"A [prisoner] can sue under the FTCA for malpractice but a service member cannot who is not in a combat setting? This is a gross example of judicial activism of the worse kind," Speier said.

Stayskal testified Tuesday alongside Alexis Witt, the widow of an airman who suffered brain damage in 2003 following an appendectomy, and Rebecca Lipe, a former Air Force judge advocate and attorney who was injured by ill-fitting body armor that prompted a series of unnecessary surgeries and eventually led to infertility.

Witt said the nurse who gave her husband, Air Force Staff Sgt. Dean Patrick Witt, an overdose of fentanyl that caused cardiac arrest and irreversible brain damage, had been involved in the death of another patient a year before her husband's surgery, and she "went on to kill two more patients" afterward.

"If the appropriate action had been taken on this nurse during her first legal negligent episode, Dean would still be alive today," Witt told subcommittee members.

The Feres doctrine is a 69-year-old legal ruling that precludes troops from suing the federal government for injuries deemed incidental to military service.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in three separate cases in 1950 that the Federal Tort Claims Act, the law that permits citizens sue the government for wrongdoings by federal employees or agencies, does not apply to most service members for injuries resulting from the negligence of other military personnel.

The justices added that the ruling was needed to ensure that Congress was not "burdened with private bills on behalf of military and naval personnel."

During the hearing, Dwight Stirling, a former military attorney and CEO of the Center for Law and Military Policy, called the Feres doctrine the most spurious, discredited legal doctrine in our history."

"To [Justice Antonin Scalia], the ruling was activism at its worst. He also condemned there was a double standard at the heart of the doctrine, that it only applies to military personnel, not to their family members or retirees," Stirling said.

Supporters of Feres, however, argue that negating the policy would upset order and discipline within the ranks. They say military personnel already have a robust compensation package that is provided to them or their surviving family members in cases of malpractice.

In a recent court filing, the Solicitor General of the United States said the military has an established systems and limits on malpractice help the military pay for health care for military dependents and retirees.

"Service members are entitled to generous, no-fault statutory benefits for injuries sustained as a result of medical services provided by the military," Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote.

During testimony on Tuesday, Paul Figley, professor of legal rhetoric at American University's Washington College of Law, agreed with that argument, made earlier this year as part of a Feres case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.

"It is understandable that such people are frustrated and they perceive that they or their loved ones are being treated unfairly ... from the perspective of fostering the long-term success of the critically important institution, the U.S. military, however, that remedy is a mistake. Simply put, Congress should not alter the Feres doctrine. Doing so would disrupt the vital and special relationships between the government and its service members," Figley said.

Speier has built a bipartisan coalition of support for her bill. Cosponsors include Rep. Richard Hudson, R-North Carolina, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pennsylvania, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-California, Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Florida, and Rep. Greg Steube, R-Florida.

Lawmakers, including Hudson, whose district includes Fort Bragg where the Stayskal family lives, said the legislation is needed to ensure that military personnel and families receive quality health care, because it would hold military doctors responsible and accountable for their actions.

"My priority is doing right by my constituent Rich ... I admire him and the Stayskal family's courage to advocate for these changes," Hudson said.

Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @patriciakime.
This article by Jeff Schogol originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues.

A Marine reservist is under investigation for posting a picture on Instagram that showed Marines positioning their boots in the shape of a swastika, a spokesman for Marine Forces Reserve confirmed on Monday.

"We can confirm that Pfc. Anthony D. Schroader is a member of the Selected Marine Corps Reserve and is assigned to 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, Force Headquarters Group, Marine Forces Reserve located in West Palm Beach, Florida," Maj. Roger Hollenbeck told Task & Purpose.

Hollenbeck declined to say how many Marines in total are under investigation.

The picture came to light on April 26 when "Terminal Lance" creator and Marine veteran Maximilian Uriarte sent a tweet to the Marine Corps suggesting that Corps officials investigate. Uriarte, who is Jewish, told Task & Purpose he later deleted the tweet after he got confirmation the Corps would be looking into the matter.

"There is no place for racial hatred or extremism in the Marine Corps," Hollenbeck said. "The Terminal Lance tweet featuring derogatory behavior by Marines is currently being investigated and any further comment would be premature."

This is just the latest incident of a Marine being investigated for racist and pro-Nazi behavior. In February, Corps officials announced they were looking into Lance Cpl. Mason Mead after he allegedly posted images of explosives forming a swastika and a picture of himself in blackface with the message, "hello, fellow black men."

Lance Cpl. Vasillios Pistolis was kicked out of the Marine Corps in August after he attacked a woman at the Aug. 12, 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was later sentenced to brig time after being found guilty at court-martial of failure to obey an order or regulation and making a false official statement.

After being arrested for flying a white supremacist banner at a May 2017 pro-confederate rally in Graham, North Carolina, Staff Sgt. Joseph Manning was discharged that December and Sgt. Michael Chesny was administratively separated from the Marine Corps in April 2018.

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The Defense Department has identified the American service member who died Monday while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in northern Syria.

Pfc. Michael A. Thomason, 28, of Lincoln Park, Mich., died of "wounds sustained from a non-combat incident" in Kobani, Syria, according to a statement issued late Monday by the Pentagon.

Thomason was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), out of Fort Campbell, Ky., the statement said.

Inherent Resolve is the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Since late 2014, U.S. and coalition forces helped liberate more than 42,000 square miles of territory that ISIS had claimed for its self-styled caliphate. Some 2,000 U.S. troops remain in Syria and more than 5,000 in Iraq to help prevent ISIS's resurgence.

President Donald Trump in December had called for a rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. But the White House later said it would keep a smaller force of about 200 troops in the country to help Syrian partners, largely Kurds, restore stability to retaken areas.

Last month, the U.S.-backed Syrian forces declared victory over ISIS after clearing the militants from their last enclave near the Iraq-Syria border.

Monday's death is the fourth noncombat fatality in the Central Command area of operations in a little more than a week.

Spc. Michael T. Osorio, 20, died April 23 in Taji, a district north of Baghdad where U.S. and allied troops are training Iraqi forces.

Spc. Ryan Dennis Orin Riley, 22, serving with the Fort Campbell, Ky.-based 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, died April 20 in Nineveh province in northern Iraq.

On April 19, Staff Sgt. Albert J. Miller, 24, died at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Miller was assigned to the 736th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron out of Dover Air Force Base, Del., and was supporting the military's Afghanistan mission.

Nine Americans have died while serving in support of Inherent Resolve so far this year, which includes four combat deaths from a suicide bombing in northern Syria in January. In that incident, two service members, a Defense Department civilian and a contractor were killed.
The same day the nominee for next top officer of the Navy defended service plans to retire the carrier Harry S. Truman halfway through its planned service life, the vice president of the United States paid a visit to the carrier itself to deliver a message from the president himself: The Truman will stay open for business.

Vice President Mike Pence visited the Truman at its Norfolk homeport Tuesday, addressing a group of sailors after touring the ship. He spoke for roughly 20 minutes, hailing administration plans to invest heavily in shipbuilding and restore "the arsenal of democracy." After praising the crew of the Truman for its accomplishments on the carrier's most recent deployment in support of the fight against the Islamic State, Pence delivered his news.

"As we continue to fight Congress to make sure the military has the resources you need to accomplish your mission, President Donald Trump asked me to deliver a message to each and every one of you on the deck of the USS Truman," Pence said. "We are keeping the best carrier in the world in the fight. We are not retiring the Truman. The USS Harry S. Truman is going to be giving them hell for many more years to come."

However, it's not Congress that Trump will be fighting to keep the Truman in business, but the Navy itself. Service leaders have actually gone toe-to-toe with lawmakers to explain that retiring the Truman rather than investing in its midlife refueling availability will allow the Navy to spend more on new technology, including unmanned surface vessels and other cutting-edge developments.

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Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer have both said they're behind the plan to retire the Truman, and the nominee for next CNO, current Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran, testified to Congress on Tuesday that he also supports the strategy.

Pence did not provide any additional details on how the Truman would be saved from retirement, but recounted the high points of its most recent eight-month deployment, which wrapped up in December.

"During each deployment in its prolific career, the USS Truman has taken the fight to the enemy on our terms on their soil, particularly when it comes to the battle against radical Islamic terrorism," he said. "The USS Truman launched over 2,000 sorties throughout the Middle East in the last year alone, and 7,500 sailors who serve in the Truman's carrier strike group played an essential part in crippling ISIS, bombarding their territory, I'm told, with nearly 1,600 precision munitions, the most of any carrier strike group. And now the ISIS caliphate's territory is no more. Job well done, Truman."

The Truman was commissioned in 1998; its midlife refueling overhaul had been tentatively scheduled for 2024.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
US Navy Drafting New Guidelines for Reporting UFOs

The U.S. Navy is drafting new guidelines for pilots and other employees to report encounters with "unidentified aircraft." The effort comes in response to more sightings of unknown, advanced aircraft flying into or near Navy strike groups or other sensitive military facilities and formations, according to the service. "There have been a number of reports of unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft entering various military-controlled ranges and designated airspace in recent years," the Navy said in a statement to Politico, which first reported the move. "For safety and security concerns, the Navy and the [U.S. Air Force] takes these reports very seriously and investigates each and every report." Read more about the new guideline effort on Military.com.
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A high school student is honoring 25 fallen Marines with her prom dress  which reportedly took her two years to make.

Aubrey Headon, who attends Rochelle Township High School in Rochelle, Ill., designed the patriotic dress to resemble an American flag, with streamers of red and white that flow down the blue skirt. The matching blue halter top features embellishments that look like stars.

However, its not the striking color scheme that has sparked attention  its the detail. On the red and white ribbons are 25 names printed in white and black belonging to the members of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, also known as 3/5 or Darkhorse, that were killed in action between September 2010 and April 2011 while conducting operations in the Sangin District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

On the red and white ribbons are 25 names printed in white and black belonging to the members of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, also known as 3/5 or Darkhorse. (Aubrey Headon)

Hearing about the battalion inspired Headon to pay tribute to the mens sacrifice.

I wanted to wear this tribute dress [to] my senior prom so the memories of the guys who fell in Afghanistan for our right to live how we do and do what we do every day is carried on, the teen said to Yahoo Lifestyle. I dont want them to fade into nothing.

Headon told Yahoo Lifestyle, the idea sparks after she met Gretchen Catherwood, a mom of one of the fallen men.

Hearing about the battalion inspired Headon to pay tribute to the mens sacrifice. (Aubrey Headon)

She started the Darkhorse Lodge to help combat veterans. I do a fundraiser every year to donate to the lodge, Headon said.

Since posting her dress on social media, Headon said shes received tons of messages of support.
Ashley Broadway-Mack never planned to become an advocate for LGBTQ military rights. But life as an Army wife married to a female soldier under the shifting Defense Department policy left her with two options: Stay silent or stand up for herself, her friends and her family.

She chose to stand up.

Broadway-Mack and her wife, Lt. Col. Heather Mack, were together for 15 years before they were legally married in Washington, D.C., in 2012. Before a change to the Defense Department policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), which allowed gay and lesbian troops to serve so long as they did not do so openly, Broadway-Mack lived a life of secrecy when it came to the military. She cared for their son using a caregiver ID card that allowed her to get on base. To the Army world, she was the nanny.

But when DADT was repealed in 2010, all of that changed, and Broadway-Mack became an open member of the Army community.

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With that came plenty complications -- and backlash. In 2012, she tried to join the Fort Bragg Officers' Wives Club, but the club's board reacted to her application by altering their bylaws specifically to keep her out. To be a member, they changed their rules to state, an applicant must have a military ID card, something for which Broadway-Mack did not qualify because gay marriage was still against federal law.

The story, first reported on Military.com, went viral. And Broadway-Mack found herself in the spotlight. The club was eventually forced by base officials to offer a special membership and, in 2013 when federal law changed, officially opened the doors to all spouses, regardless of sexual orientation.

"What happened at Fort Bragg made me realize that what happened to me was happening to other people," she said. "I think it's important for people to understand -- my spouse was a lieutenant colonel. And it was like, if this is happening to someone of that rank, gosh only knows what's happening to a junior enlisted family."

With the help of the American Military Partner Association (AMPA), Broadway-Mack took a stand, ultimately becoming the organization's volunteer president and making a sizable impact on both the rights and visibility of LGBTQ military members and their families.

It is for that work that Broadway-Mack has been selected as a finalist for the Military.com 2019 Spouse Changemaker of the Year award. Her tireless volunteer work on behalf of LGBTQ military families worldwide has impacted policy, increased cultural education, encouraged fair treatment and, perhaps most importantly, ensured that thousands of troops and family members know that they are not alone.

Broadway-Mack said digging deep to stand for what she believes to be right has always been a part of who she is.

"For myself, I think it somewhat comes naturally because my mom can tell you, I grew up always wanting to help the underdog," she said. "Once we realized, after DADT, there were so many inequalities throughout the military, it wasn't about me, but it was like this can't happen to people, this is just not right."

It's now been more than eight years since the repeal of DADT and almost six years since the change to federal law, but Broadway-Mack said her work -- and the work of AMPA -- is more important than ever. The organization has worked to fight a recent change to policy surrounding transgender troops, and it continues to offer support for same-sex couples across the DoD as they face various barriers.

Broadway-Mack said that, while she sees herself as a changemaker, she does not make the change alone.

"Here's the deal: There's no way that I would be where I am at, or make the changes I did, or have the strength, the fire, the will to make those changes, to advocate, to use my voice, to deal with the good, the bad, the ugly, all the threatening emails, if it wasn't for those that worked with me and, most importantly, those that supported me and had my back," she said.

Key among those, she said, is her wife, Heather.

"A lot of times, she doesn't get the recognition or notice she deserves. For her job, she has to stay out of it," Broadway-Mack said. "But at the end of the day, if you asked her, she would say that she's proud of what I've done because -- and she's mentioned to me before -- what I've done is what she was taught as the values of the Army, of what you're supposed to do for your soldiers, for your peers and for the institution itself."
Grand Rapids Griffins forward Axel Holmstrom is returning to Sweden to continue his career after two-plus seasons in North America.

Swedish Elite League club HV71 announced that Holmstrom, 22, has signed a two-year contract.

The Detroit Red Wings drafted Holmstrom in the seventh round in 204 (196th overall). A checking-line center, he had 12 goals and 13 assists in 65 games this season but did not play in the Griffins first-round playoff series against Chicago, which the Wolves won in five games.

Holmstrom (6-0, 198) appeared in 138 games with Grand Rapids, picking up 20 goals and 33 assists.
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI -- The Macomb County Prosecutors Office announced Tuesday a suspect has been arrested for an alleged attempted rape on the track of Chippewa High School.

Douglas Pearson, 29, was charged with two counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct Second Degree, one count of Assault with Intent to Commit Sexual Penetration, and the misdemeanor charge of Interfering with a Crime Report, according to prosecutor Eric Smith.

Pearson was arrested Monday and is accused of allegedly chasing down a woman on Sept. 2, 2018 on the track around 8:30 a.m. The victim in the case said the suspect approached her on the track before violently attacking her. She fought him off and called police before the attacker stole her phone and fled the scene.

Evidence collected from the scene was analyzed for DNA, which led police to name Pearson as a suspect. Pearson was arraigned Monday and is being held on a $50,000 bond with 10% due, meaning he can be freed for $5,000.

The attack on this victim, and the manner in which it was done, is truly horrific. To carry out this unspeakable attack, in broad daylight, at a popular high school track, is extremely disconcerting, Smith said. The citizens of Macomb County can rest easier with this defendant off the streets. Meanwhile, we will seek a higher bond at the next court hearing to ensure this defendant remains incarcerated for the foreseeable future.
The Republican-led Michigan Senate and three individual senators are appealing a recent ruling that found Michigans political lines are gerrymandered to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Senate filed a notice of appeal Tuesday but has not yet revealed its legal argument.

Last week the three-judge panel said Michigans House, Senate and Congressional districts had been drawn in a way that Republicans had an unfair advantage in four election cycles across a span of eight years. The judges ruled 34 political districts had been gerrymandered and had to be re-drawn before the 2020 election.

The Senate is appealing that decision, but also making moves to comply at the same time, said Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake. He declined to discuss the grounds the Senate was appealing on.

The individual senators appealing the decision to the court are Sens. Lana Theis, R-Brighton; Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth; and Jim Stamas, R-Midland.

Currently, the court is deliberating similar gerrymandering cases out of North Carolina -- where Republicans gained an advantage through redistricting -- and Maryland, where Democrats gained an extra seat through a congressional redistricting plan.

Previously the High Court has left political gerrymandering cases to the states to decide. In a March hearing on the cases out of North Carolina and Maryland, it appeared the justices were still leaning in that direction. Decisions in those cases are expected in June.
Michigan regulators will start accepting recreational marijuana business licenses as early as this September, officials said Tuesday.

Its three months ahead of schedule for the state. Retail marijuana sales wont happen right away as officials vet license applications.

The announcement comes on a new day for marijuana regulation in Michigan: the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation became the Marijuana Regulatory Agency Tuesday, April 30, as a result of an executive order from Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

The new Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency logo. (Courtesy | State of Michigan)

Im confident that the MRA is prepared to implement a fair and effective regulatory structure that protects Michiganders while providing an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to thrive, Whitmer said in a statement. Having a single state agency dedicated to administering all state laws relating to marijuana will allow Michigan to continue to lead the nation in this emerging industry.

Tuesday also marks the transition of power over medical marijuana licensing from a board appointed by former Governor Rick Snyder over to state staff, also a result of Whitmers executive order.

Andrew Brisbo, who has commanded the launch of the regulated medical marijuana market for the past two years, will lead the $19.8 million Marijuana Regulatory Agency as its executive director.

The department will issue a preview of its recreational marijuana rules by June, officials said.

It is our intention to have an initial set of industry emergency rules in place this summer and to be prepared to begin accepting business applications this fall, Brisbo said in a statement. Giving local municipalities, other state agencies, and potential business owners enough time to plan and prepare will allow for a successful rollout of the new adult-use marijuana law.

The emergency rules wont allow for recreational marijuana sales until businesses are licensed. Theyre intended to give prospective business owners guidance as they prepare their licensing applications, officials said. The new agency is prepared to accept license applications as early as September -- three months earlier than is legally required under the law voters passed in November 2018.

The bureaucratic shift comes as the medical marijuana market is in turmoil. Brisbo and state regulators have been unable to hold about 50 unlicensed medical marijuana shops to any deadline to become licensed. Numerous lawsuits against the state over the latest compliance deadline -- April 1 -- are still pending in the Court of Claims.

Theres a major divide in the industry between licensed medical marijuana businesses and caregivers, who the state has allowed to supplement the stock on provisioning center shelves. The tension played out in full force with counter-protests on the steps of the capitol building last week in Lansing.

Industry insiders are eager to see more medical marijuana businesses licensed as a result of Whitmers elimination of the licensing board.

In its two-year tenure, the board approved a total of 179 business licenses and denied 50. It also vetted 619 interested parties and denied one in four of them.

Now, analysts in the Marijuana Regulatory Agency will be responsible for approving licensing applications as they are completed. Any appeals to decisions will be ultimately decided by Brisbo.

"Moving forward, the system will be more efficient as agency analysts will not have to go through the added step of educating the board members on the results of an in-depth application process," said David Harns, spokesman for the agency.

There is no longer a backlog of license applications, state officials said, and staff are able to process them as they are received. There are still 409 active license applications pending with the department.

"Our goal is to set up a regulatory process that can adapt to the changing market conditions of an ever-evolving industry," Harns said. "The licensing team has moved a tremendous number of applications through the licensing process and has refined our workflow, resolving a large backlog of applications."

The agency plans to add more staff this year as the adult-use program launches. There are 102 full time workers at the agency now, and there is a budget for a total of 133 full time workers this year. By next year the agency will likely grow to 150 employees as the agency's budget grows to $22 million.

Without the licensing board -- which met in a public meeting once a month -- all licensing decisions will be made behind closed doors.

The Marijuana Regulatory Agency will be posting more information on its website than it has in the past about licensing approvals and denials, Harns said. Previously, only approved licenses were entered into the states database.

-- Amy Biolchini is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact her with questions, tips or comments at abiolch1@mlive.com. Read more from MLive about medical and recreational marijuana.
HOWELL, MI -- A broken neck, collapsed lung and cracked ribs are among the injuries suffered when a bus carrying 42 Hartland Middle School students crashed in Howell about 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Livingston County Sheriffs Office initially said 10 students and six adults were hospitalized but have not provided condition updates or said whether students are among the most seriously injured, although Livingston County Sheriff Michael J. Murphy said he believes an adult suffered the broken neck.

On-scene injuries are assessed via triage and are very preliminary, the sheriffs office said in an email sent to MLive/The Ann Arbor News. Once injured occupants were able to be fully evaluated at a medical facility, it became apparent that some injuries were more significant than originally diagnosed on scene.

Students, staff and chaperones were returning from a Hartland Middle School band and choir field trip to Chicago when their chartered bus crashed while attempting to exit I-96 east at Highland Road in Howell, the sheriffs office said.

After the crash, uninjured passengers were transported to the Howell Area Fire Departments main fire station to be reunited with their parents or guardians.

The crash investigation in ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Livingston County Sheriffs Deputy Brad Neff, 517-540-7984.

Howell Area firefighters and state police assisted at the scene.
PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI - A Michigan prison inmate died two hours after being released from a hospital for a bee sting last week, officials say.

Lisa M. Johnston, 37, was stung by a bee Wednesday, April 24 while in the prison yard at the Womens Huron Valley Correctional Facility, said Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz. The Pittsfield Township facility is the only womens prison in the state.

Johnston, as first reported by the Detroit Free Press, had an allergic reaction and was hospitalized at St. Joseph Mercy Health System, Gautz said.

She was discharged and returned about 3:45 p.m. Friday afternoon, he said. She then went to get a medical check-up, as is routine for prisoners returning from the hospital.

She showed up to the healthcare clinic, Gautz said. She did not decide to stay for whatever reason.

Johnston, instead, helped push a friend, a diabetic in a wheelchair, to a line for insulin distribution, Gautz said. Afterward, she started to wheel her friend to the prisons chow hall.

"Somewhere about halfway or so between the clinic and the chow hall, she started to complain to the prisoner that she was feeling dizzy and then collapsed," he said.

Prison staff attempted to revive Johnston, but she was soon pronounced dead, Gautz said.

Officials are now awaiting autopsy results while Michigan State Police investigate, he said. Theyre hoping to learn more from the hospital.

"It's not common for someone to drop dead two hours after being discharged from the hospital," he said.

Gautz recognized the unusual circumstances, noting the prison warden questioned how many bees would be out so early in spring. The prison does not see an unusual number of bees, he said.

A message seeking comment was left with St. Joseph Mercy Health System.

A Huron Valley Ambulance spokesperson said an ambulance arrived at the prison 11 minutes after being dispatched.

Johnston was sent to prison last month, sentenced to 2 years and six months to 20 years behind bars for delivering or manufacturing methamphetamine in December 2018 in Grand Traverse County.
ANN ARBOR, MI  After decades watching the Gelman dioxane plume slowly spread through Ann Arbor toward the Huron River, Kathy Griswold says its time for a more serious cleanup effort.

Ive really had it, said the 2nd Ward City Council member, who is proposing the city finally pursue a federal Superfund cleanup of the toxic chemical pollution in the citys groundwater.

Weve been working on this for almost three decades, she said of efforts to address the plume under state regulatory oversight and Washtenaw County Circuit Court orders.

When City Council meets next Monday, May 6, it will consider going a new route: trying to get the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to declare the Gelman plume a Superfund site.

Griswold is bringing the proposal forward and expects several other council members to co-sponsor it.

She hopes shifting enforcement responsibility to the federal government will lead to a more aggressive cleanup, with polluter Gelman Sciences forced to cover costs.

This is the way to go, said Griswold, who isnt happy with Gelmans limited pump-and-treat remediation efforts overseen by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, now known as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

I cant publicly state all of the problems weve encountered with MDEQ recently, but the most important thing is MDEQ can only contain the plume. EPA will clean it up to drinking water standards.

Council Member Jack Eaton, D-4th Ward, supports the new push for EPA intervention.

Because Michigans lax environmental laws allow for pollution containment strategies, rather than actual cleanup, Eaton said, hes not convinced fighting Gelman in state court, as the city has been doing since 2016, is going to lead to a satisfactory cleanup.

Sitting on our hands while the Gelman plume works its way to the river is not a responsible strategy, Eaton said.

The plume that has plagued Ann Arbor for decades originated on the citys west side, on the border between Ann Arbor and Scio Township, between the 1960s and 1980s. Gelman Sciences used dioxane in its filter-manufacturing processes and discharged massive of amounts of it on the companys Wagner Road property.

Dioxane has spread for miles through the citys groundwater and is now infiltrating the Allen Creek drain pipes at West Park that flush out to the Huron River. With dioxane in shallow groundwater, some worry it could seep into home basements and pose vapor-intrusion risks.

The citys biggest fear is that high concentrations of dioxane could some day reach Barton Pond, an impoundment on the Huron River from which the city draws most of its drinking water.

The city recently discovered trace amounts of dioxane in the citys treated drinking water from the pond.

The plume also is a threat to private drinking water wells in surrounding township areas, and some wells have had to be shut down because of the contamination.

Dioxane is classified by the EPA as likely to be carcinogenic to humans by all routes of exposure. It also can cause kidney and liver damage, and respiratory problems.

Just a few parts per billion in drinking water, with long-term exposure, poses a 1 in 100,000 cancer risk, according to the EPA.

The state initially sued Gelman in 1988, leading to a Washtenaw County Circuit Court consent judgment in 1992 that has been amended multiple times, most recently in 2011. That essentially governs the plume and allows it to spread through the city at high concentrations to the Huron River downstream of Barton Pond.

Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Scio Township and the Huron River Watershed Council reopened the case against the polluter more than two years ago, intervening as co-plaintiffs. So far, with pushback from the polluter, the parties have been unable to negotiate a new cleanup plan, and the case could eventually go to trial.

The Sierra Clubs Huron Valley Group, along with Ann Arbor Township and Scio Township, petitioned the EPA for a Superfund cleanup in 2016.

Ann Arbor leaders at the time were hesitant about a Superfund designation and decided not to join the effort.

In 2017, after an initial review, the EPA decided to suspend the Superfund designation process, letting the state continue to oversee the polluters efforts to manage the plume. The EPA reserved the option to pursue enforcement action in the future if necessary.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, has been in talks with local officials about the Superfund option and has arranged a meeting with the EPA next Monday ahead of the City Council meeting.

Unless requested by the state to pursue further action, the EPA is expected to step back after next Mondays meeting.

Griswold is proposing the city ask Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to send a letter to the EPA in support of Superfund designation.

Local environmental activists whove been pushing for a Superfund cleanup for years, including members of the Coalition for Action on Remediation of Dioxane, addressed City Council on April 8.

Dan Bicknell, an environmental remediation professional and former EPA Superfund enforcement officer, is credited with discovering the Gelman plume while he was a University of Michigan public health graduate student in 1984.

By going the Superfund route, Bicknell said, there would be no need to continue spending local tax dollars fighting Gelman.

With the backing of the U.S. Department of Justice and EPA regional counsel, Bicknell said, the EPA could force Gelman to comply with administrative orders to halt expansion of the plume and restore the areas groundwater to drinking water quality.

This would prevent the dioxane contamination from reaching Barton Pond, he said.

The EPA also could force Gelman to pay for extending municipal drinking water to more township residents, private well testing, and a more comprehensive monitoring well network to understand the full extent of the plume, including in the Old West Side and West Park areas of Ann Arbor where the risk of vapor intrusion is a concern.

Dioxane is still spreading in all directions and there arent enough monitoring wells to know where its all going, Bicknell said, calling it a massive problem. Even workers who come into contact with polluted water in trenches are at risk, he said.

Gelman Sciences was acquired in 1997 by Pall Corp., which was acquired in 2015 by Danaher Corp., a multibillion-dollar corporation that some local officials and residents argue has the financial resources to do a better cleanup.

CARD Chairman Roger Rayle said he got involved in the issue as a citizen activist in 1993 and didnt think itd take more than a year to help decision-makers get on the right path.

Its 26 years later and Im still trying to help decision-makers do the right thing, he said, showing City Council members an animated graphic of how the plume has spread.

You can see with your own eyes where the dioxane is going up, he said. And its like Dan says  its here and there, everywhere.

Only the EPA has the wherewithal to make the polluter do whats necessary, Rayle said.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Two Washtenaw County high schools rank among the top 10 in the state, according to U.S. News and & World Reports 2019 rankings released Tuesday, April 30.

Washtenaw International High School, in Ypsilanti, ranked No. 4 in Michigan, and Ann Arbors Skyline High School ranked No. 10.

The rankings take into account college readiness, which is defined as participation and performance on AP and International Baccalaureate exams; reading and math proficiency on state standardized tests; reading and math performance compared to expectations based on number of underserved students; performance on state assessments of underserved students including black, Hispanic and low-income students; college curriculum breadth, which is measured as the number of seniors who took and passed AP or IB exams in multiple content areas; and four-year graduation rates.

Washtenaw International High School is an International Baccalaureate school run by the Washtenaw Educational Options Consortium that enrolls 544 students.

Skyline High School is the newest of Ann Arbor Public Schools three comprehensive high schools, and it enrolls 1,451 students. The school offers four magnet programs: health and medicine - biomedical sciences; design, technology, engineering and prototyping; communication, media and public policy; and business, marketing and information technology.

Skyline also ranked No. 3 in the state among magnet schools and among schools ranked for their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math curriculum. Among STEM schools, Saline High School ranked No. 5, Ann Arbors Huron High School ranked No. 6 and Ann Arbors Pioneer High School ranked No. 9.

Arbor Preparatory High School, in Ypsilanti, ranked No. 10 among Michigan charter schools and No. 140 overall for Michigan schools.

Heres how all Washtenaw County public high schools ranked among Michigan schools:

Washtenaw International High School - No. 4

Ann Arbors Skyline High School - No. 10

Saline High School - No. 14

Ann Arbors Huron High School - No. 17

Ann Arbors Pioneer High School - No. 22

Dexter High School - No. 31

Chelsea High School - No. 33

Ann Arbors Community High School - No. 55

Milan High School - No. 108

Arbor Preparatory High School - No. 140

Washtenaw Technical Middle College - No. 152

Whitmore Lake High School - No. 168

Manchester High School - No. 201

Early College Alliance - No. 258

Central Academy - No. 403

Ypsilanti Community High Schools STEMM Academy - No. 443

Lincoln High School, Washtenaw Alliance for Virtual Education and Ypsilanti Community High Schools AC Tech ranked between No. 457 and 650, the lowest-performing in Michigan.
FLINT, MI  A Davison High School teacher could face multiple felony charges after police allege he took a video on a cellphone of a nude 14-year-old girl at a Vienna Township tanning salon.

The 42-year-old health and physical education teacher, whose name is not being released as hes not yet been charged or arraigned, was arrested around 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 29, at the Tropi Tan, 4180 W. Vienna Road, in Vienna Township.

During a Tuesday morning press conference, Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell said deputies responded after the mother of the girl called 911.

The girl told police she was in a tanning bed with her clothes on the floor.

She had all her clothes off, her clothes were lying on the floor, and she looked up and she saw what appeared to be an iPhone hanging over the cubicle wall, Pickell said. She could see that it had an orange back on it and the light was lit. She suspected that she was being (filmed). She jumped up, put on her clothes, and ran out and told her mother that was nearby.

Police allege the man was standing on a tanning bed in the room next door and filming over the wall. He was located a short time later by deputies, arrested, and transported to the Genesee County Jail.

He faces potential charges including child abusive material, manufacturing child pornography, and surveilling an unclothed person. The prosecutors office has not yet issued charges.

A phone was confiscated from the man with the same backing as described by the teen, as well as a desktop computer and laptops during a search of his home and vehicle.

Davison Township police also conducted a search of the high school where the teacher had access, but nothing suspicious was uncovered, Pickell said.

I was shocked, very disappointed and right now I have a pretty big pit in my stomach, said Kevin Brown, Davison Community Schools superintendent, adding it sickens me that someone in the teachers position would be anything as heinous as this.

The teacher has been placed on administrative leave by the district and is prohibited from being on any school grounds or events.

There were no red flags here, there was nothing that would have caused us to suspect any type of inappropriate behavior or conduct prior to this event," Brown said.

The district is conducting its own investigation, Brown said, and would take whatever action that we deem to be appropriate against the teacher.

That doesnt necessarily mean were going to have to wait for the legal investigation to conclude, he added. Well start moving forward on that as a school ourselves.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Erik Prince, the Holland native who founded private military company Blackwater, faces criminal referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly misleading a congressional panel during testimony almost two years ago.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-California, told the Washington Post on Tuesday morning, April 30, his panel was making the criminal referral later that day.

I do believe that there is very strong evidence that he willingly misled the committee and made false statements to the committee, Schiff told the Post. The evidence is so weighty that the Justice Department needs to consider this.

The allegations stem from Princes sworn testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 regarding an earlier meeting with a Russian banker in Seychelles islands.

Schiff said Prince told the committee he met the Russian banker in the islands nine days before President Donald Trumps inauguration by chance. He contended, Schiff said, that he wasnt attempting to set up a backchannel for Trumps team.

"We know from the Mueller report now that that was not a chance meeting, that he had preparatory material about him before he left, that he had discussions about it with (Steve) Bannon before he left, Schiff told the Post.

Schiff said his committee is sending the criminal referral because the Justice Department needs to consider whether it can make a prosecutable case" against Prince.

Prince is brother to U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The leader of a crime ring that stole credit cards from mail boxes to buy over $300,000 in gift cards and merchandise was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison.

Travis Keion Rolle, 29, of Miami, led the fraud ring that operated in several states, including Michigan.

He was sentenced Monday, April 29, to four years, nine months in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and aggravated identity theft. Federal prosecutors said he led a group that operated throughout Michigan, including Kent, Kalamazoo, Berrien, Calhoun, Eaton and Washtenaw counties.

Five others have already been received sentences ranging from probation to 18 months in prison.

Another awaits sentencing in July.

A snapshot of fraudulent charges made by an identity-theft ring (U.S. District Court records)

Rolle admitted that he and the others conspired to steal credit cards to buy gift cards and items from stores such as Meijer, Wal-Mart and Best Buy. He kept the merchandise and sold the gift cards, the government said.

He used stolen credit-card account numbers to buy merchandise and gift cards from Meijer stores in Portage and Grand Ledge in April 2018, a plea agreement said.

The cards were stolen throughout Michigan, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher OConnor said in court documents.

In one case, he wrote: The scheme involved stealing mail in Grand Rapids, Ada, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Travis Rolle installed Postal Service software on (a co-defendants) cell phone so he could view when mail would be delivered to certain addresses. Travis and (another suspect) applied for credit cards and others were paid to steal those credit cards from the mail.

The gift cards were then sold in Detroit for 90 percent of their value, OConnor wrote.

U.S. District Judge Janet Neff in Grand Rapids ordered Rolle to pay restitution of $314,113. He will be on supervised release for three years once the prison term ends.

Defense attorney Michael Bartish said Rolle recognized he caused losses for financial institutions and hardship for those who have identities stolen.

The aftermaths for consumers often last much longer, as they need to spend countless hours cleaning up their credit and explaining away the fraudulent charges to potential loaners for years, Bartish wrote.

While Mr. Rolle did not fully comprehend that aspect of his crime at the time he committed the offense, it is certainly something he realizes now.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A slice of the tropics is coming to downtown Grand Rapids.

Plans are in motion to transform The Waldron Public House, a three-story special events venue at 58 Ionia Ave. SW, into a large-scale tiki bar outfitted with colorful lighting and original and vintage decor designed to evoke a tropical paradise where its always twilight.

Maxs South Seas Hideaway is expected to open in late summer or early fall.

Its a joint venture between Mark Sellers, the creator of HopCat and Stellas Lounge, and Martin Cate, an award-winning rum and exotic cocktail expert who owns Smugglers Cove tiki bar in San Francisco. A Hawaii-based tiki and Polynesian artist who goes by the name Gecko is also a partner on the project.

The idea, they say, is to create an immersive experience that will serve as a getaway for people in West Michigan looking to escape reality.

I want them to say wow, and then I want them to forget that theres an outside world, said Sellers, who plans to display at the restaurant a large collection of vintage tiki artifacts he purchased for roughly $500,000 about two years ago.

Maxs menu hasnt been finalized, but the restaurant will specialize in a fusion of Asian, Hawaiian and American food. It will feature an array of classic and original rum, liqueur and juice-based cocktails.

Transforming the Waldron building into Maxs is expected to cost about $2.5 million, Sellers said. Hes recruited three acclaimed tiki artists to create custom interior design work at the restaurant, which will also include a 500 gallon saltwater aquarium with tropical fish.

In addition to the elaborate decor, the restaurant has another unique twist. Sellers wants to build seven tiki-themed Airbnb rental units on the third-floor of the building.

He got the idea after he says he discovered that people from throughout the United States and other countries had made special trips to visit TikiCat, a tiki bar he operates in the basement of the HopCat restaurant in Kansas City.

He calls the group tiki tourists.

We get people from Florida, Los Angeles, Europe, Germany . visiting TikiCat because they had read about it, Sellers said.

Pending city approval, the plan is for the rental units to open early next year.

The Waldron Public House was opened by BarFly Ventures, the parent company of HopCat and Stellas, in 2016. Six months later, it transitioned to a special events venue. Sellers founded BarFly and is the companys largest individual shareholder.

Sellers wants to transition the space into a public restaurant once again to capitalize on the growing activity in the area, such as the nearby Studio Park development, which is bringing a movie complex, hotel, restaurants, apartments and office building to the area.

Cate, who lives north of San Francisco, says he believes Maxs will be a hit in Grand Rapids.

The restaurant will have five different rooms, each with their own concept but all under the umbrella of tiki art. He and Sellers said different strands of tiki art range from Hawaiian and nautical to Polynesian and Easter Island-inspired. The idea is to saturate the rooms with arts and crafts.

Around every corner, youre going to uncover new art, new carvings, a water feature, a fish tank, Cate said. Its gonna really reward your exploration when you go inside.

In addition to Smugglers Cove in San Francisco, Cate also is co-owner of three other tiki inspired bars: Hale Pele in Portland, Oregon; Lost Lake in Chicago; and False Idol, in San Diego. Hes also co-owns Whitechapel, a gin-focused cocktail bar in San Francisco.

Cate and Sellers first met when Sellers was creating TikiCat in Kansas City. Cate oversaw the creation of the restaurants drink menu.

This isnt the first time Sellers has discussed creating a tiki bar in Grand Rapids. In 2014, he announced plans to open The Shrunken Head, a BBQ and tiki joint, at a building next to Stellas Lounge, 53 Commerce Ave SW.

Plans for the restaurant eventually fell through.

On Monday, Sellers said plans for The Shrunken Head didnt materialize because, at the time he was heavily focused on expanding the HopCat concept. He didnt have the energy and the time to bring the concept to fruition.

Now, Sellers says he feels like has the ability to go off and do a side project. Hes creating Maxs independent of his work at BarFly.

I cannot wait, he said. Its going to be a lot of fun to see peoples reactions when theyre inside.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The Student Advancement Foundation raised approximately $500,000 for students in Grand Rapids Public Schools at its annual Mindshare fundraiser, officials said Monday, April 29.

The half a million dollars includes $200,000 raised for the Principals Student Support Fund to recognize retiring Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal by renaming the fund in her honor.

The Mindshare gala drew more than 600 people to the J.W. Marriott Wednesday, April 24, to support the districts more than 16,000 students.

Doug DeVos, Amway Co-Chairman and Founding Scholar of the Student Advancement Foundation (SAF), brought Neal and her family to the stage for the fund announcement.

The fund is designated for providing discretionary dollars for principals to remove barriers to keep students in school, active, and engaged, according to SAF. The fund, established in 2010, now has about $240,000.

After seven years at the helm, Neal is retiring effective July 1. She received a couple standing ovations for what shes accomplished during her tenure.

When you assumed leadership of Grand Rapids Public Schools, you demonstrated some leadership characteristics that are worth celebrating, said DeVos, who with his wife, Maria, have long supported GRPS through their foundation.

When she started she had a goal, she had a dream, she had a vision of where to go, what needed to happen, and some early ideas of how to get there and that was attractive.

When Neal became superintendent in 2012 and talked about her vision, DeVos said people knew it was going to be something important for our community and its future. He said community and business leaders wanted to help transform the district.

He talked about Neals vision, determination, and compassion for children.

The foundation, GRPSs strategic fundraising partner, supports the district in five impact areas: arts education, environmental education, literacy, math, science & technology and physical wellness.

Neal thanked SAF and its many donors for their ongoing support of the school district.

I have loved Grand Rapids Public Schools my entire life, said Neal, who said she attended Madison Elementary School and became a district employee at 15, while a student at Creston High School.

I have been blessed to serve these kids and this community.

Seven years ago, Neal said the entire community came together when she asked them to join her in her mission to turnaround the district.

Neal said she was focused on GRPS future growth, its stability, and success. She said it wasnt just an urban or district issue but a city and regional issue.

Thank you for going on this journey with me, she said. We are moving in the right direction.

As we talk about diversity and the global economy, Neal reminded those present that the students in the district represent 80 countries and there are over 70 different languages spoken.

You dont need to go far to look for the people you need to hire, she said, to audience applause.

This is about growing your own. Where can you go to find a diverse group of people that you can mold and shape and put your resources into - it is Grand Rapids Public Schools.''

Neal spoke about how she achieved her goal of increasing graduation rates but has also expanded dual enrollment, and increased Advanced Placement offerings and participation.

When Neal took the reins of the district in 2012, the overall graduation rate was 44.56 percent. Last year, 71.25 percent of high school students graduated within four years.

The state average of 80.64 percent and five district schools did exceed the average but others still have work to do, as Neal acknowledges.

She told the audience that you change lives by opening the door for children, not judging them and their parents but embracing them and believing that they can achieve.

"We have grown because of you in this room, because of the foundations, corporations, and the other institutions in this community,'' she said.

"Look what we have accomplished together in seven years,'' Neal said. We have changed the lives for thousands of children.''

Neal urged those gathered to stay the course and support the next superintendent as they have supported her.

The school board plans to reopen its search for the next superintendent.

"I have one wish and that is not only do we take it to the next level, but we keep the same excitement, the same joy, the same belief that we have today,'' she said. "Lets continue with your next superintendent.''
JACKSON, MI -- An estimated 280 graduates will walk across the stage on Saturday to get their Jackson College diplomas.

So all family and friends can see their graduates, JC is having two commencement ceremonies on May 4, in the Harold Sheffer Music Hall, Potter Center.

The morning ceremony, at 10 a.m., features graduates from the health sciences, business and computer technology and human services programs. The afternoon ceremony, at 2 p.m., features graduates of the liberal arts, science, engineering and mathematics and skilled trades and agriculture programs.

Graduates and their families are invited to the receptions following each ceremony.

Students completing graduation requirements for fall 2018 and winter or spring 2019 are eligible to participate in the ceremonies.

JC President Dan Phelan will speak at both ceremonies. Class representatives Jacob Smith and Haley Rose will speak at the morning and afternoon ceremonies, respectfully.

Also participating are the Jackson Jazz Band, Jackson Community Concert band and the national anthem by Associate Professor Alana Tuckey.

Recipients of the Crockett Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Service awards will also be recognized at the ceremonies.

State Sen. Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, is receiving the Distinguished Service Award and will be recognized in the morning program. Shirkey has served Michigans 16th senate district since 2014 and was elected majority leader in January.

He also represented the 65th district in the Michigan House of Representatives for four years and is the founder and owner of Orbitform, an engineering company that manufactures equipment for a wide range of industries and applications.

(Jackson Colleges) impact on the economic comeback is not one we can ignore, Shirkey said in a news release. They train students to join the workforce and become extremely valuable members of our society.

The Distinguished Service Award is given annually in recognition for service to the community and the college.

Dr. Frederic Slete, a 1978 JC graduate, is receiving the Dr. Ethelene Jones Crockett Distinguished Alumni Award and will be recognized in the afternoon program.

Slete, a Jackson dentist, has served patients in private practice since 1983. He also has served in several community groups, including the Jackson Community College Alumni Association and the Jackson College Foundation Board of Directors.

The Crockett award is given annually to honor distinguished alumni. It is named for a pioneering woman physician, who grew up in Jackson and attended what was then Jackson Junior College before finishing her education at the University of Michigan and Howard University.

Crockett became the first black woman to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. The award named for her is given to a person who has displayed a positive and personal involvement in the betterment of humankind and has ongoing contact with JC.

The Second Lieutenant Zenneth A. Pond Soaring Young Alumni Award also is being awarded to Dr. Jonathan Curtis, a 2010 graduate, this year. The new award honors excellence and leadership in an alumnus age 35 or younger and is named for Pond, an alumni who became the first Jackson Junior College student to receive his pilots license in the Civilian Pilot Training Course. He became a World War II fighter pilot.

Curtis owns and operates Curtis Chiropractic in Chelsea. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce and is an ambassador for the Chelsea Chamber.
BLACKMAN TWP., MI  Mike Hirst held up a small, red container with his sons ashes  something he brings whenever speaking to a group.

He told the crowd this is where he gets his strength. On a day Hirst described as filled with sadness and jubilation, about 100 people celebrated a groundbreaking for Andys Place Apartments, a long-term opioid rehabilitation living space in Jackson.

"We're changing the face of recovery," Hirst said. "Everything that they need to get better, we're going to have here."

Politicians from both parties attended the event, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake. The $10 million project is funded through private dollars as well as state and federal grants.

Shielded from heavy rains by a giant tent, officials spoke to how Andy's Place will be a haven for people stuck in the rainy season of addiction.

"The crisis that we're confronting as a state is powerful. It does not discriminate, it does not abate. We must fight it," Whitmer said. "Andy's Place is going to be one of those places that changes lives and improves them for the better."

The new 50,000-square-foot development at 2388 W. Michigan Ave. includes 50 apartments  39 one-bedroom spaces and 11 family units. Its located on the former site of the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Home, which was vacated in 2010.

The current building on the property is being torn down and Andys Place is on pace to open next spring, Hirst said.

A greenhouse, music space, playground are all wrapped into the project, in addition to financial education and other life skills classes for tenants. Hirst hopes to address the poverty component to help addicts emerge from the cycle and gain confidence.

People will be referred to the space by drug courts and their rent is based on their income. Theres no limit to how long people can stay, Hirst said, although through security and drug testing, tenants face consequences for not staying clean.

Hirsts son, Andrew, died of a heroin overdose at 24 years old. Since then, Hirst has vowed to fight the issue, starting the nonprofit Andys Angels to educate others about opioid addiction and support those suffering from it.

"That's our goal here  we don't want any more Andy Hirst's," Hirst said.

Hirst shared the story of his son, and the three short-term rehab stints that werent enough to help him. Creating Andys Place is how Hirst fights back.

Just a few days before he died, he said Dad, I think I have no purpose,  We see a building going up, today. We see a building going up with his name on it. I think we know his purpose. This ones all about you, buddy, Hirst said, pointing and looking to the sky.
COOPER TOWNSHIP, MI -- The sighting of a barn owl on the campus of the Kalamazoo Nature Center was a welcome surprise to the centers new leader.

The bird was first spotted by President and CEO Nathan Smallwood after he inadvertently flushed the owl from a daytime roost, according to a Kalamazoo Nature Center news release. After the barn owl fled, Smallwood searched for hours before a small songbirds alarm helped him locate the evasive bird.

What a way to round up my first year at KNC, Smallwood, an avid birder, said of the owl sighting.

Smallwood was selected last year to serve as the Kalamazoo Nature Centers third director since the organizations founding in 1960.

There have only been 13 confirmed barn owl sightings in Michigan in the last 35 years, and none in Kalamazoo County, according to the Michigan Bird Records Committee.

"This exciting discovery gives us pride in the extensive, long-term work KNC has done to protect vital wildlife habitats, and gives us great hope for the future, Smallwood said.

Barn owls can be identified by their distinct white heart-shaped face and black eyes. While they can be found on every continent but Antarctica, populations have sharply dwindled, especially in the Midwest, due to agricultural practices and loss of habitat, according to the news release from the Kalamazoo Nature Center.

The barn owl was seen on the nature centers campus by several others in the days following the first sighting, according to the release. It was last seen on Saturday, April 27.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- One residents cat was killed and one person suffered minor injuries Tuesday after an apartment fire in Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety responded about 8:20 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, to a report of smoke coming from the sixth floor of Crosstown Parkway Senior Community Apartments, Lt. Jason Hendrick said in an interview with media at the scene.

Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the balcony of a sixth-floor apartment. The occupant was out safely, but the residents pet did not survive the fire, Hendrick said.

KDPS later confirmed the pet killed was a cat.

The apartment building was evacuated and one resident was taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital to be checked for minor smoke inhalation, he said. The person treated for smoke inhalation was not the resident of the apartment that caught fire, Hendrick said.

There was extensive damage to the apartment but at this time I dont have any information as to what might have caused this, Hendrick said.

Two residents are displaced because of the fire, he said. The occupant of the adjacent apartment was displaced because the electrical had to be shut off.

Hendrick said the fire was found in the living room and it did not appear that the kitchen was involved.
KALAMAZOO, MI  City Attorney Clyde Robinson suggested the city of Kalamazoo opt out of allowing recreational marijuana for a year, after he delivered a presentation about the states new marijuana law Monday night.

Theres a lot of contradictory language, and there is some gaps in the language, and its subject to multiple interpretations, Robinson said.

He presented three recommendations during a special meeting on the newly-legal plant Monday, April 29, at Kalamazoo City Hall. Ultimately, Robinson suggested the city go with one that may stir controversy, proposing Kalamazoo temporarily opt out of allowing recreational marijuana businesses.

If the city later acts on Robinsons proposal, no recreational marijuana businesses would be permitted in the city. He suggested an opt-out ordinance with a sunset date, meaning it would expire on that date.

The state is working to establish rules for several categories of recreational businesses, Robinson said, including growers, processor, transporters, safety compliance facility, retailer and micro-businesses, and a category he called a catch-all, which could include any other marijuana business.

The state rules could be finished before the December deadline, meaning the city has to make a decision in the coming months.

We do not have until December to determine what we want to do," Robinson said. "Were going to have to do it much sooner. People are going to be knocking on our doors as soon as those state rules are ready.

Robinson outlined a number of questions and potential issues he sees related to the recreational marijuana law.

The statue says a community that opts in cannot prohibit a grower, processor, and retailer from co-locating in the same zone, Robinson said. The state statue may allow recreational marijuana businesses to open in residential areas in communities that opt in, but that point is uncertain, he said.

The plant remains illegal on the federal level, so it remains cash oriented, and can be a target for crime, Robinson said. Processing can involve use of flammable materials, Robinson said, and large amounts of marijuana can produce odors.

City Manager Jim Ritsema, left, and Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell during a meeting about recreational marijuana in the city.

He said there are issues with how legal marijuana is handled when someone is arrested. The jail cant hold it, he said, and there is a question if law enforcement can give it back to its owner following an arrest.

If a community opts in and sets a maximum number of businesses, the law requires cities use a competitive process to select applicants, Robinson said, which is also unclear.

Are we going to make them run a 100 yard dash?" he asked. I dont know.

To select medical marijuana businesses to approve for licenses, he said, the city of Kalamazoo used a lottery system, as did Grand Rapids.

If the city opts in and allows recreational businesses, Robinson said, Kalamazoo would get a portion of statewide taxes collected from recreational marijuana sales.

City Commissioner Jack Urban asked, The sooner we opt out, the sooner you can spend time on other issues of the city?

Robinson said yes. Deciding to allow recreational businesses would mean a significant workload in the summer months to prepare, he said.

Michigan voters approved a proposal in 2018 to legalize the adult use and possession of marijuana. In the wake of legalization, several businesses have popped up across the state, embracing the loosening regulations in a variety of ways.

In Kalamazoo, Ruperts Brewhouse is allowing marijuana use on site during private club events.

Opt in. If you opt out, youre going to be behind, Ruperts Brewhouse Owner Mark Rupert said during Mondays meeting.

Several other citizens spoke, presenting a variety of opinions on the topic.

Some speaking said the city should opt out, for now. One resident said she has noticed more marijuana use in the city since it has been legalized, and is concerned.

We want to do it right, City Commissioner David Anderson said following the meeting. Anderson said the commission still has time before the state rules will be in place, and should be smart and intentional about how they proceed.

The state is currently working to establish rules for recreational marijuana businesses.

An unofficial document provided by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, updated on April 18, shows eight governments in Kalamazoo County that have opted out of allowing recreational marijuana businesses, at this time: Brady Township, Charleston Township, Cooper Charter Township, Portage, Prairie Ronde Township, Ross Township, Schoolcraft and Texas Charter Township. Additionally, Galesburg opted out of allowing recreational marijuana on April 1.

Adjacent to Kalamazoo, in Portage, the city commission voted in November 2018 to prohibit recreational marijuana businesses within city limits, with plans to revisit the issue in the future. Portage City Manager Larry Shaffer said in April that he plans to continue to recommend to the city commission stand down on further action on the issue until after the state has developed its rules.

Local governments across Michigan are tackling the issue of potential regulation of recreational marijuana, a process that has some similarities to how governments created medical marijuana businesses. In Kalamazoo, the city previously voted to allow medical marijuana businesses, though many of the approved businesses still have not opened at this time.

One difference between the two processes is that governments had to opt in to allow medical marijuana businesses, otherwise they are not permitted. For recreational marijuana businesses, municipalities can choose opt out" of allowing certain businesses, such as retail shops and growing operations.

The commission did not take any action Monday, and Mayor Bobby Hopewell said it would likely come at a future meeting.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Some precincts in parts of Kalamazoo County will vote in a different place during the May election.

Tim Snow, Kalamazoo County clerk, said a handful of precincts will change voting locations due to the small number of voters expected.

About 15,000 people will have a ballot to vote on in the May 7 election. Included on the ballot will be a millage renewal for Climax-Scotts Community Schools and a sinking fund millage proposal for Comstock Public Schools.

The changes to precincts will impact less than 900 voters in Kalamazoo County, Snow said. The changes are temporary and will only impact voters during the May election.

Precinct changes are as follows:

Charleston Township precinct 1 and Wakeshma Township precinct 1 will vote with the first precinct of Climax Township at Climax Township Hall, 110 N. Main St.

Kalamazoo Township precinct 10 and Kalamazoo city precinct 10 will vote at Kalamazoo Townships 12th precinct at Sunnyside United Methodist Church, 2800 Gull Road.

Pavilion Township precinct 2 will join Pavilion Township precinct 3 at the township hall, 7510 East Q Ave.

Kalamazoo city precinct 17 will join Portage precinct 2 at Goldentree Apartments Community Room, 4795 E. Milham Road.

Voters in Comstock Public Schools district will be asked to vote on a sinking fund millage of 1 mill annually for a period of 10 years, according to the ballot language. The funds would be used for construction and repair of school buildings, including school security improvements, the acquisition or upgrading of technology and other purposes.

Climax-Scotts Community Schools is looking to renew the operating millage for four years. Voters will choose whether to renew the millage rate limitation of 18 mills on taxes for four years, 2020 to 2023 to provide funds for operating purposes.

Other changes to take note of include election reforms in proposal 3 approved by voters during the November 2018 election.

The new law:
NORTON SHORES, MI  A Muskegon County nurse practitioner with her own family medicine practice has had her license suspended for allegedly overprescribing commonly abused medications, including opioids.

Susan Drust of Susan Drust Family Medicine, 296 Seminole Road in Norton Shores, has been among the states highest-volume prescribers of commonly abused and diverted controlled substances, according to the states administrative complaint against her.

Those substances include hydrocodone, methadone and codeine, according to the complaint.

On April 24, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs suspended Drusts nurse practitioner license on an emergency basis following a review of her practices and the files of 18 patients, state records show.

Two of those patients died in 2014 of mixed drug intoxication and mixed drug overdose, according to the complaint against her.

The allegations against the licensee indicate that she put public health and safety at risk, said LARA Director Orlene Hawks. Based on our findings, it was crucial for LARA to summarily suspend this licensee to protect patients in Michigan.

Drust has been in practice since 2005, and hires a physician to oversee her practice, according to her practices website. On advice of her attorney, Drust would not comment on the allegations, according to a spokeswoman for her office.

Among the allegations against Drust are that she prescribed drugs for other than lawful diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

The complaint originated with a review of the Michigan Automated Prescription System (MAPS), which gathers data about controlled substances dispensed throughout the state. An investigator interviewed Drust about overprescribing controlled substances and other risky practices, including prescribing unsafe combinations of drugs, the administrative complaint states.

Drust told the investigator she is not familiar with what controlled substances are abused and diverted, the complaint said. She also only recently understood that the same dose of one pain medication is not equivalent to the same dose of a different one, the complaint says.

Drust also told the investigator she did not know the specifics of the Centers for Disease Controls Guidelines for Opioid Prescribing for Pain, of which she only recently became aware, according to the complaint.

The complaint states that a state expert reviewed 18 patient files and found the following issues with Drusts conduct:

--Failure to refer patients with anxiety to psychotherapy.

--Prescribing controlled substances to patients with documented evidence of alcohol abuse.

--Prescribing unsafe drug combinations without documenting why. Three patients whose files were reviewed had been prescribed a combination of several different drugs that could lead to coma and death. Two of those died in 2014 of mixed drug" intoxication and overdose.

--Failure to address problematic urine drug screens.

--Frequently using boilerplate treatment notes.

--Not documenting any consideration of alternatives to opioids.

--Often fails to practice in due care.

A review of the records showed that 11 of the 18 patients reviewed had urine screens that didnt test positive for the drugs that Drust was prescribing them, which is a sign of possible drug diversion by the patients, the complaint states.

In one instance, it appeared that the patient may be filling controlled substances for family members who were Drusts patients but were incarcerated, the complaint states.

The MAPS review found that Drust was among the states highest prescribers of abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in 2017 and 2018, according to the complaint.

Those included prescriptions in 2018 for 110,451 tablets of a combination of acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone, 73,200 methadone tablets and 23,040 tablets of the pain reliever carisoprodol commonly known as Soma, the complaint shows.

Drust has 30 days to respond to the administrative complaint. A final determination of Drusts license will be made following a formal hearing.
MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI  When voters head to the polls May 7, police and fire officials hope they remember that the 911 phone surcharge on the ballot is designed to help everyone.

The $2.75 per phone monthly surcharge would pay for a significant upgrade to Muskegon Countys 911 dispatch system to ensure police and fire departments continue to respond quickly and efficiently to citizens calls for help.

The $31.2 million upgrade would move the dispatch system from an analog to an 800 MHz digital network, and would include a wide range of equipment upgrades, from new radio towers to new radios to new in-vehicle computers.

Emergency responders are currently working with an aging and unreliable communication system, some parts for which are no longer being made, officials said.

This is not some shiny toy we want to have, said Michigan State Police Lt. Christopher McIntire. We have to have this.

The ballot request is nearly identical to one voters rejected in November 2018. Police and fire officials said they will continue asking until the surcharge is approved because they have no other options.

In addition to failing equipment, the upgrades are needed to allow police and fire agencies in Muskegon County to continue communicating with counterparts in surrounding counties that are switching to digital 911 communications, officials said. Thats especially important to such communities as Fruitport that are close to county boundaries.

The request would increase the monthly surcharge from the current 42 cents to $2.75 until June 30, 2032. The end date is the only difference from the November 2018 proposal, which had no specific date it would end.

The $2.75 surcharge would be levied on every device capable of placing a phone call, including land lines, cell phones and tablets. Businesses would pay surcharges on 10 phone lines and then one surcharge for every 10 lines after that.

When firefighters are inside a burning building the margin for error is small, said Muskegon Heights Fire Chief Christopher Dean. We rely on our radios working the first time we press the button, and right now it is not always happening.

The surcharge, which would raise nearly $4 million annually, would pay for:

--Five new radio towers to be placed strategically throughout the county.

--1,700 digital radio devices for public safety.

--A $1.5 million upgrade and expansion of the Central Dispatch facility located in the downtown Muskegon Fire station.

--200 new in-vehicle mobile computers.

--Fiber optic backup to prevent communication outages.

--A $7.57 million equipment replacement fund.

The system would become part of the state of Michigans existing digital emergency communications network. That means much of the equipment would be purchased from Motorola through the states bidding process.

If approved by voters, the surcharge would begin to be levied July 1, with full collections beginning Oct. 1.

The surcharge is the fairest, most equitable way to share the costs of the dispatch upgrades, said Shawn Grabinski, executive director of Muskegon Central Dispatch. Its how most other communities have secured funding to keep up with emergency communications needs, she said.

If the increased surcharge is approved, the 42 cents currently levied would still be directed toward operations. Among Muskegon Central Dispatchs other revenue sources are a 0.3-mill property tax, and a 25-cent state wireless surcharge, its budget shows.

The system dispatches and manages communications among first responders from 15 fire departments, 11 police agencies and two ambulance services.

Police and fire officials give several reasons the new digital system is needed:

--Intrusive static or unexpected dead spots during radio transmissions. This can delay the sharing of critical information, or cause some responders to miss it entirely. There are multiple reasons for those issues, including narrowing channel bandwidth, aging radios and other equipment, tree growth and not enough radio towers.

--Limited radio channels. Theres currently one county-wide analog channel for police dispatch, and one for fire, meaning if theres an emergency, other routine radio traffic is interrupted by the breaking event. There is one other LEIN channel, but all talk must go through a dispatcher and isnt sufficient if theres more than one major incident going on simultaneously. Tactical channels can be used but not all responders are connected to them and neither is Central Dispatch Digital radios would have multiple channels, allowing responders on an emergency to communicate with each other without involving dispatch.

--Outdated equipment. Some equipment, including repeaters needed to send transmissions throughout the network, is so old that replacement parts are no longer manufactured and must be hunted down from such spots as eBay.

--Inability to communicate with neighboring agencies. Surrounding counties have switched or are in the process of switching to digital systems, which will make it difficult to communicate across borders. In addition, some law enforcement officials, such as FBI agents or state Department of Natural Resources officers, could help in an emergency, but may not know about it because theyre using digital radios.

McIntire, whose Michigan State Police post in Rockford covers multiple counties, carries a digital radio and a VHF radio so he can communicate as he travels throughout his region.

Police and fire chiefs throughout Muskegon County have been sharing information about the surcharge with hopes for a better outcome this election. Town hall meetings have been held, but generally have been lightly attended. Public Safety officials say they have been able to change the minds of some skeptics.

North Muskegon Police Chief Edward Viverette said public safety officials would not be doing our duty if they didnt ask voters for the surcharge. If a catastrophic event were to occur, emergency response could suffer given the state of the current communications system, he said.

Its that bad, Viverette said.
CASNOVIA TOWNSHIP, MI  A proposed wind farm project at the border of Muskegon and Kent counties has moved closer to reality.

Casnovia Townships approval of a special use permit was an important first step to move the project forward, but the approval came with several stipulations for the Ohio-based American Electric Power. Site plans for the project also need to be approved before the company can construct the sprawling wind farm.

Several residents and township officials have been outspoken in their opposition to project, which caused controversy and consternation over the last year.

American Electric Power has proposed to build up to 31 wind turbines across portions of Casnovia Township in Muskegon County and Tyrone Township in Kent County. The project is being dubbed the Kenowa Ridge Wind Farm Project and likely would be built by 2020.

It was initially proposed by Sempra Energy in 2018, but the company sold its wind turbine assets to American Electric Power in 2019. Sempra previously said the farm could produce at least 100 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 38,000 homes, according to planning documents provided to township officials.

Sempra previously said the company would operate the wind farm for a period of 30 years. Company officials also promised up to $1 million in new revenue for both townships and up to $75,000 in individual land leases for residents who allow turbines on their property.

American Electric Power has plans to construct a 31-turbine wind farm across Casnovia Township in Muskegon County, pictured in red, and Tyrone Township in Kent County, pictured in blue.

Casnovia Township Supervisor Kelli Ashbaugh told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle that those plans hadnt changed after American Electric Power took over the project.

Sempra had asked the township for a special use permit to install and operate the proposed wind turbines and all associated infrastructure, such as an energy substation and underground power lines.

On Tuesday, April 23, Casnovia Township trustees voted 3-2 to approve the permit with a long list of conditions attached. Township Clerk Jennie Powell, Treasurer Gayle Brock and Trustee Dan Winell voted in favor of the permit, while Ashbaugh and Trustee Jason Jorgensen voted against it.

Ashbaugh said she could not provide MLive with the list of conditions because they were still being drafted and pending approval.

Those in favor of the wind farm have praised the increase in revenue  for the township and residents who agreed to lease their property to American Electric Power.

Tammy Riddout, media relations and policy communications manager with American Electric Power, said the company is pleased with the townships thoughtful deliberation.

We are excited about the opportunity to bring this renewable energy development to the township and the state of Michigan, Riddout said. We look forward to continuing the collaborative engagement with all stakeholders in the community.

Now that the project has a special land use permit, American Electric Power can begin drafting site plans and finalizing locations for each of its 31 wind turbines.

Ashbaugh said those site plans and approvals for each individual turbine would need to be approved by the planning commission.

Tyrone Township has yet to approve a special use permit for its half of the project, said township Clerk Shelly Worley. The township planning commission had tabled the measure because it wanted to wait for Casnovia Township to make the first move.

The Casnovia Township Planning Commission in November 2018 recommended that the township board vote to deny the special use permit. Several Casnovia Township residents had been outspoken in their opposition to the wind farm, saying it would produce excessive noise and could create hazards for local wild life. Others worried about annoying shadow flicker from turbine blades.

Ashbaugh said she opposes the wind farm project because she believes it would negatively affect the quality of life for many township residents.

I still think it infringes too much on non-participating residents, Ashbaugh said. Of course, the people who wanted them were happy and congratulatory. On the other side, some residents were remorseful -- heartbroken, even. Some of the proposed (turbines) are so close to their property lines.
MASON COUNTY, MI  A woman has been charged with 14 felonies related to larcenies, including those of seven guns, with many items recovered from West Michigan pawn shops, according to police.

Heather Marie Vinton, 33, of Ludington was arrested Monday, April 29, in connection to numerous thefts from a residence, according to a news release from Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole.

The larcenies from the home on East Fifth Street in the city of Scottville were reported on Feb. 1, according to the news release.

Missing were televisions, guns, a generator, snow boards, an outboard boat motor, power tools, video games and fishing rods and reels. Most of those items, including seven firearms, have been recovered from pawn shops in Muskegon and Grand Haven, according to the release.

The warrant against Vinton charges her with one count of larceny over $1,000 but less than $20,000; one count of receiving and concealing stolen property; six counts of larceny of firearms; and six counts of felony firearm.

Vinton has been released from jail on a $15,000 personal recognizance bond.
BAY CITY, MI  A Florida man is heading to a Michigan prison for robbing a mother as she and her infant daughter left a Bay City library.

Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill on Monday, April 29, sentenced 50-year-old David D. Ritz to 42 months  or 3 and a half years  to 10 years in prison. Gill gave Ritz credit for 314 days already served in jail.

Ritz in March pleaded no contest to armed robbery, a life offense and the only count he faced.

Police reports state the afternoon of June 19, a 26-year-old woman called 911 to report she had just been robbed at the Alice & Jack Wirt Library, 500 Center Ave. She told police she had taken her two daughters - ages 9 years and 4 months - to the library. As they were leaving, she saw a man wearing University of Michigan apparel talking to some people in the hallway near the exit.

As she was pushing her younger daughter in a stroller, the woman pushed the door's exit button, and the man she had observed held the door open for her, she said. Once outside and near the flagpole, the man asked her for money. She told him she had no money on her, then briefly looked away as she was distracted by her kids, she said.

When she returned her gaze to the man, he was holding a knife in his left hand, she said.

Just give me the cash, no cards, the man told the woman, according to police reports. The woman handed him a $20 bill and three $1 bills.

As she walked toward her car, the man walked nearby and asked her the age of her youngest daughter, she told police.

When she and her daughters got into her car, the man took off, she told police.

From the library, police obtained surveillance camera footage. Officers then went to the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission, 713 Ninth St., but staff said a man with the robbers description wasnt there.

A few hours later, the shelter's staff called police to say the man they were seeking was smoking a cigarette in the courtyard. Officers spoke with the man, identified as Ritz.

Ritz told police he recently arrived in Bay City from Florida. He initially denied having been at the library. When he eventually admitted to having been there, he denied having spoken with a woman or asking her for money.

Officers searched Ritz's room and found an expired Florida ID card and several items he was depicted as having on him in the library's surveillance footage.

Officers arrested Ritz. When they interviewed him again, he admitted to having asked the woman for change and handed over about $3 in change, police wrote in their reports, contained in court files.
Workers rights, auto plant closures and the economy are common talking points for presidential hopefuls searching for cracks in Michigans support for President Donald Trump.

Democrats seeking their partys nomination for president in 2020 alternated between jabbing at Trump and outlining their own vision for the country during early campaign stops in Michigan. Candidates are expected to keep the heat on Trump for failing to deliver on his promises while centering their message on boosting the states automotive industry, addressing harmful trade policy and protecting union workers.

Democrats are working to win back white working class voters and union members in swing states that backed Trump in 2016. Blue-collar workers will targeted again by candidates in the next presidential election.

Jobs, labor, and the economy will be big campaign issues in Michigan, said Jason Mollica, strategic communication professional and lecturer at American University.

Mollica said early campaign stops show Democratic candidates are testing what messages resonate with Michigan voters. Visits have been largely used as a way to get on peoples radar, he said.

Candidates on the trail in Michigan tried to cast doubt on whether the lives of middle class voters are improving. Trumps re-election campaign is poised to focus on economic growth under his administration.

Mollica said its easy to lean into attacks on the president, but Democratic candidates need to pitch their own policies to contrast the incumbent Republican president.

Both political parties consider the Great Lakes State vital to taking control of the White House in 2020.

Kyle Klondik, managing editor of Sabatos Crystal Ball, a political newsletter run by the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said Democrats path to victory relies on taking back Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

A Republican win in Michigan would likely ensure Trump remains in the White House, Klondik said.

Youre going to see both sides go all out in Michigan, Klondik said.

Dems test the water

Much of the Democratic conversation nationally is focused on progressive ideas like Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and social justice. In Michigan, Democrats are also trying to show they understand the concerns of working families.

Former Texas Rep. Beto ORourke visited Michigan first this year, meeting residents at a coffee shop in Macomb Countys Center Line before talking to skilled trades workers in Ferndale in Oakland County.

ORourke said trade agreements with other countries should hold them to labor standards that level the playing field with the U.S. He said improving access to education and technical training will address a state-wide need to fill skilled trades jobs.

The former Texas Senate candidate hasnt been specific enough in his policy stances, said Bernie Porn, president of polling firm EPIC-MRA.

Hes an interesting guy, but Michigan is a long way from Texas," Porn said. "He will be competitive on the money end of things, but its yet to be determined whether he will have a competitive message.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. discussed topics curated for a Michigan audience at an MSNBC town hall in Auburn Hills.

Gillibrand said tax breaks in the Green New Deal, a resolution proposing sweeping economic reforms to fight climate change and income inequality, will inventivize energy-efficient manufacturing jobs in the U.S. She supports a version of Medicare for All that allows private insurers to exist, unlike a plan proposed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that would eliminate private health insurers.

During an April campaign tour through the Midwest, Sanders focused on Michigans working families. Sanders met with union workers in Ottawa County before holding a rally in Macomb County.

Like Trump, Sanders highlighted the negative impact of trade deals and called for measures to strengthen protect American jobs. However, Sanders painted Trump as a pathological liar elected on false promises to stand with the working class.

Sanders called on Trump to go back to the drawing board on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a replacement to the North American Free Trade Agreement that needs to be ratified by Congress. Sanders said the deal lacks enforcement measures to prevent companies like General Motors from sending American jobs to Mexico.

The impact of NAFTA and trade policy holds more significance among Michigan voters, said political analyst and former Republican state legislator Bill Ballenger.

Sanders kept a strong focus on trade issues when he narrowly won the 2016 Michigan Democratic primary. His experience gives him an advantage over other candidates who never stepped foot on Michigan soil to campaign, Porn said.

Those are issues where he scored a lot of points, especially with working folks, Porn said.

Macomb County was key to Trumps election in 2016. Porn said disaffected Democrats there will look for a moderate candidate.

Former Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to attract labor groups, moderate Democrats and independent voters in Michigans blue-collar communities. Before Biden entered the race last week, Ballenger said Biden would find an instant base of support in Michigan.

The Delaware Democrat is expected to court organized labor groups in Midwest battlegrounds, starting in Pennsylvania on April 29. Biden could find a center lane while progressives split their support among other Democrats who stand further to the left.

Ballenger said its too early to draw any meaningful conclusions about which Democrats are connecting with Michigan voters.

Nobody has solidified anything at this point, Ballenger said. Nobody has a cohesive message."

Candidates messages for Michigan will be tested in a few months. Detroit will host the second Democratic primary debate over two nights from July 30-31.

Trump doubles down

The president is poised to double down on his successful message to Michigan voters in 2020.

Trump summoned thousands of fired up supporters to fill an arena in downtown Grand Rapids on March 28. In front of a large banners reading JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!" Trump said his presidency is delivering the hottest economy anywhere on the planet Earth.

According to a report published by University of Michigan economists on April 5, Michigan added jobs in every year from 2011 to 2018, resulting in total growth of 555,400 jobs.

The pace of job growth has generally slowed over the recovery period, but Michigan still added 50,000 jobs last year. Michigans unemployment rate is expected to stay around 4% for the next two years.

The Trump administration is keeping a focus on the auto industry. Trumps top campaign promises to Michigan in 2016 included re-negotiating NAFTA.

Vice President Mike Pence made several stops across Southeast Michigan last week, fundraising for the presidents re-election campaign and drumming up support for the USMCA.

Michigans big three automakers praised the deal at an event in Taylor. Pence said the USMCA absolutely essential to keep Michigan automotive manufacturers competitive, promising the trade deal would bring billions of dollars in new investment nationwide.

Polls and dollars provide clues

Early polls and fundraising figures provide some clues on what messages are working in Michigan.

Ben Tulchin, a pollster for Sanders 2016 and 2020 campaigns, said recent polling shows Michigan voters believe Sanders has a better understanding of ordinary Americans. An April 22 poll conducted by Tulchin Research shows Sanders with an 11 percentage point lead over Trump.

An Emerson College poll of Michigan voters also showed Trump well behind Biden and Sanders in head-to-head matchups.

Statewide, the poll showed President Trump had a 52% disapproval rate and 40% approval rate. More than half of Michigan voters surveyed said they are unlikely to vote for Trump.

Support for Trump in Michigan remains strong if first quarter fundraising is any indication. Trump pulled in nearly $265,000 from Michigan residents from January through March, the most of any candidate.

Sanders raised the most among Democrats during the first quarter of 2019 by far. His $18.2 million haul included nearly $70,000 in itemized contributions from Michigan residents.

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., raised $12 million in the first quarter, including $35,800 from Michigan residents.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigeig raised nearly $30,000 from Michigan residents and $7 million nationally, outpacing other candidates who hold higher political offices. Porn said Buttigeig could find popularity in Southwest Michigan, considering South Bends proximity to the state border.

Klondik said the Democratic primary has yet to break down along ideological lines and demographics.

Todays front-runners could very well sit at the back of the pack in the months to come, he said.
Members of Michigans Congressional delegation are trying again to pass legislation requiring university leaders to personally review Title IX sexual abuse complaints involving school employees.

The Accountability of Leaders in Education to Report Title IX Investigations Act -- Alert Act for short -- would require high-ranking officials at federally funded colleges and universities to review all reports of employee sexual misconduct. Lawmakers at a Tuesday press conference said legislation in the House and Senate, identical to bills that languished in 2018, is inspired by sexual abuse scandals at Michigan State University and Penn State University.

Former MSU president Lou Anna Simon testified before Congress she was unaware Nassar, a former MSU doctor who molested hundreds of patients, was the target of a 2014 Title IX investigation. Nassar was cleared of the allegations and continued to abuse others for another two years before being fired in 2016.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said its simply unacceptable that Simon did not review the Title IX complaint against a school employee. The bipartisan legislation is meant to hold university officials accountable, he said.

Title IX is a 1972 federal civil rights law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs that receive federal financial assistance.

The Alert Act requires an institutions president and at least one member of its board of trustees to submit an annual report to the U.S. Secretary of Education, certifying they reviewed Title IX complaints involving employees filed that year. It also requires officials to confirm they did not influence or interfere with any investigations.

University officials will no longer be able to turn a blind eye to these sorts of serious allegations, said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, joined Peters and Cornyn as co-sponsors on the Senate bill.

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House, which received support from U.S. Reps. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and Paul Mitchell, R-Dryden.

Stabenow, Peters and Mitchell are all MSU alumni. They said the Nassar scandal requires a firm response to keep college campuses safe.

Peters said there remains a serious trust deficit between MSU and Michigan families. He expressed support for the removal of former interim president John Engler, who faced outcry for several insensitive statements regarding Nassar survivors.

We really have felt this deeply because of what has happened at our alma mater and so we feel a special responsibility to stand up for student athletes and other students, Stabenow said.

Slotkin, a freshman Democrat whose district includes MSUs East Lansing campus, said the Alert Act has the support of MSU interim president Satish Udpa and Oakland university President Ora Pescovitz.

Sex-based harassment is pervasive in the education system but under-reported, said Deborah Vagins, senior vice president of public policy at the American Association of University Women. Many schools are not disclosing incidents of sexual violence, Vagins said.

When schools do not report sexual violence, they deny its existence and thus cannot take the steps necessary to stop it, Vagins said.

Survivors of sexual misconduct do not want Title IX reforms to become part of political battles in Washington, Slotkin said. The senator applauded bipartisan support for the Alert Act, a first step to improve Title IX.

Since taking office in 2019, Slotkin has been vocal about strengthening Title IX guidelines for campus sexual misconduct, putting her at odds with reforms proposed by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Slotkin said DeVos, a Grand Rapids native, accepted her request to meet one-on-one next week.

Proposed regulations released in November 2018 would replace Obama administration guidelines on how to enforce Title IX, allowing universities to require a higher standard of evidence in proving sexual misconduct.

Slotkin said DeVos proposed rules also would have required MSU to ignore accusations against Nassar.

Schools would not be required to address sexual harassment by a school employee under the proposed changes. DeVos reforms would also require schools to dismiss complaints of harassment that occurred outside of school activity.

Slotkin said the reforms take an opposite direction from lessons learned from the Nassar scandal.

In recognition of April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Slotkin held a meeting with sexual abuse survivors and experts to discuss the impacts of DeVos proposed changes. Slotkin urged DeVos to meet with survivors of Nassars sexual misconduct.

Following testimony from more than 200 women in Ingham and Eaton Counties, Nassar was sentenced to 40-175 years in Ingham and 40-125 years in Eaton on first degree criminal sexual conduct charges. He was also sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal child pornography charges.

Simon faces two felony and two misdemeanor counts of lying to a peace officer about her knowledge of the 2014 Title IX complaint against Nassar.
Najran, Saudi Arabia, played host to an invasion of nightmarish proportions when millions of swarming locusts descended over the weekend.

Video footage shot by locals shows the massive plague of insects darkening the skies as they make their way to their next destination of destruction. Several videos shared online since Sunday shows the scale of the infestation which has taken over countries on either side of the Red Sea.

Earlier this year, the United Nations warned that swarms of locusts would be bearing down on Saudi Arabia and spreading along the Red Sea thanks to unusually heavy rainfall. It called on all countries in the flight path to start taking the necessary precautions to limit the insects impact.

Locust swarms contain up to 80 million insects per square mile and they can extend for hundreds of square miles. A very small swarm of locusts, weighing about one ton, can eat the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people.

READ MORE: Biblical prophecy? Red Sea countries braced for plague of locusts

A plague can consume all crops, fruit and vegetation in their path, meaning devastating consequences for farmers and locals.

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Courtesy of Hillary Clinton describing Christian victims of a terrorist attack as Easter worshippers, heres how to use normal language to slyly insult your foes and heroically cover for your friends in 25 easy-to-use examples.

Easter worshippers  Of course, what unites victims of the Sri Lanka bombings is their dedication to  the magical shifting Easter date. This odd 2.2 billion-strong cult is also known as cross wearers, baby water-dippers, and fish-on-Friday eaters.

Far-right  Anything from The Fourth Reich will save the Fatherland to I think residency preferences should be given to foreigners with visas and higher qualifications over those who have crossed illegally and will become dependent on the state. Lump the latter in with the former, and youve got another term in office.

Nativists  Those too simple to understand globalism. To be patronized relentlessly as poor, backward, misfits.

Populists  Those who deviously cloud the minds of those who are too simple to understand globalism by promising to respect their wishes.

Undocumented  Where did their documents go? Keep them in a safe place, particularly if you plan to go traveling.

White  Not just a color.

Man  Not just a gender.

Straight - Nor just a sexual preference.

Straight white man  Here we go: The Democratic race has been dominated by straight white men.Bad, bad, bad.

White Lives Matter  Racist slogan.

All Lives Matter  Still racist slogan.

Black Lives Matter  One of the most important campaigns in recent American history.

Privilege  What makes you think that your superior abilities, skills and education make you better suited for high office or a well-paid job than me? Exceptions for Donald Trump Jr., Chelsea Clinton, and Prince Harry.

Male fragility  We minimize the significance of your grievances because they are caused by you being pathetic. We pretend to care, but actually pity and denigrate you. The problem is always you. 21st century version of female hysteria.

Pro-choice  Who are you to be against choice? Some sort of theocratic dictator?

Pro-life  What, are you pro-death?

Deadname  The name by which I was known for the majority of my life by every single person I knew, the mere mention of which now makes me fly into an offended rage.

Handicapable  Life as a paraplegic is likely hard enough without the well-meaning mockery. Just say disabled.

Sexuality is a spectrum  London to New York is a spectrum, but most people dont live in the Atlantic Ocean.

Europe  To be conflated with the European Union. Youd have to be a moron to quit a continent. And thats why there must be a second referendum. No sleight-of-hand here, then.

Eurocentric  Dont be this. Because the mass enslavement and human sacrifice of the Aztecs are as much a foundation of our shared Western culture as the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution.

Progressive  What could be more forward-looking than dividing up jobs and university places on the basis of skin color and historic events from generations ago, with the help of an ideological template that resulted in millions of deaths throughout the 20th century.

Also on rt.com Media trust ranker NewsGuard launches in UK by greenlighting tabloids, adding ex-NATO chief to board

Legitimate news source  If you say so. Vetted by NewsGuard.

Educate yourself  You are not allowed to disagree with me and I am not even going to listen to anything you have to say.

By Igor Ogorodnev

Igor Ogorodnev is a Russian-British journalist, who has worked at RT since 2007 as a correspondent, editor and writer.
Indian intelligence officers have detained an alleged Islamic State member who planned to carry out a terrorist attack in Kerala province after following the Sri Lankan bombing leader for more than a year.

Riyas Aboobacker, aka Riyas A, is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday after being arrested for conspiring to commit a terrorist act, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said.

He admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala, the agency claimed, noting that during the interrogation, the 29-year-old also disclosed that he has been following speeches/videos of Zahran Hashim of Sri Lanka for more than a year, as well as other radical preachers.

Also on rt.com Extremist cleric with possible ties to ISIS accused of masterminding Sri Lanka bombings

Hashim, a Sri Lankan Muslim preacher, reportedly masterminded the Easter Sunday suicide attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, which killed over 250 people and injured hundreds more. Authorities believe that the cleric also radicalized several Indian youths.

Aboobacker had been questioned by the NIA since Sunday after authorities conducted multiple raids on suspected Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) members. Three group members have been interrogated for their ISIS links and their plans, the NIA said. The raids were linked to the so-called 2016 Kasargod Islamic State case, where at least 15 men left the country to join IS fighters in Syria and Iraq.

Also on rt.com Sri Lankan authorities warn of another wave of attacks by persons dressed in military uniforms

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The total cost of the measures announced by French President Emmanuel Macron to respond to the demands movement of the Yellow Vests demands amounted to nearly 17 billion, Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has said.

Speaking on Tuesday on France 2, he promised to partially offset the bill by saving money on public spending. Of the 17 billion, ten billion correspond to measures announced by Macron in December.

In response to months of anti-government protests, Macron said last week that he would cut income tax further by 5 billion ($5.6 billion).

The president has set a principle of which I am the guarantor: each euro of decrease in income tax must be financed by a decrease of one euro in public spending, Le Maire told LCI television.

France needs 17bn to meet Yellow Vests demands  Finance Minister Le Maire

France needs 17bn to meet Yellow Vests demands  Finance Minister Le Maire

Source : RT - Daily news
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido resorted to calls for a military uprising after his plot to bring about a color revolution lost steam and failed to achieve regime change, political analyst Chris Bambery told RT.

Guaidos recent moves show that he has let the dynamic slip and lost momentum since he challenged Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a self-declared interim president in January, Bambery said. They also indicate that the opposition chiefs popular mobilization has come and gone, he added.

There a hint of desperation [in Juan Guaidos actions]. His attempt to stage a color-coded revolution has not succeeded, so hes reduced to trying to instigate a military coup.

The analyst believes that a coup to oust Maduro was the scenario preferred by Guaidos backers in the US who tried to sow dissent within the army.

Also on rt.com US-backed Guaido calls for Venezuela military uprising in VIDEO of him surrounded by soldiers

The opposition leader earlier claimed to have met with the key units of the Venezuelan Army. In a video address filmed near an airbase in Caracas on Tuesday, he called on the army to end the usurpation by the Maduro government. It was followed by clashes in the capital, as police used tear gas against protesters.

Venezuelan officials denounced the coup attempt, with the defense minister saying the incident was isolated and that army units across the country remained loyal to their commanders. The army is central to the Maduro government staying in power, Bambery said.

There are undoubtedly differences within the army. But, thus far, it seems that the army has stayed with Maduro.

Also on rt.com Venezuelan defense minister says army stands with President Maduro, denounces Guaido as traitor

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Mexico and Havana are calling to end the ongoing coup attempt led by US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in Venezuela, saying that it would likely escalate into a bloody conflict.

The Mexican Government is closely following the situation developing in Venezuela and expresses it worry over the possible escalation of violence and blood loss that could occur because of it, the government said in a statement.

Mexican President Lopez Obrador said Venezuelans should remain peaceful, after self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido on Tuesday attempted to organize a military overthrow of the Nicolas Maduro government.

Guaido, who enjoys the support of the United States and dozens of regional allies, called on Venezuelas military to rise up and overthrow the Maduro government on Tuesday.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted that Cuba rejects this coup movement that tries to fill the country with violence, and called the coup plotters traitors.

Cubas FM also urged an end to the violence, calling on the US to halt aggressions to the peace.
A man was arrested and suspected explosives and ammunition were seized after police and a bomb squad were deployed in the suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, which saw horrific terrorist attacks in two mosques last month.

About 20 police cars and multiple officers were deployed in the Christchurch suburb of Phillipstown at around 3:15pm local time (3:15am GMT) on Tuesday. A bomb squad, an ambulance and a fire brigade were also spotted at the scene.

Officers entered a property in the area and arrested a 33-year-old man after reports of suspicious items at the location. Police have located a package containing a suspected explosive device and ammunition at a vacant address in the city, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price said, adding that the package had been made safe.

Also on rt.com New Zealand PM says no known link between Sri Lanka bombings and Christchurch attack

The police cordoned off a street, asking local residents to stay in their homes.

On March 15, a white supremacist attacked two mosques in Christchurch, gunning down 50 worshipers and injuring hundreds of others. It was the deadliest mass murder in the country since the 1940s.

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Jacob Wohl, who became notorious after his attempt to set up special counsel Robert Mueller on fake rape charges imploded, has been accused of targeting Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg with a similar stunt.

Wohl and Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman reportedly attempted to convince several young Republican men to claim Buttigieg, the gay South Bend, Indiana mayor who has been climbing the Democratic ranks in 2020 presidential polls, sexually assaulted them, according to the Daily Beast, which claims to have spoken to two of the dynamic duos would-be partners.

One of the would-be victims supposedly provided the Beast with a recording of his meeting with Wohl and Burkman, in which Wohl refers to Buttigieg as a terminal threat to the re-election of Donald Trump. The comedy of errors that ensues is almost too ridiculous to be believed - Wohl and Burkman introduce themselves with obvious fake names, attempt to seduce the mark with promises of wealth, fame, and stardom (using Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford as an example of the superstardom awaiting the mark if he just gives a press conference accusing Buttigieg of sexual assault), and promise the mark that there are plenty of actual victims just waiting for him to be first. When he demurs, they ask him if he has any friends that would do it.

This is the Fyre Festival of political operations, the anonymous dupe told the Beast.

Meanwhile, Wohls father, attorney David Wohl, retweeted a now-deleted Medium post from an account named Hunter Kelly which reportedly told the story of his own victimhood at Buttigiegs hands. Reached by phone, Kelly told the Beast the Medium account was an imposter, then posted on his Facebook that not only had he never been sexually assaulted, but that he was working on a formal statement to give to everyone including the Buttigieg family and would never falsely accuse anyone. He had gone to Washington, but only to discuss political situations from the standpoint of a gay Republican, a premise that doesnt sound sketchy at all. The Advocate confirmed his story, posting a screenshot of a text with Wohl and a plane ticket.

Twitter was abuzz with talk of the boneheaded scheme, finding it almost too absurd to be believed.

Most people marveled at how Wohl could pull what appeared to be flagrantly illegal schemes and never go to jail...

(though a minority insisted stupid wasnt a crime)

News outlets like Gateway Pundit that had attempted to signal-boost the original Hunter Kelly accusations slyly edited their articles to reflect the new reality.

Even Wohls dad appeared to be ashamed, deleting his retweet of the Hunter Kelly post.

But a few people pointed out that getting duped by Wohl was nothing compared to spending two years hammering away at Russian collusion.
Global military expenditures reached their peak in 2018, and the driving force behind this increase is the growing appetite of the US military-industrial complex rather than real threats, analysts say.

The world spent $1.8 trillion on its military in 2018, the latest report by the acclaimed Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The US and its NATO allies  the self-proclaimed defenders of freedom and democracy  account for more than half of this whopping amount.

Washingtons other close friend Saudi Arabia is the third largest military spender, coming ahead of India.

A lot of this spending, particularly in the case of Saudi Arabia and India, is for political reasons, Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst at the Pentagon, told RT. New Delhi and Riyadh seek to curry favor with Washington by purchasing the US weapons in hope for concessions in other areas, he explained.

Washingtons NATO allies have seen pressure from the US related to their military spending ever since Donald Trump came to power in the White House. Maloof believes it has less to do with security of the alliance and more with the interests of the US arms manufacturers.

A lot of that is aimed at trying to help the US defense industry to stay ahead [of their competitors] and hire more people, he explained, adding that the issue of the military expenditures has a clear economic dimension.

In its desire to sate the always-hungry domestic military industrial complex, the US risks escalating tensions on the international arena, analysts warn. Washingtons hawks typically justify the need for ever-increasing military expenditures with some perceived threats from Russia or China, portraying them as war mongers.

There is no good reason for larger defense budgets, Ted Seay, a former US diplomat and senior policy consultant with the British American Security Information Council (BASIC), told RT. It is the Wests fear of the perceived Russian threat that has in fact led to destabilization on the European continent, he noted.

Also on rt.com US not interested in matching new Russian weapons, but will use nukes if it 'has to'

There are military provocations taking place between NATO and Russia where there should not be any far in the 21th century when there is no logical reason for any confrontation between Europe and Russia, Seay said.

The former US diplomat also denounced as senseless the NATO formula demanding that member states spend two percent of their GDP on defense.

There is not a military situation that necessitates [the likes of] Latvia or Poland to find a solution in greater military spending. It simply does not exist in this age. But there are people who seem to be intent on creating confrontation and encouraging the NATO countries to spend more money with no good reason.



Yet, it is precisely Poland and the Baltic States that top the list of nations with the highest annual defense spending increases in Europe over the recent years.

Polands military budget rose by 8.9 per cent in 2018 to $11.6 billion, according to SIPRI, while Latvia upped its military expenditures by staggering 24 percent over the same period. Bulgaria and Ukraine  which is not in NATO  followed closely, increasing their spending by 23 and 21 percent respectively.

Meanwhile, the US and its allies grossly outspend all the nations they perceive as alleged threats. The US expenditures alone accounted for 36 percent of global defense spending while exceeding the expenditures of the next eight largest-spending countries combined in 2018. NATOs total military spending accounted for 53 percent of the global defense expenditures.

Also on rt.com Policy of scapegoating: Ron Paul speaks against US militarism feasting on China & Russia threats

China was the only Washingtons perceived rival that made it into top 5 military spenders in 2018. However, Beijings defense budget amounted to only a fraction of the US one and accounted for 14 percent of the global military spending.

Russia, meanwhile, came it at number six by spending some $61.4 billion on the military in 2018, following consecutive defense budget cuts in the last two years. However, these facts do not stop the biggest military spender in the world to accuse Moscow of somehow initiating an arms race.

Anyway, the latest trends show that the world is unlikely to see easing of tensions on the international arena anytime soon, Seay warns.

Too many people have too much money invested in war, he said.

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US President Donald Trump, three of his children, and the Trump Organization filed a federal lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One to block them from complying with federal subpoenas investigating his financial dealings.

The federal lawsuit was filed in the US District Courts Southern District of New York. It asserted that demands for records by Democrat-controlled House committees have no legitimate or lawful purpose.

The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, the lawsuit said.

Also on rt.com 'Like a 3rd world country!' Trump attacks Democrat 'coup' in 1st post-Mueller interview

It also complained that the Democrats are hoping they will stumble upon something they can expose publicly and use as a political tool against the President.

The filing said the two banks have long provided business and personal banking services to the Trumps, and the subpoenas, seeking a complete accounting of financial records, are an instance of remarkable overbreadth.

It called for a permanent injunction prohibiting Deutsche Bank and Capital One from disclosing, revealing, delivering, or producing the requested information, or otherwise complying with the subpoenas.

Also on rt.com Deutsche Bank refuses Democrats' demand to give up Trumps financial details

The suit which includes the Trump Organization and Trumps three eldest children (Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka) states that the court has the power to declare the subpoenas invalid.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters released a joint statement calling the lawsuit meritless.

On April 15, Schiff and Waters issued subpoenas to Deutsche Bank (which is one of the Trump Organizations major lenders) and several other financial institutions as part of investigations into Trumps finances.

The potential use of the US financial system for illicit purposes is a very serious concern. The financial services committee is exploring these matters, including as they may involve the president and his associates, as thoroughly as possible, Waters said in a statement. Schiff said previously the subpoenas issued included a friendly subpoena to Deutsche Bank.

Trump recently said he intends to defy any efforts from the Democrats to dig into his affairs.

Deutsche Bank said in a statement it will comply with all subpoenas and court orders.

We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations, a representative of Deutsche Bank said.

In 2017, the bank rejected requests by Democrats in the House of Representatives to provide details of the presidents finances, citing privacy laws.
Theres no point in knocking Trump out of the White House if a Democratic president has only more endless war to offer, Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard has declared in a deleted, then reposted campaign tweet.

I might get in trouble for saying this, but what does it matter if we beat Donald Trump if we end up with someone who will perpetuate the very same crony capitalist policies, corporate policies, and waging more of these costly wars? Gabbard asks a room full of supporters in the clip, to thunderous applause.

The most attacks I get are not from Republicans, the Hawaiian congresswoman continues. Theyre from Democrats, theyre from people in the mainstream media, theyre from people in the foreign policy establishment that youre talking about, people who represent the interest of the military industrial complex.

The clip, which went viral after reports that it had been mysteriously deleted from her feed, opens on an emotional testimonial from an Afghani immigrant explaining that she placed her hopes in Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders in the 2016 election, only to be disappointed when the Democratic Party rigged the contest in Hillary Clintons favor. How are you going to fight your own party? she asks.

The tweet, which was supposedly deleted immediately after posting, went viral over the weekend, with supporters speculating that Gabbard had been intimidated into taking it down by the Democrats. For the 2020 election, the Democratic National Committee has required all candidates seeking its nomination to sign a loyalty oath pledging to support the Democratic nominee instead of running as a third-party candidate if they lose. Gabbard famously resigned from her post as vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2016 to endorse Sanders, and the video suggests her loyalty remains to principles over party.

The video was reposted by Gabbards campaign Twitter on Sunday, leaving unsolved the mystery of its disappearance - but it certainly made for a good story, and probably contributed to the videos spread.

Democrats have vociferously opposed Gabbards candidacy, hammering not only the Assad apologist and Putin puppet narratives listed on the Republican Partys opposition talking points, but also dredging up her work with her fathers Alliance for Traditional Marriage as a teenager, despite her public apology for that work and the evolution of her stance on gay marriage in the intervening decades.

Also on rt.com Trump is Saudi Arabias servant as he refused to end US support of Yemen war  Tulsi Gabbard

Despite a packed field of candidates - over 20 - Democratic voters have few choices outside Gabbard if they oppose American interventionism. Even Sanders has been reticent in speaking out against the Trump administrations regime change campaign in Venezuela. Mike Gravel, the 88-year-old former Alaska senator whose campaign is run by a pair of 17-year-olds, is the only other Democrat to come out staunchly against foreign wars.

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Germany is going to celebrate three decades since its reunification next year. One tiny problem: the Interior Ministry has seemingly overlooked this fact and is now desperate for additional funding to make things right.

German Unity Day is a major national holiday the country celebrates every October as it marks the anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany after the Cold War, which was formally completed back in 1990. In 2020, the nation will mark 30 years since the memorable date.

Also on rt.com Almost half of Germans do not know top national candidates for EU parliament

Although, this milestone anniversary is quite hard to miss, at least if you are a German, it apparently escaped the attention of the entire Interior Ministry, which is actually responsible for organizing the commemorative festivities, up until now.

That is what the ministry said as its officials turned up at the office of the Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and asked for some 61 million ($68.45 million) in two years in addition to its budget that accounted for almost 16 billion ($17.95 billion) in 2019 alone.

The need was unforeseen, the ministry led by Horst Seehofer, a member of the Bavarian Christian Social Union allied to Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democrats, said, adding that the additional financial requirements are unquestionable and the expenses unavoidable.

The ministry then admitted that the understanding of a need to [celebrate] the 30th anniversary of the German Unity  in a very special way in terms of scope and content became apparent only after the end of the debates on the 2019 federal budget, which were held in late 2018.

The German Finance Ministry usually reserves some extra funds for some really unpredictable emergency situations like natural disasters or major crises. And one has to admit that German Unity Day celebrations do not really fit into this category. Still, the Interior Ministry managed to present the whole situation as a sort of national emergency.

Also on rt.com Witch hunt legacy: German city still pays Church to settle debt to warlock burned centuries ago

A failure to celebrate the landmark date in a very special way could exacerbate existing public frustration and tendencies towards social division as well as outright harm political and social interests of the state, the ministry warned, according to the German Suddeutsche Zeitung, which was the first to report on the issue, citing a paper the Finance Ministrys parliamentary secretary, Bettina Hagedorn, presented to the Budget Committee.

The Interior Ministry also vowed to take comprehensive measures aimed at planning and holding the anniversary year [celebrations], adding that they should involve not only festivals but also a serious and honest dialog about social cohesion and ways to improve living conditions. The ministrys parliamentary secretary, Marco Wanderwitz also denied his superiors forgot about the milestone anniversary altogether, explaining that initial plans simply involved less ambitious celebrations.

Stolz apparently never planned to be a spoilsport anyway and the additional funds Seehofers ministry requested were promptly allocated. The Interior Ministry then established a special Jubilee Commission tasked with developing concrete plans on how to spend this hefty sum of money, which it is expected to be presented by August.

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Self declared Venezuelan interim President Juan Guiado has called for a military uprising in a video shot at a Caracas airbase. In the video he is accompanied by a number of soldiers, and detained activist Leopoldo Lopez.

US-backed Guaido calls for Venezuela military uprising in VIDEO of him surrounded by soldiers

US-backed Guaido calls for Venezuela military uprising in VIDEO of him surrounded by soldiers

Source : RT - Daily news
A museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts is calling on Germanys Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party to take down anti-Islamic and anti-immigration election posters bearing one of its artworks.

The 19th century painting, Slave Market, held by the Clark Art Institute, depicts a naked white woman being examined by dark-skinned slave traders and has been printed on European election campaign posters by the German right-wing party. A slogan above the striking image says: So that Europe wont become Eurabia! Europeans vote for AfD.

Apart from Germany, some of the posters have also been put up in London.

Clark Art Institute director Olivier Meslay has demanded the party remove the posters, telling the AP that the museum is strongly opposed to the use of this work to advance any political agenda. The museum did not provide the image for the party, he added, and conceded that the painting is in the public domain and the posters do not breach copyright.

Also on rt.com Speculation mounts that Banksy has left his mark on Extinction Rebellion protests

The museum describes the painting as a disturbing scene set in a vague location intended to suggest the Near East and allowing contemporary French viewers to censure the practice of slavery, which was outlawed in Europe, while enjoying a look at the female body.

Critics of the posters claim they are designed to stoke old-fashioned fears about white men having to protect their women from invading darker men. The AfD has refused to remove the posters, calling the museums demands an attempt to gag the party.

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Venezuela's defense forces stand behind President Nicolas Maduro, Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino has said, after opposition leader Juan Guaido claimed he had military backing in his attempt to oust the country's chief.

Writing on Twitter in reference to a video Guaido posted on his own feed, flanked by men in military uniform Padrino said: The FANB [Venezuela Armed Forces] stands firm in defense of the National Constitution and its legitimate authorities. All the military units deployed in the eight Integral Defense Regions report normalcy in their barracks and military bases, under the command of their natural commanders.

He added that the defense force reject this coup movement that aims to fill the country with violence and stated the pseudo political leaders fronting this subversive movement have used troops and police with weapons of war on a public road in the city to create anxiety and terror, calling them cowards.

He finished with a rousing Always loyal, Traitors never!

In his video, Guaido had said he was at the Caracas air base La Carlota, and Lopez said he had been freed by troops supporting Guaido.

"The national armed forces have taken the correct decision,and they are counting on the support of the Venezuelan people," Guaido said in the video.

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez tweeted that Venezuela's government was confronting a small group of military traitors seeking to promote a coup.

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Bolivia's president has come out in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after opposition chief Juan Guaido claimed he had military support in his final phase of ousting the country's elected leader.

Maduro retweeted a note of support from President Evo Morales on Tuesday morning. Morales wrote on Twitter: We strongly condemn the coup attempt in #Venezuela, by the right wing that is submissive to foreign interests. Sure that the courageous Bolivarian Revolution at the head of the brother @NicolasMaduro, will be imposed on this new attack of the empire.

He pointed a finger at the Guaido-supporting US in a second tweet, writing: The United States with its interference and promoting coups seeks to provoke violence and death in #Venezuela, it does not care about human losses, only its interests. We must be vigilant and united so that the coup plotters never return to our region.

Also on rt.com WATCH tear gas fired on highway near Caracas air base where Guaido appeared in video with soldiers

Morales has been vocal in his opposition to US interference in Venezuelan politics, previously calling aid sent by the country a Trojan horse to invade and provoke a war. Bolivia is not the only Latin American country that has stood by Maduro in the ongoing struggle for primacy. Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay and Nicaragua have remained firm in their recognition of Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned countries supporting Maduro there would be consequences to their actions, and pointed at recent tourism sanctions levied on Cuba as an example.

Also on rt.com Venezuelan defense minister says army stands with President Maduro, denounces Guaido as traitor

Guaido has argued that Maduro's 2018 reelection was illegitimate, and in recent weeks has stepped up pressure on Maduro to resign. In response, Maduro's government has stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and barred him from leaving the country.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  The Philippines will sign up for a special insurance facility against natural hazards, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

The country will join the ranks of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Japan as a member of the Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility (SEADRIF) to minimize the impact of the many natural disasters that hit the Philippines.

The facility provides an insurance pool which can be tapped by member-states when earthquakes, typhoons, floods, and other calamities happen.

In a statement, the DOF said that Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III had committed to sign the memorandum of understanding on behalf of the government during the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Fiji this week.

The Philippines is part of the V20, or the global group of countries considered most vulnerable to natural disasters.

The country was rocked by a series of earthquakes last week, which started with a magnitude 6.1 tremor that hit Luzon and claimed 18 lives.

Dominguez was invited by Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso to join the pool. Japan is leading discussions on the SEADRIF together with Singapore.

To protect itself from the hefty cost of disaster recovery and reconstruction, the Philippines earlier secured a P20.49-billion parametric insurance policy to allow national agencies and local government units to get hold of cash for urgent rebuilding needs.
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Lodha group MD & CEO Abhishek Lodha and Godrej Properties executive chairman Pirojsha Godrej have made an investment in co-living firm Housr that plans to infuse Rs 350 crore by end of the next year to reach 50,000 beds, a top company official said.

Housr, which has been co-founded by Tribeca Developers MD Kalpesh Mehta and Deepak Anand, did not disclose the amount infused by the two promoters and three investors -- Abhishek Lodha, Pirojsha Godrej and Unimark group Chairman Harsh Patodia.

However, it said the funds have been raised at a "USD 30 million pre-money valuation".

The co-living firm has already taken on lease 10,000 beds in Gurugram (Haryana), Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Mumbai and Kota (Rajasthan).

Housr has taken on long-term lease two residential towers from realty firm Tulip Infratech to launch its first co-living project in Gurugram. This property would be operational in 4-6 weeks in a price range of Rs 10,000-25,000 per month per bed including breakfast.

Co-living concepts have gained momentum in India in last few years, prompting many players to enter this business including hospitality firm Oyo.

To encash rising demand, Housr will offer large format co-living space, with 500-700 beds per property, for millennials as well as students.

"We launched this venture six months ago. We have raised pre-series A funding from Abhishek Lodha, Pirojsha Godrej and Harsh Patodia to scale up our business. They have invested in personal capacity," Anand told PTI.

Housr is a super aggregator of properties, which creates experiences, fosters communities through tech-enabled co-living spaces, Anand said.

When contacted, Mehta said the company is targeting to reach 50,000 beds by 2020-end which would require an investment of Rs 300-350 crore.

"Over 50 million young professionals and students migrate to cities. So, there is a huge demand for co-living space," he said.

The company plans to enter markets such as Chandigarh, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in next 18 months.

"Housr has all the ingredients required to disrupt this space through a super aggregated, and community first approach. As a developer and an investor, I look forward to supporting Housr to transform the co-living industry in India," Lodha said.

Kalpesh Mehta, the founder of Tribeca, has been instrumental in bringing Trump Towers projects in India. Tribeca is developing many realty projects across India.

An INSEAD alumnus, Deepak Anand comes with a diverse background in private equity, banking, distribution with leadership roles at HSBC, HDFC and HT Media.
Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on April 30 directed the National Stock Exchange to 'disgorge' Rs 625 crore with 12 percent per annum interest in the co-location case.

Accounting for the interest, the disgorgement amount totals roughly over Rs 1,000 crore.

The regulator has also barred the exchange from the securities market for six months. This means the NSE cannot access the capital market in terms of IPO for six months.

NSE did not exercise due diligence while putting in place TBT (Tick-by-Tick) architecture, SEBI said in its order.

The disgorgement amount has to be deposited in the Investor Protection and Education Fund (IPEF).

The regulator has also found the two former managing directors of NSE guilty in the case.

NSE's former MD and CEO Ravi Narain has been directed to disgorge 25 percent of his salary drawn for FY 2010-11 to 2012-13 to the IPEF within 45 days. The other former MD Chitra Ramkrishna has also been asked to disgorge 25 percent of the salary drawn for FY 2013-14, to the IPEF within the same period.

The SEBI order does not specify if the 25 percent is to be calculated on gross or net pay for the period. However, the amount works out to anywhere between Rs 3 to 6 crore for Narain while for Ramkrishna it comes to about Rs 50 lakh to a little over Rs 1 crore if calculated separately on gross and net basis.

Narain had started off at NSE in the year 2000. After he retired in March 2013 Ramkrishna took over as the CEO for nearly three years until she stepped down in December 2016.

Also Read: How Ravi Narain built the NSE, and then lost the grip

Both Narain and Ramkrishna have been prohibited from associating with a listed company or a market Infrastructure Institution or any other market intermediary for a period of five years.

In its order, the SEBI directed on the following three things - NSE shall disgorge an amount of Rs.624.89 crore, with interest calculated at the rate of 12 percent per annum from April 01, 2014 onwards to the IPEF created by SEBI under Section 11 of the SEBI Act, within 45 days from the date of this order;

- NSE shall be prohibited from accessing the securities market directly

or indirectly for a period of six (6) months from the date of this order; and

- The exchange shall carry out System Audit at frequent intervals, after through appraisal of the technological changes introduced from time to time; reconstitute its Standing Committee on Technology at regular intervals to take stock of technological issues, and frame a clear policy on administering whistleblower complaints.

SEBI had initiated enforcement action against various entities in the NSE co-location case on June 21 following allegations that the exchange had given some traders preferential access to its facility.
You may soon have to shell out more money for a cold one, as Indian breweries are likely to import barley this season to offset the shortfall in domestic production of the cereal.

According to a report in The Economic Times, barley production in India may take a hit, with experts suggesting that domestic production may fall about 1.92 million tonnes from the previous year.

Looking at the barley crop arrival in the mandis (markets), we expect it to be a less crop. It can be 7-10 percent less. Also, we feel that with prices of maize and millets very high, the cattle feed industry is buying more of barley. This is leading to firm prices, Pramil Jindal, MD of Barmalt Malting Company told the daily.

Reports suggest that Indian breweries may have to shell out up to 10 percent more for the imported barley compared to the domestic produce.

"On an average, imported barley at the company gate is being quoted at Rs 1,950-2,000 a quintal, while the Indian variety is available at Rs 1,875-1,900 a quintal," said Jindal.

The report added that 60,000 tonnes of barley has already been imported from Argentina and more contracts are in the pipeline.

Duty-free imports are meant for actual users and imports in such high volumes is only being done by the malting industry, said a Delhi-based grain trader Rajesh Paharia.

Apart from being an important component in brewing beer, barley is also used for making food supplements such as Bournvita and Horlicks as well as bread and animal fodder.

Major breweries including Barmalt, United Breweries, Glencore, Cofco, Louis Dreyfus among others are currently on a buying spree in barley growing states such as Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

However, trade experts suggest that five or six more vessels of 50,000-60,000 tonnes maybe contracted by Indian companies by the next quarter.
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Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on April 30 launched a novel and patented anti-diabetes drug belonging to the class of sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, which is said to be 50-60 percent cheaper than the existing medications of same class in the market.

The drug, generically called as Remogliflozin etabonate, is used in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus in adults and was approved by Indian drug regulator CDSCO in March this year. India is the first country where the drug will be sold.

According to data from IQVIA, India's diabetes market is estimated at Rs 11,413 crore for the year ended March 2019. The market size of SGLT2 inhibitors is estimated at Rs. 574 crore in the same period.

The exact price of Remogliflozin isn't yet known.

At present three versions of SGLT2 inhibitors are sold in India belonging to British drug maker Astrazeneca's dapagliflozin (Farxiga), US-based Janssen Pharmaceuticals canagliflozin (Invokana) and Germany-based Boehringer Ingelheim's empagliflozin (Jardiance). Their cost range anywhere between Rs 450 to Rs 550 per 10 tablets.

Glenmark said it will commercialise Remogliflozin in India under brand names Remo and Remozen.

SGLT2 inhibitors are third generation anti-diabetic drugs that help achieve glycemic control by acting on the SGLT2 receptors in the proximal tubule of the kidney, thereby preventing renal reabsorption of glucose and promoting excretion of glucose in the urine.

SGLT2 drugs provide glycemic control, induce weight loss and reduce cardiovascular risks.

Glenmark received regulatory approval for Remogliflozin 100 mg tablets, twice daily, after successfully completing Phase-3 clinical trials in which Remogliflozin demonstrated good efficacy and safety profile in a head-to-head comparison against Dapagliflozin.

Remogliflozin, the latest drug in SGLT2 inhibitors' class to get regulatory approval in the world, has been studied in 26 clinical trials globally, covering around 2,500 people from various ethnicities.

Remogliflozin was discovered and developed by Japanese firm Kissei Pharmaceutical and later developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Glenmark collaborator BHV Pharma, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avolynt.

Glenmark secured certain rights to Remogliflozin through a licensing collaboration agreement with BHV Pharma, and conducted the Phase-3 clinical trial.

"Globally, SGLT2 inhibitors are emerging as a preferred treatment for management of type-2 diabetes and Glenmark is proud to introduce a novel molecule in this class, which is cutting-edge and researched extensively. Diabetes is a key area of focus for Glenmark and with the launch of Remogliflozin, the company aims to improve access to SGLT2 inhibitors by providing an effective, high quality and world-class treatment option to patients in India," said Sujesh Vasudevan, President, India Formulations, Middle East and Africa at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals.

The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes have recommended use of SGLT2 inhibitors as an alternative first line treatment to Metformin or as an adjunctive treatment in the management of type-2 diabetes mellitus.

SGLT2 inhibitors are particularly recommended for use in patients that have certain established cardiovascular diseases.

India is estimated to have around 72 million adults living with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federations Diabetes Atlas 2017.
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Sumit Bilgaiyan

The market turned highly volatile during F&O expiry week as India VIX touched 25.

At the end of the week, Nifty managed to close 2 points higher against previous week but during the week market breadth remained weak which is a negative sign.

Crude oil touched USD 75 per barrel but showed sharp fall from higher level. During the week, Axis Bank, Ultratech Cement and Tata Steel posted robust numbers while Maruti Suzuki, ACC, Hero Motocorp and Yes Bank posted poor numbers.

We are still bullish on market and buy on decline will be the best strategy for coming days.

Many companies like Bank of Maharasthra, Reliance Nippon, Castrol, Trent, Orient Cement, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Zensar Tech, Godrej Properties, Ajanta Pharma, Ambuja Cement, Can Fin Homes, Concor, Gruh Finance, Raymond, TVS Motor, Exide Industries, Britannia Industries, Gujarat Gas, Future Life, Dabur, Blue Star, MRF, Kansai Nerolac, Tata Power, Radico Khaitan, Bandhan Bank, HUL, Godrej Consumer, Tata Chemicals, Century Textile, etc will declare their Q4 results during this week.

For the week, Nifty has strong support at 11,660-11,570 levels and resistance at 11,825-11,900 levels.

Dr Reddys Laboratories:

Finally stock has given comfortable close above consolidation zone on weekly chart which is technically bullish sign. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is an integrated pharmaceutical company, committed to providing affordable and innovative medicines for healthier lives. Through its three businesses - Pharmaceutical Services & Active Ingredients, Global Generics and Proprietary Products - Dr. Reddy's offers a portfolio of products and services including APls, custom pharmaceutical services, generics, biosimilars and differentiated formulations.

Its major markets include - USA, India, Russia & CIS countries, and Europe. During 9MFY19, its PAT grew 121.54 percent to Rs 1494.7 crore from Rs 674.7 crore on 7.41 percent higher sales of Rs 11123.4 crore.

Stock trades at PE ratio of 27.5x. During Q3FY19 in global generics segment companys emerging markets revenue grew 31 percent, Russian markets revenue grew 22 percent, other CIS countries revenue grew 45 percent, Indian markets revenue grew 10 percent while North American markets revenue declined 8 percent. Company will announce Q4 numbers on May 17, 2019. We are recommending a buy in staggered manner for medium to long term.

Aurobindo Pharma:

Aurobindo Pharma is a world-leading marketer and manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The companys robust product portfolio is spread over 7 major therapeutic/product areas encompassing Antibiotics, Anti-Retrovirals, CVS, CNS, Gastroenterologicals, Anti-Allergies and Anti-Diabetics.

The US and Europe are Aurobindos two most important markets accounting for over 70 percent of the companys USD 2.6 billion sales. During 9MFY19, its net profit stood to Rs 1779.31 crore on 14.53 percent higher sales of Rs 14023.94 crore.

During Q3FY19, its US formulations sales grew 27.4 percent, Europe formulation sales grew 10.3 percent, growth markets sales grew 36.1 percent and APIs sales grew by 20.4 percent. FPIs hold 21.47 percent while Mutual Funds hold 13.45 percent stake in this company. It paid 125 percent interim dividend for FY19.

At the CMP, the stock traded at a P/E of 21x. We are recommending a buy in staggered manner for medium to long term.

Oil India:

Oil India explores for, develops, and produces crude oil and natural gas in India and internationally. The company operates through Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and Pipeline Transportation segments. It is also involved in the transportation of crude oil; and production of LPG, as well as in the provision of exploration and production related services.

The company owns and operates 1,157 kilometers of cross-country crude oil pipelines; and 13 drilling rigs and 14 work-over rigs, as well as owns 10 crude oil pumping stations and 17 repeater stations in Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar states.

For 9MFY19, its PAT grew by 55.36 percent to Rs 2798.68 crore from Rs 1801.43 crore on 39.04 percent higher income of Rs 10648.07 crore fetching an EPS of Rs 24.66.

At the CMP, the stock traded at a P/E of 5.5x. Company paid 150 percent dividend for FY18 & paid 85 percent interim dividend for FY19. We are recommending a buy in staggered manner for medium to long term.

(The author is Founder at equity99.)

The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
As many as 10 fund houses had an exposure worth Rs 5,000 crore to the debt papers of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG).

Concerns have cropped up after ADGA Group's Reliance Home Finance (RHFL) was downgraded by CARE Ratings. The latter downgraded the housing finance companys long-term debt programme of Rs 4,979 crore to default due to delay in servicing bank debt.

The rating was downgraded to CARE D from CARE BBB+ due to delays in debt servicing with some of the banks and factored in linkages between RHFL and its parent Reliance Capital, the report stated.

Instruments with CARE D rating are in default or are expected to be in default soon.

RHFL is one of the countrys leading private sector home loan companies, incorporated in 2008.

Clearing the air, RHFL issued a press release stating: "We have been affected by a timing mismatch with regards to the ongoing securitisation/monetisation proposals with banks. The same has resulted in minor delay on principal repayments aggregating Rs 542 crore to around five-to-six banks and is limited only to our bank borrowings."

RHFL expects to regularise all such repayments very shortly. We have already completed securitisation of over Rs. 5,500 crore in debt papers from October 1, 2018 till date. We are engaged in active discussions for further securitisation/monetisation of our asset base, the company said.

It reassured investors that it is completely current and regular on principal repayments on all its capital market borrowings aggregating Rs 7,708 crore.

After the downgrade of RHFL, Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management Company also issued a press release stating, Reliance Mutual Fund (RMF) has an exposure of Rs 535 crore and Rs 1,083 crore to long-term non-convertible debentures issued by RCFL (Reliance Commercial Finance) and RHFL, respectively. These exposures are held in roughly 10 percent of RMFs total 166 fixed income and hybrid schemes.

Till maturity of these instruments, and in line with SEBI regulations, there will be a mark-to-market valuation impact on the above exposure on the basis of revised valuation provided by independent valuation agencies, with corresponding impact on net asset values of schemes holding these investments, the statement added.

RMF had the highest exposure worth Rs 1,749.76 crore, followed by Franklin Templeton, which held around Rs 960.47 crore in ADAG debt papers as of March 31.

In a response to an e-mail query sent by Moneycontrol, L&T Mutual Fund, which had an exposure worth Rs 290 crore to ADAG debt papers, stated, "CARE has downgraded Reliance Commercial Finance's standalone rating from BBB+ to C/D. We have nil exposure to any of these downgraded instruments. We have exposure to Rs 40 crore of RCFL's NCDs in two fixed maturity plans, which are backed by a 100 percent corporate guarantee of Reliance Capital. Accordingly, our NCDs continue to be rated at par with Reliance Capital and are currently rated at CARE A(SO), which is investment grade, and hence valued as per the valuation provided by independent valuation agencies."

The spokesperson for DHFL Pramerica MF said: ''We would like to confirm that DHFL Pramerica's current aggregate exposure to the ADAG entities stands reduced to INR 340 cr, since there was a repayment in one of our holdings during the month of April 2019. The exposure pegged at INR 415 cr is therefore incorrect. Our exposure to Reliance Commercial Finance is a structured transaction based on the credit enhancement offered by the Parent - Reliance Capital which is rated Care A. As such, our structure also carries the rating of Care A (So). There is no change in the ratings of our instrument despite the change in rating of Reliance Commercial Finance on a stand-alone basis. Being investment grade securities, it does not warrant any mark down. Valuation of these bonds are assigned by the external rating agencies (Crisil and Icra) on a daily basis.''

What next?

While RMF has taken a call to mark down the debt securities, others are yet to take a call.

Ratings downgrades affect MF schemes holdings such papers. After downgrades, MFs mark down the valuation of debt papers as per SEBI's MTM norms. Like in case of IL&FS and Essel Group earlier, Kotak Mutual Fund had marked down the securities by half.

In September last year, rating agency ICRA downgraded debt papers of IL&FS by several notches, across maturities. Other rating agencies such as CARE had also downgraded papers of IL&FS and its group companies.

Back then, MF schemes with exposure to IL&FS and IL&FS Financial Services had to take a 25 percent markdown on their holdings in these instruments.

The NAV of at least 25 MF schemes were hit after credit rating agencies downgraded the ratings of debt securities issued by IL&FS and its subsidiary IL&FS Financial Services.

It remains to be seen by how much the two ADAG papers are marked down by MFs, how much it affects their NAVs and how many redemptions come in open debt schemes after this news.

For the past seven months, ever since the IL&FS episode, all categories of lenders in India, including banks, MFs, etc, have put a complete freeze on additional lending to HFCs and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), and have instead only been insisting upon reduction of existing borrowings.
Business magnate Ness Wadia was served a two-year prison sentence for possession of drugs in Japan in March, which was later suspended for five years.

According to a Financial Times article, which reported on the matter on April 30, Wadia was found to be in possession of 25 grams of cannabis resin at the New Chitose Airport in the Japanese island of Hokkaido in March.

As per the report, Wadia admitted to possessing the drugs for personal consumption and that he was detained for a short period before a Japanese court announced the sentence on March 20. The report noted that the sentence was later suspended for five years.

A spokesperson from the Wadia group said Ness Wadia has since left Japan. "The judgement is clear. It's a suspended sentence. Hence, it won't impact Wadia in the discharge of any of his responsibilities."

Wadia is heir to the 283-year old Wadia group, which runs several enterprises ranging from biscuit company Britannia Industries to budget airline GoAir. The group also owns a stake in IPL team Kings XI Punjab.

The great grandson of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, earlier hit the headlines in 2014 when actor and co-owner of Kings XI Punjab accused him of molesting her.
US-based networking company Netgear is exploring manufacturing opportunities in India and will start manufacturing its products by 2020, said its CEO Patrick Lo.

The decision to shift its manufacturing hub from China is in the light of on-going US-China trade war.

Netgear manufactures networking hardware such as routers for business enterprises and high-end consumers segment. For the $1.1 billion company, B2B businesses account for about $300 million and the rest comes from consumer business.

"We are looking at opportunities to see whether we would be able to harness some of the manufacturing sites in India to shift our manufacturing capacities from China," Lo, who was in India for the launch of new products, told Moneycontrol.

The company has multiple manufacturing locations in China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand and all of them third party manufacturers.

We are looking at whether we could made India the fifth location and gradually use India to replace China entirely," Lo added.

For manufacturing, the company is looking at third party providers such as Foxconn in Chennai and in multiple locations in the country. "It is new for us. But if everything goes well we should start manufacturing within a year," he added.

Explaining the company's decision to shift manufacturing base, Lo reasoned that with Trump administration levying 25 percent tax on products manufactured in China, the company wanted to shift its manufacturing base to India.

The US and Canada are the biggest markets for the company accounting about 70 percent of Netgear's business. Asia Pacific region accounts for 15-20 percent.

Talking about the growth, Lo said that India is an exciting market for the company.

"Many firms now are looking beyond China for manufacturing and looking at India as a potential manufacturing hub," he said.
Some public sector banks may soon receive an invitation from the government to discuss another round of mergers in the sector, a Finance Ministry official told The Economic Times. These may include Punjab National Bank (PNB), Union Bank of India (UBI) and Bank of India (BoI).

"We wouldn't like to wait for too long. If the banks are not able to provide options, then the alternate mechanism (AM) group can make suggestions," the official told the newspaper. He hinted there could be a merger in the second or third quarter of the current fiscal.

The merger process of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank had started in October last year. On April 1, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank were merged into Bank of Baroda to form the third-largest bank in the country.

However, the official said the second merger does not have to involve three parties. "We will be looking at various combinations. It has to be organic. Besides, we will like some of these large banks to further consolidate their balance sheets in the first two quarters," the official told the newspaper.

Moneycontrol couldnt independently verify the report.

On the flip side, some government officials do not believe now is the right time for another merger as BoI has just emerged from the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) prompt corrective action (PCA) framework. The PCA is a set of guidelines set by the RBI for banks that have weak financial metrics.

The other two, PNB and UBI, are also in recovery stages, the report quoted one government official as saying.

Other than BoI, Oriental Bank of Commerce and Bank of Maharashtra had been pulled out of the PCA framework in February.

Mergers are not the answer to every problem in the banking sector and the government should open itself to alternatives other than creating too-big-to-fail structures, a senior executive at a public sector bank told the newspaper.
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Fashion is one of the top three categories for Amazon in terms of number of customers as well as business done, a top executive said on April 30.

Overall fashion is one of the top three largest categories. It also contributes the largest in customers (acquisition), Mayank Shivam, Director, category management, Amazon Fashion, told Moneycontrol in an interaction.

He declined to talk about market share captured by the fashion category at a time when Flipkart Group that constituents of three fashion brands -- Flipkart Fashion, Myntra and Jabong claims to be having 80 percent market share of the online fashion segment.

Declining to comment on the competitor's claims, the company said that it sticks to third party reports, adding that according to a IMRB study that used a sample size of 32000 people across 200 cities, Amazon Fashion had the highest order share as a single, standalone marketplace during the festive season in 2017.

Besides fashion, the other top categories for Amazon include, smartphones, large appliances, consumer electronics and consumables.

Within fashion, Amazon is also counting big on the jewellery segment, which was launched in 2014.

The company claims to be offering over 100 brands including Malabar, Senco, MMTC and Kalyan Jewelers with a selection of over 5 lakh styles and 1 lakh unique designs.

More than 50,000 Indian exporters are now selling over 140 million Made In India products to Amazon customers across the globe through its marketplaces worldwide.

Amazon also announced that its Global Selling program has achieved a milestone of $1 billion in e-commerce exports sale from India in three years of its launch in India.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday charged that the Congress has "lies" in its DNA and asked how it will give "Nyay" when it has always done injustice.

He also said there is no "dalali" in the BJP government and if funds are given under any scheme, they go straight to beneficiaries.

Speaking at an election meeting, Adityanath said, "The Congress has lies in its DNA. They say they will give Nyay (justice)...we ask you have always done injustice with the people here. How will you give Nyay now."

He was referring to the 'Ab Hoga Nyay' election tagline of the Congress.

The chief minister said if five years of the BJP government are compared with 55 years of the Congress, and if two years of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh with 17 years of the SP and BSP governments then the BJP will prove to be much better.

He also said during the Congress governments, "Pakistani terrorists used to behead jawans, but now when soldiers are martyred, it is avenged by going inside Pakistan".

Later, addressing an election rally in Bahraich, Adityanath said, "On internal and external fronts, the Modi government has done wonderful work. Terrorism and Naxalism, which had spread almost across the entire country, is now confined only in some districts of the country."

He claimed during the reign of the SP and the BSP, there was no electricity as both indulged in "discrimination" in supplying power.

"Both of them indulged in discrimination in supplying power. But our government has never indulged in discrimination when it comes to electricity distribution. In the BJP government, on one hand the poor people are getting houses, toilets and electricity, and on the other hand, an atmosphere has been created in the country," he said.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the UP chief minister claimed, "When Modiji speaks in Sitapur, the prime minister of Pakistan sweats. This is new India."

He also addressed an election meeting in Amethi and attacked the Congress.

"Due to the policies of the Congress, the menace of terrorism and Naxalism germinated," Adityanath said.

Bahraich and Amethi go to polls on May 6.
Representative image

Cyclone Fani is expected to intensify into an "extremely severe" storm as it heads toward the coast of Odisha, the India Meteorological Office said on Tuesday.

The storm is currently in the Bay of Bengal about 690 km (414 miles) east-southeast of Chennai and moved north-northwest at a speed of 16 km per hour (10 miles per hour) over the past six hours, the office said.

Fani is generating maximum sustained winds of 85 knots, or about 157 kph (98 mph), according to a storm advisory from the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

The India Meteorological Office has forecast heavy rainfall in Odisha and in some parts of the state of Andhra Pradesh in the next few days.

The Odisha state government has asked officials to be alert and evacuate people if the storm intensifies and makes landfall in the state, Bishnupada Sethi, the state's special relief commissioner, told Reuters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his officials and the National Crisis Management Committee to stay in touch with the states at risk from Cyclone Fani, a government statement said.

Separately, the weather office also forecast thunder squalls over the state of Tamil Nadu and the federally administered area of Puducherry over the next five days.

At least 60 people were killed in lightning strikes and by collapsing houses during a thunderstorm across northern and western India earlier this month.
Stepping up his attack on Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said even security personnel guarding the prime minister's official residence in Delhi may say the "chowkidar" (watchman) is a "chor" (thief).

Addressing a poll rally here in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi also reiterated his allegations over the Rafale jet purchase deal.

"I can say with guarantee...if you go in front of the Race Course Road (residence of the PM) where personnel of CRPF, BSF stand with guns...and utter the word 'chowkidar' in front of them, they will respond by saying 'chor hai'.

"You go to Race Course Road in Delhi and try this..say 'chowkidar'..Probably the security personnel standing before Narendra Modi's residence would say, 'chor hai'," he said.

The Congress president said such reply was a given "because the entire country knows that Modi has waived Rs 5.55 lakh crore of 15 persons in the country in the last five years".

Gandhi has been raising the "Chowkidar Chor Hai" (Watchman is a thief) slogan to target the PM whom he accuses of being cosy with select businessmen.

He also alleged that the PM has given Rs 30,000 crore to businessman Anil Ambani through the "Rafale scam". "Modi has committed a theft of several lakh crores of your money," he said.

Gandhi asked Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath to probe the "Bundelkhand package scam".

"The then UPA government (at the Centre) had given Rs 3800 crore for development of the Bundelkhand region, but nothing happened," Gandhi said.

The Congress has been alleging irregularities in the Bundelkhand package which was released when Shivraj Singh Chouhan government was in power in MP.

While six of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh went to polls in the first phase on April 29, the other 23 constituencies will vote on May 6, 12 and 19.
Nirmala Sitharaman

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday attended a key conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Kyrgyzstan and held bilateral meetings on its sidelines, including with her Chinese counterpart.

Sitharaman attended the SCO Defence Ministers' conclave in Bishkek where ways to further boost defence and security cooperation among the member countries in the wake of evolving security challenges in the region were discussed.

On the sidelines of the conclave, Sitharaman attended a bilateral meeting with Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe.

The defence minister held talks with Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoygu and discussed key bilateral defence issues.

She also held a bilateral meeting with Major General Raimberdi Duishenbiev, Chief of General Staff of Kyrgyz Armed Forces, and discussed defence cooperation between the two countries.

India became a full member of the the China-dominated grouping in 2017 and New Delhi's entry into it increased the bloc's heft in regional geopolitics, besides giving it a pan-Asian hue.

India is also keen on deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

India was an observer at the SCO since 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

Along with India, Pakistan was also granted membership of the SCO in 2017.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its members last year.
Pakistan Army once again rejected India's claim of shooting down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet, saying one cannot hide if a plane is downed in today's age when even if a motorcycle crashes the world finds out.

India has asserted that an Indian Air Force MIG-21 shot down an American-made F-16 on February 27 during the aerial confrontation, a day after Indian fighter jets bombed a JeM terror camp in Balakot, Pakistan.

Pakistan, however, has consistently denied the Indian Air Force's claim, saying none of its aircraft was shot down during the weeks of tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries.

Pakistan also claims to have shot a second Indian Air Force jet during the engagement, a claim India has dismissed.

"We downed two Indian planes in the process, the whole world saw their debris and you [India] still claimed that one of the two planes was ours and one of our own pilots died, as we had initially said that two Indian pilots had been captured, and then said that there was only one. You [India] said that we have changed our statement because one pilot was our own," Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters in Rawalpindi.

"We got initial information through the proper channel, then on the ground, I personally found out that only one person had been captured and I sent out the correction myself. How is it that you are ready to accept one of our statement, not the other?" he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

"We have not retaliated because we want peace [...] we asked you [India] to ask America about our F-16s' strength. In this day and age, hiding the downing of a plane is impossible. In this time, even if a motorcycle crashes the world finds out," he added.
Image for representation

Vikram Koppikar

Indian judiciary and its love-hate relationship with social media continues. The Madras High Court had on April 3, passed an ex parte order banning the downloading of the Tik-Tok app. The court, in its order had cited examples of suicide, deaths and the risk of child pornography (given that the App did not have a minimum age requirement) arising as a result of usage of the app. The Supreme Court subsequently, required the high court to allow hearing of the ban. The high court, subsequently heard the arguments for Tik Tok, resulting in the withdrawal of the ban.

The high courts ban is the latest in the long line of trysts between the Indian judiciary and online companies, or an intermediary. The Information Technology Act, 2008 defines intermediaries to include web hosting providers, online market places online auction places and search engines. In the present case, Tik-Tok (through its owner, Chinese company ByteDance), which allowed its users to create short music videos, is considered as an intermediary.

In the Baazee case, the first of its kind to highlight intermediary liability, the Supreme Court had ruled, that the Information Technology Act, held priority over the Indian Penal code in determining intermediary liability. This case resulted in an amendment of the IT Act vide Section 79(1), which exempted intermediary companies from liability and provided them safe harbour in the event, they complied with provisions under the new section.

This was followed by the creation of the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011, which attempted to structure due process for intermediary liability. Rule 3(1) of the guidelines required the intermediary to publish the rules and regulations, privacy policy and user agreement for access-or usage of the intermediary's computer resource by any person.

Rule 3(2) required the intermediary to inform its users not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is grossly harmful, harassing, obscene, pornographic, paedophilic or harmed minors in any way. What was most controversial however, was Rule 3(4) of the guidelines which required that the intermediary, on whose computer system the information is stored or hosted or published, upon obtaining knowledge by itself or been brought to actual knowledge by an affected person in writing or through email signed with electronic signature about any such information as mentioned in sub-rule (2) above, shall act within thirty six hours and where applicable, work with user or owner of such information to disable such information that is in contravention of sub-rule. This resulted in the rise of cyber bullying against the intermediaries in the form of numerous takedown notices requiring deletion of content which the complainant alleged lay within the ambit of Rule 3(2).

Most famous among these were the numerous cases filed against the owners of online review website Mouthshut.com. The Shreya Singhal judgment was a turning point, where the apex court held that intermediary liability would arise pursuant to inaction on the intermediarys part to take cognisance of a notice only by a court or other judiciary authority. As a result of this judgment, the draft of the Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules, 2018, deletes Rule 3(4). It now proposes that the intermediary inform its users (at least once a month), its guidelines regarding prohibited activities (content) and any penalty arising from breach thereof.

The Madras High Courts initial decision is a surprising one, given that Baazee judgment requires adherence to the IT Act and the Singhal judgment details procedure for takedown of prohibited content. If, as was the courts concern, child pornography or material which harmed minors was indeed hosted on the website, due process under Rule 3(4) of the revised (draft) guidelines would have been sufficient in dealing with the matter. An outright ban sends out the wrong message to intermediaries which include large players such as Facebook and Instagram.

The court contended that India had lacked a law protecting the rights of children similar to United States COPPA legislation. However Section 67B of the IT Act, penalises the publication of any minor-related pornographic/obscene material or the enticement of minors for sexual acts with a punishment of five years imprisonment. This section, combined with the takedown procedure mentioned under the guidelines, should form at the very least an initial safeguard against the concerns that the court established.

In any event, social media at large cannot be made to bear the brunt for the lack of necessary legislation (such as online child protection law) or delay in other (Intermediary Guideline Amendments). Lastly, an outright ban seems an antiquated move in todays times, given that there was reported increase in the download of TikTok App, further to the ban!

Vikram Koppikar is senior legal counsel at TCS. Views are personal.

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Shekhar Iyer

Deciphering the mood of the Indian electorate in the midst of the Lok Sabha polls is a dicey task. More so, when nobody is reading a strong wave in favour of anyone but sees an undercurrent in favour of one political leader  if not a political party.

Psephologists and analysts alike acknowledge the huge traction for Prime Minister Narendra Modi among voters across India as he works towards securing a second term through a very personally persuasive campaign.

As the seven-phase polling completed its fourth lap, the BJP is seen having an advantage over other parties, particularly the Congress, in some states.

At the same time, the regional players, such as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, the Bahujan Samaj Party-Samajwadi Party (BSP-SP) combine in Uttar Pradesh and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led opposition alliance in Bihar too show that they have enough reasons to be undaunted by the challenge posed by the Modi-driven BJP.

Despite the flip-flop over Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadras electoral debut, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his sister are bearing the burden of the Congress counter-campaign. They do not appear to have given up either as they refresh their campaign on the NYAY plank.

In between his rallies and filing his nomination from Varanasi, Modi has kept the optics alive  with his riverside and boat-ride media interviews and an interaction with a Bollywood celebrity after the Election Commission of India (ECI) refused to allow the release of his biopic.

The polls of 2014 were about Modi as the prime ministerial candidate, and this election is still about him. That is his unmistakable message. Modi has ensured that the debate is on why he should get a second chance as PM and about the problems that would arise if his mandate is nor renewed at this juncture.

If not Modi, who will it be? A counter-narrative, which the Opposition should have had by now does not appear to be in place.

Of course, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar is on record that it does not matter who will succeed Modi. Modi was chief minister of Gujarat before taking over as the prime minister, Pawar said an interview. In my opinion, since the possibility of the NDA securing a clear majority is remote, Banerjee, Naidu and Mayawati are better options for the prime ministers post.

In doing so, Pawar has openly ruled out Rahul Gandhis candidature, stating that the Congress President has himself expressed that he was not in the race. One wonders why has Pawar counted himself out when his family and supporters have always felt that the one-time Maharashtra strongman is yet to get his due.

However, these names fail to generate any excitement among the voters as much as Modis name does. So much so, strategists rule out any uncertainty after the results are declared on May 23. The BJP should romp home with a comfortable tally that will keep present allies intact and attract new ones  even if the party does not get the magic figure of 272 on its own, say key members of Modis team.

Echoing this optimism, Modi has not failed to drive home that the Opposition, which had its focus fixed on him, has now turned its focus to faulty electronic voting machines (EVMs). The Opposition has raised questions over the EVMs after about 10,000 of these machines malfunctioned at different places during the first three phases of the polls.

What marked the completion of the first three phases of the Lok sabha polls was that Modi made his filling of nomination papers a show of strength of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at Varanasi. It was a day after an impressive road show in the ancient city.

If Modi wanted to show that he is cool about the poll outcome on May 23, he did it with a galaxy of other NDA leaders in tow. The sub-text was that in the event of the BJP falling short of numbers the allies would stand by Modi. Other parties, such as the TRS, YSR Congress and even the BJD, may not be averse to joining hands with the BJP in the post-poll scenario.

The Lok Sabha has 543 elected seats. With voting over in 374 seats in the four phases, the battle for remaining 169 seats is very crucial for the BJP. It faces the Congress directly in many places. Of the 161 seats of the 282 seats which the BJP won in 2014, it defeated Congress on 79 seats.

That means the BJP has to replicate the strike rate it got in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.

It is no secret that the BJP has lost considerable ground in these states since 2014. Uttar Pradesh remains the BJPs trouble spot because of the BSP-SP alliance. The big question is whether it can fight to retain as many as seats possible of its previous tally of 73 out of 80? The vote share of the BSP-SP combine is more than that of the BJP in 2014. Privately, some BJP leaders admit that the alliance and the Congress presence in some pockets could hit the partys chances in more than 25 to 30 seats.

Any loss in these states cannot be easily compensated by the gains in West Bengal and Odisha where the BJP hopes to gain a minimum of 10 each from these two states.

Nevertheless, Modi has been battling out with Banerjee and her TMC at a direct level in a state where the BJP won only two seats, Asansol and Darjeeling, in 2014.

Similarly, in Odisha, where it had won only one Lok Sabha seat in 2014, Modi has not spared incumbent Naveen Patnaik who has been chief minister since 1999. Interestingly, many of the BJPs candidates are defectors from Patnaiks BJD.

Bihar presents somewhat a hopeful picture for the BJP where Modi managed to put in order an alliance of the BJP under the leadership of JDUs Nitish Kumar and LJPs Ram Vilas Paswan. With Lalu Prasad in jail, his son Tejashwi Yadav has, however, emerged as the new symbol of a combination of Yadavs, Kushwahas and Mushahars and Muslims. Caste-dynamics of Bihar makes this Mahagatbandhan a formidable force to challenge the BJPs strategy of finding its space behind Kumars leadership.

In Jharkhand too, there is a Mahagatbandhan of the Congress, the JMM, Babulal Marandis JVM and the RJD. This is to prevent the repeat of 2014 when a split in the opposition votes enabled the BJP to win 12 of the 14 seats.

It is no surprise that Modi is pressing upon the BJP workers to reach out to first time workers who are estimated at 84.3 million among the 900 million voters in the country.

Never before has the BJP ground force is so vital to script a victory as in 2019.

Rahul and Priyanka too got their moments of social media traction by posting videos of their having fun at each other at an airport in midst of their campaign in northern India. The message was the Congress too is confident and cool about the outcome of the elections. Congressmen could keep their fingers crossed.

Shekhar Iyer is former senior associate editor of Hindustan Times and political editor of Deccan Herald. Views are personal.

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The first phase of polling in Madhya Pradesh was conducted on April 29. Six seats went to polls during the first phase, and the central Indian state will conduct three more phases in which the remaining 23 seats will vote.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are in a one-on-one fight against each other in MP.

The assembly elections here had yielded a hung assembly with the Congress winning 114 seats and the BJP 109.

Congress, which has been the Opposition for 15 years, needed the support of at least two MLAs to touch the simple majority mark of 116 seats in the 230-member Assembly. The support was provided by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Congress managed to form a government in the state.

BJP fixing loopholes, focusing on ground-level mobilisation

Ever since, the BJP has been busy fixing loopholes and concentrating on ground mobilisation.

"The first thing we have realised is that during the Assembly elections, we could not mobilise the BJP workers as well as we would have liked to," Anil Saumitra, BJP's communication head, told Moneycontrol.

"Which is why our plan was to focus more on a nationwide mobilisation campaign, with greater push towards grassroots organising than depending only on leaders," Saumitra said.

The purpose of nationwide campaigns, Saumitra said, was to ensure that the state cadre was a part of "something bigger".

"This serves two purposes  it's classic door-to-door campaigning and also motivates the ground-level worker to be a part of a nationwide campaign," another BJP leader in the state said.

Congress' farmer focus

Congress, basking in its own glory, will repeat the strategy it adopted during the assembly polls, "to counter the BJP's false agenda".

"We won because we got the support of the farmers," Kedar Sirohi, a Congress leader in the state told Moneycontrol.

"And we have fulfilled what we promised, including loan waivers. Now the focus is on farmers because the government is working for farmers. We are talking of devising a permanent solution for farmers' woes," Sirohi said, adding that the party's Nyay scheme is gaining a lot of traction on ground.

Key issues

According to reports, the issues in focus would be farmers' distress, employment and corruption. But it is here, observers have noted, that the politics of Hindutva might gain traction, considering the BJP's decision to field Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur from Bhopal.

Sadhvi Pragya would be facing Congress' Digvijaya Singh. The BJP has attempted to project the Sadhvi Pragya vs Singh fight as one for Hindu identity. Thakur's statements ever since the announcement of her candidature haven't helped.

On his part, Digvijaya Singh has said he is a "proud Hindu" and had, last year, undertaken a gruelling 3,000 km circumambulation of the Narmada. Reports suggest that people in Madhya Pradesh do not find a major difference between the BJP and Congress in terms of the parties' push-and-pull for claiming the Hindu identity.

However, employment, or the lack of it, is a factor. According to a survey by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 62 percent voters in the state believed that the lack of job opportunities would be the biggest factor in the elections. Reports from the ground also point towards a dissatisfaction with the way farmers' issues have been handled.
The Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming that he was in touch with 40 MLAs of the TMC in West Bengal, asking if the statement tantamounts to horse trading or not.

Making a sensational claim in the middle of the general election, Modi said 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the poll.

"Modi ji has claimed that he is in touch with 40 MLAs of the TMC. Is it not horse trading? Is it not open talk of buying and selling. Does it not show the political bankruptcy of the BJP," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

"It is clear that after the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has accepted the defeat," he tweeted in Hindi.

On the campaign trail in West Bengal's Serampore Lok Sabha seat in Hoogly district and Barrackpore constituency in North 24 Parganas, Modi assailed TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee over her prime ministerial ambitions, saying "Didi, Dilli door hai (Delhi is far away)."

"Didi, even your MLAs will desert you when the results of this election are out. Your 40 MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the election. Political ground has slipped from under your feet," Modi said.

The TMC leadership was quick to hit back, accusing the prime minister of horse trading, and saying it would complain to the Election Commission about it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that the scales have been tilted in favor of the ruling NDA in the first four phases of the general election, and the remaining three would determine the magnitude of its victory and the opposition's defeat.

Addressing an election rally here, Modi iterated that his government has always displayed its resolve in combating terror but cautioned that the menace was far from over as was evident from the recent bomb attacks in neighboring Sri Lanka.

"All those who are running factories of terror are in the cross heirs of this chowkidar," Modi stated.

In a veiled dig at jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad, the prime minister said, "those doing the rounds of court to secure bail are scared of a strong government in New Delhi".

He claimed that the opposition parties "were not fighting for their victory, but to augment their diminished strength".

"Beware, if they regain their strength, the days of lawlessness will return to Bihar, daughters would no longer be safe outside homes and people might have to stay indoors after dark," he maintained.

Underscoring the pro-poor stance of his government, Modi said, "We did away with the lal batti (red beacon) but brought batti (light/electricity) to the house of every poor."

Appealing to people to vote for the NDA in Bihar, comprising his BJP, the JD(U) and the LJP, he sought to remind the voters, "whichever of the three parties you vote for, your support will be for Modi."
No one is allowed to play with India's security under the Modi government, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.

"In the five years of the Modi government, be it the issue of national security or internal security or the (economic) growth, development is being seen everywhere. No one is being allowed to play with the security of the country today," the chief minister said, addressing an election meeting in Pratapgarh.

"When Modiji had taken oath as prime minister for the first time on May 26, 2014, he had said his government will not be for any religion or individual," said Adityanath.

"He had said his government will work for the poor, farmers, women, youths and all sections of society. Had the previous governments had any concern for the poor, the bank accounts of the poor would not have been opened after Modi came to power.

"Rajiv Gandhi used to say when 100 rupees are sent (from the Centre), only 10 rupees reach the poor. The power brokers used to snatch the poor's share but it is not so now. Whatever is given by the government is directly deposited in their bank accounts," he said.

He said the local industry based on amla fruit is being taken up under the 'one-district one-product' scheme of the state government and will also get branding.

Speaking of his government's work, he said anti-Romeo squads have been set up for the safety and security of girls and laws have been framed to deal with land mafias.

Later, addressing an election meeting in Rae Bareli, Adityanath took a jibe at the Congress.

"When our army was killing terrorists at Batla House, one of the members of the royal Gandhi family was shedding tears. Due to this royal family, the locals are deprived of development and basic amenities. Congress has never shed tears over employment, financial independence and prosperity of the youth... Those who haven't done any development in Rae Bareli and Amethi, are dreaming to take over the reins of our country."

He added that only Modi-led BJP government has a strong will to counter terrorism.

"After polling of four phases, party is expected to get 36 seats out of 39 seats. On the day of the results (May 23), BJP will achieve its target of winning 74 seats out of 80," he said.

While addressing a rally in Gonda, he slammed SP and BSP, and said, "Two-three years back, the condition of roads of Gonda, Balrampur, Bahraich and Shravasti were worst."

"Is it fair to question the martyrdom of our brave soldiers and sympathizers of the terrorists? "Only Modi-led BJP government has the strong will power to counter terrorism," he asked the audience.

He also addressed an election rally in Kaushambi and attacked the Congress party.
Subir Roy

Election manifestos are seldom implemented in any significant way by those who eventually come to power. Hence manifestoes of key opposing parties are often marked by competitive promises of goodies without bothering much about costs, such as financial support for poor farmers in the present instance.

But those looking for a choice will not be disappointed by the strong promises contained in the Congress manifesto under the section Review of laws, rules and regulations, aimed at repealing or amending laws that do not reflect constitutional values and unjustly restrict the freedoms of people. By way of contrast, the section coming upfront in the BJP manifesto, Nation first, sets the tone for its agenda. Tellingly, the word sedition makes it to the Congress manifesto but not that of the BJP.

The promises

To look at the Congress pledge to ensure freedom in a democratic republic, it is useful to list some of the changes promised. Prominent among them is the promise to remove the relevant legal provision so that the colonial era offence of sedition, widely misused,ceases to exist.

Perhaps equally important, though the brunt of it is felt by only a few states (Jammu and Kashmir and those in the northeast), is the promise to amend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act so as to strike a balance between the powers of the armed force fighting separatist movements and the need to protect human rights. Particularly significant is the promise to remove immunity for those responsible for enforced disappearance, sexual violence and torture.

A series of changes have been proposed so as to rein in detention without trial, make it easier to get bail if detained and bring about prison reforms so that prisoners human rights are protected. Critically, a promise is made to pass a Prevention of Torture Act to prohibit the use of third degree methods during interrogation under custody and punish cases of torture, brutality or other excesses.

Two more important changes are promised. Broadly, it is proposed that laws directed against civil violations will be decriminalized and be subjected to civil penalties. Specifically, the offence of defamation, will be decriminalized. This will strengthen the hands of those in the media seeking to hold the powerful accountable when now they are sought to be intimidated with the threat of being sent to jail.

These changes have been proposed in a particular political context. In five years of NDA rule, protecting the nation or national security has been given the utmost importance and any attempt to question the governments conduct in this regard has been sought to be projected as playing into the hands of the enemy. Thus asking questions about whether a particular military action has been properly conducted and achieved positive results, as in the case of Balakot, has been described as unpatriotic.

A critical correction

If we are to take the Congress at its word, it promises a critical correction of emphasis. It is arguing that national security needs will be addressed but in the process civil liberties will not be undermined. We thus have an ideological choice. The BJP is a conservative right wing party for which national security needs override the need to protect civil liberties and the Congress is a liberal social democratic party which values civil liberties and security equally.

A key issue in this regard is that the legal enablers that currently allow civil liberties to be set aside have not been enacted by the NDA. Decades of Congress rule and a short span under NDA-I have created a legal machinery which has over time given more and more powers to the security and law enforcement setup. NDA-II under Narendra Modi has simply been more forthright and aggressive in not hesitating to disregard the rights of dissenters while seeking to address national concerns.

Take the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act which the Congress manifesto does not address and therefore presumably will remain on the statute books. It was passed in 1967, after an enabling constitutional amendment which sought to place restrictions on the freedom of speech, right to assembly and right to form associations in order to deal with activities against the integrity and sovereignty of India. Thereafter there have been several amendments to the Act. A notable arrest under it was of Binayak Sen in 2007, a doctor and human rights activist who worked among the tribals of Chhattisgarh where Naxalites were active.

The BJPs targets



Surendra Gadling, an advocate for 25 years, is known for defending political prisoners accused of being Maoists or extremists, among them a wheelchair bound Delhi University teacher jailed for Maoist links.



Sudhir Dhawale is a poet, writer and political commentator best known for publishing Virodhi, a left leaning Marathi magazine.



Mahesh Raut, who passed out of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, has been a prime minister rural development fellow. He is a prominent activist working for Adivasis and displaced marginal communities.



Rona Wilson has worked for the release of political prisoners including Kashmiris alleged to be terrorists.



Shoma Sen, a professor of English at Nagpur University, has worked for womens rights and been associated with several prominent feminist organizations.



Where the BJP-led NDA-II took things to a new level was the arrest in 2018 under the Unlawful Activities Act by the Pune police of five social activists working with Dalits, Adivasis and political prisoners for having links with Maoists. A brief description of who the five arrested are gives an idea of what sort of people the present dispensation is targeting.

An opportunity

Thus, if the Congress has the opportunity to carry out what it has promised in its agenda, it will have to undo what the party itself had done earlier over decades while in power. In that sense the manifesto signals that the Congress has critically changed while being in opposition.
The Brezza became the first compact SUV from Maruti and quickly became the largest-selling SUV in the country. The Brezza is priced at 7.34 lakh and is sold with just a petrol engine with three broad variants. With the changeover to BS-VI Maruti discontinued the diesel variant. (Image: Maruti Suzuki)

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Maruti Suzuki, the countrys largest carmaker, could launch a petrol version of Vitara Brezza around September this year to counter its near-complete withdrawal from diesel.

The maker of best-sellers such as Swift and Baleno could launch the Brezza with the option of two petrol engines, both developed in-house by Maruti Suzuki.

An email to Maruti Suzuki on the Brezza petrol options did not elicit any response at the time of publishing this article.

The Delhi-based company on April 25 said it will phase out its only small diesel engine --the 1.3 litres, four-cylinder unit before switching to Bharat Stage VI completely from April 1, 2020.

Vitara Brezza, which is available only with a diesel engine currently, will likely get the K12 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine (also seen on the Swift and Ignis) and the 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine (also seen on the Ciaz and Ertiga), which features smart hybrid system, two independent sources have said.

The Vitara Brezza clocked an average monthly sale of little over 13,100 units last financial year which is a growth of six percent compared to 12,400 units sold in 2017-18. The Brezza has a share of nearly 50 percent in the sub-4 meter SUV segment in the domestic market followed by the Tata Nexon with a share of 15 percent.

A Fiat-derived 1.3 litre diesel engine is the only engine offered by Maruti Suzuki on the Brezza currently.

In comparison, each of the three models - Tata Nexon, Ford Ecosport, Mahindra XUV 300 - that rival the Brezza, come with a choice of at least one petrol and one diesel engine. The Hyundai's new SUV Venue, which is due to go on sale on May 21 will have two petrol and one diesel engine option. The Mahindra TUV300 also does not have a petrol option.

As buying a BS-VI diesel car will turn out to be more expensive than the BS-IV version, several manufacturers have been forced to review their future plans for diesel. Maruti Suzuki is the only company to have declared a pull-out from diesel engines even as its rivals keep a watch.
Moon Moon Sen (PTI)

After confessing that she had no idea about the violence that had ensued in Bengals Asansol because she was served her bed tea late, Trinamool Congress candidate Moon Moon Sen said: A little violence always happens.

She made these comments while speaking to the media about reports on clashes between TMC and BJP workers at multiple polling booths in Asansol during the fourth phase of voting on Monday, reported NDTV.

Six people sustained injuries in the clashes, and over 100 were arrested.

Speaking further on the incidence, the actor-turned-politician said she was yet to speak to her seniors in the party to understand exactly where and why the violence broke out.

She added: Thoda toh hoga hi, har jagah hota hai (A little violence during polls is a common occurrence everywhere). Violence is much less now as compared to before.

Earlier, the 65-year-old had said she had no idea about the violent clashes that had broken out in Asansol because she had woken up late. Moon Moon Sen said: They gave me my bed tea very late, so I woke up very late. What can I say? I really don't know.

The constituencys incumbent parliamentarian Babul Supriyo has alleged that TMC cadres were not letting people cast their votes. The Bharatiya Janata Party candidate even alleged that his car was vandalized.

Commenting on these allegations, Moon Moon Sen asked the reporters not to take his name and said she would stop talking if they did.

Retorting to reports of frequent poll clashes in Bengal this election season, she said: You were too young to see when the communists were in power. It is all over India, not just Bengal.

After Moon Moon Sens bed tea comment went viral, she explained to the media that she was allowed to take a day off after long, hard days of campaigning. And, because it was her off day, she chose to wake up late before going about her daily routine. However, she said she did not imply that she was ignorant of what was going on, or she was relaxing with her cuppa while people were clashing outside.
Emperor Akihito will abdicate his throne as the 125th Emperor of Japan effective midnight, citing his advancing age. This will be the first abdication by an emperor in Japans Imperial Family in 200 years. (Image: Reuters)

The Imperial Family is the Yamamoto Dynasty, which is considered to be the oldest continuing hereditary monarchy in the world, with legends tracing its origins back to 600 BC. (Image: Reuters)

The emperors had a divine status in Japanese culture, equivalent to that of gods. Following the devastation carried out by Japan in World War II, Hirohito, Akihitos father, gave up his divine status while surrendering at the end of WWII. (Image: Reuters)

Emperor Akihito, who first ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 1989, has been credited with turning around Japan's post-war reputation. Traditionally, the Imperial Family was known to have limited their interaction with common folk. He broke a long-standing custom in 1991 when he and Empress Michiko knelt down to speak with people affected by a volcanic explosion in Nagasaki. (Image: Reuters)

While the role of the emperor was reduced to a formal capacity, Akihito was also active as an unofficial ambassador for Japan by travelling abroad extensively. (Image: Reuters)

The end of Akihitos Heisei era will see the dawn of the new Reiwa era, which means order and harmony. It will be under the reign of Prince Naruhito, Akihitos son. (Image: Reuters)

Prince Naruhito was born in 1960, and is an Oxford University graduate. He is married to Princess Masako, and their only child is Princess Aiko, who was born in 2001. (Image: Reuters)

Japan's laws forbid women from ascending to the throne, which means that Princess Aiko's uncle Prince Fumihito is next in line. (Image: Reuters)
Representative image: Cyclone Amphan LIVE Updates

A severe cyclonic storm has been developing since Monday evening. Disaster response teams have already been put on alert; fishermen have been advised against sailing. As Cyclone Fani lurks around the corner, raging in the Bay of Bengal, here is all you need to know about it.

Fani, pronounced as 'Phoni', is a 'severe cyclonic storm' that may develop into an 'extremely severe cyclone' by Wednesday, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) predictions.

Wind speed in normal cyclones go up to 90 km per hour, but Fani has the potential to touch a 195 kmph speed, which is worrisome.

The last time a severe cyclone had developed was in 2008. Cyclone Nargis had left Myanmar devastated.

Fani is likely to hit Odisha's southern and coastal districts the hardest. The state has 880 cyclone centres, all of them have been put on alert.

Cyclones are not new to Odisha. The worst one, a super cyclone had hit the state in 1999, killing more than 15,000 people, with most of the casualty being reported from Odisha.

It is yet unclear where Cyclone Fani will make landfall, but Met Department predictions point at the north coast of Andhra Pradesh, likely around May 2 or 3.

The three states on alert are Odisha, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh. National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Coast Guard units are in touch with the governments of the states constantly. The fishermen of these states have been advised not to sail into the sea.

The IMD keeps updating these states with the latest forecasts every three hours, while the Home Ministry keeps in constant touch with the state governments and concerned central agencies.

Notably, cyclones are always named by agencies for ease of communication.

Fani was named by Bangladesh, a Bengali word, which loosely translated means "the hood of a snake".

The Indian Air Force and BrahMos Aerospace were supposed to test fire the air-launched version of the supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi-30 fighter jet, this week. However, following the updates on the cyclonic development, this has been stalled for the time being.
One of China's greatest fears is the threat of blockade from the United States and its allies in the event of a conflict or crisis, according to senior Chinese and Western military officials.

As the Chinese navy expands its operations into the Indian Ocean, it is also building the capability to protect the sea lanes that carry China's imports of vital oil and raw materials from the Middle East and Africa.

Flotillas of Chinese warships and submarines, often with air support, are also routinely deploying to the Western Pacific on training missions for combat at sea. In 2017, China sent ships to train with the Russian navy in the Baltic Sea.

Senior Chinese officials point to incidents in the past where the US Navy has threatened China's merchant fleet. In 1993, the US Navy stopped a Chinese container ship, the Yinhe, or Milky Way, in international waters and demanded to board and inspect the vessel, suspecting it was carrying chemical weapons materials bound for Iran.

After a three week standoff, the vessel docked at a port in Saudi Arabia, where American and Saudi inspectors found no chemical weapons materials. Washington refused to apologize on grounds that it had acted in good faith on intelligence.

"We cannot allow this to happen again," a source with ties to the leadership in Beijing told Reuters. "China needs a strong navy to protect its commercial ships."

China's two-way trade totalled $4.6 trillion in 2018, according to official Chinese trade statistics.

Since 2008, Beijing has deployed ships on 32 escort missions to the Gulf of Aden as part of international anti-piracy operations. In 2017, China opened its first foreign base, in Djibouti, to support its military operations in this region. Chinese warships and submarines are increasingly seen on other patrols in the Indian Ocean.

A navy with global reach also gives Beijing the capacity to deploy forces to protect its offshore investments and citizens working abroad. In 2015, the Chinese navy evacuated almost 600 Chinese nationals and more than 200 foreigners from Yemen's southern port of Aden amid fierce fighting.
China said on April 30that the vexed issue of designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN will be "properly resolved" but it did not give any timeline, days after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan here.

China put a technical hold in March on a fresh proposal to impose a ban on the head of Pakistan-based JeM which claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack. It was for the fourth time, China blocked Azhar's listing as a global terrorist by the UN.

"I can only say that I believe that this will be properly resolved," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing here.

He was responding to questions on the media reports that China has reportedly consented to lift its technical hold on a fresh proposal moved by France, the UK and the US to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

The US, the UK and France this time stepped up pressure on Beijing by taking the issue directly to the powerful UN Security Council (UNSC).

Though China can exercise its veto power as a permanent member of the UNSC, Beijing has staunchly opposed the issue to be taken to the apex UN body as it has to publically explain its stand on its reservations to list Azhar, whose group JeM has already been designated as terror outfit by UN, before exercising its veto.

China has accused the US of scuttling progress to resolve the issue by taking it to the UNSC and insisted that it should be resolved at the 1267 Committee whose proceedings are not publicised.

"Regarding the listing issue in the 1267 Committee, we have expressed our position many times and I just want to stress two points," Geng said answering a number of questions on Azhar's issue.

"First, we support the listing issue being settled within the 1267 committee through dialogue and consultation and I believe this is the consensus of most members. Second, the relevant consultations are going on within the committee and has achieved some progress. Third, I believe, with the joint efforts of all parties, this issue can be properly resolved," he said.

On reports that China would lift its technical hold on May 1, he said, "on the listing issue, China is still working with the relevant parties and we are in contact with all relevant parties within the 1267 Committee and I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved."

Asked about the recent visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to Beijing during which he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as well as New Delhi shared the technical evidence of JeM's involvement in the Pulwama terror attack, Geng reiterated that China is still working with the relevant parties.

"I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved," he said.

The efforts to resolve Azhar's listing issue gathered momentum last week with the visit of Imran Khan to Beijing to attend China's 2nd Belt and Road Forum (BRF) which was held here from April 25-27.

During the visit, Khan held talks with Xi, besides meeting Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President Wang Qishan during which India-Pakistan tension following the Pulwama terror attack as well as listing of Azhar reportedly figured.

An official statement of China issued after Xi-Khan meeting on Sunday said the Chinese President had expressed hope that Pakistan and India can meet each other halfway and improve their relations.

Both leaders also exchanged views on the situation in South Asia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the plight of ethnic Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang region during talks with Chinese leaders and stressed that China must fully respect human rights, his spokesman said.

Guterres faced calls to speak out on human rights during his visit to Beijing where he attended a summit on Saturday of China's prized Belt and Road Initiative and held talks with President Xi Jinping.

The UN chief delivered a three-point message that stressed that human rights must be upheld in the fight against extremism, while recognizing China's sovereignty and condemning terrorism.

"Human rights must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism and in the prevention of violent extremism," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

"Each community must feel that its identity is respected and that if fully belongs to the nation as a whole." As many as one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are being held in internment camps in Xinjiang, according to a group of experts cited last year by the United Nations.

Beijing claims the camps are "vocational training centers" to steer people away from extremism and reintegrate them, in a region plagued by violence blamed on Uighur separatists or Islamists.

In the runup to the trip, Guterres had met with UN ambassadors from the United States, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Turkey who urged him to raise the situation in Xinjiang during his meetings, UN sources said.

That presented Guterres with a diplomatic challenge to discuss the ultra-sensitive matter with China, the UN's second largest financial contributor and a veto-wielding Security Council member.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet last month complained that she had yet to be given the green light by China for a fact-finding mission to the region following a request made in December.

Guterres told Chinese leaders that he "fully stands by the initiatives" of his rights chief, Dujarric said, but there was no announcement on dispatching an independent assessment team to Xinjiang.

Dujarric described the talks as "very cordial" and "frank," adding that the dialogue will continue.

Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth last week wrote a scathing op-ed about Guterres, accusing him of being silent on human rights and firmly siding with quiet diplomacy since he became UN chief in January 2017.

Roth said Guterres had yet to speak out publicly on the plight of the Uighurs. "Instead, he praises China's development prowess and rolls out the red carpet for President Xi Jinping." Guterres has visited China four times as UN chief.
The world is seeing a "groundswell of intolerance" and hate-based violence against people of various faiths, and this "venom" is directed at anyone considered "the other", the UN chief has said, warning that parts of the internet were becoming "hothouses of hate".

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' remarks have come in the wake of a series of attacks against mosques, synagogues and other places of worship in the recent past, including the Easter Sunday bombings targeting three churches in Sri Lanka that killed more than 250 people.

A gunman armed with a semiautomatic rifle on Sunday entered a synagogue in Poway in California, some 40 kilometres north of San Diego, yelling anti-Semitic slurs and opened fire, killing one woman, and wounding the rabbi and two others.

Six people, including a pastor, were killed in an attack on a church in Burkina Faso on Sunday.

Last month, 50 worshippers were gunned down at two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand.

"Around the world, we are seeing a disturbing groundswell of intolerance and hate-based violence targeting worshippers of many faiths. In recent days alone, a synagogue in the United States and a church in Burkina Faso have come under attack," the UN Chief said on Monday.

"Such incidents have become all-too-familiar: Muslims gunned down in mosques, their religious sites vandalised, Jews murdered in synagogues, their gravestones defaced with swastikas, Christians killed at prayer, their churches often torched. Houses of worship, instead of the safe havens they should be, have become targets," Guterres said.

He said apart from the murders of innocent people, there was "loathsome rhetoric" and xenophobia aimed not only at religious groups but also at migrants, minorities and refugees.

"Assertions of white supremacy, a resurgence of neo-Nazi ideology, venom directed at anyone considered the other," he said.

Guterres warned that parts of the internet were becoming "hothouses of hate", as "like-minded bigots" find each other on-line, and platforms serve to inflame and enable hate to go viral.

"As crime feeds on crime, and as vile views move from the fringes to the mainstream, I am profoundly concerned that we are nearing a pivotal moment in battling hatred and extremism," he said.

The UN chief has set two "urgent initiatives" in motion - the drawing up of UN plan of action to "fully mobilise" the system to tackle hate speech, led by Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng, and an effort being led by the High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Miguel Moratinos to help ensure the safety of religious sanctuaries.

"The world must step up to stamp out anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred, persecution of Christians and all other forms of racism, xenophobia, discrimination and incitement," Guterres said.

Hatred is a threat to everyone and therefore it is a "job for everyone", he said.

"Political and religious leaders have a special responsibility to promote peaceful coexistence. I will count on the strong support of Governments, civil society and other partners in working together to uphold the values that bind us a single human family," Guterres said.

Earlier on Monday, at the UN in Geneva, a major summit to counter hate speech got underway, co-hosted by Dieng.

Warning against a "revival" of ultra-nationalist groups and parties, the UN official said that they "legitimised violations" by portraying minorities as a threat to their culture and identity.

"These groups are spreading their incendiary language into mainstream political discourse. We see this in too many countries," he said at the event co-hosted with the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty (AIDLR).

"We need to collectively and actively stop these dynamics and counter them with messages of openness and inclusion," Dieng said.

Last month, Dieng also expressed concern about spiralling intercommunal violence in central Mali which claimed 134 villagers' lives in one single attack, including women and children.
During elections, you need a fast information channel to transmit and track complaints of violation of MCC (model code of conduct) to the Election Commission of India (EC). Delays in reporting such violations may provide an easy escape route for candidates who have violated the code. Further, lack of any documented, untampered, evidence, in the form of pictures or videos was a major hurdle in establishing the veracity of a complaint, later. ECs experience has also shown that a significant percentage of reporting was false or inaccurate, which led to wastage of precious time of ECs field units.

The new cVIGIL app launched by EC is expected to fill in all these gaps and create a fast-track complaint receipt and redress system. cVIGIL provides time-stamped evidentiary proof of violation of MCC / expenditure norms, having live photo/video with auto-location data. This unique combination of time-stamping, live photo with auto-location can be relied upon by the election machinery to navigate to the right spot and take prompt action. The GIS-based dashboard provides a strong decision tool to drop and dispose of frivolous and unrelated cases even before they are acted upon, thereby reducing the workload of election machinery on ghost complaints. The new cVIGIL app launched by EC is expected to fill in all these gaps and create a fast-track complaint receipt and redress system. cVIGIL provides time-stamped evidentiary proof of violation of MCC / expenditure norms, having live photo/video with auto-location data. This unique combination of time-stamping, live photo with auto-location can be relied upon by the election machinery to navigate to the right spot and take prompt action. The GIS-based dashboard provides a strong decision tool to drop and dispose of frivolous and unrelated cases even before they are acted upon, thereby reducing the workload of election machinery on ghost complaints.

If you find any violationsuse cVIGIL today!
The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies have known for years that Saudi diplomats were helping Saudi fugitives. But Washington avoided even raising the problem out of concern that it might hurt Saudi cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

The government of Saudi Arabia has repeatedly helped Saudi citizens evade prosecutors and the police in the United States and flee back to their homeland after being accused of serious crimes here, current and former U.S. officials said.

The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies have been aware of the Saudi actions for at least a decade, officials said. But successive American administrations have avoided confronting the government in Riyadh out of concern that doing so might jeopardize U.S. interests, particularly Saudi cooperation in the fight against Islamist terrorism, current and former officials said.

Its not that the issue of Saudi fugitives from the U.S. wasnt important, said retired FBI agent Jeffrey Danik, who served as the agencys assistant legal attache in Riyadh from 2010 to 2012. Its that the security relationship was so much more important. On counterterrorism, on protecting the U.S. and its partners, on opposing Iran, the Saudis were invaluable allies.

American officials said Saudi diplomats, intelligence officers and other operatives have assisted in the illegal flight of Saudi fugitives, most of them university students, after they were charged with crimes including rape and manslaughter. The Saudis have bailed the suspects out of jail, hired lawyers to defend them, arranged their travel home and covered their forfeited bonds, the officials said.

A spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Washington, Fahad Nazer, said that only a small fraction of Saudi students in the United States have gotten into legal trouble, and that Saudi officials have strictly adhered to all U.S. laws in helping them. The notion that the Saudi government actively helps citizens evade justice after they have been implicated in legal wrongdoing in the U.S. is simply not true, he said. He did not respond to questions about how a series of Saudi students had managed to return home while facing criminal charges in the United States.

... The Trump administration has deflected calls for an accounting of the Saudi governments role in the flight of fugitives, asserting that there is little the United States can do because it has no extradition treaty with the kingdom. This week, the State Department said for the first time that it has raised the issue with senior Saudi officials, but it would not specify when or how. Continue Reading

This story was co-published with The Oregonian/OregonLive.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the 2016 order passed by the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) for merging (erstwhile) Financial Technologies (India) Ltd (FTIL), which is now 63 Moons Technologies, with National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL).

"We have allowed the appeal," said a bench of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice Vineet Saran in their judgement setting aside the High Court order.

Justice Nariman said that the bench has set down certain norms that includes the objective criteria and public interest for taking recourse to such a merger.

In its order, the apex court mentioned three grounds as stated by the Union government for the merger between FTIL and NSEL. These includes, restoring and safeguarding public confidence, giving effect to business reality of the case by consolidating the business of FTIL and NSEL, and preventing FTIL from distancing itself from NSEL and for facilitating NSEL in recovering dues from defaulters by pooling human and financial resources of FTIL and NSEL.



The government has contineously claimed that that these three grounds contribute a facet of 'public interest' in the context of provisions of Section 396 of the Companies Act.



The Supreme Court, however, observed that the first and second ground, as mentioned by the High Court, were not even contained in the draft order of amalgamation. Even otherwise, it was held that these grounds were in breach of Section 396(3) and (4) of the Companies Act.



It was further held that so far as the third reason is concerned, the SC said that the reason by itself was for the purpose of private interest of a group of investors and traders, as distinct from public interest.



"In the context of compulsory amalgamation of two or more companies, the expression 'public interest' would mean the welfare of the public or the interest of society as a whole, as contrasted with the "selfish" interest of a group of private individuals. For all these reasons, we find that no reasonable body of persons properly instructed in law could possibly arrive at the conclusion that the impugned order has been made in public interest," the bench said in the order.

Earlier in December 2017, the Bombay High Court had upheld order passed by MCA for merger of FTIL (now 63 Moons Technologies), with NSEL.

After the HC order, in a regulatory filing 63 Moons Technologies had said that it would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.

In February 2016, the MCA had ordered merge of FTIL with NSEL under Section 396 of the Companies Act. However, this was challenged by 63 Moons Technologies in the Bombay HC.

A few months later, in July 2016, the economic offences wing (EOW) of Mumbai police had attached assets worth Rs7,063 crore belonging to FTIL, owned and funded by Jignesh Shah. In a statement issued that time, the ministry of finance, had said, So far, 831 properties worth Rs7,063 crore have been attached by EOW, Mumbai police under MPID Act, out of which, attachment of 711 properties worth Rs6,115 crore have been notified.

While welcoming the judgement of the Supreme Court, S Rajendran, managing director of 63 Moons Technologies, said the company has been articulating in the past that the merger will serve no purpose for the stakeholders of either NSEL or FTIL but to benefit only a few people with vested interest. As such, our stand has been fully vindicated, he added.
At time of writing, the share price of Bubs Australia Ltd [ASX:BUB] is up a significant 5.2%, trading at $1.215 per share. Earlier it was up as much as 13.42%

It has been a scintillating past couple months for the Bubs share price, with it breaking sharply above moving averages recently:

Source: tradingview.com

The company has just released its quarterly activities report, which highlighted strong revenue growth and massive sales growth in China over the last year.

Bubs share price reacts to revenue & China sales

The Bubs share price flew up this morning, with the company releasing their quarterly activity report before trading commenced.

According to the report, domestic sales still make up a big chunk of the companys revenue  coming in at 79% of Q3 revenue.

Perhaps most exciting for the company though, are its sales in China  these sales were up a whopping 884% on the prior corresponding period and accounted for 20% of Q3 revenue.

The report also detailed strategic developments such as the $31.44 million it raised through C2 Capital Partners which should underpin the companys growth going forward.

It also acquired a 100% interest in Australia Deloraine Dairy, which is a CNCA licenced infant formula manufacturing facility in Melbourne, including ownership of three brand slots with SAMR technical applications in process.

CEO Kristy Carr hailed these achievements, saying:

Taken together, these developments have rounded out our foundation strategy, namely to build a vertically integrated business with key domestic and China channel partnerships in place. With our new strategic alliances to such renowned partners, Bubs is now in a very unique position and well placed to rapidly advance our business and operational performance.

Are there any drawbacks in the quarterly activities report?

If there is one drawback in the report, it would be the cash position of the company.

Bubs noted that the statutory cash reserves position at 31 March 2019 is $13.00 million and normalised cash position $21.12 million.

If revenue keeps growing at its current pace, this is not too serious a concern, but it is definitely worth considering.

The company is still on the path to profitability and it is trading a lot like a tech stock, with investors pricing in future revenue growth.

With a rapidly growing middle class, the Chinese market is huge, and the company will be looking to make further inroads into the market.

If you are looking to profit from the booming Chinese middle class, we have an excellent free report which examines the stocks that could benefit from this trend.

Regards,

Lachlann Tierney,

For Money Morning
Australian Economic News Updates Enjoy a contrarian outlook on the Australian economy  and how movements beyond our borders could affect your stocks, retirement fund or the value of your home. Go here for more.

Daily Chinese Economy News Chinas economy has been a powerhouse in recent years. But times are a changing and China, for better or worse, is a subject of heated debate. Are there investment opportunities to be still had from China, and how will they affect your wealth at home? Find out here.

US Economy News The US economy is drowning under the weight of its public and private debt. But is it too soon to call the end of this financial, military and political empire? Only time will tell. Either way, you need to make sure your investments are on the right side of the trade.

Eurozone Economy The Eurozone is in a huge mess right now. Can it hold it together or will, one-by-one, member states leave the Euro and go at it on their own? More importantly, what consequences will this have for Australia and your investments? More on that here.

Global Economy News Dont just follow the news on the global economy  get an inside peek into whats happening in developed and emerging economies around the world  and what it could mean for your investments. Go here for more.
April 30, 2019 Venezuela - Random Guyaido's New Coup Attempt Turns Out to Be A Dangerous Joke (This post was appended throughout the day. It is in chronological order.)

--- The Random Guyaido who the Trump administration tries to make president of Venezuela just launched another coup attempt against the government. He announced his intent in a series of tweets around 6:00 am local time (machine translated): Juan Guaido @jguaido - 9:58 utc - 30 Apr 2019 People of Venezuela began the end of usurpation. At this moment I meet the main military units of our armed force initiating the final phase of Operation Freedom. Venezuelan people we go to the street, national armed force to continue the deployment until we consolidate the end of the encroachment that is already irreversible. The national armed forces have made the right decision, they have the support of the Venezuelan people, with the endorsement of our Constitution, with the guarantee of being on the right side of the story. To deploy the forces to achieve the cessation of usurpation. People of Venezuela, we need to go out on the streets together, to support the democratic forces and to regain our freedom. Organized and together mocilicense the main military units. People of Caracas, all to La Carlota. Guaido also posted a short video which shows talking into the camera with some 30 soldiers standing behind him.

bigger Some members of the armed forces released Leopoldo Lopez, an opposition leader under house arrest since he, in 2014, organized violent protests against the government. Guaido and Lopez went to the La Carlota airforce base near Caracas. Lopez tweeted (machine translated): Leopoldo Lopez @leopoldolopez - 10:17 utc - 30 Apr 2019 Venezuela: The final phase has begun for the cessation of usurpation, Operation Freedom. I have been released by the military to the order of the Constitution and of President Guaido. I'm at the La Carlota Base. All to mobilize. It's time to conquer freedom. Strength and Faith

bigger Lopez is, like Guaido, a creature of the U.S. of A. He was also involved in the 2002 coup attempt against then President Chavez. It is not clear if Guaido and Lopez entered the air base. A person from the government said they are only on a highway. A video posted by some TV station shows a platoon of armed and masked soldiers at a road block. The Venezuelan Minister for Communication Jorge Rodriguez says the coup will be defeated (machine translated): Jorge Rodriguez @jorgerpsuv - 10:18 utc - 30 Apr 2019 We inform the Venezuelan people that we are currently confronting and deactivating a small group of military traitors who were positioned in the Altamira distributor to promote a coup against the constitution and Peace of the Republic ... 1/2 To this attempt was added the far-right coupe and assassin, who announced his violent agenda for months. We call on the people to stay on high alert, along with the glorious Bolivarian National armed forces, to defeat the coup attempt and preserve the peace. We will win 2/2 The Distibuidor Altamira is a highway exit near the affluent business and living district Altamira in eastern Caracas. Some, but not all, Internet access from/to Venezuela is disabled. The chief of the armed forces of Venezuela chimes in (machine translated): Vladimir Padrino L. @vladimirpadrino - 10:51 utc - 30 Apr 2019 We reject this coup movement that seeks to fill the country with violence. The pseudo political leaders who have placed themselves at the forefront of this subversive movement, have employed troops and policemen with weapons of war in a public thoroughfare of the city to create chaos and terror News of the coup comes shortly after Reuters reports that the Blackwater founder Erik Prince is looking for money to set up a mercenary army to attack Venezuela: In private meetings in the United States and Europe, Prince sketched out a plan to field up to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire on behalf of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, according to two sources with direct knowledge of Princes pitch.

...

A person familiar with the administrations thinking said the White House would not support such a plan.

...

One of Princes key arguments, one source said, is that Venezuela needs what Prince calls a dynamic event to break the stalemate that has existed since January, ... No "dynamic event" happened so far. It has now been confirmed that Guadio and Lopez did not enter the La Carlota air base. It is under control of government forces. Some soldiers are said to have been "deceived". The metro of Caracas was shut down by the government. A short video and a photo show a few low rank soldiers on a highway bridge with a carton of bananas and a basket of machine gun ammunition. Besides one machine guns they are armed with normal rifles and pistols. They are marked with a blue armlet or masks as Guaido supporters.

bigger

bigger Another short video shows Lopez, somewhat frustrated, on a highway bridge with a handful of soldiers and a few journos. CNN diverts from the official U.S. government line and Marco Rubio isn't happy about it.

bigger Chavista supporters of President Maduro have surrounded the President's Miraflores Palace to prevent the coup plotters from capturing it. President Nicolas Maduro tweeted (machine translated): Nicolas Maduro @NicolasMaduro - 14:07 utc - 30 Apr 2019 Nerves of Steel! I have spoken with the commanders of all the REDIs and ZODI of the country, who have expressed their total loyalty to the people, to the Constitution and to the fatherland. I call for maximum popular mobilization to ensure the victory of peace. Venceremos! Guaido moved to the Plaza Altamira, a place of regular opposition protests in a wealthy quarter, and speaks to a minor crowd. There are claims, including by Marco Rubio, that Guaido supporters have taken the La Carlota Base. (La Carlota's official name is Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base.) These reports are false. The small gang of Guaido soldiers and some Guaido supporters are on a highway bridge near the entrance of the air base. The base is in the hand of government forces. The opposition never entered it. There are no reliable reports that any additional military besides the 30 or so men on the bridge have switched to Guaido. 15:00 utc Someone points out that the soldiers supporting Guaido carry M4 Colt assault rifles. The official assault rifle of the Venezuelan military is the Kalashnikov AK-103. Back in February there were a number of flights from Florida to Venezuela which delivered weapons to the opposition. 16:00 utc It is becoming clear that this coup attempt is no more than a stupid PR campaign. Here is a map of the whole 'coup' scene which plays in a small area of the wealthy Altamira district of Caracas.

bigger At the bottom of the map is the La Calota air base, also known as Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Base, which Guaido supporters tried to enter. They threw rocks against the guards until tear gas drove them away. Directly north of it runs a highway east to west. The two highway bridges on which Guaido's soldiers stand are crossing the highway right next to the base. Some 500 meters north of the highway bridges is Plaza Altamira (the upper blue point) where Guaido spoke to some supporters. The highway bridges can be seen in this video taken from north of the highway looking south across the bridges towards the airport. In the video some fireworks go off to which nervous Guaido supporting soldiers on a bridge respond (1 2 vid) by firing a few shots into the air. The whole coup attempt was run within a 500 x 200 meter corridor with nothing of significance happening outside of it. A dangerous propaganda stunt but so far nothing more than that. This slight modification of the Guaido/Lopez picture above seems appropriate. These dudes are mere comic figures, wannabe fantasy heroes.

bigger 17:00 utc Video of some six alleged coup soldiers who loudly claim their innocence (machine translated): Coup soldiers surrender in #Venezuela and claim they were brought to the uprising under deception by military deserters followers of John Guaido Quotes from a speech by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino (machine translated): A small group, tiny military and police officers decided to kidnap SOME GNB vehicles, armaments and ammunition. They broke in this morning and they bet on the Altamira dealer

Weapons of War, rifles and machine guns were placed, betting on the roads through which the citizens move. It is a coup attempt, no doubt, of a mediocre magnitude

80 percent of the troops who came to this call were deceived. He sought to bring chaos and death to a group of country soldiers who were deceived into committing a terrorist act

It is a coup attempt of a very small and negligible magnitude. We have given immediate response: all the commands of the #FANB, of the components, of the tactical units, operative, of the Redis, Zodi, of the militia were immediately reported

80 percent of those who were taken there, deceived, left on their own and reported with their natural controls.

The majority of the military with weapons have left the place and have gone to the Plaza Altamira, where they are reediting everything that we live in the year 2002

We will not allow any aggression against the law, institutionality, democracy and the Constitution. The Republic's weapons are to defend their sovereignty and independence.

Responsiblity for any bloodshed and violence to the fascist and anti-patriotic leadership, which does not deserve respect from Venezuelans or FANB, because they try to use military for their own purposes.

"Miraflores cannot be reached by violence. Who arrives in Miraflores for violence, will be overthrown by violence, "says Vladimir Godfather Lopez, Minister of Defense of #Venezuela (FANB, GNB, Redis, Zodis are abbreviations for the Venezuelan army, National Guard and other security forces.) 18:00 utc Opposition TV showed Guaido and Lopez talking in a crowd of maybe a thousand all white people in Altamira. There were six men in Army and National Guard uniforms with them plus four bulky bodyguards in civilian clothes (one of color). They drove away in four seemingly armored SUVs with darkened windows. Some radical youngsters on motorcycles still play cat and mouse with riot police and national guard near the airbase. The number of people near the airbase and on the bridges shrunk considerably. It seems that the whole event is over. The conclusion below from our first entry today seem to have been correct. --- Guaido seems to have neither a base nor large scale military support nor access to significant military equipment. If that does not change this coup attempt is likely to fail within a few hours. Posted by b on April 30, 2019 at 11:31 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
VanNoppen is the creative director at Morganton-based VanNoppen Marketing agency. She earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore in 2017 and a Bachelor of Arts in 2012 from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virgina . She was awarded an artist residency at ArtSpace in Raleigh in the summer of 2012.

VanNoppens work has been shown at various venues in North Carolina , including The Strand (Waynesville), the Tannery (Asheville), The Remedy Diner (Raleigh), Visual Art Exchange (Raleigh) and Artspace (Raleigh). In Roanoke, her work was exhibited at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Liminal Alternative Artspace and the Unicorn Stables Project gallery.

Exhibits at the show included live painting by Sterling Lieske, performance art by Asheville artist David Shurbutt, and a giant wood and cloth sculpture by Jennifer Patton that hung from the ceiling and draped across the cement floor.

Guests were greeted by the infamous Col. Morgan and Miss Mildred, who recently relocated to Morganton from Mount Airy, where they welcomed shoppers daily in that towns Emporium retail store.
The Carolina Diner in Morganton will open its doors from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday for a free Christmas dinner for anyone who needs a place to go for the holiday:
In recent years, [these cities] welcomed approximately half of all new immigrants aged 20-34. We dont see this share really weakening in the period aheadexcept perhaps temporarily in Montreal while the newly elected Quebec government trims immigration levels provisionally to improve immigrants integration outcomes.

Further amplifying the trend is the growing number of individuals and households coming from abroad. Last year, approximately 28,200 net non-permanent residents (mostly students and temporary workers) originated from overseas, and 3,800 net migrants moved from other provinces.

In total, Canadas three largest cities saw a net inflow of 108,400 millennials from other countries and provinces last year. So for every net millennial lost to other cities in the same province, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal collectively gained roughly eight net millennials from abroad or other parts of the country.

And this is most likely just the beginning, as the Canadian government is looking to boost its annual immigration target from 330,000 this year to 350,000 by 2021.

All three cities benefit from thriving economies and cultural scenes. In our view, this will keep the net flow of young talented migrants strongly positive overall despite further growing losses of millennials to more affordable cities.
This was particularly true of the real estate community. She got in with a local builder by asking to take a look at the loans their current lender couldnt do, and because she had a strong background in manual underwrites for FHA and VA loansand since credit scores in San Antonio happen to be rather lowthats where she found success and got her foot in the door.

She also found that she had to change how she did business. Growing up in New York, she was used to a fast pace and when she found herself now working in the land of manana, she had to stress with her clients and partners that she wasnt going to wait until tomorrow for some things. She learned how to serve the clients differently, to give deadlines and specific objectives, and set clear expectations. Everything started clicking when she changed the way she did things, and her business took off.

Moving to San Antonio wasnt the first time Guidry had to start from scratch. After college, she had planned to go to medical school but after spending some time as a receptionist among mortgage originators, she had a change of heart and got her license.

I started looking around and Im like, I could totally do this job, Guidry said. I started doing loans after I got licensed, and I was really good at it. I ended up making the decision not to go to medical school. People thought I was insanebut they dont think that now.

2018 was the best year that Guidry ever had. She and her team closed close to 230 units for $81 million, almost $20 million more than she and her two assistants closed in 2016. Shes on track to have an even bigger year in 2019, having closed about $10 million a month so far this yearall without working nights or weekends.
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. plans to resume talks about a potential $38 billion takeover by Occidental Petroleum Corp., a move that threatens to scupper a previously agreed deal with Chevron Corp.

In a unanimous decision, Anadarko's board of directors determined the Occidental bid "could reasonably be expected to result in a superior proposal," the company said in a statement Monday. It added that an earlier agreement to merge with Chevron remains in effect.

The move sets the stage for Chevron to come back with a sweetened offer. Under the terms of the companies' April 12 merger agreement, if Anadarko formally declares the Occidental offer to be superior, Chevron then has four days to make another proposal. While it has ample financial firepower to top Occidental's offer, it may opt instead to avoid an expensive bidding war. Taking the $1 billion break-up fee that's part of their accord and walking away would be an acceptable outcome for Chevron, Jefferies analysts Jason Gammel and Daniela Almeida said.

"Chevron CEO Mike Wirth's mantra is 'costs matter,'" the analysts wrote in a note that came out just before the Anadarko statement. "Chevron's primary rationale for the acquisition is return enhancement, which erodes as the cost increases."

Anadarko shares were unchanged as $72.80 at 8:14 a.m. in early trading in New York, while Occidental dropped 1.2%. Chevron was little changed.

"We hope Anadarko will proceed quickly to securing this superior transaction for its shareholders," Occidental spokeswoman Melissa Schoeb said in a statement.

The tussle for Anadarko has transfixed the oil industry over the past two weeks. A takeout of the company would be the largest deal in the sector in at least four years. Chevron and Occidental are targeting the company to expand their presence in the Permian Basin, the world's largest oil patch.

Occidental went public April 24 with a bid to buy Anadarko for $76 per share in cash and stock. That compares with Chevron's agreement to buy The Woodlands, Texas-based Anadarko for $65 a share.

Based on the current per-share valuations of the bids, Occidental's proposal is about $7 billion higher than Chevron's, compared with a difference about $5 billion when the deal was first announced. "We believe our signed agreement with Anadarko provides the best value and the most certainty to Anadarko's shareholders," Chevron said Monday in an emailed statement.

That valuation gap has created pressure from investors. New York-based investment firm D.E. Shaw urged the company to run an open sale process, people familiar with the matter said last week.

Although Occidental's offer is higher, the company's smaller size and balance sheet compared with Chevron have raised uncertainty over its ability to complete a deal. Unlike Chevron, Occidental would also have to put the deal to a shareholder vote.

"We believe the market has already priced in a higher bid from Chevron," Jefferies' Gammel and Almeida said. "We don't expect that a sweetened Chevron bid would need to meet Oxy's given the Anadarko board's evident preference for Chevron stock."
Texas universities are hoping to combat a national crisis of rural health care by expanding their family medicine residency programs.

Dr. Timothy Benton, chair of Family Medicine for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at the Permian Basin, said Texas leads the nation in rural hospital closures as well as rural hospitals at risk for closure.

That could mean big problems for Texans living in rural areas, he said.

If rural health care went away  if the trend of rural hospital closures continues  that will create a huge health care disparities group just by locations of residents, Benton said. It means greater challenges to access, longer distances of travel and larger waits.

He added that this may cause rural patients to be less likely to receive a diagnosis or treatment if they have a disease.

They dont get their disease taken care of early enough, Benton said. In addition, once they get it, then its harder to manage. Their chronic disease management may need more frequent visits to the physician, which can be challenging.

Dr. Rae Adams, program director of Texas A&M Universitys Family Medicine Residency, said if rural hospitals continue closing, I think patients will have [fewer] preventative services.

About 3 million Texans, or 11 percent of the population, reside in rural counties, according to a 2017 report from Texas A&Ms Rural and Community Health Institute.

The report goes on to state that this population tends to be older, poorer and  according to recent surveys  less healthy than their urban and suburban counterparts.

Approximately 18 percent of the population in rural communities is living below the poverty line, which is 2 percent more than in urban communities, according to the report. It also states that Americans in rural areas are more likely to die from preventable diseases than those in urban areas.

Benton said hospitals in rural areas usually close because of financial struggles, such as difficulties receiving reimbursements from insurance companies.

The Texas A&M report cites other issues as well, including leadership problems, competition with larger hospitals and low census.

One way to help prevent rural hospital closures is to place more physicians in rural areas, Benton said.

When you place a physician in a rural area, they bring with them other jobs and other income which helps to bring revenue to the hospital, he said.

Physicians who do their residencies in rural areas are more likely to practice in rural areas, according to Texas A&Ms report.

If you can draw them in to do their residency in a place, theres a higher likelihood that they will stay there, Benton said. Rural training tracks have an 80 percent success rate for placing physicians in a rural practice.

Adams echoed Bentons statement.

Most physicians practice close to where their residency is, she said. We hope we can train enough physicians, so hospitals arent closing because of not having enough physicians.

Benton said another piece of the problem is 1 in 5 rural practicing physicians in Texas are at retirement age, and theres fewer people to take their places because fewer physicians are choosing to practice primary care.

The doctors said the greatest challenge preventing more physicians from choosing the rural route is the general lack of subspecialists in rural areas.

Its a little bit intimidating, said Benton. Sometimes youre the only one [physician] and you dont have the subspecialist down the hall.

He added, If a stroke patient comes in the emergency room in Midland or Odessa, the neurologist is called. If a stroke patient comes into Fort Stockton, theres not a neurologist immediately available. So, its a little bit intimidating  you have to learn to manage some pretty complex things.

However, the biggest draw of rural programs is the opportunity to train in an unopposed setting, Benton said.

[If] theres not an obstetrician there, then these family medicine residents get to train in obstetrics without the obstetrics resident there to compete, he said. Their training is wider, more diverse, they have the opportunity to participate in more procedural based things [like] surgeries, trauma-related procedures.

Another draw is the aspect of being part of a community, Benton said.

It embeds these physicians in the community and they become a part of it, he said. They practice in their office and the hospital, or in the grocery store  youre almost always available.

Texas Tech had its first graduate from the rural training program in 2016, Benton said. The three-year program is now approved for 15 residents, five in each year.

Texas A&M currently has 27 residents, but after the university received a grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the program will be expanded to 30 residents next year.

Residents at Texas A&M spend the three years of their training in College Station, while residents at Texas Tech spend one year in Odessa and the next two years at a rural site.

The rural locations for Texas Tech residents are at Alpine, Fort Stockton, Andrews and Sweetwater.

Benton said he is hoping to work with rural hospitals to expand the program to more locations in the future.

The Texas Legislature is currently considering House Bill 1065, which would establish a Rural Resident Physician Grant Program.

The purpose of the program would be to encourage the creation of new graduate medical education positions in rural and nonmetropolitan areas, with particular emphasis on the creation of rural training tracks, according to the text of the bill.

Benton said residents are generally funded through Medicare, which sets a cap on how many residencies it will pay for. Theres an exception to the cap for rural training tracks, Benton said, but a program must be in existence for five years before a school can apply for funding for additional positions.

If HB 1065 passes, it could potentially provide some support in that five-year gap, he said. This could benefit Texas Tech, which has had its program for almost three years.

The bill was introduced in January and referred to the Higher Education Committee on Feb. 26.

If it passes the House and Senate with a two-thirds vote, it will take effect immediately. If it doesnt receive the vote necessary for immediate effect but still passes, it will take effect Sept. 1.
The man accused in the 2016 slaying of Zuzu Verk, whose body was found in a shallow grave in West Texas, is scheduled to stand trial this week.

Verk's boyfriend, 28-year-old Robert Fabian, was indicted in March 2017 on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with or fabricating evidence in the 22-year-old's death in October 2016.

Jury selection started Monday morning in the case, which is being tried in Caldwell County, about 35 miles south of Austin, after a change of venue was requested, a deputy clerk said.

Verk, who graduated from Timber Creek High School in Keller, was last heard from on Oct. 11, 2016, when she went to the movies with Fabian. She didn't show up for work or an exam the next day.

Fabian told police he and Verk got into a "heated" argument about one of his ex-girlfriends that night after Verk went to his apartment for dinner and a massage, but said she later left, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Neighbors reported hearing the couple arguing that night and later said they heard a movie playing loudly followed by "unique sounds" from Fabian's bed.

The night Verk disappeared, Fabian was seen buying painters drop cloths that matched the thin plastic sheets her body was wrapped in, according to the affidavit.

Verk's remains were discovered in February 2017 in a shallow grave outside Alpine, where she attended Sul Ross State University.

Fabian's friend Chris Estrada also was charged in connection with Verk's disappearance.

Police said Estrada drove Fabian to the store to purchase the drop cloths and also visited several commercial trash bins in the hours after Verk was last heard from.

Estrada pleaded no contest in April 2018 to a charge of tampering with evidence and a Brewster County judge found him guilty. He will be sentenced at the conclusion of Fabian's trial, the county sheriff's office has said.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois House Labor and Commerce Committee heard testimony Friday about the importance of investment in education and infrastructure when it comes to employment rates and economic development.

In a hearing at the Michael A. Bilandic building in Chicago, representatives of state agencies, labor unions and other organizations testified of their efforts to better include minority populations in the workforce and what could be done to break down barriers to diversify participation.

Committee chair Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, said he would like to see optimum results, not just good results in decreasing the unemployment rate in Illinois, particularly in minority communities.

Marc Poulos, executive director of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting, spoke of the importance of apprenticeships in building Illinois workforce for the union trades, but noted there were only about 16,000 active apprentices in Illinois 102 counties. Those who enter the workforce through apprenticeships are more skilled and make better money, he said.

He said individuals come out of these programs with no debt, and will make more than college graduates, on average, for the first 10 to 15 years after graduation.

Efforts to reach students to promote union trades are beginning as early as fifth grade, Poulos said. This is necessary to avoid a culture shock when it comes to long hours of a tradesperson, as well as to erase the stigma of joining a union job or apprenticeship instead of a four-year college, he added.

Frank Manzo, policy director of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, told the committee that apprenticeship enrollment has grown 34 percent in Illinois since 2011. He added that every $1 billion of state infrastructure spending creates 11,000 jobs and boosts the economy by about $1.6 billion.

Alison Howlett, executive director of Chicago Laborers District Council Labor-Management Cooperation Committee, and Charise Williams, director of external affairs at Chicago Federation of Labor, testified about efforts to increase minority and women inclusion in these programs.

Historically, labor has not done a great job of recruiting minorities and women, Williams said, noting her organization is working on partnerships with contractors and developers to increase recruitment in these areas.

That includes tutoring efforts, and Williams said her organization would lobby legislators for a greater investment in recruitment programs.

Howlett said her organization is working with legislators to earmark a portion of the sales tax on motor fuel to go to a statewide network of community organizations for pre-apprenticeship program training and to break down barriers to minority and women inclusion in the trades.

The Illinois Department of Transportation, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Tollway and other groups testified about their efforts to increase minority participation as well.

Brad Tietz, director of legislative affairs at DCEO, said his office is working on its first economic development plan since 2014, and was looking to get capital bill funding for projects such as broadband expansion and water and sewer lines to help downstate businesses expand.

Dave Comerford, legislative director of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, testified about Grow Your Own Teacher, a recruitment program in the education field.

That program aims to recruit potential teachers from low-income communities to teach at hard-to-staff school districts, Comerford said. This fills staffing gaps and benefits students by employing more relatable teachers, he added.

Grow Your Own Teacher began in 2005 and at one point had 16 consortia from Carbondale to Chicago, but state funding for the program was zeroed out in 2016 and 2017, Comerford said. Funding was restored for this fiscal year at $1.4 million, and is also included in next fiscal years proposed budget, he added. Comerford said vacancies exist in 527 of the 852 school districts in Illinois.

Evans said he planned on hosting further hearings to discuss specific plans and ideas for increasing minority participation in the workforce and spurring economic growth in Illinois.

Reach reporter Jerry Nowicki at Jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com




Providing the total solution for hatcheries: Pas Reform



2019 marks Dutch-based Pas Reform's centennial. Today 95% of the company's business comes from outside the Netherlands, and one of the cornerstones for its continued success is that throughout its history, it has not stopped innovating, bringing to the industry new, improved solutions, according to CEO Harm Langen in an interview with eFeedLink at VIV Asia.

"We provide a total solution for hatcheries, not just incubators but also climate control and hatchery automation systems. We are the only ones in the market who offer a total package connected to one supervisory system, providing peace of mind to large companies in particular, who prefer to have one company to talk to, and don't have to worry about dealing with different suppliers," highlights Langen. It is not surprising then that big names in the poultry industry count among Pas Reform's key clientele.

"Customers like the fact that they have the reassurance that their hatcheries will run properly, and that they will have the right results with the right operations and support," Langen points out. He refers to SmartCare, a service package which includes a variety of services and products which support any of the three key 'life stages' of a hatchery project: the planning, project and lifetime stages.



Apart from having a traditional spare parts help desk, SmartCare provides customers with newer type of services including data-driven insights, delivered through regular Skype calls. For example, it is important to have the right incubation profiles to improve hatchery operations, and Pas Reform's incubation specialists regularly advise customers on how to use the correct settings, according to Langen. "By collecting and analysing data from their hatcheries, we assist customers to improve their results and keep performance at a high level. Through our SmartCenterPro system, hatchery managers can receive a message or call on their phones should an immediate reaction to an emergency be required," explains Langen.

Indeed, a strong service approach is cited by Langen to be another cornerstone for Pas Reform's continued success, where customers are "taken very good care of" by the company's "excellent service team". "We've a great team globally which is made up of good distributors and our own people in many countries," Langen says.

In 2014, Pas Reform, together with US-based NatureForm, formed NatureForm Hatchery Technologies. Commenting on the partnership, Langen says: "For the United States, we understand the importance of being a local supplier, with a local support team. For that reason we decided to have our own office to provide products and services in the US. Since working together with NatureForm, incubators from both companies now have the controller line with the same parts. As egg tray sizes in the US are different from Europe and the rest of the world, we are now able to also provide solutions for any egg tray size. Products made in the US by NatureForm Hatchery Technologies can also be shipped to other countries."

Pas Reform extends this concept similarly to Southeast Asia, with support offices in countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, particularly for services.

In terms of R&D, Pas Reform conducts most of its research in the Netherlands, US and Brazil. Besides partnering with renowned agricultural universities such as Wageningen University & Research, Pas Reform also has select business partners. And the early involvement of customers is sought. A most recent innovation introduced to Asia at VIV Asia was SmartStart (previously introduced to Europe at VIV Europe 2019), a post-hatch feeding system designed with animal welfare, antibiotics reduction, field performance, and sustainability in mind. Specific requirements for pre-starter feed and lighting conditions were the rationale for Pas Reform to engage DSM and Signify (previously Philips Lighting) as respective development partners.

"With SmartStart, day-old chicks have immediate access to feed and water. This is important from an animal welfare point of view, and also enables the chicks to become more robust, reducing the need for antibiotics. So SmartStart is really designed with animal welfare, food safety, and sustainability in mind. In particular, field results have shown very good improvements in terms of feed conversion and mortality," Langen elaborates.

Highlighting the opportunities he sees in the Asia region moving forward, Langen says: "We expect to grow with our existing customer base, with a large share already coming from Asia. We will continue to offer more services and more complete product assortments. We also expect to see a rising need for hatchery automation solutions, as labour requirements become increasingly tight. For Asia, we see a growing interest in SmartStart, as customers come to appreciate the importance of early feeding and that putting a stronger chick on the ground would be better for their business."

Marketing director Henry Arts had some concluding remarks: "VIV Asia was a fantastic show for Pas Reform, we had unprecedented numbers of trade visitors from all over Asia. As we celebrate our centennial this year, the show was a great opportunity for us to thank everyone who has helped us to reach this important milestone!"
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  News website Rappler has found allies in urging the Supreme Court (SC) to stop President Rodrigo Duterte's ban against its reporters.

At least 41 journalists filed a petition for intervention Tuesday, asking the SC to annul the ban and declare it as unconstitutional. They also called on the high court to hold an oral argument on the case.

The petitioners, represented by former SC Spokesperson Teodor Te of the Free Legal Assistance Group, included Florangel Braid, one of the drafters of the 1987 Constitution and now president emeritus of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication; Melinda de Jesus of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility; columnists Ceres Doyo and John Nery; TV talk-show host and columnist Winnie Monsod; Inday Varona, Marlon Ramos, Vergel Santos, Muriel Macaraig and Nikko Dizon.

Author and columnist Joselito delos Reyes, as well as broadcasters Lourd de Veyra, Sandra Aguinaldo, Raffy Tima and Mariz Umali were also among those who signed the petition.

While they are not covered by the President's order, the journalists said, they are affected by the ban as it "abridges the freedom of the press."

"While petitioners-in-intervention have not been physically barred from reporting on the President's activities, the ban articulated by the President in his March 1, 2018 speech is already in place and it extends not only to Rappler and to its reporters and staff but also to any journalist who would write or broadcast anything that the President deems to be 'fake news'," they said.

They added that the ban is "arbitrary" and "constitutes content-based prior restraint."

"A prohibition against exercising a constitutionally-guaranteed freedom that is based on nothing but personal whim and pleasure is well beyond the pale of constitutional legitimacy. That the President himself would acknowledge the ban and point to its lifting through the act of [Pia Ranada] voting for a candidate selected by the President is the height of whimsy and caprice and, by any standard, constitutive of grave abuse of discretion," the journalists said. Ranada covers Duterte for Rappler.

On April 11, Ranada, along with eight other reporters from the news site, filed a petition asking the SC to suspend the ban, which they said violates constitutional guarantees of press freedom, free speech, due process and equal protection.

In some of his previous public speeches, Duterte had lashed out at the news organization and its chief Maria Ressa--both critical of the administration--calling them peddlers of fake news.

Duterte in February 2018 first prohibited Rappler's Palace reporter Ranada and Ressa from covering Malacanang and the President's events. The following month, the ban extended to all Rappler reporters, including its correspondents based in provinces.

The ban was imposed after Rappler's license to do business was revoked on January 11, 2018. The Securities and Exchange Commission said the firm breached the constitutional ban on foreign ownership in mass media.

Rappler is facing various legal battles, including the indictment and arrest of Ressa for a cyber libel case filed against her, the firm and a former researcher. It also faces five tax evasion cases: four filed against Ressa and Rappler Holdings in the Court of Tax Appeals, and another at the Pasig Regional Trial Court. On March 29, the embattled veteran journalist was arrested again for allegedly violating the Anti-dummy Law. She is out on bail.

Malacanang had repeatedly denied having a hand in the arrests.






Cobb Spain celebrates 50 years of excellence

This year marks the 50-year anniversary of Cobb Spain, a distributor of Cobb Europe, serving Spain, Portugal, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.



To celebrate the milestone, the company hosted a celebration in Madrid, Spain, earlier this month, bringing together many Cobb team members and colleagues who help make the distributor a success.



Cobb Spain managing director Rafael Gil said the long-term success of the distributor is built upon the company's investment in premium genetics and quality products.



"We've been fortunate to have the long-time support of our shareholders, allowing us to invest in developing a high-quality product," Gil said. "At the same time, Cobb Europe provides us with valuable technical support to continue improving results."



"Our relationship with Cobb Spain is very strong. We've grown together for the last 50 years and look forward to many years of continued partnership," Cobb president Joel Sappenfield said.



Key milestones in the history of Cobb Spain include:



- 1969: Cobb Spain began as grandparent flock farms in Pozo de Guadalajara and a hatchery in Alcala de Henares (Madrid).



- 1980s: Initially with these two operations starting as leases, the company was able to secure ownership during this decade through steady growth.



- 2006: Further growth occurred with the purchase of the of Hybro facilities in Spain, which included a hatchery in Duenas and a few grandparent flock farms in Valladolid and Palencia. These new facilities enabled the distributor to complete sales internally.



- 2012-2019: With a EUR18 million (US$20.3 million) investment in farm space, a new hatchery was developed, several extensions were completed, and a new office was established in Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid. During this time, Cobb Spain also updated its existing facilities in Guadalajara.



"We are very proud of the history shared with such an excellent distributor and partner," said Mark Sams, general manager of Cobb Europe. "We have seen exceptional growth in the territories managed by Cobb Spain and look forward to working with our friends and partners for the next 50 years and beyond."

Tyson Foods CEO Noel White was in attendance, as were several Cobb executives from throughout the world including Pelayo Casanovas, Cobb's vice president for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, and Roy Mutimer, vice president of operations. Together, the leaders held sessions focused on the future of the poultry industry, Cobb's vision and genetics technology.



Cobb Spain plans to open a new breeder trial farm in 2019, which will be built in Duenas, the Palencia province where most of Cobb Spain's grandparent farms are located. The farm will be used by both Cobb Europe and Cobb-Vantress to test the Cobb500 product with different management profiles.



- Cobb
CHP Sonora Unit logo View Photos

Sonora, CA  CHP officials are sharing more details about a minivan crash on Highway 49/120 near Chinese Camp over the weekend that briefly required a motorists detour.

As reported here, the incident occurred Saturday night around 9 oclock near Shawmut Road and had a medi-vac helicopter on standby. CHP Sonora Unit officials state that there was one crash victim, 21-year-old Anton Goal of San Francisco, the driver and sole occupant of a black Nissan minivan.

According to the CHP, for undetermined reasons Goal allowed the van to leave the roadway, where it collided with an asphalt curb and a dirt embankment. Officials add that as his injuries were suspected to be minor he was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
During the Democratic Weekly Address, Senate Intelligence Committee member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) stated that President Trump has lost the trust of the nation.

Heinrich was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

President Donald Trump has lost the trust of the nation he swore to protect and defend.

As the Special Counsel Robert Muellers report lays out, in painstaking detail, there was rampant criminality surrounding President Trumps campaign and his administration. During the course of the investigation, the Special Counsels team indicted or got guilty pleas from 34 individuals and three companies. But the criminal-and criminally incompetent-behavior was not limited to these indictments and guilty pleas.

Senate Democrats are focused on examining the Special Counsels findings and holding others in this corrupt and chaotic Administration accountable. Many damning facts have already been revealed over the course of this investigation. Indisputable intelligence has established that a systematic, wide-ranging Russian election interference operation aimed to bolster President Trumps campaign. Many in the Trump orbit, including Donald Trump himself, openly sought to benefit from and even encouraged Russias interference in our election. The report details extensive interactions between individuals associated with a hostile foreign government and Trump associates who sought to benefit President Trumps campaign and personal business interests. The president and his team then repeatedly lied to the American people and tried to cover up these reckless and criminal activities. When looking into the question of obstruction of justice, the Special Counsel found that President Trump engaged in multiple efforts to hinder the investigation into Russian interference. In a number of cases, the report finds plenty of evidence to support a charge of obstruction of justice.

It is now Congresss job to conduct the oversight hearings and investigations necessary to hold President Trump and his administration accountable. Congress needs the full, un-redacted Mueller report. Robert Mueller should testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee. We need more information  not less  to help the American people understand what really happened here.

But the American people also need to understand that what we already know is appalling. President Trump and his team have engaged in a shocking pattern of lies, incompetence, and obstruction. They have even lied about the Special Counsels report and what it says. It is now clear that we have a president who nefariously pursues his personal interests over those of the American people. Instead of waking up each morning to serve others, he instead lashes out at those who challenge his lies and self-serving dealings.

The American people deserve better. We deserve elected leaders who we can trust to protect our nation and help our families and communities succeed. There are serious issues that Americans expect their leaders in Washington to get to work on. Democrats are eager to develop solutions for income inequality, to address our growing climate crisis, and to invest in infrastructure and education to build an economy that works for all of us. But solving these challenges will be impossible as long as our president remains fixated on spending every waking hour padding his own pockets and saving his own skin.

The fundamental principles that our nation stands for-democracy and justice-are facing a critical test. We must be vigilant in defending all that our great nation stands for, which means fighting for the truth and ensuring the public can trust their elected leaders once again.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
ATCAA Executive Director Joe Bors View Photos

Sonora, CA  A familiar leader within the Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency (ATCAA) has been tabbed to replace outgoing Executive Director Raj Rambob.

Joe Bors has been serving as ATCAAs Director of Energy and Water Conservation for the past four years. As a department director, he helped secure over $1.6-million in water conservation grants and implemented internal programs to improve training and career path opportunities.

Bors tells Clarke Broadcasting, It is an honor, and Im tremendously thrilled to lead a wonderful organization with tremendously talented and caring people. I am proud to be a part of it.

When asked about the challenges ahead, he mentioned further organizing the various programs, and thinking strategically about growing the groups level of support and services across the region.

ATCAA Board President Lloyd Schneider notes that the search for Rambobs replacement spanned six months and the organization received numerous applications. We look for Mr. Bors to amplify our forty-year history of significant positive impacts in our region and to continue the work and visions of his predecessors, he notes. Mr. Rambob kept many of our programs viable during difficult times and one of his greatest impacts was in the area of important new resources for the homeless of the Mother Lode.

Before being hired by ATCAA, Bors volunteered in early 2015 to develop and implement a successful free summer lunch program for students in Tuolumne County. Just prior to that, he had retired from Boeing Satellite Systems as an executive level program manager in the field of space-based telecommunications systems and ground system development. Through his 35 plus year career, he managed $250-million program budgets, including spacecraft attitude control, mission system design and Ku Band communication systems for the Space Shuttle Program.

Bors is a native of Northern California. He and his wife Victoria, a local broadcaster and writer (AKA Tori James) live in Angels Camp with their canine son Bodhi, a rescue from the Jamestown animal shelter.

ATCAA was formed in 1981 as a public non-profit entity through a joint powers agreement between Tuolumne and Amador counties. Its annual budget is over $10-million and it employs around 150 local residents.

Among its various services are the Head Start program, Food Bank, Foster Youth Support, Child/Drug Abuse Prevention, Family Learning, Income Tax Assistance, Friday Night Live, Housing Support and an Emergency Shelter.




Despite ASF concerns, New Hope to build 3 swine farms in Vietnam

New Hope Group said last week it is building three swine farms in Vietnam, even as African swine fever (ASF) spreads through the country, Reuters reported.

The farms, located in Thanh Hoa, Binh Phuoc, and Binh Dinh provinces, will produce 930,000 head annually, with construction to be completed by 2021.

The Group has invested more than 1.1 billion yuan (US$163.51 million) into the swine farms, tapping on the opportunity of an upgrade of the Vietnamese swine farming industry, as it signed an agreement with Vietnamese authorities at China's Belt and Road Forum on Thursday.

New Hope currently has eight feed companies in Vietnam, which sold more than 700,000 tonnes of feed in 2018.
Permian Basin producers have been tremendously successful in quadrupling the amount of crude and natural gas produced in the region. Now they're paying the price.

Natural gas prices at the Waha Hub near Coyanosa have fallen to zero, according to local producers.

"Most of the gas in the Delaware Basin portion of the Permian is delivered to plants near Coyanosa commonly referred to as 'Waha.' This plant has so much gas available that it outruns their delivery capacity," Bill Graham, president of Incline Energy, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. "With the supply outrunning their demand, they can reduce their pricing, and have done so drastically now. The Waha hub pricing as listed in the 'Inside FERC First-of the Month Posting' for December 2018 was 17 cents. That's right, 17 cents. Other postings for El Paso, Transwestern and others still ranged about $1.50.

"Now, the posting for April 2019 is $0.00, or absolutely nothing," Graham said. "Something is wrong with this picture. The plant gets more gas than they can handle, but they still sell what they process for about $1.50 and pay the producer nothing. And then charge for treating, compression and transportation that the producer has to pay to sell their gas,"

OIL REPORT: Workshops examine ways to mitigate flaring

Even Apache Corp. has been prompted to defer natural gas production volumes from its Alpine High play because of the extremely low prices at the Waha Hub. The company said those deferrals represent 250 million cubic feet per day of gross gas production.

Apache representatives told the Reporter-Telegram they had no additional comment beyond the announcement and comments from John Christmann IV, Apache's chief executive officer and president.

"As far back as two years ago, Apache foresaw the potential for gas takeaway constraints in the Permian Basin and initiated two significant mitigating actions. First, we contracted more than 1 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per day of long-term, firm takeaway capacity from the Permian Basin, on the Kinder Morgan-operated Gulf Coast Express and Permian Highway pipeline projects.," Christmann said in the statement. "Gulf Coast Express is expected to be in service later this year, and Permian Highway is expected to be in service later in 2020. At such time, Apache will be selling the vast majority of its Permian gas at a variety of Gulf Coast price points.

"Second, to address the pricing risk prior to these pipes coming into service, we entered into a series of basis swaps on a significant portion of our expected Permian Basin gas production through the middle of 2019. These swaps significantly mitigate the impact of current Waha pricing," he said.

"We anticipate relatively wide and volatile natural gas price differentials in the Permian Basin until the Gulf Coast Express pipeline enters service. As a long-term returns-focused company, we know that production deferrals such as this will improve financial performance despite the impact on near-term volumes," Christmann said in the statement. "This is the proper approach from both an environmental and economic perspective relative to other industry practices such as flaring or selling associated gas at a negative or unprofitable price."

Greg Haas, director, integrated energy at Stratas Advisors in Houston, told the Reporter-Telegram by email his company monitors natural gas prices, and Waha prices have gone negative for several trades this year.

"The growth in associated natural gas production that is coming out of the Permian region with the great volumes of crude oil has outpaced the growth in natural gas takeaway pipeline infrastructure needed to take the regional gas to viable natural gas markets," he said. "So, takeaway capacity is at a premium, which means natural gas prices in the Permian are under unprecedented pressure."

OIL REPORT: Compounding effects of technology helped reverse Hubbert's Peak

"Because of the shale revolution, producers are producing a lot of crude oil and natural gas. Produces are making money selling the oil. Gas has become, in large part, a waste product," said Phil Flynn of The PRICE Futures Group and senior market analyst, in a phone interview from his Chicago office. "They can lose money on the gas because they're making money on the oil. It's a real waste, because that gas could be used elsewhere if they could get it there."

Flynn said that 20 years ago, "we didn't know we would have all this natural gas because of the shale revolution. Twenty years ago, a lot of people, even the Fed chairman, were worried we were running out of natural gas. Now, we're the largest producer of natural gas in the world but we didn't have the infrastructure to send it to other parts of the country and now there's an anti-pipeline agenda."

At some point, "they will have to build more pipeline capacity, so producers can send that gas to places that need it, like New York -- even though New York doesn't want it, though they had shortages this winter," he said.

"We anticipate some sizable gas takeaway pipelines will come into operation in the region in the late part of this year," Haas said. "Until then, flaring, production cutbacks and even novel solutions like more local power generation using gas fuel, and even trucking out gas as liquefied natural gas will likely become more common this year."

Flynn called for the construction of pipelines to move Permian gas as LNG to export facilities on the Gulf Coast to meet overseas demand.

"President Trump is of no help," Graham said. "In his trade negotiations with China, he has added a 25 percent tariff on liquified natural gas sold to China. So, China has quit purchasing from us and has gone to other sources. Those shiny new LNG terminals on the Texas coast are nearly idle."

"I keep hearing about all these plans to construct new pipelines to increase takeaway capacity, but they aren't here yet," Graham said. "The Texas Railroad Commission has the authority to limit allowables and reduce production, thereby reducing flaring of gas. But, their website just keeps boasting about record oil production every month."

Graham also offered a warning: "As production continues to increase, so will flaring of natural gas. If the Railroad Commission doesn't step in with a solution, I'm afraid the EPA will, and none of us will be happy with that."

Flynn acknowledged natural gas producers are struggling right now, but counseled patience.

"Even though it's gloom and doom for producers right now, it will be great in the long run. Two, three, five years out they'll find new markets," he said. "Natural gas is the best fuel on the planet. They talk about alternative fuel, but this is the best. Short term, there is pain for produces, but I think that's going to change over time. (Low prices) will spur demand and hopefully people will wake up to the fact we need more pipelines and it will be good for the country. It's too much of a good thing right now, but it will spread across the country and even the world. Stuff doesn't stay free forever.

"Bide your time, stay as profitable as you can and over time you will be rewarded for your patience," Flynn said.
The long-anticipated Battle of Winterfell played out in the third episode of the eighth season of "Game of Thrones," titled "The Long Night."

After the second episode slowly built up excitement for the war against the undead, this 90-minute action sequence delivered on excitement but also showed the demise of several longstanding characters. >>>See the roundup of who died and who survived the battle in the gallery above (spoilers).

HoustonChronicle.com: "Game of Thrones" recap: Defending Winterfell comes at a cost. What next?

The most prominent death, of course, is the fall of the Night King. After proving nearly impossible to kill  he walked through fire and shielded himself with snow clouds  the leader of the undead proved easy to kill in the end. Arya Stark stabbed the ice zombie with her Valyrian-steel dagger, gifted to her by Bran (who received it from Littlefinger), taking with him his massive army of undead soldiers. Valyrian steel is among the few things that can kill White Walkers.

"For three years we've known it would be Arya who delivers that fatal blow," showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss said in an after-the-episode segment. "We knew it had to be Valyrian steel in the exact spot where the Children of the Forest put the dragon-glass blade to create the Night King. And he's uncreated by Valyrian steel."

VIRAL: 'Game of Thrones' season 8, episode 3 reactions and memes

Perhaps the deadliest episode since season three's Red Wedding, "The Long Night" kept viewers on edge, but not everyone was kept in suspense. Upon airing, several people complained that their screens were so dark they couldn't see what was happening. The dimly lit scenes have been picked up by memes, with viewers thanking Melisandre, the Red Witch, for providing the army with fire so we could see what was happening.

As it turns out, that was entirely the point. This episode's director of photography, Fabian Wagner, told "Vanity Fair" that the "storytelling of the lighting evolve with the storytelling of the characters."

Perhaps the next great war will be brighter, since it takes place in Kings Landing. Will Cersei prove to be tougher to kill than the master of the Wights?

The fourth episode of the eight season of "Game of Thrones" airs Sunday, May 5.

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.
Houstonians that regularly visit Galveston are probably familiar with the island's diverse homes. From vibrantly painted, pastel pink and blue houses to inverted steel-domed residences that have become icons for the island, Galveston's homes are anything but ordinary.

But just 25 minutes from the Strand, a bayside village of homes offers an even more unique take on coastal living. Formerly known as Flamingo Isles, the HarborWalk community in Hitchcock consists of custom-built waterfront mansions that boast stunning views of the Gulf of Mexico from nearly every room.




By Town Hall, April 29, 2019





Local and federal officials announced Monday Army veteran and Islam convert Mark Steven Domingo was arrested after planning a series of terrorist attacks in Los Angeles. Domingo was arrested Friday night after taking what he thought was a live bomb from an undercover agent.





Domingo, a former U.S. Army Infantryman, wanted to use improvised explosive devices against innocent civilians and he selected components that would make the bombs even more deadly to the victims he targeted, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in statement. His arrest today mitigates the threat he posed to others in the Los Angeles community. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation and arrest.
March raked in the highest amount of alcohol sales for the year so far, according to state records.

Bars, restaurants and venues in Bexar Country raked in $55 in alcohol sales for March, a jump from the $53.3 million the month before and $49 million in January.
Occidental Petroleum gained more leverage in its effort to snatch Anadarko Petroleum from Chevron with the commitment of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway to provide $10 billion to help finance Oxy's acquisition.

Buffett's backing is the latest twist in a takeover battle that has pitted the much smaller Occidental of Houston against the much larger California supermajor. After Anadarko initially spurned Oxy in favor of Chevron's $33 billion offer at $65 a share  arguing that Chevron was a better fit with safer long-term value  Oxy came back to $38 billion bid at $76 per share, with half paid in cash, the balance in stock.

Chevron has offered 25 percent cash-75 percent stock deal. Anadarko's board is reviewing Oxy's offer, which it has deemed potentially superior.

Anadarko, which would have to pay Chevron a $1 billion breakup fee it it bolts to Occidental, is waiting to see if Chevron will increase its offer. Chevron on Tuesday reiterated its agreement with Andadarko offers the best overall value and most certainty.

RELATED: Anadarko to resume Occidental talks, calls bid a 'superior proposal'

"If the plot of this particular M&A saga was not yet complicated enough," said Raymond James energy analyst Pavel Molchanov, "it has thickened yet again."

The takeover battle is unprecedented in the energy sector this century. The conflict already has seen Anadarko reject Oxy for Chevron and then turn back toward the smaller company. The Anadarko board raised eyebrows by sweetening the severance packages for top executives shortly before the Chevron deal was announced. And the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating alleged insider trading connected to deal and involving unnamed traders using foreign accounts.

Anadarko, based in The Woodlands, is coveted by the two suitors in large part because of its holdings in the prolific Permian Basin in West Texas. Both Chevron and Occidental have extensive  and growing  operations in the Permiam.

RELATED: Insider trading alleged in Anadarko, Chevron deal

Over the weekend, Oxy executives reportedly flew to Omaha, Neb. to meet with Berkshire Hathaway leaders in Buffett's hometown. Berkshire Hathaway's infusion of cash is expected to assuage concerns of nervous Occidental investors that the company might overextend itself and take on too much debt to buy Anadarko. But some major Oxy investors, including the financial services company T. Rowe Price, are still opposed to the deal, Barron's reported.

For Buffett, the deal is a rare venture back into the energy sector. Buffet is barely invested in energy. Berkshire Hathaway's strongest energy holding is Phillips 66, but Berkshire Hathaway has reduced its stake in the Houston refiner in recent years.

Berkshire Hathaway is committing the $10 billion only if Oxy can seal the deal with Anadarko. Berkshire Hathaway would receive a $10 billion stock position in the expanded Oxy, including the option to purchase up to 80 million more shares. Buffett can walk away if Chevron wins out.




By Reuters, April 26, 2019





WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday it has consented to a former staffer appearing before a congressional panel for an on the record interview, accompanied by his lawyers, regarding security clearance policies and procedures.



The reasonable accommodation offer of a voluntary appearance by former White House Personnel Security Director Carl Kline before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform was disclosed in a letter to the panels ranking Republican, Jim Jordan.
Ex-San Antonio reporter Christina Coleman is making big moves in the TV news business. The Judson High School grad is reporting for FOX News beginning April 29th.

Coleman is a general assignment reporter at the network's Los Angeles bureau, a new adventure she can't wait to start.

"I'm very excited. It's great to do stories on a national platform," Coleman told mySA via phone.

MORE TV NEWS ON MYSA: Former San Antonio anchor shares details of 'lucky' engagment, life after news

She said her family is just as excited for her too and her parents have always been her role models.

"My family was very happy for me they knew I always wanted to work at FOX News."

After graduating from Texas A&M, the San Antonio native began her career as a reporter at KIMO-TV in Anchorage, Alaska.

She returned to the Alamo City where she worked at both KABB-TV and WOAI-TV. During that time, she played an active role as a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, serving as Vice President of the San Antonio Chapter.

Coleman says she still loves San Antonio and enjoyed working at KABB-TV.

While in San Antonio she met one her closest friends in former news anchor Karen Grace, who told mySA.com she's excited for Coleman's big move.

"Christina is a powerhouse when it comes to journalism! She is thorough in seeking truth and uncovering investigations," Grace said via text. "She is also known to be the sparkle of any newsroom. She deserves this opportunity and has worked hard for it."

MORE TV NEWS ON MYSA: San Antonio TV anchor and reporter moves

After leaving San Antonio again, Coleman packed her bags and traveled to St. Louis, Missouri with her husband, Eric Messersmith, and son, Maximus. Coleman worked at NBC affiliate KSDK-TV as an anchor and lead night beat reporter, where she covered events in Ferguson, Missouri following the death of Michael Brown, according to a FOX News press release.

It's from those big stories and others like them that she has this advice for aspiring journalists: "It's really important to stay focused, dig deep on stories," Coleman said. "There can be more of a story to the story. Really grow in your community, understand the city's issues."

With the big leap to the Los Angeles area, Coleman says she's happy to live in such a beautiful place. She says loves the beach and her and her family are looking for places around Santa Monica.

Coleman recently returned to San Antonio with her husband and son for a brief vacation before starting at FOX News. She said they visited The Rim and were surprised to see all the growth in the area. She also visited the newly expanded section of the River Walk and even took her son to see the Alamo for the first time.

"I love San Antonio and I enjoy it so much," she said.

Candice.Garcia@express-news.net | Twitter @_candicegarcia
Comedian Hari Kondabolu, known for his documentary "The Problem with Apu," visited San Antonio Saturday and issued high praise for the venue he was at, despite some quirky interruptions.

Before his set at the Blind Tiger, a club underneath The Magic Time Machine off Loop 410, Kondabolu filled in his Twitter followers on the venue's mise-en-scene.
Whether you're strolling downtown or driving outside 1604, you're likely to bump into the countless taquerias or Mexican restaurants in San Antonio.

While some of the best Mexican food spots in the Alamo City can be hole-in-the-wall restaurants, others garner nationwide attention and even earn the rare 4-star nod from the Express-News Taste Team.
Beaumont-area residents looking to get inked had more than 100 tattoo artists to choose from last weekend at the 4th annual Beaumont, Texas Tattoo Expo.

If tattoos weren't your thing, piercings and temporary tats were also available. But, as you can see in the photos above, tattoos were the main attraction.
A group of up-and-coming YouTube vloggers have made their own version of Houston's famed "Be Someone" sign over Interstate 45 near downtown.

Three college students  CJ Crider, 19, Abdullah Sanaullah, 20, and Mo Raya, 21  work collectively off of YouTube channel Princeabdullaaa. And when they saw someone blacked out the "Be Someone" sign on the Union Pacific bridge over I-45, they knew they had to do something about it.

The three bought all the painting supplies and made the trek from Clear Lake to the bridge last weekend. All three are scared of heights, they told Chron.com, but overcame their fears to make sure the sign was restored.

"It's so scary just looking (down)," Sanaullah said. "But you see Houston to your right, and you're reminded of why you're doing it."

While the words don't appear as concise as the original artist's rendition, inbound commuters now have their daily dose of Houston inspiration back.

"Everybody's constantly going past it, seeing it every single day," Sanaullah said. "A lot of people are going through a lot of pain ... it's good to see a good message up there."

The three conceded that "Be Someone" doesn't belong to them; It belongs to the original artist who painted the now-famous words on the bridge years ago, turning a routine overpass into a Houston treasure.

Look through the gallery to see how the "Be Someone" sign has changed through the years.

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
Even with St. Patty's Day falling on a weekend, Harris County residents weren't quite as thirsty in March 2019.

This, according to data provided by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
A Jordanian man who lives in Mexico has admitted he helped smuggle at least half a dozen immigrants from Yemen into the United States through Eagle Pass two years ago.

Moayad Heider Mohammad Aldairi, 31, pleaded guilty Monday in Del Rio to aiding and abetting the smuggling of an undocumented immigrant for financial gain, and a separate count of conspiracy to bring in an undocumented immigrant for financial gain. He faces between three years and 10 years in prison.

At a news conference in San Antonio on Tuesday, high-level officials from Washington joined local law officers in citing the case as an example of how criminal organizations exploit the porous border to bring in immigrants from countries with a large terrorist presence.

On ExpressNews.com: Trumps claim of enemy combatants pouring across border worries advocates

Law enforcement sources told the San Antonio Express-News some of the six Yemenis were on terror watch lists, though officials at the news conference wouldnt confirm that.

Im not going to comment on any specifics of these men, said John Bash, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, which includes San Antonio and the border from Eagle Pass to El Paso. But it just stands to reason, generally, that if we have an open border where people from countries with (a) large terrorist presence, that would like to inflict harm on the United States, can just walk across the border and skip all of the vetting and checks we do when someone flies in to this country, eventually someone is going to take advantage of it.

Yemen has been involved in a civil war since at least 2011 and has a presence of terrorist groups that include al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State, according to the State Department.

All six of the immigrants brought in by Aldairi were intercepted by Border Patrol in the second half of 2017. An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Border Patrol and other agencies, including the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force, revealed that Aldairi had charged each man between $2,000 to $6,000 to get them across the border, officials said.

Fortunately, these six were detained, but we dont know how many other people he assisted in getting into this country, Bash said.

Express Briefing: Get the morning headlines in your inbox

Aldairi's San Antonio lawyer, Rusty Guyer, argued that the immigrants his client smuggled are not terrorists, but people who left Yemen amid the turmoil of the years-old civil war.

Guyer said he believes the attention the case is being given by the Trump administration is an example of political posturing.

Its just one more step toward being anti-Muslim, Guyer said. Its Trump persecuting Middle Easterners, primarily Muslims.

But Guyer wanted to make it clear that his client isnt saying he did nothing wrong.

I dont want to leave the impression that my clients a saint, Guyer said. He pled guilty.

Shane Folden, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio, which oversees Eagle Pass and Del Rio, said his agents discovered Aldairi planned and coordinated travels through several countries including Cuba, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Hondurs, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

Some flew from Saudi Arabia to Ecuador directly, or to that country via Cuba or Turkey, then made their way north by other mens of transportation, Bash said.

David Rybicki, deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Departments criminal division, flew in from Washington for the news conference and said the investigation is part of a program called the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force.

The Trump administration, as part of its broader focus on border security, has prioritized ECT matters such as this case, Rybicki said. ECTs goal is to dismantle and disrupt the international and domestic operations of criminal travel networks and seize their assets and illicit proceeds to identify systematic vulnerabilities that the criminal elements may be exploiting to evade our immigration border controls.

Aldairi, who lives in Monterrey, Mexico, admitted that between July 2017 and December 2017, he took the six Yemeni men from Monterrey to Piedras Negras, Mexico, across from Eagle Pass, where the men waded across the Rio Grande into the United S tates.

Captured by Border Patrol agents, all six identified Aldairi as their smuggler, Bash said. One of the immigrants took a cellphone video in which Aldairi is seen explaining his smuggling methods to several members of the group, court records said.

Aldairi gave at least two of the men hard hats and reflective vests so they could blend in once in the United States, Bash said, adding that the men were headed to U.S. cities, including Chicago and New York.

On ExpressNews.com: Trumps border mission for GIs includes more concertina wire

Aldairi has no legal status to be in the United States himself. He is a citizen of Jordan, but has residency in Mexico, is married to a Mexican woman and they have children who are Mexican citizens, defense lawyer Guyer said.

In his fifteenth effort to secure a visa to enter the United States, the defendant told employees at the United States Embassy in Jordan that he had a wife who was a United States citizen and he wished to travel to her, Justice Department prosecutors wrote in a motion last year to keep Aldairi detained.

Homeland Security officials filed a criminal complaint against Aldairi on May 29, 2018, and obtained a warrant for his arrest, then kept the documents sealed for months as they investigated him. Aldairi was allowed to journey from Jordan to the United States and arrested when he flew in from London to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York in July 2018. He has been jailed ever since, court records show.

The six Yemenis were prosecuted for illegal entry, a misdemeanor and served sentences between 14 and 20 days, Bash said. Three of the six remain in the U.S., though officials declined to provide more details about them.

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
Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty if they convict a man accused of killing one person and leaving four others injured, including one critically, during a 10-day crime spree in 2016.

During a hearing Monday, prosecutors said they do not intend to pursue the death penalty against Ralph B. Torres, 27, who is also suspected of causing an explosion at a motel, robbing three people and carjacking two others.

According to police, the spate of violence began Aug. 21, 2016, after Torres allegedly approached an employee in the parking lot of the E-Z Wash in Monticello Park, put a gun to the mans head and demanded his car keys. He left several moments later with the mans car, police say.

On ExpressNews.com: Survivors fight to reclaim their lives after brush with violence

Several days later, police say, Torres entered the Quick Stop convenience store on Blanco Road, pulled out a handgun and fatally shot the store owner, Makansinh Udavat, 61.

Torres faces 13 different charges in connection with the crimes, including capital murder, which makes him eligible for the death penalty.

Several of the victims stories were featured in two San Antonio Express-News reports in 2016 and 2017 about the spate of crime.

On ExpressNews.com: One year after crime spree, memories of violence remain

In a jailhouse interview in 2016, Torres denied the allegations, saying hes been set up by a group of men, whom he declined to identify.

Im innocent. Im completely innocent, he said at the time. I know with evidence they will be arrested and indicted and stuff. I know deep down I didnt do anything to harm them.

Emilie Eaton is a criminal justice reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eeaton@express-news.net | Twitter: @emilieeaton
The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office has identified a 50-year-old man killed Saturday in a suspected road rage crash on the East Side.

Michael Edgett was engaged in the dispute at about 9:20 p.m. while traveling eastbound along U.S. Highway 87, according to a witness.

He and the other driver were "actively cutting one another off as they traveled," police said, and eventually, the other driver clipped Edgett's vehicle.

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Edgett's vehicle veered across the median, rolled over into oncoming traffic and finally came to rest against a fence.

Authorities found him alive at the scene. They removed him from his vehicle and attempted to treat him for his injuries, but he died at the scene.

The other driver fled the scene and has not been located. Traffic investigators are looking into the crash.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns
In June 2016, The Texas Tribune reported 336 state officers were serving and exercising their statutory powers even though their terms were expired, some up to five years, and they had not been reappointed by the governor. Gov. Greg Abbotts office stated it was working on the backlog and it would soon be taken care of.

Pursuant to a document request of the governors office recently, it was established that 418 state officers are now serving in their offices and exercising their statutory powers even though their terms have expired, some up to nine years, and they have not been reappointed by the governor.

Clearly, the number of state officers, commonly called holdover officers, is growing every year in the Abbott administration and their terms are lasting longer and longer.

This situation is clearly unconstitutional, and these officers should be removed immediately.

The Texas Constitution creates a weak governor state. All of the major executive officers are directly elected by the people: the attorney general, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house and the comptroller. State officers are appointed by the governor, but they must be confirmed by two-thirds of the Senate. They serve a two- or six-year term, and they may currently only be removed by two-thirds of the Senate. Thus, they are called independent officers, for the governor has no direct control over their actions.

However, holdover officers serve at the governors pleasure, are not confirmed by the Senate, have no set term and may be removed by the governor at any time. Therefore, the governor may directly control their actions and the agencies that they have power to direct. That makes the governor very powerful and, in essence, allows him or her to create a fiefdom of officers that does what he says and acts pursuant to his wishes.

It appears that Abbott believes he has the legal authority based on the Texas Constitution, which allows an existing appointed officer to serve beyond his or her term until ones successor is qualified. We do not know his exact interpretation, for despite repeated requests, he has remained silent. If this is his interpretation, it is grossly wrong and could not withstand judicial review. This interpretation simply guts the meaning of the Texas Constitution.

After several appeals to the attorney general, the lieutenant governor and the Senate Nominating Committee, nothing has been done. They appear to not have the wherewithal to stand up to Abbott and declare his actions unconstitutional and demand that he remove these officers immediately.

Abbott has sworn to uphold the Texas Constitution and to do what is best for the citizens of Texas. It is now time for the governor to stand up and do what is right, to stop acting in an unconstitutional manner and to remove these officers and the illegal authority he has over them. His concern for his own power and his ability to control executive branch officers in the way he desires should not be at a cost of violating the Texas Constitution.

Ron Beal is a law professor at Baylor Law School.
President Donald Trump has called the Mueller investigation a witch hunt nearly 200 times on social media alone.

Well, the special counsel concluded he was not a witch. After carefully scrutinizing any links between the Russian government and the Trump campaign, Robert Mueller definitively declared the investigation did not establish that the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. He didnt do it.

Still, several leading Democrats have called for Trumps impeachment on obstruction-of-justice charges. This is absurd.

The lesson of Watergate, we are told, is that the cover-up is always worse than the crime. But in Watergate, there was a crime to cover up. We now know that Trump committed no crime. There was nothing to cover up. As Mueller put it, unlike cases in which a subject engages in obstruction of justice to cover up a crime, the evidence we obtained did not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference.

This lack of an underlying crime is the source of Trumps justified outrage over the Mueller investigation. Imagine that you were accused of a crime you knew you did not commit, and a special counsel was appointed who spent nearly two years and more than $25 million investigating you. Youd be angry and frustrated. Youd want someone to stand up for you, defend your interests and stop the insanity.

For two years, Trump watched as the investigation dragged on, weighing down his presidency. He had to endure being accused of treason and crimes of a size and scope probably beyond Watergate. He listened as members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, and former intelligence officials, led Americans to believe that they had seen secret evidence showing he had colluded with Russia  evidence he knew did not exist.

Of course, he wanted the investigation to end. But he didnt end it. He didnt obstruct justice because nothing was obstructed. Mueller was allowed to finish his work. The White House cooperated, sharing millions of pages of documents and giving Mueller access to dozens of senior officials. The fact that Trump railed against Mueller to aides and told White House counsel Donald McGahn to fire Mueller (which McGahn did not do, and Trump did not press the matter) is not evidence of obstruction; it is evidence of exasperation. The president has a right to vent in private to his staff. Remember, the only reason Mueller knew about his private exchanges with McGahn is because Trump put no restrictions on McGahns cooperation. The president could have asserted privilege but declined to do so. He let McGahn spend some 30 hours with Mueller, sharing details, according to the New York Times, that investigators would not have learned of otherwise. This is evidence of Trumps cooperation, not obstruction.

As a result of this cooperation, the special counsels report contains some embarrassing moments for the president. But it also proves that Trump was telling the truth when it came to the central question of the investigation: He did not conspire with Russia.

If Democrats want to purse impeachment nonetheless, then to quote Ronald Reagan quoting Clint Eastwood: Go ahead, make my day. Impeachment over anything other than a conspiracy with Russia will backfire with the American people and help ensure Trumps reelection.

First, it will fail, because two-thirds of the Senate will not vote to convict the president. Second, Trumps supporters will see an impeachment effort as an attempted coup detat, energizing his base ahead of the 2020 election. And third, it will be seen as partisan and unfair by persuadable voters, who will not appreciate politicians second-guessing the conclusions of an impartial investigation. Want to push Trumps approval above 50 percent? Try to impeach him.

While Democrats debate pursuing impeachment, they are also abusing their powers to get Trumps tax returns in the hope they will provide what the Mueller investigation did not: evidence of something incriminating. Does anyone really believe that the House Ways and Means Committee wants Trumps returns to assess how the IRS audits and enforces the Federal tax laws against a president? Please. There is no legitimate legislative purpose for this request.

Both the Democrats attempt to misuse a 1920s law to violate Trumps privacy and their partisan response to the Mueller report make clear that they are seeking any pretext to oust Trump. But the only thing they will succeed in doing is eliciting sympathy for an otherwise unsympathetic president.

@marcthiessen
On April 12, I toured the busiest border crossing between America and Mexico  the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego  and the walls being built around it. Guided by a U.S. Border Patrol team, I also traveled along the border right down to where the newest 18-foot-high slatted steel barrier ends and the wide-open hills and craggy valleys beckoning drug smugglers, asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants begin.

Its a very troubling scene.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, since October, along the southwest border, from California through Texas, there have been 190,000 apprehensions of family units (a child under 18 with a parent or legal guardian) who crossed illegally from Mexico, up from 40,000 a year ago. Thats an increase of 374%.

And roughly 30% of those apprehended sought asylum  up from 1% a couple of years ago. Asylum is a humanitarian status based on fear of persecution in ones native land. Many of these requests are legitimate; some are economic migrants gaming the process. But once youre in the U.S. and file for asylum, theres a good chance for you to stay  legally or illegally.

In addition to families, 135,000 adults and 36,000 unaccompanied children have been apprehended since October after entering illegally. Most come from Guatemala and Honduras but migrants are also now flocking to open borders from as far away as Haiti and Africa.

The day left me more certain than ever that we have a real immigration crisis and that the solution is a high wall with a big gate  but a smart gate.

Without a high wall, too many Americans will lack confidence that we can control our borders and therefore will oppose the steady immigration we need. But for this wall to have a big gate, it has to be a smart and compassionate one, one that says, Besides legitimate asylum-seekers, well accept immigrants at a rate at which they can be properly absorbed into our society and workforce, and well favor visa-seekers with energies and talents that enrich and advance our society. Thats the opposite of the unstrategic, random, chaotic immigration system we have now.

Thats been a system in which millions of people could cross into our country illegally or overstay their visas. Or cross over and claim asylum and then melt into society while awaiting their hearings. Or bring in their family members through family reunification programs.

Its a crazy system that tells so many foreign students who come here legally to get out after they graduate, while offering myriad protections to people who arrive illegally or win entry through a lottery.

If you are pro-immigration as I am, you have to acknowledge that this haphazard system has overwhelmed the Border Patrol and our immigration courts and contributed to Donald Trumps election. A May 2016 poll by the Public Religion Research Institute and The Atlantic found that 48% of white working-class Americans agree that things have changed so much that I often feel like a stranger in my own country.

And in an era when more and more countries will fracture under environmental, population, criminal and technological stresses, we simply cannot take everyone who shows up at our border.

There has to be a compromise. As David Frum put it in his smart essay on immigration this month in The Atlantic, If liberals insist that only fascists will enforce borders, then voters will hire fascists to do the job liberals refuse to do.

And Trump fans need to realize that, yes, walls work  but only when paired with a strategy that says were not only going to build walls.

Were also going to invest in stabilizing the countries with so many people seeking asylum in America; mitigate the climate change, overpopulation and governance stresses fracturing these countries; celebrate the essential contribution that a steady flow of legal, high-energy and high-IQ immigrants make to America; embrace our historical role as a haven for those legitimately fleeing persecution  as much as we possibly can  because our country was founded by people doing the same; and expand our immigration court system to quickly welcome those who deserve asylum and repatriate those who dont.

Unfortunately, all those actions would require a president ready and able to forge a national immigration compromise. Instead, were stuck with a man who just exploits the border crisis and uses his wall to divide the nation and energize his base.

What a terrible waste of a crisis.
For a conservative idea, there are few things more dangerous and discrediting than the full-on, smothering embrace of Donald Trump. When he forces himself upon an issue  grabbing it, as it were, by the policy prescription  his approach is familiar. He seizes on a half-heard contention, simplifies it beyond recognition, and delivers it with the subtlety and precision of a shotgun blast.

This method is one thing when the topic is building a wall; it is another when accusing opponents of endorsing infanticide. During his April 27 rally in Wisconsin, Trump charged Democrats with generally supporting this test case: The baby is born. The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby, they wrap the baby beautifully. And then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby.

This scenario comes under the category of murder, not of wrenching, beginning-of-life ethical choices. It is a completely unfair characterization of views actually held by Democrats. So let me stipulate: Trumps slander obscures rather than enlightens an important policy debate.

If anyone has the right to be angry with the president, it is Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. It is his legislation, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, that helped provoke the current confrontation. And Sasse is neither simplistic nor irresponsible in pressing his case.

Sasses bill  recently blocked by Senate Democrats  does precisely what its unwieldy name implies. It deals only with the case of an abortion or attempted abortion that results in a child born alive. And it does not mandate medical care even in these cases. Instead, it requires doctors to exercise the same degree of professional skill, care and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as they would for any other child born alive at the same gestational age.

Cases in this category are admittedly tiny in number. The only remotely authoritative figures I have seen come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (by way of FactCheck.Org). From 2003 to 2014, the CDC recorded 143 cases in which children were born alive after attempted abortions. (Because it is sometimes difficult for the CDC to distinguish induced from spontaneous terminations, the overall number is probably a bit higher.) In 2017, for example, Minnesota had three reported cases of attempted abortions that produced infants born alive. In one case, according to the state Department of Health, the infant was given comfort care until it died.

The Sasse bill seems designed to operate in this very narrow space. Would it outlaw abortions after 24 weeks (roughly the current line of viability)? No, the legislation has nothing to do with the conditions in which an abortion can be obtained. It covers only infants born alive after an abortion is attempted. Would the legislation force a mother and doctor to give pointless health care to an infant born at 21 weeks? No, it covers cases where abortion is attempted, not tragic cases of loss on the edge of viability. And even in these cases, the bill would not require pointless treatment, only the treatment that would be standard for other infants at the same stage of development.

Would this legislation cover the test case of a child with non-life-threatening genetic anomalies delivered live at 24 weeks in the aftermath of a failed abortion attempt? You bet it would. After birth, such anomalies are called disabilities. And we dont kill disabled people just because they are very young.

Senate Democrats have two objections to the Sasse bill: one relatively strong, the other dangerously weak.

The stronger argument is that existing federal and state law already covers almost all such cases. The infamous abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell, after all, was already tried and convicted as a child killer under Pennsylvania law.

The weaker objection  which is not quite consistent with the first  is that Sasses legislation would be too intrusive in difficult matters of life and death on the ethical borderlines, forcing the provision of health care in hopeless cases. This would be horrible if true. But it isnt. The bill only requires that infants born alive after an attempted abortion be treated in the same way as other infants. Why? Because infants should not be allowed to die only because they are unwanted. Their value is inherent.

Members of a political party not dominated by a heedless demagogue would be able to argue this. Members of a political party not dominated by pro-choice interest groups would be able to consider this. As it is, the facts have no place to stand.

michaelgerson@washpost.com
It is disturbing to read of the increasing number of measles cases.

My two brothers and I had measles when we were in high school  the three of us at the same time. We were confined to bed for two weeks. Our mother kept the rooms dark because of danger to our eyesight. We ran high fevers and were very ill. We also had mumps and chickenpox. We had whooping cough in elementary school.

I made sure my three children got all the vaccines available at the time. Thank goodness the vaccine for polio was available. My children could not attend school unless I presented proof that they had been vaccinated.

Why are exemptions being allowed? There are people with medical issues that prevent them being vaccinated. Their lives are put at risk because of those who are not vaccinated. Are we going back to epidemics because of the lack of vaccinations?

It seems a number of parents are reacting to a study relating vaccinations to autism. This study has been disproven. I imagine that all or most of these parents were vaccinated when they were young, so they dont know how serious these diseases are.

Having experienced them myself, I can say that it is not something I would expose my children to.

Phyllis Soret, Devine

Mayor choice clear

Reelect Ron Nirenberg as mayor and San Antonio will get the city we deserve, with ambitious, long-term projects in our future.

Elect Greg Brockhouse and San Antonio can look to its future as the next Detroit  a city mired in debt from its police and fire pension funds. The choice is very clear.

David V. Jones

Cap its revenue

I am very familiar with revenue caps. They have sat on my income since I retired at age 70. I have no way to increase my income. The only way I can affect my expenditures is to give up something when my spending increases: higher taxes, city, state and federal taxes and fees, etc.

It is time the government learned that if you want to spend more on one thing, you must reduce other spending. By any and all means, cap their revenue.

Penelope Talley
Now we know Attorney General William Barr misled the public about the Mueller report. The report does not exonerate the president from obstruction of justice, and only the Department of Justice policy against indicting a sitting president prevented Robert Mueller from recommending criminal charges.

What about all the Trump supporters who spent the past two weeks celebrating Donald Trumps exoneration because they took Barrs word for it? Will they take their own excellent advice about admitting it when theyve been proven wrong?

Im not holding my breath.

John Maxstadt, Laredo

Yield to scooters

Observing the scooters and their riders downtown reminded me of a bumper sticker from the 1970s: If you dont like the way I drive, stay off the sidewalk.

Wayne Haymes, Leon Valley

Conservatives sought

I have often told friends I am glad I do not live in Austin due to its very liberal City Council. Ha, seems the joke is on me!

Just look at what we have in San Antonio. One conservative! There needs to be more balance, and I hope we have a few more conservatives running for office.

If you are, please let your intentions be known before we vote. I am begging you.

Brenda Davis

Change the system

Re: Unresponsive inmate found in cell dies, Metro Briefs, April 19:

I read the paper every morning and am often saddened by the news of inmates who have died in the custody of the Bexar County Jail. We have a serious injustice in this city when a 63-year-old is incarcerated for a misdemeanor, cant pay $500 bail and consequently dies in his cell.

I agree with Sheriff Javier Salazar when he was quoted as saying, In my opinion, this inmate should not have been in jail. The Adult Detention Center should not be used to house the mentally ill or for those who simply cannot afford to pay their way out.

The mentally ill, in particular, often have no one to advocate for them. We need to change this system now before this happens again.

Ray Baird
A magnificent mansion in New York's Westchester County currently owned by the consul general of the Seychelles is headed for auction. Yes, the tiny archipelago off East Africa is connected to a huge home with a storied pastand the minimum bid on the place is $2.5 million.

The home, about an hour north of Manhattan, was purchased in 2016 for diplomat Justin Etzin and his bride, Lana Zakocela. The couple have since split, and the property is up for grabs.

A quick property search shows Westchester County is a popular place for foreign governments to house their diplomats. We counted at least 25 area homes owned by countries ranging from China to Tanzania.

Originally, this country estate in West Harrison was part of a 43-acre property held by the Straus family (owners of Macys department stores). The property was sold in the 1980s to the Hearst family of newspaper-publishing fame.

After owner Randolph Hearst died in 2000, his wife, Veronica, remained in the home until she sold it to the Seychelles Consulate. Then work began on the home, which was intended to be the personal residence for Etzin, the consul general of the Seychelles.

In 2015 Etzin and Zakocela, a model, were married in a multiday celebration that reportedly cost over $1 million and included celebrity guests such as Lindsay Lohan.

Now that the couple have decided to divorce, the 14,000-square-foot house sits empty, gutted to the studs, and owned by a small country over 8,000 miles away.

Country estate owned by the Seychelles includes an unfinished main house and a log cabin realtor.com

Rendering of infinity pool realtor.com

Along with the unfinished main house, the offering comes with a private lake and 7.9 acres. Additional structures include an 1,300-square-foot log cabin by the shore, guest cottages, stables, a custodians house, and a parking garage.

The ground has already been dug out for a 60-foot-long infinity pool.

The property has tremendous potential. It no longer suits our purposes, but its tantamount to owning a French chateauonly its just outside Manhattan, Etzin said in a statement.

The Seychelles government "decided to sell by auction because its an efficient way to sell it," says Paramount Realty USA principal Misha Haghani.

For a new owner or developer, there are multiple options for such a large piece of land. It could be divided into three parcels, or house a consulate for another government. Or the new owner could simply finish construction of the classic 1931 residence and move on in.

Another perk: The property is surrounded by 40-plus acres of conservation land.

You dont own it, but its not going to be built on, ever. Its just a real huge plus, Haghani says. When youre there, you feel like youre in the middle of nowhere, but youre a 14-minute helicopter ride from Manhattan.

The auction deadline is June 13.

The post New York Mansion Owned by the Consul of the Tiny Country of Seychelles Is Headed for Auction appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
Donald Trump Jr. may keep a fairly low profile compared with his president dad, but Donald Trump's oldest son did recently make headlines for almost turning down a posh vacation mansion in the Hamptons.

The reason? According to the New York Post, the house lacked a secure room to store his guns.

After hearing about Trump Jr.'s dilemma, we couldn't help but wonder if he was the only home shopper who prioritizes such a home featureand apparently he's got plenty of company!

We dug through our listings and found more than 400 homes currently on the market that tout a gun room.

Wherever you stand on the firearms debate, gun rooms raise plenty of questions. If you're selling a home with a gun room, should you mention it? If you're buying a place with a gun room, are there safety concerns? Here's everything you need to know.

Should you mention a gun room in the listing?

Although gun rooms are a bit of a niche item, "when potential buyers read that a house has a gun room, they will likely not have a neutral reaction," says Eric Vaughn, a real estate agent with Upchurch Realty, in Athens, GA.

Amanda Graham, a Washington, DCbased real estate agent with Sotheby's International Realty, agrees that some buyers might have mixed feelings upon seeing pictures of a gun room in a listing.

"The popularity [of a gun room] varies by location," she says. "For instance, home buyers in New York [City] most likely would not see this as desirable, versus a home buyer in Idaho."

Despite this, Graham suggests including a gun room in the listing since potential buyers will find out about it when they eventually tour the home.

"After all, this could end up being a desirable feature," she says.

What safety features does a gun room require?

A gun room isn't just any room with a few lockers for gun storage. Most are constructed below ground, in a vault or basement.

Teris Pantazes, co-founder of home preparation service Settle Rite, notes that most gun rooms have specific safety features, such as the following:

A fortified door with heavy-duty locks

No windows

Concrete walls

Lockable display cabinets

For extra safety, some gun room doors include a deadbolt that locks with a key from the outside but can also be turned on the insideso no one accidentally gets trapped inside, says Jordan Barkin, a real estate agent with Harry Norman Realtors in Atlanta.

Barkin also notes that careful owners of gun rooms will install LED bulbs and a switch both inside and outside the vault, so nobody gets stuck fumbling around in the dark.

A gun room's impact on resale

Given the niche market of a gun room, how will one affect a home's resale value?

"Most people will see a gun room as a potential waste of space," says Lior Rachmany, CEO of Dumbo Moving + Storage. "Even people who have one or two guns wouldn't usually dedicate an entire room for their guns."

Rachmany adds that since potential homeowners like to imagine themselves in their future home, a gun room can be an instant turnoff for some.

"Gun rooms are big statements, so be prepared that it can hinder you selling your home," he warns.

But if you're OK with a smaller pool of buyers, there is a plus side: "These rooms could attract gun collectors," he says.

How to list a home with a gun room

When listing a home that includes a gun room, first and foremost mention the room's safety features. And while including a gun room in your listing photos is fine, all firearms should be removed from your home before your first open house.

"I highly recommend removing all guns from the premise and storing them off-site," Pantazes says. "Even if there's a locked area [in your home] that is part of your amenity list, I would recommend clearing it of weapons and ammunition and leaving in an unlocked position so any potential buyers might be able to look inside and visualize their own firearms."

In fact, Pantazes even suggests advertising the room as either a gun/safety room or a secure storage room for valuables.

"I would include the word 'gun' but not make it the sole focus," he says.

Vaughn agrees that rebranding the room might help reel buyers in.

"It can be included as 'secure storage closet' or something similar," he says. "This description is less likely to leave viewers who couldn't care less about a gun room thinking, 'Well, what would I do with that?'"

The post Real Estate Listings With Gun Rooms? The Pros, Cons, and Perils Revealed appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
SOME foreign forces are plotting violent demonstrations in a bid to overthrow President Mnangagwas Government but the police are ready to deal with the perpetrators in terms of the law, the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Cain Mathema, said yesterday.

Addressing a Press Conference in Harare, Minister Mathema said intelligence had revealed that a workshop to mobilise and capacitate civic organisations had already been scheduled for an undisclosed date next month in Bulawayo.

It is disturbing to note that the ZRP and other security services have gathered intelligence to the effect that a group of foreign nationals want to facilitate a three-day civic organisation workshop in Bulawayo in May 2019.

The main agenda of the workshop is to mobilise and capacitate civic organisations and individuals to stage purported effective demonstrations and disturbances to overthrow the Zanu-PF Government, he said.

Minister Mathema warned the people of Zimbabwe against joining the planned violent demonstrations saying the long arm of the law would catch up with them.

The Minister said the police were on high alert and measurers have already been put in place to thwart the illegal plans.

My ministry has since directed the Commissioner-General of Police to put in place adequate security measures. The police will thwart any civil disobedience or violent machinations by individuals, political parties and civic organisations under the guise of freedom of assembly and other hidden activities, he said.

Government has urged people to ignore any demonstration calls.

Members of the public are accordingly advised to ignore any incitement to violence or participate in unsanctioned gatherings that may cause instability in the country. Any acts of lawlessness should be reported to the nearest police station so that the law is applied without fear or favour, said Minister Mathema.

Zimbabwe, the Minister said, does not need any lecture on democracy and freedom of assembly from foreign Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Minister Mathema said intelligence also showed that there were plans to intensify the demonstrations after the MDC Alliances congress next month.

My ministry is also aware that there are plans to intensify violent demonstrations in the country after the forthcoming MDC Alliance congress under the guise that there is economic collapse in Zimbabwe.

Minister Mathema assured Zimbabweans and foreigners visiting the country or those doing business that their security was guaranteed.

We have the names of the organisations and the names of the people who want to organise the demonstrations. At an opportune time, we will share their names, he said.

Price increases and other economic challenges facing the country, Minister Mathema said, were being caused by the MDC Alliance.

It must be known that those economic challenges facing the country were brought about by the MDC. The sanctions were brought about by the MDC Alliance, so it is laughable that we should be accused, as Government, of causing the economic challenges.

We do not want price increases at all and the Government will do all it can to ensure prices stabilise, he said.

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Rentals have soared in Beitbridge after landlords in the countrys busiest border town started charging rentals in South African Rand.

There is an outcry with residents calling for Government to intervene as the cheapest rooms in high density suburbs now cost an average RTGS$200 per month each.

A business guru said Government must intervene and ensure that rent is paid in RTGS since that now represents the local currency.

A survey by The Mirror shows that a room in the high density suburb is going for between R600 and R800 a month and the landlords are not accepting any payment in RTGS$. The tenant therefore has to raise enough RTGS$ to buy the Rand on the black market.

The rate of the RTGS$ to the Rand is 28 to 100 and for R800 a tenant would need to raise RTGS$224. This is half the salary of most civil servants.

In the low density suburbs one room is going for not less that R1 000 and this means that a tenant must fork out a minimum RTGS$280 per room.

Debra Ndlovu, a tenant who is self-employed said she is failing to bear the situation and she is parting ways with a minimum of $250 every month on rentals.

Simbarashe Moyo, a landlord said they are charging in foreign currency because the local currency is not fixed and stable.

Beitbridge Mayor Morgan Ncube said residents are affected by the situation and said he feel for the least paid council employees.

Its true ndotonzwira tsitsi vashandi vecouncil, the least paid, mari yacho haichakwani rent yacho and as council tichirikure nekuvaka dzimba with the current economic situation. As council hatina bylaw inorambidza varidzi vedzimba to charge in foreign currency, said Ncube.

Beitbridge Business Association (BBA) Cordinator Clevers Moyo said paying rentals in foreign currency is a big challenge and to make it worse the exchange rate between the RTGS$ and the Rand is not fixed.

The same applies to commercial business but however there are still a few landlords who accept their rents in RTGS dollar. Apart from the fact that rentals have soared, there is a dilemma in that you dont know how much you are paying each month because you get your salaries or revenue in RTGS and then you are required to pay your rent in Rand.

There is however very little that can be done since these are private properties. If you tell the landlords to charge in RTGS they will tell you that Zimbabwe is a multicurrency system and they are at liberty to charge in the currency of their choice. However, there is only the moral ground to approach them because it has now become profiteering.

Its strenuous for workers who get their salaries in RTGS to run around shopping for the Rand. To begin with these tenants must queue for cash at the banks which they can then use to buy the Rand. This cash is in short supply and it takes one some weeks to raise enough for the rent, said Moyo.

Moyo appealed to landlords to consider the hardships faced by tenants and said some are sympathetic as they extend days for the payment of rentals to the 10th day of the month.

If you look at it closely, you will realize that those who are renting are spending half of what they earn in rentals. According to the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) $790 is what a family requires to spend per month and if we factor in rentals, it will be worse. Now that we have our RTGS dollar, Government must make it policy for all local transactions to be paid in local currency including rentals, he said.

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Soya chunks suspected to have been made from chicken feed have found their way onto the market.

Some of the soya chunks were allegedly packed and distributed by a company based in Chitungwiza, and were recently confiscated by police.

It is appalling that the soya chunks made from chicken feed are finding way onto Mbare Musika market.

H-Metro visited Mbare Musika yesterday and the market was flooded with the soya chunks.

A number of vendors in Mbare, who sell the soya chunks told H-Metro that they were not aware the chunks were fake and unfit for human consumption.

I dont know that these chunks are unfit for human consumption. I purchase them from dealers who come to Mbare with lorries.

I purchase them because they are cheap and I will also make a profit from them, said one vendor in Mbare.

The condemned soya chunks are priced from $1 with the most expensive going for $16.

Another vendor who referred to himself as Tindo revealed to H-Metro that selling soya chunks was brisk business in Mbare.

Handitombozive kuti ma chunks aya haabvumidzwe kutengeswa ndotomahodhawo, anotengwa zvisingaite, said Tindo.

Police yesterday said they were making arrests following revelation that the chunks are finding way onto the market again.

Harare Deputy Provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Webster Dzvova said they had apprehended four people in connection to the scam.

We have apprehended four people in connection with the scam and the other one is still on the run.

These people operate as a syndicate and we are still investigating the matter; said Assistant Inspector Dzvova.

He warned the people to desist from buying food on the streets.

The public should desist from buying food from the streets but should go and buy food from registered food outlets, he added.

 HMetro

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Bernie Sanders success with small donor funding has turned some of the old rules of American politics on their head. Not only is a high proportion of small donor contributions seen as proof of grass root support, its now seen as an indicator that a candidate can operate free of obligation to big money backers. The darling of smart Democrats, Pete Buttigieg, has filed reports with the FEC that show that over 64% of his contributions thus far are below $200. That percentage is lower than that of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. As Lambert pointed out, his small donor haul stand in stark contrast to that of corporate-friendly Kamala Harris, at 37% and Ann Klobuchar, at 35%.

Buttigieg is a corporate wet dream: McKinsey, Rhodes Scholar, military service, and his thin record in South Bend looks awfully accommodating to commerce, with Buttigieg touting displacing 1000 families in the name of prettying up the city as an accomplishment. Hes picked up big Obama bundlers as well as endorsements from former ambassadors, which in the US are patronage positions. Buttigieg looks like he was packaged by Burson Marsteller. So how do you square that with his small donor results?

We queried Thomas Ferguson, Paul Jorgensen, and Jie Chen, who have worked intensively on political contributions, about Buttigegs donor data. They responded, recalling that the Obama campaign had encouraged large donors to break up contributions into smaller amounts to support a myth of strong backing from ordinary voters. Even if you give over $200 to a candidate in a year and therefore have your donations reported in your name, those donations are not aggregated. For instance, if you gave $750 in the form of 5 donations of $150 each, they would likely be listed as 5 donations of $150 in your name, and not $750 by you as a donor. As you can imagine, for outsiders to attempt to put together how many unique donors there are is an huge and fraught exercise, even before getting to the fact that donations by the same donor might have variant renderings of their name (John Smith, John Jay Smith, John J. Smith, J.J Smith) even before you get to errors (Jon Smith) and deliberate attempts to muddy the data.

And it is pretty much impossible to track the source of donations laundered through the party. The maximum individual donation to a political party per year is now $200,000. Contributors can earmark portions of their donation to Congressional and Presidential candidates. The FEC does not require the parties to report on donations over $200 to particular candidates laundered through them, nor are the individual campaigns required to obtain and report this information.

As Ferguson discussed in more detail below, Buttigiegs donations are barbell shaped, meaning the total amount is clustered on the small end and large end, with relatively little resulting from mid-sized contributions per donor. The barbell pattern is not unusual, but it is far more typical of Republicans than Democrats.

One possibility is that the small donor percentage will drop over time. For instance, in other parts of the country, current and former mayors running for higher office often pull in a lot of small donations early on from people in or connected to their town, like the cement company in a neighboring state that has contracts. But another possibility is that Buttigiegs small donor results may not seem to be, particularly given his use of Obama operatives, who used tricks to make it appear that he more little guy backing than he really did. And if that was seen as a worthwhile goal in 2008, the pressure to look man-of-the-people-ish is even more acute now.

Among Democratic candidates, the desire to show their independence from corporate funders has become so widespread that once-powerful interests like Wall Street are feeling neglected. From New York Magazine:

It would appear from the outside to be happy days on Wall Street. Banks smashed previous profit records in 2018, taxes were down, stocks were up, and few people in power in Washington were talking about tightening regulations. But the arrival of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was seen on Wall Street as a tremor portending a broader earthquake on the left. Indeed, there has been no greater mobilizer of wealthy centrists than her primary win in June. In July, a few hundred gathered in Columbus, Ohio, to find a policy platform that would defeat both Trump and Sanders. Meanwhile, parts of the Democratic field were doing the same, with most candidates focused on building Sanders-style small-dollar, email-driven fund-raising machines. (Sanders raised $10 million that way in just his first week as a candidate.) Its kind of stunning how a bunch of these people running for president havent gotten ahold of [a list of top past contributors] and said, What can I do to get this person?  fumed a hedge-fund honcho out of the loop for the first time in two decades. Its sort of basic political IQ. Everyone wants to seem relevant, one prominent investor told me. But for the first time he or any of his friends could remember, were just not fucking relevant. Were not that big of a deal anymore. None of us!. Those candidates still reaching out to Wall Street have mostly done so underground, visiting the homes and offices of wealthy donors while adamantly demanding secrecy  at least seven candidates privately auditioned for a group of 16 leading Obama donors in D.C. in February.

But Barack Obama successfully cultivated both myths, that his campaign was significantly funded by small donors and that he was a hope and change agent who would shake up the system so as to benefit ordinary people. Neither was true. The Obama campaign directed large donors to break up their contributions so as to appear to come from more voters.

And as we know, Obama threw his weight behind the established power structure. He gave the financial services industry a second post-crisis bailout in the form of a get out of liability almost free card in the form of the so-called National Mortgage Settlement of 2012. Obamacare legislation was written by a health care lobbyist and Big Pharma and health insurer stocks rose when it was passed. Income and wealth inequality continued to widen under Obama, with black wealth taking a dive due to the Obama Administrations refusal to pressure mortgage servicers to make mortgage modifications, particularly when many borrowers had only missed a payment or two or would have been viable on a modification that would have lost investors less money than a foreclosure.

By e-mail, Ferguson, Jorgensen, and Chen summarized their findings on Buttigieg:

You asked us about the size distribution Mayor Buttigiegs presidential campaign fundraising, so we took a look. My colleagues and I have worked up it up in the table below. We cant tell you, without a lot more work, exactly who most of these people are. The individual listings do sometimes reference major employers, including a fair number of banks, but we know from experience that many entries for employers are incomplete. The lesson we take away is that stories about a mountain of small funds propelling the campaign are half-truths. We know, because one of us has seen emails, that candidates are going around asking for contributions of even one dollar, so they can build up their list of small donors. When total contributions reach $200, though, the donors name is supposed to be reported. Thats untestable at the moment, though we think in time we may be able to check at least some claims. We believe most of the time that injunction is obeyed. There are some anomalies in the data; some contributions go way over the legal limit. We assume those will eventually be returned or otherwise ironed out of the data. Such things happen in listings. In the donor distribution below, you can see the other half of the facts that dont come out in the news accounts. The distribution is really a barbell  bulging at the top and the bottom. These are fairly common, though usually on the Republican side, as our International Journal of Political Economy essay on 2012 discussed. Note Buttigiegs recent announcement that he intends to return contributions from lobbyists. Obama made similar pronouncements but did not follow through. See, e.g, https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jan/04/barack-obama/barack-obamas-campaign-says-they-dont-accept-lobby/ and https://www.commoncause.org/media/sadly-president-obamas-fundraising-from-lobbyists-is-more-of-the-same/ It will be interesting to see whether campaign follows through; news reports claim that major Obama donors are flocking to the campaign. The campaigns sanctimonious claim that it does not accept donations from corporate pacs is, of course, just as hollow as similar claims advanced by so many other Democratic candidates. That grand gesture is worthless, as we have explained in detail.

Its too soon to reach any conclusions about Buttigiegs backers. But his emulation of Obama and the important role Obama funders and operatives have assumed in his campaign says that the campaigns claims about its money sources bears close scrutiny.
A Rare Bald Eagle TrioTwo Dads and a MomCaptivates Webcam Fans Audobon (Timotheus)

Two Adorably Adventurous Cats Travel All Around Japan with Their Human My Modern Met. So cute!

Norway finds Russian spy whale off Arctic coast BBC

The impact of the open workspace on human collaboration Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (David L). From last year, still important.

Bart Chilton, former CFTC commissioner, 1960-2019 Financial Times (Scott)

Why Your Gas Mileage May Be Declining Forbes (David L)

Nicola Sturgeon declares climate emergency at SNP conference BBC (martha r). Nicola Sturgeon continued to look like the most serious politician in the UKbut thats an awfully low bar.

Before raid, seasteaders planned floating resort off Thailand Reuters

Summer Bummer: A Young Campers $142,938 Snakebite NPR (David L)

A chronic fatigue syndrome blood test can finally prove people really do suffer from the mystery disorder, study says Daily Mail. Funny, a friend who had chronic fatigue consumed a lot of salt on her MDs advice and said it helped her.

Study estimates 15,000 cancer cases could stem from chemicals in California tap water CNN (David L)

China?

Brexit

Danger of doing a deal: Hunt warns May Brexit agreement with Labour could alienate more Conservative MPs Telegraph. Honestly, there isnt a deal to be done unless the Government decided to go for pure optics, since some of the things Labour wants will never fly with the EU

Deutschland konnte Trumps Lieblingsland werden Bild. Talk is cheap.

5 takeaways from Spains election Politico

Spain bans Catalonias ex-leader Puigdemont from EU vote DW

Trump Transition

Dems want climate change, tax hikes in infrastructure deal The Hill

2020

Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx subpoenaed over Jussie Smollett Daily News (furzy)

The 2019 Election That Should Have Hedge Funds And Wall Street Worried Huffington Post (Tom F)

Fake News

737 Max

Boeing Signals Additional Software Problem Affecting 737 MAX Airliners Wall Street Journal. I had to resist the urge to write this up, since NC has been giving a big dose of Boeing coverage. But I also hesitated because the story doesnt make sense, as in there must be some missing pieces that the reporters couldnt get their hands on. From the Journal: Boeing Co. on Monday said certain safety alerts on its 737 MAX jets didnt operate as airlines would have anticipated because of a previously undisclosed error on its part. Before Monday, neither Boeing nor the Federal Aviation Administration had disclosed that an additional software glitchrather than an intentional plan by the plane makerrendered so-called angle of attack alerts inoperable on most MAX aircraft. How is it that a software problem shows up on most but not all 737 Maxes? That suggests that there were differences in hardware elements, since youd expect software to operate the same way on all planes if the relevant hardware components were identical. Am I missing something? Major Boeing customer threatens to switch to Airbus Financial Times Boeing safety system not at fault, says chief executive BBC Boeing boss rejects accusations about 737 Max jets that crashed Guardian (Kevin W)

Alphabet drops after reporting ad revenue slowdown CNBC

Farmer Income Drops Most Since 2016 as Trade War Losses Mount Bloomberg

Tesla Discloses Record Pollution Credits for Q1: Without Them, it Would Have Lost $918 Million and Bled $1.14 Billion in Cash Wolf Street (EM)

Why You Should Be Worried About Techs Love Affair With NDAs Fortune (Dr. Kevin)

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour (martha r):

And a bonus, again from martha r:

Family of harmless black bears pic.twitter.com/3NXjm9RVxr  NativeAmericanSoul (@Nativeesoul) April 29, 2019

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here
By Kartik Amarnath, currently pursuing a career in medicine and formerly the Energy Planner of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, Adam Flint, Director of Clean Energy Programs for the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition and Coordinates the Community Owned Shared Renewables Working Group of the Energy Democracy Alliance and Patrick Robbins, the Coordinator of the Energy Democracy Alliance

In a recent speech on the states energy system, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo adopted the rhetoric of the Green New Deal, claiming in the press release that his new energy plan will be a nation-leading clean energy and jobs agenda that will put the state on a path to carbon neutrality across all sectors of New Yorks economy. As the expression goes, it would be pretty to think so. New York, after all, should be a hub for renewable energy. We have a major solar power workforce, enormous offshore wind resources, a Governor who is positioning himself as a climate leader, and a strong grassroots climate movement to hold our leaders accountable.

In reality, theres a major gap between New Yorks potential and its current dismal rate of renewable energy generation. Currently, less than4%of New Yorks energy mix is provided by solar or wind power. The story behind this gap is a classic story of free market logic versus the public good. Its an ongoing battle being fought on economic terrain, and those who are fighting it are in dire need of support from economists who can help change its terms (read the full story below, and email us HERE to join the fight).

To understand why renewable energy hasnt flourished in New York, its important to understand how New Yorks electricity system works currently. This system represents an uneasy truce between faith in the capitalist profit motive and a recognition of energys centrality to our society. Utility companies, many owned by private investors, control the distribution assets of the states energy infrastructure. As a deregulated electricity state, power is sold by independent power producers, and the utilities are prohibited from doing so. The prices that they can charge to the public are regulated by the Public Service Commission (PSC), a board appointed directly by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate to oversee New Yorks utilities.

The utilities are legally entitled to a guaranteed rate of profit, which they make by investing in infrastructure and passing along expenses plus profit margin to ratepayers via negotiations with the Public Service Commission that occur through formal proceedings called rate cases. The profit motive still dictates the behavior of the utilities as private firms, but their financial model exists in tension with their mandate from the state to provide power in the public interest.

Distributed renewable resources such as rooftop and community shared solar are a stake in the heart of this model. If customers have the ability to provide their own power, either by storing power locally or by selling excess power back to the grid, and a significant percent of them take advantage of that opportunity, then it presents the utilities with a dilemma. From their perspective, they must either increase rates on other customers to maintain rates of return, thereby increasing attrition and setting off a vicious (or virtuous, depending on your attitude) cycle known by some as the utility death spiral. Or they allow a steady stream of distributed resources to cut into their profits without recouping fees, losing investment all along the way.

Which brings us to New Yorks utility reform effort. In 2014, Governor Cuomo announced his intention to transform the utility system through his REV (Reforming the Energy Vision) program. All eyes in the national energy scene turned to New York, because if New York policymakers were able to find a way out of this problemsome third way that would both increase distributed renewable generation and preserve the functionality and stability of the utilitiesit would represent a truly historic development in our energy system, and a model for the rest of the country to follow.

It didnt turn out that way. As described above, renewable deployment is viewed by investor-owned utilities as a gateway to eventual grid defection. The strategy that utilities have used to push back on this process is a common one in similar battles in different states  the establishment of various highly complex value of solar schemes, each with their own specific formula for determining how distributed solar owners can sell their energy back to the grid. Depending on the objectives and economic philosophy on which it is based, the value of solar approach can cut in two diametrically opposed ways. A climate justice-based approach can internalize a variety of currently externalized values, such as mitigation of health and climate impacts, and various social justice goals, resulting in a robust price for renewable electricity that exceeds net metering. Conversely, a neoliberal approach can narrowly define what prices internalize. It is the latter approach which was ordered into existence by New Yorks public service commission.

In July 2015, when Governor Cuomos PSC gave the initial order allowing community distributed generation in New York for the first time, he promised that this policy would give solar access to all New Yorkers regardless of income of zip code. A range of stakeholders, including community organizations, environmental justice groups, renewable energy policy advocates and solar developers joined a series of engagement processes. The Department of Public service claimed that these stakeholder processes would solicit input that would then shape policy to facilitate solar access for low-to-moderate income New Yorkers. These proceedings ended in frustration for grassroots groups, culminating with a regulation which failed to realize the Governors promise.

As part of Governor Cuomos flagship Reforming the Energy Vision initiative, New York State adopted a scheme called the Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) to compensate Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) such as community solar. This new valuation scheme is largely based on the benefits that distributed energy projects provide to utility companies for their management of the grid according to mostly inaccessible and proprietary metrics, with no consideration for important public benefits such as displaced environmental pollution and reduced energy burden.

VDER compensates DER projects by stacking different values associated with a given projects anticipated influence on a variety of current and projected grid operations. Each stacked value is associated with a particular grid-related impact or activity, with one exception discussed further below. The following explanation of each value that makes up the VDER value stack is intended to illustrate just how complex and inaccessible the community solar market has become due to this new valuation scheme and its components (brace yourself). The Locational-Based Marginal Pricing (LBMP) Value estimates the value of electricity sales and purchases at a given location based on generation, load patterns, and transmission constraints. The Installed Capacity (ICAP) value aims to account for a given projects role in offsetting costs of purchasing future capacity from energy producers based on anticipated load changes. The Demand-Response Value (DRV) accounts for a projects ability to offset peak energy demand. The Locational System Relief Value (LSRV) values projects based on their ability to offset projected utility infrastructure investments in high-need areas with anticipated capacity constraints. The Environmental Value (E Value) is the notable exception to the rule, where projects are compensated for non-grid environmental impacts. However, this value only accounts for carbon and is calculated by utilizing methodologies from a mix of existing and interrelated renewable energy and carbon trading regulations (the Renewable Energy Standard, Clean Energy Standard, and Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative). Finally, the temporary Market Transition Credit (MTC) adds an interim value to projects with the intention of providing a smoother transition from net metering to VDER, and this value is supposed to depreciate over time according to the amount of DER uptake in each utility service territory.

To make matters worse, each of these values and the methodologies used to calculate them fluctuate in different ways. In fact, the PSC ruled to change how the DRV, LSRV, and ICAP are calculated and replaced the MTC with a new community credit in select utility service territories barely two weeks ago. With all these moving and changing parts even energy sector experts and experienced project developers are unable to establish sound financial modeling for projects on the ground, thereby dissuading investors from participating in New Yorks nascent renewable energy economy. The States energy agency, NYSERDA, has had to contract with a consultant to produce a VDER calculator that is so large and complex that it must be downloaded to operate and has a reputation of malfunctioning.

During the stakeholder engagement processes, a multisector coalition of activists known as the Aligned Parties had formally demanded that if VDER was a foregone conclusion, at the very least DERs should also be compensated for non-utility benefits, particularly benefits that promote energy projects which economically and environmentally benefit the most vulnerable New Yorkers through low-income and environmental justice incentives. Furthermore, projects should be valued using straightforward and accessible methodologies with room for iterative review and alterations to be made as societal, environmental, and market conditions change. However, despite the Aligned Parties formally submitting over 100 pages of analysis and recommendations on how to reform VDER partnered with several in-person presentations, for State officials, their involvement and demands were hardly even mentioned in the States official record of the VDER proceedings. The States current iteration of VDER has unsurprisingly remained needlessly complex and overly partial to utility interests. By failing to integrate the environmental and economic benefits of DERs, the State is actively de-incentivizing clean energy projects, making it too challenging for all but mostly out-of-state corporate developers with the deepest pockets, and  most importantly  leaving behind New Yorkers who stand to benefit the most from an equitable renewable energy transition.

The inability of the state to internalize these values raises a question that grassroots groups have wrestled with since the beginning. In theory, it should be possible to quantify the benefits of healthier air, a safer climate, and economic benefits from renewable energy that address age-old racial and economic injustices in our society. But are these values that can  or should  have a price? To meet a basic standard of justice, theres really only two options for the state  to accurately quantify and internalize the myriad impacts of our energy system in its larger context in our society, or to declare that certain goals  such as healthy communities and a safe climate  are beyond the purview of a capitalist cost-benefit analysis, and craft innovative policy mechanisms to reflect this. So far, grassroots groups have not had the resources to argue forcefully enough for either approach (which is where we are hoping you will come in!), and the state has not demonstrated a willingness to do so. These more ambitious (and ultimately more accurate) approaches have therefore been neglected, and as a result, the VDER policy has not only had the effect of minimizing benefits of solar power to working class and Environmental Justice communities, but it has also, as of this writing, dramatically slowed the development of community distributed renewable generation across the state.

This brings us to the current moment. As part of Cuomos proposed Climate Leadership Act, the Governor has proposed to bring New Yorks energy sector completely onto carbon neutral energy by 2040. But simply making commitments  to be met twenty years from now  is easy. This latest initiative includes no word of the incentive structures or ramping targets that would need to be in place for the solar industry to actually get us there. And the Public Service Commission has, as of this writing, proposed a solution to the VDER problem that divides the state into separate tranches, with time-limited credits applied differently for projects in different tranches, creating further complications for would-be investors to unpack. Why wont the PSC adopt a value scheme that actually works for investors, solar businesses, and low-income New Yorkers? Based on the extensive input from community groups, economists, policy advocates, scholars, and solar developers across the state over the last several years, they cannot arguethat they dont know any better. Ultimately, the real problem is that the task of providing renewable energy to all New Yorkers is beyond what the private utilities or even the PSC are structurally designed to do. What we need is a radical rethinking of why and how energy is produced and distributed, centering electricity as a common right for all people, and a broad social movement that can apply enough pressure to make this vision a reality.

Fortunately, some pieces of this movement are beginning to emerge. As part of their work with the Con Edison rate case, New York Citys Democratic Socialists of America are embracing an energy rights campaign that contests the fundamental existence of private utilities to begin with. And in the last two months, two State Assembly members (Englebright, from Long Island, and Steck, from Schenectady) have proposed legislation that would fix the worst problems with VDER by guaranteeing a minimum value for distributed renewable energy projects and changing the metrics by which these projects are valued in the market. Groups such as the Energy Democracy Alliance and their allies have been pivotal to making this progress. Between the minutiae of implementation and the sweeping visions of an energy commons, however, lies the considerable task of economic modeling and strategizing with policymakers to make the truly transformative changes that this moment demands. We need economists with the skills and expertise to argue successfully in the policy arena for the changes we need, and the vision to understand the necessity of these fundamental changes to our energy system. In other words, we need the people reading this blog. If you want to join a crew of economists for the audacious task of monkeywrenching New Yorks energy system into something that serves people over profit, join us at https://energydemocracyny.org/ or contact our coordinator Patrick Robbins at patrickopticon@gmail.com
By Thomas Neuburger Originally published at DownWithTyranny!

On April 15, just prior to Joe Bidens entry into the race, Emerson College Polling released their Democratic primary contest report. Two things to note before we go further.

First, the poll of the Democratic primary shows four clear tiers of candidates (see graphic above):

Tier 1  Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, far above the rest

Tier 2  Buttigieg, ORourke, Harris and Warren, two-thirds below the leaders

Tier 3  Castro and Yang, polling at 3%

Tier 4  Everyone else

Tier 4, everyone else, is polling at or below the choice named Someone Else.

Second, the Emerson site write-up of this poll highlights everything but the striking 12-point surge by Sanders, who rose from 17% in February to 29% in April. Mayor Petes rise over the same period  from 3% to 9%  is their first touted takeaway. According to Spencer Kimball, the organizations director, [I]t looks like Mayor Pete is the candidate capturing voters imagination.

The sites second takeaway highlights Bidens 3-point drop over that same period. Kimball again: Biden has seen his support drop. In February, he led Sanders 27% to 17%, and in March the two were tied at 26%. Now, Sanders has a 5 point lead, 29% to 24%.

Kimball is wrong twice. Mayor Pete is not the candidate capturing voters imagination. His rise from 3% in February to 9% in April is half the increase of Bernie Sanders in the same period.

Also, Bidens decline below Sanders isnt because Biden has seen his support drop. That drop was just three points. Sanders is surging; his 12-point surge is four times Bidens fall. Sanders simply leapfrogged him.

What We Learned & What We Know

From all this we learned several things:

 Sanders is indeed surging.

 The polling organization, via the quotes the site chose to feature, is trying to hide the Sanders surge. That tells you something about the organization, if not the poll itself. The polling itself is may be sound, but the organization has an Establishment dog in the race.

 Much of the Biden vote is also a Sanders vote, at least so far.

From the underlying polling data itself, 31% of Biden voters have Sanders as their second choice, while ORourke and Buttigieg together would capture another 30% of the Biden vote if Biden were out. That seems a good rough proxy for a nascent 50-50 split among Biden supporters for Radical Change vs. Return to Obama Status Quo, nascent because I dont think anyone who could support Sanders would begin to tolerate Biden after she learns what Biden actually stands for. Stay tuned for Biden to shed that support.

Further, from the crosstabs Sanders and Biden are as good as tied among millennials (ages 18-29). Id be shocked if almost all of this group didnt turn against Biden by the time the primary is over.

Its early yet, but if we give Sanders a conservative half of Bidens support across the whole primary, Sanders would lead the field with over 40% popular support  a clear plurality, but not a majority. Of course, as the issues become sharpened, that could change further.

 The delegate count is the vote that matters, not the popular vote.

Ill expand on this point later, but just as the popular vote in the general election is not the vote that matters, the popular vote in the primary is also not the vote that matters. The pledged delegate count will control what happens at the convention in the first round of voting. After the first round, superdelegates enter the battle, mostly on the side of re-establishing an Obama status quo.

This means that if Joe Biden, say, picks up 25% of pledged delegates in the very early California primary, then fades to almost nothing but doesnt drop out, his California delegates will still vote for him at the convention in round one, denying those votes to anyone else. It will go like that state by state.

So if youre a Sanders supporter, the data to watch is not his popular support, which could surge even greater by April 28, when the last of the big states votes, but his cumulative delegate count. Watch especially the delegate counts in the early races, when the sheer mass of candidates will tend to dilute any candidates share of the total available.

 A brief expansion of the last point: Delegate counts for Tier 4 candidates can be ignored (Klobuchar, for example, will not pull many Minnesota delegates from the other candidates), and of Tier 3 candidates only Castro, who will vie with ORourke for favorite son delegates in Texas, is likely to affect the final delegate count.

This leaves Biden, Buttigieg, ORourke and Harris as the chief delegate vote-splitters, since most Warren delegates are likely Sanders delegates if Warren releases them. Can Biden, Bueetgieg, ORourke and Harris together capture more than 50% of the pledged delegate total entering the convention? On that point the entire drama of the convention  and with it, the nomination  will turn.

After all, Sanders can win with a plurality on the first round and still be denied the nomination.

 Even so, watch these polls with great interest.

The sooner Sanders captures and keeps first place in popular support in a world with Biden as a candidate, the stronger his argument to voters in the early primaries that he should get the most delegates.

Also, the sooner Sanders captures and keeps majority support (50% or more) in these polls, the stronger his argument at the convention will be that superdelegates should support him on the second round or risk a rebellion among his supporters independent of what Sanders himself recommends. Such a revolt against the Democratic Party could put Trump in charge of the nation for another four years regardless of the goodness of the Democratic Partys compromise or unity candidate.

Put simply, superdelegates need to be put on the hottest hot seat Sanders supporters can create if his candidacy is to survive a second round of voting.

The Rebellion Has Already Started

From the Department of Just Saying, heres an expansion of that last point. The nation is already in revolt, just as it was in the 1850s before the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter. Were sitting on a powder keg, just not a lit one.

So far the rebellion is mainly electoral. People surged for Obama in 2008 thanks to the (false, as it turns out) Times They Are A-Changin paint job his campaign received from Will.I.Am and Yes We Can.

They surged for Sanders in 2016, then shockingly to many (but not to all) surged again for Trump, who lying through his teeth, ran on a Sanders platform and marched to a 304227 Electoral College win over the quintessential status quo candidate Hillary Clinton.

In some congressional districts they surged again in 2018, supporting true-progressive candidates like Marie Newman, who narrowly lost to corrupt status-quo Democrat Dan Lipinski, and successful rebel-progressives like Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.

The rebellion is surging again this year, once more electorally. Unless the odd or unexpected happens, unless he stumbles or is brought down, expect Sanders support to reach near or above 50% among potential primary voters  and expect his 2020 polling against Donald Trump to equal his dominant 2016 polling. During that primary, Sanders beat Trump in almost every head-to-head poll by a far greater margin than Clinton did.

But if the grinding machine that is the bipartisan, militarizedEstablishment denies again the peoples choice for president, look for the rebellion against it to seek electoral revenge once more only  by not voting or voting for Donald Trump.

After that, the rebellion will not be so restricted.
(Natural News) The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) has made a formal complaint to the BBC about the series of gross inaccuracies in its recent documentary Climate Change: The Facts.

(Article by James Delingpole republished from Breitbart.com)

As wags have quipped, the programme presented by Sir David Attenborough was so riddled with errors it really should have been called Climate: Change The Facts.

Now the GWPF has written to the BBC Complaints department listing just a few of them. The letter can be read here.

According to the GPWF, the programme went far beyond its remit to present the facts about climate change, instead broadcasting a highly politicised manifesto in favour of renewable energy and unjustified alarm.

The GWPF says:

The programme highlighted suggestions that storms, floods, heatwaves and sea level rise are all rapidly getting worse as a result of climate change. However, the best available data, published in the last few years by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and NASA, contradicts the BBCs alarmist exaggeration of empirical evidence. In its 5th Assessment Report (2013), the IPCC concluded: Current datasets indicate no significant observed trends in global tropical cyclone frequency over the past century  No robust trends in annual numbers of tropical storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes counts have been identified over the past 100 years in the North Atlantic basin. In its more recent Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C, published in 2018, these findings were reconfirmed. It stated that Numerous studies towards and beyond AR5 have reported a decreasing trend in the global number of tropical cyclones and/or the globally accumulated cyclonic energy There is consequently low confidence in the larger number of studies reporting increasing trends in the global number of very intense cyclones. Regarding floods, the IPCCs Special Report concluded: There is low confidence due to limited evidence, however, that anthropogenic climate change has affected the frequency and the magnitude of floods.  There is also no observational evidence that the rate of sea level rise is getting worse. NASA satellite data shows that since 1993, there has been an annual mean sea level rise of 3.3mm, with no significant level of acceleration in the last three decades. Suggestions by David Attenborough and Michael Mann that climate change is causing increases in wildfires in the US and globally are also misleading and not supported by any empirical evidence. According to a survey published by the Royal Society the global area burned has actually declined over past decades, and there is increasing evidence to suggest that there is less fire in the global landscape today than centuries ago. These are vitally important facts that should have been mentioned if an accurate description of the impact of climate change on wildfires was to be maintained.

This is the second #fakenews scandal to embroil Sir David Attenborough in the space of a fortnight. Earlier this month, another Attenborough documentary  Our Planet on Netflix  was accused of misrepresenting footage of walruses tumbling to their deaths over a cliff. Attenborough claimed on the voiceover that this had been caused by climate change and the melting of the sea ice on which the walruses hunted for food. But evidence has since emerged that it wasnt climate change which killed the walruses but rather a combination of marauding polar bears and the Netflix film crew whose activities may have scared the tusked, bewhiskered creatures to their doom.

Delingpole: Walrusgate  Attenborough Exposed in #FakeNews Netflix Eco Documentary Scandal https://t.co/oIg5LzHlz5  Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 17, 2019

Read more at: Breitbart.com
(Natural News) The Democrat Party has joined the globalist Left in their quest to wipe out all remaining bastions of freedom and liberty throughout the West which, if they are successful, will plunge the world into chaos, war, and destruction.

In Europe, freedom fighters like Tommy Robinson and Carl Benjamin are fighting Leftists in Britain and throughout the European Union as they attempt to build political opposition to what is very obviously an anti-libertarian and anti-democratic campaign of suppression and censorship.

Robinson, demonized by the European Left as a far-right extremist who has been attempting to speak the truth about the virtual invasion of anti-Western Muslim refugees from war-torn segments of the Middle East, was jailed in 2018 for essentially expressing his views.

Since his release, he continues to be targeted for censorship and silencing by EU and British government authoritarians as well as the social media giants  so much so that he now feels his only recourse is to become a Minister of the European Parliament (MEP) in order to retain a platform.

Jake Lloyd of Infowars notes: He and others are doing this in an attempt to take over the EU from the inside

Now, you might not know that, Lloyd continued, because within hours of setting up an account to represent his campaign on Twitter, it was removed. Why it was removed, nobody knows. No explanation has been given.

In other words, Robinson was treated just like American conservatives, pro-constitutionalists, and supporters of our America First president, Donald Trump.

This is following the trend thats been happening on social media for quite a long time, Lloyd said, noting that his own employer, Infowars, was systematically removed from Twitter, YouTube, PayPal, and other big tech platforms last year ahead of the 2018 elections.

For Robinson, its his warnings about Muslim destruction of Western culture that landed him in hot water throughout Europe, not just in Britain. In the U.S., Trump supporting Americans who oppose Democrats and their obsessions  abortion, gun control, high taxes, and demand for conformity  who are under assault.

The globalist democratic Left has become UN-democratic

But also, a man who describes himself as a classic liberal  Sargon of Akkad, or Carl Benjamin  has also been targeted by the Left because hes not Left-wing enough.

He doesnt toe the line for globalist organizations like the EU or the United Nations, Lloyd noted, adding that Benjamin has also launched a campaign to become an MEP.

Theyve attacked him in a lot of ways much like they have Tommy Robinson, said Lloyd. Theyve also removed his campaign account  hes running as a member of UKIP, the United Kingdoms Independence Party  for no real reason. (Related: Two months after de-platforming the Health Ranger, Twitter bans James Woods for exposing the treason of the deep state coup against Trump.)

The silencing of political opponents, Lloyd noted, is nothing new, as its been happening throughout world history. But typically, suppression of speech, political points of view, and expression have been associated with authoritarian governments and tyrannical leaders like kings and dictators  not havens of democracy like Britain and the U.S.

Lloyd said that in Benjamins case, he has made some controversial comments in the past, though in reality, theyre really not that controversial that he should be banned from the public square.

Indeed, Americas founding fathers were so offended by such tactics that, in the very first amendment to the Constitution, they recognized an inalienable right for humans to speak, think, and express themselves freely  without having to be approved for certain speech while other speech is banned because its been deemed offensive or wrong-headed.

Despite complaints by consumers and platform users throughout the Western world, however, the social media behemoths arent budging: Like Democrats and the global Left, they are demanding groupthink, conformity of speech and thought, and the quashing of dissenting voices.

They are anti-Democrats, in other words, and they wont stop until they shut down all opposition.

Read more about the Lefts rising tyranny and censorship at Tyranny.news and Censorship.news.

Sources include:

Infowars.com

BBC.com

NewsTarget.com
(Natural News) Two of the most important problems that the so-called Green New Deal will attempt to solve at the cost of incalculable trillions are global warming and its consequences, including drought, famine, floods and massive starvation. You may recall that Obama in his 2015 State of the Union speech declared that the greatest threat facing us was neither terrorism nor ISIS. It wasnt nuclear weapons in rogue states either. No challenge? poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change, said Obama.

(Article by Peter Baggins, Ph.D. republished from TheOccidentalObserver.net)

His entire administration including Vice President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State John Kerry, frequently repeated the claim that climate change was the greatest threat facing the world. It was a sentiment Obama stressed again during an Earth Day trip to the Florida Everglades where he said, This is not a problem for another generation. It has serious implications for the way we live right now.

More recently, presidential hopefuls like Beto ORourke, along with most Democrat candidates, declared their zealous support for the Green New Deal in forecasting that the world will end in 12 years if nothing is done. This is the final chance, the scientists are absolutely unanimous on this  that we have no more than 12 years to take incredibly bold action on this crisis. Not to be melodramatic, but the future of the world depends on us right now here where we are.

This leads to the question I pose in this brief, data-driven, essay: What kind of track record do the politicians and their experts have in their climate predictions? After all, some of these predictions were made 10, 20 or even 50 years ago. Cant we now look back at their predictions and begin to hold them accountable?

As others have done, I have chosen to begin with the first Earth Day Celebration in 1970. Now who can be against Earth Day? Its a charming idea, and I have been an enthusiastic supporter since my college days in Ann Arbor, when we celebrated the event on the campus of the University of Michigan.

Heres what the experts were saying almost a half century ago on Earth Day, 1970 :

Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.

 Harvard biologist George Wald

It is already too late to avoid mass starvation,

 Denis Hayes, Chief organizer for Earth Day

We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human

abitation.

 Washington University biologist Barry Commoner

Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make. The death rate will increase until at least 100200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.  Most of the people who are going to die in the greatest cataclysm in the history of man have already been born.  [By 1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.

 Stanford University biologist Paul Ehrlich

Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions . By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.

 North Texas State University professor Peter Gunter

In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half.

 Life magazine At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, its only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our land will be usable.  By the year 2000, if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate  that there wont be any more crude oil. Youll drive up to the pump and say, Fill er up, buddy, and hell say, I am very sorry, there isnt any.  The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years. If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.

 Kenneth Watt

Global Warming and Massive Starvation

I will focus my attention on the two most important predictions: Global Warming and Massive Starvation. If we return to the failed prediction of global cooling noted above, we can put the temperature data in a wider perspective. NASA data show that a period of warming in the 1920s and 30s was followed by two or three decades of cooling temperatures, from the 1940s to 1970. At that time many experts, including Carl Sagan, warned us of a possible ice ageonly to have the climate change on them. From the 1970s to the late 1990s, scientists began to record slightly warmer temperatures. Curiously, as we look back at this period NASA sounded the alarm for global warming while a short time later the New York Times cited NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] data showing no warming over the past 100 years in the US.

Since then, group think and political correctness, plus rewards in government grants and university promotions, have created incentives for nearly everyone to jump onto the current bandwagon of projecting an escalating warming trend. Once again we came back to the doomsday scenario that characterized 1970s.

Then, out of the blue, the darned climate changed again. Global temperature data has been roughly flat since about 1998, even cooling by .056 degrees C from February 2016 to February 2018, according to official NASA global temperature data. Of course, this is just a two-year trend.

You may have noticed that nearly all of the doomsday theories seem to begin with the phrase, if current trends continue. But, as I have just reviewed, current trends dont continue. Global temperatures go down, then up, then stay flat. Population growth tapers off, new oil reserves are discovered, agricultural yields increase at even higher rates. Doomsday forecasters always overestimate gloomy trends and underestimate human ingenuity in problem solving.

This raises the question: How would an informed citizen make sense of our current predicament?

Without question there has been an increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities. A majority of scientists believe this to be the primary source of the global warming that has occurred.

Just how much warming has occurred?

The scientific consensus is that the average temperature of the Earth has risen about 0.4 C over the past 100 years. This is far less than experts predicted. And therein lies the problem: scientists are better at observation than prediction.

A case in point: experts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate carrying out global warming research have now predicted that average global temperatures could increase between 1.4 and 5.8 C by the year 2100. Notice the nearly 5-fold difference between the conservative and more liberal (one is tempted to say progressive) estimates. This strikes me as akin to meteorologists predicting tomorrows high as somewhere between 40 and 80 degrees. Not much of a forecast if you are trying to decide whether to head to the beach or not. The confidence interval seems pretty safe, but the precision leaves much to be desired. Just how much faith should one put in such projections, given the flawed models and track record of failed predictions?

Regarding the other staggering Earth Day forecast of widespread starvation into hundreds of millions, recent satellite data from NASA and NOAA offer a compelling explanation for the spectacular failure of these predictions.

Almost half of Earths vegetated lands have shown significant greening over the past 35 years largely due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a recent study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. An international team of 32 authors from 24 institutions in eight countries led the effort, which involved using satellite data from NASAs Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer instruments to help determine the leaf area index, or amount of leaf cover, over the planets vegetated regions.

This greening represents an increase in leaves on plants and trees equivalent in area to two times the continental United States, or more than two million square miles of extra green leaf area per year, compared to the early 2000s. That increase represents an enormous amount of food to feed a hungry planet, which is one reason the Earth Day predictions of mass starvation never materialized.

Because the mainstream media refuses to report such important data as this is from NASA and NOAA that do not support their doomsday narrative, I have never actually met anyone who knew anything about this when I mention it. I only learned about this myself a few years ago because of Matt Ridley, whose excellent blog I recommend without reserve:

You may remember from high school biology that increased concentrations of carbon dioxide increase photosynthesis, spurring plant growth. Green leaves use energy from sunlight through photosynthesis to chemically combine carbon dioxide with nitrogen drawn in from the air with water and nutrients tapped from the ground to produce sugars, which are the main source of food, fiber and fuel for life on Earth. The good news is that the impact that this greening has had in reducing hunger and starvation around the globe is undiminished, despite going unreported. When is the last time you heard a report of massive human starvation of hundreds of millions, or even tens of milions. How about 1 million  do I hear a hundred thousand, anyone? Anyone?

Fact Check: Fewer and fewer people die from climate-related natural disasters.

This is clearly the opposite of what you hear from the mainstream media, which loves to provide as much coverage as possible of one disaster after another. A more rational analysis would examine the average number of deaths per decade from 1920-1917. But this would show a huuuge decline in deaths caused by climate change, and we cant have that now can we? The data below are from the most respected global database, the International Disaster Database.

In contrast to the dire Earth Day predictions of 1970, climate-related deaths have been declining strongly for 70 years. Notice that this decline in the absolute number deaths occurred while the global population increased four-fold. Thus, the individual risk of dying from climate-related disasters has declined almost 99% from the 1920s to the present day. Our increased wealth and technological capacity to respond to natural disasters has greatly reduced our collective human climate vulnerability  Good news for rational beings, bad news for Democrat candidates.

Read more at: TheOccidentalObserver.net

or see ClimateAlarmism.news.
(Natural News) McDonalds is teaming up with the AARP to recruit a fleet of mature workers to meet their employment needs. Taking aim at the over-50 set, the fast food giant is looking to fill an assortment of positions ranging from early-morning shift roles all the way up to management. The work ethic of older generations is well-known and is undoubtedly a pleasant change from testy teenagers and surly twenty-somethings.

But while the hiring spree may sound like good news for older generations, it reveals a sad set of circumstances for todays youth. While employment rates among older adults are on the rise, the 18-to-30 crowd is seriously lagging behind. In fact, reports suggest that the number of young adults who arent working hasnt been this high since the 1970s  before women entered the work force en masse.

McDonalds moves for mature workers

As Market Watch reports, McDonalds is looking to hire some 250,000 new employees this summer. In years past, students were prime targets for summer hiring but in todays job market, the young dont always make the cut. A McDonalds spokesperson says the company is excited about exploring new opportunities with an under-utilized market.

Estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that by 2024, adults aged 55 or older will make up 25 percent of the nations labor force.

Market Watch notes further that many older adults are returning to the work force out of necessity, either due to their own misfortunes or that of their children. In many cases, senior citizens are going back to work simply so they can help support their adult children.

CNBC reports that nearly a quarter of all millennials with a full-time job still rely on their parents to pay at least some of their bills. And when you look at all young adults, that number reaches nearly 75 percent who are getting some kind of financial assistance from their parents.

There is nothing wrong with a parent wanting to help their child, but experts say its important for parents to set boundaries. This is especially true in the case of able-bodied adult children who simply dont want the responsibility of having a job.

Younger generations are often accused of not wanting to work  so much so that there have been multiple editorials published about the generations general lack of a work ethic, and corresponding rebuttals.

Work ethic isnt the only thing crumbling

The falling work ethic among young Americans is a tragic phenomenon. Psychology Today recalls when former Yelp employee Talia Jane was fired for publishing an open letter to the companys CEO, whining about her job. In the article, Jane lamented the fact that shed have to work in an entry level position for an entire year before she could move up.

Its no wonder millennials are considered entitled. For older generations, the idea that you could just walk into a mid-level job with no experience would have been ludicrous. But any card-carrying millennial will probably tell you that four years of binge-drinking and studying puppetry makes them an expert at whatever job they set their sights on.

Research shows that fewer high school and college students are taking part-time jobs while theyre in school. Survey data has also shown that millennials are less likely to want to work hard than Boomers, and are also less likely to want to work overtime.

The millennials waning work ethic seems to fall right in line with their generally liberal political leanings. And its always someone elses job to foot the bill when youre a liberal.

See more coverage of the latest left-wing antics and more at Libtards.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

MarketWatch.com

PsychologyToday.com
(Natural News) When it was released in 2015, Pixars film Inside Out was hailed by critics and moviegoers alike for its ability to translate seemingly complex emotions into simple, colorful characters that viewers can easily identify with. The New York Times writes these emotions as characteristically Pixaresque tools of whimsy, sincerity and ingenious literal-mindedness.

The film, which takes place inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley, had people relating to one of five emotions presented  Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. The relationship between Joy and Sadness, in particular, had been the subject of much discussion, but its also worth delving into the other characters that make up Rileys emotions  especially Fear.

Its also worth noting that Fear isnt just a personification of the eponymous emotion. The purple jangle is a nervous wreck mainly because of paralyzing anxiety  a feeling many sufferers of anxiety-related disorders know all too well.

A double-edged sword

Its normal  even healthy  to feel anxious. The American Psychological Association defines anxiety as an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.

People who feel anxious describe it from unsettling to having a sense of impending danger. While mild anxiety can feel uncomfortable, people with anxiety disorders have intrusive thoughts and concerns that can disrupt their day-to-day function. Oftentimes, the anxious feeling a sufferer gets is grossly out of proportion and can trigger physical symptoms such as nausea and high blood pressure. In the U.S., 40 million people have an anxiety disorder, making it one of the most common mental illnesses in the country.

There are different types of anxiety disorders; one of the most common is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a chronic condition marked by excessive, long-lasting anxiety and worries about nonspecific life events, objects, and situations.

Symptoms of GAD include:

Restlessness

Feeling on-edge

Increased irritability

Difficulty concentrating

Problems with sleep

Its important to note that while these feelings are also felt by people with anxiety in daily life, GAD sufferers will experience these at persistent and even extreme levels.

Applied relaxation can help with generalized anxiety

To alleviate the symptoms of generalized anxiety, healthcare professionals use whats known as applied relaxation. Developed in the 1970s by Lars-Goran Ost, one of the most prominent researchers in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), applied relaxation uses behavioral analysis and therapy to minimize a patients response to anxiety. It allows the patient to recognize signs of anxiety early on, so he can rapidly cope with the situation and relax in a short amount of time. Some techniques used include sustained deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and systematic desensitization.

Researchers have long studied the mechanisms behind relaxation techniques. In one model, researchers proffered that anxiety is linked to muscle tension. Through applied relaxation, thoughts and behaviors are used to diminish tension and autonomic arousal. Other models believe that it improves the bodys response to stress or that it triggers chemicals to increase blood flow to the brain.

For people with generalized anxiety disorder or specific phobias, regular relaxation is part of their mainstream treatment, given its positive effects. In a prospective study, researchers found that generally anxious patients who underwent relaxation therapy exhibited significant improvements similar to those who have been treated with a prescription drug.

Guided imagery is another treatment used for anxiety, often used in concert with meditation and mindfulness training. The technique, which focuses imagination in a proactive and positive manner, is a self-directed treatment that catalyzes a naturally immersive altered state. Its known for its benefits on the immune system, its ability to improve the bodys stress response, and its positive effect on a persons overall mental and emotional well-being. Regular mental imagery can help multiple types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and traumatic memories.

Each approach is effective on its own  but theyre more effective when done together. In one clinical trial, 60 women with reported anxiety and postpartum had improved their symptoms after undergoing a combined relaxation-guided imagery program.

Its not just relaxation that works with guided imagery: The meditative practice can even offer a good nights sleep.

Looking for more natural ways to manage anxiety? AlternativeMedicine.news has more.

Sources include:

NYTimes.com

MedicalNewsToday.com

TandFOnline.com

PsychologyToday.com

HealthJourneys.com
(Natural News) When was the last time you checked the color and consistency of your stool or the frequency of your bowel movements? If the answer is never, you might want to take a quick peek in the toilet the next time you visit, especially if youre feeling unwell. According to experts, the color and consistency of your stool may change if you have certain health problems.

The stigma of stool

The color of your poop isnt really a topic thats usually discussed in polite company, but health experts insist that any significant change in your bowel movements may be a cause for concern. To address the embarrassment and stigma of stool color, certain medical organizations have made health-relevant information about poop color more readily available online.

You shouldnt be embarrassed to ask a health care provider questions about the color of your stool, especially if youre concerned that its something health-related. Dr. John Inadomi, head of the division of gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM), shared that most patients are concerned about issues like constipation, diarrhea, and poop color.

Dr. Jill Clark, a colon and rectal surgeon at St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City, explains that there are a lot of online searches about poop color because people are still reluctant to talk to others about their bowel movements, much less talk face-to-face with a health care provider.

Facts about color and consistency

The color of your stool alone isnt enough to accurately determine any health problem, but if you notice a change that doesnt make sense, dont hesitate to consult a physician who can give you more information.

Below are the colors that you need to be vigilant about:

Red

Red indicates the presence of blood in your poop. Sometimes, the stool itself is bright red, or you may notice bright red blood around it. Dr. Christine Davis, a family medicine physician in UnityPoint Clinic in Waukee, added that you may also see flecks of blood on the toilet paper after wiping yourself.

In most cases, you pass red poop because of hemorrhoids or swollen veins in your rectum or anus.

However, red stool could also indicate more severe issues such as colon cancer or diverticular bleeding. This type of bleeding involves the diverticula, which are outpouchings or sacs, in the gastrointestinal tract. Bleeding of this kind may cause fatal hemorrhaging.

Stay calm even when you see red in your stool and consult a health care provider to confirm any possible health issues that you may have. (Related: Four ways to easily tell what your poop says about your health.)

Black

In some cases, medicine or brightly colored food can turn your poop black. Your poop may also turn black if youre taking an iron supplement or Pepto-Bismol.

However, you need to talk to a health care provider if you see that your poop has turned black without eating or taking any of the drugs mentioned above.

Like red poop, black poop may contain blood, but its been in the poop longer, hence the change in color. Black stool could indicate gastrointestinal bleeding, warned Clark.

Maroon

Like with red or black stool, maroon-colored poop could indicate a health concern that needs to be verified by a health care provider.

Green

Inadomi said that all shades of brown, or most shades of brown-green, are normal. However, poop that is very green could indicate that it moved too quickly through your intestines and that bile didnt have a chance to properly break it down and turn it brown.

When stool moves too fast, it could mean that youre not absorbing nutrients from your food properly. Malabsorption is associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis.

Take note that Crohns disease is different from ulcerative colitis, another type of IBD. While the symptoms of the two conditions are similar, they affect different areas in the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract).

Crohns usually affects the end of the small bowel (the ileum) and the beginning of the colon, but it can also affect any part of the GI tract, which stretches from the mouth to the anus. On the other hand, ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon, which is also called the large intestine.

Yellow

Yellow poop that floats could mean that either your body is not absorbing fat as it should or you have an acute inflammatory illness or a stomach bug. It could also mean that you have a more serious, ongoing intestinal problem, such as an IBD.

White to clay-colored

Pale-colored poop usually means it doesnt have enough bile in it, which indicates a severe liver problem. You should call a health care provider immediately if you have pale stool.

When it comes to the color of your poop, its not advisable to self-diagnose. Talk to your health care provider instead and discuss any alarming changes in your stools color and consistency.

Clark advises that it is healthy to be self-aware, especially when it comes to the color and consistency of your stool. The moment you notice any changes, ask a health care practitioner who can help you figure out whats going on in your body.

Sources include:

Health.USNews.com

CrohnsColitisFoundation.org
(Natural News) The Left Dominates Intelligence

President Trump inherited from President Obama an Intelligence Community deeply partisan and biased to favor the Democrat Party.

(Article by Dr. Peter Vincent Pry republished from AllNewsPipeLine.com)

Indeed, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) General James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, and FBI Director James Comey, and other Intelligence Community leaders, launched what amounts to an attempted coup detatframing candidate and President Trump with false charges of colluding with Russia and obstruction of justice, setting him up for impeachment.

How someone like John Brennan, who once voted for Communist Party USA candidate Gus Hall for president, could become CIA Director, is a mystery worthy of investigation all by itself. A good start is Diana Wests new book The Red Thread that traces the hard-Left ideological tilt of Brennan and several other Intelligence Community coup plotters.

Although President Trump replaced its top leaders, this is by no means sufficient to drain the swamp in the Intelligence Community ranks, corrupted by bad leadership for many years. Contrary to the common view that Intelligence Community political bias existed only at the top among the generals, over the years too many foot soldiers have become politically biased too, endangering our nation with Left-leaning non-objective analysis.

The Intelligence Community Corporate View

Intelligence Community leaders tend to surround themselves with people who share their worldview and political biases, who in turn do likewise, creating an ideological domino effect that reaches down to the analytical ranks.

Intelligence Community analysts are not free to publish their own unvarnished personal viewseven if they are the best experts. Their work is subject to a process of coordination with colleagues, immediate superiors, and ultimately Intelligence Community leaders who can suppress any product that does not reflect the corporate view.

Analysts who dissent from the corporate view are under enormous pressure to conform, or be sent to the equivalent of Siberia.

Thus, during at least the 8 years of the Obama Administration, Intelligence Community analysts have been under pressure to conform to Obamas worldview, and have been peopled for 8 years with new hires conforming to those views.

Since most Intelligence Community analysts are hired from universities, given the hard-Left bias prevalent in universities, an increasingly far-Left tilt seems inevitable among analysts, thereby politicizing intelligence leftward from the bottom-up as well as from the top-down.

Perilouslyfor the survival of the United States depends on sound intelligencethe Intelligence Communitys increasingly leftward bias, sharply accelerated under President Obama, has been ongoing for at least 27 years.

The Clinton AdministrationLeftward Ho!

President Bill Clintons election in 1992 brought to power an administration peopled with far-left and liberal activists who wanted, in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War, to cut defense and intelligence budgets and use this peace dividend to expand social programs.

I am an eyewitness to the leftward politicization of intelligence during the Clinton years.

For example, in 1993, I was a CIA analyst working on Russian nuclear weapons and strategy. A high-ranking CIA official visited our branch seeking pro forma approval from analysts for the Clinton Administrations plans to make deep cuts in resources dedicated to the Russian nuclear threat.

My branch and division chiefs told me to raise no objections during the meeting.

However, since the high official supposedly was sincerely seeking our opinion about deep cuts, I spoke up, the only analyst to object. I warned that cutting intelligence against the Russian nuclear threatthe only nation in the world that could destroy the United States in 30 minuteswhile that nation was undergoing revolutionary changes, was imprudent.

Afterwards, the high-ranking CIA official wanted to punish me for speaking truth to power by having me re-trained as an economist and sent to Indonesia to count rubber plants. Fortunately, wiser heads prevailed, and I did not have to move my family to Jakarta.

The Bush AdministrationMissed Opportunity for Centrism

President George W. Bush inherited the Clinton Administrations Intelligence Community and post-9/11 made significant organizational changes, like creating a Director of National Intelligence. Centralizing intelligence under a DNI potentially reduces opportunity for diverse corporate views among agencies and increases opportunities for imposing politically biased uniformity.

Unfortunately, the Bush Administration did little to make far more important cultural changeseven though the 9/11 Commission Intelligence Reform Act recommended such changes to produce better, more intellectually balanced, intelligence products.

President Bush imprudently retained many Clinton Administration intelligence leaders, including at CIA, missing an opportunity to stop the Intelligence Communitys political drift leftward, and move it toward the political center.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeLine.com or DeepState.news.
(Natural News) If someone asked you to name the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, what would say? For many of us, the most obvious answer would be motor vehicle accidents. After all, virtually every American in the country spends time in a car or bus every day. If that was your answer, however, you would be wrong. The actual leading cause of not only accidental deaths, but all deaths in Americans under the age of 50 is drug overdose, in most cases, as the result of opioid addiction.

The opioid epidemic has been reported on so extensively that it almost feels like old news. The reality is incredibly shocking, however, and we cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the facts. This is a crisis that affects rich, poor, black, white and Hispanic, the old and the young. And it is growing at an alarming rate. According to CBS News, the number of overdose deaths rose a stunning 19 percent in just one year between 2015 and 2016, and that number has continued to skyrocket ever since.

President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency back in 2017, but despite his efforts and those of the health community in general, the epidemic continues to spiral out of control. Interestingly, however, a recent study by researchers from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Claremont McKenna College and the University of Georgia, found that in communities where medical marijuana has been legalized and dispensaries are freely available, the number of opioid and overdose deaths has decreased significantly. (Related: Opioid epidemic reaches whole new crisis level as Big Pharma drugs out America for profit.)

More marijuana dispensaries = fewer opioid deaths

As reported by News Wise, research has found that simply changing laws to legalize marijuana use does not necessarily have any real impact on opioid-related deaths. However, the researchers in the study found that where the laws are changed and medical marijuana becomes easily accessible at local marijuana dispensaries, there is a real impact on the number of people who die of opioid overdoses in the community:

The researchers reviewed mortality records obtained from the Centers for Disease Control spanning from 2009 to 2015 to determine if the presence of dispensaries in counties that have medical cannabis laws had an effect on deaths that involved prescription opioids, synthetic opioids, and heroin. The results indicate that legal access to drugs at the county level can mitigate the opioid epidemic.

In states that have medical cannabis laws, the researchers found that mortality rates among non-Hispanic white men related to opioids and prescription opioids declined by 6 to 8 percent in counties that have dispensaries, when compared to counties that do not have dispensaries. Meanwhile, mortality due to heroin overdose in non-Hispanic white men due to heroin overdose declined by more than 10 percent.

Dr. Rhet Smith, assistant professor of economics at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, and the studys lead author, notes that the medical community in the United States has been grappling with ways to turn the tide on the opioid epidemic for years, but with little success. And he adds that simply passing cannabis laws is not enough.

Once the dispensaries open and people can legally access these drugs, that is when you see the changes in mortality rates, Smith said. The legalization of marijuana and the opioid epidemic are topics that havent been thoroughly explored. We hope to shed light on the spillover effects that arise from changes in policies and law and increased substance abuse in the United States.

Learn more about the nations greatest healthcare crisis at Opioids.news.

Sources include:

NewsWise.com

CBS.com

CBSNews.com

NYTimes.com

ABCNews.go.com
(Natural News) Conservative activists accused Bank of America of misleading about its ties to Planned Parenthood during the companys annual shareholder meeting Wednesday.

(Article by Peter Hasson republished from LifeNews.com)

Tax documents for Bank of Americas nonprofit arm, published by conservative activist group 2ndVote, show the bank donated over $50,000 to various Planned Parenthood affiliates in 2017, the most recent year available.

A conservative shareholder, Justin Danhof, asked Bank of America executives about the donations during a question-and-answer session at the meeting. Danhof, who is also general counsel for the conservative National Center for Public Policy Research, recorded the exchange and published the audio to YouTube.

Danhof asked Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan if he could guarantee that matching gifts constituted the entirety of the companys financial support of Planned Parenthood, and asked him to address pro-lifers he said are upset about the donations, according to the audio.

Moynihan deferred to Andrew Plepler  Bank of Americas global head of environmental, social and governance  who gave a limited answer focused on donations from matching employee gifts, according to the audio.

We have a very robust matching program, we make about 70,000 matching gifts, about 170 of those were to Planned Parenthood, Plepler said on the audio. Any eligible, authorized by the IRS, 501(c)3 [charity] is eligible for our program, including right to life groups.

He didnt address whether Bank of Americas support of Planned Parenthood goes beyond matching employee gifts, which 2ndVote said was misleading.

2ndVote executive director Robert Kuykendall pointed to two Planned Parenthood fundraisers, one in 2017 and one in 2018, that listed Bank of America as a corporate sponsor.

Bank of America has portrayed to customers and investors that its financial support for Planned Parenthood is limited to matched gifts through its charitable foundation, Kuykendall said in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

However, our research has uncovered Bank of America sponsorships of posh fundraising galas in New York benefitting Planned Parenthoods abortion business, Kuykendall added. It appears Bank of America has been content to pass the buck and blame employees, rather admit the company directly helps advance Planned Parenthoods abortion agenda.

2ndVote is leading a petition campaign asking Bank of America to cease giving to Planned Parenthood. The petition had more than 3,300 signatures as of Thursday evening.

Bank of America did not return TheDCNFs request for comment.

Read more at: LifeNews.com
(Natural News) Cannabis prohibition is a hotly debated topic in the U.S.; theres no doubt about that. Many people feel that government agencies rigid stance on cannabis is an assault on health freedom  and you could say that their insistence on keeping marijuana labeled as a Schedule I drug has halted virtually any possibility of investigating the plants potential medicinal capacity. The government has had the marijuana plant in their crosshairs for years  and the crackdown on cannabis only continues to get worse. Recently, the FDA issued a warning against using cannabis or cannabis products for treating cancer.

Four companies that produce cannabis products have gotten the FDAs attention, due to claims that the products can cure cancer, shrink tumors and kill cancer cells. The companies targeted by the FDA include Greenroads Health, Natural Alchemist, Thats Natural! Marketing and Consulting, and Stanley Brothers.

In a November 1 press release, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., stated, Substances that contain components of marijuana will be treated like any other products that make unproven claims to shrink cancer tumors. We dont let companies market products that deliberately prey on sick people with baseless claims that their substance can shrink or cure cancer and were not going to look the other way on enforcing these principles when it comes to marijuana-containing products.

As the Daily Mail reports, the FDA warned that no studies have been done on these products to test their disease-fighting properties. While it is true that these four companies have violated regulations by putting forth unverified claims, the sad truth is that doing research on cannabis is still quite prohibitive.

In 2016, the DEA reaffirmed that cannabis would remain a Schedule I drug, meaning that it is ranked among the most dangerous drugs in the world and considered to have no medical value. At the time, Acting Director of the DEA Chuck Rosenberg reportedly commented, This decision is based on whether marijuana, as determined by the FDA, is a safe and effective medicine, and its not.

Rosenbergs statement also declared that the Department of Health and Human Services hadnt enough research regarding the plants safety and efficacy  and this fact was used to prop up the DEAs refusal to reschedule cannabis. This argument is circular: There is not enough research on cannabis because of its scheduling and the severe restrictions that go along with it. If researchers cannot study cannabis, how can there ever be enough research to support rescheduling?

While the government may be doing their best to keep cannabis off the table, it hasnt stopped U.S. states from legalizing the plant within their borders. Many states now have laws that permit cannabis for medicinal or recreational use.

Despite the FDAs insistence that theres no reason to believe cannabis has medicinal value, there are countless anecdotal stories from people of all ages whove used marijuana as medicine. Just recently, a grandmother from the U.K. revealed that cannabis oil shrunk her tumors down to just one-eighth of their original size. In September, a woman from Scotland also came forward, sharing her story of how cannabis defeated her incurable brain tumor.

And its not just cancer: Children who suffer from seizure disorders have also had success treating their conditions with cannabis oil.

In 2015, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse even admitted that cannabis can kill cancer or reduce the size of cancer cells.

Clearly, if the FDA or the DEA really wanted to investigate the potential health benefits of cannabis, they wouldnt have to look very far.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk 1

DailyMail.co.uk 2

DailyMail.co.uk 3

FDA.gov

StatNews.com
(Natural News) Whos taking a shot to the gut today? Nothing like being kicked in the stomach, but in this case, were looking into how genetically modified organisms and foreign proteins literally destroy the environment in your gut, in essence wiping out all your flora  the good bacteria you need to fight off diseases and infections. Lets talk about two things that no medical doctor in America is allowed to talk about, for fear of losing their medical licenses to the para-military AMA (American Medical Association).

We know that there really are evil people in this world, who will sicken and destroy others for money by running lucrative businesses with no ethics or morals whatsoever. These businesses include engineering crops that contain pesticide genes to kill bugs and weeds. Science is proving time and time again that these same pesticides, when consumed regularly, cause cancer, dementia, and immune system dysfunction in humans.

Another business model thrives on the other end of the spectrum, where soulless scientists insert into vaccines foreign animal proteins, heavy metal toxins, genetically modified human albumin from abortion cells, monkey kidney cells, aluminum, MSG, deadly swine viruses, and even lethal squalene. This is done not to boost immunity but to destroy it.

Vaccines are one of the biggest revenue sources for Big Pharma, because they drive so many other sicknesses besides just spreading the diseases doctors and nurses across the United States are purposely injecting into everyone. Has anyone ever read the vaccine insert? If a food label spoke of the horrific side effects and appalling ingredients used, nobody would touch it much less accept it as medicine to be injected into muscle tissue.

Why are you allowing biotechnology experts and U.S. medical doctors to destroy the friendly bacteria in your gut? You must not know

Are the doctors telling you outright that you will be receiving quicksilver injections when you get that flu shot they push so hard? The flu shot is responsible for more damage (proven in court and settled with billions of dollars) to humans due to its toxic ingredients, including most often thimerosal (50 percent mercury solution). This is thousands of times more mercury than the EPA even allows in drinking water or fish. Remember now, they warn everyone about the mercury in the water and fish, but NEVER warn you about injecting it, which is worse, because it bypasses all the bodys natural filters, including digestion, skin, and lungs.

Now, its time to quash a common, but utterly and thoroughly debunked misconception coming from the other side. The Allopathic Left always claims the same slogan if you will, about vaccines. They say, the benefit outweighs the risk. This is a bald-faced lie theyre all regurgitating because its printed in all the vaccine propaganda, and has been for more than a few decades.

The so-called experts are working for a regime that makes a fortune off destroying the masses immunity, not boosting it or saving it from mayhem. They create the mayhem, then treat it with more experimental, dangerous chemicals known as prescription medications or pharmaceuticals. Statins. Symptom cover-up meds.

Glyphosate alone destroys flora, but combined with other chemicals and GMOs, its the atomic bomb constantly exploding in the human gut

Did you know GMOs go on living and growing inside the human gut? Oh, thats news to you? Its proven scientifically with peer-reviewed research, double blind studies  the works. Eating these chemicals destroys the liver and kidneys, while fueling cancer tumors. And yes, pesticides kill flora. You see, genetically modified food contains chemical-based pesticides, and thats why Big Biotech does not want GMO labels on anything in the USA.

Those herbicide and insecticide-laden crops, like corn and soy, that biotech brags will help feed the world annihilate good gut microbes in seconds, contributing to an overall immuno-compromised body that constantly struggles to find nutrients for survival, systematically losing the ability to fight off pathogens, parasites, genetic mutant-versions of bacteria, like whats infesting most U.S. hospitals.

The world-famous Roundup has been implicated in several clinical trials to cause cancer, kidney failure, and liver failure in animals. Roundup contains glyphosate and many other chemicals that catapult the health-damaging power of glyphosate. Toxic herbicides not only affect human immunity, but mental health as well. Think about that for a minute. How many Americans, including tens of thousands of children, are prescribed depression medications and drugs for anxiety, when it could all be caused by eating bug-killing chemicals and weed-destroying neurotoxins?

Tune in to NaturalMedicine.news for Natures remedies that build immunity instead of destroying it, like drugs, GMOs and vaccines do. The real war is being fought in your gut. Dont let biotech and pharma beat you down into submission.

Sources for this article include:

HealthStatus.com

NaturalNews.com

TruthWiki.org

NaturalMedicine.news

GMOseralini.org
(Natural News) A study published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine found that the essential oil extracted from lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) can protect the liver from damage caused by acetaminophen intake. The study explored the liver-protective effects of lemongrass essential oil.

Researchers at the State University of Maringa in Brazil examined the effects of lemongrass essential oil using an animal model of acute liver injury induced by acetaminophen.

in Brazil examined the effects of lemongrass essential oil using an animal model of acute liver injury induced by acetaminophen. They pretreated mice with 125, 250, or 500 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of lemongrass essential oil or 200 mg/kg of a standard drug per day for seven days.

Then, they induced liver toxicity by administering 250 mg/kg dose of acetaminophen.

The researchers determined the liver disease markers alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase to assess the liver-protective effects of lemongrass essential oil.

The researchers found that pretreatment with lemongrass essential oil significantly reduced the levels of ALT, AST, and ALP.

Inflammation in the liver was also reduced by lemongrass essential oil.

Liver lesions in mice were also improved after pretreatment with lemongrass essential oil.

Pretreatment with lemongrass essential oil increased antioxidant activity in the liver.

In conclusion, these findings suggest that lemongrass essential oil has protective activity against liver toxicity induced by acetaminophen.

To read more studies on essential oils that protect the liver, go to LiverDamage.news.

Journal Reference:

Uchida NS, Silva-Filho SE, Aguiar RP, Wiirzler LAM, Cardia GFE, Cavalcante HAO, Silva-Comar FMDS, Becker TCA, Silva EL, Bersani-Amado CA, et al. PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS ESSENTIAL OIL IN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF ACETAMINOPHEN-INDUCED LIVER INJURY. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 31 March 2017; 45(3): 515-532. DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X17500318
(Natural News) Proving yet again that the left-wing media is steeped in fake news and staged events, NBC News with Lester Holt has been caught broadcasting a faked measles photo that relied on Photoshop to add measles splotches to the photo of a healthy baby. (See proof, below.)

Amazingly, NBC News broadcasted the faked measles photo along with on-screen text that claims Nurse battles vaccine myths as measles outbreak hits 555 cases.

The real myth, of course, is the idea that NBC News is a news organization at all. In truth, they are a left-wing Big Pharma propaganda ministry that deceives viewers even when claiming to battle vaccine myths.

With a hat tip to HighImpactFlix, heres a video that reveals the NBC News faked measles propaganda. (Below)

See HighImpactFlix on YouTube (until they get completely banned).

Note to HighImpactFlix: Create your channel on Brighteon.com and well feature your videos on a regular basis. Great job on your content! We currently see this channel on Brighteon but were not sure if its your official channel



See the proof that NBC News fakes measles photos to terrorize their own viewers with mass hysteria

Heres Lester Holt looking serious, acting like hes investigating something with a sense of real journalism and honesty, pretending hes not a lying Big Pharma hack who says whatever hes ordered to say by the vaccine industry:

Heres the stock photo image of the healthy baby that NBC News sourced to begin its Photoshop deception:

And heres the Photoshopped image that NBC News ran with, adding measles splotches to the healthy baby:

This animated GIF shows where the measles splotches were added to trick the public into thinking this healthy baby was infected with measles:

Natural News analysis confirms the measles baby was a Photoshopped work of fiction pushed by fake news NBC

An image analysis conducted by Natural News confirms that the fake measles splotches on the baby are nothing more than a rubber stamp copy and paste of the exact same pattern of splotches:

A closer look at the image exposes the NBC News big lie. Yes, these are all the exact same Photoshop patterns, just replicated across the image of the baby:

Through the use of Photoshop deception, NBC News then broadcasts the measles baby to the world to push its measles mass hysteria. Look at this poor, poor child hurry and go get your vaccines, or more children will be Photoshopped just like this one:

Watch out, looks like Lester Holt has the measles, too! (We create this mockery image to demonstrate how stupid NBC News actually is, thinking the public wont figure out how theyre faking all their measles stories.)

The fake news media lies about everything from mass shootings to infectious disease outbreaks

This is how the fake news media operates on almost every story, from mass shootings to measles to the now-collapsed Russia collusion hoax. Almost everything the media tells you is either staged or false. Then they rely on censorship to silence all independent media voices that point out the obvious fraud.

A similar Photoshop fraud was carried out, by the way, with Obamas faked birth certificate document, which was accidentally released with Photoshop layers still accessible, revealing the multiple layers of document fakery that someone forgot to render into a single final image. The media then denounced anyone who questioned the document as a birther while pretending the Obama White House didnt release a multi-layered Photoshopped document at all. To this day, anyone who questions Obamas birth certificate is ridiculed as a conspiracy theorist.

But Obamas birth certificate is no more genuine than this measles baby photo used by NBC News. Theyre all fake, because thats what fake news does 24/7, from the NYT to the WashPost to CNN. Its all fake, all the time, on every issue that matters. From mass shootings to measles outbreaks, 9/11 and even the shooting of JFK, the official story youve been told is a laughable lie thats easily proven false by simply examining the available evidence.

Are there real children who are really infected with the measles in America? Yes there are, but nearly all the infections are caused by illegal immigrants being placed in U.S. cities as a kind of biological attack on America. As Alex Jones correctly stated over the weekend:

Then the CDC reports from local health departments across the country that its the illegal aliens, called migrants, that are spreading the measles, the mumps, the rubella, the pertussis, and all these record-level diseases hitting Europe and the United States and then were told that those of us who havent taken the hundreds of mandated vaccines are to blame.

This whole thing is a false flag the measles are real, but the admitted cause is the illegal aliens and the government not testing them at the border this is outrageous and this is criminal this is a national health emergency.

Our government has opened the borders and allowed these plagues to come in, and then tells us dangerous vaccines are the answer to what they have brought into the nation.

Watch Alexs full report here:

Stay informed about the dangers of vaccines. Read Vaccines.news.
(Natural News) A hospital in Peoria, Illinois, is the subject of a new lawsuit alleging that it pressured a woman to abort her unborn baby girl after medical staff incorrectly administered the wrong pharmaceutical drug to the girls mother during a routine checkup, which put her pre-born child at risk of serious birth defects.

According to Reneizha Morris, the woman in question, employees at UnityPoint Health-Methodist experienced some kind of miscommunication during her regular checkup, which resulted in her being injected with a pharma drug known as methotrexate that carries serious birth defects as one of its side effects. It was during this same visit that Morris also learned that she was pregnant with what would have been a healthy, seven-week-old baby.

When doctors at the hospital realized what they had done, they allegedly called Morris in for two separate meetings after this checkup, during which they pressured her to abort her unborn child in order to cover up for their mistake. The hospitals risk manager, Morris says, actually scheduled an abortion for her against her wishes, which she says she refused after seeing an ultrasound image of her unborn baby girl.

But UnityPoints risk manager apparently wouldnt let Morris make her own decision on the matter, and continued to call her family after the fact about still going through with the abortion they so desperately wanted her to get. The hospital even went so far as to offer Morris bribe money in the form of $2,000 in cash if she would just agree to go in for a consultation at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Chicago.

Morriss attorneys have found the hospitals records suddenly trail off at this point on how and when she supposedly decided to terminate the pregnancy, the Peoria Journal Star reported about the case.

Following the canceled procedure, the hospitals risk manager had two phone calls with her family, which have been omitted from the medical record. On December 5, the hospitals risk manager asked Morris to come to the hospital to pick up $2,000 in cash and a letter stating the money was to be used for a consultation at a Chicago-area Planned Parenthood clinic.

For more related news, be sure to check out Abortions.news.

American health care has become no different than women who irresponsibly get pregnant and use abortion to get rid of the problem

In the end, Morris decided to go through with the abortion that UnityPoint was pushing her to get, insisting that she didnt know what else to do. Shes now seeking more than $50,000 in damages from the hospital, which clearly was just trying to cover up its mistake by getting rid of Morriss problem pregnancy so it wouldnt have to pay for the childs later medical expenses caused by the malpractice of its medical staff.

This case has one of the ugliest fact patterns I have ever seen: A perfectly healthy fetus was given a deadly injection based on reckless communication, stated family attorney Thomas R. Mulroy III.

The hospital administration knew full well they would have been legally responsible for the considerable healthcare costs associated with the babys birth injury. The hospital purely had their own interests in mind and failed to take Reneizhas wishes into consideration.

If you really stop to think about it, UnityPoints horrific approach to this situation, which it directly caused, is really no different than women who irresponsibly get pregnant, only to later claim that they deserve the right to terminate their unwanted child through medical violence  except in this case, bribery was used to coerce a woman into exercising this right against her own wishes.

No one should ever have to make that decision, Morris revealed in a statement. I think about what happened every single day and I hope another woman will never have to feel the pain I have felt since this happened.

For more related news about Big Pharma corruption, be sure to check out BigPharmaNews.com.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

PJStar.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Not content to stop at poisoning its own citizens by forcing them to get toxic vaccines, the country of Australia has now taken to murdering millions of feral cats. The country is currently on a killing spree, airdropping frozen sausages that contain a deadly poison that unsuspecting felines ingest, causing them to die.

The sausages contain kangaroo meat, herbs, chicken fat, and a poison known as 1080, which can kill the cats within 15 minutes of consumption. They were carefully developed to ensure theyd be as appealing to the cats as possible. Officials are also trapping and shooting feral cats as they try to eliminate as many felines as they can. Their goal is to kill at least two million cats by the year 2020, with 200,000 already killed by 2016.

Planes have been enlisted to drop 50 of the poisoned treats every kilometer in areas where the cats are known to roam free. There are believed to be anywhere from 2 to 6 million of these wild cats throughout the country.

Australian government cites biodiversity concerns as the reason behind the mass killings

According to the government, the animals are posing a serious threat to several rodent species Down Under that are already facing extinction, with at least 27 unique species at stake including the big-eared hopping mouse.

The cats are said to be responsible for the death of 649 million reptiles and 377 million birds in Australia every year. Since their introduction by European settlers sometime in the 17th century, feral cats in Australia have been responsible for driving roughly 20 species of mammals to extinction, making them the biggest single threat to the countrys native species.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, National Commissioner of Threatened Species Gregory Andrews said: We have got to make choices to save animals that we love, and who define us as a nation like the bilby, the warru (Black-footed rock-wallaby) and the night parrot.

Not surprisingly, this move is not going over well with people who are concerned about animal welfare. More than 160,000 people so far have signed online petitions asking Australia not to murder the cats, with celebrities like Brigette Bardot calling it animal genocide.

One particularly mean-spirited Australian council in the northeastern state of Queensland is offering a bounty of 10 Australian dollars (roughly $7) per feral cat scalp, which isnt exactly helping public perception of the plan to eliminate the animals.

Meanwhile, conservationists are expressing concern that the government is overly focused on cats at the expense of dealing with other factors impacting biodiversity, such as logging, mining and urban expansion. It is estimated that 80 percent of the mammals and 45 percent of the birds in the Australian wild cannot be found anywhere else on the planet.

Although preserving Australias native wildlife is certainly an important goal, this particular approach is ill-advised to say the least. Murdering animals is never the answer, and on top of that, how can they ensure that the poisoned sausages are only consumed by feral cats and not peoples pets or even some of the very wildlife they are so eager to save?

Of course, what do we expect from a country that has no qualms about poisoning its population through mandatory vaccines? In Australia, children who arent vaccinated cannot attend school, and their parents lose government benefits and their rights to welfare rebates  and no non-medical exemptions are allowed. With such little respect for their people, its not surprising that they would be so unapologetic about the mass murder of animals.

Sources for this article include:

NYPost.com

Independent.ie
(Natural News) Supporters of POTUS Donald Trump who have been waiting for his administration to begin cracking down on Leftists who are working to thwart his immigration reform and border security efforts just got a huge morale booster this week.

On Friday the Justice Department announced charges against a Massachusetts judge who allegedly aided and abetted a twice-deported illegal alien escape from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

As Breitbart News reported, District Court Judge Shelly Richmond Joseph, along with Trial Court Officer Wesley MacGregor, have been charged by federal prosecutors with charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of a federal proceeding  aiding and abetting provide for sentences of no greater than 20 and five years in prison, respectively; five and three years of supervised release, respectively; and a fine of $250,000, according to a press statement from the Department of Justice.

As The National Sentinel reported in December, Joseph had been under investigation for some time  which may help explain the lapse in time it took to indict her:

A federal grand jury is investigating a state judge in Massachusetts who allegedly violated her oath of office and the law by helping an illegal alien who appeared in her court escape Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

According to the Justice Department, Joseph and MacGregor are accused of helping Jose Medina-Perez avoid waiting ICE agents after he had been arrested in March 2018 for possession of narcotics. One of the agents who went to the Newton, Mass., courthouse to arrest and deport him announced his presence to Courthouse personnel, including Joseph, upon arrival, the DoJ said.

Prior to the afternoon session, the courtroom clerk  at Josephs direction  allegedly instructed the ICE Officer to leave the courtroom and wait outside in the lobby, stating that in the event the defendant was released, it would be through the courtroom and into the lobby, the statement continued.

During the proceeding for Medina-Perez, Joseph ordered the courtroom audio recording ceased  in violation of District Court rules  while she and MacGregor conferred with Medina-Perezs attorney about the waiting ICE agent. A few minutes later, the recorder was turned back on, Joseph released the defendant:

According to the charging documents, the defense attorney asked to speak with the defendant downstairs and Joseph responded, Thats fine. Of course. When reminded by the clerk that an ICE Officer was in the courthouse, Joseph stated, Thats fine. Im not gonna allow them to come in here. But hes been released on this. Immediately following the proceeding, MacGregor allegedly escorted the defendant, his attorney and an interpreter downstairs to the lockup and used his security access card to open the rear sally-port exit and released the defendant at 3:01 p.m.

Its time for DoJ to arrest and charge them all

It should be noted that in February 2017, the city of Newton declared itself a sanctuary city, adopting a policy that either forbids or discourages local police and authorities from assisting federal immigration authorities in the removal of illegal aliens from the United States.

Obviously, the city and its officials are going above and beyond with their sanctuary policy  which makes this arrest and prosecution by the Trump administration extremely important in the presidents quest to get his message across to cities, counties, and states that he will no longer tolerate flagrant violations of immigration law.

The arrest is a hard-nosed move by [POTUS] against sanctuary cities and states, Breitbarts Neil Munro writes. These anti-enforcement jurisdictions are proliferating as progressives and business interests ally to protect their supply of cheap labor

Like it or not, federal law, per the Constitutions Supremacy Clause, supersedes state and local laws  meaning federal immigration laws supersede any sanctuary ordinances. Every single state and local official who either approves or maintains sanctuaries for illegal aliens should meet the same fate as Judge Joseph.

Read more about Democrats quest for open borders and an immigrant invasion of the USA at OpenBorders.news and InvasionUSA.news.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

TheNationalSentinel.com
The Russian Black Sea Fleets Frigate Admiral Essen has arrived in Istanbul to take part in the IDEF-2019 defence industry exhibition, the fleets press service said on Tuesday, April 30.

The Russian Black Sea Fleets Frigate Admiral Essen has arrived in Istanbul to take part in the IDEF-2019 defence industry exhibition, the fleets press service said on Tuesday, April 30.

The 'Admiral Essen' Project 11356 frigate launching a 3M-14 Kalibr sea-launched cruise missile

"The crew of the newest Black Sea Fleet Frigate Admiral Essen arrived in Istanbul to participate in the IDEF-2019 International Defense Industry Fair," the statement reads.

The Admiral Essen will be docked in Turkey until May 3; its crew will present the frigate as an example of the Russian shipbuilding industry capabilities at the fair.

Earlier, Russian military displayed the landing of the Orlan-10 UAV on the Russian Frigate Admiral Essen. The UAV was caught by a special net that was extended across the helicopter-landing pad on the deck.

The Admiral Essen is the second Project 11356 blue water frigate and the first serially built ship of this project. The ship was named after Imperial Russian Navy Admiral Nikolai Ottovich von Essen. It has been part of Russias permanent group in the Mediterranean since March 2019. The ships of this class have a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, a speed of 30 knots and endurance of 30 days. The Admiral Essen is armed with cruise missiles Kalibr, missile self-defence system Shtil-1, a 100 mm artillery piece A-190, air defence artillery, RBU-6000 rocket launcher and torpedoes and can carry a deck helicopter Ka-27 (Ka-31).

The IDEF-2019 International Defense Industry Fair is held in Istanbul on April 30-May 3. The fairs key topics are the equipment for land troops, navy, air force, defence technologies, space technologies, onboard systems, as well as helicopters, ships, electronics, security systems, transportation and logistics equipment and systems.

 Copyright 2019 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A California lawmaker is now calling for an official probe into the states high speed rail project in response to an NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit probe into overspending and underperformance at Californias High Speed Rail Authority.

Senior Investigative Reporter Stephen Stock first broke this story Monday night of a multi-billion dollar project now in crisis.

Monthly construction numbers over both the past three years and the last year in particular show a trend downward when those same spending numbers should be trending up.

At the current pace even the first portion of the project, a 119 mile long stretch from outside Bakersfield to Madera will not be completed in time to meet a federal deadline outlined in a grant award of December, 2022.

The Investigative Unit also showed large underperformance by the lead, private consulting company overseeing the project, WSP USA Inc.

The internal numbers from High Speed Rail show an ever growing gap between what WSP was supposed to deliver according to its contract with the state and what the company actually delivered.

Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson of Fresno now says he wants California's attorney general to investigate after NBC Bay Area's report.

An updated report from High Speed Rail Authority to the state legislature is due on lawmakers desk on Wednesday.

Patterson provided the following statement:

Californias high-speed rail project has been terribly mismanaged from the beginning, but now all signs from great investigative journalism point to an inside circle of corruption that is crying out for an investigation.

We have a major infrastructure project that is controlled from the top down by outside consultants who first gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the high-speed rail ballot initiative. Now theyve been given the power to enrich themselves. The work isnt getting done yet these consultants are still getting a paycheck. Our Attorney General and our Governor should be demanding answers as to how they spent $5.3 billion and have only a slow speed track between Bakersfield and Merced to show for it.
Border Patrol agents were scheduled to visit the San Jose City College campus Tuesday to recruit students at a job fair, and immigration activists are planning a protest and rally.

Organizers with the group Dump Trump on Monday said the college west of downtown San Jose told them the Border Patrol is not welcome on campus and it has been "disinvited" to the job fair.

But the immigration rally will go on as planned outside the gymnasium from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to celebrate their victory and show support for immigrants, activists say. They delivered their message Monday via flier and Facebook post.

"With the escalating violence, family separations, incarceration, and deportations leveled against migrants and immigrant communities by Border Patrol and ICE and the recent trumped up charges against 3 college students in Tucson, Arizona for disrupting a presentation by Border Patrol agents on their campus, we call on the student body and members of our community in the South Bay to send a clear message to Border Patrol: the agents of upholding racist borders are not welcome here," the message said.

Organizers said the National Lawyers Guild will have legal observers at the rally and will make their protest hotline available as well at 415-285-1011.

More information is provided on the guild website.
Central Park Library in Santa Clara was evacuated Tuesday while police responded to a report of a suspicious device.

At about 1 p.m., a library employee found a suspicious device inside the library at 2635 Homestead Road, according to Santa Clara police.

A Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office bomb squad also responded to the scene and determined the object to be fake with no explosive material, according to police. The scene was cleared by 5:10 p.m.

The library closed for the day, officials said.

Police said the nearby schools, community center and swim center were not impacted, but they did not provide further information about the reason for their response.

No other information was immediately available.
Former Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher of California, a trailblazer for women in the world of finance who served in Congress for more than a decade before joining the Obama administration, died of complications from pneumonia, her family said Tuesday. She was 67.

Tauscher died Monday at Stanford University Medical Center surrounded by her daughter, Katherine, and other relatives, her family said.

At 25, Tauscher was the youngest woman and one of the first to hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

Her first foray into politics was chairing her good friend Dianne Feinstein's first two U.S. Senate campaigns in 1992 and 1994.

"Ellen never backed down from a challenge and always stood up for what she thought was right," Feinstein said in a statement. "She remains an inspiration for all of us in Congress and I hope younger members will look to her as an example to emulate. She'll always be remembered."

In 1996, she unseated two-term Republican Bill Baker for the 10th congressional district seat in the San Francisco Bay Area in what her family said was "a historic election that no one thought a Democrat would win that year."

"Public service was her calling, and there was no job she loved more than representing the people of Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano counties," her family said.

She left Congress in 2009 during her 7th term, when President Barack Obama appointed her to the State Department, where she served as the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In that role, Tauscher helped lead negotiations with Russia over the 2010 New START treaty, which limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.

"She made America and the world safer through her work on arms control at the State Department," Clinton said in a statement. "Ellen woke up every day determined to make a difference, and make a difference she did."

Tauscher retired from the State Department after three years but continued to work in California, where was the chair of former Gov. Jerry Brown's Military Advisory Council. She also served as chair of the Board of Governors for Livermore and Los Alamos labs and was a regent of the University of California.

A native of Harrison, New Jersey, she graduated from Seton Hall University and worked as an investment banker and before switching to politics.

"California sends our heartfelt condolences to her loved ones and the many public servants she mentored and inspired," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. "We will hold Ellen's memory close as we continue her work toward a more just and peaceful world."
A GoFundMe donation page has raised over $250,000 for a 13-year-old girl in critical condition after being targeted by a driver in an alleged hate crime last week in Sunnyvale.

The girl is a seventh-grader at Sunnyvale Middle School and was walking home from the library with her father and brother on the evening of April 23 when they were struck, along with four other people.

Isaiah Peoples, 34, has been charged with eight counts of attempted murder and is being investigated for hate crime allegations by the FBI.

The girl suffered the most serious injuries and has been hospitalized for the last week. The GoFundMe page has a goal of $500,000.

"She is a sweet little girl who is kind to everyone and always stole our hearts with her generosity," organizers of the GoFundMe page wrote.

They said they're hoping for a speedy recovery, but the cost of her medical bills and potential rehabilitation are expected to be enormous.

All funds will go to her mother and father.

Peoples is a war veteran who admitted to intentionally driving into the group of pedestrians on El Camino Real, according to the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. He may have targeted the victims because he thought they were Muslim. He is currently in jail without bail.

Public safety officers said Peoples was delivering food to his bible study group when he crashed into the victims. Witnesses said he was coherent after the crash, and said "Thank you Jesus, praise Jesus" while being arrested.

"The FBI San Francisco Field Office has opened a federal hate crime investigation into the incident that occurred in Sunnyvale on April 23, 2019," FBI spokeswoman Cameron Polan said in a statement. "As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time."
A car in the East Bay has been turned into a racist billboard after someone spray-painted a slur on the side of an African American man's sedan.

Police on Monday said they are investigating the incident to determine if it is a hate crime.

The Oakland man who owns that car says he was too ashamed to drive his son to school in the car. Community members then teamed up to raise money to help the vehicle repainted.

Dontae Moore works for Oakland Parks and Recreation department. His job is to help clean and maintain Lake Merritt, which means many young families and joggers have been passing by his vandalized car. In some cases, it has sparked conversation about race.

"I couldn't believe it at first," Moore said. "I got my thoughts together. I just knew it was somebody being ignorant."

Somebody's ignorance follows Moore every time he hops in his silver sedan.

Last Tuesday night, Moore said he was out for a run around Lake Merritt and returned home to see that someone had spray-painted the N-word in bold red letters on the passenger's side of his car.

"I'm not used to seeing stuff like this you know," Moore said. "We deal with racism, but it's not out there like that."

Moore said it was tough to explain to his 6-year-old son why they now had to walk or take the bus to school.

"I know he doesn't understand," Moore said. "I said, 'Son, one day you'll understand.'"

English teacher Rebecca Carmona was with her class of seventh graders when they passed by the parked car along Lake Merritt. Carmona saw a lesson for her students in plain sight.

"I was really taken aback that this car was right in front of me," Carmona said. "Look, this stuff is happening right here in our own backyard. And it's 2019.

Moore's Bible rests on the roof of the car as a message for the vandal.

"I have no idea who did this," Moore said. "Whoever did it, I want them to know that I forgive you."

Moore's neighbors created a GoFundMe page to help him repaint his car, which has garnered more than $3,000 in donations. Moore plans to repaint his car by the end of the week.
Westlake Hospital's closure was approved by a unanimous vote from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board Tuesday.

The hospital's fate had been up in the air after an appeals court reversed a lower court ruling barring the closing of the Chicago-area hospital.

The Illinois Appellate Court had earlier ruled the village of Melrose Park had no grounds to request a temporary restraining order against Pipeline Health, owner of Westlake Hospital. Village officials asserted the hospital's closure would adversely affect the community.

Pipeline Health said staffing issues caused it to suspend services. CEO Jim Edwards says the company is pleased the appellate court has ruled in its favor.

Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico said the village will continue to fight the hospital's planned closure.

Its a shame that the Health Facilities Review Board couldnt find the courage to do the right thing for the most vulnerable people, Serpico said in a statement. Its also puzzling that the board would so flagrantly disregard their own rules. As a result of their action we are calling today on Attorney General Kwame Raoul to investigate the Health Facilities Services and Review Board decision to approve Pipeline Healths fraudulent purchase and closing of Westlake Hospital. Was there a nod and a wink between Pipeline and members of the Health Facilities Review Board? We call on the Attorney General to get to the bottom of this scandalous action.
It's a thin line where the patina of age on Europe's countless monuments gives way to the onset of neglect. Like with so many loved ones, all is assumed to be fine, until suddenly it's not.

In the wake of the fire last week that gutted Notre Dame, questions are being raised about the state of thousands of other cathedrals, palaces and village spires that have turned France  as well as Italy, Britain and Spain  into open air museums of Western civilization.

If even an iconic building like Notre Dame could not be protected from devastation, if such a potent symbol of France had to scramble for maintenance funds, that lays bare a culture of apathy that can undermine a shared history as well as the multibillion-dollar tourism industry upon which much of Europe depends.

"We are so used to our outstanding cultural heritage in Europe that we tend to forget that it needs constant care and attention," Tibor Navracsics, the European Union's top culture official, told The Associated Press.

Some say the wake-up call, not just for Europe but the whole world, rang in Paris.

Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovicis, head of the Europa Nostra heritage foundation, said it was "as if Notre Dame decided to set itself on fire to ring the alarm bell. As if she wanted to sacrifice herself for the cause."

Devastating fires have robbed mankind of its knowledge, art and treasures since the famed library of Alexandria in northern Egypt burned down in ancient times. Prior to Notre Dame, the last global warning came when Brazil's Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most important cultural institutions in South America, burned down in September.

"Unfortunately, the fire in Notre Dame is just one of many examples," said Navracsics.

Experts look at the near-endless list of fires at historical sites in Europe and wonder why officials so often don't learn before it's too late. Data on such fires is limited, because monuments are so varied. Some were accidents, others arson.

"There are no exact statistics," said Didier Rykner of France's La Tribune de l'Art, but added that France sees "several fires every year in historic buildings, which is already way too much."

A 2015 study by the German engineering giant Siemens showed that Scotland had about 10 damaging fires a year, while England lost at least a dozen listed buildings a year. Germany has seen 70 such buildings destroyed since 2000.

"Every year, there's lightning or something else that destroys a tower or a roof," Juan Antonio Herraez, who is in charge of preventive conservation at Spain's Cultural Heritage institute, told the AP.

In 1985, the tower of Luxembourg's main cathedral caught fire and burned down. In 2004, a fire in the Duchess Anna Amalia library in Weimar, Germany, caused an estimated 80 million euros in damage. In Italy, the historic La Fenice opera house in Venice was destroyed by fire in 1996, and a year later, that happened at Turin's Sindone Chapel of the Holy Shroud.

And all too often, fires happen during restoration work.

The Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh Building was gutted by fire last year for the second time in four years as it neared the end of a multimillion-pound (dollar) restoration project.

In Spain, the Gran Teatre del Liceu  Barcelona's opera house  was destroyed almost entirely in 1994 by a fire caused by spark that fell on a curtain during routine repair work.

Experts say what's lacking is the constant attention and regular maintenance that could help avoid the need for major restoration work, but that costs money. The problem has been exacerbated by the austerity budgets many European nations adopted after the 2008 financial crisis and during Europe's subsequent debt crisis.

After austerity cuts, Rykner said, "you need some drastic restorations that either you don't do, or you do them badly or cheaply. And it can lead to fires."

Herraez wants officials to shift their focus to prevention instead of only reacting to building disasters.

"Reparation or restoration should be seen as the failure in conservation," he said. "We would be spending money in maintenance but we will be minimizing potential future damages."

Navracsics echoed that thought.

"We should never forget that there's also a cost to non-action, a lack of maintenance or a lack of prevention," he said.

The problem is that prevention is practically invisible but grand restorations can be a boon for the politicians cutting the ribbons.

The fire at Notre Dame had barely been doused when two of France's richest men, rival billionaires, stepped up with flashy, competing donations of hundreds of millions of euros to rebuild the Paris cathedral. Notre Dame donations now stand at over 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion)  or about three years of France's national restoration budget.

This massive outpouring of donations grates on those who have begged for years for a few thousand euros to restore a local but valuable monument.

"You have seen that, now, the money is not the problem," said Quaedvlieg-Mihailovicis. "There is a lesson. Could we not invest smaller amounts, and not just for the biggest and the most iconic monuments?"

The EU itself has allotted 4.7 billion euros ($5.28 billion) for restorations in the 2014-2020 financial budget on top of what individual nations do.

As state funding dries up, governments are increasingly looking for private donors to renovate major monuments. In Italy in recent years, Tod's luxury shoes sponsored the Colosseum face-lift, while the Fendi fashion house helped the Trevi Fountain in Rome and Diesel backed improvements for the Rialto bridge in Venice.

"We do need to invest more, but this is a shared responsibility for governments, businesses and citizens across Europe," said Navracsics.

Nations will reap the benefits of such spending for years to come. Tourism in Britain and France alone amounts to about 7% of their Gross Domestic Product, good for around 150 billion euros and 170 billion euros (around $170 billion and $190 billion) a year.

Some say world-renowned monuments like Notre Dame are the driving force behind such tourism and deserve more respect.

"Cultural heritage is a gold mine. You cannot exploit it and then just leave the mine and go to another one. It is something you really have to cherish," said Quaedvlieg-Mihailovicis.

Aritz Parra, Danica Kirka, Jill Lawless, Colleen Barry, Sylvie Corbet and Sam Petrequin all contributed to this report.
The archbishop of Paris and Catholics from around France and the world honored the firefighters who saved Notre Dame Cathedral, praying Sunday at a special Easter Mass for a swift reconstruction of the beloved monument.

Some streets around the medieval cathedral also reopened six days after the blaze, allowing tourists to get a closer look and local restaurants to reopen, after firefighters declared the last hot points extinguished. Notre Dame itself is expected to remain closed for years.

The blaze that engulfed the cathedral on Monday night forced parish members and visitors who hoped to worship at Notre Dame on Easter to find other places to attend services. The Paris diocese invited them to join Sunday's Mass at the grandiose Saint-Eustache Church on the Right Bank of the Seine River.

The firefighters, who struggled for nine hours to contain flames that consumed Notre Dame's roof and collapsed its spire, held a place of honor at the Saint-Eustache. Police officers and a soldier guarded the 13th century church. Visitors stood in a long line to have their bags checked before they could enter.

Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit handed firefighters at the Easter Mass a book of scriptures that was rescued from Notre Dame.

"Your men were able to save many things in the cathedral. But you also saved an item that is precious for us," Aupetit said. "It still is a bit dirty, full of ashes and likely a bit damaged by the fire. You saved it, and I wanted to give it to you. It's a very humble way to thank you." said.

He notably thanked fire service chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier, who recovered from the fire a chalice containing consecrated hosts that for Catholics are the body of Christ.

Speaking of Jesus' resurrection, Aupetit told the congregation, "We, too, brothers and sisters, we will rise again, just like our cathedral will rise again."

The French archbishop also shared thoughts for "our Sri Lanka brothers who were massacred" in Easter attacks on churches and hotels that killed more than 200 people and injured hundreds more.

Notre Dame's parishioners were joined by Catholics and others from around France and beyond. An Associated Press reporter heard at least six languages being spoken in the crowd.

"Everyone is affected by what happened to Notre Dame," Parisian Michel Ripoche said. "Easter is a holiday we celebrate every year, all our lives. Clearly what happened at Notre Dame added to the importance" of today's service.

Peggy Godley, who was visited the French capital from Chicago with her husband and two daughters, "wanted to see what it was like to celebrate a Mass in Paris."

"We didn't get to see Notre Dame. We were hoping to be there, but it's too late," she said.

Construction workers strung netting across one of the cathedral's prized rose windows Sunday, apparently to protect the centuries-old stained glass.

Notre Dame isn't expected to reopen to the public for five or six years, according to its rector, although the French president is pushing for a quick reconstruction. Investigators think the fire was an accident, possibly linked to renovation work.

Notre Dame Rector Patrick Chauvet told The Associated Press on Good Friday he had "plenty of hope, because I believe that from this suffering there will be a renaissance."

French Culture Minister Franck Riester said Sunday that most of the spots at Notre Dame that were considered vulnerable to more damage or collapse have been stabilized, including support structures above the rose windows. He told France-2 television "there remain some sensitive points in the vaulted ceiling."

Milos Krivokapic and Deborah Gouffran contributed to this report.
A man suspected of involvement in a mysterious dissident group's February raid on North Korea's Embassy in Madrid was arrested in Los Angeles by U.S. authorities.

Christopher Ahn, a former U.S. Marine, was arrested and charged Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter. The specific charges against Ahn were not immediately clear.

The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Separately, on Thursday, federal agents raided the apartment of Adrian Hong, a leader of the Free Joseon group, the person said. Hong was not arrested.

Free Joseon, also known as the Cheollima Civil Defense group, styles itself as a government-in-exile dedicated to toppling the ruling Kim family dynasty in North Korea.

The group said it consists of North Korean defectors living in countries around the world, but that it has not worked with or contacted defectors "living under tight security" in South Korea.

Lee Wolosky, a lawyer for the group, said in a statement that he was "dismayed that the U.S. Department of Justice has decided to execute warrants against U.S. persons that derive from criminal complaints filed by the North Korean regime."

"The last U.S. citizen who fell into the custody of the Kim regime returned home maimed from torture and did not survive," Wolosky said, referring to college student Otto Warmbier's 2017 death.

"We have received no assurances from the U.S. government about the safety and security of the U.S. nationals it is now targeting," he added.

A Spanish police investigator in the case told The Associated Press in Madrid on Saturday that Ahn was identified by the Spanish police at a later stage of its investigation into the Feb. 22 raid and that an international arrest warrant was also issued against him.

That's in addition to warrants issued for the other suspects named last month in Spanish court documents.

The investigator, who spoke under condition of anonymity given the sensitivities of the case, said that because of judicial secrecy, he couldn't confirm how many arrest warrants had been issued by Spanish authorities beyond the two initially confirmed.

A Spanish judge said an investigation uncovered evidence that "a criminal organization" shackled and gagged embassy staff before escaping with computers, hard drives and documents.

Cheollima said on its website that it was responding to an urgent situation at the embassy and was invited onto the property, and that "no one was gagged or beaten."

The group said there were "no other governments involved with or aware of our activity until after the event."

The Spanish court report said the intruders urged North Korea's only accredited diplomat in Spain, So Yun Sok, to defect.

In March 2017, the group said it had arranged the escape of Kim Han Sol, the son of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who was assassinated at a Malaysian airport earlier that year.

The Cheollima website said the group shared "certain information of enormous potential value" from the raid with the FBI, under mutually agreed terms of confidentiality.

According to the Spanish court report, Hong flew to the United States on Feb. 23, got in touch with the FBI and offered to share material and videos. The report didn't say what type of information the items contained or whether the FBI accepted the offer.

The FBI said its standard practice is to neither confirm nor deny the existence of investigations.
Deputies in Portland, Oregon responded to a possible home invasion, but the intruder they found wasn't alive or a person.

It was a robotic vacuum cleaner.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports a house sitter in Cedar Hills called 911 Monday, saying someone was inside the bathroom.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office says deputies entered the home and ordered the burglar out, but nothing happened.

Deputies then opened the bathroom door with guns drawn and discovered the automatic vacuum cleaner.

Sgt. Danny DiPietro says this encounter was his first "Roomba burglar" in 13 years on the job.

He says the office is still "having a good laugh about it."
A fifth person has been sentenced time behind bars in a high-profile patient abuse case broken by NBC Connecticut Investigates two years ago.

A former caregiver at the states maximum security psychiatric facility received a two year sentence, suspended after three months.

Clayton Davis made a plea agreement where he could have received up to six months in jail for his crimes.

Instead, he got half that amount because he had never been in trouble with the law before, and his actions were judged less severe than those of his co-workers.

Clayton Davis was facing five charges of cruelty to persons in connection with the systematic abuse he and fellow Whiting Forensic Hospital employees were seen on video giving to longtime patient Bill Shehadi two years ago.

Prosecutors say Davis did not kick, spit at, or put a dirty mop on Shehadis head, as others were accused  but that he did wake the patient up out of a dead sleep and stuck a flashlight in his face.

His mouth is wide open, his eyes are wide open and his hands are raised toward the light that Mr. Davis is shining in his face, clearly this is done in the states impression, to torment Mr. Shehadi, said prosecutor Jeffrey Doskas.

Davis admitted what he did was wrong, and asked the judge to give him less than the six month maximum jail sentence that his plea deal called for.

I would just like to say that Im sorry for what I did I made a bad judgment and if you could be lenient with me, I promise you I will never ever get myself in a situation like this no more, said Davis.

Even Davis wife told the court her husband made a big mistake.

Just please be lenient with him. He's a good person, and he's very shameful of what he did, and I am ashamed, because I am in the same field as my husband, she said.

In the end, Judge Maureen Keegan said Davis needed to do some jail time, but less than the six month maximum from his plea agreement.

The people that you have their care entrusted to you, deserves your highest attention, and your actions in accordance with the law, and what is morally right, every time they are with you, said Keegan.

With Davis sentence, half of the 10 people arrested in the Whiting abuse case have been put behind bars. Two others are awaiting their sentences, and three others still have their cases working through the court system.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30)  Three police officers who were seen in a video mauling civilians in a gaming shop in Cebu City are facing charges for torture, after their alleged victims sought court protection.

Policemen Reoven Carmelo Rota, Vernie Magali and Brenro Tudtud of the Talamban Police Station along with five John Does were charged in violation of Republic Act 9745, or the Anti-Torture Act. The police officers can face imprisonment up to 20 years depending on the effect of their torture on the victims.

Two individuals approached Cebu City Prosecutors on Monday to file the complaint, citing the closed-circuit television footage of the encounter and affidavits recounting the alleged events, signed by four witnesses.

In their affidavits, the complainants said they were playing with pin ball machines at the ground floor of a two-storey building in Sitio Ponce, Barangay Carreta around midnight on April 18, when six individuals in civilian attire barged in their room holding firearms.

"They immediately blurted out that they are policemen, then they charged at us, the complainants said.

They added that one of the mauled victims turned out to be a drug suspect who is currently detained at the Cebu City Police Office detention facility in Camp Cabahug. The policemen were demanding the location of supposed illegal drugs.

Rota, Magdali and Tudtud were earlier identified by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena.

Cebu-based journalist Dale Israel contributed to this report.
Wallingford Police have arrested three teenagers who are accused of engaging officers on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle early Tuesday morning. A fourth suspect is believed to have escaped and may be responsible for another stolen vehicle in town, police said.

Officers saw a white Ford Escape stopped at a light at the intersection of Washington Street and Quinnipiac Avenue around 2:45 a.m. When police checked the registration plate on the vehicle, they said they learned it was stolen from Newington.

When police attempted to pull over the vehicle, officers said the driver engaged police in pursuit. The pursuit ended when the driver crashed while attempting to enter the northbound ramp to Route 15, police said.

According to police, one suspect was caught after a short foot pursuit and two others were caught shortly after when a resident reported seeing two men walking down her street. One other suspect was able to escape.

Police said 18-year-old Quentin Johnson, a 15-year-old man and a 17-year-old man were all arrested. They are each facing charges including conspiracy to commit larceny, interfering with an officer and possession of less than 1/2 ounce of marijuana.

Johnson was held on a $5,000 bond and is due in court on May 9.

The 15-year-old male and the 17-year-old male both had active take into custody orders and were transported to a Hartford juvenile detention facility, police said. Both are due in Hartford Juvenile Court on May 8.

Later Tuesday morning, officers said they received a report of a stolen vehicle from a Parker Farms Road resident. Police believe the keys were most likely left in an unlocked vehicle.

Officers said they are looking into the possibility of the fourth suspect being responsible for this stolen vehicle.
The two-year, $43 billion spending package unveiled by the Connecticut General Assembly Appropriations Committee delivers on priorities for both the governor and House and Senate Democrats.

The package increases spending for education at all levels, including honoring the formula crafted by both Republicans and Democrats in 2017 to pay for Educational Cost Sharing, which is how money is distributed to cities and towns.

There is more money in the budget for both University of Connecticut and the Board of Regents, though in the case of the State Colleges and University System, likely not enough to fend off tuition increases.

The budget also includes new funding for workforce development and to hire two new classes of state troopers.

The Connecticut State Police are considered at full staffing with about 1,200 troopers, but currently the force is only at about 900.

Sen. Cathy Osten, (D  Sprague), one of the two Appropriations Committee chairs, described the budget as responsible for where money is being directed, but also said because it doesnt increase spending at a high rate, it makes it fiscally sound.

"Our budget growth is 1.9 percent, she said. .3 percent were non-fixed costs and the rest were in fixed costs."

Those fixed costs are in the areas of costs for healthcare for current and retired state employees and teachers, and for pensions.

The issue of pensions is one of the most critical this fiscal year. Gov. Ned Lamont proposed shifting hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher pension payments from the state to the cities and towns who actually hire and employ those educators.

Multiple sources told NBC Connecticut that Democratic lawmakers had thought they had agreed that the budget would reflect a shift of payments to municipalities, but the budget voted on and approved by the Appropriations Committee, did not include it.

"Quite frankly, on the reamortization, we're on board with the governor and in regard to the rolling out some of the cost to municipalities, Osten said. We believe that we should consider that and that there was an error in the budget document regarding that piece."

That error is significant because it was not approved in the appropriations bill, and its possible the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee may need to include it in its own package of legislation expected Wednesday.

Osten insists it will be discussed with the Lamont administration.

"We planned on having that in the budget document that municipalities would have to contribute toward teacher pension," she said. There was an error in the documents that we noticed this morning after they were already printed."

Republicans argue the budget presented is not balanced, and they say adding in funding to pay for issues like paid family leave and the minimum wage is the wrong direction.

"I'm not saying any of those things are bad in principle but they're expensive, said Rep. Gail Lavielle, (R  Wilton), ranking member on the committee. Why would you do it now when you really can't afford it."
In a quaint backyard pen the Harris family calls Grazing Goats Farm, Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats graze and play, seemingly unaware of predators lurking. Early Sunday morning this peaceful Burlington farm was awoken to the grim remnants of a bear attack which left five goats dead.

Steve Harris says theyve seen bears and wildlife on the property before but have never had a conflict like this.

Weve seen foxes, coyotes and even a moose, he said, Its like a wildlife highway.

Harris says he believes the bear entered the pen by first breaking through a 3-footwooden fence. It then climbed a 6-foot chain link fence, attacking the goats inside. Its then believed the bear dragged its prey over the fence and into wooded area.

Its not real common but we do have cases every year of livestock being killed by bears, said Paul Rego, a State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection wildlife biologist.

The plan now is to set a non-lethal trap, capture the bear, tag it and put it through an aversive conditioning process called hazing.

During the hazing process no physical harm is done to the animal. It is a humane process, using audio and visual cues to harass the animal. The objective is to convince the bear to respect the human habitat and not return.

Hazing is just giving the bear a very bad experience at the site and with humans, explained Rego. Its actually an attempt to save the bears life by trying to change its behavior.

Rego pointed out Connecticuts bear population is growing quickly. Its also the time of year when they are coming out of hibernation and are naturally searching for food.

The spring is always a time of year of low food availability for bears so they are more tempted by a variety of human provided foods, Rego explained, whether its bird feeders, poorly stored garbage or in this case livestock.

For families with livestock, Rego urged precaution

The biggest thing people can do is exclusion. he said. Either having the animals completely contained with fencing, sides and top or electric fencing. Electric fencing is really one of the best precautions against black bears.
Worldwide, the Jewish community mourns after this weekends synagogue attack in Poway, California. In Connecticut there has been a call to action.

We are focusing here on our own community on how to secure our own potential targets, said Howard Sovronsky, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.

The California shooting, which occurred on the last day of Passover, left one woman dead and three injured. It also happened six months removed from a Pittsburgh synagogue attack where 11 people died.

This is something not new to the Jewish community and something that we have to keep vigilant about and not become complacent about, added Sovronsky.

The Jewish community is not alone. Other faith leaders have also recognized a growing danger at places of worship.

Its horrendous to see the amount of carnage, killings, shootings, massacres that are happening that are happening in places of worship, said Reza Mansoor, president of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford.

In recent months, worship houses of many faiths have been attacked domestically and abroad. Subsequently, faith leaders have seen a scary shift in societys view of religion.

I think were becoming a society that instead of freedom of religion its becoming freedom from religion, said Father Nicholas Melo of Wethersfields Christ The King Catholic Church.

Taking a proactive approach, Mansoor explains his mosque in Berlin recently engaged in active shooter training conducted by the Berlin Police Department.

Were ramping up security in mosques, Mansoor said, yesterday I was in a synagogue trying to compare notes to what theyre doing to what were doing.

Religious leaders are working in alliance to protect their community.

Were here as brothers and sisters and we need to work together, added Father Melo, Anti-Semitism and religious hatred has no place in our society and in our lives.
Parents and students in Newington will talk about a canceled trip to our nation's capital on Tuesday night.

Newington's annual 8th grade trip has been canceled for next year, but some parents are hoping to change the district's mind.

The district staff makes the decisions, not the Board of Education, but the board is willing to hear parents out, who are upset and disappointed that the annual trip has been canceled.

"I want to see the trip keep going. I mean, it has been going on for, I just found out, 30 plus years. Why are we stopping it? Why?" said Melissa Fusco, who created the petition.

The interim superintendent Pamela Muraca said there have been several reasons for the change. She said it costs $400 to $500 per student and that can be prohibitive for some families. The need for chaperones created additional needs for substitute coverage. There was also increased liability and the trip no longer aligns with the 8th grade curriculum.

The district decided this year's trip will be the last.

Parents said they're upset they were not consulted about the decision. More than 1,200 people have already signed a petition on Change.org to keep the trip going.

The superintendent said they are exploring other options like day trips to Boston, New York and various other Connecticut locations.

The board meeting is at 8 p.m. and will be held in the Town Hall in the Helen W. Nelson Meeting Room.
Connecticut State Police are investigating an untimely death in Salem on Tuesday morning.

Troopers said a man was found dead on Hartford Road around 8:20 a.m.

Police said at this time the death does not appear suspicious. The investigation is ongoing.

The victim has not been identified at this time.

This is a developing story. NBC Connecticut will update this story as details become available.
The search for a person of interest in a Waterbury homicide led to the arrest of the victim's boyfriend in West Hartford on unrelated robbery charges, according to police. On Tuesday, police said he was also charged with murder in connection with the homicide and other charges.

Waterbury police officers were called to 96 Edin Ave. in Waterbury around 1:30 a.m. Monday after reports of a woman lying in the driveway, bleeding. The woman was dead when officers arrived.

Family members identified the victim as 33-year-old Nathalie Feliciano. Police are investigating her death as a homicide.

As police were investigating the homicide, Waterbury police developed information that a person of interest in the case was involved in an armed robbery on on Baldwin Street just before 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Police said the passenger in an SUV had a gun and robbed a man who was working on his vehicle on Baldwin Street and demanded everything in the victims pockets.

The victim complied and the suspect threatened to shoot him, police said. The suspect did not fire the gun, but pistol whipped the victim, got back into his SUV and left, according to police.

Police have identified the robbery suspect as Feliciano's boyfriend, 33-year-old Luisito Dejesus, and they have obtained an arrest warrant charging him with robbery and firearms violations in that case.

The detectives had developed information about the vehicle Dejesus was operating and broadcast it to all Connecticut police departments.

Waterbury police said he has ties to and Hartford police traffic officers saw the suspect get into his vehicle on Barbour Street, then there was a "well-controlled pursuit through several towns, Hartford police said.

According to West Hartford police, the Ford Explorer was spotted at a liquor store in the North End and Hartford police called for backup, but the driver fled before additional officers arrived.

That led to a chase on Interstate 84 and along several roads in West Hartford. Police used stop sticks and the chase ended on Simsbury Road in West Hartford, where the suspect was taken into custody, according to West Hartford police.

Dejesus was arrested on robbery and weapons-related charges. The homicide investigation is open and active, police said.

Sgt. Daniel Moffo, of the West Hartford Police Department, said they also have an active arrest warrant for him.
A U.S. Army veteran was plotting a large-scale terror attack in Los Angeles as revenge for the mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.

Mark Steven Domingo boasted about amassing an arsenal of weapons, including 80 pounds of nails for a bomb, to carry out an attack in retaliation for the killing of Muslims by a white supremacist in the city of Christchurch, according to an indictment unsealed on Monday. He also allegedly discussed killing Los Angeles police officers and setting off explosives at the Santa Monica Pier and on local freeways.

"There were mosque shootings in New Zealand," Domingo posted to a private group online on March 14, according to federal prosecutors. "[T]here must be retribution."

Domingo allegedly added: "I feel like I should make a christians life miserable tomorrow for our fallen bros n sis in [N]ew Zealand ... maybe a jews life ... they shed our blood ... no Muslim should have to experience this, a message needs to be sent."

An FBI informant, who was already in the private message group along with an FBI "online covert employee," made contact with Domingo two days later, the indictment says.

Over six weeks of plotting with the informant, Domingo fantasized about murdering a laundry list of perceived enemies, including Christians, Jews, white supremacists, police officers, even his next-door neighbor.

But he struggled to pinpoint a target or develop a plan. Asked if he was intending to get caught, Domingo offered an oddly casual response.

"Martyrdom, bro," Domingo said, according to the indictment.

The former U.S. Army infantryman, who completed a four-month deployment to Afghanistan in January 2013, became obsessed with the idea of getting his hands on an improvised explosive device after the FBI informant said he knew someone who used to make them.

"We'll both make it. I just don't know how," Domingo said in one conversation, according to the indictment. "I'll be honest. I'm smart in history but I failed chemistry. Science is not my forte ... If he doesn't want to make it, don't force him. But ask him how. Details ... F-----g to the letter details. Ask him."

Domingo was arrested after he made preparations to attack a "white nationalist rally" in Huntington Beach on April 27. He was charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. The indictment was unsealed roughly six weeks after a gunman opened fire at two mosques in the city of Christchurch, killing 50 people.

The suspect, a 28-year-old Australian national and avowed white supremacist, livestreamed the attack on Facebook using a camera mounted to his helmet. The gunman, identified as Brenton Tarrant, has been charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the mass murder "one of New Zealand's darkest days."

Less than a week later, she announced plans to ban nearly all military-style semi-automatic and assault-style rifles.
Comcast NBCUniversal announced that it has awarded approximately $5,000 in scholarships for the 2019-2020 school year to North Texas students as part of its annual Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program. Students are selected for their outstanding community service, academic performance, and leadership skills.

The award, funded by the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, is a one-time, $2,500 scholarship to be used toward undergraduate education-related expenses. Since 2001, more than $33 million has been awarded to nearly 30,000 high school seniors across the country as part of the Leaders and Achievers program.

"The Leaders and Achievers scholarship winners are outstanding students who are committed to academic excellence and community service," said Tom Ehlmann, NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 President and General Manager. "We are honored to recognize their achievements on behalf of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation."

"We are excited to share in this opportunity to reward North Texas students for their hard work inside and outside of the classroom and help support them as they continue their educational journeys," added Nada Ruddock, NBC 5 Vice President of Community Affairs.

NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 recognized local winners, Jasmin Sarinana, a resident of Dallas and a student at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center's School of Health Professions (Dallas Independent School District) and Steve Lomeli, a resident of Irving and a student at Jack E. Singley Academy (Irving Independent School District). Each will receive $2,500 from the foundation through their future educational institution and an iPad to make it a little easier to access coursework, take notes and manage scheduling.

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program provides scholarships to students who strive to achieve their full potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students. The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to prepare for the future and to engage them in their communities. The program also demonstrates the importance and value of civic involvement, especially by the business community.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the program.
A new controversy has erupted over booting vehicles on private parking lots in North Texas.

In Haltom City, a popular restaurant called A&D Buffalo's on East Belknap Street runs out of parking spaces in its own lot at lunchtime.

There's a big, empty parking lot right next door, where restaurant owner Scott Kim has posted signs to warn customers that they might get towed if they park there.

"This property is not mine" Kim said. "You might be towed, that's why I put it up."

The new twist is that restaurant customer cars have been getting booted, instead of towed, by a company called Texas Parking Enforcement.

Facebook photos posted last week showed official looking logos on a company car with a label that said "booting division."

People whose cars were booted were charged $100 to get the boot removed. The Facebook photos showed four cars booted last Wednesday.

A person who answered the company's phone said booting is better than towing because it costs less and the car is not physically removed from the location.

Haltom City police are not convinced about the advantages of booting on private property.

"With the booting, it creates a confrontation, an automatic confrontation," Haltom City police Capt. Steve Irvin said.

Irvin said the state of Texas regulated private parking lot booting in the past, but did not anymore.

"So now it's up to local municipalities as far as specifics on how to handle that," Irvin said.

The restaurant owner said he tried to lease spaces from the neighboring parking lot owner, but the price was too high.

Customer William Currie sat in his truck as his girlfriend went into the restaurant to pick up food at lunchtime Tuesday, rather than leaving his vehicle with a chance to get booted.

"I don't like if very much, because we're just trying to go in and get something to eat, you know," Currie said.

Officials in neighboring Fort Worth said the city also did not have regulations about booting cars on private property.

Irvin said Haltom City was considering whether to set booting rates and other regulations, or possibly ban private booting in the city.

"It's something that we're definitely going to be addressing," Irvin said.

In the meantime, it is wise for drivers to pay attention to warning signs against parking on private property.
The contractor building three bridges as part of Fort Worths Panther Island development says the project has been bungled and "woefully mismanaged from the top."

"It's easy to blame the contractor," said Frank Hill, an attorney for Houston-based Sterling Construction. "The facts are, there are others out there that have messed this up from the beginning."

The Texas Department of Transportation is managing the construction over dry ground just north of downtown.

The plan is to eventually reroute the Trinity River under them, add an island, and double the size of downtown.

It's part of Panther Island, the billion-dollar flood control and development project.

Hill also said TxDOT is asking the company to do things it considers unsafe.

"There are matters of safety, major safety issues," Hill said. "It's not safe to the public or our employees."

He said he was referring to how certain parts of the bridge will be removed after construction is complete. The way TxDOT wants to do it would cost an extra $10 million, take an additional six months and not conform with national standards, he said.

The lawyer also pointed the finger at the engineering company, Freese and Nichols, claiming the designs keep changing, even as construction is underway.

"I'm talking about fundamental design problems from the beginning," he said. "It was impossible to build  It has been woefully mismanaged from the top.

In a prepared statement, Freese and Nichols said, "We have full confidence in our design of the bridges. Multiple independent reviewers have confirmed the suitability, structural integrity and constructability of the design ... Minor design clarifications are typical on complex projects."

TxDOT spokesman Val Lopez declined to respond to the contractor's criticism.

Asked about the timetable for finishing the bridges, he said in a text message, "The assessment of the project progress schedule and the project completion are ongoing."

He would not elaborate.

TxDOT had said the construction would be complete by the end of 2020 but is no longer giving a timetable.

Meanwhile, nearby businesses are struggling, with the direct route to downtown cut off.

"It just leaves us hanging in limbo," said Jason George, owner of Angelo's Barbecue. "We never know when the end is coming."

The restaurant has seen a 25 percent drop in sales and has had to cut employees, George said.
The Dallas County Sheriff's Department is investigating an officer-involved shooting Tuesday afternoon with a man who told Duncanville police he had warrants and wasn't going back to jail.

The shooting was reported near the intersection of W. Camp Wisdom and Clark roads, just south of the Texas 161/Interstate 20 interchange, where Duncanville police officers were called at about 1:15 p.m. to investigate a suspicious person.

Duncanville officers arrived and confronted the man who told them he had warrants for his arrest and that he wasn't going back to jail. The man then began rifling through a bag and, according to police, making "aggressive movements with his hand in the bag," while refusing to display his hands.

Duncanville police fired on the man, striking him an unknown number of times. Police then gave the man first aid prior to his being transported to Methodist Medical Center in Dallas.

The man is in stable condition with injuries that are not life threatening, police said.

The Dallas County Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting.

Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change.
Emily Alexander is all in when it comes to Germany.

"I had been taking Spanish for so long and I felt like everyone was taking it and I wanted to do something a little different, so why not German," Alexander said. "It's probably the best decision I made in high school."

You can imagine her and other Nolan Catholic High School students' reaction when the WunderBus came to their school. The WunderBus is a traveling museum on wheels that's crossing the country, visiting high schools to celebrate the friendship between Germany and the United States.

It was designed by the German government for students to gain information about studying abroad, working abroad, visiting Germany and to connect youth in America with their counterparts abroad.

Frederic Korona made the trip to answer questions from students.

"They ask, 'Is it really that you eat brats everyday, and potato salad, and if you have schnitzel on the weekend and do you drink so much beer?' Korona said. "Were like, 'Yeah, it's kind of true.'"

The students enjoyed the laughs, but also the learning.

Virtual reality headsets let them see and feel what it was like to stand downtown in many German cities.
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.
Berkeley police say they are investigating a rape by two men of a University of California, Berkeley student at a fraternity house.

Berkeley Police spokesman Officer Byron White says the student, a woman, reported being assaulted after midnight Sunday at off-campus fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon.

The fraternity, whose Berkeley house is on the 2700 block of Channing Way, has ceased operations while police investigate, according to a national spokesperson.

White says the victim told investigators the assailants are about 18 years old and that it's not known if they, too, are UC Berkeley students.

White says the victim asked for her information to be kept confidential.
A U.S. official says an Army veteran accused of plotting terrorist attacks in Southern California was discharged from the military for a serious offense.

The official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Mark Domingo was demoted for violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice and did not complete his enlistment contract.

Military records show Domingo served about 16 months, including a four-month stint in Afghanistan. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about personnel issues and provided the information only on condition of anonymity.

Authorities say Domingo was arrested Friday as he planned to plant bombs before an expected rally by white supremacists. The terror plot was foiled by authorities who say Domingo, a Muslim convert, wanted revenge for New Zealand mosque attacks that killed 50 last month.
Boeing did not tell Southwest Airlines, its largest 737 Max customer, that a standard safety feature designed to warn pilots about malfunctioning sensors had been deactivated on the jets.

The safety feature is an alert that lights up in the cockpit if a planes angle-of-attack sensors transmit faulty data about the pitch of the planes nose. This feature is known as an angle-of-attack disagree light and was included in previous versions of the 737.

Southwest did not know about the change until after the fatal crash of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia. The airline, in a statement to CNBC, said Boeing had indicated through its manual that the disagree lights were functional on the 737 Max.

Southwest said Boeing told the airline that the disagree lights were inoperable only after the Lion Air crash. The airline subsequently took action to turn the alerts on.

Southwest Airlines statement:

Upon delivery (prior to the Lion Air event), the AOA Disagree lights were depicted to us by Boeing as operable on all MAX aircraft, regardless of the selection of optional AOA Indicators on the Primary Flight Display (PFD). The manual documentation presented by Boeing at Southwests MAX entry into service indicated the AOA Disagree Light functioned on the aircraft, similar to the Lights on our NG series. After the Lion Air event, Boeing notified us that the AOA Disagree Lights were inoperable without the optional AOA Indicators on the MAX aircraft. At that time, Southwest installed the AOA Indicators on the PFD, resulting in the activation of the AOA Disagree lights - both items now serve as an additional crosscheck on all MAX aircraft.

Federal Aviation Administration safety inspectors and supervisors were also unaware of the change, according to government and industry officials that spoke to The Wall Street Journal.

The FAA even considered grounding Southwests Max fleet while they weighed whether or not the airlines pilots needed additional training about the safety alert, according to the Journal. But those discussions were brief and did not go up the chain, the newspaper reported.

Boeing, in a statement to CNBC, said the angle-of-attack disagree lights would be included as a standard Max feature.

As we return to service, all customers will have the AOA disagree alert as standard and have the option to include the AOA indicator at no cost, a Boeing spokesperson said. This change will be made to all MAX aircraft  production and retrofit.

Boeings 737 Max was grounded by the FAA in March in the wake of fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.

Several major airlines have extended Max flight cancellations through the summer. American has canceled Max flights through Aug. 19, totaling 115 flights per day, while Southwest has canceled through Aug. 5 and United through June 5.

The Wall Street Journal first reported this story.

This story first appeared on CNBC.com. More from CNBC:
What to Know Swarthmore College students are staging a sit-in at the Phi Psi fraternity house demanding Phi Psi and Delta Upsilon be banned permanently.

The demand comes after the leak of documents showing racist, homophobic and sexist language allegedly from Phi Psi members.

The school president suspended both frats pending an investigation. Current Phi Si members condemned the documents.

Student activists at Swarthmore College are demanding the school permanently shut down campus fraternities in the aftermath of leaked documents showing racist, misogynist and homophobic comments as well as jokes about sexual assault allegedly from fraternity members.

The controversy began on April 18 when campus publications Voices and the Phoenix published documents leaked by an anonymous source describing parties thrown by the Swarthmore fraternity Phi Psi. The documents, from 2012 through 2016, included derogatory remarks toward women, minorities and the LGBTQ community as well as discussions of sexual assault and alleged evidence of hazing.

Rape jokes, descriptions of sexual assault naming specific women and being generally ableist, racist, homophobic, Olivia Smith, a Swarthmore student, told NBC10.

The articles sparked protests from students, conversations about fraternity culture on campus, and demands for Phi Psi and the school's only other fraternity, Delta Upsilon, to be closed.

While student activists say the comments from the leaked documents only came from Phi Psi members, they also cited a Tumblr blog detailing alleged incidents of sexual misconduct, racism and homophobia from members of both campus frats.

"Nothing about these documents reflect that these minutes or hazing practices were done in isolation," Olivia Smith wrote to NBC10. "The Tumblr speaks to ongoing harm in fraternities and structures of fraternities themselves represent a continuity that works against any sort of isolated set of events."

On April 27, Swarthmore College President Valerie Smith announced they had suspended fraternity activities pending the outcome of an investigation from an external investigator.

Smiths letter came the same day members of the student advocacy groups Organizing for Survivors and Swarthmore Coalition Against Fraternity Violence staged a sit-in and protest both inside and outside the Phi Psi house, which currently serves as a residence for one student. The protesters dont just want a suspension but for both frats to be shut down permanently.

We respect the rights of students at Swarthmore to express their views and beliefs, Smith wrote in her letter. As Dean Terhune mentioned in his message earlier this week, we will continue to hold students accountable to our community standards. At Swarthmore, civility and dissent must co-exist.

Members of the Phi Psi fraternity, which is not affiliated with a national organization, released a statement on Facebook condemning the language used in the leaked documents while also stating the documents were not representative of who they are today.

All our current brothers were in high school and middle school at the time of these unofficial minutes, and none of us would have joined the organization had this been the standard when we arrived at Swarthmore, they wrote.

The fraternity members also cited Phi Psis participation in a 2016 campaign speaking out against sexual misconduct on campus.

We are a group of 59 diverse brothers who are active members of the Swarthmore community and wish to be agents of meaningful change like everyone else, they wrote. Moving forward, we will continue to work hand in hand with the administration and campus community to achieve our shared goals.

Olivia Smith responded to Phi Psi's statement.

"Hazing rituals continue in cycles, senior members teach freshman brothers the same toxic ideologies," she wrote. "Essentially the practices that were taught in the 80's and today through this ingrained structure of exclusive and self-isolating continuity."

The student protesters say they will continue to stage the sit-in until their demands are met.

The school is going to be pushed into change based on the sheer amount of support that we have, Maya Henry, a Swarthmore student, said.

No arrests or citations have been made in connection to the sit-in.

Swarthmore College is a private, liberal arts college located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Total student enrollment is currently at 1641.
What to Know "I'm going to continue to watch how the national conversation around the presidency unfolds," Stacey Abrams said

Abrams said her emphasis remains on two advocacy groups, one focused on voting rights, the other relating to the 2020 census

Georgia is among a handful of states with Senate races where Democrats need an upset to have hopes of a new majority

Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams says she will not run for a U.S. Senate seat in 2020, dimming her party's hopes of a Senate majority and renewing speculation about her political future after last year's unsuccessful run for governor catapulted her to national acclaim.

Abrams, 45, came within 60,000 votes of being the first black woman elected governor in U.S. history. She told The Associated Press she hasn't ruled out a presidential bid, though she's in no rush to join a Democratic field that already includes 20 candidates.

"I'm going to continue to watch how the national conversation around the presidency unfolds," Abrams said in an interview after she told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, her chief Senate advocate, of her plans. "I'm not taking myself out of that conversation, but I'm not ready to make a determination, and I don't think one is necessary at this moment."

Abrams said she was "deeply gratified" to Schumer for recruiting her to run for the Senate and giving her ample time to make a decision. A Senate seat, she said, is "an extraordinarily persuasive idea" and a "critical role" but "not the role that I want to play."

For now, Abrams said her emphasis remains on two advocacy groups  one focused on voting rights, the other on educating residents ahead of the 2020 census  that she helped launch after her November loss to Republican Brian Kemp.

She also will consider a rematch against Kemp in 2022, and some of her confidants say that office still rests at the center of her near-term ambitions. Separately, Abrams has been floated as a potential vice-presidential pick for an eventual Democratic nominee, particularly if former Vice President Joe Biden, a 76-year-old white man, claims the nomination. The two met recently in Washington, but Abrams later downplayed the idea of teaming up, at least for now. "You don't run for second place," she said on ABC's "The View."

Abrams met Schumer on Monday in Washington, ending months of eager courting by the hard-charging New Yorker and leaving him to plot another uphill path to reversing Republicans' 53-47 Senate advantage.

"He was extraordinarily gracious," Abrams said.

Georgia is among a handful of states with Senate races where Democrats need an upset to have hopes of a new majority. Schumer has been open in his belief that Abrams would have the best shot to defeat Republican Sen. David Perdue, who in his first term has become one of President Donald Trump's most loyal Capitol Hill allies.

Schumer also is looking to Montana and Texas for unlikely but possible victories. But as in Georgia, he has not yet landed headliner candidates. Democrats in Washington want Montana Gov. Steve Bullock to take on Republican Sen. Steve Daines, but Bullock, twice elected governor in a state Trump won, is eying a presidential run instead.

In Texas, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke is running for president instead of reprising his 2018 Senate bid that fell short against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Texas Democrats could turn to Rep. Joaquin Castro as their best shot to unseat Sen. John Cornyn. Castro's brother, Julian, is running for president.

Beyond Senate implications, national Democrats had hoped an Abrams candidacy would fuel turnout among young and nonwhite voters to help the party's presidential nominee in an emerging battleground state. Trump won Georgia by 5 percentage points in 2016 but fell short of a majority.

Schumer began his Georgia recruiting effort by inviting Abrams to deliver Democrats' response to Trump's State of the Union address in February, making her the first black woman to give an opposition response and further elevating her status in the party despite her loss.

"I began with skepticism," Abrams said of her deliberations, influenced in part by the years she spent leading the Democratic minority in Georgia's General Assembly.

Abrams said she could envision "the best day and the worst day" in a chamber known for its slow pace and increasingly bitter partisanship.

"But for me it was what do I do every day, and is this the role I want to play for six years? Is this the role I want to play for 12 years or 18 years?" she said. "Because this is a job, and you focus on not the title but the job itself and the job that has to be done."

Republicans crowed Tuesday over Abrams' decision  and Schumer's miss. Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the Senate GOP's campaign arm, called it Schumer's "most embarrassing recruiting fail of the cycle" and said it left "second-tier candidates" to choose from.

Democrats answered with optimism, insisting they'll mount a serious challenge to Perdue.

"Stacey and Georgia Democrats laid a strong foundation for 2020, and Senator Perdue will be held accountable for driving up health care costs, giving big corporations and millionaires like himself a tax break, and putting the president ahead of what's right," said Stewart Boss, a spokesman for Senate Democrats' campaign operation.

Democrats' next Georgia option may be Teresa Tomlinson, the former mayor of Columbus, the state's second-largest city. Tomlinson has made clear she would seek the seat if Abrams did not. Sarah Riggs Amico, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor last year, also is said to be considering a bid.

Tomlinson has been building ties with donors and activists around the state for several years, and Amico traveled the state in her 2018 campaign. But neither has the in-state organization, name identification or the national fundraising base that Abrams would have brought to the race.

Abrams said she will work to build Democrats' field operation for whoever challenges Perdue, but said she doesn't plan to make any primary endorsement.
A 5-year-old girl has died a day after she was in a car crash on Interstate 95 that also killed her 2-year-old sister, her family said.

In a Facebook post Monday night, Annette Bennet said her daughter, Keanna, "fought a good fight this past 24 hours. She gain her precious little wings ... Thanks for all your prayers but it is DONE."

Florida Highway Patrol officials said Keanna and her sister, Akeena, were not wearing restraint devices Sunday morning when the Toyota Corolla they were in crashed into a Kia Forte north of Sample Road in Deerfield Beach.

Akeena died shortly after. Keanna was hospitalized with critical injuries and was put on life support.

The driver of the Corolla, the girls' godmother Raby Rashida, 34, also suffered serious injuries, according to an FHP report.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office Department of Fire Rescue said firefighters arrived on scene to find two vehicles extensively damaged  one of which appeared to have struck a barrier wall.

Police said the other vehicle was occupied by a 26-year-old male driver who is listed in serious condition at Broward Health North.
What to Know Its Tuesday, April 30th  and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.

Its Tuesday, April 30th  and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.

Weather wise, it will be a windy final day of the month with a spotty shower in the forecast throughout the day but temperatures slightly lower than over the weekend across the area.

No. 1 - A 5-year-old girl has died a day after she was in a car crash on Interstate 95 that also killed her 2-year-old sister, her family said.

In a Facebook post Monday night, Annette Bennet said her daughter, Keanna, "fought a good fight this past 24 hours. She gain her precious little wings ... Thanks for all your prayers but it is DONE."

FHP officials said Keanna and her sister, Akeena, were not wearing restraint devices Sunday morning when the Toyota Corolla they were in crashed north of Sample Road in Deerfield Beach.

No. 2 - Bahamian authorities are investigating the murder of the South Florida owner of a popular Bahamas tourist bar who was gunned down at his home in Bimini over the weekend.

Alain Perez, the owner of Bimini Big John's in Alice Town, was shot multiple times at his Bimini Bay home early Sunday, Royal Bahamas Police Superintendent Henry Rolle confirmed to NBC 6. Perez, a 47-year-old native of Miami-Dade, has been living on the island for several years.

No. 3 - The Broward Teachers Union is voting on a tentative agreement that would give teachers a pay raise across the board. This comes after the union and the Broward School Board reached a deal last week.

No. 4 - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has taken to the streets with an activist who had been detained, Leopoldo Lopez, and a small contingent of heavily armed soldiers in an uprising as the government said it was putting down a small coup bid.

Moments earlier, Guaido appeared in an early morning video shot next to a Caracas air base surrounded by several heavily armed soldiers backed by a few armored vehicles.

No. 5 - The family of a 19-year-old man who is suspected of opening fire on a crowd of about 100 congregants during a Passover celebration at a Poway synagogue said their son is now part of a "history of evil."

The Earnest family released a written statement on Monday condemning the alleged acts of their son, John T. Earnest, who faces one count of first degree murder and three counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting at Chabad of Poway on Saturday.

No. 6 - At the Miami-Dade County courthouse, people are lining up to go over traffic tickets that haven't been paid. Some say they didn't even know about them.

NBC 6 Investigators found nearly one million driving licenses were suspended in one year between July 2017 and June 2018. More than 70% of those suspensions are because of unpaid traffic tickets and court fines.

For more on how you can check and see if youre driving illegally and how to fix the potential problem, watch the story by clicking here.
The son of a South Florida businessman who was shot and killed in the Bahamas believes his father could have been saved if authorities had allowed him to be flown off the island for medical care.

Alain Perez was shot at his Bimini Bay home early Sunday and died before his family could get him to doctors in South Florida. In an exclusive interview with NBC 6 on Tuesday, son Jose Perez said the family tried.

"My dad fought for his life for about three hours," Perez said. "There's a lot of things that we were doing, a lot of people that was over there that were helping, that were trying to do everything possible to get him out of the island."

Perez, a 47-year-old native of Miami-Dade, has been living on the island for several years and was the owner of Bimini Big John's in Alice Town. Before he died from his injuries, Perez told officers that someone had come to his door and when he answered it, the person shot him multiple times, Royal Bahamas Police officials said.

Perez was also able to contact family members after being shot. The island is just 50 miles east of Miami, less than 20 minutes in a rescue aircraft, but Jose Perez said it may as well have been a world away.

Jose Perez said the family had put down a $100,000 deposit to have his father airlifted, and had worked out a backup plan to have the U.S. Coast Guard pick him up at sea, but Bahamas authorities didn't help the rescue effort.

"Coast Guard said 'if you can get him on a boat, get him five or six miles out, we will be able to pick him up,'" Jose Perez said. "The police over there were not allowing that, they were saying they have orders. Until they were given the OK they were not going to release him. There's two planes that were ready to go, the helicopter, they were not giving them permission."

The police superintendent in Bimini told NBC 6 a full investigation is underway to find the suspect or suspects in the killing. He didn't respond to an inquiry about what Perez's son claimed about removing him from the island.

"He's well known in the community, well known to all the residents here, so I cannot say that we have a direct motive for anyone who would want to take his life," Superintendent Henry Rolle said.

Jose Perez, who is one of three children, said he is still in mourning, but remembers all the good his father did in Bimini.

"As long as I can remember we've been doing charity funds for all the kids on the island," Jose Perez said.
Lawmakers in South Florida and throughout the state spoke out in support of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who took the the streets with activist Leopoldo Lopez and a contingent of heavily armed soldiers early Tuesday in an effort to oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted updates on the situation in Venezuela throughout the morning as the dramatic events unfolded, posting that there "can be no bystanders" in Venezuela.

"After years of suffering freedom is waiting for people of #Venezuela. Do not let them take this opportunity from you," Rubio tweeted. "Now is the moment to take to the streets in support of your legitimate constitutional government. Do not allow this moment to slip away. It may not come again."

Sen. Rick Scott called it a "pivotal day" in Venezuela.

"It's time for the entire military to join Juan Guaido and fight for freedom for the people. Now is your chance to make history and to restore constitutional democracy in Venezuela," Scott said in a statement. "The entire world is watching and waiting. Its time to leave the evil reign of Nicolas Maduro on the ash heap of history."

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart said after years of "corruption, oppression and human rights abuses" it was time for Maduro to go.

"The free world stands with the courageous people of #Venezuela and its democratically elected interim President @jguaido. #VenezuelaLibre," Diaz-Balart tweeted.

Congresswoman Donna Shalala also voiced her support for Guaido on Twitter.

"Today Venezuela dawns with the air of freedom! We stand with the Venezuelan people and interim president @jguaido in these decisive hours as they restore their democracy. #VivaVenezuelaLibre #OperacionLibertad," she said.

City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez released a video statement saying he is doing everything he can to support Guaido.

"Today is a very critical moment where the president, democratically elected Juan Guaido alongside Leopoldo Lopez, the main opposition leader, have signaled to the military that it is time for them to rise up alongside of them to finish the process operation Liberty and guarantee liberty for all Venezuelans," Suarez said.
Kansas' highest court declared for the first time Friday that the state constitution protects abortion rights, a sweeping ruling that blocks a ban on a common second trimester method for ending pregnancies and endangers other restrictions as well.

The state Supreme Court's decision immediately roiled Kansas politics. Abortion opponents called for amending the state constitution but might wait to push for a change until next year, when all state lawmakers face voters.

The court's decision was a big victory for abortion rights supporters in a state with a Republican-controlled Legislature long hostile to their cause. It also comes with other, GOP-controlled states moving to ban most abortions in direct challenges to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortions across the nation.

"I'm beyond elated," said Julie Burkart, CEO and founder of the Trust Women Foundation, which operates a clinic providing abortions in Wichita. "This is what we were hoping for."

The decision prevents the state from enforcing what was a first-in-the-nation 2015 law that could have greatly limited second trimester abortions. But even worse for abortion opponents, the ruling clears the way for legal challenges to a string of abortion restrictions approved by state lawmakers under Republican governors before last year's election of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, an abortion rights supporter.

"It's very extreme," said Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life, the state's most influential anti-abortion group. "It's as bad as we could have imagined it and has potential to overturn pro-life laws."

The court's majority said vague language protecting "equal and inalienable rights" in the first section of the Kansas Constitution's Bill of Rights grants a "natural right of personal autonomy" that includes the right to "control one's own body" and to decide whether to continue a pregnancy.

The 6-1 majority rejected the state's arguments that there is no protection for abortion rights because most abortions were illegal in Kansas Territory when the state constitution was written in 1859. The majority said at the time, women faced a "paternalistic attitude" and a lack of recognition that they had the same rights as men.

"True equality of opportunity in the full range of human endeavor is a Kansas constitutional value, and it cannot be met if the ability to seize and maximize opportunity is tethered to prejudices from two centuries ago," the unsigned majority opinion said.

The court also declared that restrictions on abortion will face strict scrutiny, so the state must show that a law is narrowly drawn to deal with a "compelling" interest. That's higher than the U.S. Supreme Court's standard that under the federal constitution, restrictions must avoid placing an undue burden on a woman's access to abortion.

The Kansas court's dissenter was Justice Caleb Stegall, the only appointee of a conservative Republican governor. The court's two most senior justices were appointed by a moderate Republican, and four by a Democrat. Conservative Republicans have long complained that the court is too liberal  and Kansans for Life tried in 2016 to oust four of the justices in Friday's majority when voters ultimately decided that they should stay on the bench for another six years.

Stegall declared that "an important right of self-government has been stolen away" from Kansans residents and derided the majority for suggesting that "luminaries of the western legal tradition" would support "nearly unfettered abortion access."

"In this imagined world, the Liberty Bell rings every time a baby in utero loses and arm," Stegall wrote.

Top Republican legislators also quickly condemned the decision, saying it was out of step with the state's values.

Legislators could pursue a constitutional amendment after they reconvene Wednesday following an annual spring break. However, GOP leaders had wanted to wrap up business within a week, and Culp said Kansans for Life wants to make sure it is "as organized and strategic and successful" as possible for a push to amend the constitution.

The decision Friday came two years after the Kansas court heard arguments from attorneys, an unusually long delay for a ruling. Iowa's Supreme Court issued a similar decision in 2018.

Kelly said she is pleased that the court has recognized a woman's right to "make her own medical decisions." Burkhart said Trust Women will be considering what other restrictions can be challenged.

In previous cases, Kansas' highest court avoided the question of whether the state constitution protects abortion rights, allowing U.S. Supreme Court decisions to determine what restrictions would be allowed.

But when two providers sued over the 2015 law, a state district court judge blocked its enforcement and declared that the Kansas Constitution protects abortion rights.

The Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower court for a trial on the lawsuit but kept the judge's injunction in place, saying the providers are likely to succeed in invalidating the law.

The law would bar physicians from using forceps or similar instruments on a live fetus to remove it from the womb in pieces, using the non-medical term "dismemberment abortion" to describe the procedure. Such instruments are commonly used in dilation and evacuation procedure, which the Center for Reproductive Rights has described as the safest and most common abortion procedure in the U.S. in the second trimester.

The Kansas law was model legislation drafted by the National Right to Life Committee. The group says similar bans have been enacted in 10 other states  Oklahoma, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky, Ohio and North Dakota.

Abortion providers reported performing 484 dilation and evacuation procedures in Kansas in 2018, according to state health department statistics. That was 6.9% of the state's total abortions; most pregnancies were terminated during the first trimester.

Associated Press Writer Roxana Hegeman contributed.
What to Know Brazils president Jair Bolsonaro will receive the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year award at an NYC Marriott in May.

Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson has shown support for LGBT rights, while Bolsonaro has a history of homophobic comments.

The event already was moved from the Museum of Natural History, which faced backlash over Bolsonaros Amazon rain forest policy.

Marriott International, among many big corporations, has gone on record in support of the LGBT community. Its CEO, Arne Sorenson, has been one of the most vocal defenders of LGBT rights in recent years as corporations have been pulled more squarely into divisive social and legal battles related to LGBT discrimination.

But now Marriott is among the corporations facing backlash over an event that will honor Brazils new and controversial president Jair Bolsonaro, who has a history of homophobic comments. He also has made incendiary comments about gender, indigenous groups and torture.

The Marriott Marquis in New York City will be hosting the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce 2019 Person of the Year Award Gala Dinner, honoring Bolsonaro. The event attracted major corporate sponsors, including Delta Air Lines, UnitedHealth Group, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America.

Additional sponsors include HSBC, Citigroup, JPMorgan, UBS and Bank of New York Mellon, Santander, BNP Paribas and Forbes local licensee Forbes Brasil, whose publisher said it has been a media sponsor of the event for five years and will continue to sponsor it to strengthen ties between Brazil and the U.S.

Bain & Co. pulled out of event sponsorship on Tuesday, as did the Financial Times. Delta told CNBC on Tuesday afternoon that it had pulled out of event sponsorship.

Bolsonaro is reportedly receiving the reward for his prioritizing of Christian values and family. Hes been president of Brazil since January and has been a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage, homosexuality and abortion. According to the New York Times, which cataloged some of his controversial comments, Bolsonaro said he would rather have a son who is an addict than a son who is gay and that he was proud to be homophobic.

The event has been a magnet for controversy  the Marriott Marquis is not its first choice of location. It was originally planned to take place at The American Museum of Natural Historys Hall of Ocean Life. Yet pressure from environmental and LGBT groups resulted in the museums withdrawal.

Marriotts Sorenson was among the first CEO activist leaders when he took on Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in 2014 over legislation perceived as discriminatory. Brewer vetoed the legislation. Sorenson also said at the time of the 2017 battle over the North Carolina bathroom bill perceived as discriminating against LGBT rights, I have personally received hundreds of emails in the last week complaining about the position I have taken with respect to the law in North Carolina. I think the way the law was passed was trying to drive a wedge between people who think and believe different things, as opposed to building a bridge. We end up creating a polarized and exclusionary environment with laws like that, he told CNBC.

When North Carolinas bathroom bill became a focal point for corporate social activism, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America spoke out, with its CEO Brian Moynihan telling shareholders, Weve been steadfast in our commitment [against] discrimination. We have been a leader in LGBT practices since the [19]90s.

Delta has spoken out against anti-LGBT legislation  often referred to by backers as religious freedom bills  in recent years, including bills introduced in its home state of Georgia. The airlines decision to end discounts to NRA members, another hot-button social issue for corporations, led the state legislature to even attempt to punish the airline by removing a tax break.

Marriott, Credit Suisse defend decision

Marriott is sticking by its decision to host the event for Bolsonaro.

Diversity and inclusion are part of the fabric of our hotels culture and operations. We have welcomed all for over 90 years and focused on putting people first. We are required by law to accept business even if it conflicts with our values, said a Marriott spokesperson to CNBC. Acceptance of business does not indicate support, or endorsement of any group or individual.

Openly gay New York State Senator Brad Hoylman told the Daily News, "The only award President Bolsonaro should be receiving is bigot of the year. [It is] incredibly offensive that a business in my Senate district, which has a large LGBTQ population, would host a man who once said hed rather have a dead son than a gay man.

Its imperative that the companies and organizations associated with this event first understand the egregious anti-LGBTQ record and rhetoric of the Brazilian President and then stand by LGBTQ people in Brazil and everywhere by withdrawing their support, said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD to CNBC. His brand of anti-LGBTQ activism is actively [hurting] LGBTQ Brazilians and companies that host or participate in this celebration of him need to take a stand.

A spokesperson for Credit Suisse, one of the event sponsors, said the bank, like other major banks who operate in Brazil, has taken a table at this years event, as we have for the past 15 years.

Representatives for UnitedHealth, MorganStanley, HSBC, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan, UBS, Bank of New York Mellon and Forbes could not provide a comment by press time.

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What to Know A man apparently frustrated after being kicked out of his mom's house allegedly flushed his grandparents' ashes down the toilet

Thomas Wells, 33, faces charges of corpse abuse and criminal mischief; attorney information for him wasn't immediately available

Wells denied flushing the remains when his mother confronted him about it, but later threatened to flush hers when she died, authorities say

A 33-year-old Pennsylvania man flushed his grandparents' ashes down a toilet after his mother kicked him out of her home -- and threatened to do the same with his mother's remains when she died, authorities say.

Thomas Wells was arraigned Monday on two counts of abuse of a corpse and a criminal mischief charge, according to The Tribune-Review.

McKeesport police say the Pittsburgh man had been staying with his mother for a brief time before she asked him to leave last September.

The mother told police in February that a relative told her Wells had flushed her parents' ashes before he left. The ashes were kept in a box in the mother's bedroom.

Authorities say Wells denied he flushed the ashes, but later warned his mother he would dump hers in the toilet when she died.
What to Know Prosecutors in NJ continue investigating the death of an 18-year-old who was found dead of a stab wound to the heart and chest Saturday

Ismael Fajardo was discovered unresponsive in a second floor bedroom of a South Hackensack residence, according to prosecutors

Police found him while responding to a 911 call for medical assistance for someone who was stabbed at the residence

Authorities in northern New Jersey are investigating the death of an 18-year-old who was found dead of a stab wound to the heart and chest over the weekend, prosecutors say.

On Saturday, Ismael Fajardo was discovered unconscious in a second-floor bedroom of a South Hackensack residence, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Police made the discovery while responding to a 911 call for medical assistance for someone who was stabbed at the residence.

Fajardo was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, prosecutors say.

An autopsy conducted confirmed the cause of death was a stab wound to the chest and heart, according to prosecutors.

No one has been charged in connection to Fajardo's death, prosecutors say.

The investigation is ongoing.
What to Know A New York judge cleared a plan for a new homeless shelter on a street known as "Billionaire's Row"

The former Park Savoy hotel backs up on One57, a supertall tower with a $100 million penthouse

A coalition of local homeowners argued the proposed shelter would be a fire hazard and a nuisance

New York City officials received the go-ahead to open a homeless shelter in an old hotel in midtown Manhattan - one which happens to be back-to-back with one of the most luxurious and expensive condo buildings in the world.

A coalition of homeowners on West 58th Street sought an order to block a move by the city and its agencies to open a shelter in the former Park Savoy hotel at 158 West 58th. Among other things, they argued that the building was not up to fire safety codes and that it would create a public nuisance.

But Judge Alexander Tisch, in a ruling handed down Thursday, brushed aside those concerns.

"The Court finds that the decision to open a homeless shelter at the premises has a rational basis and is therefore not arbitrary and capricious," Tisch wrote.

The Park Savoy backs up to One57, the supertall skyscraper on 57th Street where billionaire Michael Dell reportedly bought a $100 million penthouse.

The West 58th Street Coalition, on its Facebook page, says its neighborhood is "under threat" by the shelter plan.

"While we understand the need to shelter the city's homeless, we believe the residents on our block deserve to be consulted before one of our buildings is filled with recently released parolees," the coalition wrote in an April 2018 position statement.
What to Know Two water-filled test dummies fell off the GaleForce roller coaster at Playland's Castaway Cove and crashed into a hotel roof.

The theme park's vice president insists the problem was with the test dummies and not the roller coaster which remains in operation.

No one was hurt during the incident.

The vice president of a Jersey Shore amusement park insists that a roller coaster is safe more than a week after two test dummies fell out of it and crashed into the roof of a nearby hotel.

The incident occurred back on April 20 at Playlands Castaway Cove in Ocean City, New Jersey. The GaleForce roller coaster was undergoing a routine safety check when two water-filled dummies fell off the ride and plummeted into the Ebb Tide Suites next door, damaging shingles and plywood.

No one was hurt during the incident. A roofer responded to the scene within an hour to make repairs and the test dummies were trashed, according to Brian Hartley, the Vice President of the theme park.

Its an unfortunate situation, Hartley told NBC10.

Hartley said the dummies had leaks that went undetected and they lost their mass and shape, causing them to fall.

Obviously its not something that would ever happen with a person in it, Hartley said. You know you dont lose rigidity in a person. The lap bar comes down. Youre secured in there.

Hartley told NBC10 the ride is one hundred percent safe, despite the mishap.

The lap bar did not fail, he said. Nothing failed on the ride at all.

The GaleForce undergoes about two hours of testing every day that it's in operation and has been open since the incident, according to Hartley.

Safety is our top priority, he said. Its something we do every single day. Were checking the rides in and out. Were going to have to do a better job at checking those tubes and making sure theres no leaks obviously, before we send them out.
A 23-year-old ex-convict accused of pulling a cruel hoax by pretending to be a long-missing Illinois boy was charged Friday with making false statements to federal authorities.

The FBI said Brian Rini had made false claims twice before, portraying himself as a juvenile sex-trafficking victim.

The Medina, Ohio, man was jailed in Cincinnati on Thursday, a day after telling authorities he was 14-year-old Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age 6. The FBI declared Rini's story a hoax after performing a DNA test.

The charge should send a message about the damage such false claims can do, said U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman.

"It's not OK to do it because of the harm that it causes, the pain, for the family of that missing child," Glassman said.

Rini's story had briefly raised hope among Timmothy's relatives that the youngster's disappearance had finally been solved after eight long years. But those hopes were dashed when the test results came back.

"It's devastating. It's like reliving that day all over again," said Timmothy's aunt Kara Jacobs.

Rini was jailed for a bail hearing on Tuesday. His public defender did not immediately return a message. Rini could get up to eight years in prison.

Rini was found wandering the streets on Wednesday and told authorities he had just escaped his captors after years of abuse, officials said. He claimed he had been forced to have sex with men, according to the FBI.

When confronted with the DNA results, Rini acknowledged his identity, saying he had watched a story about Timmothy on ABC's "20/20" and wanted to get away from his own family, the FBI said.

Rini said "he wished he had a father like Timmothy's because if he went missing, his father would just keep drinking," the FBI said in court papers. A message left with Rini's father for comment was not immediately returned.

Glassman said authorities were skeptical early on of Rini's claim because he refused to be fingerprinted, though he did agree to a DNA swab. Rini also looks older than 14, but Glassman said investigators wanted to make sure "there was no opportunity missed to actually find Timmothy Pitzen."

Rini's DNA was already on file because of his criminal record. He was released from prison less than a month ago after serving more than a year for burglary and vandalism.

He twice portrayed himself in Ohio as a juvenile victim of sex trafficking, and in each case was identified after being fingerprinted, authorities said.

In 2017, Rini was treated at an Ohio center for people with mental health or substance abuse problems, according to court papers.

Timmothy, of Aurora, Illinois, vanished after his mother pulled him out of kindergarten, took him on a two-day road trip to the zoo and a water park, and then killed herself at a hotel. She left a note saying that her son was safe with people who would love and care for him, and added: "You will never find him."

After Rini's account was pronounced a hoax, Timmothy's grandmother Alana Anderson said: "It's been awful. We've been on tenterhooks, hopeful and frightened. It's just been exhausting."

She added, "I feel so sorry for the young man who's obviously had a horrible time and felt the need to say he was somebody else."

Associated Press reporters Carrie Antlfinger, Don Babwin, Caryn Rousseau and Corey Williams contributed.
The man suspected of killing his parents and five other people in two rural Tennessee homes stole the car of one of the victims and was wearing a blood-stained T-shirt when he was seen, telling acquaintances the stain was just chocolate, according to authorities and court documents.

Law enforcement agents arrested 25-year-old Michael Cummins on Saturday about a mile from one of the two crime scenes at separate homes in rural Sumner County. He was shot and wounded while being taken into custody after authorities spotted him in a creek bed.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch called the two crime scenes "horrific" and "gruesome." He didn't elaborate on the manner in which the victims died, but said the attacks are believed to have taken place over more than one day.

Rausch's agency, also known as the TBI, identified the dead as the man's parents, 51-year-old David Carl Cummins and 44-year-old Clara Jane Cummins; 45-year-old uncle Charles Edward Hosale; 43-year-old Rachel Dawn McGlothlin-Pee, whose relationship to Cummins wasn't clear; Rachel's 12-year-old daughter, Sapphire McGlothlin-Pee; and Rachel's mother, 64-year-old Marsha Elizabeth Nuckols. Another victim, 69-year-old Shirley B. Fehrle, was found in a separate home and has no known relationship to Cummins.

An eighth victim, another relative, remained hospitalized in critical condition.

Cummins has a lengthy criminal record and had multiple court-ordered requests in the past to undergo mental health checks.

A court filing Monday said Cummins was in violation of his probation, which stemmed from a conviction for attempted aggravated arson and aggravated assault in which in September 2017, he set his neighbor's home on fire while she was inside and shoved her and pulled her hair while he was holding a gun, court documents show.

At the time of his 2017 arrest, he said that "if I get out of jail, I'll go down there and do it again," and later, when authorities asked about that statement, said that "when I get out, I'll finish the job," according to the documents. The neighbor was not one of the seven people named as deceased.

Cummins in part violated his probation because he didn't comply with a required mental health evaluation, one document shows. In the arson and assault case, a judge had reduced his 10-year prison sentence to 10 years of probation in January  after his conviction in July  on the condition that he receive the mental health evaluation and not contact his neighbor.

Cummins was released from jail in mid-January, said Ray Whitley, the local district attorney general.

"This is one of the most horrific cases I've ever had to encounter and deal with," said Whitley, the district attorney general in Sumner County since 1980.

Cummins had entered other agreements to undergo mental health treatments previously: after he pleaded guilty to 2017 charges of misdemeanor theft and evading arrest and after he pleaded guilty to 2013 charges of violating a restraining order, TBI records show.

Arrest warrants for Cummins were filed Monday on a charge of criminal homicide for at least one of the deceased and a charge of theft of property over $10,000.

Authorities have said the initial discovery of four bodies and an injured person stemmed from a 911 call from a family member Saturday. The injured victim was transported to the hospital with unspecified injuries. On Sunday, according to a TBI statement, the bodies of two more victims were found at the home.

Another body was found Saturday at another home in the area. Authorities believe the two scenes are related. The slayings occurred near the town of Westmoreland, not far from the Tennessee line with Kentucky.

Authorities have not said what kind of weapon was used. Fehrle appeared to have "blunt force trauma to her face" and other injuries to her extremities and her car was the one stolen and found abandoned in a creek bed, the affidavit says.

Additionally, Cummins told his acquaintances that the blood on his shirt was just chocolate, the affidavit says. He also told them that "if anything goes down, he would get blamed for it and was saving a bullet for himself," the affidavit says.

On Saturday, TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said at least one officer fired at Cummins after he emerged from the woods. Cummins is believed to have produced multiple weapons and the situation escalated, DeVine said.

Cummins remains hospitalized for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, DeVine said.

None of the responding officers were hurt.

DeVine said a state law enforcement airplane helped authorities spot Cummins on the ground in a creek bed.
Texas prison officials on Tuesday abruptly halted the practice of sharing death row inmate's final written statements after a lawmaker expressed outrage over the state relaying the last words of an avowed racist executed for the 1998 dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr.

It marks the second recent change to execution-day procedures in the nation's busiest death chamber. Earlier this month, Texas also stopped letting clergy inside after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the execution of a man who wanted his Buddhist spiritual adviser with him.

Death penalty opponents criticized the back-to-back changes, saying they underscore a need for more oversight in decision making surrounding executions in Texas, where a fourth person this year is set to die by lethal injection Thursday.

State Sen. John Whitmire had chastised prison officials Monday for reading John William King's final written statement last week after he was executed for Byrd's killing.

"If a death row inmate has something to say to the public or victims, let him or her say it when they are strapped to the gurney," Whitmire wrote in a letter to prison officials.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice swiftly responded, and within 24 hours told Whitmire it would change the policy to only publicly relay verbal comments made in the execution chamber. Any written statements by the condemned will now be "inventoried with their belongings" after they are executed, said Bryan Collier, the agency's executive director.

Whitmire has served nearly 40 years in the Texas Senate and is one of the most powerful lawmakers over the criminal justice system. In 2011, the Houston Democrat also spurred the prison system to do away with allowing inmates to pick their final meals after Whitmire took issue with one inmate's extensive request.

King, who was white, said "no" when asked by a warden in the death chamber on April 25 whether he had any last words before being executed. Afterward, prison officials released a statement prepared by King: "Capital punishment: them without the capital get the punishment."

Kristin Houle, executive director of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, said changing longstanding practices shouldn't be influenced by one person and defended letting the condemned relay their last words on paper if they choose.

"None of us know what our state of mind or composure is going to be as we face imminent death," she said. "It's another kind of punitive measure at a time when they are being put to death by our state."
What to Know The first voting machines arrived on Monday. Eventually, 3,800 new machines will replace the old ones, starting with the November election.

They have large, computerized touchscreens on which voters tap their choices, and also include a paper slip that records each ballot cast.

The Commissioners' office is forging ahead with the machines despite criticism and concerns over transparency and security.

Philadelphia's first new voting machines in nearly 20 years arrived Monday following months of debate over their security, accessibility and the process by which they were chosen.

New machines were required of all counties by Pennsylvania ahead of the presidential election next year. Russian meddling in the 2016 election and ongoing concerns over voters' rights put a keen focus on the selection process by the three City Commissioners in recent months.

Eighty-three of an eventual 3,800 new machines, manufactured by Nebraska-based ES&S, are being tested at the City Commissioners' offices, with some of them expected to be shown to the public by the summer.

All told, replacing the old voting machines could cost up to $60 million. The new versions are the first for Philadelphia since 2002. Prior to that, the city used the same machines for more than 30 years.

Courtesy of Century 21

City Commissioner Lisa Deeley, who gave NBC10 a first look Tuesday at how the new large, touchscreen machines work, said the city's 8,500 poll workers will be trained in the summer. The machines will be used for the first time in the November general municipal election.

Deeley's demonstration was the first for the ES&S ExpressVote XL machines since the City Commissioners, who oversee elections, chose the company in February following a bid process.

Critics have accused the Commissioners of lacking transparency and claim the touchscreen, paper-audit machines are not as secure from hacking as another certified option that requires voters to fill out a handwritten ballot, which is then scanned into a voting machine.

"I believe this is the best system for Philadelphia voters," Deeley said as she cast some demo ballots through one of the machines. "These ensure everyone can vote on the same system. And it provides a full-face ballot screen, which Philadelphians are accustomed to."

Deeley, who is running for her elected Commissioner position against 12 other Democrats in the May 21 primary, said both accessibility and familiarity were key components in choosing ES&S's touchscreen machine.

In addition to a computerized touchscreen, the machine requires each voter to insert a paper slip into the right side before casting their vote.

Once a voter chooses his or her candidates and ballot question answers on the touchscreen, they are then prompted to cast their ballot. The machine then prints out their selections on the paper slip for the voter to make a final check.

Spartansburg Police

If the paper ballot is correct, the voter officially casts the ballot. The machine registers the voters electronic responses and deposits the paper ballot into a locked container inside.

Those paper ballots can be audited in ballot challenges.

The timing of the selection of the ES&S machines has raised concerns among some members of the public. Deeley and another City Commissioner running for re-election, Republican Al Schmidt, chose the company  which also has its voting machines in use in Delaware and New Jersey  at a Feb. 20 meeting. The next day, they recused themselves from further deliberation over the procurement of the machines.

State law requires elected Commissioners who are campaigning for office from being involved in decision-making related to an upcoming election.

The third commissioner, Anthony Clark, is not running for re-election. Clark is presiding over ongoing Commissioner meetings along with two Philadelphia judges who were chosen by the city's president judge as replacements for Deeley and Schmidt.

Despite ongoing protests from some members of the public, as well as City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart, Deeley said the new ES&S ExpressVote XL machines will be utilized in the November elections  and future elections.

The old machines will be decommissioned following the May primary.

On April 1, Rhynhart subpoenaed records from the Commissioners' offices related to the selection process. As of Tuesday, the subpoena remains in contention between attorneys with the city Law Department and the Controller's office, according to an official familiar with the litigation.

Rhynhart indicated in a statement she will continue to investigate the process that led to the selection of ES&S ExpressVote XL machines.

"The delivery of these 83 machines before a contract has been signed or funding approved by City Council shows just how broken this process has been, every step of the way," she said. "Im deeply concerned about the legality of this process, and as City Controller, I will not release $1 of payment while these questions go unanswered."
Legislation proposing the separation of Chicago from Illinois is intended to spark discussion about the overarching influence of the city in state politics, not actually lead to the creation of the 51st state, according to a central Illinois lawmaker who sponsored the measure.

GOP state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, the bill 's sponsor, said the proposal would urge U.S. Congress to make the nation's third-largest city its own state, the State Journal-Register reported.

"It's more of a frustration of the policies than the true belief that Chicago and Illinois would be better off as separate states," Davidsmeyer said. "I don't believe that Chicago and the state of Illinois should be separated. Our relationship is mutually beneficial."

Chicago needs to recognize how its policies impact rural Illinois, Davidsmeyer added.

"The reality is, the city of Chicago is competing with New York City and L.A. and San Francisco, and (downstate is) competing against rural Indiana and rural Missouri," he said. "The policies that come down from Chicago are actually pushing our economic opportunity away."

GOP state Rep. Brad Halbrook introduced the proposed measure in February. He co-sponsored a similar proposal last year that failed, and this year's attempt has even less of a chance of succeeding in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the leaders of the state House and Senate are all Democrats from Chicago.

Halbrook said the city of 2.7 million people differs ideologically from the rural population downstate on matters such as abortion and gun rights.

"Our traditional family values seem to be under attack at every angle," Halbrook said. "We are trying to drive the discussion to get people at the table to say these are not our values down here."

Forming a new state from a portion of a current state requires endorsement from Congress and the state legislature, according to the U.S. Constitution.

"When you have a large population center that seems to control the agenda for the rest of the state, it just kind of creates some issues," Halbrook said. "The Constitution gives us a pathway, so we'll see what happens."

Tension between urban and rural areas aren't exclusive to Illinois. The same has occurred in New York and California , according to a paper published last year by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

John Jackson, a visiting professor at the institute and co-author of the paper, said it's odd that the bitterness has persisted for so long in Illinois.

"We ought to have leaders who get together and coalesce for the good of the state," Jackson said. "The idea of this being a total zero-sum kind of game, that mentality 'you win, I've got to lose,' seems to be the mentality many have. That's just not the case. The state needs to prosper together."
Eight people were injured after a construction crane crashed into Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship at a shipyard in the Bahamas.

The incident happened Monday afternoon at the Great Bahama Shipyard in Freeport. The ship was in dry dock and there were no passengers on board, said Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Melissa Charbonneau.

"We are aware of damage to the dock structure and to construction cranes," Charbonneau said in a statement. "We are assessing damage to the ship."

Eight people working on the ship were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. All of them had non-life threatening injuries and most of them have been treated and released.

It's unclear what caused the crane to crash and fall.
Prosecutors, public defenders, and community groups in Massachusetts announced a federal lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over its policy of arresting people at courthouses on civil immigration matters.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins were among those who announced the complaint at a news conference Monday.

"These actions do nothing to further public safety or the rule of law," Rollins said of ICE agents at courthouses. "In fact, as we've laid out in the suit filed today, ICE's directives violate multiple well established legal principals."

The lawsuit states ICE's presence at courthouses intervene with the justice system since it intimidates undocumented witnesses and defendants from appearing.

"ICE's using state courthouses as a forum to conduct their enforcement work has struck fear in many of our most vulnerable, keeping them from accessing our courts," said Ryan. "That is not justice. It does not make our communities safer."

Monday's announcement comes days after federal prosecutors charged a judge and former court officer with obstruction of justice for allegedly helping a man wanted by federal immigration authorities escape a courthouse.

Newton District Court Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph and former Trial Court Officer Wesley MacGregor were indicted on an obstruction of justice charge on Thursday. The two allegedly helped a man living in the U.S. illegally evade a waiting immigration enforcement officer by leaving through a back door.

The suspects pleaded not guilty during their appearance in Boston federal court.

The charges came from a March 30, 2018 case when Jose Medina Perez was charged with drug possession and being a fugitive from justice from Pennsylvania. He evaded an ICE agent during his April 2 arraignment, but was caught about a month later. He is now in immigration proceedings.

Ryan added that in order to make "meaningful and positive change" everyone needs to work together.

"This lawsuit represents the first time that prosecutors, public defenders and advocates have filed a lawsuit with the goal of formally ending this practice," she said. "As our country wrestles with the complex problem of the state of the American immigration system, we cannot permit access to the courts of this Commonwealth by all of its residents to be detrimentally affected."

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called last week's action a political move.

"I think it's a political move, I think it's a radical move and it will have a chilling effect," said Healey. "This is the only U.S. Attorney in the entire country who has taken such action. I find it really troubling."

Those behind the federal lawsuit say this has been in the works for a year and goes far beyond one case.

"We are not challenging ICE's ability to enforce immigration laws, we are challenging where they do this enforcement," said Wendy Wayne of Public Counsel Services.

Democratic Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley praised the move on Twitter Monday.

"This is what leadership looks like 'an unprecedented move' in the midst of 'unprecedented times.' Thank you @DARollins @DAMarianRyan for taking on this rogue agency."

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson also weighed in condemning the lawsuit.

"Shame on the elected officials and pro-illegal advocates for filing this frivolous lawsuit, which seeks to make it more difficult for federal law enforcement officers to apprehend criminal illegal aliens," Hodgson said in a statement. "As elected officials swore to protect the people who put them in office, or as U.S. citizens who want their neighborhoods and families to be more safe, these district attorneys and advocates should be working with law enforcement instead of partnering with criminal illegal immigrants."

An email and a voicemail were left with ICE for comment.
Jackie Carter was at home in Pennsylvania celebrating her son's 30th birthday on July 6, 2016, when she heard the news that a Minnesota man, 32-year-old Philando Castile, had been shot and killed by a police officer. Moments after the shooting, Castile can be heard saying he "wasn't reaching" for his gun.

Carter, who doesn't know Castile, remembered thinking to herself, Someone has got to come up with a solution, NBC BLK reported.

She's since created a small, clear identification pouch that can be attached to the driver's side air vent of the vehicle. Carter thought that would keep young men from reaching around their cars while looking for license and registration documents and setting off potentially dangerous interactions with the police.

She calls the pouch Not Reaching!

"I'm more fearful [for my son] in a car here than [when he's serving] in Afghanistan, Carter told NBC BLK.

Since its launch three years ago, the pouch has sold more than 1,000 units, and Carter says she has given the product away to just as many drivers around her community.

Valerie Castile, Philando's mother, supports Carter's product. But she also says its upsetting that its come to this  having to create a device in the hopes of preventing a fatality.
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Tom DeLonge, pop-punks resident expert on all things extra-terrestrial, is coming back to Earth for the time being. On Tuesday, April 30, the former Blink-182 co-frontman announced the official return of his other band Angels & Airwaves -- complete with a new single and 23-date U.S. tour that stops right here in San Diego on Oct. 5.

Tickets for the show go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 3 at noon PST at this link, while various pre-sales kick off Tuesday at 9 a.m. PST. Visit this link for more information.

The brand-new single, "Rebel Girl" (the bands first in three years and the first off an upcoming album), combines all the things weve learned to love about DeLonge and puts 'em front and center -- particularly his knack for writing soaring rock anthems and his ever-growing affinity for anything related to space.

"As some of you mightve heard, I recently took a brief minute to start up an aerospace company, so you never know -- I may play this song from a satellite deep in space, beamed toward everyones house viciously on repeat," DeLonge said jokingly in a statement.

That aerospace company, of course, arrived in 2017 in the form of his To the Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences, an organization comprised of a "team of insiders that I believe can possibly change the world," the musician wrote on his social media accounts at the time. "All are current consultants to the US Gov on National Security Matters, and some literally left days ago from the Department of Defense to join me in this initiative."

While were still in the dark about what the academy actually does, it seems to be mainly an effort to fund research into alien activity and conspiracy theories -- oh, and theres also some sort of space craft propulsion system itll be unveiling at some point...someday.

While we love the enthusiasm, wed like to see DeLonge a bit more earthbound -- and luckily, thats exactly where hell be this fall. The just-announced Angels & Airwaves North American tour kicks off Sept. 4 in Phoenix, Arizona and wraps right here in San Diego on Oct. 5 at House of Blues. For more information, visit angelsandairwaves.com.

Angels & Airwaves 2019 Tour Dates
An engineer/paramedic employed with the City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department was arrested Monday on allegations of a sex crime involving a minor, NBC 7 has learned.

Justin Curtis Price, 35, was booked into San Diego County Jail just after 4 p.m. Monday on three felony charges of oral copulation with a person under 18, sex with a minor and sex with a foreign object. The final charge involves a victim who is at the time incapable, because of a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability, according to the criminal code on the booking information.

Price has worked for SDFD for 10 years, according to City of San Diego Media Services Manager Monica Munoz. She added that he was most recently assigned to emergency operations.

Price, who graduated from the academy in 2008, was hired by the department on February 21, 2009 according to records obtained by NBC 7 Investigates.

Munoz initially said Price was on administrative assignment with pay. Several hours later, NBC 7 learned he was on unpaid leave.

"As Fire Chief of the City of San Diego, I strongly condemn the alleged behavior and will not tolerate any actions that compromise the high standards required of all Fire Department employees," San Diego Fire-Rescue Chief Colin Stowell said in a written statement. "These men and women will continue to uphold the paramount principles of safety and security for all San Diegans, and will do so with the integrity expected of all City of San Diego employees."

San Diego County District Attorney's Office spokesperson Barbara Medina said the case was under review.

Price was released on $100,000 bond, Medina said, and was given a return date of May 6.

Two sources have confirmed, the accused San Diego firefighter is the nephew of Mark Raymond Price, 56, a former Coronado firefighter sentenced to 10 years in prison last month for molesting a girl who thought of him as a grandfather.

The sentencing hearing was held in Kauai County, Hawaii. Mark Raymond Price faces similar charges in San Diego on accusations of prior assaults in 2013 and 2015 with the same victim at his home in La Mesa.

Check back with updates on this developing story.
What to Know Shots were fired inside Chabad of Poway on Saturday, April 27 at 11:23 a.m. One was killed and three were injured including the rabbi.

An anti-Semitic post by a user identifying himself as John Earnest appeared on the far-right message board 8chan hours before.

The FBI was tipped about a threatening social media post 5 minutes before but they say it was too late to identify the suspect.

The man accused of opening fire inside a Poway synagogue on the last day of Passover and setting a fire that damaged an Escondido mosque pleaded not guilty to multiple charges Tuesday.

John T. Earnest, 19, of San Diego was charged with one count of murder with a hate-crime special circumstance and gun allegations, three counts of attempted murder with hate-crime and gun allegations and one count of arson of a house of worship.

Earnest is accused of walking into Chabad of Poway Saturday armed with a semi-automatic rifle and five additional 10-round magazines on his tactical vest. A tactical helmet was found later in the defendant's car, the prosecutor said.

Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, was shot twice as she turned to flee, officials said. She died from her injuries. Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein was in the immediate area and was shot in the hand. He sustained injuries to both hands including the loss of a finger.

In court on Tuesday, a prosecutor described why they are seeking no bail for the Poway synagogue shooting suspect.

"The defendant turned his rifle toward one of the rooms full of congregation members and fired additional rounds," Deputy District Attorney Leonard Trinh said.

Trinh said the suspect allegedly fired eight to 10 rounds before the rifle appeared to jam or malfunction and the suspect couldn't fix it.

Surveillance video captured the entire incident, according to the prosecutor.

An FBI spokesperson told NBC 7 the FBI received a tip about the synagogue shooting just five minutes before shots were fired. NBC 7's Bridget Naso explains.

After the hearing, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan described the video to members of the media.

Stephan said the footage showed the moment the gun appeared to jam.

There was something going on that was interrupting his action, she said.

After Earnest fled the scene, he called 911 to report the shooting at the synagogue.

Judge Joseph Branningan denied bail and said, Mr. Earnest is an obvious and extraordinary risk to public safety and the community.

The suspect did not have a prior record in any jurisdiction, Stephan said.

I am not going to even mention his name. There is only one villain in this case, but there are many heroes and that is what defines us as a community, Stephan said.

She did not release information about how the rifle was purchased, saying that is still under investigation.

If convicted, the defendant may face the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole, in addition to 103 years to life on other charges, she said.

Stephan will determine whether to pursue the death penalty in the case at a later time.

There is a moratorium in the State of California, however, the law is still that California has the death penalty, so there is not a bar for seeking the death penalty, it just means that while the governor is the governor, there will not be executions, the DA said.

Read more about the suspect, along with a statement from his family.

[SD] Aftermath of the Poway Synagogue Shooting

The other two victims in the shooting were 34-year-old Almog Peretz and 8-year-old Noya Dahan. The girl was released from the hospital Saturday night and Peretz was released Sunday. Both are recovering.

Peretz, alongside several members of the Chabad of Poway synagogue, sat in the front row of the courtroom inside the Hall of Justice downtown as Earnest was arraigned.

The arson charge is tied to the March 23 fire at Dar-ul-Arqam on W. Sixth Avenue where investigators discovered a message in graffiti in the mosques parking lot. EPD did not reveal what the graffiti said, only noting that it referenced the March 15 deadly terrorist attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The synagogue shooting and the mosque arson were less than 9 miles apart.

Earnest was represented by attorney John O'Connell from the public defender's office.

A readiness hearing has been scheduled for May 30, and a preliminary hearing was set for July 8.
Violent attacks against the Jewish community in the United States doubled last year, while overall attacks that also include vandalism and harassment remained near record-high levels, the Anti-Defamation League reported Tuesday.

The Jewish civil rights group released its annual census of anti-Semitic incidents three days after a gunman opened fire at a Southern California synagogue, killing a woman and wounding a rabbi and two others.

The New York-based group counted 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents  either harassment, vandalism or physical assault  in 2018. That is a 5% decrease from the 1,986 incidents reported in 2017, but the third-highest total since ADL began tracking the data in the 1970s. The 2017 number marked a 57% increase over 2016 and was the highest tally ADL had counted in more than two decades.

ADL counted 39 cases of physical assaults involving 59 victims in 2018, up from 19 assaults and 21 victims in 2017. The 2018 tally includes the 11 people who were killed and two congregants wounded when a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in the nation's history.

"It's clear we must remain vigilant in working to counter the threat of violent anti-Semitism and denounce it in all forms, wherever the source and regardless of the political affiliation of its proponents," said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL's CEO and national director.

Israel Dahan, whose 8-year-old daughter and brother-in-law were both wounded in Saturday's shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego, said he doesn't understand why there's so much hate.

"We welcome everybody. We love everybody," said Dahan, 32, who is originally from Israel. "I don't even know why people like that (are) coming up against Judaism and against Jewish people."

In 2018, ADL counted 1,066 cases of harassment, defined as a situation in which a Jewish person or group of people "feel harassed by the perceived anti-Semitic words, spoken or written, or actions of another person or group." Last year's tally of harassment incidents was 5% higher than in 2017. The one category that experienced a decline was vandalism: The 774 incidents in 2018 represented a 19% drop from 2017.

"We've worked hard to push back against anti-Semitism, and succeeded in improving hate crime laws, and yet we continue to experience an alarmingly high number of anti-Semitic acts," Greenblatt said.

ADL's report says "known extremist groups or individuals inspired by extremist ideology" were responsible for 249 anti-Semitic incidents in 2018, accounting for 13% of the total.

"This is the highest level of anti-Semitic incidents with known connections to extremists or extremist groups since 2004, when at least 128 incidents were the result of leaflet distributions by white supremacist groups," the report adds.

ADL last year counted 140 anti-Semitic incidents that referenced Israel or Zionism, including dozens of robocalls from a white supremacist who ran an unsuccessful campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in California.

The report says ADL includes "anti-Israel incidents" in its audit of anti-Semitic incidents "if they invoke or are accompanied by classic anti-Semitic stereotypes and tropes (such as Jews/Zionists control the government), if they target Jewish religious or cultural institutions or if they are expressed by groups or individuals who consistently express anti-Semitic ideas."

"ADL is careful to not conflate general criticism of Israel or anti-Israel activism with anti-Semitism. However, Israel-related harassment of groups or individuals may be included when the harassment incorporates established anti-Jewish references, accusations and/or conspiracy theories," the report adds.

Associated Press writer Amy Taxin contributed to this report.
In Alamosa, a scruffy, high-desert town in Colorado encircled by prairies and potato farms, Sen. Cory Gardner drew shouts of approval last week for his message that Democrats are shoving the country toward socialism.

"That's not what government is or what it should be," he told about 200 Alamosa County Republicans at a barbecue fundraiser in a National Guard armory. "We have to stand up and fight. Are you going to join me in this fight?"

For Gardner and other Republicans making the same pitch, including President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the key question is whether it will attract moderate voters, not just their conservative stalwarts. Based on interviews with over three dozen Coloradans last week from Denver's suburbs south to this town in the flat San Luis Valley, the argument has yet to take root, though the GOP has 18 months to sell it before Election Day 2020.

Few volunteered a drift toward socialism as a major worry, with health care and living costs cited far more frequently. Several said capitalism was too embedded in the U.S. to be truly threatened and Republicans were using socialism to stir unease with Democrats by raising the specter of the old, repressive Soviet Union and today's chaotic Venezuela.

"They're preying on fear," said David Kraemer, 67, a financial adviser who's not registered with a political party and lives in the Denver suburb of Westminster.

Yet when asked directly whether socialism was a concern, many expressed a wariness of injecting more government into people's lives. Rather than naming policies that troubled them, many mentioned two self-proclaimed democratic socialists: Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who's seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, and freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The comments suggested that Republicans might be tapping into unease over letting either party go too far.

"Checks and balances are what make this country so great," said Steve Lajoie, 46, a self-employed carpenter from Denver and independent voter.

Gardner, 44, who's expected to face a tough re-election fight next year, has been repeating his argument for months. He cites liberal Democrats' "Medicare for All" bills for government-provided health care and a Green New Deal proposal for aggressively cutting carbon emissions.

Sanders has sponsored Medicare for All legislation that's been embraced by many of his Democratic presidential rivals. Ocasio-Cortez is an architect of the Green New Deal, which remains a concept, not proposed legislation. Many Democrats, especially moderates, have kept their distance from both plans, divisions Republicans are happy to exploit.

Democrats reject the socialism assertion as a distraction from Trump's unpopularity and the issues they will emphasize, especially improving health care and protecting jobs and income. They say efforts to make health care more available and combat global warming have nothing to do with limiting individuals' rights.

Democrats note that voters gave them total control of Colorado government in November despite GOP attempts to pin the socialism label on former U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, who was elected governor. They say growing numbers of younger, urban and Hispanic residents are steadily making the state more liberal.

GOP cries of socialism are "Cold War stuff" that's irrelevant to most voters, said Morgan Carroll, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party.

"I think that probably does fire up their base, but you cannot win an election in Colorado with the Republican base alone," Carroll said.

Republicans see a powerful argument in telling voters they need a GOP-controlled Senate for protection against Democrats who are coming after their current health insurance, their energy sector jobs and more.

"I think we're running to be the firewall that saves the country from socialism," McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters recently.

Republicans say the anti-socialism message will prove powerful in a state that overwhelmingly rejected a ballot initiative creating single-payer health care and where registered unaffiliated voters, often with libertarian leanings, outnumber both Democrats and Republicans.

The GOP hopes the appeal will win over suburbanites whose distaste for Trump helped Democrats capture the House in the fall. They note that public opinion polls find socialism is especially unpopular among older voters, Republicans and moderates.

Avery Jones, of Westminster, is one potential target.

"Taxes kill," said Jones, 27. While she's eager to improve her family's health coverage, she sees "some merit" to checking Democrats from pushing toward universal health care because "it would just drive up taxes."

But for every Jones, there's a Rhett Lucero. Lucero, 40, eating lunch at the Riverwalk park that winds through the city of Pueblo, says Democrats' efforts to expand health coverage and curb global warming make sense.

"It's helping each other out," said the auto body mechanic, who, like Jones, is an unaffiliated voter. "It's putting our taxes to a real good use."

Not all Democrats are dismissive of the socialism strategy.

Eva Henry, a commissioner of Adams County outside Denver, says her community's blue-collar families might buy the GOP argument if they believe Democrats' proposals would drive up taxes. "Our Democrats can vote Republican because they vote their pocketbooks," the Democrat said.

Pueblo Mayor Nicholas Gradisar said he doubts the argument will sway many Democrats but warned, "Democrats have to be wary of it and they have to respond" by telling voters the party "will give you a fair shake." Pueblo County, south of the economically surging corridor that runs from Boulder to Colorado Springs, leans Democratic but backed Trump in 2016.

Republicans, who've already cast Democrats as socialists this year with digital videos and roadside billboards, tried the theme in several states in November to little effect. It wasn't new: Actor Ronald Reagan and GOP presidential candidate Barry Goldwater castigated Medicare as socialist in the 1960s, yet it's now a cherished medical lifeline for millions of older Americans.

Republicans say this time will be different. But one Coloradan's comments suggest that past GOP warnings about Democrats may haunt Republicans.

"Every time a Democrat gets elected, they say, 'We're going to lose our guns,'" said Marc O'Leary, 48, of Westminster. "It never happens."
A third lawsuit was filed Monday alleging that the former chairman of the California Democratic Party sexually assaulted staffers.

The suit, filed against the state party in Sacramento County Superior Court, alleges that Eric Bauman groped and harassed former communications director John Vigna "on nearly a daily basis" and groped a party activist, Spencer Dayton, at least twice. It also alleges that Bauman discriminated against former party operations director Tina McKinnor because she is black, the Los Angeles Times reported .

The suit also alleges that the state party fired Vigna and McKinnor in December as retaliation after they helped another employee file a sexual assault complaint against Bauman. It contends that the party leadership condoned Bauman's "widely known" conduct.

Bauman's attorney, Neal Zaslavsky, declined comment, saying he and his client had not seen the lawsuit.

"As with the other pending matters, Mr. Bauman will not be trying this case in the media," Zaslavsky said in a statement.

Alexandra Rooker, acting chair of the state party, told the Times that the party wouldn't comment.

"As we've stated previously, the most appropriate venue for litigation to be resolved and the truth to see the light is in the courtroom through proper legal procedures," she said in a statement.

Bauman resigned as party chairman last November amid multiple allegations of excessive drinking and sexual harassment.

Last week a staffer, William Floyd, sued the party and Bauman in Los Angeles, alleging that Bauman forcibly performed oral sex on him.

Three other current and former employees sued in January, alleging discrimination and a culture of harassment and sexual misconduct.
Amazon has begun hiring for their new Arlington County, Virginia, headquarters, the company said in a blog post.

Amazon, which chose the Crystal City area of Arlington to be the location for their second headquarters in November, said in a post Monday that the company is ahead of schedule for the new construction, and plans to create 400 jobs by the end of the year.

Ardine Williams, vice president of workforce development at Amazon, said the company is hiring multiple global category managers, a senior financial analyst for procurement and a human resources specialist for the Arlington office.

The human resources leaders will help us recruit diverse and customer-obsessed teams and the finance, sourcing and facilities professionals will support the development of our new sites with the goal of building a unique, sustainable, and urban campus for our employees and the local community, Williams said.

Amazon leased a temporary office space on Crystal Drive in Crystal City, where it will host new hires from June until the Arlington offices opening this fall.

We hope our continued investments will create more opportunity for the regions skilled workforce and underrepresented communities, Williams said. We have a unique opportunity to build programs that both support the skills development necessary to create a pipeline for jobs at Amazon, and also increase the talent pool in the DMV.

The news follows the recent announcement that Amazon will continue its Amazon Future Engineer Program by offering funding for computer science classes in 27 schools across Virginia, as well as literacy programs and STEM labs in over 50 schools across the Commonwealth, according to the blog post.

The hiring news also comes nearly two months after the Arlington County Board voted to authorize millions of dollars in incentives for the gigantic corporation, even as local activists protested against the deal and warned of the effects of gentrification and displacement.
A member of a white supremacist group pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to riot at a white nationalist rally in Virginia and at other demonstrations in California.

Thomas Walter Gillen, 25, of Redondo Beach, California, became the second member of the Rise Above Movement to plead guilty after four members of the group were indicted in Virginia last year. Members of the militant white supremacist group are known for meeting regularly to train in mixed martial arts street-fighting techniques.

Cole Evan White, of Clayton, California, pleaded guilty to the same charge in November.

All four men were accused of committing violent acts during a torch-lit march at the University of Virginia and the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in August 2017.

Defense lawyers for two of the men had argued that their actions were protected by the constitutional right to free speech and assembly.

U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen said in a statement Monday that the First Amendment does not license insensate acts of violence committed under the guise of First Amendment expression.

As part of Gillen's guilty plea, he admitted that he and other members of RAM attended the Unite the Right rally and other demonstrations in California to incite and commit acts of violence, not to exercise their rights to free speech.

Gillen's lawyer did not return a call seeking comment Monday.

Prosecutors said Gillen and other RAM members joined hundreds of people at the march on the grounds of the University of Virginia on Aug. 11, 2017. The march ended near a statue of Thomas Jefferson, where a group of students had gathered to protest white supremacy. Violence erupted, with some people kicking, punching, spraying chemical irritants and swinging torches. Prosecutors said that during this riot, RAM members, including Gillen, struck multiple people with a torch.

The next day, Gillen and other members of RAM were part of a group that clashed with people who had come to the rally to protest against discrimination. Prosecutors said the RAM members collectively pushed, punched, kicked ... head-butted, and otherwise assaulted several people, resulting in a riot.

Prosecutors said Gillen and other RAM members also committed violent acts at other 2017 demonstrations and rallies in Huntington Beach and Berkley, California.

A third defendant, Michael Paul Miselis, has a change-of-plea hearing scheduled Friday in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville.
A taxi driver was killed in a head-on crash Monday on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Three other people sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash, which happened between Tulane Drive and Morningside Lane in the Belle View area.

According to a preliminary investigation, a Volkswagen Beetle traveling south crossed over the center line and collided head-on with a taxi traveling north, U.S. Park Police said.

The taxi driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said he was a 55-year-old Springfield man, but his name was being withheld at his family's request.

Police said two passengers from the taxi were airlifted to a hospital. A third person was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.

Both directions of traffic were closed while police assessed the crash, but the parkway later reopened.

Local politicians said they want safety changes to the area now, especially because of potential safety threats, like a lack of overhead lights.

"This road was built in 1933 and it was constructed to be a scenic highway for people sort of leisurely driving from Washington down to Mount Vernon through the countryside while looking at the river," Virginia State Sen. Scott Surovell said. "One of the things I've suggested to the Park Service is to put up speed cameras at the intersections."
A former Maine man accused of being married to four women has pleaded guilty to bigamy in New Hampshire but will avoid jail time if he behaves for the next five years.

Authorities allege that 43-year-old Michael Middleton of Old Orchard Beach married women in Georgia, Alabama and New Hampshire between 2006 and 2013. That led to the bigamy charge in New Hampshire, but court documents say he also married a fourth woman in Kentucky in 2016.

According to the Journal Tribune, prosecutors said Middleton would marry women in order to drain their assets before leaving them.

In court Monday a prosecutor read a statement from the New Hampshire victim, Alicia Grant, who said she thought she was gaining a life partner but ended up with six years of pain and misery.

"I mourn the person I was before I met him every day," she wrote, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Middleton didn't speak at the hearing but said after he felt compassion and understanding for her. He said he thought the sentence was "a good outcome."

He was given a 12-month suspended sentence. In New Hampshire, bigamy carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison.
Records show a man who was exonerated after spending 29 years in prison for a 15-year-old girl's rape and murder is to receive a nearly $14 million settlement.

Christopher Abernathy left prison in February 2015 when a judge vacated his life sentence at the request of prosecutors.

The now 52-year-old was convicted in the 1984 death of Kristina Hickey, who had gone missing after a choir concert at Rich East High School in Park Forest. Her body was found two days later.

Abernathy's lawyers said he has learning disabilities and was coerced into signing a statement implicating himself.

The Chicago Tribune reports an agreement signed last month shows two insurers agreed to pay $13.5 million on behalf of the village and its police. Records show the village will pay $200,000.
What to Know Joe Biden's first campaign speech of the 2020 presidential race is set for Monday afternoon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Planting a flag in Pennsylvania makes sense for the longtime former senator from Delaware who was born in the Scranton area.

Biden will receive the endorsement of the International Association of Fire Fighters and speak about rebuilding the middle class.

Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of abusing the powers of his office and ignoring everyone but his political base Monday in his first public rally as presidential candidate, arguing in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania that strengthening unions and promoting social and economic unity can restore Democrats to the White House.

The former vice president told hundreds of supporters and labor activists that Saturday's deadly shooting at a California synagogue proves anew that the country is "in a fight for its soul." But he spent more time criticizing Trump for his political behavior than for the president's past comments concerning white supremacists, unlike Biden's video formally kicking off his presidential campaign last week.

"There's only one thing that stands in our way. It's our broken political system that's deliberately being undermined by our president to continue to abuse the power of the office," Biden said.

He called Trump "the only president who has decided not to represent the whole country. He has his base. We need a president who works for all Americans."

Earlier in the day, Biden received the endorsement of the International Association of Fire Fighters, and many in the crowd wore union T-shirts and carried signs supporting him. They repeatedly interrupted him with cries of "We want Joe!" and the candidate declared: "I make no apologies. I am a union man" to sustained applause.

Biden's 40-minute speech swung from vows of union solidarity to broadsides against Trump, but lacked the sharp focus on the president that marked his campaign announcement video last week.

Instead, Biden on Monday returned to his familiar, folksy pitch to working class voters and avoided the sweeping, liberal policy proposals embraced by much of the rest of the crowded 2020 Democratic field.

Biden promoted incremental steps to shrink college costs and expand health care access, unlike some rivals who have called for free or debt-free college and universal, government-run health care, paid for with significant tax increases.

"We can do all this without punishing anybody," Biden said,

Biden is scheduled to continue his introductory campaign steps in the premier caucus state of Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Trump, meanwhile, stepped up his criticism of Biden and boasted on Twitter about his own strong support among union members before Biden offered his pro-union message in Pittsburgh. Trump won Pennsylvania in surprising fashion in 2016, but Biden promised that his party would improve its standing by bringing the country together, not further dividing it.

The Teamsters Union ballroom in Pittsburgh is in a gritty Pittsburgh warehouse neighborhood that is undergoing an economic revival. The ballroom was full well before the event started, and the line to get in stretched down the sidewalk.

Biden now leads national polls of Democratic preference for the party's 2020 primary, and in Iowa, which votes first in the contest. He also raised more than any of his roughly 20 rivals in the first 24 hours of their official candidacies. However, his age  76  could work against him as the party looks for new blood.

Biden's event Monday had an economic theme and featured a different line of attack on Trump than he offered in the video kicking off his White House bid last week. The video began with the words, "Charlottesville, Virginia," a fresh condemnation of what many feel is a stain on Trump's presidency  his defense of white nationalists by suggesting "both sides" were to blame for the violence that claimed the life of an anti-racist demonstrator there in August 2017.

Trump on Friday defended his original answer, insisting that he wasn't sticking up for white supremacists but those who were protesting the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Those protesters who descended on Charlottesville two summers ago did so chanting white nationalist slogans and carrying Confederate flags, however, and were joined by former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke.

Trump has often been slow to condemn violence perpetrated by white nationalists, and has long insisted that his words were misinterpreted and the media were twisting their meaning in unfavorable ways.

Privately, he has defended his initial response in the hours after the Charlottesville attack and was angry that aides persuaded him to do a more formal cleanup statement days later at the White House. After stewing about the media coverage of his comments, he spoke on the incident a third time, saying there were "very fine people" on both sides of the clash  which Biden referenced in his campaign kickoff video.

There was more bloodshed this weekend as a shooter killed one woman and injured the rabbi and two other people at the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego. And Pittsburgh was the site of worse earlier shooting, in which 11 people were killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue October.

Trump has condemned both shooting incidents and has repeatedly griped that he is unfairly blamed for violence by white supremacists.

Biden briefly mentioned the California shooting.

"We're reminded again because we are in a battle. We are in a battle for America's soul and I really believe that," Biden said.

Associated Press writer Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.
What to Know A gunman opened fire at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, California, on Saturday morning, the last day of Passover

One woman was killed and two men, including a rabbi, and a young girl were injured

Deputies identified the shooting suspect as 19-year-old John T. Earnest of San Diego, California

A long-time member of the Chabad of Poway synagogue, Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, died from her injuries after a gunman opened fire during services to celebrate the end of Passover.

Her rabbi, 57-year-old Yisroel Goldstein lost his index finger when he put his hand up as the gunman approached him. He later wrapped his wounds in a prayer shawl and told his congregants, "we are a Jewish nation that will stand tall."

Almog Peretz, 34, was declared a hero after he was shot in the leg while shuffling out a group of school-aged children, a group that included one of his nieces, 8-year-old Noya Dahan, who was hit by shrapnel and who described the shooting in an interview with NBC News.

NBC News/Roneet Lev

Here are their stories:

Lori Gilbert-Kaye: "Jewel of Our Community"

As a gunman unloaded bullets inside the synagogue filled with about 100 worshipers, Kaye performed what her friends and Rabbi Goldstein called a last act of heroism when she protected the rabbi from gunfire.

"In my own interpretation, Lori took the bullet for all of us," Goldstein said outside the synagogue a day after the deadly shooting. "She didnt deserve to die right in front of my eyes."

The word "giving" was used repeatedly by friends to describe the 60-year-old woman, who has lived her entire life in San Diego. She leaves behind a husband and a 22-year-old daughter.

"When you ask me, 'Whyd she put herself in front of the rabbi,' its like, anyone who knows her, thats what she would do," her friend Roneet Lev said.

Wife and mother Lori Kaye is being remembered by her best friend. NBC 7's Mari Payton has more.

Both Lev and another friend of Kaye's, Audrey Jacobs, said that as the rabbi was being wheeled into surgery, he said, "Let everyone know Lori Kaye saved me."

Lev said Kaye was a pillar of San Diego's Jewish community and was known by people across the globe for her acts of kindness. Jacobs described Kaye as a "jewel of our community."

Kaye was attending Saturday's service to pay tribute to her late mother with a traditional prayer for the dead. She was a member of the synagogue since its founding. According to the rabbi, Kaye helped secure funding that helped open the Chabad of Poway in 1986.

Kaye's husband, a doctor, rushed to the shooting scene to help and while performing CPR on a victim fainted when he realized it was his wife, Lev told The Los Angeles Times.

Lev said that despite the tragedy, the Jewish community will continue to "make this world a better place."

"She did not die in vain, Lev said. "Her death must bring goodness to the world. If anybody does some good act, whatever it is  calling a friend, saying hello, anything kind  would bring a blessing to Loris memory and keep her memory alive."

Noya Dahan: "Too Scary to Not Cry"

Eight-year-old Noya Dahan remembers she was playing with the other children her age before the service started on Saturday when she heard loud noises as she entered the doorway to the synagogue.

Dahan described the chaos to NBC News, detailing the moment her uncle, Peretz, scooped up more than a half-dozen kids and rushed them away from the shooter.

"I was one of them and the person was aiming right at [Peretz] and he was holding me so it hit him and the second one hit me," she said.

Meanwhile, her dad was screaming, "Everyone run! Run! Run! Someone's shooting," she recalled.

The 8-year-old said the whole incident happened so quickly it seemed like movie. "It was like too scary to not cry," she said.

What she does remember, though, was the feeling of getting hit.

"Yes, I definitely remember when it was coming straight at my head like, I'm like 'what's happening"' and then I realized that something hit me and didn't go out so I was really afraid," Dahan said.

Dahan said her family has been the target of anti-Semitism in the past. Five years ago, swastikas were etched into their home and someone tried to light it on fire, she said.

"I'm still worried, like I still picture things in my head and I still picture the sounds and noise stuff and it's just scary," Dahan said. "But, um I don't really feel safe here. This is not the first and definitely not the last time this happened."

Dahan's family moved to the U.S. a few years ago from Sderot, Israel, which has been the target of rocket attacks from the nearby Gaza Strip, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

"We came from fire to fire," Noya's father, Israel Dahan, was quoted as having told Israeli radio. "We left Sderot after our house was hit a few times. My mother's house was hit. I was wounded."

Noya Dahan was released from the hospital Saturday night.

Almog Peretz: "I want to forget"

Peretz is also from Sderot, Israel, and came to visit his family for Passover, according to Jacobs.

When he first heard the gunshots, he immediately gathered the children and lead them to safety, Jacobs said.

He scooped up Noya, his niece, and rushed the rest toward the exit, attempting to dodge bullets along the way. He was hit in the leg, but did not feel it.

Army veteran, Oscar Stewart, chased down the suspect and is now being named a hero. NBC 7's Steven Luke has more.

He continued his mission to shield and protect the children of the synagogue. He said he couldn't think about his bullet wound because he was nervous.

After leading a large group of kids to a safe place, he paused and noticed that he was missing one, his other niece, so he ran back in.

Terrified, but not immobilized by her fear, she locked herself in the bathroom and sheltered. The shooter was gone by the time Peretz got to her, and that's when congregants pointed out that he was bleeding.

When asked what led him to run back inside, Peretz said simply, "My niece."

"I don't care," he said, responding to a question about whether or not he was scared. "She was alone."

"Because the kids, they stand in shock," he continued. "They're like frozen, they stand. I'm scared they'll run the wrong way. I tell them, 'No, this way, this way!' And I scream."

In the moments that followed, the congregation was beginning to realize what had just happened. Peretz said there was a sense of disbelief that they all shared.

Peretz saw medics trying to resuscitate Kaye. He also passed by the rabbi and saw he was missing his finger.

"You know, I want to forget," Peretz said. "I want to forget. I hope I forget that, but it's coming all the time."

Peretz said he hasn't been able to get the terrifying image -- the shooter standing there with his weapon raised, sight at his eye, firing rounds -- out of his mind.

He didn't eat or sleep that night.

"This is sad, but I am originally from Sderot so we know a bit about running from the Qassam rockets," Peretz told Israels Channel 12 from his hospital bed, according to The Times of Israel.

Peretz is recovering from shrapnel wounds and a gunshot to the leg. He has since been released from the hospital.

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein: "Not Going to Let This Happen Here"

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein said he heard a large bang as he walked into the banquet hall before services at the synagogue, then immediately found himself in the line of fire.

"A young man standing with a rifle, staring right at me, he had sunglasses on," Goldstein said. "I couldnt see his eyes, I couldnt see his soul."

Within seconds, bullets were fired in his direction. All he could do was put his hands up to protect himself, he said.

"I turned around and Im face to face with this murderer -- terrorist -- who was holding a rifle and looking straight at me, and then as soon as he saw me, he started to shoot toward me, and thats when I put my hands up and then my fingers got blown away," Goldstein told NBC's TODAY show in an exclusive interview Sunday morning.

Rabbi Goldstein speaks out after losing his finger in synagogue attack. NBC 7's Ramon Galindo has more.

He was struck in both of his index fingers. As he fled from the shooter he spotted a group of children, his grandchild among them, and he gathered them together and rushed them outside all the while not knowing his right index finger had been severed from his hand.

"My granddaughter -- four-and-a-half years old -- sees her grandpa with a bleeding hand and she sees me screaming and shouting, Get out! Get out! She didnt deserve to see her grandfather like this, Goldstein said.

In the midst of his life-saving dash, he wrapped his hand in a prayer shawl.

After the shooter fled the property, synagogue congregants sheltered in an outdoor area waiting for authorities to arrive. Goldstein saw an opportunity to speak from his heart and remind his people of their resiliency.

I got up there, and I just spoke from my heart and giving everyone the courage to know -- you know, it was just 70 years ago during the Holocaust, we were gunned down like this. And I just want to let our fellow Americans know, were not going to let this happen here -- not here in San Diego, not here in Poway, not here in the United States of America, Goldstein said.

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At a Sunday press conference, the rabbi said that President Donald Trump called him and spoke with him for about 15 minutes. He said President Trump offered his condolences on behalf of the U.S. and was very comforting.

"Im really grateful for our president for really taking the time," Goldstein said.

Goldstein, a rabbi at Chabad of Poway since he co-founded it in 1986, wondered how the suspected shooter could arrive at a point where he would want to inflict this kind of pain.

"How does a 19-year-old, a teenager, have the audacity, the sickness, the hatred? he said. "How does he come to our house of worship and do what he did?"

Goldstein called Kaye a dear friend that he's known for 33 years. He said she died to protect everyone in the synagogue, and said her legacy will continue.
The first black woman to serve as American University's student government president is seeking more than $1.5 million in court-ordered damages against a neo-Nazi website operator who orchestrated an online harassment campaign against her.

In a court filing Monday, Taylor Dumpson's attorneys asked a federal judge in Washington for a default judgment against The Daily Stormer founder Andrew Anglin and a follower accused of racially harassing Dumpson on Twitter. Dumpson sued Anglin and the internet troll last April, but neither responded.

Dumpson seeks a total of more than $1.8 million in damages, fees and costs, including $1.5 million in punitive damages against Anglin and his company, Moonbase Holdings LLC.

Anglin didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Dumpson's request.

Anglin's website takes its name from Der Sturmer, a newspaper that published Nazi propaganda in Nazi-era Germany, and includes sections called Jewish Problem and Race War. For months, the site struggled to stay online after Anglin published a post mocking the woman killed by a man who plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.

Anglin also faces possible default judgments in two separate lawsuits filed by other targets of his online trolling campaigns, a Muslim-American radio host and a Jewish real estate agent in Montana.

In February, attorneys for SiriusXM Radio show host Dean Obeidallah asked a federal court in Ohio to award him more than $1 million in damages for his claims that Anglin falsely accused him of terrorism.

Anglin hasn't responded to Obeidallah's suit, but he hired attorneys to defend him against a federal lawsuit that Tanya Gersh filed against him over a troll storm he unleashed against her family.

A federal magistrate ruled Anglin must be present in the U.S. for a deposition by Gersh's attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Anglin says he lives abroad and claims it's too dangerous for him to travel to the U.S. In an order last week, the magistrate warned Anglin that he faces a default judgment against him if he fails to appear for a deposition scheduled for this week.

In December, Dumpson reached a settlement with a third person she sued, Oregon resident Evan James McCarty. He posted on Twitter under the pseudonym Byron de la Vandal, an apparent reference to Byron De La Beckwith, who assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. The settlement agreement required McCarty to get anti-hate training, apologize in writing and on video and publicly renounce white supremacy.

Anglin and the other remaining defendant, Brian Andrew Ade, weren't involved in the settlement.

A day after Dumpson's May 2017 inauguration as student government president, someone hung bananas with hateful messages from nooses on the university's campus. Authorities investigated but didn't identify any suspects. Anglin posted an article about the incident, including links to Dumpson's Facebook page and the American University Student Government's Twitter page.

In the article, Anglin targeted Ms. Dumpson using racist language and directed his followers to troll storm Ms. Dumpson by harassing her via social media, her lawyers wrote in Monday's filing.

Dumpson says Anglin's article led to a barrage of threatening and harassing messages that caused her severe mental and physical trauma and left her fearing for her safety.

Some days she was unable to carry on a conversation without having an anxiety attack, get out of bed and eat a proper meal, or do anything other than stare at the ceiling, her attorney wrote.

Dumpson, now a law school student, is represented by attorneys from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Her suit accuses the defendants of violating the District of Columbia Human Rights Act of 1977 and the D.C. Bias-Related Crimes Act of 1989.

Her lawyers are asking the court to award $124,022 in attorneys fees and costs. Theyre also seeking $100,000 in punitive damages against Ade and $101,429 in compensatory damages against Ade, Anglin and his company.
Police in Auburn, Massachusetts, say a woman has been found safe after being reported missing.

Auburn Police said 74-year-old Carol Jones had last been seen around 2:30 p.m. in the Pakachoag Street area.

The Massachusets State Police Air Wing unit assisted in the search.

Around 6:20 p.m., police said Jones was safe and thanked the public for helping to locate her.
A report of a man with a gun at a Massachusetts mall prompted a heavy police response Tuesday morning.

It all started around 11:30 a.m. when a man called Auburn Police telling them he had a gun, was outside the Auburn Mall and was going to "do something stupid."

"I have a... a little tiny handgun in my backpack and it's... it's loaded," the man said, according to audio of the 911 call.

Police put two area schools in a soft lockdown and evacuated the mall as they responded to the scene. School officials said students remained in their classrooms and teaching continued.

Mall surveillance video shows one officer on the right hand side, closely followed by seven other officers who run into the picture. They eventually locate the man who made the call standing in the food court.

Police said the man, later identified as Andres Olivencia, 25, of Worcester, told them he was the one who had called, and that he needed help. He did not have a gun on him.

"There is NO Active Shooter situation at the Auburn Mall," Auburn Police said on Twitter afterward. "An unarmed male who had called 911 was arrested for making Terroristic Threats. Male is in custody."

Olivencia appeared in court Tuesday afternoon. His bail was set at $10,000, but subsequently revoked due to other open cases against him. The exact charges he is facing were not immediately known.

His attorney said Olivencia doesn't own a gun, but has a history of mental illness and this was the only way he knew how to get help.
Authorities have released the name of the tractor-trailer driver who was killed Monday following a single-vehicle crash on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Sterling Hullett, 49, of Fort Worth, Texas was killed in the crash, according to state police.

The incident happened sometime around 1:30 p.m. near Boston's Brighton neighborhood when the semi-truck Hullett was driving somehow crashed into a median while traveling eastbound, police said.

A preliminary investigation determined the tractor-trailer began to sway for a reason still under investigation and caused the vehicle to move from the middle lane to the left. The truck then rolled over into the median and continued to travel for a "significant" distance, according to authorities.

The semi-truck came to a rest with the cab on the eastbound side of the Mass. Pike and the trailer on the westbound lanes, near Exit 20. The container the vehicle was carrying was dislodged in the crash and came to a rest across several westbound lanes.

Hullett, an employee of R & D Transportation, died at the scene.

An R & D Transportation representative told NBC10 Boston that Hullett was heading to Pittsfield from Boston. The truck was registered in Texas and the trailer from Maine.

"He was a really good guy, we don't know what to say," said the representative.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash but for hours, only the right travel lanes on both the eastbound and westbound sides of the highway at exit 20 were getting by. The scene was cleared just before 7 p.m.

The investigation is ongoing.
Authorities are investigating reports that lasers were aimed at a small plane over North Andover, Massachusetts.

The Federal Aviation Administration said a pilot reported seeing two blue lasers illuminate a Cessna C182 while it was in the air about seven miles from Lawrence Municipal Airport.

The incident happened around 8:45 p.m. after the aircraft departed from Portland, Maine, heading for New Bedford, Massachusetts.

No injuries were reported, the FAA said.

State police were notified and the FAA is investigating.
What to Know Mathew Borges, 18, was indicted in the murder of his 16-year-old classmate, Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino, who was found decapitated.

Prosecutors said on Monday that Borges, who was 15 at the time of the murder, killed the victim out of an act of jealousy.

The defense argued there is no evidence that links the suspect to the murder.

Members of the victim's family testified Tuesday in Day 2 of the trial of a Massachusetts teen accused of beheading a classmate over jealousy.

Mathew Borges, 18, is charged with the murder of 16-year-old Lawrence High School classmate Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino back in 2016. The victims headless body was discovered by someone walking their dog along the banks of the Merrimack River. His head was found nearby.

It was an emotional morning for friends and relatives of Viloria-Paulino, some grimacing as jurors listened to testimony from the state police trooper who found the bag containing Viloria-Paulino's head floating in the Merrimack River.

State police Sgt. Brian O'Neill described how he saw a plastic Market Basket bag bobbing in the river and pulled it to shore using a stick. He opened the bag using sticks and found another bag with rocks inside.

"At that point I opened it up just enough where I could notice an ear," he said.

Jurors also saw gruesome pictures of the scene after hearing from the man who found the body while out walking his dog.

"As I approached I saw [the dog] sniffing at a particular area and when I looked I thought I saw a dead body but I wasn't sure because it was missing some limbs," Omar Medina of Lawrence said.

Jurors heard from the victim's uncle, Samuel Paulino, who said the family was frantically searching for Viloria-Paulino all weekend after he didn't come home.

Viloria-Paulino's grandmother, Ivelisse Cornelle, broke down when she talked about the last meal she made him and how he would always hug and kiss her and say, "Grandmother, I love you."

Testimony wrapped up for the day at 1 p.m. and will continue on Wednesday morning.

Prosecutors said on Monday that the murder of Viloria-Paulino, was fueled by jealousy. They said Borges would get angry with his classmate when his then-girlfriend would speak to the victim.

The defendant's ex-girlfriend testified Monday in support of what prosecutors said.

"He yelled at me about me being friendly with Lee because we were making jokes with each other, but he thought we were flirting," Leilany DeJesus said.

She said Borges eventually broke up with her because he thought she was cheating on him with other people. She said he had a list of names that included Viloria-Paulino.

Viloria-Paulino's headless body was discovered by a man walking his dog along the banks of the Merrimack River on Dec. 1, 2016. Prosecutors said the victim's hands had also been cut off and that his head was found nearby in a bag weighted down with rocks.

He was last seen alive on Nov. 18, 2016. The boys family said police never took the case seriously after they reported the victim missing two weeks before his decapitated body was found.

Prosecutors said surveillance video shows Borges walking toward the river with the victim on the night of his death. A short time later, four people were seen breaking into Viloria-Paulino's home. Prosecutors said those people are friends of Borges who later told investigators he had admitted to killing Viloria-Paulino.

Prosecutors read Monday from a journal entry written by Borges that they said outlines the crime. "Go chill with him in his crib alone... bring duffel bag, wear bags on shoes, wear clothes you don't care about."

The defense, however, have argued that Borges is only guilty of being involved in the break-in and nothing more. They said there is no evidence he killed Viloria-Paulino.

The defense also said prosecutors are trying to escalate Borges' jealousy to murder. They also said he was in the early stages of dating a new girl.

Borges was 15 years old at the time of the killing, according to authorities. He is now being tried as an adult. He was ordered held without bail during a hearing on March 2017.
Calling the action radical and unprecedented, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey blasted U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling's indictment of a Newton judge.

Federal prosecutors allege that Judge Shelly Joseph helped an undocumented immigrant escape from Newton District Court last year before U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement could move in.

"It will have a chilling effect," Healey said. "We don't want people to be scared from coming to court."

Healey said this is not a federal case and that ICE is interfering with the way the courts conduct business.

"This is just grandstanding and overreach, and I think it's politically motivated," she said.

Gov. Charlie Baker says this issue is not about immigration, but rather a question that has to do with the law  best answered in the courts.

"I don't think it was politically motivated," Baker said. "ICE has a job to do, and their job is to, hopefully, deal with very dangerous people who are here in this country illegally."

"We dont get to pick and choose which federal laws or which state laws we follow," NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne said.

In the indictment, the obstruction of justice, the aiding and abetting and the conspiracy charges all support Lelling's actions, according to Coyne.

"It is the obligation of our court personnel to comply with ICE and to recognize legitimate warrants, even if we personally might disagree with the policy," Coyne said.

That said, Coyne acknowledges a significant uptick in the number of ICE arrests in courthouses since the start of the Trump administration.

"It does send a chilling effect, if they fear, rightfully, that ICE will be there to take them out of the country," he said.

The district attorneys of Middlesex County and Suffolk County announced a federal lawsuit against ICE Monday over the courthouse arrests.

Coyne suggests the upside to this immigration clash is that it might force all parties to sit down and work out a solution in a much more orderly and cooperative way.
A Massachusetts man faced a judge Tuesday after police said he assaulted and bit a store clerk's face late Monday night in Taunton.

Joel Davila, 19, of Taunton, was arraigned in Taunton District Court on charges of assault with intent to maim and mayhem. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.

During his arraignment, Davila smiled at family members in the courtroom while prosecutors detailed what happened at the Sunoco on Broadway at about 11:30 p.m. Monday.

When officers had arrived to the scene, a 55-year-old male clerk was suffering with a serious gash below his left eye and was bleeding profusely.

The Taunton man was taken to a Boston area hospital for treatment with injuries that are serious but not believed to be life-threatening.

Police said officers located Davila sitting on the floor on his knees in an aisle of the store, covered in blood, and detained him.

According to court documents, one witness stated Davila, "sat down in the aisle next to the puddle of blood and started rubbing his fingers in it."

While reviewing store surveillance, officers said they found that the clerk had tried to stop Davila from stealing a drink from a cooler. When the clerk put his arm across the cooler door to prevent Davila from opening it, Davila allegedly bit the inside of the clerk's elbow and then bit the clerk's face during a struggle.

"He spit the piece out on the floor," said witness Michael Keegan. "And then he said, 'I don't eat flesh, I drink blood.'"

Keegan said he prevented Davila from running off.

"I told him he wasn't going anywhere, and he hissed at me like a feral cat," he said.

Davila then began playing with the pool of blood, Keegan said.

"He had played finger-paints in it, and he licked it and put it all over his face," Keegan said. "And I was just like, 'Wow.'

Davila was taken to an area hospital for overnight evaluation before being arrested Tuesday morning.

One witness at the store called 911 and helped the clerk while another witness stopped Davila from leaving.

During his arraignment, a court psychologist testified that Davila has been taking anti-psychotics and believes he has Schizophrenia.

"All in all, his background is notable for very much adversity in his developmental years... and emergent psychosis," said the psychologist.

While leaving court, Davila's grandmother would not elaborate on his condition but apologized for his actions.

"I do apologize and I hope he recovers soon," Davila's grandmother said of the victim.

Davila was ordered held pending a mental health evaluation. It's unclear when he's due back in court.
A 73-year-old man who four police officers risked their lives to save from a fire in New Hampshire early Monday morning is now believed to have set the blaze, officials said.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Gerald Gutekunst charging him with one count of Class A felony arson and one count of attempted murder in connection with the fire on Route 111 in Hudson, police announced Tuesday. Additional charges are expected.

Gutekunst is not currently in custody, but police said they know where he is and expect to arrest him this week. He has no prior criminal record.

Police said Gutekunst was renting an apartment in the multi-family building where the fire was set.

The flames broke out around 2 a.m. Monday. The subsequent investigation brought in authorities from state and local agencies. Investigators in hazmat gear spent hours going in and out of the burned-out, second-floor apartment.

An officer on her way to work early Monday morning was first to see the flames shooting from a window of the home.

"You could see the flames actually swirling," said Hudson police officer Colby Morton.

She called 911, and three of her fellow officers were seconds away. They couldn't open the door, so they smashed a window to get inside.

Officer Rob McNally was the first to enter.

"Immediately, he was faced with heavy smoke," Hudson Police Chief Bill Avery said Monday. "He got down low on the floor, he could see a little, and he saw a gentleman laying on the floor."

With the help of his colleagues, McNally pulled the man out of the building and into an ambulance.

Firefighters were just five minutes behind the officers, but Avery said those minutes could have meant life or death for the man.

"There was no hesitation on any of their parts," he said. "I think if you hesitated, it probably would've been a tragic ending."

The officers said the rescue is something they would not have thought twice about.

"That's just what we do. There was no plan, it was just to make sure everyone was safe and we just acted on what we had before us," said Hudson officer Dan Donahue.
A Massachusetts firefighter police say walked naked into a Rhode Island convenience store on a dare to buy a soda says it never happened.

Lynnfield fire Capt. John Walsh was charged with disorderly conduct after an employee at the Middletown store reported the nude customer April 3.

Walsh and a woman, both clothed, were pulled over a short time later. The police report says when asked, Walsh admitted entering the store naked on a dare from his girlfriend.

Walsh tells The Daily Item of Lynn "The bulk of the allegation is untrue" and disputes the officer's report. Walsh, a 40-year department veteran, says he's a defense attorney and would never counsel a client to answer such a question from police.

He's on paid leave and is due back in court May 10.
More than two dozen Democrats have announced they are running for president, but it appears former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has already won over many New Hampshire voters, as he leads in the latest poll since his announcement.

A new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll shows Biden has support from 20% of likely voters in the New Hampshire Primary. Coming in second is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with 12%, followed closely by South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg at just under 12%. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren came in fourth at 8%.

The poll was released Tuesday and was administered by the Suffolk University Political Research Center, according to the Globe. Eight hundred Democrat, Republican and unaffiliated voters were reportedly surveyed from Thursday to Sunday for the poll.

The top four Democrats leading the poll reportedly made up almost 53% of support from participants.
A vigil Monday in Newton, Massachusetts, honored the victims of this weekend's synagogue shooting in Poway, California.

On the final day of Passover, during Shabbat services, gunfire broke out at a synagogue in Poway, California, just 20 miles north of San Diego.

The attack left 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye dead. Three others, including 57-year-old Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 34-year-old Almog Peretz and 8-year-old Noya Dahan, were injured.

At Beth Menachem Chabad of Newton Monday night, leaders joined the Jewish community to pay their respects.

"I am so saddened to have to be back here to talk again about an episode that has taken place at a sacred space," Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said.

The attack, on a holy Saturday, happened some six months after 11 people were shot and killed at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

John T. Earnest, 19, has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. His family condemned his alleged actions in a statement.
Editor's note: The contents of this story may be disturbing to some readers.

A Rhode Island man who allegedly sent a series of violent and threatening emails to a Massachusetts college professor will undergo a mental health evaluation.

Matthew Haviland, 30, of North Kingstown, was arrested Wednesday and charged with cyberstalking and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Authorities say he threatened to rape a Harvard University professor, rip her face off and eat her alive.

A hearing Monday lasted just a few minutes, as Haviland entered into a voluntary order of detention. His attorney, Scott Lauer, said the case has "raised some concerns about Mr. Haviland's mental health."

As a result, more time is needed to assess Haviland and reach a diagnosis.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Haviland sent the professor a string of 28 emails over the span of several hours on March 20, containing messages including threats like, "I will rip your limb from your body and eat it, piece by piece," and "I will bite through your eyeballs while you're still alive, and I will laugh while you scream."

The professor has published and spoken in favor of abortion rights, and federal prosecutors said several of Haviland's emails referenced this. In two successive e-mails, he wrote, "You will be held accountable for every [expletive] baby you murdered through your horrible deception of they are not humans," and "You will have your face ripped off and eaten by me, personally. I will enjoy raping your body after youre dead. And that will only be the start."

Haviland, who on YouTube is vocal about his anti-abortion views, attended college in Boston until 2012.

Outside court Monday, Haviland's family members said they were shocked by the messages he allegedly wrote. However, they declined to comment on his mental state, telling NBC10 Boston they would like to keep the matter private.

The federal complaint against Haviland includes a description of abortion-related messages he is alleged to have sent or posted on the internet.

Those messages included approximately 114 voice messages that he left overnight at a womens medical center beginning April 4, and text messages he sent to an acquaintance that included the following: "It never was a Womans rights issue. Its literally killing babies. Thats All it is, and We want you to stop it. Or we will kill you to do it. Its that Serious. Its not a Joke." In an internet posting allegedly written on March 29, prosecutors said Haviland wrote, "You guys are so evil and so brainwashed, I would kill every one of you with my bare handsor AT LEAST kill every abortion doctor."

The charges of cyberstalking and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce carry a sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The investigation is ongoing, and is being conducted by the FBI with assistance from Warwick and North Kingstown, Rhode Island police.
People suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have been up until now treated with scepticism at best. Their symptoms have been negated as vague and their debilitating condition has not received the status of being proven in a test. No more now!

Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a blood based test that can accurately identify blood biomarkers that determine that a person is suffering from this condition. This provides a scientific proof that the disease does exist.

Lead author and researcher Ron Davis, a professor of biochemistry and of genetics said in a statement, Too often, this disease is categorized as imaginary. On visits to the doctor the patient is usually prescribed a battery of tests for the liver, kidney and heart, blood and immune cells. He explained, All these different tests would normally guide the doctor toward one illness or another, but for chronic fatigue syndrome patients, the results all come back normal.

Ron Davis is the senior author of a paper that describes a blood test that may be able to identify chronic fatigue syndrome. Image Credit: Steve Fisch

In their endeavours, Davis and Rahim Esfandyarpour, a former Stanford research associate and now faculty at University of California-Irvine, along with others have devised a blood based test to detect CFS. The test basically looks at the response of the immune cells to stress. The team in their pilot study took blood samples of 40 people. Of these 20 were diagnosed to be suffering from CFS based on their symptoms. The tests results could accurately pinpoint all the cases of CFS and did not make a diagnosis in any of the healthy persons.

The researchers hope that this test could soon be modified and studied in depth to develop drugs to treat the condition as well. The team is using similar principles to look for drugs that could potentially help people with this condition. The study titled A nanoelectronics-blood-based diagnostic biomarker for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), described the study findings and the results were published in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.

Diagnosis

Typically CFS is diagnosed on the basis of symptoms. There is extreme exhaustion, unexplained pain, sensitivity to light, fever, irritable bowel syndrome, lymph node swelling, sleep problems, problems of cognition etc. the problems are seen in the gastrointestinal system, immune system, hormone system, heart and the brain. All other disease conditions need to be ruled out before CFS is formally diagnosed. CFS is also called myalgic encephalomyelitis and can be called ME/CFS. In the United States alone there are over 2 million people who are diagnosed with CFS says Davis. Davis says that his own son suffers from the condition for over a decade and their study was an effort to help people like his son.

For their test the team used a nanoelectronic assay. When the healthy plasma cells and immune cells are subjected to stress, there are minimal changes in energy. The devise sends in thousands of tiny currents into the plasma samples causing the immune cells to respond and react. The reactions of cells from CFS patients are different from those of healthy persons. The device is accurate enough to pick up these nano-signals and correlate it with the health of the sample. The bigger the electrical signals sent out from the cells  more is the change at a cellular level explain the researchers. They add that this means that the cells are flailing under stress and are not able to process the stress adequately. The spikes were clearly seen in the results of the samples from CFS patients compared to those from healthy controls. The team used supervised machine learning algorithms or artificial intelligence technology to rapidly detect these spikes. This made the test reliable as well as accurate.

Davis said, We dont know exactly why the cells and plasma are acting this way, or even what theyre doing. But there is scientific evidence that this disease is not a fabrication of a patients mind. We clearly see a difference in the way healthy and chronic fatigue syndrome immune cells process stress. The team is now recruiting more number of patients to expand their pilot study and to see if it works in large populations accurately.

Esfandyarpour said, Using the nanoelectronics assay, we can add controlled doses of many different potentially therapeutic drugs to the patients blood samples and run the diagnostic test again. Thus he explained how they could use their nanotechnology based test to also screen for potential drugs to treat CFS. If the drugs worked, then they probably would reduce the spikes on the test he said. At present they have found a drug that could help restore healthy functions of the immune cells and the plasma. They hope that soon the drug could be tried on human patients in clinical trials wherein its benefits could be proved. The drug in question currently is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they add.

The study received funds from the Open Medicine Foundation.

Bottom-up proteomics

A few years back researchers F. Ciregia and colleagues from University of Pisa, Leibniz-Institut fur Analytische Wissenschaften, Germany, Universita Cattolica, Rome, University of Aberdeen, IRCCS-Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome and more collaborated to find mitochondrial changes that could help detect CFS.

Their study titled, Bottom-up proteomics suggests an association between differential expression of mitochondrial proteins and chronic fatigue syndrome, was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry back in 2016.

The team looked at the cellular structures of a pair of twins saliva samples. They studied their mitochondrial proteins. Using Nano-liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nano-LC-MS) they studied the mitochondria that came from the platelets of the blood samples of the twins. They selected 3 proteins from the samples and correlated it with saliva samples from 45 healthy controls and 45 patients with CFS. The three proteins were aconitate hydratase (ACON), ATP synthase subunit beta (ATPB) and malate dehydrogenase (MDHM).

Results revealed that there was a rise in the ATPB and ACON proteins in patients with CFS. Authors conclude, these results suggest that our potential markers could be one of the criteria to be taken into account for helping in diagnosis. They also hoped that this test would help develop tailored treatments for patients with CFS.

Metabolomic biomarkers

In a more recent study by Dorottya Nagy-Szakal from Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York and colleagues studied markers for CFS. Their study titled Insights into myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome phenotypes through comprehensive metabolomics, was published in July 2018 in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

The team discovered biomarkers from plasma as well as stool that could help detect CFS. They included 50 CFS patients and 50 healthy controls in their study. Their study showed that there was altered levels of choline, carnitine and complex lipid metabolites. Patients with CFS tended to have raised levels of plasma ceramide, they wrote.

The authors hoped that from their study diagnostic tests could be devised for patients with CFS by detection of these biomarkers from stool and plasma samples and in future treatments could be strategized as well.

References
More than a third of young adults report using both cannabis and tobacco or nicotine products, providing a unique challenge to public health officials as cannabis is legalized in more jurisdictions, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Studying a group of young adults from California, researchers examined the many different ways that cannabis and tobacco or nicotine products are used together -- a byproduct of the introduction of new vaping devices and other delivery methods.

Among those surveyed, young adults who used cannabis and tobacco or nicotine together in some way (either using one right after the other or by mixing the products together) tended to consume more marijuana and tobacco or nicotine products, and report poorer functioning and more problematic behaviors compared to those who used did not use both products together. The study is published online by the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

"There is growing concern that as more states legalize marijuana, there also will be an increase in tobacco use because the two substances may be used together," said Joan Tucker, lead author of the study and a senior behavioral scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "Co-use of cannabis and tobacco could reverse some of the progress made on reducing rates of tobacco use."

Mixing cannabis and tobacco is more common in some other countries compared to the U.S. But in recent years, cannabis and tobacco or nicotine co-use in the U.S. has risen among adults, coinciding with greater availability and diversity of cannabis, tobacco and vaping products. In the U.S., national data show that young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 are more likely to use cannabis, tobacco or nicotine products than any other age group.

Studies on the issue thus far have have been limited in scope. They typically have not accounted for the use of newer vaping products nor examined whether certain ways of co-using these substances is associated with greater problems.

RAND researchers surveyed more than 2,400 young adults during 2017 and 2018. Participants have taken part in an ongoing study of substance use patterns from adolescence to young adulthood. While they originally were recruited in 2008 from 16 middle schools across Southern California, they now live in more than 400 neighborhoods throughout the state.

Among the young adults in the RAND survey, about half reported using cannabis during the past year, and 43% reported using some type of tobacco or nicotine product during the same period. About 37% reported co-use of the substances at some point during the past year. More than 80% of the young adults who reported past-year marijuana use also reported past-year tobacco use.

Using both substances sequentially (one right after the other) on the same occasion was reported by 17% of the young adults, and 14% reported using the substances together by mixing them in the same device.

The study found that co-use of cannabis and tobacco or nicotine is associated with worse functioning, including poorer mental and physical health, as well as greater problematic behaviors such as fighting, skipping school, being fired and getting in trouble with the police.

Young adults who used both products in the past year, but did not use them on the same occasion, did not show greater risk compared to those who used only one of these products.

"How these products are used together matters in terms of potential health consequences and functioning among people in their late teens and early 20s," Tucker said. "Our findings suggest that we can no longer just think about the consequences of tobacco use or marijuana use alone -- we have to think about them together."

For example, programs designed to educate people about the health risks of tobacco or cannabis probably need to address both substances at the same time, Tucker said.

Support for the study was provided by the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Grants Program Office of the University of California and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Other authors of the study are Eric Pedersen, Rachana Seelam, Michael Dunbar, Regina Shih and Elizabeth D'Amico.

The RAND Social and Economic Well-Being division seeks to actively improve the health, social and economic well-being of populations and communities throughout the world.
Mindfulness therapy may be an effective way of mitigating the stress experienced by spouses and other informal caregivers for military veterans, a new study by researchers at the University of Illinois suggests.

Kinesiology and community health professor Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo led a pilot study that taught caregivers of veterans in central Illinois mindfulness-based cognitive therapy skills. The caregivers in the treatment group - mostly women caring for their spouses - reported significant decreases in their perceived levels of stress, anxiety and worry.

By contrast, the researchers found no significant changes in any of these symptoms among the participants assigned to the waitlist control group.

"This not only shows the feasibility but also the promise that mindfulness has for improving mental health outcomes in this vulnerable, hard-to-reach population," Lara-Cinisomo said. "Although the study population was small, it shows that there's interest in this type of programming."

The researchers reported their findings in a paper published in the journal Mindfulness and examined the feasibility of the intervention in another paper published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing.

About 5.5 million informal caregivers, usually family members, provide daily care and support for U.S. military veterans. While recent federal legislation sought to bolster the financial support and assistance provided to these caregivers by offering programs such as mentoring, support groups, respite care and sometimes stipends, these services may be limited to those caring for veterans with specific diagnoses or types of injuries.

Moreover, some programs are designed primarily to serve the care needs of the veterans and only incidentally address the caregivers' needs, the researchers wrote.

"While the Veterans Administration, the Dole Foundation and other organizations are providing services, there's research to suggest that some services often don't match caregivers' needs," Lara-Cinisomo said. "Furthermore, there's been little research that has evaluated the effectiveness of current caregiver services."

Lara-Cinisomo said that compared with caregivers in the general population, those caring for veterans experience higher levels of psychological distress, poorer overall health and increased "caregiver burden" - which refers to the overall emotional, physical and financial strain associated with providing multiple forms of care.

Additionally, caregivers of veterans engage in twice as much highly stressful or physically demanding care, compared with other caregivers, according to the study.

The majority of caregivers in the study had been providing care for more than nine years and spent 21-30 hours solely attending to the veterans' needs, in addition to other family obligations, Lara-Cinisomo said.

A large proportion of the veterans they were caring for had combat-related injuries along with a wide variety of other health issues, including mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder, diabetes, cancer, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson's disease, Lara-Cinisomo said.

To be eligible to participate in the eight-week intervention, caregivers had to be providing informal/unpaid care to a veteran, be at least 18 years old, able to walk or sit to perform the mindfulness activities and not have any mental health problems other than anxiety or depression.

Of the caregivers who met the screening criteria and enrolled in the study, 11 were randomly assigned to the mindfulness intervention and 12 to the waitlist control group. All of the participants completed the study, and those on the waitlist were offered the opportunity to go through the mindfulness training after the wait period.

Participants in the mindfulness intervention met weekly for two hours of instruction on the skills and how to apply them in stressful situations. These skills include focusing on body sensations to eliminate and reduce emotional activity, and concentrating on the present, as opposed to ruminating about their worries.

They were encouraged to practice these exercises at home for 30-40 minutes daily with the help of an audio CD. Participants reported that they spent an average of 19 minutes weekly engaging in the activities at home.

"Despite our small numbers, we were able to show that mindfulness helps and that it should be pursued not only by researchers, but by practitioners and those providing services to this population," said Lara-Cinisomo, who is currently working with colleagues at the RAND Corporation and Loyola University to build on these findings. "There also might be some additional benefits for the caregiver and the veteran, as well, that we should explore in future studies, such as improved sleep."
A new professional body  the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners  is introducing measures to ensure that health practitioners screen clients for mental health problems before carrying out cosmetic procedures.

Pop Paul-Catalin | Shutterstock

NHS national medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, welcomes the change, saying that practitioners should be trained to recognize vulnerable individuals who are looking for quick fixes and to assess their suitability for the procedures.

Powis says providers should be able to identify people with mental health issues such as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD - where people obsess over their appearance) and refer them to NHS facilities if needed:

We know that appearance is the one of the things that matters most to young people, and the bombardment of idealised images and availability of quick fix procedures is helping fuel a mental health and anxiety epidemic.

A major step forward

Following a meeting with NHS England, the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners decided to introduce the new measures, which all members of the council will be expected to implement.

However, since the meeting, only 100 out of 1,000 practitioners have registered with the council and those who are not members will not have to follow the new rules.

Cosmetic firms bringing in tighter controls to protect young peoples mental health is a major step forward, but voluntary steps on their own mean mental health too often will still be left in the hands of providers operating as a law unto themselves." Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of the NHS

He adds that although the long-term plans the NHS has are significantly expanding mental health services, all parts of society need to demonstrate a duty of care and take measures to prevent avoidable harm.

Powis wants all practitioners who offer procedures such as Botox injections and dermal fillers to join the new council. Superdrug, which offers such services at its flagship London store, signed the agreement after Powis wrote to the chain expressing his concerns.

Joining the new council would mean practitioners agree to undergo online training for the following:

Recognising signs or symptoms of mental health issues or vulnerability

Understanding the psychology of appearance

Knowing when to refer clients for help if they appear to be vulnerable

Living with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD, is an anxiety-related mental-health condition that can occur at any age. The condition is characterized by a persistent obsession with body image, with sufferers becoming extremely distressed about their appearance and often resorting to behaviors such as repeatedly checking how they look in a mirror and constantly seeking reassurance.

Prone to becoming intensely stressed and anxious, individuals with BDD are more likely to turn to quick-fix procedures to help them feel better, even though these fixes do not actually address or help the underlying psychological problem.

BDD affects one in 50 people, causing significant distress and has a huge impact on quality of life, says Kitty Wallace, from the Body Dysmorphic Disorder foundation. However, cosmetic procedures like Botox, now widely available on the high street can have a damaging effect on the mental health of young people.

Powis welcomes the move some practitioners are making to adopt the new training, calling it a "major step forward, although the numbers are still too low, he says: "We need all parts of society to show a duty of care and take action to prevent avoidable harm."

Powis also warns that clients must screen practitioners properly before undergoing any cosmetic procedures such as botulinum toxin injections, fillers, skin peels, lasers and hair restoration surgery.

Botched cosmetic procedures are becoming increasingly common

The introduction of the new code followed an investigation by ITV News earlier on this year, which uncovered many examples of the procedures going wrong and found that many practitioners who carried them out were often not able to undo the mistakes.

According to Save Face, a company that runs an official national register of accredited practitioners, the number of complaints filed about non-surgical procedures has risen to 600 over the last three years.

A survey conducted on behalf of ITV News found that lip filling errors accounted for almost 70% of all corrective procedures and that almost half of the complaints followed procedures that had been carried out by beauticians.

Since no legal requirements are in place to ensure errors are reported, the actual number of mistakes could be much higher.

In an interview with ITV News, one recipient of a lip augmentation treatment described significant injury after the filler was injected into an artery by a beauty therapist. Ms Knappier described the pain she suffered as unbearable, with a burning throbbing pulsating in her lips that made them feel as if they were just seconds away from bursting.

Earlier this year, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) called for regulations to be made much tighter regarding who is legally allowed to administer fillers in the UK.

BAAPS spokesperson and plastic surgeon Nora Nugent believes that for a person to perform an invasive procedure which any injectable treatment is they at the very least should have some medical training.
The discovery, published today in Nature Communications by researchers from La Trobe University and the University of Queensland, provides details on how proteins in the outer membrane of bacteria - the bacteria's 'superglue' - are able to stick to and populate parts of the human body.

This new information paves the way for the development of innovative treatments for preventing and curing infections, in what could be a significant step forward for new anti-microbial development.

The study focused on UpaB - the superglue protein of a pathogen known to cause urinary tract infections within 50 per cent of women within their lifetime.

Similar proteins are found in the outer membrane of other pathogens responsible for infections ranging from life-threatening food poisoning to whooping cough, meningitis, typhus fever and chlamydia.

Lead researcher at La Trobe University, Dr Begona Heras, said the study provides unprecedented fundamental science that could inform future solutions to the world health crisis in antibiotic resistance.

"The knowledge we now have on this bacteria's protein gives us the ability to block the bacteria sticking to different parts of the human body," said Dr Heras.

"Antibiotic resistance is an urgent, global problem and this information gives us an important opportunity to develop new anti-microbial treatments. Naturally, this is the next step for this research."

La Trobe researcher Dr Jason Paxman added that there is a flip-side to these bacterial proteins in that they could be harnessed for good.

"There is nothing like these bacterial proteins in modern medicine; bacteria have had thousands of years to develop these adhesive proteins," Dr Paxman explained.

"These findings could open up new opportunities such as delivering targeted therapies to parts of the human body, which could even help in the fight against cancer down the line."
What: The All of Us Research Program at the National Institutes of Health is hosting a special symposium, "From Data to Discoveries: Creating a Research Program for All of Us." Marking one year from the program's national launch, speakers will identify the building blocks of a meaningful research program, including an engaged and diverse participant community, and forecast the program's scientific possibilities. Also at the event, the program will introduce the beta version of the All of Us Data Browser, an interactive tool available to the public that provides summary statistics from the program's growing database, with information from participants' surveys, physical measurements and electronic health records.

Who: Speakers include:

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institutes of Health

Eric Dishman, Director, All of Us Research Program

Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., Director, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse

with

Elizabeth Cohn, Ph.D., R.N., Rudin Professor of Nursing, Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, City University of New York

David Glazer, Engineering Director, Verily

Deven McGraw, J.D., General Counsel and Chief Regulatory Officer, Ciitizen

Ana Pavon, Program Coordinator, PASOs-Midlands

Robert A. Winn, M.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Community Based Practice; Director, University of Illinois Cancer Center; and Professor of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago

When: Monday, May 6, 2019; 10-11:30 a.m. EDT

Where: Masur Auditorium, NIH Clinical Center (Building 10), NIH Campus, Bethesda, Maryland

Please see NIH Visitor Information for a map and details about campus access.

The event also will be streamed via NIH Videocast and Facebook Live.

Contact: Members of the press interested in attending should contact Katie Rush or Veronica Anderson at [email protected] with any questions or to discuss interview, filming and photography opportunities.
(CNN)  Police in Cyprus have found a fourth body in what looks to be the island's first ever serial killing case.

Cypriot authorities also expect to retrieve a fifth body later Monday, the state Cyprus News Agency reported.

A 35-year-old man is in custody, after confessing to seven murders, the news agency said.

The man, whom police have identified only by age, is suspected of killing five women and two children  all foreign nationals.

The state news agency reported that he was a member of the Cypriot National Guard.

Authorities began their investigation after finding the bodies of two women in a mine shaft in the capital, Nicosia, in mid-April.

The first victim to be identified was 38-year-old Marry Rose Tiburcio, from the Philippines, whose body was discovered on April 14, police said in a press release.

Tiburcio and her 6-year-old daughter were reported missing on May 5, 2018. The child, whom the suspect has claimed he killed, has not been found.

Police recovered a third woman's body near the village of Orounda, west of Nicosia. The investigator assigned to the case said the body may be that of a Nepalese woman, the Cyprus News Agency reported.

Now, police have turned their attention to the Mitsero Red Lake, on the site of a closed copper mine around 17 miles from Nicosia.

According to the news agency, the suspect confessed to killing two women and a child and throwing their bodies into the lake.

The state news agency said the victims are believed to be 36-year-old Livia Florentina Bunea from Romania and her 8-year-old daughter, Elena Natalia Bunea, as well as Maricar Valdez Arquila, a 31-year-old woman from the Philippines, the state news agency said.

On Sunday, police recovered the first body from the lake inside a suitcase. The lake is heavily polluted and highly toxic and authorities have been using robotic cameras to search the water.

With a population of just 1.2 million, Cyprus has never been faced with a case like this before. Police said in a statement that they have asked forensic specialists from the UK to assist them in the investigation.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Cyprus police find fourth body after alleged killer confesses to 7 murders."
It was dusk as Oakley Yoder and the other summer camp kids hiked back to their tents at Illinois' Jackson Falls last July. As the group approached a mound of boulders blocking the path, Oakley, then 9, didn't see the lurking snake  until it bit a toe on her right foot.

"I was really scared," Oakley said. "I thought that I could either get paralyzed or could actually die."

Her camp counselors suspected it was a copperhead and knew they needed to get her medical attention as soon as they could. They had to keep her as calm and motionless as possible  the venom could circulate more quickly if her heart raced from activity or fear.

One counselor gave her a piggyback ride to a van. Others distracted her with Taylor Swift songs and candy as the van sped from their location in a beautiful but remote part of the Shawnee National Forest toward help.

First responders met them and recommended Oakley be taken by air ambulance to a hospital.

The helicopter flight transported Oakley 80 miles from a school parking lot just outside the forest to St. Vincent Evansville hospital in Indiana, where she received four vials of antivenin and was then transferred to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis for observation.

Her parents, Josh Perry and Shelli Yoder, were already in bed that night when they got the call about what had happened to Oakley. They jumped in the car and arrived at Riley about two hours before their daughter. Once she made it, doctors closely observed her condition, her toe still oozing and bruised. By lunchtime, Perry said, physicians reassured the parents that Oakley would be OK.

It was a major comfort for me to realize, OK, were getting the best care possible," said Perry, who is a health care ethics professor at the business school at Indiana University Bloomington. Less than 24 hours after the bite, Oakley left the hospital with her grateful parents.

Then the bills came.

Oakley Yoder shows her now-deformed toe after a snake bit her at an Illinois summer camp in July 2018. These are the same shoes she wore when bitten.(Chris Bergin for KHN)

Patient: Oakley Yoder, now 10, of Bloomington, Ind. Insured through Indiana University Bloomington, where her father and mother work as faculty.

Total Bill: $142,938, including $67,957 for four vials of antivenin. ($55,577.64 was charged for air ambulance transport.) The balance included a ground ambulance charge and additional hospital and physician charges, according to the family's insurer, IU Health Plans.

Service Providers: St. Vincent Evansville hospital, part of Ascension, a nonprofit Catholic health system. Riley Hospital for Children, part of Indiana University Health, a nonprofit health system. Air Evac Lifeteam, an air ambulance provider.

Medical Service: The essential part of Oakley's treatment involved giving her four vials of snake antivenin called CroFab.

What Gives: When bitten by a venomous snake, there is no time to waste. If left untreated, a venomous bite can cause tissue damage, hemorrhaging and respiratory arrest. Children tend to experience more severe effects because of their relatively small size.

CroFab has dominated the U.S. market for snake antivenin since its approval in 2000. When Oakley was bitten, it was the only drug available to treat venomous bites from pit vipers. (Oakley probably was bitten by a copperhead snake, a type of pit viper, the camp directors told her parents.)

In short, the drugmaker, London-based BTG Plc, essentially had a monopoly.

The average list price for CroFab is $3,198 per vial, according to the health care information tech company Connecture. Manufacturing costs, product improvements and research all factor into the drug's price, said Chris Sampson, spokesman for BTG.

A Mexican version of snake antivenin can cost roughly $200. But it couldn't be sold in the U.S. (More about that in a moment.)

Dr. Leslie Boyer, founding director of the VIPER Institute, a venom research center at the University of Arizona, acknowledges that some of the price in the U.S. can be attributed to strict Food and Drug Administration requirements for testing and monitoring.

But more than that, she added: It's a profitable drug, and everyone wants a piece of it."

She should know: Funded by government grants and at times working with colleagues over the border in Mexico, her group was instrumental in developing CroFab.

Antivenins were first developed more than a century ago. Although CroFab is safer and purer than antivenins of the past, the process  while labor-intensive  remains fundamentally the same. Snakes, spiders and other creatures are milked for their venom, then a small amount of the toxin is injected into animals like horses or sheep. They then make antibodies without falling ill, and the protective molecules are extracted from their blood and processed to make antivenin.

Despite the longtime use of antivenins, CroFab and other such products remain a lucrative prospect for manufacturers. Who wouldn't pay top dollar for an antivenin when their child has been bitten by a venomous snake?

What patients pay for CroFab can widely vary. Treatment may require a few vials or dozens of them  it depends on factors like the size of the patient, the potency of venom in the bite and how quickly the patient is treated. The more antivenin needed, the higher the cost.

But hospitals also jack up the price, even though some of these facilities purchase the drug at a discount, said Dr. Merrit Quarum, chief executive officer of WellRithms, a health care cost containment company.

In Oakley's case, St. Vincent Evansville hospital charged $16,989.25 for each unit of CroFab, according to the facility's bill. That's more than five times as high as the average list price.

WellRithms analyzed Oakley's bill from St. Vincent Evansville at Kaiser Health News' request and found providers generally accept $16,159.70 for all four vials of the drug.

In a statement, St. Vincent Evansville noted that the family was not responsible for that full tab and instead was expected to pay less than $3,500. But the facility appears to have since lowered its price for CroFab. According to its price list  posted online to satisfy a recent federal requirement  the drug now costs $5,096.76 per vial.

And the snake antivenin market now has another drug competing for patients: Anavip. The Mexican product  launched in October  has a list price of $1,220 a vial in the U.S, a fraction of what Latin Americans pay for it, according to Rare Disease Therapeutics, which distributes the drug in the U.S.

Anavip's arrival was stalled by a lawsuit filed by BTG in 2013 that claimed the drug infringed on its patent.

The drug's true effect on the market remains unclear. CroFab and Anavip are not entirely interchangeable. (The FDA hasn't approved Anavip for copperhead bites, for instance.) And, as part of the legal settlement, Anavip makers must pay royalties to BTG until the CroFab patent expires in 2028.

Yoder's father, Josh Perry, teaches a class on the ethics of health care finance at Indiana University, yet he said the cost of Oakley's care shocked him.(Chris Bergin for KHN)

Resolution: The insurer, IU Health Plans, negotiated down the antivenin and air ambulance charges and ended up paying $44,092.87 and $55,543.20, respectively. After adjustments to additional bills, IU Health Plans paid a total of $107,863.33. Oakley's family did not pay a dime out of pocket for her emergency care, but such high outlays contribute to rising premiums.

Secondary insurance offered through the summer camp covered $7,286.34 in additional costs that otherwise would have come out of Perry and Yoder's pockets for their deductible and coinsurance. The policy covers up to $25,000 in damages.

Oakley's foot is healed, but her toe bends slightly downward and is sensitive to pressure. She intends to return to the same camp this summer.

Perry teaches a course on the ethics of the health care industry, and yet he said the cost of Oakley's care shocked him. But he is aware of how rarely a patient ends up paying nothing for health care. I know that in this country, in this system," he said, "that is a miracle."

Takeaway: Hospitals and insurers can negotiate; snakes don't. If you've been bitten by a snake, "take care of your injury," said Boyer. Don't wait while you worry about the cost.

When you get a bill, compare what the facility charged against other health care providers' prices using their public charge lists online. Cost estimation tools like Fair Health Consumer or Healthcare Bluebook allow you to see how your bill compares with the average.

Momentum is growing for government action on drug prices. In states and in Congress, various proposals have been floated, which include: allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, tying the U.S. price of expensive drugs to the average price in other developed countries and allowing the government to inject competition into the market when there is none  such as by speeding generic drug approvals or allowing imports.

Consumers should keep an eye on these proposals as they move through the political process.

NPR produced and edited the interview with Kaiser Health News' Elisabeth Rosenthal for broadcast. Jake Harper of WFYI in Indianapolis provided audio reporting.

Bill of the Month is a crowdsourced investigation by Kaiser Health News and NPR that dissects and explains medical bills. Do you have an interesting medical bill you want to share with us? Tell us about it!
According to a new report from a United Nations Committee, antibiotic resistance levels are at an all time high and are the reason behind common infections becoming difficult to treat. The report adds that simple life-saving surgeries are increasingly becoming risky and life threatening because of lack of post operative effective antibiotic coverage. The authors write that the resistance shown against antibiotics, anti-virals, anti-fungals and anti-protozoal drugs has become a global phenomenon and could be called a global crisis.

The committee called the Ad hoc Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance comprised on scientific experts and representatives of major UN scientific agencies. They gathered in March 2017 and were asked to prepare guidelines to tackle the global problem of antibiotic resistance. The team writes in their report published this week (29th April 2019) that antibiotic and other drug resistance is directly responsible for around 700,000 deaths annually per year. Of these 230,000 deaths occur due to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. They speculate that if action is not taken, by 2030, drug resistant illnesses could lead to around 10 million deaths each year. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also adds that antibiotic resistant infections affect around 2 million Americans each year and of these 23,000 deaths are seen.

The report emphasizes on steps to prevent resistance not only among humans but also among animals and plants by preventing misuse and overuse of the existing antimicrobial agents. This is the first step to reducing resistance they write. They add that risk factors for spread of antimicrobial resistant pathogens include poor infection control, poor hygiene, poor sanitation, lack of access to clean water, lack of disease and infection prevention, lack of adequate and timely healthcare, inadequate vaccination, lack of diagnostic facilities, malnutrition, food safety and lack of good waste management systems etc.

The Interagency Coordination Group writes that to address antimicrobial resistance the united efforts should be clean water, food safety, good sanitation, sustainable production and consumption and improved health. The report emphasized on One Health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), to combat antimicrobial resistance more antimicrobial drugs should be developed. The agency says that there are several drugs that are being developed but of these only around 14 percent would actually be deemed safe and effective to be used in humans.

This present report recommends five steps to combat antimicrobial resistance. These steps include;

Implementation of One Health National Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plans on a more aggressive and prioritized mode

Development of new antimicrobials

Collaboration for more effective joint global action. Global awareness

Investment for sustainable response to antimicrobial resistance and phasing out indicrimate use of antibiotics in agriculture

Global governance, regulatory actions and improving accountability

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General and Co-Chair of the IACG, on the report made a statement saying, We are at a critical point in the fight to protect some of our most essential medicines. This report makes concrete recommendations that could save thousands of lives every year.

Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Co-Chair of the IACG, in a statement said, Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats we face as a global community. This report reflects the depth and scope of the response needed to curb its rise and protect a century of progress in health. It rightly emphasizes that there is no time to wait, and I urge all stakeholders to act on its recommendations and work urgently to protect our people and planet and secure a sustainable future for all.

Jose Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) added, The reports recommendations recognize that antimicrobials are critical to safeguard food production, safety and trade, as well as human and animal health, and it clearly promotes responsible use across sectors. Countries can foster sustainable food systems and farming practices that reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance by working together to promote viable alternatives to antimicrobial use, as laid out in the reports recommendations. Dr. Monique Eloit, Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in her statement added, Antimicrobial resistance must be addressed urgently, through a One Health approach involving bold, long-term commitments from governments and other stakeholders, supported by the international organisations. This report demonstrates the level of commitment and coordination that will be required as we face this global challenge to public health, animal health and welfare, and food security. We must all play our part in ensuring future access to and efficacy of these essential medicines.

Antimicrobial resistance anecdotes

At present the CDC says that the United States is facing three urgent threats from antimicrobial resistance. These include;

Clostridium difficile or C. Diff that can cause life threatening diarrhea and colitis. This infects around 50,000 patients annually and kills around 15000.

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)  also called nightmare bacteria that affects 9000 people each year killing 600

Neisseria gonorrhoeae  or drug resistant gonorrhoea infection that affects 246,000 people annually

Recently the WHO has updated the treatment guidelines for gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis to accommodate antimicrobial resistance.

Malaria and tuberculosis too have been increasingly developing resistance against first line drugs. The WHO says that in 2016 resistance to the first-line treatment for P. falciparum malaria (artemisinin-based combination therapies) has been reported from 5 countries of the Greater Mekong sub-region (including Cambodia, Myanmar, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Thailand and Viet Nam). A "WHO Strategy for Malaria Elimination in the Greater Mekong subregion (2015-2030)" has begun in all the five nations and in China. Drug resistance against HIV is also becoming a major concern worldwide. The WHO has launched a new "Global Action Plan for HIV Drug Resistance (2017-2021)" to prevent drug resistance against HIV.

Since November 2015 an antibiotic awareness week is being observed, the theme being, Antibiotics: Handle with care. The WHO has a support system called the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) to collect information regarding analysis of data on antimicrobial resistance and its sharing and global level decision and policy making. The WHO has a Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) which is its joint initiative with Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) which encourages research and development of new drugs to fight antibiotic resistant organisms.

In a study published this week in the journal Science and titled, The challenge of antimicrobial resistance: What economics can contribute. Authors Laurence SJ Roope and colleagues wrote that the accelerating tide of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major worldwide policy concern. They called AMR a problem of a similar magnitude of climate change calling it a tragedy of the commons. They forecast that AMR could cost governments same as a 2 degree rise in global average surface temperature. The authors in their paper suggest how economic concepts such as externalities and the principalagent relationship could help understand and tackle the problem. They suggest providing incentives for new antibiotic development and improvement of antibiotic stewardship using financial regulations and mechanisms.
World-leading medical ethicist Professor Arthur Caplan has published a series of recommendations with the aim of addressing worldwide concerns over gene editing of human embryos.

The article, which was recently published in the journal PLoS Biology, was fuelled by the acts of He Jiankui, who announced last year that he had created the worlds first genetically edited babies. The fact that the babies had been created without ethical debate or the benefit of scientific review caused vociferous condemnation and worldwide disdain.

u3d | Shutterstock

Unacceptable and unlawful

In the current article, Caplan recounts the announcement Jiankui made at a press conference held at the Human Genome Editing Summit in Hong Kong on November 25th, 2018.

Jiankui announced that he had produced a set of twins who had been genetically modified to be resistant to HIV infection. He achieved this by deleting CCR5 - the gene that encodes the cell membrane receptor that HIV uses to enter immune cells. Jiankui claimed to be proud of the results, calling the babies normal and healthy and revealing that another couple involved in the project were currently pregnant with a gene-edited embryo.

Scientists and ethicists worldwide condemned the work, calling it a violation of the laws of ethics. The scientific community rebuked Jiankui for unduly experimenting with human embryos and for using potentially unsafe technology on human embryos.

More than 100 scientists declared the work as outside the boundaries of acceptable science and the Chinese government halted Jiankuis gene editing work almost immediately calling it unlawful, unethical and unacceptable.

Unpredictable effects

A study by UCLA researchers published earlier this year fuelled further concerns over the controversial experiment. The scientists provided evidence that the CCR5 receptor suppresses memories and synaptic connections. This means that as well as being resistant to HIV, the baby girls may have enhanced cognition and memory.

Writing in the journal Cell, Alcino Silva and colleagues said that people who lack at least one copy of CCR5 tend to go further in education, implying that the protein plays a role in intelligence.

However, Silva said there is a big difference between trying to correct deficits in cases of poor health and trying to create human enhancement.

The simplest interpretation is that those mutations will probably have an impact on cognitive function in the twins, said Silva. He added that the exact effect on the girls cognition cannot be predicted, which is why such experiments should not be done.

Now, Caplan, founding director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine, refers to a major flaw in medical research that has been brought to light by the controversial work.

A deep understanding of the mechanisms and potential side-effects of embryo editing is an absolute pre-requisite to any further discussion of its implementation, he says. At present, human embryonic editing, particularly in regard to how DNA is repaired, following an induced break, is poorly understood.

Moratoriums are not enough

Caplans article raises the question of what now needs to be done to ensure germline gene editing meets acceptable standards.

"The announcement of He Jiankuis germline editing of human embryos has been followed by a torrent of almost universal criticism of the claim on scientific and ethical grounds. That criticism is warranted, says Caplan.

He adds that there is little room for anything other than vociferous condemnation of Jiankuis announcement and that presenting the results of ground-breaking work by press conference and YouTube is not science.

Caplan states that the question now is not whether the experiment conducted in China was done in an ethical manner, given that it clearly was not, but how conducting germline editing in humans can be justified moving forwards.

If such work is justifiable, a serious, rigorous framework must be imposed that ensures that such research is done following the highest ethical standards that both protect human subjects and ensure public trust and support.

Many researchers had been calling for moratoriums, but these were already in place when Jiankui conducted his work.

An ethical framework for research

In his article, Caplan provides a series of recommendations, including:

A thorough investigation of any conflicts of interest by organizations managing the studies,

Enhanced informed consent from participants,

The banning of exclusive rights to research results for media outlets,

The prohibition of the publication of any improperly reviewed research that involves embryos,

Involvement of properly qualified and trained ethics committees and internal review boards,

The development of a public database where any related research can be documented.

If such work is justifiable, a serious, rigorous framework must be imposed that ensures that such research is done following the highest ethical standards that both protect human subjects and ensure public trust and support."
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP)  A northern Virginia tech staffing company has apologized after an online job posting sought "preferably Caucasian" applicants.

Cynet Systems in Sterling, Virginia, removed the post and issued an apology Sunday on Twitter. The company said the individuals involved have been fired and the job post "does not reflect our core values of inclusivity & equality."

The help wanted ad, posted on LinkedIn and other sites, sought an account manager for a job based in Tampa, Florida, with an unspecified pharma company. A bullet point under "Job Description" described a candidate who is "Preferably Caucasian who has good technical background."

A Cynet statement issued Monday said the company has a longstanding policy of turning down clients requesting candidates of a specific race or gender.

"We understand why some may have been upset seeing this listing, because we were too," the company's co-CEO, Ashwani Mayur, said. The company statement does not say how long the ad was live.

"We are also looking at measures that could help us catch offensive or outside-of-policy ads before they ever go live to ensure this can't happen again," Mayur said. He noted that he and the other company owner are both Indian-American, and that his company's workforce is 60% minority.

A LinkedIn spokeswoman said the ad was taken down as soon as it was discovered and that such postings are highly unusual.

"Discrimination of any kind is against our policies and we have no tolerance for it on our platform," the company said in a statement. "We have dedicated teams and technical measures in place to identify content that violates our policies; they took quick action to remove the job posting."

Mayur also said his company is reviewing all of its job postings "to ensure no similar issues exist."

Screenshots posted online show the company had posted an ad for an account manager in Herndon, Virginia, with a notation including "female candidate only." The listing appears to have been deleted or modified; the company did not respond to a question about that job posting.

State employment and labor officials directed questions to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which did not immediately return an email seeking comment Monday.
BLACKSBURG  A spirited group of hundreds of Virginia Tech students walked out of class and marched across campus to express their frustrations with the universitys Title IX office Tuesday afternoon.
The Scotland-based firm has donated 10 licenses of its MOVE software package to CSM for research and training purposes.

CSM receive 1.3m software donation from global petroleum experts

Students at the Camborne School of Mines will be able to gain fascinating new insights into 3D geological modelling of the subsurface, though pioneering new software.

CSM has secured a new licensing agreement with Petroleum Experts (Petex), a leading developer of optimization software for the oil and gas industries.

The Scotland-based firm has donated 10 licenses of its MOVE software package to CSM, based at the University of Exeters Penryn Campus in Cornwall, for research and training purposes.

The software suite, valued at 1,334,160.00, is considered the industry standard for geological modelling and structural analysis of Earths deep interior.

The new software will be used for teaching and research into structural modelling and reconstructions, as well as slip-analysis to identify favourable fault zones for geothermal energy potential.

The internationally-renowned Mining School also plan to teach third and fourth year students on its Masters programme how to utilise the new software.

Chris Yeomans, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Camborne School of Mines on the GWatt project said The Move package gives us the tools to create a 3D geological model of southwest England. Understanding the subsurface in 3D is absolutely key to identifying new geothermal energy resources and help the region move towards a low carbon economy.

Founded in Edinburgh in 1990, Petex is one of Europes fastest growing technology companies, with more than 420 clients worldwide.

Petex, which has U.S. offices in Houston, Texas and Lafayette, Louisiana, develops software modules that help geologists obtain two- and three-dimensional images of features below Earths surface.

t 1,334,160.00,
All the new X-Men comics, graphic novels, collections from Marvel arriving in 2021 and beyond

Every single new X-Men comics arriving in the next few months that you need to get excited about
(Newser)  Stearn Hodge was on his way to a vacation celebrating his 43rd wedding anniversary in 2017, he says, when a security agent at Calgary International Airport stopped him from taking the batteries for his scooter with him. Stearn Hodge lost his left arm and right leg in a workplace accident in 1984, Newsweek reports, and uses the scooter to get around; he has a prosthetic leg that he can only wear for short periods. Lithium-ion batteries can start fires, but they're allowed to be carried onto flights under certain conditions, and Hodge had received clearance in advance from United Airlines. An airline employee was called, but Hodge still had to surrender the batteries before flying to Tulsa. The British Columbia man spent much of the three-week vacation in bed: He can't operate a wheelchair, and his wife can't push him in one. To get to the bathroom in their room, Hodge had to crawl.

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Now, Hodge is trying to get the Canadian Human Rights Commission to hear his case, per CBC. Canadian law permits as much as $20,000 in damages for each count of pain and suffering, and another $20,000 if the discrimination is "willful or reckless." Hodge did receive an emailed apology "for the inconvenience" from United and an offer of an $800 travel certificate for him and his wife. "It appears we were in violation of federal disability requirements," the email said. "Having to crawl across the floor in front of my wife is the most humiliating thing that I can think of," Hodge said. "It unmasks how real my disability is.  I haven't been the same since." (Read more airport security stories.)
(Newser)  Investigators in Cyprus are currently looking for at least two suitcases at the bottom of a toxic lake. What they believe to be inside is gruesome: the remains of murdered females, two of seven women and girls that an unnamed Cypriot army captain allegedly admitted to killing. He has not been charged, but the alleged serial killings are being described as the first in the country's modern history. The case has led to an outcry against the police, who are accused of bungling the investigation, with the outrage zeroing in on the fact that the dead and missing are all foreigners. The latest:

The man-made lake is located at an abandoned copper mine west of the capital of Nicosia. The Washington Post reports the killings came to light thanks to a tourist who was taking pictures at that mineand spotted something that looked like a person floating in a water-filled shaft. It was a rope-bound woman wearing only two heart-shaped earrings. She was ultimately identified as Mary Rose Tiburcio, 38. The Filipino woman had been missing since May, along with her 6-year-old daughter.

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Police learned Tiburcio vanished after going to meet "Orestis," a man she had met on an app. He turned out to be a 35-year-old National Guard captain with two kids, and he has allegedly confessed to the seven killings in a 10-page handwritten document.

The body of another Filipino woman was found April 20 in the same shaft. Five days later another body, likely that of a woman from Nepal, was found buried near a firing range. On Sunday came the first suitcase from the lake. It was attached to a concrete block and is thought to hold the remains of another Filipino woman who went missing in December 2017. That brings the total recovered body count to four. The AP reports the search has been slow-going due to visibility that's limited to just inches in some areas.

Florentina Bunea, a 36-year-old Romanian woman, and her 8-year-old daughter are thought to also be in the lake. They haven't been seen since September 2016. Officials are looking for the body of Tiburcio's daughter in a reservoir near the lake.

CNN reports Cyprus, which is home to only 1.2 million people, has reached out to Scotland Yard for help in dealing with what looks like its first serial killings. "This is a form of crime unprecedented for the norms of Cyprus," the New York Times quotes Police Chief Zacharias Chrysostomou as saying.

The Cyprus Mail reports many are calling for the resignations of the country's justice minister and Chrysostomou amid accusations the women's disappearances were overlooked due to the fact they were foreign workers. The friend who reported Bunea missing some 30 months ago says police failed to even call her to get a statement.

(Read more Cyprus stories.)
(Newser)  The National Rifle Association is "under siege," President Trump said Monday in response to New York state's decision to investigate the organization's status as a tax-exempt nonprofit, the AP reports. The Republican president accused state Attorney General Letitia James and her fellow Democrat, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, of breaking the lawthough he did not specify which lawwith the investigation into the gun rights organization. "The NRA is under siege by Cuomo and the New York State A.G., who are illegally using the State's legal apparatus to take down and destroy this very important organization, & others," Trump tweeted.

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In a statement responding to Trump's tweet, James' office said she is focused "on enforcing the rule of law," adding, "In any case we pursue, we will follow the facts wherever they may lead." James' office has offered few details about the probe, saying only that an investigation into the NRA had been launched and that subpoenas had been issued. But last year, she had vowed to investigate whether the organization deserves its tax-exempt nonprofit status. An NRA lawyer said Saturday that it would cooperate "with any inquiry into its finances." The attorney general has oversight over nonprofit groups registered with the state and may seek to fine those who defraud donors, misuse charitable funds or violate the rules governing political activities by nonprofits. The NRA is based in Virginia but has an office in New York. (There's trouble at the top of the NRA.)
(Newser)  The FBI says it received tips Saturday morning about a potential mass shooting targeting Jewsbut it didn't have time to act. A California man identified only as Colin, 25, tells BuzzFeed that he was browsing the 8chan bulletin board, which is notorious for racist content, out of curiosity when he saw a manifesto posted by somebody calling himself John Earnest. "I cant remember why, but the picture and the first line of the preview caught my attention," Colin says. "And I thought, is this like New Zealand?" Colin says the post threatened violence against Jews and said the mass shooting would be livestreamed. He says he called the FBI, who "took it really seriously"but within minutes of the call, the Chabad of Poway synagogue was attacked. One person died and three were injured. Police say Earnest, 19, fled the scene and surrendered to authorities soon afterward.

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The FBI says it received multiple calls about the postwhich went up roughly 25 minutes before shots rang outbut the shooting happened before they could identify the poster or the location of the threat. "I guarantee the shooter didnt post that until he was already in his car on his way down there," Colin says. "They know its too small of a windowthats why he used his real name. It didnt matter, they werent going to get to him." Earnest has been charged with murder and attempted murder. His parents say they raised him and his five siblings to "reject hate," the AP reports. "To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries," they said in a statement Monday. They are cooperating with investigators and do not plan to provide legal representation for their son. (Earnest is also a suspect in the burning of a mosque.)
(Newser)  The study was smallinvolving just 40 patientsbut the results couldn't have been better. Researchers were able to correctly determine which 20 of those patients suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome based on a blood test, reports the San Jose Mercury News. A larger, more robust test is now in the works, and if the results hold up, it could prove to be a breakthrough for the vexing disorder known more formally as myalgic encephalomyelitis. "This could be a transformative advance," a genetics professor at UC San Diego not involved with the Stanford study tells the San Francisco Chronicle. Essentially, the researchers may have discovered a "biomarker" that could greatly improve diagnosis. What's more, the existence of such a biomarker could lay to rest any speculation that the disease isn't really a disease.

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"There are physicians around who say if there is no biomarker the disease doesn't exist, as far as they're concerned," says lead researcher Ron Davis. "I'm hoping this will help the medical community accept that this is a real disease." Davis and his team used a tool called a nanoelectronic assay to analyze blood samples and measure small changes of energy within them. They discovered telltale spikes in those with CFS, but whether this amounts to a definitive biomarker remains the key question. NBC News talks to a specialist in Australia who cautions that it's "very premature" to declare success given how small the study was. CFS can cause crippling joint pain, headaches, and fatigue, and an estimated 2.5 million have it in the US. (One of the most well-known sufferers is Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit and Unbroken.)
(Newser)  The Simpsons are not big favorites in Canada at the moment, judging from the online reaction to the cartoon family's visit in their most recent episode. For that matter, the show probably hasn't won the hearts of many in upstate New York either, thanks to the same episode. The most heat is in Canada, particularly Newfoundland. As the CBC recounts, one joke in particular hit hard: When Lisa tells a group of Canadians that "I'm sure you treat all peoples equally," one replies, "Except the Quebecois. And the Newfies. Stupid Newfies." Then Ralph Wiggum is seen saying, "I'm a Newfie!" and clubbing a stuffed seal. The first offense is the use of "Newfie," widely seen as derogatory. The second is the seal-hunting dig, called a cheap shot and "false information" by the owner of a clothing store that sells sealskin clothing.

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Another response, from Canadian comic Mark Critch: "(I'm) not upset about the newfie joke ... so much as surprised that in all my 45 years, the lamest, least-interesting Newfie joke Ive heard was on @thesimpsons," he wrote. Still, the joke was nothing compared to the scathing treatment of Buffalo, Rochester, and other upstate New York cities, which the Simpsons traveled through on their way to Canada. It's "the one place that can never decline because it was never that great," declares Homer, who sings a mocking ode, per CNN. Included: "The Kodak plant's closed, but I'm a-longin' to stay/And go on disability in upstate New York/Can't make it anywhere but I can make it there." In response, the state fair wants the show's writing staff to visit, reports WIVB, and the governor's office wants people to know that "unemployment is down" and "millennials are coming back." (Read more The Simpsons stories.)
(Newser)  "How many New York Times editors looked at a cartoon that would not have looked out of place on a white supremacist website? ... What does this say about your processes or your decision makers?" That was the reaction of the American Jewish Committee after the publication of what the paper acknowledged was an anti-Semitic cartoon last week, and now it looks like those processes are getting an overhaul. The Daily Beast reports the Times will no longer run syndicated cartoons, including from the CartoonArts syndication service that provided the cartoon in question.

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While the cartoonwhich depicted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as a dog sporting a Star of David collar, leading a blind President Trumpspurred an apology by the paper and likely jump-started the conversation of nixing syndicated cartoons, it was a second questionable cartoon published over the weekend that drew further complaints and sealed the decision. "While we don't think this [second] cartoon falls into that category [of being anti-Semitic], for now, we've decided to suspend the future publication of syndicated cartoons," the Times' communications chief notes. Trump himself weighed in Monday. "The New York Times has apologized for the terrible Anti-Semitic Cartoon, but they haven't apologized to me for this or all of the Fake and Corrupt news they print on a daily basis," he tweeted. (Read more New York Times stories.)
(Newser)  The University of Maryland Medical Center received a historic delivery at its Shock Trauma heliport last week: a human kidney, delivered by drone. The first-of-its-kind delivery was made by the LG-1,000, a 50-pound drone created by the university's School of Medicine specifically to transport organs, CBS Baltimore reports. The kidney was successfully transplanted into the patient, a 44-year-old woman who had been on dialysis for eight years, after the April 19 drone flight. The drone monitored the organ's status during the 2.8-mile journey from the Living Legacy Foundation in west Baltimore. Researchers say using drones for delivery could revolutionize the organ transplant process, in which delays sometimes cause an organ to be unviable.

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Before the flight, researchers conducted test flights with blood tubes and eventually a healthy but non-viable kidney, USA Today reports. "There remains a woeful disparity between the number of recipients on the organ transplant waiting list and the total number of transplantable organs," project head Joseph Scalea said in a statement. "This new technology has the potential to help widen the donor organ pool and access to transplantation." Scalea, one of the surgeons who carried out the transplant, praised the "outstanding collaboration" between "surgeons, engineers, the Federal Aviation Administration , organ procurement specialists, pilots, nurses, and, ultimately, the patient." The current system, he said, takes "too long, it is unsafe and it is way too expensive." (Read more drones stories.)
(Newser)  Pope Francis might not be hearing much chit-chat the next time he gets his hair cut. The pontiff advised some 230 members of Italy's association of hairdressers, hairstylists, and beauticians who visited him during a pilgrimage to Rome to "avoid falling into the temptation of gossip that is easily associated with your work," reports Reuters. Instead, he said, they should learn from Martin de Porres, patron saint of barbers, and work with "Christian style, treating clients with gentleness and courtesy, offering them always a good word and encouragement." Vatican News reports that the pope praised the "humble and great" de Porres during the Monday visit. The 16th-century barber-surgeon in Lima was said to have performed miracles including levitation and being in two places at once. (Read more Pope Francis stories.)
(Newser)  President Trump's fight to keep his business records private is increasingly moving to the courts. On Monday, the president and his three oldest children sued two banksDeutsche Bank and Capital Oneto prevent them from turning over details of the Trump Organization to House Democrats, reports USA Today. "This case involves congressional subpoenas that have no legitimate or lawful purpose," the suit asserts. "The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses and the private information of the president and his family." It's all purely for political gain, says Trump's legal team. In response, House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters and House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff called the lawsuit "meritless" in a joint statement.

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At least half a dozen House panels are investigating matters related to Trump's finances for possible corruption, particularly after Michael Cohen's testimony. Among other things, Democrats say they are investigating possible foreign influence in US politics, notes Politico. The New York Times reports that Deutsche Bank in particular has a huge amount of information on Trump, given that it has been handling his deals since the 1990s. The House panels are generally seeking records going back 10 years, but Trump lawyers complain that some requests are "unbounded," meaning they could go back to the childhoods of the president and his children. (This lawsuit comes a week after Trump sued to block his accountant from turning over records.)
(Newser)  Just one victim and no prior arrests. That was the rationale an upstate New York judge had last week for giving the lowest-risk sex offender designation to a former Watertown school bus driver who pleaded guilty earlier this year to raping a 14-year-old girl. Instead, per the Watertown Daily News, Jefferson County Judge James P. McClusky gave Shane M. Piche 10 years' probation and a Level 1 sex-offender designationa status not even required to be included in online sex-offender registries. Prosecutors had sought a Level 2 sex-offender designation. With exceptions, Piche, reportedly 25 or 26, also isn't allowed to be alone with anyone under the age of 17, must pay $1,375 in fees, and has three "no contact" protection orders he must abide by.

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State police say Piche met the girl through his bus driver job, but the sexual assault took place at his home. The Washington Post notes Piche's case "joins a list of controversial punishments in sexual assault cases," including that of Brock Turner, the Stanford student convicted of sexual assault who served three months of a six-month sentence. The mom of the victim says she wishes Piche had received jail time, noting in a victim impact statement seen by 7 News that "he took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety." Meanwhile, USA Today cites a disturbing stat via the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network: that for every 1,000 rapes, only five perpetrators end up in jail. (There was also no jail time for an Oklahoma man who pleaded guilty to raping a 15-year-old.)
(Newser)  Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania has only two fraternities, but protesters staging a days-long sit-in on campus say allegations of systemic sexual violenceincluding the existence of a "rape attic"make it clear they must go. The latest controversy comes after two campus publications published the minutes of meetings at the Phi Psi fraternity from 2012 to 2016 that speak of sexual assaults and are filled with derogatory slams against women and minorities. The school has suspended all frat activities while it investigates. Details and developments:

The start: A handful of students started this Tumblr blog headlined "Why Swarthmore's Fraternities Must Go," reports Inside Higher Ed. Female students detailed their experiences, and it soon gained traction with more than 100 submissions.

A handful of students started this Tumblr blog headlined "Why Swarthmore's Fraternities Must Go," reports Inside Higher Ed. Female students detailed their experiences, and it soon gained traction with more than 100 submissions. The details: Campus publications the Phoenix and Voices separately published leaked meetings minutes in which Phi Psi members purportedly talked about their parties, sexual conquests, etc. "Keep up the hustle this weekend," wrote one member in 2014. "I want to see chicks Olympic torches doused with your seed. The minutes also included photos and videos of women, apparently taken without permission, per the AP.

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'Rape attic': The leaked documents reference a "rape attic," apparently an upstairs bedroom. Swarthmore junior Maya Henry tells the Washington Post that as a member of a student-led organization dedicated to stopping sexual assault, she would regularly monitor Phi Psi parties. "I would sprint up the stairs that lead to the bedroom thats referred to as the rape attic because I knew that there was only one woman up there and a bunch of fraternity brothers, she says.

The leaked documents reference a "rape attic," apparently an upstairs bedroom. Swarthmore junior Maya Henry tells the Washington Post that as a member of a student-led organization dedicated to stopping sexual assault, she would regularly monitor Phi Psi parties. "I would sprint up the stairs that lead to the bedroom thats referred to as the rape attic because I knew that there was only one woman up there and a bunch of fraternity brothers, she says. In defense: In a Facebook post, members of Phi Psi, which is not affiliated with a national fraternity, say they wholeheartedly condemn the language" in the old meeting notes, "as they are not representative of who we are today. They also point out that "all our current brothers were in high school and middle school at the time of these unofficial minutes."

In a Facebook post, members of Phi Psi, which is not affiliated with a national fraternity, say they wholeheartedly condemn the language" in the old meeting notes, "as they are not representative of who we are today. They also point out that "all our current brothers were in high school and middle school at the time of these unofficial minutes." School's move: Valerie Smith, president of the private liberal arts school with 1,600 students in Delaware County, suspended all frat activity and launched an investigation. "What is contained within those pages is vulgar and deeply offensive to all of us," she said, citing "the racism, misogyny, and homophobia described within them."

Valerie Smith, president of the private liberal arts school with 1,600 students in Delaware County, suspended all frat activity and launched an investigation. "What is contained within those pages is vulgar and deeply offensive to all of us," she said, citing "the racism, misogyny, and homophobia described within them." The protesters: They began a sit-in at the Phi Psi campus house Saturday. (It's mostly a meeting house, and only one frat member lives there.) They want the school to disband frats and scrap the two house leases immediately. Well be peaceful, but we will stay put," says senior Morgin Goldberg, who reported a sexual assault by a frat member in her freshman year, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

They began a sit-in at the Phi Psi campus house Saturday. (It's mostly a meeting house, and only one frat member lives there.) They want the school to disband frats and scrap the two house leases immediately. Well be peaceful, but we will stay put," says senior Morgin Goldberg, who reported a sexual assault by a frat member in her freshman year, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. A deeper dive: Philadelphia Magazine wrote a lengthy feature about the school in 2014 headlined, "Rape Happens Here." It details how the school's efforts to resolve conflicts "in the best Quaker tradition" ran into difficulty when 91 complaints of sexual misconduct surfaced in a single year.

(Read more Swarthmore stories.)
(Newser)  Bill Cosby wanted to be released from prison on bail while he appeals his sex-assault conviction. On Monday, a Pennsylvania appeals court said no. The New York Times reports the Pennsylvania Superior Court did not share its reasoning behind the decision. It came just days after Cosby filed a motion with the court that argued the appeals process was being held up by his trial judge, Steven O'Neill, who had yet to issue his opinion in the case. In an accompanying statement published last Wednesday, Cosby's lawyers had this to say: "Were asking that this scandalous judge be removed immediately, and Mr. Cosby be granted bail throughout the appeals process, because the judge's racial hatred towards Mr. Cosby clouds his better judgement to be a good steward of the bench."

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Now, the AP reports those lawyers say they aren't surprised the bail motion was denied and say that the point of it was to highlight the fact they're still waiting for O'Neill's 1925(a) opinion seven months after the trial concludeda period that isn't necessarily unusual with more involved cases. Cosby's lawyers elaborated in a statement: "We feel strongly that Judge O'Neill is delaying writing his 1925(a) Opinion, because he lacks the ability to give valid reasons on many of our appellate issues. ... We strongly feel that our Application for Bail Relief, will force this egregious judge to do the right thing, write his 1925(a) Opinion, so that Mr. Cosby can move forward with his appeal." (Cosby has reportedly called his prison experience "amazing.")
Both the Financial Times and Fortune named Billion Dollar Whale the Best Book of 2018. Its the story of how Goldman Sachs helped Jho Low steal more than $5 billion from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB.

The authors of Billion Dollar Whale are Bradley Hope and Tom Wright of the Wall Street Journal.

Tom Wright, based in Hong Kong, is a Pulitzer finalist, a Loeb winner, and Journalist of the Year in 2016, awarded by the Society of Publishers in Asia.

Bradley Hope, based in London, is also a Pulitzer finalist. He has won a Loeb and the TRACE International Award for Investigative Reporting.

I recently spoke with them about their stunning bestseller, Billion Dollar Whale.

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Q: What sparked your interest in IMDB?

Tom Wright: The first inklings of a story came in 2013, when our Wall Street Journal colleagues wrote about the huge profits Goldman Sachs was making in Malaysia. For the bank to make $600 million in Malaysia made no sense, and it was a red flag. The first hard evidence of fraud emerged in early 2015, when The Edge, a Malaysian newspaper, and the Sarawak Report, a muckraking website, reported on Jho Lows alleged purloining of hundreds of millions of dollars from a state investment fund. We began to look into the story, and in mid-2015 a source leaked us documents that showed Malaysias then-Prime Minister Najib Razak had received $681 million into his private accounts. This was explosive news, implicating a sitting world leader. But Malaysian politics was just the starting point: over the next three years we showed how the money flowed into Hollywood, Las Vegas nightclubs, and even U.S. politics.

Q: Was Tim Leissner, the Goldman Sachs partner in charge of the 1MDB account and someone you describe as prone to go off the reservation, an open secret at the bank?

Tom Wright: Goldman says that Leissner and another banker called Roger Ng were rogue operators. From his earliest days, however, Leissners behavior had raised eyebrows inside Goldman. At one point, he agreed for Goldman to underwrite a multi-billion-dollar rights issue in Malaysia without getting the okay from headquarters. Goldman even launched a probe into Leissners behavior after the banker started a relationship with the CFO of a company that Goldman was advising  but it found to reason to act. What others at Goldman knew about Leissners role in the 1MDB scandal remains to be seen, but the bank certainly overlooked red flags about the star banker, in large part because he was a star rainmaker.

Q: In Leissners plea deal with the DOJ, he admitted circumventing controls at Goldman Sachs but said thats how things got done at the bank. Whats next for Leissner and Goldman Sachs?

Tom Wright: Leissner has pleaded guilty to help Low launder $200 million in funds and bribing foreign officials (yes, the FCPA is not dead under Trump.) Roger Ng, who is under arrest in Malaysia, denies similar charges. One of the big unknowns at this stage is whether others in Goldman could be criminally liable and the answer will help answer whether Leissner went rogue. After his arrest, Leissner appears to have told investigators that Andrea Vella, a Goldman partner who ran structured finance in Asia, helped to hide Lows involvement from compliance. Leissner also talked about a compliance structure that prioritized deal-making over other weeding out malfeasance. But the Justice Department, in indicting Leissner and Ng, only named Vella as a co-conspirator, suggesting they dont have the evidence to charge him. Vella, who is on leave from the bank, denies wrongdoing. Itll also be crucial whether the Justice Department demands Goldman as a firm pleads guilty, or reaches some other kind of deal, including a possible deferred-prosecution agreement. Either way, the bank could face civil penalties of billions of dollars, analysts say.

Q: Are there lessons from 1MDB for todays corporate social responsibility community?

Bradley Hope: Our experience with the 1MDB scandal actually started with the funds flagrant abuse of corporate social responsibility to engage in baldly political spending by the Prime Minister. One of 1MDBs original sins involved overpaying for assets and getting part of that overpayment back as donations to charities affiliated with the fund; Najib and his team then used the money to boost their political partys status in contested areas. That aspect of the scandal was overshadowed quickly by the wholesale theft of billions of dollars from the fund, but its really an important part of 1MDBs evolution into the most looted sovereign fund in history. The lesson for the CSR community is always: wheres the money coming from and does the aid have any ulterior motives. In this case, probably some people who genuinely needed affordable housing got it, but the ruling party got an undisclosed benefit in the process. In short, it was good for a few people, but bad for democracy.

Q: In the book, you talk about the law firms that needed to handle the legal side of the 1MDB-related transactions. Did the legal community help make the fraud possible?



Bradley Hope: The legal sector has enormous powers and understanding of how to structure deals in order to avoid breaking laws. When done correctly, they uphold the law. When done amorally, some practitioners either facilitate fraud or allow themselves to be used for fraud while being able to say they had no way of knowing. I do think law firms should have an anti-money laundering responsibility (like in the UK). In the 1MDB case, not only were law firms used to launder money as part of the original theft, but law firms continue to receive millions of dollars of stolen money to help their clients avoid justice. Both instances are failures that need to be addressed.

Q: You report that Goldman had once rejected Lows request to open a private wealth account at the bank. Yet a future 1MDB-related deal involving Low wound its way through five Goldman committees that look at financial and legal risk. How did that happen?

Tom Wright: Goldman would argue that Leissner and Ng hid Lows involvement at 1MDB from others at the bank. Leissner and Ng knew about the private banks decision to turn Low away, and so they lied about his involvement in 1MDB, knowing that Goldman compliance would nix any investment-bank deal involving the Malaysian. But there are documents, including Goldman emails cited in the Justice Departments civil asset-forfeiture lawsuits, that point toward others beyond Leissner and Ng knowing about Lows secret role at 1MDB. In other cases, Goldman bankers appear to have gone to great lengths to do business with Low despite compliance concerns. In a deal in the Middle East, compliance told bankers that Goldman could not represent Lows firm. So Goldman switched to representing Lows partner in the deal, a Middle Eastern fund. The Justice Department alleges a shell company controlled by Low was paid millions of dollars through the deal.

Q: You write that none of this could have happened without the connivance of scores of senior executives in London, Geneva, New York, Los Angeles, Singaporeand elsewhere. How, then, do you rate the effectiveness of international law enforcement?

Bradley Hope: Only the United States seems to have the willingness, resources and legal ability to go after the big fish. So many countries make noises about pursuing cases like 1MDB, but they cant follow through for a host of reasons. Switzerland is an interesting case in point here. They put out unprecedented press releases about the 1MDB thefts, but years later they dont appear to have done anything, including to the alleged co-conspirators living within their jurisdiction. We dont know the size of the Justice Departments 1MDB file, but it must be extraordinary. Undoubtedly, scores of analysts and investigators have gone through it to build the case.

Q; Jho Low is still an international fugitive. Any idea where he might be?

Bradley Hope: We believe hes moving around between China and Taiwan, laying low and trying to destabilize the Mahathir government as best he can and instructing his many lawyers to try and strike deals with the U.S., Malaysian and Singaporean authorities. He was being careful, but still partying pretty much up until the Malaysian elections last year. Now, hes in a much more cautious stance because hes on everyones radar.

Q: And Najib and his family? Any predictions?

Bradley Hope: It would seem to me that the Malaysian government has a strong case against Najib even beyond the 1MDB case. As prime minister, you could argue he did everything he could to obstruct justice in Malaysia. He replaced all the investigators looking into the matter and declared that 1MDB only had a few corporate governance problems. He blocked foreign investigators from accessing information and, the documents show, he struck deals with China to cover up the whole scandal in exchange for political favors for Beijing. That he and his family also financially benefited from the stolen money is almost secondary to that. Its now before the courts, which will come to a conclusion based on the evidence.

Tom Wright: Najibs trial for money laundering and abuse of power began in April and isnt likely to be over any time soon. I expect multiple challenges and appeals from his lawyers along the way. Najib is playing the populist card  hes even been seen riding public transport!  and I think hes hoping that somehow he can build a movement to call for his release. While the courts in Malaysia can be highly politicized, I dont see this game plan working. I think the case will run its course and he will be judged at some point. As for his wife, Rosmah Mansor, it looks likely her case will start sometime in 2019. Theres huge fascination in Malaysia over her hundreds of Birkin bags and piles of jewelry. And then theres Riza Aziz, her son from a previous marriage, who ran the film company that made The Wolf of Wall Street, allegedly with stolen money. Hes reportedly in Kuala Lumpur, but has not been charged.

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Billion Dollar Whale is available from Amazon here.

____

Richard Bistrong is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog and CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery LLC. In 2010 he pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to violate the FCPA and served fourteen and a half months at a U.S. federal prison camp. He was named to Compliance Weeks list of Top Minds in 2017 and was one of Ethispheres 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics in 2015. He was named by Thomson Reuters in 2018 as a Top 50 Social Influencer in Risk, Compliance and RegTech.

His award winning compliance training video, Behind the Bribe, produced in cooperation with Mastercard, was released in 2017. To request a demo of the full eleven-minute video or a licensing fee schedule, please click here.
(Newser)  Three frat members at Virginia State University are charged with hazing following what police describe as a "tragic event" over the weekend. The Petersburg Bureau of Police has been tight-lipped on what allegedly occurred Sunday in a dead-end area of Pocahontas Islanda peninsula on the north side of the Appomattox River in which two VSU students drowned during an initiation rite almost exactly six years agoother than to say there were no injuries, per the Richmond Times-Dispatch. However, officers have charged Kappa Alpha Psi members Deonte Barkley, 22; George Feggins, 23; and Michael Snipes, 22, each with 10 counts of hazing "so as to cause bodily harm."

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Barkley was arraigned Monday, while Feggins and Snipes are to be arraigned Friday, per the Times-Dispatch. The three men have also been suspended from school pending the outcome of their cases. Another eight students have been referred to the VSU Office of Judicial Affairs for disciplinary action "as a result of student conduct violations." According to officials, the university's anti-hazing policy "clearly states 'every form of hazing to include conspiracy to haze is prohibited.'" The Alpha Phi chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi frat is therefore suspended also. "We would like to thank the officers that discovered this tragic event and [VSU] for their cooperation with this ongoing investigation," police say, per WAVY. (Read more hazing stories.)
(Newser)  A rail track maintenance worker with a base salary of $54,985 made more than 5 times that amount in 2018, working the equivalent of 16 hours a day for all 365 days of the year. The New York Post highlights the case of Marco Pazmino of Long Island Rail Road, who worked "a seemingly impossibleand possibly dangerousnumber of overtime hours" for $256,177, bringing his total compensation to $311,162, according to watchdog group Empire Center. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority hasn't said how long Pazmino actually worked in a single shift, but notes that weekend tours can stretch up to 55 hours during an outage.

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Considering his 4,157 hours of overtime and 1,688 hours at salary, Pazmino worked "an average of 22.4 hours a day from Monday to Friday," per the Post. MTA Chairman Pat Foyewho earned only slightly more than Pazmino at $347,707opened an investigation into LIRR last week after learning its now-retired chief measurement operator, Thomas Caputo, pulled in $344,147 in overtime pay in 2018 on top of his $117,499 salary, per CBS News. "Someone who has worked hundreds of hours in a week should not be driving their personal car let alone operating or working around railroad equipment," Foye tells the Post. (A Chicago train driver fell asleep on the jobmultiple times.)
(Newser)  The only thing clear in chaotic Venezuela Tuesday morning is that it's a day of high tension. Opposition leader and self-declared President Juan Guaido declared that he was taking to the streets with military supporters to begin the "final phase" of his plan to oust leader Nicolas Maduro. But hours after the announcement, no evidence of a widespread military revolt against Maduro was evident, reports the BBC. Meanwhile, VP Mike Pence tweeted, "We are with you!" to Guaido and his supporters. "America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored. Vayan con dios!" On the flip side, Bolivian leader Evo Morales and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez expressed support for Maduro and accused the US of fomenting violence, reports the AP.

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"People of Venezuela, the end of usurpation has arrived," Guaido declared in his morning announcement, accompanied by what the AP describes as a small contingent of soldiers. "We will go to the street with the armed forces to continue taking the streets until we consolidate the end of usurpation, which is already irreversible." The nation's information minister, meanwhile, said soldiers were putting down a "coup attempt" backed by "traitors" in the military. One clash between soldiers and the men with Guaido "fizzled out" near a military air base, and there were no reports of casualties, reports Reuters. The news site sees the day as a big test for Guaido. If nothing comes of his call for a military uprising, it could be a sign that he does not have the support he claims. (Marco Rubio is among those who say Maduro must go.)
(Newser)  A court in southern China handed down sentences Tuesday to at least six foreigners involved in an international methamphetamine operation, including a Canadian given the death penalty. The Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court in southern Guangdong province sentenced 11 people who produced more than 139 pounds of methamphetamine, the AP reports. Among them were one American and four Mexicans, who were all given life sentences or death sentences suspended by a period of two years. The court statement did not make clear which individual received what sentence, nor did it give their full names. The Canadian sentenced to death was identified as "Fan Wei," but it was unclear whether that was the person's legal name. A person identified as Wu Ziping, whose nationality was not specified, was also handed a death sentence.

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The sentence is likely to further strain Sino-Canadian relations, which have frayed since Canada arrested Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of telecom company Huawei, last December at the request of the US. In a separate drug smuggling case, China sentenced Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death in a sudden retrial in Januaryone month after Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained on vague national security allegations. The moves were widely seen as punishment for Meng's arrest. China has also suspended the license of two major Canadian canola exporters, alleging that officials discovered hazardous organisms in canola seed shipments. (Meng is suing Canada.)
(Newser)  The chairman of the House intelligence committee is making a criminal referral to the Justice Department for the founder of the security firm Blackwater, with Adam Schiff alleging Erik Prince lied to his committee in 2017. Prince testified to the panel that a meeting in the Seychelles islands with a Russian with ties to Vladimir Putin was a chance encounter. He said, "I didn't fly there to meet any Russian guy." That's directly contradicted by the special counsel's report on the Russia investigation, which says the meeting was set up ahead of time and that there were communications about it with Trump campaign adviser Steve Bannon. Questions have long surrounded the mysterious meeting, reports the AP, which has more:

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Prince met with Kirill Dmitriev, who headed a Russian sovereign wealth fund, as Trump was preparing to take office and the Russian government was seeking contacts with the incoming administration. Dmitriev reported directly to Putin, according to special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

Prince told Mueller's investigators that he had briefed Bannon on the meeting, but Bannon told them they never discussed it. The report says investigators couldn't iron out the "conflicting accounts" by reviewing communications, in part because text messages between them were missing.

Phone provider records showed that Bannon and Prince had exchanged dozens of messages, including two that Prince sent within hours of the meetings with Dmitriev, but the investigators could not find the messages on their phones. Prince denied deleting messages and Bannon said he did not know why the messages were missing.

Schiff said Tuesday there is strong evidence that Prince, a prominent supporter of President Trump, "willingly misled" the intelligence committee as it probed connections between Trump's campaign and Russia. "The evidence is so weighty that the Justice Department needs to consider this," Schiff said.

One potential wrinkle, from the Washington Post: Schiff and his committee do not yet know what Prince's arrangement with Mueller was. If the men arranged a deal that saw Prince give information "under the condition it not be used against him, then being able to prove" Prince lied in his congressional testimony "might be problematic," says Schiff.

The Justice Department didn't have immediate comment on the referral. Prince is the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

(Read more Erik Prince stories.)
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Butternut Box, a London, UK-based fresh dog food business, raised 15m in funding.

The round was led by Five Seasons Ventures and White Star Capital, with participation from existing backers Passion Capital and Literacy Capital alongside debt financier Kreos Capital. Alongside the funding, former SkyBet chief executive Richard Flint will join the Butternut board.

The company plans to use the funds to:

 launch into Europe and

 develop new dishes, snacks and toys.

Launched in 2016 by Kevin Glynn and David Nolan, Butternut is a box fresh dog food company which has produced more than 8 million meals for dogs across the UK. Dishes are cooked with fresh ingredients and portioned according to a dogs breed, weight, sex and exercise regime before they are delivered to customers.

Last year, the company saw revenues grow by 700 per cent.

FinSMEs

30/04/2019
Glovo, a Barcelona, Spain-based on-demand delivery app, raised 150m (approx. $169M) in Series D funding.

The round was led by Lakestar with participation from Drake, Idinvest Partners, and Korelya Capital. Dharmash Mistry, Partner at Lakestar, will be joining the Glovo board, in conjunction with the funding.

The company intends to use the funds to:

 bolster its global growth in new markets across Africa, Europe and Latin America,

 scale its team of engineers, and

 expand on-demand innovations including its groceries capabilities and dark supermarkets.

Founded in January 2015 by CEO and co-founder Oscar Pierre, and co-founder Sacha Michaud, Glovo provides an on-demand app to deliver everything from food, to groceries and pharmaceutical items in the same city.

Glovo will invest in growing delivery categories beyond food, including laundry, alcohol, pharmacy products and groceries. To accelerate the growth of these categories further, the startup is investing in it groceries vertical, building dark supermarkets, enabling groceries to be delivered to customers within 20 minutes of placing the order. The stores stock up to 1,000 items for Glovers to collect for customers in Barcelona and Madrid.

The company, which operates in 124 cities across 21 countries, including EEMEA, LATAM, and most recently in Sub Saharian Africa, now employs over 1,000 people, 400+ in the Barcelona HQ. Over 35,000 active Glovers make money from the platform.

FinSMEs

30/04/2019
New Delhi:

Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia, who was suspended from the airline in 2018 for three years, was on Tuesday appointed as the Regional Director (Northern Region) of the airline. He will take over the charge on May 1.

Kathpalia was accused of violating aircraft rules, including evading breath analyser test, and forgery in 2017. Subsequently, he was suspended in 2018 for three years after he was tested positive for blood alcohol during a routine pre-flight breath analyser test before flying an aircraft to the US.

"Consequent to the retirement of Mr. Pankaj Kumar, Regional Director (Northern Region) after the close of the working hours of 30th April, 2019, Capt. Arvind Kathpalia will take over the charge of the post of Regional Director (Northern Region) with effect from May 1, 2019," it said.

On November 11 last year, Kathpalia had tested positive for alcohol in two breath analyser (BA) tests before he was to fly Air India's New Delhi-London flight.

The next day, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended his flying licence for three years, and on November 13, the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued an order to remove him from the position of Director Operations.

However, a week later, Air India posted him as Executive Director.

Objecting to Kathpalias appointment, ICPA  the union of Air India pilots  alleged that the top officials were bending backwards to elevate a tainted official.

Top officials are bending backwards to elevate a tainted official. Hes been made in-charge of NR where he'll be able to intimidate people who gave statements in police enquiry, the ICPA said.

A person who has broken the law and has charge-sheet pending against him cannot take disciplinary action against other employees. ICPA strongly condemns this and will withdraw support. It's yet again proven, people with strong political connections can get away with any crime, it added.

Last month, the Delhi High Court had said that Kathpalias laxity in taking a breath analyser test would not lead to the assumption that he was under the influence of alcohol when he operated a flight between New Delhi and Bengaluru in January 2017.

The court, however, did not agree with the pilot's contention that he was in a hurry to take the flight and due to shortage of time, he could not take the pre-flight breath analyser test.

Kathpalia had earlier submitted before the court that it cannot be presumed that just because he missed the breath analyser test, he was intoxicated. He had claimed he could not take the test as he was at work the whole day and was getting late for the flight.

He maintained that he voluntarily went for the post-flight breath analyser test after returning from Bengaluru, in good faith, but the doctor on duty refused to administer the test and only asked him to sign on a register.

According to the police, Kathpalia operated a flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru without undergoing the mandatory pre-flight breath analyser test on January 19, 2017. Further, even at Bengaluru he refused to undergo a similar test.

Later, on his arrival in New Delhi, he allegedly went to Pre-Flight Medical Examination Room and made a false entry in the Pre-Flight Breath Analyzer Examination Register for the flight he had operated.

Police had alleged that Kathpalia has also issued threats and intimidated Nitin Seth, doctor on duty, with a view to coerce him to retract his statement given in inquiry conducted by aviation regulator DGCA, where he had alleged that the Captain had manipulated the record in the register.

It was also alleged that there was violation of aircraft rules apart from tampering of evidence, coercive intimidation.

The high court had by an interim order protected him from any coercive steps while the matter was pending before it. The interim protection was extended by it from time to time.

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New Delhi:

Air India pilot Captain Arvind Kathpalias appointment as regional director of the northern region has been suspended until further notice, the airline said in Tuesday. Arvind Kathpalia's appointment as regional director is kept in abeyance until further orders, Air India said in a statement.

Earlier today, an official document from Air India said that Kathpalia, whose flying licence was suspended in November 2018 after he failed pre-flight alcohol tests, has been appointed Regional Director (Northern Region) in the airline.

On November 11 last year, Kathpalia had tested positive for alcohol in two breath analyser (BA) tests before he was to fly Air India's New Delhi-London flight.

The next day, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended his flying licence for three years, and on November 13, the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued an order to remove him from the position of Director, Operations.

However, a week later, he was posted him as Executive Director by the Airline.

Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which represents the pilots flying the narrow body aircraft of Air India, "strongly" condemned Kathpalia's appointment.

It said,"Top officials are bending backwards to elevate a tainted official. He's been made in-charge of NR (Northern Region) where he will be able to intimidate people who had given statements in police enquiry. Disciplinary action against commanders come under RD-NR. Its ethically wrong.

The ICPA said:"A person who has broken the law and charge sheet pending against him cannot take disciplinary action against other employees. ICPA strongly condemns this. We need justice. It's yet again proven people with strong political connections can get away with any crime."

Kathpalia was taken off flying duties earlier too. In February 2017, when he was working at the position of executive director of operations, his flying licence was suspended for three months on charges of skipping a pre-flight alcohol test.

Consequently, he was removed from the post of executive director of operations. However, in March 2018, he was posted as Director of Operations.

Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him/her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.

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New Delhi:

Premium carrier Vistara, a Tata Group-Singapore Airlines Joint Venture, is hiring around 500  100 pilots and 400 cabin crew  mostly from the grounded Jet Airways. This will be the airlines largest hiring exercise since it began operations over three years back.

The move comes in wake of Jet Airways on April 17 announcing temporary grounding of operations after the 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.

The grounding of Jet has come as an opportunity for the market to hire readily-available skilled workforce from the licenced categories  pilots, engineers and cabin crew  and deploy them directly into specifics roles, thereby saving time and money on training them, sources said.

Tuesday was the last day of the two-day recruitment drive for the cabin crew at the Tatas-Singapore Airline-run Vistara, which took place simultaneously in Mumbai and Gurugram, they said.

"Vistara, which is likely to begin international operations soon, is in the process of inducting 100 pilots besides 400 cabin crew. Most of the new workforce is expected to come from the grounded carrier Jet," said a source.

Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir are other Indian carriers who have taken Jets pilots and cabin crew on board. Air India and Air India Express were also looking at inducting Jets B777s and B737s, respectively, but so far they have not done so.

SpiceJet said it would hire 500 from Jet, including 100 pilots.

Air India Express has also inducted around 25 commanders from the grounded airline's and plans to induct 20-25 more pilots. Its parent Air India has been discussing an internal proposal to lease five of the 10 Boeing 777s of Jet to expand its international footprint.

Meanwhile, in continuing woes for staff, Jet Airways has said there are no funds to pay premium for the group mediclaim policy that expires on Tuesday.

Jet Airways Chief People Officer Rahul Taneja has informed employees that the airline would not be able to fund the premium for the group mediclaim policy.

Noting that the group mediclaim policy would cease from May 1, Taneja urged employees to take a medical insurance cover of their choice.

The abrupt temporary closure of Jet due to cash crunch has left thousands of passengers in the lurch, forcing the ministry to allot some of the slots across domestic and international airports to other local carriers in a bid to help mitigate inconvenience.

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New Delhi:

Karnataka Board 10th Result 2019: The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) announced the Karnataka SSC Results 2019 today. All those candidates who had appeared for their Karnataka Board class 10 exams can check their respective scores by loggin onto the official websites of the Karnataka Board  kseeb.kar.nic.in and karresults.nic.in. Alternatively, the SSLC Results 2019 Karnataka is made available on News Nation result page.

This year, Karnataka SSLC examination was held from March 21 to April 4 in which over 8.41 lakh students from Karnataka had registered.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK KSEEB CLASS 10 RESULT 2019



LIVE UPDATES:

12.27 pm: Two students - Srujana and Naganjali have secured the first position by scoring 625 out of 625 marks in the Karnataka SSLC Exam 2019.

12.25 pm: Of the 8,41,666 students who appeared for the Karnataka SSLC exams, 8,25,468 students cleared them, bringing the overall pass percentage to 73.7 percent.

12.23 pm: Karnataka Board Class 10 Result 2019 declared by KSEEB today.

12.08: General secretary Umashankar of the Primary and Secondary Education Department, Commissioner of Primary and Secondary Education Dr Regu and KSEEB board director V Sumangala will announce the fate of over 8.4 lakh students shortly.

11.53 am: Soon, the Karnataka Board will conduct a press conference and release the KAR SSLC Result 2019 at its official website at kseeb.kar.nic.in karresults.nic.in.

11.18 am: The Karnataka PUC 12th Result 2019 was announced by the KSEEB on April 15. A total of 6.71 lakh students appeared in the PUC exam, of which 4.14 lakh passed.

10.48 am: As per the official update, Karnataka SSLC result will be announced at 12.45 pm.

10.44 am: The pass percentage for last year was recorded at 72.19% overall. Girls had outperformed boys last year.

10.35 am: The press conference for Karnataka SSLC result will begin at 12 noon.

10.12 am: The time for KSEEB Class 10 declaration has been modified. The results would now be released at 12 pm and not at 10 am.

10.06 am: As per few reports, the Karnataka Board Class 10 Result 2019 will be declared at 12 pm today.

09.46 am: Following the declaration of SSLC Result 2019, the admission process for PUC will commence.

09.29 am: As per reports, for the first time this year, students were not allowed to wear digital watches.

09.24 am: Karnataka SSLC Result 2019 will be published online for easy access of the students. After the formal declaration of KSEEB Class 10 Result, students can visit the official websites which are listed below:

english.newsnationtv.com/board-results

karresults.nic.in

09.19 am: Candidates are asked to keep all the details ready for the fast and easy access to the KSEEB Class 10 Result 2019.

09.08 am: No official update has been released regarding Karnataka SSLC result date and time. Students can expect the SSLC result today at 10 am.

08.51 am: Over 8.41 lakh students from Karnataka had registered this year for Karnataka SSLC exam.

08.41 am: This year, the KSEEB Class 10 exam was held from 21st March to 4th April.

08.36 am: Karnataka SSLC Result 2019 will be made on the official website of the board i.e. kseeb.kar.nic.in and karresults.nic.in.

08.28 am: Last year, the Karnataka SSLC Result was announced on May 7.

08.18 am: This year the SSLC result is coming a week earlier than it came last year.

For the convenience of the students, we have mentioned the steps through which the candidates can download the results:



Step 1: Visit english.newsnationtv.com/board-results and click on Karnataka Board page



Step 2: Enter the required details asked in Karnataka SSLC Results 2019 new tab



Step 3: Download your Karnataka Board Class 10th Results 2019

About Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB)



The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) was established to function as a regulatory and supervisory board, to formulate and implement education policies of the Karnataka Government. The KSEEB is in existence since the year 1966. Its jurisdiction includes formulating education policies, school syllabus structuring, yearly examinations for academic evaluation, grading and recognition of schools in the state of Karnataka.
New Delhi:

GBSHSE 12th Results 2019: The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) has announced the Goa Board Class 12 Results today on its official website ghshse.gov.in at 11 am. Alternatively, the candidates can also check their results on this page by clicking on the link given below. The overall pass percentage stood at 87.59 percent. In this article, we have provided all the information related to the Goa Board HSSC examination.



Click here to check Goa Board Class 12 Results 2019

This year, the exams were conducted from 28th February to 26th March. One exam scheduled for March 18 was rescheduled owing to the holiday declared on account of the death of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and was held on March 27.

Goa Board HSSC Result 2019: How to check?

For the convenience of the students, we have mentioned the steps through which the candidates can download the results:

Step 1: Visit english.newsnationtv.com/board-results and click on Goa Board page

Step 2: Enter the required details asked in Goa HSSC Results 2019 new tab

Step 3: Download your Goa Board HSSC Class 12th Results 2019



Last year, the GBSHSE declared the Goa Board Class 12 result on May 10 and recorded an overall 17,893 student registration. Out of total, 16,521 students appeared in the examination and as many as 15,172 passed the Goa HSSC Exam. Around 2,064 students failed to qualify the examination

About Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE)



Established in the year 1975, the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) carries out many responsibilities such as advising the government on education policies, implementation of education policies in the affiliated schools and conducting evaluation through yearly examination at the secondary and higher secondary level. In line with this, the GBSHSE conducts the annual board exams for SSC and HSSC students every year in the month of March-April followed by the declaration of Goa Board Result in the month of May.
New Delhi:

When Indian Army claimed that its team has spotted the "mysterious footprints of the mythical beast Yeti", people on social media were divided with most in disbelief and mocking the claims. While for many, the claim of sighting 'Yeti footprints' looked nothing but funny, it was a perfect opportunity for Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 2014 promise of "Acchhe Din".

"It seems that "Acche Din" are more elusive than the #Yeti," former Uttar Pradesh cheif minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted today.A

It seems that "Acche Din" are more elusive than the #Yeti https://t.co/fUS9AuGyks a Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) April 30, 2019

Earlier in the day, Army had said that itsA Moutaineering Expedition Team sighted footprints of 'Yeti'A close toA Makalu Base Camp on April 9, claiming that the "elusive snowman" had only been seen atA Makalu-Barun National Park in the past.1

"For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to MakaluBase Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past," the Indian Army tweeted.

The yeti - a giant ape-like creature - said to be found at Himalayas often figures in Indian folklore. Although, there is no evidence of Yeti's existance but the myth remains strong in the south Asia country. Reacting to the social media reactions, Army said that the "evidence" about the yeti had been "photographed" and "handed over to subject matter experts".

Meanwhile, experts and scientists have said that there was no evidence to back the Indian Army's claim as theA footprints do not explain all and could be of bear or snow leopard.

Take a look at the incredible reactions of social media users:

Little known fact for all you doubters who say it was one-legged: yetis prefer to catwalk. #Yeti pic.twitter.com/TJ8kWGfR00 a Dhruva Jaishankar (@d_jaishankar) April 29, 2019

Either Iam missing the joke, or the Indian Army is claiming that itas found what it believes is evidence of a literal yeti. YYaai https://t.co/dTai7OFTBu a Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) April 29, 2019

Now that we actually may have tracked a #Yeti, did he vote? Does he have Aadhar? Does he speak Nepali or Hindi? Did I just assume his gender? Will he be offended? a Shubhangi Sharma (@shubh19822) April 30, 2019
New Delhi:

Congress president Rahul Gandhi took a dig Minister Narendra Modi for after a fire broke at Delhias Shastri Bhawan on Tuesday, warning that aburning files is not going to save youa.A Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said: aModi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming. Your day of judgement is coming.aA A

Modi ji burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming. https://t.co/eqFvTJfDgY a Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 30, 2019

Gandhi's tweeted hours after a fire broke out at Shastri Bhawan. Shastri Bhawan houses Ministries of Law, Information and Broadcasting, Corporate Affairs, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, and Human Resources Development.

The fire, which broke out on the seventh floor, was extinguished within a few minutes by the fire tenders. No casualty was reported in the incident. Earlier, a fire had broken out at the Shastri Bhawan after a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit. Before this, a fire broke out on the same floor in 2014.

R Meena, fire official on fire at Delhi's Shastri Bhawan: The fire broke out at the top floor in the waste material of cooler and electrical wires. The reason behind the fire has not been ascertained. At least 5-6 fire tenders were at the spot. pic.twitter.com/bWAltLpurc a ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to file response by May 4 to the petitions seeking review of last December's verdict by which the apex court had dismissed the pleas challenging India's deal to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi did not allow the plea of the Centre that it be granted four weeks time to file its response to the pleas.

It asked it to submit the response latest by Saturday. The bench, which also comprised Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, has fixed May 6 for hearing the petitions.

A
New Delhi:

The Election Commission on Tuesday imposed fresh 48-hour ban on Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan for "threatening" poll authorities, "making communal remarks". This is the second time this month that the EC has imposed a ban on him. The fresh ban will come into force at 6 am on Wednesday. Earlier he was barred from campaigning for 72 hours for his 'khaki underwear' jibe at BJP candidate Jaya Prada.

On April 15, Khan was slapped with a poll campaign ban, an FIR and a women commission notice for his alleged "khaki underwear" jibe, while the saffron party mounted a sharp political attack comparing his "disgusting" comments to disrobing of Draupadi in Mahabharata.

The actor-turned-politician, who was earlier with the SP and has now been pitted by the BJP against Khan from Rampur Lok Sabha seat, demanded his immediate disqualification from contesting polls and said she had considered him a brother but he has now crossed the 'lakshman rekha'.

After examining the remarks made at an election rally by Khan, who has often stoked controversies with his speeches, the Election Commission imposed a nationwide ban on him from campaigning for 72 hours.

During the last Lok Sabha elections in 2014, the EC had imposed a ban on Khan from campaigning in Uttar Pradesh for his provocative speeches and had also lodged an FIR against him.

Khan, however, remained defiant and said he did not name any person in his speech and if anyone proves that he had taken any name or maligned anyone then he would not contest the polls.

Without naming the actor, Khan had told the election rally in Rampur "... You got represented (by her) for 10 years. People of Rampur, people of Uttar Pradesh and people of India, it took you 17 years to understand her reality. But, I could recognize it in 17 days that she wears a khaki underwear."

Jaya Prada had represented Rampur twice in Lok Sabha after winning in 2004 and 2009 as a Samajwadi Party leader. Later she was expelled from the party, along with Amar Singh, following differences with Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Last month she joined BJP and has been nominated as the saffron party's candidate against Khan from Rampur, which goes to polls on April 23.

(With PTI inputs)
UiPath, a NYC-based robotic process automation (RPA) company, closed a $568m a Series D funding.

The round, closed at a post-money valuation of $7 Billion, was led by Coatue, with participation from Dragoneer, Wellington, Sands Capital, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Accel, CapitalG and Sequoia, IVP and Madrona Venture Group.

Since closing its Series A funding in April 2017, the company has:

 expanded its RPA community, which now exceeding more than 400,000 users worldwide across 200 countries and its worldwide customer base to 8 of the top 10 Fortune 500 Global, and over 50 percent of the top 50 Fortune 500 Global,

 delivered six releases of the UiPath Enterprise RPA platform with defense-grade security,

 launched UiPath Go!,

 integrated AI by adding new capabilities like AI Computer Vision,

 increased its annual recurring revenue (ARR) from $8 million to over $200 million, and

 grown its employee base to over 2,500.

Led by Daniel Dines, co-founder and CEO, UiPath is champions a one robot for every person approach, delivering free and open training and collaboration and enabling robots to learn new skills through AI and machine learning. The companys enterprise Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform has already automated millions of repetitive, mind-numbing tasks for business and government organizations all over the world, to improve their productivity, customer experience and employee job satisfaction.

Recent customer additions include American Fidelity, BankUnited, CWT (formerly known as Carlson Wagonlit Travel), Duracell, Google, Japan Exchange Group (JPX), LogMeIn, McDonalds, NHS Shared Business Services, Nippon Life Insurance Company, NTT Communications Corporation, Orange, Ricoh Company, Ltd., Rogers Communications, Shinsei Bank, Quest Diagnostics, Uber, US Navy, Voya Financial, Virgin Media, and World Fuel Services.

FinSMEs

30/04/2019
New Delhi:

A day after Narendra Modi claimed 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday dared the prime minister to at least find one. She also demanded cancellation of PM Modi's candidature from Varanasi for "shamelessly indulging in horse trading".

Making a sensational claim, PM Modi had on Monday said that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the polls.

"Modi said yesterday that 40 Trinamool Congress workers (MLAs) are in talks with the BJP. Look how shamelessly he is indulging in horse trading. His candidature should be immediately cancelled. He has no right to continue as the PM," Banerjee said at a rally in Hooghly district.

PM Modis claim triggered protests within the Trinamool Congress, and senior party leader Derek O'Brien accused the Prime Minister of "horse trading".

"Expiry Babu PM, let's get this straight. Nobody will go with you. Not even one councillor. Are you election campaigning or horse trading! Your expiry date is near. Today, we are complaining to the Election Commission. Charging you with horse trading," his tweet read.

The firebrand Trinamool Congress chief also said that people usually revere national leaders, but Modi was an exception.

Likening the prime minister with Gabbar Singh, the antagonist in the 1975 blockbuster 'Sholay', she said, "National leaders like Netaji (Subhas Chandra Bose) are revered and loved by all. It is only people like Modi and Gabbar Singh that people are scared of."

"What has he done in the last five years? Farmers are committing suicide, unemployment is on the rise," she said.

The chief minister also said the BJP will not be able to establish a foothold in West Bengal, no matter how much the party "daydreams" about it.

"Modi is daydreaming about getting a foothold in West Bengal. His dream will never come true," she added.

In the national capital, the TMC wrote to the Election Commission, alleging that Modi's speech indicates an "impending horse-trading" and asked the poll panel to cancel his nomination for such "provocative and undemocratic" statements.

In its letter to the EC, the TMC demanded "strong action" for the "unfounded, inappropriate and illegal" campaign and utterances of the prime minister.

"You (EC) are thus requested to ask Mr. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister, for evidence in support of his statement, failing which his nomination should be cancelled for violation of the Model Code of Conduct by making such provocative and undemocratic statements," the letter said.
New Delhi:

The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday sent a notice to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over a complaint raised by BJP lawmaker Subramanian Swamy questioning Gandhias citizenship status. News Nation has the copy of the notice. The home ministry has asked the Congress chief to intimate factual position of his citizenship within a fortnight. The notice dated April 29, 2019 stated that Swamy had told the ministry that a company named aBackops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in the year 2003, with address 51 Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9EH and that you (Rahul Gandhi) were one of the Directors and Secretary of the said Company.a

Home Ministry sends notice to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over @Swamy39's complaint



READ full story:https://t.co/zYXayUjvP7 pic.twitter.com/KgIPrP5Jvu a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) April 30, 2019

The notice also added that Swamy in his complaint had also claimed the two annual returns filed by the company had stated Gandhias date of birth as 19/6/1970 and these returns also stated Gandhi as aBritish Citizen.aA

Gandhias citizenship has been raked by his political opposnent in this election season. On April 22, the District Magistrate Court found Gandhias Amethi nomination valid and rejected all aRaul Vincia objections raised by other Independent candidates. Gandhias lawyer KC Kaushik was present in the court to argue on his clientas behalf. On the objections raised over Gandhias nationality, Kaushik said that Gandhi was born in India and he holds an Indian passport, he never took citizenship of any other country. His passport, Voter-ID, and his income tax, everything is of India. aI don't know who Raul Vinci is or where he came from. Rahul Gandhi had done his M Phil in 1995 from University of Cambridge, I have attached a copy of the certificate,a he had added.

On April 20, an independent candidate Saturday raised objections over the Congress president's nomination from Amethi, alleging discrepancies over citizenship and educational qualifications in his election affidavit. Citing the complaint, the BJP said in New Delhi asked Gandhi to come clean on the matter. Complainant Dhruv Lal's lawyer Ravi Prakash showed reporters purported copies of a certificate of incorporation of a UK-registered company in which the Congress leader is stated to be a British national.

Amethi's returning officer Ram Manohar Misra told reporters that Rahul Gandhi's counsel had sought time to reply to the objections and has been asked to do so by Monday. Ravi Prakash claimed that the UK Company had existed for five years and would have made some profit, but that has not been disclosed in the affidavit. He told reporters that he has urged the returning officer to look into this aspect.

The independent candidate's counsel said he has sought a clarification on Gandhi's citizenship as being a UK citizen would bar him from fighting the Lok Sabha elections.

In Delhi, BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao had said it is "stunning" that Gandhi's lawyer sought time to reply to the objections.

"These are serious allegations. Is Rahul Gandhi an Indian citizen or not? Did he ever become a British citizen? He should come out with the real story," he told reporters. Election Commission sources said the returning officer is the final authority on such a matter, but he cannot check the veracity of what is submitted in an election affidavit.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi:

A day after her party's candidate from Madhya Pradesh's Guna joined the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday threatened to withdraw her support to state government. The Congress party formed the government in Madhya Pradesh with the support of BSP after it fell short of majority.

Accusing the Congress party of intimidating her candidates in the state, Mayawati said, "The Congress is not less than the BJP when it comes to misusing government machinery. The Congress had intimidated BSP candidate from Guna by forcing him to join the party. But BSP will answer this by fighting the elections on its own symbol and will also reconsider the continuation of support to the Congress government."

The threat from Mayawati came a day after Lokendra Singh Rajput, BSP candidate from Madhya Pradesh's Guna joined the Congress in presence of Jyotiraditya Scindia. The development was a big setback for the BSP as it had fielded Rajput against Scindia in Guna.

Like Uttar Pradesh, the BSP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) are fighting the Lok Sbaha elections in Madhya Pradesh together. As per their alliance pact, the SP is contesting from Balaghat, Thikri, and Khujrao Parliamentary seats while the BSP will contest the remaining seats.

Mayawati also asked people to be careful from the Congress party's propaganda in Uttar Pradesh, where the party's leaders are asking people to vote for the BJP instead of the BSP-SP coalition.

"Also, the propaganda of Congress leaders in UP that BJP may win, but the BSP-SP coalition should not win, reflects the casteist, narrow and double character of the Congress party. So it is right for people to believe that the BJP can only be defeated by our coalition. People should be careful," she said in a series of tweets.
New Delhi:

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has rubbished the home ministryas citizenship notice to her brother and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. In a sharp reaction, Priyanka said that it was all a big drama. aKya bakwaas hai,a Priyanka said to reporters in Amethi. aThe whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India,a the Congress general secretary was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.A

A

#WATCH | The whole of India knows that @RahulGandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh?" says @priyankagandhi on MHA notice to @RahulGandhi over citizenship, says



READ: https://t.co/vLCEGpiigh pic.twitter.com/TvzgmrxCQv a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) April 30, 2019

The Home Ministry has served a notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi, asking him to clarify within a fortnight his "factual position" on a complaint questioning his citizenship status. In a letter, the Home Ministry said it has received a arepresentationa from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in which it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in?2003 with Rahul as one of its directors.

The Home Ministry said Swamy's letter also mentioned that in the British company's annual returns filed on October 10, 2005 and October 31, 2006, Rahul's date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970 and had declared his nationality as British. "Further, in the dissolution application dated February 17, 2009 of the above referred company, your nationality has been mentioned as British.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this Ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," the Home Ministry notice issued Monday said.A A

An objection on the citizenship issue was also raised by an independent candidate against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, but the returning officer declared his nominations papers as valid on scrutiny.A HeA is seeking re-election from Amethi Lok Sabha constituency which goes to polls in the fifth phase of voting on May 6.A
New Delhi:

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday apologised for attributing 'chowkidar chor hai' jibe at PM Modi to Supreme Court after Rafale order. Gandhis lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi expressed apology and sought time to file another affidavit on Monday.

The top court said that the Congress chief was trying to justify the comment that the court never made. It further said that he was contradicting himself in his affidavit and asked him to admit his mistake.

When you make a mistake, accept it. Everyone does it," the top court said pulling up Gandhi.

During the hearing, Singhvi on behalf of Gandhi said that, there were three errors on my part and I sincerely apologise." Singhvi on behalf of Rahul Gandhi also added that contents of affidavit aren't contradictory to each other as claimed by the counsel for petitioner. The hearing in the case have been adjourned to Monday as Singhvi took time to file a "better affidavit".

Though Gandhi, through his counsel, admitted he made a mistake by wrongly attributing the remark to the apex court, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi observed that in the affidavit filed, at one point the Congress is admitting the mistake and at one point denying of making contemptuous remarks.

"We have great difficulty in understanding what you want to say in the affidavit," said the bench, also comprising justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph.

The top court told Gandhi's counsel that it was not concerned with the political stand narrated in the affidavit.

Gandhi said the use of word regret in the affidavit is like an apology for wrongly attributing the remark which was never made by the apex court.

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who had filed the contempt petition against Gandhi, said it is the grossest kind of contempt.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 6.

Gandhi, while responding on Monday to a notice issued to him by the top court on BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi's petition, once again expressed "regret" for his remarks.

The apex court on April 15 had given a categorical clarification that in its Rafale verdict there was no occasion for it to make a mention of the contemptuous observation that "chowkidar Narendra Modi chor hain" as has been attributed to it by Gandhi.

Gandhi, who filed a fresh affidavit following the formal notice issued to him by the apex court on Lekhi's pleas, has used the word "regret" in bracket.

On April 22, Gandhi had filed an affidavit in response to the apex court's order asking him to give an explanation over his remarks and had said that he was expressing "regret" over it.

However, during the hearing in the matter the next day, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Lekhi, had told a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that the word 'regret' was in a bracket and actually it was a "lip service of apology".

In his fresh affidavit, Gandhi reiterated what he had said in his explanation earlier that his statement was made in the "heat of political campaigning" and there was not the "slightest intention to insinuate" anything regarding the Supreme Court proceedings in any manner.

In her plea, Lekhi, the Lok Sabha MP from the New Delhi constituency, has alleged that Gandhi has attributed his personal remarks to the top court and tried to create prejudice.
New Delhi:

The Election Commission on Tuesday served notice to Samajwadi Partys Varanasi candidate Tej Bahadur Yadav and asked him to get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Border Security Force. The poll panel asked him to file his response by 11 am on May 1.

In its letter, the poll panel said that employees of the state or central government who have been dismissed for corruption or disloyalty to the state shall be disqualified from campaigning for a period of five years.

Yadav, a former BSF constable, was dismissed from the service in 2017 after uploaded a video on social media complaining that poor quality food was being served to the troops in the icy, mountainous region along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. He was later dismissed on the charge of indiscipline.

When Yadav filed his nomination, he had admitted that he was dismissed. However, when he filed his nominations papers again, he omitted it, causing a discrepancy.

Alleging conspiracy behind the EC notice, Yadav said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth want him to cancel his nomination.

He claimed that the Election Commission has served him with notice despite finding nothing wrong in his nomination paper.

The SP, which is in an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, had earlier declared Shalini Yadav as its candidate from Varanasi, while the Congress has renominated Ajai Rai.

"I was sacked for raising the issue of corruption. My sole objective will be to strengthen and eliminate corruption in the forces," Yadav told reporters when asked about the SP decision to field him.

Varanasi will go to polls in the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 19 and the last date for filing nomination is Monday.
New Delhi:

In an interim relief to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, the Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred the hearing of a petition filed by Congress leader Sushmita Dev against the duo for violating the Model Code of Conduct. The top court will next hear the matter on May 2. A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court asked the petitioner to wait for the Election Commission's decision on the matter.

In her petition, Congress leader Sushmita Dev alleged that during their elections rallies, Modi and Shah made hate speeches and indulged in political propaganda in the name of defence forces. She had moved the top court after the Election Commission failed to take any action against the BJP leaders.

Following the criticism from the opposition parties, the Election Commission had said that it will take a decision on cimplaints of model code violations by the prime minister and the BJP chief on Tuesday. Deputy election commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said Monday that the 'full commission' would meet Tuesday morning and decide on the complaints.

"The secretariat has processed everything and place the details before the Commission," he said. The Commission meets every Tuesday and Thursday to discuss important issues. The poll panel is also likely to discuss the possible dates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections on Tuesday.

The state elections could not be held along with Lok Sabha polls as the Union Home Ministry had cited law and order problems in holding simultaneous election. In wake of the EC decision, the Supreme Court decided not to hear the plea and deferred the hearing till next Friday.

Responding to questions on delay on the part of the EC in taking a decision, Saxena said a "comprehensive view" is required for which legal, model code and expenditure divisions are involved.

Addressing a rally in Latur's Ausa in Maharashtra on April 9, Modi had urged young voters to cast ballots in the name of heroes of the Balakot air strike and martyrs of Pulwama attack. According to reports, local poll authorities observed that the remarks of Modi were prima facie violative of its orders, asking parties against using the armed forces in their campaigns.

A decision on Shah's reported remarks on 'Modi ji ki vayu sena' made in West Bengal on Monday will also be taken on Tuesday. The EC had sought reports on Modi and Shah in the context of its advisory issued last month asking parties to desist from indulging in political propaganda involving actions of the armed forces.

(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi:

The Trinamool Congress has written to the Election Commission alleging violation of the Model Code of Conduct by PM Narendra Modi at a rally in West Bengals Sreerampur on Monday. It also demanded that the PM be asked for evidence in support of his statement, failing which his nomination should be cancelled. Attacking the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, PM Modi had claimed that 40 Trinamool Congress lawmakers were in touch with him. In an open warning, PM Modi claimed that these lawmakers will leave Mamatas side on May 23, when the results of the Lok Sabha Elections are declared. Addressing a rally Bengals Srirampur, PM Modi said that, Didi, on 23 May when the results will come, lotus will bloom everywhere and your MLAs will leave you. Even today, Didi, 40 of your MLAs are in contact with me.

In its letter, the Trinamool Congress has said that the "PM is encouraging horse trading, by hinting that the members of the AITC will cross over to the BJP, and using this lie to influence the voters and using this lie to persuade the voters." The letter written on Monday also read, "You are thus requested to ask PM Narendra Modi for evidence in support of his statement, failing which his nomination should be cancelled for violation of the Model Code of Conduct by making such provocative and undemocratic statements."

This is for the first time that Prime Minister has made such a claim, though he has attacked the Trinamool chief regularly. On April 24, Prime Minister had taken a jibe at the Trinamool Congress Chief her "sticker Didi" who labels central welfare schemes as those of her own government. Modi had in his earlier poll meetings in the state called Banerjee, who is among his fiercest critics, "speed breaker Didi" for allegedly blocking implementation of central schemes in the state. He often refers to Banerjee as Didi.

"Speedbreaker Didi is also sticker Didi. She just puts a sticker on central schemes like free electricity or ration for the people to claim that these benefits are from the state government," he said at a rally at Ranaghat in the border district of Nadia. He claimed that Banerjee has betrayed the people of Bengal, who gave her "so much trust and respect" and the the reason why the electorate had voted the Left out of power and supported has not been fulfilled by her yet.

Banerjee had swept to power in 2011 after defeating the Left Front who had been in power for 34 long years in the state.
New Delhi:

In last three years, the demand for Indian films has witnessed a comprehensive growth in China. Many Indian films like Dangal, PK, Secret Superstar, Hichki, Sultan and others have received an overwhelming response in China. And now, Ishaan Khatter and Malavika Mohanan starrer Beyond The Clouds is all set to release in China on May 24.

The special news was recently announced on social media by the film's lead actor Ishaan Khatter. Ishaan wrote on Instagram, aProud to announce the #China release of aBeyond the Cloudsa on the 24th of May, 2019! Sharing some images from behind the scenes.a

Take a look:A

A

In a series of Instagram posts, Ishaan also offered fans a BTS moments galore. From sharing moments of Majidi directing him to offering viewers glimpses of some light-hearted moments in the film, the young actor posted them all.

With another album that he shared, Ishaan wrote, "They say a picture is worth a thousand words.. Indulging myself this one time Amir."

A

Beyond The Clouds will be released in China by the Zee Studios. Vibha Chopra, Head - Zee Studios International (Film Marketing, Distribution, and Acquisition) said, aThe Chinese market is currently being dominated by Indian films and all the films that have travelled to this market in the recent past are a strong testimony of this.a

aIt is an important month for us in the region as we release two beautiful stories that are strong on narrative and high on emotion, yet dramatically different from each other. We are confident that both will find an audience in China," she added.

aMajidias brilliance transcends boundaries. At Zee Studios International we have always strived to take conventional and unconventional films to new territories, opening unexplored avenues for the films that we are distributing. We are excited to see how the Chinese audience reacts to the Beyond The Clouds, a film that has been loved globally,a Vibha concluded.

Beyond The Clouds was previously released in 34 territories by Zee Studios International. Set in the slums of Mumbai, the film tells a story of sibling relationships against the backdrop of the drug mafia.

Importantly, Zee Studios is also releasing the 2017 thriller Mom starring Sridevi in China.

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New Delhi:

We all know that Katrina Kaif was in a relationship with Ranbir Kapoor, and after dating each other for a long time, the two called it quits. In a recent interview, Katrina revealed that she took full responsibility for her part in the equation and the thought that many women and girls go through the same emotion helped her deal with her own inner turmoil.

She said in an interview to Mumbai Mirror, "I had to break before I could proceed to rebuild myself. I had to unravel and feel everything that had happened I had to take full responsibility for my part in the equation, what I could and should have done better. And accept that the parts that I was not responsible for were not my problem."



She added, "One thought that helped me when I was at my lowest was something my mom told me, 'So many girls and women go through the same thing; you feel you are alone, but you are not.' That thought was very comforting."



Kat also said that she is an emotional person and she isn't going to change that for anyone. She said, "I've always been emotional. Im a Cancerian and a sensitive soul. I'm not going to lose that or change that for anyone. But what I have learnt is that as a woman, you must protect and maintain your identity. Your sense of self-worth comes from within and not from another person. You come into this world alone, and you leave alone. Thats something you should not lose sight of."



"I'm not saying be guarded in love. No, love with all your heart. Being in a relationship is beautiful and I have a lot to give to a person. But I know now that nobody else gives you your identity, she further added.



Katrina Kaif's break-up with Ranbir Kapoor happened when the former was in the middle of promotions of Fitoor in 2016. On the work front, Katrina will next be seen in Bharat opposite Salman Khan. Ranbir, on the other hand, will be seen in Brahmastra opposite girlfriend Alia Bhatt.

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Zum, a Redwood City, CA-based logistics platform for rides for school districts and families, secured additional funding from new investor Citi Ventures.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed. It adds to the Series C round of $40m led by BMW i Ventures and supported by other new investors NGP Capital, Volvo Cars Tech Fund, Clearvision, Draper Nexus and existing investors Sequoia Capital and Spark Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth, pursue new strategic partnerships, and double its national footprint by 2020, starting with newly available service in Dallas, Texas.

Founded in 2015 and led by Ritu Narayan, CEO, Zum provides a fleet of cars and vans to handle daily student commuting, extracurricular trips and after-school activities. The company operates a network of vetted drivers and leverages advanced scheduling, routing and tracking technology.

The entrance into Dallas marks the first step for the companys national expansion. It has already hired 100 new drivers (Zumers) in the greater Dallas area.

FinSMEs

30/04/2019
New Delhi:

Young and dynamic producer Mahesh Danannavar has several firsts to his credit. His debut Gujarati film Shu Thayu became the biggest Gujarati blockbuster when it released. Keeping the trend of firsts alive, Mahesh has now decided to make the first ever Gujarati web series. And true to his style Mahesh Danannavar has got some big names from the Gujarati film industry on board for the crime comedy web series which will release on a major OTT platform.

Mahesh says, I love experimenting and doing something new. With such a strong audience for Gujarati cinema, it would be very interesting to see how a web series is received on the digital platform as it also gives us the freedom to reach a vast audience internationally. We have also got some very big names and I am very excited.

Mahesh has confirmed that he has roped in Jayesh Patil as Show Head and Anish Shah and Jagrat Mehta as director The series has already got a great start as the first episode will be premiered at The International Gujarati Film Festival in Los Angles.

Mahesh adds, We have cast some big actors in the series. With such eminence talent, Im sure we will create a strong content driven show.

Mahesh Danannavar is known for his cinematic work in various regional languages. Apart from Gujarati films, he is also producing Kannada film Gaalipata 2 as a producer. Mahesh produces films under his banner MD Media Corp, a Bangalore based production house known for producing entertaining films in multiple languages.
New Delhi :

Severe cyclonic storm 'Fani' is likely to hit Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, south of Puri on May 3 i.e. on Friday with a wind speed of 175-185 kmph gusting up to 205 kmph.A

"Gale wind speed reaching 145-155 kmph gusting to 170 kmph is prevailing over Southwest Bay & adjoining Southeast of Bengal. It is very likely to increase gradually becoming 175-185 kmph gusting to 205 kmph over Westcentral & adjoining Southwest Bay of Bengal off north Tamilnadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh Coast from 1st May morning onwards," Centre said in a release.A

#BREAKING | Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Fani likely to hit Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, south of Puri on May 3 with wind speed of 175-185 kmph gusting upto 205 kmph: @ndmaindia



(ANI) a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) April 30, 2019

According to a forecast issued by the US Navy, the cyclonic system is likely to cross Odisha through the coast, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said, adding, the exact location of the landfall will be clear on Wednesday after the cyclone recurves.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, meanwhile, has released funds from State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF) in advance to four states -- Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Of the total financial assistance of Rs 1,086 crore, Odisha will get Rs 340.87 crore.

The impact of 'Fani' is likely to be much more severe than 'Titli', which had hit the Odisha-Andhra coast last year, said H R Biswas, director of the regional meteorological centre.

At least 60 people had been killed when cyclone 'Titli' struck Odisha in October 2018.

Biswas said 'Fani' is very likely to intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during the next 36 hours, and expected to move northwestwards till May 1 evening, and, thereafter, recurve north-northeastwards towards Odisha coast.

Sethi said 20 units of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), 12 units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 335 units of fire services have been kept in a state of preparedness.

Instruction has been issued to undertake prompt evacuation of people from all vulnerable areas and shift them to the cyclone centres from May 2, he said, adding, all the 880 such centres have been readied for the purpose.

Boats are also kept in readiness for rescue operations if required.

The Indian Air Force, the Navy and Coast Guards have been alerted and their services will be utilised if necessary, Sethi said.

With PTI Inputs

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New Delhi:

Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) Loknath Behera said the state police, the Indian Coast Guard, the Commandos and the bomb detachment squad are on high alert after the Sri Lanka serial blasts in which more than 253 people were killed and 400 others injured.

An analysis of large volumes of technical data like phone calls and social media activities are being done on a daily basis, said Behera.

On Monday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested an Islamic State sympathiser and follower, identified as Riyas Aboobacker, of alleged Sri Lanka bombings mastermind Zahran Hasim from Kerala. Aboobacker admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala.

Aboobacker, alias Abu Dujana, was arrested after he disclosed the NIA that he has been following speeches and videos of Hashim, a radical Tamil-speaking cleric who is believed to have masterminded the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka.

The 29-year-old told the NIA that he has been following Hasim for more than a year and has also followed the speeches of Zakir Naik, an absconding Indian Islamic preacher and the founder of the Islamic Research Foundation.

He was being questioned by the NIA since Sunday when the agency unearthed the Kasargod module of the terrorist outfit in Kerala during multiple raids at the house of three suspects.

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New Delhi :

A sessions court on Tuesday sentenced Narayan Sai, son of jailed self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, to life imprisonment in a rape case of former woman devotee in 2013.A A

Earlier on Friday, Additional Sessions Judge P S Gadhvi of Surat Sessions Court had held him guilty and fixed April 30 as the date of pronouncement of quantum of punishment.A

Besides Sai (47), who is lodged at Lajpore Jail since 2013, the court held four of his aides, including two women, guilty of various offences.

Sai was convicted under IPC sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy). Of the 11 accused, six were acquitted.

Gujarat: Narayan Sai, son of Asaram who was found guilty in a rape case by Surat Sessions Court, has been sentenced to life imprisonment. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/R80kNXo5v6 a ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019

Sai's aides - Dharmishtha alia Ganga, Bhavna alias Jamuna and Pavan alias Hanuman - were held guilty for being part of a conspiracy. Sai's driver Rajkumar alias Ramesh Malhotra was held guilty under IPC section 212 (harbouring an offender).

Ganga and Jamuna, also called "sadhika" (women disciples), were accused of putting the victim in illegal confinement and thrashing her at Sai's behest. They were also accused of trying to brainwash her into agreeing to have a relationship with Sai.

Hanuman, a loyal "sadhak" (disciple) of Sai, was accused of abetment, including taking the victim to Sai's room.

Surat Police had filed a 1,100-page charge sheet against Sai in 2014. In 2013, after Asaram was arrested for raping a girl in Rajasthan, two Surat-based women accused Asaram and his son of sexual exploitation.

The elder sister accused Asaram of sexual assaults between 1997 and 2006 when she lived at his Ahmedabad ashram.

The younger sister accused the godman's son of sexual assaults when she lived at Asaram's ashram in Jahangirpura area of Surat between 2002 and 2005.

Sai was arrested from Delhi-Haryana border in December 2013.

When he was in jail, Surat Police claimed to have unearthed Sai's plans to bribe police officers, doctors and even judicial officers to weaken the case against him.

Asaram, meanwhile, was convicted by a Jodhpur court for rape. The trial against him in the case filed by the Surat-based woman is going on at a Gandhinagar court.

With PTI Inputs

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West Chester, US :

Three women and a man belonging to Sikh community were found dead at an apartment complex in Ohio where multiple gunshots were fired, police said Monday. The president of a local Sikh temple said the family worshiped there and called the deaths a very great loss for our community. He added: Everybody is in shock. Cops were searching a nearby pond for anything that would help crack the case, said New York Post. No suspect has been identified. A man called 911 around 10 pm Sunday, saying he had arrived at the complex in a northern Cincinnati suburb to find four members of his family wounded, according to West Chester Township police. "They are on the ground and bleeding," said the caller, often choking up and out of breath as the dispatcher struggled to get details from him.

"They are all bleeding." At times, he can be heard on the 911 audio frantically yelling "Help!" apparently to neighbours at the Lakefront at West Chester complex.

Township Police Chief Joel Herzog said at a news conference Monday that it's too early in the investigation to suggest a motive. It will be up to the Butler County coroner to determine the cause of death and release the victims' identities, Herzog said.

Herzog said that it didn't appear that anyone had shot back at the perpetrator or perpetrators, whom police were still working to identify.

They were also interviewing family members and neighbours. "It does not appear that the shooter is among the dead," Herzog said, adding that he doesn't believe there is any danger to the community. There was no lockdown in effect at a nearby school, he said.

"It appears to be isolated," Herzog said. He added that the victims all appeared to have lived in the same apartment in the township, which is a growing, mostly suburban area roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Cincinnati. The man who called 911 provided little information on the call about what appeared to have happened. The caller has spoken to investigators, Herzog said. He confirmed that the caller was a relative of the victims.

Police said it appeared the family was preparing dinner when attacked, and there was some smoke when they arrived from the abandoned meal preparation. Authorities have said that multiple agencies, including the State Highway Patrol, have been assisting in the investigation.

Police established a perimeter around the apartment complex early Monday and used police helicopters and K-9 units to search for a suspect. Herzog said: "We're actively searching with all the resources we can."

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New Delhi:

Days after serial blasts on Easter Sunday, cable operators in Sri Lanka blocked Islamic preacher Zakir Naiks Peace TV, according to sources. India and Bangladesh have already banned Peace TV, which has often been used by ISIS recruiters for indoctrination and brainwashing youth. The official announcement in this regard is yet to be made.

On Monday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested an Islamic State sympathiser and follower, identified as Riyas Aboobacker, of alleged Sri Lanka bombings mastermind Zahran Hasim from Kerala, the agency said. Aboobacker admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala. The 29-year-old told the NIA that he has been following Hasim for more than a year and has also followed the speeches of Zakir Naik, an absconding Indian Islamic preacher and the founder of the Islamic Research Foundation.

Naik has been under investigation since 2016, when the Centre banned his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) for five years. The controversial preacher is accused of inciting youth to take up terror activities, giving hate speeches and promoting enmity between communities.

He is being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on several charges under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The preacher, declared a proclaimed offender by a special NIA court in June 2017, is accused of inciting youth to take up terror activities, giving hate speeches and promoting enmity between communities. The NIA filed a charge sheet against Naik and others before a Mumbai court in October 2017.

The Islamic State has claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the bombings. Both Christianity and Islam are minority religions in Sri Lanka, with each accounting for less than 10 per cent of the population. The vast majority of Sri Lankans identify as Buddhist.

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New Delhi:

Changing its stance on Masood Azhar, China on Tuesday said that vexed issue of designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief as a global terrorist by the UN will be "properly resolved" but it did not give any timeline.

China put a technical hold in March on a fresh proposal to impose a ban on the head of Pakistan-based JeM which claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack. It was for the fourth time, China blocked Azhar's listing as a global terrorist by the UN.

China, which is one of the five veto-wielding members of the Security Council, blocked India's efforts in the past to list Azhar as a global terrorist, saying there is not enough evidence against him.

"Support issue of listing(of Masood Azhar), which should be resolved through political consultation within framework of 1267 Committee. We think that is also the consensus of the overwhelming majority of the members of the Council," China said in a statement.

"At present, the relevant consultations are under way in the 1267 Committee. Within the framework. And positive progress has been made. Thirdly, we believe in the joint efforts of all parties. This problem can be properly solved," it added.

He was responding to questions on the media reports that China has reportedly consented to lift its technical hold on a fresh proposal moved by France, the UK and the US to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

The US, the UK and France this time stepped up pressure on Beijing by taking the issue directly to the powerful UN Security Council (UNSC).

Though China can exercise its veto power as a permanent member of the UNSC, Beijing has staunchly opposed the issue to be taken to the apex UN body as it has to publically explain its stand on its reservations to list Azhar, whose group JeM has already been designated as terror outfit by UN, before exercising its veto.

China has accused the US of scuttling progress to resolve the issue by taking it to the UNSC and insisted that it should be resolved at the 1267 Committee whose proceedings are not publicised.

"Regarding the listing issue in the 1267 Committee, we have expressed our position many times and I just want to stress two points," Geng said answering a number of questions on Azhar's issue.

"First, we support the listing issue being settled within the 1267 committee through dialogue and consultation and I believe this is the consensus of most members. Second, the relevant consultations are going on within the committee and has achieved some progress. Third, I believe, with the joint efforts of all parties, this issue can be properly resolved," he said.

On reports that China would lift its technical hold on May 1, he said, "on the listing issue, China is still working with the relevant parties and we are in contact with all relevant parties within the 1267 Committee and I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved."

Asked about the recent visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to Beijing during which he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as well as New Delhi shared the technical evidence of JeM's involvement in the Pulwama terror attack, Geng reiterated that China is still working with the relevant parties.

"I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved," he said.

The efforts to resolve Azhar's listing issue gathered momentum last week with the visit of Imran Khan to Beijing to attend China's 2nd Belt and Road Forum (BRF) which was held here from April 25-27.

During the visit, Khan held talks with Xi, besides meeting Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President Wang Qishan during which India-Pakistan tension following the Pulwama terror attack as well as listing of Azhar reportedly figured.

An official statement of China issued after Xi-Khan meeting on Sunday said the Chinese President had expressed hope that Pakistan and India can meet each other halfway and improve their relations.

Both leaders also exchanged views on the situation in South Asia.

Asked about the outcome of Khan's visit and his talks with the Chinese leaders, Geng said, "I would like to stress that Pakistan is China's 'All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partner'."

Both the countries are "Iron Brothers", he said, adding that "we firmly support each other on the issues concerning our core interests. Pakistan is always one of China's diplomatic priorities".

"No matter how the international and regional situation may evolve, we firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity, independently choosing its development path based on its own conditions, securing a sound external environment and playing a constructive role in international and regional affairs," he said.

"We commend the Pakistani government's and people's efforts in fighting terrorism and extremism and their great endeavours and sacrifices to this end," he said, lauding Pakistan's counter terrorism efforts.

"We call on the international community to fairly and justly see Pakistan's endeavours and contributions in counter terrorism and step up dialogue and cooperation with the country," he said.

China and Pakistan will continue to deepen their high level exchanges and support each other and step up strategic coordination, "make more coordinated efforts in international and regional affairs and deepen our all weather strategic cooperation," he added.

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New Delhi:

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi on Tuesday warned that the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group had been weakened but not defeated.

Notably, Mahdi is on a visit to Berlin. At a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Iraqi Prime Minister said, An IS propaganda video released on Monday with a purported appearance by the jihadist group's elusive supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi showed him in what appeared to be a very simple and isolated location.

"One and a half years ago Daesh controlled large areas in Iraq and Syria, and now Baghdadi appears in an isolated, unknown location," Mahdi added. "He did not seem to be among his followers like the first time in Mosul", he said, referring to a 2014 video in which Baghdadi announced the birth of IS's much-feared caliphate across swathes of Iraq and Syria.

"IS has not completely disappeared but suffered painful blows", the Iraqi PM also added. Mahdi further cautioned that IS group will try to rebuild trust among its fighters and will also to launch further operations like the Sri Lanka April 21 attacks which killed more than 250 people.

"Daesh was broken, but if little cells are left, it could reactivate and resurface and commit painful attacks," he concluded.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the other hand, said the video was a sign that we will remain occupied for some time to come with the question of how IS can finally be defeated.

In the 18-minute video from the Al Furqan network, a bearded man with Baghdadi's appearance says the bombings in Sri Lanka were Islamic State's response to losses in its last territorial stronghold of Baghouz in Syria.

It is to be noted that the video would be the first from Baghdadi since he was filmed in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014. More recent speeches have been released as audio recordings. A US-backed campaign ended Islamic State's control of territory in Iraq in late 2017 and in Syria last month, nearly five years after the group took over vast areas in both countries.

(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

The US Defence Department announced on Monday it would deploy around 320 additional troops to the southern border with Mexico. Troops will support the immigration officials and will add to around 2,900 active duty military and 2,000 National Guard members currently posted to the border. In any situation that requires DoD personnel to be in proximity to migrants, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) law enforcement personnel will be present to conduct all custodial and law enforcement functions, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis said. However, the troops are not tasked to perform any law enforcement functions.



Earlier, President Donald Trump had renewed his threat to send more troops to the U.S.-Mexico border following an incident in which Mexican soldiers confronted U.S. personnel. Mexico blamed the incident on confusion, and said it was not looking for confrontation with the U.S. In morning tweets, Trump said that, Mexicos Soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, claiming, without evidence, that it was done probably as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers on the Border. Better not happen again! he added.

We are now sending ARMED SOLDIERS to the Border. Mexico is not doing nearly enough in apprehending & returning! Trump last year dispatched U.S. troops to the border to assist border personnel in response to several caravans of Central American migrants travelling through Mexico in hopes of reaching the U.S. Many are already armed.

Earlier this month, two U.S. soldiers in a remote area of Texas were confronted by Mexican soldiers who thought the Americans had crossed into Mexico.

The Mexican troops reportedly removed a weapon from one of the American soldiers.

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Los Angeles:

A US Army veteran who was allegedly plotting a large-scale terror attack near Los Angeles as revenge for the recent mass shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, has been arrested, authorities said Monday. Mark Steven Domingo, 26, who had combat experience in Afghanistan and professed to be Muslim, faces federal terror-related charges for plotting to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) at a white nationalist rally in Long Beach this past weekend with the aim of causing mass casualties, officials said.

Domingo was arrested Friday after receiving what he thought was a live bomb packed with nails that was delivered by an undercover agent. According to court documents, Domingo expressed support in online posts and conversations with an FBI source for violent jihad and aspired to become a martyr by seeking retribution for attacks against Muslims.

After considering various options -- including targeting Jews, churches, and police officers -- Domingo decided to detonate an IED at the Long Beach rally, which ended up not taking place, authorities said.

"This investigation successfully disrupted a very real threat posed by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to cause the maximum number of casualties," said US Attorney Nick Hanna.

Domingo, who served in Afghanistan between September 2012 and January 2013, in one message posted to a private group online in early March referred to a mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017 that left 58 dead.

"America needs another Vegas event... that would give them the taste of terror they gladly spread all over the world," he said.

In another posting on March 14, he wrote: "There were mosque shootings in New Zealand. There must be retribution." Authorities said he was referring to the New Zealand mosques massacre the previous day in which 50 people were killed.

After several weeks of plotting with an undercover FBI informant and considering various targets, Domingo finally set his sights on the rally in Long Beach and bought several hundred three-inch (7.6-centimeter) nails to be used as shrapnel inside an explosive device "because they would be long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs," the complaint says. He was arrested after an undercover officer handed him inert devices and the pair travelled to the Long Beach park where the rally was set to take place to conduct surveillance.

"I'm extremely glad to be announcing that we interdicted a potential terrorist attack, rather than outlining the FBI's response to yet another tragedy," said Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "At no time was the public in danger and there is currently no known threat to public safety."

Domingo has been charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. He faces up to 15 years in prison on the charge. He was due to make an initial appearance on court later Monday.

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The Kingdoms Foreign Ministry summoned the deputy charge daffaires of the embassy of Iraq to denounce a recent statement made by Iraqi cleric Muqtada Al Sadr against Bahrain.

The Undersecretary of Regional and GCC Affairs, Ambassador Waheed Mubarak Sayyar, expressed the Kingdoms strong dismissal and objection of the statement issued by Muqtada Al Sadr, in which he mentioned the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The statement is blatant and unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom. It violates the principles of international law and affects the nature of relations between the Kingdom and the Republic of Iraq.
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa arrived in France yesterday at an invitation by French President Emmanuel Macron. Both leaders will hold discussions on bilateral relations and ways of bolstering them as well as the latest regional and international developments.

HM, the King was welcomed on arrival by senior French officials, the Bahraini Ambassador to France and the embassy staff. At the outset, we would like to express our sincere thanks to President Emmanuel Macron for his kind invitation to us to visit this friendly country that has a long history, distinguished human and cultural heritage, a rich culture and abundant diversity and for which my own country has love, appreciation, and respect as well as pride in its strong relations with its friendly people, His Majesty said. The French people are among the most distinguished people with a high taste and a spirit of creativity, tolerance, love and coexistence. Such advanced traits and values are among the most important characteristics shared by our two countries.

We are very proud of the deep strategic relations with the French Republic and we are keen to make these ties stronger. Our relations are constantly evolving, increasing year after year, representing a distinctive example of bilateral ties in all fields that could be emulated. They are based on mutual respect, cooperation, and common interests and built on a common history politically, economically and culturally, which strengthens our confidence and our aspiration for further cooperation to keep our relations prosper at various levels.
Bahrain has been known as a vanguard of multi-cultural society over the years with complete freedom of worship to people belonging to various faiths, sects and creeds, Brigadier Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Assistant Chief of Public Security for Operations and Training Affairs, said.

Shaikh Hamad, who was one the speakers at the Second Derasat Forum, told Bahrain News Agency that Bahrain does not allow or tolerate any extremist views to be imposed or dictated by anyone. Bahrain is a peaceful country, and everybody lives here in complete freedom.

They practice their religion and worship according to their faith without any fear, Shaikh Hamad said. Everyone is welcome in Bahrain and we assure freedom of religion. As for radicalization, it is a global issue that has no religion or nationality. We are ready to counter any threat and fight back by unity, education and preventing our youth from going into wrong directions. As for us, the Ministry of Interior, we work with all our partners to prevent our youth from falling prey to extreme ideas. It is a joint effort based on the cooperation of each one in our society to play their role.
As part of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas visit to the French Republic, the Bahraini business delegation accompanying His Majesty the King signed twelve agreements and memoranda of understanding with French companies and institutions worth $2 billion.

The agreements were signed with the aim of strengthening bilateral economic relations between the two countries and increasing investment cooperation in various fields. This brings the total value of the agreements with France up to $4.63 billion. The agreements signed by the Bahraini business delegation include: an agreement signed between Tatweer petroleum and TOTAL SA around co-operation for the new oil field exploration, five agreements signed by Gulf Air with EPCOR, Thales Inc, Michelin, CFM and SAFRAN Landing Systems, two agreements were signed by Osool with Amundi Asset Management and Tikehau.

The first agreement is linked to the capital market, while the second one targets alternative investments. They also include an agreement was signed by Yousef Bin Ahmed Kanoo with AXA Insurance Company to construct AXAs headquarters in Bahrain and three agreements signed by the Bahrain Airport Company with Thales, who will be implementing an ICT package under the Airport Modernisation Programme.

An agreement was as well signed with ADPI, which will provide the design and supervision of the Bahrain Airport Modernisation Programme. Over 150 Bahraini businessmen and their French counterparts attended the business lunch inaugurated by Zayed Al Zayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism.

The meeting aimed to explore opportunities for investment and trade co-operation between the two countries and discuss ways to further develop relations between the Bahraini and French business sectors. Frederic Sanchez, President of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, delivered a speech in which he commended the growth and development of economic and commercial ties following greater Bahraini-French relations.
Global Investor Group in co-operation with the Central Bank of Bahrain hosted the fourth Middle East Asset Management Forum, which witnessed more than 180 delegates from the MENA financial services sector.

Held at the Gulf Hotel, the wide variety of panelists included asset managers, bankers, lawyers, brokers, academics, regulators, and various world-renowned executives who addressed the main issues, opportunities and challenges facing the industry today. In addition, the event further examined the outlook for asset managers, fixed income, regulation, fintech disruption and much more.

Speaking to Tribune, Abdul Rahman Al Baker, Executive Director of Financial Institutions Supervision at CBB, said It is a great pleasure to be a part of the fourth Annual Middle East Asset Management Forum. I would like to commend the organizers for putting together a stimulating programme, which will no doubt enrich the ongoing dialogue and debate on the asset management industry in the Mena region.

The assets management industry has grown to become an increasingly substantial segment within the international financial markets. Generally, it is estimated that the assets management industry has globally reached around US$80 trillion last year.
TRUMBULL  Hospital officials and others testified Tuesday that the sale of St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport to Hartford Healthcare would benefit both organizations.

The public hearing, which took place before the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy at the Trumbull Marriott, drew around 40 people, including leaders and employees from both hospitals and community members.

It was part of the states Certificate of Need program, which requires some health care providers to obtain state approval before making major changes such as mergers, acquisitions, changing access to services or discontinuing a medical service.

Our priority is the integrity and transparency of this process, said Michaela Mitchell, attorney for the Office of Health Strategy, before opening the hearing to testimony.

The proposed sale of St. Vincents by its current owner Ascension, the nations largest nonprofit health system, to Hartford Health was announced roughly a year ago. But St. Vincents had been looking for a partner for some time, said Dawn Rudolph, the hospitals president and chief executive officer, during her testimony.

Rudolph said the hospital has faced many challenges in recent years, including the loss of many primary care physicians to retirement and other factors. Fewer doctors meant the hospital had to serve fewer patients.

Despite our best efforts, we struggled to keep pace, she said.

Rudolph said Hartford Healthcare was specifically selected as a partner because it was the best equipped to, among other things, provide the hospital with more resources.

Meanwhile, Hartford Healthcare CEO Elliot Joseph testified that adding St. Vincents to its network would both strengthen St. Vincents and expand the reach of Hartford Health into Fairfield County, where St. Vincents would be the networks first hospital.

St. Vincents includes a licensed 473-bed community teaching hospital, a 76-bed inpatient psychiatric facility in Westport, a large multispecialty provider group and St. Vincents Special Needs Services.

Hartford HealthCare, meanwhile, has 19,000 employees, and includes six acute-care hospitals, an extensive behavioral health network, a large multispecialty physician group, a regional home care system, and an array of other services.

If the deal goes through, St. Vincents would be Hartfords second-largest hospital, after 867-bed Hartford Hospital.

After Joseph testified, members of the Office of Health Strategy asked him whether he saw limits to the networks expansion specifically if there was a number of hospitals that would, in his view, make the chain too large.

I dont think theres an easy answer to any of those questions, he said, adding that the ideal size for a network varies from market to market.

Joseph did say that, at this point, the network doesnt have plans to acquire more hospitals after St. Vincents.

Members of the public also testified at the hearing, including Dave Ingmanson, of Stratford, manager over supply chain at St. Vincents. Ingmanson said hes worked for St. Vincents for 35 years and any major change is usually met with some curiosity by most employees. But when news of the possible acquisition by Hartford hit, he said, there was another emotion that surfaced.

I can honestly say that my friends and colleagues are excited, about the potential change, he said.

Officials said people can continue to submit comments until the record closes in roughly a week. After that, the Office of Health Strategy has 60 days to render a decision.
BRIDGEPORT  Bridgeports Stress Factory comedy club owner Vinnie Brand said he was caught by surprise when comic Pete Davidson left before his Monday night show.

Davidson claimed Brand made jokes about his love life, which Brand wholeheartedly denied.

Media reports began surfacing on Tuesday that 25-year-old Davidson, a stand-up comic and Saturday Night Live cast member, left the show, alleging that Brand came out before his set and said dont ask any questions about his exes Ariana Grande or Kate Beckinsale.

Stress Factory crowd, club owner react after Pete Davidson bails on Bridgeport gig. Warning: Some viewers may find some language offensive.

Brand said he was completely blindsided by Davidsons departure. He said he never intended the comments as a joke  he was just setting some ground rules per the request of his performer.

Brand said Davidson had a specific list of rules that he wanted followed, including that no one have cellphones out during his performance, and that no one yell out anything about Davidsons exes. Brand said he was happy to oblige.

Ive known Pete for a long time, Brand said. I love Pete. I dont want any of this to come off like I dont love Pete.

Brand said his only intent was to reiterate the rules with patrons before Davidson hit the stage. He said he even cleared his comments with Davidsons security team before going on.

I was just laying down the rules, he said. If you were there in the room that night, no way would you have thought anything I did was disrespectful.

However, after his talk, Brand went back to Davidson, who told Brand that he had been humiliated by the comments, and that he was leaving. Brand said he begged Davidson not to leave, and that the walk-out could hurt the club. Davidson left anyway, and Brand had to go out and break the news to the crowd.

Brand then performed a stand-up routine in what would have been Davidsons spot.

Davidson took to social media after leaving the Bridgeport comedy club Monday night and briefly talked about what happened in a series of videos posted on his Instagram story.

Hey, guys, in Connecticut, the video begins, Im sorry that we had to leave the show before I got to go on. The owner, Vinnie Brand, disrespected me and did something that I told him not to do and I cant, you know, perform under those circumstances.

Everybody who got tickets to that show: I am doing a free show for you guys, Davidson goes on to say in the video. He said the details of that show are still being worked out, but that it would happen in the next week.

Brand seemed shaken by the incident during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon, calling it deeply hurtful.

I just cant wrap my mind around what happened, he said.

For the most part, fans of Stress Factory seem to have taken Brands side, particularly on the Stress Factory Facebook page. Under a post announcing that Davidson would be performing, disappointed fans complained about the fact that he never took the stage.

Was in attendance last night and Pete never performed but Ill tell you what Vinnie put on one hell of a good show! wrote one poster. Definitely a great time, was my first time there and Ill be back.

Another fan said she was disappointed that he walked out and did not perform.

One of Davidsons claims to fame is that he is the youngest member of the current SNL cast, as well as the first cast member to be born in the 1990s.

Davidson shot his first one-hour stand up special for Comedy Central in 2016 and was named one of Forbes 2016 30 Under 30.

Brand said he hopes the incident wont keep people away from the club. I love the customers, he said. We love Connecticut.

Staff writer Tara ONeill contributed to this story.
BROOKFIELD  The fire marshals office is investigating the cause of a house fire that displaced a family of two Monday morning.

Firefighters were dispatched to 3 New Bridge Road around 9:16 a.m. after a caller reported excessive amounts of smoke coming from the basement and garage of the single-family home.

The split-level house was built in 1979 and sits on two wooded acres of land.

The incident was raised to a two-alarm shortly after firefighters arrived on scene and confirmed there was a structure fire.

Fire companies from towns like Bethel, New Milford and Newtown sent mutual aid to the scene, as well as Roxbury Ambulance.

After encountering heavy fire and smoke conditions in the basement, firefighters ventilated the roof and performed extensive overhaul throughout the 3,622-square-foot home.

The fire was knocked down by 10:09 a.m.

Although it was reported over the radio that one person was transported to the hospital around 10:25 a.m., the Brookfield Volunteer Fire Company posted on Facebook that there were no injuries.

Neither the fire chief nor fire marshal could be reached for comment.

The family is receiving assistance from the Red Cross.

kendra.baker@hearst.com
BROOKFIELD  Construction could begin this fall on a senior living facility that would provide beds for more than 130 people.

The Zoning Commission recently unanimously approved the three-story facility to be built at 291 Federal Road, a half mile down the road from The Village at Brookfield Common, an assisted living community through Benchmark Senior Living.

The building, which includes 89 assisted living and 26 memory care rooms, is expected to meet the demand for housing for the growing senior population, officials have said. The facility will have 136 beds, the Land Use Department said.

Columbia Pacific Advisors, a Washington State-based company, will build the facility. The company has built or owned more than 300 senior living communities across the country.

The plan is to start cleaning up the site to prepare for construction in September, said Greg Elmore, a land use consultant for the developer.

Town officials backed the project, but raised concerns that the increased number of elderly residents would put a strain on the towns paramedic services.

But the facility is not expected to over burden ambulance services, commission members said at their latest meeting.

We welcome these facilities to town, First Selectman Steve Dunn said. This company seems like a good company. We just want to make sure theyre providing the right level of care to their residents.

On average, there are 1,600 ambulance calls a year, with 7.5 percent coming from The Village at Brookfield Common  about one call per bed each year.

Ridgefield officials told Brookfield they see about 1.8 calls per bed each year from its senior living, commission members said, estimating they could expect 136 to 245 calls per year thanks to the new facility and would not need to add another ambulance crew.
(CNN)  The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Kenneth has climbed to 38, the Mozambican government's disaster management institute said on Monday.

Four people have also died in the island nation of Comoros, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The cyclone, the strongest storm to hit the region since records began, made landfall in Mozambique on Thursday.

Kenneth is the second powerful tropical storm to hit southeast Africa in five weeks. Despite its power, Cyclone Kenneth is slow-moving, leading experts to fear it could continue to dump torrential rains on an area still reeling from the devastation wrought by Cyclone Idai.

That storm killed 750 people across southern Africa, forced thousands into camps in March and wreaked an estimated $1 billion worth of damage  about 10% of Mozambique's GDP.

In the commercial hub and provincial capital of Pemba, residents Monday said they hoped the worst was over after a weekend of heavy rains and flooding since Cyclone Kenneth made landfall Thursday.

"The rain has stopped, at least for now. There is still water on the ground but the main roads in the city are now passable," said resident Innocent Mushunje.

Kevin Record, a hotel owner on the hard-hit island of Ibo, said the region was still without power and "waiting for the cavalry to arrive."

Forecasters said northern Mozambique could see up to 500 millimeters of rain (about 20 inches) over the next five days, which could exacerbate the flooding.

"The soil is saturated with rain and the rivers are already swollen, so the emergency is likely to get worse," said Michel Le Pechoux, UNICEF's deputy representative in Mozambique. "We're doing everything we can to get teams and supplies on the ground to keep people safe."

Save the Children said in a separate statement that the storm "has caused extensive damage, ripping homes apart and wiping out entire communities," and is warning that current conditions have made it extremely difficult to deliver aid to those in need.

"We have grave fears for the thousands of families currently taking shelter under the wreckage of their homes. They urgently need food, water and shelter to survive the coming days," said Nicholas Finney, Save the Children's response team leader in Mozambique.

Finney said that the NGO tried to reach some of the hard-hit areas Sunday but were forced to turn back "because rivers had burst their banks and the roads were under water."

"Flights and helicopters have also been grounded and this means humanitarian access is virtually impossible. We are desperately trying to look for ways to deliver emergency supplies," said Finney.

The United Nations' disaster response agency pledged to release $13 million to pay for food, shelter, health, water and sanitation assistance in both Comoros and Mozambique.

"The funds will help in reducing the suffering of the affected people including mitigating the impact on food security caused by the destruction and loss of farmland, livestock and fisheries, in addition to the damage and destruction of homes," said Mark Lowcock, the UN's emergency relief coordinator.

Mozambique's natural disaster management said last week that nearly 3,400 homes were destroyed and more than 18,000 were displaced by Kenneth.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Tropical Cyclone Kenneth death toll rises to 38 in Mozambique, officials say."
Danbury Professional Fire Fighters, Local 801, IAFF / Facebook

DANBURY  A young Ridgefield resident will be the beneficiary of Danbury Professional Fire Fighters Local 801s fifth annual fundraiser on June 9.

Proceeds from the event will go to help fund treatments for 11-year-old Brooke Blake, who has been battling a type of brain tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma for the past four years.
BRIDGEPORT  A former prison guard convicted of sexually abusing a female inmate at the Federal Correctional Institute in Danbury was sentenced to 10 months in prison Monday.

In a prepared statement, U.S. Attorney John H. Durham said 33-year-old Carlos Sanchez engaged in sexual activity with a female inmate at the prison on two occasions last July and August.

Sanchez, formerly of Middlebury, pleaded guilty in December to one count of sexual abuse of a ward. He also resigned from his job at the prison.

The charge carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison, but a plea agreement in the case said federal sentencing guidelines called for a sentence of 10 to 16 months.

According to court documents, Sanchez was born in Ecuador and became a U.S. citizen in 2009 after serving in the Marines for more than four years. He started working for the Bureau of Prisons in 2014 and received outstanding evaluations and several awards.

In short, the history and characteristics of the defendant demonstrate little that is consistent with Mr. Sanchezs illegal actions, federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.

Sanchezs lawyer asked the judge for a suspended sentence, writing in a sentencing memo that his client already feels remorse, shame and intense sense of guilt.

He will carry the enormous burden for what he has done to his wife, children and the victim, all the days of his life, the lawyer, Timothy C. Moynahan, wrote.

U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden handed down the 10-month prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Sanchez is free on a $50,000 bond and is required to report to prison on May 21.

The case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.
DANBURY  Its that time of year again when roadways are littered with potholes  and motorists are not happy.

The News-Times asked readers to report potholes in their home towns. According to the responses  theyre all over the place.

Potholes were reported across the city of Danbury  from Franklin and Main streets in city center to Westview Drive on the east, and Joes Hill Road on the west.

One person described a pothole on Westview Drive as a crater [that] shows up every year. Another said Brushy Hill Road is a continuous series of potholes.

One motorist said she almost got hit head-on by a driver avoiding potholes on West Redding Road.

The entire eastbound lane is full of potholes, forcing drivers to cross the yellow line into oncoming westbound traffic, she said.

Another motorist said the area near the corner of Brushy Hill Road and Old Post Road is in horrendous condition.

Mayor Mark Boughton said the city has six crews  as well as a weekend skeleton crew  that work throughout the pothole season.

We also have a truck that we share with Bethel that drives around, fixing potholes, he said.

When you have warm days and cold nights, along with a bunch of moisture, its not uncommon to get ... buckling of roadways, Boughton said.

The citys biggest problem right now is that hot asphalt is not available this time of year  and it wont be for a couple weeks, he said.

Hot asphalt plants usually dont open up until mid- to late-April, said Boughton, so the city is left with cold patch material to fill the holes in the roads.

The cold patch is not the best material, he said. Its really a temporary fix, and it can wash away in a bad rainstorm or something like that.

The mayor said there are several ways in which the city finds out where pothole work needs to be done.

We have foremen in each each sector of the city who drive around and observe; drivers will tell us, the public notifies us  we pretty much get it from everywhere, he said. We get tips and leads on them, and then we go out and fill them as soon as we can.

As far as he knows, Boughton said, there is no pothole-preventing alternative to asphalt that can be used on roadways. I wish there was, he plaintively said.

Boughton said Danbury has a really busy paving season coming up and he encourages people to report potholes they see. We do everything we can to get out there as fast as we can, he said.

Two months ago, the mayor announced that he wanted to spend $1.7 million  received through a state grant last year  to get an early start on the citys annual road paving program this spring.

The $1.7 million will supplement the $3.7 million the city already set aside for paving in its current budget and give crews more funding to begin drainage and prep work in April and May for paving this summer.

New Milford

Potholes were reported on 10 New Milford roadways, including huge, unavoidable ones on Grove Street and potholes big enough to swallow [a Honda] Civic on Route 109.

They were also reported on Lovers Leap Road, Still River Drive, Carmen Hill Road, Candlewood Lake Road South, Mist Hill Road and Wellsville Avenue in New Milford.

The town has spent about $20,000 on cold patch this winter, said New Milfords highway foreman, Michael Boucher.

Weve ordered probably almost double than what wed normally order in a winter because its been cold and wet, and the holes have opened up a lot more than usual, Boucher said.

New Milford recently got a new pothole truck that will go into use starting next week.

The truck is equipped with a 300-gallon hot emulsion tank and a machine that blows emulsion and stone out of the truck, Boucher said.

Its high volume, low pressure, so it presses it in real tight, he said, adding the truck can be used in all four seasons.

Other towns

In Bethel, potholes were reported on Payne and Taylor roads.

A New Fairfield resident reported potholes on Gillotti Road that vehicles have to swerve [to] just get around. She said her car is in need of a four-wheel alignment because of them.

One Newtown motorist said there are potholes all across town, and the streets are horrible for the taxes they pay. Potholes were also reported between 25 Hundred Acres Road and Phyllis Lane and the entire length of Boggs Hill Road.

There are numerous potholes on Poverty Hollow Road in Redding, according to a resident, who described the road as a narrow and dangerous one thats traveled by many get to and from Joel Barlow High School.

Ridgefield residents reported potholes on Whipstick, Ridgebury and Long Ridge roads. According to one resident, the entire stretch of Long Ridge Road is torn up, causing drivers to cross [the] yellow line into oncoming traffic.

kendra.baker@hearst.com
NEW FAIRFIELD - During the hardest moments of Mark Garrahans life, his best friend was always there with the kind of unconditional support that transformed the pain.

But when the shocking news reached Garrahan that his best friend had been senselessly bludgeoned and stabbed to death in his New Fairfield home by his own wife, who then took her life, Garrahan felt a great absence that had all the makings of a death he might not get over.

You go through this disbelief, where you start calling everybody you can think of to see what they know, Garrahan said of the mid-April murder of Michael Ciorra by his wife Jennifer Ciorra. But it may turn out to be that this is a sad tragedy, with no one you can blame.

Garrahans praise for his lost friend and dismay that answers about Ciorras death are so elusive represents the first time someone close to the murdered father of two has spoken publicly since police revealed on April 15 that he and his wife had been found dead at their Cornell Road home.

State Police have refused to release even basic facts of the death, claiming a statute meant to protect victims of domestic violence bars it.

The coroner ruled Ciorra died from a bludgeon wound to the head and stabbing wounds to the body, and that his wife died by carbon monoxide poisoning.

The couples two sons are living with relatives.

Mike didnt ever indicate to me or any of us who he was close to that there was ever any trouble (with his wife), said Garrahan, who met Ciorra on a neighborhood stickball lot in Garnerville, N.Y., in 1979. I know I may have to just accept it, but what this creates is an inability to get over it.

At a private but packed funeral service last week, Garrahan used the opportunity to ask everyone close to his best friend whether anyone had seen red flags.

No, they all said.

In the absence of answers, Ciorras friends and family found solace in memories of a humble man with a generous spirit who was the best man at more weddings than some people could count.

The short version of Garrahans 40-year-friendship with Ciorra is that it started in childhood when Ciorra moved up from the Bronx with his four brothers and sisters.

They grew close growing up in a Garnerville, a suburban community off the west bank of the Hudson River. They swam in neighborhood pools, drank beer in the local woods, and after college rented beach homes on the Jersey shore each summer.

Ciorra was there for the highs in Garrahans life, such as when he made Eagle Scout, and at the hardest parts of his life.

When my brother shot himself, my father told us to put it out of our heads and to move on, Garrahan said. When I tried to do that and couldnt, my best friend Mike was there to hug me and be by my side through my loss.

Garrahan saw less of Ciorra when he got married and moved to Connecticut, but they still kept in touch, and made sure they told each other how much they appreciated their friendship.

Ciorra had in recent years started a new job as a business operations manager in New York after a career at IBM.

We were just really tight friends, who always had each others back, Garrahan said.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
WASHINGTON  After the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a group of 26 bicyclists created a tradition of riding from Newtown to Washington D.C. each spring to promote gun control. But not this year.

This year Newtowns Team 26 has a different destination  the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa., where about six months ago, 11 people died and seven were wounded as they worshiped.

We rode to Washington six years in a row and during that period of time, Congress has remained paralyzed and has not done anything to make our communities safer, said Monte Frank, an attorney who organized the Team 26 rides.

The teams focus now is to ride through communities to promote activism with the expectation that Washington will follow as the culture changes and people are calling for safe communities, said Frank, who ran unsuccessfully as an independent for lieutenant governor last year.

He said Team 26, named after the 26 victims of the Newtown shooting, is modeling its campaign after the civil rights and LGTB movements, which pressured politicians to move to outlaw discrimination.

As the riders approached Philadelphia Saturday, they learned of another shooting - at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in San Diego, Calif., that resulted in the death of one woman the wounding of a rabbi and two others.

It rocked us to the core, Frank said.

He said his mother is a Holocaust victim and he had always heard the phrase never again.

Unfortunately, thats becoming yet again, Frank said.

Shortly after the cyclists arrived in Baltimore, the journeys halfway point, eight people were shot, one fatally, in a neighborhood in the western part of the city.

On Monday, Team 26 held a press conference with Baltimores acting mayor, Jack Young and members of the city council to denounce the violence.

We are with you 100 percent, said Baltimore City Council Vice President Sharon Green Middleton.

The Newtown shooting on Dec. 14, 2012 , which claimed the lives of 20 first graders and six educators, opened a new chapter in the battle over gun control, spawning a number of new organizations ready to do battle with the National Rifle Association and other militant gun rights groups.

Sandy Hook Promise was among the first. But unlike organizations born of the Newtown massacre, including the Newtown Action Alliance and Moms Demand Action, which push for changes in gun laws, Sandy Hook Promise has become more focused on developing school safety programs and training students to recognize and report warning signs among classmates.

Team 26, seeks to promote cultural change, riding through Peekskill, N.Y, Morristown and Trenton, N.J., and Philadelphia, Pa., as well as Delaware and Baltimore since Friday. Still ahead are 300 more miles through the Allegheny Mountains to Gettysburg and many small towns on the way to Pittsburgh, which the team hopes to reach on Thursday.

Everywhere we stop, we are embraced, Frank said.

States taking the lead

While the Newtown bicyclists are ignoring Washington D.C. this year, the House of Representative, in Democratic hands since last years midterm elections, has approved several gun measures for the first time in decades.

One would lengthen the time the FBI has to conduct a background check of potential gun buyers. Another would expand those background checks to sales at gun shows and between individuals on the internet.

As part of its reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, the U.S. House also voted to lower the criminal threshold to bar someone from buying a gun to include misdemeanor convictions of domestic abuse or stalking charges. Current law applies to felony convictions.

But the U.S. Senate, still under GOP control, is not expected to approve any of these House-passed measures.

So, the focus of many gun control groups has been on state capitols, where they have scored a number of successes.

States enacted more than three times as many gun control laws in 2018 as in 2017.

But the NRA, which is in the midst of a leadership struggle and beset by accusations of self-dealing and poor management, is far from toothless. And when Team 26 reaches Pittsburgh this week, it will be embroiled in a legal struggle with the NRA.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto mayor signed legislation earlier this month restricting the use of assault-style weapons in the city. But supporters of the legislation are facing tough resistance from gun rights advocates who say the city doesnt have the authority to issue such a ban and the NRA has filed a lawsuit on behalf of some Pittsburgh residents.

We are behind the mayor of Pittsburgh, and against attempts to preempt the new gun law, Frank said.

Team 26 riders were buffeted by cold rains and strong headwinds on their trip south to Baltimore. Frank said that the hard ride is symbolic of the struggle for gun control.

As far as a return to Washington D.C. by Team 26, Monte said thats always possible.

When Congress acts, well come down and have a nice celebration, he said.
There were 39 incidents of anti-Jewish harassment, vandalism and assault reported statewide in 2018, according to data released Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents reported across Connecticut reached a peak high in 2017 with 49 incidents, up from 38 in 2016, the ADL said.

While the number of incidents reported to our offices declined slightly in 2018, the level of reported anti-Semitic incidents over the last three years is the highest we have seen in over a decade, said a statement from ADL Connecticut Regional Director Steve Ginsburg. Here in Connecticut, we are redoubling our efforts to educate students, communities, law enforcement and leaders on this pernicious age-old hatred.

The ADLs report featured data from criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs. The data was compiled using information from victims, law enforcement and community leaders.

The full report can be found at adl.org/audit2018.

The ADL data found 19 cases of harassment and threats, 19 cases of vandalism and one assault in Connecticut in 2018.

This data was released Tuesday, just a few days after a shooting at a California synagogue left one dead and three wounded. Following the weekend shooting, Connecticut religious organizations called the incident one of many showing a disturbing trend of attacks on the Jewish community.

Nationwide, the Jewish community saw near-historic levels of anti-Semitic incidents in 2018, the ADL said. Most notably, the ADL said, was the deadly attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October. After the incident, the ADL called it the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the U.S.

The ADL said there were 1,879 reported attacks against Jewish community members and institutions across the county in 2018  the third highest year on record since the ADL started to track this data in the 1970s.

While the overall number of incidents represents a 5 percent decline from the 1,986 incidents reported in 2017, the number of incidents last year remained at near-historic levels  48 percent higher than the total for 2016 and 99 percent higher than in 2015, the ADL said.

Jack McDevitt, director of the Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern University, said in a prepared statement that the data is a great resource that not only researchers can use, but policymakers should look at to make changes.

The audit identifies trends and emerging issues in hate crimes and analyzes these trends in ways that allow policymakers to address the issues in their jurisdiction, McDevitt said. The increased number of anti-Semitic incidents tied to extremist groups is deeply troubling and should be addressed immediately by police and prosecutors.

In response to this data, as the ADL released some policy suggestions.

In the aftermath of the deadliest anti-Semitic incident in American history, public officials and civic leaders should use their bully pulpits to speak out against anti-Semitism and all forms of hate and extremism, the ADL said.

The organization also said it wanted to see Congress hold additional hearings on the increase in hate crime and the rise of extremist groups.

The ADL also said it hopes to see school districts promoting anti-bias and bullying prevention programs in elementary and secondary schools.

Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, state legislators and mayors should increase funding to promote an inclusive school climate and for anti-bias education and hate crime prevention, the ADL said.

It is incumbent upon our leaders to continue fighting anti-Semitism at every opportunity, said ADL Senior Vice President of Programs George Selim, who was a former Department of Homeland Security official. We will continue to advocate for legislative and other remedies to ensure that there is no place for anti-Semitism in our society.
When President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that Britain's intelligence service had helped the Obama administration spy on his 2016 campaign, the British metaphorically yawned and issued verbatim their response to the same Trump charge more than two years earlier.

"Nonsense. . . . Utterly ridiculous and should be ignored," said a spokesman for Government Communications Headquarters, the British equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency.

The same day, when Trump tweeted for the umpteenth time that Mexico "is not doing nearly enough" to apprehend drug smugglers and migrants, and threatened to send "ARMED SOLDIERS" to the border, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador figuratively shrugged.

Mexico would, of course, look into any U.S. concerns, Lopez Obrador said at a Mexico City news conference. But "the most important thing is to tell [Trump] that we are not going to fight with the government of the United States. . . . We are not going to be tripped up by any provocation."

Friendly countries that have been the target of Trump's tweets have learned he is not always bluffing. Aluminum and steel tariffs really were imposed on allies, and the Pentagon is sending more troops to assist in Border Patrol operations.

But few now take Trump's Twitter fulminations at immediate face value. "He has shown us that what's black at 9 a.m. can be gray at 3 p.m. and white at 7 p.m.," said a Mexican diplomat of the president's revolving pronouncements.

Most have learned that responding in kind only makes matters worse. "If you don't pick a fight with him, you take away from Trump the possibility of further enraging himself and everybody else," said the diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid fueling any fires.

Gerard Araud, France's U.S. ambassador until earlier this month, said he told his government early on that tit-for-tat tweets were counterproductive.

First, Araud said, Trump's tweets "are largely for domestic consumption. . . . Second, it's totally useless to answer, because basically it will lead to escalation, and, to be frank in terms of vocabulary, President Trump has an escalation dominance."

In December, Trump indirectly hammered French President Emmanuel Macron, saying that widespread demonstrations across France were in response to the cost of the 2015 Paris climate agreement from which Trump withdrew. The protesters, Trump tweeted, inaccurately, were chanting, "We Want Trump!"

The response was left to Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who noted dryly in a television interview that demonstrators "were not protesting in English, as far as I know."

Macron, on the advice of aides, "didn't engage in childish teenaged behavior," Araud said, so his government "avoided the worst."

"You can talk to my German or my British colleagues," he said. "Every European leader has been the target at some moment of tweeting outbursts. That's part of this strange period that we are living in."

Trump supporters and some White House officials, however, say that foreign leaders ignore Trump's outbursts at their peril. Aides said that the president's tweets are aimed at his domestic audience and meant to give him leverage. Sometimes, he will poll those around him and ask how a particular line of attack might go over with a foreign leader, sizing up their strengths and weaknesses, current and former officials said.

"If they aren't taking him seriously, that's a mistake," said Tom Bossert, former White House homeland security adviser. "The president's style is an interpersonal negotiation style, whereas we've seen other presidents take an institutional style. Even his harsh language is an outgrowth of his interpersonal negotiation style."

Barry Bennett, a Trump ally and lobbyist for foreign governments, said that, while others may be "getting used to his behavior, they don't doubt he would act against them."

"He's proven that he's not usually just bluffing," Bennett said. "The Germans took the [threat of] car tariffs very seriously. . . . I don't remember the Germans flying over here to talk about zero tariffs on cars during the Obama administration."

Trump had been insulting Kim Jong Un for years on Twitter before he warned, as president, that he would rain down "fire and fury" on the North Korean leader. It was the only message the dictator understood, Trump told senior aides gathered in the Oval Office. "Man versus man, me versus Kim," Trump said, according to several aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

When Kim responded in kind, Trump tweeted back asking why the North Korean would "insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat?' "

In Kim's case, trading barbs apparently worked, at least temporarily, leading to two summits and a pause in North Korean nuclear tests and missile launches.

There has been no similar result with Iran, an unending target of threatening tweets, many in all-caps for emphasis. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani generally respond with serious-sounding counterpunches, while Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif often strives for wit.

When Trump segued in a November statement on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to a litany of complaints about Iran, Zarif called the statement "bizarre" and noted that "perhaps we're also responsible for the California fires because we didn't help rake the forests - just like the Finns do?" a take on Trump's musing that Finland had avoided such conflagrations by clearing their forest floors.

Ostensible friends, at least at the beginning, were often the most unnerved by the tweets and frequently turned to those around Trump for explanation or reassurance.

For Germany, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel has been a frequent target, former defense secretary Jim Mattis was the go-to explainer, although German officials said they usually would find that Mattis agreed with them rather than Trump.

British Embassy officials have invited a raft of officials to the ambassador's residence for dinner - including former chief of staff John F. Kelly, national security adviser John Bolton and advisers Stephen Miller and Kellyanne Conway - to help them understand Trump's more puzzling pronouncements.

Kelly, before resigning in December, told military and other officials that Trump's tweets should not be seen as official government policy and they should wait to see it on paper.

Mexico has long looked to White House adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner as an ally, as well as Cabinet members such as Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. business leaders, when the president channeled his ire over migrants toward Mexico and threatened to impose new tariffs or close the border.

Mexican officials are among the most inured to being in the Twitter crosshairs - charged as they were during the campaign with sending criminals and "rapists" into this country.

"There were a lot of expectations that he was going to be a different political animal once he was in office," the Mexican diplomat said. "And he wasn't." Little has changed over the past two years, but "the surprise element is gone."

To some Mexican officials, the torrent of tweeted abuse has become a perverse point of pride. "We don't mean to brag," the diplomat said, "but no other country has been . . . submitted to his rhetoric and insults the way that we were. We developed a very thick skin."
WASHINGTON - Justice Department officials met Monday with Democratic staff for the House Judiciary Committee, but the two sides remained far apart on the terms for Attorney General William Barr's scheduled testimony later this week about the report of special counsel Robert Mueller.

Barr is set to testify Wednesday and Thursday before the Senate and House Judiciary committees about his handling of the conclusions reached by Mueller following his investigation into President Trump's conduct and Russia's election interference in 2016. The House hearing is suddenly in doubt over a dispute about who would question Barr.

The days-long standoff centers on Democrats' demand that part of the questioning be conducted by the committee's lawyers, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Justice Department officials have threatened that Barr may not appear for the hearing under such conditions, while House Democratic staffers have countered that the attorney general may be subpoenaed if he refuses.

It is standard practice in Congress for lawmakers to question witnesses directly, though decades ago, questioning by committee staff was more common.

Even if Barr ends up not testifying this week to House lawmakers, his Senate hearing Wednesday is expected to proceed.

Barr's appearance was not the focus of Monday's discussion between Justice Department officials and House committee staffers. The meeting was held to discuss whether lawmakers would be able to secure more access to redacted portions of the Mueller report before Wednesday, the date the committee set for the Justice Department to turn over its full contents to Congress.

Barr made the Mueller report public earlier this month, but with redactions to avoid revealing grand jury material and information that could compromise ongoing investigations. Democrats are demanding many lawmakers - not just a small number of senior party leaders - be allowed to view its redacted portions.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the House Judiciary Committee chairman, was adamant following the discussion that "there is no middle ground" in the panel's standoff with Barr over the terms of his hearing.

"We've been very clear: Barr has to come. He has to testify. It's none of the business of a witness to try to dictate to a congressional committee what our procedures for questioning him are," Nadler said. "It's not up to anybody from the executive branch to tell the legislative branch how to do our business."

Nadler said the Justice Department seems "very afraid" of the committee counsel's questions, adding that if Barr does not show, they would "take appropriate action." Committee aides indicated Sunday that lawmakers could subpoena the attorney general's testimony.

While Barr's appearance remains uncertain, according to a committee aide, the Justice Department sent staff to the Rayburn House Office Building on Monday to assess the hearing room in which Barr's testimony would take place, if it goes ahead.

Democrats have grown frustrated by what they see as stonewalling from the administration, and that irritation is fueling calls from rank-and-file members to start impeachment proceedings. At this point, leaders are acutely aware that public sentiment does not favor that approach.

But some members believe that, if the president keeps rebuffing congressional requests and summons for interviews and documents, public sentiment may shift, making impeachment more politically palatable.

Nadler was cautious when asked whether the case for impeachment proceedings could become stronger should Barr refuse to appear on Thursday or if the Justice Department misses lawmakers' Wednesday deadline to turn over Mueller's full report.

"It certainly builds a case that the administration and the president is engaged in wholesale obstruction of Congress. Completely extra-constitutional. Trying to make the presidency not responsive to Congress, trying to make the presidency into a monarchy. It's absolutely unacceptable, and we'll take whatever action we have to do to deal with it," Nadler said.

But impeachment? "That remains to be seen," he said.
BRUSSELS - The day before special counsel Robert Mueller submitted his report to the Justice Department last month, Washington was abuzz with what revelations it might contain about contacts between the 2016 Trump campaign and foreign officials. But President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, was an ocean away, delivering a paid speech to a room full of Romanian politicians and policy elites.

Legal analysts said that Parscale's visit breaks no laws so long as he does not do any lobbying in the United States on behalf of foreign clients without registering. But ethics experts said any money changing hands between foreign citizens and campaign officials created an obstacle course of potential risks. And some ethics lawyers worried that Parscale's engagement - which received little attention outside Romania at the time - is a sign that the 2016 Trump campaign's freewheeling approach to foreign contacts may be carrying over to its 2020 successor.

"The appearances are terrible," said Richard Painter, a chief ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush. "You would certainly think that a campaign manager would not take money from foreign nationals in this political environment."

Trump has not banned his campaign officials from taking money from foreign sources, and the campaign declined to comment about any changes it has made this cycle to encourage caution in dealing with foreign entities.

In a statement, Parscale said the "handful of international speeches" he has delivered gave him a chance to see the world with his wife and recuperate from campaign responsibilities.

"We did not grow up with the opportunity to travel internationally, and speaking opportunities have allowed me to share my talent with other professionals in a university setting while having a brief break from the rigorous campaign schedule that I maintain," Parscale said. "This speaking engagement was fully vetted and approved through the necessary channels in advance."

He added, "This is yet another effort by the biased fake news media to systematically target another person in President Trump's orbit."

Parscale did not respond to a question about how much he had been paid in Romania - a trip sponsored by McCann/Thiess Conferences, an event-planning partnership co-founded by Romanian businessman Adrian Thiess and the Bucharest outpost of the McCann international marketing firm. Parscale also would not say how he decides which foreign engagements to accept. Parscale is listed with the Worldwide Speakers Group, an Alexandria, Virginia-based agency. Its website notes his speaking fee as $15,000 to $25,000 and promotes his insider's perspective as Trump's 2016 digital media director.

Since 2016, Parscale has also spoken at conferences in Portugal, Monaco and Croatia.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany emphasized that Parscale was traveling "as a private citizen" and "followed the Trump campaign's approval process governing invitations for outside speaking engagements."

Political operatives from both major parties have said yes to foreign speeches or consulting gigs, but typically after the campaign has ended.

Neither 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook nor 2012 Obama campaign manager Jim Messina gave paid speeches - foreign or domestic - while running their campaigns.

Nor did full-time staffers working on Republican presidential campaigns for George H.W. Bush, Arizona Sen. John McCain, businessman and diplomat Jon Huntsman or former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, according to John Weaver, a campaign strategist who occupied senior roles for all of those candidates.

"I've never heard of anything like this before," Weaver said. "There are too many opportunities where there could be potential conflicts between a presidential campaign and the policies that the candidate could espouse and potential income. It is a conflict-of-interest zone that you just never enter into."

Parscale's engagements stand out because he is currently the full-time leader of a campaign, and because that campaign took extensive heat for its foreign contacts in the last election cycle.

Several top 2016 officials had business relationships with foreign individuals and groups that later became political liabilities. Those included Parscale's predecessor, Paul Manafort, who pleaded guilty to lobbying on behalf of the Ukrainian president without properly registering and hiding money from the Internal Revenue Service. Michael Flynn, a foreign policy adviser during the 2016 campaign who went on briefly to become the national security adviser, admitted to lying about his consulting firm's business with the Turkish government. A company owned by the family of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and adviser, engaged in talks with China's Anbang Insurance Group about a major redevelopment project in Manhattan during the campaign. The deal was scuttled after Kushner's move to the White House.

"It appears the Trump political organization has learned nothing from 2016 about the dangers of senior campaign personnel's entanglement with foreign money," said Trevor Potter, president of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.

Noah Bookbinder, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said Parscale's trip was in line with his sense that Trump and his staffers have "a general approach that if something is not strictly illegal, then it's fine. And the potential for the appearance of impropriety or the appearances of a conflict of interest? It's just not something that concerns them."

A top Republican campaign finance lawyer who reached out at the request of the Trump campaign said it was unfair to compare Parscale's speaking engagement with the business relationships of 2016 campaign officials.

"I don't see any relationship or resemblance between those two things," said the lawyer, Cleta Mitchell. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with this."

Parscale "is not in the policy world. It's not in the policy world in terms of the speech. It's a campaign technician's speech," she said. "I think there's a big difference between people who are involved in policy and people who are not."

"I didn't know much" about Romania before, Parscale told the country's Antena 3 broadcaster during the visit.

"Romania seems to be a very pro-Trump country and a pro-America country, and that's why it's a great honor to come visit," Parscale said.

Although Romania is a U.S. ally, a member of the European Union and oriented against Russia as part of the NATO military alliance, it has been criticized for attempts to weaken judicial independence and labeled by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.

Leaders there have effectively decriminalized low-level corruption among government officials. Romanian Parliament this month approved a new law that would wipe clean the criminal records of top politicians, despite protests from prosecutors, judges and civil society.

In an interview, Thiess said he invited Parscale because "the U.S. presidential campaign is an interesting story, and I read an interesting article about President Trump's campaign boss. I thought it was an exciting story about a man who managed to change the establishment in the U.S. through an online campaign."

Thiess declined to say how much he paid for the visit.

"Obviously there's a cost to hosting him here, but that's all," he said. "I can't speak about any other legal details."

Among others he has hosted in Romania are former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, retired Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill, who says he killed Osama bin Laden, and American physicist and Nobel laureate Kip Thorne.

Parscale's speech was billed inside Romania as an unusual chance to hear about U.S. politics directly from a senior campaign operative. Bucharest, whose center is dominated by the vast Communist-era Palace of Parliament, is an infrequent stop for Americans on the European speaking circuit.

Parscale addressed an invitation-only audience at a cultural forum - a recording indicates that he spoke about the 2016 and 2020 campaigns and made little reference to Romania. Asked a question about U.S. policy toward NATO - a major concern in Bucharest - he said, "That's way too policy for me. I don't work for the administration. Not going to talk about NATO." He also attended a 40-person dinner in his honor, where he socialized with some of the country's political elite.

"We had anyone who's anyone" at the speech, Thiess said.

Some of those in attendance have been bruised by high-level anti-corruption investigations. Former prime minister Adrian Nastase - who has served prison time for bribe-taking, blackmail and illegally raising political funds - wrote in a blog post on his personal website that he gave Parscale a copy of his book, "Romanian-American Partnership - My Contribution."

Also at the speech was Vlad Cosma, a former lawmaker who helped oust the country's chief anti-corruption prosecutor and is battling corruption charges of his own - charges he denies. He did not respond to requests for comment.

Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila did not meet with Parscale. The day after the speech she was in Washington, where she became the first foreign head of government in more than a year known to stay at the Trump International Hotel. A spokesman did not reply to a request for comment.

Parscale and his wife also met separately with the patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church and toured the city with Thiess and others.

"He joked that, for him, the east ends here because he's never been further east than Romania," said Dan Dungaciu, a sociologist who runs a Bucharest-based political science institute and helped host the visit. "He said that, back in America, he'll be the biggest expert on Romania" in Trump's orbit.

- - - Burtea reported from Bucharest.
"In a time when this country's highest powers have taken it as their business to demean the work of journalists," the writer Ta-Nehisi Coates recently said, "it is particularly significant when we honor those who have taken up the tools of journalism to challenge corrupt power wherever it may reside."

In that spirit, the Sidney Hillman Foundation last week announced the winners of the annual Hillman Prizes, which will be awarded on May 7 at a ceremony in New York. Since 1950, the prizes are given in recognition of outstanding journalism in service of the common good. This celebration of a free and independent press is particularly timely at a moment when the White House is waging war on the First Amendment and, according to PEN America, the United States has fallen below the top 30 countries in the world in press freedom.

Each of this year's honorees (I served as a judge alongside Coates and four other journalists) has done invaluable work to expose uncomfortable truths about these turbulent, often troubling times. The Atlantic's Adam Serwer's incisive commentary, especially on issues of race, has made him one of the Trump era's most indispensable voices. The reporters who led NBC News and MSNBC's broadcast coverage of Trump's controversial family separation policy "helped bring national awareness to the Trump Administration's policy and, ultimately, its reversal." While Serwer and the NBC team have fostered a greater understanding of the hideous cruelty of this administration, the rest of the winners have brought vital attention to important stories that, amid the focus on Trump, might otherwise have been overlooked.

In the web journalism category, the prize was awarded to Reuters's Joshua Schneyer, Michael Pell, Andrea Januta and Deborah Nelson for their expose on the living conditions in privatized military housing, "Ambushed at Home." On visits to 16 military bases, the Reuters team discovered families living in slumlike squalor, with hazards ranging from peeling lead paint and black mold, to mice and roaches, and even collapsing ceilings. After Reuters uncovered these deplorable conditions - revealing the discrepancy between the reality of veterans' treatment and how we say we respect and value the military - lead abatement programs were implemented at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and families were moved out of mold-infested homes in Mississippi and North Carolina. As former director of the National Center for Healthy Housing Rebecca Morley said, the reporting spurred "more action than laws that have been on the books for 20 years."

This was also a banner year for women at the Hillmans (despite male journalists still reporting and producing the majority of U.S. news). In addition to MSNBC's Julia Ainsley and Reuters's Januta and Nelson, female journalists won in each of the remaining categories. The prize for newspaper journalism went to the Miami Herald's Julie K. Brown and Emily Michot for their investigation into the secret plea deal that Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, during his tenure as federal prosecutor, negotiated with serial sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein. In the wake of the Herald's three-part series, titled "Perversion of Justice," a federal judge ruled that prosecutors had broken the law by concealing the agreement from Epstein's victims.

ProPublica reporter Hannah Dreier won the prize for magazine journalism for "Trapped in Gangland," which revealed the human costs of law enforcement's botched crackdown on the gang MS-13. Dreier exposed Trump's propaganda about MS-13 as a raging threat to middle America while revealing the true threat of a gang that terrorizes Latino teens on Long Island in the face of police incompetence and indifference. Dreier's powerful reporting inspired readers to raise $35,000 to help a Long Island teenager facing deportation to El Salvador and even prompted the Department of Homeland Security to open a civil rights investigation.

And in the book category, Anna Clark was honored for "The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Urban Tragedy." Residents of Flint, Mich., have now been without clean water for five years. The book thoroughly and humanely examined the factors that led to the crisis, including systemic racism and what Clark identifies as an "apartheid approach to city building," and a breakdown of democratic decision-making. Her book is an urgent warning to other cities with deteriorating infrastructure that could lead to similarly devastating problems.

Today, journalism is under attack from a hostile president and from profit-seeking corporations. In some cases, the public is losing trust in journalists' integrity. Yet while the media are far from perfect, this year's Hillman Prize winners remind us that public-interest journalism can still change lives and spur desperately needed reforms. They demonstrate the resilience of an institution that is vital to democracy. And they should inspire a renewed commitment from all Americans to protecting the free and independent press from those that seek to demean it.
In autum of 1991, after seeing the chaos in the imploding Soviet Union, a nuclear superpower, Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, returned from Moscow and proposed legislation to deal with the crisis. Along with another leading Democrat, Rep. Les Aspin of Wisconsin, he got nowhere. The nation's political mood was turning inward, and some Republicans said the United States should not give the Soviet Union a dime. Reluctantly, Nunn pulled his bill from the Senate on Nov. 13, lamenting that "we are going to sleep" about the dangers.

Then Nunn invited Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., to a small lunch at his office with visiting Soviet officials, who warned that, in a "worst-case" scenario, nuclear weapons could be caught up in a devastating power struggle. A Harvard physicist, Ashton Carter, reinforced the warning, saying in another meeting that "never before has a nuclear power disintegrated." Lugar, alarmed, on Nov. 20 announced his support for immediate action to meet a "strategic danger." His decision galvanized Congress, and soon legislation was approved to begin dealing with the Cold War's legacy of thousands of nuclear warheads and other weapons of mass destruction.
NANAIMO, BC, April 30, 2019 /CNW/ - Atlas Engineered Products ("AEP" or the "Company") (TSX-V: AEP; OTC Markets: APEUF) is pleased to announce its financial and operating results for the seven-month year ended December 31, 2018. All amounts are presented in Canadian dollars.

YEAR END HIGHLIGHTS AND SIGNIFICANT SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

To better align its financial reporting with the calendar year and that of its industry peers, AEP changed its fiscal year-end to December 31, from May 31. AEP's transition year is for the seven-month period ended December 31, 2018, with the comparative period being the twelve-month period ended May 31, 2018. For additional information see the Notice of Change of Year End filed by AEP on SEDAR on January 2, 2019.

Financial Highlights

Selected Financial Results for the Seven and Twelve Months Ended

December 31,

2018 May 31, 2018 Revenue from Existing Business $10,477,215 $10,340,571 Revenue from New Acquisitions 2,875,461 1,256,605 Total Revenue 13,352,676 11,597,176 Cost of Sales 10,241,447 8,725,350 Gross Profit 3,111,229 2,871,826 Gross Margin % 23.3% 24.8%





Operating Expenses 4,685,262 2,700,621 Operating (Loss) Income (1,574,033) 171,205 Net Loss After Adjustments and Taxes (1,250,086) (4,954,765) Adjusted EBITDA (658,423) 1,420,554





Loss per Share, Basic and Fully Diluted ($ per share) 0.04 0.29





Cash on Hand 1,593,762 867,384

Overall revenue for the seven month year ended December 31, 2018 was $13,352,676 , up from $11,597,176 for the previous year 12 months ended May 31, 2018 , representing an overall growth in total revenue from the prior period of 15.1%.

was , up from for the previous year 12 months ended , representing an overall growth in total revenue from the prior period of 15.1%. This increase in total revenues was driven by the completion of acquisitions during the period and the organic growth of AEP's existing operations.

During the transition year ended December 31, 2018 , AEP completed the acquisition of Satellite Building Components Ltd. ("Satellite") in August 2018 , Coastal Windows Ltd. ("Coastal") in October 2018 , and Pacer Building Components Inc. and Tandelle Specialty Inc. (together, "Pacer") in November 2018 .

, AEP completed the acquisition of Satellite Building Components Ltd. ("Satellite") in , Coastal Windows Ltd. ("Coastal") in , and Pacer Building Components Inc. and Tandelle Specialty Inc. (together, "Pacer") in . Revenues from AEP's founding Nanaimo operations for the seven-month year ended December 31, 2018 were $7,307,852 compared to revenues of $6,151,331 for the same seven-month period ended December 31, 2017 , representing period-over-period growth of 19%.

operations for the seven-month year ended were compared to revenues of for the same seven-month period ended , representing period-over-period growth of 19%. Revenues from Clinton Building Components Ltd. ("Clinton") for the seven-month year ended December 31, 2018 were $3,182,638 compared to $2,557,687 (unaudited) for the comparable seven-month period ended December 31, 2017 , representing period-over-period growth of 24%.

were compared to (unaudited) for the comparable seven-month period ended , representing period-over-period growth of 24%. Gross margin ratio for the seven-month year ended December 31, 2018 of 23.3% was consistent with AEP's gross margin ratio for the twelve-month year ended May 31 , 2018.

of 23.3% was consistent with AEP's gross margin ratio for the twelve-month year ended , 2018. Cash on hand during at December 31, 2018 increased to $1,593,762 from $867,384 due in part to the acquisitions completed during the period and to the $4.1 million raised in AEP's a non-brokered private placement financing.

increased to from due in part to the acquisitions completed during the period and to the raised in AEP's a non-brokered private placement financing. Subsequent to the year ended December 31, 2018 , AEP completed the acquisition of South Central Building Systems Ltd. located in Southern Manitoba .

Integration and Optimization Strategy

Dirk Maritz, President and CEO of AEP stated "During our transition year ended December 31, 2018, we executed on our strategy of acquiring and operating profitable, well-established companies in Canada's truss and engineered products industry. Since going public on November 6, 2017, we have grown our Canadian footprint to six plants operating in British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario. We are strengthening the financial and operational performance of our acquisitions through standardized best practices, dedicated sales outreach, cost efficiencies and extended product mix. We intend to continue this strategic acquisition path moving forward."

"The pace at which we are growing is the result of our first-mover advantage and business strategy. Our industry is fragmented, made up mostly of independent operators producing specialized products. We are consolidating these narrow-focused operations and delivering a fully integrated service to builders and developers both big and small. We believe that there continues to be a significant opportunity for ongoing growth through strategic acquisitions and organic improvements that contribute to bottom-line profits."

Mr. Maritz continued, "As part of our integration and optimization strategy we have decentralized our corporate structure to operate as regional hubs supported by a lean head office to provide the most effective means of managing a geographically diverse operation. Our head office team has been structured to provide corporate support to regional management teams in the areas of Corporate Strategy, Operational Excellence, Organizational Development and Human Resources, Finance, Procurement, and IT Infrastructure. Combined, we currently employ 179 people as of year-end. Our organization structure is comprised four executive team members, six senior team leaders (mainly comprising of operational leadership) and 169 operational staff dispersed throughout our locations. Forty percent of the executive and senior leadership team are female."

About Atlas Engineered Products Ltd.

AEP is a newly listed growth company, as of November 2017, that is acquiring and operating profitable, well-established operations in Canada's truss and engineered products industry. We have a well-defined and disciplined acquisition and operating strategy enabling us to scale aggressively, giving us a unique opportunity to consolidate a fragmented industry of independent operators.

Forward Looking Information

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. 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, including those to be described in the Annual Information Form filed by the Company on June 1, 2018 and the Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the Company's seven-month year ended December 31, 2018. 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.

Selected Financial Information

Except as noted below, the financial information provided in this news release is derived from the Company's audited financial statements for the transition year ended December 31, 2018 and the related notes thereto as prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and related IFRS Interpretations Committee ("IFRICs") as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB"). A copy of the Company's audited financial statements for the transition year ended December 31, 2018 and the related Management's Discussion and Analysis is available on the Company's website at www.atlasengineeredproducts.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Financial information for the Company's acquisitions are included in the Company's audited financial statements from the date of acquisition. Financial information for acquired businesses for periods prior to the date of acquisition were prepared by management and have not been reviewed or audited by independent auditors.

Non-GAAP / Non-IFRS Financial Measures

Certain financial measures in this news release do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and, therefore are considered non-IFRS or non-GAAP measures. These non-IFRS measures are used by management to facilitate the analysis and comparison of period-to-period operating results for the Company and to assess whether the Company's operations are generating sufficient operating cash flow to fund working capital needs and to fund capital expenditures. As these non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS, these measures may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. The non-IFRS measures used in this news release include "EBITDA", "EBITDA Margin", "adjusted EBITDA", and "adjusted EBITDA Margin". "EBITDA" is calculated as revenue less operating expenses before interest expense, interest income, amortization and depletion, impairment charges, and income taxes. "EBITDA Margin" is EBITDA expressed as a percentage of revenues. "Adjusted EBITDA" is EBITDA after adjusting for share-based payments, foreign exchange gains or losses and non-recurring items. "Adjusted EBITDA Margin" is Adjusted EBITDA expressed as a percentage of revenues.

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.

SOURCE Atlas Engineered Products Ltd.

For further information: Atlas Engineered Products Ltd., Dirk Maritz, CEO & President, Phone: 1-250-754-1400, Email: [email protected], Unit 102, 6551 Aulds Road, Nanaimo, BC V9S 5X9, www.atlasengineeredproducts.com; Atlas Engineered Products Ltd., Bill Woods, Chief Financial Office, Phone: 1-250-754-1400, Email: [email protected], Unit 102, 6551 Aulds Road, Nanaimo, BC V9S 5X9, www.atlasengineeredproducts.com; For investor relations please contact: Rob Gamley, Phone: 1-604-689-7422, Email: [email protected], Contact Financial Corp., 810 - 609 Granville St., Vancouver, BC V7Y 1G5
(All prices are in Canadian dollars and are conservative estimates.)

The anticipated headliner of the upcoming auction is a painting by Henri Matisse, one of the most prominent figures of 20th Century Modernism, whose iconic works crown the collections of the world's most famous museums. A stunning example from Matisse's time in Nice, painted in 1919, Femme assise sur un balcon is the first major oil on canvas by the legendary artist offered at auction in Canada, representing a milestone for the Canadian market. The work bears illustrious provenance, as it has remained in the artist's family for generations, passed down through his son Pierre and eventually to his grandson Pierre-Noel.

A number of works from the Estate of Blema and H. Arnold Steinberg are featured in the auction, among the best examples of Post-War & Contemporary Art on offer globally. Included in a list of the top 200 collectors in the world by ARTnews, the late couple had extraordinary taste and a profound passion for art that is mirrored in these worksand in their collection as a whole. Two exceptional examples by Jean Paul Riopelle lead the grouping; they will be offered alongside works by Paul-Emile Borduas, Guido Molinari and others. The Steinbergs were remarkable human beings, renowned across Canada for their contributions to the community, their leadership and their philanthropy. It is a true honour for Heffel to offer works from their collection.

"Heffel's international offering this spring marks an important milestone in the growth of our firm and signifies the maturity of the art market in Canada," said David Heffel, President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "The strength of the masterpieces on offer shows an increased prominence of our artists and collectors, and positions Heffel as a leader among the top participants in the global art market."

Highlights from the Heffel Spring 2019 Auction

Henri Matisse, one of the most important artists of all time, leads Heffel's spring auction with Femme assise sur un balcon . The 1919 work is the first major canvas by Matisse offered at auction in Canada (est. $3,800,000  5,800,000).

Ten magnificent works from the Estate of Blema and H. Arnold Steinberg , revered Canadian philanthropists, are led by two museum-quality masterpieces by Jean Paul Riopelle , Incandescence and Carnaval II (each est. $1,500,000  2,500,000), and an untitled canvas from Paul-Emile Borduas's sought-after black and white period (est. $300,000  500,000).

Consigned from the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario are three special works by A.Y. Jackson, including the major canvases Laurentian Hills (est. $250,000  350,000) and Red Cedar (est. $125,000  175,000). The works present an opportunity for collectors to bring home a piece of Canadian history with significant museum and prior private collection provenance.

Works by Jack Bush have seen increased international interest and market activity in recent years, including Heffel's record-breaking sale of Strawberry in 2018. Leading three works on offer by the renowned Colour Field painter is Across and Down (est. $400,000  600,000) , a large-scale canvas that represented Canada at the IX Bienal de Sao Paulo in 1967.

Lawren Harris shines this season with Coldwell, Lake Superior (Lake Superior Sketch CXXXIX) (est. $250,000  350,000), the Group of Seven period work consigned by the Women's Art Association of Canada , as well as an energetic abstract canvas titled LSH #26 (est. $100,000  150,000), recently included in the touring exhibition Higher States : Lawren Harris and His American Contemporaries.

The Post-War offering features excellent examples by many distinguished artists from outside of Canada . Among the highlights are Fernando Botero's Girl Reading Her Diary (est. $300,000  500,000), Chu Teh-Chun's Bleute (est. $175,000  225,000) and Asger Jorn's Promenade des amoureux (est. $250,000  350,000).

Another first for the Canadian art market is a small but powerful canvas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Paysage et maison, Cagnes was painted at Renoir's family home in the picturesque French Riviera (est. $100,000  150,000). Consignor proceeds from the sale of this lot will benefit the United Way of the Lower Mainland, Vancouver .

Jean Paul Riopelle canvases round out an extensive group of works by the Automatist painter, each from a coveted period in his career. Riopelle's work was recently on view in the international exhibition Mitchell/Riopelle: Nothing in Moderation , proudly supported by Heffel, presented at the Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec, Art Gallery of Ontario and Fonds Helene et Edouard Leclerc in Landerneau, France . Six morecanvases round out an extensive group of works by the Automatist painter, each from a coveted period in his career. Riopelle's work was recently on view in the international exhibition, proudly supported by Heffel, presented at the Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec, Art Gallery ofand Fonds Helene et Edouard Leclerc in Landerneau,

Emily Carr's paintings are rare to the market and continue to fetch impressive results at auction. Telegraph Bay and Stump in Forest are both quintessential, dynamic works on paper that epitomize Carr's love for the British Columbia landscape (est. $250,000  350,000 and $80,000  100,000, respectively).

Heffel Spring 2019 Auction Schedule



To give interested buyers from across Canada an opportunity to view these works, the collection will be previewed in four cities leading up to the live auction:

Calgary : Friday, April 12 to Sunday, April 14 , 11 am  6 pm, Heffel Gallery (888 4th Avenue SW, Unit 609)

Vancouver : Saturday, May 4 to Tuesday, May 7, 11 am  6 pm, Heffel Gallery (2247 Granville Street)

Montreal : Thursday, May 16 to Saturday, May 18, 11 am  6 pm, Galerie Heffel (1840 rue Sherbrooke Ouest)

Toronto : Saturday, May 25 to Tuesday, May 28, 10 am  6 pm and Wednesday, May 29 , 10 am  noon, Design Exchange (Exhibition Hall, 234 Bay Street)

The two-session live auction will take place on Wednesday, May 29 at Design Exchange (The Historic Trading Floor, 234 Bay Street, Toronto):

4:00 pm ET  Post-War & Contemporary Art

7:00 pm ET  Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art

For details on the previews and live auction, and to access the online catalogues, please visit www.heffel.com .

About Heffel Fine Art Auction House

Heffel has sold more Canadian art than any other auctioneer worldwide, with sales totaling more than half a billion dollars since 1978. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary, Heffel has the most experienced team of fine art specialists in Canada and provides superior client service to both sellers and buyers internationally.

SOURCE Heffel Fine Art Auction House

For further information: to schedule an interview or media viewing, or for high-resolution images, please contact: Rebecca Rykiss, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, [email protected], 416-961-6505 ext. 323

Related Links

www.heffel.com


by Cait Bladt

Several candidates in the first post-#MeToo presidential election have already been embroiled in scandals. Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign was criticized for its mishandling of sexual harassment accusations. Joe Biden has been in the limelight for his tendency to touch women inappropriately. Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand have also dealt with accusations of misconduct within their offices. However, the sitting president has also been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women. Do these accusations even matter to voters?

A survey from the Public Religion Research Institute of potential voters was released shortly before the 2018 primary elections. According to NBC News, pollsters found roughly 60 percents of voters would not support a candidate who had been accused "of sexual harassment by multiple people."

However, researchers found the results varied wildly depending on the respondents political affiliation.

More than half  56 percent  of Republicans overall, and 61 percent of Republican men, said they would still consider voting for an accused candidate, the poll found. ...But it also cant be dismissed that Republicans are led by a president who has been accused of misconduct by more than 20 women  charges he categorically denies  and who was caught on tape graphically describing unwanted groping of women. While 70 percent of voters in 2016 said that they were bothered by Trumps overall treatment of women, he won the election. And Trump has also continued to defend allies accused of sexual wrongdoing, including former FOX News host Bill OReilly and Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.

The Washington Post reports these poll results can be backed up by anecdotal evidence. In the midterm election, candidate Roy Moore was accused of sexually assaulting several teen girls. Moore lost the election but still garnered a non-negligible number of votes.

Its unclear to what extent these allegations of sexual misconduct will sway public opinion in Tuesdays races, but anecdotal and polling evidence has shown that partisan loyalty, particularly among Republicans, can lead voters to question or brush off allegations of sexual harassment or assault. A survey earlier this year from the Public Religion Research Institute found that 58 percent of Americans who disagree that sexual harassment claims are just a misunderstanding said vote Democratic, while 38 percent vote Republican. Kelly Dittmar, a scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, wrote in the nonpartisan blog Gender Watch that voters intolerance for misogynist behavior and beliefs is far from universal. For example, Dittmar wrote, while Roy Moore lost his Senate race after being accused of misconduct with teenage girls, he still garnered 650,000 votes. President Trump was elected despite accusations of sexual misconduct from more than a dozen women.

Democrats have shown much more likely to turn against politicians after allegations of sexual misconduct. Per Vox:

When Sen. Al Franken faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct in December 2017, Democrats forced him to resign. In the Alabama Senate election that same month, the overwhelming majority of Republican voters backed Roy Moore despite multiple well-documented allegations of the candidate preying on underage girls (also, Donald Trump is president). Whats going here is a classic divide over social change. The Democratic Party, in keeping with its social credo, has fully embraced the #MeToo movement: both its leaders and rank-and-file members committing to the idea that sexual assault is underreported and that victims deserve to be heard. Republican leaders and voters, including accused sexual assault perpetrator Donald Trump, have openly worried that the movement is going too far  that false accusations are running rampant and men shouldnt be punished in the way they have been since the Harvey Weinstein allegations broke. Its a very scary time for young men in America, as Trump put it in comments to press on Tuesday.

After the hearings of Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, many politicians and advocates called for the public to take allegations of sexual misconduct with more sincerity. Some, including Debra Katz, Blasey Fords attorney, believe that dismissing womens claims based on the fact they cannot meet an incredibly high evidential threshold is wrong and dangerous. Per NPR:

"These talking points are being used to discredit women and to weaponize this issue of sexual harassment and sexual assault just simply for partisan gain," says Katz. "The president [is] deliberately muddying the facts to confuse people about what sexual harassment and sexual assault are by blaming victims, and in that way giving people a pass for engaging in the behavior," she says. "And it's dangerous."

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.
Public transportation is a money-losing proposition. But Connecticut is home to one of the few profitable transit companies in the U.S.

Its not CTtransit or Metro-North, both of which are heavily subsidized. No, the operation thats squarely in the black is the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Steamboat Co., a.k.a. the ferry.

If you tried to start this ferry company today, you couldnt do it, the ferry companys Chief Operating Officer Fred Hall said. Todays ferry is a legacy of the 1883 cross-Sound service run by P.T. Barnum.

Hall has been on the boats since 1976 when he worked weekends as a bartender as a side-hustle to his advertising job in New York City. In those days, they ran a Friday and Saturday night Rock the Sound cruise departing at 10 p.m. from Port Jefferson, N.Y. Complete with a live rock band and a lot of drinking (the legal age then was 18), the three-hour cruise drew 600 passengers a night.

Hall was then promoted to general manager of the Bridgeport terminal, assistant general manager and finally to vice president in charge of the entire operation. He thoroughly enjoys his work, commuting from his home on Long Island to inspect the three-vessel fleet several times a week.

Hes not alone: the ferry carries nearly 100 daily walk-on commuters, crossing in both directions, who are an important indicator of the economys strength to Hall.

When the numbers of monthly commuter (at $240 per month) are high, thats a sign of a weakening jobs market because people have to commute long distances to find work, he observes.

But the opposite is true for the amount of cars carried on the ferry.

In 2005, we carried 460,000 cars, he said. In 2018, only 450,000.

Why? Hall says many of his repeat customers are using the ferry to get to second homes  beach houses on Long Island or winter ski cabins in New England.

You can probably fly out west in the winter and get more reliable snow conditions and still save money compared to driving to Vermont, Hall says of his northbound Long Island customers.

Big changes are coming for the Bridgeport ferry, starting with an annual May fare increase. Tickets, previously sold on board using carnival tickets on a broom handle, are now e-tickets sold and scanned before boarding. If youre bringing a car, reservations are needed, especially on weekends. If you show up without a ticket, expect to pay a surcharge, just like on Metro-North.

The ferry company is still seeking to move to a new, larger terminal farther east in the harbor, a 19-acre site that will also support a deep-water shipping pier  if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredges the harbor.

But that work is a Catch-22, Hall says. They dredge where theres shipping traffic. But that traffic depends on dredging.

The new, $35 million ferry terminal will save up to eight minutes unloading and loading the ship and allow passengers to board using Jetways.

The terminal could open as soon as in 2020 or 2021. The ferry company also hopes to add a fourth boat to its fleet, built in the U.S. and likely to cost between $30 million and $40 million.

But long rumored plans to run additional ferry service from New Haven to Port Jefferson likely wont happen, Hall said. He said the company couldnt find the land for a New Haven terminal.
EAST HAVEN  With the number of meals it provides to needy East Haveners nearly doubling in just one year, the East Haven Food Pantry could use a little help.

Food Pantry President Dianne Romans and Vice President Christine Sandford recently told the Town Council that the amount of assistance the pantry provided nearly doubled from 2017 to 2018  from 59,000 meals in 2017 to 104,000 meals in 2018.

You can lend a hand  and also have some fun and maybe a little wine and cheese while youre at it  on May 9. Thats when supporters of the Food Pantry  which operates entirely on donations of both money and food  will hold a fundraiser at the Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Trolley rides will be $10 per person. Wine and cheese will be served and there will be a 50/50 raffle.

The East Haven Food Pantry is also one of the beneficiaries of The Great Give, a 36-hour online-giving event to raise money for area nonprofits which takes place this Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To give to the pantry as part of The Great Give, go online to: www.thegreatgive.org/organizations/the-east-haven-food-pantry.

The pantry, which is run with the help of about 60 volunteers, is located in Christ and the Epiphany Church, 39 Park Place. The church has been its home since 1994.

The pantrys hours are 9-11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays. The only requirements to receive assistance is that applicants have ID and be able to provide proof that they live in East Haven.

There are no income requirements. Residents can come twice in a calendar month to pick up food.

Food donations are accepted anytime the pantry is open. Monetary donations may be mailed to the East Haven Food Pantry in care of Christ and the Epiphany Church, 39 Park Place, East Haven, CT 06512.

For more information about the pantry or its programs, call 203-467-4668 or visit http://easthavenfoodpantry.org.

Romans and Sandford reported the stark increase in the amount of assistance the food pantry provided at a Jan. 8 council meeting, according to Town Council minutes.

In 2018, the East Haven Food Pantry provided 104,000 meals to more than 449 families, Romans and Sandford told the council.

The current location of the pantry is not fully accessible to people with disabilities, so Romans and Sandford are hoping to get fully-accessible space in the renovation of the town portion of the old high school building at 200 Tyler St.

Currently, people with disabilities either have to find someone to pick up their food for them, or volunteers have to walk it out to the car for them, Sandford and Romans told the council.

Among the food pantrys supporters are East Haven churches and other organizationss, Stop & Shop and Shop Rite, both which have stores in town, Big Y in North Branford, Cumberland Farms in Branford and various individuals who send in monthly checks.

The pantry also works with the Connecticut Food Bank, they said.

In addition, the East Haven Food Pantry gets a small stipend from the town, Romans and Sandford said.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
HAMDEN  Community organizers continue to pressure officials into investigation a recent officer-involved shooting, with dozens protesting through art Monday.

More than 50 people, organized by People Against Police Brutality and Hamden Action Now, gathered at Miller Memorial Library to create protest art expressing the ways in which they are against police violence.

They gathered to demand justice for the couple shot at by Hamden and Yale police officers April 16 and for the man who died in a crash on Quinnipiac Avenue after being pursued by Hamden police into New Haven.

Hamden police Officer Devin Eaton and Yale Officer Terrance Pollock fired multiple times into a Honda Civic on Argyle Street in New Haven early on the morning of April 16, wounding passenger Stephanie Washington, 22. The officers stopped the car, which matched the description of one in an alleged armed robbery. No evidence of a gun was found in the car and the person who reported the alleged robbery later retracted the statement that he had seen a gun.

The Connecticut State Police investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Jarelle Gibbs was a passenger in a car that crashed on Quinnipiac Avenue Aug. 17, 2018, after police pursued the vehicle he was in into New Haven on the report of it being stolen. A state investigation into that incident also is ongoing.

Organizers Monday took their message down Dixwell Avenue to Government Center, where Mayor Curt B. Leng was meeting with Legislative Council members.

Inside, they shouted for immediate termination and an independent investigation of Eaton. They marched into the reception area of the mayors office where Leng met the crowd.

Organizers delivered a signed letter asking for a fully independent investigation into the April 16 shooting; that Eaton be immediately fired; that the mayor schedule community conversations focused on police violence; that he appoint a permanent police chief; and that Hamden create a civilian review board as an oversight to police.

We will accept nothing less than an independent investigation, organizer Kerry Ellington said. Hamden cant investigate itself. We understand thats a huge conflict of interest.

Leng said he signed paperwork Monday to bring in an independent contractor to conduct the internal investigation on the policies potentially violated. Leng said hes hoping the report will be delivered to the Hamden Board of Police Commissioners to act on within four weeks.

That is unacceptable, Ellington said. She said the police commission has the authority to conduct an investigation and the mayor should recommend it.

Leng said he would not say yes or no about whether he would recommend an independent investigation. I dont make rash decisions, he said.

Its not a lack of desire for an independent investigation, its a matter of process, he said. Our local process to begin with is for the internal investigation, per the labor contract.

Community organizer Shelton Tucker asked what criteria would demand an independent investigation.

If the officer is not held fully accountable for those actions, Leng said. He said he had seen enough to recommend terminating the officer, but it was out of his control.

Now we have to see what happens with local and internal investigation, he said. Leng was then drowned out by shouts demanding the mayor terminate now.

Ellington said the only thing the organizers wanted in that moment was for Leng to publicly recommend an independent investigation, but Leng said if the town didnt follow the right steps, the opposite of what all of us want will happen.

Doing it right would be starting with an independent investigation, Ellington then said.

Rachel Liu said before the crowd marched into the mayors outer office that the towns response so far has fallen short of what the community is asking.

We asked for an independent investigation and theyre doing an internal one, she said.

New Haven resident Pedro Hanlan said he was upset when he heard about the shooting because he has experienced racial discrimination at the hands of police and could relate to Washington and Witherspoon.

Im not perfect but Im trying every day to do positive things, said Hanlan, a nursing student at Gateway Community College.

He said he came to protest something bigger than just the Hamden Police Department and this shooting, but discriminatory treatment by police in all departments and towns. Having more people of color involved in the demonstration would have made a bigger difference, he said.

mdignan@hearstmediact.com
WALLINGFORD  Three Hartford residents were arrested early Tuesday morning after allegedly fleeing from an officer in a stolen vehicle, according to the Wallingford Police Department.

A Wallingford police officer saw a white Ford Escape stopped at the intersection of Washington Street and Quinnipiac Avenue at approximately 2:45 a.m., then determined it was a stolen vehicle through a registration check, Lt. Cheryl Bradley said in a release.

The officer attempted to pull over the vehicle at which time the operator engaged the officer in a pursuit. The pursuit ended when the operator crashed while attempting to enter the northbound ramp to Route 15, said Bradley. One of the suspects was caught after a short foot pursuit and two others were caught a short time later when a Wallingford resident reported seeing two males walking down her street. One occupant escaped.

Quentin Johnson, 18, of East Street, Hartford, was charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree larceny, interfering with an officer and possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana, Bradley said.

He was held in lieu of a $5,000 bond and scheduled to appear in court May 9.

The other two individuals arrested were teenagers, Bradley said  one 15, the other 17.

Both were charged with the same offenses as Johnson, then transported to a Hartford juvenile detention facility. They are both scheduled to appear in Juvenile Court in Hartford May 8.

A motor vehicle was stolen from Parker Farms Road later Tuesday morning, Bradley said. The department is investigating whether the individual that escaped arrest after the case was responsible.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
I have never worn the blue and I have never been a potentially dangerous suspect.

But I would imagine the space between a cop and a suspect during a confrontation is energized by adrenaline and heightened with fear and nerves on edge.

I would think it is in that dead space that bullets fly or strength wins out, lives are lost or conquered, heroes are made or lamented and law and order is restored or defeated.

And while I know it is not at the top of conversation when talking about police, it is also where cops take bullets, too.

I would think any rational person would understand these very basics about cops and robbers because cops dont wear bullet-proof vests for nothing.

That is why when we send police into a potentially dangerous situation, the information they are armed with must be accurate, because it is also in that dead space where mistakes are made.

The events leading to the police shooting of two people in Hamden during the early morning hours of April 16 call for accountability.

I will leave it to the Rev. Boise Kimber and activist groups such as People Against Police Brutality and Hamden Action Now, along with the general public, to keep the focus on holding the two officers involved, Hamden police Officer Devin Eaton and Yale Officer Terrance Pollock, accountable.

But while they are demanding that accountability should include an independent investigation to remain truly transparent, I am going to switch focus and also demand the public be held accountable for its own actions, too.

Everyone should be outraged at what unfolded in those early morning hours when Eaton and Pollock opened fire on Paul Witherspoon and Stephanie Washington while they were in a car.

I cant imagine the terror they must have felt as the loud crack of bullets popped and exploded around them in that small, enclosed space, shattering glass with the intention of finding their marks  or at the very least, wounding them sufficiently enough to be subdued.

But the public also should be outraged at what led to that potentially deadly confrontation because this is something that can happen at any time if it is not addressed immediately.

According to law enforcement documents , the clerk at the Go On Gas station who called 911 to report a street robbery on Arch Street never saw a gun in Witherspoons hand even though when he made the call, he told the 911 operator he did see a gun.

That not only sent police to the scene  but it sent them there with a mindset that unleashed a dramatic encounter.

During the last 10 years there has been an outcry  and rightfully so  over police tactics, brutality and what appears to be their unflinching willingness to pull the trigger and ask questions later.

According to the Washington Post, police killed 992 people in 2018.

That has put police departments under intense scrutiny and the actions of police being more closely scrutinized and held accountable for their actions through the use of visual aids.

But we live in uneasy times, when the database of criminals continues to rise  and they can be deadly, too.

Last year, 163 federal, state and local law enforcement officers died in the line of duty, 870 have died during the last five years and, over the last 10 years, 1,656 lost their lives serving and protecting, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

So far this year, 35 have lost their lives.

A lot of those officers lost their lives in that dead space of confrontation between a cop and a suspect. And I am pretty sure those officers wanted to go home. So there is fear on both sides when police and potential suspects meet head-to-head.

That is why it is so crucial the information police get when they head to a scene is accurate and not embellished to up the drama.

Crime is a toxic pollutant unsecured by reason and police breathe it 24 hours a day.

After the heat of that night cooled and investigators began weaving their net, what happened is still under question and hopefully, when it is concluded, police will be held accountable for their actions.

But it started with a call to police  and a caller telling a 911 operator what he later admitted was not true.

And that, too, should not go unchallenged.

Accountability? Cops take bullets, too.

James Walker is the New Haven Registers senior editor and a statewide columnist for Hearst Connecticut newspapers. He can be reached at 203-680-9389 or james.walker@hearstmediact.com. @thelieonroars on Twitter
BRIDGEPORT  A New Haven man faces up to 30 years is prison after he pleaded guilty to firearm and narcotics charges, according to federal officials.

Michael Davis, also known as Clep, Clip and Michael Smith, 33, of New Haven, pleaded guilty Monday at U.S. District Court in Bridgeport to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and one count of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, Connecticut U.S. Attorney John H. Durham said in a release. The gun charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and the latter charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, the release said.
NEW HAVEN  As Acting Chief Administrative Officer Sean Matteson pursues a chance to be named permanent in his position, a Board of Alders committee learned about several of his budgetary priorities and ideas Monday night.

Matteson, who had his appointment voted down by alders in October 2018, continues to act as head of the CAO office as he pursues a second bid for the role. The aldermanic Finance Committee reviewed the proposed budgets for most of the departments he oversees Monday: police, fire, library, parks and recreation, public works, public safety communications and engineering.

Within the CAO department itself, the budget calls for a 5 percent increase of $93,246, for a proposed departmental budget of $1,834,814. While the budget calls for $80,000 in savings, it has a $173,246 increase in payroll.

I understand personnel cost increases is a feature of organizations, said Alder Adam Marchand, D-25, asking where the department had found savings.

Manager of Human Resources and Benefits Stephen Librandi said the city was able to find savings on Medicare.

We were able to move (65- to 70-year-olds) from a traditional Medicare supplement to a Medicare advantage plan, Librandi said. Its almost 50 percent cheaper and theres savings for the city.

Matteson said they were also saving $75,000 in temporary and part-time costs by discontinuing a University of New Haven internship program.

Alders also wondered whether the city was being fiscally responsible with its fleet of vehicles. Alder Dave Reyes, D-5, said he wanted to know how the city was regulating which employees take vehicles home.

City policy does allow on the way home you can stop at the grocery store and pick up something; what we dont allow is additional passengers, Matteson said. In terms of how we monitor and track, we have GPS installed on vehicles.

Vehicles are allowed to remain in-state for official business, he said, but supervisors must provide written permission to take a vehicle outside of state lines. Matteson said that, as cost-saving measures, his department has considered a city motor pool or beginning a public-private partnership, wherein the city would not own its fleet of vehicles, but it would be the anchor tenant, free to make vehicles available for rentals after 5 p.m.

Matteson said the department must also acknowledge the new normal for police hiring, as they anticipate difficulties recruiting candidates to the force.

We have some vacancies and know were going to have some future vacancies, he said.

He referred to a plan to use lateral hiring, so trained officers from other municipalities can work on the force, without paying high costs for the training academy.

I cant tell you its going to bear a whole lot of fruit, Matteson said, although he said it was worth extending the offer.

Maggie Targrove, deputy chief administrative office, said the city is seeking tenants for its radio tower atop East Rock, as there is potential revenue left on the table.

Its all cellular now; theyre not using the radio tower, she said.

When Marchand suggested the possibility of replacing that tower with a cellular tower, Emergency Operations Director Rick Fontana said its the main tower for city communications.

Its probably the most important link to all of our police and fire, Fontana said.

Fontana was able to boast about savings on dispatching service CMED since 2015; about $300,000 annually.

This has been a huge win for us, he said. It was a cost reduction of 3 percent per year, but this year its a cost reduction of 5 percent.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
WEST HAVEN  The new chief of police at the University of Haven is James T. Gilman, who will assume the position on Friday.

A 20-year veteran of the Connecticut State Police, Gilman most recently was director of campus safety at Mitchell College in New London. He is replacing Chief Tracy Mooney.

Gilman is a 1993 graduate of the University of New Haven and is completing a masters degree in criminal justice at Southern New Hampshire University.

It was announced in a campus-wide email from Associate Vice President Ronald M. Quagliani.

Among the candidates in the running for the position of police chief was New Haven Assistant Chief of Police Racheal Cain, one of two assistant chiefs in that city looking for new jobs in light of proposed contract changes in health care for retirees.

New Haven Chief of Police Anthony Campbell and Assistant Chief Herbert Johnson both recently retired and are in new jobs.

A member of the Connecticut chapter of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement, Chief Gilman has a remarkable record of leadership and commitment to public safety. I look forward to the many important contributions he is sure to make in this position, Quagliani wrote.

He also thanked Mooney, a 2008 masters degree graduate from UNH for her exemplary service to the university over the past three years. I am grateful for her unwavering dedication to the safety and well-being of the campus community.
WEST HAVEN  Potholes were a common complaint at public forums in the city this winter  one resident complained of one so big and deep that it was a drowning risk  but now the holes are disappearing as Public Works crews are out fixing in full force.

Were being very aggressive with potholes, said Public Works Director Tom McCarthy.

The department had a running list of potholes to be fixed and 1st District City Councilwoman Bridgette Hoskie took it to the next level by using the popular West Haven  the Way it Is Facebook page to allow residents to weigh in with their pothole locations in case something was missed.

It was certainly helpful  with her list and our list we were certainly able to get a better feel of the enormity of the problem we have, McCarthy said.

The pothole sizes vary and so did the complaints, with one resident telling of a five-inch-deep pothole the size of a childs swimming pool that, when filled with water, posed a driving hazard in winter because of ice and a drowning risk in warmer months because two inches are all thats needed for a child to drown.

Hoskie said that aside from gathering locations  she received more than 50 addresses  she felt that Facebook also gave a forum for venting.

At least residents know were listening, Hoskie said, noting other City Council members address pothole locations, as well.

Recognizing not everyone is on social media, Hoskie said anyone with a pothole complaint can also call Public Works at 203-937-3585.

McCarthy said potholes were filled with cold patch in winter, but thats not a long-lasting solution.

As is procedure everywhere, once the warmer weather came they began using more effective hot patch and, for the first time this year, a ready mix for small to medium holes. The latter is working well and hes ordered more, McCarthy said.
A South Hackensack teenager who died over the weekend after he was found bleeding in his home was stabbed to death, authorities said Tuesday.

Ismael Fajardo, 18, died Saturday of sharp force injuries/stab wounds to his torso, according to Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo.

Fajardos family members called 911 to report Fajardo had been wounded and needed medical attention inside his home on Hoffman Street in South Hackensack, Calo said in a statement.

Patrol officers were dispatched and found (the victim) lying in a second-floor bedroom, unresponsive, Calo said.

Fajardo was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy showed the cause of death was a stab wound to the chest and heart, Calo said.

At this time, the investigation into the death of Ismael Fajardo is ongoing and no one has been charged, Calo said.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Swimmers, light up!

Wildwood Crest will allow smoking in designated areas at the back of its famously broad beach, taking advantage of a clause in the statewide beach smoking ban approved last year.

The Borough Board of Commissioners adopted the smoking ordinance on April 3, making the effective date May 1, said Borough Administrator Constance Mahon.

The feeling expressed by of some of the commissioners was that smokers have rights, too, Mahon said of the move to allow beach smoking areas, which was previously reported by Philly.com.

Mahon said the borough would allow the designated smoking areas on a trial basis at least through the 2019 summer season, and could rescind the ordinance if it turns out to be unmanageable or otherwise against the boroughs best interests.

Last July, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an expansion of the states no-smoking law, the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, to include any indoor public place or workplace or at a public beach, except as otherwise provided in this act. The amended law took effective in January, 180 days after its signing.

Many municipalities had already imposed their own local ban before legislators and the governor took statewide action, based largely on concerns about public health and the cleanliness of the Jersey Shore, one of the states proudest natural resources and one of its most lucrative tourist attractions.

The amended law contains a provision allowing local governments to pass an ordinance designating areas totaling no more than 15 percent of their total beach acreage for smoking. The areas must be indicated by signage.

Mahon said borough officials were unaware of any other municipality that had adopted a beach smoking ordinance, including Wildwood Crests neighbors, Wildwood and North Wildwood, which have allowed the states total ban to stand.

Mahon said the boroughs department of public works would set out the designated smoking area signs at the back, or inland, end of the beach, farthest from the ocean. There will be receptacles for cigarette or cigar butts, she said, and littering will remain prohibited.

Mahon said warnings will be issued to first offenders who smoke outside the designated areas, adding that the ban will be enforced by borough code officials and police, not lifeguards.

The debate leading up to passage of the statewide ban included concerns that enforcement would be a burden on municipalities. However, officials of several Shore communities that had imposed their own bans said compliance was all but universal.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A roller coaster at a Jersey Shore amusement park is safe even though a pair of water-filled dummies plunged off the ride while it was tested earlier this month, an official for Playlands Castaway Cove in Ocean City told a television station.

The dummies had leaks that caused them to lose shape and mass before both fell from the GaleForce at Playlands Castaway Cove in Ocean City, according to a report by NBCPhiladelphia.com. The dummies tumbled onto the roof of the Ebb Tide Suites next door, damaging the motels shingles and plywood during the April 20 accident. No one was hurt.

This was a mishap with the water dummy itself, not with the ride in any way, Playlands Castaway Cove said in message to NJ Advance Media Tuesday morning. There is nothing more to add.

Park vice president Bryan Hartley relayed a similar message to NBCPhiladelphia.com. Obviously its not something that would ever happen with a person in it, he said in an on-camera interview. You know you dont lose rigidity in a person. The lap bar comes down. Youre secured in there.

The park official called the ride 100 percent safe and said the coaster has run problem-free since the mishap. He added that the ride is tested for about two hours a day.

The coaster opened in 2017 to much fanfare at Ocean Citys oldest amusement park. It travels at speeds of up to 64 miles per hour and reaches heights of 125 feet above the boardwalk.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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After TMZ reported that Larry King had gone into cardiac arrest Thursday, Kings TV network issued a statement Monday denying the report.

The statement from Ora TV said that King, 85, never suffered a heart attack, but had instead experienced chest pain ahead of a planned hospital procedure.

King, host of Ora TVs Larry King Now and PoliticKING with Larry King," which can be seen on Hulu and RT America, was scheduled to undergo an angioplasty Thursday to clear an artery. According to the statement, he reported to the hospital early because he had angina, or chest pain.

In 1987, King underwent quintuple bypass surgery after he had a heart attack.

Ora TV statement on recent reports about Larry Kings health: pic.twitter.com/kmyALOGNiN  Larry King (@kingsthings) April 29, 2019

His doctor successfully performed the angioplasty and inserted stents to reopen the previous bypass from 1987, the statement from Ora continued. He has been recuperating in the hospital and is scheduled to be released soon.

The Emmy-winning TV and radio host, known for his interviews with high-profile figures and his signature suspenders, started his career In radio in Miami during the 1950s. He hosted the national radio talk show The Larry King Show starting in 1978 for the Mutual Broadcasting System. He later presided over Larry King Live" on CNN from 1985 to 2010. King continues to interview celebrities and newsmakers on his two shows.

The statement added that King would soon be back in the hosts chair at his shows.

King has written two books about heart disease: Mr. King, Youre Having a Heart Attack: How A Heart Attack and Bypass Surgery Changed My Life," in 1989, and Taking on Heart Disease, featuring accounts from various celebrities who lived with the condition, including Walter Cronkite, Kate Jackson, Regis Philbin and Mike Wallace, in 2004.

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Foxing, a chameleonic and highly acclaimed rock outfit from St. Louis, is one of the most technically proficient bands touring the indie circuit in 2019. To a man (and woman), the six-piece act that was crammed onto the Asbury Lanes stage Monday night deftly swerved between ambient post-rock, searing post-hardcore and digital flashes reminiscent of Radioheads boundless, beeping Hail To The Thief.

But plenty of bands attempt and generally succeed at such sounds, which either pay homage to the formative emo-punk of 15 years ago  Thursday, Brand New and the like  or ride the electronic wave that has made a bands studio programmer an on-stage necessity, where a laptop, arrays of tech-y noise pads and a tangle of wires loom between the guitar and drums.

Why is Foxing any different? What made the bands third LP, Nearer My God, a smashing critical success last summer, and my personal rock album of 2018?

Its simple, really: Foxing believes.

The group led by vocalist and occasional trumpeter Conor Murphy believes the world to be a deeply imperfect place inhabited by deeply imperfect beings, most of whom possess little to no control over their emotional volatility (hows that for an emo epitaph). Foxing believes in the power of music to heal those slashed and battered by lost loves, personal demons and the ceaseless depression that cripples so many. And perhaps most importantly, Foxing believes it just might be the band to provide such catharsis  for themselves, at least, and maybe a few-hundred other souls bouncing around a club at the Jersey Shore.

The urgency and dauntlessness with which this band plays is admirable, especially within an indie-rock scene where uniform subtly  and the assurance to fans that a band isnt trying too hard  often breeds banality. No, Foxing is swinging for the fences with its encompassing soundscapes and unwavering commitment to the craft, which all but grabs rock fans by the shoulders, locks eyes and declares We are the band that can save you.

Throughout Foxings hour-long set on the Asbury Park stage, a contagious fervor captivated the small crowd of about 200 fans, who bopped to the pounding beats and grooved with one of the more electrifying rock club shows Ive seen in recent memory: Keep in mind this was not only a Monday night at a multipurpose venue where people were actively bowling behind the audience, but a pipsqueak performance compared to the bands Friday gig at Warsaw in Brooklyn, which was rumored to be its largest headlining crowd to date (theyve technically been co-headlining with Minneapolis electro-rockers Now, Now).

The guys couldve phoned this one in  but again, thats not Foxings way. All six players  Murphy, guitarists Ricky Sampson and Eric Hudson, drummer Jon Hellwig and touring members bassist Brett Torrence and keyboardist/programmer Carolyn Haynes  were wholly engaged, banging heads and reveling in the magnetism of their new tunes.

The performance was bookended by towering cuts off Nearer My God. The wistful set (and album) opener Grand Paradise crested masterfully on an electronic pulse and Murphys quivering falsetto before crashing sharply like a wave of broken glass over the shouted lyric I'm shock-collared at the gates of heaven. Then the finisher, the sweeping title track  which in an alternate universe might have been an early Coldplay single  with the band jamming fluidly as Murphy wailed the I want it all refrain.

The band was a Spartan phalanx  no weak points  but the drummer Hellwig was perhaps the most virtuosic and indispensable contributor this night, tapping out intricate parts that not only paced the rest of the band but also played an imperatively human foil to the electro-beats built into Haynes mad scientist station.

The set was impassioned and fresh, a punch in the teeth to anyone spouting that rock is dead nonsense, and mostly original  only the plinking newbie Gameshark felt perhaps too Radiohead derivative.

Murphy was gracious between songs, thanking the crowd for making us feel like we made the right decision dropping out of college  the band formed in 2011 after leaving various smaller bands in the St. Louis local scene  and being particularly grateful to a fan who recognized the group while he was working the counter at a movie theater over the weekend and gave Murphy a complementary iced tea.

Yes, this is a band ardently making some of the most interesting guitar music in the U.S. and it is still thanking individual fans for free drinks.

Get in on the ground floor  adopt Foxing as your new rock obsession.

Foxings setlist

April 29, 2019  Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, N.J.

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips
Is Wendy Williams estranged husband, Kevin Hunter, paranoid? A new report claims he thinks someone has been trespassing on his property.

According to a report by Radar, Hunter called police twice over a three-day period, alleging that someone had broken into the home that Hunter previously shared with the talk show host in Livingston before she filed for divorce a few weeks ago.

Hunter called the police on April 18 and 21, the report says. It also says he told police he spotted an intruder on his property about 2:30 p.m. April 21.

He then stated the individual was on the neighbors (sic) property, and finally stated [that] the individual is on public property, the report says.

According to the report, police responded to the call and found people in a wooded area near the home. The report says the people ended up leaving the area.

This news comes after a separate report claims Hunter called the police on April 20 for a family disturbance involving Williams. The report says Williams was attempting to move items out of the home after the couple split. Hunter demanded that Williams leave certain items behind, the report explained. The couple reportedly came to a compromise thanks to friends and the police.

Williams moved to New York City after she served him divorce papers.

Williams is said to have cut off Hunter from her money, after reports of his alleged mistress giving birth late last month. The talk show host reportedly was later found drunk and hospitalized.

Tennyson Donnie Coleman may be reached at tcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @TennysonTV. Find him on Facebook. Have a tip? Let us know at nj.com/tips.
When Richard Halvorson joined the Boy Scouts of America in the 1980s, he raised his right hand and swore an oath of integrity and honor.

To reach one of the scouts ranks, tenderfoot, he needed to receive a gold physical fitness pin. Halvorson did not have to log any extra exercises for the pin, he got it by going to the bathroom with adult scout leader Angelo Dellomo, who sexually abused him.

Nearly forty years later, Halvorson, now 47, is suing the national organization, saying theyre "hypocritical of their oath.

In a lawsuit filed Monday, Halvorson alleges the organization didnt do enough to stop child molestation and sex abuse even after complaints were made against scout leaders.

Dellomos name is included in the list of 52 former Boy Scout leaders from New Jersey who allegedly sexually abused boys, made public on April 23 by Minnesota-based attorney Jeff Anderson. The leaders named in Boy Scouts documents, officially called the list Ineligible Volunteer Files, were first revealed in 2012.

The names were included in the organizations so-called perversion files" and were revisited after a woman testified in court that there were more than 7,000 accused child sex abusers. There are 12,254 victims in those files, though it is unknown how many are from New Jersey, the firm said.

(Map by Jeff Anderson & Associates)

Halvorson belonged to Boy Scout Troop 6 in Atlantic County and was 10 or 11 years old when Dellomo sexually abused him, according to the lawsuit.

In 1982, Halvorson alleges Dellomo brought him to the bathroom and forced him to do sexual acts. Dellomo had at least two other complaints filed against him, after Halvorsons incident, before the Boy Scouts severed ties with him in 1987.

These guys kept a secret, secrets out, Halvorson said of the organizations lack of transparency. This is going to help victims come forward.

In Dellomos ineligible volunteer file, parents said the man forced boys to perform balance exercises...done in the nude with a blind fold over their eyes, legs spread apart and twisting from side to side and stand on the toilet, arch their back, put their head against the wall, put their hands behind their back and take 75 deep breaths, according to a letter dated December 1, 1986.

Following those exercises, when the children were fully clothed again, he would ask two children to get another child and hold them down while Dellomo gave them a beard rub on their bare stomach and feet.

When Halvorson came forward in 2013 to local authorities and attorneys, nothing could be done due to New Jerseys "archaic statute of limitations, Greg Gianforcaro, one of three attorneys representing Halvorson, said.

Im embarrassed by this, but thankfully thats why we have a bill on the governors desk right now, Gianforcaro said.

State legislators passed a bill in March that would allow sexual assault victims to bring a civil suit against an individual or institution, including non-profits, up until the age of 55 or seven years after they make the discovery" connecting their emotional and psychological injury to their abuse.

Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign the bill.

The Boy Scouts of America issued a statement on April 22 saying they care deeply about all victims of child sex abuse and sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting."

We believe victims, we support them, and we have paid for unlimited counseling by a provider of their choice, the statement read. Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in Scouting and we are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to abuse innocent children.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The country is experiencing the worst year for measles in a quarter century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with 704 reported cases. And New Jersey is right in the middle of an outbreak.

The state has 14 confirmed cases, with a suspected case reported last week in Middlesex County. Though New Jersey hasnt been hit nearly as hard as New York City and Rockland County, New York, where hundreds have been infected, experts remain concerned if we fail to limit the diseases spread. Just how bad could it get here?

While its unlikely New Jersey would ever see hundreds or thousands of cases at once, the state could see localized epidemics with pockets of people with low vaccination rates getting many infections," Dr. David Cennimo, an infectious disease expert at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said via text message.

Failing to get a handle on measles could strain the states medical system and divert health care personnel.

Cennimo said the state is already seeing a disruption in medicine because of concern for measles. Treating a measles patient is often tedious and cumbersome, he said.

Measles is airborne, so people need to stay in special negative-pressure rooms.  These rooms arent plentiful, Cennimo said in an email. You cannot have a patient walking into a waiting room with measles without a mask on because they can infect everyone.

Measles is so contagious that 90% of susceptible people exposed to an infected person will become infected, according to the CDC. If outbreaks continue, experts worry about measles patients walking among the public or in hospitals, potentially spreading the disease to vulnerable populations, like babies whove yet to receive the vaccine. Those with weakened immune systems, like cancer patients undergoing treatment, would also be at-risk.

Medical personnel may have to ramp up protocols for dealing with patients reporting vague symptoms like a rash or fever. They may have to meet potentially infected patients in the parking lot with masks, diverting staff from other serious health matters.

All of this is cumbersome and, if it delays care, potentially dangerous, Cennimo said. It is difficult for your average primary care doctor or pediatrician to do all of this in a busy office. The measles rash is not very specific and can be confused with other viral rashes.

He added, This can really slow down the flow in an (emergency department)."

Prolonged measles outbreaks could also come at a significant cost, according to New Jersey Assemblyman Herb Conaway, D-Burlington, who is one of the sponsors of a bill seeking to eliminate a loophole that allows thousands of parents to cite religious beliefs as a reason to opt out of vaccinating their children.

We know that the failure to vaccinate leads to enormous preventable health care costs ... lost work, not going to school, the cost of hospitalization and outpatient care. In an aggregate, those costs are enormous," Conaway said.

In fact, a study looking at Washington state, which has also been hit particularly hard by measles in the past several weeks  primarily due to people who were not vaccinated  looked at just how costly dealing with measles outbreaks can be.

The study, published last month in the medical journal JAMA, said that responding to a single case of measles can be as high as $142,000. This includes tracking cases, laboratory testing, quarantining patients, compensating health care providers, public outreach and other measures needed to prevent further spreading of the disease.

The study estimates that in 2011, the total cost of outbreaks in the U.S. ranged from $2.7 million to $5.3 million. In that year, 220 cases of measles were reported, according to the CDC.

Though there isnt a single reason for the recent resurgence of measles, health experts maintain that the anti-vaccination movement has proven to be a problem, and one that needs to be addressed as the spreading of misinformation and propaganda continues to impact vaccination rates. A 93% to 95% immunization rate is needed within a community to prevent measles from spreading among the population, according to the World Health Organization.

If we continue to have pockets of unimmunized children, we will continue to see outbreaks," said Dr. Glenn Fennelly, chair of pediatrics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

New York Citys measles outbreak has been primarily affecting ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn, where vaccination rates tend to be lower and anti-vaccination sentiments common. The outbreak grew so bad that New York City officials earlier this month declared it a public health emergency and ordered mandatory vaccinations.

New Jerseys outbreak, while less severe, has also been largely concentrated in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Lakewood, Ocean County (as has the outbreak in Rockland County, New York).

We have more and more people who are choosing not to vaccinate themselves or their children, and that is putting not only themselves at risk but everyone else at risk, particularly the young and those who are medically vulnerable, Conaway told NJ Advance Media.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Two men with Hudson County ties have pleaded guilty to bribing mail carriers to steal credit cards from the mail, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Olagoke Araromi, 22, of Union, formerly of Harrison, and Moussa Dagno, 24, of Harrison, admitted in federal court to three counts  bribery, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Araromi pleaded guilty on Monday; Dagno on April 8, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Araromi and Dagno recruited at least a half dozen U.S. Postal Service mail carriers and employees and paid them roughly $100 each to steal credit cards from the mail. Araromi then activated the stolen credit cards and he and Dagno would use the cards to purchase high-end electronics and clothing at retail stores across the state.

Law enforcement officers seized six laptops and a smartphone from the Harrison home that Araromi and Dagno shared at that time, all of which had been purchased with the stolen credit cards. In total, the pair defrauded banks that backed the credit card slightly more than $87,000 between June 2107 and May 2018.

Several USPS employees who accepted bribes from Araromi and Dagno have pleaded guilty to stealing credit cards and accepting bribes, including former mail carriers Zenobia Gilmer, Ayesha Troztz and Kyanne Costley, who had delivery routes in Mount Arlington, East Orange and Elizabeth; and Jennel Williams, who formerly worked as a clerk in the Newark Main Post Office.

A fifth mail carrier from Jersey City, Jacquan Miller, has been charged with the same crimes. Miller was employed as a letter carrier and technician at the Hudson City Station Post Office and delivered mail in and around Jersey City, authorities said in the complaint, which lays out and provides examples of how he communicated with Araromi and Dagno.

Between June and October 2017, 36 credit cards that Chase Bank mailed to account holders living on Millers delivery routes were not received by the account holders and were used to make purchases without their authorization, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Miller continued to steal credit cards from the mail through Feb. 18, the complaint said.

Dagno and Araromi face a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison for bribery, a maximum of 30 years for bank fraud and a mandatory sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, which must be served consecutively to the sentences for bribery and bank fraud.

The bank fraud charge carries a maximum potential fine of $1 million; the maximum potential fine for each of the bribery and the aggravated identity theft charge is $250,000. Araromis sentencing is currently scheduled for Sept. 9, 2019. Dagna is scheduled for sentencing on July 17 at noon.
JERSEY CITY  City Council salaries would nearly double under a long-discussed plan that could go before council members next week.

The proposal, distributed to council members on Tuesday, would hike base council pay from $35,298 to $65,298. The council president would get a pay boost to $68,354, up from $39,351. The new salaries would be effective Aug. 1.

Council members have argued that their pay does not match the job, which they describe as a 24/7 gig. The proposed pay increases would come two months after council members in Newark voted to boost their pay to $95,000 ($105,000 for the council president).

The last time council members voted to award themselves pay raises was in 1993, when their salaries bumped from $15,000 to $22,500 ($24,500 for council president). Their pay has inched up with automatic cost-of-living increases since then.

Council President Rolando Lavarro has asked all nine council members to co-sponsor the pay raise ordinance, an unusual move. Joyce Watterman, a councilwoman-at-large, previously told The Jersey Journal she supports pay raises only if the measure has unanimous support.

Watterman said Tuesday she would still prefer to vote for the pay raises only if all nine council members vote in favor, but she may change her mind if only one member opposed.

Mayor Steve Fulop is against the pay hikes, with his spokeswoman, Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione, saying council members knew what theyd be paid when they ran for office. If thats not enough, she said, they should step aside.

I think most residents would agree with the mayor  that giving oneself a 100% pay raise is extremely selfish and something we cant support, especially at a time when were facing teacher layoffs in schools, tax increases to residents, a tax revaluation, and many families struggling day to day, Wallace-Scalcione said.

Lavarro declined to comment.

The city and the school district are both proposing 2 percent tax hikes this year.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
A two-man protest of Drag Queen Story Hour at Hobokens Little City Books has drag queen Harmonica Sunbeam firing back.

The protesters stood outside of the bookstore on Saturday, when Sunbeam had a 4 p.m. event scheduled, with signs reading God made them male & female and Honk to protect our children.

Its surprising that two men would take a beautiful Saturday afternoon to go to another town and protest, instead of living their own lives, Sunbeam told The Jersey Journal.

Drag Queen Story Hour  as described, events where drag queens read books to children  started in San Francisco in 2015, its creators say, to give children glamorous, positive and unabashedly queer role models." Sunbeam reads to children both in Hoboken and at Word in Jersey City, saying the events allow her to teach children about diversity and acceptance and "embracing who you are.

Sunbeam once had an appearance on Long Island met with protesters, but she said none had shown up at her New Jersey events until Saturday.

"It's been overwhelmingly positive, Sunbeam said. It's a very simple situation. If you don't like it, don't come."

The protesters identified themselves as representing conservative Catholic group the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. A request for comment from the group was not returned.

Public officials in Hudson County are coming to Sunbeams defense. Hoboken Councilman Mike DeFusco, who is gay, characterized the protest as the kind of divisive language and intolerance that has no place in Hoboken, Hudson County or anywhere in our country.

We should be teaching children to embrace diversity and acceptance, not spreading hateful rhetoric that aims to set us back on the strides we have made to get closer to full equality, he said in a statement.

Hoboken prides itself on its friendliness to the LGBT community. It is one of three New Jersey towns with a perfect score on Human Rights Campaigns Municipal Equality Index, which the group says measures how cities and towns support LGBT rights.

Sunbeam will appear next at Word in Jersey City, 123 Newark Ave., at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 11.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
The building known affectionately by members of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Pittstown as the Little Church on the Hillmay have to get a new nickname.

On April 28, Bishop James F. Checchio presided at a Mass for the dedication and blessing of the expanded St. Catherine of Siena Church, which increased its seating capacity from 96 to 307.

Among the concelebrants were Bishop Emeritus Paul G. Bootkoski and Rev. Chester Zalubski, pastor, St. Catherine of Siena Parish.

The expansion added 3,500 square feet to the original 2,130, said parishioner Daniel Dawson, who served as chairman of the steering committee. It also houses a large meeting room in the basement that is dividable into three smaller rooms, as well as offices for the pastor, parish secretary, religious education director, trustees and deacons.

The original church was built on a site in Franklin Township that allowed for future expansion as the Catholic population grew in the area. It was designed by architect Seth Robins of New York in a Gothic style.

Bishop James F. Checchio consecrates the new altar by anointing it with sacred chrism at an April 28 Mass for the dedication and blessing of the expanded St. Catherine of Siena Church in Pittstown.(Photo by Robert Preston)

According to an article in the Catholic Spirit -- the newspaper for the Diocese of Metuchen -- as the completion of the new church neared, it was originally a mission of Immaculate Conception Parish, Annandale, and served about 200 registered families.

The project began from a conversation between Msgr. Immanuel W. Vernon, pastor in Annandale, and John Raymonds, a member of the Immaculate Conception parish who lived in the Pittstown area. Raymonds was inquiring about the purchase of two graves in the parish cemetery and was disappointed to be told that the old graveyard, which dates from 1859, was full. This led to a general lack of Catholic amenities in Hunterdon County and a question about diocesan plans for a parcel of land that Vernon had recently acquired on behalf of the diocese at the intersection of Route 513 and White Bridge Road in Pittstown.

One thing led to another, Vernon said, and two weeks and two lunches later, Mr. and Mrs. [Catherine] Raymonds had committed to donating the total cost of construction of a Catholic church on the site.

Construction of the church began in October 1991. St. Catherine of Siena was established as a mission of Immaculate Conception Parish Sept. 25, 1992. Bishop Edward T. Hughes dedicated the new church building the following month for the original 250 mission families. Vernon died Dec. 25, 1992. Msgr. Andrew L. Szaroleta was named pastor of Immaculate Conception and St. Catherine of Siena in February 1993.

As the community and membership grew, Bishop Vincent De Paul Breen established St. Catherine of Siena as an independent parish in June 1999. He named Rev. Peter G. Suhaka the first resident pastor. Suhaka celebrated the first Mass in the new church on June 8, 1999.

To meet the needs created by its growth, in 2008 the parish bough the former Our Savior Lutheran Church and property in Union Township, about four miles away, in Franklin Township, Dawson said.

It was renovated into a parish center and supplemental worship space that was completed in 2010 with a blessing by Bishop Bootkoski on Oct. 31, 2010.

The parish is dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena, a 14th century Dominican tertiary who was the first woman to be given the title Doctor of the Church in recognition of her leadership and enduring contribution to the spiritual and intellectual life of the Christian community.

At the time, Hughes said of his choice of St. Catherine of Siena as its patroness, St. Catherine has always been a favorite saint of mine because of her love of priests and her insistence on the need to pray them. She was also an exemplary woman of the Church and a model of Christian womanhood, and an example of the kind of leadership women can and do exercise in the service of the Church.

Zalubski noted that because of limited space in the original church, those who could not fit in it had to watch a closed-circuit broadcast of Mass in the parish center. In addition, most weddings and funerals that required more seating were held at Immaculate Conception Church, Annandale.

The parish serves about 480 registered families and about 200 children in its religious education program, Father Zalubski said.

Ground was broken for the expansion, which cost a little more $3 million, June 25, 2017, Dawson said. It was designed by the Phillipsburg-based Paul Juliano Architects LLC.

The addition was primarily to acquire additional seating capacity, he said. It went from a rectangular building to a cruciform shape. The additions are called transepts -- the two arms of the cross.

Among the challenges were matching the cast concrete ornamental stones on the exterior of the original church with the expansion, which was done, and the trusses for the ceiling. The trusses are a tiny bit different but the color is right on. So are the roof planks, Dawson said. The only major difference is the slate on the original church is more weathered. Both came from a quarry in New England.

The main entrance, narthex, nave and stained glass windows were retained. The only thing you can see is an expansion joint in the floor, Dawson said.

Zalubski and Dawson both praised the enthusiasm and commitment from parishioners to get the project done. Under the Steering Committee were the Campaign; Communications; Design and Construction; Finance; Legal and Liturgical Design committees, Dawson said. We had some very talented people in the parish that gave a ton of time, he said. More than 50 percent of the parishioners made financial pledges.

Other new elements in the church are a new altar, which Checchio and Bootkoski blessed and dedicated at the Mass; tabernacle table; and presiders and deacon chairs.

A stained glass picture of St. Catherine made by one of the parishioners, which was originally in the former parish center, was moved into the new church above the prayer candles.

Parishioner Robert Preston donated a statue of St. Joseph and parishioner Diane Corrigan a statue of the Blessed Virgin, Dawson said.

Chris Donahue, The Catholic Spirit, for the Diocese of Metuchen
UPDATE: Jury hears opening statements in case of officer accused of beating teen during arrest

Nearly two years after he was accused of beating a teenager during an arrest, Carteret police officer Joseph Reiman will stand trial.

Reiman, 33, is facing charges of aggravated assault and official misconduct after the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office concluded the officer failed to use reasonable discretion or restraint in the amount of force used to apprehend the teenager. Opening arguments are scheduled for Tuesday morning.

The charges came just days after NJ Advance Media published the victims account. The prosecutors office said it filed the charges after video evidence corroborated the teens story.

Reiman has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorney, Charles J. Sciarra, has called the charges politically motivated and shameful.

This is a very sad chapter and sends a clear message to cops in Middlesex County, do your job and you are going to jail," he said in a previous statement.

The victim said that early on May 31, 2017, Reiman was trailing him as he drove his black sedan in the borough. When the officer turned on his emergency lights, the teen said he panicked and hit the gas instead of the brake. The teen crashed into the guide wire of a utility pole near Edwin and Bergen streets. NJ Advance Media is not naming the teen because he is a minor and the victim of an alleged crime. The teen was driving his parents car without a license that night when he lost control of the car.

The teen claims Reiman walked up to him and punched him in the face and then threw him to the ground, according to a federal lawsuit filed against the officer.

(He) rolled him over and continued to pummel him with more than a dozen punches to the face and head, the lawsuit said.

The teen said another officer kicked him in the face while Reiman handcuffed him.

Witnesses told NJ Advance Media that they were alerted to the incident from the screams they heard.

The way he was punching him was excessive, said Richard Watkins, who lived 35 feet from where the crash occurred. I thought he was going to beat him to death.

An ambulance was not called to the scene, according to prosecutors and the lawsuit, but instead the teen was transported to police headquarters. He eventually was admitted into the hospital after his father arrived at the headquarters and demanded his son receive medical treatment, the lawsuit said.

NJ Advance Media was granted permission to photograph the victim in his hospital bed. His left eye was swollen shut and he appears to have bruising on his lips.

A teen claims he was beaten by Officer Joseph Reiman during an arrest. (Provided photo)

The lawsuit said the victim suffered permanent injury and severe emotional trauma. Hes seeking an unspecified amount of damages.

Sciarra, the attorney, has said that the teen gave a statement saying he smashed his head into the windshield because he wasnt wearing a seat belt. The state has said the teens injuries were consistent with an assault, not an accident.

In July 2017, dashboard camera footage released to NJ Advance Media showed Reiman climb on top of the teenager and punch him for more than a minute after the crash.

One of the official misconduct charges stem from Reimans alleged failure to activate his body-worn camera. He was also charged with falsifying or tampering with records.

Months after Reimans arrest, NJ Advance Media published a report that showed Reiman accounted for more than one-fifth of all arrests involving force recorded by the department over a 23-month period.

Reiman, who is the brother of longtime Mayor Daniel Reiman, was hired in July 2015 after serving eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps. From the time he was hired, officer Reiman was responsible for 24 of the 115 incidents involving force, according to public documents obtained in October 2017. Reiman has been on paid leave since his arrest.

His case was also part of the impetus behind The Force Report, a 16-month investigation by NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, which found alarming disparities in how police officers use painful holds, punches, kicks, pepper spray and other force across New Jersey. See Joseph Reimans force incidents from 2012-2016 here.

There are currently four pending lawsuits involving excessive force filed against Joseph Reiman. They are all on hold following the outcome of his criminal case.

Reiman faces up to five years in prison if convicted of third-degree aggravated assault. Each count of official misconduct also carries a prison sentence of five years.

The case is being handled by Assistant Middlesex County Prosecutor Christine DElia.

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Attorneys on Tuesday gave a jury a glimpse of their cases in the trial of a Carteret police officer accused of beating a teenager during an arrest in the Middlesex County borough in 2017.

Assistant Middlesex County Prosecutor Christine DElia alleged that when officer Joseph Reiman encountered a 16-year-old borough resident following a brief car chase and crash on May 31, 2017, he was in an amped up state of mind and abused his authority to use force during the arrest.

Reiman, 33, is charged with aggravated assault, official misconduct and falsifying police reports. His trial is being held in Superior Court in New Brunswick before Judge Joseph Paone.

Reimans defense attorney, Charles Sciarra, said his clients interaction with the teen was good police work given the circumstances the officer was faced with.

The teen, whose name is being withheld by NJ Advance Media because he was a minor when the incident occured and an alleged victim of a crime, will get his chance to testify during the trial. So will Reiman, who joined the Carteret force in 2015 and is the brother of longtime Mayor Daniel Reiman.

Youll hear from us, Sciarra proclaimed during his opening statement.

Defense attorney Charles Sciarra speaks in court on behalf of Carteret police officer Joseph Reiman, who is accused of beating a teen in 2017. The case was being heard before Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Joseph Paone at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick on Tuesday.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

A clean-shaven Reiman, who wore a light beige suit with a purple tie, sat at the defense table and stared straight ahead for most of the hearing. His two brothers and other supporters sat behind him in the gallery.

Early on May 31, the unlicensed teen was driving his parents car when he panicked after Reiman activated his police vehicles emergency lights, DElia said. The teenager stepped on the gas, eventually crashing into a utility pole guide wire at Edwin and Bergen streets in the Chrome Park neighborhood of Carteret, a borough of about 24,000 residents off Exit 12 of the New Jersey Turnpike.

But its what happened after the crash, DElia told the jury. Thats the reason we are here today, ladies and gentleman.

The dazed teenager exited the car and was ordered by Reiman to get on the ground, DElia said. He followed Reimans commands, she said.

As hes got one hand on the ground and starting to go on the ground, stomach down, officer Reiman pounces on him, flips him over onto his back and starts striking him over and over again, the prosecutor said.

She said the teen put his hands up to protect his face but Reiman continued to hit him.

Other officers responded to the scene, including Reimans other brother Charles, and proceeded to use force, DElia said. But to their credit, she contends, those officers were unaware of the events that escalated because of Reiman.

Here, police officers have the authority to use force to make an arrest. But they do not have the authority to use excessive force, DElia said. They are required to use force that is reasonable and necessary. The force that Joseph Reiman used on the morning of May 31, 2017, went beyond that from the start. From the time (the teen) was following orders and (Reiman) jumped on him and started hitting him. Thats when the excessive force occurs.

Reiman is also accused of official misconduct for failing to turn on his body-worn camera, DElia said. She also said the officer falsified facts in reports submitted after the incident, specifically that the teenager went to grab Reimans gun while the two were on the ground.

There is video of the altercation, however. That video comes from Reimans dashboard camera in his police vehicle that was automatically activated when he turned on his emergency lights.

If Reiman really wanted to cover his tracks, his defense attorney argued, why would he point his police vehicle camera in the direction of the teenager?

Ask yourself this, Sciarra told to the jury, if Joe Reiman had the criminal intent to get out and beat this kid up, why point his car and his camera directly at the scene of the accident and the individual hes about to engage? Why create the evidence they want to use now?

Furthermore, Sciarra argued, prosecutors failed to present a motive in the case.

What would take a decorated veteran serving multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, coming back to be a police officer in the community he was born and raised in?  What motivates him to become an instantaneous criminal? Like that, Sciarra said, snapping his fingers.

The jury will hear from an expert, Sciarra said, who will show the injuries the teen suffered likely came from hitting the windshield during the crash. DElia argued that the dash camera footage showed the teen emerged from the vehicle with no injuries and that blood was not found in the interior of the car but on the pavement where he was lying.

Months after Reimans arrest, NJ Advance Media published a report that showed Reiman accounted for more than one-fifth of all arrests involving force recorded by the Carteret Police Department over a 23-month period.

From the time he was hired, Reiman was responsible for 24 of the 115 incidents involving force, according to public documents obtained in October 2017. Reiman has been on paid leave since his arrest.

His case was also part of the impetus behind The Force Report, a 16-month investigation by NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, which found alarming disparities in how police officers use painful holds, punches, kicks, pepper spray and other force across New Jersey. See Joseph Reimans force incidents from 2012-2016 here.

Four lawsuits involving excessive force are pending against Reiman, including from the alleged victim at the center of the criminal trial. They are all on hold until the outcome of his criminal case.

Reiman faces up to five years in prison if convicted of third-degree aggravated assault. Each count of official misconduct also carries a prison sentence of five years.

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An attorney who sent sexual requests to a clients teenage daughter in Pennsylvania has been disbarred by the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Jeffrey Toman, formerly of Cherry Hill, sent his clients then 14-year-old daughter pictures of his penis, FaceTimed her while masturbating, asked her to send pictures of her in her bikini and asked to come over when she was home alone, according to court papers filed against him.

Toman, who was admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in 2010, pleaded no contest to first-degree misdemeanor corruption of a minor in 2017, in Pennsylvania. He served five months in Lackawanna County Prison there before a judge granted his request for home confinement.

He began contacting the teen in 2015 while representing her mother in a custody hearing, according to court documents. The mother initially gave Toman her daughters number to "establish a relationship with her to better represent her and her mother in the legal battle.

In June 2016, the 14-year-olds mother confronted Toman after getting mothers intuition, observing how he looked at her daughter when they were in the same room, according to court documents.

The mother confronted Toman about damaging her daughter in text messages, the affidavit said, and Toman replied she isnt broken. Pennsylvania police arrested Toman in July 2016.

Last year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court suspended Toman for three years.

The New Jersey Supreme Courts disciplinary board voted in January to disbar Toman, and the high court made it official on April 23. Toman did not participate in the New Jersey proceedings against his law license.

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Four women were charged Monday in three separate incidents that took place at New Jersey residential care facilities over the last three years.

The charges were part of three indictments handed up by a state grand jury in Trenton, according to a release from the New Jersey Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.

In the first indictment, two psych aides at Bancroft Neuro Health in Mount Laurel were charged with physically abusing a disabled resident at the facility which cares for for developmentally disabled adults and children, officials said.

Martha Ruiz, 25, of Camden, and Kendall Crouch, 24, of Clementon, who were assigned to care for the man during a June 1, 2018, shift and allegedly struck him in the face, twisted his hand and wrist, forcefully restrained him to his bed, and forced a urine-soaked towel on his face, authorities said.

Ruiz and Crouch were charged with conspiracy, neglect of disabled person and endangering another person.

In another indictment, Karissa-Anne Frannicola, 29, of Caldwell was accused of stealing $20,530 from an elderly nursing home resident over whom she had power of attorney between April and August of 2017, according to the release.

She was charged with theft by failure to make disposition of property received and misapplication of entrusted property.

In the final indictment, Christine Sanford, 31, of Atlantic City, was accused of assuming a false identity to work as a Certified Nurse Aide at the Barnegat Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Barnegat in November 2018.

Sanford allegedly assumed the identity of another nurse aide to work at the Ocean County facility because her own nurse aide certification was revoked by the New Jersey Department of Health in 2017 after she was found to be unqualified, officials said.

She was charged with forgery, identify theft, and uttering of false government documents.

Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Tracy Thompson said people who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 877-55-FRAUD or visiting www.njinsurancefraud.org.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Dear Annie: My boyfriends mother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers. Its been really hard on him and his family. Ive been trying to be there for him as best I can, but it seems like Im always saying the wrong thing. The other day, he was talking about how difficult it is to think that there will eventually be a time when his mom can no longer remember his or his brothers names. I told him that was years down the road and to try not to think about it for now, to enjoy the quality time he can still spend with her. He snapped at me and told me he was allowed to think about it, that it was a reality hes facing. What is the right thing to say in these situations? -- Hesitant but Wanting to Help

Dear Hesitant: Its not about saying the right thing. The fact is that this is extremely upsetting news for your boyfriend and his family, and theres no combination of words that can make it all better. While I know that your wish to cheer him up comes from a place of love, it can come across as minimizing the pain -- which adds insult to injury. Sometimes the kindest thing we can do for a loved one is to simply sit with him in his pain and honor it.

You can also express your love by cooking meals, running errands or helping him out with any other practical aspects of everyday life that might fall to the wayside in the wake of this news. Ask him to always feel free to tell you what he needs from you, whether he'd like to hear reassurance or just wants to vent.

Lastly, you might encourage him to attend a support group. To find one in your area or to join a virtual support community, visit https://www.alz.org/help-support/community/support-groups.

Dear Annie: Id like to reference your column from Jan. 28, 2019, Check Before You Donate Items. I agree with most of your answer, as it seems some people think donations are the same as taking out the trash. However, I was greatly disappointed with your comment, You should never donate expired food.

I would hope you could use your column to educate your readers to the fact that expired food -- "sell by," "use by," "use or freeze by," "best if used by" or whatever else the dates mean -- are not because the contents are bad. Most canned goods are good for weeks, months or years -- most with no decrease in nutrition or flavor.

Approved Food is a store in England that sells expired food at discount prices and has been known to need to close the store for two or three days to catch up with demand. Doug Rauch, a past president of Trader Joe's, has opened a new line of stores -- Daily Table -- with the same concept and having a difficult time convincing the U.S. customers that the food is perfectly safe.

We supposedly have many people in the country who do not have enough to eat yet we waste (throw away) 40 percent of our food. When we encourage our food pantry recipients to not use past date -- even "sell by" -- what are we doing to their families? Denying them perfectly good food.

If it looks good and smells good, it's good. The can contents cannot read. They do not know when to go bad. Same with milk and produce. -- Waste Not, Want Not

Dear Waste Not: Thank you for this enlightening take on sell-by dates. Im printing your letter to correct the record.

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 mayor of Elmwood Park was charged Monday with interfering in the boroughs 2017 mayoral election, officials said.

Francesco Caramagna, the first Democratic mayor of Elmwood Park in nearly 50 years, was arrested and resigned his post, according to the Bergen County Prosecutors Office.

Between March 2017 and November 2018, Caramagna interfered with the secrecy of the election process by completing portions of the application for vote by mail ballot, primary election ballot certifications and general election ballot certifications of registered voters in (Elmwood Park), the prosecutors office said in a statement.

The investigation began in April when investigators received a complaint alleging the 74-year-old mayor interfered in process related to vote by mail ballots for the 2017 race, according to the prosecutors office.

Acting Borough Clerk Erin Delaney said Caramagna submitted his resignation letter in an email Monday. In the letter, Caramagna denied the allegations against him and called for re-electing Democratic candidates in the boroughs upcoming race.

While I maintain my complete innocence and regard these allegations as being politically motivated, I have nonetheless discussed and considered my options with my family and friends, and have sought the advice of legal counsel, Caramagna said in the letter.

I want and need to put the interests of others first: the Borough of Elmwood Park and its citizens, my family, and those dear friends and supporters of mine whose votes were cast by absentee ballot. I have therefore decided to tender, with sadness and a heavy heart, my resignation as Mayor of this great Borough of Elmwood Park, effective at 12:00 midnight on this date, he said in the letter dated Monday.

I resign as Mayor not because I have in some way betrayed my office, but to minimize any embarrassment to my family, friends and supporters as I defend against whatever accusations might ultimately be made against me, the letter stated.

Caramagna defeated Robert Colletti by a close margin of 2,348 to 2,030 in the mayoral election, NorthJersey.com reported. Colletti was interim mayor following the death of Richard Mola, who served as mayor for 45 years. Caramagna, a retired teacher, made five previous bids for mayor of the town.

Borough Council President Daniel Golabek was designated acting mayor.

This news comes as a shock, Golabek said. He is entitled to full due process.

This resignation will not slow down the councils work on the important issues we are confronting and working on nor will it affect any municipal services, Golabek added.

Records show Caramagna was charged with interfering with the secrecy of the election process and released from the Bergen County Jail on Monday. He is scheduled for a court hearing on May 22 in Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court.

It was not immediately clear if he had retained an attorney. Caramagna could not be immediately reached.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A New Jersey rabbi found guilty of laundering $200,000 from a private school for children with developmental disabilities was sentenced Monday afternoon to two years probation.

Osher Eisemann, 62, founded the Lakewood-based School for Children with Hidden Intelligence during the 1990s, inspired by his own sons special needs. He was found guilty in February of second degree charges of money laundering and misconduct by a corporate official at the close of a four-week trial.

The second degree charges can carry sentences of five to 10 years in state prison, but Judge Benjamin Bucca found the mitigating factors outweighed the aggravating factors in the sentencing, moving him to hand down the rare sentence of probation, which skirted mandatory minimums.

At this stage in this mans life, I cannot imagine that this situation could ever occur again," Bucca said. The seriousness of the allegations and the harm that occurred is much less than what this court typically sees with other second degree crimes.

The jury acquitted Eisemann of other charges, including corruption of public resources, theft by unlawful taking and misapplication of entrusted property. The private schools fundraising foundation, Services for Hidden Intelligence, LLC, was also acquitted of all charges against it, authorities said.

As part of his probation, Eisemann cannot be involved with finances at the school or fundraising, must serve 60 days in the Middlesex County Correctional Facility and pay a fine of $250,000.

Lee Vartan, Eisemanns attorney, said outside the courthouse he considers the sentence a partial win and certainly a good outcome.

He praised Buccas decision to say Eisemann should be reinstated at the school, and called that move unprecedented," but said he may still appeal.

Bucca said the letters sent by Eisemanns supporters overwhelmed him, and that he had not seen such a showing of support in his years sitting as a criminal judge.

He said the rabbis selfless life is very clear. In many respects this is a very, very unfortunate situation.

Bucca also said he hopes Eisemann can return to the school, despite the second degree conviction, and hopes the state Department of Education will consider making an exception, given Eisemanns decades-long reputation.

You belong there, he said. You perform a unique skill for that school.

The School for Children with Hidden Intelligence on Oak Street in Lakewood was founded and ran by Rabbi Osher Eisemann. Here, the school is seen in a July 2017 file photo. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)The School for Children with Hidden Intelligence

Eisemanns legacy took a hit when he was indicted in 2017 on theft, money laundering, corporate misconduct and misuse of government funds charges. He stepped down from his role at the school in August 2017, though he has maintained his innocence.

The jury found him guilty of using $200,000 in school funds in a money laundering scheme designed to make it appear that he used personal funds to repay debts he owed to the SCHI. The money was returned shortly after it was withdrawn.

The rabbis supporters flooded the Middlesex County Superior Court room Monday afternoon, with more than 75 people packing the seats. Others in the halls peeked into the courtroom through small glass windows on the doors. A campaign raising money for his legal defense has garnered nearly $600,000 of a $700,000 goal from nearly 3,500 donors.

Prior to the sentencing, Vartan read a letter  the first character letter he said hes ever written for a client.

He regularly canceled meetings with me because he was needed at the school, he said. In the two years I have known Osher Eisemann, there has never been one day, not even one conversation, where he put himself before the school or his family.

Eisemann, along with his wife, cares for his adult son, who needs help completing simple tasks.

Thats going to have real ramifications not only for his wife and the hardship on his family, but more importantly, on his son," Vartan said.

Emotions ran high during the three-hour proceedings, and many in the crowd were in tears. One man leapt from his seat, interrupting Vartan to say: My daughter fell from the second floor and hes the one who saved her.

Addressing the court, Eisemann thanked his family, as well as members of the school and the Lakewood community. Pending an appeal, he said he did not want to speak about the charges specifically.

But the rabbi maintained optimism about the rest of his life, the same optimism that has carried him through three decades of raising a son with significant disabilities.

I thank the court for giving me the opportunity to acknowledge, I dont know why this ordeal has befallen me, but I truly believe it to be a blessing from above," he said. No matter what happens today  I will continue to be a voice and a resource for those most vulnerable.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A school bus driver was charged with driving under the influence of prescription medication after a bus crash Monday that injured several students she was dropping off in Toms River, authorities said.

Cheryl Rooth was pulling the bus into a parking lot at Ocean County Vocational Technical School to drop off 28 students when she did not stop in time and rear-ended an unoccupied bus parked in front around 7:30 a.m., according to police.

Eight students suffered minor injuries, Toms River police said in a news release. Three of the injured were identified as juveniles.

Rooth was a driver for Lacey Township, according to police. She was charged with offenses including driving while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated in a school zone.

Police said she was not under the influence of alcohol, but was intoxicated by unspecified prescription medicine.

School officials could not be immediately reached to comment.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Five Berkeley residents were charged with drug offenses after police searched a home in a senior community in town on Monday and turned up cocaine and cash, authorities said.

Investigators obtained a search warrant and raided a home on Wojtyla Court in the Holiday City South in Berkeley around 9:45 p.m., police said in a statement.

The cocaine - more than a half-ounce but less than five ounces - was packaged as crack cocaine, authorities said. About $2,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia used to produce, package and distribute was also found, Chief Karin Dimichele said.

Berkeley detectives are aware that senior communities are often utilized by drug dealers as they offer anonymity in a quiet neighborhood and a false sense of security for the dealers, police said in a statement. As such, this home was seen as a major supplier of narcotics throughout Berkeley Township and neighboring jurisdictions.

Police charged Taquan Pearson, 37, with possession of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute. He remains held at the Ocean County jail.

Three others - a 39-year-old woman, a 42-year-old man, and a 52-year-old woman - all of whom live on Wojtyla Court were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. A 48-year-old woman who lives elsewhere in Berkeley was charged with the same offense.

Authorities learned of the drug operation after being tipped off by residents about possible drug dealing in the area.

Berkeley police didnt immediately return a message from NJ Advance Media seeking additional information.

Ocean Gate police as well as the Ocean County Prosecutors Office Narcotics Strike Force and the Ocean County Sheriffs Department assisted Berkeley police in the investigation.

Berkeley police remind residents to report suspicious activity to them at 732-341-1132 x611. Tips can be anonymous.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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By Jessica Palmieri

 I attend Kean University where Im pursuing a degree in early childhood education. Recently, I was reviewing my student loan paperwork, and at this point halfway through my degree Im at an impasse. Do I complete my degree and continue to watch my debt increase, or do I drop out and find employment hoping to earn sufficient money to support myself and pay back these loans. 

What is someone in my position supposed to do? I am one of four children in my family and three of us are currently attending colleges. There is no way my parents could afford to pay all of our tuitions. Scholarships are few and far between and will never cover the entire tuition. I have had both friends and neighbors in the past pack up and move to other states just so their children can get either tuition-free or low-cost college tuition.

Something needs to be done. Last year, my roommate had to move out due to the large expense of higher education in New Jersey. This is becoming a topic of discussion with many of my friends and classmates. Its going to determine how and where we live our lives. This seems to be a huge problem and its not something you hear a lot about in the media.

As of 2018, 17 states have statewide programs that offer two years of tuition-free community college to high school graduates. For example, all in-state Delaware high school graduates who enter the SEED (Student Excellence Equals Degree) program are eligible for this opportunity. Delawares SEED scholarship awarded its first funds to community college students back in 2007. If other states have programs to offer their residents tuition that is significantly less than others schools, why cant New Jersey?

According to the Governors Task Force of Higher Education, a college education in New Jersey must remain affordable. No capable student should be denied a college education because of his or her financial circumstances. While fully recognizing the states immediate budgetary concerns, the erosion of funding over the past 20 years has weakened the foundation of New Jerseys economy and has caused a crisis.

As stated by the Project on Student Debt, the average debt carried by graduates from a four-year public or private institution in New Jersey from 2016-2017 was $13,560, and the average cumulative student loan amount was $28,245 and thats often with working multiple part-time jobs during semesters, a difficult burden that hangs over many as they graduate and seek full-time employment.

I believe tuition in New Jersey should be affordable to all students. The state must reverse decades of underfunding and neglect and instead invest in and embrace our colleges and universities. In 2005, the operating aid for higher education was 3.08 percent of the state budget and in 2019 it has decreased to 1.91 percent. That is a huge decrease over the past 14 years. Having more support for higher education will make lives more productive, less stressful and overall happier for students and their families.

For the first time in more than 13 years, New Jersey has a laudable plan for improving higher education, which includes enhancing college affordability and prioritizing student voices on decision-making processes. Gov. Phil Murphys plan will not only make college costs more transparent, but will also help keep talented young people living and working in New Jersey.

The plan lays out a Student Bill of Rights, a set of 10 commandments that they say should be provided to every student in the state. Those rights include fee-free college-prep programs for high schoolers, partnerships between colleges and the state to meaningfully reduce higher education costs, and a network of support for students to make sure they graduate.

New Jersey does have a free-tuition program available, yet the impact will be minimal as it only applies to low-income students at select community colleges. Of the 19 community colleges across New Jersey only 13 will receive portions of the $25 million Gov. Phil Murphy put in his first budget for free community college. This allocation of funds does not reach students like myself who comes from a middle-class household and struggles to afford the costs of higher education. To increase the impact of this plan, in-state schools need to be included. The cost of in-state school in New Jersey is at its all time high.

The current plan, Where opportunity meets innovation: A Student-Centered Vision for New Jersey Higher Education," proposes to ensure higher education and to meet the needs of students; however, Governor Murphy proposed that the 2020 budget include $35 million for this plan. That would only increase funding for higher education by 1.2 percent, which is barely nothing.

Governor Murphy and legislators, after years of reducing support for higher education, please make higher education affordable for our students. My family, many families, cant afford the high cost of higher education in New Jersey.

Jessica Palmieri is a sophomore at Kean University majoring in early childhood education.

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Over the course of two terms as the mayor of Bridgeton, one issue that has presented a constant challenge to me and my colleagues, both in the public and nonprofit sectors, is improving the health and well-being of residents.

Our primary reference to check progress is the County Health Rankings & Roadmap from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. By that measure, we havent moved the needle very much. Cumberland and Salem counties are consistently ranked at or near the bottom statewide.

The purpose of the rankings is to help counties understand what it is that influences resident health. The researchers look at obvious factors, such as rates of smoking, obesity, teen births and access to healthy foods. They also consider secondary health impacts impacts from such things as predatory lending, discriminatory prison sentencing and low school funding. Together, these all play a role.

In considering our region, I began to wonder if we werent missing additional factors, or if there are new ways to think about issues and outcomes. With that in mind, I stumbled onto the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care website. The data measure variations in how medical resources are distributed or used across the country, among states and down to a county level.

A Rutgers University study follow-up released a year ago concluded that the poorest municipalities in South Jersey received 33 percent less total state funding overall, compared to socio-economically alike communities in the rest of the state. I wanted to see if similar patterns were obvious in terms of health care, and get some additional insights, if possible. I dont know whether or not I did.

The Dartmouth project is about 20 years old and uses national Medicare and Medicaid reports, and other data to provide information and analysis. My particular focus was on different health rates within New Jersey. The atlas explains many of these rates as the number of events or amount of resources divided by the number in the population. For example, if an area with 100,000 Medicare enrollees has 810 hip fracture repairs, then the rate of hip fracture repair is 8.1 per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.

In looking at 2015, the most recent year I could find, Cumberland and Salem counties had the states highest rates of hospital discharges related to congestive heart failure per 1,000 at 21.50 and 22.81 respectively, while Hunterdon County was lowest at 9.09, followed by Somerset at 11.22.

For chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Salem and Cumberland counties were highest at 16.67 and 14.55; Somerset and Morris were lowest at 5.07 and 5.30 respectively. For kidney/urinary infections, Cumberland was highest at 8.99 per 1,000, followed by Salem at 8.98, while Sussex was lowest at 4.89 and Union was next at 5.03.

These numbers reflect the more general Robert Wood Johnson Foundation county rankings. Based on additional statistics, health care can feel like a revolving door in our region. Cumberland County had among the highest percentage of patients visiting an emergency room within 30 days after a medical discharge (22.84 percent) and a surgical discharge (20.54 percent). Hunterdon County had the lowest rates, 17.53 percent (medical) and 13.16 percent (surgical). Cumberland had the highest rate of hospital readmissions after 30 days of discharge for both general medical (16.33 percent) and surgical (14.24 percent) reasons.

Statewide, total Medicare reimbursements per enrollee were highest in Salem ($11,670) and Cumberland ($11,196); hospital/skilled-nursing-facility reimbursements were also highest per enrollee at $5,603 in Salem and $5,365 in Cumberland.

So, it appears there is enough medical care being delivered here, yet it doesnt seem to be reflected in the counties health outcomes. The data didnt indicate how to move the needle in a positive direction, but it did suggest some questions:

Do the higher number of ER visits and readmissions indicate of a lack of access to transportation for follow-up office or therapy visits, or a need for non-emergency providers to expand regular hours? If so, is it possible to improve things with mobile or pop-up clinics?

Are the Cumberland and Salem rates for congestive heart failure, COPD, and also pneumonia, reflective of people delaying treatment for various reasons so that their conditions worsen? Is it simply a cost issue? Is more bilingual education needed?

A gap between health care delivery and health outcomes appears evident from the data. Whatever else it may say, it suggests to me that well have to do more outside-the-box thinking in trying to close it.

Albert B. Kelly is mayor of Bridgeton. Contact him by phone at 856-455-3230 Ext. 200.

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As often noted, much of what Rudy Giuliani says echoes like something being screamed over the shoulder of a bouncer dragging him out of a nightclub, but this is the messenger that Donald Trump chooses for damage control whenever the president sets the White House on fire.

So Giuliani goes on TV, where his circumlocution is ratings magic.

He has slandered James Comey as Judas and FBI agents as stormtroopers. He confirmed that Trump funneled $130,000 in hush money through a law firm to a porn star. His assessments of Michael Cohen ping-ponged from blandishments (an honest, honorable lawyer) to condemnations (a proven liar). He threatened to charge Robert Mueller with a lance to defend Ivanka Trump, but called Jared Kushner disposable. And he disapproved of the president talking to Mueller because Truth isnt truth.

Then, last week, Giuliani said that there is nothing wrong with taking information from Russians.

Its true that in his sphere, obtaining intel from a geopolitical enemy is acceptable, provided the beneficiary has no sense of morality.

But other than the fact that it flouts Federal Election Commission rules, which forbid any contribution or donation of money or other thing of value from a foreign source, it doesnt seem like a campaign strategy that most Americans would endorse.

Do we really want to continue to hold elections under the Trump paradigm, where foreign interference is not only acceptable but encouraged?

What if the 2020 Democratic nominee was to benefit from stolen information from North Korea? What if he or she receives material hacked from the phones of the presidents campaign staff by Chinese operatives? Do we really want this to be the new normal?

It is apparently acceptable to Giulianis client, because he has yet to address the persuasive, top-line takeaway from Mueller Vol. 1: Russias interference was sweeping and systematic, it was done to expressly help the Trump campaign, and Trumps people welcomed that interference.

And as Giuliani sees it, theres nothing wrong with that.

The unhinged surrogate spent much of last week amping up his criticism of Don McGahn, the former White House counsel who will command a captive audience if or when he testifies before the House Judiciary Committee.

It was McGahn who provided the most convincing evidence of Trumps obstruction fetish in Mueller Vol. 2, so he must be discredited by Giuliani. But the fact pattern is pretty clear: McGahn was confident that he had at least two phone conversations with the president in which the president directed him to call the acting attorney general to have the special counsel removed, Mueller found.

Heres Giulianis rebuttal in the New York Times: It cant be taken at face value. It could be the product of an inaccurate recollection or could be the product of something else.

Or, it could be an aberrant example of Trump having a principled attorney.

It was not an especially complex decision for McGahn. Left with a choice  to put his legal career in jeopardy by abetting a Trump implosion, or leaving the madhouse  he threatened to do the latter. It worked. Trump backed down.

Giuliani doesnt recognize the virtue of McGahn saving the president from his own crazy s---, which is troubling, but hardly surprising.

This is the deviant space the presidents lawyer now occupies: If we're going to start making moral judgments about everybody in public office, Giuliani told Chris Cuomo on CNN, we'll have nobody in public office."

Or maybe wed have moral people in government. In time, with a little luck, people like Giuliani might have trouble finding work.

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By Greg Sargent

A big question in our politics right now is whether the coalition that delivered a sizable national popular vote majority in 2018 to Democrats -- and with it control of the House -- will endure against President Donald Trump in 2020. That victory, as you know, was partly driven by the huge influx of college educated and suburban white voters who shifted to Democrats out of disgust and horror with Trump.

Trump made the 2018 elections all about his immigration and border policies -- he lied about the migrant caravans for months; he sent the military to the border to dramatize what a threat they supposedly pose; and Republicans ran ads across the country saturated in the most lurid and disgusting anti-immigrant imagery their imaginations could muster.

After the GOP loss, Republicans themselves admitted that Trump's focus on immigration was a key vulnerability. Either Trump is not capable of acknowledging this, or he doesn't think it's relevant to 2020 -- perhaps he believes that with him on the ballot, he'll use immigration to sufficiently drive up turnout among his white base in the Rust Belt, no matter how unpopular his agenda is with the broader public.

The new Post/ABC News poll underscores what a gamble this is for Trump. It finds that overall, the issue is a net negative for him: 44 percent of Americans say Trumps handling of illegal immigration makes them more likely to oppose his reelection, versus 31 percent who say it makes them more likely to support him, while 24 percent say it wont be a factor.

What's even more interesting, though, is how this breaks down among some of the voter groups who powered the Democratic victory in 2018:

Among college educated whites, 45 percent say Trumps handling of the issue makes them more likely to oppose his reelection, versus 34 percent who say the opposite. Among college educated white women, thats even more pronounced, at 48 percent to 31 percent.

Among suburban voters, this breakdown is 42 percent to 33 percent.

Among independents, who also swung substantially toward Democrats in the midterms, thats 41 percent to 32 percent.

Among voters age 18-29, thats a staggering 55 percent to 22 percent, and among voters age 30-39, its 48 percent to 25 percent.

On the flip side, though, the issue works for Trump among the voters in his base:

Among rural voters, 45 percent say Trumps handling of the issue makes them more likely to support his reelection, versus 29 percent who say it makes them less likely.

White voters without a college degree say the same by 43 percent to 34 percent.

And get this: Among white evangelical Christians, that breakdown is an overwhelming 63 percent to 16 percent.

The fact that this divide appears to be deepening and enduring, notably among white voters, confirms what Ron Brownstein has observed, that Trump has forced Republicans to increasingly rely on "an electoral base preponderantly tilted toward the white voters most hostile to immigration and most uneasy about demographic change overall."

Trump's big idea on immigration has been that making migrants as miserable as possible - say, through separating families - will dissuade them from trying to come here. That's failed, and asylum seeking by families has spiked. Trump declared a national emergency to build his wall, but majorities understood that this was based on lies, and building more barriers won't actually stop asylum seekers from setting foot on U.S. soil, after which they have the legal right to apply for asylum.

Trump tried to order border officials to break the law and bar asylum seeking entirely, but they defied him, leading him to oust his Homeland Security secretary. Trump threatened to close down the border, then backed off amid fears it would tank the economy, and then buffoonishly reiterated the threat.

Trump continues to pretend-threaten to dump migrants into Democratic strongholds, to pressure Democrats into giving him legal changes he wants. At his Wisconsin rally, Trump claimed that "we're sending many of them to sanctuary cities," which he boasted was his "sick idea." But that's apparently a lie: The Associated Press reports that DHS officials rejected the idea as unworkable.

Notably, Trumps constant claim that the wall is being built is also a lie. Its interesting that voters in Trumps base continue to see his immigration agenda as a positive, as Trump constantly has to lie to create the impression that hes doing what he said hed do.

The bottom line: Trump may think the immigration contrast will work in his favor, pitting his law and order policies against the Democrats' supposed open borders lawlessness. But when it comes to the border, Trump increasingly represents cruelty, chaos, failure, and incompetence.

To be sure, Democrats will need their own comprehensive approach to the current crisis, and they are now developing such an agenda. The lingering unpopularity of Trump's agenda gives them a big opening in this regard, and they should try to take control of this debate.

It's of course possible that Trump could still use this issue to juice up his base's turnout to the degree needed to prevail in 2020, even as his immigration agenda is unpopular with the broader public. But even so, given that this is his signature issue, and given how often we're told Trump has a mystical connection with the silent majority's secret support for his policies, that unpopularity is itself a big story.

Greg Sargent writes The Plum Line blog. He joined The Post in 2010, after stints at Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine and the New York Observer.

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Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday praised a federal court decision that  temporarily, at least  prevents a President Donald Trump administration rule from taking effect later this week that would have jeopardized millions of dollars in federal funding for womens clinics where abortion is discussed as an option for pregnant women.

Late Monday night, Murphy retweeted state Attorney General Gurbir Grewals announcement declaring a victory against what has been described as a gag rule that would take effect May 3 on womens and family planning clinics.

New Jersey is among 20 states and Washington D.C. that joined a court action led by Oregon, Planned Parenthood affiliates and the American Medical Association.

The Trump Administration tried to prevent women from accessing basic reproductive health information. We fought back. Today, @NewJerseyOAG won a nationwide injunction blocking @realdonaldtrump's dangerous gag rule. https://t.co/TEn348FPwQ  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 30, 2019

The U.S. Department of Justice has not commented on whether it will appeal the ruling.

Clinics already are prohibited from using Title X grants to pay for abortions. But the proposed rule would go further, promising to yank funding for clinics which promote, refer for or support abortion as a method of family planning, nor take any affirmative action to assist a patient to secure such an abortion.

In his social media post, Murphy accused the Trump administration of trying to prevent women from accessing basic reproductive health information. We fought back.

Created in 1970, Title X says: No American woman should be denied access to family planning assistance because of her economic condition. The program costs the federal government $260 million, and is used to help 4 million low-income people pay for contraception, gynecology exams, cancer and sexually-transmitted disease screenings.

New Jersey receives $8.8 million in Title X funds, according to the state Health Department.

U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShanes signaled last week he would issue the injunction, calling the rule a "ham-fisted approach to public health policy.''

On Monday, he issued the nationwide stay.

A review of the scores of declarations from public health policy experts, medical organizations, doctors and Title X providers lead to the inescapable conclusion that the Final Rule will result in negative health outcomes for low income women and communities, the ruling said.

A federal judge in Washington state on Thursday was the first to grant an injunction halting the rules implementation.

U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Wash. wrote it was likely the plaintiffs would ultimately prevail in proving the rule would cause irreparable harm to womens health and the clinics.

The rule creates unreasonable barriers for patients to obtain appropriate medical care; impedes timely access to health care services; interferes with communications regarding a full range of treatment options between the patient and the heath care provider, restricts the ability of health care providers to provide full disclosure of all relevant information to patients making health care decisions, and violates the principles of informed consent and the ethical standards of health care professions, Bastian wrote.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
UPDATE: N.J. police director under fire for alleged racial slurs will resign, mayor says

The Democratic mayor of New Jerseys fourth-largest city, facing a growing probe of his troubled police department, has yet to respond publicly to a call from the state attorney general for his longtime police director to step down.

But Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage in a series of Twitter posts over the weekend and on Monday lashed out at the fake news, claiming he was the victim of a media lynch mob.

His comments come amid mounting pressure from civil rights groups and local activists, who delivered a petition with nearly 1,000 signatures to Bollwages office Monday, demanding Police Director James Cosgroves ouster and an end to police racism.

On Friday, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced he was installing one of his top aides as acting Union County prosecutor in order to oversee a takeover of the Elizabeth police departments internal affairs unit.

The news followed a two-month internal investigation that substantiated allegations that Cosgrove had used racist and misogynistic slurs against members of his own staff over the course of many years, Grewal said. The probe found Cosgrove had used the n-word and the c-word to refer to black and female employees.

The shakeup was a black eye for Union Countys largest city, where the police department has seen its share of turmoil  including a no confidence vote taken by the police union against Cosgrove in 2016.

As attorney general, Grewal has the power to take over the prosecutors office, but he cannot fire Cosgrove, a city employee who has held the post since 1998. Instead, Grewal called on Cosgrove to resign.

Bollwage has not responded to repeated inquiries from NJ Advance Media since the end of March seeking comment on Cosgrove as well as the attorney generals Friday announcement that the state would audit the departments workplace culture and hiring practices.

The only comment city spokeswoman Kelly Martins has provided directly to NJ Advance Media was to confirm a separate complaint had been filed against the citys police chief, John Brennan. The disclosure was unusual because it did not identify the nature of the complaint and NJ Advance Media had not asked about Brennan, who as police chief is overseen by Cosgrove, the civilian police director.

The mayor, who was first elected in 1992 and is in his seventh term, is an influential and colorful fixture in Union County Democratic politics who frequently takes to Twitter to share pictures from community events or lambast Republican President Donald Trump and Fox News.

The character assasination by the StarLedger directed at me shows that citizens are entitled to due process except when dealing with the media.Trump reference to #Fake News resonates  Chris Bollwage (@MayorBollwage) April 29, 2019

But after The Star-Ledgers editorial board published an editorial criticizing the mayor and calling on him to fire Cosgrove, Bollwage turned his attention to the media, invoking one of the presidents favorite phrases.

The character assasination (sic) by the StarLedger directed at me shows that citizens are entitled to due process except when dealing with the media, he wrote, adding that Trumps use of the term fake news resonates.

Bollwage later tweeted that he had a right to speak to the A.G. A spokeswoman for the attorney general declined to comment.

Due process is allowing me to have all necessary conversations and not a lynch mob by the Star Ledger, he wrote in another post, responding to a reporter.

When a different reporter replied to note he had yet to receive a response to phone and e-mail inquiries with Bollwages spokesperson, the mayor responded that the name calling by the Star Ledger is unacceptable if you want me to participate in the process.

But the mayors office has not provided comment to any news outlet on the allegations against Cosgrove, which were raised by Westfield attorney Josh McMahon. McMahon says he represents multiple whistleblowers, and the Union County Prosecutors Office has substantiated some of his allegations.

The mayor called the distinction between news reporters asking for his comment and editorial writers a standard excuse and added, When I finish the process I will make a statement.

State lawmakers who represent Elizabeth have been similarly quiet. Sen. Joseph Cryan, Assemblywoman Annette Quijano and Assemblyman Jamel Holley, all Democrats who represent the 20th Legislative District, did not respond to requests for comment.

Salaam Ismial, president of the Elizabeth chapter of the NAACP, was among the residents who brought a petition to city hall Monday calling for the mayor to remove Cosgrove.

For years, Ismial has accused the department of treating people of color differently and failing to diversify the department.

When I hear that n-word, I think about those stories my mother and father told me about seeing lynchings and fearing the Ku Klux Klan, he said. Hes using words that are hurtful."

Asked to respond to the mayor's claims that he faced "a lynch mob by the Star Ledger," Ismial said the choice of words was inappropriate given the nature of the allegations against the police director.

He cant even begin to think of the victims of lynching. Our people have been lynched. Our churches are still being burned, Ismial said, referring generally to anti-black racism across the U.S. I think he needs to shut up and do the right thing.

Ismial said his group is planning a protest for May 7 outside the police station.

Many police officers I talk to are against this director and his conduct, but theyre afraid to come out, he said.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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WASHINGTON  Special Counsel Robert Muellers report outlined how Russia intervened in the 2016 election in an effort to help elect Donald Trump, including trying to hack into state elections systems. Legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez would seek to prevent a repeat in 2020.

Menendezs Protecting the Right to Independent and Democratic Elections Act, or Pride Act, would provide federal grant to states to help them improve their elections systems in order to protect against cyberattacks from Russia or other hostile countries.

We must treat the Mueller report like a preview of whats to come," said Menendez, D-N.J. Russia-linked actors will target our election infrastructure in 2020  perhaps with even greater sophistication. Without action, we may be even more vulnerable in 2020 than we were in 2016.

Mueller said that Russia had gained access to one Florida countys network and the voter registration system in Illinois.

A separate report issued last July by the Democratic members of the House Administration Committee named New Jersey as one of the five most vulnerable states to hacking. The other four were Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina. In all, 18 states were vulnerable to hacking, the report said.

Since then, New Jersey has received $9.7 million in federal funds to improve election security. These new federal grants would be used to fund projects such as developing a paper trail that can be audited to provide accurate records if a voting machine is hacked; post-election audits to test the accuracy of the vote count; and meeting the framework to protect against cyber threats developed by the National Institute for Standards and Technology.

"Its time for Congress to do what President Trump will not: Defend the security of our elections, defend our democracy, and defend the sovereignty of this nation, Menendez said.

When they controlled both houses of Congress last year, Republicans rejected proposals to provide millions of dollars in grants to states to secure election systems.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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Elizabeth Police Director James Cosgrove will resign after an internal inquiry found he used racist and sexist slurs against his own staff, the citys mayor said Tuesday.

Cosgrove had faced mounting pressure after state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, New Jerseys top law enforcement official, called for his resignation and installed a close aide as acting Union County prosecutor to enact an internal affairs overhaul at the city police department.

Mayor Chris Bollwage, who appointed Cosgrove to the job more than 20 years ago, announced the resignation after meeting with Grewal Tuesday afternoon. It was the first time he has addressed the accusations against Cosgrove publicly.

The mayor also announced he had asked Elizabeth Police Chief John Brennan to step aside while an unspecified complaint from a police officer is probed.

The allegations against Cosgrove were raised by Westfield attorney Josh McMahon, who represents a number of department employees in whistleblower suits. McMahon said staff reported that for years, Cosgrove had used the n-word to refer to African American employees and the c-word, an offensive term for female genitalia, to refer to women. After a two-month probe, the prosecutors office substantiated the complaint, according to a letter provided by McMahon.

But since Cosgrove is a civilian appointee and not a uniformed law enforcement officer, the only one who could fire him was his long-time political ally, Bollwage.

He will step down in two days, according to a statement released by Bollwage Tuesday afternoon:

"After meeting with the Attorney General today and discussing a path forward, I have accepted the resignation of Police Director James Cosgrove. Our conversation centered on changing personnel in the Internal Affairs Department, as only the Chief of the Police Department has that power. In addition, the whistle-blower complaint filed by an officer against Police Chief John Brennan was discussed. In order to truly change the culture of the Police Department, I am also calling upon Chief Brennan to step aside during this investigation.

"Prior to his departure, effective in two days, I have also asked Director Cosgrove to use that time and brief the City Attorney, William Holzapfel and the Business Administrator, Bridget Anderson, on current personnel and policy issues as it pertains to the police department as the City begins a search for a new Police Director.

As Acting Prosecutor Jennifer Davenport proceeds with the investigation, I pledge our cooperation in ensuring the Police Department is sensitive to the needs of our residents.

It is unclear what allegations have been brought against Brennan, who as police chief answered to Cosgrove. The city first disclosed that a complaint had been filed against Brennan April 22 in response to an inquiry from NJ Advance Media about Cosgroves employment status.

Cosgroves resignation marks a major change for the department he has led since 1998  one that has seen its share of turmoil.

In 2016, the two police unions representing the citys approximately 300 officers took no confidence votes in Cosgroves leadership. In union documents, they described the department as being run by politics, favoritism and retaliation.

Now the Union County Prosecutors Office is conducting a review of the departments workplace culture and hiring practices.

Community activist Salaam Ismial, who was among those to call for Cosgroves resignation, said the news Tuesday that he would step down made him both happy and sad.

Im happy this director is gone but Im still sad about whats left behind: the traces of racism in the department, he said. You have to change the culture.

New Jerseys fourth-largest city, Elizabeth is home to a majority latino population, as well as a significant number of African-American residents.

According to NJ Advance Medias database the Force Report, police officers in Elizabeth reported using force on suspects at a rate higher than 424 of New Jerseys police departments, including the states three larger cities: Newark, Jersey City and Paterson.

Black suspects were 71 percent more likely to have force used against them by city police than white residents, the data shows.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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1/2 Brendan, when Miggy returns will the Yanks consider using him solely at DH? Gio and DJLMH are both planets ahead of him defensively (to the point hes a liability and costs pitchers pitch counts) his bat is great, but Gio and DJ have been even better. I dont see his fit  96,98-00 (@Yanks9800) April 29, 2019

Last years runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year could return to the Yankees lineup as early as Friday.

But reading tweets and emails I received for this weeks mailbag, its as if many fans would rather Miguel Andujar take his time getting back so that Gio Urshela can stay at third base and continue proving hes for real.

Filling in for Andujar, whos rehabbing a small tear in his right labrum, Urshela has far outperformed expectations at the plate. Urshela, known for his spectacular glove, hasnt been able to stay in the majors all that much because he hasnt been able to hit. Thats changed this season. Since getting called up April 6, Urshela has hit a blistering .351 with 1 home run, 6 RBI and 6 doubles in 20 games. Hes posted a .924 OPS. Hes a huge reason the Yankees are 11-2 in their last 13 games.

But Urshelas run could come to an end with the Yankees when Andujar returns. Out of minor-league options, the Yankees cant just stash the Colombia native at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. They would have to expose him to waivers to take him off the 25-man roster, and another team would almost definitely claim him.

But does it have to be that way? Actually, not immediately. But at some point, it would seem likely that the Yankees just cant keep Urshela, who offers almost no defensive versatility  something the Yankees crave.

Unless 

The Yankees are going to want to be careful with Andujars shoulder. Theyre also going to want his bat  its better than Urshelas, no matter what hes done this season. Could it be possible the Yankees look at using Andujar often as a designated hitter and (very occasionally) a first baseman? Maybe, until more guys get off the injured list. Manager Aaron Boone didnt rule it out when he was asked during the Yankees last homestand. And the Yankees might want to see if Urshela can keep it up, the way Luke Voit has proven himself.

When Andujar gets back, the Yankees could send down Mike Ford and use D.J. LeMahieu as Voits primary backup. And when Troy Tulowitzki (calf) returns, they could send Thairo Estrada back to Triple-A. Then what? Could swap Tyler Wade out when Clint Frazier (ankle) comes back. And when the first between Giancarlo Stanton (shoulder/biceps) or Aaron Hicks (back) comes back, out goes Cameron Maybin. It might not be until the second between the two returns that Urshela is fully threatened.

Then again, if Andujar is as healthy as hes going to be  considering labrums dont fix themselves  the Yankees are going to need DH days for Stanton, Frazier, Hicks, Gary Sanchez and others. Cant give them all to Andujar, who would then move back to third base full time. So, maybe then, Urshela would have to go.

So, short-term, yes, the Yankees could keep Urshela around  if they really want to use Andujar mostly at DH. But when Stanton, Tulowitzki and Hicks start to return, the crunch might be too much to stick with Urshela, who doesnt have a history of being as good of a hitter as hes shown and only offers (stellar) defense at one position.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
Clerical errors are a common cause of ghost warrants, which can send someone to jail for an outdated or defunct warrant that still appears on the persons record, according to The Marshall Project and Guardian.

The partnering outlets on Monday (April 29) featured the stories of two New Orleans residents whose ghost warrants, also called sticky warrants, resulted in them being booked into jail. In both cases the warrants that prompted their arrests were related to cases that had been resolved years earlier.

Causey Davis was arrested in March because of a warrant related to a charge that was dismissed 25 years ago, he told the outlets. He was also jailed in 2014, 2015 and 2017, in connection to a 2006 warrant out of Arkansas, even though he had already served out his probationary sentence in that case. Kelly Orians, who helps to run New Orleans-based re-entry organizations, The First 72+ Rising Foundations, told the outlets about the December arrest of Alvon Jones after he was injured in a car accident. The arrest was the result of a warrant from his teen years, connected to a case that was resolved long ago.

Ghost warrants are especially prevalent in the South, the outlets found by surveying attorneys, where many courts still keep paper records and where communications among court clerks, district attorneys and sheriffs offices are both labyrinthine and informal. Ghost warrants often stem from old traffic violations, missed court dates or unpaid fines, the Marshall Project and Guardian reports, and mostly affect people of color and the poor.

Read The Marshall Project and Guardians full story here, or here.

Another person imprisoned in Louisiana months past his release date, new lawsuit says
A man serving a 25-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction in a 2000 Gentilly homicide will be resentenced, after the Louisiana Supreme Court partially granted his appeal Monday (April 29).

Rudy Francis, 65, was convicted Sept. 17, 2010, of killing his business partner as they sat in a parked car on Elysian Fields Avenue. It was his third trial in 10 years, as the first two ended in hung juries.

Francis said he shot Larry Darnell Lawrence, 43  his partner in a cell phone business and his drinking buddy  the night of Aug. 9, 2000, because he feared for his life after a violent argument inside Lawrences parked car. Lawrence was shot nine times.

Francis survived a gunshot wound to his thigh, and initially told police he didnt know who shot at him and Lawrence as the two sat and talked inside the car. Francis later said he made a mistake, and told police he was in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

Prosecutors criticized that defense and questioned why Francis fired nine times.

Man convicted of manslaughter for killing his business partner 10 years ago

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Judge Lynda Van Davis sentenced Francis to 25 years in prison on Nov. 5, 2010, the same day she denied Francis motion for a new trial. Francis filed a motion to reconsider his sentence on Nov. 18, 2010, which Davis also denied.

Francis raised several issues in an appeal, including Davis failure to delay his sentencing until 24 hours after his motion for a new trial was denied.

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2012 decision said failing to observe the 24-hour delay was harmless because Francis did not allege his sentence was excessive.

The Supreme Court disagreed, saying Francis did challenge his sentence and therefore was denied his right to a 24-hour delay.

Francis case will be sent back to Criminal District Court for re-sentencing. Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier now presides over Davis former section.
Sophie B. Wright Charter School will now let several students participate in its May 13 graduation ceremony three weeks after students were initially barred from that experience due to a senior prank earlier this month.

The decision comes as parents, education advocates and lawmakers question the high schools discipline policies after Wright suspended approximately 30 students for their involvement in a senior prank April 5. School officials said students used water guns, eggs, vinegar, mustard and water balloons on the campus as part of an April 5 prank. 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 several times beforehand not to participate in the prank. Those students had their senior privileges revoked, including walking for graduation, senior prom, senior picnic and activities on their last day of school. Wright has since rescinded the suspensions, but the revocation of privileges was still enforced.

Enrollment data from the state Department of Education shows Wright enrolls 530 students, including 130 seniors. Tracie Washington, Wrights school attorney, told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Monday (April 28) that students involved in the incident that damaged public property and caused injury to faculty and a student were provided the opportunity to speak with administration officials to discuss their punishment.

As you know the graduation ceremony is just one of several senior privileges that can be earned or withheld, Washington stated.

Washington continued, stating several students and their parents accepted the invitation to discuss their penalties and, after further consideration, most were allowed the opportunity to join their classmates in the graduation ceremony but only upon certification theyve completed 20 hours of community service by May 6, 2019.

Washington stated the school will not provide the exact number of students who fall into thet classification, nor will the school release any explanation concerning why certain other students will not participate in the graduation ceremony, because any such disclosures would certainly violate FERPA (privacy rules).

Parents, advocates protest discipline practices at Sophie B. Wright school

Wanda Evans told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Monday that her grandson still hasnt had his privileges restored. Jaheim Evans, 17, participated in a disciplinary hearing on April 17 to explain why he thinks his privileges should be restored, Evans said.

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Although her grandson still cant walk at graduation, Evans said she has been told some students have had their privileges restored after they apologized to school leadership for their participation in the prank. Evans called Wrights picking and choosing of senior privileges for certain students discrimination.

Evans stressed the school still hasnt provided proof of the damage caused by the prank. Jaheim Evans admitted to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune that students covered a restroom toilet seat in plastic wrap, but he said the school didnt give them an opportunity to clean up after themselves. Evans said the students should still have their privileges restored, and she has demanded an independent investigation into what she described as Clarks abuse of authority.

Sophie B. Wright leads city in school expulsion recommendations, data shows

Wrights discipline practices have attracted the attention of politicians. New Orleans City Council members Jason Williams and Helena Moreno asked the school to have the students involved in the prank volunteer their time to nonprofits rather than denying them the monumental moment of a graduation ceremony. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrells Office of Youth & Families said in a statement the administration was glad to see Wright rescinded the suspensions.

In a statement, Williams and Moreno said they appreciate Wrights follow up on the discipline issue.

We feel that the school has handled this issue in a manner that balances fairness for the students involved with the need for a safe and orderly environment that promotes the learning and well-being of all of the students in the school. The students who followed the rules and directive are commended for their behavior.

New Orleans Council members address senior prank discipline at Sophie B. Wright school

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.
NEW YORK -- Filmmaker John Singleton, who debuted with the Oscar-nominated "Boyz N the Hood" and continued making movies that probed the lives of black communities in his native Los Angeles and beyond, has died. He was 51.

Singleton's family said Monday (April 29) that he died after being taken off life support, about two weeks after the director suffered a major stroke.

The news came after a roller-coaster morning in which a Kansas City TV station reported Singleton had died, only to have the filmmaker's spokeswoman contradict that by telling Newsweek he was, indeed, still alive and on life support at a Los Angeles hospital.

By mid-day, Variety was reporting that his family had made the "agonizing decision" to remove him from life support later in the day Monday. We are grateful to his fans, friends and colleagues for the outpouring of love and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. We want to thank all the doctors at Cedars Sinai for the impeccable care he received, the family said in a statement.

"Boyz N the Hood" was based on Singleton's upbringing and shot in his old neighborhood. It starred Cuba Gooding Jr. as a rebellious teen whose single mother sends him to live with his father in South Central Los Angeles.

Singleton became the first black director to receive an Academy Award nomination, and the youngest to do so, and also received a screenplay nomination. His other films included "Poetic Justice," ''Rosewood" and "Shaft."

Jake Coyle and Hillel Italie wrote this story, (c) 2019 The Associated Press.
President Donald Trump is expected to visit New Orleans in May for an invitation-only fundraiser, according to reports from The Advocate and WDSU.

The event is scheduled for May 14, but The Advocate said the invitation it obtained doesnt list a location.

Shipbuilder Boysie Bollinger and developer Joe Canizaro are hosting the fundraiser, according to reports. Its a minimum of $2,800 per person to attend.

Trump visited New Orleans in January to speak at the American Farm Bureau Federations convention at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. During his January visit, several roads were closed, including Interstate 10 while he was traveling between the airport.

Read the full story from The Advocate.

Carlie Kollath Wells is a morning reporter at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Have an early-bird tip? Send it to her: cwells@nola.com or Twitter @carlie_kollath.
Two children were injured in an early-morning house fire Tuesday (April 30) at their grandfathers home north of Covington, authorities said.

The children, 11 and 12, were airlifted to University Medical Center in New Orleans and later transferred to Childrens Hospital, where they were in critical condition Tuesday afternoon, the Louisiana Fire Marshals Office said. Their 74-year-old grandfather was hospitalized in St. Tammany Parish for observation.

Three cats and two dogs died in the fire, authorities said.

The fire occurred at a home on a sprawling piece of property behind a pond in the 21000 block of Pat OBrien Road off Old Military Road north of Covington, said Fire Chief John Taylor of St. Tammany Parishs Fire District 6.

Firefighters received a call about the blaze at 2:04 a.m. and arrived at the scene at about 2:13 a.m., Taylor said. Thick smoke was pouring from the house, he said.

The grandfather reported to investigators that he was awakened by popping noises and discovered the fire, the Fire Marshals Office said. He was able to escape from a window on the back side of the house, then broke a window on the front side of the home in order to pull his granddaughter, 11, to safety, the agency said. The boy, 12, was discovered by first responders near the carport door in the homes kitchen.

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The girl suffered smoke inhalation and the boy suffered smoke inhalation and burns to his face, hands and arms, according to a fire marshals spokeswoman.

The grandfather and the two children were full-time residents of the home, which had functioning smoke alarms, she said. Officials had earlier said they believed the children were merely staying overnight at the home.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the fire department and the Louisiana Fire Marshals Office. Investigators are looking into potential electrical factors, authorities said.

Fire districts 12 and 5 assisted in fighting the blaze.

(This story was updated Tuesday afternoon (April 30) with conditions of the children and their transfer to Childrens Hospital)
Gov. John Bel Edwards, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and New Orleans hospitality industry leaders have reached an agreement on how to direct more money toward the citys ailing infrastructure. The mayor will receive most, but not all of the resources she set out to get.

The agreement, which sources close to the negotiations say has been reached tentatively, calls for New Orleans to receive $48 million in one-time funding for the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board and up to $27 million in recurring revenue. The sources asked not to be named, citing the sensitivity of the discussions.

Cantrell had been seeking $75 million in one-time money and another $40 million annually.

More than half of the $48 million will come from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, a source the mayor has wanted to tap. About $20 million will come from the facilitys reserve cash, which holds more than $230 million. Another $6 million will be taken from other convention center funds.

Leftover disaster relief funding, in the form of federal community development block grants, will also make up about $16 million of the one-time money. Another $6 million will come from state government funding that the governor can access, according to one of the sources.

New Orleans infrastructure funding compromise very close, sources say

The state will also help the Sewerage & Water Board restructure some of its debt from Hurricane Katrina, according to the sources. Currently, the city has to repay $7.3 million of this debt every year through 2026. That payment would be lowered and stretched out as part of the agreement.

For the recurring revenue, three types of funding have been agreed upon: a new short-term rental tax that could increase up to 6.75%, a hotel tax of 1% and a reallocation of revenue the currently goes to the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp.

Revenue from the short-term rental tax will be split, with 75 percent going to infrastructure and 25 percent going to promote tourism. The city will resume collecting the hotel tax, sometimes referred to as the lost penny, that was halted in 1966 so a state tax could capture the same amount to fund construction of the Superdome.

The legislative proposals would be funded through House Bill 43, sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Harris, D-New Orleans, and House Bill 522, sponsored by Rep. Neil Abramson, D-New Orleans. They currently only raise a combined $22.5 million. Its unclear how much money would be redirected from the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. to the city for infrastructure at this point.

The hotel tax bill requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature, possibly an uphill climb for tax-adverse lawmakers in an election year. The short-term rental legislation will need to majority vote from the Legislature, cooperation from the New Orleans City Council and approval from the citys voters. That redirection of funding from the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. would also need the New Orleans City Councils approval to go into effect.

The final piece of the puzzle, House Bill 589 by Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, would allow the convention center to use its reserve funding for a new hotel complex, a project Cantrell has criticized but the hospitality industry wants, and its existing meeting halls. If the convention center wanted to use the account for any other project, it would need legislative approval, under the agreement. Legers bill has not been amended yet to reflect the new agreement.

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Where New Orleans infrastructure funding fix stands in the Legislature

The deal comes following negotiations that started in January. It was reached after a week of intense talks between the governors staff and Cantrells team, without as much involvement from the business and hospitality leaders, according to several sources.

The city has experienced frequent street flooding and boil water advisories in recent years, and fixes are expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Without a short-term cash influx, officials say the Sewerage & Water Board could run out of money for its drainage services before the end of the year.

The deal marks a victory for Cantrell. Several mayors before her have also tried to steer public money away from the hospitality sector, with no success. Since last October, shes been consistently drumming up support for a fair share of tourism tax dollars to address infrastructure needs. Her political action committee launched an aggressive advertising campaign, one that relied on taking her message directly to the public through social media instead of trying to work out a backroom deal.

Several longtime politicians at the state level criticized the mayors strategy privately, saying it was naive and would turn off key players Cantrell needed to assist her. Yet she pressed on with what some considered hardball tactics.

Last week, the mayor had Abramson, her point person in the House, move three infrastructure funding bills she backed out of committee and to the House floor. The move rankled hospitality industry leaders, who were unable to kill the proposals.

But Cantrell succeeded in getting money from the tourism industry for city needs where others havent. Redirecting existing money from the Tourism Marketing Corp. to the city, in particular, aligns with Cantrells fair share message.

Officials plan to announce the agreement by midweek, then theyll have to quickly to pivot to lobby state lawmakers and the city council to support their proposals. At least two of the aforementioned bills havent been scheduled for an initial House committee vote yet.

- Beau Evans contributed to this story.

UPDATE: Rededicated tax revenues from the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. will also be directed to the citys infrastructure needs. Previously, the story reported the deal would not include any recurring money for the city from existing tax revenues tourism-focused groups received.

New Orleans infrastructure funding talks in limbo as bills clear committee
(CNN)  Sri Lankans are able to sign into social media for the first time in over a week.

The country's communications regulator said in a statement Tuesday that it had lifted a nationwide ban on social media imposed after deadly bombings on Easter Sunday killed over 200 people.

The government had said the temporary ban was necessary to prevent "false news" reports from circulating online. Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat were all affected.

The regulator urged people to use social media responsibly in its statement.

Social media firms have struggled to stem the spread of misinformation and propaganda following terror attacks. Facebook recently came under scrutiny after the New Zealand shootings were streamed live on the platform.

But shutting down access to the sites raised questions over censorship in Sri Lanka and the government's ability to prevent the spread of misinformation. Many Sri Lankans were able to circumvent the restrictions by using VPNs.

This wasn't the first time Sri Lanka had restricted access to social media.

The government temporarily blocked Facebook and other social platforms last year, saying they were being used to incite violence.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Sri Lanka lifts social media ban imposed after Easter bombings."
As a scientist at LSU, Dr. Catherine O'Neal knew the COVID-19 vaccines had undergone rigorous safety testing before they were made available for children. But when the time came to sign her own kids up for the jab, the mother of three experienced 
Im pleased that we have two very good candidates, Weems said, but I would like to retain the expertise of Darold Miller.

Now the board will be taking applications for the rural seat vacated by Miller when he moved to town. They have until June 3 to do it, but already have a start on the process. Two rural residents applied for the city/village seat, not realizing they were ineligible for it based on their residences, said County Clerk Becky Rossell. Commissioner Chairman Joe Hewgley said they will be considered along with other applications that may come in, for the rural seat.

Commissioners also:

 Received claims and treasurers receipts.

 Listened to Ian Stewart, who has filed a tort claim against the county. Stewart alleges that a vehicle that he owns, and that his wife was driving at the time, was damaged by improper conditions on a county road. He said a tire and rim were ruined and there was also other damage underneath the vehicle. Commissioners voted to submit the claim to the countys insurance company and to took no other action at this meeting.

 Approved a special designated liquor permit for Big Red Liquor for a reception on June 1 at Harbor Lights, with the assurance that there would be continuous monitoring at the entrance/exit, and understanding that people attending would have their IDs checked and wrist bands would be used.
The Disaster Tax Relief Act would also temporarily eliminate the cap on deductions for charitable donations within a disaster area. Charitable deductions are normally capped around 30 to 50% of income. Without these limitations in place, this legislation can provide even more incentive for donations to Nebraska communities that need the most assistance.

Usually the IRS offers a limited deduction for destroyed property. This bill would expand the deduction so it can be claimed for damages not covered by other insurance or federal programs.

Targeted changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit in the bill would help alleviate financial pressures some of our friends and neighbors are facing. EITC recipients generally receive credit based on the amount of money they have earned, but as floods have caused our businesses to halt operations, wages could fall. This bill would allow affected Nebraskans to claim their previous years credit if their wages decrease.

This legislation would help families keep a steadier stream of income as they recover. A tax credit would be made available for employers in disaster areas who continue to pay their employees. In some cases, this would give businesses the flexibility to continue paying their workers while they recover.
The U.S. Congress is back to work after their Spring break and on Monday, April 29, House Democrats reached an agreement with President Donald Trump to negotiate a $2 trillion infrastructure bill.

This is a surprising announcement considering the context of the polarized partisan gridlock in Washington, emerging from the longest government shutdown in history and developing further with the conclusion of the special counsels investigation.

On Tuesday, the President invited Congressional Democrats to the White House and his conversation with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) ended on a positive note. The Hill reported that Schumer told reporters there was goodwill and that we hope it will go to a constructive conclusion. The two Congressional leaders also noted that this is only the start to a negotiation process on how to allocate funds for the improvement of the nations infrastructure.

Prior to the White House meeting, Pelosi and Schumer wrote Trump a letter in which they expressed their proposals for the infrastructure legislation. These proposals include increased substantial, new, and real revenue be raised for broadband, water, energy, schools, housing, and other initiatives in addition, the letter stated that: we must also invest in resiliency and risk mitigation of our current infrastructure to deal with climate change, the Washington Examiner reported. The letter mentions climate change and clean energy but does not mention roads, bridges, or highways, the Daily Caller noted.

Furthermore, Democrats proposals go beyond transportation and diverge from Trumps priorities concerning infrastructure. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has called out Democrats, warning against promoting a climate change agenda embodied in the Green New Deal under the pretext of infrastructure improvement. Conway had remarked that these radical ideas should not be brought to the White House today under the guise of infrastructure, the Washington Examiner reported. Conway suggested that Democrats should be addressing the Presidents priorities in streamlining infrastructure permits and private-public partnerships. The Green New Deal was introduced back in February by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) but it subsequently was voted down with a 57-0 vote in the Senate.

Markey, in a recent interview with Vox, admitted Democrats intentions concerning climate change agendas being legislated through infrastructure reform: Weve also made it quite clear that if there is an infrastructure bill, were going to make it a green energy bill. Were going to be submitting amendments that ensure that bill has aggressive renewable energy resource and energy efficiency standards, and that there are higher and stronger standards for federal renewable energy procurement.

The White House Press Secretary released a statement following the meeting, which clarified the Presidents priorities on infrastructure, going forward: on rebuilding our Nations crumbling infrastructure including roads, highways, bridges, tunnels and railroads, modernizing our air travel system, and expanding broadband access for our great farmers and rural AmericaThe United States has not come even close to properly investing in infrastructure for many years, foolishly prioritizing the interests of other countries over our own. We have to invest in this countrys future and bring our infrastructure to a level better than it has ever been before. We will have another meeting in three weeks to discuss specific proposals and financing methods.
The team will go on to represent its home country of Thailand as well as all of Southeast Asia in the first-ever Asian Champions Cup in 2022
BP's profit in the first quarter slipped to $2.4 billion, down from $2.6 billion during the first quarter of 2018, despite rising crude oil prices.

The London-based energy giant, one of the largest industrial employers along Northwest Indiana's Lake Michigan lakeshore, blamed the results on a "weaker price and margin environment at the start of the quarter, partially offset by strong supply and trading results."

"BPs performance this quarter demonstrates the strength of our strategy," BP Group Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley said.

"With solid upstream and downstream delivery and strong trading results, we produced resilient earnings and cash flow through a volatile period that began with weak market conditions and included significant turnarounds. Moving through the year, we will keep our focus on disciplined growth, with efficient project execution and safe and reliable operations."

Despite the slide in profits, BP did beat analysts' expectations that it would pull in $2.3 billion in net earnings in the first quarter.
Teachers Credit Union, which has branches in Gary, Hammond, Whiting, Chesterton and Valparaiso, has reached an agreement to buy New Buffalo Savings Bank in an all-cash deal valued at $21.3 million.

The South Bend-based bank, which has a half dozen branches in Northwest Indiana, will acquire New Buffalo Savings Bank, which has assets of $119.5 million and branches in New Buffalo, Sawyer and Three Oaks just across the state line in southwest Michigan. Once the deal is finalized, Teachers Credit Union will end up with $3.2 billion in assets and 57 branches.

We are excited to announce the acquisition of New Buffalo Savings Bank and look forward to welcoming their customers and employees into the TCU family, Teachers Credit Union President and CEO Paul Marsh said. This acquisition will allow us to expand our footprint and better serve our members in southwestern Michigan and it will result in better banking access for New Buffalo Savings Banks customers as well. I look forward to a positive transition as the cultures of both organizations are strong, and we share a commitment to the community and the members and customers we serve.

New Buffalo Savings Bank shareholders will get $28.42 per share, or up to 128.5% of the book's tangible book value.
From December 19th through December 26th we will be granting free access as a gift to our readers presented by Peoples Bank
HAMMOND  A doctor has been sentenced to serve 15 months in prison for over-prescribing pain medication at a Munster clinic.

Dr. Jay K. Joshi, 34, a general practice physician at Prestige Clinic in Munster, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon to serve 15 months followed by three years of supervised release, a $7,500 fine and a $100 special assessment after pleading guilty to dispensing hydrocodone, an opioid, for non-medical purposes, according to the U.S. attorney's office for nothern Indiana.

Prescribing controlled substances that are not medically necessary intensify the opioid problem our nation faces, U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch said. We, working with our law enforcement partners, are focused on reducing opioid abuse in the Northern District of Indiana. Doctors who abuse their authority are just one of the areas on which our partners are focusing.

Between September 2017 and December 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Munster Police Department obtained information about Joshis history of prescribing controlled substances through Indianas prescription monitoring system, INSPECT, according to Kirsch.
"The problem is we don't really know when this guy escaped," Paterson said. "Obviously, it takes some time to travel from here to Alabama. He had been off the grid for some time."

Smith was charged in September with two felony counts of robbery. He was released on bond with court-ordered GPS monitoring in October, court records show.

ICU Monitoring filed a notice Friday with Lake Criminal Court Judge Clarence Murray, who issued a warrant Monday for Smith's arrest. It's unclear when Smith, who was still wearing his ankle monitor at the time of his arrest in Alabama, will be brought back to Lake County.

Smith admitted to smoking marijuana 30 minutes before the crash, and counterfeit money was found in his possession and at the crash scene, police records show.

Previous case earlier this month

In another case, Sheriff Oscar Martinez recently confirmed his department was investigating why it took about three hours for ICU Monitoring to notify his department April 12 after it lost communication with an ankle bracelet worn by Jarod Johnson, 22, of Gary. At the time, Johnson was facing attempted murder charges in a 2017 case.
CROWN POINT  Former Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington took the stand Tuesday to deny assaulting Gary Councilman LaVetta Sparks-Wade in January, but a judge found he violated his probation and sentenced him to 17 more days in jail.

Washington, 46, must report to the Lake County Jail no later than May 31 to serve the sentence for his 2018 convictions for misdemeanor battery and interference with reporting a crime.

Charges linked to the alleged assault on Sparks-Wade at her Gary home remain pending. Washington has pleaded not guilty in that case.

Before the probation revocation hearing began, Special Judge Jeffrey Thode denied a motion for a continuance by Washington's attorney, Michael Lambert.

Lambert said the allegations against Washington involving Sparks-Wade needed to be proved before a decision on his probation for a 2017 assault on his female cousin could be made.

Special Prosecutor Stanley Levco objected to any continuance, saying he had several witnesses in the courtroom ready to testify.
HAMMOND  An area resident who was cheated out of $282,000 was among several victims of a Texas woman sentenced Monday in federal court to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch.

Rita Alielnour, of Dallas, is to spend two years on supervised release following her prison term.

Alielnour participated in an email scheme that obtained more than $335,000 during a two-day period in April 2017, according to notice from Kirsch.

"As part of the scheme, Alielnour opened a bank account in the name of a non-existent business to receive fraudulent wire transfers," he said. "A victim in the Northern District of Indiana was tricked into wiring $282,000 for a down payment on a home into Alielnours bank account after members of the scheme spoofed the escrow officer's email address and provided false wire instructions."

"A victim in Texas was tricked into wiring nearly $25,000 into Alielnours account believing it was payment of a business invoice," Kirsch said. "A second victim in Texas had his bank account compromised, and an unknown person wired money into Alielnours account."
Curiel is a member of La Raza Lawyers of California, a Hispanic attorneys group affiliated with the National Hispanic Bar Association. He has no known ties to NCLR, which has renamed itself Unidos US.

Its his history, not his heritage, that raises questions. La Raza is little different from the Klan, Sedia appears to have written above The Times story.

Anyone associated with such groups, especially a federal judge, should have his integrity questioned. How did this guy get confirmed?

Another apparent post links to a blog piece on GalliaWatch, a nationalist website highly critical of Muslim immigration to France. In the post, Sedia highlights a quote attributed to right-wing French politician Marion Le Pen:

Either we kill Islamism or it will kill us again and again. You are with us and against Islamism, or you are against us and for Islamism. Those who choose the status quo become complicit with our enemies.

Other apparent posts include shared memes that Allen-McCloud described as insensitive and inappropriate. One meme, originally posted to a Facebook page called The Comical Conservative, depicts a 1950s-era American family on a road trip to Mexico.
The maps opened the door for a rising Los Angeles County Democratic political star amid a generational shift among the region's elected leaders. They also put a dent in the chances for a Republican favorite in one of the nation's most hotly contested races.
INDIANAPOLIS  Gov. Eric Holcomb agrees with the Indiana General Assembly that Griffith deserves another year to complete its exit from Calumet Township.

On Monday, Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act 1177 into law. It extends until November 2020 the deadline for Griffith to join either North or St. John township in Lake County.

Rick Ryfa, Griffith town council president, said town leaders are planning to make another approach to officials in both townships about the benefits of absorbing Griffith, now that there is additional time to fully understand all the financial ramifications.

"We've been waiting for the legislative session to end before we did anything," Ryfa said. "So we will start to see what steps we'll go forward from here."

"It certainly gives plenty of time for anybody to have any questions answered in either of the two townships."

Griffith citizens last year voted to secede from Calumet Township, due in part to the township's highest-in-the-state poor relief property tax rate; the revenue from which mostly is paid by, but not spent on, Griffith residents.
INDIANAPOLIS  Former U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., was memorialized Tuesday in the Senate chamber where he served for 36 years by the man who now sits in Lugar's seat representing Hoosiers at the Capitol.

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., described his Senate predecessor who died Sunday as "a towering figure in Hoosier history and one of the greatest statesmen to ever serve in the U.S. Senate."

"He was in the Senate for a long time, and during the entirety of his terms he always did it to where, as a Hoosier and as an American, you were proud of him," Braun said.

"For the time that I'm here, in the Lugar seat, I do intend to what he did: On things he knew something a little about, he stuck his neck out, made a statement, he led. And in the entirety of his career here in the Senate, he was impeccable with integrity and character, and gosh we could use a good dose of that in this day and age."

Braun also posted on Twitter a 45-year-old photograph of him talking with Lugar at a Wabash College political event that was autographed by the senator: "Every good wish to Mike  Dick Lugar."
"It's now or never," said one of the young rebellious soldiers, his face covered in the blue bandanna preferred by the few dozen soldiers who stood alongside Guaido and Lopez.

The dramatic events playing out in the opposition's stronghold in wealthier eastern Caracas appeared not to have triggered a broader military revolt.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino on Twitter rejected what he called an attempt by a "subversive movement" to generate "panic and terror." Meanwhile, socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello said most of Caracas was calm and called on government supporters to amass at the presidential palace to defend Maduro from what he said was a U.S.-backed coup attempt.

"We're going to Miraflores palace to defend the revolution, to defend Nicolas and to defend the legacy of Hugo Chavez," said Cabello in a phone call to state TV.

Later, a group of security forces on motorcycles dropped tear gas to clear the bridge, prompting an exchange of what appeared to be gunfire. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Earlier this General Assembly session, Senate Republicans stripped out the "list" after a clandestine caucus debate. Last week House Republicans came up with a compromise forged behind closed doors and with little public input that Bosma called a great solution which would protect all.

On the eve of Senate concurrence, the governor explained, The No. 1 priority for me is to make sure that when we adjourn from this legislative session, that all 6.6 million-plus Hoosiers are protected, and from what Ive seen (this version) would do it. But, he added that he will continue push for gender and gender identity in an explicit list. I dont want to go back, I want to go forward, Holcomb said Monday. And this will be a tremendous step in the right direction.

So his vow to continue to push for the list reinforced doubt that all would be covered.
In 1974, I had the good fortune to be hired as a first grade teacher at Meister Elementary in River Forest. It began a 15-year love affair with the River Forest community as I eventually became superintendent in 1984. I went on to serve three other communities as superintendent as well as emergency manager for the Gary schools takeover last year. All of my experience has taught me that River Forest's small neighborhood school environment is worth your support. Your yes vote for River Forest is critical to the future of River Forest students and the community at large.

Please understand the political agenda in Indiana, forcing schools to use the referendum to fund schools and, if not successful, force consolidation of smaller districts. When I was superintendent from 1984-89, River Forest had the lowest assessed valuation per pupil in Indiana. Now 30 years later, the AV remains the lowest in the area. Why does this matter? If AV or the value of property increases, the tax rate decreases. Because we have no real industry in River Forest and it remains largely residential, we do not have the ability to generate more revenue without the referendum. What will your property be worth without neighborhood schools? How will you feel if your child is not a River Forest Ingot?
If one needed evidence of the gross ignorance of millennials, and their teachers and college professors, it's their solid support for socialism and socialist presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders. Socialism has produced tragedy wherever it has been implemented. Last year marked the 40th anniversary of nearly 1,000 Americans perishing in a mass suicide/murder in the jungles of Guyana. Just as Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez see socialism as mankind's salvation, so, too, did Rev. Jim Jones, who told his followers, "God is Socialism, and I am Principle Socialism, and that's what makes me God."

Perhaps the most disastrous failing of our educational system and the news media is that people are neither required nor encouraged to test ideas against facts. The promises of socialism sound wonderful and caring, but in reality, wherever it has been tried it has been a true disaster. Let's examine the history of socialism.

During the first three decades of the 20th century, Argentina was one of the world's top-10 richest nations. It was ahead of Canada and Australia in total and per capita income. After Juan Peron's ideas, captured in his economic creed that he called "national socialism," became a part of Argentina's life, the country fell into economic chaos. Today it has fallen to 25th in terms of GDP.
It's possible for elected government leaders to remain civil and cordial while also being dogged advocates for ideals and constituencies.

Former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar proved this statement with great vigor.

In the wake of his Saturday death, we all must remind our leaders of his example and urge them to emulate it.

Over the weekend, divisive and often bitter partisanship seemed to evaporate, at least for a time, as news traveled that one of Indiana's greatest statesmen had died at the age of 87.

The bipartisan accolades that flowed in for Lugar's career didn't come by accident.

The two-term mayor of Indianapolis and six-term U.S. senator made a career out of pushing for bipartisan cooperation. Reaching across the aisle was the hallmark of his sweeping success from everything to denuclearization of former Soviet countries to federal policies that benefited the Hoosier state directly.

Today, it's no wonder the Lugar Center, a political and government think-tank named for him, ranks and rates the bipartisanship, or lack thereof, of congressional members.
A number of airlines experienced delays on Monday when their systems had a technical glitch, causing backups across the country. Travelers vented their frustration on Twitter, blaming airlines like Alaska, American and JetBlue.

But the real culprit was Sabre, a relatively unknown software system used by airlines for a variety of simple purposes, like tracking bookings and calculating baggage weight.

Sabre and other systems like it handle many crucial back-end airline functions, including taking reservations and scheduling flight crews. When its software works as intended, it makes it easier for airlines to operate smoothly.

It's optimized for speed and reliability, said Samuel Engel, a senior vice president and head of the aviation practice at the consulting firm ICF. They often get referred to as the heart of the airline in the sense that they have arteries that touch every organ.
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There were allegations of sexual harassment, and misuse of city resources. A senior staff member was accused of threatening other staffers with violence. There was also evidence of nepotism, among other indiscretions.

And the person at the center of it was Andy King, a Bronx councilman whose brightly colored checkered suits and crisply knotted bow ties allow him to stand out in City Hall.

But the allegations revealed on Monday by the City Councils ethics committee were a visceral reminder of Mr. Kings troubled past, and raised questions about his future.

Mr. King was disciplined by the ethics committee last year over a separate sexual harassment claim lodged by a former female staff member. In that case, the committee determined that Mr. King, a Democrat, violated anti-harassment rules in his dealings with the staffer, and ordered him to undergo sensitivity and ethics training.
Fear stokes anger, which then stokes more fear. Anger is the child of fear, the philosopher Martha Nussbaum writes in her book, The Monarchy of Fear. The fearful person turns asocial, rejects any compassionate response to social problems and instead lashes out.

Fear, indeed, is intensely narcissistic, she continues. It drives out all thoughts of others. The fearful person doesnt see particular individuals, just hateful shades who arouse disgust and can be blamed. Muslims are disgusting. Immigrants are disgusting. Republicans are disgusting. The irrationalities of disgust, Nussbaum continues, underlie many social evils.

Fear induces herding behavior. For my last column I went back and read some profiles of Joe Biden written in the 1970s and 1980s. I was stunned to see how free-flowing they were, how little the authors were tied down by ideological rigidity and tribal mentality. I was reminded how much weve all clenched up, how much we all now seem to be members of this or that cult  fearful of saying something wrong, fearful of provoking a Twitter backlash, mindlessly repeating the cliches that signal to others that we are faithfully staying within the barricades of our tribe.

Fear revives ideology. The 20th century saw a clash of iron-grip ideologies. Then, about 10 years ago, we seemed to be entering the age of the data wonks. The students in my classes didnt have faith in all-explaining dogmas. Skeptical, they just wanted the evidence.

But now grand ideologies clash by night: white nationalism, populism, oppression studies. All trade in binaries between oppressor and oppressed, the struggle between the good groups and the menacing evil ones.

They say that perfect love casts out fear. And maybe there is at least one presidential candidate who will perform the role Franklin Roosevelt performed 86 years ago  identify fear as its own independent force and confront it with hope and optimism.

But Im coming to think governance might be cure. The simple act of trying to solve practical problems. Enough with charisma. Enough with politicians who treat each election as a matter of metaphysical survival, a clash of existential identities. Ive developed a hankering for slightly boring politicians who just get stuff done  Mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit, Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland. I might agree or disagree with some of Elizabeth Warrens zillions of policy proposals, but at least theyre proposals. At least they are attempts to ground our politics in real situations with actual plans, not just overwrought bellowing about the monster in the closet.

Fear comes in the night. But eventually you have to wake up in the morning, get out of bed and get stuff done.

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Hitler-moustaches, vandalism and threats : Election posters in Bonn massively damaged

Bonn Many European election posters in Bonn have been damaged. Nevertheless, the parties do not want to forego them. CDU candidate Axel Voss has been hit particularly hard.

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Axel Voss has been hit particularly hard. Almost all the big posters of the CDU candidate for the European elections have been defaced. As an advocate of copyright reform, the man from Bonn has attracted a lot of hatred  the Hitler moustache on the hoarding at the Kaiser-Karl-Ring represents one of the harmless additions, as there have even been threats.

Although vandalism repeatedly occurs, the Christian Democrats are not the only ones to cling to traditional election posters. Social media is becoming more important as an advertising platform, but we achieve different goals with different media, says Gabriel Kunze, chairman of the Bonn SPD. Political scientists also advise that posters should continue to be used.

For Kunze, the election campaign only really begins when the posters are put up. We notice that it is only through posters that people are aware there are elections at all, he says. Posters give the parties the opportunity to draw attention to a broad range of issues and to the candidates. But posters are also a target for political opponents: we always have problems with vandalism, but there is nothing we can do about it. The Social Democrats always have posters in reserve so that damaged ones can be replaced quickly.

Some actions also cause resentment among the parties  the current example is again Axel Voss. Under his portraits, Jusos, the organisation for young SPD members posted the slogan: I broke the internet, without understanding anything about it! Although Kunze thinks it is good that the youth organisation is actively involved (they can do something cheeky), Christos Katzidis is angry. The Bonn CDU party leader calls the saying underground. Such a thing simply does not belong.

Voss is a particular target for aggression

Is this further proof that election posters are stimulating debate? Tilman Mayer, Professor at the Institute for Political Science and Sociology at the University of Bonn, has examined the value of election posters. Even as an old-fashioned instrument, they are important and almost essential for political competition, he says; not to convince opponents but to be visible on the street for the partys own people. If this were not the case, it would irritate the party supporters. That would be like saying you dare not go out onto the street.

What Mayer particularly notices in this election campaign is that Voss is oversized on his posters. That could appear to be provocative. Moreover, he is controversial in younger circles because of his political statements. Both make him a target for aggression.

To avoid this, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) unpacks its posters only a week before the election. In the past, we could only collect about 20 percent of our election posters, the rest were damaged or lost beyond recognition, says Sascha Ulbrich. He considers advertising in social media to be very important. For ecological reasons, he would like the parties to hang fewer posters. But voters want the opposite.

FDP wants to tighten guidelines

The parties are free to design posters as long as they do not contravene the law. Everything else has been regulated by a resolution by the Bonn City Council. According to this resolution, election billposting is permitted from three months before up until two weeks after the election. Whoever does not adhere to this, must count on the fact that the city will remove the posters at the expense of the party, explains Markus Schmitz from the press office. However, this has never happened before; so far a hint to the parties has always been sufficient.

Parties also have to register where they are going to hang their election advertising in advance. Some places are taboo, such as those where traffic is distracted or inconvenienced in a dangerous or aggravating way. For example, when traffic signs are concealed.
On the face of it, Spains national election on Sunday followed the familiar European script: highly polarized campaign, the emergence of a far-right party, no party with the parliamentary seats to form a government on its own. But it came with a distinctly Spanish twist.

The difference was that the catalyst for most of the turmoil was not immigration, globalization or social change, but Catalonia and its drive for independence. Nationalist sentiment in Spain has been especially strong since separatist leaders in Catalonia held an independence referendum in October 2017 that Spanish courts declared unconstitutional. In the ensuing crackdown, several Catalan leaders were arrested or fled the country. Currently, 12 are on trial on charges of sedition and rebellion.

Right wing parties bludgeoned Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, branding him a traitor for including Catalan parties in his coalition and trying to negotiate with separatist politicians. In fact, the talks went nowhere, and it was the Catalan parties that pulled the plug on his Socialist government in February.

The fury on the right actually seemed to benefit Mr. Sanchez, who recognized that voters do not fully share the anti-separatist zeal of the politicians and sensed a danger in the rise of the far right. Though the far-right Vox became the first party of its kind to enter the national parliament since Spains transition to democracy decades ago, it also siphoned votes and seats from the mainstream conservative Popular Party, which won 66 seats compared to the 137 seats it won in 2016, and allowed Mr. Sanchez to campaign against the reactionaries and the authoritarians.
FRONT PAGE

An article on Saturday about the relationship between Barack Obama and Joseph R. Biden Jr. misstated the role that Mr. Biden had on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2005 when Mr. Obama arrived in Congress. He was the committees ranking Democrat, not its chairman.

INTERNATIONAL

Because of an editing error, a picture caption with an article on Saturday about saffron as an alternative to traditional crops in Afghanistan misidentified the province where workers were harvesting saffron flowers. It was Balkh Province, not Herat Province.

NATIONAL

An article on Tuesday about the ongoing measles outbreak in the United States misidentified one of the states permitting exemptions from vaccination only on medical grounds. It is West Virginia, not South Carolina.



An article on Saturday about the conviction of a white supremacist in Oregon misstated the number of additional years that the convict could have faced in prison if an Oregon law had allowed him to be charged with a felony hate crime, rather than a misdemeanor. It is five years, not 20 years.
Why we need niksen in our lives

Generally speaking, our culture does not promote sitting still, and that can have wide-reaching consequences for our mental health, well-being, productivity and other areas of our lives. Technology doesnt make it any easier: The smartphone you carry with you at all hours makes it almost impossible to truly unplug and embrace idleness. And by keeping ourselves busy at all times, we may be losing our ability to sit still because our brains are actually being rewired.

Indeed, the benefits of idleness can be wide-ranging.

Ms. Manns research has found that daydreaming  an inevitable effect of idleness  literally makes us more creative, better at problem-solving, better at coming up with creative ideas. For that to happen, though, total idleness is required.

Let the mind search for its own stimulation, Ms. Mann said. Thats when you get the daydreaming and mind wandering, and thats when youre more likely to get the creativity.

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Counterintuitively, idleness can be a great productivity tool because if our energy is totally shot, our productivity is not going to be good because were not going to have fuel to burn with which to be productive, said Chris Bailey, a productivity expert and author of the blog A Life of Productivity.

Niksen can help you solve problems as well.

It takes you out of your mind, and then you see things clearly after a while, said Manfred Kets de Vries, a professor of leadership development and organizational change at Insead in Paris.

But stopping the cycle of business can be challenging in a culture that prizes getting things done. Here are some tips to help you stop and be:

Make time for doing nothing, and do it with purpose.

Figure out when youre most productive and creative, then notice when your mind starts to shut off or you start performing tasks just for the sake of doing them, Mr. Bailey suggests. Thats when you should go for a walk or take a break. The intention behind the decision is what counts.
Lawyers for the man accused of fatally shooting five people in the newsroom of The Capital Gazette last year invoked an insanity defense on Monday, saying in a court filing that he should not be held criminally responsible for the shooting because of a mental disorder.

Jarrod W. Ramos, 39, faces five charges of first-degree murder in the June 28 shooting at the Annapolis, Md., newsroom, considered the deadliest attack against journalists in United States history.

Before he blasted his way into the newsroom offices with a 12-gauge shotgun, the authorities said, Mr. Ramos sent a number of letters, including one to The Capital Gazette's lawyer that said he planned to go there with the objective of killing every person present.

Mr. Ramos pleaded not guilty in July.

Mondays court filing enters an additional plea of not criminally responsible because a mental disorder either prevented him from appreciating the criminality of his conduct or prevented him from following the law at the time of the shooting.
WASHINGTON  Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, said Monday that he would leave the Justice Department in mid-May, bringing to a close a turbulent two-year tenure that was overshadowed by the special counsels investigation into Russias efforts to sway the 2016 election in favor of President Trump.

As I submit my resignation effective on May 11, I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve, Mr. Rosenstein wrote in a resignation letter to Mr. Trump. Despite a stormy relationship with the president, he praised Mr. Trump in the letter, thanking him for the courtesy and humor he displayed in their conversations together and for championing patriotism, unity, safety, education and prosperity in his inaugural address.

Department officials close to Mr. Rosenstein had previously signaled that he would leave after the completion of the report by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, which was made public this month. The investigation had thrust him into a political maelstrom, challenging his reputation as a principled Republican lawyer with a distaste for politics that had been honed over 30 years as a federal prosecutor and United States attorney.

He responded by trying to thread a needle, striving to preserve the rule of law and protect one of the departments most important investigations while publicly praising a president who he knew was determined to undermine both. It meant Mr. Rosenstein often disappointed critics on the left and the right.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso  Six people, including a pastor, were killed in an attack on a Christian church in Burkina Faso, a government spokesman said.

The violence took place Sunday in the village of Silgadji, in the countrys north, not far from the volatile border with Mali.

Urbain Kabore, the communications director for the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, said Monday that the six people were killed after Sunday services.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Violent Islamist extremism has been increasingly destabilizing Burkina Faso, and a number of jihadist groups are known to operate in the area of the attack.
There has been an emperor in Japan for more than 15 centuries, making the Chrysanthemum Throne the worlds oldest continuous monarchy. On Tuesday, the emperor stepped down, yielding to his eldest son in the first abdication in 200 years. This is the familys story.

We know him as Akihito, the emperor of Japan, a gentle figure who championed peace in a nation devastated by war. But she called him Jimmy.

It was the autumn of 1946, a year after the end of the Second World War, and he was a 12-year-old boy, the crown prince of a defeated land, sitting in an unheated classroom on the outskirts of Tokyo. There, a new American teacher insisted on a more prosaic name for his highness. His father, the wartime emperor, Hirohito, had been revered as a god, but she made clear he never would be.

In this class, your name is Jimmy, declared the teacher, Elizabeth Gray Vining, a 44-year-old librarian and childrens book author from Philadelphia.

No, Akihito swiftly replied. I am Prince.
On Tuesday, Emperor Akihito of Japan stepped down in the first abdication of the Chrysanthemum Throne in 200 years. In Episodes 1 and 2 of this series, he redefined the worlds oldest monarchy for a nation defeated in war. The story continues here with his eldest son, Naruhito, who will become emperor on Wednesday.

They spoke for only a few minutes, but that was enough.

He was 26, an affable prince who had studied history at Oxford and happened to be second in line to the throne.

She was 22, a bright Harvard graduate following her father into a career in the Foreign Ministry. Or so she thought.

On an October afternoon in 1986, they met at a reception he hosted in Tokyo for Princess Elena of Spain.

As a string ensemble performed classical music, the diplomats daughter, Masako Owada, sipped orange juice. Naruhito, eldest son of Crown Prince Akihito, circulated among the 120 guests. When the two were introduced, he asked, What kind of diplomat would you like to be?
On Tuesday, Emperor Akihito of Japan stepped down in the first abdication of the Chrysanthemum Throne in 200 years. In the first four episodes of this series, the worlds oldest monarchy survived defeat in war, a firebomb, a precarious courtship and the failure of Akihitos son Naruhito to produce an heir. The familys story continues here.

The last time the paparazzi got a good look at Kei Komuro, he was arriving at law school in New York a year ago for the start of the fall semester, swinging a soft briefcase and looking stylish in an off-white blazer, khakis and brown brogues.

Then, a few weeks ago, a magazine published a photo of Mr. Komuro off campus in an untucked shirt in need of ironing and a pair of Crocs. His hair had grown shaggy, and he was ordering an afternoon snack at a falafel cart.

The pundits on television in Tokyo wondered: Had he been so busy studying that he didnt have time for a haircut? Was he having a late lunch to save money?

The question actually on their minds  on most everyones in Japan, really  was more pointed: Is this guy good enough for Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito?
On Tuesday, Emperor Akihito of Japan stepped down in the first abdication of the Chrysanthemum Throne in 200 years. His son Naruhito will be installed atop the worlds oldest monarchy the next day. In Episode 3 of this series, Naruhito persuaded a reluctant diplomat named Masako to marry him. Their story continues here.

The Asahi Shimbun had the scoop. On the morning of Dec. 10, 1999, Japans No. 2 newspaper by circulation published the front-page headline the country had been waiting for: Princess Masako Shows Signs of Pregnancy.

It had been six years since a brainy young diplomat named Masako Owada gave up her career to marry Crown Prince Naruhito, the next emperor of Japan. Some predicted she would help modernize the monarchy, and perhaps even the nation itself.

Now, as the country woke to the news of her pregnancy, that prospect seemed like a fading dream. The intervening years had reduced the multilingual trade expert who had studied at Harvard and Oxford to a woman failing at the only duty in her new job that seemed to matter to Japan: producing an heir to the throne.
Dash Snow

Through May 12. Participant Inc., 253 East Houston, Manhattan; 212-254-4334, participantinc.org.

Dash Snow died in 2009 of a drug overdose at the age of 27, and this sad, sometimes disturbing show is the largest presentation of his work in New York since then. Organized with the Dash Snow Archive, it reveals both talent and the waste of it.

Mr. Snow was born to wealthy art world aristocracy  the de Menils  and an impeccable uptown pedigree. But he was rebellious from an early age, and began mostly living on his own, downtown, at 15. There he formed an alternative family of street artists and other discontents, whose chief recreation was getting drunk or high. Family money enabled him to pursue these habits full tilt, but that didnt stop him from making quite a bit of art.

The work in this show at Participant Inc., pessimistically titled The Drowned World, identifies Mr. Snow as a kind of post-punk, latter-day Fluxus-Surrealist artist, sarcastic and often angry, and adept at making something out of almost nothing. Included here are 200 Polaroids from the several thousand the artist took, which alternate chaotic debauchery with occasional tenderness.

For his collages, Mr. Snow spliced newspaper images into elegant, suggestive exquisite corpses, and stacked words from headlines into poetic ransom notes. The objects here are only intermittently interesting, among them I Snorted My Dad, which begins with a childs school chair and a stack of New York Post newspapers, and ends with a dark, slim vintage book titled In the Event of My Disappearance. ROBERTA SMITH
Prowling the stage with a feline gait, Jeselnik, in a leather jacket and jeans, never breaks character: a preposterously confident jerk with the cool indifference of a sociopath. His attitude veers from contempt to condescension as he tells macabre jokes delighting in death, dropped babies and casual murder. If we are living in such a sensitive and politically correct age, as comics often remind us, how does he get away with this?

Comedy is under a microscope today, but because my career has been going on long enough, Ive been grandfathered in, Jeselnik, 40, told me. Not to put myself on that level, but Im the new Don Rickles. Rickles could get away with things because hes Rickles.

His reputation does precede him, but in three hours of conversation, he came across not as an insult comic or reckless taboo-buster, but as a thoughtful, progressive-minded artist whose pinpoint provocations are the result of careful consideration and clever sleight of hand.

Over the past 16 years, his slow delivery has become comically deliberate, and his act more stylized and self-aware, with a running commentary on his jokes. That was pretty much the greatest opening joke of all time, he says after the specials inaugural punch line.

When I asked him why he had said pretty much, Jeselnik responded that he had released three previous specials. In such moments, Jeselnik displays the same swagger offstage as he does on.
EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

First Loves and Last Tales

By Oliver Sacks

The word Oneirism is more than just an obscure exception to the i before e rhymelet. It also exemplifies the exceptionally advanced and sometimes stymying lexical breadth of Oliver Sackss writing  never more challenging than in this last, posthumous book, a collection of previously uncollected and/or unpublished essays. (Oneiric, in case you were wondering, means related to dreams or dreaming.) The books many other linguistic rarities include festination, bradykinesia, metanoia, achromatopsia. Occasionally Sacks pauses for a definition. More often he doesnt.

This is a good thing. Many of these words are specific to Sackss medical specialty, neurology, as chronicled in his often best-selling books (The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, A Leg to Stand On, Awakenings, this last adapted into a film). Their meanings could have been spelled out, perhaps, but often only with condescendingly grade-school diction. In other words, this obscure terminology serves to honor the reader. If you dont know our meanings, these terms imply, trust us that we are carefully chosen, as we trust you to look us up.

Everything in Its Place: a lame title. Especially since the topics here are actually a wonderfully odd lot, despite the worthy effort to group them into sections  First Loves, Clinical Tales and Life Continues. Why not name the whole book after its essay Anybody Out There?, about the possibility of extraterrestrial life (It is not clear whether life has to advance, whether evolution must take place). Or after Summer of Madness, an account of the thrilling but dangerous euphoria of a young woman named Sally who, in the manic stage of her manic depression, breaks. After haranguing strangers in the street, shaking them, demanding their attention, she suddenly runs headlong into a stream of traffic, convinced that she can bring it to a halt by sheer willpower.

As it happens, this essay provides Sacks the chance to address a truly serious literary issue  one that troubled Sallys father, Michael Greenberg, as he considered writing about his daughters illness. (He finally did, more than a decade after this onset of her mania, in an excellent, unflinching memoir called Hurry Down Sunshine.) It troubles Sacks, too: The question of telling, of publishing detailed accounts of patients lives, their vulnerabilities, their illness, is a matter of great moral delicacy, fraught with perils and pitfalls of every sort.
HOUSTON  Warren E. Buffett hasnt shown much interest in oil stocks in recent years, but that changed on Tuesday when his company, Berkshire Hathaway, committed $10 billion to help Occidental Petroleum compete in a bidding war for Anadarko Petroleum.

Occidental is hoping Mr. Buffetts reputation as one of the worlds most successful investors will bolster its proposal and financial position relative to Chevron, a company four times its size. At stake is a commanding position in the Permian Basin, the worlds most productive oil field, which straddles Texas and New Mexico.

Only a couple of weeks ago, Chevrons proposed $33 billion acquisition of Anadarko looked like a done deal. But on Monday, Anadarkos board said it was considering Occidentals bid, which is roughly 20 percent higher than Chevrons.

Should Occidental acquire Anadarko, Berkshire would invest $10 billion in new preferred shares that have an 8 percent annual dividend.
Even knowing the agricultural and cellar practices of a winemaker will not give the full picture.

There are many reasons to prefer producers who work organically or biodynamically in the vineyard. These techniques may be healthier for vineyard workers, for the soil and for the environment in some ways, and they may yield better wine. But adopting these techniques still leaves plenty of wiggle room for dealing  or not dealing  with climate change.

Do producers plow or till the rows between the vines, which releases carbon to the atmosphere? Or do they plant and maintain a cover crop, whether grasses, legumes or something else? An organic or biodynamic grower could do either. But maintaining a cover crop creates a lower carbon footprint.

Do they mow the cover crop? Or simply roll it? Rolling it releases less carbon from the soil.

Using organic compost is good for vineyards. But do producers make it themselves? Or do they buy it and ship it, possibly from a distance?

Do they use electric or hybrid vehicles? Or standard combustion engines?

Are they practicing regenerative agriculture by minimizing use of chemical sprays and acting to promote biodiversity and soil life?

Have they converted to renewable fuels? Do they practice carbon sequestration, in which carbon is captured and stored rather than released into the atmosphere?

Where does their electricity come from? How do they manage their use of water?

These are the many questions that consumers would need to address in judging a producers carbon output, and the answers are not easy to find.

Finally, skilled farmers are empathetic and intuitive, sensing what is needed to maintain and encourage a healthy ecosystem. Its hard for consumers to determine how well vineyards and their carbon footprints are managed. An official certification for organic or biodynamic practices bears little relation to a farmers skill or carbon management.
Seaweed Butter

A compound butter that combines seaweed, cultured butter and sea salt, this is wonderful melted over boiled potatoes, stirred into pasta or rice, dolloped over roasted vegetables, chicken and especially seafood. I love it smeared on warm bread and topped with smoked salmon. Bordier makes a fine one, imported from Brittany in northwestern France and available at gourmet shops. And Beurre de la Mer, made from Vermont Creamery butter and a mix of seaweeds, is available from The Chefs Warehouse.

Seaweed Tea

Dried seaweed mixed with a variety of aromatic teas makes for a heady, fragrant beverage. The tea is available at Cup of Sea, a company based in Portland, Me. I am particularly fond of the green tea-dried kelp combination.

Seaweed Pasta

Added to wheat flour, dried seaweed makes a highly nutritious pasta with a salty bite.

Kelp Salsa

This salsa from Barnacle Foods is a good gateway product for anyone who is interested in eating seaweed, but is still a little unsure. The seaweed gives salsa a gentle saline flavor that harmonizes with the tomatoes and chiles, but doesnt overwhelm them.

Kelp Pickles

Made in Alaska from bull kelp, a variety with a thick stem that has the texture of green pepper, these crunchy pickles come in two flavors: dill and curry.
The answer is yes  ish.

Not because Dior has a history with Morocco: Christian Dior himself made a silhouette called the Marco in 1951, and his heir, Yves Saint Laurent, famously adored Marrakesh. Or because it has two stores in the country. Thats a kind of tenuous justification, though that was trotted out.

But because Maria Grazia Chiuri, the designer, sensitized to the risks (Dior itself got into some trouble last year for an ad campaign that featured Jennifer Lawrence in a collection inspired by Mexicos female escaramuza riders), bent herself practically double to integrate African artisanship into her work and give the credit it deserves, so the majority of the collection was a series of dialogues.

First, between two traditions of handwork: couture and wax print, as realized by Uniwax, a studio/atelier from the Ivory Coast whose custom-made reinterpretations of 15 classic Dior prints (toile de Jouy, Tarot) were used on cotton grown, spun, woven and printed in Africa as well as reinterpreted in silk jacquards. And second, between the tropes of Dior (Bar jackets, the New Look) and the way they could be interpreted not just by Ms. Chiuri but also by her collaborators  the African-American painter Mickalene Thomas, the Jamaican-British designer Grace Wales Bonner and the Ivory Coast-based designer Pathe Ouedraogo, famous for the shirts he made for Nelson Mandela, all of whom also contributed their own looks.

I felt it was important to give another point of view on Dior, Ms. Chiuri said in a phone call before the show. Or really, many points of view.

And because the end result of all those points of view, even through the grainy screen of a computer, looked genuinely fresh and unforced: the familiar Dior silhouettes given a cooler edge in allover wax prints; strapless empire-waist dresses tied with a delicately fringed twist at the bust; trousers cropped at the ankle under molded jackets motile with color and movement in the cloth. There were camouflage intarsia ponchos and flowing silk gowns with keyhole necklines, lacy white dresses and Murano-glass-sprinkled embroidery, and it all appeared on a significantly more diverse runway than in seasons past.
Untold numbers of animals  estimates vary  were shipped, flown or trucked from their habitats for the amusement and/or consumption of humans, both within and outside of Colombia. Traffickers use many of the same techniques and escape routes, including roads, tunnels and byways, created by drug smugglers during Pablo Escobars heyday.

For Mr. Valencia, whose mother, a journalist and war photographer, taught him by example to comfort the afflicted, photographing rescued wildlife is his passion project. It began with a haunting experience at a wildlife rescue shelter in Bogota six years ago. It was very sad, no doubt, he said, but the moment that caught my attention was to see a macaw without a beak who was trying to eat but could not. It is as if my eyes had been removed, so as not to take more photos. The traffickers cut it to avoid being bitten. Animals do not cry like humans, but you can really feel their pain and suffering just by looking at them.

From that moment, he said, he decided to champion the animals and expose the trafficking. The project is ongoing, and he plans to document all aspects of trafficking, not just the rescues. But for impact, he said, he has focused on documenting rescued wildlife bearing the scars and injuries of their ordeal.
[Why these Harvard Business School graduates are finding misery at work]

If your self-worth is tied to being better than others, then, youre headed for trouble. Your classmate in the honors program can feel inadequate compared with a higher-performing classmate in that program, who can feel inadequate compared with a still-higher-performing classmate and so on up the line. They could all walk around in a state of dejection. But that would be an ethical error. Why ethical? Because ethics, in its classical sense, concerns itself with what makes a life go well.

In the end, what matters isnt how we rank against others. (Though my hunch is that youre the only student at your school to be published in The New York Times this week!) You started out with a bundle of talents and interests unlike anyone elses  yes, even if you have an identical twin. Your life so far has allowed you to develop some of them and to take up projects that you are committed to: Maybe its playing the guitar decently, writing a short story, serving the needs of the less well off in your community, being a good Christian or Muslim. Maybe your aim right now is simply being a good friend, taking genuine pleasure in the good fortune of those you care about. What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other? Dorothea asks in George Eliots Middlemarch.

You may acquit yourself, in these various endeavors, better or worse than another person, but nobody else is trying to do exactly the things you are trying to do with exactly the developed talents you have. Because we all come equipped with different capacities and have been born into different circumstances, and because we choose our own projects, each of us faces his or her own challenge, one that is, like you, unique. You have, as the great German thinker Johann Gottfried Herder once put it, your own measure.

The goal, therefore, isnt to be the best; its to do your best. And dont think this lets you off the hook. To become a better version of yourself is quite demanding enough. The 18th-century Hasidic rabbi Zusha is supposed to have said that when he died and appeared before the heavenly court, they could ask him, Why were you not as great as Abraham? and he wouldnt be afraid; after all, he wasnt given Abrahams intellectual gifts. They could ask him, Why werent you Moses? and he wouldnt be afraid; he didnt have Moses skills as a leader. The question that frightened him was this: Why werent you Zusha? The scholar Martin Buber, writing in the past century, called this the question of questions.

Ive talked about delusions. Heres whats true: Lots of things that happen to you  a good number of which will be a matter of sheer luck  will affect the life you make. But what will make your life a good one, along with luck, is a willingness to run with the opportunities that come your way.

Mourning all the things that didnt turn out in your college-admissions season, you say that you cant see yourself thriving in any school that has accepted you. Dont trust that intuition for a moment. If acceptance from elite colleges is hard, self-acceptance can be harder.

Take up that question of questions. Think about what you can do with the opportunities you have, like going to a good college near home. If you do the work, make friends and enjoy reasonable luck there, youll come away from the college enriched and ready for the next phase of your life. So seize the day. The race youre running has only one competitor, and its you.
One of the first things the lawyers told us was that serving on a jury would be nothing like the way it is on television. I guess they were trying to make us even less excited about having to be there. But I had already postponed the obligation three times, each time thinking that maybe someday Id be less furious about having to surrender days of my life to the State of New York for nothing in return. That day never came, though my deferred jury summons did. I arrived seething.

Just getting inside the Manhattan courthouse took about an hour, thanks to tedious security checks. Many prospective jurors spent the wait conjuring excuses for why they couldnt serve. Having used all of mine, I just moped. Inside was an atmosphere of slow decay: dusty marble, unreliable elevators, rust on the radiators. A supposed civic temple, ailing after decades of neglect, into which nearly all came reluctantly  how appropriate it seemed for the United States of the present. I was picked from the pool for about the worst of all cases: a medical-malpractice trial. I knew they didnt pick murder juries at the civil courthouse, but I still felt slighted somehow. I mourned for my soon-to-be-lost week.

[Tip: How to be selected for a jury.]

But the next day, I met Al, our court officer, in what would turn out to be his natural state: cracking jokes in his booming Queens brogue to anyone whod listen. Al would be our babysitter, our intermediary between jury and judge and our reliable comic relief. It took him about three minutes to begin busting balls, as Al put it, specifically those of one juror, a chipper TV weatherman with Patrick Swayze hair, who was recognized everywhere by everyone over 40. A blizzard forecast for that week gave Al plenty of fodder for ball-busting, which was welcome, considering how much downtime we had. My group  a couple of nurses, a lawyer and a public-relations pro among them  mostly exhibited a cool acceptance of our captivity, settling into newspapers and crosswords and small talk. It was amusing to hear about the versions of the city these strangers inhabited, and if Al was gone and we were bored, at least we had the shared suffering of jury service to whine about.
Boyz N the Hood rests in American movie history like a boulder in a riverbed, altering the direction of the stream. After its release in the summer of 1991, everything looked different, including its precursors. Mean Streets, Rebel Without a Cause, the Blaxploitation spectacles of the 1970s, the socially conscious crime dramas of the 1930s, classic westerns and samurai epics  somehow John Singleton, a very recent graduate of the University of Southern California film school, synthesized all of those models even as he came up with something bracingly, thrillingly and frighteningly new.

Boyz made him the youngest person  and the first African-American  nominated for a best directing Academy Award. In the annals of cinema, there arent many first features to match it for ambition and impact (Citizen Kane? Breathless?), and its influence on what came after is hard to overstate. Singleton, who died Monday at 51, filled his characters lives with warmth and humor even as they were constantly menaced, and often destroyed, by violence. He infused familiar coming-of-age and gangster-movie tropes with a rare authenticity. This wasnt just a matter of his intimate knowledge of the setting known then as South-Central Los Angeles, but also of his brave, even brazen confidence in himself and his audience.
He never saw Ocasio-Cortez coming; few did, other than these filmmakers. Because of Learss early access to the candidates, she and her camera seem to have been in the war rooms right from the start. Quickly and efficiently, and with the aid of some concise onscreen text and talking-head interviews, she sketches in how Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats operated. A lot of this is fascinating but could be clearer; its hazy how the groups coordinated their efforts in 2018, how they actually run candidates and what running someone fully entails. There are atmospheric back-room scenes with the candidates and their teams, but who hired whom?

The timeline jumps around a bit, not always helpfully. Ocasio-Cortez is already running when the movie opens on her delivering an amusing gender analysis while putting on makeup. Soon, the movie cuts to Kentucky nine months earlier where a group of young people with laptops (one ornamented with a Bernie for U.S. President bumper sticker) are discussing an unnamed potential candidate. Theres talk and a call for a vote: All those in favor of moving her to the next round, raise your hand. Cut to Corbin Trent, of the Justice Democrats, who says that the biggest shared goal of his group and Brand New Congress is removing the corrupting influence of money in politics.

These two organizations, Trent continues, are offering an alternative path to Congress, one free of lobbyists and special-interest groups. Right now our Congress is 81 percent men, Trent says. Its mostly white men, its mostly millionaires, its mostly lawyers. This peek at outsider organizations is fascinating and could easily be spun into a separate documentary, as could the story of Jo-Ann Floyd-Whitehead, a community organizer who in 2008, with her husband, helped Barack Obama win the Democratic primary. The Whiteheads are legendary, says Ocasio-Cortez as people pore over her petition to get on the 2018 primary ballot. This is the war room for every insurgent campaign in Queens.

This particular insurgency, of course, was part of a larger national shift that Knock Down the House (and the Bernie Sanders stickers and T-shirts) makes clear was only partly in reaction to the Trump presidency. Lears doesnt dig into that shift as deeply as she could (this is the rare time that you yearn for a movie to be longer), but its there as the candidates push forward and their races and the documentary both develop great urgency. These women are running for office  while driving, walking, talking and walking some more  to win hearts and minds and votes. Often, it feels as if theyre running for their lives. They are also, as Ocasio-Cortez says forcefully, running to win.
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He was her bus driver, ferrying her to school in Watertown, a small city in upstate New York. Then, one day last summer, having plied her with gifts and alcohol, he invited the 14-year-old to his home and raped her.

The driver, Shane Piche, 26, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape earlier this year. But instead of going to prison as the victims family had hoped for, Mr. Piche was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years of probation.

He was also assigned the lowest-level status on New Yorks sex offender registry, according to an official with the State Supreme Court in Jefferson County. The Level 1 status is reserved for offenders with a low risk of committing another similar crime, and means that his future addresses will not be made public.

Image Shane Piche Credit... Watertown Police Department

In explaining the sentence, Justice James P. McClusky said that Mr. Piche had no prior arrests and that only one victim had been involved, according to the Watertown Daily Times newspaper.
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New York City has thousands of buses that trek across the city  often in slow motion  on routes that stretch up to nearly 20 miles. Along the way, they make dozens of stops.

Then there is the B39. It goes all of 1.8 miles and makes just three stops.

This little-known bus travels from one side of the Williamsburg Bridge to the other before circling back, like a windup toy stuck on an endless loop between the edges of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Round and round it goes. It crosses the East River 58 times a day, less often in bad traffic.

Only about 220 people ride the bus on a weekday, the citys lowest daily bus ridership. It is a money loser for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
But in January, Governor Cuomo, who controls the authority, essentially took over the project and announced a last-minute rescue plan that relied on a part-time construction schedule, with work affecting only one of the tunnels two tubes at a time.

That limits the work to nights and weekends, when service is reduced to every 20 minutes.

Work began Friday night. There were large crowds and some annoyance and confusion among riders over the weekend, but nothing apocalyptic.

The main challenge on Monday morning for the agency and the subway chief, Andy Byford, was to make sure workers would finish up overnight construction and remove themselves and their equipment in time for rush hour.

We go now to Emma:

So I take it the workers finished up in time for rush hour?

Yes, they have to get the workers and the equipment out to restart rush-hour service, and thats going to continue to be a challenge.

If rush hour had started with only one tube open, it would have been a real disaster. But there were no major incidents, no trains stuck in tunnels, no catastrophes.

There was some overcrowding over the weekend?

Yes, there were lines just to go down the stairs onto the train platform, almost like the bouncer line at a nightclub.

But over all, far better than a full shutdown?

If you miss your train, you have to stand on the platform for at least 20 minutes. But as the governors office is saying, this is better than full closure, with no trains running at all.
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Bowing to fierce criticism from elected officials and privacy advocates, the New York City Board of Elections has removed the voter enrollment books that it had posted online, which had included every registered voters full name, party affiliation and home address.

The books, spanning thousands of pages in searchable PDF format, were quietly posted in February, the first time they had been available on the Board of Elections website. Officials said the online publication was necessary given changes to election law at the state level.

But after a series of news reports regarding the decision, some election and privacy experts warned that it could make sensitive personal information too readily available. And officials including Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, warned that the decision to publish the books could undermine public trust in the electoral process and jeopardize the security of voter information.

By Tuesday, the voter rolls had been removed from the Board of Elections website. Michael Ryan, the boards executive director, said the board had made the decision during a conference call on Monday, partly in response to public outrage following the media reports.
During the past year or two, under the mayoral administration of Bill de Blasio, New York City has been thinking more reflectively about what and who is memorialized in our public spaces. As a result of that effort, next year, for instance, Prospect Park will get a 40-foot tall monument in honor of Shirley Chisholm, the Brooklynite who became the first black woman to serve in Congress.

Despite the vital role that members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community have played in the cultural and civic life of the city, our means of honoring them have been thin. Beyond a statue of Gertrude Stein in Bryant Park, there is the Gay Liberation Monument and the AIDS memorial that went up in the West Village not long ago. Commemorative sculptures, however, have been slow to take shape.

In honor of New York City hosting World Pride this year, we are asking readers to tell us whom they would like to see immortalized this way. Those suggested can be writers, artists, activists, politicians, business leaders, anyone from the worlds of science, medicine, law, design and so on. Because most statues are erected for the no-longer living, we ask that you stick to the deceased.

Use the form below to make your pitches. The results will be compiled in a future Big City column.
Martin Kilson, a leftist scholar, fierce debater and follower of W. E. B. Du Bois who became the first tenured African-American professor at Harvard, died on April 24 in hospice care in Lincoln, Mass. He was 88.

His wife, Marion (Dusser de Barenne) Kilson, said the cause was congestive heart failure.

A son of a Methodist minister, Professor Kilson was a prolific writer, an expert on ethnic politics in Africa and the United States, and a mentor to generations of students, among them the writer, teacher and philosopher Cornel West.

He also found vigorous public debate irresistible during his nearly 40 years as a professor of government at Harvard.

Lord, oh, Lord, Brother Kilson loved combat, Dr. West said in a telephone interview.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., the Harvard professor, writer and filmmaker, wrote of Professor Kilson in an email, He prided himself on the role of the gadfly, challenging hierarchies, speaking truth to power and arguing against the grain, all in the name of the pursuit of veritas.
We hear about data breaches all the time. Often the number of compromised accounts in a big attack is staggering (500 million accounts here; 21 million phone numbers and email addresses here). And new hacks and breaches happen so often its difficult to keep track.

This weeks tip: A site called have i been pwned? allows you to search your email address across 362 websites that have had large data breaches.

The site is run by Troy Hunt, a Microsoft director and security blogger. According to Hunt, all the data on this site comes from breaches where data is exposed to persons that should not have been able to view it.

Its been around for a while but is a helpful tool to take stock of exactly where your digital footprint might be vulnerable. He has also created a secure-password tool (Hunt offers an explainer of how he secures the password database here) where you can search passwords to see whether theyve appeared in a breach before  and if so, change them.

Trust me, the tool is eye-opening. A search for a very old password of mine turned up in six data breaches. Similarly, I found my personal email had been compromised on at least 11 sites.

If you see your email has been compromised, the best practice is to change your password for your email address and for any accounts or logins that may have been breached. Most times, that will do the trick. If you suspect anything bigger has been compromised (credit card numbers, Social Security numbers), experts recommend you contact the credit bureaus and the banks themselves.
Many of the ads mention the personal attributes of the person seeing them, such as gender or race. Facebook banned this approach after the 2016 Trump campaign used demographic information in an effort to suppress African-American turnout in swing states.

Yet Legum discovered Team Trump again using dirty tricks . This time, it has falsely put the same quotation in the mouths of two different African-American men portrayed in different ads, one old and one young: Sir, you have really inspired me and brought back my faith in this great nation. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the work you are doing.

Spreading hate

Other journalists have also discovered that Facebook is failing to abide by its own policies. The most obvious flaw in Facebooks new system is that it misses ads it should catch, ProPublica reported. Among the examples it found: An ad by the Washington State Democratic Party that wasnt screened, because Facebooks algorithm didnt recognize it as a political ad.

And Media Matters, a liberal watchdog group, wrote the following in response to Legums new reporting:

This isnt the first time Facebook has failed to detect policy violations by advertisers on the platform. In September, Media Matters found a series of ads from right-wing clickbait sites, conspiracy theorists, and extremists which violated Facebooks policies on false content and discriminatory practices. These ads included: posts from white supremacist Paul Nehlen promoting another white supremacist; anti-Muslim false news; anti-LGBT content; and 9/11 truther, QAnon, and Pizzagate conspiracy theories.

The central problem seems to be that Facebook is primarily using an artificial-intelligence algorithm to police ads  and the algorithm isnt very effective.
Ms. Stuhldreher summed up: These fees are not meant to be punitive, but in reality they are. They add an additional layer of punishment to people who have already gone to jail, paid fines and may even be paying victim restitution.

In addition, the emotional toll of debt is disproportional: Whether you owe $300 or $3,000, you experience stress if you dont have it. The mental load of having debt is significant and can create all kinds of ripple effects in a persons life.

The post-incarceration period is famously fragile. People often dont have stable housing, social networks or jobs. People with unpaid fees are unable to clear their records, which can make it hard to even get a job. Research shows that fees can push people back toward underground economies and even to the criminal activity that got them in trouble in the first place.

And  harder to quantify  the promise of being able to do things right for the people you love is stripped away. Angelique Evanss biggest fantasy after getting out of the womens prison in Chowchilla after a decade was that she would buy her sons back-to-school clothes. When she got a call that she had a mountain of fees to pay back (a total surprise to her), she knew it wouldnt be possible. I dont blame anybody for my actions, she said. I served my time. But I want to move forward. I want to do right by my son. But how can I move forward with these fees hanging over me? It made me feel so low.

Ms. Evans has poured herself into the New Way of Life Re-entry Program, most recently as a policy fellow. She has been, as she put it, caught by the policy bug, even traveling from Los Angeles to Florida to pound the pavement in the midterm elections for Amendment 4, which restored the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions. (It is now under threat.) Eleven months out of prison, she told me: My heart is with SB144. Ive been through the struggle. I hate to see the women coming home, simply trying to survive, trying to do the right thing and getting pulled under by these fees.

Ms. Evans isnt alone. There is a wide range of organizations behind the new statewide legislation. Ms. Stuhldreher reports that her office is getting at least a call a week from other places that want to do what San Francisco County has done. Cities Addressing Fines and Fees Equitably, introduced by the National League of Cities and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, is funding technical assistance to six city governments seeking to reduce or eliminate their reliance on fines.

Theresa Zhen, a staff attorney at the East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley, who is helping coordinate the advocacy effort for SB144, is already declaring victory. The fact that even the opposition to the bill admits that its philosophically right is huge, she said. Were finally having the real conversation: that courts have been built on the backs of the poor.
Boyz N the Hood was John Singletons debut film. It came out in 1991 when he was just 23 years old. The director, who died yesterday at the age of 51 after suffering a stroke, went on to make several great films but none rival his first, one of the seminal films of its era.

In many ways its the basic American teenage coming-of-age story that we know well from movies like Risky Business and The Breakfast Club. Can our heroes navigate the last year of high school and make it to college? A large part of Boyz is about the efforts of the main character, Cuba Gooding Jr.s Tre Styles, to lose his virginity, and the efforts of his best friend, Morris Chestnuts Ricky Baker, to do well on the SAT and get into the University of Southern California.

They must do this while also surviving one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country  South Central Los Angeles, which the film depicts as a place where violence is ubiquitous, police helicopters hang overhead, almost everyone owns a gun, and Crips prowl the streets day and night just looking for someone to kill. Its as if the sweet, internal exploration of Ferris Buellers Day Off and all those big questions about Who am I becoming? were taking place in the middle of The Hunger Games.

Mr. Singleton presents the Los Angeles in which he grew up as quintessentially American and yet also a virtual jungle that has been all but left for dead by America. At the end of the film, Tres best friend, Doughboy (played by Ice Cube), who will soon be murdered, watches the news and notices a fascination with violence overseas and a blind eye toward the violence in his neighborhood. He says, Either they dont know, dont show, or dont care about whats going on in the hood.
To the Editor:

Re What Price Profit in Saudi Arabia? (editorial, April 25):

There is a far deeper issue involved in Americas most disastrous alliance than human rights violations, one that is widely skirted by the press: Saudi Arabia is the regime that has done more to incite Islamic extremism around the world than any other, and a modicum of civilized behavior cannot be expected from such a state.

This evasion flows from a collective national denial about the origins and nature of Muslim terrorism that has prevailed since 9/11. Far from being a phenomenon that is basic to Islam, or arose among nonstate actors, Muslim radicalism was inflamed with state-level support from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan under American protection during the Cold War.

Our failure to confront this tragic fact and sever our ties with these subversive regimes has led us to the brink of military and political defeat in Afghanistan and the spread, rather than containment, of this very serious threat.

Until we are honest about our own complicity and resolve to align our actions with our values, ideals and real national interests, we will spend more energy targeting tangential forces than truly facing the heart of the matter head on.
The Bauhaus, a design school founded a century ago this month in Germany, lasted just 14 years before the Nazis shut it down. And yet in that time it proved a magnet for much that was new and experimental in art, design and architecture  and for decades after, its legacy played an outsize role in changing the physical appearance of the daily world, in everything from book design to household lighting to lightweight furniture.

That legacy was eventually eclipsed by subsequent movements  most notably postmodernism, a transition satirized in Tom Wolfes 1981 polemic From Bauhaus to Our House. But now, at the Bauhauss centennial, the school is once again being celebrated worldwide.

Not only are new museums devoted to the Bauhaus opening their doors in Weimar and Dessau  the two cities in eastern Germany where it briefly prospered before being chased away by rightward political shifts  but countless exhibitions, symposiums and newspaper articles (including this one) are attempting to explain its significance.
Theres nothing secretive about getting Botox and fillers at Ject in the West Village.

The three-month-old injectable beauty bar has a glass front with its name hand-painted in 23-karat gold. Treatment spaces are separated only by curtains. Theres a photo booth, with a swirly gold, black and green mural that incorporates the company name, for customers who want to show off their freshly filled faces on social media. As the company recently Instagrammed: Adieu, Taboo.

Indeed.

In 2018, injections of Botox  the No. 1 aesthetic procedure since 1999, according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery  were up 16.3 percent from the year before. Fillers were up 12 percent in the same time frame. Both procedures require regular top-ups.

With that popularity comes, almost inevitably, a wave of places that specialize in these injections, aiming to make them as accessible (walk-ins welcome!), acceptable and fun (in name, if not in needle) as a Drybar blow-dry.
For Negin Mirsalehi, a 30 -year-old beauty guru, life, business and Instagram are inseparably intertwined. Ms. Mirsalehi, a fetching Dutchwoman who built a hair-care brand on the hives of her fathers apiary outside Amsterdam, is an entrepreneur, but the sort of entrepreneur whose looks, love and workout routines are shared daily on Instagram with 5.3 million fans. Ms. Mirsalehi is an influencer.

Instagram recognizes the power of those influencers  and super-influencers, as Eva Chen, its director of fashion partnerships, called stars like Ms. Mirsalehi (though she acknowledged there is no precise minimum for that particular title).

The platform, with revenues that are still largely generated by advertising, has recognized the opportunity that in-app shopping presents. In March, it announced that it would begin testing in-app shopping with about 20 retail partners, including Zara, H&M, Dior, Oscar de la Renta and Nike. Now it is allowing those brands to team up with what it calls content creators (influencers, yes, but also established media companies like Vogue, Elle and GQ) to extend the in-app shopping function  what Instagram calls Checkout  from a brands own feeds to those of its chosen influencers.

For Ms. Mirsalehi, who is teaming up with Oscar de la Renta to create shoppable posts on her feed, the new function will help bring her community even closer to her. She will field followers questions about the outfits she posts daily, she said on a video chat from Amsterdam , in DMs, comments underneath photos, whenever I see them outside.
Mr. Easton, 24, was raised in Salt Lake City in a family that has been members of the church for generations. After serving a mission in Sydney, Australia, he enrolled at Brigham Young. As a student, he was a member of its Political Science Honors Society and acts as the Republican state delegate for his home precinct in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.

In an interview Monday, he said he had always known he was gay. He told his parents two years ago, but never expected to come out while at Brigham Young, where any exploration of his sexual identity could result in losing his chance to earn a degree.

While the university states that same-gender attraction is not an Honor Code issue, the policy prohibits  and punishes  violations like immodest attire, premarital sexual activity and homosexual behavior. Homosexual behavior includes not only sexual relations between members of the same sex, but all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings, the honor code reads.

Despite his fears  and the advice of his parents to conceal his sexuality from the university  Mr. Easton said he began to change his mind a few months ago, inspired by how Pete Buttigieg, the Democratic mayor of South Bend, Ind., who is running for president, had spoken about his faith and sexuality.

A turning point, Mr. Easton said, was watching the 37-year-old gay mayors speech this month to the Victory Fund, a group that supports gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender politicians, in which Mr. Buttigieg challenged Vice President Mike Pence on his opposition to gay rights.

That was the first time I had seen myself in a role model, Mr. Easton said. Pete was just like me, Christian and gay. It gave me a lot of courage.

But he was also inspired by something much closer to home: For years, the university has not allowed its L.G.B.T. group to meet on campus. At a rally this month to protest the universitys honor code, attendees observed five minutes of silence for gay and transgender students, a moment that cemented for Mr. Easton why coming out was so important.
Primary voters in North Carolina are going to the polls on Tuesday, looking to thin a field of more than two dozen candidates who are running to replace Walter B. Jones Jr., a longtime congressman who died in February. Mr. Jones, a Republican, had held the seat in the Third Congressional District on the Atlantic Coast from 1995 until his death.

Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Voters can find their election day polling place with the states voter lookup or polling place tools. As of Friday, about four percent of voters had already cast early votes.

First results, usually of early voting, are expected shortly after polls close. The Times will have live results and maps when data is available.

If no candidate receives more than 30 percent of the vote on Tuesday, the candidate who receives the second highest number of votes may demand a second primary, which would take place July 9.
The huge port of Los Angeles would be carbon-free, too.

It calls for an end to the era of plastic straws and single-use takeout containers by 2028. By 2050, Mr. Garcetti said, we wont send a single piece of waste to landfills.

Wastewater, according to the plan, will all be recycled. And doing all of this, Mr. Garcetti said, will create hundreds of thousands of green jobs.

One area in which Mr. Garcetti has already laid out major climate goals  he estimated that the plan released Monday was about half new and half a mix of past targets  was energy production. The new plan still said the city would be powered by all renewable energy by 2045.

Earlier this month, I wrote about a report by the residential solar energy company Sunrun, which proposed a kind of virtual power grid for L.A., where solar panels on homes replace fossil fuels.

Experts told me that although it may sound far out if youre not immersed in this stuff, its likely to happen eventually.

So I asked Mr. Garcetti how he saw residential solar power fitting into his New Deal.

Its definitely part of the mix, he said. That day, Mr. Garcetti added, he had asked the L.A. Department of Water and Power to ask private-sector solar providers to pitch their ideas for making a cost-effective transition.

The key, he said, will be ensuring that energy jobs that pay well arent replaced by low-wage work.

We dont want to become the next West Virginia, he said.
In 2009, Raymond Buckley was the only openly gay state chairman in the Democratic Party. His state, New Hampshire, was one of very few that had passed a law making same-sex marriages legal. Barack Obama, the new president, held a position that was then the norm for Democratic politicians: that marriage should be reserved for heterosexuals.

Ten years later, being openly gay or lesbian and in politics is hardly out of the ordinary, though it is far more common among Democrats than Republicans. Mr. Buckley was one of two gay men, in fact, who ran for national party chairman in 2017. The other was Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind.

Mr. Buttigiegs campaign for president, which he made official this month, underscores how much easier it is for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to hold public office today. But it also calls attention to the fact that while there are senators, representatives, state legislators and mayors who are gay, there is one office that has seemed out of reach: the presidency.

[Make sense of the people, issues and ideas shaping American politics with our newsletter.]

I spoke with Mr. Buckley about what Mr. Buttigiegs candidacy says about America in 2019, and whether the mayors sexual orientation will matter in New Hampshires pivotal primary next year. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
WASHINGTON  A former C.I.A. officer accused of conspiring with the Chinese government as Americas spy network in China was being dismantled is expected to plead guilty to federal charges on Wednesday, according to court papers.

The former officer, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, was charged with the unlawful retention of secret information and conspiracy to deliver that information to aid a foreign government. In their indictment, prosecutors said Mr. Lee had unauthorized possession of the true names and phone numbers of C.I.A. assets and employees.

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia announced that a change of plea hearing is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Such a hearing signals that a defendant is expected to plead guilty. Lawyers for Mr. Lee would not comment, and it was unclear whether he would plea to lesser charges or what sentence he would face.

While the charges against Mr. Lee focused on his retention of classified information, he was prosecuted against the background of both the rising level of Chinese espionage and the collapse of the C.I.A.s network of assets in China from 2010 to 2012, when more than a dozen of the agencys assets there were arrested or killed. It was a devastating loss, according to former C.I.A. officials.
The report also offered a window onto how the government is using information about Americans that it incidentally sweeps up without a warrant because the foreigners were talking with or about an American. The practice has been the focus of recurring debates about privacy and security.

In 2018, the report said, analysts queried material harvested from that program for information about an American 14,374 times. That was a continued decline, down from 16,924 in 2017 and 30,355 a year earlier. Those numbers referred to searches of metadata  logs showing who contacted whom, but not what they said.

The report also said F.B.I. agents opened no ordinary criminal investigations into Americans, as opposed to national security inquiries, based on Section 702 data last year. Nor did they scrutinize any information from 702 data that came up in response to queries for an Americans information when agents were working on a criminal case with no connection to foreign intelligence.

But the report did not say how many times the bureau did either of those things when agents did deem their work to have a national security link.

Because the future of the Freedom Act system for accessing logs of Americans phone calls and texts is in question, some of the most notable statistics concerned its use. Analysts use the system to scrutinize patterns of messages  both whom a target has contacted, and whom those contacts have in turn communicated with  to hunt for hidden associates of terrorism suspects.

In May 2018, after discovering that the Freedom Act system was sweeping up some phone and text records that the N.S.A. had no lawful basis to receive, the agency deleted hundreds of millions of logs it had gathered since 2015 and started over. It has cited technical reasons for sweeping up the information but has not fully explained them.

Earlier this year, a senior Republican congressional aide said that the N.S.A. had not been using it for months, suggesting that it has continued to cause technical headaches and raising the question of whether the Trump administration will ask Congress to extend the Freedom Act or let it expire. The N.S.A. declined to comment about that portrayal, and the report did not address the systems status.
As an African-American woman running as a progressive in traditionally red Georgia, Ms. Abrams, a former Democratic leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, was so inspiring to Democrats outside her own state that she contemplated seeking an even higher office: the presidency.

Ms. Abrams did not reveal any plans with respect to the White House in the video.

While I still dont know exactly whats next for me, heres what I do know: Democracy in America is under attack, she said. Voter suppression is rampant and it is real.

She delivered the Democratic response to Mr. Trumps State of the Union address last winter, offering herself as a spokeswoman for a pragmatic version of progressivism focused on matters of economic opportunity and health care.

Ms. Abramss decision may leave national Democrats scrambling to find an alternative opponent for Mr. Perdue, a staunch conservative. At least one other significant Democrat, Teresa Tomlinson, the former mayor of Columbus, Ga., has been preparing a run against Mr. Perdue, and she may now be best positioned to become her partys leading option.

But Ms. Abrams was the most successful Democratic candidate for high office in Georgia in more than a decade, and any other contender will have to build largely from scratch the financial and political network that Ms. Abrams will now attempt to hold in reserve until she makes a decision.

In addition to contemplating campaigns for the Senate and the White House, Ms. Abrams was discussed as a possible nominee for the vice presidency. She met in March with Joseph R. Biden Jr., a front-runner for their partys presidential nomination, and Mr. Bidens advisers floated the idea of inviting her to run as a partner with him in the Democratic primaries.

Advisers to both Ms. Abrams and Mr. Biden denied they ever discussed such a formal deal.

Ms. Abramss announcement spurred a back-and-forth between the Republican and Democratic committees charged with electing their members to the Senate.
There are all these streams and creeks of offenses that seem to be converging into a bigger river  impeachment, said Representative Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat and former constitutional law professor who serves on the Judiciary Committee.

There is nothing to explain how the executive branch can defy, categorically, every lawful request for information from the Congress of the United States, added Mr. Raskin, who said he is open to the idea of a limited impeachment inquiry. President Trumps defiance of Congress is far more comprehensive and sweeping than anything Congress experienced during the Watergate period.

Several Democrats close to Ms. Pelosi said that impeachment still remained unlikely, cautioning that Mr. Trumps threats alone were not enough to spur such action. And her leadership team is keenly aware that Mr. Trump is goading us into making a political mistake, according to Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, who is chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

Ms. Pelosi cautioned Democrats against getting too carried away with impeachment talk.

While we may have our difficulties in other areas, we cannot, we cannot, we cannot ignore the needs of the American people as we go forward, Ms. Pelosi said after meeting with the president about kick-starting a long-dormant infrastructure funding bill.

But sentiment appears to have shifted significantly over the past week.

I am not there yet, but I have to say that the presidents obstruction of Congress now following his obstruction of the Justice Department is certainly adding new heft to the idea that he has to be held accountable, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said in an interview.
The original plan was also one that everyone rejected from the beginning  Mr. Trump even criticized public-private partnerships, which were key to the plans financing  and no new plan has been put forward since.

But Democrats went to the White House for a meeting, intent to play along as if there was a chance.

Ms. Pelosi requested the meeting with Mr. Trump, in part to change the conversation from impeachment to infrastructure and to demonstrate that Democrats want to proceed with a policy agenda, and not merely with investigations of the president.

For Mr. Trump, an infrastructure deal would provide him with a bipartisan achievement he could point to while campaigning.

Democrats arrived on Tuesday with a dozen-member delegation of lawmakers. Mr. Trump was accompanied by Elaine Chao, the transportation secretary, as well as seven White House aides, including his daughter Ivanka Trump, who is also a presidential adviser; Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council; and Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel.

I would like to do something, Mr. Trump told the group, according to a Democratic aide. It may not be typically Republican. The president made it clear that he had never supported the public-private partnership model to fund a bill that his aides, like Gary D. Cohn, his former top economic adviser, had pitched. That was a Gary bill, he said of his earlier attempt at an infrastructure bill. That bill was so stupid.

Meetings between the president and the two Democratic leaders have often taken a surprising turn.

Mr. Trump has conducted supposedly closed-door sessions on live television, or shuttled his guests to the Situation Room for maximum privacy. They, in turn, have surprised him by getting out their versions of what happened as soon as they got to the driveway in front of the White House, where reporters are usually waiting.

In September 2017, for instance, after Mr. Schumer and Ms. Pelosi joined the president for in-house Chinese food, they announced that Mr. Trump had agreed to work on an immigration deal, including protections for thousands of young immigrants from deportation. Mr. Trump was later forced to backtrack from that position.
Among the alternative ideas raised at the meeting last week were trying to identify and target a terrorist-linked group with ties to the Brotherhood that has not yet been designated or limiting any designations scope to the Egyptian branch, officials said.

A former general, Mr. el-Sisi helped lead a coup in 2013 that deposed Mohamed Morsi, Egypts first democratically elected president and a former Brotherhood leader, and has reimposed strongman rule on Egypt. The Egyptian government deemed the Brotherhood a terrorist organization several years ago as part of a brutal crackdown on its supporters, and Mr. el-Sisi repeatedly pressed the Obama administration to follow suit. But the Obama team refused, for both legal and policy reasons.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 in Egypt, and in the 1940s formed a secret, armed wing to fight against British colonial rule. It renounced violence in the 1960s and later embraced electoral democracy instead, although some offshoots and former members have engaged in terrorism.

The push for sanctions on the Brotherhood is the latest of several significant foreign policy decisions by Mr. Trump that appear to have been heavily influenced by talking to autocratic foreign leaders without first being fully vetted by career government professionals  such as his abrupt choice, since partly reversed, to swiftly pull American troops out of Syria.

The Trump administration had weighed whether to designate both the Muslim Brotherhood and an arm of Irans military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, as terrorist organizations during its chaotic first weeks in 2017. But the ideas lapsed amid objections from career professionals and the fallout from other capricious early steps, like Mr. Trumps ban on visitors from several predominantly Muslim countries.

But this spring, the administration abruptly pushed through the terrorist designation for the Revolutionary Guards. Mr. Pompeo, who has the most important voice in the debate besides Mr. Trumps because the secretary of state controls the list of designated terrorist organizations, announced sanctions on the Iranian military arm on April 8, the day before Mr. el-Sisi visited the White House.

The move against the Iranian military was the first time the United States had interpreted its counterterrorism laws as permitting an entity of a nation-state government to count as terrorists.
In response, schools across the country have introduced courses about sexual consent, reviewed the way they handle allegations of assault, and stepped up counseling for survivors.

But the question of how to handle fraternities has dogged administrators for years: Critics say fraternity houses encourage drunken partying and sexual misconduct, while supporters say many of them build camaraderie and foster future professional relationships.

The Swarthmore documents, published by The Phoenix and Voices, both student-run publications, read like a series of meeting minutes between fraternity brothers and appear to chronicle life at Phi Psi between 2010 and 2016. This means many of the people mentioned in them have since graduated. But students say they are representative of the current atmosphere.

In early April, Ms. Goldberg and other students started a Tumblr account in which students could publish anonymous accounts of encounters at fraternity parties. One wrote of being raped in a basement with a foreign object. Another wrote of running away as two intoxicated fraternity brothers shouted a homophobic slur.

The Swarthmore police did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the assault accusations.

In a statement on Facebook, the fraternity distanced itself from the documents.

We wholeheartedly condemn the language of the 2013 and 2014 notes, as they are not representative of who we are today, the statement said. All our current brothers were in high school and middle school at the time of these unofficial minutes, and none of us would have joined the organization had this been the standard when we arrived at Swarthmore.
No major figure from the military had come out to support him  and many of the top brass said there were against his latest move.

They are cowards!! Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez wrote on Twitter of the opposition. We will stand firm in the defense of the constitutional order.

We will keep the peace, was the message on the Twitter account of the military unit that controls Caracas. Always loyal, traitors never!

While Mr. Guaido said that he had the support of many top commanders in the armed forces  even promising a list of their names  no wave of top officials had yet voiced their support publicly. He also appeared to lack the support of other bases in Caracas or other parts of the country, which remained quiet.

But photos and video from the streets of Caracas showed a few heavily armed men in uniform wearing the blue bands that represent an allegiance to Mr. Guaido. Some of the armed men were pointing weapons from an overpass, with boxes of ammunition nearby. Others were seen amid the antigovernment protesters.

I think enough time has passed that all the relevant actors have looked around and see that the power dynamic remains largely unchanged, that Maduro does not have democratic legitimacy but he still has de facto power, said Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America.

I think ultimately what were going to see coming out of this is both the government and the opposition recognizing that their hands were not as strong as they were, he said.
TOKYO  A day after his father became the first monarch to abdicate the imperial throne of Japan in more than two centuries, the new emperor, Naruhito, on Wednesday received the sacred imperial regalia that represents his rightful succession to the worlds oldest monarchy.

In an eye-blinkingly brief ceremony at the Imperial Palace, Naruhito, 59, officially succeeded Akihito, 85, an enormously popular monarch who brought the royal family much closer to the people as he emphasized a message of peace in a country haunted by the legacy of war.

Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne on Tuesday, three decades after he succeeded his father, the wartime emperor Hirohito.

While the role of emperor has been chiefly ceremonial since the end of World War II, the departing monarch acted as the nations chief consoler during times of disaster, such as the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and sought to make amends throughout Asia for Japans wartime atrocities.
Others said the Catholics were part of an international plot orchestrated from the Vatican.

Sri Lankas dynamics bear striking similarities. During its civil war, fought against separatists from the Tamil minority, Sinhalese felt outnumbered because of the large Tamil community in nearby India. This gave many Sinhalese a sense of siege, deepening us-versus-them divides that have outlasted the fighting.

More recently, Sinhalese Buddhists have seen Sri Lankas Muslim minority as vanguards of a global Muslim horde. Last year, Sinhalese fears that Muslims were seeking to outbreed and replace them culminated in riots.

Conspiracies about foreign influence or minority birthrates are often driven by fears of a much more real change: a loss of status. Modern democracy demands that minorities be granted equal rights and opportunities, which can feel like a threat to majorities traditional hold on power.

Fears of existential, sectarian conflict can be self-realizing.

In 1960s Northern Ireland, Catholic civil rights marches, modeled on those of the United States, felt to some Protestants like part of a wider Catholic plot to overrun them.

Hard-line Protestants, acting in what they saw as self-defense, whipped up violent counter-protests, culminating in riots on both sides. In response, more Catholics joined violent republican factions, seemingly validating Protestants worst fears. The tit-for-tat cycle continued for decades.

Long after the peace process, and with Catholics and Protestants now near evenly numbered, a shared perception of being the aggrieved, vulnerable minority persists. So does the cycle of violence.
But the governments broad shutdown of social media immediately after the Easter attacks, which were tied to eight attackers linked to a local affiliate of the Islamic State, was unusual. Access was shut down before any social-media-inspired violence was known to have taken place.

It is unclear how effective the ban has been at curbing unrest, or whether information spread on social media has contributed to recent reports of some attacks on Sri Lankas Muslims and refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

After the bombings, Muslims, who comprise about 10 percent of the countrys population, have reported mobs attacking their homes and storefronts and threatening violence. Some of the blocked media outlets were sporadically accessible. And many Sri Lankans have simply used V.P.N.s, or virtual private networks, to circumvent the restrictions.

For days, Sri Lankas capital, Colombo, had been on lockdown, with nightly curfews and army personnel deployed along largely empty roads. Recently, life has started slowly returning to normal around Sri Lanka, but security forces said that they are continuing to comb the country in house-to-house searches for people linked to the six attacks on churches and hotels.

The Islamic State, in a statement over the weekend, claimed responsibility for three additional suicide bombings that occurred Friday during a raid by security forces on a hide-out of National Thowheeth Jamaath, its local affiliate, which is believed to have carried out the Easter attacks.
LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland  It began with a heavy-handed police raid on a suspected weapons cache, two minutes from Stevie Malletts youth club. Some residents responded with stones, gasoline bombs and, ultimately, bullets fired at the police and their vehicles. Then a young journalist lay dead.

For some in Northern Ireland, the riot here two weeks ago was an unexpected echo of a conflict that formally ended two decades ago. But for Mr. Mallett, it was to some extent predictable.

[For more stories about the experiences and costs of armed conflict, sign up for the weekly At War newsletter.]

The youth worker knows some of the young men involved personally  and has witnessed firsthand the deprivation that he believes partly led them to the latest incarnation of the Irish Republican Army.
The memory of the Holocaust outside of Israel is disappearing, Mr. Kochavi said in an interview. We thought, lets do something really disruptive. We found the journal and said, Lets assume that instead of pen and paper Eva had a smartphone and documented what was happening to her. So we brought a smartphone to 1944.

The buzz around the project has been intense. Even before the fictional Instagram account was activated, it had more than 200,000 followers, the result of an aggressive marketing campaign involving billboards and online promotions by celebrity social media influencers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the project on Monday.

But a storm of criticism has emerged in Israel over the use of so-called selfie culture and of its visual language  replete with hashtags, stickers and emojis  to try to convey the horrors of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were murdered.

Online, some Israelis have accused the Kochavis of trivializing and cheapening the Holocaust, calling the Instagram version an insult to the intelligence of todays young people. Ridiculing the concept, many asked how Eva  who, in her diary, documented the dark nights in the ghetto without electricity  might have charged her phone.

First of all, we are talking about a display of bad taste, Yuval Mendelson, a musician and civics teacher, wrote in an op-ed in the newspaper Haaretz. Second, and much worse, there will be consequences. The path from Evas Story to selfie-taking at the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau is short and steep, and in the end all those tut-tutters and head shakers will join in telling us about the lost and disconnected youth, devoid of values and shameless.
These Ads Think They Know You

Nearly every ad you see online is tailored just for you. These digital ads are powered by vast, hidden datasets that allow advertisers to make eerily accurate guesses about who you are, where youve been, how you feel and what you might do next.

While targeted ads may be familiar by now, how they work  and the power they have  often seems invisible.

We decided to lift the veil on this part of the internet economy, so we bought some ad space. We picked 16 categories (like registered Democrats or people trying to lose weight) and targeted ads at people in them. But instead of trying to sell cars or prescription drugs, we used the ads to reveal the invisible information itself.

Heres what one ad looked like. The underlined text below shows what the ad knows about the person whos seeing it.

Sample of an ad bought by Times Opinion (not a live ad):

This ad thinks youre trying to lose weight and still love bakeries .

The second frame of the ad:

Introducing the Privacy Project from The New York Times Opinion. An ongoing series. from The New York Times Opinion. An ongoing series. Learn more. Youre being watched. Are you okay with that?

This was an experiment in how far digital advertisers go to collect and use information about every part of our lives for profit. But its also the story of how our information is used not just to target us but to manipulate others for economic and political ends  invisibly, and in ways that are difficult to scrutinize or even question. And its a warning sign about the real-world political risks that come from this sophisticated guessing game, which is played in billions of transactions each day.

The way ads are targeted today is radically different from the way it was done 10 or 15 years ago, said Frederike Kaltheuner, who heads the corporate exploitation program at Privacy International. Its become exponentially more invasive, and most people are completely unaware of what kinds of data feeds into the targeting.

With that in mind, we want to share how we targeted these ads, what we learned, and why it might disturb you.

The narrowest slices of the Internet

Targeted advertising was once limited to simple contextual cues: visiting ESPN probably meant youd see an ad for Nike. But advertising services today use narrow categories drawn from a mind-boggling number of sources to single out consumers. (Like many publishers, The Times uses targeted advertising to find potential subscribers and readers.)

To build the ads for our experiment, we imagined some extremely specific targets and built profiles of those people. Then we chose 16 attributes that matched those profiles from a list of about 30,000  a list thats rarely seen by people outside the industry.

We could do this because many companies, like retailers and credit card providers, sell customer information to data companies. Most data providers declined to tell us where their data comes from or how they built their models, so the sources in the ads below come from the ad experts who helped us create the campaign. Our experiment would have been blocked on Facebook because the company bans most ads showing how youve been targeted.

Here are more sample ads that we bought as part of our experiment. (These ads, like all the ads shown in this story, arent live and dont show data about you specifically.)

Sample of an ad bought by Times Opinion (not a live ad):

This ad thinks youre male, actively consolidating your debt and are a high spender at luxury department stores. likely browsing history likely credit card history This ad thinks youre male, actively consolidating your debt and are a high spender at luxury department stores. likely browsing history likely credit card history

Sample of an ad bought by Times Opinion (not a live ad):

This ad thinks youre trying to lose weight but still love bakeries. likely browsing history likely credit card history This ad thinks youre trying to lose weight but still love bakeries. likely browsing history likely credit card

But thats just the start. Launching a political campaign  or trying to interfere with one? You could target potential political converts:

Sample of an ad bought by Times Opinion (not a live ad):

This ad thinks youre female, a registered Democrat and are likely to vote for the sitting president. likely voter registration likely browsing history This ad thinks youre female, a registered Democrat and are likely to vote for the sitting president. likely voting registration likely browsing history

In the next election, I think it is inevitable that every single voter will have been profiled based on what they have been reading, watching and listening to for years online, said Johnny Ryan, the chief policy officer at Brave, a private web browser that allows users to block ads and trackers.

Companies can target by location, too. Its possible to single out bankers on Wall Street or political aides on Capitol Hill. If you wanted to target any specific location, you could find an ad platform that could do it (but the accuracy would vary depending on the technology used).

Its not limited to what advertisers know about your past behavior, either. Data providers claim they can predict things you didnt directly disclose, including what youll do in the future. They dont have your voting history, but they can still guess whether youre a likely liberal or a likely conservative. They also say they know whether youre planning a foreign vacation in the next year.

Surveillance companies are learning to nudge, coax, tune and herd human behavior in the direction that they want people to go for the sake of the commercial outcomes that their business customers seek, said Shoshana Zuboff, Harvard Business School professor emerita and author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.

Predictions about who people are and what they will buy offer the most promise to advertisers because they enable targeting nearly everyone, even those with little data available.

Acxiom, a major marketing data company, said it makes predictions by comparing specific people to a much larger group. For example, it might predict whether youll buy an S.U.V. by looking at people who did buy S.U.V.s, then checking whether you live in a similar region, or whether youre around the same age and share similar interests. If youre similar, theyll put you in a bucket that says youre highly likely to buy an S.U.V. And if youre the one whos buying the S.U.V., your characteristics might be used to refine the pool of potential future S.U.V. buyers.

Those predictive models and those audiences are defined by the simple principle of birds of a feather flock together, said Chad Engelgau, chief strategy and marketing officer at Acxiom. He added that prediction categories are used when data companies dont have more specific data, so they might guess the likelihood that youre a parent who needs to buy diapers using a predictive category rather than learning directly by collecting new birth records.

Nobody in the industry is saying this is a fact, he said of the predictions. Its used to create efficiencies.

[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.]

The accuracy of predictions made by data providers is difficult to verify. The companies release little evidence that those included in these groups actually belong there. A study from 2018 found that the gender assigned by data brokers was accurate, on average, only 42 percent of the time  thats worse than just flipping a coin. So in the ads we bought, we expected many men would see ads aimed at women and vice versa.

Acxiom said its working on adding more transparency to its models, including better labeling and third-party audits. It has also joined many other data companies calling for federal regulation that would place limits on how data is collected and shared while leaving room for marketing purposes. But such a law could also weaken or replace much more aggressive state regulations, like Californias data protection law.

Data providers also say the information stored and shared is anonymous, but that doesnt mean it stays that way. In 2017, for example, German researchers tied data that was supposedly anonymous back to specific individuals. They found revealing things like the medication used by a German politician and a German judges use of pornography.

Where the data comes from

Todays data providers can receive information from almost every imaginable part of your life: your activity on the internet, the places you visit, the stores you walk through, the things you buy, the things you like, who your friends are, the places your friends go, the things your friends do, and on and on. One provider boasts about having precise second-by-second viewing of tens of millions of televisions in all 210 local markets across the country. If you responded to an online event invitation, the details could be used to target you. If youre listening to energetic music, you could be targeted almost instantly in an energetic mood group. Much of this data could be shared among brands.

You might find targeted ads preferable to general ones since theres a better chance that you might actually want to buy the products being marketed. But privacy advocates say targeting has gotten out of control.

Do you really need to track people on all the websites they visit, every single app they use, on their entire platform, and keep the data for a shockingly long time? asked Ms. Kaltheuner, from Privacy International. Is all of this really necessary to show relevant ads?

Ads in our experiment combined data from many of these sources.

Sample of an ad bought by Times Opinion (not a live ad):

This ad thinks youre male, work in media, and cut the cable cord. LIKELY credit card LIKELY work email LIKELY social media LIKELY smart home devices This ad thinks youre male, work in media, and cut the cable cord. Likely work email Likely credit card Likely social media Likely smart home devices

Just by browsing the web, youre sending valuable data to trackers and ad platforms. Websites can also provide marketers specific things they know about you, like your date of birth or email address.

Ad companies often identify you when you load a website using trackers and cookies  small files containing information about you. Then your data is shared with multiple advertisers who bid to fill the ad space. The winning bid gets to fill the ad slot.

All of this happens in milliseconds.

Sample of an ad bought by Times Opinion (not a live ad):

This ad thinks youre a cybersecurity expert, female and go to art events in the desert. LIKELY browsing history LIKELY browsing history This ad thinks youre a cybersecurity expert, female and go to art events in the desert. LIKELY browsing history

Sample of an ad bought by Times Opinion (not a live ad):

This ad thinks youre male, a C-suite executive and binge-watch reality dating shows. likely work email likely Smart TV This ad thinks youre male, a C-suite executive and binge-watch reality dating shows. likely work email likely Smart TV

Dr. Zuboff, the author and professor, argues that companies today are mining private lives the same way they exploit natural resources, turning them into profitable goods. She said that makes every smart device and personalized service just another way to collect data for the surveillance economy.

That change happened so quickly and so secretly, Dr. Zuboff argues, that the public is not equipped to fight back.

Ms. Kaltheuner agreed. Its about ads, but it has all these other implications that have nothing to do with ads, she said. And thats the price were paying to see relevant ads.

Stuart A. Thompson is the graphics director for The New York Times Opinion Section. He can be reached at stuart.thompson@nytimes.com.
(CNN)  Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has made his boldest attempt yet to seize power from President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday morning, announcing an uprising alongside a group of soldiers in the capital Caracas.

His call brought protesters to the city's La Carlota military airbase, where there were confrontations between Guaido's military supporters and Maduro regime loyalists under a cloud of tear gas as gun shots rang through the air.

In live agency video from the ground, opposition protesters appeared to be throwing objects at military vehicles immediately before one plowed straight into the crowd, knocking a number of people down.

As the day went on, crowds swarmed onto the streets and some members of the military, national guard, and armed forces appeared to switch sides and brandished blue armbands in solidarity to the opposition.

According to Venezuela's Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino, a military colonel was shot during clashes on the Francisco Fajardo highway. Padrino tweeted that he holds "the opposition political leadership responsible."

Fifty-two people who were injured in the clashes have been taken to Salud Chacao Medical Center in Caracas. Of them, 32 were injured by rubber bullets and one by a firearm.

Juan Guaido's "final phase"

The unrest started with a dawn address, in which Guaido declared he was "beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom," an escalation of his bid to oust Maduro, which started in January.

Guaido leads Venezuela's National Assembly and has been recognized as the nation's interim president by dozens of other countries. He has led months of protest against the government, but his April 30 speech marked his most successful attempt yet to involve the military in the removal of the Venezuelan leader.

Speaking alongside opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez  freed from house arrest by defecting soldiers  Guaido declared the "start of the end of the usurpation" in a video filmed outside La Carlota military airbase in Caracas early on Tuesday. He was flanked by men in military fatigues and armored vehicles.

Venezuela's Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez called Guaido's action a "coup" on Twitter, adding that the government is "deactivating a small number of traitorous military personnel."

"We call on the people to remain in maximum alert so that, together with the glorious Bolivian armed forces, we defeat this attempted coup and preserve peace. We will win," he said.

Military involvement

Later in the day, Guaido made his way to Plaza Altamira, the center of the city's opposition heartland. "For many years we have talked to the armed forces and today it's clear to us that the armed forces are with the Venezuelan people, who are not with a dictator," Guaido told a heaving crowd of supporters, who were cheering "Yes, we can."

Using a megaphone, the 35-year-old said the demonstration was peaceful, "in accordance with our constitution," and it was Maduro who was carrying out a coup.

"The coup d'etat is being done at a stage by those who use paramilitaries to attack us. The soldiers are here to defend our people," he added.

Earlier, Guaido had told CNN that Maduro had lost the support of the country's military. "It's great news for the entire country that the military of Venezuela's armed forces have taken this step. They were an important part of this. This was fundamental not only for a transitioning, but to recover Venezuela's sovereignty," he said.

Guaido had previously called for nationwide demonstrations on May 1. On Tuesday, he said his announcement signaled the start of that protest a day early. That came after he spent the last few weeks visiting towns and cities outside Caracas, drawing large crowds in his bid to pressure Maduro to step down.

It is unclear, however, whether Guaido's move will gain traction or how much military support he has. "The situation is under control," Maduro's Communications Vice Minister Isbemar Jimenez told CNN on Tuesday. "All military garrisons support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro."

Maduro said in a tweet that regional defense bodies had expressed "total loyalty." He matched Guaido's call for supporters, imploring the public to rally for "maximum popular mobilization."

His vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, called for people to head to Miraflores, the presidential palace, and "defend peace."

Guaido's representative in the U.S. told CNN that the opposition leader has the support of the "middle and lower ranks" of the military.

"What you have seen is only a statement from the privileged elite of the army force. We have the support of the middle and lower ranks," diplomat Carlos Vecchio told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

He also confirmed that Guaido's side has not had any negotiations with Maduro. "The only negotiation that we could have is just the exit of Maduro," he said. "The day and the hour and how."

International reaction

As Guaido's supporters massed around La Carlota airbase, the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet that the American government "fully supports" the operation launched by the opposition leader.

Meanwhile, national security adviser John Bolton said Donald Trump "has been monitoring it minute-by-minute throughout the day as have his advisers."

United States Sen. Marco Rubio, a vocal critic of Maduro, urged Venezuela's military to support Guaido on Twitter.

"This is the moment for those military officers in #Venezuela to fulfill their constitutional oath & defend the legitimate interim President (Guaido's) in this effort to restore democracy. You can write history in the hours & days ahead," he wrote.

Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro also tweeted his support for Guaido and "the freedom of Venezuelans," and Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao told press that the political standoff had become a "no turning back" moment.

"Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez are in a situation where there is no turning back. After this point, they will either be arrested or Maduro will leave," Mourao said.

Colombia President Ivan Dunque called on Venezuelans and the military to "be on the right side of history, rejecting dictatorship and usurpation of Maduro."

Ecuador's Foreign Minister Jose Valencia also tweeted the government's "strong support" of Guaido.

Meanwhile, Cuban and Russian officials have rejected the opposition. And Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he retains his neutral position on Venezuela.

Guaido emerged from obscurity when he was named president of the National Assembly on January 5. His arrival to the political scene has re-energized opposition to Maduro's government, which foreign powers and domestic rivals say was returned to power in a sham election last year.

He has promised a transitional government and free elections to end the rule of the socialist Maduro regime, which has overseen the once-wealthy oil nation's descent into economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis.

After Guaido declared himself acting president in January, Maduro's administration repeatedly blamed the U.S. of orchestrating a coup to remove him.

The president has denied a humanitarian crisis exists in the country  refusing to accept much-needed foreign aid, while also blaming blackouts on a terror attack and American sabotage.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Juan Guaido declares 'final phase' of operation to topple Venezuela's Maduro"
The aptly-named Masterpiece Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, recently went viral for offering a plastic surgery procedure that gives patients instant six-pack abs.

Despite what many gym-addicts will tell you, getting defined six-pack abs is really hard, and for some of us downright impossible. No matter how much we work out, we just cant seem to get that layer of fat on our abdomen to go away, so those well-developed ab muscles remain concealed underneath. Thats where the plastic surgeons at Masterpiece Hospital come in. By performing a procedure called abdominal etching, they remove some of the fat on your abdomen to make that hidden six-pack visible. There are no plastic or silicone implants involved, just some abs-focused liposuction.

Photo: Masterpiece Hospital/Facebook

We dont do implants because they dont look good and dont last long, Masterpiece Hospital CEO, Raweewat Sae Maschamadol, told Coconuts Bangkok. Weve been doing this for about three to four years now, we get anywhere from 20 to 30 customers requesting a six-pack every month.



Abdominal etching involves methodically sucking out the fan around the patients abdomen to really bring out their six-pack. Its actually nothing new, as it was first performed by a Texas surgeon during the 1990s. However, Raweewat claims that he has traveled abroad to study different procedures and has developed his own technique. He adds that the two-to-four hours surgery is neither dangerous nor painful.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Masterpiece Hospital Thailand (@masterpiece_hospital) on Apr 24, 2019 at 7:22pm PDT

Getting an instant six-pack no doubt sounds like a dream come true for many people, but the thing is it doesnt work on everybody. You actually need to have well-developed abdominal muscles for the surgery to actually work as intended. Dr. Raweewat says that about 90 percent of the people who come into his clinic for abdominal etching are fitness junkies who just cant get an enviable six-pack by merely working out.



In order to naturally get a six-pack, one needs to work out as well as get lean. Most of our clients come in with a lot of muscle, they just want to save themselves months of leaning down, the Thai surgeon said.



Masterpiece Hospital and their abdominal etching procedure recently went viral in Thailand after male model Ome Pangpaparn who underwent the surgery, shared some photos of the results. Her had apparently been trying to get a six-pack the old-fashioned way, but just couldnt get rid of that layer of fat that stubbornly concealed the fruits of his labour. So he turned to plastic surgery.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ome Pangpaparn (@omepangpaparn) on Jan 13, 2019 at 8:12am PST

Fitness is not always the answer, Pangpaparn said. I worked out regularly, but I still couldnt get rid of the fat around my stomach. I do what I can. But in the parts I cant, I leave it up to the doctor. I am confident that it will bring me more happiness.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ome Pangpaparn (@omepangpaparn) on Apr 6, 2019 at 11:07am PDT

To be fair, Ome is no stranger to plastic surgery and cosmetic enhancement, as you can clearly see in the above photo of the model holding up a photo of himself as a young boy.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ome Pangpaparn (@omepangpaparn) on Aug 26, 2014 at 12:55pm PDT

Abdominal etching is not exclusive to Masterpiece Hospital. Its performed by many plastic surgeons around the world, but according to one study, it does have some risks. About one-in-10 study participants were left with post-surgery pockets of fluid called seromas, that may require draining, and about one-in-5 suffered minor complications such as over-etching.


Brian Ballard

Ballard Partners, which has close ties with the Trump White House, is handling environmental lobbying duties for the Pebble Mine Partnership.

Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals is behind the PMP, which wants to build a "world-class" 5.3 square mile open pit copper/gold/silver mine at the headwaters of Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed.

Environmental and local groups have attacked the project, which the Natural Resources Defense Council says would devastate "the greatest wild salmon fishery in the world and the region's economic engine." The $1.5B fishery supports 14K jobs.

The Army Corps of Engineers is evaluating the environmental impact of the mine. The review will be completed next year.

The Justice and Corporate Accountability Project today filed a compliance request against NDM with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the British Columbia Securities Commission.

It claims NDM lacks the financial resources to build the mine and is "trying to drum up cash by providing incomplete and misleading information to investors."

Brian Ballard, chair of the Trump Victory fundraising team in Florida, represents PMP with Susie Wiles, who was senior strategist for Trump's Sunshine State campaign, and Syl Lukis, managing partner of Ballard's Washington office.
Diffusion has been named AOR for talent experience platform Brightfox. The firm will handle the U.S. introduction of the platform, which will kick off with a strategic launch program to position the brand as a pioneer creating its own market category with rising health insurance company Oscar among its first clients. Diffusion is also tasked with continuing to build awareness and attract a customer base for Brightfox post-launch. An ongoing media relations program will showcase the companys founding story and vision for the future, and Diffusion will also implement a tailored thought leadership program. Based in New York City and founded by former Oscar chief people officer Deena Fox, Brightfox aims to enable companies and their employees to accelerate their growth and evolve culture through engagement, feedback, and performance.

Zapwater Communications has added The Revel Group to its roster of hospitality clients. Zapwaters scope of work will include media relations, influencer relations, marketing and events for the company, encompassing all aspects of their business. The Revel Group is an event-centric agency that provides venues, decor services, curated food offerings and planning expertise.. The Chicago-based company includes Revel Global Events, Revel Decor, Limelight Catering, Spotlight, Revel Space and Revel Cares.

Wuppertal, Germany-based brand experience company VOK DAMS was enlisted to develop the brand communication and visual content design for the introduction of the Volkswagen Jetta Mk2 to the Chinese audience at the Shanghai Auto Show 2019. Geared toward millennials, the introduction included a press conference, an interactive brand installation, a virtual reality activation and a show with urban street performances. The Jetta Mk2 is one of the first Volkswagens manufactured in the Peoples Republic of China. VOK DAMS has operated offices in Beijing and Shanghai since 2004.
A woman has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of murdering her boyfriend by stabbing him in the chest in her Co Tipperary home over two years ago.

The accused and deceased were in a tempestuous and volatile relationship which was violent at times and the prosecution contends there is no question of self-defence in the case, the court has heard.

Inga Ozolina (48), originally from Latvia, but with an address at Old Court Church, Mounthrath, Co Laois has pleaded not guilty to murdering Audrius Pukas (43) at The Malthouse, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, on November 20, 2016.

In his opening address, prosecuting counsel Paul Murray SC said that Ms Ozolina and Mr Pukas had both been residents in Ireland for many years.

Mr Pukas was originally from Lithuania and he would stay at Ms Ozolinas apartment in Roscrea, said Mr Murray, adding that they may have had Russian as a common language.

Outlining the facts of the case, Mr Murray said that Ms Ozolina and Mr Pukas had been in a relationship for a few years and the jury will hear that this was a tempestuous and volatile relationship which was violent at times. The jury will also hear evidence about gardai being called to the property they resided at, he added.

Detailing the evidence that will be heard, Mr Murray said that Ms Ozolina was living in an apartment in Roscrea in November 2016 and it was leased by her.

In the early hours of November 20, Ms Ozolina arrived at Roscrea garda station. Following this, gardai went with the accused to her apartment and found Mr Pukas body in a bedroom.

By the time gardai arrived, Mr Pukas was clearly deceased, said counsel.

The prosecution barrister went on to tell the court that a post-mortem was carried out on Mr Pukas and the jury will hear that three knife wounds were found on his body, one of them fatal in nature.

Mr Murray said that Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis will give evidence that the fatal wound was to the left-hand side of the deceaseds chest and it had penetrated to a total depth of 25.5cm.

In its course this wounded the left lung, heart, aortic valve, left pulmonary artery and aorta, said counsel.

As a result of the wound, there was massive haemorrhaging to his left chest cavity and into the sack around the heart, he explained, adding that death would have ensued rapidly.

There were a second wound to the outer aspect of his right upper arm which had penetrated into the muscle to a depth of 13cm, he outlined. The third wound to the left-hand side of his chest was very superficial and more of an abrasion.

Mr Murray also indicated to the jury that they will have to consider the defence of self-defence. Evidence will be that Ms Ozolina told gardai that a physical altercation had occurred between her and Mr Pukas on the night and she had picked up a knife, he said.

He explained that the States case would be that self-defence does not apply in this incident and Ms Ozolina used the knife to kill Mr Pukas and had the intention of doing so at the time.

The barrister asked the jury to consider a number of questions during the trial including how was the fatal knife wound inflicted on the night in question and what happened to the knife afterwards.

In conclusion, Mr Murray said that if the jury are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms Ozolina is guilty of murder, then the verdict should be murder.

The trial continues on Thursday before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and a jury of seven men and five women. It is expected to last between three and four weeks.
Two children have gone on trial, charged with murdering another child in Co Dublin last year.

The prosecutor has told the jury that one of the accused boys had lured 14-year-old Anastasia Kriegel from her home to a dirty, derelict farmhouse, where he voyeuristically watched the other boy sexually assault and murder her.

The compelling and coercive forensic case against the boy waiting at the farmhouse included a chilling zombie mask found in his backpack.

Brendan Grehan SC was giving his opening speech at the Central Criminal Court today (Tuesday) in the trial of the two teenagers, accused of murdering the Kildare schoolgirl at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road, Lucan on 14th May last year. The accused, who are both 14, cannot be named because they are minors. They each pleaded not guilty.

One of the boys is further charged with Anastasias aggravated sexual assault in a manner that involved serious violence to her. He also pleaded not guilty to that count.

Mr Grehan explained that gardai discovered Anas body on May 17 last at the derelict Glenwood House, 3km from her home through St Catherines Park. She was naked apart from her socks and a ligature around her neck. She had obvious head injuries.

The scene, which was bloody, comprised a small, downstairs room, not much bigger than the jury box, he said. Her broken phone and clothes were scattered around the room. Some were damaged, suggesting that they had been forcibly removed, he added.

A post-mortem exam on Anas body revealed severe and extensive injuries to her head and neck, which had caused her death. The pathologist also found injuries suggesting the attempted penetration of her vagina. She concluded that she had been violently assaulted within that room and that thered been a struggle.

The jury heard that Anas mother had reported her missing at 9pm on Monday, May 14. She was last seen by family at 5pm that day, when she left her home at Newtown Park in Leixlip in the company of the second accused. She was last seen alive with him in the nearby St Catherines park.

Her mother was trying to contact her by phone as she made her way home from work around that time. However, she was getting no reply and this was unusual. Of concern too was that she had left her home with a boy, who had never visited before, and Mrs Kriegel was searching the park by 5.40pm.

Its the prosecution's case that Ana was already dead at this stage, said Mr Grehan.

The gardai responded to her mothers report that night by going to the boys house and speaking to him and his mother.

In the first of many different accounts (he) was to give the gardai, he told them hed called for Ana and they went to St Catherines park, where hed last seen her, said Mr Grehan. Significalny, he did not mention his friend (the first accused) at this stage.

They visited him again the following day and he told them that hed called for Ana on behalf of the first boy, who had then met Ana in the park. He said he knew that Ana was interested in this boy and that the suggested purpose of the meeting was for this boy to tell her that he wasnt interested.

He claimed that after a short conversation between the two, she had gone one way while he and his friend had gone the other.

Both boys were asked to point out where theyd met and the routes taken. Divergences began to emerge between what each told gardai as well as between what they said on different occasions. However, Gardai were mindful that they were dealing with 13-year-olds.

The jury was told that it would see CCTV footage of Ana heading to the park with the second accused. This would be of use in determining routes and timings, as would evidence showing that Anas phones last activity was at 5.32pm in that general area.

A number of people gave accounts of seeing the first accused limping and with blood on his clothing not long after this time. He had said he had been attacked by two men, whom he had fought off.

Gardai investigated this allegation and its the prosecutions case that (he) came by his injuries in a struggle with Ana, in which he sexually assaulted and killed her, and this was a made-up story, said Mr Grehan.

The case against (him) relies on what the prosecution say are lies told by him about where he last saw Ana, but also on a compelling and coercive forensic case based on objective, scientific evidence by way of DNA, he added.

He will be connected to the scene by male DNA found on her neck and the tape around her neck, and semen on her top found in the same room, he continued.

He alleged that various items from his home would also connect him to Anas murder.

These include the contents of a distinctive backpack he was seen carrying in the park, including gloves, knee pads, shin guards and, perhaps most chillingly, a homemade zombie-type mask, he said. The prosecution case will be that theres no explanation consistent with innocence.

He said that the legal basis for the case against his co-accused was somewhat different.

It is that he aided and abetted the murder of her, that he assisted or helped it to happen knowing what was going to happen, that he provided this help by, in the first place, luring Ana from her house to meet (the first accused), knowing shed want to meet him, he explained.

However, Mr Grehan said he knew that Ana would not be meeting his friend in some romantic way in the park, but at a dirty, dark derelict house that he or (the first boy) made sure was empty before entering, handing Ana over to (him), knowing preparations must have been made, by providing the builders tape for the ligature found on her neck by remaining and voyeuristically watching her murder and sexual assault, by participating in the cover-up afterwards and lying repeatedly to the gardai about what he saw, knew and did.

The prosecution says he had been explicitly told of the intention to murder Ana in advance, he said, explaining that all of this had come from this boys own mouth, and that the jury would view the video of his garda interviews.

Mr Grehan said that the jury would also hear lots of other evidence and learn about the background of the two boys, including some peculiar interests they had.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott this (Tuesday) afternoon when the jury is expected to hear from Anastasias mother and brother.
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Saturday, November 13 to Saturday, February 19The family care office at U of T is seeking postsecondary student parents to participate in a peer mentorship program.
"At the end of the day, unless there's a negotiation with the drug companies, we're not going to bring down drug prices," Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., who served as HHS secretary under President Bill Clinton, told me last week. "There is no substitute for negotiations. I think the president knows that."

Medicare negotiation is the elephant in the room as Congress and the Trump administration seek ways to lower the high cost of prescription drugs. They probably could achieve some savings for the government  and put a general downward pressure on drug prices  by repealing a ban on HHS from directly negotiating lower prices for medications through Medicare's Part D prescription drug program, which covers medicines distributed by private plans.

Trump, who embraced the idea on the campaign trail, is still deeply interested in it. But it's shunned by Republicans and, naturally, the pharmaceutical industry. Opponents argue that prices for Medicare drugs are already negotiated, between the drug companies and the private insurers who administer the Part D plans. They also point to the Congressional Budget Office, which has said direct negotiations would have only a "negligible effect" on drug prices for those covered by Medicare.
When the stars of a legendary show are ages 88 and 95, it seems that nothing short of seeing the spectacle in person will do.

This marks the fourth year for Internet livestreaming of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, dubbed fondly by many as the Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger show.

Still, all signs point to a full house at this coming weekends activities, or at least the same crowd size as last year.

More than 42,000 people are estimated to have been part of the 2018 extravaganza.

The number of credentials sent out globally this year roughly matches that of last year, according to the Berkshire Hathaway Omaha headquarters. Attendance fell off some the initial year of the webcast, a spokeswoman said, but has since rebounded.
A man walking home from work along the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge used a pocket knife to fight off two attackers Monday evening.

Andrew Poeckes, 27, told Council Bluffs police that he was crossing the bridge back to Iowa just before 7 p.m. when two men accosted him and started punching him in the face and pulling at his clothing.

Witnesses told police that the men punched Poeckes in the head several times before he swung back to try to protect himself. At one point, Poeckes pulled out a small folding pocketknife and stabbed each man once in the abdomen.

Both men remain in the hospital, one in critical condition and the other in stable condition, Council Bluffs police said. Poeckes was treated for facial injuries at a Council Bluffs hospital and released.

The incident is still under investigation, but Council Bluffs police said early indications are that Poeckes was acting in self-defense. Police anticipate that the two men will be arrested and charged with assault, but no action has yet been taken.

Detectives are seeking more witnesses and can be reached at 712-328-4728.
About half of Gage County residents live in Beatrice, where they pay 7.5 cents in sales tax now. Those city residents could outvote the rural landowners who bear the burden of the property taxes.

Dorn said he had explored other options, including a plan to get a low-interest loan from the state. But he said the money would have had to come from the already-depleted cash reserve fund and that idea would have been tough to get through the Legislature.

Colleagues acknowledged his efforts to find a solution for the difficult situation facing his district.

Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte, who is not normally a fan of taxes, said he agreed with the governor in principle but had to make an exception in this case, which he described as being between a rock and a hard place.

The Gage County Board voted in September to raise the property tax levy by 11.76 cents to start paying the judgment. The increase, which takes the levy to the maximum possible under the Nebraska Constitution, is expected to bring in about $3.8 million in the first year.
GUELPH, Ontario, April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hammond Manufacturing Company Limited (TSX:HMM.A) today announced in accordance with Toronto Exchange requirements, the voting results from its Annual General Meeting held April 29, 2019 in Guelph, Ontario.



Shareholders voted in favour of all items of business put forth at the meeting, including the appointment of KPMG LLP as its outside auditors and the election of all director nominees as set out below.

Election of Directors



The following seven nominees were elected to serve as directors of the Corporation until the next annual meeting of shareholders or until their successors are elected or appointed:



Number of Votes Percentage of Votes Cast Name For Against Withheld Spoiled Non vote For Against Withheld Robert F. Hammond 14,274,102 - 48,073 - 7,586 99.66% 0.00% 0.34% Edward Sehl 14,305,975 - 16,200 - 7,586 99.89% 0.00% 0.11% Paul Quigley 14,305,965 - 16,210 - 7,586 99.89% 0.00% 0.11% Sheila Hammond 14,274,102 - 48,073 - 7,586 99.66% 0.00% 0.34% Michael Fricker 14,305,975 - 16,200 - 7,586 99.89% 0.00% 0.11% Sarah Hansen 14,295,475 - 26,700 - 7,586 99.81% 0.00% 0.19% William Wiener 14,305,975 - 16,200 - 7,586 99.89% 0.00% 0.11%

Appointment of Auditors

KPMG LLP, Chartered Accountants, were appointed as auditors of the Corporation for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019 and the Directors are authorized to fix their remuneration.

For Against Withheld Spoiled Non vote For Against Withheld 14,326,561 - 3,200 - - 99.98% 0.00% 0.02%

Hammond Manufacturing Company Limited manufactures a broad range of products for the electronic and electrical products industry, including metallic and non-metallic enclosures, racks, small cases, outlet strips, surge suppressors and electronic transformers.
Weeks have passed since the terrible surge of floodwaters swept over wide areas of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, but for many residents, the disruption and stress continue.

Midlands residents need to keep in mind those who are still suffering. The need for donations, of time and money, continues. Public and private agencies and organizations have much work to do in helping individuals and communities cope with their challenges. In many cases, the scale of the needed cleanup and recovery is extraordinary.

Ive seen tornadoes, Ive seen fires, Ive never seen anything like this mess, Russell Hathaway, a resident of Pacific Junction in Mills County, Iowa, recently told The World-Herald, referring to his rental home. To reach his front door, he has to trudge through 3 to 4 inches of dingy, stinking water.

During the March flooding, water rose up to 8 feet in some homes and businesses in Pacific Junction. No buildings in the town were spared from damage.
The easy dissemination of hate through technology seems to have made irrational fear of the other  the belief that those who look differently or who have different views and priorities are malign threats  more common than ever. This is reflected in government statistics showing a surge in hate crimes, most of which are anti-Jewish or against religious and racial minorities.

Yet the gunman reportedly had no previous criminal history, and one family friend expressed shock at news of his involvement and his anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim views. This is alarming evidence that online, the most disturbed among us have found secret echo chambers that embolden them.

So what can be done?

Poway Mayor Steve Vaus offered a powerful and appropriate sentiment on Saturday: This is not Poway, he declared. We always walk with our arms around each other, and we will walk through this tragedy with our arms around each other.
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.
After getting Indian citizenship, 25 Sindhis from Pakistan cast their vote

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

Pune, Apr 30: Weeks after getting Indian citizenship, around 25 Sindhis, who migrated from Pakistan years ago and made Pimpri-Chinchwad their home, had another reason to celebrate when they got an opportunity on Monday to cast their votes for the first time.

One of them, Rajendra Thakur, migrated to India from Pakistan 37 years ago. Today, Thakur looked a happy man after voting for the first time in India.

The 52-year-old is among nearly around 25 Sindhis from the Pimpri-Chinchwad area, that falls under the Maval Lok Sabha constituency, who voted for the first time.

For Indian citizenship, State approval mandatory: MHA

Those who exercised their franchise for the first are among the 45 Sindhis from the city who got permanent citizenship of India early last month.

"It has been over 37 years that I have been living in Pimpri-Chinchwad. All those years, except discussing politics, I could not take part in any democratic process such as election and could not cast my vote.

"But today, for the first time, I voted," said an elated Thakur, who is into the business of supplying electrical items.

He said several Sindhis have migrated to India from Pakistan over the years for a better future and all of them, including himself, had been living on long-term visas (LTVs) till they became Indian citizens after a prolonged wait.

These visas needed to be renewed after every two years and the process was very lengthy and tedious, he said.

Thakur thanked Balasaheb Runwal of 'Mere Apne' Foundation and Pune district collector Naval Kishore Ram for helping in getting citizenship.

"It was Balasaheb Runwal of Mere Apne Foundation, who all those years fought for our cause. Credit also goes to Pune collector Naval Kishore Ram who expedited the process to issue citizenship certificates in March," said Thakur.

Protests rage on in Assam over Citizenship Bill

"I came to India in 1982 along with my sister when I was 15 as the situation back in Karachi was not good.

"When we got the Indian citizenship certificates in March, we felt like winning a long-fought war and I can not express my happiness in words after casting my vote," he added.

Dr Vijay Bulani has a similar story to tell as he, too, was among the voters.

"I am very happy that we got a chance to participate in the democratic process of our country," he said.

Talking to PTI, district collector Ram said the applications of all these people were pending before him.

"I decided to look into the long-pending issue and expedited the entire process of issuing permanent citizenship certificates by bringing all authorities concerned together.

"And in one go, all these people were issued their citizenship certificates," the bureaucrat said.

He said while issuing the certificates, the district administration also got them to fill their voter registration forms and it is good that out of 45, 25 people could vote.

Runwal said these people had faced many hardships as they used to run from pillar to post to get their LTVs renewed.

"So I decided to take up the issue through my organisation and followed it up with several authorities, including the Union home ministry. In all this process, BJP's Pune MP Anil Shirole helped me," he said.

Runwal said the district collector expedited the entire process to issue the certificates.

"Now after these 45 people, there are more 200 applications from the city are in the pipeline and we are sure that all these people will get their permanent citizenship certificates soon," he added.
Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release publication, distribution or dissemination, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States.



TORONTO and SALINAS, Calif., April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INDUS Holdings, Inc. (formerly Mezzotin Minerals Inc.) (CSE:INDS) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced business combination with Salinas, California-based Indus Holding Company ("Indus") which resulted in a reverse takeover of the Company by the security holders of Indus (the "Transaction"). Effective at the close of markets on April 29, 2019, the common shares of the Company (Existing Mezzotin Shares) will be delisted from the NEX board of the TSX Venture Exchange, and the subordinate voting shares of the Company (Subordinate Voting Shares) will commence trading on the Canadian Stock Exchange (the CSE) effective at market open on April 30, 2019, under the new symbol INDS.



INDUS Holdings, Inc. is a Salinas, California-based vertically integrated cannabis company with advanced production capabilities, including cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, brand sales & marketing, and distribution. Founded in 2014, Indus offers services supporting every step of the supply chain and an extensive portfolio of owned and licensed products, including Altai Brands, The Original Pot Co., MOON, Acme, Beboe, Dixie Elixirs & Edibles, and Orchid Essentials. INDUS Distribution, a division of Indus, is a leading distributor of cannabis products, servicing brands and licensed retailers throughout California. Following the completion of the Transaction, the Company will focus on the operations of Indus on a going-forward basis.

This is a day that we have been preparing for since our first edible products were packaged and distributed throughout California, says Indus co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Robert Weakley. Through challenge after challenge, we have strived to remain at the forefront of this incredible  and still growing  industry, and now we are proud to see Indus listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Terms of the Transaction

Pursuant to the Transaction, the Existing Mezzotin Shares were redesignated as a new class of Subordinate Voting Shares on the basis of one Subordinate Voting Shares for every 485.3 Existing Mezzotin Shares. In addition, INDUS created a new class of voting common shares and a new class of non-voting redeemable common shares (Convertible Shares) and the outstanding shares of INDUS (INDUS Shares) were reclassified as Convertible Shares at a rate of one (1) Convertible Share for every one (1) INDUS Share held. The Company also amended its articles in connection with the Transaction to (i) continue from the Province of Ontario to the Province of British Columbia; and (ii) change its name from Mezzotin Minerals Inc. to INDUS Holdings, Inc.

Under the Transaction: (i) non-U.S. shareholders of INDUS (and such U.S. shareholders of INDUS as elected to participate) then contributed their Convertible Shares to the Company in exchange for Subordinate Voting Shares at a rate of one (1) Subordinate Voting Share for every one (1) Convertible Share contributed, and on a going-forward basis, U.S. shareholders of INDUS may from time to time elect to redeem their Convertible Shares in exchange for Subordinate Voting Shares at the same rate (or under certain circumstances for the cash value of such shares as provided in the share terms for the Convertible Shares); (ii) a designated founder of INDUS subscribed for non-participating, super-voting shares of the Company (Super Voting Shares) carrying voting rights that, in the aggregate, represent approximately 85% of the voting rights of the Company upon completion of the Transaction on a fully diluted basis; (iii) all warrants of INDUS (including compensation options issued to financial advisors) remained outstanding and will now entitle the holders thereof to acquire Convertible Shares on the same terms and conditions and on an economically equivalent basis; and (iv) all stock options of INDUS outstanding under INDUS existing equity incentive plan were assumed by the Company and will now entitle the holders thereof to acquire Subordinate Voting Shares on the same terms and conditions and on an economically equivalent basis in lieu of securities of Indus.

In connection with the Transaction, INDUS completed a private placement (the Concurrent Financing) through a special purpose finance company (FinanceCo) on April 2, 2019, pursuant to which FinanceCo issued an aggregate of 3,435,762 subscription receipts (Subscription Receipts) at a price of Cdn$15.65 per Subscription Receipt to raise aggregate gross proceeds of approximately US$40,000,000. Beacon Securities Limited (Beacon) acted as lead agent and sole bookrunner in connection with the Concurrent Financing, on behalf of a syndicate of agents, including Canaccord Genuity Corp., Cormark Securities Inc., Eight Capital and INFOR Financial Inc. (together with Beacon, the Agents). The gross proceeds of the Concurrent Financing, less certain associated expenses, were deposited into escrow (the Escrowed Proceeds) pending satisfaction of certain specified release conditions (the Escrow Release Conditions), all of which were satisfied immediately prior to the completion of the Transaction. As a result, the Escrowed Proceeds were released to FinanceCo prior to the closing of the Transaction, and each Subscription Receipt was automatically converted, for no additional consideration, into one common share of FinanceCo (FinanceCo Share). Following satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions, in connection with the Transaction, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding FinanceCo Shares pursuant to a three-cornered amalgamation (the Amalgamation), and the former holders thereof (including the former holders of FinanceCo Shares acquired upon conversion of the Subscription Receipts) each received one Subordinate Voting Share in exchange for each FinanceCo Share held.

Also in connection with the Concurrent Financing, FinanceCo issued an aggregate of 197,533 broker warrants (Broker Warrants) to the Agents as partial consideration for their services in connection with the Concurrent Financing, each of which was exercisable to acquire one FinanceCo Share at an exercise price of Cdn$15.65 for a period of 2 years from the satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions. Upon completion of the Amalgamation, the Broker Warrants were exchanged for compensation options of the Company which are exercisable to acquire Subordinate Voting Shares in lieu of FinanceCo Shares, otherwise upon the same terms and conditions.

Upon completion of the Transaction, the board of directors of the Company consists of the following seven directors: Robert Weakley (CEO of Indus); Mark Ainsworth (Executive VP and Co-Founder of Indus); Tina Maloney (CFO and Corporate Secretary of Indus); Stephanie Harkness (Lead Independent Director); Bill Anton (Independent Director), Arthur Maxwell (Independent Director); and Sam Tramiel (Independent Director), and the officers of the Company consist of: Robert Weakley, CEO; Mark Ainsworth, Executive Vice President; and Tina Maloney, CFO & Corporate Secretary.

For further details of the Transaction and Indus, including biographies of each of the new directors and officers of the Company upon closing of the Transaction, please refer to the CSE listing statement of the Company dated April 23, 2019, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

For more information please contact:

Investors Relations Contact

Phil Carlson

KCSA Strategic Communications

INDUS@kcsa.com

Media Relations Contact

Renata Follmann

Rossetti Public Relations

pr@indusholdingco.com

INDUS Holdings, Inc. Company Contact

Robert Weakley

Chief Executive Officer

831-293-3506

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the listing statement prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of the Company, INDUS or FinanceCo should be considered highly speculative.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's and Indus beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's and Indus control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, expectations for the effects of the Transaction or the ability of the Company to successfully achieve business objectives, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, the Company and INDUS are alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and INDUS to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, the Company and INDUS have made certain assumptions. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: the potential impact of the consummation of the Transaction on relationships, including with regulatory bodies, employees, suppliers, customers and competitors; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in applicable laws; compliance with extensive government regulation; and the diversion of management time on the Transaction and the Concurrent Financing. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and neither the Company nor INDUS undertakes to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company, INDUS or persons acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.
Procurement of expensive aircraft parts to be done after approval of senior official: Air India

After facing backlash over appointment of sacked Pilot as regional director, AI suspends decision

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 30: Hours after the controversial appointment of Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia, whose flying licence was suspended in November 2018 after he failed pre-flight alcohol tests, as its Regional Director (Northern Region), the airline on Tuesday decided to keep the decision on hold.

The national carrier issued a notification early in the day stating that "Capt. Arvind Kathpalia will take over the charge of the post of Regional Director (Northern Region) with effect from May 1, 2019", consequent to the retirement of incumbent Pankaj Kumar.

[Air India pilot, who failed alcohol tests, appointed as regional director]

The appointment drew flak from pilots' body ICPA which alleged that "top officials are bending backwards to elevate a tainted official". However, soon after, Air India issued another notification stating that: "The notification...assigning charge of the post of Regional Director (Northern Region) to Captain Arvind Kathpalia is kept in abeyance, till further orders".

No reason was cited for suspension of Kathpalia's appointment. Prior to it, an Air India spokesperson even issued a statement stating that the appointment of Arvind Kathpalia as Director Northern Region "is according to law".

"Earlier, he was Executive Director and Regional Director is equivalent to Executive Director," the spokesperson said. On November 11 last year, Kathpalia had tested positive for alcohol in two breath analyser (BA) tests before he was to fly Air India's New Delhi-London flight. The next day, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended his flying licence for three years, and on November 13, the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued an order to remove him from the position of Director, Operations.

However, a week later, he was posted as Executive Director by the Airline. Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which represents the pilots flying the narrow body aircraft of Air India, "strongly" condemned Kathpalia's appointment.

It said, "Top officials are bending backwards to elevate a tainted official. Hes been made in-charge of NR (Northern Region) where he will be able to intimidate people who had given statements in police enquiry. Disciplinary action against commanders come under RD-NR. It's ethically wrong."

The ICPA said:"A person who has broken the law and has charge sheet pending against him cannot take disciplinary action against other employees. ICPA strongly condemns this. We need justice. It's yet again proven people with strong political connections can get away with any crime." Kathpalia was taken off flying duties earlier too.

In February 2017, when he was working at the position of executive director of operations, his flying licence was suspended for three months on charges of skipping a pre-flight alcohol test. Consequently, he was removed from the post of executive director of operations. However, in March 2018, he was posted as Director of Operations.

Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him/her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.

PTI
Yogi Adityanath didn't take dip in Ganga as he knows rivers are not clean: Akhilesh

Months ahead of UP polls residence of Akhilesh Yadavs aide searched by IT

After I-T raids on SP leaders, petitioner questions Centre for not sending Mulayam & Akhilesh to jail

Akhilesh seeks 72-year ban on Modi for his speech

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 30: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday lashed out at Narendra Modi for claiming that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and said the Prime Minister should be "banned for 72 years" for his "shameful" speech.

Taking to twitter Akhilesh wrote, "Vikas (development) is asking... Did you hear the shameful speech of Pradhanji (PM)? After losing the faith of 125 crore countrymen, he (Modi) is now relying on the unethical assurance of defection allegedly given by the 40 MLAs."

"This reflects his (Modi) black money mentality. He should be banned for not 72 hours but for 72 years," he said.

On Monday, Modi assailed TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee over her prime ministerial ambitions, saying "Didi, Dilli door hai (Delhi is far away)."

'BJP's endgame has begun': Akhilesh Yadav

"Didi, even your MLAs will desert you when the results of this election are out. Your 40 MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the election. Political ground has slipped from under your feet," Modi said.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership was quick to hit back, accusing the prime minister of horse trading, and saying it would complain to the Election Commission about it.

The Election Commission has recently barred several leaders including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu from campaigning for 72 hours due to poll code violations.
I woke up late: Moon Moon Sen on why she was unaware of Asansol poll violence

Clashes and violence in Asansol were just a "little violence" for Moon Moon Sen

India

oi-Vikas SV

Kolkata, Apr 30: "Little violence happens everywhere" was the response of Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Moon Moon Sen on the polling-day violence in West Bengal's Asansol constituency during the fourth phase of voting.

The apathetic response comes a day after Sen, an actor turned politician, drew flak as well as being trolled in the social media for her ignorance over clashes in polling booths on Monday in the constituency from where she is contesting.

"I have not met my seniors yet and when we sit together, I will know where and why violence took place. "Thoda toh hoga hi har jagah hota hai (A little violence happens everywhere). It is much less now compared to before," she reportedly told reports.

['I woke up late': Moon Moon Sen on why she was unaware of Asansol poll violence]

In clashes between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the TMC workers in Asansol and Union Minister and saffron party's candidate from Asansol Babul Supriyo's car was vandalised and many were even injured. Eight parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal voted during the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Moon Moon Sen had yesterday said she "hadn't heard of" any clashes in Asansol because she had woken up late. "They gave me my bed tea very late so I woke up very late. What can I say? I really don't know," Moon Moon Sen told a TV channel.

[Asansol seat in Bengal: TMC's Moon Moon Sen challenges BJP's Babul Supriyo]

Both BJP and Trinamool Congress have moved the Election Commission after the clashes. Initially, a BJP delegation had met with EC on Monday afternoon after the violence.
SC says cannot rule out conspiracy against former CJI Ranjan Gogoi

Complainant in CJI harassment case appears before panel for the second time

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Apr 30: A former Supreme Court employee, who levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, appeared before the in-house inquiry panel and recorded her statement.

She appeared before the three-member panel headed by Justice S A Bobde for the second time. The first proceeding by the panel was held on April 26.

The panel also including two women judges -- Justices Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee -- is conducting in-camera proceedings.

Will not restrain media from reporting CJI's harassment case: Delhi HC

During the hearing, only the woman was present, a source said. The complaint is not permitted to accompany her lawyer.

The source also said that the proceedings went on for around three hours during which the woman recorded her statement.

The in-house inquiry proceeding into the sexual harassment allegations is distinct from the probe to be carried out by the court-appointed Justice (retd) A K Patnaik panel which would inquire into the claims of an advocate about a larger conspiracy to frame the CJI and fixing of benches.

On April 23, Justice Bobde had told PTI that the in-house procedure did not contemplate representation of advocates on behalf of parties as it was not a formal judicial proceedings.

"This is going to be an in-house procedure which does not contemplate representation of advocate on behalf of parties. It is not a formal judicial proceeding," he said.

He had clarified that there was no time-frame to complete the inquiry and the future course of action will depend on "what comes out of the inquiry" which will be "confidential".

Justice Indu Malhotra was on April 25 appointed a new member of the committee after Justice N V Ramana recused himself.

The woman's allegations against the CJI were brought into the public domain by some news web portals on April 20.

Complainant in CJI sexual harassment case appears before in-house panel

She had worked at Justice Gogoi's home office in Delhi and the allegations were carried by the news portals based on her affidavit which was sent to 22 judges of the top court.

In her affidavit, the woman described two incidents of alleged harassment, days after Justice Gogoi was appointed CJI last October and her subsequent persecution.

The woman alleged that she was removed from service after she rebuffed his "sexual advances". She claimed that her husband and brother-in-law, both of whom were head constables of Delhi Police, were suspended for a 2012 criminal case that had been mutually resolved.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 9:58 [IST]
Defence Ministry signs contract worth Rs 6,311 cr to build anti-submarine warfare ships

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Apr 30: In a major boost for Indian Navy, Defence Ministry on Tuesday signed contract worth Rs 6,311 cr with public sector shipyard Cochin Shipyard Limited to build eight anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts (ASWSWCs) for the Indian Navy.

State-run Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) was the successful bidder (L1) in the tender floated by the Ministry of Defence for this project and the contract was signed in New Delhi, a release from the company said here.

The order value for these eight vessels is pegged at Rs 6,311.32 crore. The first ship is to be delivered within 42 months from contract signing date and subsequent balance ships delivery schedule will be two ships per year, it said.

[Mortal remains of Naval officer who lost his life onboard aircraft carrier brought home]

The project will have to be completed within 84 months from Tuesday.

CSL is the second state-run shipbuilder to bag contract from the Defence Ministry for building ASWSWCs.

The ministry had on Monday awarded Kolkata-based state-run Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) the contract to build another eight ASWSWCs with an identical delivery schedule.

The CSL release said the proposed ships are designed for a deep displacement of about 750 tonnes, speed of 25 knots and complement of 57 and capable of full-scale sub-surface surveillance of coastal waters and coordinated ASW operations with aircraft.

In addition, the vessels will have the capability to interdict/destroy sub-surface targets in coastal waters and can also be deployed for search and rescue by day and night in coastal areas, it said.

In their secondary role, they will be capable of 'prosecuting' intruding aircraft and lay mines in the sea bed.

The vessels will be equipped with highly advanced state-of-the-art integrated platform management systems including propulsion machinery, auxiliary machinery, power generation and distribution machinery and damage control machinery etc.

"The ASWSWC Corvettes are also being built Class standards, in addition to the owner specific requirements, the release said.

CSL said it was having a robust order book in shipbuilding and repair and the ASWSWC contracts augur well for the company into the future.

It was currently investing a total of Rs 2,769 crore in building a new 310 M long dry dock and a ship-lift based Ship Repair yard at Willingdon Island here, the release said.

Presently, CSL is building Indias first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier for the Indian Navy which is in advanced stages of testing and commissioning.

(with PTI inputs)
Delhi: Fire breaks out at Shastri Nagar, 7 fire tenders battle flames

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Apr 30: A fire broke out at New Delhi's Shastri Bhawan, which is very close to the Raisina Hill and houses offices of some important ministries, on Tuesday. As per latest reports, the fire has been doused now.

As many as seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames. Shastri Bhawan is located in area close to the Rashtrapati Bhawan and PMO, Even Parliament is not far from there.

There are no reports of any injuries or causalities as of now.

On April 29, a massive fire broke out at a chemical factory located in Naraina Industrial area in west Delhi. The fire broke out at three storey building of chemical factory located behind Payal Cinema.

Delhi: 17 killed in fire at Hotel Arpit Palace in Karol Bagh; 2 jumped off the building

On March 6, a massive fire broke out on the fifth floor of Pandit Deendayal Antyodaya Bhawan at CGO Complex in Delhi. As many as 25 fire tenders had to be rushed to the spot to douse the blaze. One person died in the incident.

In February, a massive fire at a hotel in Karol Bagh claimed 17 lives. As many as 17 people were killed, including three Myanmar nationals, and three sustained injuries. The owner of Hotel Arpit Palace, RK Goel, after the arrest, told police that the building plan for the establishment was not approved by the municipal corporation and that he was using the basement to run a banquet hall. RK Goel was nabbed by the crime branch of Delhi Police on February 17, after he arrived in Delhi from Qatar.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 16:44 [IST]
EC gives clean chit to PM Modi, says he did not violate model code of conduct in Wardha

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Apr 30: The Election Commission said that in a matter related to a complaint concerning alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct in a speech by PM Narendra Modi in Wardha, Maharashtra on 1 April, Commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation has been noticed.

This is the first time the Commission took a call on the several complaints pending against the Prime Minister.

The Commission said after examining the Prime Minister's speech at Maharashtra's Wardha "in accordance with the extant guidelines/provisions of the Model Code of Conduct, the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra" it was of the view that "in this matter no such violation has been noticed".

[ SC notice to EC on plea seeking action against Modi for poll code conduct]

In his speech, the Prime Minister had accused the Congress of insulting the Hindus. "Leaders of that party are now scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by majority (Hindu) population. That is why they are forced to take refuge in places where the majority is in a minority," PM Modi had said.

The Congress had contended that the comments were "hateful and divisive".

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court has issued notices to the Election Commission on a plea that alleged no action was being taken against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah in cases of poll code violations.
Everyone knows Rahul Gandhi born, raised in India: Priyanka amid Citizenship row

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 30: Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday slammed government notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi over citizenship row and said that her brother is "Indian". She termed it as ridiculous.

"People have seen him being born and grow up in India. Kya bakwaas hai yeh (What rubbish is this)," she said. "Allegations doubting this are just rubbish. The country knows that he is an Indian."

Earlier, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the entire world knows Gandhi is an Indian citizen by birth. Prime Minister Modi has no answer on unemployment, agrarian distress and black money, and that is why he's resorting to "fake narrative" through his government's notices to divert attention, Surjewala told reporters.

MHA issues notice to Rahul Gandhi over citizenship row

In a letter, the Home Ministry said it has received a representation from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in which it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 with Gandhi as one of its directors.

Rahul Gandhi has been asked by the Home Ministry to respond within 15 days to the complaint by BJP parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy, who has alleged that the Congress president declared himself a British citizen in the documents of a company he was associated with.
From 'Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri' to 'tearing clothes', choicest phrases used by Modi today

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Apr 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his bitter attack on the opposition during his rallies today and used choicest of phrases to tear into the opposition. PM Modi addresses around 3-4 rallies in a day and has been campaigning daily for over a month now. Given this, its really laudable how he comes up with speeches to captivate the listeners.

Modi keeps coming up with some phrase or the other which not only embarrasses the opposition, but also leaves a lasting impact on the minds of the supporters. For example, he began calling Rahul Gandhi 'Naamdar', and now almost everyone knows what it means. It was Modi who first said that he was not the Prime Minister but a Watchman (Chowkidar) of the country,and the phrase remained etched in the minds of the people. Congress' phrase of Chowkidar chor hai was coined on the basis that Chowkidar was already well known.

SC notice to EC on plea seeking action against Modi for poll code conduct

Today while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Bairach, "Leaders of the SP, BSP, RLD will tear each others clothes once results of the Lok Sabha polls are out on May 23."

The prime minister, who has been slamming the alliance as "opportunistic", today said, "The expiry date of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance is May 23...evening." Modi, attacking the Congress, said that a "party which is not sure whether it will be in a position to get the post of leader of the opposition in Parliament...its leaders are getting garments stitched to take oath as prime minister."

Much before the elections, PM Modi had said a famous phrase in one of his speeches. He had said India has transformed from the land of snake charmers to mouse charmers. "The youth of the nation has its finger on the mouse of computers and is changing the world. India's journey has gone from snake charmers to mouse charmers!" he had said a few years back.

At a rally in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh today, PM Modi said, "Those people who till a few days ago were playing "Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri" with each other, are now playing hide and seek after the fourth phase of voting concluded....Ab janta ne inke saare sapno ko chaar charan mein choor choor kar diya hai. (Now people have shattered their dreams)."

Akhilesh seeks 72-year ban on Modi for his speech

"Jo jail mein hain, jo jail ke darwaze par hain, jo bail par hain, jo bail ke liye court ke chakkar kaat rahe hain vo sab kendra mein ek mazboot sarkar ko ek minute bhi bardaasht nahi karna chahte (Those in jail are loitering around the entrance of the jail. Those in bail and running to-and-fro to court. All these people do not want a strong government at the centre)," PM said at a public rally in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 17:54 [IST]
Hard work, sweat, tears of workers have gone into building our nation: Rahul Gandhi on May Day

International Labour Day 2019: A day dedicated to working classes, 10 things to know

Feature

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, May 1: May 1 is observed as the International Labour Day in many countries across the globe including India, China, North Korea, Cuba, and the former Soviet Union. Labour day is dedicated to labourers across the globe and aimed at raising the awareness about the rights of the working classes.

The first celebration of May Day in India was organised in Madras (now Chennai) by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1, 1923. This was also the time when the Red Flag which symbolises Labour Day was first used in India.

World Day Against Child Labour: Every child deserves right to build future filled with hope, promise

Many think the origin of this day took place in a socialist country like the former Soviet Union or Cuba but that is not true. The origin of International Workers' Day occurred in the United States - considered the capital of world capitalism.

The day is tied to labour movements for communist and socialist political parties. Labour Day is also known as 'Kamgar Din' or 'Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas' in Hindi, 'Kamgar Divas' in Marathi and 'Uzhaipalar Naal' in Tamil.

Interestingly, apart from being Labour Day, May 1 is also marked as 'Maharashtra Day' and 'Gujarat Day' to mark the date in 1960 when the two western states attained statehood after the erstwhile Bombay state was divided on linguistic lines.

10 things to know about the International Labour Day.

It is also known as International Worker's Day, a public holiday for labourers and working communities in 90 countries in the world.

International Labour Day is promoted by the international labour movement and celebrated on May 1 every year.

The date May 1 was selected by the Second International, an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889.

May 1 is celebrated as International Workers' Day in order to commemorate the Haymarket affair in Chicago on May 4, 1886.

Since 1890, May 1 has been formally recognized as an annual celebration date for global proletariat and workers.

International Workers' Day has been a statutory holiday in China since 1950.

In Russia Labour Day is known as "The Day of Spring and Labor" since 1992.

Germany's capital Berlin witnesses yearly demonstrations on May 1, the largest organized by labor unions, political parties and others.

Trade unions can organise parades in major cities in France to defend worker's rights on May 1.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

PERTH, Western Australia, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As previously announced on April 24, 2019, Perseus Mining Limited (Perseus or the Company) (ASX/TSX PRU) confirms that it has today issued 71,706,803 fully paid ordinary shares in the Company, being the underwritten shortfall of unexercised warrants that expired on April 19, 2019, at A$0.44 per share to institutional investors.

To discuss any aspect of this announcement, please contact:
Is the Islamic State being run at the behest of Pakistans ISI in India?

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 30: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is hot on the trail of Islamic State modules down South, in the wake of the Sri Lanka bombings.

While Kerala and Tamil Nadu, considered to be hubs of the Islamic State are high on the radar, it all began with the NIA busting a major module in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The NIA said that the module was inspired by the Islamic State and functioned under the name of Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam.

ISIS operative plotted Sri Lanka styled bombings in Kerala

The tracking of this module began sometime in October last year after the intelligence agencies picked up chatter online. The handler who was running this module goes under the name of Abu Hufaiza al Bakistani. A further look into the activities of this handle suggested that it was the new name for the old handle Yusuf Al-Hindi, which was being run by a Bhatkal native, Shafi Armar.

Shafi and Sultan Armar, the two brothers were initially part of the ISI sponsored Indian Mujahideen.

They are said to have had a falling out, following which they joined the ISIS. Several Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials that OneIndia spoke with say that this was entirely stage managed by the ISI.

With the death of the Indian Mujahideen, Pakistan had lost a major home grown outfit. It needed another outfit to function in India on the lines of the IM. However over the past few years, Pakistan has found it hard to install a home grown outfit in India due and hence restricted its proxies only to Kashmir.

IB officials say that if one were to look at the ISIS inspired modules that have been busted up north, they bear the signature of Pakistan. The radicalisation through the madrasas, manner in which funds are raised and the kind of bombs they are preparing, all these show clear signs that there is a big Pakistan hand in it.

Followed speeches of Colombo bombing mastermind, Kerala ISIS operative to NIA

Moreover, no other country would want problems in India as much as Pakistan would. Officials say that they would not rule out the possibility of a Pakistan hand being behind all these ISIS inspired modules.

If one traces the birth of the ISIS in India, it can be linked to a group called the Ansar-ul-Tawhid, which was a break away faction of the Indian Mujahideen. It was in the month of August 2014 that the Ansar pledged support to the ISIS and promised to recruit at least 300 from India.

The outfit was at first headed by Bhatkal resident, Sultan Armar and following his death in 2016, the mantle was taken over by his brother Shafi Armar. Reports suggest that even Shafi was killed last year, following which one of his aides if running the group.

The brothers, who were residents of Haji Manzil, Nawayat Colony, Bhatkal, Dist-Uttar Kannada, Karnataka-581320, had ventured into the Indian Mujahideen at first at the behest of Yasin Bhatkal.

While breaking away from the Indian Mujahideen, they said that they did not want to be stooges of the ISI. They even said that for an Islamic Caliphate to be set up in India, they could rely only on the ISIS. Many within the intelligence circles feel that this was a completely stage managed drama by the ISI. It wanted to use members of the Indian Mujahideen to set up the ISIS in India.

Since the ISIS is an Iraq-Syria based outfit, any attack in India would not be blamed on the ISI. This was done intentionally so that Pakistan could play on the deniability factor, officials also point out.

From this point onwards the Armar brothers began the propaganda for the ISIS through their various handles- @Sult, @Mulla, @Moulana, @Nakhwa, @Pandit, @Shekhu, @Sheikh-Ul-Hadees and @Pujari.

Following this a video was circulated in which the chief of the ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Bhagdadi was heard declaring Armar as an emir. It was found later on that the video was fake. The brothers kept their focus on India and in the early stages recruited youth from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The ISI through the Ansar was setting up a home grown outfit for India. Even after the breakaway, the Armar brothers kept in touch with Riyaz Bhatkal, who is said to be hiding in Karachi along with his brother Iqbal Bhatkal. These are very clear indications that the ISI is behind the operations of the ISIS in India, officials also point out.
Ishrat Jahan case: Discharge plea of two ex-cops to be heard on Aug 7

Ishrat case: Order on discharge pleas of Vanzara, Amin on May 2

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

Ahmedabad, Apr 30: A special CBI court is likely to pass an order on May 2 on the applications of retired police officers D G Vanzara and N K Amin seeking dropping of proceeding against them in the Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case after the Gujarat government declined the sanction to prosecute them.

Special Central Bureau of Invastigation (CBI) judge J K Pandya on Monday said he may pass the order on May 2. The court had earlier concluded hearing in the case on April 16, and had kept Monday as the date to pass its order.

Plea challenging discharge of Vanzara, others in Sohrabuddin case rejected

The two retired police officers, accused in the Ishrat Jahan alleged encounter case, have sought that proceedings against them in the case be dropped as the state government has decided not to grant sanction to the CBI to prosecute them as required under section 197 of the CrPC.

Under section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the government's sanction is necessary for prosecution of a public servant for an act done as part of official duty.

The court had in the past rejected their discharge applications in the same case.

While the CBI refused to take any stand on the state government's decision to decline sanction to prosecute the two accused, the mother of Ishrat Jahan, Shamima Kauser, has opposed their applications.

In a written submission made through her lawyer Vrinda Grover, Kauser has said that the pleas to drop proceedings were "untenable in law and unsustainable on facts", and that the state government was not the appropriate authority to refuse sanction to prosecute the two officers.

She said the order of the state government amounted to "interference with the administration of justice".

"It is a matter of record that it is the Union ministry of Home Affairs and not the state of Gujarat which is the appropriate sanctioning authority in the present case," she said.

Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to seek sanction for prosecution was not applicable in the present case that deals with "abduction, confinement and murder", which were grave and heinous crimes falling outside the scope of official duty, she contended.

"The material on record shows that there was no encounter/confrontation with the deceased, that the encounter was set up and a fake encounter staged," she said.

Vanzara's lawyer V D Gajjar has argued that the court cannot determine the validity of the sanction order and any review was not possible.

Also Read | CBI theory in Ishrat Jahan encounter case flawed says Vanzara

He said judicial findings of the case had established that there was no "fake encounter" on part of police officers.

He said the sanction for prosecution was declined after the state government went through materials on record, examined the facts and circumstances of the case fully.

Vanzara, a former IPS officer, and Amin, who recently retired as a superintendent of police, had moved the pleas seeking that the proceedings against them be dropped soon after the Central Bureau of Investigation told the court that the Gujarat government has not given its sanction to prosecute them.

Ishrat, a 19-year-old woman from Mumbra near Mumbai, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed by Gujarat police in an alleged fake encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.

The police had claimed that they had links with terrorists.

The charge sheet filed by the CBI names several police officers, including Vanzara and Amin.
ISIS operative plotted Sri Lanka styled bombings in Kerala

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 30: Investigations by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have shown that the Islamic State operative arrested in Kerala was inspired by the suicide bomber in Sri Lanka.

The NIA arrested Riyas Aboobacker in connection with the Kerala Islamic State case. During his interrogation, he revealed that he was planning suicide strikes in Kerala. He said that he was inspired by the mastermind of the Sri Lanka terror attack, Zaharan Hashim.

The NIA said that during interrogation, he has disclosed that he has been in online contact with absconding accused Abdul Rashid Abdulla alias Abu Isa for a long time and has been following his audio clips including the clip which he had circulated on social media platform instigating others to carryout terror attacks in India.

Followed speeches of Colombo bombing mastermind, Kerala ISIS operative to NIA

He revealed that he was also having online chat with Abdul Khayoom @ Abu Khalid (Accused in Valapattanam ISIS Case)who was believed to be in Syria. He has further disclosed that he has been following speeches/videos of Zahran Hashim of Sri Lanka for more than a year and has also followed the speeches of Zakir Naik. He admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala.

NIA had earlier received inputs that a group of four persons has been in contact with some of the accused like Abdul Rashid, Ashfaq Majeed, Abdul Khayoom etc who had already migrated to Afghanistan and Syria.

After verification, NIA carried out searches at three places (two in Kasaragod and one in Palakkad District) yesterday. Three group members have been interrogated for their ISIS links and their plans.
Attack on witness: Narayan Sai sent to 7 days judicial custody

42 bags containing crores of rupees recovered from ashrams of Asaram, Narayan Sai!

Asaram's son Narayan Sai found guilty in rape case, quantum of sentence on April 30

Jailed godman Asaram's son Narayan Sai gets life imprisonment in rape case

India

oi-Deepika S

Ahmedabad, Apr 30: Narayan Sai, son of Asaram who was convicted in a rape case by Surat Sessions Court, has been sentenced to life imprisonment. A penalty of Rs 1 lakh is also imposed on him.

Sai was convicted under IPC sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy).

Of the 11 accused, six were acquitted.

42 bags containing crores of rupees recovered from ashrams of Asaram, Narayan Sai!

Ganga and Jamuna, also called "sadhika" (women disciples), were accused of putting the victim in illegal confinement and thrashing her at Sai's behest. They were also accused of trying to brainwash her into agreeing to have a relationship with Sai.

Hanuman, a loyal "sadhak" (disciple) of Sai, was accused of abetment, including taking the victim to Sai's room.

Surat Police had filed a 1,100-page charge sheet against Sai in 2014.

In 2013, after Asaram was arrested for raping a girl in Rajasthan, two Surat-based women accused Asaram and his son of sexual exploitation.

The elder sister accused Asaram of sexual assaults between 1997 and 2006 when she lived at his Ahmedabad ashram.

The younger sister accused the godman's son of sexual assaults when she lived at Asaram's ashram in Jahangirpura area of Surat between 2002 and 2005.

Sai was arrested from Delhi-Haryana border in December 2013.

Meawhile, Asaram was convicted by a Jodhpur court for rape. The trial against him in the case filed by the Surat-based woman is going on at a Gandhinagar court.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 17:45 [IST]
Certain industries allowed to use oxygen on temporary basis by MHA

Complacency, laxity has crept in: Stern warning by MHA to states on COVID-19 appropriate behaviour

MHA issues notice to Rahul Gandhi over citizenship row

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 30: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday issued notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi over citizenship status on a complaint filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy.

The MHA has requested Rahul Gandhi to "intimate factual position on the matter". It has given 15 days to respond to the notice.

In a letter addressed to the Congress chief, the ministry said that Rahul, in an annual return filed by company Backops Limited, has declared his nationality as British.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," the ministry wrote.

Earlier this month, the returning officer in Amethi had postponed the scrutiny of his nomination papers after Dhruv Lal, an independent candidate, had raised objections against the details provided by Gandhi in his nomination papers.

Reacting to the issue, BJP's GVL Narasimha Rao had said, I think it's a matter of great surprise that the objections that have been raised regarding Rahul Gandhi's citizenship haven't been answered. Rahul Gandhi's name has been shown to be listed as a British citizen in documents related to a company in the UK. Was Rahul Gandhi a British citizen?"
Not hate crime, says Sushma Swaraj after 4 members of Sikh family were murdered in US's Cincinnati

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Apr 30: External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday confirmed the death of four members of a Sikh family at an apartment complex in US's Cincinnati. The minister said that while one was an Indian national on a visit to US, the others were "persons of Indian origin".

Sushma Swaraj said, "Indian Ambassador in the United States has informed me about the killing of four persons in Cincinnati on Sunday evening. One of them was an Indian national on a visit to the US while others were persons of Indian origin."

[Sri Lanka: Three Indians among 207 people killed in ghastly serial blasts on Easter Sunday]

"The matter is under investigation by the Police but it is not a hate crime. Our Consul General in New York is coordinating with the concerned authorities and will keep me informed me on this," she tweeted.

Three women and a man were found dead at an apartment complex in Ohio's Cincinnati city where multiple gunshots were fired, police said Monday. No suspect has been identified. Police also said that they don't believe any of the victims to be the shooter.
Telangana: Gay couple enter into wedlock, say it has sent out a message

Revaluation by May 8: Telangana HC directs state on intermediate results

India

oi-Deepika S

Hyderabad, Apr 30: Amid the protests, the Telangana High Court has directed the state government and TSBIE to re-tally by May 8 marks of 3 lakh students, who were declared failed and submit a report before it in this regard.

Terming the suicides by students as painful, the bench made it clear that it would look into the issue of 're-evaluation and compensation' after completion of re-verification exercise.

"As per the press reports, there have been some defects in the software and perhaps correct marks have not been reflected in the marks memo of those students who have done exceedingly well in the examination. The re-tallying and re-verification of marks of the failed students will suffice the students' loss to some extent," the bench observed.

Two more students who appeared for the exam have committed, taking the total toll since the result announcement to 23.

The exams were held February and March this year and the results were declared on April 18.

Ever since the results were announced, many students and parents have been approaching the TSBIE office, alleging goof-up in the paper valuation.

While some students claimed they had either failed or got poor marks though they had performed well, other parents said their wards are meritorious and expressed shock that they were failed in the exams or had scored very less marks.

The state government has already constituted a three member committee of technical experts to look into the charges of discrepancies in the declaration of the results.

The committee in its report had pointed out certain lapses and suggested various measures for improvement.

The Chief Minister has already directed the officials not to charge any fee for re-verfication and re-counting from failed students.

The government has also announced that failed students need not apply for re-counting and re-verification.

Thousands of students, who passed the exams, have also applied for re-verification.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 22:35 [IST]
SC notice to EC on plea seeking action against Modi for poll code conduct

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 30: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Election Commission on a plea that alleged no action was being taken against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah in cases of poll code violations.

The court said it could act against Modi and Shah based in the complaints filed before it. The court has posted the matter for Tuesday.

The petitioner, Susmita Dev, a Congress MP had told the court that the EC always shied away from acting against Modi and Shah on poll code violations. She sought a directive to the EC to act against the two leaders.

The Congress had on Saturday indicated that it would move the SC. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged that the two leaders have "cheated" on the issue of level playing field for all parties during elections and questioned the "silence of mega policeman" Election Commission.

EC to decide on poll code violation complaints against Modi, Rahul Gandhi today

"We have a right to approach the courts seeking action over model code violations... we can exercise that option ... the mega policeman has turned a blind eye," Singhvi told a press conference, adding silence can be construed as approval.

Taking a jibe at Election Commission, he called it "Election Omission" and wondered whether Modi and Shah are outside the ambit of the model code of conduct, which he dubbed as "Modi code of conduct".

He claimed that the two leaders have violated the poll code broadly under three categories: polarisation of votes, invoking armed forces in campaigns and conducting rallies on election day.

"The EC has taken taken action against several leaders for violating the poll code based on our complaints. We appreciate that. Since the precedent has been set, why not take action against Modi and Shah," he said.
Severe cyclonic storm Fani to make landfall at Odisha coast on May 3

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 30: The "severe cyclonic storm" Fani would most likely hit the Odisha coastline by the early morning of May 3, according to latest forecast by the India Meteorological Department.

As per Odisha, Special Relief Commissioner, Bishnupada Sethi, the cyclone will hit Odisha coast in Puri district on 3rd May. All district collectors have been alerted. All cyclone centres are being kept ready, reported news agency.

"There is still some uncertainty about the exact place in Odisha where it would come on to the land. According to its current trajectory, it could be somewhere near Puri. But we can know this better only by tomorrow," he said.

"Cyclonic storm 'FANI' over Southeast and adjoining South west Bay of Bengal is very likely to intensify further into Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm during next 36 h; very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and recurve north-northeastwards towards Odisha Coast," the IMD said on Tuesday.

"Heavy to very heavy rainfall at few places over coastal Odisha & adjoining districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh on 3 and 4 May. Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places very likely over coastal districts of West Bengal on 3 and 4 May," it added.

Cyclone Fani latest update: Landfall in TN, AP ruled out; Odisha under 'continuous watch'

The weather prediction has prompted the government to put the National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Coast Guard on high alert, officials said.

Indian Naval ships at Visakhapatnam and Chennai are on stand-by to proceed to the most affected areas to undertake Humanitarian Aid Distress Relief (HADR), evacuation, logistic support including providing medical aid.

MHA has ordered for advance release of financial assistance of Rs. 1086 crore to Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, to their State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to assist them in undertaking preventive and relief measures in response to cyclonic storm.

The IMD has been issuing three hourly bulletins with latest forecast to all the states concerned. The Home Ministry is also in continuous touch with the state governments and the central agencies concerned, the statement said.
'Allodoxaphobia': Tharoor drops 'word of the day' to take dig at BJP

Shashi Tharoor granted permission to travel abroad

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Apr 30: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is facing a trial in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar, was on Tuesday granted permission to travel to USA from May 5 to May 20.

The Congress MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram had moved an application seeking permission to visit the US to attend some conferences and events. Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj had on Monday sought a response from the Delhi police on Tharoor's plea seeking court's nod to travel abroad.

The Delhi Court took note that he was given permission to travel abroad earlier and had abided by the terms and conditions of the court.

On February 25, the court had allowed Tharoor to travel to Saudi Arabia from February 28 to March 4 for attending a seminar.

Court summons Shashi Tharoor over his 'scorpion' remark on PM Modi

The former Union minister has been charged under sections 498-A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 of the IPC but has not been arrested in the case.

Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in the city on the night of January 17, 2014. The couple was staying in the hotel as the official bungalow of Tharoor was being renovated at that time.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 12:23 [IST]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE:BOSS) (OTC:BOSQF) (Frankfurt: YG3) subsidiary Urban Juve announces a consumer marketing and sales alliance with beauty commerce giant ipsy, which will put Urban Juve hemp based beauty products in ipsys Glam Bag and make them available for purchase on Shopper, ipsys exclusive ecommerce marketplace.

Founded in 2011, ipsy, the worlds largest beauty community of 3 million+ monthly members, inspires individuals around the world to express their unique beauty. On a foundation of more than half a billion content views every month and relationships with more than 8,000 digital content creators, ipsy has built a highly personalized subscription service and ecommerce marketplace, setting the standard for beauty commerce.



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For more information about Yield Growth, visit www.yieldgrowth.com or follow @yieldgrowth on Instagram. Visit www.urbanjuve.com and #findyourjuve across social platforms to learn, engage and shop.



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This press release includes forward-looking information and statements (collectively, forward looking statements) under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates, forecasts, beliefs and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to: risks related to the development, testing, licensing, intellectual property protection, and sale of, and demand for, Urban Juve and UJ Topicals products, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals where applicable, and the state of the capital markets. Yield Growth cautions readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements provided by Yield Growth, as such forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future results or performance and actual results may differ materially. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Yield Growth expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements containing any forward-looking information, or the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a9357432-9183-4b47-9872-e3314a17b2ac
Are the clean chits to politicians linked to an alliance with the BJP

Show evidence, convince us: SC on CBI seeking custodial interrogation of ex-Kolkata top cop

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Apr 30: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to show convincing evidence that Custodial interrogation of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar is needed in the probe into the Saradha chit fund scam.

The apex court also sought direct evidence from the CBI on Kumar's involvement, especially the data on laptop, mobile phones, or diaries which allegedly contained information on payments made to influential people in ensuring destruction of evidence, said reports.

"Give us, show us from records that this person is involved.. On what basis? You can give us evidence tomorrow. We want you to satisfy us that he had a role to play in disappearance and suppression of evidence," Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi reportedly told the CBI.

After 5 days of CBI questioning, Rajeev Kumar leaves for Kolkata

The CBI, on its part, told the top court that it will file evidence against Rajeev Kumar by tomorrow. The Supreme Court then fixed the next date of hearing for Wednesday.

On April 7, the CBI had moved the Supreme Court seeking recall of the apex court's February 5 order staying the arrest of Kumar to let the agency put him to custodial interrogation in the Saradha and Rose Valley ponzi scam cases.

The CBI also sought the court's directions to the West Bengal authorities to comply with the court's earlier orders "in letter and spirit" and not to create any hurdle in the CBI probe or try to "intimidate, harass and scare the agency officials" probing the cases.

The agency had then said it needs 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.

It had said that the erstwhile Bidhan Nagar Police Commissioner Kumar besides the then deputy commissioner of police (detective department) and other SIT officials did not cooperate with the CBI in investigation and did not help in making available to it all the material evidence in the Ponzi scam cases.

CBI forms five member team to grill Kolkata top cop in chit fund cases

The CBI said there were around 270 Ponzi firms operating in West Bengal of which Saradha and Rose Valley groups were the most important ones.

It said Saradha group collected around Rs 2,450 crore and even after the scam came to the fore, the Rose valley group managed to collect around Rs 2,536.80 crore in 2013-14 from the public at large.
Hockey coach Sandeep Sangwan moves HC over being ignored for Dronacharya Award

Delhi HC asks Centre, Google to respond to mans plea to remove articles on his conviction in criminal case

Who is Saurabh Kirpal? Indias likely to get its first openly gay judge of Delhi high court

Delhi HC dismisses plea to stop publication, sale of Salman Khurshid's book : 'Ask people not to buy it'

Will not restrain media from reporting CJIs harassment case: Delhi HC

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Apr 30: The Delhi High Court refused to entertain a plea seeking to restrain the media from publishing allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi by a former Supreme Court employee.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon dismissed the plea filed by an NGO and said the top court is already seized of the matter and no interference was needed.

"Go to the Supreme Court," said the bench to NGO Anti Corruption Council of India, which had said publication of allegations against the CJI directly hit the Indian judicial system.

Complainant in CJI sexual harassment case appears before in-house panel

The petition had sought immediate restriction on the media from further telecasting or publishing the allegations till conclusion of the three-judge panel's inquiry.

The allegations levelled by the former woman employee of the Supreme Court are being inquired into by a three-judge panel of the apex court which held its first proceeding on Friday last.

Besides electronic and print media, the plea had also sought directions for social media platforms.

The petition had arrayed as parties the Ministries of Law and Justice and Information and Broadcasting, the Delhi government, the Press Council of India and the Delhi Police Commissioner.

After Justice Ramanna opts out, Justice Indu Malhotra part of panel to probe CJI

Directions had been sought for WhatsApp, Google, YouTube and LinkedIn Corporation and news website Scroll.in.

The plea had alleged that it suspects involvement of "anti-national elements" in this act and if publication of these allegations is not restricted, "people will lose faith in the Indian judicial system", and the "vast damage" caused to the nation and its people would be "irreparable".
BJP in talks with Amarinder, Dhindsa for alliance in Punjab: Amit Shah

Election expenditure: How much did BJP, Congress, DMK, CPI, TMC, AIADMK receive funds and spent during polls?

Woof!! When a dog joined the election campaign for the BJP

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

Mumbai, Apr 30: A dog with pro-BJP stickers on its body was detained along with his master in north Maharashtra's Nandurbar town where polling for the Lok Sabha elections took place Monday.

Eknath Motiram Chaudhary (65), resident of Navnathnagar area, was spotted with his dog near Andhare hospital on Monday afternoon.

The dog's body was found covered with stickers bearing the BJP's symbol and the message "Modi Lao, Desh Bachao" (Vote for Modi and save the country), a local police official said.

Complaint filed against Kejriwal's wife Sunita for allegedly having two voter IDs

As the polling was underway, police had received a complaint about the dog and his master who were roaming around the town, he said.

A case was registered against Choudhary under section 171 (A) of the IPC for violation of election rules which prohibit campaigning on polling day.

The police have asked the municipal corporation to take custody of the dog, the official added.
We cannot wait longer now: SC to hear Vijay Mallyas contempt case in January for final disposal

Mallya laments downfall of Jet Airways

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

London, Apr 30: Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya took to the social media to lament the collapse of Jet Airways and repeated his offer of a "100 per cent payback" for state-owned Indian banks to cover his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines' debt.

The 63-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) boss is currently appealing against his extradition order from the UK to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crores.

Mallya drew parallels between the plight of his collapsed airline and that of Jet Airways, India's leading private airline which grounded to a halt earlier this month amid a mounting cash crunch.

I have been awarded an economic death penalty says Vijay Mallya

"Several Indian airlines collapsed sadly including KFA. Now, the previously unthinkable has happened with the collapse of Jet," Mallya said on Twitter on Monday.

"Genuine business failures. But I am criminally charged by CBI/ED despite offering 100% payback. Wonder why only me," he questioned.

His latest Twitter statements echo some of his previous social media interventions on the issue, claiming that his offer to pay back the debt owed by his now-defunct airline had been rebuffed by the banks and the Indian government.

"Watched TV debate on the sad collapse of Jet which included unpaid employees and Industry veterans. Important issues on unemployment and suffering, security available to banks, prospects of revival etc. Here I am offering 100% payback of KFA loans which banks won't take. Why?" he said.

Mallya, who remains on bail on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard in April 2017, is undergoing a UK high court appeals process against his extradition order signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February.

He has been allocated July 2 as the date for a brief hearing to convince a high court judge that he should be given permission to proceed to a full-blown appeal against Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot's Westminster Magistrates' Court ruling last December in favour of his extradition to India.

Jet Airways crisis: "Discrimination", says Mallya; "Air India was bailed out with public money"

The judge had concluded there was "clear evidence of dispersal and misapplication of the loan funds" and accepted a prima facie case of fraud and a conspiracy to launder money against Mallya, as presented by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on behalf of the Indian authorities.

Meanwhile, the businessman also faces a flurry of other legal cases in UK courts related to a worldwide freezing order and a threat of foreclosure of one of his homes in central London.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 8:44 [IST]
Pakistan to bring 30,000 madrasas under government control

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

Islamabad, Apr 30: As part of a campaign to combat extremism, Pakistan announced on Monday that it will bring over 30,000 madrasas into the mainstream education system. A military spokesperson said that contemporary subjects will be taught and a syllabus without hate speech will be formulated so students can be taught respect for different sects.

Addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi, Major General Asif Ghafoor, Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistan had witnessed a surge in religious seminaries from 247 madrasas in 1947 to 2,861 in 1980.

Shut madrasas to check ISIS influence on Muslim children: UP Shia board chief writes to Modi

"And now there are over 30,000 madrasas. Out of these, only 100 are involved in propagating terrorism," he said, adding that several steps were underway to control and bring the seminaries into the mainstream. "All madrasas will be brought under the Ministry of Education."

The military spokesman said the students will also receive a degree which will be associated with the education board.

"Initially Rs 2 billion will be required to run this programme and then Rs 1 billion each year to keep it going," he said. "The mainstreaming has three phases. The first is to prepare a bill which will be ready in around a month. The second phase requires training of teachers and the third phase will be the implementation of the bill."

Ghafoor also claimed that there were no terrorist groups in Pakistan as military operations had broken the organised networks of militant outfits. "I can now say with confidence that there is no terrorist organisation in Pakistan anymore," he said.
Is China the reason why Pakistan opted to skip Summit for Democracy hosted by Biden?

US using democracy as 'weapon of mass destruction' to stoke confrontation: China slams Summit for Democracy

Positive progress made on Masood Azhar's blacklisting, says China

International

oi-Deepika S

Beijing, Apr 30: China said on Tuesday that the issue of designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN will be "properly resolved" but it did not give any timeline.

"I can only say that I believe that this will be properly resolved," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing.

UK optimistic of Masood Azhar's listing as global terrorist by UN

He was responding to questions on the media reports that China had reportedly consented to lift its technical hold on a fresh proposal moved by France, the UK and the US to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

On reports that China would lift its technical hold on May 1, he said, "on the listing issue, China is still working with the relevant parties and we are in contact with all relevant parties within the 1267 Committee and I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved."

Asked about the recent visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to Beijing during which he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as well as New Delhi shared thevidence of JeM's involvement in the Pulwama terror attack, Geng reiterated that China is still working with the relevant parties.

"I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved," he said.

China put a technical hold in March on a fresh proposal to impose a ban on the head of Pakistan-based JeM which claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack. It was for the fourth time, China blocked Azhar's listing as a global terrorist by the UN.

The US, the UK and France this time stepped up pressure on Beijing by taking the issue directly to the powerful UN Security Council (UNSC).

Though China can exercise its veto power as a permanent member of the UNSC, Beijing has staunchly opposed the issue to be taken to the apex UN body as it has to publically explain its stand on its reservations to list Azhar, whose group JeM has already been designated as terror outfit by UN, before exercising its veto.

Oneindia News (with PTI inputs)
Seven US Lawmakers write to Mike Pompeo on Farmers' protest In India

Russia will be meddling in US polls in 2050 also: Pompeo

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

Washington, Apr 30: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned that Russia would seek to interfere in elections for decades ahead and vowed that Washington would try to thwart its efforts.

Pompeo was asked if he expected Russia to meddle in next year's US election, after a long-awaited report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller found that Moscow tried to sway the 2016 presidential race to Donald Trump.

The top US diplomat said to expect a similar Russian campaign next year but criticized the spotlight inside Washington on the Russian role, which has infuriated President Donald Trump.

Sri Lanka blasts: Pompeo vows fight 'Islamic radical terrorism'

"It goes without saying, they were a threat to our elections in 1974, too, and they interfered in our elections in the '80s," Pompeo told a forum of The Hill newspaper.

"The fact that this town seems shocked by the fact that the Russians don't care for us -- in that case the Soviet Union -- I find stunning," he said.

"And we should expect in 2050, the Russians will be at it still." Pompeo, however, said that Trump "has directed us all to be incredibly focused" on countering meddling by Russia as well as other adversaries.

The Mueller investigation, which had cast a shadow over Trump since he took office, documented widespread Russian attempts to influence the election but did not find that the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow.

Mike Pompeo agrees that Kim Jong Un is a 'tyrant'

Trump has since voiced anger on the rival Democratic Party for challenging him on Russia, insisting that he won on his own merits.

Russia denies election interference and accuses the United States of wrongful meddling of its own in the domestic affairs of countries such as Venezuela.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 10:32 [IST]
Pakistan: Cops find woman in deep sleep next to body parts of 70 year old man

Suffered no damage in Balakot air strike: Pak army

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

Islamabad, Apr 30: Pakistan's military once again claimed that there was "no damage" in the Balakot air strike carried out by India and asserted that it will facilitate the Indian journalists if they wish to visit the area to "see the truth".

Addressing a press conference at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor alleged that India had been "lying repeatedly" and Pakistan has not responded to those lies.

"Since the last two months India has been continuing to lie. As a responsible country we have not responded to their lies," he said.

Strategic surprise at Balakot: 6,000 officers involved and not a single leak

"The truth is that there was an incident in Pulwama. Attacks on the police in Pulwama have happened before. There was no damage at our end in Balakot. We took local and foreign media there to show them [the truth]. We will facilitate Indian media if they choose to come to Balakot to see the truth," Ghafoor was quoted as saying by Geo News.

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.

Ghafoor said Pakistan was waiting for the appropriate time to "honour our pilots who downed the Indian planes".

"India has not said what happened in Pakistan's counter-strike," he said.

The Army spokesperson also warned India not to test Pakistan's resolve.

No Pak soldier or citizen died in Balakot air strike: Sushma Swaraj

"India must not test Pakistan's resolve. It is not 1971 anymore," he said.

After the aerial confrontation, India said one of its MiG-21 fighter jets downed a Pakistani F-16 before itself being shot down on February 27.

Pakistan, however, has consistently denied the Indian Air Force's claim, saying none of its aircraft was shot down during the weeks of tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries.

Pakistan also claims to have shot a second Indian Air Force jet during the engagement, a claim India has dismissed.

"We downed two Indian planes in the process, the whole world saw their debris and you [India] still claimed that one of the two planes was ours and one of our own pilots died, as we had initially said that two Indian pilots had been captured, and then said that there was only one. You [India] said that we have changed our statement because one pilot was our own," Ghafoor said.

"We got initial information through the proper channel, then on the ground, I personally found out that only one person had been captured and I sent out the correction myself. How is it that you are ready to accept one of our statement, not the other?" he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

"We have not retaliated because we want peace [...] we asked you [India] to ask America about our F-16s' strength. In this day and age, hiding the downing of a plane is impossible. In this time, even if a motorcycle crashes the world finds out," he added.

Ghafoor also criticised India for using the threat of nuclear weapons, saying they were "weapon(s) of deterrence".

Pakistani military takes international media, foreign diplomats on tour of Balakot seminary

He said India should to change its attitude towards Pakistan instead of asking "us to change attitude".

Ghafoor also accused India of funding Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a tribal region based rights group, to destabilise Pakistan.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 10:25 [IST]
Members of farmers' body detained in Lucknow for trying to burn effigies of PM Modi, Shah

Uttar Pradesh: Shoot, rob and flee; Miscreants loot trader in Muzaffarnagar

Lucknow

oi-Vikas SV

Muzaffarnagar, Apr 30: Crime just continues unabated in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. Nitin Garg, a trader, was returning home on Monday night after finishing the day's work when two unidentified men shot at him, said reports. The miscreants then robbed Garg of cash and valuables, and fled the scene. Garg was rushed to a hospital.

The police are searching for the miscreants, as per reports.

On April 23, a 22-year-old woman was shot dead in a village near Muzaffarnagar by her jilted lover after she reportedly refused to marry him. The incident took place in Bahupura village under the Bhop police station area, reports said quoting a police official. The kin of the victim, identified as Suviti, staged a protest here and refused to hand over the body to police, he said. Later, senior police officers assured them of taking action against the accused, identified as Amit Kumar, and sent the body for a postmortem.

[BJP MLA shot at during Holy festivities in UP, case registered]

On April 21, a 28-year-old woman was seriously injured after being shot at by unidentified men in her house.The incident took place at Rumalpuri village in the Miranpur area. Radhika was performing her daily chores when the unidentified men entered her house and fired at her.

On April 13, a woman and her daughter were shot dead by a man in Narsinghpur village here on Saturday morning, police said.

[5 Indians among 50 people killed in New Zealand Christchurch shooting]

Sita Devi Shakya (40) and her daughters Madhuri (20) and Neelam (18) were working in a field when one Budh Sagar, a dhaba worker, opened fire at them. Sita Devi died on the spot and Madhuri was seriously injured.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 11:43 [IST]
DALLAS, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Capital Senior Living Corporation (NYSE:CSU) will host a conference call with senior management to discuss the Companys first quarter 2019 financial results. The call will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The Companys earnings announcement is scheduled to be released to news services before the market opens on Thursday, May 9, 2019.



The call-in number is 323-794-2423, confirmation code 7027397. A link to a simultaneous webcast of the teleconference will be available at www.capitalsenior.com through Windows Media Player or RealPlayer.

For the convenience of the Companys shareholders and the public, the conference call will be recorded and available for replay starting May 9, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, until May 17, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To access the conference call replay, call 719-457-0820, confirmation code 7027397. The conference call will also be made available for playback via the Companys corporate website, www.capitalsenior.com .

About the Company

Dallas-based Capital Senior Living Corporation is one of the nations largest operators of independent living, assisted living and memory care communities for senior adults. The Companys 129 communities are home to nearly 12,000 residents across 23 states and provide compassionate, resident-centric service and care as well as engaging programming. Capital Senior Living affords seniors the freedom and opportunity to successfully, comfortably and happily age in place. For more information, visit www.capitalsenior.com or connect with the Company on Facebook.

For information about Capital Senior Living, visit www.capitalsenior.com.

Contact Carey Hendrickson, Chief Financial Officer, at 972-770-5600 for more information.

PRESS CONTACT:

Carey Hendrickson, Chief Financial Officer

Phone: 1-972-770-5600
CALGARY, Alberta, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lack of pipeline capacity is driving down the price of Canadian oil, costing the countrys energy sector C$20.6 billion in lost revenues last year, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.



Without sufficient pipelines to coastal ports, Canadian oil producers must sell their product to the United States at dramatically discounted prices, which leads to large losses for the energy sector and more broadly Canadas economy, said Elmira Aliakbari, associate director of natural resource studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of The Cost of Pipeline Constraints in Canada, 2019 .

The study finds that Canadas overdependence on the U.S. market (again, due to Canadas lack of pipeline capacity to tidewater) has led to a greater reliance on oil-by-raila more costly (and less safe) mode of transport.

The result?

Even after adjusting for quality differences and transportation costs, Western Canada Select (WCS)the heavy oil extracted from Canadas oilsandssells for much less than comparable West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil.

In fact, last year the price difference between Canadian and U.S. oil was US$26.50 per barrel. Put differently, in November 2018, WCS traded at roughly 30 per cent of WTI, representing a 70 per cent price discount.

And crucially, last years lost revenue ($20.6 billion) nearly eclipsed the revenue loss for the previous five years combined (2013 to 2017) when Canadas pipeline shortage cost our energy sector $20.7 billion.

Clearly, the federal and provincial governments must better cooperate to get pipelines built so Canadas oil producers can connect with markets overseas, said Ashley Stedman, study co-author and senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Elmira Aliakbari, Associate Director, Natural Resource Studies

Fraser Institute

Ashley Stedman, Senior Policy Analyst

Fraser Institute



To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:

Mark Hasiuk, (604) 688-0221 ext. 517, mark.hasiuk@fraserinstitute.org

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook
Memory could be better protected in kids with brain tumors if treated with proton therapy

Milan, Italy: A comparison of three types of radiotherapy for children's brain tumours suggests that a type of proton therapy called pencil beam scanning offers the best hope of preserving cognitive functions.

The study, presented at the ESTRO 38 conference, shows that this new form of radiotherapy delivers the lowest doses of radiation to the temporal lobes and hippocampus, areas of the brain important in functions like memory.

The study was presented by Laura Toussaint, a PhD student at the department of Medical Physics, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.

She said: "Brain tumours are the second most common type of cancer in children. Survival rates have increased in recent decades and currently 75% of children diagnosed with a brain tumour will be alive five years later.

"Alongside surgery and chemotherapy, radiotherapy plays an important role in treating brain tumours in children, but we need to protect children's developing brains from any unnecessary radiation. The more we learn about how to effectively target brain tumours while minimising the dose to other parts of the brain, the better we can preserve children's cognitive abilities and quality of life after treatment."

Ms Toussaint and her colleagues carried out detailed studies of ten different children treated for brain tumours. Each child had been diagnosed with a type of cancer called craniopharyngioma, centrally located in their brain.

For each child, they planned treatments with each of the three types of radiotherapy: volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), double scattering proton therapy (DSPT) or pencil beam scanning proton therapy (PBS). All three are advanced radiotherapy treatments but DSPT and PBS are both types of proton therapy, which research suggests is better at targeting the tumour more precisely while sparing the surrounding tissues. However, they require expensive specific equipment, which is not yet available in all hospital. PBS is an especially precise form of radiotherapy that delivers treatment via a very narrow proton beam.

Previous research has shown that radiation doses to particular areas of the brain, including the temporal lobes and hippocampus, have an impact on children's cognitive outcomes, specifically in memory functions. Ms Toussaint and her colleagues used these existing data to select 30 structures in the children's brains to study.

The researchers used CT and MRI scans to precisely locate the structures in each of the children's brains. Then they compared the three treatment plans for each child to see which type of treatment was better at sparing those 30 structures from radiation, categorising the dose to each structure as high, medium or low.

They found that the doses to the temporal lobe were lower with the PBS treatment, compared to both the DSPT and VMAT treatments.

They found, for example, that 41% of the left hippocampus volume was receiving low doses of radiation with the DSPT plans, while being spared with the PBS treatment.

Using the existing data on the impacts of radiation to these regions of the brain, the researchers predict that the proton therapies, particularly the PBS treatment, would result in less impairment of the children's memory function.

Ms Toussaint said: "We have looked at three types of radiotherapy, which all aim to successfully treat brain tumours while doing as little damage to children's brains as possible. What we found was that pencil beam scanning proton therapy seems to be by far the best at avoiding parts of the brain that are important in children's memory. The next step would be to confirm this finding with clinical research in patients.

"The use of proton therapy has been expanding rapidly over the last decade and is becoming more and more available for cancer patients, especially for children. This also means that more research can take place."

There are around 25 proton therapy centres operating in Europe and another 19 are under construction or planned.

Professor Umberto Ricardi, President of ESTRO and head of the Department of Oncology at the University of Turin, Italy, who was not involved in the research, said: "The aim of radiotherapy is to effectively treat cancer while causing as little damage as possible to the rest of the body. This aim could not be more important than when we are treating children's brains. Proton therapy is already being used in some hospitals to treat brain tumours in children, but this study offers evidence of the benefits it might bring in terms of protecting cognitive functions and quality of life. We hope this work will lead to more research in this vital area."

###

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Oslo, Norway, 30 April 2019 - PCI Biotech invites to a presentation of the company's first quarter 2019 result on Wednesday 8 May 2019 at Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park.



Time: Wednesday 8 May, 08:30am  09:30am CEST (local time).

Venue: Jonas Einarsson aud. (2nd floor, entrance 2B), Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park, Ullernchausseen 64, Oslo.

The presentation will be held in English and if you wish to attend the presentation, please confirm with an e-mail to post@pcibiotech.com.

The presentation will also be a live webcast and can be accessed through www.pcibiotech.com. It will be possible to post questions through the webcast console.

The interim report and the presentation will be available on www.newsweb.no and on the company's webpage, www.pcibiotech.com from 07:30am (CEST) on 8 May 2019.

For further information, please contact:

Ronny Skuggedal, CFO

Email: rs@pcibiotech.no

Mobile: +47 9400 5757

About PCI Biotech

PCI Biotech is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on development and commercialisation of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer through its innovative photochemical internalisation (PCI) technology platform. PCI is applied to three distinct anticancer paradigms: fimaChem (enhancement of chemotherapeutics for localised treatment of cancer), fimaVacc (T-cell induction technology for therapeutic vaccination), and fimaNAc (nucleic acid therapeutics delivery).

Photochemical internalisation induces triggered endosomal release that is used to unlock the true potential of a wide array of therapeutic modalities. The companys lead fimaChem programme is about to initiate a pivotal clinical study in bile duct cancer, an orphan indication with a high unmet need and without approved products. fimaVacc applies a unique mode of action to enhance the essential cytotoxic effect of therapeutic cancer vaccines, which works in synergy with several other state-of-the-art vaccination technologies. fimaNAc utilises the endosomal release to provide intracellular delivery of nucleic acids, such as mRNA and RNAi therapeutics, thereby addressing one of the major bottlenecks facing this emerging and promising field.

For further information, please visit: www.pcibiotech.com

Contact information: PCI Biotech Holding ASA, Ullernchausseen 64, N-0379 Oslo

Ronny Skuggedal, CFO, rs@pcibiotech.no, Mobile: +47 9400 5757

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
B. G., Opalesque Geneva:

According to the Swiss Funds & Asset Management Association (SFMA)'s just published report called Alternative Investments in Switzerland, Swiss asset management institutions offer products and expertise in a variety of alternative asset classes like real estate (38% of the asset management institutions offer real estate products), hedge funds (35%), private equity (32%), commodities (28%), infrastructure (25%), and insurance linked securities (15%).

Asset management companies based in Switzerland manage roughly CHF 2,200bn ($2,158bn) for domestic and international investors, says the report.

In terms of assets under management, Switzerland is the fourth largest asset management location in Europe, after the UK, France, and Germany. Considering assets under management per capita, Switzerland holds the top position globally among all major asset management locations.

Research house Preqin reported in 2017 that Switzerland had the largest hedge fund industry in mainland Europe, accounting for 1.3% of global assets, 123 hedge fund managers, and $43bn in AuM. Geneva and Zurich are the hubs of activity and were home to 72 and 64 active inves......................

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Unified Communications and Collaboration Market to depict heavy gains via BFSI sector | Major Vendors are BT, Cisco, Genesys, Huawei Technologies, IBM, Microsoft, NEC Corporation, Orange, Verizon

Unified Communications and Collaboration Market

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Unified Communications and Collaboration Market in BFSI sector is expected to exhibit a lucrative growth over the forecast period due to the rapid adoption of UCC solutions to improve their profitability and way of conducting business. The financial institutions are using tools, such as mobile messaging and video conferencing, to personalize their relationships with customers to improve customer satisfaction. The growing use of such tools to facilitate seamless communication process and benefit from multichannel communications internally & externally will foster the UCC market growth in the BFSI sector.Request for a sample copy of this research report @The exponential growth trajectory being demonstrated by unified communications and collaboration market has been a subject of intense debate for since a while now, given the rising popularity of BOYD trend and the immense need to streamline the existing communications infrastructure across enterprises on a global scale. The rapid maturation of unified communications & collaboration (UCC) industry can also be accredited to the increased utilization of ever-evolving cloud computing technology and the swift emergence of mobile devices that have evolved from just a medium for voice conversation to smartphones with sophisticated multi-function capacities, all within a decade.Unified communications and collaboration market inConferencing platforms are expected to witness the highest growth of over 12% during the forecast period. The platforms, such as audio and video conferencing, ease communication process among businesses and provide various benefits such as improved competitive advantage, improved productivity & employee satisfaction, and improving the demand for these platforms over the forecast period.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1. Microsoft2. NEC Corporation3. Genesys4. Huawei Technologies5. IBM6. BT7. Cisco8. Orange9. Verizon10. Unify11. Vonage12. RingCentral13. Mitel14. Avaya15. ALEUCC Market, By Platformo Telephonyo IP phoneso IP PBXo Collaborationo Mobileo Social networko Video platformo Unified messagingo Voicemailo Emailo Faxo Conferencingo Audioo Videoo Webo Services and toolsMake an inquiry for buying this report @Unified communications and collaboration market in the telephony market, the IP PBX market is projected to witness the fastest growth rate with a CAGR of over 8% from 2019 to 2025. The major factor driving the market is its easy support and reduced network latency. The majority of the hosted IP PBX providers have already started offering customized services, allowing users to connect to other servers without getting disconnected.Unified Communications and Collaboration Market growth in Unified messaging platforms can be attributed to the ability of the solutions to unify different messaging channels, such as email, fax, instant messages, and voicemails, into a single framework making the task of managing all such messages less tedious and time-consuming. In this regard, it is also imperative to mention that telephony, the UCC technology platform associated with the transmission of voice, fax, video, and other information, is anticipated to hold a major chunk of UCC market share, on account of its ability to provide seamless & real-time business communication.Browse key industry insights spread across 300 pages with 416 market data tables & 28 figures & charts from the report, Unified Communications & Collaboration Market in detail along with the table of contents:North America will dominate the unified communications and collaboration market by 2025 primarily due to the availability of a robust telecom and cloud infrastructure in the region. Also, extensive support for BYOD and readiness to adopt the trend by the U.S. enterprises will positively contribute to the market growth. The Asia Pacific market is expected to grow with the highest CAGR of over 12% between 2019 and 2025 due to increasing demand for better business communication infrastructure by organizations operating in emerging economies in the region.Also, large-scale digitalization initiatives undertaken by government agencies in China and India are expected to contribute to the rising uptake of UCC solutions in the region. As technology outsourcing has been a traditionally major trend in these countries, establishing efficient enterprise communication infrastructure is one of the key priorities of the companies offering outsourcing services to the European and North American enterprises.The Asia Pacific unified communications and collaboration market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 12% during the forecast timeline. The market growth is driven by the adoption of cloud-based UCC solutions and various government initiatives for modernizing ICT infrastructure. For instance, the South Korea Ministry of Science and ICT along with the major carriers in the country have drafted a plan to set up a nation-wide infrastructure by 2020. The huge penetration of low-cost smartphones in countries including China and Japan will also contribute toward market growth.The key players operating in the unified communications and collaboration market are focusing on various business growth strategies such as new product developments and partnerships. This enables them to expand their existing portfolio and help them to increase their geographical reach to offer solutions to the uncaptured market segments. For instance, in July 2016, Arkadin Singapore, an NTT Communications company, launched Arkadin Total Connect, a Microsoft Skype for Business hosted service. The UCC portfolio for an all-in-one cloud solution offers an integrated UCC ecosystem equipped with web/audio/video conferencing, Office 365, and contact center.The players operating in the unified communications and collaboration market include pure providers such as 8x8, ALE, Avaya, BT, Cisco, Genesys, Huawei Technologies, IBM, Genesys | Interactive Intelligence, Microsoft, Mitel, NEC Corporation, Nextiva, Orange, RingCentral, Star2Star Communications, Verizon, Vonage, and Unify.Browse Related Reports:About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact UsArun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Insulated Concrete Form Market 2019-25 Revenue & Trend Analysis By Top Players Airlite, BuildBlocks, Amvic, Logix, Quad-Lock and IntegraSpec.

Insulated Concrete Form Market

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Insulated Concrete Form Market is projected to surpass USD 1.6 billion by 2025; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Increasing consumer awareness pertaining to high energy bills and necessity for resilient and energy efficient building techniques has stimulated the insulated concrete form market. Strong applications outlook across the industrial, infrastructure, residential as well as commercial buildings will support product demand. As per the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the houses build by ICF walls and roof can result in 8% to 19% energy savings, compared to the traditional wooden frame constructions.Request for a sample copy of this report @Government initiatives for reducing the carbon emissions with favorable policies and incentive-based schemes promoting the use of energy efficient materials in the building construction will surge the demand for ICF in coming years. For instance, in November 2018, the BRE Group and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced a partnership to work on developing strategies & solutions for promoting green building performance.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1. BASF2. Amvic Inc.3. Apex Block4. BASF SE5. Bayer AG6. Beco Products Ltd.7. Buildblock Building Systems8. Conform Global9. Durisol10. Future Foam Inc.11. FXI-Foamex Innovations12. ICF Tech13. Integraspec14. ISM Sismo15. Liteform Technologies16. Logix Insulated Concrete Forms Ltd.17. Mickey Block18. PFB Corpotaion19. Plasti-Fab20. Polycrete21. Polysteel Warmer Wall22. Quad-Lock Building Systems Ltd.23. Rastra Holding L.L.C24. Standard ICF Corp.25. Sunbloc26. Superform Products Ltd.27. Tosoh Corporation28. Airlite (Fox Blocks)Key benefits including lower insurance rates, quieter interiors, faster construction times, durability and energy efficiency are shifting the preference towards the construction of the houses using the ICF system. Furthermore, manufacturers are investing in new product development that offers higher durability and superior thermal resistance compared to the wood-based construction, this would further increase the industry expansion. Rising occurrence of earthquakes, tsunami, floods, heatwave, hurricanes etc. across the tropical, subtropical and coastal environments has resulted in an increase in the construction of ICF based homes.Strong growth in the construction industry to accommodate the increasing urban population is supporting the insulated concrete forms market advancement. The global construction sector is projected to cross USD 12 trillion by 2020, at over 3% CAGR. Countries including China, the U.S., and India are expected to dominate the global construction industry. Also, ICF can reduce the time for construction, thereby reducing labor costs. However, the product penetration is higher in developed countries of North America and Europe.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @Polystyrene foam holds a substantial share in the global ICF market, accounting for over USD 700 million in 2018. Polystyrene foam includes expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS). Key aspects such as lightweight, higher impact resistance, and excellent thermal insulation will drive the polystyrene-based ICF demand. The product finds increasing application in building walls, floors, and building roofs. Superior fire resistance properties along with higher strength will generate new growth opportunities up to 2025.Global ICF market from the commercial application will witness significant gains at over 6% from 2019 to 2025. Economic growth in developing countries, favorable FDI policies on commercial construction, and enhanced focus on energy conservation will surge the product demand. Growing government investments in infrastructural and hospitality sector will provide an impetus to the industry development. Proliferating population in the Asia Pacific region along with rapid development in industrial and infrastructural construction will support the business growth in the region. Asia Pacific and Latin America are the fastest growing commercial construction sector, majorly driven by China, India, Indonesia and Brazil.Browse Report Summery @North America dominates the global ICF market with over 35% of the industry share in 2018. Stringent regulations along with the positive influence of organizations such as USGBC is driving the product usage. Residential applications hold a substantial share in North America ICF market, however, increasing popularity for ICF in commercial projects including hotels, educational institutions, hospitals, retail outlets, and multi-story buildings will drive the industry share. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the total spending on commercial construction has significantly increased from USD 40 Billion in 2010 to USD 89.5 Billion in 2018.The global ICF market share in highly competitive with a large presence of multinational and regional players from North America and Europe. The major players include Quad-Lock Building Systems Ltd., Airlite (Fox Blocks), IntegraSpec ICF, Nudura Corporation, Logix Insulated Concrete Forms Ltd., Superform Products Ltd., BuildBlock Building Systems, Amvic and Plasti-Fab. New product developments, strategic mergers & acquisitions, and expansion of distribution network are among the key strategic observed in the industry. For instance, in July 2018, Logix Insulated Concrete Forms Ltd. announced to launch its new product range, Logix XP-1 for wall applications to enhance its industry share.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
BANGOR, MAINE, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of its 120th Annual Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine, Husson University will confer honorary doctorates on two leaders who have distinguished themselves in education and financial services.



Larry M. Shaw



Larry M. Shaw, the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of MMG Insurance, will receive an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in recognition of his leadership abilities, his dedication to the people of Northern Maine, and his devotion to ensuring his communitys financial security.



MMG Insurance, headquartered in Presque Isle, Maine, is an AM Best A Excellent rated regional property and casualty insurance company with operations in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Virginia. With the company since 1982, Shaw was promoted to president and CEO in 1995.



He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Maine and a Master of Science degree from Husson University. He has also attended the Executive Education Program at the Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of Business. Shaw is a recipient of the Maine CPCUs Lee Allen Presidents Award for Excellence.



In addition, Shaw was inducted into the Junior Achievement Maine Business Hall of Fame in 2015 and is a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. He has generously supported distance education technology at Hussons Northern Maine campus and the Universitys plans to construct a new College of Business building here in Bangor.



Carol Kanar





Another person who will receive an honorary doctorate is Carol Kanar, a woman who has dedicated her life to education. Kanar will receive a Doctor of Pedagogy degree in honor of her dedication and leadership in all areas related to student success and academic quality. Her lifetime of accomplishment was realized after many years of service to students and the higher education community. In 1967, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Florida. In subsequent years, she earned a Master of Education in developmental reading from Rollins College and a Master of Arts in creative writing from the University of Florida.



Embracing her passion for education, Kanar became a communications instructor at Valencia Community College in 1977, a post she held for 18 years. She has also written several college textbooks in her fields of expertise.



In addition to her professional accomplishments, Kanar has provided exemplary service to Husson University. She served as a member of the Husson University Board of Trustees for 12 years. For three of those years she served as the boards chair.



Kanar received an honorary degree in communications from the New England School of Communications in 2014 and was inducted into the pantheon of Honorary Husson Alumni in 2016. That same year, Kanar was awarded the Husson University Presidents Medal of Honor for her service. In 2018, she received the Trustee Emeritus Award. Today, Kanar supports Husson University as a member of the Womens Philanthropy Council.



Commencement



Both of these individuals will receive their honorary degrees as part of Husson Universitys 120th Annual Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at the Cross Insurance Center. The Cross Insurance Center is located at 515 Main Street in Bangor, Maine. The commencement ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m.



For more than 120 years, Husson University has prepared future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent superior value in higher education. Our Bangor campus and off-campus satellite education centers in Southern Maine, Wells, and Northern Maine provide advanced knowledge in business; health and education; pharmacy studies; science and humanities; as well as communication. In addition, Husson University has a robust adult learning program. According to a recent tuition and fee analysis by U.S. News & World Report, Husson University is the most affordable private college in New England. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu .

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$557.9 Million, Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) Market Size, Share, Global Opportunity Analysis And Industry Forecast (2018-2023)

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Meticulous Research  leading global market research company published a research report titled Electronic Lab Notebook Market (ELN Market) by Type (Specific, Enterprise), License (Proprietary, Open Source), Mode of Delivery (On-Premise, Web, Cloud), & End User (Pharmaceutical, Biotech, CRO, CMO, Academia Research, F&B)  Global Forecast to 2023.Electronic Lab Notebook Market,By End User,2018-2023The market for Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) is booming primarily due to technological developments, laboratory automation, growing R&D activities, rising demand to archive, store and manage lab-data and meet the regulatory requirements. Cloud-based ELNs are rapidly gaining traction and provide immense growth opportunities for the market players.This is mainly attributed to benefits offered by cloud models including cost-effectiveness, real time data analysis, easy accessibility, reliability, flexibility, and scalability. Big companies are shifting towards web & cloud-based solutions for storage and data accessibility within organization and across multiple geographic locations. Cloud-based ELNs are being widely adopted by small to medium-sized end users for its user-friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. However, some organizations are still implementing ELN on-premises due to concerns related to data confidentiality and security on remotely managed servers.Key Topics Covered in This Report:1. Introduction2. Research Methodology3. Executive Summary4. Market Insights5. Electronic Lab Notebook Market, by Product Type6. Electronic Lab Notebook Market, by License Type7. Electronic Lab Notebook Market, by Mode of Delivery8. Electronic Lab Notebook Market, by End User9. Electronic Lab Notebook Market, by GeographyBrowse in-depth Report on:Surpassing the capabilities of traditional paper bound laboratory notebooks, Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) provides a sophisticated platform that enable research professionals and scientists to share experiment related information and improve or reuse the data. Moreover, rising compatibility of ELNs with laboratory information management systems (LIMS) ensures a complete information access and administration. R&D labs are using ELN to focus on their core activities and improve productivity as with ELN they are able to capture and share all the unique and proprietary information they generate. Thus, ELNs help in improved operational efficiency and cost containment, smooth regulatory compliance, enhanced productivity, traceability, quality, decision making and faster innovation.Company Profiles (Business Overview, Financial Overview, Product Portfolio, and Strategic Developments)1. Abbott Laboratories2. Agilent Technologies, Inc.3. Arxspan, LLC4. Benchling, Inc.5. Bio-ITech BV (elabJournal)6. Dassault Systemes SE7. ID Business Solutions (IDBS) Ltd. (Danaher Corporation)8. KineMatik Inc.9. Lab-Ally, LLC10. Labfolder GmbH11. Labii Inc.12. LabArchives, LLC.13. LabLynx, Inc.14. LABTrack, LLC15. LabVantage Solutions, Inc.16. LabWare, Inc.17. Mestrelab Research, S.L.18. PerkinElmer, Inc.19. RURO, Inc.20. SciNote, LLC21. SEQOME Limited22. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.23. Waters CorporationDownload Sample report on :Thus, rapidly growing adoption of cloud-based ELNs will drive the overall growth of electronic lab notebook market, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% to reach USD 557.9 million by 2023, according to Meticulous Research.Contact UskhushalEmail:sales@meticulousresearch.comDirect lines:+1-646-781-8004Meticulous Research was founded in 2010 and incorporated as Meticulous Market Research Pvt. Ltd. in 2013 as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956. Since its incorporation, with the help of its unique research methodologies, the company has become the leading provider of premium market intelligence in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa regions.Asia-PacificOffice No-202, 203,204,205,206; 2nd Floor, Pushpak Business Hub,Wakad, Pimpri-Chinchwad, 411057 India.
Mylar Bags Market Progress & Manufacturer Contribution Highlighted until 2028 // top key player - Protective Packaging Corporation, Ningbo Norent Plastic Prouduct Co. Ltd., Fine Package Co. Ltd.

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A current trend of laminating aluminium foil in mylar bags is popular where air transfer is almost nullified. Such aluminium foil bonded mylar bags provide high puncture resistance than any other bags made up of metallized polyester films. Manufacturers in the mylar bags market deliver a wide range of packaging solutions made up of mylar bags such as mini pouches, zipper pouches, spout, standup pouches, drum liners as well as custom-made packaging solutions. As an important end user of the Mylar Bags Market, food and beverage industry presents lucrative opportunities for food-grade mylar bags market in the foreseeable future.Request TOC of this Report-The mylar bags market finds a host range of applications where high barrier packaging is needed to achieve protection against oxygen, moisture and light. Mylar or BoPET (Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is polyester known for moisture resistance, chemical stability, aroma barrier properties, electrical insulation and high tensile strength. Owing to these properties, mylar bags are highly sought after for flexible packaging solutions in food & beverage and electronic industries. Mylar bags are also used for packaging audio media such as vinyl records and compact discs. A surge in demand for flexible packaging is likely to augur well for the mylar bags market in coming years.Food packaging industry is witnessing a change in its market dynamics mainly influenced by demographic conditions, new customer demands, growing purchasing power in emerging markets and an increasing use of technical facilities. These bags are made up of BoPET film which possess high barrier properties, a highly recommended property for food packaging.Along with this, key manufacturers of films such as Uflex Ltd are also introducing super barrier polyester films that not only offer high flexibility but also offer excellent barrier-to-gas properties.Since high shelf life of the product is of high significance and mylar bags also eliminate the presence of oxygen from the packaged product, they are increasingly being used in the food packaging industry.Browse Full Report with TOC-Constant innovation is the key mantra for industry participants to sustain their share in todays competitive scenario. North America is not only a highly competitive market but also stays upfront in terms of innovation, hence the region is expected to lead the global mylar bags market.Asia Pacific is expected to expand at the highest CAGR. The growth of the region can be attributed to an increase in the purchasing power of individual further fuelling the growth of on-the-go lifestyle leading to high consumption of mylar bags.The major contributors to the growth of the mylar bags market is the rise of the on-the-go lifestyle which has led to the advent of mylar bags for food storage & preservation over a long period of time. On-the-go lifestyle is highly impacting the growth of the global mylar bags market.Apart from food industry, the diversified application of mylar bags in other verticals such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals etc. is also impacting the growth of the global mylar bags market.Some of the key players operating in the global mylar bags market are Uline Company, ShieldPro Flexible Packaging, LLC, IMPAK Corporation, PackFresh USA, Impak Corporation, Sorbent Systems, Protective Packaging Corporation, Ningbo Norent Plastic Prouduct Co., Ltd., and Fine Package Co., Ltd.Mylar is a trademark of DuPont Tejin Films and the company has introduced a lot of variants of BoPET films over a period of time. Some of the BoPET films variants include flame retardant films, anti-fog mylar films, and dual ovenable mylar films to name a few.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.Compilation of authentic and first-hand intelligence, insights offered in the report are based on quantitative and qualitative assessment by leading industry experts, and inputs from opinion leaders & industry participants around the value chain. Growth determinants, macroeconomic indicators, and parent market trends have been scrutinized and delivered, coupled with the market attractiveness for each market segment encompassed. Qualitative impact of growth influencers on the market segments across regions has also been mapped by the report.Request Brochure of this Report-About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market insights reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Read Industry News at -
Worldwide Dental Implant Market Study for 2017 to 2022 providing information on Key Players, Growth Drivers and Industry challenges

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Meticulous Research, leading global market research company published a research report titled Dental Implants Market by Material (Titanium, Zirconium), Type (Premium, Value, and Discount) and Structure (Tapered Implants, Parallel Walled Implants)  Forecast to 2022.According to this latest publication from Meticulous Research, the dental implants market will grow at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2017 to 2022 to reach USD 4,497.1 million by 2022, driven by various factors such as growing concern about oral hygiene, aging edentulous population, rising demand for cosmetic dentistry and prosthetics, and technological innovations as manufacturers are developing new and innovative products to provide more advanced solutions to the dental professionals such as CAD/CAM, mini dental implants, and 3D dentistry. Emerging economies such as Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa further provides significant potential for growth. Moreover, increasing R&D spending, and increasing dental tourism are providing immense growth opportunities for various stakeholders in the dental implants market.Browse In Depth Report:Key Market Segments to WatchThe dental implants market is mainly categorized by material (titanium and zirconium), by type (premium, value, and discount), by structure (tapered implants and parallel walled implants), and by geography.On the basis of material, titanium segment is expected to continue to dominate the dental implants market during the forecast period, mainly due to their high biocompatibility, technological advancements, and strength, stiffness, greater strain-bearing capacity, and greater corrosion resistance properties. Titanium implants are most commonly used implant type all over the world followed by Zirconium implants.Scope of the Report:Market by Material: Titanium ZirconiumMarket by Type: Premium Value DiscountMarket by Structure: Tapered Implants Parallel Walled ImplantsMarket by Geography: North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany France U.K. Italy Spain Russia Switzerland Sweden The Netherlands Austria RoE Asia-Pacific Japan China South Korea India Australia RoAPAC Latin America Mexico Brazil Argentina Colombia RoLatm Middle East & Africa IsraelRequest Sample Report On:Company Profiles (Business Overview, Financial Overview, Product Portfolio, Strategic Developments)1. Institut Straumann AG2. Dentsply Sirona, Inc.3. Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.5. Avinent Implant System, Sl6. Camlog Biotechnologies AG7. Biohorizons IPH, Inc.8. Osstem Implant Co. Ltd.9. Bicon, LLC.10. Sweden & Martina S. p. A11. Cortex Dental Implants Industries Ltd12. Anthogyr SAS13. Danaher Corporation14. Dentium Co., Ltd.15. Neoss LimitedContact:KhushalEmail: sales@meticulousresearch.comDirect Lines: +1-646-781-8004 (North America)Meticulous Research was founded in 2010 and incorporated as Meticulous Market Research Pvt. Ltd. in 2013 as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956. Since its incorporation, with the help of its unique research methodologies, the company has become the leading provider of premium market intelligence in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa regions.Asia-PacificOffice No-202, 203,204,205,206; 2nd Floor, Pushpak Business Hub,Wakad, Pimpri-Chinchwad, 411057 India.
Baby Bottles Market Size, Share, Trends Analysis & Competition through 2022 || Key Player - Munchkin Inc., Handi-Craft Company, May born Group Limited, Pigeon Corporation, Philips N.V.

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Fact.MR has recently updated its massive report catalogue by adding a fresh study titled Baby Bottles Market Size, Share, Trends Analysis & Competition through 2022. This business intelligence study encapsulates vital details about the market current as well as future status during the mentioned forecast period of 2022.The report also targets important facets such as market drivers, challenges, latest trends, and opportunities associated to growth of manufacturers in global market for Baby Bottles Market. Along with these insights, the report provides the readers crucial insights on the strategies implemented by leading companies to remain in the lead of this competitive market.Request Free Sample Report Here:The report offers in-depth analysis of the global baby bottles market on the basis of some vital aspects such as competition, market segmentation, and market dynamics. It sheds light on how the global baby bottles market could shape during the course of the forecast period 2017-2022. Readers are expected to receive crucial information about the global baby bottles market that could give them clear understanding about its growth. On the whole, the report is considered to be a useful guideline for players to secure a strong foothold in the global baby bottles market.The global baby bottles market is foreseen to see growth rising on the back of the willingness of new parents to spend more on baby foods. Right from the clothes their babies wear to the food they eat, every little thing that concerns their little ones is taken good care of by new parents. Problems in breastfeeding could be another factor augmenting the demand in the global baby bottles market. Change in eating habits of young women is causing them problems in breastfeeding. Fast food is observed to quickly attract the younger generation these days. However, prolonged eating of junk food could create problems in their reproductive and parental ages.There is a high chance of BPA seeping into the contents of plastic baby bottles from their lining due to high mechanical pressure, exposure to high pH detergents, and constant reheating. The EU has widely banned baby bottles that contain BPA in manyBrowse Full report with TOC:Baby bottles enable infants to drink milk or other liquids directly from. They comprise of a nipple for easy consumption of the contents in baby bottles. Besides infants, young children are observed to use baby bottles when their mother stops breastfeeding. Although plastic baby bottles are not that brittle and are lightweight compared to their glass counterparts, they could draw a slow demand due to growing health concerns over the presence of chemicals in plastics.Stainless steel baby bottles are another option available in the global market. They could be chemical-free, bacteria-resistant, and resilient. However, the possibility of their deformation when used in freezers and their heavier weight than glass and plastic counterparts are expected to arrest their demand in the coming years.Additional Questions AnsweredThis report answers important questions about the global baby bottles market, which include:Which material of baby bottles will be the most sought-after among parents?Which size of baby bottles will gain larger demand in the near future?Which region will the lead the global baby bottles market?How will players compete in the global baby bottles market?Have Any Query?? Ask Our Industry Expert:About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:
K-12 International Schools Market to Witness Huge Growth| Cognita Schools, GEMS Education, Wellington College

K-12 International Schools Market

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HTF MI recently introduced Global K-12 International Schools Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2023. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are Cognita Schools, GEMS Education, Maple Leaf Educational Systems, Nord Anglia Education, ACS International Schools, Braeburn Schools, Dulwich College International, Esol Education, Harrow International Schools, Shrewsbury International School, Wellington College, Yew Chung Education Foundation etc.Request Sample of Global K-12 International Schools Market Study 2015-2025, by Segment (English Language International School, Other Language International School), by Market (Pre-primary School, Primary School, Middle School), by Company (Cognita Schools, GEMS Education, Maple Leaf Educational Systems) @:The global K-12 International Schools market will reach xxx Million USD in 2018 and with a CAGR if xx% between 2019-2025.This report studies the Global K-12 International Schools market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global K-12 International Schools market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on " K-12 International Schools Market by Organization Size, Industry, and Region - Forecast to 2023". Early buyers will receive 10% customization on comprehensive study.In order to get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2013-2018) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future.Enquire for customization in Report @Competitive Analysis:The key players are highly focusing innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. Company profile section of players such as Cognita Schools, GEMS Education, Maple Leaf Educational Systems, Nord Anglia Education, ACS International Schools, Braeburn Schools, Dulwich College International, Esol Education, Harrow International Schools, Shrewsbury International School, Wellington College, Yew Chung Education Foundation etc includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.Market Segments:On The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of K-12 International Schools in these regions, from 2013 to 2023 (forecast), covering North America (U.S. & Canada) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & Rest of Latin America) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden & RoE) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa, RoMEA) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Rest of World {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}Buy Single User License of Global K-12 International Schools Market Study 2015-2025, by Segment (English Language International School, Other Language International School), by Market (Pre-primary School, Primary School, Middle School), by Company (Cognita Schools, GEMS Education, Maple Leaf Educational Systems) @Have a look at some extracts from Table of ContentIntroduction about Global K-12 International SchoolsGlobal K-12 International Schools Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017K-12 International Schools Market by Application/End UsersGlobal K-12 International Schools Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-usersGlobal K-12 International Schools Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)K-12 International Schools Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and ApplicationK-12 International Schools (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.Global K-12 International Schools Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales DataAdditionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturersMarket Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product typeK-12 International Schools Manufacturing Cost AnalysisK-12 International Schools Key Raw Materials AnalysisK-12 International Schools Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain AnalysisMarket Forecast (2018-2023)........and more in complete table of ContentsBrowse for Full Report at:Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.About Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.com
Waterproofing Admixture Market Growth, Demand, Supply, SWOT, Consumption, ROI to 2019

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Global Waterproofing Admixture Market: OverviewWaterproofing admixture is a porous chemical ingredient employed during cement or concrete formulation to resist water penetration and water-borne contaminants. Waterproofing admixture is primarily used in residential, commercial, and infrastructure sector. Concrete being sustainable building material can reduce carbon footprint by 30-40%, but being porous in nature it is susceptible to chemical attack. Thus, waterproofing admixtures if employed during formulation provides excellent resistance to alkali attack during climate and weather changes. It also reduces maintenance cost and enhances the durability of concrete structures.The report estimates and forecasts the waterproofing admixture market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (KiloKilo Tons) and revenue (US$ Bn) with 2015 as the base year.Get Free PDF Sample of the Report at:The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the waterproofing admixture market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the waterproofing admixture market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes global average price trend analysis of waterproofing admixture.Global Waterproofing Admixture Market: Research MethodologySecondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis teams expertise and market understanding.Make an Enquiry at:Global Waterproofing Admixture Market: SegmentationThe study provides a comprehensive view of the Waterproofing Admixture market by dividing it into product type, application and geography. The waterproofing admixture market has been segmented into crystalline, pore-blocking, and others. Application segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends, and the market has been estimated in terms of volume (Kilo Kilo Tons) and revenue (US$ Bn) between 2016 and 2024.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for activated alumina in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for end-user segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual end-users in all the regions and countries.Global Waterproofing Admixture Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the waterproofing admixture market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein application and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for Waterproofing Admixture between 2016 and 2024.The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V.,BASF SE, Sika AG, Wacker Chemi AG, Mapei S.P.A. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).The global waterproofing admixture market has been segmented as follows:Waterproofing Admixture Market  Product Type AnalysisCrystallinePore-blockingOthersWaterproofing Admixture Market  Application Type AnalysisResidentialCommercialInfrastructureWaterproofing Admixture Market  Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyFranceU.K.ItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite:Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ bit.ly/1TBmnVGBlog:
Polyimide Fibers Market Size In Terms Of Volume And Value By 2026| Changchun Hipolyking, Ningbo Yide Fine Chemcial, Jiangsu Aoshen Hi Material

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Albany, NY, 30th April : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "Global Market Study on Polyimide Fibers: Power & Utilities Sector to Present Attractive Opportunities:Chemical Industry to Record Significant Consumption in the Near Future" globally.Combining analysis capabilities and data integration with credible findings, the study predicts the future trends of the global Polyimide Fibers market in all its application and geographical segments. In addition to this, various important variables and regression models were taken into consideration to calculate the trajectory of the overall market.Get Free PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @Recycle and reuse practices are impacting the sales of virgin materials, resulting into lesser dependency on volume-driven growth. New materials are showcasing potential for driving value-based growth, but chemical companies are still some time away from achieving voluminous production, while maintaining high quality at the same time. Barring few exceptions, a majority of players are still prioritizing short-term volume growth over long-term value growth. Pressure on improving bottom-line is influencing manufacturers to improve efficiency and reduce operational costs. The impact of value-driven growth may not be visible in the short-term, but long-term outlook remains in favor of a balanced approach between value and volume.Manufacturers are under increasing pressure to incorporate digital solutions in their offerings. Forward-thinking manufacturers are investing in technology to reduce human interference and streamline key operational aspects such as ordering and shipping. Resonating its influence over every industry, Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to transform and disrupt the chemical sector. Connectivity through IoT devices is gaining traction, whereas product-level sensors on dispensing equipment and barrels are helping manufacturers track their consignments digitally. Through assessment of long-term benefits, chemical companies are capitalizing on digitization by adopting digital platforms & processes that eliminate human error in profit-associated operations.Manufacturers continue seeking low-priced feedstock in a bid to marginally reduce pre-production costs. Industry leaders are joining forces to replace fossil fuel-derived feedstock with bio-based alternatives. However, concerns related to producing affordable and sustainable feedstock at mass scale remains a challenge. Access to quality and affordable feedstock will continue to remain a focus area for manufacturers. Chemical manufacturing processes are running on limited energy, while volume of feedstock is getting stranded at ports as disapproval from import authorities keeps disrupting supply chains in sectors, such as oleochemicals and petrochemicals industries.Chemical manufacturers have promised support and adherence to governments & regional authorities that are committing towards green, sustainable initiatives. Development of bio-alternatives is gaining momentum. Research & academic institutes are teaming up with manufacturers to formulate sustainable substitutes for commonly-used chemical substrates. Many companies are keeping a close eye on advancements in green chemistry. Shift towards eco-friendly chemicals will gain momentum in the future on the back of government regulations and end-user preference. Rising costs of fossil fuels will also instrument the upsurge for sustainable chemicals manufacturing.List of factors tracked in the Chemicals and Materials Market ReportChemical Industry Value AddChemical SalesPer Capita ConsumptionStandard Capacity FactorsPlastics Consumption OutlookGlass Consumption OutlookPolicies and RegulationsHistorical growth of top playersGrowth in associated marketsNet trade scenarioApparent production capacityResearch MethodologyPMR utilizes robust methodology and approach to arrive at market size and related projections. The research methodology for this report is based on 3 dimensional model. We conduct about 45-60 min duration detailed interviews with product manufacturers; apart from this we also collect market feedback from industry experts. To validate this data, we interact with senior panel members having more than 10 years of experience in relevant field. The panel members help in validating the findings and fill the gaps if any. In addition, we leverage on our existing pool of information, paid database and other valid information sources available in public domain. Usually industry interactions extend to more than 50+ interviews from market participants across the value chain.Data CollectionPMR collects data from secondary sources including company annual reports, association publications, industry presentations, white papers, and company press releases apart from these we leverage over paid database subscriptions and industry magazines to collect market information and developments in exhaustive manner. After being done with desk research, detailed questionnaire and discussion guide is formulated to initiate primary research with key industry personnel; the discussion aims at collecting key insights, growth perspectives, prevalent market trends and quantitative insights including market size and competition developments. Both of these research approaches help us in arriving at base year numbers and market hypothesis.Data ValidationIn this phase, PMR validates the data using macro and micro economic factors. For instance, growth in electricity consumption, industry value added, other industry factors, economic performance, growth of top players and sector performance is closely studied to arrive at precise estimates and refine anomalies if any.Data Analysis and ProjectionData analysis and projections were made based on proprietary research frameworks and statistical analysis, which was further validated from industry participants. These frameworks include Y-o-Y growth projections, macro-economic factor performance, market attractiveness analysis, key financial ratios, and others.For public companies we capture the data from company website, annual reports, investor presentations, paid databases. While for privately held companies, we try to gather information from the paid databases (like Factiva) and based on the information we gather from databases we estimate revenue for the companies. In addition, the team tries to establish primary contact with the companies in order to validate the assumptions or to gather quality inputs.Standard Report StructureExecutive SummaryMarket DefinitionMacro-economic analysisParent Market AnalysisMarket OverviewForecast FactorsSegmental Analysis and ForecastRegional AnalysisCompetition AnalysisTarget AudienceProduction CompaniesSuppliersChannel PartnersMarketing AuthoritiesSubject Matter ExpertsResearch InstitutionsFinancial InstitutionsMarket ConsultantsGovernment AuthoritiesMarket TaxonomyBy End-useConstructionPower & UtilitiesChemicals & ProcessingMiningOthersBy ApplicationFilter MediaProtective CoatingInsulation MaterialOthersMake An Enquiry @By RegionNorth AmericaLAMEAEuropeSEA & other APACChinaJapanResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. Nachiket Ghumare,ResearchMoz,90 State Street, Albany NY, United States,Tel: +1-518-621-2074,USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948,Email: sales@researchmoz.us,Follow me on :
What are the Drivers factors of Hair Transplant Market ; Eminent Players - Allergan Plc, Beiersdorf AG, Bosley, L'Oreal SA, Lumenis Inc, MEDICAMAT, PhotoMedex Inc., Restoration Robotics Inc., Solta Medical, Inc.

Hair Transplant Market

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Hair Transplant Market size is set to exceed USD 24.8 billion by 2024; according to a new research study published by Global Market Insights, Inc.Increasing importance regarding their physical appearance and hair loss among the people in Asia Pacific region will augment the hair transplant market over the forecast period. Although the prevalence of androgenetic alopecia is lower in Asian population as compared to Caucasians, hair loss is a very common phenomenon in the Asia Pacific region. According to epidemiologic data from several different Asian countries, it is estimated that around 41% to 73% of the Asian population develop pattern hair loss at some point of time in their life. With rapidly growing awareness and rate of hair loss problems, the demand for transplant procedures will only rise in near future.Rapid change in peoples lifestyle across the world will lead to increase in adoption rate of hair loss treatment. Increase in sedentary lifestyles and other lifestyles factors such as smoking, improper diet, stress, inadequate amount of sleep, dehydration, consumption of insufficient amount of protein rich food and deficiency of vital vitamins and minerals are responsible for hair loss. These mentioned factors will foster the growth opportunities for hair transplant market.Request sample copy of this report @High cost of the hair loss treatment will be one of the factors responsible for impeding the hair transplant market over the projection years. Also, adverse drug side effects such as rashes and itching of skin will hamper the demand for hair loss treatment, hindering the industry growth.Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) transplant method is anticipated to experience robust growth in foreseeable future, estimated to grow at a CAGR of 29.0% from 2018-2024. Recent technological advancements in neograft device, powered cole isolation device (PCID), powered surgically advanced follicular extraction (SAFE) system and robotic ARTAS system have resulted in minimizing post-surgery complications and increased patient acceptance, propelling the segment growth.Multivitamins product market held significant share in total market value in year 2017, accounted for USD 163.1 million. Increase in consumption of multivitamins in order recuperate from the hair loss procedure and to control the hair fall will boost their demand. Moreover, unhealthy lifestyle and aging in developed economies will lead to vitamin deficiency and hair loss augmenting industry growth.Make Inquiry about this report @Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) transplant therapy market will witness substantial growth, expanding at a robust CAGR of 24.8% over the forecast timeframe. Increasing application of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy in hair loss treatment in order to improve hair regrowth will create ample amount of market growth opportunities in near future.Male hair transplant market segment held maximum marker share with a value of USD 4,166.0 million in 2017. Increase in number of male pattern baldness cases owing to genetic predisposition will be a major factor increasing the adoption of hair transplant procedures in males. It is estimated that about 35 million males in U.S. alone are affected by male pattern baldness owing to aging population and genetics that will lead to segment growth.U.S. hair transplant market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 24.5% over the forecast period. According to The Hair Society, around 35 million male and 21 million females suffer from hair loss problem in the United States. Increase in number of people with hair loss along with recent technological advancement in the field of hair transplant procedure will enhance industry growth.Turkey dominated the Europe hair transplant market with a market value of USD 870.0 million in 2017. Increase in number of people from across the world travelling to Turkey for low-cost hair transplant treatment procedure will boost the country market growth. Around 5000 tourist patients fly from all over the globe to Turkey each month for hair transplant treatment. Also, rising awareness among the population regarding hair loss and physical appearances will further fuel Turkey hair transplant market growth.Prominent industry players include include Allergan Plc, Beiersdorf AG, Bosley, L'Oreal SA, Lumenis Inc, MEDICAMAT, PhotoMedex Inc., Restoration Robotics Inc., Solta Medical, Inc. The industry players use new and innovative strategies such as improving their manufacturing footprint, merger and acquisition, new product launches and geographical expansion for improving their market place.Hair transplant market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue in USD million from 2013 to 2024, for the following segments:Hair Transplant Market by Method Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)Hair Transplant Market by Product Gel Serum Drugso Finasterideo Minoxidilo Others Multivitamins OthersHair Transplant Market by Therapy Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Stem Cell Therapy Laser Therapy OthersHair Transplant Market by Gender Male FemaleHair Transplant Market by Service Provider Hospitals Clinics Surgical centers OthersThe above information is provided for the following regions/countries: North Americao U.S.o Canada Europeo Germanyo UKo Franceo Spaino Italyo Turkey Asia Pacifico Chinao Indiao Japano Australia Latin Americao Brazilo Mexicoo Argentina Middle East and Africao South Africao Saudi Arabiao UAEGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comBlog :
Subcutaneous Injection Ports Market Expected to Witness a Significant Growth Over the Forecast Period 2018 and 2026 // Medtronic MiniMed, Inc., Applied Medical Technology Ltd

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Subcutaneous injection ports have witnessed significant momentum, owing to their key benefits such as reducing the number of needle sticks required in blood samples, nutrition, fluids, and medication. Subcutaneous injection ports have also witnessed increased acceptance among healthcare professionals as they ebb the irritation in blood vessels caused by some medicines.Request TOC of this Report-With long-term risk being relatively lower in use of subcutaneous injection ports as compared to other venous catheters, along with lower requirement for maintenance and care has been driving demand for Subcutaneous Injection Ports Market. Healthcare professionals have been focusing on the evaluation of an entirely implanted system that comprises subcutaneous injection port attached to silicone elastomer-based central venous catheter.Subcutaneous injection ports have also been deemed successful, devoid of flushing between uses, irreversible catheter occlusion, and system-related infections. The subcutaneous injection ports are likely to replace central venous catheters, based on both maintenance requirement between uses and patient acceptance. However, risks involved with surgery and anesthesia during insertion that include blood clots, nerve injury, and puncture of blood vessel continue to remain a key challenge to be addressed in use of subcutaneous injection ports.Key medical device manufacturers are focusing on the development of discreet subcutaneous injection ports, which feature an inserter for patients using syringes or pens for administering multiple injections daily. Such discreet subcutaneous injection ports are likely to be suitable for both adult as well as pediatric use, thereby gaining market acceptance and driving growth of the subcutaneous injection ports market.Subcutaneous injection is considered a standard method for the delivery of medication into a patients body. To facilitate subcutaneous injection, subcutaneous injection ports are used. Subcutaneous injection ports are sterile medication delivery device. Subcutaneous injection ports consists of a silicone injection membrane on a hard base. Through subcutaneous injection port physician prescribed medications can be directly injected into the subcutaneous tissue using a standard needle and syringe, an injection pen, or other manual injection device. Subcutaneous injection port is a device that cannot be used with an injection pump. Furthermore, subcutaneous injection ports are also used for multiple subcutaneous injections for a period of up to 72 hours. Subcutaneous injection port avoids the repeated needle punctures of the skin. This device is widely used for patients who require prolonged central venous access. A subcutaneous injection port is generally a disposable device usually inserted into the skin for a period of up to 5 days. Insulin is injected through a syringe into subcutaneous injection port. Medicines are directly injected through the resealable septum at the top of the device. The needle of the syringe is placed above the surface of the skin whereas the medication is delivered through the soft cannula. A subcutaneous injection port consists of a build in inserter, which give users a virtually painless application. A subcutaneous injection port is usually used with an intrathecal or epidural catheter. Subcutaneous injection ports have low infection rate, but require suitable expertise for their insertion.To know more about the Subcutaneous Injection Ports Market Visit the link-The global subcutaneous injection ports market is expected to witness a significant growth over the forecast period due to rising prevalence of cancer and diabetes across the globe. Increasing investment of manufacturers in the development of subcutaneous injection port is further driving the growth of the global subcutaneous injection ports market. Furthermore, over the past decade, more patient-friendly devices have enhanced the demand for subcutaneous injection ports. However, lack of focus on health expenditure, declining reimbursements and others factors are the hindrance of the global subcutaneous injection ports market.On the basis of geography, the global subcutaneous injection ports market is segmented into six key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific excluding China, China and the Middle East & Africa. North America will continue to dominate the global subcutaneous injection ports market due to the availability of advanced technologies. Europe is expected to hold the second large market share in the global subcutaneous injection ports market. Asia Pacific is also one of the fast-growing regions in the global subcutaneous injection ports market due to high incidence of diabetes in low-income countries. Moreover, the Middle East and Africa and Latin America are expected to show slow growth in the global subcutaneous injection ports market due to delayed introduction of the product in these regions.Request Brochure of this Report-About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market insights reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Read Industry News at -
Stamford, CT, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tourmaline Partners, LLC, one of the world's leading outsourced trading solutions firms, today announced the hires of two senior professionals, spurred by continued growth in Australia and Asia. Matt McShane has joined as Director of Operations for Asia, while Simon Twiss has joined as Director of Pan-Asia Trading.



Since opening its Asia-Pacific office in Sydney in January 2018, Tourmaline has seen increasing demand for its services. This growth has been driven in part by the global shift toward unbundling of trading commissions from research, and locally by the Hayne Royal Commission, which has created opportunity for firms that provide un-conflicted, unbiased, highly transparent professional services to the superannuation and investment industries.



McShane and Twiss bring skill sets that will prove instrumental in supporting Tourmalines growth. McShane has spent nearly 25 years in the financial services industry, gathering extensive experience in the operations and fund administration space. He most recently served as Head of Operations for Australian Philanthropic Services, and before that spent stints as Head of Operations at White Outsourcing, Ausbil Investment Management, Nikko Asset Management and Arnhem Investment Management.



Twiss has spent the past two decades in trading roles involving various asset classes. Before joining Tourmaline, he was a Partner at Arnhem Investment Management, where he led all trading efforts and worked closely with portfolio managers and analysts to generate alpha across a wide variety of portfolios. Prior to that he held roles at GLG Management and E-Trade Australia.



Matt and Simon are great additions to our deeply experienced Australia team, and will be vital to our ongoing mission to provide top-flight solutions for our clients trading in the Asia-Pacific region, said James Santo, Managing Director at Tourmaline in Sydney. Matts long career in operations and Simons experience executing complex trading strategies in both developed and emerging markets are qualities that will prove invaluable to our clients.



While demand for outsourced trading solutions has grown across the spectrum of buy-side entities, Tourmaline has seen a particular interest from superannuation funds as the move toward internalizing portfolio management evolves. These funds are finding that outsourcing certain aspects of their trading affords them measurable benefits of scale and global reach that would otherwise require significant investment and effort to replicate without necessarily delivering the same benefits. At the same time, outsourced trading firms help navigate the evolving regulatory environment for trading globally.



The growth weve seen in Australia and Asia has been driven by local issues as well as global demand for more transparency, said Aaron Hantman, Tourmaline's Chief Executive Officer. The world is changing, and developments like MiFID II in Europe, or increased internalisation by superannuation funds in Australia and asset owners in the U.S., are emblematic of a growing need for the kind of specialization that we provide.



Tourmaline Partners provides solutions and expertise to over 300 institutional investment clients ranging from emerging hedge funds to multi-billion-dollar asset managers. Tourmalines Sydney office spearheads trading across the Asia-Pacific region, obviating the need for U.S. and European firms to operate a dedicated Asia desk, or route orders through New York or other financial centres.



About TourmalineTourmaline Partners is one of the worlds leading outsourced trading solutions firms, providing tailor-made services to hedge funds and asset managers of all sizes, pairing clients trading needs with our expertise. Through continuous investment in technology and human capital, a singular focus on trading, and non-competitive relationships with 350+ global brokers, Tourmaline provides clients with access to unparalleled liquidity, market intelligence and customized workflows for defining, measuring and achieving best execution.



Tourmaline Partners, LLC is registered with the SEC and FINRA. Tourmaline Europe LLP is a wholly owned subsidiary authorized and regulated by the FCA.
New study on Campaign Management Platforms Market to Perceive Substantial Growth by 2023| Leadtosale, Netcore Solution, Monday, Zoho

Campaign Management Platforms Market

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The restrictive research report on the Global Campaign Management Platforms Market 2019 analyzes the market in detail alongside concentrating on huge market elements for the key players working in the market. Global Campaign Management Platforms industry examine report offers granulated yet inside and out examination of income share, market sections, income gauges and different Regions over the globe.Global Campaign Management Platforms Market Overview:The report spread crosswise over 125 pages is an outline of the Global Campaign Management Platforms Market Report 2019. The Global Campaign Management Platforms Market is anticipated to develop at a solid development rate from 2019 to 2023 as per new research. The investigation centers on market patterns driving players, inventory network patterns, mechanical advancements, key improvements, and future procedures.Accessible Exclusive Sample Copy of this Report @Top Industry News: The Specialty in Campaign Management Platforms for Services Company, NETCORE SOLUTION shut its monetary year with a solid outcome. Recently, NETCORE SOLUTION reported Netcore Solutions, a global marketing technology company, today announced that Kotak Securities has achieved a 25% rise in its email open rates and lead conversions in customer engagement by using Netcores Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engine Raman. This achievement is yet another case of successful use of futuristic technologies such as AI and ML (Machine Learning) by brands seeking to grow their digital marketing Return on Investments (ROI).The Global Campaign Management Platforms Market report additionally covers segment information, including Product Type segment, Application: Industry segment, End User, Channel segment.According to Campaign Management Platforms Market Report Analysis, As the Campaign Management Platforms continues to add new social and digital channels; top players in this market find new methods and strategies for enhanced customer engagement techniques. The growing age of digital marketing has led to crucial reforms in traditional marketing practices. Companies have found it necessary to run huge promotional campaigns to control the mindshare of the customers. The global operations of the companies have urged for an advanced Campaign Management Platforms solution to provide the companies with valuable insights from customer information and strategize new ways of customer engagement for retention and acquisition of valuable customers. Campaign Management Platforms solutions build new-age communication links with customers over various channels such as emails, SMS, web, blogs, social media, mobile apps and others. The MCM market is soon expected to pick up rapid pace of expansion throughout the globe.According on regions, APAC region is expected to witness the highest incremental growth followed by the Americas. In terms of demand for Campaign Management Platforms in the market, Campaign Management Platforms has high penetration among British supermarket/hypermarket chains.Top Leading Key Manufacturers are: Leadtosale, Netcore Solution, Monday, Zoho, Autopilot, Wrike, Bitrix and more.This investigation answers to the underneath key inquiries:1 What will the market size be in 2023?2 What are the key factors driving the global Campaign Management Platforms market?3 What are the challenges to market growth?4 Who are the key players in the Campaign Management Platforms market?5 What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key players?Global Campaign Management Platforms market 2019-2023: From crude materials to downstream purchasers of this industry will be investigated logically, the component of item course and deals channel will be exhibited also. In a word, this report will assist you with establishing a display of mechanical improvement and attributes of the Campaign Management Platforms market.Snatch your report @Significant points in table of contents: Market Definition, Market Overview, Business Introduction, Segmentation (Region Level), Segmentation (Type Level), Segmentation (Industry Level), Segmentation (Channel Level), Market Forecast Year, Segmentation Type, Segmentation Industry, Market Cost Analysis, and Conclusion.About usBusinessindustryreports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined  we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media contactBusiness industry reportspune  indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940
By 2025, Threat Intelligence Market in APAC to grow at 17% gains| by Key Vendors: Secureworks, Sophos, Accenture, Anomali, IBM, IntSights Kaspersky Lab, McAfee LLC, Oracle, Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint, Recorded Future

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The exponential growth graph depicted by the global threat intelligence market in the recent years can undoubtedly be credited to the massive surge in the number of connected endpoints. Presently, there are more than 3 billion end-users across the world that are connected to the Internet, while connected-devices are anticipated to surpass the 50 billion mark by year 2020. Having understood the dependency of these endpoints on the Internet to be able to interact with each other, cybercriminals have been exploiting the reliance to obtain an unauthorized access to the connected endpoint devices to undertake numerous malicious activities.Request for a sample of this research report @.Threat intelligence market | Impact of rising mobile cyberattacksThe global threat intelligence market is expected to amass substantial returns from mobile-based solutions, due to the exponential rate at which cases of mobile cyberattacks & mobile frauds are growing. According to a 2018 report by ThreatMetrix, the first two quarters of 2018 witnessed the cases of mobile attacks across the globe reach the 150 million mark with attack rates growing 24% year-over-year. While the growing penetration of mobile devices has undoubtedly been a crucial factor in the rise of digital commerce, the trend has also proved to be extremely conducive for numerous malicious entities to carry out fraudulent activities.Moreover, other growing trends such as Choose Your Own Device (CYOD) & Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) being adopted across a number of enterprises, while facilitating greater convenience, are creating more vulnerabilities in the organization networks. Fueled by these trends the global threat intelligence market share from mobile-based solutions will grow at a CAGR of more than 18% over 2019-2025.Threat intelligence market | Impact of the growing healthcare cyberattacksAs the global healthcare sector goes through a digital transformation, wherein it is adopting new technologies to enhance the level of patient care & medical treatments while continuing to facilitate patients with life-critical services, the vulnerabilities that are being created or exposed by this transformation phase are being treated as opportunities by criminal & malicious entities for their own personal gain. According to the Center for Internet Security, these threats range anywhere between malwares, that are designed to compromise the privacy of the patients & the integrity of the systems, to Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, that are designed to hamper a facilitys ability of providing proper patient care. While these issues plague other industrial & infrastructural sectors as well, the ramifications of a cyberattack on a healthcare facility go far beyond financial losses & privacy breaches.Make an inquiry for buying this report @According to the Southern Medical Association, as cyberattacks continue to proliferate, the global healthcare industry remains a primary target. In fact, 2017 witnessed the most successful data breaches in history, bringing legal consequences & detrimental financial losses to the victims and costing organizations more than $5 billion in accumulated financial losses & estimated total payouts. As healthcare organizations store a copious amount of information associated with their patients, cyberattacks, aiming to gain access to these data reserves, would be continuing to occur in the sector, generating significant opportunities for the threat intelligence market contenders. Indeed, the global threat intelligence market is projected to witness a CAGR of 13% over 2019-2025 from the healthcare industry.Threat intelligence market | Impact of increasing cyberattacks on Government InstitutionsAs with other sectors, the worlds government institutions are also making their transition to the digital world, leaving their conventional pen & paper practices behind for higher operating efficiencies. This trend has provided cyber-criminals an ideal opportunity, wherein they target specific government institutions for their own financial or idealistic gains. One recent instance of this is the cyberattack that targeted the local government of Atlanta, USA. According to the American Bar Association, the entire city of Atlanta was trapped in a hostage situation, wherein the citys digital infrastructure was taken over by a powerful ransomware.The criminals disabled internet access, encrypted the files stored on the system and demanded an upfront Bitcoin payment in exchange for the decryption key that restored access to these files. According to federal authorities, the ransomware attack caused losses of more than $30 million and could cost taxpayers & the city more than $17 million to completely recover from the damages caused.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis: Accenture Anomali Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Cisco Systems, Inc. Crowdstrike, Inc. Digital Shadows Ltd. FireEye, Inc. Flashpoint Group-IB IBM Corporation IntSights Kaspersky Lab McAfee LLC Oracle Corporation Palo Alto Networks, Inc. Proofpoint Recorded Future, Inc. Secureworks, Inc. (Dell) Sophos Ltd. Symantec Corporation ThreatQuotient, Inc. TrendMicro Inc.Browse Full Report:Attributing to these three determinants, it is unmistakably clear, that the global threat intelligence market would be witnessing tremendous growth in the years to come. In fact, according to a report by Global Market Insights, Inc., the overall threat intelligence market size is slated to surpass the $13 billion renumeration mark by 2025.Browse Related Report:Video Conferencing Market Size By Component (Hardware [Multipoint Control Unit (MCU), Codecs, Peripheral Devices], Software [On-premise, Cloud], Service [Professional, Managed]), By Type (Room-Based, Telepresence, Desktop), By Application (Corporate Enterprise, Education, Government, Healthcare), Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia & New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa), Growth Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018  2024About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Hydraulic Hose Market Estimated to Soar Higher During 2018 to 2027 | Key Players are Parker Hannifin Corporation, Alfagomma Spa, Eaton Corporation, etc.

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In order to dissert the market scenario prevailing across the hydraulic hose market sector, Fact.MR has evenly presented a new examination titled Hydraulic Hose Market Estimated to Soar Higher During 2018 to 2027 | Key Players are Parker Hannifin Corporation, Alfagomma Spa, Eaton Corporation, etc., to its extensive online repository. With all vital market facets enclosed into this single assessment, readers can learn about different market drivers, opportunities and trends which are likely to influence the overall market space for the hydraulic hose market in the coming years. In addition, factors such as market size, Y-o-Y growth and revenue share are investigated so as to make this research highly authentic and reliable.Appeal/Demand for Sample Report -The global market for hydraulic hose was valued at US$ 9.8 Bn in 2017. The market is forecast to expand at a CAGR of 5.23% by value during the forecast period, 2018-2027. Hydraulic hose is the replacement of the rigid pipes specially designed to transfer fluid to or among different hydraulic components such as actuators, valves, and tools. The industrial hydraulic system usually operates at high pressure, and therefore, the hydraulic hose is often reinforced with several construction layers and are flexible. The important parameters such as dimension, construction options, performance specifications, and features are required for the hydraulic hose to use in different end-use industry. The dimensional parameters important for hydraulic hose selection are outside and inside diameters and minimum bend radius.The growth of the evergreen agriculture industry which is replacing traditional to mechanized agriculture processes is likely to create a growth opportunity for the hydraulic hose market. The hydraulic hose is widely used for various agriculture purposes mainly irrigation equipment. The modernization in agriculture equipment and requirement of hydraulic hose in the agriculture industry is expected to grow in the near future. The agriculture industry growth in countries such as the US, China, India, and Australia with a significant pace is likely to drive the growth of the hydraulic hose market in the forecast period.The requirement of hydraulic hose for high-pressure hydraulic oil lines in agriculture, machine tool and construction industry is likely to contribute to the growth of the market.In the mining industry, the hydraulic hose is used in different equipment such as dozers, hydraulic shovel, scrappers, drill rigs, haul trucks, hydraulic shovels, and water trucks. The hydraulic hose provides the required working pressure to different machines. The hydraulic hose is used for both surface mining and under growing mining processes. The growing mining industry is anticipated to contribute to the significant growth of the hydraulic hose market.For Additional Insights Click to Access Complete Report -The main application of the hydraulic hose is to surge pressure as required according to the work conditions. The hydraulic hose is used by hydraulic machines to create low-speed torque and maintain speed and movement of the machines. Hydraulic hoses are used for different purposes including the reduction in the effects of vibration or providing the movement gap between two port locations. Moreover, the hydraulic hose can also be used for ease of installation or availability of hose manufacturing equipment.The growing construction industry equipment also inclines for the use of hydraulic hose in machines such as bulldozers, backhoes, wheel loader, and excavators and others. The demand for the hydraulic hose is estimated to grow at a substantial rate from the construction industry owing to the requirement of high operating pressure and maximum abrasion resistance to the equipment. Moreover, the demand driven from the other end-use industries such as transportation industry is likely to boost the market growth in the forecast period.North America is estimated to account for considerable value share in the global hydraulic hose market in the year 2017, and the market share (US $) is anticipated to get near about one and half times during the forecast period, 2018-2027. The continent is steered by the maximum production of hydraulic hose and will continue to demand maximum for hydraulic hose. Moreover, the growth of construction and agriculture industry in the APEJ region is likely to boost the overall market. A market value gets almost double in 2027 makes the Asia Pacific the behemoth in the hydraulic hose market across the globeAmong the different end-use application industry of the Hydraulic Hose market agriculture industry end use application have quite more share than the construction and mining end use application which is probably growing with modest growth rate during the forecast period, however transportation industry shows considerable growth rate over the forecast period in hydraulic hose market by the end of 2027.Ask Any Query to Our Experts from Here -About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400, Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:
Booming Growth in Hydrocarbon Analysis Software Market Analysis by 2023 | Shimadzu, PAC, Separation Systems, Agilent Technologies, AccuStandard

Hydrocarbon Analysis Software Market

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The Global Hydrocarbon Analysis Software Market 2019 report gives the freshest business information and industry future patterns, enabling you to recognize the items and end clients driving Revenue development and benefit. The business report records the main rivals and gives the experiences key industry Analysis of the key components affecting the market.Global Hydrocarbon Analysis Software Market Overview:The report spread crosswise over 125 pages is an outline of the Global Hydrocarbon Analysis Software Market Report 2019. The Global Hydrocarbon Analysis Software Market is anticipated to develop at a solid development rate from 2019 to 2023 as per new research. The investigation centers on market patterns driving players, inventory network patterns, mechanical advancements, key improvements, and future procedures.Accessible Exclusive Sample Copy of this Report @Top Industry News: The Specialty in Hydrocarbon Analysis Software for Services Company, SHIMADZU shut its monetary year with a solid outcome. Recently, SHIMADZU reported Shimadzu Corporation has released the iSpect DIA-10 system, a dynamic particle image analysis system that automatically measures the size, shape and number concentration of particles by imaging particles in liquid samples. It completes the process in as little as two minutes by imaging particles at high magnification in a liquid sample flowing through the flow path. With this release, Shimadzu has unequivocally entered the market for particle image analysis.The Global Hydrocarbon Analysis Software Market report additionally covers segment information, including Product Type segment, Application: Industry segment, End User, Channel segment.According to the Hydrocarbon Analysis Software Market Product Type can be segmented into On-premises and Cloud-Based. Cloud-based hydrocarbons accounting solution is estimated to dominate the market and is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. Deployment of cloud-based hydrocarbons accounting software reduces the requirement of trained IT personal team because of 24*7 full technical support from the solution providers is the main force driving the growth of cloud-based hydrocarbons accounting software market.According on regions, MEA is expected to be the dominant market followed by North America because most of the petroleum companies of the world are present in these two regions.Top Leading Key Manufacturers are: Shimadzu, PAC, Separation Systems Inc., Agilent Technologies, AccuStandard and more.This investigation answers to the underneath key inquiries:1 What is the present size of the Hydrocarbon Analysis Software market in the world and in various nations?2 How is the Hydrocarbon Analysis Software market partitioned into various item segments?3 How are the general market and distinctive item segments developing?4 How is the market anticipated to create later on?Global Hydrocarbon Analysis Software market 2019-2023: From crude materials to downstream purchasers of this industry will be investigated logically, the component of item course and deals channel will be exhibited also. In a word, this report will assist you with establishing a display of mechanical improvement and attributes of the Hydrocarbon Analysis Software market.Snatch your report @Significant points in table of contents: Market Definition, Market Overview, Business Introduction, Segmentation (Region Level), Segmentation (Type Level), Segmentation (Industry Level), Segmentation (Channel Level), Market Forecast Year, Segmentation Type, Segmentation Industry, Market Cost Analysis, and Conclusion.About usBusinessindustryreports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined  we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media contactBusiness industry reportspune  indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940
Population Health Management Market Size with Growing at a CAGR of 24.8% and Forecast to 2025 | by Players Cerner Corporation, Mckesson Corporation, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Healthagen, LLC, Optumhealth

Population Health Management Market, Population Health Management Market Outlook, Population Health Management Market Size, Popula

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New Statistical Research for Population Health Management Market Size with Growing at a CAGR of 24.8% and Forecast to 2025 | by Players Cerner Corporation, Mckesson Corporation, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Healthagen, LLC, OptumhealthPopulation Health Management Market was valued at USD 13.79 billion in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 24.8 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 24.8% from 2016 to 2025. The Population Health Management market research report displays the latest industry insights with future trends and analysis of the products and services, enabling you to deeply penetrate the market with high profitability. It also makes you aware of the leading competitors influencing the Population Health Management market along with the key factors to help you sustain your products or services with better forecast of demand and growth opportunities.Request a sample PDF of Population Health Management Market Research Report 2019 @Points Covered in The Population Health Management Research Report:The points that are discussed within the report are the major Population Health Management market players that are involved in the market such as manufacturers, raw material suppliers, equipment suppliers, end users, traders, distributors and etc.The complete profile of the companies is mentioned. And the capacity, production, price, revenue, cost, gross, gross margin, sales volume, sales revenue, consumption, growth rate, import, export, supply, future strategies, and the technological developments that they are making are also included within the report. The historical data from 2012 to 2018 and forecast data from 2019 to 2025.The growth factors of the market is discussed in detail wherein the different end users of the market are explained in detail.Data and information by manufacturer, by region, by type, by application and etc, and custom research can be added according to specific requirements.The report contains the SWOT analysis of the Population Health Management market. Finally, the report contains the conclusion part where the opinions of the industrial experts are included. By Top manufacturers/players:1. Cerner Corporation2. Mckesson Corporation3. Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc.4. Healthagen, LLC (A Division of Aetna, Inc.)5. Optumhealth (Unitedhealth Group, Inc.)6. IBM Corporation7. Epic Corporation, Inc.8. Conifer Health Solutions, LLC9. Health Catalyst, LLC10. WeLLCentive, Inc. (A Subsidiary of Royal Philips)Market Drivers:1.1 Influence of Affordable Care act in the U.S.1.2 Government Support for adoption of HCIT1.3 Rising Population and chronic diseases cases1.4 Need for affordable treatment1.5 Increased Awareness regarding IT facilities2. Market Restraints2.1 Lack of IT professionals2.2 Lack of trust regarding breach of patient information Market Segmentation:1. By Component:2. by End User:3. By Mode of Delivery:4. By Region:Population Health Management Market Research Report 2019 For any Inquire before buying @ Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth 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)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you required.The Population Health Management research report completely covers the vital statistics of the capacity, production, value, cost/profit, supply/demand import/export, further divided by company and country, and by application/type for best possible updated data representation in the figures, tables, pie chart, and graphs. The statistical analysis, the report depicts the global total market of Population Health Management Industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis.Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the Population Health Management market and have comprehensive understanding of the global market and its commercial landscape. Assess the production processes, major issues, and solutions to mitigate the development risk. To understand the most affecting driving and restraining forces in the market and its impact in the global Population Health Management market. Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by leading respective organizations. To understand the future outlook and prospects for the Population Health Management market. Besides the standard structure reports, we also provide custom research according to specific requirements.Request for Discount@Key questions answered in this report What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?About Us:Worldwide Market Reports is your one-stop repository of detailed and in-depth market research reports compiled by an extensive list of publishers from across the globe. We offer reports across virtually all domains and an exhaustive list of sub-domains under the sun. The in-depth market analysis by some of the most vastly experienced analysts provide our diverse range of clients from across all industries with vital decision making insights to plan and align their market strategies in line with current market trends. Worldwide Market Researchs well-researched inputs that encompass domains ranging from IT to healthcare enable our prized clients to capitalize upon key growth opportunities and shield against credible threats prevalent in the market in the current scenario and those expected in the near future.Mr. ShahWorldwide Market ReportsTel: +1 415 871 0703Email: sales@worldwidemarketreports.com
Peyronies Disease Treatment Market it is Creating Real Change in the Healthcare Industry

Peyronies Disease Treatment

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Peyronie's disease (PD) is condition wherein the penis is curved or bent due to development of plaque or a fibrous scar tissue inside the penis. This condition can cause painful erections and the penis gets bent while it is erected. The bent is towards the side where plaque is being formed i.e. either downwards or upwards. The condition is identified by a major bend or pain. In a few people Peyronie's disease may go away on its own. However, in most cases it may remain stable or worsen. Hence, it is advisable to visit an urologist to avoid consequences in future. Treatment may be needed if the curvature prevents successful sexual intercourse.Peyronies disease is a rare condition observed in about 6 out of 100 men in the age group of 40 to 70 years. Moreover, the Urology Care Foundation also estimates that the number of people affected by this condition can be higher than this as many men are embarrassed and do not see their healthcare provider. It is mostly at times when the men visit the healthcare practitioner for erectile dysfunction treatment and the healthcare practitioner may notice Peyronies disease. Lack of awareness among patients has resulted in under reporting of this condition.Request For Sample Copy:Peyronie's Disease Treatment OptionsThe exact cause of plaque formation is not known. Hence, treatment is done with the available research and knowledge of plaque formation. There are various treatment options followed for Peyronie disease basis on which the market is analyzed. These include drugs, surgery and devices. The drugs market can be analyzed based on the administration route i.e. oral and injectable. Drugs prescribe through oral route include Vitamin E, Potassium amino-benzoate ("Potaba"), Tamoxifen, Colchicine, and Carnitine. Similarly, the injectable drugs include Verapamil, Interferon, and Collagenase. Use of oral drugs is limited as none of the studies conducted so far for Peyroniees disease have shown positive results of these drugs over the placebo.On the other hand injectables show some positive outcomes over placebo. However, more studies are required to establish the efficacy. Studies with collagenase have shown positive outcomes for its use in Peyronie's disease. Therefore, Xiaflex (Collagenase clostridium histolyticum) from BioSpecifics Technologies Corporation is the only FDA approved product indicated for Peyronie's disease in adult men. Approved in 2013, Xiaflex is marketed in the U.S. by Endo International plc. In Europe, Collagenase clostridium histolyticum is available by the brand name Xiapex.A penile prosthetic device is another good treatment option for Peyronie's disease and moderate-to-severe ED. This device helps straighten the penis. Surgical procedure on the other hand involves grafting the space being emptied on removal of the plaque.With Xiaflex the only FDA approved product for this disease, Endo dominates the marketThe market is dominated by a single player, Endo International plc who sells the only FDA approved Peyronies disease product. In May 2015, the American Urological Association presented the first ever treatment guidelines for Peyronies disease recommending the use of Xiaflex. Furthermore, the company is creating awareness through its Ask About the Curve campaign. Also, reimbursement from the U.S. insurance providers will boost the demand for this product. The product is estimated to generate USD 100 million in revenue for Peyronies disease by 2018. In Japan, BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. has granted Asahi Kasei Pharma the rights to develop and market XIAFLEX in Japan for Peyronie's disease. Further, the company is also partnering with global companies in Canada, Europe, Mexico, and Brazil for commercializing XIAFLEX for PD.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
Dermal Regeneration Template Market Overview, SWOT Analysis And 2025 Forecast For Global Regions

Dermal Regeneration Template

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Dermal regeneration template is a two-layered skin regeneration system. The outer layer of dermal regeneration template is made of thin silicone film act as the epidermis of skin. The outer layer of dermal regeneration template helps in protecting wound from infection and controls in loss of both heat and moisture. The outer collagen Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) thermal layer functions as a biodegradable template that helps in regeneration of dermal tissue neodermis by the body. The inner layer of dermal regeneration template is made of complex matrix of cross-linked fibers. The porous material of the template helps in regeneration of skin. The cross-linked fiber material of dermal regeneration template acts a scaffold for the re-growth of skin layer. Once the dermal skin layer is regenerated the outer layer of template is removed and is replaced with a thin epidermal skin graft.This procedure leaves the wound to a flexible, growing and allows permanent regeneration of skin. It allows faster healing of wound with minimum scarring. Using dermal regeneration template allows immediate wound closure without risking any loss of donor material. In 2005, Integra LifeSciences received FDA approval for its INTEGRA Dermal Regeneration Template as a treatment for life-threatening burn injuries and reconstructive surgery for the repair of scars when other therapies fail. Recently, In January 2016, Integra LifeSciences received FDA approval for treatment of Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFU) with dermal regeneration template. The application of this template is typically completed in two operative sessions involving the product applied to the excision sites and the second procedure performed 3 to 6 weeks after the placement of product to remove silicone layer and for an epidermal autograft applied to the neodermis.Request For Sample Copy:Global Dermal Regeneration Template Market TaxonomyThe global market is classified on the basis of following segments:Indication Type:Burn InjuriesChronic Diabetic Foot UlcersTrauma InjuriesOthersEnd Users:HospitalAmbulatory Surgical CentersEmergency Care UnitsOthersFuture Market Outlook for Dermal Regeneration Template MarketThe global dermal regeneration template market is expected to witness significant growth due to increase in incidence of burn injuries and prevalence of diabetes globally. As per the report of WHO in 2016, burns result in around 265,000 deaths every year. Low income and middle income countries contribute majority to the total number of burns every year. In India alone, over 1,000,000 people suffer from moderate to severe burns each year. In Bangladesh, Egypt, Columbia and Pakistan, around 17% of children with burn have temporary disability where as 18% have permanent disability. The increasing cases of burns and awareness among the population of low and middle income countries provides opportunity for dermal regeneration template industry. The growing concern with burning cases and governments initiatives to grow awareness among patients related to burn treatment through campaigns and national burn Awareness week to act as a fuel to the growth of dermal regeneration template market.In 2010, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services initiated medical countermeasures (MCMs) program, aimed to improve burn treatment for mass causality. The increasing research fund and grants associated for burn research is creating opportunity for dermal regeneration template manufacturers to come up with products with more innovations. American burn association (ABA) is one of such organization of the U.S. that offers awards, grants and fellowship opportunities to practitioners for education, prevention and rehabilitation of burn. The growing usage of skin grafts and skin replacement substitutes are expected to act as a restrain to the global dermal regeneration market. Dermal regeneration template usage in chemical, radiation or electrical burns are limited and can only be used after thorough evaluation by surgeon. The product can be only used in excision therapy and are contraindicated for infectional wounds. Their limitation for incision use and usage in chemical and radiation is expected to hamper the overall growth. North America, Europe and Asia Pacific contribute major revenue to the overall market. Asia Pacific is expected to grow with high CAGR as compared to other region.Market PlayerThe global dermal regeneration template market has only one FDA approved product from Integra LifeScience. The growing research related to innovation in material and design is expected to penetrate many companies in the market. In 2016, a research funded by Welcome Trust described a novel approach to increase the thickness of elastic- layered fiber for geriatric patients and created a hybrid of Integra dermal regeneration template.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
What's driving the Aqua Feed Market growth? Key Players are: CP Group, Grobest, Tongwei Group, Cargill, New Hope Group, Uni-President Vietnam, Proconco, Guangdong Haid Group, Nutreco and GreenFeed

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The latest trending report on global Automotive Instrument Cluster market research offered by Market Study Report is an informative study covering the market with detailed analysis, the report will assist reader with better understanding and decision making.Automotive Instrument Cluster is the array of gauges and warning lights directly in front when operating a car. Since the beginning of the 20th century, automotive instrument cluster has been a standard equipment of a car.The automotive instrument cluster industry is relatively concentrated, the production of top ten manufacturers account nearly about 85% of global production. The high-end products mainly come from Europe and North America.Request a sample Report of Automotive Instrument Cluster Market at:In the world wide, the plants of major manufactures mainly distribute in Europe and China, transnational companies, like Continental, Visteon and Denso, are the leading manufactures in the world. As to China, Feilo has become the leader of China domestic manufactures.China is also the largest consumer of automotive instrument cluster. In 2015, the consumption of automotive instrument cluster is about 26700 K Units in China; its proportion of total global consumption exceeds 27%. India has witnessed a major chunk of the consumption of automotive instrument cluster in the South Asia region.The import and export business of this industry is not very frequent. The main reason lies in that the automotive instrument cluster manufactures build factories in the main consumption countries.According to this study, over the next five years the Automotive Instrument Cluster market will register a 6.0% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach US$ 11700 million by 2024, from US$ 8230 million in 2019. In particular, this report presents the global market share (sales and revenue) of key companies in Automotive Instrument Cluster business.Enumerating a brief coverage of the Automotive Instrument Cluster market research study:Pointers covered in the report with reference to the regional expanse of the Automotive Instrument Cluster marketWith regards to the regional spectrum, the Automotive Instrument Cluster market is segmented into USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, South East Asia.The product consumption models across all these geographies, in consort with the remuneration held by each of these places as well as the market share that every region accounts for in the Automotive Instrument Cluster market, have all been elucidated in the report in excruciating detail.The Automotive Instrument Cluster report enlists information regarding the consumption market share across the many geographies as well as the product consumption growth rate.The geographical consumption rate with regards to the products and the corresponding applications segments is also provided.Pointers covered in the report with reference to the segmentation of the Automotive Instrument Cluster marketThe Automotive Instrument Cluster market, with respect to the product type, is segregated into Hybrid Cluster, Analog Cluster and Digital Cluster. The report comprises details regarding the market share that each product holds as well as the forecast remuneration of the product segment.The research report includes details regarding the consumption (valuation and growth rate) of each product and the sales prices as well.In terms of the application scope, the overall Automotive Instrument Cluster market is segmented into Passenger Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle. The market share which each application segment is accountable for and the forecast valuation of every application segment by the end of the projected duration have also been included in the study.Ask for Discount on Automotive Instrument Cluster Market Report at:Pointers covered in the report with reference to the drivers & challenges of the Automotive Instrument Cluster marketThe report enumerates information regarding the driving forces impacting the commercialization scope of the Automotive Instrument Cluster market and their influence on the revenue graph of this industry sphere.The study includes details about the latest trends defining the Automotive Instrument Cluster market in conjunction with the challenges which this industry is likely to present in the future.Pointers covered in the report with reference to the competitive scope of the Automotive Instrument Cluster marketThe report enumerates a brief outline of the manufacturer base of the Automotive Instrument Cluster market, which essentially comprises firms such as Continental, Visteon, Denso, Nippon Seiki, Magneti Marelli, Yazaki, Delphi, Bosch, Calsonic Kansei and Feilo, in tandem with a slew of parameters like distribution and sales area.Information pertaining to each vendor such as company profile, company overview, as well as the products manufactured in the Automotive Instrument Cluster market have been enumerated.Information about the price patterns, revenue accrued, profit margins, as well as product sales have been enlisted in the report.The Automotive Instrument Cluster market report includes information about other pointers such as the market concentration ratio  encompassing the CR5, CR3, and CR10 classes, over the projected timeline.For More Details On this Report:Some of the Major Highlights of TOC covers:1 Scope of the Report1.1 Market Introduction1.2 Research Objectives1.3 Years Considered1.4 Market Research Methodology1.5 Economic Indicators1.6 Currency Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 World Market Overview2.1.1 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption 2014-20242.1.2 Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption CAGR by Region2.2 Automotive Instrument Cluster Segment by Type2.2.1 Hybrid Cluster2.2.2 Analog Cluster2.2.3 Digital Cluster2.3 Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Type2.3.1 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption Market Share by Type (2014-2019)2.3.2 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Revenue and Market Share by Type (2014-2019)2.3.3 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Sale Price by Type (2014-2019)2.4 Automotive Instrument Cluster Segment by Application2.4.1 Passenger Vehicle2.4.2 Commercial Vehicle2.5 Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Application2.5.1 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption Market Share by Application (2014-2019)2.5.2 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Value and Market Share by Application (2014-2019)2.5.3 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Sale Price by Application (2014-2019)3 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster by Players3.1 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Sales Market Share by Players3.1.1 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Sales by Players (2017-2019)3.1.2 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Sales Market Share by Players (2017-2019)3.2 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Revenue Market Share by Players3.2.1 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Revenue by Players (2017-2019)3.2.2 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Revenue Market Share by Players (2017-2019)3.3 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Sale Price by Players3.4 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types by Players3.4.1 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Manufacturing Base Distribution and Sales Area by Players3.4.2 Players Automotive Instrument Cluster Products Offered3.5 Market Concentration Rate Analysis3.5.1 Competition Landscape Analysis3.5.2 Concentration Ratio (CR3, CR5 and CR10) (2017-2019)3.6 New Products and Potential Entrants3.7 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion4 Automotive Instrument Cluster by Regions4.1 Automotive Instrument Cluster by Regions4.1.1 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Regions4.1.2 Global Automotive Instrument Cluster Value by Regions4.2 Americas Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption Growth4.3 APAC Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption Growth4.4 Europe Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption Growth4.5 Middle East & Africa Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption Growth5 Americas5.1 Americas Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Countries5.1.1 Americas Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Countries (2014-2019)5.1.2 Americas Automotive Instrument Cluster Value by Countries (2014-2019)5.2 Americas Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Type5.3 Americas Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Application5.4 United States5.5 Canada5.6 Mexico5.7 Key Economic Indicators of Few Americas Countries6 APAC6.1 APAC Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Countries6.1.1 APAC Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Countries (2014-2019)6.1.2 APAC Automotive Instrument Cluster Value by Countries (2014-2019)6.2 APAC Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Type6.3 APAC Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Application6.4 China6.5 Japan6.6 Korea6.7 Southeast Asia6.8 India6.9 Australia6.10 Key Economic Indicators of Few APAC Countries7 Europe7.1 Europe Automotive Instrument Cluster by Countries7.1.1 Europe Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Countries (2014-2019)7.1.2 Europe Automotive Instrument Cluster Value by Countries (2014-2019)7.2 Europe Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Type7.3 Europe Automotive Instrument Cluster Consumption by Application7.4 Germany7.5 France7.6 UK7.7 Italy7.8 Russia7.9 Spain7.10 Key Economic Indicators of Few Europe CountriesAbout Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor 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You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Corporate Sales,Market Study Report LLCPhone: 1-302-273-0910Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.com
Farm Equipment Market Top Players are Deere & Company, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., J C Bamford Excavators Ltd., Escorts Limited, Alamo Group Inc., Bucher Industries, CNH Industrial N.V., ISEKI & CO. LTD., YANMAR CO. LTD. and Many More

Global Farm Equipment Market

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The Global Farm Equipment Market research report provides a comprehensive study on production capability, consumption, import and export for all major regions across the world. The report is generated supported the market sort, size of the organization, accessibility on-premises and also the end-users organization sort, and also the accessibility in areas like North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and geographical region & continent. The Global Farm Equipment Market Report conjointly calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of This Report and technologies by varied application segments. The report provides key statistics on the market standing of worldwide and regional Global Farm Equipment Market makers and may be a valuable supply of steerage and direction for firms and people fascinated by the business.Global Farm Equipment Market is expected to grow from its initial estimated value of USD 101.89 billion in 2018 to a projected value of USD 138.69 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 3.93% in the forecast period of 2019-2026. This rise of market value can be attributed to increased support from government and increased effectiveness with the adoption of mechanized labour.Get Free Sample Report atKey Market Competitors: Global Farm Equipment MarketFew of the major competitors currently working in the farm equipment market are AGCO Corporation; KUBOTA Corporation; CLAAS KGaA mbH; SDF S.p.A.; Deere & Company; Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.; J C Bamford Excavators Ltd.; Escorts Limited; Alamo Group Inc.; Bucher Industries; CNH Industrial N.V.; ISEKI & CO., LTD.; YANMAR CO., LTD.; Exel Industries; ZETOR TRACTORS a.s.; Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited and International Tractors Limited.Key Developments in the Market:In December 2018, CNH Industrial N.V. announced the launch of their AGXTEND aftermarket agricultural farming equipment brand. This brand will focus on providing consumers of CNHs various agricultural brands aftermarket expertise in precision farming and agricultural technology.In September 2018, Escorts Limited announced the launch of their first driverless, tractor. The product will help farmers in maximising their output significantly while the tractor can operate autonomously in the farming processes.In April 2018, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. announced the launch of Mahindra Novo range of tractors that are semi-autonomous and equipped with the latest cost-effective technology. The products available in the range include a two-wheel drive 65HP 655 DI, and a four-wheel drive 75HP 755 DI.Global Farm Equipment Market Segmentation: By Power Outputo Farm Tractor Less than 30 Horsepower 31-70 Horsepower 71-130 Horsepower 131-250 Horsepower Greater than 250 Horsepower Autonomous Tractor Less than 30 Horsepower 31-100 Horsepower Greater than 100 Horsepower By Farm Tractor Drive Typeo Four-Wheelo Two-Wheel By Equipment Typeo Balerso Combineso Non-Cereal Cropso Cereal Cropso Sprayers By Functiono Harvesting & Threshingo Sowing & Plantingo Ploughing & Cultivatingo Plant Protection & Fertilizingo Others By Rental Equipment Typeo Combineso Tractorso Others By GeographyKnow More Business Opportunities in Global Farm Equipment Market, Speak To Our Analyst And Gain Crucial Industry Insights That Will Help Your Business Expand Request Analyst Call OnMarket Drivers:Increasing adoption of mechanized methods of agriculture and capital-intensive agriculture techniques due to the increased efficiency and effectiveness associated with the usage of the equipments; this factor is expected to act as a driver for the market growthMarket Restraint:Lower adoption rates from farmers of developing regions for the usage of high cost farm equipment; this factor is expected to restrain the market growthGlobal Farm Equipment Market Competitive Analysis:Global farm equipment market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of farm equipment market for global, Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.Global Farm Equipment Market Table Of Content:Part 01: Executive SummaryPart 02: Scope Of The ReportPart 03: Global Farm Equipment Market LandscapePart 04: Global Farm Equipment Market SizingPart 05: Global Farm Equipment Market Segmentation By ProductPart 06: Five Forces AnalysisPart 07: Customer LandscapePart 08: Geographic LandscapePart 09: Decision FrameworkPart 10: Drivers And ChallengesPart 11: Market TrendsPart 12: Vendor LandscapePart 13: Vendor AnalysisAnd MoreGet Detailed TOC | 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
New Study Aircraft Lavatory Systems Market 2018-2024 Industry Trends & Forecast| Key Players are JAMCO Corporation, Zodiac Aerospace, BE Aerospace, Rockwell Collins, Inc, Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG, and Yokohama Rubber

Aircraft Lavatory Systems Market

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Global Market Insights, Inc. has launched a report on Aircraft Lavatory Systems Market that elucidates an in-depth synopsis of this business vertical over the forecast period. The report is inclusive of the prominent industry drivers and provides an accurate analysis of the key growth trends and market outlook in the years to come in addition to the competitive hierarchy of this sphere.Aircraft Lavatory Systems Market is set to grow at a fast rate in the coming years driven by rising prominence of lightweight & space-saving solutions for air carriers. The integration of lavatories and galleys into a single module allows a compact design of the washroom, thereby facilitating two extra rows for passengers seats. Industry participants are continuously investing in R&D to invest in solutions for utilizing maximum space in the aircraft for offering improved seating experience to passengers by increasing the seating capacities for operational efficiency.Request for table of contents this Report @Changing customer preference to more hygienic and comfortable lavatory solutions is prompting the aircraft lavatory systems market growth. Incorporating anti-bacterial coatings & germicidal UV lighting ensures the health & safety concerns of the customers. Recent developments have resulted in the penetration of innovative technologies, touchless faucet and flushing solutions, which are emphasizing water consumption needs and environment friendliness, thereby offering improved customer services.Increasing passenger & commercial air traffic owing to improving economic conditions and proliferating GDP per capita is providing a positive outlook for the aircraft lavatory systems market expansion. Rising disposable income and the expansion of middle-class families opting for air travel are further supporting the industry proliferation till 2024. Moreover, improving Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) across the globe owing to the improving tourism sector is positively influencing the market demand over the study timeframe.Request for customization@The key challenges in the aircraft lavatory systems marketplace include strengthening the supply chain facilities and usage of new, compact, and advanced technologies for delivering reliable, safe, and comfortable solutions. Incorporating new strategies and developing improved technologies promulgate the utilization of lightweight and reliable solutions for the aircraft lavatory system marketplace.Aircraft lavatory systems marketplace is segmented based on aircraft including commercial, regional, business, and military aircraft. A substantial rise in the production of commercial fleet is attributed to the increasing air passenger traffic for meeting the growing consumer demand. Growing security threats and the risk of cyber-attacks across the globe bolster the requirements for military aircraft. Improving aviation ownership programs including timeshare and fractional ownership have enabled customers to own business jets conveniently, positively impacting the industry growth over the study timeframe.Based on the toilet technology, aircraft lavatory systems marketplace is categorized into vacuum toilet and recirculating toilet systems. The increasing adoption of the vacuum toilet is attributed to the lower system weight along with the elimination of blue water reserve tanks.Browse Complete Report @Asia Pacific holds a significant share in the global aircraft lavatory systems marketplace. Major aircraft manufacturers along with airliners are focusing on incorporating compact and reconfigured lavatories in its newer planes for improving the interior space utilization. China, Japan, and India pose a substantial growth enhanced by increasing air passengers and foreign investments. Moreover, the emergence of low-cost carriers is providing a positive outlook for the aircraft lavatory systems expansion.A few players in the aircraft lavatory systems marketplace include JAMCO Corporation, Zodiac Aerospace, BE Aerospace, Rockwell Collins, Inc, Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG, and Yokohama Rubber. The industry participants are engaged in innovative product development for improving their market share. For instance, Zodiac Aerospace decreased the cycle time for accommodating urinal quick visits of males by replacing its existing lavatories with two 30-by-30-inch urinals.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
English French

Michelin Luxembourg SCS (CSSF number E-0102):

publication of the Annual Financial Report

(04.30.2019 2:00pm CET)

Press Release Regulated Information

The Annual Financial Report of Michelin Luxembourg SCS, comprising the audited annual accounts, the management declaration and the annual management report are available on the internet site of the Michelin Group at the following address: www.michelin.com/en, under the heading  Finance ,  Regulatory information and publications ,  Regulatory informations Michelin Luxembourg SCS - CSSF .

Attachment
Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode Market 2019 | Global Forecast 2025 | Top Key Players  Vishay, On semiconductor, Toshiba, Texas Instruments, Littelfuse, Etc.

Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode Market 2019

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Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode 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 Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed 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.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 Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode 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 Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode 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: Vishay On semiconductor Toshiba Texas Instruments Littelfuse Infineon NXP STMicroelectronics SOCAY Galaxy ElectricalProduct Segment Analysis: Below 10 pF 10 pF-100 pF Above 100 pFApplication Segment Analysis: Telecommunications Automotive electronics Industrial OthersMajor 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 @Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode 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 Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode 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 Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode 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 Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode 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 Unidirectional ESD Protection Diode 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.
Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Devices Market to make phenomenal gains|Top Players: Abbott, Ascensia Diabetes Care, ARKRAY,Inc., Nova Biomedical

Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Devices Market

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The Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Devices Market is set to exceed USD 20 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights. Increasing prevalence of diabetes in developed as well as developing economies is a major factor driving the Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Devices Market during the forecast period. Diabetes morbidity and mortality is generally high in low and middle-income countries. As per the International Diabetes Federations Diabetes Atlas, in Western Pacific region, prevalence of diabetes in people aged between 20-79 years was 158.8 million in 2017 and is projected to reach 183.3 billion by 2045.High prevalence of obesity across the globe coupled with rising geriatric population base prone to suffer from diabetes will serve to be another positive impact rendering factor for industry growth. Technological advancements in self-monitoring blood glucose devices offering more reliable, accurate and user-friendly devices will augment demand for such devices.Request for a sample of this research report @Testing strips segment dominated the self-monitoring blood glucose devices market in 2017 with more than 79.5% revenue share and is estimated to witness robust growth during the analysis period. Testing strips are an essential component of blood glucose meters that are widely used in diabetes care and management. Geriatric population base, prone to diabetes, will further increase the demand for SMBG devices.Hospitals segment accounted for the highest revenue of USD 6.9 billion in 2017 and is estimated to witness lucrative CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period. Increasing prevalence of diabetes across the world coupled with availability of technologically advanced blood glucose monitoring devices will serve to be high impact rendering factor in the segmental growth. Adoption of continuous glucose monitors for accurate, timely and efficient glucose measurement for ICU patients will stimulate the segmental growth in the coming years.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis: Abbott Ascensia Diabetes Care ARKRAY,Inc. Nova Biomedical Bayer Dexcom Bayer Pharmaceuticals BKK B. Braun Melsungen AG BIONIME GmbH Essenlife Bioscience Inc. Medtronic Roche Diagnostics Europe Roche Diagnostics Middle East Sinocare Inc.According to the World Health Organization, the number of people suffering from diabetes has climbed from 108 million as recorded in 1980 to a significant 422 million in 2014. The statistics further claim that the global prevalence of diabetes has surged among adults over the 18 years of age from a mere 4.7% in 1980 to almost double until 2014. In fact, in 2016, the WHO estimated diabetes as the seventh leading cause of death across the globe, given the record of 1.6 million deaths directly because of the disorder. Not so surprisingly, these aforementioned statistics stands as a substantiation to the fact that diabetes is one deadly disorder that needs continuous blood sugar checking & monitoring, which in turn will be stimulating the global self-monitoring blood glucose devices market share.It has been further reported by WHO that diabetes prevalence has been more prominent in the low and middle income economies because of the certain lifestyle patterns, increasing consumption of tobacco & alcohol, and other environmental factors. In India, for instances, estimates reported over in 2016, 7.9% of total female population and more than 7.5% of male population had diabetes. Despite the high rate of diabetes prevalence, reports claim that the rapid developments in healthcare infrastructure, growing adoption of advanced products, and substantial surge in disposable income levels will stimulate self-monitoring blood glucose devices industry expansion. Other Asia Pacific countries including China, Korea, and the Indian-subcontinents are also expected to follow similar growth trends. Given this regional expansion, the Asia Pacific self-monitoring blood glucose devices market is projected to register a healthy CAGR of 6.1% over 2018-2024.As per the statistics provided by the CDC, nearly 35.7% young population aged in between 2039 years, 42.8% adults between the age of 40-59 years, and 41% of the geriatric people aged 60 and above suffered from obesity in 2016. Reports in fact claim that, accounting for more than 34.2% revenue share in 2017, U.S. self-monitoring blood glucose devices market dominated the industry. The product demand is further likely to gain traction because of the growing awareness among the local population, supportive governmental initiatives and schemes, and advanced healthcare infrastructure.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Some of the notable players operating in the global Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Devices Market are Abbott Laboratories, All Medicus, Arkray, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Bayer Healthcare, Bionime Corporation, Dexcom, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Johnson & Johnson, LifeScan, Medtronic, Nipro Diagnostics, Nova Biomedical, Sinocare and Trividia Health. Major strategies adopted by the industry players include strategic acquisitions, collaborations, mergers and new product launch to enhance companys product portfolio and expand business across the globe. For instance, in January 2018, Arkray Inc. entered into a license agreement with Mellitus Health to integrate its products into Arkray's portfolio of diabetes care products.Chapter 1. Methodology1.1. Methodology1.2. Market definition1.3. Forecast parameters1.4. Data sources1.4.1. Secondary1.4.1.1. Paid sources1.4.1.2. Unpaid sources1.4.2. PrimaryChapter 2. Executive Summary2.1. Self-monitoring blood glucose devices industry 360 synopsis, 2013 - 20242.1.1. Business trends2.1.2. Product trends2.1.3. End-user trends2.1.4. Regional trendsBrowse Full Report Details @Chapter 3. Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Devices Industry Insights3.1. Industry segmentation3.2. Industry landscape, 2013  2024 (USD Billion)3.3. Industry impact forces3.3.1. Growth drivers3.3.1.1. Rising prevalence of diabetes worldwide3.3.1.2. Technological advancements in developed countries3.3.1.3. Government initiatives for increasing awareness among people3.3.2. Industry pitfalls & challenges3.3.2.1. High cost of advanced devices and accessories in developing economies3.3.2.2. Lack of reimbursement and stringent regulations for SMBG devicesGlobal Market Insights Inc. is a global market research and management consulting company catering to leading corporations, non-profit organizations, universities and government institutions. Our main goal is to assist and partner organizations to make lasting strategic improvements and realize growth targets. Our industry research reports are designed to provide granular quantitative information, combined with key industry insights, aimed at assisting sustainable organizational development.Global Market Insights, Inc.4 North Main StreetSelbyville, Delaware 19975 USAPhone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email:sales@gminsights.com
Lake Forest, California - Greenshine New Energy has once again demonstrated their excellence in finding lighting solutions while slashing costs for businesses substantially. Their latest project was a complete overhaul of an archaic lighting system installed in the parking lot for Santa Monica Airport. This airport is known for its history since its opening in 1923 and has had many replacements of their lighting in the past. Unfortunately, the last 
April 18, 2019

What: The second public meeting of the Tri-County Regional Behavioral Health Collaborative Communities of Color Workgroup.

Agenda: Continue visioning process; identify possible outcomes.

When: Thursday, April 25, 2-4 p.m.

Where: Portland State Office Building, Room 1D, 800 NE Oregon St., Portland.

Details: The Tri-County Regional Behavioral Health Collaborative brings together multiple sectors across the Portland metro area to collectively address and prevent behavioral health challenges. Its focus is on peer-delivered services and substance use disorder activities that can make an impact in 12 to 24 months.

For more information, see the RBHC website at https://www.oregon.gov/OHA/HSD/BHP/Pages/Regional-Collaboratives.aspx

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide:

Sign language and spoken language interpreters

Written materials in other languages

Braille

Large print

Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Summer Boslaugh at 503-753-9688, 711 TTY or email summer.h.boslaugh@dhsoha.state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.
Seattle is currently Americas crane capital, with dozens in operation along the downtown skyline. Portlands not far behind.

But one cranes deadly collapse on Saturday has put a new spotlight on the safety of the towering structures. Four people died, including two workers and two people on the street below. Four more were injured.

Heres a look at the safety record for construction cranes in Portland and whos keeping an eye on them.

Q: How many cranes are there in Portland, anyway?

A: No government agency keeps track. (More on that to come.) But the multinational construction consulting firm Rider Levett Bucknall estimated in January that there were 30 cranes operating in Portlands central city and the Nike campus in Washington County  more than most other major U.S. cities, including New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

But Seattle had 59 cranes going at the time, far and away the most out of any U.S. city included in the index. It was followed by Los Angeles (44), then Portland.

A crane survey conducted by the construction consulting firm Rider Levett Bucknall.Rider Levett Bucknall

Q: Who approves the use of construction cranes in Portland?

A: No one.

The Portland Bureau of Development Services said it doesnt have the authority under city code to grant or deny permits for tower cranes. It does require builders to submit a safety plan when cranes will hang over occupied areas or buildings.

Theyre regulated by the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but while that agency writes the rules for construction cranes, it also doesnt approve or deny their use.

Q: Are construction cranes routinely inspected?

A: Regular inspections are required, but theyre most often conducted by the company operating them. The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires cranes to be inspected before each shift. More thorough inspections must be completed each month and even more thorough inspections annually. The inspections must be documented in a report.

Government inspectors dont check cranes on any set schedule. Oregon OSHA inspects worksites for various reasons, including random inspections, check-ups on certain companies or in response to complaints, spokesman Aaron Corvin said, and those inspections can include cranes.

When the agency does examine cranes, inspectors look for signs of wear, like fraying cables or cracks.

Q: Do inspections often turn up problems?

A: Records werent immediately available because the state doesnt often inspect cranes on their own  just as part of a larger worksite.

However, a limited-run crane inspection program implemented by Oregon OSHA over seven months ending in March 2009 found problems with seven cranes out of 13 inspected. Eight of those violations were deemed serious. The issues mostly had to do with missing or inadequate operator safety equipment or procedures, not structural problems.

Q: Would an inspection have caught what went wrong in Seattle?

A: An investigation is still underway, but it appears unlikely. Experts told The Associated Press that the Seattle crane was being disassembled when it fell, and that workers appeared to have prematurely removed pins securing sections of the cranes mast to each other.

Q: Whens the last time a crane failed in Oregon?

A: The last fatal construction crane failure in Oregon was in December 1980, when a crane fell into the Columbia River during the construction of the Interstate 205 Glenn Jackson Bridge, killing two.

Investigators found that 50 mph wind gusts, the positioning of the crane and the failure of support beams contributed to the collapse. A Vancouver contractor was cited for failing to inspect the support beams and for operating the crane in extreme wind.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjus

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.
A pilot and his passenger died Monday afternoon when their single-engine, homebuilt aircraft crashed into a marshy area near La Center, Washington.

The Clark County Sheriffs Office said another pilot flying overhead spotted the downed propeller aircraft shortly after 4 p.m., south of the East Fork of the Lewis River. Emergency responders found the plane in a pond about two-feet deep.

The National Transportation Safety Board described the plane as a Vans RV-6, a small plane built from a kit.

The occupants of the two-seater plane, both adult males, were dead when emergency responders arrived and appeared to have died on impact. The sheriffs office said the plane was registered in Clark County but that it hasnt identified the crash victims.

The plane crashed near Daybreak Airport, according to the sheriffs office. Thats about 20 miles north of downtown Vancouver.

The sheriffs office said its unclear what caused the crash. Local authorities are awaiting investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration.

-- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699
Cutting-edge DNA technology and a public genealogy database helped lead police to an Oregon suspect in the 1994 rape and murder of a young Vancouver mother, leading to an arrest in a nearly 25-year-old cold case.

Police arrested Richard E. Knapp, 57, of Fairview on Sunday during a routine traffic stop near his home. He is a suspect in the murder of Audrey Frasier in July of 1994. Knapp was lodged in the Multnomah County Jail and was extradited to Clark County on Tuesday. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

On July 17, 1994, police responded to apartments in the 8000 block of East Fourth Plain Boulevard in Vancouver after a caller reported being concerned about a neighbors welfare. Police found Frasier, then 26, strangled to death in bed. She had a son who was 5 at the time.

Richard Eugene Knapp, arrested in 2019, for 1994 Vancouver murder of Audrey Hoellein

Knapp had been convicted in 1986 of sexual assault in Clark County, and also strangled the victim in that case, according to the affidavit. He complied with an order to provide a biological sample, but the sample was never uploaded to any database and, according to the affidavit, was destroyed in 2000.

Vancouver Police Assistant Chief Mike Lester said the department relied heavily on new technology in DNA collection and genetic analysis to connect Knapp with the case.

Detective Dustin Goudschaal said the department had collected DNA evidence at the time of the murder, but was not able to solve the case. He said at the time, they talked to several people of interest, but exhausted all leads. He said they revisited the case several times in the past 25 years, and tested several people, but found negative results.

Goudschaal said the department contacted a company called Parabon NanoLabs, which does a DNA Snapshot analysis. That process includes creating genealogy profiles of people using DNA testing and traditional genealogical methods. People can submit their own DNA in order to create a genealogy profile and find out more about their own family history. The lab submitted a genetic data profile using the DNA from the crime scene into a public genealogy database. They were able to find other people who shared significant amounts of DNA with the unknown person. They narrowed down the list using several other factors, such as age, location, ancestry and trait predictions. From there, Vancouver Police pursued some leads, and identified Knapp as a suspect.

After following Knapp for several months, in February they collected DNA from a cigarette butt he had dropped, and tested it. The DNA matched that of the person at the scene. According to police, Knapp and Frazier did not appear to know each other.

In a news conference Tuesday, Vancouver Police Detective Neil Martin said Knapp may face other charges, but they would not be releasing them yet.

Goudschaal said he called Frasiers brother and father in South Dakota to tell them they were going to make an arrest, and he delivered the news to her son in person.

It was emotional, he said of the conversation with Frasiers father. He thought he would go to his grave without any resolution of what happened to his daughter.

The Hoellein family released a statement with the city of Vancouver, saying the crime not only took away a sister from her two brothers, but left a mother and father without a daughter, and a young child without a mother.

As this case is starting to unfold after almost 25 years, the wound is being re-opened, and our family is experiencing the pain all over again, the statement said. But thanks to detectives Dustin Goudschaal and Neil Martin, our family may finally have the opportunity to find closure to our biggest unknown.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
Authorities have not yet publicly identified a man and a woman who were found dead after a van fire in Northeast Portland early Monday morning.

Rich Chatman, a spokesman for Portland Fire and Rescue, said they are not releasing the cause of the fire yet, and will instead wait until the medical examiners report is complete.

Chatman said witnesses reported a fully-engulfed Ford Econoline at North Vancouver Way and Northeast Middlefield Road shortly before 6:30 a.m. He said crews arrived and put the fire out, and while they were sifting through the remains of the van, found two bodies.

He said while they didnt know who the people were, witnesses reported that a couple appeared to have been living in the van at that location for the past two weeks. He said several witnesses saw the van fully engulfed and one, a cyclist, said they banged on the door of the van to see if anyone was in there.

Chatman said he expects the cause of the fire will be released within the next two days.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
Pune, India, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Bio-Based Chemicals Market Size is slated to touch USD 97.2 billion by 2023, as per the latest report by Market Research Future (MRFR). Strict policies regarding the production of synthetic chemicals is expected to work favorably for the market. The market can register a CAGR of 10.47% from 2018 to 2023 (forecast period). Incentives and subsidies introduced by governments to curb emissions are likely to positively impact the market growth. This is exemplified by the introduction of the Renewable Chemicals Act in 2017 by the U.S. government which provides a tax credit to bio-chemical producers.

Market Outlook

Bio-Based Chemicals are products derived from biological origins such as feedstock, plants, crops, trees, and biological waste. They are a suitable alternative to conventional chemicals and will play a major role in reducing the reliance on fossil fuels. This can lead to reduced carbon emission levels and maintain the ecological balance. Lignocellulose is the most widely available raw material used for the production of biofuels.

Emergence of numerous bio-refineries is likely to drive the Bio-Based Chemicals Market to new heights. The focus on maintaining a steady supply chain of raw materials in conventional industries such as automotive through technological breakthroughs by producers can create new investment opportunities. The shale gas boom in North America has elicited the demand for bio-based polymers and intermediates.

But fluctuating raw material prices can pose a challenge to market growth.

Receive Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5706

Competition Analysis:

Well-known names in the Bio-Based Chemicals Market include Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, DowDuPont, Toray Industries Inc, Evonik Industries, BASF SE, Braskem SA, Royal DSM NV, TOTAL, Cargill, Incorporated, Itaconix PLC, GFBiochemicals Ltd, Vertec BioSolvents, Archer Daniels Midland Company, BioAmber Inc, and AGAE Technologies, LLC.

Collaborations, agreements, and acquisitions are major strategies of players in the market. In 2017, Virent Energy Systems, Inc., decided to collaborate with U.S. refinery, Tesoro Company, to expedite the processing technology of Bio-Based Chemicals and fuels. The agreement can culminate in the production of bio-fuels on a massive scale while catering to the demands of end-user industries.

Influx of Capital to be a Shot in the Arm of the Bio-Based Chemicals Industry

Massive investments are expected in the biotechnology sector due to the shift from conventional feedstocks. Inflow of capital by venture capitalists can signal huge opportunities in the market. The macroeconomic situations in developed countries can lead to hesitation among investors. But the advances made by green technology is expected to create an abundance of opportunities. In April 2019, Enerkem, a Canadian biofuel producer, received close to USD 5.6 million in funding for developing sustainable facilities in Canada and the Netherlands.

Segmentation Analysis

The Global Bio-Based Chemicals Market is segmented by Type and Application.

Major Applications of Bio-Based Chemicals include pharmaceuticals, paint dispersion, adhesives & sealants, paints & coatings, personal care, detergents & cleaners, packaging, agriculture, and food & beverages. Among them, the food & beverages application held close to 26.2% share in 2018 with a valuation of USD 15,494.6 million. Changing lifestyles of consumer, inclination towards organic products, and increased expendable income levels are other factors which can drive the application growth. It can generate revenues for the Bio-Based Chemicals Market at 8.79% CAGR over the forecast period.

By Type, the market is segmented into bio-alcohols, bio-lubricants, bio-solvents, bio-based acids, bio-surfactants, bioplastics, and others. The bio-alcohols segment held close to 41.7% share of the market revenue in 2018 due to its extensive use in water treatment and industrial applications. It can register 9.89% CAGR over the forecast period due to high demand for these chemicals in cosmetics, personal care, pharmaceutical, and food & beverage industries.

Browse the market data and information spread across 449 pages with data tables and figures of the report Bio-Based Chemicals Market Report - Forecast 2018-2023 in-depth alongside table of content (TOC) at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/bio-based-chemicals-market-5706

Regional Analysis

Region-wise, the market is segmented into Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA).

Europe dominated the Bio-Based Chemicals Market in 2018 due to environmental policies rolled out by governments in the region. The sustainable development goals set by the European Union to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% and save on energy expenses by 27% by 2030 can be an opportune moment for the bio-based chemicals market. It can register a CAGR of 10.85% during the assessment period. In April 2019, the governments of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia decided on a joint agreement to encourage the production of bio-fuels. In addition, the blend of bioethanol with petrol as a fuel source is likely to take spark and achieve climate goals.

The APAC region was the second-largest in 2018 due to rapid industrialization and favorable policies in the region. The region is purported to generate revenue at a CAGR of 9.79% during the assessment period. China and India were prime contributors to the regional market revenue. But Malaysia possessed the latent potential and vision to produce biochemicals from palm plantations.

Browse Related Reports:

Bio-Based Platform Chemicals Market Research Report by Type (Sugar, Syngas, Biogas, Oil, Algae and Others), Application (Polymers, Fuels, Solvents, Pharmaceuticals, Perfumes and Others), and Region (North America, APAC, Europe and Others) and Global Forecast to 2023

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/bio-based-platform-chemicals-market-6604

Biocomposite Market by Fiber Type (Hemp, Kenaf, Flax, Jute, and Others) by Process (Compression Molding, Injection Molding, and Others), by End Use Industry (Building & Construction, Automotive, Consumer Goods, and Others), and by region till 2023

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/biocomposite-market-4433

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.
Taiwanese food is making inroads in cities across America, and Portland is no exception.

If youre not familiar with this unique style of Asian cooking, youre in for a treat. Taiwans geography and history have contributed to its multifarious cooking traditions, which incorporate Chinese and Japanese elements as well as those from indigenous people. As such, the cuisine is hard to pigeonhole as anything other than itself.

Here in Portland, you may have enjoyed gua bao, five-spice braised pork belly in a folded pillowy-soft steamed bun, dusted with peanut powder, hoisin, fresh cilantro and the pickled mustard green suan cai. The wonderful Nom Nom, which has resumed seasonal summer service at the Portland State University and Shemanski Park farmers markets, is run by husband-and-wife team LiWen and Jeff Chang. Their pork belly gua bao is an excellent representation of what youd find in Taiwan.

Also, lets not forget what is arguably the king of Taiwans most famous dishes next to stinky tofu (chou doufu): beef noodle soup (niurou mian). Properly made, niurou mian centers on an intensely rich beef shank, braised for hours into tender, juicy submission, in a base of the fermented chili bean paste known as douban jiang, ginger, garlic, star anise and Sichuan peppercorns. The collagen in the shank transforms into silky gelatin as it melts into the soup, imparting a gloriously rich mouthfeel. When served, it should be topped with a dollop of suan cai, whose sourness offsets the broth with a bright crunchiness. Wheat noodles are cooked separately and added to the bowl just before the hot soup.

While it may be a while before the heady funk of chou doufu wafts down the boulevards of the City of Roses, several Portland venues serve some of Taiwans greatest hits.

The pork buns at Wei Wei. (Adam Levbarg)

Wei Wei

7835 S.E. 13th Ave., Suite 102; 503-946-1732; weiweirestaurantpdx.com

Wei Wei has brought to Portland a small but well-executed selection of classic Taiwanese snacks, with bright and complex flavors true to their origins. Examples are yan su ji, a fragrant and crunchy white-pepper popcorn chicken, and a striking version of the Taiwanese equivalent of diner food  a massive fried pork chop (paigu) splayed into fingers to maximize crunchy ends, alongside a rich and savory minced pork gravy over rice (lu rou fan). It is clear the people at Wei Wei know what theyre doing. The kitchen is small, so the menu is streamlined  but the new owner, a Portlander of over 30 years who goes simply by Mrs. Chow, turns out well-seasoned Taiwanese favorites. Her niurou mian is by far the best beef noodle soup for sale in Portland. Oddly, Japanese udon noodles are the default, but you can ask for the skinny noodles which are closer to what youd get in Taiwan.

Also, on one visit the pan-fried sheng jian bao pork buns were surprisingly juicy, bursting with soup (be careful!) and the petite gua bao was rich and fatty, savory and overall excellent. A great accompaniment to this dish is the pickled cucumber appetizer. It may not be strictly Taiwanese, but the spicy, numbing bite of Sichuan peppercorns, raw garlic, the brightness of rice vinegar and a bit of sugar are a refreshing counterpoint to the richness of the other dishes.

A tea egg, a ubiquitous snack in Taiwan, as prepared at Oolong Yuan. (Adam Levbarg)

Oolong Yuan

8680 S.W. Canyon Road; 503-206-5576

At first glance, you may be confused by Oolong Yuans smattering of bagel and sausage croissant breakfast sandwiches. But look deeper, and youll see a streamlined list of Taiwanese comfort food. Theres a lot to love, as owner and chef Tammy Chen focuses on keeping her Taiwanese recipes tasting like they do back home.

The pork chop rice was more in the style of a boneless Japanese tonkatsu cutlet than the bone-in behemoth at Wei Wei, but equally delicious. The tea egg (chaye dan), pre-salted and seasoned by steeping in a blend of tea, star anise, soy sauce and other fragrant ingredients, was a satisfying and delicious snack.

The item listed as Taiwan Special Dry Noodle (Taishi gan mian) is an intensely satisfying $5 bowl of wheat noodles topped with minced onions or shallots that have been fried in lard, minced pork and green onions. The meat acts not as the focus, but rather as a condiment, and the aromatics infuse into the fat, coating the noodles thoroughly.

The gua bao were slightly larger than at Wei Wei, but equally succulent, moist and satisfying.

Also worth noting is that Oolong Yuan is one of the few places in town serving traditional Taiwanese breakfast. Twice a week, they purchase fresh soy milk (doujiang) from local Japanese tofu maker Ota Tofu. Although Oolong Yuan does not make the deep-fried, savory cruller known as youtiao in-house (sadly, weve yet to find a shop in Portland that does), we are told that the youtiao are from Taiwan, frozen and cooked to order.

Lastly, with the closure of Wus Kitchen, Oolong Yuan is the only local seller of the afterschool snack ba wan, a pork and bamboo shoot meatball wrapped in a mochi-like dough  a gigantic dumpling, essentially  and steamed until soft. In Taiwan, the ba wan would then be deep fried, layering on a tantalizingly crispy element, but the small kitchen and low demand dont warrant the extra step.

EC Kitchen

6335 S.E. 82nd Ave.; 503-788-6306; eckitchenllc.com

The cheery outpost of EC Kitchen may well be the only place where you can find Taiwanese dishes in the Jade District. Owners James and Florence Ho are a husband-and-wife team from Hong Kong and Taiwan, respectively. Although the menu consists primarily of Hong Kong-style cooking, it has a few well-known Taiwanese dishes.

EC Kitchen was one of the first restaurants in town to sell Taiwanese gua bao, but its true claim to fame is the excellent Taiwanese sausage, made from a family recipe with house-distilled rice wine. The partially dried, sweet and savory sausages are fragrant with warm spices like anise that impart a distinctly Taiwanese flavor. Its not offered on the menu this way, but ask for thinly sliced raw garlic with the pan-fried sliced sausage. The garlics pungent, spicy bite contrasts with the sausages warm notes remarkably well.

Also notable is the pan-fried luobo gao, a steamed loaf made of shredded turnip, rice flour, shallots and water and flavored with bits of meat or dried shrimp. Whole cakes can be purchased to go for cooking at home. You may have eaten a slightly glutinous luobo gao as part of a Cantonese dim sum spread, but try it the Taiwanese way  take thick slices and gently pan fry them until lightly crisped, and in the last minute cook a scrambled egg on top. Dip chopsticked pieces into soy sauce seasoned with minced garlic and eat  delicious.

Pork plays a huge role in Taiwanese cuisine, right down to the ears, which are julienned and braised to make a cold appetizer at Taiwan Eats. (Adam Levbarg)

Taiwan Eats

4708 N.W. Bethany Blvd., Suite E6.; 503-888-2378

Taiwan Eats is a tiny 4-year-old takeout place in a Bethany shopping center, with a few Taiwanese dishes that you cannot find elsewhere in Portland. Although beef noodle soup is on the menu, the broth is too thin and sweet. There are better things to get here.

Owner Sophia Hou has curated a collection of cold appetizers not found elsewhere in town. Of note is the super-tasty julienned braised pig ear (zhu erduo), which is simultaneously tender and crunchy, fragrant and slightly sweet with star anise.

Hou is particularly proud of her handmade wheat gluten (mianjin) cold appetizer. Gluten for Chinese cooking is made by mixing wheat flour and water, and washing the starch off. Once fried, the result is a slightly chewy, spongy bite that, like tofu, absorbs the flavors of the dish in which it is prepared. Here, its tossed with wood ear mushroom, sliced carrot, garlic and sesame oil.

Theres also a delicious pressed tofu salad, tossed with slivered green garlic (suanmiao), fermented black beans and tiny salted fish that pack a savory punch. This is listed on the menu only in English, as seasoned tofu.

If youve been to Din Tai Fung (in essence, a Taiwanese restaurant dressed up as Shanghainese), youve seen a Taiwanese version of the savory noodle dish zha jiang mian (listed as Noodles with Mince Pork Sauce). At Taiwan Eats, the preparation is in more of a Beijing style, with noodles covered in a thick fermented bean and minced pork sauce, tossed with cubes of chewy pressed tofu. The sauce is topped with freshly julienned cucumber. Its simultaneously rich and refreshing, a hearty and satisfying dish.

In the refrigerated case youll see cans of what appear to be bizarro world Coca-Cola, with the words Hey Song Sarsaparilla (Hei Song Sha shi) dancing across the front. Its a beloved drink which is essentially Taiwanese root beer. Another typically Taiwanese drink is called plumenade (wumei tang). Its a sour preserved plum beverage with sweet, sour, salty and smoky overtones that can be a refreshing accompaniment to a spicy bowl of beef noodle soup.

Specials are posted below the menu. Of note is the classic pan-fried rice noodle dish known as chao mifen, available Saturdays, and a Taiwanese lunchbox version of the Shanghainese dish lions head meatball (shizitou). Well be back to try these.

An earlier version of this post misspelled Sophia Hous name.
With a U.S. Senate vote still pending, a bill that would provide the resources to fix the decrepit conditions at 31 Columbia River sites used by Northwest tribes for fishing is close to becoming law.

The U.S. House overwhelmingly passed the bill Monday afternoon. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, has introduced the Senate version and Democrats are pushing for a vote on it Monday night.

The bill allocates $11 million to fix sewer and water infrastructure, safety and sanitation issues at one of the most dilapidated sites in the shadow of The Dalles Dam and for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to assess the other 30 sites dedicated to allowing the Warm Springs, Yakama, Nez Perce and Umatilla tribes to carry out their federally protected right to fish the river.

Were elated by the Houses resounding endorsement of this bill, said Charles Hudson, governmental affairs director for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, which is composed of the four Columbia River tribes.

Weve spent the last few days fielding an array of questions from congressional members around the country about the sites, their history and the needs associated with them, Hudson said. "It was time very well spent and sends a clear message to the administration that we should all work together and make improvements at the site a national priority.

The fish commission took over maintenance and operations at the 31 sites from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to find that the $6.3 million set aside in 2003 for 50 years worth of maintenance will last only a few decades at most.

Lone Pine, the site that will be first in line for upgrades, houses 35 families who share a single restroom with four shower stalls and four toilets - none of which has a door. The toilets occasionally back up onto the floor of the bathroom, sending the smell of waste wafting through the camp. Even with a dedicated cleaning crew that rotates between the sites, the volume of use is too much to keep up with.

Part of the problem is that the federal government underestimated how many tribal members would return to the river after the Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day dams flooded tribal villages on its banks. At the time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers promised to rebuild the houses that were wiped out. Eighty years later, that promise is still unfulfilled.

In the meantime, the Army Corps created 31 boat launches for tribal members to fish for salmon and steelhead. Some of the sites have a few amenities while others are just patches of grass. But without housing, tribal members flock to the sites during salmon runs and, in some cases like Lone Pine, year-round. The sites are created to be temporary camps and are overloaded by the amount of use.

For years, four tribes living along the Columbia River have lived in decrepit conditions, all because the federal government turned its backs on their responsibility to assist in rebuilding their homes, said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, who introduced the House bill. Authorizing improvements to these sites while we work on a long-term solution has been an uphill battle, but today, the House took a step forward toward making things right by passing my bill.

Blumenauer said last year that he hopes that Lone Pine will demonstrate that a relatively small amount of money can significantly improve the lives of the tribal members who live at fish at Lone Pine so that it can be replicated at the 30 other sites.

Blumenauer and Merkley have tried for three years to lock in this money but got nowhere.

But in the past year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers from Oregon and Washington have finally seen some success.

In 2016, Merkley and Blumenauer introduced a bill aimed at replacing housing flooded by the three dams. That eventually became law, and work on developing plans for the villages started before being blocked by President Donald Trumps administration.

In November, Oregon and Washington lawmakers were finally able to force the administration to continue the village planning.
Multnomah County prosecutors have charged two men with felony theft and computer crimes for allegedly using skimmers to steal debit card numbers at ATM machines.

Portland police said the pair compromised at least 300 debit cards and stole more than $10,000 from 10 different victims in March and April.

Thieves slip skimmers into an ATM and leave them there to read and copy information from cards used at the machine.

Police arrested Gabriel Tigmarau, 48, and Simion Ciprian, 36, after investigating skimming incidents at a Unitus Credit Union ATM, a Rivermark Community Bank cash machine, and at the IBEW Credit Union in Southeast Portland.

Police said surveillance video shows the two men skimming from the IBEW cash machine on six occasions in March and April.

When police approached Tigmarau, they allege he quickly walked into a Home Depot and discarded skimming equipment behind shelved lumber. Police said that when they arrested Ciprian in a vehicle they found skimming equipment, including a cigarette pack with dozens of prepaid gift cards inside.

Police said they were able to link the cards to stolen debit card numbers from more than 11 different financial institutions.

-- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699
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Todays Stories

DEADLY PLANE CRASH: A pilot and his passenger died Monday afternoon when their single-engine aircraft crashed near La Center, Washington. Read more.

MULTIPLE STABBINGS: Officers shot and killed a man who is reported to have stabbed four adults early Monday in Southeast Portland. Read more.

FATAL CAR FIRE: A man and woman were killed in a vehicle fire in Northeast Portland. Read more.

SCHOOL FUNDING: A multibillion-dollar tax plan for Oregon schools advances after a last-minute deal with the states biggest business group. Read more.

GAME ONE: The Trail Blazers fell to the Nuggets in Denver, 113-121. Read more.

STATE OF THE CITY: In his annual address, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler cast the city as effectively tackling homelessness and policing controversies. Read more.

VOTER FRAUD: Ten people in Oregon have been convicted in voter fraud cases stemming from the 2016 election. Several said it was an accident. Read more.

LIMITS ON WEED: The Oregon Senate moved forward with a plan to limit the states supply of recreational, legal marijuana. Read more.

Snap of the Day

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park on the Oregon coast.

TRAIL OF HISTORY: The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in present day Warrenton is just one of the stops in our guide to following Lewis and Clark on a road trip across the Pacific Northwest. Read more.

More news

Workers appeared to remove pins, likely causing fatal Seattle crane collapse, experts say

Portland State considering banning cars from street at heart of campus

Judge in Oregon issues 2nd nationwide preliminary injunction halting Trumps rule on abortion referrals

Dear Abby: Was this an open relationship, or did she cheat and cant be trusted?

Ask Amy: Husband caught in 4 affairs blames hackers each time

Carolyn Hax: Guess what, your sons silence on wedding plans is the answer

Todays comics

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Today in history

On April 30, 1975, the Vietnam War ended as the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to Communist forces.

On this date in 1789, George Washington took the oath of office in New York as the first president of the United States.
By Jonathan M. Metzl  Special To The Washington Post

Metzl, MD, PhD, is Director of the Center for Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University and Research Director of the Safe Tennessee Project.

Its time to talk about what it means to be white in the United States.

Thats what I was trying to do Saturday afternoon at the Politics and Prose bookstore in the District of Columbia when I was interrupted by a group of white nationalists. Ironically, the protesters chant -- This land is our land -- served only to reinforce my point.

For too long, many white Americans have avoided this conversation, and we've done so for a reason: We don't have to see the color white. Race scholars often argue that white privilege broadly means not needing to reflect on whiteness. White is the default setting, the assumed norm. A white American does not have to think about being white when walking down the street - while people marked as not-white are often noticed and surveilled. White people have the superpower of invisibility.

Yet with the rise of President Donald Trump's brand of resentment politics, American whiteness is increasingly hard to overlook. Trumpian rhetoric defines white identity not by shared values but by shared resentments. Whiteness, in this telling, is under siege. Walled behind Trump's claim that the country is "full," and his equivocations on white extremism, lies the notion that immigrants and citizens of color are usurping the privileges of whiteness. This narrative is then amplified by increasingly emboldened white nationalists like the ones who sought to shout me down Saturday.

Trump did not invent insecure whiteness. He is only a skilled manipulator of the fears at its heart.

For the past eight years, I've studied how these politics of racial resentment have profound negative consequences for working-class white communities. I traveled across Southern and Midwestern states to track the everyday effects of anti-government, anti-immigrant politics and policies. Time and again, I found that the material realities of working-class white lives are made worse not by immigrants and citizens of color - but by GOP policies that promise greatness but deliver despair.

For instance: Blocking the Affordable Care Act or defunding government programs makes for great campaign slogans for those who imagine that such programs primarily benefit immigrants and citizens of color. But the cuts to education, transit and health-care delivery systems that follow cost many white, red-state Americans months and years of life expectancy. Funds that might support white working-class communities are diverted into tax cuts for the wealthy. If working-class conservative voters ever demanded better roads, schools or hospitals as the price for their support, the GOP would be unable to fund these tax cuts.

My research suggests that constantly blaming "others" masks ways that the GOP platform depends on rendering even its working-class white supporters expendable. White Americans are literally dying from Trump's brand of identity politics. But if whiteness is sick, what's the cure?

That's the dilemma facing white Americans who recoil from Trump's cruel politics - and Democratic politicians who wish to speak to conservative white voters. They, too, are often hampered by not seeing whiteness. What's needed is a language to promote different ways of being white.

One place to start is by avoiding what psychologists call "zero sum" formulations of race relations - in which there are "winners" and "losers" in fights for power or resources. Equitable societies are healthier for everyone, and alliances among groups with common socioeconomic interests (rather than identities) are more successful in achieving shared objectives. A white Kansan has more in common with his Hispanic neighbor than with a white Tennessean.

Unpacking whiteness also requires white people speaking openly - not by proxy conversations about immigration or guns - about the strengths and limitations of American whiteness. This means reflecting on white traditions of generosity and resilience, and not just the anxieties, biases and fears of white communities. It means talking about ways that white Americans can enhance or thwart American prosperity. And about how, to make America truly great, we need a more communal version of racial justice to emerge.

Such an approach should acknowledge that whiteness is not monolithic. Trump - and my protesters - seem to have commandeered the narrative, but there are different ways of being white in America. It's too easy for liberals to overlook how many white conservatives want better communities as well.

During my research, I saw countless examples of white Americans in the reddest of red counties who were proud of their conservative values but also understood their moral obligation to immigrants and citizens of color. In other words, they were willing to see their privilege and to begin the work of dismantling it.

Is there a way for Democrats to reach these voters? What might a political appeal to their concerns even look like? How Democrats answer these questions may well determine the results of the 2020 election.

To refute Trump-style politics, white Americans of conscience have to "see" what their whiteness means. It's not enough for well-meaning whites to #resist specific policies. They need to contest his very definition of whiteness.

Such a reckoning may not be comfortable. But it is necessary, not just for a more equitable country but also for defeating the politics of racial resentment at the polls.

Metzl is also the author of Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing Americas Heartland.
Joe Biden made a surprisingly large jump in two polls released Tuesday.

Even though hes led in preference surveys for months, the former vice president moved up by 11 percentage points in one poll and nine points in the other during the week of his official campaign launch. This bounce came largely at the expense of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

He did it, apparently, by taking on President Donald Trump head-on, with a campaign-kickoff video that specifically referenced the deadly 2017 Charlottesville confrontation between white supremacists and those protesting their rally.

This was when we heard the words from the president of the United States that stunned the world and shocked the conscience of this nation, Biden said in the video. He said there were some very fine people on both sides. Very fine people on both sides? With those words, the president of the United States assigned a moral equivalence between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it. And in that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime.

Political commentators initial reaction to the video was mixed, but it seems Democratic voters liked what they heard from the former vice president.

The way Biden wins this 20-way primary isnt as a fresh face or as the most liberal candidate, CNN wrote of the poll results. He wins by convincing Democrats that the only thing that really matters is beating Trump -- and that he is the best person in the race to do that.

And the best way for the other 19 candidates to win the nomination? Theyre trying to figure that out. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warrens inch-by-inch poll improvement in recent weeks suggests that her big-idea, detail-oriented policy proposals are being well-received.

Obviously Biden's bounce is the big news in the several polls out this morning but some other themes too:



* Mayyyybe a little momentum for Warren?

* Pretty bad numbers for Bernie. Polling in the mid-teens with 100% name recognition is not very good.

* Buttigieg momentum slows?  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) April 30, 2019

In a CNN/SSRS poll of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, Biden was the preferred candidate of 39 percent of respondents. (He came in at 28 percent in CNNs mid-March poll, before he announced he was officially in the race.)

Sanders landed at 15 percent, down 4 points in the past month, a significant downward trend for the only candidate other than Biden to have near-universal name recognition. The independent Vermont senator placed second to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Hes widely credited with moving the party to the left, but his gruff personality and uncompromising, far-left positions have led many Democrats to consider him unelectable. He received almost no bounce in the polls when he officially launched his campaign last month.

Warren -- who has proposed breaking up the big tech companies, a wealth tax for the countrys highest earners, and eliminating student debt -- has the support of 8 percent of the CNN/SSRS surveys respondents. She was followed by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (7 percent), former Texas Congressman Beto ORourke (6 percent) and California Sen. Kamala Harris (5 percent).

Both ORourke and Harris have dropped 6 percentage points in the past month.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar stand at 2 percent each in the poll.

The survey of registered voters asked people which candidates in the large field they want to know more about. Harris was chosen by 23 percent, Warren by 20 percent and Biden by 19 percent. This suggests Harris and Warren have the greatest upside potential among voters still trying to figure out who to back. (Considering Bidens high name recognition and long career in the public eye, his Top-3 placement here ultimately could prove detrimental to his poll standing.)

In a Quinnipiac University National Poll, also released Tuesday, Biden leads the pack with support from 38 percent of respondents. Warren placed second with 12 percent and Sanders came in third at 11 percent. Buttigieg ended up with 10 percent in this poll, and Harris took 8 percent.

Biden had 29 percent support a month ago in the Quinnipiac poll. Sanders was at 19 percent. ORourke fell from 12 percent in the March survey to 5 percent in the latest one.

Fifty-six percent of the respondents said Biden is the Democratic candidate with the best chance to beat Trump. Sanders was second at 12 percent.

Read the complete CNN/SSRS poll results.

Read the complete Quinnipiac University poll results.

-- Douglas Perry

@douglasmperry

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.
SALEM  Oregon is sending a team of workers to check on foster children at a treatment program in Utah, after more than 20 teenagers were reportedly injured during a riot there on Sunday night and one Oregon youth was injured.

Twenty-four Oregon foster children live at Red Rock Canyon School in St. George, Utah, according to Department of Human Services spokeswoman Christy Sinatra. The program is operated by the for-profit company Sequel Youth and Family Services, which operates childrens treatment facilities across the country.

No Oregon youth were part of the altercation or detained, however, one youth was treated for a shoulder issue and returned to the program last night, Sinatra wrote in an email.

The state human services agency will have an eight-person team at Red Rock tomorrow and they will be talking to each youth placed there, Sinatra wrote. The team includes Child Welfare, (human services) facility licensing and Oregon Health Authority staff.

Red Rock Canyon School staff notified Oregon officials of the incident as required, Sinatra said.

Oregon child welfare staff and a contractor for the state last visited Red Rock Canyon School earlier in April, she said.

As of last week, more than 80 Oregon foster children were housed at out-of-state programs, agency officials told lawmakers. The state has dramatically increased the number of foster children sent out-of-state in recent years, OPB reported in February. Since then, state lawmakers have been pushing child welfare officials to explain the change in practice and bring the children back to Oregon.

With more than a quarter of those children at Red Rock Canyon School, the psychiatric residential treatment center appears to be popular with child welfare workers referring foster children to live outside Oregon. According to a federal lawsuit filed earlier this month by a national advocacy group and local disability rights advocates, the program is one of several out-of-state facilities where Oregon sends foster children despite staff there facing criminal investigations or sex abuse charges. Oregon spends $330 a day per child at Red Rock Canyon School, the lawyers wrote.

 Hillary Borrud | hborrud@oregonian.com | 503-294-4034 | @hborrud

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Crossing the state line to shop in Washington will get more expensive for Oregonians, if a bill approved over the weekend by state lawmakers is signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee.

As part of a flurry of activity at the end of their legislative session, members of both the Washington House and Senate narrowly approved Senate Bill 5997.

The measure would end the longstanding practice of allowing Oregonians, along with residents of five other states that do not charge a sales tax, to purchase items in Washington without having to pay the sales tax there.

The idea behind the exemption was to encourage people accustomed to tax-free shopping to spend money in Washington, which imposes a 6.5% sales tax. Oregon residents simply show photo ID and the tax is immediately removed from their bill.

The sales tax exemption applies only to items that are used outside of Washington state, such as cars, electronics and clothing. It does not apply to restaurant meals, lodging, gasoline or marijuana.

The bill would not end the exemption entirely, but it would make it much more difficult to use.

Instead of getting the sales tax waived on the spot, Oregonians would have to save their receipts and turn them in the following year to the Washington Department of Revenue. The agency would then issue a rebate.

Requests for a sales tax rebate could only be made once per year and only if the total amount to be refunded exceeds $25.

The process could only be used for state sales tax and not for taxes charged by cities and counties. That means that Oregonians who shop in Vancouver would pay an extra 1.9% in taxes, with no way to recover it. Vancouver is one of more than 100 cities across Washington that charges a local sales tax.

The Washington Department of Revenue estimates that just over 10% of shoppers from Oregon and the other qualifying jurisdictions will bother sending in their sales tax receipts. Thats based on figures from a similar rebate program operated by the Canadian province of British Columbia.

The other shoppers will either not spend enough to be able to turn in $25 worth of sales tax receipts or will simply not bother. A legislative budget note estimates the change would bring in $53.9 million to state coffers during the upcoming two-year budget cycle.

While the new law would help Washingtons bottom line, lobbyists for the travel industry and retail groups testified against the measure in Olympia.

Two southwest Washington lawmakers criticized the proposal in a column in the Vancouver Business Journal. Rep. Brandon Vick, R-Vancouver and Rep. Larry Hoff, R-Vancouver, wrote that the bill would seriously jeopardize businesses in their district.

As a result of these changes, we believe many Oregonians would simply stop coming to Washington to purchase products from our local businesses, they wrote.

A spokeswoman for Inslee told the Vancouver Columbian that the governor has not taken a position on the bill. If approved, the change would take effect July 1.
In the third State of City address of his term, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler on Monday cast himself and city partners as effectively tackling the citys homelessness crisis and policing controversies, pointing to what he said was significant and even unprecedented progress and pledging to ensure even more.

The speech, delivered from a corner of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum concourse, was chock full of oratory and anecdote. Wheeler told, for example, of taking a college course where he interacted with homeless people, which he said led him to forgo a Wall Street career for civic service.

But the speech was light on specifics for ways to alleviate what Wheeler said are Portlands most pressing problems, with the mayor focusing on his administrations successes. He told reporters later that he wanted the speech to be more about values than policy proposals.

Wheeler said the city government has made vast strides helping homeless people, including assisting 35,000 people to get off the streets or avoid landing there, even though it may not seem like it.

We know that there are still significant challenges ahead of us and we know the problem could seem like its getting worse before it gets better, the mayor said. He added: Were not giving up.

Record numbers of homeless people have been moved from the streets and into affordable housing, he said, and the city is constructing affordable units at a pace ahead of what was promised to voters.

In his most significant policy announcement of the speech, the mayor said the Portland Housing Bureau on Tuesday will make available $70 million in bond funding for affordable housing projects. That money could lead to construction of as many as 600 units, he said.

Portlands homelessness crisis still presents daunting problems, Wheeler said. But the mayor assured Portlanders the city government is responding urgently and that we are on the right path.

On policing, Wheeler said the Portland Police Bureau has done more to train its officers on racial profiling, has hired unarmed specialists to help the homeless and officers use of force is on the decline.

Being a Portland police officer is often a thankless job, he said, and the Police Bureau is at a critical juncture where retirements are high and recruitment is low. But Wheeler did not offer a plan to address the meager recruitments, which he attributed to the competitive job market.

Wheelers speech also made no mention of some of Portlands toughest problems: people openly using drugs or suffering mental health breakdowns in the city core; increases in property crime; failing infrastructure, especially in East Portland; a spate of pedestrian deaths; the strained city budget and more.

Wheeler has not said whether he will seek reelection in 2020 and did not directly address it Monday. But he struck a much different tone than six months ago, when he muttered off-the-cuff that he couldn't wait for the end of his first term.

In his formally prepared speech Monday, he called being mayor my purpose.

Being mayor is not easy. I was never under the illusion it would be, he said. But its by far the most meaningful work of my life. This is my lifes work.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

GFriedman@Oregonian.com
Pune, India, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Instant Noodles Market is poised to touch USD 33,200.2 Mn by 2023 at an impressive 3.02% CAGR during the forecast period (2018-2023), reveals the latest report by Market Research Future (MRFR).

Market Scope

Instant noodles are making a niche for itself based on its popularity for being tasty, nutritious, and quick to make. Although many would differ with the marketing strategy of instant noodles on the grounds of nutrition, the market has never kept itself away from such promotional campaigns. Especially, involving nutritional grounds. The global instant noodles market is expected to move steadily with a 3.02% CAGR during the forecast period (2016-2023) to reach a valuation of USD 33,200.2 million by the end of 2023. Instant noodles mostly contain dehydrated vegetables, wheat flour, meat, pork, beef, and seafood.

The global instant noodles market is reaping the benefits of rapid industrialization and fast-tracked urbanization. These two features have spurred a demand for ready-to-cook products. Severe issues with hectic lifestyles have led to a growth in the increase of convenience foods. At the same time, a rise in per capita income can be considered a major factor in triggering market growth. The imbalance caused by lack of time for cooking a proper meal has benefited the market well. Manufacturers have come up with fortified instant noodles which is to explore possibilities among the health-conscious populations.

Key Players and Industry Buzz

Several market giants are making an impression in the global instant noodles market. Their impacts can be measured in terms of strategic moves they make to take their individual stands strong. But its far-reaching impact help the global market grow. Companies profiled in the MRFR report are Nestle S.A. (Switzerland), Unilever PLC (UK), Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Japan), Campbell Soup Company (US), ITC Limited (India), Nissin Foods Co., Ltd (Hong Kong), Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company (Vietnam), Tat Hui Foods Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), Capital Foods Limited (India), and PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk (Indonesia).

Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1841

The instant noodles market is mostly getting driven by innovation. Nissin is one of the leaders and never shies away from trying out new things. Nissin, in collaboration with Japan Science and Technology Agency, are trying to sort out the development of cultured meat. They now believe that they have found out a way to take diced steaks to the next level where it would resemble the texture of steak from a real cow. Nestle, on the other hand, is attempting big time to recover the lost ground in India during the previous market downfall. The company has increased its production volume and is introducing new lines to make up for the lost ground. Nissin is also doing great in terms of promotion where they have launched a cup noodle vending machine, in collaboration with Foodbeast. Instagram account would be the currency. The uproar it created on the web is providing the market giant with much-needed leverages.

Forming a Base

The analysis of the global Instant Noodles Market requires a proper segmentation on the basis of product type, pack size, and distribution channel. This is to get a comprehensive view of the market for a better understanding of coming years and gauge how well the instant noodles market can live up to its potential. Based on the type, the instant noodles market can be segmented into cup/bowl and packet instant noodles. The packet segment had the market leash in 2017 but the cup/bowl segment is expected to witness a surge in the consumption. The segment is expected to register 3.33% CAGR over the review period. By pack size, the Instant Noodles Market can be segmented into single pack, four pack, six pack, and others. The convenience of the single pack is taking it ahead of the rest. The four-pack segment can exceed a valuation of USD 7,708.2 million by the end of 2023. By distribution channel, the instant noodles segment includes store-based and non-store-based of which the store-based segment comprises supermarkets & hypermarkets, convenience stores, and others. The store-based segment is dominating but the non-store-based segment can rise substantially during the forecast period.

Browse the market data and information spread across 114 pages with 84 data tables and 20 figures of the report Instant Noodles Market Report - Forecast 2018-2023 in-depth alongside table of content (TOC) at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/instant-noodles-market-1841

Mapping the Market

Instant Noodles Market comprises North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and the Rest-of-the-World (RoW). MRFRs detailed analysis of the market in a region-specific way includes both volume-wise and value-wise data. These are to put light on growth pockets that would help in better market expansion. The APAC market has the maximum market exposure and with a 3.16% CAGR during the forecast period it is expected to make a difference in the global market and among its associates. China is contributing the most in the region. North Americas market to reach a valuation of USD 2,061.7 million by the end of 2023 with the U.S. leading the market. Europe to profit substantially from the changing work culture and high demand for Asia noodles flavors. The market is deemed to exceed a worth of USD 1,268.2 million by 2023. The U.K. to score big in terms of CAGR during the forecast period.

Browse Related Reports:

Instant Beverage Premixes Market Information Type (Instant Coffee, Instant Tea, Instant Milk, Instant Health Drinks, Instant Soup), Function (Plain and Flavored), Distribution (Store Based and Non-Store Based) and Region Forecast to 2023

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/instant-beverage-premix-market-4475

Ready to Eat Meals Market Information by Product Type (Ready Meals & Mixes, Bakery, Noodles & Pasta, Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Herbs & Spices, Soups), Cuisine (Indian, Italian, Chinese, Continental)), Specialty Type (Natural, Preservative Free, Vegetarian, Non-Vegetarian), Form (Dried, Frozen, Instant, Cooked, Fresh), Packaging (Can, Box, Bag, Sachet, Vacuum Pack), and Region- Forecast to 2022

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/ready-to-eat-meals-market-1979

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.
President Donald Trump and his family, as well as the Trump Organization, filed suit against one of their lenders and one of their banks late Monday, seeking to stop the financial firms from complying with subpoenas from congressional committees.

The lawsuit against Deutsche Bank, which has loaned Trump more than $360 million in recent years, and Capital One are designed to prevent the two institutions from providing records to the House Intelligence and Financial Services committees. The panels are led by Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Maxine Waters, D-Calif., respectively.

The filing, submitted late Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, claims that the subpoenas were issued to "harass" the president - "to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage."

"No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one," the lawsuit asserts.

In a joint statement, Trump lawyers William Consovoy, Patrick Strawbridge and Marc Mukasey called the subpoenas "unlawful and illegitimate."

"Every citizen should be concerned about this sweeping, lawless, invasion of privacy," they said. "We look forward to vindicating our clients' rights in this matter."

Their clients, in this case, include not just the president but his three eldest children, as well as the business conglomerate that bears their name.

But legal experts predicted that the courts would be unwilling to stand in the way of congressional oversight. If nothing else, however, the lawsuit could delay the committees' investigations into Trump's finances and business dealings.

"This isn't a close legal question," said David Alan Sklansky, a professor at Stanford Law School. "I'm quite confident there has never been a situation where a congressional subpoena has been quashed without a finding that it violates a constitutional right."

The claim that there is no legitimate need for the subpoena, or that it is politically motivated, is a "frivolous argument, even if it's true," he said. "That is not a basis for quashing a subpoena."

Nor is the claim that the inquest violates the privacy of the president or his family members, the law professor said.

"That's how subpoena power works - it's about getting information that people would like to be kept private," he said.

Schiff and Waters, who issued the subpoenas two weeks ago, condemned the lawsuit in a joint statement, calling it a ploy to "put off meaningful accountability as long as possible."

"The meritless lawsuit filed today by President Trump to block duly authorized subpoenas to nongovernmental entities is another demonstration of the depths to which President Trump will go to obstruct Congress's constitutional oversight authority," the Democrats said. "As a private businessman, Trump routinely used his well-known litigiousness and the threat of lawsuits to intimidate others, but he will find that Congress will not be deterred from carrying out its constitutional responsibilities."

They added, "This unprecedented stonewalling will not work, and the American people deserve better."

The lawsuit is the latest salvo by Trump in a deepening battle over congressional inquiries with aims ranging from obtaining the president's personal and corporate tax returns to bringing Attorney General William P. Barr before the House Judiciary Committee. The White House's intransigence has led some House Democrats to look with new interest at the possibility of impeachment proceedings.

The 13-page filing offered a window into the legal approach pursued by Trump and his business organization, showing how lawyers for the president will contend that congressional investigators are overreaching their authority.

So, too, it revealed new details about the subpoenas, and about the information being sought by Democrats. According to the suit, the request to Deutsche Bank - the president's largest creditor - includes account records and other information related to "parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, divisions, partnerships, properties, groups, special purpose entities, joint ventures, predecessors, successors or any other entity in which they have or had a controlling interest."

The suit claims that lawyers for the president and his associates requested copies of the subpoenas from committee officials, but that Democrats on Capitol Hill refused. They instead learned the details of the requests from the banks, which informed the attorneys that they had intended to begin producing documents on May 6, according to the legal filing.

The suit appeared similar to another filed by Trump earlier this month against his own accounting firm, Mazars USA, to stop it from complying with a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee. In that case, the committee was seeking documents related to "Statements of Financial Condition" that the firm prepared for Trump to convince lenders he was wealthy enough to be a good credit risk.

The congressional committees have also demanded documents from a handful of other financial institutions, such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup. The requests are part of Democratic probes into possible Russian money-laundering.

In a statement, a Deutsche Bank spokeswoman said, "We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations."

Congress is not alone in probing the relationship between Trump and the German lender, which agreed to pay $630 million in fines in 2017 for a scheme that regulators said allowed Russian investors to launder $10 billion through the bank over four years.

Last month, New York Attorney General Letitia James, D, subpoenaed records related to several large loans the bank had extended to Trump in recent years. That request came on the heels of congressional testimony from Michael Cohen, the president's former attorney and "fixer," that Trump had inflated his net worth in material sent to the multinational company, which is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany.

Capital One is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, with numerous offices in Manhattan. The bank didn't immediately return a request for comment.

- - - The Washington Post's Renae Merle in New York and Robert Costa contributed to this story
LISLE, Ill., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) has signed an agreement with Restb.ai, an artificial intelligence company specializing in computer vision for real estate. The partnership brings Restb.ais revolutionary technology to the 45,000 brokers and appraisers who use the Chicagoland areas multiple listing service (MLS).







MRED real estate professionals will soon enjoy a time-saving benefit of this partnership, as many listing details will instantly be populated once a propertys photos are uploaded. The incorporation of Restb.ais computer vision into MREDs listing input module will automatically pull information from photos and enter that data directly into the appropriate fields.

Restb.ais technology has the ability to detect and report room types such as kitchen, bathroom and office; and features such as the presence of natural light, hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, and kitchen islands. Those specifics are in addition to many other attributes that are relevant to common searches in the home-buying process based on information that previously had to be manually entered.

"We're very excited to partner up with a forward-looking organization like MRED to deliver more value to their members by automating many time-consuming tasks through the power of artificial intelligence, said Restb.ai CEO Angel Esteban.

The benefits of this new technology will also be felt behind the scenes. Restb.ai provides a compliance solution that allows MREDs Rules and Regulations staff to proactively monitor listing photos for rule violations. This process takes place before photos are public, enabling corrected images to be uploaded in a timely manner and resolving issues early to save real estate professionals from potential fines.

Were always looking for new ways to bring value to brokers and appraisers as well as supply them with solutions to pain points theyre experiencing, said MRED President/CEO Rebecca Jensen. The best part of this AI integration is the tangible benefits it delivers to our marketplace.

We brought in this technology because it will save time and reduce hassle, which is exactly what artificial intelligence should do, said MRED Chief Technology Officer Chris Haran. Were only scratching the surface of AIs capacity to improve the MLS experience and were aggressively pursuing more enhancements like this that make life easier for real estate professionals.

MRED and Restb.ai are testing the technology in MREDs property listing database, with specific modules capabilities scheduled to be launched in May and June. The automatic listing field population feature is slated to be released later in 2019.

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to more than 45,000 brokers and appraisers and over 7,300 offices. MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding "collar" counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana. MRED delivers more than 20 products and services to its customers. MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association, and for 10 consecutive years the MRED Help Desk has been identified as one of the best small business centers in North America by BenchmarkPortal. For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.

About Restb.ai

Founded in early 2016, Restb.ai is a Barcelona based start-up specializing in artificial intelligence for real estate. The computer vision technology tags, categorizes, and delivers results on property-related images, with an accuracy on search results of up to 99%. By using Restb.ais plug-n-play solution, real estate portals can attract more visitors, keep them engaged, and ultimately gain more profits.
When President Donald Trump is faced with genuine accountability, he knows just what to do: delay and delay and delay. He might not be able to stave off the prying eyes of Congress, the courts or the public forever, but he might do it long enough to get reelected.

A week ago, the president sued his own accounting firm in an attempt to get it not to comply with a congressional subpoena for his financial records. And now he has filed yet another joke of a lawsuit, as reported by The Washington Post:

"President Trump and his family, as well as the Trump Organization, filed suit against one of their lenders and one of their banks late Monday, seeking to stop the financial firms from complying with subpoenas from congressional committees.

"The lawsuit against Deutsche Bank, which has loaned Trump more than $360 million in recent years, and Capital One are designed to prevent the two institutions from providing records to the House Intelligence and Financial Services committees. The panels are led by Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Maxine Waters, D-Calif., respectively.

"The filing, submitted late Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, says the subpoenas were issued to "harass" the president - 'to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage.'

" 'No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one,' the lawsuit asserts."

The only problem with that argument is that as a legal matter it's utterly irrelevant. His lawyers' argument seems written not to convince a judge but to provide talking points to Fox News, where all of Trump's advocates can cry that the whole thing is a fishing expedition, nothing but Democrats searching for something they can nail the president on. But even if that were true, as a legal question it would make no difference.

That's because legal experts are all but unanimous in the conclusion that claiming a congressional subpoena doesn't have a good enough reason behind it is an argument with approximately zero legal weight.

"What the courts have made clear repeatedly is that congressional oversight power is incredibly broad," Brianne Gorod of the Constitutional Accountability Center told me last week after Trump sued his accounting firm. "I'm not aware of any case law that suggests that Congress has to supply specific, granular justifications" for the subpoenas it issues. Here's more from The Post's report Tuesday:

" 'This isn't a close legal question,' said David Alan Sklansky, a professor at Stanford's law school. 'I'm quite confident there has never been a situation where a congressional subpoena has been quashed without a finding that it violates a constitutional right.'

"The claim that there is no legitimate need for the subpoena, or that it is politically motivated, is a 'frivolous argument, even if it's true,' he said. 'That is not a basis for quashing a subpoena.'

"Nor is the claim that the inquest violates the privacy of the president or his family members, the law professor said.

" 'That's how subpoena power works - it's about getting information that people would like to be kept private,' he said."

The reason Congress is looking at Trump's relationship with Deutsche Bank is that it is particularly critical to the question of whether he has committed any financial fraud. In the early 2000s, after he declared bankruptcy multiple times and earned a reputation as a liar and a grifter, every major bank refused to lend money to him - except Deutsche Bank.

As reporting revealed last month, the bank continued to lend him money even though it knew he was lying to them about his assets. It's a bizarre and mysterious tale, one that the records might help shed light on.

And there appears to be a specific potential crime the House is investigating: money laundering. The New York Times reports that "people with knowledge of the investigation said it related to possible money laundering by people in Russia and Eastern Europe."

This makes sense, given what we know about both Trump and Deutsche Bank.

In 2017, the bank was fined $630 million by American and British authorities over a scheme that allowed Russians to launder $10 billion in assets through the bank. Last year, German authorities raided the bank in their own money-laundering probe.

As for Trump, his properties have long been a favored vehicle for Russian oligarchs and mobsters looking for ways to move money out of Russia. In 2018, McClatchy reported: "Buyers connected to Russia or former Soviet republics made 86 all-cash sales - totaling nearly $109 million - at 10 Trump-branded properties in South Florida and New York City. . . . Many of them made purchases using shell companies designed to obscure their identities."

Now maybe all that was innocent, at least from Trump's end. And maybe Deutsche Bank's money laundering activities have no connection to Trump. And maybe when congressional investigators see Trump's records, they'll find nothing problematic or suspicious in them.

But let's be honest: Is there anyone, no matter what party they belong to, who doesn't think there are scandalous things in Trump's financial records? After the lengths he has gone to in order to keep his tax returns secret, after his long history of cons like Trump University (for which he was forced to pay $25 million in restitution to his victims), after the revelation that his "foundation" was essentially nothing but a scam, think of what it takes to imagine that the records will show all of Trump's transactions were above board.

Even if you could convince yourself that might be true, Trump is acting like he has something - perhaps many things - to hide. Trump is constantly bragging about his wealth, eager for everyone to know how successful, shrewd and rich he supposedly is. If his financial records demonstrated that, he'd be more than happy to let everyone see them. So either he's far less wealthy than he says and having that revealed would be an embarrassment, or the records will reveal actions that are unethical or worse. Or both.

It's pretty clear what Trump's strategy is now: File one lawsuit after another, refuse to comply with subpoenas and drag it all out as long as possible - at least until next November, when he might be reelected. It's just about the only option he has left.
Biennially, Australian wine importer and distributor Negociants Australia put on what is arguably the greatest wine education/seminar series in the country, the Working With Wine Program.

Today is the first day, and although Im flying out to Switzerland in a few hours (more on that later), here are a few highlights from some of the first brackets.

The feature for this seminar is Bordeaux, and as ever, the lineup is top shelf. Our panel hosts today are Gabriel Vialard (Haut Baillys Technical Director), Myriam Ruer (Business Development Director at Chateau Troplong Mondot), Nick Ryan (aka Paddle Pop Lion), Virginia Willcock (Vasse Felix winemaker) and Andrew Caillard MW (maker of Red Obsession, amongst other things).

Rather than doing a very formal post, treat this as a taster of what is an exceptional collection of wines. So notes are as written (hurriedly) with wine in front of me, trying not to spill on keyboard.

Flight 1  Left Bank 2015

From what Caillard calls a near drought year that is revered as one of the best. That Cos, in particular, is something very special.

Chateau Cos dEstournel 2015

Dark maroon with ruby bits. Gee this is huge  a molten ball of very firm, masculine flavour. Cedar, black fruits, black olive as Caillard calls it, the barest whiff of herbs, dark chocolate oak but otherwise its all latent power. It almost teeters on too ripe, but but that just gives power, a hint of licoricey coal. Then ultra fine tannins. Remarkable length, difficult to fault this really. Maybe a little warm to finish? Quibble. The more you look the more this is a sensational wine. Its hugely intense, the finish goes on and on, and its ripe. But its not what youd call heavy. Just heroic power. Want an example of what great Bordeaux tastes like? Its here. Epic wine. 19.1/20, 97/100.

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2015

Immediately less ripe than the Cos (and less oak chocolate). Its more claret like too, more black fruits, more acid, more Claret. I feel like this is less forgiving than the luscious Cos (and less impact), and firmer. But the classic lines, the little herbal edges, the closed and refreshing style. Long term and refined, though it takes a bit to woo you in its fine lines. This is less about concentration, and more about purity. I love this style. Classy and will live for decades. I want this in my cellar. 19/20, 96/100.

Chateau Leoville-Barton 2015

Quite an evocative wine  theres Turkish delight, black fruit, fudge, grippy tannins but more about the middle palate punch than anything. Caillard notes that the black olive character in this can be confused as brett in some times. Its actually a little too ripe in context, the impact exceptional, but maybe a little too showy and oaky. Still, the balance beyond the powdery oak is there, so you just need to wait for it all to integrate.. I like it, but it almost feels like its trying too hard with that oak. Come back in a decade. 18.5/20, 94/100+

Chateau Palmer 2015

Meaty, warm, ripe. Gee this is un-Bordeaux like, the warmth of fruit, the smoky blackness. Its like warm year Margaret River, with bludgeoning tannins and lots of oak. Intriguing, but maybe a bit blocky too. Id pick this as new world if I saw it in a lineup, and the tannins are less refreshing too. Ambitious, and yes, the longer you look the more the class comes through, the tannins wider too. 18.5/20, 94/100+

Chateau Haut-Bailly 2015

Cedar, hints of capsicum, more acidity and leaf. Its true Pessac, with a really quite pretty mode. Red fruit, rather than black. More acidity. Classy, no question about it. But more traditional than showy. Pretty, but maybe not the impact of the other wines in this lineup. Good claret and it just needs more time. 18/20, 93/100.

Flight 2  Haut-Bailly vertical

Haut-Bailly is slightly elevated (48m) and with a sandstone soil with fossilised crustaceans. Vines are planted at 10k vines per hectare. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.

La Parde de Haut-Bailly 2015

60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvigon, 10% Cabernet Franc. Bright red heading to purple. Theres an edge of garrique almost, a meatiness that you dont see in the grand vin. Then a palate that stumbles a little with its extraction, the tannins firm and a bit hearty. The mid palate saves it though, with very good concentration of rich fruit. Quality, but a step behind in the balance. 17.5/20, 91/100.

Chateau Haut-Bailly 2014

66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot. Herbs, redcurrant, black texta. Another very moderate claret, the leafiness and tannin sternness defines it after the more ripe and prominently ripe 15s but youd not call this an unattractive wine. Its mid-weight and perfectly fine in its leafy moderate form. I rather like the refreshment all things considered. 18/20, 93/100

Chateau Haut-Bailly 2011

Still very bright, the nose is less about primary fruit, and more woody, cedar and darkness. The palate too is defined by tannins, a cooler and more drying style that de-emphasises bright fruit. Youve got to love tannins to enjoy the more stern expression, less opulent here. Definitely shows the vintage. But its not hard, its not green. Quality. 17.7/20, 92/100.

Chateau Haut-Bailly 2008

70% Cabernet. Colour again is still very bright. Remarkable colour. This has rather more stuffing and is in a good mode of drinkability. Definitely a warm year wine, the mushroom and beef hints mingling with the red fruit. This is a really enjoyable drink now, its perhaps not profound, but the tannin grip vs the black fruit and bonox is satisfying. 18/20, 93/100.

Chateau Haut-Bailly 2006

I like to show a wine that looks younger than it is says Vialard. Still bright red! Maturity creeping in here, but in a lovely way. Black olive, lead pencil, this is very much a lovely classic Bordeaux, the tannins fine, the balance between cedar, olive, tannins. Classy drink right now and everything in the right place. 18.5/20, 94/100.

Bracket 3  The Right Bank 2015

Variability is always the demon of the right bank, and there is quite a breadth of styles (and blends).

Chateau Gazin 2015

Merlot and Cabernet Franc this vintage. Deep ruby colour. Quite pretty nose of red plum fruit, the tannins here are just a bit firm and astringent after the Cab dominant styles. Theres a certain ripeness edge here that I just dont like as much. Its not overripe, but it feels a little less lively. Almost hearty. Still, that plum fruit is pretty attractive, and theres a deeper licoricey, almost ironstone black edge through the middle too. Quality, in other words, even if I dont love the shape of it quite as much. 17.8/20, 92/100+.

Chateau LEvangelie 2015

84% Merlot and Cab Franc. Deep red. Incredibly lavish sweet milky oak on the nose and palate. Very very modern. Its sexy oak, complete with some formic and underneath theres clearly quality fruit. But its just oak. The fruit is almost Muscat like in its juiciness. Its actually quite refreshing, if you put aside the oak. Im in two minds here. One the one side its overdone on the oak. But I see glimmers of greatness too  an outre character and Id like some of this to see how it looks in a decade. 18/20, 93/100+.

Chateau Troplong-Mondot 2015

Deeply coloured, red with purple edges. Very ripe, very juicy too. Like trying to drink ink. And underneath it falls away just a fraction too, Its all oak lifted dark fruit, that is highly polished and classy. But it also feels jammy and a bit contrived. This would be classed as a fruit bomb in Australia. And I want just a little more balance. 17.8/20, 92/100+.

Chateau Figeac 2015

Light red ruby, its lighter coloured and a lighter wine in this context. More pretty red fruit, less oak, less heaviness. Its quite pretty, even with a little leafiness. Its maybe a little weensy bit drying to finish. But I rather like it. Its more claret like and isnt a smash in the face. Its fragrant and pretty and lively. Id want this in my cellar. 18/20, 93/100+.

Chateau Angelus 2015

15% alcohol. Ambitious, as ever. Huge tannins and theres oak tannins as well as fruit tannins. Its black fruited, very ripe, luscious and quite licoricey. But I was expecting not to like it given the ambition. Actually, the more I look, the more I like the shape of this. Its flashy, sure, but theres a core of decorum too. Its what you want a brash Saint-Emilion to be. Even if its ripe, and even apricotty in its ripeness. I cant put it down as bad. Its excess done in a certain way that I appreciate. 18.5/20, 94/100.



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DALLAS, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Engineering and Computer Science West building at The University of Texas at Dallas has received a Special Mention for Engineering Labs from R&D Magazines prestigious Lab of the Year program. The new 200,000-square-foot, $110 million building is part of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, and was designed by SmithGroup, one of the nations leading integrated design firms.

Each year R&D Magazine recognizes the top laboratory facilities worldwide representing the best of new and emerging thinking, sustainable practices and creative responses to challenges in the design and construction of modern facilities. The Engineering and Computer Science West building was noted as an exemplar of academic engineering research and teaching facilities. Awards for the Lab of the Year competition were presented April 29, 2019 at the Laboratory Design Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The Engineering and Computer Science West building is catalyzing growth in our engineering enrollment, says Inga Musselman, PhD, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at The University of Texas at Dallas, who served as project advocate during design and construction of the award-winning building. Moreover, UT Dallas students of all majors are making use of the many interaction spaces that are programmed into the building. We are pleased that the jury of the Lab of the Year honored our building for its innovative design.

The School of Engineering seized a unique opportunity to develop the next-generation facility based upon a new engineering curriculum, all with the goal of becoming a top ranked research institution. Working alongside university stakeholders envisioning the future of their program, SmithGroup designed an engineering building that is a fusion of research and instructional spaces balanced with spaces to spur an outstanding student experience. This design approach is key to enabling the school to meet their goals of attracting and retaining the best and brightest engineering students, researchers and faculty.

The new immersive curriculum ensures the students are engaged in hands-on learning and have access to research from the very beginning of their studies, unlike typical programs where it occurs much later. The building therefore is designed with abundant and highly-visible spaces for collaboration, active research and project-based experimentation. A freshman design lab is prominently located on the first floor, inviting curiosity and observation. A variety of glass-enclosed research labs are stacked along the buildings courtyard, advertising the research and discovery occurring within.

The building itself is an engaging learning tool for students. Not only are all mechanical, electrical, plumbing and technology systems exposed and color-coded, a trend among todays engineering schools, but all systems are metered to gather and display performance data to building occupants. That monitoring coupled with building systems that are designed for flexibility and reconfiguration enables faculty to allow students to experiment on the building itselffor example, by re-lamping a space to test whether improved energy efficiency can be achieved.

The new building has boosted UT Dallass upward trajectory across all areas of engineering programs, supporting the desire to be viewed as a premier public research institution, says Thomas Lund, AIA, Regional Program Manager in the Office of Facilities Planning and Construction for The University of Texas System. UT Dallas will be able to continue propelling future generations of engineering discovery with the adaptability designed into this building.

The new structure establishes a more prominent gateway to the campus, sited to create a new path for traversing campus and designed to be porous encouraging all students to funnel through its outdoor courtyard. Attuned to its North Texas environment, the new building uses several strategies to ensure its high-performance in its highly variable climate. The buildings orientation, efficient U-shape form and various shading elements leverage daylighting and heat gain intelligently both inside and outside. The courtyard is a breezeway to draw air into and up through a calibrated trellis, while the canopy shades the interior facades and ground. The effect creates a micro-climate of comfortable outdoor zone extending its possible use as instructional or even formal event space.

The building employs several integrated strategies to maximize its performance. Leveraging one of the first chilled air beam systems in this region of Texas, the highly efficient HVAC contributes to the estimated 16% energy reduction that is expected for the building (as compared to a typical facility of the same size designed to code.) The Engineering and Computer Science West Building is LEED Gold certified.

The design is the physical embodiment of the schools aspirations for the engineering program and for the campus, says Mark Kranz, FAIA, a Design Director at SmithGroup and lead designer for the Engineering and Computer Science West building. The university is walking the walk in their new building, evolving how engineering is taught and how to engage students and researchers effectively in a landmark space.

SmithGroups Dallas, Texas office provided integrated design services including architectural design, MEP engineering, laboratory planning, and landscape architecture. Eight SmithGroup-designed laboratories have received recognition as the Lab of the Year, including National Renewal Energy Laboratory Energy Systems Integration Facility (2014) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Electrical and Computer Engineering Building (2016).

The Beck Group (Dallas, Texas) served as general contractor. Other key design team members include structural engineer JQ Engineering (Dallas, Texas), civil engineer Pacheco Koch (Dallas, Texas), and DataCom Design Group (Dallas, Texas) for audiovisual, IT and acoustical engineering.

SmithGroup (www.smithgroup.com) is one of the worlds preeminent integrated design firms. Working across a network of 14 offices in the U.S. and China, a team of 1,300 experts is committed to excellence in strategy, design and delivery. The firm partners with forward-looking clients to maximize opportunities, minimize risk and solve their most complex problems. SmithGroup creates exceptional design solutions for healthcare, science and technology organizations, higher education and cultural institutions, urban environments, diverse workplaces, mixed-use and waterfront developments, and parks and open spaces.

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Tripoli, Libya (PANA)  While civilians are trapped by fighting around the Libyan capital, Tripoli, access to food is becoming a greater challenge, the UN humanitarian coordinating office has said
Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - Zimbabwes national struggling airline, Air Zimbabwe, says it will quickly fix its only functioning plane, a Boeing 767, grounded after catching sparks while in mid-air returning on Sunday from South Africa to Zimbabwe with passengers
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - A new political party, Movement of Tunisian Patriotic Youth, was Monday formed in Tunisia, the Tunisian ministry in charge of relations with constitutional institutions and the civil society, said here
Cotonou, Benin (PANA)  The US embassy in Benin has called on the citizens to embrace peace in resolving the electoral crisis rocking the country, according to an official communique in Cotonou
Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) - The public affairs department of the United States Embassy in Botswana will host the Commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day on Thursday, 2 May, 2019 in the capital city of Gaborone
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Lectras Annual Event, Winning Over the New Fashion Consumer Demonstrates the Power of Data in Fashion

Companies get a close-up of new consumer buying journey and explore how they can meet challenges with Lectras latest technologies and industry experts





Paris, April 30, 2019  Lectra cements its position as a fashion industry opinion maker by leading a much-awaited discussion on new consumer behavior at its latest fashion event, Winning Over the New Fashion Consumer in Bordeaux-Cestas, France.

More than 75 industry insiders and market experts from 14 countries convened at Lectras International Advanced Technology and Conference Center (IATC) for two days to examine how the digital age is bringing about major shifts in consumer behavior. Todays digitally attuned consumers have become co-creators in the production process, changing the fashion landscape entirely.

The keynotes, live demonstrations, and customer testimonials highlighted the importance of process digitization and data analysis for meeting new consumer needs. The event kicked off with two keynote speakers. Peter Jeavons, Managing Director of First Insight Europe, stressed the importance of using data to understand the hyperconnected fashion consumer. Craig Crawford, Strategist and Founder of CrawfordIT, outlined the arising challenges and opportunities from these changes, and urged fashion companies to embrace digital transformation internally by cultivating a conducive environment for it.

Beyond just understanding the new fashion consumer, the event stressed on the importance of leveraging data to deliver customer-centric services and products. Lectra presented their responses to this challenge in the form of two new major solutions, Kubix Link and Fashion on Demand by Lectra.

Kubix Link, a cloud-based platform that has the combined capabilities of PLM, PIM and DAM, which enables companies to deliver the ultimate product experience through unparalleled collaboration powered by data. Big-name company representatives from jewelry brand, Pomellato, and outdoor performance footwear manufacturer, Tecnica Group, were there to share their experience. Kubix Link was exactly what our company neededa platform to gather, process and share consistent product information across our entire fashion eco-system and all marketplaces. And Kubix Link provides just that, with so much ease, said Cristiano Simonetto, the IT director of Tecnica Group.

Attendees were treated to a live demo of Fashion On Demand by Lectra, the industrys first end-to-end personalization solution. There, they saw how a data-driven, automated on-demand production process from order reception to final cutting stages could deliver garments customized according to consumers specific demands. Charline Fasquel, Production Manager and Stephane Quinou, Industrial Director of Balsan and Groupe Marck respectively, provided testimonials on the effectiveness of Fashion On Demand by Lectra. We were producing hundreds of uniforms every day, and reaching our maximum capacity. We had two optionseither to hire more manpower or modernize our tools. And so we did (the latter)," said Charline Fasquel. Fashion On Demand by Lectra is a dream come true for us. Thanks to this solution, we managed to increase production output, achieve the perfect fit, reduce cost of consumables, save time on preparing orders and minimize human errors.

On the product development side, Mariam Bennissi, Head Patternmaker of luxury brand Balenciaga, shared on Quick Estimate, Lectras latest application that allows users to make fabric consumption estimates via the cloud. It takes us just one minute to estimate our fabric consumption during our collection planning stages with this application, she attested. She described the technology as efficient and intuitive, saying, Thanks to Quick Estimate, we managed to pre-order our materials for this season and were already fully prepared four days before our fashion show.

Todays fashion world is not just about gathering big data; it is about cultivating a big understanding of it. Fashion companies will unearth big business opportunities if they manage to unlock the power of their data. Our newest generation of Industry 4.0-compliant solutions, Kubix Link and Fashion On Demand, both powered by the cloud, enables them to do just that, whether its for managing information and content or delivering customized products. Our technology helps them understand their consumers, produce the right product and deliver it to them at the right time. And thats how you win them over, says Celine Choussy, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Lectra.





About Lectra



For companies that breathe life into our wardrobes, car interiors, furniture and more, Lectra is crafting the premium technologies that facilitate the digital transformation of their industry. Lectras offer empowers brands, manufacturers and retailers from design to production, providing them with the market respect and peace of mind they deserve. Founded in 1973, today Lectra has 32 subsidiaries across the globe, serving customers in over 100 countries. With more than 1,700 employees, Lectra reported revenues of $333 million in 2018. Lectra is listed on Euronext (LSS).

For more information, please visit www.lectra.com





Press contacts:

Lectra Headquarters / Press Department

Nathalie Fournier-Christol

t: +33 (0) 1 53 64 42 37

e: n.fournier-christol@lectra.com

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BLOOMINGTON  A workshop to help business owners prepare for the state's new minimum wage law is part of a series of events scheduled in Bloomington-Normal for Small Business Week, May 6-10.

Be Prepared: Understanding the New Minimum Wage Law is jointly hosted by the Small Business Development Center of McLean County and the McLean County Chamber of Commerce.

It will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 8 at the Advocate BroMenn Health and Fitness Center Conference Room.

We will talk about the new minimum wage law from a legal and a financial standpoint, said Katelyn Hill, the center's assistant director.

Representatives of CliftonLarsonAllen and attorney Nate Hinch of Mueller, Reece & Hinch will explain important details of the new law, how to prepare and how to avoid punitive measures for failure to comply.

The cost is $25 and includes lunch and materials.

Other events that week are How to Start a Business in Illinois, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday; Accounting for Entrepreneurs, from 11:30 to 1 p.m. May 7; Securing Business Financing, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 9; and Building Your Best Team: Recruiting, Interviewing and Selecting an Employee, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10.

For more details and registration, go to the events tab at www.mcleancosbdc.org.

We think it will be a highly informative week, said Hill. The center tried to come up with a lineup that appeals to existing businesses as well as new ones, she said.

Illinois' minimum wage of $8.25 an hour will increase to $9.25 Jan. 1, then $10 on July 1, 2020. From 2021 to 2025, the hourly minimum will increase by $1 each Jan. 1 until it reaches $15.

Karen Bussone, executive director of the center, said those who attend the seminar will get spreadsheets that will help them prepare for the impact of the law.

They can run those calculations through to see how it will affect their businesses, said Bussone.

The session on employee recruitment will cover best selection processes such as using behavioral-based questions to determine if the applicant will fit into your culture, said Bussone.

An example would be asking an applicant how they would handle disagreements with other employees and to give examples of what they have done in the past, Bussone explained.

Research is showing that using more behavioral questions improves retention, she said.

The Small Business Development Center of McLean County has been in operation for two years and has more than 360 clients, said Bussone. It has offered 50 seminars related to small business during that time.

Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota

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BLOOMINGTON  Central Illinois hospitals are lifting their visitor restrictions because of a decline in flu cases.

Most Central Illinois hospitals enacted visitor restrictions during winter because of an increase in seasonal influenza and other upper respiratory illnesses.

Restrictions were intended to stem the spread of flu and included limiting inpatient hospital visitors to people age 18 and older and not allowing people who are sick to visit. In many cases, the restrictions also included limiting the number of visitors per patient to two at a time and requiring hospital staff who were not able to get a flu shot to wear masks while at work.

On Tuesday, at OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, Dr. Paul Pedersen, vice president and chief medical officer, decided that visitor and masking restrictions would be lifted on Wednesday, spokeswoman Sherry Galbreath said.

HSHS St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur said Monday that it had lifted its visitor restrictions and mandatory masking.

An HSHS statement said "flu cases are on the decline and are now at a typical level for this time of year. As a result, flu precautions and general hospital-wide restrictions are no longer necessary."

Memorial Health System  which includes Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville and Taylorville Memorial Hospital  also lifted visitor restrictions on Monday.

Hopedale Medical Complex in Hopedale is lifting its restrictions this week, Chief Operating Officer Mark Rossi said.

Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, Advocate Eureka Hospital in Eureka, Warner Hospital & Health Services in Clinton and OSF HealthCare Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac also no longer have visitor restrictions.

"At DMH (Decatur Memorial Hospital) and in our region, we are seeing minimal flu activity," spokeswoman Anne Davis said. "Though restrictions have been lifted, we always advise visitors who are feeling ill not to visit patients."

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the flu season in Illinois peaked in mid-March. So far this flu season in Illinois, 1,240 people have been admitted to hospital intensive care units for flu, and five children have died. The number of adult flu deaths is not tracked statewide.

Contact Paul Swiech at (309) 820-3275. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_swiech

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BLOOMINGTON  Two of Kirk Zimmerman's children and a pair of women who heard suspected gunfire were among the witnesses called as the defense opened its case Tuesday in his murder trial.

Zimmerman is charged with killing his former wife, Pam Zimmerman, Nov. 3, 2014, in her Bloomington office. She was shot four times.

Heidi and David Zimmerman, two of Zimmerman's three children, who were teenagers at the time, offered testimony about their father's demeanor in the days leading up to their mother's death.

Heidi Zimmerman described her father as "his normal self" when she stayed with him Oct. 28 and 30 as part of the couple's routine visitation schedule for the children.

The Zimmerman children were concerned when their mother didn't come home to start dinner around 5 p.m. Nov. 3, said Heidi Zimmerman. She said her multiple texts and phone calls to her mother drew no response.

The following day, a Bloomington police officer came to Normal Community High School to tell the Zimmerman children their mother was dead.

Zimmerman's daughter told jurors about comments made by her mother's fiance, Scott Baldwin, two days after the homicide. Baldwin told the Zimmerman children, "I want you to know I had nothing to do with this," referring to the death, said the witness.

David Zimmerman told the jury his father was not emotional or upset in the days before his mother's death. Both children denied knowing anything about a dispute between their parents over money.

The roster of 14 defense witnesses Tuesday included Merrie Seip, who testified she heard what she thought was gunfire on Nov. 3 as she sat with a client in her counseling office near Pam Zimmerman's office at 2103 E. Washington St.

The three gunshots were "sharp and startling," said Seip. She said she reported the sounds to police within two weeks of hearing them.

Assistant State's Attorney Brad Rigdon asked Seip about her professional and personal relationship with Zimmerman's former girlfriend, Kate Arthur. Seip admitted she spoke with Arthur about the gunshots she may have heard around 5:40 p.m. but denied the two talked about the police investigation.

A second woman described a separate incident involving suspected gunfire at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 as she traveled as a passenger in a vehicle near the intersection of Mercer Avenue and and East Washington Street. She said she told police about what she had heard the following day after hearing about Zimmerman's death several blocks from the intersection.

Other defense witnesses included dentists and their staff members who worked in or near the victim's office building and a member of a cleaning crew. Two witnesses recalled seeing the same suspicious thing in the victim's parking lot after working hours: a van that has now been identified as Pam Zimmerman's.

Jason Crosier did not hear gunshots as he cleaned an eye care business one floor below the victim's office starting at 6:15 p.m. Nov. 3, according to his testimony.

"I didn't hear anything," said Crosier, adding that a vacuum cleaner was being used during the hourlong cleaning detail.

The trial is entering its final stages, Judge Scott Drazewski told jurors.

Rogers is expected to call two expert witnesses on Wednesday to rebut state evidence on cell tower tracking and gunshot residue.

Depending upon what, if any, rebuttal testimony the state presents, closing arguments could be delivered Thursday. The judge told jurors to expect to report Friday, a deviation from the four-day court schedule in place since the trial started April 1.

Drazewski denied a defense motion Tuesday morning for a directed verdict that, if granted, would have ended the trial in Zimmerman's favor.

Rogers argued that police did not seriously investigate the victim's fiance or her last client of the day, Eldon Whitlow.

"There's never really been three suspect in this case," said Rogers.

Zimmerman was met by four police officers at his State Farm office on Nov. 4, 2014, and taken to the Bloomington police station under false pretenses that he would see his children, said Rogers.

The defense lawyer called gunshot residue tests performed by Bloomington police on Zimmerman's hands and his car "flawed" because the police officers conducting them were wearing weapons, a possible source of contamination for the tests.

Prosecutors tried to "fool and manufacture evidence" related to Zimmerman's alleged financial difficulties, said Rogers. The defendant was earning about $100,000 and had $30,000 in savings at the time of his former wife's death, said Rogers.

Rigdon countered that Zimmerman was evasive in his interview with police on Nov. 4, 2014. The interview "shows so very much in the answers he gave to police and the answers he didn't give," said Rigdon.

Zimmerman's request that he be allowed to "recharge his batteries" before answering specific questions about his whereabouts shows "it's obvious he's looking to hide something," said Rigdon.

On the issue of money, Rigdon said Zimmerman spent a $50,000 loan from his investment account within a year and was "outspending his monthly income by $2,000."

In denying the motion for a directed verdict, the judge acknowledged that gunshot residue allegedly found on the gearshift of Zimmerman's car is the only physical evidence introduced by the state. But, said the judge, "the absence of evidence can be a double-edged sword" if the absence is used to show planning and preparation on the part of a suspect.

Photos: Defense begins its case in Zimmerman murder trial

Contact Edith Brady-Lunny at (309) 820-3276. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_blunny

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NORMAL  McLean County taxing bodies are getting some money back because of a delay in Rivian's planned upgrades to the former Mitsubishi plant in west Normal.

The electric automaker was required to spend $10 million improving the plant by the end of 2018 to receive a property tax abatement, but much of the planned work was pushed into 2019, meaning local schools and governments will keep about $650,000 they expected to lose.

"This is why we create these clawbacks, so we protect the taxpayers if somebody doesn't meet the standards," said Mike O'Grady, interim executive director of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, which oversees the abatement.

The company said in a statement Tuesday, "We did not apply for the abatement this year because of delays in plant equipment arriving at our facility, but we maintain our projected manufacturing dates."

"This wasn't a performance issue so much as it was a logistics issue of trying to get the engineering done, materials purchased, contracts let," said O'Grady. "Amazon and Ford are not going to make the kind of investments they are in a company that they don't think is going to perform."

He noted Rivian is on track to exceed its 2019 goal of $22 million invested  further goals are $32 million in 2020 and $40.5 million in 2021  and is already near its 2019 goal of 75 full-time employees at the plant, with goals of 300 in 2020 and 500 in 2021.

"The paint line alone is $35 million, and that's in the process now," said O'Grady, adding Rivian is also overhauling the plant's assembly line and doing office remodeling at a cost of more than $2 million.

Rivian is in line to receive an additional $1 million grant from the town of Normal for investing $20 million within five years and state tax credits worth about $49.5 million for creating 1,000 jobs over 10 years.

Rivian's tax burden across five parcels is about $650,000.

The lion's share of the missed property tax rebate will go to Normal-based McLean County Unit 5 schools, which gets 59 percent of the site's property taxes  $389,318 for 2018. That money "will be split between all of the district funds based on how the district tax rate is allocated," said Dayna Brown, Unit 5's director of communications and community relations.

The district's budget is more than $100 million.

Normal receives 11.2 percent of the site's property taxes; McLean County, 10.1 percent; Heartland Community College, 6.4 percent; Normal Public Library, 4.9 percent; Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District, 2 percent; and Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority, 1.1 percent.

Three taxing bodies didn't participate in the abatement: Dry Grove Township Road District, 3.7 percent; Dry Grove Township, 1.5 percent; and Dry Grove-White Oak multi-township assessment district, 0.1 percent. Rivian paid those bodies about $74,000 in 2017 despite hitting its rebate goals.

Rivian paid $16 million for the shuttered Mitsubishi plant in early 2017. Mitsubishi shut down production at the plant in November 2015 and laid off the last employees the following May. The plant employed 1,200 before closing and about 3,000 at its peak.

Photos: Rivian shows off its electric pickup truck at Los Angeles Auto Show

Contact Derek Beigh at (309) 820-3234. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_beigh

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NORMAL  When local investigators pore through the evidence of major crimes, they more frequently are discovering their suspects have connections outside of the Twin Cities.

We are tracking more and more people operating between our communities throughout downstate Illinois, said McLean County States Attorney Don Knapp. Its more and more gang, drug, and street-level crimes and we are seeing more of it among different communities than we have since the late '80s and early '90s when the crack cocaine industry took off.

On Monday at Heartland Community College in Normal, Knapp hosted a meeting of law enforcement officials from downstate Illinois to discuss the escalation of gun violence and how the agencies can work together to solve crimes with connections to other jurisdictions.

The meeting came following conversations with Bloomington Police Chief Clay Wheeler, Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner and McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage.

In McLean County, a lot of criminals cross Division Street pretty fluently, so we are accustomed to working together, but in this day and age with social media and access to transportation, those same issues move from county to county pretty well, also, Bleichner said. We think its beneficial to share information so that when we have incidents happen, we can see how they relate to incidents outside of our county.

"When we are working on issues with gun violence or gangs, we can see the bigger picture that way.

With the weather getting warmer, now was a good time to schedule the meeting, Knapp said.

We all figure that we are going to have a busy summer, so we wanted to fortify those levels of communication before the summer kicks off in earnest, Knapp said.

The meeting was open to approximately 60 invited law enforcement officials from several jurisdictions, including those in McLean, Champaign, Peoria, Macon, Vermilion and Sangamon counties. The group included police detectives, chiefs and prosecutors from the local and federal levels.

This will allow us to explain case-specific individuals and case-specific scenarios that we are seeing in different communities, Knapp said. The goal is to catch more people before they do serious harm.

One case that highlighted the cross-jurisdictional approach was that of Floyd Brown, a suspected serial burglar who was well-known to police agencies throughout Illinois. He remains jailed, awaiting trial in the murder of a McHenry County sheriffs deputy serving with the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force in Rockford on March 7.

Investigators believe Brown may have been involved in as many as 50 break-ins from March through December of last year in several Central Illinois counties. Brown had four pending cases in McLean County, including residential burglary in the 10 block of Stonehenge Court, Bloomington, in May 2018; residential burglary in the 3200 block of Dorsett Court, Bloomington, in December of 2018, and a reckless driving charge stemming from a chase following that burglary in which he escaped; and a residential burglary in the 500 block of Ironwood Drive, Normal, in June 2018.

Brown fled the scene in Rockford in a high-speed chase that ended with his capture along on Interstate 55 in Logan County.

Brown also had active warrants in Champaign and Sangamon counties and had residential burglary convictions in Macon County.

Bleichner added that if prosecutors have information that a defendant has been involved in other crimes, sharing it may help keep the public safe.

You can paint a better picture of what the accused suspect may be doing regionally and that could warrant higher bonds, leaving them in jail and keeping them and the public safer, he said.

Knapp said one recently investigated local homicide involved a suspect from a different community.

Now we have the ability to find out more about him, he said. Investigators from these other agencies know about some of the people operating in our area and we know some of the people operating in their area. It makes it easier to track and form a solid case.

Knapp said this wont be the only time this group meets.

I think we need to do this quarterly, he said. The key to cutting into this violence and gun violence is communication among all of the agencies and if we can meet four times a year, our communication is going to be that much better and it will help everyone out.

Contact Kevin Barlow at (309) 820-3238. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_barlow

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LEXINGTON  Fire gutted a mobile home Monday night near Lexington, but the resident who was home at the time escaped uninjured.

Firefighters were called at 6:41 p.m. to 22154 Green St. in the Westwind Estates Mobile Home Park, which is about a 1 miles west of the Interstate 55 exit for Lexington and just off of P.J. Keller Highway.

"Flames were shooting out of every window in the middle of the trailer," said Lexington Assistant Fire Chief Jason Birkenbeil of what firefighters found when they arrived.

The fire was under control in about six minutes, he said, but the interior was gutted. Heavy smoke continued to pour out of the structure for about 30 minutes as firefighters worked to reach still-burning materials at the center of the mobile home.

"It was a total loss," Birkenbeil said, adding the American Red Cross was called in to assist the residents with lodging and other essentials.

While the fire appeared to start in the middle of the mobile home, the cause and progression of the fire remained under investigation Monday night, he said.

Two people live at the mobile home, but only one was home at the time, neighbors said. There were no pets known to be in the home at the time of the fire.

Nearby residents stood watching firefighters control the blaze. One expressed relief that the fire did not spread to neighboring mobile homes because homes in the park are relatively close together. They credited firefighters' quick efforts in controlling the initial blaze.

The Lexington, Towanda and Chenoa fire departments and the Lexington ambulance service were on the scene along with fire investigators from MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Division 41.

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French English

April 30th, 2019

PLACEMENT OF A 975.7 MILLION EURO SECURITIZATION BACKED BY GERMAN AUTO LOANS

RCI Bank and Services announces the placement of a securitization backed by auto loans originated by its German branch RCI Banque S.A Niederlassung.

FCT Cars Alliance Auto Loans Germany V 2019-1 has placed 950m of Senior notes and 25.7m of Junior notes. These notes are rated AAA(sf) / Aaa(sf) and AA (high)(sf) / Aa3(sf) respectively by DBRS and Moodys.

The Senior tranche, with a weighted average life of 2.8 years, has a margin(1) of Euribor 1 month + 23bps. The Junior notes, with a weighted average life of 4.9 years, have a margin(2) of Euribor 1 month + 68bps.

The success of this placement demonstrates investors confidence in the quality of RCI assets and its servicing process. This transaction also confirms the diversified financing sources to which the company has access.

(1): Coupon: Euribor + 40 floored at zero, issuance price 100.477

(2): Coupon: Euribor + 68 floored at zero, issuance price 100.000

Attachment
WOODSTOCK  An Illinois mother and father charged with murder in the death of their 5-year-old son have agreed to let the state's child welfare agency care for their younger son.

JoAnn Cunningham and Andrew Freund Sr.'s younger son was taken into Illinois Department of Children and Family Services custody following the disappearance of Andrew "AJ" Freund. AJ's body was found last week, and Cunningham and Freund charged with murder among other counts.

The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald reports McHenry County prosecutors have filed a petition to terminate Cunningham and Freund's parental rights to the younger boy. A court-appointed advocate is to meet with the younger boy and submit a report about his well-being.

Cunningham and Freund reported AJ missing April 18. His plastic-wrapped body was found Wednesday in a shallow grave.

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NORMAL  Tiffany M. Strehlow, 23, of Normal, passed away at 3:45 p.m. Sunday (April 28, 2019) at her home.

Her funeral and interment will be private. Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington, is assisting the family with services.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Make-A-Wish Illinois, Peoria Field Office, or Shriners Hospitals for Children.

She was born Nov. 13, 1995, in Normal, daughter of Scott R. and Kathy A. Trunk Strehlow.

Surviving are her parents, Scott and Kathy Strehlow, Normal; paternal grandmother, Aline Strehlow, Green Bay, Wis.; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

Tiffany is a 2016 graduate of Normal Community West High School. She loved spending her time rainbow looming for countless hours, as well as spending time with her parents and her furry friend, her dog, Mia.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to Dr. Stephen Trainor of OSF Pediatrics, the group at OSF Infusion Clinic at St. Joseph Medical Center and the OSF Hospice team, for all of their love, support and dedication to Tiffany and her family.

To express condolences, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.
The (Champaign) News-Gazette

State law rightly requires children to attend school. But should it tell parents when to enroll them in kindergarten?

Pending legislation, which has already passed the Senate and is awaiting action in the House, would require parents to enroll their children in kindergarten at age 5. It's an issue to some people because, for a variety of reasons, they prefer not to enroll their children in kindergarten until they are 6.

Democratic House member Rep. Kam Buckner contends it's one of the solutions to the achievement gap, the difference in academic performance between low-income children, many of whom are minorities, and their higher-performing middle- and upper-income peers.

Senate Bill 2075, which would take effect for the 2020-21 school year, would require children to attend kindergarten if they are 5 on or before May 31. It would allow parents of 5-year-old with summer birthdays to choose whether to send them to kindergarten or wait an additional year.

It's always concerning when the state adopts the role of in loco parentis to mandate the decisions of parents concerning the education of their children, particularly those of tender years.

In that respect, the need for action must be obvious, a standard that is lacking on this issue.

(Arlington Heights) Daily Herald

Reporters Without Borders, an international organization that promotes freedom of expression around the globe, released its 2019 World Press Freedom Index, and the results are troubling worldwide, disturbing in the U.S.

Worldwide, "hatred of journalists has degenerated into violence, contributing to an increase in fear," the organization said in a summary of the report. "The number of countries regarded as safe, where journalists can work in complete security, continues to decline while authoritarian regimes continue to tighten their grip on the media."

You might find it surprising that the U.S. doesn't rank at the top of the Index or anywhere near it. The 1 through 5 rankings go to Norway, Finland, Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark, countries with traditions of complete and open access.

The United States ranks 48 this year, down three spots from a year ago. That puts us in a media climate category Reporters Without Borders describes as "problematic."

Reporters Without Borders is admittedly doctrinaire in its defense of freedom of expression, but the organization's underlying mission is vital for all of us. As citizens of the republic, we all have a vested interest in defending the First Amendment, in appreciating that public access and freedom of expression are safeguards that are essential in protecting all of our other freedoms.

Defend it. Facts matter.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register

How House Bill 1873 didn't garner unanimous approval when the House considered it is mystifying. The measure seeks to double ticket fines for motorists who don't stop for school buses.

It was approved 74-16, with 12 representatives voting present. As proposed, the measure would double the fine for first offenses to $300 from $150, and for second offenses to $1,000 from $500.

Are motorists so caught up in themselves and where they are going that they are willing to endanger school children? If so, then they don't deserve the privilege of a driver's license. The Senate should approve this measure, and quickly send it Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his signature. The sooner this becomes law, the better.

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NEW CASTLE, Del., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- White Dog Labs announced today that testing at University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL) demonstrated good benefits of MiruTyton for swine  statistically significant improvement in weight gain and feed efficiency (gain:feed ratio), particularly during the first two critical weeks after being moved into the nursery from the sow.



MiruTyton is a naturally produced, butyrate rich (33 wt%) feed additive. It is a liquid co-product of ProTyton, the previously announced premium Single-Cell Protein for aquaculture. WDL has developed and scaled up the anaerobic fermentation process for these products, and has signed an agreement to produce them in the MRE ethanol plant in Sutherland, NE.

"We are happy to announce these results, which were demonstrated in collaboration with Professor Phillip Miller at UNL, said WDL's CEO, Bryan Tracy. These results add to our previously announced growth benefits for poultry, and because MiruTyton is a co-product, it provides pricing flexibility which could result in a positive impact on both industries.

Nursery pigs change from milk to solid feed can cause gastrointestinal stress, with the possibility of intestinal inflammation and underdeveloped gut, said Phillip Miller, Professor of swine nutrition at UNL. Butyrate is known to have several positive modulatory effects in the gut, so the goal of this study was to test the effects of MiruTyton on growth performance. This preliminary study was carried out with 64 nursery pigs, 4 treatments (0, 300, 3000 and 15000 ppm of MiruTyton), 4 pens/treatment and 4 pigs/pen (2 barrows and 2 females). The study lasted four weeks, but residual effects in week five were detected as well.

The results indicated a statistically significant improvement in weight gain and feed efficiency during the first two weeks post weaning for the 15,000 ppm vs control. Professor Miller commented, MiruTyton particularly enhanced feed intake and feed efficiency across all MiruTyton treatments during the first week, a very stressful transition time. The average weight gain of all the MiruTyton treatments was 4X that of the control during this first week. It is also worth noting that there was a positive residual effect in week five for the 15,000 ppm treatment with increased weight gain driven mostly by improved feed efficiency. Results are encouraging and should be followed up with more expansive studies to confirm and validate these results.

"This work was supported by an Academic R&D Grant from the state of Nebraska, said Tracy. We are indebted to the state government, Invest Nebraska, USDAs Rural Development, and UNL for efficient, expedient and extremely supportive interactions.



For information on White Dog Labs, please visit www.WhiteDogLabs.com

For information on UNL, please visit UNL.edu

MiruTyton and ProTyton are trademarks of WDL

White Dog Labs Contact - Bryan Tracy, btracy@whitedoglabs.com
A Pa. police officer is in danger of losing his job after taking violent steps to get the dog his girlfriend wanted from her brother, according to court records.

NBC10 and 6ABC in Philly reports the city officer, 30-year-old Angel Lopez, went to Brooklyn, NY, in full uniform Friday to get the Maltese apparently owned by the brother, not the officers girlfriend, according to court records in New York.

Court records in New York say Lopez broke into the mans bedroom in his Philly police gear and yelled, Where is the dog? His gun, cuffs and shield were fully visible, NBC10 reports.

In the process, the officer who works out of the citys 18th district is accused of punching the brother in his head and holding him in a chokehold in order to take the dog, according to 6ABC.

At one point according to New York court records, Lopez grabbed the mans belt and told him, If you hit me, I am going to arrest you for assaulting a police officer," NBC10 reports, adding:

The brother tried to take his dog and leave and said he didn't want trouble, the records said.

But Lopez and another person are accused of holding him down, while Lopez put his arm on the mans neck and pressed down, the court records say. The other person grabbed the dog out of the mans hand and the two left with the dog.

Now, Lopez has been suspended with the intent to dismiss following the incident.

Moreover, Lopez has been charged with robbery, assault and coercion through a public position.

Meanwhile, the officers alleged outsized outrage over the small dog has police brass scratching their heads.

(Story continues below)

A Philadelphia police officer has been suspended with the intent to dismiss following an violent out-of-state incident over a small dog. https://t.co/KpMR3BFWqw  Action News on 6abc (@6abc) April 29, 2019

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross confessed to 6ABC that the whole situation has left him baffled.
A multimedia exhibit designed to give children a sense of what its like to spend a night on the Appalachian Trail is among the 5 new exhibits that will be unveiled Sunday, May 5, at the Appalachian Trail Museum at Pine Grove Furnace State Park near Gardners.

A Night on the Trail and the 4 other new exhibits will be unveiled in a dedication ceremony, with expert commentators to introduce each, at 10:30 a.m., with a preceding meet-and-greet at 10 a.m. and an afternoon picnic with music and activities.

The other new exhibits are:

"Blazing the Trail in Maine," featuring photos showing how the Appalachian Trail was established in Maine and featuring the folding kayak (Folbot) used by Appalachian Trail pioneer Myron Avery.

Walkin' Jim Stoltz," dedicated to the late Jim Stoltz, renowned long-distance hiker, songwriter, artist, poet, photographer, author, entertainer and environmental activist.

"Hikanation," celebrating the groundbreaking of the 1980-81 Pacific-to-Atlantic Hike organized by the American Hiking Society.

"Our National Scenic Trails," celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Scenic Trails System established by Act of Congress in 1968.

During the morning program, guest speakers will introduce each of the new exhibits with personal reflections and, in some cases, song.

The Sunday Hall of Fame Festival is part of the Museums Hall of Fame Weekend, which also includes the installment of the museums ninth class in the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame in a banquet Saturday, May 4, at the Army Heritage & Education Center in Carlisle. More information is available at https://2019athalloffamebanquet.eventbrite.com.

The 2019 hall-of-famers are:

The late M. Jean Van Gilder Cashin was born and grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, and worked at a non-profit organization in Frederick, Maryland, assisting people with developmental disabilities. Then, in 1972, Jean began a career with the Appalachian Trail Conference (now Conservancy) in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. During her 24 years as information specialist, she helped shape and personalize ATC's hiker services, earning a trailwide reputation as the universal trail "mom". Among her many contributions, Cashin started the tradition of taking a photo of each AT hiker intending to complete the entire trail who stopped in at ATC headquarters. She also was a founding member of the Appalachian Trail Long Distance Hikers Association.

The late Paul Fink was probably the single person most responsible for laying out the Appalachian Trail in the southern states. He was a pioneer hiker, who did some of the very first hiking in the Tennessee-North Carolina border areas. His seminal book, Backpacking Was the Only Way, described his hiking experiences in that area beginning in 1914. In 1922, only a year after Benton MacKayes famous article proposing an Appalachian Trail was written, Fink began corresponding with hiking leaders in New England about building the trail. When Myron Avery began planning the route of the AT in the south, Fink was the first person he contacted. Fink guided Avery as they laid out the route of the trail.

Donald King is the National Park Service chief realty officer for the National Land Resources Program Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. His career with the service has spanned more than 40 years in a variety of capacities, but much of his career since 1979 has been devoted to supporting and then overseeing land acquisition for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. King has been involved, directly and indirectly, in the acquisition of lands and interests in lands along the AT in 11 states, affecting more than 2,500 parcels and 117,000 acres, and extending federal protection along 620 miles of the trail.

The late Robert Proudmans involvement in the AT dates back to his first year on the Appalachian Mountain Clubs New Hampshire Trail Crew in 1965. He rose through the ranks becoming the first full-time, club-wide supervisor of trails in 1972; joined the National Park Service AT Office in 1979-80; and then the staff of ATC in 1981. He is author or co-author of ATCs Appalachian Trail Design, Construction and Maintenance and AMCs Trail Building and Maintenance, 1977 and 1988 editions. Proudman also helped found ATCs corridor monitoring program, trail crew programs, ridge runner and caretaker programs, as well as major government-funded procurement programs for removing structures and dams along the Trail. After a 50-year career with trails, he retired from ATC in 2015.

The Appalachian Trail Museum Society serves the Appalachian Trail community by telling the stories of the founding, construction, preservation, maintenance, protection and enjoyment of the trail since its creation.

The Appalachian Trail Museum, which opened in 2010, collects, preserves and interprets materials relevant to those subjects. The museums exhibits and publications inform visitors about the Appalachian Trail and the National Scenic Trails System, educating them on the history of the Appalachian Trails development, the founders who made it possible, and the pioneering thru-hikers who brought it to the awareness of the general public.

Through its exhibits, special programs and the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame, the museum celebrates the experience and culture of wilderness hiking in all its physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspects.
On Jan. 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed by North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the United States and the Provisional Revolutionary Government to establish peace in Vietnam.

Most United States combat troops were withdrawn by March of 1973.

The peace agreement didnt last. North Vietnam continued its march across the country, enlarging its area of control.

Within two years, it was poised to overtake the capitol of South Vietnam.

Americans and Vietnamese run for a U.S. Marine helicopter in Saigon during the evacuation of the city, April 29, 1975. (AP Photo)AP

As North Vietnam was approaching Saigon, the U.S. Congress refused any more appropriations to help South Vietnam even though former President Richard Nixon had promised to provide aid. Nixon had resigned in 1974.

United States President Gerald Ford ordered all American civilians and military personnel that remained there to evacuate along with thousands of South Vietnamese.

In this April 29, 1975, file photo, a helicopter lifts off from the U.S. embassy in Saigon, Vietnam during last minute evacuation of authorized personnel and civilians. (AP Photo/File)AP

Operation Babylift started in early April to get 2,000 orphans out of the country. More evacuations followed. The situation became more chaotic every day. U.S. Marine and Air Force helicopters airlifted about 1,000 American civilians and 7,000 refugees. The evacuation was the largest helicopter evacuation in history.

By April 27, 10,000 Communists soldiers surrounded Saigon. On April 30, the city fell. The president surrendered. The Communists renamed Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City, after the former president of North Vietnam.

In this April 29, 1975, file photo, a helicopter lifts off from the U.S. embassy in Saigon, Vietnam, during the evacuation of authorized personnel and civilians. (AP Photo/File)AP

Some Vietnamese who were unable to get on a U.S. helicopter to leave Saigon instead fled in boats. In the same year that Saigon fell, the Communists also took over Laos and Cambodia. Refugees fled to other countries, including the United States where resettlement camps were established to address their needs and help them to relocate.

A North Vietnamese tank rolls through the gate of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, April 30, 1975, signifying the fall of South Vietnam. (AP Photo)AP

Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County was one of four resettlement and processing centers for thousands of Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees.

Fort Indiantown Gap received more than 30,000 Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees beginning in the late spring of 1975.

In this May 4, 1975 file photo, a youth waves a weapon and a Provisional Revolutionary Government (PRG) flag as he joins PRG troops on a jeep on Tu Do street in Saigon. (AP Photo/Matt Franjola, File)AP

The refugees first went to relocation processing centers in Guam, the Philippines, Thailand, Wake Island and Hawaii before being flown to the four resettlement centers in the United States at Camp Pendleton in California, Fort Chafee in Arkansas, Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Fort Indiantown Gap.

Refugees were matched with sponsors who agreed to provide food, clothing and shelter until the refugee could become self-sufficient. Sponsors also helped the Vietnamese find jobs and get their children registered in school.

Vietnamese refugees being processed at Fort Indiantown Gap, May 28, 1975.

Prior to the arrival of the refugees, Fort Indiantown Gap was prepared with new beds, mess halls and latrines. Medical care facilities were established and clothing was donated.

According to The Evening News on May 27, 1975, preparations included learning how to cook meals the way the Vietnamese preferred -"meat and vegetables together, rice separate."

Refugees began arriving at Harrisburg International Airport on May 28 after a 20-hour flight from Guam where they had been living in tent cities, according to The Evening News on that day.

Pennsylvania Gov. Milton Shapp greets a Vietnamese family at Harrisburg International Airport, May 28, 1975.

The refugees who arrived around 10:30 a.m. on that day were greeted by Gov. Milton Shapp and hordes of photographers and political and military officials.

"America has become a home for people of every nation, every belief, every race and every color. It can also be a home for you. After the tragic experience of the past year, I hope you find here in America a place of peace, freedom and opportunity," Shapp told the refugees.

Also present was the North Lebanon High School marching band, children from Holy Name of Jesus School waving small American flags and children from Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary School lined up along the barriers.

The Evening News reporter wrote, "Most of the refugees were young and wore American clothing. Young men, carrying gym bags and wearing slacks, casual shirts and sneakers, looked as if they had just returned from summer camp."

When they arrived at Fort Indiantown Gap, the refugees were taken to an auditorium where they waited to be photographed, interviewed and assigned living quarters. Adults received juice, babies were fed and Red Cross nurses provided first aid.

Personnel distribute drinks and snacks to Vietnamese refugees being processed at Fort Indiantown Gap, May 28, 1975.

Later they were given medical exams, fingerprinted and given Social Security numbers. Children attended a school at the post. Representatives from various federal agencies met with the refugees to begin integrating them into society.

According to The Evening News, the first baby born to a Vietnamese refugee was born at 2:45 a.m. May 30. The girl weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces and automatically became a U.S. citizen.

On May 29, The Evening News reporter asked a young Vietnamese student who said he had no family why he left Vietnam.

He took the reporters pen and pencil and wrote, Because we like Freedom.
Roughly 100 chickens and roosters were seized and 21 people have been charged after a cockfighting ring was busted in Philadelphia.

While residents in this Kensington neighborhood say the activities going on there have led to many problems, some of those arrested say its no big deal and cockfighting is part of their culture, NBC 10 of Philadelphia reported today.

Most of the chickens and roosters are being treated at a facility in Philadelphia.

Evette Pena, a block captain, told the station she had seen chickens and roosters running around the neighborhood, but she had no idea what the extent of the situation was on this section of Ann Street.

NBC 10 reports some of those arrested said off camera 100 people would show up twice per month for to watch cockfights, held behind a faded, red fence in the neighborhood.

Behind that fence, dozens of cages lined one room on the property in a junk-filled, grassless courtyard. Pena told the station mounds upon mounds of illegal trash dumping has been an ongoing problem in the neighborhood, and they attribute it to the cockfights, saying the activities go hand-in-hand.

Many of the accused are facing felony animal cruelty charges, according to reports.
To vaccinate or not vaccinate is a question parents are confronted with shortly after a child is born but a state lawmaker says the answer should not determine whether a doctor can deny care to a child.

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler County, authored what was described as the first of its kind piece of legislation. The bill would bar health care practitioners and facilities and insurance companies from denying care if parents refuse or delay the series of vaccinations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics for children.

It is a fact we live in the United States of American where you should have the freedom to decide whats injected into your body or your childrens body, Metcalfe said at a Capitol news conference on Tuesday.

His remark drew rousing applause from a large crowd of parents and children who shared the stage with him who supported so-called informed consent protection, the right to vaccine choice. Several of whom acknowledged they had been kicked out of a doctors practice because they chose to decline or delay immunizations for their children.

The legislation comes at a time when the nation is seeing the largest outbreak of measles in a quarter century. Pushing legislation that is seen as supporting the view of anti-vaxxers doesnt sit well with Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, who is a pediatrician.

Immunizations are safe and immunizations are effective, she said. We have over 700 cases currently in the United States. Measles is a completely preventable childhood disease. In the year 2000, there were no cases of measles in the United States. Because of misinformation about immunizations, we now have this serious outbreak. Measles can be extremely serious, even potentially fatal and its completely preventable.

While saying she doesnt comment on pending legislation, Levine said she thought it was unlikely that Pennsylvania pediatricians would kick families out of their practice if they dont go along with the CDCs vaccination schedule. But she added she was sure health care practitioners would be passionate in their efforts to convince parents that immunizations are safe and effective and prevent serious illness.

Her boss, Gov. Tom Wolf, was more direct in his thoughts about Metcalfes bill.

This bill would put children, pregnant women, and vulnerable patients at risk of being exposed to horrific diseases  at the doctors office, Wolf said in a statement. I urge Pennsylvanians not to follow or believe this false and dangerous rhetoric. History and research are definitive that vaccines work. My administration will continue to work to expand immunization and will not allow the science or public health benefits to be undermined.

Levine also dismissed a notion raised during Metcalfes news conference by experts and supporters who are skeptical of vaccinations, that doctors are pushing vaccinations because they receive a kickback from the vaccine manufacturers.

Charmaine Rusin is director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Informed Consent, a grassroots organization supportive of vaccine choice. Rusin blamed the trend toward pushing vaccinations on insurance companies that create an incentive through their reimbursement process for doctors to maintain a high percentage of vaccination compliance among their patients.

Dr. Alvin Moss, director of West Virginia Universitys Center for Health Ethics and Law, placed the blame on the vaccine manufacturers.

We as Americans are being manipulated by people who make money by selling vaccines, he said.

Moss shared that the CDCs current immunization schedule calls for 26 doses of 15 different vaccines by 18 months of age and the number of children with adverse reaction to the vaccines is growing. He said he numbers of parents with children with vaccine injury numbers in the tens of thousands.

The parents of these children do not want to risk additional injury to their children, he said.

Parent Diana Campbell said she is unable to find a pediatrician to see her two children because of her stance on vaccinations after her first child had adverse reactions.

Vaccines do come with risks, she said. If you doubt me read the manufacturers package inserts. Parents should always have the final decision regarding what is best for their children.

When parents hesitate to give their consent to immunizations, Moss said the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends pediatricians give their strong recommendation mixing science and anecdote depending on what the pediatrician thinks will be most convincing. If despite this pressure, parents decline or delay vaccinations, many pediatricians, if not most, are discharging patients from their practice.

He pointed to the findings in a Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics article that stated that a 2005 survey of U.S. pediatricians that found 28% would ask a family to seek care elsewhere if they refused specific vaccines and 39% would do so if the family refused all vaccines. He added that he was certain those percentages have grown since 2016 when the American Academy of Pediatrics stated that discharging patients from a doctors practice for vaccine refusal is acceptable.

Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny County, condemned Metcalfe for lending the dignity of his office to the pseudo-science of the anti-vaccination community.

Given the measles outbreak that this nation is experiencing, he called it irresponsible at best. The science and safety of vaccines is not in question, or in doubt. What is in question is why Representative Metcalfe would choose to lend his support to a cause that doesn't just put individuals in danger, but entire communities.

Frankel indicated he plans to introduce legislation that would expand on the current requirement that parents who seek religious or philosophical exemptions to vaccines sign only once. His proposed bill would require them to consult annually with a doctor about their decision and get briefed on potential school exclusions and quarantines in the case of outbreaks.

Metcalfe and others who he invited to his news conference downplayed the number of measles cases that have been reported so far, suggesting it was a small number compared to the number of cars that hit a deer each year or the 300 million people living this country.

But the states health secretary countered that is 700 cases reported, so far.

Theres a long way to go in 2019, Levine said. This is the most cases of measles we have seen in the United States in 25 years and were very concerned about serious outbreaks of this very contagious and potentially life-threatening illness. And its completely preventable because of the safe and effective vaccines we have.

* This story was updated to reflect that the recommended 26 doses of vaccines is by 18 months of age.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

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A Pennsylvania appeals court on Monday denied Bill Cosbys latest effort to be released from prison on bail while he fights his sex-assault conviction.

In a brief order, the Pennsylvania Superior Court gave no explanation for its decision, The New York Times reported.

Cosby is now in a maximum-security state prison in Pennsylvania, where he is serving a three- to 10-year sentence for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Lawyers for the 81-year-old comedian had argued that the disgraced TV icon is likely to have his conviction overturned because of errors by the trial judge. Further, they maintain Cosby should be released due to reasons of age, health and lack of danger to the community.

Cosby has accused trial Judge Steven ONeill of racial hatred against him.

Some 50 or so women who have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct.

Cosby, who maintains a residence in Shelburne Falls, has denied the allegations.
The big question remains to be answered: What happens next if the state Department of Education tells Harrisburg School District times up, were taking over?

The Pennsylvania primary is three weeks away, and a state-hired auditor is crunching the districts financial numbers, so no one knows whats in the audit, attorney Tom Scott told around 40 residents Monday evening at PA CareerLink on North Cameron Street.

Scott, a Harrisburg attorney who has advised the Harrisburg Education Association, called it an unprecedented situation.

The state could announce receivership in a few days or in a few weeks, Scott said. Among those who support receivership are Mayor Eric Papenfuse, state Rep. Patty Kim (D-Harrisburg) and state Sen. John DiSanto (R-Dauphin County).

Receivership means the districts leaders and administrators lose their authority to govern the public entity and the state appoints who it wants to lead in its day-to-day dealings.

If the audit would happen to show gross financial impropriety, that would move the timetable up, Scott said.

Not only does it appear that the district is being scrutinized for its failure to achieve financial goals since having been placed by the state in a financial recovery status, but its also undergoing an academic audit, attorney Carolyn Funkhouser said. Both issues could influence the states decision to take over Harrisburgs school system, she explained.

Also, if the school board doesnt approve or implement the state recovery plan proposed by the districts state-appointed Chief Recovery Officer, then the state secretary of education may petition the court to appoint a receiver, Scott said. Often, the current chief recovery officer becomes the receiver, which in Harrisburgs case is Janet Samuels.

The receiver has a lot of power, Scott said.

But those who attended the informational session, which was held by an activist grassroots watchdog group of parents, teachers, and residents called Concerned About the Children of Harrisburg, said they plan on flipping the board in three weeks. A revamped board could help improve the district, CATCH members said.

Whats tricky is that theres a school board election May 21 in which 12 candidates are running. All of them are Democrats, so theoretically the victors of the primary race will be sworn in later this year. There are five seats on the primary ballot. Of the candidates running, four are incumbents: Vice President Lola Lawson, Patricia Whitehead-Myers, Ellis Roy and Lionel Gonzalez. The fifth seat is held by Joe Brown, who was appointed to serve following the death of former school board director Melvin Wilson Jr.

A large part of the evenings discussion centered on five school board directors who are historically known to vote in favor of Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burneys agenda. None of the five  President Danielle Robinson, Lawson, Whitehead-Myers, Roy and Gonzalez  were at the meeting.

If the makeup of the school board flips in May, with five new school board members elected to serve, then theres still some hope that school board members can do whats right for Harrisburgs students, school board member Carrie Fowler said.

Even if we flip the board, if there are disastrous decisions made with contracts [under the current board], we can petition the court to have them overturned because its not in the best interest of the board to oversee the contracts that they voted in, Fowler said.

That means any decision the existing board makes between now and when a possible new school board would be sworn in can be challenged in court, Fowler explained.

Grassroots efforts is at the heart of what needs to be done, resident Ana White said. She, along with several others, agreed that placing blame on the five school board members is only part of it; the community also needs to take responsibility for the districts current situation.

Many familiar faces  from current school board members to candidates running for a seat on the board, as well as city council representation  were in the audience Monday.

Some new faces also showed up. Stephanie Bradley said shes been learning both sides of the Harrisburg receivership debate and wants to be educated when she casts her primary votes. And, all the news shes been hearing about Harrisburg School District has drawn her into wanting to learn more. I believe all children deserve a high-quality education, Bradley said. And, its clear Harrisburg students are not getting what they deserve.
A mans death is under investigation in Franklin County.

State police say troopers were dispatched at 6:46 p.m. Monday to the 3000 block of Orrstown Road in Orrstown for a death investigation.

The man is 35 years old and from Orrstown, but his identity is being withheld pending notification of kin, police said.

No other details have been released as of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Pennsylvania State Police station in Chambersburg at 717-264-5161.
Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said hes pleased Harrisburg School District is cooperating with the state Department of Education, but he said he will continue to monitor the situation.

Its been nearly five weeks since Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera asked the district to comply with his list of requests to complete a financial audit. The sticking point for the district administration was auditors request that they be able to access the districts eFinance system.

The request was granted Friday, after the state froze $10.9 million in federal grant funds that had been allocated to the district.

"While Im pleased that there appears to be progress, I will continue to monitor the districts level of cooperation to help ensure there is a full accounting of district finances, said DePasquale in a statement his office released Monday. The districts students and taxpayers deserve nothing short of complete and total transparency.

DePasquale previously issued a release calling a school board vote against cooperating with auditors unacceptable."

It is in everyones best interest for the district to give the Education Departments auditors access to the information they need to do their job, DePasquale said.

The district has been operating under state-imposed financial recovery status since 2012. The auditor generals office has not requested any further action at this time, spokesman Gary Miller said.

DePasquales last audit of the Harrisburg School District found the district was struggling with excessive debt, declining tax revenues and a sharp increase in payments to charter schools.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse, as well as state lawmakers Rep. Patty Kim (D-Harrisburg) and Sen. John DiSanto (R-Dauphin County) said last week they think the state should takeover the school district.
A lawsuit lodged by a woman who claims she was gang-raped at a fraternity party while visiting her brother at Gettysburg College will be fought out in federal court in Harrisburg.

The New York woman originally filed her suit in federal court in Philadelphia late last year, but at the urging of the college it has been transferred to U.S. Middle District Court, where it has been assigned to Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner.

The college, the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, and three male students, only one of whom is identified by name in the suit, all are calling for the dismissal of the case. The name of the woman is being withheld because PennLive does not identify victims of sex crimes.

In her suit, the woman says she was visiting her brother, a senior at the college, in October 2016 when she attended a party she claims was staged by the frat in the 300 block of Carlisle Street.

The woman says she recalls consuming a drink handed to her by someone who was acting as a bartender, and then going in search of a bathroom. After that, she has vague memories of being led by someone into a smaller room upstairs and recalls there being pressure on her body and being restrained to some degree and being unable to move, the suit states.

After an uncertain amount of time, the woman returned to her brothers apartment. Later, because she was feeling pain and discomfort and found bruises and scratches on her body, she went to a hospital emergency room, the suit states.

A rape kit was performed and semen samples were detected from three different men, the woman claims. She insists she never consented to having sex at the party and has suffered physical, emotional and psychological harm as a result of the alleged assault.

The woman claims she reported the alleged rape to college officials and to the Gettysburg police. The college took no action on that report, she contends.

School officials are legally liable for the alleged assault because they had prior knowledge of underage drinking and incidents of rape and sexual assault at the Carlisle Street address, the woman insists. She also accuses the college administration of a pattern and practice of behavior designed to discourage and dissuade individuals who had been sexually assaulted on campus from being fully investigated and reported.

The woman is seeking more than $150,000 on each of nine counts of her complaint.

In arguing for dismissal of the suit, college officials insist Gettysburg is not alleged to have had any involvement in the party  it did not own the house, it is not alleged to have known of the party or facilitated it in any way.

Gettyburg is not legally responsible for an assault committed by one of its students against a non-student on property not owned by Gettysburg in circumstances that were not under Gettysburgs control, they added. Colleges and universities are not liable for the independent criminal actions of their students.

School officials deny the woman ever reported the supposed assault to the colleges public safety department. They provided a heavily-redacted incident report from the borough police as an exhibit to their dismissal motion. That report states the woman filed her sex assault report it a week after the party. The case was marked closed by the police in August 2018 with the notation no further action possible.

There are no records indicating any criminal charges were filed against the student the woman named as one of her alleged attackers. The other two men she accuses are indentified only as John Does.

Dismissal of the case also is being sought by the national chapter of the Indianapolis, Ind.-based Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. The frat claims it didnt have an active chapter at Gettysburg College at the time of the alleged rape and had no involvement with the party at which the woman claims the attack occurred. The group says it didnt own the property where the party was staged, either.

The man named by the woman as one of her alleged rapists is seeking dismissal of the case as well, calling the womans claim that she was forced to have sex against her will wholly speculative. Her allegations that she was gang raped are so vague there is no basis to conclude he committed any crime, the man contends

He argues the woman is unreasonably asking the judge to infer that because (his) semen was detected on her at some unspecified period of time after the party, and because she does not recall consenting to sexual relations, (he) must have assaulted her.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Town and Country Financial Corporation (the Company), (OTC Pink: TWCF), today announced financial results for first quarter of 2019.



Key highlights included:

Loans grew $65 million (12.8%) from March 31, 2018 to March 31, 2019;

Loans grew $22 million (16.1% annualized) in the first quarter of 2019;

Deposits grew $20.9 million from March 31, 2018, to $647 million as of March 31, 2019;

30.5% increase in core net income in the first quarter of 2019, to $1.6 million, compared to $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2018;

Net interest margin increase of 14 basis points, to 3.48%, from 3.34% in the first quarter of 2018.

Core net income, which excludes securities gains and losses and other non-core items, increased $374,000 (30.5%) from the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019, as noted above. Reported net income was $1.65 million ($0.58 per share) in the first quarter of 2019 and $1.41 million ($0.49 per share) in the first quarter of 2018. In comparing the first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2018, revenue was higher by $475,000 while noninterest expenses were down $260,000.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Micah R. Bartlett, commented, The great momentum of 2018 continued in the first quarter of 2019. Loan growth remained strong, particularly in commercial loans, where we saw an increase of $20.5 million or 18.7% annualized in the quarter. The mortgage business had a solid quarter during a time of year that is typically slow for the industry. And our focus on building revenue while also improving efficiency produced a significant improvement in profits.

While deposits grew by $20.9 million from March 31, 2018 to March 31, 2019, the mix of deposit types also changed. Time deposits grew by $20.4 million, excluding brokered deposits, while transaction accounts, including checking, savings and money market accounts, declined by $14.4 million.

Short term funding, either with Federal funds purchased from correspondent banks or advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, were $58.8 million as of March 31, 2019. This was a $14.3 million increase from a year earlier, but it was a decline of $10.4 million during the first quarter of 2019, from $69.2 million as of December 31, 2018.

The net interest margin increased from 3.34% in the first quarter of 2018 to 3.48% in the first quarter of 2019. The primary reason for the increase is a change in asset mix. Loan growth was funded, in part, with funds from maturing investments, improving the earning asset yield. Net interest income was $6.0 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to $5.6 million in the first quarter of 2018. The increase resulted from a higher net interest margin and a larger loan portfolio.

Noninterest income was unchanged in the first quarter of 2019, compared to the first quarter of 2018, at $2.3 million. Noninterest expenses were $6.0 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to $6.3 million in the first quarter of 2018. Compensation, marketing, and professional fees expenses were lower in the first quarter of 2019 than a year earlier.

Assets grew to $796 million at March 31, 2019 from $756 million a year earlier, an increase of $40 million, of which $14 million occurred in the first quarter of 2019. The loan portfolio, excluding loans held for sale, grew to $576 million at March 31, 2019, from $510 million a year earlier, an increase of $66 million for the year, including the $22 million in the first quarter of 2019. Total deposits grew to $647 million as of March 31, 2019 from $626 million a year earlier.

Nonperforming loans increased slightly but credit quality remained strong, with nonperforming loans at 0.63% of net loans at quarter-end compared to 0.62% a year earlier. The allowance for loan loss as a percent of total loans was slightly lower, at 1.02% at March 31, 2019, compared to 1.07% at March 31, 2018. Delinquencies were lower, at 0.47% as of March 31, 2019, from 0.59% as of March 31, 2018.

Town and Country Banks capital levels remained strong at quarter-end, with a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 9.34% and a total risked-based ratio of 12.57%. These ratios compare to 9.08% and 12.71% a year earlier. Consolidated equity capital grew to $61.7 million at March 31, 2019, from $55.0 million at March 31, 2018. Book value was $21.70 per share as of March 31, 2019, compared to $19.34 per share as of March 31, 2018, an increase of 12.2%.

The holding company reported an investment in Town and Country Bank of $80.1 million at March 31, 2019, compared with $74.7 million as of March 31, 2018. Borrowings were $9.3 million and trust preferred securities were $13.5 million at quarter-end, as compared with $11.2 million in borrowings and $13.5 million in trust preferred securities as of March 31, 2018.

Town and Country Financial Corporation is the parent holding company for Town and Country Bank and Town and Country Banc Mortgage Services, Inc. with offices in Bloomington, Buffalo, Decatur, Edwardsville, Fairview Heights, Jacksonville, Lincoln, Mt. Zion, Springfield, and Quincy. The Quincy branch operates under the name of Peoples Prosperity Bank. Town and Country Financial Corporation shares are quoted under the symbol TWCF.
Levels of a toxin found in a York County communitys drinking water have decreased below dangerous levels, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, which has expanded testing to other nearby systems.

In March, a Newberry Township resident took it upon himself to test his familys taps for PFAS, a toxic chemical found in nonstick cookware and firefighting foam. That test returned levels of 186 parts per trillion (ppt), far above the EPAs health advisory limit of 70 ppt.

PFAS chemicals been linked to cancers, pregnancy complications and a variety of other health impacts. The state is currently monitoring 19 known contamination sites, including the Harrisburg International Airport, which is across the Susquehanna River from Newberry. So far, the DEP has not determined a source for the contamination.

Suez Water, the utility serving the township, installed new treatment systems earlier this month in order to filter the contaminants.

Initial testing by the DEP released Tuesday confirmed what the homeowner found: Tests at two drinking water source wells returned combined PFAS levels of 131 and 168.1 ppt respectively.

According to the DEP, testing performed after the installation of new granular activated carbon treatment system didnt detect any PFAS at one of the wells and 12.9 ppt at the other, well below the 70 ppt advisory level.

Suez spokesman Richard Henning previously told PennLive that the company planned to perform testing at all of its water systems. Another spokesperson said the company had not yet scheduled testing in Middletown, near the airport, but planned to soon.

Drinking water systems arent currently required to test for PFAS chemicals because they arent formally regulated by the EPA, which propagates rules that the DEP enforces at the state level.

First developed by 3M in the 1930s and mass-marketed in the 40s and 50s, these synthetic chemicalsalso known as perflourinated chemicals or PFCsenabled the development of nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing and firefighting foam. Today, there are thousands of these chemicals known by acronyms like PFOS, PFOA, PFNA and PFHxS.

But the chemical bonds that give PFAS their heat, oil and water-resistant qualities are so resilient they dont break down in the environment  or in the human body. It didnt take long for PFAS to make their way into drinking water and, finally, the human bloodstream. Theyve been linked to various health effects, including pregnancy complications and problems related to the liver, lungs and thyroid.

Last year, Gov. Tom Wolf established an action team to develop a plan to sample drinking water systems, limit public exposure and potentially introduce state-level regulation.

As part of that effort, the DEP announced a plan earlier this month to begin testing roughly 300 of Pennsylvanias 8,373 public water systems deemed at the highest risk of contamination.

For more information about water contamination, read PennLives Tapped Out, an investigation of drinking water oversight in Pennsylvania.

This article was updated to clarify information about testing in Middletown. Suez initially said DEP had performed tests there. DEP said it had not.

Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook.
Police have arrested 20-year-old Thomas Andrew Dewald in the kidnapping of 4-year-old Gemma Moats, who was taken from her Franklin County home in the early morning hours of April 25.

Police also connected Dewald to a burglary during the early morning hours of April 28, which they said also involved an attempt to take a child.

Dewald is charged with kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, burglary, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, criminal trespass, indecent assault and reckless endangerment.

State police Lt. Mark Magyar said late Monday night that Moats was taken from her home in the 12000 block of Pen Mar Road, Washington Township. The attempted burglary took place in the 14000 block of Lower Edgemont Road, Washington Township.

No parent or child should ever have to worry about whether theyre safe in their homes, Magyar said.

Around 6:30 p.m., Dewald was interviewed and taken into custody at a residence in the 14000 block of Harbaugh Church Road, Washington Township, Magyar said. This residence was about 50 yards from where Moats was found after several hours of searching on Thursday, and a couple miles from Moats home.

Lt. Randy Kane said state police and several local law enforcement partners worked tirelessly over the past several days to bring this monster to justice.

Magyar said through routine canvasing, Dewald became a suspect. He also said that Dewald was originally from Franklin County, but was gone for a while and was only recently back in Franklin County, living with family.

Police said Dewald was disrupted in the burglary attempt by the waking homeowners and a dog. Maygar said they believe Dewald had intent to endanger children.

This is all weve thought about, Magyar said.

Theyve certainly been instrumental in assisting us with our investigation, Maygar said of the community response to the kidnapping.

Moats was kidnapped through an unlocked door in the home, while the burglary occurred through a window.
A scalp with hair that appeared to be tied in a pony tail and a bloody bed sheet were discovered sealed in a FoodSaver bag by a man walking along Conewago Road in Dover Township in January 2012.

There was no DNA match at the time, and it was five years before police say they began drawing a connection between the grisly discovery and a 2011 missing persons case.

And today -- another two years later -- there has been an arrest in this nearly decade-long mystery involving forgery, tampering with records, conspiracy, and now, homicide.

Virginia L. Hayden, 67, of Carlisle and formerly of Dover, was arraigned Monday in York County on charges that include criminal homicide in the death of her husband, Thomas Hayden Sr., according to charging documents filed by the Northern York County Regional Police Department.

In those documents, filed by Lt. John Migatulski and Detective Michael Hine, police say the investigation unfolded like this:

Though the bag and its contents were discovered in 2012, it wasnt until January 21, 2017 when the investigation became linked to Hayden. Kim Via, who lives in Louisiana, called the police that day in an effort to find her estranged father, Thomas Hayden, whom she had not seen or heard from in 11 years. She had tried several times to call her father, but when her stepmother, Virginia Hayden, answered the phone, she would say he did not wish to speak to her.

Police went to the Carlisle apartment where Via believed they lived. There, the apartment resident, Virginia Cooksey, said Virginia Hayden, her grandmother, had lived there, but Thomas Hayden never did.

Police then interviewed Virginia Hayden, who told them Thomas Hayden left back in 2011 seeking medical treatment for ALS. But during that interview, she gave two different accounts of his departure, prompting some suspicion with investigators. She indicated the last she heard from him was six years prior, calling from a blocked number. He was still receiving Social Security benefits deposited into a joint account, she said.

That same day, police visited the home on the 3000 block of Barley Circle, Dover Township, that was the last known address of Thomas Hayden. The homeowner said he bought the house from Virginia Hayden in November 2014, and at one point in their conversation, she told him her husband was dead.

A review of the deed showed Thomas Hayden sold his share of the property to Virginia Hayden a year prior in November 2013 for $1. The deed transfer also showed that Virginia Haydens daughter, Connie Pender, had notarized Thomas Haydens signature. An analysis would later show Thomas Haydens signature was forged and matched Virginia Haydens handwriting.

Police continued to investigate, interviewing Thomas Haydens two brothers, who provided their DNA samples, which were sent for testing, along with the contents of the FoodSaver bag discovered along the road five years prior. Those came back several months later as a matches likely originating from siblings.

Police also interviewed Carolyn Cooksey, another daughter of Virginia Haydens. She was under the impression that her mother traveled with Thomas Hayden to Mexico, seeking ALS treatment, and she received several phone calls from her mother in the fall of 2011, backing up that belief.

But she told investigators she remembers a Christmas party a month later when her mother showed up without her husband. She also recalled a strange conversation in which her mother discussed disposing of bodies and said pigs would eat an entire human, except for the skull. She also told police her mother had a FoodSaver sealer, the kind of bag the scalp, hair and sheets were found in.

She handed police a handwritten note she thought was from Thomas Hayden, imploring her to be there for her mother while he was gone. Like the deed to the house, a handwriting analysis showed the note was actually written by Virginia Hayden.

Investigators circled back a few weeks later to talk to Virginia Cooksey, the granddaughter of Virginia Hayden who lived in Carlisle. She recalled helping her grandmother move out of the apartment and opening a lockbox, in which she found Thomas Haydens drivers license, passport and Social Security card, which she photographed with her phone and provided investigators.

Police conducted a records search, showing Thomas Hayden was still receiving Social Security deposits. Further interviews included neighbors, who believed Thomas Hayden had up and disappeared, as well as medical professionals, who said he had never been diagnosed with ALS and that he had just stopped coming to his appointments. They also found that Virginia Hayden had purchased a .357 handgun in the fall of 2011, around the time her husband disappeared.

After executing a search warrant on Virginia Haydens home in July 2017, finding the joint bank account, a FoodSaver system and the lock box containing his identification, police interviewed her again.

She maintained her husband had left for Mexico with his brother, who had denied this, and that he gave her the handwritten letters to give to the family.

But when confronted about the scalp in the bag, she agreed to give investigators a written confession, saying she would write whatever you want me to write. The investigators told her they wanted her to tell the truth, so she told them, I admit to doing Carolyn and Kim, or Kim and Carolyn want me to admit to doing something to Thomas Hayden. I put Thomas Hayden in there. So be happy. I give in. So leave me alone. So there it is. Thats my confession.

She indicated she was being made to say that to keep Thomas children happy.

When asked if she ever killed anything, she said she shot animals on and off when she used to hunt and she had animals on a farm at her sister-in-laws place where they butchered hogs once per year.

No charges were filed against Virginia Hayden at that time, but Connie L. Pender was soon charged with theft and tampering with public records. Pender, who lived in Austin, Texas, was accused of notarizing the forged signatures of her stepfather on the deed to his house and the title to his trailer.

And last year, in a forensic analysis of the evidence, it was determined that whether Thomas Hayden was alive or dead when his scalp cut off, it would have resulted in death.

The task of dismemberment supports the conclusion that Thomas Hayden died a violent death at the hands of another individual, Dr. Wayne K. Ross wrote in that analysis.

The amount of blood loss found on the items in the bag supports the conclusion there was a large wound or wounds consistent with blunt-force and sharp-force trauma or gunshot wounds or postmortem dismemberment, he wrote.

In addition to charges of criminal homicide, Virginia Hayden is also charged with 64 more counts that include forgery, conspiracy, theft, receiving stolen property and tampering with public records.

She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. May 30 before Magisterial District Judge David C. Eshbach.
Saying newly-developed DNA evidence could drastically alter the outcome of the case, a state Superior Court panel has ordered a new guilt determination trial for a former Pennsylvania high school teacher who is serving a life prison term for killing a female student in 1975.

In an opinion by Judge Alice Beck Dubow, the court found the new hard-won DNA findings upset a 42-year-old conclusion that Raymond Dale Payne murdered 16-year-old Debra Gama after tying her up and raping her.

Prosecutors claimed during his 1977 degree of guilt hearing in Erie County that Payne committed the murder while fulfilling a violent sexual fantasy. However, Dubow noted, the belated DNA testing done in 2014 excluded Payne as a contributor of semen traces found on Gamas body.

Payne, now 82, has followed a long and difficult road in seeking reconsideration of his case.

He was sentenced to life in prison in August 1977 after a panel of three county judges found him guilty of first-degree murder. Payne had pleaded guilty to a general murder count and left the degree of guilt finding to the court, Dubow noted.

Payne first filed an appeal requesting DNA testing in 1997. Such scientific testing was not available in 1977. His 1997 plea was denied by the county and state courts. Similar requests met the same fate in 2004 and 2012.

Finally, in 2014 a federal judge ordered DNA testing in the case. Thats when Payne was ruled out as a semen contributor.

Yet, Dubow wrote, county Judge John Garhart again denied Paynes plea for a new degree of guilt hearing in 2016. Garhart concluded the DNA evidence was not likely to alter the decision that Payne was guilty of first-degree murder.

Payne then appealed to Dubows court, which found Garharts conclusion was faulty because the DNA finding undermines the rape-murder scenario which led to Paynes first-degree murder conviction.

We find that (Payne) proved by a preponderance of the evidence that the DNA evidence would likely result in a different verdict, Dubow wrote.

Both the degree of guilt panel and the (state appeals courts) placed significant weight on the theory that (Payne) murdered the victim while raping her, she noted. Because the DNA evidence refutes the evidence of rape, the after-discovered evidence would likely have changed the decision of the degree of guilt panel.

Payne has been behind bars since his arrest in September 1977, more than two years after Gama, a student at Strong Vincent High School in Erie, disappeared after leaving home to head for the beach at Lake Erie. Her body was later found floating in Cussewago Creek in Crawford County.

Her corpse was bound hand and foot with copper wire, which also was embedded in her neck. The coroner concluded she was strangled.

After his arrest, Payne, who taught English at Strong Vincent, told a prosecutor he had killed Gama by accident at a public park in Erie County.

The degree of guilt panel that convicted Payne concluded he had taken Gama for a ride, slipped drugs into her beer, and while she was under the influence of the narcotics took her to some woods in the park, tied her up and had sex with her. The prosecutor testified Payne told him that is what happened and that Gamas death was a culmination of a sexual fantasy he had been living with for a long time, Dubow noted.

Payne testified in 1977 that Gama voluntarily agreed to be bound so he could take bondage pictures. He claimed he left her with clothesline tied around her neck, went to his truck to get a camera, and returned to find she had died. He said he first dumped her body in a pond on his farm then later moved it to the creek where it was found. Payne denied having sex with Gama or molesting her in any way.

In 1977, Payne sought a conviction for third-degree murder, which would have given him a chance for eventual parole.
The pastor at one of the largest United Methodist churches in Harrisburg has been stripped of his clergy credentials in what he and a church council member are calling retaliatory and punitive measures by church leadership.

The actions against the Rev. Mack Granderson of the Derry Street United Methodist Church is just the latest fissure threatening to tear apart the denominations local community.

Granderson, whose church is resisting a restructuring plan for 10 United Methodist churches in Harrisburg, said church leaders informed him on Friday that he was being removed from his post and stripped of his license as a result of having given parishioners the option of leaving the denomination and setting up their own church.

Granderson acknowledged he had presented his congregation that option among three others regarding the future of the church, which is poised to be impacted by a plan to close and merge the 10 churches into a new church. The conference is urging Derry Street, as well as the other churches, to merge with the newly created Journey United Methodist Church.

Grandersons congregation, which is solvent and oversees a slew of social services for its impoverished Allison Hill community, is fighting to remain open.

The pity of it all is it never needed to have come to this point in the city of Harrisburg, if people had been treated with love and inspiration rather than a dictatorial attitude, Granderson told PennLive on Monday. This would have been a much more peaceful transition into new ideas, new ways of worshipping while recognizing successful churches to continue to do the work for God.

Shawn M. Gilgore, a spokesman for the Susquehanna United Methodist Conference, characterized Grandersons dismissal as a personnel matter.

Mr. Granderson's appointment was withdrawn after it was determined that he violated the most covenantal aspect of his pastoral duties to serve as a pastor of a United Methodist Church when he showed an intent and plan to establish an independent congregation, Gilgore said in a written statement to PennLive.

The local UMC community has been in flux since the December announcement that the Susquehanna Conference - citing financial reasons and a desire to more effectively use resources and clergy - plans to consolidate 10 churches across the city.

Granderson, who broke the news to his congregation on Sunday when he delivered his last sermon, described his parishioners as being deeply shocked, angered and in pain by the news.

Now we are busy trying to figure out what we are going to do so that congregation is at peace and are still able to worship our God and at the same time make sure no one is left out regarding our mission work that is so important in Allison Hill community, Granderson said.

Last week, Granderson was one of only two pastors who responded to PennLive for comments on the current situation. PennLive has been told on background by a number of people close to the situation that the United Methodist Church pastors are essentially under a gag order not to talk to the media about the restructuring.

But Granderson said he did not think that his comments last week to PennLive had anything to do with his dismissal. That story looked at allegations that racism was at the center of the conferences plans to the close churches, which serve predominantly low-income black and Latino neighborhoods.

I think I was not viewed in the highest light by the hierarchy because I was opposed to the dictatorial fashion that the churches were being treated with regarding whether they would stay open or close, Granderson said.

Gilgore last week debunked the race allegations, reiterating that the conference was seeking to better serve the community and its faith mission.

Claude Phipps, chairman of the parish steering committee at the Derry Street United Methodist Church, decried the pastors dismissal as blatant retribution.

Im upset about that, Phipps railed on Monday evening. It stinks. Its a fix. Its not even optics anymore.

Phipps is among the congregants who alleged that racism was the underlying factor in the conferences plans, loosely characterizing it as optics.

Claude Phipps, chairman of is the steering committee at the Derry Street United Methodist Church in Harrisburg, has given church leadership a week to respond to the church's own strategic plan. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com

On Monday, he affirmed that the actions against his pastor had been retaliatory against plans to establish an independent church.

The Rev. Russell Goodman, most recently pastor at Riverside United Methodist, which voted to merge into the new The Journey congregation, will temporarily serve as pastor for Derry Street.

The fix was in, Phipps said. The only way to stop the movement was to take Mack out.

The Book of Discipline, the governance and bylaws book of the United Methodist Church, gives bishops the power to dismiss clergy, although the stature of the clergy dictates the process. Dismissal of a fully ordained minister who is a member of the annual conference is generally a rigorous process; a local licensed pastor has far less job security.

Granderson is a local licensed pastor.

The Book of Discipline makes it clear that all the bishop has to do is discontinue the appointment and that means the license is removed, said William Lawrence, professor emeritus at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Whether that action is appropriate in this case thats a separate discussion.

More to the point, however, Lawrence, a former member of the UMC Judicial Council, which acts like a church high court, noted that the General Conference this year approved a church legislative measure that grants local congregations the constitutional right to leave the denomination and establish their own church.

That ruling is part of the larger discussion on the rights of LGBTQ ministers, a topic rocking the church.

In fact, on Friday, the General Conference reaffirmed its anti-LGBTQ stance with regards to clergy as well as the exit plan, which will allow churches to leave the denomination with their property.

Increasingly it looks like United Methodist churches globally are going to be faced with two choices: Rise up in defiance against church law or come up with an exit plan for congregation to leave the denomination. It appears increasingly that the two options are defy or depart.

The exit measure becomes church law in January 2020. Across the country, several local churches have for weeks and with increasing intensity been looking at the specific provisions by which they might formally launch that effort.

It seems to me that anybody who has been following what is happening in the church knew that the General Conference had enacted a law that said local churches could leave the denomination, Lawrence said. For someone to say that no minister should have brought that up to his or her congregation - thats not an accurate portrayal of what is currently happening in the denomination.

Janelle Walker, a spokeswoman for the Susquehanna Conference, explained that the exit plan applies only to churches opposed to the denominations stance on LGBTQ clergy. In reaffirming its Traditional Plan, the United Methodist Church recently invigorated the guideline laid out in the church bylaws, that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching and that self-avowed practicing homosexuals cannot be ordained as ministers, appointed to serve or be married in the church.

Walker said the exit plan measure has no bearing on the decision to dismiss Granderson.

The Disaffiliation Ruling that Professor Lawrence is referring to has to do with disaffiliation over issues related to human sexuality, Walker explained in an email to PennLive.

Phipps said he has given church leadership seven days to review the strategic plan authored by Derry Street United Methodist.

He bemoans that Granderson was dismissed as a result of that plan given that it was written by members of the congregation.

Phipps said the congregation is prepared to walk away.

If we walk out the conference wins, he said. We lose everything. Thats fine. We will start again. You may have gotten our funds, our building but you would not have gotten the congregation, the community. You can do all you want, but you will lose the city. Everybody will know what the United Methodist Church stands for.

Granderson said that while he is no longer a United Methodist pastor, he remains a man of faith. He said he continues to pray for the bishop, the Susquehanna Conference and the community of his former church.

He said he has come to terms and is at peace with his dismissal.

This breaks the chains to what bound me," Granderson said. "I believe that what has been expressed is quite an unChristian action and those unChristian actions have resulted in pain and hurt and anger amongst the people that we are supposed to be the shepherd for, that we are supposed to be serving. I feel very confident in my tomorrows because I know God is walking with me.
Saving nuclear power plants, boosting use of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, and crafting a carbon cap-and-trade policy for Pennsylvanias energy generators are some of the biggest steps called for in helping to preserve Pennsylvanias climate as we know it.

Those big steps stand out among dozens of smaller ones in the Wolf Administrations updated Climate Change Action Plan as the state tries to meet Gov. Tom Wolfs previously-stated leap to an 80 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Wolfs over-arching goal is to keep Pennsylvania, as a state responsible for about 1 percent of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions, on track to meet reductions goals established in the 2015 U.N. Paris Climate Agreement, which President Trump has abandoned on the federal level.

The target cuts - tied to 2005 levels - are 26 percent by 2025, and 80 percent by 2050.

In a companion announcement, Wolf said today that he is joining Pennsylvania in the U.S, Climate Alliance, a coalition of 24 states that have committed to taking actions within their boundaries to achieve the Paris accord targets.

With the federal government turning its back on science and the environment, I am proud to join with states that are leading the way towards new climate solutions, and taking concrete actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Wolf said.

The problem.

Average temperatures in Pennsylvania, prior analyses for the state have found, have jumped an average 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since the early 20th Century, and are expected to increase by an additional 5.4 degrees by 2050.

DEPs latest impacts assessment said mid-Century temperatures in the Philadelphia region will be close to historical averages for Richmond, Va.; Pittsburgh, meanwhile, will approximate the Baltimore - Washington D.C. metroplex.

That is already enough change, DEP says, to put Pennsylvanians at risk of more extreme weather events; create higher mid-summer power demands; and cause changes in weather patterns that affect agricultural production, outdoor recreation and general use of the outdoors.

Importantly, the emissions reduction goals have to be matched by other states and nations around the globe to have the intended effect of keeping projected average global temperature rise at or near 1.5 degrees Celsius, the ceiling most climate scientists say must be maintained to avoid drastic impacts.

The 2025 goal seems within reach here, if only because of Pennsylvanias move from coal to natural gas in the wake of the Marcellus Shale drilling boom. According to figures from the plan, greenhouse gas emissions in 2015 were down 12 percent from 2005 levels.

But Wolf said Monday it will require a high degree of legislative, and resident, cooperation to continue the progress, and meet the future goals.

I know that change can be difficult and that as a major energy-producing state, the challenges facing Pennsylvania in addressing this threat are indeed significant, Wolf said during a news conference in Harrisburg.

In some quarters of the Capitol, the plan as a whole with its 100 action steps, did seem to land with a thud Monday.

Some legislative Republicans, whose party holds majorities in both the House and Senate, cautioned against putting Pennsylvania in front of federal policy on carbon.

Any discussion of regulating carbon emissions has to consider the environmental and economic impacts, said Mike Straub, spokesman for House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster County.

"Currently, there are no national regulations for carbon dioxide emissions, so before joining in on any proposals, members will have to take a closer look at the impact of state regulation on what is a global challenge.

That isnt too say our members oppose all of the ideas, Straub continued. There are likely many areas of common ground we can work toward to promote a reliable and sustainable energy portfolio.

Sen. Eugene Yaw, R-Lycoming County and the chair of the Senates Environmental and Energy Resources Committee, also pumped the brakes.

While the action plan released today includes many sweeping new recommendations, we need to be pragmatic," Yaw said in a statement. Yaw said he worries that the plan would push Pennsylvania too far away from the current free-market conditions that have cut emissions and energy costs.

The recommendations.

This chart from the state's Climate Change Action Plan shows what steps are projected to make the biggest difference in greenhouse gas emissions, and when.Pa. Climate Action Plan

Some of the plans major recommendations are coming to a head this spring, though.

One critical building block of the new plan, for example, is maintaining statewide nuclear power generation at or near current levels, which also happens to be one of the most intensely-lobbied business issues before the General Assembly right now.

Nuclear operators want to be included in the states 15-year-old monetary credits-for-clean energy program that was initially designed to help grow capacity from wind, solar and other alternative fuel sources here.

They say giving them credit for their zero-emissions attributes going forward is not only fair, but needed in an energy economy changed by abundant natural gas supplies and a flattened growth for power that has hurt nuclears profitability.

One operator, Exelon has already submitted plans to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to close its Three Mile Island plant in Dauphin County without state action this spring.

Former state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Quigley said if the nuclear industry does backtrack, that will likely crush attainment of the greenhouse gas goals in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has made most of its progress to date on the back of the Marcellus Shale boom and the replacement of old coal-fired power plants with cleaner burning natural gas, noted Quigley, now the director of Harrisburg Universitys Center for Environment, Energy and Economy.

But natural gas is not cleaner, from a greenhouse gas standpoint, than nuclear. So if nuclear production starts to be replaced by gas plants, that will result in a net increase in emissions.

Its good news that our emissions are down (from 2005 levels)... but what the market gives, the market can take away, Quigley said.

Wolf said he is in the conversation on the nuclear issue Monday, but he refused to endorse either of the subsidy bills that have been introduced to date.

Were still talking about that right now, so no, I cant (say what I will support)," the governor said.

Supporters of a statewide nuclear subsidy, however, saw energy for their cause in the new plan.

We applaud Gov. Wolf for his latest effort to address climate change, said Nuclear Powers Pennsylvania Co-Chair Martin Williams.

... He is certainly aware that losing the Beaver Valley and Three Mile Island nuclear plants - both of which already have announced premature closure unless state policies are reformed - will negate five times the emissions benefits of all the solar and wind power installed in Pennsylvania to date.

"DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell is correct when he says a team effort is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Pennsylvania. We have 16,000 team members working right now to support Pennsylvanias nuclear industry all doing their part to create always-on, 24/7 carbon-free electricity.

Another of the plans key solutions is ramping up Pennsylvanias investment in and use of renewable energy sources.

Senate and House members have also introduced a bill on this front, designed to boost renewables to a 30 percent share of the energy generation market by 2030, with 10 percent of that coming from solar. That would be up from current targets of 8 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively, by 2021.

Marriages of pro-nuclear and pro-renewable policies have already occurred in other states.

In 2016, New Yorks Public Service Commission approved an aggressive clean energy standard that will require utilities to get 50 percent of their electricity from wind, hydro, solar and other renewable sources by 2030.

Its been paired with subsidies to help keep three large nuclear power plants from closing prematurely.

Last year, meanwhile, lawmakers in New Jersey matched a nuclear subsidy program there with a renewable stepladder that hits 35 percent of power generation by 2025, and 50 percent by 2030.

The combination makes sense from a policy standpoint. Nuclear is the nations largest provider of carbon-free energy right now, though its not growing. Climate change experts say its critical to protect that base while renewables are scaled up to displace more fossil fuels long-term.

But in Pennsylvania, the debate is complicated because traditional fossil fuels like coal and natural gas have a much greater market presence.

Wolf did publicly endorse the so-called 30-by-30 plan Monday, at a press appearance with supportive Democratic lawmakers.

The new Climate Change Action Plan also for the first time calls for a cap-and-trade program to limit new greenhouse gas emissions in the energy generation sector, calls for toughening current energy efficiency standards, and doubles down on forest conservation practices.

And then, there are dozens of smaller steps, like encouraging greater use of of the electric cars through installation of public charging stations at Pennsylvanias vast network of state parks.

That grid of electric charging stations across the state parks system really opens up areas that are kind of black-out areas for EV car users," said Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

"... The state park system can fill in that grid and help people with the so-called range anxiety they have with electric vehicles.

Ultimately, said Quigley, the new plans worth will depend on the energy thats put into it.

In the past, these plans have been largely aspirational, he said. Im hoping that this one has the full support of the administration and anyone else that is paying attention to the issue.... At the end of the day, its all about action. Sincerity is subject to proof.
Two women are facing charges after state police say they left their friend in a driveway to die after she overdosed.

Lindsey Ann Blumenauer, 28, and Holly Ann Morse, 39, are each charged with drug delivery resulting in death and abuse of a corpse.

According to the criminal complaint:

A trooper responded at 10 a.m. Sunday to a residence in the 100 block of Simmons Road in Monroe Township, Cumberland County, after Jessica Ann Clouser was found dead in the driveway.

A trooper found two empty red wax baggies in Clousers hooded sweatshirt, according to the complaint. Clousers mother told police that her daughter was with Blumenauer and another woman on Saturday night.

Blumenauer was interviewed by state police at around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, and told police she was with Morse and Clouser the night before. Blumenauer said they tried unsuccessfully to buy heroin in Harrisburg on Saturday night, but then went to Perry County to buy the drugs from a source she knows, according to the criminal complaint.

Blumenauer told troopers they bought three bundles of heroin in red wax baggies, and they injected the heroin while at the parking lot of Pandemonium Bar & Grill, according to the complaint. She said Clouser then began to overdose, which caused Blumenauer to begin freaking out, according to the complaint.

Blumenauer and Morse tried to splash water on Clouser to wake her up but to no avail, according to the complaint. Blumenauer and Morse then drove Clouser to her residences driveway and left her there, according to the complaint.

State police determined the drive from Pandemonium Bar & Grill to Clousers residence took about 21 minutes.

State police also noted Clouser had a scrape on her chin when she was found. During Blumenauers interview with police, she said she believed Morse dropped her while they were placing her on the driveway, according to the complaint.

Blumenauer and Morse are each jailed in the Cumberland County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail. They are scheduled for preliminary hearings on May 6.
They started talking about impeaching Donald Trump before his election was official. They ramped up their calls for his impeachment on the day he was inaugurated. They havent slowed down since.

President Trumps critics have advanced numerous theories for impeaching him. From their reliance on the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, to their insistence that there were mountains of evidence that he colluded with Russia during the campaign, to charges that the President of the United States promoted white nationalism, the Left has aggressively advanced even imaginable notion for invoking the most grave provision in the Constitution.

The resistance folks cant seem to acknowledge the real reason theyre keyed up over impeachment and why they cant make up their own minds over the grounds for high crimes and misdemeanors necessary to remove a duly elected president from office.

The simple truth is they just dont like Donald Trump, his policies or his presidency.

Theyll have an opportunity to litigate their case before Americas voters over the course of the next year and a half, but ranting about impeachment is much juicier.

More than a year ago real efforts began in the House of Representatives, where impeachment proceedings originate. Representatives Al Green and Brad Sherman led the way. Take a minute and look up Greens unhinged ranting on the House floor and determine for yourself how seriously he should be taken.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib summarized their quest, saying Were going to impeach the motherf***er.

Nice.

Tlaib had campaigned for Congress on a pledge to pursue impeachment. She told the voters of her district,  This is about electing the jury to impeach (POTUS) and I will make a heck of a juror . . . 

It might have been good if someone had mentioned to her and her constituents that the jury comes from the other side of the building, but facts never got in the way of the Lefts rhetoric.

Maxine Waters advised us, in the earliest days of the Trump presidency, to get ready for impeachment. The basis of her assertion was the collusion with Russia she was absolutely certain of. Now that the collusion theory has pretty much been smashed to smithereens, the Left has turned to obstruction of justice.

Jerry Nadler, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, early in the Trump Administration introduced a Resolution of Inquiry, which many saw as the first step in pursuing impeachment. Nadler has a history of wanting to impeach folks who have beaten his partys candidate in national elections.

However, when asked last week about impeachment, Nadler paused a long time before answering.

Hes now caught between the dog and the fire hydrant, as some cooler heads in the Democrat-controlled House are trying to reign in some on the far-Left fringe.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to get control over her own caucus. She undoubtedly realizes that the overheated rhetoric and overreaching political actions of congressional committees her party controls are viewed by the American people as an overplayed hand.

Pelosi comes off looking like a moderate, a thought that no doubt makes her cringe. Her moderation is born of little more than simply understanding the basic political reality of constantly pursuing impeachment of a duly elected President.

She knows that over-the-top ranting about removing Donald Trump from office plays well to certain elements of the base, but its a stone cold loser for the rest of the country.

Pelosi knows when voters gave Democrats control of the House of Representatives last November, they wanted to get things done. Impeachment was not high on the list. Taxes and the economy, improving health care and fixing our roads and bridges were what voters had in mind.

Through the first 100 days of the Democratic Congress, what have they accomplished? They did manage to get a convicted liar to come in to talk with one of their committees. But on the real work doing the peoples business, theres not much to show.

Pelosi knows that if impeachment is pursued, theres no chance anything else will get done in the House, thus imperiling her thin majority next year.

She also realizes that even if they could cobble together enough votes in the House to impeach the President, it would be viewed as a purely political move and seen negatively by voters in 2020.

She well aware that if they were willing to take that political risk, there is no way that the Senate is going to vote to remove President Trump from office. It would all have been a waste of time, energy and money, and cost the Democrats in the process.

Finally, Pelosi knows that even if lightening were to strike and all the unforeseen occurred, President Trump were removed from office and the Left was victorious another reality would confront them: President Pence.

No wonder even Nancy Pelosi wants to tread lightly on impeachment.

PennLive Opinion contributor Charlie Gerow is the CEO of Quantum Communications in Harrisburg. His Donkeys & Elephants column appears this week opposite former Pa. Lieutenant Governor Mark S. Singel.
One year later, more than 129,000 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in region
TORONTO, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eve & Co Incorporated (TSX-V: EVE; OTCQB: EEVVF) (Eve & Co or the Company) is pleased to report the filing of its audited financial results for the fourteen month period ended December 31, 2018. A copy of the audited consolidated financial statements (the Financial Statements) for the fourteen months ended December 31, 2018 prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and the corresponding managements discussion and analysis for this period will be available under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on Eve & Cos website at www.evecannabis.ca .



In connection with the Companys qualifying transaction which closed on June 28, 2018, the Company changed its year-end from October 31 to December 31.

2018 was a successful year for Eve & Co with many milestones achieved. With the credit facility in place, and the recently announced bought deal financing, we believe the Company is in a strong financial position to complete the expansion of our Strathroy facility and support the development of our female-focused brand and products, commented Landon Roedding, CFO of Eve & Co.

2018 Highlights

Completed qualifying transaction on June 28, 2018 consisting of the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Natural MedCo Ltd. ( NMC ).



). Completed private placements of $10.8 million in subscription receipts and common shares and $10.0 million in convertible debentures in June 2018.



Sales license from Health Canada for first 120k sq. ft. obtained in June 2018.



Completed expansion from 120k sq. ft. to 220k sq. ft. in July 2018.



License amended by Health Canada in December 2018 to use the Companys 100,000 sq. ft. second flowering room as a grow area and a packaging room as an operations area, and to commence sales of additional types of cannabis products, including fresh and dried cannabis, to provincially authorized retailers and distributors.



Completed agreements to supply British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland Labrador markets with adult-use recreational cannabis products.



First delivery of the products to customers including 162,000 grams of product to the Province of Newfoundland where Eve & Co has an agreement.



Revenues were $482,663 for the fourteen month period ending December 31, 2018, representing the first revenue for the Company as a result of its inaugural sales in the adult-use Canadian market. Expenses were $8,413,162 for the fourteen month period ending December 31, 2018.



Continued construction on the Companys expansion of approximately 780,000 sq. ft. which the Company expects to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2019.



Landon Roedding, CPA, appointed to the role of CFO effective October 23, 2018.



Qualification for the OTCQB on the US OTC market and commencement of trading of the Companys common shares under the symbol, EEVVF.

Subsequent Events

On January 30, 2019, the Company announced that NMC had entered into a binding non-exclusive supply agreement for the sale of dried cannabis to an established German importer and distributor of parapharmaceutical and medicinal products.



On March 19, 2019, the Company announced that NMC had entered into an $18.7 million credit facility with a Canadian Schedule I Bank to fund the completion of the expansion of the Companys facility located in Strathroy, Ontario.



On March 29, 2019, the Company announced that the remaining $4.0 million principal amount of senior unsecured convertible debentures of the initial $10.0 million principal amount issued by the Company in June 2018 had been converted into 13,333,333 common shares.



On April 11, 2019, the Company announced that it had entered into an engagement letter with Haywood Securities Inc. for the purchase of 20,000,000 special warrants of the Company on a bought deal basis at a price of $0.50 per special warrant for aggregate proceeds of $10.0 million.



On April 18, 2019, the Company announced that 16,665,000 common share purchase warrants had been exercised for proceeds of approximately $5.8 million.



The Company announced the appointment of two new Board members, Shari Mogk-Edwards on January 3, 2019 and Alice Murphy on April 23, 2019.

I am very thankful to our team at Eve & Co and all they have achieved throughout the year. We are proud of the progress we made as a company in 2018 and believe that we have sown the seeds for growth in 2019. As a female-focused brand we see many opportunities for growth. Women represent a potential multi-billion market, said Melinda Rombouts, President and CEO of Eve & Co.



ABOUT EVE & CO INCORPORATED

Eve & Co, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Natural MedCo Ltd., holds cultivation and processing licenses under the Cannabis Act (Canada) for the production and sale of various cannabis products, including dried cannabis, cannabis plants and cannabis oil. Natural MedCo Ltd. was Canadas first female founded licensed producer of medicinal marijuana and received its cultivation license from Health Canada in 2016.

Eve & Co is led by a team of agricultural experts and has a licenced 220,000 sq. ft. scalable greenhouse production facility located in Middlesex County, Ontario with 32 acres of adjacent land for future expansion. Eve & Co has commenced construction of an additional 780,000 sq. ft. proposed expansion, bringing Eve & Cos total anticipated greenhouse capacity to 1,000,000 sq. ft.

The Companys website can be visited at www.evecannabis.ca .

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding the terms of the credit facility, bought deal financing (including the expected use of proceeds thereof) and the Companys related expansion and construction plans, opportunities for growth, future, strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words believe, expect, aim, intend, plan, continue, will, may, would, anticipate, estimate, forecast, predict, project, seek, should or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Companys expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, including those described in the Companys managements discussion and analysis for the two and fourteen months ended December 31, 2018 which is available on the Companys SEDAR profile. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information or forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities law.

For further information, please contact:
Jeremy Hare, speaking on www.equities.com about the staffing industry. Read more

Jeremy Hare, the banned Philadelphia stockbroker who reinvented himself as the president of a staffing company, was sentenced Tuesday by a federal judge in New Jersey to three years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $411,838 to a California lender.

Hare, 48, who faced a 20-year maximum sentence, is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons. U.S. District Judge Renee Marie Bumb included three years of supervised release.

Hare pleaded guilty last September to one count of wire fraud for submitting bogus invoices through his staffing company, Apollo Search Partners LLC, with offices in Philadelphia and Cherry Hill, to the California lender.

Hares lawyer, Ronald L. Greenblatt, said Tuesday that Hare got behind on his child support and fell into a lifestyle that he could not support and then he committed this crime. He feels terrible and thats why he pleaded guilty.

By the time regulators banned him as a stockbroker in 2013, Hare had left behind a trail of upset investors who said Hare had churned their accounts to gain the trading fees.

The largest investor dispute was settled for $1.1 million.

A Florida lawyer who specializes in investment-adviser disputes nationwide looked at Hares record at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority  19 complaints over about a decade  and called him a rogue broker. The lawyer, Jeff Erez, added that Hare was off the rails.

Blocked from a stock-trading career because of repeated investor complaints, the telegenic Hare  who had appeared as an expert on the stock market on the Fox Business cable channel  reinvented himself as a high-end recruiter of financial executives and accountants through Apollo Search in September 2015.

Flexible Funding Ltd., which funds payrolls for the temporary staffing industry, has claimed breach of contract and fraud against Apollo and Hare in a separate lawsuit in the San Francisco federal court.

Between June 20 and Aug. 15, 2017, Flexible Funding wired money to Apollo for staffing employees at the Results Cos., Harbor Linens, and Boyds LP, according to the suit. The money was not paid back.

On Aug. 24, 2017, John Villanueva, Flexible Fundings director of account services, told his colleagues by email that it appears that Jeremy Hare is  providing us with bogus invoices.
Will has been leaving voice messages all over town. Read more

For a guy who has at least six phone numbers, Will is a surprisingly difficult man to reach.

For months, Will has been badgering Philadelphians with prerecorded messages, offering to buy properties in the city and New Jersey. He asks homeowners to call back if theyre interested in selling, promising an offer in just seven minutes over the phone. Hes super casual about it, acknowledging how random his dropping them a line might seem.

Will calls me three times a day, said Terry Gibbs, a South Philly resident.

Its constant, said Ellen Liebman, who lives in West Philly. And its ridiculous. I know that my apartment is sought after. I get that, but come on, you really think Im just gonna sell my apartment over the phone?

Not unlike the We Buy Houses signs that litter neighborhoods seeking cheap property in hot neighborhoods, the robocalls are more than annoying. They prey on vulnerable homeowners, who are sometimes tricked into selling their properties far below market value, consumer advocates say

Not to mention that theyre illegal under federal laws. And the calls seem to have ramped up in the last few months.

So we decided to ask Will whats up, ignoring experts advice that you shouldnt speak to robocallers, many of whom are fraudsters.

We dialed the callback numbers he left in voice mails, spoke to evasive investors who gave inconsistent answers, and unearthed a larger robocall operation that touched major cities across the nation.

Our quest was a case study in how difficult it is to track down robocallers, who can cheaply and anonymously place calls using new technology. Americans received a record 5.2 billion robocalls in March, up from 3.2 billion the year before, according to estimates from YouMail, a robocall blocking software company. There were 88 million in Philadelphia last month.

Heres the thing about robocalls: Its incredibly inexpensive and [there are] no barriers to entry, said Ian Barlow, who coordinates the Federal Trade Commissions Do Not Call program. For a few thousand dollars they can call everyone in Philadelphia.

Homes are just one of the many (and larger) products telemarketers are targeting. Almost any kind of product or good or service, people have tried to sell with robocalls, Barlow said. From carpet cleaning to solar panels to student loan debt modification, to Medicare bracelets. Here there are offers to purchase your home.

Were all Pat

Will is so busy leaving messages all over town that he never answers the phone when you call him back.

His messages in Philadelphia have come from at least seven numbers, according to YouMail and complaints filed with the FTC. All of them were out of service when dialed this week and were likely phony, as callers can spoof their caller IDs to hide their identity. Consumers said messages sometimes went straight to their voice mailboxes without ringing the phone.

But Will consistently left the same callback number: 267-831-1593. We called the number more than 20 times and never got Will. But, we did speak with Cory, Logan, Steven, Sandra, John, two Justins, and countless Pats.

They claimed to be investors from the Home Buyers Network" who quickly buy properties in cash. Several said they were based in Tampa. Aside from that, they didnt agree on much else.

For example, Cory Gallagher insisted the group had a website even as he refused to provide it. Just Google it, he said. Call back if you cant find it.

Later, a man who went by John Chris said: We dont have a website because were a small-time investment company.

The next day, Sandra Diaz said they did, in fact, have a website called homebuyersnetwork.com. Except that website address is currently up for sale. We were in the transition of changing our company name, she explained.

Sometimes, calls were forwarded to a host of people who went by Pat. They said they worked for PATLive, an answering service firm that takes calls for businesses when theyre busy or closed. Pats were taking messages for Stevens Office in Alexandria, Va.

Asked why there were several Pats, a Pat said: Were all Pat.

We all go by Pat to keep it easy, said Pat. But we do have some Pats in the office.

Wheres Will?

We arent the only ones trying to find Will. The Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office is looking for him, too.

We are receiving complaints, and our Bureau of Consumer Protection is working to identify the caller, said spokesman Joe Grace.

Although the office hasnt heard of any instances of people selling their homes over the phone and getting scammed, theres always the risk, hence the call for complaints, Grace said.

Michael Froehlich, a Community Legal Services lawyer, bandit sign vigilante, and robocall receiver himself, said once a month a person comes seeking legal help after underselling a home to someone who came knocking, or calling.

We regularly see people who have been tricked or coerced into thinking that their house is not worth as much as it actually is, Froehlich said. A lot of our low-income clients are living in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods and they may not actually understand and have access to the information which will show their houses have greatly appreciated in value.

Once the sale of a house goes to closing, the legal work of undoing a sale is extremely difficult, Froehlich said.

Will is somehow ubiquitous yet never present. Although he never answers the phone, Will has left similar voice messages in Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Tampa, and Washington  all with callback numbers that have an area code specific to that city, according to YouMail.

We listened to more than a dozen Will, messages and its not always the same voice leaving them. Will in Spokane has a deeper voice than Will in Philly. Washington Wills callback number leads you to a different set of receptionists who belonged to a Home Buyer Network. They didnt have a website, either.

PATLive, the answering service that sometimes picked up calls to 267-831-1593, did not answer emailed questions, including who is using Wills callback number. The carrier for the number, Telnyx, said it could not disclose the identity of the numbers owner.

This real estate scam is all over the country, with the message specifying the area and using a local number, said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici, who estimates that there were 15 million to 20 million such calls in March, up from 10 million to 12 million the month before. There are a bunch of variants, but the most common one seems to reference My name is Will.

Nomorobo, another robocall-fighting firm, has collected voice messages from a Phil, Sam, Nicky, and many others who are all looking to buy your home. The firms founder, Aaron Foss, shared data from a computer program he uses to record robocalls. It picked up 313 messages about buying property between April 1 and April 16, up from 128 in March and 39 in February.

Nomorobos data uncovered three more Wills, bringing our total to five.

How to block Will

The reason for Wills evasion could be that his recorded calls are violating the Federal Trade Commissions laws.

Any telemarketing company that delivers a recorded message is violating FTC recording rules, unless the receiver of the call agreed to be called. Some non-sales robocalls are exempt, including political or charitable calls authorized by some states in certain cases, said Barlow of the FTC.

To safeguard yourself and your sanity, Barlow suggests that people get on the Do Not Call registry. That wont stop telemarketers who skirt the law, but it will cut down on compliant telemarketers who avoid people on the list.

Barlow said you should also hang up as soon as a call comes in, dont give out any personal information, and file a complaint with the FTC, which publishes all of its complaints online. Barlow also recommends call-blocking apps.

Meanwhile, the phone industry is working to implement technology that lets consumers know that incoming calls are actually from the owner of the number listed on a caller ID.

Since about 2004, the FTC has brought 140 cases dealing with robocall violations. Within those, 460 corporations and 377 individuals have been sued. The agency collected $124 million in payments in the last decade.

But its still only a reaction to a fraction of the complaints that come in.

Asked for tips on how we might track down Will, Barlow went into law enforcement mode. Im not going to go into specifics of our methods. Thats just not appropriate for public discussion, he said.

To help our search, we recruited Marina Krikorian, a West Philadelphia resident who has received Wills messages and was willing to provide the mysterious callers her address. In an unusual twist, the Home Buyers Network wasnt interested in her property.

After asking about the condition and recent renovations to the home, Logan turned down Krikorian.

Were cash investors, so we usually buy them before theyre renovated and do the renovating, Logan told her. So I dont think wed be the best fit for you.

He suggested that Krikorian contact a local Realtor, who did not return requests for comment.

Maybe theyll check me off a list, said Krikorian, who receives a couple of calls from Will per week.

After a two-week search, we still hadnt found Will(s) and felt as if the tables had turned. We had gathered and dialed long lists of numbers. We had tried to elicit personal information from uncomfortable strangers. We were the ones hounding the telemarketers.

I think you just called and spoke to my colleague, Logan said after we called twice in a row. Undeterred, he pressed on.

Do you have a property youre interested in selling?
Police broke up a cockfight and arrested 22 people when they were called to a Kensington street over the weekend. Read more

Police said Tuesday they arrested 22 people when they broke up a cockfight at a Kensington home over the weekend.

Authorities earlier reported that they had recovered 83 roosters, some of them injured, in the bust late Friday on the 2100 block of East Ann Street. The animals were turned over to the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, police said.

Officers went to the house after receiving calls reporting a cockfight, as well as a person with a gun and a homicide suspect at the location. No weapons were recovered and no homicide suspect was found, police said.

Those arrested ranged in age from 22 to 63 and included three women. All but one man, who was from Penns Grove, N.J., are Philadelphia residents, police said.

All were charged with criminal conspiracy and cruelty to animals.
TORONTO, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE:GLH) (OTCQB:GLDFF) (Golden Leaf or the Company), a leading cannabis company built around recognized brands for the wellness and recreational markets, today announced financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, and a general business update.



Recent Financial Highlights:

Total revenue of US$16.5 million for FY 2018, a 43% year-over-year increase compared to $11.5 million for FY 2017. Total revenue figures include Royalties and Consulting Revenue.

Record global product sales of US$16.3 million for FY 2018, a 57% increase over FY 2017

Comprehensive loss of US$4.4 million compared with a comprehensive loss of US$55.9 million for FY 2017

The Company attracted net investment proceeds of US$25.0 million

105% increase in cash balance to US$12.3 million at year-end

2018 Milestones:

Garnered several licenses to expand and solidify the Companys strategic position: License to open another Oregon dispensary License to operate an extraction facility in Oregon Cultivation license in Oregon

Opened the Companys seventh dispensary in Oregon

Successfully introduced several new products: Award-winning, high-quality, vegan chews in Oregon and Nevada, including a CBD-only chew Concentrates in Nevada

Garnered first harvest from the Companys Canadian grow facility

New leadership: experienced operator and brand-builder, William Kulczycki, joined the Company as CEO

Subsequent Events:

Added management and oversight talent: Appointed Karyn Barsa as the Companys CFO in February 2019 Larry Martin joined the Companys board of directors in March 2019

Declined to pursue closing of two previously-disclosed transactions: Terra Tech Corporation Tahoe Hydroponics Company LLC

Initiated significant efficiency measures to improve financial performance, including reducing headcount by 19%

Scheduled the Annual General Meeting of shareholders at the offices of Cassels Brock and Blackwell LLP in Toronto, Canada for June 25, 2019

Mr. William Kulczycki, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Leaf Holdings, commented, We closed out 2018 on a strong note with record global product sales of US$16.3 million. Our results reflect the important steps we took to build long-term value in our business and develop a platform to capitalize on the developing legalization of cannabis in Canada. This included expanding our cultivation capabilities and wholesale brands, while also increasing our retail presence with a new store in Oregon.

Looking forward, we remain focused on growing revenue by expanding our retail footprint, product array and cultivation presence throughout the U.S. and Canada. At the same time, we are committed to growing responsibly while improving our margin growth and EBITDA. Towards that end, we have taken several measures this year to increase efficiencies throughout our organization to lower costs, increase cash flow and improve our overall financial performance. With a differentiated brand portfolio and increased scope of operations, we are well positioned to benefit from the rapidly growing North American cannabis market, said Mr. Kulczycki.

Fiscal Year 2018 Financial Results

For the year ended December 31, 2018 (FY 2018), total revenue was US$16.5 million as compared to US$11.5 million for the same twelve-month period in 2017 (FY 2017). The 43% year-over-year increase largely reflects initiation of flower sales from our Canadian operations and the addition of Chalice Farms stores in Oregon.

Gross profit was US$2.2 million or 13.3% of total revenue for FY 2018, compared with US$1.7 million or 15% of total revenue in FY 2017. FY 2018 gross margin decreased partially due to a reduction in the period gain from the fair value of biological assets as the Companys biological assets matured, and due to absorption of additional production overhead as the Company brought new products to market.

Operating expenses were US$23.1 million for FY 2018 compared with US$11.7 million in FY 2017. Cash-based operating expenses of US$21.2 million in 2018 were 128% of total revenue, compared with US$11.1 million in 2017 or 97% of total revenue. The increase in operating expenses was largely due to accounting for share based compensation, increases to sales and marketing expense, and overhead associated with the opening of an additional dispensary.

Adjusted EBITDA loss was US$14.5 million for FY 2018, compared with a loss of US$8.3 million for FY 2017. This non-GAAP measure was predominantly impacted by a negative change of US$27.6 million to the fair value of the Companys debt and equity instruments in 2018, compared with a positive change of US$20.0 million to the fair value of debt and equity instruments in 2017. Adjusted EBITDA is defined by the Company as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash compensation expenses, one-time transaction fees and other non-cash charges that include impairments. The Company considers Adjusted EBITDA an important operational measure for the business. For a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to income (loss) before income taxes, please see the Companys management discussion and analysis for FY 2018 (the MD&A).

Net loss for FY 2018 was US$4.6million or US$0.01 per share, compared with a net loss of US$55.9 million or $0.21 per share for FY 2017. Net income for FY 2018 benefited from favorable changes in the fair value of warrant and debt liabilities.

The Companys annual financial statements for FY 2018 and related MD&A will be filed on SEDAR and available for review later today.

Investor Conference Call

Golden Leaf management, led by Mr. William Kulczycki, Chief Executive Officer, will hold a conference call at 4:30 ET on Wednesday, May 1, 2019, to report its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Dial-in information for the conference call is as follows:

Program Title: Golden Leaf Holdings 2018 Audited Financials Conference Call

Canada & US: 1-877-423-9813

International: 1-201-689-8573

Participants must request the 2018 Audited Financials Call.

A live audio webcast will be available online on the Companys website at www.goldenleafholdings.com where it will be archived for one year.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available through midnight May 15, 2019 by dialing 1-844-512-2921 from the US or Canada, or 1-412-317-6671 from international locations. The conference ID: 13690596.

To be added to the Golden Leaf email distribution list, please email GLH@kcsa.com with GLH in the subject line.

About Golden Leaf Holdings

Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. is a Canadian company with operations in multiple jurisdictions including Oregon, Nevada, and Canada, with cultivation, production and retail operations built around recognized brands. Golden Leaf distributes its products through its branded Chalice Farms retail dispensaries, as well as through third-party dispensaries. Golden Leafs cannabis retail operations and products are designed with the customer in mind, focused on superlative in-store experience and quality products. Visit goldenleafholdings.com to learn more.

Investor Relations:

Steve Hosein

Renmark Financial Communications

416-644-2020

Karyn Barsa

Chief Financial Officer

Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd.

503-201-0659

ir@goldenxtrx.com

Media Relations:

Anne Donohoe / Nick Opich

KCSA Strategic Communications

adonohoe@kcsa.com / nopich@kcsa.com

212-896-1265 / 212-896-1206

Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys future business operations, the opinions or beliefs of management and future business goals. 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. These risks include but are not limited to general business, economic and competitive uncertainties, regulatory risks, market risks, risks inherent in manufacturing and retail operations such as unforeseen costs and production shutdowns, difficulties in maintaining brand loyalty, and other risks of the cannabis 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. Forward-looking information is provided herein for the purpose of presenting information about managements current expectations relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purpose. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration or an exemption from registration.





GOLDEN LEAF HOLDINGS LTD. Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 (Expressed in U.S. dollars) 2018 2017 (Restated, Note 31) Revenues Product sales $ 16,347,558 $ 10,411,232 Royalties - 1,100,066 Consulting revenue 104,769 - Total Revenue $ 16,452,327 $ 11,511,298 Inventory expensed to cost of sales 13,326,640 9,535,602 Production costs 1,008,025 465,658 Gross margin, excluding fair value items 2,117,662 1,510,038 Fair value changes in biological assets included in inventory sold 227,731 - (Gain) Loss on changes in fair value of biological assets (301,335 ) (198,000 ) Gross profit $ 2,191,266 $ 1,708,038 Expenses General and administration 14,430,986 8,610,318 Share based compensation 4,616,448 1,239,670 Professional fees paid with equity instruments - 80,436 Sales and marketing 2,166,200 1,114,628 Depreciation and amortization 1,856,814 572,695 Impairment of long-lived assets - 50,254 Total expenses $ 23,070,448 $ 11,668,001 Loss before items noted below $ (20,879,182 ) $ (9,959,963 ) Interest expense 2,221,914 1,960,120 Transaction costs 1,686,425 8,518,490 Loss on disposal of assets 5,000 470,071 Impairment of financing lease receivable - 432,557 Impairment of purchase option - 5,200,000 Other (income) loss 7,332,223 9,787,413 (Gain) Loss on change in fair value of warrant liabilities (14,993,991 ) 7,714,578 (Gain) Loss on change in fair value of derivative liabilities (61,044 ) (334,834 ) (Gain) Loss on change in fair value of convertible debentures (12,582,178 ) 12,631,094 Loss before income taxes (4,487,531 ) (56,339,452 ) Current income tax expense 82,811 143,230 Net loss $ (4,570,342 ) $ (56,482,682 ) Other comprehensive loss Reversal of unrealized loss on available for sale purchase option, net of tax for impairment $ - $ 530,000 Items that will be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss: Cumulative translation adjustment 135,759 9,828 Comprehensive loss $ (4,434,583 ) $ (55,942,854 ) Basic and diluted loss per share $ (0.01 ) $ (0.21 ) Weighted average number of common shares outstanding 568,877,327 262,011,877





GOLDEN LEAF HOLDINGS LTD. Consolidated Statements of Financial Position As at December 31, 2018 and 2017 (Expressed in U.S. dollars) 2018 2017 (Restated, Note 31) ASSETS CURRENT Cash $ 12,275,372 $ 6,009,447 Accounts receivable 624,453 377,746 Other receivables 297,737 - Income tax recoverable 686,600 432,000 Sales tax recoverable 661,319 442,832 Biological assets 74,148 90,627 Inventory 3,416,906 3,623,255 Prepaid expenses and deposits 1,962,033 348,176 Assets held for sale 35,274 305,274 Total current assets $ 20,033,842 $ 11,629,357 Property, plant and equipment 6,188,835 5,956,910 Intangible assets 21,782,949 26,227,116 Goodwill 25,471,399 31,236,425 Total assets $ 73,477,025 $ 75,049,808 LIABILITIES CURRENT Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 2,624,967 $ 2,867,735 Interest payable 92,554 48,524 Income taxes payable 106,808 - Sales tax payable 231,675 - Current portion of long-term debt 25,492 131,610 Current portion of convertible debentures carried at fair value 8,888,946 271,245 Warrant liability 369,343 - Derivative liability - 61,044 Total current liabilities $ 12,339,785 $ 3,380,158 Long term debt 46,229 80,381 Note payable 312,118 389,916 Convertible debentures carried at fair value 4,996,811 30,360,225 Consideration payable 8,956,809 9,202,717 Warrant liability 236,138 14,300,616 Total liabilities $ 26,887,890 $ 57,714,013 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Share capital $ 138,511,038 $ 108,552,681 Warrant reserve 4,052,164 5,083,561 Share option reserve 4,777,929 1,087,640 Contributed surplus 59,940 59,940 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (125,930 ) 9,828 Deficit (100,686,006 ) (97,457,855 ) Total shareholders' equity 46,589,135 17,335,795 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 73,477,025 $ 75,049,808

Adjusted EBITDA For the year ended December 31, 2018 2017

Restated Income (loss) before income taxes (4,487,531 ) (56,339,452 ) Adjustments: Net impact, fair value of biological assets (73,604 ) (198,000 ) Depreciation and amortization 1,856,814 572,695 Fair value changes on debt and equity instruments (27,637,213 ) 20,010,838 Share based compensation 4,616,448 1,239,670 Interest expense, net 2,221,914 1,960,120 Transaction costs 1,686,425 8,518,490 Impairments and other 7,332,223 15,419,970 Loss on disposal 5,000 470,071 Adjusted EBITDA $ (14,479,524 ) $ (8,345,598 )

Adjusted EBITDA Disclaimer: Adjusted EBITDA is defined by the Company as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, noncash compensation expenses, one-time transaction costs and other non-cash charges that include impairments. Adjusted EBITDA is a nonGAAP financial measure which does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. The Company considers this Adjusted EBITDA an important figure to show the true day to day operational picture of the business. It should not be considered in isolation as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with the IFRS.


As tributes poured in for the late John Singleton, it's appropriate  poetic justice?  that they included acknowledgments from fellow directors Ava DuVernay and Jordan Peele, whose own paths to commercial and artistic success were cleared by his pioneering work.

Singleton, who died yesterday at age 51, was the first black director to be nominated for an Academy Award for best director for his 1991 movie Boyz N The Hood, drawn loosely from his own experiences growing up in South Central Los Angeles (and expanded from the thesis film hed made at USC film school).

Peele, Oscar winner for best original screenplay for Get Out, praised Singleton as a brave artist and a true inspiration. His vision changed everything.

Duvernay said He was a giant among us. Kind. Committed. And immensely talented. His films broke ground. His films mattered.

Singleton himself was one of the first behind-the-camera African American talents to get a shot after Spike Lee, on the success of 1989s Do The Right Thing, called attention to Hollywoods exclusionary hiring practices. Lee and Singleton bonded over it, and remained lifelong friends.

From day one, we have remained close over the decades, cheering each other on in this industry that is not set up for us to win, Lee posted yesterday.

Ryan Coogler  who directed Creed and Black Panther  has consistently cited Boyz N The Hood as a major inspiration, saying last year: I was just inconsolable when Ricky died [Morris Chestnut] died. It wasnt a movie to me, I was seeing black folks on a hundred foot screen. I was just devastated after Boyz.

Singletons influence is clearly scene in Cooglers breakthrough Fruitvale Station, a tragic true story taken from Cooglers native Oakland.

 Read More: Fruitvale Station takes the measure of a tragic shooting

Singleton pushed boundaries in other important ways. After making a series of personal films  Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, Baby Boy  he also turned toward commercial work, and his success in that arena (Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Four Brothers), working with big budgets and big casts, had its own pioneering effect  along with the work of F. Gary Gray and Antoine Fuqua  on the reach of directors of color.

Singleton has said that commercial success gives directors more artistic options, and his own helped create space and provide confidence for successors like Coogler, who could more easily see themselves taking up the Rocky franchise, or entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Singleton, who grew up watching drive-in movies in South Central by peeking over the fence, which meant watching without sound, was steeped in the language of film before he entered USC. He liked the idea of using the common language of classic or commercial film to speak to a broad audience.

I spoke to him about the influences for his underrated Rosewood, starring Jon Voight and Ving Rhames, a tough-minded account of a deadly racial battle in Rosewood, Florida in 1923. He talked about using classic Western morality tale The Ox Bow Incident as a model. He knew it was a tough subject, and he wanted to invite audiences into the story by using the common cinematic language of a familiar, accessible genre.

Singleton made fewer films in the most recent decade, but became more attracted to the opportunities to do high quality work on television. He lobbied hard to direct an episode of the FX series The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, and did, earning an Emmy nomination and Directors Guild Nomination.

He also grew into the role of producer, helping create the TV series Snowfall and Rebel.

Singleton is survived by five children.
When Patti Smith performed at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden in 2016 where Bob Dylan was presented the award in absentia, she was so nervous that she flubbed the lyrics to A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall, an experience she called humiliating when she wrote about it in The New Yorker.

So on Monday night at The Met Philadelphia, where Smith and her band performed a hometown show in the city where she attended first through third grades and I learned all my moves, she took no chances.

When Smith stepped up to the mic to begin the encore that would bring her electric 1 hour 45 minute show to a close, the 72-year-old rock poet came prepared with reading glasses and lyrics, which she pages through as she sang the verses solo and then brought the audience in on the stately, apocalyptic folk songss chorus.

 READ MORE: Patti Smith remembers growing up in Germantown and S. Jersey before two hometown shows

Hard Rain was but one highlight in a thrilling evening in which Smith called the 110-year-old opera house awesome, cracked jokes about Luciano Pavarotti and Maria Callas, declared that the night night belongs to Philadelphia in Because the Night, was joined by her daughter Jesse Paris Smith on piano and son Jackson Smith on guitar, and mocked a fan complaining about not being allowed to dance by security guards by comparing their plight to impoverished Mexican families being denied admission to the U.S.

She covered Midnight Oils Beds are Burning and Jim Hendrixs Are You Experienced?, ceded the stage to her band members Lenny Kaye and Tony Shanahan for covers of The Avengers American in Me, Rolling Stones Im Free and Lou Reeds Walk on the Wild Side and expansively talked about her love for Philadelphia and all of its stuff, from its cobblestone streets to the old Airport Drive-In movie theater to Independence Hall. About her childhood, she said, I remember every wildflower and every firefly and every Philadelphia sky.

Watch a clip from Hard Rain below. Smith returns to town on May 30 for a sold-out performance at the Philadelphia Museum of Art thats part of the Whitman at 200 celebration.
A sign warning patients and visitors of a measles outbreak at The Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Wash. Read more

At a time when measles cases have hit their highest U.S. level in 25 years, and outbreaks are reported in countries around the globe, a proposed bill in the Pennsylvania legislature is winning support among anti-immunization activists who believe vaccines are a threat to health.

A news conference is planned Tuesday in Harrisburg to call attention to the bill, introduced in January by Rep. Daryl D. Metcalfe (R., Butler), that would bar doctors from denying care to children whose parents have chosen to not have them vaccinated.

The bill  House Bill 286, also known as the Informed Consent Protection Act  says a health provider could not harass, coerce, scold or threaten a patient or parent for refusing immunization. It would also forbid health insurers from penalizing doctors for low immunization rates. Doctors in turn could not accept bonuses or other incentives from insurance or drug companies for vaccinating patients.

Metcalfe and anti-vaccination experts scheduled to speak at the Tuesday event either did not respond to or declined The Inquirers requests to be interviewed.

Nationally, the U.S. measles outbreak has hit 704 cases, and incidences of the highly contagious and potentially fatal disease are expected to keep climbing. Mumps outbreaks have also been reported around the country, including a recent one at Temple University that has sickened at least 140 people. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine protects against both diseases. It is recommended for all children starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Pennsylvania, parents can refuse to have their children vaccinated for religious or personal reasons.

Most members of the medical and scientific communities national and globally view vaccination as a crucial way to prevent disease and save lives for millions of people.

However, immunization opponents say vaccines pose health threats, including increased cases of autism, diabetes, cancer, infertility, and other conditions  contentions most health experts say are not backed by scientific studies or data. The anti-vaccine activists also allege parents and others are not adequately being informed about potential problems caused by vaccines.

The atmosphere for those who do not vaccinate their children has been hostile at times, so they keep their heads down and do not speak out against vaccines publicly.  That is why I am doing everything I can to educate others about the dangers of vaccines, said Lynn Landes, a Philadelphia anti-vaccine activist and cofounder of HealthAlertPhilly.org.

But most health experts hold different views.

This month, UNICEF launched a #VaccinesWork campaign to spread support for immunization which it says saves up to three million lives a year. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $1 for every like or share on social media using the hashtag #VaccinesWork in the month of April.

Caryl Stern, president of UNICEF USA, said one in five of the worlds most vulnerable children still dont have access to vaccines.

Science has disproved many of the theories about what vaccinations might do and has proven what they can do.  I find it hard to grasp those who are choosing not to take advantage of what is readily available to them, Stern said.

Gary Emmett, a professor of pediatrics with Thomas Jefferson University, predicted that doctors would not comply with the bill if passed.

If your child isnt getting immunized, its not just a danger for your child. Its a danger for every child in the office, Emmett said.

Additionally, pregnant women could be at heightened risk of infection, even if they have been vaccinated, he said.

State law does not specifically address doctors who refuse to treat unvaccinated patients, said Wanda Murren, a State Department spokesperson. However, state regulations say doctors should not discharge patients in their care without adequate warning.

Independence Blue Cross, the regions largest health insurer, defended its practice of offering financial incentives to doctors who provide preventive services, including screenings and vaccinations.

These programs include pediatric immunizations, and we are supportive of efforts that ensure children have access to these vaccines, said Donna Crilley-Farrell, IBC spokesperson.

>> READ MORE: Blue Cross study finds childhood vaccination rates up in Philly

State Rep. Kathy L. Rapp (R., Warren), chairwoman of the Health Committee in the House of Representatives, said many parents have voiced concern about vaccines. She said one mother came all the way from Pittsburgh to her office to express support for the bill.

I take it that people are extremely concerned when theyre willing to drive three hours, said Rapp.

Rapp said she was leaning toward putting the bill to a committee vote. If approved, it could go on to a full House vote.
Luis Berrios, who wrote a letter of forgiveness to the men who shot him, passes out the letter on Kerbaugh Street and around his Hunting Park neighborhood in hopes of identifying his still-at-large shooters. Read more

Luis Berrios leans into his cane with one hand and grips a stack of papers in his other while slowly walking down the street.

This outing has been nearly five months in the making, since the fateful November night in 2018 when two men came up from behind Berrios outside his home, and one shot him in the back. It was a botched robbery  his assailants ran off with nothing, leaving Berrios on the street to die.

Even as he lay in a Temple University Hospital bed, hooked up to multiple machines that served as his scrambled insides, Berrios penned a letter of forgiveness to his shooters. I shared it in an earlier column.

With so much time to think, he drafted and redrafted the letter and thought mostly of the day he could walk his Hunting Park neighborhood, not far from where he thinks the man who shot him lives, to put it into the hands of people he hoped would appreciate its message.

Monday was that day. He and a handful of friends  some who conceded they didnt know if they could be so quick to forgive  walked block after city block. They slid the letters through front doors, under windshields, and into the mailboxes and hands of people who seemed equal parts impressed and bewildered.

Im grateful that youve forgiven them, an elderly woman who sat on her front porch on Colwyn Street told Berrios.

Ms. B, as the 78-year-old said shes known around the neighborhood, studied Berrios from her perch as they spoke. Its lifted a burden off of you, she concluded.

Berrios, 35, nodded. Its a step; its a step toward change, he told her.

What Berrios, who empathizes with young men whove lost their way, hopes is that even if neither man answers for his actions, the letter might find its way to them or others going down the same path and cause a change of heart. A reason to put down their guns. An understanding that even if gun violence doesnt kill someone, it forever changes lives: Berrios had a good job with a technical training school before he got shot. Works been supportive, but right now hes relying on donations and food stamps while he awaits financial support from the states Victim Compensation Assistance Program, which receives 8,600 claims a year and pays out about $13 million  an average of $1,511.

And theres the other reason why instead of sitting in his home, just two weeks from a seven-hour surgery to put his insides back together, leaving him with 25 stitches down his torso, hes hobbling over uneven streets, up and down cracked steps to talk to people who werent always sure what to make of him.

It doesnt have to be hate always, he said, as we watched one letter fixed to a screen door flap in the wind. I think the process of forgiveness is healing.

On North Broad Street, two women who had just left Bible study stopped to take a letter. Theyd put him on their prayer list, they said. A neighborhood pastor shook his hand, saying, God bless you.

Others looked away or grabbed the letter and scurried off, into homes with cameras affixed to their front doors. One man yelled for the group to move along. They didnt want to get involved.

Thats part of the problem, his friends said as they continued on, undeterred. Its easy to look away until you cant anymore.

A young man on Jerome Street complimented Berrios on his capacity to do something that many couldnt. I dont know if Id do the same, said the man, whose brother was shot and killed a few years ago.

On Colwyn Street, Asha Holland stopped her car to grab a letter. Tucked into her dashboard was a funeral announcement for her 22-year-old brother, Siefuddiyn Tymir Holland, gunned down inside a West Philadelphia home in 2018; his killer has not been caught.

Holland sat in her car and read the letter.

Despite everything, I dont hate you, read one of the lines.

Inspiring words, but even the thought of forgiving her brothers killer brought her to tears.
The Philadelphia District Attorneys Office on Tuesday announced that a former Orphans Court guardian had been arrested and charged with stealing money, family heirlooms, gold coins, and other valuables from three estates in her capacity as a court-appointed guardian for the elderly.

Gloria Frances Byars, 58, of Aldan, Delaware County, was charged with multiple felony counts of theft, including for allegedly stealing from a Fox Chase couple, Edmund and Margareta Berg, for whom Byars had been appointed guardian in December 2016.

The Bergs experience with Byars was the focus of a March 2018 Inquirer article that highlighted a lack of state requirements, including criminal background checks, for guardians who manage the affairs of people deemed incapacitated.

Byars, whose former Global Guardian Services was located in Lansdowne, is also charged over her handling of two other estates.

Gloria Frances Byars actions are despicable, and what she did to these three elderly families as their court-appointed guardian is deplorable, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement Tuesday. I would like to thank the good work of my offices Economic Crimes Unit, the county detectives supporting them, and want to make it clear to everyone that their investigation into this defendant is far from over.

Byars was arrested at her home Thursday and released on her own recognizance the next morning. No attorney was listed for her on her court dockets; she has a hearing in the Stout Center for Criminal Justice on Friday.

Byars could not be reached. A woman who answered the cellphone number she used last year hung up Tuesday when called by The Inquirer.

Guardians are appointed by judges to help arrange care for people who are deemed incapable of taking care of themselves or their finances. As a fiduciary, Byars was supposed to act in her clients best interests.

But questions about her financial management led judges in Philadelphia and Montgomery and Delaware Counties to remove her as guardian from about 100 cases since 2017.

In Philadelphia, the Bergs niece, Heidi Austin, and her father, Josef Wituschek, who is Margareta Bergs brother, grew suspicious of Byars and hired attorney Daniel McElhatton after Byars moved the Bergs from their Fox Chase home, then sought court approval to sell the house.

McElhatton brought Byars past convictions on fraud, bad checks, and forgery to Orphans Court Judge John Herrons attention. He asked the judge to remove Byars as the Bergs guardian and to deny her request to sell the Bergs house. The judge granted both requests.

On Tuesday, McElhatton said of Byars arrest: I am gratified that the criminal-justice system has caught up with her, and that she is going to be held to account as she should.

Herron last year referred the Bergs case and that of the estate of Estelle Segal to the District Attorneys Offices in Philadelphia and Delaware County for review. The Montgomery County office is also investigating Byars.

In the city, the Philadelphia Corp. for Aging had recommended Byars for many of her guardianships.

Philadelphia prosecutors did not specifically identify Byars alleged victims, but The Inquirer had previously spoken to family members in each case.

In the Bergs case, the District Attorneys Office found that items in their Fox Chase home disappeared after Byars moved the couple to a nursing home. Those items included a grandfather clock, a large collection of German steins, expensive jewelry, and heirlooms. Austin had previously told The Inquirer that the items were missing after Byars used her husbands clean-out business to empty the Bergs house.

The District Attorneys Office said its investigation also found multiple instances of Byars routing funds from the couples estate into accounts linked to Byars. This included $10,250 in checks, endorsed by Byars and made out to a woman named Asia Jones, who was supposedly a home-health-care worker. After being contacted, the District Attorneys Office said, Jones said she was not employed as a home-health-care worker and did not sign the checks.

The alleged misspending also included $4,600 for a roof repair that was not needed or made and $11,000 that Byars paid to her husbands business, DEPCO LLC, for cleaning out the Bergs home. (Byars has since reimbursed the Bergs the $11,000.)

With regard to Segals estate, the District Attorneys Office said an investigation found that Byars failed to account for more than $104,000 in missing funds and losses to her estate. Segal, who lived in Northeast Philadelphia, died in February 2018 in a Bucks County nursing home.

Herron, in a September decree, had ordered Byars to reimburse Segals estate $52,161, including $35,405 in unaccounted-for expenditures. Last May, he had ordered Byars to pay $63,079 to the Bergs, including about $34,000 for improper expenditures. She has not paid those amounts to either of the estates.

Last summer, Byars and her husband, Leon DeShields, renewed their vows at a "fantasy wedding that cost $39,000, the District Attorneys Office said.

The Inquirer last August reported that she had the wedding reception at the Manor House at Prophecy Creek Park in Ambler.

In the third case, the District Attorneys Office said Byars billed the estate of a woman more than $30,000 payable to a company that doesnt appear to exist. And the investigation found that 26 gold Krugerrand coins, valued at about $32,000, were missing from the womans safe deposit box and that Byars was the only one with access to the coins, the office said.

The womans niece, Lillian Viglianese, previously spoke to The Inquirer about the alleged thefts from her aunt Theresa Rzemieniewski. Her aunt, who lived in Port Richmond, died at a Philadelphia nursing home in January 2017 at age 79, the niece said.

After Byars past criminal convictions were brought to Orphans Courts attention in 2017, guardians in Philadelphia were required to affirm that they were not convicted of any crime involving fraud, deceit, or financial misconduct. Also, state criminal history reports were required.

The requirements mirrored recommendations proposed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts Orphans Court Procedural Rules Committee. Last year, the justices approved new statewide rules requiring criminal background checks, which take effect this June.
There were miracles, there were heartaches, said Sister Mary Scullion, executive director of Project HOME. Read more

The Center City District has begun its second year of reaching out to people who are homeless on the sidewalks of central Philadelphia, with twice the number of outreach workers.

Last year, the nonprofit worked in conjunction with Project HOME, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Department of Behavioral Health to organize an effort to engage with homeless people in Center City.

There were miracles, there were heartaches, said Sister Mary Scullion, executive director of Project HOME. Overall, this was a good program.

The Center City District funded and launched the outreach program. During a 2018 pilot effort that ran from April 23 through Nov. 16, outreach workers encouraged 134 people to come off the street and enter social service, mental health, and housing programs.

The district also provided transportation to connect people to services.

Making a difference

The work made a difference, said Scullion, the citys leading voice on the homeless.

Of the 134, most are not on the street today, she said. Some still are, some went into treatment, or got medical care or social services. Many even got housing, and two passed away.

Liz Hersh, director of the citys Office of Homeless Services, praised the 2018 pilot. We really welcomed it because it provided more boots on the ground.

She hastened to add, however, that the city continues to face the same challenges around street homelessness: We dont have enough places to live that they can afford. Outreach is only as good as the ability to house people.

Hersh said there are about 970 people living homeless on city streets. Almost 440 of them are in Center City, city statistics show.

She praised Paul Levy, the districts president and CEO, for funding the program, and for re-instituting it this year with two teams, consisting of two Project HOME workers, a police officer, and two so-called Center City service representatives.

This years program, which began April 22, will extend into December.

Humane and effective

We have been looking for a humane and effective way to combine Project HOME outreach workers and police to form a partnership to help get people off the street and connected to services, Levy said.

The district is reimbursing the city around $170,000 for the police officers. An additional $130,000 goes to Project HOME.

The challenge of homeless people and panhandlers on Center City streets has gotten so large, the business community had to kick in, Levy added.

Often, a team will encounter a person living on the street seven times before persuading that person to connect to services, Levy said, adding, Its very much about relationship-building and consistency.

In one case last year, Scullion said, the team came upon a woman in her 70s whod been living at Sixth and Walnut Streets in her wheelchair. She often declined help.

But after the team persisted, the woman relented and, with the help of services, eventually got her own apartment, along with the health care she needed, Scullion said.

There have been amazing stories, she added. A lot of good stuff like that.
The Philadelphia judge who approved a plea deal for a man who shot a West Philadelphia beer deli owner with an AK-47 rifle, nearly killing him, denied a defense request Monday to vacate the plea deal and sentence, but raised concerns about double jeopardy, given that federal prosecutors charged the gunman on the same offense two months ago.

You got double jeopardy, Common Pleas Court Judge Rayford Means said in court. He wondered how the federal government could charge the defendant in the same incident he was already sentenced for in the state court system.

But Means did not grant a request by defense attorney S. Philip Steinberg to vacate Jovaun Pattersons sentence of 3 to 10 years in state prison. He told Steinberg that he could appeal to Superior Court.

Pattersons case prompted criticism after The Inquirer reported last Nov. 15 that the District Attorneys Office had offered Patterson that sentence under a plea deal  considered lenient by many in the law enforcement community  and had not notified victim Mike Poeng of the deal or hearing, in violation of the state Crime Victims Act.

Citing concern for the publics safety, U.S. Attorney William McSwain on Feb. 28 announced that federal prosecutors were charging Patterson with attempted robbery under the Hobbs Act and with using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence for the same incident.

Federal prosecutors were able to charge Patterson for the same crime under the dual-sovereignty doctrine, which deems the federal and state governments as separate sovereigns. Under the doctrine, each government may prosecute a person for the same act without violating the Constitutions protection against double jeopardy if the persons conduct violated both jurisdictions laws.

Means, however, thought otherwise.

He also warned of a slippery slope, saying defendants who come into his courtroom, plead guilty, and are sentenced should be able to have closure and rely on a sentence being final.

McSwain, in a statement after Mondays hearing, said, Under current law, there are no double jeopardy concerns. More fundamentally, however, if the district attorney and his office had done their job in the first place, we would not have had to step in and clean up their mess.

Means had initially scheduled Mondays hearing for the victim to give an impact statement, since he wasnt afforded the opportunity to do so Nov. 15. But he canceled the hearing after learning that federal prosecutors had indicted Patterson.

Assistant District Attorney Lori Edelman Orem was in court Monday to try to read an impact statement by Poeng, who was shot and critically wounded by Patterson during an attempted robbery last May.

But Means told Orem, I have no more jurisdiction of this case anymore."

Means also contended that if the victim gave a statement, it could open him up to being questioned by the defense attorney on any inconsistencies if he testified differently when the case goes to trial in federal court.

After first offering Patterson the plea deal to charges of aggravated assault, robbery, and possession of an instrument of crime, District Attorney Larry Krasners office on Dec. 7 filed a motion asking Means to vacate the deal after criticism emerged.

Steinberg, who initially opposed the motion to vacate the deal, changed course in February when he learned that the federal government was to indict Patterson and filed a Feb. 26 request asking Means to vacate the state sentence. If convicted under the federal firearm statute, Patterson would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years consecutive to any other sentence he is to serve.

Steinberg told Means on Monday that there is a similar case on appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court. In that case, an Alabama man, Terance Gamble, who had pleaded guilty in state and federal court in a gun case, is asking the high court to overrule the separate sovereigns exception. The high court heard arguments in December.
Representatives from at least seven groups -- including One Pennsylvania, UNITE HERE, Restaurant Opportunities Center, and Make the Road -- lobbied City Council for more money for the labor enforcement office on Tuesday morning. Read more

>> UPDATE: Low-wage workers score win with bump in funding to enforce labor laws

The advocates were explaining the anti-wage-theft law to Venise Whitaker, City Council President Darrell L. Clarkes constituent services staffer, when they got the word.

Squillas out there.

Lets go. Now!

The group of nine workers and organizers quickly shuffled out of Clarkes office as Devan Spear, executive director of the labor group Philadelphia Jobs With Justice, bounded down the third floor of City Hall to get Councilman Mark Squillas attention.

Squilla, clutching a Dunkin iced coffee and an open, empty cardboard box, was on the phone and late for a meeting, but, he said, he had a moment to hear them out about the citys labor enforcement office. The office has gained increasing importance as the city has passed more worker-protection laws in the last several years.

We want to talk to you about getting more money for the office in this upcoming budget, they said: $100,000.

Thats it?

Well be back for more next year, they assured him.

Squilla, who introduced a mayoral bill last fall to raise the minimum wage for city workers, contractors, and subcontractors to $15 an hour, was on board. Now the advocates just had to get all the other Council members, too.

On Tuesday morning, representatives from at least seven advocacy groups came together to lobby City Council for more money for enforcement of the citys worker protection laws, such as:

The recently passed Fair Workweek scheduling law for food service, retail, and hotel workers.

Paid sick leave.

Ban the Box," which makes it illegal for employers to ask about criminal records during a job interview.

Philadelphia, following a national trend of using worker-protection laws to fight poverty, has passed these measures, but most workers dont know about their rights or where to go if those rights have been violated. The city has a three-person labor enforcement office housed in the Mayors Office that is only starting to make headway  and thats where the advocates have set their sights, leading to such unlikely chants as: What do we want? Enforcement! And when do we want it? Now!

In three years, from 2016 to 2018, the city received 24 complaints about employers stealing wages from their workers and 43 complaints about employers not giving their workers mandated paid sick leave. (By comparison, Seattles Office of Labor Standards, considered one of the national leaders in this sort of enforcement, resolved 76 paid sick leave investigations and 62 wage-theft investigations in 2018 alone. That year, its office employed 23 people.)

Its time for the city to put their money where their mouth is," said Calvin Okunoye, a former chef who works as a coordinator for the worker-focused Restaurant Opportunities Center of Philadelphia.

For many of those at the event Tuesday morning, this campaign is high-stakes: Theyre advocating for the enforcement of laws they fought to get passed or hope to get passed, as is the case with the Pennsylvania Domestic Workers Alliance, which is working with Council on a bill of rights to win protections for domestic workers such as house cleaners and nannies. The Fair Workweek law will go into effect in 2020, and without adequate resources for enforcement, organizers worry the law wont serve workers in the way in which it was designed.

Its also a sign of the times in worker organizing. In the past, advocates might have trusted the city to enforce these laws on its own, but now theyre making it a priority to pressure the city to do so, and as a collective, instead of working separately.

While the advocacy groups were angling for a modest budget increase this time around, they have a broader vision for the future of the office: a worker advisory board, grants to community organizations that are already doing worker outreach, and potentially making the enforcement office independent of the Mayors Office in order to ensure the enforcement work is prioritized even if a future mayor doesnt support it.

Mayor Jim Kenney has proposed a more than $250,000 increase in the enforcement offices budget for 2020 to cover the cost of Fair Workweek implementation. The proposed budget  nearly $996,000  would allow for the hiring of two more staffers, including one specifically focused on education and outreach. But theres no budget line for materials to do that outreach, such as ads or mailers, which is why the advocates were pressing Council to increase the proposed budget by $100,000.

The response from the Council members the group approached was much like Squillas: Its not a big ask.

I dont see why not, said Councilman David Oh, who said hed vote to approve the increase.

Andre del Valle, legislative assistant to Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, said that it was a drop in the bucket" and that Quinones-Sanchezs office would commit to finding a way to make the numbers work.

Council is slated to vote on the mayors budget in June but can recommend changes to the mayor before the vote.

Philadelphia Media Network is one of 21 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.
Police are investigating after three students at a West Philadelphia elementary school were rushed to a hospital Monday after consuming baked goods that may have been laced with marijuana, a School District spokesperson said.

The incident occurred at Martha Washington Academic Plus School, 766 N. 44th St., around 11 a.m. after a seventh grader shared Rice Krispies treats she brought from home with two classmates, said School District spokesperson Lee Whack.

The girls, two 13-year-olds and a 12-year-old, were treated at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia after their teacher noticed that they were lethargic, Whack said.

Whack said he couldnt say whether the students at the K-8 school knew the food might have been laced when they ingested it. The investigation is ongoing.

The safety of our students is our highest priority," Whack said. We are cooperating fully with the Philadelphia Police Department on this matter and notifying all school families of what took place.
Sri Lankans light candles and pray outside St. Anthony's Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Sri Lanka is limping back to normalcy after the devastating bomb attacks on Easter Sunday that killed more than 250 people, meanwhile the archbishop said that the government's security operations to apprehend Islamic extremists who may be at large is unsatisfactory despite assurances from leaders. Read more

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lanka on Tuesday lifted a social media ban that was imposed after the Islamic State-claimed Easter bombings, a sign of security easing even as a Cabinet minister said he and others had received intelligence that they could be targeted by the same group in possible new attacks.

President Maithripala Sirisena ended the blocking of Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and other popular sites, but asked the public to "act in a responsible manner" on social media, according to a government statement.

The government had said it was seeking to curb the spread of misinformation when it blocked social media in the wake of the April 21 bombings at churches and luxury hotels that killed 253 people.

Sri Lankan officials have warned that suspects linked to the bombings are still at large, and on Tuesday, Sri Lanka's health minister, Rajitha Senarathna, said he and seven other government ministers had been identified by intelligence officials as targets of possible additional suicide attacks this week, by the same Islamic State-linked group of Sri Lankan militants.

Senarathna said he stayed at home Sunday and Monday upon the officials' request. He declined to provide additional information about the source or type of intelligence.

At the same time, some of Sri Lanka's South Asian neighbors investigated possible activities in their countries inspired by the Easter attack.

In India, the country's National Investigative Agency said it had arrested a 29-year-old Indian man who identified himself as a follower of Mohammed Zahran, the Sri Lankan militant who officials say led the Easter attacks.

Investigators said in a statement late Monday that Riyas A., also known as Riyas Aboobacker, was plotting a similar suicide attack in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Three other people were brought in for questioning about suspected links to IS, according to the statement.

During a search of their homes, digital devices including mobile phones, SIM cards, memory cards, pen drives, diaries with handwritten notes in Arabic and Malayalam and untitled DVDs and CDs with religious speeches were seized, the statement said. The digital material was being forensically examined.

Investigators did not provide any details about Aboobacker's alleged plot but said he admitted during questioning that he had followed Zahran's vitriolic online speeches and videos for more than a year.

Authorities initially blamed the Easter attacks on Zahran and his followers. Then the Islamic State group on April 23 released images of Zahran and others pledging their loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group's shadowy leader.

In a video released Monday, a man said to be al-Baghdadi praised the suicide bombings in Sri Lanka, calling them "part of the revenge" that awaits the West. It was al-Baghdadi's first filmed appearance in nearly five years.

Authorities in Bangladesh on Tuesday were investigating the Islamic State group's claim of responsibility for an explosion in the capital that injured three police officers.

Police said a "very powerful" crude bomb thrown by unidentified assailants at a shopping complex in Dhaka late Monday injured two traffic officers and a community police officer.

According to global terrorism monitor SITE Intelligence, IS claimed the attack on "apostate policemen" without producing evidence.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church's top official in Sri Lanka said the government's ban on the niqab, a black veil made of thin fabric, often with a small opening for a Muslim woman to see through, was a good security step, but didn't go far enough to protect the faithful from another attack.

Human rights group Amnesty International said forcing Muslim women to take off their veils could be "coercive and humiliating."

"At a time when many Muslims in Sri Lanka fear a backlash, imposing a ban that effectively targets women wearing a face veil for religious reasons risks stigmatizing them," the group's deputy South Asia director, Dinushika Dissanayake, said in a statement.

"They will be forced out of public spaces to stay at home and will be unable to work, study or access basic services."

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, has been a vocal critic of the government's apparent failure to share near-specific intelligence on the Easter plot and some of the suspects involved.

Ranjith said Tuesday that reports from Negombo, where around 100 people were killed on Easter Sunday in a bombing at St. Sebastian's Church, indicated that Sirisena's pledge to have Sri Lankan security forces check every household in the country wasn't being upheld.

"We are still not satisfied," Ranjith said. "There is a fear among the people that this is only a camouflage, just hoodwinking everybody."

___

Associated Press writers Ashok Sharma in New Delhi and Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, contributed to this report.
TORONTO, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hampton Financial Corporation (Hampton or the Corporation) (TSXV: HFC) (TSXV: HFC.PR.A) announces that Hampton Securities Limited (HSL), the Corporations wholly-owned subsidiary, has transferred as of April 30, 2019 an aggregate of approximately $680,000 from HSLs deposit with its carrying broker, used to facilitate client account margin, to the trading accounts of the Corporations controlling shareholder (the Loan) in order to offset debt/margin extended of approximately $2.7 million (the Debt). The Loan will be recorded as a note payable due from the Corporations controlling shareholder.



HSL has undertaken to provide the following annual offset commitments to its carrying broker, as a further reduction of the Debt:

Less than 1 year $ 1,250,000 Between 1 and 2 years $ 770,000 $ 2,020,000

The terms of the Debt are currently being negotiated with the Corporations Board of Directors. The move to directly funding these facilities is expected to save the Corporation approximately $120,000 per year.

The Loan constitutes a related party transaction for purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101) and Policy 5.9  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV). A formal valuation of the Loan is not required under MI 61-101, as the Loan is not a related party transaction described in any of paragraphs (a) to (g) of the definition of related party transaction in MI 61-101. The Corporation is relying on an exemption from the minority approval requirements available under MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the Loan, insofar as it involves interested parties, exceeds 25% of the Corporations market capitalization. The Corporation did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the expected date of the closing of the transaction, as the details of the transaction were not settled until the present and the Corporation wishes to close the transaction as soon as practicable for sound business reasons.

About Hampton Financial Corporation

The Corporation, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, HSL, is actively engaged in family office, wealth management, institutional services and capital markets activities. HSL is a full service investment dealer, regulated by IIROC and registered in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario and Quebec. The subordinate voting shares, and preferred shares of Hampton are listed on the TSXV under the symbol HFC and HFC.PR.A respectively.

For more information, please contact:

Joe Pavao

President & Chief Operating Officer

Hampton Financial Corporation

Hampton Securities Limited

(416) 862-7800

The TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) has in no way approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. 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 press release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, 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 Corporation. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should" or similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes.

Forward-looking statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors beyond the Corporations ability to predict or control which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Corporation to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements herein. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance. Although the Corporation believes that any forward-looking statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results may vary, and vary materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements herein. Accordingly readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of the risks and uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements herein and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking statements herein are made only as of the date hereof, and except as required by applicable laws, the Corporation assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.
National security adviser John Bolton speaks about Venezuela outside the West Wing of the White House, Tuesday, April 30, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Read more

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Trump administration declared quick and enthusiastic support Tuesday for the Venezuelan opposition effort to spark a military uprising against embattled President Nicolas Maduro, hoping for decisive action in the political crisis that has engulfed the South American nation.

Late in the day, President Donald Trump threatened a "full and complete embargo" and sanctions on Cuba if its troops do not cease operations in Venezuela. National Security Adviser John Bolton alleged earlier that Cuban troops were keeping Maduro in power in Caracas.

Trump and senior foreign policy figures in his administration all weighed in during the day, casting the effort headed by opposition leaders Juan Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez as a move to restore democracy, not an attempted coup like the short-lived effort to oust then-President Hugo Chavez in 2002 that seemed to have U.S. support.

"We are with you!" Vice President Mike Pence tweeted to the opposition. Pence, who has had a lead role in the administration's effort to persuade Maduro to give up power, told the opposition group, "America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored."

Likewise Trump himself tweeted that he was monitoring the situation and "the United States stands with the people of Venezuela and their Freedom!"

Lopez, the country's most prominent opposition activist, had been under house arrest, and his sudden appearance would seem to have required the cooperation of troops who guard him. However, late Tuesday, he sought refuge with his family in the Chilean Embassy in Caracas, a discouraging sign for supporters of the uprising.

Bolton said it was a "very delicate moment" for Venezuela.

"If this effort fails, they will sink into a dictatorship from which there are very few possible alternatives," he said at the White House.

The wholehearted embrace of the rebellion reflects the goals of an administration that from its earliest days has sought the removal of Maduro. But it was also an unusually full-throated endorsement by any government for a mass protest that was turning violent.

"It's more than cheerleading. They are very actively collaborating," said Mark Weisbrot, who is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington and has called for a negotiated end to the political crisis.

The U.S. and about 50 other nations take the position that Maduro's re-election last year was irrevocably marred by fraud and he is not the legitimate president of Venezuela, a once prosperous nation that has the world's largest proven oil reserves.

In January, the administration took the unusual step of recognizing Guaido, the opposition leader of the National Assembly, as interim president. It also imposed punishing sanctions on the country's oil sector, deepening the country's economic crisis.

Despite these and other measures, Maduro, the hand-picked successor to Chavez, has retained his hold on the country and the support of the security services.

That support had seemed to crack Tuesday with the launch of what the opposition was calling "Operation Freedom," which began with the early-morning release of a short video of Guaido and Lopez alongside a few dozen national guardsmen urging people to "take to the streets."

"What we are seeing today in Venezuela is the will of the people to peacefully change the course of their country from one of despair to one of freedom and democracy," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted in an early reaction. "The U.S. stands with them."

Still, the Trump administration was caught slightly off-guard by Guaido's decision to launch the campaign on Tuesday. Elliott Abrams, the special representative for Venezuela, said the administration had expected major marches and protests to take place on Wednesday for the May Day holiday.

At some point after that, Abrams said, U.S. officials had been led to believe that the chief judge of Venezuela's Supreme Court, the defense minister and the chief of the presidential guard would declare their support for the constitution and, by extension, renounce Maduro's leadership. Abrams said U.S. officials believed such a step would galvanize public support for Guaido.

"What was going to happen, we were told, was that they would announce their support for the constitution," he told reporters at the State Department.

That did not occur and Abrams said "the situation on the ground remains confused." Nonetheless, Abrams said he had been in contact with Guaido by text message at midafternoon and the opposition leader seemed "buoyant and determined."

Bolton said a peaceful transfer of power from Maduro to Guaido could still occur if "enough figures depart from the regime and support the opposition."

The U.S. has been embarrassed by acting too soon in the past. In April 2002, a businessman who had repeated meetings with American officials staged a coup against the leftist President Chavez. While other countries in the hemisphere denounced the move, the administration of then President George W. Bush acknowledged the new government. It had to backtrack as the rebellion fizzled.

Trump administration officials sought to draw a distinction between the two situations. Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, at a conference in California, said the U.S. considers Guaido, not Maduro, the legitimate leader of the country under the Venezuelan constitution. "Importantly, we do not consider it a coup," he said.

Still, Abrams sounded uncertain as to how Guaido's bid would end and appeared to set the stage for his possible defeat.

We know this: At the end of the day, Juan Guaido will still be the legitimate interim president of Venezuela, the United States will still be supporting him, he said. The Maduro regime, while it exists will still be illegitimate and completely incapable of solving the problems of the Venezuelan people.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The National Rifle Association, facing internal turmoil over its financial management, increasingly partisan tone, and legal threats from government regulators, beat back efforts to overhaul its operations. Wayne LaPierre, the public face of the gun lobbying group for decades, fended off a backlash and was reappointment Monday as the gun lobbys CEO.

It was unclear if the debate that has roiled the 5 million-member organization in recent weeks would still lead to significant changes in its operations. In recent days, retired Lt. Col. Oliver North lost a bid for a second term as president and the next likely successor was passed over in favor of Carolyn Meadows. But most of the board remained intact and despite a very public tussle with its longtime public relations firm, which has received tens of millions of dollars to steer its message, the board did not formally sever ties with it.

Despite the turmoil, LaPierre struck a cheery tone in a statement after the board meeting: "United we stand. The NRA board of directors, our leadership team, and our more than 5 million members will come together as never before in support of our country's constitutional freedoms."

For the past two decades, the NRA has faced criticism from among its ranks that its leaders had become corrupted by the millions of dollars flowing into its coffers. The criticism has included allegations of self-dealing and excessive personal spending. Now the pressure has increased, with New York's attorney general opening an investigation that could threaten the group's tax-exempt status.

The NRA's charter was originally filed in New York, giving authorities there broad latitude to investigate its operations. Newly elected New York Attorney General Letitia James has made no bones about her dislike of the NRA, calling it a "terrorist organization."

I never thought this thing would ever get to the level it got, Joel Friedman, an NRA board member since 2002, told the Associated Press before the 76-member board met to decide whether organizational changes were needed to stave off punitive action by New York authorities.

Just last year, an investigation by the previous New York attorney general led President Donald Trump's charitable foundation to dissolve amid allegations it was operating as an extension of Trump's business empire and presidential campaign.

The prospect of scrutiny by New York authorities led the NRA last year to hire an outside law firm and to ask its vendors to provide documentation about its billings. The NRA in recent weeks sued Ackerman McQueen, the Oklahoma-based public relations firm that has earned tens of millions of dollars from the NRA since it began shaping the gun lobby's fierce talking points in the past two decades. The NRA accused Ackerman McQueen of refusing to provide the requested documents.

Ackerman McQueen turned the NRA from an organization focused on hunting and gun safety into a conservative political powerhouse. The firm created and operates NRATV, an online channel whose hosts often venture into political debates not directly related to firearms, such as immigration and diversity on children's TV.

The NRA has faced some financial struggles in recent years, losing a combined $64 million in 2016 and 2017, and that has prompted some to question whether the large sums spent on public relations and NRATV are worth the money. In its lawsuit, the NRA said some of its members have questioned NRATV's weighing in on "topics far afield of the Second Amendment."

The turmoil boiled over Saturday when North, a conservative stalwart aligned with the public relations firm and host of NRATVs American Heroes segment, was essentially ousted from his role as NRA president after trying to force LaPierre out.

According to LaPierre, North tried to strong-arm him into resigning by threatening to expose damaging information about the NRA's finances  specifically, allegedly excessive staff travel expenses  as well as sexual harassment allegations against an employee and accusations that LaPierre had charged tens of thousands of dollars in wardrobe purchases to his expense account.

North's own contract with Ackerman McQueen raised alarm bells within the NRA about the costs and possible conflicts of interest. LaPierre, in a letter to the board, noted that of the 12 TV episodes Ackerman McQueen promised to deliver, only three have aired.

NRA insiders in recent weeks have described an operation with warring factions, a place where some are compensated richly, driving expensive cars and wearing fancy clothes, while most rank-and-file are paid so little that they hold down more than one job and risk being ostracized or fired if they question expenses.

Right now, it looks like the NRA has become like a self-licking ice cream cone, Allen West, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, conservative commentator, and relatively recent NRA board member, said in a video interview with the website Tactical Rifleman. A lot of money is being raised just to scratch the backs of certain  a cabal of cronyism.

"We've got one shot to fix this, and we've got one shot to make it right, which means there probably does have to be some personnel leadership changes," he said. "There also definitely has to be organizational reforms."

Trump weighed in Monday in defense of the NRA against New York authorities.

The NRA is under siege by Cuomo and the New York State A.G., who are illegally using the States legal apparatus to take down and destroy this very important organization, & others. It must get its act together quickly, stop the internal fighting, & get back to GREATNESS  FAST! he tweeted.
Deputy Clerk John Schmidt holds the box as Camden County Clerk Joseph Ripa, a longtime Democrat running for reelection in a nasty primary race, selects the names of campaign slogans to determine ballot placement in 2016. Read more

Galvanized by a blue wave that brought fresh faces into government in November, an unprecedented 107 progressives united under one banner this year to buck the endorsed candidates of the entrenched Camden County Democratic Committee in the June 4 primaries.

But even with these numbers, it will be tough for the progressives to make inroads against a party establishment that has controlled the county and most local governments for nearly three decades under George E. Norcross III, the partys unofficial leader.

Earlier this month, the county machine moved to strike a crippling blow against the South Jersey Progressive Democrats by petitioning the County Clerks Office to disqualify two of their key candidates, claiming their petitions to run for freeholder contained 11 forged signatures. A candidate must obtain the signatures of 100 registered voters to get on the ballot.

The progressives pushed back, saying that several other petitions filed by other candidates in the primary contained signatures that appeared to be written by the same hand and that these were not investigated with the same level of scrutiny by County Clerk Joseph Ripa, who decides whether a petition is valid.

Ripa, whos been the clerk for 10 years, is running for reelection and is endorsed by the Democratic Party.

In what country can you remove from the ballot your political opponents? Norcross Country, Rena Margulis, a progressive candidate for county clerk, said in a recent interview.

The invalid signatures were found only on petitions submitted by freeholder candidate Jerome Taylor, while his running mate, Jennifer ODonnell, submitted petitions with 170 signatures that werent challenged. Yet ODonnells candidacy was also rejected.

Ripa did not respond to numerous calls requesting comment.

The race has turned acrimonious, with both the Democratic organization and the progressives accusing each other of running fake candidates. The progressives say the party machine is running phantom candidates who are not campaigning just to crowd the ballot and confuse voters. The Democratic Committee says the progressives are running Republicans disguised as Democrats.

Margulis questioned the decision to cancel ODonnells candidacy. In America, you do not penalize someone for something they did not do," she said.

The loss of the freeholder candidates also hurts the whole slate.

To qualify for a solid column on the ballot and to participate in a drawing for favorable placement, a slate must have freeholder candidates. Margulis said that when the freeholder candidates were disqualified, the progressive slate was denied a bracket, which would have grouped the candidates together. Now the slate is in ballot Siberia," mixed in with candidates not on the slate, she said.

Mailed to residents last week, the primary ballot shows Column One is occupied by endorsed candidates who are running together on the party line for Assembly, freeholder, clerk, mayor, local councils, and party committee.

Columns Two and Three each contain the names of two freeholder candidates who are not endorsed and are running alone. The progressive slate landed in Column Four, at the far right, where candidates names are sprinkled between empty boxes and the names of other dissidents," as the clerks office calls challengers without freeholder candidates.

The progressive slate is running under the slogan Democrats of Camden County."

The Republican primary ballot only has a contested race for two Assembly seats and for seats in two municipal races.

William Tambussi, who represents the Democratic Committee and who is also Norcross personal attorney in some legal matters, said Ripa recused himself from making decisions on the ballot since he is running and asked Deputy Clerk John Schmidt to step in.

Schmidt, the deputy clerk since 2012, said he was hired by Ripa and serves at his pleasure.

Tambussi said he challenged Taylors petitions in early April on behalf of the Democratic Committee and its endorsed freeholder candidates  incumbents Ed McDonnell and Carmen Rodriguez  because they appeared to contain forgeries.

Taylor apparently signed on behalf of his wife, and also signed an affidavit certifying under oath that all signatures were valid even though three other people apparently signed multiple times, resulting in 11 potentially forged signatures, Tambussi said.

Tambussi requested the clerk disqualify both candidates because the petitions were filed jointly, even those that were circulated separately. The petitions were fraudulent ... so that disqualifies those candidates identified in the petitions, he said in an interview.

Schmidt said the county solicitor recommended notifying the prosecutor because Tambussis challenge contained allegations of fraud. Schmidt said he didnt ask the prosecutor to look into the progressives challenges to other petitions because they focused on signatures of people who didnt live at a particular address or werent registered voters, rather than fraud.

But the complaint that the South Jersey Progressive Democrats filed with the clerk said several signatures on the petitions of two other freeholder candidates  who they say are phantoms  appear to be from the same hand, or forged. When asked why that was different from Tambussis allegation, Schmidt said, "Im not sure how to answer that one, sorry.

Tambussi said fraud is serious and should be investigated. He also defended the design of the ballot, saying, Voting machines are designed to hold a certain amount of names, and the clerk by law has discretion to strike a ballot thats fair and reasonable. Not everyone likes that, but that doesnt mean the ballot is wrong and unfair.

Norcross and Jim Beach, a state senator who is chairman of the Democratic Committee, did not respond to requests for comment.

Most of the candidates on the progressive slate are running for a seat on the Democratic Committee, which is involved in party business and endorsements. About two dozen other candidates on the slate are running for Assembly, county clerk, and mayor or council in the countys three biggest municipalities  Cherry Hill, Camden and Gloucester Township  and six other towns.

The South Jersey Progressive Democrats organized two years ago as a grass-roots coalition in Cherry Hill. It expanded into other parts of the county over the past year, recruiting like-minded candidates.

Before the ballot drawing was held this month, the progressives challenged the bracketing decision in court but were rebuffed.

The progressives said the ballot is also unfair because it contains several phantom candidates who often use progressive in their slogans to confuse voters and crowd the ballot.

The freeholder candidates in Column Two and Three have no website or social media page and no apparent platform, and have not responded to calls for comment.

Rob Carlson, who is with the progressive slate, and who ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Congress against Rep. Donald Norcross in last years primary, said he saw firsthand the effect of ballot positioning. The 1st Congressional District in New Jersey spans Camden, Burlington and Gloucester Counties, and he said he got only 6.9 percent of the vote in Camden, when his name appeared in Column Nine, far from Norcross name in Column Two. Carlson said he received 16 percent of the votes in Gloucester and 24 percent in Burlington when his name was close to his opponents name.

Bracketing definitely hurt me," Carlson said. In the other counties, they grouped everyone by putting candidates who were running for the same office next to one another.... I didnt have illusions of winning, but I did it on principle, because someone should run even when they do this."
House Speaker Mike Turzai (right) is pushing a bill that would nearly double a tax-credit program for businesses that donate to private-school scholarships. Critics say the state should be devoting more money to public schools. Read more

About 50,000 Pennsylvania students get private-school scholarships funded by businesses. Those businesses also get something for their donations: state tax credits.

Pennsylvanias education tax-credit programs are some of the countrys largest and have been contentious among public-education advocates. But their proponents say they should be bigger, citing unmet demand from both students and businesses.

On Monday, the House Education Committee approved a bill sponsored by Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) that would expand Pennsylvanias Educational Improvement Tax Credit program by $100 million  a boost that would nearly double the current scholarship program.

Thats not all: The bill has a provision that would allow for automatic increases in future years. And it would raise the income limits for participating families.

A Democrat on the committee called it a totally budget-busting proposal. Heres a look at the issue:

How does the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program currently work?

Known as EITC, its the larger of Pennsylvanias two programs that give businesses tax credits for donating to scholarships. A business can get credits equal to 75 percent of its donation to a scholarship organization, up to $750,000 a year. If it agrees to make the same donation for two consecutive years, the credit grows to 90 percent.

Students across the state are eligible for the scholarships. In 2016-17, 34,400 scholarships were granted to Pennsylvania students through the program, averaging $1,660 each, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

The program has one of the highest income limits of the 22 education tax-credit programs nationally. Students in Pennsylvania are eligible if their familys income doesnt exceed a certain limit, which depends on the number of children in a household. For a family of four, its $116,216 a year.

How would the bill change the program?

For starters, it would make that income threshold higher, raising the base by $10,000. So a family of four could earn $126,216 a year and qualify. In a memo to lawmakers, Turzai said the change would allow more middle-class families access to the program.

But the more sweeping changes would be to the programs size, raising the cap on tax credits that businesses can claim for scholarship donations from $110 million to $210 million.

And in future years, the program could grow automatically. The bill has an escalator provision, meaning that if 90 percent of the available credits are claimed in a given year, the programs cap will grow by 10 percent.

A similar provision was adopted in Florida, which proponents say has eclipsed Pennsylvania in providing private-school scholarships. Now they have twice as many kids in the program, an average scholarship three times higher. Theyre serving more students, and in a better way, said Marc LeBlond, senior policy analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative think tank in Harrisburg that is advocating for the bill.

The foundation says that close to 27,000 students who applied for EITC scholarships in 2016-17 were denied due to caps on the program.

We are a commonwealth that believes in choice. Everybody should have the opportunity to make those choices, said Rep. Curt Sonney (R., Erie), chairman of the House Education Committee.

What are the criticisms of the proposal?

The provision that would automatically grow the program is unprecedented for any education funding measure, said Rep. Steve McCarter (D., Montgomery). He proposed stripping the provision from the bill during Mondays House Education Committee meeting, saying it sends a very bad message to schools across the commonwealth" that are struggling with budgets.

His amendment failed. The bill passed the committee along party lines (Republicans in favor, and Democrats against).

Rep. James Roebuck (D., Philadelphia) said the proposal to increase the income limit moves the scholarship program away from the original intent of helping lower-income families and children.

In a letter to Roebuck, the Education Law Center, which is suing the state over education funding, urged lawmakers "to focus attention on fixing our public education funding, rather than further devastating it through tax credit vouchers.

Citing a report by the pro-school-choice group EdChoice, LeBlond said the program saves school districts money, because they have fewer students to educate.

The program doesnt require that students have attended a public school in order to qualify. EITC has become a subsidy for nonpublic schools for children already enrolled there, Roebuck said.

Does this have a shot at passing?

A similar proposal has been introduced in the Senate. But it likely will encounter resistance in the governors office.

Although Gov. Tom Wolf signed a budget last year that included an added $25 million for the EITC, spokesperson J.J. Abbott said Monday that Wolfs priority is ensuring available resources go towards public schools, which still face serious problems with underfunding and inequity.

Governor Wolf would be hesitant to increase funding for business tax credits at the expense of funding desperately needed to go into the classroom, Abbott said.
Twice, Jennifer Santoro said, she was pushing her toddler in a stroller when a car screeched around the corner, nearly speeding into mother and daughter in the middle of a crosswalk.

The 34-year-olds terrifying close calls happened at the intersection of Valley Road and Lancaster Avenue in Paoli along a busy Chester County thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants, car dealerships and churches, and within walking distance of bucolic Main Line neighborhoods.

And shes not alone.

Ive witnessed many close-to-accidents," she said.

On April 15, an 80-year-old man was killed in the same crosswalk. Tredyffrin Township police declined to comment on the death, citing an ongoing investigation.

It was one of three pedestrian fatalities to occur in Chester County over a five-day period, and one of two that occurred within three miles. The first was on April 11 on the 800 block of King Road. The second happened the next morning, 20 miles away on Lincoln Highway in Caln Township.

Nationally, more than 6,200 pedestrians were killed in 2018, marking the most fatalities since 1990, according to a recent report by the Governors Highway Safety Association, which gathers data from highway safety offices in all 50 states. Pennsylvania saw a more than 40 percent increase, according to the report.

The author, Richard Retting, notes the uptick could be attributed to a number of factors, including more people walking to work, more motorists speeding or being distracted, and more people driving SUVs, which can cause more serious injuries than sedans.

In Chester County, the deadly crashes reignited conversations about pedestrian safety in communities such as Malvern and Paoli, where residents enjoy walking, running, and doing other outdoor exercise in their scenic surroundings.

Yet those surroundings arent always friendly to those on foot, residents say, with some neighborhoods lacking sidewalks or street lights, and distracted drivers speeding, texting, and ignoring street signs.

Neighbors exchanged stories of near-crashes on Facebook community forums, with one user writing: I really wonder if safer roads are attainable. Its so scary." Other residents said they called police and municipal officials to see if stronger safety measures could be put in place, particularly at problematic intersections or stretches of roadway.

Pedestrian safety has always been a concern because we dont have sidewalks, said Susan Tighe, who lives off King Road in Malvern, near where a 32-year-old man was recently struck and killed while walking at night.

Statistically, Lt. Robert Klinger of the Willistown Township Police Department said pedestrians are seldom struck by vehicles, let alone injured or killed. Before his department responded to the King Road accident on April 11, officers hadnt been called to such a crash since the fall, he said.

In this recent case, the man was walking westbound just after 8:30 p.m. with his back to traffic, either on the white line or in the lane, and was wearing dark clothing, Klinger said. The driver of the striking van stayed on the scene and cooperated with authorities.

While rare, these type of crashes cause pain for everyone involved. On one side, family and friends are left to grieve the death of loved ones. On the other, motorists must live with the knowledge that they took someones life, even if they werent at fault.

The poor driver will never forget it, Klinger said. You cant qualify what the driver will experience.

Klinger said both drivers and pedestrians should try to be less distracted, put down their phones, and be aware of their surroundings. While residents voiced concern about the dangerous habits of drivers in their neighborhoods, Klinger stressed that walkers actions were equally important.

Pedestrians need to follow the rules of the road, too, he said, urging them to walk against traffic, wear bright-colored clothes, and carry flashlights or other lit objects.

Tighe, 55, who lives near Willistown in East Whiteland Township, walks often, occasionally at night. After dark, she said, she is extra vigilant, dangling a flashlight around her wrist to get the attention of passing motorists.

Last night when I was walking  and I always walk facing the traffic  I could see as soon as they saw the flashlight they drifted to the center of the road, she said.

After the two nearby accidents, Malvern Borough officials began mulling some sort of collaborative effort with surrounding townships to make both walkers and drivers safer, said borough manager Christopher Bashore. He and borough council members arent sure what that effort might look like just yet, but plan to take into account the residents concerns.

Pedestrian safety has always been something thats been at the forefront for borough council and the community, Bashore said, because Malverns a walkable community.

During his more than three years as manager, Bashore said, roadway safety has been a consistent topic brought up by residents  and addressed by the borough with traffic studies and other initiatives. At two busy intersections in downtown Malvern, the borough soon plans to install pedestrian warning signals that flash, alerting drivers as soon as someone steps into the crosswalks, he said.

Oftentimes, residents request the installation of stop signs or sidewalks in areas outside the main downtown strip. However, its not always easy to add either. Sidewalks in particular require a long process of approvals  and they need maintenance after theyre installed, he said.

Sidewalks are kind of like Wawas, Bashore said. Everyone wants them but not in their neighborhood.

So for now, Bashore said, the borough council will brainstorm new ways they can improve safe walkability, adding, We take pedestrian concerns very seriously.

Readers: Do drivers and pedestrians often clash in your neighborhood? Have you noticed particularly dangerous intersections or stretches of road? How could borough and township officials make you feel safer on your drives or walks? We want to hear from you. Email emccarthy@phillynews.com. Your stories could be shared in a future article.
Repair crews fill sinkholes on March 3, 2018 that developed under Sunoco Pipeline's Mariner East 1 route near Lisa Drive in West Whiteland Township, Chester County. Read more

Sunoco has purchased two Chester County homes on a street that has been plagued for more than a year by sinkholes and construction mishaps related to the the controversial Mariner East pipeline project.

The energy giant bought the houses this month for $400,000 each, property records show.

For more than a year, residents of the cul-de-sac have seen their backyards ripped up and sinkholes appear as Sunoco works on its $5.1 billion project. When its completed next year, three adjacent pipelines will transport up to 675,000 barrels a day of Marcellus Shale gas liquids across the state to the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex.

In March 2018, sinkholes on Lisa Drive exposed Mariner East 1s bare steel and prompted a two-month shutdown of the existing pipeline. At the time, Energy Transfer Partners, Sunocos parent company, temporarily relocated five families whose backyards were damaged.

The 88-year-old pipeline, which used to funnel gasoline, was shut down again this winter after a 5-foot-wide, 10-foot-deep sinkhole emerged along Lisa Drive. It resumed service last week.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and the district attorneys in Delaware County and Chester County have launched criminal investigations into Sunocos conduct throughout the projects construction.

Chester County has also sued Sunoco and, along with Delaware County, intervened in an existing legal challenge brought by a group of suburban residents. Anti-pipeline activists say they worry about the environmental and safety risks that come with moving volatile liquids through densely populated suburbs full of schools, neighborhoods, and nursing homes.

It was not immediately clear what the company planned to do with the Lisa Drive homes it purchased in April. A spokesperson for Energy Transfer Partners could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Neither could an attorney for the former homeowners, who NPR reports have signed nondisclosure agreements.
Gov. Tom Wolf at a news conference on lead contamination in Philadelphia schools in March Read more

HARRISBURG  Pennsylvania, one of the nations largest fossil fuel producers, on Monday became the 24th state to join the U.S. Climate Alliance, committing to work toward cutting greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement despite the Trump administrations intent to quit the international climate pact.

Gov. Tom Wolf made the announcement at the same time that the state released its newest road map for combating and adapting to climate change. The 230-page document sets a goal for cutting carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping emissions 26 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050, using 2005 as a baseline.

No other state in the bipartisan climate alliance produces as much natural gas, coal, and electricity as Pennsylvania, a top-three producer of each.

The new climate action plan envisions dramatic shifts toward lower-carbon methods of powering Pennsylvanias homes, vehicles, and businesses, with a phaseout of most of the states coal-fired power plants by 2050.

It includes more than 100 actions that governments, businesses, and individuals can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Still, the 15 most practical and impactful strategies that are measured in the report would cut the states greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent by 2025 and 36 percent by 2050  falling well short of the states long-term goal. Those strategies include making buildings more energy-efficient, transitioning to electric vehicles, and getting more electricity from wind and solar.

I know that change can be difficult, and that as a major energy-producing state, the challenges facing Pennsylvania in addressing this threat are indeed significant, Wolf said during a news conference in Harrisburg.

He endorsed bills slated to be introduced in the state House and Senate that call for renewable energy sources to supply 30 percent of electricity needs by 2030. The target under current law is 8 percent by 2021.

The action plan also calls for implementing policies to keep the Three Mile Island and Beaver Valley nuclear plants from closing in 2019 and 2021, but Wolf would not say whether he supports hotly debated bills in the legislature to rescue the nuclear plants by paying them for producing carbon-free power.

Right now, Pennsylvanias five nuclear plants generate 93 percent of the states carbon-free energy, dwarfing the combined contributions of wind, solar, and hydropower.

If passed, the nuclear subsidy proposals could cost electricity ratepayers $500 million a year.

I am part of the conversations, and I will continue to be, Wolf said.

Pennsylvanias greenhouse gas emissions already declined 12 percent between 2005 and 2015 as energy efficiency improved and natural gas began to displace coal as a power-plant fuel.

In a letter attached to the report, six members of the states climate-change advisory committee who work for the coal, gas, and agriculture industries criticized the plan for not giving enough attention to the emissions reductions that the state and nation have already achieved.

They also objected to the figure that the plan uses to estimate the social cost of carbon, a measure of the economic harm caused by climate change.

If the plan had adopted the significantly lower social cost of carbon recommended by the Trump administration, it would have undermined the cost-benefit calculation of most if not all of the recommendations in the plan, they wrote.

The reports economic analysis found that, together, the 15 measured strategies would have a positive effect  increasing disposable personal income and gross state product and creating about 40,000 jobs by 2050.

The report also paints a dire picture of a warmer planet in which extreme weather and catastrophic natural disasters are already becoming more frequent and intense.

Laura Legere: llegere@post-gazette.com.
A Baltimore police forensics officer places an evidence marker next to a bullet casing while investigating the scene of a shooting in Baltimore on Sunday, April 28, 2019. A gunman fired indiscriminately into a crowd that had gathered for Sunday afternoon cookouts along a west Baltimore street, killing at least one person and wounding several others, authorities said. Read more

For a few minutes shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday evening, it looked like the American tinderbox of tension and anxiety  stoked just the day before by a California synagogue shooter with a manifesto brimming with hate  was about to get another lighted match, and this time the spark was in Baltimore.

The first fragmentary reports, mostly on social media, suggested that a mass shooting that had wounded at least seven people in the West Baltimore neighborhood took place in a church (it didnt) and that the shooter was a white man (he wasnt)  two factors which, if true (they werent), would have poured fuel on the debate about hate crime in America.

But Baltimore police were quick to come forward with an accurate account of what had happened at Edmondson and Whitmore avenues, where about 30 residents were outdoors enjoying a cookout when a black man abruptly began firing on the crowd. One of the eight people struck by the gunman  a 28-year-old man  died in the incident.

It was another mass shooting in America, but it lacked any of the specific political, religious, or social triggers of the Poway synagogue incident, which had also taken one life. Cable TV dropped the story like the proverbial hot potato. It seemed that, to them, this was just another sad case of Baltimore being Baltimore.

Its incredibly disheartening, Karsonya Kaye Wise Whitehead, an associate professor of communication and African and African American studies at Loyola University-MD, told me by phone on Monday, talking about the way the story was covered and then not-covered by the media. Its a kind of sweeping-under-the-rug  violence is normalized in this city.

As terrible as it sounds to say, the problems facing Marylands largest city these days go a lot deeper than one mass shooting. Unless we  mainly the people who live there, of course, but anyone else who truly cares  do something and do it quickly, the place that gave the world Babe Ruth, H.L. Mencken, spicy crabs, andThe Wire could become Americas first truly failed city.

Sound melodramatic? Consider this: A still-ongoing murder epidemic spiked in 2017 to 342 killings -- roughly the same as Philadelphia, except that Philly has about 1.5 million residents and Baltimore has just 615,000. That population has fallen sharply since several nights of 2015 unrest after a black man, Freddie Gray, died in police custody.

At the same time, opiod abuse is out-of-control, with Baltimoreans  most of them black  dying from overdoses at double the rate of West Virginia, often considered Ground Zero of the nationwide drug-abuse crisis. Poverty is deeply entrenched and so is racial segregation, with an ever-widening gap between what locals call the White 'L' that includes the universities and a professional class, and the Black Butterfly plagued by urban misery.

Theres a shooting almost every other week, Terrell Fuller, a nurse in a community clinic who only a year ago moved onto the block where Sunday nights shooting occurred right in front of Busters Place Barber Shop, told the Baltimore Sun on Monday. Vacant homes on the block are multiplying, the paper reported, and Fuller told it the church around the corner here does more funerals than you would believe.

Its an avalanche of problems that screams out for a strong mayor. Well...funny thing about that. The incumbent, Catherine Pugh, is on an indefinite leave of absence. Baltimores elites had largely backed the then-state senator  a Philadelphia native and Overbrook High grad  in 2016 as someone who could restore order and thwart the comeback of a corruption-tainted predecessor, Sheila Dixon. But Pugh now has a scandal of her own: A scheme to sell a slap-dash series of kids book called Healthy Holly at inflated prices to hospitals that needed political support. No one knows if Pugh  whose home was raided by the FBI  will step down, or when.

The Tragedy of Baltimore was the headline of a recent lengthy expose by the ProPublica journalist Alec MacGillis in the New York Times Magazine, a deep dive into what went wrong mainly with policing in a city that thought it was bringing crime under control during the 2000s  only to see everything collapse after the chaos and recriminations of Grays death and its aftermath in 2015.

This is a reckoning, Whitehead, who also hosts a radio show and tours neighborhoods for a column in The Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, told me  but a reckoning of what depends on whom you ask. Black residents say an uprising after Grays death in the back of police van was a reaction to years of over-policing that also sparked a Justice Department consent decree. But rank-and-file cops responded to that decree, the 2015 violence, and all the complaints with what locals call the pull back of virtually disappearing in many neighborhoods, even as murders soared.

Whitehead said that despite the Pugh scandal (which some locals say privately could end up being a good, cleansing thing) and the never-ending shooting spree, there is a rare surge of optimism around this springs hiring of an outsider  the former New Orleans chief Michael Harrison  to run the embattled police. Harrisons talk of community police, constitutional policing and ethics reforms suggest hes seeking the just-right solution of Baltimores Goldilocks-style dilemma of law enforcement that has been either too hot or too cold.

But can Baltimore save itself without a little help from the rest of us? That applies to Marylands GOP governor Larry Hogan who responded to the 2015 unrest by scuttling a mass transit project that would have helped the affected neighborhoods  and it certainly applies to the 47 or whatever people running for president of the United States.

Ive been thinking especially about one of them, former vice president Joe Biden, who pondered launching his campaign in Charlottesville, Va.  the site of 2017s white supremacist march and mayhem  but instead opted to make what happened there the focus of his 3-plus-minute announcement video. I doubt there was even a split-second thought to launching Biden 2020 from Baltimore.

Thats a shame. Charlottesville and the specter of racial and religious hatred are very important, but the moral contrast is presented there in crystal-clear black and white. Baltimore is murky with shades of Freddie-inspired Gray, screaming out for leadership precisely because the answers are so elusive. Can any of the 2020 candidates claim to have solutions for America when they dont have a solution for Baltimore? That would mean digging farther back, past what happened on Nov. 8, 2016.

The current president is not the reason we are in poverty, not the reason our babies dont have heat," Whiteside told me. And she and most other experts agree that no one will save Baltimore if the city doesnt try to save itself. But it could still use a little help, from Annapolis and from Washington. From us.

Imagine a federal government that encouraged community policing instead of pandering to cop unions, that wasnt dismantling programs to end housing segregation, and that looked at the opioid crisis with the same urgency that the Current Occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue gives to the southern border. Theres plenty of time in the 2020 race for a candidate to ask what we can do for Baltimore. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy in this year of moonshot nostalgia, we should do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard.
Women were the first evangelists for the Catholic Church. Consider that Mary of Magdala arrived at Christs tomb, and seeing that he was gone told the disciples  all of whom were skeptical that he had risen. While the 12 apostles are the all-star cast for the life of Jesus, many women have assisted him in spreading the good news and founding one of the most popular religions in history.

Women have been stalwarts of the mission of the Catholic Church, serving not only her, but building and running other organizations committed to education, health care, social services, and charity, among others. In fact, the Catholic Church afforded women leadership positions well before secular organizations. Women religious were named school principals, presidents of colleges, heads of a hospitals or nonprofits, much before secular organizations allowed them to take such titles.

For the sake of the future of the Church, it is time that she allow women to take more leadership roles. A good and expedient start is to prepare and appoint women as deaconesses.

In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 6, the Church leaders established the ministry of deacon to assist in the efforts to help the widows, the poor, and needy in the community, and eventually to assist in the ministry of the Word. Initially seven men were appointed; later women were included. In Romans 16:1-2, Paul writes: I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

The Second Vatican Councils Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, called on the laity to discern the gifts given to them in baptism and to use them in service of the church's mission. In 1972, Paul VI issued the document Ministeria Quaedam, which allowed laypeople to serve as lectors, assist the priest within the sanctuary during Mass, and distribute communion. For the most part, deacons serve in parishes, oftentimes as a kind of part-time associate pastor, a mini-priest, a cleric but with limited faculties on several sacraments.

It is hard to argue that the duties described above cannot be accomplished by women. The rationale is much more than simply adding extra hands to the work of the Church, but admitting that to disenfranchise half of the faithful as servants of the Lord and the people of the Church is not only bad form but not in keeping with encouraging the faithful to be servant leaders.

In his recent apostolic exhortation Christ is Alive, Pope Francis states that it is just to allow women to take leadership positions and be involved in decision making. It would be refreshing for the Pontiff to act, instead of proselytizing on contentious issues as he has preached, and appoint women deacons. Such a movement is not to provide for reparations for the male domination of past but to continue to allow women to exercise the many roles they played in the scriptures.

The fact that the Popes exhortation from the October worldwide synod of bishops makes overtures to women taking on more leadership roles in the Church, alongside what to do about priests in difficulty from abusing children is uncanny. Appointing women deacons could be the most significant act by the Church since Vatican II. And such an act could be the first authentic and impactful step to ensuring a healthy future of the Church  a Church that is struggling to be relevant to young adults who refuse to accept the patriarchy and authoritarianism of past centuries.

While the apostles were men, this must be contrasted by the many roles women played in the church, albeit not at the extent of men but certainly in its nature. Paul preached in Galatians 3:27-28: For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Stephen F. Gambescia writes from Philadelphia; Ernie Sherretta writes from Broomall.
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein speaks during funeral services for shooting victim Lori Kaye as Kaye's daughter Hannah, second from left, holds onto her father, Howard, Monday, April 29, 2019, in San Diego. Lori Kaye was killed when a man opened fire two days earlier inside a synagogue near San Diego, as worshippers celebrated the last day of a major Jewish holiday. Read more

I can remember a time not long ago when the prospect of armed men in places of worship was a joke rather than a constant reality.

In fact, Ive heard more than one preacher tell a joke from the pulpit about masked men with guns walking into a church, firing shots in the air and saying, Whoever doesnt believe in God, you can leave.

When most of the congregation files out the door, the joke goes, a strange thing happens. The gunmen take off the masks, put down their weapons, and sit in the pews.

We just wanted to see who the real believers were, they say. Now we can worship together.

I wish men with weapons in places of worship were still a joke. But now its a sad and frightening reality  one thats repeating itself and spreading like cancer in places all over the world. The latest shooting, in a California synagogue, happened while people worshiped at the end of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

On Easter weekend, two churches in Sri Lanka were attacked by suicide bombers, killing at least 290 people. A few weeks before, two mosques in New Zealand were attacked by a single gunman, killing 50. In Pittsburgh last October, 11 were shot dead at another synagogue. In Louisiana, three black churches were burned over the past month, and four years ago in South Carolina, nine blacks were killed by a self-proclaimed white supremacist who shot them at Bible study.

Most of the attackers are young. Sometimes theyre well educated, but, in every case, they have one thing in common. The attackers are driven by hate.

Hate that would make a 19-year-old throw away his life to kill a stranger in a California synagogue. Hate that would make a 21-year-old kill nine people who welcomed him to Bible study. Hate that would make the sons of a rich man kill more than 250 people on Easter.

Places of worship must guard against these kinds of dangers. Many black churches have known this for some time. Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, one of the largest congregations in Philadelphia, is among the churches that adopted security measures long ago. The church has armed and unarmed security that is both seen and unseen during church activities.

The Rev. Dr. Alyn E. Waller, Enons senior pastor, says security initially was tied to guarding the churchs finances. But he says black congregations have long been aware that they must also guard themselves against hate.

For us as black Christians, we should not respond to this like white people, Waller told me in an interview. And what I mean by that is, white people are surprised to find out how mean the world is, but we have known this. We have been in church and had people come against us because we were black and Christian.

We had a black church [in Alabama] in the Sixties blown up, killing four little girls. And a few years ago we had nine people killed in a church in South Carolina.

Waller added: Im sorry that happened to Jewish people in those synagogues. But we as black people have known this reality and have been dealing with this reality.

Sadly, he is right.

Black church congregants discovered long ago that hate could visit them during worship. They learned that hate is like a fast-moving disease that eats at people from the inside, and tumbles out in acts of violence.

I asked Waller what we should do to guard against violence in places of worship. He said people of faith must lead the way and show how to disagree without becoming violent.

I think hes right. Instead of giving in to the cancer of hate, we have to dedicate ourselves to stopping it. That means dwelling on what we have in common, instead of focusing on what we dont. It means seeing the God in everyone, whether we practice a faith or we dont.

Difference is in Gods design. I believe this deeply as a man of faith. Some believe differently, but there is a way to hear, acknowledge, and respect the beliefs of others without resorting to violence.

Waller put it best: I think that we in the faith community have to, like never before, model how to get along, and agree to disagree.

Solomon Jones is the author of 10 books. Listen to him weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon on Praise 107.9 Email: sj@solomonjones.com. On Twitter at @solomonjones1
Kenneth Hartman, founder of Our Community Salutes, speaking at a 2018 OCS ceremony in South Jersey. The nonprofit is entering its 11th year. Read more

This is about the other 1 percent.

Not the 1 percent who are the tippy-top of the pay-scale pyramid. I mean the 1 percent of high school graduates who volunteer to become the point of the spear, the ones who join the military. They are the young Americans who promise to spend their lives to protect our lives, should it come to that.

Around this time each year, college-bound high school students are getting excited about the collegiate life waiting for them.

Theres excitement, and maybe fear, in the homes of the 150,000 graduating seniors who have enlisted.

Schools do little to honor their call to service, says Dr. Kenneth Hartman, 60, who while on the Cherry Hill school board 10 years ago decided to do something about it.

Before I tell you what he did, let me tell you why.

An internationally known educational consultant who recently was president of Drexel University Online, he joined the ROTC as an undergraduate at Rochester Institute of Technology. His goal was to be an Army officer upon his graduation.

He did that, but why?

His father, Paul, was a Holocaust survivor who was liberated by a soldier. It created within the father a respect for the military.

After the war ended, Paul made it to America as a refugee.

His parents told me the privilege and freedoms were so unique and precious in America, to never take them for granted, says Hartman.

He joined the military to do something for my country, and served from 1980 to 1989 as a second lieutenant, mostly in armor units.

After his service, he earned a Ph.D. from Penn, and in 2007 was elected to the school board in Cherry Hill, where he lives with his wife, Marti, and where he raised his two adult children.

Kids who go off to college get bragging rights," says Hartman, "but what about kids going into military service?

He asked the question, and then answered by creating Our Community Salutes, a nonprofit that uses as its motto The first to say thank you. 

Its first thank you was in 2009 at The Mansion in Voorhees to military-bound students.

Some might think a thank you isnt a big deal. Others think differently. OCS grows every year.

This year more than 30 communities, including four in New Jersey and five in Pennsylvania, will collaborate with OCS to honor 3,000 graduates.

About 100 Philadelphia enlistees and their parents will be treated to dinner May 2 at the Union League by OCS and some UL members who are footing the bill.

Speaking of which, Hartman says hed like to find some sponsors for the program, or even individual donors, who can reach him through the OCS website.

In addition to thank you, each student will get a copy of the Constitution, the document he or she will take an oath to defend.

OCS has an online, virtual community that allows service members and families to communicate. The site also facilitates college planning because service personnel can earn college credits while in service, Hartman tells me.

Thanks to the GI Bill, those who have served will not only typically graduate from college debt-free, but will enter the workforce with four or more years of meaningful work experience, he says.

He makes military service seem irresistible, but only a few high school seniors will step forward.

They are the 1 percent who deserve our thanks.
Americans are losing the war on robocalls, with 4.4 billion of them buzzing phones in September alone, nearly double the number from a year ago.

One man is fighting back, or at least turning the pesky calls into cash. Meet Andrew Perrong, a college student who regularly sues and scores settlements against companies he claims illegally call him.

Perrong, from Huntingdon Valley, is ridiculed by opposing lawyers as a "professional plaintiff," and they accuse him of "running a business" through his robocall lawsuits. They claim he sets traps for unsuspecting telemarketers and debt collectors.

But those arguments have proven to be of little consequence. Perrong has filed dozens of lawsuits  at least 45 by one opponent's count  and squeezed settlements from a wide variety of businesses, ranging from chimney sweeps and collection agencies to giants Verizon and Citibank.

Perrong notched his first settlement in 2015 while a senior at La Salle College High School in Springfield Township. Now age 21, the robocall warrior attends Catholic University of America in Washington and continues to fire off lawsuits, usually representing himself without a lawyer.

"His litigation history makes plain that he seeks [calls] out and gladly receives them" for his next lawsuit, Ballard Spahr's Daniel JT McKenna, who represents a Texas utility that Perrong recently sued, argued in October. "The purpose of such conduct is to make Perrong money."

Perrong utilizes the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which outlaws calls coming from autodialers or those with artificial or prerecorded voices unless consumers give prior consent. It also requires businesses to honor "do not call" lists, among other provisions. Consumers can sue for up to $500 per violation and courts can award triple damages for willful conduct.

How much money Perrong has made from his settlements is a mystery. He has demanded tens of thousands of dollars in some cases, and most of his suits settled quickly, Ballard Spahr's McKenna noted in court filings.

While sometimes searing in court papers, Perrong declined requests for interviews, citing pending litigation and confidentiality agreements. So it's unclear whether his suits are an altruistic effort to combat the rapid rise of robocalls, or if he's simply making money off the companies that call him.

Robocalls have become an epidemic. There were 33 billion of them nationwide this year through September, according to YouMail, a robocall-blocking application. That's 101 calls per person. The Federal Trade Commission received on average more than 375,000 robocall complaints per month in fiscal 2017, up from 63,000 per month in 2009.

Technology has made it cheaper and easier to send robocalls. Perhaps the most problematic development has been caller ID "spoofing," which not only disguises a caller's identity, but can make it look as if the call is from a local number.

Along with the surge of robocalls has come a sharp increase in the number of lawsuits filed by consumers. In 2017, there were 4,392 federal cases filed under the TCPA, compared with 14 in 2007, according to Michigan-based WebRecon, which tracks consumer litigation filings.

Companies and consumer advocates have clashed over the robocall law. Some, including Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai, now chairman, have called the TCPA "the poster child for lawsuit abuse."

Others, such as the National Consumer Law Center's Margot Saunders, credit the law for providing legal recourse for real victims who've been harassed by robocalls, and say it shouldn't be scrapped just because some consumers abuse it.

Amid this debate, Perrong stands out for the frequency of his lawsuits and the great lengths he goes to catch the companies that call him. He has claimed to own eight phone numbers over the years, his opponents note in court filings, and has cajoled callers hiding behind fake numbers to reveal their true identities.

In one case, he scheduled an appointment through a telemarketer, ostensibly to get a home-repair estimate. When a repairman arrived, Perrong took his business card, sent him home, and then sued his company the next day in May, according to his complaint. In another case, he placed an order, froze the credit-card payment so the company would call back, and sued the same day.

Serial litigants such as Perrong are like land mines for companies, said Jack Gordon, CEO of WebRecon, the consumer lawsuit tracker. WebRecon offers a "Litigant Alert" service that help companies identify consumers with a history of litigation  a super-serious "do not call" list. The search engine found 23 federal lawsuits for Perrong, Gordon said.

Perrong has denied being a professional plaintiff, arguing hes too busy to be running a business of robocall lawsuits. In a proposed class action against retail giant Macys, Perrong pointed out he was a dual major in philosophy and psychology, on the deans list (3.9 GPA), and worked in the IT field, both independently and as a subcontractor. Hes also studying to be a priest at the St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Washington. He owns an airplane, records show.

"It is neither true nor plausible that he even has the time to be a 'professional plaintiff,' " wrote Jon B. Fougner, Perrong's California-based lawyer in the recently settled Macy's case.

Still, Perrong has found time to help out another regular robocall litigant. He has served defendants court summonses and complaints for James Everett Shelton, a King of Prussia man who has filed at least 30 TCPA lawsuits as of September, court records show. Shelton declined comment.

Christine Reilly, a TCPA defense lawyer, said abusers of the robocall law will manufacture lawsuits by providing their phone numbers on online lead forms, then deny they consented to the calls. But she said many companies choose to settle these cases instead of dealing with the time and expense of obtaining evidence, going through discovery, or especially taking it to trial.

"These plaintiffs are looking for fairly nominal amounts," said Reilly, of the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips law firm in Los Angeles. "A number that's attractive enough to get the company incentivized to pay the demand so they don't have to pay the lawyer fees."

Saunders, the National Consumer Law Center lawyer, acknowledged some plaintiffs abuse the law but emphasized that the TCPA protects consumers who have been harmed by unrelenting robocalls, such as a Florida woman who received 1,845 calls from an appliance company in 14 months.

"I'm not working to preserve the TCPA for someone who solicits robocalls and then sues on them," Saunders said. "I'm working to preserve it for people who are abused by robocalls so that we have a private remedy to try to help stop them."

Perrong, barely old enough to drink, is already well-known among robocall defense lawyers. Perhaps even feared.

"If you have been practicing [TCPA] law on the defense side, and you've been doing this for a good amount of time, you will know Andrew Perrong's name," Reilly said.
Jon Yeagley makes a 12-hour round-trip drive to Canada every three months to buy a medication to treat his 20-year-old-son's alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. A year's worth of the medication costs $15k from Canada, versus $50k in the US. Yeagley poses in his home in Berwyn, PA on July 25, 2018. Read more

Every three months, Jon Yeagley sets out from his Berwyn home at 5:30 a.m. for the six-hour journey to Canada.

He crosses the border at Buffalo, stops at a Walmart a couple of miles into Canada, and turns around 30 minutes later with a small paper bag on the seat next to him.

He's home by bedtime and can sleep easier, knowing his 20-year-old son has a medication that is helping restore the hair and the confidence the young man lost after being diagnosed with the skin condition alopecia areata as a teenager.

The drug, Xeljanz, would cost the family almost $50,000 a year at home, in part because it isn't covered by their insurance plan. In Canada, a year's supply costs $15,000.

As drug prices soar and patients with high-deductible health plans must lay out more cash, this kind of medication tourism is enticing.

Importing prescription medication is prohibited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but the rules are not enforced for individuals buying small amounts of drugs for personal use. In a 2016 survey of 1,202 adults by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8 percent of people said they or someone in their household had traveled to another country for medications or used an international online pharmacy to skirt exorbitant U.S. prices.

"The reason so many people feel compelled to engage in personal importation is because the prices of many of these drugs are unsustainable  and unaffordable for many patients," said Rachel Sachs, an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, who specializes in drug pricing.

For a while, the Yeagleys bought Xeljanz in the United States. Though the drug is FDA-approved for rheumatoid arthritis, it was prescribed to Yeagleys son, Jonathan, by a Yale University-affiliated doctor who has published medical research about its effectiveness in stimulating hair growth. But when the cost became too burdensome, (a years supply cost closer to $37,000 in 2016, when Jonathan started taking the medication) Yeagley arranged a video consultation with a Canadian doctor, who wrote a prescription that could be filled at a pharmacy minutes from the border.

He was nervous the first time he faced the security checkpoint, and he considered claiming he was sightseeing.

"The pharmacist said, 'Just tell them what you're doing.' I've done that every time since," Yeagley said.

The family uses a $15,000 rebate card from Xeljanz maker Pfizer to pay for three months of the medication in the U.S. To cover the rest of the year, Yeagley makes three trips to Canada, each time spending about $3,700 for a three-month supply.

The FDA has not enforced rules banning such purchases in part because it's too hard to keep track of it all, experts say, especially as the number of online pharmacies has grown.

The FDA estimates that just under 22,000 FDA-regulated products, primarily drugs, were intercepted at international mail facilities in the last nine months. That's up 62 percent from about 13,500 such packages blocked in the prior 12 months.

The FDA does not prosecute Americans who order medications from foreign pharmacies, but when packages are intercepted, it will return them to the sender or destroy them.

"There's no way for the FDA or any federal agency to truly know the scope of the problem," said Jeremy Kahn, a spokesperson for the FDA, in an email. The agency staffs international mail facilities (IMFs) to provide a "frontline defense against illegal, illicit, unapproved, counterfeit, and potentially dangerous drugs entering the U.S.," he said. "However, the sheer volume of drugs that are being shipped through the IMFs far exceeds our interdiction capabilities."

The FDA recommends sticking with American pharmacies because the agency can't vouch for the safety or efficacy of foreign medications it has not approved.

Even medications that have FDA approval shouldn't be bought from foreign countries, the agency says, because they may have been manufactured in a facility that's not inspected by the FDA. So consumers are putting their trust in the regulatory authority of another country.

But as prices in the U.S. continue to rise, widening the chasm between prices in Canada and Europe, patients are willing to overlook such cautions.

"As long as the drug price discrepancies between the U.S., Canada, and other countries remain as high as they are, people will do what they need to do to afford medicine that helps them stay healthy  or even to live," said Gabriel Levitt, president of PharmacyChecker.com, a website that vets international pharmacies for American consumers.

Even doctors are raising the possibility with patients.

"I ask all my patients, when I'm pretty sure that they're struggling to pay for their insulin, I ask them, 'Are you planning to take any trips?' " said Mark Schutta, the director of the Penn Rodebaugh Center for Diabetes at Penn Medicine. "For people who are paying these maximum prices for insulin, it makes sense."

That's how Catherine Price, a writer who lives in Philadelphia, wound up filling her insulin prescription in the Netherlands, while on a business trip to promote her latest book, How to Break Up With Your Phone, in June.

After talking to her doctor about rising insulin prices, Price, 39, said her doctor, a colleague of Schutta's, asked if she had any upcoming trips abroad.

Price, who has type 1 diabetes, paid $100 for three vials of insulin at a little pharmacy in Amsterdam, plus $450 for her round-trip plane ticket, which in her case was already paid for. At home, a local pharmacy quoted her $645 for a single vial  with her insurance coverage  which would come to nearly $2,000 for three.

"If you're going to pay that much for your medicine, you might as well get a weekend in Europe out of it and come out ahead," she said.

How to safely buy medications online

People considering buying medications in another country must be cautious, especially if shopping online.

Canada, the United Kingdom, and European countries have their own systems for regulating pharmaceutical companies and ensuring patient safety, so purchases from brick-and-mortar stores there do have that layer of safety. But it's harder to verify the origin of medications purchased online.

Independent organizations, such as PharmacyChecker.com, vet international pharmacies, but the group is not sanctioned by the federal government or the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which represents state pharmacy regulators.

"We in America take things somewhat for granted, in that all the protections the FDA puts in place are followed. We can't say that's necessarily the case in other countries," said Patricia Epple, CEO of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association.

Levitt, of PharmacyChecker, admits there are risks to buying medications online, but thinks the government's and pharmacy association's warnings are a scare tactic.

Pharmacies vetted by PharmacyChecker are licensed with their applicable pharmacy board or licensing authority, do not sell controlled substances (which international pharmacies cannot ship into the U.S.), require a valid prescription, and encrypt personal financial information, he said.

Yeagley isn't worried about the safety of the drug he buys in Canada. Rather, he's relieved to have found a way to provide his son a medication that has improved his medical condition  without it costing the equivalent of a year's college tuition.

"This is such a big deal for him," Yeagley said. "We'll do whatever we can to make sure he gets the drug."

Share your own experience  and what you paid  at Philly Price Check or by emailing healthcosts@philly.com. Or leave a voicemail message at 215-854-2500 describing the billing issue you would like to share.
Then-presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks as sons Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and daughter Ivanka Trump look on during the grand opening of the Trump International Hotel on Oct. 26, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Trump has sued to block Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp. from complying with congressional subpoenas targeting his bank records. Read more

(Bloomberg)  President Donald Trump sued to block Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp. from complying with congressional subpoenas targeting his bank records, escalating the presidents showdown with Democratic lawmakers investigating his finances.

The German lender has already begun the process of giving documents related to loans made to Trump or some of his businesses to the New York state attorney general, who is conducting her own probe, said a person familiar with the matter. The bank hasnt yet handed over any client-related records to the House committees and will wait for the outcome of the legal proceedings, said the person, asking not to be identified in disclosing internal information.

Two House Democratic committee leaders slammed the lawsuit as meritless and said it was a bid to obstruct Congresss constitutional oversight authority.

This lawsuit is not designed to succeed; it is only designed to put off meaningful accountability as long as possible, Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters and Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said in a statement Tuesday. Trump has already said publicly that he is fighting all of the subpoenas from Congress, and that he does not respect Congress role as a coequal branch of government. This unprecedented stonewalling will not work, and the American people deserve better.

Trumps lawyers wrote in the introduction to the 13-page complaint filed Monday in Manhattan federal court, The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage.

Joining Trump as plaintiffs were his eldest children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka Trump, as well as the Trump Organization, the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust and other entities affiliated with the presidents family.

House Democrats have refused to share copies of the subpoenas with Trump, preventing him from negotiating the scope of the information requests, the presidents lawyers said in the lawsuit. Deutsche Bank and Capital One have provided Trump and his children descriptions of the subpoenas, which the presidents lawyers contend are overly broad.

They seek not only the plaintiffs documents, but also the financial records of parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, divisions, partnerships, properties, groups, special purpose entities, joint ventures, predecessors and successors, according to the suit. As if that were not broad enough, the subpoenas extend further to documents concerning each of the entities current or former employees, officers, directors, shareholders, partners, members, consultants, managers, senior associates, staff employees, independent contractors, agents, attorneys, or other representatives.

The subpoenas seek documents from 2010 through the present. Deutsche Bank informed Trumps lawyers that had the president not sued, it would have started submitting records to the congressional committees on May 6.

This is consistent, Waters told reporters Tuesday. This president will do everything he can to obstruct justice. He will do everything he can to shut down an investigation.

House Democrats probes into Trumps finances and potential money laundering tied to Russia have prompted them to demand documents from Deutsche Bank, Capital One and seven other banking giants, according to people familiar with the matter. Deutsche Bank has been a particular target because it has lent some $340 million to Trump.

Schiff said Tuesday that obtaining records from the German bank is essential for lawmakers to determine whether Russia or any other foreign power has leverage over Trump.

The reason that we are concerned about financial issues is this investigation began as a counter intelligence investigation, said Schiff, speaking at an event sponsored by the Washington Post. One of ways Russia exercises its influence is financially.

Schiff reiterated that Deutsche Bank intends to cooperate with Democrats investigation, but needed whats known as a friendly subpoena because of concerns that Trump would indeed sue to block the bank from turning over documents. Such subpoenas are typically submitted when firms are willing to provide information.

Deutsche Bank remains committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such probes, a spokesman for the lender said in a Tuesday statement. A Capital One spokesman didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Deutsche Bank had been Trumps go-to lender for decades, even as other commercial banks stopped doing business with him because of multiple bankruptcies. Although the German lenders investment bank had severed ties with Trump during the 2008 financial crisis, after he defaulted on a loan and then sued the bank, its wealth management unit continued to extend him credit.

The firm has stopped doing new business with Trump while he is president, a person briefed on the matter said previously.

The complaint is very similar to one Trump filed last week in Washington to block Elijah Cummings, the Maryland Democrat who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, from getting records held by Trumps longtime accounting firm Mazars USA LLP.

The new case is Trump v. Deutsche Bank, 19-cv-03826, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

(Adds comments from Waters and Schiff starting in 10th paragraph.)

With assistance from Billy House, Erik Wasson and Jenny Surane.

To contact the reporters on this story: Peter Blumberg in San Francisco at pblumberg1@bloomberg.net;Robert Burnson in San Francisco at rburnson@bloomberg.net;Steven Arons in Frankfurt at sarons@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Wollman at ewollman@bloomberg.net, Jesse Westbrook, Gregory Mott

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Steve and Jane Miller wanted to retire in Bucks County. The home they found started out as a one-room stone summer kitchen (left). A stucco addition in the mid-19th century and a two-story wing in the 1970s make the house livable today. Read more

After Jane and Steve Miller moved last year to Doylestown, Bucks County, friends were surprised how quickly the couples house became a home. At fast-forward speed, paintings were hung and family pieces positioned, including Steves great-great-uncles dining table and sideboard, as well as a corner cupboard, desk, and several small tables that had been lacquered and painted with Japanese scenes by Steves father, Charles, an interior designer.

Steve drew upon his 50 years experience as a museum curator and administrator to display his possessions. Even when he was searching online for houses for sale, he said, I was mentally determining what art and furniture would fit where.

The Millers, both 71, shopped for a move-in condition, three-bedroom home in Bucks for their retirement.

After working in a half-dozen states, Steve yearned to return to the county where he began his career. As a teenager living in Newtown, he had a summer job at the Mercer Museum in Doylestown.

Jane, who grew up in upstate New York, also loved Bucks County. Her house requirements were more practical then aesthetic: I wanted a bedroom and full bath on the first floor and no steep steps.

The couple compromised. Their house on a half-acre lot started out as a one-room stone structure built in the mid-1700s as a summer kitchen for a nearby farmhouse. The Millers use that space as a dining room and den.

A stucco two-story wing was added in the mid-19th century. The front door and entryway are in this wing, as well as a formal living room. At the top of a steep staircase is a bath and two guest rooms for the Millers grown son and daughter.

In the 1970s, another two-story wing was added. Its layout and amenities convinced Jane that she and Steve could age in place here. The wing features a sunny enclosed porch and an updated kitchen with glass-doored, antiqued cabinets, butcher block countertops, a farmhouse sink, and a Sub-Zero refrigerator enclosed in handsome pine paneling. There are a pantry, laundry, and powder room with space for a future full-size bathroom. The stairs to the master suite above are navigable.

The previous owners choice of cream and pale green walls provides a pleasing backdrop for the Millers' contemporary and traditional art. A bucolic landscape from Northern Europe hangs over the stone fireplace in the dining room/den. Nearby is a portrait of an 18th-century Englishwoman. Bucks County artist Katharine Steele Renningers rendering of Steves former home in Newtown hangs above an arts-and-crafts-style lamp with a retro-Gothic cast metal base. By a staircase is a lovely portrait of Steves mother, Ann, by Paul Burns. A large reproduction of a map of Rome in 1748 extends across a wall in the enclosed porch.

The crimson-and-cream striped living room sofa complements the colors in an abstract print by Robert Motherwell. Ann purchased the Chinese living room rug at a shop in New Hope.

According to family lore, Janes grandfather won the smaller Chinese rug in a craps game. Jane picked up the armoire in the entry hall off the street in New York when she was single. She and Steve met in the city and married in 1980.

Steve, an amateur artist, consigned his watercolors and an oil seascape to the powder room.

The print of a great egret in the enclosed porch was a gift to Jane from the National Audubon Society, where she once worked. She is now a fund-raiser for the Nature Conservancy in Morris County, N.J., where she and Steve previously lived. She plans to retire this summer.

Some furnishings in the house came from the Cape May home that Steves parents, now deceased, owned. The Jersey Shore has its charms, Steve said, but he wanted to be closer to museums in Bucks County and Philadelphia, and to his musician friends.

Steve joined the Philadelphia Jug Band as a teenager and continues to play washboard with the group, which has performed at the Philadelphia Folk Festival.

Before moving, the Millers had to prune their collection. Im an accumulator, Steve admitted, but said he chose the best items to curate our retirement.

Is your house a Haven? Nominate your home by email (and send some digital photographs) at properties@phillynews.com.
The president of the Bahamas Humane Society estimated that more than 20 attractions have sprung up in recent years across the island chain  each offering tourists the opportunity to wade or boat in shallow waters as pigs beg for scraps of food. Read more

Not long ago, the novelty of swimming with pigs off the shore of an uninhabited Bahama island elicited squeals of delight  and selfies aplenty.

Now, copycat attractions across the Bahamas are prompting concerns from animal rights advocates about mistreatment who are calling for regulation, inspection, and limits on the number of attractions.

"Its completely out of control," said Kim Aranha, president of the Bahamas Humane Society, in a telephone interview. If she had her way, the government would outlaw it altogether.

Aranha said the phenomenon began years ago when some tourists boating through the Exuma chain noticed a group of pigs wandering around the beach of uninhabited Big Major Cay. As their boat approached, some of the pigs began swimming toward it.

"Pigs will do anything for food," Aranha said.

She estimated that more than 20 attractions have sprung up in recent years across the island chain  each offering tourists the opportunity to wade or boat in shallow waters as pigs beg for scraps of food.

"People are traveling from Finland and Japan to see swimming pigs," she said. "Guys who operate boats on New Providence charge $300 to $400 to see swimming pigs, and people will actually pay it so they can take pictures next to swimming pigs."

The attractions range in size from Piggyville on Abaco promoted by the Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbour Marina to, Aranha said, "a guy that walks down Bay Street in Nassau with two pigs on a leash."

"They just go to the Ministry of Agriculture farm, buy a couple of piglets and they think theyll make millions."

Earlier this month, the Bahamas Tribune published portions of a social media post and photos from a Canadian travel blogger criticizing treatment of pigs at a Freeport attraction called Celebrity Eco Adventures.

Writing on her Facebook page under the handle Kennidy From Canada, blogger Kennidy Fisher said she signed up for the excursion expecting the "beautiful and wonderful" Exuma experience she had heard about.

But at the Freeport attraction, she saw pigs corralled in a pen, exposed to wind and high seas on a narrow, unshaded cay, then tossed by employees into rough waves as the excursion boat she was in approached the shore.

"The men then went on a kayak across the water which they themselves could barely swim in, they let all the piggies out of the crate and THEN threw them in the water, IN HUGE WAVES, with current, they made these pigs swim in water and they were not allowed back on the beach every time they tried to get back onto shore, and they are fighting for their lives, and people are just trying to take photos with them, it was horrible."

Fisher said she chose not to participate further in the excursion, which cost $30 per person. In an interview via Messenger, she said she was surprised at "how everyone there could see how unusual it was and still chose to participate."

The Sun-Setntinel contacted Celebrity Eco Adventures, and the person who answered a phone call said she would relay the request to a public relations representative.

An April 18 Bahamas Tribune report quoted proprietor Barbara Danville as saying the attractions pigs are "healthy, well kept and being properly housed and cared for."

Danville told the newspaper that the pen Fisher saw houses the pigs for only part of the morning so they dont run away when the first tour group shows up each day. She added that the pigs are kept onshore overnight and fed plenty of water, grains, and apples.

The earliest mention of swimming pigs as an Exuma tourist attraction in the archives of the website newspapers.com was in the London paper the Guardian in 2002.

Since then, the Exuma pigs have been the subject of numerous media accounts, including a book and movie, Pigs of Paradise, endorsed by the Bahamas official tourism promotion agency. They were featured on the ABC show The Bachelor and in a promotional video for the ill-fated Fyre Festival music gathering.

How the pigs got to Big Major Key, Aranha said, was likely because an owner of one of the nearby Exuma islands owned some pigs and kept them there, knowing there was a natural source of freshwater, "until it was time to go to the butcher."

Wild pigs have apparently been swimming around the Bahamas for decades. In 1954, a story distributed to U.S. newspapers reported that "wild pigs found on some Bahamas islands ... often go to sea, swimming from island to island in search of food or to escape the dogs of huntsmen."

Aranha and a colleague, Tip Burrows, executive director of the Humane Society of Grand Bahama, have been urging tourism and agriculture officials to regulate the copycat attractions.

They are concerned about the apparent lack of freshwater and shade in the holding pen at the Freeport attraction and want the government to set down rules protecting pigs from sunburn and requiring that they get proper shelter, clean freshwater, and appropriate food rather than scraps from tourists.

After seven pigs on Big Major Cay died, veterinarians found large quantities of sand in the animals stomachs  possibly resulting from tourists throwing food on the beach, they said.

And dont be lulled just because they are cute, Aranha said.

"When theyre hungry, they can get aggressive and bite."

No comparable attraction exists in the United States.

If an entrepreneur did try to create one in the U.S., it would have to be licensed by the U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and by its home states department of health, according to USDA spokesman R. Andre Bell.

States health departments might look askance at permitting humans to swim in water alongside pigs and their waste.

In an email, U.S. Centers for Disease Control spokesperson Kate Fowlie said, Pigs, like many animals, can sometimes carry germs that can make people sick. Any of these germs can be spread through pig feces, urine, and other body fluids.
Description

GIS  30 April, 2019: The World Trade Organisations Regional Trade Policy Course (WTO-RTPC), aimed at enhancing the human and institutional capacity of WTO members so that they can take full advantage of their participation in the rules-based multilateral system and enforce their rights and obligations, opened yesterday at the CORE Building, in Ebene.

The course, being run till 21st June 2019, is offered by the WTO in collaboration with the University of Mauritius (UoM). It is being attended by some 30 participants from African countries as well as local participants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade .

The objectives are to: deepen participants understanding of the functioning of the WTO and its rules and procedures; enhance comprehension of regional economic perspectives on trade policy and development; and to develop participants capacity to find relevant information and documents on WTO-related issues, including the use of the WTO legal texts. Some 20 resource persons from the WTO and from the African region will intervene during the training.

This eight-week course, which fits within the WTOs Trade Related Technical Assistance activities, is co-delivered by Officials from the WTO Secretariat, Trade Policy specialists and academic experts from the region. To date, it has been run in several countries around the world including Thailand, Ecuador, Kazakhstan as well as Mauritius.

The RTPC was launched in Mauritius in 2018. Thirty-one delegates of English-speaking African members and observers of the WTO, nominated by their respective Governments, participated in the course during that year.

WTO-RTPC

The WTO is a member-driven organisation and Governments have to be prepared to articulate and defend their interests and legitimate expectations. This can be done only when their Trade Policy Officials are knowledgeable about the multilateral trading system and well-versed in trade policy matters.

It is in that context that the RTPC plays a significant role in building the capacity of Trade Policy Officials of the African-English speaking region to enable them adequately promote and defend the interests of this region.
It's essential to investigate all your options, though, before deciding an IRA rollover is the right one. This is, after all, money you hope will sustain you for many years in retirement so it's important to choose wisely.
GIS  30 April, 2019: Mauritius will host in June/July 2019, a Mauritius-Korea Business Forum which will gather a large number of Korean enterprises, promotion agencies and the Exim Bank, amongst others. The forum will act as a platform to outline the various opportunities present in both countries as well as to facilitate an exchange of ideas and information between local businesses, and other organisations and to promote a greater understanding of each countrys local economy.

This statement was made by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Mr Lim Sang-Woo, following a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, this afternoon at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

The Korean Ambassador stated that discussions with the Prime Minister focused mainly on the reinforcement of bilateral ties between Mauritius and Korea. In that context, he said, a Cultural Week spanning over one to two weeks in October this year will be organised in Mauritius. The objective, he highlighted, is to further familiarise the Mauritian population with the Korean culture. The Cultural Week will comprise dances and  Taekwondo which is a Korean martial art. A film festival is also on the agenda, he indicated.

Mr Lim Sang-Woo is at present accredited to the Republic of Madagascar. He was previously a Counsellor at the Korean Embassy in Brazil. He has occupied various posts namely: First Secretary at Korean Embassy in Washington DC, U.S.A; Director at the North American Affairs Bureau; Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Advisor to the Vice Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Deputy Chief of Mission, Korean Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; and Deputy Head of Office, Korean Embassy Erbil Office, Iraq.
Mt. Shasta MTB Park, round one host of the 2019 Full Tilt happening June 29th in Northern California. Rider Austin Hemperley of Bend, Oregon. Photo by Trevor Lyden.

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Full Tilt Enduro MTB Series AnnouncementWe at Race Cascadia, the team behind the Cascadia Dirt Cup , are proud to announce the Full Tilt Enduro MTB Series . This is the Northwest's brand new three-race enduro series with a creative spin on the traditional enduro format. The new Full Tilt Enduro Series provides a fully lift-assisted course with optional second run down each stage. Paired with SPORTidents world-class timing system its rolling starts, flying finishes, race and repeat with instant results at the end to calculate your best time for the win.June 29th - Mt Shasta, CaliforniaAugust 24th - Mt Bachelor, OregonSeptember 7th - Sun Valley, IdahoFull Tilt Race EntryDiscounted Friday Practice Lift TicketRace Day Lift Ticket Included w/ RegistrationWorld-Class SPORTident Timing SystemProfessionally Organized EventWell-Marked CourseOne Free Entry into Race Day RaffleRegistration is now open. Get all the details and signup on our website: Full Tilt Registration LOGE Camps , pronounced "Lodge" is the 2019 Full Tilt sponsor and lodging partner for the Shasta, California and Bend, Oregon stops in the series.LOGE Camps create unique lodging experiences in the center of outdoor recreation hubs that give guests a place to gather and connect with others. LOGE is the place to be before and after the race, to rest up before the big event, to celebrate after a big day of racing, to recharge before it's off to the next adventure.Featuring live bands, bar + cafe and plenty of outdoor space to gather, plus a wide variety of lodging options available to work for everyone's way they like to stay, all in the same place, and for an affordable price. LOGE is offering Full Tilt racers a discount on their reservations, visit LOGE Full Tilt for a virtual tour of each property.
Sergio Aido Wins EPT Monte Carlo 100,000 Super High Roller for $1,772,393

April 29, 2019 Adam Lamers

One of the most prestigious events at the 2019 PokerStars and Monte-CarloCasino EPT has wrapped up and it was a comeback for the ages. Sergio Aido has risen to the top of the 100,000 Super High Roller to claim the title and the 1,589,190 ($1,772,393) first-place prize. Aido outlasted a total of 52 entries and defeated his fellow Spaniard Jesus Cortes in a quick heads-up battle.

Aido entered the final day of competition with less than seven big blinds and at the bottom of the barrel among the final nine players. In fact, he had less than five big blinds when he spiked a three-outer to double up for the first time. That swung the pendulum in his direction as he won a coin flip to double up again in the very next hand.

The rise to the top of the podium was fuelled by some patient play and a string of cards that led to pot after pot against some of the top players in the world. In the last hand of the day, Aido trapped Cortes by limping the button with king-queen. Cortes moved all in with rags and Aido snapped him off. He managed to hold throughout the five-card runout and was able to put his hands on the beautiful trophy.

Aido has been around the high roller circuit for quite some time now, but he also fancies the nosebleed cash games as well. With over $8.7 million in career tournament earnings, this will go down as his largest cash to date.

Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize (EUR) Prize (USD) 1st Sergio Aido Spain 1,589,190 $1,772,393 2nd Jesus Cortes Spain 1,147,750 $1,280,032 3rd Sam Greenwood Canada 731,530 $815,841 4th Daniel Dvoress Canada 554,950 $618,910 5th Mikita Badziakouski Belarus 428,830 $478,254 6th Charlie Carrel United Kingdom 327,930 $365,725 7th Wiktor Malinowski Poland 264,860 $295,386

The final day began with nine players returning to the felt but only seven of them would leave with some cash in their pocket. Things got off to a quick start when Luc Greenwood shoved his 11 big blind stack into the middle and was called by Koray Aldemir who had him dominated. Greenwood could not come from behind and was eliminated on the first hand of the day.

It took some time for the money bubble to burst with the short stacks finding some key double ups. However, it was Aldemir who found himself at risk with pocket nines against the ace-king of Daniel Dvoress. An ace on the river gave Dvoress the best hand and Aldemir was the last player to leave with nothing.

A newcomer to the live high roller scene, Wiktor Malinowski managed to keep his short stack alive for quite a while, but his time finally came to an end when he ran his six big blinds into a surging Aido. Charlie Carrel was next to dump his chips to the eventual winner when he shoved all in from the small blind with nine-five suited. Aido called with an ace in the big blind and managed to hold on to eliminate Carrel.

It was an up and down ride for Mikita Badziakouski who doubled up to an average chip stack but then saw it all disappear just one hand later. With just a small blind left, Badziakouski had to make something happen before the blinds came around. He was all in with six-three suited but Cortes held a premium hand with ace-queen suited and made a flush on the river.

As the chip leader coming into the day, Dvoress had a rough go of things. He doubled up Sam Greenwood on the money bubble for half of his stack and was never able to fully recover. His tournament was eventually cut short when his ace-nine ran into the pocket kings of Aido. Two kings on the flop gave Aido quads and Dvoress was sent to the rail in fourth place.

Daniel Dvoress

On the heels of losing a huge pot to Aido who flopped two pair, the last Greenwood standing picked up a big ace on the button and decided to go with it. Unfortunately for him, the pocket kings made their way back to Aido and Greenwood was in dire straits. No aces on the board meant he would have to take a back seat to the heads-up match that would feature two players from Spain.

Aido was in the driver's seat heading into the heads-up battle with nearly a five-to-one chip lead. No deal was made between the two friends as they were each guaranteed a seven-figure payday. Aido's lead continued to grow and within 15 minutes, he sealed the deal on the first all in.

Be sure to follow the PokerNews live reporting team for all of the updates throughout all of the PokerStars and Monte-CarloCasino EPT events.

The Stars Group owns a majority shareholding in iBus Media.
Top Pair Podcast 333: Interview with Eli Elezra

April 30, 2019 Robbie Strazynski

In episode 333 of the Top Pair Home Game Poker Podcast, Bruce Briggs and Robbie Strazynski welcome poker legend Eli Elezra to the show. He talks of his (brief, but profitable) stint playing in private Hollywood home games, shares his plans for the upcoming WSOP, compares being on televised poker shows today vs. in the golden era, and much more.

Bruce and Robbie also fill you in on their latest home game exploits, dive into the listener mailbag, and share a funny One Outer story thatll surely leave you chuckling.

Top Pair thanks their sponsors, J Design Cards and the Poker Notes Live mobile app for their support. Be sure to check em out!

Show Time Stamps

00:23 Synopsis How Ya Runnin? (1:0620:28) Bruce: John of the Caribbean took part in three fun home games. Once again managing to pretty much break even through all the ups and downs at the felt. 5:20 Ongoing giveaway to receive a free strategy book on SOHE and Dramaha + feedback from a listener, Martin in Malta, telling us about the Sviten Special variant he plays in his home games. 10:05 The podcast unfortunately has its Facebook page unpublished suddenly after over 8.5 years. The sad details Robbie: Just one home game over Passover, with a plague on Robbies cards that decimated his stack. The dentist makes a rare appearance and performed a chip extraction at the wild and crazy game while playing 7-27, which isnt even a distant cousin of poker, but more like its estranged ex-wife. 18:20 Numerous improvements announced at the upcoming WSOP, where Robbie will be in attendance from May 29-June 7. Look Who Weve Found (Interview with Eli Elezra - 21:4555:55) 23:04 Eli talks about some of the private Beverly Hills home games he used to play in back in the day. Gabe Kaplan invited him to play with the likes of Leonardo di Caprio, Tobey Maguire, and others. After making over $800,000, he was politely told we dont want any more TV poker players in our game. 25:00 An important reason why Eli only plays in Las Vegas these days rather than any of the high stakes home games he always gets invited to; the same reason why Doyle Brunson refused to play Andy Beal in Texas. 28:39 Agreeing to attend a home game in Israel run by a group of 18-year-old soldiers-to-be in the IDF, which ended up leading to the writing of Elis autobiography in Hebrew eight years ago. 30:45 Eli discusses the challenges and surprises along the way during the book writing process, and wanting to get it translated into English so that his kids and grandkids (who dont speak Hebrew) would be able to read it. 34:15 Eli updates us on what his opponents from back in the TV poker glory days are up to these days, including Jennifer Harman, Barry Greenstein, Johnny Chan, Sammy Farha, and Freddy Deeb, and why theyve all dropped down in stakes they currently play for. 36:30 The stakes Eli currently plays for, how many days a week, where he plays, and the average length of his sessions. Hes also playing a rotation of half a dozen mixed games on Dollys Game on PokerGO. 38:39 Where are all of the high stakes mixed game female poker players? 41:09 What sort of preparation is Eli engaging in to get ready for the six-week WSOP grind? No live multi-tabling, but planning to play a full schedule and hoping to run well at the outset. 45:45 Mike Sexton used to play BOT (bankroll on table). Has Eli ever been in situations like that? 51:27 How does the experience of playing on TV poker shows nowadays compare to doing so back in the glory days? 54:08 Eli will be speaking and doing a book signing of his autobiography at Las Vegas' Wednesday Poker Discussion Group at 3pm on May 29, at Ricardos Mexican Restaurant 4930 W. Flamingo Road. 56:08 One Outer  Welcome Back Maurice!

You can subscribe to PokerNews Top Pair Home Game Poker podcast on iTunes here, or you can access the RSS feed here.

Follow the show on Facebook and be sure to join in the conversation on Twitter at #PNTopPair.

Follow hosts Bruce Briggs @toppair and Robbie Strazynski @cardplayerlife, also available via email: [email protected]
One day after Timothy Adams won the 25,000 Single-Day High Roller, it is now time to step things up a notch. The competition will be very similar but the stakes will be doubled for the 50,000 Single Day High Roller.

The 2019 PokerStars and Monte-CarloCasino EPT festival is on the home stretch now and for those looking to pocket some cash in the high rollers, time is starting to run out. Charlie Carrel is now three-for-three on cashes in the high roller tournaments thus far but is still searching for his first title. He will get that shot today with the first-place prize expected to be near the seven-figure mark.

The structure will be very similar to that of yesterday's tournament with players each getting 100,000 chips to start. The levels will be 30 minutes in length and will begin at 500/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante. There will also be a shot clock in play from the start, allowing each player 30 seconds to act. They will be given six time banks that are worth 30 seconds each.

The action will get underway at 12:30 p.m. local time and late registration will remain open through the first eight levels until approximately 5:00 p.m. There will be unlimited re-entries permitted so the action should be fast-paced to kick things off. There will also be a 15-minute break after every four levels and a 75-minute dinner break after level 14.

Follow along with the PokerNews live reporting team for all of the live updates until a winner is crowned later tonight.
Italys Giuseppe Caridi has taken down the 330 EPT Cup at the 2019 PokerStars and Monte-CarloCasino European Poker Tour (EPT) after a heads-up deal for 24,641. Day 1b chip leader Vasyl Zabrodskyy ended as runner-up taking 20,000. They made the deal without playing a single hand of heads-up poker and the trophy went to Caridi as he had a commanding lead when the deal was made. The bronze and 12,400 went to Samvel Grigoryan.

Results

Place Player County Prize (EUR) Prize (USD) 1 Giuseppe Caridi Italy 24,641 $27,608 2 Vasyl Zabrodskyy Ukraine 20,000 $22,433 3 Samvel Grigoryan Russia 12,400 $13,908 4 Alexander Orlov Russia 10,110 $11,340 5 Vamshi Vandanapu UKraine 8,060 $9,040 6 Belgacem Aouri France 6,190 $6,943 7 Vardan Zakaryan Armenia 4,510 $5,059 8 Alexandre Moreau France 3,270 $3,668 9 Cedric Boussetta France 2,700 $3,028

Day 2 Action

The day started with 26 out of 27 players in their seats. Eventual champion Caridi showed up half an hour late to the tournament and that worked out for him by ending as the champion of the event. It then only took an hour and 45 minutes for the tournament to reduce from 27 players to the unofficial final table of nine. A couple of the players that missed out on the final table include Jia Tang (20th - 1,450), Vittorio Ferrigno (17th - 1,630), and Andrea Schettino (14th  1,810).

Filip Krstic busted out on the unofficial final table bubble when he put his last ten big blinds in the middle with and he got called by third-place finisher Grigoryan with . The board ran out and Krstic was eliminated from the tournament in tenth place despite hitting a king on the turn. He did win 2,290 but he missed out on the (unofficial) final table.

Filip Krstic

Final Table Action

It only took ten minutes for the official final table to be reached. Cedric Boussetta had the questionable honor of finishing in ninth place after he couldnt win a flip with ace-nine against the pocket fours of Alexander Orlov. He cashed for 2,700 and the official final table was reached.

It took a while but the field size reduced to six when Day 1a chip leader Alexandre Moreau (8th - 3,270) and Vardan Zakaryan (7th - 4,510) busted right after each other. Moreau lost a huge pot against the eventual champion Caridi. Moreau called of a big river all-in with trips sevens but Caridi hit a full house on the river. Both had exactly the same stack and Caridi didnt look back from that moment on.

Grigoryan then busted Belgacem Aouri in sixth for 6,190 and Caridi took down Vamshi Vandanapu in fifth for 8,060. All of the other players were guaranteed 10,110 from that moment forward and it was Orlov who took 4th for that amount. Orlov finished on top in Event #5 550 Pot-Limit Omaha earlier this week for 10,420 and added another five-figure score to that by finishing fourth in the 330 EPT Cup. Orlov was eliminated by Caridi who extended his chip lead. The Italian chip leader had about 70% of the chips in play when three-handed play started.

The bronze went to Grigoryan after they played three-handed for just ten minutes. Grigoryan lost with ace-seven against the queen-six of Caridi. Grigoryan hit a seven on the flop but the Italian had a gut-shot straight draw and could still hit a queen. He hit his straight on the turn and the river was dealt as a courtesy. Grigoryan had to settle for third place and 12,400.

Samvel Grigoryan

The remaining two players then went on a small five-minute break and they agreed on a deal when they came back. Zabrodskyy would take 20,000 and Caridi took 24,641 for the victory. They didnt continue play and Caridi took the trophy.

The Italian was delighted with his victory and immediately started to call family members to tell them the good news. Both players shook hands and took a photo together before they parted ways.

PokerNews will be in Monte-Carlo to report on the EPT until the festival is over. Stay tuned for more live updates from beautiful Monte-Carlo.
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In more evidence that Donald Trump isnt the tough leader he claims to be, former Defense Secretary James Mattis reportedly refused to carry out his orders on multiple occasions in order to prevent disastrous consequences.

According to Dexter Filkins of The New Yorker, Mattis repeatedly tried to block White House initiatives on military matters, from Afghanistan and Syria to North Korea and Iran.

We prevented a lot of bad things from happening, one senior administration official said, according to the report.

The New Yorker notes that administration officials speculate that Mattis was trying to avoid a war, or that he simply wanted to control the flow of information, so that the President could not make ill-advised decisions.

More from the report:

On numerous occasions, current and former officials say, Mattis tried to block White House initiatives, leaving McMaster caught in the middle. In the fall of 2017, McMaster was planning a private session to develop military options for the possibility of conflict with North Korea: a war game, with Trump in attendance, at the Presidential retreat in Camp David. McMaster asked Mattis to send officers and planners. Mattis ignored him. He prevented the thing from happening, the former senior Administration official told me. Later, Mattis kept General John Nicholson, the commander of American forces in Afghanistan, from meeting with Trump. Administration officials speculate that Mattis was trying to avoid a war, or that he simply wanted to control the flow of information, so that the President could not make ill-advised decisions. There are a lot of people in the Administration who want to limit the Presidents options because they dont want the President to get anything done, the former senior Administration official told me.  The President thinks out loud, he said. Do you treat it like an order? Or do you treat it as part of a longer conversation? We treated it as part of a longer conversation. By allowing Trump to talk without acting, he said, we prevented a lot of bad things from happening. In 2017, Mattis and his staff helped forestall a complete withdrawal of American forces from both Afghanistan and Syria.

Trumps own people dont view him as a strongman

Since Donald Trump entered the political arena, he has tried hard to build a reputation as a strongman. Its why he looks up to authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un  he wants to be them.

But despite Trumps recent claim that nobody disobeys his commands, the opposite appears to be true. Not only do those around him not respect him and his ability to lead the country, but they often refuse to follow his dangerous whims.

Whether its James Mattis refusing to carry out orders that could trigger a war or White House officials refusing to obeys Trumps attempts to obstruct the Russia investigation, this president has not yet successfully become the all-powerful dictator he wants to be.

There is no guarantee that will continue, however.

In recent months, as Trumps presidency has plunged into chaos and a growing number of key officials either step down or get fired, the president is surrounded by almost no adults. The bumpers have largely been removed from the lanes of the federal government.

Thats why it is important that Democrats continue to ramp up efforts to hold this administration accountable using all the tools at their disposal  and its why voters must turn out next fall to replace this president with an adult.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
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At his first rally in Pittsburgh, PA, former vice president Joe Biden went after Trumps economic record and talked to the people who are being left behind.

Biden went after Trump on the economy

Biden said, The stock market is roaring, but did you feel it? There was $2 trillion tax cut last year, did you feel it? Did you get anything from it? Of course, not. Of course, not. All of it went to the folks at the top and corporations that pay no taxes. The number of corporations that pay no taxes now has doubled since that tax cut. Look, guys, this is not good. Whats happened here has happened for a lot of different reasons. But for me one of them stands the basic bargain that used to exist, the Republicans and Democrats used to agree to has been broken. You contribute to the enterprise that you work for, you got to share in the benefits and the profits. If the enterprise had a hard time, everyone took a hit. But that bargain has broken. Now the only people benefitting when a company does well are the CEOs and shareholders. The people at the top. And the only people that get hurt when the company has hard times is the workers. Its a one-way street.

Video:

Joe Biden has the perfect message for the Rust Belt

Former vice president Biden delivered the perfect message to voters who Donald Trump made a boatload of promises too, but hasnt delivered on any of them. The people in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are being left behind. Trumps tax cut for the rich did nothing for the working people in these states, except increase their taxes.

Bidens message is on the money for these states. Joe Biden knows that he cant win the White House without winning Pennsylvania. Biden is coming after voters in the western part of the state that may have stayed home for Hillary Clinton. Biden knows who he is talking to. He understands where the votes are, and he is out to turn Pennsylvania blue in 2020.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is resigning, but Democrats are already talking about calling him to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) said on MSNBCs The Beat With Ari Melber, Well, its very interesting. I think that he was very disappointing, especially the way that he handled things at the end with Barr standing behind him as he had the press conference. So it will be interesting to see whether he comes before our committee and what he has to say now that he will not be an employee of the Department of Justice.

Video:

Rod Rosenstein had a birds eye view of all of the top Trump scandals. Rosenstein wrote the letter that provided the cover story for the firing of James Comey. He oversaw the Mueller investigation after Jeff Sessions recused himself. Rosenstein was there when Barr took over as attorney general and the Mueller investigation ended.

Rosensteins testimony would be very valuable for congressional investigators, especially on the issue of obstruction of justice.

Trump can try to assert executive privilege over Rosensteins testimony, but doing so would be another move to stall for time.

Rod Rosenstein may have resigned, but he is about to begin a whole new chapter as a key witness to the potential criminal activity of Donald Trump.

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The economy wont be able to rescue Trump, and the GOP as the vast majority of Americans arent feeling great benefit from Trumps economy.

The Majority Of Americans Dont Feel Like Theyve Gained Under Trump

The Monmouth University poll found:

12% of Americans say that their family has benefited a great deal from recent growth in the U.S. economy and another 31% say they have received some benefit from the economic upturn. A majority, though, say they have been helped either not much (27%) or not at all (27%) from the nations macroeconomic growth. These results are nearly identical to Monmouth polls taken in 2018 as well as just before Trump took office in January 2017. Only 34% of those earning less than $50,000 a year and 42% of those earning between $50,000 and $100,000 say they have benefited at least somewhat from the growing economy. This contrasts with those earning more the $100,000, where a majority (58%) say they have benefited.

Currently, just 18% of Americans say that middle-class families in general have benefited a lot from Trumps policies so far, 37% say that middle-class families have benefited a little and 36% say they have not benefited at all. These results are similar to a year ago, when 14% said the middle class benefited a lot, 45% a little, and 36% not at all. Public expectations were somewhat more positive shortly before Trump took office in January 2017, when 26% predicted that the middle class would see a lot of benefit from the new presidents policies, 40% said the middle class would see a little, and 29% said the middle class would not see any change in their situation.

Trump has led prosperity on paper for the wealthy

Trump and the Republicans think that they can run on the economy in 2020, but the problem is that the majority of Americans dont feel like their own pocketbooks have prospered under Trump. When Trump talks about the economy, he always talks about the stock market and the unemployment rate. Most Americans dont own stocks, but they are worried about healthcare and being able to afford to pay their bills.

The economy didnt work as a strategy for Congressional Republicans in 2018, because people dont feel like they are doing better under Trump. Unless you are rich, Trumps economy really isnt that good.

The one thing that Republicans thought could save them may not matter at all to voters in 2020.

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Donald Trumps tweeting in recent days has made it abundantly clear: He is terrified of Joe Bidens appeal in states like Pennsylvania, putting his reelection chances at risk.

In a Twitter post on Monday, Trump took direct aim at Bidens campaign event in Pittsburgh earlier in the day, taking credit for the citys low unemployment rate.

Pittsburgh jobless rate hits lowest point since the early 1970s (maybe even better than that) and Sleepy Joe just had his first rally there, Trump said. Fact is, every economic aspect of our Country is the best it has ever been!

Pittsburgh jobless rate hits lowest point since the early 1970s (maybe even better than that) and Sleepy Joe just had his first rally there. Fact is, every economic aspect of our Country is the best it has ever been! https://t.co/kWriC0DIuW  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2019

This is only the latest of multiple tweets Trump fired off on Monday either attacking Biden or going after unions for supporting the former VP.

Biden, of course, fired right back at Trump, saying he is sick of this President badmouthing unions.

Biden, of course, won the official endorsement of the International Association of Fire Fighters on Monday after the labor group declined to endorse Hillary Clinton in 2016  a sign that workers are already flocking to the former vice presidents campaign.

The organization represents over 300,000 workers.

The economy continues the positive trend its been on since the Obama-Biden years

If the economy went from decline to growth over the course of Trumps presidency, he might have a good reason to take credit for low unemployment numbers.

But the trendline is clear: The jobless rate has been in consistent decline since the Obama-Biden recovery took hold following the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the same is clear in Pittsburgh (noted in the graph below), which Trump made a point of mentioning on Monday:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden took office in the midst of an economic collapse, worked quickly to pass legislation to stop the bleeding and set in motion the longest streak of private sector job growth in history  a streak that continues to this day.

Bidens campaign has already triggered Trump

Ultimately, Biden is likely pretty satisfied with the way his presidential campaign kickoff has developed over the past several days.

Not only did the former vice president raise a record amount of money in the first 24 hours of his campaign, but he has triggered Trump in a way that none of the other presidential candidates have been able to do so far.

Ever since Bidens entry in the race, Trump has doubled down on his post-Charlottesville comments and has thrown daily temper tantrums. His behavior has only underscored Bidens message that America needs to restore its soul.

Donald Trumps behavior in recent days is the clearest indication yet that he sees Joe Biden as a major threat to his reelection bid, particularly in parts of the country that Trump needs to win to have a second term in the White House.

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GIS - 30 April, 2019: Mauritius will host a Capacity Building Workshop on Early Childhood Leadership from 19 to 21 June 2019. The capacity workshop will be organised by Inter Country Quality Node for Early Childhood Development (ICQN-ECD), an intergovernmental organisation for policy dialogue and collaborative action among African Ministers of Education and strategic partners for advancing ECD agenda in Africa. Mauritius will host a Capacity Building Workshop on Early Childhood Leadership from 19 to 21 June 2019. The capacity workshop will be organised by Inter Country Quality Node for Early

This collaborative approach relies on a networking of African institutions and experts for exchange of knowledge on concepts, research findings and capacity building to respond supportively to the varying contexts in which ECD programmes are implemented.

The objectives of the workshop are to share country experiences of current status of Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) workforce and showcasing innovations, and engage in policy implementation issues relating to needs and priorities in the delivery of an integrated package of ECED services. It also aims to support policy implementation at national level for early learning and contribute towards the development of an on-line ECD leadership programme for sustainable capacity building.

The workshop is targeting some 13 countries in Africa; civil society actors; ECD professionals; academics; Regional Economic Communities; and organisations engaged in the Early Childhood Education and Development. Around 30 international and 15 local participants are expected to participate in the workshop.
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House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff announced that he would be referring Erik Prince for criminal prosecution for perjury.

Rep. Schiff said at a Washington Post event:

Adam Schiff says at WaPo event that he is sending a criminal referral to the Justice Department today for Erik Prince, saying theres very strong evidence Prince willingly misled the House Intelligence Committee when he testified in 2017.  Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 30, 2019

Prince lied to Congress about a meeting in the Seychelles Islands nine days before Trump took office with a Putin ally, Prince later told congressional officials examining Russias interference in the presidential election that the meeting happened by chance and was not taken at the behest of the incoming administration  testimony that congressional Democrats now think was false. Prince told special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigators a version of the Seychelles meeting that is at odds in several key respects with his sworn testimony to the House Intelligence Committee in November 2017.

The criminal referral goes to William Barr and the DOJ, which means that nothing may come of it, but the House Intelligence Committee chairman is making a point.

Lying to his committee will not be tolerated by the Democratic majority. Anyone who lies to the Intel committee now, unlike when Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) was the chairman, does so at their own risk.

The good old days of lying to Congress having the Republican majority turn a blind eye are long gone.

Prince clearly perjured himself. The story he told Mueller was different than what he told Congress. He was lying somewhere, and since Mueller had the power to criminally charge him, it wasnt to the Special Counsel.

Erik Prince isnt going to be the last person that House Democrats refer for criminal prosecution, as perjury was a main cog in the Russia cover-up for Trump.

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Fox News is claiming that requiring Trump to release his tax returns is interfering with voting rights, which it is not.

Fox News Is Making Up Desperate Reasons To Hide Trumps Tax Returns

Video and transcript via Media Matters:

VARNEY: But to say that if he doesnt reveal his tax returns, hes not on the ballot in, for example, California, thats outrageous. That is interfering with the voting rights of half the population who would like to vote for President Trump.

CHAFFETZ: Its a pretty simple equation. Thats what theyre trying to do. Its no mistake. These are all Democratic-controlled states. Theyre trying to embarrass the president. Theyre trying to make sure the Republicans and supporters of the president do not have the opportunity to vote for him. If you look at what theyre doing in the House, in H.R. 1, Nancy Pelosi and crew have been trying to fundamentally change the way we vote. They want taxpayer funded campaigns, that is, they want you to have to reach into your wallet and give money to politicians so that they can run even more expensive ads on television. Its a concerted effort across the board and theyre trying to sue and get the presidents tax returns and go after his banks to try to extract financial information as well.

If the issue is should a candidate have to release their tax returns, the vast majority of voters say yes. Fox News is trying to get around the opposition to Trumps behavior by expanding the issue so that it impacts Republican voters.

Voters could still vote for Trump if he wasnt on the ballot

If Trump decided not to release his tax returns and did not appear on the ballot in states that required candidates to release their tax returns, Republicans could still vote for Donald Trump. The removal of Trumps name from the ballot would not be an attack on voting rights, because Republicans could go to the polls and write in Trumps name.

The Fox News freak out over Trump being penalized for refusing to release his tax returns is in full bloom. Fox News is falling over itself to protect Trump even as it sows the seeds for their downfall.

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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said that Trump would lose his lawsuit to block House subpoenas of his financial records because as president, he has no expectation of privacy.

Trump is suing to stop the turn over of his financial records

Rep. Khanna said on MSNBC, I dont think it is going to work. A court is going to look at this and say if President Trump was still a real estate developer, he would have a claim. But hes now president of the United States. He just doesnt have the same expectations of privacy, and he signed up for this. When he ran, he filed financial disclosure. So, hes trying to have something that he is not entitled to as someone who is holding the highest office of the land.

Video:

Trump is going to lose because he isnt a private citizen

The lawsuit makes a version of the same argument that Trump is using to hide his tax returns, which is that Trump as a private citizen deserves an expectation of privacy and that turning over Trumps information to Congress would put the privacy of every American at risk.

Donald Trump is not a private citizen. As president, he is not entitled to the same expectation of privacy as other people. Trump is also subject to congressional oversight as the head of the Executive Branch of the government. The lawsuit that Trump filed is not going to go very far, because the House is carefully targeting their subpoenas.

Screaming witchhunt is not a legal defense in the face of congressional oversight.

The stalling is endless with this president, this lawsuit will be shot down just like so many others during the Trump presidency.

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Joe Biden got a six-point bounce from his presidential campaign, while Bernie Sanders dropped two points, and Pete Buttigieg saw his momentum stop in new Democratic poll.

Joe Biden Leads Bernie Sanders By 14 points

According to the latest Morning Consult poll of Democratic primary voters, Biden moved from 30% of the Democratic primary vote share to 36% following his announcement last week. The six-point gain ties Bernie Sanders for the largest single week uptick since Morning Consult began tracking the Democratic primary. 38 percent of women have Biden as their top choice, compared to 33 percent of men. Among black women, Biden gets 47 percent of the vote compared to 32 percent of white women.

Biden leads Sanders with all demographics with his smallest lead being eight points (32%-24%) among men. This is the second week in a row that support for Bernie Sanders has decreased by multiple points in the poll. Joe Biden is clearly getting a bounce, but the concern among the Sanders campaign should be that the Senator from Vermont has not caught fire as he did in 2016, and has not been able to get above 30% support in any poll. The Sanders base nationally is right around 20%, and it isnt moving.

For Biden, this was expected. His campaign launch has exceeded what many thought he would be able to accomplish. Bidens decision to come out swinging at Trump looks smart because Democratic voters are primed and ready to face Trump in November.

Mayor Pete Buttigiegs momentum may be over

Mayor Pete Buttigieg has a great five-week run where he gained support, but this week Buttigieg dropped a point and fell back to 8%. It is not a coincidence that the entry of Biden into the race stalled Buttigieg. Bidens entry also took the national media attention that fueling Buttigiegs rise away from the campaign. Buttigiegs next opportunity to climb up the polls may not come until the two nights of Democratic primary debates in late June.

What does this poll mean?

Joe Biden looks to be a stronger frontrunner than many in the media assumed. Bernie Sanders has to make some adjustments because his campaign is showing signs of losing ground. If the current trajectory continues, Sanders may need to win early to prove that he is a legit contender for the nomination. Pete Buttigieg has a bright future, but his burst up the polls may be out of steam, and the rest of the bloated field is flat, with Kamala Harris being the only other candidate who has separated herself in the upper tier.

It is early, but the rough contours of the 2020 Democratic primary are taking shape.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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As Donald Trump continues his war with the rule of law that he used to say he believes in, there are signs that Republican support for him may be softening. Certainly, one can look at the increase in support for Trump and his Putin-first agenda and conclude the opposite. Smaller numbers with increased conformity to traits consistent with fascism gives the appearance of increased support for Trump.

A poll by the Washington Post proves that Trump is in deep trouble because despite his 2016 promises to drain the swamp, that very swamp is the biggest beneficiary of Trumps economic policies  and worse, people know it.

Trump cut taxes and regulations that benefitted the wealthiest people, including himself, his family and his rich friends. Aside from separating the middle and working classes from their money, Trumps policies included separating people from clean air and water, safe food, and safe working conditions.

One especially tragic result of Trumps tax cuts is dramatic tax increase by thousands of dollars for military families survivor benefits. Nothing says support for the troops like a huge tax hike on benefits to their families after they made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Understandably, the military families dont appreciate being stuck with the tax bill for Trump, his family and rich friends.

It comes as no surprise that some voices at Trumps dominant propaganda outlet, Fox, are increasingly critical of their party leader. The most significant voice is that of Judge Andrew Napolitano. He acknowledged that based on the facts and the law, Trump did obstruct justice  an impeachable offense as established by the Nixon and Clinton cases. Indeed trickle down MAGA rhetoric has hit some road bumps.

Its very likely Fox viewers will be seeing a lot less of Andrew Napolitano now that he broke with the program. Right there on Fox, Napolitano spoke about the numerous times Trump obstructed justice in his analysis of the Mueller approach.

Napolitano broke ranks in two ways that are unforgivable in Trump world. He put his loyalty to the law over loyalty to Trump and he acknowledged that the Mueller report is a credible, solid analysis of the facts and the law about the Trump campaigns involvement with Russians and Trumps attempts to obstruct justice.

Then Napolitano doubled down by stating the obvious: Attorney-General William Barrs absolution of Donald Trump did not reflect the Mueller reports findings, sentiments or intentions.

[T]he dilemma for House Democrats now is whether to utilize Muellers evidence of obstruction for impeachment. They know from history that impeachment only succeeds if there is a broad, national, bipartisan consensus behind it, no matter the weight of the evidence or presence of sophisticated legal theories. The presidents job is to enforce federal law. If he had ordered its violation to save innocent life or preserve human freedom, he would have a moral defense. But ordering obstruction to save himself from the consequences of his own behavior is unlawful, defenseless, and condemnable.

This doesnt mean that Napolitano will convert to someone with less extreme political views. It does mean, however, that Trump has lost another big voice on the far right.

In fact, now that Napolitano sided the law, Trump is reverting to the usual slander to turn his most loyal devotees against the former judge.

For good measure, Trump sent Alan Dershowitz to Trumpsplain how the law on obstruction works in a dictatorship to the former Judge for the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Trumps war with Napolitano will no doubt turn the most devoted Trump supporters against him, that is Napolitano. But, when we consider that because Trump has not expanded his base and the slim margin of popular votes that allowed Trump his Electoral College victory, he really cant afford to alienate any of the voices that conditioned their audiences to love Trump.

Dershowitz is without question an enthusiastic advocate for opponents of the rule of law  but as a recent convert, his credibility will be limited with the paranoid base of the presidents supporters.

The results of Trumps something wonderful healthcare suggest more of his forgotten people might feel a bit betrayed. As Bloomberg pointed out at the beginning of this month, Trumps something wonderful is destabilizing the healthcare system primarily because there is nothing wonderful or otherwise to replace Obamacare. In short, it means a return to the problems that made Obamacare necessary: few people covered, higher costs and less service.

Also, if Trump has a win in court, Obamacare will cease to exist  destabilizing the healthcare system, guaranteeing that many millions of people will lose access to insurance, let alone affordable insurance.

Trump continues down the road of barbarity on immigration, complete with Nazi era rhetoric.

Unfortunately for this president, there will be costs that go with his demagogic views about immigration. For one thing, his vanity wall and sending troops to intimidate families who fled for their lives will not stop people from seeking asylum. If you really want to stop asylum seeking then you have to make the world safer  not more dangerous.

Trump is doing the opposite with the aforementioned threats and eliminating financial aid to countries where most people have brown or black skin.

And if he does ultimately shut down legal points of entry at the southern border, American manufacturers would pay a hefty price in lost trade with Americas third biggest trading partner. It also means higher food prices for consumers and loss of trade for American farmers.

Its small wonder that Trumps grand strategy is limited to smearing potential opponents instead of talking about how exactly he proposes to make America great again. His crowned jewel is the economy, which is looking good for the swamp but not so much for the forgotten people he told would be tired of all the winning.

Their incomes are stagnant or lower than before. Theyre paying Trumps taxes. Even the most devoted Trump supporter knows that is not what winning looks like.

Instead of leading with innovative and effective ideas about how to improve our nation, all Trump has is the same tired smear campaigns. And fewer trusted voices on the far right to amplify them.
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It took a Canadian to call out how our mainstream media is failing us.

Washington correspondent for the Toronto Star Daniel Dale observed how our media fails to even mention Trumps lies.

This omission, in both local and national news, is the reason I started listing his lies in 2016. And it persists. Most of the rally coverage is still Trump speaks to big excited crowd, insults X and Y, talks policy Z. Trump says 24 untrue things goes entirely unmentioned. https://t.co/uPtJjCEIv0  Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 28, 2019

Here are some very typical examples from last night: pic.twitter.com/Aj5t8tJDzL  Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 28, 2019

Of course, many of us have noted this problem, chiefly Greg Sargent of the Washington Post, who stays on this topic with the concentration it deserves. Sargent noted the distinction between what Trump does and a regular lie, The key point here is that Trump is not engaged in conventional lying. Hes engaged in spreading disinformation.

Sargent wrote in his book An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy in an Age of Trumpian Disinformation and Thunderdome Politics that Trump uses his insistence on asserting his false version of reality as a power play, Trump isnt trying to persuade anyone to believe his lies as much as hes trying to render factual reality irrelevant  thus reducing the pursuit of agreement on it to just another part of the media circus in which he thrives.

In the age of Trump, Glenn Kessler introduced a new category of political lies called the Bottomless Pinocchio, which he describes as The president keeps going long after the facts are clear, in what appears to be a deliberate effort to replace the truth with his own, far more favorable, version of it. He is not merely making gaffes or misstating things, he is purposely injecting false information into the national conversation.

Matt Fuller also noted it:

When Trump tells blatant lies or admits potentially illegal conspiracies, it doesnt even get mentioned on local news. Thats a failure.  Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) April 28, 2019

I have noted the mainstream tendency to put the White House claim in the headline. This is what most journalists do. Its what we have done here out of habit at times, and because it used to be that when the White House told you about an agreement or discussion or policy, you could take it at its word with the caveat that they were spinning it politically.

Although even with President Obama, we fact-checked their claims. The glaring difference between the light spin buried in erudite deep dives of the Obama administration and the glaring, outright propaganda level deception of the Trump White House is alarming. Its so big that there is no way to convey the lies. The lies are a power grab in and of themselves, and the mainstream media is eating it up, often using it to drum up business by having one of Trumps Chief Liars on to interview, as if there were any information to be gleaned from doing so.

The President is now telling an average of 57 lies a day, according to an analysis of the Washington Post fact checker column.

When the New York Times used the distanced, pathetic phrase an inaccurate refrain in a tweet to describe Trumps daily tidal wave of filth and 100% lies, it told the broader story. These folks who have branded themselves the real news are actually often delivering dangerously dishonest, Trump-spun news.

On top of the lies, though, is the hate directed consistently at certain opponents like anyone carrying the torch for the truth.

Vox noted, The irony is that on Saturday night, as always, the media was one of Trumps foremost targets of abuse  yet the very outlets Trump demeans continue to bend over backward to cover him in the most favorable possible light.

This is because

Trump is the best cash for mainstream media theyve ever seen. They are rolling in it. They are growing by huge numbers as theyve trained people to trust only them.

Kind of like Fox News, and ironically, even with all of the investigative reporting into this President, theyve still managed to keep access to him and they do this the only way possible  with the kid glove reporting on his hatred and lies.

Trump is a money maker every day. Hes never a boring policy wonk dealing with things like making healthcare available for those whose job doesnt offer it and those with small businesses like Obama did. Hes never nattering away about making childcare more affordable like Clinton did.

Trump is The Big Show. The Pomp and Circumstance. The Circus. He Pays Big Money and He Knows It.

Trump beats up certain media outlets and they act all troubled by it and then invite Kellyanne Conway on to lie, knowing she is going to lie to you.

Rachel Maddow is one of the few who got this right because she refuses to roll tape of this president speaking. Some of us cant afford to do that, because we will be accused of being f*ke news unless we prove that he actually said the horrible thing we are covering.

Meanwhile, Google is using their domination of the ad platform to cut their payout to smaller publishers so that what will soon be left is this chorus of Trump administration cheerleaders who, as but one example, report what the administration told them about Syria, instead of what people on the ground say about Syria.

Its confounding and incredible to watch so many entities with power work to protect Donald Trump, careless or perhaps indifferent to the real dangers he represents to the average person in this country.

Our country is sliding toward territory unexpected and unforeseen, and its being aided and assisted and indeed almost deliberately delivered to the overseer of propaganda and destroyer of the democracy upon which this country was founded.

Trump lies so much he spins the world upside down every day. He does this deliberately, to disorient people, and in that blank space where theyve gone to restore their sanity, he grabs more power.
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When Tanya Gurrieri reached a passage in Matt and Ted Lees new book, "Hotbox: Inside Catering, the Food Worlds Riskiest Business," detailing the multitude of allergy-related requests governing a high-end New York City event, she pressed down hard with her yellow highlighter. Its so true, the Salthouse Catering owner said.

Because event caterers take professional pride in keeping their egos small enough to fit into a mini tartlet shell, they dont often publicize the challenges they face in the course of making wedding receptions, nonprofit galas and corporate dinners appear effortless. Candice Wigfield, president of Hamby Catering & Events, likens her business to a duck in a pond: All thats visible is calm and grace, despite the bird paddling furiously underwater to stay afloat.

To extend the analogy, the Lees dove into the muck for their first foray into narrative nonfiction, working dozens of shifts with New York Citys top catering teams. The book is a must-read for caterers whove long waited for someone to empathize with their searches for electrical power in a grazing pasture and heavy cream at midnight.

But Charleston area caterers who at The Post and Couriers request gathered to discuss "Hotbox" say they hope party guests whove never been tasked with chopping seven hams into biscuit-sized slices will read it too.

Theyre not looking for pity. Instead, they maintain that catering clients will have better events if theyre acquainted with the industry and the skills of its leading players. And after all, as "Hotbox" makes clear, a caterers highest priority is creating an unsurpassed guest experience.

The Lees led the one-time meeting of the Hotbox Book Club at Fifteen Church St. B&B, which was attended by Gurrieri; Wigfield; Emma Lesesne-Booth, Duvall Catering & Events senior catering and event sales manager; Tom Donnelly, Duvall Catering & Events executive chef; and Caroline Bevon, owner of Carolines Market & Catering. (Chef Christopher Hyatt at the last minute had to deal with a dinner, which isnt unusual in a sector defined by unusual circumstances.)

Their lively conversation ranged from veganism to hurricane insurance, but a few themes emerged from the front-line stories they swapped:

1. Catering never gets easy.

Donnelly, who arrived with cheddar cheese croustades and teeny-tiny fried green tomatoes topped with pimento cheese, has been running events for more than 20 years. Yet he still isnt blase about what the work requires:

I was in bed reading ('Hotbox') and I had to stop because it was amping me up, and I was like, Im not going to go to sleep, he told the authors, referring to a scene involving hors doeuvres and tweezers.

Lesesne-Booth confirmed, That was when I literally got sweaty. I had to put the book down because I was getting anxious: Its not a bedtime story.

2. Caterers (at least the good ones) fade into the background.

Restaurant chefs get endorsement deals and profile treatment by glossy magazines. Catering chefs might get a cold beer at the end of the night.

But there are upsides to anonymity: The Lees felt vaguely violated when a grade school friend outed them while frying beignets for Nancy Pelosi, forcing them to surrender their hard-won invisibility. As Matt Lee elaborated, I didnt realize you could walk into Fort Knox wearing an ill-fitting chef jacket and scuffed-up clogs, because its presumed that youre bringing lunch.

Gurrieri nodded: I dont go anywhere without acting like Im working.

Want more untold stories from inside catering? Matt and Ted Lee will join Julian P. Van Winkle III of Pappy Van Winkle at the Charleston Library Society at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, to discuss catering and share stories from "Hotbox: Inside Catering, the Food World's Riskiest Business." The hour-long program is priced at $35 for members and $40 for non-members; the price includes a copy of the book. To purchase tickets, visit charlestonlibrarysociety.org or call 843-723-9912.

3. Caterers greatest fear is a visit from the health inspector.

Of course, caterers take food safety seriously. But ingenious solutions involving aluminum foil and kitchen tape arent always strictly in line with state codes.

To alert employees when an inspectors on the premises, We just came up with a code word, Lesesne-Booth said.

Like Godzilla? Gurrieri asked.

At one of the catering outfits covered by the Lees, the code word was the name of an employee who was on site when his company aced its inspection. Then, as the inspector was leaving, the employee popped a carrot in his mouth, wrecking the rare perfect score.

4. Caterers in Charleston have to deal with foodies.

These people were interesting, Lesesne-Booth said of a couple who at least two of the other caterers knew by reputation. They both work for a local restaurant, and so they both consider themselves foodies. And they kept saying, We just want an Anthony Bourdain kind of experience.

Nobody in the book group was certain what that meant, but couples who choose to get married in Charleston tend to fancy themselves knowledgeable eaters, and want guests to appreciate their discriminating culinary tastes.

They have usually traveled different places, and they want to incorporate bits and piece of that into their menu, but then they also want they also want traditional Lowcountry fare, Wigfield says. So weve got a little bit of fish sauce, and maybe something French from where he proposed. Its like this smorgasbord of weird things that dont go together.

Ted Lee said hes found that menus which are customized in minute detail rarely resonate with event guests: If theyre understanding that much of the story, theyre not having a good time.

5. Catering chefs are chefs, too.

Lesesne-Booth recommends that catering clients choose a chef whose food they enjoy, and then trust him or her to carry out their visions.

As Gurrieri puts it, You would never go into a restaurant and say, Gosh, would you prepare Mike Latas fried oyster sliders? Could you do those? I could, but its going to be my take on it, which isnt what you want. And I have like 16 pages of menus here, and theres nothing that you want?

Thirty years ago, Bevon said, it was easier, because event requests werent informed by nightly restaurant visits. Instead, clients put their faith in the caterer.

In 1985, we served the same thing at every event, Wigfield said. It was shrimp-and-grits and tenderloin and biscuits and Mrs. Hambys tea sandwiches.

6. Catering will always involve comfort food.

According to Matt Lee, both caterers and guests may have been better off when party menus werent so creative.

One thing that Ted and I were kind of amazed to discover is that what works best logistically at any kind of event is comfort food, he said. Do what people love: Dont make the food do somersaults.

In New York City, there is insatiable demand for pigs-in-blankets. Those are rarely served in Charleston, where clients are devoted to shrimp-and-grits.

Thats what guests want, Wigfield said. Something thats delicious and identifiable.

7. Caterers understand each other.

Each city speaks its own catering language: The terms which have spilled over from Spanish in the New York City catering sector are never used here, for example. But the nations caterers form a kind of community, even if theyre not always eager to acknowledge it.

In "Hotbox," the Lees tell the story of restaurateur Danny Meyer trying to make the leap into catering. He suggested to another caterer that they get lunch, and was essentially told, Were never going to be friends.

Charlestons catering scene is more cordial. I dont like when people say theres enough business to go around, but I do like my competitors, Gurrieri said.

If nothing else, theyre bonded together by the ability to find a thrill in overcoming obstacles so cleanly that clients never know something was standing in their way.

Its your job to make it happen, and make it happen very well, Bevon said. And thats what we do, with a smile on our face.
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LEXINGTON  The death penalty trial is set to begin this week for a South Carolina man accused of killing his five children and dumping their bodies off a dirt road in Alabama, but progress could be slow as the court searches for jury members unfamiliar with the high-profile case.

On Monday, a judge in Lexington County began the jury selection process in the case of Timothy Ray Jones Jr.  more than four years after Jones allegedly murdered his five children, ages 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8.

State prosecutors want to sentence Jones to death for the murders, which captured national attention after he allegedly spent nine days driving the bodies across four states before dumping them in a wooded area in Alabama.

Circuit Judge Eugene Griffith read the names of the five children early Monday afternoon and explained how Jones allegedly strangled or beat each one of them to death.

Jones, who was dressed in a button-down shirt, sat in silence as the judge explained each murder charge.

His lawyers, who sat next to him, have already filed documents in court saying they plan to argue Jones was insane.

In describing the charges, Griffith never mentioned the victims were Jones' children, and he didn't get into some of the more gruesome facts of the case.

That didn't prevent a large number of the potential jurors, who could hold Jones' fate in their hands, from recognizing the case.

Around 185 Lexington County residents arrived at the courthouse for jury duty early Monday morning. More than 80 of those people stood when the judge asked whether they read or viewed media reports about the murders or the desperate search that ensued before Jones was arrested in Mississippi.

"My primary goal is to pick an impartial jury," said Griffith, before warning the jurors not to read or talk about the case outside the courtroom.

"I don't need you investigating," he added. "You don't need anything to decide this case besides what is said in this courthouse."

Jury selection could take much of the week.

Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard, the lead prosecutor in the case, barely spoke during Monday's hearing. He will be front and center over the next several days as the team of prosecutors and Jones' defense attorneys argue over which jurors are chosen for the case.

With prosecutors seeking the death penalty, that fight could take a considerable amount of time.

September will mark five years since Jones led officers back to the bodies of his five children.

Jones, 37, previously of Red Bank outside Columbia, is believed to have strangled four of his children and beat the fifth child to death inside the family's trailer.

They were identified as Merah, 8; Elias, 7; Nahtahn, 6; Gabriel, 2; and Elaine Marie, 1.

Jones reportedly took to the highways carrying their bodies in plastic bags across multiple states, including North Carolina and Georgia, for nine days before dumping them in a wooded area in rural Alabama. He was arrested at a DUI checkpoint in Mississippi, where police said they found blood, maggots and children's clothes in his SUV.

Arrest warrants revealed that Jones said he had feared his children "were going to kill him, chop him up and feed him to the dogs."
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.
Jamie Lovegrove is a political reporter covering the South Carolina Statehouse, congressional delegation and campaigns. He previously covered Texas politics in Washington for The Dallas Morning News and in Austin for the Texas Tribune.
A lot of millennials move to the San Diego metro area, but it is not the top destination for Americas largest working generation.

Madison, Wis., had the largest percentage of millennials move to the region in 2017 at 75 percent, said a new study from the National Association of Realtors. The San Diego metro area had around 67.1 percent move to the area, said 2017 Census data analyzed by the association, making it the No. 13 destination for millennials out of 100 metros.

San Diego metro still had one of the highest percentages of millennials in the nation  27 percent  above the national average and bigger than most of the top destinations.

Yet, the data showed top regions millennials move to, in addition to Madison, were New Haven (Connecticut), Grand Rapids (Michigan), Syracuse (New York), Richmond (New York), Honolulu and Los Angeles.

"We see that millennials are moving to areas with strong employment and wage growth," said NAR economist Nadia Evangelou.

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Based largely on incomes, San Diego and Oxnard metros were among the least affordable places for millennials to own a home in California. Four percent of millennials who move to Los Angeles could afford a median price home, 6 percent in Sacramento and San Jose, 9 percent in Riverside and 15 percent in San Francisco.

Dayton, Ohio, was the most affordable metro for millennials to own a home. In 2017, 56 percent of new residents were millennials and 54 percent could afford to buy.

The places millennials moved to least in 2017 were all in Florida: Fort Myers, Lakeland, Palm Bay-Melbourne, North Port-Sarasota and Tampa.

While business leaders often warn about a loss of jobs to Texas from California, it appears millennials are not as sold on the benefits of the Lone Star State. Dallas was the No. 39 destination for millennials in 2017, despite 10 percent of those moving there being able to afford a home. Austin was the No. 48 destination with California-like affordability: Three percent of new millennials could afford a home.

Evangelou said a major purpose for the study is identifying if millennials will stay in place once they move somewhere. Part of that is seeing a large percentage of millennials already there, if they can afford to buy a home and income growth. Madison, Wisconsin, not only had the most millennials moving to the area but also the biggest share of millennials already there at 32 percent. Twenty-nine percent of those moving to Madison could afford a home, the Realtor study said.

"They dont stay in some places because they cant afford to buy (a home) and raise a family," she said. "Were looking for those people that want to raise a family in those places."

The Realtor study comes out at the same time as a report from Apartment List that addressed similar issues with affordability. The real estate website said housing markets across the nation were creating bigger gaps between rich and poor.

While the phenomenon is not new, researchers said the share of income going to housing is now further apart for the top earners and bottom earners when looking at data going back to 1980. Those who owned homes (typically higher earners) were seen as in a better position because they may have been able to refinance and income has increased relative to monthly payments. On the other hand, renters (typically lower earners) were seen as in rough shape because of rent increases outpacing income growth.

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In San Diego metro, the lowest 25 percent of earners pay 28 percent more in housing costs than the highest earners (the 10th percentile).

Based on 2017 Census American Community Survey, these are the metropolitan areas attracting the most millennials:

Madison, Wis.  74.98 percent

New Haven-Milford, Conn.  74.70 percent

Syracuse, N.Y.  73.30 percent

Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Mich.  72.70 percent

Richmond, Va.  70.50 percent

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Urban Honolulu, Hawaii  70.20 percent

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.  69.60 percent

Toledo, Ohio  69.40 percent

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif.  68.50 percent

Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.  67.90 percent

Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa  67.50 percent

Provo-Orem, Utah  67.30 percent

San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif.  67.10 percent

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.  67.10 percent

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Maine-N.H.  66.80 percent
LOS ANGELES  Noah Wyle has played heavy emotional moments over the years, whether in a hospital for "ER" or facing down an alien in "Falling Skies." None of the work he has done was as emotionally draining and stayed with him as long as his role in the eight-episode CBS series "The Red Line."

The series, set which debuted Sunday, follows three Chicago families as they journey toward healing after a tragedy connects them. That event is the death of Daniel Calders (Wyle) husband, who is mistakenly shot by a police officer (Noel Fisher). Daniel has to deal with his own grief while comforting their grieving adopted daughter, Jira Calder-Brennan (Aliyah Royale).

"Emotionally, I never turned it off," Wyle says. "It was just one of those things that moved me. It was one of those things where I cried at the table read. I cried at the rehearsal. I cried in every shot. The well never ran dry on this one because it felt really important to me in a way that I have never really experienced before. I decided if I was going to keep doing this for a living, I had to be willing to put myself out there."

Wyle wanted to take on the role because he wanted to be pushed as an actor. During filming, Wyle stayed away from the peace and love he would have found with his own family, opting to live by himself in a hotel. The hotel where he stayed was the target of protests over labor issues. Being awakened by chants for justice was a perfect way for Wyle to get ready for the job.

"The Red Line" looks at the social, racial and economic factors that exist in a city like Chicago and the fallout that happens when it looks like justice has not been served again. The shooting not only creates a divide in the Calder home, but sends ripples through the citys political system.

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Wyles been involved with television shows where he would see a run of four or five great scripts. He had never been involved with a project where all eight scripts were top quality until "The Red Line," co-created by Caitlin Parrish ("Supergirl") and Erica Weiss. The pair started working on a play 10 years ago called "A Twist of Water" that was set in Chicago with the main characters of Daniel Calder and Jira Calder-Brennan dealing with the death of his husband and her father.

"When we decided to turn this play into The Red Line, we were asking ourselves, How could we take these characters that we loved and the city that forged them and their story of perseverance and loss and turn that into a relevant and necessary conversation in television today?" says Parrish.

"And the conclusion we reached is that there are two Americas living side by side and many different privileges and justices experienced depending on which America happens to be yours. If theres a way to bridge the divide between them, maybe these characters were a good way to find that answer."

Wyle praises the pair for creating a story that doesnt take obvious turns. When he had doubts, the co-creators always were there to assure him while this was a different role, all he had to do was trust them that the end product would be worth the emotional toll.

Trusting the team behind the project fits with the approach to acting Wyle uses these days. The Los Angeles native was only 22 when he landed the role on "ER," making him one of the youngest members of the cast.

"I was just telling someone the other day about how if you wanted to have a long career in anything, you have to really figure out how to work with young people," Wyle says. "You cant be the guy who comes to work saying You kids dont appreciate (expletive). Back in my day, we did it like this.

"The Red Line" airs at 7 p.m. Sundays on CBS.
1994  25 years ago

 Mayo Clinic is now using the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite that NASA launched in September 1993. A number of Mayo specialists will use the technology as part of a yearlong series of experiments in the field of telemedicine  the practice of medicine using video communication technology to link patients and care-givers across great distances.

1969  50 years ago

 Jody Morton, an Owatonna High School senior and former Rochester resident, has been chosen 1969 Miss Owatonna. Miss Morton will now be eligible to enter the 1970 Miss Minnesota Pageant.

 Construction of an interchange at 16th Street Southwest and U.S. 52 is under way. Work on the Apache Mall interchange is expected to be completed this fall.

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 Former Democratic Vice President Hubert Humphrey and his wife, Muriel, will be among dignitaries at the May 17 grand opening of the new Sheraton Rochester Hotel.

1944  75 years ago

 Forty-three St. Charles High School seniors will graduate at commencement exercises on May 18. The baccalaureate sermon will be delivered by the Rev. O. Thompson of the Congregational church in the school auditorium at 8 p.m. on May 14.

 The treasury department has stated in a letter to Miss Belva Snodgrass that the junior high school is now eligible to fly the Schools at War flag. Because 98 percent of the students bought defense stamps in April, this honor was conferred upon the school.

1919  100 years ago

 Olmsted County wolf slayers will now receive an additional $7.50 as well as the state bounty for each full grown wolf killed.

 Rehearsals for the senior class play, "Fanny and the Servant Problem," are ongoing. It will be presented by the members of the class of 19 at the Metropolitan Theater on the evening of May 22.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys finished their closing arguments Monday in the trial of Mohamed Noor, leaving jurors to decide the fate of the ex-Minneapolis officer charged in the killing of 911 caller Justine Ruszczyk.

Noor is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Ruszczyk, whod called to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home on July 15, 2017.

She was shot and killed by Noor, one of the officers responding to her call that night.

In her closing arguments Monday, Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Amy Sweasy emphasized the tragic circumstances around the killing.

She highlighted inconsistencies in testimony between Noor and his partner that night, officer Matthew Harrity, especially on the question of whether Harrity had problems drawing his gun. "They both cant be right," she said.

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Sweasy pointed out that officers at the scene kept looking for a reason for the shooting. Then "silence started to set in."

She told the jury that the Noor case was "tragedy compounded" atop tragedy and offered "absolutely no recovery and no healing ... Ms. Ruszczyk, 40 years old, is gone."

Defense attorney Thomas Plunkett began his closing remarks by smacking a courtroom table, shouting and pointing his finger as if firing a gun.

"Thats the whole case right there," he said.

Noors defense attorneys have argued through the trial that he fired to protect his terrified partner after hearing a thump on the squad and then seeing a figure by the drivers side window raising an arm.

Prosecutors say the thump was a story made up later and that Ruszczyk, approaching the squad in her pajamas, could not have been considered a threat.

Plunkett told jurors the prosecution provided "lots of testimony but not necessarily a lot of evidence" to convict Noor. "Regardless of your decision, Mr. Noor is going to have to live with the fact that he took an innocent life. He will have to live with that. Its a tragedy but its not a crime."

Judge Kathryn Quaintance told the jurors they should consider whether Noor was justified in using deadly force based on what he knew when he fired his gun.

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The jury has been sequestered.

Really a threat?

Ruszczyks death sent shock waves across the United States and her home country of Australia. Some of her family members flew to Minnesota and have attended every day of the lengthy trial, watching from the gallery as police body camera videos of her last moments were presented, and as Noor took the stand to testify in his own defense.

Both sides used closing arguments to stitch together pieces of evidence theyve presented the jury the past few weeks to craft a narrative arguing for or against the charges.

Last week, the defense called two of Ruszczyks neighbors to the stand, who testified they heard noises in the area around the same time. One woman said she heard what sounded like a garbage can falling, then a pop.

The testimonies give credence to the defenses argument that Noor and his partner heard a thump that startled them.

On Monday, though, the prosecution described the bang on the car as a theory that originated with other officers who arrived at the scene and were struggling to understand how the shooting could have happened.

She said neither officer mentioned a noise until Noors partner talked with state investigators three days later, and there was no conclusive proof Ruszczyk ever touched the car.

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Last week, Sweasy pressed Noor on the stand when he testified that he shot at a "threat" to protect his partner.

"The whole blonde hair, pink T-shirt and all is a threat to you?" she asked.

Noor repeatedly said he was protecting his partner, acted according to his training and that he considered the totality of circumstances: the thump, potential for ambush, and a person raising her arm.

His testimony was supported by the defense expert witness, Emanuel Kapelsohn, who testified that officers dont have time to give commands before a suspect shoots.

"If you wait to see the gun appear," Kapelsohn said, "youre going to be shot with it."

Prosecutors challenged his credibility and questioned him in length about a case in Milwaukee where he testified against a police officer who used deadly force on a man who was resisting arrest.

Kapelsohn also told the jury the only way the shot wouldve cleared the bottom of the open drivers side window was with Noor rising up off of his seat, extending his right arm and shooting.

Outside the presence of the jury, prosecutor Patrick Lofton said last week the evidence goes to the intent and credibility of Noor whos been presented as "a hero saving Harrity."

Prosecutors have presented forensic evidence that showed Ruszczyks fingerprints werent found on the squad car, suggesting she never made contact with it, therefore giving the officers no reason to be startled.

They called two use of force experts who were critical of Noor. Former Charlottesville, Va., police chief Tim Longo said Noors actions were unreasonable.

"At the end of the day," he said of Ruszczyk, "this is a citizen who called the police seeking a public service, who has every right to go out (to the squad) and be sure that her community is safe."

Complicated charges

The charges against Noor when taken together are complex.

As courtroom attorneys seek to prove or disprove one charge, they undermine the case regarding another.

For example: Noor testified he rose up from his seat, put his left arm on his partners chest, presumably to protect him, and extended his right arm to fire at a specific person who he described clearly as a blonde woman in a pink shirt. This defends him against the third-degree murder charge, which has an element of a depraved mind. That is, someone shooting without knowing who their target is.

It doesnt help his defense against the second-degree, intentional murder, although as a police officer, he was authorized to use deadly force in certain situations. Protecting a partner would be one of those situations.

In closing arguments, the prosecution, however, could argue that the intentional act of shooting a 911 caller was negligent.

The prosecution has presented evidence to show no gunshot residue was found on Harritys uniform. Noor testified that he was trained to fire until the threat was gone. But he also said he got out of the squad car and, with Harrity, helped Ruszczyk to the ground.

Prosecutors seized on that to try and prove recklessness, which also goes to unintentional murder, as well as the manslaughter count.

The jury could have a hard time dissecting each of these counts, and doing it while weighing testimony from several police officers and Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents the prosecution criticized for the way they investigated the case.

The second-degree murder and third-degree murder charges are tough to prove, said criminal defense attorney Marsh Halberg, especially against a police officer.

Halberg, who attended most of the trial proceedings, said the defense has painted a vivid picture of two police officers worried about their safety  a "you werent there" kind of situation.

"Had it been a firearm, he wouldve been a hero because he wouldve saved his partners life," Halberg said. "Generally people are supportive of law enforcement."
According to the latest data from Enterprise Minnesota, a consulting organization that works with small and mid-sized manufacturing companies, the manufacturing industry in our state is thriving. Many of us are enjoying busy production lines and strong growth.

The vast majority of Minnesotas 8,300 manufacturers are small and mid-sized companies and nearly half of them are located outside of the Twin Cities. At Harmony Enterprises, we are the worlds third-largest manufacturer of balers, compactors and beverage extraction equipment and we ship to customers in more than 80 countries.

Although were in boom times now, our industry still faces challenges. Namely, there is a severe worker shortage  there simply arent enough people choosing a career in the trades.

Manufacturers need critical thinkers and proactive problem-solvers to keep our industry strong and positively impacting our communities. I encourage young people who are graduating now or adults who are considering a career change to take a fresh look at manufacturing.

In smaller communities like ours, manufacturing has a proportionately larger impact on the local economy because of our size and our commitment to the area. Our employees salaries are spent in the community and our company couldnt operate without area businesses that supply parts to us. We proudly purchase 98 percent of our parts and logistics from U.S. vendors, primarily based in the Midwest.

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When our employees told us that finding childcare was a challenge, we created a new local learning center and offered discounts to our employees to help alleviate the stress of managing work and family.

Communities with a strong manufacturing presence such as ours have an interdependent relationship with other businesses and citizens, and we rely on each other for success.

Because manufacturing and local communities are so tightly linked, its important for us to live out our values and support our community so we can keep exceptional workers and attract new talent. From the first day an employee walks through our door, we nurture their development to help them achieve personal success and to support the growth of our company. We build trust through honest communication with each other, which builds a healthy and safe work environment that retains quality employees  some of whom have worked with us for 30 or 40 years!

Partnerships are also important for raising awareness about the value, creativity, and fulfillment that a career in manufacturing offers.

Thats why we and many of our manufacturing peers value community partnerships that educate students (and adults) on the good-paying jobs that exist right in our backyards. In Rochester, we work with Journey to Growth to show young people that even if theyre not interested in welding, manufacturing has many career options that include finance, production, sales, engineering, design, marketing and more. In Winona, we partner with Minnesota State College Southeast to prepare seniors for their job search by conducting mock interviews. We partner with Fillmore Central High School in Harmony on vo-tech classes and an internship program that gives students a first-hand look at our industry  and we get the benefit of filling open positions with quality people who can be responsible for a variety of important job skills.

As an industry, manufacturing has had a negative stigma attached to it when it comes to accessibility, innovation, creativity and opportunity. My hope is that more students  and adults  see value in manufacturing and how it supports strong communities. Positive work climates, a variety of uses for talent and skills, and opportunities for career growth are just a few of the reasons why manufacturing deserves a second look.

We can all be proud of our strong manufacturing industry in Southeast Minnesota that provides quality employment and gives back to the areas in which we work and live.

If you want to learn more about the state of Minnesotas manufacturing industry, look for the results of the 11th annual State of Manufacturing survey that will be released May 14. The survey is the barometer of our industrys status in Minnesota and a report on the perceptions, opinions, challenges and successes we face in order to remain strong contributors to our local economies.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas condemns the shooting at Chabad of Poway in southern California.

While the exact details of the shooting are still unfolding, it is clear that this heinous act of terrorism marred another holy day with senseless bloodshed. One person was killed and several others are wounded. We pray for their full and speedy recovery.

Today (Saturday) marks six months to the day since the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were murdered, also on a Shabbat morning. In addition to Shabbat, today is the final day of Passover, one of four times per year when the Jewish Memorial Service, Yizkor, is recited. It is unthinkable that just as Jews in Pittsburgh and beyond were gathered to mourn those taken six months ago, the stillness of this holy day would again be shattered with a hateful act of gun violence.

We are also deeply disturbed as this attack comes in the wake of extreme violence directed at Christian worshippers in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday and Muslims at Jumuah (Friday prayer) in New Zealand. It is as critical as ever that houses of worship take appropriate measures to protect their communities from terrorism.

It has also been reported that the suspect in the California violence was an avowed white nationalist and antisemite. Like the murderers in Pittsburgh and New Zealand, it appears he was motivated by a conspiracy theory that is core to many white nationalists ideology. The "white genocide" or "great replacement" conspiracy theory absurdly asserts that a global cabal, led by Jews, is working to undermine the white race.

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In October 2018, the Jewish Community Relations Council hired its first full-time director of community security, Dan Plekkenpol. For 30 years, Dan served with the Plymouth, Minn., Police Department and for the past decade as their deputy chief. Dan is not only a resource for the Jewish community, but for our other local faith partners as well.

The JCRC continues to communicate with local, state, and federal law enforcement as it pertains to the Jewish communities of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The JCRC has also contacted Jewish organizations to provide up-to-date information about this incident and fulfill our mission of organizing Jewish community security.

Additionally, the JCRC is the lead advocate this session at the Minnesota Legislature for state funding to supplement the federal nonprofit security grant program (HF 1850/SF 2034). We are hopeful that the Legislature and the governor will come together to approve these urgently needed funds in the final public safety budget to enable at-risk houses of worship and other religious nonprofits to better safeguard all who gather at these centers of prayer and community.

Finally, we thank law enforcement and other first responders, both locally and in Poway, Calif., for their bravery and swift response to this incident.
As many Guam residents run around the island today, doing last-minute shopping for groceries and gifts, there will be people ringing up purcha Read more
POTTSTOWN  Autumn of 2021 is the earliest construction could begin on a new Keim Street bridge.

That was the estimate offered by Montgomery County Commissioners Vice Chairman Kenneth Lawrence during an April 23 Conversations with the Commissioners meeting in Pottstown.

The bridge was closed in October 2010 after two teams of engineers inspected the bridge and found it had significant damage to the rocker bearings, which allow the bridge to shift on its concrete piers.

The bridge connects Pottstown and North Coventry.

Montgomery County has 133 bridges but I know there is only one people in Pottstown want to hear about, and thats the Keim Street Bridge, he said.

One reason for the delay is that Keim Street Bridge has been deemed historic, so certain historic aspects have to be taken care of with the new bridge, Lawrence said.

The Pennsylvania Museum and Historic Commission has to have its say before the final design phase can begin.

A meeting on the Keim Street Bridge project is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22, at 4:30 p.m. at Montgomery County Community Colleges West Campus in Pottstown, according to Lawrence.

He said you can go to the county website http://www.montcopa.org/bridgeinfo to get updates

I know it must be frustrating because people dont see things happening, when they are happening, Lawrence said.

That frustration may be driven by the constantly changing estimates given for the new bridges construction.

In 2012, the bridge was listed on the countys five-year capital plan, which would have had construction beginning three years ago.

In 2013, county transportation planners said the design work could take until 2017 or 2018.

In 2016, Commissioners Chairwoman Valerie Arkoosh said construction will be starting in 2019 and it will take 18 months to build. At least we can give you dates that are real now. The bridge will open some time in 2020, we can say with a fair degree of certainty at this point.

In 2017, Lawrence said the bridge would not open until 2021.

And last week, the estimate he offered is that work would not begin before the fall of 2021 at the earliest.

One of the things that makes the project a slow one is that fact that 80 percent of the cost is being shouldered by the federal government the commissioners have said in the past.

And the federal rule book is a pretty thick one, particularly when it applies to historic bridges, Arkoosh said in 2016.

Another 15 percent of the cost, which has yet to be formally estimated, is being covered by the state and Chester and Montgomery counties are splitting the remaining 5 percent, although not evenly. Montgomery County is paying more.
NORRISTOWN  A former Latin teacher at Abington High School admitted to having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female student and awaits his fate from a judge.

Thomas Howard Kummer Jr., 56, who at the time of his arrest lived in the 400 block of Krewson Terrace in the Willow Grove section of the township, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court on Monday to felony charges of corruption of a minor and institutional sex assault in connection with incidents that occurred between July and September 2018.

The girl was 17 years old at the time of the sexual contact. Kummer had been a Latin teacher at the high school for 20 years, officials said.

Judge William R. Carpenter deferred sentencing so that Kummer can undergo a psychosexual evaluation and drug and alcohol evaluations as part of a presentence investigation.

Kummer faces a possible maximum sentence of 14 to 28 years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.

Regardless of the sentence he eventually receives, Kummer, under state law, faces a 25-year requirement to report his address to state police.

Kummer, who is represented by defense lawyer Matthew Sedacca, will remain free on $250,000 cash bail which he previously posted. The judge ordered him to have no contact with the victim or her family, or minors in general, as a condition of bail.

Kummer reportedly most recently resided with his parents in Phoenixville.

Assistant District Attorney Bridget Gallagher vowed to seek a lengthy prison term against Kummer.

Based on all the facts that we are aware of at this time and his role as a teacher, we are seeking a state prison sentence, Gallagher said on Monday.

An investigation of Kummer began on Sept. 26, 2018, after police received a report from a concerned citizen that Kummer was involved in a sexual relationship with a student under age 18, according a criminal complaint filed by Abington Detective Cindy Pettinato.

Kummer had been a chaperone during a June trip to Italy, which the student attended, court papers indicate.

A subsequent search of the teenage girls phone and computer showed 290 messages between Kummer and the student.

A great deal of these messages are romantic in nature and reference the two spending the night together, Pettinato alleged in the arrest affidavit.

During an interview by police, the girl said she and Kummer drank alcohol together during the Italy trip and began texting each other daily in July, according to court papers.

In the text messages Kummer allegedly wrote to the girl, Ive fallen in love with you and I think you should move in with me and We need to pick our steps, we need to protect ourselves, according to the arrest affidavit.

The girl told detectives that she and Kummer began to have a personal intimate relationship.

The sexual contact with Kummer occurred on at least 10 occasions, primarily at his Willow Grove residence, where they sometimes drank beer together, according to the criminal complaint. On at least five occasions the girl stayed overnight at Kummers residence, detectives alleged.

The victim also reported sending Kummer a photo of herself in a bra, according to the criminal complaint.

When Kummer learned Sept. 30 that investigators had taken the students phone and laptop, he asked the victim if the messages between them had been deleted and indicated he was completely freaked out and was considering fleeing. He had previously told the girl, I always have 2 emergency tickets to the Caribbean and said he wanted to be on a plane with her, according to court documents.
NORRISTOWN  A jury convicted a Douglass (Berks) woman of charges she burglarized a Pottstown residence and stole items from a parked vehicle in the borough.

Marissa A. Kulp, 27, of the 400 block of Old Philadelphia Pike, was convicted in Montgomery County Court of charges of burglary, criminal trespass, theft from a motor vehicle and theft by receiving stolen property in connection with incidents that occurred in the 200 block of Beech Street in the borough on Oct. 11, 2018.

The jury, after a two-day trial, acquitted Kulp of a single charge of theft by unlawful taking.

Judge Risa Vetri Ferman, who presided over the trial, deferred sentencing Kulp until later this year and ordered that Kulp undergo drug and alcohol evaluations as part of a presentence investigation.

Ferman increased Kulps bail to $250,000 cash and Kulp was taken to the county jail where she will remain until time of sentencing unless she posts the increased bail.

An investigation began after Pottstown police responded a home in the 200 block of Beech Street about 9 p.m. when the resident reported he awoke to discover an open door to the residence. When the man checked the first floor, he discovered items, including an open umbrella and a leather purse, in the kitchen area, items that did not belong to him, according to the criminal complaint filed by Pottstown Police Officer Gregory Fritz.

He stated that nobody should be in the house, Fritz alleged.

When police checked the basement of the residence they found Kulp hiding there and she was in possession of a flashlight, according to court documents.

The resident stated that he didnt know who the defendant was and didnt give her permission to be in the house, said Fritz, adding the resident reported that his drivers license, credit cards, house key and medication were missing. Items in the kitchen had been rummaged through.

During the investigation, police also discovered that a vehicle, parked in front of the home that had been burglarized, was entered illegally. The owner of the vehicle verified someone had gone through and taken property from her car, Fritz alleged.

Some of the property that was in the kitchen and not being owned by the resident was identified as the missing items from the car, including the umbrella, Fritz wrote in the arrest affidavit.

Kulp faces a possible maximum sentence of 151/2-to-32-years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.
NORRISTOWN  A Norristown man will be under house arrest and faces a lengthy license suspension after he admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol, a second such offense, in the borough.

Bobby Swittenburg, 49, of the 500 block of Norris Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 60 months in the countys intermediate punishment program, the first three months to be served under house arrest, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with a November 2017 incident.

The remainder of the 60-month period of supervision will be spent under intensive probation.

Judge Steven C. Tolliver said Swittenburg also faces an 18-month license suspension, must continue and complete a substance abuse counseling and treatment program and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Court documents indicate Swittenburg had a blood-alcohol content of 0.242 percent, three times the legal driving limit of 0.08 percent, at the time of the Nov. 17, 2017, incident in the area of Swede and Marshall streets. The arrest also marked Swittenburgs second DUI offense, according to court papers.

An investigation of Swittenburg began about 9:15 p.m. when a motorist flagged down police at the intersection, court documents indicate. The witness told police that Swittenburgs Chevrolet Trailblazer was traveling east on Marshall Street when it clipped the witness Saturn which was traveling west on Marshall Street.

When Swittenburg didnt stop, the witness made a U-turn and followed Swittenburgs vehicle and placed his vehicle in front of Swittenburg so he could no longer drive forward, according to the criminal complaint filed by Norristown Police Officer Samantha ONeill.

At this time, Swittenburg tried to drive over a curb and thats when I arrived on scene, ONeill alleged. Swittenburg immediately exited his vehicle and had an unsteady gate, bloodshot eyes, a strong odor of alcohol emanating from him.

When police asked Swittenburg if he had been drinking, Swittenburg allegedly stated, Yes, according to the arrest affidavit.

Swittenburg agreed to a blood test that determined his elevated blood-alcohol content and police placed him in lockup at the police station to await processing and sobriety for his own safety and the safety of the public.
The prosecution briefly called its two experts back to the stand on rebuttal. Prosecutor Amy Sweasy and defense counsel Tom Plunkett made their closing arguments. Judge Quaintance instructed the jury. Without a break for lunch, Judge Quaintance then told the jury at 2:00 p.m. that the case is in their hands. Sequestered for deliberations, the jury now considers the two murder and one manslaughter charge against Mohamed Noor.

The Star Tribune summarizes yesterdays events in court here, MPR here. Here are the highlights along with my thoughts and impressions.

 The prosecution recalled experts Derek Hunter and Timothy Longo to the stand. Having viewed Noors testimony  Noors first public account of events  in court last week, each reiterated his testimony that Noors use of force was unreasonable

 Hunter rejected Noors claim that Noor relied on his training to shoot Justine. On cross-examination, defense counsel Peter Wold suggested that Hunter was invested in the prosecution based on the 600 hours he had spent advising the Hennepin County Attorney on the case. When Peter noted each of the events that allegedly prompted Noor to fire, including Harritys reaction to whatever he saw, Hunter asserted: Each officer has to analyze the threat.

 Longo too testified that his opinion remained unchanged. Noor had not testified to facts reasonably making out the threat of death or great bodily harm. Justines alleged raising of her right arm didnt create an apparent threat.

 Longo relied in part on defense expert Kapelsohns description of the steps necessary to draw a pistol from a level-3 holster (if that is what happened). Contradicting a defense theme, Longo stated: It took a whole lot more than a split second.

 Longo testified that there was no obvious or visible threat of death or great bodily harm. The standard for the use of deadly force is the same regardless of the officers experience on the job. Minneapolis Police Department Policy places preeminent value on the sanctity of life. The sanctity of Justines life was disregarded.

 On cross-examination, Peter returned to the fear Noor allegedly saw in Harritys eyes as Harrity allegedly struggled to unholster his weapon. (Harrity testified to no such trouble.) Didnt Harritys reaction support Noors perception of the risk? Pulling the weapon out is different from firing it  which is what happened here, Longo testified.

 That is where Peter ended his cross-examination. Im not sure my notes have the quote quite right, but it was a high point for the prosecution. Longo was the voice of sanity in this case.

 The lawyers made their closing arguments after Judge Quaintance instructed the jury. Sweasy took about 75 minutes, Plunkett about 90. Because it has the burden of proof, the prosecution gets the last word before the jury retires. Sweasy took another 15 minutes in rebuttal.

 What did Justine do wrong? The only thing Justine did was walk up to a squad car carrying an iPhone in a gold case, according to Sweasy.

 We have presented you everything that is knowable about this case, Sweasy told the jury. You saw absolutely everything.

 Sweasy made a powerful point regarding the many officers who arrived on the scene following the shooting. None of them could understand it. No explanation was forthcoming from the officers themselves. I would say the only explanation we have on the scene is Harritys: Justine spooked them. If there were an explanation, Sweasy emphasized, that would have been the time to say it.

 Sweasy talked a lot  too much  about the problems with the investigation.

 Sweasy discussed the slap turned thump turned loud bang. There is no proof it occurred, she told the jury, which isnt quite true. No two people have described it the same, she continued. Now that is true.

 Sweasy described Noors testimony as practiced. Noor had two themes: he had to make a split-second decision (this comes out of the Supreme Court case on the lawful use of deadly force, by the way) and he relied on his partner.

 Sweasy discussed the visible evolution of Noors testimony this past Thursday and Friday. She used the Noors testimony on the stoner bicyclist as one of her most powerful examples. She also talked about the inconsistencies between Harritys and Noors testimony.

 She talked about the inconsistencies between Harritys. On Noors own testimony, Noor easily made out Justine as the blonde in the pink t-shirt standing by the drivers side of the squad. By this point, I noted, Sweasy had lost the jury, but I had the same reaction to Plunketts closing. I thought the jury tuned him out too.

 Sweasy went through the three charges and along with Minnesota law on the authorized use of force by officers. She asserted that the jury should return guilty verdicts on all three charges.

 Then Plunkett took center stage. He banged counsel table. He exclaimed Oh, Jesus. This case is the perfect storm. Thats the whole case. I dont think thats a great metaphor for this case, but Plunkett didnt even bother to explain it. What if I dont know what a perfect storm is?

 Milliseconds. These are all the facts that matter.

 Plunkett repeatedly characterized the facts of the case as a tragedy, not a crime. This was a motif of his closing argument.

 Plunkett emphasized that Noor didnt have to see a gun reasonably to believe that Harrity was at risk of death or great bodily harm.

 Plunkett attacked the prosecutions case as sideshows and red herrings. This soon morphed into slideshows and red herrings.

 When he allegedly saw Justines hand being raised, Noor had to assume it was bad.

 If Justine had a gun, we wouldnt be here. Plunkett actually said that. Instead the case presents a barefoot woman in her pajamas calling the police to help a third-party. The innocent woman wound up dead in the alley courtesy of the police. If Justine hadnt called the police, shed still be with us.

 What we dont have here is a crime, Plunkett asserted.

 Plunkett didnt explain what a perfect storm is, but he did explain what a red herring is. A red herring is something from law school, he explained. What law school did he go to?

 Plunkett itemized the many red herrings in the prosecutions case. What about the slideshows?

 Sweasy had stood before the jury with the lectern at her left side. She spoke to the jury with the aid of a few notes on the lectern. Plunkett readjusted the lectern to stand and front of it read much of his closing from a text. It was disorganized, lengthy, weak.

 Unlike Sweasy, however, Plunkett did address the burden of proof. Beyond a reasonable doubt, he said, is the level of evidence you would need to make a serious medical decision affecting your kids, he said. I thought Sweasys failure to address the burden of proof was a mistake.

 Plunkett played a (false) race card from the bottom of the deck. Plunkett alleged that the prosecution had injected race into the case with its characterization of Justine as a blonde in a pink t-shirt. In her rebuttal, however, Sweasy hammered Plunkett for this. The characterization came straight from Noor on the witness stand this past Thursday. No one could have missed it.

 Once again, Plunkett asserted, the case is a tragedy, not a crime.

 Do not compromise, Plunkett urged the jury. Return three not guilty verdicts.

The jury is out. I shall return in part 20 of this series with the jurys verdict.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are demanding that, when Attorney General Barr testifies about the Mueller report, he do so under extraordinary conditions. They want to depart from the norm whereby committee members get five minutes each per questioning session and they want Barr to answer questions posed by committee attorneys (in addition to answering the ones committee attorneys will write for the members).

Barr has balked at these conditions. Reportedly, he might not agree to testify under them. A DOJ spokesperson says that discussions with committee Dems are ongoing.

According to the Washington Post, the last time committee lawyers questioned Cabinet officials during open hearings was in the mid-1980s when Attorney General Meese testified about Iran-Contra. Thats more than 30 years ago. Democrats were in charge of the relevant committee back then, too.

I have two thoughts about the current controversy. First, its not William Barrs fault if the Democrats dont have enough skillful questioners on the Judiciary Committee to conduct effective examination of a witness.

Second, it shouldnt take an Edward Bennett Williams to question Barr. According to the Post, the main subject of interest here is Robert Muellers report and, in particular, alleged discrepancies between the report and Barrs short summary of it.

But the Mueller report speaks for itself, and Barr did not write it. Barrs summary also speaks for itself. It there are discrepancies between the report and the summary (there are not), committee members should be able to point them out. If they need help, committee attorneys can identify them for the members.

If the issue is why didnt Barr include this or that bit of information in his report, such questions are easily asked. If the issue is Barrs legal conclusion that the facts described in the Mueller report dont amount to obstruction of justice, Barrs analysis is straightforward. If members want to argue with Barr about it, they can do so. But special expertise in examining witnesses is not required where the issue is a matter of law, not fact.

I have looked forward to Barrs testimony because Im confident he will demonstrate the unreasonableness of the Democrats attacks on him. However, the Democrats, by demanding exceptional procedures, have doubled-down on unreasonableness. Therefore, I hope Barr sticks to his guns.
 Oh no! The 50th anniversary Woodstock music festival has been canceled!

After rumors of cancellation continued to circulate after festival organizers postponed the ticket on-sale date last week, Woodstock 50 will officially not take place in 2019. The 50th anniversary of the original legendary event was set to take place in Watkins Glen, NY, with an eclectic mix of artists like Dead & Company, Santana, The Killers, Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper, Miley Cyrus and many more. One headliner, The Black Keys, had already dropped out of the lineup even before the ticketing pushback. As Billboard reports, representatives from Dentsu Aegis Network, the organization funding Woodstock 50, released a statement confirming the festivals cancellation: As a result and after careful consideration, Dentsu Aegis Networks Amplifi Live, a partner of Woodstock 50, has decided to cancel the festival, the statement reads. As difficult as it is, we believe this is the most prudent decision for all parties involved.

Darn, there goes my idea of opening a booth outside the festival offering LSD suppositories for the aging baby boomers who want to re-live wallowing in the mud. No time to wallow in the mire, The Doors told us, but as my mentor Stan Evans liked to say, You make time to wallow in the mire!

 Joe Biden is said to have made his first mistake on the campaign trail when he supposedly remarked that he wanted to make America straight again. Doesnt he realize thats Melanias job?

 Maine Senator Susan Collins infuriated the left when she came out in support of Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court nomination, and she has drawn a challenger for re-election. And she better look out!

Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins finally has a Democratic challenger for the 2020 election cycle after progressive activists vowed to unseat her for voting to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Bre Kidman, a part-time attorney and artist, filed on April 20 to run against Collins for one of Maines U.S. Senate seats, reported The Washington Free Beacon.

Kidman is an organizer for Maine Educationalists on Sexual Harmony (M.E.S.H), an organization founded to create a holistic integration of sex and identity and to (re)build a stronger community united with sex-positive awareness. M.E.S.Hs website describes Kidman as a queer feminist lawyer, mermaid, writer, activist, and artist. However, on Facebook, Kidman refers to herself as a criminal defense attorney by day and radical fat queer/performance artist/model/musician/activist most other times. I cant understand why Kidman isnt running for president. The Democratic field as it stands right now clearly doesnt include this much diversity.

 Now heres a site youre going to want to bookmark: A University Title Generator. Give it a whirl. I came up with these on my first two spins:

JOHN adds: I just want Steve to know that his funniest line ever: Doesnt he realize thats Melanias job? did not go unappreciated!

STEVE responds: Glad to hear. I wasnt sure how many people would pick up that joke.
Across the country, left-wingers are demanding that politically-incorrect statues be taken down and buildings and landmarks be renamed. Here in Minnesota, the most notorious such instance is Lake Calhoun, the largest of the famous chain of lakes in Minneapolis. Hardly anyone knew it until a few years ago, when leftists began agitating, but the lake was named in the early 19th Century after then-Secretary of War John C. Calhoun. We have written about the controversy several times, e.g., here and here.

The leftists were successful: Minnesotas Department of Natural Resources renamed Lake Calhoun Bde Maka Ska. How do you pronounce that? I have no idea. A friend emailed:

I was in Barnes and Noble where there was a display of books for Bde Maka Ska, like a beach read. A lady asked a clerk, How do you pronounce that? The clerk said, Calhoun.

But the DNR pressed on, removing all of the signs around the lake and replacing them with Bde Maka Ska signs. Meanwhile, a group of neighbors sued. Earlier today, Minnesotas Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the DNR acted illegally. Under Minnesota law, after 40 years only the legislature can change the name of a lake. Which wont happen.

One of the interesting things about the Lake Calhoun controversy is that, unlike statues in formerly Confederate states, no one imagines that Minnesotans ever favored slavery. On the contrary, Minnesota joined the Union just in time to contribute heroically to the Union cause in the Civil War, and contributed the first volunteers to the Union army.

More on todays decision by my colleague Tom Steward at the American Experiment web site.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido appeared Tuesday with troops at a Caracas military base to announce a final phase to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office. Whether we have entered the final phase of removing Maduro, or indeed whether he will be removed at all, remains to be seen. But, as the leftists of my youth used to say, if you dont push it, it wont fall.

The Washington Post provides a list of the things it says we know:

 Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton expressed U.S. support for the opposition.  Maduro said the military has remained loyal; government leaders denounced a coup attempt by a reduced group of military officials and warned of a counterattack.  Guaido urged supporters to take to the streets for nonviolent action and claimed to have a list of names of military officials who support him.  Tear gas was fired in clashes between the sides, and one hospital said it was treating six people for injuries.

What we dont know is whether a critical mass within the military supports the removal of Maduro. That, I think, is the key question.

As noted above, the U.S. support Guaido. Vice President Pence tweeted, Estamos con ustedes! We are with you! However, the U.S. doesnt seem prepared to support the overthrow of Maduro with its troops (nor should it be, in my view). Therefore, our words may not count for much. We were also with the Hungarian people when they rose up against Soviet domination in 1956.

The Hill reports that, according to Secretary of State Pompeo, Madurors inner circle is looking for an exit strategy in Venezuela. Thats the prudent thing to do. But it doesnt mean they will need to use one, only that they are taking precautions.

Given the almost unimaginable deterioration of living conditions in Venezuela, one might well think that Maduros removal is inevitable. But military members may believe that they personally will fare better under the current regime than under one headed by Guaido.

Some military leaders may believe that a third way, in the form of a military coup, is the best option. For them, the smart play might be to quash the present uprising, dispense with Guaido, and make their move later on.

I dont know whether anyone is seriously considering this option. However, in theory, at least, the removal of Maduro does not entail the installation of Guaido.

I believe his installation is the best option for Venezuela, though. Lets hope he succeeds with the bold bid hes making today.
This report provides prognosis and analysis of the aircraft pumps market. It offers historical data along with forecast data for 2027.

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In order to dissert the market scenario prevailing across the aircraft pumps market sector, FactMR has evenly presented a new examination titled Aircraft Pumps Market Revenue Growth Predicted by 2018 to 2027 | Key Players are Crissair Inc., Weldon Pump LLC., Crane Aerospace & Electronics, etc. , to its extensive online repository. With all vital market facets enclosed into this single assessment, readers can learn about different market drivers, opportunities and trends which are likely to influence the overall market space for the aircraft pumps market in the coming years. In addition, factors such as market size, Y-o-Y growth and revenue share are investigated so as to make this research highly authentic and reliable.Appeal/Demand for Sample Report - https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2908 Established players continue to consolidate their position in the aircraft pumps market, accounting for approximately two-fifth share. Technologically advanced and customized product designs, along with the development of highly-efficient and lightweight aircraft pumps are key focus areas of these players, with an aim to remain compliant with regulations on emissions. On the other hand, regional and local aircraft pumps manufacturers are focusing on new product development, and cost-effective solutions to sustain their position in this highly competitive market. Some notable developments in the aircraft pumps market have been listed below.Triumph Group Inc. has recently sold its APU Repair Product Line (RPL) of Triumph Aviation Services Asia, Ltd. to TurbineAero, Inc. With this business transaction, Triumph aims at divesting its non-core business to compensate with its debts, and invest in latent opportunities.In 2018, Woodward Inc. acquired LOrange GmbH for 700 million from Rolls-Royces Power systems business.Cascon has recently rolled out its Series of 300-100 pump models, to provide affordable aerospace solution for fuel and coolant pumping applications.The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) estimates consumption of jet fuels in the country to reach 40 million tons by 2020-end. In response to environmental concerns related to jet fuel consumption, the CAAC plans on using nearly 12 million tons of biofuels in aircrafts, thereby creating opportunities for relevant component manufacturers.The report on the aircraft pumps market provides detailed profiling of key players, including Eaton Corporation plc, Honeywell International Inc., Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Cascon Inc., Triumph Group, Inc., Crissair, Inc., Zodiac Aerospace, Weldon Pump LLC, and Woodward, Inc.For Additional Insights Click to Access Complete Report - https://www.factmr.com/report/2908/aircraft-pumps-market Significant growth in passenger and freight air transport is driving the demand for new aircrafts, consequently increasing competition between manufacturers in terms of performance optimization and reduction in maintenance and operational cost. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates the number of air travelers to close in on approximately 7.2 billion by 2035, with most of the traffic coming from Asia Pacific. IATA further projects China to overtake the US as the largest aviation market by 2024.As conventional aircrafts are fast being replaced with new fuel-efficient variants, aircraft pump manufacturers are increasingly focusing on developments in terms of high-pressure lightweight attributes. Jet pumps continue to witness significant adoption in aircraft fuel systems, owing to their greater reliability, and absence of moving parts, which further deprives the probability of failure. Growing customer base combined with low operating costs is likely to benefit aircraft components manufacturers and OEMs in future. Airlines are increasingly opting for lightweight pumps that can improve fuel-efficiency. Additionally, growth in air passenger traffic is leading to shorter replacement cycle, this is driving demand for aircraft pumps by Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) industry.More Electric Aircrafts (MEA) are now being widely recognized as the future of aerospace industry, to meet increasing power demand, improving fuel economy, and reducing emission. Aircraft manufacturers are taking significant efforts to convert hydraulic and pneumatic components in airplanes to electric. This has further resulted in robust adoption of electric motor-driven aircraft pumps, owing to their easy adjustment of input shaft power, and reduced power loss from source.Sensing the shift, Aircraft component are focusing on enhancing their production capacity of electric motor driven pumps, while envisaging future evolutions in more electric aircraft technologies. The Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research has set a goal to reduce 50% carbon dioxide emission in air transportation in Europe by 2020.With the advent of more electric aircraft designs, defense aircraft integrators and users continue to focus on reduced operational cost combined with easy maintenance checks, which has further complemented the replacement of mechanical and hydraulic systems with electrical variants. Aerospace companies are increasingly investing in MEA technologies while closely working with research organizations, to develop next-generation products and aircraft components.For Any Query or Concern, Access this Link - https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=2908 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/
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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Aston Bay Holdings Ltd.(TSX-V: BAY; OTCQB: ATBHF) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company"), through its wholly owned subsidiary Blue Ridge Mining Inc.("Blue Ridge" or "BRM"), is pleased to announce that it has completed its initial drill program on its recently acquired Buckingham Gold Property located in Central Virginia, USA.A total of 878 meters were drilled in six drill holes targeting gold-bearing quartz veining and disseminated mineralization.Sampling of the core is ongoing, with results anticipated in the coming weeks."The program was initiated quickly and executed smoothly," stated Thomas Ullrich, CEO of Aston Bay."The drilling tested a small area of a larger gold anomaly.We look forward to the results setting a solid foundation for further exploration and drilling in this area." QUALIFIED PERSONAs per National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Michael Dufresne, M.Sc., P.Geol., P.Geo., a Director of and a consultant to Aston Bay, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has prepared, validated and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release.The Company strictly adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines in conducting, documenting, and reporting its exploration activities on the Company's Aston Bay and Blue Ridge Mining Projects.ABOUT ASTON BAY HOLDINGS LTD.Aston Bay is a publicly traded mineral exploration company exploring for large, high-grade, copper, zinc and precious metal deposits in Nunavut, Canada and Virginia, USA.The Company is led by CEO Thomas Ullrich with exploration directed by Chief Geologist Dr.David Broughton, the award-winning co-discoverer of Kamoa-Kakula and Flatreef, in conjunction with the Company's advisor, Don Taylor, the 2018 Thayer Lindsley Award winner for his discovery of the Taylor Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit in Arizona.The Company is 100% owner of the 1,024,345-acres (414,537-hectares) Aston Bay Property located on western Somerset Island, Nunavut, which neighbours Teck's profitable, past-producing Polaris (Pb-Zn) Mine just 200km to the north.The Aston Bay Property hosts the Storm Copper Project and the Seal Zinc Deposit with drill-confirmed presence of sediment-hosted copper and zinc mineralization.The Company has also acquired the exclusive rights to an integrated dataset over certain prospective private lands at the Blue Ridge Project, located in central Virginia.These lands are located within a copper-lead-zinc-gold-silver mineralized belt, prospective for sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) and Broken Hill (BHT) type base metal deposits, as well as Carolina slate belt gold deposits.Don Taylor, who led the predecessor company to Blue Ridge and assembled the dataset, has joined the Company's Advisory Board and will be directing the Company's exploration activities for the Blue Ridge Project.The Company's public disclosure documents are available on www.sedar.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSStatements made in this press release, including those regarding the completion of the acquisition, management objectives, forecasts, estimates, expectations, or predictions of the future may constitute "forward-looking statement", which can be identified by the use of conditional or future tenses or by the use of such verbs as "believe", "expect", "may", "will", "should", "estimate", "anticipate", "project", "plan", and words of similar import, including variations thereof and negative forms.This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect, as of the date of this press release, Aston Bay's expectations, estimates and projections about its operations, the mining industry and the economic environment in which it operates.Statements in this press release that are not supported by historical fact are forward-looking statements, meaning they involve risk, uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements.Although Aston Bay believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which apply only at the time of writing of this press release.Aston Bay disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by securities legislation.We seek safe harbour.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 news release.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:Thomas Ullrich, Chief Executive OfficerTelephone: (416) 456-3516Sofia Harquail, IR and Corporate DevelopmentTelephone: (647) 821-1337SOURCE:Aston Bay Holdings Ltd.
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The report on Automotive Fuel Tank Market Forecast, Trend Analysis and Competition Tracking  Global Review 2017-2022 offers unbiased intelligence on various market segments including assessment on tank types, tank capacities, sales channels and vehicle types. The extensive report on automotive fuel tank market provides in-depth analysis on various market trends, drivers and restraints influencing the growth of the market. Moreover, the report includes historical data analysis along with current market scenario and forecast projections for a period of five years, starting from 2017 till 2022.With exceptionally booming adoption for SUVs, MPVs, and sedans, plastic will remain at the forefront of demand in automotive fuel tank market. At the highest estimated CAGR over 2017-2022, plastic automotive fuel tank sales are expected to equate the revenue within the range of US$ 28-30 Bn towards 2022 end. Aluminum and steel automotive fuel tanks will continue to lose opportunities owing to incompatibility in terms of lightweight, fuel efficient vehicle economy.Request Free Sample Report Here:Although low-priced, steel or other metals fail to offer the design freedom and flexibility that often accompanies plastics. Plastic based automotive fuel tank is almost 30% lightweight than metal based automotive fuel tank, contributing significantly to the lightweight vehicular trend in the automotive space. Moreover, plastic automotive fuel tank covers better impact protection and conveniently integrates within the automotive system architecture. A myriad attributes are expected to allow plastic to maintain the lead over steel and aluminum to be used in manufacturing of automotive fuel tanks.Market Segmentation by Material TypeThis part of the report elaborates on the assessment of automotive fuel tank market on the basis of material type  plastic, steel, and aluminum. Insights on the revenue and market share, and yearly growth are provided.Market Segmentation by CapacityThis chapter offers automotive fuel tank market analysis by capacity  less than 45 L, 45-75 L, and above 75 L. The report offers information about market share, revenue share, and Y-o-Y growth of these sub-segments.Market Segmentation by Sales ChannelRevenue, market share, and yearly growth insights have been included in this section of the report that offers analysis of the automotive fuel tank market by sales channel  OEM and aftermarket.Market Segmentation by Vehicle TypePassenger car (PC), LCV, and HCV are the key sub-segments of automotive fuel tank market on the basis of vehicle type, for which the market sizing and forecast insights are provided in the report.Market Segmentation by Geographical RegionThis chapter of the automotive fuel tank market report covers regional analysis of the market and covers six chief regional market, viz. North America, Europe, Latin America, Japan, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, and Middle East and Africa.Browse Full report with TOC:Emerging Markets  A Lucrative Opportunity for Automotive Fuel Tank ManufacturersSignificant rise in sales and manufacturing of vehicles continue to remain instrumental in driving sales of automotive fuel tank. BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries are witnessing a substantial growth in their automotive sector on the back of growing demand from customers for passenger cars. Moreover, rising trading activities coupled with growing industrialization have spurred the demand for commercial vehicles, in turn providing potential avenues of growth for automotive fuel tank manufacturers. Moreover, stakeholders are targeting China, one of the worlds biggest automotive market owing to its enormous fiscal stimulus.The report includes complete assessment on key players involved in the manufacturing of automotive fuel tank. The section on competitive landscape can offer vital insights to the reader revealing SWOT analysis, product portfolios, product innovations and developments, key strategies and key financials of major companies. Few of the companies profiled in the report include Magna International Inc., Compagnie Plastic Ominum SA, Yachiyo Industry Co. Ltd., and YAPP Automotive Parts Co. Ltd.Have Any Query?? Ask Our Industry Expert:
As per a recent report Launched by TRENDS MARKET RESEARCH the''Bone Marrow Processing Systems Market Unit Sales to Witness Significant Growth in the Near Future By 2018 to 2025''

PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-30 22:47:50

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Bone marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy are usually performed on the back of the hipbone, or posterior iliac crest. An aspirate can also be obtained from the sternum (breastbone). For the sternal aspirate, the patient lies on their back, with a pillow under the shoulder to raise the chest. A trephine biopsy should never be performed on the sternum, due to the risk of injury to blood vessels, lungs or the heart.The need to selectively isolate and concentrate selective cells, such as mononuclear cells, allogeneic cancer cells, T cells and others, is driving the market. Over 30,000 bone marrow transplants occur every year. The explosive growth of stem cells therapies represents the largest growth opportunity for bone marrow processing systems.Europe and North America spearheaded the market as of 2018, by contributing over 74.0% to the overall revenue. Majority of stem cell transplants are conducted in Europe, and it is one of the major factors contributing to the lucrative share in the cell harvesting system market.Get More Information About : https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3374 In 2018, North America dominated the research landscape as more than 54.0% of stem cell clinical trials were conducted in this region. The region also accounts for the second largest number of stem cell transplantation, which is further driving the demand for harvesting in the region.Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness lucrative growth over the forecast period, owing to rising incidence of chronic diseases and increasing demand for stem cell transplantation along with stem cell-based therapy. Japan and China are the biggest markets for harvesting systems in Asia Pacific. Emerging countries such as Mexico, South Korea, and South Africa are also expected to report lucrative growth over the forecast period. Growing investment by government bodies on stem cell-based research and increase in aging population can be attributed to the increasing demand for these therapies in these countries.Request For Table of Contents : https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/requesttoc/3374 Major players operating in the global bone marrow processing systems market are ThermoGenesis (Cesca Therapeutics inc.), RegenMed Systems Inc., MK Alliance Inc., Fresenius Kabi AG, Harvest Technologies (Terumo BCT), Arthrex, Inc. and others.Report Description: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/bone-marrow-processing-systems-market View More : HEALTHCARE, PHARMACEUTICALS & MEDICAL DEVICES
PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-30 23:21:54

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BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Bright Mountain Media, Inc. (OTCQB: BMTM), a digital media holding company whose primary focus is connecting brands with consumers as a full advertising services platform, announced today that on April 25, 2019, it entered into an amended non-binding letter of intent ("LOI") to acquire Inform, Inc. in an all stock transaction.Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Inform, Inc. provides data-driven technology solutions for the syndication and monetization of contextually relevant, personalized premium video content. Inform seeks to solve the industry's supply challenge for premium video by creating new video streams and impression opportunities across the most desirable online publishing destinations in the United States. Inform, Inc. has aggregated a digital audience which provides ad buyers with near certainty in reaching target demographics.The closing of the transaction in which we will issue a maximum of 25 million shares of our common stock is subject to a number of conditions precedent, including satisfactory due diligence by us, the execution of definitive agreements, including an employment agreement with Mr. Greg Peters, the Chief Executive Officer of Inform, Inc., andthe exchange of approximately $15 million of notes for shares of our common stock at $2.27 per share;the exchange of bridge note debt of approximately $1.1 million plus a premium for shares of our common stock at $2.27 per share;the closing of a financing by us directed to certain Inform legacy shareholders with ninety percent of the proceeds being loaned to Inform for working capital purposes; andthe closing of a financing of approximately $4 million by a to be determined FINRA dealer with proceeds being used for our working capital needs following the Inform acquisition.Between February 2019 and April 2019, we have lent Inform an aggregate of $544,500 under the terms of 6% promissory notes which mature on June 30, 2019. These notes are secured by the pledge of stock in Inform, Inc. by Mr. Peters.Kip Speyer, Chairman and CEO of Bright Mountain Media, said, "Recognizing the long history of Inform, the quality of its technology and the value of its digital audience makes this acquisition, if consummated, a unique opportunity for Bright Mountain. This will represent a powerful opportunity for Bright Mountain Media to bring under one umbrella the complete Inform Video Technology and consolidate administrative and other operations." Mr. Speyer added."Today's announcement with Bright Mountain is very exciting for Inform. Kip and his team have identified the significant potential in our Video Value Proposition and our technology," said Greg Peters, Founder, and CEO of Inform. "I look forward to joining the Bright Mountain management team and believe this acquisition will help both companies accelerate our growth and accomplish our business goals." The closing of the acquisition is subject to customary conditions precedent including satisfactory due diligence by Bright Mountain, the execution of definitive agreements, including an employment agreement with Mr. Peters, and approval by the Inform, Inc. stockholders. The LOI is non-binding and there are no assurances that Bright Mountain Media consummate the proposed acquisition of Inform, Inc. Stockholders and investors should not place undue reliance on the LOI.ABOUT BRIGHT MOUNTAIN MEDIABright Mountain Media, Inc. (BMTM) is a digital media holding company whose primary focus is connecting brands with consumers as a full advertising services platform. Bright Mountain Media's assets include an ad network, an ad exchange platform and 25 websites (owned and/or managed) that provide content and services.Additional information about Bright Mountain Media can be found at: https://www.brightmountainmedia.com Forward-Looking Statements for Bright Mountain Media, Inc.This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as ''should,'' ''may,'' ''intends,'' ''anticipates,'' ''believes,'' ''estimates,'' ''projects,'' ''forecasts,'' ''expects,'' ''plans,'' and ''proposes, '' and similar words. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements made with respect to expectations of our ability to close the proposed acquisition of Inform, Inc., any the realization of any expected benefits from such transaction if closed. You are urged to carefully review and consider any cautionary statements and other disclosures, including the statements made under the heading 'Risk Factors' in Bright Mountain Media, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 12, 2019 and our other filings with the SEC. Bright Mountain Media, Inc. does not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statements except as may be required by law.PRESS CONTACTSBright Mountain Media:Maria Montiglio+1 (561) 998-2440maria@ brightmountainmedia.com SOURCE: Bright Mountain Media
This report provides prognosis and analysis of the light towers market. It offers historical data along with forecast data for 2027.

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PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-30 13:43:43

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In order to dissert the market scenario prevailing across the light towers market sector, FactMR has evenly presented a new examination titled Light Towers Market Projected to Witness Vigorous Expansion by 2018 to 2027 | Industry Players are Allightsykes Pty Ltd, Allmand Brothers Inc., Multiquip Inc. etc. , to its extensive online repository. With all vital market facets enclosed into this single assessment, readers can learn about different market drivers, opportunities and trends which are likely to influence the overall market space for the light towers market in the coming years. In addition, factors such as market size, Y-o-Y growth and revenue share are investigated so as to make this research highly authentic and reliable.Appeal/Demand for Sample Report - https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2477 Atlas Copco introduced a renewed version of the exclusive ultra-quiet LED light tower HiLight B5+ light tower in the year 2018. With noise levels as low as 55 dBA, this product is meant to be used for deployment in urban and residential segments. Wacker Neuson SE signed an agreement in the year 2017 to acquire KLC dealership in Slovakia. This strategic move of the organization was aimed at expanding its direct sales network in Europe. Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd. entered into an agreement in the year 2016 to acquire the German compact construction equipment business of Terex Corporation for approximately US$ 60 million. Generac Holdings Inc. completed its previously announced acquisition of Mexico City-based Selmec Equipos Industriales S.A. de C.V. and its subsidiaries from private equity fund Enesa Energia S.A. de C.V. and Enesa S.A. de C.V. in the year 2018The report on light towers market also profiles other players operating in the light towers market. These include Terex Corporation, Allightsykes Pty Ltd, Allmand Brothers Inc., Multiquip Inc., Westquip Diesel Sales, The Will-Burt Company, Wanco, Inc., and Inmesol Gensets, S.L.The light towers market is moderately-consolidated landscape, with tier 1 players accounting for nearly 38-41% revenue share. Significant barriers for entering into the market such as high manufacturing costs and stringent environmental regulations have created favorable circumstances for the established players to retain their buoyancy in the light towers market space.The tier 1 players remain highly attentive toward research and development for offering economically and environmentally responsible products and services in line with the end-user specifications. With mergers and acquisitions being key elements of their strategies, the tier 1 companies also remain oriented toward expansion of customer outreach with seamless product differentiation.Companies offering light tower rental services are focusing on meeting end-user demand. With tremendous reformations witnessed by the light towers market in the past few years, the rental companies are vying to keep up with latest trends to get the best returns on their investments. One of such noticeable trends is the shift from traditional laydown mast to vertical mast design.For Additional Insights Click to Access Complete Report - https://www.factmr.com/report/2477/light-towers-market The vertical mast orientation, on the back of its upright position, facilitates transportation of maximum units per trailer, thereby resulting in reduced shipping costs. Moreover, a vertical mast also entails minimum set-up owing to its upright configuration, which helps in significant savings in terms of time. From the end user perspective, a vertical mast has been equally beneficial as it enhances safe and easy deployment on the job site with no congestion.Lighting requirements for outdoor construction sites are leading to increased adoption of light towers, which enables the workers to carry out their tasks till late evenings in a hassle-free manner. Safety remains one of the key factors necessitating adoption of light towers across outdoor construction sites to facilitate substantial illumination.While the preference of fixed light towers remain unchanged, deployment of portable light towers is on a consistent rise across multiple construction sites. With the demand for portable light towers witnessing a sharp rise, it is highly evident that competition between the manufacturers will get intensified, in terms of offering the handiest products at affordable rates.End users, with an objective of having greater coverage of light, are showing a marked preference for LED lights and moving away from metal halide lights. LED lights continue to gain considerable prominence among contractors owing to their exceptional service life and instant on/off capabilities.Another major feature of LED light responsible for fostering its popularity is longer life cycle as compared to that of a metal halide light, which results in enhanced performance. LED lights are also being highly sought-after on the back of their superlative fuel efficiency, twice as that of metal halide lights, which makes them capable of operating twice as long on the same quantity of fuel.For Any Query or Concern, Access this Link - https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=2477 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: 2019-04-30 14:32:23

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INCLINE VILLAGE, NV / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / LithiumOre ( http://lithiumore.net) (the ''Company''), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oroplata Resources, Inc. (OTCQB: ORRP), a lithium resource exploration and development company, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Doug Cole was recently interviewed by Proactive Investors, a UK-based online investor services company that provides analytics, market reports, and company and industry profiles.Doug Cole tells Proactive Investors that the Nevada-based lithium explorer has drilled down to 2,500 feet at its lithium project in Railroad Valley, Nevada. Cole says the Company is looking to drill to 3,000 feet by next week, and is pleased with the progress its drilling partner Welsco Drilling has made thus far.To see the video interview in its entirety, please visit:Made in America, LithiumOre holds 1,300 lithium mineral claims, totaling 26,000 acres, located in Railroad Valley of Nye County, Nevada. Railroad Valley is approximately 112 miles northeast of Clayton Valley and can be accessed by paved highway directly from U.S. Route 6. Railroad Valley is one of Nevada's largest trapped basins and is noted to hold all the necessary commercial and engineering prerequisites for a massive lithium brine deposit. The Company's claims have been evaluated by experts and the BLM and are in planned on-site exploration.LithiumOre, Corp.LithiumOre ( http://lithiumore.net) , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oroplata Resources, Inc. (OTCQB: ORRP), is a lithium resource exploration and development company, whose primary focus is the establishment of a low cost production base to supply the rapidly growing lithium-ion battery industry for both mobile devises and laptops, as well as the burgeoning EV (electronic vehicle) industry. LithiumOre is focused on becoming a substantial, profitable lithium producer via the timely development of valuable production-grade lithium brine deposits in Nevada.For more information, please visit: http://lithiumore.net Forward-Looking StatementsThis 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 expected project economics for Western Nevada Basin (Railroad Valley), including estimates of life of mine, average production, cash costs, AISC, initial CAPEX, sustaining CAPEX, pre-tax IRR, pre-tax NPV, net cash flows and recovery rates, the impact of self-mining versus contract mining, the timing to obtain necessary permits, the submission of the project for final investment approval and the timing of initial gold production after investment approval and full financing, metallurgy and processing expectations, the mineral resource estimate, expectations regarding the ability to expand the mineral resource through future drilling, ongoing work to be conducted at the Western Nevada Basin (Railroad Valley), and the potential results of such efforts, the potential commissioning of a Pre-Feasibility study and the effects on timing of the project, 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 a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information, unfavorable exploration results, inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices, final investment approval 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 Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018. The Company assumes no obligation to update any of the information contained or referenced in this press release.Contact InformationCorporate:p775-434-4744info@ lithiumore.net Investors:p917-658-7878IR@ StratConAdvisory.com SOURCE: Oroplata Resources, Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-30 16:35:56

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BRIDGEWATER, NS / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2019 / Silver Spruce Resources Inc. ("Silver Spruce" or the "Company") (TSXV: SSE) (Frankfort: S6Q1) is pleased to announce that it has received the assays from confirmation samples taken by a third-party, arm's length company at the two, large potential bulk tonnage targets, El Terrero and the Gossan areas on its Pino de Plata project in western Chihuahua State, Mexico. The Company contracted Prospeccion y DesarrolloMinerodel Norte, S.A. de C.V. ("ProDeMin") to complete detailed geologic mapping, sampling and reconnaissance at the project under the direction and supervision of Qualified Person, Dr. Craig Gibson, Ph.D. The field program is complete, and three assays from seven rock-chip samples taken during the program returned three over-limit values for silver and two over-limit values for lead, which further confirm the presence of high-grade mineralization at the project. Assaying and multi-element analysis was conducted by ALS Global in Vancouver, B.C.*AgEq (Silver Equivalent) calculated using silver and lead values only: Ag price US$15.10/troy ounce and Pb price US$0.875/pound @ 26 April 2019, per www.kitco.com closing bid prices.Please see geologic map of Pino de Plata project with recent sample locations here: http://www.silverspruceresources.com/i/maps/pdp/pino-de-plata-geology-2019.jpg "We are very pleased with the results from the recently completed field program at Pino de Plata. In addition to the discovery of new vein targets and the significant expansion of the large target areas of El Terrero and the Gossan, assays of samples taken by ProDeMinverify the tenor of existing mineralization in two large areas that may host significant mineralized tonnage. With the data generated during this program we are now prepared to drill Phase I with greater confidence," stated Karl Boltz, CEO of Silver Spruce.ProDeMin Field Program ObjectivesThe main goals achieved for the completed field program were to:Conduct limited confirmation sampling of known mineralized locations at El Terrero and the Gossan areas, andDetermine the extent of outcropping alteration at the El Terrero and the Gossan areas, andInvestigate the existence of additional veins and mineralized structures, andUtilize a portable XRF (x-ray fluorescence) analyzer and a NIR (near-infrared) spectrometer to obtain immediate indications of mineralization, pathfinder elements and associated alteration that occur at known target areas, andAnalyze geological, XRF and NIR data to refine drill hole locations and orientations.The first objective of additional, third-party confirmation of mineralization at El Terrero and the Gossan areas is complete and very successful.Analysis of XRF and NIR data continues with conclusions and proposed drill hole collars and orientations progressing. Cross sections of planned drill holes are being produced and will be presented shortly. The final report from ProDeMin with results of the field program will be posted on the Company's website as soon as completed.El Terrero-La Perla TargetThe El Terrero structure is confirmed to be a low angle structural zone in the intrusion and could host significant tonnage. This 800 m x 400 m (32 hectares) zone appears to consist of a wide zone of multiple flat-lying brecciated zones hosted by a zone of strong argillic alteration observed extending from the El Terrero workings to the La Perla and Sierpe veins.Field reconnaissance, mapping and sampling produced indications that the expanded 800 m x 400 m area of intrusive alteration identified at El Terrero may extend and be continuous with the expanded 600 m x 400 m(24 hectares) area of gossan to the east. A drill hole is now planned to confirm this. It will be oriented to drill under the shallow cover of volcanic rocks to the west of the Santa Clara vein to reach the targeted mineralization below.The Gossan AreaThe Gossan area measures about 24 hectares and provides a second, large scale, potential bulk tonnage target. One recent sample taken from a quartz vein in the eastern Gossan area assayed 255 g/t Ag with anomalous Cu and Pb. Mapping in the Gossan area has further delineated and expanded the contact between intrusive rocks and hornfels. Mapping indicates that the gossan may have formed along north-south and easterly-trending structural zones as seen at the other targets at the project. Drilling is planned to test for massive sulfide replacement bodies along these structures as well as the contact zones with hornfels and limestone at the Santa Elena target where skarn is observed.Historical Sampling at Pino de PlataSeveral reports dated February 1985, October 1998 and May 1989 prepared by the Servicios Geologicos de Mexico ("SGM"), the Mexico equivalent of the USGS, show that the historical workings at El Terrerooccur along about 100 metres of the zone and extended for about 50 metres down dip along the relatively flat-lying structure. SGM surface sampling averaged 0.1 g/t Au, 206 g/t Ag, 0.6% Cu, 1.3% Pb, and 0.14% Zn for an average sample width of 1.15m (10 samples), and 16 samples in the workings averaged 0.04 g/t Au, 206 g/t Ag, 2.5% Cu, 1.7% Pb, and 1.2% Zn over an average sample width of 1.1m.Previous sampling by Silver Spruce yielded values up to 553 g/t (17.8 opt) Ag and 1.4% Pb. These samples also returned anomalous values of gold (Au), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu).Please see table of previous sample assay highlights here: http://www.silverspruceresources.com/i/pdf/reports-and-tables/Selected-Assays-PdP.pdf Silver Spruce was attracted to the 397 hectare project by the assays originally presented by the previous owner, a private Mexican citizen and professional metallurgist.The previous owner presentedassay certificates from various Mexico laboratories, including ALS Chemex, Comision de FomentoMinero, now part of SGM, and several other labs, that spanned the period between October 1983 and January 2012. The assay values ranged up to 26.4 kilograms per tonne silver, 31% lead, 19.9% zinc, 18.4% copper and 8.2 grams per tonne gold (Please see Company news release of 20 March 2019). Of the approximately 173 sample assays presented by the owner, 80 had values of between 100-1,000 g/t Ag. An additional 38 sample assays were over 1,000 g/t Ag up to 26,400 g/t Ag or as much as 2.64% silver.These previous owner assay data have not been independently verified and should not be relied upon as representative of the average grades present on the project. The samples we
As per a recent report Launched by TRENDS MARKET RESEARCH the''Polyglycolic Acid Market Unit Sales to Witness Significant Growth in the Near Future By 2018 to 2027''

PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-30 22:38:38

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Our report gives analysis and forecasts of polyglycolic acid market on the international and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2014 along with forecast between 2018 and 2027 based on volume and revenue. The market in North America and Europe has been forecast in terms of volume (tons) and revenue (US$ Mn). Glycolic acid or hydroxyacetic acid is prepared from the reaction between Chloroacetic acid and sodium hydroxide. Polyglycolic acid or PGA also known as polyglycolide is a polymer composed by polycondensation of glycolic acid. They are mainly used in cosmetic formulations, household and industrial cleaning products and in medical sutures.The study provides a critical view of the polyglycolic acid market by segmenting it based on applications and regional demand. Application segments have been analyzed based on current trends and future potential. Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. These have been further sub-segmented into countries and areas by applicability to the market. The segmentation also includes demand for individual applications in all regions.Further the report includes probable opportunities in the polyglycolic acid market on the global and regional level.Get More Information About : https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3365 Our research have included a detailed value chain analysis to provide aexhaustive view of the polyglycolic acid market. Analysis of Porters Five Forces Model has also been included to help understand the competitive scenery in the market. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, wherein applications have been benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness for future growth.Predilection to adapt to new technologies has been accounted for while estimating demand for polyglycolic acid in individual regions.Prices considered for calculation of revenue are average regional prices obtained through primary quotes from regional suppliers, distributors, and direct selling regional producers based on manufacturer feedback and application requirement.A reactionaryaccess has been adopted in this study to estimate demand for PGA in light of the information available pertaining to Kureha Corporations scale of operations. Companies were considered for the market share analysis based on their product portfolio, revenue, and manufacturing capacity. The polyglycolic acid market for medical applications is unorganized; few companies manufacture PGA in limited quantities.Request For Table of Contents : https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/requesttoc/3365 Our report covers a detailed competitive perspective that includes market share and company profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Kureha PGA, LLC, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Huizhou Foryou Medical Devices Co., Ltd., and Teleflex, Inc. Company profiles include aspects such as company overview, brand overview, financial overview (in terms of financial year), business strategies, and recent/key developments.Polyglycolic Acid Market (Segmentation)Polyglycolic Acid Market (By Application)Medical, Packaging, Shale Gas Extraction, Others (Including Agriculture, Civil Engineering Resins, and Filters)Polyglycolic Acid Market  (By Geography)North America, U.S., Rest of North America, Europe, Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Spain,Rest of Europe,Asia Pacific,China,Japan,ASEAN,Rest of APAC,Latin America,Brazil,Rest of LATAM,Middle East & Africa,GCC,South Africa,Rest of MEAReport Description: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/polyglycolic-acid-market View More : CHEMICALS & MATERIALS
PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-30 08:02:02

PolyProx Therapeutics Raises 3.4m Seed Financing to Validate Novel Class of Drugs to Treat Cancer

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PolyProx Therapeutics, a new biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer, today announced that it has raised 3.4m of seed capital.

A spin out of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge, PolyProx Therapeutics is based on over a decade of research and intellectual property from Founder, Professor Laura Itzhakis laboratory. Professor Itzhaki is joined at PolyProx Therapeutics by serial Cambridge biotech entrepreneurs Kevin Moulder as Chief Operating Officer and Andrew Sandham as Executive Chairman.

PolyProx Therapeutics will develop a new class of drugs, called Polyproxin molecules, that are able to selectively target tumour cells and trigger the natural degradation machinery contained within the cell to arrest tumour growth.

Polyproxin molecules target disease-causing proteins within tumour cells and trigger pathways to eliminate these proteins, thereby halting further growth of the tumour. This approach has the potential to address cancer targets that have proven untreatable using current technologies, important in major diseases such as lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. The technology behind this approach uses protein scaffolds to link a targeting entity at one end and a degradation trigger at the other, assembled in such a way as to allow access to the tumour cell and recyclable activity.

The financing, which was co-led by Cambridge Innovation Capital plc (CIC), RT Capital and Cambridge Enterprise, will support research operations to validate the technology across a range of tumour targets over the next two years.

Professor Laura Itzhaki, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, PolyProx Therapeutics commented: We are thrilled to have closed the seed round, and this will enable us to grow the PolyProx team and further develop our technology over the next two years. Our platform, which harnesses the cells natural protein degradation pathways, should allow access to many hard-to-drug targets and enable screening of molecules against these targets more quickly than existing approaches. We are excited to continue the discovery process in our labs at the Babraham Research Campus as we enter the next phase of our development.

Christine Martin, Investment Manager at Cambridge Enterprise, said: It is exciting to help spin out Professor Itzhakis outstanding and impactful research from the University. This is a great technology that is poised to address the elusive difficult to drug section of the proteome to ultimately bring patient benefit.

Sohaib Mir, Principal at Cambridge Innovation Capital, added: PolyProxs technology offers the potential to broaden the druggable proteome, thereby encompassing a range of highly validated therapeutic targets for which there are no existing drugs. This exciting new company, underpinned by world-class science and deep intellectual property, is characteristic of businesses emanating from the Cambridge ecosystem. We look forward to working with PolyProxs experienced team as the company advances.

PolyProx Therapeutics is based at the Babraham Research Campus and is currently recruiting. For more information please visit: www.polyprox.com

- Ends -

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190429005

PolyProx Therapeutics, a new #biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel #biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of #cancer, today announced that it has raised 3.4m of seed capital | #cambridge #biotech #financing @PolyProX
Moji Adeyeye, the Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Monday said the federal government would pay more than N1 billion as compensation to the companies that had their codeine impounded more than a year ago.

Mrs Adeyeye disclosed this on Monday in Lagos at a news conference to debunk a newspaper report that 70 per cent of medicines in Nigeria are fake.

Mrs Adeyeye said that there were about 2.5 million seizures of codeine made across the country, adding that government is working out compensations for the affected companies.

It is about a year ago when the documentary about codeine was made which led to the Ministry of Health banning the product.

Since that time, we have been having series of meeting with many government agencies and committees such as National Security Adviser group, the Presidency and the Ministry of Health.

The final point is that we recalled about 2.5 million bottles of codeine and then put them on hold. This is sad because some companies did not commit the crime.

So we put all the codeine on hold including the powder that they are using to the syrup. It will cost about N1 billion plus to reimburse these manufacturers, she said.

Mrs Adeyeye said that government was already working on the reimbursement plan, adding that the agency is working round the clock to stem the manufacturing, distribution and use of substandard and fake drugs in the country.

We are working on whatever the Ministry of Health is doing now to reimburse those companies affected. We just called a meeting about last two weeks on it.

 they will be reimbursed because most of them legally produce the product in spite of the bad distribution channels.

In tackling fake and substandard products, we do raids and many a time, our staffs dont sleep, they keep vigil, mainly to intercept those drugs in concert with the Nigerian Customs Service.

We are also working with the local manufacturers to make sure that their products attain the international standard, she said.

On the fake news attributed to NAFDAC that 70 per cent of medicines in Nigeria are fake, Mrs Adeyeye said that the legal department of the agency would see to it.

She said that a study jointly carried out by NAFDAC, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) in 2005 revealed that fake medicines stood at 16 per cent.

She added that a survey conducted by NAFDAC in 2017 and 2018 on some widely used drugs showed that Nigerian medicines were 98 per cent wholesome.

She therefore described the report as untrue and grossly inaccurate.

(NAN)
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, has said the Community Health Influencers Promoters and Services (CHIPS) programme would be replicated across Nigeria by December.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that CHIPs should be replicated in all the 36 states and the FCT.

Mr Shuaib made this known on Monday in Abuja during the annual review meeting of the CHIPs programme.

CHIPS is a community-based initiative designed to consolidate and harmonise all community-level healthcare interventions and services under the guidance of the federal government.

The programme was first inaugurated in Nasarawa State by President Buhari.

Mr Shuaib said the programme is aimed at minimising the huge gap around human resources for health at the community level in order to deliver the most basic services to the under-served rural population.

As we roll out the CHIPS programme across the states by December, we will be making a giant leap when it comes to providing basic health care, he said.

The agency also honoured the Ministers of Health, Isaac Adewole, and the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Abubakar, as CHIPS Champions.

Mr Shuaib said no society makes progress without recognising the efforts of its citizens.

He said the agency recognised the outstanding work the Minister of Health had been doing to strengthen the primary health care system.

In his remarks, the UNICEF Country Director, Mohammed Fall, said CHIPS is going to be a game changer in Nigeria.

Represented by Annis Siddique, Mr Fall said it would change the narrative about maternal health, neonatal deaths, and many other public health challenges.

He said development partners were heavily involved with the agency and federal ministry of health in their efforts to address maternal and neonatal deaths in Nigeria.

He applauded Nigeria for winning the fight against the spread of polio in the country.

The project manager on CHIPs, Nana Sanda, said the results so far have been encouraging.

We have seen a positive trend, as there is an increase of 45 per cent in Ante Natal Care attendance in Nassarawa State.

There is also an increase in family planning uptake, he said.
The Kaduna Police Command has confirmed the abduction of Muhammad Mahmood, the chairman of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and his daughter, along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway.

The force, in a press statement by its spokesperson, Yakubu Sabo, said the abduction occurred around 3.30 p.m. on Monday.

Police said Mr Mahmoods driver died in the attack.

A graphic video seen by PREMIUM TIMES showed a man said to be the late driver in a pool of blood while security operatives and passersby looked on in pity.

The police said the attackers, dressed in Army uniform, abducted Mr Mahmood and his daughter.

Today 29/04/19 we received information through DPO Katari that at about 1530hrs, he got a distress call that Armed Men in military uniform intercepted a Land Cruiser Jeep with Reg. No 07E o4 FG and Toyota Sienna with Reg. No SLJ 465 TN at Kurmin Kare Village along Kaduna  Abuja Express Way, the police statement said.

They opened fire on the vehicles, and in the process, the driver of the jeep was shot dead while the occupants; Dr. Muhammad Abubakar who is the chairman of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and his daughter were kidnapped.

The occupants of the Sienna; one Alowonle Olalere and Onuka Victor both of Ibadan Oyo State were injured and rescued to Katari Police Station. They were said to be returning from Kano where they went to shoot a film titled the last step, the statement reads.

Hussaini Danladi, an aide to the UBEC chairman, had earlier told PREMIUM TIMES that the attack occurred in the afternoon.

My boss has been kidnapped. I received the information around 3.30 pm. He was going from Kaduna to Abuja.

Up till now they (the kidnappers) have not reached and we are still waiting for information, he said.

Rescue effort ongoing  Police

The police said they have mobilised officers to the area in a bid to arrest the perpetrators and rescue the abductees.

Combined Teams of PMF Men, Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Command, Special Forces and Operations Yaki were quickly mobilized to the area with a view to combing the bush for possible rescue of the victims and arresting the criminals. IGPS IRT was also contacted for technical support in tracking the hoodlums. At the moment, the two vehicles were recovered to station.

The Commissioner of Police CP Ahmad Abdur-Rahman appeals to members of the public to support the Police with relevant information that could assist in apprehending the perpetrators of this heinous act.

He said the Command will not be deterred in its efforts to bring crime to the barest minimum in the State. CP Ahmad said the hoodlums are only testing our collective will an
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for travelling to the UK on a private visit without transmitting power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The reason for the presidents trip was not disclosed by the presidency which simply said it was a private visit and Mr Buhari would returrn on May 5.

Many observers, however, believe the president travelled to see his doctors in the UK where he has received treatment for about one year of his four years in office.

Unlike during such previous trips, Mr Buhari did not transmit power to Mr Osinbajo as required by Section 145 of the Constitution.

President Muhammadu Buharis private voyage out of the country without transmitting power, as required by the constitution, is an act of dereliction, which confirms that theAll Progressives Congress (APC) and the Buhari Presidency are not interested in governance but seeks to vacate our constitutional order and foist an authoritarian system on our country, the PDP said in a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan.

The opposition party said such trip at a time Nigeria was witnessing major cases of insecurity was not a good one.

Mr. Presidents abandoning of governance, particularly at this critical time when our nation is facing grave security and economic challenges, signposts the level of impunity and recklessness that will characterize our nation in the next four years, if the stolen Presidential mandate is not retrieved from the APC.

Attacks by bandits, kidnappers, Boko Haram, as well as ethnic and religious crises across the country have created a state of insecurity across Nigeria.

The latest occured on Monday when motorists were attacked by armed bandits along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway. Many travellers are belived to have been kidnapped.

The victims include the chairman of the board of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Muhammad Mahmood, and his daughter. Mr Mahmoods driver was killed in the attack.

In its Monday statement, the PDP alleged that Mr Buharis decision not to transmit power to Mr Osinbajo had created a vacuum that would be filled by a cabal in the presidency.

The import of this relegation of Section 145 is also a clear absence of a constitutional command structure which leaves our nation at the mercy of the extremely corrupt, vicious and anti-people cabal with whom President Buhari presided over the most corrupt and most incompetent administration, which wrecked our economy, divided our nation and opened her up for escalated insecurity, it said.

While the PDP criticised Mr Buhari for not transmitting power, it was silent on the fact that Mr Buharis civilian predecessors, who were PDP members, also travelled out of the country often without transmitting power to their vice presidents.

Ex-Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and late Umar YarAdua at different times travelled outside the country without transmitting power to their vice presidents.
At least five Nigerian soldiers were feared killed and dozens more missing after Boko Haram fighters invaded a Nigerian military base in Borno State.

The attack on April 26 occurred at a forward operating base in Mararrabar Kimba, an agrarian community roughly 130 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital. The base was manned by the Nigerian Army 254 Task Force Battalion under the 25 Task Force Brigade, a crucial outpost in the Operation Lafiya Dole.

At least eight soldiers were gravely wounded and heavy military hardware were carted away in the attack, a military source told PREMIUM TIMES.

Faulty weapons, combat trucks

The soldiers put up resistance at the earliest stage of the attack, but most later fled into the bush due to faulty weapons and combat trucks, sources said. The number of missing troops could not be established as of Tuesday morning, but a military source estimated dozens.

It was also unclear whether some of the troops had returned to base, but a search and rescue team had been activated, sources also said.

All the officers killed or wounded in action were evacuated to a military medical facility in Maiduguri on April 27.

Troops put on heavy resistance but were overpowered by faulty equipment and vehicle breakdowns, another senior military source told PREMIUM TIMES of the incident. The officials declined to be identified because the military was yet to publicly confirm the attack.

Deadly convoy

The insurgents entered the base in a convoy of 15 gun trucks, officials said. They left with military trucks, binoculars, grenades, assault rifles and ammunition, sources said.

The spokespersons for the Nigerian Army and Defence Headquarters did not answer telephone calls seeking comments Tuesday morning. But a public relation official for the army said the military top brass was still studying the attacks aftermath.

The attack came as the military was celebrating repeated successes against the insurgents.

Scores of Boko Haram fighters had been reportedly killed amidst a military push to drive them out of their remaining strongholds and sleeper cells across Nigerias North-east.
The programme aimed at preparing newly-elected and returning governors for the task of governance opens for the second day this morning at the State House in Abuja.

The event is organised by the secretariat of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).

According to the organisers, the initiative is aimed at supporting incoming governors to develop key governance and management skills that will enable them to transition from campaigning to managing the processes of governance.

Todays event will open by 9:30 a.m. with a recap of yesterdays event.

Yesterday, various sessions were held on how governors can chart their roadmap into leadership and governance.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in his speech, urged states to earn more internally generated revenue (IGR) to support the efforts of the federal government.

Mr Osinbajo spoke on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari. He also spoke in his personal capacity.

Mr Osinbajo said Mr Buhari has made it clear that he will focus on human development in the next four years.

The highpoint of yesterdays event, however, was when some development partners, during the final session, took turns to intimate the incoming governors on various grants worth millions of dollars that they can access if they meet certain criteria.

The development partners are African Development Bank (AFDB), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), DFID, GIZ, UNICEF, USAID, World Bank and Dangote Foundation.

They said these grants are mostly free if the counterpart demands are met.

A separate programme for the wives of the new governors on etiquette and protocol will hold on Wednesday, the final day of the event.

PREMIUM TIMES will bring you live coverage of todays programme.

LIVE UPDATE

Activities are about to commence on Day 2 of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) induction for new and returning governors.

Todays discussion will focus on the economy and anti-corruption battles.

An official, Thor Ibrahim, is currently doing a recap of yesterday s event.

The first session will be on managing the process of governance.

Meanwhile, the session has received a video message from the Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Nigerias Amina Mohammed.

The first session will be chaired by the Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi.

A former governor of the State of Maryland, USA, Martin OMalley, is the lead speaker.

The panel to discuss the presentation include Dana Thomson, former Director, Washington DC office of Maryland governor and governors Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State and Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State.

Martin OMalley, former governor State of Maryland, USA

Excerpts-

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One of the most difficult job for governors is to manage the creative tensions that abound.Getting things done and communicating to the people that one is getting things done. There is also the tension between achieving goals and merely responding to the whirlwind that (is) always outside the door.

He told the governors that there is always crisis, scandal and agenda of others trying to get you off your game.

If you are not on top of your game, it will derail you as a leader. Every week ask whether you are riding the horse or the horse is riding you. Some weeks the answer will be different. You need to ask yourself whether you are driving your agenda or that of others, he said

He urged the governors to set strategic goals with deadlines and make sure they meet the deadlines

You have to keep your time committee to the governance process. Try and attend most meetings and let the people know that you know and (that) you care.

Dana Thomson, former director, Washington DC office of Maryland governor, said the best way to help a governor achieve his goals is to calibrate the office.

Map out meetings that the governor will want to hold as well as incoming meeting requests. Always expect the unexpected. Your calendar will surely be disrupted. So get a system that is nimble, a good system to help, that will be a governors delivery unit, that keeps the internal process going well.

You should also embrace the digital way of doing things. Instead of carrying too much documents, you can use an iPad. It can make you more efficient.

Abiola Ajimobi, governor of Oyo State

I will speak on theory and the principle of process of governance. Governance is an the exercise of power and authority, for the benefit of your citizenry, he said.

According to Mr Ajimobi, the basic characteristics of being an effective governor is that one must be modular, adaptive and assertive.

You must be visionary. You must also have the courage to implement your vision. You must be disciplined, persuasive and creative. You have to look at your own style, do an assessment based on the peculiarities of your state.

Mr Ajimobi said governance is always a balancing act- the good and bad, loyalty and competence, sentiments and doing the right thing.

He urged the governors to design what is their own methodology of administering in their respective state.

You should always do a hierarchy of needs pyramid, he said.

Atiku Bagudu, governor of Kebbi State, said there is enough work for everyone, if structured well.

Everyone must quickly come to terms with the uniqueness of their states. Look at the potentials and constraints, it is a good starting point to know what is possible and what is not.

It should be clear to all what the governor will do, what the deputy will do, the Chief of Staff and others. You cant get cabinet positions 100% right but there should be ability to make amends.

According to him, a cabinet will function more effectively with proper communication and getting the buy-in of the populace.

We are one of the few states that have achieved 24 hour electricity. There will be challenges but communicate them ab initio. We need to know how we cannot operate like others. (The) uniqueness of our states will help us in defining those arras that we can concentrate on, he said.

We should recognise that as a country we are challenged with a number of issues, Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, said.

According to him, this includes military hangover, civil service driven environment and a patronage system.

In most states everything is left to the government to deliver. Many also expect to be patronised. We are also heavily reliant on federation allocation.

He however, highlighted that within one year we moved IGR from N7 billion to N17 billion.

The Oyo State governor-elect, Seyi Makinde, asked Martin OMalley about the existence of an official organogram and sometimes, unofficial organogram and how to balance it.

An organogram is an organisational chart that shows the structure of an organisation.

Mr OMalley said You have to do both. Its important to have a plan. At the end of the day it is about getting things done.

Mr Fayemi added that governors always have a go to person who may not necessarily have a position. It is a reality we have to live with.

The next panel will discuss Economic Management and it will be chaired by the governor of Jigawa state, Badaru Abubakar

The lead speaker is Bismarck Rewane, Managing Director, Financial Derivatives.

The discussants are DG, Budget office, Ben Akabueze, Chairman Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Babatude Fowler, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Yewande Sadiku, Director General, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Chidi Izuwa and the DG, Debt Management Office (DMO), Patience Oniha.

Excerpts from Bismarck Rewane

We all know many states were in arrears? Many had bail out and many barely survive. There is a level of reliance and lack of versatility in states. Some states are not ready for shock.

The states with the highest revenue are also those with the highest unemployment rate, he said.

Bismark Rewanes session Bismark Rewanes session Bismark Rewanes session

According to him, the wage bill of some states are 10.7 per cent of total budget for Lagos, 8.2 per cent for Akwa Ibom, 15.2 per cent for Bayelsa, 24 per cent for Kano, 21.2 per cent for Edo and 23.2 per cent for Delta States.

On minimum wage, he said both the federal and state governments can meet their obligations but certain adjustments have to be made.

Ben Akabueze, DG, Budget office

Mr Akabueze said the truth is that every government in Nigeria faces fairly significant fiscal constraint.

That means there is a need, more than ever before, to plan. Planning is an absolute imperative. The budget is not an end in itself but critical for public finance management. If a government does not get its budgetary process right, the chances of that government succeeding is slim, he said.

According to him, the starting point if a realistic budget is the realistic estimation of the resources that you have.

In our country, it is reduced to planning for expenditures. There is always a chance revenue will fall short but expenditure will remain. When casting revenue, it is best to be conservative. You can underestimate projected revenues, especially from FAAC.

You also have to have a philosophy. What do you want to achieve? How do you want to go about achieving it?

Mr Akabueze said in 2007, expenditure for Lagos was 35 per cent capital, 65 recurrent. We switched to 60 per cent capital and 40 per cent recurrent. That wasnt an easy decision.

Badaru Abubakar, governor of Jigawa State, said to have a realistic budget, you need to have the buy in of legislators. There is a need for a discussion on this, he said.

Babatunde Fowler, Executive Chairman, FIRS, said the governors have plans and vision for the next four years, but without funding, that vision will remain a dream.

Taxes remain a greater enabler of revenue, he said.

According to him, 1.108 trillion VAT was collected in 2018 by the FIRS. He said 35 million people operate bank accounts, but only 20 million pay taxes.

There is a direct relationship between your IGR and budget. Even without federal allocation Lagos State can take care of (its) recurrent expenditure.

DG Nigeria Investment Promotion Council,( NIPC), Yewande Sadiku

She said to attract investors, governors should remember that capital goes where it is welcomed and not threatened.

Governors should behave in a way that will attract investors to their states. Investors will always come to Nigeria because it is a large market and have resources that they want. It is only with proactive investment promotion that investors will come. They dont listen to what we say but watch what we do, she said.

Ms Sadiku said Nigeria has competitive advantage, which differs from state to state.

The Director General of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Chidi Izuwa

You should prioritise maternal and child health. 59 women die everyday in Nigeria due to pregnancy related issues, he said.

He opined that there should be a dedicated sub national infrastructure delivery workshop for governors.

As a governor, you cant achieve everything from the budget. You require private capital to move, he said.

The NGF Chairman, Abdulaziz Yari is asking how the nation can adjust the VAT, considering that fact that we need more money in the system.

Is it correct that in the African sub region, Nigeria is the least in VAT collection with 5 per cent?

Mr Fowler says Nigeria is lowest in the world with 5 per cent VAT. If you do not consume, you dont pay VAT. It does not affect the needy, he said.

The IMF had earlier opined that the percentage be increased.

The next session is on development financing and it will be chaired by Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki

The lead presenter is the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele.

He is being represented by the deputy governor for economic policy, Dr Nanna.

Panel members include MD, Nigerian Export-Import Bank, represented by Mr Hope, MD, Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Aliyu Abdulhameed, Uche Orji, CEO, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and a representative of the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Joseph Nnanna representing CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

The Nigerian economy, which is dependent on a singular product for foreign exchange, is prone to sickness

Three challenges are facing governors:

Rising population in states. It is rising on an hourly basis. With the rising population, we are living on a ticking timebomb if nothing is done The second is the issue of poverty as a result of unemployment and underemployment. You should look at your comparative advantage. Crude oil does not add to Nigeria as does agriculture.

In the northern hemisphere of Nigeria, there are crops which are indigenous.

In the past, it is pursued by peasant farmers. Since five years ago, mechanised farming has been encouraged.

The CBN has brought the interest rate on Agriculture down to single digit.

All required as collateral from governors is the Cof O of land donated.

States like Kebbi and Ebonyi have already taken advantage of facilities at the CBN.

A new initiative was also launched to retrace step to pre-1973 before oil.

Groundnut pyramids to return in the north and cocoa in the south.

With Agriculture, no state can go wrong. Employment can be provided. With employment in place, the problem of restlessness will go down.

Palm oil is deserted in the south-east, ironically, the price of palm oil is higher than of crude oil

CBN has secured cotton from Cameroun for plantation in north-west

Let us stop chasing oil. It is a diminishing wealth which will go away with time, but agriculture will remain.

On development financing, Abubakar Bello, Managing Director, Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) said they are working to develop the capacity of some ports and river basins.

Tony Elumelu, Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation said governors should develop strategies of investing in agriculture.

Mr Nnanna, representing CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele wraps up the session by urging the governors to look for ways to generate Internally Generated Revenue.

2:05 P.M.  Session on Human Capital Development commences.

Yosola Akinbi, Senior Technical Adviser to the Vice President & Co-ordinator, Human Capital Development, leads the presentation.

She decried Nigerias poor performance in human capital development. She said a core working group was set up to move the country from the bottom position in human capital.

American billionaire and philanthropist, Bill Gates, had at the special and expanded National Economic Council last year said the present economic template being used by the Muhammadu Buhari government does not address human capital development.

The philanthropist and founder of Microsoft Corporation said the Nigerian governments Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) identifies investing in our people as one of three strategic objectives but the execution priorities do not fully reflect peoples needs, prioritising physical capital over human capital.

Mr Gates said the most important choice Nigerian leaders can make is to maximise the countrys greatest resource, which is the people.

The investor also advised the Nigerian government to shift its attention from oil to the agricultural sector.

Meanwhile, Mrs Akinbi said the group is working on six areas to push the nation out of the bottom of the human capital development. They are: health, nutrition, labour, education, agriculture and capacity building.

She uses slides to illustrate the six critical outcomes the governments investment on human capital.

Mrs Akinbi said the major focus is on health, education and labor force. She said the average literacy rate is currently appalling. She also reeled out the countrys poor health indices.

The official said the unemployment rate is also on the rise.

She said it is important to have healthy, educated, employed Nigeriens that will be productive and blend with the global world.

For education, she said, it is vital to promote double primary school enrollment from 42 to 90. For the secondary school, we want to double enrolment.

For the labour force, she said the organisation, through schemes such as N-power is gradually attempting to bridge that gap.

On health, she said, we are working on reducing mortality rate by year 2030. We are also working on reducing malnutrition and stunted growth.

2:22 p.m.

Maryam Uwais, Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment Programme, speaks on Social Investment and Youth Empowerment.

She said through the programme, a tracker has been developed the poorest people in the nation.

We want to know what our poor people need. We want to know water, health, education and labour force needs.

She said the tracker helps to categorise poor people according to their needs. She said the process of vetting and enrolling people to assist them is open and transparent.

Those enrolled, she said will be assisted mostly in the areas of health, nutrition, education and employment.

She said the enrolment will last for a period of three years, after which new households will be enrolled for assistance.

Mrs Uwais speaks on the governments school feeding programme.

She said the plan was meant to tackle malnutrition by providing balanced diet for the children. She also said 750 cattle are slaughtered and hundreds of crates of eggs are used weekly.

She said those cooking the foods are selected transparently.

We need to work with commissioners of health and education in the states to improve our social investment.

She equally speaks on the governments N-power programme.

The N-Power Volunteer Corps is part of the federal governments Social Investment Programmes, (SIP), under which it hired 300,000 unemployed graduates in 2017.

She said through the programme, about 5000 youths have been empowered.

She also spoke on GEEP. The programme, she said, includes the TraderMoni.

TraderMoni is one of the governments initiatives under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), a programme targeted at awarding collateral-free loans to two million petty traders across the country.

The Executive Secretary, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Teju Abisoye, is speaking on human capital development and youth empowerment.

She said Lagos was able to curb unemployment rate by 18 per cent.

She said the nations commercial hub supports SMEs by capacity development. It also helps strengthen their access to marketing so as to help grow their businesses

Ms Abisoye said the Lagos Employment Trust Fund also helps small businesses bridge their skills gap.

According to her, the agency has been able to train 3,600 people within 12 months and help secure 98, 000 jobs for others within 24 months.

The agency also helps to provide small businesses with office space and broadband connections so as to expand their network, she added.

She highlighted the things the agency had learnt over the years. The executive secretary said the agency needs to be self sufficient and sustainable.

She, however, said the agency is open to ideas from other states.

3:00 P.M.

Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director/CEO, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), speaks on health.

He explains President Buharis vision towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

He defines UHC as providing access to healthcare to individuals without them suffering financial hardship.

Achieving UHC by 2030 is the central target of SDG 3.8.

Targets of SDG 3 include ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years of age by 2030.

However, five children under five years of age are still dying from preventable causes every five minutes in Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Eleven million Africans are pushed into poverty every year by medical expenses, according to the WHO.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, health services are mostly paid for out-of-pocket and those gravely affected already live far below the poverty line.

Universal health coverage is about equity, not equality, Mr Shuaib said.

He said healthcare services must first be built for the poor and vulnerable.

Poverty and ill health are intimately linked in many developing countries, particularly in Africa where public health services are severely strained. A report by the UK Institute of Development Studies suggests that public healthcare services often provide limited benefits to the poor.

The NPHCDA official explains the governments plans towards achieving UHC.

He explains how the government plans to disburse the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

He said the government has already approved N55 billion for the BHCPF in the 2018 budget.

The official explains the various sectors and areas in which the fund was meant to be channeled to as proposed by the National Health Act.

The BHCPF is the fundamental funding provision under the National Health Act but was only appropriated last year for the first time since the Act was signed in 2014.

It provides for not less than one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue for health funding.

When passing the 2018 budget last May, the National Assembly earmarked N55 billion for the BHCPF, as stipulated by the Act.

But to date, only 25 per cent of the fund has been released.

Although, the plan for rolling out the BHCPF has been developed, it is yet to be disbursed to the states.

Also, the BHCPF has not yet been made a Statutory Transfer, meaning there is no guarantee of its continuity.

Mr Shuaib explains the criteria states will meet to access the fund.

3:50 P.M

Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, is now speaking on Digitising Government Processes.

Mr Danbatta explains what the commission is doing to expand the capacity of the broad brand industry in Nigeria.

He said the commission is issuing various licences for digital advertising to states and zones.

He urged states to make their states fibre friendly.

He said over 60 million Nigerian have access to broad band data but noted that penetration is not equally distributed especially in the rural areas.

He said the rural areas are lagging behind. We need to be able to find the link between broad band penetration and GDP per capital, the official said.

He also said the contribution of digital economy to the GDP runs in trillions.

In 2017, the Nigerian government said financial services within Nigerias digital economy will create US$88 billion wealth and add over three million new jobs over the next 10 years.

The government also said the job figures are in line with the estimates of a study carried out by McKinsey Global Institute (MGI).

The mobile communication industry created nearly half a million jobs in Nigeria in 2017 and contributed $21 billion to the countrys GDP, or 5.5 per cent of the total GDP, according to a report by the Global System of Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).

According to the report, the digital economy also contributed $1.8 billion in tax, equivalent to 16 per cent of the Nigerian government tax revenue.

We want to be digitally, socially and economically transformed, Mr Danbatta, a professor noted.

He urged governors to put in place strategies of deploying broad brand infrastructure to the hinter lands.

The challenge is how to move this infrastructure to the rural areas. There is need for equal penetration.

The only way to achieve this is by having transformational leaders that will be friendly to fibre and will expand broad band transformation.

At 3:30, the Chairman, Zenth Bank, Jim Ovia, chaired the segment on the imperative for a digital Nigeria and broadband market, technology, connectivity and development.

Mr Ovia kicked off with a documentary themed: Inside Singapore Airport Lifestyle Hub.

He said a third world country like Singapore in the 1960s currently has a 64,000 GDP worth more than Nigeria that has more natural resources.

He said Singapore used technology to build an airport, which has earned them World best airport seven times in a row.

He mentioned countries in Africa that are leading in ICT;: Rwanda and South Africa.

He emphasised on the need for broadband. He said it can create jobs and make citizens self-employed.

He said the governors need to embrace the digital economy. Mr Ovia also mentioned states that are leading in ICT projects: Kaduna, Lagos, Delta, and Akwa Ibom.

He urged the new and returning governors to use broadband technology to empower their citizens and create employment.

Some states do not care about Federal Government Allocation (FAAC), but solemnly depend on their own IGR, he said.

Jim Ovia, Chairman, Zenith Bank Plc, who is also chairing this session invites some reps of digital organisations to speak on the topic: capacity development: Internet governance, infrastructure and technical standards, cybersecurity, IT in schools curriculum.

Bayo Sanni, Country Head, Oracle is now speaking.

He explains how his platform (Oracle) is driving development in security, education, employment and revenue generation through technology.

He said his group is training teachers on technology.

We train students to be employable in the digital space. We are encouraging girls to key into science in secondary schools because we found there is a gender in-balance in professionals in the digital space.

Chairman Zenith bank Jim Ovia speaking on the imperative need for a Digital Nigeria with broadband technology and connectivity for development at the induction of new and returning governors NGF

He urged governors to key into their programmes.

He said these are low hanging fruits the governors should investing on.

He said these can be achieved if the governors can embrace technology to drive and transform the investments of the states.

Yusuf Kazaure, Managing Director, Galaxy Backbone is also speaking on the same topic.

Mr Kazaure defines technology as the underlying fabric that can expand delivery in all other sectors. He also reaffirmed the need for leaders to be transformative.

Over 50 per cent of our population are youth and we have issue of unemployment.

He said the area to make a difference is in ICT. He said through ICT, the youth will be able to develop capacity and be self employed.

He describes as important, the digitization of government processes.

Citizens are more and more expecting to be served through their phones just as they no longer go to banks often for services but now depend on mobile banking.

That is the challenge of transforming government processes. That will be the key.

The government is investing in ICT platform that will connect every government sector programme and processes so as to ease the processes of doing things, he said.

Olutosin Oni, Principal, EchoVC Pan-Africa Investment Fund, starts by explaining what the organisation is investing on in terms of digital economy.

He said they invest on Life bank which deals on supplying health services such as blood and oxygen through digital platforms.

He urged the governors to create an enabling environment to support business through digital economy.

4: 50 P.M.  Mr Ovia wraps up the session.

Sunday Dare, Federal Executive Commissioner, Nigerian Communications Commission is now speaking.

He hinged his speech on digital media. He reads a survey which found out that social media outweighs the conventional media in terms of speed and spread of news.

With social media, he said everybody is now a journalist.

There are no gatekeepers in the social media.

He urged the governors to pay keen attention to trends on social media.

He advised governors to check for possible fake accounts on social media.

Yemi Ogunbiyi, a panelist, is using slides to illustrate how to deal with disasters and negative press.

With the use of infographics, Mr Ogunbiyi shows the link between internet users and their various constituencies.

He urged governors to key into the statistics to know the people they are serving.

Recommendations

The media expert recommended that the governors develop a social media response strategy.

Former governor of Ogun state chairing the Strategic Communications and Press/Public Relations section. The Discussants are Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman publisher of This Day; Yemi Ogunbiyi of DailyTimes Nigeria.

You should build people following you; build your accountability and post them on social media; set benchmarks to major impacts; build a narrative on how to respond to negative developments.

Segun Osoba, former Governor, Ogun State wraps up the session.

4:40 p.m.

The publisher, THISDAY Newspapers, Nduka Obaigbena spoke on the need for strategic communication and press/public relations.

He also spoke on the rudiments of good governance in the country. He said technology has changed the media landscape.

He advised the governors to define their vision and their mission while ruling their states.

He said governors should ensure that their ministries have vision.

Former governor of Ogun state chairing the Strategic Communications and Press/Public Relations section. The Discussants are Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman publisher of This Day; Yemi Ogunbiyi of DailyTimes Nigeria.

The publisher said security should be paramount while transperency and accountability would ensure there resources are well managed.

Mr Obaigbena also said the governors should ensure a smooth communication relationship with their citizens.

He noted that the governors should see journalists as friends, not the enemy.

5:09 p.m.

Yemi Ogunbiyi from DailyTimes Nigeria advised that governors should know how to use the social media.

He further advised the governors to make themselves accessable to their citizens.

He advised the governors to set up their own media platform so as to be able to reach out to their citizens and tell their story to the people.

Governors exchange pleasantries at the NGF Induction for governors Governors exchange pleasantries at the NGF Induction for governors Governors exchange pleasantries at the NGF Induction for governors Governors exchange pleasantries at the NGF Induction for governors Governors exchange pleasantries at the NGF Induction for governors

5:50 P.M.  Dual session on Managing Security in the states and Imperative of fighting Corruption/ Terrorist Financing in Nigeria.

Yusuf Magaji Bichi, Director General, Department Security Services, gave a lead presentation.

He started by explain the security challenges the country has been facing.

He said the problem in managing security in Nigeria is partly that of empowerment.

He also said the use of intelligence is another problem. Some people say the reason for uprisings in the North-east was because there is no intelligence but that is not true.

The DSS boss said the agency provides enough intelligence and has lived up to its expectation but the problem is that the sister agencies does not make use of it as at when due and properly.

Yes, we have a problem but it is not due to lack of intelligence.

He said the governors are expected to look at the security architecture of the state and develop strategies.

Recommendations

Assess the situation, if there is crisis what you should do is to assemble a team, a think-thank that will give you solutions to the problems.

You have to tell the stories. You do not have to shy away from telling the stories if, for instance, there is violence outbreak.

You dont need to fan the flames by using insensitive utterances. You should exploit the media. You need the media to manage security situations.

He said because nobody is ready to ask question, people who incite violence on social media insight violence because they capitalism on our ignorance.

Representative of the Inspector General of Police , Mohammed Adamu, said the governors are the chief security officers of the states and should invest on intelligence gathering and community policing.

He urged the governors to bring up strategies to collaborate with the police.

Also, Kashim Shettima, Governor, Borno State shared experiences of managing security challenges.

He described as key and essential, the need for communication in enhancing security management.

We have to reach out and get vital information that will enhance peace in our societies.

He said governors need to partner with security agencies.

He said deputy governors, who are notoriously ambitious and can be pain in the neck but can also help in putting in place mechanism of addressing security situations.

He said governors have to be cautious in addressing conspiracy theories.

Plateau governor, Simon Lalong spoke on managing violence and crisis. He said he liked how the session combines security and corruption.

He explained how he was able to douse crisis in Plataeu. He said he was once a victim.

It didnt take us three months to stop crisis that lasted 15 years in the state. We drafted a crisis management process. You dont see crisesof herdsman and religious again in the state.

He warned the governors to be ready to inherit security crisis and challenges.

He advised them to be fair and not take sides. He also advised them to pay salaries so as to prevent crisis. I inherited unpaid salaries which I have paid.

6:00 P.M.  Imperative of fighting Corruption/ Terrorist Financing in Nigeria

Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) makes a lead presentation on the fight against corruption.

He described governors as corruption hunters after congratulating them on their electoral victory. He said corruption is a disaster that needs to be fought collaboratively.

He said the EFCC intercepted about N47 million from an NGO recently. He said if corruption is to be fought we need to put torch on these NGOs because they are the arm that strengthens these bandits.

He urged governors to focus attention on NGOs.

He said it may be difficult to put a figure on how much was lost in the hands of corrupt officials.

He reeled out figures of looted funds that have been recovered from corrupt officials. He also said several convictions have been recorded.

He said the climate of insecurity and terrorism promotes corruption in Nigeria. He said there is a link between corruption and terrorism financing.

The EFCC boss said corruption promotes insecurity. He said the insurgency in the North-east is a byproduct of corruption. He also said the problem of militancy in the Niger Delta is caused by corruption.

The official revealed how billions of naira were lost through the Niger Delta commission.

He said insecurity has offered the right oxygen  for corruption to thrive. He said this is evident in the celebrated arms deal scandal

He accused some state governors of inflating the insecurity figures in their states to get more security votes.

He stressed the need of monitoring the trend of terrorism financing especially through the banking services.

He also spoke on ways to curb money laundering. He said illicit financial flow is a major problem not just in Nigeria but in the whole of Africa.

The official accused some leaders of using government money to fund their lavish lifestyles in foreign climes.

He said properties and monies stashed away overseas by Nigerian officials are most times lost.

There is no more time for lip services but time to act.

Advice

Nuhu Ribadu, a former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission advised the newly elected and incoming governors on how to avoid being trapped in the circle of corruption.

Mr Ribadu told the governors to ask for less security votes.

You should avoid your family members in getting into government processes especially when it has to do with money.

Avoid business partners; declare your assets; put your bussiness aside and get accountable people around you.

Learn from the president, Muhammadu Buhari. He does not have business partners and new properties. He is not creating new billionaires in Nigeria.

6:50 P.M.

Emeka Ihedioha, the newly elected governor of Imo wraps up the days event by giving vote of thanks to the president, the panelists and the organisers of the event.

6:51 P.M.  Event ends with the reciting of the first stanza of the national anthem.
The Senate has directed the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelemah, and the acting Managing Director of Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Terhemba Nongo, to return N14.3 billion to the federal government, the Punch newspaper has reported.

The demand was contained in a letter written by the Chairman of Senate Committee on Trade and Investment, Mohammed Sabo (APC, Jigawa South-West).

The Senate said the money was diverted from the 2017 budget of NEPZA.

In the letter, Mr Sabo asked the minister and the NEPZA boss to either refund the money immediately or be prepared to face dire consequences.

The lawmaker told journalists that the money was transferred from NEPZAs account into the account of a private company, the Nigerian Special Economic Zone Company.

He said the money was hurriedly transferred between April 8 and 10, ignoring an earlier warning not to do so.

He also said the money was first lodged in NEPZAs account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2017 budget allocations and thereafter, moved into the private firms account.

To prevent this fraud, my committee wrote a letter to the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on April 8, asking him not to release the money.

But we have confirmed that the money has been released and transfered by NEPZA, in collaboration with the minister, into a private companys account.

This is unacceptable to us. Hence, we have directed that money be returned, Punch quoted him saying.

When contacted, the minister told PREMIUM TIMES that his office will send out a press release soon.

The letter dated April 25 read: Re: Transfer of N14.3bn from NEPZA Account to Nigeria Special Economic Zone Company.

Pursuant to Section 80(2)(3) and (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and Financial Regulation, sections 313 and 314 and Senate Standing Order 98, 14(a-s) of 2015 as amended, we hereby write to you on the above matter.

That you should return the N14.3bn that was transferred from NEPZAs account to the Nigeria Special Economic Zone Companys account.

That the transferred money must be returned to the treasury within one week from the date of receipt of this letter.

The available information shows that the said money is in the account of the Nigerian Special Economic Zone Company unappropriated for.

That failure to comply with this directive will be visited with appropriate legislative action against your ministry as well as the company.
Nigerian lawmakers have allocated N23.7 billion as severance gratuity for outgoing lawmakers of the National Assembly.

The sum will also cover allowances for incoming legislators, their aides, funds for National Assembly induction and inauguration of the 9th Senate.

The benefit was captured as a separate line item in the 2019 appropriation bill passed by the lawmakers on Tuesday.

The amount was broken down to N23, 678, 770, 079 in the bill.

Details of the disbursement were not made available.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had on April 12 released details of the 2018 National Assembly budget in a tweet.

In the summary page, the 45-page document showed that N139.5 billion was budgeted for the National Assembly in 2018.

Of this sum, N35 billion was allocated to the Senate, while the House of Representatives got N57 billion.

About N10 billion was budgeted for legislative aides, the National Assembly Office got N15 billion and the National Assembly Commission received N2 billion.

About N4.4 billion was allocated to the National Assembly Legislative Institute and N1 billion was appropriated for the service-wide vote of the legislature.

The disclosure came amidst pressure from Nigerians for the National Assembly to make its spending public.

Despite this, however, the National Assembly failed to release figures of line items in its 2018 budget.

Reasons for huge severance package

The chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje gave reasons for the increment.

Presenting the committees report on Tuesday, Mr Goje said such package only comes up once in every four years.

There is a slight increase in the budget deficit. This is as a result of the provision for severance benefits of the outgoing legislators and legislative aides, the induction/orientation and inauguration of new legislators, all of which occur once in four years, but were inadvertently not captured in the 2019 budget proposal.

There was also the need to provide more fund for the security and intelligence agencies to deal with additional, emerging, unforeseen challenges in the country, he said.

The 2019 budget proposal was passed with an increase from N8.83 trillion proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari to N8.916.
The police on Tuesday arraigned a civil servant, Sheriff Abiade, 52, in a Wuse Zone II Magistrates Court, Abuja, over an alleged N10 million accommodation scam.

The defendant who resides in Kado Estate, Abuja, is charged with criminal breach of trust and cheating.

The police prosecutor, Adeyemi Oyeyemi, told the court that one Umar Marafa of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) reported the matter through a petition to the commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, on November 12, 2018.

Mr Oyeyemi said that the defendant approached the complainant sometime in 2016 that there were some government houses on sale in Asokoro Abuja.

The prosecutor said during police investigation it was discovered that the defendant actually collected the money.

The defendant collected N10 million from the complainant to secure a residential accommodation for a three bedroom apartment and absconded with the money, he said.

Mr Oyeyemi said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code.

The defendant, however, denied committing the offence.

Osaze Ebie, counsel to the defendant, applied for bail on the most liberal terms.

The Magistrate, Joshua Egbe, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N400,000 with one surety in like sum.

Mr Egbe ordered that the surety must be at least a Grade Level 10 Officer in the Federal Civil Service and must reside within the court jurisdiction.

He said the suretys address must be verified by the court.

The magistrate also ordered that the surety must deposit an affidavit of means to the registry and valid means of identification as part of bail conditions.

He adjourned until May 23, for further hearing. (NAN)
In yet another dreadful attack, kidnappers on Monday abducted the board chairman of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Muhammed Mahmood, along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway.

Mr Mahmood was abducted alongside his daughter while travelling from Kaduna to Abuja Monday afternoon.

They were kidnapped around Katari, a village few kilometres from Zuba, an Abuja suburb.

Hussaini Danladi, an aide to the chairman, said the incident occurred in the afternoon.

My boss has been kidnapped, a disturbed Mr Danladi told PREMIUM TIMES on the telephone Monday evening. I received the information around 3.30 p.m. He was going from Kaduna to Abuja.

Up till now they (the kidnappers) have not reached and we are still waiting for information.

The spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, Yakubu Sabo, said the force is working on getting more details and would release a statement later on Monday.

Series of attacks have been carried out along the route in recent months, forcing travellers to abandon the route for the safer rail journey.

Abduction of about 30 travellers early April instigated a public outcry which saw many Nigerians charge security operatives to put an end to the menace.

The police, in response, stormed the bushes along the highway in a bid to fish out the perpetrators.

In separate press releases, the police claimed that a good number of the abductors were killed by security operatives during exchange of fire.
The Chairman of First Bank, Ibukun Awosika, was one of two lead speakers on the first day of the induction programme organised for new and returning governors by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).

The event held Monday at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The First Bank chair spoke under the topic The Task of Nation Building.

Mrs Awosika received a standing ovation after her presentation.

She advised the governors-elect and governors to gain the trust of the people they lead.

You have the power and resources of the state and if (you) gain the trust of the people, they will pay more tax, she said.

Below is the full text of what she said:

Its been fascinating listening to how much help is being offered to our nation by the rest of the world. But my reality is all anybody can do is offer help but we are the ones to build our nation, nobody else can build our county for us.

And for us to build our country, we will have to own it. And in reality, the value chain of leadership at the heart of that value chain are those of you seated on this side. The governors of every state are the major point of contact of every citizen of this country, you are the reason we will have good public health if it exists , you are the reason our children will get a good education, you are the reason that things will work together for our nation to be what it deserves to be.

In reality, having gone through the programme, I realise that the governors forum has done a fantastic job in scheduling everything that will be covered because there are the fundamentals of what an incoming or current governor need to know in other to be effective in their jobs.

I, therefore, have decided to deal with an issue that is personal to you as governors, issues you have control of and that it is not about what anybody does but it is about what you do. And in doing that I have chosen to ask a few questions.

I will start with the question of you asking yourself, who am I, why did I choose to take on this assignment. If you know who you are and you have now decided to be the governor of the state by choice, then you need to ask yourself where am I going, what is the goal for which I chose this assignment and in choosing to do this, what is the value that I set out to deliver to my people. And when you are done trying to answer those questions honestly, I always say, to thyself be true. Because, no matter what we say to other people, when it is just you and the mirror, you can look at yourself and be truthful to yourself.

But it is important that we have a sense of who we are because, in the journey of leadership especially in Nigeria, sycophancy is very real. The pressure of the society and the people are around you can change the fundamentals of who you are if you not continue to remind yourself of who you are and why you took the job in the first place. And soon enough you become something else other than you who are when you first started.

So, it is important for you to write it down, stick down your desk and remind yourself often that this is who I am, this is why I took this job and there are people whose lives depend on me. Because at the end of the day it doesnt matter what job somebody else gives us.

The federal government can have the best, greatest plans in the world but the guys who touch my life and the life of every other Nigerian every day are the governors of our state. I am an Ibadan girl that means have my governors seating before me, I am married to an Ondo man, my Ondo Governor is seated there but the most important Governor to me in this room is the governor of Lagos State, because I live in Lagos, all my business are in Lagos, my life is affected every minute by what he does or what he does not do.

In reality, when we talk of equity of trust you can only get that trust from people who trust what you do affect and impact their lives every day. So what I am doing on behalf of my fellow citizens, I am pleading that now that you have the power, elections are over, now you are in office, you have the power and resources of the state and if (you) gain the trust of the people, they will pay more tax. When you gain the trust of the people by performance and the things that you do, ultimately you will benefit from it. Because, when you see a great man do great things that affect your life every day, when he is done with the office, the position is over, when you see him on the streets you will stop by to greet him and honour and respect him.

So my question to you is how do you want your days to end? Because if you have a vision of the end of your days, you can walk back to where you are now, to how you want it to be and structure the actions that you take daily in your state. Think of every action and how it will affect the lives of those people who do not necessarily have a voice, they have the vote but not the voice.

And when you see children that are hungry in your state, you have failed them in some way, yet you have the machineries and the capacities to help them. When you see people die from simple medical situations that they need not to, it means that the states have failed. But we have the states and the capacity to make it different.

Now, you are not going to be able to solve all the problems that is important. But the integrity of the heart of the leaders, your commitment to truly change the lives of your people is what will bring for you all the help that you will need. Because, when a man sets out to do the right thing and it shows anyways, every kind of help will come from everywhere. People will do things for you without taking a dime because they can see your commitment and the integrity of your heart.

For a nation to truly be great, the integrity of every man sitting on this table as governor, as governor elect is critical for nation building.

You need to own your own vision for your life, you need to own what you want your legacy to be and your have the opportunity from this moment to build that legacy by the things you do everyday. There will be people who will seek to derail you but by being confident of who you are and making the decision that I will live true to my values, to what is right for my country and my people, that I want to be able to walk freely amongst my people even when I am done and I am old and tired, with that determination your action will change things for people. You cannot do everything, you will not do everything, just chose roads, chose education, chose health, make your contract clear with your state, let them know that our resources cannot cover all of these, these are the only things we will do in the next four years and deliver on those things. Once you are clear and your people understand, they will stand by you and defend you in the day of trouble. At the end of the day, you will get much more than anybody can pay you for.

In this position it is generally assumed that it is opportunity for wealth but if you want to build a nation and do it and use the office that you have and use it right, you will be guided by not building wealth without work. You will get what you deserve as your pay for the office but you will get much more than that from your citizens because you have done them right.

Dont seek for pleasure without a conscience because in seeking pleasure without a conscience, there will be traps set for you that will derail you from your goal. Which is why it is important you know who you are, where you are there, why you set out to do this and and you must stick to what is right.

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Dont seek for knowledge without character, a man that does not have character does not deserve to be leading any of our value chain of leadership of this country. But if you are there, seek to be the example for the people that will serve under you in your government, people of your state, ultimately there is so much joy in seeing the accomplishments of that which you set out to do and in seeing lives that are fulfilled because of that which you have done.

Dont seek for commerce without morality. In building the economy of your state, make sure there is transparency and that things work and that there is accountability so that people can see what you do everyday. Even when mischief makers appear to try to turn that which you have done upside down, they will be ordinary citizens that will rise up to defend you base on how they have interacted with you and seeing that which you have done.

Please dont seek for politics without principles. You ask us everyday, why are you not in this party or that party, why are you not joining politics, lets be honest, we do not have politics of ideology in our country so far, we have politics of people. And if you want the right people to gather and give us the critical mass that we need to build our nation, you are the next generation of leaders that can ensure that we begin to set the template and the agenda for a great nation to be great.

It hurts me, it breaks my heart every time you are talking to people outside of this country and they open their mouths and talk about this nation that you know within it is everything that it needs, we have all the human minds that will build a great nation. God has blessed us abundantly with resources, some of your states are richer than others but guess what, it is not so much about how rich you are, is how well that you apply the resources that you have sincerely to meet the needs of your people. Even ordinary citizens will help you to think through. You dont have all the answers but you have humans that can support you and they dont have to come from your state. We all need Nigeria to work, it doesnt matter from what state. For me to drive from Lagos to Ondo I am going to come across how many states, so I need every part of Nigeria to work. To fly from Lagos today, assuming I was driving, imagine the number of states of Nigeria I will pass through to get here. Every states count to every Nigerian, it doesnt matter where we come from, if you need help look for the Nigerian that will help you. We all want this country to work and we are very hopeful that because you have this position and you have this power, people have entrusted you with it that you will use it effectively to build a nation, the portion of it that is assigned to you. And that you will work collectively for the unity of this nation. Because, a nation that is divided against itself cannot stand but in the place of unity I am a christian, the Bible says God has commended His blessings, which means every time we combine our knowledge, our wisdom and all our resources together, we can build a great nation that the world will be afraid of.

I want my nation to work, I want to be able to tell my children this is why I say you must live in Nigeria and nowhere else. And I ask for your help that as you do what you have sworn to do or you will swear to do as you take office, that the Lord will help you to do it right, that ultimately we will build a nation that we will all be proud of.
The Senate has passed the 2019 appropriation bill.

The passage follows the presentation of a report by the chairman senate committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje.

The budget was increased from N8.83 trillion presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to N8.916 trillion.

Mr Goje said the need to provide for the severance benefits of outgoing lawmakers, their aides, provision for the National Assembly orientation programme, election, and others accounted for the about N86 billion increase.

There is also the need to provide more fund for the security and intelligence agencies to deal with additional, emerging, unforeseen challenges in the country, he said.

He said all of these were not captured in the 2019 budget submitted by the president.

The breakdown

The Senate passed the budget with the breakdown as follows:

Statutory transfer  N502.58 .billion

Debt service  N2.25 trillion

Recurrent expenditure  N4.65 trillion

Capital expenditure  N2.94 trillion

In an additional recommendation, the Senate approved a N10 billion fund to be drawn from service-wide votes to assist victims of Zamfara crisis.

The Senate had, in one of its plenaries, approved the special fund.

The lawmakers adopted the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) earlier presented.

A daily production rate of 2.3 million barrels, at $60 per barrel was also adopted, as suggested by the executive.

The Senate immediately communicated changes made to the budget to the House of Representatives, to ensure there is no conference committee which could further stall the passage.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, thanked his colleagues and charged the executive on implementation of the budget.

We hope that with this budget passed, the executive will ensure full implementation for the benefit of all Nigerians, he said.

The Senate, thereafter, adjourned for an hour to allow the secretariat to make available votes and proceedings of the day to allow speedy transmission of the bill to the president.

The N8.83 trillion budget was presented to a joint session of the National Assembly by Mr Buhari on December 19, 2018.
The federal government has secured the release of Zainab Aliyu, who was arrested in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking.

The Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, announced this on his Twitter page on Tuesday.

Mr Ahmad said the ministry of foreign affairs will brief Nigerians on the development.

The Federal Government has secured the release of Zainab Habibu Aliyu who was arrested in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking. Details soon from Ministry of Foreign Affairs. #FreeZainab  Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) April 30, 2019

On Monday, a presidential aide said President Buhari had directed Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation, to intervene in the case of Ms Aliyu.

Ms Aliyu is a Nigerian student who was detained in Saudi Arabia after hard drugs were found in a bag labelled in her name at a Saudi airport.

The Nigerian government, through the drug-enforcement the agency, NDLEA, said Ms Aliyu was a victim of a drug cartel at the Aminu Kano airport in Kano.

The cartel reportedly specialises in placing hard drugs in bags owned by travellers while on their way to their destination countries.

Some members of the cartel have reportedly been arrested.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora matters, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had disclosed Mr Buharis directive in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES by her media aide, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Monday.
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described the allegation of treasury looting and unwholesome borrowing by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government as ridiculous.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made the allegation in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Monday.

In the statement, the PDP challenged the president to speak out on the allegation.

The party alleged an over N14 trillion oil subsidy sleaze in which it said N11 trillion worth of crude had been diverted through 18 unregistered companies linked to APC interests.

The opposition party said the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the president are desperate to retain power so as to conceal corruption by the federal government.

It said this administration has borrowed N12.27 trillion in three years but is unable to name any significant development project it invested in.

Reacting in a statement on Tuesday by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju, and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, the BMO said the allegations that such amount was stolen under the presidents watch have no real basis in fact.

The claims made in the PDP statement are cock and bull stories, it said.

The group said the allegations could only have come from comic characters.

It said the allegations were only an effort to mar the presidents administration.

PDP has continued to raise the claims to tar the integrity of the Buhari administration with the hope that, like mud, it would stick, the group said.

The pro-Buhari group said it is surprised that any reputable journalist would put his name on a statement that is filled with spurious claims that have over the years been debunked as fake news.

The group said even if such was true, it cannot be compared to the massive subsidy fraud that characterised the PDP administration.

On the allegation that the administration was desperate to retain power, the group said President Buhari won the 2019 election fair and square and has no reason to be keen on holding on to power for an ulterior reason.
Juan Guaido, Venezuelas main opposition leader, has announced a near end to Nicolas Maduro as president.

Mr Guaido said on Tuesday that he met with armed forces to work out a final phase of Mr Maduros reign.

The 35-year-old released a three-minute video praising the resilience of Venezuelans against Mr Maduros leadership.

He was flanked by men with helmets and weapons as he talked about ending the usurpation, a term he has often used to describe Mr Maduros grip on power.

Also in the video was another opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez, a prominent politician who led anti-government protests, served jail time, and had been living under house arrest.

Mr Lopez said he was freed by the military in a tweet Tuesday.

Heavy gunfire had been reported in the capital Caracas on Tuesday morning. It was said to be between military factions loyal to the government and opposition.

Reuters reported that one of its journalists saw security forces fire tear gas at Mr Guaido and dozens of men in military uniform.

Venezuelan Information Minister, Jorge Rodriguez, rejected news of a coup attempt in his country, saying on Twitter that the government is deactivating a small number of traitorous military personnel.

Mr Guaido emerged leader of Venezuelan parliament last year. President Donald Trump recognised him as the interim president and ordered all American officials to only hold diplomatic talks with the opposition.

Several attempts have been made to broker a deal between the rival parties, but no solution had been reached.
The Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Yusuf Bichi, has attributed some of the security challenges in Nigeria to political leaders mistrust of security officials.

He said many politicians invest their trust in marabouts and babalawos to solve security situations.

Mr Bichi was speaking Tuesday at a retreat for incoming governors organised by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).

I joke with politicians that you people trust the marabouts and babalawos more. Once someone tells you nothing will happen to your seat and it happens you just trust that person in all crisis, he said.

Mr Bichi lampooned the notion of lack of intelligence to tackle security challenges, saying the problem is rather an inaction on the part of those who should act.

He said there is a disconnect at the grassroots in intelligence gathering due to the disconnect between the formal and traditional leadership structures.

The SSS boss also lamented the disregard for security issues at the local government level, saying most local government chairmen do not hold security meetings to know what is happening in their localities.

In his remarks, Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, urged his colleagues to maintain open doors in order to be on top of security challenges.

He said vital information could come from any quarters and governors who shut themselves out could miss such an opportunity.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for a coalition of political parties in the country to rescue Nigeria from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party made the call on Tuesday against the backdrop of President Muhammadu Buharis 10-day private trip to the United Kingdom without a formal communication to the National Assembly.

PDPs Deputy Publicity Secretary, Diran Odeyemi, in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES, said all political parties in the country need to collaborate to rescue Nigeria from the misrule of the APC.

He said three recent incidents had shown that the APC would never change its style of governance, which he claimed had brought Nigeria to its knees.

Mr Odeyemi said Mr Buharis trip without formally informing the National Assembly went beyond disregard for the legislative arm of government but was a gross violation of the Constitution.

He also said President Buhari and the APC were determined to foist a leadership on the National Assembly so as to annex that arm of government, force a docile leadership on the parliamentarians and continue illegality that hallmarked the present administration since it came on board.

He wondered why a party that had not justified a mandate it has would be talking about 2023 presidency. He urged Nigerians to join hands with the PDP to stop APC and redirect the ship of the country to a safe harbour.

Has the party justified the temporary stay it is currently occupying let alone seeking another term in far away 2023? APC must have concluded that Nigerians are gullible, the statement partly read.

Only a president that has no regard for the governed would disregard for the law of the land and travel out of the country on a private visit without delegating governance to the Vice President as stipulated in the constitution.

We in PDP have demonstrated over and over again our readiness to lead the rescue mission that would save Nigeria from her tormentors and save a once blossoming country made poverty headquarters by APC. We are only calling on other parties to join hands with us to defeat our common enemies.

It will be recalled that in the run-up to the 2019 elections, the PDP, acting as the rallying point, reached an alliance with 39 political parties under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).

The aim was to ensure President Buhari was defeated at the polls in favour of the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

But the Buhari Campaign Organisation had dismissed the coalition as a deceit, which it believes would only feather the PDPs nest.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), was signed by the parties at the end of an enlarged meeting at the Yar Adua Centre, Abuja, in July of 2018 and resolved, among others, to field a joint presidential candidate.

The coalition also resolved to agree on common candidates for governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The MoU, which was read by Tom Ikimi, also resolved to promote core values for the restructuring of the country and sharing of political offices among persons and groups across the six geopolitical zones.

The coalition also promised a unity government in the event of winning the election with a joint manifesto that will usher in a well structured economic and fiscal federalism.

Besides the PDP, other parties in the coalition include the Action Alliance (AA); Alliance for Democracy (AD); Africa Democratic Party (ADC); Action Democratic Party (ADP); All Grand Alliance Party (AGAP); Action Peoples Party (APP); Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD); and Better Nigeria Progressive Party (BNPP).

The list also included the Democratic Alternative (DA); Democratic Peoples Party (DPC); Grand Democratic Party of Nigeria (GDPN); Green Party of Nigeria (GPN); KOWA Party; Labour Party (LP); Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA); and Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN).

Also in the group were the National Conscience Party (NCP); New Generation Party (NGP); National Unity Party (NUP); Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM); Peoples Alliance for National Development and Liberty (PANDEL); Peoples Progressive Party (PPP); People for Democratic Change (PDC); Providence Peoples Congress (PPC); and the Reformed All Progressive Congress (RAPC).

The Restoration Party of Nigeria (RPN); Social Democratic Party (SDP); Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN); All Grassroots Alliance (AGA); National Interest Party (NIP); Nigeria Democratic Congress Party (NDCP); Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA); and Young Democratic Party (YDP) were also signatories.

The coalition, however, failed to achieve its goals.
The raids of night clubs and arrests of women in the past few weeks have continued to raise concerns over the legality of the action by the Nigerian security agencies.

About two weeks ago, PREMIUM TIMES reported how some officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), raided a popular night club, Caramelo, and arrested 34 female strip dancers.

Another set of 70 women was arrested on Friday night at different locations within the Federal Capital Territory.

Martin Obono, a lawyer and activist, first shared the news of the arrests on Twitter.

He said the women were brought to a police station in Utako, Abuja, on Saturday night.

He said some of the women were accused of prostitution. He also suggested some had been sexually abused by the security officials.

The Nigeria police confirmed the arrest of the women in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

The acting Abuja police spokesperson, Danjuma Tanimu, said that 65 women were arrested by members of the Joint Task Force on Wednesday and Friday.

He said they were arrested for hanging around nightclubs in Abuja.

34 women were arrested on Wednesday and 31 on Friday, that is 65 women in total.

They were arrested in Aminu Kano Crescent, Gwarimpa, and Katampe extension. And they are being charged to court. It was the Joint Task Force that arrested them. They were hanging around night clubs. This is the only information I got, he said.

Criteria for arrest

During a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Sunday Shaka, the Public Relations Officer of the Social Development Secretariat of the FCTA, said there are certain criteria considered before raiding a club.

He said some of the clubs raided are located in residential areas while others are hangouts for prostitutes and consumers of hard drugs.

As I said earlier, the enforcement team consists of other agency under the FCTA who are saddled with different responsibilities, Mr Shaka said.

These agencies know areas that are strictly residential areas. Like Caramelo, night club is located in a residential area. A clubbing activity should not be in such an area.

So first and foremost, they already breached the FCT code.

Mr Shaka said the night club flouted the design of where clubs should be located within the FCT.

We are working in line with complaints and petitions from people who live around those areas where clubbing takes place. That is one criterion we used in raiding some of these places.

Provocative Dressing

Mr Shaka said another criterion for the raids and arrests is the way some women dress.

Some of them dress provocatively, that is half nude. Some of these ladies do not have anything that is covering them. We have graduated to such western life where pornography kind of behaviour will be seen to be roaming the street of the FCT. That is not allowed because people that are dressed like that attracts people from the underworld to begin to invade such environments.

Such areas are open to attack. So when people complain about getting attacked in such areas, such place is raided.

Another criterion that leads to the raiding of some areas is illegal consumption and intake of hard drugs. The ladies smoke indiscriminately, they smoke Indian hemp, they abuse alcohol and drugs. And while at this, they attract people of the opposite sex to flock around such areas.

And in the process, they engage in illegal consumption of drugs and abuse substances which affect innocent residents going about their normal businesses, the official said.

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Legality of night clubs

Although night clubs are allowed in Abuja, many of them are constantly raided by the police and other agencies.

This has led many residents of the city to question what is legal or illegal in the Nigerian capital.

Clubbing is not illegal in Abuja because there are designated areas where clubbing activities are supposed to take place, said Mr Shaka.

We have more than 800 clubs or so within the FCT and so we are just talking about less than 10 facilities that have been raided. Those places that have legal paper and genuine permits to operate as clubs are not being raided.

Activists react

A human rights activist, Chioma Chuka, said the arrest is an act of discrimination against women because only women are being arrested.

I also heard one of the women was arrested while she was standing with her husband.

So why were the men not arrested? Shouldnt they be focusing on the increased criminality going on in Abuja?

I dont think this is an issue of prostitution. You go into a night club to arrest women and there is no proof they were prostituting. If prostitution is a crime in Nigeria, you have to catch the person in the act before arresting.

I am bearing in mind that prostitution exists both for male and female. Of course, we have male prostitute too. So why are only the women getting arrested? So its not a question of legalisation of prostitution. It should be a straight up call for the government and the Abuja Environmental Bureau to desist from victimising and criminally discriminating against women in Abuja.

Ms Chuka also frowned at the alleged abuse of the arrested women by the enforcement agents. There are also reports that these women who have been arrested are violently assaulted by men who should be protecting them. This is wrong, she said.

Chika Offor, also a human right activist, said Nobody has the right to arrest anybody without investigating what the person has done. As an adult, you are allowed to go to night clubs and anywhere you want to go to.

Such arrest is an infringement of the womens fundamental human right and the women have the right to sue them to court, she said

Mrs Offor called for an investigation into the alleged assault on the women.

She said anybody found guilty of an assault should be arrested and prosecuted according to the law.

Nigerians react on Twitter

Some Nigerians have gone on Twitter to express their dissatisfaction with the raids and arrests.

A twitter user @fribone said If youre going to arrest a woman for prostitution, why let the man go free? Why focus on supply rather than the ostensible demand? If we are concerned about morality, then we should ask ourselves why people go to prostitutes in the first place? #AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen

Another user @monakjnr said I imagine that a lady had planned to link up with a male friend for a few drinks; the guy is late by few minutes and by the time he shows up, police have picked up his friend and taken her to an unknown location. #AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen

The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Shogunle wrote on his twitter page @YomiShogunle  Those making noise on the clampdown on prostitutes in #Abuja; Prostitution is a crime under the law P is a sin under the 2 main religions of FCT residents Medicine says P is spreading HIV & STD, P is lifeline of violent criminals, P dont pay tax, Nigeria culture frowns at P.

The alleged assault by security officials

Although prostitution is illegal in the Nigerian capital, law enforcement officials have used it as an excuse to assault and harass women who go out at night in the city.

When the officials raid the night clubs, they hardly arrest any men, but arrest women they believe are scantily dressed and accuse them of prostitution.

Mr Shaka denied the allegations against the law enforcement officials.

The Social Development Secretariat and the FCTA is a responsible administration that looks into the welfare of the residents of the FCT.

That somebody is compromising the law does not give advantage to an enforcement agent to begin to abuse them.

This accusation is already being investigated. Our team is well trained and they have been warned against such an act. They are all aware that if any of them is been caught to have abused these persons, such a person will be dismissed and persecuted, he said.
Mahmood Abubakar, the chairman of the Universal Basic Education (UBEC) has been released by kidnappers, police said on Tuesday.

Police spokesperson, Frank Mba, said Mr Abubakars daughter, Yasmin, has also been freed.

Both were kidnapped on Tuesday along Abuja-Kaduna Highway.

Mr Abubakars driver was reportedly shot dead during the encounter, which left their black Toyota SUV riddled with bullets.

A male suspect has been arrested in connection with the abduction, police said.

One AK47 rifle was also recovered, as police ramp up investigation into the incident.
President Muhammed Buhari has approved the adoption of a community police system to combat growing security threats across Nigeria, the IG of Police has said.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, made the announcement Tuesday at the Forum of Northern Traditional Rulers in Kaduna.

The event deliberated on critical security issues, especially as they affect the north.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said the Federal Government would announce a new policy on community policing for better service delivery.

Mr Osinbajo said it would pave the way for modern policing in the country.

He assured that the establishment of community policing would not take away the powers of the national police.

Speaking in Kaduna on Tuesday, the inspector general said the NPF has achieved major successes in addressing security and safety threats in recent times.

Mr Adamu said the success was appreciable since the launch of Operation Puff Adder.

It is a citizen-centred and community policing approach which will lead to more sustainable successes in the management of internal safety and security threats, he said.

Mr Adamu said the Community Policing Model envisaged for the country will involve the establishment and utilisation of the Special Constables.

The IGP said Special Constables Model is mirrored after the Police Community Support Officers Standard in the United Kingdom policing architecture.

He said it will be tailored to align with the existing traditional security structure in Northern Nigeria.

The Special Constables will be drawn from members of the community to serve as voluntary community police officers under the coordination of the Nigeria Police Force.

This new drive is in line with the expressed desire and directives of the President, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, he said.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, and other top government functionaries, said traditional rulers are strategic actors within the community policing architecture.

They said the traditional institutional structure present a unique framework which if properly engaged could enhance the attainment of community policing practices.
Its the 21st century, but some Kaduna elites are saying no to citizenship and residency.

A southern Kaduna group has triggered shock with its campaign against the principles of citizenship and residency. The group, in a document titled May Day Clarion Call, says it rejects the Kaduna State Governments citizenship policy and called for protests by indigenes.

The group said that the principles of citizenship and residency abolish the rights of the indigenes of Kaduna State and pave the way for their being oppressed and excluded from the affairs of their state, right on their homeland.

In the seven-page document, the group premised its action on the comments made by the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, when he inaugurated the board of the Kaduna State Residents Registration Agency on April 11, 2019.

On 11 April 2019, the government of Governor Mallam Nasiru El-rufai promulgated a new policy on the treatment of indigenes and non-indigenes of Kaduna State. The policy uses the excuse of seeking to abolish the indigene/settler dichotomy, but in fact seeks to abolish the rights of the indigenes of Kaduna State, so that they will be oppressed and excluded, unlike how indigenes in every other state are treated. On the same day, the Governor inaugurated a Residents Registration Agency to be headed by one Elizabeth Joshua Ndonah. Earlier in June 2018, Governor Nasiru El-Rufai introduced a State Residency Card Programme allegedly to capture data on all residents of Kaduna State for administrative purposes.

The group quoted tweets from the @govkaduna twitter handle reporting the events of April 11, 2019, to buttress its campaign against citizenship.

The Governors official twitter handle broadcast the following messages on Thursday 11 April 2019 between 12.40 and 12.50pm:

In Kaduna State, the Indigene/Settler dichotomy has been abolished.

Every person resident in Kaduna State would be accorded all rights as citizens and indigenes of the state.

The Kaduna State Residents Registration Agency will create a reliable database of all residents in the state, with a view to providing useful data for planning, security, social welfare, education, employment, financial services, housing, health and other services.

Elizabeth Joshua Ndonah will head the Kaduna State Residents Registration Agency. 

Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has, over the last four years, repeatedly stated that his government recognises citizenship and residency, instead of the divisive indigene/settler dichotomy. Therefore, it is falsehood to claim that the citizenship policy was only initiated or announced in April 2019.

The arguments of this southern Kaduna group are highly unfortunate in this day and time. And it provides a window for other Nigerians to see how capricious elite from a minority section perceive equal citizenship, which is considered as a threat to their narrow nativist privileges.

What the southern Kaduna group is saying in stark terms is that it rejects an inclusive Kaduna State. In the 21st century, a group is openly arguing against citizenship because it thinks that only indigenes should enjoy full rights in what is called the homeland. But the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognises the right of any Nigerian to reside in any part of Nigeria and to enjoy the full rights of citizenship wherever they live.

Without stating how the inclusive act of recognising the citizenship rights of residents of the state injures anyone, the southern Kaduna group alleged that, practically, this policy will reduce the indigenes of Kaduna State to a situation of slavery and brutal oppression, in addition to all the mercenary killings, suffering and pain prevalent across the state to date. At another level, this policy represents a critical step towards possible genocidal trends against Kaduna indigenes.

The position of this southern Kaduna group provides a new vista for understanding the persistence of violent ethno-religious conflict in the southern part of the state. The insistence that so-called settlers are unwelcome in indigenous homelands accounts for the vehemence with which violence is practised against settlers. This group represents an assault on equal citizenship. The insistence on indigeneship rejects all the protections that the Constitution provides for citizens wherever they reside. It is a form of atavism and a formula for exclusion, consigning the other to the status of the permanent outsider and freezing him on the margins.

By contrast, citizenship is open and inclusive, providing a pathway to belonging to a community by residing in it as a law-abiding member. It is the civic way of constructing and sustaining modern communities.

Will Nigerians who from different corners have made welcoming metropolises of Lagos and Abuja countenance arguments against diversity and inclusion?

Governor El-Rufai has shown by actions that he stands for equal citizenship. His government has political appointees from every region of the country. And he has rejected identity politics, insisting instead on equal citizenship. But it is obvious that certain sections of the state still want things to be organised around tribe and religion.

Will the Kaduna State Government and the security agencies allow this planned defence of backward values to happen with all the potential to trigger violence? Will they allow atavism to trump the openness of modernity?

The concept of equal citizenship must prevail.
At least 26 people were feared killed and several others injured in a suspected Boko Haram attack on Monday at the Madagali area of Adamawa State.

Locals said suspected Boko Harams gunmen rode on motorcycles in large numbers into Kudakaya village in Madagali at about 7 p.m.

The spokesperson of the police in the state, Othman Abubakar, confirmed the attack.

I was briefed that Boko Haram insurgents have attacked the village. I am yet to get the casualty figures, but security operatives have been deployed are on the top of the situation.

This is one of the series of attacks witnessed in the area in recent times.

Earlier on Tuesday, Premium Times reported that fighters of the same terrorist group invaded a military base in Borno State, killing five Nigerian soldiers.

Speaking about the Madagali attack, a vigilante who declined to give his name, said he counted 26 corpses and many persons who were severely wounded.

A former chairman of Madagali Local Government, Abawu Ularamu, lent credence to the vigilantes account.

They burnt several shops and many homes. They also stole food, Mr Ularamu told PREMIUM TIMES.

We are living in an atmosphere of despair and agony. Over 20 were killed and many injured.

There is no doubt the attackers came from Sambisa. We experience such periodic attacks from Boko Haram, who usually look for food.

Already residents are fleeing for fear of that they (Boko Haram) are not far away from us and they may strike again, he said.

The insurgents had in the last week attacked three villages. On their way from one of the attacks, they ran into a group of vigilantes on patrol in Kuda village, who engaged them in a shoot-out, killing two of the attackers.

Adamawa was said to have been cleared of Boko Haram in late 2015, after they rampaged across the northeast, seizing towns and territory.

But attacks have continued in the north of the state, particularly around Madagali, which borders Borno State and the militants Sambisa Forest stronghold.

The insurgency began in 2009 and has killed at least 20,000 people and made more than 2.6 million others homeless.
The six House of Representatives members-elect from Kwara under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) have thrown their weight behind Femi Gbajabiamila as the Speaker of the House.

Tunji Olawuyi, the spokesperson of the group and lawmaker representing Ekiti, Isin, Irepodun and Oke-Ero Federal Constituency, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the group unanimously resolved to support Mr Gbajabiamila.

We are all in support of the partys stand on Gbajabiamila as Speaker for the 9th Assembly.

This is what the party wants and we are going by it to avoid a repeat of 2015 where some people sold out the party.

Hon. Gbajabiamila has everything required to lead the 9th House of Representatives,  Mr Olawuyi said.

Mr Olawuyi, who is the campaign coordinator for North Central Zone, called on other members from across the country to support Mr Gbajabiamila in order to fast track the development of the country. (NAN)
The North West Tax Appeal Tribunal sitting in Kaduna on Tuesday began hearing on the N6.1 billion tax evasion case brought against Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, by the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KDIRS).

The revenue service had on January 16, 2014, instituted the case against ABU for failure to implement the full Pay-As-You-Earn tax table and remit same to the service from 2007 to 2012, amounting to N6.1 billion.

ABU had earlier requested an out-of-court settlement and the tribunal chaired by Umar Adamu granted the request and adjourned the case till April 30 for the report of settlement or hearing.

The counsel to KDIRS, Francis Kozah, informed the court that the revenue service held a series of meetings with the management of the institution but could not reach any substantive settlement.

Mr Kozah prayed the court to commence hearing so as to conclude the five-year-long case.

The counsel, through his first witness, tendered before the court the Tax Audit Report 2007 to 2012 and was admitted in evidence as Exhibit A.

He equally tendered the Demand Notice to the tune of N6.1 billion in respect of the Audit Report served on the respondent and was admitted in evidence as Exhibit B.

He prayed on the tribunal to ask the institution to pay all outstanding PAYE arrears including interest and penalty as stated by law.

The counsel to ABU, Christopher Ikpa, requested for a new date to cross-examine the witness.

But Mr Kozah objected to the request on the grounds that the witness written disposition, adopted in the court has been with the respondent since February 27.

The respondent was equally aware that the case comes up today (Tuesday) for either report of settlement or hearing.

Also, the adjournments and the delay of this case has been on the instance of the respondent, any further adjournment will encourage the respondent to continue with the antics of the delay of the matter.

I, therefore, urge the tribunal to reject the application and order the counsel to cross-examine the witness, he added.

Immediately after Mr Kozas submission, counsel to A.B.U collapsed on his table over an unidentified illness.

The development forced Mr Kozah to accept Mr Ikpas request on health ground and asked the court to grant his request for adjournment.

The chairman of the tribunal granted the request and adjourned the case till May 23 for cross-examination.

Similarly, the tribunal also adjourned the case between KDIRS and Kaduna Polytechnic till unspecific date in June, over the institutions non-remittance of PAYE to the tune of N3.4 billion to KDIRS.

The amount was the accumulation of non-remittance of PAYE to the Kaduna State Government from 2007 to 2012.

The case also came up for report of settlement or commencement of hearing, but Mr Kozah told the court that the out of court settlement did not yield any result.

Responding, the counsel to Kaduna Polytechnic, Andrew Nwako, appealed to the tribunal to give his client additional time to further explore the out-of-court settlement, which according to him has reached an advanced stage.

Mr Kozah did not object and the chairman of the tribunal granted the request. (NAN)
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State on Monday heeded to public outcry and declined assent to the bill seeking life pension for the state lawmakers as canvassed by the state House of Assembly.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 24-member legislature dominated by 22 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members on April 24 hurriedly passed the proposed pension bill for current and past members.

The bill proposed a monthly pension of N100,000 for members while the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be entitled to N500,000 and N200,000, respectively.

But the state Commissioner for Information, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, quoted the governor as having said that he conveyed the decision to withold assent to the Bill in a letter to the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly on Monday.

According to him, the governor held consultations with the Assembly members in his country home of Toru-Orua, where he explained his reason for declining assent.

Mr Iworiso-Markson quoted the governor as having said that the bill was inconsistent with Section 124 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

Mr Dickson said that he was of the view that the State Assembly lacked the powers to expand the categories of public servants who should be entitled to pension.

The provisions of this Bill granting pension to members of Bayelsa State House of Assembly and the extension of same to former members of the Assembly and Bayelsa indigenes who served in the Old Rivers State House of Assembly, is inconsistent with Section 124 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

I am not convinced about the legality of this Billl which seeks to expand the categories of persons entitled to pension.

While I agree that the Assembly can adjust the quantum of pension payable to persons entitled to pension, I am not convinced that the House has powers to add to the categories of pensionable public officers.

Evidently, there is no record of any other state in this country that has expanded the categories of pensionable public officers to include lawmakers.

I do not agree that Bayelsa which is coping with all the myriads of issues and challenges, with our low Internally Generated Revenue base and the unpredictable oil economy, should be the first to initiate this, Dickson said.

The opposition, All Progressives Congress (APC), Civil Society groups and civil servants had condemned the lawmakers for passing the bill they described as self seeking.

Mr Dickson said that despite withholding his assent to the bill, he still holds the Assembly in very high esteem.

(NAN)
Ene Okon, the Commissioner of Police in Abia State, said the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has deployed his Special Technical Squad to assist the Abia command in the fight against kidnapping.

Mr Ene said this at a meeting he held with Aba residents, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) members and policemen in the divisions under the Aba Area Command on Tuesday.

He said: Already I have anti-kidnapping team here in Aba. I have fortified them, given them a vehicle, an office accommodation in Aba outside the area command and approved extra manpower for them.

Let me give you one more cheering news. I was in Abuja after the elections when kidnapping reared up its ugly head here in Aba and I discussed with the IGP.

Luckily, yesterday, the IGP dispatched his Special Technical Squad to come and meet me in Abia and they are coming with their technical equipment.

They are coming to cover the whole of Aba and I expect them by next week, he said, adding that they are to remain here and fight it out.

Mr Ene said crime and criminality escalated in the country after the civil war, pointing out that since crime and criminality are dynamic, they now require technology to fight, accordingly.

He said that Section 214 of the Constitution, which established the police, was made by the people, who are members of the community, hence it could be rightly said that the police are owned by the people.

He said Section 216 assigns the police with the duties to protect lives and property, maintain law and order in the society, adding that the people as creators of the police have their obligations also to the police.

He, therefore, called on the people to assist the police perform their duties satisfactorily by being law-abiding, volunteering information and supporting police efforts.

The police boss urged policemen, who he described as servants to the people, to treat the people with respect as their paymasters.

He said he would not tolerate acts of indiscipline, crime and criminality, corrupt practices and abuse of citizens rights among policemen.

He said he was made to understand that every policeman in Abia State was desirous to serve in Aba in order to engage in corrupt practices and make money, warning that he would soon transfer some of them out of the city.

He urged the police to make discipline their watchword and thanked the PCRC for its immense contribution to the success of the command.

In their separate remarks, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Central Police Station, Aba, DPO Uratta-Eziukwu and DPO, Ndiegoro, Abii Onyeulor, Princewill Ekeocha, and Emeka Oganyi, respectively, thanked the CP for his visit.

They appealed to him to beef up the manpower in their various divisions, provide them with functional patrol vehicles and motorcycles and post more male officers to make their work easier.

In his speech, the Aba Area Commander, Peter Opara, urged the CP to consider the request of the DPOs and help out where possible.

(NAN)
Students of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado Ekiti, have lamented the absence of clean and adequate toilets on their campus.

Many of them say they now resort to open defecation.

In places where there are toilets, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that these are not managed.

You cant find any toilets usable on campus. You have to prepare yourself from home before coming to school. You watch the kind of food you eat, except you want to use shot put,' Mercy Olowofela, a 200-level student of the university told PREMIUM TIMES.

Other students blamed the unavailability of usable toilets on campus on the university management.

Students nightmare

Ridwan Taiwo said in some departments, there they have toilets, no proper cleaning is done which makes students abandon them.

The available toilets dont have cleaners to fix them. Some have not been washed and makes students even scared of contaminating disease, he said.

For Kehinde, a 400-level student of Faculty of Law, the unavailability of water to flush the toilets in her department render those toilets useless.

How do you use toilets without water to flush? The entire University has two boreholes. Lack of potable water is another challenge that makes students suffer, he said.

Shade Olaonipekun said: Yes, there is no toilet for students, but I go to the office of some of our lecturers. The Dean of Faculty of Social Science, out of generosity built (a) toilet for the department but (it is) not properly managed which renders it useless, she said.

Some female students also narrated the difficulties they face during their menstrual circles.

Unfortunately, I dont bother coming to school at all during my period because there is no good toilet to clean myself, a final year student, who did not want her name in print, said.

Another student, who simply identified herself as Blessing shared the same experience with PREMIUM TIMES.

Having observed the challenges of students of the university, the National Association of Science Students (NASS) in EKSU constructed a block of two toilets at the department, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

In Faculty of Science, the faculty constructed toilet but for business purpose. You pay N20 to urinate and N50 to defecate, Ajayi Komolafe said.

PREMIUM TIMES also visited the toilet to discover that it was truly built by the association.

The money they charge is for maintenance of the toilets. Since the university management did not find the toilets as one of the amenities needed in a school, the students body did an alternative, and for proper maintenance, they have to charge students, Mr Komolafe added.

Management unaware

When contacted, the universitys Dean of Students Affairs, Wole Adebayo, said he is not aware of the situation.

Mr Adebayo, a professor, told PREMIUM TIMES he could not confirm whether there are toilets or not on campus for students use.

Well, if students are staying they dont have toilets, we have to contact the works department for that. They are the ones in charge of that, he said.

Before buildings are approved for use, there should be toilet facilities Let me ask the work department in my own office. I have a toilet that I use and allow students who come around to use, he said.

Mr Adebayo added: I built a toilet in Faculty of Social Sciences for students when I was the dean there. I know what you are talking about.

In the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey done in Nigeria by UNICEF in 2016/2017, Nigeria was ranked second highest in the prevalence of open defecation globally.

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The report says 25 per cent of Nigerians defecate openly and only three LGAs in the country are open-defecation free.
Barely a month to the end of his administration, the outgoing governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, has appointed over 1,000 workers into the states civil service.

He also promoted 5,000 government workers.

This information was contained in a statement dated April 30, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Civil Service Commission, Ajibola Amope Chokor.

The statement explained that the appointments were done via the Public Service Entry Examination conducted by the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), in January.

The official said the successful candidates consist of freshly appointed and serving officers on inter-cadre transfer who had taken part in the examination.

The official added that the over 5,000 civil servants promoted enjoyed the privilege under the 2016/2017 promotions exercise.

He said the officers promoted include junior and senior officers on GL 01-06 and GL 07-16 respectively, while the remaining officers were either upgraded or involved in the inter-cadre transfer.

The official enjoined all the selected serving officers to visit room 233 of Civil Service Commission, Block A, Secretariat Complex, Oke- Mosan, Abeokuta from Monday, May 6, for their letters.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 4, the Cape May Coast Guard Community Festival will take place. The day serves as a celebration of the USCG Training Stations presence in Cape May County, featuring events on and off the base. Festival goers will explore the extensive TRACEN base on foot and by trolley, get an inside look at U.S. Coast Guard vessels and view a Coast Guard helicopter up close. The Coast Guard Recruit Band and drill team will give engaging performances and U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City will conduct thrilling search and rescue demonstrations. There will be tours of Cape May Harbor, childrens activities, interactive displays, vendors, food, beer, live music and cultural and historical exhibits.
That was in about 2008, after the plant was purchased by R.C. Cape May Holdings. The pool had long been replaced by a scrubber facility, he said.

But there is still a public access fishing pier on site. Users must drive down the company road off Route 9 and follow signs for it.

There are six other parcels in the township owned by R.C. Cape May Holdings, which are assessed only for land values and are not part of the appeal, McAfee said.

They have a combined value of $765,900, and paid a total of $17,352.57 in property taxes in 2018.

The 358-acre site at one point employed 100 people, but it has since dropped to about 70 workers, Palombo estimates. B.L. England will no longer be manned 24 hours a day, he said, as it ceases to provide energy to South Jersey residents.

The plant has been a peak energy plant for many years, only operating at times of highest need.
The Finnish government has reduced what economists consider the most efficient type of business subsidies  innovation subsidies  while ramping up energy subsidies in recent years.

RESEARCHERS at the Institute for Economic Research (VATT) and Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) have expressed their concern about the development of business subsidies in Finland.

This shift in emphasis is alarming from the viewpoint of the long-term competitiveness and productivity growth of the national economy, stated the authors of the report, Marita Laukkanen, a senior researcher at VATT, and Mika Maliranta, a research director at ETLA.

Laukkanen and Maliranta examined in their study the effectiveness of four different types of business subsidies: innovation subsidies, other subsidies for investment and recruitment, compensation for the indirect costs of emissions trading, and energy tax refunds to manufacturing businesses.

One of the main takeaways from the study is that the energy tax refunds have failed to have a positive impact on employment, and the energy-efficiency and financial performance of its recipients. The refunds were also criticised for the same reason as the system for compensating for the indirect costs of emissions trading: they are targeted at large businesses in few energy-intensive industries.

Their necessity cannot be justified with the spill-over effects of technology or funding limitations, said Laukkanen and Maliranta.

They also distort the competitive balance between both industries and small and large businesses, which in itself can interfere with creative destruction, and that is why these subsidies can at worst hinder competitiveness.

A total of 285 million euros in energy tax refunds will be paid to businesses in 2019. Around 80 per cent, or 230 million euros, of the total will be paid to businesses in energy-intensive sectors.

Laukkanen and Maliranta also pointed out that the tax refunds were equivalent to an average of only one per cent of the total costs of their recipients in 20122016.

If you measure energy-intensity in terms of electricity consumption as a proportion of overall costs, the production facilities that were eligible for the refund were not particularly energy-intensive in comparison to production facilities that were ineligible for the refunds, they added.

The results of the study, they concluded, indicate that the tax refunds have had no impact on the development of the revenue, headcount, wages, added value or energy consumption of the recipients since 20112012. The refunds have, however, had a negative impact on both production value and energy-efficiency.

Laukkanen and Maliranta propose that the refund system be abolished and replaced with electricity tax cuts that ensure businesses will be able to continue operating profitably.

The system would be clear and predictable, and it would treat businesses in all industrial sectors equally irrespective of the size of the business, they wrote.

The energy tax refunds have been defended publicly by, for example, Jussi Pesonen, the CEO of UPM-Kymmene. Pesonen told YLE in March that if the refunds were abolished, the energy tax on manufacturing businesses would be 14 times higher in Finland than Sweden.

Laukkanen and Maliranta encourage the government to shift the emphasis of business subsidies towards indirect innovation policy tools, such as education, basic research and labour market development.

These tools can be used to create incentives and preconditions for innovation, as well as the adoption and proliferation of innovations, in a way that strengthens the growth and productivity of the national economy, they stated.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
My hope is an online reporting system will achieve goals of trust and accountability, Grewal said. I hope it starts to fill the divide (between the police and communities) with a degree of trust.

Audience members submitted questions on index cards, which were read by moderators.

One attendee asked, What is the definition of excessive force by a police officer?

I dont think there is a clear-cut answer, Grewal said. Its a measure of reasonableness and proportionality. Certainly there is a continuum as danger to the officer continues.

In addressing how to prevent bias of officers from harming minority communities, Grewal said one way to improve the system is to have law enforcement officers reflect the communities they serve.

The most visible face of law enforcement in the state is the New Jersey State Police, Grewal said. The application process (to become a state trooper) opens today. From April 29 to May 12, we are taking applications for future troopers.

He said the pool that is developed from that process will feed the next three or four State Police classes.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
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.




I have gone through [the screenshots] over and over again, and I can say that they are unfortunately real, he conceded on his personal website on Monday.

HUSSEIN AL-TAEE (SDP), a newly elected first-term Member of the Finnish Parliament, has stepped before the media and admitted that the much-discussed screenshots of his anti-semitic and homophobic social media posts are genuine.

I have no words to describe the embarrassment I feel about the prejudices, thoughts and language I have used in reference to homosexuals, Jews, Sunnis, Somalis and other groups of people, added al-Taee.

He stepped before the media later yesterday in the Parliament House, saying he wants to extend an apology to all groups of people he has hurt and conceding that he had sought to conceal the truth about his earlier posts on Facebook.

I wasnt brave enough to admit that the writings were my own, he said.

Al-Taee also apologised to his supporters and the Social Democratic Party, as well as Crisis Management Initiative (CMI). He served in an advisory role at the non-governmental peace broker between 2015 and 23 April 2019, according to Helsingin Sanomat.

Tuija Talvitie, the chief operating officer at CMI, told Uusi Suomi that the non-governmental organisation firmly disapproves of the comments.

Weve previously publicly condemned all comments that are somehow abusive or negative towards any nationalities, religions, ethnic groups or individuals. Its absolutely clear that we dont tolerate them under any circumstances, she underlined.

Talvitie admitted to Helsingin Sanomat that the authenticity of the controversial posts came as a surprise to CMI. The Hussein we know couldnt even write anything like this. This is confusing and very regrettable, she said.

Al-Taees controversial posts date back to 2014, according to the daily newspaper.

Screenshots of the posts first emerged a couple of days after the parliamentary elections held in Finland on 14 April. STT, for example, published a story in which al-Taee admitted to likening Israel to the so-called Islamic State (IS).

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
GURUGRAM, India, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Key Findings

Government Regulations for Cab Aggregator Market is Expected to be introduced soon in Costa Rica . The cab aggregator market is expected to shut down by 2021 with Uber being declared illegal unless they pay a fine of USD 14 Million .

. The cab aggregator market is expected to shut down by 2021 with Uber being declared illegal unless they pay a fine of . Integration of Electric Vehicles into the existing fleets is expected to be completed by the year 2021.

The residents as well as the non  residents prefer to travel across the country via local transports, such as, buses, local trains and red taxis, as these modes are readily available at a cheaper fare, thereby affecting the market.

Government Initiatives to Promote Tourism and Business: Costa Rican Government is updating its National Plan for Sustainable Tourism, by diversifying tourism offer, reducing seasonality and strengthening economic linkages to promote business environment and position Costa Rica as MICE city. The Government has also been encouraging small  sized companies to obtain sustainable tourism certificate in order to promote Costa Rica's tourism.

Introduction of Electric Vehicles: Government of Costa Rica passed Electric Transportation Bill in December 2017, aimed at eliminating fossil fuels from all vehicles by 2021. Car leasing companies are focussing on integration of electric vehicles in their fleet to meet the future demand.

Cab Aggregator Market Declared Illegal: The Cab aggregator market is expected to shut down in Costa Rica by the end of the year 2021, after the Apex Court gave its verdict against cab aggregator market and declared it illegal. The government of Costa Rica has asked the cab aggregator companies to halt their operations. Uber can continue their operations after they pay a fine of USD 14 Million. The government of Costa Rica will work towards bringing in new legislations regarding the transportation system. Till the Cab Aggregator space becomes completely regulated, the functioning of UBER will face a lot of challenges in Costa Rica.

Analysts at Ken Research in their latest publication "Costa Rica Car Rental, Leasing, Cab Aggregator and Red TaxiMarket Outlook to 2023 Driven by Inbound and Domestic Tourist Arrivals and Integration of Electric Vehicles in Current Fleet" believed that the car rental market in Costa Rica will increase due to increasing competition amongst the major domestic players to grab the maximum market share by aiming to provide better value added services and as many benefits and promotional offers as possible.

Key Segments Covered

Car Rental Market By,

Type of Car: SUV, Economy, Premium

Leisure, Business and Insurance Replacement

Region: San Jose , Heredia, Liberia , Puerto Limon , Others

Cab Aggregator Market By,

Region: San Jose , Heredia, Liberia , Puerto Limon , Others

Car Leasing Market By,

Type of Car: SUV/ AUV and Economy

Duration of Lease: 1 year, 2 year and 3rd year and more

Key Target Audience

Car Rental Companies

Cab Aggregator Companies

Car Leasing Companies

Red Taxi Association

Automobile Companies

Tourism Companies

Corporate Sector

Hospitality Sector

Time Period Captured in the Report:

Historical Period: 2013-2018

2013-2018 Forecast Period: 2018-2023E

Companies Covered:

Adobe Rent A Car

National Car Rental

Enterprise Car Rental

Alamo Car Rental

Budget Car Rental/Centriz

Dollar Rent A Car

Thrifty Car Rental

Vamos Rent A Car

Toyota Car Rental

Solid Car Rental

Europcar Rental

Hertz Rent A Car

Economy Rent A Car

Sixt Rent A Car

Poas Car Rental

Avanti Car Rental

Mapache Rent A Car

Avis Car Rental

T.T Tricolor Car Rental

Wild Rider

Fast Rent A Car

For more information on market research report, please refer to the link below:

https://www.kenresearch.com/automotive-transportation-and-warehousing/automotive-and-automotive-components/costa-rica-car-rental-market/194093-100.html

Other Related Reports

Philippines Car Rental, Car Leasing, Cab Aggregator and Yellow Taxi Market Outlook to 2023  Driven by Planned Fleet Addition and Growth in Tourism and Construction Sector

The report provides a comprehensive analysis on the car rental market of the Philippines. The report covers various aspects including Business Models, Company Profiles, Competition Scenario, Cross Comparisons, Segmentation, Regulatory Environment, Growth Drivers, Issues and Challenges of Car Rental, Car Leasing and Cab Aggregator along with a Snapshot on Yellow Taxi. The report concludes with market projections and analyst recommendations, highlighting the major opportunities and cautions.

South Africa Car Rental and Leasing Market Projections to 2023 - By Business Model (Self Drive, Cab Aggregator, Car Leasing, Minibus Taxi, Metered Taxi and Airport Transfers) and By End User (Mining, Logistic & Courier and Others)

The report provides a comprehensive analysis on the Car Rental and Leasing and Cab Aggregator industry of South Africa. The report covers introduction on South Africa Car Rental and Leasing market, business model of car rental and leasing companies, market size by revenue (2013-2018), market segmentation on the basis of region, type of booking, type of end user, competitive landscape in the industry, shares and company profiles of major players in the market, future outlook for the market (2018-2023) including estimated market size in terms of revenue, market segmentation on the basis of region and type of booking, issues and challenges and growth drivers for the market. The report also includes an introduction on South Africa Cab Aggregator market, business model, market size by revenue (2014-2018), market segmentation on the basis of region, competitive landscape in the industry, shares and company profiles of major players in the market, future outlook for the market (2018-2023) including estimated market size in terms of revenue and regulatory norms in South Africa taxi market. There are snapshots on the Minibus Taxi Market, Metered Taxi Market and Airport Transfers in South Africa.

Russia Car Rental Market by Type (App Based Taxi Aggregator, Self Drive Rental Car, Chauffer Driven Rental and Taxi Services), and by Off-Airport On-Airport Outlook To 2022

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of car rental market introduction and genesis, market size by revenue and by fleet, chauffer driven car rental market, App based cab aggregator market, self drive car rental market. The report also provides data points on Russia Car Rental market by type (Chauffer driven car rental and taxi service, app based cab aggregator and self driven car rental), by region (Moscow Region, St. Petersburg Region, Cities with Population more than 1 million, Cities with Population Between 0.5-1 Million and Others), by on air port and off airport, App based taxi aggregator by type of car (budget, comfort and executive), Self drive car rental by type of booking (online and offline), by type of demand (business, leisure and insurance replacement) along with company profile of major players in Chauffer driven car rental (Lingotaxi, Logitaxi, Kiwitaxi, Maxim, Vezyot, Citymobil), Self drive car rental company (Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, EleksPolys, Delimobil, Belka car and Other), App Based Cab aggregator (Yandex, Gett, Altocar, Indrive, and Wheely). The report also covers SWOT analysis, Rules and regulation, snapshot on Karshering and Illegal taxi (Gypsy cabs) along with analyst recommendation and macroeconomic variables.

Saudi Arabia Car Leasing Market Outlook to 2022 - By Car Rental and Car Dealers, By End Users (Logistics, FMCG & Home Delivery, Oil and Gas, Construction, Government offices, Others)

Saudi Arabia Car Leasing market include the sum total of contract value generated from the LCVs (including light trucks upto 10 ton) and passenger vehicle leasing to retail and corporate customers for a period of more than 1 year. The leasing fleet provided by car rental and car dealer companies has been considered. The contract value has been computed on an accrual basis. For instance, if a contract is signed for a period of three years, then in a particular year only the one year contract value has been considered.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the long term car leasing market in Saudi Arabia. The report covers various aspects such as overall market size of Saudi Arabia long term car leasing market in terms of fleet and revenue, average contract value segmentation on the basis of end users (logistics, FMCG & Home Delivery, Construction, Oil & Gas Sector, Government sector and others), by regions (Central, Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern region), by category (Premium/Luxury, Pickup and Cargo Cars, Medium Category, Small Category Cars), by players (car rental companies and car dealers on the basis of fleet size). The report also covers car rental and leasing eco-system basis demand side and supply side, trends and developments, regulatory scenario, competitive landscape of leading players (Budget, Hanco, Best Rent A Car, Theeb Rent A Car, Shary Rent A Car, Avis, Auto World, Hertz, Key Rent A Car and Samara). The report provides market share of major car dealers, car leasing fleet by car category, competition success factor, market leader case study and key operation metrics along with future outlook and projections.

Contact Us:

Ankur Gupta, Head Marketing

Ken Research Private Limited

Ankur@kenresearch.com

+91-9015378249

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661352/Ken_Research_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Ken Research
"The UK premium finance market is hugely important both for brokers and managing general agents (MGAs), as it provides them with a valuable revenue stream, and for customers, because it means they can afford to pay for their insurance," said Cliff. "I look forward to working alongside Bundeep and his team to help PremFina accelerate its growth, and to ensure the broader premium finance sector is nurtured and supported."

The purpose of the Advisory Board is to further PremFina's mission in providing insurance brokers, MGAs and insurance underwriters with the tools they need to offer a flexible and adaptable instalment plan option to their customers buying insurance. It is comprised of industry leaders with diverse backgrounds and experience, each providing their unique perspective on the Company, industry requirements and trends.

PremFina recently announced the appointment of Martyn Holman to its Advisory Board, who is also Chairman of The National Salvage Association and non-executive Director of Insurance software company Open GI, and the telematics driving club for cheaper auto insurance, Smart Driver Insurance.

About Mark Cliff

Mark has a broad portfolio of NEDs, including Be Wiser and Evolution Claims Management, as well as a number of advisory roles for insurtechs. Previously he was Executive Chairman and CEO of Brightside Group, which he joined in 2015.

Prior to Brightside, Mark was Chief Executive of retail and distribution at Ageas Insurance Ltd, where he was responsible for all Ageas UK's broker distribution and affinity relationships, as well as Ageas's Kwik Fit Financial Services, Ageas Insurance Solutions, RIAS and Castle Cover.

Mark has also worked at AXA Insurance, where he held the position of Markets, Managing Director, and was responsible for all distribution channels, commercial branch operations, as well as customer service and marketing.

In his early career, Mark worked at RSA in a variety of roles for 15 years. Mark is also Deputy Chairman of BIBA's Large Broker Advisory Board and Vice President of the CII.

About PremFina Ltd

PremFina Ltd is a UK-based premium finance company that promotes financial inclusion by enabling the payment of insurance premiums via instalments. It supplies insurance brokers with funding lines and also enables broker-funded and branded credit agreements via its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) affiliate IXL PremFina Ltd. With PremFina, brokers receive higher profit, greater autonomy and the opportunity to increase the lifetime value of their customers as well as cross-sell and up-sell additional products. PremFina's shareholders include global investors Rakuten Capital, Draper Esprit Plc, Thomvest Ventures, Emery Capital, Rubicon Venture Capital, Talis Capital and the company's founder.

Website: https://premfina.com

For All Enquiries:

Pawandeep Kaur

Marketing Assistant

Pawandeep.Kaur@PremFina.com

+44-(0)203-500-3462

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879337/PremFina_Limited.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/774110/PremFina_Logo.jpg

Related Links

https://premfina.com



SOURCE PremFina Limited
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MYM Nutraceuticals Inc., (CSE: MYM) (CSE: MYM.CN) (OTCBB: MYMMF) ('MYM' or 'The Company') is pleased to announce that the Company and their partner, Elite Ventures, have acquired 1.6 million seeds with CBD levels of 10%-20% from the recently built, state-of-the-art, 57,600 square foot nursery owned by CROP in Nye County, Nevada.

The newly built nursery is equipped with trays and LED lighting specially designed to enhance the growth of plant starts for the 2019 CBD farms licenced on CROP's various properties in the state. This was a key project in order to maximize yield, reduce farming risk and costs for the 2019 planting season.

The global medical cannabis market value is expected to reach a value of US$ 45.4 Billion by 2024, with a CAGR of 22.9% during 2019-2024, according to IMARC research. The firm's estimate for last year was that it would to reach US$ 13.4 Billion.

"With 1.6 million seeds purchased and being prepared to be planted, our 2019 grow season is nearly underway," said Howard Steinberg, CEO of MYM. "The Nevada project is a key component in our strategy to create a massive CBD-rich hemp footprint around the globe with the goal of becoming one of the largest cultivators and bulk CBD isolate suppliers in the world."

About MYM Nutraceuticals Inc.

MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. is an innovative company focused on the global growth of Cannabis and hemp. To ensure a strong presence and growth potential within the industry, MYM is actively looking to acquire complementary businesses and assets in the technology, nutraceuticals and CBD sectors. MYM shares trade in Canada, Germany and the USA under the following symbols: (CSE: MYM) (OTC: MYMMF) (FRA: 0MY) (DEU: 0MY) (MUN: 0MY) (STU: 0MY).

On Behalf of The Board

Howard Steinberg, CEO

MYM Nutraceuticals Inc.

www.mym.ca

Keep up to date with MYM on our social media channels:

Twitter: @mymnutra

Facebook: @mymnutra

Instagram: @mymnutra

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. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE or CNSX Markets), nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE), accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

Investor Relations

Billy Casselman

778-522-2261

investors@mym.ca

SOURCE MYM Nutraceuticals Inc.
PLAINSBORO, N.J., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ExL's 15th Public Relations & Communications Summit, taking place at Novo Nordisk headquarters on July 2223, will feature professionals from Becton Dickinson, Astellas, Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and more. For more than a decade, we've been proud to be the only conference event for peer learning and unparalleled networking exclusively for the life science community.

New For 2019 Attendees

CASE STUDY: Bouncing Back From Career Curveballs

Amy Atwood, Head of Vaccine Communications , TAKEDA

Amy Atwood, , TAKEDA PANEL: Navigate the Intersection of Communications and Patient Advocacy

Deborah Fowler, Managing Partner , GREEN ROOM COMMUNICATIONS

Jayne Gershkowitz, Amicus Chief Patient Advocate , AMICUS THERAPEUTICS

Karen Hagens, Head of U.S. Pharma Communications , GSK

Deborah Fowler, , GREEN ROOM COMMUNICATIONS Jayne Gershkowitz, , AMICUS THERAPEUTICS Karen Hagens, , GSK Tell the Story of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Big Data

Mary Richardson, Communications Leader, R&D Innovation, , JOHNSON & JOHNSON MEDICAL DEVICES

Mary Richardson, , JOHNSON & JOHNSON MEDICAL DEVICES Blend the Internal and External Roles Within an Organization

Heather Hunter, Vice President, Communications, VENATORX PHARMACEUTICALS

Monique Da Silva , Head of Corporate Communications, SPARK THERAPEUTICS

For more information, download the brochure.

The Summit is designed to help industry professionals understand the strategies and goals of a company for 2020. As 10-year plans are almost at an end, you will be able to understand what has changed and what has stayed the same. On behalf of our Advisory Board and Novo Nordisk, our host for 2019, we look forward to welcoming you to Novo Nordisk headquarters for two days dedicated to strategic thinking, hands-on learning, and opportunities to connect with industry colleagues.

Ready to register? Click here and be sure to mention Discount Code 777019PRNEWS for 15% off the standard registration rate!

Thank you to our 2019 Sponsors!

About ExL Events

ExL Events (aka "ExL Pharma")  a division of Questex, LLC  develops engaging, content-driven conferences and partnered events for dynamic industry audiences, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostic and contract research organizations; hospital networks; physicians; and communications and other entities. Behind our diverse event portfolio, our experienced team conducts extensive market research and targeted outreach. The results translate into innovative, high-quality events that facilitate the exchange of critical information between industry professionals and suppliers who support shared goals.

ExL Events, a division of Questex, LLC

Jenna Castellano | Conference Production Director

T: 917.242.3891

E: [email protected]

SOURCE ExL Events

Related Links

http://www.exlevents.com


BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Agree Realty Corporation (NYSE: ADC) (the "Company") today announced the pricing of its public offering of 2,750,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $65.85 per share in connection with the forward sale agreements described below. The Company also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 412,500 shares of common stock. The offering is expected to close on or about May 2, 2019.

Jefferies, Citigroup, Wells Fargo Securities and Raymond James are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. BTIG, Capital One Securities, Regions Securities LLC, Stifel and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey are acting as senior co-managers for the offering. Baird, Janney Montgomery Scott and Ladenburg Thalmann are acting as co-managers for the offering.

The Company has entered into forward sale agreements with Jefferies LLC and Citibank, N.A. (the "forward purchasers") with respect to 2,750,000 shares of its common stock (and expects to enter into forward sale agreements with respect to an aggregate of 3,162,500 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). In connection with the forward sale agreements, the forward purchasers or their affiliates are expected to borrow and sell to the underwriters an aggregate of 2,750,000 shares of the common stock that will be delivered in this offering (or an aggregate of 3,162,500 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). Subject to its right to elect cash or net share settlement, which right is subject to certain conditions, the Company intends to deliver, upon physical settlement of such forward sale agreements on one or more dates specified by the Company occurring no later than May 1, 2020, an aggregate of 2,750,000 shares of its common stock (or an aggregate of 3,162,500 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) to the forward purchasers in exchange for cash proceeds per share equal to the applicable forward sale price, which will be the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions, and will be subject to certain adjustments as provided in the forward sale agreements.

The Company will not initially receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of its common stock by the forward purchasers. The Company expects to use the net proceeds, if any, it receives upon the future settlement of the forward sale agreements to fund acquisition and development activity, with any remaining proceeds to be used for general working capital and other corporate purposes, including the reduction of the outstanding balance on the Company's revolving credit facility, if any. Selling common stock through the forward sale agreements enables the Company to set the price of such shares upon pricing the offering (subject to certain adjustments) while delaying the issuance of such shares and the receipt of the net proceeds by the Company until the expected funding requirements described above have occurred.

Copies of the prospectus supplement relating to this offering, when available, may be obtained by contacting: Jefferies LLC, Attention Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, or by telephone at (877) 821-7388 or by email at [email protected], Citigroup, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 (Tel: 800-831-9146), Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 375 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10152, Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, telephone: (800) 326-5897, email: [email protected] or Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Attention: Equity Syndicate, 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716, or by telephone at (800) 248-8863, or by e-mail to [email protected].

This offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement and related prospectus filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). A prospectus supplement relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About Agree Realty Corporation

Agree Realty Corporation is a publicly traded real estate investment trust primarily engaged in the acquisition and development of properties net leased to industry leading retail tenants. As of March 31, 2019, the Company owned and operated a portfolio of 694 properties, located in 46 states and containing approximately 11.9 million square feet of gross leasable space. The Company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ADC". For additional information, please visit www.agreerealty.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements about the terms and size of the offering, the intended use of proceeds from the offering, if any, and future settlement of its forward sales agreements, that represent the Company's expectations and projections for the future. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described or at all, or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Although these forward-looking statements are based on good faith beliefs, reasonable assumptions and the Company's best judgment reflecting current information, certain factors could occur that might cause actual results to vary, including, but not limited to, deterioration in national economic conditions, weakening of real estate markets, decreases in the availability of credit, increases in interest rates, adverse changes in the retail industry, our continuing ability to qualify as a REIT and other factors discussed in the Company's reports filed with the SEC. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

SOURCE Agree Realty Corporation

Related Links

http://www.agreerealty.com


"Alaska Airlines is all about people  our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve," said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska Airlines Vice President of External Relations. "As we mark the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall, we are honored to show our pride, celebrate progress and recognize where we all have more work to do."

"Alaska Airlines has been with our community every step of the way," said Seattle Pride Board President, Kevin Toovey. "Pride is our perennial reminder that no matter how far we have come, the march continues. As this year's presenting sponsor, Alaska will help us celebrate Seattle Pride's 45th Anniversary in an incredibly meaningful  and welcoming  way."

Alaska is fully committed to celebrating diversity, inclusion, and the fight for equality. Alaska also recognizes we can do better and appreciates that challenge. This challenge is met daily by Alaska employees, and led by our employee resource groups, such as GLOBE.

For the 10,000+ Alaska Airlines employees who call Washington home, Seattle Pride is especially symbolic  it is a time for celebration, remembrance and reflection. Alaska Airlines will continue its tradition of partnering and marching in pride parades up and down the West Coast  from San Diego, to Honolulu, to Anchorage.

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 44 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica, including 307 daily flights from Seattle to 91 nonstop destinations. Alaska offers more international destination through its global partners than any other carrier. Learn about Alaska's award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

Contact: Alaska Airlines, 206-304-0008, [email protected]

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

Related Links

http://www.alaskaair.com


BEIING, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ambow Education Holding Ltd. ("Ambow" or the "Company") (NYSE American: AMBO), a leading national provider of educational and career enhancement services in China, has entered into a strategic agreement with Beijing Qiyu Technology Company Limited ("Qiyu"). The collaboration with Qiyu, a technology-driven company, will focus on research and development, manufacturing and education in the field of AI and humanoid robotics.

Under the agreement, the parties intend to develop a practical training platform to teach AI and humanoid robotics principles. This platform will include an application-oriented AI teaching system, a cloud-based learning management system, and comprehensive set of humanoid robotics source code. All related teaching systems, curriculum, courses, textbooks and a case library will be developed jointly by both parties. When completed, the platform will give students a hands-on opportunity to learn AI and humanoid robotics technical skills as well as related activities such as entrepreneurship and dynamic innovation. Universities and colleges in China are expected to be the main target customers of this new platform.

Both parties will take part as industry incubators promoting growth and employment opportunities in AI and robotics. Ambow's involvement in the development of the platform and its unique ability to connect career colleges with leading corporations will aid in the reduction of talent shortages, bridging the gap between higher learning and the needs of high tech employers.

Dr. Jin Huang, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ambow commented, "We are pleased to announce this collaboration with Qiyu, as this partnership further demonstrates Ambow's commitment to modernizing higher learning in China. As we continue to seek out trends in new emerging career fields, we continue our drive to provide students with not only education but also desirable new skillsets that are in-demand in emerging technology career fields.

"As Ambow continues to address the challenges of a world driven by digital transformation and new technologies, our latest efforts focus on the AI and Robotics industries, which require a specialized multi-disciplinarian approach to the development of their respective core curriculums. By providing an immersive and hands-on learning experience, the goal of the program is to develop the next top-class of researchers, engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs in AI and Robotics," concluded Dr. Huang.

About Ambow Education Holding Ltd.

Ambow Education Holding Ltd. is a leading national provider of educational and career enhancement services in China, offering high-quality, individualized services and products. With its extensive network of regional service hubs complemented by a dynamic proprietary learning platform and distributors, Ambow provides its services and products to students in 30 out of the 31 provinces and autonomous regions within China.

Follow us on Twitter: @Ambow_Education

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Ambow's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Ambow may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the following: the Company's goals and strategies, expansion plans, the expected growth of the content and application delivery services market, the Company's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with its customers, and the general economic and business conditions in the regions where the Company provides its solutions and services. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Ambow undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries please contact:

Ambow Education Holding Ltd.

Tel: +86 10-6206-8000

The Piacente Group | Investor Relations

Tel: +1 212-481-2050 or +86 10-5730-6200

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Ambow Education Holding Ltd.
TAMPA, Fla., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pineywoods, an all-in-one real estate solution for agents, property managers, buyers and sellers, recently announced that Mills Capital Group, an Argentinian financial services firm, will become a minority investor in the Pineywoods platform providing the Tampa-based company with a new global client base. The partnership will enable Mills Capital Group's clientele to invest in the Tampa Bay area through the Pineywoods platform's real estate offerings.

"Our platforms are strongly aligned in terms of our strategic approach to growth, company culture and personalized customer service, making this partnership a 'win-win' for both firms," said Brian Katz, CEO and Founder of Katz Capital, the holding company for the Pineywoods brands. "Mills Capital Group benefits by offering its clients a real estate platform in which it has ownership here in the U.S., and Pineywoods benefits through an expanded customer reach."

The fast-growing Pineywoods brand acts as a catch-all for real estate needs. The company offers divisions for real estate, property management, title, insurance, mortgage and capital services  helping customers and investors accomplish all of their real estate and transactional needs under one roof, with one trusted partner.

"The Tampa market is interesting  it's growing a lot and attracting investors from all over the United States and abroad," said Carlos Krigun, Director of Mills Capital Group. "With clients currently in Argentina, and Europe, partnering with Pineywoods gives us a foundation for a strong investment foothold in the United States. Tampa's recent population growth makes investing in real estate through Pineywoods much more attractive for our clients looking to buy or sell in the U.S."

Much like Pineywoods, Mills Capital Group is a holding company with a boutique profile that promotes economic development through its tailored financial tools in lending, capital markets, research, securities, asset management, and real estate investment.

Katz and Krigun previously worked together at Goldman Sachs in New York City in 2006 before each departed to pursue similar business interests and eventually establish their own firms. The Mills Capital Group's investment in Pineywoods marks the first business partnership between the two firms.

More about Pineywoods Brands

Pineywoods brands, named after the native Florida cattle, are an all-in-one real estate solution that offers an entrepreneurial and efficient approach for agents, property managers, buyers and sellers. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., the platform acts as a catch-all for real estate needs covering five lines of affiliated business: Pineywoods Realty, Pineywoods Title, Pineywoods Insurance, Pineywoods Mortgage and Pineywoods Capital.

More about Mills Capital Group

Founded in 2014, Mills Capital Group is a holding company that promotes economic development through a complete financial services platform, including lines of business for financial services, capital markets, research, asset management and real estate investment. The firm currently operates throughout Argentina, and Europe. Its mission is to provide strategic, personalized solutions that help accomplish each of their clients' specific business goals.

[BRIAN KATZ OR CARLOS KRIGUN IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS UPON REQUEST].

Contact:

Elizabeth Ayers

(813) 258-5858 x 2380

[email protected]

SOURCE Pineywoods Realty

Related Links

http://pineywoodsrealtyfl.com


"As the bank of the Packers since 1919, Associated Bank is proud and honored to share 100 years of partnership with the Packers," said Philip B. Flynn, president and CEO, Associated Bank. "This partnership has so much history in our community and will continue to benefit all Packers fans."

The new branch will feature one-of-a-kind experiences that will engage and entertain Packers fans like never before. Fans will be led through a series of stations, each building on the previous. The path from Packers fan to team legend is personalized just for them.

This self-guided interactive journey will create a customized avatar that transforms fans into part of the team and further leads them through various interactive stations including Train Like a Champion, Go Green and Cold and Suit Up.

Each fan's experience from start to finish will be collected and live in an online gallery accessible by email, making it easy to share on social media.

"Titletown is the perfect place to play, stay, eat and relax year round  which makes Associated Bank a great fit as they will be offering a fun and unique experience that all visitors can enjoy," said Mark Murphy, president and CEO, Green Bay Packers.

Business customers will be treated to additional experiences in a flexible private space used for business meetings and special events.

"Most bank visits are typical, expected and predictable," said Christopher Piotrowski, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Associated Bank. "This branch will be anything but. Packers fans will see how Associated makes the banking experience simple and easy, while having a little fun at the same time. New customers can also explore the benefits offered to Packers checking and debit customers."

During traditional banking hours, the location will function as a full-service branch for transactions, new account openings and other bank services. It will include standard amenities such as Associated's full-service teller lobby and a 24-hour ATM. Fan experiences will be available during the branch's normal hours, as well as on Packers game days and during other special Titletown events.

The branch is being developed by Rinka+ in conjunction with IEI General Contractors, Inc. and GMR Marketing. Construction is underway and a fall grand opening is anticipated.

ABOUT ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP

Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) has total assets of nearly $34 billion and is one of the top 50 publicly traded U.S. bank holding companies. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Associated is a leading Midwest banking franchise, offering a full range of financial products and services from more than 230 banking locations serving more than 110 communities throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, and commercial financial services in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas. Associated Bank, N.A. is an Equal Housing Lender, Equal Opportunity Lender and Member FDIC. More information about Associated Banc-Corp is available at www.associatedbank.com.

Contact: Jennifer Kaminski

Public Relations Senior Manager

920-491-7576

[email protected]

SOURCE Associated Banc-Corp
NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AsylumConnect, a tech nonprofit providing the first dynamic web app for LGBTQ asylum, is launching in Canada. As more LGBTQ asylum seekers turn to Canada for safety, this international expansion is vital.

Thousands of LGBTQ people are seeking asylum in Canada, and the country's acceptance rate of asylum seekers is the highest in 27 years . With this AsylumConnect expansion, LGBTQ asylum seekers will now be able to search for verified LGBTQ-and asylum-friendly services across Canadian provinces and access translated legal guides on the LGBTQ asylum process.

"At AsylumConnect, we've received messages from LGBTQ asylum seekers searching for information and support in Canada," says Katie Sgarro, co-founder and president of AsylumConnect. "Our app will now be able to connect them with safe local services."

Launched in the U.S. in 2016, AsylumConnect's app has helped more than 10,000 unique users connect with verified LGBTQ- and asylum-friendly services in the U.S. Nonprofits and lawyers also use AsylumConnect to gather verified referrals for LGBTQ clients.

AsylumConnect is the first and only app designed to address the holistic needs of persecuted LGBTQ people. LGBTQ asylum seekers use AsylumConnect as a free one-stop-shop to meet their needs in all aspects of their lives, including: housing, legal, food, medical, mental health, community, translation, transportation, education, employment, and more.

Without AsylumConnect's information on where it is safe to go for help, LGBTQ asylum seekers face increased risk of homelessness, homophobic or transphobic service providers, or no option besides giving up on their asylum claim and facing deportation.

"In addition to facing challenges as asylum seekers, LGBTQ asylum seekers face unique obstacles due to their LGBTQ identity," says Sgarro. "From discrimination in social services to mitigating prejudice from fellow asylum seekers, LGBTQ asylum seekers must navigate a double stigma. Many struggle to access services in their new home which are both immigrant-friendly and LGBTQ-affirming. AsylumConnect eliminates this uncertainty."

AsylumConnect is listed as a LGBTQ resettlement resource by Seattle.gov's Office of Immigrants & Refugee Affairs, Trevor Project, Rainbow Railroad, UNHCR, and more.

About AsylumConnect

AsylumConnect is a tech nonprofit providing the first app for LGBTQ asylum. For more information, visit www.asylumconnect.org.

Media Contact

Katie Sgarro, Co-Founder & President

Phone: 646-602-5600 ext. 5658

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE AsylumConnect

Related Links

http://www.asylumconnect.org/


NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

In re: SunEdison, Inc. Securities Litigation This Document Relates To: Horowitz et al. v. SunEdison, Inc. et al., Case No. 1:16-cv-07917-PKC Civil Action No. 1:16-md-2742-PKC



SUMMARY NOTICE OF PENDENCY OF CLASS ACTION

To: (1) all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired shares of SunEdison, Inc. ("SunEdison") common stock between September 2, 2015 and April 4, 2016, and were damaged thereby (the "Exchange Act Subclass"); and





(2) all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired shares of SunEdison preferred stock between August 18, 2015 and November 9, 2015, inclusive, pursuant or traceable to the registered public offering on or about August 18, 2015, and were damaged thereby (the "Securities Act Subclass," and together with the Exchange Act Subclass, the "Class").

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED, pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and an Order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the "Court") that the above-captioned action (the "Action") has been certified to proceed as a class action on behalf of the Class consisting of two distinct subclasses, as defined above, except for certain persons and entities who are excluded from the Class by definition as set forth in the full printed Notice of Pendency of Class Action (the "Notice"). Please note : at this time, there is no judgment, settlement, or monetary recovery.

IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE CLASS, YOUR RIGHTS WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS ACTION. The full printed Notice is currently being mailed to known potential members of the Class ("Class Members"). If you have not yet received the full printed Notice, you may obtain a copy of the Notice by downloading it from www.SunEdisonSecuritiesLitigation.com , or by contacting the Administrator by toll-free phone at 1866-887-2962, by email at [email protected], or in writing at:

In re SunEdison, Inc. Securities Litigation

c/o Analytics Consulting

P.O. Box 2007

Chanhassen, MN 55317-2007

Inquiries, other than requests for the Notice, may be made to the following representative of Class Counsel:

Adam Hollander, Esq.

BERNSTEIN LITOWITZ BERGER

& GROSSMANN LLP

1251 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

1-800-380-8496

If you are a Class Member, you have the right to decide whether to remain a member of the Class. If you want to remain a member of the Class, you do not need to do anything at this time other than to retain your documentation reflecting your transactions and holdings in SunEdison common stock and SunEdison preferred stock. If you are a Class Member and do not exclude yourself from the Class, you will be bound by the proceedings in this Action, including all past, present, and future orders and judgments of the Court, whether favorable or unfavorable. If you move, or if the Notice was mailed to an old or incorrect address, please send the Administrator written notification of your new address.

If you ask to be excluded from the Class or one of the subclasses, you will not be bound by any order or judgment of this Court in this Action as pertains to the Class or the subclass from which you choose to be excluded; however, you will not be eligible to receive a share of any money which might be recovered for the benefit of the Class or the subclass from which you request exclusion. Please note, if you decide to exclude yourself from the Class or one of the subclasses, you may be time-barred from asserting the claims covered by the Action by a statute of repose and your claims could be dismissed. To exclude yourself from the Class or one of the subclasses, you must submit a written request for exclusion postmarked no later than June 17, 2019, in accordance with the instructions set forth in the full printed Notice. Pursuant to Rule 23(e)(4) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, it is within the Court's discretion as to whether a second opportunity to request exclusion from the Class or one of the subclasses will be allowed in the event there is a settlement or judgment in the Action.

Further information regarding this notice may be obtained by writing to the Administrator at the address provided above.

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT REGARDING THIS NOTICE.

BY ORDER OF THE COURT:

United States District Court for the

Southern District of New York

SOURCE Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP

Related Links

http://www.SunEdisonSecuritiesLitigation.com


ARLINGTON, Va., April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Tax and Deloitte will host Financial Instruments: The Way Forward, a one-day conference to help companies navigate the new ASC 326 credit loss standard and respond to the new hedge accounting standard ASU 2017-12. Registration for this complimentary event, which takes place from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7 at Washington, D.C.'s Newseum, is available at https://www.bna.com/bloomberg-tax-the-way-forward/.

A vast array of cross sector, publicly traded companies that hold financial assets such as trade and loan receivables will have to report on estimated expected credit losses when the credit loss standard goes into effect for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2019. To help attendees interpret and better prepare for the upcoming adoption of ASC 326, the event convenes leaders from corporations, government agencies, and accounting and law firms for their insights and perspectives.

Keynote interviews will be conducted with Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and Harold Schroeder, a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which crafted the standards. The agenda will cover a range of topics including implementation challenges and processes, the standard's economic impact, and potential changes to ASC 326 from the FASB.

"The Way Forward will provide a 360-degree view of credit losses from a variety of angles including Congress, regulatory bodies, accounting firms, and corporations of all sizes, including financial institutions ranging from credit unions to the largest global banks," said George Farrah, Vice President, Content and Analysis, Bloomberg Tax. "We're excited to discuss everything from hands-on, practical implementation to ASC 326's impact on markets, governance, and internal controls."

The conference will include a panel discussion highlighting examples of business drivers behind the changes to the new hedge accounting standard, which promises to simplify accounting for many corporate risk mitigation strategies, and how companies are faring post-adoption.

"Hedging is a powerful risk management strategy that can reduce income statement volatility and mitigate financial risk. Historically, companies have often been hesitant to utilize hedge accounting because of the complexities," said Jon Howard, Audit & Assurance National Office Accounting and Reporting Services senior consultation partner for financial instruments, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "The new standard removes many of these barriers making it much easier for companies to achieve hedge accounting while reducing the operational burden typically associated with hedge accounting."

In addition to the keynote interviewees, featured speakers include:

Linda Bergen , Director, Head of External Affairs and SEC Reporting, Citigroup

, Director, Head of External Affairs and SEC Reporting, Citigroup Jason Brodmerkel , CPA, Accounting Standards, Depository and Lending Institutions, AICPA

, CPA, Accounting Standards, Depository and Lending Institutions, AICPA Frederick Cannon , Executive Vice President, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

, Executive Vice President, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Michael Gullette , Senior Vice President, Tax and Accounting, American Bankers Association

, Senior Vice President, Tax and Accounting, American Bankers Association Catherine Ide , Managing Director of Professional Practice and Member Services, Center for Audit Quality

, Managing Director of Professional Practice and Member Services, Center for Audit Quality Catherine A. Lynch , Independent Trustee, Audit Committee member, BlackRock Fixed Income Funds board

, Independent Trustee, Audit Committee member, BlackRock Fixed Income Funds board Masha Muzyka , Senior Director, Moody's Analytics

About Bloomberg Tax

Bloomberg Tax provides comprehensive global research, news, and technology services enabling tax professionals to get the timely, accurate, and in-depth information they need to plan and comply with confidence. Our flagship Bloomberg Tax platform combines the proven expertise and perspectives of leading tax practitioners in our renowned Tax Management Portfolios with integrated news from the industry-leading Daily Tax Report, authoritative analysis and insights, primary sources, and time-saving practice tools. For more information, visit https://bna.com/tax.

Bloomberg Tax technology solutions on our proprietary Advantage platform help professionals simplify complex tax and accounting processes to better control risk and maximize profitability. For more information, visit https://www.bloombergtaxtech.com/.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90 percent of the Fortune 500 and more than 5,000 private and middle market companies. Our people work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today's marketplace to make an impact that matters  delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthy society. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the "Deloitte" name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.

SOURCE Bloomberg Tax

Related Links

https://bna.com/tax


BEIJING, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China Daily:

China's Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping nearly six years ago, has made practical progress, with 125 countries and 29 international organizations having signed 173 cooperation agreements under the initiative framework as of March 27.

Under the initiative's five cooperation priorities of policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bond, there are a batch of projects, such as transportation construction and industrial infrastructure, in full swing or already having yielded fruitful results.

Here are some of the amazing projects achieved worldwide under the initiative.

Bridge:

Temburong Bridge, Brunei

The Temburong Bridge, the largest infrastructure project in Brunei's history, will become the country's longest sea-crossing bridge with a total length of about 30 km. It is scheduled to open to traffic by the end of November 2019.

The CC4 section of the bridge is constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corp. At around 11.6 km of the 11.8 km-long section will be a land viaduct traversing the mangrove swamp of the Labu Forest Reserve, the company has established a set of strict safety and green construction evaluation systems to meet the high demand for environmental protection and cope with unprecedented difficulty in construction.

Peljesac Bridge, Croatia

One of the biggest infrastructure projects in Croatia's history, the Peljesac Bridge is designed to link the mainland of Croatia with its southernmost Dubrovnik-Neretva county.

A Chinese consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation won the bid for the first phase of the Peljesac Bridge and its access roads in January 2018.

The project, whose estimated value is over 400 million euros ($485 million), will be partially sponsored by European Union funds. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in April the 2.4-km-long and 55-meter-high bridge is highly rated by the Croatian people.

Industrial projects

Punta Sierra wind farm, Chile

With 32 turbines by the blue sea, the Punta Sierra wind farm has been in operation since Feb 4, 2018.

It is the first Pacific Hydro wind farm in Chile and the first wind farm invested in by China in the South American country.

The $150 million project, financed and constructed by China State Power Investment Corporation, has an installed capacity of 82 MW and will generate about 282 GWh/year, which can meet electricity demands for 130,000 households and reduce carbon emissions by 157,000 tons per year.

Yamal LNG project, Russia

Located in Russia's Yamal Peninsula in the Arctic, the Yamal liquefied natural gas project reached full production capacity with its three production lines, each of which has a capacity of 5.5 million tons per year, with operations starting in December 2017, August 2018 and December 2018, successively.

The project is the world's largest of its kind within the Arctic Circle and is also the first mega- energy cooperation project implemented in Russia after the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed.

It is owned by Russia's Novatek (50.1 percent), France's Total (20 percent), China National Petroleum Corporation (20 percent) and China's Silk Road Fund (9.9 percent).

Isimba hydropower station, Uganda

Construction on the Isimba hydropower station in Uganda was completed on March 21. The project cost $566 million, with the Export-Import Bank of China proving 85 percent of the financing support.

Built by China International Water & Electric Corp, the hydropower station is the third largest power station in Uganda, increasing the country's power generation capacity from 984 MW to 1167 MW.

During the construction of the hydropower station, 70 percent of the building materials required for the project were procured locally in Uganda.

Industrial park projects

China-Belarus Industrial Park, Belarus

The China-Belarus Industrial Park, located 25 km from Minsk and covering an area of 91.5 square kilometers, is the first special economic area in Belarus and the largest intergovernmental cooperation project between China and Belarus.

The industrial park is stepping up efforts to attract more global investors, with 43 companies registered by the end of February.

Among the 43 companies, 26 are from China, 10 from Belarus, and seven from other countries, like the United States and Russia. The companies have signed agreements to make total investments of more than $1 billion in the park.

Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone

China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone

The China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, located in the Ain Sokhna district of the Suez province east of Cairo, has become a landmark project for China and Egypt's cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The zone, officially starting construction over a decade ago, is operated by China-Africa TEDA Investment Co Ltd. It has attracted nearly 80 enterprises with investment of more than $1 billion, directly offered jobs to over 3,500 people and created 30,000 job opportunities through the industries gathered there.

In January 2016 the second phase of the zone, which covers an area of 6 square kilometers, was inaugurated. As of February infrastructure construction for 2 square km of the second phase has finished, and that eight industry-leading enterprises are already onboard with an investment of $200 million.

International Free Trade Zone

Djibouti International Djibouti

The China-funded Djibouti International Free Trade Zone, which started construction in January 2017, opened on July 5, 2018.

Covering an area of 48.2 sq km, the zone is operated by a joint venture with investment by Chinese enterprises, including China Merchants Holdings and Dalian Port Corp Ltd, as well as the Djibouti Ports and Free Zone Authority.

More than 20 enterprises from the commerce, logistic, processing sectors have signed letters of intent to register with the FTZ, as infrastructure in the first phrase of the FTZ, which covers an area of 6 sq km, has been basically completed.

The FTZ is expected to become a crucial junction linking other African countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, and make Djibouti, the small northeast African country, a marine logistics hub linking Africa, Asia and Europe.

Wang Zhuoqiong, Liu Kun, Zhou Lihua, Jiang Xueqing, Zhong Nan, Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily contributed to this story.

SOURCE China Daily
SHENZHEN, China, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The China-Italy Philanthropy Forum (CIPF) was jointly organized by China Global Philanthropy Institute (CGPI), TOChina Hub, and China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) with a view to supporting the Belt and Road initiative, enhancing philanthropic exchange and cooperation between the two countries. The East-West Philanthropists Summit of CIPF was successfully held at the Lincean National Academy of Sciences in Rome from March 20 to 23.

As Honorary Co-Chairs of the forum, Romano PRODI, Former President of the European Commission and Former Prime Minister of Italy and MA Weihua, Chairman of CGPI and Former Governor of China Merchants Bank attended a state dinner banquet on March 22 hosted by Italian President Sergio MATTARELLA. Addressing the gathering, President MATTARELLA said, "the establishment of...CIPF as well as a series of governmental and trade agreements scheduled to be signed tomorrow fully demonstrate the strong interest of the two countries in developing cooperative ties."

On March 23, WANG Zhenyao, President of CGPI, FANG Jin, Deputy Secretary-General of CDRF, and Giovanni ANDORNINO, Director of TOChina Hub, signed a MoU on the Establishment of CIPF for long-term cooperation in philanthropy. The ceremony was witnessed by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe CONTE. This MoU was the only one in philanthropy among the 19 intergovernmental agreements signed that day. The event marked the highest-level philanthropic exchange ever between the two countries.

Moreover, the East-West Philanthropists Summit of CIPF was a complete success. Over 30 representatives from politics, philanthropy, business, arts, and academia of both countries attended the event. The event witnessed the launch of East-West Philanthropy Circle focusing on the united action of the world's leading philanthropic families, and the International Philanthropic Innovation Circle focusing on "uniting the world's young philanthropists to innovate for good" under the East-West Philanthropy Forum (EWPF), which is the highest action-driven platform of exchange and collaboration for the philanthropists from the East and the West to address today's most urgent environmental and social challenges. On the occasion, the representatives of the Chinese and Italian philanthropists vowed to take concrete measures to organize personnel training, realize environmental protection, ensure the protection of intangible cultural heritage, and support family philanthropic legacy within the framework of CIPF and EWPF.

SOURCE China Global Philanthropy Institute
ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CloudSmartz, a global software company exclusively focused on next-generation solutions for Communications Service Providers, in collaboration with Seaborn Networks ("Seaborn"), a leading developer-owner-operator of subsea fiber optic cable systems, today announced that CloudSmartz will enable Seaborn's digital transformation strategy and deployment over the next several months. Seaborn's Seabras-1 offers the only direct POP-POP route between Sao Paulo, Brazil, and New York City, USA, and soon will offer an end-to-end automation platform that will enable services to be delivered by leading SDN technology.

Seaborn and CloudSmartz will develop and deploy a fully integrated customer portal solution to automate Seaborn's front-office processes, bringing more efficiency in their current sales, operations, inventory and service provisioning cycles, and provide real-time visibility into the service delivery functions across the organization. The platform will also enable on-demand SDN services and deliver bandwidth in near real-time delivery.

Seaborn's responsiveness and service delivery is already industry-leading. The partnership with CloudSmartz promises that Seaborn's leadership position as a subsea communications service provider will be further solidified as the program supports its existing range of software-defined products to:

Enable Seaborn to provide the first real-time software-defined delivery platform in the Americas region for enhanced IP, Cloud and Transport services

Provide Seaborn's customers with a full-service portal that enables them to:

Provision and amend Seabras-1 services in real time through a user-friendly self-service portal



Enter service queries and quickly see updates to active tickets, delivery activities and service history



See a detailed listing of all their Seabras-1 services, real-time usage information and billing status

Transform Seaborn to be able to provide the first customer-centric, on-demand service platform that will redefine the way in which services are delivered in the region and elevate the quality of service Seaborn provides to a new level within the international telecoms market.

Provide customers with a holistic view of their relationship with Seaborn through this intuitive portal

Offer customers the continued assurance of working with Seaborn's owned and operated 24x7 NOC and DR NOC

"CloudSmartz is very excited to enter our partnership with Seaborn, to not only enhance their customer experience but to enable the automation of their network and on-demand services as a next-generation subsea service provider," says Dan Wagner, CEO, CloudSmartz. "We have been presented with the honor and privilege of helping a remarkable company rise to even greater heights  and look forward to a strong business partnership."

"We are pleased to be working with CloudSmartz to accelerate our digital transformation for our customers and partners," comments Larry Schwartz, CEO of Seaborn. "CloudSmartz leadership has a strong understanding of the complexities of our network and customer demands  and a long history of executing."

For more information, please visit CloudSmartz at www.cloudsmartz.com and Seaborn Networks at www.seabornnetworks.com.

About CloudSmartz

CloudSmartz is a global software company exclusively focused on next-generation solutions for Communications Service Providers. Their global disciplined agile delivery model provides their customers with complete end-to-end delivery and digital transformation with the support of more than 200 telecom software professionals with offices in the United States, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Gartner has recently named CloudSmartz as a 2018 Cool Vendor in Communications Service Provider Business Operations. Inc. 5000 named CloudSmartz one of America's Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies for three consecutive years in a row (2016, 2017, 2018). For more information, please visit www.cloudsmartz.com.

About Seaborn Networks

Seaborn Networks is a leading developer-owner-operator of submarine fiber optic cable systems, including Seabras-1 between Sao Paulo - New York. Seabras-1 is the only direct POP-to-POP system between Sao Paulo and New York, offering the lowest latency route between B3 and the trading exchanges of New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.seabornnetworks.com.

Media Contacts:

Matthew Ray

Head of Marketing

CloudSmartz

[email protected]

Kate Wilson

Head of Marketing, Media

Seaborn Networks

[email protected]

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Related Links

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Visit Seaborn Website

SOURCE CloudSmartz

Related Links

http://www.cloudsmartz.com


CNC Machines, a Florida-based used CNC machine dealer, established the veteran-exclusive scholarship program late last year as a means of supporting both the longevity of the American manufacturing industry and veterans returning to civilian life who want to start new careers. To qualify, applicants submitted 1,000-word essays on why they want to become a machinist.

"We believe in being part of the solution to the manufacturing skills gap. Our goals with this scholarship program are simple: Grow the American manufacturing industry; and support veterans returning to civilian life and in search of their next career," said Curt Doherty, founder and CEO, CNC Machines.

"A diverse workforce is also essential to closing that skills gap and women are notably underrepresented in the field, making up only about 29 percent of employees," he added. "Ms. Santos is an outstanding example of the kind of talent that is needed."

Santos served in the U.S. Coast Guard for four years as a Boatswain's mate third class. During her first two-year stint, she worked aboard the USCG Cutter Elm, which would go to sea two weeks at a time then spent two years at a search and rescue small boat station where she provided translation services between the Coast Guard and local fishermen while on patrol and helped civilians during emergencies. During her service, she performed firefighting, search and rescue, navigation, rigging, deckhand duties, and maintenance; and operated heavy equipment.

"I enjoyed using tools and conducting maintenance the most during my time in the Coast Guard and learned about Valencia College's Accelerated Skills Program. I signed up for a tour of their Advanced Manufacturing Training Center and I found out about welding as a career option. I knew right away that I had found my career path," said Santos, who is enrolled in the school's Welding 1 program full time and works part-time to help pay for her education.

Past recipients of the CNC Machines Veteran to Machinist scholarship include:

Terry Flannery of Cincinnati, Ohio , a disabled U.S. Army veteran who medically retired due to injuries suffered during his 12-year military career. He is pursuing his Artisanship in Woodworking Certificate from the University of Cincinnati's Wood Technology Program.

of , a disabled U.S. Army veteran who medically retired due to injuries suffered during his 12-year military career. He is pursuing his Artisanship in Woodworking Certificate from the Wood Technology Program. Kevin Bruffet , a U.S. Army veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and recipient of the Purple Heart and several other awards and commendations. He is enrolled in the mechatronics program at the Valencia Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Kissimmee, FL.

The Manufacturing Institute, in its publication, From Military Front Lines to Manufacturing Front Lines: Veterans and Your Workforce, concluded from research it conducted, that ex-military personnel make excellent manufacturing workers. The natural fit of veterans with manufacturing has also been called out by other military and manufacturing organizations including Military.com.

For More Information Contact:

Jonathan Alonso, Director, [email protected]

SOURCE CNC Machines

Related Links

https://CNCMachines.com


PHOENIX, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- (OTCQB-CELZ) Creative Medical Technology Holdings, Inc. announced today an update of its activities:

As we are releasing updates on a regular basis, we will only cover new activities. The absence of reporting on a specific area of our business should not be construed as a lack of concentration in that area but due to the short window of time between shareholder updates. We appreciate our shareholders' desire for "real time" information but some aspects of our business take time.

CaverStem domestic activities: We are continuing marketing to physicians across the United States. Since our last shareholder update an additional five physicians have expressed interest in joining CaverStem. We are currently vetting those physicians and will submit contracts for their review and signature. Once contracts are in place, we will schedule training and begin marketing for patient awareness.

These physicians came to us through our physician marketing program. We are continuing to use this marketing tool with mailers and emails with follow up telephone communication with physicians across the country.

As previously disclosed, we have and will continue to use social media to build patient awareness with the use of Google Ad Words and banner advertising. We believe social media is a great resource as 80% of patients find us, using their phones and tablets. In order to continue to grow patient awareness print advertising is now being used and we are continuing to develop our television commercial which will be edited to direct patients to each physician in their area.

Dr. Narayan and his staff at North Florida Urology were trained on April 24th with five patients successfully treated. Training for Dr. Liu in San Francisco is scheduled on May 2nd and Dr. Sanderson in Honolulu will be trained in May. Other physicians are scheduled the first of June.

Patient testimonials discussing the procedure and the positive results are being filmed and will be posted on our caverstem.com website and our social media pages.

CaverStem International activities: We are continuing to treat patients in Italy and the first patients treated within the past 2 months have expressed positive results. This will be covered in a separate press release by Dr. Antonini and the company.

Additionally, our electronic patient registry is complete and is being forwarded to physicians. This registry is intended to include data from our clinical trial, data from treating physicians using centrifuge technology with a 30cc to 60cc bone marrow aspiration and our second generation, needle only, mini bone marrow aspiration technology drawing a maximum of 20cc of bone marrow. Recent publications have disclosed that with the second generation needle technology a larger amount of pure cell product is harvested because of a reduction in dilution of blood, thus requiring a reduced bone marrow aspiration. The registry will enable the company to gather and maintain ongoing HIPAA compliant information on patient demographics, history and treatment progress. Patient names and addresses will not be included on the registry or disclosed to the company.

We have received positive feedback from treating physicians in the United States and Europe of a 70% to 100% efficacy in their patients. This percentage may fluctuate depending on the age and health of the patients and cause and severity of their erectile dysfunction.

FemCelz: as previously announced, we are progressing with the development of the FemCelz procedure for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction. The first patients are scheduled for May 2nd in San Francisco. Additional patients are being scheduled in other cities.

We continue to move forward on all aspects of our business. The dedication of our team towards building the fundamentals of the company and shareholder value remain as strong as ever and the addition of medical industry veterans allows us to grow the company on a domestic and international level at a faster pace than at any time since inception of the company.

We would also like to thank our shareholders for their support, including the many shareholders from the medical field who have expressed positive feedback on our progress.

We are currently finalizing our Q1 financials and expect to file by the May 15, 2019 deadline.

About Creative Medical Technology Holdings

Creative Medical Technology Holdings, Inc. is a commercial stage biotechnology company currently trading on the OTCQB under the ticker symbol CELZ. For further information about the company go to www.creativemedicaltechnology.com . For more information on our Caverstem procedure please go to www.caverstem.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

OTC Markets has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming clinical trials and laboratory results, marketing efforts, funding, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and, therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. See the periodic and other reports filed by Creative Medical Technology Holdings, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the Commission's website at www.sec.gov .

SOURCE Creative Medical Technology Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.creativemedicaltechnology.com/


BELLEVUE, Wash., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinstar, LLC, the leader in self-service coin counting, today announced an agreement with the Credit Union of Colorado to install 16 Coinstar kiosks in all the credit union's branches across the state. Coinstar was selected for its turnkey operation, reliability and accurate coin counting, and will replace the credit union's former labor-intensive do-it-yourself solution.

"Coinstar has a superior model that we believe will help us be more efficient, save money, and at the same time deliver a trusted and reliable solution to our members," said Kevin Rivard, director of branch operations for Credit Union of Colorado. "We experienced reliability and maintenance issues with our previous coin-counting equipment, often diverting staff from their regular duties to manage the coin services. Coinstar's full-service solution allows our team to focus on the members and not machines."

Coinstar Solution Provides Multiple Benefits

Kiosks are serviced and maintained by Coinstar; no service contracts required

Coin is picked-up and handled by Coinstar; credit union employees don't have to count, bag or handle heavy coin bins

Coinstar kiosks are networked to ensure optimal uptime and reporting

Labor savings are realized, and employees are freed up to serve members

Coinstar is easy to use, highly accurate and a trusted consumer coin-counting brand

"Coinstar has been in the business of coin counting for more than 25 years and our kiosks were built from the ground up to efficiently process consumer coin with high up times so that our kiosks are readily available to customers," said Jim Gaherity, CEO of Coinstar. "We're pleased to partner with the Credit Union of Colorado and look forward to taking over the end-to-end management of coins so they can focus on the other important parts of running their business."

About 12 Coinstar kiosks are currently installed at the Credit Union of Colorado with the remainder coming by summer. Consumers can find Credit Union of Colorado locations by visiting www.cuofco.org.

About Coinstar, LLC

Based in Bellevue, Wash., Coinstar owns and operates the largest fully automated, multi-national network of self-service coin-counting kiosks. With more than 21,000 kiosk locations, Coinstar provides convenient and reliable coin-counting services at mass merchants, grocery and drug stores and financial institutions. Consumer solutions include coin-to-cash, coin-to-eGift card and charity donation options. For kiosk locations and information, visit www.coinstar.com.

About Credit Union of Colorado

Founded in 1934, Credit Union of Colorado has 15 branches throughout Colorado and more than 129,000 members, making it one of the state's largest Colorado-based credit unions. In addition to nine branches in metro Denver, there are offices in Canon City, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Greeley and Pueblo. Membership is open to nearly anyone. Learn more about the credit union at cuofco.org.

SOURCE Coinstar

Related Links

https://www.coinstar.com


While olive oil use and consumption in Asia has traditionally been reserved for cold dishes, the region in recent years has seen restaurant chefs and home cooks alike using more olive oil and extra virgin olive oil in hot cooking. In addition, the region has seen increased growth of middle-class households, higher disposable incomes and increased spending power in the region.

"Asia is a key region for our business and therefore a crucial investment for the company. It is important to remain forward thinking when it comes to consumer needs," said Miguel De Jaime - Chief Commercial Officer at Deoleo. "In Thailand, for example we've focused strongly on consumer communications and awareness. The results alone demonstrate how well this has worked and how important it is to have quality as a key motivator for purchases. We developed our promotional activities based on consumer insights and a deep understanding of market needs."

In China, meanwhile, Deoleo has recently reached a successful collaboration with its award-winning brands, Carbonell, Bertolli and Carapelli in the biggest retailers in the country: Rt Mart, Carrefour, Walmart, Metro, and starting in May in Hema Fresh, both in the stores and online with a guarantee of delivery within 30 minutes. Bertolli olive oil, with a flavorful beyond compare, is already available on-line at JD.com while in May, Carbonell will open its flagship store in T-mall classic giving access to Spain's No.1 Olive Oil Brand* to more than 500million Chinese consumers. In addition, Deoleo has launched Carapelli Organic range (certified by China Quality Certification Center) which is now available in Metro stores and soon will also be in Hema.

Moreover, in Singapore, Deoleo has reached a direct and strong alliance with Dairy Farm and NTUC-FairPrice, the two main retailers in the country. Customers in the highest olive oil consumption per capita market will now be delighted with Bertolli all-natural olive oils.

All the while, in Japan, the company has signed a milestone deal with Kato Sangyo to handle distribution across the nation. This new distribution deal means Japanese consumers will have access to Bertolli Olive oil in over 4,000 stores across the country. In addition, Bertolli Black Label, Gold Medal at the Japan Olive Oil Prize, will be available at selected locations.

The company remains committed to delivering customers and consumers high quality products and the organization keeps a close watch on all processes from procurement of raw material from farmers to the end produce reaching consumers.

[1] source: ACNielsen. Spain Food Retail Value Sales 2018, excluding private label.

About Deoleo

Deoleo is a Spanish multinational food company and the world's top selling olive oil bottler, present in over 80 countries on the five continents. It has factories in Spain and Italy and sales offices in 15 countries. Deoleo has leading global brands, such as Bertolli, the best-selling brand in the United States, Carapelli and Sasso; and the Spanish brands Carbonell, Hojiblanca and Koipe.

SOURCE Deoleo
BOGOTA, Colombia, April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL;NYSE: EC) ("Ecopetrol" or the "Company) announces that on May 6, 2019 after market close, it will release its financial and operating results for the first quarter of 2019. On Tuesday, May 7, Ecopetrol's senior management will host two conference calls to review the results. Please find below the timing, dial-in and links to access the conferences:

Spanish Conference Call English Conference Call 08:00 a.m. Col Time 09:30 a.m. Col Time 09:00 a.m NY Time 10:30 a.m. NY Time US Dial-in #: 1 (847) 585-4405 US Dial-in #: 1 (847) 585-4405 US Dial-in # (Toll Free): 1 (888) 771-4371 US Dial-in # (Toll Free): 1 (888) 771-4371 Local Colombia Dial-in #: 57 1 380 8041 Local Colombia Dial-in #: : 57 1 380 8041 Local Colombia Dial-in # (Free Toll): 01 800 9 156 924 Local Colombia Dial-in # (Free Toll): 01 800 9 156 924 Passcode: 48566154 Passcode: 48566155

Participants from different countries may look for different international numbers to the ones mentioned above by consulting the following link: http://web.meetme.net/r.aspx?p=12&a=UAuRTSGACHMpgK

The earnings release, slide presentation and live webcast of the conference calls will be available on Ecopetrol's website: www.ecopetrol.com.co and at the following links:

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1992777/91B803BF6A6C9D4CDE758DA70D3E3E39 (Spanish)

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1992768/6E00F7AC5760C44EE9EDFC81CEE50208 (English)

Please verify in advance proper operation of the webcast in your browser. We recommend the usage of the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Google Chrome y Mozilla Firefox.

The replay of the calls will be available on Ecopetrol's website (www.ecopetrol.com.co).

This release contains statements that may be considered forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All forward-looking statements, whether made in this release or in future filings or press releases or orally, address matters that involve risks and uncertainties, including in respect of the Company's prospects for growth and its ongoing access to capital to fund the Company's business plan, among others. Consequently, changes in the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements: market prices of oil & gas, our exploration and production activities, market conditions, applicable regulations, the exchange rate, the Company's competitiveness and the performance of Colombia's economy and industry, to mention a few. We do not intend, and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

For further information, please contact:

Capital Markets Manager

Maria Catalina Escobar

Phone: (+571) 234 5190

E-mail: [email protected]

Media Relations (Colombia)

Jorge Mauricio Tellez

Phone: (+ 571) 234 4329

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.

Related Links

http://www.ecopetrol.com.co


SAN FRANCISCO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Practice Leader Walter Palmer will facilitate a session on May 6 at Retail Asset Protection Conference and Vice President of Risk Assurance Kevin Ach will present on May 7 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Denver, CO.

The Retail Asset Protection Conference attracts top-level executives from the most progressive retailers in the world. These professionals attend to share and solicit the best ideas in the industry in order to enhance their own organizational effectiveness. Attendees will hear top retail executives share and create new solutions to significant challenges and explore where the industry is going.

Walter Palmer will facilitate a session on "Turning the Tide on Retail Theft in CA" on Monday, May 6 at 2:15 p.m. where retailers and law enforcement professionals will share their journey to understand California's first organized retail theft law, its impact and the importance of partnerships and the role we all play as a part of the community in reducing and stopping the impact of organized retail crime.

Kevin Ach will present on "How Asset Protection Led the Way in Building a Robust Business Continuity Program" on Tuesday, May 7 at 1:15 p.m. alongside Robert LaCommare, vice president, asset protection & safety at Big Lots. In this presentation, Ach and LaCommare will give an inside look at how a $7 billion retailer with multiple brands implemented a comprehensive approach to business continuity resulting in raised internal awareness around emergency response and crisis management and the implementation of a dependable and repeatable process.

Click here to see the full agenda.

About Kevin Ach, vice president, risk assurance

Kevin Ach is a global leader in the loss prevention industry with over 18 years of experience in retail operations, supply chain, internal audit and international operations. As the Vice President, Risk Assurance for EPIC Integrated Risk Solutions, Ach assists organizations in risk mitigation, process improvements and operational efficiencies in the areas of Risk Management, Cybersecurity, Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity, Internal Audit and Loss Prevention.

Prior to joining EPIC, Ach was the senior director of retail loss prevention and safety for Office Depot Inc., overseeing loss prevention and safety activities for over 1,500 retail stores. Ach has also held varying management positions in supply chain, international retail operations, B2B and internal audit during his career. Prior to joining Office Depot, Ach worked for Arthur Andersen as an Information Systems consultant in Houston, TX.

Ach has been actively engaged in the loss prevention industry as a speaker on numerous occasions at National Retail Federation conferences. He has also been an active member of the Loss Prevention Research Council and was a key player in the creation of an industry mentoring program for loss prevention practitioners.

Ach earned his B.S. degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and proudly served our country for four years as an Officer in the US Army's Signal Corps branch. Ach is a Board Member of the West Point Society of the Palm Beaches. He holds the LPC certification through the Loss Prevention Foundation. Ach currently resides in Boynton Beach, FL with his wife and four children.

About Walter Palmer, practice leader

Walter Palmer is recognized as a leading consultant in the Loss Prevention industry and provides strategic guidance, research and training programs for some of the leading retail brands in the world. He has been an invited speaker at more than 100 conferences around the globe and has authored over 60 articles for industry and mainstream media.

Palmer earned his B.S. degree in Security and Loss Prevention with a minor in Fire Safety Engineering from Eastern Kentucky University. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Forensic Interviewer. He is a contributing writer for LP Magazine, serves on the Advisory Board for the International Association of Interviewers, and serves on the Advisory Committee for the National Shoplifting Prevention Coalition. In addition, Palmer is actively involved in the field of professional development and training and is a member of the Association for Talent Development, the International Society for Performance Improvement and the Society for Human Resource Management.

About EPIC

EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence.

EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally.

EPIC now has more than 1,800 team members operating from 80 offices across the U.S., providing Property and Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs and Private Client solutions to EPIC clients.

With run rate revenues greater than $575 million, EPIC ranks among the top 15 retail insurance brokers in the U.S. Backed and sponsored by Oak Hill Capital Partners, the company continues to expand organically and through strategic acquisitions across the country. For additional information, including inquiries about employment, please visit https://www.epicbrokers.com/.

*LOGO Link for media: Send2Press.com/300dpi/19-0107-epic-insurance-300dpi.jpg

This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

SOURCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants

Related Links

http://www.epicbrokers.com


CLEARWATER, Fla., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Extinktion, a leading laser clinic in Grand Forks, North Dakota, has partnered with Monique's Body Art in Clearwater, Florida to expand their laser tattoo removal services. With the addition of the Astanza Trinity laser, Monique's Body Art has transformed into a full-service tattoo shop that offers a wide variety of tattoo and removal services from including tattoo application, piercing, complete laser tattoo removal, fading for cover-ups, and more.

"We are so thrilled to welcome Extinktion laser tattoo removal to our Clearwater tattoo shop," said Monique Larson, owner of Monique's Body Art. "We work in an industry that is very client focused and are always looking for ways to improve our business, so adding laser tattoo removal was a no brainer. With the Trinity, we're able to fade unwanted ink to make room for new art and help clients remove ink they no longer want."

Extinktion has brought the Astanza Trinity laser to Monique's for its full-spectrum capabilities, high peak power, and unrivaled results. The Astanza Trinity is comprised of two separate lasers, a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and a Q-switched Ruby laser. Together, these lasers create the Trinity and emit a total of three versatile wavelengths. The Trinity is trusted by leading tattoo shops, physicians, and laser practitioners worldwide and is safe to use on all skin types.

"After opening Extinktion in Grand Forks last fall, I immediately knew I wanted to expand my practice," said Matthew Sandell, owner of Extinktion. "After meeting the team at Monique's and seeing the wonderful artwork their artists create, I knew they'd be the perfect business to partner with. While I know Extinktion laser tattoo removal helps people in Clearwater part ways with their tattoo regret, I also hope the Trinity serves as a fading tool for Monique's artists to expand their cover-up opportunities."

About Extinktion

Extinktion is a laser clinic located in Grand Forks, North Dakota that focuses on removing unwanted tattoos and hair using advanced Astanza laser technology. They have recently partnered with Monique's Body Art in Clearwater, Florida to expand their laser tattoo removal services. In addition to tattoo and hair removal, Extinktion also offers pigmented lesion removal, vascular lesion removal, anti-wrinkle injections, and dermal fillers.

Extinktion staff members have received advanced laser training from the experts at New Look Laser College, the world's leading laser tattoo removal training program. They use safe, customized protocols based on their patients' individual needs and skin type.

Extinktion offers free consultations and tattoo assessments for new and existing clients. To book a complimentary consultation at their Grand Forks location, call (701) 757-1555 or visit https://www.extinktion.com/. Extinktion is located at 1003 S Washington St, Grand Forks, ND 58201.

About Monique's Body Art

Monique's Body Art is a full-service tattoo shop that was founded in 1994. They offer a variety of services including professional tattooing, body piercing, complete tattoo removal, fading for cover-ups, and selective tattoo removal. They have partnered with Extinktion to offer advanced, full-spectrum laser tattoo removal featuring the Astanza Trinity laser.

Monique's Body Art offers free laser tattoo removal consultations for new and existing clients. To book a complimentary consultation at their Clearwater location, call (727) 462-8346 or visit http://www.moniquesbodyart.com/. Monique's Body Art is located at 1861 Gulf to Bay Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33765.

About Astanza Laser

Astanza is the leader in lasers for tattoo removal, hair removal, and additional aesthetic procedures. In addition to developing cutting-edge medical laser devices such as the Duality, Trinity, and ReSmooth systems, Astanza offers its customers a complete range of training, marketing, and business consulting services specific to achieving success in this growing field.

Astanza Laser is headquartered in Dallas, TX with customers throughout North America and Europe. For product, investor, or press information, call (800) 364-9010, or visit http://www.astanzalaser.com/.

SOURCE Astanza Laser

Related Links

http://www.astanzalaser.com


ADELAIDE, Australia, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayne Pharma Group Limited (ASX: MYX) is pleased to announce that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the trade name LEXETTE for the approved drug halobetasol propionate foam, 0.05%.

LEXETTE is a new formulation of halobetasol, a potent topical corticosteroid indicated for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adult patients. The FDA approved halobetasol foam in May 2018 and Mayne Pharma made the product available to US patients before it received a trade name. The product is now available under the trade name LEXETTE.

Plaque psoriasis affects approximately 7.5 million Americans with potent topical corticosteroids prescribed to approximately 80% of psoriasis patients diagnosed[1]. LEXETTE is part of the US$600m potent topical corticosteroid market for which 8 million prescriptions are written annually[2].

Mayne Pharma's CEO, Mr Scott Richards said, "LEXETTE is an elegant foam formulation that will give psoriasis patents more treatment options. The foam delivery platform has a well-established reputation with dermatologists due to ease of application and lack of greasiness and stickiness, especially in hair-bearing areas and under clothing."

Mayne Pharma directly markets more than 60 products in the US including four branded dermatology products FABIOR (tazarotene) foam, SORILUX (calcipotriene) foam, DORYX MPC (doxycycline hyclate) delayed-release tablets and LEXETTE (halobetasol propionate) foam. The Company also markets TOLSURA (SUBA-itraconazole) capsules used to treat certain fungal infections.

About Mayne Pharma

At Mayne Pharma we believe that everyone deserves medicines that are better, safe and more affordable. That's why our people are determined to create innovative products and services for our changing world.

Mayne Pharma is an ASX-listed specialty pharmaceutical company focused on applying its drug delivery expertise to commercialize branded and generic pharmaceuticals. Mayne Pharma also provides contract development and manufacturing services to more than 100 clients worldwide.

Mayne Pharma has a 30-year track record of innovation and success in developing new oral drug delivery systems and these technologies have been successfully commercialized in numerous products that have been marketed around the world.

Mayne Pharma has two product development and manufacturing facilities based in Salisbury, Australia and Greenville, USA with expertise in formulation of complex oral and topical dose forms including potent compounds, modified-release products and inherently unstable compounds.

About Lexette (halobetasol propionate) foam, 0.05%

LEXETTE (halobetasol propionate) Foam is a potent corticosteroid indicated for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in patients eighteen years of age and older.

LEXETTE Foam was evaluated for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in two multicentre, randomised, double-blind, vehicle-controlled studies. These studies were conducted in 560 subjects with plaque psoriasis involving between 2% and 12% body surface area. A foam vehicle can have many benefits including being absorbed quickly without residue or greasiness and being easy to apply to both hair-bearing and non-hair bearing skin.

Important Safety Information

LEXETTE Foam is a topical corticosteroid that has been shown to suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Systemic effects of topical corticosteroids may include reversible HPA axis suppression, with the potential for glucocorticosteroid insufficiency. This may occur during treatment or upon withdrawal of treatment of the topical corticosteroid. The potential for hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) suppression with LEXETTE Foam was evaluated in a study of 25 adult subjects with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis involving  15% of their body surface area. LEXETTE Foam produced laboratory evidence of HPA axis suppression when used twice daily for two weeks in 6 out of 25 (24%) adult subjects with plaque psoriasis. Recovery of HPA axis function was generally prompt with the discontinuation of treatment.

Systemic effects of topical corticosteroids may also include Cushing's syndrome, hyperglycemia, and glucosuria. Use of more than one corticosteroid-containing product at the same time may increase the total systemic exposure to topical corticosteroids.

Local adverse reactions from topical corticosteroids may include atrophy, striae, telangiectasias, burning, itching, irritation, dryness, folliculitis, acneiform eruptions, hypopigmentation, perioral dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, secondary infection, and miliaria. These may be more likely to occur with occlusive use, prolonged use, or use of higher potency corticosteroids, including LEXETTE Foam. Some local adverse reactions may be irreversible. Use of topical corticosteroids may increase the risk of posterior subcapsular cataracts and glaucoma.

To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact at Mayne Pharma at 1-844-825-8500 or FDA at 1 800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

For more information about LEXETTE, please refer to the prescribing information available here and lexette.com.

[1] American Academy of Dermatology Association, Company sponsored primary research [2] IQVIA NSP and TRx MAT Nov 2018

SOURCE Mayne Pharma

Related Links

www.maynepharma.com


ST. LOUIS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services, today reported its highest first quarter net sales and net income in company history.

For the first three months of 2019, Graybar's net sales totaled $1.8 billion, an 8.6 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Net income attributable to Graybar for the quarter finished at $34.3 million, a 62.6 percent increase from the first quarter of 2018.

"Graybar continued its strong performance and finished the first quarter with record net sales and net income," said Kathleen M. Mazzarella, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Graybar. "This year, we are proud to celebrate Graybar's 150th anniversary and 90 years of employee ownership. We are grateful for the outstanding work of our employeespast and presentin reaching this important milestone. As we look to the future, we remain focused on creating an exceptional customer experience, driving accelerated growth and transforming the supply chain for a new era."

Graybar, a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high quality electrical, communications and data networking products, and specializes in related supply chain management and logistics services. Through its network of 289 North American distribution facilities, it stocks and sells products from thousands of manufacturers, helping its customers power, network and secure their facilities with speed, intelligence and efficiency. For more information, visit www.graybar.com or call 1-800-GRAYBAR.

Media Contact:

Tim Sommer

(314) 578-7672

[email protected]

SOURCE Graybar

Related Links

http://www.Graybar.com


SHANGHAI, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. (NYSE: GHG) ("GreenTree" or the "Company"), a leading franchised and managed hotel chain in China, today announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on April 30, 2019.

The annual report can be accessed on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.998.com/ as well as the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.

The Company will provide a hard copy of its annual report containing the audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be directed to the Company's IR Department at [email protected].

About GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd.

GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. ("GreenTree" or the "Company") (NYSE: GHG) is a leading franchised hotel operator in China. As of December 31, 2018, GreenTree had 2,757 hotels, among which 2,728 are franchised and managed hotels. The Company had the highest proportion of franchised-and-managed hotels among the top four economy to mid-scale hotel networks in China. In 2017, GreenTree was the fourth largest economy to mid-scale hotel group in China in terms of number of hotels according to China Hospitality Association. The Company has built a strong suite of brands including its flagship "GreenTree Inns" brand as a result of its long-standing dedication to the hospitality industry in China and consistent quality of its services, signature hotel designs, broad geographic coverage and convenient locations. GreenTree has positioned its brands to appeal to value-and-quality-conscious business travelers and leisure travelers.

For more information on GreenTree, please visit http://ir.998.com

For more information, please contact:

GreenTree

Ms. Selina Yang

Phone: +86-21-3617-4886 ext. 7999

E-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Nicky Zheng

Phone: +86-21-3617-4886 ext. 6708

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd.

Related Links

http://ir.998.com


MADRID and TEL-AVIV, Israel, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Spanish satellite telecommunications operator HISPASAT, has completed the successful installation of a hub at its gateway in Ixtlahuaca del Rayon (Mexico) to manage the Smartellites, hiSky terminals that offer MSS (Mobile-satellite services) and IoT solutions through Amazonas 5 satellite Ka band, which covers 79% of Mexican population. Both companies signed an Agreement in 2017 to jointly commercialize this solution in Spain, Portugal, Latin America and North Africa.

hiSky Smartellite, a small portable easy-to-use terminal, includes a small, flat antenna based on phased-array technology to provide low-capacity MSS (Mobile Satellite Services) and IoT by using the Ka band of HISPASAT satellites. With the new HUB installed in Mexico, hiSky's unique NMS (Network Management System) is capable to control thousands of terminals in the Amazonas 5 Ka band footprint, by that providing hiSky's services to all, and in low prices to areas with no or low connectivity.

Both companies made several demonstrations in Mexico City of the Smartellite MSS and IoT solutions to leading international telecom companies. Thus, more than 12 companies, among them AT&T, Telefonica and iDirect witnessed how the Smartellite can offer excellent solutions, emphasizing the scenario of remote monitoring and control system sensors. An accurate, reliable and up to date data is available via satellite without compromising on the location of the sensors or monitoring system and the terminals can interface via WiFi, Bluetooth and LoRaWAN/LoRaPRIVATE. hiSky Smartellite terminals also demonstrated the simplicity of making calls by the satellite Ka band link.

According to Ignacio Sanchis, HISPASAT CCO, "We are happy to announce this great milestone with hiSky and expand our portfolio in Latin America. This will be the first step of a further expansion in our Ka band coverage in the region. We are excited to begin to commercialize hiSky service and terminal capabilities. Also, the market is responding very well which reinforces our commitment to provide innovative solutions that take advantage of our modern and high performance satellite fleet."

Haim Nissim, hiSky Chief Finance Officer who was part of the team in Mexico City commented: "We see great potential in Latin America and proud to commence our activities in this part of the world. Together with HISPASAT we plan to bring full IoT solutions which will include connecting the farms in the remote locations, allowing connectivity to the Oil&Gas projects in Mexico, providing supply chain management starting with fleet management to containers and trains. All of these will be covered by our end-to-end solution up to our Network Management System. hiSky together with HISPASAT also offers the most attractive rates making it affordable and cost effective for all users both IoT and MSS."

About hiSky

hiSky's was established in 2015 as a Satellite VNO (Satellite Virtual Network Operator), providing a comprehensive solution for voice/data and IoT/M2M applications, at a fraction of existing market rates. These are delivered through a suite of Smartellite terminals and a proprietary Network Management System.

http://www.hiskysat.com/

About HISPASAT

HISPASAT is comprised of companies that have a presence in Spain as well as in Latin America, where its Brazilian affiliate HISPAMAR is based HISPASAT is a world leader in content distribution in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries and its satellite fleet is used by important direct-to-home television (DTH) and high-definition television (HDTV) digital platforms. HISPASAT also provides satellite broadband and connectivity services, which include broadband access, mobility and the backhaul networks, in addition to other added value solutions for governments, companies and telecommunication operators in America, Europe and North Africa. HISPASAT is one of the world's largest companies in its sector in terms of revenue, and the main communications bridge between Europe and the Americas.

Press contact:

Victor Inchausti  tel. +34 91 710 25 40  [email protected] / [email protected]

Guy Maymon  tel. +972 658 80 00 - [email protected]

SOURCE hiSky; HISPASAT

Related Links

http://www.hiskysat.com


DETROIT, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Honigman LLP has four practice groups with the highest ranking of Band 1 in the 2019 edition of Chambers USA, which is more than any other law firm in Michigan.

The prestigious directory of leading U.S. business law firms and lawyers bestowed the highest Band 1 ranking on the following Honigman practices in Michigan:

Corporate/M&A

Intellectual Property

Litigation: General Commercial

Real Estate

Notably, Honigman is the only law firm in Michigan to garner the top ranking of Band 1 for the Corporate/M&A, Intellectual Property and Real Estate practice areas.

Chambers USA reported that Honigman's Band 1 Corporate/M&A practice is known for its "standout bench of corporate attorneys handling high-value sales and acquisitions for a range of prominent domestic companies." The report also noted that Honigman's corporate attorneys are "well-placed to advise on securities issuances and matters of corporate governance." A client stated that the "Honigman team of lawyers is talented and knowledgeable on numerous business subjects."

For Honigman's Band 1 Intellectual Property practice, Chambers USA reported the team is known as a "market-leading practice offering the full range of copyright, patent and trademark services" with "particular expertise regarding IP issues in the life sciences and high-tech sectors." It was also noted that Honigman "acts for an impressive list of clients, including numerous household-name brands."

For Honigman's Band 1 Litigation: General Commercial practice, a client praised the firm's "highly skilled trial lawyers who understand what it means to really be at war." Chambers USA also stated the team is known for an "outstanding criminal and civil litigation practice."

The survey also reported that Honigman's Band 1 Real Estate practice is "known for the depth of its expertise across the full spectrum of real estate matters." One interviewee remarked, "It's a very strong team with a great reputation."

On the individual level, 25 Honigman attorneys were recognized, with nine attorneys garnering Band 1 or special rankings.

Chambers rankings are based on a range of professional qualities, and are independently audited by Chambers USA.

About Honigman

Honigman LLP is a business law firm with more than 60 practice areas. Headquartered in Detroit, the firm has offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Ann Arbor, Bloomfield Hills, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing, Michigan. honigman.com

Contact:

Susan Waun

[email protected]

313.465.7024

SOURCE Honigman LLP
SEATTLE, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Impel NeuroPharma, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of transformative therapeutics for patients suffering from central nervous system (CNS) disorders with high unmet medical needs, today announced that poster presentations highlighting its CNS pipeline, including preclinical, safety, tolerability and comparative bioavailability studies, will be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting, to be held May 4  10, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

"Impel is rapidly advancing our late-stage clinical programs in acute migraine, treatment of OFF episodes in Parkinson's disease and acute agitation," said Jon Congleton, Chief Executive Officer of Impel NeuroPharma. "We are excited to meet with members of the neurology community at AAN to discuss our clinical programs, such as dihydroergotamine (DHE) and levodopa (L-dopa), enabled by our proprietary upper nasal cavity drug delivery technology, which can support improved bioavailability with an easy-to-use, non-invasive approach."

The meeting abstracts are available online and can be accessed via the below links or on the AAN meeting website at www.aan.com.

Poster Presentations:

Acute Migraine:

P2.10-022: Precision Olfactory Delivery (POD) of Drugs for Neurological Disease: A Safety, Tolerability and Comparative Bioavailability Study of POD Dihydroergotamine Mesylate (INP104) to Approved IV D.H.E. 45 and Migranal Nasal Spray.

Session: P2: Headache Clinical Trials II; 11:30 AM - 6:30 PM , Monday, May 6



Precision Olfactory Delivery (POD) of Drugs for Neurological Disease: A Safety, Tolerability and Comparative Bioavailability Study of POD Dihydroergotamine Mesylate (INP104) to Approved IV D.H.E. 45 and Migranal Nasal Spray. Session: P2: Headache Clinical Trials II; 11:30 AM - , P2.10-017: Cardiovascular Profile of Dihydroergotamine Mesylate (DHE) Delivered by the POD Device Compared to D.H.E. 45 for Injection from the INP104-101 Clinical Trial

Session: P2: Headache Clinical Trials II; 11:30 AM - 6:30 PM , Monday, May 6



Cardiovascular Profile of Dihydroergotamine Mesylate (DHE) Delivered by the POD Device Compared to D.H.E. 45 for Injection from the INP104-101 Clinical Trial Session: P2: Headache Clinical Trials II; , P4.9-056: A History of Dihydroergotamine in Migraine

Session: P4: History of Neurology; 11:30 AM - 6:30 PM , Wednesday, May 8

Parkinson's disease:

P2.8-049: Preclinical Development of a Novel Precision Olfactory Delivery (POD) - L-dopa Drug-Device Combination Product for the Treatment of OFF Episodes in Parkinson's Disease

Session: P2: Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics I; 11:30 AM - 6:30 PM , Monday, May 6

The data that will be presented at the meeting support the ongoing "STOP-301 Trial" (Safety and Tolerability of POD-DHE), a Phase 3, open-label safety and tolerability study evaluating long-term, intermittent use of INP104 for the treatment of acute migraine, and the ongoing "THOR-201 Trial" (Therapeutic Benefit of Intranasal Levodopa in Parkinson's Disease OFF Reversal), a Phase 2a study designed to explore the tolerability, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of INP103 and INP107 in Parkinson's disease patients during an OFF episode compared to placebo.

About Impel NeuroPharma

Impel NeuroPharma, Inc., is a privately-held, Seattle-based biotechnology company devoted to creating life-changing, innovative therapies for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Impel NeuroPharma is currently investigating INP104 (POD-DHE) for acute migraine headache, INP103 (POD-levodopa) and INP107 (POD-carbidopa/levodopa) for reversal of OFF episodes in Parkinson's disease and INP105 (POD-olanzapine) for acute agitation in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder.

Impel's product candidates are delivered via its proprietary Precision Olfactory Delivery, or POD, technology which targets the richly vascularized upper nasal cavity with the goal of achieving optimal bioavailability of therapeutic molecules.

IMPEL, POD and the IMPEL Logo are trademarks of Impel NeuroPharma, Inc. To learn more about Impel NeuroPharma, please visit our website at http://impelnp.com.

About Precision Olfactory Delivery or POD Devices

Impel NeuroPharma's proprietary POD nasal drug delivery device is designed to deliver drugs to the richly-vascularized upper nasal cavity to improve biodistribution and bioavailability of both small molecules and biologic drugs. By consistently and predictably delivering therapeutics to the upper nasal cavity, the POD device may improve overall bioavailability of drugs without IV injection. Impel has developed dry powder and liquid compatible POD devices to improve upon current treatment options for central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

Contact:

Melyssa Weible

Elixir Health Public Relations

Ph: (1) 201-723-5805

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Impel NeuroPharma

Related Links

http://impelnp.com


BOSTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE: PDT) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund managed by John Hancock Advisers, LLC and subadvised by John Hancock Asset Management a division of Manulife Asset Management (US) LLC, announced today sources of its monthly distribution of $0.0975 per share paid to all shareholders of record as of April 11, 2019, pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan. This press release is issued as required by an exemptive order granted to the Fund by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Notification of Sources of Distribution

This notice provides shareholders of the John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE: PDT) with important information concerning the distribution declared on April 1, 2019, and payable on April 30, 2019. No action is required on your part.

Distribution Period:







April 2019 Distribution Amount Per Common Share:







$0.0975

The following table sets forth the estimated sources of the current distribution, payable April 30, 2019, and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short term capital gains; net realized long term capital gains; and return of capital or other capital source. All amounts are expressed on a per common share basis and as a percentage of the distribution amount.

Source

Current

Distribution ($)

% Breakdown

of the Current

Distribution

Total Cumulative

Distributions for

the Fiscal Year

to Date ($)1

% Breakdown

of the Total

Cumulative

Distributions

for the Fiscal

Year to Date1 Net Investment Income

0.0360

37%

0.3770

64% Net Realized Short-

Term Capital Gains

0.0000

0%

0.0000

0% Net Realized Long-

Term Capital Gains

0.0031

3%

0.0918

16% Return of Capital or

Other Capital Source

0.0584

60%

0.1160

20% Total per common share

0.0975

100%

0.5848

100%

















Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the 5 years ended on March 31, 2019

10.17%





Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of March 31, 2019

7.69%





Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through March 31, 2019

9.93%





Cumulative fiscal year-to-date distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of March 31, 2019

3.84%

You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund's managed distribution plan.

The Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income."

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this Notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The Fund has declared the April 2019 distribution pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan (the "Plan"). Under the Plan, the Fund makes fixed monthly distributions in the amount of $0.0975 per share, which will continue to be paid monthly until further notice.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact your financial professional or call the John Hancock Investments Closed-End Fund Information Line at 1-800-843-0090, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

An investor should consider a Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing.

About John Hancock Investments

John Hancock has helped individuals and institutions build and protect wealth since 1862. Today, we're one of the strongest and most-recognized financial brands. We serve investors globally through a unique multimanager approach: We search the world to find proven portfolio teams with specialized expertise for every strategy we offer, then we apply robust investment oversight to ensure they continue to meet our uncompromising standards and serve the best interests of our shareholders. Our approach to asset management has led to a diverse set of investments deeply rooted in investor needs, along with strong risk-adjusted returns across asset classes.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial

John Hancock is a division of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States and as Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups, and institutions. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were over CAD$1.1 trillion (US$794 billion) as of December 31, 2018. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com.

One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports approximately 10 million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, and education savings plans. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

1 The Fund's current fiscal year began on November 1, 2018, and will end on October 31, 2019.

SOURCE John Hancock Investments
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LabCentral, the premier laboratory facility for next-generation powerhouse biotech start-ups, today released its annual Impact Report detailing the influence of its resident companies, alumni, and operations on the local and national life sciences and biotech industry in terms of funding, mergers and acquisitions, job creation and economic development, and clinical activity as well as broader community engagement. The 2018 Impact Report is available to view and download from LabCentral's website, along with reports from previous years.

Based in Kendall Square and within walking distance of thirteen of the top 20 biopharmaceutical companies in the world, LabCentral is a private, non-profit organization that provides wet lab space, operational support and community programming. Together, these help promising life sciences and biotech start-ups focus on developing new innovations and growing their companies in a collaborative and creative space featuring a unique culture.

The 2018 Impact Report underscores the broad impact LabCentral is having in the industry after five years of operations. Key statistics from this year's report include:

Economic Development  Since its founding, LabCentral has supported 109 companies. Since 2013, resident and alumni companies have created 1,922 new jobs in Massachusetts . In 2018 alone, 725 new jobs were added, an increase of more than 60% over the previous year. In addition, 77% of alumni companies are now located within 2.5 square miles from LabCentral.

 Since its founding, LabCentral has supported 109 companies. Since 2013, resident and alumni companies have created 1,922 new jobs in . In 2018 alone, 725 new jobs were added, an increase of more than 60% over the previous year. In addition, 77% of alumni companies are now located within 2.5 square miles from LabCentral. Funding  Over the past five years, more than $4.1 billion has been invested in LabCentral resident and alumni companies with $2 billion of that raised in 2018. For the second year in a row, LabCentral resident and alumni companies closed 10% of all national Series A biopharma funding.

 Over the past five years, more than has been invested in LabCentral resident and alumni companies with of that raised in 2018. For the second year in a row, LabCentral resident and alumni companies closed 10% of all national Series A biopharma funding. IPOs and M&A  In 2018, four LabCentral resident companies went public and raised $540 million , which represents 6% of the total life sciences IPOs nationally. Since its founding, LabCentral has had five companies complete IPOs and three exit through merger or acquisition.

 In 2018, four LabCentral resident companies went public and raised , which represents 6% of the total life sciences IPOs nationally. Since its founding, LabCentral has had five companies complete IPOs and three exit through merger or acquisition. Community Engagement  Since 2013, LabCentral has seen 25,000 visitors, and hosted 710 programs ranging in topics from biotech to business development along with sponsor events, social and networking opportunities and community engagement, including featuring local artists through its Gallery 1832 initiative and supporting the Community Art Center, CASPAR, KSA, Kendall Community Group, Harvard Homeless Shelter and other groups.

"What started as an idea five years ago has grown and flourished into a life sciences innovation engine and hub of entrepreneurship and community in the heart of Kendall Square," said Johannes Fruehauf, co-founder and president, LabCentral. "As detailed in this year's Impact Report, our model of fostering the growth of early-stage companies works and is not just a platform for accelerating new scientific discoveries or growing companies, but also creating a space to engage, collaborate and help develop the entire Cambridge community."

LabCentral was funded in part by two $5 million grants from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, with support from its real-estate partner, MIT. Founding sponsors include Triumvirate Environmental, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Roche and Eppendorf. LabCentral 610 is supported by Pfizer and is located alongside their Center for Therapeutic Innovation, with the intention of fostering collaboration between resident companies and Pfizer's own research and development network.

Additionally, LabCentral is the operating partner for the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab. LabCentral also provides dedicated wet lab space to MIT's The Engine to give their companies access to the community of scientists, space, and instrumentation necessary to further their technology.

About LabCentral

A private, non-profit institution, LabCentral was founded in 2013 as a launchpad for high-potential life sciences and biotech start-ups. Operating a total of 100,000 square-feet in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass., LabCentral offers fully permitted laboratory and office space for as many as 70 start-ups comprising approximately 500 scientists and entrepreneurs. More information is available at www.labcentral.org.

Media contact:

Doug Broad

Three Rings Inc. (for LabCentral)

[email protected]

SOURCE LabCentral

Related Links

http://www.labcentral.org


Moderated by Emmy-winning journalist Myrka Dellanos, panelists agreed, race relations and social injustice are complex issues. The recurring answer: it is time to speak up, not be led by any one political ideology and unite.

"If you are in leadership in the community, it's vital to emphasize healthy relationships and healthy conversations," said Julio Hobaish, associate pastor at The Potter's House of Fort Worth. "Your leadership has a voice. You can tell [about] your leadership by the dead bodies you leave behind. If you don't speak, you're leaving generations behind."

Hobaish was joined by faith-based experts Rafael Sanchez, pastor at the House of Worship Ministries in New Jersey, and Diane Cortes, president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay.





"With border control and immigration issues top of mind, we [faith-based leaders and churches] find ourselves walking a grey line," said Sanchez, who expressed that many churches are afraid to engage due to lack of education. "Sometimes the most valuable thing we can offer is information and training."

Downloadable footage from the Dios Mio! Conversation is available here . Leaders have been encouraged to speak up and share their own tips for solutions to issues via social media, using #TPHDiosMio.

Visit PastorsAndLeaders.org for more information on speakers, talent and next year's lineup. Continue to stay connected on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram by following @IPLExcel and #IPLExcel.

About The Potter's House

Founded in 1996, The Potter's House is a 30,000-member, nondenominational, multicultural church and humanitarian organization led by Bishop T.D. Jakes, twice featured on the cover of Time magazine as America's Best Preacher. It has global humanitarian outreach and 48 active ministries like its Texas Offenders Re-entry initiative. Consistently ranked among the largest and most influential churches in the U.S., The Potter's House has five locations: The Potter's House of Dallas, The Potter's House of Fort Worth, The Potter's House of North Dallas, The Potter's House of Denver and The Potter's House at One L.A. For more information, visit ThePottersHouse.org .

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE The Potter's House

Related Links

https://thepottershouse.org


Webtrekk's expertise in analytics, customer intelligence, dashboards, machine learning, and AI perfectly complements Mapp's digital marketing platform, Mapp Cloud. The combination of Mapp's deep customer acquisition and engagement capabilities with Webtrekk's customer intelligence will create a next-generation digital marketing platform capable of delivering end-to-end customer experiences powered by advanced analytics and personalization. The integrated platform will enable marketers to pool customer data centrally, analyze customer behavior with machine learning, and engage customers with the right content across all channels.

"Mapp has mastered customer acquisition and engagement, and we introduced unified customer data with the release of our customer data platform in 2018," said Steve Warren, CEO of Mapp. "In order for marketers to truly transform data into insights, and insights into action, they need to leverage strong customer intelligence, machine learning, and artificial intelligence capabilities. We are excited to welcome Webtrekk into the Mapp family, and we believe that Webtrekk completes our vision for how marketers can effectively bridge that gap."

"We are delighted that Webtrekk will become a key component of Mapp Cloud. Pairing our customer intelligence and analytics with Mapp's marketing execution through an integrated platform empowers marketers to deliver a more personalized experience to their customers," says Christian Sauer, founder of Webtrekk. "Retaining our strategic focus on first-party data has always been paramount to Webtrekk's mission. With ISO-accredited data centers in Germany and a customer acquisition solution driven by first-party data, Mapp is the perfect partner for us."

Mapp and Webtrekk will consolidate their offerings into one fully-integrated product, leveraging their respective technological strengths to provide immediate enhancements to customers of both companies:

Mapp's customers will benefit from Webtrekk-powered cross-channel campaign reporting and AI-enabled marketing intelligence and scoring. They will also gain access to the full Webtrekk Customer Analytics suite including personalized product recommendations, customer intelligence dashboards, and web behavior re-targeting.

Webtrekk's customers will benefit from Mapp Cloud's marketing automation capabilities, enabling cross-channel campaigns including through email and SMS. They will also gain the ability to utilize real-time behavioral data to initiate personalized mobile push and in-app messages.

The integrated platform will provide a powerful alternative to the enterprise marketing clouds, which over-charge, over-promise, and under-deliver. With the new Mapp Cloud powered by Webtrekk, companies can free up their marketers and data analysts to focus on what matters most.

Recognizing Webtrekk's strong brand in the German market, Mapp will maintain the company's Berlin headquarters to strengthen its commitment to, and presence in, the region.

Closing of the transaction, which is subject to applicable regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions, is expected to occur in the second quarter of 2019.

About Mapp

Mapp helps companies break away from the pack  without breaking the bank. Mapp Cloud is a badass digital marketing platform that combines customer acquisition and engagement into one simple platform, with built-in, cross-channel capabilities. Underlying Mapp Cloud is Mapp's native customer data platform (CDP) that enables campaigns to draw from real-time, unified customer data, so marketers can be one step ahead of their customer. Mapp also offers an email marketing platform, Mapp Empower, designed for digital agencies.

Mapp is headquartered in San Diego with global offices in eight countries. They help more than 3,000 companies market smarter and achieve maximum return from their digital marketing efforts. Mapp customers include Puma, Xerox, PepsiCo, Qantas, Infinity, and Lloyds Banking Group. Learn more at www.mapp.com.

About Webtrekk

Webtrekk is one of the market-leading customer intelligence platforms in Europe, allowing companies to connect, analyze and activate user and marketing data across all devices. Their proven first-party data solutions help customers reach maximum data depth. Webtrekk guarantees the highest data protection standards, is TUV certified, and stores its data on servers in the European Union. Its headquarters are located in Berlin, with additional offices in Italy and Spain. Webtrekk is trusted by more than 400 customers including FlixBus, Porsche Holding, ING, and MyToys. Learn more at www.webtrekk.com.

Press contacts:

PR Agency: schoesslers GmbH

Johanna Czorny

+49 30 555 73 05 12 | +49 151 12 17 26 13

[email protected]

www.schoesslers.com

Webtrekk GmbH

Harald Oberhofer

+49 30 755 415 120

[email protected]

www.webtrekk.com

Mapp Digital US

Christine Paulson

+1 415-705-9250

[email protected]

www.mapp.com

SOURCE Mapp Digital

Related Links

https://mapp.com


CHICAGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- International law firm McDermott Will & Emery has earned a national Band 1 ranking in the Healthcare category in the 2019 edition of Chambers USA  the only firm to achieve this level. Additionally, for the second consecutive year the Health team garnered Band 1 state and city-level rankings for its Health practices in California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington, DC. With this year's national Band 1 placement, McDermott marks a decade in the top spot in this category and is the only firm to hold this distinction.

"This honor is a true reflection of our passion for helping our clients re-invent the health care industry," said Eric Zimmerman, partner and Global Head of McDermott's Health Industry Advisory Group. "We thank our clients and Chambers for recognizing our creativity, client-service and dedication."

Chambers continued to praise McDermott as a "Well-established and highly respected healthcare powerhouse," whose "large and impressively versatile team offers well-honed expertise in all areas of healthcare law, including data privacy matters, government investigations and a wide range of issues affecting health insurers." Clients similarly regarded McDermott as "the preeminent national healthcare firm," with "great resources and talented individuals."

All told, 29 McDermott health lawyers received rankings from Chambers USA, with 10 recognized in both their home state and nationally. Firm partners in this group include:

McDermott Will & Emery is the nation's leading health care law firm. The Health Industry Advisory group is the only health practice to receive top national rankings from U.S. News  Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms," Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, and Law360. The practice was also recognized by Chambers as "Health Team of the Year" in 2010, 2013 and 2017. McDermott has held the top spot in PitchBook's League Tables as the most active firm for health care private equity since 2017.

Click here for full details about the Firm's rankings and editorial commentary or visit Chambers USA.

About McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. With 20 locations on three continents, our team works seamlessly across practices, industries and geographies to deliver highly effectiveand often unexpectedsolutions that propel success. More than 1,100 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.

SOURCE McDermott Will & Emery

Related Links

http://www.mwe.com


BISMARCK, N.D., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE: MDU) today reported first quarter earnings of $40.9 million, or 21 cents per share, compared to first quarter 2018 earnings of $42.4 million, or 22 cents per share.

"Our construction services business had record results in the first quarter, including record revenues, which has led us to increase our 2019 revenue guidance by $50 million for this business. Our utility and pipeline businesses also performed very well," said David L. Goodin, president and CEO of MDU Resources. "Our construction materials business experienced a larger first quarter loss compared to last year, which was anticipated as we added operations through acquisitions in 2018 in areas where construction activity is impacted by winter.

"Our construction businesses have combined record backlog of nearly $2 billion at March 31, giving us confidence as we enter the peak of the 2019 construction season. Our natural gas pipeline business has begun construction on two expansion projects that we expect to be finished and in-service later this year. Our utility business recently announced that we plan to retire our wholly owned coal-fired electric generation units, and we continue to move forward with that effort while ensuring we are providing affordable, safe and reliable electricity to our customers."

Business Unit Highlights

Regulated Energy Delivery

The electric and natural gas utility earned $52.0 million in the first quarter, compared to $45.7 million in first quarter 2018. Electric sales volumes were approximately 0.6% higher and natural gas sales volumes were approximately 12% higher. The company benefited in the quarter from the recovery in certain jurisdictions on the Thunder Spirit Wind Farm expansion, which it purchased Oct. 31, 2018. The utility recently reached a tentative electric rate settlement in Montana, subject to regulatory approval, that would increase annual revenues about $9 million starting in 2019 and another $300,000 a year later.

Earnings at the pipeline and midstream business were $6.8 million for the first quarter, compared to $5.3 million in the first quarter last year. The company transported a record volume of natural gas through its system for the ninth consecutive quarter. Construction began this month on the Demicks Lake Project in McKenzie County, North Dakota, and construction is expected to begin in May on the Line Section 22 project near Billings, Montana. Both projects are expected to be in service later this year and will add approximately 200 million cubic feet per day of capacity, bringing daily system capacity to 2.0 billion cubic feet. The company also is in the planning stages of its North Bakken Expansion Project, which is expected to be constructed in 2021 in western North Dakota, and it anticipates submitting a FERC pre-filing request for the project in the second quarter. Additionally, the company is in the pre-construction stage on another new growth project, the Demicks Lake Expansion Project, on which it expects to begin construction later this year in McKenzie County, North Dakota. The Demicks Lake Expansion Project will provide an additional 175 million cubic feet per day of capacity and is expected to be in service in early 2020.

Construction Materials and Services

The construction services business in the first quarter had record revenues, up about 26% over last year, and record earnings. Earnings were $20.0 million, approximately 33% higher than the $15.1 million earned in first quarter 2018. The company performed a higher volume of work for the hospitality and high-tech industries, as well as for other utility companies, during the quarter. It also saw an increase in sales and rentals of the utility construction equipment it manufactures. Its backlog of work at March 31 was a record $1.02 billion, compared to $675 million at the same time last year.

The construction materials business experienced a seasonal loss in the first quarter, with a loss of $34.4 million this year compared to $23.5 million in 2018. Acquisitions that the company made in 2018 added to operations that are impacted by winter weather conditions, and the company experienced lower margins as a result of less-favorable weather conditions in certain regions. The construction materials backlog of work at March 31 was a record $943 million, compared to $692 million in 2018.

Guidance

MDU Resources is raising the lower end of its guidance range and now expects earnings per share to be in the range of $1.40 to $1.55 in 2019, based on these assumptions:

Normal operating, economic and weather conditions, including precipitation and temperatures, across all service areas for the remainder of the year.

No significant acquisitions or divestitures.

Investing $644 million for capital projects.

for capital projects. Construction services revenues in the range of $1.40 billion to $1.55 billion , which is $50 million higher than previously assumed, and construction materials revenues in the range of $2.0 billion to $2.15 billion , with margins comparable to or slightly higher than 2018.

Corporate Strategy

MDU Resources' strategy is to increase market share and profitability in its regulated energy delivery and construction materials and services businesses, while enhancing value through organic growth opportunities and strategic acquisitions of well-managed companies and properties. The company, on a consolidated basis, anticipates 5 to 8 percent long-term compound annual growth on earnings per share.

Conference Call

MDU Resources will discuss first quarter results on a webcast at 2 p.m. EDT May 1. The event can be accessed at www.mdu.com . Webcast and audio replays will be available through May 15 at 855-859-2056, or 404-537-3406 for international callers, conference ID 5568769.

About MDU Resources

MDU Resources Group, Inc., a member of the S&P MidCap 400 index and the S&P High-Yield Dividend Aristocrats index, is Building a Strong America by providing essential products and services through its regulated energy delivery and construction materials and services businesses. For more information about MDU Resources, see the company's website at www.mdu.com or contact the Investor Relations Department at [email protected] .

Media Contact: Laura Lueder, manager of communications and public relations, 701-530-1095

Financial Contact: Jason Vollmer, vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, 701-530-1755

Forward-Looking Statements

The information contained in this press release highlights the key growth strategies, projections and certain assumptions for the company and its subsidiaries and other matters for each of the company's businesses. Many of these highlighted statements and other statements not historical in nature are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Although the company believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that the company's projections, including estimates for growth and changes in earnings, will in fact be achieved. Please refer to assumptions contained in this press release, as well as the various important factors listed in Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors in the company's most recent Form 10-K. Changes in such assumptions and factors could cause actual future results to differ materially from growth and earnings projections. All forward-looking statements in this press release are expressly qualified by such cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We do not undertake to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Throughout this press release, the company presents financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP, as well as EBITDA, EBITDA from continuing operations, and adjusted gross margin, which are considered non-GAAP financial measures. The use of these non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as alternatives to earnings, operating income or operating cash flows. The company believes the use of these non-GAAP financial measures are beneficial in evaluating the company's financial performance due to its diverse operations. Please refer to the "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section contained in this document for additional information.

Performance Summary and Future Outlook

Earnings

Business Line First

Quarter

2019

Earnings First

Quarter

2018

Earnings

(In millions, except per share

amounts) Regulated energy delivery $ 58.8

$ 51.0

Construction materials and services (14.4)

(8.4)

Other and eliminations (3.3)

(.7)

Income from continuing operations 41.1

41.9

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax (.2)

.5

Net income $ 40.9

$ 42.4

Earnings per share:



Income from continuing operations $ .21

$ .22

Discontinued operations, net of tax 



Earnings per share $ .21

$ .22



Consolidated Statements of Income



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(In millions, except per

share amounts) Operating revenues: (Unaudited) Electric, natural gas distribution and regulated pipeline and midstream $ 439.6

$ 424.5

Nonregulated pipeline and midstream, construction materials and contracting, construction services and other 651.6

551.8

Total operating revenues 1,091.2

976.3

Operating expenses:



Operation and maintenance:



Electric, natural gas distribution and regulated pipeline and midstream 87.8

86.1

Nonregulated pipeline and midstream, construction materials and contracting, construction services and other 615.1

514.8

Total operation and maintenance 702.9

600.9

Purchased natural gas sold 183.9

182.0

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 59.9

52.7

Taxes, other than income 54.0

48.8

Electric fuel and purchased power 26.3

22.5

Total operating expenses 1,027.0

906.9

Operating income 64.2

69.4

Other income 7.6

.6

Interest expense 23.4

20.5

Income before income taxes 48.4

49.5

Income taxes 7.3

7.6

Income from continuing operations 41.1

41.9

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax (.2)

.5

Net income $ 40.9

$ 42.4







Earnings per share  basic:



Income from continuing operations $ .21

$ .22

Discontinued operations, net of tax 



Earnings per share  basic $ .21

$ .22

Earnings per share  diluted:



Income from continuing operations $ .21

$ .22

Discontinued operations, net of tax 



Earnings per share  diluted $ .21

$ .22

Dividends declared per common share $ .2025

$ .1975

Weighted average common shares outstanding  basic 196.4

195.3

Weighted average common shares outstanding  diluted 196.4

196.0



Selected Cash Flows Information

Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(In millions) Operating activities:



Net cash provided by continuing operations $ 2.1

$ 105.6

Net cash provided by (used in) discontinued operations (.6)

.2

Net cash provided by operating activities 1.5

105.8

Investing activities:



Net cash used in continuing operations (160.1)

(100.2)

Net cash provided by discontinued operations 



Net cash used in investing activities (160.1)

(100.2)

Financing activities:



Net cash provided by continuing operations 154.3

18.6

Net cash provided by discontinued operations 



Net cash provided by financing activities 154.3

18.6

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (4.3)

24.2

Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of year 54.0

34.6

Cash and cash equivalents - end of period $ 49.7

$ 58.8



Capital Expenditures







Business Line 2019

Estimated 2020

Estimated 2021

Estimated 2019 - 2023

Total

Estimated

(In millions) Regulated energy delivery







Electric $ 104

$ 103

$ 88

$ 657

Natural gas distribution 204

180

158

823

Pipeline and midstream 113

93

204

435



421

376

450

1,915

Construction materials and services







Construction services 28

17

18

100

Construction materials and contracting 190

135

127

687



218

152

145

787

Other 5

3

3

17

Total capital expenditures $ 644

$ 531

$ 598

$ 2,719

Note: Total capital expenditures are presented on a gross basis.

Capital expenditures for 2019 include line-of-sight opportunities at the company's business units. Targeted acquisitions would be incremental to the outlined capital program. Estimated operating cash flows are $400 million to $450 million in 2019.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The company, in addition to presenting its earnings in conformity with GAAP, has provided non-GAAP financial measures of EBITDA by operating segment and EBITDA from continuing operations. The company defines EBITDA as net income attributable to the operating segment before interest; taxes; depreciation, depletion and amortization; and EBITDA from continuing operations as income from continuing operations before interest; taxes; depreciation, depletion and amortization. The company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in evaluating the company's financial performance and valuation, especially based on the diversity of the company's operations. The company's management uses the non-GAAP financial measures in conjunction with GAAP results when evaluating the company's operating results and calculating compensation packages.

The company presents EBITDA by operating segment and EBITDA from continuing operations on a consolidated basis in this press release. The company believes EBITDA and EBITDA from continuing operations are useful financial measures in providing meaningful information about operational efficiency compared to the company's peers by excluding the impacts of differences in tax jurisdictions and structures, debt levels and capital investment. The presentation of EBITDA and EBITDA from continuing operations also is provided for investment professionals who use such metrics in their analyses. The investment community often uses these metrics to assess the operating performance of a company's business and to provide a consistent comparison of performance from period to period. Non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized; therefore, it may not be possible to compare such financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered a substitution for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. The company strongly encourages investors to review the consolidated financial statements in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure.

The following table provides a reconciliation of consolidated GAAP earnings to EBITDA from continuing operations. The reconciliation for each operating segment's EBITDA is included with each operating segment's condensed income statement.



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(In millions) Net income $ 40.9

$ 42.4

(Income) loss from discontinued operations, net of tax .2

(.5)

Income from continuing operations 41.1

41.9

Adjustments:



Interest expense 23.4

20.5

Income taxes 7.3

7.6

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 59.9

52.7

EBITDA from continuing operations $ 131.7

$ 122.7



The discussion that follows includes financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP, as well as another financial measure, adjusted gross margin, that is considered a non-GAAP financial measure as it relates to the company's electric and natural gas distribution segments. This financial measure, adjusted gross margin, can be used in addition to operating revenues and operating expenses when evaluating the results of operations for the electric and natural gas distribution segments. Adjusted gross margin for the electric and natural gas distribution segments is calculated by adding back adjustments to operating income (loss). These add back adjustments include: operation and maintenance expense; depreciation, depletion and amortization expense; and certain taxes, other than income.

The presentation of adjusted gross margin is intended to be a helpful supplemental financial measure for investors' understanding of the segments' operating performance. This non-GAAP financial measure should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, GAAP financial measures such as operating income (loss) or net income (loss). The company's non-GAAP financial measure, adjusted gross margin, may not be comparable to other companies' gross margin measures.

Adjusted gross margin includes operating revenues less cost of electric fuel and purchased power, purchased natural gas sold and certain taxes, other than income. These taxes, other than income included as a reduction to adjusted gross margin relate to revenue taxes. These segments pass on to their customers the increases and decreases in the wholesale cost of power purchases, natural gas and other fuel supply costs in accordance with regulatory requirements. As such, the segments' revenues are directly impacted by the fluctuations in such commodities. Revenue taxes, which are passed back to customers, fluctuate with revenues as they are calculated as a percentage of revenues. For these reasons, period over period, the segments' operating income (loss) is generally not impacted. The company's management believes the adjusted gross margin is a useful supplemental financial measure as these items are included in both operating revenues and operating expenses. The company's management also believes that adjusted gross margin and the remaining operating expenses that calculate operating income (loss) are useful in assessing the company's utility performance as management has the ability to influence control over the remaining operating expenses.

The following tables provide reconciliations of the company's electric and natural gas distribution segments operating income to adjusted gross margin for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Electric





Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(In millions) Operating income $ 18.0

$ 18.2

Adjustments:



Operating expenses:



Operation and maintenance 30.2

30.1

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 13.7

12.6

Taxes, other than income 4.2

3.8

Total adjustments 48.1

46.5

Adjusted gross margin $ 66.1

$ 64.7









Natural Gas Distribution



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(In millions) Operating income $ 50.3

$ 48.5

Adjustments:



Operating expenses:



Operation and maintenance 46.3

44.8

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 19.4

17.7

Taxes, other than income 6.2

5.7

Total adjustments 71.9

68.2

Adjusted gross margin $ 122.2

$ 116.7



Regulated Energy Delivery





Electric



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(Dollars in millions, where

applicable) Operating revenues $ 92.6

$ 87.4

Electric fuel and purchased power 26.3

22.5

Taxes, other than income .2

.2

Adjusted gross margin 66.1

64.7

Operating expenses:



Operation and maintenance 30.2

30.1

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 13.7

12.6

Taxes, other than income 4.2

3.8

Total operating expenses 48.1

46.5

Operating income 18.0

18.2

Net income $ 15.5

$ 13.1

Adjustments:



Interest expense 6.4

6.6

Income taxes (1.8)

(1.2)

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 13.7

12.6

EBITDA $ 33.8

$ 31.1

Retail sales (million kWh):



Residential 379.6

374.0

Commercial 406.2

402.3

Industrial 139.5

142.3

Other 21.9

22.7



947.2

941.3

Average cost of electric fuel and purchased power per kWh $ .025

$ .022



The electric business reported net income of $15.5 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to $13.1 million for the same period in 2018. The increase was driven by higher electric revenues associated with regulatory mechanisms that now include the completed Thunder Spirit Wind farm expansion which increased retail sales margins, as well as higher returns on investments. Partially offsetting these increases was higher depreciation, depletion and amortization expense as a result of increased property, plant and equipment balances.

The electric business's EBITDA increased $2.7 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to 2018, primarily the result of higher returns on investments and increased retail sales margins, as previously discussed.

Natural Gas Distribution



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(Dollars in millions, where

applicable) Operating revenues $ 342.1

$ 332.6

Purchased natural gas sold 207.8

203.7

Taxes, other than income 12.1

12.2

Adjusted gross margin 122.2

116.7

Operating expenses:



Operation and maintenance 46.3

44.8

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 19.4

17.7

Taxes, other than income 6.2

5.7

Total operating expenses 71.9

68.2

Operating income 50.3

48.5

Net income $ 36.5

$ 32.6

Adjustments:



Interest expense 8.4

7.6

Income taxes 8.3

8.8

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 19.4

17.7

EBITDA $ 72.6

$ 66.7

Volumes (MMdk)



Retail sales:



Residential 31.4

28.1

Commercial 20.9

18.6

Industrial 1.6

1.4



53.9

48.1

Transportation sales:



Commercial .8

.8

Industrial 40.6

36.8



41.4

37.6

Total throughput 95.3

85.7

Average cost of natural gas, including transportation, per dk $ 3.85

$ 4.23



The natural gas distribution business reported net income of $36.5 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to $32.6 million for the same period in 2018. The increase was the result of 12% higher retail sales volumes due to colder than normal weather and higher returns on investments. Partially offsetting the increase were weather normalization and conservation adjustments as well as higher depreciation, depletion, and amortization expense associated with increased property, plant and equipment balances. Included in operation and maintenance expense for the quarter was $2 million of conservation expenses that were offset in revenue.

The natural gas distribution business's EBITDA increased $5.9 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to 2018, primarily the result of higher natural gas sales volumes and increased returns on investments, as previously discussed.

Pipeline and Midstream





Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(Dollars in millions) Operating revenues $ 32.6

$ 30.6

Operating expenses:



Operation and maintenance 14.6

15.0

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 4.8

4.3

Taxes, other than income 3.3

3.1

Total operating expenses 22.7

22.4

Operating income 9.9

8.2

Net income $ 6.8

$ 5.3

Adjustments:



Interest expense 1.8

1.2

Income taxes 1.9

1.7

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 4.8

4.3

EBITDA $ 15.3

$ 12.5

Transportation volumes (MMdk) 98.7

78.3

Natural gas gathering volumes (MMdk) 3.4

3.7

Customer natural gas storage balance (MMdk):

Beginning of period 13.9

22.4

Net withdrawal (11.6)

(14.7)

End of period 2.3

7.7



The pipeline and midstream business reported net income of $6.8 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to $5.3 million in 2018. The increase in net income was the result of higher transportation revenues due in large part to organic growth projects placed in service in the second half of 2018. Partially offsetting the increase were higher interest expense and higher depreciation, depletion and amortization expense from increased property, plant and equipment balances as well as lower storage revenues.

The pipeline and midstream business's EBITDA increased $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to 2018, primarily from higher transportation revenues, as previously discussed.

Construction Materials and Services





Construction Services



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(In millions) Operating revenues $ 420.9

$ 334.1

Cost of sales:



Operation and maintenance 351.6

278.0

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 3.7

3.5

Taxes, other than income 15.9

12.8

Total cost of sales 371.2

294.3

Gross margin 49.7

39.8

Selling, general and administrative expense:



Operation and maintenance 20.3

17.3

Depreciation, depletion and amortization .3

.4

Taxes, other than income 1.6

1.4

Total selling, general and administrative expense 22.2

19.1

Operating income 27.5

20.7

Net income $ 20.0

$ 15.1

Adjustments:



Interest expense 1.2

.9

Income taxes 6.9

4.9

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 4.0

3.9

EBITDA $ 32.1

$ 24.8



The construction services business reported net income of $20.0 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to $15.1 million for the same period in 2018. The increase in net income resulted from higher workloads at both the inside and outside specialty contracting lines. Inside specialty contracting results improved due to higher workloads from greater customer demand for hospitality and high-tech projects. The increase in outside specialty contracting workloads was driven by higher demand for utility projects. Higher outside construction equipment sales and rentals also had a positive impact on the quarter. Partially offsetting the increases was higher selling, general and administrative expense, primarily payroll-related costs.

The construction services business's EBITDA increased $7.3 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to 2018, primarily a result of increased demand for services, as previously discussed.

Construction Materials and Contracting



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(Dollars in millions) Operating revenues $ 227.2

$ 213.4

Cost of sales:



Operation and maintenance 220.8

198.9

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 16.8

13.0

Taxes, other than income 8.4

7.8

Total cost of sales 246.0

219.7

Gross margin (18.8)

(6.3)

Selling, general and administrative expense:



Operation and maintenance 20.0

17.6

Depreciation, depletion and amortization .8

.6

Taxes, other than income 2.0

1.8

Total selling, general and administrative expense 22.8

20.0

Operating loss (41.6)

(26.3)

Net loss $ (34.4)

$ (23.5)

Adjustments:



Interest expense 5.3

3.7

Income taxes (11.2)

(7.1)

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 17.6

13.6

EBITDA $ (22.7)

$ (13.3)

Sales (000's):



Aggregates (tons) 3,871

3,847

Asphalt (tons) 166

226

Ready-mixed concrete (cubic yards) 608

572



The construction materials and contracting business reported a seasonal loss of $34.4 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to a loss of $23.5 million in the same period in 2018. This increase reflects seasonal losses associated with businesses acquired since the first quarter of last year along with lower materials margins due to less favorable weather conditions in certain regions. Partially offsetting the increased loss were higher construction margins.

The construction materials and contracting business's EBITDA decreased $9.4 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to 2018. The decreased EBITDA was largely the result of lower margins, as previously discussed.

Other

Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018



(In millions) Operating revenues $ 7.8

$ 2.7

Operating expenses:



Operation and maintenance 7.2

2.0

Depreciation, depletion and amortization .4

.6

Taxes, other than income .1



Total operating expenses 7.7

2.6

Operating income .1

.1

Net loss $ (3.3)

$ (.7)



The net loss for Other was negatively impacted in the first quarter of 2019 as a result of income tax adjustments. Also included in Other was an increase in insurance activity at the company's captive insurer which impacted both operating revenues and operation and maintenance expense. General and administrative costs and interest expense previously allocated to the exploration and production and refining businesses that do not meet the criteria for income (loss) from discontinued operations are also included in Other.

Other Financial Data





March 31,

2019

2018



(In millions, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited) Book value per common share $ 13.17

$ 12.42

Market price per common share $ 25.83

$ 28.16

Dividend yield (indicated annual rate) 3.1%

2.8%

Price/earnings from continuing operations ratio (12 months ended) 18.9x

18.9x

Market value as a percent of book value 196.1%

226.7%

Net operating cash flow (year to date) $ 2

$ 106

Total assets $ 7,279

$ 6,349

Total equity $ 2,606

$ 2,426

Total debt $ 2,268

$ 1,780

Capitalization ratios:



Total equity 53.5%

57.7%

Total debt 46.5

42.3



100.0%

100.0%



SOURCE MDU Resources Group, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.mdu.com


MINNEAPOLIS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenspring Media, parent company of Midwest Home magazine, announced today that Anna Bjorlin has been promoted to Senior Editor for Midwest Home, effective immediately. In her new role, Bjorlin will lead strategic content development for the magazine in print, digital and social forms. Additionally, Katelyn Bloomquist will join Midwest Home as Associate Editor.

Prior to joining Greenspring Media, Bjorlin held a variety of editorial roles at Palm Beach Media Group, a sister publishing company owned by Hour Media, specializing in local and regional lifestyle, as well as custom, client-based publications. She has been a part of the Greenspring Media team as Managing Editor of Midwest Home since 2018. A native of Minnesota, Bjorlin has worked with many of the area's best architects, builders, designers, and photographers and has been the main contributor to Midwest Home during her tenure with Greenspring Media.

Over the past year, Bloomquist has contributed to Midwest Home and Greenspring Media's portfolio of custom publications. She also served as Editor in Chief of Flourish and Managing Editor of Access U: Beyond the Cities.

"Anna has done a great job developing Midwest Home's content across print, digital and social media channels," said Tammy Galvin, Publisher of Greenspring Media. "The opportunity to add Katelyn to the team makes this a dynamic duo. Their knowledge of industry leaders and background in lifestyle publishing will be indispensable as they continue to drive the editorial strategy to the next level. They are strong leaders, and I am confident that they will continue to guide Midwest Home to even greater success."

Anna Bjorlin, Senior Editor

[email protected]

612-371-5808

Katelyn Bloomquist, Associate Editor

[email protected]

612-371-5872

Greenspring Media is a multi-platform communications company specializing in the creation and distribution of lifestyle content that connects readers and viewers to advertisers and marketing partners. Greenspring Media publishes over 12 publications, including Minnesota Monthly and Midwest Home, along with producing eight large scale events, including the Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience, Minnesota Monthly GrillFest, Minnesota Monthly Fine Spirits Classic, Midwest Home Luxury Home Tour, Baby & Beyond Expo, and Minnesota Monthly Best of Minnesota Party.

Related Links

Midwest Home

SOURCE Greenspring Media

Related Links

http://midwesthome.com


"As awareness grows around the importance of minimizing investment costs, we have seen a mass migration to low-cost funds and share classes," said Ben Johnson, Morningstar's director of ETF and passive strategies research. "A shift in the economics of advice has further accelerated this trend. As advisors move from being paid on commission to collecting a fee for their service, a clear preference for semibundled and unbundled funds and share classes has emerged, as embedded advice and distribution costs are being stripped away from funds' fees and charged separately."

Key findings of the study include:

Investors are paying approximately half as much to own funds as they were in the year 2000; they're paying roughly 40% less than they did a decade ago; and about 26% less than they did five years ago.

The mass migration to lower-cost funds has been a key driver behind the decline in the asset-weighted average fee. In 2018, active funds' fees fell to 0.67% and passive funds' fees fell to 0.15%. By these numbers, active-fund investors paid about 4.5 times more than passive-fund investors on each dollar in 2018.

It's evident that investors are favoring lower-cost share classes, as the "fee war" continues and new funds and share classes are introduced, which are represented in the equal-weighted average expense ratio. In 2018, active funds exhibited a 3.7% decline in equal-weighted average fees while the equal-weighted average fees across all share classes of active funds dropped to 1.11% from 1.15% in 2017.

The cheapest of the cheap are making headway. In 2018, the cheapest 20% of funds saw net inflows of $605 billion , with the remaining 80% of funds experiencing net outflows of $478 billion . Of the $605 billion that flowed into the cheapest 20% of funds and share classes, 97% of net new money flowed into the least costly 10% of all funds.

, with the remaining 80% of funds experiencing net outflows of . Of the that flowed into the cheapest 20% of funds and share classes, 97% of net new money flowed into the least costly 10% of all funds. As a result of these trends, most investors now own lower-priced funds; 83% of all assets reside in mutual funds and ETFs whose fees rank in the bottom 40% when compared with other funds in their category group.

Over the past five years, bundled funds and share classes have seen a collective $1.28 trillion in net outflows while semibundled and unbundled funds and share classes have amassed just over $3.0 trillion in net new flows.

in net outflows while semibundled and unbundled funds and share classes have amassed just over in net new flows. As an alternative to higher-cost actively managed funds, some asset managers have launched strategic-beta funds. In 2018, the asset-weighted average fee for U.S. equity strategic-beta funds was 0.17%, which was slightly higher than traditional index funds' fees, but significantly lower than active funds' fees.

Vanguard continues to have the lowest asset-weighted average expense ratio among asset managers, which was 0.09% in 2018, followed closely behind by State Street with 0.17% and BlackRock/iShares with 0.30%.

The full study is available here and an article summarizing the study's key findings is available here. The study excludes money market funds and funds of funds.

Morningstar has approximately 130 manager research analysts worldwide. The company provides data on approximately 249,780 open-end mutual funds, 13,010 closed-end funds, and 16,720 exchange-traded product listings as of March 31, 2019.

About Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, retirement plan providers and sponsors, and institutional investors in the private capital markets. Morningstar provides data and research insights on a wide range of investment offerings, including managed investment products, publicly listed companies, private capital markets, and real-time global market data. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $210 billion in assets under advisement and management as of March 31, 2019. The company has operations in 27 countries. For more information, visit www.morningstar.com/company. Follow Morningstar on Twitter @MorningstarInc.

Morningstar's Manager Research Group consists of various wholly owned subsidiaries of Morningstar, Inc. including, but not limited to, Morningstar Research Services LLC. Analyst Ratings are subjective in nature and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. Analyst Ratings are based on Morningstar's Manager Research Group's current expectations about future events and therefore involve unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause such expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what was expected. Analyst Ratings are not guarantees nor should they be viewed as an assessment of a fund's or the fund's underlying securities' creditworthiness. This press release is for informational purposes only; references to securities in this press release should not be considered an offer or solicitation to buy or sell the securities.

2019 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

MORN-R

Media Contact:

Sarah Wirth, +1 312 244-7358 or [email protected]

SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.morningstar.com


NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) condemns the heinous shooting at Chabad of Poway, California on the last day of Passover that left one congregant dead and three injured, including the synagogue's rabbi. The 19-year-old shooter was apprehended quickly, and he is being charged with a hate crime.

"Attacking innocent Jews in prayer during Passover is simply unconscionable," said MJAC Co-Chair Farooq Kathwari. "All Americans should be appalled and work in diverse coalitions to put an end to the rampant violence caused by hate that is increasing in our country. We must not become desensitized, we must stand up, and we must take action."

The shooter appears to have posted online about his plans to carry out the attack and rooted his violence in his white supremacist ideals. In the posting, the shooter also claimed responsibility for setting fire to a mosque in Escondido, California last month.

"The ideology that motivated this horrific shooting targets Muslims and Jews alike," said MJAC Co-Chair Stanley Bergman. "The same brand of hate led to the shootings of Jews in Pittsburgh, Muslims in New Zealand, Christians in Charleston, Sikhs in Oak Creek, and many others. Our government must assess the threat posed by white supremacy and give our law enforcement officials the resources they need to confront it."

MJAC has advocated for hearings in both houses of Congress to assess the threat of violence posed by people subscribing to white supremacist ideology. Earlier this month the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on white nationalism and hate crimes. The hearing came just days after MJAC called upon Congress to examine white supremacism as a motivating ideology of violent hate crimes.

In the wake of the Poway shootings, MJAC renews its call for Congress to take this threat seriously. Congress should investigate whether law enforcement and interagency task forces possess adequate resources to address these threats; whether new federal legislation is needed; whether certain public institutions, such as prisons, are particular sites of susceptibility to the propagation of domestic extremist ideologies; and how technology and social media can be used to counter extremist content and radicalization.

SOURCE The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council
PROVO, Utah, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: NUS) today announced first-quarter 2019 results.

Executive Summary

Q1 2019 vs. Prior-Year Quarter

Revenue: $623.6 million, +1%  7% constant currency growth  (6%) fx impact or ($33.3 M) Earnings Per Share (EPS): $0.77 compared to $0.64, + 20% Sales Leaders: 63,248; consistent with the prior year Customers: 1,193,206; +10%

"We are encouraged by the positive start to the year, which began with a strong first quarter highlighted by 7 percent local-currency growth," said Ritch Wood, chief executive officer. "We were particularly pleased with local-currency revenue growth in nearly all our reporting segments, highlighted by 12 percent growth in Mainland China and 5 percent growth in Southeast Asia, or 6 percent and 2 percent on a reported basis, respectively. We continue to focus our global efforts on expanding our customer base through our Nu Skin growth strategy, which helped to drive a 10 percent increase in customers during the quarter."

Q1 2019 Year-Over-Year Operating Results

Revenue: $623.6 million compared to $616.2 million  7% constant currency growth  (6%) fx impact or ($33.3 M) Gross Margin: 76.5% compared to 76.3%  Nu Skin business was 78.7%, compared to 77.9% Selling Expenses: 40.0% of revenue compared to 41.8%  Nu Skin business was 42.0%, compared to 42.9% G&A Expenses: 25.4% of revenue compared to 24.9% Operating Margin: 11.0% compared to 9.6% Other Income / (Expense): ($2.8) million expense compared to $1.2 million income Income Tax Rate: 34.7% compared to 41.0% EPS: $0.77 compared to $0.64, +20%

Stockholder Value

Dividend Payments: $20.5 million Stock Repurchases: $0.8 million; $470.2 million remaining in authorization

Q2 and Full-Year 2019 Outlook

Q2 2019 Revenue: $660 to $680 million, 3% to 6% decline  Approximately (4%) to (5%) fx impact  Prior year included approximately $95 million of LumiSpa sales, driven by Mainland China introduction Q2 2019 EPS: $0.91 to $0.98 2019 Revenue: $2.76 to $2.81 billion, 3% to 5% growth  Approximately (2%) to (3%) fx impact 2019 EPS $3.80 to $4.05

"We remain confident in our growth prospects in 2019 as we focus on the continued execution of our growth strategy," said Wood. "We will drive increased productivity by investing in technologies to better support our sales leaders, expanding our global beauty device systems with product introductions and line extensions, and optimizing our Velocity sales compensation program."

"Our solid first quarter results keep us on track to achieve a strong year," said Mark Lawrence, chief financial officer. "Our 2019 annual revenue guidance is $2.76 to $2.81 billion with an approximate 2 to 3 percent unfavorable foreign currency impact, and earnings per share of $3.80 to $4.05. For the second quarter, we project revenue of $660 to $680 million with an approximate 4 to 5 percent negative foreign currency impact. The prior-year period included a strong LumiSpa introduction in Mainland China while current year product launches are slated for the back half of the year. We project earnings per share of $0.91 to $0.98."

Conference Call

The Nu Skin management team will host a conference call with the investment community on April 30, 2019, at 5 p.m. (ET). Those wishing to access the webcast, as well as the financial information presented during the call, can visit the Investor Relations page on the company's website at ir.nuskin.com. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same URL through May 14, 2019.

About Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.

Founded 35 years ago, Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NSE) empowers innovative companies to change the world with sustainable solutions, opportunities, technologies, and life-improving values. The company currently focuses its efforts around innovative consumer products, product manufacturing and automated controlled environment agriculture technology. The NSE family of companies includes Nu Skin, which develops and distributes a comprehensive line of premium-quality beauty and wellness solutions through a global network of sales leaders in Asia, the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Pacific; and a collection of manufacturing and technology innovation companies. Nu Skin Enterprises is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NUS." More information is available at nuskinenterprises.com.

Important Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: 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, that represent the company's current expectations and beliefs. All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws and include, but are not limited to, statements of management's expectations regarding the company's performance, growth, product launches, strategies and initiatives; projections regarding revenue, earnings per share, foreign currency fluctuations and other financial items; statements of belief; and statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "believe," "expect," "continue," "project," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "continue," "targets," "likely," "will," "would," "could," "may," "might," the negative of these words and other similar words.

The forward-looking statements and related assumptions involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from any forward-looking statements or views expressed herein. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:

adverse publicity related to the company's business, products, industry or any legal actions or complaints by the company's sales force or others;

risk that direct selling laws and regulations in any of our markets, including the United States and Mainland China, may be modified, interpreted or enforced in a manner that results in negative changes to our business model or negatively impacts our revenue, sales force or business, including through the interruption of sales activities, loss of licenses, imposition of fines, or any other adverse actions or events;

any failure of current or planned initiatives or products to generate interest among the company's sales force and customers and generate sponsoring and selling activities on a sustained basis;

risk of foreign currency fluctuations and the currency translation impact on the company's business associated with these fluctuations;

uncertainties regarding the future financial performance of the company's recent acquisitions;

risks related to accurately predicting, delivering or maintaining sufficient quantities of products to support our planned initiatives or launch strategies, and increased risk of inventory write-offs if the company over-forecasts demand for a product or changes its planned initiatives or launch strategies;

regulatory risks associated with the company's products, which could require the company to modify its claims or inhibit the company's ability to import or continue selling a product in a market if it is determined to be a medical device or if it is unable to register the product in a timely manner under applicable regulatory requirements;

unpredictable economic conditions and events globally;

uncertainties related to interpretation of, and forthcoming regulations under, the recently enacted U.S. tax reform legislation; the company's future tax-planning initiatives; any prospective or retrospective increases in duties on the company's products imported into the company's markets outside of the United States ; and any adverse results of tax audits or unfavorable changes to tax laws in the company's various markets; and

continued competitive pressures in the company's markets.

The company's financial performance and the forward-looking statements contained herein are further qualified by a detailed discussion of associated risks set forth in the documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements set forth the company's beliefs as of the date that such information was first provided and the company assumes no duty to update the forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect any change except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures: Constant-currency revenue growth is a non-GAAP financial measure that removes the impact of fluctuations in foreign-currency exchange rates, thereby facilitating period-to-period comparisons of the company's performance. It is calculated by translating the current period's revenue at the same average exchange rates in effect during the applicable prior-year period and then comparing this amount to the prior-year period's revenue.

The Company's revenue results by segment for the three-month periods ended March 31 are presented in the following table (in thousands).



Three Months Ended

March 31,





Constant

Currency

2019

2018

Change

Change(1)















Nu Skin





















Mainland China $ 208,488

$ 197,531



6%



12% Americas/Pacific

86,456



92,289



(6)%



2% South Korea

83,853



88,930



(6)%



(1)% Southeast Asia

72,495



70,860



2%



5% Japan

62,109



63,224



(2)%



 Hong Kong/Taiwan

40,558



40,992



(1)%



2% EMEA

41,818



44,981



(7)%



1% Other

(1,426)



235



(707)%



(707)% Total Nu Skin

594,351



599,042



(1)%



5% Manufacturing

29,272



17,177



70%



70% Grow Tech













 Total $ 623,623

$ 616,219



1%



7%

The company's Customers and Sales Leaders statistics by segment for the three-month periods ended March 31 are presented in the following table.



As of

March 31, 2019

As of

March 31, 2018

% Increase (Decrease)

Customers

Sales Leaders

Customers

Sales Leaders

Customers

Sales Leaders























Mainland China

272,053



26,986



200,231



27,045



36%



 Americas/Pacific

242,925



7,862



245,588



8,248



(1)%



(5)% South Korea

181,150



6,671



179,384



7,338



1%



(9)% Southeast Asia

138,112



7,071



117,689



6,559



17%



8% Japan

126,526



5,840



128,598



6,198



(2)%



(6)% Hong Kong/Taiwan

70,354



3,959



72,401



3,864



(3)%



2% EMEA

162,086



4,859



141,673



4,246



14%



14%



































Total

1,193,206



63,248



1,085,564



63,498



10%















"Customers" are persons who purchased products directly from the company during the previous three months. Our Customer numbers do not include consumers who purchase products directly from members of our sales force.

"Sales Leaders" are independent distributors, and sales employees and independent marketers in China, who achieve certain qualification requirements.

NU SKIN ENTERPRISES, INC. Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) (U.S. dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018











Revenue $ 623,623

$ 616,219 Cost of sales

146,664



146,281 Gross profit

476,959



469,938











Operating expenses:









Selling expenses

249,708



257,702 General and administrative expenses

158,598



153,246 Total operating expenses

408,306



410,948











Operating income

68,653



58,990 Other income (expense), net

(2,848)



1,207











Income before provision for income taxes

65,805



60,197 Provision for income taxes

22,803



24,658











Net income $ 43,002

$ 35,539











Net income per share:









Basic $ 0.78

$ 0.66 Diluted $ 0.77

$ 0.64











Weighted-average common shares outstanding (000s):









Basic

55,436



53,997 Diluted

56,128



55,959

NU SKIN ENTERPRISES, INC. Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (U.S. dollars in thousands)



March 31,

2019

December 31,

2018 ASSETS





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 310,288

$ 386,911 Current investments

8,038



11,346 Accounts receivable

57,390



53,282 Inventories, net

304,311



295,821 Prepaid expenses and other

67,655



51,877



747,682



799,237











Property and equipment, net

445,605



464,535 Right-of-use assets

117,329



 Goodwill

196,573



196,573 Other intangible assets, net

86,935



89,989 Other assets

160,977



144,112 Total assets $ 1,755,101

$ 1,694,446











LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY









Current liabilities:









Accounts payable $ 52,273

$ 47,617 Accrued expenses

304,770



322,583 Current portion of long-term debt

45,000



69,455



402,043



439,655











Operating lease liability

81,075



 Long-term debt

356,247



361,008 Other liabilities

104,541



111,916 Total liabilities

943,906



912,579











Commitments and contingencies





















Stockholders' equity:









Class A common stock  500 million shares authorized, $0.001 par value, 90.6 million shares issued

91



91 Additional paid-in capital

553,270



552,564 Treasury stock, at cost  35.0 million and 35.2 million shares

(1,325,251)



(1,326,605) Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(75,794)



(79,934) Retained earnings

1,658,879



1,635,751



811,195



781,867 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 1,755,101

$ 1,694,446

Nu Skin Social Media Channels

 fb.com/nuskin  twitter.com/nuskin  instagram.com/nuskin

SOURCE Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.nuskin.com


Located conveniently across the Ohio River from Louisville, customers will now be able to access Palmer Trucks' parts inventory and mobile service without the hassle of traffic or the I-65 toll bridge. TRP is unique in that the brand carries all-makes truck, bus and trailer parts for almost any application. Louisville General Manager John Yehl comments, "The Kenworth of Louisville team is excited to provide our top-notch customer service and products in a convenient location for our Southern Indiana customers. The opening of this store highlights our half-century commitment towards putting the customer first."

Palmer Trucks has experienced record growth the past several years; now with more than 10 full-service locations, a leasing division, a fabrication shop and TRP parts stores in Indianapolis and Northern Kentucky. Palmer Trucks Chief Operating Officer Tom Kapitan adds, "We are excited to grow with the area by doing our part to better serve our customers, regardless of geographical obstacles. Our team has been working for several months to ensure TRP of Sellersburg meets and exceeds expectations with the Palmer reputation. This is all complemented by the skill and dedication of our world-class team." With more than 600 employees serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky, Palmer Trucks is pleased to be investing in both its people and infrastructure to expand the footprint of its family-owned, relationship-oriented operation.

About Palmer Trucks, Inc.  Palmer Trucks, Inc. is the regional leader in the sale, lease, repair and finance of Kenworth products through a network of 10 dealerships throughout the Midwest and East-South Central United States. Founded in Indianapolis during July of 1965 by Eldon Palmer, the company has since expanded as a third-generation company throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The Palmer team of more than 600 members is dedicated to the highest levels of service, friendliness and integrity as a dealer of the Kenworth  brand - The World's Best  medium and heavy-duty trucks. Palmer Trucks is an A+ accredited member of the Better Business Bureau.

Media Contact:

Cameron Nichols

Marketing Manager

(317) 247 8421

[email protected]

SOURCE Palmer Trucks

Related Links

http://www.palmertrucks.com/


SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pho Hoa Noodle Soup was recently ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500, the world's first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Placement in the Franchise 500 is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry, as evidenced by the fact that Entrepreneur received more than 1,000 applications this year, making it one of the company's most competitive rankings ever.

Pho Hoa Noodle Soup

Pho Hoa Noodle Soup was evaluated on a variety of key factors such as costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, unit growth and financial strength and stability. The company was given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points.

"At Pho Hoa, we strive daily to make the franchising experience with us an easy one," says Kan Simon, the Franchise Development Consultant for Pho Hoa Noodle Soup and Jazen Tea. "From site selection to grand opening, the Pho Hoa team works with its franchisees to ensure support every step of the way. With simple operations, expert marketing support, and delicious recipes, Pho Hoa is a great choice for any entrepreneur looking to start their own restaurant."

Over their 35 years of experience, Pho Hoa Noodle Soup has become influential in the franchising world and a prominent choice for entrepreneurs looking to franchise their own restaurant. Pho Hoa's position on the Franchise 500 is a testament to its strength as a franchising option.

For more information about franchising opportunities with Pho Hoa Noodle Soup, visit PhoHoa.com/franchising today.

About Pho Hoa

Founded in 1983, Pho Hoa Noodle Soup now operates in 6 countries internationally, and continues to offer delicious and healthy pho noodle soup at an affordable price. As the largest Vietnamese Fast-Casual dining chain in the world, quality and consistency remain the company's top priorities and have been the driving force behind their success as a franchise.

Media Inquiries

Kan Simon

Franchise Development Consultant

916-779-8800 x 103

[email protected]

Related Images

image1.png

image2.jpg

image3.jpg

Related Links

http://PhoHoa.com/franchising

SOURCE Pho Hoa Noodle Soup
VILLANOVA D'ALBENGA, Italy, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Extraordinary Commissioner of Piaggio Aerospace, Vincenzo Nicastro, wants to implement an initial analysis in order to evaluate the market's interest in buying the company or one of its business units (Aircraft and Engines) or to conduct a reorganization, in accordance with the "Marzano Law."

Piaggio Aerospace (in Extraordinary Receivership since last December) published today a paid notice in a selected number of financial newspapers after authorization from the Ministry of Economic Development. A copy of the announcement can be found at www.piaggioaeroas.it, where a short presentation of the company is also available.

"The goal of this action," declares Nicastro, "is to better understand who the interested candidates are as a way to evaluate their characteristics in order to maintain business continuity for Piaggio Aerospace, thus moving forward with subsequent initiatives according to the law."

In particular, the Aircraft business unit focuses on the design, construction and maintenance of civil and military aircraft, along with customer service activities. The Engine business unit revolves around the design, construction and maintenance of aero-engines.

During a meeting held in Rome on April 24, 2019, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Defence agreed on a plan to support Piaggio Aerospace business activities.

The Italian Government indicates the goal on Piaggio Aerospace to conduct all engine maintenance out of one single hub, confirming Piaggio Aerospace as a reliable partner in this specific field. The plan also foresees new contracts for the engine maintenance with a ten-year plan; a contract for the retrofitting of nineteen P.180-Avanti operated by various Italian Institutions and the purchase of ten new P.180-Avanti.

Finally, the plan also includes the completion of the P.1HH HammerHead (the Unmanned Aerial System) certification process, along with the subsequent acquisition of two systems and the development of further technology to support Piaggio Aerospace to compete in the international market arena. Each system is made out of a Ground Control Station and two aircraft. More systems would be acquired in the medium- term.

All EOI, which are non-binding, should be sent (in English or Italian) to the Extraordinary Commissioner by 6 pm CEST on Wednesday, May, 15, 2019 via email at [email protected].

SOURCE Piaggio Aerospace

Related Links

http://www.piaggioaeroas.it


CHICAGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pivotal Growth Partners (PGP) announced today it has added two high-potential brands to its portfolio of emerging franchisors  superfood cafe Vitality Bowls and Conrad's Grill, home of the original Tot Wrap. Through the partnership, PGP will provide these promising Franchise brands with the necessary operators, capital, real estate and franchising experience to reach their next level of marketplace growth.

PGP will work with respective ownership of each brand to facilitate nationwide growth by focusing on the 5 Pillars of Franchise Excellence: Unit Level Economics, Franchisee Relationships, Consumer Marketing & Advertising, Technology Platforms and Organizational Culture.

Launched last year by longtime franchise industry/brand development experts Bryon Stephens and Cameron Cummins, PGP provides a growth platform that serves as a "farm system" for emerging brands to thrive. Collectively, PGP has a combined 50+ years of franchising experience and a network of expert financial, operational, marketing and growth and development partners.

Stephens and Cummins are both longtime franchising industry veterans, known for leading powerful growth results at franchise brands including Marco's Pizza, A&W Restaurants and Yum! Brands. Under Stephens leadership as President of Marco's Pizza, the brand grew from 139 units to over 800 by the end of 2017, unit profitability increased significantly, and systemwide sales increased to nearly $600 million annually.

"There's so many high-growth potential emerging brands out there that just need guidance to light their fire into a flame," Stephens said. "Because private equity firms traditionally overlook brands with systemwide EBITDA of $5 million or below, a major gap exists for these burgeoning companies to find capital and resources to grow. PGP bridges that gap."

According to a 2017 FRANdata report, 75 percent of new franchisors do not have experience in franchising. Many turn to business consultants, franchise brokers or firms that are simply outsourced franchise sales teams. PGP differs by implementing hands-on, proven methods to achieve operational excellence and a healthy environment to maximize an emerging brand's value for shareholders.

"PGP has broken away from the traditional franchise development model by aligning all key growth constituents establishing a 'farm system' to help emerging brands thrive," Cummins said. "We've cracked the code by removing the four key barriers that hinder a young brand's growth  access to operators, real estate, capital, and franchising experience."

Vitality Bowls, a 2019 Zor Award Winner for "New Ethnic Eats" by Franchise Times, and Conrad's Grill, which was deemed "a student favorite" and "a staple of late-night eats" by Michigan State University's "The State News," are prime examples of high potential brands ideal for PGP's growing portfolio  disruptive concepts who create demand for their products by defying consumer expectations, creating a memorable brand and effortlessly delivering high-quality products.

"We couldn't be more excited to partner with Vitality Bowls and Conrad's Grill to prime them for national-level recognition," Stephens added. "It's all about finding that sweet spot, that perfect timing for both PGP and our partners. We're ready to assist both of these brands to achieve their Pivot point to full-scale growth."

About Pivotal Growth Partners

With a combined 50+ years of experience and a network of expert financial, growth and development partners, Pivotal Growth Partners creates value and grows small, regional companies into nationally-acclaimed brands. Co-founded in 2018 by longtime franchise industry professionals Bryon Stephens and Cameron Cummins, PGP helps emerging franchise brands at their pivotal growth moment through providing experienced leadership, access to fundamental resources and day-to-day guidance. For more information, please visit https://pivotalgrowthpartners.com/

About Vitality Bowls

Roy and Tara Gilad, a pair of successful business owners, founded Vitality Bowls in 2011 in San Ramon, California. The duo started the superfood cafe concept as a result of discovering their daughter's severe food allergies and wanting to find safe, healthy food alternatives. Since franchising began in 2014, the brand has seen significant growth with more than 100 cafes open or in development. In 2018, Vitality Bowls was named to Franchise Times' Top 200+ List recognizing the 500 largest franchises in the industry, as well as Inc. Magazine's 500|5000 list for the nation's fastest growing private companies. Also named to Restaurant Business' Future 50 List of the fastest growing innovative brands, Vitality Bowls aims to redefine the fast casual healthy food restaurant field at its locations across the country. For more information, please visit: https://vitalitybowls.com/

About Conrad's Grill

Founded in 2007, Conrad's Grill is the inspiration borne of the late-night cravings of founder Joseph Conrad. Billed as "Home of the Original Tot Wrap," Conrad's Grill has grown from a one-store, Michigan State University hotspot, to a four-restaurant chain operating in two different states. Conrad's Grill features grilled tortillas loaded with your choice of protein, melted cheese, savory sauce and crispy tater tots. Working late? No problem. Conrad's Grill is open until 2 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Rising late? No problem. The breakfast wraps, including the "Hangover Helper" and the Sriracha-spiked "Wake & Bac'n," have become weekend favorites. It's made quickly, but it's not fast food. For more information, visit https://www.conradsgrill.com

SOURCE Pivotal Growth Partners

Related Links

http://www.pivotalgrowthpartners.com


RICHMOND, Va., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's the deadline to enroll in a program to prepay tuition at Virginia public colleges and universities. The final enrollment period for Prepaid529 ends at midnight, with the program in its current form then permanently closing to new enrollees.

Prepaid529 provides Virginia families the opportunity to guard against escalating tuition costs by purchasing up to 10 semesters of undergraduate in-state tuition and mandatory fees at two- and four-year Virginia public colleges or universities.

Students may use Prepaid529 at any eligible educational institution across the country, although payouts will differ. Prices and payment options vary by the age of the child, length of payment term, and number of semesters purchased.

For more than 20 years, Virginia529 has helped hundreds of thousands of Virginians prepay tuition for their loved ones through Prepaid529. Tuition and mandatory fees are typically the most expensive part of higher education, and increasingly families are shouldering the majority of the cost to go to college.

With that in mind, Virginia529 leadership will be creating a newly structured program that would address families' savings needs amid changing college tuition and fee models and unpredictable tuition growth, among other factors.

Legislation unanimously passed in the Virginia General Assembly House and Senate and in March, Gov. Ralph Northam signed the proposal into law that would authorize Virginia529 to change the benefit structure for future accounts. These changes are still being finalized.

There will be no changes to existing Prepaid529 contracts, and current contracts will retain the Prepaid529 benefit structure in effect at the time of purchase. Individuals who later decide they prefer the new benefit structure may transfer a Prepaid529 contract to the new program.

A Prepaid529 calculator available at Virginia529.com illustrates the full array of price and payment options for a 2019 contract. Families can try out various scenarios before deciding what works best for their goals and budget.

Visit Virginia529.com to enroll, learn more about the tax deduction and review the Prepaid529 Program Description & Master Agreement.

About Virginia529 College Savings Plan:

Virginia529SM makes education more accessible and affordable for families and individuals. With more than $71 billion in assets under management and 2.7 million accounts as of February 28, 2019, Virginia529 is the largest 529 plan available. Three flexible, affordable, tax-advantaged programsPrepaid529SM, Invest529SM and CollegeAmericaand early commitment scholarship program SOAR Virginia assist students of any age in reaching their education goals. For more information on Virginia529's college savings options, visit Virginia529.com or call 1-888-567-0540 to obtain program materials. These include information on Virginia529 programs, investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other important information; read and consider them carefully before investing. All investments are subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Virginia529 encourages prospective participants to seek the advice of a professional concerning any financial, tax or legal implications related to opening an account. For residents of states other than Virginia: before investing, you should consider whether your or the beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other state benefits such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and protections from creditors that are only available for investments in that state's qualified tuition program. 2019 Virginia College Savings Plan. All Rights Reserved.

For more information, contact

Devon Copeland

Senior Communications Associate

804-225-2452

[email protected]

SOURCE Virginia529

Related Links

http://www.virginia529.com


SAN DIEGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Qpex Biopharma today announced the closing of a license agreement from Monash University providing Qpex a portfolio of next-generation polymyxin antimicrobials focused against highly drug-resistant gram-negative pathogens. The exclusive license includes worldwide rights to develop and commercialize polymyxin antimicrobials in multiple territories.

The polymyxin class of antibiotics, including the drug colistin, was first introduced into clinical use in the 1950s but was largely abandoned in later years due to toxicity and the introduction of improved and safer classes of antibiotics. However, with increasing resistance to first-line agents, polymyxins have been increasingly relied upon as "last resort" agents, despite their pharmacological and safety limitations. Therefore, an improved new generation of the polymyxin class of drugs is desirable.

"Our collaboration with world-class experts in polymyxin antimicrobials at Monash University was highly successful in discovering new polymyxins with enhanced pharmacological properties and safety in preclinical studies," said Michael Dudley, PharmD, President and CEO of Qpex Biopharma. "We believe the new polymyxin clinical drug candidate emerging from this collaboration will have an improved profile over other members of this class. This program joins our internal pipeline of products under development to address serious and urgent resistance threats. We look forward to advancing these programs in development within our partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)."

The Monash-Qpex polymyxin drug discovery collaboration was funded by a Partnerships for Biodefense grant (R01AI098771) awarded to Professor Jian Li, Ph.D. of Monash University by the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Scientists from Qpex collaborated as the designated industrial partner with Monash University on this grant.

"The world desperately needs better polymyxins and in animal studies our novel synthetic polymyxins show improved efficacy and safety over the currently used polymyxin drugs. It is very exciting to see a clinical candidate successfully identified from this five-year project. We are thrilled with the partnership with the highly experienced and proven Qpex team that will progress the development of a clinical candidate. We are very grateful to the NIAID/NIH for funding this program," said Professor Li.

About Qpex Biopharma, Inc.

Qpex Biopharma (www.qpexbio.com) is a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company with a pipeline of best-in-class agents addressing critical needs for treatment of infectious diseases in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Qpex was launched in October 2018 with investment from New Enterprise Associates, Adams Street Partners, LYZZ Capital, Hatteras Venture Partners and Stanford University Draper Fund. The company's scientists and clinicians have a record of deep expertise in the discovery and development of anti-infective agents, and an extensive record of working with public-private partnerships, including a previous contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) that led to the first approved antimicrobial drug product under that program in 2017.

About BARDA

Qpex's partnership with BARDA is funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under OTA number HHSO100201600026C. The agreement provides support for the development of a portfolio of new antibiotics to fight drug-resistant, gram-negative infections. The initial award was for $32 million in funding, and up to an additional $100 million (pending the availability of funding) is available if all options to extend the partnership are exercised by BARDA.

About NIAID/NIH

In response to threats presented by bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases, the NIAID Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) has established research programs to facilitate development of countermeasures for certain pathogens and toxins. The NIAID/NIH Partnerships for Biodefense grants support the development of therapeutics, vaccines or medical diagnostics that address designated priority pathogens and toxins. A Partnerships for Biodefense grant (R01AI098771) was awarded to Professor Jian Li, Ph.D. of Monash University to collaborate with Qpex to develop improved polymyxin drugs that are effective against Gram-negative 'superbugs.'

About Monash University

Monash University is the largest university in Australia, ranked in the world's top 100 and a member of the prestigious Group of Eight. The University is named after Sir John Monash and is fueled by his desire for its students to leave with a greater sense of purpose and the skills and confidence to create positive change.

SOURCE Qpex Biopharma

Related Links

http://www.qpexbio.com


After her award-winning years of 2017 and 2018, the beginning of 2019 seems to be continuing her run of consistent excellence. In the past 24 months alone, Ms. Levinson has sold more than $200 million in residential sales. This value includes today's closing of $26 million in estate transactions and a $15,650,000 sale in December 2017 that was the most expensive home sold in Arizona history when it closed escrow. With such a strong start to this year, and other large deals already in escrow, she might be on her way to a three-time repeat next year.

"Joan is a true real estate professional, and the awards are well deserved," said Mandy Neat, broker for Ms. Levinson. "She is continually advocating for her clients while making the 'impossible' happen. When Joan is involved, everything is possible." According to Ms. Neat, "I doubt that there has ever been an individual REALTOR that did that net amount in such a short period of time. Teams maybe, but not an individual."

With an average sales price of nearly $3,700,000, Ms. Levinson secured her position as the top agent in the Phoenix area with a relatively low number of sales. "While I do specialize in luxury properties, I care more about the style and quality of a home than the price. My passion for exquisite one-of-a-kind homes leads me to know every detail, including the varied locations, views and finishings that inspire and attract people," says Ms. Levinson. "I'm also blessed with the most amazing clients, many of whom return to me time and again to help with buying or selling a home."

About Joan Levinson

Joan Levinson is Arizona's premier luxury real estate expert specializing for the past 30 years in the finest estates in Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and Phoenix. With over $1 Billion in career sales, Joan and her properties have appeared in both TV and Print, including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fox, ABC, NBC, and major web publications including Yahoo News, Time.com, MSN.com, TheStreet.com and more. A recognized expert in the luxury market, Joan has won numerous awards and is a frequent speaker at meetings on behalf of large financial institutions, and national real estate conventions.

SOURCE Joan Levinson

Related Links

http://www.joanlevinson.com


NINGBO, China, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wang Hong, president of Chinese solar module manufacturer Risen Energy Co., Ltd. recently sat for an exclusive interview with Bloomberg, during which he shared his opinions on the company's current development in global markets and plans for the future. This interview came on the heels of the recent closing of Bloomberg's Global Business Forum in New York.

"Risen Energy's aggregate installed capacity worldwide reached 5 GW in 2018," said Mr. Wang during the interview. He also shared his thoughts on Risen Energy's criteria in terms of selecting markets the company plans to expand into. "Risen Energy doesn't have too many criteria in this regard. The company plans the development and execution strategies for a target market based on the market's characteristics as each has its own attributes and characteristics."

During the interview, Mr. Wang gave a special presentation on the Vietnamese market as it is where Risen Energy has seen the rapidest growth. "Just one year after entering the country, the company has taken a more than 10 percent share and expects to see continued growth there," stated Mr. Wang. "In particular, Risen Energy's solar module orders from Vietnam reached 312 MW in 2018, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the market."

"To respond to the increasing demand for solar products from the global market, the company has continuously increased its production capacity over the past few years, with the capacity for 2019 expected to double on a year-over-year basis," explained Mr. Wang when talking about Risen Energy's capacity growth and manufacturing facilities worldwide. "While our production facilities are all located in China, the company is considering expanding its manufacturing capabilities beyond the home market."

"With the gradual decrease in costs associated with solar power generation, the demand for solar applications is bound to continue growing," replied Mr. Wang when asked by Bloomberg whether the strong demand for solar products from Australia and parts of the US is deceptive or sustainable.

Visit https://v.qq.com/x/page/z08594xyk1o.html for the complete video of Bloomberg's exclusive interview with Mr. Wang in New York.

SOURCE Risen Energy Co., Ltd
A young man walks in front of a building in ruins last Friday, April 26, 2019, in Havana, as the specter of the economic woes of the 1990s comes back to haunt Cuba at a time when the island is caught between a battered economy and new pressure from Washington. EFE-EPA/Ernesto Mastrascusa
"The aligner market has changed rapidly in the past few years, but there is a superior solution that has arisen and Orthocaps  represents what we feel is the most technologically-advanced system that delivers impressive results, patient comfort and great aesthetics," says RMO Chairman and CEO Tony Zakhem.

An innovative dual-layer polymer delivers a soft inner tray for better grip and a firm outer tray for better force application. Unlike other aligner systems, Orthocaps uses a daytime aligner for comfort and aesthetics, and a nighttime aligner for force-level customization and improved treatment efficiency. This creates less material stress, is more hygienic and reduces tray replacement costs.

The digitized iSetup is a virtual model that meets treatment preferences, ensuring accuracy and correct treatment plans, eliminating the time-consuming "back and forth" doctors experience with other aligner setups. Unlike other aligners, the thermoforming process creates a precise patient-specific tray that is more comfortable and transparent.

Orthocaps aligners, manufactured by Ortho Caps GmbH, in Hamm, Germany, are exclusively distributed in the United States and Canada through RMO. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) cleared Orthocaps to be marketed in the U.S. late last year. More than 16,000 successful cases have been completed worldwide to date.

To learn more about Orthocaps aligners, visit www.orthocaps.com or contact Shane Burden, North American Orthocaps Manager, at 800.525.6044 ext. 8466.

About Ortho Caps, GmbH

Ortho Caps GmbH is a privately-owned German dental product company with headquarters in Hamm/Westphalia, Germany. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and distributes clear orthodontic aligners to 35 countries. The company was founded by orthodontist Dr. Wajeeh Khan in 2006. Ortho Caps was recognized as a Top 100 Innovator in 2018, Germany's highest honor for small and medium-sized enterprises.

About Rocky Mountain Orthodontics (RMO)

Celebrating its 85th year, Rocky Mountain Orthodontics (RMO) is a privately-held and operated company headquartered in Denver, Colo., led by Tony Zakhem and Jody Hardy. RMO is on the forefront of engineering, manufacturing and distribution of innovative, high-quality orthodontic products and services. Through its distribution network, RMO orthodontic products are sold in nearly 70 countries worldwide and has a wholly-owned subsidiary in Strasbourg, France, that has been distributing Orthocaps aligners for four years. Visit www.rmortho.com to learn more.

About the American Association of Orthodontists

Founded in 1900, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) is the world's oldest and largest dental specialty organization. It represents nearly 19,000 orthodontist members throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.

Media Contact

Charles Warren

Marketing Manager | Rocky Mountain Orthodontics

[email protected]

303.592.8214

SOURCE Rocky Mountain Orthodontics

Related Links

http://www.rmortho.com


DALLAS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC) ("SC" or the "Company") today announced net income for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 ("Q1 2019") of $248 million, or $0.70 per diluted common share.

The Company has declared a cash dividend of $0.20 per share, to be paid on May 20, 2019, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 10, 2019.

Management Quotes

"Santander Consumer is off to a good start in 2019," said Scott Powell, SC President and CEO, who is also CEO of Santander US. "Our strategy has continued to show results as we increased year-over-year originations for a fifth consecutive quarter. Our overall performance was driven by a sustained focus on operations and dealer experience, as well as the strength of our partnership with Fiat Chrysler."

Juan Carlos Alvarez, SC Chief Financial Officer, added, "We are pleased with our good start to the year supported by solid auction prices, lower TDR balances and disciplined expense management."

Q1 2019 Highlights (variances compared to the first quarter of 2018 ("Q1 2018"), unless otherwise noted):

Total auto originations of $7.0 billion , up 10%

, up 10% Core retail auto loan originations of $2.6 billion , up 14%

, up 14%

Chrysler Capital loan originations of $2.4 billion , up 23%

, up 23%

Chrysler Capital lease originations of $2.0 billion , down 6%

, down 6%

Chrysler average quarterly penetration rate of 31%, up from 28% from the same quarter last year



Santander Bank , N.A. program originations of $1.0 billion

, N.A. program originations of Net finance and other interest income of $1.1 billion , up 5%

, up 5% 30-59 delinquency ratio of 8.4%, down 50 basis points

59-plus delinquency ratio of 4.2%, down 20 basis points

Retail Installment Contract ("RIC") gross charge-off ratio of 19.5%, up 100 basis points

Recovery rate of 55.9%, up 90 basis points

RIC net charge-off ratio of 8.6%, up 30 basis points

Troubled Debt Restructuring ("TDR") balance of $4.9 billion , down $462 million vs. December 31, 2018

, down vs. Return on average assets of 2.2%, down from 2.5%

$2.9 billion in loan asset-backed securities "ABS"

in loan asset-backed securities "ABS" Expense ratio of 2.1%, down from 2.4%

Common equity tier 1 ("CET1") ratio of 15.8%, down from 17.0% vs. March 31, 2018

Net finance and other interest income1 increased 5 percent to $1.13 billion in Q1 2019 from $1.08 billion in Q1 2018, driven by increased loan and lease balances.

SC's serviced for others portfolio of $8.7 billion as of Q1 2019 remained relatively flat versus the prior year quarter. Servicing fee income decreased 9 percent to $24 million in Q1 2019, from $26 million in Q1 2018, driven by the change in the composition of those balances. Fees, commissions and other increased from $85 million in Q1 2018 to $94 million in Q1 2019, driven by origination fees from the SBNA program.

RIC delinquency ratio2 of 4.2 percent in Q1 2019 decreased 20 basis points compared to 4.4 percent in Q1 2018.

RIC net charge-off ratio3 increased to 8.6 percent in Q1 2019 from 8.3 percent in Q1 2018. Provision for credit losses of $551 million in Q1 2019 were up from $510 million the prior year quarter.

Allowance ratio4 decreased 40 basis points, to 11.0 percent at the end of Q1 2019, from 11.4 percent at the end of Q4 2018.

Recorded net investment losses of $67 million in Q1 2019, compared to net investment losses of $87 million in Q1 2018. The current period losses were primarily driven by held for sale accounting for SC's personal lending portfolio.5

During Q1 2019 SC incurred $291 million of operating expenses, up 1 percent from $288 million in Q1 2018. SC's expense ratio of 2.1 percent for the quarter, down compared to 2.4 percent during the same period last year.

1Includes Finance receivables held for investment, Finance receivables held for sale and Leased vehicles. 2Delinquency ratio is defined as the ratio of end of period delinquent principal, over 59 days, to end of period gross balance of the respective portfolio, excludes finance leases. 3Net charge-off ratio stated on a recorded investment basis, which is unpaid principal balance adjusted for unaccreted net discounts, subvention and origination costs. 4Ratio for allowance for credit losses excludes end of period balances on purchased receivables portfolio of $28 million and finance receivables and personal loans held for sale of $1.0 billion. 5The current period losses were primarily driven by $67 million of lower of cost or market adjustments related to the held for sale personal lending portfolio, comprised of $109 million in customer default activity, partially offset by a $42 million decrease in market discount, consistent with typical seasonal patterns.

Conference Call Information

SC will host a conference call and webcast to discuss its Q1 2019 results and other general matters at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The conference call will be accessible by dialing 888-394-8218 (U.S. domestic), or 323-701-0225 (international), conference ID 2036898. Please join 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. The conference call will also be accessible via live audio webcast through the Investor Relations section of SC's corporate website at http://investors.santanderconsumerusa.com. Choose "Events" and select the information pertaining to the Q1 2019 SC Earnings Conference Call. Additionally, there will be slides accompanying the webcast. Please allow at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary software prior to the call.

For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay of the call will be available on the Company's website or by dialing 844-512-2921 (U.S. domestic), or 412-317-6671 (international), conference ID 2036898, approximately two hours after the conference call. An audio webcast of the call and investor presentation will also be archived on the Investor Relations section of SC's corporate website at http://investors.santanderconsumerusa.com, under "Events".

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, predictions, forecasts, objectives, assumptions, or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as anticipates, believes, can, could, may, predicts, potential, should, will, estimates, plans, projects, continuing, ongoing, expects, intends, and similar words or phrases. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on various important factors, some of which are beyond our control. For additional discussion of these risks, refer to the section entitled Risk Factors and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed by us with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Among the factors that could cause the forward-looking statements in this press release and/or our financial performance to differ materially from that suggested by the forward-looking statements are (a) the inherent limitations in internal control over financial reporting; (b) our ability to remediate any material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting completely and in a timely manner; (c) continually changing federal, state, and local laws and regulations could materially adversely affect our business; (d) adverse economic conditions in the United States and worldwide may negatively impact our results; (e) our business could suffer if our access to funding is reduced; (f) significant risks we face implementing our growth strategy, some of which are outside our control; (g) unexpected costs and delays in connection with exiting our personal lending business; (h) our agreement with FCA US LLC may not result in currently anticipated levels of growth and is subject to certain conditions that could result in termination of the agreement; (i) our business could suffer if we are unsuccessful in developing and maintaining relationships with automobile dealerships; (j) our financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations depend on the credit performance of our loans; (k) loss of our key management or other personnel, or an inability to attract such management and personnel; (l) certain regulations, including but not limited to oversight by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the European Central Bank, and the Federal Reserve, whose oversight and regulation may limit certain of our activities, including the timing and amount of dividends and other limitations on our business; and (m) future changes in our relationship with SHUSA and Banco Santander that could adversely affect our operations. If one or more of the factors affecting our forward-looking information and statements proves incorrect, our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking information and statements. Therefore, we caution the reader not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information or statements. The effect of these factors is difficult to predict. Factors other than these also could adversely affect our results, and the reader should not consider these factors to be a complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties as new factors emerge from time to time. Any forward-looking statements only speak as of the date of this document, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking information or statements, whether written or oral, to reflect any change, except as required by law. All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.

About Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.

Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC) ("SC") is a full-service consumer finance company focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to our more than 2.7 million customers across the full credit spectrum. The company, which began originating retail installment contracts in 1997, had an average managed asset portfolio of approximately $54 billion (as of March 31, 2019), and is headquartered in Dallas. ( www.santanderconsumerusa.com )

Contacts: Investor Relations Evan Black 800.493.8219 [email protected]

Media Relations Laurie Kight 214.801.6455 [email protected]

Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. Financial Supplement First Quarter 2019





Table of Contents





Table 1: Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets 5 Table 2: Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income 6 Table 3: Other Financial Information 7 Table 4: Credit Quality 9 Table 5: Originations 10 Table 6: Asset Sales 11 Table 7: Ending Portfolio 12 Table 8: Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures 13

Table 1: Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets



March 31,

2019

December 31,

2018 Assets (Unaudited, Dollars in thousands) Cash and cash equivalents $ 76,272



$ 148,436

Finance receivables held for sale, net 974,017



1,068,757

Finance receivables held for investment, net 25,598,716



25,117,454

Restricted cash 2,414,653



2,102,048

Accrued interest receivable 272,014



303,686

Leased vehicles, net 14,388,657



13,978,855

Furniture and equipment, net 61,856



61,280

Federal, state and other income taxes receivable 80,567



97,087

Related party taxes receivable 2,594



734

Goodwill 74,056



74,056

Intangible assets 41,200



35,195

Due from affiliates 6,685



8,920

Other assets 1,054,619



963,347

Total assets $ 45,045,906



$ 43,959,855

Liabilities and Equity





Liabilities:





Notes payable  credit facilities $ 5,063,786



$ 4,478,214

Notes payable  secured structured financings 27,080,312



26,901,530

Notes payable  related party 3,503,055



3,503,293

Accrued interest payable 54,655



49,370

Accounts payable and accrued expenses 399,792



422,951

Deferred tax liabilities, net 1,230,531



1,155,883

Due to affiliates 70,526



63,219

Other liabilities 484,719



367,037

Total liabilities $ 37,887,376



$ 36,941,497









Equity:





Common stock, $0.01 par value 3,517



3,523

Additional paid-in capital 1,499,092



1,515,572

Accumulated other comprehensive income, net 12,938



33,515

Retained earnings 5,642,983



5,465,748

Total stockholders' equity $ 7,158,530



$ 7,018,358

Total liabilities and equity $ 45,045,906



$ 43,959,855



Table 2: Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income



Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018

(Unaudited, Dollars in thousands, except per share

amounts) Interest on finance receivables and loans $ 1,253,580



$ 1,168,540

Leased vehicle income 649,560



504,278

Other finance and interest income 10,247



7,137

Total finance and other interest income 1,913,387



1,679,955

Interest expense 334,382



241,028

Leased vehicle expense 444,019



358,683

Net finance and other interest income 1,134,986



1,080,244

Provision for credit losses 550,879



510,341

Net finance and other interest income after provision for credit losses 584,107



569,903

Profit sharing 6,968



4,377

Net finance and other interest income after provision for credit losses and profit sharing 577,139



565,526

Investment losses, net (67,097)



(86,520)

Servicing fee income 23,806



26,182

Fees, commissions, and other 94,376



85,391

Total other income 51,085



25,053

Compensation expense 127,894



122,005

Repossession expense 70,860



72,081

Other operating costs 92,203



93,826

Total operating expenses 290,957



287,912

Income before income taxes 337,267



302,667

Income tax expense 89,764



58,052

Net income $ 247,503



$ 244,615









Net income per common share (basic) $ 0.70



$ 0.68

Net income per common share (diluted) $ 0.70



$ 0.68

Weighted average common shares (basic) 351,515,464



360,703,234

Weighted average common shares (diluted) 352,051,887



361,616,732



Table 3: Other Financial Information



Three Months Ended

March 31, Ratios (Unaudited, Dollars in thousands) 2019

2018 Yield on individually acquired retail installment contracts 16.2 %

16.0 % Yield on purchased receivables portfolios 19.3 %

27.6 % Yield on receivables from dealers 3.6 %

3.1 % Yield on personal loans (1) 26.2 %

24.5 % Yield on earning assets (2) 12.9 %

13.2 % Cost of debt (3) 3.8 %

3.1 % Net interest margin (4) 10.0 %

10.8 % Expense ratio (5) 2.1 %

2.4 % Return on average assets (6) 2.2 %

2.5 % Return on average equity (7) 14.0 %

14.9 % Net charge-off ratio on individually acquired retail installment contracts (8) 8.6 %

8.3 % Net charge-off ratio on purchased receivables portfolios (8)  %

(4.2) % Net charge-off ratio on personal loans (8) 41.3 %

49.9 % Net charge-off ratio (8) 8.6 %

8.3 % Delinquency ratio on individually acquired retail installment contracts held for investment, end of period (9) 4.2 %

4.4 % Delinquency ratio on personal loans, end of period (9) 11.9 %

11.7 % Delinquency ratio on loans held for investment, end of period (9) 4.2 %

4.4 % Allowance ratio (10) 11.0 %

12.7 % Common stock dividend payout ratio (11) 28.4 %

7.4 % Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio (12) 15.8 %

17.0 %







Charge-offs, net of recoveries, on individually acquired retail installment contracts $ 615,204



$ 541,283

Charge-offs, net of recoveries, on purchased receivables portfolios 



(428)

Charge-offs, net of recoveries, on personal loans 239



749

Charge-offs, net of recoveries, on finance leases 172



306

Total charge-offs, net of recoveries $ 615,615



$ 541,910

End of period delinquent principal over 59 days, individually acquired retail installment contracts held for investment 1,224,289



1,160,154

End of period delinquent principal over 59 days, personal loans 165,220



162,061

End of period delinquent principal over 59 days, loans held for investment 1,225,807



1,162,311

End of period assets covered by allowance for credit losses 28,857,519



26,124,390

End of period gross individually acquired retail installment contracts held for investment 28,821,729



26,081,986

End of period gross personal loans 1,393,403



1,387,713

End of period gross finance receivables and loans held for investment 28,864,876



26,141,811

End of period gross finance receivables, loans, and leases held for investment 44,491,987



37,816,402

Average gross individually acquired retail installment contracts held for investment 28,595,315



26,006,518

Average gross personal loans held for investment 2,317



6,010

Average gross individually acquired retail installment contracts held for investment and held for sale $ 28,595,315



$ 26,915,621

Average gross purchased receivables portfolios 29,283



41,209

Average gross receivables from dealers 13,598



15,651

Average gross personal loans held for sale 1,466,300



1,459,308

Average gross finance leases 20,018



22,474

Average gross finance receivables and loans $ 30,124,514



$ 28,454,263

Average gross operating leases 15,425,190



11,441,789

Average gross finance receivables, loans, and leases 45,549,704



39,896,052

Average managed assets 54,433,129



48,516,758

Average total assets 44,488,868



39,677,593

Average debt 35,261,121



31,208,250

Average total equity 7,052,703



6,566,933







(1) Includes Finance and other interest income; excludes fees (2) "Yield on earning assets" is defined as the ratio of annualized Total finance and other interest income, net of Leased vehicle expense, to Average gross finance receivables, loans and leases (3) "Cost of debt" is defined as the ratio of annualized Interest expense to Average debt (4) "Net interest margin" is defined as the ratio of annualized Net finance and other interest income to Average gross finance receivables, loans and leases (5) "Expense ratio" is defined as the ratio of annualized Operating expenses to Average managed assets (6) "Return on average assets" is defined as the ratio of annualized Net income to Average total assets (7) "Return on average equity" is defined as the ratio of annualized Net income to Average total equity (8) "Net charge-off ratio" is defined as the ratio of annualized Charge-offs, on a recorded investment basis, net of recoveries, to average unpaid principal balance of the respective held-for-investment portfolio. Effective as of September 30, 2016, the Company records the charge-off activity for certain personal loans within the provision for credit losses due to the reclassification of these loans from held for sale to held for investment. (9) "Delinquency ratio" is defined as the ratio of End of period Delinquent principal over 59 days to End of period gross balance of the respective portfolio, excludes finance leases (10) "Allowance ratio" is defined as the ratio of Allowance for credit losses, which excludes impairment on purchased receivables portfolios, to End of period assets covered by allowance for credit losses (11) "Common stock dividend payout ratio" is defined as the ratio of Dividends declared per share of common stock to Earnings per share attributable to the Company's shareholders. (12) "Common Equity Tier 1 Capital ratio" is a non-GAAP ratio defined as the ratio of Total common equity tier 1 capital to Total risk-weighted assets (for a reconciliation from GAAP to this non-GAAP measure, see "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures" in Table 8 of this release)

Table 4: Credit Quality

The activity in the credit loss allowance for individually acquired retail installment contracts for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 was as follows (Unaudited, Dollar amounts in thousands):



Three Months Ended March 31, 2019

Three Months Ended March 31, 2018

Retail Installment Contracts Acquired

Individually

Retail Installment Contracts Acquired

Individually Allowance for Credit Loss Non-TDR

TDR

Non-TDR

TDR Balance  beginning of period $ 1,819,360



$ 1,416,743



$ 1,540,315



$ 1,804,132

Provision for credit losses 446,488



104,613



286,451



223,574

Charge-offs (927,457)



(466,637)



(655,169)



(547,343)

Recoveries 552,960



225,930



425,460



235,769

Balance  end of period $ 1,891,351



$ 1,280,649



$ 1,597,057



$ 1,716,132



A summary of delinquencies of our individually acquired retail installment contracts as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows (Unaudited, Dollar amounts in thousands):

Delinquent Principal March 31, 2019

December 31, 2018 Principal 30-59 days past due $ 2,417,300



8.4 %

$ 3,118,869



11.0 % Delinquent principal over 59 days2 1,224,289



4.2 %

1,712,243



6.0 % Total delinquent contracts $ 3,641,589



12.6 %

$ 4,831,112



17.0 %

Within the total delinquent principal above, retail installment contracts acquired individually held for investment that were placed on nonaccrual status, as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (Unaudited, Dollar amounts in thousands):

Nonaccrual Principal March 31, 2019

December 31, 2018 Non-TDR $ 724,025



2.5 %

$ 834,921



2.9 % TDR 537,259



1.9 %

733,218



2.6 % Total nonaccrual principal $ 1,261,284



4.4 %

$ 1,568,139



5.5 %

The table below presents the Company's allowance ratio for TDR and non-TDR individually acquired retail installment contracts as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (Unaudited, Dollar amounts in thousands):

Allowance Ratios March 31,

2019

December 31,

2018 TDR - Unpaid principal balance $ 4,916,251



$ 5,378,603

TDR - Impairment 1,280,649



1,416,743

TDR - Allowance ratio 26.0 %

26.3 %







Non-TDR - Unpaid principal balance $ 23,905,478



$ 23,054,157

Non-TDR - Allowance 1,891,351



1,819,360

Non-TDR Allowance ratio 7.9 %

7.9 %







Total - Unpaid principal balance $ 28,821,729



$ 28,432,760

Total - Allowance 3,172,000



3,236,103

Total - Allowance ratio 11.0 %

11.4 %



1Percent of unpaid principal balance. 2Interest is accrued until 60 days past due in accordance with the Company's account policy for retail installment contracts.

Table 5: Originations

The Company's originations of individually acquired loans and leases, including revolving loans, average APR, and discount were as follows:



Three Months Ended Three Months Ended

March 31, 2019

March 31, 2018 December 31,

2018 Retained Originations (Unaudited, Dollar amounts in thousands) Retail installment contracts $ 4,026,327



$ 3,866,494

$ 3,616,810

Average APR 17.2 %

16.1 % 17.1 % Average FICO (a) 593



611

593

Discount (0.1) %

0.3 % 0.5 %









Personal loans 288,557



273,328

$ 544,134

Average APR 29.7 %

26.0 % 29.5 %









Leased vehicles 1,963,580



2,093,604

$ 2,125,925











Finance lease 3,308



2,398

$ 2,706

Total originations retained $ 6,281,772



$ 6,235,824

$ 6,289,575











Sold Originations (b)







Retail installment contracts $ 



$ 386,956

$ 

Average APR  %

6.8 %  % Average FICO (b) 



732



Total originations sold $ 



$ 386,956

$ 











Total originations $ 6,281,772



$ 6,622,780

$ 6,289,575







(a) Unpaid principal balance excluded from the weighted average FICO score is $493 million, $461 million and $408 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, and the three months ended December 31, 2018, respectively, as the borrowers on these loans did not have FICO scores at origination. Of these amounts, $106 million, $54 million, and $100 million, respectively, were commercial loans. (b) Only includes assets both originated and sold in the period. Total asset sales for the period are shown in Table 6. Unpaid principal balance excluded from the weighted average FICO score is zero, $32 million, zero for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, and the three months ended December 31, 2018, respectively, as the borrowers on these loans did not have FICO scores at origination. Of these amounts, zero, $20 million, zero, respectively, were commercial loans.

SBNA Originations Program

Beginning in 2018, the Company agreed to provide SBNA with origination support services in connection with the processing, underwriting and purchase of retail loans, primarily from Chrysler dealers. In addition, the Company agreed to perform the servicing for any loans originated on SBNA's behalf. The Company facilitated the purchase of $1 billion and $24 million of retail installment contacts during the three months ended March 31, 2019, and March 31, 2018 respectively.

Table 6: Asset Sales



Three Months Ended Three Months

Ended

March 31, 2019

March 31, 2018 December 31, 2018

(Unaudited, Dollar amounts in thousands) Retail installment contracts $ 



$ 1,475,253

$ 

Average APR  %

6.5 %  % Average FICO 



727













Total asset sales $ 



$ 1,475,253

$ 



There were no asset sales for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018. Please see the bottom of Table 5 for further details regarding the SBNA Originations Program.

Table 7: Ending Portfolio

Ending outstanding balance, average APR and remaining unaccreted dealer discount of our held for investment portfolio as of March 31, 2019, and December 31, 2018, are as follows:



March 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

(Unaudited, Dollar amounts in thousands) Retail installment contracts $ 28,849,755



$ 28,463,236

Average APR 16.8 %

16.7 % Discount 0.7 %

0.8 %







Personal loans $ 1,952



$ 2,637

Average APR 31.7 %

31.7 %







Receivables from dealers $ 13,169



$ 14,710

Average APR 4.0 %

4.1 %







Leased vehicles $ 15,606,442



$ 15,219,313









Finance leases $ 20,669



$ 19,344



Table 8: Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures



March 31,

2019

March 31,

2018

(Unaudited, Dollar amounts in thousands) Total equity $ 7,158,530



$ 6,713,532

Deduct: Goodwill, intangibles, and other assets, net of deferred tax liabilities 163,444



169,870

Deduct: Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net 12,938



63,211

Tier 1 common capital $ 6,982,148



$ 6,480,451

Risk weighted assets (a) $ 44,260,896



$ 38,191,687

Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio (b) 15.8 %

17.0 %





(a) Under the banking agencies' risk-based capital guidelines, assets and credit equivalent amounts of derivatives and off-balance sheet exposures are assigned to broad risk categories. The aggregate dollar amount in each risk category is multiplied by the associated risk weight of the category. The resulting weighted values are added together with the measure for market risk, resulting in the Company's total Risk weighted assets. (b) CET1 is calculated under Basel III regulations required as of January 1, 2015. The fully phased-in capital ratios are non-GAAP financial measures.

SOURCE Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.

Related Links

http://www.santanderconsumerusa.com


CHICAGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "SCADA Market by Component (Programmable Logic Controller, Remote Terminal Unit, Human-Machine Interface, Communication Systems), Architecture (Hardware, Software, Services), Industry, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2024", published by MarketsandMarkets, the SCADA market is projected to grow from USD 11.0 billion in 2019 to USD 15.2 billion by 2024; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% during 2

019-2024. The growth of the SCADA market is propelled by factors such as high demand for industrial mobility solutions to efficiently manage process industries, increased adoption of Industry 4.0 in process industries, and increased use of software platforms such as IoT and edge computing.

Download PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=19487518

SCADA market for communication systems is expected to grow at highest rate from 2019 to 2024

Communication systems are considered as the most important factor for the development of the SCADA market at present. Due to the geographically dispersed oil and gas platforms, it is important to have proper communication systems. Currently, companies have started implementing satellite communication for SCADA systems. Moreover, growth in cyber threats has led to an increase in the adoption of advanced and sophisticated communication systems.

Water & wastewater industry to witness highest growth from 2019 to 2024

Wastewater treatment processes are designed to achieve improvements in the quality of recycled wastewater. Various treatment processes may reduce biodegradable organics, bacteria, and hardness of the water. SCADA can operate reduce costs in the long run, along with ensuring reliable system operations through support services that predict, prevent, and react to operational issues and reduce the possibility of downtime. SCADA systems are also used in a water and wastewater treatment plant for constantly monitoring and regulating the water flow, reservoir levels, and pipe pressure.

Americas expected to hold second-largest share of SCADA market during forecast period

The application of the SCADA system in the fields of oil & gas, power, water & wastewater treatment, and others has shown tremendous growth in the US. In the oil & gas industry, traditional SCADA systems have been introduced for the new application, which has helped to identify, diagnose, and repair faults in the pipeline network. Also, the shale gas development, as natural gas in the US, has revolutionized the SCADA market. The shale gas is trapped in a shale formation, which is brought up to the surface using the Fracking technique, also known as hydraulic fracturing.

Browse in-depth TOC on "SCADA Market"

66  Tables

61  Figures

176  Pages

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Key players offering SCADA solutions include Schneider Electric (France), ABB (Switzerland), Siemens (Germany), Emerson Electric (US), Rockwell Automation (US), while other major players in this market include General Electric (US), Honeywell International (US), Yokogawa Electric (Japan), and OMRON (Japan). These players operate globally and provide solutions and components related to SCADA.

Please Explore Relevant Reports:

Human Machine Interface Market (HMI) by Offering (Hardware (Basic HMI, Advanced PC-Based HMI, Advanced Panel-Based HMI) and Software (On-Premise HMI and Cloud-Based HMI)), Configuration Type (Stand-Alone HMI and Embedded HMI) - Global Forecast to 2022

Manufacturing Execution System Market by Deployment Type (On-Premises, On-Demand, and Hybrid), Offering (Software and Services), Process Industry (Food & Beverages, Oil & Gas), Discrete Industry (Automotive, Medical Devices) - Global Forecast to 2022

About MarketsandMarkets

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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.

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MarketsandMarkets INC.

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
Systel is a proud member and sponsor of Sea-Air-Space and the Navy League and supports numerous defense programs. Systel has over four thousand rugged computer systems deployed for maritime applications across all domains in a multitude of platforms, including Aegis Combat System-equipped cruisers and destroyers, MQ-8C Fire Scout and MH-60 Seahawk rotary-wing aircraft, and P-8A Poseidon, HC-130J Super Hercules, and P-3 Orion ISR fixed-wing aircraft.

"We are proud of our long-term support of mission-critical maritime programs, including Minotaur-integrated platforms for the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Department of Homeland Security," said Anu Pankaj, program manager for Systel. "Our focus is on providing maximum capability for the user community and ensuring that we deliver the best solution to the warfighter."

For more information on Systel's rugged military computing solutions or to schedule a meeting at Sea-Air-Space, please visit this link.

About Systel, Inc.

Systel, Inc is a leading manufacturer of rugged computing products and solutions. Systel is headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, with 30 years of experience in providing complex and advanced computer technologies to military, oil and gas, and manufacturing enterprises worldwide. Systel's pedigree of capabilities spans numerous advanced military platforms and vehicles including ISR/ASW aircraft, unmanned autonomous systems, and next-generation combat vehicles. For more information, visit http://www.systelusa.com or contact Systel via email [email protected] or phone 888.645.8400.

Contact

Aneesh Kothari

VP Marketing

281.207.7781

[email protected]

SOURCE Systel, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.systelusa.com/


SAN FRANCISCO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Taurine Market is expected to grow at a significant CAGR of 6.2% by 2023 as the scope and its applications are rising enormously across the globe. Taurine is a type of amino acid found in several types of foods and often added to energy drinks. It is also termed as a 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid that is required for building the block of protein. Fish and meat are the best food source for taurine. It is found in large amounts in blood cells, brain, heart, and retina. Taurine Market is segmented based on product type, applications, and region. Pharmaceutical grade, food grade, and other product types could be explored in Taurine in the forecast period. The market may be categorized based on applications like beverage, healthcare products, cosmetics, pet food, and others that could be explored in the forecast period. Beverage sector may account for the substantial market share of Taurine and is estimated to lead the overall market in the years to come. Red Bull, an energy drink, is widely preferred by consumers from the beverage sector as it supports neurological development. Also, the cosmetic sector is estimated to grow at the fastest pace in the years to come.

Taurine Market is segmented geographically into Americas (North America, South America), Europe (Eastern Europe, Western Europe), Asia Pacific (India, China, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia), Middle East (UAE, Saudi, and Qatar) and Africa (South Africa).Globally, Asia Pacific may account for the significant market share of Taurine and is estimated to lead the overall market in the years to come. China is a key manufacturer of taurine in this region with more than 40 industries in the country that leads to the maximum production of taurine across the globe. Other countries like Brazil and India are creating more opportunities for the production of taurine as rapidly developing chemical industries. The key players of Taurine Market are Jiangyin Huachang, Taisho Pharmaceutical, Fangming Pharmaceutical, Honjo Chemical, Grand Pharma, Yongan Pharmaceutical, and Yuanyang Pharmaceutical. These players are concentrating on inorganic growth to sustain themselves amongst fierce competition.

Download PDF to know more details about "Taurine Market" Report 2023.

Global taurine market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6.2% by 2023, according to a new report published. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application (pharmaceuticals, food & beverages, feed, etc.), and by geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, MEA and South America).The report covers forecast and analysis for the Taurine market on a global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2013-2017 along with a forecast from 2018 to 2023 based on both output/volume and revenue. The study then describes the drivers and restraints for the Taurine market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of opportunities available in the Taurine market on a global level. The report has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Taurine market collected from specialized sources. The competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. Company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, new project launched, recent development analysis are the parameters included in the profile.

The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, types and applications. All the segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends and the market is estimated from 2018 to 2023. Relevantly, the report and company profiles specify the key drivers that are impacting the demand in global Taurine market.is estimated to lead the overall leads to the maximum production of taurine across the globe Red Bull, an energy drink, is widely preferred by consumers from the beverage sector as it supports neurological development. Also, the cosmetic sector is estimated to grow at the fastest pace in the years to come.

Access 118 page research report with TOC on "Taurine Market" available with Radiant Insights, Inc. @ https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-taurine-market-2018-2023

Key Applications

Pharmaceuticals



Food & Beverages



Feed

Key regions

North America



Europe



Asia Pacific



Middle East and Africa

and

South America

Key Vendors

Qianjiang Yongan Pharmaceutical

Jiangsu Yuanyang Pharmaceutical

Fuchi Pharmaceutical

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At Radiant Insights, we work with the aim to reach the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Our representatives strive to understand diverse client requirements and cater to the same with the most innovative and functional solutions.

Contact:

Michelle Thoras.

Corporate Sales Specialist

Radiant Insights, Inc.

Phone: +1-415-349-0054

Toll Free: 1-888-928-9744

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Web: https://www.radiantinsights.com/

SOURCE Radiant Insights, Inc.
WACO, Texas, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Renewable Energy Co-op (or TREC, rebranded and formerly Texas Power Pool), has confirmed receipt of multiple bids for wholesale electricity below the 3-cent per kWh target price on 12-year contracts. The most qualified supplier will be selected by the end of May.

Mike Bendewald, Managing Partner at Texas Energy Aggregation (TEA) stated, "Subscribers to TREC can now leverage 100% renewable power from specific facilities and, depending on your location, for less than 3-cents." Bendewald believes many of these record-low prices could begin drying up before renewable energy tax credits begin to drop off in January. TEA was selected by Texas Comptroller's Statewide Procurement Division to facilitate this renewable purchasing solution sponsored by SECO, the State Energy Conservation Office.

De-risked renewable power

Bendewald emphasized how this offering creates more environmental impact than traditional "green" contracts which simply buy grid power balanced with Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) at a cost premium. "We have carefully designed a fully de-risked, wholesale renewable product." Bendewald added, "Customers can continue to purchase their retail grid power in shorter increments, while benefitting from fixed-cost renewable power in longer terms for increased budget certainty. It satisfies both the environmental and budget concerns of tax payers."

Customer-driven process

Traditionally, the process starts with the retail energy provider, but TREC was designed by the end users. TEA President TJ Ermoian said, "State agencies told us they wanted cleaner generation without extra cost. We worked with the guidance of SECO and the Comptroller's Office, meeting with State agencies and gathering the anchor subscribers. We then sought out financial backers for the best wind and solar projects to match the base load profile of the subscribers." The renewable portion will then be sleeved through multiple retail energy providers who compete to provide the balancing-load grid power for each customer in shorter terms. Dub Taylor, Director of SECO, said, "Transparency and competition in energy purchasing is critically important to taxpayer supported entities. This purchasing offer establishes a new process and sets a new standard for competition and transparency in public sector power procurement."

Growing subscribers

More than 20 public entities in Texas have now signed Letters of Interest representing over 150 megawatts of minimum electricity load, including some of the largest cities, universities, hospitals and school districts in the state. The program is designed to drive down costs for all subscribers as new volume benchmarks are reached. "If any entity has 7 years or less on their contract, they just need to get us a non-binding Letter of Interest soon. We will close this first aggregation in early July." Ermoian states that TEA already has smaller cities and school districts lining up their agendas and decision makers for a second aggregation later this year.

New access for other pools and consultants

In another significant development, via channel agreement energy consultants are able to use the TREC for their clients. Ermoian explains, "Most of these entities utilizing consultants or purchasing programs are paid residually through the customer's electricity bill. We only request that fees are displayed on the customer's electricity contract. Taxpayers deserve more transparency than they have been getting from other offerings. Consultants and purchasing pools and programs should have no problem with divulging their fees, nor with customers sharing the rates they achieved for their customers."

Media inquiries, contact TJ Ermoian, [email protected], 254-723-2231

SOURCE Texas Energy Aggregation

Related Links

http://www.texasenergyabc.com


MINNEAPOLIS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- For enterprise application development teams, "there's the old way of doing things and there's the cloud-native way," according to Rockford Lhotka, chief technology officer at business technology consulting firm Magenic. In his latest technical paper, titled "Cloud Native: Your guide to making your process, people and technology more agile, scalable and reliable," Lhotka outlines five primary benefits of adopting a cloud-native architecture:

Agility from both technical and business perspectives

IT that is more responsive to business needs

Elastic scaling

Resiliency and reliability of software

Global reach

"It's important to understand that you can't achieve these benefits just through technology," Lhotka said. "You have to recognize the importance of adjusting your processes and managing your people, too."

To truly maximize the benefits a cloud-native architecture can bring to your organization, it's important to commit to an Agile mindset, Lhotka writes. This allows your teams to break apart large and complex applications into smaller components, so each can be designed, built, deployed and operated in isolation. Among all of the technology and process changes, don't lose sight of the people who make it all possible. Making the cloud-native shift requires careful consideration of team composition, culture and skills  not just technical skills, but communication and social skills, as well.

Magenic helps large organizations develop digital strategies and migrate or build applications to take advantage of the cloud's flexibility and scalability  with their proprietary Fast Forward Process that's designed to get clients' digital products to market faster.

"Success in a cloud-native environment requires the right process, people and technologies," Lhotka said. "Your payoff comes in the form of systems that are manageable, maintainable, scalable, fault-tolerant and provide global reach. The cloud-native future is here. Embrace it."

About Rockford Lhotka

Rockford Lhotka is CTO at Magenic and is the creator of the open source CSLA .NET development framework. He is the author of numerous books and regularly speaks at major conferences around the world. Rockford is a member of the Microsoft Regional Director and MVP programs. To learn more visit www.lhotka.net.

About Magenic

Based in Minneapolis, Magenic is the digital technology consulting company built for speed. Magenic has the right strategies, the right process, and the right people to get their clients' digital products to market faster. To learn more about Magenic, visit magenic.com.

SOURCE Magenic

Related Links

https://magenic.com


FALMOUTH, Mass., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Quell Foundation remains committed to its mission to reduce the number of suicides, overdoses and, incarcerations of people with mental health illness. As a testament to achieving its mission, The Foundation is pleased to announce that it has distributed nearly $1.3 million to students across the country since its inception in 2016.

A group of The Quell Foundation scholars at The Foundation's yearly gala, The Quell Foundation Masquerade Ball.

"The world and how it views mental health is a different place than it was when I started The Quell Foundation just a few years ago," said The Foundation's CEO, Kevin Lynch. "As a society, we are beginning to take stock of the importance of mental health and those who care for it. Through the tireless work of our supporters, and volunteers, The Quell Foundation is making real, quantitative change to the future of the mental health care field."

Since June 2016, the foundation has distributed over one million dollars to students attending nearly 400 universities and colleges in 47 different states across the country. During the current scholarship cycle, the Foundation's students represent 378 different post-secondary schools and 435 scholarships distributed, totaling $463,750. The 2019-20 scholarship cycle denotes the largest distribution amount for The Foundation since its creation.

The foundation distributes three types of scholarships to students seeking an undergraduate or graduate degree from institutions across the U.S. The application window opens once a year and is available to students starting in mid-December and closes in mid-April each year.

The Quell Survivor Scholarship is distributed to select high school seniors or current undergraduate/graduate students who have experienced the devastating loss of a parent, caregiver or sibling to suicide.

The Quell Fighter Scholarship is distributed to a select high school senior or a current undergraduate/graduate student that are currently in treatment for a diagnosed mental health condition.

The Quell Bridge the Gap Scholarship is distributed to third or fourth-year Undergraduate students or Graduate students pursuing a degree in psychology, social work or other fields of study related to the provision of mental health services.

In addition, The Foundation looks forward to its continued partnerships with Penn State University, Becker College, Nova Southeastern, and the University of Minnesota.

About The Quell Foundation, Inc.

Based in North Falmouth, Massachusetts, The Quell Foundation works to reduce the number of suicides, overdoses, and incarcerations of people with mental illness by encouraging people to share their story, increasing access to mental health services, and supporting first responders in recognizing the mental health warning signs among their own. Visit TheQuellFoundation.org to learn more.

Media contact:

Sarah Marshall

[email protected]

330-691-0218

SOURCE The Quell Foundation

Related Links

http://thequellfoundation.org


TORONTO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- One of her advisors needed to close a $500,000 world cruise deal and a $500,000 land tour deal before the weekend.



It was Friday afternoon and Michelle Leal was in Toronto, Canada, far from her home in Orange County but recognized what was at stake. In the potentially lucrative world of luxury travel, a sizeable commission could be won or lost. Leal relied on her network to try and sweeten the deal.



With new travel incentives secured for the client, including a chauffeur, a private tour at a port and a sizeable on-board credit, her advisor presented a new offer and closed the deal. For Leal, a vice-president at Travel Edge, it was simply another day in the life of luxury travel.



In an era of online travel deals and the plethora of reviews on the best and worst of everything related to travel, luxury travel advisors are not just holding their ground, but are proving their worth. The good ones are in short supply for the high net worth celebrities, executives, entrepreneurs and others who routinely leave travel details to others.



"On the luxury side, time is a precious commodity for our clients," says Mary Kleen, Travel Edge Regional Director. "They are looking for expertise and want access to our knowledge and our ability to offer VIP service. Service is back in style."



Service, however, isn't necessarily booking a suite in the most expensive hotel in a city. One of the top requests made by Kleen's advisors is for after-hours access to museums. Her clients also value by-passing lines, having a car and driver waiting after a cruise and "in a frenetic world, anything to take away the stress."



With the luxury travel market growing an estimated 18 per cent annually between 2014 and 2017, double the growth rate of international travel, researchers have attempted to understand what luxury travel consumers want. And it's not straight-forward.

The luxury travel consumer is looking for fulfillment, unprecedented access, an immersive experience, a personal journey, and yes, white glove treatment. Luxury travel advisors need to determine what their clients want and how to deliver it.



"Luxury travel is creating that perfectly tailored experience," says Kleen. "It's that seamless experience from before you depart to after you arrive back home. The luxury travel advisor is focused on fulfilling travel aspirations."



Kleen suggests luxury travel advisors invest time to pro-actively get to know their clients, in the way any other professional advisor would. Learning a client's travel habits, major personal and professional milestones and anniversaries and how they want to spend their travel time and money will allow an advisor to make appropriate suggestions and forge a longer-term relationship.



While travel advisors are quick to reject that luxury travel is synonymous with a hefty price tag, their client budgets often hit six- and seven- figures. And since luxury travel advisors are paid by commission, the more expensive their clients' holiday, the more lucrative the advisor's pay day. The most successful luxury travel advisors are earning in the mid- six-figures.



Similar to real estate advisors, travel advisors are often connected to an agency. Among the highest profile in the industry are Protravel International, Travel Edge, SmartFlyer and Valerie Wilson Travel. Each agency has its own commission structure, moreover, each travel "product" such as a hotel, cruise, tour, has its own commission. Cruises tend to be the most lucrative at about 15 per cent, while most hotel commissions are about 10 per cent. While a portion of the commission may be shared with the agency, agencies offer benefits. These include technology to book travel, the reduction of paperwork related to billing clients and membership to travel consortiums, such as Virtuoso, which offer greater access to luxury products. As for payment of commissions, that's dependent on the agency. An advisor may be paid upon a trip being booked, it being paid or even after the client has returned. For the client, the commission is built into the total travel price in their itinerary.



"An itinerary can take a month or even up to a year to plan," says Robin Fox, a luxury travel specialist with Travel Edge, who is based out of New York. She frequently revisits draft itineraries with clients to ensure their travel plans are perfectly reflective of what they want.



"My clients know I travel often and when they spend a lot of money on their travel, they want someone who understands the logistics," she says. "I am respectful of their money as if it were my own."



Fox has been a travel advisor for more than forty years and recalls her business took off when her sons started private school in Manhattan. It was then that her access to celebrities, executives and other high-profile and wealthy individuals increased.



She often deals with land-only budgets of $30,000 to $40,000 for a couple going away for a week, with that budget doubling for more far-flung destinations, such as Africa or Australia. As her business has grown, Fox no longer needs to actively search for clients, but instead maintains a roster of long-term clients and occasionally accepts referrals.



"Over time, clients learn who they can trust," she says. Fox recalls planning a South American itinerary for a high-profile New York real estate family where multiple suites were reserved and confirmed at various five-star hotels. At 10pm on New Year's Eve, Fox received a call from the client that the hotel claimed to not have their reservation. And given the holidays, the hotel was completely booked. The family was going to dinner, and when they returned the client expected the arrangements to be sorted out. Fox called in many favours that New Year's Eve night, including reaching out to the town's mayor. The family got their hotel stay and Fox's value was established.



For those not who aren't industry veterans but are looking to make a mark, there is a way.



Wei Pang left a successful career as a bond trader with a mission  to bring luxury travel to the Chinese market. He believed it was an untapped market and felt his love of travel would fuel success in his new career. He was right on both counts. In his first year, Pang managed to reach sales of $2 million in luxury travel and is considered a rising star among luxury travel advisors.



"Hotels were an easy place to start," says Pang, who splits his time between China and Illinois. "Everyone knows hotels and they may go several times a year."



Pang, who is six months into his second year as an advisor, is starting to promote luxury cruises, in addition to hotels. He continues to focus on the Chinese marketplace and relies on social media to promote himself.



"I work very hard," says Pang, who is 36-years-old. "I work about 10 hours a day, seven days per week. I've always worked hard." As a trader, he would look at the markets in the day and write reports during the nights. In his new career, Pang, who also has his PhD in Polymer Science, spends his time on social media attracting clients, on the internet doing research and working with clients to finalize their travel.



Pang's advice for those looking to get into the market is to figure out where the clients are, choose the right agency, and then focus on one product to become an expert at. He recognized the Chinese market was untapped, used the internet to determine which agency to join based on its proprietary software and transparent commission structure and was already familiar with many of the hotels from his own business and leisure travels.



One of the ways to gain insider knowledge  and often touted as one of the perks of being a luxury travel advisor  is the FAM. FAMs (short for familiarization trips) allow advisors to experience first-hand the various destinations, properties and attractions they promote to clients. Pang has been on four FAMs and is keen to go on more while Fox has been on hundreds over her career. Her online profile includes a map of all the countries she has visited, including the frequency to each and the date of her most recent visit.



"These trips give you perspective on itineraries you are planning," says Fox. "Many times a client may present an initial idea for their trip, but by the time the itinerary is finalized, it ends up being a completely different trip because of my perspective of having been there, my contacts and my network."



On FAMs, most advisors are still balancing client demands while visiting the destinations. "Technology is a double-edge sword," Fox says. "You can work 24/7 and have a flexible work week, but you still need to feel the emotion of these places." It's the intangibles which often create the difference for the level of personalization her clients want. "They don't want a hotel, they want the right hotel."



For those considering a career in luxury travel, Leal suggests that prospective advisors should allocate at least two years to assess if it's for them. While Pang's immediate success is inspiring, his ability to top $2 million in sales his first year is unusual.



It takes time to learn the products, build a network to unlock the special incentives clients want and learn the industry. The industry has specialities, ranging from corporate travel, cruises, private-guided tours, safaris and more. Each has unique terminology and logistics. Leal also believes those coming to luxury travel as a second career may have a higher chance of success. That's because they often have a business model in mind, an untapped client pool of former business colleagues, are already well-traveled and often know how to form relationships.



"The industry is hungry for people with new energy, a client base and travel knowledge," says Leal. "That trifecta of skills is in demand."

Article written by Sharda Prashad

www.traveledge.com

Jovana Pavic

PR & Communications Specialist

Travel Edge

[email protected]

This release was issued through WebWire(R). For more information, visit http://www.webwire.com.

SOURCE Travel Edge

Related Links

https://www.traveledge.com


KATONAH, N.Y., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 30, 2019, the Town of Geneva announced its intention to undertake a storm water control project that will benefit Seneca Lake. If 400 people enroll in Geneva Community Power, a local solar program launched by the Town of Geneva and Joule Community Power, Geneva will receive a $25,000 sustainability grant.

In order to decide how to apply the grant award, the Town of Geneva sought input from its residents. Area residents were asked to choosevia an online poll and at informational meetingsbetween four sustainability project candidates. Winning 37% of the online votes, Storm Water Control was the winning project. Community-Owned Distributed Generation had 31% of the vote, Solid Waste Reduction received 18% of the votes, and 14% of online voters chose Home Efficiency Upgrades.

Ontario County Water Resource Technician Katie Cappiello explained how the grant money could potentially be quadrupled, "The Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program is a competitive reimbursement grant program through New York State that funds projects to address water quality concerns like those we're seeing in the Seneca Lake Watershed. It's a great opportunity for the Town and the watershed because this grant allows the Town of Geneva to really maximize their funds. WQIP requires a minimum local match of 25%, meaning that the $25,000 the Town of Geneva has to provide as match can be used to apply for $75,000 from the State for a total project budget of $100,000."

Mark Venuti, Supervisor for the Town of Geneva asks NYSEG customers in communities surrounding Seneca Lake to sign up for Geneva Community Power. "The Geneva Community Power Solar Program is really a win-win-win for NYSEG customers, area residents, and our environment. By joining this program, subscribers can expect to save about 10% on electricity annually for up to 25 years, the Town of Geneva will be able to sponsor a potentially $100,000 watershed project (or several projects) to benefit Seneca Lake, and we can reduce our carbon footprint by supporting renewable energy generation. If for any reason you'd want to withdraw from the program, there's absolutely no penalty."

Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association President Rick Weakland said of the announcement, "We're excited to learn that the Geneva Community Power sustainability grant will be directed to a project that protects and preserves the water quality of Seneca Lake. This amazing natural resource provides abundant amounts of drinking water, recreation, fishing, and economic opportunities for the greater Seneca Lake community and visitors to the region. We encourage those in the region to enroll in Geneva Community Power to ensure Geneva receives the grant money that will be used to protect the lake and benefit the region."

Jim Smith, Treasurer of the Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization stated, "Seneca Lake is the largest of the Finger Lakes, with a surface area of 66+ square-miles and an average depth of 291 feet, it has a volume of 4.2 trillion gallons, roughly half of all the water in the Finger Lakes. It is the water supply for 100,000 people around the lake. The watershed itself covers 457 square-miles, spanning across five counties. As such, protecting the lake is a regional priority, and we applaud Geneva's decision to use the grant to obtain matching funds for a watershed project that could be impactful in maintaining and improving the quality of water in Seneca Lake." The Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization includes representatives from municipalities in the five counties of Chemung, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, and Yates.

"Geneva is leading the way to 100% renewable energy and taking an active role in protecting the environment and their local resources," said Joule Community Power's Glenn Weinberg. "Geneva Community Power provides cleaner and cheaper energy to those who enroll, and the grant will be used to protect their lake water. We expect towns surrounding the other Finger Lakes will see what Geneva is accomplishing and want to follow suit by working with us to design similar programs."

The Geneva Community Power renewable energy program is not just for Geneva residents. Any NYSEG residential and small business customers in the Finger Lakes region and beyond are eligible to enroll in the program to take advantage of electricity savings, reduce their carbon footprint, and help protect Seneca Lake. Watershed project specifics, including location, are being explored and will be announced soon.

About Geneva Community Power

Geneva Community Power is a local renewable energy program serving residents and businesses in the New York Finger Lakes region. The Town of Geneva and Joule Community Power have partnered to establish the program that allows subscribers to benefit from solar energy by spending less on electricity while supporting clean energy generation. For more information, please Visit www.GenevaCommunityPower.com.

About Joule Community Power

Joule Community Power (Joule) works with municipalities and local partners to empower communities and facilitate their goals of providing residents and businesses with cleaner and cheaper energy. Joule principals were responsible for implementing New York States' first Community Choice Aggregation Program (CCA)a program that enables communities to aggregate local energy demand in order to: 1. gain leverage to procure less expensive electricity for residents and businesses (i.e. save money), 2. create new revenue opportunities by participating in energy markets (i.e. make money), and 3. gain local control to opt for clean and renewable generation sources (i.e. go green). Joule is the only company in New York State offering CCA administrative services with a Public Service Commission-approved implementation plan that integrates local renewable energy projects, and only Joule has the expertise, relationships, and experience to effectively design, implement, and manage such a program. Joule's innovative approach for renewable energy strategies in New York is driving new regulation and encouraging the Public Service Commission to advance innovative solutions more rapidly. Joule Community Power is a division of Joule Assets. Learn more at: www.JouleCommunity.com.

SOURCE Joule Community Power

Related Links

https://www.joulecommunity.com


The brand welcomed the $50,000 scholarship winner Liz Friedmann in Clifton, New Jersey; and a program runner-up Dylan Southward in Santa Fe, New Mexico, both gearing up to open their own franchise in the coming months. The third scholarship winner, Tommy Watts has already opened his operation in Sanford, North Carolina.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK also signed preliminary agreements in Reno, Nevada and Frederick, Maryland, and transferred ownership of eight franchises this quarter in the states of Ohio, Texas, and Florida.

"As we continue to recruit qualified franchise candidates to open more locations and are approaching our busy season, we are heads down focused on hiring the right people into our system," said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK President, Randy Shacka. "Because our core purpose is to move people forward, we are looking for movers, drivers and customer service representatives to start a career with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. This emphasis on hiring and development is most important during our busy months but will remain a priority for us for the rest of the year."

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK held its seventh annual Career Move Month in March and announced its first ever Day of Hiring events in Michigan, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina and Texas in April and May. The system is planning to hire 5,000 people to support its expansion efforts nationwide and prepare for the busiest moving season from May through September.

The TWO MEN AND A TRUCK brand currently has nearly 6,000 employees across over 350 U.S. locations and 30 international locations, with plans to open another nine locations by the end of 2019. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is looking for new franchise owners to grow the brand across the U.S. and Canada, with many new territories open based on the success of its mini-market model. Some key open territories include New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Pennsylvania.

ABOUT TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Headquartered in Michigan, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is the largest franchised moving company in North America. Currently, there are more than 375 locations and 2,900 trucks operating in 44 U.S. states in addition to Canada, Ireland, and the UK. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has performed more than 7 million moves since its inception in 1985 and has seen consistent growth dating back to December 2009. In 2018, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked TWO MEN AND A TRUCK as one of the top 500 franchises in the U.S for the 24th consecutive year and ranked the company No. 1 in the moving/junk removal category for the third year in a row. In 2017, the company also made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America for the fourth time. Each location is independently owned and operated. For franchising opportunities, visit franchise.twomenandatruck.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Lauren Kaminski

No Limit Agency

312.526.3996

[email protected]

SOURCE TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Related Links

http://www.twomenandatruck.com


SHANGHAI, April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi AppTec Co., Ltd. (stock code: 603259.SH / 02359.HK), a leading global pharmaceutical and medical device open-access capability and technology platform company with global operations, announces its financial results for first quarter 2019.

All financials disclosed in this press release are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (or "IFRS").

The 2019 First Quarterly Report of the Company has not been audited.

Financial Highlights

Strong revenue growth of 29.3% year-over-year to RMB2,769 million .

. Gross profit grew 27.2% year-over-year to RMB1,055 million . Gross profit margin was 38.1%. [2]

. Gross profit margin was 38.1%. Net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 33.0% year-over-year to RMB386 million .

. Adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company grew 28.3% year-over-year to RMB519 million .

. Diluted EPS and adjusted non-IFRS EPS increased by 6.5% and 4.7%, respectively. [3]

Management Comment

"We are off to a solid start in 2019 with strong growth momentum," said Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi AppTec. "Our strong revenue growth was broad-based across all business segments, especially our clinical research and other CRO services. While achieving good revenue growth, we continuously invested in new capabilities and capacities, including talent, laboratories, manufacturing facilities and technologies."

"In the first quarter of 2019, our subsidiary WuXi STA's new drug product manufacturing facility in Shanghai, since its inception at the end of 2018, has passed its first GMP inspection by the European Medical Products Agency (MPA). In addition, three of our Laboratory Testing Division's facilities, Drug Safety Testing, Bioanalytical Services and Medical Device Testing, completed regulatory inspections by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration), OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), and CNAS (China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment), all with excellent results. Moreover, our newly built Qidong research and development center began operation, and will become an extension of our Shanghai headquarter in the future."

"We believe these investments will build on our solid foundation sustaining our growth. At WuXi AppTec, we will continue to relentlessly enhance our platform with the most comprehensive and cutting-edge technologies so we can fulfill our dream that 'every drug can be made and every disease can be treated'." Dr. Li concluded.

First-Quarter 2019 Results

First-quarter 2019 revenue increased 29.3% year-over-year to RMB2,769 million . We experienced strong revenue growth across all business segments, especially for our clinical research and other CRO services.

. We experienced strong revenue growth across all business segments, especially for our clinical research and other CRO services. First-quarter 2019 gross profit increased 27.2% year-over-year to RMB1,055 million . Gross profit margin was 38.1%, slightly lower than 38.7% in first-quarter 2018[4] primarily given we continued to enhance capabilities and build capacity. We also paid more incentives, including share-based compensation, to our employees, to sustain talent.

. Gross profit margin was 38.1%, slightly lower than 38.7% in first-quarter 2018[4] primarily given we continued to enhance capabilities and build capacity. We also paid more incentives, including share-based compensation, to our employees, to sustain talent. First-quarter 2019 net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 33.0% year-over-year to RMB386 million . We experienced significant synergies across business segments and increased customer conversion rate by fully leveraging the strength of our "integrated end-to-end" R&D services platform.

First-Quarter 2019 Non-IFRS Results

First-quarter 2019 non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 32.0% year-over-year to RMB523 million . This adjusts for RMB32 million share-based payments, RMB99 million foreign exchange-related effects and RMB5 million amortization of intangible assets acquired.

First-Quarter 2019 Adjusted Non-IFRS Results

Excluding a further RMB10 million realized and unrealized gains from our venture investments and RMB6 million losses from our joint ventures, first-quarter 2019 adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 28.3% year-over-year to RMB519 million .

[1] As of Mar 31, 2018 and Mar 31, 2019, we had 938 million and 1,170 million ordinary shares, respectively. [2] If prepared under Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises of PRC, the gross profit grew 26.1% year over year to RMB1,056 million. Gross profit margin was 38.1%. [3] As of Mar 31, 2018 and Mar 31, 2019, we had 938 million and 1,170 million ordinary shares, respectively. [4] If prepared under Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises of PRC, first-quarter 2019 gross profit increased 26.1% year-over-year to RMB1,056 million. Gross profit margin was 38.1%, slightly lower than 39.1% in first-quarter 2018.

Reconciliation of Non-IFRS and Adjusted Non-IFRS Net Profit

Attributable to Owners of the Company[5]





RMB million Quarter

ended 31/3/2019 Quarter

ended 31/3/2018 Profit Attributable to Owners of the

Company 386 291 Add: 136 105 Share-based compensation expense 32 7 Listing expenses - 1 Foreign exchange gain or losses 99 93 Amortization of acquired intangible

assets from merge and acquisition 5 4 Non-IFRS profit attributable to

Owners of the Company 523 396 Add (4) 9 Realized and unrealized gains or

losses from venture investments (10) 5 Realized and unrealized share of

losses of joint ventures 6 4 Adjusted Non-IFRS net profit

attributable to owners of the

Company 519 405





[5] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss[6]







RMB million Quarter

ended 31/3/2019 Quarter

ended 31/3/2018 YoY

Change







Revenue 2,769 2,142 29.3% Cost of services (1,714) (1,312) 30.6% Gross profit 1,055 829 27.2% Other income 60 20 199.8% Other gains and losses (261) (108) 141.8% Impairment losses under expected credit

losses ("ECL") model (2) 1 -309.0% Impairment losses, net of reversal - - - Selling and marketing expenses (105) (73) 43.6% Administrative expenses (301) (204) 47.6% Research and development expenses (112) (69) 61.9% Operating Profit 335 396 -15.5% Share of profits (losses) of associates 187 (6) -3165.9% Share of losses of joint ventures (6) (4) 70.6% Finance costs (13) (21) -38.5% Profit before tax 503 366 37.5% Income tax expenses (90) (62) 45.3% Profit for the year 414 304 35.9%







Profit for the year attributable to:





Owners of the Company 386 291 33.0% Non-controlling interests 27 14 99.6%

414 304 35.9%







Weighted average number of ordinary

shares for the purpose of calculating

(express in shares)





 Basic 1,163,307,960 937,787,000 24.0%  Diluted 1,164,499,919 937,787,000 24.2%







Earnings per share (express in RMB per shares)





 Basic 0.33 0.31 6.5%  Diluted 0.33 0.31 6.5%







[6] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position[7]





RMB million 2019/3/31 2018/12/31





Non-current Assets



Property, plant and equipment 6,275 6,058 Goodwill 1,137 1,144 Other intangible assets 352 348 Prepaid lease payments 271 272 Interests in associates 834 619 Interests in joint ventures 31 37 Deferred tax assets 240 250 Financial assets at fair value through profit

or loss ("FVTPL") 1,905 2,079 Other non-current assets 191 47 Right-of-use assets 685 - Total Non-current Assets 11,921 10,854





Current Assets



Inventories 866 855 Contract costs 116 98 Amounts due from related parties 12 14 Trade and other receivables 2,719 2,499 Contract assets 345 385 Prepaid lease payments 6 6 Income tax recoverable 9 34 Financial assets at FVTPL 2,583 2,125 Derivative financial instruments 73 37 Pledged bank deposits 3 3 Bank balances and cash 5,111 5,758 Total Current Assets 11,844 11,813





[7] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position (continued)[8]





RMB million 2019/3/31 2018/12/31





Current Liabilities



Trade and other payables 2,247 2,611 Amounts due to related parties 12 12 Derivative financial instruments 61 153 Contract liabilities 628 682 Borrowings 240 120 Income tax payables 252 184 Rental liabilities-current 39 - Total Current Liabilities 3,479 3,762





Non-current Liabilities



Borrowings 15 15 Deferred tax liabilities 120 112 Deferred income 410 419 Rental liabilities 742 - Provision 14 - Other long-term liabilities 96 194 Total Non-current liabilities 1,397 740





Total Liabilities 4,876 4,502





Net Assets 18,888 18,165





Capital and Reserves



Share capital 1,170 1,165 Reserves 17,216 16,523 Equity attributable to owners of the

Company 18,386 17,688 Non-controlling interests 502 477 Total Equity 18,888 18,165





[8] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

About WuXi AppTec

WuXi AppTec is a leading global pharmaceutical and medical device open-access capability and technology platform company with global operations. As an innovation-driven and customer-focused company, WuXi AppTec provides a broad and integrated portfolio of services to help our worldwide customers and partners shorten the discovery and development time and lower the cost of drug and medical device R&D through cost-effective and efficient solutions. With its industry-leading capabilities such as small molecule drug R&D and manufacturing, cell therapy and gene therapy R&D and manufacturing, drug R&D and medical device testing, WuXi platform is enabling more than 3,500 innovative collaborators from more than 30 countries to bring innovative healthcare products to patients, and to fulfill WuXi's dream that "every drug can be made and every disease can be treated."

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" which are not historical facts, but instead are predictions about future events based on our beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to our management. Although we believe that our predictions are reasonable, future events are inherently uncertain and our forward-looking statements may turn out to be incorrect. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks relating to, among other things, the ability of our service offerings to compete effectively, our ability to meet timelines for the expansion of our service offerings, and our ability to protect our clients' intellectual property. Our forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law or listing rules. Accordingly, you are strongly cautioned that reliance on any forward-looking statements involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements contained herein are qualified by reference to the cautionary statements set forth in this section.

Use of Non-IFRS and Adjusted Non-IFRS Financial Measures

We provide non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company and earnings per share, which exclude share-based compensation expenses, listing expenses for offering of our A shares and H shares, foreign exchange-related gains or losses and amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. We further provide an adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company and earnings per share, which exclude realized and unrealized gains or losses from our venture investments and joint ventures. Neither is required by, or presented in accordance with IFRS. We believe that the adjusted financial measures used in this press release are useful for understanding and assessing our core business performance and operating trends, and we believe that management and investors may benefit from referring to these adjusted financial measures in assessing our financial performance by eliminating the impact of certain unusual and non-recurring items that we do not consider indicative of the performance of our core business. However, the presentation of these adjusted non-IFRS financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with IFRS. You should not view adjusted results on a stand-alone basis or as a substitute for results under IFRS, or as being comparable to results reported or forecasted by other companies.

SOURCE WuXi AppTec

Related Links

http://www.wuxiapptec.com


ROCKVILLE, Md., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- X-energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd. (NFI) of Japan that establishes a partnership on the supply of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) nuclear fuel fabrication equipment. The equipment will be installed in X-energy's planned TRISO-X Commercial Fuel Fabrication Facility.

Under the MOU, X-energy and NFI will begin planning the transfer of commercial-scale equipment from NFI's Tokai Works facility to X-energy's Oak Ridge TRISO fuel fabrication facility. The study is scheduled to begin this year and include the discussion of fuel kernel production, TRISO fuel compacts production and uranium recovery equipment  which have actually been used for the production of fuel in prismatic high temperature gas-cooled reactors in Japan.

"Our MOU with NFI is another significant stride forward to establish our TRISO-X fuel business as the world leader in TRISO fuel fabrication for both commercial and government applications. Advanced reactors are the bridge to our energy future and our TRISO-X Facility will be a key enabler for deployment of the advanced reactor industry," said X-energy's Vice President of Fuel Production Dr. Pete Pappano.

"X-energy's pilot fuel facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is complete and fully operational. We now turn our focus to completing the design, financing, and licensing of our TRISO-X Commercial Fuel Fabrication Facility, scheduled to begin commercial-scale fuel production in the 2023-2024 timeframe," Pappano continued.

About X-energy

X-energy is actively producing TRISO-based fuel forms and is implementing pilot scale manufacturing capacities. Tristructural Isotropic (TRISO) coated fuels are unique in their multi-layer encapsulation of uranium, leading to increased safety and proliferation resistance while employing functional containment.

X-energy is an advanced nuclear reactor design and TRISO-based fuel fabrication company. Our high temperature gas-cooled pebble bed reactors require less time to construct, use factory-produced components, cannot melt down, and are "walk-away" safe without operator intervention.

Twitter: @xenergynuclear; Facebook: facebook.com/xenergynuclear, www.x-energy.com.

Melanie White Lyons

[email protected]

301.363.2839

@xenergynuclear

SOURCE X-energy

Related Links

http://www.x-energy.com


Safety runs deep at SafeRack. They manufacture safety products for companies worldwide and the number one value at SafeRack is safety, for their employees and their customers. The proof is in milestones such as the 500 injury-free days celebration.

Jason Merschat, SafeRack's VP of Operations, expressed pride in the accomplishment saying, "We practice what we preach and 500 days injury-free is a prime example of our true commitment to safety. We stand by our principles and live them every day."

SafeRack was recently acknowledged by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA) as a 2019 Safety Award of Honor recipient. The award acknowledges metal fabrication companies with perfect safety records in the 2018 calendar year. Awards are sponsored by CNA, the 8th largest commercial insurer in the US, and determined by the FMA Safety Council. Winners are determined based on BLS incidence rates and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code categories.

About SafeRack

SafeRack is one of 13 diverse brands developed under parent company, SixAxis which was founded by Fred Harmon and Rob Honeycutt in 2002 to deliver high-quality loading rack and fall protection solutions to companies around the world. Under their leadership, SixAxis' SafeRack brand opened its first manufacturing facility in 2005. By 2008, SafeRack earned a place on Inc.'s "Fastest-growing Private Companies in America" list. In addition to SafeRack, product-specific brands such as ErectaStep, RollaStep, PerfectaStep, AeroStep, and MarinaStep have been developed to engineer and manufacture advanced products that increase safety and boost productivity. Additionally, SixAxis software solutions are engineered to simplify technology and propel industry leaders worldwide.

For more information about how SixAxis is changing the world of manufacturing with a diverse array of innovative products and solutions that are made to give your business a competitive edge, visit https://www.sixaxisllc.com. For more information about SafeRack products please visit https://www.saferack.com.

Career Opportunities

At SixAxis, we don't just create products, we've revolutionized safety. The diversity of our people and their ideas inspire the innovation that runs through everything we do, from patented technology to industry-leading thinking. Interested in helping us make the world a safer place? Join our growing team. Get started by visiting us at sixaxisllc.com/careers.

Media Contact:

Tracy Mikulec, [email protected], 949-422-4875

SOURCE SafeRack
NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, today announced experts in the neuroscience field will present six abstracts, including data evaluating investigational medicines from its neuroscience pipeline, at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, May 4-10 in Philadelphia. The six accepted abstracts include two oral presentations showing AbbVie's research progress in difficult neurological conditions.

Investigators will present data on ABBV-951, a levodopa/carbidopa prodrug, delivering a 24-hour continuous, subcutaneous infusion under investigation for the treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). The study evaluated the pharmacokinetics and safety/tolerability of ABBV-951 in a first-in-human study following the continuous subcutaneous infusion of carbidopa and levodopa.

Investigators will also share data from a Phase 1, multiple-dose study of elezanumab in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Elezanumab is an investigational fully humanized monoclonal antibody directed against repulsive guidance molecule A(RGMa) currently being studied in MS patients. RGMa is a potent inhibitor of neuronal regeneration and a regulator of cell death, and is thought to play a role in a variety of neurological disorders.

"AbbVie's data at AAN tells the story of our continued efforts to find ways to treat some of the most complicated and difficult neurological conditions," said Michael Gold, M.D., vice president, neuroscience development, AbbVie. "We are pleased to share these important updates with the world's leading experts at AAN, and to continue our work to advance the research and development of these investigational medicines."

AbbVie will also provide data evaluating the challenges in maintaining patients with advanced PD on only oral anti-PD medications, as well as data investigating the effectiveness of a tool aiding doctors in identifying patients with PD who are not adequately controlled on oral medications.

Details about AbbVie's presentations are as follows:

Abstract Presentation Timing Levodopa-Carbidopa Intestinal Gel for the Treatment of Motor Fluctuations and Dyskinesia in Patients with Advanced Parkinson's Disease in a 'Real World' Setting: Results of an Interim Analysis of the Multinational Observational Long-Term Study DUOGLOBE Platform Presentation 004 on Sunday, May

5th at 1:33PM Impact of Carbidopa-Levodopa Enteral Suspension on Quality of Life and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Advanced Parkinson's Disease: Results from a Pooled Meta-Analysis Poster Session P3 on Tuesday, May 7 Medication Adherence and Discontinuation in a National Cohort of Medicare Beneficiaries with Advanced Parkinson's Disease Poster Session P3 on Tuesday, May 7 A Novel Levodopa/Carbidopa Prodrug (ABBV-951) 24-Hour Continuous Subcutaneous Infusion Treatment for Parkinson's Disease Poster Session P3 on Tuesday, May 7 MANAGE-PD: A Clinician-Reported Tool to Identify Patients with Parkinson's Disease Inadequately Controlled on Oral Medications  Results from Vignette-Based Validation Poster Session P5 on Thursday, May 9 A Phase 1, Multiple-Dose Study of Elezanumab (ABT-555) in Patients with Relapsing Forms of Multiple Sclerosis Platform Presentation 001 on Friday, May

10th at 1:00PM

About Elezanumab

Elezanumab is an investigational fully humanized monoclonal antibody directed against repulsive guidance molecule A (RGMa) currently being studied in multiple sclerosis patients.

About ABBV-951

ABBV-951 is an investigational levodopa/carbidopa prodrug delivered subcutaneously being studied for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease.

About AbbVie

AbbVie is a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie 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. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AbbVie 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.

SOURCE AbbVie

Related Links

https://www.abbvie.com


DETROIT, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratview Research announces the launch of a new market research report on Aircraft Nacelle Components Market by Aircraft Type (Narrow-Body Aircraft, Wide-Body Aircraft, Very Large Aircraft, Regional Aircraft, Business Jet, and Military Aircraft), by Component Type (Inlet Cowl, Fan Cowl, Thrust Reverser, Exhaust Components, and Others), by Material Type (Composites, Nickel Alloy, Titanium, and Others), by Process Type (Hand Layup, Resin Infusion, AFP/ATL, Forming, and Others) and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2019-2024.

This 271-page comprehensive report, from Stratview Research, presents the most complete and thorough market analysis on aircraft nacelle components for the forecast period of 2019 to 2014 with high emphasis on accurate market data, insights and competitive landscapes. The report rigorously studies all major nacelle component suppliers, nacelle system integrators, as well as engine and aircraft manufacturers in order to provide an accurate assessment of the market at the global and regional levels. The report further identifies low-hanging fruits that lie ahead for the market participants with an aim to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation.

Aircraft Nacelle Components Market: Highlights

As per Stratview Research, the global aircraft nacelle components market is projected to grow at a healthy rate over the next five years to reach US$ 9,011.1 million in 2024. Increasing production rates of key aircraft programs, such as B737, B787, A320, and A350XWB, increasing demand for lightweight aircraft nacelle components, increasing share of wide-body aircraft in commercial aircraft deliveries, rising global aircraft fleet size, and increasing diameter of fan blades of turbofan engines are the major growth drivers of the market.

Click Here and Run Through the TOC of the Report

The research's findings suggest that narrow-body aircraft is expected to remain the growth engine of the market during the forecast period, propelled by introduction of fuel-efficient variants of best-selling programs (A320neo and B737 Max). Both the commercial aircraft manufacturers (Boeing and Airbus) are enjoying huge order backlogs (13,048 aircraft units as of 31st December 2018) of their commercial aircraft programs and have incessantly been raising the production rates to meet the growing demand.

Based on material type, composite is expected to remain the material of choice in the market during the forecast period. There has been an incessant replacement of metals with composite components, owing to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio at a relatively low weight. However, titanium components are expected to witness the highest growth in the market during the same period, driven by an increasing penetration, especially in exhaust components.

Register Here and Ask for a Free Sample of the Exhaustive Report

As per the study, North America is expected to remain the largest aircraft nacelle components market during the forecast period, whereas Asia-Pacific is expected to experience the highest growth in the same period. The highest growth of aircraft nacelle components in Asia-Pacific is mainly attributable to the increasing aircraft fleet to support rising passenger traffic, opening of assembly plants of Boeing and Airbus for the B737, A320, and A330 aircraft programs, increasing procurement of military aircraft owing to rising defense budget, and upcoming indigenous commercial and regional aircraft (C919 and MRJ).

The key aircraft nacelle component manufacturers are Collins Aerospace (Previously UTC Aerospace Systems), Safran S.A., Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., Bombardier (Short Brothers PLC), GKN Aerospace, and Leonardo S.p.A. Development of lighter nacelle components, regional expansion, and mergers & acquisitions are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.

Market trend and forecast analysis.

Market segment trend and forecast.

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.

Emerging trends.

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.

Key success factors

This report studies the nacelle components market in the global aircraft industry and has segmented the market in five ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the five ways in which the market is segmented:

Global Aircraft Nacelle Components Market, By Aircraft Type

Narrow-Body Aircraft (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Wide-Body Aircraft (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Very Large Aircraft (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Regional Aircraft (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Business Jet ( Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Military Aircraft (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Global Aircraft Nacelle Components Market, By Component Type

Inlet Cowl ( Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Fan Cowl (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Thrust Reverser (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Exhaust Components (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Other Components (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Global Aircraft Nacelle Components Market, By Material Type

Composite Components ( Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Nickel Alloy Parts (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Titanium Components (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Other Metal Components (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Global Aircraft Nacelle Components Market, By Manufacturing Process Type

Hand Layup ( Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Resin Infusion (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

AFP/ATL (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Forming (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Others (Regional Analysis: NA, Europe , APAC, and RoW)

Global Aircraft Nacelle Components Market, By Region

North America (Country Analysis: USA, Canada , and Mexico )

Europe (Country Analysis: Germany, France , UK, Russia , and Rest of Europe )

Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: China, Japan , India and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Rest of the World (Country/Region Analysis: Latin America, Middle East , and Others)

Stratview Research has number of high value market reports in the global aerospace & defense industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Aerospace & Defense Industry

Some of our other premium market reports in the aerospace & defense industry:

Aircraft Nacelle Systems Market by Aircraft Type (Narrow-Body Aircraft, Wide-Body Aircraft, Very Large Aircraft, Regional Aircraft, Business Jet, and Military Aircraft), by Engine Type (Turbofan Engine, Turboprop Engine and Turbojet Engine), by Material Type (Composites, Nickel Alloy, Titanium, and Others), by Process Type (Hand Layup, Resin Infusion, AFP/ATL, Forming, and Others) and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2018-2023.

Global Aircraft Thrust Reverser Market by Aircraft Type (Narrow-Body Aircraft, Wide-Body Aircraft, Very Large Aircraft, Regional Aircraft, and Business Jet), by Product Type (Cascade Type, Pivot Four Door, and Bucket Type), by Material Type (Composites and Metals), by Process Type (Hand Layup, Resin Infusion, AFP/ATL, and Others), by Mechanism Type (Hydraulic and Electric), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2017-2022.

About Stratview Research

Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas.

We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies.

Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making.

Contact:

Stratview Research

E-mail: [email protected]

Direct: +1-313-307-4176

SOURCE Stratview Research
WASHINGTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans for Safe Access (ASA) Board of Directors is proud to announce that ASA Founder and President of the ASA Board, Steph Sherer, has been made President of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI) in Prague, Czech Republic.

Co-founded by Sherer in 2015, ICCI is a recognized Center of Excellence and works closely with international governments, universities, and research institutes as well as companies in cannabis, hemp, bio-tech, and agricultural sectors to strengthen the medical cannabis industry. ICCI was founded as a joint project of patient organizations, scientific societies, and American investment company Dioscorides Global Holdings.

Since 2002, Sherer, a leading national and international expert on medical cannabis, has helped to pass medical cannabis legislation and regulatory policy across the U.S. and its territories through ASA, the largest nonprofit organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists, and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. Sherer remains President of ASA and is expanding her focus to strengthen the industry.

Sherer also co-created the first medical cannabis industry standards in the areas of distribution, cultivation, analytics, manufacturing, packaging, and labeling alongside the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP). In addition, Sherer works with international governments and medical cannabis patients to change medical cannabis policies at the United Nations and within countries as a founding member of the International Medical Cannabis Patients Coalition (IMCPC).

"For the last 17 years, I have worked to break-down societal and governmental barriers for patients who need access to medical cannabis," said Sherer. "Now that these barriers are tumbling down, it is important that the industry evolves to provide products that are safe, standardized and targeted, and that there is the scientific infrastructure to support these efforts. I am excited to include the scientific community, investors, and other sectors of the industry that are committed to serving the patient community in an effort to expand access to medical cannabis."

"Sherer has helped to change the perception of cannabis among governments, organizations, and the general public at the national and international levels."  ASA co-founder and Board Member, Don Duncan. "As a pioneer in national and global medical cannabis advocacy, Steph has helped push the conversation forward in such a fruitful way that cannabis and cannabinoids are now generally considered as a medicine in most U.S. states and several countries around the world. We have no doubt that under Sherry's leadership as ICCI's President, the organization will be able to thrive in their efforts to bring additional evidence-based science to the medical cannabis field," said Duncan.

"Many congratulations to Steph Sherer on her appointment as President of ICCI. This is a step that will surely propel cannabis medicine in the right direction internationally as well as in the United States."  Dr. Ogadinma Obie, ASA Board Member

"Steph Sherer has accomplished something truly remarkable in founding Americans for Safe Access, and I know that she will continue to create more value for the industry in her new role for ICCI. Her initial vision turned into an entire institution, and along the way, she never lost sight of this industry's roots in medicine. Everyone deserves safe access to this plant, but it's the medical patients that we need to fight for. ICCI has the power to accomplish this by leading this industry's global businesses in the compliant direction."  Nic Easley, ASA Board Member

"Steph Sherer co-founded ICCI 4 years ago with the mission to create a scientific institution that put the focus on patient access. I can think of no better person to serve as their President to help accomplish their goal of helping to remove barriers to access for patients globally. Steph is leading by example to show that you can work in any facet of this industry while also putting the needs of patients first and supporting advocacy."  Debbie Churgai, ASA Interim Director

"I started investigating and understanding the medical cannabis world in 2009. Since then, I have never encountered anyone that has as much dedication and passion for helping the patient community as Steph Sherer. No Fluff. She lives and breathes patient advocacy. Her enthusiasm for this issue is unmatched."  Ben Bronfman, ASA Board Member. "Steph has perpetuated some sort of holistic jujitsu that has amounted to tectonic change in the medical cannabis space. Although Sherer has come of age amidst a sexist white male culture that holds people back, she has continued to fight for the rights of patients around the globe. She is a warrior, an innovator and a hero to the patient community."

"I had the pleasure of meeting Steph Sherer back in 2016 when attending the ASA Unity Conference. She was energetic, knowledgeable, passionate, and humble. She spoke from the heart. As a member, I have come to get to know her better and follow all of her accomplishments in the medical cannabis arena. I must say that I am in awe of how much she has been doing all these years for the medical cannabis community. She firmly believes in providing patients safe access to cannabis treatments, regulating products to the highest standards of quality, and encouraging education and research in the field. Steph will do an excellent job as President of the ICCI and they are more than lucky to have her as part of their team."  Dr. Carla Rossotti Vazquez, ASA Board Member

"There are very few people well suited to help lead a company at the forefront of cannabis research in the world right now, and Steph is one of those few people. Her extensive knowledge and experience in the space with a focus on the medical aspects of the plant and the industry will serve her well in this newfound role. I can't wait to see what comes out of her upcoming work."  Jayan Fazal-Karim, ASA Board Member

"We are excited that Steph has decided to focus more on ICCI in this next phase of her career. She has been a strong patient advocate and has a clear vision of the trajectory of the medical cannabis industry. I am honored to be electected ASA board member as first non US citizen and dedicated to support ASA programs scaling to extend patient access globally."  Dr. Pavel Kubu, ICCI CEO.

ICCI Press Release: https://www.icci.science/en/article/news/press-release-icci-announces-steph-sherer-president/

Forbes Article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminsetiawan/2019/04/30/steph-sherer-president-of-icci-makes-the-case-for-medical-cannabis-part-1/

About Americans for Safe Access

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national organization of patients, medical cannabis providers, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research with over 100,000 active members in all 50 states. Since its inception, ASA has successfully shifted the national debate around medical cannabis, which has focused solely on the legality and ethics of arresting and prosecuting patients for cannabis use, to include the real concerns of patients, such as access and civil protections. ASA has worked with lawmakers across the country to adopt and improve medical cannabis legislation and regulatory policy as well as representing patients on Capitol Hill.

About ICCI

International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI) was established as a joint project of ASA, Czech scientific societies, and investment firm Dioscorides Global Holdings. As a center of excellence, ICCI works with Charles University, the Czech Technical University, the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Masaryk University in Brno, Mendel University in Brno, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. ICCI identifies, coordinates and supports global research priorities for the advancement of cannabis and cannabinoid treatments.

Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12767214

SOURCE Americans for Safe Access

Related Links

https://www.safeaccessnow.org


SINGAPORE, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Zhoushan city government and global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus signed an initial agreement today to work together to bring further price transparency to the Zhoushan bunkering hub.

Zhoushan lies within the Zhejiang free trade zone and has grown rapidly in recent years to become the biggest marine fuels hub in China and one of the top 10 ports globally for bunker sales. Marine fuel sales through Zhoushan were 3.5mn t last year.

Argus has been assessing delivered-to-ship high-sulphur 380cst bunker fuel prices in Zhoushan since December. And Argus is seeking to extend its coverage through the development of a new Zhoushan Bunker Index for low-sulphur fuel oil in response to the tighter sulphur specifications for marine fuel that the International Maritime Organisation is introducing at the beginning of next year.

The Zhoushan city government chose to work with Argus owing to its international reputation as a commodity price reporting agency and its position as a leading provider of assessments for the port of Singapore, where companies submit daily transaction information to Argus for use in its bunker indexes.

Argus chose to work with the Zhoushan city government because of Zhoushan's strategic location, world-class infrastructure and free trade zone status, which combine to give Zhoushan a bright future in terms of growing bunker trade and as an important regional pricing and trading hub.

"Argus welcomes the opportunity to provide greater transparency to the port of Zhoushan and we hope that by providing independent, high-quality, bunker fuel assessments we can assist suppliers and shipowners to make well-informed business decisions," Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said. "We expect the Zhoushan Bunker Index to serve as a regional benchmark as Zhoushan grows in importance as a regional bunker hub. We wish the Zhoushan city government success in further developing the port."

About Argus Media

Argus is an independent media organisation with almost 1,000 staff. It is headquartered in London and has 23 offices in the world's principal commodity trading and production centres. Argus produces price assessments and analysis of international energy and other commodity markets, and offers bespoke consulting services and industry-leading conferences.

Companies in 140 countries around the world use Argus data to index physical trade and as benchmarks in financial derivative markets as well as for analysis and planning purposes.

Argus was founded in 1970 and is a privately held UK-registered company. It is owned by employee shareholders and global growth equity firm General Atlantic.

ARGUS, the ARGUS logo, ARGUS MEDIA, ARGUS DIRECT, ARGUS OPEN MARKETS, AOM, FMB, DEWITT, JIM JORDAN & ASSOCIATES, JJ&A, FUNDALYTICS, METAL-PAGES, METALPRICES.COM, Argus publication titles and Argus index names are trademarks of Argus Media Limited.

Contact Information

London

Seana Lanigan

+44 20 7780 4272

[email protected]

Houston

Melanie Cruthirds

+1 713 968 0000

[email protected]

Singapore

Pierre Lever

+65 6496 9960

[email protected]

Moscow: Alexey Komarov

+7 495 933 75 71

[email protected]

SOURCE Argus Media

Related Links

http://www.argusmedia.com


NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health, the nation's premier health innovation company as well as the 7th largest company in the nation in terms of revenue, has pledged not to work with advertising or public relations agencies who work with tobacco and e-cigarette companies, following its decision to remove tobacco from its stores five years ago. They are the first major corporate brand to join the Quit Big Tobacco campaign created by Vital Strategies, an international public health organization headquartered in New York.

The tobacco industry spends billions of dollars each year on cigarette and e-cigarette marketing, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Marketing tactics, such as kid-friendly flavors and promotion by social media influencers, have contributed to the nearly 80% rise in vaping among U.S. high school students between 2017 and 2018. A National Health Institute survey found that 40 percent of young adults who use e-cigarettes every day or some days were never smokers before trying e-cigarettes.

"This is what corporate leadership looks like," said Jose Luis Castro, President and CEO of Vital Strategies. "CVS Health's pledge builds on their 2014 forward-thinking decision to stop selling tobacco products in their stores, thus depriving the tobacco industry from the creative talent it needs to target youth in the United States and around the world. It's a game changer. We hope this bold decision will encourage other health-minded companies to follow suit. We congratulate CVS Health and thank them for taking the Quit Big Tobacco pledge."

"Five years ago we quit selling all tobacco products and made a commitment to help people lead tobacco-free lives, including investing in youth tobacco prevention programs in order to support the first tobacco-free generation," said Norman de Greve, Chief Marketing Officer for CVS Health. "Big tobacco is increasingly using new channels to directly target our youth  including leveraging social media and influencers. We unequivocally take the Quit Big Tobacco pledge, meaning we will not work with any marketing and public relations agencies that have ties with the tobacco industry, and we urge other companies to join us in this critically important fight."

CVS Health is the first major corporate brand to pledge to Quit Big Tobacco, joining more than 200 organizations that have signed on to the campaign. Vital Strategies promotes its Tobacco-Free Agencies list so that companies can make sure the ad or public relations agencies they work with have no ties to the tobacco industry. Vital Strategies also unveiled the Quit Big Tobacco badge, which may be displayed by pledgers to convey their involvement in the campaign. CVS Health is working to add language outlining the requirement to contracts for both current and future partnerships with all marketing agencies.

"CVS Health's leadership as the first major brand to sign the Quit Tobacco Pledge sends a powerful message to the advertising, marketing and public relations communities that engaging with an industry that makes billions by harming millions will cost you," said Robin Koval, CEO and President of Truth Initiative. "We have no doubt more companies will follow CVS Health and sign the pledge, especially given the urgency surrounding the growing e-cigarette epidemic addicting a new generation to nicotine and putting youth at greater risk of smoking deadly cigarettes."

"Tobacco companies claim that all their lying and deception is behind them, but they're reaching out to their old advertising friends under new pretenses," said Alex Bogusky, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of advertising agency Crispin Porter Bogusky. "At CPB, we know agency reputation and new business suffers when a client's goal is selling addiction. CVS Health's pledge to Quit Big Tobacco is a strong signal to our industry that cutting ties with the tobacco industry isn't just good practice- it's good business."

Quit Big Tobacco, an initiative of Vital Strategies, unites leading advertising agencies, public relations firms, and health-oriented organizations and brands to pledge not to work with the tobacco industry or agencies that do. Ad and PR agencies that pledge to Quit Big Tobacco join a list of Tobacco-Free Agencies committed not to work with tobacco or vaping clients. Organizations and brands that value health pledge not to work with agencies that have tobacco clients. By taking talent and expertise away from Big Tobacco, Quit Big Tobacco aims to reduce the uptake of tobacco use and its health harms so that people can live longer, healthier lives.

For more information about Vital Strategies' Quit Big Tobacco campaign, or to take the pledge on behalf of an agency or organization, visit http://quitbigtobacco.org.

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes every person should be protected by a strong public health system. We work with governments and civil society in 73 countries to design and implement evidence-based strategies that tackle their most pressing public health problems. Our goal is to see governments adopt promising interventions at scale as rapidly as possible. To find out more, please visit http://www.vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is the nation's premier health innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Whether in one of its pharmacies or through its health services and plans, CVS Health is pioneering a bold new approach to total health by making quality care more affordable, accessible, simple and seamless. CVS Health is community-based and locally focused, engaging consumers with the care they need when and where they need it. The Company has more than 9,900 retail locations, approximately 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with approximately 92 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a leading stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. CVS Health also serves an estimated 38 million people through traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including a rapidly expanding Medicare Advantage offering. This innovative health care model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.

SOURCE Vital Strategies

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The partners of Neoenergia, Brazils second-largest energy distributor which is controlled by Spanish electricity company Iberdrola, met on Monday in Rio de Janeiro to decide on whether or not to launch an Initial Public Offering for the firm on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange.

The extraordinary general assembly of the firms Administrative Council began at 10 am with the participation of the advisory representatives from Neoenergias three partners: Iberdrola, with its 52.45 percent share, Banco do Brasil (9.34 percent) and the Previ pension fund (38.21 percent).

The assemblys decision will only be released in a communique from Brazils Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) and after the conclusion of market negotiations at the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange on Monday, Neoenergia spokespeople told EFE.

Were in a period of silence and so (nobody) may comment on the stockholders meeting, the source said.

The assembly was convened mainly so that stockholders could approve the launching of an Initial Public Offering that would allow the company to be listed on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange.

Spains Iberdrola wants to do an IPO of its Brazilian unit - Neoenergia - on the Sao Paulo bourse without losing voting control after trying without success to do an IPO of the unit in 2017.

The shareholders will also have to approve sending the CVM a petition for the IPO and other related matters.

In this new attempt to get Neoenergias shares onto the Sao Paulo market, Iberdrola wants to list the firm without losing control while Banco do Brasil has already said that it intends to sell its entire stake in the company.

Previ, which is the pension fund for Banco do Brasil employees, has expressed interest in removing the firm from the market but still has not decided whether it will maintain its current participiation or sell off some of its shares.

Banco do Brasil, the largest bank in the South American nation, said the share sale would depend on favorable financial market conditions domestically and internationally.

In late 2017, Neoenergia scrapped an IPO after Banco do Brasil and Previ refused to accept the price range set by underwriters, arguing that the sale would generate proceeds that were below their expectations.

The firm has four distributors - Coelba, Celpe, Cosern and Elektro - which have a total of 585,000 km of power lines and provide electricity to 34 million people, almost 20 percent of Brazils population.

In terms of power generation, the group can produce 4.5 gigawatts of electricity and covers almost 1,000 municipalities spread across 836,000 square km (about 321,000 square miles).

Neoenergia operates in 16 of Brazils 27 states and owns electricity generation, transmission, distribution and marketing units.
AUSTIN, Texas, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2019 Texas Legislature has the opportunity to make insurance companies pay on uninsured/underinsured motorist policy benefits. House Bill 1739 received bipartisan support in the Texas House Insurance Committee when it was voted out of committee on April 2. However, the non-partisan citizen advocacy group, Texas Watch, is warning that the bill may not make it to the House floor due to insurance industry lobbyists.

HB 1739 , introduced by Representative Charlie Geren, aims to restore the rights of Texans and force insurance companies to pay uninsured/underinsured motorist policy benefits without having to file a lawsuit against their insurance company.

Rep. Geren introduced HB 1739 to make UM/UIM benefits due "once liability and damages have become reasonably clear." In 2006, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in Brainard V. Trinity Universal Insurance that insurers have no contractual duty to pay benefits on a UM/UIM claim until the insured obtains a judgment. This ruling forces car crash victims to hire an attorney and go through a years-long process to sue their insurance company. To add insult to injury, under the current law, these victims aren't entitled to reimbursement on attorneys fees and other fees associated with their claims.

"Over the last 10 to 15 years, we've had thousands of clients come into our office after receiving UM/UIM denials from their insurance companies," said Carlson Law Firm Partner Michael Erskine. "It's an injustice to all Texans to have to file a lawsuit against your own insurance company for something that you already pay for."

For many Texans, it may come as a surprise to learn that they aren't immediately entitled to their UM/UIM policy benefits. However, it is no secret that suing insurance companies can take several years. As a result, those injured in car crashes face mounting medical debt from necessary treatments or end up living with lifelong injuries because they were unable to get proper medical care after insurance denials.

On the other hand, the idea of filing a lawsuit can discourage some Texans from moving forward with a costly and time-consuming lawsuit against their insurance provider.

According to Erskine, HB 1739 addresses this injustice.

"We all pay insurance companies to cover us, our loved ones and friends riding in our vehicles when someone with no insurance or limited insurance runs into our vehicle and injures us," Erskine said. "Insurance companies should be required to hold up their end of the bargain without an unnecessary lawsuit."

In an email, Texas Watch urged its supporters to sign a petition that it will present to the House Calendars Committee to hopefully persuade them to set this legislation for a full vote on the House Floor.

"Unfortunately, insurance industry dollars are a major influence on our state's elected officials," Erskine said. "But there is power in numbers. Everyone who pays an insurance company should want their rights restored and show support of this bill."

The bill stalled in calendars on April 11. However, HB 1739 supporters are hoping Calendars will schedule a vote before the last day of the 86th Legislature on May 28.

For interviews or comments about HB 1739 with Michael Erskine, contact Kazia Conway.

Media Contact: Kazia Conway

[email protected]

254-526-5688

About Us

The Carlson Law Firm is a Texas-based national law firm committed to providing exceptional legal services in the areas of personal injury, car accidents, medical malpractice, product liability, class actions, bankruptcy, family law, criminal defense, military criminal defense, nursing home abuse, and consumer protection. The Carlson Law Firm has been successfully representing clients for over 40 years with 12 offices all over Texas.

SOURCE The Carlson Law Firm

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NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bain & Company has committed to invest $1 billion in pro bono consulting for social causes by 2025, and the firm's 8,000 global employees have rallied behind this goal  a full 70 percent have participated in some form of social impact work over the past year. This is according to Bain & Company's latest Social Impact Report, released today, which highlights the investments the firm has made over the last year, as a part of this broader goal.

Under the leadership of Manny Maceda, Bain & Company's worldwide managing partner, the firm is reimagining the role of management consultants in society. For the first time in 40 years, Bain & Company has changed its mission statement. Still focused on creating "the highest levels of value" for its clients, it notes a comprehensive emphasis on economic, social and environmental value in its aims. This indicates a growing acknowledgement among management consulting firms and the global industries they serve including private equity, finance, consumer products, healthcare, and technologythat the purpose of business must go beyond a singular focus on maximizing shareholder value.

"As we grow as a firm, we remain committed to our mission of creating value  economic, social, and environmental  for all our clients, whether they operate in the private sphere or in the social sector," Mr. Maceda. "Not only is this the right thing to do, but it mobilizes the best gift we can give  our global talent and strategic capability  to help solve some of the world's biggest problems."

The way Bain & Company approaches its social impact work is distinctive. In 2015, the firm made a $1 billion commitment to invest in pro bono consulting over the next 10 years to address some of the world's biggest problems and deliver transformative social impact. The firm focuses on two critical issues: improving the futures of underserved children and youth, and fostering inclusive and sustainable economic growth. To address these issues, Bain & Company has built enduring partnerships with some of the world's leading social innovators such as Acumen, Endeavor, Accion, The Nature Conservancy, KIPP, and Teach for America, among others. These are organizations that have pioneered successful models of social change, but often lack access to the type of strategic consulting that Bain & Company can provide to help them reach their full potential.

Through these partnerships, the firm has supported the introduction of full-time secondary education in Brazil, designed a first-of-its-kind agribusiness accelerator platform in Ethiopia, and helped the largest global environmental nonprofit launch a revolutionary market-oriented approach to reforestation.

"Our $1 billion pro bono commitment is a declaration of who we are and how we have chosen to live our values," said Vikki Tam, head of Bain & Company's global Social Impact practice. "With recent social and political realities, the urgency and moral imperative for us to engage and give backas individuals and as a corporate citizenhave only become greater."

Additionally, nearly two decades ago, Bain & Company helped incubate The Bridgespan Group, which is now a leading 501(c)3 management consulting firm advising large non-profits, foundations and philanthropists.

Recognizing that social and environmental challenges are growing, timelines for addressing them are contracting, and companies are scrambling to adapt, Bain & Company is also helping to drive sustainability and corporate responsibility for its private-sector clients. For example, the firm recently supported the formation of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, an initiative uniting more than thirty major companies that have committed to invest $1.5 billion over the next five years to eliminate plastic waste in the environment, especially in rivers and the ocean.

Bain & Company also takes its own role as a sustainability leader among global corporations very seriously.

The firm has been certified fully carbon neutral for seven years in a row; its total direct emissions falling by 70 percent since 2011due in large part to sourcing 96 percent of electricity from renewableswith a goal of reaching a 90 percent reduction by 2040.

In both 2018 and 2019, Bain & Company received the highest recognition, a gold designation, from EcoVadis, keeper of the leading environmental, social and ethical performance scorecard for global supply chains, putting the firm among the top 5 percent of companies rated.

Bain & Company is also regularly ranked as one of the best places to work, and the firm strives everyday to improve on these and other important aspects of sustainability including diversity and inclusion, responsible procurement, employee health and wellness, ethics, and governance.

Editor's Note: To arrange an interview, contact Dan Pinkney at [email protected] or +1 646 562 8102

About Bain & Company

Bain & Company is the management consulting firm that the world's business leaders come to when they want results. Bain advises clients on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, operations excellence, consumer products and retail, marketing, digital transformation and strategy, technology, and advanced analytics, developing practical insights that clients act on and transferring skills that make change stick. The firm aligns its incentives with clients by linking its fees to their results. Bain clients have outperformed the stock market 4 to 1. Founded in 1973, Bain has 57 offices in 36 countries, and its deep expertise and client roster cross every industry and economic sector. For more information visit: www.bain.com. Follow us on Twitter @BainAlerts.

Media Contact:

Dan Pinkney

Bain & Company

Tel: +1 646 562 8102

[email protected]

SOURCE Bain & Company

Related Links

http://www.bain.com


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Water Safety USA, a roundtable of national nonprofit and governmental organizations focused on drowning prevention, has announced its new water safety message for 2019: "Be #WaterCautious: Prevent unsupervised access to water."

Being water cautious means assessing the potential risks and taking a proactive approach to securing all water access points, then closely supervising any permitted water activity. Water access points include in-ground and above ground pools and spas, portable pools, bath tubs, buckets and open bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes, ponds and canals.

After pools, bathtubs are the second leading location where younger children drown. Buckets, bath seats, wells, cisterns, septic tanks, decorative ponds and toilets are also potential drowning sources for infants and toddlers. Children younger than five are more likely to drown at home and older children in open water bodies.

Why be water cautious?

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says that nearly 70% of young children who drowned in swimming pools were not expected to be in or at the pool.i As children get older, they are more likely to drown in open waters, such as rivers, lakes or ponds when unsupervised.ii

Lack of barriers to prevent unsupervised water access is a main factor that leads to drowning. To be water cautious, assess potential risks inside, outside and near your home and any other locations you visit, including other people's homes, hotels or campgroundsthen childproof your surroundings by removing the risk:

Inside the home, install childproof locks to prevent access to hazards like bathtubs, bath seats and toilets. Empty all buckets of liquid.

Outside the home, install barriers around hazards like unfenced pools or ornamental ponds. Empty all buckets of liquid, portable pools and other objects where water collects.

Near the home, install proper and well-maintained fencing to prevent unsupervised access to open bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes, ponds and canals. Ask neighbors and friends to fence in their pools or spas.

When visiting a location with water nearby, in addition to assessing the risks, closely and continuously monitor anyone who is unable to recognize the danger that water may poseespecially young children. Children can disappear quickly and are attracted to water. Don't assume that a fence, sign or verbal warning will keep children away from the water.

Water Safety USA's 2019 campaign is an extension of prior messaging designed to combat drowning. Taken together, the organization's campaigns provide a roadmap for drowning prevention: Designate a #WaterWatcher to maintain constant supervision of children when in, on or near the water; ensure that you and those you love are #WaterCompetent; and be #WaterCautious to prevent unsupervised access to water.

Learn more about how to be #WaterCautious at www.watersafetyusa.org, or you can view the infographic here.

About Water Safety USA

Water Safety USA is a consortium of leading national governmental and nongovernmental organizations with a strong record of providing drowning prevention and water safety programs. Our mission is to empower people with resources, information and tools to safely enjoy and benefit from our nation's aquatic environments. Learn more about Water Safety USA and how to swim and why at http://www.watersafetyusa.org.



i International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. (2019). Safety guidelines for home pools. Retrieved from https://www.nachi.org/poolsafety.htm

ii Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Unintentional Drowning, Get the Facts, available at: https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/water-safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html, last access April 30, 2019

Contact

B. Chris Brewster, Moderator

619-807-7777

[email protected]

www.watersafetyusa.org

SOURCE Water Safety USA
Under the initiative's five cooperation priorities of policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bond, there are a batch of projects, such as transportation construction and industrial infrastructure, in full swing or already having yielded fruitful results.

Here are some of the amazing projects achieved worldwide under the initiative.

Infrastructure projects

Railway

Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail, Indonesia

The 142-km Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, connecting the Indonesian capital Jakarta with Bandung, is now under construction, after China and Indonesia signed an agreement in October 2015 to establish a joint venture to build and operate it.

As a part of the Belt and Road Initiative projects in Indonesia, the high speed railway is the first to use China's high-speed railway standards, technologies and equipment on a foreign line.

It being constructed and operated by a China-Indonesia consortium of firms led by China Railway Corp and Indonesian state-owned PT Wijaya Karya Tbk, and is to be funded mainly by loans from China Development Bank.

The high-speed rail, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, will have a maximum design speed of 350 km/h and is capable of transport passengers and goods within 45 minutes between Jakarta and Bandung.

AbujaKaduna Railway, Nigeria

The AbujaKaduna Railway, as the first segment of the LagosKano standard gauge project, the first standard gauge railway in Nigeria and West Africa, was officially inaugurated and started commercial operation on July 26, 2016.

The railway, constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, is the first overseas railway fully adopting the Chinese railway standard. Spanning 186.5 kilometers, it alleviates traffic tension, improves the investment environment and promotes the coordinated development of regional economy and society.

By Jan 11, the train service had delivered 1.23 million passengers and had safely operated for 900 days without any major accident recorded since its inception.

Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway

The Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway, the first electrified railway in East Africa with built on Chinese standards and with Chinese equipment, officially commenced commercial operations in January 2018.

With a length of 751.7 kilometers, a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour, 45 stations and total investment of about $4 billion, the railway was jointly constructed by China Railway Group Ltd and China Railway Construction Corp Ltd and is the first with a full industrial chain Chinese enterprises have built overseas.

The railway reduces travel time from the Djibouti port to Addis Ababa to less than 12 hours from the previous three days.

China-Laos Railway

The 414-km China-Laos Railway runs from Boten, the northern Lao town bordering Southwest China's Yunnan province, to Vientiane, capital of Laos, with an operating speed of 160 km per hour.

The electrified passenger and cargo railway, which started construction in December 2016 with the full application of Chinese management standards and technical standards, is scheduled to be completed and open to traffic in December 2021.

It is a strategic project aligning the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.

Port:

Colombo Port City, Sri Lanka

The China-funded Colombo Port City, the largest project between China and Sri Lanka under the Belt and Road Initiative, completed land reclamation of 269 hectares in January.

In addition, hydro-structure construction will be completed by the middle of this year. The port city's municipal facilities construction is expected to be completed in July 2020. At the same time, investment promotion of the city is also being carried out.

The $1.4 billion project, co-developed by Sri Lanka's government and China Communication Construction Co Ltd, is expected to bring 83,000 jobs to locals in 20 years.

Piraeus Port, Greece

Piraeus Port is the largest port in Greece. On Aug 10, 2016, COSCO Shipping (Hong Kong) Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China COSCO Shipping Group, became a controlling shareholder of the port and started operating the facility.

Around 290 million euros are expected to be invested by the company for the expansion of a cruise terminal, improvement of a ship repair wharf and a new multi-storey garage of roll-on roll-off ship wharf.

The port, as an important meeting point of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, has become one of the fastest-growing container ports in the world in recent years.

Under the joint operation of Chinese and Greek enterprises, the port's infrastructure conditions and operational capabilities have been greatly improved. The freight hub has become increasingly prominent, not only providing more jobs, but also promoting local economic development and becoming a model of win-win cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port, Djibouti

The Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port in Djibouti, constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corp and partially owned and operated by DP World and China Merchants Holdings, opened on May 24, 2017.

The port, with a contract amount of $421.7 million and a designed handling capacity of 7.08 million tons a year, is CSCEC's first hydraulic project in Africa. All of the port's terminals have direct access to the Addis AbabaDjibouti Railway, which provides landlocked Ethiopia with railroad access to the sea.

Zeebrugge Terminal, Belgium

China's COSCO Shipping signed an agreement with the Port of Zeebrugge on Jan 22, 2018, for a 50-year concession on the CSP Zeebrugge Terminal.

As the second-largest port in Belgium, the Port of Zeebrugge is a natural deepwater harbor and has a good network of road and rail connections across Europe. It is expected to be the main northern European hub for China's Belt and Road Initiative, with Piraeus Port in Greece the southern hub.

Muara Port, Brunei

Muara Port has the largest container terminal and is also the main international trade passage for Brunei. In February 2017, the container terminal of the port was handed over to the Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd, a joint venture established by China's Beibu Gulf Port Group and Brunei's Darussalam Asset.

Muara Port is the only public dock in Brunei and is an important part of the construction of the Guangxi-Brunei Economic Corridor. In the first 10 months of 2018, Muara Port handled 93,257 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), a year-on-year increase of 7 percent.

Gwadar Port, Pakistan

From a small, remote and underdeveloped fishing village located in the Arabian Sea, Pakistan's Gwadar Port now has a fully functional port terminal, a business center and a free zone.

The port, which opened on Nov 13, 2016, has been operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company since 2013. The Gwadar Port is a flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project under the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to the COPHC, dozens of companies in different businesses such as hotels, banking, logistics, food, steel, fish processing and renewable resources have entered the free zone.

SOURCE China Daily
AGAWAM, Mass., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambridge Credit Counseling, a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency offering financial education, credit counseling and debt relief services nationwide, was recently awarded the Marketplace Excellence Award of 2019 as the Non-Profit of the Year by the Better Business Bureau of Central New England. The award recognized Cambridge for promoting the highest ethical business practices throughout their organization and for their focus on customer satisfaction.

"Our BBB accreditation is critical to our ability to earn the trust of the consumers we serve, since they share their personal information with our counselor in the course of making some very important financial decisions. Honesty, transparency, compassion, and a focus on helping consumers understand how to create effective financial strategies - those aren't just words or phrases. Those are the hallmarks of good counseling, and we've done our best to embed them in the culture of our agency," remarked Christopher Viale, Cambridge's President and CEO (watch Cambridge's BBB nomination video).

Cambridge's expanding menu of services also includes student loan and reverse mortgage counseling, first-time homebuyer courses, bankruptcy counseling and HUD-approved housing counseling. Cambridge also provides free financial literacy seminars to many other non-profit agencies, veterans, students, and inmates preparing to re-enter the community. In 2018, Cambridge conducted 424 seminars for nearly 7,000 local participants. Cambridge also offers hundreds of personal finance articles and videos on its website, https://www.cambridge-credit.org.

"We've also partnered with a number of membership organizations, from AAA Club Alliance to the United States Bowling Congress, and more recently with the Massachusetts Teachers Association, New York State United Teachers Member Benefits, and the Connecticut Education Association, helping education professionals manage their finances, particularly their student loans. Our holistic approach is essential. There are no cookie-cutter solutions. Every case is unique," noted Mr. Viale.

Cambridge was incorporated as a non-profit in 1996 and has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals and families struggling with a variety of debt issues. Counselors offer an in-depth budget and debt analysis to identify options that could help individuals reduce or eliminate debt in a much faster timeframe than they could on their own, while providing personal Action Plans to help them stay debt free.

Cambridge has been a BBB-accredited company for more than 20 years and maintains an A+ rating. For more information about Cambridge's services, visit their website at www.cambridge-credit.org, or call (800) 226-2743.

CONTACT:

Christopher Viale

President & CEO

Cambridge Credit Counseling

[email protected]

413-821-6919

SOURCE Cambridge Credit Counseling

Related Links

https://www.cambridge-credit.org


PANAMA CITY, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. ("Bladex" or "the Bank") (NYSE: BLX) announced today that the Bank filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 (the "2018 Annual Report") with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

The 2018 Annual Report and audited financial statements can be accessed by visiting either the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or Bladex's website at www.bladex.com. The Bank can also provide a copy of the Bank's audited financial statements or annual report on Form 20-F, upon a written request and without charge.

Bladex, a multinational bank originally established by the central banks of Latin-American and Caribbean countries, began operations in 1979 to promote foreign trade and economic integration in the Region. The Bank, headquartered in Panama, also has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States of America, supporting the regional expansion and servicing its customer base, which includes financial institutions and corporations.

Bladex is listed on the NYSE in the United States of America (NYSE: BLX), since 1992, and its shareholders include: central banks and state-owned banks and entities representing 23 Latin American countries; commercial banks and financial institutions; and institutional and retail investors through its public listing.

For further information on Bladex, please access its website at www.bladex.com or contact:

Monica Cosulich - VP, Finance and Investor Relations

E-mail address: [email protected]. Tel.: (+507) 210-8563

Head Office Address: Torre V, Business Park, Ave. La Rotonda, Urb. Costa del Este,

Panama, Republic of Panama

SOURCE Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (Bladex)

Related Links

http://www.bladex.com


"Thanks to our partners at the Red Cross, who make sure critical needs are met firstand our generous Gueststhousands of children and families will have the hug of a teddy bear to help comfort them in the wake of an unfortunate event," said Sharon Price John, president and chief executive officer, Build-A-Bear Workshop. "We invite Guests across the country to once again join us to make bears for families in crisis, in the spirit of the Build-A-Bear mission to add a little more heart to life."

Last year, Red Cross disaster workers90 percent of whom were volunteershelped millions of people during the second consecutive year of a record number of wildfires, hurricanes and other large crisesall while responding day and night to home fires in communities across the country.

"Every eight minutes in the U.S., disasters big and small occur, and families often lose all of their belongings, including keepsake items and children's toys," said Brad Kieserman, vice president, Disaster Services Operations and Logistics at the American Red Cross. "The Red Cross is honored to continue to partner with Build-A-Bear in an effort to give teddy bears to children in distress and offer a little comfort as families begin to rebuild their lives."

All Build-A-Bear furry friends made during the May 4 "Stuffed with Hugs" event will be allocated to five Red Cross Disaster Field Supply Centers in Reno, Nev.; St. Louis, Mo.; Carlisle, Penn.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Dallas, Texas, from which the organization can quickly access and distribute to children as needs arise.

Once again, Build-A-Bear Workshop is expanding the partnership and "Stuffed With Hugs" event on a global scale. In 2019, Build-A-Bear will also donate teddy bears to the Irish Red Cross and will host events at the Build-A-Bear Workshop stores in Dublin on May 11, where Guests can help make bears that will be donated to children served by the organization.

For more information about Build-A-Bear Foundation and the company's charitable giving efforts, visit buildabear.com/giving.

About Build-A-Bear

Build-A-Bear is a global brand kids love and parents trust that seeks to add a little more heart to life. Build-A-Bear Workshop has over 450 stores worldwide where Guests can create customizable furry friends, including corporately-managed stores in the United States, Canada, China, Denmark, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom, and franchise stores in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East. Buildabear.com is the online destination for unique furry-friend gifts, featuring The-Bear-Builder, a shopping configurator that helps create customized gift options. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) posted total revenue of $336.6 million in fiscal 2018.

About Build-A-Bear Foundation

Build-A-Bear believes in the power of hugs and the simple comfort of having a furry friend by your side. The mission of Build-A-Bear Foundation is to add a little more heart to life by sharing hugs and making days a little bit brighter for those in need. Since 1997, Build-A-Bear has donated nearly $50 million to a variety of organizations and in a number of ways. Build-A-Bear Foundation supports nonprofit organizations and registered charities that are doing good work in the communities where our Guests and associates live, work and play. For more information, visit buildabear.com/giving.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE Build-A-Bear

Related Links

http://www.buildabear.com


MONTREAL, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Caprion Biosciences announced today that the company acquired Serametrix Corporation, a specialized provider of immune monitoring services headquartered in Carlsbad, California. Caprion plans to leverage the proprietary expertise of Serametrix in the analysis of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), as well as its international operations in the US, UK, Australia and China to expand its global geographic coverage. The acquisition also reinforces Caprion's leadership position in the provision of immune monitoring and biomarker services to the biopharmaceutical industry.

"Joining forces with Serametrix enables Caprion to strengthen its immunology biomarker offering and provides CAP and CLIA-certified services for supporting Phase 1 through Phase 4 trials from seven different strategic locations in North America, Europe and Asia," said Martin LeBlanc, President and CEO of Caprion.

Founded in 2008 by Phoebe Bonner and Henry Hepburne-Scott, Serametrix offers CLIA-certified flow cytometry services to support pre-clinical and clinical studies. "We fully share the vision of Caprion to provide cutting edge immune-monitoring solutions enabling the developing of innovative immune and cell therapies," said Phoebe Bonner, CEO of Serametrix. In collaboration with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Serametrix has developed unique expertise in the analysis of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), whose presence in the blood constitutes a critical determinant of resistance to immune-based cancer therapies. "These capabilities can stratify patients who respond well to checkpoint inhibitor therapies and evaluate the efficacy of drugs that inhibit the suppressing activity of MDSC," added Martin LeBlanc.

This is Caprion's third acquisition since GHO Capital's investment in 2016. In addition to its headquarters in Montreal, Canada, and sites in Belgium and California, Caprion adds 4 locations in California, England, Australia and China. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Caprion Biosciences, Inc. Caprion is the leading provider of specialized immunology and proteomics services to the biopharmaceutical industry. Caprion has achieved top-tier growth in recent years based on its proprietary multiparametric flow cytometry for monitoring of immune responses and mass spectrometry services for quantitative and robust measurement of protein biomarkers. For more information: www.caprion.com.

About Serametrix. Serametrix provides solutions to the clinical monitoring of the immune response to immunotherapies. In partnership with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and other leading institutes, Serametrix has developed immunoassays that monitor anti-tumour immunity in patients enrolled into clinical trials for novel cancer therapies. For more information: www.serametrix.com.

About GHO Capital. Global Healthcare Opportunities, or GHO Capital Partners LLP, is a leading specialist healthcare investment advisor based in London. We apply global capabilities and perspectives to unlock high-growth healthcare opportunities in Europe, building market-leading businesses of strategic global value. Our proven investment track record reflects the unrivalled depth of our expertise and network. We partner with strong management teams to unlock value in a global system that demands the provision of better, faster, cheaper healthcare. For more information: www.ghocapital.com.

SOURCE Caprion Biosciences

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WASHINGTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) announced today public disciplinary actions against the following individuals, effective immediately or on the date noted in each case. Public disciplinary actions taken by CFP Board, in order of increasing severity, include letters of admonition, suspensions and permanent revocations.

This release contains information about recent disciplinary actions relating to 20 current or former CFP professionals. Of these actions, there were 4 public letters of admonition, 5 suspensions, and 11 administrative revocations.

The basis for each decision can be found in a Disciplinary Action Report below and on CFP Board's website. The public may check on an individual's disciplinary history and certification status with CFP Board at www.CFP.net/verify .

CFP Board's enforcement process is a critical consumer protection. CFP professionals agree to abide by CFP Board's Standards of Professional Conduct (Standards), which includes the Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Rules of Conduct and Financial Planning Practice Standards.

CFP Board enforces its ethical standards by investigating incidents of alleged violations and, where there is probable cause to believe there are grounds for discipline, presenting a Complaint containing the alleged violations to the CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) pursuant to CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). If the Commission determines there are grounds for discipline, it may impose a sanction ranging from a private censure or public letter of admonition to the suspension or revocation of the right to use the CFP marks. CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules set forth the process for investigating matters and imposing discipline where violations have been found.

The Commission meets at least six times a year to provide a fair, unbiased review of any matter in which a CFP professional is alleged to have committed violations of the Standards.

The Commission functions in accordance with the Disciplinary Rules and reviews all matters on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the details specific to an individual case. While CFP Board has attempted to capture the details relevant to each decision, the summary nature of these releases may omit certain details affecting the decision. Accordingly, the decisions and/or rationale described in the releases may not apply to other cases reviewed by the Commission or reflect the Commission's future interpretation or application of the Standards.

STATE NAME LOCATION DISCIPLINE New Jersey Diana A. Behre Hackettstown Two-Year Suspension California Cernan A. Bernardo Chula Vista Administrative Revocation Connecticut Steven A. Cohen Brookfield Administrative Revocation Arizona Stewart A. Gooding Tucson Six-Month Suspension New York Josette L. Greechan, CFP Armonk Letter of Admonition Florida Larry C. Grossman Palm Harbor Administrative Revocation California Jeffrey S. Gurman Los Angeles 30-Day Suspension Ohio Drew K. Horter Mason Administrative Revocation California Charla C. Kabana Huntington Beach Administrative Revocation Missouri Robert A. Kahn Chesterfield Administrative Revocation Virginia Lloyd T. Layton Dumfries Six-Month Suspension Colorado Neil Maxwell Aurora Administrative Revocation Georgia Kim L. McDougall, CFP Atlanta Letter of Admonition South Carolina Lawrence E. Murphy, CFP Hilton Head Letter of Admonition Michigan Andrew L. Schade Lansing Administrative Revocation Minnesota Kevin P. Smith Edina Administrative Revocation Massachusetts Thomas T. Riquier Danvers Administrative Revocation Nevada Julia Sohn, CFP Henderson Letter of Admonition New York Dean Stephens Seaford Six-Month Suspension Texas Larry Templin Temple Administrative Revocation

LETTER OF ADMONITION

GEORGIA

Kim L. McDougall, CFP (Atlanta): In March 2019, CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) and Ms. McDougall entered into a settlement agreement in which Ms. McDougall agreed that CFP Board would issue a Letter of Admonition. In the settlement agreement, Ms. McDougall consented to CFP Board's findings that she failed to complete required continuing education (CE) credit hours for two reporting cycles, and that she could not produce evidence confirming she completed 43 CE programs (45 credit hours) that she self-reported. CFP Board also found that Ms. McDougall promptly completed the missing hours after being notified of the deficiency. CFP Board determined that Ms. McDougall's conduct violated Rule 6.2 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct and Article 3(G) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules), and provided grounds for discipline pursuant to Articles 3(A) and 3(G) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules. Accordingly, the Commission admonished Ms. McDougall with regard to the above-described conduct.

NEVADA

Julia Sohn, CFP (Henderson): In April 2019, CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) and Ms. Sohn entered into a settlement agreement in which Ms. Sohn agreed that CFP Board would issue a Letter of Admonition. In the settlement agreement, Ms. Sohn consented to CFP Board's findings that she entered into an Administrative Consent Order with the State of Nevada, which found that she conducted investment advisory business and collected $42,000 in advisory fees in Nevada while unlicensed from January 1, 2014 through April 20, 2014 and then from January 1, 2015 through July 6, 2015; that she failed to update her Form ADV properly; that she failed to provide her clients with her Form ADV; that she failed to disclose fees properly; and that she failed to maintain proper books and records. In connection with the Nevada Consent Order, Ms. Sohn agreed to retain a compliance consultant, return the overcharged fees, and pay a civil penalty of $20,000. CFP Board determined that Ms. Sohn's conduct violated Rules 4.1 and 4.3 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline pursuant to Article 3(A) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures. Accordingly, the Commission admonished Ms. Sohn with regard to the above-described conduct.

NEW YORK

Josette L. Greechan, CFP (Armonk): In March 2019, CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) and Ms. Greechan entered into a settlement agreement in which Ms. Greechan agreed that CFP Board would issue a Letter of Admonition. In the settlement agreement, Ms. Greechan consented to CFP Board's findings that, as a result of her acceptance of a loan from a client for both her and her husband, she was terminated by her firm and denied registration as a securities agent by the State of Michigan. Ms. Greechan also consented to findings that she failed to cooperate with CFP Board during its investigation and made false statements to CFP Board when she responded "No" to questions on her Ethics Disclosure Questionnaire regarding whether she was the subject of a governmental agency or self-regulatory organization inquiry or investigation and whether she had been terminated for cause, and when providing information regarding her termination. CFP Board determined that Ms. Greechan's conduct violated Rules 3.6, 4.3, 5.1, and 6.1 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline pursuant to Article 3(A) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures. Accordingly, the Commission admonished Ms. Greechan with regard to the above-described conduct.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Lawrence E. Murphy, CFP (Hilton Head): In April 2019, CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) and Mr. Murphy entered into a settlement agreement in which Mr. Murphy agreed that CFP Board would issue a Letter of Admonition. In the settlement agreement, Mr. Murphy consented to CFP Board's findings that he was terminated from his former firm for not following firm policy with respect to client files and entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) with respect to the same conduct. FINRA suspended him for 20 business days and issued a $7,500 fine. Mr. Murphy also entered into a Stipulation and Consent Order with the State of Delaware for failing to provide timely notice to Delaware of the FINRA suspension. CFP Board determined that Mr. Murphy's conduct violated Rules 3.1, 4.3, and 5.1 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline pursuant to Articles 3(A) and 3(D) of the CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures. Accordingly, the Commission admonished Mr. Murphy with regard to the above-described conduct.

SUSPENSIONS

ARIZONA

Stewart A. Gooding (Tucson): In April 2019, CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) and Mr. Gooding entered into a settlement agreement in which Mr. Gooding agreed that CFP Board would issue a six-month suspension. In the settlement agreement, Mr. Gooding consented to CFP Board's findings that he failed to meet continuing education (CE) requirements for two reporting cycles, was unable to produce evidence showing that he completed 23 CE courses (38 credit hours) that he self-reported, and that the CE sponsors who provided the courses were unable to produce evidence confirming that he completed the CE courses he self-reported. CFP Board determined that Mr. Gooding's conduct violated Rule 6.2 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct and Article 3(G) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules), and provided grounds for discipline pursuant to Articles 3(A) and 3(G) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules. Mr. Gooding's suspension is effective from April 16, 2019 until October 16, 2019.

CALIFORNIA

Jeffrey S. Gurman (Los Angeles): In July 2018, CFP Board issued an order suspending Mr. Gurman's right to use the CFP certification marks for 30 days. Mr. Gurman's CFP certification expired on June 30, 2018. This discipline followed an appeal of an August 2017 decision by the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission). The Appeals Committee of CFP Board affirmed the Commission's findings that, in connection with a 1031 exchange recommended and sold by Mr. Gurman in 2006 to a married couple, he failed to act in the interest of his clients and failed to make and/or implement only recommendations that were suitable. Specifically, the Appeals Committee found that Mr. Gurman's recommendations simply re-allocated assets from one type of real estate investment to another, and in doing so, the clients were left heavily over-concentrated in illiquid real estate investments. The Appeals Committee stated that the Commission found no "malicious intent underlying Mr. Gurman's recommendation," but noted that he held a Series 24 supervisory principal's license at the time of the transaction at issue, and that "he was in a financial planning relationship with the clients and owed his clients more due diligence on the specific investments along with a deeper discussion around the dangers of being too heavily concentrated in any single asset class." The Appeals Committee further noted that "the consideration and approval of the transactions in question by Mr. Gurman's broker dealer [firm] further mitigates the severity of Mr. Gurman's conduct." Additionally, the Appeals Committee noted that the Commission also considered in mitigation the fact that Mr. Gurman has no prior disciplinary history. Mr. Gurman's conduct violated Rules 202 and 703 of the Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, thereby providing grounds for discipline pursuant to Article 3(A) of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). In accordance with Article 4.3 of the Disciplinary Rules, CFP Board issued a 30-day suspension of Mr. Gurman's CFP certification.

NEW JERSEY

Diana A. Behre (Hackettstown): In April 2018, CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) issued an order in which Ms. Behre received a suspension of her right to use the CFP certification marks for two years. The Commission issued its order after determining that Ms. Behre failed to act with the duty of care of a fiduciary while providing financial planning and/or material elements of financial planning and failed to act in the best interests of the client when she exerted undue influence on her mother, who was her client, in order to transfer assets from the client to herself, and when she charged the same amount of rent to her client's estate after the client's death as she had when the client was alive. The Commission also found that this conduct reflected adversely on her integrity and fitness as a CFP professional and the CFP marks. Further, the Commission found that Ms. Behre had filed for bankruptcy on two occasions. The Commission determined that Ms. Behre's conduct violated Rules 1.4, 4.1, and 6.5 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct and provided grounds for discipline pursuant to Article 3(A) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures. Ms. Behre's suspension is effective from June 12, 2018 until June 12, 2020.

NEW YORK

Dean Stephens (Seaford): In April 2019, CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) and Mr. Stephens entered into a settlement agreement in which Mr. Stephens agreed that CFP Board would issue a six-month suspension. In the settlement agreement, Mr. Stephens consented to CFP Board's findings that he failed to complete required continuing education (CE) credit hours for five reporting cycles, that he could not produce evidence confirming that he completed five CE programs (15 credit hours) that he self-reported, and that the CE sponsors who provided the courses were unable to produce evidence that he completed the CE courses he self-reported. Mr. Stephens also consented to CFP Board's finding that, although he initially indicated he did not have documentation for the self-reported courses, he later admitted that he did not take them. CFP Board determined that Mr. Stephens' conduct violated Rule 6.2 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct and Article 3(G) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules), and provided grounds for discipline pursuant to Articles 3(A) and 3(G) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules. Mr. Stephens' suspension is effective from April 16, 2019 until October 16, 2019.

VIRGINIA

Lloyd T. Layton (Dumfries): In February 2019, CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) and Mr. Layton entered into a settlement agreement in which Mr. Layton agreed that CFP Board would issue a suspension of his right to use the CFP certification marks for six months. In the settlement agreement, Mr. Layton consented to CFP Board's findings that he engaged in unsuitable short-term trading uniform investment trusts (UITs) with respect to 54 customer accounts. The Commission determined that he entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) with regard to the same conduct. FINRA suspended Mr. Layton for three months and issued a $5,000 fine. CFP Board determined that Mr. Layton's conduct violated Rules 4.3 and 4.5 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct and provided grounds for discipline pursuant to Articles 3(A) and 3(D) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules. Accordingly, the Commission suspended Mr. Layton with regard to the above-described conduct. Mr. Layton's suspension is effective from February 19, 2019 until August 19, 2019.

ADMINISTRATIVE REVOCATION

CALIFORNIA

Cernan A. Bernardo (Chula Vista): In February 2019, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Bernardo's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Bernardo's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Bernardo filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2017 (after filing for an earlier Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2005); engaged in improper use of the CFP certification marks after allowing his certification to expire; and failed to respond to CFP Board's multiple requests for documents and information during the investigation of his second bankruptcy filing. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Bernardo's conduct violated Rule 6.5 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline under Articles 3(A) and 3(F) of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Mr. Bernardo declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Bernardo's revocation was effective as of February 22, 2019.

Charla C. Kabana (Huntington Beach): In January 2019, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Ms. Kabana's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Ms. Kabana's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Ms. Kabana was terminated from her firm in 2016 for practices regarding variable annuity commissions and chargebacks and a related 2018 Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in which Ms. Kabana consented to a bar for her failure to cooperate with FINRA. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Ms. Kabana's conduct violated Rules 4.3 and 5.1 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline under Articles 3(A) and 3(D) of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Ms. Kabana declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Ms. Kabana's revocation was effective as of January 25, 2019.

COLORADO

Neil Maxwell (Aurora): In January 2019, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Maxwell's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Maxwell's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Maxwell entered into a Consent Order with the Colorado Division of Securities on August 14, 2018, pursuant to which Colorado determined that Mr. Maxwell and his firm, Maxwell Wealth Planning, Inc., invested two senior clients' funds in a blockchain investment fund managed by an unlicensed investment adviser without the clients' prior knowledge and also requested a loan from another client after the client declined to invest in the blockchain investment fund. CFP Board's Complaint also alleged that, pursuant to the Consent Order, Mr. Maxwell consented to Colorado's findings and a permanent bar from the securities industry; a permanent revocation of his Colorado investment adviser license; a directive to not make recommendations or otherwise render advice to clients regarding securities and not manage securities accounts or portfolios for clients; an agreement to provide restitution to two clients in the amount of $170,000; and the permanent revocation of the Colorado investment adviser license of Maxwell Wealth Planning, Inc. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Maxwell's conduct violated Rules 2.1, 4.1, and 4.3 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline under Article 3(A) of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Mr. Maxwell declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Maxwell's revocation was effective as of January 15, 2019.

CONNECTICUT

Steven A. Cohen (Brookfield): In March 2019, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Cohen's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Cohen's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Cohen filed for personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1997 and 2018. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Cohen's conduct violated Rule 6.5 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline under Article 3(A) of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Mr. Cohen declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Cohen's revocation was effective as of March 11, 2019.

FLORIDA

Larry C. Grossman (Palm Harbor): In February 2019, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Grossman's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Grossman's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Grossman was barred by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and was ordered to cease and desist from engaging in future violations of the antifraud provisions of the federal laws, rules and regulations because he violated the federal securities laws by making misrepresentations and omissions of material fact to his investment advisory clients when he advised them to invest in funds from which he received undisclosed referral fees, consulting fees, and sales charges. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Grossman's conduct violated Rules 102, 606(a), and 401(a) of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline under Articles 3(A) and 3(D) of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Mr. Grossman declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Grossman's revocation was effective as of February 22, 2019.

MASSACHUSETTS

Thomas T. Riquier (Danvers): In February 2019, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Riquier's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Riquier's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Riquier borrowed at least $800,000 from more than 23 clients without disclosing the loans to his firm, which resulted in his termination by his broker-dealer. CFP Board's Complaint also alleged that, when the Massachusetts Securities Division attempted to investigate the loan and termination, Mr. Riquier withheld documents and information and failed to cooperate. Massachusetts filed a Complaint alleging that he had engaged in fraud, misrepresentations, undisclosed conflicts of interest, breach of fiduciary duties, and improper borrowing from clients. CFP Board's Complaint also alleged that, when it attempted to investigate these improper actions and allegations, Mr. Riquier refused to cooperate. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Riquier's conduct violated Rules 3.6, 4.3, 5.1, and 6.1 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline under Article 3(A)of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Mr. Riquier declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Riquier's revocation was effective as of February 22, 2019.

OHIO

Drew K. Horter (Mason): In February 2019, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Horter's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Horter's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Horter's firm, Horter Investment Management, consented to findings in an order with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the firm prepared, reviewed and approved false and misleading marketing materials that he disseminated to the firm's advisors and clients, in willful violation of Section 206(2) and Section 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-1(a)(5) thereunder. The SEC Order imposed upon the firm a cease and desist order, a censure, and ordered disgorgement of $482,595, prejudgment interest of $46,209, and a civil money penalty of $250,000. CFP Board's Complaint also alleged that Mr. Horter failed to fully cooperate with CFP Board's investigation. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Horter's conduct violated Rules 2.1, 4.1, 4.3, and 6.1 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline under Article 3(A) of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Mr. Horter declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Horter's revocation was effective as of February 22, 2019.

MINNESOTA

Kevin P. Smith (Edina): In March 2019, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Smith's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Smith's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Smith entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for his failure to appear for on-the-record testimony, pursuant to which he consented to the imposition of a bar from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. CFP Board's Complaint also alleged that Mr. Smith was terminated from his firm for allegations related to his activities as a trustee on a family member's trust and a trade that may have been executed without prior confirmation with the client. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Smith's conduct violated Rule 4.3 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline under Articles 3(A) and 3(D) of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Mr. Smith declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Smith's revocation was effective as of March 11, 2019.

TEXAS

Larry Templin (Temple): In March 2019, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Templin's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Templin's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Templin entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) that resulted in a bar from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for his refusal to produce information requested by FINRA. The Complaint also alleged that Mr. Templin failed to notify CFP Board of his bar within 30 days of receiving notification of the bar. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Templin's conduct violated Rule 4.3 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct and Article 13.2 of the Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules), providing grounds for discipline under Articles 3(A) and 3(D) of the Disciplinary Rules. Mr. Templin declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Templin's revocation was effective as of March 20, 2019.

MICHIGAN

Andrew L. Schade (Lansing): In November 2018, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Schade's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Schade's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Schade: (1) recommended unsuitable variable universal life insurance policies (VUL policies) to a husband and wife in 2012 and 2013 because the VUL policies were inconsistent with the clients' investment objectives, risk tolerances, goals, needs, and priorities; (2) violated his fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of his clients at a time when he was providing them with financial planning services by recommending VUL policies totaling $3.9 million in death benefits to clients that required unaffordable annual payments and surrender charges; and (3) failed to exercise reasonable and prudent professional judgment when he recommended the VUL policies based upon unreasonable assumptions. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Schade's conduct violated Rules 1.4, 4.4, and 4.5 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct and Section 500-2 of CFP Board's Financial Planning Practice Standards, providing grounds for discipline under Articles 3(A) and 3(B) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Mr. Schade declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Schade's revocation was effective as of November 15, 2018.

MISSOURI

Robert A. Kahn (Chesterfield): In November 2018, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Kahn's right to use the CFP certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Kahn's failure to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within the required timeframe. CFP Board's Complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Kahn: (1) violated the policies of his firm when he engaged in excessive trading in a client's account and improperly placed discretionary orders in that same account between 2011 and 2016; and (2) engaged in excessive trading, made recommendations that were unsuitable and placed his interests above his client's. CFP Board's Complaint alleged that Mr. Kahn's conduct violated Rules 1.4, 4.5, and 5.1 of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct, providing grounds for discipline under Article 3(A) of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules). Mr. Kahn declined to file an Answer to CFP Board's Complaint within 20 calendar days of the date of service, as required by Article 7.3 of the Disciplinary Rules. In accordance with Article 7.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, the allegations set forth in the Complaint were deemed admitted, and CFP Board issued an Administrative Order of Revocation. Mr. Kahn's revocation was effective as of November 15, 2018.

ABOUT CFP BOARD

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is a professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board sets standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CFP certification  one of the most respected certifications in financial services  so that the public has access to and benefits from competent and ethical financial planning. CFP Board, along with its Center for Financial Planning, is committed to increasing the public's awareness of CFP certification and access to a diverse, ethical and competent financial planning workforce. Widely recognized by firms as the standard for financial planning, CFP certification is held by more than 83,000 people in the United States.

SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.

Related Links

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Levesque, Scholz Running For Partial Term on Cheshire Selectmen



Jason Levesque is a newcomer to town government. He wants to consolidate town departments into the former school. CHESHIRE, Mass.  Candidates Jason Levesque and E. Richard Scholz are vying for a one-year term on the Board of Selectmen.

The final year of the three-year term was left vacant last fall when Edmund St. John IV resigned to apply for the town administrator post he currently occupies.

Political newcomer Levesque hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the board.

"It is kind of a changing of the guard and ... I was fortunate enough to move back," he said. "I have three kids now so I want to make sure there are some smart decisions being made."

Levesque, who works in nuclear medicine technology imaging at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, also spent some time working at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and said his line of work gives him the perfect skill set to be successful on the board.

"There is a lot of critical thinking involved in my job, which kind of forces me to think ahead," he said. "Decisions made today might have ramifications ten years from now that might get overlooked."

Levesque said one of his major concerns is the budget and keeping taxes low.

"I know the big draw for me and the wife moving back was the low taxes so that is one of my goals," he said. "I don't like taxes in general. Keep them low, nothing new if we don't have to."

Levesque acknowledged that there are some major infrastructure concerns in town and said this is something the town needs to address. He said the roads are a huge concern of his and that they need to be fully remediated.

Levesque noted that this will come at a cost and thought the town should not only explore grant opportunities but streamline town government and services.

He said he would like to consolidate fire, police, and Town Hall into the former elementary school.

"Then you only have one building to deal with, which lowers the cost of doing business," Levesque said. "Basically streamline everything and make it more cost efficient, which will allow us to use tax revenue to fix the roads."

Levesque said because he grew up in Cheshire but also spent some time away he has a different perspective that will benefit the board.

"I remember things from when I was a child and growing up you gain different perspectives," he said. "I want to help and knowing the history of the town and some of the people it will help me get things done faster."



E. Richard Scholz has served on the former Advisory Board and has a background in finance and management. Scholz said with his background in business, technology, and industry connections, he can bring change to Cheshire

"I have a lot of experience in many different fields and I'm the only person that hasn't either grown up into Cheshire or moved here late in life, I've done both," he said. "I have experience working on budgets in the town and working in business in two or three different diverse fields."

This will be Scholz's third run for selectman, having run in 2014 and in 2016. He's served on the Advisory Board, now known as the Finance Committee, and has 20-plus years of experience in project management and consulting experience within the telecommunications industry.

"I think I have a lot of experience and I managed very large budgets worked with marketing people," he said.

Although he hasn't held a seat on the board, Scholz says he already kickstarted change by submitting the citizens petition in 2014 that began the process of expanding the select board from three to five members. The town will finally vote on this in May.

"What we really needed was a bit more bandwidth in terms of people who can bring ideas and do new things," he said. "I don't want to say it's mine because it turned out to be a group effort but I got the energy going."

Scholz said he is looking toward the future and wants Cheshire to become a destination. He believes the town's beauty, history, and agricultural roots should all be taken advantage of.

"Every town in New England has farmland but we have the only farmland that was used to raise the cows for the milk for the Cheshire Mammoth Cheese that went to President Jefferson," he said. "Our farmers need to be encouraged to do some things where people can actually bring their children in because we want to be able to bring money into the town."

Scholz said he sees opportunities for agricultural schools and would also like to see the creation of a town beach and better utilization of town forestland.

The town has to do everything it can to leverage its assets to attract private investment and new residents to help expand the town's tax base, he said, which will allow infrastructure needs to be addressed.

Scholz thinks he will be a good fit for the board and is asking residents cast their vote in his favor.

"I want to give Cheshire a fairly low-risk opportunity to try me out as a selectman for a year ... and I think I can do a good job," he said. "Cheshire should be the best small town in Berkshire County."
NANJING, China, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 30, 2019, the "Rhyme of Water" -- Jiangsu Canal International Photo Contest hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Jiangsu Province starts. The contest collects the cultural and tourism photography works of Jiangsu "Canal Village" from photographers around the world.

Water and Jiangsu seem to be born together. The rhythm of water and the nourishment of water have brought prosperity to Jiangsu.

Among all the water systems in Jiangsu, Grand Canal, the World Cultural Heritage, is undoubtedly the most powerful witness of human civilization and wisdom. Jiangsu is in the middle of the Grand Canal with many kinds of intangible cultural heritage along the canal, such as Kunqu, Guqin, Suzhou embroidery, brocade, jade carving, block printing, and traditional wood structure skills.

Where there is water, there are people; where there are people, there are life and stories.

The photos need to reflect the cultural traditions, folk customs, scenery and tourism development of the canal towns in Jiangsu. Each contestant can submit up to 6 works, single or group pictures; it should be color digital work. The size requires a pixel length of 1600-3000, with JPEG format. The resolution should be 300 dpi. The size of a single electronic file is 1.5 MB-5MB; PS and other processing changes to the original image are forbidden; the name of the work shall not display the author's name, nickname or logo, etc., and shall not be watermarked; the work shall be accompanied by the basic information of the contributor (real name, contact information, etc.) and basic description of the work (place, time, work name).

The bonus is up to 5,000 yuan (including tax).

The e-mail address is [email protected], and the submission deadline is May 15, 2019.

For more information please click: http://t.cn/ESVH78D

SOURCE The Department of Culture and Tourism of Jiangsu Province
HONG KONG, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- China Mobile Limited (the "Company") (HKEx: 941) (NYSE: CHL) announced today that it has filed its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2018 (the "2018 Form 20-F") with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The 2018 Form 20-F is available on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://www.chinamobileltd.com and on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Shareholders may also request a hard copy of the Company's complete audited financial statements, free of charge, by contacting the Company at Investor Relations Department, China Mobile Limited, 60/F, The Center, 99 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong (Email: [email protected]; Telephone: 852-3121-8888; Fax: 852-2511-9092).

SOURCE China Mobile Limited

Related Links

http://www.chinamobileltd.com


BEIJING, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited ("Concord Medical" or the "Company") (NYSE: CCM), a leading specialty hospital management solutions provider and an operator of the largest network of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers in China, today announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 (the "Annual Report") with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. An electronic copy of the Annual Report can be accessed on Concord Medical's investor relations website at http://ir.ccm.cn and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Shareholders may receive a hard copy of the Annual Report free of charge upon request. Requests should be submitted to http://ir.ccm.cn.

About Concord Medical

Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited is a leading specialty hospital management solutions provider and an operator of the network of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers in China. As of December 31, 2018, the Company operated a network of 31 centers based in 21 hospitals, spanning over 21 cities across 14 provinces and administrative regions in China. Under long-term arrangements with top-tier hospitals in China, the Company provides radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging equipment to and manages the daily operations of these centers, which are located on the premises of its hospital partners. The Company also provides ongoing training to doctors and other medical professionals in its network of centers to ensure a high level of clinical care for patients. For more information, please see http://ir.ccm.cn.

SOURCE Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited
JERSEY CITY, N.J., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders of some of the nation's largest advisory firms attending the 2019 Elite Advisor Summit held by BNY Mellon's Pershing ("Pershing") last month underscored how technology continues to be both a strategic business imperative and a primary business challenge.

In fact, implementing new technologies or solutions to meet client needs was viewed as the biggest challenge to business by 37 percent of advisory firm executives responding to the 2019 Elite Advisor Poll conducted at the Summitsecond only to hiring and developing talent, which 41 percent of executives deemed to be their biggest challenge.

"As firms allocate a growing portion of their budgets to technology, a significant number of them are still challenged with reaping the desired returns from these investments," said Christina Townsend, director of advisor platform strategy at BNY Mellon's Pershing. "This reaffirms our belief that technology must be viewed within the broader context of business goals and the optimal client experience that firms are looking to deliver. In some cases, this means going back to the basics and getting advisors to leverage what's already at their fingertips."

An overwhelming majority (80 percent) of advisory firms are planning to increase investments in technology in 2019, according to the Elite Advisor Poll. Almost half (45 percent) of respondents to the Poll cited creating a better client experienceonline or otherwiseas the top goal for technology investments, followed by creating more capacity for advisors (29 percent).

Meanwhile, the biggest technology challenge, according to 44 percent of respondents, was adoption of technology by advisors, followed by identifying the right technology stack (28 percent).

"We realize that building the right technology framework is a challenge for many firmsespecially as a growing number of them are looking to create a unique experience designed specifically for their optimal client," continued Townsend. "That's why we are expanding our team of technology consultants, who will work side-by-side with advisory firms, with the sole focus of helping clients achieve their digital transformation goalsregardless of whether they leverage Pershing technology, choose to integrate third-party solutions, or create their own experiences."

In building an optimal client experience, a majority (62 percent) of respondents said they were funneling their technology investments toward integrations (customer relationship management, custodian, account opening, etc.), while slightly over a quarter (27 percent) said they were focusing on building client portals or websites. Further underscoring firms' efforts to get the basics right, new technologies such as artificial intelligence are falling down the priority list, with less than one tenth (8 percent) of respondents indicating that they were focusing investments in this area.

About the Elite Advisor Poll

The 2019 Elite Advisor Poll was conducted live via mobile phones during the Elite Advisor Summit, which took place March 11-13, 2019, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The poll gauged advisors' views and concerns around talent and technology. An average of 27 executives responded to the technology-related questions.

About the Elite Advisor Summit

The Elite Advisor Summit, hosted by BNY Mellon's Pershing, is a two-day, invitation-only event with some of the country's most preeminent executives of RIAs and institutional firms. The event is designed to help advisory firms compete in today's fast-changing environment and facilitate meaningful conversations, ideation and networking. The inaugural Elite Advisor Summit was held Feb. 28March 2, 2017, in Aventura, Florida. This year's Summit hosted 86 executives from the nation's largest RIA firms, representing an average AUM of $9 billion and a median AUM of $1.8 billion.

About BNY Mellon's Pershing

BNY Mellon's Pershing and its affiliates provide a comprehensive network of global financial business solutions to advisors, broker-dealers, family offices, hedge fund and '40 Act fund managers, registered investment advisor firms and wealth managers. Many of the world's most sophisticated and successful financial services firms rely on Pershing for clearing and custody; investment, wealth and retirement solutions; technology and enterprise data management; trading services; prime brokerage and business consulting. Pershing helps clients improve profitability and drive growth, create capacity and efficiency, attract and retain talent, and manage risk and regulation. With a network of offices worldwide, Pershing provides business-to-business solutions to clients representing approximately 7 million investor accounts globally. Pershing LLC (member FINRA, NYSE, SIPC) is a BNY Mellon company. Additional information is available on pershing.com, or follow us on Twitter @Pershing.

About BNY Mellon

BNY Mellon is a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment management and investment services in 35 countries. As of March 31, 2019, BNY Mellon had $34.5 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $1.8 trillion in assets under management. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.

Sanuber Grohe

+1 201 413 2247

[email protected]

SOURCE BNY Mellon

Related Links

http://www.bnymellon.com


PLANO, Texas, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CRITICALSTART, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions, today announced a collaboration with Microsoft to offer a Managed Detection and Response Service for Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), a unified platform for preventive protection, post-breach detection, automated investigation, and response. With the collaboration, CRITICALSTART has one of the most comprehensive and complete integrations with Microsoft Defender ATP of any Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider worldwide.

The addition of Microsoft Defender ATP to the technology stack of CRITICALSTART's MDR services is designed for enterprise organizations looking for assistance to combat today's complex and rapidly evolving human and machine-generated security threats.

By integrating CRITICALSTART's MDR with Microsoft Defender ATP, customers will benefit from the reduction of security alerts by 99%. This reduction is important because the rising number of false positives, redundant and overall security alerts causes significant issues for customers. According to a study by IDC, 37% of respondents said they dealt with 10,000 or more alerts every month, 52% of which were false positives.

In addition, unlike some other mobile SOC apps that are simply ticketing systems, the CRITICALSTART MOBILESOC app gives users the ability to isolate machines, initiate endpoint scans, and triage alerts directly from native Android and iOS applications. The ability to quickly gather security information and take action from any location using a mobile device can significantly improve response times and overall cybersecurity effectiveness.

A trusted cybersecurity partner to hundreds of enterprise customers across a variety of industries, CRITICALSTART offers a powerful combination of professional services, strategic product fulfillment, and Zero-Trust MDR services to help customers achieve a mature security posture that meets their specific needs. CRITICALSTART's CYBERSOC, expert security analysts and Zero-Trust Analytics Platform (ZTAP) allows the company to provide MDR services delivered in a transparent process using a mobile-first approach.

"Microsoft invests approximately one billion dollars in cybersecurity every year and is highly committed to developing advanced security technologies that utilize leading security tools for its existing and future offerings," said Rob Davis, CEO at CRITICALSTART. "We share a common goal to positively impact the cybersecurity market with better tools, technology and expertise, and by collaborating with an innovative, industry leader such as Microsoft, we can improve the security posture for millions of organizations."

Ann Johnson, CVP, Cybersecurity Solutions Group, Microsoft Corp. said, "The rapidly changing threat landscape poses a number of challenges for all of us. That's why Microsoft's approach to cybersecurity supports a broad set of collaborations for a heterogeneous world  across our technology, with others in the industry. Partnering with top level security companies such as CRITICALSTART not only helps our customers prevent and protect critical networks from attacks, it also combines MDR services with a 24x7 cybersecurity operations center with a strong security toolset and highly experienced cybersecurity professionals."

About CRITICALSTART

CRITICALSTART is the fastest-growing cybersecurity integrator in North America. Our mission is simple: protect our customers' brands and reduce their business risk. We do this for organizations of all sizes through our award-winning portfolio of end-to-end security services  from security-readiness assessments using our proven framework, the Defendable Network, to the delivery of managed security services, professional services, and product fulfillment. CRITICALSTART has achieved the Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II compliance certification and was named a CRN 2018 Triple Crown Winner. Visit www.criticalstart.com for more information.

SOURCE CRITICALSTART

Related Links

https://www.criticalstart.com/


Cubic's mobile platform will enable passengers to add transit cards to Apple Wallet on iPhone, eliminating the need for a physical transit card. Cubic's Traveler app provides travelers with new tools to manage their transit cards and enhance their journey.

"We are thrilled to be working with Apple to allow customers to ride transit using the Apple devices they carry with them every day," said Bradley H. Feldmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cubic Corporation. "Cubic strives to be at the forefront of creating mobile transit payment solutions and next-generation apps, and we're confident these developments will provide the most efficient way for travelers to pay and go."

"This solution will benefit those who use public transportation for their daily commutes, as well as occasional journeys, by creating convenience and flexibility in their payment options and a seamless and frictionless experience as travelers move through the transit network" said Matt Cole, president of Cubic Transportation Systems. "We look forward to bringing these exciting features to travelers."

Travelers will be able to add transit cards to Apple Wallet, load transit funds, buy fare products and manage their account from the Cubic Traveler app. Cubic's Traveler app will integrate Apple Pay; reloading funds and purchasing tickets will be secure, private and as simple as a glance with Face ID or the touch of a finger with Touch ID on iPhone. All key ticket and pass types will be available for purchase via the Cubic Traveler app.

About Cubic Corporation

Cubic is a technology-driven, market-leading provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries' effectiveness and operational readiness. Our teams innovate to make a positive difference in people's lives. We simplify their daily journeys. We promote mission success and safety for those who serve their nation. For more information about Cubic, please visit www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp .

SOURCE Cubic Corporation

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DALLAS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Deborah Hankinson, widely respected for her work in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), has been selected for the 14th time to D Magazine's list of the Best Lawyers in Dallas.

The 2019 honor recognizes the former Texas Supreme Court Justice's uniquely comprehensive practice in conflict resolution, which includes mediation, early neutral evaluation, arbitration, settlement consulting, and special settlement counsel.

Long known for her mediation and arbitration expertise, Ms. Hankinson's groundbreaking practice features a broad range of consulting and counseling options that take full advantage of her analytical and problem-solving skills. From pre-litigation to post-trial, she advances procedural efficacy and the potential for settlement by providing the right service at the right time.

Her judicial experience and that as a practicing lawyer has provided Ms. Hankinson with the expertise to tackle myriad legal issues in numerous types of lawsuits involving different industries and settings.

Her practice promotes opportunities for problem-solving and resolution at all stages of a dispute by making a range of easily accessible services available to those seeking alternatives to trial. This approach expands traditional mediation and arbitration to offer a new, broad-based resource for solving legal conflicts.

Focusing on litigation avoidance, Ms. Hankinson offers early neutral evaluations to assess the merits of a dispute as a predicate to potential settlement. She also conducts pre-suit mediations and helps clients develop early settlement strategies. Based on her broad expertise, she is often retained as special settlement counsel.

Consistently honored for her ADR work, Ms. Hankinson has earned recognition from The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Texas Super Lawyers, Benchmark Appellate, Texas Lawyer, Dallas Business Journal, Martindale-Hubbell and Lawdragon, in addition to D Magazine. She also has been honored as a Texas Trial Legend by the Dallas Bar Association and was selected to The National Law Journal's inaugural ADR Champions list, recognizing trailblazers from across the nation.

About Deborah Hankinson

Ms. Hankinson's comprehensive conflict resolution practice features problem-solving acuity and guidance at all stages of a dispute, from pre-suit litigation avoidance tools to post-trial settlement strategies. She also consults with clients on how to navigate the arbitration process, optimize arbitration provisions, and choose arbitrators. In addition, she works with clients to draft and revise arbitration clauses and can serve as special settlement counsel. For more information, visit http://www.dhankinson.com.

Media Contact:

Rhonda Reddick

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Deborah Hankinson

Related Links

https://www.dhankinson.com


NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the fact that most Americans have jobs  evidenced by historically low unemployment rates  it appears that the mental well-being of U.S. employees reached a five year low in 2018. According to new research examining nearly a half million people, the proportion of U.S. employees in the analysis with symptoms of depression rose more than 18.0 percent from 2014 to 2018. The analysis was conducted by Happify, a publicly available app and website offering scalable, evidence-based mental health and well-being interventions.

The data also shows a strong correlation between age and the prevalence of depressive symptoms over the past five years, with younger employees experiencing the greatest declines in their mental health, while older workers saw little deterioration in their state of mind. Employees ages 18-24 showed the most severe decline in mental well-being; the increase in the prevalence of symptoms of depression among this demographic was more than double the general population, rising 39 percent over five years. Females of this age had the hardest time, showing the greatest increase in the prevalence of depressive symptoms (up 44 percent), among all age groups. Millennials, ages 25-34, fared somewhat better, although their rates of depressive symptoms increased 24 percent between early 2014 and late 2018.

"Young adulthood is a transitional time when we're often just entering the workforce, figuring out who we are and what we want to do with our lives, which can be very challenging and, for some, can cause very negative psychological reactions while not having yet developed the skills to combat those feelings," said Ran Zilca, chief data scientist for Happify. "What is really interesting about this data is that there has been such a significant downward trend in the mental health of employees in general, and in particular among younger workers, including millennials, over the past five years. While this analysis doesn't tell us if the causes are internal or external to their employment, we know from prior Happify research that younger adults tend to be more stressed and worried about job-related matters than older workers."

The analysis found that the decline in the prevalence of depressive symptoms continually lessens with age. In fact, the oldest age group (55-64) showed a slight improvement in their mental well-being in 2018 compared to 2014. The data also showed an interesting shift in age-related gender differences: while millennial women experienced double the increase in the prevalence of depressive symptoms than their male counterparts, the reverse gender difference was seen among 35-44 year olds, with men's prevalence twice that of women. That trend continued among the older age groups, with men having higher rates of depressive symptoms than women of their age.

"Given the costs of depression for employers  about $210 billion annually and 32 days of lost productivity for each employee with a depressive disorder, this research should raise alarms about the mental health needs of American workers," said Ran Zilca.

Research Details

The research is a retrospective analysis of more than 480,000 first-time Happify users ages 18 to 64, self-identified as employed, that examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms among this population from January 2014 through December 2018. All changes in prevalence of depressive symptoms were calculated as relative percentage changes. Symptoms of depression were evaluated based on Happify's scientifically-validated measure of emotional well-being, which was used to statistically predict Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores. For the purposes of this analysis, individuals with PHQ-9 scores of 10 or above, were considered to have significant symptoms of depression.

About Happify Health

Happify Health, a leader in mental health and wellness technology, breaks down barriers to achieving better emotional health by creating an engaging, stigma-free environment that allows individuals to access digital interventions with any device  at the place and time when it matters most. Its clinical, evidence-based activities and games are designed to preserve the effectiveness of research-tested activities, and its digital, gamification approach helps users create positive change in their lives by developing skills to reduce stress and build resilience. Happify Health uses scientific research from positive psychology, CBT and mindfulness, and combines it with leading-edge technology to impact everyday lives. For more information go to www.happifyhealth.com.

SOURCE Happify Health

Related Links

https://happify.com


"Sullivan Doh has created a name for himself among the international trade community, shedding important light on French spirits," says Michel Casavecchia, Cellar Master of D'USSE. "His vast knowledge of the category, embodiment of French style and sophistication, and contagious passion for the industry makes him the ideal representative for the D'USSE portfolio. We're thrilled to have him join the team to continue communicating the superior quality and craftsmanship of our liquid in the U.S., while he also oversees South Africa, Nigeria and Canada."

Since launching the brand in 2012, D'USSE has experienced continued growth in both categories VSOP and XO. As the first Global Brand Ambassador, Doh will be tasked with continuing the brand's growth trajectory by raising visibility through key trade and consumer programming.

"Cognac has always been a favorite and a focus of mine in my career, and I believe it's one of the best spirits to be born in France," notes Doh, "It's a liquid that remains a key asset behind the bar, and D'USSE is the perfect brand to continue reinvigorating the category. I look forward to using my expertise and leveraging the opportunity to work with a cognac that incorporates its rich history from the prestigious Chateau de Cognac to create compelling consumer programming specifically with today's spirits enthusiasts in mind."

"Sullivan Doh is one of the biggest stars in the world of spirits and cocktails, with an unrivalled passion for French spirits generally and Cognac specifically," explains Jacob Briars, Global Advocacy Director at Bacardi. "We are thrilled to have him join our family of Bacardi Ambassadors, and his energy and enthusiasm are a perfect match for D'USSE as the brand continues to grow at a tremendous rate."

Doh received a bachelor's degree in Catering Management at Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Francaise Gregoire Ferrandi in Paris, before contributing to bar programs of some of the best food and drink institutions around the world in cities such as London, Sydney, and Paris. Prior to his new role with D'USSE, Doh co-founded and managed Le Syndicat Paris  the first cocktail bar in Paris to use only French alcohol to promote and showcase the diversity the country has to offer. Most recently, Doh was part owner and bar manager of La Commune Paris, the first cocktail bar in France to focus on Punch cocktails, using French spirits only. Both establishments have earned recognition among lists of worldwide best cocktail bars.

++

About D'USSE:

D'USSE [dew-say] is a bold new expression of Cognac that dares the palate like never before. Born from the prestigious Chateau de Cognac, France, D'USSE blends over 200 years of tradition with the inspiration of a passionate Cellar Master who set out to create his own legacy. The D'USSE Cognac range consists of VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) and XO (Extra Old) qualities.

For more information please visit www.DUSSE.com

The D'USSE brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.

D'USSE Contact: Nate Cox; [email protected]; 808-551-3461

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.

2019 D'USSE IS A TRADEMARK. COGNAC  40% ALC. BY VOL.

SOURCE D'USSE

Related Links

http://www.DUSSE.com


The plant is expected to be sold in the second quarter of the year.

Covanta Poised to Sell Pittsfield Waste Facility

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Covanta plans sell its waste-to-energy facility on Hubbard Avenue in the coming month.

The company announced its intentions to sell both the Pittsfield and Springfield locations to Community Eco Power during a conference call with investors on Friday. The company expects the sale to be completed by the end of May. The sale comes after the company opted to close another facility in New Jersey.

"While all three plants were well run, they suffered from relatively small sizes and we saw limited opportunities for improved economics under our ownership. We're pleased to have found a new owner for Springfield and Pittsfield, who will focus solely on their operations and will continue to support the local communities," President and CEO Stephen Jones said in a conference call.

According to Director of Communications James Regan, the new buyer intends to continue the plant's operations.

"We saw great value for our employees and the communities we serve," Regan said. "We felt this was the best outcome for our employees and our customers."

The agreement to sell both plants is in place but the closing has not yet occurred. Regan believes the employees currently working at the plant will stay under new ownership, but ultimately, that decision will be left to the new owners.

"It is our understanding that they are happy with the employees," Regan said.

The deal has been worked on for about a month or so, Regan said, but he would not disclose the price. Convanta has been going through a process of "asset rationalization" to improve efficiencies throughout the company and this deal is part of that plan.

The facility is of huge importance to the city of Pittsfield as it is where the city's trash is burned to make steam energy for Crane & Co. and Neenah Technical Materials. The facility was at the brink of closure in 2016 and the city administration estimated it would cost an additional $889,987 to haul the trash elsewhere. The city agreed to fund $562,000 worth of capital repairs at the facility to keep it operating.

On Tuesday, Mayor Linda Tyer said city officials have been at the table with Covanta regarding the sale of the property to both protect that investment as well as to ensure the new owners plan to keep the facility operating.

"Covanta called and asked for a meeting with us and talked about what they've been working on. We were pleased that they let us know well in advance," the mayor said.

"We want to make sure there is no interruption of service in our collection and disposal of our trash. We want to make sure our economic development fund agreement is honored. Those are the things we are focused on and it is my hope that at some point, if the negotiations are successful between Covanta and the new buyer, that we have an opportunity to meet with the new buyers and welcome them to our city."

The agreement in 2016 to release the funds from the GE Economic Development Fund came with a stipulation that the facility remain open for four years or else the company needs to return the money. There is still time left under that agreement.

At the time of the city's investment, the state Legislature included new tax incentives for waste-to-energy facilities in its omnibus energy bill. And Crane & Co., which subcontracts the steam energy with Neenah, renegotiated its contract with Covanta to provide the plant with more revenue.

Covanta officials said at the time that the operations of the plant weren't problematic but rather required capital repairs, particularly repairs to the boiler and a state mandate that recyclables be enclosed, posed a challenge. The city's money was eyed to help with those upgrades.

Tyer said those efforts to keep the plant running are part of what made the facility viable to stay open.

"What we've learned is this particular buyer is especially interested in environmentally sustainable, small-scale facilities like ours. We are lucky that Covanta remains viable and profitable because of the investment we made to help them make those upgrades that were necessary. That is what makes, among other things, the facility a viable option for a new buyer," she said.

Regan agreed, saying the plant was in a different condition when the company first eyed closure. The facility has much improved since that first decision.

Tyer said she has not met with the new buyer yet but that she isn't worried, noting that other entities owned the facility before Covanta.

"These kinds of transitions happen. Before Covanta owned it, it was owned by another entity. It doesn't concern me so much that there is a sale taking place, especially because we are at the table," Tyer said.

The facility is one of the smallest and oldest that Covanta runs. It incinerates about 85,000 tons of waste per year. During the conference call, Jones said the benefit of the company divesting in the Pittsfield plant is to allow Covanta to focus on its larger plants.

"This is an opportunity to really focus, and one of the things I've been pushing is focusing on our bigger, more profitable plants with our management talent," Jones said.

The local facility was built by Vicon Construction Co. Inc., which was affiliated with Enercon Systems Inc., on the 5.8 acres of land. The city had then sought out a facility for trash and, at the same time, Crane & Co. was identified as a buyer for the energy. It went into operation in 1981 and in 1994 it was sold to Energy Answers.

In 2007, Covanta Energy Corp. purchased Energy Answers and the facility. Covanta has operated it since.
PARIS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Eatwith, the world's largest community for authentic culinary experiences with locals, has announced that Ken Frohling will join the team as Global Head of Business Development, effective immediately.

Ken brings more than 25 years of experience in travel and experience-focused business development and sales to Eatwith, and will be responsible for developing and expanding partnerships with the travel industry, content and media partners.

Prior to joining Eatwith, Frohling was the Vice President of Global Partnerships for TripAdvisor Attractions, as well as a member of the executive management team at Viator.com (acquired by TripAdvisor in 2014). During his 12-year tenure at Viator.com, Ken managed an expansive global network of more than 2,000 distribution partners - from major international airlines to online travel agencies and hotel companies - which significantly contributed to the company's global success.

Frohling is a well-established name in the travel industry, having held previous positions as a Strategic Advisor at Tiqets.com, Country Manager Americas for Cendant Corporation (HotelClub.com and RatesToGo.com), Director of Sales at Atinera, and Regional Sales Manager at Renaissance Cruises.

Commenting on his appointment as Global Head of Business Development, Frohling said: "Helping travel companies discover and provide unique experiences for their customers has been a long-time passion for me. I am very excited to share the word of social dining and culinary experiences with my travel industry partners and look forward to joining the Eatwith team."

Eatwith Co-Founder and CEO Jean-Michel Petit said: "We are delighted to welcome Ken to Eatwith. His great experience and business acumen will be instrumental in accelerating the deployment of our unique immersive food experiences across the world."

Frohling will be based in the United States. He commences his role on April 29, 2019 and can be contacted on [email protected] .

About Eatwith:

Eatwith is the world's largest community for culinary experiences, in over 130 countries. From a dinner party in an elegant Paris home, to a food tour on the streets of London, or a cooking class in Tokyo, Eatwith connects hand-selected local hosts with people seeking unique food experiences.

Previously known as VizEat, Eatwith was founded in 2014 and was named one of Apple's "Best apps of" 2016 and 2017.

Contact:

KIMBERLEE OO

[email protected]

SOURCE Eatwith

Related Links

https://www.eatwith.com/


NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan, April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- EirGenix, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with global generic and biosimilar drug manufacturer Sandoz AG, granting an exclusive license to Sandoz for right of commercialization of EirGenix 's breast cancer biosimilar drug, EG12014 (Trastuzumab Biosimilar to Roche / Genentech's Herceptin) globally with the exception of Taiwan and mainland China. According to the terms of the agreement, EirGenix will receive an upfront payment, milestone payments, and is entitled to receive profit share payments for sales in the territory. The signing of this agreement is one of the most significant achievements for EirGenix's product development business since the company's establishment, and represents an exciting moment for Taiwan's biotech industry.

Sandoz is a Novartis division, and a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars and a pioneer in the emerging field of prescription digital therapeutics. Sandoz has a long history and extensive experience in the development and commercialization of biosimilar and cancer drugs in markets such as Europe and the United States. The collaboration between EirGenix and Sandoz will leverage the combined strength of EirGenix 's R&D of biosimilar drugs, with Sandoz's substantial experience in global drug sales and advantages in market access. This collaboration will be conducive to EirGenix 's market development and expansion in the pharmaceutical market and will be extremely positive for EirGenix 's financial and business development as the collaboration will enhance the visibility and competitiveness of its products in the global market, which would thereby improve the company's overall operating scale and profitability. With the successful market entry of EG12014, HER2-positive breast cancer patients will benefit from more treatment options.

EG12014 (Trastuzumab biosimilar) has entered a global Phase 3 clinical trial (Study No.: EGC002) which has been to date approved to conduct such trial by ten regulatory authorities including the U.S. FDA, Taiwan TFDA, as well as the authorities in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, South Africa, Georgia, South Korea, India and Chile. A total of 800 breast cancer patients will be enrolled for this Phase 3 clinical trial, and the primary endpoint analysis is expected to be completed in the second half of 2020 to support the product registration. According to Roche's 2018 annual report, Herceptin's global sales amounted to 6.982 billion Swiss Francs. Herceptin tops the list in drug spending by Taiwan's National Health Insurance, with an annual expenditure of nearly NT$3 billion.

EirGenix, Inc. has utilized reverse engineering technology in developing its four biosimilar products. In addition to the two antibody biosimilars for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancers, there are two other anti-angiogenesis biosimilar drugs in development. EirGenix recently opened its commercial mass production facility in Zhubei, Taiwan, and aims to complete multiple batches of commercial-scale productions in 2019. In terms of CDMO business, it already reached break-even point in the first-half of 2016 and the revenue grew more than 35 fold since 2013 and is expected to steadily drive its revenue growth in the coming year. It is without a doubt that through its diligent pursuit of rapid business innovation, EirGenix has become one of the fastest growing companies in Taiwan's biotech/pharmaceutical industry.

Media contact:

Dr. Chih-Jung Chang

Tel: 886-2-7708-0123

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.eirgenix.com

SOURCE EirGenix, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.eirgenix.com


ROCKLAND, Mass., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada, today announced that data from across its multiple sclerosis (MS) portfolio will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2019 Annual Meeting, May 4-10, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA. The company will present a total of 20 abstracts (18 posters and two platform presentations), including data on MAVENCLAD (cladribine) tablets, the investigational therapy evobrutinib (an oral, selective Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitor) and Rebif (interferon beta-1a).

"The wealth of data to be presented at AAN 2019 highlights our continued progress across our portfolio of marketed products and investigational agents in multiple sclerosis," said Luciano Rossetti, Head of Global Research & Development at EMD Serono. "We are very proud of our commitment to further the understanding of multiple sclerosis and enhance our clinical development program to meet the needs of patients."

Key MAVENCLAD data will include:

Post-hoc analysis of the CLARITY Extension study to examine the durability of no evidence of disease activity-3 (NEDA-3) in relapsing MS (RMS) patients receiving cladribine tablets

Integrated analysis of pooled long-term safety data of cladribine tablets in patients with MS collated from the CLARITY, CLARITY Extension, ORACLE-MS studies and the PREMIERE registry

A new analysis of the speed of onset of the MRI effect is presented. At 3 months the effect on new inflammatory lesions was apparent in the ORACLE-MS study. In the same study consistency in clinical outcomes was observed across different patient subgroups defined by patient and disease characteristics at baseline

Abstracts from the ORACLE-MS study describe the effect of cladribine tablets on early MS

Results from studies investigating the biological effects of cladribine tablets, including the effect on lymphocyte proliferation, and endothelial responsiveness to tumor necrosis factor and its effect on hematopoietic precursors and immune cells, to offer further insights on the potential mode of action of cladribine tablets

Key evobrutinib data will include:

Results of analysis of the efficacy and safety of evobrutinib in patients with RMS over 48 Weeks: a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study

Key Rebif data will include:

Investigation from the European Interferon Beta (IFN) pregnancy registry and Nordic health study into the prevalence of pregnancy outcomes in IFN-exposed women

Results from the IMPROVE study on the dynamics of pseudo-atrophy in RMS patients treated with interferon beta-1a as assessed by monthly brain MRI

EMD Serono will also be announcing the launch of a new, collaborative MS research network called 'MS-LINK' (Leadership and Innovation Network), an initiative that brings together a community of multiple sclerosis stakeholders to form a scientific foundation for sustainable transformation of MS care, with the shared goal of improving patient outcomes.

Below is a selection of abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at AAN 2019:

All Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the EMD Group Website. In case you are a resident of the USA or Canada please go to www.emdgroup.com/subscribe to register for your online subscription of this service as our geo-targeting requires new links in the email. You may later change your selection or discontinue this service.

About MAVENCLAD

MAVENCLAD, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 29, 2019, is the first and only short-course oral therapy for the treatment of adults with relapsing-remitting disease (RRMS) and active secondary progressive disease (SPMS). Because of its safety profile, use of MAVENCLAD is generally recommended for patients who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, an alternate drug indicated for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), and MAVENCLAD is not recommended for use in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Patients should follow healthcare provider instructions including cancer screening, contraception and blood tests. The approved dose of MAVENCLAD is 3.5 mg per kg body weight over two years, administered as one treatment course of 1.75 mg per kg per year, each consisting of two treatment weeks. The mechanism by which cladribine exerts its therapeutic effects in patients with multiple sclerosis has not been fully elucidated but is thought to involve cytotoxic effects on B and T lymphocytes through impairment of DNA synthesis, resulting in depletion of lymphocytes. MAVENCLAD causes a dose-dependent reduction in lymphocyte counts followed by recovery.

Because cladribine is cytotoxic, special handling and disposal instructions should be followed.

MAVENCLAD has been approved in over 50 countries, including the European Union (EU), Canada, Australia and Switzerland, for various relapsing MS indications. Visit www.MAVENCLAD.com for more information.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

BOXED WARNING: MALIGNANCIES and RISK OF TERATOGENICITY

Treatment with MAVENCLAD may increase the risk of malignancy. MAVENCLAD is contraindicated in patients with current malignancy; evaluate the benefits and risks of the use of MAVENCLAD on an individual patient basis for patients with prior or increased risk of malignancy.

MAVENCLAD is contraindicated for use in pregnant women and in women and men of reproductive potential who do not plan to use effective contraception because of the potential for fetal harm.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

current malignancy.

pregnancy, and women and men of reproductive potential who do not plan to use effective contraception during MAVENCLAD dosing and for 6 m after the last dose in each treatment course.

after the last dose in each treatment course. human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

active chronic infections (e.g., hepatitis or tuberculosis).

history of hypersensitivity to cladribine.

breastfeeding while taking MAVENCLAD and for 10 days after the last dose.

DOSING CONSIDERATIONS: After the completion of 2 treatment courses, do not administer additional MAVENCLAD during the next 2 years. The risk of malignancy with reinitiating MAVENCLAD more than 2 years after completion of 2 treatment courses has not been studied.

ADDITIONAL WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Lymphopenia: In clinical studies, 87% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients experienced lymphopenia. Concomitant use of MAVENCLAD with hematotoxic drugs may increase the risk of adverse reactions because of the additive hematological effects. Monitor lymphocyte counts before and during treatment, periodically thereafter, and when clinically indicated.

In clinical studies, 87% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients experienced lymphopenia. Concomitant use of MAVENCLAD with hematotoxic drugs may increase the risk of adverse reactions because of the additive hematological effects. Monitor lymphocyte counts before and during treatment, periodically thereafter, and when clinically indicated. Infections: Infections occurred in 49% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients compared to 44% of patients treated with placebo in clinical studies. The most frequent serious infections included herpes zoster and pyelonephritis. Single fatal cases of tuberculosis and fulminant hepatitis B were reported in the clinical program. Administer live-attenuated or live vaccines at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to starting MAVENCLAD. Screen patients for latent infections; consider delaying treatment until infection is fully controlled. Vaccinate patients antibody-negative to varicella zoster virus prior to treatment. Monitor for infections.

Infections occurred in 49% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients compared to 44% of patients treated with placebo in clinical studies. The most frequent serious infections included herpes zoster and pyelonephritis. Single fatal cases of tuberculosis and fulminant hepatitis B were reported in the clinical program. Administer live-attenuated or live vaccines at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to starting MAVENCLAD. Screen patients for latent infections; consider delaying treatment until infection is fully controlled. Vaccinate patients antibody-negative to varicella zoster virus prior to treatment. Monitor for infections. Hematologic Toxicity : Mild to moderate decreases in neutrophil counts, hemoglobin levels, and platelet counts were observed. Severe decreases in neutrophil counts were observed in 3.6% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients, compared to 2.8% of placebo patients. Obtain complete blood count (CBC) with differential including lymphocyte count before and during treatment, periodically thereafter, and when clinically indicated.

: Mild to moderate decreases in neutrophil counts, hemoglobin levels, and platelet counts were observed. Severe decreases in neutrophil counts were observed in 3.6% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients, compared to 2.8% of placebo patients. Obtain complete blood count (CBC) with differential including lymphocyte count before and during treatment, periodically thereafter, and when clinically indicated. Risk of Graft-versus-Host Disease With Blood Transfusions : Irradiation of cellular blood components is recommended.

: Irradiation of cellular blood components is recommended. Liver Injury : Obtain liver function tests prior to treatment. Discontinue MAVENCLAD if significant injury is suspected.

: Obtain liver function tests prior to treatment. Discontinue MAVENCLAD if significant injury is suspected. Hypersensitivity: In clinical studies, 11% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients had hypersensitivity reactions, compared to 7% of placebo patients. Serious hypersensitivity reactions occurred in 0.5% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients, compared to 0.1% of placebo patients. If a hypersensitivity reaction is suspected, discontinue treatment. Do not use MAVENCLAD in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to cladribine.

Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions with an incidence of >20% for MAVENCLAD are upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and lymphopenia.

Drug Interactions/Concomitant Medication: Concomitant use of MAVENCLAD with immunosuppressive or myelosuppressive drugs and some immunomodulatory drugs (e.g., interferon beta) is not recommended and may increase the risk of adverse reactions. Avoid concomitant use of certain antiviral and antiretroviral drugs. Avoid concomitant use of BCRP or ENT/CNT inhibitors as they may alter bioavailability of MAVENCLAD.

Please see the full Prescribing Information, including boxed WARNING for additional information.

About Evobrutinib

Evobrutinib (M2951) is in clinical development to investigate its potential as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It is an oral, highly specific inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) which is important in the development and functioning of various immune cells including B lymphocytes and macrophages. Evobrutinib is designed to inhibit primary B cell responses such as proliferation and antibody and cytokine release, without directly affecting T cells. BTK inhibition is thought to suppress autoantibody-producing cells, which preclinical research suggests may be therapeutically useful in certain autoimmune diseases. Evobrutinib is currently under clinical investigation and not approved for any use anywhere in the world.

About Rebif (interferon beta-1a)

Rebif (interferon beta-1a) is used to treat relapsing forms of MS to decrease the frequency of relapses and delay the occurrence of some of the physical disability that is common in people with MS. The efficacy and safety of Rebif in controlled clinical trials beyond 2-years has not been established.

Important Safety Information:

Rebif is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to natural or recombinant interferon beta, human albumin, or any other component of the formulation.

Rebif should be used with caution in patients with depression, a condition that is common in people with multiple sclerosis. Depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts have been reported to occur with increased frequency in patients receiving interferon compounds, including Rebif.

Severe liver injury, including some cases of hepatic failure requiring liver transplantation, has been reported rarely in patients taking Rebif. The potential for liver injury should be considered when used in combination with other products associated with liver injury. Monitor liver function tests and patients for signs and symptoms of hepatic injury. Consider discontinuing Rebif if hepatic injury occurs.

Anaphylaxis and other allergic reactions (some severe) have been reported as a rare complication of Rebif. Discontinue Rebif if anaphylaxis occurs.

In controlled clinical trials, injection site reactions occurred more frequently in Rebif-treated patients than in placebo-treated and Avonex-treated patients. Injection site reactions including injection site pain, erythema, edema, cellulitis, abscess, and necrosis have been reported in the postmarketing setting. Do not administer Rebif into affected area until fully healed; if multiple lesions occur, discontinue Rebif until skin lesions are healed.

Decreased peripheral blood counts in all cell lines, including pancytopenia, have been reported in Rebif-treated patients. In controlled clinical trials, leukopenia occurred at a higher frequency in Rebif-treated patients than in placebo and Avonex-treated patients. Thrombocytopenia and anemia occurred more frequently in 44 mcg Rebif-treated patients than in placebo-treated patients. Patients should be monitored for symptoms or signs of decreased blood counts. Monitoring of complete blood and differential white blood cell counts is also recommended.

Cases of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), some fatal, have been reported with interferon beta products, including Rebif, up to several weeks or years after starting therapy. Discontinue Rebif if clinical symptoms and laboratory findings consistent with TMA occur, and manage as clinically indicated.

Caution should be exercised when administering Rebif to patients with pre-existing seizure disorders. Seizures have been temporally associated with the use of beta interferons, including Rebif, in clinical trials and in postmarketing reports.

The most common side effects with Rebif are injection-site disorders, headaches, influenza-like symptoms, abdominal pain, depression, elevated liver enzymes, and hematologic abnormalities.

There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Rebif should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Rebif full prescribing information is available at http://www.emdserono.com/ms.country.us/en/images/Rebif_PI_tcm115_140051.pdf?Version=

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the central nervous system and is the most common non-traumatic, disabling neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that approximately 2.3 million people have MS worldwide. While symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of MS include blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and coordination. The relapsing forms of MS are the most common.

EMD Serono, Inc. and Multiple Sclerosis

For more than 20 years, EMD Serono has been relentlessly focused on understanding the journey people living with MS face in order to create a meaningful, positive experience for them and the broader MS community. However, there is still much that is unknown about this complex and unpredictable disease. EMD Serono is digging deeper to advance the science.

About EMD Serono, Inc.

EMD Serono - the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada - is engaged in the discovery, research and development of medicines for patients with difficult to treat diseases. The business is committed to transforming lives by developing and delivering meaningful solutions that help address the therapeutic and support needs of individual patients. Building on a proven legacy and deep expertise in neurology, fertility and endocrinology, EMD Serono is developing potential new oncology and immuno-oncology medicines while continuing to explore potential therapeutic options for diseases such as psoriasis, lupus and MS. Today, the business has approximately 1,300 employees around the country with commercial, clinical and research operations based in the company's home state of Massachusetts. www.emdserono.com

Contact:

Alice McGrail: +1 781 738 8791

SOURCE EMD Serono
DUBLIN, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Cannabis Testing Market to 2025 - Regional Analysis and Forecasts by Type; Services; End User and Country" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Europe cannabis testing market is expected to reach US$ 807.9 Mn in 2025 from US$ 361.6 Mn in 2017. The market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 10.8% from 2018-2025.

The growth of the cannabis testing market is primarily attributed to the European government is funding cannabis education for doctors, and increasing demand for research activities for cannabis quality. However, cannabis used as a street drug and trouble with CBD oil are likely to pose a negative impact on the market growth. On the other hand, cannabinoid testing in Europe is likely to have a positive impact on the growth of the Europe cannabis testing market in the coming years.



The growing number of countries are adopting medical cannabis laws but the governmental officials are rare that encouraging healthcare professionals to become educated about cannabis plant medicines. On the use of cannabis in clinical practice, to instruct local healthcare providers, various cannabis experts were invited to Macedonia, in 2016. The program was held in Skopje and was supported and funded by the Macedonian Ministry of Health.



Cannabis provides the unique opportunities in Macedonia, where the medical system is in a stage of evolution and modernization. Local medical specialists are now able to prescribe cannabis in the country. Considering this, Macedonian cannabis promoters worked with local governments and created the medical cannabis training program in an effort to support doctors and their patients.



Currently, the impetus of the Macedonian medical cannabis movement is moving quickly, and the public opinion on cannabis has also changed dramatically in the region. The medical marijuana resolution in the region urges the Commission and member states to address regulatory, financial and cultural barriers which burden scientific research and invite them to fund research. Thus, due to the above advancements, the cannabis testing market is expected to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period.



In 2017, the product segment held a largest market share of 73.7% of the cannabis testing market, by type. This segment is also expected to dominate the market in 2025 owing diverse portfolio of cannabis testing products to the healthcare industry for innovations in the technologies. Moreover, the same segment is also expected to witness the highest CAGR in the market accounting to 11.1% in 2018 to 2015 owing to increasing analytical services and medicinal cannabis services in testing cannabis.



Europe cannabis testing market, based on services was segmented into potency testing, microbial analysis, residual solvent screening, heavy metal testing, pesticide screening, terpene profiling, and genetic testing. The potency testing segment is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period.



The testing laboratory segment held a largest market share of 49.2% of the cannabis testing market, by end user. This segment is also expected to dominate the market in 2025 owing to increasing number of diagnostic testing performed in the reference labs for the numerous diseases.



Some of the major primary and secondary sources for cannabis testing included in the report are



Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS)

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

German Research Foundation (DFG)

European Research Area (ERA)

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)

Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA)

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO),

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Key Topics Covered:



Part 1. Introduction

1.1 Scope of the Study

1.2 Report Guidance



Part 2. Europe Cannabis Testing Market - Key Takeaways



Part 3. Europe Cannabis Testing Market - Market Landscape

3.1 Overview

3.2 Market Segmentation

3.3 Pest Analysis



Part 4. Europe Cannabis Testing Market - Key Market Dynamics

4.1 Key Market Drivers

4.1.1 European Government Is Funding Cannabis Education For Doctors

4.1.2 Increasing Demand For Research Activities For Cannabis Quality

4.2 Key Market Restraints

4.2.1 Cannabis Used As a Street Drug

4.2.2 Trouble With Cbd Oil

4.3 Key Market Opportunities

4.3.1 Cannabinoid Testing In Europe

4.4 Future Trends

4.4.1 Advances In Cannabis Testing Equipments

4.5 Impact Analysis



Part 5. Cannabis Market - Europe Analysis

5.1 Europe Cannabis Market Revenue Forecasts and Analysis

5.2 Market Positioning

5.3 Performance of Key Players

5.4 Expert Opinions



Part 6. Europe Cannabis Market Analysis - by Type

6.1 Overview

6.2 Europe Cannabis Market, by Type, 2017 & 2025 (%)

6.3 Europe Cannabis Market Revenue and Forecasts To 2025, by Type (US$ Mn)

6.4 Product Market

6.4.1 Overview

6.4.2 Europe Product Market Revenue and Forecasts To 2025 (US$ Mn)

6.4.3 Analytical Instruments Market

6.4.3.1 Overview

6.4.3.2 Europe Analytical Instruments Market Revenue and Forecasts To 2025 (US$ Mn)

6.4.3.3 Chromatography Instruments Market

6.4.3.3.1 Overview

6.4.3.3.2 Europe Chromatography Instruments Market Revenue and Forecasts To 2025 (US$ Mn)

6.4.3.3.3 Liquid Chromatography Market

6.4.3.3.4 Gas Chromatography Market

6.4.3.4 Spectroscopy Market

6.4.3.4.3 Mass Spectrometry Market

6.4.3.4.4 Atomic Spectrometry Market

6.4.4 Consumables Market

6.4.4.1 Overview

6.4.4.2 Europe Consumables Market Revenue and Forecasts To 2025 (US$ Mn)

6.4.4.3 Chromatography Columns Market

6.4.4.4 Standard & CRMS Market

6.4.4.5 Supplies and Accessories Market

6.4.5 Software Market



Part 7. Europe Cannabis Testing Market Analysis - by Service

7.1 Overview

7.2 Europe Cannabis Market, by Service, 2017 & 2025 (%)

7.3 Europe Cannabis Market Revenue and Forecasts To 2025, by Service (US$ Mn)

7.4 Potency Testing Market

7.5 Terpene Profiling Testing Market

7.6 Pesticide Screening Market

7.7 Residual Solvent Testing Market

7.9 Microbial Analysis Market

7.10 Genetic Testing Market



Part 8. Europe Cannabis Testing Market Analysis - by End User

8.1 Overview

8.2 Europe Cannabis Market, by End User, 2017 & 2025 (%)

8.3 Europe Cannabis Market Revenue and Forecasts To 2025, by End User (US$ Mn)

8.4 Testing Laboratories Market

8.5 Drug Manufacturers Market

8.6 Research Institutes Market



Part 9. Europe Cannabis Testing Market Revenue and Forecasts To 2025



Part 10. Cannabis Testing Market -Industry Landscape

10.1 Overview

10.2 Growth Strategies In the Cannabis Testing Market, 2016-2018

10.3 Organic Developments

10.4 Organic Growth Strategies In the Cannabis Testing Market, 2016-2018

10.5 Product Launch

10.6 Product Approval

10.7 Others

10.8 Inorganic Developments

10.9 Inorganic Growth Strategies In the Cannabis Testing Market, 2016-2018

10.10 Acquisitions

10.11 Agreements

10.12 Collaborations



Part 11. Cannabis Market-Key Company Profiles



Agilent Technologies

PerkinElmer, Inc.

Shimadzu Corporation

SCIEX

Merck KGaA

Restek Corporation

Waters

CannaSafe Analytics

Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc.

Digipath Labs.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2sp1v1





Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


STOCKHOLM, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On the 12th of February 2019 Ocean Yield ASA entered into an option agreement with Aker Energy AS ("Aker Energy") for a long-term bareboat charter of the FPSO Dhirubhai-1. The initial option period expires on 1st of May 2019 with an extension period of up to 30 days against an additional compensation.

Aker Energy has today exercised its option to extend the initial option period by 30 days.

Company contact:

Eirik Eide (CFO), Tel +47 24 13 01 91

Investor Relations contact:

Marius Magelie (SVP Finance & IR), Tel +47 24 13 01 82

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/ocean-yield/r/extension-of-option-for-long-term-charter-with-aker-energy-for-the-fpso-dhirubhai-1,c2800837

SOURCE Ocean Yield
DUBLIN and DUBAI, UAE, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Fenergo, the leading provider of digital Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions for financial institutions, has appointed financial services industry veteran, Cormac Sheedy as Head of Sales for Middle East & Africa (MENA). Cormac will join Sean Moore, Head of MENA and Fenergo's existing team in Dubai and brings 25 years' experience to the role. Cormac will deliver on Fenergo's strategic objective to provide innovative CLM solutions that streamline compliance processes and digitally transform client journeys.

In line with Fenergo's ongoing MENA expansion the company is now fully licensed by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC); an innovative financial hub for businesses in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Fenergo will relocate to DIFC's fintech accelerator, the Fintech Hive.

Fenergo will work closely with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regional banks and large financial institutions to deliver out-of-the box API-first CLM solutions. With increasing scrutiny on regulatory compliance in the region, financial institutions will benefit from Fenergo's deep expertise in Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundering (AML) and market-leading regulatory rules engine. Coupled with Fenergo's regulatory community-based approach to product development, customers will become future proofed against upcoming regulation while optimising customer experiences.

Marc Murphy, CEO, Fenergo, said: "Until recently MENA has lagged behind somewhat in terms of regulatory compliance. However, due to the onset of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), the Dubai Financial Services Authority and other regulators are applying increased scrutiny to financial institutions. There is the expectation that firms will need to increase their investment in regtech applications in order to adhere to regulatory requirements and reduce financial crime. As we respond to market demand, Cormac's in-depth knowledge and experience of MENA financial services along with our DIFC alliance will be invaluable."

Cormac Sheedy, Head of Sales, MENA, Fenergo said, "Many of the world's largest and the region's most established financial institutions now have a presence in the DIFC, and it's imperative to ensure they're adhering to international regulatory standards. The growing focus on regulation and compliance in the region has created an unprecedented demand for fintech and regulation technology, which provides enormous opportunities for growth. I'm very excited to be joining Fenergo, a recognised world leader in the regtech space, and am looking forward to helping grow the company's presence across the MENA region"

Prior to joining Fenergo, Cormac Sheedy held senior positions with Invesco Asset Management, Fidelity and Royal Bank of Canada, and most recently at Jersey Finance Limited.

About Fenergo (www.fenergo.com)

Fenergo is the digital enabler of client and regulatory technology for financial services. It provides digital Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) software solutions for Financial Institutions including; Corporate & Institutional Banking, Commercial & Retail Banking, Asset Management & Asset Servicing, Private Banking & Wealth Management. Counting 70+ global Financial Institutions as clients, its award-winning CLM suite digitally transforms how Financial Institutions manage clients; from initial onboarding to KYC/AML and regulatory compliance, to data management and ongoing lifecycle KYC reviews and refreshes. Fenergo CLM empowers financial institutions to deliver a faster, compliant and digital customer experience while achieving a single client view across channels, products, business lines and jurisdictions.

Fenergo's community-based approach to product development allows clients to collaborate on solution design on a global scale. Its rules-driven solution ensures compliance with multiple global and local regulatory frameworks including AML, KYC, SFTR, Tax (CRS, FATCA, 871M), OTC Derivatives (EMIR, Dodd-Frank, MiFID II, Margin Requirements) and data privacy rules (GDPR). It supports the collection, centralization and sharing of client and counterparty data and documentation across the institution and deploys an API-first approach to advanced integration with a host of external KYC, AML and entity data providers, KYC and industry utilities. The solution is underpinned by next generation Artificial Intelligence, Robotics Process Automation and Machine Learning technologies, using advanced OCR and NLP capabilities to extract information, expedite compliance and improve operational efficiencies.

SOURCE Fenergo
TALLINN, Estonia, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pipedrive, the first CRM platform developed from the salesperson's point of view, today announced that it has been recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe within the 2019 FT 1000 report . Pipedrive is ranked at 168 and is one of only three Estonian-founded companies honored in the report.

Published by the Financial Times in partnership with Statista, the FT 1000 2019 report lists the companies in 31 European countries that have achieved the highest annual growth rates in revenue between 2014 and 2017.

Timo Rein, CEO of Pipedrive, comments, "We are humbled by this recognition. This achievement was made possible, first and foremost, by our people who are relentlessly dedicated to providing sales teams with intuitive, powerful, visual 'sales software as a service.' Pipedrive was built by sales people for sales people -- and developed from the salesperson's point of view. At Pipedrive, we focus on daily improvement by listening to our customers and anticipating their needs. To listen, anticipate and take action-- that takes great people."

Pipedrive is the first CRM platform developed from the salesperson's point of view. Pipedrive's goal is to make sales success inevitable - for individual salespeople and teams.

About the FT 1000 Criteria:

To be included in the list of fastest growing companies in Europe, a company had to meet the following criteria:

Revenue of at least 100,000 generated in 2014

Revenue of at least 1.5m generated in 2017

The company is independent (the company is not a subsidiary or branch office of any kind)

The company is headquartered in one of 32 European countries

The revenue growth between 2014 and 2017 was primarily organic (e.g. "internally" stimulated)

Companies from these countries were eligible to participate: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

About Pipedrive Inc.

Founded in 2010, Pipedrive is the first CRM platform developed from the salesperson's point of view. Today, Pipedrive is used by sales teams at over 85,000 companies worldwide. Honored as a leading innovative technology company, Pipedrive has offices in Tallinn, London, Lisbon, New York, Tartu, and Prague, and has raised $90 million in funding. Learn more at Pipedrive.com.

SOURCE Pipedrive.com
WASHINGTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- One out of every five residents in Florida is an immigrant. Yet, with an anti-immigrant bill making its way through Florida's state legislature, it could become one of the most anti-immigrant states in the country.

A new study found that despite the increasing threats to Florida's immigrants, the country's top grantmakers have not prioritized the state's immigrant justice movement.

Geographic regions where threats to immigrant communities are high received disproportionally low foundation grant dollars in 2014-2016. (PRNewsfoto/National Committee for Responsi)

Hundreds of foundations gathering in Miami this week for the Council on Foundations' annual conference have an opportunity to sharpen and deepen their commitment to a future where all communities  including immigrants and refugees  thrive.

A history of under-investment

Research by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP)'s new Movement Investment Project indicates that in the years prior to the 2016 elections, barely 1% of grants by the largest 1,000 U.S. foundations was intended to benefit immigrants and refugees.

Only a very small portion of that foundation funding went to states and regions where the threats to immigrants and refugees were highest.

For example, Florida sees almost six times as many deportations as New York or Illinois and yet received only a fraction of grant dollars per immigrant.

The state's grantmakers accounted for 33% of the total funding for Florida's immigrant justice movement. Foundations outside Florida accounted for the rest.

"The history of this country shows that systems like racism and xenophobia can only be changed through diverse and courageous segments of our society, including philanthropy, supporting vibrant social movements led by those most affected," wrote Maria Rodriguez, executive director of Florida Immigrant Coalition, in a commentary for the Miami Herald.

Promising sign

During the first half of the Trump presidency, NCRP's small, but representative, sampling of pro-immigrant groups across the country found that more than 60 foundations that had not funded the movement in previous years provided new grants to these groups in 2017 and 2018.

However, the "State of Foundation Funding for the Pro-Immigrant Movement" found that the movement's new funders represented only a fraction of philanthropic dollars going to pro-immigrant movement groups. About 90% of 2017-2018 foundation funding in the NCRP sample set came from existing movement funders giving larger grants.

NCRP's extensive interviews with movement leaders as well as quantitative data from Foundation Center identified a large gap between the small pool of funders and the urgent and long-term threats that immigrant communities face.

According to NCRP, there are two specific areas where philanthropic investments can go a long way to fill these gaps:

Funding state- and local-level organizing to strengthen and grow immigrant communities' ability to defend against threats such as deportations and anti-immigrant policies.

to strengthen and grow immigrant communities' ability to defend against threats such as deportations and anti-immigrant policies. Explicitly identifying immigrants and refugees as constituencies in supporting a broad range of issues such as criminal justice, children and youth, health, gender equity and more.

Opportunities for foundations and donors to invest in a vibrant, inclusive future

According to the NCRP's research, pro-immigrant movement leaders have five recommendations for funders:

Give long-term, flexible and capacity building support to frontline groups. Fund organizing and services to address short-term needs while seeking long-term solutions. Help grantees access 501(c)4 dollars so they can use a greater range of strategies. Work with other funders to ensure that all aspects of the movement have adequate resources and to fund across different social issues. Deploy philanthropic social capital and networks.

"Philanthropy can't stay on the sidelines as community-powered organizations are holding the line, working to move us closer towards a safer, healthier and stronger future," said Aaron Dorfman, chief executive of NCRP. "Funders need to seize the moment because a country where immigrants thrive is one where we all thrive."

About the Movement Investment Project

NCRP's Movement Investment Project is a multi-year initiative that will help grantmakers and donors understand the relationship between their giving and the success of social justice movements at the center of critical national debates. The focus for the project's first year is the pro-immigrant and refugee movements.

About NCRP

For more than 40 years, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy has been amplifying the voice of nonprofits and the communities they serve in the philanthropic sector. Through research and advocacy, it works to ensure that grantmakers and donors contribute to the creation of a fair, just and equitable world. For more information, visit www.ncrp.org.

SOURCE National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

Related Links

https://www.ncrp.org


HOUSTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Flotek Industries, Inc. ("Flotek" or the "Company") (NYSE: FTK) is pleased to announce Mark Lewis has joined the organization as Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Business Development. In this role, he will lead the Company's domestic and international sales and business development strategies, as well as oversee the delivery of Flotek's products and services to its clients.

A global leader with more than 35 years' experience, Mark joins the Company from Baker Hughes, where he led business units, strategic accounts and teams in the Americas, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe. His experience includes developing strategies to provide technology-driven products and services to upstream and downstream oil and gas operators, including Independents, Super Majors and National Oil Companies (NOCs). Within this capacity, Mark served as Vice President of Global Accounts, where he developed global strategies for strategic accounts; Managing Director for North Arabia, where he was responsible for all product technology offerings and services of Baker Hughes in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain; and Vice President for Upstream Chemicals, where he oversaw business development, technology, operations and technical support for the global business unit. Prior to these positions, Mark served in a variety of sales and leadership roles around the world at chemical manufacturer and service provider Petrolite.

"Mark is a strong global leader with a well-established history of driving revenue growth across business units, geographies and product lines. He brings a unique combination of skills that will advance Flotek's domestic and international market opportunities, including business development and strategic planning, technical understanding and operational execution. Additionally, Mark's experience in developing creative and customized strategic partnerships with E&Ps makes him ideally suited for this role. We welcome him to our team, and look forward to his contributions to further drive our reservoir-centric chemistries to help our clients enhance and improve their performance," said John W. Chisholm, Flotek's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

"It is a privilege to join the incredibly talented Flotek team and an organization that has some of the most advanced technology offerings and capabilities that I have seen. Flotek is at the leading edge of combining data analytics and chemistry to deliver unprecedented value to its clients through its Prescriptive Chemistry Management platform (PCM). This approach is quite unique, and working directly with our clients will help solve the increasingly complex challenges that they face in maximizing productivity from their assets," said Lewis.

Mark received a Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham and a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Leeds. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

About Flotek Industries, Inc.

Flotek develops and delivers prescriptive, reservoir-centric chemistry technologies to oil and gas clients designed to address every challenge in the lifecycle of the reservoir and maximize recovery in both new and mature fields. Flotek's inspired chemists draw from the power of bio-derived solvents to deliver solutions that enhance energy production. Flotek serves major and independent energy producers and oilfield service companies, both domestic and international. Flotek Industries, Inc. is a publicly traded company headquartered in Houston, Texas, and its common shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "FTK." For additional information, please visit Flotek's web site at www.flotekind.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements set forth in this Press Release constitute forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) regarding Flotek Industries, Inc.'s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Words such as expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements in this Press Release.

Although forward-looking statements in this Press Release reflect the good faith judgment of management, such statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known to management. Consequently, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results and outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences in results and outcomes include, but are not limited to, demand for oil and natural gas drilling services in the areas and markets in which the Company operates, competition, obsolescence of products and services, the Company's ability to obtain financing to support its operations, environmental and other casualty risks, and the impact of government regulation.

Further information about the risks and uncertainties that may impact the Company are set forth in the Company's most recent filings on Form 10-K (including without limitation in the "Risk Factors" Section), and in the Company's other SEC filings and publicly available documents. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Press Release. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this Press Release.

SOURCE Flotek Industries, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.flotekind.com


YONGIN, South Korea, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GC Pharma (formerly known as Green Cross Corporation) (KRX: 006280), a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, today announced unaudited results for the three months ended March 31, 2019.

Key Figures Q1 2018(1) Growth(1) Total revenues KRW 286.8 billion -2.5% Operating profit KRW 1.4 billion -90.5% K-IFRS profit after taxation KRW 5.3 billion -71.4% (1) Results and percentages compare to equivalent 2018 period.

Financial Highlights

Delivered total revenues of KRW 286.8 billion (Q1 2018: KRW 294.1 billion ), decline of company sales impacted by the termination of the local distribution agreement related to insulin in-licensed products.

(Q1 2018: ), decline of company sales impacted by the termination of the local distribution agreement related to insulin in-licensed products. Operating profit decreased 90.5% to KRW 1.4 billion (Q1 2018: KRW 14.5 billion ), primarily due to an increase in R&D expenses and lower sales of varicella vaccine in LATAM.

EC Huh, Ph.D., GC Pharma President commented:

"Q1 results, as a temporal negative effect from anticipated weaker international vaccine sales, seem unlikely to have a significant impact on the annual plan. Profitability is expected profoundly improve from Q2 as foreseeable strong performance of core businesses in LATAM."

About GC Pharma

GC Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company that delivers life-saving and life-sustaining protein therapeutics and vaccines. Headquartered in South Korea, GC Pharma is the largest plasma protein product manufacturer in Asia and has been dedicated to quality healthcare solutions more than half a century. Green Cross Corporation updates its corporate brand as GC Pharma in early 2018. Green Cross Corporation remains the company's registered, legal name.

This release includes forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of GC Pharma's management. Such statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE GC Pharma
Los Angeles-based literary manager Adrian Garcia says: "Given the millennial trend of working while traveling, this compelling story has already drawn interest from film and television producers, domestic and foreign. The strength of the story makes it ripe for a film or television project."

Readers are calling this the male version of "Eat, Pray, Love!" Phil goes digital nomad for a year-long odyssey, traveling to 12 cities in 12 months on 4 continents, as he runs his thriving real estate business from his laptop and smartphone. What these cities are 'really like' will make you laugh, think, learn and even cringe a little. The author's personal journey of self-discovery adds up to a year of life-changing experiences: what's personal is universal.



More than a bucket list on steroids, this memoir reveals tales of food, love, and life in far off lands. Phil aims to inspire readers to pursue their own dreams and aspirations through the joy of travel.

"Have Laptop, Will Travel" by Philip Nicozisis is available at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PQYWF6Y.



"Have Laptop, Will Travel" has a 5.0-star rating on Amazon.com. Here's what some people are saying:



"Have Laptop Will Travel is a page-turning and inspiring look into 12 cities in 10 countries on 4 continents, and also into what travel is all about: learning and contributing." Dr. Will Tuttle, best-selling author



"This is an easy read and it is 'Philled' with great experiences. You really get into the mind of the author and you are taken along on an amazing adventure."  Emmanuel Manos



"Phil's writing style is light and conversational, making his journey all that more relatable. His dashes of wit and observation are only accentuated by his sidebar tidbits on the geography or history of the city he is in. Really enjoyed the read, and added a few places to my bucket list!"  Geoff Haynes



"This is like the male version of Eat Pray Love." Cristina Kaifer

For More Information:

For more questions or to schedule an interview about this press release please contact (610) 909 9191 or email [email protected].

About the Author:

Philip Nicozisis is a vegan activist and speaker, published songwriter, best-selling author, divemaster, and successful real estate investor, who resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.

www.havelaptopwilltravel.co

Philip Nicozisis

Owner

The Vegan Manifesto

+16109099191

[email protected]

This release was issued through WebWire(R). For more information, visit http://www.webwire.com.

SOURCE Philip Nicozisis

Related Links

http://www.havelaptopwilltravel.co


WANAQUE, N.J., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebrating its 20th anniversary, Hetherington Group (Hg) is proud to announce a platinum investigations package catered to the gathering of data and intelligence on companies, their principles, shareholders, employees, structure, and products. Led by Senior Advisor Barclay Leib, Hg's Financial Sector Enhanced Services Suite will offer enhanced due diligence, business intelligence, investment asset investigations, enhanced background checks, and enhanced interviews and profiles.

Hetherington Group

With over 34 years of experience trading in the global capital markets, Leib specializes in forensic hedge fund due diligence research, peer group analysis, OCIO alternative asset portfolio building services, expert witness consulting to law firms, and technical advisory work on individual investment portfolios. A current consultant to several large family office clients and a former full-time market analyst and financial writer for the Princeton Economic Institute, Mr. Leib holds his Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) credentials, as well as a FINRA Series 65 license under Sand Spring Advisors LLC.

"In today's global marketplace, investors are faced with multi-national compliance regulations that impact even the smallest of decisions," noted Hg's founder and president Cynthia Hetherington. "Hg values the needs of our clients by offering comprehensive products that ensure they have precise, real-time data to make precise, real-time financial decisions. We are excited to offer this platinum package to the investment world and thrilled to have Barclay lead our team."

Hg's Financial Sector Enhanced Services Suite uncovers information on domestic and foreign businesses, start-up ventures, corporations, and principals and products, including the parties they work with, the vendors and suppliers they associate with, and the entities that manage their assets. Financial, legal, and reputational information discovered during enhanced due diligence investigations is geared toward helping clients understand people and organizations of interest while complying with legal and regulatory requirements.

"Hetherington Group has all of the electronic investigative tools to find tons of valuable information," stated Mr. Leib. "Enhanced due diligence then takes this information and goes one step furtherputting a more qualitative opinion on the information's potential importance from a total mosaic perspective. This typically involves much more on-site, in-person, and third-party research as well as a focused forensic eye on the information being presented."

Hg's Financial Sector Enhanced Services Suite is geared toward questioning small, loose ends that almost always pop up when someone is trying to be fraudulent. Any one due diligence item by itself may seem benign, but, additively taken together, other conclusions become appropriate.

"Enhanced due diligence is all about getting to a fair and correct answer," Mr. Leib explained. "I am most excited to be a resource towards this end with Hetherington Group and our clients. For example, a cursory FINRA Brokercheck might show a clean regulatory history for an investment manager, but the quality of the firms that the individual has worked for might still be quite suspect when examined more closely. An investment manager might be able to produce a clean annual audit for a fund product, but careful forensic examination of the larger holdings disclosed within that audit could suggest the manipulation of security prices away from their true fundamental value. Enhanced due diligence is a path to avoid unforeseen potholes that simple return chasing can quite often deliver, and we are excited to put our skills to work."

About Barclay Leib, CFE, CAIA

Barclay Leib, CFE, CAIA is principal and founder of Sand Spring Advisors LLC. Since founding Spring Advisors LLC in 1999, he has served as an outsourced alternative asset advisor to several family office and multi-family office groups, while also providing expert analysis of complex financial situations to the legal community.

A 1981 Wilson Scholar graduate of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of International and Public Affairs, Mr. Leib conducted research into the regulatory aspects of the 1980 Hunt Silver Crisis, which was subsequently used as Expert Analysis by U.S. Congressional and Senate Sub-Committees. Mr. Leib previously served as the Head of Alternative Research at Fortigent LLC (2013-2014), as Head Trader & Risk Manager for Glenrock Asset Management LLC (2007-2012), and ran fund of funds portfolios for family office and endowment and foundation clients (1999-2007).

Mr. Leib's early career spanned senior derivatives trading positions at firms including JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, which has enhanced the depth of his due diligence expertise today. He has contributed to several books, including Planning for the Affluent (2002) and Technical Analysis and Behavioral Finance in Fund Management (2009), and is the co-author of the CFA Level III chapter text on hedge funds to be released in 2019. Mr. Leib has also contributed investigative articles to financial publications including Institutional Investor, Plan Sponsor, Financial Executive, Treasury & Risk Management, and Derivatives Strategy.

About the Hetherington Group

With two decades of expertise, the Hetherington Group is a leader in investigative due diligence, corporate intelligence, and cyber investigations. Headquartered in Wanaque, New Jersey, Hg's investigators and analysts track down and expose vital data on national and international investigations; train thousands of investigators in the public and private sectors annually; and share their expertise in this increasingly data-intensive, cyber focused-world through the publication of an Industry Newsletter and recognized investigative reference books. Hg's Certified Fraud Examiners have a history of working in conjunction with and training members of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and state and international securities commissions. Hg is a certified National Women Business Owned Corporation, a certified Women's Business Enterprise, a NJ Women Business Owned Corporation, and NY-NJ Port Authority Women-owned Business Enterprise.

Media Contact

Paul Atkinson

Phone: 973.706.7525

Email: [email protected]

Related Images

barclay-leib.jpg

Barclay Leib

Related Links

Financial Sector: Enhanced Services Suite

Barclay Leib

SOURCE Hetherington Group
Ernie Rivera, with Valor Medical Service Dogs and a Purple Heart recipient, nominated the animal protection organization after he selected Houston SPCA rescue dogs Emily, Chester, Bear and Rex as the first canines to be trained and serve as medical service dogs through the Wins For Warriors Adopt. Rescue. Heal. program.

The canines were formally presented to Houston veterans who suffer from PTSD during a pre-game ceremony at the Houston Astros' spring training last month. The rescue dogs are provided to the veteran at no charge. The Houston SPCA's Purple Heart honor is a first in the country for any animal welfare organization, according to Michael Matthews, Commander for the Military Order of the Purple Heart Houston chapter.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart is one of the most revered veterans service organizations in the US and the Houston SPCA's Purple Heart honor means the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit is recognized as an industry leader in supporting combat-wounded veterans and their families, and comes highly recommended to its members and the community.

SOURCE Houston SPCA

Related Links

https://www.houstonspca.org


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- No single expert can create a plan that will completely nourish your soul and provide you with optimal health. No, that is an inside job you must do for yourself. But thank heavens there is a blueprint for creating such a plan and it comes in the form of a new book by Katherine T. Kelly, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., Recipe for Radiance: Mastering the Art and Soul of Self-Care (Soul Health Press).

Dr. Kelly offers a cooking metaphor in which you are the master chef creating a "soul soup" that utilizes primary ingredients (self-care activities), broth (actions that are more "fluid" in your life) and spices (activities that "flavor" your life in a way unique to you) to restore your body, recharge your mind, inspire your soul and transform your life.

She says, "The truth is, health is a process and optimal living is something at which we have to work. But the good news is that once you create your own recipe for radiance you just need to fine tune it as you go through life."

Dr. Kelly is known as the pioneer of soul health, a term she introduced in her bestselling book, Soul Health: Aligning with Spirit for Radiant Living, Revised Second Edition. She has taught her trademarked Soul Health Model throughout the world.

In an interview, she can:

Reveal the biggest mistake people make when it comes to caring for themselves

Offer suggestions on what items belong in a well-stocked soul-care pantry

Discuss the three elements that make up your soul-care plan. What does she mean by primary ingredients, broth and spices?

Explain that if we all are willing to listen to our inner voice, we will know exactly what we need in order to thrive.

Praise for Recipe for Radiance

"Creative and wise, Recipe for Radiance is a guide to radiant living. Dr. Katherine T. Kelly leads you through your personal care recipe planning with wisdom and ease. So, gather your equipment and your ingredients and create your own life-changing recipe for Soul-Full self-care."  Janet G Nestor, MA, LPC DCEP, mental health counselor and author of Pathways to Wholeness and Nurturing Wellness through Radical Self-Care

"Recipe for Radiance is magnificent. I have learned through this book to develop a self-care plan, a life-long guide for my soul's optimal health. This is a book you do not want to miss." Marsha Stafford, host of the Been There Done That Radio Show

About Katherine Kelly

Katherine Kelly, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., is a clinical health psychologist and consultant currently practicing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has taught in two major medical schools, received specialized training from the Mind-Body Medical Institute of Harvard University, holds a master's of science degree in public health, and recently earned a certification in Integrative Mental Health. She has been a guest on over 300 radio and television shows. Recipe for Radiance: Mastering the Art and Soul of Self-Care, is her second book.

Availability: Nationwide by arrangement and via internet or telephone

Contact: Dr. Katherine T. Kelly, Office: (336) 659-3923, Cell: (336) 406-8431;[email protected]; http://www.drkatherinetkelly.com/

SOURCE Katherine Kelly
NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The famous song says that if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. Well, that may be the case if you're a job-seeker, but if you're looking to launch your own startup, you'd be far better off in Portsmouth, NH. Or Sioux Falls. Or, believe it or not  Detroit.

FitSmallBusiness.com Ranks the Top 10 Best Cities for Entrepreneurs in 2019

The fact of the matter is, big coastal cities, which are supposed to be excellent for entrepreneurs, can be too costly to get startups off the ground. The best cities for entrepreneurs offer a blend of local financing options, a supportive business culture, and a skilled, affordable base of workers.



Since location can make or break a business in the critical first year and beyond, FitSmallBusiness.com, the digital business publication, compiled its annual list of Top Cities for Entrepreneurs to give people a definitive roadmap of the cities that offer the best chance of survival.



Coastal hubs like New York, San Francisco and Miami, which were on last year's list, don't make the cut this year. Based on key elements such as access to startup funding, education level of the local workforce, and cost of living, areas like Seattle, Denver and St. Louis topped the 2019 list.

FitSmallBusiness editors collected and analyzed the data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Small Business Administration, AngelList, Crunchbase, and INC. to help entrepreneurs make this critical decision.

THIS is where you'll have the best chance for business survival.

THE TOP 10 BEST CITIES FOR ENTREPRENEURS IN 2019

Seattle St. Louis Denver Detroit Nashville Salt Lake City Portsmouth, NH Boston Austin Sioux Falls, SD

FitSmallBusiness rated the cities on the following criteria including these weighted metrics:

Business survival rate (15%)

(15%) Economic growth rate (15%)

(15%) New business growth (15%)

(15%) Financial landscape (15%)

(15%) Tax climate (15%)

(15%) Labor market (10%)

(10%) Quality of life (10%)

(10%) Cost of living (5%)

"Let's face it; most startup businesses don't last very long," says Eric Noe, Editor-in-Chief, FitSmallBusiness. He added: "We hope that our research can help our readers find the competitive advantage they need. It may be the key to their business survival."

About FitSmallBusiness.com :

With a rapidly growing monthly readership of more than 2.5 million, FitSmallBusiness.com is an online publication devoted to helping small business owners. Its full-time staff of writers spends hours of research, data analysis, and interviews with industry experts to answer the questions that owners want in order to run a successful small business.

For more information on this list and this topic, please contact Sarah Johnson, [email protected], 917-864-6355.

SOURCE FitSmallBusiness.com
HOUSTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR, Inc. (NYSE: KBR) announced today that its subsidiary Plinke GmbH has been awarded a contract by Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited (GNFC) of India to build a Concentrated Nitric Acid plant (CNA) at Bharuch, Gujarat.

Under the terms of the contract, Plinke will provide the license and engineering as well as supply the proprietary equipment for the new plant that will produce 98.5% CNA mainly for the Indian market. CNA is processed by the chemical industry into essential intermediate products used in the production of polyurethane, fibers, lacquers and other base and specialty chemicals.

The plant, which is designed for a throughput capacity of 150 metric tons per day of Concentrated Nitric Acid, is due to come on stream in 2021 and is the fourth such unit licensed and supplied by Plinke to GNFC in the last 2 decades.

The CNA plant will be based on Plinke's MAGNAC process in which a high concentration of nitric acid is achieved by extractive rectification using a magnesium nitrate solution. In addition to achieving purities of more than 98.5 wt%, the MAGNAC process is also outstanding in its high yield and availability, low CAPEX and OPEX and no effluent design.

"We are proud that GNFC has once again chosen Plinke's MAGNAC process for its new CNA facility in Bharuch," said John Derbyshire, President, KBR Technology. "This award demonstrates that our clients have a high level of trust and satisfaction with the high quality and reliability of the Plinke technology, design and delivery."

Plinke has more than 70 years of experience in acid treatment and has built more than 550 plants for treatment and concentration of inorganic acids and acidic waste water worldwide.

About KBR, Inc.

KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program lifecycle within the Government Services and Hydrocarbons sectors. KBR employs approximately 36,000 people worldwide (including our joint ventures), with customers in more than 75 countries, and operations in 40 countries, across three synergistic global businesses:

Government Services, serving government customers globally, including capabilities that cover the full lifecycle of defense, space, aviation and other government programs and missions from research and development, through systems engineering, test and evaluation, program management, to operations, maintenance, and field logistics

Technology, including proprietary technology focused on the monetization of hydrocarbons (especially natural gas and natural gas liquids) in ethylene and petrochemicals; ammonia, nitric acid and fertilizers; oil refining and gasification

Hydrocarbons Services, including onshore oil and gas; LNG (liquefaction and regasification)/GTL; oil refining; petrochemicals; chemicals; fertilizers; differentiated EPC; maintenance services (Brown & Root Industrial Services); offshore oil and gas (shallow-water, deep-water, subsea); floating solutions (FPU, FPSO, FLNG & FSRU); program management and consulting services

KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, integrated EPC delivery and long term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver.

Visit www.kbr.com

Forward Looking Statement

The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; the scope and enforceability of the company's indemnities from its former parent; changes in capital spending by the company's customers; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company.

KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

SOURCE KBR, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.kbr.com


CINCINNATI, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today announced Dana Zurcher, currently Dallas division president, has been named president of the Columbus division. She will be succeeded by Tom Schwilke, who joins Kroger with more than 35 years of retail leadership experience.

Dana Zurcher Named President of the Columbus Division

Dana Zurcher, currently president of the Dallas division, has been named president of the Columbus division, effective May 1. She succeeds Dan De La Rosa, who was recently named president of the King Soopers division. Ms. Zurcher will oversee 118 stores and more than 21,000 associates throughout central and northwest Ohio, as well as southeast Michigan and the Ohio River Valley.

"Dana has a long history of success throughout the Kroger Family of Companies, and we know she'll continue to serve our customers exceptionally well as the leader of our Columbus division," said Mike Donnelly, Kroger's executive vice president and COO. "Her diverse operations and merchandising background will help us deliver our vision to serve America through food inspiration and uplift."

Ms. Zurcher began her career with Kroger in 1985 in store management in Indianapolis. She served in a number of roles while in the Central division, including store and district management and merchandising. In 2002, she moved to Phoenix as a district manager in the Fry's division. In 2008, she was promoted to director of operations for the Ralphs division. She was promoted to vice president of operations for the Mid-South division in 2011 and was later named to the same role in 2013 for the Southwest division. In 2015, she was named the first president of the Dallas division, her current role, when the Southwest division was divided into Dallas and Houston.

Ms. Zurcher has a bachelor's in Marketing from Ball State University. She is the executive leader of Kroger's Women's EDGE associate resource group, which focuses on improving leadership opportunities for Kroger associates. Additionally, she resides on the boards of the Western Association of Food Chains and the North Texas Food Bank.

Tom Schwilke Named President of the Dallas Division

Tom Schwilke has been named president of the Dallas division, effective May 1. He succeeds Dana Zurcher, who has been named president of the Columbus division. The Dallas division comprises 110 stores across Dallas/Fort Worth, Northwest Louisiana and East Texas.

"We are pleased to welcome Tom to Kroger," said Mr. Donnelly. "He is well respected throughout the retail industry, and we look forward to his proven leadership driving continued growth in our Dallas division."

Mr. Schwilke comes to Kroger with 35 years of merchandising and retail leadership experience. Most recently, he was the president and general manager of the NorCal division of Safeway Inc., where he oversaw 283 stores and 35,000 associates. Prior to that role, he held a number of national leadership positions with the company, including president and general manager of perishables and group vice president of produce and floral.

He returns to Texas, where from 2008 to 2010 he was the president and general manager of Safeway Inc.'s Texas division. He was responsible for overall operations of 111 Tom Thumb and Randalls stores in Dallas, Houston and Austin.

Mr. Schwilke has a bachelor's in Business Administration from Washington State University.

To download headshots of Ms. Zurcher and Mr. Schwilke, visit here.

About Kroger

At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit. We are nearly half a million associates who serve over nine million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.

Related Links

http://www.kroger.com


WASHINGTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its 27th annual national food drive on Saturday, May 11.

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the country's largest single-day food drive, provides residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need.

Customers simply leave their donation of non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before the delivery of the mail on Saturday, May 11. Letter carriers will collect these donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes, and distribute them to local food banks, pantries, shelters and churches. Visit stampouthungerfooddrive.us to learn more.

The Letter Carriers' food drive is held annually on the second Saturday in May in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. It remains as important as ever, with many people facing economic struggles. Hunger affects tens of millions of people around the country, including millions of children, senior citizens and veterans.

Letter carriers see these struggles in the communities they serve, and believe that it is important to do what they can to help.

"This is a labor of love for letter carriers, and we are proud to see how it has grown in impact over the years," NALC President Fredric Rolando said. "It's an honor to be able to help people in need all across the countryand to do so in a way that brings out the best in so many Americans."

The timing is important, with food banks, pantries and shelters running low on donations from the winter holidays and with summer approaching, when most school meal programs are suspended.

Last year, letter carriers collected 71.6 million pounds of food donations along their postal routes. That brought the total since NALC's food drive began in 1993 to more than 1.67 billion pounds.

On May 11, as they deliver mail, the nation's 202,000 letter carriers will collect the donations that residents have left near their mailboxes. People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery on Saturday.

The food donations stay in each community, going to help local residents. Several national partners are assisting NALC in the food drive: the U.S. Postal Service, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, United Way Worldwide, the AFL-CIO, Valpak and Valassis. We are also very pleased to have the participation of two new national partners this year: the Kellogg Co. and CVS.

This year's effort includes a public service announcement with actor and director Edward James Olmos.

People who have questions about the drive in their area should ask their letter carrier, contact their local post office or go to nalc.org/food, facebook.com/StampOutHunger or twitter.com/StampOutHunger.

********

The 284,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers represents letter carriers across the country employed by the U.S. Postal Service, along with retired letter carriers. Founded by Civil War veterans in 1889, NALC is among the country's oldest labor unions.

SOURCE National Association of Letter Carriers

Related Links

http://www.nalc.org


LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Louis Hernandez Jr.'s A Little Hope Foundation is excited to announce its list of additional sponsors for its May 9 inaugural Gala, including Black Dragon Capital, Melrose Inc., Greenberg Traurig, P.A., ASI Group, Payveris, CMS Group, Samaha & Associates, David Dame Estate, Raymond James, Arriba Advisors, Key Bank, Arthur Murray Montrose (Dance Center), Hey Mister DJ and Tito's Handmade Vodka.

These new sponsors will join UBS, Dell, and Golden Gate Capital at the Village Studios in West Los Angeles, as well as business and community leaders from key industries and celebrity guests, such as former three-time All-Star MLB outfielder David Justice and wife Rebecca Justice. The sponsor organizations, individuals and the community will help raise awareness and funds for A Little Hope's recently announced Global Scholarship Programs for underprivileged and underserved students.

"We are thrilled to partner with these major media and technology companies to advance A Little Hope's mission," said Gina Rogoto, Operations Manager of A Little Hope Foundation and event planner for A Little Hope Gala. "These organizations embody what it means to give back, and their commitment will enable us to provide scholarships to support the needs of the underrepresented children in education, healthcare, the arts, and youth leadership development."

The invitation only event is weeks away and will take place at the iconic Village Studios in West Los Angeles, where it will be attended by media, business, civic and educational professionals who share a vision for equal opportunity in higher education. Among the evening's speakers, Louis Hernandez Jr., Founder of A Little Hope Foundation and Chief Executive Officer of Black Dragon Capital, will be speaking about the importance of higher education for underprivileged groups and the power of a global scholarship program.

A Little Hope Foundation is hosting this Gala to raise money for its Global Scholarship Programs, which provide equal opportunity to underprivileged and underrepresented students aspiring to a better life through higher education.

"We are so proud to be joining A Little Hope's gala this year in support of its vital mission to help the underserved," said Sabeh Samaha, President and Chief Executive Officer of sponsor company Samaha & Associates and member of A Little Hope Gala Advisory Committee. "We want all children, regardless of their backgrounds, to have the opportunity for higher education. This will be a great night, and we kindly ask everyone to help contribute to this cause."

To become a sponsor of the A Little Hope Gala, or to inquire about tickets, please contact [email protected] and visit the website at www.alittlehopefoundation.org . Follow us @alittlehopeorg on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram .

A Little Hope Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization created to support the needs of underrepresented and underprivileged children through education, healthcare, the arts, and youth leadership development. Our goal is equal opportunity for all children. We help provide the tools and capabilities they need to fulfill their life purpose and become constructive members of our global community. We believe their aspirations should only be limited by their own imagination of what is possible, their effort and commitment, and desire to contribute to their community.

Media contact:

Todd Aydelotte

646-428-0644

[email protected]

SOURCE A Little Hope Foundation

Related Links

http://www.alittlehopefoundation.org


This follows the first-in-the-portfolio opening of Industrious at Scottsdale Fashion Square in January 2019, which far exceeded expectations, reaching near complete occupancy in less than 10 weeks. More locations in Macerich's national partnership with Industrious are expected to be announced this spring/summer.

Industrious is a leader in the burgeoning coworking industry thanks to its thoughtfully designed spaces and hospitality-driven services and amenities. With over 65 locations across 40 U.S. cities, the company offers flexible workspaces for companies of all sizes and stages ranging from solopreneurs to Fortune 500 brands, with members including Lyft, Hyatt, Pandora, Pinterest, Pfizer, Airbus and more.

"Macerich is leading the way when it comes to adding exciting, traffic-driving new uses to our A-level retail properties across the country," said Tom O'Hern, Chief Executive Officer, Macerich. "At Scottsdale Fashion Square, Industrious brings all-day energy to a beautifully reimagined former Barneys space, right next to a brand new, flagship Apple store. We anticipate the same kind of complementary impact when Industrious opens at our market-dominant Broadway Plaza property, which ranks among the highest-performing retail properties in the country."

Industrious is slated to open at Broadway Plaza in Q4 2019, in 36,000 square feet of the newly redeveloped specialty retail core of the property, on the second level above lululemon and other top brands.

"Industrious is hyper-focused on providing members with an amazing workplace experience; being in Broadway Plaza allows us to deliver on that and more," said Jamie Hodari, CEO and co-founder of Industrious. "Macerich's shared commitment to quality and high-end experiences makes them a great partner for Industrious; we're so proud of how well Fashion Square is performing and look forward to serving more consumers across Macerich properties."

Broadway Plaza is a unique outdoor retail setting in the center of affluent, downtown Walnut Creek, CA. Now more than 900,000 square feet after an extensive redevelopment and expansion completed in 2016, the LEED Gold-certified Broadway Plaza features dozens of top specialty stores including Apple, Athleta, Crate&Barrel, Eileen Fisher, Madewell, Nespresso, Sephora and more, plus high-performing Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Macy's department stores, and a roster of sought-after experiences  from SoulCycle and Tesla to True Food Kitchen.

About Industrious

Industrious is the largest premium flexible workspace provider in the U.S. with over 65 locations across 40 U.S. cities. Its Workplace Experience platform, which pairs thoughtfully-designed spaces with hospitality-driven services and amenities, has reshaped the concept of coworking into a scalable solution for companies of all sizes and stages. Since its founding in 2013, Industrious has helped thousands of companies scale their businesses while maintaining the highest NPS scores in the industry. For more information, visit www.industriousoffice.com.

About Macerich

Macerich, an S&P 500 company, is a fully integrated self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States.

Macerich currently owns 51 million square feet of real estate consisting primarily of interests in 47 regional shopping centers. Macerich specializes in successful retail properties in many of the country's most attractive, densely populated markets with significant presence on the West Coast and in Arizona, Chicago and the Metro New York to Washington, D.C. corridor.

A recognized leader in sustainability, Macerich has earned Nareit's prestigious "Leader in the Light" award every year from 2014-2018. For the fourth straight year in 2018 Macerich achieved the #1 GRESB ranking in the North American Retail Sector, among many other environmental accomplishments. Additional information about Macerich can be obtained from the Company's website at www.macerich.com

SOURCE Macerich

Related Links

http://www.macerich.com


CHICAGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MATH Venture Partners (MATH), a Chicago-based early stage venture capital firm, announced the closing of a new $46 million fund. MATH's new fund, its second since 2014, will continue to invest in early-stage technology companies that demonstrate an unfair advantage in customer acquisition and retention.

MATH invests in digital technology companies across industries including B2B/B2C software, marketplaces, ecommerce and IoT. MATH II will make approximately 15 venture investments with initial investment size up to $2 million. The fund will also make 20-25 seed level investments of $100,000 each. With a primary focus in the Midwest and other under-capitalized markets, the fund invests across the U.S. and Canada.

MATH's investment team consists of three managing directors, Mark Achler, Troy Henikoff, and Dana Wright and principal, Samara Mejia Hernandez. The four-person team has been together since 2015, establishing a track record of partnering with entrepreneurs to lay the foundation for repeatable, scalable sales. MATH's first fund made 16 venture investments including Acorns, Apervita, BuiltIn, Cardflight, EatStreet and SpotHero.

About MATH Venture Partners

MATH Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital fund managed by an experienced team of hands-on technology investors and operators. The fund invests in digital technology companies demonstrating a competitive advantage in acquiring and retaining customers. MATH Venture Partners has more than three dozen companies in its portfolio, including Acorns, BuiltIn, Cardflight, ChefHero, Chowly, EatStreet and SpotHero. For more information visit, http://www.mathventurepartners.com/.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE MATH Venture Partners

Related Links

https://www.mathventurepartners.com


CHICAGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- McDermott Will & Emery will convene senior tax practitioners at its second annual Tax Symposium on May 8th in the Firm's Chicago office. The symposium will be an in-depth discussion of the critical business and legal issues involved in optimizing corporate structuring and planning strategies within the post-reform tax landscape.

The practical implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) have had a wide-ranging impact on both US and international companies. With the initial wave of regulatory guidance coming out of the TCJA nearly complete, tax departments are now looking to optimize their corporate structures and solidify their overall tax planning strategy. McDermott's exclusive, full-day Tax Symposium will address how leaders of these companies can and should plan for future success in the wake of tax reform.

Programming will include panel discussions on these critical issues:

Regulatory and Legislative Outlook

Subpart F vs. GILTI

State Tax After Reform

Tax Controversy in the Wake of Tax Reform

Planning for M&A and Post-Acquisition Integration

Keynote

Itai Grinberg, professor and member of the Institute of International Economic Law at Georgetown Law School, will give the keynote address at the event. Itai is a thought leader in the tax world whose research focuses on international tax policy and fundamental tax reform, as well as the intersection of international tax law, international trade law, international investment law and international financial regulation.

In-Depth

Over a dozen McDermott partners will be featured as part of in-depth discussions of tax reform's impact on the following areas:

Financing Structures  A Global View

This session will examine interest expense limitation rules and anti-hybrid rules along with an in-depth discussion about where companies should deploy debt.

Inbound, Outbound or Both  IP Planning for FDII, GILTI, Subpart F Income, 367(d) and Cost-Sharing Agreements

This panel will consider the costs and benefits of locating IP in and outside the United States for multinational structures.

for multinational structures. OECD Developments  Policy Note and Transfer Pricing Consultation on the Digitalization of the Economy

This panel will provide a deeper dive into key developments in the OECD affecting multinationals.

Compensation and Benefits after Tax Reform

This panel will explore the post-tax reform planning challenges, new 401(k) designs and loan financed ESPP programs.

Click here to register for the symposium or to schedule a consultation with a McDermott attorney onsite.

For additional information please visit McDermott's Take on Tax Reform, a resource center that helps leaders navigate the most impactful changes to the tax code in a generation. The site hosts valuable thought leadership from McDermott's multidisciplinary team of lawyers along with interactive tools and actionable strategies to help prepare clients for important next steps.

McDermott's Tax Practice is a combination of practitioners, strategists and creative thinkers who offer innovative, and often unexpected, solutions to mitigate risks and drive growth for some of the world's largest companies. Armed with the required technical prowess, McDermott tax lawyers dig deeper to gain a full understanding of each client's corporate structure within the competitive landscape. Year after year, Chambers USA, US News-Best Lawyers, International Tax Review and The Legal 500 recognize the firm's tax practice and individual lawyers as leaders in the industry. Whether planning, conducting diligence, actively negotiating, or tackling regulatory hurdles, McDermott has the insights, skills and resources to handle the most complex tax matters  365 days a year with a 360-degree view of the evolving tax landscape.

About McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. With 20 locations on three continents, our team works seamlessly across practices, industries and geographies to deliver highly effectiveand often unexpectedsolutions that propel success. More than 1,100 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.

SOURCE McDermott Will & Emery

Related Links

http://www.mwe.com


DENVER, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. (OTCQX: MDCL) ("Medicine Man Technologies" or "Company"), a rapidly growing, vertically integrated cannabis operator, today announced that it will be presenting at the ThinkEquity Conference, to be held on Thursday, May 2, 2019 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City.

Joe Puglise, Chief Operating Officer of Medicine Man Technologies, will deliver a presentation and discuss recent Company highlights at 12:00 p.m. ET in the Lotus West Room. Mr. Puglise will be available for 1-on-1 meetings during the conference.

"This is one of the premiere conferences within the emerging cannabis space for small-cap companies," said Mr. Puglise. "We are excited to be participating and presenting the latest highlights from our Company, which include our year-over-year profitable growth and pending acquisitions of MedPharm Holdings, LLC and Medicine Man Denver."

Medicine Man Technologies is a profitable first mover in the cannabis industry, with a revenue run rate expected at $40-50 million upon completion of its pending acquisitions. The Medicine Man Technologies brand has earned a best-in-class reputation for its expertise, working with over 100 clients in 18 states and seven countries.

For more information about Medicine Man Technologies, please visit https://www.medicinemantechnologies.com/.

About Medicine Man Technologies

Medicine Man Technologies is a fully integrated operator in the cannabis industry, offering consulting, retail pharma-grade products, and turnkey solutions for cannabis cultivators for over a decade. Medicine Man Technologies is leveraging its expertise and intellectual property to vertically integrate retail, cultivation, formulation, and distribution operations. The Company's client portfolio includes active and past clients in 18 states and seven countries.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Such statements may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential," or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) our inability to manufacture our products and product candidates on a commercial scale on our own, or in collaboration with third parties; (ii) difficulties in obtaining financing on commercially reasonable terms; (iii) changes in the size and nature of our competition; (iv) loss of one or more key executives or scientists; and (v) difficulties in securing regulatory approval to market our products and product candidates. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Investor Relations Contact:

[email protected]

1-866-348-1997

SOURCE Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.medicinemantechnologies.com


LAS VEGAS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) (the "Company") today announced that MGM China Holdings Limited (the "Issuer"), a consolidated subsidiary of the Company, proposes to offer $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior notes in a private placement. The Issuer intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the notes to repay amounts under its revolving credit facility and term loan facility and for general corporate purposes.

The notes proposed to be offered will not be and have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to any U.S. persons absent registration under the Securities Act, or pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The notes will be offered only to "qualified institutional buyers" under Rule 144A of the Securities Act or, outside the United States, to persons other than "U.S. persons" in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. The Company gives no assurance that the proposed offering can be completed on any terms.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking" statements and "safe harbor statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and/or uncertainties, including those described in the Company's public filings with the SEC. The Company has based forward-looking statements on management's current expectations and assumptions and not on historical facts. Examples of these statements include, but are not limited to, the completion of the Issuer's senior notes offering. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements include effects of economic conditions and market conditions in the markets in which the Company operates and competition with other destination travel locations throughout the United States and the world, the design, timing and costs of expansion projects, risks relating to international operations, permits, licenses, financings, approvals and other contingencies in connection with growth in new or existing jurisdictions and additional risks and uncertainties described in the Company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports (including all amendments to those reports). In providing forward-looking statements, the Company is not undertaking any duty or obligation to update these statements publicly as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. If the Company updates one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those other forward-looking statements.

SOURCE MGM Resorts International

Related Links

http://mgmresorts.com


MORE Health, through its prestigious network of tertiary and quaternary academic medical centers and esteemed physician specialists, delivers a sophisticated version of medical second opinion for its patients, called a collaborative diagnosis or Co-Diagnosis. The Co-Diagnosis service is delivered by a full-featured, intuitive and HIPAA-compliant online platform. Together, with the patient's treating physician in their home country, physicians across the globe can team up to efficiently and effectively determine a diagnosis and an appropriate treatment plan for the patient. This provides the MORE Health patient with a remote second opinion, saving them time and, sometimes, putting their worries at ease.

"Nationwide Children Hospital is a top ranked US hospital and champion for the well-being of children everywhere. This agreement helps us deliver on our promise to provide access to the best physicians in the world to our patients," said Hope Lewis, co-founder and CEO, MORE Health.

Since 2013, MORE Health has helped thousands of patients around the world access care in the United States. Through its agreement with Nationwide Children's, MORE Health's pediatric patients have access to even more of the world's most preeminent doctors and specialists.

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report 's 2018-19 list of "Best Children's Hospitals," Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of America's largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric health care systems providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease. Nationwide Children's has a staff of more than 13,000 providing state-of-the-art pediatric care during more than 1.4 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children's physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.

About MORE Health

MORE Health, a global digital healthcare company, provides patients with access to the best physicians in the world when needed the most: when faced with a critical, potentially life-changing illness. Our collaborative approach to diagnosis puts the patient at the center of the process  empowering them to make informed decisions regarding their own healthcare. Offering all of the benefits of a second opinion, we ensure that the attending doctor and our expert physician specialist are aligned by jointly developing a diagnosis and treatment plan on our proprietary, cloud-based and HIPAA-compliant Physician Collaboration Platform, thus minimizing errors while also resolving potential conflicts regarding the diagnosis and treatment plan development. More at https://morehealth.com.

SOURCE MORE Health

Related Links

https://morehealth.com


NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- His Excellency, Dr. Mohammad Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, will become the most senior Islamic leader to visit the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. The trip is a key element of a historic memorandum of understanding signed by Dr. Al-Issa and American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO David Harris today at AJC headquarters.

The MOU codifies the commitment of the two global institutions to further Muslim-Jewish understanding and cooperate against racism and extremism in all its forms. As part of the understanding, Dr. Al-Issa has accepted an invitation from Mr. Harris to join him at the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in January 2020.

"I believe that by paying my respects to the victims of Auschwitz, I will encourage Muslims and non-Muslims to embrace mutual respect, understanding and diversity," said Dr. Al-Issa, the world's foremost voice on moderate Islam. "I am grateful to David Harris for his thoughtful and timely invitation, and am honored to accept."

"The launch of cooperative projects by AJC and MWL, and Dr. Al-Issa's visit to Auschwitz, is a direct rebuttal to the extremists who threaten us all," Harris said. "By educating people on the horrors of history, we can plant the seeds for a future where Jews, Muslims and all other groups can live free of fear."

As part of the MOU, Dr. Al-Issa also has accepted an invitation from Mr. Harris to address the AJC Global Forum in Berlin, in June 2020. Mr. Harris, in turn, has accepted an invitation from Dr. Al-Issa to lead an American Jewish Committee delegation to Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Al-Issa said: "The heinous attacks in Pittsburgh, in New Zealand, in Sri Lanka and just this weekend near San Diego compel us all to unite and stand up against those who want to divide us."

Harris said: "I thank Dr. Al-Issa both for his valued partnership and invitation. We shall look forward to returning to Saudi Arabia, which AJC first visited nearly 25 years ago, to learn more about current efforts to launch interfaith initiatives."

The MWL, an organization based in the holy city of Makkah, educates Muslims on true Islam, a religion of peace and moderation. It also conducts a range of activities worldwide to promote interfaith harmony.

In 2017, Dr. Al-Issa visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and declared Holocaust denial a crime against Islam. More than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The site stands as a memorial to all those who perished in the Nazi genocide.

On Monday, Dr. Al-Issa signed a separate agreement with Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation at Park East Synagogue in New York, focused on the protection of religious sites worldwide. Also Monday, Dr. Al-Issa met His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, at his private residence adjacent to St. Patrick's Cathedral to discuss closer cooperation between MWL and the Roman Catholic Church.

AJC, based in New York, with offices across the United States and posts around the world, is the premier global Jewish advocacy organization. Founded in 1906, AJC combats anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred and extremism. AJC has long been a pioneer in interfaith relations. The MOU with the Muslim World League is the latest AJC Initiative advancing Muslim-Jewish understanding and cooperation.

The agreement between MWL and AJC is an initiative of the Centre for Responsible Leadership and its Founder and President, Bawa Jain.

SOURCE Muslim World League
NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- His Excellency, Dr. Mohammad Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, will become the most senior Islamic leader to visit the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. The trip is a key element of a historic memorandum of understanding signed by Dr. Al-Issa and American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris today at AJC headquarters.

The MOU codifies the commitment of the two global institutions to further Muslim-Jewish understanding and cooperate against racism and extremism in all its forms. As part of the understanding, Dr. Al-Issa has accepted an invitation from Mr. Harris to join him at the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in January 2020.

"I believe that by paying my respects to the victims of Auschwitz, I will encourage Muslims and non-Muslims to embrace mutual respect, understanding and diversity," said Dr. Al-Issa, a widely recognized thought-leader on moderate Islam. "I am grateful to David Harris for his thoughtful and timely invitation, and am honoured to accept."

"The launch of cooperative projects by AJC and MWL, and Dr. Al-Issa's visit to Auschwitz, is a direct rebuttal to the extremists who threaten us all," Harris said. "By educating people on the horrors of history, we can plant the seeds for a future where Jews, Muslims and all other groups can live free of fear."

As part of the MOU, Dr. Al-Issa also has accepted an invitation from Mr. Harris to address the AJC Global Forum in Berlin, in June 2020. Mr. Harris, in turn, has accepted an invitation from Dr. Al-Issa to lead an American Jewish Committee delegation to Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Al-Issa said: "The heinous attacks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in Christchurch, New Zealand, and most recently in Sri Lanka compel us all to unite and stand up against those who want to divide us."

Harris said: "I thank Dr. Al-Issa both for his valued partnership and invitation. We shall look forward to returning to Saudi Arabia, which AJC first visited nearly 25 years ago, to learn more about current efforts to launch interfaith initiatives."

The MWL, an organization based in the holy city of Makkah, educates Muslims on true Islam, a religion of peace and moderation. It also conducts a range of activities worldwide to promote interfaith harmony.

In 2017, Dr. Al-Issa visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and declared Holocaust denial a crime against Islam. More than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The site stands as a memorial to all those who perished in the Nazi genocide.

AJC, based in New York, with offices across the United States and posts around the world, is the premier global Jewish advocacy organization. Founded in 1906, AJC combats anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred and extremism. AJC has long been a pioneer in interfaith relations. The MOU with the Muslim World League is the latest AJC Initiative advancing Muslim-Jewish understanding and cooperation.

The agreement between MWL and AJC is an initiative of the Centre for Responsible Leadership and its Founder and President, Bawa Jain.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee
This annual international competition receives entries from the best new and renovated laboratories from around the world. A high profile panel of laboratory architects, engineers, equipment manufacturers and editors of R&D Magazine, Laboratory Design and Laboratory Equipment served as the judging panel.

Eligible projects represent a wide variety of laboratory types, including research, quality assurance/control, teaching, software development, environmental, clinical, forensic, and testing and standards.

The project teams were honored during the Lab Design Conference, held April 29-May 1, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orlando, Florida. Conference attendees were among the first to see the 2019 winners, enjoy an in-depth look at the innovative buildings and discuss the specifics with the winning project teams.

A complete profile of the Lab of the Year and the Lab of the Year Special Mention winners will appear in the May/June 2019 issues of R&D Magazine and Laboratory Equipment.

The 53rd annual Lab of the Year Awards are a joint program of R&D Magazine, Laboratory Design and Laboratory Equipment, publications of Advantage Business Marketing.

About Laboratory Design

Laboratory Design, part of Laboratory Equipment (www.laboratoryequipment.com), serves the entire R&D/laboratory community involved in the design, construction and engineering of laboratory facilities. Our diverse content, created by experts in the industry, provides cutting-edge information on trends and techniques that make these mission-critical buildings more efficient, cost-effective and functional.

About R&D Magazine

Since its founding in 1959 as Industrial Research, R&D Magazine (www.rdmag.com) has served research scientists, engineers and technical staff at laboratories around the world, providing timely, informative news and useful technical articles that broaden readers' knowledge of the research and development industry and improve the quality of their work. R&D Magazine is a publication of the Advantage Business Marketing Science Group, with sister brands Laboratory Equipment, ECN, Manufacturing.net and Industrial Distribution.

About Advantage Business Marketing

Established in 2006, Advantage Business Marketing helps more than one million innovators at science, design engineering and manufacturing companies discover and procure new technologies that give them a competitive advantage. The team provides measurable marketing solutions delivering the news, trends and analysis needed for business success. Advantage leverages proprietary behavioral-data intelligence to strengthen brand awareness, provide thought leadership, drive traffic and deliver qualified leads.

Twitter: @B2BAdvantage

Facebook: @AdvantageBusinessMarketing

SOURCE Advantage Business Marketing

Related Links

www.advantagebizmarketing.com


ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- National Industries for the Blind (NIB), the nation's largest employment resource for people who are blind, will recognize William L. Hudson with its highest honor, the R.B. Irwin Award, for his career achievements creating employment opportunities for people who are blind.

LCI Logo

The award honors the recently retired leader of NIB associated nonprofit agency LCI, who grew the organization to become one of the largest U.S. employers of people who are blind, manufacturing office products, military supplies, and furniture, and providing distribution, e-commerce, and technology services.

This award is named for Dr. Robert B. Irwin, executive director of the American Foundation for the Blind in the 1930s and a member of the team who worked toward the formation of NIB.

"The Irwin Award is NIB's highest honor given to those who have made outstanding contributions to creating and improving employment opportunities for people who are blind," said Susan Costlow, chairperson, NIB board of directors. "Considering all that Bill has done in his 50-year career to help people who are blind gain personal and economic independence, we are pleased to honor him in this way."

When Hudson joined the Durham, North Carolina-based agency, LCI employed about 20 people. Today, nearly 400 people who are blind work at LCI. Hudson has also been a champion for research and rehabilitation services for people who are blind, with LCI funding a four-floor, 116,000-square-foot center for comprehensive low-vision rehabilitation at Duke University.

"On behalf of the entire LCI organization, we'd like to congratulate Bill Hudson on receiving this prestigious honor," said LCI President, Jeffrey Hawting. "Over his 50-year career at LCI, Bill's entrepreneurial spirit and visionary focus has had a tremendous impact on the lives of thousands of blind and visually impaired individuals throughout the U.S. We couldn't be more proud to stand by him as he accepts this well-deserved award."

On May 1, NIB will present the Irwin Award to Hudson during an awards banquet at the 2019 NIB/NAEPB National Symposium in Alexandria, Virginia. The annual conference, hosted by NIB and the National Association for the Employment of People Who Are Blind (NAEPB), brings together hundreds of NIB and associated agency employees, partners, and supporters to advance employment issues for people who are blind.

About National Industries for the Blind

Since 1938, NIB has focused on enhancing the opportunities for economic and personal independence of people who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. NIB and its network of associated nonprofit agencies are the nation's largest employer of people who are blind through the manufacture and provision of SKILCRAFT and other products and services of the AbilityOne Program. For more information about NIB, visit NIB.org.

About LCI

LCI is a provider of manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, retail and technology consulting solutions  and one of the largest employers of Americans who are blind or visually impaired. We serve customers in the public and private sectors who need high quality products and services that meet procurement needs, including those of the AbilityOne program, and who want to feel confident that their purchase supports American workers. We continually innovate our business structure to balance the expectations of our customers with the interests of the BVI community. Our innovative approach to business-model evolution enables us to exceed the expectations of our customers while empowering our employees to reach their highest potential. Learn more at lcindustries.com.

SOURCE National Industries for the Blind

Related Links

https://www.nib.org


Government Technical Team poses with Notice Board (note that a prankster might have changed 9 with 2 to read 1264 instead of 1964)
OMAHA, Neb., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Teamsters Local 554 joined their allies who represent public sector workers in the state of Nebraska yesterday by celebrating the passage of Legislative Resolution (LR) 487.

"We'd like to thank the elected officials in the Nebraska Legislature who introduced and passed this resolution re-affirming collective bargaining rights of workers in the public sector," said Kim Quick, President of Local 554. "Public employees provide essential services that Nebraskans rely on every day, and they deserve the same rights and representation as everyone else."

LR 487, introduced by Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha, commemorates the 50th anniversary of Nebraska public sector workers gaining collective bargaining rights with the passage of Legislative Bill 15. It designated April 29 as Public Employee Collective Bargaining Day.

"Nebraskans are encouraged to recognize, commemorate and celebrate the history and importance of collective bargaining in the State of Nebraska," the resolution states.

Teamsters Local 554 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout the state of Nebraska. For more information, go to www.local554.org.

Contact:

Galen Munroe, (202) 624-6911

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 554
3RD QUARTER YEAR OVER YEAR REVENUE INCREASE AS COMPANY EXPANDS REACH

TORONTO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Nerds on Site Inc. (the "Company") (CSE: NERD) (FSE: 3NS.F) (QTCQB: NOSUF), a mobile IT solutions company servicing the SME marketplace, provides 2019 Q3 revenue highlights as the Company executes its strategic growth plan.

"The increase in quarterly revenues year over year is a testament to the focus our team has had on expansion into new markets in the US and Canada, while simultaneously growing existing customer bases, including relationships with key clients like Canadian Tire stores," said Mr. Charles Regan, CEO, NERDS on Site.

Revenue Highlights:

Revenue is up 23.7% from $1,921,478 in 2018 Q3 to $2,377,836 for 2019 Q3

in 2018 Q3 to for 2019 Q3 Quarterly gross profit is up 39.6%, from $470,478 for 2018 Q3 to $656,814 in 2019 Q3

for 2018 Q3 to in 2019 Q3 Net loss increased from 2018 Q3 to 2019 Q3 from $342,218 to $769,991 , or $0.009 per share versus $0.006 per share, primarily as a result of one-time listing expenses and ongoing business costs associated with US expansion efforts in Florida and Arizona

"We took the Company public last fall with the goal of expanding in the USA. We are excited to announce the milestone of reporting revenues from US operations in the third quarter," noted Mr. Regan. "It's a significant achievement and an indication that our strategy has been validated, and we have continued to build on the initial $224,000 in US revenue last quarter as more NERDS continue to join the team."

The Company anticipates acceleration of USA revenue with anticipated delivery of 20 new NERD mobiles expected in May from EFLEETS.

About Nerds On Site:

Nerds on Site, a company founded in 1995, specializes in providing cost effective, leading edge solutions to Small and Medium sized Enterprise (SME), serving as the complete SME IT solution specialists. Nerds on Site was established in London, Ontario with current annual revenues of approximately $10,000,000 with normalized net earnings of about $100,000.00. The company services over 12,000 clients per year with a superb 96.5% customer satisfaction rating. NOS's business model is based on Nerds sub contracts in Canada and a Franchise model for USA expansion.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements - Certain information set forth in this material may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

SOURCE Nerds On Site Inc.

Related Links

www.nerdsonsite.com


Some say that diamonds are a girl's best friend but when it comes to seven-year-old Jasmine, her most prized possession is the new mood ring that she's gifted by her grandmother. In this colorful story, Jasmine is gifted with a heart-shaped, mood ring that changes colors throughout the day based on the different emotions that Jasmine is feeling.
MIAMI, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers have developed a new method to identify illegally trafficked European eels, and it has already led to the arrest and prosecution of smugglers in Hong Kong.

The team's DNA testing method has already proven to be quick, highly accurate at detecting protected wildlife, easy to administer and cheap, costing about $1 per sample. It was originally developed to help customs officials identify protected shark species for fins and other shark meat passing through borders. First deployed in Hong Kong, customs officials advised they also needed help identifying illegal shipments of the critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Within weeks, the researchers replicated the test for the eel, according to FIU marine scientist Demian Chapman, one of the developers of the method.

"This test works for anything with DNA," Chapman said. "The endgame for us is that this technology will be at every border checkpoint in the world."

The European eel is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Trade of the species requires permits certifying traded specimens were legally caught and traceable through the supply chain. The traceable part has been one of the biggest challenges for customs officials, because many species look the same at the juvenile stage. This new testing method uses a quick DNA test dependent on primers developed by the research team. It can identify a species from a meat sample, living specimen or even the water they are transported in, and it's easy for customs officers to administer. If DNA of a European eel is identified from countries where export is illegal, it's enough evidence for authorities to detain expected smugglers, seize shipments and pursue a more in-depth investigation.

The test was first deployed in December, when two men arrived at Hong Kong International Airport from Portugal via Moscow with eels found in their four checked bags. There is presently an export ban on this species from the European Union. Customs officials contacted Diego Cardenosa, a Ph.D. candidate from Stony Brook University and researcher in the FIU Predator Ecology and Conservation Lab, who was living in Hong Kong at the time. Within hours, he was able to confirm the presence of European eels in the suitcases. The men were arrested and are currently facing prosecution for wildlife trafficking. The value of the eels they were carrying is estimated at $300,000.

The researchers are now working with countries in Latin America to test for illegally trafficked sharks and continue to develop new sets of primers in anticipation of more shark species gaining protection when CITES convenes next month.

The research team also includes Matthew Gollock, aquatic species and policy senior program manager at the Zoological Society of London. The research is supported by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and conducted in collaboration with the Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department in Hong Kong. The findings were published in Conservation Science and Practice.

JoAnn C. Adkins

305-979-5276

[email protected]

news.fiu.edu

@FIUNews

SOURCE Florida International University

Related Links

http://fiu.edu


"In 2017, we committed to work with other education organizations to eradicate STEM Deserts," said NMSI CEO Dr. Bernard Harris, a former astronaut. "To do that, we needed to align with other organizations, pinpoint opportunity gaps in STEM education and develop data-based tools to inform our next steps."

The Index is built on work led by NMSI, SRI International and 100Kin10. Harris unveiled it at the 2019 Milken Institute Global Conference.

"No one organization can ensure all students have the access and resources needed to thrive in STEM education," Harris said. "Other groups we worked with included Barings, the American Institute for Research and representatives of almost 50 education and research organizations. We now look forward to adding more features and seeing how businesses, lawmakers, parents and other nonprofits use the tools to improve public STEM education."

Speaking at a workforce panel, Harris noted that the Index will help businesses understand the states and communities best positioned to support their employees' families. He also said corporate and private foundations could use the tools to help decide where to invest philanthropic resources and measure their impacts.

"Genentech is committed to empowering communities with access to high-quality STEM education resources," said Eileen Yang, the company's senior manager for corporate citizenship. Genentech supported data collection for the STEM Framework. "Tools like the Framework are critical to identifying where educational investments can add greatest leverage, so we can reach more students and increase their access to STEM education and career pathways."

The first version of the Index focuses on state-level data. Before the end of the year, NMSI expects to unveil updates focused on school system and school-level data.

"For all kids to have the excellent STEM knowledge and skills they need to take on the opportunities of this century, players from all across the STEM education landscape must work together toward that common vision, which means we need to know what's working well and where we're making progress," said Talia Milgrom-Elcott, co-founder and executive director of 100kIn10. "The STEM Opportunity Index will fuel this knowledge and collaboration. We're excited by the potential of this platform and honored to have contributed to its development."

NMSI supports schools, teachers and students across the country with leadership training, teacher professional development, classroom and lab supplies, AP exam subsidies and expert-led study resources for students. The Dallas-based nonprofit supports a variety of education disciplines and believes STEM education is the strongest lever to achieving opportunity.

"The STEM workforce continues to outpace other sectors and many students today are likely to work in jobs that don't yet exist," Harris said. "It's about creating a workforce of knowledgeable individuals who will drive economic prosperity, compete globally and actively participate in the growth of this nation."

Harris, a physician, was the first African-American to complete a spacewalk. He has spent three decades increasing access to STEM education, particularly for students from socio-economic groups under-represented in medicine and other STEM fields.

Harris was a founding NMSI board member and became CEO in 2017. He's also the founder of the Harris Institute and Foundation, a managing partner for a medical technology investment firm, a board member for a number public and private companies and organizations and the author of "Dream Walker: A Journey of Achievement and Inspiration."

NMSI will share the Index and Framework with other organizations and will continue to make adjustments based on research-based data, to ensure that it remains relevant and impactful.

ABOUT NMSI

Founded in 2007, NMSI's mission is to advance STEM education to ensure all students, especially those furthest from opportunity, thrive and reach their highest potential as problem solvers and lifelong learners. The nonprofit organization helps develop new STEM teachers through its Teacher Pathways programs, and supports schools, teachers and AP students through Laying the Foundation, the College Readiness Program and other research-based programs. Learn more at nms.org.

Media Contact Juan Elizondo, NMSI, [email protected], 214-346-1249

SOURCE National Math and Science Initiative

Related Links

http://www.nms.org


BANGALORE, India, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nitstone Finserv, a Bangalore-headquartered NBFC which focuses on digital and physical lending platform facilitating quick and hassle-free loans, has appointed Mr. Bosco Caldeira as its Senior Vice President  Head of Strategic Finance and Global Alliances.

Mr. B Caldeira is a former Chartered Accountant and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. He has had a career spanning over 25 years in global banks and IT firms in the UK, UAE, India, Malaysia and Australia. Bosco has worked in senior management positions in Bank of America, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank and CIMB Bank.

Caldeira's appointment comes as a part of Nitstone's efforts to continue to attract institutional investments to raise growth capital. In his new role, he would be focused on raising investment capital, working on strategic partnership. He would be a part of the senior management team.

Ms. Bhatter, the company's spokesperson, said , "We are delighted to welcome Bosco Caldeira in the team. Caldeira is spearheading the negotiations for the fresh investment in the firm. We believe that with his ability to deliver growth with large-scale impact, he would bring a wealth of expertise, experience, and international perspectives, diversity and excellent judgment to increase the scalability of the firm."

About Nitstone Finserv

Nitstone Finserv Private Limited is a technologically equipped NBFC taking a radical approach to lending and financing. From unprecedented products and tools to faster service, we are all about helping our consumers get ahead, grow and find success.

Whether they are looking to finance their personal needs, education, buy consumer durables or ascend in/start their business, we promise to empower our consumers to accomplish the goals they set and achieve financial greatness and growth.

For more information, visit the company website at http://www.nitstone.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NitstoneFinserv/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NitstoneFinserv

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nitstonefinserv/

Media Contact:

Varsha Bhatter

[email protected]

+91-7303016774

Marketing Manager

Nitstone Finserv Pvt. Ltd.

SOURCE Nitstone Finserv
- Quarterly results:

Monthly Average Student Enrollments[1] Increased by 52.2% Year-over-Year

Net Revenues increased by 42.1% Year-over-Year

Net Revenues from OneSmart VIP business increased by 30.8% Year-over-Year

Net Revenues from HappyMath increased by 45.1% Year-over-Year

Net Revenues from FasTrack English increased by 257.5% Year-over-Year

- First half results:

Monthly Average Student Enrollments[1] Increased by 54.3% Year-over-Year

Net Revenues increased by 43.9% Year-over-Year

Net Revenues from OneSmart VIP business increased by 31.9% Year-over-Year

Net Revenues from HappyMath increased by 47.9% Year-over-Year

Net Revenues from FasTrack English increased by 542.5%

SHANGHAI, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- OneSmart International Education Group Limited (NYSE: ONE) ("OneSmart" or the "Company"), a leading diversified premium K-12 after-school education service provider in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second fiscal quarter of 2019 ended February 28, 2019.

Highlights for the Second Fiscal Quarter Ended February 28, 2019

Net revenues increased by 42.1% year-over-year to RMB942.5 million ( US$140.9 million )

( ) Net revenues from OneSmart VIP business increased by 30.8% year-over-year to RMB747.4 million ( US$111.7 million )

( ) Net revenues from HappyMath increased by 45.1% year-over-year to RMB117.4 million ( US$17.5 million )

( ) Net revenues from FasTrack English increased by 257.5% year-over-year to RMB 39.4 million (US$5.9 million )

(US$5.9 ) Monthly average student enrollments[1] increased by 52.2% year-over-year to 156,171, of which monthly average student enrollments for OneSmart VIP business, HappyMath and FasTrack English increased by 22.2% , 57.3% and 162.2% from the same period of fiscal year 2018, respectively

Highlights for the First Half Ended February 28, 2019

Net revenues increased by 43.9% year-over-year to RMB1,589.5 million ( US$237.5 million )

( ) Net revenues from OneSmart VIP business increased by 31.9% year-over-year to RMB1,233.1 million ( US$184.3 million )

( ) Net revenues from HappyMath increased by 47.9% year-over-year to RMB223.9 million ( US$33.5 million )

( ) Net revenues from FasTrack English increased by 542.5% to RMB70.8 million ( US$10.6 million )

( ) Number of study centers increased to 401 as of February 28, 2019 , which represents total number of classrooms increase of 18.2% year-over-year, of which 259 were OneSmart VIP study centers, 88 were HappyMath study centers, 40 were FasTrack English study centers and 14 were Tianjin Huaying study centers

Key Financial Results (In thousands/RMB)

















2Q

FY2019

2Q

FY2018

% of

change Net revenues

942,500

663,459

42.1% Gross profit

466,538

332,390

40.4% Operating income

90,216

78,073

15.6% Non-GAAP operating income

102,350

82,028

24.8% Net income attributable to

OneSmart

64,924

77,380

-16.1% Non-GAAP net income

attributable to OneSmart

77,058

81,335

-5.3%

















1H FY2019

1H FY2018

% of

change Net revenues

1,589,477

1,104,645

43.9% Gross profit

726,930

520,974

39.5% Operating income

29,147

61,713

-52.8% Non-GAAP operating income

59,462

71,336

-16.6% Net income attributable to

OneSmart

48,617

104,963

-53.7% Non-GAAP net income

attributable to OneSmart

78,932

114,586

-31.1%

Mr. Steve Xi Zhang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OneSmart, commented, "We are very excited to announce another quarter of strong growth in both topline and student enrollments. Total net revenues increased by 42.1% year-over-year to RMB942.5 million, which was supported by 52.2% year-over-year growth in monthly average student enrollments. OneSmart VIP business, HappyMath and FasTrack English achieved top-line growth of 30.8%, 45.1% and 257.5% year-over-year, respectively.

As a leading diversified premium K-12 education company in China, we are well-positioned to benefit from the rapid growth of the premium education market and will continue to replicate our operational excellence in managing premium education brands when we expand into more diversified market segments and more geographic locations in China. Our OneSmart VIP business, HappyMath and FasTrack English will continue to focus on accelerated penetration into existing and new tier II and tier III cities where we expect to enjoy more favorable operational cost structure and generate higher return on invested capital.

Going forward, we will continue to focus on our "3T Foundation": Technology Integration, Teaching Innovation and Touching Services. Leveraging big data analytics and powerful artificial intelligence ("AI") technology, we continued to invest heavily and develop new technology that can significantly improve the education experience for both students and teachers by providing effective tools to carefully evaluate student performance, customize teaching plans, and track progress in a more scientific and efficient manner.

The following are key highlights of our business development during the second fiscal quarter of 2019:

OneSmart VIP business (exam preparation, overseas study consultation, and study camps services)

We launched new online broadcasting program during weekdays to provide more value-added services to our students;

We continued to see strong growth momentum when we expand into existing tier II and tier III cities. Monthly average student enrollment increased by over 50% year-over-year in Suzhou, Wuxi, Chengdu , Changsha , Xi'an , Chongqing , Yancheng, Taizhou, Wenzhou, Zhuhai, Tianjin , Lanzhou , Ningbo and Shaoxing.

, , , , Yancheng, Taizhou, Wenzhou, Zhuhai, , , and Shaoxing. We opened 17 new OneSmart VIP learning centers during the quarter and will continue to further penetrate into more existing tier II and tier III cities.

HappyMath (3 to 8 years old kids mathematics training)

We continued to accelerate our growth in HappyMath. Monthly average student enrollments increased by 57.3% year-over-year;

We continued to see strong growth momentum in cities outside Shanghai . Monthly average student enrollment growth exceeded 100% year-over-year in Beijing , Shenzhen and other core tier II and tier III cities including Hangzhou , Chengdu and Xiamen ;

. Monthly average student enrollment growth exceeded 100% year-over-year in , and other core tier II and tier III cities including , and ; Benefiting from customers' increasing demand for Chinese language training and science program, average subjects taken by each student expanded rapidly. More than 8,600 students were enrolled for the Chinese language training classes during the second fiscal quarter of 2019;

We opened 10 new HappyMath learning centers during the quarter and will continue to further penetrate into more existing and new tier II and tier III cities.

FasTrack English (3 to 8 years old kids English training)

Monthly average student enrollments increased by 162.2% year-over-year;

We launched the online i-Makii study master platform to enhance intelligent and interactive study assistance and to provide comprehensive visualized learning experiences to our students;

We managed to substantially raise the average selling price of our upgraded product and services across all centers and accordingly, gross profit margin of FasTrack English increased by approximately 10% during the second fiscal quarter of 2019; and

We opened 7 new FasTrack English learning centers during the quarter and will continue to further penetrate into more existing and new tier II and tier III cities."

Mr. Dong Li, OneSmart's Director and Chief Financial Officer added, "We achieved 40.4% year-over-year growth in gross profit and 24.8% year-over-year growth in non-GAAP operating profit, even though we added a total of 128 learning centers since second fiscal quarter of 2018 to meet the increased market demand, we incurred certain one-off costs and expenses to comply with the latest regulatory requirements, and we substantially increased investments in integration of the latest education technology and curriculum development.

We added 34 new learning centers during the quarter and total number of study centers increased to 401 as of February 28, 2019, which represents total number of classrooms increase of 18.2% year-over-year and 4.9% quarter-over-quarter. We are delighted to see our Mature Learnings Centers[2] continue to consistently deliver satisfactory operating and financial results. During the second fiscal quarter of 2019, gross profit margin of our Mature Learning Centers[2]increased by 1.0% year-over-year, of which gross profit margin of Mature Learning Centers[2] for OneSmart VIP business, HappyMath and FasTrack English increased by 0.8%, 1.0%, and 19.7%, respectively. In the meantime, our newly opened learning centers are on track to ramp up quickly and are expected to achieve higher utilization when they become mature.

Juren Education, which we invested a strategic minority stake in October 2018, also achieved steady growth since our investment. Total student enrollments for the Winter and Spring semesters in 2019 increased by 48.4% year-over-year and Juren Education will further penetrate into more tier II and tier III cities in China.

Lastly, following our US$30.0 million share repurchase program approved by the board of directors in October 2018, we are delighted to announce that our board of directors has just authorized another share repurchase program of up to US$50.0 million worth of our shares over the next 12 months. These share repurchase programs reflect confidence in our future prospects and our ability to create and return long-term sustainable value for our shareholders."

Recent Development

In April 2019, the Company's board of directors authorized a new share repurchase program to repurchase up to US$50.0 million worth of its shares over the next 12 months, subject to market conditions.

In April 2019, the Company entered into a US$139 million term facility agreement with a group of arrangers led by UBS AG, Singapore Branch. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company will be provided an interest bearing secured term facility of up to US$139 million. The term facility has a three-year term from the initial drawdown date and will be repaid in installments. The proceeds from this term facility will be used for the Company's existing and new share repurchase program, working capital, capital expenditure, and other general corporate purposes.

Financial Results For the Second Fiscal Quarter Ended February 28, 2019

Net Revenues

Net revenues were RMB942.5 million (US$140.9 million), an increase of 42.1% from RMB663.5 million during the same period last year. The increase was mainly attributable to the rapid growth of student enrollments of our OneSmart VIP business, HappyMath, FasTrack English as well as the acquisition of Tianjin Huaying in September 2018. Monthly average student enrollments increased by 52.2% year-over-year to 156,171.

Operating Costs and Expenses

Operating costs and expenses for the quarter were RMB852.3 million (US$127.4 million), an increase of 45.6% from RMB585.4 million during the same period last year. Non-GAAP operating costs and expenses, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, were RMB840.2 million (US$125.6 million), an increase of 44.5% from RMB581.4 million during the same period last year.

Cost of revenues increased by 43.8% year-over-year to RMB476.0 million ( US$71.1 million ). The increase was primarily due to the opening of 128 new learning centers since the end of the second fiscal quarter of 2018. Accordingly the Company incurred more rental expenses as well as more personnel costs for teaching staff and study advisors.

increased by 43.8% year-over-year to ( ). The increase was primarily due to the opening of 128 new learning centers since the end of the second fiscal quarter of 2018. Accordingly the Company incurred more rental expenses as well as more personnel costs for teaching staff and study advisors. Selling and marketing expenses increased by 47.8% year-over-year to RMB191.5 million ( US$28.6 million ). Non-GAAP selling and marketing expenses, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, were RMB191.4 million ( US$28.6 million ), an increase of 47.9% from RMB129.4 million during the same period last year. The increase was primarily due to the opening of 128 new learning centers since the end of the second fiscal quarter of 2018. Accordingly the Company incurred more marketing expenses and employed more sales and marketing staff.

increased by 47.8% year-over-year to ( ). Non-GAAP selling and marketing expenses, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, were ( ), an increase of 47.9% from during the same period last year. The increase was primarily due to the opening of 128 new learning centers since the end of the second fiscal quarter of 2018. Accordingly the Company incurred more marketing expenses and employed more sales and marketing staff. General and administrative expenses increased by 48.2% year-over-year to RMB184.9 million ( US$27.6 million ). Non-GAAP general and administrative expenses, which excludes share-based compensation, were RMB172.8 million ( US$25.8 million ), an increase of 42.9% from RMB121.0 million during the same period last year. The increase was primarily due to our enlarged investment in research & development on curriculum development and education technology, as well as the opening of 128 new learning centers since the end of the second fiscal quarter of 2018. Accordingly, the Company hired more research & development and management personnel.

Total share-based compensation expenses, which were allocated to related operating expenses, were RMB12.1 million (US$1.8 million) in the second fiscal quarter of 2019, compared with RMB4.0 million in the same period of the prior fiscal year.

Operating Income and Operating Margin

Operating income for the quarter was RMB90.2 million (US$13.5 million), an increase of 15.6% year-over-year from RMB78.1 million in the same period of the prior fiscal year. Non-GAAP Operating income, which excludes shared-based compensation, was RMB102.3 million (US$15.3 million), an increase of 24.8% year-over-year from RMB82.0 million during the same period of the prior fiscal year.

Operating margin for the quarter was 9.6%, compared with 11.8% in the same period of the prior fiscal year. Non-GAAP operating margin was 10.9%, compared with 12.4% during the same period last year. The decrease was mainly due to that we added a total of 128 learning centers since the second fiscal quarter of 2018 to meet the increased market demand, incurred certain one-off costs and expenses to comply with the latest regulatory requirements, and substantially increased investments in integration of the latest education technology and curriculum development.

Other income, which mainly represents government subsidies and other gains, was RMB2.2 million (US$0.3 million), compared with RMB4.2 million during the same period last year.

Income tax expense was RMB27.8 million (US$4.2 million), compared with RMB23.0 million during the same period last year.

Net Income Attributable to OneSmart

Net income attributable to OneSmart was RMB64.9 million (US$9.7 million), compared with net income of RMB77.4 million during the same period last year. Non-GAAP net income attributable to OneSmart was RMB77.1 million (US$11.5 million), compared with RMB81.3 million during the same period last year. The decrease was mainly due to more interest expenses incurred from bank borrowings and share of losses from equity investees during the period.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures for the second fiscal quarter of 2019 were RMB90.9 million (US$13.6 million), an increase of RMB3.1 million from RMB87.8 million in the second fiscal quarter of 2018. The increase was mainly due to leasehold improvements as a result of the opening of new learning centers and renovations of existing learning centers.

Financial Position

As of February 28, 2019, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of RMB480.8 million (US$71.9 million) and short-term investments of RMB584.4 million (US$87.3 million).

OneSmart's prepayments from customers balance, which represents cash collected from enrolled students for courses and recognized proportionately as the tutoring sessions are delivered, was RMB1,969.5 million (US$294.3 million) at the end of the second fiscal quarter of 2019, an increase of 9.8% from RMB1,793.0 million at the end of the second fiscal quarter of 2018, which was reflective of the latest regulatory requirements that prepaid tuition fees cannot be more than three months.

Cash Flow

Net cash used in operating activities in the second fiscal quarter of 2019 was RMB139.5 million (US$20.9 million).

Net cash used in investing activities in the second fiscal quarter of 2019 was RMB142.0 million (US$21.2 million).

Net cash used in financing activities in the second fiscal quarter of 2019 was RMB5.5 million (US$0.9 million).

Financial Results For the Six Months Ended February 28, 2019

For the first six months of fiscal year 2019, OneSmart reported net revenues of RMB1,589.5 million (US$237.5 million), representing a 43.9% increase year-over-year.

Monthly average student enrollments in the first six months of fiscal year 2019 increased by 54.3% to approximately 149,279.

Operating costs and expenses for the first six months of fiscal year 2019 were RMB1,560.3 million (US$233.2 million), a 49.6% increase year-over-year. Non-GAAP operating costs and expenses for the first six months of fiscal year 2019, which excluded share-based compensation expenses, were RMB1,530.0 million (US$228.7 million), representing a 48.1% increase year-over-year.

Cost of revenues increased by 47.8% year-over-year to RMB862.5 million (US$128.9 million).

Selling and marketing expenses increased by 51.7% year-over-year to RMB357.9 million (US$53.5 million). Non-GAAP selling and marketing expenses, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, were RMB357.4 million (US$53.4 million), an increase of 51.7% from RMB235.6 million during the same period last year.

General and administrative expenses increased by 52.2% year-over-year to RMB339.9 million (US$50.8 million). Non-GAAP general and administrative expenses, which excludes share-based compensation, were RMB310.1 million (US$46.3 million), an increase of 44.9% from RMB214.0 million during the same period last year.

Operating income for the first six months of fiscal year 2019 was RMB29.1 million (US$4.3 million), representing a 52.8% decrease year-over-year. Non-GAAP operating income for the first six months of fiscal year 2019 was RMB59.5 million (US$8.9 million), representing a 16.6% decrease year-over-year.

Operating margin for the first six months of fiscal year 2019 was 1.8%, compared to 5.6% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Non-GAAP operating margin, which excludes share-based compensation expenses for the first six months of fiscal year 2019, was 3.7%, compared to 6.5% for the same period of the prior fiscal year.

Net income attributable to OneSmart for the first six months of fiscal year 2019 was RMB48.6 million (US$7.3 million), representing a 53.7% decrease year-over-year. Non-GAAP net income attributable to OneSmart for the first six months of fiscal year 2019 was RMB78.9 million (US$11.8 million), representing a 31.1% decrease year-over-year.

Outlook for Fiscal Year 2019

For fiscal year 2019, OneSmart maintains its guidance and expects net revenues to be between RMB4,000 million (US$597.8 million) and RMB4,150 million (US$620.2 million), an increase of 40% to 45% from fiscal year 2018. This forecast reflects OneSmart's current and preliminary view, which is subject to uncertainty.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at the noon buying rate on February 28, 2019, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, which was RMB6.6912 to US$1.00.

[1] "Enrollments", for the purpose of calculation, are to a student who takes at least one class for one subject in a certain period is treated as one enrollment in the same period. Under this methodology, a student taking at least one class for each of two subjects in a certain period is treated as two enrollments in the same period. The number of students enrolled in our invested schools and OneSmart Online is not included for this purpose. [2] Mature Learning Centers" for Q2 FY2019 and Q2 FY2018 refer to those learning centers that had been under operation for over 24 months by December 1, 2018 and December 1, 2017, respectively.

Conference Call Information

OneSmart's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM on April 30, 2019, U.S. Eastern Time (8:00 PM on the same day Beijing/Hong Kong Time).

Dial-in numbers for the live conference call are as follows:

International 1-412-902-4272 China 4001-201-203 US 1-888-346-8982 Hong Kong 800-905-945 Passcode OneSmart

A telephone replay of the call will be available after the conclusion of the conference call through May 7, 2019.

Dial-in numbers for the replay are as follows:

International Dial-in 1-412-317-0088 U.S. Toll Free 1-877-344-7529 Passcode: 10130364

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of this conference call will be available at http://www.onesmart.investorroom.com/.

About OneSmart

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Shanghai, OneSmart International Education Group Limited is a leading diversified premium K-12 education company in China. Since commencement of our business, our vision is to build the most trusted "Third Classroom" outside of home and school and our mission is to bring out the utmost learning power in each student by cultivating his or her study motivation, capability and perseverance, and enable our students to pursue their life-long success. Our company culture is centered on the core values of customer focus, execution, innovation and teamwork.

The Company has built a comprehensive premium K-12 education platform that encompasses OneSmart VIP business (exam preparation, overseas study consultation, and study camps), HappyMath (3 to 8 years old kids mathematics training), and FasTrack English (3 to 8 years old kids English training). The Company also strategically incubated and invested in online education service providers including Yimi Online Tutoring (online premium K-12 tutoring), UUABC (online kids English training), and BestMath (online kids mathematics training). As of February 28, 2019, OneSmart operated a nationwide network of 401 study centers across 42 cities in China.

For more information on OneSmart, please visit http://www.onesmart.investorroom.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. OneSmart may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about OneSmart's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: OneSmart's goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; its ability to continue to penetrate premium K-12 after-school education services market; diversify and enrich our education offerings; enhance the development and management of our teacher team and teaching materials; competition in our industry in China; its ability to maintain and expand online education presence; relevant government policies and regulations relating to the corporate structure, business and industry; and its ability to protect our students' information and adequately address privacy concerns. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and OneSmart does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating its business, OneSmart considers and uses the following measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the SEC as supplemental metrics to review and assess its operating performance: non-GAAP operating costs and expenses, non-GAAP selling and marketing expenses, non-GAAP general and administrative expenses, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income attributable to OneSmart. To present each of these non-GAAP measures, the Company excludes share-based compensation expenses. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP measures" set forth at the end of this release.

OneSmart believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding its performance and liquidity by excluding share-based compensation expenses that may not be indicative of its operating performance from a cash perspective. OneSmart believes that both management and investors benefit from these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing its performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management's internal comparisons to OneSmart's historical performance and liquidity. OneSmart computes its non-GAAP financial measures using the same consistent method from quarter to quarter and from period to period. OneSmart believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision making. A limitation of using non-GAAP measures is that these non-GAAP measures exclude share-based compensation charges that have been and will continue to be for the foreseeable future a significant recurring expense in the Company's business. Management compensates for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The accompanying tables have more details on the reconciliations between GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures.

For more information, please contact:

OneSmart

Ms. Rebecca Shen

+86-21-5255-9339 ext. 8139

[email protected]

Christensen

In China

Mr. Christian Arnell

Phone: +86-10-5900-1548

E-mail: [email protected]

In the US

Ms. Linda Bergkamp

Phone: +1-480-614-3004

Email: [email protected]

ONESMART INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION GROUP LIMITED UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Amounts in thousands)



As of

As of

As of



August 31,

February 28,

February 28,



2018

2019

2019



RMB

RMB

US$



(Audited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited) ASSETS











Current assets:











Cash and cash equivalents

1,410,747

480,766

71,850 Short-term investments

815,854

584,368

87,334 Prepayments and other current assets

252,964

527,998

78,909 Total current assets

2,479,565

1,593,132

238,093













Non-current assets:











Property and equipment, net

449,990

548,107

81,915 Intangible assets, net

112,119

163,239

24,396 Long-term investments

484,103

1,332,150

199,090 Goodwill

372,077

699,033

104,470 Deferred tax assets

37,455

38,755

5,792 Amounts due from related parties

16,500

16,500

2,466 Other non-current assets

251,118

195,553

29,225 Total non-current assets

1,723,362

2,993,337

447,354













Total assets

4,202,927

4,586,469

685,447













LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT









Current liabilities:











Short-term loan (including short-term loan of the consolidated VIEs

without recourse to the Group of nil and RMB169,876 (US$25,388) as

of August 31, 2018 and February 28, 2019, respectively)

-

169,876

25,388 Long-term loan , current portion (including long-term loan, current

portion of the consolidated VIEs without recourse to the Group of

RMB45,000 and RMB67,500 (US$10,088) as of August 31, 2018 and

February 28, 2019, respectively)

45,000

67,500

10,088 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (including accrued

expenses and other current liabilities of the consolidated VIEs without

recourse to the Group of RMB548,408 and RMB695,586 (US$103,955)

as of August 31, 2018 and February 28, 2019, respectively)

579,533

713,116

106,575 Income taxes payable (including income taxes payable of the

consolidated VIEs without recourse to the Group of RMB33,809 and

RMB43,416 (US$6,489) as of August 31, 2018 and February 28, 2019,

respectively)

45,291

53,250

7,958 Prepayments from customers (including prepayments from customers

of the consolidated VIEs without recourse to the Group of

RMB1,991,647 and RMB1,968,547 (US$294,199) as of August 31, 2018

and February 28, 2019, respectively)

1,991,647

1,969,527

294,346 Total current liabilities

2,661,471

2,973,269

444,355













Non-current liabilities:











Deferred tax liabilities (including deferred tax liabilities of the

consolidated VIEs without recourse to the Group of RMB23,528 and

RMB35,250 (US$5,268) as of August 31, 2018 and February 28, 2019,

respectively)

23,528

35,250

5,268 Long-term loan (including long-term loan of the consolidated VIEs

without recourse to the Group of RMB405,000 and RMB337,500 (US

$50,439) as of August 31, 2018 and February 28, 2019, respectively)

405,000

337,500

50,439 Unrecognized tax benefit (including liability for unrecognized tax

benefit of the consolidated VIEs without recourse to the Group of

RMB17,345 and RMB19,689 (US$2,943) as of August 31, 2018 and

February 28, 2019, respectively)

17,685

20,634

3,084 Other non-current liabilities (including other non-current liabilities of the

consolidated VIEs without recourse to the Group of nil and RMB40,840

(US$6,104) as of August 31, 2018 and February 28, 2019, respectively)

-

90,528

13,530 Total non-current liabilities

446,213

483,912

72,321













Total liabilities

3,107,684

3,457,181

516,676













Commitments and contingencies

























Shareholders' equity:











Class A ordinary shares (US$0.000001 par value; 37,703,157,984

shares authorized; 4,220,365,545 issued and outstanding as of August

31, 2018 and 4,164,680,867 issued and outstanding as of February 28,

2019, respectively)

26

26

4 Class B ordinary shares (US$0.000001 par value; 2,296,842,016 issued

and outstanding as of August 31, 2018 and February 28, 2019,

respectively)

16

16

2 Treasury stock

-

(122,849)

(18,360) Additional paid-in capital

5,426,503

5,455,581

815,337 Statutory reserves

4,272

6,159

920 Accumulated deficit

(4,535,042)

(4,496,030)

(671,932) Accumulated other comprehensive income

128,900

155,242

23,201 Total OneSmart International Education Group Limited

shareholders' equity

1,024,675

998,145

149,172 Non-controlling interests

70,568

131,143

19,599 Total shareholders' equity

1,095,243

1,129,288

168,771













Total liabilities, non-controlling interests and shareholders' equity

4,202,927

4,586,469

685,447

ONESMART INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION GROUP LIMITED UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS (Amounts in thousands)





























For the three months ended

February 28,

For the six months ended

February 28,



2018

2019

2019

2018

2019

2019



RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$



(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

























Net revenues

663,459

942,500

140,857

1,104,645

1,589,477

237,547 Cost of revenues

(331,069)

(475,962)

(71,133)

(583,671)

(862,547)

(128,908) Gross profit

332,390

466,538

69,724

520,974

726,930

108,639

























Operating expenses:























Selling and marketing (Note 1)

(129,557)

(191,450)

(28,612)

(235,954)

(357,888)

(53,486) General and administrative (Note 1)

(124,760)

(184,872)

(27,629)

(223,307)

(339,895)

(50,797) Total operating expenses

(254,317)

(376,322)

(56,241)

(459,261)

(697,783)

(104,283) Operating income

78,073

90,216

13,483

61,713

29,147

4,356

























Interest income

9,795

4,708

704

16,173

12,411

1,855 Interest expense

(4,572)

(10,344)

(1,546)

(4,691)

(17,868)

(2,670) Other income

4,233

2,150

321

43,561

19,202

2,870 Other expenses

(3,083)

(442)

(66)

(3,083)

(575)

(86) Foreign exchange gains

300

309

46

125

1,519

227 Income before income tax and share of net

income/(loss) from equity investees

84,746

86,597

12,942

113,798

43,836

6,552

























Income tax expense

(22,994)

(27,819)

(4,158)

(32,590)

(30,303)

(4,529) Income before share of net income/(loss) from

equity investees

61,752

58,778

8,784

81,208

13,533

2,023

























Share of net income/(loss) from equity investees

4,394

(13,579)

(2,029)

3,028

(7,313)

(1,093)

























Net income

66,146

45,199

6,755

84,236

6,220

930

























Add: Net loss attributable to non-controlling

interests

11,234

19,725

2,948

20,727

42,397

6,336

























Net income attributable to OneSmart's

shareholders

77,380

64,924

9,703

104,963

48,617

7,266

























Note 1: Share-based compensation expenses are included in the operating costs and expenses as follows:





























For the three months ended

February 28,

For the six months ended

February 28,



2018

2019

2019

2018

2019

2019



RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$



(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

























Selling and marketing

163

75

11

328

533

80 General and administrative

3,792

12,059

1,802

9,295

29,782

4,451 Total

3,955

12,134

1,813

9,623

30,315

4,531













































































ONESMART INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION GROUP LIMITED UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Amounts in thousands)



For the three months ended

February 28,

For the six months ended

February 28,



2018

2019

2019

2018

2019

2019



RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$



(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

























Net income

66,146

45,199

6,755

84,236

6,220

930 Other comprehensive income























Unrealized gain on available-for-sale investments, net of tax 10,645

19,492

2,913

12,215

49,621

7,416 Foreign currency translation adjustment

(38)

(3,796)

(567)

(14,416)

6,188

925

























Comprehensive income

76,753

60,895

9,101

82,035

62,029

9,271 Add: Comprehensive loss attributable to non-

controlling interests

11,234

19,725

2,948

20,727

42,397

6,336

























Comprehensive income attributable to

OneSmart's shareholders

87,987

80,620

12,049

102,762

104,426

15,607

ONESMART INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION GROUP LIMITED Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to the Most Comparable GAAP Measures (Amounts in thousands)





























For the three months ended

February 28,

For the six months ended

February 28, 2018

2019

2019

2018

2019

2019



RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$



(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

























Selling and marketing expenses

129,557

191,450

28,612

235,954

357,888

53,486 Share-based compensation expense in selling and

marketing expenses

163

75

11

328

533

80 Non-GAAP selling and marketing expenses

129,394

191,375

28,601

235,626

357,355

53,406 General and administrative expenses

124,760

184,872

27,629

223,307

339,895

50,797 Share-based compensation expense in general and

administrative expenses

3,792

12,059

1,802

9,295

29,782

4,451 Non-GAAP general and administrative expenses

120,968

172,813

25,827

214,012

310,113

46,346

























Operating costs and expenses

585,386

852,284

127,374

1,042,932

1,560,330

233,191 Share-based compensation expense in operating costs and expenses

3,955

12,134

1,813

9,623

30,315

4,531 Non-GAAP operating costs and expenses

581,431

840,150

125,561

1,033,309

1,530,015

228,660

























Operating income

78,073

90,216

13,483

61,713

29,147

4,356 Share-based compensation expenses

3,955

12,134

1,813

9,623

30,315

4,531 Non-GAAP operating income

82,028

102,350

15,296

71,336

59,462

8,887

























Net income attributable to OneSmart's shareholders

77,380

64,924

9,703

104,963

48,617

7,266 Share-based compensation expenses

3,955

12,134

1,813

9,623

30,315

4,531 Non-GAAP net income attributable to OneSmart

81,335

77,058

11,516

114,586

78,932

11,797

SOURCE OneSmart International Education Group Limited

Related Links

http://www.onesmart.investorroom.com


STIRLING, Scotland, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SalesAgility, the authors and maintainers of open source SuiteCRM, are pleased to announce the launch of Suite:OnDemand to provide the freedoms of Open Source CRM as a Software as a Service (SaaS) product.

Suite:OnDemand is designed to radically change the way hosted CRM is priced and delivered. Unlike Salesforce and other enterprise CRM vendors, the practice of pricing per user has been abandoned in favour of per-server hosting packages all of which will support unlimited users. In addition, there's no increase in cost for access to advanced features. With Suite:OnDemand every feature and benefit is available with each hosting package.

"We want SuiteCRM to be available to all businesses and to all users within a business," said Dale Murray CEO of SalesAgility. "Many organisations do not have the experience to run and support our product on-premise or it is not part of their technology strategy to do so. With Suite:OnDemand we are providing our customers with a quick and easy solution to access all the features of SuiteCRM without a per user cost. We're also saying to Salesforce that enterprise-class CRM can be delivered, enhanced, maintained and supported without charging mouth-wateringly expensive monthly fees. Our aim is to transform the CRM market to enable users to make CRM pervasive within their organisations."

Suite:OnDemand offers a range of customer solutions and flexible pricing plans designed to empower organisations of all sizes from start-ups to the enterprise. Compared to proprietary CRM solutions, Suite:OnDemand is significantly less costly to use, customise, adapt, or integrate resulting in a substantially reduced total cost of ownership.

SalesAgility's support for Suite:OnDemand provides world class hosting, data security, GDPR compliance and dedicated support from SuiteCRM experts.

"Data protection, security and privacy were key to the architecture of Suite:OnDemand," said Matthew Lorimer, Head of Development at SalesAgility. "Our new platform provides scalable options that include 24/7 application and server monitoring, auto recovery on failure and a variety of backup options providing our customers with a fast, robust, secure and reliable way of using SuiteCRM without the need to manage their own cloud environment."

Additionally, Suite:OnDemand offers unparalleled flexibility without vendor-lock in. As the cloud matures and organisations adopt hybrid cloud solutions, Suite:OnDemand is ready to respond. You can migrate a hosted Suite:OnDemand instance to an on-premise or private cloud SuiteCRM instance. You can also request copies of your entire database and application. You can't do either of those with Salesforce. Flexibility and openness are two of the key differentiators between SuiteCRM and proprietary software package vendors.

You can start your free trial of Suite:OnDemand at https://suitecrm.com/suiteondemand

About SalesAgility: SalesAgility is the driving force behind SuiteCRM, the world's most popular open source CRM. SalesAgility provides SuiteCRM services that include support, consultancy, custom development, migrations, and training, as well as SuiteASSURED: a fully supported, discrete build of SuiteCRM, created to provide total care for enterprise-class customers and other large organisations.

About SuiteCRM: SuiteCRM is the world's leading open source Customer Relationship Management application. It is used by hundreds of thousands of organisations globally and supported by a community of more than 120,000 users and contributors.

CONTACT:

Jenni McDonald, [email protected], +44(0)1786-585-499

SOURCE SalesAgility
NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced Halo Labs Inc. (NEO: HALO;OTCQX: AGEEF), a cannabis extraction company that develops and manufactures quality cannabis oils and concentrates, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Halo Labs upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB Venture Market.

Halo Labs begins trading on OTCQX today under the symbol "AGEEF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

"Congratulations to Halo Labs on upgrading to the OTCQX Market from the OTCQB Venture Market," said Jason Paltrowitz, EVP of Corporate Services at OTC Markets Group. "By trading on OTCQX, Halo Labs provides transparent trading and demonstrates its strong financial qualifications. We are pleased to support Halo Labs as the company continues to build visibility in the U.S. public markets."

Kiran Sidhu, CEO of Halo Labs, commented: "I am excited to see Halo upgrading to the OTCQX Market, the highest tier market that the OTC offers. This is a major milestone for Halo as the Company and opens the Halo up to a wider pool of investors throughout the U.S."

Halo Labs launched on Canada's NEO Exchange, a senior stock exchange which takes a disclosure-based approach to listing companies in the US cannabis sector, on October 3, 2018.

"It is great to see Halo Labs enhancing its visibility with US-based investors by trading on the OTCQX Market. Congratulations to Halo on reaching this milestone," added Jos Schmitt, President & CEO of NEO. "As a senior company listed on a senior stock exchange in Canada, it is logical for Halo to be on the OTCQX Market and it will further drive investor confidence in the company and the space."

About Halo Labs Inc.

Halo is a cannabis extraction company that develops and manufactures quality cannabis oils and concentrates, which are the fastest growing segments in the cannabis industry. Founded in Oregon in 2016, Halo has expertise in all major cannabis manufacturing processes, leveraging proprietary processes and products, and has produced over 2.5 million grams of oils and concentrates since inception. The forward-thinking company is led by a strong management team with deep industry knowledge and blue-chip experience. The Company is currently expanding its operations with new facilities in Nevada and California. With a consumer-centric focus, Halo will continue to market innovative branded and private label products across multiple product categories.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

Media Contact:

OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected]

SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.otcmarkets.com


OKLAHOMA CITY, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Paycom Software, Inc. ("Paycom") (NYSE: PAYC), a leading provider of comprehensive, cloud-based human capital management software, today announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 through an earnings release available on Paycom's investor relations website at investors.paycom.com. A copy of the earnings release will be furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission on a Current Report on Form 8-K, available at sec.gov.

As previously announced, Paycom will host a conference call today, Tuesday, April 30, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, to discuss its results. The dial-in information for this call is (866) 362-4443 (domestic) or (412) 317-5229 (internationally). The conference call will also be webcast live at investors.paycom.com. For those unable to participate, a replay of the call will be available through May 7, 2019, and can be accessed by dialing (877) 344-7529 (domestic) or (412) 317-0088 (internationally), using replay access code 10130447. A web-based archive of the conference call will also be available on Paycom's investor relations website.

About Paycom

As a leader in payroll and HR technology, Oklahoma City-based Paycom redefines the human capital management industry by allowing companies to effectively navigate a rapidly changing business environment. Its cloud-based software solution is based on a core system of record maintained in a single database for all human capital management functions, providing the functionality that businesses need to manage the complete employment life cycle, from recruitment to retirement. Paycom has the ability to serve businesses of all sizes and in every industry. As one of the leading human capital management providers, Paycom serves clients in all 50 states from offices across the country.

SOURCE Paycom Software, Inc.

Related Links

www.paycomonline.com


HOBOKEN, N.J., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearson, the world's learning company, today announced the appointment of Alexa Christon, as the senior vice president of brand, reporting to chief corporate affairs officer, Deirdre Latour. Alexa's background transforming legacy brands makes her a natural fit to lead a cross-functional brand team as Pearson evolves into a digital lifelong learning company that helps people progress in their lives through learning.

Alexa brings a wealth of experience advising C-suites on how to bring to life a brand that resonates with customers and consumers and show up in the world in innovative and impactful ways. Her award-winning career has included time as the head of media innovation at GE, and guiding clients including Yahoo, Pepsi-Cola, and Time-Warner cable while on the agency side. At GE, she revamped the media and content strategy, and led the creation of new media platforms, including a #1 iTunes branded podcast and spearheaded both the NYT X GE Virtual Reality partnership and The Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show ongoing segment, GE Fallonventions.

"Alexa's creative spirit and energy has helped transform companies and brands by developing and executing audience-first strategies that drive growth for the company," said Deirdre Latour, chief corporate affairs officer at Pearson. "I am looking forward to seeing how Alexa builds on the progress we have made here at Pearson to get education further out into the world to enable lifelong learning for everyone."

"It is rare to have the opportunity to join an inherently mission-driven company, with employees and leadership so committed to improving education for all learners," said Alexa Christon. "This is a period of massive opportunity for the company and I am looking forward to working with the Pearson team to tell the Pearson story and help improve people's lives all over the world."

Alexa is also the co-host of ADLANDIA, a bi-weekly podcast focused on the signals in the noise of the advertising/marketing industry and attempts to solve the toughest questions plaguing marketers, publishers, and platforms, leaving listeners with new perspectives to bring back to the boardroom. A proud native of Omaha, Nebraska, Alexa currently lives in Connecticut with her husband and daughter. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa.

About Pearson

We are the world's learning company with more than 24,000 employees in nearly 60 countries and a mission to help people make progress in their lives through learning. We combine world-class educational content and assessment, powered by services and technology, to enable more effective teaching and personalized learning at scale. We believe that wherever learning flourishes so do people.

Contact: Scott Overland, (202) 909-4520

[email protected]

SOURCE Pearson Education, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pearson.com


MILWAUKEE, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Phoenix Logistics, LLC ("Phoenix Logistics"), a third-party logistics warehouse & distribution firm and affiliate of Milwaukee-based Phoenix Investors ("Phoenix"), announced its appointment of Robert Kriewaldt as Senior Vice President.

Mr. Kriewaldt boasts more than twenty-five years of experience in the industrial real estate and logistics industries, including extensive expertise in all aspects of leasing, purchasing, and redevelopment. His prowess in third-party logistics operations, site start-ups, pricing, equipment financing, contract negotiation, and new business development will serve as an immense value-add for Phoenix Logistics.

Throughout his career in real estate and logistics, Mr. Kriewaldt has remained dedicated to client satisfaction, ensuring mutually-beneficial relationships, and fostering long-lasting partnerships. Mr. Kriewaldt's history of excellent client satisfaction and retention will lend itself to overseeing Phoenix's daily operations as well as the company's overall corporate strategic development.

Prior to joining the Phoenix Logistics, Mr. Kriewaldt held positions in operations and sales with Warehouse Specialists, LLC. Mr. Kriewaldt earned a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Texas and a Juris Doctorate degree from Marquette University; he is also a licensed CPA and a current member of the Wisconsin Bar.

About Phoenix Logistics

As an affiliate of the real estate firm Phoenix Investors of Milwaukee, WI, Phoenix Logistics has access to a portfolio of approximately 25 million square feet of warehouse and industrial property across 24 states. Phoenix Logistics has coupled an aggressive investment in WMS and related technologies with competitively-priced space offered by Phoenix Investors to provide unique value to its client's supply chain needs, including warehousing, distribution, and transportation services.

For more information: https://phoenix3pl.com.

SOURCE Phoenix Logistics, LLC

Related Links

https://phoenix3pl.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif. and PARIS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 6WIND, a high-performance networking software company, today announced that PIT US, and PIT Chile, which are Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), selected 6WIND's virtual routers (vRouters) to connect their network of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) between data centers in Santiago, Chile and Miami, Florida.

6WIND Border vRouter: Software Replaces Hardware

PIT US selected 6WIND's Turbo Router software appliances for performance, scalability and functionality that is independent from expensive custom hardware platforms. Key to the selection criteria were:

Border Router Features: BGP, firewalling, SNMP and sFlow to manage traffic with visibility across data center and point of presence (PoP) networks.

BGP, firewalling, SNMP and sFlow to manage traffic with visibility across data center and point of presence (PoP) networks. BGP Performance: BGP route table population supports two million routes with the fast route lookup and convergence speed required to build large peering networks.

BGP route table population supports two million routes with the fast route lookup and convergence speed required to build large peering networks. Software Scalability: Ability to increase capacity for existing vRouters as an alternative to deploying new routers when business growth requires additional performance.

PIT US deployed 6WIND's vRouters in virtual machine (VM) configurations running on VMware ESXi hypervisors inside commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Dell PowerEdge and HPE ProLiant servers with Intel Xeon processors and 10G network interface cards (NICs). PIT Chile uses the 6WIND vRouters in a highly redundant configuration to serve 10 million users across 80+ ISPs.

"Virtual routing is absolutely the future and critical to the success of PIT US," said Ivan Zilic Schmidt, Director of Technology for PIT US and PIT Chile. "With 6WIND vRouters, we get cost-effective scalable performance without the high overhead of hardware."

"We are proud to provide PIT US with our vRouters that replace hardware border routers with software," said Eric Carmes, Founder and CEO of 6WIND. "With our vRouters, PIT US will provide the remote peering services that add additional value for PIT Chile's IXP community through the promise of software-based networking."

6WIND's vRouters are available in bare metal and virtual machine (VM) configurations and run on COTS servers. They include Turbo Router and Turbo IPsec software packages with license options from 1G to 100G throughput and 1,000 to 100,000 IPsec VPN tunnels. Built with DPDK (Data Plane Development Kit) for networking performance, 6WIND's vRouters scale up to 12 million packets per second per core of IP Forwarding and 18 Gigabits per second per core of IPsec. Management options include a CLI and NETCONF/YANG-based APIs for integration with third-party network management solutions.

About 6WIND

6WIND's networking software solves performance and time-to-market challenges for Service Providers, Enterprises and OEMs. The company's flagship vRouter technology is available in software appliance, source code and hypervisor networking form factors optimized for cost-effective hardware, such as Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) servers. 6WIND is based near Paris, France with regional offices in China and the United States. For more information visit: http://www.6wind.com.

Company Contact:

Kelly LeBlanc

VP of Marketing for 6WIND

Phone: +1 (408) 508-6732

[email protected]

SOURCE 6WIND

Related Links

https://www.6wind.com/


SHANGHAI, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PPDAI Group Inc. ("PPDAI," "Paipaidai," or the "Company") (NYSE: PPDF), a leading online consumer finance marketplace in China, today announced its participation in the following investor conferences:

Goldman Sachs TechNet Conference Asia Pacific 2019, May 22 - 23 at Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong

at Grand Hyatt, Deutsche Bank 10th Annual dbAccess Asia Conference 2019, May 22 - 23 at Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore

at Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2019 Innovative China Conference , May 27 - 28 at Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen, China

Management will meet with institutional investors throughout these events. For additional information, please contact your respective institutional sales representative at each sponsoring bank.

About PPDAI Group Inc.

PPDAI is a leading online consumer finance marketplace in China with strong brand recognition. Launched in 2007, the Company is the first online consumer finance marketplace in China connecting borrowers and investors. As a pioneer in China's online consumer finance marketplace, the Company benefits from both its early-mover advantages and the invaluable data and experience accumulated throughout multiple complete loan lifecycles. The Company's platform, empowered by its proprietary, cutting-edge technologies, features a highly automated loan transaction process, which enables a superior user experience, as evidenced by the rapid growth of the Company's user base and loan origination volume. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had over 88.9 million cumulative registered users.

For more information, please visit http://ir.ppdai.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

PPDAI Group Inc.

Jimmy Tan

Tel: +86 (21) 8030 3200- Ext 8601

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Ross Warner

Tel: +86 (10) 5730-6200

E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Alan Wang

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE PPDAI Group Inc.
WASHINGTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council of Resistance of Iran  U.S. Representative Office (NCRI-US) will hold a press briefing to detail:

The intimate partnership between Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in plotting and conducting terror operations abroad;

Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in plotting and conducting terror operations abroad; The reasons behind Iran's decision to conduct terror activities on Western soil at such vitally critical diplomatic and political juncture;

decision to conduct terror activities on Western soil at such vitally critical diplomatic and political juncture; The decision-making process for such terror operations, the role of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei , the agencies involved, the coordination process, and the cover-up schemes; and

, the agencies involved, the coordination process, and the cover-up schemes; and The nexus between the MOIS and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Alireza Jafarzadeh, the NCRI-US Deputy Director, will be speaking at the briefing which will be moderated by Ambassador Adam Ereli, the Department of State's Spokesperson under the George W. Bush Administration.

Year 2018 witnessed a sharp surge in Tehran's terror plots on the Western soil, from the United States to France and Albania. A regime "diplomat" is currently in jail in Belgium, five such "diplomats" were expelled by European nations, and several other MOIS agents, including two in the United States, are imprisoned, all for terrorism and espionage charges.

The Wednesday briefing will coincide with the release of the NCRI-US latest book, Iran's Emissaries of Terror: How mullahs' embassies run the network of espionage and murder.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 10:30 AM

1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1125

Washington, DC 20006

Registration is required. To register, please contact: [email protected]

These materials are being distributed by the National Council of Resistance of Iran-U.S. Representative Office. Additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

Contact: 202-747-7847

SOURCE National Council of Resistance of Iran-U.S. Representative Office (NCRI-US)

Related Links

http://www.ncrius.org


ROCKVILLE, Md., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Secure Exchange Solutions (SES) a leading provider of interoperable, cloud-based clinical data exchange technology, announced the integration of its Direct and Notify SaaS platform into the Massachusetts-based Lahey Health System and Tufts Medical Center. Through this partnership SES is delivering secure communications and notification capabilities as part of the eLINC Health Information Exchange (HIE). Access to this technology is significant given the focus on value-based care and the need for physicians to meet the standards for patient-centered care.

Through eLINC, providers access real-time secure communications and notifications enabling them to intervene quickly in the event a patient is readmitted to the hospital following surgery. Notify generates alerts through the subscriber registration system providing access to primary care, specialists and other care managers on the care team.

Direct and Notify enables proactive engagement with the patient to improve the quality of care and enables provider collaboration across the continuum of care. In addition, the technology integrates seamlessly into existing provider workflows and are easily configurable based on provider preferences for information delivery, whether it be on a laptop, within their electronic medical record system or mobile device.

"Our partnership with Secure Exchange is significant, as the Direct and Notify capabilities give our physicians access to critical patient events immediately, so they can act quickly," said Normand Tanguay, MD, Lahey Health System. "Healthcare demands the latest technologies for decisions around care delivery that give providers the information they need in a timely way to deliver the best quality care."

Many healthcare organizations struggle to share data due to interoperability challenges, disparate systems and lack of consistent data standards. In addition, providers continue to struggle with insufficient processes that lead to inefficiencies and duplication, making it difficult for clinicians to adapt to the new demands of value-based care.

By embracing technology and industry standards, SES advances patient-centered care across one of the largest healthcare ecosystems which includes multiple nationwide payers, 1,500 hospitals, 325,000 endpoints, 2 million DirectTrust community participants, and more than 60 million patients.

"Thousands of providers leverage our secure communication and notifications platform to exchange critical clinical information," said Dan Kazzaz, CEO of SES. "Our SaaS solutions enable Dr. Tanguay and his team to provide better patient management and improved transitions of care to meet the demands of value-based care."

About Secure Exchange Solutions

Secure Exchange Solutions sets the standard for seamless, scalable, secure exchange across organizational boundaries. As an industry-leading health information service provider, Secure Exchange Solutions protects, streamlines and delivers sensitive and critical health care information while ensuring compliance and improving efficiency and quality. Hospitals, health systems, physicians, health plans and application partners rely on Secure Exchange Solutions for integrated secure communications that expand their reach. To learn more, visit www.secureexsolutions.com

Media Contact:

Stephanie Hartwig

[email protected]

c: 509-430-3515

SOURCE Secure Exchange Solutions

Related Links

http://www.secureexsolutions.com


DENVER, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Canary, a leading provider of security operations solutions, today announced that it has raised $34 million in a funding round led by global equity growth investor Summit Partners and joined by existing investors Access Venture Partners and Noro-Moseley Partners. The company will leverage this funding to scale its team in support of Red Canary's mission: to create a world where every organization is free to make its greatest impact without fear of damage from cyber attack.



Red Canary is a pioneering provider of managed detection and response ("MDR") solutions. MDR is one of the fastest growing areas of the information security market. Founded in 2014, Red Canary already defends hundreds of organizations around the world  from global Fortune 100s to 100-employee organizations. The company's proprietary software platform ingests and analyzes over 500 terabytes of telemetry per day and applies proprietary behavioral analytics technology to surface potential threats to an in-house team of expert security analysts.



"We are in the golden age of data in security. Security teams have more telemetry, tools, and budget than ever before but unfortunately, in many cases, this has not resulted in a meaningful improvement in security outcomes," said Brian Beyer, CEO and co-founder of Red Canary. "We serve as a security ally for our customers, helping their teams get the most out of modern security technology, protect their valuable data and remain focused on the performance of their own business."



Red Canary provides a unique solution that fully integrates MDR and security orchestration, automation and response ("SOAR") capabilities to measurably decrease the time required to resolve threats. The company's cloud-based solution is deployed in minutes and allows security teams to decrease mean time to respond by up to 10x and drive meaningful reduction in realized risk per endpoint over time.



"Across the security landscape, there is increased acknowledgment that a 'status quo' approach is inadequate," said Andy Collins, a Managing Director at Summit Partners who has joined Red Canary's Board of Directors. "Attackers bypass even the best security technology solutions on a daily basis. We believe Red Canary's software-driven model delivers a uniquely high-quality, continuously improving service. And the results  an incredibly passionate customer base and year over year ARR growth exceeding 100%  speak for themselves."



"Our work in the trenches alongside security teams over the last five years has proven time and again that there is a huge need for Red Canary's solutions. That need is reflected in our consistently rapid growth and off-the-charts customer satisfaction. But it is also readily visible in the incredible engagement from the security community through our blog, webinars and open source projects like Atomic Red Team," Beyer added. "We're ecstatic to work with Summit to expand our reach and help more organizations make meaningful, measurable improvements to their security outcomes. We believe the best is yet to come."



About Red Canary

Red Canary is a security operations ally to organizations of all sizes. The company delivers outcome-focused solutions that can be deployed in minutes to identify and shut down attacks. Founded in 2014, Red Canary is a pioneer in providing managed detection and response solutions that integrate behavioral analytics and automated response with 24/7/365 investigation by an expert Cyber Incident Response Team. To learn more, visit redcanary.com.



About Summit Partners

Founded in 1984, Summit Partners is a global alternative investment firm that is currently managing more than $19 billion in capital dedicated to growth equity, fixed income and public equity opportunities. Summit invests across growth sectors of the economy and has invested in more than 480 companies in technology, healthcare and other growth industries. These companies have completed more than 140 public equity offerings, and more than 190 have been acquired through strategic mergers and sales. Notable security technology companies financed by Summit Partners include Avast, Darktrace, InfoArmor, McAfee, NetWitness, RiskIQ and Safeboot. Summit maintains offices in North America and Europe, and invests in companies around the world. For more information, please see www.summitpartners.com or on Twitter at @SummitPartners.



In the United States of America, Summit Partners operates as an SEC-registered investment advisor. In the United Kingdom, this document is issued by Summit Partners LLP, a firm authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Summit Partners LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC388179 and its registered office is at 1112 St. James's Square, London, SW1Y 4LB, UK. This document is intended solely to provide information regarding Summit Partners' potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies.



Media Contact

Suzanne Moore

Red Canary

[email protected]

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Red Canary

Related Links

http://redcanary.com


WALTHAM, Mass., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Renal Research Institute (RRI), a division of Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), announced that its novel concept for "displacer-enhanced dialysis" has been selected as a winner of the KidneyX Redesign Dialysis competition. The proposal aims to develop a new displacer substance that can rid the blood of protein-bound uremic toxins that are notoriously difficult to remove by hemodialysis and negatively impact patient health.

"In the past decade there has been far too little progress in our ability to remove these toxins during hemodialysis," said Dr. Peter Kotanko, Research Director at RRI. "We are excited to be recognized for our research and this new effort to find a practical solution that would help improve the quality of life for patients requiring life-sustaining hemodialysis treatment."

The Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX) is a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American Society of Nephrology to accelerate innovation in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases. RRI is one of 15 winners for this first phase of the Redesign Dialysis competition.

"This competition is a new opportunity to advance innovations that will hopefully improve outcomes for all patients with renal disease," said Dr. Robert Kossmann, Chief Medical Officer at Fresenius Medical Care North America. "This award to the RRI team further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to turning research into practical solutions and new technologies."

As described in RRI's proposal, higher levels of protein-bound uremic toxins are associated with poorer outcomes in chronic kidney disease. These toxins are bound to a protein called albumin which is too large to be removed with conventional hemodialysis. Through "displacer-enhanced dialysis," a displacer substance is infused into the dialysis machine's blood tubing upstream of the artificial kidney, outside of the patient's body. This displacer binds to the same binding sites on albumin as the toxins, displaces them from the albumin molecule and allows them to be easily removed in the artificial kidney.

While laboratory experiments and a recent patient study published in the Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology confirmed this effect, current proof of concept displacers are not suitable for longer-term use. The goal of RRI's winning proposal is to advance the search for ideal displacer substances that can be used routinely in chronic hemodialysis and study the effects of longer-term use of those displacers.

In March, the FDA granted breakthrough device designation to FMCNA's computer-assisted ultrafiltration control software in development to improve fluid management during hemodialysis. The software will be designed to work with newer Fresenius Medical Care hemodialysis machines using the CLiC device.

About Renal Research Institute

Renal Research Institute, a division of Fresenius Medical Care North America, achieves its mission to improve the outcomes of patients with kidney disease through research and innovation. RRI's highly developed and specialized expertise in computational biomedicine, exploratory clinical and biomedical research and data analytics underscore the Institute's track record of thinking outside the box and identifying high-value areas. Through alliance and collaboration agreements, RRI has forged strategic research relationships with leading universities in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, fostering RRI's position at the forefront of research activities in the field of dialysis and nephrology. www.renalresearch.com

About Fresenius Medical Care North America

Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) is the premier healthcare company focused on providing the highest quality care to people with renal and other chronic conditions. Through its industry-leading network of dialysis facilities, outpatient cardiac and vascular labs and urgent care centers, Fresenius Medical Care North America provides coordinated healthcare services at pivotal care points for hundreds of thousands of chronically ill customers throughout the continent. As the world's largest fully integrated renal company, it offers specialty pharmacy and laboratory services, and manufactures and distributes the most comprehensive line of dialysis equipment, disposable products and renal pharmaceuticals. For more information, visit the FMCNA website at https://fmcna.com.

Media Contact:

Fresenius Medical Care North America

Brad Puffer

Director of Public Relations

[email protected]

(781) 699-3331

SOURCE Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.fmcna.com


NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "We've all been complicit in oppression," says Dr. Luvelle Brown, Superintendent of Ithaca City Schools and author of Culture of Love, a how-to for fostering positive cultures in schools and other organizations. "It's time for educators to look through a culturally responsive and inclusive lens, to start calling one another in rather than out, and to be cooperative rather than competitive."

This manifesto from one of the nation's top educators and thought leaders served as the jumping off point for an Equity strand, the most recent enhancement to Rethink Ed's already groundbreaking Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Solution.

Dr. Brown kicks off the Rethink SEL and Equity professional learning video series, covering such topics as:

SEL and Culturally Responsive Teaching

Beyond Hard Work and Determination: How SEL Can Empower Students to Address Injustice

"ALL learning is social and emotional," says Rethink Ed Senior Vice President of Education Diana Frezza. "And, at the heart of equity are educators and superintendents who not only embrace this idea, but advocate for it. We're honored to partner with Dr. Brown to launch our new SEL and Equity series."

According to Dr. Brown, SEL and equity naturally go hand-in-hand. As such, when educators are provided both the opportunity and tools to further their own social and emotional development, it literally transforms the school environment.

"Promoting social and emotional learning and equity," he says, "needs to focus on creating both a physically and emotionally safe and positive school climate  a climate in which students are respected and encouraged by adults who hold high expectations."

Because most SEL solutions are centered only on students, Rethink's ability to provide schools with a suite of tools, content, instruction, and supports for both students and the adults who interact with them is a game-changer, says Frezza.

"Research shows that educators' own social and emotional competencies strongly influence students' motivation to learn, as well as the overall school climate," she explains. "To help districts build capacity, Rethink's on-demand, video-based suite ensures that educators develop their own social and emotional intelligence so they can create a learning environment in which all students will thrive."

As the leader in social and emotional learning, Rethink Ed created the first-ever comprehensive SEL solution, which includes online professional learning, multi-tiered curriculum, assessment, and behavior support and progress monitoring tools.

About Rethink Ed

Rethink Ed believes learning should bring out the best in everyone and is transforming the way teachers and students learn, grow, develop, and succeed  in school and in life. With evidence-based, technology-driven solutions developed by leading experts in Social and Emotional Learning, Behavior Management and Special Education, Rethink Ed supports effective, high-quality education of the whole child.

About Luvelle Brown

From his home community in Ithaca, New York to the White House in Washington, D.C., Dr. Luvelle Brown's approach to creating a "culture of love" in schools is nationally recognized for achieving unprecedented results  including moving Ithaca High School from the New York State School In Need of Improvement list to the top two percent of schools across the nation.

For more information, contact:

Nicole Kavanaugh

Rethink Ed

[email protected]

SOURCE Rethink Ed

Related Links

http://www.rethinked.com


SAN FRANCISCO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco developer Jay Paul Company's first foray into residential development, 181 Fremont in San Francisco, garnered top global awards from the esteemed international Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The awards were announced in Shenzhen, China in early April and represented entries from 20 countries and 33 global cities.

181 Fremont presides over San Francisco's skyline as the most exclusive residential development in the city and the tallest mixed use tower west of the Mississippi River.

This prestigious awards program recognizes projects and individuals that have made the greatest contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, while reaching sustainability at the highest and broadest level.

181 Fremont's awards include:

Best Structural Engineering

Best Geotechnical Engineering

The two superlative awards were achieved among 181 Fremont's earlier five Awards of Excellence, announced in February. No other U.S. building received as many commendations:

Best Tall Building, 200-299 meters

MEP Engineering Award

Structural Engineering Award

Fire and Risk Award

Geotechnical Engineering Award

Opened in 2018, the completed residential tower soars over 800 feet into the sky and was designed by Heller Manus Architects and engineered by ARUP Group. Notably the most exclusive residential development in San Francisco with only 55 residences, 181 Fremont is also the tallest mixed-use tower west of the Mississippi River.

"We are extremely proud of 181 Fremont's innovative and worldwide leading engineering prowess," says Jay Paul Company Chief Investment Officer, Matt Lituchy. "The global recognition of our dynamic contribution to seismic safety and quality recognized at the very highest level, underscores our commitment to create the safest high-rise homes possible for our San Francisco residents."

Additionally, in February 2019, 181 Fremont was one of a select group of outstanding structural steel projects that have earned recognition in the 2019 Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel awards program (IDEAS2).

181 Fremont rises 802' from San Francisco's downtown high-tech nexus to transform the skyline and has set a new bar for luxurious residential living in the West Coast. The $850 million tower features a state-of-the-art exoskeleton designed in a saw tooth pattern, with a magnificent spire that ascends from the crown of the building. 181 Fremont's central location in the East Cut invites easy access to Silicon Valley and is surrounded by icons of technology including Salesforce, Facebook, Google and Twitter. The award-winning architecture reaffirms San Francisco as a global city on the forefront of innovation and design. It stands to redefine not only the neighborhood, but also the very definition of San Francisco living. Exclusivity at its finest, 181 Fremont provides access to the entire city all from the privacy  and security  of home. Sales and marketing for 181 Fremont are handled by Compass Development.

About Jay Paul Company

Jay Paul Company is one of the foremost real estate development and investment firms in California, distinguished by over 13 million square feet of trophy caliber projects in their portfolio since 1975. Jay Paul developments bear signature features including striking award-winning architecture and state-of-the-art sustainable design in unsurpassed locations. Its modern, inspired campuses and towers provide the most advanced workplace environments for the world's leading technology companies including Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Instagram, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Northrup Grumman. Jay Paul Company projects include the world-renowned 181 Fremont Tower in San Francisco, named as one of the world's best high rises by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat; Pacific Shores Center, Moffett Towers and Moffett Place, all recognized as Silicon Valley's most cutting edge, large scale campuses. Jay Paul Company is privately held and based in San Francisco.

For more information, visit www.jaypaul.com.

About Compass Development

From project inception to building sellout, Compass Development partners with the world's most forward-thinking developers and innovative architects through the lifespan of a project. Leveraging tenured expertise and the industry's most powerful technological resources, we provide strategic advice for record-breaking results. The company offers a comprehensive range of developer services, including research and analysis, planning and design, marketing and sales for luxury real estate. With nationwide representation in over 200 Compass offices, Compass Development empowers residential developers with an unparalleled sales footprint in the United States. Licensed as Compass.

SOURCE Compass Development
The popularity of Sea Asia as a leading maritime industry conference and exhibition continues to grow. This edition of Sea Asia featured a record 13 national pavilions, with three new ones from Oman, Poland and Turkey, in addition to those from Singapore, China, Denmark, Holland, Japan, Korea, Norway, Panama, Greece and United Kingdom.

Other highlights on the show floor included the Innovation Arena -- a maritime start-up platform presented by Sea Asia in collaboration with PIER71, as well as an additive manufacturing showcase and a virtual reality welding demonstration.

More than 40 industry leaders spoke in 11 conference sessions, discussing issues and challenges in the industry, and providing various perspectives from their field of expertise and deep domain knowledge. The event also saw close to 15,000 participants from 80 countries/regions attending the three-day event. The exhibition saw 435 exhibitors spread across two floors of Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

Chairman of Seatrade, Informa Markets, Mr Chris Hayman, said: "Sea Asia 2019 provides industry leaders with a valuable opportunity to gather and discuss ways to best navigate through today's complex business environment, and charter the way forward."

He shared that it is now more important than ever for players to come together and demonstrate greater collaboration to tackle key challenges such as tighter environmental regulations, increasing competition for talent, and adapting new technology.

Chairman of the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF), Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, noted that the success and relevance of Sea Asia 2019 as an initiative spearheaded by the Singapore Maritime Foundation is now well established. According to the latest Leading Maritime Capitals 2019 report published by Menon Economics and DNV GL, Singapore was named as the world's top maritime capital for the fourth consecutive year.

"This recognises that Singapore plays a central role as a hub for people and ideas in the global maritime industry. Sea Asia is an important platform to support this," said Mr Sohmen-Pao.

Executive Vice President of UBM Asia Ltd, and Director of Sea Asia 2019, Mr Michael Duck, highlighted that while the industry is concerned with the current threats in maritime due to geopolitical uncertainty, many recognise the growing opportunities in this challenging terrain, and are prepared for the shifting dynamics in the sector.

Following the success of Sea Asia 2019, Mr Duck shared that the team is already looking forward to the next edition in 2021, which will be held from 20 - 22 April 2021.

"With the ongoing changes in geopolitical landscape, as well as environmental regulations that will come into effect by 2021, we look forward to be the catalyst for industry leaders to continue to drive more thought-provoking discussions on ongoing issues and solutions to navigate the challenging waters ahead," said Mr Duck.

The third Sea Asia industry insights report, 'Navigating Through Shifting Regulatory and Geopolitical Landscapes in Maritime' can be downloaded here.

About UBM

Sea Asia is organised 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 www.ubm.com/singapore for more information about our presence in Singapore.

About Singapore Maritime Foundation

Established in 2004, the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) is a private sector-led organisation that seeks to develop and promote Singapore as an International Maritime Centre (IMC). As the representative voice for the commercial players of the maritime industry, SMF seeks to forge strong partnerships with the public and private sectors of the maritime industry. SMF spearheads initiatives to promote the diverse clusters of the maritime industry in Singapore and at international frontiers, and to attract young talents to join the sector. SMF is directed by its Board of Directors which comprises prominent leaders in the Singapore maritime community.

For details, visit www.smf.com.sg.

About PIER71

Founded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), through its entrepreneurial arm, NUS Enterprise, PIER71 (Port Innovation Ecosystem Reimagined at BLOCK71) aims to grow Singapore's maritime innovation ecosystem. PIER71 boosts innovation in the maritime and maritime-related industries by attracting talents, creating opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and ideas, attracting investments into start-ups and accelerating ventures.

PIER71 designs and delivers programmes to uncover opportunities within the industry and supports entrepreneurs from ideation to acceleration of their ventures. PIER71 provides access to various markets, demand drivers, technology solution providers, investors and more. PIER71 also represents a budding and increasingly vibrant ecosystem of stakeholders who are keen to digitalise and create the next wave of maritime innovation.

For more information, visit www.pier71.sg.

Sea Asia 2019 is held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2019 (SMW). SMW is the leading maritime event in Singapore driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. SMW gathers the international maritime community in Singapore for a week of conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. These events reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a major international maritime centre.

About the Singapore Maritime Week 2019 (6 - 12 April 2019)

Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) is one of the world's leading maritime shows and is organised annually and driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Every year, SMW gathers the international maritime community for a week of flagship conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. The range of activities and events organised by MPA, industry stakeholders and research and educational institutions, as well as the cosmopolitan profile of participants, reflects the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a global hub port and leading international maritime centre.

SOURCE UBM Singapore

Related Links

http://www.ubm.com


This program aligns with the company's longstanding dedication to effective claim resolutions while maintaining transparency and communication with their customers. By leveraging a series of predictive models, Sentry claims professionals are able to make an earlier, more comprehensive and continual assessment of each workers' compensation claim.

"With this technology, our claims professionals will be able to instantly recognize key relationships between dozens of variables involved in each workers' compensation claim," said Michele Dufresne, Chief Claims Officer. "This insight is invaluable throughout the lifecycle of the claimparticularly when it comes to managing potentially severe claims."

Sentry claims professionals are known for their experience across a range of industries, their commitment to communication, and their solution-focused approach. This program emphasizes these attributes, providing the team with a valuable tool built on cutting-edge technology.

"Our program takes the results of comprehensive and complex data analytics and presents it to our claims staff in a clear and easy-to-understand format," said Dufresne. "We believe that the human element is just as powerful as technology. The way we put the two together in this program enhances our ability to achieve the best possible outcomes for all involved."

The workers' compensation claims analytics program assesses both structured and unstructured data, from first notice of loss throughout the lifecycle of the claim. Not only does this data assist claims professionals in determining appropriate courses of action, it also provides key information that can lead to quantifiable savings for employers and their employeesreduced claims costs and treatment expenses, more efficient claims resolutions, and improved return-to-work timelines for injured employees.

To learn more about Sentry, including their experienced, highly trained claims professionals, visit sentry.com/why-choose-sentry .

About Sentry Insurance

At Sentry, we understand what you're looking for in an insurance company. Because we've been there ourselves. We got our start in 1904, when members of the Wisconsin Retail Hardware Association formed their own insurance company. Backed by personalized care and Midwest roots, we've since grown to become one of the largest and most financially secure mutual insurance companies in the nation. As of May 2018, we've earned an A+ (superior) rating from A.M. Best*, the industry's leading rating authority, for 27 years in a row.

*A+ (superior) A.M. Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) current as of May 2018. See ambest.com for rating information.

SOURCE Sentry Insurance

Related Links

https://www.sentry.com


Vision Source Exchange, held May 1-4 in Tampa, FL , at booth #1129.

in , at booth #1129. American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASCRS/ASOA) annual meetings, held May 3-7 in San Diego, CA , at booth #1307.

in , at booth #1307. American Optometric Association (AOA) annual meeting, held June 19-23 in St. Louis, MO , at booth #1215.

"We are excited to launch these two innovative products that can transform the way surgeons and eye care professionals target the underlying cause of two of the world's most prevalent eye diseases. We have been thrilled with the market receptivity to our first-generation OMNI system, which we have been selling since early 2018 through our world class surgical commercial team built from the ground up by Shawn O'Neil, our Chief Commercial Officer. Given Shawn's long history of developing and leading high-performance teams in both surgical devices and vision care, we are excited to replicate this success with the commercial launch of TearCare," said Paul Badawi, Founder and CEO of Sight Sciences.

"First and foremost, our surgical and vision care teams fully appreciate the clinical value of the groundbreaking products we are bringing to our MD and OD customer bases. We have built a highly robust and pedigreed commercial force comprised of two discrete, specialized sales and marketing teams for both the Dry Eye (TearCare) and MIGS (OMNI) practice areas. We are well-positioned to further accelerate the market adoption of OMNI in the coming months as we roll out our next generation product and to execute a best-in-class commercial launch for TearCare. As we penetrate and expand these two substantial, rapidly growing markets over the coming years, our goal is to be amongst the top performing companies in ophthalmology as well as MedTech more broadly," said Shawn O'Neil, Chief Commercial Officer of Sight Sciences.

TearCare

TearCare is the world's first and only wearable device providing a personalized open-eye experience. The TearCare device allows the patient's eyes to remain open and blinking during the procedure where localized heat application is needed. Soft, flexible thermal devices conform to the eyelids to deliver a therapeutic level of heat for a specific period of time to soften and liquefy meibum, the oily coating on the eye surface which prevents tear film evaporation. TearCare's innovative, "equipment-light" product design and the intuitive procedure it facilitates create a highly attractive clinical and economic model for eye care providers. Customers interested in purchasing TearCare will have the opportunity to order the product at the Sight Sciences' booths at the industry events detailed herein.

"With a better understanding of the difference between aqueous deficiency and excessive evaporation as root causes of dry eye, and the rapidly growing number of evaporative dry eye disease cases, eye care professionals now more than ever before are looking for a new alternative for their evaporative dry eye patients," said O'Neil. "We are pleased to offer them TearCare, a first-of-its-kind device that delivers on our promise to develop innovation that targets the underlying disease state of the condition."

TearCare Clinical and Scientific Studies

A single center, prospective pilot study published in the April 2018 and January 2019 issues of Clinical Ophthalmology provided preliminary evidence that an initial treatment with the TearCare System as well as a re-treatment after six months delivered a sustained and statistically significant improvement in the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease at the primary end point time of 4 weeks and at each follow-up visit through 12 months. The TearCare System is a tool that is indicated for the application of localized heat, including in meibomian gland dysfunction, dry eye and blepharitis. Currently, Sight Sciences is enrolling participants in a large, prospective, multi-center, randomized controlled trial.

Next Generation OMNI Surgical System

Commercially launched in early 2018, the OMNI Surgical System combines the distinct functions of its two predicate devices  TRAB360 for trabeculotomy and VISCO360 for transluminal viscoelastic delivery  into one device. OMNI enables the targeting of all three sources of resistance in the conventional outflow pathway (trabecular meshwork, Schlemm's canal, and collector channels) with a single device and single surgery.

The next generation OMNI System features improvements in device preparation, handling and ergonomics, and aesthetics. OMNI's enhanced design was created based on observations of its use in the broader market as well as specific guidance from world-renowned glaucoma specialist, surgical device innovator, and Chief Medical Officer of Sight Sciences, Dr. Reay Brown. This version of OMNI will be introduced through demos at upcoming industry events and commercially available to surgeons after completion of their training on the device.

"While surgeons and glaucoma specialists were happy with OMNI's unique ability to facilitate two distinct and comprehensive procedures within the conventional outflow pathway, we saw an opportunity to improve the device preparation, ergonomics, and the look and feel of the device with the goal of improving the overall experience for the surgeon. One of my personal goals at Sight Sciences is to drive innovation in the effort to make OMNI the MIGS of choice for all surgeons," said Dr. Brown.

OMNI Surgical System's Clinical and Scientific Studies

Published in the January 2019 issue of Clinical Ophthalmology, a single center retrospective study of glaucoma surgery patients showed that ab-interno trabeculotomy using one of Sight Sciences' OMNI Surgical System's predicate devices (TRAB360) provided a favorable safety profile and substantial long-term reductions in both intraocular pressure (IOP) and IOP-lowering medications.

Additionally, enrollment has begun in the Gemini clinical study, a Sight Sciences-sponsored, prospective, multi-center study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the OMNI Surgical System in performing two sequential Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery procedures  transluminal viscoelastic delivery and trabeculotomy. The study will enroll 130 subjects from 10 to 15 medical centers in the United States. Participants will be followed for one year with an interim analysis performed at six months.

"For the millions of patients who suffer from glaucoma and dry eye disease, Sight Sciences is committed to focusing on the two largest unmet needs in eye care," said Dr. Brown. "It all starts with building a compendium of scientific evidence to help inform eye care professionals' clinical decisions and help them select technologies that are best suited for their individual patients."

About TearCare

The TearCare System is indicated for the application of localized heat when the current medical community recommends the application of a warm compress to the eyelids. Such applications would include Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), Dry Eye, or Blepharitis.

About OMNI Surgical System

The OMNI Surgical System is a manually operated device for delivery of small amounts of viscoelastic fluid, for example Healon or HealonGV from Abbott Medical Optics (AMO), Amvisc from Bausch & Lomb, or PROVISC from Alcon, during ophthalmic surgery. It is also indicated to cut trabecular meshwork tissue during trabeculotomy procedures.

The OMNI System should not be used in cases where there is insufficient visualization of the anterior chamber. The following conditions may prohibit sufficient visualization required for safe and successful cannula and microcatheter placement: corneal edema, corneal haze, corneal opacity, or any other conditions that may inhibit surgeon view.

The TRAB360 Trabeculotomy System is a trabeculotome, a manual surgical ophthalmic instrument used to mechanically cut trabecular meshwork.

The OMNI Surgical System and TRAB360 Trabeculotomy System are tools, not treatments, and are indicated for use as specified above; they are not specifically cleared by the FDA to lower intraocular pressure in patients with open angle glaucoma.

About Sight Sciences

Founded in 2011, Sight Sciences is a commercial-stage medical device company dedicated to the development of intelligently designed and engineered products that address the underlying physiology of ophthalmic diseases. The company's surgical glaucoma product portfolio features the OMNI Surgical System. Its non-surgical dry eye product portfolio consists of TearCare for ophthalmologists and optometrists. For more information, please visit sightsciences.com.

SOURCE Sight Sciences
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Niclas Rosenlew has been appointed Senior Vice President and CFO of AB SKF. Niclas will start his new position on 17 June 2019 and replaces Christian Johansson, who leaves SKF with immediate effect, to pursue his career outside the company.

Niclas Rosenlew is currently CFO of Basware. He was born in 1972 and holds a Master of Science in Finance from Hanken Swedish School of Economics. His previous roles include senior positions within Microsoft, Nokia and Deutsche Bank.

Alrik Danielson, President and CEO, says: "We are delighted to welcome Niclas to SKF and Group Management. His extensive operational, investor and strategic experience, combined with his leadership skills, will be important in our continued development."

"I would like to thank Christian for his valuable contribution and wish him the best in his future professional endeavours."

Alrik Danielson will assume the role of interim CFO until 17 June 2019.

Aktiebolaget SKF (publ)

For further information, please contact:

PRESS:

Theo Kjellberg

Director

Press Relations

tel: 46-31-337-6576

mobile: 46-725-776576

e-mail: [email protected]

INVESTOR RELATIONS:

Patrik Stenberg

Head of Investor Relations

Patrik Stenberg

46-31-337-2104

46-705-472-104

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/skf/r/skf-appoints-niclas-rosenlew-new-cfo,c2800174

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/637/2800174/1034595.pdf full release as pdf https://news.cision.com/skf/i/niclas-rosenlew,c2617604 Niclas Rosenlew

SOURCE SKF
DALLAS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co.'s (NYSE: LUV) frequent flyer program, Rapid Rewards, held onto its title of Best Customer Service for the seventh consecutive year at InsideFlyer Magazine's Freddie Awards. Rapid Rewards was also named Program of the Year for the fourth year in a row.

"We are thrilled to win in four categories at this year's Freddie Awards," said Jonathan Clarkson, Southwest's Managing Director of Loyalty, Partnerships, & Products. "Our Loyalty Program is designed with some of the most flexibility, seat availability, and places to travel. Ensuring the satisfaction of our Customers is at the forefront of any decision we make at Southwest."

Introduced in 1988, the Freddie Awards give voice to the frequent flyer and honors the most respected travel loyalty programs in the world. InsideFlyer Magazine's 30th annual Freddie Awards were held April 25, 2019, in Dallas, Texas.

The Rapid Rewards program gives Members the chance to use points to book flights. Through the More Rewards online portal, Members can use their points for a number of purchases such as hotel stays, gift cards and car rentals.

Visit Rapid Rewards for information on the program and the latest offers.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.

In its 48th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 59,000 Employees to a Customer base topping 134 million passengers last year. Southwest became the nation's largest domestic air carrier in 2003 and maintains that ranking based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded. In peak travel seasons, Southwest operates more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries.

Southwest coined Transfarency to describe its purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free to everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply, some carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in qualified circumstances), and there are no change fees, though fare differences might apply.

Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest Airlines or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.

Related Links

http://www.southwest.com


ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, senior pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church, released the following statement regarding the tragic shooting at Chabad Synagogue in Poway, California:



We here at Alfred Street Baptist Church share in the grief of members of the Chabad of Poway Synagogue and the entire Jewish community who are suffering as a result of a heinous act of violence, as Passover was ending. This deadly attack occurred exactly six months after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh where 11 people were killed in what the Anti-Defamation League has called the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.



An attack against one, is an attack against us all. We all must unite and come together to condemn these and other acts of violence against our sacred houses of worship, against blacks, against Muslims, against ALL people of color, against members of the LGBTQ community - we all have the right to enter a house of worship without fear and these acts of violence have no place in our society.



We pray for God's healing and protection of those affected by these unfortunate events.



Established in 1803, Alfred Street Baptist Church is home to the oldest and largest African American congregations in Alexandria, Va. With over 8,000 members, the church has served as a prominent religious, educational and cultural organization in the Northern Virginia community. The church will celebrate its 216th anniversary in November 2019 under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley. For more information, visit www.AlfredStreet.org.



Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12767266



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Alfred Street Baptist Church

Related Links

http://www.AlfredStreet.org


NORTHFIELD, Ill., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stepan Company (NYSE: SCL) today reported:

First Quarter Highlights

Reported net income was $25.0 million , or $1.07 per diluted share versus $32.0 million , or $1.37 per diluted share, in the prior year. Adjusted net income* was $30.6 million , or $1.31 per diluted share versus $33.6 million , or $1.44 per diluted share, in the prior year. Global sales volume grew 3% quarter-over-quarter. Each of the three segments delivered sales volume growth during the first quarter of 2019.

, or per diluted share versus , or per diluted share, in the prior year. Adjusted net income* was , or per diluted share versus , or per diluted share, in the prior year. Global sales volume grew 3% quarter-over-quarter. Each of the three segments delivered sales volume growth during the first quarter of 2019. Surfactant operating income was $37.2 million versus $41.5 million in the prior year. This decrease was primarily attributable to a $2.3 million operating loss incurred at the Ecatepec, Mexico facility as a result of a sulfonation equipment failure in January of 2019. The Company's insurance provider has acknowledged this incident is a covered event and the Company is pursuing insurance recovery for damaged equipment, incremental supply chain expenses and business interruption. The unfavorable impact of foreign currency translation negatively impacted results by $0.8 million . Global Surfactant sales volume increased 3% versus the prior year. Higher demand within the functional product and personal care end markets was partially offset by lower demand for products sold to the Company's distribution partners.

versus in the prior year. This decrease was primarily attributable to a operating loss incurred at the facility as a result of a sulfonation equipment failure in January of 2019. The Company's insurance provider has acknowledged this incident is a covered event and the Company is pursuing insurance recovery for damaged equipment, incremental supply chain expenses and business interruption. The unfavorable impact of foreign currency translation negatively impacted results by . Global Surfactant sales volume increased 3% versus the prior year. Higher demand within the functional product and personal care end markets was partially offset by lower demand for products sold to the Company's distribution partners. Polymer operating income was $12.1 million versus $17.3 million in the prior year. This $5.2 million decrease was primarily attributable to the non-recurrence of a $2.1 million class action settlement received in 2018, lower margins and volumes for North American specialty polyols and phthalic anhydride, higher European costs associated with a planned maintenance shutdown in Germany to debottleneck capacity and lower North American rigid polyol margins. Global Polymer sales volume increased 3% versus the prior year. North American and European rigid polyol sales volume grew 10% and 7%, respectively.

versus in the prior year. This decrease was primarily attributable to the non-recurrence of a class action settlement received in 2018, lower margins and volumes for North American specialty polyols and phthalic anhydride, higher European costs associated with a planned maintenance shutdown in to debottleneck capacity and lower North American rigid polyol margins. Global Polymer sales volume increased 3% versus the prior year. North American and European rigid polyol sales volume grew 10% and 7%, respectively. Specialty Product operating income was $3.1 million versus a $0.4 million operating loss in the prior year. This increase was primarily attributable to favorable order timing differences within our flavor business.

versus a operating loss in the prior year. This increase was primarily attributable to favorable order timing differences within our flavor business. The effect of foreign currency translation negatively impacted net income by $0.9 million , or $0.04 per diluted share, versus prior year.

, or per diluted share, versus prior year. During the first quarter of 2019 the Company elected to change its method of accounting for U.S. inventories from the last in, first out (LIFO) basis to the first in, first out (FIFO) basis. The Company believes this change is preferable as it provides a better matching of costs with the physical flow of inventory, better reflects the current value of inventories and improves comparability with the Company's industry peers. The Company has retrospectively applied this change to its prior year financial statement comparables and denoted impacted prior year columns "As Adjusted". The net effects on prior year results of changing from the LIFO method to the FIFO method are $1.2 million of additional income in the first quarter of 2018 and $1.6 million of additional expense for full year 2018.

* Adjusted net income is a non-GAAP measure which excludes deferred compensation income/expense, cash-settled stock appreciation rights (SARs) as well as other significant and infrequent/non-recurring items. See Table II for reconciliations of non-GAAP adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share.

"Excluding the impact of the sulfonation equipment failure in Ecatepec and the negative impact of foreign currency translation, the Company had a solid start to the year versus a record first quarter in 2018," said F. Quinn Stepan, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Surfactant operating income, excluding the items above, was down slightly. Global Surfactant sales volume increased 3% on improved demand within our functional product and personal care end markets. The Polymer business was down primarily due to the non-recurrence of a class action settlement received in 2018 and lower North American margins and volumes within the specialty polyols and phthalic anhydride end markets. North American and European rigid polyol volumes grew 10% and 7%, respectively. Our Specialty Product business results were higher due to order timing differences and management approved a plan to reduce overhead within this segment which should provide second half benefits."

Financial Summary





Three Months Ended March 31

($ in thousands, except per share data)

2019



2018

As Adjusted



%

Change

Net Sales

$ 489,170



$ 499,335





(2) % Operating Income

$ 29,738



$ 41,283





(28) % Net Income

$ 24,984



$ 31,952





(22) % Earnings per Diluted Share

$ 1.07



$ 1.37





(22) %

























Adjusted Net Income *

$ 30,636



$ 33,603





(9) % Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share *

$ 1.31



$ 1.44





(9) %

* See Table II for reconciliations of non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share.

Summary of First Quarter Adjusted Net Income Items

Adjusted net income excludes non-operational deferred compensation income/expense, cash-settled SARs and other significant and infrequent or non-recurring items.

Deferred Compensation: The current year quarter includes $3.9 million of after-tax expense versus $1.0 million of after-tax expense in the prior year.

The current year quarter includes of after-tax expense versus of after-tax expense in the prior year. Cash Settled SARs: These management incentive instruments provide cash to participants equal to the appreciation on the price of specified shares of Company stock over a specified period of time. Because income or expense is recognized merely on the movement in the price of Company stock it has been excluded, similar to deferred compensation, to arrive at adjusted net income. The current year quarter includes $1.2 million of after-tax expense versus $0.3 million of after-tax expense in the prior year.

These management incentive instruments provide cash to participants equal to the appreciation on the price of specified shares of Company stock over a specified period of time. Because income or expense is recognized merely on the movement in the price of Company stock it has been excluded, similar to deferred compensation, to arrive at adjusted net income. The current year quarter includes of after-tax expense versus of after-tax expense in the prior year. Business Restructuring: The current year quarter is primarily comprised of: (i) $0.4 million of after-tax expense associated with management's plan to close its Specialty Product office in the Netherlands and absorb the site's supply chain, quality assurance and research and development functions into other Stepan locations, and: (ii) $0.2 million of after-tax expense attributable to ongoing decommissioning costs related to the Canadian plant closure. The prior year quarter included $0.3 million of after-tax decommissioning expense related to our Canadian plant closure.

Percentage Change in Net Sales

Net sales decreased 2% quarter-over-quarter. Global volume growth of 3% was more than offset by the unfavorable impact of foreign currency translation, mostly related to weaker European and Latin American currencies versus the U.S. dollar, and lower selling prices, mainly attributable to the pass-through of lower raw material costs.





Three Months Ended March 31, 2019

Volume



3 % Selling Price & Mix



(2) % Foreign Currency Translation



(3) % Total



(2) %

Segment Results





Three Months Ended March 31

($ in thousands)

2019



2018



% Change

Net Sales























Surfactants

$ 349,650



$ 358,940





(3) % Polymers

$ 120,179



$ 121,933





(1) % Specialty Products

$ 19,341



$ 18,462





5 % Total Net Sales

$ 489,170



$ 499,335





(2) %





Three Months Ended March 31

($ in thousands, all amounts pre-tax)

2019



2018

As Adjusted



%

Change

Operating Income























Surfactants

$ 37,167



$ 41,468





(10) % Polymers

$ 12,105



$ 17,305





(30) % Specialty Products

$ 3,131



$ (350)



NM

Segment Operating Income

$ 52,403



$ 58,423





(10) % Corporate Expenses

$ (22,665)



$ (17,140)





32 % Consolidated Operating Income

$ 29,738



$ 41,283





(28) %

Total segment operating income decreased $6.0 million or 10% versus the prior year.

Surfactant net sales were $349.7 million for the quarter, a 3% decrease versus prior year. Sales volume increased 3% mostly due to higher demand in the personal care and agricultural end markets. Lower demand for products sold to our distribution partners and the Company's exit from commercial sulfonation in Germany partially offset the above growth. Selling prices were down 3% primarily due to the pass-through of lower raw material costs. The translation impact of a stronger U.S. dollar decreased net sales by 3%. Surfactant operating income decreased $4.3 million versus the prior year, primarily due to the sulfonation equipment failure at the Company's Ecatepec, Mexico facility and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency translation resulting from a stronger U.S. dollar versus all currencies where the Company has operations.

for the quarter, a 3% decrease versus prior year. Sales volume increased 3% mostly due to higher demand in the personal care and agricultural end markets. Lower demand for products sold to our distribution partners and the Company's exit from commercial sulfonation in partially offset the above growth. Selling prices were down 3% primarily due to the pass-through of lower raw material costs. The translation impact of a stronger U.S. dollar decreased net sales by 3%. Surfactant operating income decreased versus the prior year, primarily due to the sulfonation equipment failure at the Company's facility and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency translation resulting from a stronger U.S. dollar versus all currencies where the Company has operations. Polymer net sales were $120.2 million in the quarter, a 1% decrease versus prior year. Sales volume increased 3% in the quarter primarily due to higher North American and European polyol volumes used in rigid foam insulation and insulated metal panels. The translation impact of a stronger U.S. dollar negatively impacted net sales by 4% while selling prices were flat quarter over quarter. Polymer operating income decreased $5.2 million versus the prior year primarily due to the non-recurrence of a $2.1 million class action settlement received in 2018, lower volumes and margins within the North American specialty polyols and phthalic anhydride end markets, and higher European costs associated with a planned maintenance shutdown in Germany . The lower phthalic anhydride margins reflect the consumption of higher priced year-end inventories carried to guard against potential winter supply disruptions.

in the quarter, a 1% decrease versus prior year. Sales volume increased 3% in the quarter primarily due to higher North American and European polyol volumes used in rigid foam insulation and insulated metal panels. The translation impact of a stronger U.S. dollar negatively impacted net sales by 4% while selling prices were flat quarter over quarter. Polymer operating income decreased versus the prior year primarily due to the non-recurrence of a class action settlement received in 2018, lower volumes and margins within the North American specialty polyols and phthalic anhydride end markets, and higher European costs associated with a planned maintenance shutdown in . The lower phthalic anhydride margins reflect the consumption of higher priced year-end inventories carried to guard against potential winter supply disruptions. Specialty Products net sales were $19.3 million for the quarter, a 5% increase versus prior year. Sales volume increased 15% for the quarter. Operating income increased $3.5 million versus the prior year primarily due to favorable order timing differences within our flavor businesses.

Corporate Expenses





Three Months Ended March 31

($ in thousands)

2019



2018



% Change

Total - Corporate Expenses

$ 22,665



$ 17,140





32 % Deferred Compensation Expense/(Income) *

$ 7,473



$ 1,614





363 % Business Restructuring Expense

$ 733



$ 358





105 % Adjusted Corporate Expenses

$ 14,459



$ 15,168





(5) %

* See Table III for a discussion of deferred compensation plan accounting.

Corporate expenses, excluding deferred compensation and business restructuring costs, decreased $0.7 million , or 5%, for the quarter. This decrease was mostly attributable to the nonrecurrence of prior year costs associated with the Company's first quarter acquisition in Ecatepec , Mexico.

Income Taxes

The Company's effective tax rate was 19.5% in the first quarter of 2019 versus 18.7% in the first quarter of 2018. The increase was primarily attributable to: (i) the non-recurrence of a favorable 2018 tax benefit from nontaxable foreign interest and (ii) a less favorable geographic mix of income in the first quarter of 2019 versus the first quarter of 2018.

Shareholder Return

The Company paid $5.6 million of dividends to shareholders and repurchased $0.1 million of Company stock in the first quarter of 2019. The Company has 493,387 shares remaining under its Board of Directors' share repurchase authorization. The Company has increased its dividend on the Company's common stock for 51 consecutive years.

Selected Balance Sheet Information

The Company's net debt level increased $26.5 million versus prior year-end and the net debt ratio increased from -3% to 0%. The increase in net debt was primarily due to a $30.7 million cash reduction resulting from higher working capital requirements that are typical for the Company in the first quarter.

($ in millions)

March 31, 2019



December 31, 2018

As Adjusted

Net Debt















Total Debt

$ 271.9



$ 276.1

Cash



269.5





300.2

Net Debt

$ 2.4



$ (24.1)

Equity



831.4





807.4

Net Debt + Equity

$ 833.8



$ 783.3

Net Debt / (Net Debt + Equity)



0 %



(3) %

The major working capital components were:

($ in millions)

March 31, 2019



December 31, 2018

As Adjusted





Net Receivables

$ 298.9



$ 280.0





Inventories



215.0





231.5





Accounts Payable



(175.6)





(206.0)





Net Total

$ 338.3



$ 305.5







Capital spending was $25.7 million versus $27.4 million in the prior year quarter. For the full year, capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $110 million to $130 million.

Outlook

"Looking forward, we believe our Surfactant business will continue to benefit from our diversification efforts into functional products, new technologies, improved internal efficiencies and expanded sales into our broad customer base globally. We believe our Polymer business will benefit from the growing market for insulation materials and we are optimistic the business will deliver both full year volume growth and incremental margin improvement versus 2018. We believe our Specialty Product segment will deliver better margins and combined with restructuring efforts this segment should provide second half benefits. Overall, we remain optimistic about the balance of the year," said F. Quinn Stepan, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Conference Call

Stepan Company will host a conference call to discuss the first quarter results at 8:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. CT) on April 30, 2019. The call can be accessed by phone and webcast. Telephone access will be available by dialing 866-394-0807, and the webcast can be accessed through the Investor Relations/Conference Calls page at www.stepan.com. A webcast replay of the conference call will be available at the same location shortly after the call.

Supporting Slides

Slides supporting this press release will be made available at www.stepan.com through the Investor Relations page at approximately the same time as this press release is issued.

Corporate Profile

Stepan Company is a major manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals used in a broad range of industries. Stepan is a leading merchant producer of surfactants, which are the key ingredients in consumer and industrial cleaning compounds and in agricultural and oilfield solutions. The Company is also a leading supplier of polyurethane polyols used in the expanding thermal insulation market, and CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, and Elastomers) industries.

Headquartered in Northfield, Illinois, Stepan utilizes a network of modern production facilities located in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

The Company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol SCL. For more information about Stepan Company please visit the Company online at www.stepan.com.

Tables follow

Certain information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include statements about Stepan Company's plans, objectives, strategies, financial performance and outlook, trends, the amount and timing of future cash distributions, prospects or future events and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. As a result, Stepan Company's actual financial results, performance, achievements or prospects may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "guidance," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would," "should," "illustrative" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Stepan Company and its management based on their knowledge and understanding of the business and industry, are inherently uncertain. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, and stockholders should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

There are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors, many of which are beyond Stepan Company's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among other factors, the risks, uncertainties and factors described in Stepan Company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form8-K reports and exhibits to those reports, and include (but are not limited to) risks and uncertainties related to disruptions in production or accidents at manufacturing facilities, global competition, volatility of raw material and energy costs, disruptions in transportation or significant changes in transportation costs, reduced demand due to customer product reformulations or new technologies, the probability of future acquisitions and the uncertainties related to the integration of acquired businesses, maintaining and protecting intellectual property rights, international business risks, including currency exchange rate fluctuations, legal restrictions and taxes, our debt covenants, our ability to access capital markets, downturns in certain industries and general economic downturns, global political, military, security or other instability, costs related to expansion or other capital projects, interruption or breaches of information technology systems, the costs and other effects of governmental regulation and legal and administrative proceedings and our ability to retain executive management and key personnel.

These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and Stepan Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Table I

STEPAN COMPANY For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (Unaudited  '000s Omitted)





Three Months Ended March 31





2019



2018

As Adjusted

Net Sales

$ 489,170



$ 499,335

Cost of Sales *



404,561





408,137

Gross Profit *



84,609





91,198

Operating Expenses:















Selling



13,969





14,890

Administrative



19,306





19,439

Research, Development and Technical Services



13,390





13,614

Deferred Compensation Expense



7,473





1,614







54,138





49,557



















Business Restructuring



733





358

Operating Income *



29,738





41,283

Other Income (Expense):















Interest, Net



(1,853)





(3,151)

Other, Net



3,145





1,160







1,292





(1,991)



















Income Before Income Taxes *



31,030





39,292

Provision for Income Taxes *



6,052





7,347

Net Income *



24,978





31,945

Net Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests



6





7

Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company

$ 24,984



$ 31,952

Net Income Per Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company *















Basic *

$ 1.08



$ 1.38

Diluted *

$ 1.07



$ 1.37

Shares Used to Compute Net Income Per Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company















Basic



23,099





23,082

Diluted



23,332





23,389



* The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company's first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

Table II

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Net Income and Earnings per Diluted Share*





Three Months Ended March 31

($ in thousands, except per share amounts)

2019



EPS



2018

As Adjusted



EPS

As Adjusted

Net Income Reported

$ 24,984



$ 1.07



$ 31,952



$ 1.37



































Deferred Compensation Expense

$ 3,881



$ 0.17



$ 1,038



$ 0.05

Business Restructuring



540



$ 0.02





269



$ 0.01

Cash Settled Stock Appreciation Rights



1,231



$ 0.05





344



$ 0.01

Adjusted Net Income

$ 30,636



$ 1.31



$ 33,603



$ 1.44



* All amounts in this table are presented after-tax

The Company believes that certain measures that are not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), when presented in conjunction with comparable GAAP measures, are useful for evaluating the Company's operating performance and provide better clarity on the impact of non-operational items. Internally, the Company uses this non-GAAP information as an indicator of business performance, and evaluates management's effectiveness with specific reference to these indicators. These measures should be considered in addition to, and are neither a substitute for, nor superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Reconciliations of Pre-Tax to After-Tax Adjustments





Three Months Ended March 31



($ in thousands, except per share amounts)

2019



EPS



2018



EPS



Pre-Tax Adjustments

































Deferred Compensation Expense

$ 5,106











$ 1,365











Business Restructuring



733













358











Cash Settled Stock Appreciation Rights



1,620













453











Total Pre-Tax Adjustments

$ 7,459











$ 2,176











Cumulative Tax Effect on Adjustments

$ (1,807)











$ (525)











After-Tax Adjustments

$ 5,652



$ 0.24



$ 1,651



$ 0.07





Table III

Deferred Compensation Plan

The full effect of the deferred compensation plan on quarterly pre-tax income was $5.1 million of expense versus $1.4 million of expense in the prior year. The accounting for the deferred compensation plan results in operating income when the prices of Company common stock or mutual fund shares held in the plan fall and expense when they rise. The Company also recognizes the change in value of mutual fund shares as investment income or loss. The quarter end market prices of Company common stock are as follows:





2019



2018





3/31



12/31



9/30



6/30



3/31

Stepan Company

$ 87.52



$ 74.00



$ 87.01



$ 78.01



$ 83.18













































The deferred compensation income statement impact is summarized below:





Three Months Ended March 31

($ in thousands)

2019



2018

Deferred Compensation















Operating Expense

$ (7,473)



$ (1,614)

Other, net  Mutual Fund Gain (Loss)



2,367





249

Total Pre-Tax

$ (5,106)



$ (1,365)

Total After Tax

$ (3,881)



$ (1,038)



Table IV

Effects of Foreign Currency Translation

The Company's foreign subsidiaries transact business and report financial results in their respective local currencies. As a result, foreign subsidiary income statements are translated into U.S. dollars at average foreign exchange rates appropriate for the reporting period. Because foreign exchange rates fluctuate against the U.S. dollar over time, foreign currency translation affects period-to-period comparisons of financial statement items (i.e., because foreign exchange rates fluctuate, similar period-to-period local currency results for a foreign subsidiary may translate into different U.S. dollar results). Below is a table that presents the impact that foreign currency translation had on the changes in consolidated net sales and various income line items for the three-month period ending March 31, 2019 as compared to 2018:

($ in millions)

Three Months Ended March 31



(Decrease)



Decrease Due to Foreign Currency Translation





2019



2018

As Adjusted

















Net Sales

$ 489.2



$ 499.3



$ (10.1)



$ (16.2)

Gross Profit



84.6





91.2





(6.6)





(2.2)

Operating Income



29.7





41.3





(11.6)





(1.1)

Pretax Income



31.0





39.3





(8.3)





(1.1)



Table V

Stepan Company Consolidated Balance Sheets March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018





March 31, 2019



December 31, 2018

As Adjusted

ASSETS















Current Assets *

$ 808,136





833,893

Property, Plant & Equipment, Net



605,360





608,892

Other Assets *



112,504





71,829

Total Assets *

$ 1,526,000



$ 1,514,614

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY















Current Liabilities

$ 295,448





338,582

Deferred Income Taxes *



24,158





24,961

Long-term Debt



239,063





239,022

Other Non-current Liabilities



135,110





103,864

Total Stepan Company Stockholders' Equity *



831,447





807,425

Noncontrolling Interest



774





760

Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity *

$ 1,526,000



$ 1,514,614



* The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company's first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

SOURCE Stepan Company

Related Links

http://www.stepan.com


HOUSTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Exports of globally refined products are becoming more competitive, although the U.S. still leads the way, according to a new quarterly analysis from Stratas Advisors.

Structural differences in global oil output and crude stocks will have a reflective impact on refining margins and refined product differentials, the analysis concludes. Despite steady gains in crude prices, overall economic health poses a more substantial risk to product demand than absolute price increases. Product prices were hard hit by the downturn at the end of 2018 and have been increasing at a faster rate than crude prices this year, according to Stratas Advisors.

"In this environment, we maintain a generally constructive view for most product prices. For 2019 we expect total product demand to increase 1.25%, and in 2020 we expect product demand to increase 1.44%, driven mainly by jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gas and naphtha," said Luka Vukomanovic, a global market analyst for Stratas Advisors.

Furthermore, the downstream industry is likely to see continued expansion in capacity during the next decade, with resultant shifts in product flow as centers of demand invest in refining capacity. Nearly two-thirds of the planned refined product capacity additions will be in Asia.

"While U.S. and Asian facilities are expected to continue seeing healthy refined product demand growth and margins, the picture is more bleak in other enclaves," said Vukomanovic.

Challenges include a gasoline demand slowdown due to efficiency; the International Maritime Organization's 2020 marine fuel regulations; flourishing petrochemical feedstock demand in the U.S. and Asia; U.S. light oil production growth; and declines of medium-heavy crude oil.

Jet fuel demand growth is assured with major markets continuing to show increases in air travel. A burgeoning middle class is driving air travel in developing economies. Meanwhile, air travel remains a staple of developed economies.

Global gasoline storage levels began the year at the highest levels ever recorded, and considerably above the five-year average. Gasoline stock levels, however, have now dipped below five-year average levels because of an increased demand. "In the following years, because of emerging economies' diesel preference, vehicle efficiency in developed regions and IMO regulations, we expect to see the economics increasingly favoring diesel," Vukomanovic added.

About Stratas Advisors:

The integrated offerings of Stratas Advisors span the full global energy value chain. Dozens of experts on staff in offices from Houston to Brussels to Mumbai and Singapore offer insights via consulting engagements and subscription services that cover the dynamics of multiple industry segments across the primary energy commodities. Clientele from upstream producers, midstream logistics providers, downstream processors, fuel marketers and transportation firms count on Stratas Advisors' services and expertise to make better business decisions that go beyond today's news to anticipating tomorrow's opportunities.

Media Contact: Kate Clark

[email protected]

713-260-4657

SOURCE Stratas Advisors

Related Links

https://stratasadvisors.com


TORONTO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Superior Gold Inc. ("Superior Gold" or the "Company") (TSXV: SGI) announced today that it will release its first quarter 2019 financial and operating results before market open on Tuesday May 14, 2019. Following the release, management will host a conference call and webcast at 10:00AM ET to discuss these results.

Conference Call and and Webcast

Date: Tuesday May 14, 2019 10:00AM ET Toll-free North America: (888) 231-8191 Local or International: (647) 427-7450 Webcast: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1983753/B4A358239D0F46CB5340BF47CBE224E9

Conference Call Replay

Toll-free North America: (855) 859-2056 Local or International: (416) 849-0833 Passcode: 7224568

The conference call replay will be available from 1:00PM ET on May 14, 2019 until 23:59PM ET on May 28, 2019.

The presentation will be available on the Company's website at www.superior-gold.com.

About Superior Gold

Superior Gold is a Canadian based gold producer that owns 100% of the Plutonic Gold operations located in Western Australia. The Plutonic Gold operations include the Plutonic mine, which is a producing underground operation with a central mill, the Hermes open pit mine and an interest in the Bryah Basin joint venture. Superior Gold is focused on expanding production at the Plutonic Gold operations and building an intermediate gold producer with superior returns for shareholders.

SOURCE Superior Gold
MENLO PARK, Calif., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies shouldn't assume that their job offer is a candidate's only option, new research suggests. A new survey of workers from global financial recruitment firm Robert Half Finance & Accounting found nearly six in 10 job seekers (59 percent) have received two or more offers simultaneously when applying for jobs.

Job Offers Aplenty

The competition for talent is tough, and candidates rarely wait long when they receive a great offer. A majority of professionals surveyed (58 percent) reported making their decision in two or fewer days. The top five reasons job seekers accepted one offer over another include:

Salary Benefits Advancement potential Commute Position's responsibilities or challenges

View an infographic for detailed findings, including other notable factors impacting respondents' decisions.

"Companies hiring today need to know their top candidate is likely someone else's top pick as well," said Steve Saah, executive director of Robert Half Finance & Accounting. "Salary is the number-one factor for many professionals looking to make a career move, so employers should put together a compelling compensation package right away. In-demand professionals have options, and you may not have a second chance to make a better offer."

Saah continued, "Job seekers in the enviable position of receiving more than one employment offer should keep in mind what prompted their job search in the first place. Was the primary goal a higher salary, greater flexibility or a more manageable commute? Make sure the offer you accept meets those needs."

Professionals with multiple employment offers on the table can visit the Robert Half blog for tips on how to make the right decision.

About the Research

The online survey was developed by Robert Half Finance & Accounting and conducted by an independent research firm. It includes responses from more than 1,000 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments in the United States.

About Robert Half Finance & Accounting

Founded in 1948, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, a division of Robert Half, is the world's first and largest specialized financial recruitment service. The company has more than 300 locations worldwide. For more information, visit roberthalf.com/finance.

SOURCE Robert Half Finance & Accounting

Related Links

https://www.roberthalf.com/finance


SAN FRANCISCO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global tent market is likely to grow at a significant CAGR in the forecast period. Tents are available in two forms, i.e. a frame tent and a pole tent. A frame tent is amassed with aluminium tubes and galvanized steel that supports the fabric top whereas the pole tent demands a set of multiple poles arrayed beneath the fabric top as a means to provide sustenance to the structure. The factors responsible for the growth of tent market include rise in camping activities and spot picnics. Rise in E-commerce ventures and product availability at a reasonable price are likely to propel the market growth during the forecast period. Presence of social media, availability of camping assistance and government support for tourism add to the market growth. Interest of the population in outdoor activities is likely to drive the tent market worldwide. Rise in the number of corporate trips and camping events, also calls for camping equipment such as tent and other accessories. Occurrence of job fairs and other events also stimulate the market demand during the forecast period. Geographical segmentation for tent market includes North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. North America and Europe market enjoy a dominant position due to traveller's choice for weekend camping. Availability of camping assistance and presence of tour operators may stimulate the market growth.

Download PDF to know more details about "Tent Market" report 2022.

Asia-Pacific regions are likely to grow at a significant CAGR in the forecast period owing to rising popularity of camping activities, availability of local support and availability of modes of transportation. The tent market in the APAC sector gains a significant traction due to government subsidies and support. Presence of corporate population with specific demands for tent and other accessories is likely to support the regional market growth during the forecast period. The key players in the tent market include The North Face Inc, Big Agnes, Johnson Outdoors Inc, Coleman Company Inc, Force Ten, Gelert, Hilleberg, Khym, Kampa and The Tentmaker. The report package Global Tent Market to 2022 - Market Size, Development, Top 10 Countries, and Forecasts offers the most up-to-date industry data on the actual market situation, and future outlook for tents in the world and in the top 10 global countries.

Along with a global tent market report the package includes country reports from the following countries: Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States. The research includes historic data from 2011 to 2015 and forecasts until 2022 which makes the reports an invaluable resource for industry executives, marketing, sales and product managers, consultants, analysts, and other people looking for key industry data in readily accessible documents with clearly presented tables and graphs.

Access 43 page research report with TOC on "Tent Market" available with Radiant Insights, Inc. @ https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-tent-market-to-2022

The reports help answer the following questions:

What is the current size of the tent market in the world and in the top 10 global countries?



How is the tent market divided into different product segments?



How are the overall market and different product segments growing?



How is the market predicted to develop in the future?



What is the market potential compared to other countries



The latest industry data included in the reports:

Overall tent market size, 2011-2022



Tent market size by product segment, 2011-2022



Growth rates of the overall tent market and different product segments, 2011-2022



Shares of different product segments of the overall tent market, 2011, 2017 and 2022



The market data is given for the following product segments:

Tents of synthetic fibres



Tents of other materials



Among the key reasons to purchase include the following:

Gain an outlook of the historic development, current market situation, and future outlook of the tent market in the world and in the top 10 global countries to 2022



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Plan and develop marketing, market-entry, market expansion, and other business strategies by identifying the key market opportunities and prospects



Save time and money with the readily accessible key market data included in the reports. The data is clearly presented and can be easily incorporated into presentations and internal reports.

Browse reports of similar category available with Radiant Insights, Inc.:

About Radiant Insights, Inc.:

At Radiant Insights, we work with the aim to reach the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Our representatives strive to understand diverse client requirements and cater to the same with the most innovative and functional solutions.

Contact:

Michelle Thoras.

Corporate Sales Specialist

Radiant Insights, Inc.

Phone: +1-415-349-0054

Toll Free: 1-888-928-9744

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.radiantinsights.com/

SOURCE Radiant Insights, Inc.
NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Persistent Systems, LLC ("Persistent") announced today that Textron Systems will join the Wave Relay Ecosystem, an industry alliance of unmanned platform and sensor manufacturers sharing Persistent's Wave Relay mobile ad hoc network (MANET).

As part of the five-year agreement with Persistent, Textron Systems will incorporate the compact, lightweight, MANET-enabling Embedded Module into its Aerosonde Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) for select applications.

"We are extremely excited to have Textron Systems join the Wave Relay Ecosystem. Their products will be a part of building the future of battlefield networking," said Louis Sutherland, Vice President of Business Development for Persistent. "This integration provides the Aerosonde SUAS with a reliable communication link, necessary for a wholly networked battlefield."

Each radio, each communications node, in a MANET acts as both a receiver and a relay station. This allows for a robust, self-forming, self-healing buzzing beehive of voice, video, text and sensor dataall without a vulnerable central node or fixed communications infrastructure.

"It is critically important for an unmanned aircraft system to have a reliable communication link, as our customers depend on our system during thousands of operational flight hours each month," says Textron Systems Vice President of Tactical Mission Systems Chris Mallon. "The integration of the Wave Relay MANET technology helps us provide this reliability to our customers."

Textron Systems' Aerosonde SUAS, which offers proven multi-mission performance in land- and sea-based applications, has accumulated more than 315,000 flight hours of operational maturity. The platform is equipped for real-time, full-motion video and communications relay within a single flight, day or night. The Aerosonde system features a range of 75 nautical miles, 200 watts of available payload power, more than 14 hours of endurance, distributed manned/unmanned teaming capability and is deployable in 20 minutes or less. Further, with its Lycoming EL-005 heavy fuel engine, the Aerosonde is the only platform in its class with a propulsion system completely supported by a manufacturer with unmatched manned aviation expertise, including a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Production Certificate.

For more information on Wave Relay-enabled Textron Systems products, visit the Wave Relay Ecosystem at http://www.persistentsystems.com/ecosystem-uav/.

About Persistent Systems, LLC

Headquartered in New York City since 2007, Persistent Systems, LLC is a global communications technology company that develops and manufactures a patented and secure Mobile Ad hoc Networking (MANET) system: Wave Relay. Wave Relay transmits and receives data, video, voice and other applications under the most difficult conditions. Their suite of products is utilized in Commercial, Military, Government, Industrial, Agriculture, Robotics, and Unmanned Systems markets. Please visit http://www.persistentsystems.com to learn more. Follow Persistent Systems on Twitter to get updates on the latest developments @pswaverelay.

AEROSONDE is a registered trademark of AAI Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

LYCOMING is a registered trademark of Avco Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

SOURCE Persistent Systems, LLC

Related Links

http://www.persistentsystems.com


HOUSTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Burn Community Connect announces the first annual full day educational and support seminar for Texas Burn Survivors. Justina Page, Executive Director of the Amos House of Faith and Sue Dodson, Executive Director of Texas Burn Survivor Society both saw the need for a Texas event that would allow burn survivors to come together to learn, grow in understanding and connect with other survivors for peer support.

The theme of the seminar is The Power of Connection. The conference will be held on Saturday, June 8, 2019 at the Hyatt Place in the Woodlands, TX. The event will be from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm and will feature keynote speaker Bobby Henline, a retired Army Staff Sergeant who was severely burned during his fourth tour of duty in Iraq. He will share his story of healing through comedy and serving as a motivational speaker.

The day will include numerous educational breakout sessions, including topics related to Telling Your Story, Cyber Bullying, Self -Image, Adults Burned as Children, Caregivers, Returning to Work After a Burn Injury, Relationships, PTSD  Understanding Trauma, and Physical/Mental Health Awareness.

Tickets for the day are just $99 and include both breakfast and lunch. Justina Page said, "We wanted to provide an event that was accessible to Texas Burn Survivors who find it challenging to attend conferences that require either extensive travel or a major time commitment. We know the need. We know that there is tremendous value in connecting with others who are on the same journey  moving from surviving to thriving."

"We are doing all we can to make this day valuable, meaningful and fun. The one thing we know for certain is that the most powerful moments will come from people connecting with others who truly understand."  Sue Dodson

For more information go to the Texas Burn Community Connect Facebook page or

Contact:

Justina Page  832-816-5728, [email protected]

Sue Dodson - 210-824-8499, [email protected]

Register Here: http://bit.ly/2GqdLEETBCC

SOURCE Amos House of Faith
The official grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony, for invited guests, is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, May 25, 2019, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m . at the Old Corner House, 48 Main Street in Stockbridge, and will be hosted by Eric Plakun, MD, Medical Director and CEO, and members of the Riggs and Stockbridge communities.

"For 100 years, our location on Main Street in Stockbridge has been crucial to the work we do with patients and in terms of our standing in the larger world of treatment for mental illness," said Dr. Plakun, "Essential to our way of working with people with complex psychiatric problems is a focus on patients as people with competence and a voice worth hearing."

"The 'Hospital on Main Street' exhibition celebrates our centennial and tells the story of the evolution of mental health care in the United States, the development of the Riggs model of treatment that seeks to decrease the stigma associated with mental illness, and advocates for a biopsychosocial approach to understanding and treating patients," added Jane G. Tillman, PhD, Director of the Riggs Erikson Institute for Education and Research, and Project Director for Riggs centennial exhibitions.

The exhibition is structured to tell three key stories:

The founding of the Austen Riggs Center and the larger historical context of mental health care in America

The development of a treatment model integrating principles of psychoanalysis and social learning in a therapeutic community

The partnership between Riggs and the local community, and Riggs' commitment to education, training, research, and outreach.

The permanent installation incorporates historic photographs, artifacts, and ephemera that span the 100-year history of Riggs, along with a video installation.

"The Hospital on Main Street" exhibition will be free and open to the public, following the grand opening event, on both Sunday May 26 and Monday May 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Throughout the summer and fall, the exhibition will be open Thursdays to Mondays (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) and will be staffed by Riggs-trained docents.

The exhibition is designed by IKD, an award-winning architectural design firm based in Boston and San Francisco and led by founding partners Tomomi Itakura and Yugon Kim (http://i-k-design.com/).

The "Hospital on Main Street" exhibition team includes, Dan Cohen, Curator; Alison Lotto, Archivist; John Perkel, Chief Docent and Julia Thomas, Exhibition Coordinator.

For additional information about "The Hospital on Main Street" exhibition and other Riggs centennial events, please visit: www.austenriggs.org/100.

Additional Riggs Centennial Events and Exhibitions:

"Inspired: Norman Rockwell and Erik Erikson ," a collaborative exhibition exploring the dynamic relationship between Stockbridge artist Rockwell and highly regarded Riggs staff psychoanalyst Erikson. Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA. ( June 8 - October 27, 2019 )

a collaborative exhibition exploring the dynamic relationship between artist Rockwell and highly regarded Riggs staff psychoanalyst Erikson. Norman Rockwell Museum, ( ) "The Mental Health Crisis in America: Recognizing Problems, Working Toward Solutions," a Riggs centennial conference convened with national and international experts in the fields of mental health treatment, research, advocacy, and the law. Linde Center for Music and Learning at Tanglewood, Lenox, MA. ( September 21 - 22, 2019 )

About the Austen Riggs Center

Celebrating its centennial year in 2019, the Austen Riggs Center, located in Stockbridge, MA, is a leading psychiatric hospital and residential treatment program that has been serving adults since its founding in 1919. Within an open setting, patients participate in an intensive treatment milieu that emphasizes respectful engagement. Individual psychodynamic psychotherapy is provided four times a week by doctors on staff. The Erikson Institute for Education and Research of the Austen Riggs Center studies individuals in their social contexts through research, training, education, and outreach programs in the local community and beyond. Riggs is ranked a top-ten "Best Hospital in Psychiatry" by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit www.austenriggs.org.

SOURCE Austen Riggs Center

Related Links

http://www.austenriggs.org


SAN FRANCISCO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Small, independent American farms are catalysts for environmental and economic self-sufficiency, sustainability, and food access. The FruitGuys Community Fund today announced the recipients of its 2019 grant program. Grants totaling $53,479.74 were awarded to 15 small farms and agricultural nonprofits from 12 different states for environmental sustainability projects. Since 2012, The FruitGuys Community Fund has awarded 70 grants totaling more than a quarter of a million dollars.

"Small-scale farmers are masters at making every dollar count. By providing farms like these with grants, we're able to make a big impact on local communities throughout the United States," said Chris Mittelstaedt, project director for The FruitGuys Community Fund and founder and CEO of The FruitGuys. "Industrial agriculture often creates environmental and public health problems. We believe that small, independent, American farms are the key to a healthy food system."

Hundreds of farms across the nation vied for this year's honors. The 2019 grantee farms, ranging in size from one acre to 60 acres, will use the funding to complete sustainable agriculture projects, such as installing bees, swales, rainwater catchment systems, pollinator habitats, and vermicomposting systems, and converting a farm tractor to electric. These projects will help make positive changes that improve drainage, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, reduce carbon footprints, and improve soil health.

This grant award cycle marks the largest and most geographically diverse class to date. From North Carolina to Alaska, the following farms were recognized for their innovative agricultural sustainability projects:

DoLittle Pastures Lacomb, OR

Lacomb, OR Fresh Roots Farm Polson, MT

Polson, MT Funks Grove Heritage Fruits & Grains McLean, IL

McLean, IL Huidekoper Ranch Wilson, WY

Wilson, WY JSM Organics Aromas, CA

Aromas, CA La Semilla Community Farm Anthony, NM

Anthony, NM Many Forks Farms Clarksburg, MA

Clarksburg, MA Robina's Organics Salinas, CA

Salinas, CA Sankofa Farms Cedar Grove, NC

Cedar Grove, NC Scott Farm Orchard Dummerston, VT

Dummerston, VT SisterLand Farms Port Angeles, WA

Port Angeles, WA SweetRoot Farm Hamilton, MT

Hamilton, MT Veterans Employment Base Camp (VEBCOG) New Bern, NC

New Bern, NC Wilderness Greenhouse Homer, AK

Homer, AK Windswept AcresChino Valley, AZ



To view the full list of grant recipients and read about each of their funded projects, visit https://fruitguyscommunityfund.org/2019-farm-grants/.

Founded in 2012, the fund provides small grants (up to $5,000) to small farms and agricultural nonprofits for sustainability projects that have a large positive impact on the environment, local food systems, and farm diversity.

For more information on The FruitGuys Community Fund, please visit fruitguyscommunityfund.org .

About The FruitGuys Community Fund

The FruitGuys Community Fund is a nonprofit, fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives whose goal is to support small farms' efforts to promote greater environmental and economic health, community engagement, and advocacy that supports sustainable agriculture. Founded in 2012, the Fund is unique in its "small farms, big impacts" approach. These grants help farms enhance pollinator habitats, conserve water, increase soil health, extend growing seasons, and increase productivity.

Media Contacts

Tracy Rubin

JCUTLER media group

[email protected]

323.969.9904

Sheila Cassani

The FruitGuys

[email protected]

510-541-4806

SOURCE The FruitGuys Community Fund

Related Links

http://www.fruitguyscommunityfund.org


TUCSON, Ariz., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 1986, no one has helped more companies investigate, launch, operate and thrive in Mexico more than The Offshore Group. With 24,000 employees in Mexico and the U.S., 75 clients from around the world and 6 locations in Mexico, The Offshore Group has grown into one of the largest privately-owned companies in Mexico.

"In an effort to unify our entities, simplify our messaging, and position us for long-term growth, we have evolved our identity to provide a unified, customer-focused experience. The Offshore Group is now Tetakawi," explained Luis Felipe Seldner III , President of Tetakawi (formerly The Offshore Group).

Like the company's history, inspiration for the new name is rooted in Mexico. Teta Kawi is a Yaqui named mountain range that is located along the beaches of San Carlos and surrounds our flagship Manufacturing Community in Empalme, Sonora, the rocky mountain is a symbol of greatness in Sonora, and Tetakawi strives to maintain that greatness in providing world-class services to companies manufacturing in Mexico.

"We're the same people, same company  now with an improved name, look, and experience. Under our new Tetakawi branding, we will continue to provide the top tier expertise and service you expect, while creating a unified, streamlined experience for helping your company investigate, launch, operate, and thrive in Mexico," said Luis Felipe Seldner III.

As we move into the next generation of our brand, Tetakawi, we strive to focus on our mission to provide clients, employees, and communities the power to reach their maximum potential in Mexico by creating world-class manufacturing environments, building innovative teams, and by making a positive impact in the communities where we operate. We look forward to the next chapter of our relationship with you. For more information, please visit www.tetakawi.com.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Tetakawi

Related Links

http://www.tetakawi.com


PORTLAND, Oregon, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, Traction Control System Market by Type (Mechanical Linkage and Electrical Linkage), Component (Hydraulic Modulator, ESU, and Sensors), and Vehicle Type (ICE and Electric Vehicles): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 - 2025. The research offers a detailed analysis on changing market dynamics, key investment pockets, major segments, and market competition. According to the report, the global traction control system market generated $27.59 billion in 2017, and is expected to reach $44.14 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2018 to 2025.

Factors such as growing demand for safety features and technological advancement in automobiles drive the market growth. However, high maintenance cost of traction control systems restrains the growth of the market. Conversely, development of advanced braking systems creates new opportunities for growth of the market.

Download Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5244

Electrical linkage segment to be dominant through 2025

Among types, the mechanical linkage segment accounted for the largest market share of more than two-thirds of the total share in 2017. However, the electrical linkage would grab the largest share through 2025 and grow at the fastest CAGR of 17.4% during the forecast period. To meet the upcoming emission regulations/norms, the automobile manufacturers are reducing the overall weight of the vehicles by replacing the mechanical linkages of systems by electrical components. Therefore, the electronic linkage accounts to have the major share during the forecast period.

ICE vehicles segment to be through 2025

Based on vehicle type, the ICE (passenger cars & commercial vehicles) vehicles segment was the largest in 2017, capturing around 97% of the market share and would maintain its dominance through 2025. With increase in purchasing power of consumers, infrastructure development, and ease of finance, there has been a higher demand for passengers and LCV in developed and developing countries. However, the electric vehicles [battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)] segment would grow at the fastest CAGR of 20.1% from 2018 to 2025. This is due to the high-end functions and extended range offered by the vehicles.

Asia-Pacific to be dominant through 2025

Asia-Pacific was the largest market in 2017, grabbing nearly two-fifths of the market share and is likely to dominate the market through 2025. The government support for automotive industry, upcoming emission regulations, rapid industrialization, increase in demand for electric vehicles, and focus on developing newer products in the region. However, the market in LAMEA would achieve the fastest growth of 13.1% during the forecast period.

For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5244

Key players of the industry

Leading market players analyzed in the research include Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), Continental AG (Germany), Autoliv, Inc. (Sweden), Nissin Kogyo Co. Ltd. (Japan), WABCO (Belgium), ZF TRW (U.S.), Hyundai Mobis (South Korea), Denso Corporation (Japan), Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. (U.S.), and ADVICS Co., Ltd (Japan). These market players have adopted various strategies including collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships, expansions, and others to gain a strong position in the industry.

Access KNOWLEDGE TREE (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/knowledgetree

Knowledge tree is a cloud-based intelligence platform that offers more than 2,000 selective, off-the-shelf reports on niche markets to enable our clients gain deep insights on the latest trends, dynamic technologies, and emerging application areas.

Similar Reports:

Anti-Lock Braking System Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast by 2022

ABS holds significant potential as it plays a vital role in the safety of vehicles thus, making it more safe and comfortable. Anti-lock braking system has witnessed a steep growth in passenger cars and commercial vehicles segment due to stringent vehicle safety standards followed by various transport authorities globally. The U.S. and the European Union have made it mandatory for all passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and certain types of two wheelers to come equipped with ABS as standard safety feature. The two wheelers market of ABS is expected to increase rapidly in the coming years. Developing countries such as India and China holds a tremendous potential in two wheelers market as the governments have made it mandatory to equip two wheelers with ABS from 2018 onwards.

Autonomous Emergency Braking System Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast by 2023

Europe is expected to lead the global autonomous emergency braking system market throughout the forecast period, followed by North America. LAMEA is expected to grow at a highest rate during the forecast period. Furthermore, Germany dominates the AEBS market in Europe, similarly, the U.S. dominates autonomous emergency braking system market in North America, and Japan leads the AEBS market in Asia-Pacific

About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

Contact:

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5933 NE Win Sivers Drive

#205, Portland, OR 97220

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Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com

SOURCE Allied Market Research
SHANGHAI, April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With China's first four-day May Day holiday approaching, its outbound tourism market continues to heat up. According to the statistics from several OTAs in China, about 60% of Chinese tourists will travel abroad during the holiday, and their destinations are increasingly diversified.

So far, tourists can use UnionPay cards conveniently in 174 countries and regions. And since the beginning of this year, it is increasingly easy to use UnionPay cards in Europe, Africa, and South Asia. Recently, UnionPay International has teamed up with tens of thousands of well-known merchants in 40 countries and regions outside mainland China to provide special discounts of up to 20% for UnionPay cardholders. Among these participating merchants, over 10,000 will provide discounts for customers who pay with UnionPay mobile payment products.

UnionPay continues to enhance its service capacity

To date, UnionPay payment is available at over 26 million merchants outside mainland China, covering almost all popular tourist destinations. And UnionPay cards are accepted in an increasing number of sectors. In Europe, for instance, over 90% of countries and regions have already accepted UnionPay cards. In the first quarter of 2019, a large number of F&B merchants, hotels and supermarket in the Baltic countries, namely Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have started accepting UnionPay cards; which will drive the overall acceptance rate of UnionPay in these countries to 50%. In Northern Europe, UnionPay has recently achieved 100% acceptance in Denmark, while in Sweden and Finland over half of the local merchants accept UnionPay cards.

With the user number of the UnionPay app exceeding 150 million, an increasing number of merchants outside mainland China are accepting the app to attract Chinese tourists. So far, the UnionPay app users can enjoy mobile payment services offered by UnionPay, including QR code payment and contactless payment, in 46 countries and regions outside mainland China. UnionPay QR code payment is available at over 200,000 merchants outside mainland China. In Hong Kong and Macau alone, there are 5,000 more merchants, including the Rosedale Hotel and Metropark Hotel, which have supported this service since this year. Now, there are over 14,000 merchants in Hong Kong and Macau accepting UnionPay QR code payment.

Special discounts for UnionPay mobile payment users are available at more merchants

During this May Day holiday, the merchants providing special offers for UnionPay cardholders include international airports, shopping centers, landmark department stores, feature restaurants, car rental companies, hotels, as well as popular tourist attractions. Among them, airport is a crucial sector where UnionPay is providing special offers.

During the holiday, a total of 100 major airports in and outside China will provide special offers for UnionPay cardholders, with 14 international airports in the Czech Republic, South Africa and India participating for the first time this year. In addition to discounts available at duty-free shops, UnionPay cardholders can also enjoy a variety of privileges at these airports, such as booking shuttle buses at a better price at the New York and San Francisco airports, renting WIFI at Kuala Lumpur Airport, and entry to the VIP lounge at the Moscow Airport.

It is worth noting that much more number and types of merchants are offering discounts for customers who pay with UnionPay mobile payment products. These merchants are mainly located in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Pacific, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Russia. And discounts for UnionPay QR code payment are available at large duty-free shops and brand stores for the first time. In Shila Duty-free in South Korea and Thomas Sabo in Singapore, for instance, discounts are available for the UnionPay app users who pay for a certain amount by scanning the UnionPay QR code.

Customers who pay with UnionPay mobile contactless payment can also enjoy offers in fields of transit and convenience stores. For example, tourists can enjoy discounts when using UnionPay mobile QuickPass to take the Moscow Aeroexpress and Kaohsiung MRT. Instant discounts for UnionPay contactless payments are also available at Woolworths supermarkets in Australia and CR Vanguard in Hong Kong.

SOURCE UnionPay International
GILBERT, Ariz., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Unique Home Designs, Inc. (UHD), the leading U.S. manufacturer of residential security doors has announced the formation of a new subsidiary, Advanced Screen Systems, Inc., to support an exclusive distribution agreement with Meshtec International Co., Ltd. (Meshtec). The new subsidiary will distribute Meshtec's proprietary high performance screen system to door and window manufacturers as an OEM offering and to the commercial building products channel in North America.

Meshtec is the global leader in high-tensile strength stainless steel screens that are resistant to corrosion, allow for visibility and are a barrier to forced entry. Meshtec's patented retention system ensures that the screen material is flat, tight and secure in the frame without the waviness of traditional mesh. This superior screen material is redefining the U.S. security screen door, window screen and fall prevention screen categories with features and benefits far exceeding existing solutions. Through this exclusive distribution agreement with Advanced Screen Systems, Inc., Meshtec screen will now be available to major door and window manufacturers as an upgrade to traditional screens and to the commercial building products channel for a wide range of barrier control applications.

"We are excited to expand our successful relationship with Meshtec and build on the strong success we've already experienced with aftermarket products featuring Meshtec's patented screen systems. This is the natural next step in developing the North American market for high performance screens and perfectly aligns with our history and ongoing mission to provide best-in-class products," said Jeff Bell, President & CEO of UHD. Peter Taylor, Executive Director of Meshtec, added, "We are pleased to partner with UHD to continue development of the North American high performance screens market. UHD's success developing the aftermarket demonstrates why they are the ideal partner for the next phase of growth."

About Unique Home Designs

Unique Home Designs, Inc. is a high growth, Arizona-based company that designs, manufactures, and markets security screen doors, screen doors, and window guards through multiple sales channels. Founded in 2003, the company has built a strong reputation with customers and retail partners, leveraging its world class manufacturing capabilities and strong heritage in custom designed premium products to bring true product innovation and increased value to consumers at every price point.

About Meshtec

Meshtec is the internationally recognized world-leader in the design and manufacture of security screen systems for doors, windows, barrier screens, and balustrade fencing systems and the global leader in the provision of high tensile stainless steel security mesh for residential and commercial applications. With full production capabilities of weaving, powder coating and fabricating complimented by in-house product design allied to rigorous quality control measures and testing, Meshtec is able to quickly and nimbly respond to market and customer specific needs and requirements with consistent quality product. Meshtec is quality endorsed to ISO 9001, ISO14001; ISO17025; and OHSAS180 standards and, with over a decade of experience, Meshtec has built a reputation for excellence in designing and manufacturing premium security solutions that are both functional and architecturally thoughtful.

SOURCE Unique Home Designs
The Michigan Chamber received a rating of Accredited, with Distinction , putting it among the top three percent of chambers nationwide. It is one of only six state chambers accredited by the U.S. Chamber and one of only four state chambers accredited with distinction. Of the 7,000 chambers of commerce in the United States, only 211 meet the standards set by the national chamber for accreditation.

"On behalf of everyone at the U.S. Chamber, I congratulate the Michigan Chamber for a job well done," said U.S. Chamber President Tom Donohue. "Michigan Chamber staff have forged strong relationships with lawmakers and community leaders across the state and have provided members with the support they need to grow, innovate and create jobs."

"Being recognized by the U.S. Chamber for organizational excellence is a great compliment to Chamber members, our Board of Directors and dedicated Chamber staff," said Arnaldo Rodriguez, President & CEO of Technical Professional Services, Inc., in Wayland, and Chair of the Michigan Chamber Board of Directors. "I am very proud to a part of a leadership organization that consistently delivers powerful advocacy and works to help members solve their business problems and prosper."

"We are proud of our partnership with the U.S. Chamber and honored to be recognized for getting the job done for our members," said Rich Studley, President & CEO of the Michigan Chamber. "Accreditation is proof of our ongoing commitment to organizational excellence as we continue the important work to promote job creation and business success in Michigan."

"This recognition is also a compliment to the volunteer leaders and members of the Michigan Chamber for their commitment to leadership and organizational excellence and to Chamber staff who worked long and hard on a lengthy application," Studley added.

The only program of its kind in the country, US Chamber accreditation recognizes excellence in chamber planning and performance. To achieve accreditation, a chamber must demonstrate quality programs, clear organizational procedures, and effective communications in the areas of governance, program development, government affairs, and technology.

State chambers are recognized as either Accredited State Chamber or Accredited State Chamber with Distinction. Local chambers are rated Accredited, 3-Stars, 4-Stars, or 5-Stars. The final determination is made by the Accrediting Board, a committee of U.S. Chamber board members, and chamber CEOs from across the country.

The US Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is a statewide business organization representing approximately 6,000 employers, trade associations and local chambers of commerce who employ over one million Michigan residents. The Chamber was established in 1959 to be an advocate for Michigan's job providers in the legislative, political and legal process.

SOURCE Michigan Chamber of Commerce

Related Links

http://www.michamber.com


However, there are obstacles in feasibly employing blockchain technology into business models, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This failure is typically caused by one of three things (or all):

High cost

Complexity

Lacking professionals or technical capabilities to implement the solution

Breaking Down the BarriersVeChain Develops and Launches ToolChain so that Anyone Can Implement and Use Blockchain Technology

VeChain officially launched ToolChain, the next generation of blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) platform at the 2019 VeChain Summitthe first global developer conference of VeChain, held on April 18th at San Francisco's historic Fort Mason Festival Pavilion. It is the first commercial BaaS platform built on top of a public blockchain.

VeChain Toolchain Turnkey Solution with hardware suggestions

ToolChain Addresses Pain Points for SMEs

VeChain ToolChain provides a variety of general interfaces to essentially eliminate the high technical threshold and substantially lower the costs for SMEs or even individuals in blockchain integration. VeChain ToolChain pioneered the concept of providing an "off-the-shelf" solution, with various standardized application modules.

Unlike the BaaS products on the market, ToolChain also includes a vertical blockchain application focusing on product life cycle management, which can be used as a SaaS solution or customized as a turnkey package. The solution can integrate with the existing business of the enterprises immediately with zero development requirements. In this way, companies without blockchain development capabilities can acquire a secure and mature blockchain solution at a reasonable cost. More importantly, eco-enterprises and channel partners are allowed to build their own applications on the VeChainThor blockchain BaaS platform, should they be authorized with the turnkey solution provided by VeChain.

SMEs can further benefit from a comprehensive one-stop customized blockchain service, including product life-cycle management, supply chain management, data storage, data verification, and process verification, thereby improving their brand image and scaling their businesses.

Meeting the Demands of the Market: ToolChain Releases with Three Versions

To meet the diverse demands of the market, VeChain ToolChain solution is currently available in three versions: Standard Version, Developer Version, and Channel Partner Version:

Standard Version

The VeChain ToolChain Standard Version provides various standardized application modules, tools and IoT devices. This allows SMEs with no development capability to have their own blockchain-based lifecycle management solution.

Developer Version

For enterprise customers with strong technical capabilities, the developer version can provide a variety of API interfaces, SDK development kits, and detailed developer documentation. With these, enterprises can develop various applications based on the VeChainThor Blockchain according to their own needs and desired hardware solutions.

Channel Partner Version

The newly developed Channel Partner Version will support independent deployment and multi-dimensional customization of ToolChain based on the channel partner's business strength. To become a channel partner, you only need to apply for authorization from VeChain before receiving the ToolChain Turnkey packages for customization and independent deployment. This version creates a win-win situation by allowing VeChain's partners to build their own blockchain-based business ecology to serve their customers.

Hardware Suggestions: What You Need to Fully Implement VeChain ToolChain

To realize VeChain ToolChain's strengths and provide a one-stop solution to optimize supply-chain management, for SMEs and even individual users, by using a smartphone with NFC function and NFC tags ordered from VeChain (will be available soon), you can start using the ToolChain service. Moreover, VeChain has prepared a collection of suggested hardware devices to fully implement the solution and connect the software to the physical goods being managed. The hardware suite includes:

QR code printer and application software for easy, immediate at the office, printing of QR codes

NFC writer and related software to create digital labels

IoT devices, including RFID chips, sensor devices, and more

Handheld terminal devices to enable Toolchain apps to bond and activate NFC chips and collect and transfer chip ID and other core data

Physical carriers for simple transport of the Toolchain Kit, including QR codes and NFC/RFID digital chips

ToolChain Successfully Applied in Multiple Industries

VeChain ToolChain has been successfully introduced into various industries such as energy, automobile, agriculture, wine, FMCG, art auction, insurance and more. In these industries, it has played a critical role in data verification, data sharing, anti-counterfeiting, and traceability.

New business models based on the VeChain ToolChain have been developed to empower real economy and facilitate an enterprise's digital transformation and brand image enhancement. In the future, VeChain will stay focused on building a blockchain-based ecosystem for its partners and developers, enabling them to provide customized ToolChain-based services for enterprise users, extend application scenarios, and further optimize relevant functions.

To use VeChain ToolChain for business scaling, please contact the professional VeChain ToolChain consultant for personalized development advice at [email protected] and apply for a free trial of VeChain ToolChain Standard Version.

About VeChain:

Starting in June 2015, VeChain aims to connect blockchain technology to the real world by providing a comprehensive governance structure, a robust economic model, and IoT integration. VeChain is the pioneers of real-world applications using public blockchain technology, with international operations in Singapore, Luxembourg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, Hong Kong, and San Francisco.

About Turnkey Solutions:

Turnkey Solutions are designed to further promote the development of blockchain applications on the VeChainThor Blockchain, and essentially eliminate the high technical threshold, substantially lower the costs, and significantly reduce the time to market for SMEs in blockchain integration. With the development tools provided by VeChain, such as general interfaces and API documents, the solution can integrate with the existing business of the enterprises immediately with zero development requirements. They're also available as turnkey package for the enterprises and developers to deploy the solution independently and conduct custom development in accordance with their own management models and business demands, adding value to their business and meeting the diverse demand of the market.

Contact Us:

Twitter: @vechainofficial

Telegram: https://t.me/vechain_official_english

Website: www.vechain.org

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE VeChain

Related Links

http://www.vechain.org


CHICAGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Vitality Group, a global health and wellness company committed to making people healthier, is expanding its behavior change platform with five new strategic partners*: Health Enhancement Systems, Livongo, MoveSpring, Omada Health and SmartDollar.

The Gateway program integrates strategic partners across the broader health environment to connect employees to the right resources at the right time that will improve their health. The new partners add capabilities around prediabetes and diabetes care as well as financial wellness.

"Due to the success of the Gateway program in driving member engagement and health activities, we're expanding the program for 2019," said Tal Gilbert, Vitality USA CEO. "In its first year, two-thirds of Vitality clients completed Gateway activities and more importantly, members with an elevated risk factor were 20-25% more likely to participate in relevant Gateway events. By bringing on these additional best-in-class providers, we will go deeper into the clinical setting to support people with chronic conditions."

As part of the Vitality program, employees receive personalized and dynamic health recommendations and resources specific to their needs in a way that meets them where they are while also providing employers the opportunity to amplify their own benefits and programs. These offerings are supported by Vitality's proven expertise in behavioral science and incentive strategies to help employees overcome common decision errors.

"When employees come to work, they bring their financial problems with them," said Brian Hamilton, Vice President of SmartDollar. "That stress is real, and it effects productivity, turnover, and healthcare costs. We're thrilled to team with Vitality Group to reach people who need a proven, step-by-step plan so that they can stop living paycheck-to-paycheck and start saving for their future."

Initial program success:

Wide adoption of Gateway  For the most engaged clients, 50% of registered members participate in program and partner events. First year success saw 42% increase in activities per members per month for Vitality employer clients participating in Gateway platform.

Increased engagement  Members who report higher financial stress levels are 20% more engaged in financial health Gateway events.

Measurable results  members who participated in Gateway in 2018 saw a 70% greater improvement in health risks than members who did not.

"Vitality's dedication to putting the customer first is one of the many reasons behind our partnership through the Gateway program," said Anthony Knierim, COO, MoveSpring. "We strive to make health and fitness fun for everyone through our activity and step challenge platform. That means being responsive and in-tune with both our admins and end users. Our relentless focus on engagement, fun, and ease of use is what makes our app experience top-notch and we're thrilled to be the premier activity challenge product available to Vitality clients."

Livongo Chief Commercial Officer Jim Pursley commented, "Livongo and Vitality Group align well in terms of our overall mission. By better integrating into the healthcare ecosystem and using a clinically proven and data-driven approach, we can effectively make it easier for people living with chronic conditions to stay healthy by driving measurable behavior change. We are excited about this partnership and the opportunity to offer our members a world-class experience while driving a measurable impact for our shared clients."

About Health Enhancement Systems

HES creates employee well-being programs for organizations in North America and throughout the world. Since 1992, dozens of our theme-based wellness campaigns have been adopted by thousands of employers  serving millions of participants. Each is filled with engaging participant experiences and rich content. They are challenging, social, fun, and grounded in health behavior change science, covering 30+ behaviors in areas like social, emotional, financial, career, community, and physical well-being. For more information about HES wellness campaigns, white papers, SlideShare presentations, and Well-Being Practitioner journal, see HESonline.com.

About Livongo

Livongo offers a whole-person platform that empowers people with chronic conditions to live better and healthier lives, beginning with diabetes and now including hypertension, weight management, diabetes prevention, and behavioral health. Livongo pioneered the category of Applied Health Signals to silence Noisy Healthcare. Our team of data scientists aggregate and interpret substantial amounts of health data and information to create actionable, personalized, and timely health signals. The Livongo approach delivers better clinical and financial outcomes while creating a different and better experience for people with chronic conditions. To learn more visit livongo.com.

About MoveSpring

MoveSpring is a fun, easy-to-use activity and step challenge platform for companies. At MoveSpring, we are focused on making health and fitness fun for everyone. That's why we designed a variety of challenge modes to accommodate a wide range of participants. Our mix of challenge modes offer intrinsic motivation, ongoing goal setting, and competition classics. Connect a wearable device or smartphone to track your activity, which syncs in real time to our native iOS, Android and web app. With a suite of engagement features including chat, content and personal trends and insights, our clients see their employees enthusiastically and consistently engaging with our best-in-class app experience. Easily manage and run your wellness program with our intuitive Admin Center and easy-to-follow Playbook. Improve your office culture, foster fun competition and save time on your wellness programming. Ready to step up your wellness game? To learn more visit movespring.com.

About Omada Health

Omada is a digital care provider focused on reducing costly chronic disease in employer and health plan populations. The company offers a personalized intervention for individuals at risk for, or with, obesity-related chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Omada is the largest CDC-recognized provider of the National Diabetes Prevention Program, and has deep integration experience with leading health plans, outcomes-based pricing, and eleven peer-reviewed studies demonstrating the company's ability to deliver lasting, clinically-meaningful results. To learn more, visit omadahealth.com.

About SmartDollar

SmartDollar is a financial wellness program that educates, inspires and empowers employees to proactively take control of their money and get on track for retirement. The mission of SmartDollar is to help participants change their behavior toward money and, in turn, use their largest wealth-building tool, their income, to save and invest instead of paying consumer debt. SmartDollar is offered as an online, mobile-friendly program and is available to companies of all sizes. Learn more at smartdollar.com.

About Vitality Group

Guided by a core purpose of making people healthier, Vitality is the leader in improving health to unlock outcomes that matter. By blending smart tech, data, incentives, and behavioral science, we inspire healthy changes in individuals and organizations. Vitality brings a global perspective through successful partnerships with the smartest insurers and most forward-thinking employers around the world. More than 9 million people in 20 countries engage in the Vitality program. For more information, please visit vitalitygroup.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

*Vitality collaborates with a multitude of organizations. Those listed here reflect the latest offerings.

SOURCE Vitality Group

Related Links

http://www.vitalitygroup.com


SAN DIEGO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Vividion Therapeutics, a biotechnology company with a revolutionary platform to discover small molecule therapeutics against biologically compelling but previously intractable targets, today announced the completion of an oversubscribed $82 Million Series B financing. The financing was led by Nextech Invest, an oncology-focused investment firm, and included participation from additional new investors BVF Partners, Casdin Capital, Mubadala Ventures, Trinitas Capital, Mirae Asset Capital, Altitude Life Science Ventures, and Alexandria Venture Investments. Existing investors ARCH Venture Partners, Versant Ventures, Cardinal Partners and Celgene Corporation also participated in the round.

In connection with the financing, Jakob Loven, Ph.D., Partner at Nextech Invest, will join the Vividion Board of Directors.

"Vividion's unique approach has allowed us to discover and advance exquisitely selective small molecules against high value targets that have been extremely challenging to drug historically," said Dr. Diego Miralles, Chief Executive Officer of Vividion Therapeutics. "With over $165 million in cash and a remarkable team, we are well positioned with substantial runway to maximize the multiple opportunities provided by our unique platform, bringing therapeutics to many patients in need."

Vividion Therapeutics has pioneered an approach, based on the work of Professor Benjamin Cravatt at The Scripps Research Institute, that enables screening of small molecules against every protein in native biological systems. This unique platform identifies highly selective binders to previously intractable targets, agnostic to protein class and function. These can be developed into drugs utilizing a range of approaches, including direct and allosteric modulation of protein function, and targeted protein degradation. The company's immediate focus is in oncology and immunology.

"We are witnessing a renaissance in the field of synthetic and medicinal chemistry and the numerous possibilities small molecule drug discovery brings to previously challenging target classes," said Loven. He added: "Vividion has successfully pioneered its platform to reveal druggable opportunities at an unprecedented scale and resolution to open a large range of therapeutic possibilities. We look forward to working with Vividion's highly experienced team as they continue to build the platform and pipeline toward first-in-class medicines for underserved patients."

About Vividion

Vividion Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapeutics that treat major unmet medical needs using the first platform for proteome-wide small molecule drug discovery. The company's cutting-edge platform is based on seminal work from the labs of Professors Benjamin Cravatt, Phil Baran, and Jin-Quan Yu at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. Vividion previously raised a $45 Million Series A from ARCH Venture Partners, Versant Ventures, and Cardinal Partners. In March 2018, the Company established a multi-year, $101 Million up-front strategic collaboration with Celgene Corporation, aimed at discovering therapeutics against select first-in-class targets, with an initial focus in oncology and inflammation.

Vividion Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, visit www.vividion.com.

SOURCE Vividion Therapeutics

Related Links

http://www.vividion.com


TAMPA, Fla., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) ("WellCare") today reported results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019. As determined under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), net income for the first quarter of 2019 was $151.4 million, or $2.98 per diluted share. Adjusted net income for the first quarter of 2019 was $187.6 million, or $3.69 per diluted share.

"We're pleased with our strong revenue and earnings growth in the quarter," said Ken Burdick, WellCare's chief executive officer. "While we pursue the approvals for our recently announced combination with Centene, we continue to focus on serving our 6.3 million members on behalf of our government partners."

Key Metrics 1Q19 1Q18 Earnings per diluted share (EPS) (GAAP) $2.98 $2.25 Adjusted EPS(1) $3.69 $2.47 Net income margin (GAAP) 2.2% 2.2% Adjusted net income margin(1) 2.8% 2.5%





Total Revenue (GAAP) ($ millions) $6,762.2 $4,646.2 Adjusted Total Revenue(1) ($ millions) $6,730.5 $4,549.4





Revenue ($ millions):



Medicaid Health Plans (GAAP) $4,473.5 $2,809.9 Adjusted Medicaid Health Plans(1) $4,441.8 $2,713.1 Medicare Health Plans $1,843.1 $1,556.5 Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) $288.8 $259.9





Segment Medical Benefits Ratios (MBR):



Medicaid Health Plans (GAAP) 89.9% 86.3% Adjusted Medicaid Health Plans(1) 90.6% 89.4% Medicare Health Plans 84.0% 84.0% Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) 89.5% 88.7%





Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) Ratio (GAAP) 7.5% 7.7% Adjusted SG&A Ratio(1) 7.3% 7.8%

(1) Refer to the Basis of Presentation for a discussion of these adjusted (non-GAAP) financial measures

Key Highlights

GAAP and adjusted total revenue of $6.8 billion and $6.7 billion for the first quarter of 2019 increased 45.5 percent and 47.9 percent respectively, compared with the first quarter of 2018.

and for the first quarter of 2019 increased 45.5 percent and 47.9 percent respectively, compared with the first quarter of 2018. GAAP and adjusted Medicaid Health Plans revenue of $4.5 billion and $4.4 billion for the first quarter of 2019 increased 59.2 and 63.7 percent, respectively, compared with the first quarter of 2018.

and for the first quarter of 2019 increased 59.2 and 63.7 percent, respectively, compared with the first quarter of 2018. Medicare Health Plans revenue of $1.8 billion for the first quarter of 2019 increased 18.4 percent compared with the first quarter of 2018.

for the first quarter of 2019 increased 18.4 percent compared with the first quarter of 2018. Medicare PDP membership was approximately 1.6 million as of March 31, 2019 , and increased by approximately 557,000 members, or 51.9 percent, compared with March 31, 2018 .

, and increased by approximately 557,000 members, or 51.9 percent, compared with . GAAP and adjusted SG&A ratios for the first quarter of 2019 decreased approximately 20 basis points and 50 basis points, respectively, compared with the first quarter of 2018.

GAAP net income margin of 2.2 percent was consistent with the first quarter of 2018 and adjusted net income margin of 2.8 percent increased by 30 basis points compared with the first quarter of 2018.

On March 26, 2019 , WellCare entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger ("Merger Agreement") with Centene in which Centene has agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of WellCare common stock for $120 cash and 3.38 shares of Centene common stock per share of WellCare common stock, subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020.

2019 Financial Outlook

Due to the pending merger with Centene, WellCare is not currently providing updated financial guidance.

Consolidated Operations Results

GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2019 was $151.4 million, or $2.98 per diluted share, compared with GAAP net income of $101.7 million, or $2.25 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2018. Adjusted net income for the first quarter of 2019 was $187.6 million, or $3.69 per diluted share, compared with adjusted net income of $111.8 million, or $2.47 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2018. The year-over-year increase in GAAP and adjusted net income primarily reflect growth across all business segments and continued operational execution.

GAAP net income margin for the first quarter of 2019 was 2.2 percent compared with 2.2 percent for the first quarter of 2018. Adjusted net income margin for the first quarter of 2019 was 2.8 percent compared with 2.5 percent for the first quarter of 2018.

GAAP and adjusted total revenue of $6.8 billion and $6.7 billion for the first quarter of 2019 increased 45.5 percent and 47.9 percent, respectively, compared with the first quarter of 2018. The year-over-year increases in GAAP and adjusted total revenue were primarily the result of the company's 2018 acquisition of Meridian and net organic growth across all business segments, partially offset by the effect of the 2019 ACA Health Insurer Fee (HIF) moratorium.

GAAP SG&A expense was $503.8 million for the first quarter of 2019 compared with $355.9 million for the first quarter of 2018. Adjusted SG&A expense was $494.0 million for the first quarter of 2019 compared with $353.1 million for the first quarter of 2018. The year-over-year increases in GAAP and adjusted SG&A expense were primarily the result of the company's growth and variable long-term management incentive compensation due to the company's share price performance.

The GAAP SG&A expense ratio was 7.5 percent in the first quarter of 2019 compared with 7.7 percent in the first quarter of 2018. The adjusted SG&A expense ratio was 7.3 percent in the first quarter of 2019 compared with 7.8 percent in the first quarter of 2018. The decreases in GAAP and adjusted SG&A expense ratios reflect improved operating leverage as a result of the company's growth.

Medicaid Health Plans Segment Results

Medicaid Health Plans membership was 4.1 million as of March 31, 2019 and increased by approximately 1.4 million members, or 52.3 percent, compared with March 31, 2018. The increase was primarily due to the company's 2018 acquisition of Meridian as well as net organic growth.

GAAP and adjusted Medicaid Health Plans revenue was $4.5 billion and $4.4 billion, respectively, for the first quarter of 2019, an increase of 59.2 percent and 63.7 percent, respectively, compared with the first quarter of 2018. The increases in GAAP and adjusted premium revenue were primarily the result of the company's 2018 acquisition of Meridian and net organic growth. The increase in GAAP Medicaid Health Plans revenue was partially offset by the effect of the 2019 ACA HIF moratorium.

The GAAP Medicaid Health Plans MBR was 89.9 percent for the first quarter of 2019 compared with 86.3 percent for the first quarter of 2018. The increase in the GAAP Medicaid Health Plans MBR was primarily due to the company's 2018 acquisition of Meridian, net organic growth and the effect of the 2019 ACA HIF moratorium, partially offset by continued operational execution. The adjusted Medicaid Health Plans MBR was 90.6 percent for the first quarter of 2019 compared with 89.4 percent for the first quarter of 2018, primarily as a result of the company's 2018 acquisition of Meridian and net organic growth, partially offset by continued operational execution.

Medicare Health Plans Segment Results

Medicare Health Plans membership was approximately 558,000 as of March 31, 2019 and increased by approximately 52,000 members, or 10.3 percent, compared with March 31, 2018. The increase was due to the company's 2018 acquisition of Meridian and organic growth.

Medicare Health Plans revenue was $1.8 billion for the first quarter of 2019 and increased by 18.4 percent compared with the first quarter of 2018. The increase was due to organic growth and the company's 2018 acquisition of Meridian.

The Medicare Health Plans MBR for the first quarter of 2019 was 84.0 percent and was consistent with the first quarter of 2018.

Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) Segment Results

Medicare PDP membership was approximately 1.6 million as of March 31, 2019, and increased by approximately 557,000 members, or 51.9 percent, compared with March 31, 2018. The increase was primarily a result of organic growth through a new enhanced product offering in 2019.

Medicare PDP revenue of $288.8 million for the first quarter of 2019 increased by 11.1 percent compared with the first quarter of 2018. The increase was primarily a result of organic growth through a new enhanced product offering in 2019.

The Medicare PDP segment MBR for the first quarter of 2019 was 89.5 percent, compared with 88.7 percent for the first quarter of 2018. The increase was primarily a result of the company's 2019 bid strategy partially offset by the performance of the company's new enhanced product offering and continued operational execution.

Operating Cash Flow and Financial Condition

Net cash used in operating activities was $30.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, compared with net cash provided by operating activities of $445.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The year-over-year decrease in operating cash flow is primarily due to the timing of premium-related payments from the company's government partners, partially offset by higher earnings in the first quarter of 2019.

As of March 31, 2019, unregulated cash and investments were approximately $296.4 million, compared with $561.3 million as of March 31, 2018.

Days in claims payable (DCP) was 49.5 days as of March 31, 2019 compared with 50.2 days as of March 31, 2018 and 52.2 days as of December 31, 2018. The slight year-over-year decrease in DCP was due to lower claims inventory.

Conference Call and Webcast

A discussion of WellCare's first quarter 2019 results will be available via a conference call and webcast today at 8:00 a.m. ET. The company will not be taking questions during the conference call.

The conference call will be webcast from the company's website and will be available at the following link: https://services.choruscall.com/links/wcg190430.html. The webcast should be accessed a few minutes prior to the conference call start time. A replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days following the conclusion of the broadcast and will be accessible on the company's website at http://ir.wellcare.com/Event.

The conference call can also be accessed by pre-registering using the following link: http://dpregister.com/10129180. Callers who pre-register will be given dial-in instructions and a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call. Participants may pre-register now, or at any time prior to the call, and will receive simple instructions via email.

For those parties who do not have internet access or are unable to pre-register, the conference call may be accessed by calling:

Domestic participant dial-in number (toll-free): 1-844-492-3724

International participant dial-in number: 1-412-542-4185

A telephonic replay will be available until midnight ET on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. This replay may be accessed by dialing either of the numbers below and entering the replay access code 10129180:

Domestic replay number (toll-free): 1-877-344-7529

International replay number: 1-412-317-0088

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.

Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses primarily on providing government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, as well as individuals in the Health Insurance Marketplace. WellCare serves approximately 6.3 million members nationwide as of March 31, 2019. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com.

Basis of Presentation

Discontinued Operations

In 2016, Universal American, a subsidiary of WellCare, completed the sale of its life insurance business while retaining ownership of the life insurance subsidiary. Universal American entered into a 100% quota-share reinsurance treaty with the buyer, which, among other treaties, resulted in the reinsurance of all of the life insurance policies underwritten by the retained subsidiary. Accordingly, the discontinued business has not materially affected WellCare's results of operations for the periods presented in this news release. For additional information, refer to Note 17Discontinued Operations within the Consolidated Financial Statements included in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2018.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to results determined under GAAP, WellCare provides certain non-GAAP financial measures that management believes are useful in assessing the company's performance. Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. The company has provided a reconciliation of the historical non-GAAP financial measures with the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP.

Earnings per share, net income and, as noted below, other specific operating and financial measures have been adjusted for the effect of certain expenses, and as appropriate, the related tax effect, related to previously disclosed government investigations and related litigation and resolution costs ("investigation costs") in 2018; amortization expense associated with acquisitions ("acquisition-related amortization expenses"); and certain one-time transaction and integration costs related to the proposed acquisition by Centene and acquisitions of Universal American, Meridian and Aetna Part D membership ("transaction and integration costs").

Although the excluded items may recur, WellCare believes that by providing non-GAAP measures exclusive of these items, it facilitates period-over-period comparisons and provides additional clarity about events and trends affecting its core operating performance, as well as providing comparability to competitor results. The investigation costs are related to a discrete incident which management does not expect to reoccur. WellCare has adjusted for acquisition-related amortization expenses as these transactions do not directly relate to the servicing of products for our customers and are not directly related to the core performance of its business operations. The other costs mentioned above are related to specific events, which do not reflect the underlying ongoing performance of the business.

In addition, because reimbursements for Medicaid premium tax and the 2018 Medicaid-associated ACA industry fee are both included in the premium rates or reimbursement established in certain Medicaid contracts and also recognized separately as a component of expense, the company excludes these reimbursements from premium revenue and total revenue when calculating key ratios as the company believes that these components are not indicative of operating performance.

The company is not able to project at the time of this news release the amount of expenses associated with transaction and integration costs and, therefore, cannot reconcile projected non-GAAP measures affected by these items to projected GAAP measures.

Following is a description of the adjustments made to GAAP measures used to calculate the non-GAAP measures used in this news release.

Adjusted total revenue (non-GAAP) = total revenue (GAAP) less Medicaid premium taxes revenue and 2018 ACA industry fee reimbursement.

Adjusted premium revenue (non-GAAP) = premium revenue (GAAP) less Medicaid premium taxes revenue and 2018 ACA industry fee reimbursement. The company's adjusted Medicaid Health Plans segment premium revenue uses this non-GAAP definition of adjusted premium revenue.

MBR (GAAP) = medical benefits expense divided by premium revenue (GAAP).

Adjusted MBR (non-GAAP) = medical benefits expense divided by adjusted premium revenue. The company's adjusted Medicaid Health Plans segment MBR uses this non-GAAP definition of adjusted MBR.

SG&A expense ratio (GAAP) = SG&A expense (GAAP) divided by total revenue (GAAP).

Adjusted SG&A expense (non-GAAP) = SG&A expense (GAAP) less 2018 investigation costs and transaction and integration costs.

Adjusted SG&A ratio (non-GAAP) = adjusted SG&A expense divided by adjusted total revenue.

Adjusted depreciation & amortization (non-GAAP) = depreciation & amortization expense (GAAP) less acquisition-related amortization expenses.

Adjusted income before taxes (non-GAAP) = income before income taxes (GAAP) less 2018 investigation costs, acquisition-related amortization expenses, and transaction and integration costs.

Adjusted income tax expense (non-GAAP) = income tax associated with the applicable adjusted income before taxes, based on the applicable effective income tax rate.

Adjusted effective income tax rate (non-GAAP) = adjusted income tax expense divided by adjusted income before taxes.

Adjusted net income (non-GAAP) = adjusted income before taxes less adjusted income tax expense.

Net income margin (GAAP) = net income (GAAP) divided by total revenue (GAAP).

Adjusted net income margin (non-GAAP) = adjusted net income divided by adjusted total revenue.

Adjusted earnings per diluted share (non-GAAP) = adjusted net income divided by weighted average common shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

All statements, other than statements of current or historical fact, contained in this communication are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, forward-looking statements often use words such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "seek," "target," "goal," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "can," "continue" and other similar words or expressions (and the negative thereof). We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we are including this statement for purposes of complying with these safe-harbor provisions. In particular, these statements include, without limitation, statements about our future operating or financial performance, market opportunity, growth strategy, competition, expected activities in completed and future acquisitions, including statements about the impact of Centene Corporation's ("Centene") proposed acquisition of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. ("WellCare") (the "Centene Transaction"), investments and the adequacy of our available cash resources.

These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on numerous assumptions and assessments made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, business strategies, operating environments, future developments and other factors we believe appropriate. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are subject to change because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future, including economic, regulatory, competitive and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions.

All forward-looking statements included in this filing are based on information available to us on the date of this communication. Except as may be otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements included in this communication, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this filing. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as actual results may differ materially from projections, estimates, or other forward-looking statements due to a variety of important factors, variables and events including, but not limited to, the following: (i) the risk that regulatory or other approvals required for the Centene Transaction may be delayed or not obtained or are obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated that could require the exertion of management's time and our resources or otherwise have an adverse effect on WellCare; (ii) the risk that Centene's stockholders do not approve the issuance of shares of Centene common stock in the Centene Transaction; (iii) the risk that WellCare's stockholders do not adopt the merger agreement; (iv) the possibility that certain conditions to the consummation of the Centene Transaction will not be satisfied or completed on a timely basis and accordingly the Centene Transaction may not be consummated on a timely basis or at all; (v) uncertainty as to the expected financial performance of the combined company following completion of the Centene Transaction; (vi) the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from the Centene Transaction will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; (vii) the exertion of management's time and our resources, and other expenses incurred and business changes required, in connection with complying with the undertakings in connection with any regulatory, governmental or third party consents or approvals for the Centene Transaction; (viii) the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the completion and/or integration of the Centene Transaction or that the integration of WellCare will be more difficult or time consuming than expected; (ix) the risk that potential litigation in connection with the Centene Transaction may affect the timing or occurrence of the Centene Transaction or result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; (x) a downgrade of the credit rating of WellCare's indebtedness, which could give rise to an obligation to redeem existing indebtedness; (xi) unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the Centene Transaction; (xii) the possibility that competing offers will be made to acquire Centene; (xiii) the inability to retain key personnel; (xiv) disruption from the announcement, pendency and/or completion of the Centene Transaction, including potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships with customers, employees, suppliers or regulators, making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; and (xv) the risk that, following the Centene Transaction, the combined company may not be able to effectively manage its expanded operations.

Additional factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from projections, estimates, or other forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) WellCare's progress on top priorities such as integrating care management, advocating for our members, building advanced relationships with providers and government partners, ensuring a competitive cost position, and delivering prudent, profitable growth, (ii) WellCare's ability to effectively identify, estimate and manage growth, (iii) the ability to achieve accretion to WellCare's earnings, revenues or other benefits expected, (iv) disruption to business relationships, operating results, and business generally of WellCare, (v) potential reductions in Medicaid and Medicare revenue, (vi) WellCare's ability to estimate and manage medical benefits expense effectively, including through its vendors, (vii) WellCare's ability to negotiate actuarially sound rates, especially in new programs with limited experience, (viii) WellCare's ability to improve healthcare quality and access, (ix) the appropriation and payment by state governments of Medicaid premiums receivable, (x) the outcome of any protests and litigation related to Medicaid awards, (xi) the approval of Medicaid contracts by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, (xii) any changes to the programs or contracts, (xiii) WellCare's ability to address operational challenges related to new business and (xiv) WellCare's ability to meet the requirements of readiness reviews.

This list of important factors is not intended to be exhaustive. We discuss certain of these matters more fully, as well as certain other factors that may affect our business operations, financial condition and results of operations, in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Due to these important factors and risks, we cannot give assurances with respect to our future performance, including without limitation our ability to maintain adequate premium levels or our ability to control our future medical and selling, general and administrative costs.

WELLCARE HEALTH PLANS, INC. MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION (Unaudited)













Change from













December 31, 2018

March 31, 2018

March 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

March 31, 2018

Change

% Change

Change

% Change Medicaid Health Plans Membership by State:

























Florida 1,008,000



777,000



744,000



231,000



29.7 %

264,000



35.5 % Illinois 801,000



842,000



123,000



(41,000)



(4.9) %

678,000



551.2 % Michigan 502,000



500,000







2,000



0.4 %

502,000



 % Georgia 492,000



493,000



515,000



(1,000)



(0.2) %

(23,000)



(4.5) % Kentucky 445,000



444,000



459,000



1,000



0.2 %

(14,000)



(3.1) % Other states 873,000



875,000



864,000



(2,000)



(0.2) %

9,000



1.0 % Total Medicaid Health Plans Membership (1) 4,121,000



3,931,000



2,705,000



190,000



4.8 %

1,416,000



52.3 %



























Medicaid Health Plans Membership by Program:

























TANF 3,437,000



3,322,000



2,254,000



115,000



3.5 %

1,183,000



52.5 % SSI, ABD, Duals and LTSS 503,000



442,000



301,000



61,000



13.8 %

202,000



67.1 % CHIP and other 181,000



167,000



150,000



14,000



8.4 %

31,000



20.7 % Total Medicaid Health Plans Membership (1) 4,121,000



3,931,000



2,705,000



190,000



4.8 %

1,416,000



52.3 %



























Medicare Health Plans:

























Medicare Advantage by State:

























Florida 104,000



96,000



97,000



8,000



8.3 %

7,000



7.2 % Texas 98,000



102,000



104,000



(4,000)



(3.9) %

(6,000)



(5.8) % New York 89,000



88,000



88,000



1,000



1.1 %

1,000



1.1 % Other states 267,000



259,000



217,000



8,000



3.1 %

50,000



23.0 % Total Medicare Health Plans (1) 558,000



545,000



506,000



13,000



2.4 %

52,000



10.3 %



























Medicare Prescription Drug Plans 1,630,000



1,057,000



1,073,000



573,000



54.2 %

557,000



51.9 %



























Health Insurance Marketplace 7,000



5,000







2,000



40.0 %

7,000



 %



























Total Membership 6,316,000



5,538,000



4,284,000



778,000



14.0 %

2,032,000



47.4 %



























(1) Medicaid Health Plans and Medicare Health Plans membership includes members who are dually-eligible and participate in both our Medicaid and Medicare programs. The dually-eligible membership was 74,000, 68,000 and 51,000 at March 31, 2019, December 31, 2018 and March 31, 2018, respectively.

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Selected Data From Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited; dollars in millions except share and per share data)









For the Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018 Revenues:





Premium $ 6,577.7



$ 4,529.5

Medicaid premium taxes 31.7



32.1

ACA industry fee reimbursement 



64.7

Total premium 6,609.4



4,626.3

Products and services 115.8





Investment and other income 37.0



19.9

Total revenues 6,762.2



4,646.2









Expenses:





Medical benefits 5,831.7



3,962.0

Costs of products and services 111.8





Selling, general and administrative 503.8



355.9

ACA industry fee 



81.5

Medicaid premium taxes 31.7



32.1

Depreciation and amortization 69.6



36.4

Interest 29.5



17.1

Total expenses 6,578.1



4,485.0

Income before income taxes and equity in losses of unconsolidated subsidiaries 184.1



161.2

Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated subsidiaries 0.8



(2.7)

Income before income taxes 184.9



158.5

Income tax expense (benefit) 33.5



56.8

Net income $ 151.4



$ 101.7

















Earnings per common share:





Basic $ 3.02



$ 2.28

Diluted $ 2.98



$ 2.25









Weighted average common shares outstanding:





Basic 50,100,509



44,605,892

Diluted 50,842,304



45,196,127











WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited; dollars in millions except share data)









March 31, 2019

December 31, 2018 Assets





Current Assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 3,235.3



$ 3,653.9

Short-term investments 968.6



830.1

Premiums receivable, net 1,567.6



1,223.4

Pharmacy rebates receivable, net 550.0



460.6

Funds receivable for the benefit of members 331.6



187.3

Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net 1,127.6



477.1

Total current assets 7,780.7



6,832.4









Property, equipment and capitalized software, net 424.9



428.2

Goodwill 2,206.4



2,227.7

Other intangible assets, net 986.0



996.2

Long-term investments 1,057.6



813.2

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments 274.3



234.7

Other assets 268.8



18.7

Assets of discontinued operations (a) 207.2



213.6

Total Assets $ 13,205.9



$ 11,764.7









Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity





Current Liabilities:





Medical benefits payable $ 3,212.6



$ 2,897.4

Unearned premiums 16.9



1.4

Accounts payable and accrued expenses 1,304.9



964.6

Funds payable for the benefit of members 1,051.8



693.3

Other payables to government partners 491.1



458.9

Total current liabilities 6,077.3



5,015.6









Deferred income tax liability 149.0



134.2

Long-term debt, net 2,127.3



2,126.4

Other liabilities 253.9



34.9

Liabilities of discontinued operations (a) 207.2



213.6

Total liabilities 8,814.7



7,524.7









Commitments and contingencies













Stockholders' Equity:





Preferred stock, $0.01 par value (20,000,000 authorized, no shares issued or outstanding) 





Common stock, $0.01 par value (100,000,000 authorized, 50.302.215 and 49,993,219 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively)



0.5



0.5

Paid-in capital 1,967.1



1,981.1

Retained earnings 2,418.7



2,267.3

Accumulated other comprehensive loss 4.9



(8.9)

Total Stockholders' Equity 4,391.2



4,240.0

Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 13,205.9



$ 11,764.7

(a) Refer to the basis of presentation for a discussion of discontinued operations.

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited; dollars in millions)









For the Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018 Cash flows from operating activities:





Net income $ 151.4



$ 101.7

Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash flows from operating activities:





Depreciation and amortization 69.6



36.4

Stock-based compensation expense 22.8



12.1

Deferred taxes, net 6.6



(19.5)

Other, net 10.1



5.1

Changes in operating accounts, net of effects from acquisitions:





Premiums receivable, net (348.5)



(187.9)

Pharmacy rebates receivable, net (89.4)



(45.6)

Medical benefits payable 315.2



64.0

Unearned premiums 15.5



527.0

Other payables to government partners 32.2



(15.8)

Prepaid and other current assets (110.9)



(7.4)

Accrued liabilities and other, net (104.6)



(24.4)

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (30.0)



445.7









Cash flow from investing activities:





Purchases of investments (979.0)



(387.9)

Proceeds from sales and maturities of investments 529.6



171.5

Additions to property, equipment and capitalized software, net (38.1)



(24.2)

Net cash used in investing activities (487.5)



(240.6)









Cash flows from financing activities:





Repurchase and retirement of shares to satisfy employee tax withholding requirements (36.8)



(20.2)

Funds (paid) received for the benefit of members, net 170.7



416.2

Other, net 1.3



21.4

Net cash provided by financing activities 135.2



417.4









(Decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents (382.3)



622.5

Balance at beginning of period 3,716.6



4,263.0

Balance at end of period $ 3,334.3



$ 4,885.5









SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:





Cash paid for taxes $ 6.7



$ 2.0

Cash paid for interest $ 54.6



$ 32.1









SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF NON-CASH TRANSACTIONS:





Non-cash additions to property, equipment, and capitalized software $ 5.8



$ 3.0



WELLCARE HEALTH PLANS, INC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION SELECTED SEGMENT INFORMATION (Unaudited; dollars in millions)





For the Three Months Ended

March 31,

2019

2018 Medicaid Health Plans Segment:





Premium Revenue (GAAP) $ 4,473.5



$ 2,809.9

Medicaid premium taxes (31.7)



(32.1)

ACA industry fee reimbursement 



(64.7)

Adjusted premium revenue (a) 4,441.8



2,713.1









Medical benefits expense 4,022.7



2,424.4









Medical benefits ratio (GAAP) 89.9 %

86.3 % Adjusted medical benefits ratio(a) 90.6 %

89.4 %















Medicare Health Plans Segment (GAAP):





Premium revenue $ 1,843.1



$ 1,556.5

Medical benefits expense 1,548.2



1,307.1

Medical benefits ratio 84.0 %

84.0 %















Prescription Drug Plans Segment (GAAP):





Premium revenue $ 288.8



$ 259.9

Medical benefits expense 258.4



230.5

Medical benefits ratio 89.5 %

88.7 %







Corporate and Other (GAAP):





Premium revenue $ 4.0



$ 

Medical benefits expense 2.4













Total Company:





Premium Revenue (GAAP) $ 6,609.4



$ 4,626.3

Medicaid premium taxes (31.7)



(32.1)

ACA industry fee reimbursement 



(64.7)

Adjusted premium revenue (a) 6,577.7



4,529.5









Medical benefits expense 5,831.7



3,962.0









Medical benefits ratio (GAAP) 88.2 %

85.6 % Adjusted medical benefits ratio(a) 88.7 %

87.5 %







(a) Refer to the basis of presentation for a discussion of non-GAAP financial measures.

WELLCARE HEALTH PLANS, INC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (Continued) Reconciliation of Selling, General and Administrative Expense Ratios (Unaudited; dollars in millions)











The Company reports its selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expense ratio on an adjusted or non-GAAP basis modified to exclude the revenue effect of Medicaid premium taxes and ACA industry fee reimbursement from premiums. The Adjusted SG&A expense ratio also excludes the effect of acquisition-related transaction and integration costs in both 2019 and 2018 and investigation costs in 2018.

















For the Three Months Ended

March 31,





2019

2018 Company revenue:





As determined under GAAP $ 6,762.2



$ 4,646.2

Medicaid premium taxes (31.7)



(32.1)

ACA industry fee reimbursement 



(64.7)

Adjusted revenue(1) $ 6,730.5



$ 4,549.4









SG&A Expense:





As determined under GAAP $ 503.8



$ 355.9

Adjustments:





Investigation costs 



(0.1)

Transaction and integration costs (9.8)



(2.7)

Adjusted SG&A Expense(1) $ 494.0



$ 353.1









SG&A expense ratio:





As determined under GAAP 7.5 %

7.7 % Effect of Medicaid premium taxes 0.1 %

0.1 % Effect of ACA industry fee reimbursement  %

0.1 % Effect of SG&A expense adjustments above(1) (0.3) %

(0.1) % Adjusted SG&A expense ratio(1) 7.3 %

7.8 %











(1) Refer to the basis of presentation for a discussion of non-GAAP financial measures.



WELLCARE HEALTH PLANS, INC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (Continued)

























Reconciliation of Certain GAAP Financial Information (Unaudited; dollars in millions, except per share data)

























The Company reports adjusted operating results on a non-GAAP basis to exclude certain expenses and other items that management believes are not indicative of longer-term business trends and operations. The following table presents applicable financial information, as determined under GAAP, reconciled to the adjusted financial information for the same periods. Refer to the basis of presentation for a discussion of non-GAAP financial measures.













For the Three Months Ended

March 31, 2019

For the Three Months Ended

March 31, 2018



GAAP

Adjustments

Adjusted

(Non-GAAP)

GAAP

Adjustments

Adjusted

(Non-GAAP)











Selling, general, and administrative

expense $ 503.8



$ (9.8)

(1) $ 494.0



$ 355.9



$ (2.8)

(1) $ 353.1

Depreciation and amortization $ 69.6



$ (38.2)



$ 31.4



$ 36.4



$ (10.5)



$ 25.9

Income tax expense $ 33.5



$ 11.8

(2) $ 45.3



$ 56.8



$ 3.2

(2) $ 60.0

Effective tax rate 18.1 %

1.4 % (2) 19.5 %

35.8 %

(0.9) % (2) 34.9 % Net income $ 151.4



$ 36.2



$ 187.6



$ 101.7



$ 10.1



$ 111.8

Net income margin 2.2 %

0.6 %

2.8 %

2.2 %

0.3 %

2.5 %

























Earnings per share:





















Basic $ 3.02



$ 0.72



$ 3.74



$ 2.28



$ 0.23



$ 2.51

Diluted $ 2.98



$ 0.71



$ 3.69



$ 2.25



$ 0.22



$ 2.47



























(1) Comprised of investigation costs and transaction and integration costs, as disclosed in the "Reconciliation of Selling, General and Administrative Expense Ratios" table.

























(2) Based on the effective income tax rates applicable to adjusted (non-GAAP) results, the company estimated the effect on income tax expense and the effective tax rate associated with the non-GAAP adjustments. Refer to the basis of presentation for a discussion of non-GAAP financial measures.

SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.wellcare.com


Second Place: Amador Valley High School, California Teacher: Stacey Sklar

Third Place: Grant High School, Oregon (wild card) Teacher: Angela DiPasquale

56 classes representing 44 states came to the nation's capital to participate in the academic competition where students demonstrate their knowledge of the Constitution before simulated congressional committees made up of state supreme court judges, constitutional scholars, lawyers, public officials and We the People alumni.

The panel of judges tested the expertise of the classes on the six units of the "We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution" textbook: What Are the Philosophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System? How Did the Framers Create the Constitution? How Has the Constitution Been Changed to Further the Ideals Contained in the Declaration of Independence? How Have the Values and Principles Embodied in the Constitution Shaped American Institutions and Practices? What Rights Does the Bill of Rights Protect? and What Challenges Might Face American Constitutional Democracy in the Twenty-first Century?

More information on the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program is available at http://www.civiced.org/national-finals-2019 and http://www.civiced.org/programs/wtp

The We the People Program is administered by the Center for Civic Education. More information about the Center can be found at http://www.civiced.org

The 2019 We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals is partially funded by the tremendous effort of teachers, students, parents, and We the People state coordinators to secure community sponsors

The competition results were announced at an awards ceremony Monday evening before an audience of more than 1,400 students, teachers, coordinators, judges and other program participants. The Award Ceremony, held at the National Constitution Center, included speakers Tom Kilgannon, Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. John Tinker, John F. Tinker Foundation. (John and Mary Beth Tinker were part of the landmark Supreme Court case: Tinker v Des Moines Independent Community School District, 1969)

For a list of all the awards and winning schools please visit: http://www.civiced.org/2019-finals-awards

SOURCE The Center for Civic Education

Related Links

http://www.civiced.org


SEATTLE, WA, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumber prices in North America continued their decline from the 3Q/18 with another quarter of substantial reductions. Average lumber prices for southern yellow pine were down 12% quarter-over-quarter in the 3Q/18, which was then followed by a reduction of 17% in the 4Q/18. With practically no change in log or chip prices, gross margins, and the EBIDTAs, have plunged in the Southern states, after having reach a 13-year high in the 2Q/18, as reported in the latest issue of the WRQ. However, the region's sawmill margins were still well above their ten-year average margin. With lumber prices continuing to decline faster than log prices in early 2019, profit margins have continued to slide in the 1Q/19.

Sawmills in British Columbia have also seen the prices for lumber in the US market come down substantially during the second half of 2018. Despite the weaker lumber market, sawlog prices still increased from the 3Q/18 to the 4Q/18 because of tighter supply and a rise in hauling costs. Sawmills saw their gross margins plunge to unprofitable levels and many companies decided to take market-related downtime in late 2018 and early 2019.

In Europe and Russia, market prices for lumber were much less volatile than in North America, with only small price adjustments from the 4Q/17 to the 4Q/18. Log costs were unchanged in Finland during most of the year, while the costs for spruce sawlogs in Sweden jumped in late 2018. Gross margins for sawmills in both countries are still at healthy levels and, in the 4Q/18, were close to the highest they have been in four years.

Sawmills in Siberia continue to expand exports to China with fairly stable lumber export prices the past three years. However, in the 4Q/18, lumber prices fell to their lowest level in almost two years. This occurred at the same time as sawlog costs remained unchanged from the previous quarter, resulting in reduced gross margins for many lumber producers at the end of 2018. Sawmill margins for 2018 were slightly below their five-year averages, but still higher than the average for the past 14 years.

Global lumber, sawlog and pulpwood market reporting is included in the 56-page quarterly publication Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). The report, which was established in 1988 and has subscribers in over 30 countries, tracks sawlog, pulpwood, lumber and pellet prices, trade and market developments in most key regions around the world. To subscribe to the WRQ, please go to www.WoodPrices.com

Wood Resources International LLC

Hakan Ekstrom

[email protected]

www.woodprices.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/wood-resources-international-llc/r/sawmill-profit-margins-fell-substantially-in-north-america-during-the-second-half-of-2018-after-reac,c2800925

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/1902/2800925/1035161.pdf Sawmill profit margins fell substantially in North America during the second half of 2018 after reaching record highs in the 2Q/18

SOURCE Wood Resources International LLC
DALLAS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide Express , a leading provider of third-party logistics (3PL) services, today announced the promotion of Rob Rose to president and Somer Webb to chief financial officer.

Rose will move from CFO to president, assuming a broader role overseeing finance, legal, and human resource departments; spearheading M&A activities; and managing capital market relationships; as well as continuing to provide strategic direction alongside the senior leadership.

Rose joined Worldwide Express in 2008 as CFO. Before joining the corporate team, he built successful Worldwide Express franchises in Richmond, Va., and Atlanta, earning recognition for top-tier growth. Prior to that, he held positions at Steward Corporation, Spring and QWEST Communications.

"Rob has been a part of every key strategic move we've made over the last 11 years," CEO Tom Madine said, "and I'm incredibly proud for him to help design our growth trajectory going forward."

Webb has been a driving force for the company since joining Worldwide Express in 2016 as the senior vice president of finance. In her role as CFO, she will be at the forefront of financial and strategic planning, joining the senior leadership team as they enter another significant growth period for the company.

Prior to joining Worldwide Express, Webb held positions at Southwest Airlines, DaVita Inc., Match.com, Amazon and Yum! Brands.

"Somer is a tremendous leader of people, has amazing command over the numbers that drive our business, possesses an incredibly rare ability to function both zoomed-in on details and zoomed-out on the bigger picture, and has been an invaluable part of the team," Madine said. "I am very excited to announce this promotion."

Both Rose and Webb will continue to be based out of the company's Dallas headquarters.

About Worldwide Express

Worldwide Express and Unishippers are full-service, non-asset-based logistics providers offering more than 92,000 customers access to industry-leading small package, truckload, and less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping solutions around the world. With an annual systemwide revenue exceeding $1.6 billion through a network of company-owned and franchise locations, Worldwide Express, combined with Unishippers, is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage company in the country. As the largest authorized UPS non-retail reseller in the U.S., the company is a local partner for the global supply chains of small- to medium-sized businesses nationwide. This, coupled with a selective portfolio of 65+ LTL and tens of thousands of truckload carriers, provides clients with an unmatched range of options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. To learn more about Worldwide Express, please visit www.wwex.com .

SOURCE Worldwide Express

Related Links

http://www.wwex.com


As summer approaches, ZAFUL brought the most fashionable and trendy palette of 2019 to students in San Francisco, spicing up the summer mood with ZAFUL's signature bikini. The Campus tour started from Diablo Valley College on April 16 and ended at California State University in Monterey Bay on April 24. With thousands of students registered and verified on ZAFUL, the event covered an even larger amount of attention on social media.

Since December 2018, ZAFUL has been actively looking for student ambassadors among universities. This time, brand ambassadors got to experience event management and execution for the first time inside their own universities. "They are very enthusiastic in helping organize the event and spread the words among friends and student clubs. There were even more students coming today to apply for the position of ambassadors. They are already excited for ZAFUL's next event," ZAFUL's Event Manager Amy said.

Let students' fashion style speak for them

During the day, 75% of students passing by the booth stopped to check out the bright macaron color palette ZAFUL showcased with swimwear pieces. Half of them lingered around the booth to take pictures with the cute swing background and shared the joy with friends. "I love the swimwear so much and I can already picture myself wearing those and lying on the beach with friends," one of the students shared her excitement. As she said, the trendy and dynamic color palette symbolized the fashion attitude and social desire the student group are looking for.

The five stops of the ZAFUL roadshow brought considerable exposure to ZAFUL' s fresh image among the student community and enhanced the social value of ZAFUL's swimwear. ZAFUL believes fashion is one of the best expressions that can bring out people's personality and potential, and it is also the modern approach to build up a unique community. Stayed tuned with ZAFUL on its next destination in US and join #ZAFULoncampus.

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 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.

W: www.zaful.com

SOURCE ZAFUL

Related Links

http://www.zaful.com


Washington, April 30 : US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, submitted his resignation letter to the White House.

His resignation will come into effect from May 11, reports CNN.

"We enforce the law without fear or favour because credible evidence is not partisan, and truth is not determined by opinion polls," Rosenstein wrote in the letter he submitted on Monday.

"We ignore fleeting distractions and focus our attention on the things that matter, because a republic that endures is not governed by the news cycle.

"We keep the faith, we follow the rules, and we always put America first," he added.

Rosenstein, who was appointed the Deputy Attorney General on April 26, 2017, went to the White House on Monday and personally delivered his resignation letter to the President, according to an administration official.

Rosenstein often found himself as President Donald Trump's target, especially after hiring Mueller in 2017.

Shortly after being confirmed as Deputy Attorney General, Rosenstein wrote a memo criticising former FBI Director James Comey amid his investigation into Russia's 2016 actions, which Trump used as part of his reasoning in firing Comey.

After Comey was fired, Rosenstein brought Mueller in as Special Counsel to continue the investigation, and Mueller also looked at the question of obstruction of justice.

In the days after Trump fired Comey, Rosenstein discussed wearing a "wire" to record conversations with the President and recruiting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

Earlier this month Rosenstein defended his handling of the Russia investigation and recalled during his Senate confirmation hearing that he had promised to "do it right" and "take it to the appropriate conclusion".

Rosenstein's resignation comes after Attorney General William Barr released a redacted version of Mueller's report earlier this month which raised fresh questions about Rosenstein's role as both witness in and supervisor of the investigation into possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

The redacted version of Mueller's report released disclosed a previously unknown episode where Rosenstein resisted Trump's efforts to get him to take the blame for firing Comey.
Los Angeles, April 30 : A 26-year-old former US Army soldier who served in Afghanistan has been charged with plotting terror attacks in the Los Angeles area, the Justice Department said.

Mark Steven Domingo allegedly sought to detonate improvised explosive devices containing nails last weekend at a rally in Long Beach that was organised by a white nationalist group, CNN reported.

He was arrested on April 26 after he took receipt of what he thought were pressure cooker bombs, US Attorney Nick Hanna announced at a press conference on Monday.

"Law enforcement was able to identify a man consumed with hate, and bent on mass murder and stop him before he was able to carry out his attack."

Domingo allegedly wanted to "seek retribution for attacks against Muslims" and also considered attacks on Jewish people, churches and law enforcement.

He is accused of targeting "Jews as they walked to synagogue, police officers, a military facility, and crowds at the Santa Monica Pier".

According to the Justice Department, Domingo on March 2 posted a video online professing his Muslim faith and wrote, "America needs another Vegas event", referring to the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October 2017 in which more than 50 people died.

Domingo is a recent convert to Islam, Hanna said.

Following Christchurch mosque shootings in March that killed dozens of people, Domingo posted: "There must be retribution."
Srinagar, April 30 : Police detained 21 persons during nocturnal raids in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.

They were picked up from Muran village of Pulwama district for their suspected involvement in incidents of stone pelting, police said.
New Delhi, April 30 : The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi to clarify his nationality within a fortnight after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy alleged that he is a British national.

The MHA in a letter dated April 29, said that Gandhi has declared his nationality as British in an annual return filed by a British company named Backops Ltd.

The Ministry sought the Congress President's response over the issue within 14 days.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this Ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," the letter read.

The BJP had raised the issue earlier in April, citing the British company's document to allege that Gandhi is a British national. BJP MP Swamy cited the same British company document.

Swamy in his representation before the Home Ministry alleged that Gandhi served as one of the Directors and Secretary of the British firm Backops Ltd, which is registered in the UK since 2003, with address 51 Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire.

"It has been further brought out in the complaint that in the company's annual returns filed on October 10, 2005 and October 31, 2006, your (Rahul Gandhi) date of birth has been given as June 19, 1970 and that you had declared your nationality as British," the letter wrote.

The letter also stated that in the dissolution application dated February 17, 2009 of the British firm, Gandhi's nationality has been mentioned as British.
Mumbai, April 30 (IANS) Actress Kiara Advani has caught the rap fever.

She took to Instagram to share a video in which she is seen cutting her long hair while rapping about her hectic lifestyle. While social media has emerged as the place for millennials to rant, express and share their lives, Kiara chose to do it differently.

She took to Instagram to share a video in which she is seen cutting her long hair while rapping about her hectic lifestyle. While social media has emerged as the place for millennials to rant, express and share their lives, Kiara chose to do it differently.

She goes on to rap about being a champ in balancing her traditions and her millennial lifestyle but her hair concerns have got the best of her. Her struggle with time and not being able to oil her hair much seem to be the reason behind this sudden urge to go for a shorter hairdo.

"I love my hair. Who doesn't, but the constant heat and product that goes into styling my hair for shoot and with my busy schedule I've got no time to take care of my hair. Even though I've got a modern take on most things in life, I like to stick to certain traditions, especially when it comes to beauty.

"I just couldn't deal with it anymore, which is why I decided to take matters in my own hands and chopped it off. Let's see if the new look catches on," Kiara said in a statement.

On the film front, the actress will next be seen in "Good News" and "Kabir Singh".
Dubai, April 30 : A Dubai court has sentenced a Bangladeshi worker to six months in jail for molesting an Indian minor girl, the media reported.

According to public prosecution records, the 30-year-old Bangladeshi man took the six-year-old girl to the lift of her residence where molested her, the Khaleej Times reported on Monday The Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday ordered that the worker be deported after completing his jail term.

The girl's father, an Indian flight attendant, recounted that the defendant kissed and hugged his daughter on February 24 and February 28 as he took her inside the lift without any need for it.

"I checked the surveillance cameras and saw the defendant calling my girl to come to him and then taking her away.

"When I confronted the accused with that, he claimed it was a joke and confessed he did a mistake and asked to be forgiven," he added.
Kolkata, April 30 : Two persons were injured in a clash between the Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party activists in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Tuesday as sporadic incidents of post poll violence were reported from various parts of the state.

Eight parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal, including two in Birbhum, went to the hustings in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls on Monday.

"There was a clash between BJP and Trinamool supporters in Birbhum's Mallarpur. Two persons belonging to the BJP sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital. Police have detained one person so far," Birbhum district Superintendent of Police Shyam Singh told IANS.

"There is tension in pockets of Birbhum since yesterday (Monday). However, no other major incidents have occurred. Our personnel are maintaining strict vigil in the sensitive areas," he said.

Meanwhile, three Trinamool Congress activists were injured after bike-borne miscreants attacked and vandalised their party office in east Bardhaman in the late hours on Monday. The injured persons have been admitted to Durgapur sub divisional hospital.

Another Trinamool Congress party office was vandalised in Birbhum district's Suri.

The ruling party has accused "BJP-backed goons" for the attack.

Incidents post poll violence were also reported from various parts of Asansol parliamentary constituency since Monday evening.
New Delhi, April 30 : The Congress on Tuesday rejected BJP allegations that Congress President Rahul Gandhi was a British national and asserted that he was an Indian citizen.

"Rahul Gandhi is an Indian citizen," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

He cited a certificate of incorporation of the UK firm BackOps, in which Rahul Gandhi worked as a director, to support his claim.

Surjewala said the controversy around Rahul Gandhi's citizenship was a "baseless charge" and part of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's malicious agenda to defame the Congress chief.

He said the BJP raised the issue in 2014 too. The matter then reached the Supreme Court, which rejected the allegations on November 30, 2015.

"Because the failed Prime Minister has no answer to the country's lack of jobs and widespread farm crisis, he is forced to manufacture an allegation a day," said Surjewala.

--IANS

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Beijing, April 30 : A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced a Canadian national to death for producing and trafficking methamphetamine, a highly addictive and illegal psycho-stimulant drug.

An American and a Chinese were also given death although the sentencing for the former will be suspended for two years while four Mexicans were sent to life imprisonment.

Jiangmen Intermediate People's Tribunal in Guangdong province published a statement on its website stating that the Canadian Fan Wei and Chinese Wu Ziping had been involved in the drug offences between July and November 2012, reports Efe news.

All of them established a drug production centre in Taishan, also in Guangdong where four other Chinese citizens played a secondary role who were given minor prison sentences.

They have 10 days to appeal their sentences.

According to Amnesty International, China leads the list of countries with the highest number of death sentences in the world "but the true extent of the use of the death penalty in China is unknown as this data is classified as a state secret".

The non-profit reported that in 2018 itself thousands of executions were carried out in China.

According to Chinese criminal law, any person who traffics, imports, transports or manufactures opium in quantities greater than one kilo, or heroin in quantities more than 50 grams or other narcotics in large quantities, can be sentenced to 15 years in prison, life imprisonment or death, in addition to the confiscation of property.

Fan Wei is the second Canadian to be sentenced to death this year after a court in the Liaoning gave death to Robert Lloyd Schellenberg also for drug trafficking.

Diplomatic relations between China and Canada have become strained after the arrest in December of the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, in Vancouver with an extradition request from the US pending.

Following Meng's arrest, China arrested two other Canadians, diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, on charges of jeopardising Beijing's national security.
Hyderabad, April 30 : A 17-year-old student allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself over his failure to crack the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains exam here on Tuesday, police said.

This comes just days after 20 students ended their lives over a week following a goof-up in their intermediate examination results.
Lucknow, April 30 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday came out in support of Congress President Rahul Gandhi who has been served notice by the Union Home Ministry on his citizenship status.

NCP General Secretary D.P. Tripathi told reporters Rahul Gandhi has been a member of parliament for several years and the timing of the notice showed that it was served to make it an election issue.

"Subramanium Swamy has been raising these issues for several years but has never produced a concrete proof to support his allegations. The home ministry should not have served notice to him without any proof," he said.

The NCP leader though criticised Gandhi for choosing to contest from Wayanad. "He could have gone to Bellary or some other constituency instead of contesting against the Left," he stated.

Tripathi also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling the opposition anti-national.

"The Prime Minister belongs to the entire country. He is well within his rights to criticise the opposition during election but the dignity of speech should be maintained. This is in accordance with the federal structure of our country."

Replying to a question about the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition if it came to power, the NCP leader said: "That is not an issue. We decided the prime ministerial candidate after polls in 1977 and 1989.

"The issue at present is to vote the BJP out of power. I also condemn the Prime Minister's statement that 40 Trinamool Congress MLAs were in touch with him."

The NCP is supporting the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh but Tripathi would be campaigning for the Congress in Amethi and Rae Bareli.

The party will also support the Congress on Dhaurhara, Kushinagar and Lucknow seats.
Washington, April 30 : An Indian man has been charged with two counts of kidnapping, assault and theft in the US after he drove off in a sexagenarian's car from outside a hospital with her two grandchildren inside the vehicle.

Dalvir Singh, 24, a heroin addict, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of kidnapping, felonious assault for dragging Nita Coburn, 69 and grand theft, the Middletown Division of Police said in a statement.

The elderly woman was injured in the late last week's incident as the car dragged her while she was trying to stop Singh. The kids, meanwhile, jumped out of the car, CBS News reported on Monday.

The police hailed the woman's 8-year-old grandson as a "hero" for saving his 10-year-old sister from the suspect's grasp by pulling her out of the car as Singh took off in it.

The Middletown Police in a Facebook post said that Coburn had driven another woman to the hospital with her two grandchildren in the back seat.

As Coburn helped the woman into the emergency room, Singh hopped into the driver's seat and took off with the car - with the kids still in the back.

The boy thought quickly and was able to open the door to escape. The girl began to jump out of the car as well but the Singh grabbed her hoodie to keep her from getting out of, the police said.

"As she tried to get away, her little brother grabbed hold of her and pulled her away from the kidnapper and they both tumbled out of the vehicle as it was moving," it said in the post.

Coburn didn't realize her grandchildren had escaped since they'd rolled out of the passenger side while she chased the car on the driver's side, the police added.

The post said the car dragged her as it "accelerated at a high rate of speed" and she was "forced to let go".

Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw lauded the boy, saying: "This little guy is a hero. No question. He pulled his sister out of the car with no concern for his own safety. That is incredible at his age."
New Delhi, April 30 : Choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan says she has a very good idea for a sequel of her debut directorial "Main Hoon Naa", which clocked 15 years of its release in Bollywood on Tuesday.

On the possibility of "Main Hoon Na 2", Farah told IANS over phone from Mumbai: "I hope and pray that it is made because I have an idea for it. It all depends if Shah Rukh (Shah Rukh Khan)... he needs to be wanting to do that right now."

She added: "I had a very good idea for part two. The film keeps coming on channels and people are still loving it."

Released in 2004, the Shah Rukh-starrer told the tale of Major Ram who goes undercover as a college student upon orders to protect a general's daughter from a rogue soldier and fulfil his dying father's desire to reconcile with his family. It had soft undertones of the India-Pakistan conflict.

The film also stars Zayed Khan, Amrita Rao and Sushmita Sen.

For now, Farah is making her debut in the digital space with "Mrs. Serial Killer", which she is producing. The project is directed by her husband Shirish Kunder and stars Jacqueline Fernandez in the lead.
Bhubaneswar, April 30 : Four people died on Tuesday in Odisha's Bhadrak district after allegedly consuming spurious liquor.

They had allegedly consumed the spurious liquor on Monday night at a post-election feast in Daulatpur village under Tihidi block.

Around 15 others have been admitted to hospital after they complained of vomiting and nausea. While some have been shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, others are under treatment in the Bhadrak district headquarters hospital.

Bhadrak went to polling in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on April 29.

Bhadrak District Collector Gyana Das said he has ordered an inquiry to ascertain the exact cause of the deaths.

"It is yet to be clear whether the deceased and other critical patients consumed spurious liquor. A probe has been initiated at the administrative level to ascertain the exact cause of the liquor deaths," said Das.

Meanwhile, hundreds of villagers blocked Tihidi-Chandbali road on Tuesday demanding compensation for the families of the deseased.
New Delhi, April 30 : Renowned Indian writer-critic Sukrita Paul Kumar is coming up with a co-translated book of her father Joginder Paul's short stories in Urdu, feels that the language survives and flourishes in India amidst sheer contradictions.

"On the one hand, there are lesser and lesser number of people who can read the script and on the other, more and more people are drawn into the highly cultured folds of Urdu language and its poetry and literature," Kumar told IANS.

Kumar, who held the Aruna Asif Ali Chair at Delhi University till recently, spoke on the sidelines of "Aadaab: Celebrating Urdu", a daylong event to celebrate Urdu language held earlier this week at the Oxford Bookstore in Rajiv Chowk.

At an event session with Noor Zaheer, Kumar described the noted writer Ismat Chughtai (1915-1991), who had uninhibitedly brought female desire and sexuality into Urdu literature, as one of the pioneer literary feminists in India.

Kumar has edited a new book "Land Lust", an English translation of her father's short story collection "Dharti Ka Kaal". Co-edited by Vandana R. Singh, the collection features 11 stories on the spirit and social ambience of Indians living in the colonised pre-independent Kenya.

Another notable speaker at the event, author Anisur Rehman, said that Urdu has gone much beyond its spatial confines and has embraced the rhythm of other cultures and languages.

Writer and Supreme Court advocate Saif Mahmood recited some of the most evocative verses of Sahir Ludhianvi, Faraz, Zehra Nigah, Kishwar Naheed and Amjad Islam Amjad.
Patna, April 30 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said opposition parties want a weak government at the centre to serve their vested interests and hide their corruption, adding that such a government cannot fight terror and end it.

"The opposition has been trying to form a weak government to serve their vested interest and to hide their corruption," Modi said while addressing an election rally in Muzaffarpur parliamentary constituency in Bihar.

Modi said that the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led NDA will sweep the elections. "Four phases of polls have made it clear that opposition parties are losing, remaining three will determine the scale of their defeat."

He said that the Opposition has no concern about national security and was afraid of speaking against terror.

Modi also taunted the Opposition saying: "Many in 'Mahamilavati' gang may not win enough seats to help their bigwigs become leader of the opposition, but they are dreaming of Prime Minister's post."

Modi, without naming the Rashtriya Janata Dal, said that if opposition parties regain strength, lawlessness will be back in Bihar.
Hyderabad, April 30 : A day after bodies of two girls raped and murdered were recovered from a Telangana village in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, police on Tuesday began search for the skeletal remains of a third girl also raped and murdered by the same man.

Following violent protests, police was forced to launch fresh probe into all the cases of missing girls from the nearby villages.

Hajipur village was rocked by the sensational revelations that the 27-year-old accused of rape and murder of a girl last week has been involved in a series of such offences over last four years.

Srinivas Reddy, who was in police custody, allegedly raped and killed at least three girls and dumped the bodies of two of them in a dry abandoned well on a land owned by him near the village.

The gruesome details came to light during the investigations into the rape and murder of a Class 10 student.

The 14-year-old victim from Hajipur had gone missing while returning home from her school in Keesara on April 25. The next day police found her bag near the well and her body was found inside the well.

While retrieving her body from the well on Monday, police found skeletal remains of another girl. Investigations revealed that the skeletal remains were of an 18-year-old, who had gone missing since April.

The accused allegedly raped and killed her and later dumped her body in the well.

As the news spread, family of an 11-year-old, who was missing since 2015, approached the police.

The girl from Mysireddypally village had gone missing from Hajipur where she had gone to meet her aunt.

Following Reddy's interrogation, the police then launched a search for third victim's skeletal remains in another abandoned well in the same area.

Angry villagers on Tuesday attacked and set ablaze Srinivas Reddy's house. His family members had already fled from the village.

As tension mounted with the protests demanding stringent punishment to the accused, additional police forces were rushed to the village.

Collector Anita Ramchandran also visited the village and took stock of the situation.

The police also began a fresh probe into cases of missing girls from surrounding villages.

The preliminary investigations also revealed that the accused, a lift mechanic, was also involved in the murder of a woman in Kurnool town of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in 2016.

According to the police, after killing the woman he had dumped her body in an overhead water tank adjacent to a penthouse, where he was residing on rent.
Tikamgarh, April 30 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi here on Tuesday described 'NYAY' as a scheme that would change the economic situation of the country and promised that farmers would not be jailed for not repaying debt if the Congress came to power.

"If industrialists can stay out of jail even after not paying debt of thousands of crores, farmers too should not be jailed. The Congress has mentioned it in its manifesto," said Gandhi addressing a meeting in the Tikamgarh parliamentary constituency of Madhya Pradesh.

Several farmers recently had shared with him their pain of being jailed for not repaying their loans, the Congress President added.

On revival of economy, he said the Congress had decided to "deposit Rs 6,000 a month in bank accounts of the poor after coming to power. This amount will push start circulation of money in the market, factory production will get a boost, youth will get employment and the condition of economy will improve."

Raising his pet poll issues, Gandhi said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi ruined the country's economy by implementing demonetisation and 'gabbar singh tax' (GST)." Blaming Modi of misusing powers by implementing demonetisation, Gandhi said: "Demonetisation had taken money out of people's pockets and the Prime Minister gave that amount to his industrialist friends."

"During the demonetisation, no thief or person with black money, but farmers, youths, unemployed, and people of Bundelkhand stood in the queues," said Gandhi. Modi gave money belonging to the poor to rich persons, he said and added, the Congress would take money from pockets of the rich and give that to the poor.

"If Congress comes to power, tainted industrialists, including Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Chowksi, will not be spared," he said.

Remarking that Modi deceived people by saying that he would give Rs 15 lakh to each, the Congress chief said, "Depositing Rs 15 lakh in each bank account is not possible, but giving Rs 3,60,000 in five years is possible."
Caracas, April 30 : A group of armed men taking orders from Venezuela's self-declared President Juan Guaido on Tuesday freed prominent opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez after five years in detention in what looks to be a significant triumph for the movement against the embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

Lopez was arrested in 2014 and later sentenced to 13 years and nine months for inciting violence during a period of anti-government protests back in a judicial process condemned by international human rights groups. He had been under house arrest since 2017.

In a video posted on Twitter just before the operation got underway, Guaido said the day marked the beginning of the final phase to bring an end to the regime in Venezuela and begin a democratic transition in the nation.

"Today begins Operation Freedom for all of Venezuela," he said, surrounded by a group of soldiers. He called on the rest of the armed forces to join the "non-violent" movement, Efe news reported.

The video posted on Twitter showed the released opposition leader standing next to Guaido and speaking to apparent members of the National Guard.

"I have been freed by soldiers on the order of the Constitution and President Guaido. I am at Carlota (military) Base. We all need to mobilize. It's time to conquer freedom," said Lopez.

Venezuela's Communications Minister said the government of Maduro was confronting a coup.

"We inform the people of Venezuela that we are currently confronting and deactivating a small group of traitor military personnel," he said.

Guaido declared himself interim President on January 23 in a direct challenge to leftist leader Maduro's authority and has since won the backing of dozens of powerful nations, including the US and most of the European Union.
New Delhi, April 30 : In the wake of a Home Ministry notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi on his citizenship status, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday asked him to clarify whether he is an Indian Citizen or a British.

Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said due to confusion over several issues concerning Gandhi, he seems to be "a mystery man". There is confusion with regard to his appointment as board of director in various companies, who he meets during his foreign tours, his educational background, etc, he added.

"This is about three Cs - Citizenship, Confusion and Clarification. The question of citizenship raised by the Home Ministry are based on authenticated documents," he said.

"We would like to ask him if he is Rahul Gandhi 'London wale', or Rahul Gandhi 'Lutyen wale'. Since he has created the confusion, only he can clear it," he said.

He said there is no political vendetta in raising the issue as it is a right of the nation to know "the truth" of Gandhi's citizenship.

The Ministry has issued a notice to Gandhi to clarify his nationality within a fortnight after BJP MP Subramanian Swamy alleged that he is a British national.

"You are requested to intimate the factual position in the matter to this Ministry within a fortnight of the receipt of this communication," it said in the letter dated April 29.

Patra cited the British company's document to allege that Gandhi is a British national.

He said the company named Backops Ltd was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003 showing Rahul as one of its directors.

"We want to know if you are Indian or British. It is unfortunate that Rahul Gandhi chose to be British citizen by choice and Indian Citizen by compulsion," he said.

"It is a serious matter as he is President of a major political party. India doesn't have the provision of dual citizenship."
Mumbai: Actor Dharmendra show their forefingers marked with indelible ink after casting vote during the fourth phase of 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai on April 29, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai: Actress Deepika Padukone shows her forefinger marked with indelible ink after casting vote during the fourth phase of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in Mumbai on April 29, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai: Actor Sunny Deol's Son Karan Deol show their forefingers marked with indelible ink after casting vote during the fourth phase of 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai on April 29, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai, April 30 : Maharashtra recorded a moderate voter turnout of 57.32 per cent for the remaining 17 parliamentary constituencies in the state which went to the polls in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on Monday, an Election Commission (EC) official said here on Tuesday.

The tribal areas of Nandurbar (ST) Lok Sabah seat led with the highest voter turnout -- 68.31 per cent -- while Kalyan in Thane district recorded the lowest at 45.28 per cent.

Besides Nandurbar, the voting percentage in the other reserved constituencies were: Dindori (ST) 65.76 per cent, Palghar (ST) 63.72 per cent and Shirdi (SC) 64.54 per cent.

Among Mumbai's six seats, Mumbai North notched the highest turnout at 60.00 per cent. Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar is pitted against BJP MP Gopal Shetty in this seat.

The lowest turnout was recorded in Mumbai South at 51.46 per cent. Former Union Minister Milind M. Deora is contesting against Shiv Sena's Arvind G. Sawant from here.

The voting figures in the other constituencies in the city were: Mumbai North East (56.85 per cent), Mumbai South Central (55.23 per cent), Mumbai North West (54.23 per cent) and Mumbai North Central (53.64 per cent) per cent.

Among the other urban and semi-urban centres in the state, Bhiwandi recorded a turnout of 53.07 per cent, while in Thane, which had the highest number of electorate, only 49.21 per cent came out to vote.

The farmer dominated constituencies with a rural-urban mix such as Maval notched a turnout of 59.49 per cent, followed by Nashik (59.43 per cent), Shirur (59.40 per cent) and Dhule (56.68 per cent).
New Delhi, April 30 : The Delhi Police have arrested a Jaipur-based property dealer in connection with the murder of retired Indian Air Force officer's wife. She was found dead in her Dwarka Sector 7 residence on Friday, an official said on Tuesday.

Dinesh Dixit, 55, a resident of Jaipur, met Meenu Jain, 52, through a mobile application few years ago, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Anto Alphonse. Dixit and Meenu met frequently at her Air Force Society Complex, he added.

"On Thursday, the accused came to meet Meenu. They had lunch and also consumed alcohol together. When Meenu fell unconscious, Dixit allegedly smothered her with pillow and decamped with Rs 50 lakh jewellery," the DCP said.

On finding the victim unconscious on Friday morning, her husband Vinod Jain took her to the Ayushman hospital, where she was declared brought dead.

After tracking call details of the victim and searching CCTV footage, the police arrested Dixit from Jaipur. On interrogation, he confessed to his crime.

The police have also recovered the stolen jewellery from him.
Tokyo, April 30 : Japan's Emperor Akihito formally abdicated on Tuesday during a historic ceremony in Tokyo, becoming the country's first monarch to stand down in two centuries.

In his last public address as Emperor from the Matsu-no-Ma state room of the Imperial Palace, Akihito thanked the Japanese people for their support as his 30-year reign came to an end and said he hoped his successor's time on the throne would be "stable and fruitful".

Akihito's eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will ascend the throne on Wednesday and then a new era called "Reiwa" -- meaning order and harmony -- will begin in Japan's unique calendar. Naruhito will become Japan's 126th Emperor.

"Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the Emperor with a deep sense of trust and respect for the people and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so," 85-year-old Akihito said in a speech broadcast live on TV.

"I sincerely wish, together with the Empress (Michiko), that the Reiwa era, which begins tomorrow (Wednesday), will be a stable and fruitful one and I pray, with all my heart, for peace and happiness for all the people in Japan and around the world," the 125th emperor said.

Akihito was given permission to abdicate after saying he felt unable to fulfil his role because of his declining health.

The main "Ceremony of the Abdication" took place in a state room of the Imperial Palace, which was attended by around 300 people, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako.

Later, Abe thanked Akihito and Empress Michiko for their decades of service, noting that the couple had "stood by the people, giving them courage and hope" in the aftermath of several natural disasters to have struck Japan during his reign.

Akihito's Heisei (achieving peace) reign ended with the symbolic return of two of the "three sacred treasures" (a sword and a jewel), which were placed on stands by palace officials along with the state and privy seals.

Little is known about the regalia, which remained inside boxes throughout the ceremony. The third item - a mirror - is kept at Ise shrine in central Japan.

Earlier in the day, Akihito reported his abdication to his ancestors and the Shinto Gods at sacred spots inside the Imperial Palace grounds in Tokyo.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among world leaders to send tributes. Trump, who will be the first world leader to meet the new Emperor during a visit to Tokyo in late May, voiced his "heartfelt appreciation" to the imperial couple, while Putin thanked the Emperor for promoting Japan's ties with Russia.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in thanked Akihito for his contribution to peace and bilateral ties.

Female members of the imperial family will not be allowed to attend the Wednesday's ceremony, a tradition the government decided to retain despite criticism.

The 59-year-old Naruhito, who spent two years at Oxford and wrote his thesis on the history of transport on the Thames, and Crown Princess Masako, a Harvard-educated former career diplomat, will greet the public for the first time as emperor and empress on Saturday.
Surat, April 30 : A court here on Tuesday sentenced Narayan Sai, the son of self-styled godman Asaram, to life imprisonment in a 2013 rape case.

The sessions court, which had convicted him on Friday, also slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him.

Three of Narayan Sai's aides - Ganga, Jamana and Hanuman - who were also convicted in the case, were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 each. His driver was given five years in jail with a fine of Rs 500.

Narayan Sai's lawyer told reporters after the sentencing that they would appeal in the high court for his release on bail within next 60 days.

Two charge sheets were filed against 35 persons in the case, while the prosecution had produced 53 witnesses and the defence 14 witnesses. Narayan Sai was arrested in December 2013 from Pipli near Haryana's Kurukshetra after two sisters from Surat filed rape complaints against him and his father Asaram in October that year. They had lodged separate complaints against the two.

His father, Ashumal Harpalani alias Asaram, was convicted last year for raping a minor girl in Rajasthan and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Jodhpur court.

One of the sisters had accused Narayan Sai, who also claims to be a godman himself, of repeated sexual assaults when they were living at Asaram's Surat ashram between 2002 and 2005. Police had booked Narayan Sai on charges of rape, sexual assault, illegal confinement and other offences.
Howrah, April 30 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday slammed the Narendra Modi government saying that its constant "torture and violence" on the locals had turned Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into a "burning fire pit".

"Terrorism has increased by 260 per cent under the Modi regime. Kashmir has turned into a burning fire pit. The situation there has become more volatile due to continuous torture and violence on people," Banerjee told an election rally in Salkia area of Howrah district.

She claimed that her government successfully tackled the "Maoist problem" in the insurgency-prone Jangalmahal (vast forested stretches mainly in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts) in Bengal.

"You all know about Jangalmahal area in Bengal. It was a den of the Maoists. So many people used to get killed in attacks every year. But since our government came to power, not a single case of murder has happened there in the last five years.

"Modi babu's party runs the government in Jharkhand. They also had governments in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh for more than 10 years. Have they been able to neutralise the Maoists there? No, it has not happened yet. But Jangalmahal in Bengal is now peaceful. There is no unrest. We have successfully tackled the Maoist problem," she said.

The TMC supremo hit out at the Election Commission (EC) alleging that there was no need to stretch the Lok Sabha elections to seven phases and that it was done to help the BJP. "It is causing inconvenience to common people. But it has been done so that the BJP leaders can reach all the places," she said.

Accusing the BJP of spending crores of rupees in its election campaign, Banerjee said the party in power at the Centre is spending the money it has looted from the country in the last five years.

"Our party can afford to rent only a couple of helicopters for campaigning. We do not have the money to rent 100 helicopters. But the BJP is surpassing all records of spending on election campaign. If elections are held on the basis of money then democracy will be lost," she said.
New York, April 30 : Terrorist organisations may be recruiting more women, suggests a study evaluating the characteristics of women involved in jihadism-inspired terrorism.

For the study, the researchers drew on data from the Western Jihadism Project, based at Brandeis University in the US. The project collects data on terrorists associated with organisations inspired by Al-Qaeda.

The researchers conducted comparative analyses of 272 women and 266 men for the study.

"Thirty four per cent of the women, in our sample, were born after 1990, while only 15 per cent of men were born after 1990. Since we were able to control for age at radicalisation, this suggests an increase in women's involvement in terrorist groups," said study co-author Sarah Desmarais, Associate Professor at North Carolina State University in the US.

Researchers found significant differences between men and women in their backgrounds and roles within terrorist groups. For example, only two per cent of women had a criminal background before radicalisation, compared with 19 per cent men.

And while about 14 per cent men had no profession in the six months preceding their affiliation with a terrorist group, almost 42 per cent of women were unemployed during the same period.

The research also highlighted different roles for women in terrorist action. "Women were less likely than men to be involved in planning or carrying out terrorist attacks," said lead author of the study Christine Brugh from North Carolina State University.

"Only 52 per cent of the women were involved in plots, compared with 76 per cent men," Brugh said.

"In many ways, roles of women in these terrorist groups are consistent with traditional gender norms," Desmarais said, adding women were more likely to play behind-the-scenes roles aimed at supporting the organisation.
New Delhi, April 30 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up Congress President Rahul Gandhi's counsel even after he verbally apologised for incorrectly attributing to the top court his "chowkidar chor hai" remark. The apex court allowed the counsel to file a new affidavit by Monday.

The counsel told the court that his client would apologise for attributing the remark to the top court. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi observed that it was extending a third opportunity to the Congress President.

Gandhi's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi offered the apology on behalf of his client a day after the Congress President filed a reply to the apex court's notice on the issue, in which he had only expressed regret for the remark. In his affidavit, Gandhi said he had made the remark in the "heat of campaigning" and that his comment was not meant to scandalise the court in any manner.

The CJI queried the Gandhi's counsel: "What is the meaning of expressing regret within brackets...and you take 22-page affidavit to express regret..."

During the hearing, Gandhi's counsel made several attempts to defend the affidavit, and informed the court he would file a fresh affidavit. "Have you given up convincing us?" asked the court.

Advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who filed the contempt plea against Gandhi, said: "This is gross contempt...he (Gandhi) while campaigning made these derogatory remarks, and it was similar to putting words in SC"s mouth." Rohtagi also said that Gandhi in the garb of apex court judgement sought to portray as if "Supreme Court has said that PM is a thief, and people should believe it, as the top court has said it."

The top court had last week issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi asking him to explain his comment. Singhvi told the apex bench: "There were three errors on my part and I sincerely apologise. I say sorry for attributing the 'chowkidar' comment to the Supreme Court."The court said: "Where have you said all this in your affidavit?"

The court observed that the content of the affidavit filed by the Congress President was contradictory on separate pages in the affidavit.

The court said: "You have contradicted yourself in the affidavit. At one place, you admit, but on the other, you deny saying it. If you start arguing on the basis of this affidavit, we won't give you another opportunity to file a better affidavit."

The court said that it is finding it difficult to comprehend the arguments made by the Gandhi's counsel. "We are having difficulty in understanding what you are saying," said the court.

To which, Singhvi said: "I've checked the dictionary. 'Regret' means an 'apology'." Rohatgi said: "He claims to be a literate person. But in the affidavit he said: 'I didn't read or analyse the order when I made this comment'. Three hours later, he repeats it at a different rally. What kind of regret is he talking about?"

Giving Gandhi the third chance, the bench said it should not, however, be viewed as an acknowledgement of past affidavits. "I will make a better affidavit from now and place it before the court on Monday," said Singhvi.

The court on May 6, will consider the admissibility of the new affidavit.
Thiruvananthapuram, April 30 : Leader of the opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday shot off a letter to chief electoral officer (CEO) Teeka Ram Meena seeking repolling in all the booths that recorded more than 90% polling.

Chennithalas request for repolling comes in the wake of Kannur district collectors report confirming that the CPI(M) indulged in bogus voting at certain polling booths in Kasargod constituency.

The opposition leader also called on the CEO to ensure police protection to polling agents of the UDF inside the polling booths. UDF polling agents had alleged that LDF polling agents had threatened them and expelled them from polling booths at Kasargod constituency so as to perpetrate bogus voting.

Meanwhile, UDF candidate for Vadakara lok sabha constituency, K Muraleedharan, on Tuesday alleged that the LDF indulged in bogus voting in 60 polling booths in Vadakara constituency. He also called for initiating contempt of court proceedings against polling officials for not ensuring adequate police protection in all the 162 polling booths declared as problematic by the court.

Another controversy related to election fraud erupted on Tuesday, putting the CPI(M) in a spot. A news channel aired an audio clip of a policeman lifting the lid on alleged election fraud perpetrated by an association of police officers owing allegiance to the CPI(M).

According to the audio clip, members of the association were asked to send their postal ballots to a particular address. The association has reportedly bought postal ballots from its members in bulk to carry out bogus voting in favor of LDF candidates. State police chief Loknath Behra termed the allegations as serious and ordered a probe by DGP(intelligence).

News channels had on Sunday aired visuals of CPI(M) workers casting bogus votes at polling booths falling under Kasargod constituency, triggering a massive political row.

The chief electoral officer had the other day confirmed that three women CPI(M) workers cast bogus votes at two polling booths in Kasargod constituency on the basis of a preliminary report submitted by Kannur district collector, prompting the UDF to call for repolling.

However, as per election rules, the election commission can order repolling only if there is proof that an election has been undermined due to booth capturing, technical snags in the electronic voting machine or by unprecedented events.

UDF can take legal recourse against alleged bogus voting but they will have to prove that the bogus voting affected the results of the election.
New Delhi, April 30 : The question of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's citizenship had cropped up earlier and he had defended himself forcefully when the matter had come before the Ethics Committee of Parliament.

This was in 2016, when the matter had come before the parliamentary panel, which is headed by BJP leader L.K. Advani. Rahul Gandhi, who was not Congress president then, had, reportedly told the panel that he was surprised that it had taken cognizance of the complaint pertaining to his alleged British citizenship even though it was not in order. He had also said that any such application would be available with the British Home Office. According to the reports he had asserted that he had never sought or acquired British citizenship and that the complaint was part of a design to malign him.

While doubts over Gandhi's alleged dual citizenship had been raised by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, the Congress leader had at the time challenged the complainant to produce his British passport number and relevant documents to back his allegations. For the record, the matter had also been raised by the BJP's Maheish Girri.

The BJP leaders had claimed that the annual tax returns of the UK-based BackOps, with which Rahul Gandhi had been associated, had declared him as a British national - the Congress leader later explained this away as an "inadvertent error" and a typographical error.

Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, a member of the ethics committee told IANS that no meeting of the parliamentary panel has been held in the last two years. "I don't think any meeting of the committee has been held in the last two years."

Prior to this, Swamy had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the Congress leader be stripped of his citizenship. He had said in the letter that Gandhi had declared himself as a British citizen for the period 2003 to 2009 in connection with efforts to float a private company in London. "The name of the company is BACKOPS Limited and the Director and Secretary of this company was Mr Rahul Gandhi, presently Lok Sabha MP," the letter had said.

Among the documents attached was the UK-based company's annual tax returns. Swamy had pointed out in the letter to the Prime Minister: "As you can see from the company's annual return that Rahul Gandhi has given his date of birth correctly but has declared himself to be of British nationality with a United Kingdom address."

In December 2015, the Supreme Court had dismissed the evidence submitted in connection with the citizenship. The plea had been submitted by lawyer M.L. Sharma with the documents pertaining to the incorporation of a firm and the Supreme Court had dismissed the plea as frivolous. It had also, at the time, questioned the authenticity of the document.

"How do we know whether these documents are authentic? Can we start making roving inquiries now?" the bench had said. Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu, who was hearing the matter, told Sharma, who insisted on a hearing: "I have two more days in office, don't force me to impose exemplary costs on you."

Like then, so now, the Congress party has stood by Rahul Gandhi and rubbished the allegations. Among them has been his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party's General Secretary for East Uttar Pradesh.
New Delhi, April 30 : The former employee of the Supreme Court, who accused Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi of sexual harassment, on Tuesday pulled out from the in-house inquiry set up by the apex court to probe the charges against the CJI.

In a statement to the media, she said: "I felt I was not likely to get justice from this committee and so I am no longer participating in the 3-judge committee proceedings."

Expressing serious reservations about the in-house committee comprising Justices S.A. Bobde, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee, the woman said: "The the committee was an in-house committee of sitting judges junior to the CJI and not an external committee as I had requested."

The woman said during the committee hearing on April 26, the judges on the panel had told her that this was neither an in-house committee proceeding, nor a proceeding under the Vishakha Guidelines and that it was an informal proceeding.

"I was asked to narrate my account which I did to the best of my ability even though I felt quite intimidated and nervous in the presence of three Hon'ble Judges of the Supreme Court and without having a lawyer or support person with me," said the woman.

The woman had pointed out to the committee that she had lost hearing in one ear completely due to stress and that she was undergoing daily treatment. As a consequence, she was unable to hear sometimes the instructions that were being dictated by Justice Bobde to the court official as a record of my statements before the committee.

"Further, the committee declined my request for video recording of the committee proceedings. I was also clearly told that no lawyer/support person could be present with me during the committee hearing," said the woman in her statement for boycotting the in-house inquiry.

She said the committee instructed her orally not to disclose the proceedings of the committee to the media and not to share the proceedings with my lawyer Vrinda Grover.

Last week, Justice N.V. Ramana, who was on the committee initially, had withdrawn after the woman complained that he was a family friend of the Chief Justice and sought the inclusion of a second woman judge. The three-member committee was recast after her objections.
Islamabad, Apr 30 (IBNS): In apparently a move to justify and support terrorism in India's trouble-torn Kashmir region, a Pakistani actor turned lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of Prime Minister Imran Khan is planning to make a movie on slain top Indian terrorist Burhan Wani.

It seems that the film by Aamir Liaquat Husain will aim at glorifying the terrorist and whip up anti-India sentiments despite the widespread condemnation of Pakistan for exporting terror to India and the recent developments after the Pulwama attack of this February.

Reports said the role of the Hizbul Mujahideen commander will be played by Pakistans ruling party PTI leader and controversial religious preacher Aamir Liaquat Husain.

As per DunyaNews, Aamir liaquat said, "The movie is based on Burhan Wani shaheed and I am Burhan Wani in the movie."

"Burhan wani is the hero, I cannot call myself hero, he is the hero of the Kashmiri nation," he said.

The movie is produced by actor Ayub Khoso, media reports said.

Wani was killed during an encounter with Indian security forces in 2016.

The ties between two countries have hit a new low when on Feb 14, 2019, at least 40 Indian CRPF personnel were killed in a terror attack in Pulwama area of Kashmir. India said Pakistan was behind the attack and launched some surgical strikes on terror camps across the border.

Pakistan had condemned killing of Wani in Pakistan:

Following the killing of the terrorist by Indian forces, Pakistan had condemned it.

" The extrajudicial killing of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani and scores of other innocent Kashmiris is deplorable and condemnable. Such acts are a violation of fundamental human rights of Kashmiris and can not deter the people of Jammu and Kashmir from their demand for the realisation of the right to self determination," Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said in a statement.

"Pakistan also has serious concerns over the detention of Kashmiri leadership in Indian Occupied Kashmir and calls upon the Indian government to fulfill its human rights obligations as well as its commitments under the United Nations Security Council Resolutions," read the statement.

"Pakistan reiterates that the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is only possible by the realisation of the right to self determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as per the UNSC resolutions, through a fair and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices," the country said.

Interestingly, US-based independent democracy watchdog organization Freedom House has asserted in its 2019 report that the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir enjoys more freedom than Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan itself, contrary to popular allegations levelled by the Imran Khan-led government in Pakistan.

Since their independence in 1947 from their colonial master England, Indian and Pakistan have fought four major wars with each other over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Soon after Independence Indian had intervened to protect Kashmir and sought UN intervention after making significant military advancement. In the 1948 resolution, UN asked Pakistan to remove its troops, after which India was also to withdraw the bulk of its forces.

Once this happened, a "free and fair" plebiscite was to be followed for the Kashmiri people to decide their future.

India had gained a moral high-ground by taking the issue to the UN and was confident of winning the plebiscite, since the most influential Kashmiri mass leader, Sheikh Abdullah, was firmly on its side.

However, Pakistan violated the UN mandate and continued fighting, holding on to the occupied portion of Kashmir (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir  PoK) under its control.

On January 1, 1949, a ceasefire was agreed, with 65 percent of the territory under Indian control and the remainder with Pakistan.

The ceasefire was intended to be temporary but the Line of Control remains the de facto border between the two countries.

In 1957, Kashmir was formally incorporated into the Indian Union. It was granted special status under Article 370 of India's constitution, which ensures, among other things, that non-Kashmiri Indians cannot buy property there.

Pakistan having lost all four major wars with India and in the past three decades has shifted its focus on promoting proxy wars and terrorism in PoK and Kashmir, with the support of communist China, which has kept Indian authorities on its toes.
New Delhi, April 30 : Facing embarrassment over appointment of controversial pilot Arvind Kathpalia as its Regional Director, Air India put the order in abeyance within hours of naming him for the key post.

"The Notification ...assigning charge of the post of Regional Director (Northern Region) to Captain Arvind Kathpalia is kept in abeyance till further order," the airline order said.

Earlier in the day, the airline had named Kathpalia as the Regional Director (Northern Region) with effect from May 1, 2019.

"Consequent to the retirement of Mr. Pankaj Kumar, Regional Director (Northern Region) after the close of the working hours of 30th April, 2019, Capt. Arvind Kathpalia will take over the charge of the post of Regional Director (Northern Region) with effect from May 1, 2019," the official order had said.

Aviation regulator DGCA had last year suspended Kathpalia's flying license after he failed pre-flight alcohol tests.

Kathpalia had tested positive for alcohol in two breath analyser (BA) tests before he was to fly Air India's New Delhi-London flight on November 11 last year.

Following the DGCA's suspension of the pilot for three years, the Civil Aviation Ministry issued an order to remove Kathpalia from the position of Director (Operations).

However, a week later, Air India posted Captain Kathpalia as Executive Director.

As per the provision of Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules, no crew member of a flight, including pilots and engineers, should take or use "any alcoholic drink, sedative, narcotic or stimulant drug or preparation" within twelve hours of the commencement of the flight or in the course of the flight.
Chennai, April 30 : DMK President M.K. Stalin on Tuesday sent a letter to the Secretary of Tamil Nadu Assembly proposing a no-confidence motion against Speaker P. Dhanapal. He also submitted the one line no confidence motion against Dhanapal.

Stalin is the leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Dhanapal on Tuesday sent show cause notices to three AIADMK legislators -- A. Prabhu representing the Kallakuruchi constituency, Rathinasabapathy (Aranthangi) and V.T. Kalaiselvan (Virudhachalam) -- seeking explanations for their anti-party activities.

On April 26, AIADMK's Chief Whip S. Rajendran had submitted a petition to Dhanapal to take action against the three legislators for their anti-party activities.

Rajendran said the party had got more proof of their prejudicial activities and hence he submitted the petition to the Speaker.

He said that photographs of the legislators with the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran have also been been submitted.

In his letter, Stalin, citing the show cause notices to the three AIADMK legislators, said that when the results of the by-elections for 22 Assembly constituencies is expected on May 23, the Speaker's decision which would change the majority position of the parties will hurt the honour of the House.

In a democracy if the Speaker acts like this, it signifies he is not acting in a non-partisan manner, he said.

Stalin said that on September 18, 2017, the Speaker disqualified 18 AIADMK legislators based on a complaint from the ruling party Chief Whip Rajendran.

The Speaker's action resulted in various debates and raising of questions.

The by-elections for 18 Assembly constituencies were held on April 18, while the remaining four will vote on May 19.

In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the ruling AIADMK has 114 MLAs (including the Speaker), the DMK 88 and the Congress 8, while the IUML and an Independent represent one constituency each.

The AIADMK has to win just four seats in the by-elections to attain a simple majority. But factoring in the possible switching of camps by some lawmakers, the AIADMK needs 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 its tally, along with its allies Congress and IUML, to 119, one more than what is required for a simple majority.
Beijing/New Delhi, April 30 : The issue of listing Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist "will be properly resolved", China said on Tuesday amid indications that it could soon lift its "technical hold" on the proposal pending in the UN Security Council.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said "relevant consultations" are underway in the UN Sanctions Committee on the issue and "some progress" has been achieved.

"I can only say that I believe that this will be properly resolved," Geng said at a media briefing in Beijing when asked whether the issue would be settled as early as Wednesday when the matter is expected to be taken up by the UNSC's 1267 Sanctions Committee.

"Regarding the listing issue in the 1267 (Sanctions) Committee (of the UNSC), we have expressed our position many times and I just want to stress two points. First, we support the listing issue being settled within the 1267 Committee through dialogue and consultation and I believe this is the consensus of most members," he said while answering questions over the issue.

"Second, the relevant consultations are going on within the Committee and have achieved some progress. Third, I believe, with the joint efforts of all parties, this issue can be properly resolved," the spokesperson added.

His response came amidst indications that China could lift its "technical hold" on listing of Azhar, whose outfit has been responsible for a number of terror attacks in India, including the recent one in Pulwama in which 40 security personnel were killed by a suicide car bomber on February 14.

China has been blocking Azhar's listing despite a strong push by other permanent members of the UNSC like the US, UK and France. The latest such action was taken by China last month, which was described by India as "disappointing".

India, which has mooted the proposal at the UNSC, is hopeful that China will be sensitive to its concerns and give consent to proscribing of Azhar.

Asked whether he could confirm reports that China was likely to lift the technical hold on Azhar issue on Wednesday, Geng said: "We have fully expressed our position on this. China is in contact with all relevant parties on this issue and we will continue to engage in the discussion and review of this issue in a constructive manner."

When asked whether any momentum on the issue could be expected since India has given technical evidence regarding JeM's involvement in the Pulwama attack, Geng said: "On the listing issue, China is still working with the relevant parties and we are in contact with all relevant parties within the 1267 Committee and I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved."

Azhar, a Pakistani national, founded the JeM with the help of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI in January 2000, soon after his release from an Indian jail in exchange for 166 hostages of an Indian Airlines plane which was hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan during a flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi.
Chandigarh, April 30 : Claiming a major breakthrough in the Jalandhar priest's missing money missing case, the special investigation team of the Punjab Police has tracked down two absconding assistant sub-inspectors to Kerala and both have been arrested, police said on Tuesday.

The ASIs, Joginder Singh and Rajpreet Singh, were arrested by the Kerala Police from a hotel in Kochi on Tuesday.

The police officials and police informer, Surinder Singh, face allegations of misappropriating Rs 6.65 crore, allegedly seized during a raid by the Khanna district police at the house of Father Anthony Maddasery in Jalandhar on March 29. Both police officers were missing with the money since the raid.

Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said that a special investigation team led by Inspector General, Crime and Investigations, Praveen K. Sinha, left for Kochi to bring back the suspects to Punjab for further investigations.

"A FIR against the ASIs and police informer, Surinder Singh, who has been since arrested, was registered by the SIT on April 12 u/s 392, 406, 34, 120-B IPC read with Sec 13(1)(a), 13(2) of PC Act at PS Punjab State Crime, SAS Nagar," a police spokesman said here.

"The absconding ASIs were tracked down to a private hotel in Kochi, Hotel Casa Linda, Fort Kochi, from where they were nabbed by the local police after specific information provided by the SIT. The duo had checked into the hotel a day earlier and had hired a single room for themselves. They were picked up by the police around 4.30 p.m.," the spokesman said.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had recently urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to order an independent probe into the incident.
New Delhi, April 30 : The Election Commission has said that no violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) had been done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech at Wardha earlier this month in which he had accused Congress of using the term 'Hindu terror'.

Sources said the poll panel, which had received a complaint from Congress about Modi's speech on April 1, has given a clean chit to Modi.

They said the poll panel had obtained a detailed report from Chief Electoral Officer Maharashtra following a complaint against Modi.

The sources said the matter was examined in accordance with the provisions concerning MCC and the report of the CEO Maharashtra.

The commission, they said, was "of considered view that in this matter, no such violation was noticed".

In his speech, Modi had said that Congress used the term 'Hindu terror' and accused the party of insulting Hindus.

Apparently targeting Congress President Rahul Gandhi for deciding to contest from Wayanad in addition to Amethi, Modi had said that leaders of that Congress were now scared of contesting from constituencies "dominated by the majority population".
Kolkata, April 30 : An average of about 82.77 per cent votes were cast in the fourth phase of elections to eight parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal, the Election Commission said here on Tuesday.

The polling percentage was 79.41 in Baharampur, 84.75 in Burdwan East, 82.57 in Burdwan-Durgapur, 76.62 in Asansol, 85.70 in Bolpur and 85.28 in Birbhum constituencies, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sanjoy Basu told reporters here.

He said the voter turnout in Ranaghat and Krishnanagar constituencies will be finalised soon.

According to Voter Turnout app of the commission, polling was recorded 83.77 per cent in Krishnanagar and 84.19 per cent in Ranaghat.

Post-poll scrutiny is on for most of the eight constituencies that went to the polls on Monday, though the scrutiny exercise has been completed in Baharampur and Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seats, reports are yet to be submitted, he said.

"The commission received about 12,629 complaints on our portals till Tuesday while about 173 of them are in the process disposal. About 9,798 grievances were registered in cVigil app and the poll panel had addressed most of the complaints, but around 31 of them are yet to be disposed of," he said.

AAbout 1.44 lakh litres of liquor and over Rs 59.98 crore of unaccounted cash has been seized, Basu said.
New Delhi, April 30 : Company 63 Moons Technologies welcomed the Supreme Court judgement on Tuesday, ruling against the government decision to merge its crisis-ridden and loss-making subsidiary National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) with it.

The company's MD S. Rajendran said that "the company has been articulating in the past that the merger will serve no purpose for the stakeholders of either NSEL or FTIL but to benefit only a few people with vested interest. As such, our stand has been fully vindicated".

The court said, in the judgement, that this is a case "where there is complete non-application of mind by the authority assessing compensation to the rights and interests which the shareholders and creditors of FTIL have and which are referred to in Section 396(3) of the Act. This being the case, it is clear that Section 396(3) has not been followed either in letter or in spirit".

The apex court had allowed an appeal against a Bombay High Court order that upheld the decision of merger of 63 Moons Technologies Ltd, earlier known as Financial Technologies India Ltd (FTIL) till May 16, 2016, and the NSEL -- a wholly-owned subsidiary of FTIL.

Jignesh Shah, Chairman Emeritus and Mentor, 63 Moons Technologies, said: "Satyamev Jayate. We have always had full faith in the Indian judiciary and our courts. Finally, truth has prevailed."

Venkat Chary, the company's Chairman, said: "Justice has finally prevailed in the reasoned and well-articulated judgment of the Supreme Court which has upheld the rule of law by laying down the elaborate criterion for what is public interest and due process."

The company said that the order of the Bombay High Court was supported by the Central government mainly on three grounds -- restoring/ safeguarding public confidence; giving effect to business reality of the case by consolidating the business of FTIL and NSEL, and preventing FTIL from distancing itself from NSEL; and, for facilitating NSEL in recovering dues from defaulters by pooling human and financial resources of FTIL and NSEL.

It noted that that the apex court held that the first and second grounds mentioned by the Bombay High Court, were not even contained in the Draft Order of Amalgamation.
New Delhi, April 30 : There is need to reshape Indias space policy to help the three defence services meet enhanced threat perceptions in its neighbourhood, a senior Army officer said on Tuesday.

Participating in the ORF Kalpana Chawla Annual Space Policy Dialogue here, Lt Gen Taranjit Singh, Director General Perspective Planning at the Army headquarters, said there is an urgent need to restructure and reshape the nation's space policy in view of the enhanced threat perceptions from China and Pakistan.

Noting that "Pakistan is the proxy space power of China", he said India should tap advanced space technologies to meet its security challenges.

According to an ORF release issued on Tuesday, Lt Gen Taranjit Singh said that potential of space technology should be used not only for military logistics but also for weapons and missile deployment.

He noted that China has integrated its space programme with its security and military requirements which has enhanced capabilities of its People's Liberation Army.

Lt Gen Singh said the launch of niche quantum satellite by China for communication has given it an edge and there is a need for fast developing such niche satellites by India also.

He also said that China's anti-satellite weapons capability has increased India's concerns about its space assets.

Dr. B.N. Suresh, a former Member of the Space Commission, and Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, said that protecting space assets was of vital importance.
Damoh/Tikamgarh, April 30 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday taunted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the word 'chowkidar' saying the Prime Minister had presented himself as 'chowkidar', but now the BJP and the Prime Minister had started disliking the word.

Gandhi addressed public meetings in Damoh's Patharia and Jatara of Tikamgarh.

"In the last Lok Sabha elections, the slogan was 'ache din aayenge' but it has been changed now. When I say 'chowkidar' than public screams 'chor hai'," the Congress chief said.

"When he was elected the Prime Minister, he used to say 'I am not the Prime Minister' but the 'chowkidar'. But the BJP and Modi do not like this word any more. That's the reason the BJP complained to the Election Commission that Rahul Gandhi should not be allowed to use the word 'chowkidar'," the Congress leader said.

But why this happened, he wondered and added, "today if you say 'chowkidar' anywhere in the country the people respond with 'chor hai'. You would get the same answer even at Race Course Road in Delhi," he said.

The Congress chief said security guards, standing outside the Prime Minister's residence at Race Course Road, would give the same answer, if asked. "We get this answer only because he waived Rs 5 lakh crore loans of the rich," Gandhi said.

On revival of economy, he said the Congress had decided to "deposit Rs 6,000 a month in bank accounts of the poor after coming to power. This amount will kick start circulation of money in the market, factory production will get a boost, youth will get employment and the condition of economy will improve."

Raising his pet poll issues, Gandhi said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi ruined the country's economy by implementing demonetisation and 'gabbar singh tax' (GST)." Blaming Modi of misusing powers by implementing demonetisation, Gandhi said: "Demonetisation had taken money out of people's pockets and the Prime Minister gave that amount to his industrialist friends."

"During the demonetisation, no thief or person with black money, but farmers, youths, unemployed, and people of Bundelkhand stood in the queues," said Gandhi. Modi gave money belonging to the poor to the rich, he said and added, the Congress would take back the money from the rich and give that to the poor.

"If Congress comes to power, tainted industrialists, including Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Chowksi, will not be spared," he said.

Remarking that Modi deceived people by saying that he would give Rs 15 lakh to each, the Congress chief said, "Depositing Rs 15 lakh in each bank account is not possible, but giving Rs 3,60,000 in five years is possible."
Hyderabad, April 30 : A man here was arrested on Tuesday for making abusive comments against Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and his daughter K. Kavitha on Facebook, police said, The Cyber Crime Police of the Central Crime Station arrested Chirpa Naresh, a resident of Mahabunagar, on a complaint by G. Srininvas Yadav, state President of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi's youth wing, that few Facebook profiles are posting obscene and objectionable content against the Chief Minister and his family members.

During the investigation, it was found few Facebook profiles were circulating morphed pictures of the Chief Minister along abusive comments about Kavitha. The police identified Naresh, 27, and arrested him.

On April 24, the Telangana Police had arrested a student from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for sharing online a derogatory video about the Telangana CM. The 20-year-old had made the video using the Tik Tok app.
Venezuela: Military Uprising in Caracas (in Development)





A military uprising is unfolding in Venezuela after a handful of the police and armed forces freed Leopoldo Lopez and blocked a highway in Caracas.



By Venezuelanalysis

April 30, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - - Caracas, April 30, 2019 - A military coup attempt is underway in Venezuela on Tuesday, April 30, with imprisoned right wing leader Leopoldo Lopez, and self-proclaimed Interim President Juan Guaido and some members of the armed forces blocking a highway in Caracas and calling on the military to rise up

According to reports, a group from Venezuela's Sebin intelligence service freed Leopoldo Lopez from house arrest early Tuesday morning. Lopez then joined Guaido and a handful of members from different branches of the armed forces in the Altamira highway in eastern Caracas close to La Carlota airbase. Lopez and Guaido published videos on social media calling on other elements of the armed forces to join the uprising and on their supporters to take to the streets. Guaido vowed that this was the "final phase" in ousting the Maduro government.

The Venezuelan government promptly reacted, condemning the coup attempt and vowing that it would be defeated.

"We inform the Venezuelan people that right now we are facing and deactivating a small group of traitor soldiers who have positioned themselves on the Altamira overpass to attempt a coup against the state and the constitution," Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez tweeted.

The President of the National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, spoke on state television, vowing that the uprising would be defeated and that those responsible would have to "assume their responsibilities." He also called on the people and the Bolivarian militia to go out on the streets and defend Miraflores Palace.

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For his part, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez reported that military units throughout the country reported total normalcy, and that the military remain loyal to President Maduro.

At the time of writing, Guaidos followers are taking to the streets both in Caracas and other parts of the country, blocking roads in support of his new call for a coup. Minor confrontations with tear gas have been reported outside La Carlota air base in Caracas.

Guaido had previously called for the largest march in Venezuelas history scheduled for Wednesday May 1, while a Chavista march celebrating workers day was also expected to take place.

This article was originally published by " Venezuelanalysis " -

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Varanasi, April 30 : The Election Commission on Tuesday issued a notice to Tej Bahadur, SP-BSP candidate from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, for providing incomplete information in his nomination papers.

Former Border Security Force (BSP) personal Tej Bahadur had filed nomination as an independent, but was later named by the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance as candidate from the seat. He will be contesting the elections on the SP symbol.

In the first nomination papers, Bahadur had said he was sacked from the BSF, but in the nomination papers filed as the SP-BSP candidate he did not mention that, said District Electoral Officer Surendra Singh.

After the scrutiny of nomination papers on Tuesday, the district electoral office issued a notice asking him to file his reply by May 1, Singh said.
New Delhi, April 30 : With Indian Army claiming its jawans saw "mysterious footprints" of mythical 'Yeti' close to Makalu Base Camp earlier this month, social media on Tuesday was set ablaze with posts and memes, but it took political turn after some politicians jumped into the row.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav took to Twitter to mock the Narendra Modi government.

"It seems that 'acche din' are more elusive than the #Yeti," he said in a reference to Modi government's promise of "good days".

Replying to Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary said, "Now all what is left is for PM & CM Yogi to tell us about yeti's #caste!"

During a press conference, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra also cited "mystery around Yeti" to take a potshot at Congress President Rahul Gandhi over controversy over his citizenship following Home Ministry's notice to clarify his nationality.

BJP leader Tarun Vijay expressed his unhappiness over the use of world "beast" for 'Yeti'.

"Congratulations, we are always proud of you. salutes to the #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team. But please, you are Indian, don't call Yeti a beast," he tweeted.

However, Twitterati were less impressed with it and chose to have a good laugh instead.
Ahmedabad, April 30 : The ongoing tussle between Gujarat's potato farmers and PepsiCo seems to be snowballing into a nationwide agitation against the food and beverages giant which has dragged the farmers into a legal battle over growing a variety of potatoes, which it claims to be registered in its name.

As many as 70 farmer and civil society organisations, researchers, scientists and seed producers' associations came together here on Tuesday to form the Kisan Adhikar Manch (KAM) to support the farmers. They have demanded an unconditional withdrawal of the court cases against the farmers.

The company has filed legal suits against nine farmers from Aravalli, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts in north Gujarat, claiming compensation of Rs 1 crore each for growing FL 2027 variety of potato for which the company has taken a Plant Variety Certificate (PVC) under the provisions of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR), Act 2001. PepsiCo uses this variety to manufacture its popular Lay's brand of potato chips.

The first meeting of the newly-formed Manch has been convened on Friday to decide on the future course of action. A coordination committee would be set up at the meeting, Kapil Shah, who runs an NGO 'Jatan' to promote organic farming, said.

Maganbhai Patel, a member of the working committee of RSS affiliate Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, which has also come in the support of the farmers, told reporters: "We are demanding clarifications on the provisions of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR), Act. Farmers must have rights on all types of seeds or crop including potatoes, so that no company, organisation, educational institution or scientist harasses them in future."
Hyderabad, April 30 : The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP and former Union Minister Y.S. Chowdary to appear before the CBI on May 27 and May 28 in the case of electrical equipment manufacturer Best and Crompton Engineering Projects Ltd allegedly cheating the Andhra Bank of Rs 71 crore in 2017.

The court also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) not to arrest Chowdary and complete his questioning in two days. The agency was also asked to allow the MP's lawyer to be present during the questioning.

The CBI had issued notice to Chowdary to appear at its Bengaluru office on May 4 as part of its probe into the case. The TDP leader, who is an industrialist, had challenged the summons in the high court, stating that he was neither a shareholder nor a director in the company.

The agency had registered a case against the Chennai-based company and its five directors on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery.

After the CBI served him a notice, Chowdary had said that he was not having any connection, knowledge or acquaintance with the company.

The Enforcement Directorate earlier this month attached immovable and movable properties of Viceroy Hotels Ltd, Hyderabad worth Rs 315 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the same bank fraud case in which Chowdary was also allegedly involved.

The ED had taken up the case on the basis of CBI FIR filed against Best & Crompton Engineering Pvt Ltd (BCEPL) and their officials, who entered into a criminal conspiracy during 2010-2013 for "defrauding Central Bank of India, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank".

The total loss caused to the consortium of banks due to the fraud was to the tune of Rs 364 crore. According to the ED, the BCEPL is a part of Sujana Group of Companies, of which Chowdary is said to be a promoter.

A Rajya Sabha MP, Chowdary is considered a close aide of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu. He was a Minister of State in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government before the TDP quit the NDA early last year over the Centre's refusal to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh.
Panna/Damoh/Tikamgarh : , April 30 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "chowkidar" (watchman) who guards the interests of only 15 corrupt persons and not that of the country at large, Addressing election rallies in Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi said: "I want to make direct relation with crores of farmers, small traders, youth, sisters and mothers, and I won't lie to them as I know that relationships can't be based on falsehood. But Narendra Modi thinks otherwise...he lies and spreads hatred all around.

"He is 'chowkidar' for only 15 corrupt persons and guards their interests. I am yours, while Modi is theirs. He wants to create two Indias -- one of the poor, farmers and unemployed youth, and the other of the corrupt."

The Congress chief also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and the big businessmen who fled the country after taking bank loans. He asked Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath to take action against those ministers of the previous BJP government in the state who allegedly misappropriated the Bundelkhand package funds.

He said: "During demonetisation, it was said that it's a fight against black money. If it was true, then why didn't people like Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi were seen in bank queues? Amit Shah's son Jay Shah makes Rs 80 crore from Rs 50,000 in a matter of three months, Choksi sends money to Arun Jaitley's daughter's account and Vijay Mallya meets Jaitley before fleeing the country. All this must be explained..."

Gandhi maintained that while big businessmen are at large after committing crime, in sharp contrast a farmer is put behind bars if he is not able to pay back 5,000 to 10,000 rupees. "Why this double standard...because farmers are honest people and not thieves?"

The slogan of "achhe din" during the last election has completely changed now, he said, adding: "Now, if I just say mention 'chowkidar', people say 'chor hai'."
Chandigarh, April 30 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the rising incidents of crop fires that had wreaked havoc for the wheat crop in Punjab and left farmers in misery in several parts.

Holding the Punjab government and the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd authorities responsible for the menace that had caused losses worth crores to the farmers, the AAP demanded full 100 per cent compensation for farmers.

In a joint statement issued here on Tuesday, Punjab's Kisan wing chief, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, SC wing chief Manjit Singh Bilaspur, NRI wing chief, Jai Kishan Rori and transport wing chief Amar Singh Sandoa (all MLAs), demanded Rs 45,000 per acre compensation for the losses to the farmers. They said that standing wheat crop worth crores was damaged in the recent past due to rain and storms just when this was ready for harvest but the Punjab government did not provide any relief to farmers.

"The losses happened due to avoidable reasons. A substantive number of cases (of fire) were caused due to short circuit owing to high-tension live electric wires, while the government to turn a blind eye to the issue," the AAP leaders stated.

Fire incidents have affected hundreds of acres of ready for harvest wheat crop this year even as Punjab is heading for a record procurement of 132 lakh tonnes this time.
New Delhi, May 1 : An Indian visitor and three others of Indian origin were reported killed in the US' Cincinatti city, but it was not a hate crime, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday.

In a tweet, the Minister said she was informed by the Indian Ambassador about the killings that took place on Sunday evening.

"The matter is under investigation by the police, but it is not a hate crime. Our Consul General in New York is coordinating with the authorities concerned and will keep me informed on this. @IndiainNewYork," she said in another tweet.
GUEST OBSERVATION

Globally, road crashes kill 1.3 million people a year and injure nearly 50 million more. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have been identified as a potential solution to this issue if they can learn to identify and avoid situations leading to crashes.

Unlike human drivers, these vehicles wont get tired, drive drunk, look at their phone, or speed. Whats more, AVs will reduce congestion and pollution, increase access to public transport, be cheaper, improve mobility for people with disabilities, and make transport fun again. Right?

Well, thats what the brochure says.

Rightly or wrongly, billions of dollars are being poured into autonomous vehicle research and development to pursue this autopia. However, barely any resource or thought is being given to the question of how humans will ultimately respond to the AV fleet. In a city full of autonomous cars, how might our behaviour and use of city streets change?

In one scenario, people could act on the knowledge that these vehicles will stop any time someone chooses to step in front of them, bringing traffic to a halt.

Humans (and animals) will adapt

One of humans' great strengths is our adaptability. We quickly learn to manipulate and exploit our environment. A future road environment saturated with autonomous vehicles will be no different.

For example, think about why you dont walk out in front of traffic or drive through stop signs. Because other cars could injure or hurt you, right? 

But autonomous vehicles promise something new. They are being designed to act flawlessly.

There are two elements to this: the first is not making mistakes, and the second is compensating for the occasional errors and misjudgements that fallible humans make. Autonomous vehicles promise alignment with Asimovs First Law of Robotics: "A robot may not injure a human."

Now imagine crossing a road or highway in a city saturated by autonomous cars where the threat of being run over disappears. You (or any other mildly intelligent animal) might quickly learn that oncoming traffic poses no threat at all. Replicated thousands of times across a dense inner city, this could produce gridlock among safety-conscious autonomous vehicles, but virtual freedom of movement for humans  maybe even heralding a return to pedestrian rights of yesteryear.

University of Melbourne Architecture, Building & Planning Glass Slides Collection

A simple example of how this might happen comes from game theory. Take two scenarios at an intersection where pedestrians and vehicles negotiate priority to cross first. Each receives known pay-offs for behaviour in the context of the others action. The higher the comparative pay-off for either party, the more likely the action.

In the left-hand scenario below, the Nash equilibrium (the optimum combined action of both parties) exists in the lower left quadrant where the pedestrian has a small incentive to stay to avoid being injured by the manually driven car, and the driver has a strong incentive to go.

However, in the scenario on the right, the autonomous vehicles has a desire to act flawlessly and pose no threat to the pedestrian at all. While this might be great for safety, the pedestrian can now adopt a strategy of go at all times, forcing the AV to stay put.

Author provided

Can this potential problem be overcome?

One solution might be to program algorithms into vehicles that make them occasionally, purposefully, run into people, animals or other vehicles. Although this would maintain a level of fear and caution in the population, legally and morally it is hard to see how this would be acceptable.

Another option could be infrastructure separating autonomous vehicles from vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists. But the cost and reduction in amenity this would create would be enormous. Further, this type of solution could be applied now, negating much of the need for AV software and technology development in the first place.

A final, duplicitous idea is to simply turn off the safety systems that cause so-called erratic vehicle behaviour (i.e., slowing down to avoid hitting people). This is reported to have occurred when a self-driving Uber struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona last year. However, if this is the solution, you then have to ask, What is the transport problem autonomous vehicles are actually trying to solve?

It wont happen overnight

In the scenarios above most of the fleet are autonomous vehicles, and humans adapt to their consistently safe behaviour. However, the complete transition to autonomous vehicles will not occur overnight and might create new crash situations that are, so far, poorly understood.

For example, we are developing simulations of interactions between vulnerable road users and a mixed fleet of autonomous vehicles and human-driven cars. These models show how inconsistencies between the behaviour of manual and autonomous vehicle types could even lead to more crashes during the transition.

The future for AVs under threat

As AV technology rolls on, and the marketing hype surrounding them continues to draw attention and burn up investment dollars, it should be remembered that humans and animals are still going to behave how we always have by continually adapting and exploiting weaknesses in our environment.

Part of the promise of autonomous vehicles is their proposed safety through deference to human life. But, if the point of transport systems is to enable efficient movement of people and goods for the benefit of society, this strength of AVs might prove to be their ultimate weakness as a viable mass transport mode.

Jason Thompson, Senior Research Fellow, Transport, Health and Urban Design (THUD) Research Hub, University of Melbourne

Gemma Read, Senior Research Fellow in Human Factors & Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Lago, a newly renovated, architect designed home surrounded by a national park and beaches on the South Coast of NSW is on the market with a price guide of $850,000.

Sharon Deadman and Allan Deaman of Ray White Bendalong/Manyana have the listing.

Built in the 1960s, the holiday home at 9 Pine Street, Bendalong has recently been renovated throughout.

It last traded at $430,000 in 2014.

Architecturally designed, the open plan living area comes with a new bespoke kitchen with stainless steel fridge, dining area, and living room opening out onto the timber deck/balcony.

There are two light filled bedrooms looking out to the bushland.

Downstairs comprises a new laundry, separate toilet, outdoor shower, and a large deck with a storage area.

Nestled on a 658 square metre block, Lago features views to the native forest at the rear and sea views from the outdoor balcony at the front.

Positioned just north of Bendalong village with the Bendalong General Store and Cafe, Lago is a 20 minute drive to the township of Milton, three-hour drive to Sydney and two-and-a-half-hour drive from Canberra.

It had last sold at $430,000 in 2014.
Sydney house prices have fallen by over 14 per cent since the mid-2017 peak, according to the Domain Q1 House Price Report.

If the pace of quarterly decline continues, the median is likely to dip below $1 million in Q2.

A six figure median house price hasn't been seen in four years.

The median house price currently stands at $1,027,962, as house prices fell 3.1 percent over the quarter, bringing its yearly decline to 11.5 percent.

Domain senior research analyst Dr Nicole Powell said Sydney's current property downturn is the sharpest in more than two decades.

"It is yet to surpass the duration of the 2004 to 2006 slump but it is coming close to being the longest," Powell said.

Powell advised house prices are now back to early 2016 levels and units back to mid 2015 prices.

Powell noted however that many homeowners have seen substantial equity gains with house prices still 30.2% higher than five years ago.

Median house prices for major capital cities across the March 2019, December 2018 and March 2018 quarters

Source: Domain

Sydney remains a buyers market, although the year has started in a better place than last year ended," Powell said.

"Despite lower auction volumes, clearance rates have risen from near historic lows.

"Domain also recorded a lift in number of views per listing over the first three months of the year - signalling renewed buyer interest.

"The volume of current listings remains elevated but new listings are shrinking.

"The fall in new listings is not suggestive of buyers fear of not getting out. It paints a picture of Sydney homeowners holding tight, only selling if they have to.

The Domain Q1 House Price Report found good news in Melbourne, where the house price declines eased over the quarter.

Hobart and Adelaide were the only capitals to buck the national downward trends, both recording price growth.

Melbourne

House prices fell 2.4 per cent over the quarter and 10.4 per cent over the year to $809,468

Unit prices fell 2.9 per cent over the quarter and 8.3 per cent over the year to $466,892

Brisbane

House prices fell 1.1 per cent over the quarter and 0.3 per cent over the year to $563,666

Unit prices fell 3.7 per cent over the quarter and 5.2 per cent over the year to $372,852

Adelaide

House prices remained flat over the quarter and grew 2.0 per cent over the year to $542,474

Unit prices fell 2.1 per cent over the quarter and 1.3 per cent over the year to $312,459

Canberra



House prices fell 0.9 per cent over the quarter and 2 per cent over the year at $722,440

Unit prices fell 3.2 per cent over the quarter and 1.7 per cent over the year to $426,719

Perth

House prices declined 2.5 per cent over the quarter and 5.2 per cent over the year to $529,997

Unit prices fell 1.1 per cent over the quarter and 5.6 per cent over the year to $347,596

Hobart

House prices grew 3.1 per cent over the quarter and 7 per cent over the year to $478,247

Unit prices grew 2.6 per cent over the quarter and 8.4 per cent over the year to $363,418

Darwin

House prices fell 0.1 per cent over the quarter and grew 1.5 per cent over the year to $514,546

Unit prices fell 2.6 per cent over the quarter and 1.7 per cent over the year to $313,462




It was announced by Ray White Double Bays managing director, Elliott Placks tonight.

"There is no doubt that Gavin had left an indelible mark on the Sydney property scene in his career to date," Placks said.

We have enjoyed watching Gavin and his team grow and develop over the years.

"Our business is like family, and sometimes you have to let them go to grow.  Mr Placks said.

It was last September when the founding directors of Ray White Double Bay, Craig Pontey and Michael Finger sold their shareholdings to Elliott Placks, securing a 30-strong sales force.

The Ray White Double Bay office had previously sold more than $930 million annually, being the number one office in Ray Whites Australian network for the last seven years.

Rubinstein, 31, celebrated 10 years in the real estate industry in 2017, and was just nine months short of 10 years with Ray White.

Rubinstein ranked as the number one residential salesperson in all of Australia for Ray White in the past six years.
Australias most infamous property spruiker Rick Otton, the controversial How To Buy A House For $1 author, has filed for bankruptcy, crippled by the largest fine in corporate history.

It comes five months after he and his company were fined $18 million for misleading property investors following ACCC legal action.

The Federal Court judgment found breaches of Australian Consumer Law of $12 million against Ottons business and $6 million against him personally.

But his four bank accounts have just $18,800, including $5.74 with NAB, according to his statement of affairs filed on the national personal insolvency index at the Australian Financial Security Authority.

There was $37,000 owing on his credit cards.

Ottons We Buy Houses company had been conducting training programs since 2000.

It is known that between 2011 and 2014, he generated around $20 million in revenue from the training programs.

The Court found that Otton made false or misleading representations that his students could successfully implement the wealth creation strategies he taught.

About 3400 consumers attended the free seminars, and a further 2000 people attended the boot camps. Would-be investors were given some information at the initial free session, then more if they paid $3000 to attend the boot camp or the $26,000 mentoring workshops.

The court noted there may have been consumers who were determined to buy the respondents snake oil regardless of the respondents conduct.

Otton, who demonstrated he was profoundly uninterested in compliance, was banned from managing corporations for 10 years in Australia.

Ottons last property deal was the recent sale of his own Bondi Beach semi.

The four-bedroom Roscoe Street property, listed with a $3.2 million to $3.5 million price guide, fetched $2.9 million last December, having been bought in 2007 for $1.6 million.

He now gives his address as a one bedroom Coogee flat.

His paperwork advised his occupation now as a retiree.

There was little property listed as assets, just a Otton family superannuation trust owning a $2 million commercial building, along with an option to buy a 45,000 Euro apartment building at Saint Spyridonas in Greece, where he's shifted his spruiking sessions.

Otton taught real estate investment strategies that suggested students could buy a house for $1, without needing a deposit, bank loan or real estate experience, using little or none of their own money to create passive income streams through property.

They were advised they could quit their jobs to start making profits immediately.

In August 2017, the Federal Court found these claims were misleading, in contravention of the Australian Consumer Law, with Otton lodging an appeal.

The book authored by Otton, and websites included testimonials from students claiming they were able to buy a house for $1, which the court found were false.

The ACCC instituted proceedings against We Buy Houses and Otton in 2015 following a co-ordinated investigation with New South Wales Fair Trading.

Justice Jacqueline Gleesons judgment said consumers enticed by Otton were given a variety of strategies which included rent-to-buy, a sandwich lease option involving a middleman, and sweat equity option, where the buyer carries out renovations in lieu of paying a deposit.

Justice Gleeson accepted that some of the strategies were theoretically possible, but added there was no evidence they had been used by its students successfully.

None of WBHs most successful students, known as big kahunas, provided evidence to the court to show what they had claimed to have achieved.

The ACCC called nine consumers as witnesses to describe how they had never achieved success.

One consumer and his partner attempted to buy properties in Bass Hill, Quakers Hill, Homebush West, North Bondi, Eastlakes and Lake Haven without financial success.

In her judgment on liability, Justice Gleeson said the free seminars were a waste of time, and that the boot camps and the mentoring programs were an expensive waste of time, the ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.

The decision imposed the largest pecuniary penalty order against an individual and separately, against a corporation, for breaches of the ACL, has been heralded as a new era of tougher penalties for ACL breaches.

This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.
EXPERT OBSERVER

The number of growth markets in Regional Queensland is rising, helped by recovery in resources-related regional centres. Mackay is now the most upwardly-mobile market, having overtaken the softening Sunshine Coast market, and Gladstone is now showing signs of recovery, with some of its suburbs rising.

Regional Queensland markets collectively have improved in the past year or so: in the past five quarterly surveys of sales activity by Hotspotting, the number of locations with growing demand has increased from 30 to 36 to 40 to 45 to 48.

The number of growth markets had decreased sharply in the late 2017 survey but showed steady improvement in 2018 and this has continued into 2019.

The other key feature is the number of Regional Queensland markets with price growth. We analysed price movements in 313 markets and found 203 (65%) have median prices higher than a year ago. Of the 203 growth markets, 99 have recorded median price growth of 5% or more, while another 104 markets have increased by less than 5%.

Of the higher growth markets, 42 have increased by more than 10%, including 15 which have grown 20% or more. Some of the highest annual growth in median prices has been recorded in mining towns Emerald (up 24%), Clermont (up 33%) and Dysart (24%), but these are rising from a low base after several years of downturn.

A number of unit markets have recorded high growth in the median prices, including Noosa Heads (31%) and Peregian Springs (23%) on the Sunshine Coast; Airlie Beach (26%) in the Whitsundays; Bilinga (26%), Broadbeach Waters (27%) and Coolangatta (25%) on the Gold Coast; and East Toowoomba (29%) in the inland regional city of Toowoomba.

Other growth markets are Sunshine Coast lifestyle locations Sunshine Beach (40%), Eumundi (23%) and Doonan (21%).

A standout characteristic is the recovery in resources-related markets which have spent the past few years in downturn. This trend is headed by Mackay, which now has rising demand coupled with much lower vacancies, and some suburbs are now showing good price growth.

Emerald, which is located near the mines of the Bowen Basin and the Galilee Basin, is a standout: quarterly sales have been 51, 57, 66, 62, 60, 76 and 78, while the median house price has risen 24% to $310,000 in the past 12 months. The trend here is a prime example of the recovery in the resources-related towns.

Theres further evidence of revival in Gladstone, in addition to the steady reduction in vacancies (now below 3%). In our latest analysis we have classified six Gladstone suburbs as rising markets and three suburbs (Clinton, Kin Kora and West Gladstone) have median house prices higher than a year ago. But the market remains patchy  some suburbs are still classified as decline or danger markets and most suburbs still have median prices lower than a year ago (but its significant that most of those suburbs have recorded an uplift in prices in the most recent quarter).

As always, never forget that markets that have strong links to the resources sector are volatile and are prone to major downturns. Theyre not good places for risk-averse investors.

The larger, more diversified regional centres of Queensland continue to have steady markets, headed by Cairns and the Fraser Coast. Cairns has seven suburbs with rising sales activity, but prices have yet to react to improved demand  most Cairns suburbs have median prices lower than a year ago, although there are exceptions like Caravonica, Whitfield and Yorkeys Knob.

The Fraser Coast region, centred on Hervey Bay, now has six rising suburbs, like rapidly-improving Urangan. Toogoom, Tinana and Kawungan have all recorded strong price uplift in the past year.

Toowoomba remains a solid market without yet showing any overt growth signs, while Townsville has suffered setbacks from the recent major flooding.

The Sunshine Coast, which for some time has been the strongest of the Queensland markets, no longer has that mantle. It now has few suburbs with rising demand, but many plateau markets which suggests this market may have passed its peak in terms of demand.

But its still producing strong price outcomes. Of the 99 Regional Queensland markets with annual price growth above 5%, 38 are in the Sunshine Coast region  plus another 24 suburbs have growth of less than 5%. Both house and apartment markets in and around Noosa continue to be leading performers on price growth.

Sunshine Coast markets with annual growth above 10% include the Doonan, Eumundi, Mooloolaba, Maleny, Sunshine Beach, Woombye, Wurtulla, Pomona, Twin Waters and Peregian Beach house markets, as well as the Golden Beach, Noosa Heads, Noosaville, Peregian Springs and Warana unit markets.

As we reported in the previous edition, the post-Games boost predicted by some has not eventuated on the Gold Coast. This market was strong from 2015 to 2017 because of the pre-Commonwealth Games construction boom.

Since then the growth has subsided and its difficult to find any growth suburbs (in terms of sales activity) in Gold Coast City, but 41 suburbs classified as either plateau or consistency markets  plus a couple of decline markets. The price outcomes are also mixed: 57 suburbs have median prices higher than a year ago, but there are 27 with prices lower than last year.

A notable trend on the Gold Coast is that many of the best performers on price growth are apartment markets  but not the iconic beachside enclaves like Surfers Paradise, Main Beach and Broadbeach. The unit markets showing growth are in the inland suburbs like Ashmore, Benowa, Elanora, Helensvale, Pacific Pines and Mudgeeraba  or the beachside suburbs outside the glitter strip, like Bilinga, Coolangatta, Palm Beach and Runaway Bay.

Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au

[email protected]

twitter.com/hotspotting
The company seeks the release of nearly 7,000 pounds of hemp that the Idaho State Police seized during a routine safety inspection on Jan. 24 near Boise.

Big Sky Scientific applauds a Friday decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ordering that tests results on its shipment of industrial hemp confiscated in January must be released to the public.

The company seeks the release of nearly 7,000 pounds of hemp that the Idaho State Police seized during a routine safety inspection on Jan. 24 near Boise. On Feb. 19, Chief Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush of the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho denied Big Skys request to have Idaho return its hemp.

Though Judge Bush denied the request for a preliminary injunction releasing the hemp, he did note that additional testing of the shipment by Idaho authorities showed there is no evidence in the record that the seized load does not meet the definition of industrial hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill (having a -9 THC concentration level of 0.3 percent or less . No testing has reported a greater than 0.3% concentration level of -9 THC.)

Big Sky appealed Judge Bushs decision to the 9th Circuit the next day (Case No. 19-35138). The 9th Circuit put the case on an expedited schedule and gave Idaho until April 17 to file its brief and Big Sky until May 8 to file its reply briefing. After its appeal was accepted, Big Sky also filed a motion to have the results of the hemp tests, which had been sealed, released for public inspection.

The driver of the shipment still faces felony marijuana trafficking charges, which carry a mandatory five-year minimum prison sentence. He is out on bond. The semi-truck he was driving remains impounded and Idaho has asked a state judge to let it sell the truck and trailer and to destroy Big Skys crop.

With the support of the entire Idaho delegation, Congress overwhelmingly passed the 2018 Farm Bill last year and President Trump signed it into law in December. Industrial hemp was removed from the U.S. Controlled Substances Act registry and is now legal in the U.S.

Big Sky was shipping the hemp to Colorado after purchasing it from a hemp farmer who was licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. It was seized on Interstate 84 after the driver voluntarily stopped at a weigh station.

For more information, contact Big Sky Scientific CEO Ryan Shore at 702-682-5400. A copy of the brief may be downloaded from http://www.pacer.gov or by visiting Big Skys website at bigskysci.com.


Accordion, the private equity financial consulting and technology firm, today announced that it has appointed Atul Aggarwal to the newly established position of President. A 20-year veteran of Bain & Company, Aggarwal will focus on helping the company achieve its ambitious growth plans, addressing both the opportunities and challenges of scale. Aggarwal will report to Accordion CEO and Founder, Nick Leopard.

Were proud of the firm we have built and the client company we keep, said Leopard, but, we also understand the growing  almost outsized  opportunity presented by a private equity industry that is now elevating the role of value creation in a successful investment strategy. We intend to seize on that growth opportunity, and will do so thoughtfully, by equipping our firm with the right tools to embrace expansion without sacrificing our culture or agility. Atul is the perfect person to help us scale that mountain.

As a veteran of Bain & Company, Aggarwal has helped clients of varying sizes scale their businesses, using Bains Founders Mentality and Full Potential Transformation playbooks. He has played various leadership roles in the Results Acceleration Practice, was a member of Bains Leadership Center of Excellence, and led the firms global recruiting efforts at Wharton business school and its new MBA global training program.

Im joining Accordion because I have a deep respect for this company, a strong admiration for its leadership, and a very real connection to its culture, which celebrates collaboration and rejects complexity, said Aggarwal. Im here to make sure we maintain the model that has made the company so successful to date, while embracing the professionalization that must accompany scale. This is absolutely doable, but is a real balancing act that the Founders Mentality playbook is uniquely suited to support.

Aggarwal will focus on maturing Accordions operations: strengthening the firms approach to talent management, ensuring unbeatable client delivery and customer experience, and productizing Accordions services and offerings. Added Aggarwal: I like to say Im here to help professionalize, not bureaucratize.

Overseeing Accordions growth while mitigating the corresponding tradeoffs will be a critical priority for Aggarwal, particularly given the firms plans to accelerate its recent, significant pace of expansion. Accordion, which boasts a bi-coastal team of 120+ finance and technology professionals and a client roster of more than 150 fund sponsors and their portfolio companies, recently opened offices in San Francisco and Boston, extending the firms footprint beyond its New York headquarters.

Concluded Leopard: Atul will not only help us navigate growth, his leadership will empower me to focus on critical CEO priorities: corporate strategy, high profile client partnerships, senior talent recruitment, and M&A opportunities. Importantly, it also enables a deeper focus on all aspects of our brand. As Accordion grows, were committed to keeping that brand synonymous with being the go-to partner for value creation among our clients, and an incredible career experience for our people.

Aggarwal graduated with a BA from the University of Cambridge and received his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School.

About Accordion

Accordion is the go-to partner to the private equity community  driving value creation through financial consulting services and portfolio operations technology. Focused exclusively within the Office of the CFO, Accordion works alongside sponsor management teams to support initiatives across the entire finance function, including: operational and technical accounting, strategic FP&A, transaction execution, and performance improvement. With a bi-coastal team of finance and technology professionals, Accordion serves the worlds premier private equity firms and their portfolio companies from offices in New York, San Francisco, and Boston. http://www.accordion.com

**Founders Mentality is a registered trademark of Bain & Company, Inc.
We are honored to pioneer geriatric emergency care in our community as a benchmark for high-quality geriatric medicine, said Dr. Javier Gonzalez, Co-Medical Director at AdventHealth Zephyrhills.

AdventHealth Zephyrhills is the first hospital in the AdventHealth system and only the second in Florida to be named an accredited silver status Geriatric Emergency Department by the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) Program. This silver designation is awarded to hospitals that provide senior patients with an elevated care team who specialize in recognizing specific issues such as dementia, delirium and elder abuse. AdventHealth Zephyrhills sees around 6,000 senior patients each year.

AdventHealth Zephyrhills is dedicated to making it easy for seniors, and helping them feel safe, during and after a visit to the ER. The care team is staffed with physicians, transitional nurses, therapists, social workers and pharmacists who work specifically with seniors, their caregivers and primary care physicians to ensure each patients needs are met.

AdventHealth Zephyrhills is humbled to set the standard for caring for seniors in our community, said Amanda Maggard, President and CEO of AdventHealth Zephyrhills. This designation from GEDA is a testament to our care teams dedication to providing the highest quality of care to every member of our community each and every time they need our services.

We are honored to pioneer geriatric emergency care in our community as a benchmark for high-quality geriatric medicine, said Dr. Javier Gonzalez, Co-Medical Director at AdventHealth Zephyrhills. We look forward to expanding our unique care services to additional emergency departments throughout the West Florida Division of AdventHealth and beyond. We are committed to meeting the needs of our communities and we are excited to add our contribution to such a worthy goal.

AdventHealth, formerly Florida Hospital, is committed to providing our unique brand of inspired, compassionate whole-person care to every patient, every time.

About AdventHealth West Florida Division (Formerly Florida Hospital)

The West Florida Division of AdventHealth has some of the nations brightest medical minds making lifesaving breakthroughs with surgical pioneers, scientists and researchers using leading edge technology and innovation to deliver our brand of whole-person care. Our network of care includes AdventHealth Carrollwood, AdventHealth Connerton, AdventHealth Dade City, AdventHealth Lake Placid, AdventHealth North Pinellas, AdventHealth Ocala, AdventHealth Sebring, AdventHealth Tampa, AdventHealth Wauchula, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Zephyrhills, as well as three freestanding offsite Emergency Rooms including AdventHealth Central Pasco ER, AdventHealth Palm Harbor ER and AdventHealth TimberRidge ER. We are more than hospitals, as we have a robust system of care including specialty acute care, over 200 primary care and specialty employed physicians, Express Care at Walgreens clinics, urgent care centers, wound care, physical therapy and home health care. AdventHealth is a faith-based not-for-profit health care system with a mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ. AdventHealth has hundreds of care sites and nearly 50 hospitals across the United States. For more information about AdventHealth, visit AdventHealth.com, or Facebook.com/AdventHealth.


Deb Dagit LLC and BOSMA Enterprises Navigating Blindness will receive the AAAED Edward M. Kennedy Community Service Award We are delighted to honor such outstanding icons of equal opportunity, community service and disability rights, said Dr. Richard Anthony Baker, president of AAAED.

The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED), an organization of equal opportunity, diversity and affirmative action professionals, announced that Deb Dagit, President, Deb Dagit Diversity, LLC, and BOSMA Enterprises, Navigating Blindness, will receive the associations Edward M. Kennedy Community Service Award at its 45th National Conference and Annual Meeting on June 12, 2019. We are delighted to honor such outstanding icons of equal opportunity, community service and disability rights, said Dr. Richard Anthony Baker, president of AAAED.

Themed Moving Beyond Diversity Towards Equity and Inclusion, the annual meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis. The Hyatt is located at One South Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204. The awards program begins at 12:15 pm ET and is open to the press.

Named for Edward M. Kennedy, the former Senator from the State of Massachusetts who was a lifetime champion of civil rights, disability rights and other issues on behalf of disadvantaged persons, the award is presented to an individual or organization demonstrating outstanding community service.

Deb Dagit (National Award Honoree) started her own business in 2013 to deliver the consulting services and products she wished were available when she was a Chief Diversity Officer. She focuses on offering practical, just-in-time resources, tools and support for diversity practitioners. As Mercks CDO for 11 years, Deb was responsible for global equal opportunity, employee relations, recruiting and staffing, and diversity and inclusion. Under her leadership, the company was recognized for its exemplary work in diversity and inclusion by DiversityInc and Working Mother magazines, the Families and Work Institute, and the Human Rights Campaign. Merck also received the Department of Defense Freedom Award (veterans) and the Department of Labor New Freedom Award (people with disabilities) during her tenure. She played a key role in the passage of the American with Disabilities Act through her lobbying efforts in both California and Washington, D.C. She also testified in July 2011 before the U.S. Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions committee regarding best practices for improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Bosma Enterprises: Navigating Blindness (Local Award Honoree). With roots that reach back to 1915, Bosma Enterprises has decades of experience in helping Hoosiers with vision loss achieve independence. Bosmas rehabilitation program helps nearly 800 people each year. As we plan for the future, were looking forward to assisting even more of Indianas almost 160,000 people who are blind or visually impaired. Through its rehabilitation services and its job training and employment programs, Bosma teaches people experiencing vision loss how to successfully navigate their lives and jobs. In doing so, it is helping its clients grow their abilities and confidence  a journey that its trainers call progressing from tears to cheers.

For more information or to register for the Conference, go to: https://www.aaaed.org/aaaed/Conference_Agenda1.asp. To purchase a luncheon ticket or a table for the awards ceremony, click here: https://www.aaaed.org/Forms.asp?MODE=NEW&Forms_FormTypeID=-1755

Founded in 1974 as the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), AAAED is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of equal opportunity, compliance and diversity. AAAED has 45 years of leadership in providing professional training to members, enabling them to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action and other equal opportunity laws to enhance the tenets of access, inclusion and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities.

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Our ranking as the #1 Search firm in South Florida is a true testament to the incredible team we have assembled, and the quality of work they are doing for our clients and candidates, said Matt Shore, President, StevenDouglas.

StevenDouglas ranked #1 on The List of Top Executive Search Firms in South Florida in 2018 by the South Florida Business Journal (SFBJ), marking the fourth time in the last 5 years. Also, the firms President, Matt Shore, is featured in an accompanying article on Executive Search, where he sees an expanding local economy with high demand for executive talent, and how he sells relocation to the region. Additionally, he was asked to be on a Power Leaders panel in Miami last week by the SFBJ to discuss Tomorrows South Florida.

Our ranking as the #1 Search firm in South Florida is a true testament to the incredible team we have assembled, and the quality of work they are doing for our clients and candidates, said Matt Shore, President, StevenDouglas. He went on to note, We are very fortunate to have an amazing culture that allows us to attract and retain the best talent in the industry.

A week prior, the announcement was made that StevenDouglas CEO, Steve Sadaka, was named a finalist in the 2019 EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Florida, celebrating entrepreneurs transforming our world. The statewide distinction recognizes leaders of innovative, high-performing companies, and finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges.

On June 13th winners will be revealed during a black-tie gala where the business community comes together to celebrate regional semifinalists, finalists and winners. The honorees are known for not only creating and building market-leading businesses, but also taking the standard of excellence to new heights, transforming the face of the industry, creating jobs, and contributing to the vibrancy of their communities.

Steve Sadaka said about the Entrepreneur of the Year announcement, Its such an honor to be a finalist, and be recognized as an inspiring community and business leader. After building my business for over 35 years, theres nothing more gratifying than knowing I am having a positive impact.

These firm accomplishments are coming in StevenDouglas 35th Anniversary year, where the firm has already announced surpassing $50 million in 2018 revenue, as well as establishing over fifteen office locations across the U.S., including serving clients in Latin America & Canada.

About StevenDouglas: StevenDouglas, one of the nation's leading Search and Interim Resource firms, is a recognized leader in identifying and providing access to top talent and executives for companies since 1984.

The firm has been connecting premier candidates to their client base that spans an array of high-demand disciplines, and a broad range of industries. StevenDouglas is nationally known for search expertise in Finance & Accounting, Human Resource, Information Technology, Financial Services, Operations, Sales & Marketing, Legal, Risk & Compliance; As well as providing interim resources and staffing for Information Technology, Finance & Accounting, and Human Resources.

StevenDouglas supports companies at any phase, including start-ups, emerging middle-market, and Fortune 500 companies. The firm also has established relationships and a successful track-record with private equity and venture capital firms, as well as family offices. Its one of the fastest growing recruiting firms in the U.S. with locations across the country, including a presence in Latin America & Canada. https://www.stevendouglas.com
Experience Vertivs configurable rack, row, and site level solutions in virtual reality. The edge of the network is more critical and more complex than ever before. This virtual reality experience allows visitors to our booth to work through design complexities in a way that brings these environments to life. - Jennifer Renaud

Axonom, a global provider of visual and virtual product configurator software, has worked with Vertiv to develop a visual solution layout and virtual reality experience center to showcase Vertiv solutions for booth visitors at Dell Technologies World Conference in Las Vegas, NV. This VR experience gives data center professionals a new way to interact with Vertivs configurable rack, row, and site level solutions and learn how the company is supporting IT ecosystems from core to edge.

The Vertiv experience center features Axonoms Powertrak 3D Product Configurator and Powertrak VRoom. Together, these two Axonom solutions allow conference attendees to visualize Vertiv rack and row products, custom design an edge infrastructure configuration, explore it in immersive virtual reality in the booth, and share the design with others using mobile smartphone-based headsets. The user-created designs are a conversation starter to explore infrastructure solutions for data centers of all sizes.

The edge of the network is more critical and more complex than ever before, said Jennifer Renaud, vice president of marketing for Vertiv in the Americas. This virtual reality experience allows visitors to our booth to work through design complexities in a way that brings these environments to life.

Vertiv representatives will guide attendees through the edge solution design using the Powertrak 3D Product Configurator. The process begins by selecting a location (server room, building exterior or tower site) where the edge solution will be placed. Using three-dimensional product models, the user will choose a series of floor and rackmount power, cooling, servers, storage, and switch technologies and populate a room or rack.

When the configuration is complete, the user will wear an HTC VIVE Pro headset to explore the design in the local data hub using Powertrak VRoom. This immersive VR experience enables attendees to navigate the environment, observe the equipment, and grasp how each piece is placed for optimal performance.

Attendees will also be given a personal VR viewer and a link to their specific design to share with colleagues and decision-makers via smartphone. Mobile smartphone VR is considered one of the most economical and compelling ways to distribute and view product designs on the trade show floor and off-site locations.

Vertiv is at the forefront of the datacenter infrastructure and services industry by adopting transformative technology to address the needs of the modern consumer, said Mike Belongie, COO at Axonom. Sales and marketing professionals find Powertrak 3D CPQ and VR a compelling platform to strengthen how they communicate, educate, and present customizable products to customers with unique needs. These solutions are reshaping how consumers learn, validate, and order configurable products in configurable environments.

For information on Vertivs joint solutions with Dell for edge compute and 5G networks, and to experience critical infrastructure designs in virtual reality, visit Vertiv in booth 1051 at Dell Technologies World.

About Vertiv

Vertiv brings together hardware, software, analytics and ongoing services to ensure its customers vital applications run continuously, perform optimally and grow with their business needs. Vertiv solves the most important challenges facing todays data centers, communication networks and commercial and industrial facilities with a portfolio of power, cooling and IT infrastructure solutions and services that extends from the cloud to the edge of the network. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, USA, Vertiv employs around 20,000 people and does business in more than 130 countries. For more information, and for the latest news and content from Vertiv, visit Vertiv.com.

About Axonom

Axonom is a worldwide leader in marrying Visual Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. Established in 2002, the developer of Powertrak 3D Product Configurator and VRoom enables sales, channel partners, and customers around the world to visually build products and design environments, then experience them in virtual reality.

Enriched with mobile extendibility, the Powertrak solution suite includes: Standard CPQ, 2D/3D Visual Product Configurator, Virtual Reality Product Configurator, Augmented Reality Product Configurator, and Guided Selling. By delivering more transactions more efficiently through channels at a lower cost, Powertrak helps customers achieve greater profit potential. For more information, please visit axonom.com.


Best Credit Data ACTIV Financial is excited to expand its content value proposition through this new agreement with Best Credit Data. Best Credit Datas quality and coverage offers superior quality and value

Best Credit Data (BCD), a leading vendor of market data pricing, analytics and reference data for municipal bonds, corporate bonds, private placements, broadly syndicated and middle market loans today announced a partnership with ACTIV Financial Systems Inc. (ACTIV), a global distributor of financial market data. The new agreement adds a broad spectrum of fixed income market data to its clients.

With this new partnership, ACTIV became a reseller of BCD fixed income data. Best Credits content will now be more widely and reliably available on a global scale and, most notably, on public and private clouds, while ACTIVs clients will benefit from the addition of a comprehensive source of fixed income data in addition to over 220 exchanges it supports today.

BCD provides evaluated pricing for over 1 million U.S. municipal bonds every day  including eight years of end-of-day history  to clients across a range of use cases including banks, brokers, mutual funds, hedge funds and insurance companies. Best Credit Data delivers daily and historical evaluations via data feeds, API and the intuitive and easy-to-use BCD portal. The portal is a cost-effective method to quickly view and download municipal and corporate bond data into a clients workflow.

We are excited to partner with ACTIV to provide the vital fixed income data that our mutual clients demand, said Mark OBrien, President of Best Credit Data. ACTIVs long-standing success in delivering a comprehensive market data solution for buy-side and sell-side firms aligns well with Best Credits mission to deliver high quality fixed income data and analytics to financial professionals.

ACTIV offers a variety of solutions making them the only truly end-to-end, independent market data utility in the industry. Their offerings include feeds covering equities, derivatives, forex, financial newswires, reference, company fundamental and historical data, all of which are accessible through a modern set of APIs that can satisfy all use cases from algorithmic trading and risk management to financial websites. In configurations ranging from client sited, standalone deployments or a fully managed service, ACTIV can address all use cases.

ACTIV Financial is excited to expand its content value proposition through this new agreement with Best Credit Data. Best Credit Datas quality and coverage offers superior quality and value said Mike Misiaszek, Global Head of Sales at ACTIV. So, choosing to work with Best Credit Data and extend their offering to our customers globally makes perfect sense. Customers need multiple sources; offering Best Credit through our platform provides greater choice and value, especially in evaluated pricing requirements.

About Best Credit Data Inc.

Founded in 2013, Best Credit Management is a Boston-based market data vendor focused on leveraging Cloud computing technology to deliver high quality municipal bond, corporate bond, private placement, broadly syndicated and middle market loan evaluations to service institutional portfolio accounting, risk management, and compliance use cases. Best Credits clients include banks, brokers, mutual funds, hedge funds, and insurance companies. For more information, please visit https://www.bestcreditanalysis.com/.

About ACTIV Financial

ACTIV is a global provider of real-time, multi-asset financial market data and solutions. ACTIV offers neutral, managed services for buy and sell-side firms and technology providers seeking a complete market data solution that encompasses both global content management and data delivery. With coverage spanning more than 220 equity and derivatives exchanges around the world, ACTIV is the only truly end-to-end, independent market data utility in the industry. Founded in 2002 by market data specialists, the firm is privately owned and has offices in Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Singapore and London. More information can be found at http://www.activfinancial.com and https://twitter.com/ActivMarketData.
Bowery Valuation, the first venture-backed commercial appraisal firm, announces the addition of five senior hires to join its growing appraisal team, including two of New York Citys most experienced appraisers; industry veterans Helen Peng and Andrew Babienco. The company now has a total of 18 appraisers on staff, including five MAIs (Member Appraisal Institute), the highest designation in the industry.

Founded in 2015 by co-CEOs and veterans of the appraisal industry, Noah Isaacs and John Meadows, Bowery Valuation utilizes proprietary, cloud-based software to deliver higher quality reports with faster turn-around times than anyone in the industry. With these new hires, Bowery has become one of New Yorks largest appraisal firms in less than two years since its initial seed funding.

The appraiser makes every decision in our reports and were proud to boast one of the most impressive and highly trained appraisal teams in the industry. These hires are a huge step forward for Bowery, said John Meadows, co-founder and co-CEO of Bowery Valuation.

Helen Peng, MAI, MRICS, AI-GRS has more than 32 years of experience in commercial real estate valuation, most recently as a Director at BBG. She has an M.S. in Real Estate from NYU and previously spent 23 years at Deutsche Bank. Also joining Bowery Valuation from BBG, Andrew Babienco, MAI, MRICS brings more than 36 years of experience in real estate valuation. Prior to BBG, Andy spent 30 years at Bankers Trust and its successor Deutsche Bank, where he was Head of Valuation for the Americas.

We leverage technology to vastly improve the commercial appraisal process, enabling our appraisers to spend more time on thoughtful valuation and client service. But all of the value we provide our clients starts with our people and these additions are a huge milestone for us, adds Noah Isaacs, co-founder and co-CEO of Bowery Valuation.

In the past year, Bowery Valuation has valued more than $4 billion in commercial real estate. In 2018, the company tripled both revenue and headcount and raised more than $17 million in venture funding. Bowery Valuation currently operates in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Maryland, with plans for expansion into additional markets in 2019.

Bowery Valuation

Bowery Valuation powers its appraisers with a cloud-based commercial appraisal writing software and mobile application, allowing them to write full appraisal reports much faster than its leading competitors without sacrificing on quality. Its powerful backend database and natural language generator create increased efficiency, quality, and consistency firm-wide. Further, extensive data collection and integration allows Bowery to reframe what the appraisal actually provides to its clients. Bowerys underlying tech and team of appraisal experts yield unprecedented product offerings in one of the most antiquated sectors of the real estate industry. For more information visit http://www.boweryvaluation.com
Brazil Games We are proud of our presence at GDC 2019 and are already looking forward to what we will have to show next year

Brazil Games, a partnership between the Brazilian Game Companies Association, ABRAGAMES, and Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency)  attended GDC in San Francisco between March 18 and March 22, with a delegation representing 47 studios and a whopping 50 video games across a variety of platforms and genres. Their goal was to foster international relationships and further cement Brazils role as the leader of Latin American video game and technology developers. The mission was successful in every sense; forming strong business relationships worldwide and receiving critical acclaim for their games and products.

Brazil Games is leading the charge to promote Brazils video game ecosystem as the premium video game hub for international companies to do business in Latin America. According to PwC, while the global video game market will grow at around 7% a year (2017 to 2021), the Brazilian market is expected to grow 16% per year, accumulating a total growth of 80% in the period, reaching US$ 1.4 billion by 2021 (PWC, 2017b). The Brazilian game market represents more than 60 million gamers (#3 in the world), with 375 game studios and more than 1,700 games produced in 2018, generating more than US$ 1.3 billion annual market revenue, according to McKinsey and Company report.

This growth is bolstered by the contacts and relationships formed in San Francisco. More than 1,000 meetings took place, converting into a projected business deal value of over US$ 14 Million. This year at GDC, Brazil Games clearly showed how it facilitates deal-making between Brazilian video game companies and their global constituents.

We took the talent, ingenuity, and spirit of Brazils developers with us to San Francisco and the world responded in kind. We are very grateful to both our international partners and the local players that drive the growth were seeing in the Brazilian market. We are proud of our presence at GDC 2019 and are already looking forward to what we will have to show next year, says Eliana Russi, Brazil Games executive manager.

Brazil Games aimed to utilize GDC to showcase the role Brazil is playing on the world stage. Brazil is not only poised to share the positive outlook of its rising market, but also hosts a plethora of talented developers ready to provide the world with new perspectives and partnerships. Brazil Games seeks to continue this initiative from June 26 to June 30 at Brazils Independent Games (BIG) Festival seventh edition in Sao Paulo, the largest indie gaming expo in Latin America. The success they saw in San Francisco will carry into this event and has already driven a surge in global business relationships. BIG Festival will also feature an awards section to honor video game developers both locally and worldwide for their contributions to the evolution of the scene.

Speaking of awards, Brazil Games departed GDC with a slew of nominations and awards under its belt. Relic Hunters Legend (Rogue Snail) and DeMagnete VR (BitCake Studio), won awards as GDCs Best in Play Finalists. A third game, Areia (GILP Studio), earned a spot in Best in Plays Honorable Mention category. Trial of Titans (Oktagon Games) and Talaka (Flux Games) both represented Brazil in the GDC Pitch competition, with Talaka winning the grand prize. A consolation for Oktagon Games is that two projects it co-developed, Mila Moment and Covens, both landed on CNETs list of The 10 coolest mobile games we saw at GDC 2019.

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Brazil Games

Brazil Games is the export program created by the Brazilian Independent Game Companies Association, ABRAGAMES, in partnership with Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. Our goal is to promote the Brazilian Indie Game industry internationally, developing new business opportunities for our companies.

The Brazil Games Program also promotes Brazil as the hub for business in Latin America and invites buyers, investors and publishers for BIG Festival, Brazil's Independent Games Festival, the most important international indie games festival and the hub for international business in Latin America.

http://www.brazilgames.org/

About Apex-Brasil

The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad, and to attract foreign investment to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. Apex-Brasil organizes several initiatives aiming to promote Brazilian exports abroad. The Agency's efforts comprise trade and prospective missions, business rounds, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international trade fairs, arrangement of technical visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, and other select activities designed to strengthen the countrys branding abroad.

Apex-Brasil also plays a leading role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil, by working to identify business opportunities, promoting strategic events and lending support to foreign investors willing to allocate resources in Brazil

http://www.apexbrasil.com.br/en/home
Discovering The True You: an evoking masterpiece that shares wise words aimed at invigorating the heart and soul to unlock ones spiritual greatness. Discovering The True You is the creation of published author, Brenda Palmer, a graduate of Voorhee College with a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational management, a patient account representative/counselor, and a medical record analyst.

Palmer shares, Brenda Palmer was motivated to write this book because of what was instilled in her at an early age by a woman named Anita Stroud, who took her, her siblings and other children into her home in the projects of Fairview Homes, a neighborhood infested with drugs, violence, and teenage pregnancy. she took them under her wings and taught them domestic skills like sewing, knitting, and crafting along with learning the attributes of perseverance, endurance, and good work ethics. She also made it possible for them to participate in summer camp supported by the local churches in the community of Charlotte. Ms. Stroud never had children, but they were her children, whom she taught to work with their hands and make use of their God-given talents God placed in them. She taught them through Christ they could do all things.

Also, as an adult, Brenda was motivated by an very dear friend Trinette Vereen who started a book club at their church who introduce them to a writer who offered writing courses once a month. Trinette was so kind enough to let Brenda accompany her to the courses by driving her there. God will place people in our lives to lead us to the destiny or future he has planned for us. Brenda was instructed by God to write this book, but had no idea as to how God will bring it too life. Through kind and loving people God did it. This book will lead you to your true self in Jesus Christ.

To contact Brenda with comments or questions, please feel free to email her at:

brendadp2001@outlook.com

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Brenda Palmers new book exudes with concepts of steadfastness and conviction in God and addressed them as pivotal virtues needed to revitalize ones self and be blessed to achieve a purposeful life.

View a synopsis of Discovering The True You on YouTube.

Consumers can purchaseDiscovering The True You at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Discovering The True You, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.


We are continuing to lead the way in helping public sector organizations leverage private sector best practices and delivery models such as Agile to innovate and modernize their organizations, said Vijay George, Director of Technology at Bridgepoint Consulting.

Bridgepoint Consulting, an Addison Group company and Texas-based leader in finance, technology and management consulting services, today announced the expansion of its Technology Consulting practice to help public sector organizations modernize and accelerate their innovation initiatives from strategy to implementation and integration. This expansion includes the addition of three professionals: Dominica Council, Russ Finney and Lane Becker, who will help clients with a broad range of digital transformation initiatives, including IT strategy and planning, assessments, cyber security & compliance, technology optimization, systems integration, custom application development and cloud migration.

Todays government agencies are facing many challenges, including transformation, cyber security, modernization and budget constraintswe're excited to be increasing our footprint in this critical area to help organizations improve services to their citizens," said Vijay George, Director of Technology at Bridgepoint Consulting. Dominica, Russ and Lane, each have extensive backgrounds serving the public sector industry, and bring valuable talent and experience to our growing technology team.

Bridgepoint has been well established in the Texas market for over twenty years and extended its services to better meet the needs of the public sector market in 2017. With its high-touch approach, industry leading solutions and unique depth of capabilities and resources proving to be significant value-add differentiators, the firm is already making a big impact.

We are continuing to lead the way in helping public sector organizations leverage private sector best practices and delivery models such as Agile to innovate and modernize their organizations, said George. Rather than just solving a specific challenge, we take an enterprise view of the organization and leverage a holistic approach to our engagements to effectively address resource gaps, business processes and systems.

Leveraging the added capabilities of its partner brands Addison Group and AIM Consulting, Bridgepoint now has a deep talent pool (5,000 high quality professionals and 800 developers) across the United States), to help companies of all sizes drive innovation across their organizations. The firm has quickly grown its key client base to include the City of Austin, Department of Public Safety, Comptroller of Public Accounts, City of Houston, among other well-known public sector and non-profit organizations.

Bridgepoint Consultings Technology Consulting practice serves a wide variety of public sector clients at the regional, state and local level. From IT strategy and ERP implementationto systems integration, cyber security and custom application development, the firm offers solutions to help organizations leverage technology to drive transformation. We bring practices, proven methodologies and business acumen to every project to ensure long-term client success. Learn more about Bridgepoints technology offerings at bridgepointconsulting.com/technology.

Public Sector Leadership Profiles

Vijay George, Director of Technology Consulting

As Director of Technology Consulting for Bridgepoint Consulting, Vijay George supports public sector organizations with digital transformation initiatives, including IT strategy and planning, assessments, technology modernization and systems implementation & integration. Vijay is a strategic leader with over two decades of executive and technology leadership experience. Prior to joining Bridgepoint, he served as CIO for the State of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and as CIO for a public-sector utility, the Lower Colorado River Authority.

He has led transformational initiatives designed to increase growth and efficiency for organizations in many sectors including utilities, state and local government, IT services and manufacturing.

Dominica Council, Director of Public Sector Services

As Director of Public Sector Services, Dominica Council helps to lead Bridgepoints Business Development efforts for technology in the Great State of Texas. Dominica has more than 20 years of experience in sales/business development at Hewlett-Packard (HP) and CA Technologies, selling solutions and services to State and Local Government and Education (SLED). In those roles, she helped customers leverage technology to improve services to its citizens. Dominica has also been an active member in several IT and community advisory Boards throughout her career. This includes: two terms as Chair and Board Member of Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communication (TASSCC), Advisory Board member for eRepublics CIO Academy, Texas Technology Consortium member, Board member of Greenlights for Non-Profit Success (now Mission Capital) and Co-President of McCallums Royal Theatre Society, among others.

Russ Finney, Senior Advisor

Russ Finney is a well-known, award-winning IT strategist and interim executive who serves as a leader, advisor, educator and speaker. As an IT executive and consultant in both the private and public sectors, Russ has led large IT groups through complex and challenging situations throughout a career that has encompassed a wide range of industries. Prior to his work as a consultant and advisor, Finney served as CIO of Tokyo Electron and Senior Manager for Ernst & Young. His expertise includes: strategic business and IT planning, IT service optimization, system implementation, IT budget development and review, Agile methodology, ERP assessments and implementations. Russ also serves as a business and technology lecturer at The University of Texas-Austin McCombs School of Business, has been named a Top 5 CIO Influencer by Apollo Research and was recognized as one of the top 10 CIO advisors in the U.S. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Science and Computer Systems from Oklahoma State University.

Lane Becker, Senior Advisor

Lane Becker has extensive entrepreneurial and technology experience, in both the private and public sectors, and has been involved in the development of the Worldwide Web since its earliest days. He has served in a wide variety of tech roles, from website setup to venture capital investment in early-stage startups. Lane has vast experience in government on the federal level, including 18F (the innovation arm of the General Services Administration) and Code for America. His expertise includes: Product Leadership, Strategic Partnerships, Business Development, Organizational Strategy, Business Process Strategy, Technology Investment, Change Management, Product and Process Development and Design Strategy. A proven product developer/manager and market strategist, Lane is adept at creating partnerships to further business development with additional specialties in user experience research, strategy and design; investment fundraising; patience; and disasters  both creation and recovery. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, Lane is a New York Times bestselling author.

ABOUT BRIDGEPOINT CONSULTING

Bridgepoint Consulting, an Addison Group company, is a leading management consulting firm that helps organizations throughout their business lifecycle. Offering a broad range of finance, technology and risk/compliance services, Bridgepoint supports clients from the startup phase all the way to IPO readiness and beyond. Since 1999, the firm has been helping executives and management teams reduce their business and operational risks, bridge resource gaps and improve overall performance. Whether an organization needs interim expertise to improve infrastructure and processes, or strategic management of a major transition or transaction, Bridgepoints team of industry leaders is able to provide the critical support needed to ensure success. The firm is headquartered in Austin, with offices in Dallas and Houston and the capability to deliver solutions across the US. To learn more about Bridgepoint Consulting and how it can help serve your business, please visit bridgepointconsulting.com, and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contact

Holly Subervi, Senior Marketing Manager

hsubervi(at)bridgepointconsulting.com

512-600-8513
1963 Campers On behalf of United Camps, Conferences and Retreats, we congratulate the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on the 60th Anniversary of their beautiful camp and all of the people that have had wonderful experiences there.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Northern California- Nevada recently held their Annual Gathering in Sunnyvale, CA. A time of celebration included a cake for the 60th birthday of their camp and retreat center, The Community of the Great Commission.

In 1959, John Holland and Josh Wilson, ministers with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Northern California-Nevada, began to search the California foothills for land to develop a camp for youth and adults to enjoy the great outdoors and participate in the unique aspects of residential camp and conference experiences.

They found a property located in Michigan Bluff, near Foresthill, CA, in the California Gold Country, at an elevation of 4000. After negotiations with the land owner, the members of the Christian Church Region voted to purchase the land.

Even as they began development, in August 1960, almost exactly one year after the purchase of the camp property, a devastating forest fire swept through the foothills of Foresthill and severely damaged the camp forest. Nearly 80% of the trees were a loss and in some areas, the ash was 2 feet deep.

Nonetheless, the people of the region persevered and began building in earnest. In 1963, the retreat house, known as Claar House, which was named after Adelaide Claar, a laywoman from the San Jose Christian Church who made a sizeable donation, was begun. This building served as the indoor kitchen and dining area for more than 30 years until a larger, more commercial style dining hall was built in the late 1990s.

In 1965 and 1966, respectively, eight cabins and a lodge were built, giving groups an indoor meeting area and sleeping quarters. Since then, many amenities have been added such as a swimming pool, amphitheater, and a variety of recreation areas.

The impact of these camp and conference centers that were built across the United States by church denominations in the 40s, 50s, and 60s have had an everlasting impact on those who participated in this center of teaching, learning, and relaxing in a natural setting, set apart from the daily grind and technologies of life down the mountain.

Sixty years have passed since John Holland took church members up an old logging road to explore this forest on the ridge. American life has changed significantly with a much faster paced life than might have been imagined in 1959. Perhaps now more than ever, camps such as these offer modern people an opportunity to unplug and experience a simpler surrounding.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Northern California- Nevada recently held their Annual Gathering in Sunnyvale, CA and celebrated the 60th birthday of their camp and retreat center, The Community of the Great Commission, with a cake.

The Community of the Great Commission is managed by United Camps, Conferences and Retreat, a camp and retreat management cooperative.

"On behalf of United Camps, Conferences and Retreats, we congratulate the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on the 60th Anniversary of their beautiful camp and all of the people that have had wonderful experiences there," writes Mike Carr, President of United Camps, Conferences, and Retreats.
Charles Oliver, financial advisor in Lake Mary Florida, discussing investments with a client Our educational wealth protection webinar is an opportunity for Baby Boomers to learn the significant differences in planning for retirement versus planning at retirement.

Charles Oliver, President of The Hidden Wealth Solution, has met the criteria for achieving Presidents Club status with the National Life Group 2019.

As a Presidents Club recipient, Mr. Oliver is recognized with this top honor achievement for both his consultative approach in helping clients maximize their retirement and meeting specific bench marks as a top Lake Mary, Florida financial advisor and being in the top one percent of financial advisors and insurance professionals in the world.

The Hidden Wealth Solution has been recognized as one of the total 50 independent financial advisory firms recognized by the National Life Group, a 170-year old Legal Reserve Insurance Carrier who work with thousands of financial professionals around the United States. The Hidden Wealth Solution Teams primary focus is educating clients in wealth creation and preservation planning in helping Baby Boomers discover and uncover their Hidden Wealth.

Oliver stated I am honored my team and I have been recognized with this prestigious award. I am extremely passionate about financial planning and retirement planning. I cant express to our Baby Boomer clients enough that its essential to have a well thought out plan and proper management of the plan so they organize and optimize their retirement.

Mr. Oliver and his staff specialize in personal finance, retirement planning, wealth management and tax consulting as it pertains to tax deductions, capital gains tax elimination, IRS tax, income tax brackets and federal tax returns. Mr. Oliver can be heard every Saturday and Sunday on the Hidden Wealth Radio show that airs in Orlando, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, Tampa, Florida and Dayton, Ohio. In Orlando, Hidden Wealth Radio airs every Saturday at 11AM EST and every Sunday at 1PM EST on News Radio 93.1 WFLA. The Hidden Wealth Radio show can also be heard every Sunday at 9AM EST in Dayton on AM1290/News95.7 WHIO, in Jacksonville on News 104.5 WOKV and in Tampa on NewsRadio 970 WFLA both markets on Sundays at 11AM EST. Those looking to hear the radio show can also hear the archived shows online at: http://www.thehiddenwealthsolution.com/hidden-wealth-radio/

Consumers interested in growing their financial wealth are invited to attend one of the upcoming complimentary educational webinars to learn more about retirement income and savings protection from stock market losses and saving tax through strategic tax planning. This weekly webinar is available every Tuesday at 11:00 am, 3:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm EST. To register consumers are asked to visit online at: http://www.RetirementProtected.com.

Oliver added, Our educational wealth protection webinar is an opportunity for Baby Boomers to learn the significant differences in planning for retirement versus planning at retirement. Often the media can mold our thinking that we forget to look beyond the here and now point of view. I encourage investors to look long term and consider their goals. If they are Baby Boomers, they dont have as much time for their nest egg to grow as somebody much younger. Many of our clients hire us to work with their adult children as well. The impact of taxes are a key area we focus on that has now been proven to be the greatest retired Baby Boomer regret. We are a heavily taxed society and there are ways you can structure and invest so as to alleviate such heavy tax burdens when you go to draw on your retirement. These are the types of direction, confidence and capability conversations my team and I have with clients. Baby Boomer couples have shared repeatedly their regret of not taking the time to learn about things they had never learned before with regards to planning for versus planning at retirement. They have shared the truth of the point that people dont know what people dont know. Our educational webinars provide insightful information of how to save, grow and protect their retirement and enables Baby Boomers to optimize their assets. Many Baby Boomers have said how working with a registered investment advisor and wealth architect team can make a true difference in the results.

The Hidden Wealth Solution is located at 250 International Parkway, Suite 146 in Heathrow, Florida 32746. Their financial advisors can be reached Monday through Friday between 9AM  6PM EST by calling 407-478-1599 or 1-800-825-1766. Consumers located around the United States and need help with their financial planning and retirement accounts are welcome to get in touch with The Hidden Wealth Solution. Their Florida office caters to locals and those living outside of the state. To learn more about The Hidden Wealth Solution visit online at: http://www.thehiddenwealthsolution.com/

ABOUT CHUCK OLIVER

Chuck Oliver, Wealth Strategist is a national radio host, two-time best-selling author and the creator of The Hidden Wealth Solution. Chuck has had a front row seat in helping Baby-Boomers for almost a quarter century. He helps Boomers and business owners to get to retirement or to get through retirement better. Chuck is recognized in the top half of 1% of all financial professionals in the world and he is a two-time best-selling author, nationally acclaimed speaker and an industry regarded top retirement architect.

ABOUT THE HIDDEN WEALTH SOLUTION

The Hidden Wealth Solution provides unique wealth building strategies that ensure that their clients financial safety, liquidity and growth potential are secured. The Hidden Wealth Solutions aim is to optimize assets, maximize opportunities and enable clients to discover and uncover their hidden wealth. The Hidden Wealth Solution teaches clients how to safely and predictably avoid stock market losses with the ability to earn potential double digit, tax-free returns, even during the worst financial decade since the great depression. Their proven system emphasizes the importance of building your own personal financial solution for retirement peace of mind. To learn more about The Hidden Wealth Solution, go to http://www.TheHiddenWealthSolution.com.
We want something thats going to bring families to our community, shares Joe Wolfe, Celina Parks and Rec Director.

The community of Celina, Ohio introduced their new outdoor challenge course on Monday, April 22. The new space provides activities that encourage teenagers and families to play and challenge each other to stay active.

The town was looking for a new kind of space for teens to participate in physical activity besides another playground. Joe Wolfe, Celina Parks and Rec Director, did some research and spoke with David Williams Association (DWA), a GameTime agency, to find something special that would attract older children. Wolfe and Mayor Jeff Hazel heard about challenge courses, obstacle courses designed for open public use, and visited the Indianapolis Challenge Course in Indiana to get a better understanding of what they entail. After some consideration, they concluded that the challenge course is best option for their community because it allows participants that are ages 13 and above to experience physical activity in a new way.

The challenge course was finally completed this spring allowing families and schools of the community to come and try the new obstacles and 40-yard dash lines. According to Wolfe, the most enjoyable part of the challenge course is the timing aspect. It is HUGE! They seem to love that part of it because they can take turns to see who can complete the obstacles the fastest.

They hope that this challenge course will encourage people from not only their community but others from outside the area to come visit and enjoy all that Celina has to offer. We want something thats going to bring families to our community, shares Wolfe.

PlayCore recognizes Eastview Park Challenge Course as an Outdoor Adult Fitness National Demonstration Site following design best practices outlined in Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks: Best Practices for Promoting Community Health by Increasing Physical Activity. The resource was created with an advisory board of scholars and experts in fitness to help communities understand not just design, but also benefits of outdoor exercise.

To continue to celebrate Eastview Parks commitment to advancing play and recreation through best practices, the schools will receive a certificate of recognition, become a part of a network of potential research sites, and will be promoted actively to other communities wishing to create recreation spaces using design and/or programming. To locate the new site, check out http://www.playcore.com/nds/map.

About PlayCore:

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. Learn more at http://www.playcore.com.
Ecolectro, Inc., innovator of high-durability alkaline exchange membranes (AEM) for use in electrolyzers and fuel cells, announced the recent funding of a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the US Department of Energy Office of Science. The agency sought applications for the development of membranes for use in systems that use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide to storable chemical fuels. The grant, Ultra-Stable Phosphonium-based Alkaline Exchange Membranes for Solar Fuels Generators proposed to tailor Ecolectros innovative AEMs to the requirements of solar powered hydrogen production systems. The $150,000 award will allow the Ithaca, NY company to address an essential component of viability for solar hydrogen generation AEMs  minimizing gas crossover and gas losses by designing polymers with unique structure-property relationships. These new materials will address the complex interplay of molecular weight, cation structure and content on performance, swelling and gas permeability. Ultimately, we will provide new membranes that will facilitate solar-powered fuel production with inexpensive, earth-abundant materials.

Demonstration of efficient renewable production of hydrogen will be a major advance toward the commercial adoption of hydrogen fuel cells for many applications. To that end, the Department of Energy sought new membrane materials to meet parameters specific to photoelectrochemical fuels generation including low gas permeability, diurnal variation of sunlight and operation at temperature extremes. In an expansion of Ecolectros existing commercial applications, new polymers for AEMs will be synthesized and characterized for their ability to specifically address gas permeability, conductivity, ion exchange capacity, mechanical and thermal properties, and chemical and photo stability.

Ecolectro Chief Scientific Officer and Principal Investigator Kristina Hugar, PhD said Solar fuels generation is a new application for our alkaline exchange membranes. We will use this grant to identify and evaluate new polymer compositions against the technical limitations of membranes currently used in the field while also showcasing the adaptability of our membranes.

About Ecolectro: Ecolectro develops durable and highly conductive polymer membranes for a range of applications, including electrolysis and fuel cell systems that improve performance and decrease costs dramatically. Ecolectro is a client company of the Kevin M. McGovern Family Center for Venture Development in the Life Sciences at Cornell University. Since its founding in 2015, Ecolectro has been awarded approximately $2.7M in federal, state and local grant funding to improve the properties of its materials, to validate device performance and for pilot scale manufacturing.
The light, coastal-inspired tones of Whitecap LedgeCut33 provide a versatile option for capturing rich, dark details while embracing the appeal of bright neutrals. With the coastal-inspired interplay of tones in Whitecap, our aim is to captivate and inspire the architecture and design community to rethink the way they incorporate rich, darker details while continuing to embrace the appeal of a brighter neutral base.

Eldorado Stone brightens the clean lines of contemporary architectural stone with the debut of Whitecap LedgeCut33. Providing a multilayered color option, Whitecap presents an artistic display of highlights and depth patterns inspired by the sight of waves crashing upon unmarred coastal shores. In combination with its lighter, gray tones, the varying hues of Whitecap LedgeCut33 include accents of warm coppers and muted blues in a complex mix reminiscent of pristine sand stirred by the rolling surf.

The use of color within a space can bring back old memories or create entirely new ones in an instant, regardless of whether youre working with a modern design aesthetic or something more traditional, said Sarah Lograsso, Director of Marketing. With the coastal-inspired interplay of tones in Whitecap, our aim is to captivate and inspire the architecture and design community to rethink the way they incorporate rich, darker details while continuing to embrace the appeal of a brighter neutral base.

TWEET THIS: Newly introduced Whitecap #LedgeCut33 from @eldoradostone adds coastal-inspired hues to the contemporary, linear profile. http://bit.ly/WhitecapLedgeCut33 #stoneveneer

With the introduction of Whitecap, Eldorado Stone reveals the next generation of modern coloring techniques and continues to elevate the tones and textures found in the natural world. Whether applied on an accent wall or as the focal point of any space, Whitecap infuses subtle warmth while providing a balance of strength and beauty that characterizes some of the nations most treasured seaside escapes.

As the latest addition to Eldorado Stones Modern Collection, Whitecap LedgeCut33 guarantees a natural and authentic appearance. Designed for dry-stack installation, this profile is easy to handle, cut and install. The number 33 represents the 3-inch height and three different lengths of 12 inches, 18 inches and 24 inches of each individual stone shape. In addition to Whitecap, LedgeCut33 is available nationwide in five inspiring color palettes: Beach Pebble, Birch, Golden Oak, Ocean Floor and Sage.

To learn more about Eldorado Stone and its products, visit EldoradoStone.com.

About Eldorado Stone

Eldorado Stone, LLC is the manufacturer of the worlds most believable architectural stone veneer and is headquartered in San Marcos, California. For more than 45 years, Eldorado Stone has demonstrated an undeniable passion for creating authentic products that elevate quality and design, including architectural stone and brick veneer, fireplace surrounds, fire bowls and outdoor living products. The company currently operates manufacturing facilities in several states with regional distribution centers across the U.S. For more information and to view a gallery of beautiful installations, visit EldoradoStone.com.


[EnergySavvy] not only can derive deep insights from data, but also apply it to utility customer engagement through highly personalized next best actions. Thats where the magic is.

EnergySavvy, the industry leader in personalized utility customer experience transformation, will be honored with an Analytics 50 award by Drexel Universitys LeBow College of Business on May 2. The company is being recognized for its innovations in utility analytics. EnergySavvys Utility Customer Experience (UCX) platform enables utilities to deepen customer relationships through insights, messages and offers that are specifically relevant and systematically delivered through any engagement channel to each customer, made possible through advanced analytics and AI.

As part of its emphasis on academic-industry collaboration, Drexel Universitys Center for Business Analytics recognizes 50 organizations across multiple industries using analytics in notable and innovative ways to solve business problems. The recognized companies span insurance, sports, transportation, retail, healthcare, and other industries. EnergySavvy joins other Analytics 50 companies including: Honda, PATH, Southwest Airlines and TBS.

EnergySavvy has been working with utility companies for almost a decade and has a deep understanding of utility data. We not only can derive deep insights from data, but also apply it to utility customer engagement through highly personalized next best actions. Thats where the magic is, said Kalpana Narayanaswamy, VP of Engineering at EnergySavvy.

Using EnergySavvys UCX platform, National Grid USA was better able to reach their low-income customers with the best fit offer, resulting in a 120% higher enrollment in key programs. Based on the pilot success, National Grid is expanding the personalization solution beyond their 650,000 LMI customers to reach more than 2 million customers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island this spring.

For more information, check out http://www.energysavvy.com

About EnergySavvy

Through data-driven personalization, innovative customer engagement, and automated program delivery, EnergySavvy delivers the utility industry's leading purpose-built, cloud-based customer experience platform. By addressing the unique challenges of the utility customer journeyfrom new move-ins, to service alerts, to value-added energy efficiencyEnergySavvys suite of cloud solutions solves the utility data problem, works with any system or platform, and delivers unmatched speed-to-value in utility customer experience solution delivery. More than 30 utilities and state programs across the U.S. rely on EnergySavvy to enable their own transformation in the modern, digital customer era.
Excel Health By working with some of the largest and most forward-thinking SNFs to develop our solution, we are able to solve two of the biggest challenges facing SNFs today  knowing how to efficiently grow their market share and reduce margin pressures in the value-based care economy.

Excel Health, the leading source for post-acute care outcomes data and performance analytics for the healthcare industry, announced today the general availability of its new business intelligence solution for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF). Based on the most recent and complete set of Medicare data available, Excel Health provides SNFs unprecedented visibility into the markets they serve, including physician referrals and facility discharge patterns by setting, diagnostic category, and patient acuity. The solution also includes competitor performance metrics such as readmission rates, total cost of care, and average length of stay.

The SNF market is under extreme pressure by healthcare networks and health plans to demonstrate the value they contribute to reducing the total cost of care and minimizing the risk of patient readmissions, said Excel Health CEO Ian Juliano. By working with some of the largest and most forward-thinking SNFs to develop our solution, we are able to solve two of the biggest challenges facing SNFs today  knowing how to efficiently grow their market share and reduce margin pressures in the value-based care economy.

How It Works

As one of only a few companies in the country to earn Innovator status under CMSs Virtual Research Data Center Program, Excel Health has access to the complete and current set of fee-for-service claims data on the 60M+ Medicare beneficiary lives. Excel Health has analyzed more than 1.25 billion claims across the care continuum and presents actionable insights for SNFs, including:



Outcomes by major diagnostic category and Bundled Payment for Care Improvement category

Average Medicare length of stay

30, 60, and 90-day readmission rates

Total cost of care across all patient settings

Business development leaders and operational executives can use these metrics to identify high-potential referral sources to grow their business, increase their profitability, and uncover opportunities for improvement in their own operations to provide the highest quality services at the lowest cost. According to Keith Imbody, Director of Business Development for Nationwide Healthcare Services with six facilities across Pennsylvania and Delaware, The Excel Health solution provides access to current, accurate data in a very credible and powerful way, giving us the advantage in a competitive market where appropriate lengths of stay and low readmission rates are key.

Building on the expertise Excel Health has gained in delivering similar business intelligence solutions to more than 4,000 active users in the home health and hospice industries, Excel is adding its purpose-built SNF solution to its growing portfolio of post-acute care products. With a 98% customer retention rate, Excel continues to add new capabilities to expand the value its solutions consistently deliver to customers. The new SNF solution is available today and will be demonstrated at the upcoming LongTermCare100 conference May 5th in Naples, FL. To learn more or see a complete demonstration of the new SNF solution, please visit https://www.excelhealthgroup.com/request-a-demo/.

About Excel Health

Excel Health provides growth solutions that drive critical workflows to dramatically improve post-acute care performance. Our performance analytics, quality metrics, and targeting tools are derived from complete 100% Medicare Part A and B data, along with Part C and D in the near future, to produce high value to care providers and payers. Given our strong client retention rate, we have developed the 90 Day Stress Free Guarantee program. Details can be found at excelhealthgroup.com/stress-free. Excel Health customers are the only SNFs in the market that can position themselves as an invaluable resource to their referral partners, because they have exclusive visibility into the full continuum of care. For more information on Excel Health, please visit http://www.excelhealthgroup.com; or to see a demonstration, email us at sales@excelhealthgroup.com.
Kristy Kimball, Health Law Partner in Salt Lake City "Utahs healthcare and life sciences industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the U.S. - Kristy brings deep industry knowledge to assist healthcare companies navigate the evolving and complex legal landscape"

Holland & Hart announced that Kristy Kimball joined the firms dynamic healthcare team as a partner in Salt Lake City. Kimball leverages her corporate management and legal experience in the healthcare and life sciences industries to help clients create transformative, practical, compliance solutions that work across an organization.

"Utahs healthcare and life sciences industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the U.S. Kristy brings deep industry knowledge to assist healthcare companies navigate the evolving and complex legal landscape," said James Barnett, administrative partner of the firms Salt Lake City office. "We are excited to have Kristy join our healthcare law team bringing legal and industry experience that will be highly valuable to our clients."

After 13 years of experience in sales and management roles at one of the largest global healthcare companies, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Kimball decided to pursue a law degree to enhance her ability to assist healthcare and life science companies to navigate the ever-evolving and increasingly complex federal and state regulations. Kimball partners with her clients to focus on strategic business and growth opportunities to maximize their long-term success.

Holland & Harts multi-dimensional healthcare team guides clients through the challenges and opportunities that arise in this rapidly changing, competitive industry. From regulatory compliance and transactions, to provider practices issues, employment, litigation, and privacy issues, our experienced team remain on the forefront of healthcare law to provide strategic services to meet our clients needs.

Before joining Holland & Hart, Kimball was the founding partner of Kimball Legal, PLLC., where she served as outside counsel to several major healthcare companies, including the largest hospital holding company in the U.S. Kimball is the founder and past chair of the Health Law Section of the Utah State Bar Association.

About Holland & Hart

Founded in 1947, Holland & Hart is a full-service Am Law 200 firm with offices in eight states and in Washington, D.C. We deliver integrated legal solutions to regional, national, and international clients of all sizes in a diverse range of industries. For more information, visit http://www.hollandhart.com or on Twitter: @HollandHart.
Online Physician Liaison Training I wanted to create a superior physician liaison training experience unlike any other. I did this by addressing the objections & hesitations providers face when choosing training and developed a solution with remote access, affordability, on-going support, and individual & team training.

Kelley Knott, Physcian Liaison Consultant /Online Trainer, & CEO of Intrepy Healthcare Marketing, offers medical practices and hospital systems a superior way to train physician liaisons with this new digital course and website to provide on-going support and training.

"I believe in creating a community where physician liaisons can interact and support each other, says Knott. My goal was building a superior physician liaison training experience unlike any other. I did this by addressing the objections and hesitations providers face when choosing training and developed a solution with remote access, affordability, on-going support, and individual and team training."

Physician Liaison University is revolutionizing the way medical practices and hospitals train physician liaisons and track program success. Though providers understand the value of physician relations, marketing providing in-depth and consistent training for individuals and teams has proven to be a challenge, until now. This course is the solution for hospitals and medical practices to connect with new referring physicians, boost their referral network and drive new patients to the practice.

As Physician Liaison University is the first online physician liaison training available for healthcare providers, now physician liaisons can access training remotely, get training for both teams and individuals, on their schedules, unique to their practices, that is affordable for both small medical practices and large hospital systems.

The groundbreaking course's membership includes access to all 5 video training modules, cheat sheets, marketing guides, project plans, and information on what tools and resources they need to succeed, including:



Learning how to confidently market to referring physicians to convert patients

Getting past the "Gatekeepers"

Discovering how to track the marketing and measure ROI effectively

Developing a smart but simple marketing plan unique to your practice

Access to a "Members Only" private Physician Liaison Marketing Facebook Group

30-Day Physician Liaison Training Calendar

90-Day Marketing Plan

The site also includes blogs and podcasts that provide key insights and expert tips addressing the challenges physician liaisons face and how to overcome them to develop strong referral relationships.

About Physician Liaison University

If you are looking to grow patient referrals for your practice, seeking professional physician liaison training or a physician, hospital or healthcare professional interested in the course and/or working with Kelley Knott you can email support@kelleyknott.com.

About Kelley Knott

Kelley Knott teaches physician liaisons, physicians, medical practices and hospital systems the profitable action steps for building a highly engaged physician relations marketing program, with online training courses, 1 on 1 consulting and training, and proven and tested strategies to build physician referral relationships with ease. Her 6+ years experience as a physician liaison successfully building multiple 7 figure programs has prrovided her students with the top content they need to succeed. As CEO of an award winning healthcare marketing agency,Intrepy Healthcare Marketing, she is always developing innovative and smart marketing strategies to help your clients effectively grow their practice and reach patients.

More information about services and resources can be found by visiting kelleyknott.com or emailing support@kelleyknott.com.
At FoodLogiQ, we recognize that there is more value for all if we work together to solve our industrys business challenges. Sean OLeary, FoodLogiQ CEO.

FoodLogiQ, the leading SaaS provider of food safety compliance, whole chain traceability, and supply chain transparency solutions, has responded to an industry call for feedback on a recently-released industry report outlining recommendations to embrace a bold vision for traceability throughout the food supply chain.

The Romaine Task Force is a cross-functional group of executive industry leaders from across the supply chain, experts from academia and other disciplines, and government officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and state departments of health and agriculture. The Task Force and its four working groups, representing over 100 industry leaders, regulatory professionals and academic scientists, met in Dallas, TX, in February of this year to review progress to date and to work together in-person to build on that progress. The group released a full report in March 2019 and issued a call for commentary from industry on the report.

Since launching the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) more than a decade ago, our industry has made great strides in being able to label cartons and consumer packaging with lot codes, scannable bar codes and data that link back to individual growers and fields, said Tom Stenzel, president and CEO, United Fresh Produce Association, and Cathy Burns, CEO of Produce Marketing Association, in an article published in The Packer. Yet, we are not capturing that data all the way through the system such that we can identify what specific product was sold at specific locations. When a consumer gets sick, we have to find a way to identify the responsible product and the data tracing its origin.

With a history steeped in traceability, FoodLogiQ fully supports the call for an increased effort around traceability in the food industry. We applaud the Romaine Task Force for their work to bring the need for a bolder vision for traceability into the light, said FoodLogiQ CEO Sean OLeary. FoodLogiQ is ready to help support this continued effort and to lend our expertise as a leader in the food traceability technology.

Among the recommendations were to develop systems and approaches that identify and narrow the scope of possible lots/suppliers of leafy greens at any given retail or foodservice establishment at any given time, and retain that information for immediate use in a traceback investigation.

Partnering with our customers who are actively implementing traceability, we have learned a great deal about the best practices, hurdles and opportunities presented with implementing traceability in the food supply chain, said OLeary.

In addition to the traceability implementations of its customer base, FoodLogiQ has remained active in numerous industry associations guiding traceability and transparency in the food industry including GS1 US and the Produce Marketing Association. This involvement has included input into the guidelines for the use of GS1-128 barcodes, defining attributes for traceability and models to share this data across the supply chain.

At FoodLogiQ, we recognize that there is more value for all if we work together to solve our industrys business challenges, said OLeary.

FoodLogiQ boasts a customer base that includes Buffalo Wild Wings, CAVA, Chipotle Mexican Grill, CKE Restaurants, Compass Group USA, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, IPC/SUBWAY, Panda Restaurant Group, Raising Canes, sweetgreen and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. FoodLogiQs reach extends across the entire supply chain to include food manufacturers such as Tyson Foods, Hain-Celestial and Smithfield Foods, food retailers, including Whole Foods Market, as well as hundreds of growers, co-packers and produce marketers. FoodLogiQ was also recognized the last two years in a row by Forbes Magazine as being one of the top 25 most innovative AgTech startups.

About FoodLogiQ

FoodLogiQ LLC is the leading SaaS provider of traceability, food safety and supply chain transparency solutions. FoodLogiQ Connect is the most comprehensive, data-driven software solution that enables supplier management, food safety compliance, quality incident management, recall management and whole chain traceability  all on a single platform built exclusively for the food industry. To meet mounting regulatory requirements and consumer demands for transparency, food companies are leveraging FoodLogiQ Connect to validate supplier compliance with food safety and act with confidence in the event of a food safety or quality issue. To request a demo, please visit http://www.FoodLogiQ.com/demo.

MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Kiecha Berzins, APR

Vice President, Marketing and Communications

FoodLogiQ

919-656-4887

kberzins@foodlogiq.com
The overall explosion of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning applications can have significant implications on an organizations ability to compete [...]"

Jesper Martell, CEO of Comintelli, will moderate the interactive session From the Age of Collectors to the Age of Augmented Intelligence at the 34th annual Strategic Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) Conference, which will take place in Orlando, Florida, USA between 6-9 May, 2019.

Jesper Martell, CEO of Comintelli, will co-moderate the interactive session From the Age of Collectors to the Age of Augmented Intelligence at the annual SCIP conference, which will take place in Orlando, Florida, USA between 6-9th May, 2019.

The session will be moderated together with the Chairman of SCIP, Mr. Paul Santilli, WW OEM Market Intelligence & Strategy for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). It will cover the opportunities and challenges with new technologies such as Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in the context of Market and Competitive Intelligence solutions.

The overall explosion of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning applications can have significant implications on an organizations ability to compete. Applying these technologies in the Intelligence & Insights arena will provide a competitive advantage and help bring insights to actions as quickly as possible, says Paul Santilli at HPE.

We look forward to the session and to seeing our friends at SCIP again, says Jesper Martell. The session will focus on what the value of humans versus machines in converting data into insights and we think this will give rise to very thought-provoking discussions.

The SCIP conference gathers competitive intelligence professionals from all over the world in one location and offers both education and social interaction at a high level. Comintelli will exhibit at SCIP and also host a Champagne Toast in booth no. 6 on Tuesday 7th May to celebrate Comintellis 20 years in business.

For more information and registration to SCIP, please visit https://www.scip2019international.com. By using the code comintelli150 you will receive 150 USD off your registration fee.

About Comintelli

Comintelli (http://www.comintelli.com) is a Swedish software company which sells Intelligence Software that converts unstructured Big Data content into organized, digestible information for decision-making. The award winning solution Intelligence2day (http://www.intelligence2day.com) acts as an insight engine to help customers make faster and more confident decisions. Founded in 1999 and with extensive intelligence experience, Comintelli continues to develop user-friendly solutions that shortens Time-To-Insights.


The databases developers expect users to modify the default configuration before deployment. Many do not, and weve seen the consequence: millions of database records exposed to the world.

Future Hosting, a managed server hosting provider, today spoke out about the risks that businesses take when they fail to protect databases containing sensitive customer data. Future Hostings statement comes in the wake of multiple incidents in which sensitive data was exposed in databases without basic security protections such as passwords.

This month, the medical and personal data of tens of thousands of vulnerable healthcare customers was exposed. It was stored on a database that could be accessed by anyone who knew of its existence. The database was not protected by any form of authentication. This type of data leak is increasingly common. In January, it was reported that hundreds of VOIP databases are accessible without authentication. In the same month, 51 GB of financial data was exposed.

Modern databases  particularly NoSQL document databases  are often released with insecure default configurations to accelerate development and testing. During the development phase of a project, organizations want to get their software working as quickly as possible. Strict security gets in the way. But, however useful insecure defaults are during development, they are disastrous in production, said Maulesh Patel, VP of Operations of Future Hosting. The databases developers expect users to modify the default configuration before deployment. Many do not, and weve seen the consequence: millions of database records exposed to the world.

Patel urges developers to familiarize themselves with the security documentation of the databases they use in production. It is easy for criminals to discover insecure databases on the internet. Shodan is a search engine for internet-connected devices that indexes insecure databases. If a business puts an unprotected server or database on the internet, it will be discovered. Databases such as ElasticSearch and Memcached provide extensive documentation that, if followed, allows businesses to store even the most sensitive data with minimal risk of exposure.

About Future Hosting, LLC

Founded in 2001, Future Hosting is a privately held leading Internet solutions provider specializing in managed hosting, including Dedicated Servers, Virtual Private Servers, and Hybrid Virtual Private Servers. The company has built a strong reputation for its high-quality service, innovative pricing models, and 3-hour Service Level Agreement. Future Hosting is based in Southfield, Michigan. For more information, visit http://www.futurehosting.com
The Garagiste Festival is renowned for the diversity of wines, its renegade spirit, passionate winemakers, handcrafted wines and rules-breaking, no snobs allowed ethos.

The Garagiste Wine Festival, which was named Americas Best Wine Festival by USA Today, returns to LA County on June 21st and 22nd with an expanded line-up of events, including a new-to-LA Rare and Reserve kick-off party and a seminar on the rebirth of the LA wine industry, featuring Angeleno artisan wineries. This marks The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposures sixth anniversary in LA county, and its first time in Glendale, at the historic Glendale Civic Auditorium. The festival features over 200 wines from 50 winemakers, including Angeleno Wine Company, Byron Blatty Wines and Cavaletti Vineyards making wine from Los Angeles county. Tickets are available at http://garagistefestival.com.

Dubbed 'tasting nirvana', strange and wondrous, and 'one not to miss' by the LA Times, the Garagiste Festival is renowned for its diversity of wines, renegade spirit, passionate winemakers, handcrafted wines and rules-breaking, no snobs allowed ethos. It is Los Angeles only wine festival that exclusively features high quality wines from commercial California garagiste** winemakers, offering Angelenos a unique opportunity to discover hard-to-find wineries (most of whom do not have tasting rooms), taste hundreds of their wines, and personally meet the winemakers (only winemakers/owners pour at Garagiste Festivals) -- for less than the cost of gas for a trip to wine country.

We are excited to be back in Los Angeles County, this time in Glendale, to share a tremendous range of Californias micro-production winemakers - these are not supermarket wines, and the difference is astounding, said Doug Minnick, Co-founder of The Garagiste Festival. Winemakers of this size are artisans in the true sense of the word. Their wines are created from personal passion, not a marketing strategy. Without the constraints of the marketplace, these winemakers are free to explore rare varieties and cutting edge styles that you won't find anywhere else. The Garagiste Festival is a unique opportunity to discover these rare wines and get in on the ground floor.

Minnick noted that the Glendale Civic Auditorium means greater access to the festival for wine lovers in the San Fernando, San Gabriel, and Santa Clarita Valleys and the Eastside, as well enabling additional Garagiste events, such as a Rare and Reserve tasting and barbecue on Friday night.

A focus of this years festival is the rebirth of the LA wine industry, and the festival has dedicated a tasting seminar to some of the exciting winemaking that is taking place right here in LA County. The panel of winemakers, including Jasper Dickson, Angeleno Wine Co.; Mark Blatty, Byron Blatty Wines; and Patrick Kelley, Cavaletti Vineyards, are on a mission to place the Los Angeles County AVA back on the map as a must-visit wine region. Garagiste Festival Co-founder, Stewart McLennan, who hosts the popular The Garagiste Show on KRUSH 92.5FM, will moderate the panel.

Most people are probably unaware that there is an LA County AVA, much less that the California wine industry was born in Los Angeles in 1782. In fact, vineyards were planted in Glendale as early as 1784 and LA is where Bordeaux vine cuttings were first planted in California, said McLennan. The region was once home to a hundred vineyards and a flourishing local community that was the heart of the California wine business. While urbanization has overtaken the original vineyards, the drive to regain world-renown for this AVA is on and our panel will take a deep dive into that while offering tastings of some of the remarkable wines produced in LA County.

Time and Place:

Friday, June 21st

6:30  9:00pm The Garagiste Wine Festival: Urban Exposure launches with "No Repeats Rare & Reserve Kick-off Party, showcasing extremely limited Club Only, Library and Pre-Release bottles and featuring a summer BBQ buffet.

Saturday, June 22nd

11:30  12:30: The Rebirth of the LA Wine Industry seminar (VIP ticket holders only: VIP tickets include lunch and early access to the Grand Tasting.)

2pm  5:00pm The Grand Tasting showcases over 50 winemakers pouring 200+ wines and 20+ varieties.

All events take place at Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 North Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA. There is plenty of onsite parking and easy access from the 134 and 210 freeways.

Wineries Include: 13th & Third Wines*, Adron Wines*, Aldina Vineyards*, Alma Sol Wines, Angeleno Wine Co., Ann Albert Wines, Armitage Wines, Ascension Cellars, Bella Luna Winery, Bevela Wines, Brooks Note Wines*, Byron Blatty Wines, Cavaletti Vineyards, Cholame Vineyard, Cloak & Dagger Wines, Copia Vineyards, DB Cellars*, DENO Wines, DeWitt Vineyard*, Dusty Nabor Wines, Enriquez EstateWines*, Ferguson Family Winery*, Frostwatch Vineyard*, Gary Kramer Guitar Cellars*, Greyscale Wines*, Hoi Polloi Winery, Kings Carey Wines*, Kitson Wines, Lions Peak Wines*, LXV Wines, Marin's Vineyard, MCV Wines, Metrick Wines, Montagne Russe, Ocean's Churning*, Playground Cellars*, Powicana Farms, Record Family Wines, RF Fine Wines*, Say When Wine*, Torch Cellars, Turiya Wines, Two Papas Wine*, Two Shepherds, Velvet Bee Wines*, Vino Vargas, and Wander-Must Wines*

*First Time LA Participants

Tickets: To preserve an intimate experience with one-on-one interaction with winemakers, tickets are very limited for the Garagiste Festivals and always sell out. Tickets are available at http://garagistefestival.com. For special discounts and updates on Urban Exposure, Taste of Garagiste mini-tastings and other Garagiste Festival events and news, sign up for The Dirt at http://garagistefestival.com/sign-up/, or follow us on Twitter (@GaragisteFest) or Facebook (http://on.fb.me/1rgBC80).

Festival Sponsors include: Bank of Marin, ETS, AEB, Laffort, Digital Dogma, Hanover Insurance, Farm Credit, mWEBB Communications, Glenn Burdette, G3, WIVI, House Copper. For sponsorship info, email info(at)garagistefestival.com.

About The Garagiste Wine Festival

The Garagiste Wine Festival (http://www.garagistefestival.com), named the Best Wine Festival in the US in 2018 in USA Todays 10Best Readers Choice Awards, is the first and only wine festival dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized American artisan garagiste producers who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world. Founded by fellow garagistes Stewart McLennan and Douglas Minnick, the Garagiste Festivals are committed to discovering the best and most innovative limited-production winemakers and promoting and showcasing them to a broad audience of discerning wine consumers. In addition to its flagship annual festival in Paso Robles, CA, the Garagiste Festival line-up includes Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure, featuring Santa Ynez Valley garagistes; the Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, in Los Angeles; the Garagiste Festival, Northern Exposure, in Sonoma; winemaker dinners, a newsletter, garagiste profiles and more.

In addition to being named the US Best Wine Festival, the Garagiste Festival was named one of the Top Nine Incredible Epicurean Vacations in the world by ABC News, * one of the premier wine events of the year, by the LA Times and Best Festival by Sunset Magazines Best of the West. The festivals are produced by Garagiste Events, a non-profit dedicated to furthering the education of future winemakers and those training for employment within the wine industry. Proceeds from the festivals support the Garagiste Festival Scholarship fund of the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo Wine and Viticulture Department.

*The Garagiste Wine Festival was named Americas Best Wine Festival by USA Today in 2018.

**Garagistes (garage-east) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their "garages" (anything considered not a chateau), who refused to follow the rules, and is now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world. The Garagiste Festivals were the first to shine a light on the American garagiste winemaker in 2011.

Media Contacts:

mWEBB Communications for The Garagiste Festivals

Melanie Webber, melanie(at)mwebbcom(dot)com, 424-603-4340
We are proud to support the HBA and its many efforts to move the needle forward on diversity, equality, and inclusion in keeping with the firms own culture and history of diversity."

Angeles Garcia Cassin, an associate in the Houston office of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, will receive the Houston Bar Associations (HBA) prestigious Presidents Award for Outstanding Service for her work on its Gender Fairness Committee.

Garcia Cassin and the two other co-chairs of the committee are responsible for the Gender Fairness Committees proactive effort urging firms to take concrete action by 2020 to materially increase the number of women as partners and firm leaders. The committee also promotes awareness within the profession and encourages law firms and corporate legal departments to sign the Gender Initiative Commitment Statement, which was strengthened by the work of the three co-chairs, according to HBA.

The success of this Committees work is largely thanks to colleagues at the firm who took the time not only to encourage and support me in my role as co-chair, but also to physically participate in our programs, including Men as Mentors and Sponsors, Garcia Cassin said.

HBAs Gender Fairness Committee examines issues that hinder gender parity in the legal profession and develops programs for discussing such matters, including seminars and networking opportunities.

We are proud to support the HBA and its many efforts to move the needle forward on diversity, equality, and inclusion in keeping with the firms own culture and history of diversity, said Shari L. Heyen, Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurigs Global Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice and Co-Managing Shareholder of the firms Houston office. We applaud Angeles commitment and dedication to her leadership role within this critical HBA committee.

Winners of the HBA Presidents Award for Outstanding Service will be recognized during the Houston Bar Associations 2019 Annual Dinner at The Houstonian Hotel on May 16.

Garcia Cassin focuses her practice on commercial litigation and labor and employment matters. In her preventative employment practice, she advises clients and defends against claims arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Older Workers Benefits Protection Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. She also handles matters related to Title VII discrimination and retaliation as well as workers compensation retaliation claims.

Serving with Garcia Cassin as co-chairs of the HBA Gender Fairness Committee are Houston-based attorneys Amy Parker and W. James McAnelly III.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP  Texas: Texas is important to Greenberg Traurig, LLP and part of its history. With more than 125 Texas lawyers in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Greenberg Traurig, LLP has deep roots in the Texas business, legal, and governmental communities. Greenberg Traurig Texas works with clients to address their interdisciplinary legal needs across the state utilizing the firms global platform. The Texas attorneys are experienced in industries key to the states future, including: aviation, chemicals, construction, education, energy and natural resources, financial institutions, health care, hedge funds, hospitality, infrastructure, insurance, media, medical devices, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, real estate, retail, sports, technology and software, telecommunications, transportation, and video games and esports.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 39 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
2019 National Financial Competition Winner - Rebecca Boyle I felt Rebecca [ Rebecca Boyle, 2019 winner] gained valuable knowledge from presenting her plan and networking with the experienced professional and I would encourage any Educator to consider competing as a worthwhile exercise... Professor Dave Ragan, University of North Texas. Past News Releases RSS Universities Compete in the 2020...

Call for Financial Consulting...

Call for Corporate Sponsorships ...

Participation in the Competition all centers around the case study. The IARFC develops a fictional family narrative from which the students will craft a financial plan. The narrative is full of numbers and scenarios that will be interpreted by the students and presented to a panel of judges. This year the IARFC looked to Michael Saltiel, MRFC of Saltiel Wealth Management for development. It was challenging and fun to come up with the narrative for the 2020 Competition, related Saltiel. I tried to include basic information along with a few twists to encourage the students to be creative. I look forward to seeing their results.

Reviewing the narrative for 2020 will be the NFPC Committee comprised of IARFC Board Members Peter J. DArruda, MRFC, Rick B. Stanzione, RFC, and Michelle K. Blair, RFC. Other Committee responsibilities include reviewing the prior Competition and making decisions or changes for the event in 2020. One of our biggest changes from 2018 to 2019 was the inclusion of a real couple on the stage with the finalists, explained Blair. The students definitely preferred presenting to them as clients vs just talking from a podium to a group of consultants. It made the experience more real world.

In the near future, the IARFC will be sending out information to the Universities who have Financial Services Programs to start thinking about the 2020 event. This will follow with hard deadlines for registration and student rosters from the Professors. Looking back on my experience in Nashville for the 2019 Finals, I found the entire experience an awesome learning opportunity and decidedly a lot of fun, related Professor David Ragan, RFC from University of North Texas whose student, Rebecca Boyle, won the Competition. I felt Rebecca gained invaluable knowledge from presenting her plan and networking with the experienced professionals. I would encourage any Educator to consider competing as a worthwhile exercise.

The IARFC also is looking for Corporate Sponsors and Individual Donors who play a major role in the success of the Competition. This is a perfect way for us to support the NextGen of financial professionals, acknowledges Barry Dayley, MRFC from Money Concepts International, a 2019 Corporate Sponsor. I regard these young students who compete as future financial consultants in the making. It is a cause we will again support in 2020.

Specific details for Educators, Corporate Sponsors or Individual Donors can be obtained through webinars by the IARFC. Contact can be made with Susan Cappa, IARFC National Financial Plan Coordinator to schedule an informational session.

Next year, the Competition will be held during the 2020 Annual Conference in Cincinnati, OH. An exact time and venue will be determined at a later date.

For more information on the IARFC and the National Financial Plan Competition, visit http://www.iarfc.org.
An example of the hierarchy of controls used in the risk assessment process Risk assessment is a fundamental element of product safety and product safety labeling. It involves considering the probability and severity of outcomes that can result from potentially hazardous situations  a key part of both machinery and workplace safety. Past News Releases RSS Clarion Safety Systems Expert is a...

Clarion Safety Launches New Online...

Clarion Safety Systems Collaborates...

In Compliance Magazines April issue features industry insight from Clarion Safety Systems, a leading designer and manufacturer of safety labels, signs and tags, discussing the practical implications of risk assessment related to electrical equipment product safety.

In Compliance is a top resource for electrical engineering professionals, delivering the latest news, standards updates, technical explanations and guidance for engineers. Clarion Safety is a regular contributor to the publication, with articles informed by the companys nearly three decades of experience serving its customers, as well as its deep involvement in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards committees related to safety labels and signs.

Risk assessment is a fundamental element of product safety and product safety labeling, according to Clarion Safety Systems. It involves considering the probability and severity of outcomes that can result from potentially hazardous situations  a key part of both machinery and workplace safety. It is a formal process for identifying hazards and evaluating and analyzing risks associated with those hazards; the next step is either eliminating the hazards or controlling those risks that cant be eliminated to minimize the potential for injury.

Clarion Safetys article features an in-depth interview with Doug Nix, managing director of Compliance inSight Consulting, on the practical implications of risk assessment. Included is an overview and definitions of the different types of machine-related assessments  and how they can be used to support product safety. These include hazard-based analysis, task-based risk assessments, job hazard analysis and task-hazard analysis.

Nix, who specializes in machinery risk assessment techniques, often sees common mistakes and pain points of manufacturers looking to assess risks related to their products. The top mistake that I commonly see is poor task and hazard identification, says Nix, who works with these engineers to help identify steps that may be needed to make improvements to their processes.

Nix also recommends that manufacturers keep in mind the importance of conducting regular risk assessments at key intervals of their products development process. Important times to conduct assessments are during the design process, after installation, after changes or modifications, or with new ownership of the machine.

As risk assessments are critical for the big picture of safety, as well as for developing effective safety labels and safety signs, Clarion Safety offers risk assessment services to its clients, including:



Product risk assessments

Product-related risk assessments can help manufacturers improve product/equipment safety, reduce risk and comply with applicable legal requirements. From a legal perspective, reasonably foreseeable hazards must be defined as well as reasonable ways to mitigate risks associated with hazards that cannot be designed out. With risk assessment, potential hazards can be identified with solutions provided as early as possible in the products life cycle. They can be done during the concept stage of the products design, during the final stage of design, prototype production and testing, on a final manufactured product, and after placement in the market if an accident occurs or if an unforeseen safety concern arises. With many products, hazards remain even after the best safety engineering design solutions are in place; risk assessments can help determine which potential hazards deserve on-product labels as a means to further communicate safety and reduce risk.

Workplace risk assessments

Workplace-related risk assessment, sometimes referred to as job hazard analysis, can help to identify hazards and risks, as well as proper control means using hierarchy of controls decision-making to reduce risks to acceptable levels. As organizations look to implement processes to continually improve workplace safety in line with safety management system objectives, the ability to accurately communicate residual risks to workers, subcontractors and guests becomes critically important. When hazards cant be eliminated from an area or designed out of a process, facility safety sign systems are a means to communicate residual risk and reinforce procedures, safety training and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Safety sign systems are part of a risk communication/risk reduction strategy, and can complement and support other critical risk reduction controls, like training.

To learn more, read Clarion Safetys In Compliance Magazine column and the Clarion Safety blog on risk assessments for safer workplaces. The company also has a video available on the risk assessment process and how warnings can be used to close the gap on acceptable risk.

Contact Clarion Safety to learn more about the companys risk-related assessment services.

Clarion Safety also accepts media inquiries and speaking opportunities related to safety and risk. To submit a media inquiry, visit the Newsroom section of the companys website and select the For the Media tab.

ABOUT CLARION SAFETY SYSTEMS

Clarion Safety Systems, LLC, is the leading designer and manufacturer of visual safety solutions that help customers in more than 180 industries worldwide to make their products and premises safer. Clarion offers a full range of standard and custom products including machinery safety labels, environmental and facility safety signs, pipe and valve identification markings, lockout/tagout products, and safety-grade photoluminescent egress path-marking escape systems. Founded in 1990, the company continues to play a leading role in the development and writing of international and national standards for safety signs, labels, and markings. Clarion is headquartered at 190 Old Milford Road in Milford, PA, 18337, and online at http://www.clarionsafety.com.
KnowBe4's Q1 2019 Phishing Report Infographic To best protect personal information and your organization, you have to have a defense-in-depth security strategy that includes training your users to spot phishing emails. -Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4

World Social Media Week New York (#SMWNYC) starts today bringing attention to the fact that social media is now a part of everyday business and organizations can no longer limit employees usage of platforms. KnowBe4, the provider of the worlds largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, revealed that simulated phishing tests that include LinkedIn in the subject line are clicked 50 percent of the time by users of the platform.

This percentage is significant as many LinkedIn users, particularly those with business development responsibilities, have their accounts tied to their corporate email addresses, increasing corporate risk of a phishing attack, ransomware breach or other social engineering-related threat.

Social media sites are also a hotbed for cybercriminal activity. According to recent research from Bromium, cyber criminals are earning at least $3.25bn per year from social media-enabled cybercrime.

From the standpoint of a hacker, social media gives an all-access entry point into an organization because some social media accounts are tied to corporate email addresses. I cannot stress enough that employees need to be hyper-vigilant about clicking on emails and links that come to their corporate email addresses, said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. Clicking to view a new job posting or to identify who has viewed your LinkedIn profile could easily open the gates to bad actors who want to cause damage to the organization.

Often people rely on what they think are trusted sources to protect their information but fall victim to social media scams and end up offering up sensitive information. They need to make the extra effort to protect themselves and be mindful of methods being used by the bad guys.

To best protect personal information and your organization, you have to have a defense-in-depth security strategy that includes training your users to spot phishing emails, continued Sjouwerman.

KnowBe4s examination of simulated phishing tests showed that half of users clicked on spoofed LinkedIn emails that included the following subject lines:



Join my network

Profile Views

Add me to your network

New InMail Message

*Capitalization and spelling are as they were in the phishing test subject line.

**Email subject lines are a combination of both simulated phishing templates created by KnowBe4 for clients, and custom tests designed by KnowBe4 customers.

In addition to sharing simulated phishing test results to identify social networks that tempt users, KnowBe4 has found that subject lines  both from simulated tests and in-the-wild emails users receive and report  prey on what matters most to users. Subject lines that related to Human Resources and corporate policies, W-2 forms and Amazon ranked in the top 10 this quarter for both simulated tests and in-the-wild email subject lines.

Falling victim to a phishing email is avoidable. Organizations need to train their users to be their last line of defense. KnowBe4 has many free tools to test the users in their network, including the Phishing Reply Test, which quizzes organizations users to see if they will reply to a highly targeted spoofed email attack and the Password Exposure Test to tackle at-risk employees. Learn more at http://www.knowbe4.com.

About KnowBe4

KnowBe4, the provider of the worlds largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 24,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. Kevin Mitnick, an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4's Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Tens of thousands of organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as the last line of defense.

Number 96 on the list Inc. 500 of 2018, number 34 on 2018s Deloitte's Technology Fast 500, and 2nd place in Cybersecurity Ventures Cybersecurity 500, KnowBe4 is headquartered in Tampa Bay, Florida, with offices in Brazil, England, the Netherlands, Germany, South Africa and Singapore.
Magna5, a national provider of managed IT, voice and connectivity services, today introduced Jason Cummins, a tenured voice and network engineering services executive as its new senior vice president of voice networks. Cummins brings over 20 years of voice and network experience to Magna5, leading organizations in the optimization of their voice and network infrastructures.

In his role at Magna5, Cummins will oversee the strategic direction of the integration and consolidation of the voice and data network to improve overall efficiency and quality of service to our customers. He also will lead network-related automation development activities that promise to improve Magna5s productivity. Additionally, he will lead the efforts to enhance Magna5s unified communications platform and product offering.

We are elated to welcome a talented voice and network engineer such as Jason to the Magna5 leadership team, where his deep knowledge and hands on experience will greatly improve our network infrastructure, said Rick Lottie, Executive Chairman and CEO, Magna5. Hes a seasoned and passionate leader, who will provide a unique perspective into our network, which we continue to grow and optimize to provide an exemplary service experience to our customers.

Prior to joining Magna5, Cummins served as Senior Vice President of Operations at Teliax, based in Plano, Texas. As Senior Vice President of Operations, Cummins was responsible for consolidating Unified Communications platforms to enhance the solution, a network wide conversation to Ribbon SBCs from open source software, as well as the design and implementation of business strategies, plans and procedures in the oversight of the engineering, development, support and service delivery teams.

Cummins has also served in operations and leadership positions at ANPI, Rio Communications, Bluestreak Connect and Access Networks. At ANPI, Cummins served as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operation where he was responsible for transitioning ANPI from switchless wholesale company to leading network provider with a coast-to-coast network spanning 6 locations.

I am excited to have the opportunity join the leadership team at Magna5, and be a driving force in enhancing and improving the voice and data network, said Jason Cummins. Magna5 has a reputation of being a leader in providing voice and network solutions and I look forward to creating a customer experience that is unrivaled in the industry.

Magna5 is a cloud and managed IT services provider that supports mid-market and large enterprise organizations. The companys expansive portfolio includes business continuity, managed security services, business voice and data services, hybrid network services, in addition to unified communications (UCaaS), infrastructure (IaaS), and software (SaaS) delivered from the cloud. Following acquisitions of X5 Solutions in Seattle, WA, CornerStone Telephone Company in Troy, NY, NovaTel Ltd. in San Antonio, TX, and NetServe365 in Pittsburgh, PA, Magna5 stands alone as the partner organizations across the country count on for enterprise IT and communications, cybersecurity, cloud and managed IT services.

ABOUT MAGNA5

Magna5, a NewSpring Holdings portfolio company, of managed IT, voice and connectivity solutions to more than 7,500 mid-market and enterprise customers nationwide, including leaders within the education, healthcare, government, financial services and beyond. Magna5 offers voice and data services, as well as a host of above the net cloud services and operates a proprietary, secure network designed to leverage diversified carriers and infrastructure in targeted points-of-presence (PoPs) throughout the United States, a key strategy for network reliability. Within the managed services offerings, Magna5 provides security services, data backup, recovery management, hosting services, and IT Consulting from their 24/7/365 fully staffed Operations Center. Headquartered in Plano, TX, Magna5 operates office and network facilities across the country, including Albany, NY; Los Angeles; New York City; Pittsburgh; Portland, OR; San Antonio; Seattle, and Troy, NY. Magna5 is NewSpring Holdings voice, data, infrastructure and managed services platform.

For more information, visit http://www.magna5global.com.

ABOUT NEWSPRING HOLDINGS

NewSpring Holdings, NewSprings dedicated holding company with a buy-and-build strategy focused on control buyouts and platform builds, brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and resources to take profitable, growing companies to the next level through acquisitions and proven organic methodologies. Founded in 1999 NewSpring partners with the innovators, makers, and operators of high-performing companies in dynamic industries to catalyze new growth and seize compelling opportunities. The Firm manages approximately $1.7 billion across four distinct strategies covering the spectrum from growth equity and control buyouts to mezzanine debt. Partnering with management teams to help develop their businesses into market leaders, NewSpring identifies opportunities and builds relationships using its network of industry leaders and influencers across a wide array of operational areas and industries. Visit NewSpring at http://www.newspringcapital.com.
Dr. Carl Medgaus Offers Complimentary Services for Dental Implants in Pittsburg, PA Dental implants surgically placed into the jaw bone restore virtually 100 percent of tooth function and look and feel completely natural.

Drs. Carl Medgaus and Maelys Aguila of Medgaus Dental Group welcome patients with missing teeth to experience the life-changing benefits of dental implants in Pittsburgh, PA through their new dental implant promotion. Although a truly transformative solution to tooth loss with lasting benefits to overall health, this team understands that the cost of dental implants may dissuade many from receiving a consultation and thus, the care they need. As a result, Dr. Medgaus and Dr. Aguila are welcoming patients for complimentary consultations, including an exam, x-rays, and CT scan (a $750 value), as well as a 5-year implant warranty and complimentary exams and cleanings for the first year (a $980 value) for patients who receive dental implants from the practice.

Patients suffering from one or more missing teeth often struggle to eat comfortably, talk clearly, and feel confident in the appearance of their smiles. Without teeth, the mouth can physically change, as bone shrinks and remaining teeth shift, altering the bite. Many options exist to replace missing teeth, but dental implants remain the only permanent solution. Designed to mimic the structure of a natural tooth, dental implants surgically placed into the jaw bone restore virtually 100 percent of tooth function and look and feel completely natural. Medgaus Dental Group now offers a dental implant promotion in order to make this revolutionary tooth replacement available to more patients in the community.

Medgaus Dental Group provides comprehensive dental implant services in a welcoming and genuine atmosphere. Dr. Medgaus, founder and lead dentist, has placed over 5,000 dental implants and has over 45 years of experience. Combining his extensive training and experience with the latest dental technology, he routinely provides life-changing cosmetic and functional smile makeovers with dental implants. The comprehensive services offered at Medgaus Dental Group include cosmetics, general dentistry, TMJ and sleep apnea treatment, and Dr. Medgaus own full arch implant technique called Stabili-Teeth.

Patients seeking to replace missing teeth with dental implants in Pittsburgh, PA, are encouraged to take advantage of the dental implant promotion at Medgaus Dental Group. New patient appointments can be scheduled by calling 412-563-6333 or visiting http://www.medgausdentalgroup.com.

About the Dentists

For over 35 years, Medgaus Dental Group has been serving the Monroeville and Pittsburgh, PA areas with genuine and comprehensive dental care. Founder and lead dentist, Dr. Carl Medgaus, is dedicated to continuing education for himself as well as his fellow clinicians. Having treated over 300,000 patients since 1973 and placing over 5,000 dental implants, his results speak for themselves. His associate, Dr. Maelys Aguila, is a native Spanish speaker who shares the same philosophy that changing a smile can change a life. Developing his own full arch dental implant technique, Stabili-Teeth Dr. Medgaus and his team also offer life-changing smile makeovers and gum disease treatment, among other services. To learn more about Drs. Medgaus and Aguila, their leading-edge practice, or the services they offer, visit http://www.medgausdentalgroup.com or call their Monroeville office at 412-373-0310 or their Pittsburgh practice at 412-563-6333.
Today at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) held its third annual Wellness Symposium, presenting the latest research and trends for the Middle East-North Africa wellness tourism markets. In terms of recent growth percentages, no wellness tourism market is growing faster than MENAs: 13.4 percent annually (from 20152017) to reach $10.7 billion. MENAs spa industry is also seeing explosive 15.4 percent yearly growth and is now valued at $2.8 billion. And its thermal/mineral springs market also has the #1 recent growth rate worldwide at 30 percent a year.

Access the report: https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/industry-research/mena-wellness-tourism/

This years symposium put the focus on Medical Tourism and Wellness Tourism: Understanding the Opportunities, and featured experts from both tourism sectors exploring the key trends for MENA: from the Gulfs growing opportunities in medical tourism to a unique medical-wellness model unfolding in that region to the rise of far more comprehensive wellness resorts to Ayurveda being sought by so many more wellness travelers.

Todays speakers and topics: https://arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com/en/sessions/73563/medical-tourism-and-wellness-tourism-understanding-the-opportunities

MENA Wellness Tourism: The Growth Story

Wellness trips across MENA (domestic and inbound combined) grew from 8.5 million in 2015 to 11 million in 2017. Wellness tourism revenues jumped from $8.3 billion in 2015 to $11 billion in 2017 and will grow another 75 percent to reach $18.7 billion by 2022. MENAs recent wellness tourism revenue growth rate of 13.3 percent annually is more than double the global average (6.5 percent). And MENA wellness travelers are high spenders: spending 44 percent more on inbound wellness trips ($1,305) than the average traveler to the region, while domestic wellness trips command a 65 percent premium ($599).

Top 10 MENA Wellness Tourism Markets (Annual Trips/Expenditures)

UAE 1.8 million - $3.75 billion

Morocco 2.8 million - $1.7 billion

Israel 900,000 - $1.13 billion

Jordan 500,000 - $604 million

Bahrain 300,000 - $564 million

Saudi Arabia 700,000 - $492 million

Oman 400,000 - $473.5 million

Egypt 1.2 million - $427 million

Iran 600,000 - $388.5 million

Tunisia 600,000 - $314 million

Spa Industry Catches Up to Hospitality Market

With hotels/resorts being built at a breakneck pace and spas now seen as a must in properties from mid-price up, MENAs spa industry is fast catching up to its hyper-developed hospitality market. Spa locations jumped from 4,465 in 2015 to 6,057 in 2017 while spa revenues grew from $2.1 billion to $2.8 billion (15.4 percent annual growth versus 9.9 percent for the average global spa market). The UAE is the overwhelming leader (ranking among the top 20 spa markets in the world) with $873 million in yearly spa revenuesfollowed by Saudi Arabia ($347 million) and Morocco ($295 million).

Hot Springs Market Ranks #1 for Pure Growth

For recent percentage growth, MENAs thermal/mineral springs market ranks #1 worldwide. Revenues grew from $240 million in 2015 to $410 million in 2017 (30.4 percent annually versus 10 percent for the average global market). Hot springs establishments across MENA grew from 324 to 416. Tunisia is the clear leader ($190 million market), followed by Israel ($66.5 million) and Algeria ($45.4 million).

A Few Key Trends:

Gulf Nations Medical Tourism Opportunity

GWIs research associate, the global medical tourism experts Patients Beyond Borders, defines a medical traveler as anyone who crosses borders for the purpose of receiving medical care and estimates the world market size as $65 to $87.5 billion, with 2024 million medical travelers annually. Medical travel is set to grow another 1520 percent in 2019. Josef Woodman, CEO, notes, The UAE now accounts for an astounding 20 percent (207 medical facilities) of all Joint Commission International-accredited hospitals and clinics worldwide. This represents a huge calling card for promoting medical tourism to the UAE, and Middle Eastern destinations, like the UAE, are now actively vying for the outbound wave of Chinese patients.

Trailblazing a Medical-Wellness Model

Gulf countries, such as the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, are pioneering a medical-wellness model, where medical travel and wellness tourism offerings are packaged together. Massive, billion-dollar new projects are marrying medical facilities, residences, hotels, retail, green building, fitness offerings and alternative/preventative medicine to provide uniquely integrative health destinations for both locals and visitors. Examples: Dubai Healthcare City/WorldCare Wellness Village in UAE, the Qatar Foundation Stadium and Health & Wellness Precinct/Education City project, and the Dilmunia Island project in Bahrain.

Beyond the Luxe Hotel Spa: More Comprehensive  and Authentic  Wellness Resorts

The region is moving beyond the generic luxury-hotel-plus-luxury-spa model to more comprehensive wellness resorts with more unique, authentic offerings. When Six Senses Shaharut in Israels Arava Valley opens this year, it will feature the brands deep wellness programming but with indigenous spins, such as design inspired by the desert topography, authentic hammams, and overnight camel camping. The UAEs Alma Retreat is a comprehensive, affordable wellness camp focused on bringing back-to-desert-nature experiences to the Emirates. Corinthia Meydan Beach, coming to Dubais beachfront in 2020 (Corinthias first resort and the first ESPA Life spa in the Middle East), will deliver their holistic, ancient-meets-modern approaches to spa, fitness, nutrition and mindfulness. Lux Al Zorah, coming to Ajman in 2021, will offer everything from wellbeing safaris in nature to an integrated wellness Vitalite program.

As cities get increasingly crushed by residents and tourists, the Gulf is out in front of the urban wellness resort trend. Its first holistic wellness retreat was the Retreat Palm Dubai, and when the first One&Only Urban Resorts (Za abeel) opens in Dubai in 2020, it will be a well challenge to a traditional city hotel.

Hot Springs Development Just Keeps Heating Up

Hot springs are hot with global wellness travelers, and countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Iran, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia all have powerful natural thermal springs resources. Whether developed markets (Tunisia and Algeria) or those new to development (Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq), the action is heating up. In Tunisia, plans are underway to privatize historic thermal centers and build 54 new ones by 2020. In Algeria, 70 springs have been granted to private investors, 13 new facilities have opened, and $100 million is being invested to modernize eight publicly owned thermal centers and 40 traditional hammams. Saudi Arabia is pushing investment in hot springs to create all-new medical-wellness resorts.

For more info, contact Beth McGroarty: beth.mcgroarty(at)globalwellnessinstitute.org or (+1) 213-300-0107

About the Global Wellness Institute: The Global Wellness Institute (GWI), a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is considered the leading global research and educational resource for the global wellness industry. Its known for its proprietary research that quantifies the global wellness economy, now valued at $4.2 trillion, as well as for introducing major industry initiatives and hosting regional events that bring together leaders to chart the future. GWI positively impacts global health and wellness by advocating for both public institutions and businesses that are working to help prevent disease, reduce stress, and enhance the overall quality of life. Its mission is to empower wellness worldwide. http://www.globalwellnessinstitute.org
Our innovative new test is a game-changer in the detection and prevention of colorectal cancer.

Metabolomic Technologies Inc. (MTI), an innovative molecular diagnostics company, announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent number 10,267,800 as of April 23, 2019. The patent entitled, Methods for the Assessment of Colorectal Cancer and Colorectal Polyps by Measurement of Metabolites in Urine, includes fundamental claims describing methods of analyzing a patients urine to detect colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps. The patent carries a term extending to 2033. This patent represents the 20th patent that has been granted for MTIs PolypDx, the first and only urine test for the detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. Patents have also been issued in Japan, Hong Kong, throughout Europe, Canada and Australia.

Our innovative new test is a game-changer in the detection and prevention of colorectal cancer, said Dr. David Chang, Chief Executive Officer for MTI. We believe this patent acknowledges our unique innovation in colorectal cancer screening and prevention, and importantly, demonstrates our expertise in bringing novel diagnostics from the laboratory to clinically-validated, patient-friendly tests to benefit colorectal cancer screening in the US."

Dr. Chang continued, We believe that patients and physicians should have access to a full range of test offerings, that, when used appropriately, can increase colorectal cancer screening and ultimately, save lives. We are pleased with the issuance of this patent to strengthen MTIs intellectual property position and reinforce our leadership in bringing a new, easy-to-use test to patients worldwide.

About Metabolomic Technologies Inc. (MTI):

MTI is a privately held Canadian company based in Edmonton, Alberta. MTIs award-winning team is focused on the mission of saving lives through early detection. A spin-off from the University of Alberta, MTI develops metabolomics-based diagnostic systems created from proprietary biomarker technologies. The company received the 2014 Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation Leadership and the 2017 ASTech Foundation Outstanding Leadership in Technology Award.

About PolypDx:

PolypDx is the first and only urine test for the detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. Clinically validated in two 1000-patient trials in Canada and China, PolypDx is a metabolomics-based screening test using Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technology. The test is based on the analysis of key metabolomic biomarkers in urine. PolypDx was developed in response to the inadequacies of current colorectal cancer screening methods. With accurate colorectal cancer screening and removal of polyps with colonoscopy, colorectal cancer is completely preventable. However, due to poor performance and low compliance with current screening tests, patients are still developing colorectal cancer or discovering it too late. PolypDx is a simple and effective test requiring only a small urine sample and provides healthcare professionals with a new tool in the prevention and detection of colorectal cancer.
Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, today announced the results of its global study titled In the Face of Complexity and Change, the Time to Lead is Now. Canvassing quantitative and qualitative input from 200 General Counsel (GC) and other senior legal leaders across the U.S., Asia, and Europe, the study explores how the GC role is evolving in the midst of organizational, technological, and geopolitical change, and identifies the biggest challenges that GCs and their in-house legal departments face. The study was developed in partnership with Global Leaders in Law, an ALM media offering for GCs, and is part of Morrison & Foersters GC {RE}DEFINED thought leadership program.

Among other things, the study found that more than four out of five GCs (81%) want to have a seat at the C-Suite table, which requires them to further develop people and leadership skills in addition to having traditional problem solving legal abilities. Against this context, the study also highlights a gap between the perception of securing this type of role and the skills GCs feel they should be focusing on for their personal development. When ranking critical skills needed by the GC of the future, 44% of respondents cited legal skills as a top strength, but only 28% cited emotional intelligence and 10% team building as priorities.

We conducted this global study to support the growth and impact of GCs in a complex environment, where the speed of change will only increase, said Larren Nashelsky, chair of Morrison & Foerster. We hope that the studys findings and our wider GC {RE}DEFINED thought leadership program will spark additional conversations, and help GCs draw upon insights from their peers as their role is further redefined.

The study identifies six themes that encompass the ever-expanding role of the GC: law, people, business, process, risk, and technology. Core findings around these themes include:

1. Law: Study participants believe that true partnership is central to the redefined relationship between GCs and external legal advisers. When asked to identify the key drivers of this relationship five years from now, 40% of GCs felt that shared ownership of outcomes would be a key driver; this was the second most cited driver after price. Meanwhile, 30% of GCs identified a strong commitment to diversity and responsibility values and initiatives as a key driver of their future relationship with law firms;

2. People/legal team: Greater emphasis will be placed on data analytics, project management, and legal operations competences when resourcing a legal team. Further, the constitution of the team will change, with 34% of GCs having already replaced or anticipating replacing headcount with a technology solution within the next five years;

3. Business: Thirty-eight percent of participants consider CEO to be their next role;

4. Process: A fundamental issue for GCs will be taking control of the urgency bias  reacting to immediate requests from the business versus prioritizing the issues the GC strategically wants the team to deal with. Of those 61% of study respondents who experience the urgency bias, 66% feel that it prevents them from keeping their teams focused on more strategic priorities;

5. Risk: The tension between protecting the reputation of their organization and supporting commercial strategies will continue to become more challenging for GCs. Fifty-eight percent of GCs cite resolving issues that could cause reputational damage or financial damages as the top criterion they would like to be evaluated on; and

6. Technology: Legal tech will continue to become increasingly important, with emphasis on deploying solutions that enable efficiency, compliance, and more accurate and objective decision-making. Sixty percent of study participants are actively collaborating with their IT departments to develop technology solutions to improve the legal department.

Find out more about the dynamics reshaping the GC role by downloading our report and join the conversation at #GCRedefined.

ABOUT MOFO

We are Morrison & Foerster  a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. The Financial Times has named the firm to its list of most innovative law firms in North America every year that it has published its Innovative Lawyers Reports in the region. In the past few years, Chambers USA has honored MoFos Privacy and Data Security, Bankruptcy, and IP teams with Firm of the Year awards, the Corporate/M&A team with a client service award, and the firm as a whole as Global USA Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education for poor children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, winning asylum for the persecuted, and safeguarding the environment.

ABOUT ALM

ALM, an information and intelligence company, provides customers with critical news, data, analysis, marketing solutions and events to successfully manage the business of business. Global Leaders in Law, a unique membership offering for Global GCs, is an ALM offering. ALM serves a community of over six million business professionals seeking to discover, connect and compete in highly complex industries. Please visit http://www.alm.com for more information, and visit http://www.alm.com/events/ to learn about upcoming events. Follow ALM on Twitter @ALMMedia.


Addigy, a leading provider of cloud-based Apple device management software, today announced general availability of the companys enhanced Apple Device Management platform, introducing single sign-on, LANCache peer-to-peer caching, expanded mobile device management (MDM) coverage, the Addigy Community Center for device fact/script sharing and the Addigy Academy, a comprehensive and engaging online training resource for IT administrators.

New for 2019 is a suite of user-driven features and functionality designed to simplify and enhance the macOS/iOS IT administrator experience, said Jason Dettbarn, CEO for Addigy. We are pleased to formally introduce our enhanced platform to a growing audience of professionals focused on streamlining macOS/iOS management for both SMB and enterprise IT environments.

Included as part of the platform upgrades are technology, resource and training advancements which make the Addigy Apple Device Management platform the most administrator friendly solution available. Incorporated are the following additions:



Google Single Sign-On (SSO): Addigy has integrated Google SSO into its solution. Leveraging existing Google G Suite accounts, users can uniquely log into Addigy with a single click.

LANCache High Availability Peer-to-Peer Caching: Addigy LANCache enables high availability peer-to-peer file caching within corporate networks. LANCache can also be configured to weight specific peers for prioritized distribution as well as establishing a dedicated file distribution server. Regardless of how it is configured, LANCache will reduce internet bandwidth consumption and decrease file access and distribution time.

Expanded Mobile Device Management (MDM) Coverage: Addigy has expanded its MDM configurations, including Login Items which give administrators control over the applications and scripts that deploy when a user logs in. The Addigy Finder allows admins to configure the appearance and functionality of the finder application and Dock allows for the customization of the dock for end users, as well as the restriction of their ability to change it. Restrictions prevent the user from setting up AirPlay, iCloud, AirPrint, Software Updates, Camera, Touch ID, Apple Music, and other applications. Finally, Addigys Privacy Preferences Policy Control is now included for managing devices with Mojave (10.14).

Addigy Community Center for File/Script Sharing: The Addigy Community Center allows administrators to share their custom device facts and scripts with the entire Addigy partner community. Use cases include the leveraging of these facts and scripts to create powerful monitoring/remediation workflows and much more. All submitted facts and scripts are reviewed to ensure compliance with established guidelines and published within the Web-based community center. Administrators/contributors can post comments on any community script or fact to provide direct feedback to the related author.

Other updates include user interface (UI) improvements to streamline the user experience and the launch of Addigy Academy, a comprehensive and engaging online training resource that allows administrators to quickly learn the entire spectrum of Addigy features and capabilities. Addigy Academy is built on a leading learning management system and will be updated on a regular basis to keep pace with new product updates and capabilities. As part of the Addigy Academy, a formal training and certification program has been implemented to validate administrator knowledge, expertise and mastery level of the platform.

Availability

The enhanced Addigy Apple Device Management platform is available immediately to partners and customers worldwide.

Addigy Device Management Platform -- Free Trial

A free trial of Addigy is available at https://www.addigy.com/#signup-form.

Tweet This: New Features, Functionality Added to @Addigy Apple Device Management, Including Google/Jumpcloud Single Sign-On, LANCache Peer-to-Peer Caching, Expanded MDM Coverage, Addigys Community Device Fact/Script Sharing Resource and More - https://bit.ly/2Bu9DCX

Resources:

Visit Addigy on Owler at https://www.owler.com/company/addigy

Start using with Addigy today: https://prod.addigy.com/signup

Follow Addigy on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/addigy

Visit Addigy online at: http://www.addigy.com

About Addigy

Addigy helps system administrators take control of their IT environments with the industrys most comprehensive cloud-based platform for Unified Apple Device Management. Addigy simplifies and streamlines the IT management of Apple devices with asset management, monitoring, reporting, remote command execution, customer and user management, real-time communications, and more. Contact Addigy at +1 305-330-6677 or visit http://www.addigy.com.

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Contact Addigy

Call +1 305-330-6677 or email sales(at)addigy.com
"We continue to find new ways to help people struggling with their dizzy symptoms and to give them newfound hope for lasting relief. - Dr. Howard Mango, CEO of Newport-Mesa Audiology Balance & Ear Institute

Newport-Mesa Audiology Balance & Ear Institute (the Institute) has developed a new technologically-advanced, patent pending virtual reality (VR) System for the Treatment of Vestibular Dysfunction, which provides home-based treatment for patients with dizziness, vertigo and imbalance. Part of the Institutes proprietary method of treatment called Advanced Vestibular Treatment (AVT), the Institute has been researching and developing this new home-based VR treatment system for several years.

This new AVT/VR system benefits patients who live a distance away from the clinic and suffer from vestibular dysfunction, which is a leading cause of dizziness, vertigo and imbalance. The Institutes Doctors of Audiology can monitor patient progress and adjust treatment prescriptions remotely. The established protocols and treatment delivery system are an effective option to treat vestibular related balance issues to help restore patients to the activity levels they had prior to the onset of their symptoms.

The AVT/VR System consists of several key components: self-contained VR Goggle System, AVT patient portal and corresponding mobile phone application with customized visual treatment stimuli. Home-based treatment includes regular phone and online appointments with an assigned Doctor of Audiology and a dedicated Concierge Care support program. Various contract options are available for patients to choose from, including two starter plans and three maintenance plan options.

To begin home-based treatment, patients undergo a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and if vestibular dysfunction is diagnosed, a recommendation for treatment is prescribed by one of the Institutes Doctors of Audiology. Patients then enter their chosen treatment plan with accompanying Concierge Care. Patients will be overseen by their Doctor of Audiology and will have regular appointments with them to evaluate progress. The AVT System is used in conjunction with the VR Goggle System, which is available for purchase or lease. At the end of the treatment year, there is an option for extension if deemed necessary.

We are thrilled to be able to offer this method of treatment to our patients who dont live near our Institute, or who need ongoing maintenance of their vestibular dysfunction, said Dr. Howard Mango, CEO of Newport-Mesa Audiology Balance & Ear Institute. We continue to find new ways to help people struggling with their dizzy symptoms and to give them newfound hope for lasting relief.

About Newport-Mesa Audiology Balance & Ear Institute

Newport-Mesa Audiology Balance & Ear Institute is one of the country's leading practices for the research, diagnosis and treatment of patients with vestibular dysfunction  one of the leading causes of dizziness, vertigo and balance disorders. Serving patients from all over the U.S., the Institutes team of doctors of audiology utilize advanced, state-of-the-art technology at two locations - Newport Beach and Ladera Ranch, California. The Institute provides both comprehensive diagnostic testing and proprietary Advanced Vestibular Treatment (AVT) with more than a 90 percent success rate.

A full spectrum of audiological solutions is also offered to enhance hearing health, including adult and pediatric hearing loss evaluation, advanced hearing devices and tinnitus treatment. Since 1977, the Institute has served over 50,000 patients. 500 Old Newport Blvd., Suite 101, Newport Beach, CA 92663 | 949.642.7935 | http://www.dizziland.com.
The Naviga logo represents the companys renewed commitment to helping its customers through the changes in the industry. Tomorrows challenges demand an agile partner that offers access to a flexible suite of solutions and expertise. The Naviga name reflects our commitment to ensuring our customers are always ready for the future.- Scott Roessler, Naviga CEO

Newscycle Solutions today announces a comprehensive rebrand, changing its name to Naviga. The rebrand includes a new company identity, logo, visual design, website and mission. With its Venture Forward tagline, the name Naviga reinforces a commitment to partnering with global customers to move toward digital expansion and success in rapidly shifting markets. The rebranding also reflects the companys recent growth and vision for the future.

Over the six years since our company was formed, the industries we serve have evolved dramatically, said Naviga CEO, Scott Roessler. To keep pace with this transformation, we have also evolved, expanding our solution suite through numerous acquisitions and strategic initiatives. Our new company identity reinforces our continued focus on accelerating progress so our customers can focus on growing their businesses.

With over 2,500 customers in 45 countries, Navigas content creation, syndication, presentation and monetization solutions are used by media organizations, financial services businesses and Fortune 500 companies to deliver content across all channels and to manage end-to-end subscription and advertising revenue.

The Naviga name reflects our commitment to ensuring our customers are always ready for the future, said Roessler. Tomorrows challenges demand an agile partner that offers access to a flexible suite of solutions and expertise. We want our customers to know were prepared to help them with what lies over the horizon.

In addition to the rebranding effort, Naviga is also introducing a new operating model centered around customer success and the companys native digital solutions. The company has appointed a team of executive general managers to focus on specific solution sets, with product and services teams aligned under an agile methodology. This new structure enables closer interaction across the organization and a shared services network with a collaborative framework for delivering better and faster innovations.

The move to Naviga is part of a larger digital-first product and customer centric strategy that positions the company to support the adoption of cloud solutions across broad-based media and financial services markets, said Denise Warren, Naviga board member and former New York Times and Tribune Publishing executive.

About Naviga

Naviga (https://navigaglobal.com) is the leading provider of software and services powering media-rich industries. Our content creation, syndication, presentation and monetization solutions help companies drive profitability and accelerate digital business models. With headquarters in Bloomington, MN and regional offices throughout the world, Naviga is a trusted partner serving over 2,500 news media, broadcast, magazine, financial services and corporate clients in 45 countries. For more information, please write to us at info(at)navigaglobal(dot)com.

What makes Naviga different?

We accelerate progress.

Growing your business means turning smart thinking into action. We assemble leaders to tackle your problems and expand your opportunities.

We listen and respond.

Challenges evolve constantly, and our partners need solutions to match. We improve every day by providing an open channel for our partners to tell us what they need.

We constantly simplify.

Software can be both powerful and easy to use. We focus on making technology and services as intuitive as possible.
"We believe a company is only as good as its people, so Ellevates mission to forge more opportunities for women and equalize the workforce matches our own commitment to diversity and inclusion.

NFP, a leading insurance broker and consultant that provides employee benefits, property and casualty, retirement, and individual private client solutions, today announced a partnership with Ellevate Network, a leading community for womens professional advancement. NFP will be a Silver Sponsor of the 2019 Mobilize Women Summit hosted by Ellevate Network and all of the women working at NFP will become members of Ellevate Network.

Ellevate Network provides access to in-person and online events and learning materials focused on career advancement. The Summit, to be held on June 21 in New York, will focus on providing a space for leaders with diverse perspectives to come together and share their perspectives on how to build a more just and equitable world.

It is wonderful to see networks like Ellevate transforming corporate culture by investing in womens career advancement, said Kim Davis, NFPs Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. This mutually beneficial relationship provides additional resources to empower the women of NFP. We believe a company is only as good as its people, so Ellevates mission to forge more opportunities for women and equalize the workforce matches our own commitment to diversity and inclusion.

We are so pleased to partner with NFP, said Kristy Wallace, CEO of Ellevate Network. Their ongoing commitment to developing the professional women at their company is a strong example of an organization that understands the value of inclusion and advancement of women in modern day workplaces. Were excited to provide NFPs employees the support of a community of professional women to lean on and learn from.

Ellevate Network works with businesses of all sizes and in all industries to help engage their workforce, attract diverse talent, and deliver on their diversity and inclusion goals. NFP is one of the most recent corporate partners to join an elite group of companies dedicated to fostering workplace diversity and providing their employees with unique opportunities through Ellevate Network.

About NFP

NFP is a leading insurance broker and consultant providing customized property and casualty, corporate benefits, retirement, and individual solutions through its licensed subsidiaries and affiliates. NFP enables client success through the expertise of over 5,100 global employees, investments in innovative technologies, and enduring relationships with highly rated insurers, vendors, and financial institutions. NFP is the 5th largest US-based privately owned broker, 6th largest benefits broker by global revenue and 7th best place to work in insurance (Business Insurance); 10th largest property and casualty agency (Insurance Journal); and 12th largest global insurance broker (Bests Review).

Visit NFP.com to discover how NFP empowers clients to meet their goals.

About Ellevate Network

Ellevate Network is a community of professional women committed to helping each other succeed. We believe that when ambitious professional women get more opportunity  to have a voice in important conversations, to have a seat at the table where decisions are made, to steer our collective economic power towards that which we care about  it ultimately benefits everyone, and leads to a more equal world. Ellevate also works with companies committed to diversity and inclusion and has a proven track record of changing business culture from the inside out.
Unveiled, the first styled shoot at the Memorial Union took place on Sunday, April 28. This photoshoot is to promote the Memorial Union as a wedding venue for couples who need of a place to get married.
Oasis Financial and Key Health Medical Solutions, sister companies focused on helping personal injury victims get pre-settlement funding and access to medical care, are proud to announce their support of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities (LATLC). The LATLC has served the greater Los Angeles community for 13 years, providing more than $4,400,000 in grants, gifts and goods to improve the quality of life in the community by supporting issues related to education, childhood hunger, survivors of abuse, persons with disabilities, and homelessness.

As local attorneys, were in the trenches fighting for our communities every day. We see the need first hand, and we simply know we have to give back. Its not about just writing checks  its about helping in person  at womens shelters, at food pantries, and in schools, said Gerald Marcus, president of the LATLC. The generous contributions from Oasis Financial, Key Health, and our other partners are critical to helping our program succeed and ensuring services and assistance gets to those in need.

Supporting the LATLC was a natural fit for our company, said Jeff Trigilio, President of Key Health. Just like LATLC, we focus on helping people in unfortunate circumstances improve their lives. In our case, its partnering with attorneys and healthcare providers to help personal injury victims recover financially and physically from their accidents.

Oasis Financial and Key Health sponsorship includes the support of one of the LATLCs marque fundraising events, the 2019 Casino Night. On June 8th, more than 1,000 attorneys in California enjoy a little fun and comradery, while giving back to the communities they serve. The evening is great fun  and it raises serious money for the charities served by the LATLC. Through the generous donations from our participants, we hope to raise more than $450,000  in one night. Money that will be put to use right here in L.A., fighting poverty, improving education, and ensuring safe shelter for our most vulnerable, said Gerald Marcus.

Were incredibly excited and proud to be a part of the LATLC. We work hand in hand with attorneys and providers in California day in and day out, said Jeff Trigilio. To be a part of this special event and incredible charity that reaches back out to help our communities is a distinct honor, and we invite all the attorneys we serve to join us in making a difference.

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More About Oasis Financial & Key Health

Oasis Financial was founded in 1996 by attorneys who saw a need among clients burdened with increasing medical bills and living expenses, but their cases werent settling fast enough to keep up with their bills. The attorneys launched Oasis to provide a way for plaintiffs to receive an advance on their settlement and make life livable until their case closed. Today, Oasis has helped over 250,000 consumers make ends meet while waiting for their case to settle. In 2017, Oasis merged with Key Health, the nations leader in medical lien funding. Key Health works with medical providers spanning the U.S. who offer services to injured victims on a lien or letter of protection basis as part of a personal injury claim. Together, Key Health and Oasis help personal injury victims recover both physically and financially from an accident. Working with more than 14,000 attorneys and maintaining relationships with more than 10,000 physicians, Key Health and Oasis help ensure consumers who are injured in an accident have access to great healthcare, as well as funds to cover lifes other expenses while waiting for a personal injury case to settle.

http://www.oasisfinancial.com/about-oasis | http://www.keyhealth.net/Home/AboutUs

More about LATLC

The Los Angeles Trial Lawyers' Charities (LATLC) was founded in 2006 by a small group of Los Angeles trial lawyers inspired to find new ways to serve the community beyond their roles as attorneys. LATLCs primary purpose is to make a positive difference in the quality of life for people within the greater Los Angeles area. Today, LATLC has more than 3,000 supporters and donated more than $4,415,000 in grants, gifts and goods. LATLC has been honored by the California State Assembly and State Senate. http://www.latlc.org

6th Annual LATLC Casino Night will be held June 8, 2019 at 6:00 pm, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. More information can be found at http://www.latlc.org/events

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OCS surveys have repeatedly indicated that new services members and their parents seek additional knowledge and guidance in the use of military education benefits and managing their personal finances  this is what inspired us to create OCS Connect.

Our Community Salutes (OCS) announced today that it is partnering with three major universities to launch OCS Connect, http://www.ocsconnect.org, the first online portal to provide the nations 150,000 new service members and their parents with important advice and resources needed to properly plan and prepare for higher education and personal financial success.

Supporting this initiative are three of the largest education providers to military service members and veterans in the U.S.  Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and American Military University (AMU). These universities will contribute in a variety of ways, including providing expert advice and resources such as articles, webinars and community forums for each branch of the military.

Approximately 75% of all new high school enlistees will only serve one tour of duty; typically 48 to 60 months. This time goes by fast, given that much of the first year is dedicated to basic and advanced military training. Early understanding of what education benefits are available, while serving on active duty, is important to maximize this valuable benefit upon separation.

OCS surveys have repeatedly indicated that new services members and their parents seek additional knowledge and guidance in the use of military education benefits and managing their personal finances  this is what inspired us to create OCS Connect, said Dr. Kenneth Hartman, founder and president of OCS, and a former university president. I am deeply gratified by the participation of SNHU, UMUC and AMU. Having these three major competing institutions working as partners demonstrates the respect and appreciation these universities have for our armed forces members.

It just made sense that we all came together as a team to help these young patriots and their parents, said APUS President and CEO, Dr. Wallace Boston.

We are proud to support this new tool for our nations service members and their families, said Dr. Paul LeBlanc, president and CEO of Southern New Hampshire University. These resources will provide military families with valuable information about financial planning and higher education, and were excited to offer our insights.

The research clearly shows that the key to helping a service member make a successful transition from the military to higher education is early planning and parental involvement," said Dr. Javier Miyares, President of University of Maryland-University College." We're delighted to add our resources and expertise to this much needed initiative."

About Southern New Hampshire University

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private, nonprofit institution with an 85-year history of educating traditional-aged students and working adults. Now serving more than 100,000 students worldwide, SNHU offers more than 200 accredited undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, available online and on its 300-acre campus in Manchester, NH. Recognized as the "Most Innovative" regional university by U.S. News & World Report and one of the fastest-growing universities in the country, SNHU is committed to expanding access to high quality, affordable pathways that meet the needs of each student. Learn more at http://www.snhu.edu.

About University of Maryland University College

University of Maryland University College (UMUC) was founded more than 70 years ago to serve working adults and servicemembers. UMUC is an online state university that offers undergraduate and graduate programs in fast-growing and in-demand fields. With no-cost digital course materials in nearly every course, and locations in Maryland and at military installations around the world, UMUC provides the opportunity to earn a respected degree from just about anywhere life takes you. Learn more at http://www.umuc.edu.

About American Military University

American Military University provides high-quality higher education with an emphasis on educating the nation's military and public service communities by offering respected, relevant, accessible, affordable, and student-focused online programs that prepare students for service and leadership in a diverse, global society.AMU is part of American Public University System. Learn more at http://www.amu.apus.edu/.

About Our Community Salutes

Our Community Salutes (OCS) is a national, non-profit organization helping communities recognize, honor and support high school seniors who plan to enlist in the U.S. Armed Services after graduation. OCS was founded in 2009 to provide enlistees and their parents with guidance, information, resources and community support from like-minded enlistees and parents as their son or daughter transitions into military service. Learn more at http://www.ourcommunitysalutes.org/.
Marcello Scala It is a privilege to be here in Portugal where Dr. Martinho from the Portuguese Bone Marrow Donor Registry has been typing his samples using Holotype at 576 samples per week on a MiSeq

Global molecular diagnostics company Omixon, headquartered in Budapest with US offices in Cambridge, MA, announces today that Holotype HLA and other Omixon products will be featured in 12 poster presentations at the annual meeting of the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI) in Lisbon, Portugal. Among the major scientific events, Omixons Lunch Symposium on Thursday will focus on HLA typing for disease associations using NGS, featuring two guest speakers, Dr. Mohamed Jahromi from the Dasman Diabetes Institute, Kuwait and Prof. Mehdi Tafti from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, while the interactive User Group Meeting on Wednesday will be a forum where participants can learn about Omixons products, interact with current users and network with NGS and HLA experts.

Poster presentations featuring Holotype HLA span the full spectrum of interests at the EFI meeting, including those on Technology Validation (P177 & P202 - implementation of NGS for high-throughput registries, P200 integration with mTILDA LIMS, P217 - Automation on Eppendorf liquid handlers, P221 implementation on the new Illumina iSeq), Diseases, Genetics and Genomics (P119, P145, P180, P223, P224, P233) and epitope matching through HLA Twin with PIRCHE for bone marrow (P219) and solid organ transplantation (P208). Omixon is extremely proud to see how Holotype HLA has shaped the scientific and technical output of our customers in the EFI Community, says Omixons CEO, Dr. Peter Meintjes. The research presented here are an excellent example of cutting edge science and technology that improves clinical decision making, and the subsequent outcomes for patients.

Omixons Lunch Symposium, titled Advances in Disease Associations Using NGS-based HLA Typing on Thursday, May 9 will feature two customer experience stories: Professor Mehdi Tafti form University of Lausanne in Switzerland will present on their experience with Holotype HLA v3 for HLA associations in narcolepsy, while Dr. Mohamed Jahromi from Dasman Diabetes Institute in Kuwait will present on the characterization of Type-1 Diabetes in the Kuwaiti population using NGS-based HLA Typing. Omixons Head of Product, Efi Melista, will conclude the session with updates about Omixons product pipeline for the remainder of 2019 and automation options for Holotype HLA across a range of liquid handlers, including the recent collaboration with Eppendorft to automate on the EpMotion 5075t (P217).

Among the highlights for Omixon being in Lisbon, is that the Portguese Bone Marrow Donor Registry (PBMDR) is one of Omixons high-throughput registry customers using Holotype HLA. Marcello Scala, VP Sales, EMEA & Asia Omixon says, It is a privilege to be here in Portugal where Dr. Martinho from the Portuguese Bone Marrow Donor Registry has been typing his samples using Holotype at 576 samples per week on a MiSeq. Dr. Nina Lauterbach, Omixons Senior Field Application Scientist co-authored the poster of collaboration (P202) with Dr. Martinho of the PBMDR. Omixon and ZMWay - Omixons distributor in Portugal and Spain successfully won the tender for the PBMDR in early 2018, have typed over 16,000 samples so far, and intend to scale the relationship four-fold by including two additional sites for almost all registry typing across Portugal and clinical samples.

Omixon at EFI 2019

May 08 - May 11 | Omixon will be exhibiting at Booth #16 throughout the conference

May 09 - May 10 | HLA Twin Live Software Demos at Booth #16

May 08, 12pm - 2pm | Distributor Workshop

May 08, 2:30pm - 5pm | Interactive User Group Meeting

May 09, 12:15pm-13:00pm | Lunchtime Symposium - Advances in Disease Associations Using NGS-based HLA Typing

Omixon Scientific Posters

P119 | Masson et al. (2019) - What is the Best Method to Determine the Risk of Hypersensitivity Linked to HLAB*57:01

P145 | Binder et al. (2019) - The Complete Genomic Sequence of HLA-DRB1*03:40, an Allele which is Part of an HLA-DR11/DQ3 Haplotype with a DRB1*03:01 Sequence Motif in the HLA-DR Beta 1-chain

P177 | Oana Toma et al. (2019) - Validation of NGS method for HLA typing in the National HLA Laboratory from Bucharest

P180 | Satu Koskela et al. (2019) - Comparison of HLA Imputation Methods and Reference Datasets in the Finnish Population

P200 | Valia Bravo-Egana et al. (2019) - Interfacing a Next Generation Sequencing Bioinformatic Pipeline with a Laboratory Information Management System for Use with High Resolution HLA Typing Results and Reporting

P202 | Nina Lauterbach et al. (2019) - High Throughput HLA Typing Using NGS with Semi-automated Workflow

P208 | Mette Christiansen et al. (2019) - Donor Selection for Solid Organ Transplantation Guided by NGS High Resolution HLA Typing in Combination with PIRCHE

P217 | Vera Siffnerova et al. (2019) - Automating Holotype HLA on Eppendorf's epMotion Liquid Handler and Validating it for Routine HLA Typing

P219 | Mette Christiansen et al. (2019) - NGS High Resolution Typing in Combination with PIRCHE as a Tool to Select a Permissible HSCT Donor

P221 | Libor Kolesar et al. (2019) - Evaluation of Omixon Holotype HLA on the iSeq 100 Instrument

P223 | Elena Shagimardanova et al. (2019) - Novel HLA Alleles Based on Polymorphism Outside the Key Exons as a Result of Full Length NGS: What Now?

P224 | Binder et al. (2019) - Completing a rare HLA-DRB1*04 Genomic Allele Sequence based on Long Range Amplicons and Next Generation Sequencing

P233 | Ogret et al. (2019) - HLA-B Signal Peptide Sequence and HLA-E Polymorphism in HIV Positive Patients

About Omixon

Omixon is a global molecular diagnostics company, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, with US offices in Cambridge, MA that commercializes disruptive technologies for clinical and research laboratories. Omixons flagship product, Holotype HLA, is the worlds leading NGS-based HLA genotyping product that delivers the most accurate high-resolution HLA genotyping available, and is used in more than 50 hospitals worldwide. Omixons research software, HLA Explore analyzes data from any sequencing technology and determines HLA genotypes from Whole Exome/Genome Sequencing experiments. Omixon maintains an active grant-funded research program with a product pipeline focused on pre- and post-transplantation, and HLA genotyping applications beyond transplantation. For more information, visit http://www.omixon.com
Lance Knight, SVP and GM of ConnectALL, an Orasi Company, new VP of Products Andrew Fuqua, and Orasi AVP Emerging Technologies Joe Schulz discussed their thoughts on value stream integration. Shows like these offer us the perfect opportunity to provide expert insight on a full spectrum of DevOps and Agile tools and techniques, from automation and integration to security.

Orasi Software, an Atlanta-based software consultant, developer and reseller focused on products and processes that streamline the DevOps delivery pipeline, today announced it had a strong turnout for the three DevOps-related shows it attended in March and April. Attendees swarmed the booths, listening to Orasi and ConnectALL teams reveal strategies for delivering timely, transformative software, reducing waste in the DevOps pipeline, and extending their competitive advantage.

Orasis mission is to give organizations and their leaders confidence in their DevOps journeys from start to finish, said Orasi Software President and CEO Nick Kavadellas. Shows like these offer us the perfect opportunity to provide expert insight on a full spectrum of DevOps and Agile tools and techniques, from automation and integration to security.

Micro Focus Universe 2019 | March 26-28, 2019 | Vienna

ConnectALL experts encouraged attendees to share their software delivery challenges and provided concrete examples and insights into how value stream integration of people, process and tools helps organizations propel the efficiency of application delivery management.

Atlassian Summit | April 9-11, 2019 | Las Vegas

Lance Knight, SVP and GM of ConnectALL, an Orasi Company, new VP of Products Andrew Fuqua, and Orasi AVP Emerging Technologies Joe Schulz discussed their thoughts on value stream integration and revealed plans for ConnectALL and its customers.

Micro Focus ADM Summit | April 9-11, 2019 | Chicago

Orasi team members Eric Weinberg, Scott Earhart, Mike Cartina, Tim Leach and Alex Weiss engaged with attendees to discuss recent developments in the software world that help companies deliver innovative apps that meet customer expectations.

Orasi has a busy show calendar in 2019. We are exploring emerging technology developments and mining the details of our successful engagements with Orasi and ConnectALL customers to share with attendees, said Kavadellas. At Knowledge 19 Vegas, ConnectALL will host a Service Now event at Booth 652. We also look forward to delivering DevOps and automation insights with attendees at Red Hat Summit, Tricentis Accelerate, ChefConf (Booth 207) and HPE Discover.

In June, our Saltworks practice will be delivering the latest updates on managing application and data security risk at the Micro Focus Cyber Security Summit and the Gartner Security and Risk Summit. Our consultants will be making waves at Agile & DevOps West, sharing some new DevOps material we are developing. It will be a busy next few months, but we are excited about it!

About Orasi

Orasi is a software developer and consulting firm that ensures confident delivery of transformative applications that grow and simplify business. Our experts lead organizations through the complex DevOps Journey from start to finish, with strategic consulting, a spectrum of automation and integration tools  including Orasis ConnectALL  and security solutions that minimize application vulnerabilities and data exposure. We leverage enduring partnerships with the worlds most innovative technology firms including Micro Focus, Chef and Delphix, enabling offerings as unique as our clients. Our product lines and services connect Dev and Ops teams, streamline processes, optimize quality and efficiency, reduce the risk of software failure, and drive speed to delivery. Visit https://www.orasi.com.
Survey respondents felt pretty certain that advanced manufacturing and robotics were the future of the industry, with 80% expecting local adoption.

Purolator International, a leading provider of North American logistics, today released the 2019 Purolator International Long Island Supply Chain Index data. The survey asks Long Island manufacturers to anticipate their business performance in the coming six months. The responses are converted into an index ranging from 0 to 100 (complete decline to complete expansion). For 2019, the overall Index summary is 67.5, an increase from the last Index rating of 61.6 and a strong indicator of favorable future business conditions.

Long Island manufacturers expressed optimism in all areas covered by the Index, but it is especially strong when it comes to new orders, production and hiring.

Almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents expect new orders to increase in the next six months, a marked increase from the 53% reported in 2017. Another 30% expect new orders to remain the same, translated to mean that over 90% of Long Island manufacturers anticipate growth or stability within their business for the coming months. Similarly, over half (54%) of Long Island manufacturers expect production levels to increase, and 42% expect it remain the same.

Expectations for growth in employment also improved noticeably over the last year. In the last year, 66% of surveyed companies had hired one or more new employees, and 36% expect to hire within the next six months. Only 4% plans to decrease headcount.

Were pleased to report this years survey data indicated strong positive growth for the local community, said John Costanzo, President, Purolator International. These findings are in-line with the states Empire State Manufacturing Index and national Manufacturing ISM Report On Business, which means that Long Island is keeping up with national trends.

Another interesting finding from this years survey is the increase in the number of Long Island manufacturers that are exporting, currently 53% compared to 35% reported in 2017. Export destinations have changed as well. In 2019, the most common region for exports is Asia (41%) a significant increase from 28% reported in the last survey. Canada (34%) and Europe (30%) remain top destinations as well.

Additional findings revealed:



Executives expected an increase in the price of raw materials in coming months, serving as an additional indicator of growth  62% of executives expected prices to increase, compared to 4% who expected a decline.

Companies expect their backlog of orders to increase rather than decrease as further evidence of good business conditions  49% expected conditions to remain the same, 38% expected backlog of orders to grow.

The majority expected inventory levels to remain the same (58%), with more expecting an increase (28%) versus a decrease (14%).

Long Island Manufacturers Voice Their Opinions

In addition to the Index questions, this years survey also asked Long Island manufacturing executives and leaders to voice their opinions on the future of manufacturing on Long Island, where growth will occur, how the local government and business groups can better support Long Island manufacturing, and how Long Island is keeping pace with the adoption of advanced manufacturing and/or robotics.

Generally, respondents were pretty evenly split on whether they felt more optimistic about Long Island manufacturing than 10 years ago with 55% not more optimistic and 45% more optimistic. Those who responded with less optimism were then asked why they believe Long Island manufacturing was weaker than in the past. The most common response was the high cost of doing business on Long Island (66%), followed by a general decline in American manufacturing (27%) and a lack of skilled labor (17%).

Manufacturing executives were then asked what business groups and government could do to better support Long Island manufacturing. The vast majority (73%) suggested tax relief programs, 32% want more education and training, 24% replied grant programs, and 24% favorable legislation.

When asked what manufacturing sectors on Long Island have the most potential for future growth, the most popular response was medical care equipment and devices (35%), followed by aerospace (32%), biotechnology (23%), and computer and electronic components (23%).

Lastly, survey respondents felt pretty certain that advanced manufacturing and robotics were the future of the industry, with 80% expecting local adoption. To date, 47% of Long Island manufactures said their company had digitized some of the manufacturing process, and 75% of those respondents had been given or provided training on the new technology.

The Purolator International Long Island Supply Chain Index is an annual survey of Long Island manufacturers business forecast for the six months ahead. The survey results announced today reflect Long Island manufacturers plans through summer 2019. The survey reached 106 Nassau and Suffolk County manufacturing leaders who participated in the phone survey conducted by The Ohio State University. Data was collected between December 11, 2018 and March 25, 2019. Stony Brook University designed the survey and evaluated the results. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of data is 9.5 percentage points.

For a copy of the report please click Purolator International Long Island Supply Chain Index.

About Purolator International

Purolator International is a subsidiary of Purolator Inc., a leading integrated freight, package and logistics solutions provider in Canada. Purolator International specializes in the air and surface forwarding of Express, Freight and Parcel shipments, customs brokerage, and fulfillment and delivery services to, from and within North America. Purolator International has received numerous industry awards for its superior service and innovative solutions, including 100 Great Supply Chain Projects by Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine, Top 100 Great Supply Chain Partners by Supply Chain Brain magazine, Top 100 3PL Providers by Inbound Logistics, and Logistics Managements Quest for Quality Award. In addition to facilities throughout New York, Purolator International has locations in key U.S. markets including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Nashville, Newark, Houston, Indianapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Raleigh-Durham, San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and St. Louis.

For more information about Purolator International, visit http://www.purolatorinternational.com.

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By collaborating with leading organizations like the National Academy of Medicine, we can and will make a positive difference in the fight to combat the opioid epidemic, Sven Berg, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Quality Insights said.

Quality Insights announced a new strategic partnership with the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to reverse national trends in opioid misuse and overdose. Quality Insights joins more than 100 organizations from across the nation, including community organizations, hospital and medical systems, academia, nonprofits and health professional societies in this groundbreaking collective effort.

Partnering with the NAM on its Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic will provide a key opportunity for us to discuss and share plans of action with a wide range of stakeholders, Sven Berg, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Quality Insights said. This new alliance will supplement our current initiatives where we provide a wide range of opioid-related education, data, networking and assistance for multiple organizations.

Quality Insights opioid-related activities include engaging patients, providing tools and resources, promoting adoption of prescribing guidelines and convening stakeholders to reduce opioid misuse and diversion in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Louisiana; conducting free on-site medical education sessions across Pennsylvania; offering Delaware providers comprehensive academic detailing, workflow assistance, tools and resources; and providing communications and web development services for Healthy Connections, a Huntington, West Virginia-based coalition serving pregnant women and mothers with substance use disorder.

We are also actively pursuing new opportunities to contribute even more of our clinical, analytic and marketing expertise to address this public health crisis, Berg added. By collaborating with leading organizations like the National Academy of Medicine, we can and will make a positive difference in the fight to combat the opioid epidemic.

The NAMs Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic is a public-private partnership committed to developing, curating, and disseminating multi-sector solutions designed to reduce opioid misuse and improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities affected by the opioid crisis. The National Academy of Medicine is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond.

Based in Charleston, West Virginia with offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Quality Insights specializes in developing and maintaining measures of health care quality, collecting and analyzing performance data, and providing both collaborative learning opportunities and individualized technical assistance to health care providers in all settings. Its 300+ employees and consultants support quality initiatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), state governments, private payers and more. Learn more about how Quality Insights is bringing people and information together to improve health at http://www.qualityinsights.org.


Regroup Partners with 360 We are thankful to work alongside 360 Accelerator in their mission to improve educational quality and access in the region

Regroup Mass Notification, an award-winning leader in emergency and day-to-day mass communication technology, has announced a new partnership with 360 Accelerator, a California-based organization working to improve educational quality for all by strengthening public education options. As part of the partnership, Regroups powerful cloud-based mass communication software will be available to 360 Accelerators member schools at discounted prices to support and encourage better communication for schools that are less likely to be able to afford access to a mass notification platform.

360 Accelerator currently works with more than 20 schools  serving nearly 15,000 students  in the Central Valley of California, an area that has struggled with social, economic, environmental, and other challenges. Charter public school members will now benefit from a unique 20% discount on Regroups mass notification platform, making it easier for them to access tools that keep parents and faculty informed at all times, while also increasing school safety during emergencies.

The Central Valley of California is an area full of opportunity for companies like ours to contribute to the greater good, said Chris Utah, COO of Regroup. We are thankful to work alongside 360 Accelerator in their mission to improve educational quality and access in the region. Regroups platform has been proven to help schools reduce costs, improve operations through better communication, and be better prepared for emergency situations. We anticipate our collaborative partnership will make a big impact for these schools, their students and their families.

With access to Regroup Mass Notification, members of 360 Accelerator will be able to unify internal and external communications that help schools operate more efficiently and respond faster in emergency or unexpected situations. Regroup also integrates with leading learning management and student information systems such as Canvas, PowerSchool, Blackboard, and others, for seamless student-teacher and parent-teacher communication.

Additionally, Regroup enables on-the-go communication for day-to-day alerts such as schedule changes, reporting to parents, as well as critical alerts such as public health warnings, through its mobile applications for administrators and parents. Regroup Mass Notification is already trusted by schools across North America to streamline emergency and day-to-day communications.

Learn more about 360 Accelerator on the organizations website, or read about the success other schools have with Regroup Mass Notification at Regroup.com.

About Regroup

Regroup Mass Notification empowers better mass communication that keeps people safe and informed at all times. The companys award-winning, cloud-based mass communication platform is what clients across North America and around the globe rely on to send both emergency and day-to-day communications to millions of people. By enabling one-tap messaging to mobile devices, landlines, social media, email, websites, and more, Regroup Mass Notification helps organizations keep people safe, strengthen operational resilience, mitigate risk, and thrive in an increasingly unpredictable world.

About 360 Accelerator

360 Accelerator works to improve educational quality, access, and equity for all students by connecting and strengthening public education leaders. 360 Accelerator focuses on relationships, capacity-building, and regional momentum. The organization identifies, connects, and facilitates cohorts of public education leaders to create communities of practice and impact networks in pursuit of academic, operational, and leadership excellence.
Acquiring Dr. Brailsfords practice is a natural extension for us as we continue to expand our offerings to help patients access the care they need in Orange County, said Dr. Tom Chang, Chief Executive Officer of Acuity Eye Group

Acuity Eye Group is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Paul Brailsford and his practice to our growing number of providers and clinics. Paul Brailsford, MD, who has served patients in the Orange County community through his Santa Ana practice, moved his practice into the Acuity Eye Group Tustin location on April 1st. In practice for over 30 years, Dr. Brailsford is a board-certified ophthalmologist who will be offering medical eye services to patients in Tustin and the surrounding communities.

"I am very happy to join Acuity Eye Group," said Dr. Brailsford. Acuity Eye Group is a wonderful organization with a unique model that focuses on always acting in the patients best interest. By joining Acuity, I will be able to utilize the greater resources of the group for the benefit of my patients.

Acquiring Dr. Brailsfords practice is a natural extension for us as we continue to expand our offerings to help patients access the care they need in Orange County, said Dr. Tom Chang, Chief Executive Officer of Acuity Eye Group. " We believe the integration of Dr. Brailsfords services into the Tustin office will increase our offerings in this growing ophthalmology market."

Acuity Eye Group and Dr. Brailsford are committed to providing patients access to industry-leading research and state-of-the-art technology, as well as access to effective business support services that streamline and improve the patient experience. As a member of Acuity Eye Group, Dr. Brailsford and the other members of this organization cooperate in clinician and staff development opportunities designed to enhance the patient experience and best support the doctor/patient relationship.

About Acuity Eye Group

At Acuity Eye Group, we are committed to helping ophthalmologists realize their full potential while providing best-in-class patient care to all those in need. We are experts in the business of ophthalmology with years of experience in the industry, a world-class surgeon as our founder, and an unwavering commitment to helping both established practice owners and young professionals further their ophthalmic careers.

Headquartered in Pasadena, CA, the Company offers access to ophthalmology services from Visalia to San Diego.
Rigaku SmartLab intelligent multipurpose X-ray diffractometer X-ray spectroscopy is used in the ceramic industry to non-destructively analyze raw materials and finishes.

Rigaku Corporation is pleased to announce its attendance at Ceramics Expo 2019, taking place Tuesday, April 30 to Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Rigaku is presenting its current line of analytical X-ray instrumentation at booth # 838.

The leading annual event for the advanced ceramics and glass supply chain, Ceramics Expo brings together engineers, decision makers and buyers from the entire advanced ceramics and glass supply chain and end user OEMs to source new materials, components and technologies, network with like-minded professionals, and discuss the challenges and opportunities in the ceramics industry.

Now in its fifth year, Ceramics Expo will host more than 300 leading global manufacturers and suppliers from across the supply chain. Running concurrent to the exhibition is the Ceramics Expo Conference, where industry leaders will share their technical expertise in ceramics and provide real-world case studies, new technologies and materials, along with information on industry trends.

X-ray analytical equipment is routinely used in the production and testing of ceramic materials and components. X-ray spectroscopy is used in the ceramic industry to non-destructively analyze raw materials and finishes. Applications for X-ray analytical techniques exist across a range of ceramic disciplines, from basic research and process development to QC/QA analyses for materials production.

Rigaku offers a full portfolio of advanced analytical X-ray systems for analysis of ceramics. Materials analysis technologies from Rigaku include X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray microscopy (XRM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).

Among the analytical instrumentation to be represented at the event is the Rigaku SmartLab X-ray diffraction system. An X-ray diffractometer is an instrument that measures the intensity of scattered X-rays as a function of position relative to the sample. In the ceramic industry, X-ray scattering is used routinely to determine the structure of materials and examine the phase composition of bulk materials and the residual stress and texture of composites.

XRD can be employed to identify different types of clays and determine their elemental composition. Designed for the structural analysis of advanced materials and thin films, the SmartLab system combines flexible instrument geometry with a comprehensive knowledge-based software platform. The unit uses Cross Beam Optics (CBO) as the foundation of a fully automated flexible optical system, enabling operation in both parallel beam and focusing geometries without reconfiguring the diffractometer system. It offers a complete range of X-ray diffraction measurements in one fully automated tool suitable for use by non-specialists. With its simplified automated operation, the system can address a full range of samples, including bulk solids, liquids, powders and thin films.

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry is one of the common instrumental analysis techniques for routine quality control. This is due to high precision and easy sample preparation compared to other instrumental analytical methods. For elemental composition analysis, the new Rigaku ZSX Primus IV WDXRF spectrometer is a high-performance tube-above sequential wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer that delivers rapid quantitative determination of major and minor atomic elements in a wide variety of sample types with minimal standards.

The system incorporates ZSX Guidance software that can be used with ease even by a beginner in XRF. The newly developed hardware also provides advanced performance in sensitivity, precision, and throughput, making the ZSX Primus IV spectrometer the optimal system not only for process control but also for R&D. The system features an innovative optics-above configuration to avoid concerns over a contaminated beam path or downtime due to sample chamber maintenance, eliminating cleaning worries and increasing uptime.

X-ray computed tomography (CT) enables the study of the three dimensional structure of an object. For 3D and 4D imaging of micro-scale morphologies, Rigaku offers the Rigaku CT Lab HX high-performance benchtop X-ray micro CT system. The CT Lab HX system features the most powerful X-ray source in its class (130 kV, 39W). This compact yet powerful micro CT system can provide three dimensional X-ray images of a wide variety of samples including ceramics.

The CT Lab HX system features a combination of a high power X-ray source and the largest field of view (FOV) in its class. Built for easy operation, the compact yet powerful micro CT system offers a large FOV of up to 200 mm, and can provide three dimensional X-ray images of a wide variety of samples. Preset scans, programed for typical conditions, require only a few steps to run. The high-power 130 kV, 39 W X-ray source facilitates high-speed image acquisition in as fast as 18 seconds/scan.

More information about materials analysis technologies from Rigaku is available at https://www.rigaku.com/en/industry/materialsscience

About Rigaku

Since its inception in Japan in 1951, Rigaku has been at the forefront of analytical and industrial instrumentation technology. Rigaku and its subsidiaries form a global group focused on general-purpose analytical instrumentation and the life sciences. With hundreds of major innovations to their credit, Rigaku companies are world leaders in X-ray spectrometry, diffraction, and optics, as well as small molecule and protein crystallography and semiconductor metrology. Today, Rigaku employs over 1,400 people in the manufacturing and support of its analytical equipment, which is used in more than 70 countries around the world supporting research, development, and quality assurance activities. Throughout the world, Rigaku continuously promotes partnerships, dialog, and innovation within the global scientific and industrial communities.

For further information, contact:

Michael Nelson

Rigaku Global Marketing Group

tel: +1. 512-225-1796

michael.nelson(at)rigaku(dot)com
Due to the exploding costs of healthcare in the US, many experts are turning to innovative, out-of-the-box solutions to make healthcare more affordable for employees and sustainable for employers providing benefits.

Among leading business consultants and next-generation benefits advisors, the expertise of Keith McNeil, Senior Partner at Arrow Benefits Group, is featured in the new book NextGeneration Healthcare: Proven Secrets of Managing the Healthcare Value Chain to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Costs. Due to the exploding costs of healthcare in the US, many experts are turning to innovative, out-of-the-box solutions to make healthcare more affordable for employees and sustainable for employers providing benefits. These NextGen Advisors also aim to debunk the myth that CEOs and CFOs have no control over steadily rising health care costs. This book outlines strategies and concepts that take the reader beyond the relative groupthink that believes the current status of the health insurance industry is the best that can be done, beyond perhaps a few tweaks around the edges. Readers should be aware that there are proven strategies that offer the right employer relief from the predictable rate increase that they see each year at renewal time from their health insurance plan. For information on Self-funding and Keiths innovative work please visit http://self-insurance.expert or call 707-992- 3782.

McNeil is an expert in self-funding, a niche area of benefits advising designed to help employers manage what is often one of the highest line-item expenses in company budgets. In his featured chapter of the book, Miracles Happen But They Dont Come Cheap: The Pros and Cons of Self-Funding Prescription Drug Coverage, McNeil introduces the concept of self-funding, for the first time to many decision makers, and breaks down the complexity of the strategy into easy-to-understand concepts. McNeil explains, Healthcare is over a $3 trillion-dollar industry, and for most employers is their second-largest expense after payroll. It is increasingly a subject of extreme national debate. This book illustrates that there are market solutions and concepts that are in between maintaining the status quo on one side of the debate and government takeover on the other side of the debate. The intention of the book is to point the way toward a world in health insurance that utilizes the advantages of self-funding to take advantage of the concepts and vendors that can both help an employer lower its costs and improve its benefits. I wrote my chapter on the self-funding of prescription drug coverage to be part of that discussion.

As costly as employee benefits may be, they are integral in employee attraction and retention, and any company's success depends on a healthy and well-functioning workforce. As healthcare costs have risen, the tendency has been for employers to shift the costs to employees. This creates the unintended consequence of decreased employee engagement and underutilization of their health benefits. Because most benefits plans are fully insured, the health insurance company makes all the rules. This includes setting the plan parameters, determining which providers are in network, fee schedules, and critically, the plans formulary of approved drugs, which are the fastest-growing cost in health plans. Thus, if you really want to attack the cost of healthcare for your employees, wouldn't it make sense to start with the component that is causing the biggest problem? ...Experts are predicting that prescription drugs will take a frightening percentage of overall healthcare claims costs in just a few years. Since fully-insured plans control these questions for the members with little or no flexibility the only alternative is for the plan to be self-funded, including the drug plan, McNeil wrote in NextGeneration Healthcare. Self-funded health plans are the newest cutting-edge option to lower costs while improving the lives of the sickest plan members at the same time. McNeil aims to evangelize the need for employers to become engaged in optimizing their health plans using innovative programs, both in this book and in Arrow Benefits Groups new division, Self-Insurance Expert (SIE). McNeil says, SIE is a unique opportunity to bring solutions to employers while enhancing the health and lives of employees.

For more information on SIEs services and resources, visit http://self-insurance.expert or call

707-992-3782.

About Arrow Benefits Group and Keith McNeil

Keith McNeil, Senior Partner, has lectured on self-funding in California and Hawaii. He is a Charter Certified Professional of the Health Rosetta Institute, which is a nationwide movement to improve healthcare plans and outcomes, spearheaded by noted Forbes author and lecturer, Dave Chase.

Arrow Benefits Group, the third largest benefits firm in the North Bay, is a proud member of TRUE Network Advisors. Arrow Benefits Group is the single-source solution for managing the complexities of benefits with expert advice, customized programs, and personalized solutions. Arrows innovative programs control costs and give employees a greater sense of financial and emotional security. For straight answers to employee benefits call 707-992-3780 or visit http://www.arrowbenefitsgroup.com
We are very pleased to be able to support simplesurance in making their service more transparent using the power of high quality, automated data management, which ultimately brings their customers better choices and positive experiences.

LEVERTON, the premier provider of proprietary AI-powered technology for data extraction and contract analytics, announced that simplesurance, a global provider of innovative and smart insurance solutions, is leveraging the companys Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS) solution to bring even more simplicity to the insurance policy selection process.

After rapidly expanding to serve customers in 29 E.U. countries, Norway, Switzerland, simplesurance needed to automate formerly manual processes to continue delivering the superior user experience driving its success. The company selected LEVERTON and its AIaaS solution based on the ease of implementation, facilitated by LEVERTONs deep learning algorithms, as well as its high degrees of extraction accuracy. After just a few hundred training documents and less than 2 weeks of implementation, simplesurance achieved a recognition rate of almost 100 percent while reducing the time needed for data collection and extraction by 75 percent.

simplesurance is using the technology to automate the process of sourcing, structuring, and benchmarking data from a wide variety of insurance policies such as motor, household, or accident insurance. simplesurance's technology then carries out product and price comparisons between policies available on the market and delivers the best deals to customers who can then purchase with just a few clicks.

"The insurance sector is massive, dynamic, ever-changing, and the target of significant disruption. For consumers, offerings are often neither easy to digest nor transparent, said Bastian Schulz, Head of German Sales at LEVERTON. We are very pleased to be able to support simplesurance in making their service more transparent using the power of high quality, automated data management, which ultimately brings their customers better choices and positive experiences.

The insurance industry has an extremely fragmented product ecosystem, which is marked by exclusions and small print. Many insurance companies are following product-centric approaches instead of focusing on the customer. As digital broker, we offer our customers a simple way to manage their insurance over the smartphones, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. By working with LEVERTON to digitize unstructured data from a vast number of insurance policies with a host of different terms & conditions, we are now able to use this information to provide tangible, added value to our customers,said Joachim von Bonin, CFO & Co Founder at simplesurance.

About LEVERTON

LEVERTONs AI-powered data extraction and contract analytics platform helps businesses around the world uncover actionable insights in their contracts and documents. Trusted by 200 of the Fortune 1000, the companys secure platform includes pre-trained, proprietary OCR and machine learning algorithms that accelerate data discovery and extraction, speeding time to ROI. With support for 25 languages and offices in Berlin, London, New York, and New Delhi, LEVERTON is equipped to meet the needs of the largest global real estate, accounting, consulting and financial organizations. For more information, visit http://www.leverton.ai.

About simplesurance

simplesurance creates a platform for simple access to insurance. The unique platform is continuously developed and optimized to offer transparent and efficient insurance service to connect people and business, anywhere and anytime.

The Berlin-based market leader develops innovative cross-selling solutions for e-commerce that integrate into the checkout process of online shops and allows the purchase of insurance at the point-of-sale in 29 countries. More than 2,500 partners including many well-known companies such as OnePlus, Huawei Technologies, Nokia, Rakuten, Revolut, Real use the innovative power and flexibility of the companys cross-selling platform.

Moreover, simplesurance provides customers in nine countries an easy and convenient way to purchase product insurance in its flagship stores. Additionally, simplesurance offers to all customers an innovative digital broker service called Schutzklick Makler to manage all of their insurances on their smartphones, easy and completely paperless.

Founded in 2012, simplesurance has over 150 employees from across 30 nations all working in the Berlin headquarters and in the office in Tokyo.
Nicole Lambert Nicoles distinctive educational and professional background will make her an exceptional asset to Florida Pain Relief Centers Tampa team.

Tampa Pain Relief Centers is pleased to welcome Nicole Lambert to our diverse staff of pain management clinicians.

As the newest member of our Tampa team, Nicole will see patients at Tampa Pain Relief Centers LifeHope practice located at 3000 Medical Drive, assisting those suffering with chronic pain at various points throughout the care continuum.

Education / Professional Background



Earned a Masters degree in Nursing from South University in Tampa, Florida, graduating with honors

Licensed Registered Nurse

Board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

Holds a Masters of Business Administration with a healthcare concentration from Western Governors University.

We are confident that Nicoles distinctive educational and professional background will make her an exceptional asset to Florida Pain Relief Centers Tampa team as well as an excellent resource for our LifeHope patients.

Please join us in welcoming Nicole to Tampa Pain Relief Centers' staff of compassionate pain management specialists.

ABOUT TAMPA PAIN RELIEF CENTERS

Tampa Pain Relief Centers' LifeHope Practice specializes in minimally invasive practices, treatments, and therapies that help reduce chronic pain caused by a multitude of neuropathic conditions. Contact our team of clinicians today at 813-872-4492 or visit http://www.YourPainReliefCenters.com to learn more about how our individualized care approach can help you minimize discomfort and improve overall quality of life.
San Francisco Corporate Housing This is the time of year when students from all over the U.S. are securing internships with Bay Area companies from San Francisco to Palo Alto to San Jose.

Key Housing, the Bay Area's leader when it comes to finding corporate housing from San Francisco to San Jose, is proud to announce dual news. First, the company is issuing an alert for the impending summer rush as interns flood into San Francisco, and second, the company is announcing its prestigious Northern California featured property.

"This is the time of year when students from all over the U.S. are securing internships with Bay Area companies from San Francisco to Palo Alto to San Jose," explained Robert Lee, President of Key Housing. "Our new alert is to remind HR managers that if corporate housing hasn't been secured yet, now's the time to book it before complexes are filled up, and we're also announcing our May, 2019, designee for featured property."

As part of the alert, the company has listed 388 Beale Street as its featured San Francisco corporate housing complex for May, 2019. Interested persons can read more about the listing at http://www.keyhousing.com/rightside.asp?action=form3&ID=692. Unique features of 388 Beale street include; proximity to the Financial District, full kitchen and laundry facilities and a business center with WiFi. It's an ideal choice for corporate types seeking to "beat the rush" and secure housing before the interns flood the market. The entire inventory for Key Housing properties is ready for browsing at http://www.keyhousing.com/rightside.asp?location=San%20Francisco. Finally, those seeking to discover more tips, tricks, and secrets to securing San Francisco employee housing should visit the Key Housing blog page http://blog.keyhousing.com/tag/san-francisco/.

SAN FRANCISCO CORPORATE HOUSING: TIME TO BOOK BEFORE THE SUMMER RUSH OF INTERNS ARRIVE IN THE BAY AREA

Here is the background on this release. As summer approaches, HR departments can prepare for the intern season.' New, enthusiastic interns may be ready to work for businesses in the heart of the city and county of San Francisco, California. It could be time to secure San Francisco corporate housing before the Interns arrive.

Undergraduate students might be ready to try out' the corporate world during the summer season. The practice is a value-add to corporate leaders searching for future stars in a specific industry. HR managers may receive the task of securing accommodations for summer interns. It could be time to find San Francisco corporate housing before the end of June.

The summer internship season is a few months away and booking San Francisco corporate housing should be a priority for company leaders. The featured complex for Summer 2019, 388 Beale Street, might be the right fit. Located near the Financial District, the short-term housing complex provides robust on-site business amenities. Features including WiFi workstations, mail delivery, and conference rooms to help an intern stay connected to projects. Parking and electric car charging stations provide opportunities to explore Silicon Valley during off-hours. Furnished apartments including full kitchens and laundry service can help a student feel right at home.

Bay Area business leaders ready to test out' new talent may look forward to working with students over the summer time. Securing the best San Francisco corporate housing could ensure interns are comfortable and ready to work. For these reasons, Key Housing has announced an alert for the Bay Area business community.

ABOUT KEY HOUSING

Based in Folsom, California, Key Housing Connections Inc. (http://www.keyhousing.com/) specializes in corporate housing and corporate rentals in cities like San Diego, Huntington Beach, and Costa Mesa. Whether the need is for a serviced apartment or short-term rental, corporate housing or short-term apartments, browse our listings to find the location that fits one's short-term corporate housing needs. We are competitive with extended stay hotels in cities such as Irvine, Newport Beach and Mission Viejo. People seeking pet-friendly corporate rentals or corporate relocation services depend on us for furnished apartments and other temporary housing needs. Whether after San Diego corporate housing or short-term rental in Santa Ana, we can aid the search for the right apartment in the Golden State. After all, we're among the top-rated short-term apartment listing service in areas like Orange County and Los Angeles County. Whether it's serviced apartments or a furnished rental, search, click or call today!

Key Housing Media Relations

(800) 989-0410
The Software Report is pleased to announce the Top 25 Women Leaders in Cybersecurity of 2019. Hundreds of exceptional women were nominated in this years process. We evaluated each nominee based on a series of questions on the candidate's professional capabilities. The Software Report also conducted candidate evaluation based on research of qualified information sources and publicly available information. We looked for demonstrated cybersecurity expertise, longevity in the industry, career progression and current position among other factors.

It gives us great pleasure to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of these deserving women in the demanding field of cybersecurity.

Topping this years list are Angela McKay, Senior Director of Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy for Microsoft; Kara Sprague, Senior Vice President and General Manager for F5; and Debbie Umbach, Vice President of Marketing for BitSight Technologies. Notably, Debbie joined BitSight in 2014 as employee #39 and since then has helped grow the companys customer base more than tenfold to 1,600 customers.

A few highly accomplished women gracing the list deserve mention. They include Keenan Skelly who was one of the first female U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians; Dana Tamir, who built Silverforts marketing team from the ground up driving product sales growth; Sarah Walker, White Ops Vice President of Engineering; and Jennifer Wang, Vectras Vice President of Customer Success.

Congratulations to each of this year's awardees. The complete list can be read here: https://www.thesoftwarereport.com/top-25-women-leaders-in-cybersecurity-of-2019/.

About The Software Report

The Software Report is a comprehensive source for market research and insights, business news, investment activity and corporate actions related to the software sector. Based in New York City, the firm is run by a seasoned team of editors, writers and media professionals highly knowledgeable on software and the various companies, executives and investors that make up the sector. http://www.thesoftwarereport.com.
The Trevor Project wants every young LGBTQ person to know that they are never alone and can always reach out to us for help, said Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project.

The Trevor Project, the worlds largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people, and AT&T Turn Up the Love, the companys campaign to support and engage LGBTQ people and allies, today launched Anytime, Anywhere featuring Content Creator and LGBTQ Advocate, Tyler Oakley.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth are more than four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. Anytime, Anywhere highlights Tyler Oakleys moments of feeling hopeless and alone during his youth, and tells LGBTQ young people that The Trevor Projects text and chat counseling services, TrevorText and TrevorChat, are now available 24/7 for the first time in the organizations 21-year history of saving young LGBTQ lives.

The Trevor Project wants every young LGBTQ person to know that they are never alone and can always reach out to us for help, said Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project. Now that our text and chat services are available around the clock, thanks to financial support, products, services, and employee volunteers provided by AT&T, we can provide life-saving support to even more of the 1.5 million LGBTQ young people we estimate to need our services every year. With the help of Tyler Oakley and AT&T, were able to reach LGBTQ youth nationwide so they know how to connect with trained crisis counselors at any time, who can tell them that they are loved, valued, and never alone.

The organization expanded TrevorText and TrevorChats availability with Generation Z in mind. As the first mobile native generation that grew up with smartphone technology, they are more comfortable with text and chat services than with speaking on the phone or in-person interactions. In fact, in a third-party evaluation of The Trevor Projects services, the majority of youth (63%) who used its text and chat services reported doing so because they felt like it was easier to be themselves. Tyler Oakley, who has a massive social media following of more than 23 million fans and over 7.5 million YouTube subscribers, connects directly with young people daily through content that resonates uniquely with them.

Moments of crisis are different for everyone, and I hope that by sharing mine, LGBTQ youth know theres no reason too big or small to reach out to The Trevor Project, said Tyler Oakley. Asking for support isnt always easy -- its important to meet LGBTQ young people where they are, with counselors who are trained to meet their unique needs, and on platforms theyre comfortable using.

The 24/7 transformation of The Trevor Projects text and chat services is powered by AT&T, which recognizes the importance of connectivity and of being able to support LGBTQ youth in crisis at all hours of the day.

Our work with The Trevor Project is especially meaningful to AT&T. Were proud to make millions of connections every day and those connections are never more important than in a time of need or crisis, said Valerie Vargas, SVP of advertising and creative services, AT&T. As one of the first corporate allies of the LGBTQ community, providing resources and support whether its through our technology or our dedicated employees  to help save lives of LGBTQ young people is a crucial part of our mission.

Proud supporters of The Trevor Projects expansion to provide 24/7 text and chat support for LGBTQ youth in crisis also include The Coca-Cola Foundation and Wells Fargo Foundation.

The Trevor Project also supports LGBTQ youth in crisis through TrevorLifeline, its flagship, confidential phone lifeline, which has been available 24/7 since the organizations inception 21 years ago.
Express Car Buying is now available.

Toyota of Irving makes it easy for customers to shop its vehicles online. Online car shopping or buying is becoming more popular and Toyota of Irving has made their website user-friendly to help shoppers.

If customers are just interested in browsing the current inventory at Toyota of Irving, they can view the New tab on the websites (http://www.toyotaofirving.com) menu. Here they will find the current vehicles that the dealership has in stock. Customers who are actively shopping for their next vehicle and are looking to make a purchase can check out the Express Car Buying page that can be found by clicking on the Shop from Home link.

While on the Express Car Buying page, shoppers can find the specific vehicle they are looking for and be in contact with the dealership. The Express page allows customers to click on the vehicle they want, find out what their lease, finance or cash prices would be and calculate their trade-in option. Once customers enter in their information, they will receive an upfront price for the vehicle they are interested in. After finding the vehicle they are looking for, shoppers can complete the order all online and pick up their vehicle at the dealership or have it delivered to their home.

Express Car Buying from Toyota of Irving is a great way for customers to get an instant upfront price. Customers who are interested are encouraged to learn more on the websites shopping page. The Toyota of Irving dealership is located at 1999 W Airport Freeway and can be contacted by calling 877-418-7242.
Rebecca Klock Schroer, Trust and Estate Partner in Denver Rebeccas experience on the administrative side of wealth management will be highly valuable to our clients.

Holland & Hart announced the return of Partner Rebecca Klock Schroer to the firms Denver office. With her focus on trust and estate litigation and administration, Schroer strengthens Holland & Harts growing Private Client practice. She brings a valuable practical perspective into the challenges faced by families of wealth through her experience as a trust officer and client advisor at financial institutions.

"Holland & Hart is fortunate to have Rebecca back as we continue to expand our Private Client team to enhance the scope of solutions we offer to our clients," said Brenda Berg, Practice Group Leader of the firms Tax and Benefits group. "Rebeccas experience on the administrative side of wealth management will be highly valuable to our clients."

Beginning her legal career at Holland & Hart in 2007, Schroer was admitted to the partnership in 2016 and was integral to the development of the firms Trust and Estate Litigation services. Providing litigation and other dispute resolution options enhances the Private Client teams delivery of estate planning and wealth management advice to families and individuals, estates and trusts, family offices, closely-held businesses, and foundations in the U.S. and internationally.

"Holland & Hart is where I honed my client relationship and litigation skills. When I thought about returning to practice, there was nowhere I would rather be than at Holland & Hart, said Schroer. I am thrilled to work again with this talented team assisting clients on complex, sophisticated projects. The insights I gained during my experience at financial institutions will allow me to bring a fresh perspective to help my clients navigate wealth management issues.

Schroer represents individual and corporate fiduciaries as trustee, personal representative, and conservator; as well as beneficiaries and heirs with interests in trusts and estates. She has extensive trial experience, as well as experience reaching creative resolutions through mediation. She is an active member of the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations, the Rocky Mountain Estate Planning Council, Denver Estate Planning Council, Womens Bar Association, and a past board member of the Hunger Free Colorado organization.

About Holland & Hart

Founded in 1947, Holland & Hart is a full-service Am Law 200 firm with offices in eight states and in Washington, D.C. We deliver integrated legal solutions to regional, national, and international clients of all sizes in a diverse range of industries. For more information, visit http://www.hollandhart.com or on Twitter: @HollandHart.
American Memorial Park Quarter

United States Mint (Mint) Director David J. Ryder joined citizens of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to launch the new America the Beautiful Quarters Program Coin honoring American Memorial Park.

The 133-acre park is a tribute to the thousands of American and Marianas people who perished during the Marianas Campaign of World War II. Three distinct locations within the park pay tribute to the lives lost: the Memorial Court of Honor and Flag Circle, the Marianas Memorial (dedicated to the indigenous people who died), and the carillon.

The reverse (tails) design of the quarter honoring the site depicts a young woman in traditional attire at a front of the Flag Circle and Court of Honor. She is resting her hand on a plaque containing text that honors the sacrifice of those who died in the Marianas Campaign of World War II. Inscriptions on the quarter are AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK, N. MARIANA ISLANDS, 2019, and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

Director Ryder noted the significance of the American Memorial Park quarter design in his remarks to the crowd. The American liberation of the Northern Mariana Islands hastened the end of the war, but came at a price of thousands of casualties, Director Ryder remarked. May this quarter stand as a tribute to the memories this park preserves.

CNMI Governor Ralph Torres, Lieutenant Governor Arnold Palacios, and park superintendent Barbara Alberti joined Mr. Ryder to celebrate the new quarter. Event highlights included the Mints customary coin forum the evening before the ceremony and coin exchange following the ceremony.

The United States Mint is offering products featuring the American Memorial Park quarter at its online catalog at https://catalog.usmint.gov/coin-programs/america-the-beautiful-quarters-program/. These products may also be purchased by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

The American Memorial Park quarter is the 47th release in the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program, a 12-year initiative authorized by Public Law 110-456 to honor 56 national parks and other national sites. Each year for the duration of the program, the public will see five additional national sites depicted on the reverses of the America the Beautiful Quarters coins. The final coin will be issued at the end of the program in 2021. The Mint issues these quarters in the order in which the honored sites were first established as national sites.

About the United States Mint

Congress created the United States Mint in 1792, and the Mint became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. As the Nations sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, the Mint is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; silver and bronze medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. Its numismatic programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to taxpayers.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:



Additional Contact:

American Memorial Park:

Barbara Alberti, Superintendent

(670) 234-7207, ext. 2020

barbara_alberti@nps.gov

# # #

United States Mint  Connecting America through Coins
"Uplive was founded in May 2016, As part of Asia Innovations Group (AIG), Uplive is a live-streaming platform that allows users to broadcast and view real-time videos via their smartphones. Currently Uplive has over 1000,000 broadcasters and 65 million registered users worldwide" Uplive Quoted;

On April 24th, Uplive, a global leading live streaming app, sponsored a concert featuring multi-talented actor, Jovan Armand, who is best known for his role of Pedro Pena as one of the supporting leads in the DC Comic studio film "Shazam!". Jovan is also a host at Uplive. Fellow Uplive Host Tori Kay, who is recently signed as a Sony artist, hosted the red carpet interview of more than 30-40 celebrities. Over 200 guests attended the event and many are Uplive hosts.

Prior to filming "Shazam," Jovan played Brick's best friend, Troy, on ABC's hit show "The Middle." With additional television credits including "Hawaii Five-O," "Parenthood," "Shameless," "Children's Hospital," Nickelodeon's "Bella and the Bulldogs" and more, Jovan has demonstrated his talent and ability to connect with audiences.

About Uplive (Uplive)

Uplive was founded in May 2016, As part of Asia Innovations Group (AIG), Uplive is a live-streaming platform that allows users to broadcast and view real-time videos via their smartphones.

Currently Uplive has over 1000,000 broadcasters and 65 million registered users worldwide and is available in over 100 countries, the app currently supports sixteen languages including Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai. with over 500,000 live anchors airing content in all languages and tastes, Uplive is becoming one the of the most successful Chinese applications growing worldwide. On average broadcasters in Uplive earned $2000 dollars a month in 2018 just by streaming an hour a day from their phones.

Uplive Website: http://www.asiainnovations.com

UpliveUSA: http://www.upliveusa.com

Instagram: @Uplive.usa
Cleo Emerald Drop Earrings by Valani Atelier For the mother who is the leader of the pack, uninterested in commercial fashion imagery, fed up with being force-fed traditional beauty standards, the gift of an emerald piece is a distinctive and thoughtful choice. Past News Releases RSS Regal Diamond Looks Lead this...

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A source of fascination and reverence, the green in emerald delights designers and wearers alike. Its bright vitreous luster and eye-catching color universally flatters, and it is recognized as the ravishing birthstone for May. This upcoming Mothers Day, Valani Atelier has created seven high jewels in honor of mothers. Face-framing earrings, elegant cocktail rings, and pendants that sweep the collarbone are the collections signature, each a unique and timeless modern heirloom.

With emerald being the cornerstone of Valanis seventy-year legacy, the family sources and sets exceptionally high-quality stones from the Muzo, Chivor, and Coscuez Mines in Colombia, and the Kagem Mine in Zambia. Bright, beautifully faceted, and ideally saturated with the perfect balance of bright emerald green, each Valani Atelier stone is hand-selected to represent the highest quality gem material from the source, exhibiting exceptional lapidary cuts from renowned craftsmen from Brazil to New York.

For over six thousand years emeralds have enchanted, from Incans and Ancient Egyptians, through today. Heena Shah, Creative Director for Valani Atelier, says of the collection, I believe vivid green emerald jewelry expresses the individuality of the women wearing them. For the mother who is the leader of the pack, uninterested in commercial fashion imagery, fed up with being force-fed traditional beauty standards, the gift of an emerald piece is a distinctive and thoughtful choice.

Reimagining the elegance of stud earrings, Shah has turned them into attention-grabbing statements in their own right with the Hailey Emerald Earrings and the Phoenix Emerald Set. The Hailey earrings feature large cushion cut center stones, surrounded by a dance of diamonds in mixed shapes, adding texture to the design. The Phoenix Emerald Set has stunning drop-shaped emeralds, accented by diamond feathers, reminiscent of the mythical creature. The collection also features the Cleo Emerald Drop Earrings, which juxtapose the orientation of diamond drops and rounds, adding a stateliness to elegance.

The Tidore Emerald and The Cavalieri Emerald Pendant offer contrasting, yet equally provocative necklace looks. The Tidore Emerald features two large emerald-cut emeralds, both haloed by a symmetrical pattern of round diamonds. The larger of the two gems has an added layer of dramatic beauty outside the halo, with east-west set oval diamonds, set with round faceted emeralds in between. A feast for the eyes set in 18K white gold, it is the perfect gift to add a royal look to moms jewelry wardrobe. Similarly, the Cavalieri Emerald Pendant also has two large emeralds, but the top stone is square-cut, while the bottom features an emerald-cut gem. Surrounded by drop shaped diamonds in varied orientations, this necklace playfully alternates space, with leaf-like diamonds dripping above and below the square-cut gemstone.

The staple of any gala, party, or black dress is the cocktail ring. Make mom the center of attention with the bespoke Elsie Emerald Ring, or the Eliza Emerald. The former stuns with its silky color, capturing all in a vivid globe of green. The cabochon sits upon its diamond floral frame, with scalloped round diamonds over marquise cuts, an interplay of shapes on a half-paved band. The Eliza Emerald, on the other hand, is a straight, geometric masterpiece, reminiscent of the rings worn in the roaring 20s. An emerald-cut stone sits above a tour-de-force of racing baguettes, drops, and hidden delicate round diamonds in varied sizes, adding sparkle from below.

For more information about Valani Atelier, visit valaniatelier.com, call 212-702-9703, or contact Valani Atelier through their contact page. For questions regarding this release, contact Olga Gonzalez at info(at)pietrapr.com or call 212-913-9761.

ABOUT HEENA CHHEDA SHAH

Valani Atelier Co-Founder and Creative Director Heena Chheda Shah is the youngest jewelry designer to have won prestigious AGTA Spectrum, Platinum Guild, and Womens Jewelry Association Awards three years in a row. She has trained at the Gemological Institute of America and has a background in industrial engineering, having worked at Michelin in Lyon, France, Google in San Francisco, and as a consultant in New York City.

ABOUT VALANI ATELIER

Based in New York, Valani Atelier sells 18 Karat gold jewelry set with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and pearls sourced directly from mining centers in Brazil, Colombia, Zambia, Mozambique, and Japan. Following the traditions of craftsmanship perfected by generations of Italian goldsmiths, the results are masterfully executed pieces that combine a heritage of artistry and striking design.
Pam Cain (middle), interim senior vice president and university secretary from the division of finance at Iowa State, talks about the register of Iowa State University capital improvement business transactions. Board of Regents held a meeting on Feb. 27 in the Reiman Ballroom at the Alumni Center to hear from the property and facilities committee, the investment and finance committee, the academic affairs committee, campus and student affairs committee, audit and compliance committee and University of Iowa hospitals and clinics committee.
Wayback Burgers, Americas Favorite Hometown Burger Joint and one of the nations fastest-growing burger franchises, recently hosted a national fundraiser with its nonprofit partner, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), and is seeking votes for its milkshake contest.

The contest was announced on March 26, the day of the most-recent BGCA fundraiser, in which Wayback Burgers and its guests raised $15,685.79 for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. With the contest, Boys & Girls Club members across the country were encouraged to submit their own milkshake recipes.

Now that all flavors have been submitted, Wayback Burgers has narrowed them down and decided on semi-finalist milkshake flavor winners.

The semi-finalist shake flavors and corresponding clubs are:



Boys & Girls Club of Chester (in Florida)  Campfire Dream

Caring People Alliance at R.W. Brown Community Center (in Pennsylvania)  Caramel Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Chapman Boys & Girls Clubs (in Pennsylvania)  Key Lime Pie

We are very proud to be partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, says John Eucalitto, CEO of Wayback Burgers. This shake contest has been very exciting, and we are happy to support an organization that is working hard to reach out and help our nations children excel in school and in life. So, go vote for your favorite flavor!

All three new and exciting flavors are featured on Wayback Burgers website, and guests can vote for which shake they most want to try. Wayback Burgers milkshakes are made the old-fashioned way: by hand, using only milk and hand-dipped ice cream.

Wayback Burgers will announce the winning flavor on May 15, and the winning club will be awarded a $5,000 prize. The restaurant will then debut the winning milkshake flavor as a limited-time offer in August.

Wayback Burgers has pledged to raise at least $100,000 for the BGCA within the first year of their partnership. With a grand total of $123,845.35 raised thus far, Wayback Burgers has already exceeded that minimum number and hopes to break $150,000 by June 30, 2019. In just the first quarter of 2019 alone, Wayback Burgers raised $51,256.79.

After school programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of America make a real difference in the lives of so many children across the country, says Patrick Conlin, Senior Vice President of Wayback Burgers. Through our partnership with this amazing organization, we are helping to ensure they have the resources they need to have a successful school year. Every day, the Boys & Girls Clubs help prepare todays youth for a great future, and thats a wonderful thing.

For more information on Wayback Burgers and all partnerships/promotions, please visit their website https://waybackburgers.com/ and social media profiles  Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

For more information on the Wayback Burgers franchise opportunity, please visit https://franchise.waybackburgers.com/.

About Wayback Burgers

Founded in 1991 in Newark, Delaware, Wayback Burgers is a Connecticut-based fast-casual franchise with a reputation for cooked-to-order burgers and thick, hand-dipped milkshakes, served in an environment that hearkens back to a simpler place and time  when customer service meant something and everyone felt the warmth of the community.

Wayback Burgers currently operates in 30 states with over 166 locations nationally and internationally in Argentina, Brunei, Sudan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Through its executed master franchise agreements, Wayback Burgers plans to open in 38 provinces/countries in the Middle East, Northern Africa, South Africa, Argentina, Pakistan, Brunei, Bangladesh, Ireland, Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada and the Netherlands, with a pending letter of intent sent out to Germany.

For more information about Wayback Burgers, please go to https://waybackburgers.com/.

For franchising information about Wayback Burgers, please go to https://franchise.waybackburgers.com/.
We look forward to a great event that educates women on the variety of preventative health measures that we offer at Womens Excellence! Come learn more about usand have a little fun too! Dr. Jonathan Zaidan, MD, FACOG, President of Womens Excellence.

Womens Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology discusses genetic cancer testing and other preventative care services for women. On Thursday, May 2, Womens Excellence hosts a Grand Opening event for the new Womens Excellence Mammography office, with a special focus on genetic cancer screening and testing.

Treatments have gotten better, but prevention is still key to keeping people healthy. At Womens Excellence, we have an experienced group of provides that are dedicated to preventative care and making healthcare easier and more convenient for patients. Thats why we decided to add an entire screening mammography office to our practice and offer genetic testing to help women identify their risk for various cancers like breast cancer or ovarian cancer. We are ALL in and committed to YOUR health! Dr. Jonathan Zaidan, MD, FACOG, President of Womens Excellence

The Grand Opening event is on Thursday, May 2, from 4-7pm at 1410 S. Lapeer Road in Lake Orion, Michigan.

Guests can tour the facility, take a free hereditary cancer risk assessment, learn more from hereditary cancer risk specialists, and receive testing on-site. Thats not all, Womens Excellence has received tremendous community support for this event and is excited to offer complimentary food, drinks, and a variety of raffle prizes. Raffle prizes include gift cards and prizes from:



Hamlin Pub

Leos Coney Island

Bordines Nursery

LaVida Massage

Tiffanys Tumblers

Meld Studio

Lashes by Carol

MG Photography

Honchos of Clarkston

Uniquely Yours Card Design

Fuzzies Pet Food Supply

Etched in Glass

Lake Orion Nutrition

Womens Excellence

Guests must be present to enter for raffle prizes.

We look forward to a great event that educates women on the variety of preventative health measures that we offer at Womens Excellence! Come learn more about usand have a little fun too! Dr. Jonathan Zaidan, MD, FACOG, President of Womens Excellence.

For more information about Womens Excellence or to schedule an appointment, visit http://www.WomensExcellence.com. Online Patient Support Specialists are available Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm to assist new, current, and prospective patients. The chat is located at the bottom right corner of your computer or mobile device screen at http://www.WomensExcellence.com.

Womens Excellence is the most comprehensive obstetric and gynecologic office in Michigan. Additionally, they specialize in menopause, weight control, bladder control, endometriosis, robotic surgery, oncology, and midwifery services. Womens Excellence is committed to staying at the forefront of innovation with cutting edge technologies utilizing robotic surgery and minimally invasive surgical options when possible. The knowledgeable, compassionate physicians and healthcare providers of Womens Excellence focus on patient-centered processes to deliver the highest quality of care. They are affiliated with most insurances. They offer seamless medical record access via a state-of-the-art patient portal and use the latest technology for record keeping and sharing, making the patient experience easier and more efficient. Womens Excellence is taking new patients and is conveniently located throughout southeastern Michigan in Birmingham, Lake Orion, Clarkston, Rochester, and West Bloomfield. Coming soon, Womens Excellence will open locations in Royal Oak and Lapeer, Michigan. For more information, visit http://www.WomensExcellence.com.
Random House announced on Monday that its Delacorte Press imprint will release a revised edition of Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao this fall. The pub date is November 19, and there will be a 150,000 initial print run in hardcover.

In January, a firestorm over the YA fantasy novels themes and content erupted on social media. A number of YA writers and others disparaged Blood Heir five months before its scheduled June release for what they saw as Zhaos insensitivity to the history of racism in the U.S., particularly by using slavery as a plot device in the tale of the character Anastacya, who has the power to control blood. After being falsely accused of murdering her father, Anastacya must flee the castle and hide in a land whose inhabitants fear those with the power that she possesses, while, with the help of a charismatic con man, she tries to clear her name.

Not only did critics condemn a slave auction scene in the original edition, but they also complained of characterizations that emphasized skin color.

In response to the criticism, Zhao, 26, who was born in Paris and raised in Beijing before emigrating to the U.S. as a college student, said that she had intended in her fiction to create parallels to human trafficking and indentured servitude in Asia, and requested that Delacorte postpone publication of Blood Heir. The press, which had signed a three-book deal with Zhao, did so, but made it clear that Delacorte supported Zhao and intended to honor the contract with her to publish Blood Heir.According to an interview with Zhao just published in the New York Times, Zhao reread her novel several times, examining the plot and characters to see if the critics were right. She decided they werent, but still made some revisions. Delacorte then sent the revised version of Blood Heir to scholars and to sensitivity readers to evaluate the text, and Zhao made further revisions based on their feedback.

Zhaos editor, Krista Marino told PW, The manuscript in the ARC was not final, and we were still revising when Amelie asked us to postpone the publication. We worked to further establish the nuances of indentured labor and trafficking within this fantasy world, without changing major plot points.In an open letter posted on social media Monday afternoon announcing the news, Zhao stated, In writing this novel I researched extensively on the subject of modern-day human trafficking and on indentured labor throughout the world, and specifically from my heritage. It became clear to me that my book was being read in a different cultural context from my own, and so I took the time to make sure the hallmarks of this global epidemic were being incisively drawn.

Expressing her excitement over finally publishing Zhaos empowering and enthralling novel, Marino said in a release that Blood Heir [sheds] light on a global human rights issue [and] is true to her dual mission to raise awareness for important social issues and to write an engrossing story.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  A Purdue University physics and astronomy professor has been named to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors given to a scientist in the United States.

Chris H. Greene, Purdues Albert Overhauser Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, was one of 100 new members to the academy, announced Tuesday (April 30).

Greene was elected for his scientific work. His research interests includes:

Ultracold few-body and many-body quantum systems.

Electron-molecule collisions and dissociative recombination.

Ultrafast laser interactions with atoms and molecules.

Novel Rydberg molecules and multichannel Rydberg atoms.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to furthering science and technology and their use for the general welfare. Established by an act of Congress and signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, the academy is charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology.

There are currently 2,347 active members and 487 foreign associates. Foreign associates are nonvoting members of the academy, with citizenship outside the United States. For more information and the full list of newly elected members, visit http://www.nationalacademies.org.

Media contact: Kayla Zacharias, 765-494-9318, kzachar@purdue.edu
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Plans are moving forward for the construction of a new Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Purdue University, replacing a majority of the current hospital with larger, state-of-the-art facilities and services.

The project, pending formal approval from Purdues Board of Trustees, will cost $108 million. Purdue has committed $35 million, which includes ongoing fundraising by the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the state of Indiana recently approved a $73 million appropriation.

With this support, we can say that the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicines dream of having a new state-of-the-art hospital facility will become a reality, said Willie Reed, dean of Purdues College of Veterinary medicine.

The new hospital, which will be constructed just east of Lynn Hall on Purdues campus, will consist of small and large animal facilities, including a new equine hospital and farm animal hospital.

Building a new teaching hospital will solve an important issue with the colleges accreditation, which was recently changed from full accreditation to probationary accreditation after the American Veterinary Medical Associations Council on Education cited issues with the existing veterinary teaching hospital following a visit last fall by an accreditation review team.

The Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine is the only veterinary college in Indiana. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital provides comprehensive veterinary care for animals, annually serving more than 16,400 patients through the Small Animal Hospital, more than 1,800 patients in the Large Animal Hospital, and an additional 23,000 food animals and horses through on-farm visits conducted by the Food Animal and Equine Ambulatory Services. From the fiscal year 2009-10 to 2017-18, hospital caseloads increased by 50%.

The hospital also is vital to the education of veterinary students, postgraduate veterinarians, and veterinary nursing students, providing hands-on training in an actual hospital setting for the next generation of veterinarians and veterinary nurses. The hospital supports the education of approximately 40 residents and interns, 100 clinical year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students, and 30 veterinary nursing students each year. As of fall 2018, the college enrolled 339 DVM students and 89 veterinary nursing students.

Writer: Abbey Nickel, 765-496-1325, nickela@purdue.edu

Source: Kevin Doerr, 765-494-8216, doerrkr@purdue.edu
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Theodore Roosevelt standing beside large globe in the White House, 1903 (Wikimedia)

President Roosevelt used both formal and informal channels to communicate his determination to uphold the Monroe Doctrine during the zenith of the crisis. His first act was an unusual signal, appointing the U.S. Navys only four-star admiral as the commander of the Atlantic Fleet for its 1902-1903 winter exercise. The U.S. Navys highest-ranking officer rarely went to sea, but Roosevelt wanted to send a message by appointing Admiral George Dewey, the Hero of Manila Bay, as the combined fleets commander. By posting Dewey to the Atlantic Fleet, Roosevelt hoped to arrest the attention ofthe Kaiser.[11]

The president exercised informal channels in attempts to communicate his deterrent threat while maintaining public discretion. President Roosevelt wrote to friend and British parliamentarian Arthur Lee that Admiral Dewey was training the fleet for war, knowing the well-connected Lee would socialize this comment in the capitals of Europe.[12] Roosevelt used what Henry J. Hendrix calls the intimacy of personal diplomacy as another means of indirect communication, inviting friend and German diplomat Baron Speck von Sternburg to a private White House dinner, along with Admiral Dewey on November 24, 1902.[13] With these indirect methods having failed, however, Dewey and the fleet prepared to set sail, and Roosevelt saw them off just over a week later at the Washington Navy Yard.[14]

President Roosevelt communicated directly and succinctly with the German Ambassador, Theodor von Holleben, throughout the crisis. On December 8, 1902, the president issued a stern ultimatum for the ambassador to relay to the Kaiser: Germany must accept international arbitration within ten days, or be prepared to go to war with the United States.[15] On December 14, 1902, when Roosevelt saw von Holleben again, he inquired as to what the Kaisers response to his ultimatum was. To Roosevelts dismay, the Ambassador confessed that he, not thinking the ultimatum was a serious threat, had not transmitted it to Berlin! A flustered Roosevelt then told Ambassador von Holleben rather than wait for the remaining three days of the ultimatum; he would authorize Admiral Dewey to steam towards Venezuela in forty-eight hours.[16] Additionally, the American Ambassador to Britain, Henry White, presented a message on December 17th from President Roosevelt to the Balfour government, advising them to convince their German co-belligerents to accept arbitration.[17] Later on the 17th, after an exchange of telegrams with Berlin, Ambassador von Holleben reported Germany would accept the American proposal, and requested Roosevelt serve as the arbitrator.[18]

Roosevelt and Coercive Diplomacy

Roosevelt succeeded where many have failed by clearly and credibly communicating to a skeptical foreign leader his intent to defend a third party. Earlier in 1902 and prior to the crisis, Kaiser Wilhelm dismissed Ambassador von Hollebens warnings that Roosevelt would respond strongly to any perceived planning or action towards a permanent German base in the region, telling him, We will do whatever is necessaryeven if it displeases the Yankees.[19] How did Roosevelt convince the Kaiser to back down from the brink of war when the emperor held such a contemptuous view at the outset of the crisis? Roosevelt was unflagging in his attempts to communicate his intentions to the Kaiser, and used multiple means to convey the consequences of German failure to acquiesce to his demands.

For the first time, the Monroe Doctrine was credible thanks to a modernized and growing United States Navy. The capabilities of the Navy underwrote the claims of the Monroe Doctrine, and gave the decades-old pronouncement teeth. Most important, however, was Roosevelts discretion in his messaging, communicated both through formal and informal channels, of what the Germans and their European consortium must not do if they were to avoid war, and what the United States would do if the challengers did not abide by his demands.[20]

A 21st Century Venezuela Crisis

There are important differences between the 1902-1903 crisis and the current turmoil in Venezuela. Embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro seems to be cast in the same mold as the strongman Cipriano Castro, but the attitude in Caracas towards the United States has changed. While Castro sought Roosevelts protection, Maduro spurns the current administration, claiming the United States is fabricating a crisis to justify military intervention.[21] Rather than acting on behalf of the Venezuelan government, as in 1902, the U.S. now finds itself supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido, while the sitting Venezuelan president welcomes Russian military advisors.[22] The current situation is even more complicated than the challenge Roosevelt faced: how does the United States deter outside intervention in Venezuela and maintain influence in the region if the legitimacy of the Venezuelan government is in question?
Vladimir Putins newest display of talent is his excelling in theatrics. He recently elected to play Macbeth or Richard III. Having nothing left to offer Russia as the indices of immiseration pile up, Putins recourse to imperial theatrics has dramatically accelerated. But ultimately this performance, like those of his predecessors on stage and in reality, ends with the political or physical death of the tyrant and a new king or in Russias case, tsar.

Specifically, we refer to the most recent example of Russias passportization strategy. On the heels of Volodymyr Zelenskiys election as president of Ukraine, Putin has enacted a new decree providing Russian passports to residents of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. (A few days later, he said he is considering giving Russian passports to all Ukrainians.) This time-tested Putin strategy was connected to the instigation of hostilities in Georgia in 2008. Ostensibly solicitous about the humanitarian crisis in these provinces that his arms and soldiers have inflicted, Putin has now taken a major step toward including these provinces as part of Russia, like he did with Crimea.

Second, as many have pointed out, this decree creates the legal basis for new invasions of Ukrainian territory allegedly to protect Russian citizens, an option we saw in Georgia, Crimea, Donbas, and Moldova and one that is actually enshrined in Russian law. Here Putin stands in a long line of Russian autocrats, including Stalin, who used this pretext to annex what is now western Ukraine in 1939 from Poland. And this was Hitlers argument too, a comparison that undoubtedly enrages Moscow as an example of lese-majeste since it cannot come to terms with its own history.

Third, this is a warning that despite five years of failure the dreams of the Russian World (Russkii Mir) and Novorossiia have yet to be buried for good. Indeed, for the last 6-12 months, Moscow has attempted to expand its territory and population further by making all kinds of economically if not militarily coercive moves against Belarus. Both Vladislav Surkov and Sergei Glazyev who played nefarious roles in the 2013-14 Russo-Ukrainian crises have now been moved to work on Belarus. We should expect consistent and expanding pressures upon Minsk in the immediate future.

Fourth, although this decree constitutes a legal-political basis for another invasion, it also implicitly recognizes that if Putin is to stay in power he has no choice other than to incorporate these territories into the Russian Federation and keep proclaiming that Russia faces constant threats. If large-scale conventional war is no longer a viable option because the consequences are too unpredictable and potentially protracted, then this is the best Putin can hope for. Like those aforementioned Shakespearean monarchs, Putin is in blood so steeped that sin shall pluck on Sin or that it would be as tiresome to go oer as to go back. He cannot renounce the occupied territories and Crimea and leave them to Ukraine as he would lose his job and the support of his entire entourage who would have been left to suffer the consequences of an outraged public that has had to suffer immeasurably for their fantasies of wealth and power.

For Putin, there is no negotiated solution available and we and Zelenskiy should realize that. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has again voiced the idea that the West should forget about Crimeas reversion to Ukraine. Like these ill-fated monarchs, Putin has no choice but to apply pressure and either threaten or launch a new war. This calculation should make Ukraine and NATOs (not just Washingtons) policy decisions easier. While Ukraine must reform and strengthen its overall economic, political, and military capabilities, the West must not only maintain but increase its support, not least militarily. This does not mean merely reforming the defense establishment and providing weapons, but also supporting efforts to sustain Ukraines presence in the Sea of Azov (including the Kerch Strait).

Ukraine and NATO should enter into a new Lend-Lease deal giving bases there to NATO in return for the transfer of usable but surplus naval and other capabilities that Ukraines armed forces can use effectively. Certainly this response to Putins new test of Zelenskiy to force him to address Moscow on its terms would demonstrate Kyiv, Brussels, and Washingtons resolve. Moscow will not attack NATO ships in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov for all its bellicosity. Besides those responses, we should further ratchet up sanctions on Russia to impose more costs on Putin and his regime. Existing sanctions have already forced a slowdown in defense spending and generated some unrest due to worsening economic conditions. Striking at Putins capacity to wage war and his pretensions to annex more territory and pose as a Tsarist-like gatherer of Russian lands must be stopped before it leads to a larger and more disastrous war for Russia and Europe. But even so, as Macbeth and Richards histories indicate, Putins enemies are steadily bringing Birnam Wood to Dunsinane or Bosworth Field and that Russia cannot continue to bear the burdens of his theatrics.

Stephen Blank is a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council.

This article appeared originally at Atlantic Council.
When last we visited the topic of Nigerian energy markets and happenings, the reason that Nigeria simultaneously is energy-rich and energy-poor was illustrated by the ongoing tug of war between the Nigerian government and Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID). This was over a prior agreement for P&ID to build a state-of-the-art natural gas processing plant along the Nigerian coast. In a nutshell: The government was supposed to provide the land and build the pipeline to deliver the gas to the plant. It failed to do either. As a result, over 282 billion cubic feet of gas were wasted (flared) in 2018 alone. And the agreement was for 20 years, with the planned delivery of wet gas to the plant beginning at 150 million cubic feet per day, rising to 400 million over time.

This arrangement was win-win. The plant would process wet gas (natural gas combined with associated liquids) produced as a byproduct of offshore crude oil production, separating the dry gas from the liquids. The gas would be given to the government, to be used for electricity generation, while 85 percent of the liquids would belong to P&ID, which would be compensated for its capital investment and the operating costs of the plant by selling the liquids. The government would own 15 percent of the liquids, and thus bear little risk from fluctuating prices for gas or liquids.

The national need for fuel to increase power generation is obvious: Of total Nigerian fossil generating capacity of 10,100 megawatts (MW) (another 2,400 MW are hydroelectric), only about 4,000 MW actually produce power on a daily average, essentially because of constraints on natural gas supplies and a lack of infrastructure. One recent study reports that average daily power availability in Nigeria is only four hours, and that only 59 percent of the Nigerian population is connected to the grid, with higher and lower figures for the urban and rural populations, respectively. About 20 million Nigerian households lack any access to electric power.

These perverse realities are highlighted by the failure of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to have met its commitment to add 945 MW of generation capacity by the end of 2018, largely because of the noncompletion of a power project in the northwestern part of the country. The government failure to provide the land or build the pipeline for the P&ID project is thus part of a pattern.

How is it that a nation with over 37 billion barrels of proven oil reserves can find itself in a position of energy poverty? This question confronts us yet again with age-old lessons about the importance of property rights, the rule of law, and the often-perverse incentives of government officials. Merely contrast the Nigerian bungling of the P&ID contract with the recent evolution of the natural gas market in the U.S. U.S. gas production in 1990 was 17.8 trillion cubic feet; in 2018 it was 30.4 trillion cubic feet, an increase of about 71 percent. Natural gas prices over the same period increased from about $2.96 per thousand cubic feet to $4.21, or about 42 percent (in year 2018 dollars).

The easy explanation for this sharp increase in US production is the fracking/horizontal drilling revolution. That is correct as far as it goes, but it does not go far enough: That tremendous technological advance did not take place in a vacuum. It is the result of the US system of property rights---much of the modern increase in gas production has taken place on private land---combined with legally-enforceable contractual arrangements, investments in infrastructure that more-or-less are driven by market forces, and sharp constraints on the ability of government officials to interfere with private arrangements, except through processes constrained by the rule of law.

Those institutional conditions are very different in the Nigerian context. The Fraser Institute summary economic freedom index places Nigeria at number 118 out of 162 nation-states. The Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International places Nigeria at number 148 (in a tie with Comoros and Guinea) out of 180 countries.

With the re-election of President Buhari earlier this year, it is possible that the harsh lessons of recent events can be heeded. But the ongoing litigation with P&ID, which Nigeria now is losing, provides substantial grounds for skepticism: The group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation notes explicitly that a failure to resolve legal and regulatory uncertainties will hinder the energy investment that Nigeria needs.

Notwithstanding the negative experience of P&ID, over twelve firms now are reported to be competing for a gas commercialization contract, which is expected to be concluded in 2019. It must be the case that they have learned from the P&ID experience, and perhaps the government has also. But it is not clear how the government will convince potential partners of any such newfound wisdom on its part. Instead, what is obvious is that the terms that the government will have to offer will be a good deal more advantageous to the contractors, yet another hidden adverse effect of the failure to live up to the terms of the P&ID deal. It is ordinary Nigerians rather than the elites who will suffer the effects, a lesson not limited to Nigeria.
This month, Colorado will deposit its one billionth dollar of tax revenue from cannabis generated from an assortment of licenses, taxes, and fees. Seven years ago Colorado started a trend, voting to allow recreational cannabis use. Today one in five Americans live in a state with recreational cannabis and 47 states allow medical or recreational use. Similarly, a generation ago states allowed another previously prohibited business to exist: gambling. But the cannabis and gambling industries face very different banking laws, creating a new reefer madness.

In 1973 only three states allowed lotteries, by 1992, 33 states did and now, 44 states do. State lottery revenue rose from $770 million in 1977 to $9 billion in 1992. Massachusetts raised $1 billion in public revenue from their lottery last year. Further expansion by states into casinos has grown from 2 to 24 states. This explosion filled state governments with cash, without having to raise taxes.

By and large this influx of cash did not present fundamental banking problems. Lottery revenue grew so quickly and became so predictable that states are able to issue bonds against future lottery revenue. Access to financial markets was made easier; banks worked directly with state governments and private companies in the lottery and gambling industries. The world of cannabis banking is different.

Only one in thirty banks or credit unions report serving any cannabis businesses and estimates are that up to two-thirds of cannabis businesses remain unbanked. Banks and credit unions have struggled to engage with this new industry, concerned with federal regulations and regulatorsparticularly regarding anti-money laundering rules that consider cannabis highly suspicious. The result is trucks filled with cash showing up in in Denver and other state and local capitals around the country, that require physical sorting, storing, and depositing of cash and attract violent crime.

Anti-money laundering laws consider large cash deposits as suspicious, triggering another round of (unnecessary) reporting by banks on businesses engaging with cannabis companies. State and local governments are exempt from cash reporting rules, easing acceptance of lottery cash. However, states are subject to other anti-money laundering rules as bank customers. The letter of the law requires banks to know their customer and report when their customer is depositing funds derived from illegal activity. As marijuana is still federally illegal, a strict reading of the law could require banks to report the State of Colorado and other states and counties as possible money launderers. It is hard to think of a bigger waste of resources than asking banks on a daily basis to notify Uncle Sam that Colorado is allowing cannabis stores to operate.

Congress is making progress on solving this issue, with the House Financial Services Committee passing bipartisan legislation, co-authored by Rep. Perlmutter (D-CO) and Rep. Heck (R-NV) on a strong 45-15 vote. But prospects for enactment are unclear and even then the legislation relies on financial regulators to create a more logical regime.

So far federal bank regulators have been a mixed bag, with the Kansas City Regional Federal Reserve (KC Fed) aggressively trying to dissuade banks and credit unions from serving cannabis companies. Legal experts think the KC Fed may have even overstepped its legal authority in trying to stop a new credit union from serving these businesses. From a public policy perspective it raises a more fundamental question: why should the citizens of Colorado have their will overturned by a Federal Reserve Regional Bank 700 miles away in another state?

The Federal Reserve Board of Governors (Fed Board) has the power to overrule the KC Fed, or better yet to impose a national standard. After all, the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank has provided greater clarity to banks from Alaska to Nevada, where voters have legalized it. Yet, the Fed Board has chosen to largely ignore the problem of regional disparity, with Fed Chairman Powell punting that It would be great if that could be clarified by Congress.

Even states historically reliant on gambling revenue, like Nevada have embraced cannabis revenue: the state of Nevada will likely deposit its 150 millionth tax dollar from cannabis this month. Opinion polls show majority support for legalizing cannabis in every state. Cannabis will be a large new source of revenue for states and local governments around the country. As this revenue source expands it will make it harder and harder for Congress and the President to move in the opposite direction. A federal crackdown on state cannabis operations would suddenly create large holes in state and local governments budgets. Even if federal policymakers are not yet there to change federal drug policy they can make a practical difference and to work together to solve these banking problems and stop this new reefer madness.
American and other Western business and financial magnates returned to Riyadh last week for a public display of willingness to continue to invest and trade with Saudi Arabia. This followed six months of disruption of commerce following the gruesome assassination of prominent Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi in his countrys consulate in Istanbul last October.

U.S.-Saudi political relations remain unsettled, as the Khashoggi affair has driven a wedge between the Trump administration and a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate, including Republicans who practice a strident form of virtue-signaling employing threats of sanctions and regime change.

In October, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, fairly enough, that the buck stops with the de facto Saudi ruler, crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. He went on to call the ruler toxic and a wrecking ball who can never be a world leader on the world stage. Graham added: Saudi Arabia, if youre listening: Theres a lot of good people you could choose, but [the crown prince] has tainted your country and tainted himself. The Palmetto State solon said the U.S. should sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia.

Thats right, Graham wants to cripple the economy of Americas most powerful ally in the Middle East, destabilize the world energy markets and drive U.S. gasoline prices sky-high.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in December called the crown prince reckless and ruthless and said hes gone full gangster.

Meeting in Ankara with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in January, Graham said that U.S.-Saudi relations could not progress until Prince Mohammed is dealt with. A month earlier, Erdogans Islamist authoritarian regime was named the worlds worst violator of journalists rights by the international Committee to Protect Journalists. Worst means worse than Saudi Arabia, worse than Russia, even worse than North Korea. Graham passed on an opportunity to threaten to sanction his gangsterish host.

As the month of May arrives, Mohammed remains in power while Saudi Arabias international business dealings return to more or less normal. The grandstanding senators have satisfied their appetites for publicity, but the rift between the Senate and the Trump administration remains confusing to both allies and adversaries. Attention-seeking antics by Graham and Rubio and their like do incalculable harm to U.S. economic and national security interests.

Who and what was Jamal Khashoggi, anyway?

In life, he was unknown outside of the Middle East except to a tiny elite of area specialists. In death, he was presented by much of the Western media and political class as a martyr for the causes of freedom of the press, human rights, and democracy. But that is not the truth.

Unlike most people who purport to report on Khashoggis life and death, I actually made his acquaintance and had an informative conversation with him. From 2009 to 2015, I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia. I had a ringside seat for the Arab Spring convulsions as well as the regional monarchies moves to retain power.

My position as a speechwriter to the top executives of the Saudi national oil company Aramco put me on the companys delegation to the Public Relations World Congress in Dubai in March 2012. At a conference luncheon I took the last available seat at one of the round tables. Seated next to me on my right was Khashoggi. He was one of Saudi Arabias few homegrown media celebrities; I was familiar with his writing, his media appearances, and his background.

Scion of a wealthy family of Saudi oligarchs, Khashoggi was a smooth operative in the Saudi intelligence establishments information and influence campaigns. There are no news media organizations in Saudi Arabia independent of state or royal family control; Khashoggis entire career had been in the employ either of the Saudi national intelligence agency, Saudi embassies, or state-controlled media.

He spoke expansively with me about his latest assignment, developing and managing what was to be a Saudi-controlled rival to Qatars enormously successful Aljazeera. This was to be a television channel called Al-Arab, financed by super-investor Prince Alwaleed and based just off the Saudi mainland in the island ministate of Bahrain.

Khashoggi and I understood one another. It was a given that the enterprise would be an influence operation, an effort in projecting Saudi soft power.

Al-Arab began broadcasting for the first time in early 2015, a few days after the death of Saudi King Abdullah, who had supported the enterprise. Before it had been on the air for even 24 hours, Bahraini security forces arrived to shut it down. The only possible explanation for this was mistrust on the part of the new Saudi King Salman, who had the power to cause such action by Bahrain.

When Crown Prince Mohammed detained his cousin Alwaleed and other Saudi billionaires on allegations of corruption in the fall of 2017, Khashoggi decamped for the United States and got a gig producing Washington Post columns denouncing the Saudi regime he had spent his entire past career supporting. Was he really doing this as a lonely exile, as Time magazine called him in naming him 2018 Person of the Year?

Even the Washington Post, which had invested much in the campaign to canonize Khashoggi for journalistic sanctity, by late December reported Khashoggis ties to the radical Muslim Brotherhood and evidence that Khashoggi had written some of his columns under direction of Saudi Arabias hostile neighbor, Qatar.

Business favors stability. Despite Turkey and Qatars support for the revolutionary Muslim Brotherhood, President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo need to practice diplomacy and not needlessly disrupt relations with those countries. The United States has extraordinarily important trade and investment relationships with Turkey and Qatar. Turkey is a member of NATO, and Qatar is host to an American air force base, across a narrow straight from its hostile neighbor Bahrain, which is headquarters of the U.S. navys Fifth Fleet.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates now are forging ever-closer de facto relations with Israel, with formal recognition of the Jewish state not unthinkable in the context of the coming Trump Arab-Israeli peace initiative. Last week Israel accepted the UAEs invitation to host a pavilion at the 2020 Worlds Fair in Dubai.

During my six years in Saudi Arabia, I always had the sense that while the Saudis may not have any great love for Israel, they wanted to do business with the Israelis. Moreover, the Aramco executives constantly paid close attention to news about Israels success in technology and other business innovations.

Sanctions, disinvestment, and other ruptures in economic and political relations are hostile acts, not to be undertaken lightly. They are not simply easy-to-use instruments whenever a politician wants to get booked on a Sunday morning network show.

Re-imposing U.S. sanctions against Iran may have been the right decision for overriding geopolitical reasons, but it was not a simple calculation. Disrupting markets through sanctions can wreak damage not just on our foes but also on our own economy as well as on our international friends. Sanctions against Iran foster a regional zero-sum game where Saudi Arabia reaps the rewards of Irans reduced ability to sell oil.

Imagine, then, the idiocy of simultaneously strangling the economies of both our adversary Iran and our ally -- Irans mortal enemy -- Saudi Arabia. Yet that is what at least one leading Republican senator wants to do.

In 1979, Jeane Kirkpatrick wrote Dictatorships and Double Standards, the essay that brought her to Ronald Reagans attention.

Inconsistencies are a familiar part of politics in most societies, she wrote. Usually, however, governments behave hypocritically when their principles conflict with the national interest.

The Carter administration, she said, finds friendly powers to be guilty representatives of the status quo and views the triumph of unfriendly groups as beneficial to Americas true interests.

In a just world, Graham and Rubio would be required to wear dunce caps and choke on chalk dust until they have copied out all 10,000 words of Kirkpatricks essay.
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Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/30/2019



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

couple Kendall Long and Joe Amabile are moving forward as a couple and have moved in together.Joe, a Chicago native and grocery store owner, revealed Friday on Instagram he and Kendall will be living together in California going forward."We finally got a place together!!" Joe, 32, wrote alongside a photo of Kendall and himself posing on the hardwood floor of their new place, smiling. "Now we should probably buy some furniture."As for Kendall, she shared two photos of the couple laughing and kissing in what appears to be the living room."Just signed the lease to our new place in West Hollywood and couldn't be more excited to start building a lil life together with this cutie," Kendall, 27, captioned the Instagram images.Kendall also noted in her boyfriend's Instagram Story they had to do "some intense decorating."On Saturday, Joe carried a stack of flat moving boxes on the top of his head."We haven't even done any packing," Kendall admitted, as the pair took a "much needed" break to eat breakfast, according to Us Weekly."It is moving day!" Kendall added.Although the couple has been dating since last summer, Joe competed on Dancing with the Stars' 27th season in Fall 2018 and then traveled with the show on tour from December through February, which explains why it has taken so long for the couple to take the next step in their relationship.Kendall also apparently traveled with Joe to many of his destinations around the world, including Amsterdam and London."After the [Dancing with the Stars] tour, he's going to be moving to L.A.," Kendall told Us in January of their plans for the future."So we're going to have a lot more time together, and that's the light at the end of the tunnel... Moving in together."Kendall reportedly envisioned decorating their first place together like something out of the 1920s, and then Kendall gushed about how they're "obsessed with each other.""It's kind of gross," she joked.Joe and the taxidermy enthusiast met on Season 5 of , which aired last summer, but Kendall blindsided and dumped him during the penultimate episode after he professed how he was falling in love with her.Kendall found herself making a stream of excuses on the beach in Mexico as to why they wouldn't work together, but Joe called her out for simply being unaware of her feelings for him or not reciprocating them at all.Joe therefore left Paradise confused and heartbroken, while Kendall clearly felt there was more she could have said and the pair had unfinished business."I felt an immediate regret as soon as Joe walked away... I kept running away from the fact that I was falling for him," Kendall admitted to People in September 2018."I went into Paradise thinking you need to date, you need to be open-minded, you need to experience people... I also had so much fear about getting hurt... It freaked me out to think I would invest myself in him and then it would break apart after the romantic beach vacation was over."However, Kendall flew straight to Chicago after the show wrapped to talk to Joe again in-person and apologize, and she expressed to him on-camera, "I am in love with you."It took some time for Joe to trust Kendall again, but the couple ultimately reconciled and reignited the flame of their romance in the real world. Joe, without a doubt, was in love with Kendall as well.Joe then competed on Season 27 of Dancing with the Stars and was able to remain close to Kendall considering she already lived in the Los Angeles area. The reality dancing competition appeared to bring them closer together.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 11/24/2021



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Which couples are still together and which MAFS couples have broken up and divorced? And where are they now?

's first twelve seasons featured 44 different couples getting married at first sight -- so which couples are still together, who has broken up and divorced, and where are they all now?Each season of -- which premiered in the United States seven years ago and is based on a Danish series -- features couples (previously three couples, but four couples on Seasons 8 and 9, and five couples beginning with Season 10) being matched together by relationship experts and agree to marry when they first meet.Complete strangers become husband and wife in a matter of minutes, and the couples' lives are then documented by TV cameras over the course of the next four to eight weeks (eight weeks, in the case of 's most recent seasons).The couples typically enjoy their first night together in a hotel after exchanging vows -- with some couples deciding to consummate their marriage immediately -- and then embark on a honeymoon, move in together, and simply attempt to deal with the struggles of daily life as man and wife.At the end of the extreme marriage experiment, each couple must decide whether they'd like to stay married or get a divorce on "Decision Day."has experienced very mixed results over the years. While a significant number of couples decide to stay together and continue their new marriage at the end of their season, the real world seems to hit them hard after the cameras leave, resulting in the couple splitting up only months later.Do cast members see a different side of their spouses once cameras are gone, or do the romances naturally fizzle over time?Some couples are still together to this day and are extremely happy. Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner from Season 1, for example, have had two children.Several other couples have also had children -- including Ashley Petta and Anthony D'Amico Shawniece Jackson and Jephte Pierre Danielle Bergman and Bobby Dodd Deonna McNeill and Greg Okotie , and Jessica Studer and Austin Hurd However, there are also relationships that ended badly. Jessica Castro from Season 2, for instance, accused Ryan De Nino of alleged death threats, and she went on to file a restraining order and lawsuit against him.Some couples have also never even made it to "Decision Day" and ended their marriage prematurely, including Season 4 couple Heather Seidel and Derek Schwartz as well as Season 6 couple Molly Duff and Jonathan Francetic Are the remaining couples now lovers, friends or enemies?! What about early season couples like Cortney Hendrix and Jason Carrion, Jaclyn Methuen and Ryan Ranellone, Vanessa Nelson and Tres Russell, Sonia Granados and Nick Pendergrast, and Lillian Vilchez and Tom Wilson?And how about more recent season couples like Danielle DeGroot and Cody Knapek Sheila Downs and Nate Duhon Jaclyn Schwartzberg and Ryan Buckley Dave Flaherty and Amber Martorana , and Tristan Thompson and Mia Bally Keith Dewar and Kristine Killingsworth , and AJ Vollmoeller and Stephanie Sersen Click thelink below to see photos of each couple and find out!

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
One of the biggest pieces of news about Apple this year was the settlement with Qualcomm. The two companies have agreed to stop litigation, and will be working together in the future. As far as Apple CEO Tim Cook is concerned, this is good news.

While discussing the latest quarterly earnings report, Cook took some time to talk about Qualcomm and the settlement. Specifically, Cook said they are glad to put the litigation behind us, and that goes for the global legal battle between the pair of companies as well. Not just in the United States. Moving forward, Apple has a multi-year supply agreement in place, and Apple is happy to have a direct license arrangement with Qualcomm.

Finally, Cook added, We feel good about the resolution.

Apples plans with Qualcomm arent public knowledge right now. However, it has been rumored that Apple will be tapping both Qualcomm and Samsung to handle 5G modem demands by the time 2020 rolls around. That is the year Apple is expected to launch its first 5G iPhone. Its worth noting that Cook did not confirm this to be the case at all, though. Not that he would.

As far as money goes, Apple reportedly paid upwards of $6 billion to reach the settlement with Qualcomm. Just for fun, and to compare that to Apples latest quarterly earnings: Apple earned $58 billion in the quarter. The companys Wearables, Home, and Accessories category earned $5.1 billion on its own. And Services? Well, the Services division earned a new all-time high of over $11 billion.

That $6 billion is quite the tidy sum, but one that Apple no doubt was very willing to pay.
Porterville, CA (93257)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain. Low around 50F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
An unknown suspect drove a stolen Jeep with four other suspects through the front door of the Athens Gun Club at around 4:30 a.m. on April 28. The five suspects entered the building and stole multiple guns, according to an ACCPD press release.
'When Priyankaji's candidature wasn't announced, where is the question of her backing out? Sawal hi nahin hai.'

IMAGE: Congress Candidate Ajay Rai is looking forward to his contest with Narendra Damodardas Modi in Varanasi.

He seems unperturbed by the fact that in the 2014 contest in Varanasi he secured just 75,614 votes and came third in the race behind Modi and Aam Aadmi Party nominee Arvind Kejriwal. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ajay Rai/Facebook

It was pitched as a David versus Goliath battle -- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra vs Narendra Damodardas Modi -- in Varanasi.

The inference was drawn from a seemingly casual, off the cuff, remark by Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his sister when asked who would take on the PM in 2019.

Then quite suddenly, just when the Congress rank and file were headed to Varanasi to begin battle preparations, and two hours before Modi's grand roadshow in the temple city, the party announced that it was repeating its 2014 candidate, Ajay Rai.

Modi defeated Rai by over 337,000 votes in 2014 and his repeat candidature is being seen as a Congress walkover handed to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Speaking to Swarupa Dutt/Rediff.com over the phone between meetings in Varanasi, Rai says India has changed in 2019 and people are disappointed in Modi's failure to deliver.

"Priyankaji is not contesting, I am, and the BJP will get a befitting reply," he says.

Were you expecting that you would be asked to contest from Varanasi again?

Well, yes. Mujhe bataya gaya ki aapko chunav ladhna hai. I was told I would be fighting the election.

By whom?

The media told me. I got to know from the media.

The party did not inform you or even consult you?

How will the party tell me? They have to announce it first, right? Mediawale ne mujhe bataya (The media told me).

You are a dummy candidate, then?

Not at all. The party wants me to be its Varanasi candidate and as a loyal worker, I will obey the party's command. I contested the last time too and people have given me their love.

So, tell us, whose decision was it to back out from contesting from Varanasi -- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's or Rahul Gandhi's?

Neither. They were just rumours. The media had spread rumours everywhere that Priyankaji would be contesting from Varanasi. She herself has never said it. Aisa kuch bhi nahin tha.

When Priyankaji's candidature wasn't announced, where is the question of her backing out? Sawal hi nahin hai.

If her name had been announced and she does not contest, only then can you say she backed out. I am telling you again, the Congress never put up her name.

In an interview with The Hindu newspaper, when asked whether Priyanka would be the Congress candidate from Varanasi, Rahul Gandhi had said, 'I will leave you in suspense. I am not denying or confirming anything.'

Priyanka also said she would be happy to contest if the Congress president asked her to. So this is one time you can't blame the media.

But Priyankaji was simply responding to a question by the media. It is the media which drew inferences from her comment.

IMAGE: Ajay Rai believes the situation is very different from 2014 as citizens are disappointed with Modi in Varanasi and that nothing has changed on the ground. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ajay Rai/Facebook

But still, it's a PR disaster for the Congress.

No, no! Nothing like that. We know Priyankaji has been working on the ground, on this soil, for many years now. So whether she contests or not in Varanasi, the goodwill of the people for the Congress is there. Nobody can take that away.

As a ground-level worker, I too have been working for the party for the last five years.

It's a BJP government in UP. What work can you do?

I have been doing the work of an Opposition leader, which listens to people's grievances and brings it before the government.

Have Congress workers in Varanasi lost their will to fight the election? Do you think defeat is inevitable?

Have our leaders lost the will to fight the election? No! So how can Congress workers lose the will to fight?

Mera manobal hai toh Priyankaji ka manobal kaise gir jayega? (If I am confident, then how can Priyanka not be?)

And what defeat are you talking about? Nobody has accepted defeat. Let us wait for the results and then talk.

In 2014, you had said 'Benaras mein har har Modi nahi, har har Mahadev bola jata hai'. But Modi won by 337,000 votes. Will it be a repeat this time?

In 2014, the atmosphere was different, now it is different.

What is different between 2014 and 2019?

In 2014, Modi won the election on the basis of the Gujarat model and on the belief that he would change the lives of the people for the better.

Remember all those promises he made? But what happened? He did not deliver.

Hua kuch nahin Benaras mein. Nothing has changed in Varanasi. So people have lost faith in him.

That's the biggest change in 2019. The road show he held (on April 25) before he filed his nomination papers (on April 26) was nothing but event management.

You have to come and see for yourself, otherwise you will think I am making it up, but the fact is people here are very disappointed with the government.

In the name of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, they have broken down temples and hurt people's religious beliefs.

Yes, some of the ghats have been cleaned, but the toilets at the ghats are filthy.

In the last five years, there has not been a single industry in the city. Not one.

How will people find employment? Those who want to set up industry are being harassed for getting NOCs in place. And don't even ask about GST and demonetisation!

IMAGE: Narendra Damodardas Modi during a roadshow in Varanasi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

But there were thousands of people during the Modi road show.

They were outsiders. It's event management so they were brought in from Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan... Just 15 to 20 per cent of the people were from Varanasi, the rest were all from outside.

Do you really believe people will vote for you?

That can be answered only on May 23. But people are extremely disappointed with the BJP government.

Will that disappointment translate into votes for you?

Yes, why not?

See, the last time people were excited that Modi was a candidate from Varanasi because they expected the Gujarat model to be replicated here.

Jobs, new avenues of employment, a cleaner city, business would prosper. Notebandi ke baad business toh baith gayi (business has flattened out after demonetisation).

People have lost faith in Modi. We are still waiting for the 2 crore jobs Modi had promised. There are job losses in every single sector.

What are the top five problems in Varanasi?

Unemployment, lack of drinking water, the sewerage system has collapsed, a premier institution like Banaras Hindu University is dying, and traffic jams. The city is dying.

And finally, if Priyanka had contested the election from Varanasi, would she have won?

There is a difference between ifs and buts and reality. It is a hypothetical situation.

She is not contesting, I am, and the BJP will get a befitting reply.
What would you say about Mr Advani's blog criticising those in the BJP who have been labelling people who do not agree with them as anti-nationals?

What Advani wrote was 100% right. In a democracy, somebody who disagrees with you is not your enemy.

There are different views in a society. I have always been of the opinion that different views should be accommodated, understood and respected.

Nobody should think that what he says is always right. Also, what you think as right today may not be right tomorrow.

I will give you an example from my life. The very first protest I participated in was against the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh).

It was in 1948. I was a college student at the Victoria College in Palakkad. I was playing badminton with my friends when the news came on radio that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated.

We stopped playing immediately and there was a gloomy atmosphere in the entire hostel.

There were two groups of students in the college then, the Congress and the Communists, and I kept away from both groups.

But after the assassination of Gandhiji, these two groups joined together and said it was the RSS that killed him.

We all believed them and I joined the torchlight procession on the streets of Palakkad shouting, 'Down! Down! RSS!'

In those days, as a devotee of Swami Chinmayananda, I used to attend his Gita classes regularly.

One day, when Swamiji came to know that (then) RSS chief (Madhav Sadashiv) Golwalkar had come to Palakkad, he got excited and said, 'I must see Golwalkar.'

Swamiji was one person I admired and when he spoke so excitedly about someone, I got interested.

I was shocked to see a saintly person because I was expecting a ruffian!

At that time, I didn't know much about the RSS. Later on, when I came into contact with many RSS people, my opinion of the organisation and its members changed.
IMAGE: A soldier stands guard at St Anthony's Shrine that was hit by suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday in Colombo. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

The Sri Lankan police on Tuesday announced that three suspects were arrested along with a van connected to the devastating Easter Sunday bombings from the country's North Central Province.

The suspicious van was wanted over the terror attacks and was taken into custody at Sungavila in Polonnaruwa town, Ruwan Gunasekara, police spokesperson, said.

They said the van which bears the licence plate 'EP PX 2399' was taken into custody along with the three suspects.

The van was parked in the garden of a home in the area and further investigations are being carried out.

Last week, Sri Lanka placed all police stations in Colombo on high alert as police were hunting for an unidentified container truck and a van, believed to be carrying explosives.

A warning was issued by the Director of Security at the Colombo Harbour said intelligence had found information that an unidentified container truck and a van carrying a potential explosive device was heading towards Colombo.

A total of 106 suspects, including a Tamil medium teacher and a school principal, have been arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday blasts.

Powerful blasts ripped through three churches and as many luxury hotels on Easter Sunday, killing 253 people and injuring more than 500 others.

The Islamic State claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the attacks.

Ban on social media lifted

The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday lifted a nationwide social media ban imposed to curb the spread of misinformation after the blasts.

According to the information department, President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to lift the ban on Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and other popular platforms from April 30.

The government has asked the public to share content on social media sites with 'utmost responsibility' while bearing in mind the current situation of the country, the Sunday Times reported.

Social media had remained blocked in Sri Lanka where a string of powerful blasts tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, killing 253 people and injuring more than 500 others.

The government said it blocked social media in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks to curb the spread of misinformation among the public.

42 foreigners killed in Easter blasts: Lanka ministry

With the death of two more Chinese nationals, the number of foreigners who died in the massive bombings rose to 42, including 11 Indians, according to the Sri Lankan foreign ministry.

Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said that as of Monday April 29, the number of foreign nationals who have been killed in the attack rose to 42.

"It includes, one from Bangladesh, four from China, 11 from India, three from Denmark, one each from the United States, Japan, the Netherlands and Portugal, Switzerland, two each from Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, six from the United Kingdom, two holding US and UK nationalities, one holding Swiss and Dutch nationalities, one holding Dutch and Sri Lankan nationalities, and two holding Australian and Sri Lankan nationalities,' the statement said.

Another 12 foreigners remain unaccounted for and could be among still unidentified bodies at Colombo's police morgue, the statement said.

Previously authorities had said that 40 foreign nationals were killed.

'Human remains of 25 foreign nationals have been repatriated by Monday evening,' the ministry said in a statement. Five wounded foreigners were still in hospital.

Church services to resume from May 5: Cardinal

Public mass in the terror-hit country would resume in certain Catholic churches from May 5 and no bags will be allowed inside as part of the tight security measures, according to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.

All public church services were cancelled after the blasts.

The prelate said on Monday that vigilance committees formed by the residents of the parish would be responsible to identify individuals who enter their respective churches and parishioners will have to confirm their identity before entering a church.

The cardinal, who conducted a private memorial mass on Sunday fearing repeat of the Easter attacks, told media that bags will not be allowed to be taken inside the churches owing to security measures.
IMAGE: Hilal Ahmad Mantoo of Shopian who was arrested on Monday for his involvement in an abortive suicide car bomb attack on a CRPF convoy on Jammu-Srinagar highway last month. Photograph: ANI

The Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday said it has arrested six terrorists, including a PhD scholar, for launching an abortive suicide car bomb attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy on Jammu-Srinagar highway last month.

The failed attack was jointly hatched by terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen under the command of a Pakistani terrorist, Munna Bihari, Jammu Inspector General of Police M K Sinha told reporters in Jammu.

The PhD scholar is an active member of Jamiat-e-Talaba, the student wing of banned Jammat-e-Islami (JeI), said Sinha.

His interrogation has revealed that the JeI student wing is engaged in radicalising the youth for 'jehad' in a big way, he added.

Sinha identified five of the arrested terrorists as PhD scholar Hilal Ahmad Mantoo, Waseem alias 'Doctor', Umar Shafi, Aqib Shah, all hailing from Shopian and Shahid Wani alias 'Watson' of Pulwama.

The sixth, Hizbul suicide bomber Owais Amin, was arrested on April 1 from Teethar in Banihal when he was trying to escape after unsuccessfully targeting a CRPF convoy with a car bomb near the Jawahar Tunnel -- the gateway to the Valley on March 31.

Sinha said the National Investigation Agency will take over the case on Tuesday for further investigation, though, he added, the J&K police has completely worked it out.

Sinha said two Hizbul modules were involved in fabricating the car bomb.

"Two modules of Hizbul Mujahideen, one led by Dr Saifullah of Pulwama and the other led by Rayees Khan alias Imad Khan of Shopian had jointly worked to fabricate the car bomb and to take other steps for the explosion," he added.

Sinha identified a Pakistani terrorist Muna Bihari, operating in south Kashmir in collusion with a local JeM terrorist, Shahjahan, as the person behind the fabrication of the car bomb.

The Jammu IGP, however, ruled out any link between the February 14 Pulwama car bomb attack which left 41 CRPF personnel dead and the Banihal attack.

He, however, did not rule out the involvement of Pakistan in Banihal attack, saying 'the entire module led by Hizbul chief in the valley, Riyaz Naikoo, and Saifullah were involved in the attack along with JeM Pakistani terrorist Muna Bihari'.

He added that the identity of the exact person who directed them to carry out the attack was not yet known.

Sinha said the J&K police was yet to identify the owner of the car used in the failed bid.

"The chassis number and the engine number of the vehicle used in the attack were tempered with. We have sent the vehicle to FSL and they are trying to retrieve the original numbers," he said.

Sinha said the source of the gelatin sticks too is to be ascertained and the NIA may find it out in subsequent probe.

PhD scholar Mantoo, who was doing research on anxiety among students, was arrested from Central University Bathinda in Punjab, he said.

"Youths are taken in Jamait-ul-Talba after careful screening and once inducted, they are given an extremely hard-core religious orientation and made to indulge in various activities including terror operations," the IGP said.

Sinha said the radicalisation of the youth is a major threat.

He said the group involved in the fabrication of the IED, procuring gelatin sticks, urea, acids and other material was working under the overall command of the Pakistani terrorist.

"Amin along with his friend Omar and Aqib were working as over ground workers of Rayees Khan who became active terrorist of Hizbul Mujahideen in 2018. After the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, all four of them were involved in stone pelting," said Sinha.

These terrorists were selected for the explosion because they had a clean slate and were off the police radar with no criminal case registered against them earlier, the IGP said.

In March, Amin was told by Omar to prepare himself for a major mission. Thereafter, planning and entire conspiracy was hatched in Shopian.

"Owais is a student of BBA and Omar a student BCA in Srinagar and were called to Shopian where Shahid alias Watson facilitated their meeting," he said, adding that the IED was fabricated in an apple orchard at a place called Turkwangam in Shopian.

"Amin was convinced for a fedayeen attack and agreed. He was motivated by Riyaz Naikoo (Hizbul chief) himself and a meeting was arranged between the two but was asked not to question him and only take his orders."

He said the car bomb was fabricated between March 15 to 25 and Aqib led this boy to Qazigund and Ramsoo and returned to Banihal.

"Amin unsuccessfully tried to carry out the attack on March 26 on the highway but did not got the opportunity to penetrate the convoy in Qazigund because of the Road Opening Party of the security forces.

"On March 27, he again tried but the IED developed some snag and did not went off. Through a video call to Rayees, he was directed to park the vehicle at Banihal and somebody will come to repair it. Two boys  Wasseem and Sahil Abdullah who joined Hizbul Mujahideen and is absconding carried out the repair work," he said.

Sinha said he managed to penetrate into a CRPF convoy which was moving from Srinagar to Jammu on March 30 but the IED exploded only partially.

"After the minor explosion inside the car, he had turned deaf but jumped out of the car through damaged window panes and took shelter in an abandoned cowshed before he was arrested later while fleeing towards Kashmir," he said.

He described Pakistani terrorist as 'the chief engineering' and said he has trained the local militants in fabricating IEDs.
On April 30, the Indian Army posted images of what they claim are the footprints of a Yeti. In their tweet, they mention that the mysterious footprint measured 32x15 inches and was found close to the Makalu base camp on April 9, 2019.

The tweet further says that the elusive snowman had been sighted at the Makalu-Barun National Park in the past as well.

So what's all this talk about the Yeti? Does it really exist?

Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com brings you 10 things about the abominable snowman.

IMAGE: The Indian Army posted images of what they say are the footprints of a Yeti. Photograph: Indian Army/Twitter

1. The word 'Yeti' originated from a Sherpa word, which translates to wild man. Yeti is also known as the abominable snow man.

2. The 'presence' of the Yeti was first recorded in 1832 when the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal published a report from British trekker B H Hodgson who wrote that he saw a creature covered in long, dark hair which he thought was an orang-utan. However, he did not have any photographic proof of his sighting. It was in 1925 that German national N A Tombazi claimed that he had spotted the Yeti, but was unable to click an image of it. Tombazi wrote about his experience in his book, Account of a Photographic Expedition to the Southern Glaciers of Kanchenjunga in the Sikkim Himalaya. And since then the interest worldwide in Yeti grew phenomenally.

3. In 1951, Eric Shipton, a British mountaineer, clicked images of what was believed to be the footprint of the Yeti. The footprint was 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. Along with it, he also clicked a picture of an ice axe. Many doubted Shiptons picture as they felt footprints can change shape as the sun melts the snow in mountains.

4. Legendary mountaineer Edmund Hillary after reaching the summit of Mount Everest in 1953 too decided to hunt for the Yeti. By 1960, Hillary was convinced that the Yeti did not exist even though he came into the possession of a " yeti scalp ". The hair was tested in labs and it was found that it did not belong to the Yeti. Hillary became convinced that Yeti was a myth and not a real creature at all.

IMAGE: The footprint of what was believed to be the Abominable Snowman, taken near Mount Everest on December 13, 1951. Photograph: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

5. The interest in Yeti by now grew worldwide, and mountaineers from across the world came to the Himalayas in search of the Yeti. The British newspaper Daily Mail sent an expedition to Nepal in 1953 to find the Yeti. They too printed about the 'Yeti scalp', but according to a report in BBC, Professor Wood Jones concluded it was neither a scalp nor from an ape . It was then believed that what many believed to be the Yeti was just a Himalayan bear and nothing more than that.

6. The Yeti phenomenon caught the imagination of children in the 1960s. Herge, the famous Belgian cartoonist, who created Tintin, mentioned Yeti as a monkey size animal.

7. There have been several books about the presence of the Yeti. In 1974, author Nick Hunter in his book Does the Yeti Exist tells of a Tibetan herder -- Lhakpa Dorma -- who was attacked by the Yeti. The book gives an account of how Dorma was attacked by the Yeti from behind. The book states that when Dorma regained consciousness, all the yaks around her were dead. Recalling the incident she said she saw the Yeti had large teeth -- thus floating a new theory that it was a carnivorous animal. But people later doubted Dormas theory too, stating that since she soon fell unconscious it could possibly be a bear that had attacked her.

8. Around the 1950s, it was believed that a Nepalese monastery had in its possession fingers belonging to a Yeti. A British explorer by the name of Tom Slick wanted possession of this, but the monks at the Nepal monastery refused. It was then that the British explorer used the help of actor James Stewart and smuggled the hand in his wifes lingerie case while flying back to Great Britain. It was then kept at the Royal College of Surgeons. In 2011, when a DNA test was done on the 'Yeti fingers', it was found out to be that of a human.

9. Anthony Wooldridge, an American, clicked two pictures of the Yeti on March 6, 1986, at 11,000 feet near the Indo-Tibetan border. The photograph was shot from a distance and its enlargement revealed little detail. Dr Grover S Krantz, an anthropologist at Washington State University, said, Those pictures are definitely not of a Yeti as Wooldridge never positively saw the thing move. According a report in livescience.com, researchers returned to where Wooldridge had taken photos of the Yeti and discovered that he had simply seen a dark rock outcropping that looked vertical from his position. It was all a mistake -- much to the embarrassment of some Yeti believers.
The journey for 24-year-old Akash Anand would be much tougher, because dynastic succession goes against the grain of Dalit politics that B R Ambedkar founded.

Archis Mohan reports.

IMAGE: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

Jayalalithaa could not.

Naveen Patnaik is yet to.

Mamata Banerjee, when she appointed her nephew Abhishek Banerjee the head of her party's youth wing in 2012, and now Mayawati, by pushing her nephew Akash Anand to the centre stage, have seen the wisdom of putting in place a succession plan for their respective political parties during their lifetimes.

In India, dynastic succession in political parties is the glue to keep intact the web of network and patronage.

Abhishek, already a one-time Lok Sabha member, has years ahead of him to prove his ability to lead the party his aunt built, the Trinamool Congress.

But the journey for 24-year-old Akash would be much tougher than most other dynasts, mostly because dynastic succession goes against the grain of Dalit politics that B R Ambedkar founded.

Bahujan Samaj Party insiders believe Mayawati's thought process in projecting Akash, her brother Anand Kumar's son, is easy to fathom.

The Bahujan movement lays much store in the fact that its top leaders, just as Ambedkar was, be well educated, and have preferably studied abroad.

Akash is a business management graduate from London.

In Akash's initial appearances by his aunt's, he appeared in what the media in Uttar Pradesh described in an expensive blue suit and fancy shoes, which among BSP supporters is thought to be viewed as a reflection of the aspirations of the Dalit youth, but was criticised in the media.

'As a befitting reply to such people, I would like to announce that I will now induct Akash into the BSP movement to understand the struggle of the BSP and to strengthen it,' Mayawati had then said.

Her second effort to get a family member in a key position in her party could also fail.

But Mayawati has persisted in projecting Akash in the run-up to the 2019 polls.

His was the third name in the list of 'star campaigners' the party submitted to the Election Commission -- after Mayawati and senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra.

At the first pubic rally of UP's mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance in Saharanpur's Deoband on April 7, Akash's presence was specifically acknowledged after the meeting concluded.

In Agra, when the EC barred Mayawati from campaigning for violating the model code of conduct during her Saharanpur speech, Akash took her place on stage and copied her style by reading from a written text.

"Why should Akash's succession raise eyebrows when most other parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party and several others, also have dynasts in leadership positions? However, it is a questionable move when we look at the philosophical foundations of the Dalit movement," Dalit activist Ashok Bharti, chief of the national confederation of Dalit organisations, says.

Dalit activists point out that Ambedkar never foisted his son Yashwant Rao, who worked tirelessly in the Dalit movement, into a leadership role, and neither is his grandson Prakash the undisputed leader of the community.

Similarly, Kanshi Ram, the BSP founder, kept his family away from politics.

"Both Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram were opposed to nepotism and hereditary succession as they believed it kills democracy," Bharti says.

Not just Bharti, Akash's rise is unlikely enthuse those Dalit leaders who joined the party when they were in their late teens and now aspire to be in leadership roles in their early thirties.

The more potent challenge for Akash could have come from outside, from upcoming Dalit leaders like Chandrashekhar Azad and Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani.

However, the BSP think-tank is of the view that Chandrashekhar has "exposed" himself by showing proximity to the Congress, while Mevani is now seen to be aligned with the Leftists.

Until now, Akash is known for convincing his aunt to debut on social media, but the BSP leadership is hopeful that the vacuum in the Dalit leadership could give him time to find his space.
He didnt present the award, but President Trump met Monday with the 2019 Teachers of the Year including the national winner, Rodney Robinson of Richmond,Virginia.

Connecticut Teacher of the Year Sheena Graham, a music teacher at Harding High School in Bridgeport said she was so happy the teachers were allowed to meet the president, which is a tradition.

There are no words to describe the emotions that flowed through the room, said Graham. It was truly an inspirational moment.

On Friday, Nancy Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Council of Chief State School Officers which administers the program, announced that U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos would be presenting the award and that the president would not be in attendance.

The ceremony took place in the Eisenhower Building at 1650 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Afterwards, Graham said the contingent of 57 teachers were surprised to be led to the West Wing of the White House where they met with Vice President Pence, and then the president in the Oval Office.

Graham said some teachers had tears in their eyes.

He sat at his desk for the group pictures then shook each of our hands, had us say our name and where we were from, Graham said.

Graham said Robinson, who teaches social studies inside the Richmond, Va., Juvenile Justice Center, got to tell Trump about his platform and his students.

Afterwards, Graham said Robinson called the encounter professional.

I felt honored, Graham quoted Robinson as saying.

She called the meeting great.

It has often  but not always  been a tradition that the president hand out the award after it was developed in 1952. Trump did the honors the first two years of his presidency.

In 2017, the award went to Sydney Chaffee, a public charter school teacher from Boston. During that ceremony, Trump called it really something special that an educator from charter schools, which he and DeVos support, had won.

In 2018, Mandy Manning, who teaches English to refugee and immigrant students in Spokane, Wash., used the opportunity to present the president with a stack of letters from her students. On her dress, she wore buttons that promoted Trans Equality, along with a button from the Womens March and a rainbow-colored apple.

The National Teacher spends a year away from his or her teaching duties to serve as a spokesman and advocate for the teaching profession.

Paul Ferrari, the senior program director with the National Teacher of the Year Program, said CCSSO works with the White House to coordinate the recognition event.

It is up to each administration to decide how to recognize the teachers, and it has varied throughout the 67-year history of the program in location and who has delivered the recognition to the National Teacher, Ferrari said.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck
Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on Tuesday released a human rights lawyer known as "China's Gandhi" at the end of his sentence for subversion.



Tang Jingling served a five-year jail term after being found guilty of "incitement to subvert state power" by the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court in the provincial capital.



"Overall I'm not doing too badly," Tang told RFA shortly after his release on Monday.



Tang's first act on his release was to travel to pay his respects at his mother's grave in Jingzhou city, in the central province of Hubei. But he said he would need to go back to Guangzhou soon.



"During my post-release medical, they found some kidney stones that are growing pretty fast, so I plan to go back to Guangzhou pretty soon to sort out my health problems," Tang said.



"I would like to thank everyone who helped and supported me. You are the reason we were able to get through this difficult time," he said.



Tang said he still plans to keep fighting for a free and democratic China, but after he has restored himself to better health.



"In the two days since I got out of prison, it seems to me that things are a bit worse than before, the atmosphere," Tang said. "Things haven't progressed in a more liberal direction; they seem to be more restricted, which I am quite worried about."



Leadership role



Tang, who was stripped of his license to practice law by the authorities, was detained after he tried to launch a nonviolent civil disobedience movement along with fellow activists, earning him the nickname "China's Gandhi."



He received a longer sentence than the others because of his position as the leader of the movement.



Tang had played a prominent role in press freedom protests centered on the Southern Weekend newspaper in early 2013, as well as taken part in commemorative activities for the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre the following year.



The police charge sheet for Tang mentioned his involvement in "civil disobedience movements," a commemoration of the death of Mao-era dissident Lin Zhao, and a June 4 meditation event.



Also mentioned was his part in a campaign to end China's "hukou" household registration system linking access to education and other public services to a person's town of birth.



Tang's lawyer said he was tortured while initially detained at Baiyun District Detention Center in Guangzhou, while rights groups said the case was marked by multiple procedural violations.



Tang's wife Wang Yanfang told RFA that the prosecution had used his recommendation of the work of U.S. scholar Gene Sharp on nonviolent civil disobedience as part of its case.



She said fellow activists Wang Qingying and Yuan Xinting, who were handed sentences of two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half years respectively, had been placed under police surveillance ahead of Tang's release.



"Since he got out, the others have been placed under surveillance," Wang said.



"I hope Tang Jingling will be free to go online and to speak for freedom, as well as enjoy true freedom of movement, not just within China, but overseas."



Psychological pressure



Meanwhile, the wife of prominent Chinese rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong said he has yet to regain his full freedom following his release from prison earlier this year.



"The situation right now is that there are more than 20 state security police watching him 24 hours a day," U.S.-based Jin Bianling told RFA. "If he goes out, he is closely followed by several vehicles."



"I think they're doing this to step up the psychological pressure on him," she said. "I am most concerned about his health right now, because it's hard for him to get to the hospital for treatment under these circumstances."



Authorities in the central province of Henan allowed Jiang, 48, to return to his parents' home three days after his release at the end of a two-year jail term for "incitement to subvert state power."



But Jin has said she is concerned for his health after he was tortured by cellmates in a bid to get him to "confess" to the charges against him, and has called for him to be allowed to seek medical treatment in the U.S.



Jiang has blamed his poor health on torture and ill-treatment while in prison, which included being forced to sit on cold, hard concrete for long periods of time, she said.



Jiang was only allowed to return to his parental home in Henan's Xinxiang city after he went on hunger strike in protest at being taken away immediately by state security police following his Feb. 28 release.



Risk of torture



London-based rights group Amnesty International reported last July that Jiang had seen a deterioration in his physical and mental health amid concerns that he was at risk of torture or other ill-treatment in Xinxiang Prison.



Jiang, who pleaded guilty to "incitement to subvert state power" at the Intermediate People's Court in the provincial capital Changsha on Aug. 22, 2017, was sentenced in November 2017.



His sentence was based on his setting up of a campaign group in support of rights lawyers detained in a nationwide police operation targeting the profession since July 2015, the court said at the time.



He was accused of "speculating" on politically sensitive cases and "inciting others to illegally gather in public places" and "stirring up" public opinion, the indictment said.



Reported by Xi Wang for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Lau Siu-fung for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Young North Korean defectors hold placards denouncing China's policy of repatriating refugees from their country at a protest outside Beijing's embassy in Seoul on Feb. 26, 2012.

Seven North Korean defectors in China are facing forcible repatriation after being arrested by Chinese police last week, according to a South Korea-based North Korean human rights advocacy group.

Peter Jung, the founder of Justice for North Korea, issued a press release Monday saying that among the defectors was a nine-year-old girl surnamed Choi and her 32-year-old uncle surnamed Kang, and that all seven are to be repatriated.

North Koreans who escape the isolated state typically face harsh punishments if they are sent back. Penalties including incarceration are not reserved for the defectors themselves; often their family members are also punished.

The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea, a key 2014 study of the countrys situation, has said that Chinas forced repatriations of North Korean migrants and defectors might amount to "aiding and abetting crimes against humanity."

Of the seven defectors now in Chinese custody, Jung said that his organization received a request to help them after they were arrested just north of the Yalu river, which separates China from North Korea.

He said they crossed the river earlier this month and were waiting to move to their next destination while hiding out just outside Shenyang in Liaoning Province.

The young Chois mother, who lives in South Korea, contacted the South Korean consulate in Shenyang on Friday evening to tell them about the situation and ask the South Korean government to intervene.

[She] visited South Koreas Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human rights, said Jung.

She is doing everything she can to save her daughter so she is physically and mentally exhausted, he said.

We are seriously concerned about forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, especially [children like] Choi, said Jung.

Jung said he hoped South Korea and Chinas respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs would meet to discuss the situation, and that the South Korean government should do everything possible to help the defectors reach their desired destination safely.

He pointed out that Choi is a child and a refugee and should be protected under international law.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Status of Refugees, [China] should protect Choi and stop forced repatriation, he said.

He also hoped that the defectors would be allowed to contact the UN Refugee Agency and that the agency would take action on their behalf. China has not permitted such contacts in the past.

South Koreas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is analyzing the situation.

We are taking necessary steps [and will act accordingly] as soon as we get a better grasp of the situation, said a ministry spokesperson.

Please understand that the details regarding North Korean defectors cannot be disclosed to the public in consideration of the safety of North Korean defectors and of the diplomatic relations with the host country, said the spokesperson.

More than 30,000 North Koreans have made their way to South Korea in recent decades, including several senior diplomats.

Reported by Seung Wook Hong for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
A U.S. citizen and two Myanmar nationals detained last week for growing prohibited cannabis plants in central Myanmar were granted permission from the Mandalay regional government to grow only fiber plants for one year, the regions chief minister said.

The U.S. business owner, who his attorney said was operating the plantation with official permission, was arrested on April 22 with two others under the countrys Anti-Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substances Law for growing prohibited cannabis plants. Police are looking for a fourth man still at large.

Mandalay region Chief Minister Zaw Myint Maung told RFAs Myanmar Service on April 28 that III M Global Nutraceutical Co. was given permission to grow fiber plants for one year, but the owners and workers were arrested for growing cannabis on leased land in an industrial park in Ngunzun township, Myingyan district, in central Myanmars Mandalay region.

The applicant submitted the application for fiber plants, so we gave permission for fiber plants, he said.

Only they know their real intention, and we dont know their real intention for growing these plants. The land owners of the Myotha industrial zone cannot know their intention either, so we are going do what the laws says. Because there are no laws regulating that specific plant, it is illegal.

Myanmar police arrested John Frederic Todoroki, 63, along with Shein Latt, 37, and Shunlae Myat Noe, 23, for growing 20 acres of cannabis plants that Todorskis lawyer said were being used for scientific research for possible drugs to treat cancer.

The three are being held in the township prison where they could spend five to 10 years or more if they are found guilty. Authorities are also seeking a fourth man, American Alexander Skemp Todoroki, 49, believed to be Todorokis son.

Todorokis attorney Thein Than Oo said his clients health is deteriorating.

Mandalay police along with officials from the regions Chemical Inspection Department, Food and Drug Administration Department, and Anti-Narcotics Task Force raided the area on April 22, after images of the cannabis field appeared on social media.

Authorities said they found about 349,300 marijuana plants, 5,200 seedlings, 380 kilograms (838 pounds) of marijuana seeds, 1,804 grams (64 ounces) of marijuana oil, and drug processing equipment to turn the plants into cannabidiol, a popular, non-psychoactive, natural remedy used for many common ailments.

These plants contain varying amounts of psychoactive effects, Zaw Myint Maung said. They need to be analyzed in the lab. They grow different kinds of plants, and some of them can be cannabis varieties. They are all fiber plants, [but] they all need to be examined.

The company calls them medicinal herbs, [but] in our country, there are no laws regarding cannabis, so growing these plants is not allowed. Therefore, they should not have applied for permission, he said.

Arrests unjust

Thein Than Oo on April 26 called the arrests unjust because authorities knew that his company was doing scientific research, and police had confused hemp with recreational marijuana, the Associated Press reported.

Todorokis company has been growing the cannabis, drying the hemp, and extracting cannabis oil for the last nine months since it obtained permission from the Mandalay regional government in August 2018. The company intended to cover a total of 60 acres with the plants.

The applicants intended to legalize the growing of these plants by applying for permission, Zaw Myint Maung said. We are not interested in their intention. What we can say is there are no laws permitting the growing of these plants. If anyone does grow them, he will be arrested.

Thae Su Wai, a lawmaker from Ngunzun township who was at the plantation during the raid, said the operators of the industrial park should have been aware of what Todorokis company was doing on its land.

The leaders of the MMID [Mandalay Myotha Industrial Development] should have been aware of that, she said. They are supervising the whole zone, but the government knew about the plantation only when [the photos] went viral.

RFA was unable to reach the managers of the industrial zone for comment.

Though the regional government granted permission for the operation to grow fiber plants to welcome the foreign investment for the areas development, officials are not responsible to check the plants to verify what is actually being grown, Thae Su Wai said.

The MMIDs chairman is responsible for checking on these kind of things, so he has to be accountable, she said.

They were confused

Todorokis attorney, Thein Than Oo, maintained that his client was growing the plants for research purposes.



My clients are growing plants on legally leased land with permission from the regional government, he said. This is a research farm. They are not growing these plants discreetly.

Thein Than Oo also said the company has brought high-end U.S. technology to the area and recruited as many as 170 local workers who receive a daily wage of 8,000 kyats (U.S. $5.21).

He said that company owners were confused about the permission process and should have first applied for permission from the Ministry of Health.

But they were confused, he said. They thought it would be fine to just get the regional governments permission since this plant is allowed to grow in many countries.

Aung Say Soe of the Marijuana Legalization Movement Myanmar said his group is collecting 100,000 signatures to try to get the government to legalize the growing of profitable hemp plants in Myanmar, and so far has collected more than 200 signatures.

Myanmar law does not distinguish between hemp and marijuana.

Currently, the law prohibits all plants called cannabis from being grown in our country, he said. But the law does not distinguish between hemp and marijuana. All are collectively prohibited.

The government also does not provide samples of plants grown only in research facilities, he said.

Ordinary citizens and government authorities alike do not distinguish between these plants, he said. [So] when the images of the farm went viral on social media, people freaked out that the foreigners were secretly growing cannabis plants.

Reported by Khaymani Win for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Four Tibetans were detained in western Chinas Sichuan province on Monday after calling for the release of Tibetan spiritual leader the Panchen Lama, who disappeared into Chinese custody as a child in 1995 after being authorized in his role by the exiled Dalai Lama, Tibetan sources said.

Three of the four Tibetans are still being held, while the fourth, who is physically disabled and unable to speak, has now been released, sources said, adding that those still in detention will be tried by a local court in about 15 days.

Wangchen, aged 20 and the groups leader, had recited prayers and shouted slogans while taking part in a clean-up drive on April 29 on a hill behind a monastery in Sershul county in the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a local source told RFAs Tibetan Service.

During an offering ceremony and the hanging of prayer flags on the hill behind Sershul monastery, he shouted slogans calling for the release of the Panchen Lama and for the reunion of the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama in Tibet, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Only Wangchen recited the prayers and shouted the slogans, the source said.

But the three othersLobsang, Yonten, and another person who was physically disabledwere also detained as his accomplices, he said.

Other Tibetans present on the hillside to collect caterpillar fungus, an important source of local income valued for its supposed medicinal qualities, had advised Wangchuk not to shout the politically sensitive slogans, fearing he might be arrested by police, the source said.

But he replied that over 150 Tibetans have already self-immolated [in protests opposing Chinese rule in Tibetan areas], and that all Tibetans should share their burden and responsibility, he said.

Wangchen, an unschooled local resident who made his living in horse-riding competitions, then returned to the base of the hill and was taken into custody with his friends, the source said, adding that police quickly confiscated the mens cell phones to prevent the spread of news of their arrest.

Wangchen and two others are now being held at the Peoples Court in Sershul, though the other man was released. No one is allowed to meet with them until the court issues a verdict within 15 days, he said.

Taken away

Tibets Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was recognized on May 14, 1995 at the age of six by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama-the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 10th Panchen Lama.



Tibetan tradition holds that senior Buddhist monks are reincarnated in the body of a child after they die.

Three days later, the young Panchen Lama and his family were taken away by Chinese authorities, who then installed another boy as their own candidate in his place.

Speaking last week on the eve of the Panchen Lamas 30th birthday, a Tibetan advocacy group said China should immediately free the Panchen Lama from custody and allow him to return to his monastery to assume his role as the second most well-known religious figure in Tibet.

While the religious leaders whereabouts remain unknown and he has not been seen in public since his disappearance, it is believed he is still alive, Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said in a statement marking his April 25 birthday.

As the Panchen Lama turns 30, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) calls on China to immediately free him and allow him to return to his monastery, Tashi Lhunpo, and assume his vital role as a religious leader, the statement said, noting that enforced disappearance is defined as a crime by the United Nations.

Reported by Pema Ngodup for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.




Venezuela slipped further into chaos on April 30 as Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a military uprising to oust President Nicolas Maduro and armed factions exchanged gunfire outside a Caracas air base.



Half a world away, Moscow is bound to be alarmed.



Russia has made major investments -- political and economic -- in the South American country in recent years.



Along with Nicaragua, Venezuela has served as sort of beachhead for Russian influence in the Western Hemisphere, something Moscow lost when its ties with Cuba withered in the wake of the Soviet collapse.



In addition to selling hundreds of millions of dollars in military equipment to Caracas, Russia has invested heavily in the crucial oil sector, and snapped up major stakes in the state-run oil company, PDVSA.

The United States is among some 50 countries that have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's president, and it has imposed sanctions to try to push out Maduro. White House national-security adviser John Bolton appealed directly to the country's defense minister, and the head of the national guard on April 30.



"Your time is up. This is your last chance. Accept Interim President Guaido's amnesty, protect the Constitution, and remove Maduro, and we will take you off our sanctions list. Stay with Maduro, and go down with the ship," he said in a Twitter post.

In comments later to reporters, he also directed an explicit warning at Moscow.



"We expect that the Russians will not interfere with what's going on in Venezuela; particularly now when the lives of peaceful Venezuelans are at stake," he said.



Here's a look at some of the things that Russia stands to lose if Maduro's government falls and the opposition under Guaido takes control of the country.



Oil, Oil, Oil



Venezuela's proven oil reserves are the world's largest, according to oil cartel OPEC, and arguably the only thing that has kept the country from completely disintegrating until now.



Revenues from foreign oil sales -- to the United States first and foremost -- have propped up Maduro's government, even as the country has slipped into economic chaos.



Russia and its state-owned oil giant Rosneft have invested heavily in the Venezuela's PDVSA and Venezuelan oil projects -- about $9 billion since 2010, according to Reuters.



Rosneft and the Russian government have also floated more than $17 billion in loans to Caracas since 2006, according to an analysis published in February by Alexander Gabuev, of the Carnegie Moscow Center. If Guiado, who has gotten resounding support from the United States and other countries, takes power, it becomes an open question how and when -- or even if -- those loans will be repaid.



"Russia is now so deeply invested in the Maduro regime that the only realistic option is to double down," he wrote.



"Rosneft's deep ties to Venezuela and Russia's efforts to insert itself into the crisis there together raise questions about whether the country's leadership is acting to preserve national or corporate and private interests," Gabuev said.

Also factoring into this equation is PDVSA's stake in Citgo, a U.S. subsidiary that has been a key conduit in making sure U.S. dollars flow back to Caracas. Citgo owns three refineries in the United States along with a network of pipelines and gas stations.



PDVSA's financial woes gave an opening to Rosneft, which received 49.9 percent of Citgo as collateral for a reported $1.5 billion loan from the Russian oil company.



That alarmed some U.S. lawmakers who blanched at the idea of Russia's largest oil concern controlling a major piece of U.S. oil infrastructure.



In January, in a bid to pressure Maduro, President Donald Trump's administration announced it would cut off Citgo and its U.S. bank accounts in an effort to deprive Caracas of hard currency.



"Guaido's assumption of control of Citgo and PDVSA virtually assures that it will lose the money it loaned to the Maduro regime in exchange for a percentage ownership of Citgo, unless it deals with Guaido's government," Evan Ellis, a researcher at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote in an article earlier this year.



Arms Sales, Military Cooperation



In early December 2018, two nuclear-capable, long-range Russian strategic bombers landed at a military airport outside Caracas. It was a very public and symbolic display by Moscow to show Washington and its allies that it was serious about military support for Maduro's government.

Moscow isn't selling long-range bombers to Caracas, but it has sold it billions in other weaponry. In 2006, then-President Hugo Chavez signed a nearly $3 billion deal for Russian fighter jets. Moscow also got access to Venezuelan oil at below-market prices. According to the Russian news agency TASS, Caracas purchased around $11 billion in armaments between 2005 and 2013.



The weaponry Caracas obtained included the sophisticated S-300 air-defense system, Su-30 fighter jets, T-72 tanks, as well as things like man-portable Igla surface-to-air missiles, and other smaller weaponry.



It's unclear how much money Caracas still owes Russia for the weaponry. But the turmoil and any possible change in government throws in doubt whether Moscow will be paid for past deliveries, not to mention ongoing service contracts or future purchases.

The other wildcard, both in terms of weapons supplies and support for Maduro, is the presence of private Russian mercenaries, who reportedly arrived in Caracas earlier this year and are said to have been serving as an elite guard force for Maduro and his inner circle.



There is also the danger that private Russian military companies, also known as PMCs, could end up widening the Venezuelan conflict, said Sergei Sukhankin, a researcher at the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation and the Kyiv-based International Center for Policy Studies.



"In this case, there is a distinct possibility that Russian PMCs would help escalate Venezuela's civil strife into a regional conflict," he wrote in a commentary in February.



Other Commodities



Venezuela is a major importer of Russian grain and it is a key market for Moscow as it expands its farming exports and cuts into the market share of the United States, Brazil, and other agricultural powerhouses.



Russian state-linked banks also teamed up with Venezuelan financial institutions in an effort to ease investments and give Russian companies more flexibility as they push deeper into Venezuela's economy. That joint venture bank, Evrofinance Mosnarbank, is controlled by Gazprombank -- the financing arm of Russian state-gas producer Gazprom, and state bank VTB. The Venezuelan National Development Fund holds a 49.99 percent stake.



In March, the U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on the bank, accusing it of trying to evade previously imposed sanctions that targeted Maduro and his supporters.



Reputation



Arguably, the biggest thing Russia stands to lose if Maduro's government falls is its reputation; the Kremlin's, and Vladimir Putin's, in particular. The Russian presence in Venezuela is a way of projecting power, with echoes of the Soviet presence in Cuba, and building relationships in Central America. It's also a way to bother the United States, which has long considered the Western Hemisphere part of its natural sphere of influence.

"Certainly, Moscow's interest in Venezuela is driven by its quite tense relations with the United States and it wants to [provide a counterbalance to] the United States," Mikael Wigell, a researcher specializing in Latin America at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told RFE/RL in an interview in January.



"Establishing close relations with Venezuela gives Moscow a certain nuisance power in relation to the United States, and that can be used as a bargaining chip in future dealings with the United States. It also can be kind of a showcase for Russia's aspirations to be considered a global power," he said.
Kazakhstan's interim president, Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, may be finding life in the spotlight a little too harsh since the surprise resignation of longtime President Nursultan Nazarbaev in March. RFE/RL has discovered that official pictures of the new Kazakh leader have been dramatically altered with photo-editing software. The aim, it appears, is to digitally nip, tuck, and smooth the 65-year-old ex-diplomat and former prime minister's appearance -- and possibly ease his path to a five-year term as the Central Asian powerhouse prepares for its snap presidential election in June.

Toqaev (right) receiving the credentials of U.S. Ambassador William H. Moser in March 2019. The photo was shot by a Kazakh news photographer and published by the Kazinform press agency.

This photo, taken a moment later and from a slightly different angle, was released by the interim president's office. Toqaev's facial contours and skin texture are strikingly different, while Moser's face appears unchanged.

Toqaev meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in April, on his first foreign visit since being appointed interim president.

A photo of the same meeting released by Toqaev's office. The pictures were taken three minutes apart. Toqaev, the candidate of Nazarbaev's long-dominant Nur Otan party, is not expected to be seriously challenged in the June vote.

During the Moscow meeting, a Kremlin photographer captured the two leaders chatting.

This photo of the same conversation was released by Toqaev's office. In all cases of apparent image doctoring that RFE/RL has seen, only Toqaev's face and neck have been altered, while other people appear unretouched.

In late April, South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) visited Kazakhstan. The European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) released this photograph of the meeting.

Soon afterward, Toqaev's press office published its own photo, shot from a slightly different angle.

After Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Kazakhstan in April, his press office published this photo of the official visit.

Soon afterward, Toqaev's office released its own image of the meeting. The difference in color between the two photos is likely due to different cameras (a Canon 5D Mark IV used by the Hungarian delegation versus a Nikon D5 for the Kazakhs) and image-editing tastes. But an expert RFE/RL contacted said he was "almost 100 percent" certain Toqaev's photos have been photoshopped to change his appearance.

This photo of Toqaev in April 2019 was distributed through Reuters and has been widely used in international media. One of the world's leading retouchers, who asked to remain anonymous, told RFE/RL he believed the picture had been altered "mainly using surface blur to even out the skin of the face." He added: "You can see it's uneven when looking closely at the face; some parts contain jpeg artifacts and some parts are smoother. I work with this every day, and it looks like it's definitely been smoothed out."

None of Kazakhstan's elections since the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991 has been deemed free and fair by Western observers -- a history that suggests Toqaev will walk into the presidency in June without much real opposition. But RFE/RL Central Asia correspondent Bruce Pannier says the photo manipulation might be an attempt to present Toqaev as a fresh new face, despite his age. "[Toqaev] will be 66 next month. You're replacing a [78-year-old man, Nazarbaev] with a 66-year-old man; it's not much of a change. So I think they're trying to give the idea that [Toqaev is] very youthful and dynamic and energetic, despite the fact that everyone knows that he's going on 66."

RFE/RL has found no such clear evidence that "Leader Of The Nation" and now ex-President Nazarbaev (left, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 28) was retouched during his reign over the Central Asian nation, but the most recent pictures released by Nazarbaev's office indicate some light photoshopping.
Iran will continue to export oil despite increasing pressure by Washington, Iranian President Hassan Rohani said in a speech broadcast live by state TV on April 30.



"In future months, the Americans themselves will see that we will continue our oil exports, Rohani said.



"America's decision that Iran's oil exports must reach zero is a wrong and mistaken decision, and we won't let this decision be executed and operational, the president said.



Rohani's remarks came days after Washington announced that it had decided not to renew waivers in May allowing importers to buy Iranian oil without facing U.S. sanctions.



"This decision is intended to bring Iran's oil exports to zero, denying the regime its principal source of revenue," the White House said in a statement on April 21.



The decision means sanctions waivers for five nations, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey won't be renewed when they expire on May 2.



The announcement sparked condemnations in Tehran, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying the elimination of the waivers was a "hostile measure" that "won't be left without a response."



Washington has ramped up sanctions on Iran since President Donald Trump withdrew from its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers last year.



The 2015 Iran nuclear deal with six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, and Germany -- had given Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbing its nuclear program and ensuring it is not trying to produce nuclear weapons.



Trump says the Iran nuclear deal was fatally flawed because it did not address Irans ballistic-missile program or Tehrans alleged state sponsorship of terrorism.



Earlier this month, a U.S. official said that U.S. sanctions have denied Tehran more than $10 billion in oil revenue.

Based on reporting by Reuters and irna.ir
CHERNOKOZOVO, Russia -- A journalist in Chechnya, Zhalaudi Geriyev, has been released from prison after serving three-year term for illegal drug possession -- a charge he has been denying since his arrest.



Geriyev, a former correspondent for the Caucasian Knot website, left a penitentiary in the village of Chernokozovo in Chechnya, on April 30.



Geriyev was greeted at the gates by relatives, friends, and colleagues upon his release.



"I remained free while in prison, and continue to feel like a free man now," he said.



Geriyev says he was kidnapped, beaten, and accused of having marijuana in his backpack.



He was convicted and sentenced in 2016 but has maintained his innocence, contending that the drugs were planted in his backpack by police.



The Moscow-based human rights center Memorial has recognized Geriyev as a political prisoner and New York-based Human Rights Watch has said he was being "punished" for his work as a journalist.



Geriyev is known for his reporting on human rights in Chechnya, which is tightly controlled by Kremlin-backed regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov.



Rights activists have accused Kadyrov and his paramilitary forces of serious rights abuses including the widespread use of kidnapping, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

In another prominent case in Chechnya involving a drug charge disputed by the defendant, human rights activist Oyub Titiyev was convicted of marijuana possession in March and sentenced to four years in a penal colony.



Titiyev, the head of the Moscow-based group Memorial's office in Chechnya, said the drugs were planted in his car and that the prosecution was an effort to frighten human rights activists, who Kadyrov has said are not welcome in the region.



Amnesty International called the verdict against Titiyev "an affront to human rights, reason, and justice" and said it showed that the Russian justice system was "deeply flawed."



With reporting by Caucasian Knot
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has found that the Russian state violated the rights of a coordinator for opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's attempted presidential campaign and ordered it to pay 12,500 euros ($14,000).



The April 30 ruling in Elvira Dmitriyeva's case was the first decision on a series of complaints filed with the ECHR against Russia over a crackdown on nationwide protests organized by Navalny and his supporters on March 26, 2017.



Navalny sought to challenge President Vladimir Putin in a March 2018 election and conducted an active campaign but was barred from the ballot.

Dmitriyeva headed his campaign in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan.



In March 2017, Dmitriyeva was fined for posting an announcement about an anti-corruption rally in Kazan, and days later she was sentenced to 10 days in jail for taking part in the March 26 protest there, which was not approved by city authorities.



Russian law enforcement authorities detained more than 1,000 people in cities across the country at the March 26, 2017 protests, which were among the biggest anti-government demonstrations since a wave of rallies in 2011-12.



In its ruling, the ECHR in Strasbourg found that Russia had violated Dmitriyeva's rights to liberty and security, a fair trial, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and effective remedy.



In addition to the 12,500-euro payment for violating Dmitriyeva's rights, the court ordered Russia to cover Dmitriyeva's expenses linked to the hearing.



It was the ECHR's first decision linked to the March 26, 2017 rallies that were held in many towns and cities across Russia.

The protests were held after Navalny's anticorruption organization issued an investigative report alleging corruption benefiting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, one of Putin's closest allies.



At least 12 more complaints have been filed with the ECHR by Russian activists who say they faced police brutality or were persecuted for taking part in the rallies, or both.



Russian election authorities barred Navalny from the March 2018 ballot because of a financial-crimes conviction that he says was engineered by the Kremlin to punish him for his opposition activity and keep him out of electoral politics.



Putin, who has been president or prime minister since 1999 and is accused by critics of using the police and courts to stifle dissent, won a new six-year Kremlin term in that election.
SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine  Police have searched the homes of two Crimean Tatar activists in Ukraine's Russia-controlled Crimea region, a Ukrainian human rights group says.



Crimean Solidarity, a rights group that has members in Crimea and other parts of Ukraine, said that Russian police and security officers searched the homes of Rolan Osmanov and Delyaver Bekirov on the outskirts of the regional capital, Simferopol, on April 30.

According to Crimea Solidarity, the activists were not arrested and nothing was confiscated during the search.



The group quoted Osmanov as saying that police officers told him they were looking for narcotics" in his home, while no clear explanation was given to Bekirov about the reason for the search in his house.



An ambulance was called for Osmanov's mother, who felt unwell during the search, Crimea Solidarity said.

There was no immediate comment from the Russian authorities who control the region.



In late March, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained 20 Crimean Tatars following house-to-house searches in Simferopol and nearby districts.



The FSB said at the time that the detained activists were suspected of being members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic group that is banned in Russia but legal to operate in Ukraine.

Since Russia seized the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014, Russian authorities have prosecuted dozens of Crimean Tatars for allegedly belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir.



Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as a campaign of repression by the Russian-imposed authorities in Crimea who are targeting members of the Turkic-speaking Crimean Tatar community and others who have spoken out against Moscow's takeover of the peninsula.

In its annual report on religious freedom worldwide, released on April 29, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said that "[in] Russian-occupied Crimea, the Russian authorities continued to kidnap, torture, and imprison Crimean Tatar Muslims at will."

Russia took control of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 after sending in troops, seizing key facilities, and staging a referendum dismissed as illegal by at least 100 countries.

Moscow also backs separatists in a war against government forces that has killed some 13,000 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.
A Moscow court has sentenced a man to 2 1/2 years in prison after convicting him of vandalizing a famous 19th-century painting of Tsar Ivan the Terrible at the state-run Tretyakov Gallery last year.



At an April 30 hearing, the court found Igor Podporin guilty of damaging a Russian cultural treasure: realist painter Ilya Repin's 1885 work depicting the seemingly anguished ruler cradling his bloodied son after mortally wounding him in a fit of rage.



Investigators say Podporin used a metal pole from a barrier at the museum to smash the protective glass and slash the canvas of the painting in an act of vandalism on May 25, 2018.

Ivan The Terrible And His Son Ivan is considered the most psychologically intense of Repins paintings and has been described as the artist's condemnation of violence and bloodshed.



Podporin, who is from the southern city of Voronezh, pleaded "partially guilty." His lawyer told journalists that the verdict will be appealed.



Media reports after his arrest said that Podporin justified his actions by citing what he called the "falsehood of the historical facts depicted on the canvas," suggesting that the tsar did not kill his son.

In court last year, Podporin said that he considers Ivan the Terrible a saint and believes Repins depiction of the tsar killing his own son was an affront to Orthodox Christians.

With credit for time served since his arrest and jailing, Podporin's sentence will end in less than a year and he is eligible to seek early release, state-run news agency TASS reported.

After the painting was damaged, state-owned financial giant Sberbank said that it would fund restoration efforts whose cost was estimated at up to $160,000.

The Tretyakov Gallery, one of Russia's most prominent art museums, became a crime scene again in January 2019 when a painting was stolen during opening hours.



A suspect casually removed a 1908 painting by Arkhip Kuindzhi called Ai Petri, Crimea from a wall, walked through rooms filled with visitors, and carried it out of the building.



Denis Chuprikov, a 32-year-old Russian citizen who was born in Crimea, was charged with theft after authorities said the painting was found at a construction site near his home outside Moscow.

With reporting by TASS, Dozhd, RTVi, and Interfax
A Russian teenager who authorities say attacked his school in the Bashkortostan region a year ago was ordered to be placed in a psychiatric clinic for up to one year, the Investigative Committee says.



A court in the city of Sterlitamak concluded on April 30 that the 18-year-old boy, whose identity was not disclosed, was not criminally culpable for his actions due to psychological problems and therefore must be placed in a psychiatric clinic for treatment, the main state investigative agency said in a statement.



Authorities said that, on April 18, 2018, the boy entered the school and stabbed a female student and a teacher and set a classroom on fire. Another girl sustained serious injuries when she fled by jumping from a second-story window.



The court's ruling came a day after another Russian court in Perm, 1,150 kilometers northeast of Moscow, sentenced a 17-year-old teenager to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of a knife attack at his school that left 12 people hospitalized with stab wounds in January 2018.



There have been several attacks on schools in Russia last year, as well as a gun-and-bomb attack on a college in Russian-controlled Crimea in which authorities say an 18-year-old killed 20 people in October before fatally shooting himself.
Violence flared in Venezuela as opposition leader Juan Guaido urged the military to help oust President Nicolas Maduro as the United States upped its pressure for a change in government.



Thousands of Venezuelans came out in the capital, Caracas, early on April 30 to support what Guaido called the "final phase" of a campaign to assume power in the South American country as his supporters rallied outside an air base.



Scattered clashes occurred between security forces and backers of Guaido, with a medical center saying it was treating some 50 injured people.



Officials in Maduro's government denounced Guaido's actions as an attempted coup and said they retain the support of the military.



Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said in a broadcast along with uniformed men that the military would continue to defend the "legitimate authorities."

"People are going to continue arriving, [military] units who are on the side of the constitution are going to be arriving," Guiado told reporters. "We invite the world to witness what is going to happen here which, as always, is within the parameters of the constitution, democratic and nonviolent as it has been up to now -- always demanding the end of the usurpation."

"Brothers -- together we are making history," he wrote on Twitter



But Maduro said in a tweet that he had "total support" from the military, but called for a mobilization of "the militias" and ended his message with "we will win."



Guaido, whose claim as interim president is backed by the United States and more than 50 other countries, appeared in a video shot next to the La Carlota air base surrounded by several heavily armed soldiers backed by a handful of armored vehicles.



He also appeared with opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who had previously been jailed and held under house arrest. Lopez -- who publicly reiterated Guaido's calls for the military to abandon Maduro -- later sought refuge in the Chilean Embassy in Caracas, AP reported quoting the embassy.



In Washington, U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton said three of Maduro's senior aides had pledged to help Guaido make a peaceful transition to power.



"Its still very important for three figures in the Maduro regime who have been talking to the opposition over these last three months to make good on their commitment to achieve the peaceful transition of power from the Maduro clique," Bolton said, citing Padrino, Supreme Court chief judge Maikel Moreno, and presidential guard commander Ivan Rafael Hernandez Dala. "All agreed Maduro had to go. They need to be able to act this afternoon and this evening to be able to bring other military forces to [Guaido's side]."



U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that Washington stands with the "People of Venezuela and their Freedom." Vice President Mike Pence said on Twitter that "America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored."



U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet that the U.S. "fully supports" Guaido's call for the start of "Operacion Libertad (Operation Freedom)" and Venezuelans "in their quest for freedom and democracy."



Russia, Iran, China, and Cuba are among countries supporting Maduro, who started a second term in January following a May 2018 election marred by an opposition boycott and claims of vote-rigging, leading to mass street protests.



In March, Russia, which has substantial economic ties to Maduro's government, sent planes to Venezuela carrying nearly 100 military personnel the U.S. government believes included special forces and cybersecurity experts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Venezuela, among other topics, with members of his Security Council, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Brazil is among many of the other Latin American countries that voiced support on April 30 for Guaido -- the head of the National Assembly in the country of some 30 million -- in his push to take power.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and Interfax
Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday rejected a bill that would have expanded the state Board of Elections and handed the body power to appoint the states elections chief.

Sponsored by Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier, and Del. Margaret Ransone, R-Westmoreland, the bill would have expanded the boards membership from three to five, and required at least four of the members to agree on a commissioner of elections.

Following the 2017 legislative elections that included ballot problems and one contest that resulted in a televised tiebreaker, GOP legislative leaders created a joint subcommittee to study election issues ahead of the 2019 session. The registrar community appeared to rally behind measures to expand the state board and depoliticize the commissioner role, an idea that grew out of a working group of registrars and members of local electoral boards.

Northam wrote in his veto message: This could lead to delays or a lack of appointment all together. He added: In a state that has an election every few months, it is imperative that Virginias electoral system have steady leadership.
FALLS CHURCH  A Northern Virginia tech staffing company has apologized after an online job posting sought "preferably Caucasian" applicants.

Cynet Systems in Sterling removed the post and issued an apology late Sunday on Twitter. The company said the individuals involved have been fired and said the job post did not "reflect our core values of inclusivity & equality."

The job listing, which was posted on LinkedIn and other sites, sought an account manager for a job based in Tampa, Fla., with an unspecified pharmaceutical company. Under "Job Description," the first bullet point said: "Preferably Caucasian who has good technical background."

A Cynet statement issued Monday said the company has a long-standing policy of turning down clients requesting candidates of a specific race or gender.

"We understand why some may have been upset seeing this listing, because we were, too," said the company's co-CEO, Ashwani Mayur, said. The company's statement does not say how long the ad was live.
Its 6:32 a.m. on a brisk morning, as I travel aboard Amtraks Regional Train #86 heading from Richmond to Alexandria for work.

I wear many hats, but to everyone I am an unabashed passenger railroad advocate. While I work in the tech sector for a fruit-named company, I also spent some time working at Amtrak, creating what we now know as the Amtrak mobile apps for conductors and passengers. I also served as the chairman for the MARC Riders Advisory Council. I became intimately familiar with the modern travelers wants and needs, what Amtrak and its partner states (like Virginia) can provide, where those interests intersect, and where they do not intersect.

Virginias Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT) has been in the middle of the pack of its peers when it comes to vision for passenger rail. While VDRPT hasnt been as future-minded as, say, North Carolina, it has done more to augment its state-supported passenger rail options than many other states.
Culprits stoning cars along Felipe Carrillo Puerto-Muyil highway

Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Q.R.  Drivers along the Felipe Carrillo Puerto-Muyil highway south of Tulum have reported having rocks thrown at their vehicles in an attempt to stop and rob them.

A motorists driving that section of highway says that culprits on a section of the highway near Felipe Carrillo Puerto hide in bushes until they hear an oncoming vehicle. They then appear and begin throwing stones in an attempt to stop vehicles to rob them.

One of the assaulted drivers cautioned other drivers to Be very careful when traveling on the federal highway Tulum  Felipe Carrillo Puerto, subjects throw stones to be able to assault those who pass through that route.

From Felipe Carrillo Puerto to Muyil they are assaulting cars about 3 kilometers from Crucero Chumpon. Last Tuesday I had that experience. There are 4 guys who come out to throw stones at you so you stop and they can steal.

The initial report was made by media outlet Telesur Yucatan. There has not been any word or warning from police.
Guangzhou Diamond Exchange (GZDE) held a forum entitled Discover the Magics of Lab-Grown Diamonds on April 20 during the 2019 China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair  Shenzhen (Shenzhen Jewellery Fair). If the year of 2019 is expected to be the first year seeing large-scale commercial applications of lab-grown diamonds (LGDs), this forum is undoubtedly a key event during that trend. China's leading LGD producers, wholesalers, retailers as well as experts of jewellery design, industrial design, fashion industry and brand consulting gathered at the Shenzhen Jewellery Fair, brain storming the commercial application of LGDs.



LGD is a small trend in the slow variate of diamond culture formed by human society, but with wide and magical applications,  Liang Weizhang, General Manager of GZDE spoke at the forum.

It is estimated that growing speed of LGDs increased by 275% from 2010 to 2015 and the producing cost decreased by 70%-80% from 2013 to 2018. Du Ban, president of Shenzhen Jewellery Designers Association remarked that, lower material cost of LGDs enables designers to focus more on the value of beauty and the expression of beauty, with less stress on the material. Professor Wang Tao, Vice Dean of School of Innovation Design, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts emphasized innovative design will stimulate the application of LGDs. Co-founder of POP Fashion, Zhang Wei pointed out that Generation Z with a remarkable demand for fun is the most potential target customer group. In order to satisfy the future consumers, high-quality creative design is needed as core engine, and comprehensive services for the industry would play as key driver. Liu Yongyan, founder of Crealliance Group mentioned that LGD industry could learn from and work with fashion industry, such as umbrella branding, cooperation with designers, flexible supply chain and mass customization. Lin Hongbing from Henan Jingtuo International Diamonds put forward that LGD and natural diamond could achieve win-win coexistence, like the case of cultured pearls. As a new material, LGD creates larger markets as affordable luxury", serving as a positive factor throughout the jewellery industry chain, Lin said.

China's current producing technology, capacity and market demand provide a solid foundation for the development of the LGD industry. The Forum invited representatives of major LGD producers from mainland China for a panel, including Huanghe Whirlwind, Sino Crystal, Liliang Diamond, Chaoran Diamond, Jinan Diamond and Crysdiam. Several producers pointed out that China's LGD is in short supply at present, as the output is relatively constant, but the market demand fluctuates greatly. They hope certain platform such as GZDE could help coordinate the supply and demand. Sino Crystal has launched its own retail brands of LGD jewellery to educate the consumers. International Gemological Institute (IGI) also shared its criteria for LGD grading as an independent laboratory. All sectors are working together to promote a healthy development of the LGD industry.

At the forum, GZDE signed strategic cooperation agreements with Chinas major LGD suppliers, designer associations and cross-border application partners, to jointly develop and promote commercial applications of LGD.



GZDE organized the first exhibition group of LGD in mainland China during the Shenzhen Jewellery Fair from April 19 - 22. The group, consisting of LGD producers, wholesalers, jewellery retailers and equipment suppliers from China, has attracted very large attention at the Shenzhen Jewellery Fair.



UBM, organizer of the Shenzhen Jewellery Fair awarded the Best Partner Award to GZDE





How would the LGD industry develop?



As Zhu Yongsheng, chairman of GZDE mentioned, the vitality of new products lies in extensive application and effective supply. The high-tech genes of LGDs, the ability of stable supply, and its outstanding appearance same as natural diamonds have opened a window for this new material. In addition to the innovation application in jewellery through creative design, it could seek for cross border development with other industries.



The magics of the LGD, is to be discovered.




The MonDak Heritage Center announces the WaterWorks Art Museum Traveling Art Show, on display from Wednesday, May 1 through Saturday, June 1 at the MonDak Heritage Center, 120 3rd Ave SE, Sidney. The Traveling Art Show features works representative of the Annual Juried Exhibit from the WaterWorks Art Museum in Miles City. The exhibit represents professional and amateur artwork from local, regional, and national artists, which will tour eastern Montana until the end of 2019. MDHC is open Tuesday-Friday from 10-4 and Saturday from 1-4. Admission is FREE. For more information call 406-433-3500 or e-mail [email protected]
Sandra LaRoque, an artist from Alexander, has been selected as this year's featured artist for the Sunrise Festival of the Arts to be held Saturday, July 13, at Veterans Memorial Park in Sidney.

LaRoque said she started creating art from Montana moss agates about 10 years ago. She noted that her grandfather produced belt buckles and bolo ties from moss agates many years earlier.

Her creations out of the agates from the Yellowstone River include beautiful lampshades and suncatchers. She noted the art can be enjoyed in your window to let the sun shine through them and show their beauty.

"I'm just an artistic person," LaRoque said of why she started in the art field. "The agates are so beautiful. Most people make jewelry out of them, they are actually a gem."

Sandra LaRoque

LaRoque noted that it takes a lot of patience and time to make art by slabbing and polishing agates. She slabs or cuts the agates in her rock shop and runs the agate through tumblers in several grit cycles into beautifully polished pieces for her art.

Montana agates, found in the Yellowstone River Basin, were formed millions of years ago during the Pleisocene period. Montana agates are found as limbcasts, partial limbs and log sections.

She mainly sells her pieces from her Rare Rock Agate Shop through Facebook or at selected shows. She can be reached at [email protected]
Greetings!

The 66th Legislative Session officially came to a close on Thursday, April 25, the 87th legislative day. We came home that night, just in time to enjoy the nice rains.

Some of the bright spots of the session were that we passed some pro-life bills and some pro-gun bills. The pro-life bills were SB 100, requiring an ultrasound before an abortion, HB 500, Pain-Capable Act, making it illegal to have an abortion after 20 weeks, and, SB 354, Montana Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which requires doctors to give medical care to babies who survive an abortion. These bills passed mostly on party lines. It will be interesting to see what the Governor does. The gun bills were SB 304, which would authorize concealed carry for legislators, & sergeants-at-arms & their deputies in the capitol, and HB 325 and HB 357, which I carried on the senate floor, makes conceal carry laws consistent throughout the state. We dont know what the Governor will do with these bills. HB 145, an act providing that when someone with a concealed carry permit moves to a different community, they do not have to notify local authorities, and HB 322, which I carried on the Senate floor, would remove the requirement to provide Social Security Numbers on concealed weapons permit applications. Both bills became law.

Another good thing we passed was a resolution that encourages the US Congress to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. We feel that if you are a citizen or not is more important to know than how many toilets or TVs are in your house. Another resolution we passed was to encourage Congress to delist the grizzly bears. Grizzlies are pushing into the plains and we think we have too many of them. We were also able to fight off the Governors Pre-K, which was going to cost another $30 Million. These are just a few of the many good things we passed in the legislature this session.

One of the disappointing things we did, in my opinion, was we passed Medicaid Expansion. To pay for Medicaid Expansion we had to pass several taxes, two of which were a $70 bed tax on hospital beds and .9% tax on outpatient services. Medicaid Expansion is expected to cost $1.5 Billion over the biennium, plus the state must pay the hospitals $300 Million to cover the gap between Medicaid Expansion and what hospitals actually charge. No wonder the hospitals lobbied so hard for this. They will receive almost $2 Billion over the biennium due to Medicaid Expansion. Another disappointing thing we did was, even though we are projected to spend $1.6 Billion on infrastructure this biennium, we borrowed $80 Million for more infrastructure when we had approximately $250 Million in an ending fund balance. Would you borrow $80,000 for a project if you had $250,000 in the bank? The powers that be always throw in a little project for each county so they could get more votes. But the fact is, most of the money in the debt bill goes to Romney Hall at MSU and a few pet projects. I voted NO on both bills. It looks like overall we are going to raise our budget at least 10%. We will have better numbers soon.

It has been an honor to represent and serve you. I look forward to seeing you sometime soon. I can be contacted by e-mail, [email protected] or phone, 365-7967.
Branch manager Jackie Daniels and banker Carrie Mesman with Wells Fargo Bank in Sidney present a check for $10,000 to Boys & Girls Club executive director Elaine Stedman.

Stedman said she is truly grateful to Wells Fargo for their generous donation, which will be used for summer programming. "We are excited to be a part of this. It shows Wells Fargo is deeply committed to not only their customers, but to the community," Daniels commented. As a mom with children who attend the Club, Mesman said she was excited and appreciative that her employer could make this donation.
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The police chief of Desert Hot Springs has been put on paid administrative leave for a misconduct investigation, but officials would not say what he was being investigated for.

Dale Mondary, who has been the citys police chief since 2015, was placed on leave at about 2 p.m. Monday as the city investigates potential misconduct by the chief, said city spokeswoman Doria Wilms. Wilms said the investigation is a personnel matter and would not say more about it.

There are certain protections city employees have with respect to privacy, and the chief is a city employee, Wilms said. We are in the midst of conducting an extremely thorough investigation.

Deputy Chief Jim Henson will step in for Mondary in the meantime, she said.

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Mondary replaced Chief Jeff Kirkpatrick in 2015, who was acting as interim chief after Dan Bressler left the role. Bresslers contract was not renewed in 2014, and he was later investigated for allegedly sending officers emails telling them not to speak with city council members, the Desert Sun reported.

Wilms said she did not know about the Bressler case and could not immediately give more details about that investigation. She said the city did not have further comment about Chief Mondary.

Several City Council members and the Desert Hot Springs mayor could not immediately be reached for comment. Councilman Russel Betts said: Thats a personnel matter, and thats something I wouldnt be able to comment on.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra
Ellen Tauscher, a Bay Area politician and investment banker who served in Congress, worked in the State Department and sat on the UC Board of Regents, died Monday after a months-long battle with pneumonia. She was 67.

Tauscher overcame cancer in 2010 but had been suffering from pneumonia since January, said her family, who were with her at Stanford University Medical Center at the time of her death.

Ellen was a force to be reckoned with from the time she was a young girl. She succeeded at everything she did and made her mark wherever she went. She was the strongest, bravest person we have ever known, her family said in a statement.

Tauscher, a New Jersey native, served 12 years as a congresswoman representing Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano counties from 1997 to 2009. She left Congress that year to join the Obama administration as undersecretary of State for arms control and international security, working under Hillary Clinton.

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After retirement, Tauscher remained involved in state affairs as a member of the UC Board of Regents, where she headed a key security committee overseeing the universitys three federal labs. She also was chairwoman of the Military Advisory Council under Gov. Jerry Brown.

Before her career as a congresswoman, Tauscher was an active Democratic fundraiser and served as co-chair for the Senate campaigns of Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in 1992 and 1994.

In a statement Tuesday morning, Feinstein remembered Tauscher as a force in politics and a best friend.

She wouldnt hesitate to help anyone in need, always with a kind word or quip to lift your spirits, Feinstein said. My favorite times with Ellen were our weekend dinners in Washington, where wed laugh and trade stories over a glass of California wine.

Eric Swalwell, a Bay Area congressman who interned for Tauscher in 2001, said that his former boss broke the mold again and again before even being elected to the House.

She was one of the youngest and first women to become a member of the New York Stock Exchange. She created the Tauscher Foundation in 1980 to help California and Texas schools buy computer equipment for primary school students. She created the ChildCare Registry, the first national research service to help parents verify the background of child-care workers, Swalwell said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also issued a statement Tuesday.

For decades, Ellen tackled some of our most pressing challenges  from access to child-care to nuclear arms control  with grace and heart, the governor said. She blazed trails in business and in the halls of Congress and she held her own at some of the worlds toughest negotiating tables.

While serving in the House, Tauscher established herself as a centrist Democrat, and she chaired the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of 65 moderate House Democrats. She also served on the Armed Services Committee and chaired its Strategic Forces subcommittee, which put her in position to oversee the countrys nuclear weapons stockpile and support the two national labs in her district, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the California campus of Sandia National Laboratories.

In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) praised Tauscher for her commitment to nuclear nonproliferation and arms control, which she said strengthened our democratic institutions and kept America safe.

On the heels of the 2016 presidential election, Tauscher launched a super PAC called Fight Back California, contributing to the effort that flipped seven congressional seats and handed control of the House of Representatives to Democrats.

Some of the incumbents she helped target had been colleagues on Capitol Hill. This isnt personal, Tauscher told The Times in 2017. But the fact is that Im a Californian, and they dont vote in the interest of my state.

Tauscher was only two years into her 12-year term on the UC Board of Regents, but she brought crucial knowledge to chairing the UC Board of Governors of Los Alamos National Security and Lawrence Livermore National Security, according to UC President Janet Napolitano.

Ellen was a close colleague and a dear friend  generous with her knowledge and her time, and a true example of grace under pressure, Napolitano said in a statement.

In a Facebook post on April 7, Tauscher opened up about her struggle with pneumonia, which she said was compounded by esophageal cancer surgery in 2010.

I am on the mend; but they tell me it will be slow-going to get me back to 100%. And as you know, thats the level at which I like to operate, she said.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra
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Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, who faces an FBI probe and lawsuits from two former staffers, is withdrawing a request to seal a court motion as he tries to postpone one of those suits.

Huizar has been sued by Mayra Alvarez, a former aide who alleged in a lawsuit that she faced retaliation after voicing concerns that Huizar was having an affair with an aide and engaging in practices that she believed violated local, state, and federal law.

His attorneys have said in court filings that they wanted to postpone proceedings in the Alvarez case because of an ongoing federal investigation into City Hall.

They had argued that the motion to delay the case needed to be sealed to protect Huizars constitutional rights, since the councilman plans to rely on information pertaining to the criminal investigation that is not public.

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Now, however, they are pulling back on that request. In a court filing Monday, attorneys for Huizar said they were withdrawing their motion to seal, without providing further explanation. They also asked to cancel a May hearing that had been scheduled to review the request.

Attorneys for The Times had planned to oppose Huizars request to seal the documents in the Alvarez case, but had yet to file any documents in court. Terrence Jones, an attorney who represents Alvarez, had also expressed concerns about sealing the documents, saying last month that Huizar should not get to litigate his misconduct in the shadows.

Huizar and his attorneys made a similar push in a second case filed by a former aide, Pauline Medina, who alleged that she too faced retaliation after complaining that Huizar had an affair with a staffer.

In court filings, the attorneys said they wanted to postpone the Medina case as well  and planned to try to file their request under seal. But earlier this month, a judge turned down the idea of holding a special hearing on sealing that request.

It was not clear whether the attorneys still plan to seek a delay in the Medina case. Lawyers for Huizar declined to comment on their filings at that time and did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment.

Jones, the attorney for Alvarez and Medina, also did not immediately respond to inquiries.

The latest turn in the court case comes nearly six months after FBI agents raided Huizars home and offices. Investigators also sent subpoenas to real estate developers and filed a search warrant last year seeking evidence of extortion, bribery and other possible crimes involving Huizar and several other figures at City Hall.

The federal warrant did not say that the FBI had gathered evidence of criminal activity by any of the people named in the document. No arrests have been announced and no charges have been filed publicly.

Huizar has fired back at the accusations leveled by his former aides. When Alvarez filed her lawsuit, Huizar issued a statement denouncing it as 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.

Medina sued the city soon after Alvarez left the council office and went to work for state Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles).

Huizar called Medina a disgruntled former employee who quit after being confronted with an investigation into her own misconduct. He said her suit was full of misrepresentations.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @AlpertReyes
Los Angeles County officials dealing with a measles outbreak say they expect that more people will be diagnosed with the illness in the coming weeks, while the nation stares down what will likely be its worst measles year in decades.

But where are these cases coming from? The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000, and the virus does not regularly circulate here.

Officials say that every person diagnosed with measles in the U.S. either contracts it abroad or from someone who got it abroad. In the past few years, American tourists have become more likely to encounter measles because of massive outbreaks in other countries, experts say.

The World Health Organization reported that measles cases worldwide increased 300% in the first three months of 2019 compared with the previous year. In countries such as the Philippines, Ukraine and India, tens of thousands of people come down with measles each year, according to the agency.

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The problem is compounded when unvaccinated American travelers bring measles back to communities with low vaccination rates, where the disease can rapidly spread, experts say.

The nations biggest outbreak this year began when travelers to Israel contracted measles, which then gained a foothold in an unvaccinated segment of New Yorks ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

This is a worldwide problem, this isnt just a U.S. problem, said California state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), a pediatrician who advocates for stricter vaccination laws . It also shows that we are constantly being bombarded by these diseases  theyre looking for a crack, or a way to get in.

Hundreds still quarantined

L.A. County officials declared a measles outbreak last week, which led to more than 1,000 people being told to stay home because they may have been exposed to the virus.

As of Monday afternoon, 27 UCLA students and 221 Cal State L.A. students and staff remained under quarantine due to the outbreak, according to university officials. If they dont have measles symptoms, the UCLA students will be released Tuesday and the Cal State L.A. students Thursday, county officials say.

RELATED: Anxious to slow measles spread, California officials turn to quarantines 

The problems began when an L.A. County resident visited Vietnam earlier this year and contracted measles, said L.A. County health officer Dr. Muntu Davis. That person then spread measles to three other people in L.A. County.

A fifth case of measles popped up in L.A. County after a resident took a trip to Thailand, he said.

Theres a high number of cases in many other countries and people are traveling more, Davis said in a call with reporters. We expect that we may see more cases of measles inside Los Angeles County.

Of the five people sick with measles in L.A. County, one is a Cal State L.A. student and one is a UCLA student, but Davis would not specify further for privacy reasons.

Officials advised that anyone leaving the country has the two recommended doses of the measles vaccine, which are together estimated to be 97% effective. None of the five people had both doses, they said.

If youre traveling internationally, your risk is much, much higher right now, said L.A. County acute communicable disease control director Dr. Sharon Balter.

In California, 14 of 38 people with measles this year became sick while visiting other countries, including India, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Ukraine, according to state health officials. Four of those people infected 22 other people in the state, most of whom werent vaccinated, they said.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world, so just one case can lead to hundreds more, experts say. The lower the vaccination rates in the neighborhood where measles appears, the more people who will end up catching it, said Dr. Mark Roberts, chair of health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

What matters is not the case that starts it, what matters is how many people that one case infects, Roberts said.

L.A. County officials said that one measles case could spread to 600 people within a few weeks if steps were not taken to quarantine people who were exposed and may develop measles. As of Monday, officials had not reported that any quarantined people had shown measles symptoms.

California tends to have higher-than-average vaccination rates, which may have spared the state from the big outbreaks elsewhere in the country. California has one of the strictest vaccination laws in the country, passed in the wake of a measles outbreak at Disneyland in 2014.

We do see things popping up, said Pan, who authored the vaccine law. So far, it seems like none of these individual instances have really taken hold in a way where they have blossomed into an outbreak of 50 or 100 people.

Links to Philippines

Californias biggest outbreak is in Butte County, about 90 miles north of Sacramento. That cluster, which now includes 16 people, began when a man visited the Philippines, according to state health officials. (The Disneyland outbreak from 2014 is also thought to be linked to the Philippines.)

The Philippines is in the midst of a massive measles outbreak, fueled by fears of the side effects of vaccines, according to the World Health Organization. For the first time, the agency in 2019 named vaccine hesitancy one of the worlds greatest health threats.

In the first three months of this year, 355 people died of measles in the Philippines and another 25,000 were diagnosed with the illness, according to the agency.

By contrast, in the U.S.  a country three times bigger than the Philippines  no one has died of measles this year and 704 people have been diagnosed with the illness so far.

Still, its imperative that as many people as possible in the United States become vaccinated to protect those who cannot be immunized or for whom immunization does not work, said Johns Hopkins infectious disease professor Clare Rock.

Not long ago, the nations vaccination rates were high enough that measles could not spread here at all, she said. But now clusters of unvaccinated people can allow the disease to take hold, she said.

It seems like now were in a situation where we dont have the same levels of vaccination that weve had in the past, and that means a lot of our population is vulnerable, she said.

soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com

Twitter: @skarlamangla
It started in early March when the FBI detected disturbing online postings from a Reseda man. He would eventually vow revenge for the New Zealand mosque attack.

It ended last Friday, when Mark Steven Domingo, 26, an Army veteran, was arrested and later charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

Here is a timeline of the dramatic investigation, based on court records filed Monday by federal prosecutors.

FBI detects online hateful writings

 Federal authorities started the investigation after seeing his extremist comments online. He began posting comments March 3.

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Prosecutors said Domingo sought retribution for the attacks on New Zealand mosques and said he was willing to become a martyr.

There must be retribution, he said in an online post, according to the federal criminal complaint. He also allegedly expressed allegiance to Islamic State.

America needs another vegas event [to] give them a taste of the terror they gladly spread all over the world, Domingo allegedly wrote in reference to the massacre at the Route 91 Harvest festival in October 2017.

Informant makes contact

 The FBI then had an informant make contact with him of March 16.

The idea was to draw him out and get more information about his plot and whether he had collaborators.

Officials did not identify the source. But documents show the informant has worked for the FBI before and has earned more than $304,000 since 2013.

Santa Monica Pier, which the suspect considered targeting. (Los Angeles Times)

A fateful drive

 During a drive on March 18, Domingo pointed out possible targets, including police cars, churches and a National Guard Armory to the person he believed to be his co-conspirator, FBI Special Agent Tasha Coolidge wrote in court papers.

The veteran said he didnt plan on getting away: Martyrdom, bro.

Domingo talked about using guns to conduct an attack, but the confidential informant suggested he knew someone who could make improvised explosive devices. That is even better, Domingo said, according to court records.

In a subsequent meeting, Domingo used the Arabic word for nonbelievers and said they were to blame for starting it, but I am gonna finish it.

Murder me. Kill me. Ill die Shadid, he declared, according to the affidavit. The Arabic word means strong or powerful, and brave.

Court records went on to detail an April 3 meeting, in which Domingo proposed killing police officers and military service personnel in Los Angeles. He said he wanted a large-scale attack, something like an IED here, on the freeway.

Make em bleed, like in Ramadi, he said, referencing the bloody battleground city in the Iraq war. Domingo said the attack would be revenge for our brothers in Christchurch and our sisters who were slaughtered, the documents read.

Long Beach, another alleged target of the suspect. (Los Angeles Times)

Threats escalate

 On April 19, the Army veterans talk escalated, and he arrived at a meeting wearing camouflage pants and holding a backpack with an AK-47-style rifle, according to the affidavit. He said he was prepared to commit jihad.

After talk about a drive-by shooting using the assault rifle, officials said he ended up planning to target rallies in Long Beach and Huntington Beach. Worried those events might be canceled, he also considered blowing up the Santa Monica Pier as it would be crowded, documents show.

When the informant told Domingo the Long Beach rally would happen, he proceeded with a plan to plant IEDs there, according to the affidavit. At that point, an undercover investigator joined the supposed plot as a bomb-maker.

Bombs delivered

 On Friday, the informant and undercover investigator gave Domingo what he thought were active bombs, and they drove to Bluff Park to scope out the location for the attack. Domingo said if he survived the bombing, he also planned to attack the Port of Long Beach to disrupt the U.S. economy, records show.

Friday night, after the trio left the park and Domingo carried the IEDs to his car, FBI agents arrested him.

Domingo was set to appear in federal court Monday.
As word spread that Ruben Rueda  the longtime bartender of Hollywoods legendary Musso & Frank Grill  had died, it seemed that everyone in Los Angeles had a memory to share, or wished they did. The outpouring on social media was instantaneous.

He was a legend.

He was and will always be a gift.

One of the greats in the history of Hollywood bars.

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Rueda died of natural causes Friday, 52 years after first applying for a job at the 100-year-old Hollywood eatery. He was 67.

The longtime bartender was a bridge from old Hollywood to today, often regaling patrons with stories of yesteryear while mixing a perfect cocktail.

Best martini.

Best martinis in Hollywood.

Best martinis on the planet.

A native of Durango, Mexico, Rueda moved to Los Angeles in 1965 as a teenager. Two years later, he walked into Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard and got his first job as a server assistant before making his way to bartender.

I started as a busboy, Rueda told The Times in 2010. I did that for about a year. Then one of the guys got sick and I became a bartender. They call me the traffic light because I changed from a green jacket to a red jacket. The deep-red jacket with a black shawl collar and matching tie was the uniform look that Rueda donned behind the bar.

For more than half a century, Rueda crossed paths with Los Angeles icons like Charles Bukowski, whom hed often drive home when Bukowski was drunk, and Steve McQueen. He made martinis for Orson Welles and served a potent pecan punch to Bing Crosby. Keith Richards once gifted him a Gibson electric guitar, and Gore Vidal was hoisted from his wheelchair to a barstool for one last drink from Rueda before his death in 2012.

A 2009 photo shows Ruben Rueda at the bar. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Mostly, I like to talk to people, and I make people happy, Rueda said in a 2015 interview with Vice about his role in Hollywoods bar scene. I dont work at Musso & Frank because I want to work in a bar. I work here because I like these people  because I know these people.

Mark Echeverria, one of the restaurants owners, said Rueda has helped define Musso & Frank.

Ruben always knew just what a customer needed, whether it was an ear to bend or a joke to lighten the mood, Echeverria said. He brought professionalism and kindness to his work every day, and his loss will deeply affect many guests and colleagues who long counted him as a friend. Our family has run Mussos for four generations, and to us, Ruben was, without question, a member of our family.

When asked in a 2017 interview with LAist how long Rueda would stay on as bartender, his answer was simple.

I will stay as long as people will have me.

Like many who crossed his path at the bar, Ruedas impact is cemented in L.A. history.

He is survived by his wife, Maria Olga Rueda; his son, Leonard, who followed in Ruedas footsteps and works at Musso & Frank as a server and bookkeeper; his daughter, Cynthia; and two grandchildren. Plans are underway for a memorial service.

colleen.shalby@latimes.com

@cshalby
Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams said Tuesday she will not run for a U.S. Senate seat in 2020, dimming her partys hopes of a Senate majority and renewing speculation about her political future after last years unsuccessful run for governor catapulted her to national acclaim.

Abrams, 45, came within 60,000 votes of being the first black woman elected governor in U.S. history. She told the Associated Press she hasnt ruled out a presidential bid, though shes in no rush to join a Democratic field that already includes 20 candidates.

Im going to continue to watch how the national conversation around the presidency unfolds, Abrams said in an interview after she told Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, her chief Senate advocate, of her plans. Im not taking myself out of that conversation, but Im not ready to make a determination, and I dont think one is necessary at this moment.

Abrams said she was deeply gratified to Schumer for recruiting her to run for the Senate and giving her ample time to make a decision. A Senate seat, she said, is an extraordinarily persuasive idea and a critical role but not the role that I want to play.

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For now, Abrams said her emphasis remains on two advocacy groups  one focused on voting rights, the other on educating residents ahead of the 2020 census  that she helped launch after her November loss to Republican Brian Kemp. She also will consider a rematch against Kemp in 2022, and some of her confidants say that office still rests at the center of her near-term ambitions.

Abrams met Schumer on Monday in Washington, ending months of eager courting by the hard-charging New Yorker and leaving him to plot another uphill path to reversing Republicans 53-47 Senate advantage.

He was extraordinarily gracious, Abrams said.

Georgia is among a handful of states with Senate races where Democrats need an upset to have hopes of a new majority. Schumer has been open in his belief that Abrams would have the best shot to defeat Republican Sen. David Perdue, who in his first term has become one of President Trumps most loyal Capitol Hill allies.

Schumer also is looking to Montana and Texas for unlikely but possible victories. But as with Abrams, he has not yet landed headliner candidates. Democrats in Washington want Gov. Steve Bullock to take on Republican Sen. Steve Daines, but Bullock, the only Democratic governor to twice win a state Trump won, is eyeing a presidential run instead.

In Texas, former Rep. Beto ORourke is running for president instead of reprising his 2018 Senate bid that fell short against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Texas Democrats could turn to Rep. Joaquin Castro as their best shot to unseat Sen. John Cornyn. Castros brother, Julian, is running for president.
British forensics experts helping to tackle the Cyprus serial killer case visited a toxic lake Tuesday where a suitcase was found with a decomposed body inside as criticism mounted of how Cypriot police initially handled the disappearances of several victims.

The Cypriot police chief and leading investigators briefed the experts from Scotland Yard on the investigation into the killings of seven foreign women and girls, police spokesman Andreas Angelides said.

The toxic lake is where the suspect  a 35-year-old Cyprus army captain  told investigators he dumped three of his victims after putting them inside suitcases.

The body of an adult woman inside a suitcase weighed down by a cement block was retrieved Sunday from the lake. But authorities have had difficulty locating the other two suitcases, despite using a robotic camera, because of very poor visibility in the lake that is part of a disused copper pyrite mine.

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Angelides said investigators have several options on how to proceed with the search if the current camera method doesnt produce results on the eastern Mediterranean island.

A high-tech sonar device will be employed in the coming days to provide detailed images of what lies at the bottom of the lake. It will also be used at another reservoir where the suspect told investigators he dumped a childs body, the daughter of one of his victims.

He said evidence investigators have gathered so far does not indicate that the suspect is linked to any more than the seven people hes already confessed to killing.

But Angelides deflected criticism that police botched the initial missing persons reports, saying that an internal investigation is underway. Some of the woman had been missing for years.

From the moment that the investigation began, I believe that no other questions should be answered, he told reporters.

Only one victim has been positively identified  38 year-old Mary Rose Tiburcio from the Philippines. The suspect says that he dumped Tiburcios 6-year-old daughter Sierra in the reservoir.

Investigators said the other victims include two Filipino women, a Romanian woman and her 8-year-old daughter and a woman believed to be from Nepal.

Philippine diplomats met with the Cypriot ministers of foreign affairs and justice as well as with top police brass to inquire about the investigation.

The Romanian woman and her daughter  who Cypriot media identified as Livia Florentina Bunea, 36, and Elena Natalia Bunea, 8  have been missing since September 2016.

State TV journalist Gogo Alexandrinou said during the disappearance of Bunea and her daughter, police told her they had reason to believe the two had gone to the breakaway Turkish Cypriot side of the ethnically split country. She said they did not elaborate on that evidence.

Police Supporters Association chief Neophytos Papamiltiadous told state TV on Tuesday that although he thought law enforcement authorities were doing an excellent job now, anecdotal evidence suggests the officers who first handled the missing persons reports didnt do their jobs properly. He also said it would have been better if the committee probing police actions on this case had been appointed from outside the police force.

Several political parties have asked for both the justice minister and the police chief to step down.

___

Hadjicostis reported from Nicosia, Cyprus.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Algerian ex-Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia went before a prosecutor Tuesday as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation that has targeted figures in the entourage of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, forced to resign after two decades in office.

Ouyahia was questioned on counts of dilapidation of public funds and granting illegal benefits. However, he left hours later, a disappointment for demonstrators outside the courthouse who chased his car as it sped away.

Some protesters held up yogurt jars in a mocking reference to a remark by Ouyahia who once said that not everyone needs to eat yogurt, the TSA Algerie online news site reported.

The current finance minister and former Bank of Algeria Governor Mohamed Loukal was questioned on the same counts Monday.

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The two were among a raft of personalities on the radar of judicial officials vigorously moving ahead with probes of alleged corruption under Bouteflika. Protesters demonstrate nationwide each Friday to denounce corruption and force all linked to the Bouteflika era to leave office.

Army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah pressed prosecutors to step up their corruption campaign in one of several speeches he has made in response to Algerias crisis triggered by Bouteflikas now-thwarted bid to seek a fifth mandate.

Gaid Salah, backing protesters, pressed Bouteflika to step down.

In a new speech Tuesday, the army chief insisted on the need for presidential elections and as quickly as possible. Protesters and political parties who mostly want a provisional body while the future is worked out have opposed that option.

The transitional president who talk office after Bouteflika stepped down April 2 has set an election date of July 4, in keeping with the constitution. Protesters want the stand-in president, Abdelkader Bensalah, to step down along with other key officials close to Bouteflika.

For Gaid Salah, the constitutional path cannot be avoided whatever the conditions and circumstances.

A quickly elected president will allow Algeria to put its house in order and face down threats triggered by a constitutional void that could lead the country in a spiral of anarchy and destabilization, he said.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.  The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will host its fifth annual Kentucky Derby party fundraiser from 3:30-7 p.m. on Saturday, May 4.

The event will include samplings from a variety of breweries, distilleries and wineries, as well as signature Kentucky-inspired dishes from local restaurants. All proceeds will support the museums educational mission and allow for exhibits and programming year-round.

Guests may enjoy live music by Rich Ortiz in the Hall of Fame the East End Boys in the Sculpture Gallery, a Kentucky Derby-inspired 50/50 and giveaways, prior to a live showing of the Kentucky Derby in the Hall of Fame.

Guests are encouraged to dress to impress, as an award for the most fashionable Derby attire will be presented by Natalie Sillery of Saratoga Trunk. Other highlights include a silent auction for numerous items and a live auction featuring an ownership share in a West Point Thoroughbreds racehorse, donated by West Point Thoroughbreds.

Representatives from NYRA Bets will be on hand to give guests an opportunity to bet on the Kentucky Derby and other races via smart phones and tablets.

For tickets go to: https://thederbyparty2019.eventbrite.com or call (518) 584-0400, ext. 109.
Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by trained professionals in children as young as 14 months are remarkably stable, suggesting that accurate screening and earlier treatment is feasible, report scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine in a study publishing online April 29, 2019 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Growing evidence suggests ASD has its origins in prenatal life -- most likely during the first or second trimester of pregnancy -- and children begin to display symptoms of the condition by their first birthdays, such as failing to respond to their names or positively interact with others.

Early diagnosis of ASD means earlier intervention and improved therapeutic benefit. "The sooner you can address issues of ASD, the better the outcome for the child," said the study's first author, Karen Pierce, PhD, professor of neurosciences and co-director of the UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence. She led the study with senior author Eric Courchesne, PhD, also a professor of neurosciences.

Multiple studies, including research conducted by Pierce, have found that simple parent checklists performed at the child's first birthday can identify symptoms of ASD. And yet the mean age of ASD diagnoses in the United States, write the researchers, is "often years later, generally between ages three and four."

Pierce said the lag between the first signs of ASD and diagnosis represents a missed opportunity, particularly given the accelerated pace of brain development in the first years of life.

"Synaptic density or connections between neurons in the prefrontal and temporal cortex, brain regions centrally involved in higher order social behavior, doubles between birth and one to two years in age," said Pierce. "It's conceivable that outcomes for children with autism could be improved if treatment occurred during this period of rapid brain growth, rather than after, which is more commonly the case."

To conduct their study, Pierce and colleagues assessed 1,269 toddlers from the general population (441 ASD, 828 non-ASD) who received their first diagnostic evaluation between 12 and 36 months and at least one subsequent evaluation, all by licensed psychologists. Diagnoses ranged from ASD and features of ASD to language and developmental delay or other developmental issues.

The overall diagnostic stability for ASD was 0.84, higher than for any other diagnostic group. Only 2 percent of toddlers initially considered to have ASD transitioned to later diagnoses of typical development. Within the group diagnosed with ASD, the most common transition was from ASD to ASD features at 9 percent.

Diagnostic stability of ASD was weakest at 12 to 13 months, just 0.50, but increased to 0.79 by 14 months and 0.83 by 16 months. Twenty-four percent of toddlers were not designated as ASD at their first evaluations, but later identified. The most common transition in this group was an initial designation of developmental delay (25 percent) or language delay (16 percent), transitioning to later-onset ASD.

"Our findings suggest that an ASD diagnosis becomes stable starting at 14 months, and overall is more stable than other diagnoses, such as language or developmental delay," said Pierce.

"Once a toddler is identified as ASD, there is an extremely low chance that he or she will test within typical levels at age three or four, so it's imperative that we use every effective tool as early as we can to begin treating diagnosed children to the benefit of them and their families over the long-term."

Co-authors of this study also include: Vahid Gazestani, Elizabeth Bacon, Cynthia Carter Barnes, Debra Cha, Srinivasa Nalabolu, Linda Lopez, Adrienne Moore, Sunny Pence-Stophaeros, all at UC San Diego.
Five years after it was created to serve children and adolescents in Quebec, the TRICEPS team at CHU Sainte-Justice has demonstrated the feasibility of setting up a research program in pediatric oncology precision medicine, as described in a recent article published in the JAMA Network Open journal.

On average, 300 children and adolescents die of cancer each year in Canada, a number that is all the more shocking when seen in terms of 15,000 years of life lost annually. Even though advances in modern medicine have made it possible to radically reduce the mortality rate of the various pediatric cancers, progress has stagnated over the past 20 years; some 20% of childhood and adolescent cancers defy existing treatments and prove fatal. In fact, cancer remains the leading disease-related cause of death in children.

The challenge taken up by TRICEPS

In 2014, CHU Sainte-Justine launched the TRICEPS project to combat these refractory cancers. The project identifies therapeutic alternatives for children and adolescents for whom standard treatment does not work (refractory cancer) or who suffer a relapse. Following an evaluation of its feasibility, the TRICEPS project, in collaboration with other pediatric oncology centres in Quebec, has been opened up to all these children and adolescents in Quebec. One of the keys to this precision medicine program is to bring together teams and leading experts from these institutions who are known for their excellence in pediatric care, to intervene very quickly with these children whose days are often numbered.

"The importance of genomic profiling in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric cancers is reflected in the World Health Organization's recent decision to classify these tumours by the genetic alterations within them, rather than by broad tumour type," says Daniel Sinnett, Scientific Director of the TRICEPS Program, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Universite de Montreal and holder of the Francois-Karl Viau Research Chair in Pediatric Oncogenomics at CHU Sainte-Justine.

He adds: "Targeted therapies are likely to be more effective when combined with specific abnormalities in tumour cells. Our results show that precision medicine for pediatric tumours can now be a reality."

To date, 84 patients have been enrolled in the study, including patients with hematological, solid and brain tumours. In 87% of patients, the study identified genomic anomalies that allowed for better patient management, either through better follow-up of residual disease, reclassification of the disease, or through the application of targeted therapy or to guide treatment and identify options for future personalized targeted therapy. These therapeutic alternatives are referred to as "personalized" because the proposed actions will be different for each patient, since the alterations may be different from one cancer to another and from one person to another for the same type of cancer. The discoveries can lead to a so-called "targeted" therapy because it specifically seeks to block (or bypass) the action of genes that cause cancer progression.

Toward the future

These encouraging results are motivating the TRICEPS team, whose greatest ambition is to see this treatment option offered to all young patients whose cancer is resistant to treatment and even more broadly to all young patients who have been diagnosed. It will then be possible to foresee a better future for children and adolescents with cancer that is difficult to treat.
Over 11 field seasons, between 1999 and 2010, ornithologist Cagan Sekercioglu trekked through the forests and coffee fields of Costa Rica to study how tropical birds were faring in a changing agricultural landscape. Through painstaking banding of individual birds, Sekercioglu asked whether the expansion of coffee plantations is reducing tropical bird biodiversity.

The answer, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is no. And yes. Sun coffee plantations are able to host a surprising number of bird species, even more if the plantation has some tree cover. But the plantations are not enough to maintain bird biodiversity.

"It's two sides of a coin," Sekercioglu says. "These tropical agricultural habitats that are mostly deforested still maintain large numbers of tropical species. Even small patches of trees can make a difference and help some species. But the flip side of the coin is, in the long term, most of these species are still declining."

The only way

The seeds of this project were planted in 1996 when Sekercioglu, then an undergraduate at Harvard University, was studying the effects of logging on tropical bird communities in Uganda. "I wanted to continue that research in grad school," he says, "but I wanted something long term. Not just a quick snapshot, but a multiyear study where I could look at long-term population change."

Such long-term studies are rare, partially because of the research timeline of a typical graduate student. Doctoral students in biology may be able to collect four years of data before compiling their research into a dissertation to complete their degree. But Sekercioglu wanted more than four years. To get the long-term trends he wanted, he needed at least six years. Ten would be even better.

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With the blessing of his doctoral advisory committee at Stanford University, Sekercioglu set out for Costa Rica in 1999 for the first of 11 field seasons. Between 1999 and 2010, he and his team set up stations in both protected forests and in coffee plantations where he and colleagues would extend nearly invisible nets. The "mist nets" allowed the researchers to temporarily capture birds and affix an ankle band, or check for an existing band, before releasing the bird. Banding allows each bird to be individually identifiable -- an essential element of fine-grained population surveys. "These are small, often secretive songbirds we're talking about," Sekercioglu says. "You need the bird banding. It's labor intensive, but there's really no substitute."

After earning his doctorate in 2003, Sekercioglu remained at Stanford, first as a postdoctoral scholar and then as a senior research scientist, to keep the Costa Rica project going. Over the years, with the support of his co-authors Gretchen Daily, Paul Ehrlich, Chase Mendenhall and Federico Oviedo-Brenes, he and his colleagues mist netted 57,307 birds from 265 species in 19 different study sites -- all by hand. In 2009, after securing a position at the University of Utah, he wrapped up his field work in Costa Rica before moving to his current lab in Salt Lake City in 2010.

Diversity can be deceiving

In Sekercioglu's new paper, he and his co-authors present their results. First, some definitions of the land types in the study:

Coffee plantations with less than 10% tree cover are referred to as "open coffee."

Coffee plantations with 10% to 20% tree cover are called "shaded coffee" in the study. Sekercioglu points out that shaded coffee is not the same as certified shade coffee, which grows under a canopy of native primary forest trees.

The other sites are collectively referred to as "forest" sites, though this encompasses fragmentary forests, narrow corridors of forest that run along rivers and protected forest land. The two protected areas are of vastly different sizes: The Las Cruces Forest Reserve has an area of 250 hectares -- about one square mile. That's smaller than the University of Utah campus. La Amistad International Park, on the other hand, has an area of 400,000 hectares -- around 1,500 square miles, which is a little smaller than Rhode Island. That size difference is important.

The results of the study are a mix of bad news and good news. Let's start with some bad news.

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Over the study period, 61% more bird populations declined as remained stable or grew, and this trend held in all study sites except those in the large La Amistad International Park. "If you really want to conserve the native tropical forest bird community," Sekercioglu says, "there's really no replacement for big forest reserves like La Amistad. You really need at least 1,000 hectares (3.86 square miles) native primary forest. So, there's no replacement for that."

Now some good news. Coffee plantations host nearly as many bird species as forests, with 230 species recorded in forest sites and 185 recorded in coffee sites.

But just looking at the number of species can hide some bad news -- species richness isn't always descriptive of how diverse an ecosystem really is, or a habitat's value for conservation. "These plantations get spillover species from the nearby intact rainforest," Sekercioglu says. "That adds to the richness." Other species present in the coffee plantations include those that prefer open habitat as well as those who can inhabit a variety of habitats. "Their populations are not declining," he adds. "In fact, many have globally increasing populations. But a lot of the species missing from these coffee plantations are the most sensitive specialist species. Any study of the conservation value of a habitat has to look at the details of the community composition and not just the sheer number of species detected."

The coffee plantations redeem themselves, somewhat, with a little bit of good news to end on. The researchers found that shaded plantations (again, not shade coffee, just shaded -- to be clear) with an average of about 13% tree cover hosted double the number of forest specialist birds and half the number of open-habitat birds compared with plantations with only an average of 7% tree cover. In other words, a small increase in tree cover results in a significant increase in bird habitat.

Are shaded coffee plantations an answer to the threat of deforestation? "No" Sekercioglu says. "In the long term, by themselves, they are not enough to preserve tropical biodiversity. We need a combination of agricultural areas with as much tree cover as possible and extensive primary forest reserves."

Painting a long-term picture

Despite the labor-intensive nature of a bird banding study and the relative rarity of such a long-term project, an undertaking like this is necessary to get a more accurate picture of bird population compositions and trends. "These days it would be very hard to do a study like this," Sekercioglu says. A "snapshot study" might have concluded, for example, that the number of bird species in the Las Cruces Forest Reserve indicated a healthy forest, when in fact Sekercioglu's study found more than three-fifths of the bird species in decline.

"Short-term studies that focus just on species richness are likely to provide a rosier picture of the community health and the conservation status of these species than the reality," he says.

Sekercioglu's co-authors were Chase D. Mendenhall of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Federico Oviedo-Brenes of the Organization for Tropical Studies, Joshua J. Horns of the University of Utah and Paul R. Ehrlich and Gretchen C. Daily of Stanford University.

The study was supported by grants from the Moore Family Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Winslow Foundation.

Shade coffee

Sekercioglu says that certified shade-grown coffee plantations are the best for bird biodiversity and species health. He can say that with authority -- he's traveled to the Kaffa province in Ethiopia from which coffee got its name, where he discovered the world's bird friendliest coffee. There, where indigenous coffee plants grow beneath canopies of native trees, Sekercioglu and his team recorded all the same species in traditional shade coffee plantations that they had also mist netted in large forest reserves. Shade-grown coffee plantations produce smaller yields than sun coffee plantations, but shade-grown coffee farms are the "gold standard" for friendliness to birds. Several programs exist for certifying shade-grown coffee, with the Bird-Friendly Coffee certification from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center maintaining the highest standards.
An international research team led by invasion ecologist Bethany Bradley at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has conducted the first global meta-analysis of the characteristics and size of invasive alien species' impacts on native species as invaders become more abundant.

For example, as alien garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) invades forest understory in New England, the number of native sugar maple seedlings declines, and invasive purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in New England wetlands is linked to a decline in the abundance of native red-winged blackbirds and song sparrows, Bradley says. Elsewhere, predatory invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) introduced in Caribbean waters leads to a rapid decline in the abundance of native coral reef fish, and invading Burmese python (Python bivittatus) in the Everglades has caused dramatic losses of natives such as opossum, fox and bobcats.

Bradley says, "What surprised me most was the magnitude of some of these effects. Invasive animal pests, like Emerald Ash Borer or lionfish, cause nearly a 50 percent decline in native populations. That's the average case -- on average, invasive pests will cut the populations of native species in half if we don't prevent or control those invasions."

The associate professor of environmental conservation adds, "Our principal finding is that if the invasive species is at a higher trophic level, that is, they are likely eating the native species, then just a few invasive individuals can cause a sharp decline in native populations. Once those invaders reach higher abundance, the damage has long ago been done. This has big implications for management," she says. "Early detection becomes critical."

They report that impacts depend strongly on the invasives' position in the food chain, known as trophic level. Invasive species at higher trophic levels have a strongly non-linear effect on native species with the greatest impacts occurring early in the invasion, while invasive species at the same trophic level have a negative, linear effect on native species.

Reporting in "Latest Articles" in the current online issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Bradley and colleagues analyzed findings from 1,258 case studies from 201 research papers. One goal was to understand generally how impacts accumulate during an invasion in order to support evidence-based management, Bradley says.

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"We know that invasive species have negative impacts, but past meta-analyses have only looked at studies where invaders were absent vs. present," Bradley says. Without information on the slope and magnitude of the impacts, she adds, "we don't know the slope of the relationship, whether it's linear or non-linear, or if there's a sharp decline of native species early or late in the infestation. These are the questions we looked at."

For native species faced with an invader at the same trophic level, where the two are likely competing for resources, Bradley says, "We see a strong negative linear response," but no sharp initial decline. She adds, "As you increase invasive species' abundance, the native species decline in abundance and in community diversity. The management implications are that if you control the invasion at any point, it's a win for ecosystems."

In the situation where an invader enters at a lower trophic level than the native species, results were unclear, Bradley says. "It could be creating new resources or it could compete against resources that the natives need. It's not clear whether the effects will be positive or negative, unless you're talking about terrestrial plants. Invasive plants are likely to have negative effects on native insects."

Based on these and their additional assessment of impacts across different habitats -- marine, freshwater or terrestrial -- and for invasive animals vs. invasive plants, the authors found that "increasing the abundance of invasive alien species has pronounced negative impacts on native species populations and communities."

Further, the fact that rapid declines in native species' populations can occur at initial stages of the invasion process, they say, "highlights the increasing need for early detection and rapid response (EDRR) to new invasive alien species," especially for animal pests. They point out that EDRR is cost-effective and "the only point at which eradication is feasible."

"Avoiding the ecological impacts of invasive species will require a much stronger commitment to proactive policies designed to prevent novel introductions as well as increased management targeting the early stages of invasion."

Bradley points out that adopting EDRR requires that natural resource managers spend more time monitoring for new invasive species. But, "our manager colleagues are telling us that they are only able to spend about 10% of their time monitoring for new species because they don't have enough resources to monitor and still manage existing invasions," Bradley says. "That's simply not enough."

She adds, "Now that we know that impact and abundance are so closely related, we can use abundance as a proxy for impact. If I observe a large infestation of an invasive species, I can make a pretty good guess as to the magnitude of the ecological impact on native species."

For this work, which was initiated at a working group supported by the Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation, Bradley and UMass Amherst colleagues collaborated with others at the University of New Hampshire; the universities of California, Riverside and Irvine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, the universities of Liverpool and Exeter, U.K., France's Universite de Picardie Jules Verne and Spain's Estacion Biologica de Donana.
EUROPE

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council will hold its biannual debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The High Representative for BiH, Valentin Inzko, will brief, presenting the latest report of the Office of the High Representative (OHR).

Key Recent Developments

More than six months after general elections in October 2018, BiH still has not formed a government. Nor have governments been formed in the Federation of BiH (FBiH)the predominantly Bosniak and Croat regional entityand in seven of the Federations ten cantons. The deadlock reflects continued divisions and tensions among Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs.

On 18 December 2018, the Central Election Commission issued amendments to fix the electoral law related to the indirect election of delegates to the Federations House of Peoples. The commissions decision came after the parliament had failed to adopt the necessary legal changes following the Constitutional Courts ruling in December 2016 that the electoral law was unconstitutional. Not replacing the unconstitutional provisions could, among other consequences, prevent the formation of a federation government. The main Bosniak party, the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), challenged the decision before the Constitutional Court, which however declined to rule on the case, saying that the decision was an action of the electoral commission and not a law.

On 23 January, the SDA said it would challenge in the Constitutional Court the name of the predominantly Serb entity, Republika Srpska (RS), which it claims is discriminatory against non-Serbs. The High Representative criticised the move as irresponsible and counterproductive.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, the Republika Srpska leader for the past 8 years, was elected to BiHs tripartite presidency in the elections. He has continued the divisive rhetoric regularly documented by the High Representative in his six-month reports. On 12 April, Dodik claimed that the massacre at Srebrenica in July 1995 was a fabricated myth. The mass murder, in which over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces, has been deemed an act of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice. In a newspaper interview published on 14 April, Dodik said that the RS is already separated, but it has not been announced yet, while predicting the unification of all Serb territoriesa further example of public comments that the High Representative has described as challenging BiHs sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On 18 April, the RS parliament approved amendments to the law on public security to establish an 1,100-person reserve police force. RS authorities have said that the establishment of a police reserve is to protect against security threats such as Islamist extremists and migrants passing through BiH. Critics consider that the reserve force could potentially be used in case the RS secedes. The SDA warned prior to the vote that the FBiH would form its own reserve units, should the RS authorities proceed with the proposal. Other amendments to the law that would impose fines or jail time for recording or taking photos of police have raised concerns from human rights groups and journalists that they will be used to curb press freedoms.

In other developments, NATO ministers agreed on 5 December to start implementing BiHs long-stalled Membership Action Plan, a key step for BiHs accession to NATO. BiH has not accepted the offer, as Bosnian Serb leaders oppose NATO membership.

On 20 March, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals increased the sentence of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb president of the RS during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, from 40 years to life in prison. Both the defence and the prosecutor had appealed the result of his 2016 trial at the ICTY, in which he was convicted on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. In its decision, the court found that the 40-year sentence had not been commensurate with the gravity of the crimes for which he had been convicted. (The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals was established by the Security Council to take over the functions of the tribunals on Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia).

Key Issues and Options

Ethnic divisions among Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs continue to create political gridlock and a dysfunctional state, hampering socio-economic reformsincluding BiHs EU integrationand fostering disregard of judicial decisions. Linked to this is the stalled progress on fulfilling the criteria and objectives for closing OHR. Regarding BiHs failure to form a government, the main cause of disagreement reportedly remains whether the countrys NATO Membership Action Plan should be activated. A further issue, flagged by the High Representative last year, is pressure on BiH from migrants increasingly seeking to pass through the country.

Besides the debate, the Council could consider holding consultations to explore ways that the High Representative and the Council may work towards breaking the cycle of gridlock and reducing tensions in BiH.

Council Dynamics

Members regularly express frustration over the countrys political gridlock. Most raise concerns about the rhetoric and political initiatives of the RS authorities, which they view as challenging BiHs territorial integrity and the General Framework Agreement for Peace. Russia supports the positions of the RS, which it argues is unfairly blamed for BiHs problems, maintaining that political dysfunction and provocations in the FBiH are overlooked. Russia has been publicly critical of the High Representative, claiming that his reporting is not objective and that he should focus more on encouraging intra-Bosnian dialogue and trust. Divisions between the US and European Council members with Russia related to BiHs Euro-Atlantic integration, particularly in NATO, have also been a factor in Council dynamics in the past five years.

The BiH Coordination and Drafting Group prepares the first draft of Council products on BiH. For 2019, it comprises Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, the UK and the US.

UN DOCUMENTS ON BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
AFRICA

Burundi

Expected Council Action

In May, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy, Michel Kafando, is scheduled to brief the Council on the situation in Burundi in accordance with resolution 2303 of 29 July 2016, which requested the Secretary-General to report to the Council on Burundi every three months. Ambassador Jurg Lauber (Switzerland), the chair of the Burundi configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, may also brief.

Key Recent Developments

The security and political situation in Burundiwhich deteriorated sharply after April 2015 when Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would run for a controversial third term later that yearremains unsettled. While the Burundian government maintains that the security situation is good throughout the country, serious human rights abuses continue to be committed daily with impunity, mainly by the government and the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of Nkurunzizas party.

Arbitrary killing, enforced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detentions continue as the overall level of oppression and state control over Burundian society persists. Furthermore, these actions are taking place in an environment where freedom of expression, association and assembly are supressed.

On 29 March, Burundis National Council of Communication (CNC) announced the withdrawal of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)s operating licence for producing a slanderous, deceitful and scathing documentary and the continued suspension of the Voice of America until further notice for employing a Burundian journalist accused of involvement in the failed coup detat of 13 May 2015.

According to the UNHCR, there were 352,000 refugees in neighbouring countries as at 31 March. At the same time, a total of 61,685 refugees voluntarily returned to Burundi in 2017 and 2018. There were also 130,562 internally displaced people as at 28 February.

The latest Secretary-Generals report on the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region said that strained relations between Burundi and the East African Community (EAC) persisted and have also affected the inter-Burundian dialogue. The dialogue has yet to produce much progress, and its continuation is unclear after the submission of its final report by facilitator Benjamin Mkapa at the end of 2018, with a recommended roadmap for credible elections in 2020, including dialogue with the exiled opposition. On 1 February, at the EAC heads of state summit, Rwanda took over the leadership of the EAC from Uganda and decided to postpone deliberations on the situation in Burundi.

Kafando last briefed the Council on 19 February. He said that the inter-Burundian dialogue remains the only viable option for resolving the political crisis and the holding of peaceful elections in 2020, in the spirit of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreements. He urged the government to be more inclusive, particularly in the context of preparations for the elections. Lauber also briefed, urging all stakeholders to create an enabling environment for free, inclusive, democratic and peaceful elections in 2020.

Human Rights-Related Developments

On 5 March, High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet announced, with deep regret, that the UN Human Rights Office in Burundi was closed on 28 February at the insistence of the government after a 23-year presence in the country. In October 2016, the government suspended all cooperation with the office following the release of the final report (A/HRC/33/37) of the UN Independent Investigation in Burundi, established by the Human Rights Council (HRC) on 17 December 2015. Even as our Office in Burundi closes, we will continue to explore other ways to work to shed light on human rights concerns and support the advocacy, promotion and protection of human rights in the country, Bachelet said in her statement. During its 40th session, the HRC held an interactive dialogue on 12 March with the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, whose mandate was renewed by the HRC for a third term by resolution 39/14 of 28 September 2018. In view of the upcoming elections scheduled for 2020, our mandate is especially important. We will pay particular attention to civil liberties and factors that may trigger violence or human rights violations, the commission said. It also called on Burundi to reconsider its position and accept the commissions requests to visit the country.

Key Issues and Options

The lack of progress in the EAC-led mediation and, more broadly, lack of inclusiveness ahead of the 2020 election remain serious concerns that the Council will need to monitor closely. An option would be to adopt a presidential or press statement, noting Nkurunzizas commitment not to run for president in 2020, urging the EAC to intensify efforts to revive the dialogue, and calling on Burundi to take steps towards an inclusive electoral process, including respect for the freedom of expression and association.

Another major issue is the continued lack of accountability for human rights violations over the last several years in Burundi, magnified by the closure of the UN Human Rights Office in the country. The Council may encourage Burundi to cooperate fully with all UN bodies.

One possible way to address some of these issues would be to impose targeted sanctions against those obstructing a genuine political dialogue and those responsible for human rights violations.

Council Dynamics

Council members agree that the continued viability of the Arusha Accord as a basis for stability in Burundi is important. Burundi, for its part, remains entrenched in its opposition to the international communitys involvement in its political affairs.

The Council has been unable to find a fresh avenue to re-engage with Burundi over the political situation thus far. Some Council members, despite the political concerns, continue to question the need to keep Burundi on the Councils agenda, viewing the situation as an internal issue that lacks a pressing international peace and security dimension. When considering the programme of work for February, several Council members questioned the need to hold the quarterly briefing on Burundi, though ultimately the briefing was held as scheduled. It does not seem that similar disagreement has arisen with respect to the May briefing, but the issue may resurface.

UN DOCUMENTS ON BURUNDI
THEMATIC ISSUES

Counter-Terrorism

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council is scheduled to receive its annual briefing from the chairs of its counter-terrorism-related committees: Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani (Indonesia), chair of the 1540 Committee, which focuses on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and of the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (Daesh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee; and Ambassador Gustavo Meza-Cuadra Velasquez (Peru), chair of the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

Background and Key Recent Developments

There have been several developments on counter-terrorism in the Council since the last joint briefing in October.

1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee

On 28 March, the Council held an open debate on combatting the financing of terrorism, with briefings by the Under-Secretary-General of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, Vladimir Voronkov (via video teleconference); Marshall Billingslea, president of the Financial Action Task Force, an international organisation that develops standards for suppressing the financing of terrorism and effectively implementing existing measures to combat terrorism; and Mercy Buku, an expert in anti-money-laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

During the open debate, the Council adopted resolution 2462, which reiterated commitments on criminalising terrorism and the financing of terrorism that had been established by resolution 1373 and supplemented by further resolutions.

The resolution further decided that states shall ensure that their domestic laws establish serious criminal offenses for the wilful provision or collection of funds, directly or indirectly, with the intention that the funds should be used, or in the knowledge that they are to be used, for the benefit of terrorist organisations or individual terrorists for any purpose. States are to ensure that this measure and all others taken to counter terrorism comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international refugee law.

1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee

On 11 February, Voronkov and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Executive Director Michele Coninsx briefed the Council on the eighth report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL. Regarding ISILs financial strength, Voronkov said the report notes that despite some loss of revenue because of territorial setbacks, ISIL could sustain its operations through accessible reserves, in cash or investments in businesses. Coninsx reviewed CTEDs findings on the increased use of mobile payment services by terrorist groups and concerns about the possible exploitation of blockchain technology and the misuse of cryptocurrencies for malicious, criminal or terrorist purposes.

On 21 February, Council members condemned the 14 February suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir, noting that over 40 Indian paramilitary personnel had died and dozens had been wounded in the attack, for which Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility. In March, France, the UK and the US proposed in the committee that the founder of JeM, Masood Azhar, be listed, but China has placed a hold on the listing. At press time, Council members were still considering possible ways forward on the issue of listing Masood Azhar.

On 15 March, Council members condemned the terrorist attack that took place at Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, earlier that day, which resulted in at least 50 killed and many wounded.

1540 Committee

On 19 March, Djani briefed the Council on the committees activities. He noted that 182 countries have submitted initial reports providing the committee with information on the measures they have taken, or plan to take, to comply with their obligations under resolution 1540. He added that the committee has begun its preparatory work for its upcoming comprehensive review of the implementation of the resolution, requested by the Council in resolution 1977 (2011).

On 2 April, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu briefed the Council, ahead of the 2020 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. She cautioned that the disarmament success of the post-Cold War era is being replaced with dangerous rhetoric about the utility of nuclear weapons and an increased reliance on these weapons in security doctrines, making the prospect of the use of nuclear weapons higher than it has been in generations.

Council and wider Dynamics

In general, counter-terrorism enjoys the support of all Council members; the importance of curbing the financing of terrorism, in particular, is a consensus issue. Some differences in approach between Council members were evident during negotiations over resolution 2462, on the nexus between counter-terrorism efforts and international humanitarian law. Humanitarian and human rights groups had strong reactions to the initial French draft text. They viewed the language as restricting humanitarian activities, otherwise permitted under and forming part of international humanitarian law, which requires them to interact with parties to a conflict that may be considered by states as terrorist organisations, particularly in areas controlled by groups such as ISIL. Several Council members were sympathetic to these concerns after they were flagged, and the final text attempts to address them, balanced with the positions of members such as Russia and the US, that were less amenable to changes as they wanted the text to eliminate possible situations of funnelling money to terrorists through non-governmental organisations under the guise of legitimate activities.

UN Documents on Counter-Terrorism
ASIA

DPRK (North Korea)

Expected Council Action

In May, the chair of the 1718 Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen (Germany), is expected to brief Council members in consultations on the 90-day report of the work of the committee.

Key Recent Developments

After initial discussions in the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee, the final report of the Panel of Experts was published on 5 March. This is the first publicly-available report of the panel since March 2018. Council members failed to reach a consensus on publishing the midterm report, which was due in September 2018, after the US claimed that Russia had interfered with the work of the panel, an accusation that Russia denied.

While noting the absence of ballistic missile testing in 2018, the final report describes the DPRKs continued violations of the sanctions imposed by the Council. Among the most prominent violations of sanctions, the report notes increased activities related to illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal by the DPRK. Financial sanctions have, according to the report, continued to be some of the least implemented, and the use of cryptocurrency has made financial activity even harder to trace. The panel has also described the DPRKs use of cyber-attacks to force the illicit transfer of funds from financial institutions. The report further notes that the DPRK has continued to violate the arms embargo, including attempts to supply weapons to armed groups in Yemen, Libya and Sudan.

On 10 April, the Council adopted resolution 2464, which extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee until 24 April 2020. The vote on the draft resolution was postponed for several weeks because of a disagreement that arose between Russia and the US, the penholder. It seems that Russia wanted the resolution also to address the impact of the sanctions on the humanitarian situation in the DPRK and to request OCHA periodically to report to the Council on this issue. As a compromise, committee members agreed to address the humanitarian situation in the DPRK within the committee and hold briefings by OCHA every six months.

After the collapse of the second US-DPRK Summit in Hanoi in February, diplomatic efforts on the denuclearisation of the DPRK have stalled. The breakdown of the summit has been attributed to differences over sanctions relief and denuclearisation. In remarks to the media, US President Donald Trump said that DPRK leader Kim Jong-un had asked the US to lift all sanctions in exchange for the dismantling of nuclear facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear site. The North Korean leadership has disputed this claim, saying that the DPRK asked only for partial sanctions relief. Kim has not ruled out a third summit and has said that he will wait until the end of 2019 for the US to be more flexible.

On 16 April, the DPRK tested what it called a tactical guided weapon, which the US has said was not a ballistic weapons test.

Human Rights-Related Developments

During its 40th session, the Human Rights Council (HRC) held an interactive dialogue on 12 March with the special rapporteur on human rights in the DPRK, Tomas Ojea Quintana, and considered the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on promoting accountability in the DPRK (A/HRC/40/36). The report describes the progress made on the HRCs recommendations contained in resolution 34/24 on promoting accountability for human rights violations, particularly on the establishment and the work carried out by a dedicated accountability team of the Office of the High Commissioner, which contributes to and enhances the work already being undertaken by the OHCHR field-based structure in Seoul. On 22 March, the HRC adopted without a vote resolution 40/20 on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, which extended the mandate of the special rapporteur for one year. Among other things, the resolution encourages the UN system as a whole to continue to address the grave situation of human rights in the DPRK in a coordinated and unified manner.

Key Issues and Options

Tensions on the Korean peninsula remain, but have declined significantly during the past year. The DPRK has refrained from testing ballistic missiles for over a year and has engaged in diplomatic talks with the US on possible denuclearisation. The Council continues to be concerned with maintaining stability on the peninsula but has maintained a relatively low profile on DPRK, with most diplomatic activity taking place outside its purview. While the Council has been cautious about pronouncing itself on diplomatic developments, Council members could consider a formal product showing support for a third summit before the end of 2019.

A continuing issue for the Council is finding the right balance between applying sanctions and simultaneously exploring the diplomatic track. An option for the Council is to explore ways to modify the sanctions on the DPRK to encourage further engagement on the diplomatic front.

Some Council members are concerned about the impact of sanctions on the humanitarian situation in the DPRK. The Council could seek more regular interaction with OCHA to obtain the information it needs for humanitarian exemptions. Another option would be to consider having the monitoring panel assisting the committee add an expert on humanitarian issues who could analyse the impact of sanctions on the civilian population.

A prevailing issue for the committee remains addressing gaps in the implementation of the sanctions on the DPRK. An emerging issue is preserving the independent nature of the panel, safeguarding it from pressure by Council members.

Council Dynamics

The Council has continued to maintain a low profile on the DPRK while the diplomatic efforts outside the Council play out. Over the past several months, Council dynamics have been dominated by diverging views between the US and Russia on the role of sanctions on the DPRK. The US continues to promote a policy of maximum pressure on the DPRK, while Russia and China have shown more interest in considering some form of sanctions relief. During the negotiations on the latest resolution on the mandate of the Panel of Experts, Russia stressed that the Council should address the impact of sanctions on the humanitarian situation in the DPRK.

Most Council members remain cautious in their optimism about the DPRKs denuclearisation and supportive of inter-Korean and US-DPRK diplomatic efforts. While some members have shown interest in a new approach toward the Councils relationship with the DPRK, including a greater response to positive developments through Council outcomes and other possible means of showing support for serious dialogue on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, there has been little movement in this direction.

The US is the penholder on the DPRK, and Germany chairs the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee.

UN Documents on the DPRK
Group of Five for the Sahel

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council expects a briefing on the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, which the groupBurkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger (G5 Sahel)decided to establish in February 2017 to combat terrorist and criminal groups in the region.

Key Recent Developments

In January, the FC-G5S resumed operations, which had been suspended after the June 2018 attack on its former headquarters in Sevare. Although it has carried out five operations this year, bringing the FC-G5S to full operational capacity continues to be difficult.

On 5 February, the G5 Sahel held the fifth ordinary session of its heads of state conference, in Ouagadougou, which marked the start of Burkina Fasos presidency of the regional group. In a communique, the G5 Sahel reiterated its commitment to mobilising its own resources while calling upon the international community to respect commitments made during the February 2018 donor conference for the Sahel in Brussels and at the December 2018 donor conference in Nouakchott to support the G5 Sahels Priority Investment Programme. The G5 Sahel repeated its call for the Security Council to authorise the FC-G5S under a Chapter VII resolution and for closer cooperation with the UN.

Over the last year, the expansion of terrorist groups in central Mali has exacerbated long-standing intercommunal tensions between ethnic groups over access to land and water. On 23 March, at least 160 Fulani civilians, including women and children, were killed in the village of Ogossagou in central Mali, reportedly by armed elements of the Dogon ethnic group. On 18 April, Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga and his entire government resigned, one day before a possible vote in the parliament on a no-confidence motion in the government over Malis worsening insecurity.

Attacks by armed groups in Burkina Faso, which started in 2016, intensified throughout much of the country. On 31 March, armed attackers raided the town of Arbinda in the north, killing a religious leader and six members of his family. That triggered inter-communal clashes that claimed more than 60 lives. According to OCHA, attacks and insecurity in Burkina Fasos Est, Centre-Nord, Nord and Sahel regions have led to an unprecedented humanitarian emergency. Over 138,000 people have been uprooted from their homes, two-thirds of whom have been displaced since the start of 2019. A Human Rights Watch report in March spotlighted atrocities committed by extremist groups and Burkinabe security forces during counter-terrorism operations, with the latter allegedly having executed at least 116 men accused of supporting or harbouring armed extremists between September 2018 and February 2019.

The Security Council visited Mali and Burkina Faso from 21 to 25 March. The focus of the Council mission was to assess the implementation of the 2015 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in Mali, the operational status of the G5 Sahel joint force, and the deterioration of the security situation in Burkina Faso. Council members met with the FC-G5S force commander, General Hanena Ould Sidi, and the Executive Secretary of the G5 Sahel, Maman Sidiko. Burkina Fasos president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, briefed members on the priorities of the one-year Burkinabe presidency of the G5 Sahel: making the FC-G5S fully operational, including its police component; implementing the Priority Investment Programme; reinforcing the Permanent Secretariat of the G5 Sahel, which is headquartered in Nouackhott; and empowering women and children.

On 28 March, a high-level meeting on the G5 Sahel at UN headquarters in New York focused on the issue of sustainable financing and support for the FC-G5S. The foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger participated. They reiterated concerns raised during the Council visiting mission about the territorial constraints of the support that the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) can provide to the FC-G5S under resolution 2391 of December 2017; the resolution restricts this support to FC-G5S forces operating on Malian territory. In a communique following its 9 April meeting on the Lake Chad and Sahel regions, the AU Peace and Security Council underlined the need for the Security Council to extend MINUSMAs support beyond the limits of the Malian territory to all other components of the FC-G5S.

In response to the deteriorating situation in Burkina Faso, the Secretary-General earlier this year appointed Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative and head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, to lead a sustaining peace review that will assess how the UN Country Team is organised to address the challenges facing Burkina Faso, define priorities, and lay out how the UN can better leverage its capacity to assist the country. At an Executive Committee Meeting in late March, a decision was made to reinforce the office of the UN Resident Coordinator and increase the reach of UN agencies, funds and programmes throughout the country.

Chad and Niger have continued to battle armed groups in several border areas, including an escalation of attacks by the armed group Boko Haram. According to OCHA, the attacks displaced 18,000 people in southwest Niger between March and mid-April. The group killed 23 Chadian troops in a night-time attack on 21-22 March.

Key Issues and Options

Despite efforts by regional countries and external partners, armed extremist groups and intercommunal fighting are on the rise across the Sahel, especially in Burkina Faso. A key issue is assessing progress and challenges in making the FC-G5S fully operational. Limiting factors include tensions regarding the force among the five countries; unclear sustainability of its financing and the inadequacy of current support modalities; equipment shortages; limited basic infrastructure, and deficient training. Promoting and ensuring that the FC-G5S complies with international humanitarian law, which is necessary for UN support and critical for effective counter-terrorism, is a related issue.

The importance of complementing security measures with efforts to address structural problems that contribute to regional instability through the UNs Sahel Strategy and the G5 Sahel Priority Investment Programme is a further key issue. Problems in common facing Sahelian countries include poor governance, poverty, lack of opportunities for young people, and climate change.

A continuing option before the Council is to establish a dedicated UN support office, funded through assessed contributions and independent of MINUSMA, to deliver a support package for the FC-G5S across its entire area of operations, as the Secretary-General has recommended.

Another option is for the Council to consider adopting a resolution authorising MINUSMA to provide life support (rations and fuel) to FC-G5S battalions operating beyond Mali, if transportation of these items is provided by the joint force or another third party.

Council Dynamics

The Council is divided over whether the UN should provide financial support to the FC-G5S. While resolution 2391 in December 2017 established some multilateral support for the FC-G5S, most membersincluding France, which has championed the joint forceseem supportive of providing further support through the UN. The US, though, prefers to assist the FC-G5S bilaterally, and continues to object to proposals that could incur UN assessed contributions or which would expand the geographic scope of MINUSMA support as G5 Sahel countries have recently requested. Due to the divisions, members have opted to wait until the joint force becomes more operational to reconsider the Secretary-Generals recommendation to establish a UN support office, stating in a November 2018 press statement that they would discuss international support to the joint force of the G-5 Sahel, after its full operationalization and in parallel to its first operational results.

France is the penholder on the G5 Sahel joint force.

UN DOCUMENTS ON THE SAHEL
AMERICAS

Haiti

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council could meet to discuss the transition of the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) to a non-peacekeeping UN presence. While no meeting is currently scheduled, resolution 2466 requires the Secretary-General to submit details for a follow-up mission to MINUJUSTH in May. Following the submission of the Secretary-Generals report the Council may choose to meet to discuss next steps in the transition.

Key Recent Developments

On 12 April, the Council renewed MINUJUSTH for a final six months, adhering to the timeline stipulated in resolution 2410 that the withdrawal of MINUJUTH not begin before 15 October. Resolution 2466 endorsed transitioning to a Special Political Mission (SPM), a recommendation presented by the Secretary-General in his most recent MINUJUSTH report. The resolution requested the Secretary-General to report to the Council within 30 days with operational details of the proposed SPM, including specific objectives and information regarding its proposed deployment, staffing, and structure.

The Secretary-Generals March report recommended a mission in the form of a small strategic advisory office led by a Special Representative of the Secretary-General functioning alongside the technical capacities of a United Nations Country Team, supported by a triple-hatted Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, for a period of one year, starting on 16 October 2019. The Secretary-General also said that only an SPM would allow a police commissioner and some international police officers to remain and play an advisory role, which were deemed important.

This came after the Council held a debate on 3 April on the situation in Haiti with the participation of Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix; UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet; and Loune Viaud, Executive Director of Zanmi Lasante, a civil society group. Some non-Council members were also invited to participate. Lacroix highlighted how the Secretary-Generals report lays out some possible paths forward for the UN in Haiti. He called for international cooperation to assist Haiti as MINUJUSTH begins to drawdown. Bachelet, in her first statement to the Council in her current position, called on all Haitian stakeholders to strengthen human rights protections.

Council Dynamics

During negotiations on resolution 2466, which had been drafted by the US, some Council members expressed their preference for a single resolution that would include MINUJUSTHs six-month renewal and concrete plans for an SPM. These members took the view that having two resolutions could create uncertainty; they also wished to give the Secretariat as much time as possible to prepare for the post-MINUJUSTH presence.

The resolution was adopted with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions (Russia and the Dominican Republic). In explanations after the vote, some countries voiced their general support for MINUJUSTH. France, Germany, Peru, and the US welcomed the beginning of the end of the UN peacekeeping presence. France and Germany also welcomed a reference to Chapter VII, including for human rights monitoring.

Members abstained for different reasons. The Dominican Republic was concerned that MINUJUSTHs withdrawal would coincide with Haitis scheduled elections. Russia abstained, as it has done before, due to the use of Chapter VII in respect of all elements of the resolution, including and in particular its human rights monitoring. Russia has maintained that Haitis human rights situation is not a threat to international peace and security. Another reason for its abstention was what it reportedly felt was a premature reference to a performance policy framework being undertaken by the Secretary-General.

China, which abstained in 2018, voted in favour, saying in its explanation after the vote that the renewal period would allow MINUJUSTH to discharge its mandate, help the Haitian government take up its responsibilities, and achieve a final and orderly exit. Like Russia, China would have liked more time for negotiations in order to achieve consensus and indicated that it would like to see greater unity in the upcoming negotiations on the SPM. Peru said that any exit strategy must consider the security conditions on the ground and the ability of Haiti to ensure security throughout its territory. It has voiced support for swift negotiations on the future mechanism, and would like to see a robust SPM established with the necessary human and financial resources.

Proposed German language about strengthening the resilience of Haiti with respect to climate change was not included, and further discussion on this can be anticipated in a future resolution.

Members positions on the renewal resolution provide an insight ahead of negotiations, which could begin as soon as the middle of May.

UN DOCUMENTS ON HAITI
In Hindsight: Arria-Formula Meetings

The Arria-formula is the most flexible meeting format the Security Council has at its disposal. It has been used every year since March 1992, when Ambassador Diego Arria of Venezuela wanted fellow Council members to hear an eyewitness account of atrocities occurring in the former Yugoslavia. Unable to find a formal way to hold such a meeting, Arria invited Council members to meet with the witness in the UN delegates lounge. This was deemed useful; several similarly informal briefings were soon held, and the term Arria-formula meetings was born.

With the concurrence of Council members, subsequent Arria meetings moved from the delegates lounge to a UN conference room and were supported by simultaneous interpretation. On 3 November 2003, Council members held an Arria-formula meeting with local civil society representatives in Kabul during their visiting mission to Afghanistan. An Arria-formula meeting with representatives of civil society was also held on 19 November 2004 in Nairobi, on the margins of a Security Council formal session away from headquarters, focused on Sudan.

As is often the case when the Council wants to retain flexibility with respect to a practice, it has not defined the Arria-formula briefing precisely. Broadly speaking, these are meetings convened at the initiative of a Council member or memberssometimes in collaboration with states not on the Councilwho believe it would be beneficial to hear from specific individuals, organisations or institutions and have a frank exchange of views. Holding an Arria meeting does not require the consensus of all 15 members; those opposed may signal their views by not attending.

Illustrating the Arria-formulas flexibility, the range of briefers has evolved and expanded, from high-level government and UN officials, representatives of NGOs and other members of civil society, to representatives of non-state actors, Hollywood actors, mandate holders of human rights monitoring procedures, representatives of international organisations and of territories not recognised as states who are stakeholders on issues before the Council.

Arria-formula meetings with top UN officials have been held when no agreement could be reached to hear a formal briefing due to sensitivities around the topic. The Secretary-General addressed an Arria meeting on 15 February 2013 on security dimensions of climate change, and on 19 March 2018 an Arria-formula meeting was organised on the spot, immediately after a Council procedural vote had rejected a formal briefing on human rights in Syria by the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Arria-formula meetings afford interested Council members an opportunity to engage in a direct dialogue on matters of concern, and can also be part of a broader strategy. Some have served as preparation for a Council open debate: an Arria-formula meeting organised by Senegal in April 2016 on Water, Peace and Security was a preparatory step to holding an open debate on this topic during its November presidency that year. The 19 October 2018 Arria-formula meeting on Silencing the Guns in Africa, organised by Cote dIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, South Africa and the AU, paved the way for the 27 February 2019 open debate and the adoption of resolution 2457 on this issue. Similarly, the 31 January Arria-formula meeting on Preventing and Countering the Financing of Terrorism, organised by Australia, France, Indonesia, Peru and Tunisia, was regarded as helpful preparation for an open debate on the same theme held on 28 March, during which the Council adopted resolution 2462. On at least one occasion, an Arria meeting helped lay the groundwork for the Council to become seized of an issue, as happened with the 24 May 2004 Arria meeting on Darfur.

Because of their informal character, Arria-formula meetings usually have neither a record nor an outcome, and are not included on the monthly programme of work posted on the UN website. But organisers have found ways for the meetings to be referenced in Council documents through letters addressed to the president of the Security Council that:

summarised the event and asked that the letter be circulated as a document of the Security Council;

included as attachments speeches delivered during an Arria-formula meeting and asked that the letter be issued as a Council document; or

included the meetings concept note along with the request to issue the text as a Council document, a frequent practice in the recent period.

The assessment of its Council presidency that each member needs to produce usually mentions Arria-formula meetings held during the month, whether or not these were at the presidencys initiative.

Since 8 August 2016 when the meeting on the humanitarian situation in Aleppo, Syriaunder siege at the timewas webcast live on UN Web TV, some Arria-formula meetings are webcast and their footage archived on the UN website. Sixteen of the 21 Arria-formula meetings in 2018 were webcast and archived. While the frank nature of the discussion may be tempered as a result, issues of importance to Council members can be presented to a global audience.

The periodically-updated compendium of Council working methods known as Note 507 affirms in all three of its versions Council members intention to use Arria-formula meetings as a flexible and informal forum for enhancing their deliberations and, among other things, their agreement to use these meetings to enhance their contact with civil society and NGOs (S/2006/507, S/2010/507, and S/2017/507). This sentiment is also found in a presidential statement on The role of civil society in conflict prevention and the pacific settlement of disputes of 20 September 2005 (S/PRST/2005/42).

Following a period of high frequency in the 1990s and early 2000s, peaking at 20 in 1996, use of Arria-formula meetings dipped, with six to ten annual meetings becoming the norm. After a low point of just one meeting in 2011, members rediscovered this format in 2012, with ten briefings held that year, including one on womens role in mediation and conflict resolution, one on human rights in the context of peacekeeping operations, and two by members of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria. In 2015 and 2017 there were 17 Arria-formula meetings; in 2016 there were 12. Last years 21 Arria-formula meetings were at an all-time high. 2019 has already seen 11 Arria-formula meetings by the end of April.

In the last year, members have used this format to highlight aspects of an issue already being considered by the Council such as protecting boys and girls in shrinking humanitarian space, or the use of sanctions in addressing sexual violence in conflict. There have also been a number of Arria-formula meetings on human rights and accountability issues, which might reflect the increasingly divisive environment around these issues in the Council.

The continuing popularity of this format is testimony to its value. These meetings have been particularly useful in introducing a new issue to the Council or providing valuable information that could not be heard in other formats. However, with their increasing use comes a need to ensure that members do not experience Arria-formula meeting-fatigue. Coordination among Council members on the strategic use of Arria-formula meetings could help ensure the longevity and effectiveness of this format.

There is no definitive list of all Arria-formula meetings held since 1992. SCR strives to keep as complete a list as possible on its website.
MIDDLE EAST

Iraq

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council is expected to receive briefings on the Secretary-Generals latest reports on the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and also on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and missing Kuwaiti property (including the national archives). The Council will also renew the mandate of UNAMI, which is set to expire on 31 May 2019. In addition, the Council expects to receive the second report on the activities of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD) in May.

Key Recent Developments

On 13 February, the Council held its most recent briefing on Iraq, during which the members generally welcomed the formation of the new government and called on political stakeholders to reach an agreement on the appointment of the remaining members of the cabinet. Special Representative and head of UNAMI Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert also expressed concern over the prolonged process of appointing the remaining cabinet members, and called on the political blocs in Iraq to reach a compromise. Although there has been a notable decrease of terrorist activity in Iraq, she stressed that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) still poses a threat.

Six days after the briefing, the Council adopted a presidential statement welcoming the cooperation between Iraq and Kuwait on the issue of missing Kuwaiti nationals and third country nationals and the return of Kuwaiti property, including the national archives. The statement noted, however, that there are still 369 unresolved cases of missing Kuwaiti and third-party nationals.

In March, the government of Iraq and UNITAD conducted its first exhumations in Kojo village in the Sinjar region. The remains of some 30 individuals were recovered. The remains and evidence were then transferred to Baghdad for further forensic analysis by the investigative team. During its peak of power from 2014 to 2017, ISIL committed serious human rights violations against the Yazidi ethnic minority in Sinjar.

On 6 April, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi met in Tehran with Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. During their meeting, Khamenei urged Mahdi to request the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

Two days later, US President Donald Trump announced that the US would designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organisation. The IRGC is under Khameneis direct control and operates independently of Irans traditional armed forces. The US has accused the IRGC of providing financial and weapons support for terrorist organisations in the region, including various Shiite militias in Iraq.

Sanctions-Related Developments

On 21 February, members of the 1518 Iraq Sanctions Committee held a meeting with the Special Representative of INTERPOL to the UN, Emmanuel Roux. The discussion centred on the possibility of cooperation between the committee and INTERPOL. During March and April, the committee removed 26 entities from the sanctions list.

Key Issues and Options

Given that Iraq still does not have a fully formed government, the Council will continue to follow closely developments related to this issue. In renewing UNAMIs mandate, the Council could urge political parties to compromise to enable remaining cabinet positions to be filled.

Another option would be for the Council to conduct a visiting mission to Iraq to get a better understanding of current challenges on the ground.

As for efforts to hold members of ISIL accountable for international crimes, the Council will continue to monitor developments regarding the investigative team. It could request a briefing from Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, the Special Adviser and head of UNITAD, on the teams report, or alternatively discuss the report with him in closed consultations.

Council and Wider Dynamics

Council members are unanimous in their support for UNAMI. The mandate of the mission has not changed since resolution 1770 was adopted in 2007. Some members have expressed interest in incorporating stronger language in the UNAMI resolution on such issues as the promotion of national reconciliation; accountability; security sector reform; deeper political and economic reforms; women, peace and security; children and armed conflict; and the right of internally displaced persons to return to their homes. It seems that the US, the penholder, and Iraq, the host country, are reluctant to make any substantial changes to UNAMIs mandate.

Some member states, especially those opposed to the death penalty, have had concerns about the possibility that evidence shared by UNITAD could be used in criminal proceedings in which capital punishment could be imposed. This may continue to affect some member states willingness to contribute to the trust fund established by the Secretary-General.

The US is the penholder on Iraq issues in general, and the UK is the penholder on Iraq-Kuwait issues. Poland is the chair of the 1518 Iraq Sanctions Committee.

UN Documents on Iraq
MIDDLE EAST

Lebanon

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council expects to receive the semi-annual briefing on the latest report on the implementation of resolution 1559. Adopted in 2004, resolution 1559 called for the disarmament of all militias and the extension of government control over all Lebanese territory.

This briefing, usually conducted by the Special Coordinator for Lebanon or an official from the Department of Peacebuilding and Political Affairs, has traditionally been held in consultations.

Key Recent Developments

On 22-23 March, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travelled to Lebanon, where he met with, among others, President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil. While reiterating the USs continued support for Lebanese institutions, Pompeo expressed concern over the destabilising influence of Hezbollah and Iran. In a press conference following his meeting with Bassil, Pompeo said that Hezbollah has put the Lebanese people at risk for 34 years and that the organisation defies the state through a terrorist wing committed to spreading destruction. Hezbollah made significant gains during the May 2018 parliamentary elections, giving the group substantial influence in the current Lebanese government.

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix visited Lebanon from 9 to 13 March. During his meetings with Lebanese leadership, Lacroix emphasised the importance of close cooperation between the Lebanese government and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in preserving the relative calm in southern Lebanon and ensuring implementation of UNIFILs mandate. He urged the parties to work towards a permanent ceasefire and long-term solution to the conflict.

UNIFIL head and force commander Major General Stefano Del Col chaired a tripartite meeting on 2 April with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defence Forces to discuss the situation along the Blue Line, the border demarcation between Israel and Lebanon, and the discovery of clandestine cross-border tunnels, among other things. While noting the recent increase of activity along the Blue Line, Del Col said that the area has remained generally stable because of the restraint shown by the parties, as well as UNIFILs engagement and liaison activities.

The new Lebanese government led by Hariri faces several challenges that it must address in the coming months. Chief among them are growing public debt and slow economic growth. In addition, Lebanon continues to carry the burden of hosting approximately one million Syrian refugees. Since the Syrian government regained control of most of its territory, the Lebanese leadership has been advocating for increased refugee repatriation to Syria.

US President Donald Trump announced on 8 April that the US would designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organisation. The IRGC is under the direct control of Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and operates independently of Irans traditional armed forces. The US has accused the IRGC of providing financial and weapons support for terrorist organisations in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Key Issues and Options

The situation in UNIFILs area of operations has remained generally calm. The Council remains concerned, however, that there has been little progress towards implementing the main objectives of resolution 1701, including a permanent ceasefire, more than a decade after its adoption.

A principal problem for the Council is that Hezbollah and other non-state actors still maintain significant amounts of weaponry. This inhibits the governments ability to exercise full authority over its territory, poses a threat to Lebanons sovereignty and stability, and contravenes its obligations under resolutions 1559 and 1701, the latter of which called for a cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. A related issue is Hezbollahs involvement in the Syrian civil war and the movement of arms from Syria to Hezbollah.

Lebanons hosting of approximately one million refugees from Syria is also of deep humanitarian concern, and in that regard, the Council could request a briefing by UNHCR on the prospects for an acceleration of refugee returns and what is being done to address issues of concern to refugees.

Council Dynamics

The Council has been united in supporting Lebanons sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, and the countrys efforts to insulate itself from the damaging effects of the Syrian conflict. The Council is also unified in its recognition of the crucial role the Lebanese Armed Forces play in responding to security challenges.

Members are divided, however, in their views of the security dynamics in the region and the role of the mission. This has been particularly evident during the negotiations on UNIFILs mandate renewal over the past two years. The US has continued to emphasise the threat posed by Iran, Hezbollah, and the proliferation of weapons in southern Lebanon and has promoted a more active role for UNIFIL in confronting these threats. It has also raised concerns over the growing influence of Hezbollah in the new Lebanese government.

On the missions configuration, the US has strongly advocated for a reduction of UNIFILs Maritime Task Force, leading towards its eventual termination. Most of the other members, however, share the view that the missions mandate and tasks should remain unchanged, and are cautious about drastic mandate changes because of the potential impact on the fragile calm that has been maintained in southern Lebanon for over a decade.

France is the penholder on Lebanon.

UN Documents on Lebanon
AFRICA

Libya

Expected Council Action

In May, Council members are expected to receive a briefing from the Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Ghassan Salame, and the Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany, Ambassador Jurgen Schulz, who chairs the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda will also provide her semi-annual briefing to the Council.

The mandate of UNSMIL expires on 15 September, and the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee expires on 20 February 2020.

Key Recent Developments

April was marked by a dramatic escalation of the situation in Libya. On 4 April, General Khalifa Haftar, head of a militia known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), undertook a military offensive towards Tripoli. This action followed months of military clashes over control of key strategic locations in southern Libya, including oil fields, between LNA forces and militias affiliated with the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

Salame briefed Council members in consultations on 5 April via video teleconference, hours after he had accompanied Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was on a visit to Libya, to a meeting with Haftar. At the Council meeting, members agreed to press elements calling on LNA forces to halt all military movements and expressing their intention to hold accountable those responsible for further conflict. However, Russia opposed a subsequent effort to single out the LNA in a Council press statement circulated after that meeting.

Council members met again on Libya, this time with Guterres, on 10 April. At the meeting, Guterres reiterated his calls for the parties to de-escalate the situation, agree on a ceasefire and a cessation of hostilities, and re-commit to the UN-facilitated political dialogue. Given the ongoing hostilities, the UN cancelled a national conference, originally scheduled for 14-16 April, which was intended to provide an opportunity for Libyans to decide how the nation should proceed in the transition towards a democratically governed state. One of the desired outcomes of the conference was an agreement on the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections as well as a constitutional referendum.

After initial successes in towns near Tripoli, the LNA offensive encountered the joint opposition of armed groups, some affiliated with the GNA. Following the LNAs heavy rocket shelling of the high-density residential neighbourhood of Abu Selim in Tripoli on the night of 17 April, Salame reiterated that the use of indiscriminate, explosive weapons in civilian areas constitutes a war crime and stressed that liability for such actions lies not only with the individuals who committed the indiscriminate attacks, but also potentially with those who ordered them. Indiscriminate bombing has continued, including by what media reports have identified as unmanned aircraft from the United Arab Emirates. Efforts to have a Council unified position have been unsuccessful to date given the support that the LNA enjoys from some permanent members. The readout of a 15 April phone call between US President Donald Trump and Haftar indicated that Trump recognised Haftars significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libyas oil resources and that the two discussed a shared vision for Libyas transition to a stable, democratic political system.

By 22 April, 254 people had been killed and 1,228 wounded in conflict in and around Tripoli since early April, according to the World Health Organization. UNHCR has called attention to the impact of hostilities on the thousands of migrants and refugees detained in Libya. For UNHCR, the situation continues to underscore that Libya is a dangerous place for refugees and migrants and that those rescued and intercepted at sea should not be returned there. According to the International Organization for Migration, as of 22 April, some 7000 families had been displaced from their homes since early April as a result of the hostilities.

At press time, Council members were unable to agree on a draft resolution that they had been negotiating during much of April. The draft, which was circulated by the UK, demanded that all parties in Libya immediately de-escalate the situation, commit to a ceasefire, and engage with the UN to ensure a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities throughout Libya.

ICC-Related Developments

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, whose extradition has been sought by the ICC, has been at large since he was set free by the Abu-Bakr al-Siddiq Brigade, a Zintan-based militia, in June 2017. According to the final report of the Panel of Experts, his lawyer stated that he resides in Zintan. Following his conviction and eventual early release by the Tripoli Criminal Court, Gaddafi submitted a motion to the ICC that his case was inadmissible. However, on 5 April, Pre-Trial Chamber I rejected this challenge by a majority, arguing that the decision of the Libyan court was still subject to appeal and was rendered in absentia. The majority also argued that Gaddafi was excluded from the amnesty/pardon provided in the law that eventually led to his release (Law No. 6 of 2015) and that granting amnesties and pardons for crimes against humanity is incompatible with internationally recognised human rights.

Former internal security chief Mohamed Khaled al-Tuhamy, allegedly responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in 2011 in Libya, also remains at large. On 4 July 2018, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC issued a second arrest warrant for Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf al-Werfalli, an LNA commander participating in General Khalifa Haftars Operation Dignity in Benghazi. According to the arrest warrants, al-Werfalli appears to be directly responsible for the deaths of more than 40 persons during eight different incidents in Benghazi or surrounding areas between June 2016 and January 2018, either by killing them himself or ordering their executions. On 15 April, Bensouda expressed her deep concern at the escalation of violence in Libya arising from the advance of the LNA towards Tripoli, and related fighting with forces aligned with the GNA. She also reminded all commanders, military or civilian, who have effective control, authority and command over their forces that they themselves may be held criminally responsible for crimes committed by their subordinates.

Human Rights-Related Developments

On 22 March, the Human Rights Council during its 40th session adopted without a vote resolution 40/27 on technical assistance and capacity-building to improve human rights in Libya. Among other things, the resolution strongly condemns all violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, notes with concern the humanitarian situation, strongly encourages the Government of National Accord to increase its efforts to protect and promote human rights, and requests OHCHR to monitor and report on human rights violations and abuses across Libya while continuing its engagement with UNSMIL.

Key Issues and Options

Council members could adopt a resolution demanding a ceasefire and a cessation of hostilities in Libya. Council members could also hold an informal discussion to address their differences over the situation in Libya and to chart the path forward for achieving the Councils stated objectives of supporting a political transition.

At the appropriate time and in support of Salames work, Council members might consider a visiting mission to Libya and neighbouring countries to convey a unified message to key stakeholders about the need to resume engagement in the political process in good faith, and threaten sanctions against those hindering it.

Council and Wider Dynamics

In general, Council members have expressed broad support for the role of UNSMIL in the stabilisation of Libya, but they have divergent views on how best to achieve this goal. Although the Council has repeatedly called upon member states to cease support for and official contact with parallel institutions in Libya, several countries, including some Council members, have ignored this call. This has been reflected in the current negotiations on the draft resolution, during which there have been differences over how to refer to the LNAs role in the military escalation and how to characterise the threat of terrorism in Libya.

The semi-annual briefings by Bensouda on Libya have had limited impact, given divisions among Council members on whether to take action to support the implementation of ICC decisions. Council members have often reverted to general exhortations rather than addressing non-compliance in a more forceful and effective way.

The UK is the penholder on Libya, and Schulz chairs the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee.

UN DOCUMENTS ON LIBYA
PEACEMAKING, PEACEKEEPING AND PEACEBUILDING

Peacekeeping

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council will hold an open debate on Investing in Peace: Delivering Quality Training and Capacity Building to Improve Safety and Security and Performance of UN Peacekeepers. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi will chair the meeting. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres; the force commander of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Lieutenant General Elias Rodrigues Martins Filho; and the director of the secretariat of the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations, Bjorn Holmberg, are expected to brief.

Background

The open debate is expected to focus on the ways in which quality training and capacity-building are crucial in the effort to improve safety, security and the performance of peacekeepers.

In late 2017, Lieutenant General (Retired) Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz led an independent review of peacekeeper fatalities resulting from hostile acts. Following this review, the Secretariat developed an action plan to improve the security of peacekeepers that identified four priority areas: changing mindsets, improving capacity, adopting a threat-oriented and risk management-focused footprint, and enhancing accountability.

The September 2018 Declaration of Shared Commitments on UN Peacekeeping Operations, endorsed by 151 member states and four regional organisations, recognised the importance of training for performance and for safety and security. The Declaration included a commitment by member states to provide well-trained and well-equipped uniformed personnel and to support the effective development and delivery of peacekeeping training, including pre-deployment preparation of personnel and capabilities, and the existing human rights screening policy. Member states expressed support for a light coordination mechanism related to training and capacity building and emphasised the need for increased funding to better support training. Furthermore, the Secretariat committed to provide member states with training materials and standards that match operational requirements.

In his November 2018 report to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34), the Secretary-General updated member states on the implementation of a new peacekeeping training plan focusing on three areas:

developing and disseminating training standards;

building the capacity of troop- and police-contributing countries for training delivery; and

the verification of that training to confirm that it accords with standards and that only trained personnel have been deployed.

The UN Secretariat is also developing a framework that integrates existing performance-related policies and standards. One of the new tools under the framework, the comprehensive performance assessment system (CPAS), has been applied to three pilot missions to assess whole-of-mission performancecivilian and uniformed components, staff and leadershipthrough data collection and analysis. In resolution 2436 of 21 September 2018, the Council reaffirmed its support for the development of a comprehensive and integrated performance policy framework that identifies clear standards of performance for evaluating all UN civilian and uniformed personnel working in and supporting peacekeeping operations.

Issues and Options

Council members and the larger UN membership have differing views on several issues related to peacekeeping. Member states were unable to agree on the annual report in the last session of the C-34 in February-March as a result of substantive differences, particularly regarding funding modalities of AU peace support operations. The open debate will be an opportunity for member states to present their views and renew political commitment to the role that training and capacity-building play in support of the implementation of Council mandates.

The Council could highlight how important it is for capacities and training to match operational requirements and encourage member states and the Secretariat to consider innovative ways of bridging this gap.

Indonesia could prepare a summary of the main points made at the open debate and circulate it as an official document of the Council.

Council and Wider Dynamics

Generally, there is a high degree of unity within the Council concerning the need to improve the safety and security of peacekeepers and the key role of training and capacity-building prior to and during their deployment. Indonesias interest in this issue is also due to its position as the eighth largest troop- and police- contributing country (T/PCC) and the largest one currently in the Council.

As demonstrated during the negotiations on resolution 2436 in September 2018, views differ in the Council and among the wider membership over how to improve peacekeeping performance. Some Council members have prioritised increased accountability for under-performance while others, including some T/PCCs, have argued for broadening the focus of these discussions, underlining that performance cannot be delinked from other factors related to mandate implementation, including the roles of the Council, the Secretariat and mission leadership.

A long-standing position raised by China and Russia in peacekeeping thematic discussions in the Council is that of the centrality of the C-34 in the policy-making process.

UN DOCUMENTS ON PEACEKEEPING
THEMATIC ISSUES

Protection of Civilians

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council is scheduled to receive the Secretary-Generals report on protection of civilians and hold its annual open debate on the topic. It seems that Indonesia, as Council president, is planning to focus the debate on community engagement as a means of enhancing the protection of civilians. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and representatives of the ICRC and civil society are expected to brief.

Key Recent Developments

The situation for civilians in conflict continues to be troubling, including across the Councils agenda. On average, 91 percent of reported casualties of explosive weapons in populated areas are civilians. In Yemen, the number of people in need has increased by two million since last year to 24.1 million people (80 percent of the population), including 11.3 million children. The number of people needing humanitarian assistance in Syria is 13.1 million. In Iraq, 6.7 million people need humanitarian assistance, and 1.7 million remain internally displaced as a result of armed conflict. The number of civilians killed in conflict-related action in Afghanistan in 2018 increased by 11 percent to 3,804. In South Sudan, some 4.4 million children are in need, while 2.2 million children are out of school, and around 600,000 pregnant and lactating women will be acutely malnourished in 2019. In Nigeria, the conflict in the northeast has continued to cause humanitarian suffering, with 7.7 million in need of assistance and 1.7 million internally displaced. All told, the UN has estimated that in 2019 over 130 million people will require humanitarian assistance.

Likewise, ICRC President Peter Maurer recently said in a speech that the organisation has almost doubled both its budget and staff in the last few years because of demand. According to the ICRCs numbers, two billion people are affected by fragility, conflict or violence, and it predicts that by 2030 half of these people will live in extreme poverty. In 2017, it found that 68.5 million people were displaced because of violence and conflict. In an analysis of 20 areas of conflict, the ICRC noted that most conflicts are lasting longer than they did in decades past.

The Security Councils most recent open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict was held on 22 May 2018. Polands Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jacek Czaputowicz, presided, as Poland held the Council presidency that month. The briefers were Secretary-General Guterres; Director-General of the ICRC, Yves Daccord; and Hanaa Edwar of the Iraqi Al-Amal Association, a civil society group.

Guterres highlighted three actions to advance the protection agenda, taken from his 2018 report. First, he said that governments around the world should develop policy frameworks for protecting civilians in conflict, including in urban warfare. Second, UN member states should back attempts by the UN and others to engage with non-state armed groups in developing policies, codes of conduct, and action plans to support and protect civilians. Finally, member states should increase their advocacy for the protection of civilians through ensuring accountability to end impunity for serious violations. Daccord stressed his concern over the large gap between policy and implementation with respect to the protection of civilians. Edwar spoke of ways the Iraqi people had suffered in conflict in past years, drawing from her first-hand experience of the destruction of Mosul.

Since the May 2018 open debate, there have been two thematic outcomes on the protection of civilians. On 24 May 2018, the Council adopted resolution 2417 that focused on the link between armed conflict and food insecurity. The resolution strongly condemned the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, as well as the unlawful denial of humanitarian access. It further requested the Secretary-General to brief the Security Council every 12 months on the resolutions implementation in the context of his annual briefing on the protection of civilians. On 21 September 2018, the Council adopted a presidential statement recognising the contribution of the updated aide memoire, a document designed to facilitate the Councils consideration of issues pertaining to the protection of civilians in armed conflict and created through discussions between the Security Council, OCHA, concerned UN departments and agencies, and other relevant humanitarian organisations.

On 1 April, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas chaired a briefing on Promoting and strengthening of the rule of law in the maintenance of international peace and security. The briefers were Maurer, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock, and Naz Modirzadeh, founding Director of the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict.

Several Arria-formula meetings during the past six months have focused on aspects of the protection agenda. These include meetings on the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on persons with disabilities (3 December 2018); enhancing the effectiveness of atrocity crime protection (10 December 2018); the protection of medical care in armed conflict (21 December 2018); the protection of children affected by armed conflict in contexts where humanitarian space is shrinking, with a specific focus on the Central African Republic (12 February); protecting humanitarian and medical personnel (1 April); and human rights in peace operations (17 April).

Key Issues and Options

While the Council has engaged extensively on the protection of civilians at both the thematic and country-specific level during the past two decades, a key issue is how to work toward more consistent implementation of this agenda on the ground. In this regard, member states may decide to emphasise in their interventions how protection can be enhanced in country-specific cases with respect to compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law, the protection of medical personnel and facilities, and humanitarian access, among other pertinent matters.

Another key issue is how best to secure follow-up and engagement on protection issues in the aftermath of the debate. In this regard, Indonesia could decide to produce a chairs summary, capturing the main proposals made during the open debate. Council members could also decide to use the ideas generated during the debate to produce an outcome afterwards.

Council and Wider Dynamics

Council members and the wider membership are acutely aware of the continued devastating impact of armed conflict in the 20 years since the Council held its first meeting on protection of civilians. The debate affords member states an opportunity to emphasise their support for the protection agenda, while underscoring that more needs to be done to translate advances at the normative level into effective country-specific strategies. As part of its effort to frame the discussion around community engagement, Indonesia may discuss the role of community engagement in gaining the trust of conflict-affected communities and enhancing the effectiveness of peacekeeping.

Council members and other member states may also discuss efforts to implement resolution 2417 on the link between conflict and food insecurity and resolution 2286 on the protection of health care in armed conflict, as the Secretary-General is required to report on these issues on an annual basis and may refer to them in his briefing.

The UK is the penholder on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

UN DOCUMENTS ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS
AFRICA

Somalia

Expected Council Action

The Council is expected to renew its authorisation of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), due to expire on 31 May.

The Council will also be briefed on the Secretary-Generals report on the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), due by 15 May.

Key Recent Developments

The armed group Al-Shabaab remains highly active. On 23 March, Al-Shabaab fighters detonated a suicide car bomb and then stormed a government building, killing 15 people including the countrys deputy labour minister, according to the police. On 18 April, a car bomb exploded in Mogadishu, killing five people. The following day, five family members of the deputy minister for fisheries were fatally shot.

On 14 April, a US airstrike in Puntland reportedly killed Abdulhakim Dhuqub, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levants deputy leader in Somalia. The US has increased its Somalia operations, reporting 28 airstrikes in 2019 thus far, compared with 47 for the whole of 2018 and 35 in 2017. A 20 March report by Amnesty International claimed that 14 civilians had been killed and eight wounded in five US airstrikes investigated between April 2017 and December 2018. The US denied the allegations but later acknowledged that a woman and child were killed in an airstrike in April 2018.

On 27 March, the Council unanimously renewed the mandate of UNSOM. The mission will continue to provide strategic support and advice to Somalia and AMISOM on peacebuilding and state-building in the areas of governance, security sector reform, and constitutional review, and it will assist the federal government in building its capacity to promote respect for human rights. The resolution further reiterates the Councils regret at Somalias decision to expel the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Haysom, and its expectation of full cooperation between Somalia and the UN, including the new Special Representative when appointed. (Haysom was declared persona non grata by Somalia at the end of 2018 after criticising Somalia for violence against demonstrators in an election-related incident in South West State.) The resolution also calls on Somalia and South West State to address allegations of human rights violations and abuses prior to the South West State elections.

On 13 February, the AU Peace and Security Council adopted a new Concept of Operations (CoP) for AMISOM for 2018-2021, in accordance with resolution 2431, to provide clear target dates for the progressive transfer of security responsibility from AMISOM to Somali security institutions and forces. The AU Peace and Security Council said in a communique that the successful implementation of the CoP depends on the effective generation of the Somali Security Forces necessary for the gradual and progressive takeover of security responsibilities from AMISOM, the presence of the required number of well-trained and equipped AMISOM personnel, and predictable resources for AMISOM to support the Somali transition. AMISOMs leadership met in Nairobi on 2 April to discuss the budget for programmes under the CoP.

Sanctions-Related Developments

On 18 April, the 751 Somalia Sanctions Committee met with National Security Advisor to the President of Somalia Abdi Said M Ali. Ali discussed progress on Somali security and political reforms.

Key Issues and Options

A key issue is ensuring that AMISOM retains the capability and means to strengthen and assist the Somali forces so that these forces can progressively take the lead in providing security while avoiding a premature handover of security responsibilities.

Closely related is the need to secure predictable and sustainable funding for AMISOM and Somali security institutions throughout this process. One option in this regard, although unlikely given current Council dynamics, would be for the Council to adopt language in support of direct UN funding for AMISOM during this transition period or express the willingness to consider this possibility in the future.

The Council may further consider the issue of troop strength.

Council Dynamics

In the past, including during last years negotiations on resolution 2431, positions taken on the pace of troop reductions reflected the underlying divisions among Council members. While then-Council member Ethiopia and others cautioned against downsizing AMISOM prematurely, France and the US pressed for strict timelines for further reductions. UNSOMs assessment of the security situation and progress in the Somali transition may prove influential ahead of negotiations over AMISOMs new mandate in this regard.

The AU continues to press the Council to do more to ensure predictable and sustainable funding for AMISOM. In addition to the logistical support given through the UN Support Office in Somalia and the voluntary contributions provided through the UN trust fund for AMISOM, several Council members have been willing to consider providing direct funding to AMISOM through UN assessed contributions. The US remains opposed to the idea, however. In the past, Council members have been unable to agree on specific language on this issue beyond general support for sustainable funding without committing the Council to any position.

The UK is the penholder on Somalia.

UN DOCUMENTS ON SOMALIA
AFRICA

South Sudan

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council expects to adopt a resolution renewing the South Sudan sanctions regime, which expires on 31 May. The Council is also set to renew the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the South Sudan Sanctions Committee by 31 May to avoid its expiration on 1 July, as set out in resolution 2428.

Key Recent Developments

The overall levels of political violence remain diminished since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) on 12 September 2018. However, ethnic and intercommunal violence continues, as well as clashes between government and opposition forces in the Greater Upper Nile and the Greater Equatoria regions. The human rights, humanitarian, food security and economic conditions in the country remain dire, with an enormous impact on civilians.

According to the terms of the R-ARCSS, 12 May marks the end of the eight-month pre-transitional period and the start of the 36-month transitional period, with elections to be held 60 days before the end of this transitional period. At press time it was uncertain whether the parties would meet this deadline. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar met with Pope Francis at the Vatican from 10 to 11 April. A statement released by the Vatican described the goal of the meeting as an occasion for encounter and reconciliation, in a spirit of respect and trust, to those who in this moment have the mission and the responsibility to work for a future of peace and prosperity for the South Sudanese people. On 13 April, Machar told reporters that the pre-transitional period should be extended by six months to unify and deploy defence forces, demilitarise the capital Juba and other cities, and agree on the devolution of power and the release of political prisoners. At press time, Machar had yet to return to South Sudan.

On 15 March, the Security Council adopted resolution 2459, extending the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) until 15 March 2020 and maintaining the overall ceilings of 17,000 troops and 2,101 police personnel. The four core elements of the mandate remain largely unchanged, namely protecting civilians, creating the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, monitoring and investigating human rights, and supporting the peace process. However, resolution 2459 added language calling on the mission to support the facilitation of the safe, informed, voluntary, and dignified return or relocation of [internally displaced persons] from United Nations protection of civilian sites, in coordination with humanitarian actors and other relevant stakeholders, and within existing resources. In this regard, at the most recent Council briefing on South Sudan on 8 March, Special Representative and head of UNMISS David Shearer told the Council that for the first time in three years, people are expressing a willingness to return home and emphasised that the mission will support those who want to leaveconsistent with international principles and humanitarian non-governmental organization guidelines that returns must be voluntary and dignified. Regarding support for the peace process and implementation of the R-ARCSS, resolution 2459 included language specifying advice or technical assistance, within existing resources as part of the missions mandate. A preambular paragraph underlined that the R-ARCSS is an important step forward in the peace process that provides a window of opportunity to achieve sustainable peace and stability in South Sudan. Resolution 2459 was adopted with 14 votes in favour. Russia abstained, in part because of its opposition to the resolution only noting and not welcoming the R-ARCSS. (See our Whats in Blue story of 14 March.)

On 13 July 2018, the Council adopted resolution 2428, which imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan until 31 May 2019 and designated two additional individuals as subject to targeted sanctions, namely a travel ban and assets freeze, bringing the total number of listed individuals to eight (six individuals were listed in 2015). The resolution also decided on two additional designation criteria for the imposition of targeted sanctions against individuals for planning, directing, or committing acts involving sexual and gender-based violence in South Sudan and for engagement by armed groups or criminal networks in activities that destabilize South Sudan through the illicit exploitation or trade of natural resources. Resolution 2428 received the minimum of nine votes required for adoption absent a veto from a permanent member, with abstentions by six members (Bolivia, China, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan and Russia). The adoption of resolution 2428 was preceded by the adoption of resolution 2418 on 31 May, deciding that if the Secretary-General reported fighting or lack of a viable political agreement, the Council shall consider applying targeted sanctions to six individuals identified in an annex to that resolution, or an arms embargo, or both. The adoption of resolution 2418, which received the same minimum number of nine votes, thus paved the way for the adoption of resolution 2428 based on the findings of the Secretary-General, including that there had been credible reports of fighting. (For more details, see our Whats in Blue story of 12 July 2018.)

The Council was last briefed on South Sudan on 8 March by Shearer, as well as by Angelina Nyajima Simon Jial, who founded the civil society organisation Hope Restoration South Sudan. (See our Whats in Blue story of 7 March.)

Sanctions-Related Developments

Council members expect to receive the final report of the Panel of Experts assisting the South Sudan Sanctions Committee by 1 May, as requested in resolution 2428. The Panels interim report, dated 26 November 2018, said that while it was too early to assess the full impact of the arms embargo, a number of violations have been noted. The report also referred to alarming levels of sexual and gender-based violence, food insecurity and grave human rights abuses, including against children.

Human Rights-Related Developments

On 22 March during its 40th session, the Human Rights Council adopted without a vote resolution 40/19 on the situation of human rights in South Sudan. Among other things, the resolution condemns in the strongest possible terms the ongoing violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law in South Sudan, including those involving the targeted killing of civilians and widespread sexual and gender-based violence, including rape and gang rape, which continue to be used as a weapon of war, the recurring unlawful recruitment and use of children by armed groups, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, the arbitrary denial of humanitarian access and attacks on schools, places of worship, hospitals and United Nations and associated peacekeeping personnel by all parties. The resolution extended the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan for another year.

Key Issues and Options

An immediate issue for the Council is renewing the sanctions regime, including the arms embargo, and the mandate of the Panel of Experts. In doing so, the Council may also consider whether targeted sanctions should be imposed against additional individuals in line with the regimes listing criteria, which include acts involving sexual violence. An option would be for such considerations to be informed by the briefing of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, to the Council on 18 December 2018, when she said that sexual violence escalated dramatically in 2018 despite the signing of the R-ARCSS and that her office, together with OHCHR, had submitted a confidential letter to the chair of the South Sudan Sanctions Committee with the names of three alleged perpetrators.

Another key issue for the Council is the implementation of the arms embargo and targeted sanctions imposed by resolution 2428. As noted in the Panel of Experts November 2018 interim report, [i]ncreased regional security backing for the peace agreement led the Panel to identify a number of violations of the [arms] embargo as well as repeated violations of the travel ban by several designated individuals. The report also noted the Panel continued to seek the cooperation of regional States and commercial banks to monitor the implementation of the asset freeze. The findings and recommendations of the Panels final report, not yet available at press time, are likely to inform the Councils further consideration regarding implementation of the sanctions regime.

Council Dynamics

The imposition of an arms embargo on South Sudan in July 2018 was a major development. On several occasions in the four years prior to this, some Council members had called for an arms embargo, but until July 2018, such proposals had failed to garner sufficient support. (See our In Hindsight: South Sudan Arms Embargo, September 2018 Monthly Forecast.) As negotiations on resolutions 2418 and 2428 demonstrated, imposing the arms embargo on South Sudan was controversial, and both resolutions obtained the minimum number of votes required for adoption. One notable factor that made the adoption possible was the support of Cote dIvoire, which in doing so broke ranks with the two other African members of the Council at the time. Of the six members that abstained on resolutions 2418 and 2428 in 2018, three remain (China, Equatorial Guinea and Russia).

It is still unclear how the new composition of the Council may affect the upcoming adoption in May. However, references to the sanctions regime, and the arms embargo in particular, were contentious during negotiations on resolution 2459 renewing the UNMISS mandate in March. China, Russia and South Africa sought the removal of language contained in earlier drafts of the resolution noting the contribution to the peace process of the sanctions regime, including the arms embargo. The version adopted reflected a concession by only noting the measures adopted by the Security Council in resolution 2428, without referring to the arms embargo or the sanctions regimes impact on the peace process. (See our Whats In Blue story of 14 March.)

The US is the penholder on South Sudan. Poland chairs the 2206 South Sudan Sanctions Committee.

UN Documents on South Sudan
Status Update since our April Forecast

Rule of Law/Protection of Civilians

On 1 April, in a meeting chaired by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, and Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School Naz Modirzadeh briefed the Council on the promotion and strengthening of the rule of law, with a focus on International humanitarian law (S/PV.8499). An Arria-formula meeting on protecting humanitarian and medical personnel, chaired by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, was held earlier that day.

Non-proliferation

On 2 April, the Council held a high-level meeting in support of the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) chaired by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and with participation from International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu (S/PV.8500). In a press statement following the meeting, Council members reaffirmed their commitment to advance the goals of the NPT (SC/13762).

Small Arms and Light Weapons

On 8 April, Germany, France, the Dominican Republic and Equatorial Guinea organised an Arriaformula meeting on the Western Balkans Roadmap as a model for effective small arms and light weapons (SALW) control at the regional level. Speakers included High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu; Bojana Balon, head of UNDP/South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons; Ambassador Pennelope Beckles (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago); and Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the AU to the UN. Discussion also touched on other SALW initiatives, including Silencing the Guns in Africa and SALW strategies in the Caribbean.

Refugees

On 9 April, High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi briefed the Council (S/PV.8504).

Central African Republic

On 9 April, the Council adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2019/3), establishing benchmarks for suspending or progressively lifting arms embargo measures on the government of the CAR (S/PV.8503).

Western Sahara

On 10 April, Council members met in consultations to discuss MINURSO and the second roundtable of the parties in Geneva that occurred in March. Council members were briefed by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Colin Stewart and Personal Envoy Horst Kohler. On 24 April, Council members began negotiations to renew MINURSOs mandate. The Council voted on the renewal of MINURSOs mandate on 30 April.

Venezuela

On 10 April, the Council met at the request of the US to discuss the humanitarian situation in Venezuela (S/PV.8506). Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made introductory remarks and the Council was briefed by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock. The Council was also briefed by Eduardo Stein, the Joint Special Representative of the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, and Dr. Kathleen Page, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. US Vice President Mike Pence participated in the meeting.

Sudan (Darfur)

On 12 April, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Bintou Keita briefed Council members under any other business at the request of Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, the UK and the US, following the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir on 11 April by the Sudanese military. Also on 12 April, the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee met during informal consultations to receive a briefing from the Panel of Experts on the Panels workplan, in accordance with the Panels mandate as extended by resolution 2455 until 12 March 2020. On 17 April, the Security Council was briefed on the Secretary-Generals 90-day report (S/2019/305) on UNAMID by Joint Special Representative and head of UNAMID Jeremiah Mamabolo (via video teleconference from Khartoum). He told the Council the planned withdrawal of UNAMID by 30 June 2020 is on track, but the political situation in Sudan has changed drastically and could affect implementation of the missions mandate going forward. Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller also briefed. The briefing was followed by consultations.

Colombia

On 12 April, the Council was briefed by Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, on the Secretary-Generals latest report (S/2019/265). Rosa Emilia Salamanca, the Executive Director of the civil society organisation Corporacion de Investigacion y Accion Social y Economica, briefed the Council as well. Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo participated in the meeting (S/PV.8511). On 16 April, Council members adopted a press statement reiterating their call for full respect for the Special Jurisdiction for Peaces independence and autonomy (SC/13782).

Explosive Ordnance Threat M itigation

On 12 April, Belgium and Poland, in coordination with German, organised an Arria-formula meeting on: Explosive ordnance threat mitigation: For the implementation of a coherent and comprehensive response.

Afghanistan

On 15 April, Council members issued a press statement condemning the announcement by the Taliban of a spring offensive, underscoring that calls for more fighting will not contribute to making a sustainable peace, and calling on all conflict parties to seize the opportunity to begin an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations that result in a political settlement (SC/13781).

Human Rights

On 17 April, there was a closed Arria-formula meeting on human rights in peace operations. Cote dIvoire, France, Germany, Kuwait, and Peru sponsored the meeting. The briefers were the heads of human rights components of three UN peace operations: Danielle Bell of UNAMI (Iraq); Guillaume Ngefa of MINUSMA (Mali); and Abdoul Aziz Thioye of MONUSCO (DRC).

Children and Armed Conflict

The Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict met on 18 April to discuss its conclusions on the Secretary-Generals report on children and armed conflict in Syria. (S/2018/969).

Mali

On 22 April, Council members condemned the attack perpetrated on 20 April against a convoy of MINUSMA between Douentza and Boni (region of Mopti), which resulted in one peacekeeper from Egypt killed and four others injured.

Women, Peace and Security

On 23 April, the Council held a high-level open debate on sexual violence in conflict (S/PV.8514). During the debate, resolution 2467 was adopted. Heiko Maas, the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, chaired the meeting. Briefers included: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres; Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten; 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Denis Mukwege Mukengere and Nadia Murad; Amal Clooney, human rights barrister; and Inas Miloud, co-founder and Director of the Tamazight Womens Movement in Libya.

Ukraine

On 25 April, the Council was briefed on the situation in Ukraine (S/PV.8516). Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller, Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission Ertugrul Apakan, and Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Martin Sajdik provided the briefings. (Apakan and Sajdik participated via video-teleconference.)

Israel/Palestine

The Council held its quarterly open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on 29 April. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo briefed. She spoke on many issues, including the plight of women in Gaza. Additionally, Gidon Bromberg and Nada Majdalani, the Israeli and Palestinian co-Directors of the NGO EcoPeace Middle East, briefed on the difficult environmental situation in Gaza, especially concerning water. Many UN members also participated, including Israel and the Observer State of Palestine. Often repeated topics included the situation around the Golan Heights, the worsening financial crisis for the Palestinians, and the humanitarian situation of the Palestinians.
AFRICA

Sudan/South Sudan

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council is expected to renew the mandate of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) prior to its 15 May expiration.

Key Recent Developments

The security situation in Abyei, the disputed territory along the Sudan/South Sudan border, remained generally calm, with sporadic incidents of violence, according to the Secretary-Generals most recent report, which covers 16 October 2018 to 15 April. The biggest challenge is criminality as a result of the adverse economic situation and the prevalence of small arms, the report says. While not referring to the recent ousting of President Omar al-Bashir on 11 April by the Sudanese military and its possible impact on future progress in resolving the status of Abyei, the report notes that relations between the Sudan and South Sudan have improved significantly in the past year. However, it also states that there has been a lack of meaningful progress by both Governments in addressing critical issues, such as the completion of the withdrawal of forces from the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone and the full establishment of border crossing corridors. In this context, UNISFA remains essential to the stability of the Abyei Area and border region, and the report recommends that the missions mandate be extended for another six months. The report further calls on members of the Security Council to pursue diplomatic efforts to impress upon the two countries the importance and urgency of progress towards resolving their border issues, adding that an open-ended mandate for UNISFA should not be acceptable.

On 12 April, the Council unanimously adopted resolution 2465, which extended until 15 October UNISFAs support for the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM), established in 2011 to conduct monitoring and verification activities along the Sudan-South Sudan border. However, it decided that as of 15 October, UNISFAs authorised troop ceiling would decrease by 557 troops from the currently authorised level of 4,150, unless the Council again extends the missions support for the JBVMM. As in previous extensions since resolution 2352 of 15 May 2017, the Council indicated in resolution 2465 that this would be the final extension of such support unless Sudan and South Sudan demonstrate measurable progress in certain specified areas. In this regard, resolution 2465 sets out seven specific border-demarcation measures on which progress is required. It also expresses the Councils intention to request the Secretary-General to update recommendations on the reconfiguration of UNISFAs mandate, including on UNISFAs support to the JBVMM, taking into account the current political and security situation, in order to contribute to creating the conditions for a viable exit strategy for UNISFA.

At press time, the Council was scheduled to receive a briefing on 30 April from Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on the Secretary-Generals report. The Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Parfait Onanga-Anyanga (appointed in March) was also expected to brief the Council for the first time in this capacity. (Onanga-Anyanga was previously the Special Representative and head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic.) Consultations were scheduled to follow the briefing. Prior to this, the Council was last briefed on UNISFA and Sudan/South Sudan issues in consultations on 29 October 2018. The last public briefing on the issue took place on 20 September 2018.

Key Issues and Options

The key issue for the Council is to consider UNISFAs current mandate and strategic priorities as they relate to realities on the ground, including what modifications to make to the mandate and force structure, if any. A likely option is to renew UNISFAs mandate for another six months, as recommended in the Secretary-Generals report. In doing so, the Council may consider altering current troop and police levels as well as whether to impose additional criteria for progress by the parties on border demarcation.

Another issue is what steps the Council should take to encourage greater progress in the political process to resolve the final status of Abyei. An option would be for Council members to consider the request in the Secretary-Generals report to enhance the missions civilian component in order to advance its support to the African Union Commission and the African Union High-level Implementation Panel, as well as to the two parties. Council members may also reflect on how best to support Onanga-Anyanga going forward and will likely be interested in hearing his assessment of the situation.

Council Dynamics

As in previous years, the Councils focus on the situation in Abyei remains limited, largely overshadowed by its ongoing engagement on South Sudan and Sudan (Darfur). However, the renewal of UNISFAs support for the JBVMM in April and the upcoming renewal of the missions mandate in May present opportunities for Council members to direct attention to the issue.

During negotiations in April on the renewal of UNISFAs support for the JBVMM, the US, consistent with its position in October 2018, sought neither to reduce the missions authorised troop ceiling (as it did in April 2018), nor to suspend the missions support for the JBVMM (as it did in November 2017), both of which then-Council member Ethiopia and others successfully resisted. As a result, negotiations ahead of adopting resolution 2465 proceeded comparatively smoothly.

At press time, it was unclear whether negotiations in May on renewing UNISFAs mandate will also proceed smoothly. Key issues during negotiations on the last mandate renewal in November 2018 and the adoption of resolution 2445 included troop reductions, the number of additional police personnel, and whether to request the Secretary-General to appoint a civilian deputy head of mission (ultimately not requested). (For more details, see our Whats In Blue story of 14 November 2018.)

The US has repeatedly asserted that UNISFA is persisting longer than intended for an interim force and that Sudan and South Sudan are taking advantage of the relative stability that UNISFA provides to delay attempts to resolve the status of Abyei. It has also pressed for a viable exit strategy for the mission.

The US is the penholder on Abyei.

UN Documents on Sudan/South Sudan
MIDDLE EAST

Syria

Expected Council Action

In May, the Council will receive the monthly briefings on the humanitarian situation, the political process, and the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Key Recent Developments

The humanitarian situation in Syria remains critical. After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (a Council-designated terrorist group) took control of most of Idlib in January, there has been an upsurge in attacks by government forces and in civilian casualties despite an agreement by Turkey and Russia to carry out coordinated patrols in and around the Idlib de-escalation zone. On 4 April, Syrian airstrikes hit a market in the town of Kafr Nabl, killing at least a dozen people and wounding dozens.

The situation in the northeast of Syria continues to be fragile following the December 2018 announcement by the US that it would withdraw its troops, with the potential for an escalation of violence between Turkey and the Kurdish YPG militia, which is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

On 18 April, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Panos Moumtzis urged governments, some of which have refused to take back their citizens, not to abandon the 2,500 foreign children held in the Al-Hol camp, which is overcrowded with some 75,000 people, more than 90 percent of whom are women and children. The camp hosts people who were living in territory held by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), including family members of foreign fighters, displaced by hostilities and the groups territorial loss.

Briefing the Council on 24 April, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller highlighted how, eight years into the conflict, 11.7 million people inside Syria still require humanitarian assistance and protection. She emphasised the need for durable solutions for the thousands of people who remain stranded in the makeshift Rukban settlement, near Syrias southern border with Jordan. Although most residents have expressed a desire to leave the settlement, they have also highlighted various protection concerns. In recent weeks, over 7,000 people have left the camp, but Mueller reiterated that any returns or relocations must be voluntary, safe, dignified and well-informed and must abide by the core protection standards of international humanitarian law and human rights law. At the meeting, Nujeen Mustafa, a civil society representative, briefed the Council on the disproportionately high impact of the Syrian conflict on people with disabilities.

Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, briefed the Council on 27 March on developments on the five goals identified by Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen for the period ahead. These include a sustained dialogue with the government and the opposition; concrete action on detainees, abductees and missing persons; engagement with a wide range of Syrians on the political process; convening a credible, balanced and inclusive constitutional committee as soon as possible; and improving international dialogue and cooperation on Syria. Since assuming office, Pedersen has held three separate meetings with the government of Syria in Damascus and with the opposition Syrian Negotiation Commission in Riyadh.

At a 25-26 April meeting, the Astana guarantorsIran, Russia and Turkeydecided to hold the next round of consultations on the launching of a constitutional committee in Geneva. Pedersen has said he considers the convening of a constitutional committee as a potential door-opener for the political process.

The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, briefed Council members on 4 April. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Syrian government have held technical consultations to discuss the gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies identified by the OPCW in Syrias initial declaration in 2013 of its chemical weapons stockpile. In March, these issues were reviewed and prioritised for further action, and a road map for future activities was developed.

Key Issues and Options

Given the crucial role of the Astana guarantors on both the political and humanitarian fronts, Council members could seek an informal interactive dialogue with their representatives to have a more action-oriented discussion regarding current and future efforts to avert a full-fledged military offensive in Idlib.

Despite international engagement on the establishment of the constitutional committee, some question whether any effort on the political process is likely to yield results, considering the trajectory of the conflict and the consolidation of control by the Syrian government. With Pedersen still early in his tenure, Council members could organise a retreat to hold an informal and frank discussion with him to consider how, individually and collectively, they can best support the prospects for a political process based on resolution 2254.

Building on the information provided by DiCarlo in her 27 March briefing, the Council could suggest that the working group on detainees, abductees, handover of bodies and identification of missing persons, which includes the Astana guarantors and the UN, meet in Geneva in the near future and move beyond one-for-one exchanges to focus instead on the simultaneous release of unequal numbers of detainees/abductees. The Council could hold a meeting specifically to shed light on this little-discussed issue and call on the guarantors to use their influence on the government to engage in good faith on this matter.

The Council could request a briefing in consultations by the Secretariat to focus on the potential for instability in north-eastern Syria, call on the actors involved to exercise restraint, and support good-offices efforts to address long-standing grievances.

Council members could invite the director of the OPCW to participate in an informal interactive dialogue on the work of the organisation on Syria.

Council Dynamics

Strong divisions among Council members persist on Syria. Although the arrival of a new envoy provides an opportunity to reinvigorate the political process, Council dynamics on Syria continue to be marked by polarisation, especially among the permanent members, on the three areas through which it engages on the conflict: political, humanitarian and chemical weapons.

Belgium, Germany and Kuwait are co-penholders on humanitarian issues in Syria.

UN DOCUMENTS ON SYRIA
MIDDLE EAST

Yemen

Expected Council Action

In May, Special Envoy Martin Griffiths is expected to brief the Council on the implementation of resolutions 2451 and 2452. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock and General Michael Lollesgaard, the chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) and head of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), may also brief.

Key Recent Developments

There has been little progress in the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement of December 2018. Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces have not begun redeploying their forces from the critical port city of Hodeidah and the nearby smaller ports of Saleef and Ras Isa as set out in the agreement. Carrying forward the other two elements of the Stockholm Agreementa prisoner exchange and Statement of Understanding on Taiz for greater humanitarian access to the cityhas also stalled.

On 15 April, Griffiths announced during a Council briefing that the parties had accepted a detailed plan for the first phase of redeployments. According to the arrangement on Hodeidah in the Stockholm Agreement, phase one requires the Houthis to withdraw from the three ports and both sides to redeploy from critical areas of Hodeidah city associated with humanitarian facilities. In a second phase, both parties should redeploy fully from the city. During the subsequent consultations, Lollesgaard expanded on Griffiths announcement, saying that the parties had agreed in writing to the detailed plan. He recommended, however, that phase one redeployments should not occur until outstanding issues have been resolved, including the composition of local security forces that will assume security responsibilities in the city and ports, and a plan for the phase two redeployments.

On 17 April, Council members issued a press statement welcoming the agreement by the Yemeni government and the Houthis to the concept of operations for Phase 1 of redeployments. Members called on both parties to swiftly agree on local security force arrangements and the concept of operations for Phase 2 redeployments.

While the UN continues to assess the ceasefire in Hodeidah governorate as largely holding, fighting has escalated elsewhere. The city of Taiz saw heavy fighting in late March between anti-Houthi groups. Fighting near Abs in Hajjah governorate displaced 100,000 people by mid-April. There has also been an escalation on the front lines along the Saudi-Yemeni border and in Al-Dhale governorate.

During the 15 April briefing, Lowcock warned that UN agencies were rapidly running out of money for essential relief operations to respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war. He also issued a warning about the risk of an environmental disaster posed by the FSO SAFER oil tanker, which is a floating storage and offloading facility eight kilometres off the coast of the Ras Isa terminal in the Red Sea. The facility, containing 1.1 million barrels of oil, has had no maintenance since 2015. Since September 2018, the UN has sought to conduct an assessment of the tanker, but the Houthis have apparently still not approved the request. Lowcock also flagged the tripling of suspected cholera cases in 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018.

In political developments, Yemens 301-member House of Representatives convened more than 130 parliamentarians from 13 to 17 April in Sayoun, in a rare session since the start of the war. Yemeni President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, having travelled from Riyadh, addressed the legislators, who elected a new speaker and adopted a budget. The Houthis meanwhile held elections on 13 April for 24 vacant seats in that same body.

Internationally, the US Congress passed a resolution on 4 April to end US involvement in the war. The US has provided arms, the sustainment of weapons, intelligence and targeting assistance to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government, and, until last November, mid-air refuelling of coalition planes. On 16 April, President Donald Trump vetoed the measure. Earlier, on 29 March, Germany extended for six months a moratorium on arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Sanctions-Related Developments

The 2140 Yemen Sanctions Committee undertook a visiting mission to Amman, Riyadh, Muscat and Tehran from 30 March to 5 April. It was the first visiting mission since the committee was established in February 2014. Fourteen committee members participated, a large number for a sanctions committee mission. In Amman, the committee met with Griffiths and Humanitarian/Resident Coordinator in Yemen Lise Grande. It received a briefing by video teleconference from Lollesgaard. The next day, on 2 April, it met in Riyadh with, among others, President Hadi and the commander of the coalition forces, General Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The committee also visited a storage facility containing Houthi military equipment and armaments. While meeting Omani officials in Muscat, the committee was unable to confer with Oman-based Houthi representative Mohammed Abdul-Salam, apparently for logistical reasons as clearance was not provided in time by the leadership in Sanaa. In Tehran, committee members raised questions about alleged Iranian support of the Houthis, a point repeatedly stressed by officials in meetings in Riyadh. They also heard in Tehran that Iran was interested in contributing to a peaceful resolution of the war, but that coalition countries apparently were not willing to accept Irans participation in political efforts.

Key Issues and Options

The lack of progress in implementing the Stockholm Agreement, in particular the agreement on Hodeidah, remains a key issue. The main stumbling block regarding Hodeidah continues to be the parties inability to agree on the composition of local security forces to replace their own forces. Issues also include a lack of perceived incentives for the Houthis to withdraw, and the Houthis concerns that if they take steps to redeploy, Yemeni and coalition forces will move in to seize the city and ports. While the Stockholm Agreement last December halted a coalition offensive on Hodeidah, the status quo around Hodeidah is likely to be unsustainable. Tensions over the failure to implement the Agreement, and fighting elsewhere in Yemen, could cause the Stockholm process to collapse.

Another key issue is the importance of resuming talks between the Yemeni parties to focus on a comprehensive political solution. These have been put on hold until the agreement on Hodeidah is implemented or shows at least a minimum level of progress. During the 15 April consultations, Griffiths said he hoped to convene the next round of consultations after Ramadan, which ends on 4 June. If the impasse continues, the Council could exert pressure on the parties to follow through on their Stockholm commitments by adopting a presidential statement or a resolution, which could include the threat of sanctions.

The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic, with more than 24 million people requiring aid and 10 million people at risk of famine. Challenges in addressing the crisis include access restraints imposed by the parties and economic conditions that make it difficult for people to purchase essential commodities such as food. A lack of funding for relief efforts is a further challenge, with only 7 percent of the $4.19 billion required for the 2019 humanitarian response plan received by 24 April. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which announced $1.5 billion for the 2019 humanitarian response, comprising more than half of pledged funds, have so far delivered very little of this money. The two countries announced in an 8 April letter to the Council that they would provide $200 million during Ramadan.

One option is a stand-alone Council briefing on the humanitarian crisis to refocus attention on the situation and possibly increase pressure on the parties to break through the current stagnation. Council members could further consider adopting a humanitarian resolution, perhaps with the more prescriptive elements that were dropped during last Decembers negotiations on resolution 2451 on steps that the parties should take, such as removing bureaucratic restrictions within prescribed timeframes and measures for strengthening the economy. A further option is an open debate on Yemen to hear the views of the larger UN membership.

In either a product on the Stockholm Agreement or on the humanitarian situation, the Council could request the Secretary-General to submit written reports every two months, as the Council currently relies on oral briefings for information on Yemen.

Regarding the 2140 Yemen Sanctions Committee, the chair of the committee may brief the Council on last months visiting mission. Another option is to establish a list of prohibited items in relation to the arms embargo created by resolution 2216, which the Panel of Experts recommended in 2017 due to the coalition prohibiting imports that it assesses to have dual civilian-military use, but, according to the Panel, was being applied to some items unlikely to have a combat value. An issue that arose during the Sanctions Committee mission is that a Yemeni government list bans importing items such as water pipes required to maintain sanitation systems, which has hurt efforts to address the cholera epidemic.

Council Dynamics

Members appear united in wanting the parties to fulfil their commitments under the Stockholm Agreement. They have been seeking a balance of patience and pressure on the parties that will support the efforts of Griffiths and Lollesgaard, while under pressure from the coalition and Yemeni government to single out the Houthis publicly for impeding progress. Kuwait is part of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, and tends to champion coalition positions. It has sought to facilitate political efforts, hosting peace talks in 2016 and providing aircraft to transport the Houthi delegation to last Decembers consultations in Sweden. Elected members Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Peru and Poland often coordinate their positions to highlight issues around the humanitarian crisis and international humanitarian law. The US shares coalition concerns about, and at times seeks to highlight, Irans role that it views as destabilising.

The UK is the penholder on Yemen. Peru chairs the 2140 Yemen Sanctions Committee.

UN DOCUMENTS ON YEMEN
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Tuesday, April 30, and theres a lot going on in the East Bay: the Ghost Ship trial is starting, West Oaklands first grocery store in decades is opening, and a Catholic Charities residential program in Oakland for sex trafficking survivors faces opposition. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

Muni boss out

The head of San Franciscos Municipal Transportation Agency is stepping down amid the fallout from a 10-hour meltdown that choked the city on Friday.

Its become clear that this is the right time for a change, Ed Reiskin wrote in a note to colleagues on Monday explaining he will resign this summer, shortly before his contract expires.

The announcement came amid a scorching letter from San Francisco Mayor London Breed to Munis board, calling for a nationwide search for a new director.

Oakland Ghost Ship trial opens

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

After two years of legal wrangling, opening statements are set to begin in the Ghost Ship trial to determine whether two men are responsible for involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of 36 people in the warehouse fire.

For survivors, relatives and friends of the victims in the courtroom gallery, the trial is expected to revive trauma and suffering that followed the inferno at the East Oakland artist collective. A trial in the case seemed remote, at one point  so what happened?

Reporters Kimberly Veklerov and Megan Cassidy outline what you need to know as the trial begins.

A neighborhood grocery store

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

The first full-scale grocery store in West Oakland in decades opens in May. Its been almost a decade in the making, in part because of its nontraditional financial structure and use of community input  this isnt another Safeway.

Nearby residents are excited for a lot of things: to finally walk to a grocery store, to have a central gathering place, to feel like West Oakland is in a revival. But there are some concerns about how the store might further gentrify the neighborhood, and whether it will be affordable enough to serve people who need it most.

The latter is of huge importance to owner Brahm Ahmadi, which is why he skipped wood accents and other decor that might signal that the store isnt for everyone. Reporter Janelle Bitker has more about how Community Foods Market came to be and how the neighborhood feels about it.

A still very expensive housing market

Bay Area housing prices hit their all-time high last year. Now they have dropped  ever so slightly year over year  for the first time in seven years.

We are going through a gradual move from a hot sellers market to a more balanced market, broker Glen Bell tells columnist Kathleen Pender.

Read more here.

A different kind of housing fight

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

The social services arm of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland is seeking to open a home for teenage victims of sex trafficking. Clients will be able to stay up to 18 months at the facility while accessing mental health services and schooling, a spokeswoman tells reporter Gwendolyn Wu.

Sign up for Bay Briefing Like what you're reading? Subscribe to The Chronicle's Bay Briefing newsletter, and get the Bay Area's best journalism in your in-box every weekday. See More Collapse

But the churchs plan to help girls who have been abused is facing opposition on multiple fronts: from survivors of sexual abuse by priests, nearby neighbors and some advocates who say victims could be harmed by the limitations they would face in accessing reproductive health care because of the churchs stance on abortion and contraception.

Around the bay

 Biological marker: A Stanford scientist has developed what could be the first simple blood test for chronic fatigue syndrome.

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.

 Extremely on brand: Erica Dann, the woman representing California in the Miss USA pageant, lives in San Francisco, works for Google, and her platform is addressing homelessness. Columnist Heather Knight says shes not all talk on the issue.

 Third degree: A federal California magistrate rejects Trump administration rollback of protections for online college students.

 Fire fund: PG&E wants to create a new fund to aid Camp Fire victims, CFO says, but declines to answer questions about the specifics of the fund

 Gang injunctions: San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera will seek to scrap the citys controversial gang injunction program by the end of the year, following a significant drop in street violence and homicides over the past 13 years.

 Inside Scoop: With Velvet 48, Burlingame gets a new wine bar focused on affordability.

 Moderately ambitious crossover event: Connor Letourneau is joined by Rockets beat writer Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle on the Warriors Off-Court podcast to discuss the first game of the Warriors-Rockets series.

 Humor and wit: Megan Mullally brings vaudeville/punk music act Nancy and Beth back to SF.

Inbox report

Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images 2019

President Trumps tweet aimed at sanctuary cities and states is the most recent example of apparent threats aimed at California by the U.S. president.

In a recent Political Punch newsletter, Politics Editor Trapper Byrne looked at some of Trumps tweets promising swift action toward California to see what, if anything, they have led to. (Spoiler alert: Not much  but wildfire disaster aid remains caught up in a wider political fight in Congress.)

For the full round-up of Bay Area and California political news in your in-box, three times a week, you can subscribe to Political Punch here.

Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email in-boxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com
A fatal motorcycle crash Tuesday morning on the Bay Bridge shut down multiple lanes of traffic just before San Franciscos Fremont Street off-ramp, backing vehicles up to the toll plaza on the Oakland side, authorities said.

An officer tried to pull over the motorcyclist, a man in his 20s, at 7:35 a.m. just west of Treasure Island, according to the California Highway Patrol. The vehicle was speeding and failed to display a rear license plate, the agency said.

Instead, the rider took off and crashed just before the Fremont Street off-ramp, officials said. First responders took the motorcyclist to San Francisco General Hospital, where the unidentified rider died.

The motorcyclist seemed to have lost control, CHP spokesman Bert Diaz said.

It appeared that he went down on his own, Diaz said. There were no other parties involved and no signs of him hitting another car and/or a wall or center divide.

California Highway Patrol officers issued a severe traffic alert and closed the two left lanes as crews cleaned up debris, including a gas tank that had come apart from the motorcycle during the crash.

After four hours of gridlock, the lanes were re-opened around 11:30 a.m.

The incident delayed Munis 25-Treasure Island route and AC Transit buses coming into San Francisco, officials said.

It took nearly a half-hour for AC Transits Transbay G bus to make it from Emeryville to the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza. The trip usually takes five minutes or less.

Shortly after crawling though the toll plaza, the driver alerted riders to the cause of the Bay Bridge slowdown.

Most riders looked at their phones, read books or napped as the bus slogged forward. CHP patrol cars, lights flashing and sirens blaring, occasionally passed on the shoulders of the bridge.

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.

Just dream, relax, think of winning a lot of money, the operator told riders. Well get you there.

BART is running additional trains between the East Bay and San Francisco to ease the bridge gridlock, the agency said.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu
Politicians shout constantly about tackling homelessness. Activists stage rallies about it and march through the streets. Many regular San Franciscans complain about the citys homeless problem to anybody who will listen.

Erica Dann talks about it, too. But sometimes when she does, shes wearing a glittery crown, sash and evening gown.

In the you learn something new every day category, I learned that Miss California lives right here in San Francisco  specifically the Marina, which is less surprising  and that her platform is addressing homelessness.

The 27-year-old Florida native, who works in human resources at Google, will talk about helping San Franciscos homeless population on stage as she vies for the Miss USA title on Thursday. The winner will go on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. (Yes, the pageant owned by Donald Trump until 2015.)

Dann rents a one-bedroom apartment on Chestnut Street. She moved to the city four years ago for her Google gig after receiving a bachelors degree in political science and a masters degree in international business from the University of Florida and working in sales in Atlanta.

Beauty queens arent necessarily known for their social justice causes, but Dann shared some tidbits that make her seem legit.

She volunteers regularly in the dining room at Glide. She voted for Proposition C in November to tax the citys biggest businesses  such as, yes, Google  to pay for homeless services. Shed welcome a Navigation Center in the Marina.

Here are some highlights from our chat the other day.

On beauty pageants: A few months ago, Dann was looking for something fulfilling to supplement her busy career and personal life, and a friend told her she should try beauty pageants.

I said, Im not doing that! Thats not for me! Im not in that world! she said. But she reluctantly researched Miss USA and learned community engagement was a big part of it.

For me, moving out to San Francisco, I felt like I hadnt really held myself accountable enough to get involved in the community and make a difference, she said. Pageants arent what they seem on the outside. You can make it your own, based on what you care about.

She applied to Miss California online and was accepted into the competition  being named Miss San Francisco by virtue of her home address. She then had to pick a platform, an issue she cares about and dedicates her time to or raises money for, and chose homelessness. I mean, theres nothing more San Francisco than that. She competed in her first pageant, Miss California, in January and won.

On homelessness: Dann said she was floored when she moved to San Francisco and saw the citys huge homeless problem up close, particularly the tent camps that dot some neighborhoods.

It was really, really shocking, frankly, she said.

She volunteers at Glide a couple of times a month and has spearheaded fundraisers for the church. She addressed homelessness on stage at the Miss California pageant, sharing statistics such as the 555,000 homeless people living in the United States, nearly a quarter of them in California. Shell talk about the issue again at the Miss USA pageant in Reno.

She thinks government needs to provide more mental health treatment slots, more drug rehabilitation centers and more entry-level job training programs. She also thinks San Francisco needs to get creative when it comes to housing the homeless and pointed to BART debating whether to turn its old train cars into shelters.

Homelessness and obvious mental illness among those living on the streets has seeped into residential neighborhoods all over San Francisco, including the Marina, and Dann said she would absolutely support a navigation center in her neighborhood.

On Google: Dann used to commute up to two hours each way to the companys Sunnyvale or Mountain View offices in one of those love-em-or-hate-em big white shuttle buses. Shes now based in the San Francisco office at One Market Street, which she called the biggest game changer.

Theyre investing in San Francisco, Dann said. They know there are so many employees who work here and dont necessarily want to do the commute. Its a long commute, a real journey.

My friends back home would say, We dont understand how you sit on a shuttle for four hours a day! she added with a laugh.

Google has signed four leases to expand its office space in San Francisco in the past year alone, boosting its footprint to 1.6 million square feet and making it the third-biggest tech tenant behind Salesforce and Uber.

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Dann acknowledged that the growth of Google and other tech companies in the city has helped drive up the cost of housing and pushed some people onto the streets.

We owe it to individuals whove been pushed out and lost homes to help them, she said. Corporate responsibility comes into play.

Thats why she voted for Prop. C, encouraged by Glides strong endorsement of the measure.

On San Francisco: Dann said she could see herself staying in the city and raising a family  well, besides the cost of living. She loves the easy access to Lake Tahoe, Muir Woods and Wine Country. She said she also likes how driven everybody is, though Im guessing thats more true of the tech industry than some other jobs.

Its a different kind of hustle, she said. You just really have that grind and push, and everyone around you is so successful and doing such incredible things. Its really motivating and makes you want to thrive.

If she wins on Thursday, shell have to move to New York City for a year, taking the glass box she keeps in her closet that holds her crown and sash with her.

Its so hard to put it on  its heavy, she said of the shimmery crown. I have a lot of hair, so it takes 20 bobby pins. Its no joke.

Asked whether anybody who hails from bleeding heart, oft-mocked San Francisco has a chance to win Miss USA, Dann said shes confident the answer is yes.

If anyone tries to challenge me on that, Ill set them straight, she said with a laugh. Its the best city!

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
A former San Francisco sheriffs deputys conviction for assaulting a disabled man at San Francisco General Hospital has been overturned by a state appeals court, the same court that had reversed his earlier assault conviction in the same incident.

Michael Lewelling was charged with assaulting Fernando Guanill in the hospital waiting room in November 2014. Guanill, 60, a homeless man with a disabling leg injury, had gone to the hospital complaining of pain, argued with a nurse, then had fallen asleep while awaiting an appointment, the court said. Staff members asked Lewelling, who was on the hospitals security detail, to escort him out.

The deputy tapped Guanill on the shoulder to awaken him, then tried to handcuff him. What happened next was in dispute  Guanill said Lewelling and two other deputies had hit and choked him, while Lewelling said Guanill had threatened him and tried to attack him with his cane. Prosecutors from District Attorney George Gascons office said a video of the incident showed that Lewelling was the aggressor, and they charged the deputy with several crimes.

A jury convicted Lewelling in 2015 of felony assault for an act of violence by an officer without lawful necessity. He was sentenced to probation.

But the First District Court of Appeal overturned that conviction in October 2017. The court said Superior Court Judge Ellen Chaitin had failed to define lawful necessity for the jurors and had instead allowed them to decide that any use of force  like pushing Guanill back in his chair  amounted to assault if Lewelling had no legal basis for detaining Guanill.

The same jury had also found Lewelling guilty of simple assault, a misdemeanor charge of using force without justification. The jurys felony verdict had the effect of setting the lesser charge aside, but after the reversal, Gascons office persuaded another judge, Tracie Brown, to reinstate the misdemeanor conviction. Lewelling was again sentenced to probation.

On Monday, however, the appeals court said Chaitin had also given the jury confusing and misleading instructions on the misdemeanor assault charge.

When jurors expressed uncertainty during deliberations, the judge defined the crime without telling them they would have to conclude that the officer used unreasonable force to find Lewelling guilty, Justice James Richman said in a 3-0 ruling reversing the conviction.

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.

Chaitins instruction made the confusion worse, said Richman, who also wrote the 2017 ruling overturning the felony assault conviction. And because the jury, by clearing Lewelling of additional charges, evidently believed that Guanill had threatened the officer with a cane, Chaitin should have told jurors they could acquit Lewelling if they found he had acted in self-defense, Richman said.

Harry Stern, a lawyer for Lewelling, said the officer had been dismissed from his job after the convictions and would now seek reinstatement.

This was a prosecution that never should have happened, Stern said.

Guanill also sued for damages, and the city agreed to pay him more than $100,000, his lawyer said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @BobEgelko
Attorneys in the Ghost Ship criminal trial will lay out the facts of the case Tuesday to jurors in an Oakland courtroom who will determine whether two men are responsible for involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of 36 people.

After months of pretrial proceedings, the opening statements will be the first time, apart from jury selection, that the panel will hear directly from the lawyers about the December 2016 warehouse inferno. A procession of eye witnesses and expert testimony will follow.

For survivors and relatives and friends of the victims in the courtroom gallery, the trial is expected to revive trauma and suffering that followed the fire at the East Oakland artist collective.

A trial in the case seemed a remote possibility, at one point. Lawyers on both sides said going to trial would be costly and lengthy and were encouraged by an Alameda County Superior Court judge to reach a settlement.

Last summer, defendants Derick Almena and Max Harris struck a plea deal with prosecutors, but families and friends of the victims implored Judge James Cramer to reject the slap on the wrist agreement, and, in a stunning decision, he did.

Theres this sense that the trial itself may be a cathartic ritual for the city, said Robert Weisberg, a Stanford law professor and co-director of the schools Criminal Justice Center. The really odd thing here is that the judge blew up the plea bargain, and he did it in such a way that the parties couldnt go back to the drawing board and reach one with a little less leniency.

The blaze was one of the deadliest structure fires in U.S. history. Remnants of the skull-graffitied warehouse still stand in the Fruitvale neighborhood behind layers of memorials and a chain-link fence.

Besides the criminal trial, theres civil litigation in which attorneys for the families, survivors and former warehouse residents are trying to extract damages from the city, landlord Chor Ng and other parties.

Heres what you need to know as opening statements begin.

Who is on trial?

Alameda County Sheriffs Office 2017

Almena and Harris, who remain in jail, ran the day-to-day operations of the Satya Yuga artist collective known as the Ghost Ship on 31st Avenue near International Boulevard.

Almena, 49, was the master tenant who leased the building from owner Chor Ng and her family, and converted it into a live-work collective, without city permits, officials said. His lawyers are Tony Serra and Brian Getz.

Harris, 29, lived in the warehouse as the Ghost Ships creative director and helped plan a music event on the night of the fire that drew dozens of partygoers to the second floor. Harris is represented by defense attorney Curtis Briggs.

Almena and Harris each face 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. If convicted on all charges, each could get up to 39 years in state prison.

Who is prosecuting the case?

Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Autrey James took on the role of lead prosecutor in the case after co-counsel David Lim announced that he would leave to start his own firm.

What happened the night of the fire?

Aaron Marin

The evening of Dec. 2, 2016, a massive blaze tore through the Ghost Ship warehouse, where about 100 people had gathered for an electronic music party.

People escaped from the burning building and gathered outside, but none of them seemed overly excited or distraught, according to an investigative report. First responders and survivors appeared to be unaware that there were people trapped inside the burning building. Firefighters called into the building but got no answer.

The Ghost Ship was a labyrinth of passageways crammed with flammable materials, firefighters later said. A stack of wooden pallets served as the only unblocked stairway to and from the second floor, where the party was being held. There were no fire exits.

Seven victims were later recovered from the second floor, in a section that didnt collapse or burn but showed extensive smoke damage. The other 29 were found either in the rubble from a partial collapse of the second floor or on the ground floor. All 36 died of smoke inhalation.

Almena was at a hotel with his family for the night, and Harris was staffing the door at the event and escaped the fire.

Why were Almena and Harris criminally charged?

Prosecutors say Almena and Harris are criminally responsible for creating the tinderbox and packing it with dozens of guests on the night of the fire.

Prosecutors say Almena breached the terms of his lease by illegally allowing 15 to 25 people to live in the building, and that he scoffed at suggestions to make it safer. The building was not outfitted with sprinklers or an automatic fire detection system, and the partys organizers didnt have a permit from the city to hold a concert at the warehouse.

The prosecution could argue that, while other blameable parties may exist, they do not exonerate the two defendants, Weisberg said.

Guilt or responsibility is not zero-sum game here, he said.

What will the defense argue?

Brittany Hosea-Small / Special to the Chronicle

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The defense teams have sought to redirect blame onto the building owner and the city, who they say should have better policed the space. City officials had been in the building on several occasions prior to the fire but failed to shut down the space.

Weisberg, the Stanford law professor, said a complex of parties may have contributed to the problem. Prosecutors will have to show that Almena and Harris were responsible for the dangers that caused the loss of life.

Obviously, its a serious criminal case, but in some ways it looks more like a tort case  a personal injury case, Weisberg said. A lot of people were probably negligent here ... the question is, where do you ultimately place liability?

Whether lawyers for Almena and Harris stick together in their overall strategy or point the finger at the other party remains to be seen.

Who died in the fire?

The three dozen victims were mostly young people  artists, musicians, students and educators. They ranged from 17 to 61 in age. Just one was a resident of the warehouse.

Read each of their stories at https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2016/oakland-fire-victims/

Why has it taken more than two years to go to trial?

A trial initially scheduled for July 2018 was called off at the eleventh hour, after Almena and Harris accepted a deal to plead no contest. Under that agreement, Almena and Harris were to be sentenced to nine and six years, respectively, in county jail. Subtracting credit for time served, Almena could have been released in 3 years and Harris in less than two, as opposed to 39 years in state prison if convicted at trial.

But in a surprise decision, a second judge tossed that agreement after finding that Almena failed to show adequate remorse for the victims. Because the two pleas came as a package deal, Harris agreement was scrapped as well.

Briggs and Serra have since tried to stall or have the case dismissed. In recent months, the defense attorneys have unsuccessfully accused investigators of destroying evidence, called for the citizens arrest of city officials and, in Briggs case, asked for a six-month delay of the trial.

How long will the trial last?

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson has carved out 12 to 18 weeks for both defense and prosecutors to present their evidence and may provide some time off to reduce juror hardships.

Kimberly Veklerov and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov @meganrcassidy
Less than six months after Che Ficos downstairs pastry shop and dinette, Theorita, went dark on Divisadero, the space has re-opened as Che Fico Alimentari.

Alimentari is an Italian word for groceries and serves as the inspiration for the business. It opens today as a 60-seat restaurant with a retail component, wines from across Italy and to-go items like desserts, cheeses and salumi. Its meant to complement its upstairs sibling restaurant Che Fico. And like its predecessor, Theorita, its anchored by talented women  James Beard Award winner and pastry chef Angela Pinkerton and celebrated Che Fico wine director Francesca Maniace.

Pinkerton, who still plans to open her Theorita project elsewhere in the city, will supply Che Fico Alimentaris breads and mostly traditional Italian desserts.

Theres going to be cannolis and tiramisu, things you say to people and they know exactly what youre talking about, she said. We want to push that retail component in the pastry department as well.

(See the dessert menu here)

Theorita, with its butter fries and burgers, was a stark departure from what was being offered at Che Fico. This time around, the new restaurant will follow Che Ficos lead with a simple menu of Italian fare like rigatoni and cacio e pepe.

(See the dinner menu here)

Che Fico Alimentari

The wine component is being spearheaded by Francesca Maniace, who curated an opening list for the restaurant with roughly 200 wines representing 20 regions of Italy, with an emphasis on Piedmont, Tuscany and Sicily. By summer, Che Fico Alimentari will begin selling the wines through the retail side of the business.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

(See the full wine list here)

The Alimentari space feels a bit more intimate (than Che Fico). The interest in Italian wines here is huge so itll be nice to get deeper into it all, Francesca said. I have a strong perspective and vision in terms of Italian wine, so the idea of inviting people in and getting them to trust me is exciting.

Che Fico Alimentari: 834 Divisadero St.; Open for dinner Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. - midnight; Reservations available via Opentable; Walk-ins welcome; (415) 416-6980; www.cheficoalimentari.com

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
Compare and contrast: The 30th annual Goldman Environmental Prize ceremonies and the concert for Notre Dame at Grace Cathedral. On Monday, April 29, the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House was filled to the brim with a crowd of environmentalists and young people for the first event; Grace Cathedral was filled to the brim (5,000 people, I read in one account) for the second.

My grandmother used to say, You cant sit on two horses with one backside. So which way to go?

Ultimately, I chose the future over the past, partly because honoring the planets future started a half-hour before honoring the cathedrals past, and I thought if the future was quick, I might be able to hurry over to Grace Cathedral for a nod to tradition. I wasnt. By the time the Goldman crowd emerged from the Opera House, it was 7:30 p.m., with only a half-hour left in the scheduled Grace Cathedral concert.

My friend Alison Owings, who was at Grace, emailed the next morning that every seat was full, that Frederica von Stade was YOW double (thats the little man jumping out of his chair), and that the only detail that organizer Charlotte Shultz seemed to have left out was Muni. The bus home was so packed that people couldnt get on, she wrote, adding, I figured out that at least half the crowd walked home.

As to the Goldmans, despite the rescinding of so much environmental protection legislation in the current era, the mood was, as always in the past 30 years, both upbeat and defiant. Keynote speaker Al Gore praised grassroots activism, pounded his fist on the podium and said, Time is running out, but we will win.

Linda Garcia of Vancouver, Wash., who organized a community, despite relentless bullying, intimidation and threats, to stop the construction of an oil terminal, called out corporations who put profit before people ... corporate greed that exists only for the benefit of a chosen few. The ferocity of her stance exemplified the radical idealism of Goldman winners, whose speeches always sound like calls to the barricades. The model of foreign investment, said Alfred Brownell of Liberia, has destroyed everything in its path.

Belen Curamil, whose Goldman-winning activist father, Alberto Curamil, worked to stop the building of hydroelectric plants on a river essential to his Mapuche people, is imprisoned in Chile. He resists with dignity, she said. We are people of the Earth, and our central responsibility is to protect everything that makes life possible.

 Reasons for local pride: Kim Kardashians baby shower, in Hidden Hills (Los Angeles County), was CBD-themed, with (and heres the local angle) the CBD products supplied by HelloMD of Larkspur. Kardashians fourth child is due via surrogate in a few weeks. I thought it was kind of ridiculous to have a fourth baby shower, said the eloquent guest of honor, but I thought, Im freaking the f out having a fourth kid.

 Before April was over, Lucy Johns received her first 2020 calendar, from the Yosemite Conservancy. Maybe we could get the presidential election over with in a couple of months? she asks.

More Information PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING "The thing you have to remember about San Francisco is that it's San Francisco." Man to man, overheard on Valencia Street by Janice Polizzi See More Collapse

After fulfilling judicial obligations in the McKinley School fundraising Dogfest (that artist dog who could draw was a showstopper in the talent competition) on Saturday, April 27, I walked from Duboce Park to Fillmore Street to catch a bus heading north. By California Street it was mostly empty, and at Sacramento Street, I got up to ask the driver whether there was a stop at Jackson Street. Yes, he said. You going home? Actually, to the church on that corner for a memorial service, I said, for an older man who lived a wonderful life.

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.

He nodded and continued driving slowly up Fillmore, where pedestrians crowded the sidewalks. When he paused at the northeast corner of Clay and Fillmore, a man stumbled and fell to the pavement, seemingly unconscious. He was surrounded instantly by concerned passersby who wanted to help him. The driver inched the bus across the intersection and opened the front door, to look out and make sure someone was calling 9-1-1 (done).

I saw him go down, said the driver. Probably a heart attack or a stroke. I nodded as he pulled the bus into the stop at Jackson, just across the street from the church that was my destination. Go in there and say a prayer for him, said the driver.

And now, please read todays Public Eavesdropping quote.

PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING

The thing you have to remember about San Francisco is that its San Francisco.

Man to man, overheard on Valencia Street by Janice Polizzi

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, 415-777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik
WASHINGTON  Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg are now among the top fundraisers in the Democratic presidential field  thanks in part to their success in stealing supporters from Beto ORourke.

According to a McClatchy analysis of campaign finance reports, Harris and Buttigieg have done a better job than any other candidate in poaching donors from their opponents in the 2020 primary race.

ORourke has been the biggest victim, but hes not alone. Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have all lost more big-dollar donors than they gained in the first three months of the year, the McClatchy analysis showed.

More than 450 former ORourke donors have cut checks for Buttigieg, accounting for roughly $1 out of every $10 Buttigieg raised from those who gave more than $200. Harris won the support of more than 380 former donors to ORourke, netting her campaign more than $350,000.

All told, more than 1,300 former ORourke supporters have so far given to other candidates in a race where a crowded field is fiercely competing for a limited pool of big donors.

One of the hundreds of donors who has switched allegiances so far is Chicago financier David Schulte, who backed ORourkes upstart Texas Senate campaign in 2018. Schulte has a new favorite candidate for 2020: He was so struck by Buttigiegs appearance on MNSBCs Morning Joe recently that he decided to write the mayor of South Bend, Ind., a $3,000 check on the spot.

Hes really deft. Hes not some 12-year-old with a soapbox, Schulte said of the 37-year-old Buttigieg, the youngest candidate running. Hes really smart and a very good politician.

Meanwhile, Fort Worth trial lawyer Jason Smith says he is all in for Harris in 2020 after donating to ORourkes Senate bid. Smith said that he was impressed by the California senators ability to connect with people one-on-one when he met her during a Dallas fundraiser hosted by one of her former sorority sisters, and that she has the right experience and ideas to be president.

While Smith hopes ORourke will run for statewide office again in Texas, he isnt sold on his presidential prospects.

Hes running on adrenaline and hasnt really thought through why he wants to be president, Smith said.

Ben Wieder and Adam Wollner are McClatchy News Service writers.
Handout

Being a dire threat to the status quo that created Californias housing crisis, state Sen. Scott Wieners bill to legalize apartments near mass transit and jobs has drawn much outlandish criticism. But perhaps the most unlikely comes from James Baldwin, the gay African American writer and activist who died more than 30 years before the legislation was introduced.

Baldwin, of course, is in no position to join the SB50 opposition, but a series of cable and mail ads by the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation misappropriates his likeness and words for its cause. Disingenuously quoting comments Baldwin made in 1963 about the so-called urban renewal that displaced thousands of African Americans from San Franciscos Fillmore neighborhood  It means Negro removal, the author said  the ads suggest Wieners bill would do the same.
AI-based competence assistance systems support decision-making at work for personal further development. (Photo: Markus Breig, KIT)

Not only artists have creative periods. Also at workplaces, people may get absorbed in work and enter a state of high concentration  the flow  that may lead to increased well-being, satisfaction, and performance. The Kern project coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) focuses on generating or maintaining this state. It develops an assistance system that uses AI to recognize flow based on cardiac frequency or skin conductance. It is aimed at shielding persons against disturbances or developing competences to support flow. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) with EUR 1.36 million.

Automation and progressing digitization of the value added chains quickly change our work environment, says Professor Alexander Madche of KIT. Modern competence and education management has to support employees in the specific development and use of their competences at the workplaces. The project Kern (German acronym of developing competences and properly using them in the digitization era) conceives competence assistance systems (CAS) for the future working world and uses methods of artificial intelligence (AI).

The projects centers on the human being. It is most satisfied and productive, if it can pursue its activity undisturbed and its capabilities optimally fit to the requirements of work. This is the basic assumption of the project. A major part of the project therefore focuses on the flow of the human being. Flow refers to a state in which a person gets completely absorbed by a task and is highly concentrated. This state may lead to increased well-being, higher satisfaction, and increased performance. The Kern project, hence, is aimed at not disturbing or even supporting and maximizing flow at work. For this, however, flow first has to be recognized reliably.

Within the framework of the project, test subjects will wear a wristband or chest strap with sensors measuring e.g. cardiac frequency or skin conductance at their workplaces. These physiological data form complex patterns that may vary considerably from person to person. Novel approaches based on AI are required to recognize flow patterns in real time. Recently, a working group of KIT for the first time succeeded in classifying flow on the basis of physiological data using a neuro-evolutionary deep learning approach, a method of machine learning.

On this basis, the project will then develop the prototype of an AI-based CAS that is to provide situation-related feedback. If desired, this may even result in emails and messages being delivered such that flow is not disturbed. If the system recognizes that productive work is disturbed for a longer time, because the tasks no longer correspond to the competences of the employee, it proposes personal competence development methods. The Kern project conceives education formats for managing tasks as well as for strategic personal development. They may range from short messages with tips for daily work to digital assistance to personal advising by a human expert. In analogy to navigation systems in the car, AI-based CAS make situation-dependent recommendations for actions and propose concrete learning or working units, for instance. The final decision for selection, however, always lies with the employees.

Systems that support and advise employees in real time based on physiological data have a great innovation potential for the digital worlds of life and work. At the same time, they interfere with the private sphere. For this reason, the project also includes a joint process for the employees, their representatives, and the company management to identify solutions and guide rails of the developing technology. I am firmly convinced of AI-based CAS having a great potential. However, we have to understand and design them as socio-technical systems, Madche says.

CAS are to help employees further develop during their working life, ideally in a specific and interactive way. Through the development and test of an AI-based competence assistance system, learning of competences is directly embedded in the context of work and the contents are adapted to the personal preferences of the employee, says Jannik Keller, Managing Director and founder of Campusjager GmbH. Modern CAS, such as those developed in the Kern project, are to equally consider individual needs and company goals and create a framework, in which employees undergo training in an economically efficient and motivating way and optimally extend their competences. In this way, employees can be supported constantly and optimally and organizations can be adapted much better to the rapidly changing requirements of the digitized world.

The project is coordinated by KIT and executed in cooperation with SAP SE, TUV Rheinland Akademie GmbH, Campusjager GmbH, and B. Braun Melsungen AG. Under the New Quality of Work Initiative (INQA), the project is funded by the BMAS with EUR 1.36 million and implements an exemplary innovation space for Work 4.0.

More information:

Video interview of coordinator Alexander Madche:

https://kern-kas.org/news/interview-zum-projekt-kern/ (in German)

Information on the Kern project: https://www.kern-kas.org (in German)

Website of the research group of Alexander Madche: http://issd.iism.kit.edu

More information on the BMAS innovation spaces: http://www.arbeitenviernull.de/experimentierraeume/info/english.html

Press release of BMAS on the start of funding: https://www.inqa.de/DE/Startseite/arbeiten4.0-lern-und-experimentierraeume.html (in German)

More about the KIT Information  Systems  Technologies Center: http://www.kcist.kit.edu

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
Mid-morning on Feb. 7, motorists on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge came face to face with an unexpected problem besides the tailgaters in their rearview mirrors.

Falling concrete.

Large chunks of concrete fell from the upper deck onto the lower deck of the bridge, prompting authorities to shut down the entire bridge and forcing commuters to take other routes to work. More concrete fell in two incidents in April, resulting in lane closures.

Thats not the only Bay Area bridge or overpass with structural issues. Theres the Interstate 680 overpass over Monument Boulevard in Contra Costa County, the Interstate 280 crossing over Lawrence Expressway in the South Bay and the Interstate 580 span over San Lorenzo Creek in Alameda County.

In fact, California has the dubious distinction of ranking seventh in the nation in the number of structurally deficient bridges with 1,812 of them.

The repair bill is a hefty $8.8 billion, according to a new analysis of federal government data released April 1 by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

The report provided the backdrop for a scheduled meeting Tuesday, April 30, between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Trump to discuss infrastructure as Congress continues its slow-paced deliberations about how to maintain and improve this crucial national asset.

The real story here is the abject failure over many years by elected officials, particularly at the federal level, to make the investments necessary to keep our infrastructure in a state of good repair.

And yet, the American people are clamoring for action. A January 2019 ARTBA/Rasmussen Reports survey found that almost 90% of likely voters believe the Democratic leadership and President Trump should work together during 2019 to pass legislation that would improve  infrastructure.

So, whats to be done?

The most pressing priority: Fix the federal Highway Trust Fund, which is the source, on average, of more than 50% of all highway and bridge capital investments made annually by state transportation departments. In California, that number has averaged 69%, and even with additional state resources in the 2017 SB1 law, is expected to remain above 50%.

The trust fund is in a world of financial hurt. Without Congress authorizing new revenue, starting in 2021, states would face a 40% cut in investment. All revenue options, including an increase in the federal gasoline tax for the first time since 1993, and new freight-related user fees, should be on the table.

Contrary to assertions from the pundits, supporting a gas tax increase will not end political careers. Since 2013, 30 states have raised or adjusted their state gas tax to increase transportation investment.

Voters have re-elected 92% of nearly 1,900 state lawmakers who voted in favor of a gas tax increase between 2013-2018 and ran for re-election. Support for lawmakers persists across party lines  more than 90% of Democrats and 94% of Republicans were re-elected. Its time for members of Congress to demonstrate similar backbone.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been a thoughtful voice pushing for a robust, multiyear infrastructure improvement bill since the 2016 elections. At least on this issue, its time for her and President Trump to bridge their political differences and travel the high road together. The voting  and motoring public of California deserves nothing less.

Dave Bauer is president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Emily Cohen is executive vice president of San Ramon-headquartered United Contractors.
WASHINGTON  Members of Congress are back in Washington after a two-week holiday recess, but theres no sign of a breakthrough on disaster relief funding that California and other states have been waiting on for months.

The sticking point appears to be the same: The White House will not allow more money for Puerto Rico hurricane recovery, while Democrats say they wont pass relief for other disasters without it.

Theres been no movement on that lately. Theres always hope, said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Weve been gone a couple of weeks and our staffs been talking, but theres no movement.

The Senate has ostensibly been in negotiations on a path forward after two competing bills failed to advance at the beginning of April. Republicans supported a White House-backed bill that would have offered funding for the full range of disasters except for Puerto Ricos continued recovery from a devastating 2017 hurricane, capping support for the island at $600 million for its food stamp program that has run out of money.

Democrats voted for a House-passed bill from January that would have funded continued Puerto Rico recovery from Hurricane Maria as well as other disasters. That bill lacked funding for flooding in the Midwest that occurred as negotiations dragged on, after Republicans blocked Democrats from adding it.

House Democrats have now introduced an updated disaster package that includes relief for the flooding, and that bill is expected to come up for a vote next week.

Senate Republicans, however, thought Democrats were moving the goalpost by embracing a provision that would require the federal government to shoulder all of the cost of recovery on the island without requiring local contribution, potentially adding billions to cost, according to a Senate Republican aide. That provision was in the bill that the House passed in January, but was not in a compromise proposal put forward in the Senate by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. Republicans also rejected that offer.

Schumer threw his support behind the new House package Monday on the Senate floor.

As we get back to legislative business this week, I urge my colleagues: Lets put politics aside. Lets do the right thing, Schumer said. Lets tell President Trump that his obsessive nastiness to Puerto Rico, unfounded by fact, is not going to prevent millions of people in the Middle West and the West and the South from getting the relief they need.

California has requested $9 billion from the federal government to help it recover from wildfires in 2018 and 2017, and other states and territories in the Southeast and Pacific are also reeling from a destructive year of disasters. But Congress has failed to pass money to help fund any of the needs, held up by the dispute over Puerto Rico. Californian individuals and entities are eligible for billions in the proposed bill.

The White House has driven the objection. In tweets about the standoff, President Trump said officials in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, are grossly incompetent, spend the money foolishly or corruptly, & only take from USA.

Trump brought a chart to a meeting with Senate Republicans in late March to make the case that the island had already gotten too much money compared with U.S. states  although the figure he cited was billions of dollars more than Puerto Rico has actually received, according to the Washington Post.

Still, lawmakers remain hopeful of a thaw. Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott said a White House meeting just before recess had left him very optimistic.

Were going to get there if it kills me, said Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., whose states farmers have been waiting since October for relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Its my responsibility, and Ill do everything I can to make it happen.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
SACRAMENTO  Two days after a fatal shooting at a San Diego County synagogue, California officials pledged millions of dollars to protect religious congregations and other organizations targeted by hate crimes.

Surrounded by two dozen lawmakers, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that his revised budget proposal will include $15 million for grants to nonprofit groups to improve security at buildings  such as mosques, synagogues, churches and LGBT community centers  that are frequented by people at risk of being attacked because of who they are or what they believe.

Were not immune from the kind of violence, the kind of hate, that we see in headlines, Newsom said. And so the question for all of us is, what are we going to do about it? Were not victims of fate. We can manifest a brighter future.

The security grants, which are based on a federal program, have been made available for the past three years to California churches, schools and womens health clinics to pay for reinforced entrances, alarms, guards and other safety improvements.

But Newsom said hundreds of applications have gone unfulfilled for lack of money. The state set aside only $500,000 for the program last year.

The California Legislative Jewish Caucus requested the funding increase this month, following an attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead and a shooting last fall in which 11 people were killed at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

I know it feels on some days like our world is unraveling, like every day we wake up and read about another act of hate-motivated violence. But we cannot accept this, we cannot accept this new normal, said Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, an Encino Democrat who is vice chair of the Jewish caucus.

Newsom said California was stepping up to fill a void left by the Trump administration, which has pulled back on federal efforts to counter domestic terrorism. Anti-Semitism is on the rise globally, the governor said, but it has accelerated since President Trump took office.

Hate has been weaponized, Newsom said.

On Saturday, the governor tweeted that Trump had phoned him after the synagogue attack and that he appreciated the call. Newsom declined to say Monday what he had discussed with the president, but said he hoped the incident awakens and enlivens his senses and that the Trump administration considers domestic terrorism with a greater sense of urgency.

A 19-year-old man allegedly killed a worshiper and wounded three other people at the Chabad of Poway near San Diego on Saturday, the final day of the Jewish holiday Passover. The shooter was reportedly inspired by the Pittsburgh and Christchurch attacks and has also been accused of setting fire to a mosque in San Diego County last month.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
Young voters turned out in huge numbers for the 2018 midterm elections, which could be bad news for President Trump and GOP hopefuls next year.

According to a new report from the Census Bureau, 36% of 18- to 29-year-olds turned in ballots in November, a 79% jump from the 2014 midterms.

A similar spike appeared in California among the youngest eligible voters, where turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds soared from 8% in 2014 to 27% last year, according to a study by the California Civic Engagement Project at the University of Southern California.

That trend is likely to continue into the 2020 election, and young people are the most reliably progressive voting bloc, said Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc., which provides voter information to campaigns and other groups.

Todd Trumbull

The 65% overall turnout among Californians in 2018 is likely to jump to 80% in November 2020, and that new 15% isnt going to be older, whiter and more conservative voters, Mitchell said. About 80% of the new voters are going to be younger and more progressive.

Those are also the voters who dislike Trump the most. A March poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that 75% of adults ages 18 to 34 disapproved of the job Trump was doing, compared with 67% of all the states adults.

The new voting numbers are a glimpse into a bleak political future for Republicans, at least in the short term.

There was a blue wave in 2018, and the numbers suggest it might not have reached its peak, Mitchell said.

Democratic turnout across the country was way up in 2018, which is one of the main reasons the party flipped 40 Republican-held seats in the House, including seven in California. New state voting and registration rules have become even more friendly to young California voters, Mitchell said.

Not only are more people being automatically registered via the motor voter program at Department of Motor Vehicle offices, but their registrations also are automatically updated when they file change-of-address notices.

This has been most beneficial to the people who move a lot, and in California, those are most likely to be young people, Mitchell said. Now, instead of falling off the voter rolls whenever they change addresses, those young voters stay registered.

The USC study found that 62% of citizens ages 18 to 24 were registered to vote in 2018, compared with 52% in 2014.

Voter turnout in 2018 also rose in ethnic communities, both nationwide and in California. In the state, four times as many Latinos ages 18 to 34 cast ballots in 2018 as they had four years earlier. And the growing number of young Asian American voters tend to be far more liberal than their GOP-leaning parents and grandparents, Mitchell said.

Combine those 2018 turnout numbers with the boost Democrats typically get in a presidential election that attracts plenty of occasional voters, and 2020 looks like a hard climb for the GOP in California, especially with Trump on the top of the ballot, Mitchell added.

But better times could be ahead for the states Republicans.

You can assume that the increased turnout will carry forward to 2020, Mitchell said. But if theres a Democrat in the White House, turnout numbers might fall off the cliff in 2022.

The 2022 midterm election also will be the first with Californias congressional and legislative seats redrawn after the 2020 census, and no one knows what effect that might have on the states political landscape.

With reapportionment and a possible Democratic president, 2022 could present an opportunity for Republicans, Mitchell said.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
Former California Rep. Ellen Tauscher, 67, died peacefully Monday surrounded by her loving daughter, Katherine, and extended family, according to a statement from the family.

From 1997 to 2009, Tauscher represented California's 10th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.

She resigned in 2009 during her 7th term in the House, when President Barack Obama appointed her to the State Department. She was confirmed by the United State Senate as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs in June 2009.

Tauscher most recently served on the board of University of California Regents.

Tauscher died at Stanford Hospital from pneumonia that was complicated by a cancer surgery from years ago. She was diagnosed with Stage III Esophageal Cancer in late 2009.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released a statement in response to Tauscher's death, writing: "The passing of Ellen Tauscher is a loss for us all. Ellen was brilliant, gracious and generous and always did her level best to lift up those around her. Ellen was a best friend and I'll never forget her."

Former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who hired Tauscher to chair his Military Council, told Politico, "Ellen was a friend, a great personality and a real force on critical issues that affect California  and the world. She'll be greatly missed."

Read the story from the San Francisco Chronicle: Former Rep. Ellen Tauscher, who negotiated arms control deals under Obama, dies at 67
An off-leash dog killed a threatened Guadalupe fur seal pup Monday in Point Reyes National Seashore, 30 miles north of San Francisco.

The canine was in an area of the park where dogs are currently prohibited due to nesting snowy plover birds, another threatened species.

A park visitor saw the incident happen and called the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, but by the time wildlife experts arrived, the animal was dead. A necropsy confirmed the cause of death was the dog attack.

The dog and the dog's owner allegedly left the scene, and an investigation is underway.

ALSO: Baby seal wanders onto Highway 101, is rescued by CHP

Guadalupe fur seals were hunted to near-extinction in the 1800s and the only known breeding colony is on Guadalupe Island off the coast of Baja California, according to the Marine Mammal Center. The species once bred as far north as Point Conception in central California but were hunted to extinction in California in 1825. Today, seals sometimes make the big swim to the Channel Islands off Ventura, but park spokesperson Jennifer Stock says they're "very rarely" seen in Point Reyes.

"It was one individual seal," Stock says. "It was skinny so it was probably lost and searching for food."

Guadalupe seals are considered a threatened species, with their population estimated at about 34,000. They are protected by law in the United States and Mexico, and Guadalupe Island has been designated a sanctuary.

Dogs on-leash are allowed in the park in marked areas, but they're prohibited on some trails to protect wildlife that become nervous around dogs. Stock says the rules are well-marked on trails and at beaches.

"This is an incredible park where there's a lot of habitat for animals to feed and rest," says Stock. "A dog off-leash is a real threat to wildlife and habitat."

Stock says if you see someone committing a national park violation, such as walking a dog off-leash, the best thing to do is quickly gather information and then tell a ranger by calling the park or going to the visitors' center.

Walking a dog in a closed area, or walking a dog off-leash in a leash-only area, is a Class B misdemeanor with the maximum punishment a fine up to $5,000 or six months in jail.

"For a dog walker who is walking their dog off leash in a closed area (no dogs) and the dog kills a protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, this may result in additional civil penalties (on top of the Park Class B misdemeanor) up to $11,000 or criminal penalties up to $100,000 plus one year imprisonment," Stock wrote in an email to SFGATE.
POWAY, San Diego County  The man accused of attacking a Southern California synagogue fired only eight to 10 of the roughly 60 bullets he had before his weapon jammed, prosecutors said Tuesday.

John T. Earnest, 19, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder in the shooting that happened Saturday during a Passover service at the Chabad of Poway synagogue. One woman was killed and three people wounded, including the rabbi.

Earnest was arrested shortly after the attack with 50 unfired bullets, a tactical vest and helmet, prosecutors said during his arraignment.

At the hearing, a bespectacled Earnest stood behind a glass panel, wearing blue jail clothes and showing no apparent emotion. He uttered only one word  yes  to waive his right to a speedy preliminary hearing.

The judge scheduled a status hearing for May 30 and denied bail, calling Earnest an extreme threat to public safety.

Earnest was an accomplished student, athlete and musician whose embrace of white supremacy and anti-Semitism has dumbfounded his family and others who thought they knew him well.

He made the deans list both semesters last year as a nursing student at Cal State San Marcos. In high school, he had stellar grades, swam on the varsity team and basked in the applause of classmates for his piano solos at talent shows.

Earnest apparently became radicalized sometime over the last two years. He is also charged with arson in connection with an attack last month on a mosque in nearby Escondido.

Owen Cruise, 20, saw Earnest every day during senior year at Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego when the two were in calculus and physics together. They were also both in the schools amateur radio club.

Earnests piano performances drew audiences to their feet.

His father, John A. Earnest, is a popular physics teacher at Mt. Carmel, where he has worked for 31 years.

The way John T. acted is not representative at all of the way he was raised, Cruise said. They are an outstanding family. Some of the finest people Ive ever met.

The suspects parents said their son and five siblings were raised in a family that rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do.

To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries, the parents said Monday in their first public comments. Our sons actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold.

The parents, who are cooperating with investigators, refused to provide legal representation to their son, and he was represented by a public defender.

Authorities say Earnest burst into the synagogue on the last day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday that celebrates freedom, and opened fire with an assault-style rifle on the crowd of about 100.

Elliot Spagat and Julie Watson are Associated Press writers.
Less than six months after Che Ficos downstairs pastry shop and dinette, Theorita, went dark on Divisadero, the space has re-opened as Che Fico Alimentari.

Alimentari is an Italian word for groceries and serves as the inspiration for the business. It opens today as a 60-seat restaurant with a retail component, wines from across Italy and to-go items like desserts, cheeses and salumi. Its meant to complement its upstairs sibling restaurant Che Fico. And like its predecessor, Theorita, its anchored by talented women  James Beard Award winner and pastry chef Angela Pinkerton and celebrated Che Fico wine director Francesca Maniace.

Pinkerton, who still plans to open her Theorita project elsewhere in the city, will supply Che Fico Alimentaris breads and mostly traditional Italian desserts.

Theres going to be cannolis and tiramisu, things you say to people and they know exactly what youre talking about, she said. We want to push that retail component in the pastry department as well.

(See the dessert menu here)

Theorita, with its butter fries and burgers, was a stark departure from what was being offered at Che Fico. This time around, the new restaurant will follow Che Ficos lead with a simple menu of Italian fare like rigatoni and cacio e pepe.

(See the dinner menu here)

Che Fico Alimentari

The wine component is being spearheaded by Francesca Maniace, who curated an opening list for the restaurant with roughly 200 wines representing 20 regions of Italy, with an emphasis on Piedmont, Tuscany and Sicily. By summer, Che Fico Alimentari will begin selling the wines through the retail side of the business.

(See the full wine list here)

The Alimentari space feels a bit more intimate (than Che Fico). The interest in Italian wines here is huge so itll be nice to get deeper into it all, Francesca said. I have a strong perspective and vision in terms of Italian wine, so the idea of inviting people in and getting them to trust me is exciting.

Che Fico Alimentari: 834 Divisadero St.; Open for dinner Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. - midnight; Reservations available via Opentable; Walk-ins welcome; (415) 416-6980; www.cheficoalimentari.com

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
The genius of Nintendo is that not only will it take risks, it will take really weird risks. Case in point: The sequel to one of the its popular games ever was not a similar game but instead Yoshi's Island, which completely disregards the basic tenants most Mario games. In this prequel to Super Mario World there are baby versions of Mario and Luigi while Yoshi is the hero. Completely unexpected and yet somehow absurdly, incredibly fun.

Dr. Ivo Robotnik, it seems, isn't very fond of the Transamerica Pyramid.

A corner of the famed San Francisco tower makes an appearance as the site of a battle between the mad, mustachioed Robotnik (played by a nefarious-looking Jim Carrey) and his arch nemesis, Sonic the Hedgehog, in a new trailer starring the furry blue Sega hero released Tuesday.

RELATED: Jim Carrey Pulls Back His Own Face in Revealing Self-Portrait

The plot of the live-action film sees Sonic head to San Francisco accompanied by Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), the newly-appointed sheriff of Green Hills  the name of which is a nod to a recurring zone in the Sonic video games  as they try to save the world from destruction.

Not much has been revealed thus far about the plot, though it is clear that Dr. Robotnik has been contracted by the government to "secure and neutralize" Sonic after he caused an energy surge that wiped out power in the Pacific Northwest. Classic Sonic.

RELATED: Here's Everything 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Is Being Compared to, From 'Cat in the Hat' to 'Jumanji'

The film is also something of a return to form for Carrey, who hasn't appeared in a traditional goofy comedy film since 2014's "Dumb and Dumber To."

Sonic the Hedgehog premieres in theaters in November 2019. Watch the trailer above.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.


PITTSBURGH  Appearing at a union hall in a state that helped hand Donald Trump the White House, Joe Biden planned to use his first address as a presidential candidate Monday to sketch out his economic plans and begin drawing a contrast with Trump.

Yet even before he took the stage before a few hundred supporters gathered in a Teamsters Temple, Biden got a sharp reminder that before he can take on the president, he first must survive the Democratic primary.

Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a news release boasting that he is the only presidential candidate to oppose the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and other free trade measures, a thinly veiled attack on the former vice president as he begins his campaign with union members in a region walloped by manufacturing losses. As a senator, Biden supported NAFTA and voted to create permanent normal trade relations with China.

It was the second time since Biden entered the race last Thursday that Sanders, his closest competition in the polls, has targeted him, and another sign of what could be a robust debate between a mainstream liberal and a democratic socialist.

Sanders had a rally of his own in Pittsburgh this month and quietly met with union leaders while he was in town. He also invited Leo Gerard, the head of the Pittsburgh-based United Steelworkers union, to his office for a meeting earlier this year, according to a Sanders campaign official.

Bidens crowd was more modest, but his debut here as a candidate was suffused with political and personal symbolism.

Western Pennsylvania was once filled with reliably Democratic voters, many of them union members, but the state tipped to Trump three years ago in part because many working-class whites in this region abandoned their ancestral party. No Democratic nominee has won the White House without carrying Pennsylvania since 1948, and the promise of Bidens candidacy is that his appeal with this bloc of the electorate could swing the state, along with other Big 10 battlegrounds, back from the Republicans.

Democrats barely broke a sweat in retaining the governorship and a Senate seat last year and picked up three House seats, all in the heavily suburban, southeastern part of the state where Trumps popularity has plummeted.

The former vice president, as he rarely fails to note, spent his early childhood years in Scranton and has long trumpeted his status as this states third senator. Biden is particularly close to union officials in the state, having jogged his way through Pittsburghs Labor Day parade in the past, including in 2015 when he was considering a presidential run.

He connects, his voice resonates and they know hes got a track record of performance on their behalf, said Harold Schaitberger, president of the national firefighters union, which offered its endorsement of Biden on Monday.

Asked what Biden brings to the primary, Schaitberger swept out his hand to a few hundred firefighters and other union members, mostly white, who had gathered on Pittsburghs Market Square for a midday workers service: All these people right here.

But Pittsburgh offers a glimpse at Bidens challenges as well as his opportunities. The city, its workforce and its politics are all rapidly changing.

This is no longer the smokestack-belching, steel-producing industrial powerhouse of yore. Health care, technology and the sciences now drive the economy. And while the United Steelworkers union is still based downtown, and claims the most local members of any labor group, the more diverse, service-industry unions are growing.

Jonathan Martin is a New York Times writer.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Let's clear the air about cow farts.

In the climate change debate, some policymakers seem to be bovine flatulence deniers.

This became apparent in the fuss over the Green New Deal put forward by some liberal Democrats. More precisely, the fuss over an information sheet by the plan's advocates.

With tongue in cheek or foot in mouth, depending on whom you ask, the statement's authors said that despite the plan's proposals for strong limits on emissions over a decade, "we aren't sure that we'll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast."

OPINION: How Houston can help fix global warming

Airplanes don't fart. But cows?

Exasperated by merciless mocking from Republicans on this matter, Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan lectured the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, on the floor of the chamber last month.

"The Republican majority leader said that we want to end air travel and cow farts," Stabenow said. "By the way, just for the record, cows don't fart. They belch."

The Associated Press surveyed global experts on global warming on this question, as well as an author who wrote the definitive science book on gassy animals, which comes with funny pictures.

___

THE FACTS: Cows fart. That contributes to global warming. But cow burps are worse for the climate.

"Cows are pretty disgusting eaters, with methane coming from both ends," said Christopher Field at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. "But most of it comes from burping."

Field cited the "classic quote from the technical literature" on the topic: "Of the CH4 (methane) produced by enteric fermentation in the forestomach 95% was excreted by eructation (burp), and from CH4 produced in the hindgut 89% was found to be excreted through the breath.'"

In a nutshell, belches are bad news.

At Tuscia University in Viterbo, Italy, environmental scholar Giampiero Grossi said methane emitted by ruminant livestock accounts for about 5.5% of the greenhouse gasses that come from human activity. More than 70% of livestock emissions are from cattle, he said.

"Ruminants are a significant source of methane," which traps more heat than carbon dioxide but doesn't last as long in the air, said Kristie Ebi, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the University of Washington in Seattle. "The belches have to do with digesting their food" in the stomach compartments, not intestines, and that fermentation produces methane.

[Spying cow flatulence from space may predict steak prices]

Warming from the burning of fossil fuels is roughly 10 times to 17 times greater than warming caused by livestock burping and farting, Field said.

___

GASEOUS POLITICS

For all of that, the Green New Deal does not seek to ban cows or planes as it sets ambitious targets to eliminate most greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming by 2030.

The deal, introduced in the House by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as a nonbinding resolution, not legislation, proposes massive spending on clean energy and energy efficient buildings and transit. It proposes working "collaboratively with farmers" to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture "as much as is technologically feasible."

"It's not to say we're going to force everybody to go vegan or anything crazy like that," Ocasio-Cortez said in a Showtime interview.

Democratic leaders in Congress have largely shunned the plan, considering it politically fraught. Many Republicans are a hard sell on the reality of human-caused climate change at all and apt to be dismissive about livestock's part in it.

Politicians and other nonscientists who reject mainstream climate science cite cow farts and airplane travel as "a go-to rhetorical weapon they use against having a serious discussion" about how climate change is already causing dramatic and deadly changes, such as the extreme weather of 2018, Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb said.

"It's a form of mockery," said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. "They're trying to whip up their own base's opposition to any kind of action."

According to the U.S. government's 2018 National Climate Assessment report: "Climate change is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us."

___

WHAT FARTS, WHAT DOESN'T?

"Does It Fart?" a book by Dani Rabaiotti of the Zoological Society of London and Virginia Tech conservationist Nick Caruso, answers the question it poses about dozens of species.

Millipedes fart, no doubt discreetly.

Several species of herring communicate with each other that way. If you startle a zebra, says the book, it will fart with each stride as it runs away. Flatulence signals a baboon is ready to mate.

For the Bolson pupfish, found in Mexico, it's fart or die. They feed on algae that make them buoyant, easy prey near the surface. Farts sink them to safety. Similarly, manatees may let loose when it's time to dive deeply.

Whale farts are, of course, epic.

Birds and most sea creatures don't. Clams clam up, though they've been known to throw up.

The jury is out on spiders: More research is needed.

From London, Rabaiotti said methane emissions from cattle are belch-focused because the gas is produced near the start of their digestive system and comes up when they regurgitate their food to chew the cud.

One answer, she says: "Just cut down beef to, say, once a week or once a month and replace it with chicken or pork or options without meat. Emissions from dairy are lower per food serving than emissions from beef so cutting down dairy will reduce your carbon footprint less but it's another area where people can easily lower their emissions, particularly for people that are already vegetarian."

And for the record, says this authority on the animal kingdom's ruder moments, "Yes, cows do fart."

___

Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
Nacogdoches, TX (75965)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 73F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low around 60F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 56F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Low 39F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.




By Lee Gyu-lee







Actor Ji Chang-wook has returned to the free world after completing 20 months' mandatory military service on Saturday.





He proudly

in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, with a bright smile on Saturday morning, bowing to fans and reporters.







"I feel like it's surreal that I was discharged," Ji said. "I thank all my colleagues for making my time in uniform special and meaningful."







While his release has set off a race of TV and movie directors to cast him, the actor said he would enjoy free time for a while.







Ji debuted in 2008 in a supporting role in the TV drama "You stole my heart" (2008) and has featured in several hit dramas and films, including "Suspicious Partner" (2017) and "Fabricated City" (2017).


SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A state appeals court on Monday overturned - for a second time - a San Francisco sheriff's deputy's conviction for assaulting a patient he was asked to remove from a San Francisco General Hospital waiting room.



A three-judge Court of Appeal panel said the jury instructions given by a San Francisco Superior Court judge at the 2015 trial of Deputy Michael Lewelling were confusing and incomplete.



The case concerned a confrontation between Lewelling and Fernando Guanill, a disabled homeless man who came to the hospital's emergency room early in the morning of Nov. 3, 2014, to ask for pain medication while he waited for an appointment in another department of the hospital later that day.



Three nurses at the emergency room found that he became abusive and disruptive and asked Lewelling to escort him out of the room for safety reasons, as provided by hospital protocol.



When Lewelling approached, Guanill had been asleep in a chair and was starting to wake up. Prosecutors alleged that as Guanill began to get up from chair, Lewelling pushed him back into the seat and started to choke him. Lewelling claimed that Guanill had threatened him with his cane.



Lewelling was convicted of felony assault by a police officer without legal necessity and misdemeanor simple assault. After prosecutors agreed to dismiss the misdemeanor count, Lewelling was sentenced to probation and community service for the felony assault.



In its first ruling on Lewelling's appeal in 2017, the Court of Appeal said the jury instructions by Superior Court Judge Ellen Chaitin on the definition of assault by an officer without legal necessity were confusing and misleading.



When the case went back to Superior Court before a different judge, prosecutors from the office of District Attorney George Gascon dismissed the felony conviction and the judge reinstated the misdemeanor conviction.



In its ruling Monday on Lewelling's second appeal, the appeals panel said the instructions on the misdemeanor charge were also confusing and failed to inform the jury that Lewelling had the right to argue he acted in self-defense.



The court said there was reason to believe the jury could have concluded Lewelling acted in self-defense, because the jury acquitted him of a charge of filing a false police report. Lewelling claimed in the report that Guanill reached for his cane in an attempt to strike him.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A body has been recovered by rescue crews near San Francisco's Pier 39, fire officials said on Tuesday.



The body was located in the water, fire officials said on Twitter at 10:30 a.m.



San Francisco police are investigating the death, according to fire officials.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



Four gang injunctions placed about a decade ago throughout San Francisco may expire by the end of this year pending a court order, City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced Monday.



Herrera is asking for San Francisco Superior Court to approve a motion to require expiration of the injunctions by Dec. 31, 2019 because of a decline in gang activity citywide.



The injunctions were initially placed between 2007 and 2011 in the Mission, Bayview, Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley and Western Addition neighborhoods, targeting seven gangs by forbidding members from engaging in gang-related activity, according to the city attorney's office.



At the height of the injunctions, 150 proven gang members were placed on the list.



But following a comprehensive review last year, 86 people were taken off the list because they reportedly ceased criminal behavior. In addition, Herrera's office noted that one gang had folded altogether.



There are 53 individuals currently subject to the injunctions.



If the court approves letting the gang injunctions expire just before Dec. 31, Herrera would conduct another review to determine if a request to extend the order for anyone is needed.



The motion is expected to be filed in court in the coming weeks, according to Herrera's office.



However, the proposed Dec. 31 sunset date doesn't mean the end of gang injunctions in the city, as new ones could be placed if needed at any point in the future, Herrera's office said.



In statements, city supervisors Sandra Lee Fewer and Shamann Walton applauded Herrera's move.



"This forward-thinking change to the gang injunction policy recognizes that San Francisco is in a very different place than in 2007 when these injunctions were first implemented, as our neighborhoods have undergone dramatic changes," Fewer said.



"Today is a win for social justice," Walton said. "This protects the civil rights of people of color and allows for individuals the opportunity to positively re-enter society without additional obstacles."



Critics have alleged the injunctions unfairly profile young men of color and incorrectly identify them as gang members simply because they know or are related to a gang member.



According to Herrera's office, in order for an individual to be placed on an injunction, a judge must first review evidence in court and make a decision. The individual is then notified and can contest it at any time.



Also, no individual under 18 can be placed on a gang injunction and juvenile criminal records cannot be used as evidence.









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SAN RAFAEL (BCN)



A San Pablo man with a suspended license was arrested after allegedly assaulting one San Rafael police officer and running over the foot of another on Monday afternoon during a DUI traffic stop, according to police.



Police said the suspect, 52-year-old Gerald Anthony Sadler, was reported by at least one witness to be driving under the influence in the San Rafael Yacht Harbor parking lot at 557 E. San Francisco Blvd. at about 3 p.m.



The officers on the scene asked Sadler to perform field sobriety tests, which police said he failed. As the officers attempted to arrest him, he struck one of them, managed to get back in his vehicle and placed it in drive, when it then struck the foot of the other officer and dragged them for a short distance.



Sadler would soon crash into another parked car, and fled on foot before being captured after a short chase, police said. He was booked into Marin County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, hit-and-run, resisting arrests, violating his probation and driving without an ignition interlock.



Both officers were transported to a hospital where they were treated and later released.





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Former U.S. Rep. Ellen Tauscher has died, according to a statement released by her family Tuesday morning.



Tauscher, who served an East Bay congressional district from 1997 to 2009, died while surrounded by family members.



A cause of death was not immediately released, but Tauscher had written on Facebook earlier this month that she was recovering from pneumonia as a complication from esophageal cancer surgery years ago.



The statement by the family noted Tauscher's long list of achievements, including being the youngest and one of the first women to hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, and founding the first national research service to help parents verify the background of child care workers.



"You can see Ellen's legacy in the lives made just that much better, that much safer, that much more secure in the East Bay, in California, in America, and across the world," the family's statement said.



U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, also issued a statement mourning the loss of her former congressional colleague.



"Ellen was brilliant, gracious and generous and always did her level best to lift up those around her," Feinstein said. "Ellen was a best friend and I'll never forget her."



Feinstein said Tauscher chaired her first two Senate campaigns before going on to serve for 12 years in her own East Bay seat in the House of Representatives.



Tauscher went on to spend three years as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security and was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the University of California Board of Regents.



"She remains an inspiration for all of us in Congress and I hope younger members will look to her as an example to emulate," Feinstein said.



More information on memorial services will be forthcoming, according to the family.





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San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin is stepping down from his position, Mayor London Breed confirmed Monday.



During a news conference at City Hall, Breed said earlier in the day she sent a letter to the SFMTA's Board of Directors asking them for new leadership after he announced his resignation.



The agency has faced several high-profile issues since late last year, including a reported shortage of Muni bus drivers and allegations of incomplete background checks for contractors on construction projects.







The San Francisco medical examiner's office has identified one of three people killed by Stefon Jefferson, the man accused of going on a murderous shooting rampage in the Bay Area before being apprehended by authorities in Nevada on Friday.



Jefferson, 43, is suspected of fatally shooting one person in Oakland on Friday morning and fatally shooting another person in San Francisco. Jefferson then allegedly shot and killed a third person in Berkeley.



Later that day, Jefferson somehow ended up in Nevada, where he shot and wounded a Douglas County sheriff's deputy before being taken into custody.



The San Francisco victim has been identified as 49-year-old Laron Davis of San Francisco, according to the medical examiner's office.



The names of the victims in Oakland and Berkeley have not yet been releazsed, according to the Alameda County coroner's bureau.







A man in his mid 30s died after a crash on southbound Interstate Highway 880 in San Leandro on Monday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.



The crash was reported at 7:11 a.m. on southbound Highway 880 near the Davis Street off-ramp.



A preliminary investigation indicates that the driver may have suffered some sort of medical emergency, then crashed into a wall, CHP Officer Manuel Leal.



Emergency responders attempted to perform CPR on the victim but he was pronounced dead, Leal said.







The Marin County Sheriff's Office has identified a pedestrian who died in a collision with a vehicle in San Anselmo on Saturday night as 72-year-old Carolyn Marie Allen.



Allen, a San Anselmo resident, was walking with two dogs across a marked crosswalk in the 300 block of Butterfield Road near Caletta Avenue when she and her dogs were struck by a vehicle around 10:10 p.m., Chief Deputy Coroner Roger Fielding said.



Allen was unconscious and unresponsive when paramedics arrived and she was taken to Marin General Hospital, where she died shortly after arriving in the emergency room, Fielding said.



The vehicle driver, James Boswell, 30, of San Anselmo, was arrested by the Central Marin Police Authority on suspicion of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He was booked into Marin County Jail under $500,000 bail.







A 36-year-old Antioch man who was fatally shot last week in Pittsburg has been identified as Samijela Vehikite, according to the Contra Costa County coroner's office.



Police responding to a report of a shooting in the 1500 block of Willow Pass Road around 10 a.m. on April 22 found Vehikite suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper torso.



He was transported to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, but did not survive.



Jason Posey, a Bay Point resident, was arrested while attempting to flee the scene in a vehicle, according to police.



Investigators said Vehikite and Posey knew each other, and that prior to the shooting, Vehikite arrived to confront Posey. They argued for several minutes, then Posey shot the other man in what became the city's fourth homicide of 2019.







The FBI has launched a hate crime investigation in the case of a suspect who drove his car into eight pedestrians in Sunnyvale last week, leaving a 13-year-old girl with life-threatening injuries.



The FBI was called to assist in the investigation to support the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety shortly after the crash last Tuesday. Chief Phan Ngo reported Friday that 34-year-old Isaiah Peoples, a war veteran, may have intentionally targeted some of the victims because he thought they appeared to be Muslims.



Peoples has been charged with eight counts of attempted murder and appeared in Santa Clara County Superior Court for his arraignment on Friday.







A man was arrested after allegedly trying to set a fire at an Uber office in Daly City on Sunday night, according to police.



Police said the suspect, 26-year-old Casey Long, was seen by a witness running from the front of the building at 950 John Daly Blvd. to the back of the building after setting a fire.



Officers responded at 10:42 p.m. and found a small fire near the front door that was quickly extinguished after causing damage to a front window, police said.



Officers searching the area found Long near the rear of the business and arrested him on suspicion of arson.



Police said nothing in their investigation indicates the ride-hailing service Uber was specifically targeted in the case.







A man was transported to a hospital after being shot near Kelley Park in San Jose on Sunday evening, according to police.



The shooting was reported at 6:37 p.m. near the intersection of Keyes and South 12th streets. The victim suffered injuries not considered life-threatening.



Police are investigating the shooting and no suspect has been identified.







An ex-felon was sentenced on Friday to 11 years in state prison for fatally shooting a man in East Oakland in 2012 in a case that had remained unsolved until last year.



Jonathan Weems, 30, was charged with murder for the shooting death of 36-year-old Tyrone Braswell of Oakland in the 1900 block of 26th Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. on March 29, 2012.



But on Feb. 21, Weems pleaded no contest to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.



Multiple witnesses identified Weems as the suspect in Braswell's shooting death and he was arrested on a murder warrant at 922 Union St. in Oakland on April 26, 2018.







A University of California at Berkeley student reported being sexually assaulted at a fraternity at the campus early Sunday morning, police said.



The sexual assault occurred at a fraternity in the 2700 block of Channing Way between midnight and 1 a.m. Sunday, according to Berkeley police spokesman Officer Byron White.



Authorities didn't disclose at which fraternity the assault occurred.







Santa Clara County residents suffering mental health emergencies can now call for direct help through the Mobile Crisis Response Team, the county announced Monday.



Residents could previously only reach in-person mental support services through 911 or law enforcement dispatch. Police would then respond to the scene accompanied by mental health professionals.



The change allows residents to directly contact licensed therapists and clinicians who will assess their situation and determine if they should send a team to the location. The team can then decide if a law enforcement presence is necessary.







Police are asking for the public's assistance in locating a blind and deaf man who was report missing Monday morning in San Leandro.



Burnis Johnson, 59, was last seen in the 1200 block of Minerva Street. His caregiver left Johnson's home around 9 a.m. and after returning shortly afterward, the man had gone missing.



Police say he left the home without his cane. He also has no money and no cellphone.



Johnson is described as a black man standing 5 feet 10 inches tall and roughly 215 pounds. He has black hair, green eyes and a tattoo on the upper portion of his right arm.







Bay Area home sales in March were the slowest the region has seen in 11 years, according to new data released Monday by real estate research firm CoreLogic.



In fact, that's been the case for every month since December. Year-over-year sales have been dropping steadily for 10 consecutive months, with double-digit drops from 12 to 21 percent for the last five months.



March sales of newly built homes, including detached houses and condominiums, were roughly 42.6 percent below the month's historical average. Resales of existing homes were 25.5 percent below average.



Median home sale prices have been rising year-over-year since April 2012, 82 consecutive months, but they dropped slightly for the first time in March 2019 to $830,000, down from $831,000 in March 2018.





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SANTA ROSA (BCN)



The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday received an update on the expansion of the county airport's terminal and a proposed consolidated car rental center.



Jon Stout, manager of the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport north of Santa Rosa, said airport officials hope to know in June if the Federal Aviation Administration approves a $20 million grant for the $25 million, 30,000-square-foot terminal expansion.



If the full $20 million is approved, construction could start in early 2020 and be completed at the end of 2022. Sonoma County would have to match 10 percent of the grant funding, Stout said.



The proposed improvements in the gate area of the terminal include two-lane passenger screening, seating for 350, new restrooms, concessions and outside seating. Baggage claim improvements will include an enhanced luggage carousel, in-terminal rental car counters and a larger greeting area.



In the ticketing area, customers will find airline counters with offices, security offices, new bag screening facilities and a new kiosk area in the future.



Current projects include adding 5,000 square feet in the Gate 2 tent area, additional lanes for security screening, permanent bathrooms, and electrical upgrades. Those projects cost $2.5 million, Stout said.



The airport recently completed the construction of a 450-space long-term parking lot, 15 vehicle charging ports, a new parking lot, gates and equipment and new sidewalks to the terminal.



In-terminal rental car operators have requested additional facilities, and future plans include a $10.6 million consolidated car rental center with 572 car spaces and a larger area for return, servicing, fueling and storing rental car fleets. There are 160 spaces for rental car parking and storage at the airport now.



Airport officials are recommending a $10 Customer Facility Charge to finance a major portion of the rental center. Off-terminal rental car operators would not be subject to the fee and they will not be able to use the facility. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a hearing on the fee in May.



The county's airport is growing in infrastructure, airlines, destinations and popularity. It is the sixth-fastest growing U.S. airport with 210,341 passengers in 2018, Stout said.



"We expect a peak of 17 flights per day this summer," Stout said.



Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines provide service to Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Denver.





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KEYWORD:VICTIMS-IDENTIFIED FRIDAY ARE IDENTIFIED



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By Bay City News Service



The three men allegedly killed by suspect Stefon Jefferson in Oakland, San Francisco and Berkeley in a period of less than five hours on Friday were identified by authorities on Monday.



The man fatally shot in the 4100 block of Market Street in Oakland about 10:15 a.m. Friday was identified by Oakland police as 57-year-old Marcus Jackson of Oakland.



A spokesman for Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin said Jackson worked for the Berkeley Public Works Department.



The man shot in the 1100 block of Donner Avenue in San Francisco about 1:27 p.m. on Friday and died at a local hospital a short time later was identified by the San Francisco medical examiner's office as 49-year-old Laron Davis of San Francisco.



The man shot at People's Park in Berkeley at about 2:40 p.m. on Friday and died at a hospital a short time later was identified by University of California at Berkeley police as 43-year-old Calvin Kelly of Berkeley.



After the three homicides, Jefferson, 43, went to the South Lake Tahoe area in Nevada, where he allegedly shot and wounded a Douglas County sheriff's deputy before being taken into custody.



A spokesman for the Douglas County sheriff's office said Jefferson was arraigned on Monday on a total of 13 felony counts, including attempted murder of a peace officer, assault with a deadly weapon, being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm, eluding a peace officer and numerous additional traffic-related offenses.



Jackson is being held in custody in Nevada in lieu of $1 million bail.



Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson said over the weekend that his county will prosecute Jefferson first because he's already in custody there.



A spokeswoman for the Alameda County District Attorney's Office said she wasn't sure if charges have been filed against Jefferson yet for the deaths of Jackson and Kelly.



Authorities have not revealed Jefferson's possible motives or how exactly he was connected to the victims.





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By Lee Kyung-min







Shinhan Financial Group has solidified its leadership on the back of robust growth in its non-banking sector in the first quarter of 2019.



Other financial groups, including KB Financial, are likely to accelerate efforts to diversify their business portfolios by more aggressively taking over insurers, brokerages and card companies.



Shinhan, the nation's largest financial group by total assets and profit, posted a net profit of 918.4 billion won ($792 million) in the first three months of 2019, up 7.1 percent from a year ago.



Of the total, about 40 percent, or 373.1 billion was derived from its non-banking subsidiaries including cards, investment, life insurance and asset management.



This means Shinhan, by a substantial margin, has outperformed its competitor KB, whose non-banking income stood at 272.9 billion won, accounting for only 32 percent of the group's total net income of 845.7 billion won in the same period.



Shinhan's solid earnings followed a successful acquisition of ING Life Korea, now Orange Life Insurance, from MBK Partners in 2018.



The insurer, which posted a net profit of 80.4 billion won for the first quarter of 2019, will contribute to the group's robust financials.



This will be boosted further by the acquisition of Asia Trust, Korea's fifth-largest firm specializing in the high-yield real estate investment trust (REIT) business. Asia Trust in 2017 posted an annual net profit of 28.2 billion won and signed new contracts worth 90 billion won.



The net income was also helped by an operating profit of 172.1 billion won from its Global and Investment Banking (GIB) in the first quarter of 2019, up 82 percent from the previous year.



The handsome performance in the sector came thanks to One Shinhan, a group-wide initiative defined by closer integration among group subsidiaries that handle banking, card, car financing, life-insurance and investment businesses.



In the same period, Woori Financial became the third-largest player overpowering Hana Financial.



However, the narrow win indicates tall tasks ahead given 95 percent of the group's income  539.4 billion won  came from the bank which posted a net profit of 568.6 billion won.



Woori's efforts to strengthen the non-banking sector have borne fruit after it inked a package deal to acquire two mid-tier non-banking firms  Tongyang Asset Management and ABL Global Asset Management, previously owned by China's Anbang Group, April 8.



Earlier on April 4, Woori also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kukje Asset Trust to acquire a controlling stake.



The acquisitions are part of a continued strategy to diversify the group's business portfolio including raising capital held by non-bank subsidiaries.



Hana Financial Group has been aiming to take over Lotte Card, a move sought by a number of private equity funds including MBK Partners and Hahn & Company as well as Woori Financial.



Financial groups are also expected to step up efforts to reduce their reliance on interest income.



In a report in March, global investment banks suggested that Korean banks make greater efforts to boost non-interest income.



Korean banks' non-interest income accounts for around 25 percent, only around half that of global banks. The comparable figure for Japan is 54.2 percent, followed by the U.S. (53.9 percent) and the U.K. (50.9 percent).


SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



After eight years, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin will resign from the position in August, he announced in a letter to employees on Monday morning.



According to Reiskin, because his employment agreement with Muni ends in August "it's become clear that this is the right time for a change."



The agency has faced several high-profile issues since late last year, including a reported shortage of Muni bus drivers and allegations of incomplete background checks for contractors on construction projects.



More recently, the SFMTA faced criticism for issues with the door sensors on new light-rail vehicles, which resulted in a woman getting her hand caught in a door and being dragged onto the tracks at the Embarcadero station earlier this month.



"I'm extremely grateful to the SFMTA Board for providing me with the privilege to serve in this capacity for eight years, and to all of you for the honor it is to work with you all," Reiskin said in the letter to staff.



During a news conference at City Hall on Monday afternoon, Mayor London Breed said she sent a letter to the SFMTA's Board of Directors earlier in the day asking them for new leadership after Reiskin announced his resignation.



"It was a very challenging time over the past couple of months for our Muni riders, for our system and I do think it's important that we demonstrate with action and that we plan to make serious changes to sure that we can regain the public's trust," Breed said.



"I want to thank Director Reiskin and the SFMTA board as well as the folks who work for this organization for their hard work and their patience," she said.



"I especially want to thank the people of San Francisco who really rely on our public transit system and have been patient with us as we tried to address what we know are real challenges in our city with infrastructure, getting people safely to their destination with various modes of transportation in our city," Breed said.



The mayor said a "comprehensive search" is now on for a new director.



"We're looking someone who understand the bigger picture. We need a real transportation expert who understands the complexities of what it means to run a major transit system," she said. "The goal is to find a visionary leader who is prepared to really run this department and lead this department in a way that will restore the trust in our transit system in San Francisco."









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Growth will slow, but unlikely to enter recession



By Park Hyong-ki



Korea saw a "triple rebound" in indices measuring industrial production, investment and consumption in March, according to Statistics Korea, Tuesday.



But analysts said these were a "one-off rebound" on the back of a so-called base effect.



This means since the numbers in February were so low due to the Lunar New Year holiday, the March indices showed gains on the surface. Exports and investment usually fall in February.



The current situation mirrors two other indices measuring the current and future economic cycle, they added.



The coincident indicator stood at 98.5 points in March, having fallen for 12 consecutive months. The leading indicator that projects the cycle reached 98.2, sliding for the 10th straight month.



This marks the first time in 49 years for the two indices to fall simultaneously for 10 consecutive months, according to Statistics Korea.



A figure below 100 indicates the economy is slowing, and could be potentially heading for a recession should it decline further.



"We had a one-off rebound. The overall situation is the economy will continue to face a slowdown amid weak demand," said Sung Tae-yoon, an economist at Yonsei University.



"But we are very unlikely to see more negative growth in the second quarter of this year and enter a technical recession, after contracting 0.3 percent in the first quarter."



Rajiv Biswas, chief economist at IHS Markit in Singapore, agreed, saying the economy will remain under pressure amid slow global demand and production.



"Following the 0.3 percent contraction, the leading indicator signals continued weak demand in the coming months," Biswas said.



"Korean manufacturers are facing weak demand in China and Europe, while slowing domestic output is also dragging on growth."



Due to falling exports, particularly to China and the European Union, Biswas suggested additional measures to stabilize the economy this year.



"Further fiscal stimulus measures will be needed in 2019 from the Korean government in order to keep its annual growth above 2 percent," Biswas said.



The recent 6.7 trillion won ($5.8 billion) supplementary budget announced last month will not be enough to support short-term growth, even though Korea will not enter a recession.



Overall industrial production increased 1.1 percent in March from the month before, after falling 2.6 percent in February. Overall production excludes output from the agriculture and fishery sectors.



Retail sales also climbed 3.3 percent, after falling 0.5 percent, the highest gain in 49 months because of the base effect. The rise in consumption was attributable to an increase in the purchase of air filters due to fine dust.



Facility investment climbed 10 percent last month, the sharpest gain in two years, according to the statistics agency. It fell 10.2 percent in February, after increasing 2 percent in January.



The rebound in investment is mostly due to companies investing in air transportation logistics and fifth-generation (5G) telecommunication networks.


By Lee Kyung-min







KB Financial Group Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo is enhancing communication with lower-ranking workers to boost their morale and include young voices in the decision-making process.







Yoon held a town hall meeting at the group headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, April 29, with over 100 bank employees.







At the event, he shared his vision, strategy and business priorities, followed by an impromptu question and answer (Q&A) session.







Similar events will be held at the group's subsidiaries by the end of June, mostly at coffee shops and lounges, in a casual manner with attendees having snacks.







Casual conversations will be held with the employees, allowing them to express their opinions freely, and discuss ways to reinforce a positive attitude towards maintaining a good work ethic.







"The event is intended for an informal, casual get-together, during which Yoon will listen to workers' opinions regardless of their rank or seniority," a KB official said.







"Listening to the voices of workers is one of the key values on Yoon's priority list, because it will help them to stay focused and motivated," he added.







This in turn will enhance workers' productivity, naturally translating into an improvement in group-wide performance.







Yoon is among many leaders seeking to change the strict and rigid corporate cultures and norms, which have been considered standard in the financial industry known for its conservative values.








By Jhoo Dong-chan



The nation's banks are facing another hurdle in the Chinese market as Beijing Hyundai Motor Company, a Chinese joint venture of Hyundai Motor, decided to halt the operation of its No.1 plant in Beijing next month.



They were just getting a breather now after experiencing difficulties in the market two years ago due to the Chinese government's economic retaliation against Korean firms because of Seoul's decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) here.



The carmaker's decision is likely to deal a severe blow to about 130 Korean subcontractors there. Korean lenders managed to recover their businesses through loans to these firms in the Chinese market over the past two years, but are now required to reach out to local firms there to maintain their current profitability.



KB Kookmin Bank said the bank's local corporate body there set up a sales department last month to strengthen its ties with Chinese companies.



"KB Kookmin Bank has focused its business with Korean firms in Chinese. In a bid to widen the bank's operations there, we decided to establish a sales department," a KB Kookmin Bank official said.



The move is considered the bank's exit strategy to maintain its profitability there by replacing Korean firms with local businesses.



Not only KB Kookmin but also other Korean commercial banks in China have concentrated mostly on their loan business with Korean firms since their entry.



Entering the market in 2012, KB Kookmin posted disappointing earnings of 1.1 billion won ($948,112) when tension between the two countries was at its peak in 2017. The bank's earnings recovered at 14.8 billion won last year.



Likewise, KEB Hana, which posted a 37.3 billion net profit in 2017, managed to reach 54.4 billion last year. Shinhan's earnings were also 8.1 billion won in 2017, but jumped to 21.9 billion last year while Woori stretched its 14.2 billion won earnings to 21.9 billion won in the period.



"Hyundai's slump in the Chinese market is already exercising a negative impact on Korean subcontractors there," Meritz Securities researcher Kim Joon-sung said.



Banks said, however, they don't plan to exit from the market.



"A number of Korean firms are now eyeing the Southeast Asian market, reflecting its rapid growth rate," a commercial bank official said.



"China's financial market has yet to be fully opened. If it does, we believe there will be other opportunities."



According to the Financial Supervisory Service, the total assets of the nation's commercial banks stood at $26.43 billion as of the end of December, up 0.2 percent from a year earlier.




By Lee Kyung-min







Shinhan Bank has named actor Park Bo-gum its new brand ambassador, the bank said Monday.







Park, known for his genuine character, will help the bank improve its image through association with the young actor. Shinhan's new brand ambassador has a broad fan base ranging from teenagers to those in their 50s and 60s.







"We thought Park would be able to represent our warm, truthful and customer-oriented financial service  values we prioritize," a Shinhan official said.







Park will replace 11-member boy band Wanna One which helped the lender attract a great number of young customers to its financial products through its "young and hip" image, the bank said.







Since the bank launched debit cards and account books featuring pictures of Wanna One members in March 2018, over 100,000 account books and cards have been issued.







Shinhan said it expects Park will help the bank continue its popularity with young customers in their 20s and 30s.







"We will soon shoot a new campaign promoting our online app SOL, fully exploring and capturing the actor's ability to connect and communicate with viewers  the customers," the official said.







The bank's online platform SOL is enjoying increasing popularity for its upgraded features.







They include a customizable interface for customers' app usage habits as well as secure login through recognition of a pattern, fingerprint or passcode.







Born in 1993, Park debuted in 2011 and has since won numerous awards for compelling on-screen performances.







He gained recognition for his roles in both film and television including his portrayal of a psychopathic lawyer in "Hello Monster" (2015), and a genius Go player in "Reply 1988" (20152016).







Park has been featured in numerous commercials for his "kind and polite" image, with advertisers praising his ability to embody both "boyishness and manliness," as well as having an "easygoing, bright and positive vibe."






A promising new treatment for infants with Noonan syndrome

Noonan Syndrome (NS) is a rare genetic syndrome typically evident at birth and often linked to early-onset severe heart disease. NS is part of a group of diseases termed RASopathies that are caused by activating mutations of proteins belonging to the Ras and mitogen-activated protein kinase families.

In a new study, researchers at Universite de Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center show that a MEK inhibitor called trametinib can reverse hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and valvular obstruction in patients with RIT1-associated NS. The groundbreaking research is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

''Up to this finding, our therapeutic options were limited to surgery, including heart transplant, and symptomatic relief with medication," said the study's author, Dr. Gregor Andelfinger, a pediatric cardiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine, a researcher at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center in the fetomaternal and neonatal pathologies axis, and an associate research professor in the pediatrics department of Universite de Montreal.

"Trametinib treatment is the first approach specifically targeted to the molecular cause of RASopathies," said Dr. Andelfinger. "While our numbers are still very limited, we report the first patients in whom we were not only able to stabilize, but to reverse the disease of the heart. These results pave the way for larger trials, which are now needed."

Dramatic improvement

Infants less than six months old with NS, HCM and congestive heart failure normally have a poor prognosis, with a one-year survival rate of 34 per cent. In the new study, the Sainte Justine clinical teams used trametinib, an inhibitor targeted specifically against the activating nature of the mutations, to try to treat NS in two patients.

They observed dramatic improvement of clinical and cardiac status in the patients only three months after treatment. Hypertrophy regressed in both patients, with sustained improvement over a total of 17 months of treatment, and normalization of laboratory values. One of the patients, who required ventilation, could be extubated after six weeks of treatment. Both patients showed better overall growth after treatment was started.

"The findings described in this report suggest that a life-threatening form of heart disease affecting young infants might be treatable, which, if true, would be unprecedented and so meaningful for the families whose lives this devastating problem touches," commented Dr. Bruce Gelb, director of the Mindich Child Health and Development Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City.

"Now we need to perform a proper clinical trial to prove that this drug is definitely working for this particular problem," he said.

A promising first

Although the study was limited to two patients, given the promising results these outcomes suggest that MEK inhibition merits further study as a mechanistic treatment option for patients with RASopathies, the researchers believe. The study raises important questions for the treatment of such cases, in particular with respect to long-term efficacy and impact on other RASopathy manifestations.

Because of the role MEK plays in signaling heart growth, Gregor Andelfinger believes studies with a larger number of participants are now required to evaluate long-term side effects, optimal dosing and optimal treatment windows as well as investigate this treatment for other types of heart disease. It is conceivable that MEK inhibition may prove most effective during a fixed time window before the onset of irreversible cardiac remodeling in RASopathies, including those caused by genes other than RIT1.

###

About the researchers

Dr. Gregor Andelfinger is a pediatric cardiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine, a researcher at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center in the Fetomaternal and Neonatal Pathologies axis, and Associate Research Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Universite de Montreal. He also holds the National Bank Research Excellence Chair in Cardiovascular Genetics. This work was made possible through the collaboration of researchers in many specialties and departments at Sainte-Justine, including pharmacy, hemato-oncology and genetics.

How the study was funded

Dr Gregor Andelfinger is a Senior Research Scholar of the Fonds de Recherche du Quebec - Sante and holder of the National Bank Research Excellence Chair in Cardiovascular Genetics. The study also received support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF): NSEuroNet (FKZ 01GM1602A), GeNeRARe (FKZ 01GM1519A). Dr. Bruce Gelb received support from the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (HL135742).

About CHU Sainte-Justine

The Sainte-Justine university hospital centre (CHU Sainte-Justine) is the largest mother-child centre in Canada. A member of the Universite de Montreal extended network of excellence in health (RUIS), Sainte-Justine has 5,457 employees, including 1,532 nurses and nursing assistants; 1,000 other healthcare professionals; 520 physicians, dentists and pharmacists; 822 residents; and more than 204 researchers, 411 volunteers and 4,416 interns and students in a wide range of disciplines. Sainte-Justine has 484 beds, including 67 at the Centre de readaptation Marie Enfant, the only exclusively pediatric rehabilitation centre in Quebec. The World Health Organization has recognized CHU Sainte-Justine as a "health promoting hospital".

http://www. chusj. org

This story has been published on: 2019-04-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
In this file photo taken on April 25, 2017, Joseph Yun (R), US special representative for North Korea policy, answers questions from reporters following a meeting with Japanese and South Korean chief nuclear negotiators at the Iikura Guesthouse in Tokyo. Yun confirmed on April 29 that North Korea asked for $2 million to release an American student who had fallen into a coma after alleged torture and said Washington should pay it. Joseph Yun, who had flown to Pyongyang in 2017 to bring back 22-year-old Otto Warmbier, said that North Korea presented him with a bill for his medical expenses. AFP



A former diplomat confirmed Monday that the United States agreed to pay $2 million to North Korea to release an American student who had fallen into a coma after alleged torture  and said Washington should honor the commitment.



Joseph Yun, a veteran US diplomat who had flown to Pyongyang in 2017 to bring back 22-year-old Otto Warmbier, said that North Korea presented him with a $2 million bill for his medical expenses.



He said he called up then secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who he believed then sought a green light directly from President Donald Trump.



Tillerson "got back to me very quickly thereafter to say, yes, go ahead and sign," Yun, who has since left government, told CNN.



The Washington Post first reported the payment demand, after which Trump, describing himself as "the greatest hostage negotiator" in US history, tweeted that nothing was paid to North Korea.



But Yun said that Trump's decision means that the United States should pay.



"If you've signed, if you promised another government from the US government that you'll make the payment, my view certainly is that we should go ahead and meet our commitment," he said, adding that it was a separate issue whether to sign in the first place.



US says won't pay for hostages



The United States has been adamant that it will not pay for hostages or prisoners, saying it does not want to create incentives to snatch Americans.



"At no time in this administration have we paid for any hostage to be released, and we have no intention of doing so," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a forum organized by The Hill newspaper.



Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was imprisoned after being accused of taking down a propaganda poster in his hotel during a trip to North Korea.



Doctors said he suffered severe brain damage while in North Korean detention, fell into a coma and died days after arriving back in the United States.



In December, a US judge found that North Korea tortured Warmbier and awarded his family $501 million from North Korea  another sum that is unlikely to ever be paid willingly.



John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser, separately confirmed in an interview with "Fox News Sunday" that North Korea had asked for money to release Warmbier, while noting that he was not in the administration at the time.



Asked if the United States paid, Bolton said: "Absolutely not, and I think that's the key point."



Since Warmbier's death, Trump has moved to make peace with North Korea and has described himself as fond of its authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un.



Trump set off a firestorm after a summit with Kim in February when he said he took the North Korean leader "at his word" that he knew nothing about Warmbier's death.



North Korea has denied mistreatment of Warmbier and said that he contracted botulism. (Yonhap)


Participants in a street rally hold signs saying North Korean defectors should not be repatriated, in front of the Seoul Central Post Office in Seoul in this file photo taken Sept. 5, 2018. Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



The mother of a nine-year-old North Korean girl captured in China has pleaded with the South Korean government to stop her daughter from being forcibly repatriated to the North.



According to the South's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Justice for North Korea, a nonprofit human rights organization, Monday, the girl was among seven North Korean defectors arrested recently by Chinese police. The Chinese authorities reportedly plan to hand them over to the North.



The daughter, only identified by her surname Choi, was known to have kept in touch with her mother in South Korea through a broker, but her mother said she lost contact with her daughter Saturday morning, according to the civic group.



The seven defectors, including Choi and her uncle, were hiding on the outskirts of Shenyang in Liaoning Province before being caught by the Chinese police, the organization said. They were believed to have been arrested sometime between Saturday and Sunday.



The organization said Choi's mother contacted on Sunday the South Korean consulate in Shenyang, asking for the South to persuade China to grant them refugee status.



"We are seriously concerned about the possibly forcible repatriation of Choi and other North Korean refugees," the advocacy group for North Korean defectors' human rights said.



"We also urge the South's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make more active diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue. The Chinese government should also protect Choi and stop its plans to repatriate the defectors to the North."



The group urged the Chinese government to allow the arrested defectors to contact the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, rather than forcibly repatriating them to the North.



The South Korean foreign ministry said it has taken all possible measures upon receiving the report to resolve the case in a proper diplomatic manner.



"The ministry cannot share details about the defectors due to concerns over their safety," a ministry official said. "The foreign ministry took necessary action immediately after recognizing the incident."



The Chinese government has yet to release any official statement over the case.


People from labor and civic groups hold an opening ceremony for the Chun Tae-il Memorial Hall near Cheonggye Stream in Seoul, Tuesday, a day before May Day. On Nov. 13, 1970, Chun, a worker at a garment factory near the stream, set himself on fire to raise awareness of the poor working conditions of garment workers. He was 22 years old. Yonhap




By Jung Min-ho







The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in Korea has urged the U.S. government not to impose new tariffs on cars from Korea.





Jeffrey Jones, chairman of the board of directors of AMCHAM Korea, said its representatives recently visited Washington, D.C. to ask the U.S. government not to apply Section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act to Korea.





"I hoped to hear that the U.S. government would not do that  But (I) only heard that it was considering the matter. In conclusion, President Donald Trump will decide on the matter," Jones said at a press conference on Yeouido in Seoul, Monday.





Jones noted that although it was difficult to predict how the government would respond, he felt it would not disappoint.





Every year, AMCHAM Korea sends a delegation to the U.S. to share its experience and knowledge. This year the delegation visited Washington, D.C. from April 8-11 and had meetings with Congress members and think tank researchers.


Many fliers in California will feel the brunt of airline cancellations caused by the prolonged worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX airplane when the busy summer travel period gets underway in June.

Southwest Airlines has pulled the jets from its flight schedules through August 5, and that's led to a slew of cancellations targeting some of the longest flights in its network, many of them serving the U.S. West Coast. (How will you feel about flying on the Boeing MAX jet? See our poll below)

In Southwest's latest schedule update, many transcontinental and mid-continental flights have been pared back considerably. From the Bay Area: flights between Oakland-Newark/NYC. (which is the carrier's longest flight), Oakland-Orlando, San Jose-Orlando, Oakland-Indianapolis, and San Francisco-Austin, Texas have been nixed.

Elsewhere in California, the flight cuts include San Diego-Newark, Los Angeles-Pittsburgh, Los Angeles-Omaha, San Diego-Orlando, San Diego-Tampa, and Sacramento-Orlando.

With a fleet of 34 Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets, Southwest is the largest operator of the airplane type in North America. By dropping these longer flights, planes can be freed up to operate the airline's bread-and-butter routes: frequently scheduled short-hops between big U.S. cities.

The carrier said passengers whose nonstop flights are cancelled will be contacted and rebooked onto other [likely one or two stop] Southwest flights at no charge.

Southwest's scheduled flights to Hawaii have not been affected by the groundings so far, but we are still waiting for the airline to announce schedules for flights to the islands from Sacramento and San Diego.

Eventually, the 737 Max will return to service. Take our poll about flying the 737 MAX jet, please:

Other airlines that operate MAX jets to the San Francisco Bay Area have substituted other, oftentimes larger, airplanes to pinch-hit.

Prior to the grounding, American Airlines was scheduled to operate two Miami-SFO flights in April using a Boeing 737 MAX 8. Obviously, that never happened, and the carrier has substituted other airplanes onto the route. American operated the majority of its MAX flights out of its Miami hub.

The carrier has taken the MAX jet out of its schedules until August 19, and said 115 flights per day will be cancelled because of the grounding. American operates a fleet of 24 MAX jets. The carrier is storing one of those planes at its "super bay" hangar at SFO during the grounding.

United Airlines operates a fleet of 14 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets, and up until the grounding, concentrated MAX flights out of its Houston and Los Angeles hubs.

"The grounding has only had a modest operational impact on the airline thus far, but that impact grows the longer the grounding lasts," United's Chief Operating Officer Greg Hart said during an April 17 earnings call. "These solutions costs us money in the short-term, but was clearly the right thing to do for our customers and the right thing to do for the airline over the long-term."

United has removed the MAX from its flights schedules through early July. The carrier is covering routes that were operated by MAX jets with other airplanes (approximately 40 daily flights). For example, one San Francisco-Maui frequency previously operated by the MAX is now being flown by a larger and older Boeing 757 or Boeing 777, depending on the day.

Some of Air Canada's flights between San Francisco and Toronto were operated by MAX jets, but will be operated by larger Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets this summer, according to published schedules. That's a big upgrade for passengers, since Air Canada's Dreamliners have the international configuration with lie-flat seats in the front cabin. It's using the Airbus A320 on its nonstops to Montreal.

The carrier has taken the MAX of its schedules until August 1. Air Canada has a fleet of 24 Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets. To fill some of flying, carrier has extended leases on soon-to-be-retired jets and brought in second hand Airbus planes from now-defunct Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW Air. The airline also nixed a transatlantic flight between London-Calgary, Alberta that was supposed to launch for summer.

Copa Airlines debuted the MAX on its long 3,320 mile flight between SFO and its hub in Panama City (PTY) in September 2018 with great fanfare since it came with 16 lie-flat seats, and an extra-legroom economy cabin. (See Copa's big MAX celebration on this post.)

But the SFO-PTY flight has reverted back to an older Boeing 737-800 jet with recliner seats in business class, not Copa's comfy lie-flat business class product. Copa has six MAX 9 jets in its all-737 fleet.

Alaska Airlines will take delivery of its first three MAX 9 jets this year, and airlines executives said they do not anticipate any impact to flight schedules. The first MAX plane for Alaska is scheduled to be delivered in June, with the first flights taking off July 15 between Seattle-San Jose, and Seattle-Los Angeles, although all of that is subject to change.

Mandatory software updates still need to be approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and reviewed by an international panel of civil aviation authorities before the MAX jets return to service, but are customers willing to get back on-board?

Cognizant of this, Southwest said it has been surveying customer sentiment about how safe they feel flying on a MAX.

"I think we've got a really good handle on what our customers are thinking and feeling and what we need to be doing," said Southwest CEO Gary Kelly. "When we launched the MAX 8, we felt was the best narrow-body airplane in the world, ever. And there's every reason to believe that, that will continue to be the case once it returns to service with this software modification."

When the Boeing 737 MAX does come back into service, how do you feel about flying on one? Please respond to our quick survey here or above.

Let us know how you feel about flying the Boeing 737 MAX in the comments.

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Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.
Drone video shared by the California Department of Transportation last week shows how difficult it is for road crews to clear Tioga Road in Yosemite after a steady parade of brutal snowstorms this winter.

The crews were plowing roadway east of the 9,943-foot Tioga Pass entrance to the national park. Other crews are working west of the pass from Crane Flat.
It was the boldest move yet by Juan Guaido, Venezuelas opposition leader: At sunrise, he stood flanked by soldiers at an air force base in the heart of the capital, Caracas, saying rebellion was at hand.

Mutinous security forces supporting him had released the countrys most famed political prisoner, Leopoldo Lopez. National guardsmen stood at Guaidos side as others joined marches to support the protesters they had spent years repressing.

In the streets, antigovernment demonstrators clashed with forces loyal to the president amid reports of live fire, rubber bullets and tear gas. A health clinic in Caracas took in 69 people injured during the day. An armored vehicle rammed protesters, but it was not immediately clear how many people were hurt.

Yet at the end of the day, Guaido fell short of the prize he sought: the toppling of President Nicolas Maduro, who has relied on force, intimidation and widely discredited elections to remain in power.

The events also cast a harsh new light into the division within the armed forces, which puts Venezuela in a precarious position as the countrys political crisis deepens. While the highest ranks of the military dig into their support for Maduros government, many rank-and-file soldiers appear willing to defy their commanders and come to the aid of the opposition.

I think ultimately what were going to see coming out of this is both the government and the opposition recognizing that their hands were not as strong as they thought they were, said Geoff Ramsey, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights group.

The gamble by Guaido was brazen: A predawn takeover of a military base in the heart of the capital. The deep symbolism of such an act, it was hoped, would help galvanize soldier and citizen alike to end Maduros authoritarian rule.

The Trump administration immediately came out in support of the opposition, with the president, vice president and others publicly stating their approval on Twitter. President Trump also threatened a full and complete embargo on Cuba if it did not stop what he called military and other operations for the purpose of causing death and destruction to the Constitution of Venezuela.

The Trump administration, which has backed Guaido since he first challenged Maduros authority more than three months ago, clearly thought the day would unfold differently.

Since January, Guaido has run what amounts to a parallel government, counting on support from more than 50 countries, including the United States, even as Maduro remains the countrys leader. Despite Maduros low popularity, however, the oppositions momentum has been sapped as Guaido has failed to depose the president or solve the shortages of food, medicine, water and power that plague the countrys 30 million people.

But if there had been any likelihood that top military brass would turn sides Tuesday, it seemed quashed by early afternoon when Vladimir Padrino Lopez, the defense minister, flanked by soldiers, pledged loyalty to Maduro and vowed to hunt down those responsible for the attempt at a coup.

Nicholas Casey is a New York Times writer.
TOKYO  Three decades after he ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne, Emperor Akihito on Tuesday became Japans first monarch in more than two centuries to abdicate, passing the symbolic role to his eldest son in a brief, unadorned ceremony at the Imperial Palace.

Akihito, 85, the son of the wartime emperor Hirohito, relinquished the throne to Crown Prince Naruhito, 59, who will receive the sacred imperial regalia in a ceremony Wednesday morning. The last emperor to abdicate was Kokaku, in 1817.

Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so, Akihito said in a short address inside a state room at the palace, in central Tokyo.

The emperor, once regarded as a demigod, is now an entirely symbolic figure in Japan. Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko, have been hugely popular among the Japanese as they have sought to bring the monarchy much closer to the people.

Akihito and Michiko traveled across Japan and were a consoling presence particularly after disasters. They visited the Kobe region after the 1995 earthquake that killed close to 6,500 people, kneeling before survivors in a break with tradition.

After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed almost 16,000 people in northern Japan and caused a nuclear disaster, the emperor gave an unprecedented nationally televised address.

In a farewell address to the departing emperor, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe noted that Japan had faced numerous challenges during Akihitos reign.

In such cases, His Majesty the Emperor, together with Her Majesty the Empress, have stood close to the people and encouraged the victims of disasters, he said. He gave people courage and hope for the future.

As the successor to Hirohito, Akihito also took on the mantle of atoning for Japans wartime sins. He traveled widely throughout Asia to countries that had been attacked or conquered by Japan during World War II, and spread a message of pacifism.

When Akihito took over the throne in 1989, it was after his father had suffered a prolonged illness. Akihito, who was treated for prostate cancer in 2003 and underwent heart surgery in 2012, may have wished to avoid subjecting his son to a period of such limbo.

Motoko Rich is a New York Times writer.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lankas president Tuesday called for the immediate lifting of a temporary ban on several social media networks, a clampdown that had been intended to prevent the spread of misinformation after devastating suicide bombings on Easter.

The restrictions, which were put into place quickly after attacks at three churches and three high-end hotels killed more than 250 people in Sri Lanka, reflected increasing global concern about the role that U.S.-owned networks play in spreading hate speech and inciting communal violence.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration is pushing to issue an order that would designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization, bringing the weight of U.S. sanctions against a storied and influential Islamist political movement with millions of members across the Middle East, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The White House directed national security and diplomatic officials to find a way to place sanctions on the group after a White House visit April 9 by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, for whom the Brotherhood represents a source of political opposition. In a private meeting without reporters and photographers, el-Sissi urged President Trump to take that step and join Egypt in branding the movement a terrorist organization.

Such a designation imposes wide-ranging economic and travel sanctions on companies and individuals who interact with the targeted group. The president responded affirmatively to el-Sissi, saying it would make sense. Some of Trumps advisers have interpreted that as a commitment, officials said.

But the proposal has prompted fierce debate within the administration, including at a senior-level meeting of policymakers from various departments convened last week by the White Houses National Security Council, the officials said.

In a statement, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, acknowledged that the administration was working on designating the Muslim Brotherhood terrorists.

The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process, Sanders said.

John Bolton, the national security adviser, and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, support the idea, officials said. But the Pentagon, career national security staff, government lawyers and diplomatic officials have voiced legal and policy objections, and have been scrambling to find a more limited step that would satisfy the White House.

As a matter of law, officials have argued that the criteria for designating a terrorist organization are not a good fit for the Muslim Brotherhood, which is less a coherent body than a loose-knit movement with chapters in different countries that either use that moniker or have strong historical ties to it.

As a matter of policy, such a designation could have rippling consequences, including further stressing relations with Turkey, whose president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a staunch Brotherhood supporter. It is also unclear what the consequences would be for Americans and American humanitarian organizations with links to the group, and human rights officials have worried that el-Sissi might use it to try to justify an even harsher crackdown against his opponents.

Charlie Savage, Eric Schmitt and Maggie Haberman are New York Times writers.
A group of Norwegian marine experts were alerted to a beluga whale with a harness attached to its body yesterday (April 29).



The Beluga whale was found by marine biologist Jorgen Wiig and his colleagues Freddy Norvoll and Yngve Larsen in waters near Finnmark after a group of fishermen contacted the authorities.



Wiig and his colleagues were diverted from there initial route, which was to "to do fisheries control" far north of Norway, as the whale "had some kind of strange thing attached to itself."



The fisherman who reported the incident managed to keep the mammal under surveillance for two hours until Wiig and his crew arrived.



Wiig explained the encounter in detail: "When we arrived we got our disentangling gear ready and went out in our small boat.



"We managed to lure the whale towards us with the help of some cod fillet fished by our captain Freddy Norvoll.



"The whale was totally habituated to humans and we could touch it and talk to it.



"We thought the whale could be Russian, but we don't know so many Russian words so we tried to just talk Norwegian to it.



"I tried to lure the whale towards the boat and Yngve tried to unclip the harness (it was attached with clips) but we didn't quite have the reach.



"The fishermen were still around since the whale was quite interested in their boat for some reason."



The crew eventually managed to retrieve the harness that was attached to the whale after a brief struggle.



Wiig later added: "I believe the whale comes from Murmansk where the Russian Navy has been known to train belugas to conduct military operations before - like guarding naval bases, helping divers, find lost equipment.



"We have been in contact with whale researchers which I know and they have been in contact with Russian researchers who say it likely is a whale that has been trained by the Russian Navy in Murmansk.



"During the Cold War Russia also trained marine mammals to deliver explosives and kill people.



"Thankfully, this was not the case for this whale."
The number of foreigners who initially entered Korea as international students and overstayed their visas is increasing. Korea Times file



By Bahk Eun-ji



About 370 foreign international students who entered Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) have disappeared and overstayed their visas over the last two years, data released by a lawmaker showed, Tuesday.



They are suspected of working as illegal migrant workers, and the ministry is urging HUFS and other universities to strengthen management of foreign students.



The data from the Ministry of Justice, released by Rep. Lee Chan-yeul of the minor Bareunmirae Party, showed that 193 foreign undergraduate students at HUFS or its language institute lost contact with the school and became illegal immigrants between July 2016 and June 2017. The number was 8.6 percent of the total foreign students there.



From July 2017 to June 2018, 176 students did so, accounting for 11.3 percent of the total foreign students at the university. The majority of them were enrolled in language courses.



HUFS' ratio of international students who have overstayed visas is far larger than the 2018 average of all universities nationwide, 4 percent.



Instances of foreigners who cannot get working visas entering low-performing universities in remote regions as international students and later disappearing and becoming illegal migrant workers, is rampant. But it is rare for a prestigious Seoul university to have such a high ratio.



Because of this problem, earlier this year the Ministry of Education dropped HUFS from its list of universities having a quality education and management system for international students. Schools on the list are given favorable treatment in recruiting foreign students, such as simpler procedures for requesting and issuing visas for them and more autonomy in running programs for the students.



Rep. Lee said some foreigners who have difficulty getting work visas abuse the simplified screening system of those universities to enter this country. He said many universities lack clear verification systems to filter out students who are likely to become illegal immigrants, so the governments must come up with clear measures to prevent some foreigners from abusing the system.



An official from the Ministry of Education said the problem of foreign nationals initially entering Korea as international students then illegally overstaying their visas and working illegally has been going on for years.



"Universities have been seeking more international students as the number of Korean students keeps decreasing due to the low birthrate. Many schools secure finances by luring in foreigners," said Ku Hyun-gyu, an official of the ministry's international education bureau.



Ku said the education ministry sent official documents to universities recently, urging them to strengthen their management of international students, after learning over 20 percent of students at language courses are violating immigration laws.



The largest proportion, around 70 percent of the students-turned-illegal aliens, were from Vietnam, and this ratio was similar at HUFS, according to the justice ministry's data.



But the government currently seems to have no clear countermeasures, and the education ministry official only said they will strengthen monitoring systems at universities over the issue.



HUFS said it has strengthened the recruitment process for international students after learning some students had been abusing the school's system.



"Now our staffers in charge of recruitment visit the countries that have a higher ratios of students becoming illegal aliens here, and carry out face-to-face interviews with the admission applicants. Also, when an international student is absent from class for just one day, we immediately contact the student to check what's happening," a HUFS public relations manager said.














Page Content

Congratulations! You've found a fantastic job candidate. The most difficult part of the recruitment process seems to be over, and now it's time for the negotiation phase. What elements of the job offer do European candidates consider most important when negotiating offers in their home countries?

Almost half (49 percent) of all European candidates will negotiate their salary. In addition, 29 percent of European candidates consider a permanent employment contract and the number of work hours in a day to be important. These figures are from the Global Talent Acquisition Monitor, an Intelligence Group study of the European labor market in 28 different countries.

"Usually, candidates take a couple of days to think about the proposals, as they sometimes have other offers on the table," said Georgiana Sanduleasa, a Cyprus-based recruiter for IT talent across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"The negotiations are certainly different in each country," said Kim Lokenberg, a Dutch sourcing and recruitment specialist for international recruitment. "In the Netherlands, for example, candidates are not accustomed to getting a permanent contract immediately, but in other countries the situation often differs. In Germany, this is considered very important, as is a higher net salary."

Sanduleasa noted that in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Ireland, candidates are referring to an annual base when sharing their salary expectations. But in Romania and Bulgaria, candidates are asking for a net monthly amount instead.

[SHRM members-only toolkit: Introduction to the Global Human Resources Discipline]

A Good Salary

Despite the differences, a good salary is the most important negotiating point in most European countries and will be addressed, for instance, by around 70 percent of candidates from Hungary and Ukraine. Candidates in Italy, Ireland and the U.K. aren't as likely to negotiate their salaries (32 percent).

With the current tight labor market, offering competitive salaries is important. Offering too low a salary may lead candidates to break off negotiations. Before negotiations start, an employer should consider what kind of salary will fit the position and current market. For example, how much responsibility comes with the job? What skills are required? What's the employer's budget?

Including the salary or salary range in the job description is common in Europe. But employers should leave some room for negotiating.

A Permanent Contract and Work Hours

Salary is not the only point the candidate will want to negotiate before accepting an offer. A permanent employment contractone without an end dateis an important point of negotiation for 29 percent of European candidates. In Finland, the contract is the key subject of negotiations: 46 percent of candidates will bring up this point.

Slovenians (43 percent) and Belgians (39 percent) also place great significance on the possibility of a permanent contract. But the percentage of candidates who care about this is much smaller in Denmark (15 percent) and Austria (13 percent).

Europeans also often want to negotiate work hours. Here, too, there are major differences between countries. For example, 49 percent of Hungarians consider this an important point of negotiation, compared to 21 percent of Slovenians.

Negotiation may also differ between professions. Culture and the meaningfulness of the work are main considerations, too. When recruiting, it's important to determine each candidate's specific situation. Being flexible is essential to turn job offers into acceptances.

Jannike Huisman is with Intelligence Group, a Rotterdam, Netherlands-based international data and technology company in the field of labor market and recruitment data. The firm focuses on collecting, storing and enriching labor-market-related data to improve employee recruitment and increase international mobility.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A former family doctor has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for prescribing a combination of highly-addictive opioids that led to the fatal overdose of a Staten Island man.

In addition to the death of 27-year-old Nicholas Benedetto three years ago, Dr. Martin Tesher prescribed fentanyl patches and oxycodone pills to four other patients while having reason to believe they were addicted to drugs, authorities said.

The Upper East Side physician, 83, was convicted in July.

The 20-year sentence handed down Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Dearie was the minimum Tesher faced in regard to the charges for which he was convicted, according to Advance records.

In a press release Tuesday, U.S. Eastern District Attorney Richard Donoghue stated: In the midst of an unprecedented opioid epidemic, Dr. Tesher used his medical skills to harm, not heal and in doing so he cost a young man his life.

Such criminal conduct is an utter betrayal of the trust our society places in doctors and it warrants the severe sentence imposed today.

The case is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York in regard to the Prescription Drug Initiative. To date, the initiative has brought over 160 criminal prosecutions, including the prosecution of 20 health care professionals.

While under Tesher's care, Benedetto had tested positive for heroin, cocaine, morphine, methadone, in addition to the oxycdone and fentanyl he was prescribed, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said the medical examiner found the amount of fentanyl in Benedetto's system alone could have killed him.

One month before Benedettos death, his mother called the doctor and asked him not to give her son any more prescription drugs because he needed to go to rehab, said the indictment.

But on March 3, 2016, Tesher saw Benedetto and prescribed the patches.

The initiative also has taken civil enforcement actions against a hospital, a pharmacy and pharmacy chain; removed prescription authority from numerous rogue doctors, and expanded information-sharing among enforcement agencies to better target and pursue drug traffickers.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island man who donned a straw hat and surgical mask in a Great Kills bank robbery was found guilty last month by a jury in Brooklyn federal court.

Authorities said the incident unfolded on the afternoon of Sept. 6, when Greg Cantoni, 51, passed a note to a teller inside M&T Bank on the 4000 block of Hylan Boulevard.

The note read: "I WANT $100 BILLS AND $50 BILLS. NO GAMES. NO DYE! NO GPS, I AM ARMED!"

He then told the teller, this is not a joke, before fleeing on foot with about $2,000.

Police released surveillance photos from inside the bank on Hylan Boulevard (Courtesy: NYPD)

Cantoni also was tried on two other similar heists in Queens and Brooklyn, but the jury could not come to a decision on those counts, on which a judge declared mistrials, according to court records.

Investigators pulled a fingerprint from the note passed to a teller in Great Kills that led them to Cantoni, who has an extensive criminal record, according to a law enforcement source.




By Lee Gyu-lee







A Russian woman tried to harm herself while she was taken into custody for allegedly driving under the influence (DUI) in western Seoul on Monday, according to Gimpo police.







Police stopped the suspect, 25, when she ran a red light at around 8 a.m.







She refused to take a blood alcohol test.







Police said she tried to slash her wrist with a plastic smartphone-case, but suffered only minor injuries. She was later sent home.


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Not once. Not twice. But three times, a violent suspect in a string of cell phone robberies in Brooklyn attacked members of law enforcement, according to a New York Post report.

Video surveillance footage shows Anthony Salgado, 25, tussling with four NYPD officers Sunday outside a Brooklyn deli, before getting his hands on one of the officers tasers and using it against them, according to the report.

After initially fleeing from officers, Salgado was arrested a block away. But it didnt end there.

Since he was taken in to custody, Salgado allegedly has thrown a punch that broke a corrections officers eye socket at Brooklyn Detention Complex, and swung at an officer monitoring him at the hospital, according to the report.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A happy birthday to Carvel Ice Cream, which is celebrating 85 years of cool creations.

As a result, the Atlanta-based company, originally established in New York by Tom Carvel, is scooping out a special deal on National Cone Day, Thursday, May 2: Junior-sized cups and cones will be available for 85 cents each at eight borough Carvels from open to close.

Guests can pick from available soft-serve flavors, including vanilla, chocolate and cold brew coffee.

In addition, the company will donate $10,000 to the American Red Cross Sound the Alarm Campaign, which aims to place 100,000 smoke alarms in 100 at-risk communities across the country.

Said Nicolle DuBose, senior director of marketing at Carvel: $0.85 Cone Day is a way for us to give back to the loyal fans whove helped Carvel reach this milestone."

Greek-born Tom Carvel is credited with inventing soft-serve ice cream. It came about by accident when his delivery truck broke down. He continued to sell ice cream as it melted and the soft state drew raves from customers.

Carvel is the first ice cream chain in the United States. It continued to evolve with kosher ice cream products, inventions like the Flying Saucer ice cream sandwich, Fudgie the Whale, CookiePuss, Hug Me The Bear and, most recently, Cookie Puss Milkshake IPA. The latter beverage, made with Captain Lawrence craft beer brewed in Elmsford, N.Y., can be pre-ordered and will be available in bars and liquor stores where Captain Lawrence is sold starting May 2.

Heres where to get your 85-cent cone Thursday on Staten Island:

- 280-30 Marsh Ave., New Springville

- 3161 Amboy Road, Richmond

- 762 Manor Road, Castleton Corners

- 1780 Forest Ave., Port Richmond

- 2590 Hylan Blvd., New Dorp

- 480 Forest Ave., West Brighton

- 1111 Hylan Blvd., Grasmere

- 4332 Amboy Road, Eltingville
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Crumbling infrastructure, a raging opioid epidemic and a shrinking population.

No, The Simpsons werent laughing at New York City. They were making fun of upstate New York.

The long-running Fox cartoon, which has mocked every social issue and American stereotype during its dominance, is somehow making new enemies, who are in turn keeping the story (and the shows viral footage) in the news stream.

Upstate New Yorkers, including a Gov. Andrew Cuomo spokesman, had a negative response to the cartoon for taking shots at cities like Syracuse, Utica and Buffalo.

Sundays show unleashed an early punch to the gut by having Homer Simpson, nuclear technician and father of three, sing a revised version of New York, New York about upstate New York while driving by highways and bridges that fall apart, a declining Utica population reader and a demolished Kodak plant.

The show also took shots at extinct big-box retailers, like Circuit City (in the show, wolves are seen fighting over merchandise) and Toys R Us, where Geoffrey the Giraffe is too tall to hang himself from the signage.

You can watch the short clip below.

As someone who lived in Upstate New York almost his entire life, The Simpsons nailed this. pic.twitter.com/78lT1VELnF  Defiant Codey (@CDMedia_) April 29, 2019

The show also sniped at Canadas reputation for being a lovable paradise of sorts, while maintaining racist and dehumanizing opinions of select minority groups. Oh, and they made fun of the Ottawa Senators.

For those unaware, the Simpsons takes place in a town called Springfield, home to generalizations of folks from the south (Cletus), hippies (Otto), alcoholics (Barney), people stuck in the past (Disco Stu), irresponsible police officers (Chief Wiggum), the one percent (Mr. Burns), government corruption (Mayor Quimby), and political correctness (Lisa).

The show also poked fun at Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and an ongoing scandal involving him, other officials and a Canadian construction company.

The Simpsons absolutely destroy Canada with this episode called DOh Canada where Trudeau gets upset when Trump calls him weak and then runs away when SNC-Lavalin is brought up pic.twitter.com/4khUsuHDPo  UnfazedU (@UnfazedU) April 30, 2019

Stateside, Gov. Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi dismissed the upstate jokes as a bunch of dumb cheap shots in a statement that included a couple Simpsons deep cuts, reports Democrat & Chronicle.

There always remains work to be done but  dumb cheap shots aside  facts are facts: jobs are up, unemployment is down, millennials are coming back and its clear that Poochie was an uncredited writer on that episode, Azzopardi said. However, I still want a Fighting Hellfish tattoo.

On Twitter, the New York GOP sided with The Simpsons.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York City is set to become the nations first municipality to implement a congestion pricing plan, yet many specifics remain up in the air as the MTAs Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) awaits the recommendations of a six-member Traffic Mobility Review Board.

Congestion pricing refers to the use of electronic tolling to charge vehicles for entering certain areas during peak commuting hours, ideally resulting in reduced traffic congestion and increased revenue for transit-oriented projects.

Heres a look at what we know and dont know about New York Citys congestion pricing plan.

What is the congestion pricing plan?

As part of the $175 billion state budget approved on April 1, the TBTA will establish the Central Business District Tolling Program, which will charge travelers a variable fee for driving into Manhattans Central Business District (CBD), defined as any area south of 60th Street.

How much will it cost?

A six-member Traffic Mobility Review Board will recommend toll pricing next year to the TBTA, which will ultimately determine the toll prices, which may vary based on time of day and potentially offer exemptions and credits to certain travelers.

In late March, a source involved with recent New York City congestion pricing proposals said it was fair to say that the panel would start with a baseline of the existing tolls on the Hugh L. Carey and Queens Midtown Tunnels, resulting in a two-way fee of $6.12 or one-way fee of $12.24 under the current tolling structure.

According to the source, the determining factor in selecting the price will be assuring that the annual generated revenue meets the $1 billion needed to secure the $15 billion in bonds for repairs and improvements to the public transportation system.

Will the public have a say?

During a press conference, MTA Chairman Patrick Foye discussed the public outreach that will be involved in determining the toll pricing, similar to the outreach during scheduled fare and toll increases.

As part of this process there will be public hearings across the region, including in every borough, Long Island and in the Metro-North area." Foye said.

When asked about what a potential toll may look like, Foye deferred comment on the matter until after the Traffic Mobility Review Board makes recommendations.

It would be presumptuous of me to guess and assume what a legislatively-created group that has not been comprised yet is going to recommend, said Foye.

When will it start?

The program is set to be in place by the end of 2020, with toll collection set to start at the beginning of 2021.

(Staten Island Advance)STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

Who will be exempt?

Currently, emergency vehicles and vehicles carrying people with disabilities are the only exemptions from the program, with tax credits in place for residents living within the CBD and earning less than $60,000.

Drivers on the FDR Drive and West Side Highway are exempt from tolls unless exiting into the CBD, with protections in place to ensure residential vehicles will only be tolled once per day. Commercial vehicles may be subject to multiple tolls.

Its possible that the TBTA will include additional exemptions in the plan, though each additional exemption will likely drive up the price for other drivers, with the MTA required to meet the annual revenue generation goal.

Will bridges and tunnels receive credits?

Under initial plans, congestion credits were to be granted to vehicles entering the CBD via a TBTA-tolled crossing. However, language to implement such credits was left out of the budget when lawmakers couldnt settle on which crossings should be included.

However, congestion credits can still be implemented by the TBTA when the authority determines pricing following the recommendations of the Traffic Mobility Review Board.

Credit for the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge?

While much has been made of Staten Island elected officials calling for a congestion credit to apply to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, most Staten Island motorists driving into the CBD likely would not be paying any additional fee if a congestion credit is granted for the TBTA crossings entering the CBD, according to the source familiar with congestion pricing negotiations.

Staten Island drivers who take the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to Hugh L. Carey Tunnel are already paying two tolls. A congestion credit would be issued for the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel toll, meaning that the congestion pricing fee would effectively not be assessed, resulting in no net increase in daily cost.

However, drivers who take the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to the toll-free Brooklyn Bridge would be assessed the congestion pricing fee, bringing their total price in line with those using the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel.

If the congestion pricing fee were to exceed tolls for the tunnel, the tunnel toll would be subtracted from the congestion fee, with drivers charged the difference.

(Associated Press Mary Altaffer)AP

How much revenue will it generate?

The program is expected to generate $1 billion annually, which can be bonded against for $15 billion, which will be placed in a designated MTA lockbox to fund capital improvements to the ailing mass transit system.

Revenue generated from the new internet sales tax and progressive mansion tax will also be included in the lockbox, adding another $10 billion in bonded funds, totaling $25 billion between the three new revenue streams.

With a guaranteed lockbox for New York City riders, fairness for the outer boroughs, and exemptions for people experiencing hardships, I am confident this dedicated revenue stream will go a long way toward fixing the MTAs broken subway system, said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Congestion pricing is a crucial tool to funding our subways and getting New Yorkers around quickly. We need Albany to pass it before April 1st, or our public transportation will continue to fail. pic.twitter.com/30gKuMYcOG  NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) March 27, 2019

How would it work?

The electronic tolling system would likely operate similarly to the cashless tolling system on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, where overhead gantries read the E-ZPass and administer the fee directly to the account.

In the case of non-E-ZPass drivers, the overhead cameras would photograph their license plate and a bill would be mailed to them directly.

According to the source, non-E-ZPass drivers could be subject to a higher fee similar to the tolls by mail option that charges $9.50 on the aforementioned tunnels as opposed to $6.12.

The increased price would be justified by the administrative costs of processing and billing the driver directly.

MTA exploring alternative technology

The MTA is seeking alternative tolling methods to maximize collection while minimizing operating costs and necessary infrastructure.

On March 28, the TBTA issued a request for ideas (RFI) seeking innovative solutions to collect tolls on all vehicles entering Manhattans CBD without installing overhead cashless tolling gantries, similar to those seen on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

The RFI states that potential solutions should reduce congestion and maximize revenue collection and minimize system, back office, installation, maintenance and collection costs.

The MTA is looking to minimize the amount of new infrastructure, using existing infrastructure to the greatest extent possible.

All solutions should offer various accessible payment methods and be capable of integrating with other implemented solutions.

The MTA offered a list of potentially viable technologies, including roadside bluetooth readers, smart-phone based mobile applications, connected vehicle technology and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based tolling.

Successful in other cities?

While New York City would be the first U.S. city to implement a congestion pricing plan, other cities around the world -- such as London, Stockholm and Singapore -- have seen great success.

While also met with skepticism upon implementation, the congestion pricing plans have resulted in reduced traffic congestion and improved air quality, all while generating millions of dollars in public transportation funding.

In 2006, Transport for London reported that congestion pricing reduced traffic in the affected area by 15 percent, reducing the amount of congestion -- or additional travel time due to traffic -- by 30 percent.

How do Staten Island residents feel?

A recent poll from Quinnipiac University suggests that Staten Island voters are torn on the implementation and potential effectiveness of congestion pricing.

The poll shows 43 percent of the boroughs voters support congestion pricing, with 52 percent opposing the initiative and 5 percent responding that they are unsure.

While residents are leaning toward opposing the implementation of the program, likely due to the financial implications, those polled said they believe it would be effective in reducing congestion in Manhattan.

According to the poll, 52 percent of Staten Island voters feel that congestion pricing would be effective in reducing traffic, with 44 percent believing it will be ineffective, and 5 percent unsure.

When asked how serious of a problem traffic congestion is in New York City, Staten Island voters outpace all other boroughs in terms of deeming it a very serious problem.

According to the poll, 62 percent of Staten Island voters view the traffic problem as very serious, with 33 percent responding somewhat serious, 4 percent responding not very serious," and 2 percent responding not serious at all.

(Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

Citywide perspective

On a citywide level, 41 percent of voters support congestion pricing, including 22 percent of Republicans, 46 percent of Democrats, 43 percent of Independents, 43 percent of men, 40 percent of women, 47 percent of caucasians, 33 percent of African-Americans, 39 percent of Hispanics and 48 percent of Asians.

On the contrary, 54 percent of NYC voters are opposed to congestion pricing, including 74 percent of Republicans, 48 percent of Democrats, 53 percent of Independents, 53 percent of men, 55 percent of women, 49 percent of caucasians, 63 percent of African-Americans, 58 percent of Hispanics and 42 percent of Asians.

On a citywide level, 40 percent of voters believe congestion pricing would be effective in reducing traffic, including 33 percent of Republicans, 44 percent of Democrats, 39 percent of Independents, 44 percent of men, 36 percent of women, 45 percent of caucasians, 32 percent of African-Americans, 34 percent of Hispanics and 48 percent of Asians.

On the contrary, 52 percent of voters believe congestion pricing would be ineffective in reducing traffic, including 61 percent of Republicans, 48 percent of Democrats, 53 percent of Independents, 50 percent of men, 55 percent of women, 48 percent of caucasians, 59 percent of African-Americans, 57 percent of Hispanics and 43 percent of Asians.

Approximately 5 percent of New York City voters are unsure if they support congestion pricing, with 8 percent unsure if it will have a positive effect on traffic.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Youth in the foster care system had the opportunity to browse CUNY and SUNY colleges on Monday with the NYCs Administration for Childrens Services (ACS) staff in an effort to experience a variety of career pathways and inspire them to further their education.

ACS is also offering internship programs that expose potential candidates for careers in public service.

The full-time positions offer $15 per hour for undergraduate students and $23 an hour for graduate students who also learn about other mentoring and college support programs, which include, the Year-Up Program, Foster Care Initiative, Youth Matter and ACS/CUNY Dorm Project.

Each program is designed to provide services for college-bound youth in foster care through peer-to-peer support, academic counseling, career development and housing assistance.

ACS is committed to expanding opportunities for youth in foster care by putting them on a path to academic success and economic independence," ACS Commissioner David A. Hansell said.

The Spring College Tour encourages youth in foster care to pursue a higher education by allowing them the opportunity to better visualize what it would be like to attend college,'' he said. After sitting in college classrooms and walking around college campuses, it is our hope that youth will be encouraged to reach their full potential.

This initiative seeks to increase college enrollment and graduation rates, especially among those who have limited educational resources.

In 2017, ACS launched a new program in partnership with First Star CUNY Staten Island that is designed to support a group of rising ninth-grade students successfully through high school to college, promoting educational and life skills.

Colleges on the tour included the Borough of Manhattan Community College, SUNY at Old Westbury, City College of New York and Rutgers University in Newark, N.J.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of the dumbest, most harmful political moves in New York history.

You may not even be aware of it, but its drained billions of dollars from the coffers of city government.

And we have former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to thank for it.

His harmful acts against Staten Island go on, years after Silver left office in scandal. Only this time, its all five boroughs that have suffered.

It was in 1999 that state lawmakers repealed what was known as the commuter tax. It was a 0.45 percent income tax on suburbanites who commuted to the city for work.

The logic was simple. And sensible. These workers got the benefit of city services like police and fire protection and sanitation while at work. So they should help pay for it.

Kind of like how they take the toll money from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and funnel it to the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North. Because were all in this together, right?

The commuter tax brought about $360 million into the city treasury every year. And that was 20 years ago. Think about how much would be pouring in now. Free money.

But the tax was repealed. Because of politics. Because there was a vacant state Senate seat up in Rockland County. The Republican running there opposed the commuter tax. To help make the Democratic candidate competitive in the race, Silver helped get the commuter tax repealed.

The upshot was that the city lost that $360-million-per-year payday. And the Democrats didnt win the Senate seat. Sorry, Shelly.

So here we are 20 years later. Weve lost almost $8 billion thanks to the repeal. It would have hardly been worth that price if the Dems had won every seat in the state Senate. But to kick away billions for a losing race is unconscionable. Its the gift that keeps taking.

But Staten Islanders were used to getting kicked in the teeth by Silver. It was Silver that put a stop to the secession movement, for good or ill, by refusing to let the Assembly take up the measure.

Silver also stood in the way of federal 9/11 money being spent on the South Ferry 1/9 subway stop, used by thousands of Islanders a day, until he got millions for improvements to Battery Park City in his district.

Silver killed Mayor Mike Bloombergs plans for a West Side stadium, and also put a stop to Bloombergs congestion pricing plan.

All this before Silver got rung up on corruption charges.

But now we can take a page from Silvers legacy to help New York City.

Democrats are rarely shy about raising taxes, especially on the rich. Some of those suburban workers surely qualify as one-percenters under todays increasingly socialist Dem rubric. Lets dip into their pockets. Itll help us save the subways. Or something.

Sure, therell be opposition. Mostly from those buttoned-down, upstate Repubs. But this is what we have a Democratic state legislature for, isnt it? To do a little income redistribution? To put the GOP in its place?

No, Gov. Andrew Cuomo isnt going jump to put hundreds of millions of dollars in Mayor Bill de Blasios pocket. Thats not Cuomos game. So maybe they can figure out a way to split the loot. A lot of beaks will have to be wetted.

At least something like this should be on the table. There was no good reason for Silver and the Republicans who were also part of the repeal effort, like former Majority Leader Joe Bruno, to take this money away from us.

Lets right the wrong. Lets bring back the commuter tax. Its a better idea than congestion pricing.
Update: James Lynch has been found safe, police said. Click here for the story.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in locating a 71-year-old man from Mariners Harbor.

James Lynch, 71, a resident of Walloon Street, was last seen inside his home on Friday, April 12, 2019 at 10 a.m., according to a written statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner for Public Information.

Lynch is described as a white male, 5 feet 9 inches tall and 185 pounds, according to police.

Anyone with information in regard to this missing person is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Talk about being nosed out.

A Mariners Harbor man whose illegal gun was sniffed out last year by the NYPD K-9 named in honor of a slain Staten Island detective, was sentenced Monday to two years behind bars.

Timoshenko, affectionately known as Timmy, and his handler, Detective Benny Colecchia, were part of a team that executed a search warrant on May 16, 2018, at the home of Arnie Cox, according to police and a criminal complaint.

The dog is named after the late Detective Russel Timoshenko.

Cops recovered a loaded and defaced 9 mm Taurus PT111 semiautomatic handgun, the complaint said.

Police also found ammunition for a different gun on the premises, said the complaint.

The defendant was also accused of punching, choking and pushing a woman and menacing her with a gun two days earlier on May 14, said a separate criminal complaint.

The episode occurred around 4:10 a.m. outside the defendants residence, the complaint said.

Cox, 56, was later indicted on charges of criminal weapon possession, criminal firearm possession, assault, strangulation and criminal obstruction of breathing to cover both incidents.

Two months ago, Cox pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession to satisfy all charges against him.

He also pleaded guilty then to misdemeanor drug possession to resolve charges in a separate case stemming from a Nov. 16 arrest.

Cox was free on $15,000 bond then in the original cases.

Besides two years in prison, Cox is subject to two years post-release supervision on the gun case.

He was sentenced to a concurrent one-year jail term on the drug case.

Defense lawyer Louis Gelormino previously called the resolution of both cases fair.

He said Cox realizes the mistake he made and has taken accountability for his actions.

Assistant District Attorney Kate Malloy prosecuted the cases.

The defendant has a criminal record.

He was convicted in November 2016 of aggravated unlicensed vehicle operation and sentenced to 30 days in jail, said a criminal complaint.

The slain cop, Timoshenko, was one of two officers shot during a routine traffic stop in Brooklyn on July 9, 2007. The Bay Terrace resident died five days after the attack.

Timoshenko and his partner, Officer Herman Yan, had pulled over a stolen BMW SUV with three men inside. Yan was wounded but survived.

Timoshenko was promoted to detective posthumously.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Graduates from St. Johns Universitys Staten Island campus will once again travel to Queens for their commencement exercises.

The graduation ceremony, which for years took place on the Great Lawn of the Grymes Hill campus, was moved last year to Carnesecca Arena in Queens less than two days before the event due to inclement weather.

What resulted was a special event for our close-knit campus community at an indoor venue where our graduates could walk across the stage to receive their hard-earned diplomas in a comfortable and celebratory setting," said Brian Browne, spokesman for St. Johns University.

Holding our commencement exercises outdoors on the lawn of the Staten Island campus presents considerable operational and planning difficulties: there is no appropriate backup venue on campus that can accommodate graduates and all of their guests in the event of rain or other dangerous weather conditions," said Browne of the decision to hold the ceremony in Carnesecca Arena again this year.

He added that students were informed of the venue change earlier in the academic year.

Vincent P. Colman, vice chairman for the New York Metro Region at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP -- a global network of firms delivering assurance, tax and consulting services -- will be the keynote speaker at the ceremony, which will take place 10 a.m. May 18.

With more than 30 years of professional experience, Colman -- who is also a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP -- serves large multinational companies and business clients, according to a release from St. Johns University. He also has a wide range of experience in accounting, auditing, financial reporting, merging and acquisitions, and risk management.

Colman earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting from St. Johns University and is a certified public accountant (CPA) in Arizona, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. He serves on the board of advisers for The Peter J. Tobin College of Business and supports many civic, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, the university said.

The road to personal and professional success that Vincent P. Colman has traveled began at St. Johns University, said President Conrado (Bobby) Gempesaw. It is only fitting that road leads him back to [his] alma mater as commencement speaker for our Staten Island campus graduates.

Colman is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New Jersey and New York State Societies of CPAs. He also is a member of the Center for Audit Qualitys Executive Committee, the Professional Practice Executive Committee of the AICPA, the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Boards Standing Advisory Group.

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Jin Air's B777-200ER Courtesy of Jin Air



By Kim Hyun-bin



Local budget carriers plan to join hands with Chinese credit card company Union Pay to launch a joint mileage program, in efforts to reward customer loyalty and better compete with the country's full-service carriers.



According to the aviation industry, Tuesday, six low-cost carriers  Jeju Air, Jin Air, T'way Air, Eastar Jet, Air Busan and Air Seoul  are scheduled to hold an alliance ceremony with Union Pay on May 7.



The partnership will be the first of its kind to include the six low-cost carriers (LCCs) under one mileage program. Also, excluding Jeju Air and Jin Air which have already introduced their own mileage systems, it will mark the first time for the other four LCCs to adopt a mileage program.



According to industry sources, the CEO of Union Pay is expected to visit Korea in early May, and he is likely to attend the partnership ceremony.



The specifics of the partnership have not been revealed, but many believe it will likely be a joint mileage program.



"Through the alliance, customers will gain points by using a Union Pay card and will be able to purchase tickets for any of the six carriers with the points. The point system is just like cash," an official from a local LCC said.



Experts believe the joint points system will benefit customers and could help the LCCs develop a loyal customer base because low airfares have been the main factor attracting passengers to those carriers so far. They believe the mileage system could take loyal customers away from the two full-service carriers  Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.



Union Pay could also use the opportunity to expand its customer base outside of China and increase its market share here, according to the official.



The local LCCs have largely increased operations in recent years, and their market share surpassed 30 percent for the first time for a first quarter, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.



The ratio of passengers using the budget airlines out of all passenger traffic from January to March soared from 13.2 percent in 2015 to 18.1 percent in 2016, 24.6 percent in 2017, 29.5 percent in 2018 and 32.2 percent this year.


ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott has underlined the bank's intent to further slash costs, flagging $1 billion in savings over the next three years, in an attempt to protect profits against a squeeze on margins and lacklustre credit growth.

The lender's half-year results laid bare the worsening conditions in domestic retail banking, with profits falling 12 per cent to $1.8 billion in its Australian division amid sagging loan growth, declining fee income, and signs of rising mortgage stress.

ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The entire group's first-half result, a 2 per cent gain in cash profit from continuing operations to $3.56 billion, was better than expected, thanks to stronger performances in its institutional banking and New Zealand businesses; cost cutting; and low charges for bad debts.

Investors boosted ANZ shares by 2.8 per cent to $27.95, as the shares in Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, and National Australia Bank also lifted.
Owners of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been warned the Australian Tax Office has a new data matching program to ensure those trading in the digital asset are paying their fair share of tax.

ATO deputy commissioner Will Day said data obtained from cryptocurrency designated service providers (DSPs) would be the key pillar of the scheme, which would also involve the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre.

The ATO uses third party data to improve the integrity of the tax system by identifying taxpayers who fail to disclose their income details correctly. We also use third-party data to assist taxpayers in meeting their tax obligations through pre-filling of tax returns," Mr Day said.

This data will be collected under notice from the DSPs on an ongoing basis."
Afterpay has turned its focus to the imminent launch of its buy now, pay later business in the UK where it will use the name of the business it acquired last year: Clearpay.

"We will be using the same logo, we will be using the same tech, one of the reasons why weve done that is that there's a number of issues that we need to deal with, and the quickest way for us to get into market was to actually use the ClearPay name," said Afterpay executive director David Hancock at the Macquarie Australia investment conference in Sydney on Tuesday.

Afterpay cofounder David Hancock. Credit:Louie Douvis

According to figures cited by Afterpay, the UK market is worth $720 billion, with $130 billion of this online. By comparison, the Australian market is $320 billion with online worth just $30 billion.

The UK is a really good opportunity for us to work with very large global brands, Mr Hancock said.
Charter Hall has tipped that demand will be strong for Australian property assets, given the long lease structures with locked-in rental growth that are cannot be achieved elsewhere.

Speaking at the Macquarie investment conference in Sydney, the property fund manager, owner and developer's chief executive, David Harrison, said there has been high capital inflow to its unlisted and listed trusts.

"Asia was said to have three-year market reviews and whilst North America does have fixed escalators, they can be at times half that of Australia. This puts Australia in a positive position for strong, reliable cash flow growth for domestic capital and foreign capital to invest into," Mr Harrison said.

Charter Hall is eyeing off a half stake in the Chifley Tower and Plaza, Sydney

Charter Hall is looking at a half stake in the leasehold of the $1.8 billion Chifley Tower and Plaza, Sydney, being sold by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC.
Global operator InterContinental Hotels will nearly double its presence in Australia over the next few years in a rapid expansion led by its reinvigoration of the luxury Whitsundays Hayman Island resort.

The British-based hotelier, which manages 31 hotels in Australia under brands including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, voco, Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn Express, has another 23 properties in its pipeline and is set to introduce a suite of other boutique and wellness brands, Kimpton, Regent and Six Senses, into the country.

Speaking to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the annual hotel industry AHICE gathering in Melbourne, managing director IHG Australasia and Japan, Leanne Harwood, said there were solid forward bookings for InterContinental Hayman Island that will reopen on July 1 after a $100 million upgrade.

The InterContinental on Hayman Island will open in July.

Haymans forward bookings are looking incredibly strong. Its not surprising as it has such a strong legacy. When we first took over management rights we got so much positive feedback from industry, consumers and social media, Ms Harwood said.
Two of Australia's largest discretionary retailers, JB Hi-Fi and Super Retail Group, have managed to defy a tough tough retail market and consumer headwinds to grow their sales so far this year.

Super Retail Groups shares hit a six-month high on Tuesday after its new chief executive Anthony Heraghty revealed strong sales growth at its network of consumer brands so far this half.

Super Retail Group's new chief executive Anthony Heraghty. Credit:Attila Csaszar

Like-for-like sales at Supercheap Auto rose 4.3 per cent for the 17 weeks to April 27, up 4 per cent at Rebel Sport and up 5.3 per cent at BCF (Boating Camping Fishing), the company said.

Mr Heraghty, who took on the top job on February 20, told Macquarie Australia conference in Sydney he was spending the first 100 days as CEO exploring opportunities to develop a seamless omni-retail experience, supply chain integration and simplification of the operating model.
Antony Catalano and his billionaire backer and buddy, Alex Waislitz, have spent $115 million to get their hands on a large slab of Australias regional media - a business considered moribund and a poor country cousin sold off by its metropolitan-based parent, Nine Entertainment.

Catalano, better known in media circles as The Cat and Waislitz, who is renowned as an astute investor, have plenty of entrepreneurial DNA, so its a fair bet that the business they agreed to buy will look very different in a few years.

Antony Catalano now has his hands on his own platform from which to launch product, news and advertising to an estimated audience of 4.5 million people. Credit:Jesse Marlow

Catalano has been instrumental in recasting the classified property market over the past 10 years - beginning his commercial career at Fairfax with roles as a property editor and a marketing manager until he was ultimately made redundant.

He later launched a property publication in competition with Fairfax Media which it eventually bought out. At one stage he was the largest shareholder in Fairfax, he was also the chief executive of Domain, and only last year made an 11th hour pitch to block Nines takeover of Fairfax.
A franchisee who entered into a swim school venture to teach special-needs children ended up paying thousands of dollars despite the schools never being built, a court has been told.

Shaun Trumbull says he entered into franchise agreements with Jump! swim schools to establish two premises on Sydney's Northern Beaches in March 2016.

The company operates more than 60 swimming school franchises around Australia. Credit:Newsday

Jump! has been under pressure following revelations by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald that franchisees have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the construction of swim schools but are still waiting for the build to start up to two years later.

The ACCC has launched an investigation into the franchise.
Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, head of the special parliamentary panel on political reform, knocks the gavel at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday, after parties agreed to fast-track an electoral reform bill. Yonhap



Two parliamentary panels fast-tracked key reform bills, including a proposal to overhaul the election system on Tuesday, despite strong objections from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP).



The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and three minor parties agreed last week to a package deal to fast-track four reform bills without the participation of the conservative LKP.



The deal centers on the adoption of a new proportional representation system; the establishment of a unit to investigate alleged corruption by high-ranking government and pubic officials; and enhancing the police's authority to conduct probes.



The agreement was reached as the DP and two other parties accepted the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party (BP)'s offer to fast-track two bills on the investigative unit, including a separate bill proposed by the BP.



The special parliamentary committees on judiciary and political reform held their respective plenary meetings and approved the designation of those bills as fast-track measures.



The National Assembly can designate a bill that fails to get bipartisan support for a long period as a fast-track proposal if three-fifths of lawmakers in a parliamentary committee approve the move. This is designed to prevent a certain proposal from remaining pending for too long.



Partisan tensions are expected to further heighten at a time when the National Assembly faces the stalemate in proceeding with legislative efforts. A set of key bills linked to people's livelihood are still pending.



Last week, parliament was marred by an ugly physical scuffle between DP lawmakers attempting to ram through the fast-track drive and LKP legislators seeking to deter the ruling party's push.



The electoral reform bill calls for the introduction of a mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation system in which parliamentary seats are tied to the percentage of voters' support for different parties.



The total number of parliamentary seats will be fixed at 300, but the number of proportional representation seats will rise to 75 from the current 47. The age of eligible voters will be lowered to 18 from the current 19.



The minor parties are actively seeking to introduce the MMP representation system as they seek to increase their presence in the politics dominated by the two major parties via the 2020 general elections.



The conservative LKP has vehemently opposed the fast-track drive, saying that the election law has always been revised through bipartisan agreements, not by a political deal involving several parties.



As for judiciary reform, President Moon Jae-in has put a priority on reforming the prosecution in an effort to prevent it from being swayed from political motivations.



An independent investigative unit, if established, will not be given extensive authority for filing charges against alleged corrupt officials.



But it will be able to indict judges, prosecutors and high-ranking police officers, an institutional tool that can keep prosecutors in check.



In terms of an investigative power reform, police will be empowered to initiate and close cases without approval from the prosecution. It is part of long-delayed overhauls of the division of investigative powers.



The four parties managed to fast-track the measures, but it is still uncertain whether they will be smoothly passed at the National Assembly.



Once a bill is put on a fast track, it can be automatically put to a vote at a plenary session even when relevant committees fail to deliberate or approve it within a given period.



At maximum, it will take 330 days for the fast-track bill to be voted on if rival political parties fail to reach a bipartisan agreement during their negotiations. (Yonhap)


One of the few things both sides agree on in this election campaign is that we must get education right. A highly educated and well-trained workforce is our best insurance that all the benefits that digital disruption brings dont come at the cost of many people unable to find decent jobs.

As a rich nation, our workers are highly paid. Thats not bad, its good. But it does mean we have to ensure our workers continue being equipped with the knowledge and skills that make their labour valuable - to local employers and to the purchasers of the goods and services we export.

One thing it doesnt mean is that all our youngsters should go to university. There will be plenty of well-paid, safe, interesting jobs for the less academically inclined, provided theyre equipped with the valuable technical and caring skills provided by a healthy vocational education and training sector.

A top-notch technical education system will also be key to achieving something weve long just rabbited on about: lifelong learning. Being able to update your skills for your occupations latest digital whiz-bangery, or quickly acquire different skills for a job in a new industry with better prospects than the one that just ejected you.
But I could hardly have cared less: this was a performance of such accomplished detail and confidence that it surpassed the need for any other justification.

That curatorial logic was perhaps a little tenuous; if showcasing revolutionary artists was the aim, there are more apt choices than Frank Bridge, Nico Muhly and Sergei Prokofiev.

An Englishman, an American and a Russian walk into a musical revolution. Or at least thats the supposed connection shared by these three otherwise disparately related composers on the bill of this Melbourne Chamber Players concert.

Presented as part of the Recital Centre's Local Heroes concert series, the three works on offer  Bridges Phantasy for piano quartet, Muhlys Motion and Prokofievs G minor Quintet  are unlikely to be familiar to most concertgoers.

Even more unlikely is that theyd feature side by side on the same program, given their very different and, certainly in the case of the Prokofiev, idiosyncratic forces.

Melbourne Chamber Players can be best described as a collective rather than a fixed ensemble, its pool of musicians allowing for multiple configurations. While this certainly opens up exciting programming possibilities, such scratch band shuffling could undermine the subtle yet intimate communication that defines top-calibre chamber music.

However, this was far from the case  every member of the group is a rock-steady technician, capable of great feats of individual virtuosity. Yet it was the shared emotional coherence and sensitively balanced tone of their performance that really took these works to the next level.

More than mere local heroes, these musicians are world class.
The number of early-bird voters casting ballots on the first day of polling has almost doubled since the last election, with inner-city seats and high-profile clashes  such as former prime minister Tony Abbott's battle for Warringah  attracting the biggest crowds.

Official counts show there were 122,771 votes at pre-election polling stations on Monday, a figure that has experts predicting early votes will reach a new high.

First-day early voting has almost doubled compared to last federal election. Credit:Tanya Lake

"Have no doubt, we'll see a record number of early voters in this election  above the full third of voters who voted early in 2016," Australian National University political scientist Jill Sheppard said.

"Most voters are tuned out, bored, and will cast their vote at the most convenient time and place, no matter how early."
Greens leader Richard Di Natale will promise to "clean up politics" with reforms to political donations and lobbying laws as he blames the power of the oil and gas industry for preventing action on climate change.

Senator Di Natale will accuse the Labor and Liberal parties of being ensnared in the "tentacles" of the fossil fuel industry in a pitch to voters to back his party to act on inequality and climate change.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale is vowing to clean up politics. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

While he will promise to work with a Labor government on climate change policy if Opposition Leader Bill Shorten wins the May 18 election, he will also attack Labor for not going far enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"People often ask me why politicians won't take action on climate change we so desperately need," Senator Di Natale says, in a draft of a speech to be delivered at the National Press Club on Wednesday.
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has said he will not answer defamatory questions when asked about an encounter his colleague Ian Goodenough said the pair had with far-right activist Neil Erikson.

Mr Goodenough, the Liberal MP for the West Australian seat of Moore, confirmed that he and Mr Hastie met Erikson at a rally in support of South African farmers in Perth last year.

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, pictured with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But Mr Goodenough said Erikson approached the MPs "dressed like a rapper", meaning they did not know who he was at the time of the meeting.

"A guy whose identity we did not know at the time who was dressed like a rapper approached me from the crowd with followers carrying a video camera," Mr Goodenough told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
You wouldn't envy Cathy O'Toole. Some say she doesn't really support the Adani coal mine. Some don't like the fact that she does. In north Queensland, equivocation can be a political death sentence.

"I have made my position very, very clear in this city," Ms O'Toole says as wild winds threaten to blow her off Townsville's breakwater. "I have every confidence nationally, if we were to be elected, Bill Shorten would not put this country at sovereign risk, and we have no plans to review Adani. If it gets up, I welcome the jobs to this city. I've been very clear on that."

Cathy O'Toole holds the Townsville seat of Herbert by 37 votes, making it Australia's most marginal. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Ms O'Toole, the Labor member for Herbert, won this seat off the Liberal-National Party by a mere 37 votes in 2016. It is the most marginal seat in the country and ipso facto a crucial battleground in winning the election. Another reason not to envy her.

Internal critics say Ms O'Toole is out of place in Herbert: a Labor Left MP in a Labor Right town. Her plight also embodies Labor's contemporary struggle to bridge working class and progressive inner-city voters - coal mining is attractive in north Queensland but it can be political poison in parts of Melbourne and Sydney.
A Liberal candidate will be disendorsed by the party over an online rant that attacked Muslims as people of "bad character" who were plotting to kill and enslave other Australians.

Jeremy Hearn, the Liberal candidate in the Labor-held Melbourne seat of Isaacs, has apologised for the comments, in which he argued Muslims should be prevented from getting Australian citizenship because they were trying to replace Australia's system of government with Islamic sharia law.

Liberal candidate Jeremy Hearn.

The remarks, made last year in the comments section of Quadrant magazine's website and unearthed by the Herald Sun, have been rapidly condemned by Liberal Party figures who said the views have no place in their party.

After the comments were reported, Mr Hearn apologised "unreservedly" and said the sentiments were "entirely wrong".
The Coalition government has pledged Melbourne commuters will not be charged to use the dozens of train station car parks promised around the city if Scott Morrison wins next months election.

The no-charge pledge comes as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews cast doubt over the viability of another key Liberal transport promise, the removal of the Glenferrie Road level crossing at Kooyong, which is in the Liberal-held seat on Higgins.

Mr Andrews said he doubted the $260 million, promised by Treasurer and member for the neighbouring electorate of Kooyong Josh Frydenberg, would be enough to carry out the complex job at the intersection of busy road, rail and tram routes.

Mr Frydenberg says the Glenferrie Road level crossing is dangerous and congested but despite being named by VicRoads as a priority for removal, it is not on the state governments list.

But the Premier made it clear on Tuesday that his government, who would be expected to do the building work, had no intention of prioritising it over the dozens of other crossing removals already in the pipeline for the coming years.
What people outside Warringah do not understand is that within Warringah itself, Tony Abbott is not seen as the parliamentary wrecker depicted in the national press, but as something of a local hero.

At the Surf Lifesaving barbecue he is unpretentious and engaged and neighbourly. At charity events he makes notable contributions, such as the money his team in the Cole Classic recently raised in that famous swim. As GetUp has just discovered in its not very well-conceived advertisement, it is perilous to make fun of his volunteerism. That is because, whether in the surf, on the cycle or in the burning bush, he is an authentic and generous volunteer.

Tony Abbott is a constructive force in his community. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

I, like many fellow residents, have to say that his relationship with me has always been most urbane. He knows I have never voted for him, but he holds no grudge. I have had the honour to debate him twice during the republican referendum period and found him a genial arguer if not above going for the man rather than the ball. But he is not alone in that.

Now, what is obvious about my beloved fellow citizens and electors of Warringah is that their majority default position is to vote Liberal. Thats a small price for an old Labor voter like me to pay for living among such agreeable folk in such an exquisite part of the world. But now it is clear that many are moving against the neo-conservative wing of the Liberal Party to which Abbott belongs.
What We're Thinking is a weekly take on the fashion questions and issues on our minds  from what we adore to what we abhor.

Find me a positive story about models and I can easily point to 10 negative ones.

Paramedics rush to the aid of model Tales Soares after he collapsed during Sao Paulo Fashion Week. Credit:AP

Tragically this week, the fashion industry is mourning the death of male model Tales Soares, who collapsed on the catwalk during Sao Paulo Fashion Week.

Officials have not released an autopsy report on the cause of Soares' death but his mother and sister have denied the 26-year-old suffered health problems such as epilepsy or anorexia or that he used drugs.
Lawmakers and members of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and the Bareunmirae Party try to get into a room where the special committee on judicial reform is holding a meeting to put reform bills on the fast track at the National Assembly, Monday. Yonhap



More than 1 million sign petition calling for LKP disbandment



By Park Ji-won



Four parties led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) managed to get a series of reform bills fast-tracked for early National Assembly voting, Tuesday, despite strong opposition from the Liberty Korea Party (LKP).



Two special parliamentary committees  chaired by liberals  held extraordinary meetings to approve the fast-tracking of the bills that will increase the number of proportional representation seats in the Assembly, establish a special investigative body to look into corruption allegations against high-ranking officials and their families, and expand the independent investigative rights of the police.



The LKP, which has claimed the bills are aimed at extending "liberal rule," vowed to boycott parliamentary sessions and hold rallies near Cheong Wa Dae indefinitely to fight the "dictatorship" of President Moon Jae-in.



The LKP had staged sit-ins and sleep-ins over the past four days to prevent the special committees from holding meetings after lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the Bareunmirae Party (BMP), the Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) and the Justice Party agreed last week to fast-track the bills.



The LKP claimed that the four parties' move was illegal as it didn't give its consent. The party criticized the electoral reform bill in particular because it claims this is aimed at "extending the life of the current leftist regime."



Until the last minute of a committee meeting Monday, LKP lawmakers continued their sit-in protest, shouting during it to disrupt and delay the proceeding. Earlier, LKP members locked Rep. Chae Yi-bai of the BMP in his office for six hours to prevent him from participating in a key committee meeting to fast-track the bills while one of the LKP members allegedly broke a fax machine to prevent proposals from being sent for registration.



Their moves, however, may have violated the National Assembly Law which stipulates that anyone who uses violence in or near parliamentary meeting rooms with the aim of interrupting any lawful proceedings faces up to five years in jail or a 10 million won fine.





52% of voters support fast-tracking of reform bills: poll Opposition takes it to Cheong Wa Dae [PHOTOS] Over 1 million sign petition demanding LKP disbandment If a bill is put on the fast track, it may be voted on within 330 days without the need for bipartisan support. The fast-tracked bills should be reviewed by the related standing committees within 180 days. If this is not done, the bills will be given another 90 days to be reviewed by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. If the committee does not do this, the bills will automatically be put to a vote within 60 days at an Assembly session. The time can be reduced if parties agree to vote on the bills.



If the electoral reform bill is passed by the Assembly without any revisions, there is a high chance that the 2020 general election will take place under its provisions that increase the number of proportional representations seats to 75 (out of the 300 total) and lowers the voting age to 18 from 19.



The DPK and Justice Party have filed complaints with the prosecution against LKP lawmakers for violating the National Assembly Law among others. Assembly officials also announced Tuesday that they had filed complaints against some lawmakers and party employees, which they didn't identify, with prosecutors on charges of obstruction of duty. In response, the LKP has filed complaints against DPK lawmakers.



Critics say it will take some time for the Assembly to be normalized as tension between the rival parties is still too high to be resolved. It is largely expected that parliamentary sessions will be put on hold for the time being as the LKP has pledged to continue its "anti-government" protests. This means that an extra budget bill and other key bills affecting the people's livelihoods will not be passed immediately.



LKP officials said the party is considering holding a protest in Gwanghwamun, near the Seoul Government Complex this week, while Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn plans to travel around the country giving speeches criticizing government policies.



Following the committees' moves, the LKP leadership pledged to continue holding demonstrations.



"The 20th Assembly ended as of Tuesday," Hwang said during a party meeting.



"I will fight the Moon Jae-in administration and let citizens know the reality about this dictatorship."



DPK leaders welcomed the committees pushing the bills forward but also promised to hold discussions with the LKP to improve them.



During a meeting held after the bills were fast-tracked, Chairman Rep. Lee Hae-chan said, "The amendments on electoral reform and the establishment of the investigative unit are important to enshrine a stronger democratic system." He added that he was willing to discuss the bills  especially on electoral reform  with the LKP.




Regardless of what we eat, what time we eat it matters, and two new studies have helped to uncover why.

The first study, published in the journal Obesity, explored the effect of time-restricted eating among men at risk of type 2 diabetes.

When we eat can set or disrupt our body's clock.

Previous research has found eating from the moment we wake until the moment we go to sleep is detrimental to our health and researchers also know that eating at strange times  as shift workers often do  makes people more susceptible to chronic illnesses including type 2 diabetes because, it is believed, it messes with the natural rhythms of our hormones.

With this in mind, Associate Professor Leonie Heilbronn, from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), wanted to see whether it made a difference to eat earlier (rather than later) in the day and restrict a person's window of eating time without changing their diet.
The boss of the troubled National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has resigned after less than two years in the job.

Robert De Luca quit effective immediately to become CEO of community health organisation Zenitas Healthcare.

His replacement will be appointed by the incoming government after the May 18 federal election, and Deputy CEO Vicki Rundle will act as CEO until then.

"It has been a privilege to serve participants and to progress this important scheme of huge national significance," Mr De Lucas said in a statement released by the NDIS.

"I have great confidence in the future of the scheme."
Everyone loves synergies but heres one Cochlear shareholders mightnt be thrilled about.

Cochlear and the ASX, both chaired by Rick Holliday-Smith, have teamed up to lobby Canberra for more support for biotechnology companies. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit:

Cochlear, which makes ear implants, is chaired by Rick Holliday-Smith, who also happens to be the chairman of the Australian Securities Exchange and drug manufacturer Qbiotics.

Perhaps anticipating a Labor government in Canberra, all three companies have come together to lobby for more backing for the biotechnology sector.

With the assistance of former Shorten aide Steve Michelson, letters have been sent to the Opposition Leader, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor innovation spokesman Kim Carr.
The 200-year-old Hyde Park Barracks is raising nearly $20 million towards its future conservation by selling its air rights - or unused development space above the building - to private developers for use elsewhere in the city.

It is the first time in Australia that a UNESCO-listed building has sold its air rights, and the second government building in Sydney to do so.

Mark Goggin, Sydney Living Museums executive director, outside the Hyde Park Barracks. New renovations will be funded by the sale of the air rights above the building to Sydney developers. Credit:James Brickwood

The sale of 12,743 square metres using the City of Sydney's transferable heritage floor space scheme was the largest sale yet achieving a record price, said the executive director of Sydney Living Museums, Mark Goggin.

The air rights were sold to three different developers, including Lendlease, with the price ranging from $1460-$1610 per sqm, for developments in other parts of central Sydney.
Counting underway

Counting in South Africas historic all-race elections finally began yesterday, after a week of voting chaos, political violence and uncertainty. The delay in counting follows administrative issues which hampered voters across the country, with an extra day of voting allowed in parts of KwaZulu, the eastern cape and northern Transvaal. Asked if he had won, ANC leader Nelson Mandela said: Its a victory for the people of South Africa.

Anderson angry

NSW Labor frontbencher Peter Anderson will resign from the shadow ministry following his loss in a preselection battle with the ALP left for his state seat of Liverpool. After losing the vote 139-130 to Liverpool deputy mayor Paul Lynch, Mr Anderson lashed out at Opposition Leader Bob Carr, saying he was disgusted with him for undermining his position in the electorate. Anyone who said I didnt look after my electorate was telling a lie, he said.

Pele weds again
A 28-year-old primary school teacher in Byron Bay has undergone surgery after the mother of a student allegedly stabbed him with a pair of scissors, before fleeing the school grounds, early on Tuesday morning.

Zane Vockler, a teacher at Byron Bay Public School, was in conversation with the mother of a student around 7.20am when she allegedly launched at him with a pair of scissors, causing cuts to his arms and face.

Primary school teacher Zane Vockler, 28, was allegedly stabbed by the mother of a student at Byron Bay Public School. Credit:Facebook

It is understood the woman was known to the school, which had procedures in place that were to be followed if she came to the premises. However, as it was still early on Tuesday morning when she arrived at the school, the office was yet to open.

Police were immediately called to the primary school on Kingsley Street, Byron Bay, however not before the 31-year-old woman fled, prompting a police search in the area.
Fired up after a debate about whether Christians and Muslims should be allowed to marry, a man grabbed a gun and shot two rounds in a cafe in actions that have cost him his liberty.

Melbourne man Nasser El Kheir was on Tuesday handed a one-year prison term for his offending in June last year at Broadmeadows' Babylon Coffee Shop.

"An argument started between you and a number of patrons about marriage between Christians and Muslims. You became highly agitated, gesticulating and yelling," County Court Judge Gabriele Cannon said while sentencing.

El Kheir, then 55, was escorted from the cafe by the owner and his brother, but returned five minutes later with a black handgun that he produced from his jacket.

During the 40-second episode, the "heavily intoxicated" El Kheir fired two shots while yelling "where is he?".
A corrupt former drug squad detective let slip the name of a secret police informer at the Lawyer X royal commission on Tuesday, causing the inquiry to close its doors to the public.

Victoria Police's barrister immediately threatened to go to the Supreme Court if the hearing was not closed in a sign of growing tension between the royal commission and the police force.

The commission is investigating former gangland barrister Nicola Gobbo, who became police informer 3838 when she turned supergrass on some of the states most notorious criminals.

Disgraced former drug squad detective Wayne Strawhorn leaves the royal commission on Tuesday. Credit:Jason South

Former drug squad detective Wayne Strawhorn, jailed for seven years in 2006 for trafficking pseudoephedrine, was less than an hour into his evidence when he named one of his informers in a drug squad investigation codenamed Operation Carron.
To say this female duo from Margaret River take a hands-on approach to their winemaking business is an understatement. "We became pruners, pickers, cellar hands, lab technicians, winemakers, bottlers, marketers, wholesalers  because we believe the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," they told us. "We wanted to be involved in creating something from grape to glass and everything in between ... it's been a lot of hard work, with a few beers in between." The pair's approach to winemaking is simple: they make wines they would want to drink themselves and pride themselves of being consistently excellent. "Wine that is expressive of where it came from and then where it wants to go. We see our role as guiding great fruit to a glass without too much handling in between," they said.

"Consistency in making honest, quality wines that reflect their origins, with restrained interference, is essential. Wines that continually combine and push traditional winemaking with a contemporary edge." Outside of Margaret River, Maiorana and Patterson enjoy the wines of Sicily for their "honesty and authenticity to the land" and more locally Tasmania for the same reasons. Rhys Parker and Paul Hoffman from Vallee du Venom. Rhys Parker & Paul Hoffman: Vallee du Venom Hoffman and Parker are self-confessed "blood brothers" who graduated together with science degrees from UWA. Hoffman is a second-generation winemaker who took over the long-running family business in the Swan Valley.

Parker worked in mining, oil and gas for a decade but after needing a change, went back to university to study Oenology and eventually moved to Margaret River to combine his love of surfing and wine. So what overarching philosophies guide their winemaking? For Hoffman, it's a respect for nature and maintaining the biocultural diversity of the Swan Valley. "Wild ferments and biological maturation. Transparency of terroir and preserving the integrity of single vineyards in Margaret River," he said. Parker wanted to create wines that showcase terroir and offer wine lovers something more than mass produced, generic wines they are accustomed to.

"This means minimal intervention winemaking where possible and of course acquiring the best possible fruit we can," he said. "We both come from scientific backgrounds and, whilst minimal intervention is the aim, we are very interested in and respect the science behind winemaking. Every decision we make takes the science into account." Hoffman says all wine regions have standout producers but he particularly enjoys the structure of wines from granite-derived soils. "Wines such as those from Beaujolais, Muscadet and parts of the northern Rhone," he said. Parker is an unabashed fan of Margaret River wines ... no surprise given he and wife Emma live up the road in Dunsborough.

"Chardonnay for me reigns supreme. Its a variety where your winemaking decisions have a huge effect on the style of wine produced. You can point the wine in so many directions," he said. "Ive been very lucky to work with some great producers down here making chardonnay of very differing styles. "Savoie - a little known, tiny mountainous region in France - is also of special interest to me. Isolated, sub-alpine vineyards produce truly unique wines. Mondeuse and Rousette in particular have caught my attention." Remi Guise from tripe.Iscariot in Margaret River. Remi Guise: tripe.Iscariot

Guise probably has the most interesting background of the quartet, having next to zero experience in winemaking and viticulture growing up in his native South Africa. "When it came time to select a degree to study at university, the thought of sitting behind a desk all day in an office didn't feel quite right. I placated my parents and selected dentistry and accountancy as two of my options, and then slipped in winemaking and viticulture as my third choice," he said. "I'd always been fascinated with wine and wine culture, and had spent a fair bit of time visiting the Cape Winelands as a child with my parents. At the time it felt right, definitely more right than mouths and accounts, so wine it was." He says his approach to winemaking changes he moves through his life and career. "Right now I'm guided by the quest to make wines that are expressive, intense, exhibit fruit purity and that are complex and thought provoking," he said.

"I want to make wines that change minds, engage people and possibly even start them on their own personal wine journey. "I try and achieve that by many different means: using solids in different ways is one of them; incorporating more of the grape than is traditionally used is another; but the primary method is working with good fruit and the assumption that I know what I'm doing." Guise loves Margaret River, which like many believes is now home to Australia's best cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay. "I like cabernet and chardonnay, a lot. It is also home to some of the most promising terroir for one of my other favourite grapes, chenin blanc," he said. "Swartland (in South Africa) is a truly unique area that boasts some of the oldest vines and weirdest minds in the Southern Hemisphere.

"The wines from this region deliver everything that I look for and strive for in my own wines, those being expression, purity, intensity and thought provocation. "And Piedmont is another favourite ... because I love Barolo. The fact a wine can have the delicacy of Pinot Noir and the balls and structure of Cabernet Sauvignon at the same time doesn't really seem possible or fair, but thankfully it is. "It also comes at a fraction of the price of most decent Continental offerings of both of the aforementioned wines, and is far more reliable." Guise hopes to grow his tripe.Iscariot ('berry' to 'stalk') brand and keep refining his wines and style, keep experimenting and ... "hopefully not go broke". "Experimentation is what has gotten me to where I am now ... taking chances and making wines that I believe in, even if it is possible nobody else will," he said.

"One of my only rules for myself from day one was to ensure that I only ever makes wines that I want to drink and that keep me interested in drinking them. "I want to make sure I keep sticking to that mantra and never lose it." Genevieve Mann and Rob Mann from Corymbia in Upper Swan. Genevieve Mann & Rob Mann: Corymbia The Mann duo descend from winemaking royalty here in the west, so it was no surprise the family tradition continued down the line.

"Wine is in our blood. Were husband and wife, the heads and hearts of Corymbia, and part of one of the oldest winemaking families in Australia," Genevieve said. "Robs family history spans six generations and he was influenced from a very early age by a family of winemakers, vignerons, restaurateurs and drinkers." The Manns make their wines from single vineyards they farm from dirt to bottle in the Swan Valley, offering the purest expression of fruit and a clear sense of place. The fruit is dry grown, organically farmed from mature vines planted from the mid-1980s and uses traditional techniques such as hand harvesting, gravity, oak fermentation, indigenous yeast and natural malolactic fermentation. "Our wines express the qualities of the Swan Valley that Robs family has admired of the region for over 100 years," Gen says. The pair have done their fare share of travelling through some of the world's most famed wine regions and are reluctant to pick a favourite.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard has dismissed calls for NSW to begin a trial to allow pharmacists to prescribe antibiotics for urinary tract infections and issue one-off repeats for the contraceptive pill.

It comes as the NSW Labor opposition urged the state government to follow in the footsteps of the Queensland government, which earlier this month announced it would begin a statewide trial of both measures.

Mr Hazzard said he could see some merit in the proposal, but any change needed to be considered at a national level as it was "not entirely logical to have different prescribing practices in different states".

Health Minister Brad Hazzard has rejected calls for NSW to begin trialing the over-the-counter dispensing of antibiotics for urinary tract infections and the contraceptive pill. Credit:AAP

"I can see the benefit in some regional areas where patients may not be able to get to a GP," Mr Hazzard said.




By Lee Min-hyung







Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon kicked off on Tuesday his 11-day overseas trip to Kuwait, Ecuador and Colombia, Tuesday, which is centered on strengthening economic ties with the countries.







Dozens of leaders from Korea's private and public enterprises and state-run associations will accompany Lee to seek business opportunities. Major participating companies include Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C), GS Engineering & Construction and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).







As the first stop of the trip, Lee will visit Kuwait for four days until Friday. He will take part in an opening ceremony for the Sheik Jaber Causeway, a 48.6-kilometer-long bridge across Kuwait Bay. Hyundai E&C and GS E&C had joined the project.







Lee will then meet with officials from the country to seek opportunities for more Korean construction companies there. His trip to the Middle Eastern country has been arranged in celebration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Kuwait.







For three days from Saturday, Lee will visit Colombia and hold a meeting with the country's President Ivan Duque. Lee will discuss measures to develop the bilateral diplomatic relations to a higher level.







Lee will particularly seek support for Korea's bid to obtain associate member status in the Pacific Alliance, an economic bloc established in 2012 by Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru.







The prime minister will also discuss measures to enhance economic partnerships with Colombia. Korea is the only Asian country to have signed a free trade agreement with Colombia.







After Colombia, Lee will fly to Ecuador for a meeting with the country's President Lenin Moreno. Lee will stay there for three days from May 6.







This will be the first time for a Korean prime minister to make an official visit to Ecuador.







Before returning home, Lee will stop by the United States to participate in a ceremony to celebrate the opening of Lotte Chemical's ethylene glycol manufacturing facility in Louisiana.


NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she is "convinced" a government inquiry into amphetamine use will find no evidence to support pill testing.

With the inquiry's first public hearings due to begin in Sydney next week, Ms Berejiklian said it was important for Commissioner Dan Howard SC and his 16-member expert panel to undertake a "robust independent approach" to the issues.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian, with Health Minister Brad Hazzard and NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, as she announced the special commission of inquiry into ice in November 2018. Credit:AAP

But the Premier said her opposition to pill testing remained "firm" and she was confident the panel would not find evidence to support recommending a pill testing trial.

"I'm convinced there is no evidence to support pill testing, but it's important for the Commissioner and his experts to have a free reign to look at these issues and provide their recommendations," Ms Berejiklian said on Tuesday.
Tokyo: Two kitchen knives have been found on the school desk of a young Japanese prince who one day stands to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne, heightening security fears and underlining the vulnerability of a royal family short on male heirs.

Japanese Prince Hisahito in Tokyo last month. Credit:AP

The knives, whose blades had been painted pink, were bound to a two-foot-long bar that straddled the school desk of 12-year-old Prince Hisahito and a neighbouring desk on Friday.

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Hisahito is the only young male heir to the throne, and the incident came just days before his uncle, Crown Prince Naruhito, becomes Japan's new emperor on May 1.
FRENCH QUARTER:--- Moments ago a robbery took place at Choice Supermarket in French Quarter. Several Gendarmes are currently on the scene investigating the early afternoon robbery. Colonel of the Gendarmerie Sebastien Manzoni confirmed that the robbery just took place. . Sources say the armed robbers went to the scene in a car dressed in black and were wearing masks.

SMN News will update this article when more information becomes available.
PHILIPSBURG:--- In connection with the 2019 Grand Carnival Parade scheduled to be held on Tuesday, April 30th, 2019 and the Labor Day Parade scheduled to be held on May 1st, 2019 to Police Department is making the following announcement.

On Tuesday, April 30th and Wednesday, May 1st 2019 Front Street will be closed at Longwall road- Little bay road from 06.00 a.m. until the passing of the parades. All streets and alleys leading from Back Street into Front Street will also be closed. All residents living on Front Street and businesses owners are cautioned not to park on Front Street during this time. Guesthouse and hotel operators should inform their guests to look for alternative parking during this period. If their guests have to catch a flight they should advise them to leave early to avoid any delays or any other inconvenience. Vehicles parked on Front Street during this period will be towed at the expense of the owner or driver.



On Tuesday, April 30th the Grand Parade consisting of 17 troops starts at the Jose Lake Senior Ballpark on L.B. Scot road at 10.00 AM sharp. The troop's will line-up on the L.B. Scot road. Both bridges leading into Saunders from L.B. Scot road will be closed at Flamboyant road and Arbutus road to all motor vehicle traffic as of 08.00 AM. Drivers going into and out of Betty Estate, Ebenezer, Sint Peters, and Reward areas should take keen note of this information and take alternative routes to get to and from their destination. Once the parade starts it will head towards Church hill roundabout and make a left run onto Bush road- Prins Bernard Brug- Walter Nisbet road- Hensey Boujon street- Longwall road- Kerkhof Straat-Front Street- Emma plein- Welvaart Brug- Buncamper road- Freedom Fighter round about- Walter Nisbet road- Salt Picker round about- Soualiga Boulevard and end in front of the Festival Village.

On Wednesday, May 1st, the Labor Day Parade will start at 01.00 P.M. sharp at Salt Pickers roundabout onto Walter Nisbet road- Hensey Boujon Street- Longwall road- Kerkhof Straat-Front Street- Emma plein- Welvaart Brug- Buncamper road- Freedom Fighter round about- Walter Nisbet road- Salt Picker round about- Soualiga Boulevard and end in front of the Festival Village. All streets and alleys will reopen once the parade has passed on both days.

The community is advised to take all necessary measures to protect themselves and their property. Take the carnival safety tips into account and remember the transaction list will be implemented for any misconduct. (Visit our Facebook Page for more information)

KPSM Press Release.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, April 27th at approximately 11.30 P.M. a lone gunman entered Defiance Gentlemans Club with a handgun and while threatening a client with his gun attempted to rob the client of his belongings. The client did not cooperate with the demand of the robber however, at which time the robber fled the scene on an awaiting scooter.

On Sunday, April 28th at approximately 12.50 PM three unknown men, one of which was armed with a gun stormed into Over Value Supermarket II and robbed the establishment by threatening the cashier taking an undisclosed amount of cash from the register. After committing this act all three suspects fled the scene on foot. No suspect or suspects in these two cases have been identified or arrested.

Anyone who has any information in connection with these two cases should immediately get in contact with the police department by calling 54-22222 ext. 214/ 215 or by dialing the 911 emergency number.

KPSM Press Release
2021s most popular expert panel roundtable discussions

Topics that dominated our websites Expert Panel Roundtable articles in 2021 included the effects of COVID-19, the benefits of mobile access, the upcoming potential of deep learning, and the future of access control cards. Our websites Expert Panel Roundtable discussions in 2021 reflected some of the most timely and important topics in the industry. The very most clicked-on Expert Panel Roundtable discussion in 2021 considered the positive and negative effects of COVID-19. The second most popular was trends in perimeter security technology. Smart video solutions Here is a roundup of the Top 10 Expert Panel Roundtable discussions posted in 2021, along with a sound bite from each discussion and links back to the full articles. Thanks to everyone who contributed to Expert Panel Roundtable in 2021 (including the quotable panelists named and linked below). The pandemic has impacted security in many ways, some we are just now realising" What are the positive and negative effects of COVID-19 to security? The pandemic has impacted security in many ways, some we are just now realising. On the negative side, integrators were limited in their ability to access customer locations, posing significant challenges to supporting customers. Innovation was also halted in many sectors  such as AI and edge computing in healthcare. However, the pandemic increased awareness regarding the need for smart solutions that can aid in these types of crises. Smart video solutions have been identified repeatedly in the media as a potential pathway to better customer experience and increased safety.  Alexander Harlass. Reducing false alarms What are the latest trends in perimeter security technology? Whats really important in perimeter security is the minimisation of false alarms, not simply the potential detection of what might be an unauthorised person or object. In light of that, many systems now include alarm validation that can confirm an alarm event using a camera. The utilisation of AI-based technologies can further validate the accuracy of the alarm, making it as accurate and precise as possible. I anticipate seeing more cross-technological integrations to reduce false alarms, so that personnel in an alarm center spend as little time as possible in validating an alarm.  Leo Levit. What will be the biggest security trends in 2021? 2021 will see artificial intelligence (AI) become more mainstream. There will be increased deployment in edge devices, including cameras, thermographic cameras, radar and LIDAR sensors, entry point readers, etc. Additional algorithms will be developed, greatly expanding the use and function as video surveillance transitions from a forensic tool to real-time analytics. This increases the value of these systems and helps create ROI cases for their deployment.  Tim Brooks. Access control solutions Investments in tools and platforms to drive digital interactions have accelerated" What will be the security industrys biggest challenge in 2021? The security industry is traditional in the sense that it relies heavily on face-to-face interaction to do business with customers and partners alike. COVID-19 has put a hold on in-person meetings, trade shows, etc., and this trend is likely to extend throughout 2021. Virtually recreating these personal touchpoints, while cultivating and strengthening internal and external relationships, will continue to be both a challenge and opportunity for the security industry. Investments in tools and platforms to drive digital interactions have accelerated.  Robert Moore. What are the challenges and benefits of mobile access control? Mobile access control solutions are an exciting innovation in a market where the day-to-day user experience hasnt changed much in the last 20 years. One area that has clear benefits and challenges is in improving the user experience. On one hand, physical credentials are expensive and a hassle to administer; however, they work reliably, quickly, and predictably. Mobile credentials are convenient in that everyone already has a smartphone, and you dont have to admin or carry cards; however, when youre actually standing at the door they need to work as well or better than physical credentials, or the benefits are lost.  Brian Lohse. Attacking critical infrastructure What are the security challenges of protecting critical infrastructure? It seems so often we hear about a new threat or cyber-attack in the news. Because of the rapid growth in technology over the last few years, cybercriminals are getting bolder and discovering new ways to attack critical infrastructure. One of the biggest challenges boils down to the capabilities of the operating security system and whether the organisation is aware of the current risks they face. Because there are so many points of entry for cybercriminals to target within critical infrastructure, it is vital that the security solution be prepared for attacks at every level.  Charles (Chuck) OLeary. They are more aware when they make physical contact with doors and interfaces" Which security technologies will be useful in a post-pandemic world? People have become more sensitised to crowds and personal space. They are more aware when they make physical contact with doors and interfaces. As the pandemic subsides, these habits will likely remain for a majority of people." "Utilising AI-based cameras to accurately monitor the number of people in a room or in a queue will enable staff to take action to improve the customer experience. For example, AI-based analytics can quickly notify security or operations when people are waiting at a door and initiate 2-way audio for touchless access.  Aaron Saks. Central monitoring station What is the potential of deep learning in physical security and surveillance? Deep learning, a subset of artificial intelligence, enables networks to train themselves to perform speech, voice, and image recognition tasks." In video surveillance, these networks learn to make predictions through highly repetitive exposure" "In video surveillance, these networks learn to make predictions through highly repetitive exposure to images of humans and vehicles from a camera feed. That ability is ideal for use with drones patrolling perimeters seeking anomalies or in software that significantly reduces the number of false alarms reported to central monitoring station operators. Through use, the software continues improving its accuracy.  Brian Baker. Valuable audit trail How soon will access control cards become extinct and why? Access control cards will go the way of the dinosaur, but they still have some life left in them. For the short term, they have plenty of utility in minimum security use cases and leave a valuable audit trail. But for companies that are more technology-centric, particularly those with high value assets, were seeing demand for next-generation access control, which includes increased integration with video surveillance systems and professional monitoring services.  Sean Foley. Which security markets are embracing touchless and contactless systems? Touchless technology is not a new trend, but contactless systems and transactions have surged since the COVID-19 pandemic. Even after the pandemic is over, it is likely public perception of what is hygienic and acceptable in public spaces will have changed. [We are] seeing an uptick in touchless access control systems in the education and flexible office space markets.  Brooke Grigsby.
By Kang Seung-woo



Thirty officials from the transport ministry have been disciplined for receiving inappropriate favors from airlines, including free use of lounges and free seat upgrades, the ministry said, Tuesday.





According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, it conducted an audit of its officials in the second half of last year to see if they were involved in any type of corrupt activities, including violation of the anti-graft law, or so-called Kim Young-ran Act.



The inspection found 31 officials receiving special treatment, 30 of which have been forwarded to the disciplinary committee to receive reprimands, warnings or salary cuts. The remaining official has already retired and is therefore not subject to punishment, the ministry said.



A closer look reveals 22 officials from regional aviation offices used airport lounges free of charge or had their seats upgraded during their overseas business trips between 2015 and 2018.



Three out of the 15 who had free use of the lounge used the special treatment habitually, so one of them is facing disciplinary action by the Ministry of Personnel Management and the remaining two are awaiting the transport ministry's own punitive measures.



Eight officials were slapped with warnings for accepting seat upgrades. The punishment will remain in their personnel records and could affect prospective promotions.



The disciplined officials claimed they did not demand the favors but the airlines provided them voluntarily. Especially about the seat upgrades, they said the airlines offered the upgrades because of overbooking of economy class seats.



But the disciplinary committee concluded it was still against the ministry's internal regulations, which were set up in February 2015 following similar favoritism allegations. The regulations ban even such "involuntary upgrades."



The internal audit was launched amid suspicions over cozy ties between the transport ministry and local airlines after it was found last year that Cho Hyun-min, a Hawaiian-born U.S. citizen, had served as a board member of Jin Air between 2010 and 2016 although the Transport Law stipulates non-citizens cannot hold a post on the board of a domestic logistics company.



Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee ordered the auditors to investigate whether officials were maintaining the improper practice of getting favors from airlines, even after 37 people were disciplined on similar allegations back in 2015.


The SC For Ed teacher advocacy group has been encouraging teachers to wear red on Wednesdays and travel to Columbia to testify for hearings. The group is now calling for teachers to call out of work and march on the Statehouse on May 1.
Main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won, front row fourth from left, and other party members protest against fast-tracking political reform bills from the floor in front of the door to the special committee on political reform meeting early Tuesday. The special committee on judiciary reform put the judiciary reform bills on the fast track late Monday night. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



More than one million people have signed an online petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website calling for the disbandment of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP).



The petition, which began on April 22, accused the LKP of blocking the procedures of fast tracking reform bills regarding electoral reform and establishing a new investigative body against corruption. Four parties, including the main ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the Bareunmirae Party (BMP), the Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) and the Justice Party (JP), have supported the bills.



The bills were put on the fast track to a National Assembly vote after being approved through two special parliamentary committees late Monday night and early Tuesday, but the conflict among the lawmakers, which peaked after a week of physical tussles at the Assembly, is unlikely to end soon.



Along with the petition slamming the LKP, the April 16 joint civic committee for the bereaved family members of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster also said Tuesday that they will stage a candlelight rally condemning the LKP and calling for its disbandment in the Gwanghwamun area in central Seoul on Saturday. The civic groups of the bereaved family members and the LKP were in conflict over the investigation into the disaster.



Experts say that the number of people who have signed the petition should serve as a wake-up call for the LKP.



But they cautiously said it is likely that the number does not reflect the general public's view but the view of the enthusiastic supporters of the DPK and the administration of President Moon Jae-in.




The space shuttle Atlantis is less than a week away from blasting off to overhaul the Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time in its nearly 20-year lifetime, but this last flight stands out from the pack in more ways than one.

Atlantis and a crew of seven astronauts are slated to launch toward Hubble on May 11 at 2:01 p.m. EDT (1801 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Their mission is packed with five back-to-back spacewalks to repair vital systems and boost Hubble's vision into the universe.

NASA has even primed a second space shuttle to serve as a rescue ship in the unlikely event that Atlantis suffers critical damage space junk and strands its crew in orbit.

Here are reader questions asked in a recent Live Forum hosted by SPACE.com reporters, along with a few others on the nuts and bolts of the mission:

Why does Hubble need this last overhaul flight?

It's been seven years since NASA's last Hubble servicing mission (STS-109 in 2002) and the space telescope was designed to typically go only three years between overhauls. Because of the long gap, several systems have experiences some failures and need repair. NASA had already built new cameras, instruments and maintenance gear to support this flight, too.

Why is this NASA's last mission to Hubble?

Under NASA's current plan, the agency will retire its aging three space shuttles in 2010 after completing construction of the International Space Station. There will then no vehicle large enough to carry new instruments to Hubble or return broken components to Earth.

The shuttles typically carry seven people on two-week flights. Each has a cavernous cargo bay 15 feet (4.5-meters) wide and 60 feet (18 meters) long. NASA's shuttle replacement, the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, is a smaller, capsule-based spacecraft currently designed to launch four astronauts to the space station or on lunar missions.

Didn't NASA cancel this final shuttle flight to Hubble? What happened?

Yes. NASA canceled Atlantis' STS-125 mission to extend Hubble's operational life in January 2004 after a review board found it too risky in the wake of the 2003 Columbia tragedy that killed seven astronauts. The board directed NASA to fly only missions that kept shuttle astronauts within reach of the International Space Station, where they could take refuge if their spacecraft was damaged.

But the cancellation was met by fierce opposition from the public and science community. In 2005, NASA considered sending a robot to perform the Hubble repairs and upgrades, but ultimately found it infeasible.

By September 2006, NASA had successfully resumed space shuttle launches and flown the first two missions since the Columbia accident. That success, coupled with new heat shield and repair tools, led NASA to reconsider  and later approve  the final Hubble servicing mission.

If it was approved, why is there a rescue shuttle for the Hubble servicing mission?

While NASA is confident Atlantis' mission to Hubble will go well, the agency is also prepared in case it doesn't. Because the shuttle must fly higher and in a different inclination than the space station to reach Hubble, it does not have enough fuel to reach both the space telescope and orbiting lab.

Atlantis pilot Gregory C. Johnson has said the shuttle will spend nearly half its propellant just to reach Hubble, leaving it very little margin to return home. That is a standard feature of all Hubble repair missions because of the telescope's high orbit (300 miles up, whereas the space station is around 220 miles above the planet).

So, the shuttle Endeavour is already poised on a second launch pad. NASA plans to have Endeavour and a small crew of four astronauts ready to launch within seven days of any possible declared emergency.

What new science will the upgrades allow for Hubble?

Hubble can currently see distant galaxies and stars that were forming when the universe was just 700 million years old. The universe is currently 13.7 billion years old, and with the upgrade during STS-125, astronomers hope Hubble will be able to see the universe at time about 500 million years after the theoretical Big Bang that started it all. Astronomers are hopeful the new gear will allow Hubble to see infant galaxies among other new findings.

When would the first images from Hubble be released?

If all goes well with the Hubble repair mission, the first new image is expected to be released around September. The telescope's control center at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., plans about 10 weeks of tests and checkouts to make sure the telescope is fully operationally.

What are the main goals for the Atlantis' STS-125 Hubble Servicing Mission?

The following is a basic rundown of work to be performed during five spacewalks.

New Instruments and Gear:

Installing the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3): a new and more powerful main camera that bests its predecessors by seeing in both ultraviolet and near infrared as well as visible light. Hubble would be able to see 90 times more objects than it did at launch in April 1990. This instrument will replace Hubble's current Wide Field Camera 2, which will be brought back to Earth.

Adding the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS): This instrument uses the ultraviolet range to find out the temperature, density, chemical composition and velocity of intergalactic gas and galaxies, with ten times the sensitivity of current Hubble instruments. This device will replace Hubble's corrective lens  COSTAR  which fixed the blurry vision caused by the telescope's flawed main mirror. The corrective optics are no longer required because all of Hubble's new instruments automatically compensate for the mirror's flaw.

Attaching the Soft Capture and Rendezvous System: This docking port will allow a future spacecraft, most likely robotic, to latch onto Hubble in order to guide it to a fiery demise in Earth's atmosphere or up to the relative safety of a graveyard  or 'museum'  orbit.

Maintenance work:

Replacing six Rate Sensor Units (RSU): The gyroscopes help keep Hubble pointed precisely at distant stars and galaxies for hours at a time. Hubble can technically limp by on two or even one gyroscope, but the fresh exchange ensures that the science keeps flowing.

Replace one of three Fine Guidance Sensors: Hubble has three Fine Guidance Sensors used to keep the telescope stead for long-duration observations. They are also used for astrometry, which studies the precise position and motion of stars.

Replacing six Nickel Hydrogen Batteries: The suitcase -sized batteries get swapped out for the first time in 16 years, giving Hubble an extra lease on life for the next 5 to 10 years. The batteries keep Hubble humming during the night portion of its orbit.

Replacing Thermal Insulation: The multilayer insulation on Hubble has become torn and broken by the harsh environment of space. The new thermal blankets protect the damaged insulation and helps maintain a steady temperature for Hubble.

Vital Repairs:

Repairing the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer (STIS): A two-sided instrument that uniquely scans across all light wavelengths of objects such as planets, comets, stars and galaxies. Spacewalkers will replace a failed power converter to restore one side of the damaged device.

Replacing the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS): One of three optical sensors that help Hubble lock onto targets with a system of mirrors and lenses. The old FGS returns home after being removed from Hubble during an earlier servicing mission.

Fixing the Advance Camera for Surveys (ACS): A highly efficient survey tool with a wide field of view that became damaged. Astronauts hope to repair some of its capabilities since it failed last year.

Repairing the Science Instrument Command & Data Handling Unit: This repair will restore full redundancy to Hubble's vital data handling unit, which serves as the central relay that beams telescope imagery and data back to Earth.

How many days will the shuttle be docked with Hubble during the mission/repair?

Atlantis will arrive at Hubble on the third day of the 11-day mission and cast off on Flight Day 9, so it will be attached for about a week. Five of those consecutive days include spacewalks.

How would the rescue mission work, if needed, and how long would it last?

A rescue mission to Atlantis  called STS-400  would last about a week. Endeavour would launch from Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center with shuttle commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Eric Boe and spacewalkers Shane Kimbrough and Stephen Bowen. The rescue crew consists of the same four astronauts who last launched on Endeavour's flight deck during its most recent flight, STS-126 in November 2008.

The astronauts would fly Endeavour to Atlantis, and grapple the stricken ship with Endeavour's robotic arm. They would then perform a complicated series of three spacewalks to move the seven astronauts from the damaged Atlantis into Endeavour, with Atlantis commander Scott Altman the last to leave.

After a day to rest, the astronauts would perform their standard prelanding heat shield inspection and return to Earth a day or so later.

NASA considers the need for such a rescue mission as extremely unlikely, but wanted to have an option just in case.

What is the greatest risk to Atlantis' crew?

NASA officials have repeatedly said that the STS-125 mission to Hubble faces a higher risk of severe damage from space junk and micrometeorites. Initially, that risk was about a 1-in-185 chance, which exceeded NASA's safety rules that call for a maximum risk of a 1-in-200 chance.

Since then, NASA has found ways to reduce the risk further by flying Atlantis in a tail-first orientation with its payload bay facing the Earth as much as possible. The shuttle will also fire its engines to move to a safer orbit just after releasing Hubble near the end of its mission.

Altogether, NASA's management efforts now set the risk at about a 1-in-229 chance of critical damage from space junk, despite recent spikes in debris levels from a Feb. 10 satellite collision and China's 2007 anti-satellite test. The current 1-in-229 chance puts the risk on par with other risks associated with human spaceflight, NASA officials have said.

How does the Delta V profile for this mission differ from a "normal" ISS flight?

Atlantis will launch due east from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Central Florida. It is destined for an orbit of about 300 miles (482 km), or about 100 miles higher than the International Space Station, which has an inclination  or tilt with respect to the Earth's equator  of about 28.5 degrees. On space station missions, a space shuttle launches to a high inclination of 51.6 along a northeasterly track to reach the outpost's 220-mile (354-km) orbit.

How much longer will Hubble last? It seems like it's been up there forever!

It's certainly has been up there for awhile! The mission engineers say that if everything goes according to plan and they get the necessary repairs done, Hubble will last for at least another five years, or through at least 2014  possibly longer. Hubble launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990 and celebrated its 19th birthday in orbit last month.

What could spell the death of Hubble?

Without the upcoming STS-125 mission, Hubble is one failure away (the data handling unit they revived last fall) from being space junk. With it, it has a good chance of going at least through 2014, but some of the repaired gear will be single string only. So that can fail. Even a wayward space rock or orbital trash could pose a real, and unexpected threat down the road.

Is this really NASA's final service call to Hubble or could a future spacecraft like Orion attempt some type of flight?

From what the mission scientists said, this really is the last call. Orion won't be in place until no earlier than 2015, and Hubble is meant to be serviced every three years (this is the longest it has gone  seven years  without servicing). They also haven't commissioned any new parts and those would take awhile to build if they did want to send anything new up there.

Looking to the future, how will Hubble be decommissioned? Will they capture it and return it to Earth when it is finally ready to be taken offline? Or, is it a situation where as long as it's healthy, it will stay in service like the Mars rovers?

NASA originally discussed plans to return Hubble to Earth at the end of its mission, but with the shuttle fleet retiring that's not in the cards now. Lead STS-125 spacewalker John Grunsfeld has said even if NASA wanted to, Hubble may now be too big and heavy (with all the added hardware over the last 19 years) to fit in a shuttle payload bay.

During the STS-125 mission, spacewalkers will attach a soft docking mechanism, a docking port for a future robotic spacecraft that  at the end of Hubble's mission  could latch on and then steer the school bus-sized space telescope into a controlled re-entry. A sort of space cremation, most likely over the Pacific Ocean.

Grunsfeld said the jury is still out on this. NASA could also attach a motor and boost it into a graveyard, or museum orbit.

NASA hopes Hubble will last well beyond 2014, but the STS-125 mission should extend its mission at least that much.

Will the Atlantis crew return any keepsakes of Hubble for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum?

On this mission, the astronauts are actually going to bring back the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and NASA scientists are hoping it'll be up in the National Air & Space Museum before too long.

Among the other items returning to Earth aboard Atlantis is the COSTAR, the corrective optics that served as Hubble's first contact lens to correct its blurry vision after its initial launch. All of Hubble's new instruments automatically compensate for the mirror defect that caused the blurry vision.

In terms of the decommissioning, isn't it true that the robotic vehicle that would use the soft-docking mechanism for Hubble is not even built yet?

Yes. Right now, NASA's plan is to use a generic soft-docking mechanism, one it has developed for spacecraft like Orion and others at the International Space Station. The robotic craft envisioned to steer Hubble down to its death or a graveyard orbit is not yet built.

How much will the mission to Hubble cost?

According to Ed Weiler, NASA's science mission directorate chief, this last Hubble servicing mission is expected to cost about $1.1 billion. That is an increase from the estimated $900 million price tag NASA initially announced in 2006 when the agency committed to the STS-125 mission. The cost has swelled due to the last few years of delays.

Can NASA save money and risk by building a new space telescope to replace Hubble instead of flying the servicing mission?

Weiler has said that while the cost of the mission is one that can be criticized, even attempting to build a new space telescope would face the same scrutiny later on because cost overages would most assuredly follow then too.

Hubble was initially slated to cost about $400 million, but by the time of its 1990 launch it had increased to several times that. To date, NASA has spent about $10 billion to build Hubble and keep it operating in space for the last 19 years.

However, a future space telescope  like a daughter of Hubble  would cost much more, be larger and require a new launch vehicle (like NASA's heavy-lift Ares V) that does not yet exist.
A previous SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule sits on the launch pad in Florida before heading to the space station.

NASA and SpaceX have postponed the planned launch of a new Dragon cargo ship this week due to a power system glitch on the International Space Station, agency officials said today (May 1).

SpaceX will now aim to launch the Dragon resupply mission atop a Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than Friday (May 3), a two-day delay, NASA officials added.

The launch delay came at NASA's request as engineers on Earth tackle a power issue on the station that began on Monday (April 29), when a problem popped up with one of the station's Main Bus Switching Units. The device distributes electricity for two of eight power channels on the station.

"There are no immediate concerns for the crew or the station," NASA officials said in the statement today (April 30). "Teams are working on a plan to robotically replace the failed unit and restore full power to the station system."

Related: How SpaceX's Dragon Space Capsule Works (Infographic)

The power issue isn't a concern for the six astronauts currently living and working on the space station , but it has affected the outpost's Canadarm2 robotic arm, NASA officials said.

NASA spokesperson Dan Huot told Space.com Monday that the power issue affected one of two power systems on the robotic arm, leaving it without a backup. The Canadarm2 robot arm is vital to SpaceX's Dragon mission, since astronauts will use the appendage to capture Dragon when it arrives at the orbiting lab. The arm is also used to attach Dragon to the station.

.@NASA has requested @SpaceX move off from May 1 to no earlier than May 3 for the launch of its #Dragon cargo mission to the station. https://t.co/inTfUoHT30 pic.twitter.com/3m3lchffdXApril 30, 2019 See more

A pair of astronauts worked on the robotic arm's power supply during a spacewalk conducted earlier this month , but that work focused on jumper cables along the arm's length. The current problem, instead, is with the station equivalent of a circuit-breaker.

"Flight controllers have been working to route power through the remaining six power channels," NASA officials said in a statement released yesterday .

The launch has already been hit by two delays , which pushed the launch first from April 26 to April 30 on account of "station and orbital mechanics constraints," then to May 1. The rocket will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

When it does launch, the capsule will set off on a leisurely three-day journey to the space station, where astronauts will unpack the more than 5,550 lbs. (2,495 kilograms) of supplies it carried. That includes fresh supplies and new science experiments.

The mission, called CRS-17, will be SpaceX's 17th cargo delivery flight for NASA under a resupply contract.

Space.com managing editor Tariq Malik contributed to this report.
Drug-carrying nanoparticles, an algae-powered bioreactor, a microgravity platform and a variety of "organs on a chip" will make the trip to the International Space Station Wednesday morning (May 1) on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.

The crew of the International Space Station is busy unpacking the tons of cargo carried by Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft last week , and they're preparing to snag a second haul. This one, on the Dragon, will bring more than 3,270 lbs. (1,691 kilograms) of science payloads among the other crew tools and supplies. When it leaves, the Dragon spacecraft will carry 2,269 lbs. (1,029 kg) of experiments back to Earth for analysis, NASA officials said during a news conference April 22.

The cargo launch, on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, is set for 3:59 a.m. EDT (0759 GMT) on Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. You can watch the launch live online here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA.

Related: SpaceX Cargo Launch on Track Despite Crew Dragon Anomaly

"For this launch, there's a heavy emphasis on life science investigations that will be onboard the Dragon spacecraft," Marc Giulianotti, a scientist with the space station's U.S. national lab, said during the conference. "We have a unique mixture of partners on this mission, from a Fortune 500 biopharmaceutical company to innovative startups and academic institutions."

Mechanical and chemical systems currently generate oxygen and water and remove carbon dioxide on the space station, but someday, organic life could play a part, too. One new experiment going to the station on Dragon, the Photobioreactor, will test the cultivation of microalgae to someday serve as both food and a source of oxygen.

For this experiment, about 650 milliliters of algae in liquid will breathe carbon dioxide provided by astronauts, who will also occasionally add nutrients. Eventually, the astronauts will extract some algae from the device to send back to Earth for analysis.

This test won't see algae make it to the crew's dinner plates, researchers said during the news conference. But a process used to dry and prepare algae on Earth, if adapted for space, could someday make algae a tasty treat for astronauts.

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) will track carbon sources and sinks in Earth's atmosphere from outside the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)

Just as algae could someday cycle carbon dioxide out of the space station's ecosystem in miniature, biomass on Earth stores and releases carbon dioxide on a massive scale. A new tool called the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3), which will attach to the outside of the space station, will measure atmospheric carbon dioxide and map sources and sinks of the gas.

This Hermes Facility will let scientists study the behavior of materials on the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA/Johnson Space Center)

Dragon will also bring an on-orbit facility called Hermes that will be able to run four experiments at a time for hours, days or months with video feedback, according to a statement from NASA . Hermes will be able to accomodate investigations into asteroid and comet formation, impact dynamics, and planetary evolution, researchers said in the statement.

Tissue chips, also known as organs on chips, are small devices containing human cells in a matrix that scientists can use to test how the body responds to stresses and drugs. (Image credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)

Four experiments heading to the space station focus on tissue chips: little devices that grow human cells in a 3D matrix, allowing astronauts to monitor simulated organs' reactions in space.

"These are bioengineered, miniature devices that are about the size of, roughly, a USB key, and they recreate the structure and function of human organs and tissues in a very lifelike manner," Lucie Low, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, said during the press conference. "They're essentially tools which can help us model different diseases and test the safety and efficacy of different drugs in a very realistic manner without actually testing these drugs in humans and in animals."

Researchers partnered with NASA to adapt tissue chips to be used in space, and this set will see a lung and bone marrow chip, a cartilage and bone chip, a chip that simulates the blood-brain barrier, and one that cultivates kidney cells.

While tissue chip technology is improving for use on Earth, the space station is a particularly good place for this type of research: "Microgravity causes changes in human health and physiology that look a lot like those that are associated with different kinds of aging," Low said. "You see things like bone and muscle mass loss, changes in the cardiovascular system, changes in the immune system.

"And we can actually use this kind of accelerated aging environment to help study diseases in microgravity in just a few weeks that could actually take years to study on Earth or to even become something that could be seen clinically," she added.

This device, called a miniPCR, lets astronauts investigate DNA in space as part of the Genes in Space program. (Image credit: NASA)

This cargo delivery will also include the latest stage in the student-designed Genes in Space mission, Genes in Space-6, which will track how yeast DNA broken using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing repairs and mutates while in space. Another operation, by the drug company AstraZeneca, will practice manufacturing nanoparticles that could someday allow targeted drug delivery.

NASA is anticipating an uptick in science done on the station, now that astronaut Christina Koch has been assigned to stay on the space station for nearly a year , increasing the duration that there will be four NASA crewmembers on board.

"The additional fourth crewmember effectively doubles the amount of time we can dedicate to research," Jennifer Buckley, a scientist on the International Space Station program, said during the news conference.
Saturn's strange moon Titan hides many of its secrets behind layers and layers of thick haze, but scientists have now peered through the haze in a new way  and spotted a massive stretch of water ice to boot.

That ice block stretches across nearly half of Titan's girth. The feature was a surprise companion to the patches of water ice scientists expected to find, and they aren't positive precisely what sort of geologic feature it might indicate. The research is based on data gathered by NASA's Cassini spacecraft , which spent 13 years studying the Saturn system and made more than 100 flybys of the massive moon before self-destructing in September 2017.

"It's a good example of how we're doing really well at continuing to mine these amazing Cassini data for new results," Jani Radebaugh, a planetary scientist at Brigham Young University in Utah who wasn't involved in the new research, told Space.com. "We're far from being finished with understanding Titan to the degree we can with Cassini."

Related: Saturn's Moon Titan May Have 'Phantom Lakes' and Caves

Scientists want to understand Titan because its features provide an eerie twist on the planet we know and love so well. The moon has a thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere, and liquids rain down onto its surface to fill lakes and seas . But those liquids are organic compounds falling onto a surface made, in part, of water ice. It's weird. It's also a struggle to study, since all those weird things get in the way of each other.

"What we're curious about is, beyond that global gentle snowfall of organics, what's happening?" Radebaugh said. "It can be really hard to see through that layer to be able to see what's going on."

That's where the technique used in the new paper comes in. The new research uses a statistical approach called principal component analysis, which lets the scientists look past the most dominant features in the data  like the haze  and pick up on much smaller signatures that otherwise get missed  like water ice . In the new study, the scientists applied the technique only to the swath of Titan between 30 degrees north and south latitude.

"The idea was to say 'Let's try to get a global sense of what the distribution of ice is on the surface compared to the amount of organics on the surface,'" lead author Caitlin Griffith, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, told Space.com. "We needed a method for measuring these very, very weak features and try to pull out information from these features."

Principal component analysis allowed Griffith and her colleagues do precisely that. "We're looking for very subtle features that are hidden behind bigger features," Griffith said. "That works like a charm actually, so that allowed us to get very detailed information on these very weak features"  like where water ice was visible at the surface .

Titan's surface is difficult to see through the thick haze of the icy moon's nitrogen-rich atmosphere. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

Some of the regions where the team found water ice were what scientists expected  around what they believe is a large cryovolcano that once erupted liquid water across Titan's surface and around impact craters where meteorites dug into the moon's surface. But no one expected the massive belt of water ice  3,900 miles (6,300 kilometers) long  that also turned up in the same analysis.

"There's really nothing that tells us that it should be made of water ice, even just as you look at the landscape," Radebaugh said. "There's nothing that really says this is different from everything else."

Griffith said she isn't sure yet what the massive line of ice, which she compares to a scar, represents  it will take more research to pin down what left the ice uncovered on the surface of Titan. "It's a big feature that tells us something about the way that Titan was in the past , but we don't know really what it is," she said. "I think right now it's basically telling us that it's complicated, the surface is fairly complicated."

Radebaugh said that from her perspective outside of the team, it seems like the feature could be the result of a massive faulting  cracking  event that hefted a stretch of water-ice bedrock upward and left it uncovered. If that turns out to be the case, the feature could offer a window into a layer of Titan that has not yet been in the spotlight.

" Tectonism on Titan in some ways has taken a little bit of a back seat just because we see all of these surface processes  the fluid flow, the erosion, the wind deposits, and all of those kinds of things," Radebaugh said. "These surface processes, those things are sort of in your face."

But just because something is hidden doesn't mean it deserves to remain that way, she added. "We need to remember that there's a very interesting, a possibly active, lithosphere beneath that as well."

The research is described in a paper published today (April 29) in the journal Nature Astronomy.
The U.S. Air Force's X-37B space plane has now been circling Earth for more than 600 days on its latest mystery mission.

The reusable robotic vehicle, which looks like a miniature version of NASA's space shuttle orbiters, launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 7, 2017.

As of today (April 30), the space plane has been aloft for 601 days, on a mission known as Orbital Test Vehicle 5 (OTV-5) because it's the fifth flight of the X-37B program.

Related: The X-37B Space Plane: 6 Surprising Facts

It's unclear what exactly the spacecraft is doing up there. X-37B missions are classified, and Air Force officials tend to speak of project goals in general terms, as this excerpt from the X-37B fact sheet shows: "The primary objectives of the X-37B are twofold: reusable spacecraft technologies for America's future in space and operating experiments which can be returned to, and examined, on Earth."

An artist's depiction of the U.S. Air Force's unmanned X-37B space plane in orbit with its solar array deployed and payload bay open. (Image credit: United Launch Alliance/Boeing)

Still, the Air Force does divulge some payloads flying on X-37B missions. For example, we know that OTV-5 includes the Advanced Structurally Embedded Thermal Spreader experiment (ASETS-II), which is measuring the performance of electronics and oscillating heat pipes in the space environment.

The Air Force has at least two X-37B vehicles, both of which were built by Boeing. Each space plane is 29 feet (8.8 meters) long and 9.6 feet (2.9 m) tall, with a wingspan of almost 15 feet (4.6 m). The solar-powered spacecraft have payload bays about the size of a pickup-truck bed.

The X-37B launches vertically and lands horizontally on a runway, like the space shuttle orbiters did.

OTV-5 is not, so far, the longest-duration X-37B mission, though the outing will earn that distinction if the established pattern holds: Each OTV flight has lasted longer than its predecessors:

OTV-1 launched on April 22, 2010, and ended on Dec. 3, 2010 (224 days in space).

OTV-2 began March 5, 2011, and landed on June 16, 2012 (468 days).

OTV-3 launched on Dec. 11, 2012, and came down on Oct. 17, 2014 (675 days).

OTV-4 lifted off on May 20, 2015, and landed May 7, 2017 (718 days).
Carmine Street Guitars, a shop which adds significant character to the heart of Greenwich Village, is celebrated in a new film that will be screened at the Palace Danbury on Friday, May 10.

Simply called Carmine Street Guitars, the movie captures five days in the life of this beloved business. Directed by Ron Mann, it also features prominent musicians and artists.

Discussing his inspiration for involvement in this project, Mann has said he was attracted by the magical vibe of the place and its community of musicians who stop by to hang out . . . Ultimately, I felt it was something that needed to captured  before it just all slips away.

Carmine Street Guitars isnt a chain or a franchise. Its a unique store, like so many small businesses on main streets across America, where great pride is taken in the work thats performed there.

The Palace Danbury offered further details, saying, Once the center of the New York bohemia, Greenwich Village is now home to lux restaurants and buzzer-door clothing stores catering to the nouveau riche. But one shop in the heart of the Village remains resilient to the encroaching gentrification: Carmine Street Guitars.

There, custom guitar maker Rick Kelly and his young apprentice, Cindy Hulej, build handcrafted guitars out of reclaimed wood from old hotels, bars, churches and other local buildings. Nothing looks or sounds quite like a Rick Kelly guitar, which is the reason they are embraced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Patti Smith and Jim Jarmusch, just to name a few.

Carmine Street Guitars includes some virtuoso performances. Rolling Stone says the film delivers a gentle, warm, immensely satisfying portrait.

The Palace, Danbury, 165 Main St. Friday May 10, 8 p.m. $15. 203-794-9944
Political satirist Bassem Youssef has a fascinating background  an Egyptian doctor who took up satire and comedy during the so-called Arab spring who was forced to flee the country when things got real, as they say.

Youssef, now in America and performing standup comedy, will headline at Bridgeports Stress Factory Thursday-Saturday, May 2-4.
Students who enroll at state universities and community colleges will now automatically get to carry Advanced Placement credits they earned in high school.

The decision makes the Connecticut State College and University system the 30th in the nation to have such a policy, said Leigh Appleby, a system spokesman.

Under the new policy, any student earning a score of 3 and higher on any AP examination who enrolls at Western, Southern, Eastern or Central, as well as the states 12 community colleges, will get course credits equivalent to a specific course in the general education or elective category.

The AP credits also remain good for students transferring from a state community college to a state university or Charter Oak State College.

This commonsense policy is a step in the right direction, said System President Mark Ojakian.

The uniform policy, Ojakian added, will not just help high school students gain college credit, but it will also make higher education more affordable and accessible.

More students take AP courses each year. In 2017-18, the number of Connecticut public school students who took at least one AP exam rose to 30,411  an increase of 5 percent from 2016-17. Many students took more than one AP test. Of the exams taken, 37,804 achieved a score of 3, 4 or 5  an increase of 3.8 percent from 2016-17.

It was not immediately clear how many of those students end up at state universities and community colleges. The hope is that the uniform policy will boost that number.

Commissioner of Education Dianna R. Wentzell said the policy aligns with efforts of her department to boost AP participation and performance among all students, particularly students of color and those from low-income families.

AP classes are college-level courses taught in high school in more than 30 subjects. The courses were developed by the College Board. Optional exams given in May are designed to measure mastery of the subject. In Connecticut, the $94 test fees are subsidized for low-income students.

The CSCU system and state Department of Education began exploring the benefits of adopting a uniform AP acceptance policy to students in October 2018. The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents and the Connecticut School Counselor Association both support the idea.

The superintendents group said it hopes the uniform policy will keep AP students in the state while saving them time and money.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck
Add Ralph Nader to the list of those who think consolidating the states 12 community colleges into one is a bad idea.

Nader, the quintessential consumer advocate, Connecticut native and sometime presidential candidate, wrote a letter to Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday asking him to put the breaks on a plan that he calls dangerous, embarrassing and half-baked.

Community based education is so essential for democracy in an age of relentless concentration of decision in even fewer hands, wrote Nader.

Nader, in a telephone interview, said he believes he has the ear of the freshman governor.

Oh yeah, I have talked to him on other things, Nader said, adding the new governor has visited Winsted, where Nader still lives, on more than one occasion.

Mark Ojakian, a former chief of staff of former governor Dan Malloy, became the third president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system in 2015. Less than two years later, he was the architect of a plan he called Students First, which would combine community colleges, consolidating administrative and back office services but leaving 12 campuses. The idea, he said, would save money and provide a better experience for students.

A large number of faculty and members of the community disagreed. So, too, did the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, which rejected the plan, calling it unrealistic.

Rather than shelve the idea, Ojakian has forged ahead to aligning curriculum. The system is getting feedback from the accrediting body, now called the New England Commission on Higher Education, as it revises the plan. Last week, the Board of Regents for the system named three regional presidents  each which will make $220,000 salaries and oversee four of the community colleges. For the time being, campus presidents remain in place.

In the long run, Ojakian said, the plan will save $23 million and increase the number of students who graduate.

In his letter, Nader appeals to Lamont to turn his attention to the community college situation  and remove Ojakian and stop the consolidation process.

Naders older brother, Shaf Nader, founded Northwestern Community College in 1955.

I have been interested in this issue since Day One, Nader said.

Nader said the General Assembly would take back some of its authority over the situation if a Senate bill were to require legislative approval to merge or close institutions within the CSCU system. He wants more, but called such a bill a start.

Ojakians office had no comment on the letter. The governors office could not immediately be reached for comment.
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



By Kim Yoo-chul



North Korea is too confident in the denuclearization talks and its brand of "negotiation through strength" is more arrogance than strategy with potentially destabilizing consequences, experts said Tuesday.



"The window provided by the Trump and Moon administrations is closing, and headwinds for the North Korean economy are building. If the Kim regime's overconfidence leads it to believe time is on its side, it is likely to make further miscalculations. The North continues to seek more for less," Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University, said.



The professor said Kim Jong-un "should meaningfully respond to engagement" while he can, as future terms of economic concessions may not be as generous. "North Korea's bargaining strategy tends to seek new concessions by playing its rivals off each other, presenting artificial deadlines, threatening to cancel positive exchanges, raising tensions and repackaging earlier concessions," the professor said.



"Kim Jong-un has domestic politics to worry about and wants the Hanoi no-deal summit to be understood as a U.S. loss. It would be a mistake for North Korea's leadership to wait out its current counterparts or believe a top-down approach can substitute for working-level progress on denuclearization."



He said the recent Pyongyang-Moscow summit was Kim Jong-un's attempt to raise North Korea's profile as the denuclearization dialogue with Washington and Seoul is not going his way. Easley stressed the North was exaggerating its nuclear capabilities to gain an advantage.






Gov. Ned Lamonts two key education bills  including one intended to push school districts toward regionalization  were approved by a legislative committee Friday, but with a few notable changes.

Members of the Education Committee eliminated the governors proposal to have municipalities chip in on teacher pensions and scrapped a plan to require homeschoolers to register in their school districts.

The votes, which went largely along party lines, were on House Bill 7150  an act implementing the governors budget  and Senate Bill 874, the controversial bill that includes what some view as punitive steps to push school districts toward regionalization. The latter bill also would have established a commission charged with creating a plan for redistricting.

Last week, the Lamont administration changed language in Bill No. 874 making it more palatable to many by removing every reference to redistricting and consolidation and by empowering the commission to make only recommendations.

Senate Bill 874 was one of three bills that prompted hundreds of opponents to turn out for a hearing last month out of fear their school district would be forced to merge with others and that local control would be lost.

Earlier this months, two of the bills died, and last week Lamont recast his proposal to emphasize that his effort to get school districts to share services and save resources would be voluntary.

The original bill called for the establishment of a Commission on Shared School Services, charged with developing a plan for redistricting or consolidation of school services and school districts.

The revised bill not only eliminates the words redistricting, and consolidation, but also replaces plan with recommendations as a way to emphasize the advisory nature of the commissions report. It says that the commission shall develop recommendations for the sharing of school services and additional collaborations within and among school districts.

He [the governor] heard the people loud and clear and he heard committee members loud and clear, said Rep. Bobby Sanchez, D-New Britain, and co-chairman of the education committee.

The bill approved by the committee maintains the governors language, but also eliminates a provision that was considered punitive by many. That controversial section of Lamonts bill required small districts- defined as districts with fewer than 10,000 residents, fewer than 2,000 students, or with fewer than three schools  to share a superintendent with another district or name a chief executive officer to oversee the schools.

The bill said that if such a district chose instead to maintain its own superintendent without sharing, the commissioner of education could withhold funding in an amount equal to the superintendents salary.

However, Republicans said the steps taken by the administration to water down the bill did not alleviate their concerns.

Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton, said that despite the language changes, which do show there was listening and acknowledgement, she is concerned about the original discourse and the original intent of the bill with its references to re-districting and regionalization.

Most disturbing, Lavielle said, was that the original language was all based on the premise that effective local school districts must be prodded somehow to act in their own best interests. So many schools districts in Connecticut are effective and efficient already and I dont believe the state has any business to spend time and energy interfering with them.

In addition, Lavielle said there is nearly $1 million in the governors budget to create and run the commission.

I dont see a reason to spend that money, especially in our severe budget straits, because I dont see a reason for the bill, she said.

McCarty said she opposed the bill because it leaves the structure for a commission to move forward.

At some point this could turn to more forced regionalization, she said.

She said the possibility of forced regionalization resulted in a a lot of angst in the school communities through-out the state.

Sanchez noted that the bill also is stripped of the provision that would require home-schoolers to register with their district.

So you dont have to send me thousands and thousands of emails, Sanchez said to the knowing chuckles of a dozen or so home-school advocates in the attendance.

Twenty two Democrats voted in favor of Senate Bill 874, while 13 Republicans voted against it. Two legislators absent.

After it was approved, about a dozen opponents expressed disappointment.

Wilton resident Jennie Wong said, We made our voices clear. The intent is still there to regionalize. I just think they should have heard us.

Republicans and Democrats alike spoke in favor of the committees decision to eliminate Lamonts plan to have municipalities pay for 25 percent of teacher pension costs, and a greater share if teachers were paid above the statewide median.

Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns (COST), sent out an email after the vote saying, This proposal would have overwhelmed property taxpayers in small towns and cities throughout Connecticut.

She said the plan would have shifted $73 million onto the backs of already burdened property taxpayersCOST is very pleased that lawmakers recognized that shifting a greater property tax burden on homeowners and businesses is bad public policy. This is a big win for municipalities and property taxpayers, Gara added.

However, those voting against the bill said they were concerned about a provision that accelerated a plan to reduce education cost sharing funds to wealthier districts.

Under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, an agreement had been reached to phase in a shift in education funding over a 10-year period from wealthier districts to struggling, poorer districts. Lamonts proposal would phase out the funds to wealthier districts over a shorter period of time.

I am against this proposal, said Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, shortly before a vote was taken. This really represents the undoing of a bipartisan budget that worked hard to re-establish a true [Education Cost Sharing] formula that took the appropriate educational needs into consideration as part of that formula.

Rep. Kathleen McCarty, R-Waterford, a ranking member on the committee, said the measure would impact adversely over 74 towns, so for that reason I will be voting no on the bill.

Twenty Democrats voted in favor of House Bill 7150, while 15 Republicans and two House Democrats  Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, and Jill Barry, D-Glastonbury  voted against it. Two legislators were absent.
STAMFORD  Westover Magnet Elementary School closed early Tuesday due to a water main break near 1 Elmcroft Road.

The break impacted the water at the temporary space where Westover students are taking classes. They were given early release at 12:20 p.m., Stamford Public Schools Public Affairs Officer Sharon Beadle said Tuesday morning.

Westover students and teachers relocated to the renovated office space on Elmcroft in October after the Westover campus closed due to health risks related to mold at the school.

Water was shut off at 7:40 a.m. Tuesday morning to address the break, cutting access to drinking water at the school and 26 other customers affected by the break, Aquarion Water Company Public Relations Director Peter Fazekas said.

The school drinking water line is out but they do have fire protection because thats a different line, Fazekas said, adding the fire protection line would allow sprinklers to go off in the in case of a fire.

The break had been excavated and a clamp was soon to be put on the main, which would allow water to be restored in the afternoon, Fazekas said, noting Aquarion does not yet know the cause of the break.

svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1
A recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco showed that the U.S. labor market is at or beyond its full potential. While that might be good news for the economy, its not for the tech companies still out there, searching desperately for qualified talent.

Related: 4 Ways Artificial Intelligence Boosts Workforce Productivity

Research firm Korn Ferry predicted that companies in technology, media and telecom will face a talent shortage of 1.1 million by 2020. By 2030, that number will grow to 4.3 million, the report said; and the result will be intense competition for a dwindling pool of tech professionals. The same survey showed that insufficient staff is already holding back digital transformation at 54 percent of companies surveyed.

Skilled coders, of course, wont materialize out of thin air. So, instead of hoping that traditional recruiting tactics will solve their mounting talent shortage, companies should consider a new approach -- one that looks for alternatives to the human talent companies will always need but may have to struggle mightily to find. That approach: artificial intelligence.

When AI is a human equivalent

Ive seen the effects of talent shortages firsthand during my career in app development. Its something my own company has struggled with, in fact. Unfortunately, I think the outlook is even worse than the numbers imply.

The university pipeline is not graduating nearly enough knowledge workers to fill even the present demand. Last year, there were more than a half million unfilled computer-related jobs, and relying on foreign-born workers has not been the best option due to tougher immigration restrictions.

What if instead of trying to recruit a recent graduate who commands a six-figure salary, you could rely on technology to do the job? Artificial intelligence has advanced to the point that it can emulate the output of knowledge workers, not just perform repetitive manual labor.

Related: A VC Perspective - How Valid Is the Threat of Artificial Intelligence on the Job Market?

Already, we are seeing AI that can handle coding on its own. You identify an objective, and the program then autonomously develops a framework, generates code and finds the ideal mixture of APIs and SDKs. AI might not be able to replace a human coder entirely, but it can already increase his or her productivity.

As the talent pool dwindles, AI can pick up the slack and replace the talent that could not otherwise be replaced. Its not a panacea for all staffing problems, but it just may help you boost your efficiency and productivity, cut time to market and improve product quality -- all without your having to make new hires.

AI and the future of work

Tech is not the only industry figuring out how to use AI to remain relevant and productive moving forward. Self-driving trucks, for example, promise to eliminate hazards from the road, delays from delivery schedules and the challenges companies experience in finding qualified drivers. That said, even industries that were not formerly considered technology-based are becoming just that.

Fast food is such an example of industries now adopting new technology. Turnover in that food industry is high, but robots in the kitchen will never choose to leave. For example, I work with a company that is developing a robotic arm and sensor system that can cook the perfect burger with complete consistency. Robotic cooks mean smaller kitchens, lower labor costs and more affordable food prices for everyone. Because of this, these robotic cooks can support human ones without eliminating them.

While we shouldnt expect to see robots walking through the office any time soon, we should embrace AI in all of its forms throughout the workforce. Remember, technology isn't displacing workers -- its stepping in where labor is needed.

Are you ready to employ AI?

Employers should be cautiously optimistic about AI. It may well have a big impact in many places, but that doesnt mean every workflow is ready to be automated. Use these strategies to employ AI where its most effective in your company:

1. Identify your biggest pain points.

Know your most persistent problems and how they might be exacerbated by talent shortages. Each department is led by someone who can give insight into what that department needs and where it's hurting. Talk to these employees. Their knowledge and these conversations can serve as the basis for organizational charts, to help your company identify its greatest deficiencies and see how AI systems might cover your biggest unmet needs.

An example? Illustrating the possibilities that come from identifying areas in which a company has room to grow, the Associated Press began automating its reporting on earnings rather than having people do that task manually.

The result: The press service was able to write 12 times more stories.

2. Analyze job postings to see where you could fill the void.

Look at your company's open job postings to see where AI might be able to fill roles for which you can't find qualified candidates.

There are more than seven million unfilled positions in the United States right now, which means that a growing company -- or even a stable one -- will naturally need to replace employees who are bouncing to different jobs or those who retire. That said, growing companies are in dire need of more human capital in their offices to stay on a steady path to growth.

AI can assist in areas where candidates aren't available. For example, the App Association's 2018 State of the App Economy report revealed that there is just one computer science graduate for every eight available computing jobs. Yikes: Don't suffer shortages like that where you don't have to.

By analyzing which roles you have open and which you're struggling to fill, you'll find areas for AI to step in and fill your need.

3. Let AI consultants help you see how automated solutions can fill the gaps.

In our case, we went to academics who were actually writing algorithms, white papers and dissertations on this subject. In academia, people have more time to drill down on research and development for their theories and aren't constrained by the need to please stockholders or attain commercial success. They can therefore be key players as you acquire knowledge and eventually adopt AI for your workplace.

For example, around 50 people from Carnegie Mellon's robotics lab joined Uber to help that company build self-driving cars. Some of the university's top talent made the move to be a part of the project, providing expertise and insights to the ride-hailing company as it embarked on a new journey with AI.

Overall, there will likely be two types of companies in the future: those that adopt AI and use it to become more efficient, and those that choose not to use it, leaving the real possibility they will be left behind. My money is on the prior group, whose people will also have to be adaptive and willing to integrate technology into their workflows.

Related: These 5 Companies Have Added Robots to Their Workforce

In other words, AI solves talent shortages, but thats just the start. This technology is poised to disrupt entrenched industries, redefine consumer expectations and optimize everything you do. Its more than your solution for the future -- AI has already begun ushering in a completely new paradigm.

Related:

AI Isn't Replacing Workers; It's Picking up the Slack. Here's How.

AJ Abdallat Is Taking AI Beyond Today's Limits

Why Singapore's Financial Sector is at High Risk of Losing Jobs to Automation



Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts launched a bid Monday for the Democratic nomination for president, becoming the 19th candidate in the most crowded primary in the party's modern history.

"I'm running because I'm a patriot, because I believe in this country, and because I've never wanted to sit on the sidelines when it comes to serving us," Moulton said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" hours after posting an announcement video on his website that highlighted his military service.

Moulton, 40, a former Marine Corps captain who served in the Iraq War, was first elected in 2014 after ousting a scandal-plagued Democratic incumbent. He is the sixth current or recent member of the House to enter the Democratic contest and one of three veterans seeking the nomination. Like Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, he has touted that experience as a reason he can defeat President Trump.

During his interview on ABC, he called Trump "the most divisive president in American history" and said he would stand apart from others in the Democratic field because he is "going to talk about patriotism, about security, about service."

"These are issues that for too long Democrats have ceded to Republicans, and we've got to stop that," Moulton said.

Moulton has planned a series of media interviews on Monday before heading to New Hampshire, the first presidential primary state, on Tuesday.

"We've never had a more reckless commander in chief," Moulton said last month during his listening tour of the first four primary states. "Veterans aren't going to let themselves be defined by a draft dodger."

Moulton is also the second House member to mount a presidential bid after waging an effort to replace Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as House speaker. Like Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who entered the race earlier this month, Moulton campaigned for multiple House candidates last cycle while calling for fresh leadership. And like Ryan, Moulton eventually voted to give the gavel back to Pelosi, but only after some negotiations over the party's rules.

"We have a speaker who's doing a great job with the president," Moulton told The Washington Post last month. "We have an agreement on term limits that's going to give this new generation of leaders a voice. Honestly, in some ways, that's better than if we just had three new leaders in the House."

While Moulton made some allies around the country in 2018 - his Serve America PAC raised $4.3 million and helped elect 21 candidates - he has not been strongly identified with either moderates or the insurgent left wing.

During his appearance on ABC, he sought to put some distance between himself and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who self-identifies as a democratic socialist.

"I'm not a socialist, I'm a Democrat. I want to make that clear," Moulton said.

As Moulton considered a run, his political team conducted focus groups in New Hampshire and South Carolina that found Democratic voters prizing an electable candidate above all other factors - and not wedded to older, better-known candidates. They were warm, his team said, to the idea of supporting a candidate from a younger generation who could combat the president's national security record.

Moulton has echoed some of the party's left-wing activists in calling for the end of the electoral college and suggesting that "court-packing" might be necessary to combat conservative gains in the judicial branch. At the same time, he has criticized the concept of Medicare-for-all, citing his own frustrations with the Veterans Affairs health-care system to say that single-payer health care comes with real downsides.

"Maybe some of these folks should join me the next time I go in for surgery," Moulton said of single-payer advocates in a March interview with The Post.

The Massachusetts congressman also separates himself from the two veterans already in the race with his focus on foreign policy. Gabbard, who endorsed Sanders for president in 2016, has called for an end to "wasteful regime-change wars," while Buttigieg has talked little about foreign policy. Moulton, who held multiple roundtables with veterans as he explored his 2020 bid, has called for modernizing America's military posture by prioritizing cyber and autonomous weapons instead of large military equipment.

"Russia and China have an inherent advantage over us by being more budget-restrained and less politically constrained," he said in a February speech at the Brookings Institution. "They don't have the luxury of trying to compete with our big, expensive legacy weapons systems, so they have to develop the smaller, cheaper next-generation weapons."

Moulton begins this bid as an underdog, though he often notes that he began his 2014 House run in a similar position. In 2018, he raised $2.4 million to defeat a Republican candidate who put up only token opposition; if he were to switch back from the presidential race to run for another House term, he would have until June 2020 to decide.
The trial of a Massachusetts teenager charged in a gruesome crime is underway.

Matthew Borges, 17, faces charges of first-degree murder in the beheading death of his Lawrence High School classmate Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino. At the time of the incident, Borges was 15.

The 16-year-old's body was recovered along the bank of the Merrimack River in Lawrence in December 2016.

Police have said the two went to the riverbank to smoke pot in mid-November, and Viloria-Paulino's family reported him missing the next day.

Prosecutors say the motive was jealousy. They say Borges suspected that his girlfriend was cheating on him with Viloria-Paulino, and Borges became so enraged that he stabbed him to death on the banks of the Merrimack River, and then cut off his head and his hands.

In court Monday, prosecutor James Gubitose read a text message from Borges to his girlfriend.

"I think of killing someone and I smirk. I like the sound of it -- the idea of causing pain in someone getting in my way or causing me pain," Gubitose said reading from Borges' text message.

There is no murder weapon. There is no tool to dismember a body. There are no fingerprints, no blood, no DNA, and there is no motive, defense attorney Edward Hayden said.

Officials say a so-called kill note was found in a dresser at Borges' home.

It allegedly reads, Go chill with him at his crib alone. Drink, smoke and play it off. Kill him. Bring duffel bag. Wear gloves. Clean up the mess. Wear bags on shoes. Wear clothes you don't care about.


By Park Jin-hai





Actor Ma Dong-seok/ Courtesy of Megabox
H osted by Evening Standard editor George Osborne, the Evening Standard Business Awards, in association with London City Airport, return in 2019 for the 4th annual celebration of Londons business stars and top performing companies.

Culminating in a glamorous awards ceremony and lunch at The Landmark London on June 28, the awards span across eight categories. From Media Company of the Year to Business of the Year, which in 2019 is sponsored by London City Airport, the awards will recognise success across a number of different industries, and the firms pushing business forward: from improving diversity, advancing technology and transforming their industries.

48 rivals have been shortlisted, and our esteemed panel of judges, including George Osborne, Viswas Raghavan, CEO & Head of Banking, EMEA at J.P Morgan and Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Founder & CEO at Snoop, will be assembling ahead of the ceremony to assess the nominees and select the winners.

Meet our Host - George Osborne

George Osborne

George Osborne is the Editor of Londons Evening Standard newspaper, and was the UKs Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016.

George is also the Chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, a not-for-profit organisation he established with business and civic leaders to promote economic development in the North of England. He is an honorary professor of economics at the University of Manchester and a visiting professor at Stanford University. He is an adviser to the BlackRock Investment Institute and he is the Chair of the EXOR Partners Council. He received the Companion of Honour from Her Majesty the Queen in 2016.

Keynote speaker - Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business

Greg Clark

Greg Clark was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in July 2016.

Elected as an MP for Royal Tunbridge Wells in 2005, before entering politics, Greg worked for the Boston Consulting Group, one of the worlds top business strategy firms.

He has also worked as Head of Commercial Policy at the BBC.

For all table booking enquiries, please contact:

Cordelia Burges

Cordelia.Burgess@esimedia.co.uk

0203 917 5124

For sponsorship enquiries, please contact:
P rofits may have slipped at London property giant Grosvenor Group, but the firm still upped its dividend to 43.9 million, boosting the fortune of the 28-year-old billionaire Duke of Westminster.

The dividend paid to Hugh Grosvenor, who controls the estate, and his family and trusts in 2018 was up from 42.3 million.

The payout came after the Mayfair and Belgravia landlord looked to international growth and demand for offices to offset Londons sluggish luxury homes market. That helped it record better than expected figures last year.

Chief executive Mark Preston told the Standard: Despite political uncertainty, London has held up remarkably well. Despite a subdued residential market, we still had good demand for offices, and our retail division held up because independent brands still want to be in central London.

Grosvenor saw the value of its property empire rise to 7 billion from 6.8 billion. Just over half of its portfolio is in the UK and Ireland.

Pretax profits fell to 196.6 million from 233.1 million, largely due to much smaller rises in property values than in previous years.

Revenue profits, stripping out the impact of currencies and property revaluations, stood at 131 million, down from 143.5 million. Total return more than doubled to 5.5%.

Revenue profit in the UK and Ireland decreased to 39.2 million from 48.4 million.

Preston said: After a remarkable near 10-year run of strong property returns, global markets have reached a mature stage in the cycle. As a result, we will have to work harder and cleverer to deliver returns anywhere near those we have seen in recent years.

He added on Brexit: I think anything which prolongs uncertainty is damaging for business sentiment, including in the property industry, and the wider UK economy. I would urge the government to quickly get some certainty."

But the boss insisted the firm is committed to investing in the capital.

Grosvenor last year said it planned to invest 1 billion here in commercial property and public spaces to improve the West End's appeal.
A decade ago the Conservative Party said: Vote blue and go green. By doing so it earned a hearing from a generation concerned about climate change  and won elections. Todays Tories have a different message: vote blue if you see red. For the Conservative Party is now becoming the angry party. Angry at modernity, angry with people who dont look like them, and angry that theyre now losing elections.

Take the venom they heaped on the 16-year-old environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg. When last month she inspired a peaceful school strike in support of more action on climate change , Theresa Mays response was to complain that she was wasting teachers time. When the same remarkable teenager came to the House of Commons to make her case calmly to our lawmakers, a clique of pale, male and stale Tory commentators rounded on a young woman who is less than half their ages. One former adviser to this Government said it was time to call her out for being privileged because her mother was a Eurovision star  with no hint of self-awareness that he himself is the son of a peer who is said to have helped ease his path to a place at Oxford University.

Conservative anger has been even greater with the Extinction Rebellion movement, which brought central London to a halt last week . Lock em up came the cry from the Tory world. Its true that the demonstrations and sit-ins caused huge frustration for Londoners and were poorly policed at the start, but all protest movements in history have caused disruption.

Lets admit it, this one succeeded in getting climate change back on the agenda. And, in any case, arent these the same Tories who tell us that we should be paying more attention to populist outbursts? Or is that only if they are directed at immigration or Europe?

Some Conservative MPs realise what a huge mistake their party is making. Instead of confronting the environment movement, they should once again be championing it. One of those MPs is the Environment Secretary himself, Michael Gove. He met with Ms Thunberg earlier this month. Today he is meeting the organisers of Extinction Rebellion . The Tory angry mob are outraged. Mr Gove, who stirred them up when he led the Brexit campaign, is now right to ignore them. Its time for Conservatives like him to lead a rebellion against their partys rush to extinction.

The Left is losing focus

Why would Labour try to remove one of only two black women on the London Assembly, a popular representative for the Lambeth and Southwark constituency? The answer is that Left-wing activists have taken over her local party and want to impose their own candidate in next years elections instead.

Florence Eshalomi faces deselection after a meeting was called without telling her  part of it attended by the shadow chancellor John McDonnell, although he did not vote. In their drive for ideological purity, the Left have found themselves fighting to remove a black woman in one of the most diverse constituencies in the country. Its a sign of a party losing sense of the things that actually matter.

Ice creams sweet spot

A mint choc chip ice cream may be green but thats not enough to melt frozen hearts at Camden council, which, as we report today, is planning to put up no ice cream trading signs in 40 streets to cut pollution from ice cream vans . Their old engines and diesel generators breach pollution limits, the council says.
The British Fashion Council is to donate over 1 million to some of the countrys top emerging designers.

In the past 12 months, the body that represents all British designers and brands has raised more than 2.3 million for its charitable and business projects, with 1.1 million of that set to be given to young talent this year.

The money will go to designers in the BFCs education and development programmes, including NewGen, the BFC Fashion Trust, the BFC Education Foundation, plus the BFC/Vogue and BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Funds for womenswear and menswear, respectively.

Designers featured on the NewGen programme, which gives a platform to emerging talent, include Richard Quinn, whose February 2018 show was attended by the Queen, and Halpern, whose designs are now worn by Lupita Nyongo and Katy Perry.

Since it began in 1993, NewGen has acted as a launch pad for more than 260 designers such as Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane and Erdem. This years beneficiaries will include Bethany Williams, Bianca Saunders and Roker.

9 of the biggest trends from London Fashion Week AW19 1 /12 9 of the biggest trends from London Fashion Week AW19 1. The swaddle Ports 1961 Rex Features 2. Big knit + big belt J W Anderson 3. The new twin set Erdem 4. Balloon prints Christopher Kane SplashNews.com 5 Argyle knits Victoria Beckham 6. The lace slip Preen 7. Unmellow yellow Emilia Wickstead Rex Features 8. The intimacy issue Simone Rocha 9. Ombre Mary Katrantzou SplashNews.com

Last year, a 200,000 grant was received by Molly Goddard, the designer behind Killing Eve assassin Villanelles pink dress, thanks to the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund.

Meanwhile, the number of scholarships given by the BFC Education Foundation has risen by more than 60 per cent, increasing funds for potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds, from 127,000 to over 200,000.
Dior kicked off the cruise 2020 season in spectacular fashion on Monday evening with a resortwear show in a courtyard of the 16th-century El Badi Palace in Marrakech.

The coming weeks will see brands like Louis Vuitton and Prada show their resortwear collections in New York, Gucci in Rome and Chanel, as ever, in Paris.

But for Maria Grazia Chiuri, a show in Marrakech - the brands first major event in Morocco - was the fitting destination in which to show a collection that championed a cultural exchange between the codes of Dior and those of pan-African craftsmanship.

Rather than simply creating clothes inspired by Africa and African crafts, Chiuri's theme was "common ground"  a celebration of different cultures coming together to co-create and find mutual understanding.

Models present creations by Christian Dior 2020 cruise show / AFP/Getty Images

"Maria Grazia Chiuri has always had her heart set on establishing creative exchanges with African cultures," Dior explained in a press release. "With this collection, she sought to dialogue with the real and imagined landscape of Morocco, at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Europe and Africa, as a dream destination for artists, poets, writers and eternal adventurers."

To this end, Chiuri consulted at length with Anne Grosfilley, an expert in African textiles and fashions and commissioned Abidjan-based company, Uniwax, to create an authentic wax print fabric use throughout the collection.

Chirui also enlisted multiple female designers to help reimagine iconic Dior silhouettes, including British-Jamaican designer, Grace Wales Bonner, who put her own spin on the Bar jacket and New Look flared skirt.

Other collaborators included African-American artist Mickalene Thomas and West-African designer Pathe Ouedraogo, who is best known for dressing Nelson Mandela.

Grace Wales Bonner's collaboration with Dior / Getty Images for Dior

The show notes featured an extract from Tahar Ben Jelloun's book, Racism Explained to My Daughter: "Culture teaches us to live together, teaches us that we're not alone in the world, that other people have different traditions and ways of living that are just as valid as our own."

The breathtaking venue saw models walk around a central pool filled with hundreds of floating candles and guests take their seats on artisanal painted cushions by local craftswomen.

Lupita Nyong'o at Dior cruise 2020 show / Getty Images for Dior

Such guests included the likes of Lupita Nyong'o, Jessica Alba, Karlie Kloss, Haim and Diana Ross, who also performed at the after party.
M ean Girls was released a little over 15 years ago, and a decade and a half down the line, were still trying to make fetch happen.

In many ways the perfect teen comedy, the film has become a permanent part of the pop culture zeitgeist, with fans returning to the comedy again and again.

Endlessly quotable, whip smart and cannily observed, the film has spawned sequels, inspired stage productions and been re-watched countless times over. More recently, it was famously immortalised by Ariana Grande in her thank u, next video  in many ways, the ultimate compliment.

The fact that the movie was released in 2004  when Grande was just 10-years-old  gives an insight into how much resonance the film continues to have on young movie fans all around the world.

Mean Girls (2004)

But how well do you know the film? Take our comprehensive quiz below and test your Mean Girls knowledge. You go, Glen Coco!

TODO: define component type apester
B en Power has, by his own admission, worked on a lot of big texts. His first professional job was nothing less than adapting Paradise Lost, but even for him The Lehman Trilogy represented a steep challenge.

He took a nine-hour, free-form epic verse poem, written in Italian and covering two centuries worth of the history of the eponymous family and the financial empire they founded, and streamlined it into a three-hour play for three actors. The superlative end result has played to acclaim at the National Theatre and in New York and is about to open in the West End. Perhaps, then, it should be no surprise that the effervescent Power has just stepped down from his job as deputy artistic director at the National to focus on his own writing projects.

Power, 37, worked closely with director Sam Mendes on Stefano Massinis original Italian text, which is almost entirely not about the events of 2008. A workshopping process saw 15 actors become 10 actors become three actors, and Simon Russell Beale [who stars alongside Adam Godley and Ben Miles] said the other day that, ideally, for him it would have ended up as one actor, says Power. His sleek adaptation uses the three original Lehman brothers, who founded the familys business empire as German immigrants to the US in the 1840s, as an anchor for the entire story. The shows design cleverly makes it clear that the drama takes place on the night before Lehman Brothers collapsed into bankruptcy in 2008 and precipitated the world financial crisis.

The thing thats so rich about The Lehman Trilogy is that it asks a question in 2008  how did we get here?  and then takes the longest possible view, says Power. How did this company come to bankruptcy but also how did this system come to collapse? What are these systems of finance, government and society that America and the West have built over the past two centuries, and are they sustainable? I think were living in the aftershock of the collapse of a lot of things that fell apart in the autumn of 2008. So although its a historical piece, its incredibly urgent. Its moving too, as we watch the Lehmans gradually shift away from trading in actual goods to dealing in abstract, intangible numbers.

Power was lured away from his ingenious work with Rupert Goold at Headlong and brought into the National Theatre fold in 2010 by previous artistic director Nicholas Hytner. He had responsibility for programming the Shed, the pop-up powerhouse that held sway on the South Bank while the National was undergoing building works and was promoted to the specially created role of deputy artistic director by Rufus Norris in 2015.

Hytner describes him as a passionate enthusiast and he knows how to persuade others to share his enthusiasms. Hes a terrific editor and dramaturg and, of course, hes an eloquent, versatile and expert writer himself.

Power will now be moving into a more part-time role as artistic associate at the National. Whats happened is that for the past 10 years Ive had this double life, he says. Ive been producing and commissioning and at the same time, when Ive had time, Ive been able to make my own work. Partly because Lehman has been such an enriching experience, I want to spend more time doing that. For his next project at the National, Power is working on a large-scale adaptation with director Ian Rickson. Beyond this, he has much film and TV work on the go, having made a success of his Shakespeare adaptations for the BBCs Hollow Crown series.

Theres a school of thought that sees him as the power behind the Nationals throne, Norriss indispensable right-hand man, among whose many attributes is a comprehensive knowledge of the dramatic canon. Do he and Norris ever argue? Power cackles. We argue rarely, because neither of us is naturally combative. We would both rather avoid raised voices. Sometimes we disagree about plays because the stakes are really high. Ill argue passionately for the stuff I love.

He doesnt concur with the opinion held in some quarters that the National is in rather patchy form at the moment (I would suggest the highs over the past 12 months have been as high as any period of time that Ive been here) and is pleased to report that the New Work Department he and Norris established in 2015 is going all guns blazing.

What could the National be doing differently, doing better? Everything, is the short answer, says Power, in his infectiously Tigger-ish way. Its such a messy, human thing to do, to make theatre, that you are failing to a greater or lesser extent all the time. The moments when it comes together are miracles, right? At the National youre trying to be at the forefront of change in the culture and these things are really challenging. Particularly at the moment when the sense of what it means to be a progressive cultural organisation is evolving on a daily, it sometimes feels like hourly, basis.

I mention the outcry over the Nationals latest, overwhelmingly male-dominated, season announcement. I thought it was absolutely right that it was noticed and spoken about, says Power. An enormous amount of resources, energy and imagination have gone into change here, and one has to make that clear and legible.

One might think that Power would only be tempted to leave the National by the current job vacancy for artistic director at the high-achieving Royal Exchange in his native Manchester. He would like to run a theatre one day, he admits, and he grew up on the Royal Exchange, but now is not the right time, given that his lawyer-turned-photographer wife  Power married his university girlfriend and the pair have been together for 19 years  and five-year-old son are settled in south-east London.

There has been a frenzied merry-go-round of artistic director appointments in London in the past year or so and Power admits that he did apply for something (he wont say what but the smart money would be on the Young Vic or the Donmar). Hes happy not to have got it, he says, because hes excited by the fresh path of possibilities ahead. He admits, too, that, unlike in New York, British theatre might find it a challenge to appoint a non-directing artistic leader.

Power sums up his sphere of work: Theatre in the end is entirely human. Its people talking to other people, trying to make empathetic and imaginative connections. Echoing Hytner, he describes himself as loud, energetic and an enthusiast and has learnt, he says, that everything is a process of Becketts fail again, fail better. Its also nice to slow down and let them evolve. That said, hes now rushing off for a meeting with a young director. Power-ing through British theatre, as usual.

The Lehman Trilogy is at the Piccadilly Theatre, W1 (020 7452 3000, nationaltheatre.org.uk) from May 11
US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the breakout star of new Netflix documentary, Knock Down the House.

Directed by Rachel Lears, the film follows Ms Ocasio-Cortez and three other female Democrats during last years midterm election races.

The film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and Netflix later paid a record $10 million (7.7m) to secure the rights.

As Knock Down the House prepares to drop on Netflix this week, here's what you need to know about film.

Who is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during a news conference at the East Front of the U.S. Capitol February 7, 2019 in Washington, DC / Getty

28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew national recognition when she won the Democratic Partys primary election for New Yorks congressional district in the 2018 midterm elections.

Her historic win against 10-term congressman Joe Crowley made her the youngest person in Congress.

Throughout her political career so far, she has demonstrated a progressive agenda, including the abolition of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

She has also openly criticised President Trumps immigration policies.

No one should feel unsafe in the United States of America, and that includes our amazing and beautiful and productive immigrant country, she said in an interview following the Presidents televised address, which focused on the issue of immigration.

He has systematically engaged in the violation of human rights on our border, she added.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez is known for having a strong social media presence, posting everything from political campaigns to hanging out in her home borough of the Bronx on her Instagram page, which boasts 3.3 million followers.

What is the AOC Netflix documentary about?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reveals what motivated her to run for House of Representatives in Knock Down the House. (Netflix ) / Netflix

The 90-minute film tracks the efforts of four female candidates, including Ms Ocasio-Cortez, as they embark on the campaign trail.

In the films trailer, Ms Ocasio-Cortez describes how she felt facing Mr Crowley and what motivated her to run.

If I was a rational person I would have dropped out of this race a long time ago, she admits.

Hes gonna tell me Im small, that Im young, that Im inexperienced.

Americans arent asking for a lot. Theyre asking for politicians to help them get by.

She adds: I just dont want to let them down.

Which other female candidates running for US office are featured?

Democratic candidate Cori Bush also stars in Knock Down the House / Netflix

Also featured in the film alongside Ms Ocasio-Cortez are fellow candidates Amy Vilela, a single mother from Las Vegas, Cori Bush, an African American woman from the same district in Missouri where unarmed teenager Michael Brown was killed and Paula Jean Swearengin, a woman whose West Virginia community has suffered dramatically as a result of fracking.

All four candidates were selected by the groups Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress as part of a push for diversity in political representation. Only Ms Ocasio-Cortez was successful in her midterm bid.

Is there a trailer?

Yes - Netflix dropped the trailer for Knock Down the House earlier this month, which you can watch below:

When is Knock Down the House released on Netflix?
A fter five minutes talking to Beth Rigby its clear why Sky News chose her as its new political editor. Shes quick, funny, and has a knack for juggling multiple topics. One minute shes telling me that her friends call her partner Angelo Saint Ange because he does most of the childcare; the next shes describing herself as a workhorse pit pony. If Laura Kuenssberg is a race horse, like the head of BBC Westminster said she is, Im more like a pit pony, she grins. Shes tall and willowy, Im short and stocky.

Rigby (who isnt actually stocky or short) moved to Sky three years ago from The Times and has risen fast. She won respect for challenging Boris Johnson live on air over his insistence that the Prime Minister could go back and negotiate Brexit with Brussels.

When I meet her at Skys Millbank office she is rummaging for her wallet so that we can go out and get a much-needed skinny latte  shes running on only five hours sleep after staying up until 1am writing about Brexit. Her desk is barely visible under piles of papers, a card for a friend whos just had a baby and a copy of Stella magazine, where she was recently declared a style icon. I was so overjoyed by that I put it on Twitter, she says, punching the air.

Shes wearing dark-pink lipstick, which she says is her signature, and a high-necked black dress with tiny white flowers on it. Its from M&S, she tells me proudly in what she calls her estuary accent  she was born in Essex, grew up in Buckinghamshire and her parents are from dyed-in-the-wool Labour seats in the North.

Beth Rigby in the Sky studio / Matt Writtle

Since Rigby moved to TV she says the industry has changed massively. And when I started at the lobby for the FT in 2010 there were only two other women. Laura Kuenssberg becoming political editor at the BBC felt like a change because it is one of the biggest jobs in political journalism, Then theres the all-female Newsnight line-up and me becoming political editor. Theres still a long way to go but it is progress.

Having more women affects the story choices, she continues. Would we talk as much about domestic violence if we didnt have female journalists? Maybe not. Papers and broadcasters now recognise the need to represent the population more fairly.

Rigby, who was womens officer while studying social and political science at Cambridge University, is part of a female lobby group run by Kuenssberg. I texted Laura to say I liked her Brexit documentary. She called me when I got this job. Were friendly but we compete  we are frenemies.

Sky is rebellious. I like that because it fits me  Im not going to fit in a certain mould. I drop my gs

The lobby reminded her of Cambridge. Id been at a grammar school, and when I went to university I met people Id never come across before. I didnt know how I fitted in and the lobby was like that too. Six months in, I started to break it. I was there because I really liked politics and wanted to find stories.

Sky has an equal-pay policy and its gender pay gap is 11 per cent, below the national average of 17 per cent. I dont know what Faisal [Islam, her predecessor] was paid, but Im happy with how Im remunerated. The gender pay gap will narrow further as more senior women are put into jobs. Having children can slow you down  taking time out, juggling new responsibilities. It did for me.

The idea of going on television used to terrify Rigby. But if you find something intimidating you should hold your nose and do it, otherwise you are never going to progress, she says. Id force myself to do punditry while I was at the FT and Id watch it back like this, she covers her face with her hands, looking through her fingers.

Sky approached her in 2016. I thought if I dont move to TV now I never will. I was approaching my 40th birthday and wondering what was next. There is a lot of ageism in TV and I thought that as I got older Id miss the boat.

She has always liked clothes and enjoys having her make-up done for work but says, on a more serious note: There is clearly a whole different level of presentation around a female journalist on television to a man.

I felt self-conscious when I started and Ive started having more facials since going on TV, paying more attention to what I eat and exercising more. Once you hit 40 you have to eat like you dont exercise and exercise like you eat.

Would she consider a facelift like her Sky News colleague Kay Burley? Do you think I need one? she cackles. Ask me again in a few years when my chin goes. Im probably too much of a wimp for the procedure.

Sky suits her, she thinks. The BBC is like this massive oil tanker, chugging along, she mimes one with her hands. Sky is this little speedboat zipping around. Its lean and they expect a lot of us but its rebellious. I like that because it fits me. Im not going to speak in received English or fit a certain mould. I drop my gs.

It was Burley who gave her one of the best pieces of advice. Im sharing a trade secret here. When you are presenting, think of someone you like. Im looking down the camera but in my mind Im talking to my dad, thinking that if he goes down to The Feathers later, will his mates understand what I said about Brexit?

Rigby grills Boris Johnson over Brexit

When she did that Johnson interview she was thinking of her daughter. Boris was referring to the phrase David Gauke came up with, slaying the unicorn., and it resonated because my daughter loves unicorns  I was thinking dont slay them.

Rigbys working day begins at 7am. I lie in bed, she pauses for dramatic effect. With my beloved phone. Its great because Angelo isnt on social media so he doesnt know what Im doing. She does the school run  her son is nine, her daughter is seven and they go to the local state primary. Rigby is already having a working-parent nightmare about how the school open-day season to decide which secondary school her son will go to clashes with the party conferences.

Her daughter used to kiss the TV when Rigby was on but now both children are nonchalant about her job. My son asked me to stop talking about Brexit. But they know more about politics than the average children  they even know who Dominic Raab is.

Rigby pursuing Jeremy Hunt

Life admin happens on her commute. Todays to-do list for her bus office includes paying for her childrens school trips. From 10am until 10pm shes in the office but she often works later at home. I have loads of coffees, she says. I get as much sleep as I can and exercise because its good for my head space. You need separation between your work and home. Being friends with MPs is not my life at all.

The only drawback to her job is not having time to watch box sets in the week. She has just rewatched Luther because a friend was too scared to watch it alone and calls Game of Thrones medieval Hollyoaks.

Angelo gave up his job as a graphic designer three years ago to be a stay-at-home dad: Thats how we make it work. They met at a northern soul night at the 100 Club. It finished at 6am, thats how cool I was. Angelo is 60 but he looks much younger. I was 28 when we met, and when he told me he was 45, I said I cannot go out with him, he was too old. His parents are from Naples and he asked her recently if they should get their children Italian passports. I told him he could. Im too busy to sort that out.

She doesnt express personal opinions on politics. Theres been a disconnect between the public and the fourth estate and I want them to feel I am neutral and balanced. But what does she think will happen with Brexit? Im relaxed about not knowing because none of the politicians seems to. I think therell probably be a leadership change, then a general election.

Education was important to Rigbys parents. It was their way through everything. My dads dad was a plumber, his mum worked in a factory but he got a scholarship to Cambridge and became a businessman. My mum was a headteacher. Occasionally she would take me into school and Id see her being a superstar. My dad is my biggest fan. He tells me: I saw you on Sky News. I go: I work there.

Her mother died in 2007 of lung cancer, aged 62. She had three children and worked and was my best friend, so when I lost her it was really hard, and hard for my dad. Then, in 2016, Rigbys older brother Alex died of thymic carcinoma, leaving behind a young family. Her other brother, also older, is a yoga teacher in Bali and so ripped at the moment, its annoying.

After university Rigby moved to Portugal to teach English. It was good for me  I cut the apron strings. When she returned to the UK she says she was at the right place at the right time, getting an internship at the FT through a friend from Cambridge. She considered a career in academia, doing an MA in Latin American studies at UCL while working as a journalist but realised she preferred journalism.




American cellist Lynn Harrell plays a tune at the southern side of Panmunjeom, during a ceremony, Saturday, for the first anniversary of the summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. / Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo



The government celebrated the first anniversary of the summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Kim Jong-un in a low key manner, Saturday.

According to experts the following day, the celebration apparently showed Moon's woes over the stalled denuclearization talks between the North and the U.S., which poses a challenge to his mediation role.

Moon did not come to the celebration co-hosted by the Ministry of Unification, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Gyeonggi Province Government on the southern side of Panmunejom, where the summit took place April 27, 2018.

Instead it featured a 3-minute, 16 seconds-long video message from Moon, who said, "We often need to catch our breath and find a way together when we run into hurdles."

The remainder of the ceremony mainly consisted of cultural performances.

"The President was apparently referring to the stalemate in the Pyongyang-Washington dialogue and its negative impact on the inter-Korean reconciliatory efforts," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University.

He argued the ceremony was "the best scenario" that the Moon government could come up with, considering the North gave no response to the South's offer for a joint celebration.

"It would have been nonsense if Moon showed up at the ceremony," he added, pointing out the Panmunjeom Declaration was jointly announced by Moon and Kim during their first summit and it would have been appropriate for the two leaders to be present in any relevant celebrations.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, echoed a similar view.

"The security situation on the Korean Peninsula is in turmoil again, as it was before the summit. President Moon made the right choice by remaining low key on the first anniversary of the April 27 summit," Yang said.

Meanwhile, Moon expressed optimism in his video message that the two Koreas will achieve "irreversible peace" and co-prosperity on the basis of the 2018 summit.

"The Panmunjeom Declaration is being implemented one by one," he said, referring to the two Koreas' closure of sentry posts in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and excavation of war remains.

He also noted tensions have eased in fishing zones near the Yellow Sea border and a joint liaison office is in operation in North Korea's border city of Gaeseong.

Pope Francis, to whom Moon lobbied to visit Pyongyang when they met in the Vatican in October 2018, sent a video message to the leaders of the two Koreas, Saturday.

The Pope expressed his hope for a future of peace and unity for the peninsula on the anniversary of the inter-Korean summit.

"I pray that this anniversary of the Panmunjeom Declaration may bring about a new era of peace for all Koreans," he said. "May this celebration offer hope to all that a future based on unity, dialogue and fraternal solidarity is indeed possible."

Over the weekend, Pyongyang called on Seoul to ignore Washington and move ahead with inter-Korean cooperation, criticized the South and the U.S. over their combined military exercise, and redoubled calls for "self-reliance."

In a lengthy statement Saturday, the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country enumerated accomplishments from the 2018 summit and warned that "a grave security condition" was being created as in the past.

It urged the South to explore "more active measures" to realize the sustainable development of inter-Korean ties and peaceful unification.

On Sunday, the North's Uriminzokkiri propaganda website called the Seoul-Washington military exercise "a vicious challenge to our nation and the international community and a violent violation of inter-Korean declarations."

"This is a flame that could escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and drive the

North-South relations into a catastrophe," it said.

In an editorial the same day, the Rodong Sinmun called on North Koreans to follow the party leadership to construct a "self-sustaining economy" at a time of continued sanctions pressure.

"Thoroughly establishing the party leadership system is a significant demand to hold up high the banner of independence and self-reliance and press ahead with the construction of socialist economy," the newspaper said. "Especially, the trend in today's political situation -- where hostile forces' instigation of sanctions has become more explicit -- calls for raising the banner of independence and self-reliance," it added.
A Scotland Yard unit tasked with fighting crime in the West End is at the centre of an inquiry into allegations of bullying, racism, drug use and perverting the course of justice.

Up to 11 officers face claims of wrongdoing stemming from an inquiry by a watchdog which was triggered by reports that an officer had sex with a woman at Charing Cross police station.

Most of the officers were on the Mets West End Zone Impact Team, formed in 2014 to tackle night-time crime and violence around Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, which has now been disbanded. The Independent Office for Police Conduct today announced that the scope of the original inquiry had widened considerably.

It said analysis of phone messages between officers had uncovered evidence of a number of serious allegations involving the police team at Charing Cross. The allegations include:

Violence towards women and taking advantage of vulnerable people.

Perverting the course of justice by deleting messages relevant to a criminal investigation.

Bullying and inappropriate behaviour towards other officers, including sending threatening and malicious messages.

Racist, misogynistic and other discriminatory language and behaviour.

There were also allegations officers used drugs such as steroids and failed to report wrongdoing by other officers. The claims emerged from the IOPC inquiry launched last year into an allegation that an officer had sex with a vulnerable woman in a room at Charing Cross police station  described in some reports as a cell.

Scotland Yard said today that two sergeants and nine constables were under investigation. A former constable was also under investigation.

The Met said four officers, three constables and a sergeant, were on restricted duties and one constable had been suspended.

The IOPC said today that the allegations related to officers predominately from a unit known as the Impact Team and a small number of other officers primarily based at Charing Cross police station or West End Central. It added that the allegations revealed today did not apply to all officers. IOPC regional director, Sal Naseem, said: These are very serious allegations and it is vital for public confidence that these are independently investigated.

We are committed to using our enforcement powers to root out officers whose conduct undermines the publics confidence in policing and who should not be wearing the uniform.

There is no indication that this is part of any wider teams within the station but our over-arching report will consider the wider culture and team.

We would also like to hear from other officers at Charing Cross station, or the wider public, who may be able to provide valuable information to our investigation. Scotland Yard said in a statement: The Met takes all allegations of wrongdoing extremely seriously and is fully co-operating with the IOPC investigation.

The inappropriate behaviours in this matter appear to have been displayed through text messages and the use of social media apps.

While the large majority of staff are responsible in their use of social media, the Met has issued guidance to all staff around the expectation that they, and colleagues, maintain the professional standards expected of them as a member of the Met at all times.

Officers and staff also have a duty to report, challenge and take action against colleagues where they believe those standards have fallen.

The force said the Impact Team was responsible for neighbourhood-based policing and problem-solving focused on the night-time economy around Leicester Square and Piccadilly.
A man hunted over the abduction and rape of two women in London has been linked to a third attack.

The Met Police is hunting Joseph McCann, 33, in connection with snatching two women on Thursday, April 25.

He is also suspected of abducting a 21-year-old woman at knifepoint in Watford in the early hours of April 21 and raping her, Hertfordshire Police said.

The two women in the most recent attacks were abducted from Chingford and Edgware before being taken to Watford.

They were taken to a hotel before managing to escape after an attempt to book a room there failed.

The Met is offering a reward of up to 20,000 for information which leads to the suspect's arrest and prosecution.

Suspect: Joseph McCann is being hunted by police / PA

Investigators have since also linked McCann to the third attack in Watford.

Hertfordshire Police confirmed it is working alongside the Met in attempts to trace the suspect.

McCann has been described as "extremely dangerous" and known to use false names and may be using a disguise.

He has links to Watford in Hertfordshire, Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire and Ipswich in Suffolk.

Joseph McCann, seen here on CCTV, is known to use false names / PA

Police described McCann as being of muscular build and 5ft 10ins tall.

He has blue eyes, a bald head or shaved blonde hair with a light-coloured short beard.

He also has a slight Irish accent and is described as having a distinctive tattoo of the name bobbie on his stomach.

However, officers believe he may attempt to disguise his appearance.

Officers are also still attempting to trace a silver or grey-coloured Ford S-Max people carrier in connection with the offences.

Hertfordshire Police said the first woman was approached at around 3.30am on April 21 in Hagden Lane.

She was driven around for six hours in a blue Ford Mondeo and then raped, with the ordeal reported to police the following day.

The first woman abducted from London was taken at about 12.30am on Thursday from a street in Chingford, before the second was seized around 12 hours later at 12.15pm from a street in Edgware.

They were both "traumatised" by the ordeal and are receiving support from specialist officers, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8785 8244 or 999 quoting CAD 3041/25Apr.
O ne of Lee Rigbys killers is reportedly making a bid to serve the rest of his sentence in a Nigerian jail with a VIP wing.

Michael Adebowale, 37, is currently behind bars in HMP Wakefield, but he is believed to be seeking a prisoner-swap deal.

Adebowale, who is serving a 45 year jail term for the 2013 murder, was born in Britain but has Nigerian parents.

A source told The Sun: Michael hates Wakefield. Its stuffed full of lags who see him as a top target.

He thinks he can spend the rest of his sentence in Africa.

Murdered: Fusilier Lee Rigby / PA

The newspaper reported that Adebowale has written to immigration experts asking for advice.

But it is thought that his bid would fail because he was not born in the West African country.

Adebowale was moved to HMP Wakefield, a high security prison dubbed Monster Mansion, last year

He and Michael Adebolajo hacked Mr Rigby, 25, to death by his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London.

The Fusiliers mother Lyn Rigby reacted to Adebowales bid, describing it as a disgrace and an insult to Lee.
A fugitive who was allegedly involved in the brutal killing of a father at a farm in Cheshire six years ago has been added to Europes most wanted list.

Christopher Guest More Jr left the country shortly after the murder of Brian Waters, who was tortured and beaten to death in front of his adult children in Burnt House Farm in Tabley.

The 41-year-old, who a court heard described himself as an undercover journalist, has links to Spain, Malta and South America, but detectives believe he could be anywhere.

On Tuesday, Cheshire Police said he had been added to Europe's most wanted list.

Christopher Guest More Jr / PA

Former undercover BBC researcher James Raven, 60, Otis Matthews, 41, and John Wilson, 69, are serving life sentences after being convicted of Mr Waters' murder.

More is alleged to have been with the men in June 2003 when they stormed the derelict property, where Mr Waters was running a cannabis farm, in a row over a drugs debt.

The men tied Mr Waters to a chair before battering him in front of his son Gavin, who was also attacked, and daughter Natalie, who had just turned 21 and was held at gunpoint and forced to watch.

The 44-year-old victim was whipped, burned, attacked with a staple gun, hung upside down and beaten and sexually assaulted with an iron bar, in a three-hour ordeal during which he sustained 123 injuries, a trial heard.

Detective Superintendent Sarah Pengelly said: "Today, Christopher Guest More Jr has been added to Europe's 'most wanted' list.

"This is a significant step forward in our bid to locate him and I hope that this latest development will help to generate a renewed interest in this case and, most importantly, valuable information as to his whereabouts."

More, who is white and 6ft tall, is wanted for questioning in connection with Mr Waters' death along with the attempted murder of a second man and the false imprisonment and assault of other victims at the scene.

Ms Pengelly added: "Our determination to find Christopher Guest More Jr has not faltered and, over the years, we have remained committed to locating and arresting him for his alleged involvement in the death of Brian Waters.

"Despite the passage of time, we have never given up hope and a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes out of the public eye, in a bid to piece together as much information as possible as to his whereabouts.

"We are doing everything we can to track him down and are confident that with the assistance of our partners in law enforcement in the UK and abroad - coupled with the fact he has now been added to Europe's 'most wanted' list - that he will be traced.

Graham Roberts, regional manager at the National Crime Agency, said: "We're very keen to continue supporting Cheshire Police in finding More Jr, who has been on the run for a long time.

"We have an international network of officers and links to partners abroad which we are using in his pursuit."

More's cousin Raven worked on programmes including the BBC's MacIntyre Uncovered and Crooked Britain, as well as Channel 4's Sleepers, infiltrating gangs involved in car crime, drugs and counterfeiting.

A Chester Crown Court trial in 2004 heard More also bragged about work as a surveillance-type journalist and had been following Mr Waters' son nine days before the murder in what he described as a "reconnaissance" mission.
A man has been jailed for his part in a plot to dump a dementia-suffering American pensioner in rural England.

Fantasist Simon Hayes abandoned Roger Curry with medical staff after claiming he had found him face down in a country lane near Hereford Hospital on November 7 2015.

Prosecutors claimed Hayes, 53, told "a pack of lies" about the 78-year-old, who had allegedly been dumped in the UK to receive care.

He was contacted by his best mate Kevin Curry, the victims son, before Mr Curry flew from California to the UK with his mother and father.

Simon Hayes was labelled a "pathological liar" in court / PA

At 4.20pm on November 5 2015, Hayes, dressed in a fake military uniform and putting on a US accent, took Mr Curry to Hereford bus station, near the hospital, telling a nurse and later paramedics that he had found the older man in a country lane.

Hayes left Mr Curry with medics after claiming he could not give any contact details because he was "working with the SAS" at their nearby camp.

Mr Davis said Hayes then joined Kevin Curry and his mother on a holiday to France and Copenhagen in Denmark.

Described in court as a "pathological liar", Hayes' actions and false witness statements led detectives on a "wild goose chase" trying to work out where Mr Curry had come from, and how he had got to the UK.

At Hayes' sentencing at Worcester Crown Court, Mr Davis said: "The defendant was part of a plan to bring Roger from the US and dump him in Hereford, abandoning him so he could receive care from local health care providers. It was clearly planned."

By March 2016, Roger Curry, who had an autistic spectrum disorder and Alzheimer's, had managed to tell nurses his name, before Hayes eventually handed himself in.

Jailing Hayes for two and a half years, Judge Daniel Pearce-Higgins QC said: "There's no certainty that had he not done that, he'd ever have been found."

But Hayes again lied, claiming he and a "Canadian Army serviceman" had found Mr Curry, that he lived in Los Angeles, and that at the time he had been "attending a course at the SAS base".

The prosecutor added: "He said he had been in the SBS and been in Hereford for a short while - but was unable to answer a simple question any serviceman would know - 'what's your Army number?'."

Hayes admitted perverting the course of justice and a separate case of fraud, in relation to a false character reference, ahead of a sentencing hearing on Tuesday.
P olice have named a prime suspect wanted in connection with the abduction and rape of two women in north London.

Officers said they are hunting Joseph McCann, 33 in connection with the attacks on Sunday April 25 in Watford. Police have described him as "extremely dangerous" and a risk to the public.

McCann has links to Watford in Hertfordshire, Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire and Ipswich in Suffolk.

He is known to use false names, most recently Joel.

Police described McCann as being of muscular build and 5ft 10ins tall. He has blue eyes, a bald head or shaved blond hair with a light-coloured short beard. He has a slight Irish accent. He is described as having a distinctive tattoo of the name bobbie on his stomach.

Suspect: Joseph McCann is being hunted by police

Detectives investigating the attacks say they believe McCann may have tried to alter his identity and warned members of the public not to approach him.

Wanted by police: Joseph McCann

Police said they identified McCann after issuing CCTV of a suspect captured on cameras at a hotel in the Watford area at around 1pm on Thursday, 25 April.

The two women were abducted from Chingford and Edgware on April 25.

Met Police released this CCTV image of a man as they investigate the rape and abduction of two women in London. / Met Police

The first woman was taken from a street in Chingford at approximately 12.30am on Thursday, 25 April and the second woman taken from a street in Edgware 12 hours later.

They were taken to the hotel where a man attempted to book a room, but left when there was none available, police said.

The pair were said to have escaped during a "struggle" by smashing a glass bottle over the man's head .

Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin, from the Mets Homicide and Major Crime Command, said:We would ask anyone with any information about McCann's whereabouts to contact us immediately  McCann is considered extremely dangerous and a risk to the public and we ask people not to approach him, but instead call 999. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers.

"It is vitally important we trace him in connection with these offences.

My team continues to work around the clock and we are making progress in furthering the investigation.

The women, both in their 20s, have been left traumatised and are receiving support from specialist officers.

A 33-year-old man arrested on Sunday, 28 April on suspicion of conspiracy to rape has been released under investigation.
P hotos of the devastating injuries inflicted by a hotel creeper who sneaked into a familys room and bludgeoned them with a hammer while they were sleeping have been revealed for the first time.

Philip Spence inflicted horrific injuries on sisters Ohoud Al-Najjar, Khulood and Fatima after breaking into their Cumberland Hotel room, in Marble Arch, five years ago in 2014.

The trio were left with life-changing injuries: Khulood has had 20 operations to rebuild her head and face; Fatima cannot taste or smell and has problems with her memory; and Ohoud can no longer speak and lost an eye.

Khulood said: "I was asleep but awoke when I heard footsteps. I opened my eyes to see somebody at the table looking through our stuff. I started to call out to my sister in the connecting room and the man came and put his face really close to mine, he was literally in front of my nose.

Ohoud Al-Najar after the attack (Hodge Jones and Allen/PA ) / Hodge Jones and Allen/PA

"He said 'give me the f****** money', and I felt a really hot liquid on my neck. I didn't feel any pain at all, maybe it was the shock as he had hit me over the head with a hammer.

"The next thing I knew everybody was screaming and I remember my brother shouting at me that I was dying. My daughter Nora just kept crying 'mama, mama, mama'.

"I still hear footsteps that aren't there to this day. I end up opening the door to our room as I think somebody is out there. I am haunted by his steps moments before he bludgeoned us all."

The family is suing GLH hotels, claiming security was inadequate. A civil trial is due to take place in May.

Ohoud Al-Najjar before the attack / Hodge Jones and Allen/PA

Spence, who had a history of sneaking into hotel rooms to steal, walked into the lobby and got up to the seventh floor where the family was staying.

They had left the room door unlocked as they believed they were safe.

A spokesman for GLH said: "Philip Spence, convicted in 2014, bears sole responsibility for the brutal injuries he inflicted on the Al-Najjar family five years ago. The Al-Najjar sisters have since remained in our thoughts.

"Notwithstanding our sincere sympathies, the hotel cannot accept liability given the facts surrounding this dreadful incident, which include these guests having left their hotel bedroom door ajar, visible from the corridor, whilst the family was asleep inside.

"The sad truth is that the innocuous-looking Spence would not have been able to enter the room opportunistically, had the self-locking mechanism of the room's door not been propped open. It was an appalling incident, made all the more shocking by its unwarranted brutality for which Philip Spence rightly has a long sentence to serve.

Ohoud can no longer speak and lost an eye in the attack / Hodge Jones and Allen/PA

"The Al-Najjar family suffered an unimaginable ordeal at the hands of a stranger who, with our full support and the aid of the hotel's CCTV, was swiftly apprehended, tried and convicted. Philip Spence's unconscionable actions have affected all those who sought to help the Al-Najar family that night."

The family, from Abu Dhabi, released pictures of Ohoud before and after the attack, to show the devastation her injuries caused.

Fatima said: "Who could imagine that somebody would come to the seventh floor in the middle of the night and enter our room? In our culture a hotel is a safe place.

"I haven't been able to sleep for more than one hour at a time since the attack. I am afraid to go to sleep as I am scared that something will happen to me and I won't wake up. It is impossible to rest and it is a living nightmare.

"We feel like we have lost everything for no reason. We have been in physical and mental pain ever since the attack."

Khulood, who was confined to a wheelchair for more than a year after the attack, said Ohoud has no quality of life and cannot express herself to show if she is in pain.

She added: "My children were traumatised by what they saw. I lost seeing part of their childhood and haven't had a chance to be a real mum for five years.

"I used to do everything for them but I haven't been able to since the attack. They lost their innocence that night and have had to grow up too fast.

"They still have nightmares and are always worried that we are going to be hurt by another bad man. They are scared to go anywhere and wanted to put cameras all over our house in case somebody came to kill us.

Attcker: Philip Spence was jailed for 27 years / Metropolitan Police

"My son said to me, on that night we left the door to our hotel room open, but the price for that was the door to our lives closing. This is our reality now."

Spence was convicted of three counts of attempted murder and was initially jailed for a minimum of 18 years, but this was increased to 27 years by appeal judges.

Riffat Yaqub, partner at Hodge Jones and Allen, who is representing the family, said: "This brutal and mindless attack while a family slept in the privacy of their hotel room left three sisters with horrific and irreversible life-changing injuries.

"On the seventh floor of a luxury London hotel they had every right to think that they would be safe. But Spence was able to walk in unhindered to carry out his crimes.

"Five years on and the sisters are still fighting for justice and to get the apology from the hotel owners we feel they deserve."
T hese are the first images of what is set to be one of the most exclusive hotels ever built in London at an estimated cost of 500 million.

The planning application for the Cheval Blanc hotel in Mayfair reveals for the first time the lavish facilities that have drawn royals such as Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge and A-listers including Jay Z and Beyonce to its sister destinations in the worlds elite resorts.

Documents lodged with Westminster council show that luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, which owns the Cheval Blanc brand, plans an 83-room hotel with a subterranean spa and a 25-metre pool, two restaurants, including one overseen by a multi-Michelin-star-level chef, an evening bar and roof terrace, and a cafe.

There will also be six private apartments for sale  one with its own private pool  and a major store likely to be a showcase for one of LVMHs fashion brands such as Celine and Fendi.

The huge triangular site in Grafton Street and Bruton Lane is close to LVMHs existing Bond Street flagship outlets for the Louis Vuitton and Dior labels.

The hotel will have a subterranean spa and a 25-metre pool, as well as two restaurants

The plans from starchitect Sir Norman Fosters practice, represent the latest move for a company once best known for handbags and shoes but now increasingly branching out into experiences aimed at a younger generation of wealthy consumers.

500m London hotel 1 /9 500m London hotel The Cheval Blanc hotel in Mayfair will have 83 rooms, a 25-metre pool, and two restaurants The venue will also have an evening bar and roof terrace, and a cafe, according to the plans The proposed site in Grafton Street and Bruton Lane is close to LVMHs existing Bond Street flagship outlets for the Louis Vuitton and Dior labels There are currently just four Cheval Blanc hotels in the world The planning documents say that Cheval Blanc hotels bring a haute couture approach to hospitality The hotels have drawn royals such as Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge and A-listers including Jay Z and Beyonce There will also be six private apartments for sale at the development

As well as the Cheval Blanc brand, LVMH owns the five-star Bulgari hotel in Knightsbridge. Last year it bought luxury travel company Belmond, operator of the Venice Simplon-Orient Express and celebrity chef Raymond Blancs Le Manoir aux QuatSaisons restaurant and hotel in Oxfordshire.

Royals such as Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge have been guests at the hotel's sister resorts

There are currently just four Cheval Blanc hotels  in St Tropez on the French Riviera, where prices start from around 750 euros (650) per night, the Maldives, Saint-Barthelemy in the Caribbean, and the French ski resort of Courchevel, where it has a restaurant with three Michelin stars.

The planning documents say that Cheval Blanc hotels bring a haute couture approach to hospitality and mix the essence of French refinement and a distinct local flair. The Mayfair hotel would replace two office blocks from the Sixties and Seventies of little architectural merit.

Only a Grade II listed frontage in Grafton Street would survive.

Helen Brocklebank, of luxury goods body Walpole, said: LVMHs acquisition of British hospitality group, Belmond, at the end of last year clearly marked out the scale of their ambition in luxury experiences.

She added: The plans for a new hotel right in the beating heart of luxury London is hugely exciting, complements the iconic Browns and Claridges nearby, and will be a real draw for affluent visitors.
Swiss entrepreneur Carlo Gatti is credited with being the first to make ice cream available from a stand on the street in London in the 1850s. He sold ice cream from a stall in Hungerford Market, near the Strand.

Walls ice cream was first sold from tricycles in London in 1922.

Frozen yoghurt shops have challenged ice cream vans for the business of health-conscious London parents in recent years.

The Ice Cream Alliance estimates that ice cream van numbers in the UK have declined to less than 2,500.

The first recorded serving of ice cream was in 1671 or 1672, at a Feast of St George banquet at Windsor Castle.

Glasgow saw Ice Cream Wars in the early Eighties, when rival gangs sold drugs and stolen goods from ice cream vans.
L ondon Overground workers will stage a fresh strike in a dispute over their pay following two days of industrial action earlier this month.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, who are working as travel safe officers will walk out for 24 hours on 16 May.

The Overground workers, who are employed by STM security, are also planning other forms of industrial action short of a strike, saying they face a pay freeze.

It will be the second time travel safe officers take industrial action this year, after a 24-hour strike on 4 April.

RMT members plan to walk out for 24 hours on 16 May. / PA

London Overground Vinci Cleaners also took part in a 48-hour strike from 4 to 6 of April to dispute pay and conditions.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Travel safe officers offer security for passengers and staff against a background of increasing anti-social and violent behaviour on the railways.

"Despite previous rock-solid strike action the company still refuse to listen and have left us with no option but to confirm a further phase.

"Our members do an important job on London Overground and deserve to be paid properly for the work that they do.

"A pay freeze for workers on a low wage is an insult and represents a pay cut in real terms."

An Arriva Rail London spokesperson, said: Arriva Rail London is not party to this industrial dispute, it is a matter between the RMT union and STM Security, which supplies Travel Safe Officers on the London Overground.

Rory ONeill, TfLs General Manager for London Overground, said: "This issue is between the RMT Union and STM Security which provides Travel Safe Officers on the London Overground.

"Measures are in place to ensure a high level of safety and security is maintained for our customers and the London Overground service should industrial action go ahead. We urge all parties to sit down and talk through the issues to try and resolve them as soon as possible.
U.S. national security adviser John Bolton / Reuters



U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said Sunday that reviving six-party talks on North Korea's denuclearization is not Washington's preferred approach.

In an interview with Fox News, Bolton was asked if President Donald Trump would go along with Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent suggestion that the six-party talks, which collapsed in 2009, be restored to break the impasse in denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

"I think it's not just what our preference is," Bolton said. "I think (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un, at least up until now, has wanted the one-on-one contact with the United States, which is what he has gotten."

Putin and Kim held their first summit in Russia's Vladivostok last week.

The meeting was widely regarded as part of North Korea's push to secure sanctions relief from other major powers following the collapse of February's second summit between Kim and Trump.

Bolton noted that the six-party talks, which involved the two Koreas, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia, failed to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program, but that Washington has not excluded the other stakeholders from the diplomatic process.

"That doesn't mean we don't consult, as the president just did on Friday very closely with Prime Minister Abe of Japan," he said. "We consult with the Russians, the Chinese, obviously the South Koreans. President Moon Jae-in was here just a few weeks ago."

The Kremlin said Sunday that when dealing with the North, Russia is "acting in its home region" unlike the U.S. that "goes beyond its home region," according to Russia's Rossiya-1 television channel.

The remarks are in line with Moscow's apparent desire to reassert leverage over the peninsula and avoid being alienated in the Korea peace efforts where Washington and Beijing have been playing significant roles.

"For us, North Korea is a neighboring country. We have a common border and when we deal with North Korea we are acting in our home region," Russia's presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Rossiya-1.

"When the Americans deal with North Korea, they are acting in our region, not theirs."

Russia's apparent willingness to remain a key player in geopolitics over the peninsula has stoked concerns that the Korea peace process could get complicated with multiple parties likely to vie to maximize their respective interests in the process.












A large fire has ripped through a spa and hotel in south-west London.

About 100 firefighters and 15 engines were at the scene battling the blaze in Richmond on Tuesday evening.

Dramatic footage showed smoke billowing into the sky as flames tore through the building in Richmond Hill.

The whole of the roof of the spa building is alight and part of the third floor of the adjoining hotel is also on fire, London Fire Brigade (LFB) confirmed.

Spa blaze: Flames tear through the building / London Fire Brigade

Crews were scrambled to the hotel just before 6.30pm and remained there into the night.

Staff from Richmond, Twickenham, Kingston and other surrounding fire stations were at the scene.

Smoke was seen billowing into the sky as firefighters battled the flames / London Fire Brigade

Station Manager Mike Cotton last night said: "Crews are working hard in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control.

"The fire is in an annexe building and has been producing a lot of smoke.

We would urge residents and businesses in the immediate area to keep windows and doors closed while we continue to tackle the fire."

Firefighters battle to bring the flames under control at the spa in Richmond / London Fire Brigade

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear and an investigation was launched.

No injuries were reported.
J eremy Corbyn is braced for a showdown over Labours commitment to a referendum on any Brexit deal.

His partys governing body the National Executive Committee will meet later on Tuesday to agree its European election manifesto.

The crunch talks will be aimed at finalising Labours position on the UKs withdrawal from the EU for next months polls.

Pressure has been mounting on Mr Corbyn to push for a Peoples Vote as cross-party talks to break the impasse continued.

Sir Keir Starmer, shadow John McDonnell, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Sue Hayman ahead of Monday's Brexit talks / PA

De facto prime minister David Lidington described the latest discussions on Monday as "positive" and "productive".

EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said he hoped to see results this week from the talks.

He reiterated a call to "fix Brexit quickly".

Barnier tells UK: Fix Brexit quickly / EPA

Meanwhile Change UK - the Independent Group  is to hold the first of its "People's Vote Remain" rallies in London calling for a second referendum.

Ahead of the NEC meeting, Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson wrote to Mr Corbyn and all NEC members urging them to ensure that a confirmatory ballot is in the manifesto.

Mr Wilson said a referendum was backed by the majority of Labour MPs, MEPs, members and supporters and had featured in the policy approved by conference last autumn.

Sir Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey, John McDonnell and Sue Hayman arrive for talks on Monday / PA

Labour MPs had twice been whipped in the Commons to support a motion tabled by the pair to require any Brexit deal to be subject to a public vote, he said.

"Three years on, we know more about what Brexit means and people should be allowed to compare what the deal is with what they were promised and decide whether they want to go ahead," said Mr Wilson.

"If we don't do it, the coming years will be divisive because people will be turning round and saying 'Hang on, I didn't vote for this'."

Thersea May is fighting to break the Brexit deadlock / REUTERS

Some 115 MPs and MEPs signed a letter to NEC members organised by the Love Socialism, Hate Brexit group urging them to explicitly back a referendum in the manifesto.

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson used his Twitter account to urge followers to lobby NEC members to back a public vote.

And 22 Labour candidates in the European elections have pledged to campaign for a referendum and then back efforts to remain in the EU

Meanwhile, some of Labour's biggest union backers are also throwing their weight behind a referendum pledge.

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: "Frankly it's time for our party to act on the overwhelming wishes of its members and voters by pledging to support a confirmatory public vote on any Brexit deal.
E nvironment Secretary Michael Gove today met with members of climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion.

A spokesman for the organisation said before the Whitehall meeting this morning that it was Mr Goves opportunity to show he is ready to act on climate change.

The group is calling on the government to introduce measures to immediately reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025.

The demands come after protests in central London, which included stopping traffic at Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, Waterloo Bridge and the area around Parliament Square.
T heresa May is facing a fresh leadership challenge after an emergency summit was forced by grassroots Tories on whether to demand that she should step down, it has been reported.

A meeting of 800 constituency chairmen and women and senior activists is expected to take place in June after enough of them signed a petition to hold an emergency general meeting.

According to The Sun, they will vote on whether to demand the Prime Minister's resignation for failing to deliver Brexit in a move that is said to be unprecedented in the partys 185-year history.

Although non-binding, losing the vote would put huge pressure on Mrs May to step down.

Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband Philip / REUTERS

After months of internal rancour over Britain's departure from the EU, which the Prime Minister failed to deliver by the original March 29 deadline, Conservative figures are concerned the party is heading for a mauling at this week's local elections.

The European elections later in May - which are being held as a result of the Brexit delay - are also expected to go badly for the party amid the threat from Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.

Talks between senior Tory minsters and Labour figures are continuing to break the Commons impasse over Brexit.

Theresa May faces a fresh challenge to her leadership / PA

However, Mrs May's handling of Brexit, along with discussions with Labour, has enraged Tory activists and translated into problems for the party on the doorstep.

Seventy constituency leaders reportedly signed the petition to demand an EGM, passing a 10% threshold of 65.

Grassroot Tories will vote on whether to demand the PM's resignation, it has been reported / AFP/Getty Images

Mrs May was reportedly made aware of the news personally on Monday night by the head of the National Conservative Convention Andrew Sharpe, who is also a deputy party chairman.

The petition's organiser, London East Conservatives chairwoman Dinah Glover, told The Sun: "Unfortunately, the Prime Minister is no longer the solution to the problem, but is actually the block to Brexit."

The petition is said to state that the signatories "no longer feel that Mrs May is the right person to continue as Prime Minister to lead us forward in the negotiations".

"We therefore with great reluctance ask that she considers her position and resigns," it adds.

Mrs May has already survived an internal attempt to oust her when backbenchers on the party's 1922 Committee launched a revolt in December.

Under party rules, disgruntled MPs have to wait 12 months from a failed bid to try again in a fresh vote.

On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned against any attempt to get rid of Mrs May before a Brexit deal is passed by MPs.

He told the Daily Telegraph: "The process of a Tory leadership election would inevitably involve candidates setting out their red lines which might itself mean that finding a compromise to get Brexit over the line becomes harder."
C onservatives have crashed into fourth place in London for the European elections  trailing behind Nigel Farages Brexit Party and the new Change UK Party.

A shock YouGov poll found Theresa Mays party limping on just 11 per cent in the capital  half of the 22 per cent share they enjoyed in 2014 when they came a respectable second.

Embarrassingly, they are six points behind Change UK, which is on 17 per cent despite only being launched as a party a few weeks ago. And Mr Farages newly formed anti-EU party is further ahead on 19.

A drubbing on that scale would increase the likelihood that Tories will try to oust Mrs May after the results of the election on May 23.

Moreover, her party is a mere one point ahead of the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, which means it is at risk of slipping into a humiliating fifth place in London if the campaign goes badly.

Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party is getting ready for the European elections / REUTERS

Anthony Wells of YouGov, which conducted the poll for campaign group Hope Not Hate, said the Conservatives were suffering because voters had no idea what they stood for on Europe.

They are not the party of Brexit, nor the party of Remain  so there is not a clear reason to vote Conservative in this election, he said.

Labour is in first place in London, but its 28 per cent share is drastically down from the 36.6 per cent they took in 2014.

Change UK candidates at the launch of their Euro elections campaign last week / AFP/Getty Images/Adrian Dennis

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt attempted to lead a Tory fightback this this morning, arguing that the central argument now facing MPs and the country was whether to agree a compromise deal which can get through Parliament or instead hand the decision back to the people in a fresh referendum.

Mr Hunt fired a warning shot against Mrs May doing a deal with Labour to agree a customs union, saying it could cost more votes in Parliament than it gained. If we were proposing, which I very much hope we dont, to sign up to the customs union, I think there is a risk that you would lose more Conservative MPs than you would gain Labour MPs, he told Radio 4s Today programme.

He added: The central argument is do we resolve this issue by having a rerun, as some in the Labour Party would like, which I happen to think would be disastrous, or do we resolve this by delivering Brexit and then bringing the country together by showing the 48 per cent who voted Remain that this is not the Brexit of their worst nightmares. Chancellor Philip Hammond argued last month that a second referendum was a perfectly coherent proposition.

Mr Hunt stressed both Labour and Tory voters, and those of other parties, were against Brexit paralysis affecting their jobs and businesses.

On a tour of Africa, including Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana, he stressed moves to build ties based on enterprise and prosperity rather than being so focused on aid. Many African governments were seeking funding through the City for projects, he added. He also stressed his trip was to encourage African leaders to adopt the democratic rather than autocratic path for their country, warning of the dangers of the latter as shown in Sudan and Algeria.

Meanwhile, Labour officials were shocked by the high polling for the Greens in London. The small Left-wing party is up a percentage point from 2014 despite having been squeezed by Labour since Mr Corbyn became leader.

A Peoples Vote spokesman said the Green showing was down to its strong support for a Brexit referendum, and said: The Labour leadership has spent so long chasing after a diminishing group of Leave voters, it has forgotten that the overwhelming majority of its supporters want to stay in the EU. Jeremy Corbyn cannot afford to take even Left-wing Remain voters for granted.
B BC presenter Chris Packham has said he fears for his family and colleagues after receiving "death threats of a very serious nature" over his support of a campaign to save the lives of wild birds which have been deemed pests by famers.

Packham, a seasoned wildlife campaigner, told Good Morning Britain he had received serious death threats overnight, along with packages containing human excrement.

The police have spent quite a considerable amount of time at my house in recent days. Last night, I cant speak too much about what happened last night because I havent been to the police yet," he told presenter Piers Morgan on Tuesday.

However, he confirmed he had received death threats against both him and his family.

The 57-year-old has also revealed that suspicious packages were sent to his New Forest home on Saturday and discovered by his partner Charlotte Corney on Sunday, sparking concerns over his loved-ones' safety.

PA

Police came to the house and were adamant I didnt open the packages myself, he told the Mirror.

I am not worried for me. I am concerned about the people around me getting caught in the crossfire. I didnt want them at home on their own."

Packham has also been a vocal supporter of the Extinction Rebellion protests that caused chaos across London in April / Wheatley/WENN

Ms Corney, his girlfriend of 12 years, added: When the hatred becomes more personal and comes a bit closer to home its a bit unsettling. Because you dont know how close or far away those people are to doing something really bad.

The conservationist has come under fire for campaigning against the killing of birds in the UK considered to be pests, such as crows, wood pigeons and jays, and has been subjected to a petition calling for his sacking.

The Change.org campaign  which lambasts him for using his celeb status as a platform to push his anti hunting agenda  has received more than 126,000 signatures in less than a week.

Packham has long been a campaigner for wildlife but is currently leading Natural England, the Governments conservation watchdog to revoke a licence permitting the killing of "pest" birds / Wheatley/WENN

But Packham, who hosts shows including Springwatch, Winterwatch and Blue Planet Live has shrugged off fears he might lose his job at the BBC as a result.

As we are making more progress to introduce regulation and change into our countryside, which is necessary for its sustainable health and welfare, these people feel cornered and are lashing out. So, I have to be tolerant of these sort of attacks and I can tell you one thing, I will never be swayed by them," he said.

Instead, he has expressed concern for the organisations he supports, saying it is unfair for his critics to target them.

Im a 57-year-old bloke who has been bullied all of his life and is used to dealing with it.

"What worries me is that the charities that I'm affiliated with, the small businesses that I work for, these people aren't set up to take this sort of abuse, and yet they've had to close their websites, their TripAdvisor accounts have had to be shut down, because they've been bombarded by these bullies who want to take aim at me.

"My message is clear. Please, take aim at me, but leave all of the charities, all of the other businesses that I work with, leave them out of it.

"They're not necessarily sharing my views. They're not a fair target."

Despite his worries, Packham has tried to make light of some of his more personal attacks.

In a parody video posted on Twitter, he mimics his own wildlife presenter style to introduce one of the gifts he received  a small wooden plaque inscribed with a crude sketch of a penis.

In the clip tweeted by Packham on Sunday, he examines the unique plinth, initially claiming he cant quite work out what the motif depicts  with a badly drawn elephant and two-headed tadpole among the suggestions he floats.

Eventually he concludes that it is probably male genitalia drawn to scale, and uses a 50p coin to illustrate its diminutive size.

Packham has since decided to auction off the present on Ebay, stating that all of the funds raised will go to Wild Justice , a not for profit company whose singular purpose is to see the UK's wildlife protection laws implemented upheld or amended to offer better protection to animals , plants and their environments.
D onald Trump is unlikely to address Parliament during his state visit to the UK amid concerns the Speakers opposition could spark a row, according to reports.

The US President is set to visit the UK from June 3 to 6.

This would coincide with D-Day memorial events, though his full itinerary has not been decided.

Usually it would be common practise for Buckingham Palace to request invitations from John Bercow in the Commons and his counterpart in the Lords so he could address both Houses.

Speaker John Bercow previously spoke against President Trump addressing Parliament / PA

This may not happen though and if so Mr Bercow is rumoured to be likely to turn it down, the Guardian reports.

In 2017 he said it was an honour to address either of the Houses and opposed Mr Trump speaking before either.

However, the Lord Speaker does not share his views, the Sun reports.

I profoundly object to any attempt to ban the president when he is coming to Europe to mark the anniversary of the D-day landings when so many Americans were killed and wounded in defence of our freedom, Lord Fowler told the Cambridge Union Society.

There have been multiple objections to the Presidents visit to the UK already, with protesters vowing to take to the streets in a stance against him.
T he family of murdered journalist Lyra McKee have thanked supporters for their outpouring of love following her "nightmare" death.

The 29-year-old was shot dead by a gunman linked to the New IRA who fired indiscriminately at police lines during rioting in Londonderry on April 18.

Hundreds of mourners including political leaders attended her funeral at St Annes Cathedral in Belfast last Wednesday.

Her death has prompted fresh calls for political agreement at Stormont following criticism of the stalemate from a Catholic priest who spoke during the service.

People hold candles during a vigil at Belfast City Hall in memory of murdered journalist Lyra McKee / PA

Ms McKee's family said: "We know that as our nightmare continues in the weeks, months and years ahead, that we will not be alone.

"We know that you will all continue to support us and we know that we will all rejoice together on the day that justice is achieved for our Lyra."

Her vision for her post-conflict generation and anti-sectarian outlook has inspired widespread praise and sparked calls for political action.

Demands for action from Father Martin Magill and Ms McKee's sister Nichola Corner during her funeral spurred the UK Government into a renewed effort to restore Stormont powersharing, due to begin early in May.

Mourners break into applause as Lyra McKee's coffin is carried into church

Ms McKee's family said: "The outpouring of love, respect and admiration for our dear Lyra has been of great comfort to us in these dark days.

"To know that our wee Lyra was so well-loved across the globe, and by people of all walks of life, is a true testament to her personal philosophy and her vision for the world."

They said they have been honoured and overwhelmed by requests for events in her name or inspired by her.

But they added: "We respectfully request that before anyone uses her life or death for any purpose that they consider her legacy of inclusivity and understanding.

Lyra McKee pictured in a recent photo before her death / AFP/Getty Images

"We are mindful that we may not be able to thank everyone individually, however we want everyone who said a prayer, shared a thought, sent a message, card or text, attended a vigil, attended or watched her service, visited her home, travelled, respected our privacy, or did any other positive act in response to Lyra's murder, to know that we appreciate every single sentiment, no matter how small - these things have helped to give us some strength while we are at our weakest."

Police have made a number of arrests and released images of the suspected gunman before and after the killing in Derry's Creggan estate in a bid to encourage witnesses to come forward.

CCTV footage released on Friday showed three men who were seen in the area prior to the killing who have been called on by police to come forward.

Lyra McKee Funeral - In pictures 1 /30 Lyra McKee Funeral - In pictures A mourner wearing a Hogwarts scarf holds the order of service for the funeral for journalist Lyra McKee at St Annes Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Getty Images The congregation arrive for the funeral service of journalist Lyra McKee at St Annes Cathedral Getty Images The cover of the Order of Service for the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast PA Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, left, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Irish President Michael D Higgins attend the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast AP Mourners embrace ahead of the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee lies on a pew at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland REUTERS Mary Lou McDonald, Leader of Sinn Fein and Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn attend for the funeral service of journalist Lyra McKee at St Annes Cathedral Getty Images The hearse carrying the body of murdered journalist Lyra McKee arrives at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast PA Lyra McKee's partner Sara Canning (C) reacts during the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee (29), who was killed by a dissident republican paramilitary in Northern Ireland at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast AFP/Getty Images Mourners listen to the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee outside St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast PA The coffin is carried into the funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast PA A mourner wearing a Harry Potter themed scarf arrives to attend the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee at St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland Reuters The service sheet for the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast PA Mourners, including one wearing a Gryffindor scarf, wait for the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast PA Mourners arrive to attend the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee at St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland Reuters Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald PA A mourner wearing Harry Potter themed cloak arrives to attend the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee at St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland REUTERS Leader of the Labour Party,Jeremy Corbyn Getty Images Taoiseach Leo Varadkar arrives for the funeral service of journalist Lyra McKee Getty Images Mourners wearing Harry Potter themed shirts arrive to attend the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee Reuters The funeral service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast PA Mourners arrive at the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee at St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland Reuters President Michael D Higgins before the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast PA Prime Minister Theresa May attends the funeral service of journalist Lyra McKee Getty Images

PSNI Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy said more than 140 people had provided information so far.

The New IRA, an amalgam of armed groups opposed to the peace process, said it was behind the killing.

It apologised for her death saying it was a "tragedy" and that it happened because she was standing near "the enemy", seemingly in reference to police.
A US recruitment firm has faced a backlash over an job advert asking for a "preferably Caucasian" candidate.

Cynet Systems wrote in the job description: Preferably Caucasian who has good technical knowledge of RPA.

The firm were promoting an account manager role on job networks including LinkedIn, Zip Recruiter and Glassdoor.

It has since removed the job listing and those responsible had their positions terminated immediately, according to the firm.

Cynet Systems CEOs Nikhil Budhiraja and Ashwani Mayur are both Indian-American.

Helena McCabe, a coder based in Florida said: How could you POSSIBLY think thats ok?

Another commenter said on Twitter: Youre a STAFFING firm. You put this ad up and youre a professional staffing consultancy?

In a statement, co-CEO Ashwani Mayur said: We truly regret the fact that individuals formerly employed by Cynet Systems went outside of company policy and included an inappropriate requirement in a job listing.

Cynet Systems is proud to be an immensely diverse company.
R od Rosenstein has confirmed he is resigning as US Deputy Attorney General.

He was expected to step down in March but stayed longer to help Attorney General William Barr manage the public release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

It was Mr Rosenstein who appointed Robert Mueller in May 2017 to investigate links between the Russian government and President Donald Trump's campaign.

Mr Rosensteins departure will be effective as of May 11.

Resignation: Deputy US Attorney General Rod Rosenstein / REUTERS file image

The White House has said Mr Trump had already nominated Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen to replace him.

In a letter to Mr Trump, Rosenstein echoed two of Trumps signature phrases, writing that he helped staff the department with officials devoted to the values that make America great and adding that we always put America first.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein / REUTERS

Mr Mueller's investigation did not establish evidence that Mr Trumps presidential campaign illegally conspired with Moscow.

In his final report, Mr Mueller did not make a determination on whether Mr Trump obstructed justice, but instead presented evidence on both sides.

After receiving the final report, Mr Rosenstein and Mr Barr made their own determination, finding there was insufficient evidence to charge the president.

"We enforce the law without fear or favour because credible evidence is not partisan," Mr Rosenstein wrote in his resignation letter.




Seven North Korean defectors are facing repatriation to their communist homeland from China, a civic group claimed Monday, calling for the Seoul government to help prevent their return.







The defectors include a 9-year-old girl identified by the surname Choe and her 32-year-old uncle, identified only as Kang, Justice for North Korea claimed. They had been hiding on the outskirts of Shenyang after crossing the Yalu River into China earlier this month, according to the group.







They and five other North Korean defectors staying there are facing repatriation to North Korea after they were recently arrested by Chinese authorities, it claimed.







Choe's mother, who lives in South Korea, reported their arrests to the South Korean consulate in Shenyang on Sunday, the group said, expressing concerns that the defectors could face serious punishment if sent back.







It called on South Korea to make diplomatic efforts to block their repatriation.







Seoul's foreign ministry said that it has been taking "necessary steps" regarding the defectors immediately after it learned of their situation.







But it said that it cannot elaborate on their status in consideration of their safety and diplomatic relations with China.







Conservative critics have accused Seoul of paying insufficient attention to the refugee issue to avoid straining ties with Pyongyang and hampering its push for inter-Korean rapprochement. Seoul has dismissed the criticism, saying it has been making due efforts to protect the defectors. (Yonhap)


T he cafe that sparked global debate over its man tax has insisted its decision to shut down had nothing to do with the optional surcharge or the misogynistic vitriol it has received.

Handsome Her, a vegan cafe in Melbourne Australia, gained international notoriety for offering women priority seating and charging male customers an 18 per cent premium to reflect the gender pay gap.

It shut its doors for good on April 28 after two years of trading, to the delight and dismay of people across the world.

Following speculation over its reasons for closing, the cafes owners took to social media to set the record straight.

Cafe in Australia asks males to pay surcharge

Weve never shied away from controversy in the spirit of social justice and it seems fitting that we go out in the same style in which we came in: a whirlwind of sad, angry male tears, the team posted on their official Facebook page.

Quipping that they had received a spate of love letters from adoring men worldwide in the run-up to their final day of businesses, they wrote: Let us assure you that we are not closing because of:

A) Male tears or misogynistic vitriol from men's rights activists. Were lesbians, were quite used witnessing the fragility of the male ego.

B) Not making enough money. If you've been in you know we are doing just fine.

Most of our male customers have happily paid above and beyond the optional surcharge (man tax) which we donate to charity.

Man Tax: Handsome Her outlined its rules on a chalk board / Page Cardona/Twitter

As much as people would love to believe it, sorry but the man tax did not run our business into the ground, we just don't want to own a cafe anymore.

The team described the abusive comments they had received as mostly amusing, and claimed they only reinforced our views about how toxic sexism is, and great motivation for us to keep up the good work.

To conclude their post, co-owner Alexandra OBrien and her colleagues clarified that they had sold the business simply because we are young, educated and off on our next adventure.

For those of you who have run your own small business, you know how much time, blood, sweat and tears it takes, and we are looking forward to a slower, more deliberate way of living out in the world and putting our feminist, vegan, low-waste politics into practice.

We remain ever yours, the leftist, extremist, man-hating, vegan d***s of your worst nightmare xx, they signed off.

The cafe has now shut its doors for good / Handsome Her Cafe

Ms OBrien has described Handsome Her as a social experiment which became the punching bag of Melbourne and the internet.

However, as part of their final farewell, she and her team acknowledged all the support they had received since the cafe opened in 2017.

In an emotional Instagram message, Ms OBrien thanked friends, family and the local community who helped shape the pillars of the project: Social Justice, Feminism, Environmental Responsibility and Community Development.

She also praised her earnest funny and warm team who had become some of the greatest friends I've had made.

We have a huge network within each other and our growing allies and we know what's up, she concluded.

Fans responded with messages of thanks and support  an antidote to the streams of abuse, which included NOBODY CARES from one Facebook critic, and scum from another.

Thanks for the raw desserts, the brownies, the cookies, the coffees and most importantly for being an example of the kind of business I hope to see more of. Vegan, feminist and community minded, wrote an Instagram follower.

While a Facebook admirer commented: You girls are amazing! Love what you did (and continue to do) for women. I'm sad I never made it over Alexandra but I kept and eye on your amazing work. Let the haters hate, you just keep being fabulous. Love you x.

Handsome Her responded with a parting message offering hope to supporters: Never fear, you will see us around in the future. We plan to continue our events and activism in various other ways, so keep an eye out.
A killer asteroid could smash into Earth if it is not better protected, Nasas chief has said as he called for stronger fortification of the planet.

Jim Bridenstine used this years Planetary Defence Conference to warn that protecting Earth from such a disaster is not about the movies.

He warned there is increasing evidence of the potential for these events and said the US should be fortifying the planet to ensure its preservation.

We have to make sure that people understand that this is not about Hollywood, it's not about the movies, Bridenstine told the conference on Monday.

Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine issued the warning on Monday / Getty Images file photo

"This is about ultimately protecting the only planet we know, right now, to host life and that is the planet Earth.

Bridenstine added: We have to use our systems, use our capabilities to ultimately get a lot more data, and we have to do it faster.

We know for a fact that the dinosaurs did not have a space program. But we do, and we need to use it.

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

He referenced a 65-foot meteor which exploded over Chelyabinsk in Russia 14 miles from Earths surface in 2013.

Bridenstine continued: These events are not rare. They happen.

The warning comes after the space agency detailed plans to knock an asteroid out of orbit by launching a spacecraft to deliberately crash into it.

The ambitious launch is set to prove whether the Earth could be defended if an asteroid was on course to devastate the planet by smashing into its surface.

A project called Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which aims to throw an asteroid off course in three years time, has been approved by the space agency.
He is in his place of command as always, and he is in control of the situation. He is making government decisions as he does every day.
V iolence blighted Venezuelas capital city after the nations opposition leader urged a military uprising against its president.

Armoured vehicles were filmed being rammed into anti-government protesters as troops loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro tried to restore order on Tuesday.

At least 36 people were injured in clashes having been hit with projectiles including rubber bullets in Caracas.

It was also claimed Colonel Yerzon Jimenez, the operations head of a national guard unit, was shot in the neck by demonstrators.

Shots were fired as protesters were left bloodied amid the carnage and fires sparked by Molotov cocktails were seen in the streets.

Teargas and gunfire as Venezuela tension escalates

The two opposition leaders coordinated actions from vehicles parked on a highway overpass, as thousands gathered and had tear gas doused over them.

Demonstrators gather near La Carlota air force on Tuesday / Getty Images

The furore began early Tuesday when Juan Guaido released a three-minute video, filmed near a Caracas air base, in which he urged civilians and others in the armed forces to join a final push to topple President Maduro.

Leopoldo Lopez, his political mentor and the nation's most-prominent opposition activist, was surprisingly seen stood alongside him after being released from house arrest.

Smoke filled the streets (REUTERS) / Reuters

He had been detained in 2014 for leading a previous round of anti-government unrest.

Mr Lopez said: "I want to tell the Venezuelan people: This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers.

The chaos marked the most serious challenge to President Maduro's rule yet after months of mostly peaceful protests led by Mr Guaido.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (REUTERS) / Reuters

The opposition leader previously declared himself interim president with the backing of the US and dozens of other countries.

Mr Guaido said he called for the uprising to restore Venezuela's constitutional order, stating this was broken when Maduro was sworn in earlier this year for a second term after a bout of voting many considered illegitimate.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza has denied there is a military coup attempt underway to oust President Maduro and accused the opposition of operating under orders from Washington.

There were clashes in the streets between those loyal and those opposed to President Maduro / AP

"It is not a coup attempt from the military. This is directly planned in Washington, in the Pentagon and Department of State, and by Bolton," Mr Arreaza said.

"They are leading this coup and giving orders to this man (Juan) Guaido.

Juan Guaido urged the uprising against President Maduro / REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

He estimated around 30 or fewer members of the military had sided with Mr Guaido, adding: "This is 30 out of about 200,000, so it is almost nothing," he added.

Several US figureheads, including President Trump, expressed support for the opposition in Venezuela.

US national security adviser John Bolton singled out three senior aides to President Maduro who he said must make good on commitments they purportedly made to the opposition for a peaceful transition away from his rule.
V enezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has called for a military uprising and said the end of Nicolas Maduros rule is near in a video showing him surrounded by soldiers in an apparent coup attempt.

However, the government quickly responded to say it is putting down the small coup by military traitors working with right-wing opponents and insisted the armed forces remain firmly in defence of the national constitution and legitimate authorities.

Writing on Twitter, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said Mr Guaido is working against the constitution and peace of the Republic and insisted President Maduros government will win.

It comes as tear gas was fired at Mr Guaido and around 70 men in military uniform gathered outside the Caracas air base La Carlota.

People react to tear gas in Venezuela (REUTERS) / Reuters

Mr Rodriguez tweeted: "We inform the people of Venezuela at the moment we are confronting and deactivating a reduced group of military traitors who are positioning themselves in the Distribuidor Altamira to promote a coup d'etat against the constitution and the peace of the Republic.

"To this intent is added the putschist and murderous ultra-right which announced its violent agenda months ago. We call on the people to maintain maximum alert so, together the glorious National Armed Bolivarian forces defeat the intent to mount a coup and preserve the peace. We will win."

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (REUTERS) / Reuters

US-backed Mr Guaido appeared in a video earlier on Tuesday surrounded by soldiers and accompanied by detained activist Leopoldo Lopez when he called for a military uprising.

n Guaido has said he has begun the "final phase" of his plan to oust Nicolas Maduro / Juan Guaido

In the three minute video, released a day before a planned anti-government rally, Mr Guaido said that soldiers would be acting to protect the constitution.

Mr Lopez, who has been under house arrest for leading an anti-government push in 2014, made his first public appearance since he was detained to say: This is the moment of all Venezuelans, those in uniform and those who aren't.

"Everyone should come to the streets, in peace."
G emma Collins has confessed her plans to convince Chris Pratt to join her for a spot of horse riding when she jets off to Los Angeles.

The reality TV icon is heading to Hollywood in a matter of weeks after being called by the hills.

But Collins has already made sure her trip isnt all work and no play by putting out an Instagram call for actor Pratt to join her on a day off.

The hills have called. Im SO EXCITED L.A. BABY cant believe my career has taken me here, Collins wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of the famous Hollywood sign.

Cant wait to hit rodeo drive with @foodgod [Jonathan Cheban] and convincing @prattprattpratt to come horse riding with the cowboys and me #divaforever.

Collins will be hoping to thank Pratt for his support after he admitted he is a pretty big fan of the GC during a press tour for the new LEGO movie earlier this year.

He told Glamour: The GC, shes a real star, I love that show [Dancing On Ice]. I watched it when I was out here shooting years ago. I got hooked on it.

Pratt admitted that he would be starstruck if he got the chance to meet Collins, although sadly he never returned her offer of two tickets to Dancing On Ice while she was on the show.

Day out: Gemma Collins has revealed plans to take time out to try and meet Chris Pratt for a horse riding trip / Francis Specker/PA Wire

[Im going to LA because] the cameras want to be on me the minute I touch down in LA, to follow me having a go at [making a career in America], she told Jonathan Ross.

My intuition always guides me to the right place. I want to travel the world.

Gemma Collins walks in the treadmill in heels

Collins will be looking forward to getting away from the Essex drama having just called time on her relationship with James Argent for a second time this year.
S imon McCoy held his head in his hands and muttered I trained for this! as he was forced to read a slew of dog puns on BBC News.

The presenter, who is known for his hilarious on-screen commentary, was left aghast as he reported on the Scottish Parliament Dog of the Year competition.

McCoy ordered the camera crew to film the autocue so McCoy could show viewers the puns he had to deal with.

He read: Fur one day only, Holyrood has gone to the dogs for the Scottish Parliaments Dog of the year contest. Here are the competitors, battling it out to become top dog  well that is a familiar phrase.

In a positively tough field, the Scotty dogs had to take on a number of obstacles outside the Scottish Parliament  some faring a bit better than others.

McCoy announced Jeremy Balfour and his pet as the winners before revealing that the story ended with the line: A ruff day for everyone else.

Unimpressed: Simon McCoy was not a fan of the puns on his autocue / BBC

As the segment ended, the veteran journalist put his head in his hands before muttering I trained for this as the broadcast moved on.

It's not the first time McCoy has struggled to muster the enthusiasm to report on dog stories.

McCoy is well known for his unique and witty reporting, going viral several times for his responses to news events and generally despairing attitude to them. Two years ago, a story on surfing dogs in the middle on August left McCoy on autopilot as he read out the story with little enthusiasm and was heard sighing during his report.

Simon McCoy shows little enthusiasm for surfing dogs

In 2013, McCoy had viewers in stitches as he waited outside the Lindo Wing ahead of the birth of Prince George  unenthusiastically telling the audience that there was plenty to come from the hospital but none of it [would be] news.

McCoys response to the news Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge were expecting a third child in 2017 was similarly lacklustre, with his tongue-in-cheek warning to clear their diaries before joking about taking time off.

He also amused fans after being left shocked at the news Victoria Beckham would not join the upcoming Spice Girls reunion.
T he internet went into overdrive when rumours about Motorola bringing back the flip phone went viral earlier this year before the company later confirmed the phone was happening in February.

Now, weve had our first look at how that folding screen version of the classic noughties mobile could look in real life.

Press renders of the Motorola RAZR V4 were leaked on the Chinese platform Weibo, before they were later uploaded to SlashLeaks. It demonstrates how Motorola looks to take on the folding screen genre, with a vertical folding phone just like the original RAZR used to look.

Theres a notch at the top of the phone which will house the front camera, as well as a rather substantial chin at the bottom of the phone which the phone will snap into. Other rumours point to a smaller screen on the front of the phone when it is folded, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold, though unfortunately, these images dont confirm that.

Inside the box there looks to be a phone case, a wireless charging stand, as well as a few other charging cables.

Motorola has said that the new flip phone will arrive no later than the other folding phones, namely Samsung and Huaweis Mate X device.

However, this was before Samsung ran into screen issues with the Galaxy Fold. Journalists with review versions of the new device reported problems such as a defective hinge as well as constant screen flickering. When we received hands-on time with the Fold, though it is an exciting device with ground-breaking design, the screen fold is noticeable on the screen, something you probably dont want when youre spending 1,800 on a phone.

By comparison, Motorolas version is rumoured to cost about 1,170.

Samsung has been forced to postpone the release of the Fold, following these reported screen issues. As for Huawei, theres still no official word on when the Mate X will come to market, only that it will be summer 2019.
By Lee Min-hyung

A Korean man has been arrested for allegedly abducting another Korean national in the Philippines and demanding a ransom from his family, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday.

The suspect, identified by his surname Lee, reportedly kidnapped the victim in Makati, Manila, sometime in March.

The 34-year-old suspect then contacted the father of the victim and demanded $5 million (5.8 billion won) ransom.

Philippines police are investigating the case after arresting the suspect, April 22.

When the suspect abducted the 26-year-old Korean national is as yet unknown. The Philippines police began investigating the case after his family filed a missing persons report with the Korean Embassy, March 23.

"Upon receiving the report, we immediately contacted the local policy and called for a thorough investigation of the case," a Korean foreign ministry official said.

The suspect faces charges of pocketing the initial ransom money of $17,000 through Bitcoin, according to local reports from the Philippines.

"The Philippine authorities are conducting an investigation into the victim and suspect, so it is hard for us to reveal details on the case at the moment," the ministry official said.

The foreign ministry will continue to monitor the investigation and comply with any requests from the local authorities, the official said.
Danielzuk became Gerings city administrator on Jan. 7, 2008, after seven years in a similar position in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.

He had previously managed the small community of Stanton, Nebraska, and also served as an administrator for the Front Range Colorado community of Platteville.

Danielzuk was among the top five candidates out of 29 considered by the council in 2007. But those contacted for interviews had found other positions or decided to say in their current jobs. Consequently, Danielzuk was the only candidate to be interviewed by Gering.

During his interview process, Danielzuk said that local government can be a strong advocate for community progress. Every group, from government to service organizations to citizens can take their individual strengths and put them into a unified vision.

Council members thought he was a solid candidate for the job, but some members were not sure the process in place at that time provided the best answer for Gering.

Kaufman said every process for replacing a city administrator is different and that Gering historically hasnt had a structured format to follow. So part of the goal is to leave a model that future councils can use to screen candidates.

Any time you have an organization of our size and scale, youre going to attract a certain type of applicant, he said. Having enough lead time is important and thats why we wanted to start the process early and allow any qualified candidate to consider the position.

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After the two cases were heard, the justices explained that before arguments, one of the justices is assigned to write the ruling that outlines the findings of the majority of the court. Those rulings are then released to the public via the Nebraska Supreme Court website.

The justices also answered questions, which ranged from why a person could receive multiple life sentences to how the justices became interested in practicing law, that were posed by the students. It was explained to the students that the judges are appointed to the bench and voters vote to retain them after their third year on the bench. Judges are then up for a retention vote every six years and there is no limitation on how long a judge can serve.

Chief Justice Michael Heavican, who leads the Nebraska Supreme Court, outlined that he had started the outreach program to educate students and the public about the court system.

When he was appointed 12 years ago to the bench, Heavican said he heard lots of comments about the judicial branch being a hidden branch of the government. He said he felt that through bringing the courts into the communities  the Nebraska Court of Appeals held session in Chadron in April 2017  students and adults can have more of an idea how the courts perform.
KEARNEY  After nearly two years of being wanted in connection with the auto fatality death of a 14-year-old girl on Interstate 80 near Odessa, a North Carolina man is in the Buffalo County Jail.

Drew Davis, 38, of Gastonia, N.C., was arrested on a 2017 Buffalo County warrant for felony motor vehicle homicide of Rachelle Kort, 14, of Mitchell, on June 29, 2017. Davis was the driver of a semitrailer that collided with a car that Kort was a front seat passenger.

Davis was originally charged on Aug. 3, 2017, with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide in the incident, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. In March 2019, the charge was amended to felony motor vehicle homicide.

Patrick Lee, a deputy Buffalo County prosecutor, said the state had probable cause to believe Davis was operating the semi in a willful reckless manner at the time of the crash and amended the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony.

On June 29, 2017, Kort was riding in a 2007 Honda Accord driven east on I-80 by Abigail Okoye, 23, also of Mitchell. Court records say Davis had pulled his 2009 Peterbilt semitrailer truck onto the south shoulder of I-80 and parked to look up directions.
GERING  From a young age, Brock Parker developed a passion for astrophysics. Throughout his academic career, Parker has enrolled in courses to prepare him for that field. Along the way, his teachers and school administrators have watched his academic potential blossom as Parker received accolades as a National Merit Scholarship award winner and most recently, a member of the academic all-state team.

Weve never had an academic all-state. Weve had honorable mentions and a first team, said Gering High School principal Eldon Hubbard. We are unbelievably proud to have Brock as an academic all-state for the Omaha World-Herald.

On April 22, Parker traveled to Omaha to meet eight other all-state team members.

The one thing that was really surprising to me was down here in our area, the Omaha World-Herald all-state is kind of unheard of, said Parker. But down there, it is one of the biggest deals for everybody.

He added how the selection process to the all-state team is selective.
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Lee Suk-chae, former chairman of KT, was arrested Tuesday over his suspected involvement in a hiring scandal at the telecom giant.







The Seoul Southern District Court issued an arrest warrant for the 74-year-old Lee after holding a hearing Tuesday to review the legality of pretrial detention for him.







The court said the arrest warrant was issued due to concerns of destruction of evidence.







Lee, who served as KT chairman from 2009 to 2013, is suspected of being involved in nine cases of hiring irregularities at KT in 2012.







He is accused of giving instructions to provide preferential treatment to nine job applicants with ties to powerful figures, including the daughter of Rep. Kim Sung-tae, a former floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Korea.







Prosecutors charged Lee with obstruction of business in connection with the alleged hiring irregularities.







Lee, who also served as the information and communication minister before joining KT, has been summoned by prosecutors twice to be grilled about his role in the KT hiring scandal but reportedly denied the charges against him.







In a related development, Seo Yu-yeol, a former KT president, and Kim Sang-hyo, a former KT executive in charge of personnel affairs, were recently arrested and indicted on charges that they gave undue favors to Rep. Kim's daughter and five other applicants for KT positions in 2012.







Prosecutors suspect that Seo and Kim Sang-hyo gave preferential treatment to some job candidates on an instruction from Lee. (Yonhap)


Iredell-Statesville Schools staff will be trading classrooms and buses for representatives offices and Raleigh streets on May 1, joining educators across the state.

Carla Fassbender, East Iredell Middle School teacher and North Carolina Association of Educators government relations chair, said hundreds of Iredell residents are registered to attend the rally.

Fassbender said an exact number is hard to determine because some people drove to Raleigh Tuesday night and some are carpooling Wednesday, but a charter bus seating 55 is full and ready to head out Wednesday morning.

Those attending include teachers and other school staff as well as community members supporting the cause.

Fassbenders said Iredell-Statesville staff members have an appointment with representatives to discuss their concerns.

There are five goals behind the rally. School staff will be demanding more support staff like librarians, school psychologists and social workers; a $15 minimum wage for all personnel; the continuation of health benefits after retirement; advanced degree compensation; and the expansion of Medicaid.

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The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis will attend on Friday as a guest of honour the conference dubbed "The State of The Union", organised by the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, a release by the Presidential Administration sent to AGERPRES, informs.

On the sidelines of the conference, President Klaus Iohannis will have a meeting with the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giuseppe Conte.

The participation of president Iohannis in the said conference is taking place in the context of Romania's Presidency of the EU Council, of hosting the Sibiu Summit this May as well as on the occasion of the anniversary of a decade since Romania's joining the Convention on the establishment of the EUI in Florence.

When in Florence, Klaus Iohannis will lay a wreath at the memorial plaque dedicated to former ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, maker of the Union between Wallachia and Moldova, in January 1859, placed exactly nearby the residence the former ruler spent his last years.

AGERPRES
Prime minister Viorica Dancila will be on Wednesday and Thursday in Poland, to participate in the Conference of the heads of government of the Central and East European countries that have joined the European Union after 2004, and to attend the commemorative ceremony at Birkenau, a release by the Romanian Gov't sent to AGERPRES, reads.

Present will be at the conference scheduled for Wednesday the prime ministers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Hungary, the release adds.

Viorica Dancila will have a bilateral meeting with her Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki.

The second part of the visit will unfold on May 2nd, consisting in the participation of the Romanian Premier in the International March of the Living, an annual educational programme that refers to a 3-kilometre walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau.

The Romanian Prime minister will also attend the commemorative ceremony at Birkenau, alongside leaders of the int'l community, government officials, representatives of the religious denominations, students and children organisations.

Joining the Romanian official delegation at Auschwitz-Birkenau will be David Saranga, the ambassador of the State of Israel to Romania and Tova Ben Nun-Cherbis, president and founder of the Lauder-Reut Educational Complex, together with a group of children from Romania.

AGERPRES
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un departed for Russia on Wednesday (April 24) morning by private train, state media reported.

The North's official news agency KCNA released still photographs of Kim being seen off at Pyongyang railway station by high-ranking officials and residents.

Kim was accompanied by senior officials including Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, KCNA said.

North Korean leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Thursday (April 25) in the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok to discuss the international standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear program, a Kremlin official said. (Reuters)




Mallinckrodts shares closed Tuesday at $15.46, down $2.87.

The lawsuits were filed in 2012 and 2013 by former Questcor employees Charles Strunck and Scott Clark under the False Claims Act, which allows whistleblowers to sue companies on the governments behalf to recover taxpayer money paid out based on fraudulent claims.

The lawsuits are filed under seal so the government can investigate their claims. The Justice Department following an investigation may intervene in the cases, which is typically a major boost for them.

In his complaint, Strunck alleged Questcor in an effort to boost sales paid doctors illegal kickbacks in the form of bribes, speaker fees and consulting deals in exchange for promoting and prescribing Acthar.

His lawsuit also alleged that Questcors sales staff used deceptive and misleading marketing tactics to promote Acthar for uses and treatment regimens not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Justice Department in court filings in both lawsuits made public on March 11 said it was intervening in the cases and planned to file its own complaint within 90 days. The lawsuits were then unsealed.
Tilford gladly shared not only the marinade, but also how to construct a home version of South Beach burritos, which is detailed at the end of the marinade recipe. Even though we make everything in the burrito in-house, people can buy some things, like the 12-inch tortillas, and make others to come pretty close, he says. Generosity to community, staff and guests, in addition to genuine hospitality, are hallmarks of the Mission Taco restaurants.

When Jason Tilford and his brother, Adam Tilford, opened the first Mission Taco Joint in 2013 in the Delmar Loop, they wanted to share their love of the California street food and showcase the fun of the free-wheeling, skateboard and surf culture they grew up with in California. At Mission Taco, everything is made from scratch, even the tortillas, which accounts for the full, fresh flavors of their food. Colorful murals at each location by different artists illustrate aspects of the Baja street culture of their youth.
By Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu



President Moon Jae-in paid an official visit to Central Asia from April 16 to 23. Summits were held in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan to bolster relations with these countries. This marked his first trip to the region since he took office in 2017.



Strengthening relations with Central Asia has been a priority of Korean foreign policy since the early 1990s. Foreign policy concepts of various presidents, including Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak, and Park Geun-hye, aimed to improve relations with Central Asia in the areas of economy and energy resources. President Moon's New Northern Policy formulation is also emphasizing new prospects between Korea and Central Asia. Therefore, his visit was part of the sustainability of Korean foreign policy implementation in the post-Soviet area which has abundant resources and emerging markets. At this point, Moon's visit was a crucial turning point in relations because it will lead to $28 billion worth of projects.



President Moon met with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the leader of Turkmenistan on his first stop. Korea has a big interest in the energy sector of this country and has realized many projects in three decades. Currently, Korean companies are operating in the petrochemical, transportation, and energy processing sectors. The leaders pointed out the importance of the Kiyanly Petrochemical Complex project which was completed in October 2018 by a consortium in which Korean Hyundai Engineering Co. took part. Additionally, Hyundai has sent hundreds of buses to Turkmenistan as a result of an earlier agreement. Memorandums of understanding were signed to expand cooperation on energy, transportation, economic and cultural areas. Finally, the establishment of the King Sejong Institute in Turkmenistan was also announced.



At his second destination, President Moon arrived in Uzbekistan and met Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the leader of the country. Uzbekistan is a key player of Korean policy towards Central Asia with its great potential for bilateral ties. Relations were established in 1992 and upgraded to a strategic partnership after 2006. Currently, over 600 Korean companies are operating in the country. Uzbekistan also became home to a large number of ethnic Koreans who were deported from Russia in 1937.



Both sides signed deals worth $12 billion during the visit. Currently, the trade volume is over than $2 billion. Therefore, President Mirziyoyev called Korea as a strategic partner. Also, President Moon reminded people of the deep historical relationship between Korean and Turkish civilizations in the region. In his speech, mentioning the contributions of Ibn Sina, Al Khwarizmi and Mirzo Ulugbek to the development of science in the world made this visit more valuable for the Uzbekistan side. On the final day, he visited the campus of Inha University in Tashkent to observe the cooperation of Korean and Uzbek medical teams.



On his final stop, he met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan. Both leaders underlined the joint preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Trade relations have grown 220-fold since 1992 and the volume reached $2.2 billion in 2018. Kazakhstan's 2050 development strategy and Korea's New Northern Policy have similar aims to boost relations in the region with middle- and long-term plans. In the current situation, both leaders desire to expand the relationship by creating new cooperation areas, calling this new step, ''Fresh Wind''. New technology initiatives, 5G, and newly established industrial areas are key terms of this new partnership period. Additionally, logistics and transportation are included as potential issues to strengthen relations if the Korean peninsula reaches peace. On the other side, Kazakhstan has become an important supporter of denuclearization for regional peace purposes.



Central Asia has great potential for Korean investment. Seoul has created a peaceful relationship with regional countries focusing only on the economic and energy sectors without involvement in domestic political issues. Thus, the New Northern Policy promises a win-win situation for all of the Eurasian region.





Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu (oztarsu@gmail.com) is a Turkish analyst in Seoul.


CLAYTON  One University of Missouri-St. Louis student said he awoke to being sexually assaulted in the bed of his campus apartment last year. Another said he was molested in his sleep in 2017 and never knew until police  nearly a year later  showed him photos and videos of himself being abused.

The man charged with both crimes is Devonta Bagley, 24, who stands trial this week in St. Louis County Circuit Court on charges of sodomy, burglary and armed criminal action.

Prosecutors told jurors in opening statements Tuesday that Bagley was a stranger to both victims and sneaked into their rooms as they slept at the University Meadows apartments in 2017 and 2018.

Bagleys lawyer Joslyn Anthony told jurors that prosecutors were going to ask you to make some leaps to find him guilty. Anthony said there was no evidence of a break-in, no injuries to either victim and no attempt by at least one alleged victim to report being attacked either to his roommate, who was in the apartment at the time, or to police. Police werent summoned, she said, until after the victim told his father of the attack.

But both alleged victims identified Bagley as their attacker on Tuesday and offered explicit details:
October 2015  Rallo meets with Sweeney about a consulting contract through the Port Authority. Webbe attends. He and Rallo had discussed sharing some of the contracts proceeds as payback for Webbe introducing Rallo to Stenger. Rallo eventually pays Webbe $12,000 .

April 2016  Rallo recruits a business partner to become a trustee political donor to Stenger. The business partner is not named in the indictment but is Corey Christanell, according to Post-Dispatch reporting. The next month, Christanell would give a $10,000 donation to Stenger. In all, the two would donate approximately $50,000 to Stengers campaign.

May 2016  At Stengers direction, Sweeney has the Port Authority award a $100,000 marketing contract to Rallos Cardinal Creative Consulting, despite Rallos lack of marketing experience. Other firms submitted lower bids and had marketing experience, as previously reported by the Post-Dispatch.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  Prosecutors filed murder charges Tuesday against a man from Black Jack in the shooting death of his 18-year-old ex-girlfriend in Hazelwood.

Jordan P. Beck, 21, was being held in jail in lieu of $200,000, cash-only bail. Beck is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree burglary and two counts of armed criminal action. He lives in the 4900 block of Kennewick Drive in Black Jack.

Authorities say Beck went to the home of his ex-girlfriend, Celia Kollie, about 1 p.m. Monday in the 1400 block of Annilo Drive in Hazelwood. Kollie and her mother were sitting in the kitchen when he shot the glass sliding door to get inside, police said. He then chased Kollie into the garage and shot her until he ran out of bullets.

Beck told police he could not bear to see her moving on, police said.

After the shooting, police say, a man ran from the scene. Police later arrested Beck less than two miles away, in the 2200 block of Riverwood Place Drive.
Democrats argued that the legislation would ultimately hurt a students education by restricting challenging viewpoints. They warned the proposals unclear regulations would open up schools to potential lawsuits.

The initiative says professors could be punished for bringing opinions into the classroom if their speech isnt reasonably germane to the subject matter of the class as broadly construed and makes up a substantial portion of classroom instruction.

It allows students and professors to exercise their right to free speech until someone says they cant, said Rep. Ingrid Burnett, D-Kansas City. Were not clear about who that someone is or what their standards would be.

Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, insisted the initiative would help protect students from professors who use grading as a means to instill their viewpoint as the right opinion.
WASHINGTON  Missouri's 1st District congressional candidate Cori Bush says she raised $5,161.31 in campaign contributions for the first quarter of 2019, and began April with just under $5,000 in her campaign coffers.

Bush filed an amended report Monday after the Post-Dispatch reported that she had filed a report saying she had raised and spent nothing from January through April, despite announcing her challenge of Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-University City.

Bush blamed a "clerical error" for the initial erroneous report to the Federal Election Commission.
"In response to the subpoena, the Committee received a series of text messages between the Respondent and the Employee sent and received in 2017-2018," the report says. "Several of the text messages instigated by the Respondent were flirtatious in nature, and gave the appearance of the Respondent attempting to establish an amorous relationship with the Employee."

The report says the committee met in March and April to take the testimony of McGee and the employee.

"Respondents (McGee's) testimony before the Committee was rescheduled at the request of Respondent," the report said. "Respondent finally appeared to testify before the Committee pursuant to a subpoena issued by the Speaker."

The committee recommended censure for McGee, and recommended several other actions, including removal from committee assignments. The committee also wanted McGee to pay $7,408 in restitution to the House for the cost of the investigation. They also wanted him removed from his leadership post.

The committee also recommended expulsion if McGee did not agree to the terms of the committee's recommendation.
By Ngaire Woods



OXFORD  Elections and referenda are just two ways for people to have a say in how they are governed. Protesting is another, which is why rights of assembly and free speech are protected in most democracies.



And in many democracies nowadays, those rights are being used to the fullest. Climate activists and Brexit-related demonstrations have partly shut down London during the past month, and protesters are already making plans for U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom in June. In France, the Yellow Vests are out in force every Saturday.



Social media have made it easier to organize mass protests. Thanks to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, people with a common cause can instantly fuel each other's outrage while sharing logistical details. But these modern-day demonstrations often lack the leadership and coalition-building skills that can translate collective grievance into real change.



True, large protests may help to push an issue up the agenda and increase public debate. But even in democracies, big crowds are often not enough to sway governments. Massive antiwar demonstrations in the U.K. and the United States in February 2003 did not stop the two countries from invading Iraq the following month.



The 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement, which spread to some 900 cities worldwide, did not achieve any particular goal. Nor did the three annual Women's Marches that took place between 2017 and 2019 in cities around the world.



A lack of clear leadership is partly to blame. Before the advent of social media, organizing effective mass demonstrations took more time and effort. Activists would have to plan, raise money to place newspaper advertisements, create telephone rosters, and find rousing speakers to attract the masses.



All of this required leadership to assure people that investing their time, money, and connections in a protest was worth it. By contrast, the new social-media-driven "adhocracy," for all its flexibility and efficiency, often lacks leaders who can mobilize people toward a well-defined, achievable goal.



Yet there have been successes. In Poland in 2016, well-organized protests persuaded the country's parliament to reject a proposed near-total ban on abortion. Street demonstrations in several major Polish cities were accompanied by an online campaign and a women's strike, with women refusing to attend school, go to work, or perform domestic chores.



The organizers also mobilized supporters elsewhere in Europe, and applied lessons learned from other countries. Most important, the protesters articulated a straightforward goal  to prevent the new law from being enacted  and their campaign to achieve it benefited from effective leadership and careful planning.



Recent successful mass protests in Algeria and Sudan, meanwhile, highlight the importance of building coalitions with parts of a ruling regime. Demonstrators in these two countries also had clear goals, despite the greater dangers of taking part in street protests against authoritarian governments.



When Algerians first protested against the ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika standing for a fifth term in office, they were not protected by "democratic" rights of assembly or free speech. And initial protests in December 2018 were rapidly suppressed.



By March 2019, however, some three million Algerians were reportedly in the streets. The protesters' goal was clear: to force Bouteflika to step down. They succeeded not only because of their sheer numbers, but also because their persistence eventually led Algeria's military to side with them and force Bouteflika from office.



And in Sudan, three months of nationwide protests finally persuaded the army to oust President Omar al-Bashir.



These unlikely alliances between protesters and the military were crucial in both Sudan and Algeria. Many protest movements find it hard to forge coalitions with those in power, instead preferring the heady excitement of a full-frontal assault on a regime.



But the most effective protests aim to co-opt some of the powerful in order to weaken a regime. Mahatma Gandhi's campaign against British rule in India, for example, did not confront the colonial power head-on. Instead, and to the initial incredulity of his fellow insurgents, Gandhi began with a protest march against the British salt tax in 1930.



Social media generally make it hard to build such unlikely coalitions. Digital platforms are good at crowdsourcing dissatisfaction and magnifying it online, but they are more likely to polarize than to help a movement build bridges.



The adhocracy can quickly unite those who share a grievance, whether toward global capitalism or the U.K.'s plans to leave the European Union. However, it takes much more to unite people around a positive goal, and to mobilize them in ways that can achieve it.



Successful protests require effective leadership, whether individual or collective. And they need to go beyond speaking "truth to power" from the street.



Change happens when well-led citizens find ways to speak truth through power in coalitions that are unlikely to be forged online. Digital tools can facilitate effective political organizing. But they should never be viewed as a substitute for it.





Ngaire Woods is founding dean of the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


In the new ballot initiative, Republicans propose to go back to having a committee take on the redistricting task rather than one appointed individual. Legislative leaders would nominate and appoint a group of residents who would redraw district boundaries shortly after the 2020 census results are revealed.

Lawmakers have gone back and forth over the course of the session about whether Missourians fully knew what they voted for. Clean Missouri, packaged as an ethics reform effort, included lobbyist gift limitations, revolving door restrictions for lawmakers seeking to become lobbyists, and other provisions among the redistricting changes.

Republicans have said some of Clean Missouris proposals, such as limiting gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers, were ways to recruit voters who did not necessarily support the proposed redistricting process.

Rep. Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, who sponsored the resolution, said Mondays action simply asks voters to choose again. They were not given a choice last November when they were given an up-or-down vote on whether they wanted ethics reform, Plocher said.
JEFFERSON CITY  The Missouri House voted Tuesday to put another roadblock in the path of the push to merge the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Under legislation given preliminary approval by the House on a voice vote, voters in St. Louis and St. Louis County would have to approve the merger proposal backed by the civic group Better Together, which is slated for a statewide vote in 2020.

Rep. Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, who is sponsoring the proposed resolution, said there are merits to discussing how to improve the region, but the rest of the state shouldnt be able to force the merger on the people of the city and the county.

Im all for making the region better. Its the process I have a problem with, Plocher said.

Rep. Bruce DeGroot, R-Chesterfield, said voters in his district are downright hostile to the idea of a merger.

The legislation approved Tuesday, House Joint Resolution 54, aims to amend the Missouri Constitution by requiring any merger to be approved by a majority of voters within the county or city set to be merged.
Excerpts of conversations at different locations recorded by federal investigators strongly point to the possibility that someone in Stengers inner circle had been wearing a wire. Miller on Tuesday told the Post-Dispatch, I dont have anything to say. And Wagener, asked if he knew how his conversations were recorded, said he had no comment.

On Nov. 19, 2018, Stenger was recorded as saying, Why dont the three of you [Miller, Wagener and Curran] go over there and talk to her [Sweeney]. Have, not a pressure, twist your arm shit, but talk to her and say, look at, Sheila, there are some real reasons why we cant see this go the wrong way. Because this will f--- everything in the world up.

And he said that if Sweeney wanted to go with a competing company, the Boards going to reverse her. Weve got too many people on the Board.

Stenger had claimed in interviews that he did not try to influence Partnership decisions.

At Sweeneys direction, the Partnership in December awarded a three-year contract to John Bardgett & Associates worth $149,000 in 2019, $151,000 in 2020 and $153,000 in 2021.
How do we take a vote tonight if we dont have public input? Erby said before the vote. She said the county had just been through a trauma and needed time to heal before rushing into a vote.

My heart goes out to our citizens and to our former county executive as well, she said. This has not been a joy to me. Its been sad, and I think our county citizens should be able to weigh in on this.

Lisa Clancy, D-5th District, said she was disappointed by the Stenger indictment but Im also concerned that we do not have a county executive right now and thats impacting people. I think we need to make a quick decision on this. And Ive been hearing from people for weeks about whom they would like to see in this position.

Mark Mantovani, the Ladue businessman who narrowly lost to Stenger in the August Democratic primary, had tried to lobby the council to pick him. His supporters said they were disappointed they did not have more time to make their case. Joan Bray, a former state senator and representative who supported Mantovani, noted that the council had repealed a county code in February effectively streamlining the process the council must take for making hires.

Its so they could do this tonight, she said.
The Washington Post is out with an updated count of President Trump's false and misleading statements since Inauguration Day. And it shows that Trump has surpassed the 10,000 mark.

"The president continues to say false or misleading statements at an unbelievable pace," The Post's fact-checker-in-chief, Glenn Kessler, said on CNN's "New Day" Monday morning.

"He hit 5,000 in September. Now here it is, seven months later, and he's now hit 10,000," Kessler said. "That's an average of about 23 false or misleading claims a day in the last seven months."

Kessler's new story, co-written with Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly, says "the tsunami of untruths just keeps looming larger and larger."

Many of the misstatements are about immigration issues  with distortions and utter falsehoods about migrants, border walls, and Democrats.
Metro columnist Tony Messenger answered your questions about his columns, especially his recent series about debtors prison issues in Missouri, which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for commentary.
Saturday's horrific shooting at the Chabad of Poway on the last day of the sacred Jewish holiday of Passover  for which a 19-year-old college student from Rancho Penasquitos is expected to be charged  left Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, dead and Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 57, Almog Peretz, 34, and Noya Dahan, 8, with injuries they will survive but never forget.



There could have been more victims had the gunman's assault-style rifle not apparently jammed. It was a gut-wrenching reminder to San Diegans that our community is afflicted by the same roiling hatred seen across the nation and the world, especially since the act of terror was foreshadowed by another, a failed attempt to burn down the Islamic Center of Escondido on March 24, reportedly by the synagogue gunman himself.



The heroism of Gilbert-Kaye, who took bullets seemingly intended for Goldstein, and of Goldstein, who delivered a sermon after the gunman fled despite his wounds, should be lasting memories from Saturday's tragedy.



So should the immediate response of law enforcement. So should the rapid outpouring of sympathy and grief from so many of our region's churches and civic groups, and the condolences they offered to Gilbert-Kaye's family and friends.



But what happened in Poway  and the killings in churches and elsewhere in Sri Lanka on Easter, at Islamic centers in New Zealand last month and at a synagogue in Pittsburgh six months ago, which reportedly inspired the gunman  demand introspection.



The easy dissemination of hate through technology seems to have made irrational "fear of the other"  the belief that those who look differently or who have different views and priorities are malign threats  more common than ever.



This is reflected in government statistics showing a surge in hate crimes, most of which are anti-Jewish, against religious and racial minorities.



Yet the gunman reportedly had no previous criminal history, and one family friend expressed shock at news of his involvement and his anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim views.

This is alarming evidence that online, the most disturbed among us have found secret echo chambers that embolden them.



So what can be done?



Poway Mayor Steve Vaus offered a powerful and appropriate sentiment on Saturday: "This is not Poway," he declared. "We always walk with our arms around each other, and we will walk through this tragedy with our arms around each other."



But as Rabbi Goldstein said Sunday: "Everyone needs to step up and do something in the face of terror." A good start is to be more determined than ever. To limit troubled individuals' access to guns. To try to understand those with different views.



To appreciate how much we have in common. To show solidarity with and empathy for our neighbors. To recognize the importance of fellowship, social exchange and understanding.



The tragedy in Poway and the near-tragedy in Escondido should unite San Diegans. So far, that's just what seems to have happened. May this resolve and unity endure  and may it help us overcome the hatred that fouls social media and the sunless corners of our communities.





The above editorial appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


A Swedish tech company says they have invented the first flying car made for personal use, President Biden and others are paying tribute to fo
The baby is born, the mother meets with the doctor, they take care of the baby, they wrap the baby beautifully, Trump told a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday, and then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby.

To be clear: What Trump described simply does not happen  not within the context of legal abortion, and presumably not ever. If it did, the doctor and mother both would properly be charged with murder. Period.

This is Trumps cartoonish contribution to the debate over so-called late-term abortion. Itself a misnomer, it describes extremely rare third-trimester abortions generally employed only during pregnancies that have already turned dangerous or tragic, and never near (let alone after) full-term normal deliveries. But with his usual mix of ignorance and dishonesty, the president has concocted the most hellish fictional scenario he can. The better to whip up his base.

Throughout Trumps presidency, the Post has tracked what it calls his false and misleading claims. He crossed the 10,000 mark Friday, the day before expressing this dystopian delivery-room nonsense.
Missouri House Bill 168, currently in the Missouri Senate Health and Pensions Committee, provides protections for health care workers to engage with those who are actively using drugs. Missouri is pouring millions of dollars into other interventions, however harm reduction is one of the only interventions that engage those who are actively using.

Community health must continue to care for drug users. Dead people do not recover, and the loss of individuals to overdose causes a long-term ripple through communities. According to the American Action Forum, the Missouri opioid crisis is causing a loss of $57 billion dollars to the states economy. This is an economic crisis for our state.

Syringe service programs work to get individuals into treatment through direct referral and then get reintegrated into the workforce. Individuals who engage in these programs are five times more likely to enter into treatment programs. Community health workers want to address the opioid crisis, but they need Missouri to pass legislation allowing them to use techniques that are proven to work. Harm reduction is rooted in empowering communities to directly take care of each other, without burdensome regulations.
Over the last few years there has been growing evidence that Russia has been frequently jamming or spoofing (misdirecting) GPS signals, mainly to hide the exact location of key people or military units. In early 2019 a civilian think-tank (C4ADS) released a report in which they described how they had found nearly 10,000 instances that someone, apparently Russia, had been jamming or spoofing satellite navigation signals. Not just the American GPS, but also signals from non-American satellite navigation systems (Chinese Beidou, EUs Galileo, Japans QZAA and even the Russian GLONASS). Much of this activity was not outright jamming but spoofing. Much of this was done to conceal the true location of key Russian officials (like president Putin) and Russian military units. The spoofing was particularly common for Russian military forces in Ukraine and Syria. The spoofing replaced the actual satellite signal with a false one that rendered smart bombs or planned attacks on targets inaccurate. Spoofing has become more popular and practical because it does not require expensive or high-tech equipment. While American weapons and military navigation systems have backup (and unjammable) INS (Internal Navigation System) backup systems, these are useless if the spoofing is not detected. American systems are supposed to detect spoofing and revert to INS but the Americans do not disclose details of how these systems work in order to make it difficult for spoofing systems to be modified to be less detectable. That is one reason why the U.S. has not released information on spoofing incidents.

Other nations are not as secretive in complaining and accusing Russia. In late 2018 Finland and Norway went public with their accusations that Russia deliberately jammed GPS signals in northern Finland and Norway from a location near the Russian military bases in the Kola Peninsula on the Barents Sea. The jamming took place between October 25th and November 7th as NATO held its largest training exercise since the Cold War ended in 1991. Russia denied any responsibility even though they are known to possess long-range jammers for GPS and other signals. Norway said they had tracked the jammer to a specific location but when Russia refused to admit any involvement Norway refused to explain how they tracked the signal because that would provide Russia with information on Norwegian EW (Electronic Warfare) equipment that might be useful to them.

What was curious about this incident was that it had no impact on the NATO military exercises and even commercial airliners operating in the area had backup (INS) systems in case GPS signals were not working properly. The potential victims were civilians with smaller aircraft or on the ground who depend on commercial navigation gear using GPS. Then again, that may have been the point because Russian firms have long been producing a wide variety of GPS jammers that are generally ineffective against military GPS users but would be useful for criminals, terrorists or anyone involved in irregular warfare (as Russia has been in Ukraine since 2014). As for the damage to diplomatic relations with Norway and Finland, these two nations need no reminders of what a bad neighbor Russia is and historically has been. C4ADS concluded that the Russian spoofing incidents were possibly common practice whenever president Putin traveled, probably as a security measure to render assassination attempts using UAVs armed with explosives. This has become a common tactic with Islamic terrorists, who consider Putin a prime target for UAV attacks.

NATO nations have long been aware of the Russian EW activities, especially the growing number of Russian jamming and spoofing systems. Some of these were demonstrated in Syria and Ukraine, where Russia considers complaints about the disruption caused by their jamming or spoofing as free advertising for this equipment. Russian GPS jammers have some military use but also have appeal for non-military customers. For example, in 2016 Russia began marketing a new, portable GPS jamming system called Pole 21. This system was special because individual Pole 21 units can be mounted on existing cell phone towers (or alone on portable towers). Each Pole 21 unit can put out 20 watts and jam signals from GPS (as well as the similar GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou systems) out to 80 kilometers. Pole 21 is also designed to act as a backup GSM transmitter of commands for nearby Pole 21 units. In this way, the Russians say a wide area can quickly be protected from GPS guided missiles and bombs as well as shutting down vehicle GPS systems. The Russians admit that Pole 21 would also cripple all commercial GPS devices in the jammed areas. The biggest problem with Pole 21 is that Russia has been developing and selling many different GPS jamming systems since the mid- 1990s and they have proved to be ineffective in combat. Russian firms keep producing these types of jammers because there is a market for them.

This Russian interest in GPS jamming first became public in the early 1990s when a private Russian firm, AviaConversia, was founded for the purpose of developing cheap, lightweight and reliable GPS jammers. By 1997 the firm was offering commercial and military customers four different models of GPS jammers (for about $4,000 each). This gear only put out 4-8 watts, making them very tough to find and bomb. These jammers were advertised as able to effectively block GPS signals out to 150-200 kilometers, depending on terrain. These jammers could run off batteries and weighed between 8 kg (18 pounds) to 12 kg (26 pounds) without batteries. When operating, the jammers consumed less than 25 watts of power.

By the mid-1990s plans for building your own GPS jammers were appearing on the Internet using commercially available parts costing less than a hundred dollars. Soldering skills were required. Soon similar assembled units were available on the Internet for as low as $40. At the same time, American GPS experts pointed out that these jammers had insufficient power to jam GPS for most military GPS receivers but would probably interfere with a lot of commercial stuff, especially consumer products. The U.S. Air Force later revealed that this was the case. This was demonstrated in 2003 when Iraq tried unsuccessfully using AviaConversia type jammers against American GPS guided bombs.

By 2002 AviaConversia had disappeared, apparently absorbed in new, classified, Russian military jamming efforts. In the 1990s AviaConversia had made much of its connections with the Russian armed forces and the implied assurance that its jammers worked. After 2001 U.S. Department of Defense experiments found that the cheap jammers were not that effective, and larger ones, built from off the shelf components, and costing nearly $10,000, were also largely ineffective against military grade GPS guidance systems. At the same time, the Department of Defense has been building and testing GPS jammer detectors, as well as homing systems sensitive enough to guide a missile to any active jammers.

By 2010 the U.S. Department of Defense was spending a lot of money on developing a jam-resistant replacement, or backup (depending on who you talk to), for GPS. The best candidate was an improved INS, which has existed for nearly a century but since the 1960s had gotten smaller, cheaper, and more reliable as electronic components did the same. Basically, INS uses three gyroscopes and three accelerometers to constantly measure changes in direction and changes in velocity. With that, the INS will always know where it is in relation to its initial starting point (which can be obtained initially via unjammed GPS or older means). Miniature INS devices have long served as a backup for GPS guided weapons. But while GPS guidance can land a bomb or missile within 10 meters (32 feet) of a target, INS can only achieve 30 meter accuracy. GPS also has the advantage of not needing to have its exact position entered after the INS is turned on. On the upside, that means INS cannot be jammed or spoofed. These micro- gyroscopes and accelerometers have become standard in many smartphones to not only detect orientation but also movement. The use of this tech by smartphone makers resulted in even cheaper and more reliable designs that proved very useful for military INS backups for GPS.

After 2010 American researchers created new concepts and technology that could greatly improve current INS accuracy and cost. By 2013 prototypes proved they could be nearly as accurate as GPS and almost as small. Cost was still a factor, with the new INS still costing more than 10 times what GPS does. But this is all a big improvement over what has been available before. The new INS can now be used to monitor GPS and alert the operator that their GPS has either developed a problem or is being jammed. The new INS is also useful for some fast missiles that often lose their GPS signal as they maneuver. Another urgent chore for INS is to alert users that their GPS is being spoofed (sent a false signal that is luring the user away). Thus, even with the ability of anti-jamming tech to keep up with jammer technology, there is still a demand for a new INS. That has led to smaller, cheaper and more accurate INS systems. Aside from airlines and commercial shipping, there is not much of a mass market for these new INS systems because for most consumers GPS is reliable enough to keep the INS gear out of the consumer market. But the demand from the airlines, shipping companies and the military is huge. However the tech remains popular for smartphones and other consumer items, but not as INS. That is changing as some smartphone (and smartwatch) manufacturers seek to use INS to automatically fill in if the user temporarily losses the GPS signal.

Many Department of Defense navigation and electronics experts believe current anti-jamming efforts are sufficient to keep military GPS use viable, but the new INS technology has attracted a lot of attention in the military as backups are always appreciated because when equipment fails in combat its literally a matter of life or death. Meanwhile, the U.S. is building and testing more compact GPS anti-jamming systems for smaller (as small as 200 kg/440 pounds) UAVs. This is part of a program to equip all American UAVs, even the smallest ones, with more secure GPS. While all UAVs can be flown by the operator, the GPS makes it a lot easier for the operator to keep track of exactly where his UAV is at all times and sometimes the UAV is programmed to simply patrol between a series of GPS coordinates. If the GPS jams or fails the operator can usually use the video feed to find landmarks on the ground and bring the UAV back to where it can be seen and landed.

While American troops have not yet encountered much (if any) battlefield GPS jamming, the threat exists. Currently, American troops can experience this sort of thing in Ukraine (where NATO nations have military advisors and observers) and Syria. This jamming tech is also showing up in Iraq and Afghanistan. Before that, the most tangible evidence of this came from North Korea, which has long made, sold, and itself used GPS jammers. In 2012 North Korea attacked South Korea with a massive GPS jamming campaign. The jamming began in late April and continued for over two weeks. It took less than a day to confirm that the signal was coming from North Korea and was mainly aimed at the South Korean capital (Seoul). The jamming had little impact inside the city itself (the ground-based jamming signal was blocked by buildings and hills) and was only noted by several hundred aircraft landing or taking off from local airports and over a hundred ships operating off the coast. In all these cases the ships and aircraft had backup navigation systems, which were switched on when GPS became unreliable. This is how navigation systems, especially those that rely on an external (satellite) signal, are designed.

The 2012 incident was the third time North Korea has used GPS jamming against South Korea. For most of March 2011, North Korea directed a GPS jamming signal across the border towards Seoul. A separate jammer has been directed at cell phone traffic. The GPS jamming signal could be detected up to a hundred kilometers south of the DMZ.

The usual response to GPS jamming is to bomb the jammers, which are easy to find (jamming is nothing more than broadcasting a more powerful version of the frequency you want to interfere with). But such a response could lead to more fighting in Korea, so the south protested and refrained from responding with force. The jamming was a nuisance more than a threat and most military equipment is equipped with electronics and other enhancements to defeat it. The North Korean jamming confirmed what was already suspected. So now South Korean and American electronic warfare experts have an opportunity to study the effects of jamming on a large metropolitan area. It caused intermittent problems for users of GPS devices and many more cell phone connectivity problems. There were briefer and less powerful jamming incidents in August and December of 2010.

Meanwhile, this is old news for the U.S. Department of Defense, which has been developing anti-GPS jamming technology since the late 1990s. For years military aircraft have been equipped with complex and expensive GPS receivers that will usually continue to work even if they are being jammed. There are several ways you can defeat attempts to jam GPS signals. While some of the methods are well known, others are classified. No one has successfully used GPS jammers in combat yet but the potential is there. Now the North Koreans are giving large-scale demonstration of GPS jamming. Anti-jamming technology is increasingly complex. None of the major players (the U.S., Russia, China, Israel, and several other industrialized countries) are talking, and for good reason. If you don't know what techniques the other guys are using you can't deal with them.

China and Russia are both selling GPS jammers. In 2007, China brought to market a powerful truck mounted GPS jamming system. These "GPS jamming vans" are meant to create a protective "bubble" over an area the van is in the middle of. A year before the 2003 invasion of Iraq it was believed that Saddam had bought many GPS jammers, to deal with U.S. JDAM GPS smart bombs. The JDAM has a backup INS, which was no secret, and the Iraqi GPS jamming efforts had no significant effect on the 2003 campaign.

There are several approaches to defeating GPS jamming, and knowing which one each American GPS guided weapon uses makes it easy to develop a way to jam the "jam-proof" GPS. So the U.S. Air Force is understandably reluctant to discuss what they are doing. Given the cost of jam proofing all existing GPS weapons, it's more likely that jam-proof GPS weapons will only be used against targets where the GPS accuracy is vital. Against most targets, the accuracy provided by the inertial guidance system will do. Also, note that you can bomb GPS jammers with a bomb equipped with a guidance system that homes in on a GPS jamming signal. For that reason, it's thought that any use of GPS jammers will involve dozens of jammers in each area so protected. The GPS jamming has no effect on the even more accurate laser-guided bombs, and some countries buy smart bombs with both laser and GPS/INS systems. Most countries are working on anti-jamming tech in anticipation of encountering more jamming if war comes.
President Duterte recently returned from China where he met with the Chinese leader and both agreed to work out their disputes in the South China Sea through negotiation. This may not amount to much. The Chinese take the long view and see negotiations and even concessions as tolerable digressions as they relentlessly advance towards their goal. Duterte is aware of this and has already dropped his China wants to be a friend approach and warned China that a military response from the Philippines was now possible. Duterte admits that this would be suicidal for the Filipino forces involved but it would trigger the mutual defense treaty with the United States. Short of that, China was warned that their ships surrounding Pagasa Island are there illegally. Duterte has always admitted that the Philippines itself has not got the military resources to oppose Chinese aggression with any degree of success. Filipino legislators are complaining that their government seems unable to do anything about the Chinese threat. Filipino and American diplomatic officials are still trying to decide what constitutes an attack that would trigger the mutual defense treaty. The government does admit that the United States is the only military ally the Philippines has. The Chinese do not want to fight the Americans. Thats not what Chinese propaganda says but within the Chinese government, there is agreement that war with the United States would be disastrous, at least until China is the top military superpower in the world. China does not expect that to happen until the 2030s. So for the moment China talks tough and tries to buy its way out of any embarrassing confrontations with the United States. The current effort with the Philippines is all about how much China has to pay to get the Filipinos to fold.

China is well aware of that American link and as is their custom the Chinese are avoiding any direct confrontations that risk leading to violence. This is a potentially dangerous game but so far the Chinese have been successful at it. Until the Americans agree that the Chinese aggression has triggered the mutual defense treaty the Philippines has no option other than trying to be friendly with China while documenting the growing acts of Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. The current American government has demonstrated a degree of resolve and aggressiveness that China is not used to. Fortunately, the Americans hold presidential elections every four years and China is looking forward to possibly getting a more compliant American leader in 2020. If not then there is always 2024.

The Filipino government has also decided to declare the disputed (with China) Pagasa Islands and the nearby Eastern Kalayaan islands (actually a group of islets and reefs the Philippines claimed in the late 1940s) as MPA (marine protected areas). According to maritime law (and recently affirmed by an international tribunal) these areas, which are within 200 kilometers of the Philippines (Palawan Island), are well within the Philippiness EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone, waters 380 kilometers from the coast). Although the EEZ is recognized by international law (and a treaty that China signed and uses to defend waters off its own coast) China says that does not apply here because all the islets in the South China Sea belong to China and there is no room for negotiation on that point. As an MPA the Philippines can declare China in violation of still more international agreements. An MPA is the sort of thing that does not stop China but it does annoy them a great deal and increases international opposition to Chinese efforts to take control of the entire South China Sea.

China created the current crisis over who controls Pagasa Island and nearby sandbars. The Chinese have put a record number of ships around the island, most of them Chinese fishing boats pretending to be fishing but in reality members of the Chinese naval militia which is being used in unprecedented numbers here. China insists it has not ordered its naval militia fishing boats to physically block Filipino commercial or military ship from getting to Pagasa. But it has become more difficult for Filipino fishing boats to operate in areas they had long worked. China has been threatening to cut off access to Pagasa since 2014 but has never followed through, possibly because the Philippines has often stationed a warship off Pagasa. China claims ownership, despite Pagasa being closer to the Philippines than China and long occupied by Filipinos. Also called Thitu Island, Pagasa is the second-largest (37.2 hectares/93 acres) of the Spratly Islands and is inhabited by 200 Filipinos civilians and a few military personnel. Filipinos have lived on the island since 1956 and there has been a Filipino military presence there since 1970.

Many Chinese fishing ships are part of an unofficial but organized and paid naval militia. The Chinese maintain this force with subsidies (for building new fishing boats) and assurances that the navy will assist Chinese fishermen in gaining access to foreign fishing areas and exclusive use of fishing grounds in international waters. The fishing boats are the most numerous and aggressive component of this militia. Overall the militia appears to consist of several hundred fishing and coastal cargo vessels. There are a hundred or so larger civilian ships, mostly ocean-going fishing trawlers, as well. The naval militia openly functions as a government supported organization and has headquarters in southern China. Any foreign criticism of the Chinese naval militia elicits only denials from the Chinese government. The best thing about the naval militia is that it is not officially part of the military but will most definitely follow orders.

April 27, 2019: China has offered the Philippines $12.2 billion worth of investments and trade agreements. The two nations signed 19 trade agreements that, if carried out, are supposed to create 21,000 new jobs in the Philippines. There is a catch to all this; China expects some unwritten diplomatic concessions as well. China has already made deals like this with the Philippines but when the Filipinos refused to back off in the South China Sea those earlier investments and such never showed up. The Philippines is being given another chance to be bought and prove that they will stay bought. Opinion polls show that most Filipinos do not trust the Chinese and are unwilling to give up Filipino territory in the South China Sea. President Duterte has been in China, along with some of the key diplomatic and economic officials, to make final arrangements on these deals. Duterte has also told the Chinese that he knows how this works and that the Chinese should not get their hopes up.

April 23, 2019: In central Philippines (Samar Island), soldiers pursed NPA rebels who had clashed with troops the night before, leaving six soldiers dead and six wounded. Army reinforcements arrived and drove off the NPA forces and then proceeded to track them. The leftist rebels troops their dead and wounded with them which will slow the rebel down until the dead, and then the wounded, are left behind.

April 17, 2019: In the south (Negros Occidental province), an army patrol clashed briefly with a dozen NPA rebels leaving three rebels dead and one soldier wounded. The leftist rebels fled in several directions, leaving their dead and some weapons and equipment behind.

April 15, 2019: In the north (outside Manila), police traced down Abuhair Kullim Indal, a senior Abu Sayyaf official who was trying to establish a hideout that was safer than the constant military pressure down south where most Abu Sayyaf members are. Indal was armed with a hand grenade when he was arrested and police prevented the grenade from being used. Indal gave up useful information when interrogated.

April 13, 2019: The government revealed the DNA tests had confirmed that on March 11, in Lanao del Sur province soldiers had indeed killed Abu Dar, the local ISIL leader, as well as at least a dozen of his followers. DNA tests had been ordered to confirm the identity. The death of Abu Dar it is very bad news for ISIL. The local ISIL franchise consists of personnel from the Maute Group, BIFF and Abu Sayyaf. This Filipino branch is still trying to recruit and replace heavy losses it took during 2017 when ISIL forces sought to take the city of Marawi. That led to a major ISIL defeat and the loss of most of the senior leadership of all three factions. These three groups did manage to steal a lot of cash from banks in Marawi and that is being used, without much success, to entice new recruits. What discourages new recruits is the fact that most of the ISIL men who went off to capture Marawi in 2017 died there. In addition, the army is still very active in the areas where ISIL is seeking recruits. The March 11 clash was the result of tips from local civilians. Many of the ISIL dead were in pieces because the army called in airstrikes to hit the fleeing Islamic terrorists.

April 12, 2019: In the south (Sulu province), troops clashed with over a hundred Abu Sayyaf gunman in several encounters that left at least twelve of the Islamic terrorists dead and even more wounded. Five soldiers were badly wounded and several other less so and these were treated locally while the others were taken to a hospital. The Abu Sayyaf force spilt up and fled and eventually broke contact with the troops.

April 11, 2019: In the south (Sulu province), troops clashed with some Abu Sayyaf gunmen, killing one of them. Two soldiers were wounded.

Elsewhere in the area (Basilan), another clash with Abu Sayyaf left one soldier and two local militiamen dead.

April 8, 2019: In the south (Sulu province), troops clashed with a group of Abu Sayyaf gunmen, killing two of the Islamic terrorists. Three soldiers were wounded. The two dead Islamic terrorists turned out to be wanted men. One had been involved in the January attack on a cathedral that left 20 Christians dead. The other dead man was the nephew of the Abu Sayyaf leaders.

April 5, 2019: In the south (Sulu province), troops clashed with some 80 Abu Sayyaf gunmen. During a 30 minute battle four Islamic terrorists were killed and nine wounded. The army lost three dead and 13 wounded.

Elsewhere in Sulu province, two Indonesian hostages escaped from their Abu Sayyaf captors by getting to a beach and swimming away from the small island where they were being held. One of the Indonesians was later rescued at sea but the other escapee had drowned.

April 4, 2019: In the south (Sulu province), marines clashed with Abu Sayyaf gunmen who were guarding a Malaysian hostage that was holding for ransom. During the fighting, the Malaysian hostage broke free and fled. Abu Sayyaf gunmen fired at him and hit him several times. Marines later found the wounded Malaysian and got him to a hospital. But the Malaysian man died on the 9th from his many wounded. Abu Sayyaf only had a few hostages left and troops are continuing to seek them out and free them.
Disney, CBS, Akamai, Microsoft and More Speaking at Content Delivery Summit

The Content Delivery Summitthe leading and longest-running conference focussed entirely on content delivery networks and the businesses that run on themreturns to New York on Monday, May 6.

The event features speakers from Akamai, Disney Streaming Services, CBS Interactive, Microsoft Azure, and Philo, among others. For full conference details and to register, visit the Content Delivery Summit website. This years conference has been programmed by co-chairs Jason Thibeault of the Streaming Video Alliance, Streaming Media contributing editor Dom Robinson, and Streaming Media editor-in-chief and VP Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen.

Key presentations will take us on a journey through the multiple junctures between the following industry sectors:

Carrier networks

GPU, FPGA and hardware

Data centers, ISP peering, transit, and cloud

SDN/NFV and container orchestration ,

Edge computing

Serverless, distributed FOG, 5G, ATSCO3.0,and other futures

Throughout we will focus on reference to the business of video delivery CDNs. Video is clearly the dominant killer application driving the economics of these network services regardless of differentiation and innovation into other services, and optimization of even highly commoditized CDN services can drive significant economic opportunities. Once again the event is co-located with Streaming Media East, where the drivers of that killer application are coming together for the online video industrys premier conference.

Akamai was the first content delivery network and remains the largest and leading CDN in the world, and principal architect Peter Chave will present the opening keynote and set the scene for the day. He will be sharing some of Akamai's insights into the market and the technologies that drive it, as well as looking forward from that perspective in their keynote "The Future of TV Delivery: The presentation examines key technology attributes that are likely to define OTT delivery solutions over the next 3-5 years, covering topics from codecs, resolutions, formats, and protocols to latency, economics and player behavior.

The Content Delivery Summit team has listened to feedback from the many previous events and is bringing the fireside chat format to the fore: Delegates have been reporting that deeper discussions with no more than two industry experts at a time provide a depth of insight that larger panels cannot match.

The summit will return to this format several times throughout the day, exploring topics such as the following:

Data delivery and the user experience

Is the future of content delivery at the edge?

Lessons learned delivering video at scale

Launching OTT services online

End-to-end media delivery

Building a multichannel TV service in 1 year

These in-depth discussions will be interspersed with focused presentations from a variety of operators and vendors discussing case studies and innovations on a wide array of topics:

Content delivery beyond the CDN

Dealing with the growth of un-cacheable content

Full stack cloud services using specialized hardware

Managing high-quality streaming in uncertain bandwidth

Best practices for achieving high-availability for premium live streaming .

With more than 20 yearsexperience in the content delivery sector, Dom Robinson will be chairing and moderating through the day, bringing some additional insights from across the pond, where he has been chairing Content Delivery World in London each autumn for nearly a decade.

The full roster of speakers includes representatives from Akamai, Datazoom, Nice People At Work, EdgeConneX, Schneider Electric, Broadpeak, CBS Interactive, Disney Streaming Services, Limelight Networks, HellaStorm, Microsoft Azure, Women in Streaming Media, Philo, Zype, id3as, Comcast Technology Solutions, and Harmonic.

This event will be a place to meet, learn, and share insights and experiences. If you are focussed on content delivery at scale, whether from the technical side or the business perspective, the discussions at this years Content Delivery Summit will be unmissable. And if you use the discount code ESRCDS, you'll get $100 off the registration fee. (Code note valid on previously purchased passes.)

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By Liang Tuang Nah



The failure of the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi in February has caused frustration and dissatisfaction with the progress of diplomatic efforts for the North's denuclearization.



This setback could be seen in a statement that Kim made to North Korea's parliament April 12, where he implied that Washington had to become more amenable to compromise by the end of this year, if Pyongyang was to agree to a third summit seeking its negotiated denuclearization.



As is now known, the Hanoi summit collapsed because the U.S. was seeking the complete nuclear disarmament of North Korea before approval was sought for sanctions lifting in their entirety. This was in conflict with Kim's proposal for partial denuclearization in return for piecemeal sanctions lifting, or the so-called "action for action" framework favored by Pyongyang in previous negotiations.



To lessen American perceptions that it had the upper hand in negotiations, Kim also touted the North Korean economy's ability to weather international sanctions, hence his refusal to "obsess over summitry with the United States out of thirst for sanctions relief." In a similar vein, perhaps to show Washington that he is not diplomatically isolated, Kim went to Vladivostok in Russia for a summit with President Putin on Thursday.



Trump faces the conditioned reality that the Kim regime cannot be trusted. In all denuclearization negotiations since the 1994 Agreed Framework, Pyongyang has eventually violated all agreements with Washington, punctuating the former's defiance with either a long range missile test or nuclear detonation.



Consequently, Trump has little faith in North Korea's trustworthiness that it will honor any piecemeal agreements, leading to America's risk-adverse stance that the North completely should relinquish nuclear arms before sanctions are lifted.



Moreover, due to Pyongyang's virulent anti-Americanism and dismal human rights record, the Kim regime suffers from near universal hostility across the entire U.S. political establishment. If Trump cuts any deal with Kim, it has to yield sufficient verifiable and irreversible denuclearization to win grudging support from a majority of Congress. Additionally, Trump cannot afford to cut an insubstantial deal because he cannot look weak to the American electorate, since he will be seeking re-election next year.



At the Hanoi summit, Kim had apparently offered to decommission the Yongbyon nuclear complex in return for partial sanctions relief. Yongbyon's permanent shuttering would mean loss of the North Korean ability to produce plutonium and the partial loss of uranium enrichment capability to fabricate nuclear explosives, while detailed inspections of Yongbyon could uncover much intelligence about the North's nuclear program.



Despite this being a significant concession, Trump was not prepared to endorse this deal because any sanctions relaxation might lead to lax enforcement of remaining sanctions by China and Russia, the North's sole ally and former patron state, respectively. Indeed, Kim might well have sought Putin's help in promoting sanctions relaxation during the Vladivostok summit.



Notwithstanding Kim's declarations that his regime is sanctions resistant, the fact remains that the most recent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) imposed sanctions from 2016, targeting the North's most productive exports like coal, iron and even seafood, have strangled the North Korean economy.



Furthermore, UNSC sanctions dictate that all North Koreans working overseas, who contribute most of their incomes to the North's coffers, must be sent back home by 2019. Accordingly, the aggregate financial pressure exerted by these sanctions is surely being felt. This can be inferred by the fact that at the Hanoi summit, Kim and his negotiators were emphasizing the need for sanctions relief, rather than pressing for security guarantees.



Turning to political considerations, Kim must be cognizant of the fact that the U.S. presidential campaign will go into full swing next year. As such, Kim would need to strike some kind of deal with Trump by the end of this year, before the latter switches his concerns to domestic issues for his re-election bid.



If the U.S.-North Korea denuclearization negotiations were a cocktail, the ingredients consisting of American distrust, both of North Korean contractual honor and Chinese/Russian adherence to sanctions, along with the Kim regime's abysmal reputation, when mixed with the North's economic desperation and U.S. election linked deal making urgency, create a drink that is essentially unpalatable to both sides and unrealizable.



To distill the current state of affairs into their simplest form, we have the Trump administration demanding complete benefits before payment with no sense of urgency, while the Kim regime urgently seeks a partial concurrent disarmament for sanctions relief agreement before Trump's presidential authority potentially expires if he should fail to win re-election.



As for how the Washington-Pyongyang deadlock might be broken, it is proposed that since a win-win outcome cannot be achieved at this point, the best that can be hoped for is a mutual compromise where both receive "half of what each other wants."



For Trump, he might be amenable to accept phased disarmament if Kim were prepared to permanently decommission all plutonium production and uranium enrichment facilities, spread out over the entire North Korea, not only at Yongbyon, thereby freezing his nuclear warhead stockpile for good.



In return, sanctions targeting the North's mineral and food exports would stay but UNSC exemptions could be given to allow South-North economic cooperation such as the reopening of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and other joint venture projects.



If this could be agreed to, Trump gets political ammunition to counter domestic critics since more denuclearization was achieved under his watch than any other president, while Kim is able to win some economic breathing room, thereby preserving his political legitimacy.



If such progress can be made, there might be stronger optimism for further irreversible quid pro quos in later negotiations. Lastly, the ability to derive concrete U.S.-North Korean negotiation progress prevents Russia or China from interfering and influencing matters to their advantage.





Liang Tuang Nah, Ph.D., is a research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.


Bay of Plenty

We are looking for a storeman with an OSH forklift license. You will need to be physically for as the job is about 70% forklift...



View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz
Conservatives should refrain from false assertions



Some media outlets, business associations and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party have become the targets of criticism by experts. The reason: These "conservatives," while attempting to abolish the inheritance tax, or lower the rate sharply, are misleading the public with distorted facts and false assertions.



"Some conservative groups are distorting facts and circulating fake news by, for instance, saying, 'inheritance tax is predatory and can nationalize business enterprises,'" the Solidarity for Economic Reform said in a report released Monday. It then gave an item-by-item rebuttal of the conservatives' claim that "many business owners give up bequeathing their companies because of the death tax," citing related statistics, international comparisons and case analyses.



The report maintained that only a small number of people pay inheritance tax and Korea's tax rate is not that high. According to data from the National Tax Service (NTS), 6,986 people paid inheritance tax in 2017, 3.1 percent of heirs and heiresses. Notably, the tax authorities apply the top rate of 50 percent to only 0.18 percent of those inheriting 3 billion won ($2.64 million) or more.



Chaebul.com, which chases the nation's family-controlled conglomerates, also noted the effective rate of inheritance tax for people who receive 50 billion won or more fell steeply, from 48.3 percent in 2012 to 32.3 percent, based on its analysis of other NTS data. The sharp drop was due mainly to the nearly 10-fold increase in deductions and exemptions, from 34.3 billion won in 2012 to 318.4 billion won in 2016, granted in "corporate inheritance" cases.



Inheritance tax is more justifiable than most other taxes as it is levied on assets handed over from parents, not those made by one's own efforts. If the nation does away with the death tax or lowers its rate, the already severe wealth gap will widen even further. If the financial inequity becomes fixed through the tax-free inheritance of wealth, upward mobility will also become next to impossible, weakening social vitality.



The death tax is the leverage that helps to ease excessive concentration and inheritance of wealth; and so conservative groups should stop spreading fake news concerning it.


Tauranga architect and urban design guru Mark Wassung is pleased rail usage is finally on the public agenda.

For the last three years I have been trying to promote the usage of Existing Rail for a Suburban Passenger Train Service for Tauranga.

He says this is has largely fallen on deaf ears with the local authorities, but has excited a lot of public comment.

One of my Facebook postings on this has had 22,000 engagements. Unfortunately, the discussion has largely gone off on a tangent by trying to link Tauranga to Auckland via Hamilton.

In my opinion, the winding route between Hamilton and Tauranga and the ventilation of the Kaimai Tunnel for comfortable passenger requirements, will be too onerous in cost and the fact that this route is not suitable for high speed trains. Therefore, the time constraints will probably cause the line to be underutilised.

Mark says his preference for a suburban passenger train service for Tauranga has always been using the existing rail line between Omokoroa and Te Puke, with new short rail extensions to Coronation Park Platform in Mount Maunganui and Parton Road Platform.

He says double tracking at this early stage can be avoided by constructing small lay-bye short sidings to allow the suburban passenger train to pause, and allow the Port Freight Train Traffic to have priority all day.

Except for small windows at morning and evening peak hours (say 7.30am to 8.30am and 4.30pm to 5.30pm which would also help with reducing level crossing congestion/backup time), when the suburban passenger train service  a short train consisting of one locomotive and 2/3 coaches - could have priority.

This will avoid major infrastructure costs for double tracking, tunnels, bridges, harbour bridge clip-ons etc. and will contribute in a major way to reducing traffic congestion on the existing SH2 and The Eastern Link.

Mark says platforms can be built at the locations shown on his drawing and can take the form of inexpensive temporary structures (timber deck platforms and prefabricated modular shelters to start).

I have observed redundant suburban coaches from Auckland in Taumarunui. Possibly two or three of these coaches with a locomotive could be utilised in a first stage trial between Omokoroa and the CBD.

Later this could be extended to Coronation Park and to Parton Road park/ride and later still to Te Puke.

Hopefully the local authorities can begin to identify park/ride terrains along these lines as per my drawing, before urban expansion precludes this.

Lets abandon expensive consultants and sit down with the three Councils, port and KiwiRail and thrash out something that will be of benefit to all.
Heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds is not the most pleasing way to start the working week, however MetService says the rest of the week promises fine weather.



An active cold front has been making its way up Aotearoa, with an initial band of rain moving onto the North Island during Monday morning.



Further south, the second front has been wrapping itself over the South Island, keeping conditions cloudy and wet, potentially bringing snow to some of the mountain roads.

As this second front moves north, it is forecast to produce very strong winds along the eastern coasts of both islands.



MetService Meteorologist Tui McInnes says this is a stereotypical southerly burst.

The wind is set to have quite some force to it, with strong wind watches in place for the South Island east coast and Wellington and Wairarapa.



With the rain marching forward across the North Island during Monday, there is also a heavy rain watch in place for Taranaki. In the South Island, Road Snow Warnings are in place for some mountain passes.



As the front moves away, well see a gradual improvement in the weather, Tui says.

But eastern and southern areas will see the showery cloudy weather linger on a little longer.



Cooler temperatures following the southerly will make for nippier starts to the day across the country. .

However, this is in step with calmer conditions bringing fine weather for most kiwis.
Police have released the name of the man who was found dead in Bay of Plenty coastal town.

Craig Donald was found dead at the Hikuwai Beach car park about 9am on Sunday 28 April.

The 48-year-old was from Opotiki, says a police spokesperson.

"Police extend their sympathies to his family and friends.

"Enquiries into the circumstances of the death are ongoing.

"Police would like to thank the community for their assistance so far."

Anyone with information relevant to the police investigation can contact their nearest police station.

Alternatively, information can be left anonymously via the Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 line.
Members of the Tauranga community came together to commemorate the 155th anniversary of the Battle of Gate Pa.

The service took place at the Anglican Parish of Gate Pa to honour all those who fought and died in the tragic event, and to reflect on the consequences of the military engagements for nga iwi o Tauranga Moana.

At 4pm the service began, which is the time the British forces began their march up Pukehinahina.

The bell rang 60 times at 4.30pm to remember the 60 men who lost their lives in the battle.

Reverend John Hebenton of St Georges Anglican Church Gate Pa opened the service, welcoming all who attended.

We remember those who fought here, Maori and British, and we remember those who died here.

Deputy Mayor of Tauranga Kelvin Clout spoke at the service, sharing his personal story on learning about the Battle of Gate Pa.

Despite initially having little knowledge on the history of Tauranga, he says he is grateful for those who continue to educate and share information about Taurangas cultural history.

Fortunately for our city there have been hard working folk who have refused to let our stories go untold, and have significantly added momentum to the recognition and value of our rich cultural history.

My prayer is that through honouring our history, including the Battle of Pukehinahina, and through maintaining an ongoing dialogue of respect and forthrightness, that the spiritual windows of heaven will be open over Tauranga Moana, and that everyone of our community will enjoy a prosperous future.

Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve Lieutenant Commander Garth Mathieson attended, and he says one of their duties is to attend ceremonial events in the city and surrounding areas.

It is very important we attend the Battle of Gate Pa because it is a very historic and important event in New Zealand history, and its important to remember those who took part in the battle, and also those who died on both sides.

Im always very proud to read out the naval prayer in both Maori and in English.
Pharmac is set to become more transparent about its funding decisions by taking the step of formally rejecting medications it decides aren't worth it, rather than leaving them open in the application process.

The change will not mean medicines are permanently ruled out of contention for funding, but it is designed to give patients and drug companies clarity. If new data can be found that supports a medicine's efficacy, then funding applications can be resubmitted.

But the current system was an open-ended one that placed little onus on drug companies to produce new data to justify the spend against improved results for patients, while it allowed critics to point to medicines that hadn't been formally declined, but would not be funded by Pharmac either.

The move from Pharmac is in response to recent calls for greater transparency around its decision making processes.

Pharmac chief executive Sarah Fitt says there were open applications for medicines "with little or no evidence" they worked better than other medicines.

"Unfortunately, we'll never be able to fund everything, and we can't justify using taxpayers money to fund medicines that aren't better than treatments we already fund," she says.

"We have heard from New Zealanders that they want Pharmac to make definitive decisions on funding applications, so they can have some certainty, even if this is a decision to decline funding."

Pharmac is also putting in work to publish summary decisions sooner, and has released a list of eight medicines it is proposing to decline first. They include medicines recommended for decline more than two years ago, medicines proven to be no better than treatments already funded and medicines where the company is not able to supply the drug in New Zealand.

Drugs ranging from Simeprervir for Hepatitis C (Pharmac recently funded a new age drug at extremely high cost, that in many cases cures the disease), Paracetamol sustained release tablets and Trastazumab for an advanced type of gastric cancer, are in the first group Pharmac is set to jettison from its books.

But it was seeking feedback on those drugs first, and Sarah says any drug that was formally declined would not be prevented from being reconsidered if new evidence came to light.

It comes as a groundswell of coordinated petitions and campaigns are brought to Parliament, urging politicians to force Pharmac to fund a raft of new-age biologic medicines for late-stage terminal cancer.

Parliament's Health Select Committee was considering a petition to fund two drugs for metastatic breast cancer, and no fewer than six more petitions to fund specific drugs were live on Parliament's website.

Committee chair Louisa Wall was forced to defend her decision to block an inquiry into Pharmac. The shaky line between patient advocacy and political interference in a highly technical funding decision is one usually walked by Opposition parties looking to gain a political hit.

And both major parties appear to have done an about face on their previous policies.

While the Government ran an election campaign on a promise to establish an interim drugs fund to purchase drugs before the data could prove their worth, it has now dropped the policy - one which has seen medicines funding in the UK and Europe blow out by billions of dollars.

Meanwhile, National appears to be taking a step away from its principled stance against political interference to edge closer to whipping up controversy and apply pressure to Pharmac to fund brand-name drugs.

Party deputy leader Paula Bennett is set to accept a 10,000 strong petition on Wednesday, calling on Pharmac to fund muscular atrophy drug Spinraza, which came under scrutiny last year, over the drug maker's involvement in a campaign for funding.

Biogen was calling for taxpayers to "reimburse" it, for treating New Zealand children with the rare genetic disorder, with its drug that has a near $1 million price tag. It has already been rebuffed by overseas authorities who accused the company of unethical pricing.

Biogen has been supporting the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New Zealand (MDANZ) and is offering free medication to children with spinal muscular atrophy, as it attempts to win support to get its drug Spinraza publicly-funded.

That free treatment is likely to last only until Pharmac's rare disorders subcommittee decides whether they will fund Spinraza in New Zealand; in the UK, Biogen pulled its free trials after being refused NHS funding.

Globally, Biogen cleared $12.2 billion in revenue in 2017.

The Pharmac committee has recently recommended that the funding application be deferred, "pending longer-term follow-up analyses of two trials".

"We expect to receive more evidence by the end of 2019."

-Stuff.co.nz/Stacey Kirk
North Platte - Eakes Office Solutions announced Monday it has purchased Miller Office Products of Sidney.

Miller Office Products has been locally owned and operated since 1987, serving the office product needs of businesses in Sidney and surrounding areas.

"We are thankful to everyone for their patronage and support over the last 32 years and have enjoyed working closely with area businesses," said Tim Miller, owner of Miller Office Products. "My wife Dixie and I have determined that this is the right time to sell our business to Eakes Office Solutions. We are now looking forward to enjoying time with our family and traveling."

Kevin Hafer, Managing Partner at Eakes Office Solutions, commended the Millers for their business approach.

"Tim and Dixie ran their business on the same principles as Eakes: providing quality products, reliable service and a high level of customer care," Hafer said. "We look forward to continuing that tradition."

As part of Eakes Office Solutions' continued growth, the acquisition of Miller Office Products will broaden Eakes' services into the Nebraska panhandle and strengthen business relationships in the area.

Eakes Business Solutions started business in 1945 when Howard Eakes started a machine sales and service business in Grand Island called Office Equipment Company, according to the Eakes website. The then, the company has grown into one of the largest independently-owned office products dealings in the Midwest. The company has locations from the Nebraska-Iowa stateline to McCook, North Platte and now Sidney. The company lists 12 locations in addition to a distribution center, sales office and warehouse.

Eakes Business Solutions has won numerous awards, including the Ricoh National Award of Excellence in 2018, the Sharp Hyakuman Kai Elite Award in 2017-2018, Elite Dealer 2018 by enxMagazine, and is the founding member of Pinnacle Affiliates, a buying group of the largest office products dealers in the US.

Tim and Dixie Miller purchased Sidney Office Supply in 1987. The name was changed to Miller Office Products in 1988. The business was originally located at 103 Illinois St. and later moved to the present address, 934 Illinois St.
The launch of Nomad marks the second Amels 180 to be confirmed just this year. Her bold and individual colour scheme perfectly exemplifies the success of the Amels Limited Editions series, in their aim to match unique choices of design with rapid delivery.

The bespoke exterior paint scheme was crafted by the owner in tandem with renowned designer Tim Heywood and Amels design team; her bold blue tone hull and anthracite grey superstructure serve to emphasise the extensive laterals of Bridge Deck and Sun Deck, creating a vision of fluid geometry.

The owners handpicked choice of designer Bonesteel Trout Hall, a California-based boutique residential studio, collaborated with the Amels interior design team to produce Nomad's bespoke interior design.

The owner and his family have been very involved in the custom exterior and interior design, explains Rutger Dolk from the Amels commercial team. Creating such a bespoke yachting experience while still offering delivery in less than a year is a great compliment to our design and project teams and demonstrates how well our Limited Editions approach works.

Among other notable features onboard Nomad are the substantial 1,938 sq ft (180 sq metres) Sun Deck, the Main Deck Owners Suite with folding balcony, as well as a wide-body Bridge Deck Sky Lounge.

The premium comfort and global range of Nomad can be attributed to her full displacement naval architecture, at 671 Gross Tonnage, providing the utmost security in seaworthiness. Her expansive volume also allows for ample equipment storage space and a logical layout onboard, ensuring longer stays at sea are still spent in the height of luxury.

Nomad's speedy launch less than half a year after her sale certainly sets an impressive precedent for the year ahead for the Amels Limited Edition series. The bar has been set, and we look forward to seeing what the rest of the year has in store for the exciting new range.
Two neighbors should forge future-oriented partnership



One of the toughest diplomatic challenges facing South Korea is how to improve deteriorating relations with Japan. Regrettably Seoul-Tokyo ties have hit their worst level, more so since President Moon Jae-in took office in May 2017.



Currently the problem is that leaders of both countries are doing little to mend bilateral ties. They even appear to be fomenting animosity between each other's countries. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in particular prefers to take advantage of anti-Korean sentiment to consolidate his grip on power.



Against this backdrop, some experts express hope that the two will make efforts to bring their soured relationship back on track on the occasion of Emperor Akihito's abdication and Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the throne. On Tuesday, Akihito formally stepped down in a palace ceremony handing over his emperorship to his son Naruhito.



Naruhito officially becomes the new emperor Wednesday when the new Reiwa era begins. Japanese harbor high expectations for the new era which means "beautiful harmony." Koreans are also hopeful both countries will settle old scores in order to end their diplomatic impasse and move toward friendship.



Yet such a hope cannot be translated into reality without strenuous efforts from both sides. First of all, upon entering the new era, Japan should change itself to face up to its shameful history squarely. It can never open a new era if it continues to refuse to admit to and apologize for past misdeeds it committed under colonialism and imperialism.



Koreans are keen to see what Naruhito will do down the road. Although he is a symbolic figure under the constitutional monarchy, he can have an influence over Japanese politics. So we expect Naruhito to play a positive role, if any, in helping bridge the gap between Korea and Japan.



More important, the Japanese government must make a more sincere and credible effort to reflect on its shameful past. Without any real change Japan can never reconcile with its former colony. However, the nationalist prime minister has been engrossed in reviving past militarism.



We cannot help expressing concern about the growing trend of Japan moving toward the right under Abe's leadership. He is trying to build up military power and turn Japan into a "normal" country capable of waging war by revising its postwar pacifist constitution.



For his part, President Moon should also make more efforts to have better ties with Tokyo. He seems to be paying little attention to Japan because he is too focused on improving inter-Korean ties and brokering denuclearization talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.



We call on Moon to hold a summit with Abe sooner than later to find a solution to a series of issues, including the wartime sex slavery and forced labor victims, and a naval radar dispute between the two countries.



Moon and Abe can use the G20 summit scheduled for late June in Osaka to have a one-on-one meeting to discuss how to address such pressing issues. We hope the two countries will leave their disgraced history behind and move toward harmony, amity and partnership.








By Lee Seong-hyon



Despite President Donald Trump's personal declaration that he is willing to meet with Kim Jong-un for a third summit, whether and when that will materialize is a fair subject for academic dissection.



Here's the review. Trump's "failure" to reach a deal at the Hanoi summit was roundly welcomed back home in the United States. That's odd. Usually, a summit is an occasion where all the details are worked out between working-level officials and the role of a president is to ceremoniously seal the deal, shake hands and smile for the cameras. That didn't happen. But instead of facing political headwinds, Trump was applauded by his domestic audience.



Trump even walked away from a scheduled lunch with the North Korean leader. In the ordinary world, and at an ordinary summit, that should be seen as a diplomatic fiasco. But he was praised for that.



The whole Hanoi drama must have taught Trump, who is facing a presidential election next year, some lessons.



Now, for Trump, the most important thing is to win the next year's election. Already, the Democratic candidates are lining up, vowing to crush Trump. The "game of thrones" is heating up. Naturally, "North Korea" will be put on the back burner. It is no longer an item that grabs Trump's attention.



In fact, from time immemorial, the very idea of a summit with North Korea's dictator was frowned upon by the Washington elite. The energy for the summit was largely driven by Trump, who happens to be the most powerful person in America. The Washington elite have all along been skeptical about Kim's intention for denuclearization. They were also worried that Trump might sign a "bad deal" at the Hanoi summit.



Under such circumstances, it is risky for Trump to hold another summit with Kim without the guarantee of success that he can use as a "win" so as to jack up his bid to win the election.



But Kim doesn't seem to be ready to give Trump what he wants: denuclearization. Rather, Kim has been emphasizing "self-reliance" of the economy to tide over the impact of the economic sanctions as much as possible.



On the other hand, Trump is also not ready to give what Kim wants either: lifting of sanctions.



The Trump team seems to believe it gained a very valuable negotiation insight from Hanoi. In Vietnam, North Korea requested a sanctions lift, while other items such as establishing liaison offices or a peace declaration were of secondary importance for the North Koreans.



Pyongyang's attitude of singularly prioritizing sanctions relief in Hanoi gave the American side a strong impression that sanctions were really, truly, bona fide, working! It is quite likely that the Trump administration will continue to use the sanctions as the main leverage to corner North Korea to renounce nuclear weapons. Now, Washington seems to believe it has figured out what hurts North Korea most.



What we are currently seeing is that even if both Trump and Kim express willingness to meet again for a third summit, there is not enough reason on both sides to hold the summit because neither could meet the other's most fundamental demands.



Besides, it is quite unlikely for the Trump administration to change its hardened attitude regarding the economic sanctions. U.S. lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, also back a tough stance on North Korea after the Hanoi summit.



But as most students who were schooled in the basic political genetics of the North Korean regime, Kim is likely to prove the American logic wrong.



Taken together, Trump's public declaration that he has a "great relationship" with Kim, or he "respects" Kim, or his praise such as "North Korea has a tremendous potential," all of them may be skillful lip service, ultimately engineered to "manage" Kim's behavior in the run-up to the election. Trump doesn't want North Korea to be an "issue" until the election is over.



Today, Trump's hands are tied, his maneuvering room to reach out to North Korea is reduced by the reality of domestic politics. This line of thinking leads to the bad news that a third summit may not be on the horizon any time soon. The good news is that if Trump wins the election next year, he will be again in an adventurous mode and surely desire another rendezvous with Kim.





Lee Seong-hyon (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), Ph.D., is director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute.


Following a successful test run in St. Louis, Burger King announced Monday that the chain will introduce its Impossible Whopper to more cities this summer, with the goal of adding the popular plant-based burger to menus across the country by the end of the year.

The news should thrill those who tied up phones at the chain's outlets in the Gateway City, trying to have a mock-meat Whopper (or a dozen) shipped to California and other locales across the United States. But it will probably unnerve small, mom-and-pop restaurants that have struggled to get their hands on Impossible Foods' alternative-meat patties since Burger King launched its new burger this month.

At the Ted's Bulletin chain, with five locations around the Washington, D.C., region, the Impossible Burger is the fifth-most-popular sandwich on the menu, said Nick Salis, vice president of operations. The chain sells about 250 a week, he said. But since its Burger King debut, "we've been seeing shortages," Salis said.

Other area restaurants report similar issues. Ellen Cox, general manager of Quarry House Tavern, the popular dive bar in Silver Spring, Maryland, said, "People are disappointed. Rather than go for the vegan burger that we have now, they opt for the regular burger."

These restaurant managers said the 2.0 version of the Impossible Burger has been a hit with diners, who don't find other alternative-meat options as attractive.

"The Impossible Burger feels, tastes and chews as close to a burger as I've seen," said Salis of Ted's Bulletin.

That kind of customer demand has apparently surprised Impossible Foods, which has struggled to keep up with orders.

Impossible Foods chief financial officer David Lee told The Washington Post, "We are straining to meet demand. It's a good problem to have, but it's still a massive amount of growth at once."

Impossible Foods has expanded its reach considerably in recent months. Last year, White Castle introduced an Impossible Slider to its nearly 400 locations nationwide, and this year, Red Robin debuted an Impossible Cheeseburger at its 570 locations.

With the rollout of the Impossible Whopper, the burger could, by year's end, find itself on Burger King menus at 7,200 locations across the country. That's on top of Impossible Foods' smaller customers. (Incidentally, when contacted, a McDonald's spokeswoman said the chain does not have any news to share on a potential vegan burger of its own.)

Lee said Impossible Foods has a 70,000-square-foot facility that executives thought would produce about 1 million pounds of the plant-based meat a year. But now executives expect the facility to crank out between 75 million to 100 million pounds annually, all without expanding the plant's footprint. Impossible Foods, Lee said, is adding more employees and adding more shifts to the facility.

"There will be some short-term dislocations and struggles," Lee said. "But in the mid- to long-term, this technology was designed to scale up globally."

Impossible Foods has been working with all its customers, large and small, to fill orders, Lee said. In some cases, the company has footed the bill to ship supplies by air to customers.

Jackie Greenbaum, one of the owners of the Quarry House, said she expects to start the restaurant to start receiving Impossible Burgers again next month. But if not, Greenbaum said, the tight supply will force small restaurateurs to make a tough call.

"What will happen is," Greenbaum said, "they will lose all their independent [clients] who are carrying it, because, at some point, you have to choose" the product with the reliable supply.

But then Greenbaum paused. She wondered aloud whether Quarry House would eventually switch back to the Impossible Burger even if the tavern were forced to go with a different product while the California company scales up capacity. She thought she would.

The product is really that good, she said.
CAMILLUS, NY - After opening in January 2018, the Rio Grande Mexican restaurant closed its Camillus location on Sunday.

Angel Reyes, a partner in the restaurant, said the restaurant closed partly because of issues with its liquor license, and also due to disagreements between his two other partners.

"People love us in Camillus,'' Reyes told The Post Standard | Syracuse.com. We hope to open up in Camillus again as soon as we can. Were thinking three to four weeks. We are hoping for the best.

Rio Grande opened in the former Friendlys restaurant location at 5407 W. Genesee St., and secured a temporary liquor license, according to the New York State Liquor Authority.

The temporary license expired in September, and the application for a regular liquor license was denied due to issues with the paperwork, said William Crowley, spokesperson for the liquor authority. The name on the lease and the liquor license application didnt match, and there were other similar issues that werent cleared up, he said.

There were no violations, he said.

Reyes said the lack of a liquor license isnt the only reason for shutting down, but he did say patrons like to have a beer or a margarita with their dinners.

The Rio Grande is owned and operated by several partners who also operate Rancho Viejo restaurant in Batavia, in western New York, and another called Rio Grande in Warsaw, south of Batavia. Reyes partners are Misael Rivas and Jose Leon, who also run Rancho Viejo in Batavia.

The restaurants specializes in fresh, made-to-order, authentic Mexican fare.

The Liverpool location, at 510 Oswego St., remains open.
ONEIDA, N.Y. -- State police arrested the ex-boyfriend of a Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School senior after she told her guidance counselor that he had threatened to come to the school with a gun and shoot it up Monday, troopers said.

Eric J. Mahler, 19, of Oneida, was charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony, and second-degree aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor.

Mahler, who has never attended V-V-S schools, was upset over a former relationship with the student, state police spokesman Trooper Jack Keller said. He is accused of calling the girl Sunday and threatening to shoot up her school and harm her parents, Keller said.

The girl went to school Monday morning with her mother, and told her guidance counselor about her ex-boyfriends threats, V-V-S Superintendent Martha Group said. The guidance counselor called police and also told the principal, who contacted the superintendent.

All buildings in the district were placed in lock-out mode for nearly three hours Monday while police investigated. The district also posted a message on its website.

I want to stress that our students were safe and never in any danger, Group wrote in the letter. The lock-out was implemented by the district as a precautionary measure."

Staff members in all buildings made sure their doors were locked, but classes resumed as normal inside the schools. Students and staff were able to move freely about the buildings, but they were not allowed outside for any reason, the superintendent said.

A state trooper stood at the front door of V-V-S High School. Other members of the New York State Police, Oneida County Sheriffs Office and a BOCES resource officer also responded. Officers questioned anyone entering the school to find out why they were there.

In this situation, law enforcement was on-site to monitor individuals coming onto the high school campus or attempting to enter the building, the superintendent wrote on the districts website.

The girl who reported the threat went home Monday morning. State police went to her house to interview her and her parents, Group said.

Later, they arrested the ex-boyfriend. Although Mahler had allegedly threatened to buy a gun, he did not have one in his possession Monday, Keller said.

The response on the part of law enforcement, the (girl who reported the potential threat), the staff, the parents was excellent, Group said Monday evening.

We want schools to be a place where students feel safe and their families feel they are safe, she said. We work very hard to do that, but we have to be mindful there are (bad) things that happen in the world and so we need to be responsive and at the same time maintain a calm environment necessary for children to benefit from all that school has to offer.

State police took Mahler to the Oneida County jail, where he will be arraigned on the charges Monday night.
A Syracuse man who was convicted of making racist threats against former President Barack Obama and California Congresswoman Maxine Waters was sentenced today to four years in prison.

Stephen Taubert, 61, was found guilty by a jury of calling congressional offices in 2017 and 2018 and using racial slurs and other vile language to threaten public officials, prosecutors said.

Taubert argued his mental health and medical problems warranted a sentence of home detention. He spoke for about 15 minutes during his sentencing, remarking that he gets riled up when he sees negative comments about President Donald Trump on social media and the news.

Probably the worst thing for me is social media," Taubert said today. I should stay off of it. When I hear all these people knocking the president, it upsets me.

U.S. District Court Judge Glenn Suddaby ordered Taubert to prison for 46 months, which works out to almost four years.

As he imposed the sentence, Suddaby referenced Tauberts arguments during his case, and letters of support from friends and family saying the 61-year-old man would never follow through on a threat.

They claim hed never hurt anybody, Suddaby said in court. Mr. Taubert, youve repeatedly hurt people with your words.

Suddaby rebuked Taubert for failing to heed warnings by law enforcement after multiple investigations into the mans threatening phone calls, beginning in 2013 when Taubert threatened to burn down the NAACP building in Baltimore.

Suddaby said that visits from Secret Service and FBI agents, Capitol Police and local law enforcement did not deter Taubert from continuing to make threats.

Court papers said that even after Tauberts arrest, he threatened to shoot multiple custody officers who he encountered with their own weapons. He called a Capitol Police officer n----- boy more than 30 times during a recorded interview, court papers said.

You continued in your hateful speech, Suddaby said. ... Thats whats incredibly aggravating about your behavior.

For his part, Taubert said he was a good person who treats his long-time partner well and has been studying the Bible while in jail awaiting the outcome of his sentence.

His defense lawyer, Courtenay McKeon of the Federal Public Defenders Office urged Suddaby to consider Tauberts mental illness, which has been treated only sporadically throughout his life -- as well as serious medical ailments that made it difficult for him to stand during sentencing.

Taubert listed all the jobs he has held over the years, mostly in telemarketing and custodial work. He said he was not educated and not smart," but hardworking.

Stephen Taubert, who was convicted of threatening to kill President Barack Obama and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, publicly shared an undated ID card from the Veterans Administration on his Facebook page.

Im sorry for the offensive language. Thats all it was," Taubert said. It does get me upset when I listen to the news and they attack the United States president. Hes a good person and hes done a lot for this country and the veterans.

Taubert said he served in the U.S. Air Force for a period of time after being released from an in-patient mental heath facility as a teenager. He receives treatment for prostate and bladder issues, high blood pressure and epilepsy at the VA Hospital, according to court papers. Taubert has a history of aneurysm requiring heart surgery, mini-strokes and spinal cord damage. He suffered a brain stem bleed in 2011 and a subdural hematoma, or bleeding on the brain, in 2014, his lawyer wrote.

The lawyer argued because of these problems, Taubert should have received a similar sentence than two other men who called to threaten Maxine Waters. In those cases, the men pleaded guilty. They were sentenced to home detention and 18 months of prison, respectively.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gadarian said Tauberts case was different because he has not accepted responsibility for the threats, and a jury found his crimes were racially motivated.

He said the judge regularly must sentence defendants with mental health problems -- but often those defendants have no family support.

He was not alone in this world, Gadarian said. ... He acted the way he did anyway.

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers federal courts, government, education and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email| Twitter | 315-412-1992
DEERFIELD, N.Y. -- A Herkimer County man who was airlifted to a Syracuse hospital after his truck hit a tree has died, according to New York State Police.

Gerald G. Cady, 79, succumbed to the injuries he received in the crash Monday afternoon in Oneida County, state police said on Tuesday.

Cady, of Cold Brook, was driving a 2004 Ford pickup truck north on state Route 8 in the town of Deerfield at 2:04 p.m. Monday when his truck crossed into the southbound lane, went off the west shoulder and struck a tree, troopers said.

Deerfield firefighters cut Cady from the truck. A LifeNet helicopter then airlifted him to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

A 7-year-old child in the truck was taken to St. Elizabeth Medical Center, a hospital in Utica, with non-life threatening injuries, troopers said.

State police are continuing to investigate the crash.
Breadcrumbs Productions at Wunderbar is hosting Syracuses first Scratch Night, where local playwrights will bring their works-in-progress to life on stage.

The event is 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2. Tickets are $5 at the door. Wunderbar, a new nightclub in downtown Syracuse, will be open for drinks throughout the evening.

Derek Powell, Breadcrumbs associate producer, said the goal of Scratch Night is to get a new work on its feet and figure out where to take it next.

We are asking people who are playwrights who have written original content but have never before produced that content to get it on stage for the first time," Powell said. We want it to act as a developmental tool for the piece itself, but also to feature local playwrights and get their work out there."

At this first event, audience members can expect to see three original works by four writers. Martikah Williams will present a scene from her play Finals. Isaac Betters will present a scene from his adaptation of Platos Symposium" called Beloved." Lou Balestra and Jodi Bova will present a collaborative piece of performance art called Creativity Project.

After each performance, the audience can ask the playwright questions during a moderated peer feedback session. The playwright can also ask the audience questions such as Did this work?, Did you like it?, What was it missing?" and other queries that will help drive the development of the piece.

Every playwright is responsible for casting their own productions, but playwrights can also ask for assistance in casting by Breadcrumbs. While there has been some rehearsal for the pieces, these will not be fully staged and costumed productions.

In January, Powell put out a call for original scripts from local writers.

We asked for anything: pieces of a script, a piece of a scene, monologue or snippets of dialogue that the writer wanted to work on. They submitted their work through an online form. Around mid-February we ended the search because we had enough scripts to look through, Powell said.

The team expected low submission numbers, maybe five. Nearly 20 submissions rolled in for their first script search. This has created a queue which Powell hopes will turn into more Scratch Nights for every season.

The idea for Scratch in Syracuse is modeled after Scratch at Battersea Arts Centre in the United Kingdom. Wunderbar owner and Breadcrumbs founder Tanner Efinger first heard about Scratch while living and working in the U.K.

Breadcrumbs Productions, launched in 2016, produces new and original works of theatre which employs producers and actors. Prior to the opening of Wunderbar, they produced works in various types of venues around Central New York.

In starting Breadcrumbs, Efinger felt it was important to create sustainability for professional artists in the greater Syracuse area. The idea being that an artist should be able to support themselves with their craft alone, and not have to pursue their art as a hobby or side job. They hope to expand their professional opportunities for theatre artists of all kinds with their new permanent home in Wunderbar.

Powell said Breadcrumbs is working to fill a gap they see in the Syracuse arts community between community theatre and professional theatre.

There is this giant gap where there doesnt seem to be a lot of opportunities for people who want to pursue the arts as a profession, be it from a producing, directing, acting or tech standpoint. Theres so many jobs wrapped up in creating theatre," Powell said. "We want to create a world, small as it may be, where people who arent quite at the professional tier can do this and be not only appreciated, but compensated for their work.

The next Scratch Night event will be August 1. Powell said an open call for scripts will begin next week.
Is Woodstock 50 canceled? The 2019 festivals principal investor said the three-day event in Watkins Glen, N.Y., has been called off and the county is set to move on, but Woodstock co-founder and 50th anniversary organizer Michael Lang insists the show will go on.

We are committed to ensuring that the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock is marked with a festival deserving of its iconic name and place in American history and culture," Lang said in a statement via Woodstock Ventures. "Although our financial partner is withdrawing, we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners. We would like to acknowledge the State of New York and Schuyler County for all of their hard work and support.

"The bottom line is, there is going to be a Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, as there must be, and its going to be a blast.

Woodstock 50 was scheduled for Aug. 16-18 at Watkins Glen International raceway with a lineup that included Jay-Z, Santana, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Chance the Rapper, John Fogerty, Janelle Monae, Dead & Company, Imagine Dragons, and Halsey. Financial backing company Dentsu Aegis Network announced Monday that the three-day 50th anniversary event had been canceled.

...Despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we dont believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees, Dentsu reps said in a statement.

But Lang told The New York Times on Monday afternoon that "They (Dentsu) do not have the right to unilaterally cancel the festival. Lang said all the acts have already been paid in full and plans to continue with another investor.

Billboard reports more than $30 million has already been spent on the festival lineup. Last week, a representative reportedly reached out to Live Nation and AEG for a $20 million investment to save the event, but both concert booking agencies declined. Its unclear what other investors Lang might seek.

Woodstock Music Festival co-producer Micael Lang attends a celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock at the at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC on August 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)Getty Images

While the future of Woodstocks 50th anniversary festival is uncertain, no refunds are required as tickets still hadnt gone on sale (though some hotels and B&Bs in the area had already been booked). Cancellation rumors first emerged earlier this month when the ticket on-sale date was pushed back due to a late submission for a mass gathering permit.

Further concerns were raised when Lang said tickets would be $450 for three-day passes and reduced the expected attendance from 100,000 to 75,000. One headliner, The Black Keys, even dropped out due to an unspecified scheduling conflict."

Still, the New York State Department of Health said it was surprised by the cancellation announcement, just 109 days before Woodstock 50 was scheduled to take place. A rep for the DOH told syracuse.com Monday that the cancellation was not related to the state permit application pending for the event.

Schuyler County Administrator Tim OHearn confirmed Monday that Woodstock 50 had been cancelled. Watkins Glen is located in Schuyler County, about 80 miles southwest of Syracuse and 150 miles northwest of the original Woodstock site in Bethel, N.Y.

We have been in contact with the Chamber of Commerce, who has been trying to salvage something from the fallout of this decision, OHearn said Monday, according to Spectrum News. This was an opportunity for us to showcase our great natural environment... We will lick our wounds and move on.

But if youre not ready to move on, you can hold out hope for Lang to pull a rabbit out of his hat. The original Woodstock Music and Art Fair lost its venue in Wallkill, N.Y., in July 1969, but Lang reached an agreement days later at Max Yasgurs dairy farm in Bethel, near White Lake.

More than 400,000 people attended the first Woodstock festival, held Aug. 15-18, 1969, at Yasgurs farm in the Catskill Mountains. Performers included Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix, Arlo Guthrie, Santana, Joe Cocker, the Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The iconic concert was revisited in 1994 with a modern lineup of artists like Nine Inch Nails, Sheryl Crow, Metallica, Cypress Hill and Red Hot Chili Peppers in Saugerties, but Woodstock 99 -- held at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y. -- was marred by riots, fires and allegations of sexual assault. Lang helped organize both anniversary events.

In the meantime, the original Woodstock site is still scheduled to celebrate its 50th anniversary in Bethel, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts scrapped plans for a weekend-long festival, but will have four days of events: A free concert by Arlo Guthrie and a screening of the Woodstock documentary on the field Thursday, Aug. 15; Ringo Starr, Guthrie, and The Edgar Winter Band on the pavilion stage Friday, Aug. 16; Santana with the Doobie Brothers on Saturday, Aug. 17; and John Fogerty on Sunday, Aug. 18. Guthrie, Winter, Santana and Fogerty all performed at the original Woodstock festival.
Syracuse, NY -- A cook at an Armory Square restaurant is standing trial this week for a stabbing that left an adversarys intestine hanging down to his knee.

Liam Ealahan, 33, is charged with felony assault after a dispute that everyone agrees started stupidly.

The victim, Jeremy Hudson, was drunk and kicked a Styrofoam carton of take-out food at 2:45 a.m. July 21, 2018 outside Calios calzone shop on South Clinton Street.

Ealahan, headed home after his shift as cook at The York restaurant, took offense to Hudsons actions and called him out. (It was not Ealahans food.) The exact language is in dispute, though it included profanity.

Hudson, upset that he got ketchup on his new shoes, responded angrily with more profanity. Two women with Hudson pulled him away and the dispute appeared over.

It wasnt. And what happened next is the subject of this weeks trial before County Court Judge Stephen Dougherty.

Prosecutor Anthony Mangovski told the jury that Ealahan followed Hudson, crossing West Fayette Street to confront the victim.

As the two men wrestled, Hudson said he felt something in his gut. The two men fell to the ground and Hudson realized he felt something wet.

Hudsons midsection had been sliced open and his small intestine was hanging completely out of his body, Mangovski said.

As an ambulance rushed to save his life, Ealahan left the scene and continued home. Hes accused of resisting arrest when a plainclothes officer caught up to him near Tipperary Hill, Mangovski said. It took two officers to get Ealahan under control.

But Ealahans lawyer, Ed Klein, argued that his client had no intention of stabbing Hudson that night. Instead, it was Hudson, after hours of drinking at four bars, who considered Ealahan a crazy, homeless, drunk man, Klein said, apparently quoting from the police investigation.

Ealahan didnt cross the street to confront Hudson. In fact, Klein argued, the proof would show that Ealahan took the same route each night after leaving work. Ealahan was walking home to his apartment near Tipperary Hill. And he carried a knife for protection through some rough neighborhoods, Klein told the jury.

It wasnt any knife: it was an 11- or 12-inch Japanese slicing knife with a curved blade. And it was so sharp it sliced into Hudson accidentally, Klein said.

Ealahan had no intention of stabbing the victim at all, Klein said. When the two men ended up near each other on Fayette Street, it was Hudson who restarted the confrontation, the lawyer contended.

Ealahan pulled the knife from his backpack for protection and dropped the backpack. Hudson was so drunk he didnt even see the knife as he came at Ealahan, Klein added.

According to the defense lawyer, Ealahan actually tried to pull back the knife as Hudson approached. It was so sharp it cut both Hudson and Ealahan.

The gruesome stab wound itself was only 2 to 3 inches deep, Klein said. He suggested that was proof that Ealahan didnt thrust the knife into Hudson.

Liam cradled blade away from Hudson, Klein contended. The opposite of an intentional knife attack took place.

He blamed the stabbing on a combination of drunkenness, bad perception and bad judgment.

But Mangovski warned against making the case too complicated: fact is, Ealahans knife left a gaping stab wound in Hudsons midsection.

Hudson was rushed into emergency surgery. He lost a lot of blood. He felt he was going to die, Mangovski said. The defendant was nowhere to be found. He takes off.

Ealahan was fired by the The York hours after his arrest, its owner said. Ealahan remains free on bail during the trial.

If convicted of assault, Ealahan faces up to 25 years in prison.
SODUS POINT, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo said flooding is likely along Lake Ontarios southern shore by the end of the week and that officials are preparing for a worst-case scenario.

From the data we have, this week we may be seeing an increase in the water in Lake Ontario and flooding is a real possibility. So, were going to step up our efforts to prepare. We have National Guard on call, said Cuomo at press conference at Sodus Point Beach Park in the village of Sodus Point in Wayne County.

Were starting to deploy a structure called an aqua-dam (in certain areas), a temporary dam that can be put in place along properties (to prevent flooding), the governor added. Many of the properties have been improved since 2017, the last time we had flooding, and state has additional money available for that purpose.

Cuomo made the statement in the parking lot at the park after taking a tour of the nearby horeline in a state Department of Environmental Conservation boat. He had a chance to see a 100-foot long aqua dam put up the DEC to prevent flooding in one area, along with checking out sandbagging efforts that are underway. He was accompanied by DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, who said theres two more rain storms forecasted going into this weekend.

Lake Ontarios water level Sunday was up to 247.24 feet, which is 15 inches above average for this time of year, according to Frank Bevacqua, public information officer for the International Joint Commission (IJC), which manages the lakes water level, primarily through water releases at the Moses-Saunders Dam in Massena on the St. Lawrence River.

Bevacqua said there is currently major flooding in the lower St. Lawrence River, downstream from the dam. He said the Lake Ontario outflow from the dam was increased to 5,900 cubic meters per second Sunday and up to 6,100 cms today, partially due to the fact that water level has stabilized in the Ottawa River near Montreal.

However, the Weather Channel reported the Ottawa River is forecast to peak Tuesday or Wednesday, but record water levels have already been set" - the result of runoff the from snowpack and a wet spring.

The city of Ottawa declared a state of emergency last week. "As part of that declaration, the city asked for help from the Canadian Forces, and some 700 troops have been deployed. They join around 8,500 volunteers that have been working on sandbagging, with about a million sandbags filled by today, according to the CBC.

The number of people affected by the floodings has continued to rise, with CBC reporting more than 1,400 people have registered as flood victims in Gatineau, while the Ottawa Citizen reported Monday some 21 people in that city have had to evacuate.

Cuomo said theres going to be a meeting this week between representatives from New York State and the IJC to talk about this reoccurring problem.

You know, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again when you know it doesnt work, Cuomo said. Weve had the same conversations with the IJC for many years.,

The governor said he understands there are different jurisdictions involved. There are issues in Canada, etc. But frankly, our concerns are the people and the properties of New York and this has been a reoccurring issue. We need more help, and more assistance and better management from rm the IJC (of the lakes water level.

Bob Boise, sales manager at Arney's Marina in Sodus Point, poses next to a flooded dock and sand bags that have been piled up to prevent further damage.

In the past, Cuomo has been critical of Plan 2014, the management plan the IJC uses to manage the lakes water level, as being the main reason that Lake Ontario is experiencing water level problems. He didnt focus on that at this press conference.

The governor said he cant believe how many times people have told me this is a 100-year-flood event. Now we have a flood twice a year. Its time we accept a new reality.

The new reality, he said, is that the climate is changing, creating conditions that differ from the past  and that increased water levels and flooding is just going to continue.

We need to just accept the new reality, he said.

Meanwhile, Dave McDowell, mayor of Sodus Point, said his village is ready for the coming weekend.

Were prepared, in pretty good shape. Were executing our plan. Well stay dry, he said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is directing state troopers to step up their presence at houses of worship across the state in light of the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, his office announced Monday.

Citing recent violence at houses of worship in the United States and across the world, Cuomo said the additional security is necessary out of an abundance of caution.

We will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and security of New Yorkers and to defend the right to free religious expression, Cuomo said.

On Saturday, one person was killed and three injured in a synagogue near San Diego. About a week earlier, nearly 300 Sri Lankans were killed on Easter Sunday in several bombings at churches and hotels.

Ramadan begins May 5 and ends June 4.
Two Koreas have long way to go for peace, prosperity



Saturday will mark the first anniversary of a landmark summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Yet the anniversary comes without much fanfare due in large part to the stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.



Given all the geopolitical situations surrounding the Korean Peninsula, pessimism prevails over optimism. The reason is because Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump show no signs of breaking the deadlock in the negotiations over the North's commitment to give up its nuclear program.



Simply put, the two Koreas still have a long way to go before bringing peace, reconciliation and co-prosperity to the peninsula. To be sure, both sides can never establish a permanent peace regime without achieving the North's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.



Of course, inter-Korean ties have made significant progress since Moon and Kim held their first summit at the truce village of Panmunjeom on April 27, 2018. They issued the so-called Panmunjeom Declaration, in which they agreed to work toward the complete denuclearization of the peninsula, improve bilateral relations, reduce military tensions and boost cross-border exchanges and cooperation.



The inter-Korean summit opened the way for the historic summit between North Korea and the U.S. Kim met Trump in Singapore in June, reaching a broad  though too vague  agreement on the denuclearization of the peninsula.



Then Moon visited Pyongyang in September for his third summit with Kim. Both leaders even traveled to the top of Mount Paektu, showing off their bromance to the world. The two Koreas opened a joint liaison office in the North's border town of Gaeseong, where the shut-down inter-Korean industrial complex is located. They also held a groundbreaking ceremony to reconnect the railways and roads in December.



Since then, however, Seoul and Pyongyang have not moved any further toward real rapprochement and cooperation, despite President Moon's strenuous efforts for active engagement with the North. The collapse of the second Kim-Trump summit in Hanoi in February has dealt a serious setback to not only the nuclear talks but also the inter-Korean detente.



The blame should fall on the Kim regime which is apparently interested more in sanctions relief than denuclearization. Kim cannot evade responsibility for making undue demands for the lifting of major U.N. sanctions in return for dismantling only the Yongbyon nuclear facility. Trump turned down Kim's demand, while calling for a "big deal," under which all sanctions remain in place until Pyongyang achieves full nuclear disarmament.



Against this backdrop, Kim held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Thursday. He apparently played a Russia card to increase his diplomatic leverage to weaken the international sanctions and turn the tide to his advantage.



However, the summit has seemed to complicate the denuclearization talks as Russia revealed its intention to engage in the process. Putin also hinted at resuming the suspended six-party nuclear talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.



In this regard, concern is growing that Kim may try to buy time to delay denuclearization or possibly become a nuclear weapons state. It is anachronistic for him to do so. Kim should keep in mind that he cannot revive the North's moribund economy without abandoning its nuclear arsenal.




Today, high school students from around New York state are getting a real-life lesson in democracy. They are in Albany to lobby members of the state Legislature to pass the Student Journalist Free Speech Act.

Go get em, kids.

The bill -- co-sponsored in the Assembly by Assembly members Pamela Hunter (D-Syracuse), William Magnarelli (D-Syracuse) and Al Stirpe (D-Cicero)  would give student journalists the last word over what gets published in school newspapers, yearbooks, broadcasts and blogs. As it is now, school administrators can censor the content of student publications for almost any reason.

The bill would resolve dueling standards of free speech in schools set by Supreme Court rulings 19 years apart.

In the 1969 landmark case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the court ruled 7-2 that the school district violated the First Amendment rights of Mary Beth Tinker by suspending her for wearing a black armband to protest the Vietnam War. The school feared the protest would cause disruption, but the court said the officials would have to prove student conduct would materially and substantially interfere with school operations to justify suppressing speech. Students do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate, Justice Abe Fortas wrote for the majority.

The high court issued a narrower ruling in 1988s Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. A school principal had removed pages from the school-sponsored student newspaper that carried stories about students experiences with pregnancy and divorce in their families. In a 5-3 decision, the court said school officials can exercise editorial control of student speech so long as the censorship is reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns. That vague standard has led to some high-profile cases of administrators censoring student newspapers. Its also reasonable to think student journalists are censoring themselves to avoid such conflicts.

The Student Journalist Free Speech Act attempts to strike a balance between the need for schools to maintain order and students right to express themselves under the First Amendment. It doesnt overrule the Supreme Court but aligns New York law with the broader standard established in Tinker.

The bill also would put guardrails on student free speech. It does not protect speech that is libelous, an invasion of privacy, incites students to violence or law-breaking, violates school policies, or disrupts orderly school operations. School administrators would maintain their oversight of student media.

Through school newspapers and other media, young journalists learn more than the basics of reporting and writing; they also learn the ethics of responsible journalism, media literacy in the era of false news, and citizenship in their school community and the wider world.

Young people are in the middle of the nations biggest controversies  gun violence in schools, sex education and immigration, to name just three. Student journalists should have the freedom to report on their own lives without fear of censorship from adults who would rather not deal with controversial issues.

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If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion leader, at mmorelli@syracuse.com
A former Watertown school bus driver who admitted he raped a 14-year-old girl will serve no prison time, according to the Watertown Daily Times and other media outlets.

Instead, Shane M. Piche, 26, was sentenced to 10 years of probation by Jefferson County Judge James P. McClusky. McClusky also ordered Piche to be registered as a Level 1 sex offender, a distinction that will keep his name off of the list of sex offenders listed on the public registry.

The newspaper reported the district attorney asked that Piche be designated as a Level 2 offender but the judge said that because Piche had no prior arrests and only one victim the lower level distinction was more appropriate. Level 1 sex offenders are considered least likely to commit future sex crimes.

The judge's sentence drew a harsh rebuke on social media with many questioning how a rape conviction resulted in no prison time.

Petition to recall the judge who released a rapist because there was only one victim. https://t.co/QhfgaycJ6B  KA Stalter / Kristy (@KA_Stalter) April 29, 2019

The victim's mother wrote a victim impact statement decrying the crime and the sentence.

"I wish Shane Piche would have received time in jail for the harm he caused to my child," the victim's mother wrote in a statement obtained by WWNY -- Channel 7 in Watertown. "He took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety."

JFC what is wrong with our judicial system?? This judge James P. McClusky must be removed from the bench, New York. Immediately. https://t.co/EXBNP0kWkD  Richard Marx (@richardmarx) April 29, 2019

Piche pleaded guilty to third-degree rape on Feb. 21. State Police said he met his victim through his job as a bus driver, the newspaper reported. The crime occurred at his home.

The television station says Piche declined to speak at his sentencing. But the station reported his lawyer, Eric Swartz, spoke about the sentence.

"He'll be a felon for the rest of his life. He's on the sex offender registry for a long time. Maybe not the rest of his life because of the level but this isn't something that didn't cause him pain and this isn't something that didn't have consequences," he said.

- By Mike Goodwin, Times Union, Albany, N.Y.
Courtesy of David Tizzard



By David Tizzard





David Tizzard

One normally pictures British skies as being dreary, overcast, and rain-soaked. So it seemed rather fitting that the weather up near Dongduchon on Friday was exactly that, because a group of British veterans from the Korean War had come to participate in a memorial service.



The event was held to commemorate the 29th Brigade's Actions at the Imjin River  otherwise known as the Battle of Solma-ri or the Battle of Gloster Hill. Three British and one Belgian infantry battalion held their position determinedly against all odds and despite the inevitably of the onrushing Chinese offensive.



The eventual and tragic yet noble fate of the 1st Battalion comprised of The Gloucestershire Regiment has become part of the broader British military history and created a bond with the people of South Korea with whom they fought so valiantly. That particular fidelity marked its 68th year anniversary this week.



From its early treaties to its current high trade levels and frequent cultural exchanges, Britain and the Korean people have established a commitment that has been nurtured and built over the years. The relationship remains a strong one, cemented in blood, and carried forward through bilateral agreements and a joint adherence to international norms and laws.



Historically, Britain's interest in Korea can be dated to the early 17th century. Through Portuguese sailors and explorers, news of a land known as "Corea" arrived. With it came promises of potential wealth and treasures to be obtained through trade and commerce  particularly ginseng. Orders were thus given for Vice Admiral George Willis, commander-in-chief of the neighboring China station, to sign a treaty with Korea.



This year, it was British Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Simon Smith who honored the commitment between the two countries as he read a speech sent by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: "For those veterans gathered here today at Solma-ri to commemorate the Battle of the Imjin, Her Majesty retains fond memories of her own meetings over the years with veterans of the Korean War and their family members. And she joins you all on this occasion in remembering all British servicemen who fell during the Korean War, whether at sea, on land, or in the air."



Ambassador Smith was joined by Irish Ambassador Julian Claire, Belgian Deputy Ambassador Tine Jacobs, and representatives from the Korean and UN forces. They laid wreaths in front of the memorial and paid their respects to those that fought so valiantly for that which we are grateful today.



And to mark the gratitude and continued friendship between Britain and Korea  as well as all those countries that served alongside them  a more moving sight could not be imagined than seeing Korean high school children embracing and thanking the British veterans.





Courtesy of David Tizzard
Back in January, I spoke with Google about its plans to get serious about Android TV as a consumer streaming platform. While Android TV has shown potential over the years, its always felt like an afterthought compared to Roku, Amazons Fire TV, Apple TV, and Googles own Chromecast devices.

Now, the company has some proof that this is starting to change. Shalini Govil-Pai, Googles senior director of product management for Android TV, said in a new interview that Android TV has 5,000 apps and games, up from 3,000 around this time last year. Thats partly because of the platforms momentum in smart TVs and cable boxesGoogle said in December that it has tens of millions of users on Android TVand partly because Google has been getting the word out about its newfound commitment.

Just to be very open, for the longest time, there was a question mark of, How much is Google investing? Govil-Pai said. The fact that Google is investing and is 100 percent committed to it, and were putting our best foot forward on it, I think that is the change that people are looking for.

Getting apps on board

An increase in app quantity, of course, doesnt mean much on its own, and Android TV enthusiasts will happily point out how many quality apps are still missing from the platform. TV Everywhere app support remains patchy, with Nick Jr., Discovery, and Watch TNT among the notable absences, and Epix hasnt announced Android TV support for the standalone streaming service it launched in February. DirecTV Now is missing as well, and Hulu only offers an out-of-date app without live TV support.

Govil-Pai wont talk specifically about whats happening with those apps, but Ivy Chen, a Google spokeswoman, said there are conversations happening, and were optimistic for them coming on board.

Meanwhile, the company points to progress with other partners. The NCAAs March Madness app finally arrived on Android TV for the 2019 tournament, and earlier this month, Google and Amazon agreed to bring their respective YouTube and Prime Video apps to one anothers streaming platforms. Chen said Prime Video should hit Android TV and Chromecast devices in mid-summer.

I think at some point we all realized that neither of us are doing a service to our users, and it just made sense, Govil-Pai said. And then it was just a process of the negotiation to make sure that both parties felt that they were comfortable with the terms.

Once Google feels like its gotten to a better place on video app support, it plans to bring in more fitness and education apps as well, followed by a push for more games. And to further encourage app makers, Google is planning to redesign the Google Play Store on Android TV, with video previews for apps.

It will be a lot more visual and a lot more cinematic, which is what you expect on TV, Govil-Pai said.

Still more to come

Even as Android TV gets more traction among app developers, Google is still thinking through some of the big changes that Govil-Pai hinted at in January.

Its unclear, for instance, if Android TV will continue to promote content from apps through individual rows on the home screen, though Govil-Pai says Google is still encouraging app makers to support the feature. Google is also evaluating whether to follow Amazon, Roku, and (soon) Apple in offering direct subscriptions to Channels such as HBO, Showtime, and CBS All Access. At the moment, Android TV users must subscribe to each service through individual apps with their own billing systems (or, when Amazon Prime Video arrives, use Amazons Channels to subscribe to those services instead).

A lot of our partners have told us that theyre having success with the Channels model, she said. At the same time, there are other partners who say they will never move away from apps, because apps give us the freedom to have that direct relationship with our consumers.

The other big unanswered question is what consumer hardware Android TV will run on. The best Android TV device, Nvidias Shield TV, is now more than two years old, and newer devices like Xiaomis Mi Box S have been disappointments. The JBL Link Bar, a soundbar with Google Assistant voice controls thats also an Android TV streaming box, has been pushed to late summer after being revealed in May of last year. Chen said that a couple of hardware announcements are coming in the next couple of weeks, and that more devices should arrive in the fall. (I asked specifically about the possibility of an Android TV streaming device from Google, but got no comment on that.)

Googles I/O developer conference is scheduled for May 7, and the company plans to formally announce its Android TV app figures then. But at this point, a strong app selection is table-stakes for any streaming TV platform. Google still has a lot to do before Android TV is ready to take on Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV in earnest.
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A new method for hiding the true location of a website from users of the mobile Chrome Web browser has come to light.

Phishers can trick users into revealing their credentials for a legitimate website to operators of a malicious one, security researcher James Fisher reported in a post on his personal blog Saturday.

Scammers can exploit mobile Chromes feature that hides the address bar when users are scrolling on a Web page by inserting an address bar that allows a fake site to pose as a legitimate one, such as that of a bank, Fisher explained.

Making matters worse, scammers can create a scroll jail that prevents users from seeing the true URL for the page even when they scroll to the top.

The user thinks theyre scrolling up in the page, Fisher wrote, but in fact theyre only scrolling up in the scroll jail! Like a dream in Inception, the user believes theyre in their own browser, but theyre actually in a browser within their browser.

Minor Issue

Although Fishers discovery isnt good news for consumers, it seems to be a minor issue, because a Web pages true URL will appear in the address bar initially, noted Thomas Reed, director of Mac & Mobile at Malwarebytes, a cybersecurity software maker based in Santa Clara, California.

It would require a very specific set of user behaviors to make this useful, he told TechNewsWorld. I can see some people exhibiting those behaviors, though, so its definitely an issue.

However, I wouldnt consider this a serious threat, because users would just need to pay attention to the URL bar when they first visit the site, Reed said. Honestly, I dont foresee this getting used much, if at all.

Its far easier for someone phishing for personal information to use a homograph attack, he pointed out. In that type of attack, a scammer takes a domain name and substitutes characters that at first glance look like the original characters. A zero might be substituted for the letter O, for example, or a one for the letter l.

The attack Fisher described is a proof-of-concept demonstration, not something found in a hackers toolkit, said Cameron Palan, a senior threat research analyst at Webroot, an Internet security company in Broomfield, Colorado.

This isnt an attack discovered in the wild and may never affect users if Chrome is updated quickly, he told TechNewsWorld.

Google, which owns Chrome, did not respond to our request to comment for this story.

Low ROI for Hackers

Its not likely that this phishing ploy poses a major threat to consumers, said Jonathan Tanner, a senior security researcher with Barracuda Networks, based in Campbell, California.

The amount of technical ability and time required to successfully implement this will make it unlikely to be seen much in the wild, and Google  and possibly other browser makers  will undoubtedly patch this faster than the speed at which it could become a common sight for phishing pages, he told TechNewsWorld.

I doubt the returns on implementing this method would be worth the work, he said. Its unlikely that this technique alone would result in a significant increase in follow-through on the part of users being phished.

Unlike some browser attacks, this one isnt based on a vulnerability, observed Mounir Hahad, head of the threat lab for Juniper Networks, a network security and performance company based in Sunnyvale, California.

This is trickery, he told TechNewsWorld.

There is no way to force the download of malicious content, trigger a remote code execution or any malicious activity, Hahad said.

This is just a visual trick that may make some people believe they are on a different website than the one they actually surfed to, he continued.

This type of trickery need not be limited to mobile Chrome, Hahad pointed out. Other browsers and other operating systems have different implementations that may allow for a less sophisticated version of this trick.

Consumer Protect Thyself

While the fake address bar attack is designed to be stealthy, an alert consumer can identify it.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Consumers can recognize this type of attack when the website in the address bar changes unexpectedly after scrolling down the Web page and doesnt seem to respond to interaction as expected, Hahad explained.

Tap the bar to test it, Webroots Palan added. The fake one is nonfunctional. Also, the number of current tabs displayed on the fake bar will not likely match your own.

Once a user starts scrolling down the page, distinguishing the fake browser from the real browser can be very difficult, noted Paul Bischoff, a privacy advocate for Comparitech, a reviews, advice and information website for consumer security products based in Maidstone, Kent, UK.

The best way to spot the fake is to take note of the real page URL before scrolling down, he told TechNewsWorld.

Consumers should be wary of links that lead to login screens, Barracudas Tanner advised.

Better yet, manually type in the full and correct URL for any site that a you want to login to. That should be sufficient for users to protect themselves, he recommended.

While novel, this attack is not particularly significant and wont likely be used much in the wild so general security measures are sufficient, Tanner added.

Growing Problem

If faking an address bar the way Fisher described were to catch on in phishing circles, it would be a bit of an anomaly.

Most phishing campaigns are platform-agnostic, Bischoff said. It doesnt matter whether you encounter them on mobile or desktop.

Phishing attacks are very widespread on mobile devices, Malwarebytes Reed noted.

However, one advantage mobile device users have is the availability of apps for most sites that attackers would want to mimic, he said.

For example, if you are a Bank of America customer, youd be more likely to use the Bank of America app than the Bank of America website on your mobile device, Reed pointed out.

Still, if an attacker can get a mobile user to tap a link, they can still snare plenty of victims, he said.

Phishing attacks on mobile devices likely are on the rise due to the rapid growth in the sector, explained Jonathan Olivera, a threat analyst with Centripetal Networks, a cybersecurity solutions provider in Herdon, Virginia.

The bad actors will always follow the areas that have the most users, he told TechNewsWorld.

The mobile platforms and application developers have an incentive to produce as many products as feasible to satisfy their user base, Olivera said, which results in security vulnerabilities in many of them.
What just happened? After warning to expect the worst, Samsung has issued its first-quarter earnings report for 2019. As expected, the news isnt good. The Korean giants profits were down 60 percent compared to the same period last year, mostly due to the falling demand and price of its memory chips.

In late March, Samsung took the unprecedented step of issuing a warning before releasing its first-quarter earnings guidance. In addition to the declining profitability of its chip business, falling demand for its displays has also had an effect.

Overall, Samsungs operating profit for the quarter was at 6.2 trillion won ($5.3 billion), down from 15.64 trillion won ($13.4 billion) a year earlier. Revenue for the period was down 13 percent YoY to 52.4 trillion won (around $44 billion).

Samsung did say that its Galaxy S10 phones sold well during the quarter. No exact figures for the models were given, though it did reveal that a total of 78 million of its phones were sold during the first three months of the year. But this wasnt enough to offset the other declines.

First quarter earnings were weighed down by the weakness in memory chips and displays, although the newly launched Galaxy S10 smartphone logged solid sales, said the company, in a statement.

Samsungs bottom line is expected to improve. The firm said it would strengthen its product lineup through innovations such as Galaxy S10 5G and Galaxy A80 and continued reorganization of its product offerings. The Galaxy Note 10 and eventual (hopefully) release of the Galaxy Fold should also see an uptick in its business. And while prices are predicted to keep falling, Samsung expects to see a slight improvement in the memory chip market.
Bottom line: According to a report out from Bloomberg, Vodafone Italy uncovered hidden backdoors in some of Huaweis networking equipment. The vulnerabilities would have allowed the Chinese company access to users networks. The questionable devices included home routers and some gateways and optical service nodes that Vodafone used in its network infrastructure.

Sources claim the security holes were discovered between 2009 and 2011 but persisted beyond 2012. In addition to Italy, the vulnerabilities were found in Vodafones UK, Germany, Spain, and Portugal networks as well. Bloombergs insiders say that Vodafone continued to use the equipment even after the weaknesses were found because it was cheaper than alternatives and uprooting its whole infrastructure was cost prohibitive.

While Vodafone admits it knew of the holes, it disagrees with the sources on the timeline. It claims that the vulnerabilities were not found until 2011 and that it worked with Huawei to clear up the issue by 2012. The carrier also said that during that time there was no evidence that any data had been compromised. Vodafone also holds that it did not find problems in any other networks other than Italy.

"Vodafone takes security extremely seriously and that is why we independently test the equipment we deploy to detect whether any such vulnerabilities exist. If a vulnerability exists, Vodafone works with that supplier to resolve it quickly."

Huawei confirmed Vodafones timeline. However, Bloombergs sources insist that they were involved in the security discussions between the two companies and that their claims are valid regarding the timeline and the other countries affected.

Huawei has been fending off spying accusations since early last year when six US intelligence agencies voiced concerns over the security of the Chinese-made devices. The UK and Australia have also issued warnings with the latter banning Huawei from providing equipment for its 5G infrastructure.

Huawei has not taken the criticism lying down though. Last month the company said that it was preparing to sue the United States government for banning its equipment calling it unconstitutional. No official filings have yet been received.
The big picture: One thing is for certain  taking out a full-page ad in The Times isnt cheap. According to the publications rate card, a full page, nationwide ad run during a weekday goes for $179,029 (plus another $75,029 for international distribution). As best we can tell, OnePlus bought four full pages.

OnePlus recently took out a massive ad in The New York Times to promote its upcoming OnePlus 7 Pro. Rather than tease features the phone will have, OnePlus is boasting about what its handset won't include.

No bells & whistles. No bezel. No notch. No app lag. No bloatware. No $2,000 price tag. No random music.

No bells and whistles.

No bezel.

No notch.

Just a better phone.



Now that's newsworthy.@nytimes pic.twitter.com/85DgxLG7YN  OnePlus USA (@OnePlus_USA) April 29, 2019



With the admissions, OnePlus is essentially taking aim at virtually every major handset manufacturer including both Apple and Samsung. Im a bit surprised they didnt call out Samsung on its durability issues with the Galaxy Fold.

Yes Virginia, if it's in The New York Times, it's got to be true. Welcome to the world, One Plus! pic.twitter.com/leKjS801dN  Dave nyc (@david_nyc) April 29, 2019



OnePlus in its Times ad also promoted the fact that it topped the charts in PC Mags Readers Choice survey for overall satisfaction. There is also a blueprint revealing the design of the OnePlus 7 Pro which shows what appears to be a pop-up selfie camera. I guess OnePlus doesnt file this under the bells & whistles category?

OnePlus is set to unveil its new smartphones on May 14.
Scientists celebrated DNA Day on Thursday, April 25, the day when the helical structure of the DNA was first described.

Scientists Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins figured out that the structure of DNA is a double helix that could carry biological information, according to their paper that was published in 1953.

DNA is a molecule that contains the instructions an organism needs to develop, live, and reproduce. It contains the genetic information that will be passed on from one generation to the next in the process of heredity.

With technology nowadays, people can get a DNA test to find out if they are at risk of carrying any genetic diseases.

DNA Replication

Genetic disorders happen when abnormalities in the genome cause risks such as cancer. Scientists, however, are confused about where exactly the process goes wrong in the DNA replication. At first, scientists can see the DNA molecules but cannot tell the origin of each molecule in the sequence, thus, making it hard to map.

Luckily, the researchers at Bionano Genomics in San Diego developed a nanochannel technology that can see the molecule's arrangement of genomes one at a time simultaneously. Scientists want to see the regions of chromosomes to determine the order of the four bases or the order of these bases is what determines DNA's instructions, or genetic code and to see where DNA replication begins.

Optical Replication Mapping

By using Optical Replication Mapping, a high-throughput single-molecule approach based on Bionano Genomics genomic mapping technology, scientists placed individual DNA molecules on the narrow tubes of the nanochannel to straighten the strand.

The DNA molecule is colored blue. The green tick marks provide a unique fingerprint that tells where a human's origin is along the length of the chromosome, while the red tick marks are called "origins of replication" and where the DNA first unwinds. It indicates that the duplication process can start.

The team of David Gilbert, professor of Molecular Biology at Florida State University, and the team of Nick Rhind of the University of Massachusetts realized that this nanochannel technology can greatly affect the understanding of DNA replication which have been elusive.

"This nanochannel technology would allow us to conduct an experiment never attempted before: map all the locations where DNA replication begins simultaneously on millions of single DNA fibers," said Gilbert.

"To understand how the genetic material is duplicated it is essential to know where along the chromosome the process begins. That has been the greatest challenge to studying how the replication of our own chromosomes takes place and consequently what is going wrong in so many diseases, like cancer, in which replication goes awry."

This revolutionary technology is said to greatly affect the understanding of the replication of human chromosomes. It can also affect the process of chemotherapy for cancer patients.

According to Gilbert, they expect that the nanochannel technology can give a comprehensive test as to how the chemicals from chemotherapy drugs disrupt DNA application as they mostly work by attacking DNA when it replicates.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Obesity is linked to emotional problems in children, experts say in new research that shows evidence that the two develop hand-in-hand in children.

Researchers have been tapped to present their findings regarding the relationship between obesity and mental health in children at the European Congress on Obesity held in Glasgow, United Kingdom on April 28 to May 1, 2019.

Study Links Obesity To Mental Health

According to a news release in Eurekalert, researchers analyzed data from a pool of more than 17,000 children in the United Kingdom and found that obese children at the age of 7 are at more risk of emotional problems when they reach the age of 11. In turn, this is linked to a higher BMI when they reach 14 years old.

In the study, researchers collected information about the children's height and weight at the ages of 3, 5, 7, 11, and 14, while parents answered a questionnaire about their children's emotional problems, including low mood and anxiety. The team adjusted for factors known to affect obesity and mental health, such as gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and parents' mental health, among others.

Findings published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry show that rates of both obesity and emotional problems rise during childhood and adolescence. Nearly 8 percent of young participants were obese by 14 years old, while about twice of that number reported feelings of low mood and anxiety. In adolescence, 20 percent of the people with obesity also had emotional problems.

While obesity and adolescence are shown to develop together in mid-childhood and adolescence, the link is not there in early childhood at 3 to 5 years old.

Dr. Charlotte Hardman, study co-leader from the University of Liverpool, explains that their findings will help treat children with obesity.

"People think it's as simple as eating less and exercising more  but it's much more complex than that," she told BBC. "Obesity and emotional problems are intertwined."

She added that with the two linked and exacerbating each other, it could mean that children get stuck in vicious cycles. After all, the association between obesity and mental health is well documented in the case of adults.

Why Obesity, Mental Health Is Connected

While the study did not include the reason behind the relationship between obesity and depression, researchers reveal that there are different factors that could account for it.

"Children with higher BMI may experience weight-related discrimination and poor self-esteem, which could contribute to increased depressive symptoms over time (as has been shown in adults), while depression may lead to obesity through increased emotional eating of high-calorie comfort foods, poor sleep patterns, and lethargy", explained Hardman.

Furthermore, when socieconomic status became part of the equation, the link between BMI and emotional problems slightly decreased, which indicates that it may be one of the explanations for the relationship between the two.

Study co-leader Dr. Praveetha Patalay from the University College London points out that children in socioeconomically deprived areas have less access to healthy food and green spaces, which could affect both obesity and emotional problems.

"As both rates of obesity and emotional problems in childhood are increasing, understanding their co-occurrence is an important public health concern, as both are linked with poor health in adulthood," continued Patalay. "The next steps are to understand the implications of their co-occurrence and how to best intervene to promote good health."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed more details about the company's plan to split itself into two entities during an earning call on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old businessman first talked about his intention to divide Facebook's product into two in a blog post in March.

He described his vision of creating a digital version of a "town square" where people can connect openly with friends, communities, and interests; and a "living room" where users can connect privately with each other. This is in response to a growing need for more privacy when using social media networks.

Dividing Facebook's Services

During last week's earnings call, Zuckerberg answered questions about how they intend to carry out the eventual splitting of the company.

He said the initiative will be a primary focus for Facebook for the next few years. They plan to spend at least a year consulting with various experts, law enforcement, and government officials before they launch a closed-off private service for its users.

The Facebook chief also discussed the different challenges that they believe they might encounter with such a move.

"There are really important safety and content issues in messaging," he said.

"If we don't have the ability to see the content, we need to make sure we have different tools in place to handle that."

Zuckerberg pointed out that the new approach represents a significant change in how the company typically builds its products.

A few years ago, he said they would have likely rolled out their plan and tried to handle any potential issues as they went along.

However, the company's new approach requires them to be more proactive regarding social issues. This would allow them to execute their strategy from the ground up and get it right up front.

As far as potentially monetizing the planned private messaging service, chief financial officer Dave Wehner noted that it is a "lower, near-term priority" for Facebook.

Zuckerberg hinted that he might discuss the company's plan in more detail at the upcoming F8 event, which is Facebook's yearly conference with developers.

More Privacy On Social Media

Facebook's announcement of a potential split comes after it was beset with numerous privacy controversies involving its users.

Last week, the company said it was expecting to be fined by the Federal Trade Commission to the tune of $3 billion to $5 billion for allegedly failing to protect the privacy of users' accounts.

The penalty is said to be mostly related to the Cambridge Analytica incident, where the London-based data mining and analytics firm misused the personal data of millions of social media users.

Earlier this month, Facebook also suffered a massive data breach after app developers left the records of more than 500 million users exposed on cloud servers.

In his article, Zuckerberg recognized Facebook's issues with privacy. This might have influenced the company's decision to create two different products.

He believes privacy-focused communications platforms will become more important in the near future than the open platforms available today.

He mentioned how privacy offers users the freedom to be themselves and connect with others more naturally. This is the reason why people build social networks.

While it is not exactly clear how Facebook intends to split its products, Zuckerberg has hinted in the past that he plans to integrate all the company's messaging platforms, such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram, into a single, interoperable, and encrypted service.

This would allow the brands to have practically the same messaging platform while remaining as separate apps.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
By Jun Ji-hye



LG Chem has filed a pair of lawsuits with the International Trade Commission (ITC) and a U.S. court against SK Innovation for allegedly stealing its trade secrets, LG Chem said Tuesday.



The nation's leading battery and chemical company said the move is aimed at protecting its core technologies related to secondary batteries.



LG Chem asked the ITC to impose an embargo on importing battery cells and packs produced by SK Innovation, while filing a damage suit with the U.S. court in Delaware to force the energy and chemical affiliate of SK Group to provide compensation for piracy of trade secrets.





LG Chem CEO Shin Hak-cheol

SK Battery America, SK Innovation's subsidiary responsible for the battery business, is located in Delaware.



LG Chem said its filed lawsuits as its own investigation showed that its core technologies related to secondary batteries have been leaked to SK Innovation since 2017 when the latter announced a plan to focus its efforts on batteries.



LG Chem said it has found concrete evidence through the investigation, noting that SK Innovation has poached 76 employees from almost all departments of LG Chem, including R&D, manufacturing and sales, since 2017.



Those recruited by SK Innovation included workers who participated in a next-generation electric vehicle project that is being jointly carried out between LG Chem and a car company.



SK Innovation is still working to poach additional employees from LG Chem, it said.



LG Chem accused SK Innovation of having attempted to steal confidential business information through employee poaching, citing SK Innovation asked employees to write about core technologies such as mass production technology and process technology in their job application letters.



Some even wrote names of their colleagues who worked on projects together in LG Chem.





SK Innovation CEO Kim Jun
Apple has been asking screen-tracking and parental control apps to change their products ever since introducing the Screen Time feature to iOS. It's even removed some from the App Store entirely, as The New York Times reports.

Apple has pulled or restricted at least 11 of the 17 most downloaded screen-tracking and parental control apps, plus a number of other similar software.

Apple Is Forcing Screen Time Management Developers To Remove Their Apps

The report notes that Apple's own Screen Time app has some drawbacks compared to some of the alternatives from third parties. For one, it has fewer ways to block kids from accessing unwanted apps, less granular scheduling, and web-filtering tools that children can easily bypass or find work around.

The New York Times interviewed developers who found their apps pulled suddenly from the App Store and who claimed they faced unclear and vague instructions for changing their apps or unresponsive support from Apple.

In response, Apple says that the apps violated its rules  third-party apps could collect too much data from users. Thus, it maintains that the apps were removed not because Apple launched its proprietary screen-monitoring tool.

Apple's Screen Time Management Tool

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently stated the company has "never been" about maximizing phone usage. But unlike apps such as the aforementioned OurPact, Apple's Screen Time tools don't allow parents to schedule different times throughout a day when an app is blocked. Apple's tool blocks adult content, but only on Safari and some apps, not on other browsers or many other popular apps such as Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

"Their incentives aren't really aligned for helping people solve their problem," said Fred Stutzman, CEO of screen-time app developer Freedom. "Can you really trust that Apple wants people to spend less time on their phones?"

A handful of the affected developers note that being removed from the store can be devastating to their companies. As the App Store is the only official way to obtain iOS apps, gutting an app entirely could be the death of a company. Some of the apps had been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. OurPact and Mobicip are the two most popular choices with over 3 million and 2.5 million downloads, respectively.

Many developers have expressed concern over Apple's tight control of the App Store and whether it's using that power at the expense of competitors. Spotify, perhaps the biggest company to complain about Apple's practices, is even suing the company on antitrust grounds for taking a 30 percent "tax" on subscriptions made from within the app.

Most recently, developers Kidslox and Qustodio filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the European Union, while cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Labs filed a similar complaint last month after its own screen-tracking tool was removed from the App Store.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scientists searching for dark matter in the universe have recorded one of the most uncommon phenomena in the universe: the decay of a Xenon-124 atom.

At the XENON1T dark matter detector within the Gran Sasso mountains in Italy, scientists announced the discovery that xenon-124, an isotope of the element Xenon, is unstable. Its half-life is reported to be 1.8 x 10 to the power 22 years that is roughly 1 trillion times longer than the current age of the universe.

XENON Observatory Records Rare Decay Of Xenon-124 Atom

The XENON1T is essentially a 1,300-kilogram of liquid xenon in a vat in a cryostat submerged nearly a mile underground. The instrument uses xenon because it is one of the most stable elements around; it does not react with pretty much anything, making it ideal to be used to detect one of the most elusive particles in the universe.

While it still has not successfully found dark matter, scientists of the XENON Collaboration, for the first time ever, spotted the decay of the xenon-124 atom.

"We actually saw this decay happen. It's the longest, slowest process that has ever been directly observed, and our dark matter detector was sensitive enough to measure it," stated Ethan Brown, an assistant professor of physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is also one of the authors of the study published in the journal Nature.

"It's an amazing to have witnessed this process, and it says that our detector can measure the rarest thing ever recorded."

A half-life refers to the amount of time for half of the atom nuclei to spontaneously change through one of the many types of radioactive decay. In this case, the scientists observed a double-electron capture in which the two protons of the xenon atom absorbed two electrons simultaneously that resulted in two neutrons. Brown described the observation as "a rare thing multiplied by another rare thing, making it ultra-rare."

An Ultra-Rare Event

This is the first time that scientists have measured the half-life of xenon-124 based on the direct observation of its radioactive decay. The findings can also teach scientists about neutrinos, the second most abundant particles in the universe that are very difficult to detect and measure. The nature of neutrinos is not yet fully understood.

"The fact that we managed to observe this process directly demonstrates how powerful our detection method actually is  also for signals which are not from dark matter," stated Christian Weinheimer of the University of Munster and one of the authors of the study.

The next goal is to detect a neutrinoless double-electron capture.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A California doctor, who was helping victims of the shooting at a San Diego synagogue last week, unknowingly performed CPR on his own dying wife.

The unidentified man was with his wife, Lori Gilbert-Kaye, at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue on Saturday to celebrate Passover when a gunman entered the building and suddenly opened fire at the worshippers.

Sacrificing For Others

During the confusion, the couple was separated when the doctor rushed over to help victims of the shooting. He was not aware that his wife was fatally shot after jumping in front of the synagogue's rabbi, who was about to be gunned down by the suspect.

Dr. Roneet Lev, a physician at Scripps Mercy Hospital and friend of the couple, told The San Diego Union-Tribune that the doctor even tried to apply CPR on the woman without knowing that she was Kaye. When the man later realized she was his wife, he reportedly fainted.

Lev said the couple was at the synagogue because Kaye wanted to say Kaddish, a Jewish prayer for the dead, for her mother who had recently passed.

"The irony is people will be saying it for her now," Lev noted. "God picked her to die to send a message because she's such an incredible person."

The man that Kaye had saved, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, sustained wounds on the index fingers of both of his hands. Surgeons who operated on the rabbi said he will likely lose his right finger.

Among those wounded in the shooting was 34-year-old Almong Peretz, who was hit in the leg with a piece of shrapnel just as he was taking some children in the synagogue to safety.

Danny Almog, a father of a 4-year-old girl that Peretz helped saved, called him a "hero".

In all, three people were injured following the shooting, with Kaye being the only fatality.

There were 100 people at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue at the time, according to authorities. The gunman's weapon, described as "an AR-type weapon", had jammed during the attack, which helped prevent additional casualties.

The Gunman's Anti-Semitic Sentiments

The suspect was later identified as the 19-year-old nursing student John T. Earnest. He was apprehended after police had intercepted him at Rancho Bernardo Road and Interstate 15.

David Nisleit, chief of the San Diego police, said the gunman had jumped out of his car with his hands up. He was taken to custody without any further incidents.

Authorities said Earnest had called 911 shortly after the shooting, telling officers that he had been involved in the crime.

An "open letter" allegedly written by the gunman later surfaced online. It outline his racist beliefs and white-nationalist conspiracy theories.

In the letter, the suspect claimed that he was inspired by other mass shootings in the past, including the attack at a New Zealand mosque that killed 50 people in March.

Poway Mayor Steve Vaus denounced Earnest's actions. He described the gunman as someone with "hate in [his] heart", which was directed toward the Jewish community.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump condemned the shooting during a rally in Wisconsin.

"Our entire nation mourns the loss of life, prays for the wounded and stands in solidarity with the Jewish community," Trump said.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Planet X, the hypothesized ninth planet hiding in the fringes of the solar system, will bring global cataclysm, according to a conspiracy theorist.

Gordon James Gianninoto, a doomsday preacher, said that Nibiru will suddenly appear, flip the Earth's magnetic poles, and unleash a series of natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. Nibiru, according to Gianninoto, will herald the end of the world and it will happen soon.

What Will Happen When Planet X Appears

Gianninoto made the revelations while speaking live on the Coast to Coast AM radio. He claims that for Planet X to trigger the apocalypse, it does not have to make a close approach to Earth. Its strong gravitational pull will be enough to cause havoc around the world.

"What's gonna happen at first is we're going to have increasing earthquakes, volcanoes, tidal surges, bigger storms," said the preacher. "We're going to have all kinds of things like that and the pace is going to pick up to the point where the governments cannot rescue anybody. You are on your own and you're going to see that happen."

He adds that about 90 percent of the human population will be wiped out within only an hour. He warns that there are only 49 days before the poles shift and when that happens, the seas will rise to up to 213 meters "minimum."

"Right before, when finally Planet X moves far enough away from the Sun that everyone on Earth looks up and goes 'oh my god, how could it have gotten there and they never told us?" He adds. "Who's been lying to us?"

The End Is Nigh?

Planet X, a planet that will cause the destruction of all life on Earth, has long been the subject of science fiction and conspiracy theories. This is not the first time someone has claimed that the world is ending when Nibiru, which is said to be larger than Earth, appears. Often, doomsday sayers claim that it will appear without warning.

Conspiracy theorists also cannot offer proof that Planet X exists or that it is headed to an encounter with Earth.

NASA has repeatedly dismissed the stories about Nibiru and the end of the world. A similar theory went around in 2003 and then in 2012, but Planet X still has not appeared to wipe out all life on Earth.

NASA explained that if a planet is on a path to collision with Earth, scientists would have been monitoring it for at least the past decade. Simply put, a large planet that will cause the apocalypse is unlikely to suddenly appear in the sky without anyone noticing and if there is far more immediate threat to life on Earth right now than Planet X,

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Underneath the waters of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef seems to be doing all it can to avoid the warming ocean temperatures: it is moving south.

This discovery is based on the fossil records and the simulation models performed by UK scientists. Based on their analyses, they noticed a pattern of equatorial decline and the expansion of the coral reef system toward the poles.

These events usually occurred during times when the waters became too hot and that the coral reef migration may be an indication they're seeking colder waters.

Not Leaving Anytime Soon

The so-called coral reef migration may send Australians reeling, but the scientists issued some caveats.

First, it doesn't happen overnight. The previous episodes occurred in a span of hundreds of years. Second, it's less likely to leave the Brisbane waters. Other factors could prevent it from expanding significantly.

"It should also be borne in mind that reef corals, and coral reef ecosystems, are far less likely to survive other stressors, such as overfishing and pollution, when residing in marginal habitats," the researchers wrote in a study now published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The scientists' analyses also didn't account for ocean acidification, a condition in which the waters absorb carbon dioxide, leaving them acidic. Thus, their projections are likely to be more optimistic in the face of the anthropogenic climate.

The researchers believed the fossil records can be a valuable tool to examine how coral reefs react to global warming and climate change.

The results of the fossil record analyses also corroborate the outcomes of another study using the satellite images from Google Earth.

Scientists including those from Australia discovered that significant changes to the reef system are visible from space.

Using the satellite images, they identified grazing halos, which means these are places where the fish feed. They could use such information to determine the health of the marine life in the area and, by extension, the coral reefs.

This approach is vital since it means researchers can now study the response of the corals to protection and climate change even if they are remote or inaccessible.

The Great Barrier Reef Struggles To Survive

The Great Barrier Reef is a richly bio-diverse massive coral reef system that has become one of the symbols of Australia, and the extreme temperature changes are threatening its survival.

These include coral bleaching, where the corals released a certain type of algae as a response to the thermal stress, turning their color to pale white. It then damages the food supply and makes the corals vulnerable to disease.

In an effort to save the reefs, the Australian government commits $500 million, of which $40 million goes toward reef system health monitoring and $45 million to community engagement.

Australian scientists have also deployed sun shields to further protect the reef system, but the recovery has been slow, and complete healing is less likely to happen anytime soon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Air pollution is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and a new cultivation system developed by scientists in the United Kingdom may help fight against it.

A team of researchers from Imperial College London collaborated with startup Arborea to create the world's first Biosolar Leaf technology, which aims to purify and improve air in London.

Experts believe that a sustainable and cutting-edge solution such as the Biosolar Leaf technology will help boost environmental outcomes not only in the UK, but also all over the world.

How Biosolar Leaf Purifies Atmosphere

The Biosolar Leaf technology works by purifying the air through photosynthesis of microscopic plants. In effect, this removes the greenhouse gases from the environment and generates breathable oxygen at the same time.

One acre of the Biosolar Leaf cultivation system can remove carbon dioxide and produce breathable oxygen at a rate equivalent to a hundred trees from the surface of just one tree.

The startup's innovative cultivation system can facilitate the growth of microalgae, phytoplankton, and diatoms on large solar panel-like structures. These large structures can be installed on land, buildings, and other infrastructure to improve the quality of the atmosphere.

Furthermore, Arborea's cultivation system also creates a sustainable source of organic biomass from which nutritious food additives can be extracted for plant-based food products.

Tackling Air Pollution In London And Worldwide

A 2016 study revealed that air pollution is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, with at least 5.5 million air pollution-related deaths every year.

In fact, more people die from air pollution than from drug abuse, alcohol, or unsafe sex. Researchers from the University of British Columbia explained that this is because manufacturing plants, power plants, vehicle exhaust, and burning of coal all release small particles into the air that are dangerous to humans.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said 91 percent of the population live in areas where the quality of the air exceeds the guideline limits.

"Reducing air pollution is an incredibly efficient way to improve the health of a population," said Michael Brauer, one of the researchers of the 2016 study.

This is where the Biosolar Leaf technology comes in. Imperial College will give Arborea, which was kickstarted by former student Julian Melchiorri, enough funding to design and develop an outdoor pilot of the cultivation system on its White city campus.

The pilot project will showcase how pioneering technologies can address social and environmental issues in real-world conditions, researchers said.

Melchiorri said the startup is excited about its collaboration with Imperial College. He said cooperation between startups, academic institutions, and governmental bodies is crucial to accelerate sustainable innovation that helps the society and the environment.

Officials in London are looking for ways to mitigate the effects of air pollution in the city through the creation of an Ultra-Low Emission Zone that operates in Central London every day.

The ULEZ is based on the "Euro Standards," which was a framework introduced in 1992. The Euro Standards cover emission controls that set limitations for nitrogen oxides and particular matter from a vehicle's engine. Under the ULEZ, vehicles that use petrol but do not meet the Euro 4 Standards will have to pay $16.14 for the violation.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
It's hard to believe this isn't just a clever April Fool's joke, but alas, it's way past April 1. As such, Samsung isn't kidding with the Sero, a vertical TV made especially for millennials.

It makes sense for the most part. The Sero was made specifically for the Snapchat and Instagram generation who's used to watching videos filmed while in portrait mode. But the 43-inch TV isn't vertical all the time  it can be rotated to a horizontal orientation easily. Making it in such a way that users can pivot between two modes was a smart move on Samsung's part, as most people probably wouldn't be comfortable with the vertical mode all the time.

Sero, The Smartphone TV

Samsung knows most content viewed on mobile now is vertical, and it designed Sero to encourage young people to project their smartphone stuff onto the TV by offering an easy, frictionless switch to vertical mode.

In the audio department, it's got 4.1-channel, 60 W speakers. As for design, it's got an integrated navy stand and a minimalist rear structure. As The Verge notes, Samsung seems to hope this TV will function as both a music streaming hub and a sleek addition to any chic household. If not, it can also be a conventional TV, a phone enlarger, or a massive digital photo frame. Clearly, while the vertical orientation might at first seem like a joke, it actually adds a lot of versatility.

Samsung threw in its Bixby digital assistant too for, well, Bixby actions. It's no Google Assistant, sure, but it's at least nice to have it built in to the device.

Samsung Sero TV Price And Release Date

While Samsung regards the Sero as a concept, it's still slapping a price and release date, which means the device will be available in the mainstream market even though it's a largely untried and untested idea. The company intends to sell the Sero for KRW 1.89 million at the end of May in South Korea, which is around $1,600. Whether or not it's going to make its way stateside remains uncertain, but it's safe to assume Samsung will observe customer feedback the minute after launch to see if this concept sticks.

Will millennials take the bait? Or will they tire of the novelty after a couple of uses? It's hard to say. Even if they hate it, Samsung might win businesses over with this idea, especially those who use vertical stands outside their storefronts.

In any case, make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more about Samsung's plans for Sero.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Extreme ocean warming and solar heat are the main culprits that trigger the rapid melting of the largest ice shelf in the world, a new study revealed.

Researchers from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand found that Antarctica's Ross ice shelf is melting 10 times faster than average because of the solar heating of the ocean surface that surrounds it.

The study, which has been issued in the journal Nature Geoscience, reveals that Antarctica's Ross ice shelf is melting much more rapidly than previously thought.

In fact, although the Ross ice shelf appears more stable compared to other ice shelves, scientists believe it may actually be more vulnerable than thought so far.

Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf Is Melting 10 Times Faster Than Average

For years now, scientists have been tracking the interactions between the northwest section of the Ross ice shelf and the Southern ocean.

In the new study led by Craig Stewart, the research team drilled a borehole several hundred feet into the ice and used an instrument-filled mooring in the ocean water inside the cavity of the ice shelf.

Stewart and his colleagues measured the salinity, temperature, ocean currents, and melt rates of the Ross ice shelf for four years. They also employed a custom-made radar system that tracks the changing thickness of the ice shelf.

Analysis revealed that during the summer, water heated by the sun flows into the cavity beneath the Ross ice shelf. This influx of warm water into the ice shelf causes the melting, which happened at a rate that tripled the average melt rate.

Stewart explained that climate change and higher surface ocean temperatures caused the melting of the sea ice. He said the findings suggest that melting in the region will increase in the future.

What Happens If The Ross Ice Shelf Collapses?

The interactions between the Ross ice shelf and the ocean have a direct impact on the sea level in the long-term. The Ross ice shelf blocks the ice that flows into the West Antarctic ice sheet from the world's largest glaciers, which in turn stabilizes the region.

Poul Christoffersen, a scientist from the Scott Polar Research Institute, explained that when ice shelves collapse, the feeding glaciers that melt can speed up by a factor of two or three.

"The difference here is the sheer size of Ross Ice Shelf, which over one hundred times larger than the ice shelves we've already seen disappear," said Christoffersen.

The Ross ice shelf's point of vulnerability lies in the fact that the heated surface of the warm ocean flows into the cavity near a stabilizing pinning point. This point can be undermined if basal melting further intensifies.

If the Ross ice shelf collapses, researchers said the flow of many other glaciers toward the Southern ocean would likely accelerate, and sea level would rise.

The good news is that the Ross ice shelf is currently stable, and the melting of warm water is still balanced by the inputs of ice from snow accumulation and feeding glaciers.

The balance in the West Antarctic ice shelf region depends largely on the Ross ice shelf pinning point, which has been identified as a point of future vulnerability.

Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | Flickr

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A Twosome Place cafe / Korea Times file



By Nam Hyun-woo



CJ Foodville will sell off its controlling stake in coffee chain A Twosome Place to an overseas private equity fund (PEF) for 202.5 billion won, the CJ Group food and restaurant unit said Tuesday.



This is interpreted as a bid to improve CJ Foodville's aggravating finances, with industry analysts saying the group is making efforts to "dress up" the firm so it would be an attractive target in the M&A market.



CJ Foodville said its board decided to sell 45 percent of its shares in A Twosome Place to Anchor Equity Partners, a Hong Kong-based PEF. This will leave it with a 15 percent stake in the coffee chain.



Anchor Equity Partners already has a 40 percent stake in the coffee chain, thus its stake will be boosted to 85 percent, while CJ Foodville will remain the second-largest shareholder.



A Twosome Place has 950 outlets across Korea, the third most abundant following Ediya Coffee with 2,800 and Starbucks with 1,150. It logged 274.3 billion won in sales and 29.2 billion won in operating profit last year, and is one of the few CJ Foodville brands that is making a profit.



Except for 2014, CJ Foodville has been posting losses since 2012. Last year, it logged a 43.4 billion won operating loss, which was a 10-fold increase from a year earlier, and saw its sales decline by 3.9 percent to 1.37 trillion won.



The firm's slump is attributable to the sluggish earnings of its other brands, especially Season's Table and VIPS. Season's Table, a buffet chain serving traditional Korean food, had 54 branches nationwide but the number declined to 29 last year. The number of VIPS restaurants in Korea also dropped to 61 from 81.



Due to the continued slump, it has been rumored that CJ Foodville will be put up for sale in the near future.



CJ Group denied this, saying it has no intention of selling CJ Foodville.



"Rather, the sale decision was made to enhance the competitiveness of other brands such as Tous Les Jours," a CJ Group official said.






Cajun Cannabis owner Travis DeYoung posted bond and was released from jail Monday after he spent the weekend in jail following his arrest and a law enforcement sweep of his CBD shop.

Judge Jules Edwards approved a bond reduction Monday morning, dropping his bond amount from $322,000 to $97,000, DeYoungs attorney Michael Domingue said.

DeYoung was booked into the Lafayette Parish Jail on 17 charges Thursday morning, including a count of felony possession of marijuana and two counts of possession of a firearm in the presence of controlled dangerous substances.

DeYoungs bond was originally set Thursday evening and confirmed by a judge during DeYoungs 72-hour hearing Friday morning, Domingue said. He said his client is doing well and theyre working to get him out of law enforcement custody.

My main concern is getting him out of jail, he said early Monday..

+4 After Cajun Cannabis owner arrested, sheriff says idea he targeted the business is 'absurd' A Lafayette CBD shop owner was arrested and his merchandise seized less than a week after his CBD and hemp-focused retail shop and cafe opened

DeYoung was arrested after a traffic stop Wednesday night. Deputies with the Lafayette Parish Sheriffs Office then executed a search warrant on his Johnston Street storefront, seizing CBD oil, CBD-infused gummies and other edible products, and two handguns from his vehicle and store, among other items.

He was booked into the Lafayette Parish Jail Thursday morning around 7 a.m.

Lafayette Sheriff Mark Garber said Thursday afternoon the arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation after multiple complaints were filed about illegal activity at the Cajun Cannabis storefront. Police bought products from Cajun Cannabis and they tested positive for THC, but Garber did not reveal the level of THC in the products.

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant. It's typically extracted from hemp, a variety of cannabis distinct from marijuana because it's low in THC, the chemical in cannabis that gets users high. The store's offerings included CBD oils as well as CBD-infused candles, lotions, bath products and drinks.

Hemp is genetically distinct from marijuana according to the Congressional Research Service and has no more than 0.3 percent THC.

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+5 Cajun Cannabis opens, bringing CBD, hemp products -- and some legal questions -- to eager crowd Cajun Cannabis opened its doors Saturday to dozens of customers interested in its products, defying what the owners say were pressures from st

Cajun Cannabis' products comply with federal regulations that distinguish between marijuana and hemp. Louisiana regulatory authorities, though, contend that the sale of CBD products is illegal. The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control said that products containing even zero percent THC are illegal.

"Theres no percentage that Im aware of thats a threshold or cutoff for state law," Garber said.

The differences in federal and state law surrounding the hemp plant and CBD products have created confusion about what will be enforced and if businesses will be barred from selling CBD products in Louisiana.

Other Lafayette businesses and retailers advertise the sale of hemp and CBD-infused products, but Garber said his department would not strip CBD products from all storefronts in the area.

"This is not something where were going to check every store that sells a CBD product or were going searching through inventories at Sams Club and Costco and things like that. This was in response to multiple, specific complaints asking us to look into something," he said.

Garber said outcry from the public that his office specifically targeted DeYoung and his business was "absurd."

"We target crime. Were not targeting Mr. DeYoung as a person and were not targeting his business. Were simply responding to complaints," he said.

The sheriff said the decision to execute a search warrant and arrest Mr. DeYoung was made after careful consideration and consultation with the district attorney's office. Garber said his department is obligated to investigate when accusations of criminal activity are made.
Jury trials that have been on hold in East Baton Rouge Parish since earlier this month will resume May 28 now that the parish's jury pool has been updated to include 18- to 25-year-olds, a court administrator said Monday.

A recently discovered computer glitch that had excluded persons under age 26 from serving on East Baton Rouge juries since 2011 caused the local District Attorney's Office to halt jury trials April 18 until the problem was fixed.

All jury trials in East Baton Rouge on hold until maybe summer after major 'glitch' found East Baton Rouge Parish is putting all jury trials on hold  perhaps into June  after the state Supreme Court declared Thursday that the pari

Ann McCrory, the judicial administrator for the 19th Judicial District Court, said Monday the issue has been remedied.

The current databases of the two sources of East Baton Rouge jurors  from the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles and the state Office of Voter Registration  have been added to the existing names in the 19th JDC database to form a new, up-to-date jury pool of more than 545,000 people, she said.

More than 10 percent of those East Baton Rouge residents, 57,000-plus, are between the ages of 18 and 25, McCrory noted.

"Safeguards have been put in place to monitor the database on a daily basis to prevent the occurrence of any future technological problems," she said.

The 19th JDC jury management office is sending out 10,000 postcards to randomly drawn East Baton Rouge residents in the new, updated database directing them to fill out an online questionnaire, McCrory explained. Once those questionnaires are returned, subpoenas will be sent out to prospective jurors.

"We're kind of starting over," she said.

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled April 18 in a Caddo Parish capital murder case that East Baton Rouge's jury pool was "improperly constituted" because, since 2011, it has excluded everyone under age 26.

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That flaw was revealed during jury selection in Baton Rouge for the Caddo case, which involves the killing of a Shreveport police officer. Jury selection in the trial of the accused killer, Grover Cannon, was moved to East Baton Rouge Parish because of pretrial publicity in the Shreveport area.

During the middle of jury selection in that case, the Supreme Court halted the proceedings and said a jury from a new jury pool that included 18- to 25-year-olds had to be picked.

The jury pool problem, and the Supreme Court ruling, has caused defense attorneys in other cases to seek new trials for clients convicted since 2011.

Last week, state District Judge Richard Anderson rejected the first such challenge filed over East Baton Rouge's jury rolls since the high court ruling. In the case of a 21-year-old man convicted of second-degree murder in February in Baton Rouge, Anderson agreed to delay David Bueso's sentencing until May 24 to give his attorneys time to appeal his ruling.

Judge rejects convicted killer's new trial motion that challenged flawed East Baton Rouge Parish jury pool A district judge Friday rejected the first challenge filed over East Baton Rouge's jury rolls since the state Supreme Court declared them im

Bueso faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. His lawyers say the jury that convicted him was devoid of his peers. Bueso was 19 at the time of the killing he was found guilty of committing.

With the East Baton Rouge jury pool glitch fixed, McCrory said she's "still trying to get to the bottom of that."

"What did happen? There's some mystery to it," she said. "We need to see more about what happened."

+2 'I'm kind of baffled': Analysis shows young people excluded from Baton Rouge jury pools When 566 Baton Rouge residents were called up for jury duty last week in a capital murder trial, defense attorneys were quick to spot a racial

A review of East Baton Rouge jury pool records found that no one born after June 2, 1993, had ever been called to jury service in the parish. The computer glitch rejected periodic updates.
A Livingston Parish man who had cocaine and other drugs in his system when he crashed his truck head-on into a car on Siegen Lane in Baton Rouge last year, killing an 82-year-old Tennessee woman, pleaded guilty Monday to vehicular homicide.

Blake Starkey, 52, of Springfield, also pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular negligent injuring in the May 23 crash that claimed the life of Carolyn Ozment, of Dyersburg, Tennessee.

+3 Springfield man arrested in fatal Siegen Lane crash, believed to be intoxicated, police say A Springfield man was arrested Friday on negligent homicide and other counts after a fatal crash Wednesday evening on Siegen Lane during which

Ozment's daughter, Cheryl Patterson, of Arlington, Texas, was seriously injured when Starkey's 2011 Dodge Ram struck Patterson's 2015 Chevrolet Cruze on Siegen near Cloverland Avenue.

Starkey, who remains in custody, will be sentenced to 20 years in prison May 15 when he appears again before state District Judge Fred Crifasi.

Starkey, who had a suspended driver's license and no proof of insurance at the time of the crash, wasn't wearing a seat belt and had to be cut from his smashed pick-up. He spent time in a hospital after the crash.

Starkey had a prior DWI and an arrest on reckless driving and hit and run from 2004, his Louisiana State Police arrest report showed. He also had several prior drug arrests, police said.

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In the May crash, witnesses told investigators that Starkey was driving erratically when he drove across three lanes of travel and hit a stopped vehicle head-on, pushing that vehicle backward off the road and down an embankment, the report stated.

Starkey was driving northbound on Siegen near Cloverland when he hit Patterson's car, which was stopped in the center turn lane. Patterson was properly restrained at the time.

Ozment, a passenger in the car, was hospitalized but later died from her injuries, police said. She was not wearing a seat belt.

+2 Police identify Tennessee woman killed in two-vehicle crash on Siegen Lane Wednesday night An 82-year-old woman from Tennessee was killed and two people were hospitalized after a crash Wednesday night involving two vehicles on Siegen

Starkey gave no statements about the wreck and refused to give a blood sample for a toxicology test, so investigators obtained a search warrant for a sample of his blood.

Prosecutor Kory Tauzin said in court Monday that the test results indicated Starkey had cocaine, oxycodone and other drugs in his system.
UPDATE 6:30 a.m. Tuesday:

Police have identified the victim as an 11-year-old boy.

Baton Rouge police said around 5:12 p.m. Monday, an armed suspect entered through an unlocked door and fired a shot, which struck the victim in the face.

The boy is expected to survive, according to BRPD.

+3 11-year-old boy shot in the face at Baton Rouge apartment; BRPD investigating An 11-year-old boy was shot after Baton Rouge police say a suspect entered the home through and unlocked door and fired a shot, striking the v

Original story:

A child was shot Monday afternoon at an apartment complex on South Sherwood Forest Boulevard, but Baton Rouge police had few details available about the incident as of Monday evening.

Baton Rouge police spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely Jr. said preliminary information indicates that a male juvenile was shot in the 2000 block of South Sherwood Forest Boulevard.

McKneely was unable as of Monday evening to provide the age of the child, saying only that he was "a juvenile." He also said he had no information to release about the extent of the child's injuries or any details about the circumstances of the shooting.

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Police were on the scene at Canterbury House Apartments Monday evening where a patrol car blocked the entrance to the facility.

Detectives could be seen questioning people in the complex. Tape cordoned off an area that appeared to be near the main building.

A resident of the complex, Tyree Scott, 30, said that he heard "a little noise" earlier.

"Growing up in Baton Rouge, you get sort of numb to these things," he said. "They happen all the time."

He added that police patrol the area often.

Crews were dispatched to the scene around 5:30 p.m.

The location is near Old Hammond Highway and just north of Interstate 12.
Park Jung-ho, left, CEO of SK Telecom, poses with Yoon Do-heum, president & CEO of Yonsei University Health System, at the former's headquarters in central Seoul, Friday, after agreeing to operate the country's first 5G medical services in the latter's hospital in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The new hospital is scheduled to be open in 2020. / Courtesy of SK Telecom





By Baek Byung-yeul







SK Telecom and Yonsei University have agreed to join hands to launch the nation's first digital hospital powered by a fifth-generation (5G) network, the mobile carrier said, Sunday.







The telecom firm said it signed an agreement with the Yonsei University Health System, Friday to equip the hospital being built in Yongin, on the outskirts of Seoul, with a 5G-enabled network.







The Yonsei University Health System has four hospitals across the country that treat 4 million outpatients and 1.15 million inpatients annually. The Yongin hospital is scheduled to open in 2020.







SK telecom firm said patient rooms will be equipped with the artificial intelligence (AI) smart speaker NUGU so that patients with physical difficulties can operate their beds, lighting and TV, and call for assistance using voice control.







Using a mobile augmented reality (AR) app, patients and their "caregivers" can easily find locations in the hospital. The firm will also develop a hologram program for patients in isolation wards, so that they can "virtually" meet with visitors.







SK Telecom is considering applying its quantum cryptography technology to ensure the security of medical information at every Yonsei hospital. The quantum cryptography technology encrypts transmitted data using quantum keys to prevent attacks from hackers.







A facial recognition system will also be used for doctors and other medical staff to enter key facilities of the hospital. The telecom firm said the system allows "contactless" entry for staff which will also help decrease the risk of infection.







CEO Park Jung-ho said, "SK Telecom will help Yonsei build the world's most innovative hospital by utilizing our technologies and services such as quantum cryptography and security services."







Yoon Do-heum, president & CEO of Yonsei University Health System, said digital transformation is a must for the healthcare industry because "we are living in a high-tech digital world."







"As a hospital equipped with cutting-edge innovative technologies, the Yongin Severance Hospital will serve a pivotal role in the Yonsei University Health System," he said.


Hancock County sheriffs deputies shot and killed a violent convicted felon after he pulled a gun on them Monday afternoon, Sheriff Ricky Adam said during a news conference afterward.

Its not an easy thing for my guys to go through but at least were not talking about one of them being shot, Adam said.

Lawrence Bottoms, 29, of Louisiana, died at the scene, Adam said. The shooting happened after a special response team from the Hancock County Sheriffs Office went to serve a warrant on Bottoms out of East Baton Rouge Parish for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Greenwell Springs man accused of stabbing teen in the face, possibly with a screwdriver, causing severe injuries Livingston Parish deputies believe a screwdriver was used to stab a 17-year-old in the face last month, wounding him so severely, it would be 

Adam said the deputies were prepared for trouble because of Bottoms extensive criminal record. A confidential informant had told deputies that Bottoms was at the house in the Bayside Park community.

Deputies spent 15 to 20 minutes calling out for Bottoms at the door of the house on stilts but didnt get an answer.

The deputies evacuated a house next door, then deployed three rounds of tear gas.

Mr. Bottoms didnt come out but a female did, Adam said. She was taken into custody. At that point, we thought we would just sit and give the tear gas time to work.

Greenwell Springs man seeks reduced charge in brutal stabbing case LIVINGSTON  A Greenwell Springs man accused of brutally stabbing a 17-year-old in the face with a screwdriver in 2015 told a Livingston Paris

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Bottoms finally jumped out of a second-story window and ran into the woods, Adam said.

Deputies ran after him. A deputy was bitten, but not seriously injured, when a K-9 was turned loose, Adam said.

Bottoms emerged from the woods and pulled a gun, Adam said. Thats when two deputies shot.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting, Adam, said.

He said charges also will be filed against the woman who was in the house, Allison Reniey.

Adam said one charge she will face is harboring a fugitive. But he said drugs also were found at the scene.

Bottoms was convicted in 2017 of the April 2015 stabbing of a teenager with a screwdriver, according to the Livingston Parish Clerk of Courts Office. The charge he pleaded guilty to in the case was aggravated battery. The teenager died months after the stabbing.

Bottoms was arrested in August 2017 in Waveland and charged with possessing a firearm while a convicted felon.
Baton Rouge Magnet again clocked in as the top public school in its area and came in at fifth statewide behind four New Orleans area schools and No. 377 in the nation.

Benjamin Franklin High School name again earned the top spot in Louisiana's 2019 rankings by U.S. News & World Report, which stayed largely unchanged from a year ago, landing at No. 73 nationwide.

Follow the links below for the full rankings, or click on each parish for that area's school listings.

SEE ALL LOUISIANA SCHOOLS IN RANKINGS | JEFFERSON PARISH | NEW ORLEANS | EAST BATON ROUGE | LAFAYETTE |

Haynes Academy School for Advanced Studies in Metairie finished No. 105 and Lusher Charter School in New Orleans No. 113, according to the review.

Benjamin Franklin was also rated the 15th best charter school in the nation and Lusher No. 28 in the same category.

Louisiana ranks first in high school seniors asking for federal dollars to help pay for college Just a few years ago, Louisiana trailed much of the nation in the number of high school seniors seeking college aid.

More than 17,000 high schools across the country were ranked.

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The ratings are based on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, under-served student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates.

Each category is given a weight, which produces a score on which the ranking is based.

Last year U. S. News reviewed about 2,700 high schools.

"By evaluating more schools than ever before the new edition expands that focus so all communities can see which schools in their area are successfully serving their students including historically under-served populations," Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News said in a statement.

Within the top 5 percent of ranked schools one third are either charter or magnet schools.

Charter schools are public schools run by non-governmental boards.

They make up 18 percent of the top 5 percent of ranked schools.

Magnet schools account for 15 percent.

Texas has three high schools in the top 20, the most of any state.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
WASHINGTON  U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy says Louisiana could finally get a long-awaited update this week from the federal government on whether, and perhaps how soon, thousands of homeowners affected by catastrophic flooding in 2016 will be able to tap into recovery aid.

It's not clear whether the Office of Management and Budget will agree to fix the "duplication of benefits" trap that has kept people who applied for Small Business Administration loans from receiving grant dollars to help rebuild their homes, but Cassidy said he feels there have been optimistic signals.

Officials repeatedly have said that they expected an update from OMB soon. Cassidy cautioned that, while he expects word this week, there have been delays in the past.

Louisiana received more than $1.7 billion from Congress for 2016 flood relief. About $1.3 billion was designated for homeowner rebuilding assistance, but a federal rule initially prevented those who received SBA loans from reaping the full benefits of the program.

Louisiana's congressional delegation, spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, a Republican whose Baton Rouge-based district was heavily affected by the floods, backed an effort to eliminate that rule, but the Trump administration's OMB has not yet agreed to the change.

Sens. Cassidy, Kennedy keep pushing on 'duplication of benefits' issue affecting flood victims Thousands of Louisiana residents who were affected by severe floods in 2016 and remain in a "duplication of benefits" trap likely wont see a 

The duplication of benefits issue already has prompted a lawsuit against the federal government.

As in previous disasters, affected homeowners who sought SBA loans have been unable to tap into grant dollars that duplicated whatever loan amount they were deemed eligible to receive  even if they never accepted the loan money.

For example, a homeowner with an estimated $25,000 in damage who qualified for a $20,000 SBA loan would be eligible for only $5,000 in grant money that wouldn't have to be repaid. Meanwhile, a homeowner who took on the same value of damage  $25,000  but didnt apply for an SBA loan could potentially receive for the full $25,000 grant if all other qualifications were met. In many cases, SBA loan awards were larger than the value of total damage, leaving homeowners without an opportunity for any grant assistance.

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U.S. Sen. John Kennedy brought the issue to Trump in early April during a private lunch meeting. He wouldn't say at the time where Trump stood on the issue, but strongly hinted that the president could be willing to intervene on Louisiana's behalf, opening up the Restore Louisiana program to people who have been denied because they previously applied for SBA loans.

Kennedy and Cassidy, both of whom are Republicans, held several meetings with key members of the Trump administration to try to loosen the bureaucratic chokehold.

Cassidy has described OMBs reservations as being over whether the change could drive up future disaster recovery costs if people wait for grants, instead of seeking loans that they will repay.

The Office of Management and Budget is very concerned that we will create a moral hazard, Cassidy said Tuesday.

But he said the old system has kept an estimated 6,000 flood victims from benefiting from the federal grant aid and is unfair.

Thats the case weve been making, he said.

Officials have repeatedly said the duplication of benefits issue has created the biggest problems for homeowners and spawned the most complaints about the states efforts to rebuild from the August 2016 floods in the Baton Rouge area and other parts of southern Louisiana and the March 2016 floods in northern Louisiana.
A state Senate panel on Tuesday advanced a bill that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, a measure that would represent one of the country's most restrictive abortion laws if a similar law passes a legal challenge.

The proposal, which will be debated by the full Senate next, is part of a trend among one of the country's most anti-abortion Legislatures, though similar efforts have been successfully challenged in the courts.

The bill, brought by state Sen. John Milkovich, D-Shreveport, would only go into effect if a similar measure in Mississippi is upheld by the courts, something critics say is unlikely. The Senate Judiciary C Committee amended Milkovich's bill to make it go into effect only if the Mississippi law passes legal challenges, an effort to avoid entering into prolonged and costly litigation.

The panel advanced the bill after adding  and then stripping  an amendment that would have protected abortion rights for victims of rape and incest. Lawmakers reversed course on that amendment after the Louisiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, spoke out against it.

"We feel this is an important statement to Louisiana's devotion to the unborn," Milkovich said of his bill.

While he said he understands the litigation could be costly, Milkovich opposed the amendment that linked his bill with the success of Mississippi's law in the courts, though the committee passed the change regardless.

Louisiana's Solicitor General Liz Murrill, who handles appeals and cases before the Supreme Court for Attorney General Jeff Landry, said the trigger amendment is "probably the best way to handle this bill."

Milkovich brought with him several anti-abortion activists, including one, Jennifer McCoy, who was reportedly convicted of setting fire to abortion clinics in the 1990s. He also likened abortion to "slavery," and argued against an exclusion for victims of rape and incest because he said it would be "killing the baby."

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Ellie Schilling, a lawyer who represents reproductive health care providers and who testified against the bill, said it's "concerning" that Milkovich brought McCoy to testify.

Schilling also argued stripping the exclusion for victims of rape and incest was "dehumanizing" to victims and said many medical providers oppose the law.

Louisiana case could provide insight into how new Supreme Court will handle abortion WASHINGTON  Abortion rights advocates asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to set aside a Louisiana law that could possibly shutter the 

Mississippi recently signed into law a similar ban on abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is usually about six weeks into pregnancy. Critics call the measures cruel and unconstitutional, and say six weeks is before many women know they're pregnant.

A similar ban was also passed in Kentucky, a move that forced the state's only abortion clinic to cancel appointments before lawyers temporarily blocked the law. The Mississippi ban is currently making its way through the courts, and a similar law in Iowa was struck down by a state court.

There is no doubt this bill is unconstitutional," Schilling said. "No court has ever upheld a pre-viability ban."

Louisiana lawmakers last year passed a similar law that banned abortions after 15 weeks, but only if a similar Mississippi law was upheld by the courts. A federal judge blocked Mississippi's law in November, but the state has appealed.
Soon after he took office in 2017, President Donald Trump famously bemoaned the difficulty of replacing the Affordable Care Act, which he had pledged to repeal on the campaign trail, with something special, as he put it.

"Now, I have to tell you, it's an unbelievably complex subject," Trump told a gathering of the nations governors. "Nobody knew health care could be so complicated."

Actually, a lot of people knew. Pretty much everyone who had seriously considered the subject  and who understood that providing health benefits that most people want is expensive  knew. Its the reason why President Barack Obama and the congressional Democrats who adopted his signature legislation in 2010 paired affordable coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and a system of government subsidies, along with a mandate to push younger, healthier people to purchase insurance. They knew that this immensely popular provision had to be paid for somehow.

LSU poll: Wide support in Louisiana for pre-existing conditions protections, Medicaid expansion Large majorities of Louisiana residents support Medicaid expansion and state protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions if th

Belatedly, a bunch of Louisiana politicians are now having their own nobody knew moment.

Two similar but competing bills to guarantee pre-existing condition coverage and other much-loved ACA benefits got their first airings last week, one in a state House Committee and one before a state Senate panel. Both ran aground over the simple, arguably obvious fact that somebody needs to pay. In the unlikely but not-out-of-the-question event that a current challenge to the health care law, popularly known as Obamacare, is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, it would be up to states to reinstate popular provisions such as this pre-existing condition guarantee.

The problem, some people were apparently surprised to find out, is that without the rest of the ACA, theres currently no way to make it work financially. If the law goes away, it turns out, so do the subsidies that would pay for more expensive coverage. And that means that Louisianians would foot the bill unless the federal government decides to bail the states out. The Louisiana Department of Insurance says that under the proposals, costs would grow by between $634 million and $834 million by 2024.

Faced with that information, both bills were changed to only go into effect if federal money materializes. Neither got a committee vote, although they could come up again during the legislative session, and several lawmakers made it clear that they werent about to back what amounts to an empty promise.

"It's a farce. It's feel-good legislation to tell folks, 'We're going to take care of you if there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,'" state Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, said. "I think it gives people false hope."

Claitor was talking about a bill by state Sen. Fred Mills, R-Parks. Its backed by Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry, a vocal ACA critic who has long argued that nobody should worry, that the states will step in and make everything OK. As the states lawyer, Landry has signed Louisiana on to the ACA challenge, which originated in Texas and has been approved by a federal judge there, and is backed by the Trump administration (the suit hinges on last years Republican-passed tax bill, which eliminates financial penalties for those who dont carry insurance). The next stop is the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, and whatever that court decides, the matter is likely to wind up before the high court.

A second bill by state Rep. Chad Brown, D-Plaquemine, has support from Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who backs keeping the ACA but wants to make sure the state steps in if it disappears.

Two competing proposals to protect pre-existing conditions face one major problem in Louisiana Legislature Louisiana lawmakers on Wednesday began hearings on competing bills by two powerful political rivals that would enshrine in state law some of t

Landry didnt consult Edwards before entering the lawsuit, and the governor has pointed out that about 850,000 Louisianians have pre-existing conditions and could be endangered. Thats a huge number, and far fewer are currently on individual plans and benefiting from the provision. Still, anyone with a previous illness or condition who loses employer coverage and has to buy an individual plan could be affected in the future.

Its a terrible position for anyone to be in, and Edwards is entirely correct that, should the law be overturned, Landry should be held responsible.

That likely would be little comfort, though, to Louisianians who have every reason to expect their elected representatives to understand the implications of what theyre doing before they act  no matter how often those politicians prove them wrong.
A bill that would let Louisiana residents vote on whether to ban the death penalty in the state advanced out of a Senate committee 4-2 Tuesday, the first of two controversial bills to make it out of the committee.

If voters decide in favor of the bill, it would make an amendment to the state constitution banning the death penalty for any offense committed on or after Jan. 1, 2021.

The bill would not affect existing death penalty cases.

State Sens. JP Morrell, D-New Orleans, and Terry Landry, D-New Iberia, presented the bipartisan bill, which was authored by Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, before the Senate Judiciary C committee. Both Morrell and Landry cited concerns about cases where people on death row later were found to be innocent.

If you do not hold that government gets it right every single time, then death should not be on the table, said Morrell, a former New Orleans public defender.

Landry agreed, adding, I also believe that our system is driven sometimes by overzealous police officers, overzealous prosecutors, political pressure  and sometimes we get it wrong.

State Public Defender James Dixon said the Louisiana Public Defender Board (LPDB) has spent over $103 million on costs relating to the death penalty since 2008. The state executed one person in that time, a man named Gerald Bordelon, who voluntarily waived his appeals.

At the end of this fiscal year, that amount will rise to $111 million, Dixon said. This is not the total amount the death penalty costs the state, which also includes court spending, prosecutor spending and jury costs.

There seems to be a misconception among many that the cost of incarcerating someone for life is more expensive than the death penalty. Studies have been done throughout the United States actually showing the opposite is true, Dixon said, adding that life in prison is between $500,000 to $1.5 million cheaper per case than pursuing the death penalty.

Cost of Louisiana's death penalty is $15.6 million per year, new study says A new analysis on the cost of the death penalty in Louisiana puts the total price for taxpayers over the past decade at a minimum of $15.6 mil

Opponents of the bill, including District Attorneys (DAs) Scott Perrilloux of Livingston Parish and Perry Nicosia of St. Bernard Parish, argued the death penalty helped give some victims' families a sense of justice.

Nicosia, who was sworn in in 2014, argued that the culture around the death penalty has changed and that DAs only use it in rare cases.

It would take an extreme, horrific circumstance I think for any DA currently the way we posturize ourselves and the way we take our jobs seriously, he said. ...I think as a country, as a state and as a society, things are getting better.

Capital punishment disproportionately affects black residents in Louisiana; the chances of receiving the death penalty in the state is far greater when the victim is white than when the victim is black and when the perpetrator is black than when the perpetrator is white.

Religious leaders had differing opinions on the bill. Executive Director of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops Rob Tasman testified in favor of the bill, quoting Pope Francis, who has stated his opposition to the death penalty in all cases.

Religious leaders support end to death penalty in Louisiana Religious leaders are trying to build support for ending Louisiana's use of the death penalty, a proposal that has repeatedly failed to gain t

Will Hall of the Louisiana Baptists testified against it, arguing that even if no conclusive evidence has shown the death penalty is an effective deterrent for murder, the punishment aspect of it was important.

Sometimes punishment is just for punishment, Hall said.

The original bill set a public vote on the issue for this October, should the bill become law. But an amendment changed that vote to coincide with the 2020 presidential election, with legislators citing higher voter turnout.

Sens. Claitor, Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge; Troy Carter, D-New Orleans; and Yvonne Colomb, D-Baton Rouge voted in favor of the bill. Sens. Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville, and Bodi White, R-Baton Rouge, voted against it.

The Rundown: Death penalty, sports betting, vaccines and more Louisiana politics news Today in The Rundown: Lawmakers are again trying to end the death penalty in Louisiana; sports betting cleared by the Senate; Cassidy pushes b

Bill that would outlaw abortion in Louisiana once a heartbeat is detected clears committee A bill that would outlaw abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected by a doctor cleared a Senate committee 5-2 Tuesday after discussio
Tran Trung Tranh, second from left, deputy chief of the Vietnam Fire and Rescue Police Department, shakes hands with Choi Joo-ho, head of Samsung Electronics' Vietnamese manufacturing complex, at a ceremony to hand over 300 donated IGNIS thermal imaging cameras, Friday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Jun Ji-hye



Samsung Electronics has donated 300 IGNIS thermal imaging cameras to firefighters in Vietnam in a bid to help improve efficiency and safety in fire prevention and rescue activities there.



The official donation was made Friday and is part of a collaborative effort between Samsung Electronics Vietnam and the Vietnam Fire and Rescue Police Department, according to the tech giant.



Van Son Nguyen, Vietnam's deputy minister of public security, and Choi Joo-ho, head of Samsung Electronics' Vietnamese manufacturing complex, attended the event along with other senior officials from Samsung Electronics Vietnam. Also in attendance were representatives from departments and agencies under Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security and the management boards of the Public Security Departments from 11 provinces that will receive the cameras.



Samsung's IGNIS thermal imaging cameras help firefighters to both rescue those in danger and keep themselves safe during operations as they are capable of detecting ignition points, locating victims, identifying terrain and indicating paths to be avoided.



The 350-gram wearable cameras are highly water, dust and heat resistant.



"Fire prevention and rescue activities are pivotal in every nation for saving lives and assets of citizens," Choi said. "We are pleased to know that local firefighters will be equipped with our cameras, which will help them carry out their duties and protect public safety."



The Vietnam Fire and Rescue Police Department plans to organize training courses for officers and firefighters on how to use the cameras.



In November 2017, Samsung Electronics donated 1,000 thermal imaging cameras to firefighting units in Korea. Now, they are used by police officers and firefighters in 18 cities and provinces here.



The IGNIS thermal imaging camera was developed by Samsung Tomorrow Solutions as part of a social contribution project and open idea contest that began in 2013. The project invites people to produce and submit designs and ideas that can change society for the better.



Han Gyeong-seung, a firefighter in Korea, submitted the idea of a thermal imaging camera based on his firefighting experience, which found that conventional thermal observation devices were too heavy and expensive to be given to each firefighter.



He was provided with prize money and additional research funds as well as a team of support engineers at C-Lab  Samsung's idea generation and entrepreneurship program  to help bring his idea to life.


The survey conducted online by Parents for ADHD Advocacy Australia showed a third of families was struggling with non-existent or inadequate support for their children.

Nate West has been suspended due to his ADHD, but is thriving at a school that understands his learning needs. Credit:Christopher Pearce

The national survey of 1000 parents whose children have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) also found many of the students were suspended multiple times.

A quarter of students with ADHD have been suspended for behaviour associated with their disability, a survey has found, with more than forty per cent of suspensions occuring in the first three years of primary school.

"I can't give you a number of the suspensions Nate has had over that time, because I've lost count," said his mother Cath Daly. "If Nate lashed out physically or verbally at a student or teacher, he would obviously be suspended.

"Once that happened, he deserved the suspension. Our challenge was to stop the incidents from happening."

His experience in several schools has varied depending on principals' and teachers' willingness to understand his disability. Ms Daly said there were suspensions when they refused, but when they tried to help, learning became a different, much more accepting experience.

His psychologist now meets his high school teachers every term to remind them about his triggers. "They are setting him up to succeed," Ms Daly said.

Australian researchers described ADHD as one of the most prevalent but unsupported developmental disabilities affecting school-aged children, and one which often leads them being unfairly labelled naughty, lazy or slow.
Australia's best-known poet has been remembered as a trailblazer who helped shepherd Australian poetry into the classroom as well as onto the world stage.

Les Murray, the man widely tipped to be Australia's next Nobel laureate, died Monday afternoon at a nursing home in Taree on the New South Wales mid-north coast. He was 80 years old.

Writer Geoffrey Lehmann, who first met Murray in 1957 during their first few weeks of university, described his long-time friend as "the greatest poet Australia's ever had". The pair collaborated for Murray's first-ever poetry collection The Ilex Tree, which was published in 1965.

"He changed the language, in a sense," Lehmann said. "He was an enormously original poet. He certainly did have a lot of influence on poets of his immediate generation and the next."
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has rubbished suggestions by independent Curtin candidate Louise Stewart the Liberal Party is behind fabricated polling her campaign claimed to have commissioned when leaking it to journalists.

In a statement released on Monday, Ms Stewart said she had actually received the polling in an email from "independentinc.org.au", which purported it had been supplied by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's son Alex.

Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann says suggestions the Liberal Party is behind the fake polling are "just crazy". Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

She did not say who sent the email, but claimed "data has been obtained suggesting 'independentinc.org.au' may have originated from a location close to a senior conservative WA Liberal MP's office in Perth".

But a search indicated independentinc.org.au is not registered as a domain name.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will not extend his $10 billion wage supplement to workers outside the childcare industry after facing calls from the aged-care and disability sectors to give them the same boost to their pay packets.

Two days after announcing the 20 per cent pay rise for childcare, Mr Shorten declared the approach would "only" be used in that sector even though he conceded aged-care workers also deserved higher wages.

Bill Shorten has acknowledged aged-care workers are underpaid, but said any policy would have to wait until the completion of the royal commission. Credit:AAP

Mr Shorten said he wanted to see the results of the royal commission into the aged-care sector, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison last October, before deciding policies for the sector.

"There's a model, a template which we will only use in childcare," Mr Shorten said.
Last year, a Dutchman went to court to make himself 20 years younger. Emile Ratelband, now 70, said his age was stopping him getting dates online, because women did not realise that he had the body of a 40-something. He told the court he wanted to become 49, which better reflected his emotional state.

Emile Ratelband tried to legally changed his age to 'better reflect his emotional state'. Credit:AP

The judges rejected his plea, ruling that to change his birth certificate would wreak havoc with legal rights. But this seemingly narcissistic case illustrates something important: we need to drastically update our view of what it means to be "old".

In researching my book, Extra Time, I've interviewed people all over the world who are refusing to act their age. I've met sixtysomethings starting businesses, seventysomethings changing careers and eighty-somethings who can run and cycle further than I can. More and more people are "unretiring" and going back to work, sometimes years after the official office send-off. These people are part of a growing group who don't see themselves as old, don't act old and won't buy products marketed at the old. It's only our expectations, and institutions, that need to catch up.

This new stage of life is called "young-old" by the Japanese, who are the world's longest-living society. More of its citizens will hit 100 than anywhere else. The islands of Okinawa, in particular, have so many centenarians that they are often called the "land of the immortals".
A world-leading medical journal has called into question the widely held theory that mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer.

The number of Victorian cases of the gruesome condition has risen rapidly in recent years from 107 in 2015 to 340 in 2018.

Local scientists believe mosquitoes are most likely responsible for transmitting the Buruli ulcer to humans. Credit:Reuters

The most affected areas include the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas but in recent months an increasing number of cases have been diagnosed in bayside and inner Melbourne.

Buruli ulcers are non-healing sores that slowly get bigger, developing into deep, disfiguring ulcers if left untreated. They are known to be caused by the tropical bacteria Mycobacterium ulcerans but the mechanism by which it passes to people is less clear.
Kate Charlton-Robb is a conservation geneticist and dolphin researcher at Monash University. She married, changed her name, and is now divorced. Kate Charlton-Robb is a research fellow at Monash University. Kate: As a younger bride, I had no real career established at the time of my wedding, and held the perception that a marriage is forever. I chose to change my name. That marriage ended in divorce years later. By then I had published a number of scientific papers under my new name, and my career was well established. So I was faced with another name choice: keep and/or adjust my name, or switch back to my maiden name. I felt the pressure to keep my ex-husbands name for professional continuity, so decided to tack on a bit of "me" (by adding a hyphen and Robb to my married surname of Charlton). I went on to describe and name a new dolphin species, a legacy which is, and always will be, in part, stamped with my ex-husbands name.

Some years later, I feel incredibly conflicted every time I am introduced by my ex-husbands name, as it no longer reflects who I am, personally or professionally. This has led to name change indecision. How do I, now well established in my career, take on yet another name, one that I can identify with, that reflects who I am now, without jeopardising my professional identity and legacy? At the end of the day, it may appear trivial to some, but I have to be happy with who I am and with many years in my science career left. I have to be true to myself in needing my own form of name identity back. I will be making the change: from Dr Kate Charlton-Robb to Dr Kate Robb. It is, after all, the name I identify with and want to be identified as. Tara Draper is a senior technical officer in field work at Deakin University. She is married, and took her husband's name but later reverted to her maiden name.

Tara: When I got engaged, I struggled with the concept of changing my name. Just like my partner, I liked my name. It was part of my identity, my origin, and I was proud of it. Loading There were questions from family members whenever the subject came up. Mainly, what would we call our children, and was I worried about divorce, given my mother had divorced twice? There were never demands, just the feeling of subtle pressure from parents and grandparents to conform to tradition. Eventually I relented and took my husbands name. Years later I started a PhD. I would be the author of a huge body of work. Something to be truly proud of, except it bothered me that it wasnt really going to be in my own name. Adding to this, I was simultaneously witnessing two close friends going through stressful divorces. Despite being happily married, as a child of divorce it is sometimes hard not to hold lingering fears.

So, with the support of my husband, I commenced the process of changing back to my birth name. Together we faced the bombardment of questions, and answered with patience: "yes, we are still happily married. No, we are not getting divorced". Now I have a seven year career in science, and am proud of my achievements in my own name. Valerie Caron is a research scientist at the CSIRO. She is married, and has never considered changing her name. Valerie: I didnt change my name when I got married. I am originally from Quebec where women dont take on their husbands name. Quebec law states that "in marriage, both spouses retain their respective names". Getting married there carried the expectation that I would keep my name. My husband is from New Zealand, where either spouse can change their name when getting married. If it had been something important to me, we could have married in New Zealand instead. There was never any expectation from others for me to change my name.

Loading I know women who are divorced and had to change their names back, while others decided to keep their ex-husbands name as it was how they were known professionally and personally. It all seems very messy. I didnt think about rates of divorces or my career when I got married, although now, as I am still establishing my career, I think changing my name would be more difficult. The reality is that I never contemplated changing my name. My name is part of my identity. Complicated and personal Changing your last name upon marriage is a complex issue for some women. Its a issue that can create long term, ongoing considerations.




By Jun Ji-hye







LG CNS will create a "smart town" in the southern port city of Busan in cooperation with LG Electronics and Bosung Corporation, the IT services unit of LG Group said Monday.







The three companies signed a business agreement at LG Science Park in Magok, southwestern Seoul.







Under the agreement, the three firms will push to create the smart town on 39,669 square meters of land owned by Bosung Corporation located within Busan's Eco-Delta City covering a 2.18-square-kilometer site. The Eco-Delta City has been designated by the government as one of the trial locations for the smart city project.







LG CNS will establish IT infrastructure such as smart homes, and energy and parking control systems based on its smart city platform, Cityhub, launched in July last year. The firm will also be in charge of planning smart town services and managing them.







LG Electronics will offer smart home appliances.







Bosung Corporation will be responsible for construction of the smart town in which smart services can be implemented.







LG CNS said its Cityhub platform powered by IoT technology is capable of offering services in diverse areas such as transportation, safety, energy and environment.







The platform obtained a smart city integration platform certification from the Telecommunication Technologies Association.







"The three companies will lead the smart city business and contribute to the government project," an official from LG CNS said.


The stoush between BidEnergy's former chairman James Baillieu and current chairman Andrew Dwyer has gone thermonuclear. Credit:Golding

Baillieu battles on

As foreshadowed last week, the stoush between Melbourne business identity and correspondence enthusiast James Baillieu and the company he formerly chaired, BidEnergy, has gone thermonuclear.

Baillieu, who is knee-deep in a separate tussle with his familys namesake stockbroking firm, sent a copy of correspondence making a series of allegations against BidEnergys chairman Andrew Dyer (the nations Wind Farm Commissioner) to the company on Sunday.

BidEnergy reckons they received it on Monday.
A man will face court after a woman was filmed in the toilets of an Oxford Street bar on the weekend.

The woman was in a toilet cubicle in the bar near Liverpool Street about 1am on Saturday when she noticed a mobile phone show up under the dividing wall that appeared to be recording.

The woman told police she yelled out and banged on the wall before she peered over and saw a man she did not know holding a mobile phone.

She told security, who called police and detained the man as he attempted to leave the bar.

Officers from the Surry Hills Local Area Command arrived shortly after and searched the man, finding cannabis and a mobile phone.
An argument among a large group of friends in Sydney's CBD has left one man in hospital after he was hit in the head with a hammer, police say.

A group of about 20 men and women were on Dixon Street in the city just after midnight on Tuesday when a verbal argument turned physical.

One man was allegedly knocked to the ground and then hit in the head with a hammer, before he sought help at a nearby Chinese restaurant.

Police were called to the scene about 12.40am, but the alleged attacker left before officers arrived.

The injured man was treated at the scene before he was taken to St Vincent's Hospital where he remains under observation in a stable condition, a police spokesman said.
A Brisbane man has been found not guilty of killing his housemate by putting him in a headlock during a dispute about rent payments.

Aaron Llewellyn Jones, 31, was acquitted on Tuesday of the manslaughter of Joel Charlesworth, 30, in 2016 after a Brisbane Supreme Court trial.

Aaron Llewellyn Jones was found not guilty of killing his housemate. Credit:AAP

The court heard Mr Charlesworth was employed as a labourer when he moved into a two-storey Murrarie rental home but subsequently lost the job and fell behind on rent.

This caused issues between Mr Jones and Mr Charlesworth and came to a head just before midnight on March 26, when the conflict became physical.
A car has caught fire in a residential garage in Brisbane's south-east, creating thick plumes of smoke on Wednesday.

Fire crews were called to Banwell Crescent in Carindale just after 6.30am and found the home "smoke-logged", according to a fire service spokeswoman.

A car caught fire in a Carindale garage, creating thick plumes of smoke. Credit:Nine News Queensland - Twitter

All residents were accounted for and the flames were extinguished about 7.10am, without spreading to much of the house itself.

Fire crews were also called to a shed fire at the back of a Peregian Springs property at the Sunshine Coast about 4.30am on Wednesday.
Dumped One Nation Senate candidate Steve Dickson is unlikely to repeat party boss Pauline Hanson's feat of being elected to Parliament despite being dumped from her party.

In 1996, when now-Senator Hanson rose to national prominence, she was elected as an independent in the Ipswich-centred electorate of Oxley after she was dumped by the Liberal Party over her inflammatory comments about Aboriginal funding issues.

Steve Dickson will still appear on the One Nation ticket on the Queensland Senate ballot paper. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

She was dumped from the John Howard-led Liberals ahead of the election, but her name remained on the electoral ballot paper as the Liberal candidate.

However history is unlikely to repeat 23 years later for her Senate candidate Mr Dickson, whose name remains on the 2019 election ballot paper despite being stood down on Tuesday after being filmed drunk at a US strip club ogling and touching exotic dancers, while making racist and sexist remarks.
Inner-city Brisbane families will soon be able to finally send their children to a local high school, but only if they live within catchment boundaries just released by the state government.

The catchment boundaries for the first inner-city high school to open in Brisbane in 50 years were released by Education Queensland on Tuesday.

Brisbane's new Inner City North Secondary College near the RNA Showgrounds.

The new high-rise school is being built on the corner of St Pauls Terrace and Brookes Street in Fortitude Valley, close to the RNA Showgrounds.

The Inner City North State Secondary College opens in January 2020.
Locals in Melbourne's north-east are holding a candlelight vigil at an Alphington roundabout where two lemon-scented gum trees were cut down so a gas pipeline could be repaired.

Save Our Trees convener Helen Schapper, 65, who has lived next door to the roundabout for more than 30 years, said the community was "in mourning" after the trees were felled by APA Group.

Locals have camped out in the roundabout for more than three weeks. Credit:Alphington St Roundabout Trees/ Facebook

"It's like watching your child being hacked to death, that's what it's like," she told The Age.

Locals took turns camping out at the roundabout for more than three weeks. One woman was there when dozens of police officers arrived at 7am on Tuesday to barricade the machinery.
Victoria's Islamic leaders are dispatching moderate preachers to universities as it emerges a suspected ringleader in Sri Lankas Easter Sunday terror attack studied at the same Melbourne university as two other terrorists.

Sri Lankan suicide bomber Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed was enrolled at Swinburne University around the same time as a home-grown 2016 Christmas Day terror plotter and a captured Islamic State recruit.

Sri Lanka bomber Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed studied at Swinburne University in Melbourne. Credit:Seven News

A fourth man charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, whose name cannot be reported, studied at Swinburne a few years later.

The link has raised fears that mainstream campuses are hotbeds for terrorist recruiting.




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.






A woman charged with blackmailing grieving parents over their missing mobile phone sobbed in court as she was told she will remain behind bars for at least two months.

Malaysian woman Siti Nurhidayah Kamal, 24, who has two young children of her own, allegedly claimed to have a mobile phone belonging to Jay and Dee Windross that held precious photos of their 11-month-old dying baby daughter Amiyah.

Siti Nurhidayah Kamal, 24, has been charged with blackmail for allegedly trying to dupe grieving parents out of $1000. Credit:Facebook

Ms Kamal allegedly messaged the parents on WhatsApp after they made a public plea on Facebook for help to find Mrs Windross' missing mobile phone.
One of the three police officers charged with unlawfully assaulting a disability pensioner on his front lawn also faces separate assault charges for allegedly striking a teenage boy with a baton.

Victoria's anti-corruption commission alleges Florian Hilgart was one of three officers who used excessive force on September 19, 2017, when police held down pensioner "John" outside his Preston home and he was struck. The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission investigated the matter after The Age published footage of the incident last year.



Senior Constable Hilgart, 30, is charged with unlawful assault for allegedly spraying a high-pressure hose in John's face as the pensioner sat on his lawn with his hands cuffed behind his back.

IBAC also alleges that on New Year's Day last year, less than four months after the Preston incident, Senior Constable Hilgart struck and injured a teenage boy with a baton in Thornbury.
Loading Boochani said in recent weeks alone, four people had been transferred to Port Morseby due to a reported typhoid outbreak and in his recent visit to the Pacific International Hospital, he witnessed up to 20 sick refugees who were hopeful they would be transferred to an Australian hospital. He also addressed his recent criticism of refugee organisations and their ability to help those on Manus and Nauru, and said their processes were delayed while also turning the systematic torture of refugees into a business. They are supposed to help us and help us to and get out of this country but unfortunately right now theyve become a part of the problem because their process is very slow ... we are frustrated, he said. I dont want to mention the individual organisations, but any organisation, any artist, any writer, anyone who is making business [out of this] ... we can see that some people are looking at this plight as a business. I think we should criticise this.

I dont know what will happen but we are tired of this system. We are tired of organisations. I know by writing that about people I created enemies for myself but for me as an independent person ... what is important is that I tell the truth and tell this story independently, and that is what I will continue. A refugee protest on Manus Island, When asked whether he believed his interview with US officials in Port Moresby would likely put an end to his six years in detention, Boochani said he believed the process was just another form of torture. It is one of the main concepts that I always use in my writing and works  systematic torture. So what does systematic torture mean? We had a court case in Papua New Guinea where the court ordered that Manus prison cant be legal, and keeping people in prison was illegal, he said. But the government used that order to keep us in Manus. They opened the gates and they relocated us to new camp ... at that time, people were very optimistic. The media talked about this a lot, the government used it as a big achievement.

At that time I did a tweet and said it is not even happening. So after about three years, still we are here and still this country  America  is telling people they are doing this process. They put this through a system and they are torturing us by this. Many people have attempted suicide because they are ejected by America and they dont explain why. Boochani also spoke about modern Australian immigration policy, a point which was echoed by Curtin Elder in Residence Simon Forrest. "They told the local people that these people they are bringing to this island are dangerous people, they are criminals, they are terrorists," he said. "And then on the other side they told us Manusian people were cannibals, they are uncivilised and they are not modern people so its better that you dont communicate with them and make a relationship with them.

"They have created this fear of years and they have used it over the past six years. "It is the word Peter Dutton used. He said that Australia is a civilised country, and he used 'uncivilised' word for others." Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton is seen at the Pine River Bowls Club in Bray Park, Brisbane. Credit:Glenn Hunt/AAP Boochani finished by citing the opportunities refugees on Manus and Nauru were missing out on during detention  their families, an education and a better life  and became emotional when he said if he could go back to six years before attempting to come to Australia, he would not have attempted it. I always say this and I think its good I say it again  everyone on Manus and Nauru has a story and each story is a tragedy, he said. Everyone finds a way to survive.
A thermal coal mine west of Brisbane has been given the state government's tick of approval to bump its production from 2.8 million tonnes a year to 3.5 million.

Queensland Mines Minister Anthony Lynham has told parliament he gave the go ahead for the expansion of Yancoal's Cameby Downs open cut colliery near Miles last week.

Dr Lynham says the move will create up to 20 new jobs and extend the mine's production to 75 years.

Queensland Mines Minister Anthony Lynham told parliament the approval will create up to 20 new jobs and extend the mine's production to 75 years. Credit:AAP

"This announcement comes after news the mothballed Gregory Crinum Mine northeast of Emerald is set to put on up to 300 workers in its underground and open-cut operations by the end of the year," Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told parliament on Tuesday.
Brasilia: Brazil's indigenous women have been overturning tradition to step into the spotlight and lead an international push to defend their tribal land rights, which are up against the greatest threat they have faced in years under right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro.

Brazil's 850,000 indigenous peoples live on reservations that make up 13 per cent of the territory. Bolsonaro has said they live in poverty and he wants to assimilate them by allowing development of their vast lands, currently protected by law.

Indigenous women of the Xingu tribe sing ritual songs during the big march of the annual three-day campout protest known as The Free Land Encampment, outside Congress in Brasilia last week. Credit:AP

The tribal leaders are fighting back - in many cases, led by women. Traditionally, indigenous cultures excluded women from leadership roles that were played by male tribal chieftains.

But that is changing, said Joenia Wapichana, who last year became the first indigenous woman elected to Brazil's Congress and has been seeking to block Bolsonaro's attempts to dismantle the indigenous affairs agency Funai.
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's biggest carmaker by sales, said Friday it has appointed a former Nissan Motor executive as global chief operating officer to revive sales in the Americas.



Jose Munoz, who formerly served as chief performance officer at Nissan, will join Hyundai on May 1 to boost sales in the North American and Latin American markets, the company said in a statement.



The 54-year-old native of Spain is expected to improve lackluster sales, particularly in the United States, and enhance profitability based on his expertise and know-how in global automobile business operations, it said.



His decades of automotive and technology experience make him well suited for the post as Hyundai moves to evolve into a smart mobility solutions provider, the statement said.



"My capabilities around delivering steady profitable growth, managing the entire supply chain, and working together with our dealer partners to find win-win solutions match up well with the opportunity here. I am eager to bring best global practices from the automobile and technology industries to my new role at Hyundai," Munoz said in the statement.



Munoz has also been named president and CEO of both Hyundai Motor North America and Hyundai Motor America. He will report to Hyundai's top leadership in Seoul and he will be based in Fountain Valley, California, the statement said.



His appointment to multiple key posts is the latest instance of Hyundai Motor Group's recruiting of foreigners with proven track records at global carmakers such as Audi, BMW and Volkswagen.



The group began its drive to place foreign talent in key decision-making positions by recruiting ex-BMW designer Peter Schreyer to Kia in 2006 with an aim to improve the quality of its vehicles in terms of design and performance.



Dozens of foreigners have since joined the Korean auto group. They include former Bentley chief designer Luc Donckerwolke in charge of vehicle designs at Hyundai and Kia, Thomas Schemera, who led the BMW M performance car division, and former BMW performance car developer Albert Biermann, who is responsible for the development of top-of-the-line vehicles at the group.



Among them, Biermann stands out for being the first foreigner to be named the head of the carmakers' crucial R&D unit. In March, Hyundai's board also appointed Biermann as a board member.



In the past three years, Hyundai and Kia have suffered a sales decline in the U.S., the most important automobile market, having failed to launch competitive SUV models early enough.



Their sales in the U.S. fell to 1,267,619 units in 2018, down from 1,275,223 in 2017 and 1,422,603 in 2016, the companies' sales data showed.



In all, Hyundai and Kia have set a conservative sales target of 7.6 million units in global markets this year. They sold 7.39 million units last year, down 2 percent from a year earlier. (Yonhap)




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Brazos County health officials said Monday there is no widespread threat of a bacterial meningitis outbreak after a Bryan school district student was diagnosed with the illness.

Its really just those who are around the case, said Brazos County Alternative Health Authority Dr. Seth Sullivan, an infectious disease specialist at Baylor Scott and White. Thats why we do this investigation, so we look for those who have been around the case. Those are the folks who have been identified, and those are the folks who have been contacted.

Sullivan said secondary cases are rare.

Its unlikely therell be another case, but we have to be aware and have to be ready for it if one were to occur, he said.

The student, who attends the Bryan school districts Disciplinary Alternative Education Program, became sick on Friday but was doing better after being treated with antibiotics, Sullivan said.

The student, who has not been identified, has been working with the Brazos County health officials and the school district to locate anyone who might have been exposed.
U.S. currency, including a handful of 1922 silver dollars and a $2 note from 1928, also rested for decades in the trunk, which was built in 1898.

Some of it is stuff that really only has value to the family, like these bronzed baby shoes, but its meant to be passed down through the generations, Harbottle said. What happens is similar to the rule of thumb on family businesses: The first generation builds and opens the business, the second generation runs it, and the third generation sells it.

Its the same thing with this stuff, he said. Usually the third generation has very little interest and the fourth generation says, I dont want any of this. 

At his store in Bryan, Harbottle sells both modern everyday items and antiques when they come to him.

This is a rare find. You dont really find stuff like this very often, and these are cool pieces of history, Harbottle said.

He said he plans to sell some of the items, and hopes to donate items that have historical importance but little fiscal worth.
The state had taken its voter registration list, and compared it to the Department of Public Safetys list of people who were legal noncitizens when they got drivers licenses or identity cards.

The problem was that drivers licenses come up for renewal every six years. But people who got licenses while noncitizens, and got their citizenship later, were not required to report their changed status to the DPS.

The groups that brought the lawsuits called the flawed voter purge an unconstitutional effort to intimidate people new to the country about exercising their voting rights.

At a federal court hearing in San Antonio, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery criticized the instructions to county voter registrars to send perfectly legal naturalized Americans such ham-handed and threatening letters demanding they prove their citizenship within 30 days, or be kicked off the voter rolls.

In a four-page order, the judge said the letters exemplified the power of government to strike fear and anxiety to intimidate the least powerful among us.

And, Judge Biery pointed out, No native-born Americans were subjected to such treatment.
And there was the realization among Nixon die-hards, when the smoking gun tape demonstrated the president had directly lied to them, that he just couldnt be trusted at all and was willing to make his supporters look foolish when they vouched for him.

But Congresss decision to push ahead with impeachment also was motivated by Nixons fundamental rejection of Congresss own legitimacy. Ive quoted the late political scientist Nelson W. Polsby on this point before:

In (Nixons) view, his election conferred not only an extraordinary measure of legitimacy upon him, but also a kind of illegitimacy upon many of the very people with whom a President ordinarily does business: the bureaucrats, interest group leaders, journalists, congressmen, and party leaders of official Washington,  To most of these groups in the course of his Presidency Nixon gave intentional offense, and in each case it was offense of a character that carried with it a clear threat of a very basic kind.  Nixons policies  consisted of a systematic trampling of his political fences, a direct assertion that the legitimacy of the Presidency entailed the illegitimacy of those other political elites to whom a President normally is accountable.
13-Year-Old Texas Student Who Drowned on School Trip Taken Off Life Support

A 13-year-old Texas student who was found at the bottom of a hotel pool while on a school trip was taken off of life support, his family said.

Hoang Minh Phan, a Dallas student, was in San Antonio for a trip when he drowned, his family wrote on a GoFundMe page. His brother, Hien Rizal Phan, said on April 29 that Hoang was taken off life support.

Hoang, a student at the Dallas Environmental Science Academy, was in San Antonio for a math and science competition. He was found face down and unresponsive at the pool at a Marriott Hotel on Northwest Loop on April 26.

Everyone was in the pool when they noticed one of their classmates was face down at the bottom of the pool, reported News 4. Hoang was rushed to the hospital but was in critical condition before being placed on life support.

Dallas Environmental Sciene Academy was the school my brother Hoang Minh Phan attend they let my brother died under their supervision. And want my family to suffer from their lack of supervision. 3531 N Westmoreland Rd, Dallas Texas. My family need answers @dallasschools  Hien  (@Thundernutz_1) April 28, 2019

Phan took to Twitter to request answers from the Dallas Independent School District.

Dallas Environmental Science Academy was the school my brother Hoang Minh Phan attend they let my brother died under their supervision. And want my family to suffer from their lack of supervision. 3531 N Westmoreland Rd, Dallas Texas. My family needs answers, he wrote.

In a statement obtained by News 4, the district said: We are saddened to learn about an incident involving a student from Dallas Environmental Science Academy, during an out-of-town math and science competition. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and school community.

We want to assure families that student safety is always a top priority. Dallas ISD is committed to providing support to students and staff. A counseling team has been made available and will continue to serve as needed. Once again, our thoughts and prayers are with the family, the district added.

13-year old found at bottom of hotel pool to be removed from life support @DarianTrotter @News4SA https://t.co/wj2DWZQZ06  Darian Trotter-Thomas (@DarianTrotter) April 30, 2019

Phan told WFAA that the accident has left the family devastated.

My brother was very loving. He treated everyone with a hug and open arms. He always smiled and was respectful, Phan said. He looked up to my other brother who is in the military. Hoang was hoping to enlist one day.

Police are investigating what happened.

MAMA, MY HEAD HURT: Kashala Francis mother said her daughter told her she was attacked by two girls after school on Thursday. https://t.co/CnEgcYfar8  ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) April 24, 2019

Cause of Death Revealed for 13-Year-Old

The cause of death for a 13-year-old who died several days after being attacked near her school in Houston, Texas, was a brain tumor, or complications of intracranial neoplasm.

The cause of death was issued after a medical examiner completed an autopsy on Kashala Francis, the teen, reported KTRK.

Video footage showed Kashala being violently attacked near Attucks Middle School on April 25. She died several days later in the hospital.

Mamie Jackson, the girls mother, believed that the tumor may have been exacerbated by the fight. I can see these girls kicking her in the head while other children are laughing at her, she said.

According to Miya Shay, a KTRK reporter, it was Unclear what, if any role a fight near her middle school days before played in the death.

Jackson told KTRK that her daughter returned home after the attack and had a bruise on her face but insisted she was fine. Two days later, her daughter was at a relatives house and appeared to become delusional. The day after that, Kashala became weak and lay down, and by the time first responders arrived, she was unconscious.

We found out she has a large tumor in the back of her head, and she had fluid buildup in her brain, Jackson said.

The girl was treated at Texas Childrens Hospital.

In a statement to the Houston Chronicle, the school district stated: The Houston Independent School District is deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of our students. We extend our sincere condolences to the students family, friends, teachers, and classmates. Off-campus events that preceded the students death are being investigated by the Houston Police Department, and HISD is cooperating. We have grief counselors available at Attucks Middle School for all who may need assistance.
BAIC's EX5 midsize electric SUV / Courtesy of BAIC Korea



By Nam Hyun-woo



Chinese carmakers are seeking to bring electric vehicles (EVs) to Korea, posing a threat to Hyundai and other domestic makers which have been dominating the rapidly growing segment, according to industry analysts, Monday.



According to Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC Group), its Korean importer BAIC Korea will showcase three electrified cars at the 2019 EV Trend Korea motor exhibition starting from May 2 at COEX, Seoul.



At the show, BAIC Korea will introduce the EU5 midsize sedan, the EX5 midsize SUV and the EX3 small SUV, with a plan to roll out them in the domestic market next year.



The EX5 is already drawing keen attention among domestic carmakers because of its longer distance on a charge and low price.



The EX5 is 4.48 meters long, 1.84 meters wide and 1.67 meters high, a similar size to Hyundai Motor's Tucson or Kia Motors' Sportage. No domestic carmakers have electrified cars in the midsize SUV segment.



As a spacious vehicle, the EX5 can cover up to 415 kilometers on a single charge, according to the BAIC Korea, which is longer than smaller models such as Hyundai Motor's Kona EV with 406 kilometers and Kia Motors' Soul Booster EV with 386 kilometers. The company said the EU5 can drive a whopping 460 kilometers on a single charge, and the EX3 can go 501 kilometers.





BAIC's EU5 electric sedan / Courtesy of BAIC Korea



BAIC's EVs' strongest advantage will likely be their price. Though the company has yet to set up domestic prices, the EX5's price in China starts from 250,000 yuan ($37,110), which is far cheaper than Kia's smaller EV costing 47.8 million won ($41,299).



If those cars are introduced into the domestic market with the same government subsidy for EVs, domestic carmakers will lose their price competitiveness.



"This is not the same as the previous unsuccessful inroads into the domestic market by Chinese engine car makers," a car firm official said. "Along with BYD, BIAC is leading the global EV market based on strong supports from the government. If those cars manage to defy the domestic consumers' stereotypes about Chinese products  as Xiaomi did  they will be a serious challenge to domestic carmakers."





BAIC's EX3 electric SUV / Courtesy of BAIC Korea
2 Sixth-Graders Charged With Plot to Shoot Students, Faculty at Elementary School

Two sixth-grade students were arrested and charged after investigators discovered their plot to shoot students and staff at an elementary school in Tennessee, according to officials.

The investigation first began after the school resource officer for South Cumberland Elementary uncovered a rumor about the possible existence of a hit list that contained names of students who were to be shot in a future attack, according to a statement jointly released by Cumberland County Schools and Cumberland County Sheriffs Office.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SCHOOLSDirector Janet GrahamCUMBERLAND COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICESheriff Casey CoxCROSSVILLE POLICE  Cumberland County Schools, Crossville, TN  2019429

Authorities said the investigation did not turn up a hit list, but detectives found a hand-drawn map of the school and an alleged plot between two sixth-graders, who have not been identified, to bring weapons, hide them in the locker room, and enter through the back door to shoot faculty and students on the last day of school. Part of their plan was to also commit suicide before law enforcement intervention, officials said.

They also found multiple conversations about the preparation of the alleged plot between the two students in the past two weeks.

Investigators were not able to find weapons at either of the students homes. The statement said the parents of both students are very cooperative in assisting school administration and authorities.

Our first and most important responsibility is to ensure the safety of our students and staff. It was determined that at no time during the investigation students or staff were believed to be in any

immediate danger, Director Janet Graham said in the statement.

Both students were arrested and taken to the Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Facility where they were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. They will remain in custody awaiting a hearing in the Juvenile Court, the statement said.

We take any threat to students and school faculty very seriously and we will respond, investigate and take swift appropriate action to manage each threat, Casey Cox, the Cumberland Country sheriff, said in the statement.

Parents Concerned

Some parents were upset because they were not directly alerted about the alleged plot from school officials, reported WVLT.

South Cumberland mom Kimberly Derossett said, If youre a dollar late on you lunch money they send a text, your child is behind on lunch, but they cant send an alert saying this whats going on and your kids are safe.

Some social media users also shared the same sentiments.

Why are the parents JUST finding out about this and in THIS manner on social media!!!!! RIDICULOUS!!!! I am thankful for being diligent in taking action but KEEP THE PARENTS INFORMED !!!! INSTEAD OF FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS ON LINE, one social media user wrote on the officials post.

This is absolutely absurd that all parents in the county werent notified. What if say while this is going on, there isnt another actual threat at another school?? Cumberland county schools, you need to notify parents before you post this on social media because some of us work and cant or dont just Sit around on Facebook all day, another wrote.

WHY are the parents just finding out about this?!?! There is absolutely NO excuse for it!! It went to the media first why? This is crazy and I am so upset about it, one of the parents wrote.

Meanwhile, other social media users were just thankful no one was hurt.

Im very thankful that no one was hurt or injured! Anthony deserves recognition on a job well done! But why am I finding out about this on social media? one person wrote.

This is very sad and scary that 6th graders are plotting this stuff. Thank you for taking the situation as seriously as you are, another wrote.
2-Year-Old Fighting for Life After Falling Into Pot of Boiling Water in Ukraine Home

A Ukranian boy is fighting for his life after falling into a pot of boiling water that left him with 70 percent burns, according to local reports.

Ivan Maletych, 2, is intensive care after falling into a 10-gallon pan of boiling water in his home in southern Ukraine on April 23.

I heated the water to wash clothes, his mother, Ivanna Maletych said, according to media outlet LMN. We do not have a washing machine, so I do everything with my hands.

According to local reports, she had left the pan to cool, and then became distracted by something.

She heard her sons screams and realised that he had fallen into the pot.

According to LMN, the woman, who looks after her four children on her own, rushed to the neighbors, who drove them to the hospital.

Victor Pyzhevsky, head of the department of the 8th Lviv Clinical Hospital, told local media that the boy had suffered 70 percent burns and was in critical condition when he was brought in.

He has been put on an artificial ventilator.

Three days after the boy fell into the pot, doctors said that it was hard to know whether he would survive.

The hardest days are still ahead, Vasyl Savchin, the head of the burn center told Zaxid.net on April 26. Between the 5th and 8th day after burns, the body begins to shed the burnt skin and then lots of toxins are released into the bloodstream.

Savchin did not want to give a forecast as to whether the boy would survive, saying he would be able to give a more concrete answer in two weeks time.

According to Zaxid.net, only his face and the part of his body under his diaper were not burned.

A neighbor told LMN that the family had to use a stove and firewood for heating after the gas was shut off several months ago because they couldnt pay the bills in their cottage in the village of Starosambirsky, in Ukraines Lviv Oblast region.

Ivanka also has three older children, the neighbor said. She cares for them, the children are calm, they go to school, they never say anything bad about them in the village.

With no money for her sons treatment, the family have appealed for donations, and the village community have promised to help, according to Zaxid.net.

According to the Daily Mail, his mother said: I am constantly in the hospital with my son.

Doctors say nothing on his chances of survival.

My heart is broken and I cannot forgive myself for what happened.

Police are treating the case as an accident, according to the Daily Mail.

The tragic incident comes just one month after another Ukrainian child died after falling into a bucket of boiling water being used to prepare his bath.

Pictures taken by a local volunteer showed 11-month-old Daniil Chernenko swathed in bandages in his hospital bed in Odessa on March 18, after he suffered horrific burns to 80 percent of his body in the village of Salhany.

According to the volunteer, Katherine Nozhevnikova, only his toes and forehead were not burned.

His mother said that she had heated up a pan of water for his bath and put it on the floor of the bedroom below the table where she had put her son, according to the Daily Mail.

However, when she turned to get cold water to mix for a bath, he fell from the table into the boiling water.

I saw how he fell in the boiling water, she said, according to the Mail. I rushed to the bucket and pulled him out.

I hugged him, then wrapped him in a cotton cloth. When I unwrapped him, I saw his skin was peeling off.

He passed away 11 days later on March 29.
3-Year-Old Girl Found Home Alone With Mothers Dead Body

A 3-year-old girl was found home alone with her mothers dead body at a house in Michigan.

The mother, 27, was not identified.

The Oakland County Sheriffs Office said that the aunt of the woman tried to contact her for a few days and when she still had no response she decided to check on her.

Deputies with the office and firefighters with the Waterford Regional Fire Department went to the house in Pontiac and found the woman dead with several empty aerosol cans of compressed air lying nearby.

There were no signs of trauma, reported Fox 2. The sheriffs office said that the woman had a history of drug use. An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death.

A 3-year-old girl was found inside the home with her mothers dead body in Pontiac yesterday. The sheriff says the mom was found with several empty aerosol cans of compressed air: https://t.co/fG0aVdkicb  FOX 2 Detroit (@FOX2News) April 30, 2019

The girl was found in the house and taken to the McLaren-Oakland Hospital as a precautionary measure. She was slated to be released to the care of her great-grandfather.

The incident came about a week after police found a 3-year-old boy wandering in Pontiac around 3:40 a.m.

Deputies with the Oakland County Sheriffs Office were dispatched to N. Saginaw on April 24 when someone found the toddler and he didnt know where he lived.

Deputies tried to find the boys parents but were not successful, reported the Oakland Press. The boys mother, 27, was eventually found at a house on Saginaw Street. She told officers that she checked on the boy at 3 a.m. and that he was in his room.

Child Protective Services launched an investigation.

TRAGIC: Couple found dead in murder-suicide in bedroom of their Chatsworth condo, their two young children also found unharmed inside https://t.co/fS7hZtzyk9  ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 15, 2019

3-Year-Old Girl and Infant Brother Survive Alone for Days

An infant and a toddler were alone for days next to their parents bodies after an apparent murder-suicide in California, police said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said that the father killed his wife before killing himself at a house in Chatsworth. The couples 3-month-old son and 4-year-old daughter were alone for several days next to the bodies of their parents, reported Fox 11.

The bodies were discovered on April 14.

Olivia Robinson, who lives nearby, told CBS LA that her husband entered the house and found the bodies.

He grabbed the gun and he told me to come over, he gave me the little girl, shes obviously traumatized, said Robinson. Another neighbor, Tony Medina, said that he fed the girl and watched her until police arrived.

She heard her mom crying, and then what really was kinda heart-wrenching was when she saw mommy was broken, he said.

Robinson said that they found the girl downstairs.

She obviously was in bad condition because she reeked really bad of urine, she told KTLA. And she had more of a blank stare on her face. She was very, very quiet.

She and her husband asked the girl where her parents were.

Update: Neighbors say they found 2 young children in Chatsworth home where couple died in suspected murder-suicide, and they fear they had been there for days, @Carlos_Saucedo reports https://t.co/Lvmxv807Hh  KTLA (@KTLA) April 16, 2019

I think she may have said they were sleeping, but she told me that theyre upstairs and theyre hurt, James Robinson said. Right there, we figured its just not good.

Medina said that residents were talking to each other over a neighborhood watch application and thought that something might be wrong at the house.

Neighbors heard an argument at the house and heard loud blasts, he told the Los Angeles Daily News. Then, lights at the house stayed on for several days.

Police went to the house on Sunday to perform a welfare check but said they lacked probable cause to force their way inside. A real estate agent gave neighbors access to the house later that day.

The children survived the ordeal and were admitted to a local hospital. They suffered from dehydration, among other issues.

Medina said that the baby was barely breathing but that last he heard, the infant was in stable condition at the hospital.

Custody of the children was taken over by the Department of Childrens Family Services.
A Border Patrol agent prepares to search an illegal alien from Mexico who tried to evade capture after crossing the Rio Grande into the United States near McAllen, Texas, on April 18, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

8 Hours With Border Patrol in Texas Rio Grande Valley

McALLEN, TexasSeven Chinese illegal aliens try to evade Border Patrol; a smuggler ferries two Guatemalans across the Rio Grande on a raft; groups of Mexicans run from Border Patrol; a K-9 unit catches them; an EMT conducts medical screenings on Central American families; and group after group after group of Central Americans emerge from the riverbank to find Border Patrol.

On April 18, The Epoch Times spent eight hours with Border Patrol in a small area of southeast Texas, in the nations busiest area for illegal crossings. During the 24-hour period in which we were out, Border Patrol apprehended more than 1,000 illegal aliens in the Rio Grande Valley Sector. As of April 23, seven months into the fiscal year, illegal alien apprehensions in the sector (164,000) had surpassed the total apprehensions in all of fiscal year 2018.

Here is a snapshot of what we saw.

7:10 a.m.

Border Patrol agents apprehend seven illegal immigrants from China, one from Mexico, and a minor from El Salvador who were trying to evade capture after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States. A Chinese man, Dong Jin Shun, said he paid $15,000 to fly to Mexico and cross the border illegally. Dong said he plans to claim asylum from persecution, but couldnt say why he didnt just fly straight into the United States and do that. I dont know. We all fly this way. He said a friend in Beijing put him in contact with a smuggler. He had planned to go to New York.

8:19 a.m.

Border Patrol agents apprehend five illegal aliens from Mexico as they tried to run away after crossing the Rio Grande. One man told us the group paid $1,500 to a smuggler and planned to pay the rest, $5,500, after they got across. Another man said he was planning on going to Chicago, where he previously lived. Border Patrol said its likely that the man had been deported, possibly after committing a crime. Border Patrol said smugglers had pushed five groups across the border in five different locations right after a shift change. Many managed to evade capture.

8:49 a.m.

Border Patrol agent Tait Seelhorst and his K-9 Zak find an illegal alien from Mexico who was trying to evade capture. The K-9 earlier found two males from Honduras who had been in the same group. Several others got away and agents saw one man jump into the Rio Grande to escape arrest.

10:52 a.m.

Border Patrol agent Carlos Ruiz apprehends a group of 35 Hondurans, mostly in family units, that had just crossed the Rio Grande in rafts. Two women are pregnant, one due any day. One pregnant woman said her husband and their other child crossed separately, so they could be processed as separate family units (otherwise, one parent can be taken and prosecuted).

11:46 a.m.

Also in the group, one man told us he came alone. Later, he said one of the boys, who was about 7, in the group was his son. While processing the group, Border Patrol told us that the man didnt know the boys birthdate and they would investigate further. Customs and Border Protection has found 3,100 fake families over the past year.

1:23 p.m.

A smuggler ferries a Guatemalan woman and her daughter across the Rio Grande on a raft from Mexico into the United States. The woman knew to look for Border Patrol, and said she plans to go to Houston.

1:55 p.m.

We stopped a Honduran man and a 13-year-old girl who were walking up the road toward Border Patrol. The man said the girl was his daughter and that they were claiming asylum because she had been threatened. He had a file with some paperwork with him, which he said was documentation of the threats. He said he paid $1,800 for the both of them to cross. They plan to go to Houston, where he has a welding job lined up.

2:08 p.m.

We came across another group of 23 walking up from the river: a mix of adults and children. One family unit from Honduras said they paid $1,800 to get across the Rio Grande from Mexico. Border Patrol said the payment was likely for the whole family. The family said their destination is Maryland.

2:30 p.m.

Another five people emerged from the riverbank: two men with two children and a woman who was eight months pregnant. The men said they were headed to Dallas, while the woman said her destination was San Francisco.

With reporting by Kimberly OConnell.
Japan's head of state Akihito hands over his statement to the grand chamberlain during the ceremony of his abdication at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The 85-year-old Akihito ends his three-decade reign on Tuesday. (Japan Pool via The Associated Press)

Akihito Abdicates the Throne as Japan Marks End of Era

TOKYO  Japanese head of state Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony on April 30 in his final address, as the nation embraced the end of his reign with reminiscence and hope for a new era.

As he walked out of the room following his speech and officials were taking away the imperial regalia in a box, Akihito turned around, paused and bowed to the audience.

Japans head of state Akihito bows before leaving after the abdication ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The 85-year-old Akihito ends his three-decade reign on Tuesday. (Japan Pool via The Associated Press)

Akihitos reign will officially end at midnight, when his son Crown Prince Naruhito, who observed Akihitos abdication ceremony, succeeds him as nations 126th head of state.

Naruhitos wife Masako and daughter Aiko are barred from the ceremony because they are female members of the royal family, a palace tradition that the government upheld despite criticism that it is out of step with modern values.

The role of the Japanese head of state is largely symbolic in Japans postwar constitution, and most of Akihitos duties are managed by a controlling Imperial Household Agency. But Akihitos dedication in reaching out to the people, especially those suffering or less fortunate, earned him popularity among Japanese people.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed gratitude in a letter to Akihito for his emphasis on peace and contributions to developing relations between Seoul and Tokyo. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed appreciheadation for his contribution to the two countries close relations. Trump had a courtesy meeting with Akihito during his 2017 Japan visit and will be the first foreign leader in May to meet the new head of state.

End of an Imperial Era

Despite the wet and cold weather, many people gathered outside the palace compound hours before the ceremony, even though they were not allowed to look inside. Thousands of police were mobilized around the palace and across downtown Tokyo.

We came because today is the last day of Heisei (the reign of Akihito), and we feel nostalgic, said Akemi Yamauchi, 55, standing outside the palace with her husband.

People raise their arms in the air toward Imperial Palace in Tokyo Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Japanese ruler Akihito is set to abdicate later in the day. (Shinji Kita/Kyodo News via The Associated Press)

Japanese television talk shows displayed a countdown to the midnight transition, and programming was dominated by the abdication and looking back at major events during Akihitos three-decade reign, including a massive 2011 tsunami, a deadly earthquake in Kobe in 1995, and the Tokyo subway nerve gas attack in 1995 that shook Japans sense of safety and confidence.

Still, Japan was in festive mood over a change in an imperial era not caused by death. Many people visited shrines and temples to receive stamps dated on the last day of Akihitos era of Heisei, or achieving peace. Some amusement parks and shops offered free admission and special deals, while customers had their last Heisei meals at restaurants. Naruhitos era of Reiwa, or beautiful harmony begins Wednesday.

Akihito, 85, took the throne in 1989 and was the first Japanese ruler to marry a commoner.

Japanese ruler Akihito leaves after a ritual to announce his abdication to the throne, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. (Japan Pool via The Associated Press)

Jeff Kingston, Asian studies director at Temple Universitys Japan campus, says Akihito has served as Japans chief emissary of reconciliation, while acting as consoler in chief in reaching out to the people. Akihito was also a strong advocate of the vulnerable and the marginalized in the Japanese society, he said. I think the people really warmed to him and felt that the monarchy was relevant to their lives because of these efforts by Akihito.

Recent media surveys have shown public support for the imperial family at 80%, the highest ever for the institution.

Akihito will be known as the head of state emeritus and will no longer have official duties. He and his wife Michiko will move to a temporary royal residence before eventually switching places with Naruhito.

By Mari Yamaguchi
Migrants look for another way to enter the United States, after being turned back by riot police just west of the San Ysidro border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, on Nov. 25, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Alleged Antifa Plot for Armed Conflict at the Border Uncovered by FBI

An alleged and bizarre plot has been uncovered, involving a Mexican cartel, anti-fascist activists in the United States, migrant caravans, and an alleged cartel associate named Cobra Commander.

As strange as it sounds, though, the story appears to be rather serious. It involves a plot to start an armed conflict at the U.S.Mexico border.

The case was uncovered in a federal investigation last year into groups and individuals behind the migrant caravans. Details were included in a Dec. 18, 2018, document from the FBI, which the San Diego Union-Tribune said it obtained.

The document states that part of the federal investigation focused on an alleged plot by a drug cartel to sell guns to protesters, and said activists had planned to buy guns from a Mexico-based cartel associate known as Cobra Commander, or Ivan Riebeling.

After getting these guns, the newspaper says, The protesters wanted to stage an armed rebellion at the border.'

The document isnt public, so the information cant be independently verified. A phone call to the FBI press office by The Epoch Times seeking information went unanswered.

The Union-Tribune says the FBI report is unclassified and was provided on the condition that names of individuals in the report werent made public. The paper didnt publish the report online because the investigation is ongoing.

It says the group behind the planned uprising was anti-fascist activists, an apparent reference to the anarchist-communist group Antifagiven a key individual it mentions. Antifas activities are said to have been classified as domestic terrorism, and the group was being investigated by the FBI in 2017. The group, which has various branches, carries out violent attacks for political intimidation.

Antifas Terrorist Connections

This plot fits the kinds of operations carried out by Antifa.

Antifa operates across the U.S. in ways that involve at least potentially criminal interstate activities, such as inciting a riot and conspiracy to incite riot, as well as behavior, said FBI Director Christopher Wray, during a Nov. 30, 2017, House Homeland Security Committee hearing.

Wray said, We are investigating a number of what we would call anarchist-extremist investigations, where we would have properly predicated subjects of people who are motivated to commit violent criminal activity on kind of an Antifa ideology.

He noted that the FBI regards Antifa as an ideology, rather than a single movement. The bureau has a number of active investigations in that space all around the country, he said, adding that the funding sources behind Antifa are something were keenly interested in.

Antifas activities were called domestic terrorist violence by the FBI during the Obama administration. Information on the classification was from an FBI and Homeland Security Department joint intelligence assessment obtained by Politico.

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness website also lists Antifa under its Domestic Terrorism section as a group of anarchist extremists. It appears the page has been removed, but the web archives are still available.

Antifa also was allegedly colluding with the terrorist groups al-Qaeda and ISIS, according to FBI documents published in All Out War: The Plot to Destroy Trump by Ed Klein, the former editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine.

In the FBI report that I have reproduced in full in my book, it says that these violent left-wing groups traveled to Europe, met with representatives of al-Qaida and the Islamic State, or ISIS. They also went to Syria and got bomb-making instructions and toxic chemical instructions, Klein said in a Nov. 19 interview with investigative website USA Watchdog.

Despite these connections, Antifa has been praised by many legacy news outlets and was recently referred to by Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden as courageous.

Armed Plot at Border

In the alleged armed plot at the U.S.Mexico border, the Union-Tribune cites the document as saying the anti-fascist activists had planned to disrupt U.S. law enforcement and military security operations at the US/Mexican border.

Despite the alleged condition for obtaining the report of not identifying individuals mentioned in it, the Union-Tribune named two of them and alerted them by requesting comment. They were Evan Duke, an Antifa activist, and Riebeling, also known as Cobra Commander. Both of them denied the accusations.

Reibeling told the Union-Tribune, It doesnt make any sense that someone from the United States would purchase guns in Mexico.

The logic that people wouldnt buy firearms in Mexico is unclear, yet is likely based on false rumors that guns used by the Mexican cartel come primarily from the United Statesa rumor that legacy news outlets have promoted. The majority of black market firearms in Mexico originate in China.

Reibeling is the international coordinator of Human Rights Visitors of the New World Order (Visitadores de Derechos Humanos del Nuevo Orden Mundial). He was exposed in 2018 for making threats against a journalist, Odilon Garcia, for exposing his criminal history.

According to MundoHispanico, Reibeling had called to create an army against migrants in Mexico, in a video he published on social media. It says, He urged Mexicans to create an international self-defense group to combat the caravans of migrants who passed through the Aztec country to reach the United States.

In the recording, he even asked the members of Mexican cartels to attack the migrants. However, a review of the Quadratin portal that still remains on the internet mentions the Riebeling file, according to the MundoHispanico report, translated from Spanish.

According to the Union-Tribune, a few names in the FBI report overlap with a database of people monitored by the Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations.

Duke, meanwhile, has been described as an anti-fascist organizer. According to reports, the 48-year-old from Seattle has been active in Mexico and involved with the migrant caravans. According to KPBS, Duke was an organizer behind the Caravan Support Network.

The network allegedly took part in the New Years Day rush of illegal aliens against the U.S. border, which led to viral images of people being teargassed.

At the time, a woman from Honduras told The Epoch Times in Mexico that she was pressured by open-borders groups to rush the border with her son. Protest organizers called on the thousands of migrants to march on the border, and the woman, Maria Luisa Caceres, said that while she did not want to, as we are with the caravan, we are forced to.
Arizona Toddler Returns from Daycare With Bite Marks, Parents Demand Answers

The parents of a 15-month-old Arizona girl are demanding answers after their child came back from daycare covered in bite marks.

Rylee Umstead and Rocio Enriquez, the parents of little Mila, told KGUN that after Umstead returned home from a Sunrise Preschool in Maricopa they found that the child had eight bite injuries on her body.

I lifted up her shirt just a little bit, and it freaked me out, Umstead told AZFamily. I froze up, just shocked.

When Umstead, the childs father, picked up Mila from preschool on Thursday, April 25, he said he was told that about 20 minutes earlier his daughter had been bitten.

Enriquez, the little girls mother, told KGUN the daycare said it was an isolated incident that happened quickly.

She told me there were three children in the classroom including my daughter, Enriquez told the station. A teacher was changing a diaper  when another child went on top of her and started biting her.

The parents are not satisfied and have asked to review surveillance footage.

They have also filed a police report.

We dont know what to think because we dont know the true answer, Umsted told ABC15, saying the preschool has not allowed them to review the footage. But theres a video out there that tells the truth.

The Response

Sunrise Preschools said in a statement cited by Q13Fox that staff immediately provided care and assistance to the injured child, adding, we are cooperating with the proper authorities.

Dana Vela, the president of Sunrise Preschools, said in a follow-up statement that the caregiver had been suspended.

On Thursday April 25th a toddler was bitten multiple times by another toddler during a very short timeframe, Vela wrote, according to Q13Fox. This should not have happened. Only four children were under the supervision of the caregiver watching the children. That caregiver has been suspended without pay pending further investigation.

Vela also said the child who bit the classmate had been expelled.

While there is established protocol to address occasional biting behavior common to many toddlers, the severity of the incident demanded a more appropriate response, she said in the statement.

ABC15 interviewed Lashawna Goulburne, the mother of the 2-year-old who allegedly bit Umsteds daughter and has been expelled.

Goulburne told the station she wasnt called when the incident happened, and not told that police were called for her sons actions until the next day.

Hes not at fault here, Goulburne told ABC15. Hes two, and we pay, not only me but the other family, we pay for our children to be protected and be monitored and safe.

Meanwhile, Milas mother told AZFamily the incident has left her child traumatized.

[She is] not the same Mila we knew when we dropped her off that day, Enriquez told the news outlet. Shes gotten to the point where she doesnt want anyone to lift her shirt up. She freaks out.

Daycare Workers Charged Over Doll Scare Video

Two Kentucky daycare workers have been charged over an online video that shows one of them scaring a toddler with a doll.

WKYT-TV reports Wendys Wonderland worker Tasha Cox is accused of filming Diana Willett waiving a doll at a 2-year-old girl who has a well-known fear of dolls and small animals.

A Kentucky daycare worker scared a toddler with a doll on video. Now she and another employee are facing charges. https://t.co/bW9r8SIVEX pic.twitter.com/eQm89pKkR0  Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) April 24, 2019

The video was shared on Facebook and shows the girl hiding under a table, crying, and shoving the doll away as the singing caregiver waves it close. The caregiver later comments that the girl wont stop crying.

Wayne County Sheriffs deputies say they learned of allegations on Friday. Willet was arrested Monday, April 22, and charged with criminal child abuse. Cox was arrested and charged with failure to report the abuse. Its unclear if they have lawyers.

#MonticelloKY

The video was shared on Facebook and shows the girl hiding under a table, crying and shoving the doll away as the singing caregiver waves it close.

The caregiver later comments that the girl wont stop crying.https://t.co/WUm0HVH1gc  Christian Hauser (@ChristianWKRC12) April 24, 2019

Daycare Employees Over Melatonin Gummies

At least two daycare workers have been fired after allegations that one of the employees gave out gummies laced with melatonin to children to get them to nap, according to reports.

The executive director of Full Potential Child Development Center located at Little Rock, Arkansas, confirmed the incident with Fox 16 and said the two employees were fired on the same day the allegations were made. The daycare also said they reported the incident to the child abuse hotline, to their child care licensing agency, and the parents of the children involved.

The daycare's executive director says two workers were fired the same day the allegations were made, and a report was also filed with the Child Abuse Hotline.  FOX16 News  201942

According to a statement issued by the daycare, the incident first surfaced when a daycare staff member reported she witnessed another worker give out melatonin gummies to the children before nap time on one occasion, reported the news station.

The daycare management investigated the report and the accused worker denied the allegations, insisting that she had only given out candy. Moreover, management did not find evidence of melatonin during a search.

During further investigation, another employee that worked in the classroom said it did happen on one occasion but denied involvement.

The daycare subsequently fired the staff member that gave out the gummies and the staff member who initially failed to report the incident.

Kristen Lauletta, Jessica Heyse and Ashley Helfenbein each face two counts of child endangerment and two counts of battery.  CBS News  201835

Allegedly, this was done in an effort to calm them down before nap time, police said, reported the news station, citing a statement.

The daycare facility was previously cited for violations during the states Department of Human Services on-site visit. During the latest visit in June 2018, the facility had five violations cited.

The Associated Press and Epoch Times reporter Janita Kan contributed to this article.
Juan Guaido, recognized by Washington and 50 other nations as Venezuela's legitimate leader, talks to media outside the airforce base La Carlota on April 30, 2019 in Caracas, Venezuela. (Rafael Briceno/Getty Images)

Armored Vehicle Runs Down Protesters as Clashes Intensify in Venezuela

Confrontations between protesters and Venezuelan security forces escalated in Caracas, with an armored vehicle running over unarmed protesters hours after Juan Guaido called on people to flock to the streets peacefully as he begins the final phase of his plan to oust regime leader Nicolas Maduro.

Guaido, head of the nations congress who is recognized by over 50 nations as Venezuelas legitimate leader, joined the protests on April 30 with activist Leopoldo Lopez, who had been detained by Maduro. The two were accompanied by a small contingent of soldiers who have defected from Maduros regime.

Guaido and protestors occupied and then abandoned the La Carlota air base in Altamira in the morning hours of April 30.

Today, brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men supporting the constitution have answered our call, Guaido said in a video posted on his Twitter account. The end of the usurpation is today.

Lopez, who was arrested in 2014 for calling for protests against Maduro, said on Twitter that he had been freed by the military by the order of the constitution of President Guaido.

As crowds of masked protesters gathered late in the morning, throwing rocks and occasionally Molotov cocktails at armored vehicles blocking their path near the airport, one of those vehicles proceeded to plow into the crowds, widely shared footage from the incident shows. A number of protesters tried to retreat but couldnt evade the vehicles path as it accelerated. Other protesters rushed to the aid of those injured; it is yet unknown how many were affected or if there were fatalities.

The incident was vehemently denounced in social media by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international observers as the latest violation of human rights on the part of the Maduro regime which holds onto power despite Venezuelas spiraling economic, social, and political crisis.

[The incident] was a flagrant violation of the right to life that generates judicial repercussions, said Rodolfo Montes, a lawyer at Venezuelan human rights advocacy group, PROVEA, who said it would be brought to the International Criminal Court along with other human rights violations repeatedly employed by security forces since 2017.

The vehicles previously had used water cannons in a failed attempt to disperse the crowds who returned rocks. The air base remains in control of Maduro loyalists, but is currently up in flames.

In nearby Altamira Plaza, eyewitnesses described a tense calm as crowds awaited Guaido, and security forces used disproportionate force against opposition protesters.

Military Support

Guaido has pledged that he has the support of the main military units of our Armed Forces, but it remains unclear who determined those figures. Several high-ranking military officials publicly announced that they remain loyal to Maduro.

Maduros defense minister, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, said the uprising is a coup-mongering movement that seeks to fill the country with violence, but was ultimately insignificant.

Guaido, however, has stated there is no way back and is calling on the Venezuelan people to take to the streets until Maduro falls.

Those calls were met by crowds who amassed in Altamira, in East Caracas, in confrontations with national security forces who fired tear gas and rubber bullets.

Military forces have so far not appeared in public in support of Guaido, but neither have they broken up the disturbances. Some members of national security force know as The National Guard, however, have been shown in video footage with the opposition leader, having defected from Maduro.

Armed pro-Maduro civilians on motorbikes, known as colectivos, have been called upon to break up the crowds. Loyal colectivos are often used by Maduro to quash protests as they are less likely to refuse orders to oppress protesters than the military, minimizing the prospect of a military rupture.

Both the colectivos and national guard have opened fire, but it is not clear whether gunshots were directed at the public.

Phil Gunson, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, says since Guaidos main source of power is popular support, it wont work if ordinary citizens are too scared to turn out in large numbers.

Reports emerged from local media at midday that the uprising actually had been planned to be executed with the support of high-ranking officials at some point in the future, but quickly was brought forward as it emerged that there were orders to arrest Guaido. The Epoch Times wasnt able to verify these claims.
A canola grower checks on his storage bins full of last year's crop of canola seed on his farm near Cremona, AB, on March 22, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)

As China Blocks Canadian Farm Exports, Ottawa Looking for New Asian Markets

As part of the efforts to deal with Chinas ban of shipments of Canadian canola, Ottawa is looking for new markets in Asia for the product, according to International Trade Minister Jim Carr.

China has suspended the licenses of two of Canadas biggest canola producers, Richardson International and Viterra, and banned canola shipments from Canada over the past few months, claiming that the shipments were contaminated with pests.

Relations between China and Canada have deteriorated since Canada arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition request last December. Beijing has detained two Canadian citizens in apparent retaliation for Mengs arrest, and escalated the sentence of another Canadian charged with drug trafficking offences to the death penalty.

Producers in Canada are now reporting that soybeans, peas, and pork shipments are also facing obstacles entering China.

Canadian officials say Chinas cited concerns are baseless, and have asked for Canadian inspectors to be allowed to examine the shipments in China, but their requests have been denied.

We want to have a science conversation with the Chinese to verify any allegations that the very high-quality Canadian canola has any impurities at all, Carr said.

Meanwhile, its important that we look for other markets for our canola and certainly Asia-Pacific is among them, including Japan.

Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer said that in response to Chinas rejection of Canadian exports, Ottawa should pull hundreds of dollars that Canada has committed to Chinas multilateral development bank.

Scheer said in a news conference on April 29 that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should cut off a promised $256 million to Chinas Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, launch a complaint about the canola ban with the World Trade Organization, and increase support for Canadian farmers who are being harmed with the export blockage. He also said Trudeau should appoint a new ambassador to China. The position has been vacant since former ambassador John McCallum was fired after he made remarks that implied he favoured the release of Meng.

By doing nothing, this policy of appeasement that Justin Trudeau has pursued with the government in China has clearly not worked, Scheer said.

Trudeau has said that his government will be doing more on the canola file and there will be an announcement in the coming days.

It is not an easy situation. It is one weve taken very seriously, he said

The ongoing issues between Canada and China were also discussed between Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited Ottawa on April 28.

Trudeau said China is trying to impose its approach on countries around the world. As countries like Japan and Canada continue to engage economically with China, we have to deal with some of these challenges.

Abe said Canada and Japan are united in their approach to China since they share democratic values, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for human rights.

We shall have to raise our voices in unity together so that China will go towards a positive, constructive role, Abe said.

With files from The Canadian Press and Reuters
Autistic Child Barred From Flight After Not Paying Extra to Bring Toy Aboard Says Mother

A discount airline prevented a disabled child from boarding a flight because nobody would pay more for a small comfort doll to be carried aboard, a mother has claimed.

Ryanair crew allegedly refused to board Leo Estella, 15, on April 27 because they failed to collect the 25 ($32.34) carry-on fee from him and his carer at AlicanteElche Airport, 263 miles southeast of Madrid.

After learning Leo had missed his flight back to Doncaster, 36 miles southeast of Leeds in the United Kingdom, mother Helen Estella used social media to vent her frustration about the airlines handling of her sons mental health challenges.

He has severe autism and the mental capacity of a 3-year-old, Helen said in a Facebook post dated April 27. Police were called and four or five of them surrounded him at Alicante Airport  they physically touched him without his awareness and his doll, which caused his meltdown.

My poor Leo  he is now petrified and stuck in Alicante. Shame on you Ryanair you are a disgrace, she added in another Facebook post dated April 27.

My poor Leo is at Alicante airport and they wanted to charge to take his doll on board .. he has had a huge autistic  Helen Estella  2019427

The mother believes the confrontation could have easily been avoided if staff had a basic understanding of autism and recognized the lanyard the carer wore to alert airport staff Leo was disabled.

Special assistance had been requested as not all disabilities are visible but we were told no by Ryanair because Leo can walk, she said. He had to be then taken to the airport doctor and medicated as he was so distressed. Ryanair off-loaded the luggage and offered them no other way to get home, shrugging shoulders saying no flights til next Tuesday.

HES FINALLY ON THE PLANE! This is my son Leo he is 15 he has severe autism and the mental capacity of a 3 year old..  Helen Estella  2019427

Ryanair responded to Estellas remarks on social media that the carrier should consider training all staff in how to deal with autistic passengers.

We are sorry to hear this. Please submit a complaint here https://contactform.ryanair.com and our customer service department to investigate, a Ryanair Customer Service Officer wrote in a Twitter post.

@Ryanair Your company seriously needs to look at training staff to understand Autism. This is a disgrace   helen.wakefield@rocketmail.com (@helenwakefiel11) April 27, 2019

We are sorry to hear this. Please submit a complaint here https://t.co/uBey6h6Srp and our customer service department to investigate.

Irene  Ryanair (@Ryanair) April 27, 2019

The airline disputes Helens allegations, explaining neither Leo nor his carer ever made it to the boarding gate in time for departure.

This teenage passenger and his carer were provided with special assistance by Alicante airport after checking in. All such assistance in Alicante is provided by the Airport Authority, a Ryanair spokesperson told The Sun.

The spokesperson claimed Leo actually became agitated and aggressive toward his carer at passport control, after which the pair decided not to travel and were instead taken to the airport medical assistance team where Leo was sedated.

As these two passengers never arrived at the Ryanair boarding gate their luggage was offloaded at the request of Alicante passport control staff, who advised Ryanairs gate agents that they had decided not to travel, the spokesperson said. These two passengers did not arrive at the boarding gate and, therefore, they were not denied boarding and neither were they charged for any hand luggage.

The carer eventually took Leo to a nearby competitor Jet2 whose staff were more than happy to help arrange another flight.

They stayed with Leo from when they bought new tickets at the desk and sat on the floor with him as he was so frightened to board the plane, trying to calm and reassure him. He was in a wheelchair at this point due to them medicating him, Helen said. Jet2 Cabin Crew [Member Ellie] sat on the floor calming him  and talking to him  she was amazing.

The Jet2 captain also came to check on Leos wellbeing according to the mother.

Please accept my thanks from the bottom of my heart, Helen said. Please everyone share this for me, I would be so grateful and really want to show the level of compassion and outstanding customer service Jet2 have shown.

Update on Leo .. Bought more tickets with Jet2 .. they have given him a full row of seats and wavered the case charge.  Helen Estella  2019427

The mothers Facebook post has already attracted more than 38,000 likes, 76,000 shares, and 14,000 comments.


Leadership vacuum, strong dollar, high oil prices weigh on flagship carriers



By Nam Hyun-woo



Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are facing an increasingly unfavorable business outlook as they struggle to deal with the strong dollar, high oil prices and other adverse conditions, according to industry analysts Monday.



The recent sudden change of top managers at the two flagship carriers has made things go from bad to worse, they said.



The two carriers are having a hard time after both losing their long-time chiefs abruptly over the past month, and key external factors swaying their profitability are dealing additional heavy blows to their financial prudence.



The most imminent threat is the oil price hike. According to International Air Transport Association Jet Fuel Price Monitor, jet fuel prices ended at $84.7 per barrel on April 18, up 5.1 percent from a month earlier.



This stems from the recent crude oil price hike. On April 1, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil was traded at $61.59 per barrel, but quickly rose to $64.4 on April 8 and reached $66.3 on April 23. The price went down slightly to $62.94 on Sunday but it is still far higher than the $45.41 price offered on Jan. 1.



Such a rise was fueled by the U.S. announcement on ending waivers to countries importing Iranian crude, which forces many countries to rule out Iran from their oil importing sources.



This could be a significant burden for carriers because generally 30 percent of their operating costs are incurred from fuel prices. Analysts said a $1 hike in crude price will cost an extra 37 billion won for Korean Air and 20 billion won for Asiana Airlines per year.



"Since fuel costs account for a lot in carriers' expenditures, an international oil price hike is a pressure for carriers," Kiwoom Securities analyst Seo Sang-young said.



The concern on fuel cost is getting deeper due to the stronger dollar.



The Korean won ended at 1,158.8 won on Monday's session, up 2.5 won from a session earlier. On Thursday, the Korean won ended at 1,160.5 won, down 9.6 won from a session earlier, which was the first time that the local currency was traded higher than 1,160 won per dollar since Jan. 31, 2017.



Since carriers pay aircraft leasing fees, insurance fees, fuel costs and issue bonds with dollars, the weakening local currency will inflate their debts.



Korean Air Korean Air logged a 250 billion won net loss in the first half of last year, due largely to the weaker won, but managed to scale down the losses to 80.3 billion won at the end of the year, as the local currency got stronger.



Causing more concern for the carriers is that they don't have "the control tower" to make critical decisions and lead the carriers to weather the turbulence.



Korean Air and its parent Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho passed away on April 8, and his son and Korean Air CEO Cho Won-tae became the group chairman last week. However, many industry officials said his grip on the group and the carrier is not as strong as his father's, as Cho Yang-ho had been leading the carrier for the past 20 years.



Asiana Airlines is currently up for sale as its parent group Kumho Asiana decided to sell out the core unit to salvage the entire group from financial risks. In doing so, Park Sam-koo stepped down from the group's posts including his role as Asiana Airlines CEO.



Asiana Airlines co-CEO Han Chang-soo will lead the company after Park's exit, but his influence as a hired professional CEO will likely be limited because of the uncertainties in finding the new owner of Korea's No. 2 carrier.






In this April 1, 2019 file photo, attorney Michael Avenatti arrives at federal court in Santa Ana, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Avenatti Pleads Not Guilty on Charges of Cheating, Lying

SANTA ANA, Calif.Attorney Michael Avenatti pleaded not guilty on April 29 to charges that he stole millions of dollars from clients, cheated on his taxes and lied to investigators.

When asked to enter a plea in federal court in Santa Ana, California, Avenatti told the judge, Not guilty to all charges.

He declined to comment after the hearing and referred reporters to an earlier statement he gave about the right to be presumed innocent.

Avenatti rose to fame representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in her legal battles against President Donald Trump.

He was indicted earlier this month on 36 counts, including wire and bank fraud. His trial is scheduled to start June 25.

Prosecutors have said Avenatti embezzled settlement funds and proceeds from other matters he handled for five clients and doled out small portions, sometimes labeling them as advances to prevent thefts from being discovered.

Avenatti has denied the charges, saying he had made powerful enemies and would plead not guilty and fight the case.

The right to a presumption of innocence and the right to a jury trial are two fundamental rights that our founding fathers demanded when this country was formed over 200 years ago, he said in a statement before Mondays hearing.

Initially, Avenatti said he would represent himself on Monday after telling the judge he was finalizing an agreement with a private attorney. The judge asked a public defender to stand in and represent him solely for Mondays arraignment.

Avenatti was arrested in March in New York in a separate case alleging he demanded millions to stay quiet about claims he planned to reveal about Nike paying high school athletes. He has denied wrongdoing in that case as well.

The charges are a blow to a legal career for Avenatti that took off after he represented Daniels in her lawsuit to break a confidentiality agreement with Trump to stay mum about an affair they allegedly had.

By Amy Taxin
Bodies of Two Unidentified Women Found Stuffed Inside a Freezer in London Home

Scotland Yard officers found bodies of two unidentified women stuffed inside a freezer in a London home on April 26.

While two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder, a missing mother of two is feared to be one of the two dead, reported The Sun.

Police said they got into the apartment on Friday at about 11:45 p.m. following concerns for the welfare of an occupant.

Missing mum, 38, feared dead in bodies-in-freezer murder mystery as suspect tells pal Ive killed some wom  The Sun-https://t.co/TXRC3MAukT  Latest News (@theelatestnews) April 29, 2019

Murder detectives are working to identify the two women whose remains were found inside the apartment in Londons East End.

The bodies are believed to be those of two females. We are working to carry out formal identification and trace next of kin, a Metropolitan Police Service spokesman said, according to The Sun. The two victims are not reported to be related.

A local resident said the bodies were whole, not cut up and police are searching through other homes in the area.

Police arrested a 50-year-old man, Ted Jolly on Monday and another 34-year-old man was taken into custody on Tuesday, reported Daily Mail. The 34-year-old suspect has not been named.

One of the dead is feared to be, Mary Jane Mustafa, 38, a mother of two who has been missing since last May.

Mustafas older sister visited the crime scene on Tuesday and confirmed that Mary Jane was friends with Jolly at the time she went missing.

Its my baby sister  I cant believe she is dead, Mustafas sister told Daily Mail.

Tearful family of mother-of-two feared to be one of two women found dead in a freezer visit scene as police arrest men aged 54 and 30 for murder https://t.co/WKxmBnJCYs pic.twitter.com/7HpkikVCu2  Popular Crime (@popular_crime) April 30, 2019

Police have started searching Jollys home that is about a half mile from where the two bodies were found.

Local residents told media that Mustafa was seen at his home before she went missing. Jollys home was called the local crack den and a neighbor said she was seen there regularly.

A couple of months after she went missing, I asked him where she was, if hed seen her, and he said, We had an argument so I slung her out, the neighbor said.

Locals have reacted with shock and horror at the murders. Ranford Strachan, 85, who lives in the area of the crime scene told The Sun that the discovery of the bodies in the freezer is shameful.

I want to leave here now  its a disgrace, he said. Ive never seen this place like this, he said.

On Monday night when Daily Mail contacted Mustafas family, they had hopes that she would return and said that police had not contacted them.

Ive been looking after her kids now and then, and I took her daughter Christmas shopping to keep her distracted. We just say mum has gone to sort herself out and say shell be back soon.

Her daughter has just started secondary school and her son is 19, said Mustafas cousin, Ayse Hussain.

There is no need to think negative at this point because we still believe she is fine and she will come home, Hazel Ozulku, Mustafas niece wrote on Facebook on Monday.

My cousin Mary Jane Mustafa is still missing since the 6th May pic.twitter.com/AVuM9R9wTn  Memzdouzi (@Durchiga) September 10, 2018

Ongoing Investigation

The investigation is underway and Scotland Yard said it wouldnt comment on what the locals said. The post-mortem examinations will be held in due course, it said.

We have borough officers in the area supporting colleagues from the Homicide and Major Crime Command as they investigate the full circumstances, said Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Tucker.

A crime scene is in place and we would encourage anyone with information about what may have happened at this premises to contact police on 101, quoting CAD 4303/26APR. he said.
Erik Kimler, 39, was last seen in Toledo, Ohio, on January 10, 2019. (Courtesy of Toledo Police Department)

Body Found in Woods Bordering Ohio and Michigan Identified as Erik Kimler

A body discovered in the woodlands bordering the states of Ohio and Michigan has been identified as a man who went missing in January.

The Lucas County Coroners Office examined the grim remains found at 1300 Brooke Park in Toledo, and authorities confirmed they belonged to Toledo Resident Erik Kimler, 39.

The deceased male was identified as Erik Kimler, who was reported missing on January 11, Toledo Police Department said in a Facebook post updated on April 29.

UPDATE (4/29/19): On 4/27/19, a deceased male was found in a densely wooded area near the 1300 block of Brooke Park Dr.  Toledo Police Department  2019116

There was no evidence of trauma and some drug paraphernalia was collected near the body. A toxicology study is expected to take weeks.

On April 27, a deceased male was found in a densely wooded area near the 1300 block of Brooke Park Drive. Toledo police detectives and investigators from the Lucas County Coroners Office responded, police said.

The body found in the woods on the 1300 block of Brooke Park near the Ohio-Michigan border was that of Erik Kimler, who was reported missing back in January. https://t.co/hxFhEO9G2t  WTVG 13abc (@13abc) April 29, 2019

The man whose body was found in West Toledo near the Michigan border is Erik Kimler. https://t.co/1JFmreQfUX  The Blade (@toledonews) April 29, 2019

Kimler was last seen on Jan. 10 in the area around Brooke Park Drive, Alexis Road, and Jackman Road. His girlfriend reported him missing after he left a nearby apartment about 9 p.m. local time without warning and without saying where he was going.

Detectives had reason to believe he was in danger, and described him as 5 foot 10 inches, 260 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes in their missing persons report. He had gauges in his ears and rose tattoos on his left forearm, and was wearing a red coat, dark jeans, black t-shirt, and work boots at the time he went missing.

 Erik Kimler  2019324

Endangered Missing: Erik Kimler, age 39, W/M, 510/260, Bro/Blu last seen Brooke Park Dr./ Alexis Rd./ Jackman Rd. area on 1/10/19. Detectives have reason to believe Erik may be in danger. If you have any info on Eriks disappearance or whereabouts, please call 419-255-1111. pic.twitter.com/nxtWua86iI  Toledo Police (@ToledoPolice) January 16, 2019

Friends and family of the victim have set up a Gofundme campaign to help cover expenses. The campaign said that the Erik Kimler Funeral Expenses Fund will cover the funeral cost and potentially a private investigator fee to bring those responsible to justice.

Everything about Eriks disappearance and death suggests foul play but we have very little information at this point. For now, everyone needs to grieve and heal in their own way and we all need any help anyone is willing to offer, the family said on the page.

Many loved ones, who had hoped Kimler would be found alive, are mourning the tragic loss.

Erik is loved by many and will be missed by many as well. I have no idea how much funerals or private investigators cost, so I set the goal at $5,000, the page said. This account is being set up for his sister; Raenn Hiner as she will be tending to this matter directly. Thank you so much for your help  it is appreciated beyond words.

A woman who identified herself as Kimlers cousin was devastated to hear the sad news. Sympathizers extended their condolences.

Shared again in Detroit, Mich.  this is my cousin, Julie Walker said in a Facebook comment dated January 27.

Julie Walker Im sorry hun, Kelly Whitney said.

Im so sorry to hear about your cousin. Prayers for all, Tonya Franklin said.

Your family is in my prayers, Stefanie Terry-Walker said.

Anyone with information on Kimler is invited to contact Toledo Police Department by phoning 419 255 1111.
Workers assemble robots at the production line of Chuangze Intelligent Robot in Rizhao, Shandong Province, China on April 29, 2019. (Reuters)

China April Factory Growth Unexpectedly Slows as Economy Struggles for Traction

BEIJINGFactory activity in China expanded for a second straight month in April but at a much slower pace than expected, an official survey showed on April 30, suggesting the economy is still struggling for traction despite a flurry of support measures.

The unexpected loss of momentum at the start of the second quarter followed upbeat data in March, which had raised hopes among global investors that the worlds second-largest economy was getting back on firmer footing.

A private business survey on April 30 also pointed to a loss of momentum, confounding expectations for a pick-up, with factories starting to shed jobs again after adding staff in March for the first time in years.

The weak manufacturing readings, along with softer construction growth, could stoke debate over how much more stimulus China needs to generate a sustainable recovery, without risking a rapid jump in debt.

The official Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for manufacturing fell to 50.1 in April from Marchs reading of 50.5, which was the first expansion in four months, data from the statistics bureau showed.

It hovered just above the neutral 50-point mark which separates expansion from contraction on a monthly basis. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had forecast the PMI to match Marchs 50.5.

For now, the official PMIs suggest that Q2 got off to a weaker start and reinforce our view that there are still some downside risks to near-term activity, Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics, said in a research note.

Shares across much of Asia fell after the release of the data, while the Chinese yuan and the Australian dollar wilted. Chinas slowdown has weighed heavily on exports of many of its trading partners and sales of multinational firms, from Apple to industrial conglomerate 3M.

While the official factory survey disappointed on the growth front, it didnt show a marked deterioration in business conditions, either. Output expanded at a slower but still moderate pace, while growth in new orders eased only slightly.

Some analysts had expected a pullback in the PMIs, arguing that Marchs more upbeat readings were likely due in part to one-off factors, such as changes in production and purchasing patterns ahead of a cut in value-added tax rates on April 1.

A spokesperson for the statistics bureau said earlier this month that many firms had brought forward purchases of input materials ahead of the tax change in order to increase their tax deductions. Indeed, a PMI sub-index for inventories of raw materials retreated significantly from Marchs seven-month high.

A gauge of construction activity fell to 60.1 from 61.7 in March, still solid but possibly indicating that the Chinese regimes infrastructure push may be losing steam, despite a burst of bond issuance and new bank lending at the start of the year, analysts said.

To counter the slowdown, Beijing has ramped up fiscal stimulus this year, unveiling tax and fee cuts amounting to 2 trillion yuan ($297 billion) to ease burdens on firms, while allowing local governments to issue 2.15 trillion yuan of special bonds to fund infrastructure projects.

Analysts have cautioned that it will take time for those measures to fully kick in, with most not expecting the economy to convincingly stabilize until around mid-year.

Another official survey on April 30 showed growth in Chinas services industry also cooled in April, adding to uncertainty over demand in its economy.

The official non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 54.3 in April from 54.8 in March, but stayed well above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction.

Services account for more than half of Chinas economy, and rising wages have increased Chinese consumers spending power. But the sector softened late last year along with a slowdown in the broader economy.

The official April composite PMI, which covers both manufacturing and services activity, slipped to 53.4 from Marchs 54.0.

Eyes on Trade Deal

While new factory orders remained sluggish, there were some encouraging signs on the export front.

The official index for export orders continued to contract, but hit its highest level in eight months, as optimism grows that Beijing and Washington will reach a trade deal in coming weeks that could ease pressure on Chinese exporters.

President Donald Trump said on March 25 that he would soon host Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House, setting the stage for a possible agreement on trade between the worlds two largest economies.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told the New York Times that negotiations are in the final laps as he and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer prepared to fly to Beijing for more talks this week.

After the drop in Aprils PMIs, Beijing cant afford to stop easing, economists at Nomura said.

While analysts believe stimulus will put a floor under growth eventually, they arent predicting a strong rebound, as seen in China in the past, noting Beijings support measures so far have been relatively more restrained.

Economic growth is expected to slow to a near 30-year low of 6.2 percent this year, from 6.6 percent in 2018, a recent Reuters poll showed.

By Stella Qiu & Ryan Woo
Couple Conspires to Murder Their Mother by Posing as Online Love-Interest

A woman was attacked and robbed in Suzhou City, China on February, only to find out weeks later that the suspect was her daughter-in-law. The victims son was also involved in the attack. The son and daughter-in-law have been arrested, and are facing trial, according to Chinese state-media Jiangsu News.

The specific dates of the attack and the arrest were not given in the report.

The victim, surnamed Ji, 50, resides in Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. She had a bad relationship with her son and daughter-in-law, and had stopped talking with them for over a year.

Jis son, surnamed He, and his wife, surnamed Shen, resented their mother and wanted to take revenge by planning an attack.

They lured Ji into a trap by posing as an online love-interest who wanted to meet her in person for the first time. Then the couple traveled to Jis hometown to perpetrate the attack.

He backed out of the plan at the last moment, but Shen went ahead on her own. When Ji arrived at the supposed meeting place, Shen attacked her mother-in-law with a pair of scissors, and stole her cellphone.

Shen was identified through closed-circuit camera footage, and later arrested, along with He. She gave an interview about the case to Jiangsu News, which aired on April 25.

He said he didnt dare go to jail, so I just did it myself, Shen told the Jiangsu News.

Shen explained that the reason for the attack was due to mistreatment that both she and her husband had endured from Ji.

Conflict From the Start

Shen began living with He in 2016. When they got married, there were disputes about the betrothal paymenta common custom in China where the grooms family gives the brides family a large sum of money.

Since then, Ji had always been at odds with Shen, and would not sign any official marriage documents for the couple.

Right after Shen gave birth, the conflicts with her mother-in-law began to escalate.

While I was eating, she was carrying a basin of boiling water, and poured it on my back, Shen told the Jiangsu News. She said it wasnt on purpose, and I just cried.

On top of that, Shen alleges that Ji taught their son to smoke cigarettes.

He also argued with his mother about her behavior and unfair treatment towards his family. However, Ji began holding deeper grudges against the couple, but did not elaborate further, according to the Jiangsu News.

The two then broke off contact with Ji for more than a year, and only knew that she had moved to Suzhou.

No further details were provided as to why the couple decided to pursue revenge.

A Plot for Revenge

The couple conspired the attack through deceiving Ji. Shen registered a WeChat account, the most popular messaging service in China. She posed as a man, close to the same age as Ji, and chatted with her on the pretense of making friends. Then in February, after a year and a half of communication, Shen obtained Jis work and home addresses.

Without delay, both Shen and He hatched a plot against Ji. They convinced Ji that her supposed internet squeeze would come to meet her for a first date.

The couple traveled together to Suzhou. However, after they arrived, He backed out of the plan because he was afraid of going to jail. But Shen went ahead on her own.

Before the attack, Shen was seen by closed-circuit cameras in a nearby supermarket. There, she purchased a pair of scissors.

Security footage taken before the attack allegedly shows Shen pacing around the area, concealing her face with a scarf.

After Ji got off work, she walked down an alleyway for the arranged meeting, and was suddenly grabbed around her neck from behind. Ji struggled and shouted for help.

I jabbed at her head twice with the scissors, she shouted save me, and pushed me away, Shen told the Jiangsu News.

Police told the Jiangsu News that the injuries Ji suffered were mostly to sensitive areas, including her temples.

Before Shen ran away, she grabbed her mother-in-laws phone, and fled the scene.

Since the attack happened in a poorly lit area, and since Shen covered her face, Ji had no way to identify her attacker. Ji suspected that it was a man who attacked her, but security guards who witnessed the attack said it was likely a female attacker, according to the Jiangsu News.

Ji was later shown the security footage from the supermarket, and was reportedly stunned to realize it was her daughter-in-law, according to the Jiangsu News. Police said Jis description of the woman was similar to the footage.

After Ji confirmed that the woman in the footage was indeed her daughter-in-law, police arrested Shen in Yangzhou. Shen admitted to robbing Ji, according to the Jiangsu News.

This truly is the first time Ive ever done something like this to her, Shen told the Jiangsu News. Ive silently tolerated humiliation [from her] for both my child and husband.

But I dont know why, maybe now it was just too much.

Shen was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and He was released on bail. The report did not give specific dates.
The "Zeitfeld" (Time Field) clock installation by Klaus Rinke is seen at the entrance of the Suedpark, on March 29, in Dusseldorf Germany. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Cultivating Passions

Knowing your priorities helps you achieve more in your career and life

Commentary

Despite what you may think, the opposite of love is not simply hate; the true polar opposite of loving something is to be completely indifferent to itto simply not care at all.

With hate, at least theres an intensity and passion behind the feeling. Even if hate is the opposite emotion of love, you still have an action that requires you to exist in specific relation to something else. Indifference means that your passions and intellect reside on a completely different plane of existence. Things truly die when all memory of them is lost.

Hatred keeps things alive; indifference is annihilation.

In the Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas points out that love and hatred are both concupiscible passions, as they are both a yearning of the soul for good. In fact, as all emotions are caused by love, its indeed true that even hatred is caused by love. In fact, if we love something that is purely and truly good, we must hate what is evil and would seek to destroy it. However, simply loving good or hating evil isnt always an act of pure goodness in and of itself; yet, passion is required for either.

Nothing great in all of history has ever been accomplished by men responding to lifes challenges in the same way that couples discuss where they want to go out to eat on a Tuesday evening: Oh, I dont care either way. It doesnt matter to me.

You have to make a choice. Then, you must be committed and passionately in love with your course of action.

In the first part of his epic novel The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. We must make a choice; we cant remain detached and have any hope of affecting change.

In an era where hours of mindless distractions are available at a touch of the supercomputer screens in our pockets, its more important than ever to cultivate our passions.

Whats Your Passion?

Theres a quote often misattributed to writer Chuck Bukowski that says, Find what you love and let it kill you. Regardless of the origin of this delightful turn of phrase, it does indeed carry within it a beautiful simplicity about what it means to be driven and passionate in the post-modern age.

We live in a time where people identify themselves by the goods they possess, rather than what they create or contribute. However, its impossible for any created good to be the source of our happiness. So then, to what should we turn?

The intellect of man has always been ordered to seek out what is universally true, and our wills have always sought out what is universally good. Therefore, the answer is to find what is true, good, and beautiful. To quote Aquinas again, Man is not perfectly happy, so long as something remains for him to desire and seek.

Its been my experience that its not at all uncommon for someone to sleepwalk through life without true contemplation of what it is theyre seeking. They only know that they feel a general malaise about life. In short, they dont have a passion; they dont know what theyre living for. Theyre drifting aimlessly on a becalmed sea.

Serving in the U.S. Army Special Forces Regiment during a time of war was in some ways a blessing for me as a young man, as it quickly helped me distill what really mattered, with a sense of urgency that one can only find in those moments of life and death. It was never enough to ask what you were living for, but instead, you had to look inside and ask yourself what exactly it was you were willing to die for. Combat was the furnace in which my passions were forged; however, gunfire and bombs arent required for you to find yours.

Its amazing how quickly life comes into focus when youre able to detach yourself from the rapid chaos of todays modern life and evaluate what actually matters. Prioritization becomes easy when youre willing to look at things from a perspective of eternity and the length of your earthly life. What stimulates you intellectually? What leaves you satisfied after a long day at work?

For me, I take pride in my work. I like being the best at what I do, and I enjoy being the person whom people can count on to complete a challenging task or solve an asymmetrical problem. I no longer perform my job with my body as my primary tool; I exercise my mind at work and make time every day to exercise my body in the gym or on the run.

The material commodity I prize most highly in my daily life is my calendar. My time is sacred; I dont react kindly when its monopolized with agendaless meetings and committees that serve no greater purpose beyond simply having a meeting. I care about what I accomplish at the end of my day and dont gracefully suffer those who monopolize my time for no other reason than to mark the passing of theirs.

I cant imagine a reality where people could honestly measure their success by the volume of meetings they held and attended, yet all too often this seems to be the going performance indicator in the business world.

My secret to cultivating my passions is getting up early and hitting the gym. I pray the Rosary on my commute to get myself focused, and when I get to work, I get to work. I hit it hard and I do my best to do my best. And when Im done at the office, I am done with the work I am on the payroll for. I dont bring it home.

Not all of my passions pay a salary, and theyre just as important to me as my career.

Chris Erickson is a combat veteran and former Green Beret with extensive experience deployed to various locations across the world. He now works in the communications industry. You can follow him on Twitter @EricksonPrime

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
(L-R) Eric Trump, Lara Yunaska Trump, Donald Trump, Barron Trump, Melania Trump, Vanessa Haydon Trump, Kai Madison Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Donald John Trump III, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and Tiffany Trump at Trump Tower in New York on June 16, 2015. (Christopher Gregory/Getty Images)

Trump Family Files Lawsuit Against Intrusive Subpoenas for Financial Records

President Donald Trump, three of his children, and seven of his companies filed a federal lawsuit on April 29 against Deutsche Bank and Capital One Financial Corp. to block the banks from complying with congressional subpoenas that seek the familys banking and financial records.

The federal lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Courts Southern District of New York, contended that demands for records by Democrat-controlled House committees have no legitimate or lawful purpose and are so broad they would include transaction records on the Trump familys personal shopping.

The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, the lawsuit stated.

It also stated that the Democrats hope they will stumble upon something they can expose publicly and use as a political tool against the President.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Financial Services Commission, and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chairman of the Intelligence Committee, called the lawsuit meritless in a joint statement, The New York Times and other media reported.

Legislative Purpose

On April 15, two U.S. House of Representatives committees issued subpoenas to multiple financial institutions for information on Trumps finances. Both banks have been involved in Trumps real estate empire.

The committees need to have a legislative purpose for their action and have justified the subpoenas as a part of an investigation of potential foreign influence on the U.S. political process or the use of the financial system for illicit purposes.

The potential use of the U.S. financial system for illicit purposes is a very serious concern. The Financial Services Committee is exploring these matters, including as they may involve the president and his associates, as thoroughly as possible, Waters said in an earlier statement.

Schiff said previously in a statement the subpoenas issued included a friendly subpoena to Deutsche Bank.

Schiff, Waters, and other Democrats had consistently accused Trump of being in collusion with the Russian governmentan allegation that goes back to 2016, when the Democratic Party and the presidential campaign of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were seeding rumors that the Trump campaign worked with Russia to influence the elections. After more than two years of investigations, Trump and his associates were cleared of those allegations by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Overbroad

Trumps suit complains that the subpoenas are intrusive and overbroad and seek information that long predates the Presidents election to office, reaches well beyond transactions associated with foreign parties, and encompass reams of account records for entities, individuals, children, and spouses who have never even been implicated in any probe.

The suit says that Schiff and Waters refused to share the subpoena with the plaintiffs or even reveal any information about their content, notwithstanding their willingness to discuss the subpoenas with the press.

From what the plaintiffs learned from Deutsche Bank, Capital One, and public statements of Schiff and Waters, the subpoenas demand all banking and financial records, including records of every single checking withdrawal, credit-card swipe, or debit-card purchaseno matter how trivial or smallmade by each and every member of the Trump family.

The dates and times when these individuals purchased books, groceries and other personal items is not the business of the House of Representatives or anyone else, the suit says.

The plaintiffs learned the lawmakers seek records reaching back to 2010 and some documents, such as account applications and opening documents, without any time limitations.

The banks told the plaintiffs that they intend to start handing over the documents on or by May 6.

A representative of Deutsche Bank said in a statement: We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations.

Trump has recently said that he intends to defy any efforts from the Democrats to dig into his affairs.

His suit, which includes The Trump Organization Inc. and Trumps three eldest children, Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka, stated that the court has the power to declare the subpoenas invalid.

Schiffs and Waterss offices didnt respond to requests for comment.

Probes Galore

After gaining a majority in the House of Representatives in January, Democrats have vowed to use their oversight powers to investigate the president, including the dealings of his real estate empire.

Aside from Schiff and Waters, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, issued a subpoena to Trumps accounting firm, Mazars USA, for his financial records. Trump sued to block the subpoena.

In addition, Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, requested Trumps tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service. In response, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the request raised serious constitutional questions which resolution could have serious consequences for taxpayer privacy.

He said he would provide the committee with a final decision by May 6 after receiving the Justice Departments legal conclusions.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Workers clear debris from the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 on Friday, April 26, 2019, in Lakewood, Colo., a deadly pileup involving semi-truck hauling lumber on Thursday. Lakewood police spokesman John Romero described it as a chain reaction of crashes and explosions from ruptured gas tanks. "It was crash, crash, crash and explosion, explosion, explosion," he said. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Driver Accused of Causing Deadly I-70 Crash Sends a Message From Jail

The man police said caused a 28-vehicle crash on I-70 in Colorado sent a message to his supporters from jail.

Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, 23, was arrested on suspicion of four counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault on April 26, according to reports.

Investigators said that Aguilera-Mederos was driving a semi-truck and slammed into stopped traffic on I-70 on April 25. The charges stemmed from interviews and other evidence.

The driver sent a message to his family and friends through his wife, who posted it on Facebook on April 29 after visiting him at jail.

Despues de la visita de hoy donde reafirmo que no lo e podido ver personalmente solo atravez de un sistema que ellos  Nailan Gonzalez  2019429

After our visit today  he asked me to publish this under his name, Nailan Gonzalez wrote.

Mami, please publish this giving thanks on my behalf since I, unfortunately, cannot do it myself, the post read. God is with me; this is not fair what theyre doing to me, but I never thought that Id have a whole world supporting me on the outside.

I never imagined thered be so many people defending me, the post continued. Right now, my best attorneys have been the people who support me and those who have prayed for me. I yearn for the day that I can get out to give thanks.

He also thanked people for their support. There is no way of paying back everything you all have done, truly I feel very grateful; without your support, none of this would have been possible, he said.

Gonzalez also thanked her husbands supporters. According to her Facebook profile and Aguilera-Mederos profile, they live in Houston, Texas and are from Havana, Cuba.

Gonzalez noted that a fundraiser for her husband has raised over $7,000.

Aguilera-Mederos was due in court on Friday morning.

Officials said that the truck driver triggered the chain reaction crash when he barreled into cars that were stopped in a traffic backup. According to the Lakewood Police Department, Aguilera-Mederos barreled into the traffic jam at speeds as high as 100 miles per hour.

The defendant told police that his brakes failed and he tried passing traffic on the shoulder before swerving back into the travel lanes when he got near another semi-truck stopped on the shoulder.

His family says hes innocent.

A video captured the truck speeding by on the shoulder before crashing into the traffic jam.

Joshua McCutchen, who runs the channel Burger Planet on YouTube, posted the video online. In another video, he spoke with a man who said he witnessed the crash.

I was down here and I saw the semi truck that was out of control and it went about 80 miles an hour and I just saw an explosion, McCutchen said.

Yeah, as soon as he came out from under the bridge he plowed through cars. I looked over and his cab had rolled over and just come on flames, the man responded. I hollered at my buddy and I told him Call 911 and then I took off under the bridge and started helping people.
Father Takes Action After 6-Year-Old Was Dumped out of a Moving School Bus

A father from Maryland said his children are afraid to go to school after his son was thrown out of a moving school bus while being bullied by another student.

Brian Kight told WBFF that he has quit his job and is planning to pack up and take his six children to West Virginia in hopes to provide them with a better school environment.

I just wish this wouldve never happened. It has turned our world upside down, Kight told the news station.

"WE ARE SCARED TO GO BACK TO THAT SCHOOL" A 6-year-old Baltimore County student says he was thrown out of a moving school bus. Now, the family is now taking extreme steps to stop the bullying.MORE: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/he-dumped-me-out-the-window-6-year-old-says-thrown-off-moving-school-bus  WBFF FOX 45  2019429

Kight said his 6-year-old son Jacion was being bullied at Featherbed Lane Elementary. He said Jacion and his brother would sometimes come home in fear, running from their school bus back home.

One day it got worse.

Jacion told WBFF that an older student, who had been bullying him, made him go to the back of the bus. There, the older student pushed the emergency button to open the window, and threw Jacion out the window.

The 6-year-old landed on his head and was knocked unconscious.

Kight said when he learned about the incident he was scared to death.

I show up, and hes already in the back of the ambulance, the father said.

And I didnt even get to talk to nobody because the ambulance was in a very big rush to pull off. So, I jumped in the ambulance. I was thinking I might be losing my child. And it was terrifying.

According to news station, the first-grade student suffered from frontal skull fractures with small head bleed and was hospitalized for three days.

Kight said he watched the surveillance video of the bus and it shows Jacion being pushed out the window. While Jacion was in the hospital, the father reached out to an attorney, Ivan Bates.

The attorney told the news station that there could be a possible lawsuit against Baltimore County Schools if he could find evidence that the school had failed to protect Jacion.

As a parent, Im angry. Because as parents we send our children to school to learn and to be safe, Bates said.

My first instinct was to make sure he was okay. Once he was okay, and once we talked a little bit more, I knew he needed help, and then I knew I was going to take the case, he added.

Kight said because of the incident his children approached him to say that they were scared to go back to school.

Do we have to go? And Im a parent. I love my children. And with them saying that and the look on their faces, I cant send them back there. I cant, Kight said.

Kight has contacted the police over the incident but says the police report is incomplete as the officer has not watched the surveillance video.

Jacion is still recovering from the incident but Kight said he does not know whether his son will be the same again.

In another bullying incident in Oklahoma, a student begged a bus driver to let him stay on the school bus because he was being bullied by another student. The incident was captured on video.

In the footage, the boy could be seen crying and begging the driver to let him stay and asking the driver to drop him off at his home rather at the bus stop, reported PIX 11.

Video shows a boy crying and begging a bus driver to let him stay on the bus and asking to get let off at his  PIX 11  2019126

The bus driver refused and yelled at the young terrified boy to get off.

After he got off, the boy was immediately chased and attacked by another student.

Authorities said the video was alarming and had launched an investigation into the incident.
In this Aug. 7, 2016, file photo, provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Japan's Emperor Akihito reads a message for recording at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Akihito expressed concern about fulfilling his duties as he ages in an address to the public in a 10-minute recorded speech broadcast on national television that was remarkable for its rarity and its hinted possibility that he may want to abdicate in a few years. AP



Emperor Akihito, 85, will step down on Tuesday, almost three years after he first publicly hinted he wanted to retire and hand over to his heir, Crown Prince Naruhito. It is the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in two centuries.



SHOCKING NEWS



Public broadcaster NHK stunned the public in July 2016 when it reported that Akihito, then 82, intended to abdicate "in a few years", an unprecedented step in modern Japan.



Akihito, who had heart surgery and was treated for prostate cancer, had earlier privately expressed a desire to retire and had been reducing his official duties.



A month later, Akihito said in a rare video address to the nation that he worried age might make it difficult for him to carry out his duties fully.



Akihito was Japan's first emperor to inherit the throne under a post-war constitution that defines the monarch as a symbol of the people without political power.






A candlelight vigil is held at Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church for victims of a shooting incident at the Congregation Chabad synagogue in Poway, Calif., on April 27, 2019. REUTERS/John Gastaldo

FBI Says Received Vague Tips Ahead of Deadly California Synagogue Shooting

The FBI on April 29 said it received multiple tips about a security threat minutes before a gunman opened fire in a California synagogue, killing a woman and wounding three other people, but did not have enough detail or time to prevent the attack.

Police are investigating what motivated a 19-year-old suspect to open fire on the Chabad of Poway synagogue in suburban San Diego on April 27, including whether to bring hate crime charges against the man who surrendered to police shortly after the attack.

The FBI said it received tips about an online post referring to a potential attack that did not include specific information about the posts author or location. Investigators immediately began working on identifying the author, but the shooting began only five minutes after the tips arrived.

The FBI thanks the alert citizens who saw and reported the post, the bureau said in a statement.

Members of the synagogue later on April 29 were due to bury Lori Gilbert Kaye, 60, who died in the attack six months to the day after 11 worshippers were killed at a Pittsburgh synagogue in the deadliest attack on American Jewry.

The alleged gunman, identified by police as John Earnest, fled the scene and eventually called the police in order to surrender.

Earnest, who is being held without bail, appears to have authored an online manifesto in which he claimed responsibility for a pre-dawn arson fire at a nearby mosque last month and drew inspiration from the mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people in March.

His parents expressed shock and sadness in a statement on April 29, saying their son had become part of the history of evil perpetrated on Jewish people.

How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us, the statement read. Our heavy hearts will forever go out to the victims and survivors. The parents added that they are cooperating with investigators.

Army Vet

When the gunfire began, Oscar Stewart, 51, a veteran of both the U.S. Navy and Army who served a tour in Iraq, recognized the sound immediately.

He said in an interview on April 29 that for a moment he began running toward the exit with other congregants before he turned around and headed toward the gunfire.

I was an instrument of God, he said. I had no conscious effort in what I was doing.

He charged the gunman, screaming, Im going to kill you!

The shooter, who had stopped firing, looked frightened and fled the synagogue, with Stewart in close pursuit, he said.

Another worshipper, an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent named Jonathan Morales who was armed, also ran outside and fired several shots at the gunmans car as he drove away.

Almog Peretz, an Israeli citizen visiting his family, was hit by shrapnel but still managed to help shepherd children to safety, witnesses said.

His 9-year-old niece, Noya Dahan, also was wounded by shrapnel. Her family moved to the United States from Israel in search of a safer life after their home was repeatedly shelled by Palestinian rockets.

Kaye, one of the synagogues founding members, was a deeply caring member of the community, her friends said.

When one congregant developed breast cancer, Kaye drove her to every appointment and helped take care of her children, said Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was shot in both hands during the attack and lost a finger.

She is a person of unconditional love, Goldstein told reporters, adding that he felt Kaye took the bullet for all of us.

In a Facebook post, a friend, Audrey Jacobs, called her a woman of valor whose final act was to protect others.

By Joseph Ax
Roughly 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners peacefully appeal outside Zhongnanhai, the central headquarters for the Chinese Communist Party, in Beijing on April 25, 1999. (Minghui.org)

Forum on Capitol Hill Explores Significance of Appeal in Beijing 20 Years Ago

WASHINGTONThe 20th anniversary of an appeal that brought together more than 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing on April 25, 1999, was commemorated last week at a forum in Washington.

The forum, held April 25 in the Cannon House Office Building, sought to explain the significance of a pivotal moment in Chinas recent history and an important part of global history, as one congressman put it.

The organizer of the event, Sen Nieh, professor of engineering at the Catholic University of America, explained that though 20 years is long enough for a generation to grow up, it is not long enough for people to understand the true significance of a historical event, especially when the facts are hidden and guarded by a ruthless communist regime.

The forum featured participants in the 1999 appeal, U.S. officials, members of Congress, experts, and survivors of the persecution of Falun Gong.

First-Person Account

In April 1999, the Chinese regime had not yet started persecuting the spiritual discipline of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, but harassment of practitioners was growing more intense.

Introduced to the public in 1992, Falun Gong involves living according to the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance and doing simple, meditative exercises. As more Chinese took up the practice, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began showing hostility to it.

On April 23, 1999, riot police in Tianjin, Beijings port city, descended on several dozen practitioners protesting outside a college, after an article published by a faculty member had misrepresented Falun Gong.

Many of the practitioners were beaten and 45 of them arrested. They were told that any appeals of the arrests needed to be made to Beijing.

On the morning of April 25, a crowd of Falun Gong practitioners from Beijing and elsewhereestimated to be more than 10,000 in numberwent to the State Appeals Office, which is adjacent to Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the CCP. They had come to demand the release of the arrested practitioners, as well as the right to practice Falun Gong without being harassed and an end to the ban on publishing Falun Gong books.

Shi Caidong, who holds a doctorate from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and currently lives in New York, was one of those present. He spoke at the Washington forum about his experience in 1999.

While walking down the street, I heard applause from behind. I turned to take a look and saw Premier Zhu Rongji walking from the gate across the street, followed by several of his staff members, Shi recalled.

When Zhu asked Do you have any representatives? Who among you are the spokespersons?, Shi was the first person who volunteered to be a representative.

Eventually, Zhu took three Falun Gong practitioners including Shi back into Zhongnanhai and had the director of the Appeals Office talk with them.

That evening, after peaceful negotiations, the Tianjin police released all the detained practitioners. At about 9 p.m., practitioners quietly dispersed after learning that the situation had been properly resolved, Shi said.

Zhang Tianliang, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering and is an associate professor at Fei Tian College in New York, also participated in the 1999 appeal. He recalled seeing Premier Zhu walk out of Zhongnanhai and mingle with Falun Gong practitioners.

Zhang said the fact that Zhu didnt take any bodyguards with him showed that he didnt regard Falun Gong practitioners as a threat. It was very unfortunate that such peaceful practitioners would later be brutally persecuted, Zhang said.

On July 20, 1999, the CCP launched an effort to eradicate the practice of Falun Gong, employing all elements of the state and society. That effort continues today.

Chinas Effects on the US

Hon. Commissioner Gary L. Bauer of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom thought it was a mistake for the United States to grant China permanent most-favored-nation status.

When China was granted [the] status so many years ago, I felt strongly against doing that. The argument made by those who wanted to grant [that] status to China was that trade between the U.S. and China would change the Chinese government, he said.

The reality was that trade with China changed the United States more than it changed China, Bauer said. He recalled the commissions first annual report, which took note of Falun Gongs April 25, 1999, appeal, in which practitioners simply asked the Chinese government to let them alone. But of course, that is the one thing the totalitarian, oppressive government cannot do.

Bauer said he is glad that President Donald Trump is renegotiating trade deals with China, as the current deals are neither in the best interest of the United States nor of the people of China.

I am going to have an opportunity to see President Trump next week on some other matters, Bauer said. And I can assure you that this is one of the things that I will bring up.

Support From Members of Congress

Congress wasnt in session, but five members of Congress sent letters to the forum to show their support.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) wrote: Not only is this a day for remembrance and respect, but it also provides an opportunity to look towards a bright future.

The celebration of this anniversary marks not only an important part of global history, but also reminds us of the sacrifices that brave protesters made to fight for religious freedom.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) wrote: As the first nation to guarantee religious freedom constitutionally, I am pleased to see that the Administration is committed to concrete outcomes that reaffirm our international commitments to promote religious freedom. Last July, the United States hosted the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, where Vice President Mike Pence specially called out the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] for the growing scope and scale of its religious persecution.

Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.) said: The right to practice religion freely is at the core of human rights.  It is imperative that Falun Gong practitioners be able to practice their religion freely and openly.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) praised Falun Gong practitioners for responding to the state-sanctioned violence using entirely peaceful means and for persistently educating Chinese citizens about the nature of their practice and the persecution against it.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) wrote: The magnitude of the persecution is difficult to comprehend. And the denying of fundamental human rights, the God-given natural right to worship as you please and to live as you please, is unthinkable.

Murray Bessette, director of Academic Programs at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, said that because the CCP cannot tolerate independent thoughts and beliefs, it would have chosen to suppress Falun Gong regardless of whether there had been an April 25 appeal.

Speaking at the forum, he said, I look forward to the day when the first thing we think about when we hear about the letters CCP are no longer Chinese Communist Party, but Courageous Chinese People.

The Wests Responsibility

Prominent Chinese attorney and rights activist Chen Guangcheng said that although its correct to say that Chinese people have to rely on themselves to fight for freedom and democracy, in the current internet and information age, the international community needs to shoulder bigger responsibilities to help in the Chinese peoples struggle.

For example, Chen said, the United States is currently still leasing nine satellites to the CCP, which are used to control Chinese people.

In this situation, he said, the United States cant say that it has no responsibility to the Chinese people. If the West had not indulged and appeased the CCP, the situation in China wouldnt have come to be in such a terrible state, he said.
Mark Montross, Amy Gerrity-Parent, and Amy's daughter saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts on April 29, 2019. (NTD Television)

BURLINGTON, Vt.Mark Montross was instantly captivated by the voice of the soprano when he experienced Shen Yun Performing Arts on April 29. He said the sopranos passion came through her voice in the way she carries herself while performing.

Ive got to say that shes probably one of the best Ive actually ever heard, Montross said.

She was absolutely amazing. Her voice is like the sounds of heaven. She really does a beautiful job, Montross said.

Montross saw Shen Yun with his partner Amy Gerrity-Parent and her daughter for the second time at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, Vermont, on April 29. Montross is the president of Catamount Realty Group, while Gerrity-Parent is a realtor in the same company.

New York-based Shen Yun tours the world with the mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and bring it alive on stage in the form of dance and music.

In about 20 vignettes of classical Chinese dance pieces, folk and ethnic dance pieces, story-based piece, and solo musicians, Shen Yun takes audience members on a journey through 5,000 years of civilization and history.

Like Montross, his partner Gerrity-Parent was also amazed by the soprano.

For [the] sopranoshe is unbelievable, Gerrity-Parent said.

Shen Yuns vocalists use the bel canto technique to singa technique believed to produce the most beautiful and pure tone of voice, according to its website. The vocalists sing original pieces in Chinese, but with English translations of the lyrics projected on the digital backdrop.

Important Mission

Montross said he came back this second time because he was amazed by the performers artistry the first time he experienced Shen Yun.

Its a wonderful performance. We have actually been to this before and its just amazing how all the different performances in the acrobats and all the training that must go into this, he said. Its just absolutely amazing.

He added that he thought Shen Yuns mission is important as it gives people an avenue through which to embrace a culture and history.

I think its always important to embrace the cultures and embrace the history behind things, so I think that everybody can take something from it, he said.

In my opinion, this day is like the central hub for that. So it is just a great way of coming out and being able to enjoy it, he added.

Gerrity-Parent shared similar views, adding that the performance is something that should be spread and should be shared.

With reporting by NTD Television.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006.
Footprints in the snow of the Makalu national park, which the Indian army says could be those of a Yeti, on April 9, 2019. (Indian Army)

Indian Army Shares Photographs It Claims Show Yeti Footprints

The Indian army claims to have found 32-inch footprints of a Yeti in the snow during an expedition in the Himalayas and posted photographs to social media.

For the first time, an Indian Army Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited mysterious footprints of mythical beast Yeti measuring 3215 inches, close to Makalu Base Camp on 9 April 2019, the Indian army tweeted.

This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past.

Despite many skeptical responses on social media, the army remains unabashed in its claims, according to The Times of India, saying that the photographs had been handed over to experts for evaluation before publication.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast Yeti measuring 3215 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7  ADG PI  INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019

The army decided to go public with the pictures 10 days later to excite scientific temper and rekindle interest in the matter.

Whilst some of the responses appear to support the armys claim that this is evidence of the existence of the mythical snowman, many tweets share a common criticism: the Yeti appears to be either one-legged or hopping.

Two weird things in these pics, wrote one Twitter user. 1. Distance between each footstep is too large. 2. Only a single footprint is seen. Normally should there not be prints of both the feet?

The photographs were taken in eastern Nepal, near the base camp for climbing Makalu, the fifth highest peak of the Himalayas.

The Yeti is sometimes known in the west as the Abominable Snowman. According to National Geographic this was coined in 1921 by journalist Henry Newman, but is a mistranslation of the Tibetan name Metoh-Kangmi which actually means dirty men in the snow.

Although tales of the Yeti first caught the imagination of the Western world in the 19th century, the hairy ape-like figure, taller than a man, has long been a feature of folklore in Nepal.

The allure of finding the mythical creature, too, stretches back over thousands of years.

The search to find the Yeti can be traced back to the time of Alexander the Great, who in 326 B.C. set out to conquer the Indus Valley, according the National Geographic website.

Having heard stories of the Yeti he demanded to see one for himself, but local people told him they were unable to present one because the creatures could not survive at that low an altitude.

Over 2,000 years later, and the Nepalese government decided to cash in on the Yeti in the 1950s, granting Yeti-hunting licenses priced at $500 per Yeti.

So far no one has found a Yeti, dead or alive.
Isikoff Lays an Egg

Commentary

Vanity Fairs Joe Pompeo wrote:

I asked Isikoff whether he thought the Russia reporting had gone overboard. I think its fair to say that all of us should have approached this, in retrospect, with more skepticism, particularly when we didnt know where it was coming from, he said. We knew that Steele compiled it, but that Steele did not hear these allegations himself. Somebody else heard them from others and then passed them along. Thats third-hand stuff, which is not usually the kind you want for publishing.

All of us? We?

Investigative journalist Michael Isikoff may find comfort in the herd; however, the fact is, he led it. It was Isikoff who published the first news story based on this third-hand stuff from the so-called Steele dossier in September 2016 for Yahoo News, where he wasand still ischief investigative correspondent.

Its one thing to be a useful idiot (at best), who, after more than 30 years in the news business, is easily gulled by Democratic Party and Clinton campaign contractors into presenting pre-packaged slander against the Republican presidential nominee as responsibly sourced and credible information. Its quite another to start with this we business to avoid taking responsibility for hoaxing the public in the first place.

Still, Isikoff has performed something of a public service. Thanks to Russian Roulette, the 2018 book he co-authored with David Corn, who happened to have written the second load of #FakeNews based on Steeles third-hand stuff in October 2016 for Mother Jones, we can now walk through Isikoffs steps to see how exactly it first came into public view as news.

Private Salons

According to Russian Roulette, the stage was set in mid-September 2016, when Fusion GPS proprietors Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch booked a private room at the Tabard Inn, a bohemian hotel and bar, Isikoff and Corn explain, long favored by Washington journalists. They add: It would serve as something of a private salon for Steele and reporters.

Ick.

Ladies and gents, here we see everything that is wrong with elite journalism. It takes place in private salons. The salons are run by opposition research firms. The salon attraction, in this case, retired British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, interacts with pre-selected reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and Yahoo News, some number of whom may even be on the Fusion GPSs still-redacted journalist payroll, just as Steele is, too. Dictation misnamed as reporting ensues.

For all the chi-chi surroundings, the whole thing smelled, but Isikoff and Corn didnt seem to notice.

It was here where Steele unloaded his third-hand stuff to Isikoff: Carter Page, the peripheral, unpaid Trump campaign adviser, had connections to the Kremlin (for which Page would be hounded even as the connections turned out to be fabrications).

Steele wouldnt say anything about his sources, Isikoff wrote. After all, this was Russiawhere sources could be shot or poisoned for talking about such matters.

Isikoff played along in 2016, and, in a bobbing and weaving way, he still is.

As Isikoff put it recently to Vanity Fair: Its been surprising to me the degree to which some people have wanted to maintain that the dossier was checking out when, as far as I can tell, it hasnt.

So reasonable, right? Wrong. He continued, explaining that the dossier was not a total wash and, key point, also was worthy of investigation:

There are aspects in there, like cultivating Trump on business relationships, that there is support for, so its not a total wash. But its the specifics that really knocked people over the head, that really set expectations for what [special counsel Robert] Mueller was gonna finda vast criminal conspiracy of collusionand the reality seems to be that the relationships are murkier than that.  None of this justifies the Republican jihad to undermine the entire investigation.

Thats the bottom line. For the anti-Trump conspiracy, the phoniness of the dossiers contents was and is immaterial to the grand strategy to trigger an entire investigationfirst, domestic spying on the Trump team, and, later, the special counsel investigation.

In Russian Roulette, we watch Steele bait this hook for Isikoff. All of this truly disturbing information about Page, Steele told Isikoff, had been presented to the FBI. There were people in the Bureau taking this very seriously.

Bingo.

After just one hour with Steele in the private salon (and maybe a quick Tabard Burgerhouse-made brioche bun, chorizo, Angus beef, smoked bacon, local smoked gouda, fried egg, sriracha ketchup, lemon aioli and French fries), it was a short hop to a big headline: U.S. intel officials probe ties between Trump adviser and Kremlin.

Of course, first, Isikoff had to check up on Steele.

Isikoff and Corn wrote:

When he got back to the office, Isikoff called Jonathan Winer at the State Department; he had known Winer for years. Simpson had told Isikoff Winer could vouch for Steele. Yes, Steele was an absolutely reliable source, Winer said.

Im not making this up. This is how Washington journalism works, and, thank you, Isikoff, for not being too embarrassed to reveal these details.

First, if Simpson approves, you receive an invitation to interview an impeccable source in a private salon. You take dictation. Then, salon host (and Democratic National Committee/Clinton contractor) Simpson provides you with a second source to vouch for the things you have copied down from the first. Never mind that in this case, the second source is longtime John Kerry aide Jonathan Winer, himself a conduit from Steele into the Kerry State Department, and then back again to Steele as a conduit for Sidney Blumenthal/Cody Shearer dossier material (which also ends up in the FBI).

The Trump campaign is on its way to defeat, and you are on your way to the Pulitzer Prize.

Only it didnt work out quite that way. Isikoffs co-author Corn even took a whack at publishing Steeles third-hand stuff in late October 2016, but to no availeven though Corn, too, did his due diligence. As he and Isikoff wrote in Russian Roulette:

After speaking with Steele, Corn confirmed Steeles identity and expertise. He contacted Jonathan Winer to ask him about Steele. (Isikoff, too, had called Winer about Steele.) Speaking on background, Winer told Corn that he had worked with Steele and that he had a solid track record of collaborating with U.S. government agencies. 

Winer againthe mainstream medias one-stop Steele character witness.

This is getting goofy. Were at a place where a self-respecting left-wing magazine such as Mother Jones, winner of a pair of Izzies, a journalism award named for Soviet agent and journalist I.F. Stone, now believes in a sources credibility on learning that he collaborates (and, I dare say, colludes) with the U.S. government. See what happens when the left becomes the Establishment, aka, the Deep State?

Ill bet it takes all of the fun out of executing really slick disinformation campaigns for the KGB (or whatever it calls itself these days). Its just too easy to own the U.S. media information loop.

Disinformation

Note to any honest Washington journalists still practicing the trade. The next time youre invited to a private salon, just say no. Bone up on common sense about vetting sources so youre less likely to get burned.

Heres how intelligence writer Edward Jay Epstein distilled the wisdom of the legendary counterintelligence chief James Jesus Angleton in his book Deception. The men were discussing intelligence matters decades ago, but the same rules work for anyone evaluating information today:

[Angleton] explained that ordinary standards of evidence cannot be applied to much of the information the CIA receives from inside the Soviet bloc. It is a denied area, where often it is not possible for American case officers to meet, much less test, the ultimate sources in their chains of agents. What emerges in Washington from the darkness is copies of Soviet state documents and reports of what high-level Soviet officials have said in private.

The crucial issue is whether these documents and private conversations from the Soviet inner sanctum represent legitimate intelligence or disinformation. If the material has been intercepted without the knowledge of the KGB, it is considered intelligence; if it has been passed through this chain with the knowledge of the KGB, it is considered disinformation. What separates intelligence from disinformation is nothing more than an assumption about the enemys state of awarenessan assumption always open to question in the secret world.

Everything we have learned to date about the Steele dossier and its Russian sources tells us it passed into the U.S. domain with the knowledge of Russian intelligence agencies, and is, therefore, by Angletons definition, to be regarded as disinformation.

Anyone, from Isikoff and Corn, to Mueller and Attorney General William Barr, who isnt trying to make that clear, is spreading it.

Diana West is an award-winning journalist and author whose latest book is The Red Thread: A Search for Ideological Drivers Inside the Anti-Trump Conspiracy.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Jason Kenney, Alberta's premier-designate and leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP), meets with the media in front of the Legislature Building in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on April 17, 2019. (Candace Elliott/Reuters)

Jason Kenney Officially Sworn in as Albertas 18th Premier; Names First Cabinet

EDMONTONFormer federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney has been officially sworn in as Albertas premier along with members of his first cabinet.

The United Conservative leader becomes the 18th person to head the provinces government.

Travis Toews, a rookie member of the legislature from Grande Prairie-Wapiti, is the new finance minister.

Toews was a chartered accountant and rancher before getting into politics.

Calgary lawyer Doug Schweitzer, who ran against Kenney for the UCP leadership, is the new minister of justice.

Veteran legislature members Ric McIver and Jason Nixon have also been given cabinet postsMcIver in transportation and Nixon in the key environment and parks portfolio.

I am humbled to have been asked by Premier Jason Kenney to serve as the Minister of Environment and Parks. Congratulations to the other Cabinet Ministers sworn in with me this morning. I look forward to working alongside them, under Premier Kenneys leadership. #ableg #abgov https://t.co/wrgeraRHmh  Jason Nixon (@JasonNixonAB) April 30, 2019

Calgary lawyer Sonya Savage is the new energy minister and Red Deer Catholic school trustee Adriana Lagrange is the new education minister.

Kenneys UCP defeated the New Democrats in the provincial election April 16 when the party won 63 seats to the NDPs 24.

Former premier Rachel Notley has promised to stay on as Opposition leader and will have an experienced caucus that includes 12 former cabinet ministers.

A new session of the legislature is to begin later in May.
Kayleigh McEnany, the Trump 2020 campaign press secretary, before President Donald Trumps MAGA rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on March 28, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Kayleigh McEnany: Trumps Strong Economy a Challenge for Bidens Presidential Bid

The presidents 2020 campaign national press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, argued that Joe Biden would struggle in his race against President Donald Trump because of the former vice presidents history of economic moves that resulted in millions of lost jobs.

In an interview with Foxs program, Outnumbered, McEnany outlined reasons why Biden would not be able to match Trump on the economy.

For Joe Biden, for his job, we might as well call him Job-killing Joe. He oversaw and voted for NAFTAit killed a million jobs. He wanted TPPit wouldve killed half a million jobs, she said. Guess what though. The middle class, blue-collar workers had a savior come forward in the form of President Trump, who tore up TPP, renegotiated a better NAFTA deal, and brought back manufacturing.

The numbers tell the story. When you lose 211,000 manufacturing jobs under Bidens tenure, and President Trump in two short years has brought back nearly half a million. Job-Killing Joe, best of luck going into Pennsylvania, she added.

Obama & Biden failed union workers nationwide, supporting job-killing trade deals like the TPP & losing 193,000 manufacturing jobs.@realDonaldTrump changed course, creating nearly 500,000 manufacturing jobs! Coming up on @OutnumberedOT @FoxNews w/ @HarrisFaulkner at 1:15!  Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) April 29, 2019

Biden kicked off his campaign with a speech in front of union members in Pittsburg, on April 29. He first announced his intention to join the race on April 25, becoming the 20th Democratic candidate to run in the 2020 presidential election.

Biden held a comfortable lead over the rest of the Democratic candidates in an average of polls maintained by Real Clear Politics.

Earlier today, Trump criticized Biden for holding his first rally in Pennsylvania, saying He obviously doesnt know that Pennsylvania is having one of the best economic years in its history, with lowest unemployment EVER, a now thriving Steel Industry (that was dead) & great future!

Sleepy Joe Biden is having his first rally in the Great State of Pennsylvania. He obviously doesnt know that Pennsylvania is having one of the best economic years in its history, with lowest unemployment EVER, a now thriving Steel Industry (that was dead) & great future!..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2019

The Media (Fake News) is pushing Sleepy Joe hard. Funny, Im only here because of Biden & Obama. They didnt do the job and now you have Trump, who is getting it done  big time! Trump also tweeted.

The Media (Fake News) is pushing Sleepy Joe hard. Funny, Im only here because of Biden & Obama. They didnt do the job and now you have Trump, who is getting it done  big time!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2019

McEnany supported the presidents statement, saying that the media does not care about the American people.

They dont care about the middle class. They dont care about the American people. They dont care that those policies meant that we had the worst economic recovery in modern history going back to World War II. Never mind the fact that wages were depressed. They dont care that under President Trump, wages are growing twice as fast for low and middle-income Americans, McEnany said.

The numbers dont like. This economy has never been hotter. The middle class, low-income workers cannot afford to take us backward no matter what the media says as much as they wish for Obama 2.0, she added.

Biden appears to be counting on the support of organized labor for his election campaign. But a number of moves by the Obama-Biden administration had angered union leaders ahead of the 2016 election.

For example, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) backed by Obama and Biden received a lot of opposition by labor unions at the time. Moreover, unions also viewed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as detrimental to the interests of unionized workers. Biden supported NAFTA as the senator from Delaware.

The Epoch Times reporter Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.
Pedestrians walk past the Yeshiva Kehilath Yakov School in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 9, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Image)

Little Evidence to Suggest Orthodox Jewish Community Affected by Measles Is Undervaccinated

News Analysis

Orthodox Jews have customs and beliefs very different from those of the mainstream, so when measles started to spread among them, the rest of the world jumped to the conclusion that this was because many of them eschew vaccination.

Stoked by fear of a disease that health officials could not stop, many media reports and even the New York mayors office have reinforced this narrative.

To date, city officials have reported 390 cases of measles in Brooklyn and Queens since the outbreak started in October, and media and government officials have implied that low vaccination rates are responsible.

To fix this apparent failure to vaccinate, Mayor Bill de Blasio mandated MMR vaccination in neighborhoods affected by the outbreak as well as in surrounding neighborhoods encompassed by four zip codes. This mandate overruled established New York law that gives parents the right to opt not to vaccinate their children based on religious reasons.

Furthermore, because of the belief that there is widespread abuse of the religious exemption among Jews, some New York state senators now are calling for an end to the exemption.

However, a careful look at the data available on vaccination rates in Orthodox Jewish communities, and reports by members of the community and their doctors, indicate that the Hasidic community is vaccinated on par with the rest of the city.

What the Data Shows

City officials say that 1,800 school-age children in yeshivas (Jewish educational institutions) in Williamsburg and Borough Park, where the vast majority of the outbreaks in the city are located, have vaccination exemptions on file.

The health department told The Epoch Times that it doesnt know how many students attend these schools in total.

The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC) estimates that there are more than 50,000 K-12 school children in these two communities. This number puts the vaccination rate at around 96 percent. The threshold for herd immunity for measles is presumed to be 93 to 95 percent.

That information also is supported by Jane Zucker, New York Citys assistant commissioner of the Bureau of Immunization. Zucker told Vox that most school-age children in the community are vaccinated at levels on par with other schools.

Vox reporter Julia Belluz wrote, Vaccine levels in Jewish schools in New York City look average, although religious schools have more religious exemptions than non-religious schools.

The health department told The Epoch Times that city schools have a 98.6 percent vaccine compliance rate and that some yeshivas are indeed at this rate. It also said some yeshivas are at 80 percent but didnt specify how many schools fall into each category. A request for clarification was not returned by press time.

Also important to note is that some of these 1,800 exemptions are for medical reasons.

OJPAC also noted in a statement that in upstate Rockland County, where the Orthodox community is also in the midst of a measles outbreak, most schools now have a 95 percent vaccination rate for measles. One yeshiva had 100 percent compliance, as reported by health officials early in the outbreak.

Community Consensus

Regarding the vaccination rates in other members of the Orthodox community, the NYC health department doesnt have any data.

However, members of the community say they are well vaccinated.

Most in the ultra-Orthodox community are vaccinated, and a vast majority of prominent rabbis support the vaccination requirements, wrote Moshe Friedman, a Hasidic yeshiva graduate and a father of three, in an opinion piece in The New York Times.

Property manager Israel Friedman told The Washington Post that in his family, all his many siblings and his children who are of age have been vaccinated, which he believes is representative of the population.

Were talking about a very small minority who arent vaccinated, Israel Friedman said.

David Oberlander, the principal of a yeshiva where cases of measles were found earlier in the outbreak, said 97 percent of our students and family are vaccinated, according to The Washington Post.

Reports from doctors who treat the community corroborate this.

I dont really at NYU see a lot of [Hasidic] patients that are adamant about not getting vaccines, I mostly see the ones that are delayed, Dr. Jennifer Lighter, a pediatric epidemiologist with the New York University Langone hospital system, told the Jewish publication Forward.

Dr. Jay Begun, a pediatrician in Williamsburg, told The Associated Press that only a very small minority, of his patients dont vaccinate at all.

So What Is Causing the Outbreak?

If its not a ubiquitous lack of vaccination, then why are we seeing so many cases of measles?

The answer may lie in a combination of factors, including the large numbers of young children, delays in receiving the MMR, and vaccine failure.

OJPAC notes that large family size and frequent mingling during holiday and other events create an environment conducive to spreading an infection that is not present in other segments of society.

Its worth noting here that the CDC has reported more than 400 cases of mumps in 34 states this year and that these outbreaks can occur in highly vaccinated populations, especially where people are in close contact with one another.

Mumps outbreaks can still occur in U.S. communities of people who previously had one or two doses of MMR vaccine. This is particularly common in close-contact settings. High vaccination coverage helps limit the size, duration, and spread of mumps outbreaks, the CDC says.

A number of Orthodox parents appear to be choosing to delay the MMR vaccine for their young children.

Williamsburg  has one of the lowest rates of vaccine coverage among young children, ages 19 to 35 months, in the city, wrote Belluz.

Zucker told Vox, We hear they want to wait until the child is older so they know the child doesnt have autism, then get the child vaccinated.

However, given the school data, delays in vaccination cant explain the scope of this outbreak. Another piece of the puzzle is vaccine failure. Recent data from the health department confirms that a known minority of cases are found in vaccinated people.

Failure of the MMR vaccine to prevent measles outbreaks is not a topic media report on, but it is well documented in scientific literature that outbreaks happen in highly vaccinated populations around the world.

In 2017, measles was reported in nine vaccinated Israeli soldiers.

In 2003, an outbreak in a boarding school in Pennsylvania also caused nine cases, with six of the people affected having received two doses of the measles vaccine.

In 2012, an editorial by the editor-in-chief of the journal Vaccine noted some rather spectacular failures: an outbreak in Canada, where over 50 percent of the 98 people infected had received two doses of measles vaccine, and a U.S. outbreak spanning from 1989 to 1991 in which 20 to 40 percent of infections were in people who had received one or two doses.

The editorial also notes that multiple studies show that even two doses of measles vaccine do not appear to confer immunity in 2 to 10 percent of people, a phenomenon called primary failure. Secondary failure refers to the waning of immunity over time.

Thus, measles outbreaks also occur even among highly vaccinated populations because of primary and secondary vaccine failure, which results in gradually larger pools of susceptible persons and outbreaks once measles is introduced. This leads to a paradoxical situation whereby measles in highly immunized societies occurs primarily among those previously immunized, Dr. Gregory Poland wrote.

Poland further says that the current vaccine may not be good enough to prevent outbreaks due to the combination of vaccine failure and hesitancy based on fears that the MMR vaccine can cause autism. These two factors may very well be whats causing the New York outbreaks.

Corroborating this, an April 27 report in Outbreak News Today (ONT) said that of 60 measles cases reported in adults in NYC, 17 cases were in vaccinated individuals. In other individuals, vaccination status was unknown.

Consistent with reports of parents choosing to delay the MMR, ONT said that a majority of measles cases in children have occurred in those who are unvaccinated. Citing NYC health officials, it also reported that 26 (out of 330) cases have been in vaccinated children.

For some reason, the ONT report included in this 330 figure the 65 measles cases reported in infants under one year. However, the first dose of MMR is not normally recommended until 12 months, so it would be expected that these infants would not be vaccinated. De Blasios vaccine order does mandate that babies over six months be vaccinated, but many of these cases predate this order.

Furthermore, measles in breastfeeding infants of vaccinated mothers could be the result of secondary vaccine failure because the mother has not retained enough vaccine-induced immunity to pass on protective antibodies to her baby.

Secular Reasons

Of the Jewish parents who choose not to vaccinate, many cite secular reasons, the same reasons cited by parents around the country.

Just as society rushed to condemn these New York Jewish communities as anti-vax, so too have other parents with concerns about vaccines felt the brunt of this label.

With regards to the MMR, parents who delay might rather be seen as concerned and prudent, because we have not yet had a societal reckoning with the story of the CDC whistleblower.

Hanging in the air is 2015 testimony by Congressman Bill Posey (R-Fla.) that he has documents from a CDC researcher showing that the agency covered up findings that link early MMR vaccination with autism.

In any case, the data show some apologies to the Jewish community may be in order.
Mass Held at Catholic Church for First Time After Easter Bombings, Defying Threats

A rural Catholic church in Sri Lanka held Mass, the first at a church in the nation since a spate of bombings on April 21, defying threats of further attacks.

The Mass was held at St. Josephs Catholic Church in Thannamunal, a small village in eastern Sri Lanka about 225 kilometers (140 miles) northeast of Colombo, the capital and the site of most of the bombings.

Under incredibly tight security, worshippers watched a priest be ordained. People wanted to celebrate Mass, they wanted to participate in this, but theyeven myselfwere afraid, Father Norton Johnson said. However, security personnel gave us good protection.

The Mass had been planned at least two weeks earlier to mark the ordination with the participation of some 200 priests. They had expected thousands to attend the ceremony at St. Josephs Catholic Church.

The Mass was still held but the crowd ended up around several hundred while 80 priests attended.

Police officers arranged separate lines for men and women outside of St. Josephs. The officers carefully patted down those entering the service. Around 300 soldiers, 60 police officers, and special commandos stood guard, some behind the church looking at the blue still waters of a nearby lagoon.

Its a very risky thing, said one army officer.

Inside, worshippers prayed with their eyes closed, some barefoot. A choir sang hymns backed by a synthesizer and drums, their Tamil verses peppered with hosannas, an exclamation to give praise to God. Orange streamers hung from the rafters. Bouquets of flowers ringed its chandeliers.

The mass came after Catholic churches across the country closed following the bombings, which targeted St. Anthonys Shrine in Colombo, St.Sebastians Church in Negombo, and Zion Church in Batticaloa in addition to four hotels.

A senior Catholic priest told AFP on April 25 that all public services at churches across the nation were being suspended and all the churches were closed on the advice of security forces.

The archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, told reporters over the weekend that he had seen an internal security document warning of further attacks on churches and said there would be no Catholic masses celebrated anywhere on the island on April 28. The U.S. State Department also said in a level 3 travel advisory that terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka.

Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, hospitals, and other public areas, it added.

Ranjith held a private Mass on Sunday, which was broadcast live on radio and television, reported the Catholic News Service.

We pray for those who lost their lives and that those who were injured will recover soon after this great tragedy last Sunday, he said during his homily.

No one has the right to kill innocent people. Stop these killings in the name of God. Human life is the most beautiful, and all of us are unique. God has created man for others, and every person is a reflection of God, but these incidents are insults to humanity. We pray for peace and coexistence and understanding each other without division.

Ranjith has criticized Sri Lankan intelligence for not responding to warnings submitted before the attacks, saying if hed been warned he would have called off services on Easter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin leaves the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' meeting at the IMF and World Bank's 2019 Annual Spring Meetings, in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2019. (James Lawler Duggan/Reuters)

Mnuchin Hopes for Substantial Progress in China Trade Talks

BEIJINGU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on April 30 that he hopes to make substantial progress with Chinese negotiators in the next two rounds of trade talks, as the worlds two largest economies look for ways to end their trade war.

Mnuchin was speaking in Beijing, where he and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will hold talks this week, before Chinese Vice Premier Liu He goes to Washington next week for another round of talks.

Weve a meeting here, and then the vice premier and team will be coming back to Washington D.C., and we hope to make substantial progress in these two meetings, Mnuchin told reporters.

Beijing and Washington have cited progress on issues including intellectual property and forced technology transfer to help end a conflict marked by tit-for-tat tariffs on each others goods.

But U.S. officials say privately that an enforcement mechanism for a deal and timelines for lifting tariffs are sticking points.

Im not going to comment on specific issues of the discussions, Mnuchin said. Theyve been quite broad as Ive said before. Weve made a lot of progress. We look forward to the meetings here.

At a separate meeting on Tuesday, with a group of former U.S. lawmakers, the Chinese regimes top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said the two countries interests were deeply connected.

In recent months, both countries economic and trade teams have held many rounds of high-level consultations and achieved much positive progress, Chinas Foreign Ministry paraphrased Wang as saying.

China hopes that both sides can work hard, exclude disturbances, and reach a mutually beneficial, win-win agreement, he added.

Chinese officials have also acknowledged that they view the enforcement mechanism as crucial, but that it cant only put restraints on China.

There must be guarantees for implementation. This is an important part of the negotiations. We must, to the greatest extent possible, lower and prevent the chances of going back on promises, one Chinese official close to senior leaders told Reuters.

A second Chinese official with knowledge of the situation said it was too early to say work was in the final stages, but that both sides were sprinting.

President Donald Trump said on April 4 that a deal might be worked out in about four weeks. Last week, he said he would soon host Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House. A meeting between the two leaders is seen as needed to cement an agreement.

Mnuchin, speaking to Fox Business Network in an interview that aired on Monday, said the trade negotiations aimed at enforcement were close to finished.

Chinas foreign ministry said at its daily press briefing that substantive progress had been made on the talks but gave no details.

By Ben Blanchard
The central business district skyline is seen during the dusk in Jakarta, April 29. Indonesia's decades-long discussion about building a new capital has inched forward after President Joko Widodo approved a long-term plan for the government to abandon overcrowded, sinking and polluted Jakarta. AP



Indonesia's decades-long discussion about building a new capital has inched forward after President Joko Widodo on Monday approved a long-term plan for the government to abandon overcrowded, sinking and polluted Jakarta.



Widodo decided at a special Cabinet meeting to move the capital outside of Indonesia's most populous island, Java, said Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro. It was one of three options discussed. The other alternatives were moving to a location near Jakarta or staying put and relocating all government buildings to a special zone around the presidential palace.



The site for a possible new capital hasn't been announced, but Palangkaraya on the island of Borneo has often been rumored as the location. Brodjonegoro, however, said eastern Indonesia is favored.



''This is a big job, impossible to take just one year, it could take up to 10 years,'' he said.



Prone to flooding and rapidly sinking due to uncontrolled ground water extraction, Jakarta is the archetypical Asian mega-city creaking under the weight of its dysfunction. Only 4% of Jakarta's waste water is treated, according to the government, causing massive pollution to rivers and contaminating the ground water that supplies the city. Congestion is estimated to cost the economy $6.5 billion a year.



Before the Cabinet meeting, Widodo said other countries such as Malaysia, South Korea and Brazil set up new capitals as part of their development as nations.



''The idea to move the capital city appeared long ago,'' he said. ''But it has never been decided or discussed in a planned and mature manner.''



Improving inadequate infrastructure in the country of 260 million has been Widodo's signature policy and helped him win a second term in elections earlier this month.



Brodjonegoro said a new capital would require an area of 30,000 to 40,000 hectares (about 74,000 to 99,000 acres) and have a population of between 900,000 and 1.5 million.



Jakarta has a population of about 30 million in its greater metropolitan area. (AP)


Police booking photos of Joann Cunningham and Andrew Freund Sr. who face multiple charges in the death of their 5-year-old son. (McHenry County Sheriff's Department via AP)

Parents of Murdered Crystal Lake Boy AJ Freund Agree to Give Up Custody of Their Other Son

The Illinois parents charged with murder in the death of their 5-year-old son have agreed to let the states child welfare agency care for their younger son, according to the Northwest Herald.

JoAnn Cunningham and Andrew Freund Sr.s younger son was taken into Illinois Department of Children and Family Services custody after Andrew AJ Freunds April 18 disappearance.

AJs body was found last week, and Cunningham and Freund face multiple charges, including murder.

The Herald reports McHenry County prosecutors have filed a petition to cut Cunningham and Freunds parental rights to the younger boy. While permanent revocation of parental rights makes its way through the court system, Cunningham and Freund Sr. have agreed for their 4-year-old son to remain in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Cunningham and Freund reported AJ missing April 18. His plastic-wrapped body was found Wednesday in a shallow grave.

Autopsy Reveals Cause of Death

An autopsy has revealed that AJ died of multiple blows to the head.

A coroner cited in criminal complaints filed on Thursday, April 25, at the McHenry County Circuit Court, stated that the boy died as a result of craniocerebral trauma caused by blunt force injuries to the head.

Other chilling details were heard in court, according to Fox5, including that prior to being beaten to death, the little boy was forced to take a long, cold shower.

Prosecutors cited by the news outlet said AJs parents forced their son to remain in a cold shower for an extended period of time and/or struck A.F. on or about his body, knowing such acts would cause the death of A.F.

AJs parents, Freund Sr., 60, and Cunningham, 36, appeared in McHenry County Court Thursday where, according to WGN-TV, they faced multiple charges including aggravated battery and first-degree murder.

A bond of $5 million each has been set for the parents, according to the report.

Cunningham, who is seven months pregnant, shed tears as the judge listed the charges, WGN-TV reported.

Freund Sr. showed no emotion in court.

Both parents are due in felony court on May 10, according to The Herald.

No Longer Have to Suffer

The boys body was found wrapped in plastic on April 24 in a rural area of Woodstock, Crystal Lake police Chief James Black said at a news conference, according to The Associated Press.

Woodstock is about 50 miles northwest of Chicago and a few miles from the familys home in Crystal Lake.

Black said investigators were led to the body after they interviewed the boys parents overnight and presented them with cellphone evidence.

In a message intended for the slain boy, the chief said, We know you are at peace playing in heavens playground and are happy you no longer have to suffer.

Luis Maldonado, a local man, described the area where the boy was discovered as being fairly isolated.

Its very quiet, he told the Chicago Tribune. If they found a body here, I dont know how they found this place.

AJ had been reported missing by his parents about a week ago.

Police officials were seen taking items from the family home on April 23, including a shovel.

Other evidence investigators removed included a toddler mattress and a large plastic tub, according to WGN-TV.

Freund Sr. and Cunningham were interviewed by Crystal Lake Police after the child disappeared, according to reports.

His father said he didnt know what happened to his son, Fox32 reported.

Investigators said that Cunningham had been uncooperative with police when they interviewed her.

Cunninghams attorney, George Kililis, said she stopped answering police officers questions after her attorneys told her not to.

Welfare Checks

On April 23, the police released more than 60 pages of reports written by officers who responded to various calls about the house where AJ lived with his parents, AP reported.

One report described seeing the home littered with dog feces and urine, and a childrens bedroom where the smell of feces was overwhelming. Another report said the officer found the house to be cluttered, dirty, and in disrepair, and without electrical power.

The heavily redacted reports also indicate state child welfare workers were called after officers spotted a large bruise on one of the young boys living there, but that the children appeared to be healthy and happy and were not removed from the house.

Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this article.
NASA Head Says a Major Asteroid Could Crash Into Earth in the Future

The head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that a major asteroid could crash into the Earth in our lifetime.

Jim Bridenstine, the agencys administrator, said during a keynote speech at the International Academy of Astronautics 2019 Planetary Defense Conference in College Park, Maryland that the threat of asteroids is real.

We have to make sure that people understand that this is not about Hollywood, its not about movies, Bridenstine said on April 29, reported Space.com. This is about ultimately protecting the only planet we know right now to host life, and that is the planet Earth.

Bridenstine referenced the 65-foot meteor that exploded over Russia in 2013.

These events are not rare. They happen, he said.

Bridenstine said that planetary defense is just as important as space exploration and human expansion and highlighted the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, a planetary defense mission slated to launch in 2022.

The mission aims to throw off the course of asteroids that are projected to smash into Earth by sending spacecraft into them.

He said that other missions are important but that keeping Earth safe is as well.

So, thats why we do those missions, he said. Yes, its about science, its about discovery, its about exploration, but one of the reasons we do those missions is so that we can characterize those objects to protect, again, the only planet we know to host life.

During the conference, NASAs Planetary Defense Coordination Office and other U.S. agencies and space science institutions played out a realistic but fictional scenario for an asteroid on an impact trajectory with Earth.

Such a tabletop exercise is commonly used to help in disaster management planning.

These exercises have really helped us in the planetary defense community to understand what our colleagues on the disaster management side need to know, said Lindley Johnson, NASAs planetary defense officer, in a statement before the conference. This exercise will help us develop more effective communications with each other and with our governments.

The scenario was going to begin with the premise that on March 26, astronomers discovered a Near-Earth Object they considered potentially hazardous to Earth. After a few months of tracking, observers pegged the object as posing a one in 100 chance of impacting the Earth in 2027.

Participants in this exercise will discuss potential preparations for asteroid reconnaissance and deflection missions and planning for mitigation of a potential impacts effects, NASA said in a statement.

The exercise and others like it were identified as part of the National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan developed over a two-year period and published by the White House (pdf) in June 2018.

The plan established five strategic goals, including enhancing detection of Near-Earth Objects, improving Near-Earth Object modeling prediction, and increasing international cooperation on Near-Earth Object preparation.

The nation already has significant scientific, technical, and operation capabilities that are relevant to asteroid impact prevention, said Johnson at the time. Implementing the National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan will greatly increase our nations readiness and work with international partners to effectively respond should a new potential asteroid impact be detected.
New Jersey Mayor Arrested for 2017 Election Tampering

The mayor of Elmwood Park, New Jersey, was arrested April 29 for alleged election tampering.

Frank Caramagna, 74, resigned on April 28, the Bergen County Prosecutors Office said in an April 29 release.

The offices investigation revealed that Caramagna had interfered with the secrecy of the election process by completing portions of the Application for Vote by Mail Ballot, Primary Election Ballot Certifications, and General Election Ballot Certifications of registered voters, the release said.

He was the first Democrat in nearly 50 years to win the mayoral race in the small borough of Bergen County some nine miles northwest of Manhattan. He ran in 2017 against Robert Colletti, a Republican who served as the interim mayor after the previous Republican mayor Richard Mola died in 2016 after 45 years in office, The North Jersey Record reported.

Caramagna was only ahead by three votes on the election night, but after mail-in, provisional, and absentee ballots were counted, his lead expanded to 318. Less than 4,400 votes were cast altogether.

He was released from the Bergen County Jail on April 29 after being charged with one count of interfering with the secrecy of the election process, facing three to five years in prison, disenfranchisement, and a fine of up to $15,000 if convicted. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 22.

Its a bit of a shock, said Elmwood Park Borough Administrator Michael Foligno. Ive known Frank Caramagna for many years in his capacity as a council person and then as mayor. But well move forward as a community and as a governing body.

Tampering Alluded

Former Elmwood Park councilman Anthony Chirdo suggested that Caramagna tampered with the election, during his last public meeting on Aug. 16.

Mayor, you do an excellent job of absentee ballots, Chirdo said. You got 446 absentee ballots last year, which is outstanding, and Im just curious: Out of those, how many did you actually personally collect?

Other council members appeared unsettled by the comments. One commented that its illegal to collect the ballots personally. Others called Chirdos comment so inappropriate and so out of order.

You never made a contribution since Ive been mayor here, Caramagna responded. Never once you made a suggestion. Always been negative. You tried to fight people. You, as an Eagle Scoutyou should be ashamed of yourself, because you make a lot of accusations. Shame on you. I thought you were a better man. You better go away. Im sorry.

After the news of Caramagnas arrest broke, Chirdo responded in a Facebook post.

I used that time to speak up and outline the borderline unethical behavior of the current Majority. I highlighted the large amount of mail-in ballots that were submitted, he said. You can hear the others on the council trying to make me feel ashamed of my comments and that they are inappropriate.  I am not ashamed for speaking up when I see things that are wrong.

August 16th, 2018 was my last public meeting as a Councilman in Elmwood Park. I used that time to speak up and outline the borderline unethical behavior of the current Majority. I highlighted the large amount of mail in ballots that were submitted you can hear the others on the council trying to make me feel ashamed of my comments and that they are inappropriate.. I am not ashamed for speaking up when I see things that are wrong.https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/crime/2019/04/29/elmwood-park-nj-mayor-arrested-election-tampering-charges/3620698002/?fbclid=IwAR00zyQSfYt9EVFU9WJfBvuu_utbRcJo-p-laxTbLSSwBxfkarAda66bAp0#  Anthony Chirdo  2019430

Caramagna succeeded at getting elected on his fifth try. He previously taught Italian and Spanish at Elmwood Park High School and served on the Board of Education.

His term would have expired on Dec. 31. He planned to run for reelection and is on the ballot in the June primary. His opponents are Colletti and another Republican, Magdalena Giandomenico, who is supported by Chirdo.
New Report Blasts Yale, Other US Universities for Neo-Segregation

WASHINGTONA new report suggests that Yale University, and other U.S. higher education institutions more generally, widely engage in neo-segregation, that is, voluntary racial segregation of students, aided by college institutions, into exclusive dormitories, common spaces, classes, and events.

The report is part of a larger project by the National Association of Scholars (NAS). It includes a survey of 173 colleges and universities, public and private, in all 50 states, finding 46 percent of schools segregate student orientation programs, 43 percent segregate residential arrangements, and a towering 72 percent segregate graduation ceremonies.

At the reports rollout on April 29 at Hillsdale Colleges Kirby Center, Peter W. Wood, NAS president and the reports co-author, quoted then-Gov. George Wallaces 1963 inaugural address, Segregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow, and Segregation Forever, noting Wallace was correct about Segregation Tomorrow, since more than half a century later, racial segregation comes as easy as breathing to many American colleges and universities.

Wood acknowledged neo-segregation differs from Jim Crow in that it is voluntary: It invites students of color to separate themselves out from the rest of the campus. A Wall Street Journal op-ed timed to correspond with the rollout, however, charged, Though these arrangements are ostensibly voluntary, students cant easily opt out. Moreover, while accommodations might be open to other races de jure, history demonstrates those trying to cross racial lines face bullying, intimidation, and even violence, inevitably leading to continued de facto neo-segregation.

Wood quoted the Supreme Courts 1954 Brown v. Board of Education verdict that argues, in the field of public education, the doctrine of separate but equal has no place, as segregated schools are inherently unequal, and thus segregated minority students were deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

Separate Accommodations

Yet, according to Dion J. Pierre, co-author with Wood of the overall study, Separate But Equal, Again: Neo-Segregation in American Higher Education, the Brown decision included studies indicating black students in primarily white schools felt more inferior than those in segregated schools. Within a short time of Brown, accordingly, black students in predominantly white higher educational institutions began requesting separate accommodations and facilities.

As Pierre put it, this kind of segregation has always been with us. That is, as soon as colleges began integrating, minority students demanded separatism in various forms. Within 14 years of Brown, Pierre reported, students began to receive neo-segregated accommodations.

For instance, Pierre said, The New York Times reported on segregated dorms in the article The Two Nations at Wesleyan, documenting John Wesley Houses 1969 metamorphosis to Malcolm X House. The article records that the houses Afro American Institute, known as Ujamaa (family in Swahili), became the unofficial voice of Wesleyans black community, issuing a cheerless form of invective, full of phrases like racist institution and white liberal swine.

A white English teacher quoted in the piece called Ujamaas diktats the language of escalation. They have to be deciphered rather like statements from the Kremlin. Setting aside Wesleyan administrators dreams of many races, one community, Ujamaas co-director told the Times, Ill keep 10 percent  just to remember that the white folks still exist. I havent found the button yet that will get rid of them.

Pierre said Wesleyans struggle to assimilate black students culminated in the Fisk Hall takeover of 1969. Wesleyan rewarded that disruption with a segregated dorm, one that was officially recognized, not just the Afro-American Cultural House they already had. Black Wesleyan students had their own library, they were hosting segregated dances, but the Fisk Hall takeover won them Malcolm X Housesymbolic, Pierre said, because, among blacks, Malcolm X was one of the first mainstream American figures to condemn integration.

Seeking a Cure

Wesleyans situation had a neo-segregation nexus in New Haven, where the Black Students Association at Yale (BSAY) was founded in 1964. That year, Yales president and admissions dean set out on an effort to cure racial injustice, including, according to Wood and Pierre, admitting minority students regardless of their test scores or other evidence of academic achievement.

Unfortunately, Wood and Pierre report, the results were catastrophic for the students. Over a third of the 35 black students Yale enrolled in 1966 dropped out their first year alone. Others lagged behind academically and felt unwelcome. Trying to triage the trauma, Yale established a summer remediation program for black studentswhich only isolated the black students as a group and gave them a sense of solidarity and shared grievance, Wood and Pierre argue.

That isolation led to BSAY demands for separate advisers, a separate orientation, a separate center in a separate building, and even a separate curriculum, the African-American studies program, which required separate faculty members with separate qualifications, the NAS authors report. Even then, say Wood and Pierre, Yale began to bear a strange resemblance to the separate but equal world pre-Brown. According to the authors, Yale met every new demand with accommodation, and BSAY grasped that racial intimidation yields rich rewards.

The result is on display at Yale now, says Wood, including the infamous 2015 mobbing of Nicholas A. Christakis, a Yale professor who found himself encircled for two hours by approximately 100 students after his wife Erika circulated an email in which she counseled students not to be so uptight about Halloween costumes.

A video of the confrontation went viral, featuring student Jerelyn Luther, screaming inter alia who the [expletive] hired you? at Christakis. Ironically, Pierre noted, Luther served on the committee that selected Nicholas and Erika Christakis as heads of Silliman College, the residential dorm at Yale, so the answer to Luthers profanity-laced question was, in part, Luther.

Regardless, Nicholas and Erika Christakis were driven to resign from the university within a month or two, to the glee of those within the community that wanted them gone, according to Wood. Later that year, Yale President Peter Salovey reacted to the kerfuffle by devoting $50 million to spend on diverse faculty, which, in turn, has resulted in more than 60 hires so farand, arguably, to the 2016 disclosure that no underrepresented minority faculty member had lost a tenure bid in five years.

Yale went on to award two of the mobsters, Alexandra Zina Barlowe and even Abdul-Razak Mohammed Zachariahthe student who came closest to physically attacking professor Christakis, according to Woodits Nakashini Prize, supposedly for two graduating seniors who, while maintaining high academic achievement, have provided exemplary leadership in enhancing race and/or ethnic relations at Yale College.

Worse, argues a piece that Wood read from at the reports rollout, By perpetuating a false narrative about its own racism, Yale, like the vast majority of colleges and universities today, encourages its minority students to think of themselves as victims.

The NAS project suggests that the early pattern at Wesleyan and Yale appears not only to have escalated within the schools, but also to have spread across the country, in ever-more cases manifesting not as successful diversity and inclusion, but instead as neo-segregation.

Beyond Yales walls, and those of the other schools following its lead, the piece Wood cited concludes, it augurs a country ever more primed to see bias where none exists and ever more divided by group identity.
Oklahoma Officer Jams on Drum Kit in Unusual Noise Complaint Response

The Oklahoma City Police Department shared footage of a police officer jamming out on a drum kit as part of an extraordinary response to a noise complaint.

Officers dispatched to deal with a noise complaint in South Oklahoma City on Friday, April 26, took an extraordinary approach to the situation they encountered on the scene, according to the departments Facebook page.

When the officers arrived, they found a man had set up a drum kit on the side of the road and was drumming away.

One of the responding officers, Nate Ross, decided to break the ice by showing off his percussion skills.

I firmly believe that the success of our department, in part, is about our interactions with citizens, Ross said, according to the post. I could have gone over there, talking down to them, telling them it was too loud and they needed to turn it down  but this was a lot more fun  it gave me a chance to interact with the people I serve.

The officers sister-in-law captured footage from inside the patrol vehicle as Ross jammed away on the kit. The department said she was with him that day on a ride-along.

Ross is seen in the video playing the drums while another officer watches and a man plays along on guitar.

When Ross was done, the man he played withand the subject of the noise complaintturned down the music and left soon after.

Yes, our officers have a job to do, and laws to enforce, but how great is it when we can interact with the great citizens we serve?? the Oklahoma City Police Department said in the post.

Ross added that he received hugs and handshakes after he was done with his jam session.

Drumming officer interacts with citizens from our great city Last Friday, our officers were called to a loud noise complaint in south OKC. When they got there, they found a man set up playing drums. Officer Nate Ross was the first to arrive. He chatted with the man, explaining that they had been called there because someone was complaining that the music was too loud. Little did anyone know that Officer Ross used to play the drums back in the day. Someone happened to capture Ross sitting down, showing them how it was done. When asked about this call, Officer Ross said, "I firmly believe that the success of our department, in part, is about our interactions with citizens. I could have gone over there, talking down to them, telling them it was too loud and they needed to turn it downbut this was a lot more funit gave me a chance to interact with the people I serve. I got some hugs and handshakes at the end of it all, then they turned it down and left."Yes, our officers have a job to do, and laws to enforce, but how great is it when we can interact with the great citizens we serve?? #loveit #okcpd #communitypolicing #drummingcop  Oklahoma City Police Department  2019429

Policeman Leaves Pregnant Waitress $100 Tip Along With Lovely Message on Check

In related news, a police officer in New Jersey left a generous $100 tipalong with a touching note on the checkafter learning that his server was pregnant with her first child, according to the father of the waitress.

Brian Cadigan, of Sewell, New Jersey, shared the story on Facebook over the weekend, posting a photograph of the extraordinary receipt that was reportedly issued at the Lamp Post Diner in Gloucester Township, on Friday, Feb. 15, at 12:39 p.m.

Cadigan said the officerwho wanted to remain anonymous, according to a Fox News reportleft the $100 tip on a $9 check and capped the touching gesture off with a note, Enjoy your first, you will never forget it.

$100 Diner Tip A waitress got a $100 tip on a $9 salad but the story gets even better.  NJ.com  2019218

Just Doing Their Jobs

Cadigan wrote in the post, You always hear about how bad the police are, how they treated you like dirt, how they are on a power trip.

Yes I am sure there are some bad apples, the waitresss father continued, but most of them are just doing their jobs, they deal with the worst of society every day and have to keep going back [every day] and deal with it all over again.

Cadigan then praised the police for the things they do that most people will never know about before describing his daughters encounter with the police officer.

My daughter is a waitress at a local diner, she is also 7 months pregnant and working still to save as much money as she can, Cadigan wrote, adding that she was working the lunch shift when a Voorhees Twp police officer came in, he was pleasant, and had his lunch by himself.

You always hear about how Bad the Police are, How They treated you like dirt, how they are on a Power Trip, Yes I am  Brian Cadigan  2019216

After finishing his meal, the police officer signed the bill, Cadigan wrote, and left her a $100 tip on a $9.00 ticket and the note simply said Enjoy your first, you will never forget it.

What a wonderful person to not only leave a VERY generous tip, but a lovely message, he wrote. I dont know you [Mr.] Police Officer, but you made my little girl cry, and made her year. Thank you, I always had the utmost respect for officers, but you went above and beyond not just an officer, but a beautiful human being. God Bless.

The post received a flurry of comments from Facebook users.

God Bless You, wrote one person, and thank you for your big heart and your service for us.

We love our police officers, and they are always cast in a bad light, sometimes justifiably, Cadigan told Fox News. Im just glad that people see that they are real live human beings behind the badge, and strive to do good.
One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson and then-Queensland party leader Steve Dickson address the media during a barbeque in Buderim to meet local supporters in the Sunshine Coast, Australia, on Sept. 21, 2017. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

One Nations Steve Dickson Quits Over Strip Club Footage

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says theres no place in her party for right-hand man Steve Dickson after his strip club romp in the United States.

Pauline Hanson has told voters they deserve better after sacking Senate candidate Steve Dickson over a strip club romp in which he groped a dancer and made offensive comments.

The One Nation leader says she was shocked and disappointed by footage of Dicksons actions at a Washington D.C. strip club last year, and there was no longer a place for him in her party.

Dickson was the Queensland leader of One Nation and a Senate candidate but resigned as soon as footage of his X-rated antics was aired by Nine Network on Monday night.

WARNING: viewer discretion advised

#BREAKING: Steve Dickson, the One Nation candidate who was filmed using racial slurs in a strip club while attempting to solicit sex from workers, has stepped down and resigned. #9News pic.twitter.com/dLYNZQTzqZ  Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) April 29, 2019

The footage showed him cavorting with strippers and he was also caught saying: Ive done more Asian than I know what to do with.

Senator Hanson said she wouldnt accept that behaviour from her children and she wouldnt accept it from one of her candidates.

But she also continued to defend Dickson as a family man.

Steve is a family man. He is deeply upset about this. Im not going to judge him any further.

She said lots of men went to strip clubs, but it was Dicksons language and behaviour that failed to live up to her expectations, and those of voters.

Senator Hanson then went on the offensive, accusing the Qatari-backed television news network Al Jazeerawhich recorded the footage last yearof trying to hurt her party three weeks out from the federal election.

Related Coverage Pauline Hanson Says NRA Scandal is First Case of Severe Foreign Political Interference in Australia

Al Jazeera has denied giving the Nine Network permission to screen the footage, filmed as part of an undercover investigation into meetings between Dickson, Senator Hansons chief of staff James Ashby, and Americas National Rifle Association.

This video footage was covertly recorded in September 2018 by Al-Jazeera  which is funded by the Islamist Qatari government, Senator Hanson said.

They have sat on this information and footage for over seven months and conveniently gave the tapes to [Nines] A Current Affair less than three weeks out from a federal election.

Dicksons name will still appear on the upper house ballot paper for the vote on May 18, but Senator Hanson said voters would know he no longer represents One Nation.

Earlier, Dickson issued a statement saying he was very upset with himself.

I found the footage difficult to watch as my words and actions under intoxication and in that environment, are not a true reflection of myself, he said.

He said he told his wife about his strip club visit the next day, telling her he had too many drinks and little recollection of what went on.

The footage shown does not reflect the person I am. It shows a person who was drunk and not in control of his actions and I take full responsibility for allowing that to happen.

By Tracey Ferrier
An Indian farmer harvests potatoes at a field at Nadol village of Dehgam Taluka, India, on Feb. 27, 2013. (Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images)

PepsiCo Offers to Settle With Indian Farmers After Suing Them for Growing Potato Used to Make Lays Chips

PepsiCo has offered to settle a lawsuit against a group of Indian farmers who the company alleges grew a patented variety of potato used in its Lays chips without permission.

The U.S. food, snacks, and beverage company initially demanded $143,000 in damages from each of the four farmers. PepsiCo said the farmers illegally sourced and sold the FL-2027 strain of potato, which it says it has owned the exclusive rights to since 2016.

PepsiCo sues four Indian farmers for using its patented Lays potatoes https://t.co/c1Oafg5eTN pic.twitter.com/kbJSstVl4t  Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 26, 2019

However, when farmers groups and activists expressed outrage after the case went to court in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on April 26, PepsiCo said it will try to settle the dispute amicably with those involved.

PepsiCo India has proposed to amicably settle with people who were unlawfully using seeds of its registered variety, a PepsiCo India spokesman told Business Insider. The company was compelled to take the judicial recourse as a last resort to safeguard the larger interest of thousands of farmers that are engaged with its collaborative potato farming program.

Activists and farmers groups are concerned the multi-billion dollar conglomerate is interfering with Indias food supply using its power, the Guardian reported.

Multinational Co @PepsiCo is suing Indian farmers n asking them to pay 1.05 cr each.@pepsi U invented potato ?

Its attack on Indian farmers seed sovereignty n their right to grow/sell any seed that they want@PMOIndia Pl intervene urgently#BoycottPepsi https://t.co/DyhM26PxJR  Major Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) April 26, 2019

One of the farmers sued by PepsiCo, Bipin Patel, told Reuters, We have been growing potatoes for a long time and we didnt face this problem ever, as weve mostly been using the seeds saved from one harvest to plant the next years crop.

Defending the four farmers, activist Kapil Shah told the publication, Its a question of Indias seed sovereignty, food sovereignty, and country sovereignty.

Its spreading panic among the farmers.

PepsiCo has a collaborative potato farming program that allows farmers who take part to receive supplies of the potato variety, as long as they then sell the produce back to the company at a fixed price.

The company has argued that the four farmers growing the FL-2027 strain are infringing PepsiCos rights under Section 64 of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act 2001.

However, farmers groups have cited Section 39 of the same act which states that a farmer can save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share, or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under this Act, if he or she does not sell branded seed, The Hindu reported.

In a joint letter to the Indian Ministry of Agriculture, more than 190 activists lashed out at the move to sue the farmers, calling PepsiCos lawsuit false and untenable, reported India Today.

Farmers groups also sent a letter to the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, asking it to fund legal expenses through the National Gene Fund and make a submission on their behalf in court, according to The Hindu.

These farmers are small, holding around 34 acres on an average, and had grown a potato crop from farm-saved seed after they accessed the potato seed locally in 2018, part of the letter read.

PepsiCo, which owns Pepsi, as well as other brands such as Lays, Gatorade, and Quaker Oats, offered to drop the lawsuit if the farmers become part of its collaborative potato farming program.

The farmers would have to purchase the potato seeds from PepsiCo and subsequently sell the produce back at predetermined prices, the company said.

In case they do not wish to join this program, they can simply sign an agreement and grow other available varieties of potatoes, PepsiCo said, according to USA Today.

The farmers lawyer said they will take time to consider the companys offer, and the next hearing has been set for June 12.

We will fight it out, no matter how big the company, Shah told CNN. Pepsi has made a huge mistake.
Professor Labels Unborn Baby a Legitimate Parasite, Compares it to Cancer

A professor at a California university told students that a fetus was a parasite and directly compared the impact of being pregnant to the impact of having cancer.

The professor works at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine.

On one slide of the professors presentation, titled parallels between fetuses and cancers, there is a top section detailing the effects of pregnancy and comparing the effects to those of cancer.

It calls a fetus a legitimate parasite, and says that it rapidly grows, invades, manipulates immunity of mother, and reshapes blood vessels.

No joke, a friend just sent me this slide from her upper-level biology course. Im speechless. Create your own caption. pic.twitter.com/4sS6AvdRV1  Dylan Griswold (@DylanPGriswold) April 25, 2019

Those four things also happen to a cancer patient, the professor wrote on the slide.

Dylan Griswold, a Twitter user, said that he was sent a picture of the slide by a friend. Im speechless, he said.

According to Griswold, the professor later emailed the class to defend the slide.

Most of you probably realize that my point was to show that mammals are especially prone to invasive cancers because mammals evolved invasive placentation. My point was not to indoctrinate you with the notion that fetuses are cancers, the professor wrote.

Here is the explanation of the slide, provided by the presenting professor, who emailed this to his class. Granting for the sake of argument that this was his intention, the framing of content on the slide nonetheless dehumanizes prenatal human life. I invite your comments. pic.twitter.com/6Q8adPiMxT  Dylan Griswold (@DylanPGriswold) April 27, 2019

The openly conservative Campus Reform blog said that it obtained a copy of the full Powerpoint and said it was titled, Evolution of Human Disease.

Neither the professor nor the university has commented on the presentation.

Griswold said he wanted to speak out about the slide.

In a country where abortion on demand/till birth is becoming the norm, it becomes increasingly important to recognize the dignity of both the mother and her unborn child, he told Campus Reform.

Other Twitter users also criticized the slide.

Though technically correct, its beyond sick and even more so that I only see what I guess is no longer future mothers sitting there being manipulated  Samantha  Bronx Girl (@samantha3050) April 25, 2019

This is what happens when you mix politics and medicine: complete nonsense! A medical definition (parasite) isnt the same as a political one. Cloning & cancering have the same scientific base!  Pedro Goncalves (@BjornIsMagnus) April 26, 2019

This is not only crazy but it also shows how troubling our society is! wrote one.

Though technically correct, its beyond sick and even more so that I only see what I guess is no longer future mothers sitting there being manipulated, wrote another.

While many criticized the slide, some said that medically the comparison of an unborn baby and cancer has been made before, linking to a 2009 study.

Many proliferative, invasive, and immune tolerance mechanisms that support normal human pregnancy are also exploited by malignancies to establish a nutrient supply and evade or edit the host immune response. In addition to the shared capacity for invading through normal tissues, both cancer cells and cells of the developing placenta create a microenvironment supportive of both immunologic privilege and angiogenesis, the researchers wrote.

Systemic alterations in immunity are also detectable, particularly with respect to a helper T cell type 2 polarization evident in advanced cancers and midtrimester pregnancy. This review summarizes the similarities between growth and immune privilege in cancer and pregnancy and identifies areas for further investigation.
Second Canadian Citizen Sentenced to Death in China as Tensions Escalate

TORONTOA Canadian citizen has been sentenced to death in China on drug-related charges, the second such ruling in a Chinese court this year amid escalating diplomatic and trade tensions between the two countries since Canadas arrest of a Huawei executive last December.

A statement from the Jiangmen Intermediate Peoples Court on April 30 said Canadian defendant Fan Wei worked with another suspect, Wu Ziping, to manufacture and sell more than 63 kilograms (140 pounds) of methamphetamine and 365.9 grams (0.8 pounds) of dimethylamylamine between July and November 2012. Both have been given the death sentence for playing a direct role in the crimes, the court said.

In the same case, a U.S. citizen identified as Mark, as well as four MexicansLyon, Pedro, Oscar, and Carrettwere given suspended death sentences or life in prison, while four Chinese nationals were given prison sentences, according to the online court statement.

All of the suspects were reportedly detained in late 2012 and put on trial in 2013, but the court didnt give a verdict until recently.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters in Ottawa on April 30 that she was concerned about the cruel and inhuman sentence.

Were very concerned by this sentence, she said. We think that this is a cruel and inhumane punishment which should not be used in any country. We are obviously particularly concerned when it is applied to Canadians.

The sentence is likely to further strain relations between Canada and China, which has been in decline since Canada arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on Dec. 1, 2018, at the request of the United States.

In a separate court case in China, Canadian Robert Schellenberg was sentenced to death in early January after an unexpected retrial of his drug-smuggling case. Schellenberg was given the death penalty after a one-day hearing.

Schellenberg was appealing a sentence given to him in November 2018a sentence that took more than two and a half years for the court to determinewhen the appeal court ordered a retrial, saying his sentence was, in fact, too lenient. He was originally convicted of smuggling about 222 kilograms (489 pounds) of methamphetamine from China to Australia and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

His lawyer said that no new facts were presented at his appeal, which would be required to order a retrial, Global News reports.

Schellenbergs death sentence, along with Beijings detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on Dec. 10, 2018, are thought to be part of the regimes tactics to pressure the Canadian government to release Meng. Both Kovrig and Spavor were charged with stealing state secrets in early March, just days after Canada allowed the extradition hearings against Meng to proceed.

China has also reportedly asked regional governments to list business dealings they have with Canadian firms so that Beijing can have more options to target them as a way to pressure Canada, former Canadian ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques told CBC.

According to Saint-Jacques, the ongoing tensions between the two countries is one way for Beijing to build up an inventory of possible targets for future measures directed at Canada.

Outside the courts, Canadian companies are already facing greater obstacles in exporting their products to China.

The Chinese regime revoked the sales permits for two major Canadian canola suppliers, Richardson International and Viterra Inc., in March. China, the worlds largest importer of canola, stated that harmful organisms were found in the crops, and that China would continue scrutiny of Canadian canola products. Other canola shipments to China have reportedly been canceled, forcing exporters to look for other markets.

More recently, reports have emerged that Canadian soybean, peas, and pork exports are running into obstacles entering China.

Dwight Gerling, president of Canadian soybean exporter DG Global, told CBC that since January, routine soybean inspections in Chinese ports now require three weeks when they used to only take a few days. He said that this has led Chinese buyers to avoid Canadian products.

Theyre basically sending out the signal, You buy from Canada, were going to make your life difficult,' Gerling said.

Some Canadian pork shipments to China also faced delays over the use of outdated forms, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on April 22. The agency told Reuters that China has not imposed restrictions on Canadian pork, and they are not aware of Beijing or importers causing new delays.
Spain's Prime Minister and Socialist Party leader Pedro Sanchez gestures to supporters outside the party headquarters following the general election in Madrid, Spain, on April 28, 2019. (Bernat Armangue/AP Photo)

Spains Political Future May Be Hazy for Months, Experts Say

MADRIDSpains political future is no clearer after a third election since 2015, with experts saying Monday that it wont be anytime soon before the muddle is resolved.

The incumbent prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, celebrated after his Socialist party won the most votes in Sundays ballot. But Spanish politicians were doing the math on how Sanchez might survive the next four years without a parliamentary majority.

Spains political right is fractured. The center-right Popular Party suffered a humiliating defeat. On the other hand, though, the election marked the rise of other right-leaning and conservative groups.

All in all, the result did little to dispel government uncertainty in the eurozones No. 4 economy.

It could take weeks or months for Spains political future to be clarified, according to Andrew Dowling, an expert on contemporary Spanish politics at Cardiff University in Wales.

If the Socialist party wants to stay in power for the next four years, it needs to find mechanisms of accommodation to ensure a degree of stability, he said.

Sanchez hailed the center-left Socialists victory as an antidote against a reactionary wave of national populism, pledging to help strengthen the European Union.

But the Socialist party won only 29% of the vote, and it still needs to make tough political decisions in order to govern.

With only 123 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies, Spains parliament, the Socialists will need to negotiate the support of smaller rival parties to pass legislation.

Even an alliance with the far-left, anti-austerity party United We Canthe most obvious potential partnerwouldnt give the Socialists the key number of 176 seats.

There are other options, however.

Incumbent deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo said Monday she believed the election result, which increased the Socialists parliamentary seats from 85 to 123, was more than enough of a public endorsement to allow her Socialist party to rule alone as a minority government.

Spains socialists have noted the success of the Socialist administration in neighboring Portugal, where the minority government has an understanding with other left-of-center parties that provide support by often voting with it in parliament.

However, the Socialist party came to power in Spain last June in a minority government and lasted less than a year after opposition parties, including Catalonias separatists, refused to endorse its public spending plan.

Another possibility is a broad centrist alliance with the center-right Citizens party, which shot from 32 to 57 parliamentary seats in the election.

Citizens partys leader, Albert Rivera, has in the past ruled out any arrangement with Sanchez and has in many aspects been hostile to the Socialists political agenda, despite the new scenario after Sundays election, party Spokeswoman Ines Arrimadas on Monday repeated.

The centrist Citizens party says it wants to lead Spains political opposition, ruling out entering a governing alliance with the Socialists who won Sundays general election.

Speaking on the day after the ballot, party Spokeswoman Ines Arrimadas again rejected talks to back Sanchez, while presenting Citizens as the leading force in the opposition.

Another unpredictable path that Sanchez could consider is to seek the support of secessionists in Catalonia.

The unflagging demands of separatists for that wealthy regions independence brought in 2017 Spains worst constitutional crisis in decades, and the price of their support may be too high for Sanchez.

Much of the uncertainty stems from how Spains political landscape has fragmented in recent years, after decades in which the Socialist party and the conservative Popular Party took turns in power.

Forging cross-party alliances has proved difficult for political negotiators and has unsettled Spanish governments. In 2015, a splintered parliamentary outcome from a general election led to inconclusive negotiations and a repeat election the following year.

The country has endured an excessive amount of instability, La Vanguardia newspaper said in an editorial Monday. That is never good. And its even worse when the European Union has the same problem, due to Brexit and the rise of populism.

The Popular Party lost more than half of its parliamentary representation as it fell to 66 seats.

Adding to the parliamentary makeover, the far-right Vox party claimed 10% of the vote and 24 seats. It is the first time since the 1980s that a far-right party will sit in the national parliament, albeit the national-populists didnt score the higher results that some polls had forecast.

In all, five parties got more than 20 seats.

Referring to the anti-migrantion nationalist party Vox, Sanchez said the elections message to Europe was that you can win against authoritarianism and regression.

He vowed: We will form a pro-European government to strengthen Europe, not weaken it.

Amid all the party-political considerations, the new government faces the daunting task of cutting chronic unemployment and keeping the public pension system from collapse. The Spanish jobless rate in February was almost 14 percentcompared with an average of just under 8 percent for eurozone countries.

No immediate progress on forming a government is likely. Spain is due to elect regional and local governments, as well as its European Parliament deputies, in four weeks time in what will be another test of political strength.

By Barry Hatton And Aritz Parra
A bearded man with Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's appearance speaks in this screen grab taken from video released on April 29. Reuters





This image shows Mohammed Zahran, also known as Zahran Hashmi, the man Sri Lanka said led the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.
A police officer inspects the site of a gun battle between troops and suspected Islamist terrorists believed to be connected to the Easter Sunday bombings in Kalmunai, Sri Lanka, on April 28, 2019. (Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)

Sri Lanka Suicide Bomber Trained in Syria With ISIS: Report

At least one of the men who set off bombs in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday trained with the terror group ISIS, according to a new report.

Jameel Mohammed Abdul Latheef was identified by authorities as one of the bombers. The bombings at hotels and churches in and around Colombo on April 21 left hundreds dead and hundreds more wounded.

Latheef traveled to Raqqa, Syria, in 2014, when it was the de facto capital of ISIS self-declared caliphate, a source told The Wall Street Journal. He linked up with ISIS recruiters, including Mohammed Emwazi, a UK citizen known as Jihadi John.

Emwazi, who was believed to be behind the beheading of journalist James Foley, was killed in a drone strike in November 2015.

Latheef also met with Neil Prakash, an Australian citizen and ISIS recruiter.

Latheef, who studied in both the UK and Australia, eventually earning a degree in aeronautical engineering, is believed to have trained with ISIS for three to six months, the source said. He was then sent to Sri Lanka, his home country, to serve as a recruiter before helping carry out the attacks.

Up to three of the other bombers are also being investigated for travels to Turkey, Syria, or Iraq, a source told the Journal.

Like many of the bombers, Latheef grew up comfortably and received an education after being born the sixth child in a tea trading family, sources told Reuters. The familys wealth enabled him to study abroad. He was married around 2007 and had four children.

Friends said that around the time he moved to Australia for four years in 2009, he became radicalized.

He was really angry with the U.S. and its alliances attacks in Iraq during his stay in Australia, a close friend told Reuters. He was really radicalized and became an extremist when he was in Australia. He returned as a completely changed person.

A Sri Lankan intelligence source said that Latheef did try to travel to Syria in 2014 with a friend, but turned back once he got to Turkey. The friend joined ISIS in Syria.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombings several days after the attacks. Its propaganda arm released pictures and video footage allegedly showing the bombers and their leader, Moulvi Zahran Hashim.

Hashim, who headed the Islamic group National Thowfeek Jamaath, was known as an extremist who called for non-Muslims to be eliminated.

Following the bombings, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared on video. It is the first time he has appeared on camera in five years, however, its not clear where or when the video was filmed.

At one point in the clip, al-Baghdadi is heard praising the Sri Lanka terrorist attackers.

Sources told the Journal that Sri Lankan intelligence officials found the Sri Lanka bombers used encrypted messaging applications Telegram and Threema to communicate with their contacts inside ISIS. While the Thoweek group was named publicly as being behind the attack, another local Islamist group, Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim, is also believed to have been involved.

That group has been recruiting for ISIS since 2015. Two of the people recruited to the group were identified as Inshaf and Ilham Ibrahim, who were two of the bombers.

Their ideology is very close to ISIS. It is totally a terrorist organization, a senior security official told the Journal about the group. They believe in violence only. They are highly motivated top-class people.
Founder of Fair Fight, Stacey Abrams speaks onstage at the 10th Anniversary Women In The World Summit in New York City, on April 11, 2019. ( Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Stacey Abrams Feels Comfortable Saying She Won Georgia Race Despite Losing Georgia Race

Failed Democratic Georgia candidate Stacey Abrams revealed on Sunday, April 28, that she still believes she was victorious during her 2018 gubernatorial race despite losing by nearly 55,000 votes.

If you look at my immediate reaction after the election, I refused to concede, Abrams told The New York Times Magazine. It was largely because I could not prove what had happened, but I knew from the calls that we got that something happened.

Now, I cannot say that everybody who tried to cast a ballot wouldve voted for me, she continued. But if you look at the totality of the information, it is sufficient to demonstrate that so many people were disenfranchised and disengaged by the very act of the person who won the election that I feel comfortable now saying, I won.

Abrams and her campaign have consistently accused her former challenger, Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, of racist voter suppression. A spokeswoman for Abrams campaign released a statement in October claiming that the Kemp is maliciously wielding the power of his office to suppress the vote for political gain and silence the voices of thousands of eligible voters  the majority of them people of color.

Following Abrams loss, she has appeared regularly on cable news shows and given speeches repeating those assertions. Kemp has refuted Abrams repeated claims of voter suppression and on occasion explained why the states elections are secure, accessible and fair.

My larger point is, look, I won because we transformed the electorate, we turned out people who had never voted, we outmatched every Democrat in Georgia history, Abrams said to NYT Mag. But voter suppression is endemic, and its having a corrosive effect. If we do not resolve this problem, it will harm us all.

Abrams also contended that her refusal to concede the election is not on par with President Donald Trump, who notably refused to say in 2016 if he would accept the elections outcome.

I see those as very different. Trump is alleging voter fraud, which suggests that people were trying to vote more than once, Abrams said. Trump offers no empirical evidence to meet his claims. I make my claims based on empirical evidence, on a demonstrated pattern of behavior that began with the fact that the person I was dealing with was running the election.

There has been no evidence to corroborate Abrams claims of voter suppression.

By Molly Prince

From The Daily Caller News Foundation

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Stephen K. Bannon, former White House chief strategist and former senior counselor to President Donald J. Trump, at the Committee on the Present Danger: China conference in New York City on April 25, 2019. (Shenghua Sung/NTD)

Stephen Bannon on Freedom for China: Can Finally Be Talked About

NEW YORKBeyond the ongoing economic war with China lurks a critical moral issue regarding freedom of faith and expression in China.

Stephen K. Bannon is a founding member of The Committee on the Present Danger: China. He is a former White House chief strategist and senior counselor to President Donald J. Trump, and former executive chairman of Breitbart News.

Watch the full interview here:

At the conference titled The Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) Unrestricted Economic Warfare Against America, Bannon spoke of the economic war being waged against America and the human rights abuses being committed in China today.

The Committee on the Present Danger, everything were talking about today is not about the Chinese people, said Bannon. It is to help free the Chinese people. The enemy is very clear, its the enemy of the Chinese people, that is a radical cadre of the CCP.

Ending Enslavement

Bannon said the greatest suppression of faith is now happening at the hands of the Chinese communist regime.

Whether its the Uyghurs, whether its the Tibetan Buddhists, whether its the Roman Catholic church, whether its the evangelicals or Falun Gong.

In China today, many prisoners of conscience are held in detainments camps for what the Chinese communist regime called reeducation and forced labor.

Right now we have a global financial system, a global economic system that allows this radical cadre in this totalitarian dictatorship in China to enslave their own people, said Bannon.

Bannon said it was incumbent upon people in the West to make sure that we are not complicit in their enslavement.

America has got to stop financing it, weve got to start asking hard questions, and corporate America has got to stop supporting it, said Bannon.

History is going to judge us, we are going to be weighed and measured by what happened, said Bannon.

Freedom for China

Bannon called the Chinese people some of the most hardworking people in the world, and that they should be awarded the same basic freedoms that people in most other countries enjoy.

Its the Westphalian system that works, said Bannon. Its freedom that works. What better example do you need than Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and what the Chinese-Americans have done in the United States of America.

You give them freedom, you give them freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion. They can accomplish anything. But if you finance a gulag, youre going to get a gulag on a global scale, and trust me the radical cadre the CCP, that is their plan.

Regarding the suppression happening in mainland China, Bannon was enthusiastic about finally being able to talk about these issues.

The west has looked the other way, said Bannon. I think the greatest thing Donald Trump has done besides reorienting the entire apparatus of the United States government to have a whole of government approach to a confrontation with China, is now that these issues can finally be talked about and we can have a frank conversation.

Tough Negotiations

When asked how President Trump and the current administration was doing in the trade war, Bannon said the progress has been fantastic.

President Trump reiterated and committed again in his state of the union that he would get structural changes in this deal, said Bannon. I think if you look at it before I mean we werent even engage a trade discussions with the Chinese.

Bannon praised the progress made with Japan, Korea, the European Union, and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), for moving toward setting up a system that will bring the supply chain back to the west.

President Trump with Lighthizer and Peter Navarro has really had a sophisticated tough negotiations with the Chinese.

Bannon said he thinks it will take time to work out a deal with China, considering the structural changes needed.

You have to have Trumps back when Wall Street starts putting pressure on him, said Bannon. If you dont get a trade deal the stock markets gonna go down a thousand points.

Bannon called for full disclosure on Chinese companies and transparency on how pension fund money is currently financing a totalitarian regime.

What we have to do is implement and execute on laws we have on the books, said Bannon. If you do that on Wall Street, thatll be a great start.

From NTD News
Supreme Court to Consider Grounds for Deporting Permanent Residents

WASHINGTONThe Supreme Court could make it easier for lawful permanent residents to stay in the United States after being convicted of felonies.

As of January 2014, the most recent date for which Department of Homeland Security figures are available, there were about 13.2 million lawful permanent residents in the United States.

The Supreme Court agreed April 22 to hear the case of Andre Martello Barton, 40, a lawfully admitted permanent resident and Jamaican national. Oral arguments in the highly technical immigration law case likely wont take place until the fall.

The government asserts that several crimes Barton was convicted of constitute crimes involving moral turpitudegrounds for deportationbut hes fighting to cancel a removability determination made against him.

Barton sought relief from the high court after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against him on Sept. 25, 2018. Barton and his mother were legally admitted to the country in 1989 when he was a minor. He obtained his green card granting lawful permanent residence in 1992.

Federal law states at 8 U.S.C.  1229b(a) that the attorney general may cancel the removal of an alien who is inadmissible or deportable if the individual has been a lawful permanent resident for five years and has resided continuously in the United States for seven years, during which time he hasnt been convicted of an aggravated felony.

But the permanent residents period of continuous residence is deemed to end under the stop-time rule, as soon as he commits an offense that makes him inadmissible to or removable from the United States, Barton states in his petition to the Supreme Court.

In 1996, when Bartons continuous residence in the country hadnt yet reached the seven-year mark, he was charged with aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was arrested for drug possession in 2007 and 2008 and received drug treatment, and states that he hasnt been in trouble with the law since that time.

He graduated from a technical college in 2009 and now runs a car repair shop that his mother owns. He has four young children, all of whom are U.S. citizens, and has a disabled fiancee in the United States who is unable to work. He is now the primary breadwinner in his family and has no close relatives in Jamaica.

After the 2008 arrest, the government initiated removal proceedings, charging him with being deportable, as opposed to inadmissible, a legally significant distinction. An immigration judge, as well as the Board of Immigration Appeals, ruled against him, so he applied for cancellation of removal. The government refused to cancel the removal, arguing he was ineligible for relief because the seven-year continuous residence period was halted in 1996.

The 11th Circuit denied Bartons appeal. The Supreme Court agreed to review the case April 22 at Bartons request.

The 11th Circuit, along with the Second, Third, and Fifth Circuits, determined the stop-time rule applies regardless of whether an admitted immigrant is seeking admission to the United States, but the Ninth Circuit diverged, finding that immigrants cant be deemed inadmissible unless they are actually applying for admission.

Barton argues his 1996 conviction did not make him inadmissible because he had already been admitted to the United States and did not need to be readmitted. A person who has already been admitted can be rendered deportablei.e., eligible to lose the status of a lawfully admitted permanent resident. But once the alien has been lawfully admitted, he cannot be rendered inadmissible.

The government countered in a brief that the circuit court split identified by Barton was not something the Supreme Court needed to resolve.

Premature adjudication of the issue could result in a waste of judicial resources, or could unnecessarily cabin the discretion of the agency, the government stated.
Taiwan Government Condemns Hong Kongs Denial of Entry to Falun Gong Adherents

Hong Kong authorities prevented 68 Taiwanese and one Japanese national from entering the city to attend a parade this past weekend, despite all having obtained valid visas prior to boarding their flights. Authorities ordered them to return to their respective countries.

All were adherents of Falun Gong, a banned spiritual practice in mainland China. They had traveled to the citya former British colony now under Chinese sovereigntyto attend a parade on April 27 calling on the Chinese regime to stop the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong.

The meditation practice, also known as Falun Dafa, teaches a set of moral teachings based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

By 1999, the number of practitioners in China grew to roughly 100 million, according to estimates by Chinese authorities. Fearing that its popularity would threaten the Chinese Communist Partys rule, then-paramount leader Jiang Zemin launched a campaign to eradicate the practice. Mass detentions, forced labor, brainwashing, and torture followed.

Taiwan Authorities Response

While Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen was attending the ground-breaking ceremony for a technology park in Taoyuan City on April 29, an Epoch Times reporter sought Tsais comment on the incident.

I think this is a typical case of what our citizens face, that they are treated differently when they travel to another country, Tsai said in response.

Meanwhile William Lai Chingte, former speaker of the Legislative Yuan, Taiwans unicameral legislature, condemned Hong Kong authorities for their actions, in an April 29 interview with the Asia-Pacific branch of independent broadcaster NTD. Our Falun Gong friends were suppressed in Hong Kong when they tried to go there and exercise their right to free speech. Our international society should see clearly from this case that all of us need to support free speech in Hong Kong, and support Falun Gong, he said.

Chiu Chui-cheng, deputy minister of Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council, the main agency that deals with cross-strait relations, told NTD in an April 27 interview: We strongly urge the Hong Kong authorities to uphold in a civilized, kind manner the rights of Taiwanese who visit Hong Kong with legal documents.

The city enjoys relative autonomy, with a separate administrative government. But many Hong Kong citizens believe that since the territory was handed over from Britain in 1997, Beijing has tightened its grip on city affairs and encroached on basic freedoms.

Also this weekend, on April 28, roughly 130,000 Hong Kongers participated in a march and rally to oppose proposed amendments to the citys extradition laws that would allow criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China.

Residents, business groups, and international rights groups have expressed concern that, given the Chinese regimes disregard for rule of law, the changes could allow Beijing to charge and extradite its critics with impunity.

Taiwan President Tsai also commented on the anti-extradition parade: This reveals that one country, two systems is not the solution that Hongkongers want or accept, Tsai said. For our [Taiwanese], its impossible to accept one country, two systems, she added.

One country, two systems was formulated by former Party leader Deng Xiaoping, when Hong Kong and Macau, a former Portuguese colony, were returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and 1999 respectively. Under the concept, Beijing stipulated that for the next 50 years, the cities would operate under their own economic and administrative systems, while mainland China would continue to be ruled under communist authoritarianism. Recently, Beijing has repeatedly announced its intention to rule Taiwan under the same arrangement; it considers the island within its territory, despite Taiwan being a de-facto country with its own democratically-elected government, currency, and military.

69 Foreigners Stopped at Hong Kong Airport

On April 26, 33 Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners arrived at the Hong Kong airport with their valid visas. But Hong Kong customs did not allow them to enter, without providing a reason. They were returned to Taiwan.

The day after, 35 Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners were also denied entry and forced to board a flight back to Taiwan. And a Japanese national and Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Jun was also denied entry upon arrival on April 25.

Mrs. Ting told the Chinese-language Epoch Times after she was forced to return to Taiwan on April 27: The Hong Kong customs inspector looked at me with a strange expression [after scanning my passport] He told me that Hong Kong policies gave him the right to stop me, although I had a visa.

Ting said she believed her name was on a blacklist that the Hong Kong government has compiled to prevent people critical of the Chinese regime from entering Hong Kong.

Zhang told The Epoch Times Tokyo reporter on April 28 that he asked the Hong Kong customs inspector the reason for denial of entry, and was told: Your passport has some issue. When he asked for further detail, the inspector simply said: I cant allow you to enter [Hong Kong].

They were all in Hong Kong for a parade that commemorated the 20-year anniversary of a mass peaceful demonstration by mainland Chinese practitioners in Beijing. Despite the adherents pleas, the Chinese regime launched its persecution in July 1999. According to the U.S.-based website Minghui.org, which serves as a clearinghouse for news about the Falun Gong persecution, 4,296 adherents are confirmed to have died as a result of persecution. The real number is believed to be far higher, due to the difficulty of getting sensitive information out of China.

Past Incidents

This is not the first time Hong Kong authorities have denied entry to Falun Gong adherents.

In July 2017, at least 43 Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners who traveled to Hong Kong for a similar commemorative parade were stopped after landing at the airport and repatriated back to Taiwan. Security officers and police detained them for hours in the immigrations office, combed through their luggage, and interrogated them individually.

The practitioners had presented valid travel documents. They were also given no official explanation as to why they were being turned away.

The first such denials to entry occurred in 2007 to over 100 Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners.
Taiwans former Premier William Lai Ching-te enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts World Companys performance at the Tainan Cultural Center Performing Hall on the evening of April 28, 2019. (NTD Television)

TAINAN, TaiwanFormer Premier William Lai Ching-te said its definitely worthwhile to see the show, after he attended the splendid performance presented by Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company at the Tainan Cultural Center Performing Hall on the evening of April 28.

It [Shen Yun] creates an all-new program every year, and the spiritual level of its show every year is very high, he added.

Having watched Shen Yun three times over the past years, the former Premier especially expressed his sincere welcome to Shen Yun for visiting his hometown again this year.

Highly welcome [to Shen Yun], and highly appreciative [of Shen Yuns visiting Tainan again], he said.

Journey Through China

In ancient China, spirituality was an important part of peoples lives. Values and beliefs such as benevolence, justice, propriety, wisdom, and honesty were passed down through the centuries. New York-based Shen Yun aims to keep them alive today in its performances.

Shen Yuns performance also consists of pieces portraying todays real-life human rights abuses in China like the persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that is currently being persecuted in China.

A piece that especially touched his heart was a dance drama showing the persecution of a Chinese girl for her steadfastness in her belief in Falun Gong.

William Lai admired Shen Yun artists dedication and devotion very much.

I personally admire it very much, he said.

The reason why Shen Yun is so popular is that in addition to Shen Yun artists top-notch quality that contributes to the perfect performance, whats more important in fact is that every artist has practiced Falun Gong. Thats why Shen Yuns artistic level and spiritual level are so high, he continued.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, teaches the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance, where adherents seek to realize these principles in their lives to become a truly good people in the society.

Every piece of the superb program contains the spirit of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, he said.

Knowing that Shen Yun is banned in China, William Lai felt very lamentable about the plight.

As China is still an autocratic country that adopts high-pressure means to control its people, it is afraid of the [celestial] realm portrayed by Shen Yun, he said. Thats why Shen Yun cannot perform in China. It is a loss for Chinas immense population.

In fact, the Chinese Communist regime doesnt have to interfere with Shen Yun. If they came to see [Shen Yun], they would enjoy it, and admire Shen Yuns high level of artistry, he commented.

The Chinese people should see the performance with the connotations of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. It wouldnt do any harm to the Chinese regimes leadership. So, theres no need for it [the Chinese Communist regime] to suppress Shen Yun, William Lai reiterated.

With reporting by NTD and Billy Shyu.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006.
Tesla Says May Seek Alternative Financing Sources

Tesla Inc. said on April 29 it could seek alternative sources of financing although it expects cash generated from its business to be enough to fund its investments and pay down debt for at least the next 12 months.

Wall Street has been looking for more details after Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk suggested last week that a capital raise could be imminent as the electric vehicle maker posted a $700 million loss for the first quarter.

There is some merit to raising capital, Musk said on an earnings conference call on May 1, after being asked why he had not done so yet. Its probably about the right time.

Shares of the company, which were initially up 2 percent after Musk reached a deal with the U.S. regulators to settle a dispute over his use of Twitter, pared most of their gains to trade up 0.2 percent at $235.60 before the bell.

Many analysts had predicted the company would need to raise funds for its expansion, including the Shanghai factory, the upcoming Model Y SUV and other projects.

We continually evaluate our capital expenditure needs and may decide it is best to raise additional capital to fund the rapid growth of our business, the electric car maker said in a regulatory filing

Tesla has $2.2 billion in cash and expects capital expenditures of about $2.5 billion to $3 billion annually for the next two fiscal years. The companys total debt stood at $10.33 billion as of March 31.

However, tapping the debt market for raising capital might become more expensive for the electric car maker.

Teslas $1.8 billion junk bond sank half a cent to yield 8.42 percent on April 26, more than 3 percentage points above the bonds coupon rate of 5.3 percent.

Its spread, or the premium investors demand for the added risk of holding Tesla debt rather than a safer U.S. Treasury security, widened by about 15 basis points to a near-record 611 basis points.

We may need or want to raise additional funds in the future, and these funds may not be available to us when we need or want them, or at all, Tesla said in the filing.

By Supantha Mukherjee
Halle Marie Murry, 25, was arrested on April 27 for allegedly causing the death of her 6-week-old daughter by repeated blows to the head. (Tarrant County Jail)

Texas Mother Arrested In Death of 6-Week-Old Daughter Who Died of Skull Fracture

A Texas mother has been taken into custody in connection with the death of her 6-week-old daughter that she initially blamed on her 3-year-old son.

Halle Marie Murry, 25, was arrested on Saturday, April 27, on a capital murder charge in the death of her newborn daughter, Acelyn Lailani Rogers, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

Acelyn died on Jan. 14 of traumatic head injuries that a doctor quoted by the Star-Telegram said included one of the worst skull fractures he had ever seen.

When Murry and her young son took the injured Acelyn to Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital, she told a doctor that she had fallen asleep with her daughter on her chest and woken up to find the lifeless infant on the floor.

The mother reportedly said she saw her sonwho she said suffers from attention deficit disorderstanding over her daughter.

Murry was reported by the Star-Telegram as telling a hospital chaplain that her son had dropped her.

A detective on the case, C. West, wrote in an affidavit cited by the New York Post that Murrys attempts to deflect blame for the infants death included stating how bad her 3-year-old has acted in the past by describing him hitting Acelyn with objects, slapping, biting, kicking, and spitting.

But a doctor told Fort Worth police the babys injuries were so severe that it was unlikely they had been caused by a 3-year-old.

The young boys interactions with a doll were tested in a forensic interview and a doctor was cited by the Star-Telegram as saying the 3-year-old did not demonstrate the dexterity or force to cause the extensive head injuries.

An autopsy cited by Fox News stated that the newborn had multiple fractures caused by repeated blows to the head and her death was ruled a homicide.

The affidavit reported by the Post stated both Murry and her son tested positive for cocaine days after Acelyns death.

The boy is reportedly living with a relative.

Murry has been booked into the Tarrant County Jail.

Crime in the United States

Violent crime in the United States has fallen sharply over the past 25 years, according to both the FBIs Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).

The rate of violent crimes fell by 49 percent between 1993 and 2017, according to the FBIs UCR, which only reflects crimes reported to the police.

The violent crime rate dropped by 74 percent between 1993 and 2017, according to the BJSs NCVS, which takes into account both crimes that have been reported to the police and those that have not.

From 1993 to 2017, the rate of violent victimization declined 74 percent, from 79.8 to 20.6 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older, the U.S. Department of Justice stated.

Both studies are based on data up to and including 2017, the most recent year for which complete figures are available.

The FBI recently released preliminary data for 2018. According to the Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, from January to June 2018, violent crime rates in the United States dropped by 4.3 percent compared to the same six-month period in 2017.

While the overall rate of violent crime has seen a steady downward drop since its peak in the 1990s, there have been several upticks that bucked the trend.

Between 2014 and 2016, the murder rate increased by more than 20 percent, to 5.4 per 100,000 residents, from 4.4, according to an Epoch Times analysis of FBI data. The last two-year period that the rate soared so quickly was between 1966 and 1968.

Property Crime

The property crime rate fell by 50 percent between 1993 and 2017, according to the FBI, and by 69 percent according to BJS.

According to the FBIs preliminary figures for the first half of 2018, property crime rates in the United States dropped by 7.2 percent compared to the same six-month period in 2017.

As with violent crime, the FBI survey only takes into account crime reported to the police, while the BJS figures include reported and nonreported crime.

Public Perception About Crime

Despite falling long-term trends in both violent crime and property crime, opinion surveys repeatedly show Americans believe that crime is up.

The vast majority of Gallup polls taken since 1993 show that over 60 percent of Americans believe there is more crime in the United States on a national scale compared to the previous year.

Pew Research surveys show similar findings. A survey in late 2016 revealed that 57 percent of registered voters said crime in the nation as a whole increased since 2008, despite both FBI and BJS data showing double-digit drops in violent and property crimes.

Perceptions differed on a national versus local level.

Surveys of perceptions of crime levels on a local scale showed that fewer than 50 percent of respondents in every single Gallup survey done since 1996 believed that crime in their area had risen compared to the previous year.
President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a Make America Great Again rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 27, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Directs Officials to Tighten Asylum Rules

NEW YORKPresident Donald Trump on April 29 ordered executive branch officials to come up with regulations to toughen the asylum system by streamlining court proceedings, requiring fees to apply for asylum, and prohibiting those who enter the country illegally from obtaining work permits.

The order, issued in a presidential memorandum, is the latest effort in a campaign to address the flood of illegal aliens pouring in through the southern border. A large number of aliens claim asylum and are released into the United States.

The proposals Trump called for would significantly change the asylum system. The officials still need to draft the proposed rules, have them approved by the White House, and go through a number of time-consuming regulatory procedures for the changes to take effect.

Trump administration officials blame faulty U.S. asylum laws for encouraging large-scale illegal migration. Under current laws, authorities can hold illegal alien families who claim asylum for only 20 days.

The vast majority of the asylum claims are ultimately deemed meritless. For every 100 aliens claiming a credible fear of persecution, just 12 are eventually granted asylum, according to the White House. Roughly half of those who claim credible fear never actually apply for asylum.

The Proposals

Trumps memo gives officials from the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security 90 days to come up with the proposals.

The order calls for setting a fee to file an asylum claim or apply for a work permit. Both the asylum application and the work permit are currently free to file.

Trump also ordered officials to come up with a way for asylum claims to be adjudicated in immigration court in 180 days. Current law already requires proceedings to be completed within 180 days, but immigration courts are facing a backlog of over 800,000 cases, with many taking years to complete.

The provision to process cases in 180 days has been on the books for over two decades, said Ashley Tabaddor, president of the immigration judges union. The problem is that we have never been given adequate resources to adjudicate those claims in a timely fashion.

Asylum cases are often complex and involve trauma, and judges should have the discretion to provide more time depending on the case, Tabaddor said.

The president also called on officials to come up with rules that would bar asylum-seekers who entered the country illegally from obtaining work permits until their claims are resolved. The current system allows asylum-seekers to work regardless of how they entered the country.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials apprehended around 100,000 illegal aliens on the southwest border in March, the highest level in more than a decade. In a new trend, the aliens are arriving as family units with children.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement released more than 120,000 aliens from such families into the United States so far this year.

The United States is facing a growing influx of migrants from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras with more than 1.4 million caught at the southern border after crossing illegallyhalf a million of them in the past 18 months.

Reuters contributed to this report. Epoch Times writer Petr Svab contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 26, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Sues Banks to Block Compliance With Congressional Subpoenas

President Donald Trump and three of his children have sued two banks, saying the banks should not give Congress financial information it is seeking regarding Trump and his businesses.

Democrats in Congress have tried pivoting to investigating Trumps businesses after Special Counsel Robert Mueller could not establish collusion between the presidents campaign and Russia.

Mueller also said there wasnt sufficient evidence to establish obstruction of his two-year probe.

In the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York on April 30, attorneys representing the Trump family wrote that subpoenas issued by Congress have no legitimate or lawful purpose.

The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the president and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage, the lawyers added.

No grounds exist to establish any purpose other than a political one.

With the subpoenas, Congress is attempting to assume the powers of the Department of Justice, the lawyers said. The demands of the two banks, Deutsche Bank and Capitol One, include financial records dating back 10 years, the lawyers wrote, adding, The intrusiveness and impropriety of these requests are obvious.

Further, the subpoenas violate the requirements of the Right to Financial Privacy Act, the lawyers said, making any production of account records by either bank a violation of the law.

President Donald Trump and three of his children have sued two banks, saying the banks should not give Congress financial information it is seeking regarding Trump and his businesses.

Trumps representatives asked the court to declare the subpoenas invalid and enable the banks to ignore them.

Along with Trump, the plaintiffs included Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump, three of the presidents children, and the Trump Organization.

In a joint statement reacting to the lawsuit, House Financial Services Committee Chair Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) called the suit meritless and another demonstration of the depths to which President Trump will go to obstruct Congresss constitutional oversight authority.

The new lawsuit came about a week after President Trump filed a lawsuit seeking to block another subpoena, this one issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Committee Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) subpoenaed Mazars USA, an accounting firm that worked for Trump. Cummings wanted financial statements from 2011 through 2018 related to Trump, his real estate company, and his foundation.

Cummings cited testimony by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who was convicted of lying to federal authorities. Cohen claimed in February that Trump inflated or deflated the value of his assets, depending on what would benefit him at the time.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Cummings and his committee sought documents from Mazars on a voluntary basis, but was told by an attorney for the company in March that it couldnt turn over any documents without a subpoena.

In the suit, Trumps attorneys wrote: The Democrat Party, with its newfound control of the U.S. House of Representatives, has declared all-out political war against President Donald J. Trump. Subpoenas are their weapon of choice.

Instead of working with the President to pass bipartisan legislation that would actually benefit Americans, House Democrats are singularly obsessed with finding something they can use to damage the President politically, the suit added.

Citing Cummings saying he could investigate any matter at any time, Trumps representatives said that the chairman is overstepping the constitutional limits on Congresss power to investigate, and that the subpoena of Mazars lacks a legitimate legislative purpose and would expose confidential information.
Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attend a ritual called Taiirei-Seiden-no-gi, a ceremony for the Emperor's abdication, as Imperial Household Agency officials carrying two of the so-called Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, April 30. Reuters





Japan's Emperor Akihito, flanked by Crown Prince Naruhito, delivers a speech during the ceremony for the Emperor's abdication. Reuters
Two Teenage Sisters Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash in Texas

Two teenage sisters were killed and three others injured when a hit-and-run driver crashed into their family saloon car at a Texas intersection.

The driver fled the crash scene in the city of Kyle on foot, but was quickly tracked down by deputies, arrested, and charged.

He has been identified as 61-year-old Macario M. Hernandez, and faces two counts of accident causing death and three counts of accident causing serious bodily injury, according to the Kyle Police Department.

Hernandez drove his Dodge truck into a Honda sedan, killing two passengers who were later identified as 16-year-old Peyton Weissman and her 18-year-old sister Hayden Weissman.

The three other passengers in the car have not been named by officials. They were taken to an area hospital, according to the police.

Police say 61-year-old Macario Hernandez crashed his truck into a Honda sedan the sisters were riding in. He allegedly ran away but was quickly caught.  FOX 4 News  2019429

Words cant describe  we lost two little girls that night, said Kyle Police Lt. Andre Marmolejo, reported Fox News. A family in shambles and an individual in custody whose life is never going to be the same.

Both sisters were wearing seatbelts at the time, according to police.

Public records show Hernandez has two previous convictions for driving while intoxicated, reported Fox.

Both girls were students at Wakeland High School in Frisco, Texas.

rest easy sweet hayden and payton. you guys were truly a light in this world. im so blessed to have met you girls and I dont understand how something so terrible could happen to such pure, beautiful people. dont ever take life for granted, its too short.  pic.twitter.com/KtGB8LoIIH  Allie Butler (@alliebutlerr) April 29, 2019

According to WFAA, a statement from the local school board said: The Frisco ISD community is heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of two of our students. Crisis counselors will be on campus this week for any students or staff who need support during this difficult time.

A friend wrote on social media: Rest easy sweet Hayden and Payton, you guys were truly a light in this world. Im so blessed to have met you girls and I dont understand how something so terrible could happen to such pure, beautiful people.

Hit-and-Run on the Rise

Hit-and-run incidents have been on the rise over the last decade, according to statistics from the AAA, creeping up by an average of around 7 percent each year.

A report published last year noted that there have been an average of 682,000 hit-and-run crashes each year.

Most commonly, the victims are either pedestrians or bicyclists.

New Hampshire, Maine, and Minnesota have the lowest rates of fatal hit-and-run crashes and New Mexico, Louisiana, and Florida have the highest.

Hit-and-run crashes in the United States are trending in the wrong direction, said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Our analysis shows that hit-and-run crashes are a growing traffic safety challenge and the AAA Foundation would like to work with all stakeholders to help curtail this problem.

Over the past 10 years, nearly 20 percent of all pedestrian deaths were caused by hit-and-run crashes.

While no one likes being involved in a crash, leaving the scene will significantly increase the penalties for driverswhether they caused the crash or not, said Jennifer Ryan, director of state relations for AAA.

Every state has laws that make it illegal for a driver involved in a crash to flee the scene, with penalties varying depending on the type of crash. A person fleeing the scene can face large fines, lose their license or spend time in prison.
The Boeing board of directors, including Nikki Haley (R) and Caroline Kennedy (3rd from right), is announced by CEO Dennis Muilenburg during at the Boeing Annual General Meeting in Chicago on April 29, 2019. REUTERS/John Gress

Under Pressure, Boeing CEO Seeks to Bolster Confidence After 737 MAX Crashes

CHICAGOBoeing Co Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg sought to bolster shareholder confidence in the company on April 29 in his first general meeting since two fatal crashes of the 737 MAX triggered the jets grounding, lawsuits, and investigations.

Battling the biggest crisis of his tenure, Muilenburg said the company was making steady progress toward getting approval for new software as questions linger over the safety of its fastest-selling airplane.

Family and friends of 24-year-old American Samya Stumo, one of the 157 killed in the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX on March 10, held a silent protest outside the meeting site in a cold and rainy Chicago.

That plane plunged to the ground shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, five months after a similar Lion Air nosedive in Indonesia that killed all 189 passengers and crew.

Muilenburg is Boeings chairman and president in addition to CEO, and faced calls to strip him of one of those titles at the April 29 meeting, but a motion to split the chairman and CEO roles did not pass.

Daniel Johnson, an engineer and a Boeing shareholder on and off since 1984, said Boeing really stubbed their toe by allowing the MCAS anti-stall system to rely on only one sensor.

The question is: Will they need to rebrand? We dont know how much the general public actually knows what a 737 MAX is, Johnson said outside the meeting.

About 150 shareholders gathered in the auditorium of the Chicago Field Museum for the meeting.

One shareholder during the meeting asked Muilenburg what Boeing was doing on safety assessments following the crashes. The CEO said the companys commitment to safety has not wavered.

Safety is at the core of what we do. Every day, we try to get better, Muilenburg said.

Muilenburg was due to hold his first news conference since the grounding after the meeting in Chicago on April 29, exactly six months after the Lion Air crash.

Boeing is under pressure to deliver a software fix to prevent erroneous data triggering the MCAS anti-stall system and a new pilot training package that will convince global regulators, and the flying public, that the aircraft is safe.

Boeing has acknowledged that the accidental firing of the software based on bad sensor data was a common link in the chain of events leading to the two accidents.

We know we can break this link in the chain. Its our responsibility to eliminate this risk, Muilenburg told shareholders.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration could clear Boeings 737 MAX jet to fly in late May or the first part of June, two people familiar with the matter said on April 26, though Boeing has yet to submit the updated software and training for review.

Some pilots have warned that draft training proposals do not go far enough to address their concerns.

Meanwhile, deliveries of the 737 MAX, which airlines around the world had been relying on to service a growing air travel industry for years to come, are on hold.

Last week Boeing abandoned its 2019 financial outlook, halted share buybacks and said lowered production due to the 737 MAX grounding had cost it at least $1 billion so far.

Shareholders have filed a lawsuit accusing the company of defrauding them by concealing safety deficiencies in the plane. The model is also the target of investigations by U.S. transportation authorities and the Department of Justice.

Boeing must also contend with lawsuits filed on behalf of dozens of victims of the two crashes, including the family of Stumo, who are asking whether the Ethiopian disaster could have been prevented after what happened to Lion Air.

Shares in the company, worth $214 billion, have lost nearly 10 percent of their value since the March 10 crash.

By Tracy Rucinski
Hong Kongers protest proposed amendments to the citys extradition laws, which would allow suspects to be sent to mainland China, on April 28, 2019. (Poon Zoi-Syu/Epoch Times)

US Lawmakers Join Opposition Against Proposed Hong Kong Extradition Amendments

U.S. lawmakers are joining a growing chorus of opposition to proposed changes in Hong Kongs extradition laws that would allow fugitives to be sent to mainland China for criminal processing.

U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times that the proposed amendments should be withdrawn, as they threaten the safety of anyone who dares to criticize or express opinions contrary to the Chinese Communist Government.

He added that the 85,000 U.S. citizens living in Hong Kong, and U.S. journalists and businesses operating there have reason to be seriously concerned.

Smiths remarks come as more than 100,000 people took to the streets of Hong Kong on April 28 to protest the extradition amendments.

First announced in February, the changes would allow any nation, including China, to seek the extradition of individuals, as approved by the citys chief executive, on a case-by-case basis.

Currently, Hong Kong has signed individual extradition agreements with 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, and the UKbut not China.

The laws have drawn opposition from a wide cross-section of society, including Hong Kong residents, business groups, and rights organizations, who say that, given the Chinese regimes disregard for the rule of law, the amendments could allow Beijing to charge and extradite its critics with impunity.

Business groups added that the move would also jeopardize the citys status as an international commercial hub.

The amendments are expected to be approved by Hong Kongs legislature in the latter half of this year.

The proposed changes are the latest in a long line of developments that critics say have eroded the citys independence and legal protections since Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997, with the express guarantee that it would enjoy a high degree of autonomy and freedoms not allowed in mainland Chinaa policy known as one country, two systems.

Recent incidents include refusing to renew a visa for British national and Financial Times editor Victor Mallet, democracy activists being jailed, and opposition lawmakers being disqualified from public office.

U.S. Concerns

The U.S. State Department also raised concerns about the extradition proposals, given the human rights violations and abuses carried out by Chinas legal system, as well as general deterioration of respect for the rule of law, it said in an April 25 statement.

The State Department added that it would closely monitor the situation in Hong Kong. Societies are best served when diverse political views are respected and can be freely expressed. Continued erosion of the one country, two systems framework puts at risk Hong Kongs long-established special status in international affairs, the statement read.

Earlier in April, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern (D-Mass.) and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a joint statement that the planned amendments will erode Hong Kongs reputation as a center of commerce governed by the rule of law.

The people of Hong Kong and foreigners residing in Hong Kongincluding 85,000 Americansmust be protected from a criminal justice system in mainland China that is regularly employed as a tool of repression, the lawmakers said, adding that the Chinese government has subjected both Chinese and foreign nationals to arbitrary detention, coerced confessions, denial of legal representation and medical treatment, and other types of mistreatment.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also previously expressed deep concern about the amendments potential threat to the personal safety of Americans living in the city, the South China Morning Post reported in March.

Recently, a Hong Kong bookseller who was previously detained in China fled to Taiwan. He said hes seeking refuge on the island because he is worried the amendments, if passed, would result in him being handed over to the Chinese regime.

Theres a 99 percent chance that they would catch me and send me back to China. They [Chinese authorities] have already explicitly said that Im a fugitive, Lam Wing-kee told Reuters in Taipei.

Lam was detained in China in 2015 for working at a publishing company that printed books critical of Chinese communist leaders and their private lives.

Reuters contributed to this article.
Venezuelan interim President Juan Guaido speaks to supporters next to high-profile politician Leopoldo Lopez in Caracas on April 30, 2019. (Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images)

US Officials Offer Support to Guaido in Liberation of Venezuela

Top officials in the Trump administration on April 30 said they are backing Venezuelan interim President Juan Guaidos final phase plan to oust illegitimate dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Guaidos plan to bring freedom to the country took on new life as he gathered on the streets with a small contingent of heavily armed troops and called for Venezuelans and the military to rise up.

Joining him was activist Leopoldo Lopez, who had been detained since 2014 for leading protests against Maduro. One on-the-ground reporter said the entire city was mobilized in support of Guaido.

I want to tell the Venezuelan people: This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers, said Lopez. Everyone should come to the streets, in peace.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton, and Vice President Mike Pence collectively said that the United States is fully supporting Guaidos move.

Today interim President Juan Guaido announced start of Operacion Libertad, Pompeo said on Twitter. The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated.

Bolton meanwhile urged the National Bolivarian Armed Forces to protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people. He also asked them to stand by Venezuelas National Assembly and legitimate institutions against what he called the usurpation of democracy.

We are with you! America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored, Pence said on Twitter, in part, to Guaido.

Today interim President Juan Guaido announced start of Operacion Libertad. The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated. #EstamosUnidosVE  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) April 30, 2019

To @jguaido, the National Assembly and all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today in #operacionlibertadEstamos con ustedes! We are with you! America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored. Vayan con dios! #FreeVenezuela  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) April 30, 2019

.@vladimirpadrino: The FANB must protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people. It should stand by the National Assembly and the legitimate institutions against the usurpation of democracy. The United States stands with the people of Venezuela.  John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) April 30, 2019

As Guaido spoke on a highway overpass, troops loyal to Maduro sporadically fired tear gas from inside the adjacent Carlota air base at a crowd of a few hundred civilians, as some of them scurried for cover.

The crowd swelled to a few thousand as people sensed what could be their strongest opportunity yet to overthrow the government after months of turmoil that has seen Maduro withstand an onslaught of protests and international pressure with the support of his top military command and allies such as Russia and Cuba.

Guaido said troops who had taken to the streets were protecting Venezuelas constitution. He said that he would soon release a list of top commanders supporting the uprising.

The armed forces have taken the right decision, said Guaido. With the support of the Venezuelan people and the backing of our constitution, they are on the right side of history.

#BREAKING#Venezuela

Reports claim pro-Maduro forces are opening fire at protesters and deserted soldiers.

Crowd is heard chanting: Libertad!#OperacionLibertadpic.twitter.com/N247w5gStQ  Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) April 30, 2019

#Venezuela

People at the La Carlota military base receiving defected soldiers as liberators.#OperacionLibertadpic.twitter.com/61ZJJxi1zu  Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) April 30, 2019

As part of the Operation Freedom phase, Venezuelans were called to pour into the streets, especially to the countrys capital. Armed military units loyal to Guaido were seen positioning themselves to defend the La Carlota base in Caracas, where he was stationed.

On-the-ground footage showed some of Maduros military forces deserting their posts and joining Guaido, who is internationally recognized as the legitimate president with the backing of more than 50 nations.

At the same time, other footage showed pro-Maduro forces appearing to fire at Venezuelan protestors. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on April 30, Bolton said whats happening is clearly not a coup, referring to Guaidos legitimacy as interim president. He added that all options remain on the table and said its possible that the situation could persist.

If this effort fails, they will sink into a dictatorship from which there are very few possible alternatives. Its a very delicate moment, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Vodafone logo is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 28, 2018. (Sergio Perez/Reuters)

Vodafone Found Security Flaws in Huawei Equipment in 2011, 2012

LONDONTelecoms group Vodafone found security flaws in equipment supplied by Chinas Huawei to its Italian business in 2011 and 2012, the two companies said on April 30.

Vodafone, the worlds second-biggest mobile operator, said it had found security vulnerabilities in two products and that both incidents had been resolved quickly.

Vodafone said it had found no evidence of any unauthorized access and that Huawei could not have accessed the fixed-line network in Italy without permission.

The issues were identified by independent security testing, initiated by Vodafone as part of our routine security measures, and fixed at the time by Huawei, a Vodafone spokesman said.

Huawei said it was made aware of historical vulnerabilities in 2011 and 2012 and that they had been addressed at the time.

Vodafone said the vulnerability had stemmed from the use of Telnet, a protocol that was commonly used by many vendors for performing diagnostic functions. It allows equipment manufacturers to communicate with their products after they have been deployed.

It would not have been accessible from the internet, Vodafone said.

The news of the historical flaws was first reported by Bloomberg.

Huawei, the worlds biggest producer of telecoms equipment, is under intense scrutiny after the United States told allies not to use its technology because of fears it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying. Huawei has categorically denied such accusations.

Vodafone paused the deployment of Huawei equipment in its core networks in January as the British group waits for Western governments to give the Chinese company full security clearance.

Last week Britain sought to navigate its way through the bitter dispute, with two security sources telling Reuters that it had decided to block Huawei from all core parts of its 5G network and restrict access to non-core parts.

The British government is still deliberating on the use of Huawei equipment in a future 5G network but aims to announce its decision in the next month.

A government report in March rebuked Huawei for failing to fix long-standing security issues and said that British security officials had found several hundred vulnerabilities and issues with the companys equipment in 2018.

Spokesmen for the British governments digital department and for the National Cyber Security Centre declined to comment.

Huawei competes with Swedens Ericsson and Finlands Nokia. The United States is laying the groundwork to use technology from rivals Nokia and Ericsson in its 5G development plans, a Pentagon official said on March 25.

By Kate Holton & Jack Stubbs
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks to reporters after being interviewed on FOX News outside the White House April 29, 2019. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

White House Working to Designate Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Group

The United States is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, the White House said on April 30. The designation would result in sanctions against Egypts oldest radical Islamic terrorist group.

The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

Bahrain, Egypt, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have already designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked President Donald Trump to make the designation in a private meeting during a visit to Washington on April 9, according to a senior U.S. official.

Sisi, who ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 and was elected president the following year, has overseen a crackdown on radical Islamic terrorists, as well as liberal opposition in Egypt.

White House national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo support the designation, but officials at the Pentagon and elsewhere have been opposed and have been seeking more limited action, the senior official said.

The Brotherhood, which estimates its membership at up to 1 million people, came to power in Egypts first modern free election in 2012, a year after long-serving autocrat Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular uprising. But the movement is now banned, and thousands of its supporters and much of its leadership have been jailed.

The United States currently designates 96 groups as terrorist organizations. The vast majority of the groups are Islamic extremists.

The Egyptian government blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for a 2013 suicide bomb attack on a police station that killed 16 people. The Brotherhood condemned that attack and denies using violence.

In 2018, radical Islamic terrorist groups carried out 1,980 attacks around the world, killing 11,777 people and injuring roughly as many, according to an open source tally maintained by The Religion of Peace website, which describes itself as a non-partisan, fact-based site which examines the ideological threat that Islam poses to human dignity and freedom.

Some conservatives have argued for years that the Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt in 1928 and sought to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate by peaceful means, has been a breeding ground for terrorists.

Designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization could complicate Washingtons relationship with NATO ally Turkey. The Brotherhood has close ties with President Recep Tayyip Erdogans ruling AK Party, and many of its members fled to Turkey after the groups activities were banned in Egypt.

If President Trump designates the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist org, it will be the biggest hit to the global Islamist movement. [The Brotherhood] has the most organized network of institutions, politicians & banks. This will shake their empire. Do it, Mohamad Tawhidi, a reformist imam and peace advocate, wrote on Twitter.

The Trump administration first debated the terrorist designation for the Muslim Brotherhood shortly after Trump took office in January 2017. Last year, a congressional committee weighed options for designating the Brotherhood as a terrorist group.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a militant Islamist organization with affiliates in over 70 countries, Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) said on July 11, 2018. Theres no question that the Muslim Brotherhoods affiliates are involved in terrorism.

Some branches of the Brotherhood, including the Hamas terrorist group, have already been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, was once a member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

Reuters contributed to this report.
File photo showing a man armed with a rifle walks among cattle at Kirgui village in Udier, South Sudan, on March 9, 2019. (Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images)

Woman Beaten to Death by Family for Refusing to Marry for 40 Cows

A young woman in South Sudan was beaten to death by her brothers for refusing to wed a suitor who is said to have offered her family 40 cows in exchange for the 20-year-olds hand in marriage.

Taban Abel, a state minister in Sudan, was cited by Radio Tamazuj as saying that Nyaluk Magorok was murdered in the town of Yirol in Eastern Lakes State by her own family members because she turned down the arranged marriage proposal.

Abel, who serves as Minister of Information in Eastern Lakes, told the news outlet that Magoroks parents tried to force her to marry a man who offered 40 cows to the family as dowry.

The furious father reportedly ordered that the reticent bride-to-be face punishment at the hands of her brothers.

The father was one who ordered people to kill his daughter because she refused to get married, Abel told Radio Tamazuj.

The minister denounced the killing as barbaric and vowed to tackle the problem of violence in the context of arranged marriage practices.

This is a barbaric act that needs immediate intervention from the government. This is the second incident of its kind because last year a girl was impregnated and then her father beat her to death, Abel said.

South Sudan has a deeply rooted cultural practice of paying dowries for brides. In rural areas, this often comes in the form of cows.

The country also has a long history of child marriage.

While child marriage is illegal in South Sudan, the United Nations Population Fund estimates that at least 40 percent of girls still marry before age 18.

Child marriage is outright wrong, yet it is deeply entrenched in the culture of the country, says UNFPA Country Representative Dr. Mary Otieno. I say outright wrong because it puts at stake the very lives and future of South Sudans adolescent girls.

The UNFPA calls child marriage a situation exacerbated by the crisis, which has left many people in extreme poverty and with limited alternatives to life. Marrying off a girl child, usually to a much older man, is therefore seen as a source of income.

Article 17 of war-torn South Sudans Constitution is said to guarantee women and girls the right to refuse marriage, according to the Daily Mail.

Forcing someone to marry against their will is a clear violation of South Sudans own constitution as well as its international human rights obligations, said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and Great Lakes Region.

Amnesty has called on the government of South Sudan to take urgent steps to end early, forced, and child marriage.

The marriage and killing are not only illegal but also inhumane. We call on the government to immediately hold the responsible individuals to account.
Woman Receives Death Penalty for Starving, Burning Stepdaughter

A Georgia woman has been sentenced to death by lethal injection for starving her 10-year-old stepdaughter to death and then burning her emaciated body.

The jury took less than three hours on Monday, April 29 to convict Tiffany Moss, 36, to all six charges against her including murder, felony murder, cruelty to a child, and trying to conceal a death, in the killing of her stepdaughter Emani. A day later the six men and six women delivered their sentenceending the highly disconcerting trial that lasted four days, reported AJC.

BREAKING:  AJC  2019429

According to the news website, Moss, who represented herself in court and provided no defense, showed no emotion as the decision was read aloud.

Following the guilty verdict, Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter, who announced his intention to seek the death penalty early in the case, urged the jury to choose the death penalty.

Our criminal justice system is based on an idea that you have to pay, you have to submit to the law, depending on what crime you commit, Porter said, reported Albany Herald.

A parking ticket may cost you $10. A speeding ticket may cost you more. A burglary is probably going to cost you some years. But there are some crimes that are so horrible, so heinous, the only balance you can pay is with your life.

He added that Moss did not deserve a sentence of life with parole because she was not going to change.

Shes shown you too much of her capacity for cruelty. There will always be that dark side waiting to come out, the district attorney said.

At the end of Monday, a superior court judge granted the jurys request to go home and sleep on the decision, after they informed him they were at an impasse on the sentence, reported AJC.

Unacceptable Suffering

During the trial, the jury was presented with the harrowing details of how Moss tortured the 10-year-old girl, confining her in a room without food until she wasted away.

Assistant District Attorney Lisa Jones told the court that Emanus abuse began three years before the young girls death in the fall of 2013.

When Emani was six, Moss had struck the girl with a belt for not doing her homework. After a teacher noticed Emanis bruises, Moss was charged with child cruelty. She pleaded guilty and was placed on probation, while also losing her job.

JUST IN: A day after being convicted in the death of her 10-year-old stepdaughter, the jury recommends death by lethal injection for the Georgia woman.  Albany Herald  2019430

Jones said from that point Moss started to despise Emani.

Emani was nothing [to Moss]; she was a nuisance, she was ugly, she was nothing. She was a pain, she was disposable, she was trash, Jones said during her closing arguments, reported Albany Herald.

Jones said when the Moss family lived with relatives, Emani was fine as she had someone keeping an eye on her, but when the family lived alone, Emani suffered.

After the family moved into their own three-bedroom apartment, Moss and Emanis father, Eman Moss, decided to homeschool Emani.

That was the beginning of the end for Emani  Home schooling was code words for isolate and hide. She will not have a teacher who can save her and protect her, Jones said.

Jones described how Emani was kept in her own personal prison, where she was deprived food and drink, lived in filth, and wasted away in her own bed, because she was too weak to move. According to a medical examiner, she was only 32 pounds when she died.

Emani lived with the evils in this world, Jones said, reported AJC.

After Emani died, Moss and her husband placed the girls body in a trash can and set it on fire.

Jones said that although Emani was disposable to Moss, she was important to the other people around her.

She was Emani and she mattered, she said.
A mourner lights candles during a vigil in memory of the victims in Colombo on April 28, a week after a series of bomb blasts targeting churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's churches remained shut on April 28 forcing Christians to say prayers of grief in private over the Easter suicide attacks. AFP



Sri Lanka's horrific Easter attacks that killed 253 people were orchestrated by a firebrand cleric who sought out young men from wealthy families and radicalised them into suicide bombers, according to initial evidence gathered by investigators.



Here is what we know about the men suspected of carrying out the deadliest single-day massacre of civilians in the island's history.



Who was the ringleader?



The attacks were led by Zahran Hashim, a Sri Lankan Muslim preacher who founded the radical National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) organisation in the eastern town of Kattankudy.



After Hashim's violent diatribes sparked a police investigation in 2017, he fled the town, disappearing for years until he resurfaced as one of the two suicide bombers who killed dozens at Colombo's luxury Shangri-La hotel on Easter Sunday.



Military sources said Hashim was not known to have visited Syria or Iraq, but had travelled to Tamil Nadu state in southern India and been in contact with Islamists there.



Sri Lankan authorities had received a tip-off about the attacks from India intelligence services, which reportedly obtained the information from an Islamist in custody in Tamil Nadu.



Hashim also appeared in a video released by the Islamic State group, showing him leading others in pledging allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. IS has claimed responsibility for the Sri Lanka attacks.



Who were the other bombers?



Hashim's accomplice was a wealthy local spice trader, Ilham Ibrahim, who carried out a simultaneous blast at the hotel, according to a military analysis of CCTV footage from the Shangri-La.



Ilham's older brother Inshaf Ahmed attacked a restaurant inside the five-star Cinnamon Grand hotel.



The two brothers were set to inherit Ishana Exports, a lucrative spice business founded by their father, and had reportedly willed their property worth millions of rupees to other relatives just before the massacre.



The man who blew up a restaurant in the luxury Kingsbury hotel is yet to be named by police, while a fifth bomber, who bungled an attack on another Colombo hotel, has been identified by local community leaders as Abdul Latheef.



Latheef, who detonated his device hours later, had studied engineering at London's Kingston University and pursued postgraduate studies in Australia.



A sixth bomber who struck the evangelical Zion church in the eastern town of Batticaloa was reportedly living in nearby Kattankudy. But locals told AFP he was not known to the community.



Police have not released any details about the remaining bombers who attacked two churches in Colombo and the nearby town of Negombo.



How were the bombers radicalised?



Police are trying to piece together how so many successful young men raised in relative comfort in Colombo established intimate ties with a fundamentalist cleric who was disliked by moderate Muslims in his home town.



"We have no idea how they were brainwashed," a member of Sri Lanka's Spice Council told AFP, referring to the sibling hotel attackers. "They were seen as a very respectable family."



Investigators say that access to the wealth owned by some of his young acolytes allowed Hashim to finance militant activities and acquire more followers.



Did the bombers' families support them?



In some cases, yes. When police raided the plush family home of the hotel attackers in Colombo hours after the blasts, the pregnant wife of one of the brothers detonated a bomb, killing herself, her two children and two policemen.



Another relative also blew himself up, killing a police inspector. "The other family members knew what the brothers were up to," a senior police officer said. "It was as if they knew we were coming and they were prepared to blast themselves."



The remaining family members, including the father of the two men, are in custody.



Police said three other suicide bombers who blew themselves up in the east of the country during a security raid on Friday were believed to be relatives of Hashim, pending DNA tests.



The three men who died on Friday had earlier posted a video on social media, saying the widows of three of the Easter attackers would soon join their husbands in heaven.



Police found the charred and mutilated bodies of the three suicide bombers along with those of three women. Six children were also killed in the explosions.



Three other men were shot dead during clashes with police, while one woman and a child were injured. Police say the surviving woman was Hashim's widow and the injured four-year-old girl his daughter.



What about the rest of Hashim's followers?



Just over 150 suspects have been arrested in a week of intense cordon-and-search operations across the country, but it is not clear if all of them were directly linked to Hashim's group which was outlawed on Saturday.



Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said about 140 people loyal to Hashim may still be walking free.



The authorities are not ruling out the possibility of the existence of other as yet dormant jihadist cells in the country.



Before the Easter attacks the NTJ's only major act of violence dated back to December when two of their members were arrested in the central town of Mawanella for desecrating Buddha statues. (AFP)


Most Americans are aware of Chinas one-child policy, the population-control rule that from 1979 to 2013 sharply limited the number of Chinese births. Less well known outside China is an offshoot campaign currently being run by the government that targets and shames sheng nu (leftover women) for the "crime" of being an unmarried educated professional woman older than 27.

The systematic disparagement and discrimination these women face is the subject of Leftover Women, an affecting new documentary by Israeli filmmakers Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia which had its New York premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this week.

Related: 4 Mistakes We All Make to Perpetuate Gender Bias

Due to its one-child policy, China today has 30 million more men than women of marriageable age. The government views this gender imbalance as a threat to the social order. In an interview with Entrepreneur, the filmmakers detailed its effects. One side effect is women trafficking, said Shosh Shlam. Another side effect is that more men will not have the traditional role of head of the family, meaning the opportunity to father children and continue the family name. The government, Shlam said, fears that a glut of unmarried men could cause violence or, worse, that these men might turn gay -- which is illegal in China and subject to harsh penalties.

Whatever the government's motive, sheng nu is stigmatizing urban professional women who want to start businesses or pursue careers in law, media and academia as being selfish.

When these women [from Chinas educated class] are growing up, they have a lot of pressure to succeed -- to be the best in their class," said Hilla Medalia. "And their parents really push; the whole society pushes them to succeed and go to university. Then they start their career. But then they have to stop everything and get married. Their entire value is based on this one thing.

Related: Sexist Job Ads Discriminate Against Women in China -- Even Specifying Applicants' Required Height, Weight and Facial Structure

To document the impact, Shlam and Medalia returned to China, site of their first, 2014, collaboration, Web Junkie. They conducted a lengthy search for single women using Weibo, China's version of Twitter. Dozens of women came forward, the filmmakers said, but the vast majority wanted only to discuss their woes with sheng nu off camera, for fear of bringing shame to their families. Ultimately, the filmmakers found and focused on three ambitious and brave Beijing women:

Qiu Hua Mei, age 34, is a lawyer who faces an uphill battle for finding an educated mate given her (socially lower) rural village roots. She is cruelly criticized by her family (Schooling makes you dumb, her illiterate father says, expressing regret for having paid her university tuition). In another disturbing scene, a dating counselor tells her, Youre not beautiful in the traditional sense. You have a tough personality and need to soften yourself. A prospective match, meanwhile, who's similarly well educated and similarly from a rural village, announces that once he marries, he intends to be the dominant spouse.

28, is a radio talk show host who lives with an overbearing mother who tells her, Youre not old. Youre not a leftover woman yet.

Gai Qi, 36, is an assistant professor of film. She does marry and has a daughter during the course of the film, with a husband the filmmakers call extraordinary for his social faux pas -- marrying a woman older than himself -- and for his willingness to follow her to a better job in Guangzhou.

Over the span of three years, Hua Mei and Xu Min are individually followed by cameras as they attend a massive government-sponsored annual blind date event, check out a Valentines Day dating party and visit a gynecologists office (where Hua Mei is told its illegal to freeze her eggs). Then theres the relationship expert Xu Min consults, who ends up delving deeply into her emotions. Breaking into tears, she admits that she is so obedient to her mother, she cant actually date a man her mom dislikes.

A happier note is the joyful wedding of Gai Qi, who tells the filmmakers she was so worried her marriage might threaten her career that, I was not planning on a happy ending. That happy ending, however, is short-lived; later in the film, Gai Qi admits she finds marriage boring.

Hua Mei, meanwhile, is the polar opposite. She wants to date, but not marry, she tells her parents back home in their impoverished village. But, after months of sitting alone in desolate bars and getting the third degree from mothers of sons in public parks advertising their sons' eligibility, Hua Mei gives up: She abandons her home country altogether to study in far-off France: There are voices all around me, she tells the filmmakers. I want to have a life without those voices, just to live my life.

I could live a wonderful life, Hua Mei continues. All this [grief occurs] because Im not getting married. I live in a constant fight, a life of exile. She even compares sheng nu to Chinas infamous practice of foot-binding: I have big feet, she sighs, describing herself and her ambition, borne out by the fact that she has recently moved to Munich to start a business.

Related: China Considers Law Against Sexual Harassment at Workplace

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NORWALK  The citys health department is slightly adjusting its requirements for tattoo parlors, while taking on additional roles in enforcing safety conditions in nail salons.

The state law previously required tattoo parlors to be under annual supervision by a physician, Thomas Closter, the departments director of environmental services, explained at the Board of Health meeting on Tuesday morning.

It asks that a physician come in at least once a year, at least annually, take a look at the technician's competencies, take a look at the sanitary conditions, provide medical consultant and so on, Closter said.

Closter said a proposed new facility recently began the licensing process, but was unable to find a physician to provide the supervision. The requirement was originally a state statute that the city adopted into its local ordinance, but Closter said after some research, he discovered the state had repealed the law. The section was officially repealed in July 2014.

The physician supervision was in addition to annual inspections by the director of health, Closter said.

Closter said the new facility had found registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses willing to perform the supervision if the department would allow it. Closter estimated that the city had about six parlors.

City code allows the director of health, in consultation with the Board of Health, to amend technical standards, policies and inspection procedures, so Deanna DAmore, the director of health, requested the boards opinions on the issue.

Theresa Quell, a registered nurse and member of the board, said she believed the registered nurses would be qualified for the job.

RNs do all the child care places, she said. So I think if an RN or an APRN could do it.

At the same time, the department is also taking on additional responsibilities to ensure the nail salons in the city are safe.

DAmore said has been working with Bob Kocienda, of the Center for Youth Leadership, whose organization has been advocating for changes in the industry, including examining ventilation in the salons, sterilization of equipment and better education for inspectors and owners.

Closter said the health department is going to take on a more active role inspecting ventilation in the salons.

We asked the building department if it would be OK if we started taking over that responsibility after the establishment is open and operating, he said. They've agreed, so we're going to start looking more at the ventilation.

The health department is also planning to hold educational workshops on safety conditions, he said.

I think we're going to put on a workshop not only for our inspectors for what to look for, but we're going to ask the establishment owners to come in and attend the workshop as well for work safety rules, Closter said.

He also voiced his support for a measure being debated at the state level that would require nail technicians to be licensed.

Thats in the works, which is a good thing, he said.

kelly.kultys@hearstmediact.com
NORWALK  A longtime Democrat, and candidate for mayor of the city, changed his party affiliation to Republican on Tuesday to defend Norwalk.

Darnell Crosland, who works as a criminal defense attorney in Stamford, registered as a Republican at Norwalk City Hall on Tuesday, according to News 12 Connecticut. He told the news organization he made the switch to give him an opportunity to lead the city.

Crosland is looking to unseat three-term incumbent Democratic Mayor Harry Rilling. He told News 12 that he thinks Rilling is a Republican at heart.

Rilling told News 12, We're going to run on our record. I'm proud of what we accomplished and there's a similar feeling among our residents.

Though Crosland said people have questioned him about the change, he stands by it in order to defend Norwalk, but not President Donald Trump, News 12 reported Crosland said.

In Norwalk, registered Democrats (more than 20,000) outnumber registered Republicans (more than 10,000) by double. But there are more than 22,000 registered voters that are unaffiliated.

Tuesday afternoon, Crosland took to Twitter, saying, A New Day Has Begun. Owens come home and support our movement. We miss and need you back in Connecticut.

At the end of the post, Crosland tagged Candace Owens, a conservative commentator and political activist known for her pro-Trump activism. Owens, who attended Stamford High School, is also the director of communications Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group.

In a follow up post on Twitter, Crosland briefly wished Owens, who turned 30 on Monday, a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday, the post said. Its your day and today is our New Day here in Norwalk. Blacks can be Republican.
NORWALK  Developer Jason Milligan and lawyers representing the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency and city were back in Stamford Superior Court Tuesday morning.

The debate hinged on whether Milligan and his attorney, Dave Rubin, can call Rachel Goldberg, an attorney and former head of Stamfords redevelopment agency, to testify.

According to Milligan and Rubin, Goldberg would provide expert testimony on the legitimacy of a land disposition agreement (LDA). The city claims Milligan last spring violated the LDA between the citys Redevelopment Agency and the former developer ILSR Owners in a neighborhood in which the agencys Redevelopment Plan had lapsed.

Is the plan expired? If it is, is there an LDA seeking to be enforced under an expired redevelopment plan? If there is, what does that mean relative, in the industry, relative to the LDA," Rubin said to Judge Charles Lee. To completely disregard or not permit attorney Goldbergs testimony blanketly and prematurely, before I can even ask a question... seems like a very dramatic overreach."

The attempt to bring Goldberg forward is the latest development in an increasingly convoluted case.

In March, Milligan filed a motion to dismiss. Two dates  May 22 and 23  have tentatively been set by the judge to hear that motion. A written decision about the permissibility of Goldbergs testimony will be provided by Lee, though he didnt set a date by which the ruling could be expected.

The latest hearing came days after Milligan filed a lawsuit against the city, the Redevelopment Agency and two consultants who helped draft the recently approved Wall Street-West Avenue redevelopment plan, for allegedly violating due process and applying a too liberal definition of blight to the area, which the suit says constitutes fraud. Milligan has argued that by establishing widespread blight in the area, the city is unlocking state and federal funds to subsidize developers with government connections.

Meanwhile, the city has entered into closed-door discussions with Citibank affiliate Municipal Holdings about restarting construction on the stalled Tyvek Temple. The plan to renew the project was revealed two weeks after the Wall Street-West Avenue plan was approved by the Common Council.

Attorney Joseph Williams, representing the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency, argued against Goldberg being called to testify, saying she should not be allowed to offer legal opinion, and that all decisions made by the city regarding its former redevelopment plan in the area  approved in 2004, extended in 2014 and apparently expired in 2019  and the recently adopted 2019 plan are public record.

Obviously, the court can read the plan, it can read the resolution adopted by the city council and decide what they said, Williams said.

Lee said he would make his judgment on Goldbergs testimony based on a series of legal precedence, including findings that witnesses cannot give their opinion on state law, and should only weigh in when foreign law is at issue and that expert testimony must be helpful to the court.

He said he would likely allow Goldberg to testify on the custom and practice of a redevelopment agency, but he needed more clarification as to what the testimony would be used for, and that Goldberg wouldnt be used to interpret state statute governing redevelopment agencies.

I think I probably will allow some of the custom and practice, although I am concerned in that Im not really satisfied that the disclosure explains what it would be used for, Lee said.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586
A bill aiming to ban the sale of energy drinks to minors passed a subcommittee of South Carolina lawmakers last week.

According to WCNC, the bill, filed by Rep. Leon Howard (D-Richland) and Rep. Chip Huggins (R-Lexington), is supported by parents Sean and Heidi Cripe.

The Cripes' 16-year-old son, Davis, died in 2017 from heart problems caused by drinking too much caffeine.

Officials said at the time that Davis Cripe drank a large Mountain Dew, a latte from McDonald's and an energy drink in the two hours before his heart fell out of rhythm at Spring Hill High School near Chapin on April 26.

Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said parents need to know that while a soda or a cup of coffee is OK, large amounts of caffeine can be deadly.

Cripes father said he hopes the teens death will save other lives by showing the dangers of excessive caffeine.

HEALTHY TIPS: 10 ways to protect your heart and brain

He loved life. He lived it loud," Sean Cripe told WIS. He had drank an energy drink before class and he had gotten sick really quick. Within a matter of minutes, he had lost his life."

Heidi Cripe hopes the energy drink ban can protect other kids.

Itll be huge. Not only for our son Davis but knowing that here on out other kids in South Carolina will be protected," she said.

The bill would make it unlawful for a person to sell, furnish, give or distribute an energy drink to a minor under the age of 18. Anyone who violates this would be fined at least $50.

The bill did receive some resistance from health care professionals who believe lawmakers need to take a closer look at the science before making a decision.

Fatal caffeine overdose from energy drink ingestion is impossible, said Dr. Ashley Roberts, a toxicologist and the Senior Vice President for the Food & Nutrition Group at Intertek. Roberts said the ingredients found in energy drinks are also used in products such as baby formula.

The Cripes are sharing their journey to ban energy drink sales to minors in a Facebook group.

"So many people say, 'It won't happen to me,' or, 'I've been drinking them and it hasn't affected me.' I'm telling you and we are proof that it can happen at anytime to anyone. And the problem is you are fine, until you aren't fine and then it's too late. There are extreme, dangerous amounts of caffeine in these drinks, but the additional herbal ingredients are also causing the problems. They are unregulated and there are thousands of people going to the hospital every year because of their effects. On of the worst parts is that most of this goes unreported to the FDA or anyone so the destruction just continues year after year," Sean Cripe posted in the group.
WASHINGTON - Prosecutors told a federal judge Tuesday that they do not plan to give Roger Stone a full unredacted copy of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, saying that the Trump confidant had already received materials such as witness statements that are relevant to his case.

Stone faces a trial set for November on charges of lying to Congress and witness tampering over his efforts to gather information about Democratic Party emails hacked by Russian operatives during the 2016 presidential campaign and released through anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks and others.

Stone - who was not charged with any crimes related to communicating with WikiLeaks about its activities, and he has repeatedly denied that he conspired with the group - had sought an unredacted copy of the Mueller Report as part of a flurry of motions to dismiss his seven-count indictment brought during the now-concluded probe of Russian election interference.

Federal prosecutors are due to reply more fully to Stone's requests by Friday, but ahead of that deadline Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kravis of the District of Columbia, the lead prosecutor, stated the government's intent during a brief status hearing Stone attended Tuesday in Washington.

Stone, 66, has pleaded not guilty and faces trial Nov. 5 in Washington before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson. He was indicted Jan. 25, and his prosecution has transferred to the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia.

In motions filed April 12, Stone's defense team asked the court to declare Mueller's appointment as special counsel invalid and his office unconstitutionally funded, and to give the defense Mueller's report. Days later, the Justice Department separately made public a redacted version of Mueller's 448-page report.

Jackson is set to hear oral arguments on those matters and Stone's request to dismiss the indictment on May 30.

In court Tuesday, Kravis said the government does not intend to give Stone's attorneys further unredacted portions of Mueller's report "absent an order from the court to do so."

Kravis said the government has turned over materials to help Stone prepare his defense and case, such as FBI interview reports and grand jury testimony that could be used to challenge the credibility of government witness and other evidence that could be favorable to the defense.

But Kravis said that the government believes that portions of Mueller's report that "relate to mental impressions and conclusions of government attorneys" about the underlying evidence against Stone are exempt from disclosure under federal criminal rules of procedure.

"So you're saying if there's information that bears on the credibility of witnesses such as [FBI] statements and grand jury testimony, you have an obligation to turn that over, but if the report contains a [government] assessment of their credibility, that you're not obligated to turn that over, essentially the lawyers' views on that?" Jackson asked.

Kravis replied that was correct and that the government would show the judge redacted language in private for her review if ordered, but that it should be withheld from the defense in the same manner that prosecutors withhold written memos that discuss their decision-making on whether to bring charges in a case or decide not to charge.

When his turn came to speak, Stone defense attorney Bruce Rogow demurred, saying, "I think we need to see the government's reasoning and file our reply so we can focus in on it."

"Alright, I'll await that. I'm not going to rule on anything before that happens," Jackson said.
NORWALK  Donna Marie Cutrone, a lifelong Norwalk resident, was a healthy, active 66-year-old woman heading into the summer of 2016, her daughter Gina Franco said.

She was one of those people that really tried to live a natural life, Franco, of Trumbull, said.

Francos father had just retired the month before and her parents were planning to do more things they loved, like spending their winters in Florida.

But that all changed when Cutrone started feeling sick that summer, Franco said.

When she started to not feel good, we were concerned, Franco said. She was diagnosed immediately with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and it had metastasized to her liver ... Once you hear metastasized thats even scarier.

She did seven to eight rounds of chemotherapy to try to shrink the cancer, but it was too late. Nine months later, she passed away.

It was very scary, Franco recalled. All of that happened in nine months. It was extremely fast.

Pancreatic cancer has become one of the deadliest in the U.S., with experts expecting it to become the second leading cause of cancer death by 2020. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it currently ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer death for both males and females each year. The number of pancreatic cancer incidents has been rising by about 1.2 percent annually over the last 10 years, the CDC reported.

Thats one of the reasons Franco and others in the Norwalk community have decided to invest their time and efforts into fundraising for research to help diagnose and treat the deadly cancer.

Norwalk events:

To start off May, two groups are hosting events to raise money to benefit pancreatic cancer and organizations to support those battling with it.

Franco worked with the nonprofit organization, Project Purple, to host Steps for Cure  In Memory of Donna Cutrone, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, May 11 at Calf Pasture Beach.

The event features a 5K race and a one mile walk, with the proceeds going toward Project Purples national Patient Aid Program, that helps support patients and their families fighting the disease, as well as funding for critical research for a cure.

Its comforting because it really makes me feel like a part of her is still alive and fighting the disease that took her from us, Franco said.

The weekend before, the third annual Rallye for Pancreatic Cancer, which features a classic car show, live music and food, will be held at Calf Pasture Beach on Sunday, May 5, 2019, beginning at 10 a.m.

The event is the creation of Mark Schlegel, 67, the citys former Sheffield Island Ferry captain, who was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in 2015. According to the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, 91 percent of those who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will die within the first five years.

While Schlegel has been lucky in treating his form of the disease, its still left a mark on his life.

Im tired of watching my friends die, to be honest, he said.

His goal is to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer and help raise funds for early screening research.

Were trying to deliver a serious message at a fun event, he said. We all try to make it a community event, because basically the community is affected by this form of cancer.

Local benefits:

The beneficiary of Schlegels rally is his doctor, Dr. Richard Frank, an oncologist and hematologist at Norwalk Hospitals Whittingham Cancer Center, who is working on a three-year study to try to create an early screening test for the cancer.

Were really focusing on early detection  survival rates can soar if we can find early detection, Schlegel said.

Schlegel cited other tests, such as mammograms for breast cancer and colonoscopies for colon cancer, as effective prevention methods.

Frank said that he began noticing a correlation between patients over 50 years old who had been diagnosed with early onset diabetes developing pancreatic cancer.

The correlation is that in 1 in 100 individuals over the age of 50 who develop new onset diabetes, will develop pancreatic cancer in the next 2-3 years, Frank said. That doesnt sound like a big number, unless youre that one person and your pancreatic cancer could be detected a year earlier and that can save your life.

The cancer itself is aggressive and its signs and symptoms, often stay hidden, Frank said, both of which make it so deadly.

Its a catch 20-20 because the cancer is aggressive, he said. Once it starts, it grows fast and it spreads and theres no real stopping of it. Were trying to catch it before it does that.

So far, Frank said theyve had just under hundred people participate in the study, but hes hoping to continue to add more.

The study requires participants to have blood work done every six months to look for biomarkers that could indicate signs of the cancer, as well as annual MRIs to screen for abnormal growths. Those who are 50 years and older that have been recently diagnosed with early onset diabetes, as well as those with a family history of the cancer may qualify.

Were really trying to focus on the new diabetic so especially if they have diabetes and theyre losing weight when they diagnosed, thats also a red flag that there could be an underlying pancreatic cancer, Frank said.

Frank estimated that if they can catch more people earlier, the five-year survival rate could increase from under 10 percent up to closer to 40 percent.

kelly.kultys@hearstmediact.com
WILTON - Police are asking the publics help to ID two women suspected of stealing credit cards out of a victims wallet while they ate at a local restaurant.

The theft happened on Friday when two female suspects entered the restaurant and stole credit cards out of a the wallet.
This editorial appears in The Washington Post.

- - -

As President Donald Trump zoomed past a lowly personal milestone - his 10,000th false or misleading statement in his 27-month-old presidency, according to The Washington Post FactChecker - he let fly a series of whoppers on a subject that logic would suggest he'd be better off leaving unremarked: family separation. The president, whose own administration imposed and then rescinded a systematic policy of wrenching migrant children from their parents, with no protocol in place to reunite them, now poses as a paragon of compassion that ended cruel laws in place before he took office. This is false.

During a Fox News interview Sunday, Trump suggested that his heartless policy had continued practices in place under the Obama and George W. Bush administrations, among others. In contrast to his predecessors, Trump said, "we've been on a humane basis . . . we go out and stop the separations." "The problem is you have 10 times as many people coming up with their families. It's like Disneyland now."

In fact, the "zero tolerance" policy was formulated (with White House approval) by Trump's attorney general at the time, Jeff Sessions. The policy mandated automatic imprisonment for undocumented adult asylum seekers apprehended at the border, meaning migrant children would be seized from their parents' custody and transferred for placements scattered around the country by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Several thousand parents and children were left with no means of contacting each other and no documents to facilitate their eventual reunification. It was an act of singular cruelty by an administration that has not shied from demonstrating malice toward migrants.

Neither Obama nor Bush prosecuted policies remotely similar to Trump's. While families were occasionally separated before Trump entered office, it was generally when there was reason to believe the parents posed a threat to their children. And when the Justice Department announced what it called a "new" policy that separated families a year ago, officials justified it as a response to a surge in undocumented Central American migrants crossing the border.

The resulting national uproar forced Trump's about-face, which he now seems to regret. During the interview Sunday, he called the policy's revocation a "disaster" and blamed it for what he called a tenfold increase in migrant families apprehended after crossing the border. In fact, the increase has been closer to sixfold, which is bad enough - and at least partly a testament to the panic among Central American migrants seeking to enter the country before Trump fixes on some new draconian course of action.

In the meantime, the damage caused by the policy of separation persists. In court papers filed this month, the administration said it hoped it would take no more than six more months to identify the remaining children and match them with their parents - but it said it could take as long as two years. Thus has the administration fused inhumanity with incompetence.
I have strong concerns about the regressive nature of payroll tax rates. For many lower income Americans payroll taxes are the biggest tax burden they face. Increasing the Social Security tax rate would hit the working poor the hardest.

Lifting the cap on income which is subject to Social Security taxes could fundamentally change the program, while also presenting its own set of new challenges. The cap, which is currently set at $132,900, is already subject to increase based on annual average wage growth. Removing this cap could create a new tier of Social Security benefits for millionaires and billionaires.

Alternatively, decoupling taxes and benefits would weaken the widely held view that all Social Security benefits are earned.

A modernized Social Security system would allow seniors to make their own retirement decisions rather than pressure them to conform to a one-size-fits-all program. Workers have paid taxes into Social Security with the expectation their benefits will be there in retirement, and they should be able to choose the method of receiving these benefits which best suits their needs.
BETHALTO  The regional manager of an apartment complex in Bethalto faces criminal charges, accused to allowing a family to live in a unit in such poor condition, the village condemned it.

That was after heavy rains on the afternoon of March 9 sent pouring through light fixtures and electrical outlets in the residence at 151 Rue Des Chateau, which is part of the Metro Apartments Complex.
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Linkedin Xinhua Commentary (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 30, 2019

Centuries ago, on the backs of camels and by ship, through sun-scorched deserts and turbulent waves, merchants and explorers traveled back and forth along the ancient land and maritime Silk Road and galvanized trade and contact between East and West.

Today, China, inspired by the legacy of this historical commercial route, has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), seeking to pool the efforts of the world to blaze a new path toward shared development and common prosperity.

The initiative has reaped tangible results in the six years since its birth in 2013. It has also accumulated worldwide support. So far, 126 countries and 29 international organizations have signed up to the initiative.

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Linkedin Noor Huda Ismail (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 30, 2019

Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo is on course for a second term in office; quick counts of the April 17 ballots suggest that he won around 55 percent of the votes, while his long-time rival, former military strongman Prabowo Subianto, garnered some 44 percent.

This result is more or less similar to the 2014 presidential elections when Jokowi secured 53.15 percent of the valid votes, according to the General Elections Commission (KPU).

One question that arose from the recent elections is: What are the future challenges faced by the president-elect in dealing with the ubiquitous rise of identity politics that promotes the holier than thou narrative among disgruntled members of the Prabowo camp, as well as of those with differing concepts of national interests?

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Sri Lankan soldiers stand guard under the rain at St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo on April 25, following a series of bomb blasts targeting churches and luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. AFP



After fleeing their homes in Pakistan over militant attacks and government persecution, hundreds of Ahmadi Muslims felt they finally found peace in Sri Lanka as they sought resettlement across the world.



Then came the Easter bombings that killed about 250 people, many Christians praying at church, and suddenly they were targeted again.



They say Sri Lankans suspicious of their beards, their little-known faith and nationalities shouted at some, throwing stones and hitting them with sticks. Others saw their homes attacked.



Now nearly 200 huddle inside their mosque in Negombo and more than 500 sought shelter in the small town of Pasyala, 30 kilometers (20 miles) away _ just one sign of the fear pervading the Muslim community across this multiethnic island off the southern tip of India.



Activists say some Muslim youths have disappeared, perhaps arrested by tightlipped security forces, while others stay at home, fearful the bombings will spark retaliation from either the government or angry mobs in a nation where interreligious violence can strike.



''The people in Pakistan attacked us and say we're not Muslims,'' said Tariq Ahmed, a 58-year-old Ahmadi who fled his home. ''Then in Sri Lanka, people attack us because they say we are Muslims.''



Sunday's coordinated suicide bombings targeted three churches and three hotels, killing about 250 people, Sri Lanka's health ministry said late Thursday. The death toll was revised down from previous police estimates of 359 people. Authorities have blamed a local group, National Towheed Jamaat, previously only known for vandalizing Buddhist statues and the extremist online sermons of its leader, alternately named Mohammed Zahran or Zahran Hashmi.



But by Tuesday, the Islamic State group had asserted it carried out the assault, bolstering its claim by publishing images of Zahran and others pledging loyalty to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.



The Ahmadi Muslims say the harassment only grew more amplified in the days after the attack, fueled by a mistaken sense that since they came from Pakistan, they too must be like the extremists.



But the Ahmadi themselves have fled decades of persecution in Pakistan. Ahmadis believe another Islamic prophet, Ahmad, appeared in the 19th century, a view at odds with the fundamental Islamic principle that Muhammad was the final messenger sent by God.



Pakistan changed its constitution in 1974 to declare Ahmadis non-Muslims. Ten years later, the government declared it a criminal offense for Ahmadis to ''pose as Muslims.'' They are forbidden from calling their places of worship mosques and cannot sound the call to prayer. Like other religious minorities, they can face blasphemy laws that carry the death penalty, sometimes used by neighbors in petty disputes to target them.



''We are not their enemies. We are facing the same situation these people are facing,'' said Qazi Moin Ahmed, 21. ''We are not terrorists, but they consider us terrorists.''



Tension grew quickly in Negombo after Sunday's bombing, which left dozens dead at St. Sebastian's Church. Ahmadi Muslims who spoke to The Associated Press described being pulled out of tuk-tuks, hit with sticks or pelted with stones. Others said mobs sometimes broke into homes, while others said their Christian landlords, the police or soldiers helped bring them to safety.



Now, police and soldiers protect the Ahmadi mosque in Negombo, while police man an under-construction Ahmadi community center in Pasyala, where some 500 other Ahmadis had been bused.



Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe acknowledged the attacks the Ahmadis faced during an interview Thursday night with the AP and said authorities would work to ensure their safety.



Some in Negombo ''had become suspicious of foreigners, not of Muslims per se,'' he said. ''In the heat of the moment, a few have been attacked.''



Nearly all the Ahmadis came to Sri Lanka with hopes of being resettled elsewhere in the world by UNHCR.



Babar Baloch, a UNHCR spokesman, told the AP the agency had received word from refugees that they ''have been the targets of threats and intimidation,'' and that efforts continued to make sure they were safe. Some 1,600 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with UNHCR in Sri Lanka, he said.



''UNHCR is working closely with local and national authorities who have been very supportive and helpful to ensure the security and safety of all refugees and asylum-seekers during this time of heightened anxiety and concern,'' Baloch said.



The concern extends beyond just the Ahmadi, however. There has been religious violence previously between faiths in Sri Lanka.



So far, police have conducted raids and made arrest, but have been careful not to identify suspects or areas perhaps out of the fear of stoking more anger. But even as mosques hang banners supporting the government and denouncing the attack, activists say some Muslim youth have been disappeared, likely detained by authorities.



Alaina Teplitz, the U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, said she had heard of similar reports.



''I think those concerns are legitimate in the sense of wanting to make sure there is no overreach given past history,'' Teplitz said, referring to the abuses of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war against Tamil Tiger rebels.



The situation remains tense in Pasyala, hundreds of men catch what sleep they can outside on the patchy grass near the community center. Women and children live inside. At breakfast Thursday, the community prepared a lentil soup for those displaced. Men sat crosslegged on a long blue tarp, sopping up the soup with hunks of bread shared from a metal cauldron.



Tariq Ahmed returned to a journalist with his mobile phone. On the line was his worried sister, Bushra Bedum, who lives in Virginia.



''I am very happy before because I thought he was he was safe there, but now I am frightened,'' she said. ''What can I do?'' (Yonhap)


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Linkedin Julie Carriat (Reuters) Loire Valley, France  Tue, April 30, 2019 17:06 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873594c6b 2 Art & Culture Leonardo-da-Vinci,France,Italy,art,artist,anniversary,Amboise Free

Commemorations for Leonardo da Vinci's 500th anniversary begin this week in Amboise, in the Loire Valley, with France and Italy setting aside recent tensions to honour the memory of the Renaissance genius in the town where he spent his final years.

In 1516, aged 64, Leonardo da Vinci left Italy to enter the service of King Francis I of France. Many of his masterpieces - St. John the Baptist, the Mona Lisa - followed him and were sold to the French monarch, forming a legacy now exhibited at the Louvre museum in Paris.

Amid diplomatic tensions between Rome and Paris, his legacy has become contentious, with Italy's Culture undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni in November telling Italian media she wanted to renegotiate the planned lending of his works to the Louvre for an anniversary exhibition, because "the French cannot have it all".

It is unclear, for example, whether the iconic drawing of the "Vitruvian Man" will eventually leave Venice to join the Louvre for the display.

But on Thursday, in Amboise, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella will seek to ease strains between the two normally close allies that have grown more acute since mid-2018, mostly over migration policy.

They will gather at Leonardo's tomb, a modest grave in a chapel of Amboise castle containing his presumed remains, and will pay a visit to his house nearby, the Clos Luce, where he died on May 2nd, 1519.

Read also: Major Rome exhibition to celebrate Leonardo da Vinci

"It's an extremely solemn gesture, showing that the two countries have this shared memory, this figure, a culture that binds our two countries," the director of Amboise castle Jean-Louis Sureau told Reuters in an interview.

Da Vinci 's arrival in France was no accident, because King Francis I wanted him to join the Court to participate in its international influence and refinement, Sureau said.

"Leonardo da Vinci was unquestionably born in Italy, he's Florentine, but beyond that, he led a career at the service of several powerful men. This career, and his life, end here, in France," Sureau added.

During his three years in France, da Vinci focused on perfecting unfinished masterpieces, drawing and scientific writing, but also took part in organising lavish parties for the King of France.

"This universal man, who, to be clear, was first and foremost Italian, can also be seen as the symbol of a European culture, built beyond traditional divisions," Catherine Simon Marion, delegate general of the Clos Luce, said.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse)  Tue, April 30, 2019 15:04 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873590718 2 Art & Culture nelson-mandela,drawing,auction,art Free

A drawing by late South African leader Nelson Mandela of the door of his prison cell on Robben Island  where he was held for 18 years  will be put up for auction in early May in New York.

Bonhams, which will host the sale on May 2, has put the value of The Cell Door, Robben Island completed in 2002 by the Nobel peace laureate  at $60,000 to $90,000. The work will be part of a sale of modern and contemporary African art.

The word iconic is so overused but to have a drawing of one of the most important men of the 20th century... would be a remarkable thing, said Giles Peppiatt, the auction houses director of modern African art. Its the first time this work has ever been exhibited in public. Its also the first work by Nelson Mandela ever to be sold in the open market.

Read also: Mandela's life and legacy celebrated in London exhibition

The wax pastel crayon drawing shows a few bars of the cell door and a key in the lock, sketched in purple.

The work is one of the few that Mandela  who was jailed for 27 years in total and inspired the struggle against apartheid  kept until his death in 2013. It was a very personal, very poignant work for him, Mr. Peppiatt said.

Until now, Mandelas daughter Pumla Makaziwe Mandela had the work in her possession.
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Linkedin Romain Colas (Agence France-Presse) Moscow, Russia  Tue, April 30, 2019 12:06 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873588c03 2 Entertainment Russia,film,animation,Fantasy-Patrol,cartoon,Parovoz Free

In a slick Moscow loft, dozens of graphic designers peer at computers, compiling the latest scenes of Fantasy Patrol, a cartoon produced by Russia's Parovoz animation studio.

With its Netflix contracts, state-owned Parovoz -- which means locomotive in Russian -- is at the forefront of a resurgence of the country's animation industry.

But, for some observers, the revival comes at the expense of a tradition for innovation dating back to the Soviet-era heyday.

Russian authorities have invested heavily in the animation sector in recent years, after it, like others, was left in ruins following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Parovoz is part of a state media holding and has grown from around 20 to 300 employees. Its animated series are shown in 55 countries.

Chief executive Anton Smetankin, who co-launched the studio in 2014, said it had "a product for every market".

Last year, two Parovoz productions were bought by the US-based streaming service Netflix -- one of them, Leo and Tig, is about the adventures of a tiger and leopard in Siberia.

"We have taken the best from the Russian school (of animation)," said artistic director Yevgeny Golovin.

"All of our films are full of kindness and can be watched by children of all ages."

The studio also signed two contracts with China and had several of its projects dubbed and adapted for the Chinese market.

Today they are shown on four of China's top streaming channels whose total users are estimated to number 1.5 billion a month.

Read also: Arctic art house: Russian region nurtures local film boom

From the ashes

Soviet animators won global repute for their creativity but the sector has seen mixed fortunes since then.

Soyuzmultfilm, a studio launched in the 1930s which made many of the Soviet Union's animated greats, faced funding problems in the 1990s and lost control of its back catalog.

In 2011, then prime minister Vladimir Putin stepped in to try to restore the Russian animation industry to its former glory.

By the early 2000s, Soyuzmultfilm had been reorganized and was again a state company.

The government returned the distribution rights for its classics back to the studio and invested about $14 million over five years.

'Masha and the Bear' effect

But it is a cartoon series produced by a private Russian studio, Animaccord, that has proven a big international commercial hit.

Since 2009, Masha and the Bear about a mischievous little girl and an amicable, retired circus bear has been viewed dozens of billions of times on YouTube alone, as well as been broadcast in 100 countries, and has inspired several spin-offs.

"Our theme, which revolves around the relationship of a child and an adult, is universal," Animaccord CEO Vladimir Gorbulya told AFP.

"There is a good amount of humor and things to reflect upon for viewers of both age categories."

Encouraged by the global success of the computer-animated duo, the Russian government has continued to boost support for the industry, announcing massive subsidies and, in 2017, tax reductions.

"There is a desire to make sure our children look at animated films with our national cultural codes, our mentality, our language and culture," said Irina Mastusova, who heads the Russian animation association.

She noted that the Russian animation sector was still relatively up-and-coming, with around 3,000 employees.

Read also: Credits roll for Moscow's Soviet-era cinemas

Commercial 'propaganda'?

The government attention is in line with Moscow's increasing efforts to inject conservative, patriotic values avowed by the Kremlin into the cultural sphere.

Smetankin, of the Parovoz studio, conceded that animation was part of Russia's drive for "soft power" abroad, a form of cultural diplomacy to explain Moscow's view of the world, especially at a time of tensions with the West.

In November, Britain's The Times newspaper cited experts in a report who called Masha and the Bear a form of "propaganda", saying that "feisty but plucky" Masha "punches above her weight" while the bear's sanguine character painted Russia in a positive light.

The studio rejected the depiction, pointing out that the cartoon was made without government funding.

Larisa Malyukova, a culture reporter for the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, said that government support prioritized commercial success, rather than innovative and poetic projects of the kind that made Soviet animators famous.

"The culture ministry pays less and less attention to original animation," she said.

"This worries artists, since this is what, at least in Russia, is a laboratory that creates new talent."

Joel Chapron, a Russian film expert for the Cannes Festival for two decades, agreed that Russia's animation was changing.

"Before, the legacy of animation in Russia was associated with prodigies and big names. Today, nobody knows who the authors are."
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Linkedin Marlowe Hood (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Tue, April 30, 2019 11:03 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8735877bc 2 Environment UN,United-Nations,environment,climate,climate-change,biodiversity,species Free

Diplomats from 130 nations gather in Paris from Monday to validate a grim UN assessment of the state of Nature and lay the groundwork for an 11th-hour rescue plan for life on Earth.

A 44-page, draft "Summary for Policy Makers" obtained by AFP catalogues the 1001 ways in which our species has plundered the planet and damaged its capacity to renew the resources upon which we depend, starting with breathable air, drinkable water and productive soil.

The impact of humanity's expanding footprint and appetites has been devastating.

Up to a million species face extinction, many within decades, according to the report, and three-quarters of Earth's land surface has been "severely altered".

A third of ocean fish stocks are in decline, and the rest, barring a few, are harvested at the very edge of sustainability.

A dramatic die-off of pollinating insects, especially bees, threatens essential crops valued at half-a-trillion dollars annually.

Twenty 10-year targets adopted in 2010 under the United Nation's biodiversity treaty -- to expand protected areas, slow species and forest loss, and reduce pollution -- will, with one or two exceptions, fail badly.

Based on an underlying report that draws from 400 experts and weighs in at 1,800 pages, the executive summary has to be vetted line-by-line by diplomats, with scientists at their elbow.

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) document, once approved, will be released on May 6.

Historically, conservation biology has focused on the plight of pandas, polar bears and a multitude of less "charismatic" animals and plants that humanity is harvesting, eating, crowding or poisoning into oblivion.

But in the last two decades, that focus has shifted back to us.

"Up to now, we have talked about the importance of biodiversity mostly from an environmental perspective," Robert Watson, chairman of the UN-mandated body that compiled the report, told AFP.

Read also: One million species risk extinction due to humans: Draft UN report

Agriculture is key

"Now we are saying that Nature is crucial for food production, for pure water, for medicines and even social cohesion."

And to fight climate change.

Forests and oceans, for example, soak up half of the planet-warming greenhouse gases we spew into the atmosphere.

If they didn't, Earth might already be locked into an unliveable future of runaway global warming.

And yet, an area of tropical forest five times the size of England has been destroyed since 2014, mainly to service the global demand for beef, biofuels, soy beans and palm oil.

"The recent IPCC report shows to what extent climate change threatens biodiversity," said Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and a main architect of the Paris Agreement, referring to the UN's climate science panel.

"And the upcoming IPBES report -- as important for humanity -- will show these two problems have overlapping solutions."

Read also: Key points in the UN report on climate change

Extinctions hard to see

That overlap, she added, begins with agriculture, which accounts for at least a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.

Set up in 2012, the IPBES synthesises published science for policymakers in the same way the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) does on climate.

Both advisory bodies feed into UN treaties.

But the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has always been a poor stepchild compared to its climate counterpart, and the IPBES was added as an afterthought, making its authority harder to establish.

Biodiversity experts are trying to engineer a "Paris moment" for Nature akin to the 2015 Paris climate treaty.

Public concern about global warming has crystalized around impacts ranging from rising seas to deadly heatwaves, and the Paris pact's hard target for capping the rise in global temperatures.

The 2018 IPCC report cited by Tubiana added a time imperative: to hold the line at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), the world must reduce CO2 emissions 45 percent by 2030, and become "carbon neutral" by mid-century, it concluded.

But finding the equivalent for Nature has proven difficult.

"Extinctions are not something the public can easily see," said Watson.

A growing number of scientists and NGOs are calling for 30 to 50 percent of Earth's surface to be "sustainably managed" by 2030, and more thereafter.

But the draft report makes no such concrete proposals.

The next opportunity for a visionary plan to be ratified would be the next full meeting in October 2020 of the parties to the Convention on Biodiversity in Kunming, China.
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Linkedin Sophie Pons (Agence France-Presse) Fes, Morocco  Tue, April 30, 2019 20:06 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87359867a 2 Art & Culture morocco,brocade,weaver Free

Abdelkader Ouazzani, the last of Morocco's brocade master weavers, has been repeating the same gestures for 63 years in his dilapidated workshop in the heart of the old city of Fes.

"This profession is vanishing... There were many craftsmen in Fes, but they all died and only memories remain," says the 79-year-old weaver, the last witness of a bygone era.

His skillful hands intricately create shimmering silk fabrics, enhanced with gold or silver thread, for bridal jewellery, designer creations or high-end furnishings.

His entire body engages in the delicate job, using a complex drawloom mechanism made up of a large wooden frame topped with beams, rafters, blades, pulleys and counterweights.

His feet rest on the wooden pedals, his shoulders are bent forward, his arms move apart with each launch of the wooden shuttle.

"It's all a question of calculation, each thread takes its path: it's like mathematics," says the old man.

He is secretive about the "rules of the art" which he learnt long ago in his youth, when, he says, "there were no industrial machines" to do the job.

Ancestral know-how

His work is both physical and meticulous: it takes an entire day to weave a metre (three feet) of brocade.

"Not everybody is allowed to see that, it's very special, he is the last man working like that," explains a tour guide who has led a group of Thai tourists here.

They are visiting on the recommendation of the wife of the head of a major Moroccan bank, herself a client of the workshop.

An article in the historical journal "Hesperis", published in 1950 by the Institute of Higher Moroccan Studies, described the weaving of brocades from Fes as a tradition that "disappeared everywhere else in North Africa".

It said that the ancestral know-how had its roots in the era of the Merinid sultans of the 13th century.

"In the 1950s, there were still four or five workshops left," says Mohamed Akhda, the guide in charge of the Thai guests.

"You are now in the last one left in the country."

Ouazzani says he can't find a young apprentice to take over his workshop.

"People no longer want to learn this profession," he says. "No-one cares."

"The future of this refined craft is now threatened," confirms a new panel affixed by the tourist office outside the workshop, hailing Ouazzani as an "undisputed master of the craft".

Read also: On a Damascus rooftop, tinting silk a fading craft

'Elite of the elite'

As fashions have changed, the wide, colourful belts that for centuries were the pride of the master weavers of Fes gradually stopped selling.

In the age of globalisation, the final blow came with industrial-scale competition. In Fes as elsewhere, some souvenir shops now sell low-end products that are machine woven in China.

Ouazzani, on the other hand, works on commission for a clientele he describes as "the elite of the elite".

His rare fabrics cost up to 5,000 dirhams per metre (about 500 euros, $560), depending on the complexity of the patterns.

A digital tablet he uses to show pictures of his most beautiful pieces -- and of his grandchildren -- is the only modern object in his workshop that is otherwise crammed with ancient furniture.

On the high walls of the dark room hang framed diplomas and faded pages from fashion magazines.

The master hides his most cherished "treasures" in a small wooden cupboard protected by a dusty tablecloth.

With an expansive gesture, he unfolds his "catalogue", a 16-metre-long roll of fabric with motifs that range from the Hispanic-Moorish tradition to Oriental art or European designs.

"This one I made for Colette," says the weaver, showing a photo of a caftan with a purple geometric pattern on a black background.

His pride and joy, the exquisite work was displayed in the window of the famous French boutique which until its closure in 2017 was one of the most popular addresses in chic Paris.

Topics : morocco brocade weaver
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Linkedin Stefanus Ajie (The Jakarta Post) Bantul, Yogyakarta  Tue, April 30, 2019 14:29 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87358e9b8 1 Art & Culture art,Yogyakarta,oei-hong-djien Free

Yogyakarta artists gathered to celebrate the 80th birthday of prominent art collector Oei Hong Djien on Sunday at SaRang Gallery in Bantul.

The birthday celebration was held as an exhibition titled 80 nan Ampuh, organized by Kiniko Art Management. The exhibit features 15 pieces from Nasirun, Heri Dono, Jumaldi Alfi, Handiwirman Saputra, Ugo Untoro, Yunizar, Yusra Martunus, Putu Sutawijaya and Theresia Agustina Sitompul, and will run through May 4.

Jefri Chaniago (right) of Kiniko Art Management explains an artwork by Heri Dono to a visitor at the "80 nan Ampuh" exhibition. (JP/Stefanus Ajie)

Nasirun told The Jakarta Post that Oei's vast experience, as well as the insights he gained over decades of collecting art, had shaped his patronage of artists.

"The results from [Oei's patronage] is more valuable than [any] transactional results," he said.

A painting by Yogyakarta artist Nasirun was one of 15 pieces exhibited in "80 nan Ampuh". The group exhibition was held to commemorate the 80th birthday of art collector, curator and writer Oei Hong Djien. (JP/Stefanus Ajie)

Oei Hong Djien is also a good friend to converse about visual styles and artistic concepts. We often debate about art, but still in a [light-hearted manner], said artist Jumaldi Alfi.

Oei has been active in the art scene for more than 40 years as a collector, curator and writer. He owns thousands of works of art from prominent national and international artists. Among his collection are pieces by Affandi, Lee Man Fong, Basuki Abdullah, Hendra Gunawan and S. Sudjojono.

Read also: Yogyakarta Palace restores Raden Saleh paintings

Oei, who was born on April 5, 1939 in Magelang, Central Java, is also known for helping emerging artists to develop their work and introducing them to a wider audience.

The art collector and aficionado said he was extremely delighted with his birthday celebration.

Gathering with the Yogyakarta art community is always fun and full of laughter, but beyond that, the conversations always inspire great works, he said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Oei Hong Djien poses with the artists of the "80 nan Ampuh" exhibition during the opening ceremony. The exhibition at SaRang Gallery in Bantul, Yogyakarta, will run through May 4. (JP/Stefanus Ajie)

Oei said he was inspired by Indonesia's first president, Soekarno, who also collected art, noting that Soekarno had always applied the principle of gotong royong (mutual cooperation) in building his relationships with artists.

He also expressed his hope that the art world would become more inclusive.

"I hope that one day, artwork will not only be displayed in galleries to be viewed only by fellow artists, collectors and art lovers. I wish that artwork can also be seen in houses, warung [shops] and offices for anyone to enjoy," he said. (gis/mut)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 30, 2019 07:48 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87357b776 1 City murder,crime,Bekasi,suspect,husband-kills-wife Free

A 47-year-old man is accused of having strangled his wife to death during an argument in their house in the Grand Permata City housing complex in Bekasi, West Java, police said.



Bekasi Police chief Sr. Comr. Candra Sukma Kumara claimed on Monday that the suspect, whom police accuse of killing his wife on April 10, felt offended when the victim repeatedly scorned him.



The suspect was scorned a number of times so that he [allegedly] killed the victim -- probably because the victim, who was a trader, earned a bigger income than that of her husband, who doesnt have a permanent job, Candra said as quoted by kompas.com.



According to police, after allegedly killing his wife, the suspect placed the victims body in a bedroom and fled the scene. On April 12, a witness, who was a sibling of the victim and lived nearby, found the dead body in the house and reported it to the head of the local neighborhood unit, who then contacted the police.



On April 21, the suspect surrendered himself to the Serpong Police in South Tangerang, Banten, who informed Bekasi Police of the development.



He surrendered because he felt haunted by the victim, Candra claimed, adding that the suspect could be charged under Article 340 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on premeditated murder, which carries a sentence of 20 years' imprisonment upon conviction. (fac)
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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 30, 2019

The latest death of a 14-year-old girl at a former mining site in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan has put the issue of mine reclamation back in the spotlight, as activists blame a lack of site rehabilitation as the root cause.

The girl, identified only by her initials RNA, was found dead on April 21 in a tailings pond located at Bunga Jadi village in Muara Kaman district, Kutai Kartanegara, according to the East Kalimantan branch of the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) environmental group.

The village is located about two-and-a-half hours by car from the provincial capital of Samarinda.

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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Tue, April 30, 2019 06:36 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8735795c7 1 National drug-network Free

Two foreigners who were allegedly part of an international drug syndicate were shot dead by North Sumatra Police in a crackdown on drug smuggling in Medan.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Agus Andrianto said the officers from the narcotics division were forced to shoot the suspects, an Indian national and a Malaysian, because they had fought back as the officers were trying to arrest them.

The two foreigners that were shot dead were part of an international drug syndicate [operating in] Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia, Agus said at a press conference in Medan on Monday.

He said police had also arrested 14 Indonesians who were allegedly involved in the same syndicate in various locations of Medan and Tanjung Balai.

Police confiscated a total of 14 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine during the arrests.

The suspects have violated Article 114 of Law No. 35/2009 on narcotics. [They face] six to 20 years of imprisonment or the death penalty, Agus said. (kmt)
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Beijing, China  Tue, April 30, 2019 16:44 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873593e17 2 World #China,#Canada,death-penaly,drug-offenses Free

A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian national to death on Tuesday for producing and trafficking methamphetamine, amid heightened tension between Beijing and Ottawa over the arrest of a Huawei Technologies executive.

Canadian Fan Wei was a leader in the production and trafficking scheme, the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court said in a statement.

Another suspect, Wu Ziping, was also sentenced to death but Wu's nationality was not given. The court also did not specify the gender of either Fan or Wu.

The court also issued judgments against nine other people, including one American and four Mexicans.

It did not specify what sentences five of the nine received though it indicated the minimum they got was life in prison. It said the other four had been jailed, though it did not say for how long.

Court officials could not be reached for comment.

All 11 can appeal their sentences.

Fan is the second Canadian to be sentenced to death for drugs in China this year, during a period of escalating tension between the two countries.

In December, Canadian police arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, at the request of U.S. prosecutors.

U.S. prosecutors have portrayed the company as a threat to national security and alleged that it conspired to violate U.S. sanctions. Both Meng, who is out on bail, and Huawei deny the allegations.

China has also recently arrested two Canadians on national security grounds.

China has also canceled Canadian agribusiness Richardson International Ltd's registration to ship canola to China this year.
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Linkedin Noor Huda Ismail (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Tue, April 30 2019

Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo is on course for a second term in office; quick counts of the April 17 ballots suggest that he won around 55 percent of the votes, while his long-time rival, former military strongman Prabowo Subianto, garnered some 44 percent.

This result is more or less similar to the 2014 presidential elections when Jokowi secured 53.15 percent of the valid votes, according to the General Elections Commission (KPU).

One question that arose from the recent elections is: What are the future challenges faced by the president-elect in dealing with the ubiquitous rise of identity politics that promotes the holier than thou narrative among disgruntled members of the Prabowo camp, as well as of those with differing concepts of national interests?

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 30, 2019 14:16 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87358db2e 4 City May-Day,May-Day-commemoration,Jakarta-police,security,jakarta,workers Free

The Jakarta Police will deploy 26,500 personnel to secure May Day protests in Jakarta on Wednesday, in which some 40,000 people are expected to take part.

Security measures will focus on the State Palace area in Central Jakarta, said Jakarta Police spokesman Comr. Argo Yuwono.

For the May Day event, there will be 1,500 personnel deployed for a protest in the Istora Senayan area and 25,000 for a protest near the State Palace, he said on Monday as reported by Tempo.co.

The police have received 14 protest permits from various workers unions for May Day protests on Wednesday. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people will be involved in May Day commemorations across Jakarta.

Jakarta Police will also apply traffic diversions on Wednesday to prevent traffic congestion.

Argo added that police urged all participants to celebrate May Day peacefully and with positive activities.

Although workers have for years celebrated May Day, the government officially made May 1 a public holiday in 2014 during the administration of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. (das)
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) United Nations  Tue, April 30, 2019 14:33 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873592f82 2 World #China,#UN,secretary-general,Uighur,human-rights-abuse,detention Free

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the plight of Muslims in China's Xinjiang region during a visit to Beijing last week, a UN spokesman said on Monday.

China has faced growing international condemnation for what it calls re-education and training centers in the remote western region. Activists say they are mass detention camps holding more than 1 million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims.

China, which has shown diplomats its re-education centers, has told them that "absurd preachings" from Islamist extremists there had turned some people into "murderous devils."

Guterres met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday in Beijing on the sidelines of a summit on China's Belt and Road initiative. However, UN sources said Guterres raised the situation in Xinjiang during a separate meeting with the Chinese government's top diplomat Wang Yi.

"The Secretary-General discussed all relevant issues with the Chinese authorities ... that includes the situation in Xinjiang," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Monday. "What the Secretary-General told his Chinese interlocutors is that he fully stands by the initiatives of the (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet."

Bachelet has repeatedly pushed China to allow the United Nations access to investigate reports of disappearances and arbitrary detentions, particularly of Muslims in the Xinjiang region. China has previously said it would welcome UN officials if they avoided "interfering in domestic matters."

Dujarric said Guterres position on the issue was the same "in private as it is in public" and based on "the full respect for the unity and territorial integrity of China, condemnation of terrorist attacks as no cause or grievance can justify them, and that human rights must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism and in the prevention of violent extremism."

"Each community must feel that its identity is respected and that it fully belongs to the nation as a whole," he said.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Tue, April 30, 2019 08:28 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87357e2df 2 World #USA,#politics,US,deputy-attorney-general,Rod-Rosenstein,resign,Russia-meddling,scandal Free

US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who chose Special Counsel Robert Mueller to lead the Russia interference probe and protected him from political intrusion, announced Monday he was stepping down.

In a letter to President Donald Trump, Rosenstein said he would depart on May 11, after more than two turbulent years as the second highest-ranking official in the Department of Justice.

The veteran Republican prosecutor, 54, stunned the country on May 17, 2017 when he named an independent lawyer to take on the Russia probe after Trump fired FBI director James Comey.

Then-attorney general Jeff Sessions had already recused himself from overseeing the investigation, leaving Rosenstein in charge.

That made Rosenstein effectively the one buffer between Mueller and the White House -- a position that became even more crucial when the investigation began examining whether Trump himself had obstructed justice by firing Comey and then trying to have Mueller ousted.

In his final report released on April 18, Mueller concluded that no one on Trump's campaign conspired to collude with Russians.

But he reached no conclusion on obstruction, detailing the evidence he had accumulated and leaving it to Congress to act.

Ahead of the release of the report, Rosenstein stood silently next to Attorney General Bill Barr as Barr asserted that there was not enough evidence in Mueller's report to charge Trump with obstruction -- a claim that many lawyers said was false.

Rocky tenure

Rosenstein had made clear last year that he would step down after Mueller's report was released.

His tenure was rocky and he drew strong criticism for doing Trump's bidding on numerous other questionable policies, like the president's attempt to ban Muslim immigrants and his legally dubious policies to block migrants at the southern border.

Just days after his appointment in April 2017, Trump tested Rosenstein's loyalty by demanding he author a justification for firing Comey.

Trump made clear that a key reason he wanted the FBI chief out was to stymie the Russia investigation, which threatened members of the president's team.

Rosenstein obliged, and later, according to reports, told colleagues he was flabbergasted at being used by Trump against Comey.

His move eight days later stunned the White House, naming Mueller -- a former FBI director himself -- to take over the probe.

As Mueller issued indictment after indictment of his former campaign aides, Trump was furious. He repeatedly attacked Sessions, Rosenstein and Mueller as running an "illegal witch hunt," demanding it be shut down.

He came under direct pressure last year when media reported that, in the wake of Comey's firing and other controversial actions by Trump, Rosenstein privately discussed with top Justice and FBI officials recording the president in his offices for evidence that he was unfit, so that he could be constitutionally removed.

While the Justice Department sought to characterize it has having been said jokingly, Rosenstein was unable to shed suspicions that he was discussing an illegal action against the president.

Rosenstein reportedly drafted his resignation, but stayed on after a meeting with Trump, saying he would see the Mueller investigation through.

Served both Republicans and Democrats

Born in Philadelphia in 1965, he studied economics at Trump's alma mater, Wharton University, before attending Harvard Law School.

He joined the Justice Department in 1990 and participated in the independent counsel investigation into Bill Clinton, which eventually morphed into the sex scandal that saw Clinton impeached in Congress.

He was appointed US Attorney for Maryland by president George W. Bush in 2005 and enhanced his reputation with the corruption conviction of a senior state official.

He was one of only three Bush-era federal district attorneys to be kept on by the Obama administration in 2009.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Kampala, Uganda  Tue, April 30, 2019 10:07 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873586512 2 News uganda,Women,tourism,sexism,plus-size,Nasasi-Belinda,beauty-pageant Free

Nasasi Belinda, a Ugandan businesswoman, has won the east African country's first-ever "Miss Curvy" beauty pageant, vowing to act as a role model for other women with "plus-size" figures.

"I am going to be an inspiration," an overjoyed Belinda said after winning the title in Kampala late Friday, beating 24 other finalists for the grand prize.

"Being plus-size is not a problem," she continued. "So be happy about yourself and make sure you don't quit. Just keep going."

The pageant was part of a government campaign to attract tourists to the east African nation.

But the campaign caused controversy in February when tourism minister Godfrey Kiwanda suggested Ugandan women's curvaceous beauty was "a product to be marketed along with what we already have as a country ranging from Nature, the language and food, to make it a tourist attraction."

Women's rights activists were outraged by the comments and called for the minister to resign.

Read also: Outcry over Uganda plan to draw tourists with 'curvy women'

"This is perversion. To think women can be used as sex objects in this age and time is an absurdity and we condemn it," Rita Aciro, executive director of the Uganda Women's Network, told AFP at the time.

Ugandan entrepreneur and activist Primrose Nyonyozi Murungi launched an online petition to stop the campaign, which she said was "totally unacceptable and demeaning to us".

"Women in Uganda have been attacked while on the streets. What happens now is that the government is confirming a stereotype that women are sexual objects and can be touched regardless and more so made a product of tourism," she told AFP.

Former opposition leader in parliament, Winnie Kiiza, told AFP the move came "at a time (when) women face fear and stigma in a male-dominated society".

Minister Kiwanda sought to play down the controversy on Friday.

"I also believe that there is a new wave that is going to come to Uganda, a new confidence that is going to be built among plus-size ladies," he said.
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Linkedin Franck Iovene (Agence France-Presse) Vinci, Italy  Tue, April 30, 2019 06:07 968 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873578edb 2 Destinations Leonardo-da-Vinci,Painter,Vinci,Italy Free

Butterflies flutter around centuries-old olive groves in Vinci, the Tuscan village where Leonardo da Vinci was born and honed his inventor skills as a child by studying the local flora and fauna.

Locals preparing to mark the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death say little has changed among the vineyards, lush fields and brooks that appeared in his art.

The Renaissance polymath, whose most famous works include the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper but whose vast range of talents is legendary, drew lifelong inspiration from his humble rural upbringing, according to experts.

"The landscapes, impressions and interests that influenced Leonardo throughout his life remain almost intact," Roberta Barsanti, director of the Leonardian Museum of Vinci, told AFP.

"From his native house, set away from the village, we can still see the view he reproduced in 'Landscape', his earliest-known drawing, which he dated August 5, 1473," she said.

Born on April 15, 1452, from an illegitimate liaison between a notary and a teenage peasant girl, Leonardo was raised by his grandfather and uncle.

It was with them that he explored the surrounding countryside, studying and sketching insects, animals, plants and flowers.

The natural world was a rich source of ideas for the prolific and imaginative inventor, who designed machines that would only be built centuries later -- from tanks to telescopes, flying machines to scuba gear.

'Language of peasants'

Da Vinci was fascinated by the mills around Vinci and the various rivers that fed them.

The Tuscan master, who left Vinci and moved some 30 kilometers (19 miles) away to the city of Florence as a teenager, would go on to study hydraulic energy and its mechanical applications, as shown in his many drawings on this subject.

Da Vinci, who would draw himself in self-portraits with a stern brow and flowing beard, also developed a passion for anatomy, architecture, music, painting and sculpture.

Experts say the rhythms of Vinci life -- and even the colloquialisms of the rural inhabitants -- echo throughout his later works.

Read also: Picasso in Ivory Coast? A village tells of its brush with the artist

"Leonardo is the expression of a territory. He has internalized many things about this land, starting with the world of peasants," said Nicola Baronti, president of the "Vinci nel cuore" (Vinci in the heart) association.

"When he draws his inventions, he uses the language of Vinci's peasants, and has thus immortalized terms still used in engineering world-wide," he added.

'Secret signature'

Tourists who visit Vinci can walk the paths he trod five centuries earlier, and gaze upon the same waterfalls or vineyards.

Baronti, a local history buff, said numerous devotees had been drawn to Vinci over the centuries, including many eccentric inventors who feel an affinity with the Renaissance pioneer.

A few years ago, he said, an American dressed all in white wandered the streets of the village claiming to be in contact with da Vinci, who died on May 2, 1519.

The village takes its name from the "Vinchio" willow tree, whose soft branches were used by farmers to tie their grape vines.

The pattern of the knots typical in Tuscany since the 11th century is a familiar artistic motif -- plaster peeling off the walls in a nearby church in San Pantaleo recently revealed the ancient design beneath.

"These interlacing threads, which recall the wicker braids specific to Leonardo's native village, can be found in his paintings, even on the corsage of the Mona Lisa," Baronti said.

"It is the master's secret signature, as if he were telling us 'I left, that is true, but this is where I come from'."
Apr 30 2019 7:21 am

The U.S. Jewish community experienced near-historic levels of anti-Semitism in 2018, including a doubling of anti-Semitic assaults and the single deadliest attack against the Jewish community in American history, according to new data from ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) issued today. ADLs annual Audit of Anti-Semitic incidents recorded a total of 1,879 attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions across the country in 2018, the third-highest year on record since ADL started tracking such data in the 1970s.

In a year marked by the white supremacist shooting spree at a Pittsburgh synagogue, which claimed 11 lives, and punctuated by a dramatic surge in white supremacist propaganda activity nationwide, ADLs Audit identified 59 people who were victims of anti-Semitic assaults in 2018, up from 21 in 2017. While the overall number of incidents represents a 5 percent decline from 1,986 incidents reported in 2017, the number of incidents last year remained at near-historic levels  48 percent higher than the total for 2016 and 99 percent higher than in 2015.

Weve worked hard to push back against anti-Semitism, and succeeded in improving hate crime laws, and yet we continue to experience an alarmingly high number of anti-Semitic acts, said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director. We unfortunately saw this trend continue into 2019 with the tragic shooting at the Chabad synagogue in Poway. Its clear we must remain vigilant in working to counter the threat of violent anti-Semitism and denounce it in all forms, wherever the source and regardless of the political affiliation of its proponents.

ADLs annual tally of incidents nationwide found that anti-Semitic assaults, harassment and vandalism are still pervasive in the U.S. All but four states experienced anti-Semitic incidents. In addition to the October mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, 2018 saw high levels of white supremacist activity, including propaganda on college campuses and in communities, and hateful robocalls aimed at voters.

ADLs Audit classifies all incidents into three categories: assault, harassment and vandalism. Of the total incidents reported in 2018:

Assaults: 39 incidents, marking an increase of 105 percent from the 19 incidents reported in 2017. Those incidents affected 59 victims, up from 21 in 2017, and include the 11 fatalities and two injured congregants in Pittsburgh.

Harassment: 1,066 incidents of anti-Semitic harassment were reported to ADL last year, a 5 percent increase from 1,015 in 2017, and a 48 percent increase from 721 in 2016.

Vandalism: 774 incidents of anti-Semitic vandalism were recorded in 2018, down 19 percent from 952 in 2017, but up 52 percent from 510 in 2016.

While most anti-Semitic incidents are not directly perpetrated by extremists, there are interesting connections between the trends. In 2018, 249 acts of anti-Semitism (13 percent of the total incidents) were attributable to known extremist groups or individuals inspired by extremist ideology, making it the highest level of anti-Semitic incidents with known connections to extremists or extremist groups since 2004. Of those, 139 incidents were part of fliering campaigns by white supremacist groups. Another 80 were anti-Semitic robocalls allegedly perpetrated by anti-Semitic podcaster Scott Rhodes in support of the candidacy of Patrick Little, an unabashed white supremacist who ran an unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate in California.

The Audit also noted spikes at several points during the year. The final three months of the year were unusually active, with 255 incidents in October, 300 in November and 194 in December. The high number in October included 45 propaganda distributions by white supremacists. The incidents in November and December immediately followed the Pittsburgh massacre, which likely drew more attention to anti-Semitic activities. Incidents first spiked in May, when 209 anti-Semitic acts were reported, including 80 anti-Semitic robocalls sent by white supremacists, which targeted Jewish individuals and institutions with harassing messages.

Incidents took place in nearly every state across the country but, consistent with prior reports, the states with the highest number of incidents tend to be those with the largest Jewish populations. These include California (341); New York (340); New Jersey (200) and Massachusetts (144). Combined, these states accounted for more than half of the total incidents in the U.S.

Anti-Semitic incidents took place in a wide variety of locations, including places of business, private homes, public areas such as parks and streets, Jewish institutions and schools:

At private businesses and retail establishments: 211 (5% increase from 201 in 2017)

In cemeteries: 8 (up from 7 in 2017)

In homes: 276 (16% increase from 238 in 2017)

Incidents on college campuses: 201 (1% decrease from 204 in 2017)

Incidents in K-12 schools: 344 (25% decrease from 457 in 2017)

Incidents at Jewish institutions: 265 (23% decrease from 342 in 2017)

ADLs Center on Extremism has gathered the complete 2018 data, as well as data from previous years on ADLs H.E.A.T. Map, an interactive online tool that allows users to geographically chart anti-Semitic incidents and events nationally and regionally.

Since 1979 the Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents produced by the Anti-Defamation League has been an incredibly valuable resource for researchers and policymakers, said Jack McDevitt, Director of the Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern University. The audit identifies trends and emerging issues in hate crimes and analyzes these trends in ways that allow policymakers to address the issues in their jurisdiction. The increased number of anti-Semitic incidents tied to extremist groups is deeply troubling and should be addressed immediately by police and prosecutors.

The Audit offers a snapshot of one of the ways American Jews encounter anti-Semitism, but a full understanding of anti-Semitism in the U.S. requires other forms of analysis as well, including but not limited to, public opinion polling, assessments of online anti-Semitism, and examinations of extremist activity, all of which ADL offers in other reports, such as ADL Global 100, Quantifying Hate: A Year of Anti-Semitism on Twitter, Online Hate and Harassment: The American Experience, Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2018, and White Supremacists Step Up Off-Campus Propaganda Efforts in 2018.

HOW ADL IS RESPONDING

ADL has a comprehensive approach to addressing anti-Semitic incidents and behavior, including educating youth to prevent these incidents and working with law enforcement to apprehend the perpetrators. ADL works to enact laws to improve federal, state, and local prevention tactics and response to anti-Semitic hate crimes and all forms of hate violence. ADL partners with law enforcement to raise awareness of extremist threats and trains law enforcement professionals to recognize and disrupt potential threats. ADL likewise provides education and training every day to students, reaching young people at a time when they are most vulnerable to bullying and social pressures. ADL also works with victims and universities to respond to anti-Semitic harassment and other worrying incidents on college campuses. Finally, ADLs No Place for Hate and Words to Action programs teach understanding and promote inclusivity in schools and on campuses, respectively.

ADL has been a longstanding partner in the effort to ensure the safety of Jewish community organizations and recently announced that former Homeland Security secretaries Michael Chertoff and Jeh Johnson will co-chair a new Community Safety and Security Task Force convened by ADL and the Secure Community Network (SCN), the homeland security and safety initiative of The Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of President of Major American Jewish Organizations. The task force will work to enhance the safety, security and resiliency of religious communities.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

In response to the historic rise in anti-Semitic incidents over the past three years, ADL has made the following policy recommendations:

In the aftermath of the deadliest anti-Semitic incident in American history, public officials and civic leaders should use their bully pulpits to speak out against anti-Semitism and all forms of hate and extremism.

Congress should hold additional hearings on the increase in hate crimes, the rise of extremist groups and proliferation of their propaganda, and support legislation, including the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, that calls on the federal government to improve coordinated responses and collect data on domestic terrorism.

Policymakers must support efforts to provide law enforcement officials with the tools and training they need to prevent and effectively respond to hate crimes. Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies should also improve their procedures for responding to and reporting hate crimes.

School districts should promote anti-bias and bullying prevention programs in elementary and secondary schools. University leadership should respond firmly and forcefully to anti-Semitic acts on college campuses, including incidents that target Jewish students because of their actual or perceived support of the state of Israel. Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, state legislators and mayors should increase funding to promote an inclusive school climate and for anti-bias education and hate crime prevention.

It is incumbent upon our leaders to continue fighting anti-Semitism at every opportunity, said George Selim, ADL Senior Vice President of Programs and a former DHS official. We will continue to advocate for legislative and other remedies to ensure that there is no place for anti-Semitism in our society.

The ADL Audit includes both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs. Compiled using information provided by victims, law enforcement and community leaders, and evaluated by ADLs professional staff, the Audit provides a regular snapshot of one specific aspect of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported. This information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry. The Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents is a project of ADLs Center on Extremism, whose work is supported in part by the following generous donors: Roman Abramovich, the David Berg Foundation, The Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Ford Foundation, Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation, The Marlene Nathan Meyerson Family Foundation, Rowland & Sylvia Schaefer Family Foundation, Inc., Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation, The Nancy K. Silverman Foundation, Louis Sobelman, and the Zegar Family Foundation, as well as numerous others.
Apr 30 2019 10:10 am

On March 30, 2010, Chaplain lt. Neal Kreisler was onboard the aircraft carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER somewhere in the North Arabian Sea. The Chaplain had arrived earlier in the week via COD (Carrier Onboard Delivery), and noticed as he disembarked the aircraft that the ordnance personnel were carrying and loading live missiles and bombs onboard the jet fighters. He was in a combat zone, and F-18s were flying combat sorties every day to provide CAS (Close Air Support) to United States Marines fighting in Afghanistan. Although he had been onboard an aircraft carrier before during his career as a Jewish Navy chaplain, yet he had never seen the loading of live ordnance. This was the real thing.

Fortunately, all Passover supplies had arrived long before my arrival, and he had spent the afternoon on Erev Pesach preparing the dining room for First Night Seder. Tabletops were impeccably cleaned, a white tablecloth spread, and the ritual items set in their proper places on the Seder plate. Special Kosher for Passover MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) were provided in a separate space, ready for consumption during the Seder meal. Eight Sailors, in addition to Chaplain Kreisler attended the Pesach Seder that night onboard the Mighty Ike.

Three of the Sailors were aviators. One lieutenant was an F-18 pilot, and the other two were E-2C Hawkeye pilots. Lieutenant Steven (Miroslav) Zilberman was the second of the Hawkeye pilots attending the Pesach Seder that night.

LT Zilberman was born in Ukraine, and the Chaplain could detect his accent. The Seder lasted long into the night; the Sailors were off duty, and we had nowhere else to go. Everyone drank the arba kosot (four glasses) of Kedem grape juice, and jokingly lamented the fact that we didnt have any Manischewitz onboard. The Chaplain explained to the Sailors how correctly to perform the mitzvah of akhilat matza (eating the matza), and that each person is required by Jewish law to consume a kzayit bikhdei akhilat pras while reclining to the left. We recited the brakhot, read the Haggadah, ate matza and maror, sang songs, and told stories. The Chaplain learned that LT Zilberman had two children attending Hebrew school back home in Virginia.

After the Seder had concluded khilkhato (in accordance with Jewish law) LT Zilberman explained to Chaplain Kreisler how his son knew all the words to the Pesach songs. Had his son been onboard, said Steven, he would have been able to sing all the songs with us perfectly.

Chaplain Kreisler distributed boxes of Passover candies to the Sailors, and cans of macaroons. LT Zilberman commented on the Pesach fruit jellies, joking that it was important to eat the lemon slices, as these prevented scurvy.

Eventually all the Sailors departed for the night and Chaplain Kreisler was left alone with that unique feeling of joyful accomplishment and camaraderie that attends the fulfillment of Jewish religious holidays out in the middle of nowhere in the midst of a war zone.

The next day, 31 March, 16 Nissan, LT Steven Zilberman was killed returning from a reconnaissance mission to Afghanistan. He was the flight crew commander onboard his E-2C Hawkeye when hydraulic pressure in the port engine failed. Flying on one engine alone, and unable to adjust the pitch of the second engines propeller, the aircraft began to plummet to the sea. Only a few miles from USS EISENHOWER, Steve handed the flight controls to his co-pilot, and went aft to jettison the escape hatch. The co-pilot could barely grasp the controls; the aircraft was on the verge of spinning out of control, tumbling over and crashing into the waves. Steve resumed his seat behind the controls, took the wheel from his co-pilots hands, and ordered his crew to bail out.

The three crew members safely floated to the sea in their open parachutes, but Steve did not make it out. His aircraft smashed into the North Arabian Sea with him onboard, and disappeared in 18,000 fathoms of water.

The next day Chaplain Kreisler flew back from the aircraft carrier to Bahrain, where the US Navys Fifth Fleet is headquartered. The Chaplain asked permission from the Force Chaplain to extend his orders to the AO (Area of Operations) and to return to USS EISENHOWER, in order to participate in LT Zilbermans memorial service and say prayers for him.

The entire squadron loved LT Steven Zilberman, and everyone knew he was Jewish. While discussing plans for the memorial, the wing chaplain informed Chaplain Kreisler that the squadron commander had scheduled the memorial for Saturday. The Chaplain explained that this should not be done, as LT Zilberman was Jewish, and such events are prohibited on the Sabbath. But everyone loved Steve Zilberman, and everyone knew he was Jewish. So the wing chaplain conveyed Chaplain Kreislers recommendation to his commanding officer. He returned and told him, Rabbi, the CO says that anything you say goes. I know that this is because they wished to honor Steven Zilbermans Jewish heritage. So the memorial service was scheduled for a different day.

Returning from Bahrain to EISENHOWER to conduct the memorial service, Chaplian KreislerI could not get LT Zilberman out of his mind. Hethought of how fragile and tentative life is; one moment a person is in this world, but in the next he may be gone. And yet LT Zilberman was a hero; he saved his crew. Steve could have made any number of decisions that day as he held the cyclic, struggling to control his plane. He could have panicked and released it, and the aircraft would have tumbled out of control, killing all onboard. But he was the flight commander. He stayed the course as he had been trained, performed his duty, and saved his crew.

Chaplain Kreisler wondered what his last thoughts were as the Hawkeye plummeted to the sea. The Chaplain shared this with his co-pilot, who was also Steves roommate and best friend. The Chaplain suggested that Steve was thinking about his children. But his co-pilot tried to assure me that Steve, as a trained Navy aviator, no doubt was thinking only of what actions he must take next to try to save his plane. But the Chaplain was not convinced.

Chaplain Kreisler was uncertain as to why he was so affected by the loss of Steven Zilberman, but he suggested that the reason was because he was so affected by his life. In the one evening that the Chaplain had the pleasure of Steven Zilbermans company at the Passover Seder, he was captivated by his wonderful humanity, his affability, his humor, and his joy. He was a joyful man. Barukh Hashem that the Chaplain was able to share this time with him, to say Hebrew prayers at his memorial service, and to hear his commanding officers final farewell, LT Zilberman, Shalom! May his memory be for a blessing.
The donkey's calm temperament makes them a family-friendly animal. However, recent investigations have shown that donkeys are being pushed to their limits transporting tourists around the Greek island of Santorini.

Whilest tourists benefit from a leisurely ride from point A to point B, Lonely Planet has revealed that the donkeys carrying them suffer from exhaustion, spinal injuries and saddle sores.

Image credit: troy mckaskle on Flickr

Lonely Planet reported that many donkeys work "seven days a week without shelter, rest or water."

maltreatment of elephants These revelations do not come as a surprise. In recent years, thefor the purposes of tourism has become widely criticised.

Lonely Planet Of course, the use of donkeys as a mode of transport has been practised for centuries on hilly islands like Santorini. However, according to, there has been a greater demand for donkey rides due to an increase in the number of tourists on the island in recent years, a result of more cruise ships visiting and the greater availability of cheap package holidays.

With the increased demand for donkey taxi services, the mammals must endure longer working hours and heavier loads, to the detriment of their wellbeing.

Image credit: Bgabel on Wikimedia Commons

UK charity The Donkey Sanctuary hopes to raise awareness about the poor treatment of Santorini's donkeys, urging tourists not to partake in donkey rides.

Their campaign In Their Hooves encourages riders to consider the mental and physical wellbeing of the donkeys before they take a seat in the saddle.

In Their Hooves on YouTube

Of course, The Donkey Sanctuary does not want to detract from the businesses that locals living on the island rely on. The charity hopes to "set out policies that will improve the welfare of donkeys and mules, while safeguarding the livelihoods of their owners and traditional Greek culture."

Their video explains how "donkeys avoid showing distress, meaning it isn't always easy to see they are suffering."

It encourages tourists to make an informed decision by asking donkey handlers whether donkeys have access to fresh water, shelter from the sun and the rain when they are resting and considering whether the owner might be physically mistreating the animal.

The best way to judge is to observe the appearance of the donkey. If the donkey has sores and injuries, it is most likely forced to carry an unsuitable weight.

"If you have doubts about any of these questions and still use a donkey then you could be contributing to the animals suffering," says the charity.

Next time you visit Santorini, put yourself in their hooves and use the checklist.
Arson suspected as retired forestry officials pickup torched

PHUKET: Police are investigating alleged arson of a pickup truck belonging to a retired forestry official that was gutted by fire in Rassada in the early hours of this morning (Apr 30).

crimepolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 30 April 2019, 11:49AM

The engine bay was heavily damaged and the interior of the pickup truck was gutted by the fire. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The engine bay was heavily damaged and the interior of the pickup truck was gutted by the fire. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The engine bay was heavily damaged and the interior of the pickup truck was gutted by the fire. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The engine bay was heavily damaged and the interior of the pickup truck was gutted by the fire. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The engine bay was heavily damaged and the interior of the pickup truck was gutted by the fire. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Lt Col Somkid Onjan from the Phuket City Police was notified of the fire by staff attending the 191 national police hotline at 3am.

Police and two fire trucks soon arrived at the scene, Soi Kingkaew Uthit 2, to find the green Isuzu pickup truck, registered in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, ablaze.

Local residents had attempted by put out the fire, but had failed. Firefighters themselves took 30 minutes to douse the flames. By that time the engine bay and the interior of the pickup had sustained heavy damaged by from the fire.

The owner of the car, 68-year-old retired Royal Forest Department officer Adul Khan from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, told police that he strongly suspected arson for the fire.

Mr Adul told police that he took very good care of his pickup. He had parked it outside his house as usual and had gone to sleep last night. He woke to his 19-year-old son Sahasawan Khan shouting out that his pickup truck was on fire.

I am certain that someone set it on fire, Mr Adul told police.

Also, someone threw a rock and smashed one of my windows at 1am last Tuesday (Apr 23). My son reported that to police, he said.

However, Mr Adul said that he was not involved in any personal conflict with anyone that he was aware of.

Lt Col Suchart Meelampong of the Phuket City Police, who has been tasked with investigating the fire, confirmed that police are investigating the fire for possible arson.

Phuket City Police will investigate the cause of this fire and we will look into who smashed the window with the rock, he assured.
Drug abuse still rising in Phuket

PHUKET: Drug abuse continues to rise in Phuket according to the latest figures announced yesterday (Apr 29) by Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai.

drugscrimepolicetransport

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 30 April 2019, 06:03PM

Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai presided over a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday (Apr 29) to address the rise in drug-related offences in Phuket. Photo: PR Dept

V/Gov Supoj presided over a meeting with Phuket Provincial Narcotics Control Management Centre officials at Phuket Provincial Hall to address the issue.

The vice governor spoke of the failure to tackle the issue of rising drug-related crime on the island  an issue that has been addressed numerous times in the past, and most recently on January 30 at a similar meeting. (See story here.)

The latest report has found that drug-related arrests in Phuket, from October 2018 to March 2019, have increased by 3.83% year-on-year, the vice governor said.

The main drugs being used are kratom, ya bah (methamphetamine), ya ice (crystal meth), cannabis and cocaine, while cannabis seems to be the drug of choice among tourists and teenagers.

During the period, 676 cases were recorded consisting of 356 cases of illegal drug possession, 187 cases of drug addiction, 73 cases of illegal possession with intent to supply, 44 cases of illegal drug manufacturing and cultivation, and 16 cases of illegally supplying drugs.

The report noted that the main transportation method was by land, V/Gov Supoj explained.

The main suppliers are outside of Phuket Province and they move drugs around the island via buses, cars and private shipping companies. They communicate from outside the province through the LINE application and Facebook.

The report also highlights the use of marine transport for the movement of drugs, the vice governor went on the explain.

Drugs are often transported across the coast from neighbouring provinces using small boats. Fishing boats are also used, he noted.

No specific plan to tackle the issue was mentioned at the meeting this time around.
Phuket to hold public events for Royal Coronation

PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Public Relations Department of Thailand has released a notice announcing the official public events to be held to mark the Royal Coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun this weekend.

culture

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 30 April 2019, 01:17PM

Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana pays homage to His Majesty The King during a ceremony earlier this week. Photo: PR Dept

The events are as follows:

Saturday, May 4

7am: Merit making ceremony and ceremony to pay respect of HM The King at Wat Prathong in Thalang.

9am  5pm: Screening of the live broadcast of the nationally televised program at Wat Phra Thong. Volunteers will be present to provide assistance. People attending the event must wear a yellow shirt.

Sunday, May 5

8:40am  Midday and 4pm  10pm: Ceremony to pay respects to His Majesty the King, and screening of the live broadcast of the nationally televised program at Phuket Provincial Hall in Phuket Town. People attending the event must wear a yellow shirt.

Monday, May 6

8am: Royal Coronation event volunteers to hold hold a mass cleanup of Bang Yai Canal under the Royal project We do good things with our hearts. Participants must are to meet at the 4,000-seat gymnasium at Saphan Hin.

4pm  5:50pm: Ceremony to pay respect to His Majesty The King at Phuket Provincial Hall, led by Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana.

Screening of the live broadcast at Phuket Provincial Hall of the Royal Blessing Ceremony at the Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Government officers are to wear full white uniform, sash and peaked caps. Members of the public must wear a yellow shirt. Volunteers must wear their volunteer uniforms.

Tuesday, May 7

5pm: Ceremony to celebrate the blessings of HM The King at Wat Tha Ruea, in Thalang.

May 19-28

Special traditional story-telling music and dance performances to honour His Majesty The King to be held at Phuket Provincial Hall. More details to be announced.

Meanwhile, to honour the historic event, the Royal Thai Government has embarked on a number of arrangements in preparation for the ceremony. It has established the National Commission on the Royal Coronation Ceremony and other related committees and subcommittees to handle various relevant functions and activities for this important occasion.

The Royal Coronation Ceremony on May 4-6 will be televised by the Television Pool of Thailand and on the Thai TV Global Network for viewers in 170 countries worldwide.

As such the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has ordered that radio and television broadcasters deliver feeds from state agencies to make sure that the correct state-provided footage is disseminated to listeners and viewers.

Radio stations in particular are to switch their feeds over to FM 92.50 MHz, AM 819 Khz or AM 837 Khz, as follows:

Friday, May 3

9.40am  10.30am: The Royal Golden Plaque of the official title of His Majesty the King, the Royal Golden Plaque of His Majestys horoscope, and the Royal Seal of State are transferred from the Temple of the Emerald Buddha to Baisal Daksin Throne Hall.

Saturday, May 4

9:10am -Midday: The Royal Purification, or the "Song Muratha Bhisek Ceremony, takes place at Chakrabat Biman Royal Residence. "Muratha Bhisek refers to the action of pouring holy water over the head of the king, also known as ablution. This is followed by the actual Royal Coronation Ceremony, when His Majesty the King will be crowned.

1:40pm- 2:30pm: His Majesty the King grants a grand audience to members of the Royal Family, the Privy Council, and the Cabinet, as well as senior officials, gathered to offer their best wishes to His Majesty at Amarindra Vinicchaya Throne Hall.

3:50pm  5:30pm: His Majesty proceeds to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha to proclaim himself the Royal Patron of Buddhism.

6:30-8:30pm: The ceremony of Assumption of the Royal Residence takes place at Chakrabat Biman Royal Residence. The purpose of the ceremony is to symbolically take up the royal residence and perform housewarming.

Sunday, May 5

8:40am  Midday: The ceremony to bestow His Majestys Royal Cypher and Royal Title and to grant the royal ranks to members of royalty takes place at Amarindra Vinicchaya Throne Hall.

4:10pm  8:30pm: His Majesty the King rides in the Royal Palanquin in the Royal Procession on Land to encircle the city, affording people the opportunity to attend and pay homage to their new King.

Monday, May 6

4:30pm  5pm: His Majesty the King grants a public audience on a balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace to receive his well wishes from the people.

5:35pm-5:50pm: His Majesty grants an audience to members of the international diplomatic corps, who offer their felicitations on this special occasion at Chakri Maha Prasad Throne Hall.
Thai trips at BISP Primary

A feature of Primary School at British International School, Phuket  BISP is the programme of day trips organised by our Thai department.

Education

By BISP

Tuesday 30 April 2019, 11:00AM

Hands-on learning. Photo: BISP

Students are taken to local places of historical or cultural significance, which they learn about with the help of our dedicated Thai staff. It may be worth exploring why we set such store by this.

As a school accredited by the Council of International Schools, we are committed to actively developing global citizenship. A lofty ideal, it can be difficult to see how to address this with primary-aged children. However, we are also a British International School following the English national curriculum. As such, we are expected to actively promote certain defined British values, including mutual respect for, and tolerance of, those with different faiths and beliefs. This ties in with our BISP Primary Virtues of kindness and respect.

On a more intellectual basis, the development of international-mindedness has been described by Martin Skelton, Group Director of Learning and Education at the International Schools Partnership, as a declining sense of egocentrism. As I understand it, that means we come to learn that the world doesnt revolve around us alone, that other people may well see things differently to ourselves and that there may be value in those differences. This has been widely recognised: unity in diversity is a concept upheld by many organisations including the European Union and the Republic of Indonesia.

We are lucky to have such a diversity of nationalities and cultures on which we can draw, as the recent International Day illustrated. However, there is a well-documented danger that pupils in such international schools can develop their own third culture, divorced from that of the host country which can run the risk of becoming relegated to a secondary position. Our Thai day trips are but the visible tip of the iceberg in attempting to counter this.

Throughout Primary School, all students receive weekly Thai lessons. These include an introduction to the Thai language; they also focus on matters of cultural and historical significance. For the majority of our students, who are not Thai, they also have the option to choose Thai as a modern language to study. Our Thai students follow a comprehensive programme of Thai studies in line with government requirements: we do not want learning in a British International School to be at the expense of their own culture.

In addition to all this, the school community respects significant festivals such as Wai Kru, Loy Krathong and Songkran. And of course, our children get to go on day trips!

 Kenneth Page

Kenneth Page is the Primary Principal at British International School, Phuket. For more information, visit them at www.bisphuket.ac.th
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

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A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry examined whether maternal use of cannabis during pregnancy is associated with psychosis liability in offspring.

We expected that cannabis use would be associated with increased psychosis proneness in offspring, study author Ryan Bogdan told us. However, we also expected that some of this relationship might be accounted for by other potentially related factors (e.g., other substance use during pregnancy, maternal education, family history of psychopathology, maternal prenatal vitamin use, child substance use, etc.).

Bogdan is an Associate Professor at BRAIN Lab at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He told us that he chose to do the study because alongside increasingly permissive marijuana use attitudes and laws, the prevalence of marijuana use among pregnant mothers has increased substantially (by 75% between 2002 and 2016).

Further, there is some evidence that dispensaries recommend using cannabis to combat pregnancy-related nausea and that pregnant women report using marijuana during pregnancy for this purpose, Bogdan told us. However, very little is known how this may affect the developing fetus and child.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the principal psychoactive component of marijuana, mimics our bodys endocannabinoids and binds to endocannabinoid receptors to exert its effects, Bogdan explained. Given that the endocannabinoid system critically contributes to neurodevelopment and evidence that THC crosses the placenta to access the developing fetus, he says we need to better understand the potential impact of prenatal cannabis exposure.

Researchers used data from a national U.S.-based data collection project, the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study which is an ongoing longitudinal study of child health and brain development. They used the initial ABCD baseline data release which included survey responses from 3,774 mothers about marijuana usage during 3,926 pregnancies. Risk of psychosis in the 4,361 children born from these pregnancies between 2005 and 2008 was measured using a questionnaire administered to the children between ages 8.9 and 11 years.

We found that prenatal marijuana exposure after maternal knowledge of pregnancy is associated with a small increase in psychosis proneness during middle childhood (~ age 10), Bogdan told us. Interestingly, we found that maternal use of cannabis during pregnancy before and after knowledge of pregnancy was correlated with increased psychosis proneness in children. However, after we accounted for potentially confounding factors (e.g., other substance use during pregnancy, maternal education, family history of psychopathology, maternal prenatal vitamin use, child substance use, etc.), only use after maternal knowledge of pregnancy was associated with increased psychosis proneness in children.

In addition to differences in mothers who continue to use following knowledge of pregnancy that were not accounted for in their study (e.g., maternal stress exposure), another possible explanation for this pattern of association is endocannabinoid system development, Bogdan explained. Data from rodents suggest that the endocannabinoid type 1 receptor, through which the psychoactive effects of THC largely arise, is not expressed until the equivalent of 5-6 weeks of human gestation.

Given that mothers in our study on average learned of their pregnancy at 7.7 weeks, Bogdan told us, it is plausible that any impact of THC on psychosis risk would not arise until sufficient endocannabinoid type 1 receptors are expressed.

Although Bogdan says he and his colleagues were fortunate to work with the large national adolescent brain and cognitive development (ABCD) study dataset which provided them with data for one of the largest investigations of psychosis proneness and prenatal marijuana exposure, he says it is also important to interpret these results in the context of study limitations including the small sample of prenatal cannabis-exposed offspring, reliance on retrospective self-report for prenatal use, and imprecise data on the timing, amount, frequency, and potency of prenatal cannabis exposure and the lack of data on other potential confounding variables (e.g., stress during pregnancy, paternal factors).

This research is strictly correlational and cannot draw causal conclusions, Bogdan told us. However, that the association remained after accounting for a host of potentially confounding factors (e.g., maternal education, family history of psychopathology, age at pregnancy, birth weight, prenatal vitamin use, alcohol and nicotine use during pregnancy, etc.), increases the plausibility that prenatal cannabis exposure may contribute to a small risk of increases psychosis proneness among children. Until more research accumulates, these data suggest that marijuana use during pregnancy should be discouraged.

Given increasing cannabis accessibility and potency as well as perceptions of safety, it is critical for additional research to understand the potential adverse consequences and benefits of cannabis throughout development and how these associations may arise, Bogdan explained. In the meantime, evidence that prenatal marijuana use is associated with a small increase in offspring psychosis proneness suggest that marijuana use during pregnancy should be discouraged until more is known.
Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway is financing a bid by Occidental Petroleum for Anadarko, potentially upending Chevrons $33-billion offer for the energy company.

Anadarko and Chevron signed a merger agreement earlier this month, but Anadarko Petroleum said Monday that it is now considering an offer from Occidental worth about $57 billion in cash and stock. Chevrons offer would be worth about $50 billion by the same metric, including debt and book value of non-controlling interest.

Berkshire said Tuesday it will invest $10 billion in Occidental. It will receive 100,000 preferred shares plus a warrant to purchase up to 80 million shares of Occidental common stock at an exercise price of $62.50 each. The preferred stock will accrue dividends at 8 per cent per year. Occidental shares traded at $58.46, down 2.7 per cent, in premarket trading.

The investment is contingent on Occidental entering into and completing its proposed acquisition of Anadarko.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc., based in Omaha, Nebraska, owns a range of businesses including insurance, railroads, jewelry as well as major investments in American Express, IBM and Wells Fargo & Co.

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The European Unions free trade accord with Canada overcame one more obstacle after the blocs highest court dismissed Belgian concerns over the pacts dispute settlement process.

The mechanism for the resolution of disputes between investors and states provided for by the free trade agreement between the EU and Canada is compatible with EU law, the EU Court of Justice said in a binding opinion in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

The Belgian region of Wallonia, using its leverage over Belgiums federal government in commercial matters, in 2016 nearly torpedoed the so-called Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA.

The delay raised concerns that the EU would have difficulty concluding other deals, such as the EUs landmark trade accord with Japan that took effect in February.

Belgium filed its challenge in 2017, seeking the EU judges binding view on the legality of the planned investor settlement procedure in the Canada deal. Belgium warned that this mechanism could affect the EU courts exclusive role as having the final say over the blocs laws, but also whether it could affect the right to impartial and independent courts.

The EU-Canada agreement has been provisionally in effect since September 2017.

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Before we sit down at the dinner table, Duy Nguyen wants to make sure I get the pronunciation of our meal right.

The rice noodles swimming in hot, aromatic broth before us is called fa? not faux as many Torontonians say it, explains Nguyen, a member of the Vietnamese Association, Toronto.

Every word in the Vietnamese language has a melodic cadence and pho (pho in Vietnamese) ends in an inflection, like a question. It may sound complicated to those who dont speak the language, but this dish, popular across the GTA and around the world, deserves respect.

In Vietnamese, all of our words sound richer with accents, says Nguyen. Its important to know that when youre learning about pho.

To understand the complexities of this dish, its important to look at how its made, its relatively short but storied history and how its global popularity was inadvertently boosted by the end of the Vietnam War 44 years ago this week.

Nguyen, his wife Han Trinh and friends Nga Duong and her husband Phan Dam, who arrived in Toronto over a 20-year span, are the ideal dinner companions to share the history of pho.

Dam, a retired engineering professor from Centennial College, was one of the first 50 Vietnamese people to immigrate to Toronto in 1969. Today there are about 37,000 Vietnamese-Canadians in Toronto, and roughly 74,000 in the GTA, according to Statistics Canada.

Back in 1969, there was no such thing as rice noodles (in Toronto), he says. We used spaghetti for pho and the broth was awful because we couldnt get the ingredients and didnt know how to cook it.

When I enter the kitchen, Trinh and Duong are tending two pots of broth simmering on the stove: one made from beef (pho bo), the other from chicken (pho ga). Duong says they could have shown me how its made from the very beginning, but they started preparing the beef bones at midnight.

Duongs mother taught her to make pho before she went to university.

My mom asked me to stand next to her, recalled Duong. She said when I have a family, I need to make pho.

Now, she makes it at least once a month for her son-in-law who prefers hers to any restaurant variety. In the past she has held cooking classes for young people and parents of adopted Vietnamese children who wanted to learn to make a dish from their homeland.

Duong goes through the steps, first parboiling the oxtail, beef shank and beef bones to get rid of excess debris and fat. This ensures a clear and clean-tasting broth. The bones are then rinsed and left to simmer overnight with ginger, black cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, rock sugar, onions and star anise. The now-ultra tender beef shank is sliced into thin pieces that will top off each bowl. The broth is brought to a roaring boil before adding rice noodles, slices of raw beef, beef meatballs and tripe.

To contrast the rich and spiced broth, the beef pho is garnished with fresh Thai basil leaves, crunchy bean sprouts, a squeeze of lime and a splash of Sriracha.

We dig into our bowls and I can immediately taste the difference from the takeout pho Ive tried. This broth is slightly thicker, having been left to simmer longer and the spices are more prominent. Everyone at the table picks up their bowl with two hands to drink all of the broth just as one would do at a ramen restaurant to show respect to the chef.

Another advantage of home-cooked pho is you can add as much meat as you want, Duong says.

Its time to move on to the second bowl, the chicken pho.

It is a simpler dish, says Duong. The broth needs to simmer for just two hours and there are fewer spices: star anise, ginger, onions, rock sugar, salt and the secret ingredient she picked up from a restaurant in Vietnam: tangerine peels.

Simpler, yes. But still a lot of work for a dish that typically hovers around the $10 mark at restaurants in the GTA.

The global popularity of pho has led to shortcuts such as soup and spice mixes. Even Campbells has a ready-made pho broth (I tried it, very bland). There are countless Instant Pot pho recipes that cut the simmering time, but theres something about slurping a broth knowing the long hours spent making it that gives it an extra special taste. You dont want a drop to go to wasted.

A lot of young people now want fast food and dont have a lot of time to spend on a dish, says Trinh. Some people still want to learn, but I doubt theyll do it often unless its for other people. I have to be honest, I dont make it often. Sometimes Ill make a big batch and freeze it.

Pho is intertwined with Vietnamese culture. Its current iteration has roots in the early 1900s near Hanoi in northern Vietnam, writes California-based cookbook author Andrea Nguyen in her James Beard 2018 Award-winning The Pho Cookbook.

The French began occupying Vietnam in the 1880s, bringing with them the baguette (planting the seeds for another iconic Vietnamese food, the banh mi) and a taste for beef. Before the French arrived, cattle were mainly used to work the fields. As the French consumed beef, the leftover bones were sold by butchers in Hanoi to street vendors, who turned the bones into broth for their noodles. The dish quickly caught on and restaurants started selling the noodle dishes, too.

As for the name, Andrea Nguyen writes that pho could have been a shortened version of nguu nhuc phan (beef with rice noodles), a dish with a hybrid Viet-Chinese name. Many street vendors at the time were Chinese. China also shares a border with Vietnams north so cultural overlap wasnt unheard of. Chinese speakers will recognize that pho sounds similar to fen, the Chinese word for a type of flat noodle. Conversely, Cuong Huynh, a San Diego-based pho restaurant consultant and publisher of The Loving Pho site, writes in a post that the pho name could have spun off from the French dish pot au feu, a slow-cooked beef stew.

Its distinctive aromatics come from star anise and cinnamon which are native to northern Vietnam. In 1954, French occupation ended and Vietnam was split into northern and southern parts at the Geneva Conference. The split was to be temporary and many people from the north moved south, bringing along their richly flavoured pho broth. Meanwhile, pho in the warmer south Vietnam favoured additions such as fresh herbs, bean sprouts, chilli sauce and fermented bean sauces.

While northern and southern styles of pho began to intermingle, tensions rose between the communist-backed north and the American-supported south, leading to the Vietnam War.

The war ended on April 30, 1975. Duy Nguyen refers to that day as Black April, or the Fall of Saigon, when north Vietnamese forces took over Saigon, formerly the capital of South Vietnam (currently Ho Chi Minh City). Fearing political persecution, more than a million Vietnamese people fled the country and relocated to other parts of the world.

A lot of people travelled across the Gulf of Thailand. Many died but some made it to the shores of Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, says Nguyen, who was part of that group and met his future wife, Trinh, at an Indonesian refugee camp in 1980. That wave of people created a prominent international event called the Boat People, Vietnamese refugees in the mid-70s to 80s.

From those refugee camps, the Vietnamese were relocated to countries such the United States, Australia, France, England, Germany and Canada. Nguyen adds that the local Vietnamese-Canadian community raised more than $400,000 to build a memorial to mark the arrival of Vietnamese refugees in Canada, which is slated to be unveiled in Mississauga later this year. They brought with them their food culture, he says. The most famous one being pho, which is now being enjoyed by people everywhere.

So really, its the story of pho that is complicated. The pronunciation isnt so hard after all.
MELFORT, SASK.A Saskatchewan man who accidentally shot and killed another hunter after mistaking him for an elk will go to jail for seven months.

Austyn Adamko, 24, was sentenced Monday in Melfort provincial court after pleading guilty earlier this year to charges of careless use of a firearm and carrying a firearm without a license.

Both sentences will be served at the same time.

An agreed statement of facts presented in court said Adamko was hunting with a friend south of Weirdale, Sask., in September 2017 at the same time 23-year-old Jordan Darchuk was winding up a hunting trip in the area.

Adamko mistook Darchuk for an elk from afar and shot him in the chest.

A charge of criminal negligence causing death in the case was stayed at the conclusion of the sentencing.

Youve got two families and groups of friends that have been horribly affected, defence co-council Mark Brayford said. The judge did an admirable job of trying to balance the many factors that just cant solve a really tragic situation.

Read more: Sentencing hearing held for Saskatchewan man who killed fellow hunter

Adamko will be on probation for two years following his release. He must also complete 150 hours of community service, pay more than $4,000 in restitution to Darchuks mother and girlfriend, and must observe a lifetime ban on having firearms, weapons or ammunition.

Crown prosecutor Tyla Olenchuk had argued at a sentencing hearing last month for 12 to 18 months of jail time.

Provincial Court Judge Lloyd Stang said Adamko qualified for rehabilitation due to having no previous criminal record, his early guilty plea, employment history, family support and his remorse over the incident.
HALIFAXCanadas new $10 bill featuring Nova Scotia human rights icon Viola Desmond has been named banknote of the year.

The bill, which also features a map of Halifaxs historic north end as well as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, was honoured in a vote by the International Bank Note Society.

The society says in a news release that the Desmond bill was a favourite of its voting membership right from the start.

The purple polymer bill was the first vertically oriented banknote issued in Canada.

Desmond is the first Black person  and the first non-royal woman  on a regularly circulating Canadian banknote.

The bill marks a growing recognition of Desmonds refusal to leave the whites-only section of a Nova Scotia movie theatre on Nov. 8, 1946  nearly a decade before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Alabama  and the seminal role it played in Canadas civil rights movement.

Desmond, a beautician and entrepreneur from north end Halifax who sold her own line of cosmetics, was headed to Sydney, N.S., when her car broke down. Stuck in New Glasgow overnight, she decided to watch a movie at the Roseland Theatre.

The segregated theatre relegated Black patrons to the balcony, while floor seating was reserved for whites. Desmond, who was shortsighted and could not see properly from the back, sat in the floor section and refused to leave.

She was dragged out of the theatre by police, arrested, thrown in jail for 12 hours and fined.

It would take 63 years for Nova Scotia to issue Desmond, who died in 1965, a posthumous apology and pardon.

Desmonds story went largely untold for a half-century, but in recent years she has been featured on a stamp, and her name graces a Halifax harbour ferry. A Toronto park and streets in Montreal and New Glasgow bear her name, and she was inducted into Canadas Walk of Fame in 2017.

The bank note society also honoured notes from Switzerland, Norway, Russia and Solomon Islands.

The society says 150 new banknotes were released in 2018, but only 10 per cent of them featured sufficiently new designs to be nominated.

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Mayors from 28 major municipalities across Ontario have blasted the provinces plan to cut public health funding, calling on them to put that decision on hold.

Big-city mayors from across Ontario are extremely concerned that the Government of Ontario is engaging in downloading by stealth  implementing funding and governance changes to municipalities without any consultation, after cities have already approved our budgets, wrote Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie in a statement released Tuesday.

Municipalities are being notified of these changes in a piecemeal fashion through letters to agencies, after municipal budgets have already been passed  giving no time or opportunity for Councils to find efficiencies or economies of scale.

Guthrie chairs the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO), which includes Toronto and Guelph as well as: Ajax, Barrie, Brampton, Brantford, Burlington, Cambridge, Chatham-Kent, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Oakville, Oshawa, Ottawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Vaughan, Waterloo, Whitby and Windsor.

The statement, which asks the province to pause the cuts until at least 2020 pending consultation with municipalities, follows news that the province will reduce its responsibility for program costs.

In Toronto, the cuts are most severe. Programs previously funded 75 or 100 per cent by the province will see reductions to 60 per cent in 2019 and 2020, and 50 per cent in 2021. In the rest of the province, the cuts will be to 70 per cent in 2019 and 2020, and drop to 60 per cent in 2021 for public health units serving populations over 1 million people.

The cuts this year are retroactive to April 1.

The province plans to amalgamate existing public health units, reducing the total number to 10 from 35, but its still not clear how the boundaries will be redrawn. Toronto Public Health has been told it will remain a stand-alone unit.

The download in Toronto creates a $1 billion funding gap over 10 years, according budget analysis by city officials, assuming the city does not increase its spending. Increasing its contribution to 40 per cent of program costs in 2019 would cost the city around $25 million.

The LUMCO statement noted the province has reversed course on other announced changes after public backlash.

But we question why it takes an outcry before we are heard, the statement said. Municipalities are simply asking to be consulted beforehand, so that we can work alongside the province on changes that are in the best interests of the taxpayers we represent. We support the provinces efforts to get its budget deficit under control. But it cannot do so on the backs of local taxpayers, without consultation.

On Tuesday, Ford responded to an earlier letter from Tory  sent to all PC MPPs representing Toronto ridings  about the impact of the public health cuts.

I know we agree that public health services are incredibly important and that core services delivered by Toronto Public Health must be preserved, Fords letter said. Thats why our government is making the necessary changes to ensure that public health units are better organized, funded in a sustainable manner, and positioned to support the needs of people, families and communities across our province.

The letter continued to reject that the cut amounts to $1 billion over 10 years if Torontos contributions arent increased, calling it misinformation  a position government officials have maintained for more than a week. Instead the province, and Ford in his letter, are using the $25 million figure representing the difference between what the city pays now and what it would pay if it increased its contribution under the new funding formula.

Fords letter also suggested, as has been the approach by provincial officials in recent days, that the city could fund the difference with savings realized from audited programs and services and other unidentified efficiencies.

City officials maintained pressure regarding the cuts on Tuesday, with board of health chair Councillor Joe Cressy calling a news conference at city hall highlighting the importance of student nutrition programs the school boards and council members worry are threatened by the cuts.

A letter expected to go home to parents of students in the Toronto Catholic District School Board on Tuesday highlighted the importance of providing healthy meals and snacks and warned the provincial cuts leave the student nutrition program at risk.

According to city officials these cuts could mean the end of student nutrition programs serving more than 210,000 meals to hungry kids in Toronto each day, the letter from board chair Maria Rizzo says.

At Queen's Park, Health Minister Christine Elliott said Toronto Public Health should focus on core activities instead of doing advocacy work.

Some of the things that are really more of a provincial responsibility  the bigger picture about antismoking campaigns to use that as an example, said Elliott.

We don't need to have each individual public health unit talking about the dangers of smoking. Thats something that we can take over from the local health units so they can concentrate on more local issues.

A statement from Tory last week noted approximately 91 per cent of Toronto Public Healths budget goes to front-line services.
Toronto police have made an arrest after a man allegedly broke in to a womans home at about 3 a.m. Sunday in the Kingston Rd. and Woodbine Ave. area and sexually assaulted her.

Police released surveillance camera images of the suspect early Monday and he turned himself in later in the day.

Cayle Dupuis, 32, from Toronto, was charged with criminal harassment, possession of a break-in instrument, break and enter with intent, sexual assault and prowl at night.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5500 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
Anne Dublin, who was raised in Toronto, and Eva Madras, who grew up in Montreal, are both descendants of Holocaust survivors and the daughters of tailors.

But the shared history of the two total strangers doesnt stop there as both their families came to Canada from postwar Europe under Ottawas Tailor Project to fill a tailor shortage at a time when the countrys doors were closed to Jewish immigration.

On Wednesday, to mark Yom Hashoah VHagvurah or Holocaust Remembrance Day, the two women, now both residents of Toronto, will gather along with other descendants to hear first-hand stories from a handful of surviving tailors, to remember Canadas often forgotten anti-Semitic history and to celebrate the contributions to Canada of the tailors and their offspring.

The fascinating aspect of it is I did not know of any other tailor family and now we are coming out of the woodwork for the first time, Dublin, 72, a retired elementary school teacher, said of the gathering at Holy Blossom Temple thats aptly called A Common Thread. The event will be livestreamed online.

Its amazing that we have that bond and connection, given that we all grew up not knowing each other, sometimes in completely different cities. The Tailor Project is that common thread that bonds us together in ways that we couldnt have imagined at all.

The history of the Tailor Project  the first post-Second World War bulk labour scheme that enabled more than 1,000 displaced Jews to legally immigrate to Canada from Europe in 1948-49  would likely be lost if not for the efforts of Larry Enkin, who began two years ago to trace the whereabouts of those Jewish tailors and document their stories through artifacts and images.

Enkins father, Max, a garment factory owner in Toronto, was instrumental in coming up with the ideal way to rescue Jews from displaced persons camps under the pretext of filling tailor shortages in postwar Canada. Not all recruits were actually tailors or had the necessary skills, but they were all set up to work in garment factories for at least a year after arrival.

Madras, 67, said she only learned of the Tailor Project through Enkins callout through a community bulletin last April, and realized her parents, Morris and Pearl Cudzinowski, both from Poland, came here under the program.

Our parents shared very little war experience with us because it was so painful for them as they lost so many family members, said Madras, a retired physiotherapist currently working as a rehabilitation consultant, whose mother was a seamstress and father a master tailor.

The program allowed them to start a new life here, work hard, become productive members of society and provide a better life for their children. The gathering at Holy Blossom is an opportunity for us to connect with others with similar experiences.

Madras said she only recently discovered that the families of a couple of close friends also came to Canada under the Tailor Project in the late 1940s after she told them about her own digging into her family history.

We had no idea of this connection before and we have been friends for many years, she noted. The stories of the Vietnamese boat people and the Syrian refugees are not dissimilar to what was experienced by Jews. Its important to keep our history alive and be aware of what has happened to these refugees and their contributions. To me, thats whats relevant to us today in promoting immigration.

Dublin said she stumbled upon articles about the Tailor Project when researching Torontos garment manufacturing history in 2015. She got involved in Enkins documentary project a year ago after learning her parents, Gail Rose and Morris Dublin, originally from Poland, actually came here on SS Samaria, a transatlantic ocean liner, from a displaced persons camp in Austria, under the tailor immigration scheme.

In researching the project, they came across others with similar experiences.

We got two brothers in Winnipeg who still have a fur coat sewn by their father for their mother. (Eva Madras) from Montreal had a matzo cover embroidered by her mother in a DP camp. I have tools of the trade like thimbles from my father and photographs of his sewing machine. Every story is unique but we share that bond, said Dublin.

Its just gratifying to tell my (three) daughters of how my family came to Canada after the Holocaust.

Both Dublin and Madras said they look forward to meeting Fay Kieffer, who, at 91, is among a handful of surviving tailors attending Wednesdays reunion.

We picked up fragments of our broken lives, and although it was not easy, we came to Canada to build a new life. We were young, free and willing to work, and did the very best we could. In the beginning, it wasnt easy  no language no money, no family. I got a job in a factory for 30 cents an hour. That was the going wage, said Kieffer.

After work, I went to night school. I got married. I had a family. We brought up a new generation of very fine people, productive citizens who contribute a lot to the prosperity of our country.

Kieffer, whose father and younger brother died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, said the last words from her younger sibling, Israel, were what kept her going when she felt she couldnt go on.

His last words were, You must survive because you need to tell our story of what they did to us, recalled Kieffer, who will be sharing the story of her own escape from the Nazis for the first time at the tailor gathering. I was lucky to come to Canada, the most wonderful country in the world. I came through the Tailor Project. And I am telling the story as my brother wanted.
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, accompanied by civilian protesters and a small contingent of heavily armed troops, called Tuesday for the military to rise up and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. Heres a timeline of recent events leading up to that revolt:

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February 2014  Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez is jailed after turning himself in to authorities on charges including terrorism and incitement to riot. He is later transferred to house arrest.

Jan. 5, 2019  Venezuelas opposition-controlled congress installs 35-year-old Juan Guaido as president of the legislature. Guaido calls President Nicolas Maduro a dictator.

Jan. 10  Maduro is sworn in for a second term as president, but most Latin American countries, the United States and Canada denounce his government as illegitimate, arguing his re-election was a farce.

Jan. 15  Opposition lawmakers try to pry the militarys loyalty away from Maduro, offering protection to members of the armed forces who support a transitional government.

Jan. 21  Security forces put down a pre-dawn uprising by national guardsmen that triggered violent street protests. Socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello says at least 27 guardsmen were arrested.

Jan. 23  Guaido declares himself interim president before thousands of cheering supporters. The U.S. recognizes him as president and dozens of nations including Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia follow suit.

Jan. 28  The Trump administration sanctions Venezuelas state-owned oil company, cutting off one of Maduros most important sources of income and foreign currency along with around $7 billion in assets of state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA. National Security Adviser John Bolton warns that any move by Maduro against Guaido will be met with a significant response.

Feb. 4  More than a dozen European Union countries endorse Guaido as the countrys interim president.

Feb. 22  Defying orders banning him from leaving Venezuela, Guaido appears at a star-studded aid concert in neighbouring Colombia, joining thousands of other Venezuelans in pressuring Maduro to allow the delivery of U.S.-backed emergency food and medicine convoys.

Feb. 23  Venezuelan security forces fire tear gas on protesters trying to deliver aid from Colombia and Brazil, leaving two people dead and some 300 injured. Troops block bridges to prevent the convoys.

March 7  Much of Venezuela plunges into darkness for several days during the nations largest-ever blackout.

March 12  The United States says it is withdrawing its last diplomats still in Caracas

March 13  Widespread looting is reported during blackouts in Maracaibo, Venezuelas second-largest city.

March 18  Colombia says about 1,000 members of the Venezuelan security forces have fled to Colombia since February, giving up weapons and uniforms as they abandon Maduros government.

March 21  Intelligence agents detain Guaidos top aide.

March 25  A new power outage spreads across much of Venezuela, knocking communications offline and stirring fears of a repeat of the chaos.

March 27  Russias Foreign Ministry says that Russian military personnel have arrived in Venezuela to support Maduro.

March 29  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says it will start distributing assistance to an estimated 650,000 people in Venezuela  an action permitted by Maduros government.

April 2  A specially formed constitutional assembly loyal to Maduro strips Guaido of parliamentary immunity, paving the way for possible prosecution for allegedly violating the constitution by declaring himself interim president.

April 30  Guaido takes to the streets with activist Lopez and a small contingent of heavily armed troops in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust Maduro.
CARACAS, Venezuela - The latest on the political crisis in Venezuela (all times local):

8:50 p.m.

Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido is urging people to take to the streets for new mass protests Wednesday.

In a video statement posted on social media Tuesday night, Guaido also urged the military to join with those clamouring for change in Venezuela.

The leader recognized by more than 50 nations as Venezuelas rightful leader said socialist President Nicolas Maduro doesnt have the backing or the respect of the military.

Guaido called for a military uprising earlier Tuesday, issuing the most serious challenge yet to Maduros contested rule. But only one high-ranking officer and a small group of soldiers have broken publicly with Maduro so far.

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8:10 p.m.

The head of Venezuelas secret police is admonishing President Nicolas Maduro, in the biggest break so far by a senior member of the security forces.

SEBIN leader Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera wrote a letter to the Venezuelan people Tuesday saying it is time to rebuild the country.

A senior U.S. official confirmed the authenticity of the note circulating on social media.

Figuera says he has always been loyal to Maduro, but Venezuela has experienced a damaging decline. Though he does not name opposition leader Juan Guaido, Figuera writes, The time has come to seek new ways of doing politics.

The senior U.S. official says Figueras wife is outside Venezuela. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to share details on the generals statement.

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6:05 p.m.

A group of Latin American nations and Canada is backing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido in what it calls his efforts to restore democracy to his South American country. It rejects characterizations of his move as an attempted coup.

The statement Tuesday from the Lima Group calls on Venezuelas military to place its loyalties with Guaido, not President Nicolas Maduro. It urges the armed forces to cease being instruments of the illegitimate regime for the oppression of the Venezuelan people.

The group has recognized Guaidos as Venezuelas rightful interim president, saying Maduros re-election was illegitimate.

The statement was signed by the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.

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5:25 p.m.

Venezuelas U.N. ambassador says President Nicolas Maduro has defeated opposition leader Juan Guaido and his supporters, and the country is right now in a situation of perfect normality.

Samuel Moncada said at a news conference Tuesday that Maduro has taken the necessary steps to guarantee the security and right to peace of our people. He added: We have defeated them.

Moncada says the U.N. Security Council should discuss Tuesdays call by Guaido for a military uprising against Maduro.

He also criticizes U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for not openly supporting Maduros government against Guaido. Guterres spokesman says he is urging all sides in Venezuela to exercise maximum restraint, avoid any violence, take immediate steps to restore calm, and resolve differences peacefully through dialogue.

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3:50 p.m.

The director of a medical centre in Venezuelas capital says doctors are treating 50 patients injured during street skirmishes.

Salud Chacao director Maggia Santi said Tuesday that 30 of those injured were shot with rubber bullets. Another 16 sustained bodily trauma, three reported difficulty breathing and one was shot with a firearm.

She said doctors have sufficient supplies to treat the injured, in part due to recent donations by organizations including the Red Cross.

Protesters are clashing with forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro after opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a military uprising and mass demonstration.

The individual injured by gunfire is reported to be stable.

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3:40 p.m.

Chiles foreign ministry says Venezuelan activist Leopoldo Lopez and his family have sought refuge at the countrys diplomatic mission in Caracas.

Lopez had been under house arrest, but was apparently freed by mutinous soldiers Tuesday and appeared with opposition leader Juan Guaido as he called for a military uprising against President Nicolas Maduro.

That set off clashes between security forces and protesters, but the military has largely stuck with Maduro.

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3:20 p.m.

Brazils vice-president says that the situation in Venezuela has reached a point of no return.

Former Gen. Hamilton Mourao said Tuesday that either opposition leaders Juan Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez would be prisoners or President Nicolas Maduro would be leaving.

Mourao said, There is no other way out of this.

Guaido on Tuesday called for a military uprising, setting off clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

Brazil borders Venezuela to the south and recognizes Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate president.

President Jair Bolsonaro convened a meeting of top ministers Tuesday to discuss the situation in Venezuela.

In recent years, tens of thousands of Venezuelans have crossed into Brazil seeking food, shelter and medicine.

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3:10 p.m.

The White House says it hopes an attempted military uprising in Venezuela will be enough to tip leader Nicolas Maduro out of power.

National Security Adviser John Bolton says Tuesday that whats happening is clearly not a coup because the U.S. and many other countries recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate president. Bolton says President Donald Trump is monitoring developments minute by minute and wants a peaceful transfer of power.

Guaido took to the streets of Venezuela in what Bolton says is an act of bravery to lead the uprising against Maduro.

Bolton declined to discuss possible action  military or otherwise  by the U.S. Bolton says only that all options are on the table.

Trump tweeted that the U.S. stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!

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2:45 p.m.

Dozens of Venezuelan exiles have tied blue ribbons to their right arms and packed a small Venezuelan diner in the Miami suburb of Doral to follow the turmoil in their homeland.

Some shouted Long Live Venezuela and Freedom while wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with the colours of Venezuelas flag. Others wept as they sang the nations anthem. Many were checking social media networks and making video calls to relatives in Venezuela.

Congressional leader Juan Guaido urged soldiers and civilians in Venezuela to rise up against the government of Nicolas Maduro, setting off clashes between demonstrators and security forces loyal to the socialist president.

Wilfredo Castillo is a general practitioner who arrived three months ago from northern Venezuela. He cried as he said he did not know what it was like to live in a free country.

He said the revolt gives me hope to go back and step back on my soil, my homeland and be free.

Florida is home to an estimated 190,000 Venezuelans  a small but significant share of the millions who have left the country in recent years.

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1:15 p.m.

The ambassador to Washington representing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido says the U.S. played no role in co-ordinating the uprising in Caracas against President Nicolas Maduro.

Carlos Vecchio said in a news conference that the protest is a movement headed by Venezuelans and the U.S. didnt intervene.

The United States has recognized Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate president and Vecchio as its ambassador in Washington because it sees Maduros re-election invalid.

U.S. officials were quick to issue statements of support after Guaido appeared in the streets Tuesday to call for the military and civilians to rise up.

Demonstrators have been clashing with pro-Maduro troops, but the revolt so far seems to have only limited military backing.

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1:00 p.m.

The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging all sides in Venezuela to exercise maximum restraint, avoid any violence and take immediate steps to restore calm.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that Guterres message publicly and privately has been to push for dialogue in order to resolve this peacefully.

Dujarric said the secretary-general also wants the Venezuelan people to understand that his good offices remain available should both sides request them.

In response to Tuesdays call by opposition leader Juan Guaido for a military uprising against President Nicolas Maduro, Dujarric said the U.N. is reaching out to both sides.

He noted that Guterres met Venezuelas Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza last week and met Monday with the Lima group of countries supporting Guaido.

Dujarric also said the U.N. is taking measures to ensure the safety of its staff in the country.

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12:55 p.m.

An online censorship-monitoring group says Venezuelas state-run internet provider has been restricting access to YouTube and some Google services.

Europe-based NetBlocks says CANTV also briefly restricted access Tuesday to Twitter and Facebook after opposition leader Juan Guaido and freed colleague Leopoldo Lopez said they were rallying military units to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

NetBlocks director Alp Toker says Googles search engine was not affected, but Microsofts Bing was.

NetBlocks says the blockages were not fully effective but marked a sudden escalation of censorship.

Most internet traffic in Venezuela is controlled by CANTV, but blockages could apparently be bypassed using VPN services.

NetBlocks says past recent blockages in Venezuela have lasted from 12 minutes to over 20 hours.

Google and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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12:30 p.m.

Venezuelan military commander Vladimir Padrino Lopez has appeared on national television to say that a coup attempt by the opposition is being defeated and most rebellious troops have withdrawn from the streets.

Lopez was flanked by other security forces as he described Tuesdays rebellion as small and insignificant. He said that the armed forces reject this new aggression by the U.S.-backed opposition.

He called it a savage opposition and said its an opposition that doesnt have a sense of patriotism, its an anti-democratic opposition.

The military commander said the rest of Venezuela is calm.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido was joined by several heavily armed troops earlier in the day as he called for the military to rise up against President Nicolas Maduro.

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12:25 p.m.

A group that monitors internet censorship says Venezuelas state run internet provider has been restricting access to YouTube and Google services following the opposition leaders call for the military to revolt against President Nicolas Maduro.

The non-governmental NetBlocks group says access to the services remains intermittently available since the restrictions dont appear to be completely effective.

It says Twitter, Facebook and several other services were briefly restricted earlier ,although core internet connectivity remains unaffected.

It says past incidents of network filtering in Venezuela have lasted from 12 minutes to over 20 hours.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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12:10 p.m.

Russias foreign ministry has called on the radical opposition in Venezuela to stand down and refrain from violence.

The ministry has issued a statement saying It is important to avoid unrest and bloodshed and saying Venezuelas problems should be resolved through a responsible process of negotiation without preconditions.

It also calls on the opposition to avoid destructive interference from abroad.

Russia is a key ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and is one of his governments main weapons suppliers.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido called Tuesday for a military uprising against Maduro, and U.S. officials have issued statements of support. Crowds of Guaido supporters including some soldiers have taken to the streets, but military leaders say theyre remaining loyal to Maduro.

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11:10 a.m.

Mexico is expressing concern over possible escalation of violence and bloodshed in Venezuela.

The Foreign Relations Department has issued a statement reiterating its willingness to seek a peaceful resolution through dialogue and says it is in contact with other countries with the goal of finding a common path.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador repeated in a Tuesday morning news conference that he believes in nonintervention and dialogue.

Mexico is not among the nations that have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has declared himself the rightful leader of Venezuela in a challenge to President Nicolas Maduro.

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10:50 a.m.

Venezuelas Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza says that the U.S. likely paid a guard to allow opposition activist Leopoldo Lopez escape house arrest as part of an effort to President Nicolas Maduro. Arreaza says the uprising will soon be contained.

Arreaza said in a phone interview with the Associated Press that Maduro is monitoring events closely from the central command facility.

But he says that the thousands of supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaido whove gathered in eastern Caracas wont succeed in breaking the militarys loyalty to Maduro.

Lopez appeared alongside Guaido with a number of rebellious military members in Caracas on Tuesday and the two called for a military uprising. U.S. officials have sent statements of support.

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10:40 a.m.

Hundreds of supporters of President Nicolas Maduro have gathered at a rally beside Venezuelas presidential palace, where security force members are deployed on the perimeter wall.

The Maduro loyalists have been chanting slogans of support and a man on a truck has handed out large posters of Maduro with the Venezuelan flag behind him.

The demonstration comes in response to a call by opposition leader Juan Guaido for the military and civilians to rise up against Maduro.

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10:25 a.m.

Venezuelas socialist President Nicolas Maduro says top military leaders have assured him of their loyalty despite calls by opposition leader Juan Guaido for the military to rise up.

In a tweet sent Tuesday, Maduro calls for the maximum popular mobilization to assure the victory of peace.

Guaido appeared in the streets with a number of military backers, but so far theres no sign of a broader revolt in the armed forces.

U.S. officials have issued statements of support for Guaido, who they recognize as the countrys legitimate leader, though Maduro controls government agencies.

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10:15 a.m.

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence is saying We are with you! to the Venezuelans taking to the streets after opposition leader Juan Guaido called for the military to rise up and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.

Pence said in a tweet addressed to Guaido, the National Assembly and all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today in #operacionlibertad_Estamos con ustedes! We are with you!

He adds that, America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored.

The U.S. and dozens of other countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuelas rightful leader, arguing that Maduros re-election was invalid.

Maduro has accused the U.S. of backing a coup in the country.

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9:50 a.m.

The White House says it is watching and waiting on the situation in Venezuela and hoping the result is democracy.

White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway says the White House stands with opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom the U.S. recognizes as the interim president of the country. Guaido has taken to the streets of Caracas and is calling for a military uprising.

Conway says its time for socialist leader Nicolas Maduro to go and that the U.S. is pushing for a peaceful transition of power.

Says Conway: Were watching and were waiting. We hope the result is democracy and freedom for the people.

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9:30 a.m.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Trump administration backs Venezuelan congressional leader Juan Guaido in his call for a military uprising against President Nicolas Maduro.

Pompeo says in a tweet that the U.S. fully supports Guaidos call for the start of Operacion Libertad. He says the U.S. stands with the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. He says democracy cannot be defeated.

The Trump administration has led calls for countries to recognize Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader since January. Earlier, Guaido took to the streets with activist Leopoldo Lopez and a small contingent of heavily armed troops in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust Maduro.

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9 a.m.

Two of the key allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are denouncing an attempted coup detat in the country.

Bolivian President Evo Morales issued a call via Twitter Tuesday urging Latin American governments to condemn the coup detat in Venezuela and keep the violence from claiming innocent lives.

He blamed the U.S. for provoking violence and death in Venezuela.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also sent a tweet backing Maduro and calling on the U.S. to halt aggressions against the peace.

The U.S. backs opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been joined in the streets of Caracas by some soldiers and is urging the armed forces to oust Maduro.

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8:50 a.m.

One of the key allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is accusing the U.S. of backing a coup in the country.

Bolivian President Evo Morales issued a call via Twitter Tuesday urging Latin American governments to condemn the coup detat in Venezuela and keep the violence from claiming innocent lives.

He blamed the U.S. for provoking violence and death in Venezuela.

The U.S. backs opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been joined in the streets of Caracas by some soldiers and is urging the armed forces to oust Maduro.

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8:30 a.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the ongoing military uprising in Venezuela with his top security body.

Russian news agencies on Tuesday quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Putin raised the current developments in Venezuela during his scheduled meeting with the Security Council.

Peskov said that the meeting paid significant attention to the news reports about a coup attempt in that country.

He did not elaborate further.

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7:35 a.m.

Spains caretaker government has called for a bloodless and peaceful transition to a democratic presidential election in Venezuela.

Government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa says the government is following closely developments in Caracas, where the opposition has called for Venezuelans to take to the streets to oust Nicolas Maduro from power.

We hope with all of our strength that there is no bloodshed. We support a peaceful democratic process in Venezuela. We support the immediate holding of an election for a new president, Celaa said on Tuesday during a weekly routine press briefing.

Spain has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela but has not cut ties with Maduros government.

More than 177,000 Spaniards live in Venezuela, and Spain has become a destination for thousands of Venezuelans escaping the political and economic crisis in recent years.

Celaa said Guaido has legitimacy to lead democratic transition in Venezuela.

Guaido represents the alternative, she added.

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7:10 a.m.

Venezuelas socialist party boss, Diosdado Cabello, has called on government supporters to amass at the presidential palace to defend Nicolas Maduro from what he says is a small uprising of traitorous military soldiers backed by the U.S.

His comments in a phone call to state TV came after opposition leader Juan Guaido appeared in a video with a small contingent of heavily armed soldiers and formerly detained opposition activist Leopoldo Lopez calling for Venezuelans to take to the streets to oust Maduro.

Cabello downplayed the significance of the rebellion, saying Caracas is in calm and that the Carlota air base near where the rebellious soldiers are gathered had not been touched.

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7:05 a.m.

The father of prominent Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez says he is expecting a military and popular response following the release of his son in Caracas.

We are going to see a national call to people and the military to end the usurpation and, well, I hope that the usurpation government will end today, Leopoldo Lopez, Sr., said Tuesday in a brief telephone conversation from the United States.

His son had been under house arrest for leading an anti-government push in 2014. He said Tuesday he had been freed by the military.

The father, who lives in Spain and has become a prominent voice of the Venezuelan opposition in exile, said that the military were obeying a presidential pardon issued by Juan Guaido, who is leading the opposition against the government of Nicolas Maduro.

The elder Lopez, who is running for a seat in the European Parliament at the end of May, said he couldnt comment on whether Tuesdays developments had been co-ordinated with the United States or other countries that have backed Guaido.

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6:50 a.m.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has taken to the streets with a small contingent of heavily-armed soldiers and detained activist Leopoldo Lopez in a military uprising.

This is the moment of all Venezuelans, those in uniform and those who arent, said Lopez in his first public appearance since being detained in 2014 for leading anti-government protests. Everyone should come to the streets, in peace.

The comments by Lopez came moments after Guaido appeared in an early morning video shot at a Caracas air base surrounded by several heavily armed soldiers and armoured vehicles.

Guaido said soldiers who had taken to the streets were protecting Venezuelas constitution. He made the comments a day before a planned anti-government rally.

The moment is now, he said.

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Twitter that Nicolas Maduros government was confronting a small coup attempt led by military traitors backed by right-wing opponents.

Tear gas was fired at a highway overpass next to the Caracas air base where several heavily-armed soldiers with a blue band wrapped around their forearms had been standing guard. The tear gas appeared to have been fired from inside the air base.

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6:35 a.m.

Venezuelas government said it is putting down a small coup attempt by military traitors working with right-wing opponents.

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguezs comments on Twitter came after opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a military uprising in a video that showed him surrounded by heavily armed soldiers and accompanied by detained activist Leopoldo Lopez at a Caracas air base.

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6:25 a.m.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has called for a military uprising, in a video shot at a Caracas air base showing him surrounded by soldiers and accompanied by detained activist Leopoldo Lopez.

In the three-minute video shot early Tuesday, Guaido said soldiers who took to the streets would be acting to protect Venezuelas constitution. He made the comments a day before a planned anti-government rally.

The moment is now, he said, as his political mentor Lopez and several heavily armed soldiers backed by a single armoured vehicle looked on.

Lopez has been under house arrest for leading an anti-government push in 2014.
SEREMBAN, Malaysia - Malaysia on Tuesday destroyed nearly four tons of elephant tusks and ivory products estimated to be worth 13.26 million ringgit ($3.2 million) as part of its fight against the illegal ivory trade.

Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Xavier Jayakumar said the ivory was confiscated in 15 raids between 2011 and 2017.

The tusks, which were marked, and products such as ivory bracelets and chopsticks were shown to reporters before they were to be thrown into a large incinerator in southern Negeri Sembilan state.

Jayakumar said the tusks and products were burned to ensure they wouldnt be stolen and sold back in the black market.

He said Malaysia is committed to eradicating trading in illegal wildlife, especially in ivory, and to stop smugglers from using Malaysia as a transit hub.

This was the second time Malaysia has disposed of its tusk stockpile, after burning 9.5 tons worth some $20 million in 2016.

Ivory tusks are a cherished decorative craft material in Asia, with the biggest demand coming from China, resulting in the devastation of wild elephant populations in Africa.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Latest on the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka (all times local):

5:35 p.m.

A Sri Lankan Cabinet minister says he and seven others have received intelligence that the group behind the Easter Sunday bombings could strike the island nation again.

Minister of Health Rajitha Senarathna said Tuesday that the government ministers have been warned that they have been identified as targets of possible additional suicide attacks.

Senarathna said intelligence officials specifically told him to stay at home on Sunday and Monday because of the threat of another attack from the Islamic State-linked Muslim extremist group.

The co-ordinated bombings at churches and luxury hotels killed more than 250 people.

Since then, the government has arrested dozens of people and confiscated bomb-making materials from suspected safe houses.

Officials have warned that suspects linked to the attacks are still at large.

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3:20 p.m.

Sri Lankas top Catholic Church official says the search by authorities for additional suspects and explosives linked to the Easter bombings has been inadequate, particularly in Negombo, the seaside village where one of the blasts killed about 100 people.

The archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, told reporters Tuesday that a government ban on face veils was good but didnt go far enough to protect believers from further attacks.

In a video Monday, a man who claimed to be the shadow leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, called the Sri Lankan suicide bombers a thorn in the chests of the crusaders.

Ranjith said he couldnt ask al-Baghdadi to pay compensation for the dead, but could only present this case to Gods court.

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2:10 p.m.

Authorities in Bangladesh say theyre investigating the Islamic State groups claim of responsibility for an explosion in the capital that injured three police officers.

Police in Dhaka said Tuesday that a very powerful crude bomb thrown by unidentified assailants at a shopping complex late Monday injured two traffic officers and a community police officer who were being treated at a local hospital.

Global terrorism monitor SITE Intelligence says the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on apostate policemen without producing evidence.

The shadowy leader of the Islamic State group claimed to appear for the first time in five years in a video released by the extremist groups propaganda arm on Monday. The man said to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the video also claimed the Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka that killed over 250 people were part of the revenge that awaits the West.

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1:35 p.m.

Indias investigative agency says it has arrested a 29-year-old Indian man who has identified himself as a follower of the alleged leader of the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka and was plotting a suicide attack in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

The National Investigation Agency said in a statement late Monday that Riyas A., also known as Riyas Aboobacker, was arrested. It said three others were brought in for questioning related to suspected links to the Islamic State group, which has claimed the April 21 Sri Lanka attacks that killed more than 250 people.

The statement did not provide any details about Aboobackers alleged plot in Kerala. But according to the statement, Aboobacker said during questioning that hes been following the speeches and videos of Mohammed Zahran, the militant who Sri Lankan authorities said led the Easter attack, for more than a year.

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Noon

Sri Lankas president has lifted a nationwide social media ban that was imposed after Easter suicide bomb attacks that killed 253 people.

A government statement Tuesday said that President Maithripala Sirisena has lifted the ban that blocked Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and other popular sites. It asked the public to act in a responsible manner on social media.

The government said it blocked social media in the wake of the bombings at churches and luxury hotels to curb the spread of misinformation.

The move comes a day after the Islamic State groups shadowy leader claimed to appear for the first time in five years in video released by the extremist groups propaganda arm. He claimed the bombings in Sri Lanka were part of the revenge that awaits the West.
COPENHAGENAn estimated 45,000 children in Iraq who were born under the rule of Daesh are being excluded from society because the government denies them documentation and ID papers, an international charity said Tuesday.

Jan Egeland, the Norwegian Refugee Councils secretary general, is warning that these children  most of whom are in camps for the displaced today  are a possible human time-bomb.

Undocumented children risk remaining left on the margins of society if this issue is not addressed immediately. This seriously undermines future prospects of reconciliation efforts, said Egeland.

We urge the government to ensure that undocumented children have the right to exist like any other Iraqi citizen, he added, citing the organizations 38-page report Barriers from Birth.

The children were born during Daeshs 2013-2017 rule, when the militant group controlled nearly a third of Iraq. The Iraqi government today considers their birth certificates invalid because they were issued by Daesh, also known as the Islamic State (IS), ISIS or ISIL.

After U.S.-backed forces defeated Daesh and the militants lost their self-styled caliphate, many Daesh families and those of civilians who lived under the groups rule were put in camps for the displaced.

The Norway-based group said its legal teams receive on average 170 requests for help each month in cases of unregistered children, children whose fathers are undocumented, are on one of the governments security databases or are perceived to be affiliated with Daesh.

Egeland said the chance of obtaining ID documents for children from families accused of Daesh affiliation is nearly impossible, resulting in collective punishment of thousands of innocent children.

Children are not responsible for crimes committed by their relatives, yet many are denied their basic rights as Iraqi citizens, he said.

Without ID papers, these children have no access to education or health care, they are not allowed to enrol in schools and their mothers cannot get badly needed aid  they are denied simply the right to exist, Egeland said.

Providing these children with such basic rights to education and health care is key to ensuring a sustainable future for them and for the country, he said.

A society cannot be at peace if it allows a generation of stateless children in its midst.
LONDON - In a story April 30 about Britains inquiry into the deaths of people who received tainted blood and blood products, The Associated Press reported that the father of Jason Evans died after receiving contaminated blood. He received contaminated Factor VIII, a blood-clotting agent made from pooling human blood plasma.

A long-awaited inquiry opened Tuesday in Britain into how contaminated blood was used to treat thousands of people in the 1970s and 80s, killing at least 2,400.

Thousands of hospital patients  many of them hemophiliacs  were infected with HIV or Hepatitis C through tainted blood products, largely imported from the United States.

Previous investigations have been branded a whitewash by victims campaigners. In 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May ordered a new inquiry, with the power to summon witnesses. The inquiry, led by a retired judge, will spend months hearing from victims in London and around the country.

As hearings began Tuesday, May said the blood scandal was a tragedy that should never have happened.

Today will begin a journey which will be dedicated to getting to the truth of what happened and in delivering justice to everyone involved, she said.

Victims accuse the government of failing to take responsibility for a scandal that has been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of Britains public health care system.

The contaminated blood was linked to supplies of a clotting agent called Factor VIII, which British health services imported from the United States. Some of the products turned out to be infected. Some of the plasma used to make the blood products was traced to high-risk donors, including U.S. prison inmates, who were paid to give blood samples.

If the government truly wants to do the right thing, they will provide a statement accepting their liability now, said Jason Evans, whose father died in 1993 after receiving tainted blood-clotting agent Factor VIII.
BERLIN - An American art museum is demanding that a German far-right party stop using one of its paintings, portraying a 19th-century slave auction, on an anti-Muslim campaign poster. The case is drawing attention to the ways in which populist parties are playing on fear of foreigners to win votes for upcoming European elections.

The dispute over the painting, which shows a Middle Eastern slave trader displaying a naked young woman with much lighter skin to a group of men for examination, highlights the aggressive and fear-mongering portrayal of Muslim migrants by the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party as it attempts to capitalize on concerns about the huge influx of asylum-seekers in recent years.

The director of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, condemned the use of Jean-Leon Geromes 1866 oil-on-canvas painting Slave Market, by the AfD.

We are strongly opposed to the use of this work to advance any political agenda, Olivier Meslay told The Associated Press. We did not supply the painting to the AfD.

In the description of the work of art, the museum writes on its home page that this disturbing scene is set in a courtyard market intended to suggest the Near East. The vague, distant location allowed 19th-century French viewers to censure the practice of slavery, which was outlawed in Europe, while enjoying a look at the female body.

The AfDs Berlin branch said they put up 30 posters of the painting across the German capital with the slogan: So that Europe wont become Eurabia! Europeans vote for AfD.

The party said it wont take down any of the posters.

Meslay said the museum had written to the party insisting that they cease and desist in using this painting. However, he acknowledged, the painting is in the public domain and there are no copyrights or permissions that allow us to exert control over how it is used other than to appeal to civility on the part of the AfD Berlin.

A spokesman for the Berlin branch of the AfD called the museums request a futile attempt to gag the AfD.

The German public has the right to find out about the truth about the possible consequences of illegal mass immigration, said Ronald Glaeser. He did not explain further.

Riem Spielhaus, a professor for Islamic Studies, told the AP on Tuesday that the poster is meant to invoke old fears and stereotypes in western societies of the dark-skinned foreign man threatening to take away the white, defenceless woman.

The message of the posters is that the German man, or the AfD, is the only one who can protect the white woman from the evil Muslims, said Spielhaus, who teaches at the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research in Braunschweig.

Currently, the AfD, which was elected to Germanys national parliament for the first time in 2017, is polling at 10%-12% for the European elections. Their campaign posters also feature among others an open toll gate at a border control with the slogan One thing is sure: our borders are not secure.

The AfD and other far-right groups have blamed Chancellor Angela Merkels decision in 2015 to allow in hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers from war-torn countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan for multiple social problems.

Some far-right supporters argue that migrants are responsible for an increase in serious crimes, especially attacks on women. Last summer they paraded through the eastern town of Chemnitz carrying posters of German women they allege were killed by migrants.

One of the AfDs leaders, Alice Weidel, also alleged that immigrants, especially Muslims, will threaten the German economy.

Burkas, head-scarved girls ... knife-wielding men and other good-for-nothings will not secure our wealth, economic growth and especially the welfare state, Weidel said in parliament last year.

The partys anti-Muslim stance is being echoed by far-right parties across Europe, from France and the Netherlands via Britain to Hungary and Poland.

In the current campaign for the European Parliament elections, which take place May 23-26 throughout the bloc, populist parties on the continent have been increasingly aggressive, using old stereotypes and anti-foreigner sentiment to win the vote.

In Austria, the countrys vice chancellor and head of the nationalist Freedom Party, Heinz-Christian Strache, created an uproar when he told local daily Krone on Sunday that his party was fighting against a replacement of the native population or Bevoelkerungsaustausch  a term used by far-right groups in Europe that is also reminiscent of the Nazi terminology used to justify Germanys occupation of Eastern Europe during World War II.

Strache, whose party is part of a conservative-nationalist coalition government, said that we dont want to become a minority in our own country.

On Tuesday, Germanys AfD and Austrias Freedom Party announced they would combine forces and campaign together in Germany later this week for a Europe of homelands.

To spread their message ahead of the elections, the tech-savvy parties are not only using old-style campaign posters and newspaper interviews but have shifted much of their campaign into the cyber world trying to appeal to young voters via social media.

During the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris earlier this month, the local AfD group in Solingen, in western Germany, suggested on Twitter that Islamic extremists were behind the destruction of the church, tweeting that attacks on Christian landmarks will massively increase in coming years, and we all know why.

As for the Eurabia campaign posters, AfDs Berlin spokesman Glaeser said the museum should be grateful that were helping to increase the degree of popularity of this painting  instead of trying to use censorship.

Glaeser complained that opponents of the party have been continually destroying this and other campaign posters in Berlin and that party workers have had to repeatedly put up new copies, only to see them destroyed again the following night.
FORT WORTH, Texas - The mother of a Texas teenager who used an affluenza defence in a fatal drunken-driving wreck is back in jail.

A judge has revoked the bond of 52-year-old Tonya Couch, citing a failed urine test required by terms of her $75,000 bond. She has been in Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth without bond since Friday.

Conditions of her bond had prohibited her from using alcohol, drugs or any medication, or from possessing firearms.

Failed urine tests have returned her to jail twice since her December 2015 arrest on money laundering and hindering apprehension charges.

A psychologist at trial blamed affluenza, or acting irresponsibly due to wealth, for the actions of Couchs son, Ethan Couch, in a 2013 North Texas drunken-driving accident that killed four people.

Couch was charged in 2016 after she fled with her son to Mexico in 2015. Ethan Couch was released on probation in April 2018 .
POWAY, Calif. - Lori Kaye is believed to have shielded her synagogues rabbi from a gunmans bullets in a heroic move that epitomizes the life she led, her family and friends said Monday as they remembered a woman dedicated to spreading kindness and helping others no matter what.

Kayes daughter, Hannah, said at her memorial service that she knows her mother would have forgiven the man who took her life Saturday when he opened fire during Passover service at the Chabad of Poway, in this suburban city north of San Diego.

The memorial service for Kaye, 60, drew hundreds, including the three people wounded in the attack, federal and state lawmakers, a U.S. State Department envoy on anti-Semitism and a representative of the Israeli government, along with local city and police leaders.

Hannah, 22, said her mother would have relished seeing such a large crowd. She loved people, opening her home on Jewish holidays and making grand feasts.

Kaye was known to drive hours to visit a sick friend. She bought six months worth of medication for someone without insurance. She left her freshly baked challah in mail boxes and on doorsteps all over town and would buy extra bagels and coffee during her morning routine to be able to give them away, her family and friends said.

Her mission was to help others enjoy life, just as she did. She gave to numerous charities.

Thats why Kayes daughter Hannah said she knows in her heart that her mother has forgiven the 19-year-old man accused of killing her. She would have responded with love.

Her light has reached all crevices of this planet, Hannah Kaye said.

Hannah Kaye said she would miss singing in the car with her mother and dancing in the kitchen. She told her before she died that she was her best friend.

Everyone was her sister, everyone was her trusted confidante, Hannah Kaye said. Everyone was her friend.

The synagogues rabbi, Yisroel Goldstein, lost one of his fingers in the shooting and comforted worshippers with his hand wrapped in blue bandages. Noya Dahan, 8, and her uncle Almog Peretz both suffered leg wounds in the attack but were released from the hospital and honoured Kaye on Monday.

The U.S. State Departments new envoy on anti-Semitism told the congregation that her death will not be in vain. He said the Trump administration is committed to fighting evil wherever it lurks.

Im here to say we are at war with these people, Elan Carr said, vowing to fight anti-Semitism in every city in the United States.

Kaye devoted her life to her Jewish faith and living its values of generosity and caring for others, her friends and family said. She kept a pole in their front yard with the words May peace prevail on Earth in several different languages, including Hebrew and Spanish.

She had a soul that was greater than any of us ever could believe, said her husband, Dr. Howard Kaye.

Dr. Kaye performed CPR on his wife after she was shot. He said she did not suffer.

She went straight up, he said.
FORT WORTH, Texas - In a story April 29 about former TCU receiver and returner KaVontae Turpin pleading guilty to assaulting his girlfriend, The Associated Press reported erroneously the charges category and sentencing range. The charge was a Class A misdemeanour with a possible sentencing range of up to one year in jail, not a third-degree felony with a sentencing range of two to 10 years in prison.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Ex-TCU receiver Turpin pleads guilty in girlfriends assault

Former TCU receiver and returner KaVontae Turpin granted probation after pleading guilty to assaulting girlfriend

Former TCU receiver and returner KaVontae Turpin has been granted probation after pleading guilty to assaulting his girlfriend last October.

A judge in Fort Worth sentenced Turpin on Monday to two years of deferred adjudication probation and ordered him to complete a 27-week Partner Abuse Intervention Program. If Turpin satisfies the terms of his probation, the charge against him will be dropped.

Turpin could have been sentenced up to one year in jail for the Class A misdemeanour.

Witnesses told police that they saw Turpin drag his girlfriend across a parking lot as she resisted and screamed for them to call 911. After his immediate suspension from the team, TCU coach Gary Patterson cut the senior days later when a previous assault charge against Turpin emerged from New Mexico.
LOS ANGELES - The Latest on the arrest of an Army vet suspected in a terror plot (all times local):

6:15 p.m.

The family of a U.S. Army veteran suspected of plotting terror attacks in California says theyre surprised by his arrest.

In a statement Monday, the family of Mark Domingo had no further comment about the criminal charges against the 26-year-old. The statement also asked for privacy.

Federal prosecutors said Domingo converted to Islam and wanted retribution for the New Zealand mosque attacks.

The suspects younger brother, James Domingo, told reporters outside the familys Los Angeles home that hed hoped Marks religious conversion would offer him some guidance.

James Domingo declined to say whether he believed his brother was guilty or innocent. He said he would wait for the trial.

Mark Domingo was arrested Friday on a charge of providing material support to terrorists. Its not known if he has an attorney.

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12:30 p.m.

Authorities say they thwarted a terror plot targeting white supremacists in California by an Army veteran who converted to Islam and wanted retribution for the New Zealand mosque attacks.

Federal prosecutors said Monday that Mark Domingo was arrested for planning to plant a bomb at a Nazi rally Sunday in Long Beach.

Domingo was arrested Friday on a charge of providing material support to terrorists. The rally never happened.

Court papers say Domingo discussed several types of attacks with an informant that included targeting Jews, churches and police officers.

He said he wanted revenge for attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month.

A message left on a phone listed for Domingo was not immediately returned.
JUNEAU, Alaska - The size of the check residents receive from Alaskas oil wealth fund would be smaller next year under a Senate proposal than if an existing dividend calculation were followed.

That existing formula has been ignored the last three years amid an ongoing budget deficit.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has said the law should be followed, and spokesman Matt Shuckerow said Tuesday that Dunleavy will not accept changes to the dividend formula without a vote of the people. Some lawmakers say the current formula is unsustainable.

Last year, lawmakers began using Alaska Permanent Fund earnings  the pot of money used to pay dividends  to help cover government expenses, creating tension.

Lawmakers also sought to limit withdrawals from fund earnings, passing a law that calls for a withdrawal amount of $2.9 billion for government and dividends for the upcoming budget year. About two-thirds of that, $1.9 billion, would go to dividends under a full payout.

The measure that advanced from the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday calls for a 50-50 split, which would amount to a roughly $2,300 dividend compared to a roughly $3,100 full payout dividend under calculations provided to the committee.

It would take effect July 1, 2020, and Co-Chair Natasha von Imhof said it would come with a financial implication. By one measure, it could leave a potential $865 million deficit.

Von Imhof, in an interview, said she would not vote for the bill and said she hopes those who do explain where they expect to get the money. She said she doesnt see putting the bill on the floor as dangerous.

Its only dangerous if we pass it, she said.

The Anchorage Republican said the committee has been trying to get various pieces in play so hopefully we can get 60 opinions to converge at the end to some agreement and who the heck knows what thats going to be.

There are 60 members in the Legislature. The committee also has been working on spending cap legislation.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, an Anchorage Democrat, said the dividend bill includes language saying the Legislature may appropriate the money. I think if were going to make a change of this magnitude it should be in the constitution, he said.

Wielechowski last week said the problem with putting something in law is that legislators could violate it.

The dividend debate has loomed large over the legislative session and come to the fore in the sessions final weeks.

The committee, in its version of the state operating budget, proposed a full dividend, estimated to be around $3,000 for this year, and moving $13 billion from fund earnings to the funds principal, a move supporters said is intended to help protect funds and force a conversation on the dividend calculation. Fund earnings are spendable with a simple majority.

The full Senate is expected Wednesday to start debating the budget, which with a full dividend would leave an estimated $1.2 billion hole that would need to be filled. Options include the earnings reserve  and taking out more than the law last year called for  and a budget reserve fund thats been drawn down and requires three-fourths support in each the House and Senate to tap.

The House, in its version of the budget, did not include a dividend amount.

Von Imhof has said the state needs to live within its means and pay a dividend it can afford. She sees the full dividend as a negotiating chip with the House. A dividend the state could afford, with a limited capital budget, is about $1,200, she said.
BILLINGS, Mont. - Federal officials cancelled without explanation all upcoming meetings of an advisory panel that had been created by the Trump administration to make it easier to extract fossil fuels from publicly leased land and offshore sites.

The Royalty Policy Committee was established two years ago by former Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke. Its goal was to eliminate obstacles to drilling and mining faced by oil, natural gas and coal companies while ensuring a fair return to taxpayers.

The committees charter expired April 21, Interior Department spokeswoman Molly Block said. Upcoming meetings scheduled in Pittsburgh later this week and Salt Lake City in August were cancelled, she said.

A January meeting in Phoenix had been previously postponed.

The committee attracted sharp criticism from conservationists and others who alleged its membership was stacked in favour of the energy industry.

They asked a federal judge in Montana last year to disband the group and strike down its recommendations, including changes to how energy companies calculate what they owe taxpayers for pumping natural gas from public sites.

Block declined to give a reason for why the groups charter was allowed to expire. That left critics to speculate that it may have been disbanded because of legal pressures.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled in January that the committee had an obligation to make its meetings and records open to the public.

We will continue to work to stop the Trump administration and its industry allies from making public lands policy behind closed doors, said Charisma Troiano from Democracy Forward, which is representing the Montana-based Western Organization of Resource Councils in the case before Molloy.

But energy industry representatives said the committee could yet be revived under Zinkes successor, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, a former lobbyist for oil and gas companies.

Its possible Bernhardt simply has not gotten around to renewing the committees charter, said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the industry-backed Western Energy Alliance and an alternate member of the committee. Another possibility is that Bernhardt has decided to focus on recommendations already made, she added.

It may be better to actually get some of those priority recommendations done within the next year and a half rather than identify new issues to tackle, Sgamma said.

The committees members included industry executives; officials from energy states such as Texas, Wyoming and North Dakota; tribal representatives; academics and at least one industry consultant.
ATLANTA - When a Georgia man killed his ex-girlfriend and her friend nearly 25 years ago, his actions were spontaneous and emotionally fueled and shouldnt be punished by death, his lawyers argue.

Scotty Garnell Morrow, 52, is set to die Thursday at the state prison in Jackson in what would be Georgias first execution this year. He was convicted of murder in the shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend Barbara Ann Young and her friend Tonya Woods at Youngs Gainesville home in December 1994. A third woman was also shot but survived.

The State Board of Pardons and Paroles has scheduled a clemency hearing for Wednesday and on Tuesday released a declassified clemency application submitted by Morrows lawyers. The parole board is the only authority in Georgia that can commute a death sentence.

Morrow and Young had been dating about six months when she broke it off in December 1994 because of his abusive behaviour, according to a Georgia Supreme Court summary of the case.

Young was in her kitchen with two friends and two of her children when Morrow arrived at her house on Dec. 29 to try to win her back.

The pair argued and Woods told Morrow to leave, saying Young wanted nothing to do with him anymore. He yelled at Woods, pulled out a handgun and began shooting, hitting Woods and severing her spine, the summary says.

Morrow also shot Youngs other friend, LaToya Horne, in the arm.

Morrow followed Young to her bedroom, where he beat her and then followed her into the hall, grabbed her by the hair and fatally shot her in the head, the summary says. Youngs 5-year-old son, hiding in a nearby bedroom, saw Morrow shoot his mother.

Morrow returned to the kitchen, fired a fatal shot under Woods chin and shot Horne in the face and arm before fleeing, the summary says. Young and Woods died, and Horne was severely wounded but was able to seek help.

Morrow was arrested within hours and confessed.

Spontaneous killings fueled by emotions are rarely punished by the death penalty, and commuting his sentence to life in prison, with or without possibility of parole, would bring his sentence more in line with other people convicted of murder under similar circumstances, his lawyers argue in the clemency petition.

Also, Morrows childhood was plagued by violence, his lawyers wrote. His father abused his mother. He was repeatedly raped by a teenage relative beginning when he was 7 and later suffered four years of beatings at the hands of his mothers boyfriend.

The jury that sentenced him to death didnt hear about all of that because Morrow was unable, emotionally, to share that with a psychologist at the time of his trial in 1999. But the parole board can consider that history and spare his life, his lawyers wrote.

His violent childhood led him to bottle up his emotions, left him craving acceptance and love and made it tremendously difficult for him to appropriately communicate his emotions, his lawyers wrote.

Woods told him Young didnt need him anymore and had just been using him for financial support while her former boyfriend was in prison, the application says. Those comments detonated a lifetime of unresolved torment and rejection in Mr. Morrow, and he snapped, his lawyers wrote.

He immediately felt remorse as he drove home and decided to kill himself, only stopping when he heard his young son calling him because he didnt want the boy to find him dead, according to a letter from his ex-wife, Claudette McCray, cited in the application.

Morrow has been tormented by the pain and loss he caused for the Young and Woods families, and has been especially devastated at having taken Young from her five children, the application says.

He remains close to his own family and, despite being locked up, is actively involved in the lives of his two adult sons, grandchildren and other relatives, the petition says.

He has also sought redemption through deep commitment to his faith, the application says. Several prison guards, counsellors and chaplains are quoted as saying hes an exemplary inmate who serves as a mentor and model to others on death row and a help to guards.
DETROIT - Lawyers for Michigans former health director are firmly opposing an effort to put his Flint water criminal case on hold for six months, saying its a sign of dysfunction by prosecutors.

In blunt language, Nick Lyons defence team urged Judge Joseph Farah to reject a timeout and instead decide whether involuntary manslaughter charges will stick.

Lyon has been ordered to trial on charges related to an outbreak of Legionnaires disease in the Flint area in 2014-15. Hes accused of failing to timely inform the public about the outbreak, which has been tied to Flints use of the Flint River. Farah is considering an appeal.

The attorney generals office said it wants a six-month stay so it can dig through 23 boxes of records found in the basement of a state building. But defence attorney Chip Chamberlain doubts the records are relevant to Lyons case. He also notes that prosecutors were aware of the boxes in February.

The stay request is worse than meritless; the motion invites the court to rescue the prosecution from its own teams dysfunction, all at the expense of Mr. Lyon, who has been vigorously proclaiming his innocence by diligently seeking relief from the courts, Chamberlain said in a court filing.

He filed a response Monday, the same day the attorney generals office announced the April 16 firing of special prosecutor Todd Flood, who for three years had led the investigation of Legionnaires and Flints lead-tainted water. Fifteen people have been charged ; seven have pleaded no contest to misdemeanours.

Flood, hired by a previous attorney general, fell out of favour after the election of Attorney General Dana Nessel. She put another attorney over him after taking office in January. Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud appeared to blame Flood for the cache of records.

Flood declined to comment about the specific allegation but said he followed professional standards that justice demands.

Defence attorneys in a criminal case typically cry foul when learning that evidence hasnt been timely shared by prosecutors. But Chamberlain doesnt seem concerned about whats in the boxes.

What evidence is there that the boxes hold documents that are not merely duplicative of what (Flood) previously produced to the defence team? ... And what possible new evidence is there that would contradict the testimony of more than 20 witnesses over the course of 10 months to the District Court during the preliminary hearing? Chamberlain and co-counsel John Bursch wrote.

Farah will hold a hearing Friday.

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Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap
WASHINGTON - Democrats are steeling for an extraordinary fight with President Donald Trump as the White House stonewalls congressional oversight demands in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation.

In the latest case, Trump, his family and the Trump Organization have filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One attempting to thwart congressional subpoenas into his financial and business dealings, asserting the requests are out of bounds.

That comes as Trumps treasury secretary is declining to produce the presidents tax returns, Attorney General William Barr is threatening to back out of his agreement to appear this week before the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee, and former White House counsel Don McGahn and other officials are being encouraged not to testify before Congress.

Hes prepared to fight us tooth and nail. And were prepared to fight him back, said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee. He obviously has something to hide.

The standoff pits the legislative and executive branches against each other in a constitutional showdown not seen since the Watergate era. Neither side is expected to back down. The debate over witnesses and documents could escalate with legal battles rippling into the 2020 election.

From Trumps perspective, since Mueller finished his report on Russian interference into the election, theres no further need to investigate. Its a view largely backed by the presidents party in Congress. But Democrats say its their duty to conduct oversight even as they are also confronting the limits of their own enforcement powers.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said the stonewalling certainly builds the case that the administration and the president is engaged in wholesale obstruction of Congress, completely extraconstitutional, trying to make the presidency not responsive to Congress, trying to make the presidency into a monarchy.

Nadler said the White Houses position is absolutely unacceptable.

Impeachment proceedings, though, which would run through Nadlers committee, remain off the table for now, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi is urging the House chairmen to push forward with their oversight agendas.

Republicans have largely stood by Trump and shown little interest in the oversight agenda many view as little more than a partisan attack on the president.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in his first remarks in Washington since the special counsels report was released almost two weeks ago, said he didnt hear a single word about the Mueller report from constituents at home in Kentucky.

McConnell brushed off concerns that Trumps decision to ignore congressional subpoenas could set a precedent for executive overreach by this White House or future ones.

Every administration since Ive been around has been in disputes with Congress over power, McConnell told reporters. Well see how it all sorts out.

Congress has a range of tools available to try to force compliance from the White House, either through civil lawsuits compelling administration officials to testify or produce documents, or by holding others in contempt of Congress, as it seeks information for investigations stemming beyond the special counsels probe.

Muellers nearly two-year investigation left unanswered a key question of whether the president obstructed justice. While the report did not find that Trump conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election, it recounted 10 instances where Trump tried to intervene in the investigation.

Barr is set to testify Wednesday in the Senate, but his appearance Thursday in the House is uncertain. House Democrats have also asked Mueller to testify by May 23, but Republicans, who have the majority in the Senate, have not made a similar request.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said he was unsure if Mueller should testify. While Congress has a legitimate and important oversight role, he said, its also hard to see the Democrats are exercising that function in good faith when their only objective is trying to destroy the president.

For Democrats, the ability to conduct oversight of the White House is a core responsibility that extends beyond investigating the president into agency actions that can touch the lives of Americans.

If the executive branch can deny the legislative branch the ability to bring witnesses to testify under oath and for the production of documents, the executive branch will have essentially eliminated the oversight function of Congress, said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I.

Yet while Democrats have vowed to go to court, those proceedings could last years, possibly past Trumps tenure. And if they chose to hold officials in criminal contempt, which would take a vote of the full House, it would be referred to Justice Department officials unlikely to side with the Democrats.

Some Democrats have thrown out other options: daily fines for not showing up, for example, or cutting appropriations for an officials agency. But those ideas might not be politically popular.

Theres also an option that would be even more contentious and hasnt been used in decades  trial and even imprisonment by Congress. Called inherent contempt, this process was often used in the countrys early years but hasnt been employed in almost a century. While Democrats have vowed to use all of the available legal tools, they have shown no interest in going that far.

Despite drawbacks, Democrats say they will have to fight on multiple fronts to get the witnesses and documents they need.

If you let them get away with this, then what do you have? said House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings on Monday. If the president can get away with blocking any information and anybody from testifying before the Congress, what road are we going down?

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Associated Press reporter Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.
SEATTLE - It appears workers who were disassembling a construction crane had prematurely removed pins securing the sections of the cranes mast to each other, and that could explain why it toppled Saturday, killing four people, experts said.

Crane accident investigator Tom Barth said Monday based on videos of the Seattle crane collapse that if the pins had been in, that crane would not have fallen over.

The cranes mast fell over on Saturday afternoon as workers were taking it apart. Sections landed on top of the new Google building where it had been used and on traffic below, striking six vehicles. Two ironworkers on the crane were killed, as were two people in cars  a retired city employee and a college freshman. Four others were injured.

The reason this tower fell over is ironworkers and the people working on it did not follow the manufacturers instructions for disassembling the crane, Barth said.

Barth, who has been a tower crane operator, inspector and accident investigator for 38 years, said the only safe way to disassemble a tower crane is to do it by sections.

First, a line from another crane is secured to the top of the section being removed. Only then do workers remove the bolts that secure the section being removed to the one below it. The second crane lowers the section, Barth said.

The videos, including one from a dash camera in a car approaching as the crane fell, appear to show the sections of the tower crane separating cleanly, indicating the pins had likely been removed early, said Dave Kwass, a trial attorney who handles crane accident lawsuits.

Where I would be starting as an investigator is getting a better grasp of what these two ironworkers who tragically were killed may have done in removing the pins, Kwass said. What Im seeing is a crane that looks as though the pins were popped all the way down to the pedestal section.

Kwass also suggested that the shifting weight of the workers at the top of the mast as they tried to grab the wind-swayed hook and line from the other crane might have helped push the mast over.

Early pin removal was blamed after a tower crane mast collapsed during disassembly in Dallas in 2012, killing two workers. Terry McGettigan, a tower crane specialist in Seattle, declined to comment on Saturdays crash, but he wrote a paper on the Dallas collapse warning about the danger of taking shortcuts by loosening or removing the bolts in advance.

The Iron Workers Union Local 29 based in Portland, Oregon, and Local 86, in Seattle, represented the workers who died and did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

Washington Department of Labor and Industries inspectors finished their work at the scene Monday, said Tim Church, a department spokesman. He said it was too early to speculate on a cause.

The department on Monday expanded its investigation to include a fifth company: Seaburg Construction Corp., which employed the tower crane operator. The other companies are general contractor GLY, Northwest Tower Crane Service Inc., Omega Rigging and Machinery Moving Inc., and Morrow Equipment Co. LLC

GLY and its sub-contractors involved with this tower crane accident are doing everything we can to investigate the incident, the company said in a written statement. We are co-operating fully with investigators and assisting the local authorities. At this early stage of the investigation, we have no further details.

The ironworkers who died were identified by their unions as Andrew Yoder, 31, of Washington, and Travis Corbet, 33, of Oregon. Corbets wife, Samantha Corbet, told Seattle television stations that her husband had served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years before becoming an ironworker.

They married last year and planned to go on their honeymoon in June.

Also killed were Seattle Pacific University freshman Sarah Wong, 19, and Alan Justad, 71, who retired in 2014 as deputy director of Seattles Department of Planning and Development.

In a written statement, Mayor Jenny Durkan called Justad a true public servant.
NEW YORK - Early scenes in Rachel Lears documentary Knock Down the House take place far away from the halls of power. At a New York taco and tequila bar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is filling ice buckets in the basement.

Its six months before the primary that turned Ocasio-Cortez into a liberal phenomenon. Then trailing far behind in the polls, few expected her to win the race for New Yorks 14th district and unseat incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley, who had served for two decades and hadnt faced a primary challenger in 14 years.

If I were, like, a normal, rational person, I would have dropped out of this race a long time ago, she says riding an elevator with sanitary gloves on her hands.

Knock Down the House , which premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, is, in movie lingo, an origin story. But while it has come to be known as the AOC documentary, it captures a wider political movement. Shot over two years in the lead-up to the 2018 elections, it follows four progressive insurgent candidates, all women, running grassroots campaigns: the Bronx-born Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela of Nevada, Cori Bush of Missouri and Paula Jean Swearengin of West Virginia.

One of them  you might have heard  won.

They were all considered long shots. We were looking for people that would be very compelling to watch, no matter what happened, Lears said in an interview. We were very interested in races that would involve political machines and very entrenched power structures. We were interested in exploring the nature of power in the United States.

The attention surrounding Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, has raised the profile of Knock Down the House. It won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival, where Netflix acquired it for $10 million  the biggest documentary sale ever at the festival.

And given the intense partisan divisions around Ocasio-Cortez, Knock Down the House has also been used against the congresswoman by some. The filmmakers have had to combat falsehoods that Ocasio-Cortez profited from the Netflix sale (documentary subjects generally arent paid). Still, Ocasio-Cortez has said shes been approached on the House floor about how much she made from the film.

On Monday, Kellyanne Conway criticized Ocasio-Cortez on Fox News Hannity for promoting Knock Down the House on Twitter the day after the Sri Lanka Easter bombings. (Ocasio-Cortez responded that Conway was using this as an excuse to stoke suspicion around my Christianity.)

There is a lot of speculation about what the film is, said Lears. I look forward to it being out there and people can decide for themselves.

Ocasio-Cortez, who declined to comment for this article, was unable to attend the films Sundance premiere in January, citing complications due to the government shutdown.

Some might be assuming that this is her personal project, and thats not true at all, said Lears. We had complete editorial independence.

Those expecting a glossy political advertisement may be surprised to find something far more personal in Knock Down the House. The main thrust of the film is capturing the struggles of working-class women challenging the establishment, navigating the often painful process of stepping into public life and battling far larger, and far better bankrolled political machines.

The candidates are backed by the political action committees Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats, groups that were Lears gateway to the four candidates. But the candidates are inexperienced political outsiders motivated to run by personal experience. Bush is a nurse and ordained pastor. Swearengin comes from a long line of coal miners, several of whom died from black lung disease.

Swearengin unsuccessfully ran against Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat and defender of the coal industry in West Virginia. In the documentary Swearengin summarizes her opposition: If another country came in here, blew up our mountains and poisoned our water, wed go to war. But industry can.

Vilela, a Nevada businesswoman, entered politics after the death of her daughter, Shalynne. She died at age 22 of a massive pulmonary embolism weeks after being turned away from an ER for lacking insurance. Running on a platform of universal health care, Vilela lost to Democrat Steven Horsford.

People right now dont understand the basis of the film, or the basis of why we ran, said Vilela. This movie is about what is to go against the system and its not just a Democrat thing. Its across party lines. Its money in politics.

One of the films most vivid moments comes when a devastated Vilela, faced with election day tallies that eliminate her long-odds bid, falls to her knees and bursts into tears. I was like: And now more people will die, said Vilela. And I couldnt save them like I couldnt save my daughter.

Vilela said she will run for office again. And she guarantees Republicans will watch Knock Down the House.

People are going to secretly go and watch this movie. Theyre ranting about it online. Theyre not going to be able to resist, she said. I think it will humanize what were doing. Hopefully, we wont be so scary to them, and theyll understand where were coming from.

Lears was there to document a happier election night for Ocasio-Cortez, and the documentarys final moments track the Congresswomans giddy arrival in Washington D.C. But, to her, Knock Down the House isnt about winning.

Its a testament to the value of trying to be part of the democratic process, said Lears, no matter what the outcome.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
WATERTOWN, N.Y. - An upstate New York judge who stoked social media outrage for sentencing a former school bus driver to probation in the rape of a 14-year-old is getting numerous vitriolic phone calls, court officials said Tuesday.

Jefferson County Supreme Court Judge James McClusky last week sentenced Shane Piche to 10 years of probation, sparking an online wave of condemnation from people arguing that the punishment was too lenient. The 26-year-old was accused of raping the teenager at his residence in Watertown, New York, last summer. Piche, who was a bus driver in the victims school district, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in February.

Piche also was required to register as a Level 1 sex offender, the lowest of three categories based on the risk of another offence. Three orders of protection were issued and Piche was ordered not to be left alone with anyone under the age of 17.

The sentencing drew national media attention and harsh criticism. Twitter users posted the phone number and address of McCluskys chambers in Watertown.

The Judges chambers have received numerous vitriolic calls regarding the case, the vast majority from out of State, by individuals who know nothing about the facts and circumstances of the case, thanks to social media, state court spokesman Lucian Chalfen wrote in an email.

Chalfen said the judge was well within the sentencing range for this type of negotiated plea conviction. The maximum state prison time he could have received would have been from 1 1/3 to 4 years, he said.

Jefferson County chief assistant district attorney Patricia Dziuba said all parties acted within the parameters set by law and that the prosecutor handling the case sought up to six months of jail time along with probation, supervision and treatment. She declined to criticize the judges sentence.

Piche didnt make a statement during his sentencing.

Calls seeking comment were left Tuesday with McCluskey and Piches attorney, Eric Swartz.

Hell be a felon for the rest of his life. Hes on the sex offender registry for a long time, Swartz told television station WWNY of Watertown.

The station said a victim impact statement given to them by the victims mother read, I wish Shane Piche would have received time in jail for the harm he caused to my child. He took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety.

Chelsea Miller, of the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said based on the mothers statement, its possible that the judge and court officials didnt understand the harm the survivor experienced.

Unfortunately, this can discourage survivors who see jail or prison time as a form of accountability, Miller said.

Other judges also have faced public pressure over sex-crime sentences in recent years.

In a prominent example, California voters recalled Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky last year after he sentenced college swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail on a sexual assault conviction. Turner denied the accusation.

Persky cited a probation department recommendation, Turners youth and his clean criminal record in departing from a minimum sentence of two years in prison. Californias Commission on Judicial Performance ruled that the sentencing was done correctly, but critics said the punishment was too light.
BALTIMORE - Jurors will soon begin deliberations in the felony murder trial of a 17-year-old Baltimore boy being tried as an adult for fatally striking a Maryland police officer with a stolen Jeep.

Baltimore County officer Amy Caprio died last May while responding to a suspicious vehicle report. Dawnta Harris, then 16, is accused of fatally running over her in a stolen Jeep.

Last week, jurors watched Caprios body-worn camera footage. She could be heard repeatedly ordering Harris out of the car. She drew her pistol and the Jeep slammed into her. The teens lawyer has described Caprios death as an accident.

Jurors will begin deliberations after closing arguments Tuesday.

Three others, identified as Harris accomplices, are also facing murder charges. Theyre accused of burglarizing a home when Caprio was hit.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two state teachers of the year have skipped a White House ceremony to protest the Trump administrations education policies.

News outlets report that award-winning teachers Jessica Duenas of Kentucky and Kelly Holstine of Minnesota decided not the attend Mondays ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Duenas tells the Courier Journal that she feels like the Trump administrations support of school choice is clearly attacking public education. She won for her work as a special educator in Oldham County but now teaches in Jefferson County.

Holstine teaches English at an alternative high school in Shakopee. She tells the Star Tribune that her students frequently face discrimination and the current administrations polices hurt them.

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos attended the event and recognized the national teacher of the year. President Donald Trump did not attend.

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This story has corrected the spelling Shakopee, Minnesota.
WAYNESBORO, Pa. - A 20-year-old man entered a homes unlocked front door, snatched a 4-year-old girl from her bed and bound and stuffed her into a wooden trunk at his grandparents house, telling police hed been scoping out children who he thought lived in deplorable conditions, according to a criminal complaint.

The child was reported missing at 3:30 a.m. Thursday and was found later that morning near the house where Thomas Dewald had been staying in Waynesboro, about 165 miles (265 kilometres) west of Philadelphia, near the Maryland line, Pennsylvania State Police said.

On Monday, a state trooper investigating the kidnapping spoke to Dewalds grandmother, since her red brick house matched the childs description. The woman told the officer she had entered her grandsons room in previous days to see if he had made his bed, and thought she heard a baby crying near a wall air conditioning unit, the affidavit said. She said she couldnt find the source of the crying, and Dewald had already left for work. The woman told police hed been staying with her for about four or five weeks.

Troopers searched the home and found a wooden trunk under the air conditioning unit. Inside it was black tape covered in blonde hair, dirt and grass, the affidavit said.

Dewald returned home as the troopers wrapped up the investigation and police say in the affidavit that he admitted to taking the girl.

He told troopers he had been canvassing neighbourhoods, looking for unsupervised children who seemed to live in deplorable conditions and in homes with no video surveillance nearby, the affidavit said. He went on to tell them he entered the 4-year-olds home and after an hour inside decided to take her based on the condition of the house, according to the affidavit. Police allege he told them he considered taking the girls brother, but decided he was too heavy to carry down the stairs.

According to the affidavit, he told police he might have touched the girl inappropriately once in his room at his grandparents house. Police say he told officers he then taped the girls wrists, ankles and mouth and put her in a wooden chest, telling her he would be home from work around noon.

At about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the girl somehow escaped the residence, police said.

According to the affidavit, Dewald told troopers he broke into another home on Sunday, intending to take one of the three children residing there, but decided their living conditions were acceptable. State police also say he was frightened by the family dog. He also put tape on the bottom of his shoes so he wouldnt leave shoe prints, the affidavit said.

Dewald was arrested and faces multiple charges in both incidents, including kidnapping, criminal attempt kidnapping, burglary, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint, criminal trespass and indecent assault.

No attorney is listed in online court documents. A phone listing for Dewalds grandparents rang busy Tuesday. Dewald remains in Franklin County Jail.
CINCINNATI - Three women and a man found dead in their home in a suburban Ohio community died of gunshot wounds, a coroner ruled Tuesday.

Butler Countys Dr. Lisa Mannix said all four deaths were homicides. Meanwhile, Tuesday, police were continuing to search for clues and hadnt identified any suspects.

Members of a nearby Sikh faith temple said the four family members had worshipped there, and the Indian consulate in New York said it was in close communication with police.

West Chester Township spokeswoman Barb Wilson said in a statement Tuesday that while many questions have been raised about Sundays homicides and a connection to the victims faith/nationality, there is no reason to believe that this is a hate crime.

The consulates statement also said the slayings werent believed to be a hate crime. The consulate said it was in touch with family members and the community, closely following up (and) extending all help.

The coroner listed the victims as: Shalinderjit Kaur, 39; Amarjit Kaur, 58; Parmjit Kaur, 62, and Hakiakat Singh Pannag, 59. Their relationships werent specified.

As part of a property-wide search, divers returned Tuesday to a pond near the home in an apartment complex. Wilson said no new information was available on the search.

A man who called 911 late Sunday said he found the four on the ground and bleeding. Police Chief Joel Herzog said police had interviewed the caller, but he wasnt in custody. Herzog also said Monday that there apparently were other people who lived at the residence, including children who werent there at the time and are currently staying with relatives.

According to a police report, the discovery of the victims was reported by Gurpreet Singh, 36, a resident of the apartment.

Such violent crime is rare in the township of some 62,000 people roughly 20 miles (323 kilometres) north of Cincinnati.

Herzog reassured residents Monday that he didnt think there was a threat to the community and that the killings appear isolated.

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Follow Dan Sewell at https://www.twitter.com/dansewell
APEX, N.C. - Authorities in North Carolina say a man killed by Apex police had threatened officers with a shotgun.

Police Chief John Letteney tells The News & Observer that 51-year-old Stanley Edward Thompson had called police to his home on Thursday complaining about loud music from a nearby car. Police then received a call from someone who said his 22-year-old son was adjusting a car stereo and was attacked.

Police say a sheriffs dog tracked the attackers scent to Thompsons door, where he greeted officers with a shotgun as thick black smoke billowed behind him. The chief says Thompson refused orders to drop the weapon and instead aimed it at officers while walking toward them. The identity of the officer who killed Thompson has not been released.

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Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com
SAN DIEGO - After a 19-year-old gunman fired at least eight rounds into a California synagogue, he stopped to fumble with his semiautomatic rifle and then fled with 50 unused bullets, prosecutors said Tuesday.

In his first court appearance, John T. Earnest pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder in the shooting that killed a worshipper and injured three others at the Chabad of Poway synagogue on the last day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday. He also pleaded not guilty to burning a mosque last month in nearby Escondido.

Earnest fired eight to 10 shots inside the synagogue near San Diego on Saturday, hitting Lori Kaye, 60, twice as she prayed in the foyer, prosecutors say. Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein lost an index finger.

Then Earnest turned toward a room of children and some adults, where Almog Peretz tried to protect his niece and other kids, prosecutors said. He and his niece Noya Dahan, 8, suffered shrapnel wounds.

It was unclear if the weapon jammed or malfunctioned or if the gunman didnt know how to reload.

Something happened to interrupt his use of that gun, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan told reporters.

He fled, and several people pursued him, including an off-duty Border Patrol agent who fired at him but missed, striking his getaway car, authorities said. Earnest called 911 after fleeing the synagogue and reported his location, prosecutors said. A police officer pulled him over and arrested him without a struggle.

Earnest legally purchased the gun, Stephan said, declining to elaborate. She said he wore a tactical vest and carried five loaded magazines with 10 bullets each.

David Chipman, a retired agent of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, suggested the gunman might not have known what he was doing, and was unable to reload efficiently.

I wish this was more common  that people fail, said Chipman, a senior policy analyst for the Giffords Center, an organization dedicated to fighting gun violence. The reality is that with todays weapons, they are designed to not malfunction.

Earnest, wearing glasses and standing inside a glass cabin in court, showed no emotion as a prosecutor recounted Saturdays attack in Poway, a suburb north of San Diego. He spoke only once, acknowledging he was waiving his right to a speedy preliminary hearing, where prosecutors lay out their evidence.

Judge Joseph Brannigan denied bail and scheduled the hearing for July 8.

Earnest would be eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole if convicted of murder that is classified as a hate crime, said Stephan, who met earlier in the day with the victims family. She said she would decide soon whether to seek the death penalty.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom in March issued a moratorium on executions while he is in office.

The district attorney, who vowed to avoid identifying the Earnest by name, said the defendant expressed his intent to harm Jews in an online posting. He also acknowledged using gasoline to spark a blaze that charred a wall of the Escondido mosque and scrawling graffiti praising the gunman who killed 50 people at two New Zealand mosques last month, Stephan said.

Earnest was an accomplished student, athlete and musician whose embrace of white supremacy and anti-Semitism stunned his family and others closest to him. He lived with his parents and made the deans list both semesters last year as a nursing student at California State University, San Marcos.

Stephan said hate crimes are often preceded by hateful words.

A whole world can come into the privacy of their bedroom and their families dont really see it, Stephan said, declining to discuss specifics of the case.

His father, John A. Earnest, is a popular physics teacher at the high school his son attended. The parents said their son and five siblings were raised in a family that rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do.

To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries, the parents said Monday in their first public comments. Our sons actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold.

Earnest frequented 8chan, a dark corner of the web where those disaffected by mainstream social media sites often post extremist, racist and violent views.

Ive only been lurking here for a year and half, yet what Ive learned here is priceless. Its been an honour, he wrote.

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This story has been corrected to show the rabbis first name was misspelled.
AUSTIN, Texas - A historic push in Texas to reduce penalties for small amounts of marijuana was declared dead Tuesday by the states Republican lieutenant governor, who called it a step toward legalization that he would not allow.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks opposition underscored the resistance by state GOP leaders to relaxing virtually any marijuana laws, even as the drug becomes increasingly legal elsewhere in the U.S.

Patrick, the Senate leader, made it clear a bill wouldnt advance after a vote Monday in the GOP-controlled House to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a Class C misdemeanour  eliminating arrests, but still making possession a crime.

I join with those House Republicans who oppose this step toward legalization of marijuana, Patrick tweeted .

Democrats bristled at the characterization but were left facing long odds that Texas would soften its tough stance with only a month left to get a bill on the desk of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The legislation that passed the House had already been weakened and removed efforts to totally decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, which Abbott had not publicly endorsed.

The continued opposition by Republicans comes despite the Texas GOP changing its party platform last year to support the removal of criminal penalties for low-level marijuana offences.

We have a disconnect with the lieutenant governor and the governor on this issue. Its frustrating for us and I dont know why that is, said Jeff LeBlanc, who served on the Texas GOP committee that drafted the new platform.

The House gave final passage to the measure on a 103-42 vote, drawing support from both sides of the aisle. Democratic Rep. Joe Moody, who sponsored the bill, said the measure does not take even a step toward legalization of marijuana and criticized Patrick for taking to Twitter instead of talking to House lawmakers.

Moody had acknowledged that political realities in the Texas Capitol forced him to weaken his measure ahead of the House vote and remove the decimalizations component. But still, Patrick balked.

This bill is backed by an overwhelming majority of those in this body and an overwhelming majority of the folks back home that you represent, Moody said. Mr. Patrick is the odd man out here and the ball is in his court.

Currently, at least four states have designated possession of small amounts of marijuana as a low-level misdemeanour with no possibility of jail time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Texas remains a tough landscape for marijuana advocates as pot laws are loosened nationwide. Shortly after becoming governor in 2015, Abbott signed a bill making Texas the last big state to allow some form of medical marijuana, albeit in an oil extract with minute levels of THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana that causes a high.

Abbott made clear at the time that he will not allow legalized marijuana in Texas on his watch. His office did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

The new law would mandate a fine of up to $500 and would look to streamline protocol to expunge the charges from offenders records.

Under current Texas law, those with small amounts of marijuana are subject to a Class B misdemeanour, which could mean a fine of up to $2,000 and up to 180 days of jail time.

Heather Fazio, the director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, said there is a lot of misunderstanding about what the bill does and noted there is an appetite for this conversation in the Senate.

This bill has already changed significantly  perhaps some of the opposition has to do with maybe not knowing exactly how the bill has been changed, Fazio said.
STERLING, Kan. - The Latest on a shooting that wounded a Kansas sheriff and undersheriff (all times local):

12:30 p.m.

Authorities say a woman and child were with a man when he shot and critically wounded a Kansas undersheriff.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation senior special agent Steve Rosebrough says the woman and a child left 37-year-old David Madden on Monday night before he shot the Rice County sheriff in the leg and killed himself. The KBI says Madden also killed his father, 65-year-old Thomas Madden.

The KBI says its unclear whether the woman and child accompanied Madden willingly. The relationship between Madden and the woman wasnt known. Madden also is a suspect in the 2015 disappearance of his girlfriend.

Rosebrough said the undersheriffs injuries arent believed to be life-threatening. He is in critical but stable condition. The sheriff has been released.

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11:30 a.m.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says one of two bodies found at a rural Kansas home was a man apparently involved in the shooting of a sheriff and undersheriff.

Senior special agent Steve Rosebrough said Tuesday at a news conference that the bodies of 37-year-old David Madden and his father, Thomas Madden, were found after a standoff at the home. He says it appears David Madden shot his father and then killed himself.

The agency said a Rice County undersheriff was shot Monday evening after trying to stop a car in which David Madden was an occupant near Sterling. The sheriff and another deputy then went to his fathers home, where the sheriff was shot in the leg during a gunfight.

Rosebrough said the undersheriffs injuries arent believed to be life-threatening. He is in critical but stable condition. The sheriff has been released.

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7:25 a.m.

Authorities have found two bodies in a Kansas home after a standoff that followed the shooting of a sheriff and undersheriff.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that the Rice County undersheriff was shot and critically wounded around 5 p.m. Monday after attempting to stop a car north of the small town of Sterling, about 70 miles (110 kilometres) northwest of Wichita.

The release says the sheriff and a deputy then pursued the suspect to a home in a nearby town, where the sheriff was shot in the leg in an exchange of gunfire.

KSNW-TV reports that a KBI official said at the scene early Tuesday that two mens bodies were found at the home after a standoff. Authorities havent released their identities, but the bureau says there is no risk to the community.

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3:57 a.m.

A Kansas sheriff and undersheriff were shot, one during a traffic stop and one during a shootout at a home.

According to a Kansas Bureau of Investigation statement, the Rice County undersheriff attempted to stop a car driven by 37-year-old David L. Madden just north of the Sterling city limits Monday at about 5:10 p.m. Madden, of Alden, had a warrant.

The release says that within thirty seconds of initiating the car stop, the undersheriff radioed dispatch that hed been shot. He was shot four times and is in critical, but stable condition.

Following that shooting the Rice County sheriff tracked Madden to a residence in rural Rice County, southeast of Raymond. He and another sheriffs deputy exchanged gunshots with the suspect and the sheriff was struck in the leg. Hes listed in good condition.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Melissa Underwood says law enforcement officers think they have the suspected shooter surrounded at the home.
MINNEAPOLIS - The Latest on the trial of a Minneapolis police officer charged with murder and manslaughter in the 2017 shooting of an unarmed woman (all times local):

7:10 p.m.

The fiance of a woman who was shot to death by a Minneapolis police officer responding to her 911 call says her death was a tragic lapse of care and complete disregard for the sanctity of life.

Don Damond spoke Tuesday after a jury convicted the now-former officer, Mohamed Noor, of murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of his fiance, Justine Ruszczyk Damond. Justine Damond had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home and was shot when she approached Noors squad car.

Don Damond said the evidence at Noors trial showed an egregious failure of the Minneapolis police department.

He pointed out the words on the side of Minneapolis police cars say to protect with courage and to serve with compassion. He implored the citys mayor and police chief to ensure the word are essential human values and not just words on a car door.

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6:15 p.m.

The father of an unarmed woman who was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2017 says her family is satisfied by a jury convicting the officer of third-degree murder.

Mohamed Noor fatally shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond when she approached his squad car just minutes after calling 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home. Noor said he and his partner heard a loud noise and feared an ambush before he shot Damond, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia.

John Ruszczyk said Tuesdays verdict capped a painful journey from the July night he learned of his daughters death.

Ruszczyk said his daughter was killed by a police officer, an agent of the state and he was properly charged with a crime.

Ruszczyk said the conviction was reached despite the active resistance of some Minneapolis police officers and what he called resistance or gross incompetence in the initial state investigation.

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5:25 p.m.

A Minneapolis police officer was handcuffed and taken into custody immediately after being convicted of murder in the fatal shooting of an unarmed woman who approached his squad car after calling 911.

Mohamed Noor showed no reaction, but his wife cried as the jurys verdict was read at his trial in the 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. Damond, a 40-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia, had called police to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home.

Noors attorney asked that he be free on bond pending sentencing June 7, but prosecutors opposed that on the grounds of the seriousness of the case. And the Hennepin County Sheriffs Office said it had concerns about Noors safety if he was free.

Noor was fired after being charged in the case.

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5:20 p.m.

A Minneapolis police officer has been convicted of murder in the fatal shooting of an unarmed woman who approached his squad car after she called 911.

Mohamed Noor was charged in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. Damond had called 911 just minutes before she was shot to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home.

Noor testified that a loud bang on his squad car made him fearful, and he fired when he saw a woman appear who was raising her arm. He said he fired to protect his partners life.

Prosecutors attacked Noor for shooting without seeing a weapon or Damonds hands and questioned whether the loud bang was real.

He was convicted of third-degree murder but acquitted of the more serious second-degree intentional murder. He also was convicted of manslaughter.

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4:15 p.m.

The verdict in the trial of a Minnesota police officer who shot and killed an unarmed woman minutes after she called 911 is expected to be read in court at about 5 p.m.

Mohamed Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. Damond was shot shortly after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home.

A jury of 10 men and two women got the case Monday afternoon after three weeks of testimony. They were sequestered.

Noor testified he shot Damond after he heard a bang on his squad car, saw his partner was scared, then saw Damond at his partners window, raising her arm. Prosecutors say Noor acted unreasonably and the shooting wasnt justified.

Noor was fired after he was charged.

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3:40 p.m.

Jurors have reached a verdict in the trial of a Minnesota police officer in the death of an unarmed woman who was shot minutes after calling 911.

Mohamed Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. Damond was shot shortly after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home.

A jury of 10 men and two women got the case Monday afternoon after three weeks of testimony. They were sequestered.

Noor testified he shot Damond after he heard a bang on his squad car, saw his partner was scared, then saw Damond at his partners window, raising her arm. Prosecutors say Noor acted unreasonably and the shooting wasnt justified.

Noor was fired after he was charged.

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Midnight

Jurors will resume deliberations Tuesday in the trial of a Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an unarmed woman who had called 911 to report a possible rape in the alley behind her home.

Mohamed Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia.

A jury of 10 men and two women got the case Monday afternoon after three weeks of testimony. They are sequestered until reaching a verdict.

Noor testified he shot Damond after he heard a bang on his squad car, saw his partner was scared, then saw Damond at his partners window, raising her arm. Prosecutors say Noor acted unreasonably and the shooting wasnt justified.

Noor was fired after he was charged.

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Check out the APs complete coverage of Mohamed Noors trial
VICTORVILLE, Calif. - The Latest on murder charges filed in the case of a missing Southern California boy (all times local):

9:38 a.m.

The mother and aunt of a missing Southern California boy have pleaded not guilty to murder charges.

Jackee Contreras and her sister Jennifer Contreras were arraigned Tuesday in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Victorville.

Sheriffs detectives, meanwhile, are searching a Mojave Desert landfill where they believe the body of 6-year-old Duke Flores is buried.

Authorities have not said what they believe happened to the Apple Valley boy. The women have been jailed since last week.

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8:52 a.m.

The mother and aunt of a missing Southern California boy have been charged with his murder as detectives search a high desert landfill for his body.

Jackee Contreras and her sister Jennifer Contreras face arraignment Tuesday in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Victorville.

Jackee Contreras is the mother of 6-year-old Duke Flores of Apple Valley, whose body is believed to be in a Victorville landfill.

San Bernardino County sheriffs detectives aided by volunteers and dogs are searching an area with 600 tons (544.3 metric tons) of material.

Authorities have released few details of the case, other than that they believe the boys body was placed in a dumpster.

The women have been held without bail in a county jail since last week. Its not clear if they have attorneys.
WASHINGTON - The Latest on the United States and Venezuela (all times local):

8:05 p.m.

The president of Cuba is rejecting President Donald Trumps threat to impose more sanctions on the island nation for its supposed military and intelligence support of Venezuelas Maduro government.

Trump has threatened via Twitter a full and complete embargo and sanctions on Cuba if its troops do not immediately cease operations in Venezuela. The U.S. government says about 20,000 Cuban troops and agents are propping up the Maduro government

In response, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel issued a tweet of his own. Diaz-Canel says Cuba vigorously rejects Trumps threat and denies there are Cuban military operations or troops in Venezuela. He adds, Enough lies, already.

Cuba is a leading backer of embattled President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. leads efforts to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the nations legitimate president.

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5:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump is threatening a full and complete embargo and sanctions on Cuba if its troops do not immediately cease operations in Venezuela.

Trumps Twitter missive to the longtime U.S. foe comes amid his swift embrace of a Venezuelan opposition effort to spark a military uprising against embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

Cuba is among Maduros staunchest backers amid a U.S.-led effort to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the nations legitimate president.

The U.S. government says about 20,000 Cuban troops and agents are working in Venezuela to prop up Maduros government, a figure disputed by Cuba.

The Trump administration has repeatedly worked to roll back Obama-era easing of Cold War sanctions on Cuba.

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11:45 a.m.

The Trump administration has declared enthusiastic support for the Venezuelan opposition effort to spark a military uprising against embattled President Nicolas Maduro, hoping for decisive action in the political crisis that has engulfed the South American nation.

President Donald Trump and senior foreign policy figures in his administration have all weighed in, casting the effort headed by opposition leaders Juan Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez as a move to restore democracy, not an attempted coup.

National security adviser John Bolton says it is a very delicate moment for Venezuela.

The U.S. and about 50 other nations take the position that Maduros re-election last year was irrevocably marred by fraud and he is not the legitimate president of Venezuela.
WASHINGTON - The Latest on President Donald Trumps meeting with top Democrats (all times local):

1:15 p.m.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says Tuesdays infrastructure meeting between President Donald Trump and Democratic lawmakers was excellent and productive.

Sanders says the United States has not come close to properly investing in infrastructure for many years, foolishly prioritizing the interests of other countries over our own. She did not elaborate.

Trump met with Democratic lawmakers at the White House, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying afterward Trump agreed to a $2 trillion price tag for infrastructure investments.

Still, the two sides havent decided on how to pay for it.

Sanders says a meeting on funding will take place in three weeks.

She also says Trump and Democratic leaders have agreed to a future meeting to discuss prescription drug prices.

She says the president believes drug prices should be much lower.

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12:15 p.m.

Democratic congressional leaders say they have reached an agreement with President Donald Trump to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calls the $2 trillion figure a very good thing but says Trump pushed off tough questions about where the money will come from. Schumer says they told Trump the group needs his ideas on funding.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi adds that the eventual agreement will be big and it will be bold.

Pelosi says theyve agreed to meet again to discuss how to pay for repairing repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure around the country.

Infrastructure repair is one area where Republicans and Democrats feel they can work together despite the rampant partisanship in Washington.

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11:50 a.m.

President Donald Trumps acting chief of staff says the tensions between the White House and Democrats in Congress could work against prospects for getting an infrastructure deal.

Mick Mulvaney says he believes theres a better chance of getting a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico approved than in getting infrastructure legislation passed.

Mulvaney is speaking at a conference in California on the same day that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats meet with Trump at the White House.

Mulvaney says hed be fascinated to see whether the meeting stays on topic. Democratic lawmakers are also focused on investigating issues raised in special counsel Robert Muellers report.

Mulvaney says that having an impeachment hearing one day and talking about an infrastructure deal the next is not how the world works, let alone Washington, D.C.

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10:35 a.m.

The White House says President Donald Trump is the guy who lowers taxes, appearing to rule out hiking the federal gasoline tax to pay for infrastructure repairs.

Trump is meeting with congressional Democrats after they asked to meet to discuss projects to rebuild roads, bridges and other infrastructure. But one big issue is how to pay for the repairs. The nations top business groups and labour unions support increasing the federal tax, currently 18.3 cents a gallon since it was last raised in 1993.

Asked whether Trump supports raising the gas tax, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said: This president is the guy who lowers taxes.

Conway acknowledged that theres no question that infrastructure repairs need to be paid for.

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12:20 a.m.

The last time President Donald Trump sat down with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, the president walked out in a huff and dismissed their government shutdown talks as a total waste of time.

Nearly four months later, the leaders are coming together again Tuesday, this time in search of a plan to fix the countrys crumbling infrastructure.

Its seen as the issue with the best chance for the two sides to work together this Congress  and even that isnt given good odds for a fruitful ending.

Pelosi and Schumer sent Trump a letter in advance of the meeting outlining their priorities. They said they want to hear from him on how to pay for the improvements, sure to be a sticking point.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Latest on a humpback whale stranding near Anchorage, Alaska (all times local):

1:30 p.m.

A young humpback whale that had beached twice in Alaska has been found dead.

Anchorage television station KTUU reports the whale was found Tuesday near the south end of Turnagain Arm.

The young whale became stranded in the arm Sunday and again Monday but appeared to free itself Monday night.

Verena Gill of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the whale washed ashore again Tuesday a few miles south of where it beached Monday.

She says teams formed to investigate the death but work would stop at 5 p.m. because of the incoming tide.

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12:45 p.m.

A young humpback whale that freed itself after a stranding outside Anchorage, Alaska, is in trouble again.

KTUU-TV reports the whale became stranded again Tuesday in Turnagain Arm.

Verena Gill of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the whale became beached a few miles south of where it was stranded Monday.

The whale freed had freed itself Monday night.

Gill says crews were planning to mobilize again to assist the whale.

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6:30 a.m.

Officials say a young humpback whale swam free to deeper water after being stranded for the second time in two days just south of the Alaska town of Girdwood.

KTUU-TV reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the whale swam free just before 5 p.m. Monday.

NOAA Cook Inlet Beluga Recovery Coordinator Verena Gill says the whale was spotted earlier Monday in Turnagain Arm after previously stranding Sunday near Bird Point.

Gill says the whale may have followed a pod of belugas into the arm, and is likely young and unfamiliar with the area.

The NOAA says it hopes the whale will make its way north, and out of Turnagain Arm.

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Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com
DORAL, Fla. - Venezuelan exiles in Florida who oppose their countrys socialist government jubilantly gathered Tuesday and cheered calls by opposition leader Juan Guaido for a military uprising in their homeland.

Long live Venezuela! they chanted as dozens from the exile community packed a small diner in the Miami suburb of Doral, glued to news reports on their cellphones of the opposition bid against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Opposition calls for a revolt posed the most serious challenge yet to Maduros rule after months of mostly peaceful protests led by Guaido, who had previously declared himself interim president with the backing of the U.S. and other countries.

Florida is home to an estimated 190,000 Venezuelans, many having arrived over the past decade as Venezuela slid deeper into economic and political crisis under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Nationally, the number of Venezuelan immigrants has nearly doubled since 2010 to more than 350,000.

Exiles who gathered in Doral wept and sang their national anthem, several sporting baseball caps with the stars and colours of the Venezuelan flag. Some said the developments spur hopes of returning soon, while others said they had been awaiting such a revolt. Many tied blue ribbons on their right arm that have become a symbol of opposition to Maduros government.

Wilfredo Castillo, a 25-year-old medical doctor who arrived three months ago from a city in northern Venezuela, cried as he explained how he did not know what it was like to live in a free country.

This gives me hope to go back and step back on my land, my homeland and be free, Castillo said.

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida called for staunch U.S. government backing of the Venezuelan opposition as events unfolded, saying the United States must be ready to supply humanitarian aid and defend freedom and democracy in Venezuela.

Guaido and the people of Venezuela have taken this critical step. We cannot abandon them. Inaction is not an option, Scotts statement said.

The Trump administration declared quick and enthusiastic support Tuesday for the Venezuelan opposition effort. In January, the U.S. government took the unusual step of recognizing Guaido, the opposition leader of the National Assembly, as interim president. It also imposed punishing sanctions on Venezuela.

One of those who gathered Tuesday was a popular Venezuelan comedian, Franklin Virguez. He said fellow exiles have long been hoping for a call to revolt.

It is a glorious moment that Venezuelans living abroad have been waiting for, Virguez said.

Democratic members of U.S. Congress from Florida gathered on Tuesday to express support to the people of Venezuela and urge Maduro to step down.

Im closely monitoring the situation as Venezuelans seek to restore legitimate democracy in their country, said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. I have heard heartbreaking stories from individuals who have fled violence, hunger, and a lack of medical resources in Venezuela stories from members of my community in South Florida.

Thais Marquina hugged her friend at the crowded Venezuelan food joint in Doral as she wept and dried her eyes without taking off her sunglasses.

It has been 20 years of oppression and finally we see the light the path of freedom, she said.
White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney raised the possibility that the existing NAFTA trade agreement could remain in effect if Democrats reject a replacement that the Trump administration negotiated with Canada and Mexico.

You could stay status quo, Mulvaney said Tuesday at the Milken Institutes conference in Los Angeles. You could withdraw from NAFTA, which the president has talked about many, many times. Or you could go all the way back to the beginning and renegotiate from scratch with the Canadians and the Mexicans. I can assure you  I think its fair to say that last thing is unlikely to happen.

Your real two Plan Bs are either NAFTA or withdraw from NAFTA, he said.

The U.S., Canada and Mexico signed the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement in November, after a year of negotiations to rewrite the 25-year-old pact. The president, however, has said for months that the existing NAFTA will be killed, either by Congress passing his USMCA deal or because Trump will withdraw the U.S. from the old agreement if Congress fails to approve the new deal.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has stressed that putting lawmakers in such a bind is not a good idea.

Read more:

New NAFTA will have positive but small impact on U.S. economy, study finds

Canada still enjoys old NAFTA benefits as new deal awaits ratification, Freeland says

Canada to announce retaliatory tariffs on more U.S. products

The White House hasnt submitted legislation to Congress yet to implement the USMCA. The Democrat-controlled House would have to approve such legislation, and Pelosi and her caucus have signalled that multiple roadblocks  including labour enforcement as well as drug pricing provisions  need to be addressed within the deal before the administration can send the bill up for a vote.

Lawmakers in Canada and Mexico also still need to ratify the pact.

During a meeting at the White House on infrastructure on Tuesday, President Donald Trump and his staff repeatedly pressed Democratic leaders on passage of the USMCA and asked what they need to support it, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

We talked about  we need much more adequate enforcement and labour protections, Schumer said. We brought up the pharmaceutical provision and we brought up environmental protections. But they were very eager to figure out what we need to pass it.

Read more about:
MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday it is blasphemy and horrific for President Donald Trump to say that doctors in the state want to execute babies.

Evers was reacting to comments Trump made Saturday during a rally in Green Bay. Trump said then it was shocking that Evers planned to veto a born alive abortion bill that requires doctors to keep babies alive following a failed abortion.

Your Democratic governor shockingly stated he will veto legislation that would protect Wisconsin babies, Trump said at the rally. The babys born. The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby. They wrap the baby beautifully and then the doctor and the mother determine whether they will execute the baby.

Evers said he rejects Trumps assertion that doctors are killing babies after a failed abortion.

To say that doctors in the state of Wisconsin are executing babies is just a blasphemy, Evers said at a Milwaukee Press Club event in response to questions from reporters. It doesnt happen. ... That is just a horrific thing to say.

Evers said doctors arent killing babies and if they did there are already laws on the books to address it. If Republicans are so damn interested in making sure moms and babies are well, they should really get behind my Medicaid expansion bill, Evers said, eliciting applause from some in the audience.

The president is the president, Evers said of Trump. Hes going to do this kind of crap as long as he is president.

A public hearing on the born alive bill was scheduled for May 7 in a state Assembly health committee. If it passes the Republican-controlled Legislature, Evers has said he will veto it.

Backers of the proposal that could send doctors to prison for life say even one baby killed following a failed abortion would be too many. But opponents, including abortion rights advocates and doctors, say it almost never happens and in the rare instances when it does, existing laws already make killing the babies a crime.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 143 instances nationwide in which live births were caused by an attempted abortion between 2003 and 2014, an average of just 13 a year across the entire country.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services doesnt track such births because Wisconsin bans non-emergency abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, well before the generally accepted age of viability which the U.S. Supreme Court said in the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973 is between 24 weeks and 28 weeks.

About 1% of abortions in Wisconsin happen after the 20th week, but only in emergency cases where the life of the mother is at risk. The state has no data on how many of those babies survived the abortion.

Republicans around the country have been pushing for laws that would require doctors to care for babies in such situations in an attempt to energize their conservative base. North Carolinas governor vetoed one of those bills last week and Democrats in the U.S. Senate blocked a similar measure in February, leading Trump to say they dont mind executing babies.

___

Follow Scott Bauer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sbauerAP
Business LGs C9 4K OLED TV-- for the TV lovers who want premium picture quality | Soukacatv.com

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30.04.2019 12:04:25 - If youre looking for a TV with a picture so good that when watching David Attenboroughs latest documentary you feel like youre actually in nature, then you need to check out LGs latest OLED range.



(live-PR.com) - If youre looking for a TV with a picture so good that when watching David Attenboroughs latest documentary you feel like youre actually in nature, then you need to check out LGs latest OLED range.



LG is the king of OLED  considered the gold standard in TV display technology  and the company has imbued its latest range of high-end - If youre looking for a TV with a picture so good that when watching David Attenboroughs latest documentary you feel like youre actually in nature, then you need to check out LGs latest OLED range.LG is the king of OLED  considered the gold standard in TV display technology  and the company has imbued its latest range of high-end TVs with improved intelligence and features that make them a true standout.



HDMI Encoder Modulator,16in1 Digital Headend, HD RF Modulator at Soukacatv.com



SKD3013 3 Channel HD Encode Modulator



SKD19 Series 1U Rack 12CH Encode Modulator



LG has been working with audio engineering company Meridian in recent years to improve its sound equipment, and along for the ride with the review unit was LGs SL10YG soundbar ($1699) that pumped out a rich and well calibrated sound. The soundbar is designed to bounce parts of the audio off its surroundings to provide an immersive surround-sound audio experience.



DESIGN



It looks similar to its popular C8 predecessor, which was considered one of the best TV options out there for enjoying high-quality picture.



The C9 looks much the same with a super thin screen that can blend into any room. It has a stand on the back that LG has reduced in depth compared to last years model. Or there is the option of wall mounting if you purchase a special bracket from the manufacturer.



FEATURES



The C9 TV supports HDMI 2.1, which provides a better experience and picture quality when watching content from external sources thanks to the improved throughput provided by the upgrade in HDMI technology. It supports a faster refresh rate and more frames per second.



If youre buying this TV, youre doing so for the exceptional picture quality. As we have come to expect with LGs top TVs, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are back.



Dolbys stellar high-dynamic range video format provides a hyper-rich colour gamut and deeper black. While Dolby Atmos is a multidimensional surround-sound technique that is object-based, rather than channel-based, and treats sound elements as virtual objects that can be placed anywhere. Coupled with support for HDR10, essentially the twin technologies ensure that given you have the right equipment, your movie watching experience is about as good as a TV can look and sound.



SKD121X Encoding & Multiplexing Modulator



Household Universal Encoding & Modulation Modulator



The most significant upgrade to the C9 is the Alpha 9 second generation intelligent processor, which can be found on board LGs top range of 2019 TVs.



The AI processor is responsible for handling tasks like upscaling picture quality from non 4K sources and finetuning the settings to deliver the optimal picture quality.



It has a handy ability to apply real-time colour correction and adjust the brightness and contrast of the display depending on the ambient lighting in your living room. To test this out, you can hold your smartphone camera to the bottom of the screen and watch as the sensors pick up the change in light and adjust the picture to allow for greater detail to be viewed. It brightens the shadows to reveal more detail without washing out the picture and works quite well.



An improved Dynamic Tone Mapping feature also delivers a significantly higher baseline brightness level with high dynamic range (HDR) sources.



The C9 is part of LGs ThinQ series of gadgets, which is the companys branding for its smart internet-enabled devices. The companys voice recognition  allowing users to deliver voice commands to a microphone in the remote control  is very impressive.



Depending on the command, it will be sent to either LGs servers (for things like volume adjustment) or Googles servers (for things like restaurant recommendations) to be handled. Rather amazingly, it even spelt my surname correctly when dictated to once.



UPDATES TO WEBOS



The TV is powered by LGs WebOS platform, which comes with some new updates for its 2019 range.



Along the menu bar, which appears along the bottom of the TV, if you hover over an icon, a second layer of menu pops up with additional information. For instance, if you hover the remote control pointer over Netflix, a row of icons pop up linking directly to shows youve been watching on the streaming service.



The launcher bar also has a new Intelligent Edit feature, which when turned on will automatically and continuously arrange the menu bar in order of the most-used apps. Given the fact you can add specific YouTube channels to the menu bar, this is a handy feature because it has the potential to get pretty long.



SOUNDBAR WORTH CONSIDERING



The SL10YG soundbar also has AI smarts and Google Assistant integration. The soundbar is able to decode most surround audio formats and provides a dynamic, and you shouldnt have to tinker with the settings to get the right level of dialogue and ambient sound.



The 5.1.2 channel soundbar (five channels and a subwoofer, plus two additional speakers adding height information in stereo) is a worthwhile addition if you are already spending big on a TV.



The 570W speaker system pumps out a level of volume that will suffice for most users. In a large space it doesnt exactly fill the room, but sitting in front of the TV where the speakers are directed, it ensures you have a high-quality sound experience in a sleek device that rests under your TV and comes with a wireless subwoofer.



WHY OLED IS KING



The deep inky black, rich colour and sharp resolution of OLED displays are what all TV lovers should consider.



Brands differ slightly in how they aim to boost brightness, achieve perfect blacks and produce a wide colour gamut and offer different options at different price points.



An important distinction in TV screen technology is between LCD/LED and OLED screens and the different ways the TVs illuminate the pixels on the display.



LCD (liquid crystal display) and LED TVs can offer much higher screen luminance whereas OLED (organic light emitting diode) TVs offer precise control per pixel.



Instead of having a constant light source at the back and a panel to either allow the light or block it out like LCD and LED TVs, an OLED display will only light up each pixel that needs to be on.



As a result OLED is capable of a perfect black picture with no light leakage, providing better contrast. This perfect black is referred to as zero nits and is really only truly possible on OLED displays.



LG is the only maker of OLED panels, and many other brands buy them before applying their own technology to the end product.



However, Samsung  a bitter rival of fellow Korean-based LG  has backed a different horse. It has QLED displays (the Q stands for Quantum-dot) that use a film of tiny crystal semiconductor particles that can be precisely controlled for their colour output.



You can certainly find cheaper OLED TVs on the market (for instance HiSense is selling a 55 inch OLED TV for less than $1500), but if youre looking for the real McCoy, its definitely worth checking out LGs C9 range.





Established in 2000, the Soukacatv.com main products are modulators both in analog and digital ones, amplifier and combiner. We are the very first one in manufacturing the headend system in China. Our 16 in 1 and 24 in 1 now are the most popular products all over the world.



For more, please access to







CONTACT US



Company: Dingshengwei Electronics Co., Ltd



Address: Bldg A, the first industry park of Guanlong, Xili Town, Nanshan, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China



Tel: +86 0755 26909863



Fax: +86 0755 26984949



Mobile: 13410066011



Email:



Website:







Source: news

TVs with improved intelligence and features that make them a true standout.HDMI Encoder Modulator,16in1 Digital Headend, HD RF Modulator at Soukacatv.comSKD3013 3 Channel HD Encode ModulatorSKD19 Series 1U Rack 12CH Encode ModulatorLG has been working with audio engineering company Meridian in recent years to improve its sound equipment, and along for the ride with the review unit was LGs SL10YG soundbar ($1699) that pumped out a rich and well calibrated sound. The soundbar is designed to bounce parts of the audio off its surroundings to provide an immersive surround-sound audio experience.DESIGNIt looks similar to its popular C8 predecessor, which was considered one of the best TV options out there for enjoying high-quality picture.The C9 looks much the same with a super thin screen that can blend into any room. It has a stand on the back that LG has reduced in depth compared to last years model. Or there is the option of wall mounting if you purchase a special bracket from the manufacturer.FEATURESThe C9 TV supports HDMI 2.1, which provides a better experience and picture quality when watching content from external sources thanks to the improved throughput provided by the upgrade in HDMI technology. It supports a faster refresh rate and more frames per second.If youre buying this TV, youre doing so for the exceptional picture quality. As we have come to expect with LGs top TVs, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are back.Dolbys stellar high-dynamic range video format provides a hyper-rich colour gamut and deeper black. While Dolby Atmos is a multidimensional surround-sound technique that is object-based, rather than channel-based, and treats sound elements as virtual objects that can be placed anywhere. Coupled with support for HDR10, essentially the twin technologies ensure that given you have the right equipment, your movie watching experience is about as good as a TV can look and sound.SKD121X Encoding & Multiplexing ModulatorHousehold Universal Encoding & Modulation ModulatorThe most significant upgrade to the C9 is the Alpha 9 second generation intelligent processor, which can be found on board LGs top range of 2019 TVs.The AI processor is responsible for handling tasks like upscaling picture quality from non 4K sources and finetuning the settings to deliver the optimal picture quality.It has a handy ability to apply real-time colour correction and adjust the brightness and contrast of the display depending on the ambient lighting in your living room. To test this out, you can hold your smartphone camera to the bottom of the screen and watch as the sensors pick up the change in light and adjust the picture to allow for greater detail to be viewed. It brightens the shadows to reveal more detail without washing out the picture and works quite well.An improved Dynamic Tone Mapping feature also delivers a significantly higher baseline brightness level with high dynamic range (HDR) sources.The C9 is part of LGs ThinQ series of gadgets, which is the companys branding for its smart internet-enabled devices. The companys voice recognition  allowing users to deliver voice commands to a microphone in the remote control  is very impressive.Depending on the command, it will be sent to either LGs servers (for things like volume adjustment) or Googles servers (for things like restaurant recommendations) to be handled. Rather amazingly, it even spelt my surname correctly when dictated to once.UPDATES TO WEBOSThe TV is powered by LGs WebOS platform, which comes with some new updates for its 2019 range.Along the menu bar, which appears along the bottom of the TV, if you hover over an icon, a second layer of menu pops up with additional information. For instance, if you hover the remote control pointer over Netflix, a row of icons pop up linking directly to shows youve been watching on the streaming service.The launcher bar also has a new Intelligent Edit feature, which when turned on will automatically and continuously arrange the menu bar in order of the most-used apps. Given the fact you can add specific YouTube channels to the menu bar, this is a handy feature because it has the potential to get pretty long.SOUNDBAR WORTH CONSIDERINGThe SL10YG soundbar also has AI smarts and Google Assistant integration. The soundbar is able to decode most surround audio formats and provides a dynamic, and you shouldnt have to tinker with the settings to get the right level of dialogue and ambient sound.The 5.1.2 channel soundbar (five channels and a subwoofer, plus two additional speakers adding height information in stereo) is a worthwhile addition if you are already spending big on a TV.The 570W speaker system pumps out a level of volume that will suffice for most users. In a large space it doesnt exactly fill the room, but sitting in front of the TV where the speakers are directed, it ensures you have a high-quality sound experience in a sleek device that rests under your TV and comes with a wireless subwoofer.WHY OLED IS KINGThe deep inky black, rich colour and sharp resolution of OLED displays are what all TV lovers should consider.Brands differ slightly in how they aim to boost brightness, achieve perfect blacks and produce a wide colour gamut and offer different options at different price points.An important distinction in TV screen technology is between LCD/LED and OLED screens and the different ways the TVs illuminate the pixels on the display.LCD (liquid crystal display) and LED TVs can offer much higher screen luminance whereas OLED (organic light emitting diode) TVs offer precise control per pixel.Instead of having a constant light source at the back and a panel to either allow the light or block it out like LCD and LED TVs, an OLED display will only light up each pixel that needs to be on.As a result OLED is capable of a perfect black picture with no light leakage, providing better contrast. This perfect black is referred to as zero nits and is really only truly possible on OLED displays.LG is the only maker of OLED panels, and many other brands buy them before applying their own technology to the end product.However, Samsung  a bitter rival of fellow Korean-based LG  has backed a different horse. It has QLED displays (the Q stands for Quantum-dot) that use a film of tiny crystal semiconductor particles that can be precisely controlled for their colour output.You can certainly find cheaper OLED TVs on the market (for instance HiSense is selling a 55 inch OLED TV for less than $1500), but if youre looking for the real McCoy, its definitely worth checking out LGs C9 range.Established in 2000, the Soukacatv.com main products are modulators both in analog and digital ones, amplifier and combiner. We are the very first one in manufacturing the headend system in China. Our 16 in 1 and 24 in 1 now are the most popular products all over the world.For more, please access to www.soukacatv.com CONTACT USCompany: Dingshengwei Electronics Co., LtdAddress: Bldg A, the first industry park of Guanlong, Xili Town, Nanshan, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaTel: +86 0755 26909863Fax: +86 0755 26984949Mobile: 13410066011Email: ken@soukacatv.com Website: www.soukacatv.com Source: news Press Information:

Dingshengwei Electronics Co., Ltd



Bldg A, the first industry park of Guanlong, Xili Town, Nanshan, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China



Contact Person:





Phone: 13410066011

eMail: eMail



Web: http://https://www.soukacatv.com





30.04.2019 12:04:25 -

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OAK CREEK, Wis. - A Milwaukee-area Sikh temple where a white supremacist fatally shot six parishioners in 2012 hosted Wisconsins governor Tuesday to make April Sikh Awareness and Appreciation month in the state.

The celebration had been months in the making but came at a time when houses of worship have been targets of violence recently. On Saturday, a gunman opened fire in a California synagogue where about 100 people were celebrating the last day of Passover, killing one and injuring three others. Last month, 50 people were killed during attacks at mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch .

Saturdays attack is on the minds of parishioners in Oak Creek, but they say theyre not deterred.

Theres always a bit of fear when something like this happens, said Pardeep Kaleka, 42, one of the parishioners at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek. But at the same time ... thats what faith really is. Its to have courage in times when you do feel fear. I think were more excited than anything else.

The national Sikh Coalition in New York has gotten 33 Sikh Awareness and Appreciation proclamations so far, including some from states, counties, cities, and school districts. The latest in Oak Creek has special significance because of its tragic past.

On Aug. 5, 2012, a gunman killed six parishioners and injured four others at the Oak Creek gurdwara  what Sikhs call their temples of worship. Kalekas father, Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, the founder of the Oak Creek temple, was among those killed.

I dont think shootings have a deterrent effect on faith communities. I think it actually strengthens faith communities, Pardeep Kaleka said, noting that their congregation has doubled since 2012, going from about 1,000 members to somewhere between 1,700 and 2,000.

At the temple where parishioners were attacked, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers presented Sikh congregants with a plaque making the proclamation official, telling them the state of Wisconsin is committed to better understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history and shared experiences of Sikh Americans.

After the Wisconsin shootings, the Sikh Coalition reached out to about 300 gurdwaras across the country to encourage them to have safety plans in place, said Satjeet Kaur, the coalitions executive director. Those plans were updated after the church shootings in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015 and the attack at Tree of Life Congregation synagogue in Pittsburgh in October, Kaur said. That has meant assembling security task forces, adding cameras and asking local police for increased vigilance at temples, she said.

At the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, security staff has been added, windows with bullet-proof film have been installed, and an emergency plan for dealing with active shooters has been created, Pardeep Kaleka said.

Jaspreet Kaur Kaleka, 37, Pardeep Kalekas wife, was on hand to receive the proclamation from Evers. She said her congregation has made it a goal to raise awareness and understanding about their religion. Every year, temple parishioners participate in a 6K run in Oak Creek to remember the shooting victims and raise money for six scholarships  one in the name of each of the people killed.

We need to tell people what were about, what we do, because at the end of the day we pretty much all believe the same thing, Jaspreet Kaleka said. We just want to be good people, we believe that theres a greater being and just treating everybody basically how we want to be treated  and that goes across all religions.
VANCOUVER I met Wayson Choy when I was 20. He was visiting the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts in August 2012. As a young, bright-eyed, aspiring writer who spent most of my high school and undergrad years scribbling stories and poems, I had devoured his novel, The Jade Peony, in a matter of days.

One of my high school English teachers, Mrs. Bouska, was the first to introduce me to his work. She not only taught The Jade Peony in classrooms, in between units on Shakespeare and formal poetry, but spoke frequently of his kindness and warmth. She knew him as a friend, after they had connected because she reached out on behalf of a student dealing with an illness. He was the first Chinese-Canadian author whose work I read, the only writer I was connected to then beyond a name on the page. He was a role model who showed me that Chinese immigrants and their descendents could also be writers.

His stories touched me in a way that no other books ever had. I was a first-generation immigrant from mainland China growing up in a suburb far from Vancouvers Chinatown. Yet like Jook-Liang from the novel, I, too, have memories of bedtime stories of the Monkey King, told to me by my grandpa before I had immigrated. Choys novel was my gateway into the communities that lived in Chinatown alleys. It connected me to a cultural history that I had never learned elsewhere or realized I needed.

Upon discovering that Wayson Choy was visiting the Sunshine Coast, where my parents lived, I asked him if he would be willing to meet to chat about writing. He graciously agreed. We ended up spending over an hour talking, surrounded by towering pine trees and festival tents. At the time, I had just been accepted into the BFA in Creative Writing program at the University of British Columbia, his alma mater, and I asked him for tips on developing a writing voice.

Writing was a long and slow process for him, he explained; he spent six drafts discovering materials, six drafts researching and rewriting, and another six drafts editing. He compared his writing process jokingly to Michelangelos approach to crafting the statue of David: It is easy. You just chip away the stone that doesnt look like David. He also quoted Picasso, Art is a lie that reveals the truth. Fiction writers craft stories that reflect truth and the human experience, but its not an exact replica of reality, he advised. You have to feel free to take risks and to use your imagination as well.

The most memorable advice I received from him was to read. Read different styles of poetry. Look at the best passages of your favourite fiction writers and copy them out. You can examine diction, style and punctuation choices, just as artists use a magnifying glass to examine paintings or a filmmaker might analyze Alfred Hitchcocks movies.

For me, and so many other writers and readers of Asian-Canadian descent, Choys books have been the ones we will always carefully read and reread.

When I first saw the news of Choys passing online, I had been taking a break from teaching literature to an Iranian immigrant student with whom I shared the work of Canadian immigrant authors in the same way that his novel had been passed to me. My Facebook wall and Twitter feed soon filled with memories of Choy: Writers I knew spoke of how he mentored them and paved the way, posted photos of him at events, thanked him for his books and encouragement. I am so grateful to have had the chance to meet him, read his words and learn from him.

Your stories will matter, he wrote in my copy of The Jade Peony when he signed it. His stories have mattered so much to so many of us.

Rest in peace, Wayson Choy.

Read more:

Wayson Choy, bestselling author of The Jade Peony, dies at 80

Yilin Wang is a writer, editor, and translator who has lived in China, the U.S., Scotland, and Canada. Her website is at www.yilinwang.com.

Read more about:
When it comes to ensuring accessibility for 5 million Canadians with disabilities, Canada lags far behind the U.S., which passed the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act 29 years ago. Canadians with disabilities still face far too many barriers in air travel, cable TV services, and when dealing with the federal government. For example, as a blind traveller, Ive faced these barriers. I dread returning to Canadian airspace.

Its great that the Trudeau government promised in the last election to enact a national accessibility law. However Bill C-81, the proposed Accessible Canada Act that the House of Commons passed last fall, is much weaker than what we people with disabilities need. The bill is strong on good intentions, but weak on implementation. Were calling on the Senate to strengthen it.

The bill is called An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada for people with disabilities. Yet, it doesnt require a single disability barrier to ever be removed or prevented anywhere.

The bill gives the federal government helpful powers to advance the goal of accessibility. However, it doesnt require the government to use almost any of them, or set time lines for the government to act (with a minor exception). The government could drag its feet indefinitely.

Its good that the bill lets the federal government create enforceable national accessibility standards to set accessibility rules. However, the bill doesnt require the government to ever create any. If the government doesnt, the bill will largely be a hollow shell.

Unlike Ontarios 2005 accessibility legislation (which cannot regulate federal areas like air travel), this federal bill doesnt set a deadline for Canada to become disability-accessible. Under Bill C-81, Canada may not become accessible to people with disabilities for hundreds of years, if ever.

The bill assigns key responsibilities for this bill to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) and CRTC. Both agencies have faltering track records for advancing disability accessibility. Both have slow, labyrinthian processes that are hard for people with disabilities to navigate.

Its inexcusable that the bill lets the federal government continue to contribute our tax money to infrastructure projects with accessibility problems, like hospitals and subways.

For example, federal money helped finance the recent TTC subway extension up to Vaughan. Those new subway stations, like the York University stop, have real accessibility problems. Our YouTube video documents this. We need the bill to require the federal government to attach accessibility strings to projects when it uses our money to help finance them.

Its unfair for the bill to let the CTA pass regulations that cut back on disability human rights. The CTA is now proposing new transportation regulations that threaten to cut back on the rights of passengers with disabilities in air and train travel. Thanks, but no thanks.

Federal Disabilities Minister Carla Qualtrough recently told the Senate that shes open to the Senate amending the bill, and that she wants the bill to be the best it possibly can be. Sen. Jim Munson, sponsoring the bill in the Senate, also confirmed that there will be amendments. Were taking them up on this. Weve proposed a short, focused set of amendments that would improve this weak bill.

If the Senate now strengthens this bill, the House of Commons has time to ratify those improvements before this falls election. In hearings at the House of Commons last fall, the Greens, Tories and NDP supported strengthening this bill. Its sad that the Federal Government defeated many important amendments we sought.

With a federal election now looming closer, the Liberals have good reason to see the light, and to support amendments that strengthen this bill. They wouldnt want to head into the fall election having just voted down measures that would help 5 million people with disabilities, many of whom are voters.

Ive battled as a volunteer in the trenches for a quarter century on this issue, Ive learned what accessibility legislation needs to include. Bill C-81 is weaker in some ways than Ontarios 2005 accessibility (for whose enactment I led the decade-long campaign). A recent independent review of Ontarios accessibility law by former Lt.-Gov. David Onley shows that Ontarios law has not produced the progress we need.

Lets learn from those lessons and strengthen Bill C-81. Everyone will need it, whether you have a disability now, or get one later as you get older.
Imagine the next time youre in the emergency department. Youre anxiously waiting to see the doctor. Youre trying to think about what you are going to quickly say over the cacophony of monitors, muffled voices, and moans of pain. You watch the blur of health professionals in scrubs run back and forth as more and more patients seem to be piling up in the hallway. You ask the staff when youll be seen, only to be told theyre not sure  six ambulances have just arrived.

You might understandably think, in that intimidating moment, that this emergency department needs more doctors, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, and patient care assistants to somehow see more patients in its chaotic rooms and stretcher-strewn hallways.

You would be wrong.

What emergency departments really need are the multidisciplinary health professionals working in a comparatively calm manner behind a desk in your community. What ERs desperately need is a robust Toronto Public Health Department that focuses on disease surveillance and prevention. This reduces the demand on the ER in the first place.

Premier Doug Fords public health cuts will mean more people are sick, more strain on the limping ER system, and more hallway medicine for you and your loved ones.

It will mean, as Toronto Board of Health Chair Joe Cressy said without exaggeration, Torontonians will die.

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Emergency medicine and public health are two sides of the same coin. The chaos and immediacy of the ER is directly linked to the quality and quantity of public health programs. There is a direct link between a strong public health force and less acute emergencies and better managed chronic medical conditions.

A weakened public health force means the opposite.

Less overdose prevention means more overdoses. These patients, whose lives are worth our care and attention, present critically ill on a daily basis, require immediate attention, and sometimes require intensive care beds that are in short supply.

Without investments in public health, the doctor seeing you is more likely to get called away STAT to the overdose patients bedside. You might not see your doctor or nurse back for a while as they start a naloxone drip, put the patient on an artificial ventilator and get them admitted to the intensive care unit.

Less food and water safety inspection means more acute diarrheal illnesses, landing healthy individuals in the ER and posing a great risk to those with chronic illnesses.

Less access to public dental care means excruciating tooth pain leading to ER visits where the therapeutic options are limited.

Less immunizations means more sick children with measles and more adults with a painful and sight-threatening infection called shingles.

Less smoking cessation programs means more preventable emphysema  a nonreversible lung disease that frequently requires ER care during exacerbations.

Less outbreak surveillance means more spread of the next SARS or H1N1 virus. A single undetected TB case will tie up an ER isolation bed  and there are very few to spare. We know this situation only too well. We see it every day at work as ER doctors.

The announced retroactive divestment in Toronto Public Health means more strain on an already overwhelmed emergency department. It means Ontarians lives are at risk.

All of these preventable conditions will make your emergency department experience worse. Regardless of whether you are healthy or chronically ill and whether you are financially secure or homeless.

So the next time youre waiting in the emergency department, dont only ask why there arent more health professionals working to see people quicker  ask why there are so many people sick in the first place.

And ask why the Ontario government is making unsound public policy by enacting cuts to Toronto Public Health  making a bad situation worse. In fact, why not use the time waiting to write to Premier Ford at doug.ford@pc.ola.org and ask him yourself? At this rate, youll have even more time waiting in the emergency department to do it.

Hasan Sheikh and Raghu Venugopal are Toronto-based emergency physicians.

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One of us goes in, and we all go through it   Drake, Headlines

Incarceration is seldom a solo affair. Its true that the individual person subjected to carceral control bears the brunt of the physical, emotional, psychological, social and financial costs of being forced to surrender their freedom to the state. However, this painful price isnt paid by the incarcerated person alone: their friends, family members and others who care about them suffer their own sizeable share of loss, sadness, fear and frustration precipitated by their loved ones incarceration. My family, that is my mom, my sister, Toni, and I, know this reality viscerally well.

I have a younger brother, Theo (not his real name), who is currently serving a multi-year sentence in one of Ontarios federal correctional institutions. This latest stint follows more than a decade of him being serially ensnared by the jaws of a justice system that has been gnawing away at his humanity since his teens.

My brothers experiences in the justice system have led my family and I to frequently interface with both federal and provincial correctional institutions across Ontario. Loving and supporting Theo over these years of him being bounced through the correctional complex has led us to become intimately aware of how hard it is to provide a consistent, rehabilitative presence in the life of a loved one who is locked up.

The correctional facilities in our province are most typically located in rural Ontario and/or at least one or more hours outside of the city of Toronto (where my family lives). As such, keeping connected with Theo has required near-total reliance on the relatively rudimentary and primitive technologies the state provides or permits for inmates to keep connected with and be supported by their friends and families, such as high-priced phone calls or visits in person.

While we do our utmost to regularly have in-person visits with Theo, having him hundreds of kilometres away has meant that countless collect calls on a sometimes spotty signal have been our main mode of communication and contact with Theo.

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When I asked my mom  whom my brother calls most often  what it costs to remain connected with Theo, she tells me of the challenging trade-off she bears of keeping connected:

I worry about Theo and his well-being a lot, so I try to keep in touch as best as I can. But you wouldnt believe what these people are charging me. Its easily $300 a month in calls. Its oppressive and unfair. Even if he calls and only gets an answering machine, its logged as an actual call at a cost of $1.50 each time.

I dont know how other families do this. But if I dont pay, Theos just there thinking weve forgotten or dont care about him. How does that help him get back on track? It would be emotionally and psychologically damaging.

Because of our love and commitment to Theos healing and rehabilitation, my family and his friends are terribly well acquainted with the arcane, cumbersome and outmoded state-structured ways and means that now mediate the relationship between inmates and their loved ones.

During a recent in-person visit with Theo, for which my mom, sister and I trekked hours to and from rural Ontario, I had the opportunity to ask him about what its like keeping connected with his family and friends primarily through high-priced calls:

Honestly bro, theres no comparison, I prefer the visits. To be able to touch and hug you, T and mom. But if all I can get is the phone calls thats fine.

Its nice to hear your voices and chat about whats going on in your lives, but its hard because not seeing you and just hearing you means I start thinking and thinking and thinking about what its like on the outside. I start thinking about what everything looks like at home and in the places Im used to being with family, friends. You know, spending time, having fun, or just relaxing.

The worst is during the holidays. While it feels good to think about you all and it gives me a boost of positive energy and keeps me going, it also can make my time more difficult sometimes because Im not experiencing any of that. Its like my imagination is taking me to a place, while my situation has me stuck here. So its hard to be in two very different places mentally and physically and still be at ease doing my time in peace. Its painful. I miss you guys a lot.

My family and I regularly share our frustration with each other that our justice system has yet to adopt technologies that can facilitate easier and more fluid video and audio communications, so that theres less reliance on overly expensive telephone service providers. Studies consistently show that remaining connected with loved ones plays a critically positive role in the rehabilitative process of inmates by reducing the chances of recidivism. However, everything required to be present and provide productive support to Theo is harder than it needs to be.

To those who have never been closely connected with a person who is incarcerated, its difficult to fully explain this reality to them: it is not just distance and time that separates you from your loved one, but generations of technology.

The average person in a modern city can communicate and arrange a visit, and can send money, clothes, music, letters, and exchange information with others around them almost instantaneously through a few clicks and scrolls on a smartphone. Doing any of this with an incarcerated loved one is like interacting with a warped time portal. Its like reaching backwards in time to connect with someone stuck in 1997.

Acts of communication and sending any kind of physical goods are insufferably slower, much more expensive and far less reliable with a loved one in prison.

At least one jurisdiction outside of Canada, namely New York City, has recognized the overly burdensome cost of telephone communications with inmates, recently announcing that such phone calls will now be free, saving inmates and their families upwards of an estimated $8 million (U.S.) a year. No such plans appear to be in the works in any Canadian jurisdictions.

If our justice system adopted more affordable and accessible technologies to humanize interfacing with loved ones who are incarcerated, not only would this benefit the rehabilitative process, but it would also enhance each familys ability to support effective reintegration of their loved one upon release. This could be done, for instance, through adoption of voice over internet protocol and/or secure audio video conferencing technologies, or even through security-enhanced versions of communications apps like Skype that many of us take for granted in our daily personal and professional lives.

Versions of such audio-video conferencing technology are already used to facilitate remote court appearances throughout Ontario courts. Facilitating greater access and communications through appropriate technological advances in our prison system would almost certainly relieve some of the pressure and impending pitfalls that exist following release of incarcerated individuals. This would be so by allowing friends and families to more actively engage in developing a collaborative reintegration plan.

Basic technological upgrades could play a critical role in breaking this cycle of recidivism, a cycle that saddles far too many Ontario families, resulting in a great cost to not only them, but to the general public through the taxes used to maintain our prisons and broader criminal justice system.

When Ive had the opportunity to express my thoughts to politicians and policy-makers about the technological advances needed to more meaningfully bring our systems from being correctional in mostly name alone, theres often a tone of fear, an overemphasis on the need for ensuring security of inmates, their relations and the broader public. However, in this post-9/11 age where hundreds of thousands of people, parcels and pieces of information flow through the highly securitized environments of airports each day, state actors have turned to technology to enhance efforts to ensure security in highly sensitive environments.

This is not to say that airport security systems are flawless and dont reflect and reinforce racial profiling and other forms of discrimination; the point is that state actors lack consistency when it comes to the issues of technology and securitized environments of the state. For instance, all air travellers in Canada can get on a plane with such things as hygiene products and everyday personal objects like a hand-held mirror or a chapter book, while visitors to correctional facilities are absolutely forbidden from carrying any of these items into the spaces where they visit their incarcerated loved ones.

Until we extend technological innovations to our states carceral spaces, as a society we collectively bear the unsustainably high costs of a failed system that is increasingly providing justice in name alone. If were truly committed to our carceral institutions being correctional or rehabilitative, this requires deliberate and substantial investments in sustainable technological mechanisms that allow family members and friends who have a healthy presence in inmates lives to provide better, more reliable supports for their loved ones.

To do this requires increasing access to technologies that allow inmates and their family members to communicate with one another without limitations like having price-gouging phone calls or in-person visits as their only options.

During our last visit with Theo, I shared my thoughts on modernizing communications technologies to diminish the utterly dehumanizing experience of incarceration. We were discussing the details of this very piece. While Theo was supportive and said hes hopeful something comes of it, he also let off a somewhat dismissive chuckle.

I sensed his hesitation and skepticism. To try to reassure him that theres value in this discussion, I repeated to him that my intention is to use this piece to help advance this important conversation on using technology to enhance justice.

He turned to me and said, I hope it does that, too. But you know what they say, brother. I pause, wondering. What do they say? Referring to Drakes song, Club Paradise, he cleverly quips, When all is said and done, more is always said than done.

For his sake, for that of my familys and all those supporting a loved one currently incarcerated, this simply cant continue to be the case.
Are the federal Liberals right to make it more difficult for immigrants and refugees to enter Canada from the United States? Brian Lee Crowley, managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, argues Yes, while Justin Mohammed, a human rights law and policy campaigner at Amnesty International, argues No.

Brian Lee Crowley Managing director, Macdonald-Laurier Institute YES

Yes, Canada would be right to tighten its borders, particularly with respect to those who have been entering Canada illegally. Unfortunately, while the government is making noises that it wants to do so, there is little evidence that those measures will be effective.

Lets begin with why it would make sense to toughen border controls. Canadas highly successful postwar immigration policy, supported by an all-party political consensus and public opinion, has never been laissez-faire about who gets in. On the contrary. That admirable policy has always been premised on the idea that Canada decides who gets into the country and the selection process be carried out in a disciplined and orderly way.

Since the election of the Trudeau government in 2015, however, that supportive public consensus has been seriously undermined. First was the discovery that would-be immigrants could exploit a flaw in the law regarding people wishing to claim refugee status in Canada. The law is premised on the sensible notion that refugees should make their claim for status in the first safe country they arrive in. Canada, like the rest of the civilized world, sees the priority with refugees being their safety, not their ability to shop around for the country they would most like to live in.

Since the bulk of refugee claimants arriving in Canada did so via the United States, not directly from other countries, we had negotiated a Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) with Washington. It ensured that refugee claimants attempting to enter Canada from the U.S. would be turned back on the grounds that the U.S., a country with a sound process for assessing refugee claims, is where their claim should be made.

Some clever person worked out that this rule could be avoided simply by crossing the border illegally, since there exists no mechanism under the STCA for returning refugee claimants who enter elsewhere than official border crossings.

The second thing that put the reigning consensus under strain was that the illegal border crossers started to arrive at a time when the prime minister wanted to distinguish himself from the anti-immigrant rhetoric emanating from the Trump White House.

Trudeau duly said, in a tweet reported around the world, To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith.. The predictable result was tens of thousands of people crossing the border illegally and presenting themselves as refugees when in fact a great many of them were simply queue-jumping economic migrants.

The governments first response to criticism questioning the wisdom and propriety of this policy was to accuse its critics of racism and wanting Canada to abandon its commitment to fair treatment of refugees. This was questionable on several counts.

First, many of the critics were themselves new Canadians, understandably upset at a weakening of the integrity of an immigration system, which many of them patiently navigated to come to Canada.

Second, it implied that the current official government policy that turned refugee claimants back at official border crossings, was also racist and failed to uphold Canadas refugee commitments, which was clearly nonsense.

Alarmed at the erosion in public confidence in the immigration system that their own complaisance and complacency helped engender, Ottawa is now trying to project an image of stern defender of the border, but so far it is image over substance.

The other step Ottawa has announced is an opening of talks with Washington aimed at changing the STCA so the U.S. must take back refugee claimants no matter where they enter Canada. This would be a real step in the direction of restoring the integrity of the immigration system but Washingtons motivation to help out is low, although that may change as the numbers of people entering the U.S. illegally from Canada is increasing.

Projected talks are a handy election talking point, but we are still far from fixing the damage that has been done to the integrity of the border, especially since the various recent government plans to increase enforcement and other capacities at the border are largely gathering dust. Canada would be right to tighten its borders; so far it has failed to do so.

Brian Lee Crowley is managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, an independent public policy think tank in Ottawa.

Justin Mohammed Amnesty International Canada NO

Refugee claimants who cross the Canada-U.S. border irregularly do not reach that decision lightly. Upon doing so, they are arrested and temporarily detained until police establish their identity and ensure they arent a security threat. Possessions are restricted to those that they can carry. The route can be dangerous; frostbite has claimed fingers, and hypothermia has even claimed a life. After the refugee protection claim is launched, they remain in limbo for months or years without a guarantee they will be allowed to stay.

This is what refugee claimants coming through the U.S. weigh when they decide to seek Canadas protection.

In spite of this, the federal government has decided to tighten its borders, further targeting refugee claimants who seek Canadas protection by travelling through the U.S.

First, Canada will deny access to the independent Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB)  the cornerstone of our refugee status determination system  to people who have made prior claims for refugee protection in the U.S. (along with Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom).

Where do you stand?

Second, Canada is seeking to amend the Safe Third Country Agreement so refugee claimants who cross the border between official ports of entry will be forced back to the U.S.

To some, the idea of fleeing human rights violations in the U.S. is absurd. But that is the harsh reality for refugees and migrants in the U.S. Consider the discriminatory travel ban on Muslim-majority countries. Child and family separation. Harsh detention practices. Removal of gender-based violence as a ground for protection. Axing presumptive release for pregnant women in immigration detention.

Recently, the Trump Administration released yet another cruel deterrence policy: denying bond hearings until refugee claims are finalized, which can take years. In patent evidence of its absurdity, the new rule was suspended for 90 days because detention facilities are already so stretched that they will not be able to manage the influx.

While Canada cannot change these policies, it certainly should demonstrate opposition by setting a better example. The alternative is a race to the bottom, wherein each country would seek to adopt the harshest policies as a deterrent to those seeking protection.

If we reject such an approach, we might nonetheless ask: can we afford it, and is it fair?

In the past two years, about 40,000 people have crossed the border irregularly. That is about 55 people per day. That influx does lead to an increased demand on resources, and the way we accommodate those needs is the subject of legitimate debate.

At the same time, its important to view the number in context. There are almost 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, almost a quarter of the countrys total population. Bangladesh is hosting about 1 million Rohingya refugees, 700,000 of whom have fled Myanmar since August 2017. Uganda is home to more than 1 million South Sudanese. Those countries are hosting exponentially greater numbers with far fewer resources. By comparison, Canada is largely exempt from the so-called global refugee crisis.

Its trite to suggest Canadians value fairness. Fairness entails treating like cases alike, and yet politicians and pundits continue comparing immigrants and refugees, saying the latter need to get in the right line or disparaging them as queue jumpers.

In fact, there are different lines  one for those who wish to immigrate to Canada, and another for those seeking protection as refugees. The IRB decides whether refugee claimants have met the legal definition, and those who do not are subject to removal.

Canadas proposed changes will establish an unfair, two-tier system. Some refugee claimants will have access to the independent IRB and an oral hearing, while others will be relegated to a process in which a government official decides their fate, with no legal right to an oral hearing. This makes the system less, not more, fair.

Tightening our borders is a knee-jerk reaction to a situation, largely caused by our neighbours to the south, at a time when the number of irregular crossings is in decline. Like all things that are not fully scrutinized and debated, it will do little to help and will cost the most to those asking Canada for nothing more than the right to be heard.

Justin Mohammed is a human rights law and policy campaigner at Amnesty International Canada.

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When it comes to holding social media giants like Facebook to account, Canadas privacy laws are a bad joke.

The federal privacy commissioner, Daniel Therrien, admitted as much last week. He and his counterpart in British Columbia, Michael McEvoy, issued a stern rebuke to Facebook for violating the privacy of about 620,000 Canadians  and then pretty much acknowledged that theyre impotent to do anything about it.

Facebook refuses to accept it did anything wrong when it let a third-party app harvest Canadians personal information, exposing it to potential misuse by Cambridge Analytica, the consulting company at the centre of attempts to influence political campaigns in Britain and the United States.

Facebook rejects the commissioners recommendations on fixing the problem. It even disputes that they have jurisdiction over its activities. Its basically telling them to pound sand.

But Therriens hands are tied. Canadian law doesnt give him the power to actually tell Facebook to do anything. So he was left to sputter his frustration and announce that hes going to Federal Court to try and get some legal leverage over the company.

Good luck with that. If, and its a big if, Facebook is actually found to have violated Canadian privacy law, the maximum fine it could face in this country is $100,000.

Thats less than a pittance for a company with annual revenues of $56 billion U.S. and profits of $6.88 billion U.S. last year. A Conservative MP, John Brassard, calculated that the company makes $100,000 every 60 seconds. Its actually a fair bit more than that.

Compare that with the type of fines that are being levied on the big tech companies these days in the United States and Europe, which have woken up to the challenges posed by the likes of Facebook, Google and Apple in the areas of competition, copyright, taxation and privacy.

Facebook announced last week that it expects to be fined between $3 billion and $5 billion by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for privacy violations going back to 2011.

If the fine ends up at the top end of that range, it will be paying out 50,000 times more than the maximum penalty in Canada. But even that seemingly impressive number is being brushed off as a slap on the wrist for the social network behemoth. Its stock price actually went up last week when it revealed how much it may have to pay out; the markets know Facebook can easily handle it.

Authorities in Europe are also taking a much harder line. In 2016 Apple was fined $15.3 billion for taking advantage of illegal tax benefits from the Irish government. And last year Google was fined $5 billion for abusing its market dominance in Android cellphones and breaking antitrust laws.

These are significant fines, on a scale commensurate with the tech firms vast revenues and power in the marketplace. But the fact that the companies can pay them and continue to rack up record profits unfazed shows they are far from crippling.

Canada, by contrast, is limping along with laws that have no teeth. Therriens frustration was obvious in the statement he put out last week as he announced the results of an investigation into the Canadian dimension of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which affected 87 million people worldwide.

Facebooks refusal to act responsibly is deeply troubling given the vast amount of sensitive personal information users have entrusted to this company, he said. The stark contradiction between Facebooks public promises to mend its ways on privacy and its refusal to address the serious problems weve identified  or even acknowledge that it broke the law  is extremely concerning.

McEvoy, the B.C. privacy commissioner, identified one obvious remedy: give privacy regulators the power to do more than just scold those who flout our laws. The ability to levy meaningful fines would be an important starting point, he said.

Just so. Therrien and McEvoy can only document violations of privacy, make recommendations to companies to clean up their act, and lament the fact that they lack the legal tools to take things further. Only the government can address the shortcomings of our laws.

In Ottawa, the Trudeau government is at long last making noises about moving in this direction.

Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould said last week that she isnt satisfied with what Facebook and Twitter have done so far to make sure this falls federal election isnt compromised, and she told the Star that when it comes to possible new regulations all options are on the table. She and Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains promised an announcement on digital privacy in the coming weeks.

These are complicated issues, so we shouldnt expect a full overhaul quickly. But the government has been dithering for far too long in the face of the multiple issues raised by the dominance of the tech giants.

In the area of privacy, in particular, our laws are now clearly inadequate. They need to be made tougher, and they need to be backed by penalties severe enough to make Facebook and company stop brushing them off.

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Canada watches warily as Europe tightens copyright laws, April 29

Michael Geist claims that amendments made to the Copyright Act have delivered positive results to Canadas publishing sector; however, the evidence tells a different story. Changes made to the Act in 2012 opened the door to systematic, widespread, unpaid copying by the Canadian education sector, which has resulted in severe economic losses as a result of illegal copying.

Educational licensing revenue is down 89 per cent since 2012, representing a cumulative loss of close to $100 million, and Statistics Canada data shows that sales of books to Canadian educational institutions declined by 41 per cent since 2010.

Today, the Copyright Act contributes to an uncertain business environment for publishers and a previously functioning marketplace is broken. Canadian publishers take pride when their books are adopted for courses or shared with students in Canadian schools. But in the absence of adequate sales or licensing revenue to pay royalties to authors and reinvest in new works, the continued supply of high-quality Canadian educational resources is at risk.
OTTAWAHow to visit a disaster zone without creating a public relations disaster? Its a question politicians juggle with each wildfire, flood and tornado strike.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was reminded of the perils of such visits Saturday when he visited an Ottawa neighbourhood hit by record floodwaters and got berated by one volunteer who accused him of tying up relief efforts.

You know how long youve held up people picking up bags? the volunteer said to the prime minister.

While youre here, no one can pick up sand. You held people up. All your RCMP and security held people up, he said.

Trudeau replied that he understood his frustrations with security, but said he was happy to speak with those on site and hopefully encourage others to volunteer. The prime minister, joined by sons Xavier, 11, and Hadrien, 5, had been briefed on emergency efforts to help homeowners and had spent time helping fill sandbags himself.

Conservative politicians added their criticism. Everything is a photo op with this buffoon. He provided no value and just wanted the shot, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel said on Twitter.

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He knew his security detail and entourage would gum up the line, but he did it anyway. The guy who yelled at him was dead right, said the MP for Calgary Nose Hill.

The incident underscores how such events are a balancing act. When a natural disaster occurs, a visit by a prime minister or premier can show support to the victims, highlight the efforts of those who have come to their aid and get a firsthand look at the crisis in a way that helps guide the governments responses.

Such visits are no small thing. Theres the security detail, an entourage of aides and journalists, all of which can detract from ongoing relief efforts.

But staying away can be equally perilous, giving rise to charges that a political leader is insensitive or ignoring the human toll of such events.

When youre the prime minister, criticism comes with the territory would I rather be criticized for doing something to help people or not doing something? said Scott Reid, who served as director of communications for former prime minister Paul Martin.

I think wise people and decent people will always come down on the side of Id like to be criticized for doing something, he said.

Reid said that such visits signal to Canadians that an event has risen to this level of crisis and requires national attention and national focus.

Conversely, staying away can send the reverse signal and downplay the scale of an event in the eyes of the country. You have to avoid the mistake of not doing something because youre afraid of how it looks, Reid said.

Such visits are part of a politicians job description.

Just days earlier, Trudeau had visited a flood relief centre across the river in Gatineau, where parts of the city have also been inundated with floodwaters. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Ottawa-area MPs Andrew Leslie, Steven MacKinnon have made visits to the flood zones since the crisis began. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer helped out with sand bags on Saturday.

Former prime minister Jean Chretien took flak for his visit to flood-ravaged Winnipeg in 1997 and tossing a sandbag in a photo op. It wasnt the visit so much that angered local residents but the fact he called an election the next day, at a time when thousands of Manitoba residents had been forced from their homes. But that anger didnt stand in the way of his re-election.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper was in Calgary in June 2013 the day after heavy rains flooded southern regions of Alberta. In 2016, Trudeau delayed a visit to Fort McMurray in the wake of devastating wild fires. That stirred some questions but Trudeau defended his timing. I think were all aware that a prime minister showing up in Fort McMurray when firefighters are busy trying to contain a massive, raging wildfire is not a particularly helpful thing, he said at the time.

Reid said a political leader will be sure to clear a potential visit with local officials to ensure they are not hindering ongoing operations.

Will your presence be disruptive and divert resources?  You do not want to be in a position where you intervene until you can satisfy yourself that it wont substantively impact the relief effort, Reid said.

Beyond the public signal such visits send, Reid said dont underestimate the impact on a politician of seeing first-hand the devastation and human toll of such events.

Once the prime minister has been on site and seen the dislocation  its a lot different than reading about it in the news and being briefed about it, he said.

That first-hand experience can help galvanize government relief and sweep aside bureaucratic impediments. It creates a personal dynamic  where the prime minister will say I saw those people, I looked in their eyes, I say what theyre going through and were going to help them, he said.

He also said that criticisms that such events are only a photo op are unfair and diminish the significance of such visits. The prime minister cannot go somewhere without there being photographers.  When youre the leader of a G8 country, you dont get to move around invisibly, he said.

In the case of Trudeaus Saturday visit to Constance Bay in west-end Ottawa, a spokesperson for the prime minister said the office first checked with local officials to make sure a visit would not interfere.

Its our first consideration before any of these visits to make sure we dont impede any operation on the ground, the spokesperson said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a later statement that the security for the prime minister did not cause any delays.

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OTTAWAThe federal Conservative party has yet to decide whether it will remain committed to the climate-change targets set out in the Paris Agreement, the Star has learned.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer was expected to reveal the partys climate change and environment policy last week, but delayed that announcement to potentially as late as June.

It remains an open question within the party whether or not the plan will commit a future Conservative government to the targets set out in the Paris Accord, an ambitious international agreement aimed at limiting global warming.

In a statement, Scheers office said the policy is in its final stages and that they will always be open to new ideas to fight climate change.

When asked if that policy would be based on a commitment to the Paris targets, Scheers office said only that their environmental plan will lower emissions.

The Liberals carbon tax will not meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement, wrote Brock Harrison, Scheers director of communications, in response to the Stars questions.

Conservatives believe that climate change is a global problem requiring a global solution, as laid out in the Paris accord. We will present a real environmental plan that will lower emissions, unlike the Liberals and their carbon tax.

Scheers office said the rollout of their environmental policy was not planned for April, only that it would be released by the end of the spring session of Parliament. But two Conservative sources said caucus was briefed on a climate change policy almost three weeks ago.

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Talking points recently circulated to Conservative MPs directed them to give no definitive answer on whether or not a Conservative government would remain committed to the Paris Agreement, according to one source speaking on background.

In Victoriaville on Saturday, Scheer pledged to return to Quebec before the end of June to unveil his partys environment and climate change policy.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Scheer said the plan would focus on incentives for individuals  a potential contrast with the Liberal governments carbon-tax plans  and would recognize Canadian leadership in the clean energy sector.

For months, the Liberal government has repeatedly hammered Scheer and the Conservatives for failing to produce a plan, despite the oppositions steady attacks on the Liberals environmental agenda.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna renewed that attack, alongside Finance Minister Bill Morneau, in a morning press conference outside the House of Commons Monday.

We are going to continue to work on tackling climate change with Canadians  and unfortunately Andrew Scheer has no plan, McKenna told reporters.

McKenna noted it was a year ago today that Scheer, in an interview with CTV, said of course his partys plan will meet the Paris targets. Scheer seemed to step back from that position in August, telling CBC that his plan will have meaningful targets but did not re-commit to the Paris targets under repeated questioning.

The Paris Agreement, the UNs framework convention on climate change, was agreed to by 196 countries in December 2015. It commits signatories to work toward holding the increase in global temperatures to 2 C above pre-industrial levels.

In one of his first major votes after winning the Conservative leadership, Scheer voted in favour of keeping Canada committed to the accord as it is in the best interest of all Canadians. Only a single Conservative MP, Cheryl Gallant, voted against the motion.

That vote directly followed Donald Trumps decision to renege on the agreement, making the U.S. the first and only country to leave the accord.

But there is some doubt that, even if the Liberal governments current climate plans remain in place, Canada will be able to meet the ambitious targets set out in the agreement.

In a report released in December, the federal government projected that while existing measures would curb emissions by some 223 megatonnes by 2030, Canada would still fall 79 megatonnes short of the Paris targets.

Its clear the environment generally  and the governments carbon tax specifically  will be a key issue for both the Liberals and the Conservatives in this election year. Both sides believe the issue is a political winner for them.

The Liberals have attempted to lump Scheer and the federal Conservatives in with conservative premiers like Albertas Jason Kenney and Ontarios Doug Ford, both of whom recently rose to power on an adamantly anti-carbon tax message  something that is easier to do while the federal party lacks a clear position.

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VANCOUVERA Vancouver businessman has pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering for his alleged role in a college admissions scandal in the United States.

David Sidoos lawyer Richard Schoenfeld says the plea was entered in writing after an indictment from the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts accused him of wiring about $100,000 in January 2013 from an account in Canada to an account in California.

The indictment alleges the money was in the name of college-prep company The Key, and meant to be in exchange for admissions consultants facilitation of a SAT cheating scheme for Sidoos younger son.

Sidoo, 59-year-old former Canadian Football League player and well-known philanthropist, had already pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with the scandal.

An indictment in March alleged Sidoo paid $200,000 in total for someone to take the SAT on behalf of both his sons, and that he also paid an undisclosed amount for someone to fly to Vancouver and take a high school graduation exam on behalf of his older son.

Sidoo is among 19 parents, including actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Gianulli, who are facing the money-laundering charge in the new indictment April 9.

Read more:

Vancouver businessman David Sidoo denies all charges in college admissions scandal

Vancouver man faces new money-laundering charge in college admissions scandal

Prosecutors ratchet up pressure on parents in admission scandal with new charges

The new charges came a day after Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman, 12 other parents and a coach agreed to plead guilty.

Sidoo entered his previous not-guilty pleas in March and was released by the federal court in Boston on a secured bond of 1.5 million dollars. His travel was restricted to Canada and the United States.

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BURNABYMounties have arrested the 71-year-old grandfather who erected a mid-air camp to protest the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Terry Christenson, grandfather of two, had been in the tree for 28 hours by the time he was removed Tuesday afternoon. It took Burnaby RCMP roughly five hours to extract him in the slow-motion standoff.

Almost a third of the people protesting the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion are old people like me, I think because we remember what weather patterns used to be like, Christenson said in a release.

Whats really in the national interest is a safe future for our grandchildren, for the climate and for all of Canada.

According to an RCMP spokesperson, Christenson will remain in custody overnight and likely face a judge on Wednesday morning. The charge being considered is criminal contempt.

Two tactical teams of six officers arrived at the Westridge Marine Terminal  where oil will be loaded onto tankers once the project is completed  at 8 a.m. to remove Christenson from his 100-foot perch.

When Star Vancouver attended the scene, one RCMP climber was roughly a third of the way up the large tree, slowly adjusting his rope to lift him up foot-by-foot, as three officers in green tactical gear watched from below.

Christenson, a professional climber and rope manufacturer, eventually made his way down to meet them and was detained by 1:30 p.m.

Stand Earth spokesperson Sven Biggs told Star Vancouver the environmental group is proud to stand with Terry.

His actions are a clear message to Justin Trudeau of what kind of opposition he will face if he reapproves this pipeline, he said. I think it really signals how deeply people feel about the issue.

Biggs said there was a steady stream of concerned residents who came down to the site during the last 24 hours to offer their support. Still, he added, its emotional any time you see a friend or colleague arrested.

The environmental group has been offering support to Christenson as well as operating as his media liaison. Christenson told Star Vancouver on Monday that even if he is jailed, he would consider his action successful as hes brought national attention to the issue.

Biggs was concerned the former Juno nominee would face a harsher sentence as this is the second time hes been arrested for breaking a court injunction that limits how close people can be to the gates at the facility.

Christenson still faces a $2,000 outstanding fine for breaking the court injunction last March. The grandfather of two told the Star he is multiplying his criminal contempt and is prepared to spend the summer in jail.

Currently, the recommended sentence from the Crown is a month in jail for violating the injunction.

Jim Leyden, 67, was the resident Indigenous elder at an anti-pipeline encampment last year and attended the site to support Christenson while singing drum songs.

Leyden said he admired his fellow senior citizen for his willingness to face the consequences of his actions, risking thousands in fines while Trans Mountain pays the equivalent of pennies for its own violations.

Last year, the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission fined Kinder Morgan Canada a total of $920 for four violations of a provincial act. One was related to the use of a device that deterred salmon from spawning.

How is that equivalent? Terrys just drawing attention to that, he explained. Well all go back to jail if we have to. Well do ... whatever it takes to defend the Salish Sea.

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The U.S. Department of Defense has set aside up to $938 million for Sikorsky Aircraft and five rival manufacturers to design an armed reconnaissance helicopter for the U.S. Army, as a replacement for the mothballed Kiowa scout helicopter.

The government of India is seeking approval from the U.S. government to purchase two dozen Seahawk helicopters at contract value as high as $2.6 billion.

And the aviation industry comes together in less than two months at the biennial Paris Air Show, where helicopter makers often time announcements on big contracts to generate extra attention.

The Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program could means billions of dollars in sales for the winning contractor, with Sikorsky having its main production plant in Stratford as a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin. Sikorsky and other design entrants are receiving $15 million each in the first two years of the program, with two finalists to be selected next year to split $735 million in advance of a 2023 fly off to award any resulting contract.

Boeing, Sikorskys partner developing the SB>1 Defiant prototype under the U.S. Department of Defenses Future Vertical Lift competition for an adaptable helicopter prototype to varying missions, is competing on its own for the new FARA program.

Textron subsidiary Bell Helicopter is also a FARA entrant, with the manufacturer having produced some 2,200 OH-58 Kiowa helicopters and variants over a 45-year period. Also readying bids are startups Karem Aircraft of Lake Forest, Calif.; and AVX Aircraft, located in Bells backyard in Fort Worth, Texas, and teaming with the New York City-based defense giant L-3 Communications.

Under its former parent company United Technologies, Sikorsky had put together a string of design wins including the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter, the largest ever built with Sikorsky ramping up toward full production for as many as 200 aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Also nearing initial test flights is a Black Hawk-derived helicopter the U.S. Air Force wants to field globally to rescue downed pilots and other dangerous missions like reconnaissance in enemy territory. And a Sikorsky pilot landed last year on a White House lawn the new VH-92A helicopter that will be used to transport the president of the United States and key staff.

With revenue from those projects still on the horizon, Sikorsky had seen revenue dip in the past few years amid declining demand for Black Hawk helicopters as the Pentagon scales back war operations in Afghanistan, and reduced demand from oil companies to service offshore rigs.

A week ago, however, Lockheed Martin executives attributed a boost in the conglomerates Rotary and Missions Systems division partly to an additional $170 million in revenue for Sikorsky, with Lockheed Martin not disclosing detailed revenue totals for Sikorsky as had been the practice of Farmington-based UTC.

Weve got a lot of development programs of course that we are working on, from the CH-53K to the combat rescue helicopter, to the presidential helicopter, to the opportunity on Future Vertical Lift, said Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, speaking on a conference call last week. Thats a big opportunity for us.

Correction: Due to a reporting error, an initial version and headline reported incorrectly a Department of Defense award to Sikorsky at $938 million, with the figure representing the total amount for the six manufacturers competing in the design phase of the program.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
Downtown Jacksonville is a quarter-finalist in a national contest  with a $25,000 prize on the line.

Jacksonville Main Street entered the city in the 2019 Americas Main Streets contest.

Jacksonville competed against more than 200 other cities after being nominated and now is up against two dozen cities from across the country. The only other Illinois city in the competition at this stage is Belleville.

Judy Tighe, executive director of Jacksonville Main Street, said the organization entered the contest a couple of times in the past but never made it past the quarter finals.

Winners are selected by popular vote and she hopes people will vote for Jacksonville as much as the contest website allows.

People can vote every day and they dont have to live in Jacksonville.

And our neighbors  people in Winchester, in Greene County and Springfield  you know, all over, she said. Anyone can vote.

The current round of voting on MainStreetContest.com opened Monday and runs through May 26.

In addition to the $25,000, the winner receives a Stihl equipment certificate worth $1,000; a free one-day downtown assessment from Flip This Town; $500 shopping sprees at Do It Best Corp., Nationwide Marketing Group and PPG Paints; public relations and social media recognition; and a plaque.

Tighe said Jacksonville Main Street has plans for the $25,000 if the city wins.

The Downtown Concert Series, which will kick off at the end of May, did not get a title sponsor this year or the Levitt AMP grant that helped fund it in the past.

The organization has all of the bands finalized and is preparing the schedule. The first concert is May 31.

If there is enough money left over after funding the concert series, Tighe said, the organization plans to put it toward the mural restoration planned for July  Wham Bam Mural Jam.

The organization still is fundraising to bring the Walldogs muralist group back to Jacksonville and tickets for the vintage car raffle still are available

Tighe hopes Jacksonville can get enough votes to move on to the next round this year  and win, of course.

You dont have to be from here. You can like it and share it on Facebook. (Thats) the easiest way to get the information out to all of your friends, she said. Everybody vote every day with everything.
BOYKINS, Va. - Kids grow up in rural Southampton County hearing that the mist creeping across the fields might be something unearthly. Old folks warn them not to sneak into abandoned houses, where rotting floors and walls are said to be stained with blood.

This is a haunted landscape.

Nearly 188 years ago, the self-styled preacher Nat Turner led fellow slaves from farm to farm in Southampton County, killing almost every white person they could find. Scores of blacks were murdered in reprisals throughout the South.

The legacy of the biggest slave revolt in U.S. history still hangs over the sandy soil and blackwater cypress swamps of this county along the North Carolina line, but the physical traces of the event are vanishing.

"A lot of the sites that tell the story have been destroyed," said Cassandra Newby-Alexander, a historian at Norfolk State University. In Southampton and elsewhere, she said, neglect and denial have "tended to obliterate the presence of African-Americans . . . as well as eliminating our history of slavery."

History is Virginia's biggest cash crop. It drives tourism, sets identity. Until recently, Virginia's celebration of its grand past glossed over the stain of slavery that marks every statue, parchment and Flemish bond facade.

That's changing: This year, the state commemorates the 400th anniversary of the first documented Africans being brought to the English colony. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello presents detailed narratives of enslaved life. A museum that will include the perspective of the enslaved on the Civil War is opening in Richmond.

But around the state, tangible reminders of slave history remain unmarked. The landmarks are deteriorating, their significance preserved mainly in memories and stories. Petersburg's 1854 Southside Depot, for instance, is one of the few pre-Civil War train stations in the South, where the enslaved were both workers and cargo. It sits empty.

Scholars are racing to identify slave cabins across Virginia before they disappear. In Richmond, leaders squabble over how to mark the site of the notorious Lumpkin's Jail, a slaveholding facility, as well as the city's slave market - one of the most active in the South - without disrupting the hip restaurant-and-condo scene growing up around it.

"What we choose to preserve is really a reflection of what we care about," said Justin Reid, director of African American Programs for Virginia Humanities, who is helping coordinate a statewide effort to recognize slavery's legacy. "When our cultural landscape is devoid of these sites, we're sending the message that this history is less important, and the people connected to these sites are less important."

Nowhere is the tension stronger than in Southampton County, where the history carries particular pain. Nat Turner is both a villain and a hero of American history. The split has long inflamed racial divides.

Born into slavery around 1800, Turner was literate, charismatic and deeply religious. He once baptized a white man, and some accounts describe how he spent 30 days wandering the county in search of his father before voluntarily resuming his life in bondage.

According to the confessions he allegedly made shortly before being executed, Turner saw visions from God urging him to seek vengeance on his white oppressors. A solar eclipse that passed over Southampton County in 1831 was the sign to act. On Aug. 21, he met with a half-dozen other enslaved people at a pond in the woods, where they plotted for several hours before striking out into the night, taking knives and farm implements to use as weapons.

Attacking farmhouses in the darkness and picking up supporters along the way, Turner and his rebels killed some 55 white men, women and children over the next two days. They were eventually scattered by militia infantry, and some were rounded up and killed or put on trial. Turner escaped and hid out for two months mostly in a crude "cave" - a hole dug under a pile of wood - before surrendering on Oct. 30, 1831.

He was tried and hanged Nov. 11, 1831, in the county seat of Jerusalem, known today as Courtland.

Until recently, the all-white county historical society was uncertain how to handle its macabre legacy. Within the past 10 years, though, as popular interest in Turner's story has grown - including through the controversial 2016 film "Birth of a Nation" - attitudes have loosened.

Work is underway to establish slave- insurrection-history trails: a walking route in Courtland and a driving tour through the southwest corner of the county where the rebellion took place. Much of the information for both resides in the mind of one man.

"If you want to know anything about Nat Turner," said Thaddeus Stephenson, 55, a black man who said he lives near one of Turner's hideouts, "Rick Francis is the man."

Behind the wheel of a Chevy Suburban with 338,000 miles on the odometer, Francis pulls onto the shoulder at a featureless crossroads. Open farmland stretches in every direction.

This is Cross Keys. Francis begins to populate the scene. There was a wide, shallow building there, he says. A smaller structure across the street. In the summer of 1831, some 1,400 white people gathered here, pouring out of surrounding farms in fear of Turner and the armed rebels.

Militias converged from around the state and from North Carolina. When some members of Turner's band were rounded up, they were held in a small cell in one of the buildings.

It's all gone now, not even a mound or brick left to mark the spot. It exists only in Francis's spirited retelling.

Francis, 63, who is white, is clerk of the county's circuit court. Several of his ancestors were either victims of Turner's insurrection or had narrow escapes. Over the course of an afternoon driving around the remote reaches of the county near the village of Boykins, Francis spins a tale of terror, violence and colorful characters - from Red Nelson, the enslaved man who helped save Francis's pregnant great-great-grandmother, to Will Francis, perhaps the most fearsome killer in Turner's band.

"He trimmed my family tree," Rick Francis says of Will Francis, a man owned by one of his ancestors. "I mean, that guy was a killing machine." But he gives him credit: Where Turner was a "religious fanatic," he says, Will Francis "was motivated solely by freedom."

As Francis drives along the old carriage paths, most of which are now paved, he sees things others do not.

Over there, where the dark grass meets the light, that's where Joseph Travis and his wife were the first ones hacked to death in the insurrection. Where a rusted double-wide trailer stands was the site of Capt. John Barrow's home. He warned his wife to flee, but she delayed to change her clothes, so he had to fight the rebels on the front porch. His wife escaped out the back; Barrow's throat was cut.

Many of the homes were still standing as late as the 1970s, but time and weather have ravaged them. Local landowners cannot afford to rebuild so they just clear the rubble. The Richard Porter House is a dark hulk of warped wood, half of it collapsed, all of it shrouded in vines. Here, a young enslaved girl warned the family what was coming and they fled into the woods.

A few miles away, Francis swings off the road, switches on the four-wheel-drive and powers to a nondescript mound of brush. Only when he stops do a low row of bricks, a collapsed tin roof and jagged piles of gray boards become visible under the greenery: the remains of the house of Jacob Williams, who returned from measuring timber in the forest to find his slaves standing over the bodies of his wife and three children.

Nearby, the widow Rebecca Vaughan was allowed to pray before she was killed. Her house, the scene of the insurrection's final killings, was relocated a few years ago to a spot in Courtland across from the county agriculture museum. It has been neatly restored by the county but remains empty.

The tree where Turner was hanged fell long ago. Francis puts the site in the yard of an old foursquare house on Bride Street in Courtland. A short distance away, around the corner on High Street, is the ditch where Turner's torso was said to have been tossed after he was decapitated. Sure enough, Francis said, human remains have been found there. At some point, the county hopes to excavate. In the meantime, the spot is marked by tiny wire flags stuck in the weeds, the sort that might designate a property line or a cable route.

The county courthouse stopped flying the Confederate flag in 2015, but a Confederate monument stands on one side of the complex. Inside, in the county records room, Francis maintains a mini-museum to the slave insurrection, displaying old newspapers and artifacts.

The biggest prize is Turner's sword, which is locked away in a courthouse storeroom in a padded rifle case. Francis tucks a pistol in his waistband when he goes to retrieve it. He opens the case and unfolds a white cloth. The curved blade is pitted, and though Turner complained that it was too dull to kill the woman he struck with it, the edge feels plenty sharp.

The Southampton County Historical Society has resisted putting the sword on display. Francis said its members worry people won't take the tour if they can see the most memorable artifact up front. But maybe there is also a squeamishness about showing off such a fraught piece of history.

Francis believes the insurrection needs to be more widely recognized as an important turning point. It brought the Virginia legislature within a few votes of abolishing slavery, but ultimately, lawmakers tacked the other way, passing harsh crackdowns that prohibited blacks from preaching or learning to read.

Turner is a complicated figure even for African-Americans who grew up in Southampton County. Bruce Turner, 71, said his older relatives spoke in hushed terms of a family connection to "the Nat mess." After years of research, he believes Nat Turner was his great-great-great-grandfather. And by learning more about him, Bruce Turner has become proud of the association.

"I wasn't sure what he did was right or wrong," said Turner, a retired computer engineer who lives in Virginia Beach. "Today I admire and honor Nat. I think what he did was correct."

It's important to view the insurrection through the historical lens of fighting for freedom, Turner said. The houses, the landscape of Southampton County, evoke that for him now that he knows the full story.

"The houses that were down there . . . we used to call those the haunted houses," Turner said. "And we were told something terrible had happened there."

In his childhood, the hanging tree still stood, and the Vaughn house was abandoned in the woods.

"I was always told, oh, you don't want to go in there, there's blood spattered up on the walls, and stuff like that. I went in there. I only saw some spots. But it could've been mold," he said.

Stephenson, who lives near one of Nat Turner's hideouts, heard the same tales about the old houses. "The bricks from the chimney - sometimes when it rains, blood is supposed to seep back out of them," he said. "That's some folklore."

But when you preserve those vanishing sites, you keep the history from fading into myth, Turner said.

"Why preserve Mount Vernon? Or preserve Monticello? They're part of the history," he said. "Just because something bad may have happened at a place, or something that was distasteful, doesn't mean that it shouldn't be kept."
ALTON  Love One Another will be the theme this year for the National Day of Prayer Thursday, which will include events in Alton, Granite City and Jerseyville.

The Rotary Club of the Riverbend will host its ninth annual Day of Prayer event at the Post Commons, 300 Alby St., Alton.

The Rotary Club of the Riverbend will host its ninth annual Day of Prayer event at 8:30 a.m. at the Post Commons, 300 Alby St., Alton.

Sandy Smith, president of the Riverbend Rotary, said this is an important event, in part because of the Rotarys motto Service Above Self.

This is an event to all come together to pray on different focuses in the community. Its about giving to our community rather than always looking at yourself.

People will gather to pray for multiple subjects, including business, media, military and government, the church, and national unity.

This years theme is Love One Another. It is taken from Jesus words in John 13:34, Love one another. Just as I have loved you.

We tend to forget that Jesus didnt say we would be known by our creeds or by our knowledge or how much we know about the Bible He said we would be known only by our love, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, said when this years theme was unveiled. And love has been painfully absent in America in so many ways.

Several rallies are set in the Riverbend area.

According to the National Day of Prayer website, another Alton rally will be held from 11 a.m. to noon at 503 Milton Road.

In Granite City, people will meet from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at 1316 Niedringhaus Ave. In Jerseyville, people will gather from 6-8 p.m. at 801 N. State St.

At the Post Commons event, Alton High School Air Force ROTC Cadet Captain Kloe-Mae Malson will pray for the future of youth; Larry Thompson, a former Alton School Board member and Rotary past district governor, will pray for education; Eric McRoy, vice-president of the Advantage, will pray for business; Mike Roberts, manager of public relations for the Visiting Nurse Association, will pray for media; Ginger Woodman of Woodman Collision Center will pray for military and government; The Rev. Jason Harrison of Deliverance Temple in Alton and the Rev. Bill Pyatt of Bethalto United Methodist church, and a past president of the East Alton Rotary, will pray for the church and national unity for the common good.

Historically, days of prayer have been called for since 1775, when the Continental Congress designated a time for prayer in forming the nation, according to the National Day of Prayer website.

In 1863 Abraham Lincoln called for a day of prayer.

The National Day of Prayer was established by Congress as an annual event in 1952. The law was later amended in 1988 designating the first Thursday in May.

In 2018, an estimated 50,000 gatherings across all 50 states were held on the National Day of Prayer.

For information visit the National Day of Prayer website at www.nationaldayofprayer.org.

Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447.
AURORA  The gunman who killed five colleagues at an Aurora manufacturing plant and wounded five police officers before he was killed in a shootout had told a co-worker that February morning that he would kill everyone there and blow police up if he was fired, prosecutors said in a report released Monday.

The Henry Pratt Co. employee told authorities in Aurora that he knew Gary Martin carried a firearm in his vehicle, but that he didnt report Martins comments to his superiors because he routinely made off the wall statements and that he didnt believe Martin would do anything violent, according to the nine-page Kane County States Attorneys office report. The employee is not named in the report.

While it has widely been reported that Martin had been fired, the report marks the first time officials have explained that Martins firing came during a Feb. 15 disciplinary meeting that was called because of his refusal to wear safety glasses.

He anticipated he was about to be fired, telling his co-worker that morning, If I get fired, Im going to kill every [expletive] in here, the report says.

It also explains that Martin apparently brought the gun and ammunition into the plant when he arrived at 6:45 a.m. that day. Immediately before the shooting, Martin walked over to his workstation to retrieve something, put on a hoodie and went into the bathroom, it says.

Martin then went to the meeting, during which he was told by Clayton Parks, the companys human resources manager, that hed been fired. Martin responded with profanities and plant manager Josh Pinkard said, OK, its over. Martin said, Yeah, it is over, and opened fire.

Both Parks and Pinkard were among those who were killed.

The report also gives an account of the police response, beginning with officers being dispatched to the scene at 1:24 p.m., when they are confronted by Martin. Video surveillance footage indicates Martin was waiting for police to arrive after he killed his colleagues and positioning himself near a doorway. In a five-minute period, five officers were shot in the parking lot and inside the building.

Naperville Police Officer Shaun Moy described searching the building carrying a protective shield and coming upon the bodies of two people on the second floor who he believed were dead, the report says. On the first floor of the warehouse, the officer heard noises from a workshop and saw Martin quickly pop up from behind some machinery and point a gun at him that was equipped with a green laser, it says.

Moy said he believed the gun was pointing directly at him, and that he saw Martin fire at least four shots. The officer said he returned fire as other officers set off flash bangs  noisy explosives designed to distract  that allowed other officers to take cover behind a partition wall. Later in the report, Aurora police Detective Chris Bosson said he saw Martin inside a room in the warehouse sitting in a chair, holding a pistol in his right hand.

It appeared that the offender was waiting for police to enter the area where the offender was located in order to ambush the police, according to the report. The officer said he fired his rifle twice, hitting Martin in the chest and head. The officer said he saw another officer fire his weapon three times.

The report, citing an autopsy, says Martin was shot six times: once in the middle of the forehead, four times in the chest, and once in the jaw  an injury that fractured his skull that the Kane County coroners report concluded was likely self-inflicted.

Martin fired his weapon dozens of times. Prosecutors wrote that the Illinois State Police recovered at the scene 64 casings from the semi-automatic handgun Martin was carrying.

The report does not say the exact time the shooting started, but that police were dispatched to the scene at 1:24 p.m. The first officers entered the building about four minutes later, and five officers suffered gunshot wounds outside and inside the building between 1:30 and 1:35, the report says.

The next time listed on the timeline is 2:59 p.m. with the words, suspect is down.

The report concludes that the officers were justified in using deadly force.
By the time Angela was brought to Jamestown's muddy shores in 1619, she had survived war and capture in West Africa, a forced march of more than 100 miles to the sea, a miserable Portuguese slave ship packed with 350 other Africans and an attack by pirates during the journey to the Americas.

"All of that," marveled historian James Horn, president of the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation, "before she is put aboard the Treasurer," one of two British privateers that delivered the first Africans to the English colony of Virginia.

Now, as the country marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of those first slaves, historians are trying to find out as much as possible about Angela, the first African woman documented in Virginia. They see her as a seminal figure in American history - a symbol of 246 years of brutal subjugation that left millions of men, women and children enslaved at the start of the Civil War.

Two years ago, researchers launched an archaeological investigation in Jamestown at the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America to find any surviving evidence of Angela.

She is listed in the 1624 and 1625 census as living in the household of Capt. William Pierce, first as "Angelo a Negar" and then as "Angela Negro woman in by Treasurer." By then, she had survived two other harrowing events: a Powhatan Indian attack in 1622 that left 347 colonists dead and the famine that followed.

Yet little is known about her beyond those facts.

"It is presumed she was youngish - maybe in her early 20s," said Cassandra Newby-Alexander, a history professor at Norfolk State University and co-author of "Black America Series: Portsmouth, Virginia." "Angela was her Anglicized name. We don't know what her original name was."

"If they find the remains, we can know how old she was when she arrived," Newby-Alexander said. "Did she have children? What did she die of? We will know more about this person, and we can reclaim her humanity."

- - -

The transatlantic slave trade was already more than a century old and thriving when the first Africans reached Virginia.

"The trade is full-blown in 1619," said Daryl Michael Scott, a Howard University history professor. The Portuguese controlled much of the market, transporting "huge numbers of Africans taken from what becomes Portuguese Angola."

Between 5,000 and 8,000 people from Kongo, Ndongo and other parts of West Africa were being shipped each year to Portuguese and Spanish colonies in the Americas. The total number of Africans captured and transported to the Americas between 1501 and 1867 would eventually grow to more than 12.5 million.

Angela was taken captive in 1619 during a war in Kongo. She was forced aboard a slave ship, the San Juan Bautista, in Luanda, then a bustling slave-trading port on the coast of West Africa, according to Jamestown Rediscovery. The ship was headed for Vera Cruz, on the coast of Mexico.

"The ship was overcrowded," Horn said. "It suffered horrible mortality on the voyage to Vera Cruz." More than 120 Africans aboard died en route.

In the middle of passage, the slave ship was attacked by two English pirate ships - the Treasurer and the White Lion. The pirates climbed aboard the Bautista, hoping to find a bounty of gold.

Instead, they found humans, desperate people. The pirates took 60 or so Africans, splitting them between the White Lion and the Treasurer. Historians surmise that the pirates took the young, healthiest captives. Angela was among them.

"I've got no evidence that she was young," Horn said. "I base it on the general model that slavers would try to take the younger people, including children, women and males they would get the most money for. That is a chilling aspect of the slave trade. People are being treated like livestock. The capability of women to have children was in slavers' minds. To survive a journey like that, my own sense is she was young and possibly very young. Where there is no evidence, it is fair to speculate."

Weeks later, the White Lion arrived at Point Comfort, near Hampton, Virginia, where its captain traded the enslaved people for food.

The arrival of the White Lion was reported by colonist John Rolfe, who is best known for marrying Pocahontas in 1614. He wrote: "About the latter end of August, a Dutch man of Warr of the burden of a 160 tunes arrived at Point-Comfort, the Comandors name Capt Jope, his Pilott for the West Indies one Mr Marmaduke an Englishman. . . . He brought not any thing but 20. and odd Negroes, w[hich] the Governo[r] and Cape Merchant bought for victuall[s]."

The Treasurer was next to arrive. A number of historical accounts reported that the Treasurer turned around quickly after being anchored near Point Comfort, avoiding an order by the governor to detain the ship and question its captain "about his involvement in acts of piracy in the Spanish Indies," according to Horn.

The Treasurer, these accounts reported, headed for Bermuda before returning to Virginia. But Horn says new evidence he found in December while researching archives in London show that the Treasurer arrived in Virginia four days after the White Lion with 28 to 30 Africans that had been captured on the Portuguese slave ship.

"This is the first time documentary evidence shows that the Treasurer did, in fact, leave enslaved Africans in Virginia," Horn said in an interview. "There is a lot going on here on the part of the English to obscure how many Africans are taken and how many arrived in Virginia. . . . The Treasurer left two or three Africans in August or the fall of 1619."

One of those two or three Africans was Angela, who wound up in the household of Pierce.

"The majority of the Angolans were acquired by wealthy and well-connected English planters including Governor Sir George Yeardley and the cape, or head, merchant, Abraham Piersey," according to Jamestown Rediscovery. "The Africans were sold into bondage despite Virginia having no clear-cut laws sanctioning slavery."

But that would change.

- - -

Angela's arrival coincided with another milestone in American history: the meeting of the first General Assembly in Jamestown's newly built wooden church. The assembly is billed by Jamestown Rediscovery as "the oldest continuous law-making body in the western hemisphere."

The legislative body was made up of the governor, his four councilors and 22 burgesses elected by every free white male settler in the colony. Its work from July 30 to Aug. 4, 1619, represented the nation's first experiment with democracy, and its 400th anniversary is being marked this year.

It is a great irony, Horn said, that American slavery and democracy were created at the same time and place.

He said that "1619 gave birth to the great paradox of our nation's founding: slavery in the midst of freedom. It marked both the origin of the most important political development in American history, the rise of democracy, and the emergence of what would become one of the nation's greatest challenges: the corrosive legacy of racial discrimination and inequality that has afflicted our society since its earliest years."

The conditions endured by settlers and enslaved people alike were awful.

The colony, which had been established in 1607, stretched from Point Comfort to what is now Richmond. There were plantations scattered for about 100 miles along the banks of the James River. Jamestown itself probably had a population of about 100.

The colonists had, at one point, nearly been wiped out. In 1609, they were under siege by the Powhatan and facing starvation that led to cannibalism. Capt. John Smith described that horror in a 1624 letter:

"October 1609 - March 1610, there remained not past sixtie men, women and children, most miserable and poore creatures; and those were preserved for the most part, by roots, herbes, acornes, walnuts, berries, now and then a little fish: they that had startch in these extremities, made no small use of it; yea even the very skinnes of our horses.

"Nay, so great was our famine, that a Salvage we slew and buried, the poorer sort tooke him up againe and eat him; and so did divers one another boyled and stewed with roots and herbs: And one amongst the rest did kill his wife, powdered [i.e., salted] her, and had eaten part of her before it was knowne; for which hee was executed, as hee well deserved: now whether shee was better roasted, boyled or carbonado'd [i.e., grilled], I know now; but of such a dish as powdered wife I never heard of."

Angela lived through what is called the "Second Starving Time." "Many people died during the Second Starving Time," Horn said. "There isn't enough corn to support" the large numbers of arriving settlers. "You have a period where food prices, particularly for Indian corn, are astronomical. A lot of poor servants and white indentured servants perished or died of disease. It is a grim period."

Angela probably survived because she lived on the plantation of Pierce, one of the wealthiest men in the colony. "We know some Africans died during that period," Horn said. "We know there were 32 Africans living in the colony in 1620. We know only 23 Africans were living in the colony in 1625."

But by 1626, Angela disappears from the census records. Her fate is unknown.

Jamestown Rediscovery recently released an illustration depicting Angela, circa 1625, standing on the banks of the James River as ships are anchored in the background.

"We wanted to provide a setting for Angela that reflected what was going on in Jamestown at the time," Horn said. "She would have been living in Jamestown six years around 1625, which is a good date for the drawing. She certainly would have been dressed in English clothing. The dockside, it is quite possible she would have spent time down there, which was a few yards from the Pierce house."

Horn said the artist wanted to give Angela a sense of dignity and autonomy. She is not dressed in rags.

"Her clothing would not have been fancy," Horn said, "but everyday working clothing. Essentially, she is dressed in the clothing of a working young woman for the Pierce family."

The illustration allows viewers to fill in the gaps in history, paying due to the colony's first documented African woman.

"I see her not so much as a kind of Eve figure for Africans," Horn said. "There were other Africans in the colony in Virginia. I see the significance of Angela being able to put a name to her and identify her in a place."

And to remind Americans 400 years later what she managed to survive.
When the Rev. Jaymes Robert Moody takes his pulpit to preach, sometimes he pictures the graveyard - that is where his congregation was born.

It was called Georgia Cemetery - named, he has been told, for the place the enslaved were stolen from before being sent to work the fields in Huntsville, Alabama.

The graveyard was where they buried their loved ones. It was there they could gather in private. It was there where they could worship a God who offered not only salvation, but the thing they sought most - the promise of freedom.

That graveyard, and those who founded what is now St. Bartley Primitive Baptist Church in 1820, weighs heavy on the young minister who now leads the congregation. It is not lost on him that the Gospel he preaches, the Gospel so many African-Americans embraced to sustain them through the horrors of beatings and rapes, separations and lynchings, separate and unequal, is the same Gospel used to enslave them.

"That's the history of the black church," said Moody, who at 29 leads a congregation of 2,000 members that will celebrate 200 years in existence next year.

He makes sure every new member goes through a church orientation to learn that history - all of it. He preaches about the ways slaveholders claimed the Bible was on their side, citing passages that commanded servants to obey. And he talks about the ways African-Americans have reclaimed the Bible and its message of liberation.

As America commemorates the 400th anniversary of the creation of representative government in what would become the United States, and the first documented recording of captive Africans being brought to its shores, it is also grappling with the ways the country justified slavery. Nowhere is that discussion more fraught than in its churches.

"Christianity was proslavery," said Yolanda Pierce, the dean of the divinity school at Howard University. "So much of early American Christian identity is predicated on a proslavery theology. From the naming of the slave ships, to who sponsored some of these journeys including some churches, to the fact that so much of early American religious rhetoric is deeply intertwined . . . with slaveholding: It is proslavery." Some Christian institutions, notably Georgetown University in the District of Columbia, are engaged in a reckoning about what it means that their past was rooted in slaveholding. But others have not confronted the topic. "In a certain sense, we've never completely come to terms with that in this nation," Pierce said.

The Africans who were brought to America from 1619 onward carried with them diverse religious traditions. About 20 to 30 percent were Muslim, Pierce said. Some had learned of Christianity before coming to America, but many practiced African spiritual traditions.

Early on, many slaveholders were not concerned with the spiritual well-being of Africans. But few had qualms about using Christianity to justify slavery.

Some theologians said it was providence that had brought Africans to America as slaves, since their enslavement would allow them to encounter the Christian message and thus their eternal souls would be saved, said Mark Noll, a historian of American Christianity.

Some preachers encouraged slave owners to allow their slaves to attend worship services - though only in separate gatherings led by white proslavery preachers. They had to be seated in the back or the balcony of a segregated church. Those men of God argued that the sermons on the injunction in Ephesians and Colossians, "slaves, obey your earthly master," would promote docility among enslaved workers.

The Museum of the Bible in D.C. displays a "slave Bible," published in 1807, which removed portions of Scripture including the Exodus story that could inspire rebellious thinking.

Some ministers promoted the idea that Africans were the descendants of Ham, cursed in the book of Genesis, and thus their enslavement was fitting.

"That biblical interpretation is made up of whole cloth in the 15th century," Noll said. "There's just no historical record of any seriousness to back it up. It's made up, at a time when Europeans are beginning to colonize Africa."

Slaveholders frequently noted that the Israelites of the Old Testament owned slaves.

Abolitionists tried to make arguments against using the Bible to justify slavery, but they were in the minority.

"They were considered to be radical," Noll said. "And often they were considered to be infidels, because how could they say God was opposed to slavery if it was so obvious in the Bible that he was not?"

The foremost objectors, of course, were African-Americans themselves. Large numbers adopted the faith, and they quickly began remaking it into their own.

"As soon as enslaved people learned to read English, they immediately began to read the Bible, and they immediately began to protest this idea of a biblical justification for slavery," Pierce said. "Literally as soon as black people took pen to paper, we are arguing for our own liberation."

Those books and broadsides challenging prevailing biblical interpretations were savvy: "They very quickly learned that the only way we can be heard is to speak the language of our slaveholders, to speak to them about the text that they love, that they believe in," Pierce said.

In the generations since - including during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, as well as a present-day movement spurring new interest in African religions - some African-Americans have rejected Christianity as the religion of the oppressor. Many have embraced Islam or have explored African traditions; young adults today include complaints about the church not doing enough to address racial injustice on their long list of reasons for leaving church.

But for vast numbers, both centuries ago and now, Christianity motivated and uplifted with the promise of heavenly rewards and the possibility that their reward might come on earth, too. Christianity brought enslaved Africans "this powerful and profound sense of hope. That Jesus would return. That there is a life and world after this life. That what is going on with the human body, the mortal realm, is just temporary. That there is eternity. That you will be rewarded, you will experience joy and peace and comfort. . . . That this God is a God of transformation," Pierce said. "No wonder it was embraced."

That conversion did not come without questioning the faith that brought both oppression and liberation.

"More than anything, this challenged them the most: The challenge of believing in a God that at the time was used to intend to pacify, but still believing in the God that could provide freedom," Moody said.

The religion of African-American Christians and white Christians is constructed on the same tenets - the belief in an almighty God, Jesus Christ as savior and the Holy Spirit as comforter. But the divide that began with such wildly divergent interpretations of the Bible's message about slavery would only expand. As of 2014, 80 percent of American churchgoers attended churches where at least 80 percent of the congregation is of only one race, according to Pew Research Center.

"The church gave spiritual sanction [to racism], both overtly by the things that it taught and covertly by the critique that it did not raise," said Bishop Claude Alexander, who leads Park Church in Charlotte.

Political priorities vary widely. White evangelicals tend to be more focused on issues such as abortion and sexuality, while many black Christians rate issues of economic and racial inequality and criminal justice higher, Alexander said. "How does one account for that difference in priority when these groups basically believe the same thing?" he asked. "If I've never experienced oppression or marginalization outside of the womb, then it's easy for me to make what happens inside the womb a priority," he theorized.

"There's no quote-unquote 'theology' that's not shaped by context," he said. And racialized violence is the context that has always shaped America, and the American church, Alexander said. "It was the amniotic fluid out of which our nation was born," he said.

But he's looking to change the context. He is working on putting together groups of leaders - such as the presidents of predominantly white evangelical colleges and the presidents of historically black colleges; the pastors of influential white churches and influential black churches - who will travel together on what Alexander terms "pilgrimages."

They will travel together to the sites of America's unhealed racial wounds. To the lynching memorial in Montgomery, Ala. To Charleston harbor, where so many enslaved people were transported that, to this day, 60 percent of African Americans can trace their history back to that bloody port. To Virginia, where the first enslaved Africans set foot on this soil in 1619.

Perhaps, he hopes, they will leave their pilgrimage ready to face the fifth century since then with a bit more grace.
ALTON  Two face drug and weapon charges after complaints to Alton police regarding a home on Hawthorne Boulevard led to a multi-week investigation and subsequent search warrant.

Alton Police Department detectives, with the assistance of the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System Special Response Team (ILEAS SRT), executed the warrant at a residence at residence, in the 3200 block of Hawthorne, early Friday morning. Arrested were two residents, Jared W. Myers, 39, and Cheyanne M. Shaw, 19.

A Madison County judge granted and signed the search warrant based on evidence from a multi-week investigation led by Alton detectives. The investigation was initiated after receiving several citizen complaints of possible drug activity at the residence.

As a part of the investigation, Alton Police detectives conducted surveillance and used additional investigative techniques to confirm that methamphetamine was being distributed from the residence. The detectives also had knowledge that at least one occupant of this residence was armed with a firearm.

During the execution of the search warrant, subjects in the residence were detained, and a thorough search resulted in the discovery of items that supported that illegal drugs were being used at, and distributed from, this residence. The search also resulted in the recovery of stolen firearms.

Myers and Shaw were each charged with one count of armed violence, one count of unlawful possession withintent to deliver methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, and unlawful delivery of methamphetamine.

A total bond of $325,000 has been set for the above charges for both Myers and Shaw, and both remained in custody at the Madison County Jail Tuesday.
Job Title: Corporate

Relationship Manager

Organisation: Future

Options Consulting Ltd

Duty Station: Kampala,

Uganda

Reports to: Head

of Business

About US:

Future Options

Consulting Ltd is an online recruitment services which now seeks to recruit on

behalf of its valued client, a leading commercial bank operating in Uganda.

Job Summary: The Corporate Relationship Manager will develop

and manage Corporate Relationships effectively, protecting the Banks interest

at all times. He/she is responsible in conjunction for a portfolio of customers

allocated to him/her and to the Superior, and supporting the Superior in the

credit process and products/service sales including the daily management and

monitoring of accounts. The incumbent will provide administrative support to

the Customer in terms of paperwork, reports, corporate customer details, CAs,

letters of offer, financial analysis for CAs, correspondence, and any other

corporate matters/issues as needed by Head of Business, from time to time.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:



Sourcing

for credible credit proposals to meet the set business targets as per KPI.



Responsible

for the interface and support between the bank and the client or prospective

clients.



Maintaining

good customer relationship in order to ensure that customer needs are met and

are in line with the strategic objectives of the bank.



Identifying

and development of corporate business with emphasis on fee income generation,

lending and trade finance.



Promote

the banks range of services continuously by:



Updating

knowledge of banks products and services with a view to cross selling them.



Sensitising

customers to our branches/regional network.



Updating

knowledge of competitors products/pricing.



Customer

relationship management on existing and potential customers for development of

business.



Managing,

monitoring, controlling, and being responsible for the assigned/developed

corporate lending portfolio.



Tasked

with preparing Credit call reports and recommending credit facilities to the

appropriate final approval authority.



Arrange

for or undertake when required analysis and interpretation of financial

statements submitted by customers. Such

analysis to be incorporated in the Credit application being submitted for

approval.



Provide

personal service to customers by visiting them (making calls) on the site and

reporting work progress to the HOD



Review/preparation

of Letters of Offer, Call Reports, and other official documentation.



Scrutinizing

security documentation from customers.



Monitoring

of existing facilities to ensure any security documentation e.g. Insurances,

land rent and rates, audited accounts revaluations that needs to be renewed is

done on time.



Ensure

compliance with all aspects of the banks policy and procedures on credit.



In

charge of monitoring of existing facilities to make sure they are up-to-date

with repayments and if not, follow-up for payments.



Assist

HOD with drafting correspondence and communications to customers.



Deal

with customer queries over a range of credit matters and resolve to the

satisfaction of customer.



Monitoring

the TOD for Corporate accounts and liaising with the Branch on reasons for

excess, e.t.c



Directing/assisting/preparing,

submitting the weekly statistics and reports



In

charge of monitoring repayment schedule to ensure clearance on a monthly basis

to ensure no arrears.



Ensuring

corporate customer file is properly maintained and papers filed correctly.



Perform

any other matters that may be assigned by management from time to time

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:



The

applicant must hold an Honors degree in business related field from a

recognized university



Financial

Management and analytic skills.



Good

word processing skills, strong verbal and written communication skills,



Computer

literacy skills



Five

years of experience in banking in credit, Marketing or business.



Proven

Relationship Management skills with customers.



Ability

to handle a diverse loan portfolio, mix, complexity and customer base.



A

structured approach to dealing with complex and variable work environments in

an independent manner.



Ability

to balance opposing business requirements.



Ability

to balance long term and short term requirements independently



Strong

evaluation, communication and reporting skills



Able to

provide advice and cause/effect evaluation to support business decision making



Independent

and logical thinker, yet an achiever and implementer



Leads by

example



Good at

managing large volumes of information and can add value through management

reporting



Builds

relationships and networks easily



Has a

strong service ethic

How to Apply:

All interested

candidates are invited to send their applications enclosing curriculum vitae,

copies of academic and professional certificates along with the names and

contacts of three referees. Applications should be sent by post, courier, hand

delivery or e-mail to the address given below; The Director, Executive

Recruitment, Future Options Consulting Ltd, 4th Floor, DTB Centre, Kampala

Road, P.O. Box: 34934, Kampala, Uganda. Phone: +256-414-231204/206, Email:

hr@futureoptionsug.com

Deadline: 6th May 2019

For more of the

latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or

find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
Job Title: Credit Specialist

Organisation: Village

Power

Duty Station: Kampala,

Uganda

About US:

Village Power

Ugandas mission is to empower people to improve their standard of living by

building a last mile- customer centric sales and distribution network that will

enable access to sustainable solar energy solutions.

Job Summary: The Credit Specialist will play a very

important role in managing the companys credit portfolio from end-to-end: from

prospective customer risk assessment through to overall portfolio analysis and

monitoring, and supporting measures to work with customers to secure payments.

The duty station for this role is at the head quarter in Kampala, although one

may be required to travel upcountry from time to time. This function reports to the Head of Finance

& Administration.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:



Design

(incl. KPI definition), implement, manage, and monitor loan management and

system recovery processes and policies



Credit

check new customers and open new credit accounts ensuring the Village Power has

all the relevant information on the debtor.



Keenly

monitor the health of the overall PAYG portfolio on a daily basis to detect any

trends or warnings within the portfolio through different lenses such as store,

payment plans, customer group etc.



The

incumbent will also manage down default and overdue rates by analyzing payment

trends and determining effective interventions



Mange

the relationship with external debt collectors: selection of accounts;

monitoring progress on accounts being worked; handling customer feedback



Resolve

disputes with customers regarding payments, possession of systems etc.



Advise

on the legal and other recovery actions against bad debtors



Maintain

an accurate record of all debt chasing activity and provide a weekly

performance report



Perform

any other relevant duties that may be assigned by supervisor as necessary

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:



The

applicant must have qualifications / training in finance and credit management



Proven

experience as a credit analyst or specialist



Strong

analytical skills including competence in using analytics tools such as MS

Excel



A

strategic thinker



A back

ground in micro finance would be of great advantage



Flexible,

adaptable, problem-solving and

results-oriented mind-set necessary in a start-up environment

How to Apply:

All suitably

qualified candidates are encouraged to send their applications to

hr@village-power.ug

For more of the

latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or

find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline






Job Title: Head of English

Organization: GEMS

Cambridge International School

Duty Station: Kampala,

Uganda

About US:

GEMS Cambridge

International School, Kampala offers the National Curriculum for England.

The school offers excellent facilities set in a modern campus in one of

Kampalas most prestigious new developments. As well as being a great place to

work, our school is situated on a beautiful site in view of Lake Victoria where

the sun shines all year round but rain provides a welcome interlude. Teachers

in Kampala enjoy an excellent lifestyle as well as extensive travel

opportunities within the Pearl of Africa and beyond.

Job Summary: The Head of English who aspires to be an

outstanding practitioner in the classroom.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:



The

applicant must be a teacher who is willing and adept at personalising learning

for every student;



A

teacher who believes passionately in the education of the whole child and

therefore fully embraces the GEMS core values that characterise our

school.



Willingness

to fully contribute to, and lead where appropriate, our extensive

extra-curricular programme.

How to Apply:

All candidates who

wish to join the GEMS Cambridge International School should apply online at the

link below. Include the following;

Resume/CV

Click

Here

Deadline: 3rd May 2019

For more of the latest

jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or

find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline






Job

Title: Market

Development Officer

Organization: Mercy

Corps

Duty Station:

Uganda

Reports to: Project

Manager

About US:

Mercy Corps is an

International NGO that exists to alleviate poverty and oppression by helping

people build secure, productive and just communities. Mercy Corps has been

fully registered in Uganda as an operational NGO. Currently Mercy Corps has an

office in Kampala and is implementing Food Security programs which comprise of

Water and Sanitation, Livelihood and Agriculture and Conflict Mitigation Management

Program in North and North Eastern Uganda. We implement programs in the

northern districts of Pader, Kitgum, Agago, Lamwo, Kaabong, Abim and Kotido

with funding from USAID, USDA, Walmart Foundation, SDC, DFID as well as other

private donations.

About DYNAMIC:

Working in consortia

with GOAL, VSO and Restless Development, the Driving Youth-led New Agribusiness

and Microenterprise (DYNAMIC) program will strengthen systems and facilitate

creation of sustainable economic opportunities for disadvantaged youth.

DYNAMICs goal is to increase the number of young people who are in secure

employment or self-employment and to promote agricultural market systems for youth.

DYNAMIC will reach 125,000 out-of-school youth aged 1524 in nine districts of

northern Uganda over five years. Through a market facilitation approach, youth

already engaged in on-farm activities will move from subsistence to more

productive and profitable farming. DYNAMIC will increase the employability of

youth by facilitating access to demand driven technical skills, knowledge and

market information. In parallel, DYNAMIC will link agribusinesses and

microenterprises to market opportunities and diverse stakeholders, and ensure

they can utilize financial services.

Job Summary: The Market Development Officer will be implementing

all aspects of the market systems development component of the district and

lower level DYNAMIC program. S/he will be required to apply a wide variety of

market development tools and approaches in order to catalyze innovative

services and facilitate linkages between market actors in the assigned program

areas.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategy &

Vision



Gather

and analyze relevant market information for the purpose of accurate and

confident decision-making in determining program strategy and selection of

potential partners.



Actively

participate in assessments in the target geographic areas to assess current

situation, economic opportunities and resources, needs and potential programs

as well as challenges.



Identify

value-addition opportunities that strengthen economic opportunities, especially

for young women and rural youth, in the livestock and agriculture sectors as

identified by local and national government as well as independent market

studies and needs assessments.



Support

in setting direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to

achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

Program Management



Introduce

program to relevant stakeholders including local business owners, local

representatives and community members.



In

coordination with technical specialists and local partners, plan, implement and

monitor market development activities.



Ensure

that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established

vulnerability criteria.



Ensure

program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E

systems to reach desired impacts.



Fulfill

Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the

organization-wide guide.



Ensure

all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles,

and beneficiary accountability standards.



Work

closely with supervisor to capture data for measuring output and impact of the

program; and to ensure accurate and timely flow of information from the field.

Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where

alternative viewpoints are welcomed.



Prepare

and submit timely weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports that will be

indicative of program progress during implementation. Respond to queries if and

when necessary.



Maintain

proper filing system.

Team Management



Assist

team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance &

reach objectives.



Create

and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to

achieve excellence.

Finance &

Compliance Management



Ensure

compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency

programming.



Draft

and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants,

including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence &

Representation



Identify,

build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners,

sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.



Communicate

effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Security



Ensure

compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country

leadership.



Proactively

ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of

policies.

Organizational

Learning



As part

of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our

understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and

relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5%

of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as

themselves.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:



The

ideal candidate for the Mercy Corps Market Development Officer job opportunity

should hold a Bachelors degree in business, agribusiness, economics or other

relevant field



Good

understanding of business and knowledge of private sector, with a minimum of 3

years practical experience in the private sector or related industry.



Knowledge

of the agricultural sectors highly desirable.



Excellent

(English) verbal and written communication skills.



Strong

computer literacy with a full knowledge of office applications.



Good

negotiation skills and high tolerance for uncertainty



Demonstrated

flexibility, creativity and enthusiasm as well as a willingness to learn and to

be continually adaptive within a dynamic and often self-directed working

environment mandatory.



Willingness

to spend much time in the field and work closely with program target groups.



Ability

and or willingness to ride motorcycle is an added advantage.



The

successful candidate will be one with a coherent sense of strategy to

prioritize and guide activities, context sensitive and open to criticism and

constantly step back from details to look for bigger picture.



He or

she is persistent; able to deal with rejection/failure (trial and error) and

motivated and enthusiastic

How to Apply:

All suitably

qualified and interested candidates should send their E-mail applications

including a cover letter clearly stating the salary requirements, updated CV

(with three professional referees), and copies of academic

qualifications/certificates addressed to the Senior HR and Legal Manager, Mercy

Corps Uganda to: ug-mcjobs@mercycorps.org

Deadline: 8th May 2019

For more of the

latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or

find us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
















MARGARET WEEDEN, Chariho, Girls Track, Senior; Weeden won two events for the Chargers in the first meet of the season. Weeden was first in the high jump (5-0) and the long jump 15-1.

ANNE DRAGO, Stonington, Girls Basketball, Senior; Drago scored 39 points in three games as Stonington started the season 1-2. Drago had 16 in a loss to Fitch, 12 in a win against Griswold and 11 in a defeat to Ledyard.

SYDNEY HAIK, Westerly, Girls Basketball, Sophomore; Haik scored 14 points as the Bulldogs opened the season with a victory over Cumberland. Haik had three 3-pointers, five assists and five steals.

ZANE BREWER, Wheeler, Boys Basketball, Freshman; Brewer scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Lions season-opening win over Grasso Tech. Brewer followed that with 18 points and five rebounds in a loss to Hale-Ray.

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Drivers caught not wearing a seat belt should be handed penalty points, says more than seven out of 10 people in a new survey.

The majority, 72 per cent, would back a law change meaning motorists would be issued with points - in some cases potentially losing their licence - for not being strapped in.

The ongoing issue of motorists failing to wear their safety belts was highlighted in the latest road casualty statistics, which showed that more than a quarter of the 787 people who died in crashes on Britain's roads in 2017 were not bucked up.

Road Safety Minister, Jesse Norman, said the Government was already looking into the introduction of brandishing penalty points to motorists found not wearing their belts.

Belt up or get points: Some 72% of people would support the introduction of penalty points for drivers caught not wearing a seat belt, according to a new survey

Over previous years, the number of road deaths where occupants were not belted up averaged between 19 per cent and 22 per cent.

However, in 2017 that proportion increased to 27 per cent, suggesting that buckling up may have saved the lives of a quarter of people killed in cars in Britain that year.

This suggests the current penalty - a fine of up to 100 - isn't proving enough of a deterrent for those who drive without being correctly restrained in a vehicle.

The new survey of more than 2,000 people by insurer Direct Line found that three points on a licence would be an appropriate punishment to persuade motorists to wear their belts, according to 58 per cent of respondents.

Just under a third believed six points  the same punishment for using a mobile behind the wheel  would be more suitable.

Just one in seven respondents said the current system of no points should continue.

Jesse Norman said he welcomed the research, adding that the Government is 'actively looking at whether to introduce penalty points'.

In Britain, the fixed penalty for failing to wear a seat belt is 100 and offenders face a fine of up to 500 if a case goes to court.

Prince Philip was spoken to by police in January after being photographed driving without a seat belt.

Introducing three points for not wearing a seat belt  which is already the case in Northern Ireland  could see some offenders losing their licence.

This is because motorists can be disqualified from driving if they build up 12 or more points within three years.

In Britain, the fixed penalty for failing to wear a seat belt is 100 and offenders face a fine of up to 500 if a case goes to court

The 27% of car occupants killed in Britain while not wearing a seat belt in 2017 was the highest since records began, according to Department for Transport stats

A survey commissioned by road safety charity Brake earlier this year indicated that nearly half (49 per cent) of young drivers had been in a car with someone not wearing a seat belt in the previous 12 months.

Direct Line and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) called for a punishment of three penalty points to be introduced in Britain, greater enforcement of the seat belt law through intelligence-led measures and increased public perception of offenders being caught.

Pacts executive director David Davies said it was 'a shock' to discover the number of people killed while not wearing a seat belt, and accepted that the road safety community has 'taken its eye off the ball'.

Making the offence punishable with three penalty points would have 'no impact' on most drivers but would 'substantially reduce' the number of people killed or seriously injured each year, he added.

Gus Park, managing director of motor insurance at Direct Line, described the introduction of mandatory seat belt wearing 36 years ago as 'one of the most effective road safety measures in the history of motoring'.

He went on: 'It may not prevent collisions, but it can and does prevent death and serious injury.'

Ian McIntosh, CEO of RED Driving School said it was 'fantastic' to see the public support a change to legislation to help curb the number of motorists travelling in a vehicle while not wearing a belt.

'Large fines and points can be a harsh penalty, but if that is what it takes to keep people safer on the roads then it is absolutely necessary,' he said.

'The good news is that the technology to enforce these regulations is also falling into place.

'The new so-called yellow vulture speed cameras being rolled out around the country have extremely accurate LED technology that will be able to identify when people are not following regulations in addition to speed  such as not wearing seatbelts or using mobile phones.'

AA president Edmund King said: 'It is surprising that drivers haven't learnt lessons from the most high-profile and tragic car crash case of all-time, where Princess Diana, Dodi Fayad and driver Henri Paul all died without wearing seat belts.

'Bigger fines and penalty points for not wearing seat belts should be introduced as soon as possible to persuade drivers of the importance of belting up.'
Car production fell for the tenth month in a row as demand from home and abroad continues to wain, according to new industry figures released on Tuesday.

Just over 126,000 cars were built in March, down by 14 per cent on the same month last year, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Manufacturing for the home market dropped by 18 per cent, and by 13 per cent for overseas customers - which account for almost eight in 10 new cars made in the UK - driven by soft demand in Asia and Europe.

UK vehicle production labours: Around 126,000 cars were built in March, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders

The latest figures add to what has already been a difficult year for the nation's car makers.

As well as being down 14 per cent on March 2018 outputs, UK vehicle production is a massive 35 per cent behind where it was in the same month two years ago.

It means motor manufacturing for 2019 after the first three months has slumped to a 15.9 per cent year-on-year decline from 440,530 to 370,289.

It comes as little surprise considering the fall in demand for new cars in Europe and the Chinese market, but also decisions made by automotive firms to cut back on UK operations due to the stall in diesel sales and Brexit.

This has already resulted factory closures, staff redundancies and company threats to pull production from the UK - but the SMMT says the impact could soon worsen.

The latest independent production forecast said if Britain crashes out of the EU and falls back on World Trade Organisation rules for a sustained period, output is forecast to fall around 30 per cent on recent levels to 1.07 million units by 2021, a level consistent with the 'dark days' of the mid-1980s, the society warned.

However, if there is a favourable Brexit deal and transition period maintaining the status quo, UK car production could be 1.36 million units in 2019 - down from 1.52 million in 2018 - before rising to 1.42 million by 2021, said the SMMT.

Year to date production is now down by almost 16%, the latest figures show

'Dark days' could return: If Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, UK production levels could fall as low they were in the mid-1980s, the SMMT warned

Drop off: This SMMT table shows the sharp decline in outputs in the UK in the last three years

Chief executive Mike Hawes said: 'Despite the extension, the Brexit clock is still ticking and a devastating no deal remains a threat.

'This new period of limbo does not end the havoc for industry, with investment stopped and expensive factory shutdowns moved to avoid a Brexit deadline that has itself now moved.

'Just a few years ago, industry was on track to produce two million cars by 2020  a target now impossible with Britain's reputation as a stable and attractive business environment undermined.

'All parties must find a compromise urgently so we can set about repairing the damage and diverting energy and investment to the technological challenges that will define the future of the global industry.'

Justin Benson, head of automotive at KPMG UK said four things need to happen for the industry to get back on the upward curve and improve inward investment sentiment in the country.

He said the list consists of: 'a conclusion on Brexit; continued focus on customer experience; close control of costs; and, renewed vigour for exports to increase the UK's share of the global market.'

Alex Buttle, director of car selling site Motorway.co.uk added: 'There needs to be a resolution on October 31, one way or another, so everyone can move on and the car industry can adjust to a post-Brexit Britain landscape.

'The worry is that by then our car industry will be in such a chaotic state, that it will take years to recover both sales and our global reputation.'
Charity ties? Ferrexpo chief exec Ukrainian billionaire Kostyantin Zhevago

Ferrexpo was thrown into crisis as its former auditor accused it of foot-dragging over a multi-million-pound corruption scandal.

Two directors resigned from the iron ore miner following the release of a report on Friday which said Deloitte had quit because it was unhappy about a review into allegations of possible misuse of funds.

But last night Ferrexpo revealed that Deloitte walked away because it had waited months before opening an independent investigation into million of pounds handed to Blooming Land, a health charity set up in Ukraine as part of outreach work.

Shares in the Ukrainian iron ore miner plunged 28 per cent on Friday after Deloitte abruptly stood down as its accountant over the Blooming Land spat, but details of the delayed probe were only made public last night.

Deloitte said it had repeatedly called for Ferrexpo to start a probe from November 2018, but this did not happen until February.

The review found some of Blooming Land's funds could have been misappropriated, but no conclusive evidence of this has yet come to light.

Ferrexpo said it 'believes it initiated the formal independent review at the appropriate time, given the other steps it was taking and all the surrounding circumstances'.

Ferrexpo's independent committee concluded Blooming Land was not connected to the miner's chief executive, Ukrainian billionaire Kostyantin Zhevago.

But this did not chime with Deloitte's findings, which said it was 'unable to conclude' if Zhevago, 45, had ties to the charity.

Ferrexpo gave Blooming Land about 85million in the past six years. The company says Blooming Land's activities include diabetes prevention, eyesight care and support for the elderly.

Shortly after Deloitte's announcement on Friday, non-executive directors Mary Reilly and Bert Nacken said they would leave after the company's annual meeting in June.

But yesterday Ferrexpo said Reilly, head of its audit committee, and Nacken, head of the board's pay group, have already left.

Chairman Steve Lucas said they are now looking for new auditors and replacement non-executives.

He added: 'We are disappointed by Deloitte's resignation and its reasons, as well as the resignation of Ms Reilly and Mr Nacken.

As reported in 2018 full-year results, at this stage we cannot conclude as to the ultimate use of all of the funds by the charity.'

Shares rose 5.1 per cent, or 9.8p, to 202.4p.
Maxime Lombardini sold shares just weeks before Iliad announced a surprise takeover bid for T-Mobile US

The chairman of French telecoms company Iliad has been find 520,000 over illegal insider trades that benefited himself and his girlfriend.

Maxime Lombardini sold a chunk of shares just weeks before Iliad announced a surprise takeover bid in 2014 for T-Mobile US, which caused Iliad's shares to plunge.

The trades allowed Lombardini, 53, and his partner to avoid losses of 160,500 and 9,900 respectively, according to French regulator the Autorite des Marches Financiers.

Lombardini was able to avoid the damage caused by a 19 per cent drop in Iliad's share price in the days following its bid because his knowledge gave him an unfair advantage, the regulator ruled.

Days after Iliad made its offer public, on July 31, 2014, the bid was turned down
Economic optimism among Europe's industrial firms and hit a two-year low this month

European firms became more pessimistic about the economy as confidence among their British counterparts grew for the second month in a row.

Economic optimism among the Continent's industrial companies and retail bosses hit a two-year low this month, according to official figures from the European Commission.

They were downbeat about their order books, with the commission saying expectations for production rates had 'deteriorated significantly'.

The report's authors added: 'This reflected households' more pessimistic expectations about their future financial situation and, in particular, the general economic situation.'

The glum update was in marked contrast to the latest research by High Street lender Lloyds, which said UK business confidence had risen in April.

Lloyds said confidence had improved in nine of 12 regions in the country, particularly in London, the West Midlands and the North West.

It said confidence rose four points to 14pc. The figure is calculated from companies' views on their own prospects and those of the wider UK economy. The highest figure recorded was 24 per cent in 2002.

Hann-Ju Ho, a senior economist at Lloyds, said yesterday: 'Firms appear more positive about both their own trading prospects and the broader economy.'
Spotify has become the world's first music streaming service to reach 100million paying subscribers as it fights a vicious turf war with Silicon Valley's tech titans.

The milestone is an early victory for the Swedish firm amid fierce competition from rival services run by Apple, Google and Amazon.

The company revealed revenues had surged by 33 per cent to 1.3billion in the first quarter and losses narrowed to 146million  a better result than analysts expected.

Hit factory: Spotify users streamed songs by Ariana Grande 3 billion times in 2018. The Swedish firm revealed revenues had surged by 33 per cent to 1.3bn in the first quarter

But the pressure on the New York-listed business is set to increase after Google and Amazon both unveiled free versions of their music streaming platforms this month. Paid-for service Apple Music is also gaining fast on Spotify, boasting 50m subscribers, and has surpassed it in the US.

It has prompted fears Spotify will be out-gunned by the tech giants which have vast resources at their disposal.

As the competition has increased, Spotify has branched out into other types of media such as podcasts, and has also starting seeking listeners in developing countries such as India.

Yesterday analysts said this appeared to be paying off but they cautioned that the company cannot rest on its laurels.

Daniel Ek, Spotify's chief executive and co-founder, insisted he is not worried by the opposition because there are more than enough potential customers to go round.

The 36-year-old said: 'We've always had competition. Competition has always come in the form of much larger players  that's not unusual to us.

'Yet, we keep on doing what we said we are going to do and keep on growing at more than 30 per cent per year.

'And the point with that, I think, is that the music industry market is just way bigger than most people realise.'

Spotify said it has 217m users overall. Those who do not pay must listen to advertisements between songs.

The firm makes the vast majority of its income from its 9.99-per-month 'premium' subscription which gives listeners access to an advert-free service and other features. Currently 100m pay for this service.

Globally Spotify still has double the amount of paying subscribers as Apple but in the crucial US market it has been overtaken.

Apple Music is thought to have more than 28m paying US subscribers, while Spotify has around 26m, it was reported this month.

There is a brutal battle for American listeners between the rivals, with Spotify offering discounted subscriptions and bundles with video service Hulu.

In Europe, the Swedish company has separately stepped up its fight with Apple by filing a competition complaint against the iPhone maker.

Spotify claims Apple has abused its control of the iPhone App Store to the advantage of its own music service  an allegation Apple has denied.

But it also faces pressure from Google and Amazon, which are launching ad-supported versions of their music streaming services that will be compatible with their smart speaker devices.

Analysts estimate Amazon has around 20m paying subscribers for its music service.

Spotify's results yesterday helped ease concerns it would be crushed by its bigger rivals. It forecasts revenue of up to 5.9billion for 2019, slightly above analyst expectations of 5.8billion, and said it expects to reach 127m paying subscribers in that time.

Nicholas Hyett, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'With rivals of the calibre of Amazon and Apple, Spotify can't afford to rest on its laurels, but so far the group seems to be more than capable of holding its own.'

Spotify said it spent nearly 310million last year buying podcast firms Gimlet Media, Anchor FM and Parcast.
Sir Philip Green and directors of his Arcadia retail empire will today discuss its future amid a crisis on the High Street.

The Topshop tycoon, 67, is plotting a major overhaul of Arcadias portfolio, which is expected to involve the closure of around 50 shops.

A decision could be made as early as tomorrow on whether to proceed with the proposals, known as a company voluntary arrangement, according to Sky News.

Troubled times: Sir Philip Green with his daughter Chloe and wife Tina

Arcadia  which owns Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, Burton, Evans and Wallis  will need the support of landlords, pension trustees and other stakeholders in order to push through the shake-up.

If Green fails to secure their support, a sale of the company is expected to be launched within weeks.

Brands such as Topshop and Miss Selfridge have struggled as younger shoppers flock to online rivals such as Asos and Boohoo instead.

Arcadia declined to comment last night.
Boeing boss Dennis Muilenburg narrowly survived a bid to weaken his control of the plane maker in the face of investor fury over fatal crashes.

More than a third of investors voted in favour of forcing Muilenburg to give up one of his three roles of chief executive, chairman and president, amid angry scenes at the group's annual meeting.

The 55-year-old has been criticised after two of Boeing's 737 Max jets crashed due to problems with their flight systems, killing hundreds of people.

More than a third of investors voted for Dennis Muilenburg to give up one of his three roles as chief exec, chairman and president

The jets have been grounded and shares dropped 10 per cent after last month's Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Last week Boeing abandoned its financial outlook for 2019, halted share buybacks and said cuts to 737 Max prduction have cost it 773million so far.

Muilenburg vowed that the 737 Max will become the safest plane in the air once the automatic safety feature that is the focus of the crash investigations is fixed.

He said: 'Safety is at the core of what we do.'
The AA's finance boss has quit after five years so he can devote his time to anti-Brexit party Change UK.

Martin Clarke has stepped down immediately and does not have another job.

He previously worked for private equity companies, where his robust approach earned him the nickname 'the sledgehammer'.

The AA's finance boss has quit to return to private investing politics with Change UK

He was accused of bullying  which he denies  by former chief executive Bob Mackenzie, who was sacked following a punch-up in 2017.

In a statement, the finance director said: 'For me, now is the right time to return to my twin passions of private investing and politics.'

Clarke, 62, was a long-time Labour supporter and previously donated money to Yvette Cooper, and has been a vocal critic of Jeremy Corbyn.

But he is also a close friend of Chuka Umunna, who founded Change UK alongside six other anti-Brexit MPs, and is known to have switched allegiance.

Clarke is not running in the upcoming European elections as a candidate for Change UK, which is campaigning to overturn the EU referendum result.

But his abrupt departure from the roadside assistance firm has prompted questions about whether he is considering taking a more active position in the new party.

Clarke said it was the right time to leave the AA after it recently refinanced and unveiled its full-year results  which revealed it lost 80,000 customers in 2018 and that profits plunged 62 per cent.

He added: 'I remain a major personal investor in the company and wish it well for the future.'

He holds a 0.2 per cent stake in the AA, which is worth around 800,000, and earned 560,000 last year.

Another member of the finance team, Mark Strickland, has been appointed interim chief financial officer of the AA, which provides car insurance and breakdown cover. The AA said it has already started a search for a permanent successor.

Clarke was one of the AA bosses who was accused by Mackenzie of bullying in the run-up to a hotel brawl in 2017 that cost Mackenzie his job.

Mackenzie said he was picked on by fellow staff and was suffering severe psychological problems when he attacked insurance chief Mike Lloyd.

Analysts at Citi said: 'A change in management is invariably viewed by the market with a degree of suspicion, particularly, as in this case, when the change is with immediate effect.'

Change UK was not available for comment last night.
Estate agent group Countrywide has warned profits will fall in the first half due to a Brexit-induced slowdown in the property market, especially in London and the South.

The group, which operates several brands including Bairstow Eves and Hamptons estate agents, said it expects underlying earnings to fall by around 5million - the maximum fall within its previous expected range.

It had previously forecast a profit fall of between 3million and 5million.

Falling profits: Countrywide said Brexit uncertainty was affecting London and the South most

The group said in a statement ahead of its annual general meeting today: 'As outlined at our preliminary results in March 2019, the ongoing uncertainties surrounding Brexit continue to weigh heavily on consumer confidence as a whole.

'For Countrywide, this uncertainty is affecting the residential and commercial property markets, particularly in London and the South.'

Estate agents like Countrywide have been hit by a fall in sales volumes, especially in London and the South East, and by competition from online rivals like Purplebricks, Hatched and Yopa.

In the first quarter, Countrywide total income fell 3 per cent to 140.3million, from 144.6million for the same period in 2018.

But the firm expects its full-year out-turn to be 'broadly in line' with expectations as cost cutting is set to offset the market woes.

Shares in Countrywide fell 2 per cent, or 0.14p, to 6.90p in morning trading.

The estate agent's share price has been in decline, having shed over 95 per cent of its value over the past five years.

Earlier this year, Countrywide was hit with a 215,000 fine by HMRC for money-laundering failures.

In decline: Countrywide shares have lost 95 per cent of their value over the past 5 years

The company was fined for failing to ensure that its money-laundering procedures and record-keeping were in line with regulations.

HMRC also made surprise visits to 50 estate agents in a week to crack down on money-laundering in the industry.

Last year, Countrywide used a 140million placing to raise cash from its shareholders 'to reduce the balance on the revolving credit facility and reduce leverage.'
The UK supermarket sector has fattened up after shoppers spent a record 2.5billion on Easter celebrations this year.

Hungry Brits snapped up 335million worth of Easter eggs and chocolates in the last 12 weeks, according to the latest grocery figures from Kantar.

But while a buoyant and warm Easter season gave most UK supermarkets a lift, Sainsbury's was the only firm to miss out with sales falling 1.2 per cent, Kantar said.

A rough week: Troubled Sainsbury's was the only UK grocer to see sales fall during the period

The disappointing sales figures come just days after the UK competition watchdog blocked Sainsbury's planned merger with Asda - news which sunk the orange supermarket's shares to their lowest level since 2003 and cast doubt over boss Mike Coupe's role at the helm.

Sainsbury's did, however, reclaim its position as the UK's second biggest supermarket by market share after being briefly knocked off its perch last month by Walmart-owned Asda.

'The supermarket achieved double-digit growth online which coincides with the launch of its first mobile-only payment store in central London this week,' said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar.

Discount chain Aldi was, once again, the fastest growing supermarket in the 12 weeks, attracting an additional 823,000 customers and an 11.6 per cent sales rise as it opened new stores.

The grocer's boss Giles Hurley said it was a 'record-breaking Easter' for Aldi, thanks strong sales of its Hot Cross Buns.

'This strong Easter trading period, following our best-ever Christmas, shows that Aldi is increasingly becoming the supermarket of choice for key seasonal events,' he said.

Aldi now occupies a 7.9 per cent share of the UK grocery market.

Grocery wars: Aldi boss Giles Hurley said it was a 'record-breaking Easter' thanks strong sales of its Hot Cross Buns

During the period, Aldi's rival Lidl reached an new market share high of 5.7 per cent as more shoppers visited the chain to stock up on fresh food, such as dairy, fruit, vegetables and salads.

Kantar added that, as the dust settles on the decision to block the Sainsbury's-Asda merger, Tesco's position as the UK's largest supermarket remains secure.

'More than three quarters of British households visited Tesco in the past 12 weeks, over five million more than each of its two closest rivals,' McKevitt explained.

Warm weather over Easter also helped supermarkets achieve year-on-year sales growth of 2 per cent as it boosted sales of ice cream and hay fever remedies.
Around four retailers are going bust every day as rising costs and fierce online competition wreak havoc on Britain's high streets.

In a bleak report, underlining the crisis engulfing the industry, the Insolvency Service said 350 shop owners collapsed between January and March.

That was 25 per cent higher than in the same period last year, and 40 per cent up compared with the final three months of 2018.

In a bleak report, underlining the crisis engulfing the industry, the Insolvency Service said 350 shop owners collapsed between January and March

Experts warned that the High Street will continue to lose shops as retailers are hammered by crippling business rates and soaring rents.

At the same time, traditional retailers are battling to hang on to customers flocking to online giants such as Amazon and Asos.

Many are slashing prices in a desperate bid to boost sales, hitting profits along the way, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis urged ministers to overhaul business rates and introduce a 2 per cent online sales tax to ease pressure on shopkeepers.

The crisis has been highlighted by the Mail's Save the High Street campaign which is calling for a level playing field between bricks-and-mortar retailers and internet-only firms.

A string of high-profile names have collapsed this year, including Debenhams, LK Bennett and HMV.

Sainsbury's lags behind its rivals Speculation is mounting over the future of Sainsbury's chief exec Mike Coupe Sainsbury's was the only supermarket to post a fall in sales over Easter despite a record 2.5billion spending bonanza. Sales at the UK's second-largest grocer dipped 1.2 per cent over the 12 weeks to April 21, latest Kantar supermarket data revealed, just days after the Competition and Markets Authority blocked Sainsbury's planned 12billion merger with Asda. Sainsbury's full-year results today are expected to show a 50million bill for the botched deal, and speculation is mounting over the future of chief executive Mike Coupe. The grocery sector grew at its fastest rate this year as shoppers splashed out 2.5billion. Fraser McKevitt, at Kantar, said: 'Shoppers indulged in 335million worth of Easter eggs and seasonal chocolate.' Tesco enjoyed the largest sales growth of 1 per cent, with Morrisons posting a 0.6 per cent rise and Asda 0.3 per cent. Aldi racked up an 11.6 per cent rise, followed by German rival Lidl, up 8.6 per cent. Online supermarket Ocado's sales surged 6.8 per cent and Co-op climbed 4.5 per cent. Waitrose notched up a 0.7 per cent increase and Iceland's sales were up by 1.4 per cent.

And more than 175,000 jobs are predicted to disappear as companies such as Marks & Spencer and Topshop owner Arcadia close stores.

Responding to an investigation by MPs on the Treasury Select Committee, Tesco blamed business rates for damaging communities and investment.

Tesco, Britain's largest retailer, forked out 700million on its rates bill last year. Lewis said: 'The system is increasingly outdated and in need of urgent reform.

The burden has become unsustainable in a sector that saw 7,500 net store closures last year, but still employs 3m people.

'The introduction of an online sales levy would create a level playing field, incentivise investment and do so in a way which is revenue-neutral for the Government.'

The BRC said the number of products being sold at a heavy discount more than doubled in April compared with a year earlier. It called the brutal price cuts 'a testimony to the intense competition'.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: 'Intense competition may be benefiting consumers  but is cutting into the already slim margins of retailers.

'In order to be successful, retailers must invest in both their physical and digital offerings to ensure they can provide the customer experience that consumers want.

'However, investment comes at a cost and unless the Government acts to reform the broken business rates system we may find more store closures and job losses on the horizon.'

Robert Hayton, head of business rates at Altus Group, said retailers will continue to struggle unless the Government shakes up the rates system.

'Against a backdrop of subdued consumer confidence and the structural changes taking place across our high streets, the remainder of 2019 is likely to be even more challenging,' he said.
Shares in Google owner Alphabet tumbled last night as its sales disappointed investors.

Despite raking in sales worth 28.1billion during the first three months of 2019, shares in the tech giant slumped by more than 5m per cent in after-hours trading.

Alphabet, which also owns YouTube, posted a 17 per cent rise in sales compared with a year earlier. But analysts had expected the group to make 28.9billion during the period.

Google is facing growing efforts by Amazon to steal market share in a battle between the US tech titans

It also suffered a 1.3billion hit relating to a fine from Europes competition watchdog after it was accused of squeezing out advertising rivals. Profits fell from 7.3billion to 5.1billion as a result.

It came as Wall Street analysts said Google has nothing to fear from Amazons bid to steal its advertising business.

The search engine is facing growing efforts by Amazon to win market share in a battle between the US tech titans. But analysts said the raid has not yet had any effect.

Dan Ives, of Wedbush Securities, said: The bark is worse than the bite. Its an opportunity for Amazon from an advertising perspective, but I dont see it moving the needle too much for Google.

Amazons advertising takings have been growing rapidly. The company said sales from its other businesses  largely ads  more than doubled to 7.8billion in 2018.

And in the first quarter of this year it reported sales of 2.1billion, a rise of 34 per cent.

The growth has prompted suggestions Amazon could challenge the vice-like grip Google and Facebook have over online ad sales, with the pair estimated to control nearly 60 per cent of the market between them.

Amazon is thought to control around 8 per cent.

But Colin Sebastian, an analyst at Baird Equity Research, said: The ramp in Amazon advertising is having limited impact on core Google search spend.
TalkTalk Telecom Group PLC provides telecommunications services to consumers and business to business customers in the United Kingdom. It offers fiber, broadband, landline, TV, and mobile services under the TalkTalk and TalkTalk Business brands. Its products include HomeSafe, a home filtering service for residential customers; WorkSafe that provides protection for internet devices to business customers; SuperSafe, which offers protection from viruses and malwares; CallSafe, a security feature that screens inbound calls; and TalkSafe, a way of identifying a customer when they call using their voice. TalkTalk Telecom Group PLC was founded in 2002 and is based in Salford, the United Kingdom.

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through four strategic business units: Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S. Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; and Capital Markets. The company offers chequing, savings, and business accounts; mortgages; loans, lines of credit, student lines of credit, and business and agriculture loans; investment and insurance services; and credit cards, as well as overdraft protection services. It also provides day-to-day banking, borrowing and credit, investing and wealth, specialty, and international services; correspondent banking and online foreign exchange services; and cash management services. The company serves its customers through its banking centers, as well as direct, mobile, and remote channels. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was founded in 1867 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Acacia Mining plc, together with its subsidiaries, mines, processes, and sells gold in Africa. The company has three gold mines in north-west Tanzania, including Bulyanhulu, Buzwagi, and North Mara; and a portfolio of exploration projects at various stages of development in Tanzania, Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Mali. It also produces co-products, such as copper and silver. The company was formerly known as African Barrick Gold plc and changed its name to Acacia Mining plc in November 2014. The company was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Acacia Mining plc is a subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Newmont: AC40689 Limited, Administradora de Negocios Mineros S.A. de C.V., Australian Capital Territory, Battle Mountain Resources Inc., Cayman Pampas Ltd., Con Exploration Ltd., Datawave Sciences Inc., Dawn Mining Company LLC, ELLC Grazing Membership LLC, EMH (BVI) Inc., Elko Land and Livestock Company, Empresa Minera Maria SRL, Fronteer Development (USA) LLC, Fronteer Development LLC, Fronteer Royalty LLC, GCGC LLC, GMK Investments Pty Ltd, Galore Creek Mining Corporation, Galore Creek Partnership, Glamis Rand Mining Company, Gold S.p.A., Goldcorp (Barbados) Inc., Goldcorp America Holdings Inc., Goldcorp Aureus Inc., Goldcorp Aurum Argentum Inc., Goldcorp Canada Ltd., Goldcorp Capital Corporation, Goldcorp Exeter Ltd., Goldcorp Faja de Plata S.A. de C.V., Goldcorp General Holdings Ltd., Goldcorp Global Services Inc., Goldcorp Holdings Europe B.V., Goldcorp Holdings GmbH, Goldcorp Inc., Goldcorp Insurance Company Inc., Goldcorp Internacional S.A. de C.V., Goldcorp Kaminak Ltd., Goldcorp Latin America Finance Limited, Goldcorp MC Holding S.p.A., Goldcorp Penasquito S.A. de C.V., Goldcorp Porcupine Nominee Ltd., Goldcorp Red Lake Nominee Ltd., Goldcorp Stratum Inc., Goldcorp Tesoro Inc., Goldcorp Trading GmbH, Goldcorp USA Holdings Ltd., Goldcorp USA Inc., Goldcorp USA Services Inc., Goldfields Power Pty Ltd, Hemlo Gold Mines (Ghana) Limited, Holdco S.p.A., Honduras Holdings Ltd., Hospah Holdings Company, Idarado Mining Company, International Mineral Finance S.AR.L., MMC Acquisition Limited, Mexicana Resources Inc., Minera Alumbrera Ltd., Minera BMG, Minera Choluteca S.A. de C.V., Minera Faja de Plata S.A. de C.V., Minera Los Tapados S.A., Minera Newmont (Chile) Limitada, Minera Penasquito S.A. de C.V., Minera Yanacocha S.R.L., Miramar Gold Corporation, Miramar HBG Inc., Miramar Northern Mining Ltd., Montana Exploradora de Guatemala S.A. de C.V., Moydow Limited, Musto Explorations (Bermuda) Ltd., N.I. Limited, NP Kalgoorlie Pty Ltd, NVL (USA) Limited, NVL Haiti Limited S.A., NVL PNG Limited, NVL Solomon Islands Limited, Nevada Eagle Resources LLC, Nevada Gold Mines LLC, New Verde Mines LLC, Newmont (Guyana) Incorporated, Newmont AP Power Pty Ltd, Newmont Australia Investment Limited, Newmont Boddington Pty Ltd, Newmont Bolivia Limited, Newmont CC&V Mining Corporation, Newmont Canada Corporation, Newmont Canada Holdings ULC, Newmont Capital Limited, Newmont Capital Pty Ltd, Newmont Colombia S.A.S., Newmont Euronimba B.V., Newmont FH B.V., Newmont GTR LLC, Newmont Galore Creek Holdings Corporation, Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, Newmont Gold Company, Newmont Gold Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Australia Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Boddington Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Exploration Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Integrated Services Inc., Newmont Goldcorp Red Lake Holdings Ltd., Newmont Goldcorp Services Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Tanami Pty Ltd, Newmont Golden Ridge Limited, Newmont Holdings ULC, Newmont Indonesia Investment Limited, Newmont Indonesia LLC, Newmont International Exploration Pty Ltd, Newmont International Group BV, Newmont International Services Limited, Newmont Investment Holdings LLC, Newmont Landco Pty Ltd, Newmont Latin America Limited, Newmont McCoy Cove Limited, Newmont Mineral Holdings B.V., Newmont Mines Limited, Newmont Mining Finance Pty Ltd, Newmont Mining Holdings Pty Ltd, Newmont NGL Holdings Pty Ltd, Newmont Nevada Energy Investment LLC, Newmont North America Exploration Limited, Newmont Nusa Tenggara Holdings B.V., Newmont Overseas Exploration Limited, Newmont Pacific Energy Pty Ltd, Newmont Peru Limited, Newmont Power Pty Ltd, Newmont Realty Company, Newmont Second Capital Corporation, Newmont Suriname LLC, Newmont Technologies Limited, Newmont USA Limited, Newmont Ventures Limited, Newmont Woodcutters Pty Ltd, Newmont Yandal Operations Pty Ltd, Newmont de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Normandy Company (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Normandy Overseas Holding Company Sdn Bhd, Nusa Tenggara Partnership B.V., Orcana Resources Inc., Oroplata S.A., PT Newmont Minahasa Raya, Pequop Exploration LLC, Peridot S.A., Pittston Nevada Gold Company Ltd., Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Corporation, Red Lake Gold Mine Services Ltd., Resurrection Mining Company, Saddleback Investments Pty Ltd, San Juan Basin Holdings Company, Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation, Sermineros de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Sermineros de Mexico S.A. de C.V. <0.0010% Sermineros Zacatecas S.A. de C.V., Sociedad Contractual Minera El Morro, Suriname Gold Project CV, Takari Mining SAS, Talapoosa Mining Inc., The LeClair Consolidated Mines Company, The Matoa Gold Mining Company, US Mineral Company Inc., Vol Mines Limited, and West Pequop Project LLC.
Fielmann Aktiengesellschaft engages in the investment in and operation of optical and hearing aid businesses. The company manufactures and sells visual aids and other optical products, including glasses, frames, lenses, sunglasses, contact lenses and accessories, and various merchandise, as well as hearing aids and accessories. As of December 31, 2020, it operated 870 stores, including 605 in Germany, 43 in Switzerland, 38 Austria, 3 in Luxembourg, 33 in Italy, 25 in Poland, 80 in Spain, 28 in Slovenia, and 15 in the rest of Europe. The company also 79 smaller locations in Eastern Europe. Fielmann Aktiengesellschaft also offers its products through online stores. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. Fielmann Aktiengesellschaft is a subsidiary of Korva SE.

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Just coming off a religious holiday, I am recalling the sermon given by the priest. He noticed a billboard that said, "Fear is Contagious. So is Hope!" It was a coincidence because I had passed the same billboard off the highway and I began to think about how applicable it is to concepts of leadership and the workplace.

We are bombarded with news that focuses on ISIS, global warming, Ebola, immigrant invasions, and just about anything else that will scare you "out of your wits." And that saying can't be truer because when fear grips your soul, it interferes with the ability to think clearly and reasonably.

Fear and hope are both motivators, but fear tends to be more powerful, especially when given a powerful voice. I had an employee tell me that he just got a gun permit because he needs to protect his children from the immigrant invasion. I asked him if he had witnessed any signs at work or in his community that would indicate this to be true. He only repeated what he had heard on the news and that he needs to protect his children. Fear repeated many times is as contagious as Ebola.

It's easy to scare people today, especially with our access to 24/7 news on radio, television, social media and in print.

Fear is easier to believe because people who are afraid want to protect what they know, what they currently have, and sometimes the fear taps into a bad experience in the past.

Fear is used as a tool to get short-term results:

When leadership threatens a reduction in force due to declining revenues.

When a victim of sexual harassment is threatened with retaliation.

When a company is suddenly purchased and employees are told their performance will determine who stays and who goes.

We rarely see anything these days that is hopeful and we are all starving for inspiration that helps us celebrate all that is really good about our businesses, communities, country and the world.

Opposite to fear, hope is asking everyone to believe in something that could be. This is where true leadership is needed. Hope takes faith. It asks us to believe in ourselves, our own senses, our creativity, and our ability to overcome adversity. In order to believe it, we must have faith in the idea, in the possibility and the belief we can make things better than what is.

So, to turn the examples around hopefully, we have management communicating that if revenues improve, we can become the leader in the industry sector. With sexual harassment, we have a fair and impartial investigation each time without fear of retaliation. And now that the company has been purchased, we know we have the right people on this new bus, and we will achieve even greater success.

Which message would you like to hear? Hopeful leaders paint a picture about present assets, how far the company has come and what is possible in the future. You know you are working in a hopeful environment when:

Leaders and employees share stories about how they took risks and it all worked out.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The leader is known to always speak the truth.

Leaders and employees share their mistakes and how they overcame them.

Leadership and employees are free to talk about their ideas and dreams for the future.

Employees need to believe in management's ability to overcome adversity and employees want to play a part in that success. And even when leadership is uncertain, they make sure no one sees them sweat. The message remains hopeful.

Every great leader in history has overcome horrific obstacles by rallying people to a common cause or goal. Think back to the great leaders that led with hope, not fear. Hope that we can defeat hate that targets a group like the Jews. Hope that we can travel to the moon. Hope to love one another just as we would love ourselves.

Hopeful messages envision a future that everyone can share. Many know my favorite book is Lord of the Rings because it's a message of hope. It calls together past adversaries to defeat a common enemy that would destroy them all. It is an enemy that feeds on fear and division. My favorite TV series, Star Trek, is a story about how society evolves and leads with curiosity, understanding and friendship. These hopeful stories have inspired generations of leaders.

Fear holds on to the status quo and is not sustainable. But just like a fear tactic, hopeful messages require repeating. Hope may be harder to communicate but it is just as contagious.

Rose Miller is president of Pinnacle Human Resources LLC. rmiller@pinnaclehrll-c.com
Thank you for coming here to read my opinion of "Wild Nights with Emily," but the person whose opinion of this movie would be really interesting is someone we can't ask. That is, Emily Dickinson herself.

Here are some questions I'd like to ask Ms. Dickinson about the movie, but only after having prepped her in advance about what movies are and what a big deal it is to have one made about you more than a century after your death. Oh, another thing: Death. It would be no fun watching this with her without her knowing when she died. (She might get upset.) So what we're imagining here is an afterlife Emily Dickinson, who, at the same time, doesn't know about anything past 1886.

1. How did you like the movie? (My guess is she'd like it.)

2. Are you surprised to find out that you and Walt Whitman basically own 19th-century American poetry? That you became a poetry superstar?

This answer I can't even guess. On the one hand, how could Dickinson expect that, after death, she would become celebrated when, during life - when she was advocating for herself  she couldn't get arrested? On the other hand, Dickinson had to know how good she was, even if no one else did. She had to have an idea.

This is an important question, because it has broader implications. An Emily who goes to her grave in the calm assurance that she has left a drawer full of undetonated bombs is different from an Emily who ends her life thinking of herself as a defeated, tormented weirdo.

3. Does the tone of "Wild Nights with Emily" feel right to you, the irreverence and the atmosphere of absurdity that director Madeleine Olnek creates  an atmosphere that, at the same time, does not preclude the possibility of tragedy? Do you see the correspondence between this tone and your work?

Needless to say, I do, but Emily's opinion might count a little more in this regard.

The one thing I wouldn't ask her about is her sexuality (a major issue in the film), partly out of respect for 19th century sensibilities, but also because the evidence leans pretty clearly in the direction this movie presents. "Wild Nights with Emily" shows her in a lifelong lesbian romance with Susan Gilbert, who eventually marries Emily's brother  either because she can't get enough of William Austin Dickinson, or because she wants to live right next door to Emily.

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The deepest challenge of any dramatization of Emily Dickinson's life is to reconcile the poetry, which is dark, bold and strange, with Dickinson's legend as a meek and mild recluse. This movie accomplishes this reconciliation by showing the disparity between Dickinson's public and private selves. Further, it demonstrates that this disparity was not some inexplicable night and day difference, but rather a difference between cloudy and clear. As played by Molly Shannon  yes, the comedian, and she's good in this  Emily is genuinely eccentric, but she also knows how to use her eccentricity as a protective force field.

The script, which Olnek wrote, follows two tracks. In one, set after Dickinson's death, her first editor, Mabel Loomis Todd (Amy Seimetz) tells the official version of Emily's life. Those scenes are sprinkled in between other scenes that show the real story. Much is done in 84 minutes. Olnek explains Emily to us in a way that makes sense, while giving her a life worth living, one much better than sitting in her room all day.

Everyone comes out better in the exchange  us, Emily. Let's just hope it's true.
Sujata Chaudhry, the founder and CEO of Tangible Development, takes something intangible  diversity, and the benefits that come with it  and makes it tangible for her clients in the form of increased success and profits. Hence the name of her company. Before going out on her own in 2010, Chaudhry was a market analyst for the U.S. Navy and then joined AMP, Inc. as a sales engineer and cultural liaison for foreign clients.

Q: You say you grew up as a third-culture kid. What does that mean?

A: My older sister and I were born in India and then my parents moved us to England. When we were in our home, everything was Indian  our clothes and our food and my parents' friends and social activities. But when we walked out the door we were walking into a whole different culture. When I was younger I tried very hard not to be Indian because I wanted to be part of a group, it was childhood insecurity I no longer feel. Third culture means I took the values of one culture and values of the other and integrated them. I didn't realize it for a long time, but when I'm asked how I identify, I'm neither. I'm an American citizen but I feel like a global child. I've taken a little of everything from all the places I've lived.

In England in the 1960s, no one talked about diversity and inclusion. My father experienced discrimination. He was a degreed engineer but was only given a draftsman's job. It is part of what inspired me to want to do the work I do today. My mother worked at a dry cleaning factory pressing shirts; when we moved to the U.S., she worked at Kmart. It was about survival, and eventually, they lifted their family out of poverty.

Q: How do you teach your clients about the value of diversity, how it's not something just to accept on a compliance level, but why it makes for a better company?

A: I always ask company leaders and managers, why would you want to surround yourself with people just like you? What can it possibly do for your organization? If you're surrounded by people who think like you and create like you it only keeps you producing the same ideas. It might bolster the ego but I'd think you want to be challenged. I always say to my team, if you're not questioning me, you are not doing your job. You're here because you are completely what I'm not, you're growing not only me and I'm growing you but we're thinking for our clients differently. Challenging a leader is an opportunity to grow, otherwise you're all doing the same thing over and over again.

Years ago diversity was more about compliance and affirmative action, the way the census divided groups between Asian, African-American, Caucasian and so on. Now it's more about what you bring to the table because of your of compositional dimensions of diversity. Diversity means differences in race, religion, age, life experiences, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, interests, whether you're from a rural or urban upbringing and the way you think. Millennials, who make up 42-47 percent of the workforce now, are demanding it. They're looking for collaborative work spaces. Diversity is happening organically, whether you want to buy into it as an organization or not, and if companies don't recognize that and use it, then we're missing the boat.

Q: It's often your role to talk companies through difficult times. You experienced your own difficult time when you separated from the business partner who founded Tangible Development with you in 2014. How did you get through it?

A: It brought up a lot of feelings of insecurity and introspection. I thought a lot about what I did wrong and I wondered if I did not think clearly enough to understand maybe we didn't align. I worried about how it reflected on me as a business strategist and business owner, and I spent a long time thinking about what I could have done differently to achieve different results. I did not take on another partner because I needed to get to the point I felt less vulnerable, and the best way to do that was to face my fears. It was a difficult time, but it was a journey that allowed me to reach where I am now, take more risks, understand what it is I wanted to do with the business and align it with my passion.

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Q: How do you approach people who have failed to think outside their experience?

A: With a lot of empathy. We do implicit bias training, and conversations about biases can be emotionally charged, to recognize you have biases is vulnerable for anyone. But we don't have biases because we're bad, we have biases because we're human and we all have them. The challenge is in how we acknowledge them and prevent them from affecting our behavior. Not knowing isn't bad, not being open to learning is the bad part. I do this for a living and I still learn something every day.

We tend to get more calls when something happens in the news, like the incident at a Starbucks (when store employees at a Philadelphia Starbucks accused two black men of trespassing and called the police. The men were waiting for a business partner.) I think the Starbucks CEO did an amazing job of handling that, closing every store for an afternoon and addressing it throughout the company. Our strategy is to identify the gaps and then how to implement diversity and inclusion into every layer of your organization, including onboarding, hiring processes, interviewing, policies and performance management and then we train to support it.

Q: What is the best compliment people pay you?

A: 'Sujata, you make a difference. You made a difference in our organization, we see change in the positive.' That's what makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning and go to work with a client that's going through challenging organizational cultural changes. If I can come in and move the needle forward and they feel good about it and recognize it.

Q: What is your advice for young women?

A: Take a leap. We are our worst enemies. We let fear drive us, I'm a culprit of that. The first thing I do is ask what could go wrong. I've come a long way because I've finally learned if something doesn't go the way I hoped, it's an opportunity to do something different.
BERLIN - When Norwegian fishermen spotted a beluga whale last week, there was nothing that immediately indicated a national security threat.

But when the whale defied normal behavior and continued to harass their boats, the fishermen spotted a strange harness, wrapped around the whale's body. "Equipment of St. Petersburg," read an inscription on harness they later recovered, according to Norwegian media outlets.

Researchers say that the harness could have carried weapons or cameras, triggering new speculations over a sea mammal special operations program the Russian navy is believed to have pursued for years. While the Russian Defense Ministry has previously denied the existence of such a program, the same ministry published an ad in 2016, seeking three male and two female bottlenose dolphins, offering a total sum of $24,000.

In this part of Europe, nobody would be surprised if the latest Norwegian discovery did indeed turn out to be the fallout of a military experiment gone wrong. Since the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, the Kremlin has been behind a series of creepy reminders of the massive military apparatus lurking on Europe's eastern outskirts: mystery submarines, unidentified jets that almost crashed with a passenger plane in at least one instance, and strange troop movements.

But numbers released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on Monday prompt the question if Russia is punching above its weight. While the United States accounted for 36 percent of global military expenditure last year, Russia only spent 3.4 percent - less than rapidly growing China, as well as Saudi Arabia, India and even France.

The Russian military is still considered to be among the world's most powerful forces, which is why European defense strategists remain concerned that the country could theoretically overrun the continent within days. The Kremlin commands over 1 million active troops, compared to Germany's roughly 180,000 and Russia's military spending last year was still 27 percent higher than about a decade ago.

But the numbers indicate that years of Russian military operations abroad, Western sanctions and falling global oil prices have left a mark. The Kremlin funded a major modernization program starting in 2010, which resulted in a surge in Russian expenditure, but annual spending has substantially fallen over the last two years after the project was completed.

Other U.S. foes often cited in Washington, such as Iran, similarly fade in comparison to the U.S. military. The United States spent 50 times more on defense last year than Iran, for instance.

Meanwhile, in the European Union, the recent Russian modernization drive and broader concerns over the Kremlin's reach triggered an uptick in military spending that is only now fully materializing in statistics, the researchers said Monday.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Increased military spending in the European Union may also be due to growing U.S. pressure to comply with their NATO obligation of 2 percent of GDP, which many member states do not meet. The SIPRI figures may put countries that haven't sufficiently increased spending, such as Germany, once again in an awkward position. In Eastern Europe, for instance, Russia accounted for almost 90 percent of all military spending last year, highlighting the dependence of that region on the U.S. military and, by extension, on NATO.

In the broader scheme of things, NATO supporters are likely to cite Monday's figures as evidence that the alliance is keeping the peace in Eastern Europe.

And on a more granular scale, should the Norwegians want to learn more about training sea mammals like beluga spy whales they could do worse than asking their U.S. allies.

After all, it was the United States that spearheaded the use of sea mammals for military purposes in the 1950s, at the time backed by a budget its foes continue to be jealous of until today.

According to the U.S. Navy, its dolphin and sea lion recruits are used to locate sea mines, retrieve objects from the ocean floor and scout the underwater approaches to beaches. They are not, however, involved in offensive operations.
SCHENECTADY  A black bear was spotted running on Nott Street overnight, police said.

A motorist saw the bear run east on Nott near Union College. A person in the car made a video of the bear as it hustled down the sidewalk. The animal then began to cross the street near Foster Avenue and Carrie Street.

Police said they received a call about the bear during the overnight hours but the animal was not seen again.

Sgt. Matthew Dearing said police on the overnight shift got a call about the animal and alerted the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the state agency that responds when bears become nuisances in populated areas.

Bear sightings in the area are not unheard of, especially during this time of year.

"This is the time bears emerge from dormancy and begin searching for food," Ben DeLaMater, the public information officer for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said. "Bears are more likely to seek out human food sources in the spring, when natural foods found in the wild are scarce."

DeLaMater said that the leading cause of bear complaints in New York is about bears getting into residential garbage.

A lot of these scenarios can be resolved simply by removing or properly securing garbage, cleaning messing grills or removing pet food from the outdoors -- which attract bears.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Dearing said he can't think of any other bear reports in Schenectady this year but they have had them before.

In May 2012, a bear that strolled through the Stockade neighborhood was later tranquilized by DEC officers and returned to the wilderness.

In recent years, bears have been spotted at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, an Albany neighborhood and the University at Albany.

"Bears are opportunistic feeders and will remember where they find easy food, and return to that location frequently," DeLaMater said.

Anyone who sees a bear should steer clear of the animal and call local police or the DEC, Dearing said.
BRUNSWICK  The Town Board is considering a law to require vacant homes be registered, subject to a fee and maintained so they dont become eyesores.

The Brunswick draft legislation calls for vacancy registry fees rising from $1,000 to $5,000 over five years for smaller buildings and from $2,000 to $10,000 over the same period for larger buildings. After five years, the highest fee is assessed annually if the building continues to be vacant. The town also requires the property be maintained.

Officials say the town has at least 30 vacant homes.

While Brunswick is on its way to possibly be the first suburban Rensselaer County town to enact a vacant buildings registry law, nearby East Greenbush has started work on drafting its own local law. These laws are common in cities.

Our situation here in Brunswick is that there are abandoned homes. People just moved out, Supervisor Phil Herrington said Monday.

The town has found zombie properties in its Sycaway neighborhood adjacent to Troy. The zombie term comes from houses that sit empty after a bank forecloses but does not take immediate action to sell the property.

East Greenbush Supervisor Jack Conway said his community has begun planning to write a vacant building registry law with a goal of pushing for redevelopment along the Columbia Turnpike, as Routes 9 and 20 are known.

Its part of a multi-prong strategy for Columbia Turnpike. Were trying to clean it up, Conway said.

In the Sycaway neighborhood, vacant houses are more noticeable due the buildings being built closer together, said Brunswick Assessor Steve Rooney.

Theyre just sitting there for a long time. Its a danger. It impacts other residences, Ronney said, adding a warning that vacant homes also can negatively impact home values if properties sit vacant too long.

The town has 5,764 housing units and 12,499 residents as of 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The Brunswick Town Board will hold a public hearing at its 6:30 p.m. May 9 meeting at Town Hall on the draft vacant building registry.

Rooney said the towns aim for the law is to keep it relatively simple.

That includes taking into account homeowners who spend the winter in warmer states, leaving their homes locked up for months. Herrington said the town has moved cautiously to ensure problems are not created by swiftly enacting the local law.

Brunswick has drawn upon vacant building registry laws in the cities of Rensselaer and Troy in drafting its own proposal.
ALBANY  The ex-business partner and co-conspirator of disbarred former Guilderland Town Justice Richard Sherwood is facing 4 to 12 years in prison after admitting his role Tuesday in an $11.8 million real estate swindle that victimized the elderly, including two Capital Region philanthropists.

Thomas Lagan, 60, of Cooperstown, who prosecutors said brazenly continued to use proceeds of the crime even after his arrest and was buying property in Otsego County, pleaded guilty to first-degree grand larceny Tuesday before state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin in Albany. His sentencing is scheduled for June 19.

Lagan is also expected to plead guilty on May 15 in U.S. District Court, where he faces federal money laundering and filing false tax return charges in connection with the case.

Lagan's admission follows the guilty plea last year of Sherwood, who was prepared to testify against Lagan under an agreement with prosecutors, court papers show.

Sherwood admitted he and Lagan wrote eight checks, each for $14,000, to one another, their wives and their children. They used thousands of dollars from the estates of clients to pay for the college tuition of Lagan's daughter.

Lagan, formerly of Slingerlands, an attorney admitted to the bar in 1986, will automatically lose his law license as a result of the felony conviction secured by prosecutors for Attorney General Letitia James.

"New Yorkers deserve honest and trustworthy financial advisors who do not try to scheme them out of their hard-earned money," James said in a statement. "My office will continue to root out individuals who attempt to abuse the system and violate public trust."

Sherwood and Lagan, who practiced in the area of trusts and estates, began providing legal services and financial advice to local philanthropists Warren and Pauline Bruggeman, as well as Pauline's sister, Anne Urban, in 2006.

Warren Bruggeman, a Queens native who served as a naval officer in World War II, earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy and found a job at General Electric in Schenectady at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. He became a vice president at GE, where he overhauled a financially ailing nuclear program into a commercial success.

In 1947, he married Pauline Bruggeman, a Watervliet native and graduate of Troy Business College and Sage Junior College, who later worked as a secretary at Behr-Manning Corporation. Following his retirement, Bruggeman became involved in various philanthropic causes. He also served on the RPI board of trustees.

Sherwood had been advising the Bruggemans when they signed wills directing that all their assets were to go to charities, churches and civic associations, in addition to bequests to Anne Urban and Pauline's other sister, Julia Rentz, according to federal prosecutors.

Warren Bruggeman died in April 2009. Pauline Bruggeman died in August 2011. At the time of her death, her personal and trust assets were valued at approximately $20 million.

Following the woman's death, Sherwood and Lagan schemed to steal and launder millions of dollars from her estate and the estate of Anne Urban, who died in 2013. Sherwood and Lagan also diverted and transferred several million dollars that belonged to Rentz, who suffered from dementia and died in 2013, prosecutors said.

Lagan's nefarious conduct was highlighted in a memo that federal prosecutors filed in September 2018, asking for $500,000 cash bail in connection with his federal charges.

"(Lagan) faces state and federal charges arising out of his defrauding three elderly sisters and their respective estates out of approximately $12 million," stated the memo, written by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett. "Of particular concern is how the defendant has conducted himself since being arrested."

The prosecutor said Lagan mixed proceeds of the scam with other money and used cash to buy property in Otsego County, "frustrating the government's ability to seize and safeguard assets that could be used to partially compensate his victims."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

On May 30, 2018, Lagan moved $600,000 out of a Goldman Sachs retirement account  first transferring it to Cooperstown real estate company for a real estate transaction that was not completed. Within 12 days, Lagan transferred $400,000 to a sibling and the rest to a lawyer, Barnett wrote.

"The timing of the transactions strongly suggests that there was no legitimate purpose for transferring $600,000 to the real estate company in the first place," the prosecutor wrote, "and that the reason for transferring the money in this way  first to the company, then to a sibling  was to obscure and complicate the money trail, and to make it harder for the government to trace the defendant's assets and recover them in the event he is found guilty."

Barnett wrote that "as a result of his legal troubles, the defendant's reputation in the

community, and among his friends and business partners, is ruined."

Lagan "repeatedly violated his fiduciary duties, laundered money and engaged in other deceptive conduct, all for the purpose of enriching himself and at the expense of churches, charities and other civic organizations that were supposed to receive the money upon the sisters' deaths," Barnett stated.

E. Stewart Jones, Lagan's attorney, had argued at the time that Lagan was "an active citizen with deep roots, responsibilities and commitments, and a large number of properties in his community of Cooperstown."

Since his arrest, Lagan had been "conducting his real estate work, negotiating real estate deals,

managing his property, and doing precisely what he had been doing, working and investing

in the community, and that pattern has not changed from his arrest to the present time," Jones argued.

Lagan was allowed to remain free.

Jones could not be reached Tuesday.

Sherwood, a Democrat, was elected town justice in 2013 following 14 years as the town's attorney. He resigned from the bench earlier last year; he was automatically disbarred with the conviction. He is expected to be sentenced in June.

The state case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Christopher Baynes and Matthew Peluso following a probe led by Investigator Mark Spencer.
FONDA - Fourteen years after Brian Galusha was found dying on a rural road, State Police are trying to reinvigorate public interest in the case.

Investigators believe Galusha was hit by a vehicle some time after he attended an engagement party on July 24, 2004, at a home at 1058 South Green Road in the town of Root, Montgomery County.
SCHENECTADY  About 50 people stood in silence outside Congregation Agudat Achim synagogue, their faces illuminated by the flickering candle flames.

They have been here before.

"We've done this far too many times," said Rabbi Matthew Cutler, an organizer for the group Schenectady Clergy Against Hate. "We gather to share grief and sorrow way too many times."

The candlelight vigil was held Monday night in response to Saturday's deadly attack at a synagogue in California.

"We are gathered here for a purpose  for solidarity," Cutler said.

"We pray for the dead and the injured in these attacks," said Theodore Lichtenfeld, Rabbi of the Congregation Agudat Achim. "But I also want to pray in a general way for an end to the scourge of religious hatred and religious killing."

Saturday morning's shooting at the Congregation Chabad in Poway in San Diego County synagogue left one woman, Lori Kaye, 60, dead and injured three others.

The 19-year-old shooter surrendered to police after bursting into the synagogue and opening fire as about 100 people were worshiping inside on the final day of Passover.

The attack came exactly six months after a mass shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue where 11 people were killed and seven were injured.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

"Murder in the name of religion is unacceptable," Lichtenfeld said. "Human life is what we all hold sacred, no matter how many times we see that idea shattered by individuals or groups who share an agenda of hatred."

Following the attack, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on state police to increase security at places of worship around the state. Area police departments, including in Albany and Niskayuna, also increased patrols and police presence in places of worship.

A Call to Action at the Bethlehem Chabad, 393 Delaware Ave. in Delmar, also was held Monday in response to the attack.

"This cycle of hatred must stop. And starts with each of us," the Schenectady Clergy Against Hate posted on their Facebook page Sunday. "Speak up and out against the rivers of blood being spilled in the name of hatred, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamaphobia, bigotry, white supremacy. Shout down anyone who speaks with such ugliness."

With reports by the Associated Press.
Troy

Mayors around here have terrific job security. Voters almost never boot them from office.

Heck, even Shawn "Embattled" Morse is the favorite to win in Cohoes, despite the dark cloud of a federal indictment raining on his head.

So it's reasonable to presume that Patrick Madden will stroll to reelection in Troy  that he'll dunk on Rodney Wiltshire in the upcoming Democratic primary before squishing the gnat Republicans are offering up for humiliation in the fall.

Except...

One not-so-small detail suggests Wiltshire could be a more formidable challenger than many would guess: He pretty much beat Madden in the last Democratic mayoral primary.

Remember the scandal? Don't jump off a bridge if you don't. Troy has had so many, hardly anyone can keep them all straight.

It went like this: Madden beat Wiltshire by a mere 50 votes, while a third candidate, Ernest Everett, received 280. Everett was later charged with falsifying the nominating petitions that put him on the ballot and was eventually sentenced to community service on three misdemeanor charges.

Four years later, questions about the legitimacy of the election remain. So do suspicions that Everett was on the ballot as part of a plot to stop Wiltshire, never an establishment favorite. Wiltshire and Everett are both black, you see, so what we're talking about is the divide-the-minority-vote-so-the-white-guy-wins game.

"We had a candidate who was fraudulently on the ballot and was put there by the establishment Democrats," Wiltshire told me Monday. "But this time around, it's going to go down the way it should have gone down four years ago."

Will it really?

Conventional wisdom suggests not. Wiltshire, a former city council president, has been out of the public eye for years and doesn't have the momentum and energy he had going into the last race. Four years feels like long ago.

Madden, meanwhile, has angered some voters with his trash fee, but his tenure has generally been placid, especially by Troy's turbulent standard. He may not be beloved  Jerry Jennings he's not  but he hasn't given voters much reason to kick him to the curb.

In short, the mayor is a boring fellow who doesn't seem to love the job but has done his best to restore fiscal sanity to a city that for decades spent and borrowed like a drunken sailor handed an American Express card with no credit limit. A responsible technocrat might have been just what Troy needed, at least for a term.

Wiltshire, by contrast, is a fun-loving former actor and a bit of a political rebel. He's the kind of guy willing to sport a hilariously ironic mustache on his Facebook profile picture. (Well, I'm assuming it's ironic.)

Four years ago, the oft-heard narrative portrayed Wiltshire as the progressive face of the new Troy, the diversifying hipster haven that you could supposedly confuse for Brooklyn, while Madden was said to represent the city's more staid and conservative longtime residents.

If so, the old guard won, narrowly.

And now, a rematch!

This time around, an older and perhaps wiser Wiltshire, 44, is making it clear he's not hoping to be the hipster/progressive in chief. He's running on bread-and-butter issues: public safety, filling empty positions in the fire and police departments, road conditions, that much-loathed garbage fee, and, of course, shuttered swimming pools.

"The ruse with the pools is the biggest disaster the city has seen in a long time," Wiltshire said. "I have no clue why they were closed. That's an embarrassment. That's an insult to the children of Troy."

I'm not sure about the "biggest disaster" part, but Madden's handling of the South Troy and Lansingburgh pools is a deserved vulnerability.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Shuttered before the summer of 2017 because they were supposedly too expensive to rebuild or maintain, the empty pools became a symbol of the declining quality-of-life in the city's poorest neighborhoods, despite the downtown rebirth.

Madden portrayed the closure as one more difficult-but-necessary decision. Sorry kids. Not this year. We just can't do it.

But recently Madden declared that  surprise!  the South Troy pool would open this summer. And during an election year, no less! How fortuitous!

Cynicism about the timing is justified. Is that enough to cost Madden the election? Could Wiltshire really pull off an upset? Depends on whom you ask.

In recent days, I've called people who follow Troy politics closely to inquire if Wiltshire has any chance. One said Wiltshire "has a good shot," another said it's unlikely he'll win and a third said he has no chance whatsoever.

More Information Contact columnist Chris Churchill at cchurchill@timesunion.com or 518-454-5442. See More Collapse

The skeptics are likely right. Wiltshire's is a long-shot bid. But he may get two shots at the goal: Wiltshire is hoping to represent the Green, Working Families and Independence parties in the mayor's race, so he's likely to be on the fall ballot regardless of what happens in June.

When I asked if he'd continue to run even if he loses the Democratic primary, Wiltshire dodged the question. "My plan is to win," he said.

We'll see.

NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Wiltshire had secured the Green, Working Families and Independence party lines.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill


Washington

Whatever happens next, don't call it impeachment.

House Democrats have been careful not to rush to impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump in the aftermath of Robert Mueller's report, despite calls to do so by high-profile lawmakers and 2020 presidential contenders. But as Congress resumes Monday, the Democratic oversight and investigations agenda is starting to look a lot like the groundwork that would be needed to launch an impeachment inquiry. At some point, it's a political difference rather than a practical one.

"I don't think there's a magical moment at which proceedings become 'really' impeachment proceedings," said Cornell Law School professor Josh Chafetz.

The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hear testimony from Attorney General William Barr on Thursday, despite resistance from the administration. The Oversight Committee has reached an agreement with the White House for testimony this week on security clearances. The Intelligence Committee is probing Trump's financial dealings. And the Ways & Means Committee is pursuing Trump's tax returns.

"The House has such broad oversight powers that it really doesn't matter whether they're geared toward impeachment, toward legislating, toward overseeing the functioning of the executive branch, etc.," Chafetz said. "At the end of the day, for the purposes of the powers available to the House, I don't think it makes much of a difference whether they use the word 'impeachment' or not."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has insisted the door is neither open, nor closed, to impeachment. Instead, she says, Congress is taking a step-by-step approach in exerting its role as a check on the executive branch. It will lead wherever it leads, and the public can decide.

While Republicans and others in Washington are ready to move on from the report from special counsel Robert Mueller, Democrats in Congress are still fighting to see it. The Judiciary Committee chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., subpoenaed for a full and unredacted copy of the 400-page report, and its underlying materials. He also wants Mueller to testify before the panel by May 21.

Pelosi suggests that Congress will have more to say on impeachment after lawmakers  and the American public  digests the findings of the two-year probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible obstruction by Trump.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

"In every way he is unfit to be the president of the United States," Pelosi said in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this month. "Does that make it  is that an impeachable offense? Well it depends on what we see in the report."

Pelosi says she sets a "very high bar for impeachment because I think it's very divisive in the country."

In many ways, House Democrats are trying to have it both ways  pursuing the investigations that could serve as a prelude to impeachment proceedings without taking the politically fraught step of calling it impeachment.

The balancing act reflects recent polling that shows Americans are interested in getting more information, but also split. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research ahead of the report's release this month showed that even with the Mueller probe complete, 53% said Congress should continue to investigate Trump's ties with Russia, while 45% said Congress should not. A similar percentage, 53%, said Congress should take steps to impeach Trump if he is found to have obstructed justice, even if he did not have inappropriate contacts with Russia.
3 1 of 3 New York State Police Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Jacom Stephens / Getty Image Show More Show Less 3 of 3





STUYVESANT  Two men fishing near Schodack Island on Monday evening found the remains of a missing 64-year-old East Greenbush man, State Police said.

The man has been identified as David Burden, police said. Burden was reported missing to East Greenbush Police on Nov. 4, 2018.
COLONIE  A mother who was jailed for three nights after her name was wrongly listed on a warrant should have been released from custody the morning following her arrest when a town justice set bail at $500, according to an informal review of the case by a panel of judges.

The panel also indicated that procedures in Albany County Family Court, where the warrant had been erroneously issued last November, have been adjusted so that the court's judges will more carefully review warrant documents. In addition, arrest warrants that are pending will be reviewed every 30 days by the judges.

"Each judge agreed to evaluate his or her review process of warrants after clerical staff prepared the warrant and to make any necessary changes to help ensure any mistakes are caught prior to the warrant's issuance," said Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration.

Jessica L. Donovan of Colonie was arrested the evening of April 19 after town police ran her name through a law enforcement database while investigating a minor dispute she had with workers at a pizza shop near her residence. The search results indicated a bench warrant had been issued for Donovans arrest on Nov. 23 by Family Court Judge Richard Rivera.

The warrants caption listed Donovan as the "petitioner" and her ex-boyfriend, who had allegedly failed to pay child support for their two sons, as the "respondent." But the third paragraph of the warrant  right above the judge's signature  erroneously stated: "You are therefore commanded to arrest Jessica L. Donovan, and bring said person before this court to be dealt with according to law."

The situation for Donovan, 35, grew more dire the morning after her arrest, when Colonie police brought her before a town justice who set bail at $500. But when her mother went to the jail to post the bail, jail supervisors declined to release Donovan because they said the town justice lacked authority to set bail on a Superior Court warrant.

Donovan remained in custody for another two nights before she was brought to Family Court on April 22, where a judge ordered her immediate release and apologized for the error.

"I just missed three days of my life, plus Easter with my children," Donovan said last week. "It was rough. ... I felt so degraded."

At the county jail, Donovan  who had never been arrested before  was booked, fingerprinted, photographed, given a prisoner jumpsuit and issued a test for tuberculosis. She didn't have her anti-depression medication and struggled to sleep. They placed her on "suicide watch" on a mental health tier where other female inmates screamed frequently as guards cursed throughout the night, she said.

The panel that reviewed the case included state Supreme Court Justice Thomas A. Breslin, the judicial districts administrative judge, and Supervising Family Court Judge Anthony McGinty of Ulster County.

Chalfen, the spokesman for the Office of Court Administration, said that the jail officers should have allowed Donovan to post bail the morning after her arrest. He noted that Breslin said town courts sit as family courts when Family Court is not in session and would have the right to conduct an arraignment and set bail in a case.

The incarceration of Donovan also prompted court officials to review procedures.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The deputy chief clerk said she and the chief clerk had already met with courtroom staff to review warrant preparation, Chalfen said. In addition, because of what transpired, Judge Rivera recused himself from the warrant case, which he did by letter to the clerks office last week.

Kevin A. Luibrand, Donovans attorney, said she never should have been arrested but the mistake was compounded when jail officials declined to let her post bail.

The jail had no basis whatsoever to hold her after bail was set by the Colonie town judge, Luibrand said. Everything could have been straightened out that next week. Instead, the result was three days in jail, including Easter Sunday, for absolutely no offense and for someone who has no criminal record.

Sheriff Craig Apple said there has been no formal directive issued to his department in the wake of the incident. Apple said he also has a 2009 judicial memo that appears to indicate his jail supervisor had made the right decision to not release Donovan on the conditions set by the town justice.

I have consulted a retired Family Court judge, another judge, a lawyer, the county attorney and his staff  and have received conflicting opinions on this, Apple said. There is no consensus on how that situation should have been handled. If we did it wrong, fine, give me a directive and lets make sure we dont do it again.

The sheriff said he also believes Family Court should have a judge on call during weekends and other off hours, so that situations like Donovans could be handled more swiftly.
A former Watertown school bus driver who admitted he raped a 14-year-old girl will serve no prison time, according to the Watertown Daily Times and other media outlets.

Instead, Shane M. Piche, 26, was sentenced to 10 years of probation by Jefferson County Judge James P. McClusky. McClusky also ordered Piche to be registered as a Level 1 sex offender, a distinction that will keep his name off of the list of sex offenders listed on the public registry.

The newspaper reported the district attorney asked that Piche be designated as a Level 2 offender but the judge said that because Piche had no prior arrests and only one victim the lower level distinction was more appropriate. Level 1 sex offenders are considered least likely to commit future sex crimes.

The judge's sentence drew a harsh rebuke on social media with many questioning how a rape conviction resulted in no prison time.

The victim's mother wrote a victim impact statement decrying the crime and the sentence.

"I wish Shane Piche would have received time in jail for the harm he caused to my child," the victim's mother wrote in a statement obtained by WWNY - Channel 7 in Watertown. "He took something from my daughter she will never get back and has caused her to struggle with depression and anxiety."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Piche pleaded guilty to third-degree rape on Feb. 21. State Police said he met his victim through his job as a bus driver, the newspaper reported. The crime occurred at his home.

The television station says Piche declined to speak at his sentencing. But the station reported his lawyer, Eric Swartz, spoke about the sentence.

"He'll be a felon for the rest of his life. He's on the sex offender registry for a long time. Maybe not the rest of his life because of the level but this isn't something that didn't cause him pain and this isn't something that didn't have consequences," he said.
NORTH GREENBUSH  In this suburban town where development issues are a rising concern, the work of one Democratic supervisor candidates spouse is being questioned by her opponent.

Councilwoman Mary Frances Sabo dismissed the questions raised about her husband's past legal work for a developer by her opponent and town Democratic leaders as a political ploy. But Ron Sinico, the endorsed Democratic supervisor candidate, said its a concern for many voters.

They dont have a good candidate. Theyre trying to tear me down, Sabo said Monday.

Sabos husband, attorney Josh Sabo, has handled real estate closings for developer David Mulinio. Sabo said this has occurred three times. She said her husband has never been involved in a project since she joined the Town Board in January 2017.

I have no conflicts. Ive been above board, Sabo said. The councilwoman said she would have recused herself from a vote if her husband had been involved in a project requiring a Town Board vote.

Some Democrats became aware of Josh Sabos real estate work for Mulinio when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shut down Mulinios development project on Route 4 in March due to issues regarding the dumping of fill in a stream feeding the Hudson River.

Its my belief that Councilwoman Sabo cannot protect our town from developers when her husband had a financial interest as a developers attorney, Sinico said.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Sinico and town Democratic chairman Dan Ashley questioned the ties between Sabo and Mulinio. Sinico said the councilwoman should reveal any work her husband in doing in the town.

Development issues have gained public attention in the town due to the state Attorney Generals Public Integrity Unit subpoenaing records from Rensselaer County and the town related to sewer connections not reported by the town and questions surrounding a sewer line run near to Supervisor Lou Dessos home.

Sinico and Sabo are running against each other in the June 25 Democratic primary for supervisor. The winner will face Republican Councilman Joe Bott, who is the GOP candidate to succeed Desso.
ALBANY  A bill to prevent New York health inspectors from shutting down children's lemonade stands cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday.

Go ahead. Read that again.

That's right. Lawmakers are trying to save children's lemonade stands from what they have dubbed "state overreach" after a state health inspector shut down a 7-year-old Ballston Spa boy's stand last summer.

Brendan Mulvaney was selling lemonade, soda and sno-cones from his family's front yard last July when a state health inspector told him and his family he would need a permit to operate the stand. Several vendors at the nearby Saratoga County Fair had apparently complained that the boy was competing with their business.

Brendan told reporters he was selling lemonade to raise money for a trip to Disney World.

"It's a sad commentary on the current state of New York state's government that this legislation is needed to protect the entrepreneurial dreams of children selling lemonade," said Sen. James Tedisco, who railed against the shutdown last summer and pledged to introduce legislation to correct it.

He introduced "Brendan's Lemon-Aid Law" in January, which would exempt lemonade stands run by children under 17 from state permitting requirements, with Kimberly Jean-Pierre agreeing to cosponsor it in the Assembly. On Tuesday, the Senate Health Committee unanimously passed the bill  but not after squeezing in a few jabs at the state.

"My 8-year-old is in the middle of selling Girl Scout cookies," said Sen. Brad Hoylman. "Should I be concerned about a crackdown from the Department of Health for distributing Girl Scout cookies?"

After the incident last summer went public, the state Health Department issued an apology to Brendan and said it would investigate the issue, since it doesn't normally issue permits for lemonade stands.

Later that day, however, it backtracked, saying Brendan would need a permit to operate the stand, which it considered a "temporary food service establishment."

State regulations currently require anyone operating a temporary food service establishment to obtain and display a permit indicating they have state or local approval to manufacture and sell "retail frozen desserts." The idea is to protect public health from operators who may have a history of subpar food operations, or whose equipment, food handling or waste disposal isn't up to snuff.

The shutdown of Brendan's stand, however, drew derision from across the state. Many argued it was emblematic of the state's bureaucratic overreach.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

On Tuesday, Tedisco called the lemonade stand shutdown a "microcosm of what's wrong with New York state," and suggested it even explains the state's sustained population losses and recently botched Amazon headquarters deal.

"The fact that taxpayer dollars were used to send a state health care bureaucrat to intimidate a 7-year-old's lemonade stand is a symptom of a larger problem and a mindset that's hampering private sector job growth," he said.

Tedisco said he hopes the bill will come to a floor vote soon, so that children can have "peace of mind" as the summer season approaches.

Jill Montag, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health, said the legislation is not necessary.

"The Department of Health will continue to use its discretion to not enforce regulations on children's lemonade stands that are limited to lemonade or a similar beverage," she said. "The department's primary focus with any permit program is to protect public health."
Lori Van Buren

SARATOGA SPRINGS - For 17 years Francis Sengabo had no country to call home. He fled Rwanda and lived for a decade in a refugee camp in Tanzania. He almost ended up in Australia, but was resettled instead as a refugee in the Capital Region.

"I came here with nothing except hope. Hoping to be in a country where I could be secure with my family and able to work," Sengabo said.
RENSSELAER  Local public relations firm Relentless Awareness was hired by Rensselaer on a $40,000-a-year contract to promote the economically-challenged river city.

But the contract with Relentless, which was actually made with the city's industrial development agency, also allows the firm to "streamline" the city's planning department process to make it easier for craft beverage manufacturers to locate there  when Relentless in the past has represented at least a handful of such companies.

One company, Beer Diviner, told the Times Union Relentless reached out last year to ask if the nanobrewery would be interested in expanding from their rural Rensselaer County location to a warehouse in the city of Rensselaer; Relentless had signed its contract with the city IDA in May 2018. Nothing ever came from Relentless' inquiry to Beer Diviner.

The city Common Council also passed a resolution in October that mimicked some of Relentless' contract wording, saying the city would "establish a 'one stop shop' to attract and encourage the location of craft beverage industry manufacturing retail operations and distribution in the City of Rensselaer."

Rensselaer city officials referred the Times Union's questions about the Relentless contract to its IDA attorney, Paul J. Goldman.

Goldman did question the appropriateness of the contract language, but said he viewed the wording as more "salesmen-ship stuff."

Goldman said while the city has no current proposals to locate any brewing or alcohol distilling facilities there, he said any project would "still be subject to the requirements of applicable law."

The attorney said he was not aware of the craft beverage resolution from the Common Council, and did not have information about why it was passed.

The resolution said in part, "all city departments shall act cooperatively to ensure any and all processes involving municipal regulations over craft beverage manufacturing

is done expeditiously."

The resolution was brought before the council when Richard J. Mooney, now Rensselaer's mayor, was Common Council president. Mooney did not respond to the Times Union's questions about Relentless; Goldman said he was contacted by Mooney to address them.

"I look at that (contract) language as kind of a suggested scope of work as opposed to what they actually do," Goldman said. "It's certainly not intended to supplant any municipal processes that are required."

Relentless managing partner Joe Bonilla, who signed the Rensselaer contract, wrote in an email to the Times Union that he would not comment on his work for the city, referring questions back to the city planning department.

Rensselaer planning and development director Charles E. Moore wrote in an email to the Times Union that, "It is precisely due to its expertise in the craft beverage space that we hired Relentless."

But Goldman said that if the city received a proposal from a business that Relentless represents, it would have to require that Relentless recuse itself from being involved in the project.

"(Bonilla) has to act in the boundaries of the law or you've got problems," Goldman said. "If and when that becomes a ripe issue to be presented to us, then he's going to have to recuse himself if he represents the other side."

Bonilla has been involved in the past with the Capital Craft Beverage Trail Association, and sent out press releases on behalf of Beer Diviner, Chatham Brewing and Nine Pin Ciderworks. Chatham Brewing and Nine Pin told the Times Union that Bonilla has never talked to them about expanding their businesses to Rensselaer.

More for you Rensselaer releases vision for Hudson waterfront

But Diviner owner Jonathan Post said after Relentless was done promoting a Troy location for the Petersburgh brewer, the PR firm called to ask if Post would be interested in seeing a warehouse in Rensselaer that would be suitable for another expansion. Post said he couldn't remember the exact month of the phone call, but it was sometime last summer or fall. Post, who was no longer paying Relentless, presumed at the time that the PR firm was representing the owner of the warehouse.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

In August, Relentless tweeted out a picture of the shuttered Barnet-Shoddy mill, now called the Hilton Center, and said "Help us turn this into a craft beverage destination!" and provided a Relentless contact for how to request a tour of the building. Last year, the Forbes Street property was still owned by Hilton Management LLC, which owed delinquent property taxes.

"(Bonilla) always did a lot more work for me than I paid him for. He's been very helpful to me and done stuff that went far above whatever I paid him," Post said. But added, "he's very political, he's got his fingers in a lot of things."

Moore of the Rensselaer planning department wrote to the Times Union that the city believes there is economic development potential in the craft beverage industry, and officials are trying to be proactive. However, "Relentless is not in any way dictating policy to the city."

The PR firm has produced a series of videos for the city called "10,000 Stories" in which a longtime Rensselaer residents are interviewed. The videos are being shared through the city's Twitter feed, which is being run by Relentless.

The Relentless contract with the city of Rensselaer IDA expires on May 30. The contract calls for Relentless to be paid a monthly $3,350 retainer - with the option of Relentless receiving up to another $25,000 to develop additional advertising, if approved by the city.

Goldman said he did not know if the city will be extending the contract.

In another wrinkle, New York state Authorities Budget Director Jeffrey Pearlman told the Times Union that the Relentless contract with the IDA, which is a public authority, appears to be a violation of state general municipal law because it would be considered a "grant" to the city  which IDAs are not allowed to provide.

"They're granting to the city the free services of this PR firm," Pearlman said. "I don't think they have the lawful authority to do that."

Pearlman continued, "We're beginning to see a developing policy problem where municipalities are looking for revenues wherever they can because they can't raise taxes and they're going to the IDAs."

Goldman, however, said he disagrees with the ABO's opinion, saying that IDAs have the right to enter into any service contract, and Relentess is providing a promotional service.

"We are in fact trying to take a proactive approach to revitalizing our long passed over, ignored city," wrote Moore. "It's a gem to us who live here, so we're just trying to get the word out and Relentless is helping us."
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt.  A cash reward has been increased in the search for a man suspected in the death of a 33-year-old Vermont mother last year.

The U.S. Marshals Service announced Monday that it is offering up to $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest of 37-year-old Leroy Headley.
Albany

Freedom of the press is a concept that starts early for the group of young journalists who traveled to the state Capitol on Tuesday in support of a bill that would ease some of the censorship that student newspapers can face.

They were speaking in support of a bill proposed by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Endwell, and Sen. Brian Kavanagh, D-Manhattan, that would narrow and clarify the reasons a school administrator can censor student journalism.

"It's about supporting and encouraging student journalism," said Lupardo.

"Student journalists deserve the same protections that other journalists have," added Kavanagh.

Currently, schools can censor a student publication if it counters a school's pedagogical concerns or the "shared values of a civilized social order," according to a 1988 Supreme Court ruling.

But under the proposed Student Journalist Free Speech Act, administrators could censor a story only if it was "libelous, an invasion of privacy, or incites students to commit an unlawful act, violate school policies, or to materially and substantially disrupt the orderly operation of the school," according to the bill.

A similar measure was proposed last year but gained no traction. This years version, though, is a bit less expansive, applying only to public high schools rather than public and private schools.

The bills sponsors note that 14 states already have such protections in place. And in some cases, student journalists have uncovered important stories. At one newspaper in Kansas, for example, student journalists in 2017 found that a new principal hired for their high school had apparently faked her degrees and credentials. If those young journalists didnt have protections, the story might not have been published, according to a memo accompanying the bill.

In New York, students have turned to the mainstream press during the few instances when they faced censorship. A Queens high school, for instance, faced censorship in 2017 when student journalists tried to publish a story about What Makes a Good Teacher.

Angered by one of the students who was quoted as saying she believed most of her teachers didnt care about her, administrators quashed the story. But the kids turned it over to the N.Y. Post which published the piece.

Moreover, in the Trump era, the press is constantly being assailed, even at the grade school level.

Queens Democratic Assemblywoman Nily Rozic recalls two years ago, administers at a high school in her legislative district were characterizing student stories on personnel turnover in the school as fake news despite their accuracy.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

It is a time right now when journalism is certainly under attack, said Sen. Tom OMara, an Elmira Republican. He was joined by fellow Republican Phil Palmesano from Bath. Unlike many proposed measures, this bill has bi-partisan support.

The issue flared up near their hometowns in 2017 amid a debate over whether a student news Instagram account at the Corning-Painted Post High School should have been covering preparations for a protest march prior to President Donald Trump's inauguration in January 2017. The postings eventually stayed up but the affair sparked a lot of discussion and invitations to the lawmakers to get involved.

Students from the school attended Tuesdays event as well as those from several Queens high schools. At one, Harris Townsend High School, there is a charter that prevents censorship, said Isabelle Guillaume, a junior who is one of the papers editors. Shed like to see that concept extended statewide. It would matter a lot to the whole state, she said.

Representatives of the newspaper industry also support the bill, since they view it as helping to foster the next generation of journalists and as a needed free speech protection.

An imperiled press needs the fresh eyes and strong shoulders of a new generation, said Rex Smith, editor of the Times Union and chairman of the board at the New York News Publishers Association.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518-454-5758  @RickKarlinTU




The article "Sheriff Russo to renew ICE pact again," April 10, about Rensselaer County Sheriff Patrick Russo's intent to renew the county's 287(g) program agreement with ICE brought back memories of my civil rights activism days in Mississippi. The sheriff claimed that most of the opposition to his partnership with ICE comes from people outside Rensselaer County.

Similarly, when the New York state attorney general issued a report condemning Troy police involved in the killing of an unarmed black man at the Collar City Bridge in April 2016, high-level officials in Troy dismissed the report as misinformation originating from outsiders.
[April 30, 2019] 49% of Consumers Actively Sign-Up for Personalization, New Research from Periscope By McKinsey Reveals

NEW YORK and LONDON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest survey from Periscope By McKinsey, which offers a suite of Marketing & Sales Analytics Solutions to help companies achieve sustainable revenue growth, consumers both value and respond to personalizationwhen it's done right. But they won't tolerate being bombarded with poorly timed, intrusive or irrelevant messages. The research, entitled "The Art of Personalization Keeping it Relevant, Timely and Contextual" was conducted across 2,590 consumers in France, Germany, UK and the US and sought to understand how consumers respond to the personalized messages they encounter. The findings of the research highlight how many of today's consumers are more than willing to opt-in to receive personalized communications via SMS, email or social media from the brands and retailers that they know. Indeed, an impressive number of shoppers in the US (55%), UK (52%), Germany (46%) and France (44%) say they often or sometimes sign-up to personalization. However, results also indicate that shoppers in all countries said that most messages they receive still feel like mass marketing that weren't created with them in mind (France 47%; UK 42%; Germany 40%; US 36%). Clearly, with consumers ready and willing to engage, the rewards will significantly increase for those brands who adopt a more sophisticated and strategic approach which delivers offers and tailored suggestions based on their shoppers' unique wants and needs. Personalization Triggers an Impressive Response - 31% of Consumers are Prompted to Act Despite this current personalization shortfall, however, around one-third of messages received by US (37%) and French (32%) consumers, and around one-quarter of messages received by German (27%) and UK (26%) consumers had stimulated them to act. Evaluating which personalized content held the greatest appeal for them, consumers in all countries said they most wanted to receive messages about products relating to their interests. Recommendations related to a previous search also ranked in the top three for shoppers in the US (43%) and UK (39%), while retargeting the exact product for which they'd previously searched resonated with consumers in France (44%) and Germany (40%). However, it was updates relating to product availability and/or price that proved particularly popular in all four markets, taking the #2 spot with 42% of shoppers in Germany and the UK, and was identified as the third most relevant message type by 44% of consumers in France and 42% in the US. Deals Represent a Top Motivating Factor for Consumers Asked what motivates them most to act on a personalized communication, taking advantage of an offer that saves them money topped the list for consumers in the US (61%), the UK (59%), France (54%) and Germany (49%). Messages about products they wanted to buy proved the next motivating factor for consumers in the US (47%) and UK (45%), followed by communications about products in their price ange (41% US and UK).



The number two motivating factor for consumers in Germany (48%) and France (47%) proved to be messages about products that match their personal tastes. Taking #3 spot for 45% of consumers in Germany were communications on products they wanted to buy, while 42% of shoppers in France were motivated by notifications about products within their budget range. Which Channels Get Consumer Attention?

Asked what percentage of messages they had actually opened and read, SMS/text messages stimulated high engagement levels with shoppers everywhere. In the US, it was the channel most likely to elicit an 'open and read' action, with 42% of all messages received being opened and scanned. It was a similar story for consumers in France, who confirm they'd reviewed 45% of received SMS messages. While SMS stimulated high open rates with consumers in Germany (57%) and the UK (40%), it was communications sent via messaging apps like WhatsApp that got the most attention in those markets. German shoppers read 67% of the instant messages they'd received, while UK shoppers reviewed 41% of communications sent to them in this channel. When consumers were given the option to select their top three preferred channels for receiving personalized messages, while email predominated in all countries surveyed, shoppers in the UK, US and Germany identified coupons linked to their loyalty cards as their second choice, followed by either WhatsApp (US and Germany) or adverts on Instagram (UK). Consumers in France, however, selected the option of receiving adverts through their Instagram account as their second choice just ahead of coupons. When Personalization Gets Creepy While shoppers recognize that brands and retailers are using their data to target and personalize messages, they're definitely unsettled when they feel their digital or personal privacy is being invaded. Unsolicited communications from companies they don't know was a top issue for US consumers (41%), and the second biggest cause for concern for German shoppers (39%). However, it was the unsettling eeriness of location tracking messages that caused the most anxiety for German (40%) and UK (40%) shoppers and was listed as the second greatest cause for apprehension among French (41%) and US (40%) consumers. Getting a message within seconds of undertaking a purchase or having conducted an online search also made shoppers uncomfortable; it was identified as the second most likely cause for concern by consumers in the UK (38%), and #3 in the list of creepy personalization attributes identified by French (37%) and US (38%) shoppers. The cross-sharing of their browsing history also proved a top issue for 42% of French consumers, while the cross-sharing of profile information was the third most likely thing to disturb 37% of German shoppers. Taking a look at whether certain types of personalization were more likely to spook men versus women, perhaps unsurprisingly, women were noticeably more likely than men to find receiving location-based messages more intrusive and unsettling. "This year's findings represent a very clear learning point for retailers and brands - taking personalization efforts to the next level represents a significant opportunity to drive up consumer engagement," said Lars Fiedler, Partner and Senior Solution Leader Marketing Solutions at Periscope By McKinsey. "To be successful with their personalization efforts and reap the rewards, businesses should employ advanced analytics and scalable and sustainable solutions to better understand their consumers and create the right mix of content, channel and timing to drive a change in behaviour of an individual customer." To read more about the survey's findings, download the "The Art of Personalization Keeping it Relevant, Timely and Contextual" report from here. Study Methodology In March 2019, Periscope By McKinsey conducted online research targeting consumers in France (505), Germany (508), the UK (500) and the US (1077). Respondents were aged between 18 and 69 and responses were selectively evaluated by age category and gender. About Periscope By McKinsey Founded in 2007, the Periscope By McKinsey platform combines world-leading intellectual property, prescriptive analytics and cloud based tools with expert support and training. It's a unique combination that drives revenue growth, both now and into the future. The platform offers a suite of Marketing & Sales solutions that accelerate and sustain commercial transformation for businesses. Periscope leverages its world-leading IP (largely from McKinsey but also other partners) and best-in-class technology to enable transparency into Big Data, create actionable insights and new ways of working that drive lasting performance improvement, and typically sustain a 2-7% increase in return on sales (ROS). With a truly global reach, the portfolio of solutions is comprised of: Insight Solutions, Marketing Solutions, Customer Experience Solutions, Category Solutions, Pricing Solutions, Performance Solutions and Sales Solutions. These are complemented by ongoing client service and custom capability building programs. To learn more about how Periscope's solutions and experts are helping businesses continually drive better performance, visit http://www.periscope-solutions.com/ For further information please contact: For Periscope: General information, Yagmur Anis, [email protected], +43-660-2630405 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/49-of-consumers-actively-sign-up-for-personalization-new-research-from-periscope-by-mckinsey-reveals-300839932.html SOURCE Periscope By McKinsey

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[April 30, 2019]

Canada Announces Six Crush It! Mining Challenge Finalists to Advance Toward $5-Million Grand Prize

MONTREAL, April 30, 2019 /CNW/ - Improving the energy efficiency of Canada's mines is critical to our transition to a low-carbon economy. Finding and advancing innovative solutions that reduce energy use for crushing and grinding mined rock will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve productivity and help our mining industry become more competitive.

Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today announced the six finalists for Impact Canada's Crush it! Challenge at the 2019 Canadian Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's Convention. Each finalist is eligible to receive up to $800,000 to build and test his or her cleantech solution before advancing to the next stage of the challenge.

The finalists are:

Gillian Holcroft from the Canada Mining Innovation Council for her Conjugate Anvil Hammer Mill

from the Canada Mining Innovation Council for her Conjugate Anvil Hammer Mill Claude Gagnon from COREM for his Optimization of High-Pressure Grinding Rolls

from COREM for his Optimization of High-Pressure Grinding Rolls Erin Bobicki from the University of Toronto for her Microwave Pre-treatment and Ore Sorting

from the for her Microwave Pre-treatment and Ore Sorting Tracy Holmes from Jenike & Johanson for her Microwave Treatment and Materials Handling

from Jenike & Johanson for her Microwave Treatment and Materials Handling Philippe Gagnon from COREM for his IntelliCrush

from COREM for his IntelliCrush Cliff Edwards from Envisioning Labs for his Transcritical CO 2 Pulverization

Launched in October 2018, Crush It! challenged Canadian innovators to deliver game-changing solutions for cleaner, more efficient rock processing. Of the 65 applications received, 12 semi-finalists pitched their ideas to a seven-member jury of cleantech and innovation leaders in the mining sector at a public showcase event held in conjunction with the #DisruptMining event in March. Eleven of the semi-finalists received $10,000 in micro-grants to develop their proposals.







In March 2021, a $5-million Grand Prize will be awarded to the innovator demonstrating the best energy breakthrough in crushing and grinding rocks.

Crush It! is one of five cleantech challenges launched by Natural Resources Canada as part of the Impact Canada Initiative. Challenges were co-developed with industry experts and stakeholders to attract a diverse range of problem solvers to generate breakthrough cleantech solutions to some of Canada's biggest unsolved challenges. The Impact Canada challenge platform is part of a Government of Canada-wide effort to introduce innovative programming approaches to deliver meaningful results for Canadians. NRCan will invest $75 million over four years in five challenges: Women in Cleantech Challenge, Power Forward Challenge, Crush It! Challenge, The Sky's the Limit Challenge and Indigenous Off-diesel Initiative.

Quotes

"Our mining industry has positioned Canada as a leading mining nation and a centre of global mining finance and expertise. Improving the energy efficiency of crushing and grinding rock will create good jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a more sustainable mining sector. Congratulations to all the Challenge participants for helping modernize a foundational industry in Canada."

Amarjeet Sohi

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources



"This Challenge supports mining, an unsung hero of our country, by modernizing it to be part of our low-carbon economy. Through transformation, modernization and diversification, the mining sector continues to thrive and remains an important economic driver of Canada's economy."

Paul Lefebvre

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources

"The Crush It! Challenge is a great example of what is possible when we empower industry to find innovative solutions to the challenges we face as Canadians. As the Government of Canada's champion for Impact Canada, I am proud of the creative ideas and proposals put forward to develop new clean technology solutions for our mining industry."

Karina Gould

Minister of Democratic Institutions

Associated Links

Impact Canada

Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation

Goldcorp Inc.



Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan)

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada
[April 30, 2019] Carbon60 Networks Recognized as a Major Player in Canadian Datacenter Management Services, According to IDC MarketScape

Carbon60 Networks, a leading Managed Cloud Hosting Service provider in Canada, has been recognized as a Major Player in the IDC (News - Alert) MarketScape: Canadian Datacenter Operations and Management Services 2019 Vendor Assessment (Doc #CA44463419, April 2019). The IDC MarketScape report indicates that Carbon60's size has been viewed as a strength by clients who report the company exceeds their expectations in terms of overall satisfaction and value. "Carbon60 is one of the only pure-play managed cloud providers profiled and this focus lends well to clients that need depth of technical talent to support their initiatives," said Jason Bremner, research vice president, Industry & Business Solutions, IDC Canada. "We are extremely proud of this recognition by the IDC MarketScape as we continue to assist customers with their cloud infrastructure management needs delivered with our signature white-glove experience," said John Witte, President and CEO, Carbon60 Networks. "Canadian businesses are increasingly adopting both private and public clouds to run their critical applications and Carbon60 continues to invest in our team to enhance our expertise on hybrid clouds, DevOps and security skills to partner with our customers to manage their IT better." The IDC MarketScape report assess a broad spectrum of 16 service providers that offer datacenter services to organizations of all sizes. The services covered range from managed hosting and cloud, managed datacenter, and colocation ervices with service providers that focus on end-user organizations primarily rather than wholesale services.



About IDC MarketScape:

IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360 degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors. About Carbon60 Networks

Based in Toronto, Canada, Carbon60 is a managed cloud services provider for SMB and enterprise customers. The company offers private, public and hybrid cloud services and a full suite of managed services including monitoring, performance optimization and testing, security, disaster recovery, back-up and CDN access. Carbon60 is also the leading provider of application hosting for content management systems in Canada. The company has hosting facilities in Toronto, Vancouver, Kelowna, New York and London. Carbon60 provides a white-glove customer experience with a deep level of technical support services combined with a nimble approach making them the trusted choice for companies that need a partner to deliver solutions with reliability, performance and security. For more information, Visit us at Our Website / LinkedIn / Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005090/en/

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[April 30, 2019] CIGNEX Datamatics Joins the Confluent Partner Program

LIVONIA, Michigan, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CIGNEX Datamatics, a leading provider of Open Source, Cloud & Automation technology solutions & services, announced today that it has partnered with Confluent, the company founded by the creators of Apache Kafka, to help enterprises solve the challenges of data integration by building stream processing applications with Kafka. Confluent is the only enterprise streaming platform built entirely on Kafka that makes implementing, managing and deploying an enterprise streaming platform easy, reliable, secure and auditable. As a Confluent Partner, CIGNEX Datamatics will help organizations buy, build, implement, service, support and run the Confluent Platform. With the tailored solutions developed by CIGNEX Datamatics, enterprises can fetch actionable intelligence by focusing on real-time data pipelines built by streaming social, geospatial or sensor data from various devices and enhance their customer experience. "We are delighted to partner with Confluent nd look forward to working with them to provide enterprises with deep insights into their Kafka pipelines through enhanced metrics provided by the Confluent Platform," said Harish Ramachandran, CEO, CIGNEX Datamatics. "We aim at developing innovative new capabilities to support evolving use cases and providing top level technology expertise which will help enterprises maximize their value of data."



CIGNEX Datamatics focuses on enabling organizations evolve their systems from slow and unresponsive shared-state architectures of the past to efficient & responsive microservices architecture. Based on Confluent which lays the foundation for Event-Driven Architecture, CIGNEX Datamatics has expertise in creating a Kafka-based event streaming platform where Confluent acts as the central nervous system for microservices-based applications. Confluent being a critical platform to achieve real-time, event-driven architectures at scale enables organizations to make more informed business decisions. Being a part of the Confluent Partner Program will help CIGNEX Datamatics cater to new use cases and give customers new ways of visualizing their data.

Know more about CIGNEX Datamatics' Kafka expertise here. About CIGNEX Datamatics CIGNEX Datamatics is a Michigan based global consulting company offering IT solutions & services in the Open Source, Cloud & Automation domains. Since 2000, CIGNEX Datamatics has been delivering enterprise class solutions that enable organizations achieve unparalleled results. Find out more at www.cignex.com. Media Contact

CIGNEX Datamatics

Priyanka Sharma

[email protected]

+91-7967010345 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cignex-datamatics-joins-the-confluent-partner-program-300840473.html SOURCE CIGNEX Datamatics Inc.

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[April 30, 2019] Cloudscene Appoints Belle Lajoie as Chief Executive Officer

BRISBANE, Australia, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloudscene, the leading telecommunications industry marketplace and world's largest cloud directory, has announced the appointment of Belle Lajoie as inaugural Chief Executive Officer to lead the next phase of growth for the company. Belle Lajoie has played an important role in the growth and commercial success of some of Australia's most successful technology startups including NEXTDC (ASX:NXT) and more recently as Global Chief Commercial Officer for Megaport (ASX:MP1). Cloudscene Founder, Bevan Slattery said, "Cloudscene has experienced tremendous growth since its official launch in 2016, and I am honored and excited to have someone with Belle's deep industry knowledge and expertise leading the team to focus on taking Cloudscene to the next level." p> Belle Lajoie said, "I'm excited to lead the Cloudscene team as I've always been extremely passionate about the vision of the company and have been an avid user and huge supporter of Cloudscene from day one ."



"The team has a vision to build a neutral and trusted exchange platform for cloud and connectivity services. I'm thrilled to now lead the journey towards realizing that vision," added Lajoie. The role of CEO has been brought on to drive the expansion of the product suite, accelerate user growth and engagement, and implement a series of commercial opportunities to better support the needs of the industry.

Belle Lajoie will commence as Cloudscene's CEO on 1st May, 2019 and Renee Harper who is currently Cloudscene's interim General Manager will also commence a new role as Vice President of Marketing and Engagement. About Cloudscene:

Cloudscene makes buying and selling cloud and connectivity services simple. Supported by data independently sourced by the industry, for the industry, Cloudscene has become the trusted source for colocation data centers, cloud service providers, network fabrics and cloud on-ramps. Established by tech entrepreneur, Bevan Slattery, Cloudscene is home to the world's largest cloud directory has become the industry's go-to resource for comprehensive connectivity data on more than 6,900 colocation facilities across 110 countries. Cloudscene's independent telecommunications Marketplace also supports buyers of colocation, IaaS, voice, cloud and internet services by directly connecting enterprises to the 7,300+ service providers listed on Cloudscene. www.cloudscene.com For comments, interviews or images, please contact:

Renee Harper

+61 7 3193 3260

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cloudscene-appoints-belle-lajoie-as-chief-executive-officer-300840740.html SOURCE Cloudscene

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[April 30, 2019] COSI Science Festival Launches May 1 - 4, 2019 with More than One Hundred FREE Events Throughout Central Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- COSI, joined by Battelle, NASA, local businesses, organizations, universities and STEM leaders will host over one hundred community events showcasing science across Central Ohio as part of the inaugural COSI Science Festival May 1-4, 2019. The COSI Science Festival is expected to be among the largest science events in Ohio history, and includes four days of events at central Ohio businesses, community centers, libraries, schools, and more. As part of the COSI Science Festival, COSI, Battelle, NASA, and other Central Ohio STEM leaders will form an unprecedented partnership impacting tens of thousands of people. Free, interactive events will be held in the community for the first three days of the festival, May 1 -3, for all ages and interests. The COSI Science Festival concludes with the free, day-long Big Science Celebration on May 4, outside COSI on the Scioto Peninsula featuring more than 100 STEM exhibitors with hands-on activities. The COSI Science Festival will also feature: Virtual events utilizing COSI's own Interactive Video Conferencing Program and will be distributed free as part of the classroom for anyone across the country to access, tune in and engage with scientists of varying backgrounds.

Community events themed around "Be the Scientist" or Adult Science Series ensuring a wide range of topics for all ages.

Free Citywide Star Parties at 15 locations on May 3 across Franklin County , including COSI, to encourage guests to explore the night sky. "Hosting events throughout Central Ohio communities where people live, learn, and lounge, and allows us to meet people where they are and then engage, inspire and transform them through amazing science experiences right in their own backyards  this makes the experience relevant and accessible," said Dr. Frederic Bertley, President and CEO of COSI. "Then, on May 4, the final day, we celebrate with the free Big Science Celebration, at the beautiful Scioto Peninsula. Collectively, when people think of science, we want them to think of COSI." Battelle initiated funding through visionary support for the COSI Science Festival with a pledge of $850,000 over three years to help get the project underwa.



"We are incredibly excited to participate in the COSI Science Festival, and are also strong believers in the benefits of an event like this," said Battelle President and CEO Lou Von Thaer. "There is power in an engaging STEM activity to serve as an introduction to a STEM career path. Battelle employs thousands of creative and innovative problem solvers across many scientific disciplines, and we look forward to inspiring the next generation." Battelle will also be an exhibitor at the Big Science Celebration, giving the public a chance to meet its scientists and enjoy opportunities for families and kids to engage in interactive, exciting science activities.

In an unprecedented partnership between COSI and NASA, representatives from NASA's research centers around the country will bring hands-on activities highlighting their work to the Big Science Celebration on May 4. NASA will also host a special exhibition May 1-3 in COSI's Atrium for visitors to enjoy as well as support the COSI Science Festival's Citywide Star Party at COSI on the evening of May 3. "NASA will be an incredible addition to the COSI Science Festival," said Dr. Bertley. "This is a fantastic partnership between the world's leading space exploration organization and our premier science center to engage and inspire COSI Science Festival participants. Tremendous care and planning has gone into the COSI Science Festival and it is phenomenal to have NASA recognize that and join us at our inaugural Festival." In addition to city representatives, government officials and much more, COSI is honored to have thirteen COSI STEM Stars, the grand marshals of the COSI Science Festival, join us at these events including the Big Science Celebration. The COSI STEM Stars were chosen by their communities as champions of STEM in their community. Awardees range from entrepreneurs to teachers to advocates. For more information on the COSI STEM Stars, the COSI Science Festival, and to see a full listing of the community events, visit cosiscifest.org. COTA will serve as the "Official Ride Partner" and is offering free transportation to and from COSI's BIG Science Celebration Saturday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. COSI will distribute free COTA bus passes at dozens of events leading up to May 4. Visitors can receive a COTA bus pass for their trip home by visiting COTA's brand new bus parked on the Rich Street Bridge during the Big Science Celebration. The COSI Science Festival is made possible through generous support by Visionary Sponsor Battelle; Presenting Sponsors The Harold C. Schott Foundation and Huntington National Bank; Supporting Sponsors American Electric Power Foundation, The Columbus Foundation, and Honda; Contributing Sponsors CAS, Mount Carmel Health System, The Ohio State University, and Worthington Industries. About COSI

The Center of Science and Industry (COSI), located in Columbus, Ohio, is a dynamic, hands-on science center with more than 55 years of award-winning expertise in providing engaging, inspiring, and transforming learning experiences. COSI cultivates a vibrant learning ecosystem for all people, helping ensure we are scientifically literate, critically aware and thoughtfully engaged. From hands-on interactive exhibits in themed exhibition areas, and state-of-the-art planetarium, to traveling and education outreach programs, COSI delivers science and science educational experiences both in its building and far beyond its walls, including the COSI Science Festival. With unprecedented and one-of-a-kind partnerships, including with the New York City-based American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), COSI has positioned itself as a national powerhouse museum with content and experiences for people of all ages. Located on Central Ohio's burgeoning Scioto Peninsula, the epicenter of Columbus' downtown redevelopment, COSI stands as a leading cultural institution and destination attraction for regional, national, and international audiences. For more information, visit cosi.org . 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. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cosi-science-festival-launches-may-1--4-2019-with-more-than-one-hundred-free-events-throughout-central-ohio-300840145.html SOURCE COSI

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[April 30, 2019] Divvy Secures $200M Financing Round To Expand & Keep Up With Market Demand

LEHI, Utah, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Divvy, a modern payment and expense management platform for business, today announced a $200 million financing round led by NEA, with participation from existing investors Pelion Venture Partners and Insight Venture Partners. The Series C is the third round of funding Divvy has closed in less than a year, bringing the company's total equity financing to $245.5 million. The new investment will allow Divvy to accelerate product development and customer growth, while further refining the company's smart money payment and expense platform. "We are thrilled to support Divvy in their mission to modernize the way businesses handle money. In only a year in a half, Divvy has established itself as one of the fastest growing fintech companies we've ever seen. The company's unprecedented growth is a testament to both the team and the compelling product they have built, which is alleviating a major pain point experienced by all businesses," noted Scott Sandell, Managing General Partner of NEA. Blake Murray, Co-Founder, and CEO of Divvy commented, "This investment allows us to deepen the Divvy platform and experience; furthering our mission to "make money smarter" for all businesses. Beyond that, it gives us the resources we need to invest deeply in our team and platform in a way that greatly accelerates our vision. We're also excited to welcome NEA to the Divvy community, and we share their commitment to helping reshape financial technology." This investment further validates and gives fuel to Divvy's ambitious vision to modernize financial rocesses by fusing payments and expense management into one smart money platform. Since launching only 15 months ago, Divvy has quickly established a loyal user base approaching 3,000 businesses, with hundreds of thousands of active credit cards spending on the Divvy platform backed by over $1.6B in credit. Plus, Divvy has generated quarter-over-quarter revenue growth of over 30% with no signs of slowing down. This cash injection comes at a key time in Divvy's growth and is expected to help the company continue to expand for years to come.



Scott Sandell, Managing General Partner of NEA, will join Divvy's Board of Directors. Ben Narasin, Venture Partner at NEA, will join as a board observer. About Divvy

Divvy is a financial software company that helps businesses modernize payment processes and expense management. With Divvy, customers can manage payments and subscriptions with integrated virtual and physical corporate credit cards, with each tied to dynamic limits controlled by centrally managed budgets. Divvy centralizes budget management, delegates payment process, automates expense management, and gives financial leaders real-time control over spending. More at www.getdivvy.com . About NEA New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors, and geographies. With more than $20 billion in cumulative committed capital since the firm's founding in 1977, NEA invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of successful investing includes more than 225 portfolio company IPOs and more than 375 acquisitions. For additional information, visit www.nea.com. Media Contact:

Michael Moulton, VP of Brand, Divvy

[email protected]

www.getdivvy.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/divvy-secures-200m-financing-round-to-expand--keep-up-with-market-demand-300840233.html SOURCE Divvy

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[April 30, 2019] ETA hand2mind Announces Name Change to hand2mind

ETA hand2mind, a leader in hands-on learning since 1965, proudly announces that it has changed its name to hand2mind. The new name represents the company's mission to support teachers, inspire students, engage parents, and champion learning by doing. The name "hand2mind" highlights the company's role in schools around the world: helping students reach their full potential through its hands-on, engaging resources in math, science, STEM, and literacy subjects. "Our vision for hand2mind for more than 50 years has been learning by doing," hand2mind's CEO Rick Woldenberg said. "Our hands-on learning products and systems are engaging, developmentally appropriate, standards-based and help children achieve a deeper understanding of curriculum." Products such as Daily Math Fluency provide educators a ready-made solution to improving students' graspof basic math facts through greater efficiency, better strategy and higher confidence-in as little as 10 minutes a day. The VersaTiles Math and VersaTiles Literacy products are action-oriented alternatives to standard workbooks. VersaTiles provides the visual, interactive approach that students need to develop conceptual understanding.



"We help students reach their full potential by supporting educators with quality, hands-on classroom resources," Woldenberg concluded. "We believe learning is a fundamental right. Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed through their own unique path to learning. We partner with schools and families to navigate that crucial learning journey." For more information on the resources hand2mind provides and to view product demos, please visit hand2mind.com or connect with hand2mind on Twitter (News - Alert) @hand2mind.

About hand2mind

With more than 50 years of experience in education, hand2mind provides interactive, hands-on resources for math, science, STEM, and literacy. Our mission is to support teachers, inspire students, engage parents, and champion learning by doing. A family-owned company, hand2mind is based in Vernon Hills, Illinois. For more information, please visit hand2mind.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006042/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Kdan Mobile Celebrates Decade of Creativity with New App, Time Capsule, Special Offer

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kdan Mobile, a global SaaS (Software as a Service) company, celebrates its tenth anniversary in April. Kdan Mobile has expanded from a single office in Tainan, Taiwan to four offices around the globe (Taiwan, Mainland China and the United States), and has accumulated over 150 million downloads over the last decade. Kdan's tenth anniversary celebration is centered around the idea of trying to positively impact the world during their next decade. One way they are doing that is by planting trees with iTree. The trees will be planted in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. "We have demonstrated our commitment to better the world with our service offerings and we plan to continue forging forward," explained Kenny Su, Kdan's founder and CEO. "Looking ahead, Kdan will be a business that takes on social responsibility. I am glad we symbolize that endeavor as part of our milestone celebration." The Kdan team also issued a challenge to their user base that relates to the future decade: "What types of innovations do you think we'll see over the next decade that will improve our productivity?" Kdan asked their audience to send in their predictions about the future of productivity. These submissions were included in a time capsule that will be revisited in ten years, where the future team will share the results of their users' forecasts. dan is also ringing in the next decade with their new app, Kdan Cloud. Kdan Cloud has been a long-standing service provided by the company, and is now being offered as a standalone application.



"We are very thrilled," explained Wei-Chung Wang, VP of global marketing and strategy for Kdan. "We have long strived to provide services that will enhance productivity. Kdan Cloud completes the puzzle just in time for our anniversary." The newly-released Kdan Cloud app works seamlessly with Kdan's other productivity or creative tools, and makes it easier for users to organize and share projects with others. The Kdan Cloud app will be available for download in early May on iOS devices.

Kdan is introducing a special promotion and new merchandise to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Users who sign up for either Document 365 or Creativity 365 annual plan on the Kdan Creative Store website will receive a US$10 discount and a US$10 Amazon Gift Card. Jolly, Kdan's newly-introduced mascot, will be featured on a new line of t-shirts and other "swag" from the company that will be available throughout the duration of the celebration. Anyone interested in learning more about Kdan's limited-time merchandise is encouraged to visit the anniversary page at https://bit.ly/2PzBN2S. Kdan has also expressed their goal to continue improving their enterprise solutions. The team expects to release new-and-improved productivity solutions in the first half of 2019. About Kdan Mobile Since 2009, Kdan Mobile has been a dedicated provider of mobile software applications and online services that allow users to better leverage their productivity and creativity. Kdan's apps have received more than 150 million downloads worldwide; their solutions empower the world to create, distribute and conjoin projects via a variety of devices across platforms. Kdan Mobile is headquartered in Taiwan with operations in mainland China and the United States. www.kdanmobile.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kdan-mobile-celebrates-decade-of-creativity-with-new-app-time-capsule-special-offer-300840516.html SOURCE Kdan Mobile Software Ltd

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[April 30, 2019] Kuebix Extends Load Matching Service with Emerge Marketplace

MAYNARD, Mass. and SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kuebix , creator of the industrys fastest growing transportation management system (TMS), and Emerge, developer of the first ever Private Freight Marketplace (PFM), announced the addition of Emerge Marketplace to Kuebix Community Load Match. Now Kuebix users can get additional truckload capacity through Emerges massive carrier marketplace. With Kuebix TMS, shippers can access all their contracted rates and the truckload spot market, all in one easy-to-use system. Kuebix TMS is an Enterprise-class transportation management system (TMS) for the masses that supports all modes of shipping. In addition to core functionality like rating, booking, tracking and analytics, the TMS acts as a supply chain operating system that delivers new value-added services to the community. Shippers can access the Emerge Private Freight Marketplace (PFM) to solve their capacity crunch problems by finding additional truckload assets at attractive market rates and service levels. Were pleased to connect the Kuebix shipping community with Emerges massive network of brokers and direct carrier assets, said Dan Clark, Kuebix Founder and President. Kuebix is uniquely providing our customers access to their contracted rates alongside a digital spot marketplace for additional truckload capacity, all in one convenient system. Now members of the Kuebix community get the best of both worlds to find the most efficient rates and the capacity they require to meet their shipping needs. When a shipper is in need of additional truckload capacity or looking for more rate options, they can post their shipment to Community Load Match and begin receiving spot quotes. Through this new partnership, Emerges extensive broker and direct carrier asset connections are now accessible so that users can easily have their freight digitaly matched with available assets. Customers gain access to this capacity without having to onboard each individual carrier and manage separate invoicing. All of this is handled as a one-stop-shop through Emerge and Kuebix.



We couldnt be more excited to partner with the Kuebix Team on this joint venture. We saw and felt an immediate fit both from a strategic and cultural standpoint. Our partnership will allow more users access to our innovative Private Freight Marketplace, ensuring competitive real-time market rates while also expanding a shippers trusted network, said Grant Crawford, Emerge President. Together Kuebix and Emerge can provide shippers a one-stop-shop for multiple modes while also assisting to reduce their total freight costs. This new partnership increases transparency between contracted rates and the truckload spot market all in one easy to use system. Emerge handles all settlements and claims and does not require the Kuebix user to onboard new carriers when an Emerge rate is booked through Community Load Match. Shippers can now leverage more available truckload capacity without needing to pick up the phone or visit dozens of carrier websites, helping to reduce their overall freight spend.

About Kuebix

Kuebix is the creator of a transportation management system (TMS) that enables companies to capitalize on supply chain opportunities through control, visibility and the use of predictive analytics. Kuebix is democratizing the rating, booking and tracking of freight with its free TMS, Kuebix Free Shipper, which can be ready to use in minutes. Companies looking for advanced analytics, financial management and other premium features can upgrade to Kuebix Business Pro and Kuebix Enterprise and then seamlessly add Premier Applications and Integrations in a modular fashion. All Kuebix users can leverage Kuebix Community Load Match, a truckload spot market connecting thousands of shippers with truckload capacity. Kuebix also offers unique Managed Service Programs to shippers looking to partially or fully outsource transportation management. For more information visit: www.kuebix.com . About Emerge

Emerge is an award winning technology company based in Scottsdale, Arizona headed up by former heads of FedEx-Freight, UPS Freight and GlobalTranz. Their Private Freight Marketplace (PFM) allows shippers to use their own carriers and guarantees a reduction in annual freight spend of at least 5% by giving their customers access to direct rates on live capacity. Combining quoting and tendering, carrier management, real-time tracking, data-driven analytics, streamlined customer billing and the ability to network and connect with new partners, the Emerge PFM increases operational savings and efficiencies throughout the entire process. The cloud-based platform can be implemented in minutes with zero downloads or installs required. For more information please visit EmergeTMS.com . Media Contacts: Sarah Clark

Director of Marketing

Kuebix

[email protected]

978-298-2157 Andrea Toch

Colter Communications

[email protected]

602-405-8335

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[April 30, 2019] LTI Ranks as the Top Service Provider in France for the Second Consecutive Year

Larsen & Toubro Infotech (News - Alert) Ltd. (NSE: LTI, BSE: 540005), a global technology consulting and digital solutions company ranked number one in overall customer satisfaction in the French IT outsourcing study conducted by Whitelane Research. This is the second consecutive year for LTI to be at the top of this research in France. The French study is part of Whitelane's annual extensive IT outsourcing survey with more than 145 participants from the top IT spending organisations in France. Whitelane evaluated over 500 unique IT outsourcing relationships with 26 different IT service providers. The study compared leading service providers on eight performance indicators viz. Service delivery, Account management, Proactivity, Price level, Contractual flexibility, Innovation, Transformation, & Business understanding. Based on client ratings, LTI scored an impressive average of 80% satisfaction. Whitelane's IT Outsourcing study was conducted with senior-level executives that have an influence on corporate IT strategy and IT sourcing decisions. Both organizations with large IT budgets as well as organizations that have outsourced a significant amount of their IT processes, receive an invitation to participate in the research. Chris Connors, Vice President and Country Head - France, LTI said, "Customer centricity is at the core of our strategy and this research is important because the evaluation and rank is based on the opinion of our customers. We will continue to invest in France and Europe, strengthening our offerings that amplify outcomes for our customers." Jef Loos, Head Sourcing Research Europe, Whitelane Research said, "The findings of this research are based on the data received in the market study from the respondents surveyed. The fact that LTI has stayed at the top of the list shows the deep commitment that the company has for its customers in the region." LTI partners with some of the largest enterprises in France and Europe, across sectors. The company's Innovation Center at its office in Paris enables customers to experience the impact of technologies before making a commitment. In February 2019, the company acquired Hamburg, Germany based NIELSEN+PARTER (N+P), enhancing it's footprint in Europe.



About LTI: Larsen & Toubro Infotech (NSE: LTI, BSE: 540005) is a global technology consulting and digital solutions Company helping more than 300 clients succeed in a converging world. With operations in 30 countries, we go the extra mile for our clients and accelerate their digital transformation with LTI's Mosaic platform enabling their mobile, social, analytics, IoT and cloud journeys. Founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited, our unique heritage gives us unrivaled real-world expertise to solve the most complex challenges of enterprises across all industries. Each day, our team of more than 27,000 LTItes enable our clients to improve the effectiveness of their business and technology operations, and deliver value to their customers, employees and shareholders. Find more at www.Lntinfotech.com or follow us at @LTI_Global

More information: LTI to Acquire Germany Based NIELSEN+PARTNER

LTI ranks as the Top Service provider in France, 2018 report by Whitelane Connect with LTI: Read our News and Blogs

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[April 30, 2019] Metro Health - University of Michigan Health to Use Glytec's Software for Inpatient Diabetes Care

Known for high-quality, personalized care and award-winning services, Metro Health - University of Michigan Health is taking inpatient diabetes management to the next level. With a decades-long focus on ensuring glucose control is a top priority, the healthcare organization has selected Glytec's eGlycemic Management System (eGMS) to advance the standardization of best practice. The software-as-a-medical-device eGMS platform is both patented and FDA cleared. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005165/en/ "Our IT, clinical and administrative leaders work hand in hand to evaluate and select technology solutions that not only improve the quality and safety of patient care, but also improve processes and efficiencies for the clinicians who provide that care," says J. Joshua Wilda, Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Interim Chief Operating Officer for Metro Health - University of Michigan Health. "We feel that Glytec's eGMS meets these criteria, and the business case for clinical and financial improvement is compelling." (Photo: Business Wire) "We've been using an intravenous insulin dosing tool in our critical care units for a number of years," says Dr. Ronald Grifka, Chief Medical Officer for Metro Health - University of Michigan Health. "Partnering with Glytec will allow us to support our patients and clinicians in a more comprehensive manner, with integrated solutions that address all areas of care, including subcutaneous basal-bolus insulin on the inpatient floors, where 90 percent of all insulin is administered."



Approximately 30 to 40 percent of patients require insulin therapy during hospitalization, either because they have diabetes or their blood sugar becomes elevated due to the stresses of surgery or other acute conditions. Glytec's solution will equip clinical care teams at Metro Health - University of Michigan Health with evidence-based, technology-enabled decision support to ensure both intravenous and subcutaneous insulin therapy are managed safely and effectively, according to standards established by the American Diabetes Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. The company will also provide a suite of expert professional services designed to help facilitate and support clinical practice change and ongoing quality improvement. "With Glytec's solution, we are positioning ourselves to achieve best practice for all patients. No matter what Metro floor or unit they're treated on, no matter which of our clinicians is caring for them, every patient will receive the same level of excellent care," says Grifka. "We will deliver personalized insulin therapy that is responsive to a patient's changing needs, and dose adjustments will be made in a very timely and precise manner. This includes transitions from intravenous to subcutaneous insulin therapy -- when patients are transferred from critical care units to step-down or medical-surgical units -- as well as transitions from hospital to home. These measures will help reduce both length of stay and readmissions, consistent with many published studies of the eGMS platform."

Glytec's proprietary SmartClick technology for interoperability will give clinical care teams at Metro Health - University of Michigan Health ready access to eGMS from within the Epic electronic medical record. Other eGMS modules, such as GlucoSurveillance, GlucoView and GlucoMetrics, will provide hyperglycemia surveillance, glycemic status monitoring, robust analytics, reporting and more. "Our IT, clinical and administrative leaders work hand in hand to evaluate and select technology solutions that not only improve the quality and safety of patient care, but also improve processes and efficiencies for the clinicians who provide that care," says J. Joshua Wilda, Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Interim Chief Operating Officer for Metro Health - University of Michigan Health. "We feel that Glytec's eGMS meets these criteria, and the business case for clinical and financial improvement is compelling." About Glytec Founded in 2006, Glytec is the pioneer of digital therapeutics, improving the lives of people with diabetes by making insulin a more effective and accessible option for millions unable to achieve their treatment goals. The company's patented eGlycemic Management System is the only FDA-cleared software-as-a-medical-device (SaMD) platform to enable the mass personalization of insulin across the continuum of care: inpatient, outpatient and virtual settings alike. Glytec offers several comprehensive programs combining evidence-based decision support technologies with expert professional services proven to aid providers in achieving best practices and standardization while reducing hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, A1C, readmissions, length of stay and cost. The company has offices in Waltham, Massachusetts and Greenville, South Carolina. For more information visit www.glytecsystems.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005165/en/

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[April 30, 2019] New CTA Ad Urges Congress to Ratify USCMA-the "New NAFTA"

The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro (News - Alert), president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), regarding the need for Congress to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Today in a new print advertisement, CTA calls on Congress to pass the "New NAFTA" as a means of strengthening U.S. physical and economic security. "Supporting American workers and driving economic growth are bipartisan issues - and members of Congress should work to pass USMCA without delay. This agreement will boost the U.S. economy, strengthen national security, support millions of American jobs and advance our country's position as the global leader in tech innovation. It has been 25 years since NAFTA took effect - a modernized 'New NAFTA' is long overdue. "Today, technology creates new jobs and helps drive the U.S. economy. It touches nearly every sector. The USMCA reduces barriers to digital trade, eliminates technical barriers to trade and promotes America's online platforms. Congress needs to make passing USMCA a top priority." Specifically, the USMCA: Prohibits duties and non-tariff barriers on digital products.

Ensures data can be transferred cross-border.

Prohibits frced data localization and expands the list of cross-border services.

Establishes balanced rules governing internet platforms that allow user interaction and host third-party content.

Prevents import duties on products including e-books, videos, music, software, games and apps.

Limits restrictions on information flow across borders, as diverse information sources lead to economic growth.



here. According to a new report released by CTA, the consumer technology sector directly and indirectly supports 18.2 million American jobs and represents almost 12% of U.S. GDP.

About Consumer Technology Association: Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM is the trade association representing the $398 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 18 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies - 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world's best known brands - enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES (News - Alert) - the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA's industry services. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005809/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Nokia 4.2 brings cutting-edge experiences to more fans for the first time ever in the United States

MIAMI, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, today announces Nokia 4.2 will be available for pre-sale online at Amazon and Best Buy beginning April 30, 2019 and will start at $189. It will begin shipping on May 14, 2019 and in-store purchasing will be available in select Best Buy stores starting June 9, 2019. Our first ever Nokia 4.2 has been designed to offer the latest smartphone innovations at a truly accessible price. The classy, sculpted-glass design and selfie-notch display offer beauty on the outside and it's not just skin-deep, as it packs in a dual-rear camera, biometric face unlock and the latest generation Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, all powered by the latest Android 9 Pie. Maurizio Angelone, Vice President, Americas, HMD Global, said: "At HMD Global, we believe that everybody should have access to the latest in mobile technologies regardless of their budget. With cutting-edge experiences, incredible craftsmanship, AI innovations with a dedicated Google Assistant button, dual-rear cameras, pure Android, and much more, Nokia 4.2 brings everything you would expect from the top-line smartphone for a fraction of the price." Advanced AI at your fingertips Premiering the Google Assistant button, Nokia 4.2 will revolutionise the way you engage with your smartphone. Simply press once for instant access to the Google Assistant to get help  whether it's directions, making calls, listening to music or getting answers, the Google Assistant can help get things done and find information faster than ever before. You can double press to receive a visual snapshot of your day from the Google Assistant with intelligent suggestions and personalised information, including transport info, bills that need paying and what you have in your calendar to make sure you never miss a meeting again. By long pressing the button, you will activate a walkie-talkie mode, which lets the Google Assistant listen to you until you release it for long sentence queries. Many of the flagship features on Nokia 4.2 are powered by AI, including face unlock to give you a quick, handsfree way to unlock your smartphone or exclusive Google Assistant actions to open apps quicker, including launching the camera app and taking a bothie. Nokia 4.2 also lets you ccess your Google Assistant without unlocking your phone after opting-in through your settings. You'll be able to perform basic tasks like setting a timer, scheduling reminders, playing music or asking it questions.



Beautifully crafted with the latest innovations Nokia 4.2 compact size and edge-to-edge display with 'selfie-notch' delivers a smartphone which, at just 8.4mm, is slim enough for single hand use. Elegantly designed with glass on the front and back, a feeling of sturdiness and class is achieved thanks to its lightweight metal internal structure and satin-finish polycarbonate frame. To top off the design, the power button comes to life with a natural breathing light to alert you of notifications, making it easy for you to know when your phone needs attention.

Nokia 4.2 comes with a refined Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 octa-core chipset that delivers a boost in performance when you need it most, allowing you to play your favourite games and stream movies effortlessly. Bringing flagship imaging features like multi-camera imaging to a new price point, the Nokia 4.2 dual depth-sensing rear camera captures stunning memories. Combining the 13MP main camera with the depth sensor, you can take your shots to the next level and create stunning portraits and landscapes for social media. Powered by AI and machine learning, you can create shareworthy photos with Google Photos, and learn more about them with Google Lens, which lets you search what you see faster, and interact with the world around you in a new way. The Nokia 4.2 advanced camera app allows you to find your inner artist with bokeh mode. Or, use the low-light HDR mode to capture multiple images simultaneously and fuse them using advanced algorithms to create a single image with more light, less noise, bolder colours and greater dynamic range. Pure, secure and up-to-date, Android 9 Pie reinforced with Android One Nokia 4.2 launches with Android 9 Pie out of the box. It joins the comprehensive line-up of Nokia smartphones in the Android One family, which means it delivers the latest Android innovations and software experiences. Nokia smartphones with Android One offer great storage and battery life right out of the box and come with three years of monthly security patches and two major OS updates. Android 9 Pie includes AI-powered features to make your device smarter, faster and adapt to your behaviour as you use it, so your smartphone experience gets better with time. The Adaptive Battery feature limits battery usage from apps you don't use often, and App Actions predicts what you're about to do so you can get to your next action quickly. These features further streamline your device's functionality and your overall Android experience. Nokia 4.2 will receive three years of monthly security patches and two major OS updates, as guaranteed in the Android One program. In addition, Google Play Protect scans over 50 billion apps per day to keep your phone safe from malware, making Nokia 4.2 among the most secure phones on the market. It also comes with easy access to helpful innovative services including the Google Assistant, which helps you get things done throughout the day, as well as Google Photos with free unlimited high-quality photo storagei; and Google Pay support, to help you pay in millions of places in a fast, simple and secure way. Availability In the United States, the Nokia 4.2 comes in Black and Pink Sand with 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM, and will start at $189. It will be available for pre-sale online at Amazon and Best Buy beginning April 30, 2019 and will begin shipping on May 14, 2019. In-store purchasing and displays will be available in select Best Buy stores starting June 9, 2019. About HMD Global Headquartered in Espoo, Finland, HMD Global Oy is the home of Nokia phones. HMD designs and markets a range of smartphones and feature phones targeted at a range of consumers and price points. With a commitment to innovation and quality, HMD is the proud exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand for phones and tablets. For further information, see www.hmdglobal.com . [i] Free storage at high quality, requires a Google account and internet connection. Nokia is a registered trademark of Nokia Corporation. Android, Google and other related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nokia-4-2-brings-cutting-edge-experiences-to-more-fans-for-the-first-time-ever-in-the-united-states-300840490.html SOURCE HMD Global

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[April 30, 2019] PlainID announces partnership with SAP

TEL AVIV, Israel, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today PlainID announced it has signed a partnership agreement with SAP to offer SmartAuthorization as an OEM component to be featured in the SAP Customer Data Cloud portfolio . "The 'last mile' of Identity and Access Management, Authorization, is a source of frustration for most companies, and many have attempted to build their own access management decision infrastructure," said Oren Ohayon Harel, CEO and Co-Founder of PlainID. "Through our partnership with SAP, we will deliver an Authorization as a Service solution that simplifies and completes the lifecycle of IAM and offers the ability for companies to reduce the frustration of managing the complexities around who should have access to what. PlainID's model is to put the business owner in charge, allowing the person in charge of the application, or the business line, or even delegated dministration, such as a partner, to easily manage the access management scenarios. We are thrilled to be joining forces with SAP and look forward to adding our technology to help reduce or even remove friction from access management processes."



PlainID provides business and admin teams with a simple and intuitive means to control their organization's entire authorization process. The platform allows users to implement any kind of rules, all without coding, and all in fine-grained detail. PlainID simplifies authorization so that thousands of roles, attributes and even environmental factors can be converted into a few logical SmartAuthorization policies, using the Graph Database Decision Engine. PlainID offers a policy-based access control solution that simplifies authorization to one point of decision, one point of control, and one point of view across cloud, mobile and legacy applications. An intuitive policy-based decision solution, policy-based access control is quickly replacing the traditional role based and attribute based authorization solutions. Companies that use PlainID benefit from a scalable, graph database authorization platform that meets the demands of enterprise growth without worry. Join PlainID and SAP at SAPPHIRE NOW May 7-9 in Orlando where PlainID will present its solution with the SAP team. Contact PlainID , or your regional SAP representative for more information.

About PlainID

Founded in 2015, PlainID offers an advanced Authorization Platform, the first policy-based access control solution that simplifies authorization to one point of decision, one point of control and one point of view across cloud, mobile and legacy applications. This intuitive policy-based decision solution is quickly replacing traditional role based and attribute based authorization solutions. Companies that use PlainID benefit from a scalable, graph database authorization platform that meets the demands of enterprise growth without worry. Recently raising an $11 Million Series A Venture Capital round lead by Viola Ventures, PlainID is The Authorization Company. Press Contact

Sam Adler

VP Marketing

[email protected]

Tel: +1 (408) 673-8419 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/plainid-announces-partnership-with-sap-300837298.html SOURCE PlainID

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[April 30, 2019]

Raytheon wins $159 million contract for large-scale training in Europe

HOHENFELS, Germany, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) won a contract valued at up to $159 million to support large-scale, live training exercises at the U.S. Army's Joint Multinational Readiness Center located in Hohenfels, Germany, and virtually connected to forces across Europe.

"Raytheon's technology-enabled training means that location is no longer a restriction to multinational forces training together," said Bob Williams, vice president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. "Data from allied units, located in their home countries, is sent back to Germany allowing leaders to track training from anywhere."

Raytheon developed the Mobile Instrumentation System technology that enbles the distributed training. On the ground at JMRC, Raytheon provides a range of services including training area instrumentation, after action reviews and battlefield effects to increase training realism.







About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2018 sales of $27 billion and 67,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 97 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter.

Media Contact

Brad Bucher

571-250-2127

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-wins-159-million-contract-for-large-scale-training-in-europe-300840161.html

SOURCE Raytheon Company
[April 30, 2019] SkyKnight-Backed WhiteWater Express Car Wash Merges With Legends Express Car Wash

WhiteWater Express Car Wash ("WhiteWater"), a multi-location car wash operator headquartered in Houston and backed by SkyKnight Capital ("SkyKnight"), today announced its merger with Legends Express Car Wash ("Legends"). The strategic combination creates a top tier car wash platform with 15 locations in Houston, Dallas, Austin and Tulsa. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. WhiteWater and Legends operate express exterior car washes, a highly automated car wash model, and generate a significant portion of revenue from recurring monthly memberships. The combined entity will operate under the WhiteWater banner and be led by CEO Steve Mathis, President & COO Clayton Clark and President of Development Ronnie Corbin. Mr. Clark helped build Bubbles Car Wash before it sold to Mister Car Wash as a 13 wash platform, while Mr. Corbin helped build Boomerang Car Wash before it sold to Zips Car Wash as a 29 wash platform. President & COO Clayton Clark said, "WhiteWater is building a first-rate car wash platform, one in which top operators can be a part of the company's strategic growth. As a part of that plan, we are thrilled to partner with Ronnie and the Legends team. Ronnie has done a terrific job of building a team of exceptional employees and beautiful sores in prime locations. We look forward to working together and building on their current success."



"WhiteWater and Legends have forged parallel paths, and we are excited to join forces to create a unified culture of excellence," said President of Development Ronnie Corbin. "After evaluating alternatives, we determined that WhiteWater offered a unique and differentiated value proposition to jointly build a best-in-class car wash platform and accelerate store growth. We are excited to work side-by-side with Steve, Clayton and the SkyKnight team to deliver a first class product to our customers, bring more stores to our markets and expand our footprint into new geographies." CEO Steve Mathis remarked, "This transaction is a key step towards our objective of strategic growth. Legends brings three additional markets to our portfolio and is essential to our buy and build strategy. In addition to our greenfield expansion in Houston, Dallas, Austin and Tulsa, we plan to expand into new geographies through partnerships and acquisitions. SkyKnight has proven to be a valuable partner through collaborating on strategic initiatives, acquisition sourcing and deal execution as we pursue our ambitious growth plan." Jordan Milich from SkyKnight added, "At WhiteWater, we want to be known as a platform of choice for owners that care about their people and processes. With a focus on culture and profitable growth, we are committed to building an enduring business over the long-term."

About SkyKnight Capital Founded in 2015, SkyKnight Capital brings together an experienced investment team and a flexible, long duration approach to private equity investing. SkyKnight focuses on partnering with high quality businesses in acyclical growth sectors alongside exceptional management teams. SkyKnight manages capital on behalf of institutional family offices and leading endowments. The firm seeks investments in the Healthcare, TMT, Transportation & Logistics, and Business Services industries. SkyKnight platform investments to date have consisted of equity commitments ranging from $10 million to over $200 million. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005497/en/

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[April 30, 2019] TEECOM Expands To Los Angeles, Hires Technology Leaders And Industry Experts Phyllis Dubinsky And Roozbeh Afzal

OAKLAND, Calif., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TEECOM, an innovative building technology firm that has worked with some of the most recognized names in Silicon Valley, is expanding services into the Los Angeles Southern California region. As technology is increasingly integrated into the fabric of buildings and the built environment, architects, building owners, and tenants seek expert partners who can create engaging environments that advance performance, sustainability, and discovery. In Los Angeles, with its focus on emerging technologies and digital content creation, this specialized expertise is especially sought. "Los Angeles is a perfect match for TEECOM's skill set and offerings," said Phyllis Dubinsky, principal and regional business development director. "TEECOM's focus on research and development will enable clients to design the future into their spaces. We can take the vision and make it a reliable reality." Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, TEECOM has partnered with some of the most cutting-edge organizations in the world to design beautiful audiovisual systems, semless conferencing venues, rock-solid physical security systems, cutting-edge wired and wireless networks, and memorable immersive environments.



Sam Fajner, principal, executive vice president at TEECOM, said, "TEECOM is excited to bring our technology consulting expertise to the LA region. We see our presence benefiting some of the large healthcare, higher ed, and civic institutions, bringing innovation from the center of technology, Silicon Valley." Roozbeh Afzal, principal, senior consultant, will be one of the technical leaders for TEECOM's LA expansion.

"TEECOM is an innovative and forward-thinking firm that is leading the industry in the evolution of technology in the built environment," said Afzal. "I've been so impressed with the great leadership, smart and passionate people, and the powerful team context across the firm. I'm very excited to join TEECOM and looking forward to working with our team to build the LA practice." "It's a calling for TEECOM, in a way," said Dubinsky. "LA will embrace the kind of energy that TEECOM brings to clients. The firm has a forward vision that translates into technology solutions that challenge convention, while being grounded in reality." About TEECOM TEECOM | the tech in architecture

TEECOM offers strategic consulting, technology project management, and engineering services for building IT infrastructure, wired and wireless networks, immersive environments, acoustics, audiovisual, safety and security systems. Our services prepare clients for emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, machine learning, and conversational interfaces. We work with public institutions, tech giants, the Fortune 500, architects, developers, and contractors. Learn more at teecom.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teecom-expands-to-los-angeles-hires-technology-leaders-and-industry-experts-phyllis-dubinsky-and-roozbeh-afzal-300838817.html SOURCE TEECOM

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[April 30, 2019] Tyler Technologies to Unify Maine's Judiciary and District Attorney's Offices with Odyssey Solution

Tyler Technologies Inc. (NYSE: TYL) announced today that all District Attorney's (DA) Offices in the State of Maine and the Maine Attorney General's (AG) Office have selected Tyler's Odyssey Attorney Manager solution to be used across the state. The Maine Judicial Branch selected Tyler's Odyssey unified court case management system for all case types in 2016, so the state was already familiar with Tyler's software capabilities. After receiving a mandate from the court system that the Maine DA and AG offices begin filing all paperwork electronically, they began exploring software offerings. They quickly realized the value of being able to integrate with the Odyssey case management system rather than trying to develop a custom integration with its current solution. "Having the same core software as Maine's court system will bring us many benefits, including uniform data entry and consistent and stable interfacing with the courts, not to mention cost savings for Maine's taxpayers," said Andrew Robinson, District Attorney for District 3 in Maine. "We're eager to expand the state's relationship with Tyler, using an impressive product that will meet the needs of our judiciary offices and prosecutor community." With Odyssey Attorney Manager, prosecutors across Maine can gather essential information from their cases to compile satistical information to guide the future of prosecution in Maine. Additionally, the solution will enable DA's throughout the state to standardize business processes across offices.



The selection of Odyssey Attorney Manager will allow for integration between the statewide Odyssey case management system through Tyler Alliance. Tyler Alliance connects a variety of departments and organizations to automate critical information sharing to enhance decision making, automate processes, save time, and reduce errors. Once the multi-year rollouts for Odyssey are completed, Maine will have a unified statewide system for its courts and prosecutors' offices. The Maine DA and AG offices will use Odyssey Attorney Manager in all eight DA offices and one AG office in Maine's 16 counties. Overall, there will be approximately 250 users, including all prosecutors in the state.

"The state of Maine has a clear vision for how technology can connect and serve its justice community, and we're thrilled to help them make their vision a reality through our Odyssey solutions," said Bruce Graham, president of Tyler's Courts & Justice Division. "Tyler Alliance will increase information sharing between multiple offices, streamlining communication, reducing errors, and making the state even more efficient as it serves its constituents." Tyler has had a long-standing presence in Maine, with more than 800 employees in its Yarmouth, Falmouth, and Bangor offices, and more than 170 clients across the state. About Tyler Technologies (News - Alert), Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) is the largest and most established provider of integrated software and technology services focused on the public sector. Tyler's end-to-end solutions empower local, state, and federal government entities to operate more efficiently and connect more transparently with their constituents and with each other. By connecting data and processes across disparate systems, Tyler's solutions are transforming how clients gain actionable insights that solve problems in their communities. Tyler has more than 21,000 successful installations across 10,000 sites, with clients in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and other international locations. A financially strong company, Tyler has achieved double-digit revenue growth every quarter since 2012. It was also named to Forbes' "Best Midsize Employers" list in 2018 and recognized twice on its "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005055/en/

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[April 29, 2019] UVA Engineering Hosts National Academy of Engineering Regional Meeting and Symposium

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Virginia School of Engineering will host internationally renowned speaker Vinton G. Cerf, a "father of the Internet" who co-designed the TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the Internet, as part of a National Academy of Engineering regional meeting and symposium on Wednesday, May 1. The symposium is free and open to the public, with lunch included. Seating is limited, and registration is required at https://engineering.virginia.edu/national-academy-engineering-regional-meeting. The day-long meeting, entitled "Cyber-Physical Systems: The Defining Technologies of the 21st Century," features distinguished speakers with expertise in cybersecurity, cyber-physical systems, smart cities, smart health and autonomous systems  all areas of focus for UVA Engineering's new Link Lab for cyber-physical systems. The lineup includes a panel discussion on "Securing the Cyber-Physical Universe," moderated by Jack Davidson, UVA professor of computer science, director of the Computer Science Cybersecurity Program and co-organizer of the UVA Cyber Innovation & Society Initiative, with: Andrew Bochman , senior grid strategist for Idaho National Laboratory's National and Homeland Security program

, senior grid strategist for Idaho National Laboratory's National and Homeland Security program Stephanie Forrest , director of the Biodesign Center for Biocomputation, Security and Society, and professor in the School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Sciences Engineering at Arizona State University

, director of the Biodesign Center for Biocomputation, Security and Society, and professor in the School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Sciences Engineering at S. Shankar Sastry, faculty director of the Blum Center for Developing Economies, NEC Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and former dean of Berkeley Engineering David Maidment, Hussein M. Alharthy Centennial Chair in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and National Academy of Engineering member, will talk about smart cities for flooding. Veena Misra, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at N.C. State University and director of the Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST), a National Science Foundation-Sponsored Nanosystems Engineering Research Center, will address smart health. George J. Pappas, the Joseph Moore Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing & Perception (GRASP) Laboratory and the Penn Research In Embedded Computing and Integrated Systems Engineering (PRECISE) Center, will give a talk on autonomous systems. UVA Engineering Link Lab faculty members will offer demonstrations in robotic surgery, driverless cars and drones. "Everything in our future  in the world in which we work and spend our lives  is going to be connected through the internet," said UVA Engineering Dean Craig H. Benson, an internationally renowned geoenvironmental engineer and member of the National Academy of Engineering. "Cyber-physical systems are the links between computers, data, decision-making and the physical world, and cyber-physical systems let us do things in a much faster, more efficient and effective way." UVA Engineering has been on the forefront of establishing the field of cyber-physical systems, opening the Link Lab in 2018 for multidisciplinary research in smart health, smart cities and autonomous systems, and outlining best practices for educating future engineering leaders to push the field forward. John A. Stankovic, UVA's BP America Professor of Computer Science and Link Lab director, was co-author of a 2016 National Academy of Sciences report entitled, "A 21st Century Cyber-Physical Systems Education," and recently earned a prestigious National Science Foundation Research Traineeship grant to create a national model for training graduate students to make discoveries associated with cyber and the Internet of Things, then translate that knowledge into new technologies, products and services. "If you think about all of this from the perspective of sustainability and improving human quality of life, cyber-physical systems will help us to manage our lives and our environments with an exceptional degree of precision," Benson said. "It will be a whole new world, and the distinguished panel of experts that we are bringing to Charlottesville, in partnership with the National Academy of Engineering, will help us better understand the challenges and opportunities ahead." "Cyber-physical systems reside at, even define the leading edge of our nation's advancements and critical needs in the early part of this century," said C. D. Mote Jr., president of the National Academy of Engineering. "I thank Dean Benson, his colleagues at UVA and the assembled distinguished speakers from across the country for educating us on our current standing." About UVA Engineering: As part of the top-ranked, comprehensive University of Virginia, UVA Engineering is one of the nation's oldest and most respected engineering schools. Our mission is to make the world a better place by creating and disseminating knowledge and by preparing future engineering leaders. Outstanding students and faculty from around the world choose UVA Engineering because of our growing and internationally recognized education and research programs. UVA is the No. 1 public engineering school in the country for the percentage of women graduates, among schools with at least 75 degree earners; the No. 1 public engineering school in the United States for the four-year graduation rate of undergraduates students; and the top engineering school in the country for the rate of Ph.D. enrollment growth. Learn more at engineering.virginia.edu.







Contact: Elizabeth Thiel Mather, Director of Communications

[email protected], (o) 434-924-1381, (c) 757-319-3664

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uva-engineering-hosts-national-academy-of-engineering-regional-meeting-and-symposium-300840080.html SOURCE University of Virginia School of Engineering

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[April 29, 2019] Harvest Properties & Invesco Real Estate Acquire Premier Silicon Valley Development Site

A joint venture between Harvest Properties, a full service commercial real estate investment, development and management firm ("Harvest"), and its longtime partner Invesco Real Estate, a global real estate investment manager ("Invesco"), has acquired a three-building class "A" office development site in the heart of Sunnyvale, one of Silicon Valley's most active submarkets. This acquisition marks the eighth joint venture that Harvest and Invesco have completed together. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190429005878/en/ Illustrative rendering of Phase I (Graphic: Business Wire) The fully entitled, shovel-ready development is located in Sunnyvale's desirable Peery Park, just minutes from Downtown Sunnyvale, less than one mile to Caltrain and with convenient freeway access to both Highways 101 and 237. The project totals approximately 540,000 square feet across three buildings and can be delivered in phases, allowing a tenant the unique opportunity to synchronize their growth plans with the commencement of occupancy. The partnership intends to break ground immediately and it anticipates it will deliver the first building, located at 684 W. Maude Aenue and containing approximately 190,000 square feet, in the third quarter of 2020.



"This development represents an incredible headquarter campus opportunity that will exceed the demands of today's corporate users," said Preston O'Connell, partner at Harvest Properties. Blair Volckmann, partner at Harvest Properties, added, "We will deliver a project that is best-in-class new construction with prominent identity, flexible scalability, and proximity to both an array of amenities and major public and private transportation hubs." "The project sits at the epicenter of Silicon Valley's business community and will allow a future tenant access to the world's best technology and innovation labor force. This is the very reason that its corporate neighbors include LinkedIn, Apple, Walmart.com, Microsoft, Nokia, Riverbed, Alibaba.com, Proofpoint, Synopsys, Twitter (News - Alert), and 23&Me," said Invesco's Director of Acquisitions, Rohullah Sharifi.

About Harvest Properties Harvest Properties is a vertically-integrated, full-service commercial real estate investment firm that specializes in the acquisition, repositioning, entitlement, development, management and financing of commercial property, primarily through joint-venture investments in Northern California. Over the last decade, Harvest has become an established leader in the marketplace by generating attractive returns for its financial partners, providing creative solutions and outstanding service. Harvest Properties' portfolio comprises approximately ten million square feet of office, industrial, R&D and retail properties in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, please visit www.harvestproperties.com About Invesco Real Estate Invesco Real Estate is a global leader in the real estate investment management business with $65.6 billion in real estate assets under management, 496 employees and 21 regional offices across the U.S., Europe and Asia (as of 12/31/18). Invesco Real Estate has been actively investing in core, value-add and opportunistic real estate strategies since 1992. Invesco Real Estate is a business name of Invesco Advisers, Inc., an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. Invesco Ltd. is an independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. NYSE: IVZ; www.invesco.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190429005878/en/

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New McAfee Research Reveals 61 Percent of I.T. Professionals Have Experienced a Serious Data Breach

McAfee (News - Alert), the device-to-cloud cybersecurity company, today released Grand Theft Data II - The Drivers and Shifting State of Data Breaches, which revealed that despite improvements in combating cybercrime and threats, IT security professionals are still struggling to fully secure their organization and protect against breaches with 61 percent claiming to have experienced a data breach at their current employer. Adding to this challenge, data breaches are becoming more serious as cybercriminals continue to target intellectual property putting the reputation of the company brand at risk and increasing financial liability.

McAfee's study demonstrates the need for a cybersecurity strategy that includes implementing integrated security solutions combined with employee training and an overall culture of security throughout the organization to reduce future breaches.

"Threats have evolved and will continue to become even more sophisticated," said Candace Worley (News - Alert), vice president and chief technical strategist at McAfee. "Organizations need to augment security measures by implementing a culture of security and emphasizing that all employees are part of an organization's security posture, not just the IT team. To stay ahead of threats, it is critical companies provide a holistic approach to improving security process by not only utilizing an integrated security solution but also practicing good security hygiene."

The McAfee report highlights the following:

Savvier thieves: Data is now being stolen by a wide range of methods, with no single technique dominating the industry. The top vectors used to exfiltrate data are database leaks, cloud applications and removable USB drives.

Data is now being stolen by a wide range of methods, with no single technique dominating the industry. The top vectors used to exfiltrate data are database leaks, cloud applications and removable USB drives. IP tied for 1 st : Personally identifiable information (PII) and intellectual property (IP) are now tied as the data categories with the highest potential impact to 43% of respondents. Notably, PII is of greater concern in Europe (49%), most likely due to the recent enforcement date of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In Asia-Pacific countries, intellectual property theft is of greater concern (51%) than PII.

Personally identifiable information (PII) and intellectual property (IP) are now tied as the data categories with the highest potential impact to 43% of respondents. Notably, PII is of greater concern in Europe (49%), most likely due to the recent enforcement date of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In Asia-Pacific countries, intellectual property theft is of greater concern (51%) than PII. Blame game: IT is looked at as the culprit with 52 percent of respondents claiming IT is at fault for creating the most data leakage events. Business operations (29 percent) follows as the next most likely to be involved. Highly regulated internal groups including finance (12 percent) and legal (6 percent) were the most secure.

IT is looked at as the culprit with 52 percent of respondents claiming IT is at fault for creating the most data leakage events. Business operations (29 percent) follows as the next most likely to be involved. Highly regulated internal groups including finance (12 percent) and legal (6 percent) were the most secure. The great divide: Security technology continues to operate in isolation, with 81 percent reporting separate policies or management consoles for cloud access security broker (CASB) and data loss prevention (DLP), resulting in delayed detection and remediation actions.

Security technology continues to operate in isolation, with 81 percent reporting separate policies or management consoles for cloud access security broker (CASB) and data loss prevention (DLP), resulting in delayed detection and remediation actions. Taking responsibility: There is a rift in egard to accountability - 55 percent of IT professionals believe that c-level executives should lose their job if a breach is serious enough, yet 61 percent also state that the c-level executives they work with expect more lenient security policies for themselves.

There is a rift in egard to accountability - 55 percent of IT professionals believe that c-level executives should lose their job if a breach is serious enough, yet 61 percent also state that the c-level executives they work with expect more lenient security policies for themselves. Future proofing: IT professionals are taking action, with almost two-thirds stating they have purchased additional DLP, CASB and endpoint detection solutions over the last 12 months. Respondents believe that between 65 and 80 percent of breaches experienced would have likely been prevented if one or more of these systems had been installed.







Resources

Study Methodology

This study was conducted by MSI-ACI Europe, on behalf of McAfee. Survey respondents had to have experienced a serious data breach incident sometime in their career as an IT professional. Data was collected via online interviews between December 12 and 31, 2018. To qualify for the survey, organizations had to have more than 1,000 employees, and were evenly split between commercial (1,000 to 5,000 employees) and enterprise (more than 5,000 employees). The resulting global group represented the Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Singapore, the U.S., the U.K., and a wide range of industries.

About McAfee

McAfee is the device-to-cloud cybersecurity company. Inspired by the power of working together, McAfee creates business and consumer solutions that make our world a safer place. www.mcafee.com

McAfee and the McAfee logo are trademarks of McAfee, LLC or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other marks and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190429005720/en/
[April 30, 2019] Nation's Eighth-Grade Students Post Gains on 2018 Report Card For Technology and Engineering Literacy

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighth-grade students increased their overall average score by 2 points on the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL), providing the first-ever trend for the assessment which made its debut in 2014. The digitally based assessment includes multimedia tasks and scenario-based tasks that ask students to solve problems or achieve goals such as building a bike path or creating a museum exhibit. These tasks require students to solve problems applying their general understanding of the use and effects of technology and engineering in daily life. The assessment provides the nation with a unique picture of students' literacy in three content areas: Technology and Society, Design and Systems, and Information and Communication Technology. In 2018, almost half of students were at or above NAEP Proficient on TEL (46 percent), compared to 43 percent in 2014. When asked about the courses they take in school, a higher percentage of students reported taking at least one class related to technology and engineering (57 percent) in 2018 than in 2014 (52 percent). Progress was seen among many subgroups. A higher percentage of Black students was at or above NAEP Proficient (by 5 percentage points) in 2018 compared with 2014. Since the first TEL assessment in 2014, higher percentages of White students (by 2 percentage points) and Asian students (by 6 percentage points) were at NAEP Advanced.

Additionally, the average score for students eligible for the National School Lunch Program increased by 3 points; the score for students whose parents did not finish high school increased by 6 points; and the score for the children of college-educated parents increased by 3 points. Higher-performing students, in the 75th and 90th percentiles, made stronger score gains than those in the 10th and 25th percentiles. "We're extremely encouraged by these positive results," said Gov. Beverly Perdue, the chair of the National Assessment Governing Board. "This assessment is important because it asks students to demonstrate skills that are crucial for success in our rapidly changing world. Along with NAEP Science and Mathematics assessments, TEL provides educators and policymakers a comprehensive picture of achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which is so vital to our nation's future." The three TEL content areas require students to apply particular ways of thinking and reasoning, also known as practices. The three practice areas are: Understandng Technological Principles; Developing Solutions and Achieving Goals; and Communicating and Collaborating. In 2018, scores increased for all content areas and in all practice areas by at least 2 points. As in 2014, females scored higher than males in 2018, from a difference of 3 points in 2014 to 5 points in 2018. Females outperformed males across two of the three content areas and all three practice areas in 2018. The largest gender differences were on the "Information and Communication Technology" content area and the "Communicating and Collaborating" practice area (7 points each) in 2018. On the "Design and Systems" content area, there was no gender difference in scores.



The TEL assessment is important not only to determine what students know and can do, but to examine their opportunities to learn content and practices associated with technology and engineering. Students were asked where and how they developed skills through questions about their school coursework and their experiences outside of school. Students who reported taking at least one class related to technology and engineering scored higher, on average, than those who took none. More than two thirds (68 percent) of students said they had learned about or discussed designing or creating something to solve a problem "at least sometimes" in school. More than a quarter (29 percent) said they had taken something apart to fix it or see how it works "more than five times" outside of school. In both cases, students who reported doing these activities more often scored higher than those who did not or did so less frequently.

Of the students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch, 52 percent reported taking at least one course related to technology and engineering, up from 46 percent in 2014. White, Hispanic, and Asian studentsas well as students of two or more raceswho took at least one engineering course performed better on TEL than those who do not. However, Black students scored similarly on TEL, regardless of engineering coursework. "As a woman and an engineer, I am excited to see that girls are doing so well on TEL, and it's really encouraging to see an upward trend for Black students and economically disadvantaged students," said Tonya Matthews, the vice chair of the National Assessment Governing Board. "But I know that there are real differences in students' access to experiences and the way that we assess students that can build these skills. I hope that the TEL results spur more action to create equitable opportunities for all learners." A nationally representative sample of approximately 15,400 eighth graders from about 600 public and private schools across the nation took the TEL assessment in 2018. Student performance results are presented as average scale scores and NAEP achievement levels. Achievement levels are reported as the percentages of students performing at or above three performance levels. NAEP Basic denotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for performance at the NAEP Proficient level, which represents solid academic performance. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter. NAEP Advanced signifies superior performance beyond NAEP Proficient. Scale scores range from 0 to 300. Explore the interactive TEL Report Card for more information about student groups' performance and learning experiences, with explanatory videos to learn more about the assessment. The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, nonpartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives, and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. For more information about the Governing Board, visit www.nagb.gov Contact: Stephaan Harris, (202) 357-7504, [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nations-eighth-grade-students-post-gains-on-2018-report-card-for-technology-and-engineering-literacy-300839927.html SOURCE National Assessment Governing Board

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[April 30, 2019]

DigiPlex Issues Largest-Ever Data Centre Bond in the Nordic High Yield Market of NOK 1.80 Billion (USD c.210 Million) to Gear up for Rapid Growth

OSLO, Norway, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DigiPlex, the Nordic leader for innovative, sustainable and secure data centres, has successfully issued a NOK 1.80 billion senior secured bond to gear up for continued rapid growth. This bond will be one of the largest single issues in NOK to ever be listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange ("OSE"), and the substantial oversubscription is a clear testament to the credit story of DigiPlex.

DigiPlex has today issued a senior secured bond of NOK 1.80 billion with maturity in April 2024 at a coupon rate of 3-month NIBOR plus 3.65% p.a. DNB Markets, part of DNB ASA, Norway's largest financial services group, acted as sole bookrunner for the bond issue.

The bond proceeds will be used to refinance the two maturing bonds issued by DigiPlex Fet AS (OSE ticker:DIPL) and DigiPlex Norway AS (OSE ticker:DIPNO) and to fund the Group's continued growth as demand for data centres in the Nordic region is increasing.

Byrne Murphy, Co-owner and Chairman of DigiPlex, said: "The strong investor interest is evidence of DigiPlex's excellent track record and the exponential growth of the Group's presence in the Nordics as well as its strong brand name in the industry built over 18 years of operations. We see an incredible growth potential in the Nordic region with the influx of international hyperscalers, and with this new bond, DigiPlex is gearing up to take yet another leap to capture these exciting market opportunities."

Henning Srlie, Director, High Yield Origination at DNB Markets, said: "The bond issue saw a very broad appeal across the investor community and is among the largest NOK denominated high yield bond issues ever placed in the Nordic market. The well attended roadshow, strong reception and substantially oversubscribed book of this DigiPlex bond issue is the result of a solid company and issuer track record, high customer retention, very strong market presence in the Nordics, a high-quality management team coupled with reputable sponsors backing the company and a well-timed transaction hitting a very receptive market sentiment."

This latest bond issue follows DigiPlex's inaugural issue in 2014 of a NOK 500 million bond and in 2015 of a NOK 575 million bond, the first time a data centre company anywhere had used bond financing for the construction of a data centre from ground-up and the first time in Europe that a data centre company had issued a bond.

Byrne Murphy continued: "The market reaction to the offering was extremely positive with existing bondholders eager to not just roll over their existing positions but also to increase their subscriptions and new large local and international accounts coming in. The very low liquidity in the last two bond issues expresses the Group's ability to deliver strong results and best-in-class services year after year - no one has wanted to sell their holdings."

The Nordic Advantage

The Nordic data centre market is one of the most active and attractive areas for development in the world, estimated to have reached the $7.0 billion mark at the end of 2018[1]. This has been driven in large part by development and build-out by hyperscalers such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Facebook[2], The Nordics are seizing market share from the European FLAP-D region (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin) as hyperscalers look to capitalize on abundant renewable energy, reliable power supply, low energy prices, political stability and the potential for exceptionally fast time-to-market. With hyperscalers leading the way, the Nordic Council of Ministers predicts that investments in Nordic data centres are set to double by 2025, corresponding to an installed annual capacity of 280-580 MW per year. [3]

Byrne Murphy concluded: "The cool Nordic Region is Europe's hottest data centre market: a firm deploying 100 megawatts over 20 years could save approximately $2 billion by placing their data centre in Sweden or Norway versus the U.K. This bond issue further strengthens our ability to enable hyperscalers to quickly and seamlessly enter the Nordic market through a single data centre provider with an excellent track record."

DigiPlex has strengthened its market-leading position in the Nordic region

In Q1 2019, DigiPlex launched its Nordic Connect Platform, linking its main data centres in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, thereby creating a unique cross-border eco-system. In 2018, DigiPlex's secured several major new customers such as AWS, Candidator, and NetNordic, the company expanded two of its data centres in Oslo, and entered the Danish market through the acquisition of a Telia data centre in central Copenhagen. Its investments in innovation, environmental sustainability and a transformation of its brand have garnered in a number of awards including "Best Data Centre Energy Solution", "Data Center Operations Team of the Year - Colo + Cloud", and the prestigious title"Renewable Energy Technology of the Year". DigiPlex is the most recognized data centre brand amongst the Nordic C-Suite, and a certified `Great Place to Work'

More news from DigiPlex

Connect with DigiPlex

[1] Nordic Data Centre Investment Tips Towards $7bn Mark And Forecasts More To Come, Data Economy, November 2018.

[2] Data Centres Nordic IV and Baltic States, BroadGroup Research, November 2018.

[3] Data Centre Opportunities in the Nordics, Nordic Council of Ministers, November 2018.

Elisabeth Lennhede

Head of Communications

+46703322705

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/digiplex/r/digiplex-issues-largest-ever-data-centre-bond-in-the-nordic-high-yield-market-of-nok-1-80-billion--u,c2800018

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https://mb.cision.com/Main/7526/2800018/1034478.pdf DigiPlex issues largest ever data centre bond in the Nordic high yield market of NOK 1.80 billion https://news.cision.com/digiplex/i/byrne-murphy--chairman-digiplex,c2617555 Byrne Murphy, Chairman DigiPlex



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SOURCE DigiPlex
[April 30, 2019] LexaGene's Technology Successfully Detects a Common Fungus That Damages Agricultural Crops

BEVERLY, Mass., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LexaGene Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: LXXGF; TSX-V: LXG) (the Company), a biotechnology company that develops genetic analyzers for pathogen detection and other molecular markers, announced today that its LX analyzer successfully detects Botrytis cinerea, also known as Gray Mold, which is a common agricultural pathogen responsible for $10 to $100 billion in agricultural losses worldwide each year.*** This fungus infects over 200 plant species causing the most yield loss in strawberries, grapes and cannabis.

For this study, LexaGenes scientists used the LX analyzer technology to process vegetable washes from strawberries that were suspected of premature decay due to a plant pathogen as well as wash from strawberries that appeared healthy. The LX analyzer generated very clear and conclusive results for the detection of Botrytis in the prematurely decaying strawberries but none in the healthy strawberries.



Dr. James Marsden, former advisor to the White House, Director of Food Safety at Chipotle Mexican Grills, and member of the Companys Scientific Advisory Board states, One of LexaGenes value propositions is that its technology will give food producers the ability to screen their crops for pathogens that may wipe out the entire farm, as well as screen the finished food products for human pathogens that could lead to expensive recalls and irreparable brand damage. This innovative LX technology will have a big impact on the industry by providing a complete testing solution to food producers, rather than addressing just half of their concerns. A key element to having extremely sensitive PCR-based technology is to be able to access the genetic material inside pathogens, many of which have very strong cell walls, particularly fungi. These strong cell walls need to be broken down in order to get to the DNA inside. Proving that the LX analyzer can easily detect fungal DNA is a testament to the robustness of its DNA extraction chemistry. Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGenes CEO and Founder comments, In conversations with prospective customers, some have asked whether LexaGenes technology can detect both human and plant pathogens, to which the answer is yes. Previously, we reported successful detection of human foodborne pathogens such as E. coli and Staphylococcus , and here we are reporting that the LX analyzer can also detect plant pathogens. Data from this fungal study further indicate that the LX technology will offer best-in-class sensitivity for detecting rare pathogens. Exceptional sensitivity is important, as early detection will allow farmers to potentially avoid millions of dollars in crop losses due to Botrytis and other plant pathogens."



* Food Safety Testing Market

** Agricultural Testing Market

*** Gray Mold Market ; Lynne Boddy, in The Fungi (Third Edition), 2016 To be added to the LexaGene email distribution list, please subscribe on the Company website here .

About LexaGene Holdings Inc. LexaGene is a biotechnology company developing the very first fully automated pathogen detection platform that is open-access. The open-access feature will empower end-users to target any pathogen of interest, as they can load their own real-time PCR assays onto the instrument for customized pathogen detection. End-users simply need to collect a sample, load it onto the instrument with a sample preparation cartridge, and press go. The instrument is expected to offer excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of pathogen detection. The instrument will be able to process multiple samples at a time, in an on-demand fashion, returning results in about 1 hour. The company expects to sell its technology in the veterinary diagnostics market, food safety market, and more. Media Contacts

Nicole Ridgedale

Director of Corporate Marketing, LexaGene

800.215.1824 ext 206

[email protected] Investor Relations

Jay Adelaar

Vice President of Capital Markets, LexaGene

800.215.1824 ext 207

[email protected] The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the success of technology development efforts, the cost to procure critical parts, performance of the instrument, market acceptance of the technology, regulatory acceptance, and licensing issues -- that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations as disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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[April 30, 2019] Mapp to Acquire Webtrekk, Bringing Advanced Analytics and Customer Intelligence Capabilities to Mapp Cloud

SAN DIEGO and BERLIN, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mapp, a leading provider of cloud-based digital marketing solutions, is pleased to announce that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Webtrekk, the German leader in marketing analytics and customer intelligence software. Webtrekk's expertise in analytics, customer intelligence, dashboards, machine learning, and AI perfectly complements Mapp's digital marketing platform, Mapp Cloud. The combination of Mapp's deep customer acquisition and engagement capabilities with Webtrekk's customer intelligence will create a next-generation digital marketing platform capable of delivering end-to-end customer experiences powered by advanced analytics and personalization. The integrated platform will enable marketers to pool customer data centrally, analyze customer behavior with machine learning, and engage customers with the right content across all channels. "Mapp has mastered customer acquisition and engagement, and we introduced unified customer data with the release of our customer data platform in 2018," said Steve Warren, CEO of Mapp. "In order for marketers to truly transform data into insights, and insights into action, they need to leverage strong customer intelligence, machine learning, and artificial intelligence capabilities. We are excited to welcome Webtrekk into the Mapp family, and we believe that Webtrekk completes our vision for how marketers can effectively bridge that gap." "We are delighted that Webtrekk will become a key component of Mapp Cloud. Pairing our customer intelligence and analytics with Mapp's marketing execution through an integrated platform empowers marketers to deliver a more personalized experience to their customers," says Christian Sauer, founder of Webtrekk. "Retaining our strategic focus on first-party data has always been paramount to Webtrekk's mission. With ISO-accredited data centers in Germany and a customer acquisition solution driven by first-party data, Mapp is the perfect partner for us." Mapp and Webtrekk will consolidate their offerings into one fully-integrated product, leveraging their respective technological strengths to provide immediate enhancements to customers of both companies: Mapp's customers will benefit from Webtrekk-powered cross-channel campaign reporting and AI-enabled marketing intelligence and scoring. They will also gain access to the full Webtrekk?Customer Analytics suite including?personalized product recommendations, customer intelligence dashboards, and web?behavior?re-targeting. Webtrekk's customers will benefit from Mapp Cloud's marketing automation capabilities, enabling cross-channel campaigns including through email and SMS. They will also gain the ability to utilize real-time behavioral data to initiate personalized mobile push and in-app messages.



Mapp Cloud powered by Webtrekk, companies can free up their marketers and data analysts to focus on what matters most. Recognizing Webtrekk's strong brand in the German market, Mapp will maintain the company's Berlin headquarters to strengthen its commitment to, and presence in, the region.

Closing of the transaction, which is subject to applicable regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions, is expected to occur in the second quarter of 2019. About Mapp

Mapp helps companies break away from the pack  without breaking the bank. Mapp Cloud is a badass digital marketing platform that combines customer acquisition and engagement into one simple platform, with built-in, cross-channel capabilities. Underlying Mapp Cloud is Mapp's native customer data platform (CDP) that enables campaigns to draw from real-time, unified customer data, so marketers can be one step ahead of their customer. Mapp also offers an email marketing platform, Mapp Empower, designed for digital agencies. Mapp is headquartered in San Diego with global offices in eight countries. They help more than 3,000 companies market smarter and achieve maximum return from their digital marketing efforts. Mapp customers include Puma, Xerox, PepsiCo, Qantas, Infinity, and Lloyds Banking Group. Learn more at www.mapp.com. About Webtrekk

Webtrekk is one of the market-leading customer intelligence platforms in Europe, allowing companies to connect, analyze and activate user and marketing data across all devices. Their proven first-party data solutions help customers reach maximum data depth. Webtrekk guarantees the highest data protection standards, is TUV certified, and stores its data on servers in the European Union. Its headquarters are located in Berlin, with additional offices in Italy and Spain. Webtrekk is trusted by more than 400 customers including FlixBus, Porsche Holding, ING, and MyToys. Learn more at www.webtrekk.com. Press contacts:

PR Agency: schoesslers GmbH

Johanna Czorny

+49 30 555 73 05 12 | +49 151 12 17 26 13

[email protected]

www.schoesslers.com Webtrekk GmbH

Harald Oberhofer

+49 30 755 415 120

[email protected]

www.webtrekk.com Mapp Digital US

Christine Paulson

+1 415-705-9250

[email protected]

www.mapp.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/429224/Mapp_Digital_Logo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879399/webtrekk_mapp_new_logo_Logo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879400/Steve_Warren_photo_1__1___2.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/879398/Christian_Sauer_Founder_Webtrekk.jpg

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[April 30, 2019] Reference Data Market Set for Major Shake-up by EDI

LONDON and NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Challenger data provider, Exchange Data International (EDI), is set to upset the US $2 billion reference data industry. An expert in global securities reference data, EDI is now taking on one of the most arcane practices in the data industry and challenging some of the world's largest data vendors head-on in the process. Most data users are unaware that they are in effect only renting their data from the major data vendors. Should they wish to go elsewhere, the vendor will require the departing client to delete their historical reference data on termination of the contract. While this practice continues to be legal in the United States, it could be violating EU anti-competition laws. It always comes as a shock to financial data consumers when they find out that they have only been 'renting' their data, and are effectively locked into their contracts. This has significant implications for all users of historical data, including quant analysts who rely on it for their algo strategies, and compliance teams which are required by legislation to maintain accurate data history. EDI's strategy is to sell rather than rent data, and to offer hard-to-match cost-savings. EDI is the only sizeable data vendor which believes that clients should own what they pay for. The concept of 'renew or lose what you've paid for' has always appeared to EDI to be manifestly unfair, anti-competitive, and very probably built on less-than-solid contractual foundations. EDI is the only leading data provider which does not rent data; on termination, EDI's clients may retain the data they paid for. Jonathan Bloch, founder and CEO of EDI, said: "We feel that the relationship between the provider and te consumer of reference data is heavily biased in favour of the provider. The onerous termination clauses are an effective barrier to entry for new potential data providers and may even be anti-competitive under EU law and local/national laws. This is damaging to data users, who are locked into an expensive and inflexible relationship with the 'big four' data vendors; it also makes it difficult for would-be entrants to the industry. There are now very few independent data providers left, and redistributors are increasingly vulnerable. It is a monolithic legacy business in need of a good shake-up, and EDI is doing the shaking."



EDI commissioned a review from a major international law firm1 of the current legal position for this type of data supply contract. The review underscored EDI's long-held view that the current requirement of major data vendors for clients to expunge historical reference data on termination of their contracts potentially violates European competition law. The effect of such contracts is to force a client into an almost impossible situation: 'Stay with us, and we'll continue to rent the data to you. Terminate the contract and say goodbye to your data history'. Bloch added: "Based on our legal advice we believe that a financial data consumer based in Europe and challenging this termination clause has a fair chance of getting it held to be in violation of European anti-competition law and therefore unenforceable. But this route is not available to US users."

While some financial firms only focus on the last ten years of data, most quant traders will be working with a twenty-year data set and the loss of even several years' data could force them to remain in an expensive and inflexible relationship. 1 Legal Notes EDI's lawyers' research supports the proposition that the major data vendors may be in violation of Article 102 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU competition law). EC law states clearly: Any abuse by one or more undertakings of a dominant position within the internal market or in a substantial part of it shall be prohibited as incompatible with the internal market in so far as it may affect trade between Member States." This 'dominant position' arises because such a requirement effectively excludes new entrants to the data industry, as almost all new data vendors would lack  and could not acquire  the decades-old data which clients require. About Exchange Data International EDI, established in 1994, helps the global financial and investment community make informed decisions through the provision of fast, accurate, timely and affordable reference data services. EDI's extensive content data base includes worldwide equity and fixed income corporate actions, dividends, static reference data, closing prices and shares outstanding, delivered via data feeds and the Internet.

EDI is based in London, with offices in New York, India, and Morocco. For more information about EDI, please visit http://www.exchange-data.com. In May 2018 EDI was named Best Corporate Actions Initiative of the Year in the IMD/IRD Awards 2018. Editorial contacts

John Norris / Alla Lapidus

Moonlight Media

Tel: +44 (0) 20-7250-4770

Email: [email protected]

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[April 30, 2019] Sigma Systems to Showcase Solutions and Use-Case Applications Centered on Enabling the B2B Enterprise Experience, at Digital Transformation World 2019

Sigma Systems (News - Alert), the global leader in catalog-driven software, will highlight its portfolio of Create-Sell-Deliver products and use-case applications at this year's edition of Digital Transformation World, the premier event for the telecommunications industry, set to take place at the Acropolis Convention Center in Nice, France, from 14-16 May. As 5G technology gradually starts gaining traction across the world, communications service providers (CSPs) have a unique opportunity to service new industries, deliver new value propositions and capitalize upon untapped revenue opportunities. Over the course of the three-day event, Sigma will emphasize solutions for the enablement of connected cars, and delivering new experiences for B2B enterprises in an era of customer-centricity and 5G technology during TM Forum's (News - Alert) flagship event. During the event, Sigma will demonstrate its Create-Sell-Deliver portfolio. Sigma Portfolio Inventory has also been included by TM Forum in the event's Innovation Trail, which aims to showcase exhibitors delivering innovations in the telecommunications industry. Sigma has also been shortlisted at the TM Forum Excellence Awards, in the 'Digital Service Innovator of the Year' and 'CTO of the Year' categories. The winners will be announced during the evening of Monday, 13 May. Sigma has also been named a semi-finalist in two categories at the Pipeline Innovation Awards: 'Innovation in Operational Support Systems' and 'Innovation in Business Support Systems'. On Wednesday, 15 May, Sigma will participate in a pnel discussion entitled 'Smart Investment for OSS/BSS Transformation', where they will be joined by Windstream. Furthermore, Sigma and Telstra, Australia's leading CSP (News - Alert), will take center stage for a panel discussion entitled 'Building A Digital Operator Model' on Thursday, 16 May, at 15:00 pm CEST, where they will share insights on how digital operating models differ from traditional ones, designing models that support organizational strategy and how digital technologies can support the transition to new operating models.



As part of the TM Forum proof-of-concept Catalysts, Sigma will share insights and its work on open APIs for Zero-Touch Partner Integration with Vodafone (News - Alert) and Telstra, which enable new business models, as well as Smart City Ecosystem Enablement with Saudi Arabia's STC. With conference sessions, catalyst show-cases and networking opportunities, TM Forum's Digital Transformation World brings together leading players and executives from across the world for three days of insights, knowledge-sharing and networking. To organize a personal demonstration or to talk to the Sigma team about its technology platform and products, please visit booth #314 at the event, or visit https://sigma-systems.com/events/meet-sigma-tm-forum-digital-transformation-world/.

About Sigma Systems (Twitter (News - Alert) @SigmaSystems) Sigma Systems is the global leader in catalog-driven software solutions for communications, media, and high-tech companies. It serves over 80 customers in 40 countries with its award-winning products. The company's portfolio spans enterprise-wide Catalog, Configure Price Quote (CPQ), Order Management, Provisioning, Insights and Portfolio Inventory products, and offers a core set of services including professional services, cloud services, and managed services. Sigma utilizes an agile approach to implementing its B/OSS products for its customers. Sigma has offices in North and South America, Europe and Asia Pacific, with technology and integration partners globally. Additional information can be found online at https://sigma-systems.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005102/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Nexen Tire Announces the Grand Opening of 'THE NEXEN univerCITY', Nexen Central Research Institute

- Company's central research institute to act as an R&D hub for its global centers in the U.S., Europe, China - Completed four major facilities including R&D centers in Europe and the U.S. as well as the plant in the Czech Republic SEOUL, South Korea, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexen Tire, a leading global tire manufacturer, announced that it held the grand opening ceremony of 'THE NEXEN univerCITY' that is expected to be the driving force for future growth on Tuesday April 30, 2019. The grand opening ceremony was attended by more than 300 people, including Nexen Tire Chairman Kang Byeong Jung, Nexen Tire Global CEO Travis Kang, the Chairman of Korea Employers Federation Sohn Kyung Shik, the Chairman of Federation of Middle Market Enterprise of Korea Kang Ho Gab, executives and staff members of Nexen Central Research Institute. Located at the Magok Industrial Complex in Seoul, Nexen Tire invested KRW 200 billion over two years to develop 'THE NEXEN univerCITY' -- a building over 57,000 square-meters with eight floors above and two floors underground -- that includes research and business complexes. The workspace has been designed as an open innovation environment to maximize concentration and teamwork. To help pave the way for smarter technology, various facilities include a research and development (R&D) center that can predict and implement optimal performances such as OE/RE product manufacturing, AI technology and virtual tire technique, a performance research center to evalate the performance of tires and vehicles, and a material research center to analyze diverse nano and macro dimensions on various materials.



With the establishment of these facilities, Nexen Tire plans to advance its R&D capabilities by responding quickly to the rapidly changing market as well as the particular demands of the local and global automotive industry. Furthermore, the Magok Central Research Institute will act as an R&D hub for its local and global R&D centers that are located in Yangsan, Changnyeong, Germany, the Czech Republic, U.S., and China. 'THE NEXEN univerCITY' combined the concept of 'Nexen Universe' and 'City' that contains the company's core values -- Challenge, Creativity, and Collaboration -- and its business philosophy that displays the infinite possibilities and values that Nexen can accomplish.

The courtyard and multi-helix green roof is the key space in 'THE NEXEN univerCITY' containing Nexen Tire's corporate culture that focuses on communication and cooperation. In addition, the exterior of the facility is materialized with tire tread patterns that defines the industry's attributes. At the lobby, an amazing media wall that is 30 meters wide and 7 meters high, is displayed through a video that represents the creative and artistic concept of 'THE NEXEN univerCITY'. The environment friendly building was designed with a solar power system, a cooling and heating ventilation ground system, and a green rooftop to prevent thermal heat damage that obtained a level 1 building energy efficiency rating certificate from the Korea Energy Agency. "The Magok Central Research Institute really defines Nexen Tire's growth DNA and its identity that has advanced quickly than any other company in the world," said Travis Kang, Global CEO of Nexen Tire. "We will carry out a pivotal and global role that will raise the value of the movement, shifting the paradigm in the tire industry by creating new changes and future values that no one has seen before." Meanwhile, as this year marks the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Nexen Tire, the company has dedicated the new Magok Central Research Institute and completed the establishment of four global facilities. Since the new expansion of the R&D centers in Europe and the U.S. including the operation of the plant in the Czech Republic and the opening of the Magok Central Research Institute in Seoul, Nexen Tire has established infrastructure for the future growth of 'Global Nexen'. About Nexen Tire Nexen Tire, established in 1942, is a global tire manufacturer headquartered in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, and in Seoul, South Korea. Nexen Tire, one of the world's fastest growing tire manufacturers, works with 491 dealers based in 141 countries around the world (as of July 2015) and owns three manufacturing plants -- two in Korea (Yangsan and Changnyeong) and one in Qingdao, China. Another plant in Zatec, Czech Republic will be operational by 2019. Nexen Tire produces tires for passenger cars, SUVs, and light trucks with advanced technology and excellence in design. The company also focuses on producing UHP tires, which are based on advanced technologies. Nexen Tire supplies OE tires to global car makers in various countries around the world. In 2014, the company achieved a grand slam of the world's top 4 design awards for the first time amongst the various tire makers in the world. For more information, please visit http://www.nexentire.com. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190430/2451146-1 SOURCE Nexen Tire

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[April 30, 2019] Internet Marketing Company, fishbat, Explains the Importance of Accelerated Mobile Pages in Today's Digital World

NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With a continued mission to encourage self-promotion among brands, internet marketing company, fishbat, explains the importance of Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) in today's digital world. Enhancing accessibility and mobile pages is a growing trend based upon the need of customers to have quick and efficient access to brand information. To stay relevant and competitive in the internet market, adjusting web pages to AMP is, by all means, a necessity. Below are reasons that explain the importance of AMPs in today's digital world, and why your brand should utilize them in the near future. What Are AMPs? With the digital age, your brand developed a traditional online website. As a brand owner, it is essential to know the latest quality frameworks necessary for online content. More recently, these frameworks have shifted to AMPs, which are growing in brand usage daily due to their benefits. These mobile pages are known as the open-framework design for web pages that allow content on this design to be much faster than traditional websites and frameworks. The great thing about AMPs is that they are available to anyone and can be used for any brand. This is an upgrade that will keep your brand's website up-to-date in today's digital age. Speed The most significant aspect of AMPs that is important toda is their speed. Unlike traditional web pages and those that lack this framework, speed is one of the features of AMPs that is most desired. This is because customers expect high-quality mobile pages when attempting to access a brand's website from their smartphone and tablet. Should they find too much difficulty, customers will stop searching that brand and move on to competitor web pages with better speed and availability. Because convenience has been made instant in the digital world, customers no longer desire to wait for content loading or attempting to navigate a web page that is not compatible with their electronic device. They will instead move forward with searching a different brand for the product they are seeking.



Traffic Increase When a brand has successfully implemented AMPs to their web pages, higher website traffic should be expected. In today's digital age, convenience and accessibility will make or break a brand and its website. Customers enjoy accessing web pages that load instantly and utilize infographics for their convenience. Because your brand content is now easier to access than your competitors, expect your customers plus their own to frequent your page. If customers find your content to be easy and convenient, rest assured they will let others know, as well. Become readily accessible and convenient allows your customer market to expand and traffic to increase.

Increased Revenue Now that you have opted to an AMP for your brand, consider that an increase in revenue is a possibility. Not only does speed correlate to traffic increase, but to increased revenue as well. Because your brand's web pages are easily accessible, expect your online sales to increase significantly than before. Customers become interested in content that they can easily access, and will read through the web pages more frequently than those that take too long to load. Customers enjoy making online purchases that are convenient and compatible with their smartphone. Utilizing this framework for your brand will allow your customers the ability to view your content with ease. Also, if you have a physical location, expect an increase of in-store traffic due to the product reviews online of your brand. About fishbat fishbat is a full-service firm that takes a holistic business approach to their clients' digital marketing programs. The fishbat team understands the importance of business principles just as well as the nuances of the latest digital technologies. Digital marketing agency fishbat offers every digital marketing service available from digital marketing research and planning to brand development to website and asset creation through social media management and search engine optimization programs - all custom calibrated for both B2B and B2C businesses. Press Contact: Scott Darrohn, fishbat Media, 855-347-4228, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/internet-marketing-company-fishbat-explains-the-importance-of-accelerated-mobile-pages-in-todays-digital-world-300829797.html SOURCE fishbat

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[April 30, 2019] Monroe Capital Hires Alex Patil as Managing Director

Monroe Capital LLC today announced Alex Patil has joined the firm's originations team as Managing Director, West Coast Region. Alex joins Steve Hinrichs in the firm's Los Angeles office. Prior to Monroe, Alex was a Managing Director at Medley Management, Inc., where he led the originations efforts for the West Coast region. He was responsible for deal sourcing, underwriting, transaction execution and portfolio management. Prior to Medley, he was employed in the Technology Investment Banking division at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "We are very excited to add Alex to the Monroe Capital originations team," said Tom Aronson, Managing Director & Head of Originations of Monroe Capital. "Alex has an accomplished career of over 10 years providing financing solutions to middle-market companies and brings with him many great relationships and a wide range of experience across multiple industries. He will help us continue to grow our robust direct origination platform that we have built througout the U.S."



About Monroe Capital Monroe Capital LLC ("Monroe") is a private credit asset management firm specializing in direct lending and opportunistic private credit investing. Since 2004, the firm has provided private credit solutions to borrowers in the U.S. and Canada. Monroe's middle market lending platform provides debt financing to businesses, special situation borrowers, and private equity sponsors. Investment types include cash flow, enterprise value and asset-based loans; unitranche financings; and equity co-investments. Monroe is committed to being a value-added and user-friendly partner to business owners, senior management, and private equity and independent sponsors. The firm is headquartered in Chicago and maintains offices in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

Monroe has been recognized by Creditflux as the 2018 Best US Direct Lending Fund; Private Debt Investor as the 2018 Lower Mid-Market Lender of the Year; Mergers & Acquisitions as the 2018 Lender of the Year; Global M&A Network as the 2018 Small Middle Markets Lender of the Year; M&A Advisor as the 2016 Lender Firm of the Year; and the U.S. Small Business Administration as the 2015 Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) of the Year. For more information, please visit www.monroecap.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005181/en/

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Gold Price May Give Us One More Chance With New Lows

Our proprietary price cycle tool is showing us that the Daily Gold cycles may dive a bit lower, possibly into the $1250 to $1265 level, over the next 3~7+ days before reaching an ultimate low. Weve been covering the precious metals markets like hawks because of our proprietary price modeling tools that suggested the April 21~24 dates as an ultimate low/momentum base pattern. This new cycle formation highlights the potential that a deeper price low in Gold may set up over the next 5 to 7 days and it may become an incredible buying opportunity for skilled traders.

Taking a look at this cycle chart, we can see the deep price low that may target the $1270 levels or levels just below the $1270 price area. It appears that this new price low may form somewhere near the end of this week, May 3rd, or early next week, May 6th or 7th. Please pay attention to this potential price move as this may be the last low price reversal before a very strong upside price move.

You may remember our analysis from January 2019 regarding the ADL price predictions for Gold (the chart is below). Pay very close attention to the April/May 2019 dates as we are targeting that low price level right now and the upside price potential showing predicted price levels well above $1400.

Skilled traders need to try to understand a move like this in Gold will likely be predicated on some external global news events that create a level of fear in the markets. We dont know what they may be at the moment, but our suspicions are that they are going to be related to the EU and/or China (or both).

This is it. This should be the last low price rotation (if it happens) before Gold begins to skyrocket higher. Pay attention and remember we were very early in making this call  so it will be an incredible run if it happens as we predicted 5 months ago.

With a total of 55 years of technical analysis and trading between Brad Matheny, and myself Chris Vermeulen, our research and trading signals makes analyzing the complex and ever-changing financial markets a natural process. We have a simple and highly effective way to provide our customers with the most convenient, accurate, and timely market forecasts available today. Our stock and ETF trading alerts are readily available through our exclusive membership service via email and SMS text. Our newsletter, Technical Trading Mastery book, and Trading Courses are designed for both traders and investors. Also, some of our strategies have been fully automated for the ultimate trading experience.

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.




[April 30, 2019] MedRisk's Jill Carnahan, PT, DPT to Discuss Telerehabilitation at PERMA

Some in the workers' compensation industry have adopted telehealth technologies for triage and nurse case management, but the role of these technologies in physical therapy has not been fully recognized. Jill Carnahan, PT, DPT, a licensed, physical therapist on MedRisk's staff, will discuss how various telehealth technologies are being used to deliver physical therapy and the benefits of telerehabilitation at the PERMA 2019 Annual Conference, May 23 and 24. The session, "I Know a Change Is Gonna Come -- Telerehabilitation -- Is It A Viable Option for Injured Workers?" will also provide criteria for determining if telerehabilitation is a good fit for an organization and examine the characteristics of injured workers who are most likely to benefit from it. "Depending on the injury, it can supplement in-clinic visits to improve outcomes," said Carnahan, who provides telerehabilitation services to injured workers. "Telerehab increases access to care, especially for employees who travel a lot for work or live in rural areas. Plus, injured workers receive videos that remind them how to correctly perform an exercise, and this tends to improve compliance." The session will be held on May 23, starting at 2:40 p.m., as part of PERMA's annual conferenc, which will be held at the Sagamore Hotel and Resort in Bolton Landing/Lake George, New York. Please see https://www.perma.org/calendar/perma-2019-annual-member-conference/ for other details.



PERMA, based in Albany, New York, provides municipal employers across New York State with workers' compensation coverage and risk management services. More information is available at www.perma.org. About MedRisk

Based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, MedRisk is the largest managed care organization dedicated to the physical rehabilitation of injured workers. One of the Inc. 5,000 fastest growing privately held companies for 11 consecutive years, MedRisk counts over 116,000 providers in its network and serves almost 500,000 injured workers every year. It holds direct contracts with more than 80 percent of the nation's top workers' compensation insurers and third-party administrators. MedRisk, which has successfully completed a SSAE 16 Type II examination, ensures high quality care and delivers outstanding customer service. To that end, all customer service professionals, healthcare advocates and physical therapists are based in the U.S. For more information, visit www.medrisknet.com or call 800-225-9675. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005013/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Hu-manity.co Acquires Betterpath Health Empowering Patients with Access to Healthcare's Dark Data

Hu-manity.co, the company bringing individuals and corporations into a consumer-inclusive data economy, announced the acquisition of Betterpath; a four-year-old Brooklyn, New York company with unique technologies that works on behalf of patients to search, find, and improve healthcare data that is currently difficult to access. The combined organization creates a powerful combination of Consumer Consent as a Service, and healthcare's untapped datasets. Patients empowered with consent via Hu-manity.co's #My31 app for Apple and Android (News - Alert) will be able to request deep clinical datasets from hospitals, clinics, and laboratories which are often still on paper, behind fax machines, unstructured and referred to by Andreessen Horowitz's general partner Vijay Pande, as healthcare's "Dark Data". Matt Sinderbrand, CEO and co-founder of Betterpath will join Hu-manity.co as Senior Vice President, Chief Product Officer as well as a member of the Hu-manity.co Board of Directors. "The track and trace of consent and authorization model that Hu-manity.co has brought to market has been what is missing in healthcare data from the inception," states Sinderbrand. "The simple idea that we should put the consumer (the patient) into the center of the healthcare data supply chain with ownership rights literally at their fingertips is both powerful, and timely." Sinderbrand started Betterpath after experiencing first-hand his sister's struggle with accessing her own healthcare data while battling Crohn's diseas, and as a result prioritized the training of Betterpath's Lumos medical natural language understanding to learn more than 100,000 biomedical-terms, synonyms, relationships, and structured codes. In honor of his sister's condition, the first disease vocabulary programmed was Inflammatory Bowel Disease.



"I've seen and evaluated technology for two decades. The Betterpath architecture, stack, and scalability is one of the best I have seen to date in healthcare data retrieval," says Richie Etwaru, CEO of Hu-manity.co. "Matt is a first-class citizen in the new cohort of healthcare data experts; he has learned more over the past four years while getting the technology ready than most of the healthcare venture community combined." The Betterpath technology core includes Amazon Web Services, React, Datomic, Docker, Cassandra, and Scala wrapped by fax automation, real time APIs, trained Optical Character Recognition, the NPI database, the Unified Medical Language System, and a patented process of medical natural language training and understanding. With this acquisition Hu-manity.co adds two patents to its intellectual property portfolio and now operates an IRB approved observational research cohort that enables healthcare's dark data to be used for FDA regulated clinical trials powering the discovery of transformational medicine.

About Betterpath We believe that individuals, providers and researchers need a path to improving healthcare enabled by data. Betterpath is a healthcare technology company building software that powers individuals, healthcare providers and healthcare researchers to find, retrieve, and understand healthcare's unstructured data. The software suite contains three capabilities branded Compass (News - Alert), Lumos and Sonar. Together with the appropriate consumer consent; Compass, Lumos and Sonar can find, retrieve, and understand deep clinical data from hospitals and clinical centers. The underlying capabilities leverage fax automation, optical character recognition, and natural medical language understanding coupled with patented processes. The company was founded in 2012 and operates from Brooklyn, New York. For more information please visit Betterpath.com. About Hu-manity.co Hu-manity.co is the world's first and only organization developing Human Rights and corollary sovereign laws in a decentralized manner on blockchains. The company has headquarters in New Jersey, USA and operates in multiple countries. The leadership team includes over two dozen senior executives from Fortune 500 companies, academic scholars, and senior policy advisors from North America, Europe, Australia and Africa. The vision of Hu-manity.co is a world where the next generation of human rights and policies emerge from a balance of centralized power and decentralized technologically empowered communities. The immediate mission is to create the 31st Human Right in a decentralized manner as an example for other organizations and visionaries to follow. For more information please visit Hu-manity.co. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005283/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Marconi Society Names Three 2019 Paul Baran Young Scholars

The Marconi Society, dedicated to furthering scientific achievements in communications and the Internet, has named three 2019 Paul Baran Young Scholars, honoring them for their outstanding research and academic performance. The three will be recognized at the Society's annual awards ceremony in the San Francisco Bay Area on May 17. Min-Yu Huang, a PhD student at Georgia Tech, is selected for his work to enable future ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) over 5G and beyond wireless networks. His research focuses on innovative system architectures that combine mathematical, physical and IC engineering approaches to overcome many inherent challenges for future communications and achieve state-of-the-art performance for emerging low-latency applications. These include commercial uses like virtual reality, augmented reality, machine-type or vehicle-to-vehicle communications and defense uses, such as fast-moving drone radar/sensing and emergency services. Huang's advisor, Professor Hua Wang at Georgia Tech, says, "We believe these applications will stimulate next-generation wireless communication research, and we have been building the related topics as a major research theme in my groups. New ideas are leveraged from every part of our connected world, from fiber optic communications to machine learning, 5G and information theory." Dr. Vasuki Narasimha Swamy, a Research Scientist at Intel (News - Alert) Labs and UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science graduate, is recognized for her work to design robust wireless protocol frameworks also focused on URLLC. Many of the most compelling Internet of Things applications, such as affordable precision agriculture, smart energy-efficient cities and advanced flexible manufacturing, depend on large-scale, highly reliable, low latency networks. Narasimha Swamy created a fundamentally different way to design these networks by identifying the worst-case scenario in each assumption in a simple wireless channel model and determining which assumptions are most critical to refine to make the network deliver the required performance. Narasimha Swamy's advisor and UC Berkeley Professor Anant Sahai explains her process. "To provide system-level reliability that exceeds the trust we have in our models, Vasuki did three radically different things. She adapted the modeling philosophy of noinal model + quantified-unmodeled-uncertainty from robust control to URLLC. Second, she revisited the classical Jakes' model for multipath fading and revealed that, in the context of URLLC, the fading processes is not well-enough approximated by something quasi-static (contradicting conventional wisdom). Third, she brought simple machine learning to bear on the problem and showed that when the latencies are very short, multipath fading can be predicted well enough based on past measurements to support high system-level reliability via appropriate redundancy."



Bichai Wang is a PhD candidate at Tsinghua University who is being recognized for her work to help increase capacity and cost benefits of 5G networks and their applications. As service providers around the world test and launch 5G networks to deliver next generation communications services to billions, it is clear that conventional network access schemes cannot meet the radical spectrum efficiency and connectivity requirements of 5G. Many in the industry are looking to Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) to meet these needs. The standard-setting body for 5G, the 3GPP, currently has 15 NOMA schemes before it, making it difficult to standardize on how to deliver specific use cases. Wang proposed the first-ever unified framework to systematically compare the different schemes by looking at features, spectral efficiency, receiver complexity and other key criteria to help the industry understand the tradeoffs between different schemes and where to focus. "Bichai has won several very prestigious and challenging awards, including the IEEE ComSoc (News - Alert) Asia-Pacific Outstanding Paper Award in 2018," says her Tsinghua University advisor, Professor Linglong Dai. "I hope that her excellent achievements will attract more outstanding female researchers to participate in research on wireless communications."

Young Scholar candidates are nominated by their academic advisors. Winners are selected by an international panel comprised of engineers from leading universities and companies and receive a $5000 prize plus expenses to attend the annual awards event. This year's Young Scholars will be honored at the annual Marconi Awards Dinner where cryptographers Taher Elgamal and Paul Kocher, who developed SSL/TLS and other contributions to the security of communications, will share the $100,000 Marconi Prize. Note to Editors: Photos Available Upon Request About the Marconi Society Established in 1974 by the daughter of Guglielmo Marconi, the Nobel (News - Alert) Laureate who invented radio, the Marconi Society promotes awareness of key technology and policy issues in telecommunications and the Internet and recognizes significant individual achievements through the Marconi Prize and Young Scholar Awards. More information may be found at www.marconisociety.org. Subscribe. Follow: LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005380/en/

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[April 30, 2019] VeChain Launches Revolutionary One-stop BaaS Platform--VeChain ToolChain

SHANGHAI, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With the advancement of 5G, IoT (The Internet of Things), AI (Artificial Intelligence), and the Internet of Value, data is set to play a more significant role in the future business world. For enterprises to realize the value of data, blockchain technology will be vital. The disruption of existing business models is on the horizon, which will compel businesses to embrace new technologies like blockchain, enabling them to stay ahead of the market. However, there are obstacles in feasibly employing blockchain technology into business models, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This failure is typically caused by one of three things (or all): High cost

Complexity

Lacking professionals or technical capabilities to implement the solution Breaking Down the BarriersVeChain Develops and Launches ToolChain so that Anyone Can Implement and Use Blockchain Technology

VeChain officially launched ToolChain, the next generation of blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) platform at the 2019 VeChain Summitthe first global developer conference of VeChain, held on April 18th at San Francisco's historic Fort Mason Festival Pavilion. It is the first commercial BaaS platform built on top of a public blockchain. VeChain Toolchain Turnkey Solution with hardware suggestions ToolChain Addresses Pain Points for SMEs

VeChain ToolChain provides a variety of general interfaces to essentially eliminate the high technical threshold and substantially lower the costs for SMEs or even individuals in blockchain integration. VeChain ToolChain pioneered the concept of providing an "off-the-shelf" solution, with various standardized application modules. Unlike the BaaS products on the market, ToolChain also includes a vertical blockchain application focusing on product life cycle management, which can be used as a SaaS solution or customized as a turnkey package. The solution can integrate with the existing business of the enterprises immediately with zero development requirements. In this way, companies without blockchain development capabilities can acquire a secure and mature blockchain solution at a reasonable cost. More importantly, eco-enterprises and channel partners are allowed to build their own applications on the VeChainThor blockchain BaaS platform, should they be authorized with the turnkey solution provided by VeChain. SMEs can further benefit from a comprehensive one-stop customized blockchain service, including product life-cycle management, supply chain management, data storage, data verification, and process verification, thereby improving their brand image and scaling their businesses. Meeting the Demands of the Market: ToolChain Releases with Three Versions

To meet the diverse demands of the market, VeChain ToolChan solution is currently available in three versions: Standard Version, Developer Version, and Channel Partner Version:



Standard Version The VeChain ToolChain Standard Version provides various standardized application modules, tools and IoT devices. This allows SMEs with no development capability to have their own blockchain-based lifecycle management solution. Developer Version For enterprise customers with strong technical capabilities, the developer version can provide a variety of API interfaces, SDK development kits, and detailed developer documentation. With these, enterprises can develop various applications based on the VeChainThor Blockchain according to their own needs and desired hardware solutions.

Channel Partner Version The newly developed Channel Partner Version will support independent deployment and multi-dimensional customization of ToolChain based on the channel partner's business strength. To become a channel partner, you only need to apply for authorization from VeChain before receiving the ToolChain Turnkey packages for customization and independent deployment. This version creates a win-win situation by allowing VeChain's partners to build their own blockchain-based business ecology to serve their customers. Hardware Suggestions: What You Need to Fully Implement VeChain ToolChain

To realize VeChain ToolChain's strengths and provide a one-stop solution to optimize supply-chain management, for SMEs and even individual users, by using a smartphone with NFC function and NFC tags ordered from VeChain (will be available soon), you can start using the ToolChain service. Moreover, VeChain has prepared a collection of suggested hardware devices to fully implement the solution and connect the software to the physical goods being managed. The hardware suite includes: QR code printer and application software for easy, immediate at the office, printing of QR codes

NFC writer and related software to create digital labels

IoT devices, including RFID chips, sensor devices, and more

Handheld terminal devices to enable Toolchain apps to bond and activate NFC chips and collect and transfer chip ID and other core data

Physical carriers for simple transport of the Toolchain Kit, including QR codes and NFC/RFID digital chips ToolChain Successfully Applied in Multiple Industries

VeChain ToolChain has been successfully introduced into various industries such as energy, automobile, agriculture, wine, FMCG, art auction, insurance and more. In these industries, it has played a critical role in data verification, data sharing, anti-counterfeiting, and traceability. New business models based on the VeChain ToolChain have been developed to empower real economy and facilitate an enterprise's digital transformation and brand image enhancement. In the future, VeChain will stay focused on building a blockchain-based ecosystem for its partners and developers, enabling them to provide customized ToolChain-based services for enterprise users, extend application scenarios, and further optimize relevant functions. To use VeChain ToolChain for business scaling, please contact the professional VeChain ToolChain consultant for personalized development advice at [email protected] and apply for a free trial of VeChain ToolChain Standard Version. About VeChain:

Starting in June 2015, VeChain aims to connect blockchain technology to the real world by providing a comprehensive governance structure, a robust economic model, and IoT integration. VeChain is the pioneers of real-world applications using public blockchain technology, with international operations in Singapore, Luxembourg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. About Turnkey Solutions:

Turnkey Solutions are designed to further promote the development of blockchain applications on the VeChainThor Blockchain, and essentially eliminate the high technical threshold, substantially lower the costs, and significantly reduce the time to market for SMEs in blockchain integration. With the development tools provided by VeChain, such as general interfaces and API documents, the solution can integrate with the existing business of the enterprises immediately with zero development requirements. They're also available as turnkey package for the enterprises and developers to deploy the solution independently and conduct custom development in accordance with their own management models and business demands, adding value to their business and meeting the diverse demand of the market. Contact Us:

Twitter: @vechainofficial

Telegram: https://t.me/vechain_official_english

Website: www.vechain.org

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vechain-launches-revolutionary-one-stop-baas-platformvechain-toolchain-300840501.html SOURCE VeChain

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[April 30, 2019] Material Handling Systems Names Scott McReynolds CEO

Material Handling Systems, Inc. ("MHS" or the "Company"), a leading provider of advanced parcel sortation systems, engineering, and equipment, today announced that it has named Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer Scott McReynolds as its Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Tony Mouser. Mouser, who stepped down from his position as CEO, will continue managing Special Projects, and Co-Founder Greg Judge remains in his role as President. Both will support McReynolds in broad company leadership. "We are very excited that Scott McReynolds, a Co-Founder of MHS with 20 years' experience serving as its COO, will step into the role of CEO and lead MHS's next phase of global growth and expansion, with continuing leadership and support from Co-Founder Tony Mouser, who will remain with the Company as a Special Projects Advisor, and Co-Founder and President Greg Judge," said Jim Carlisle, Managing Director at THL. Since MHS's founding in 1999, Mouser, McReynolds, and Judge have grown the Company into a leading provider of intelligent material handling systems to the top logistics and e-commerce companies around the world. During that time, they collectively led significant operational improvements and product and geographic expansion, enhancing MHS's capabilities and offerings and establishing a global presence. In April 2017, MHS's three Co-Founders led the Company to a recapitalization in partnership with Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. ("THL"), providing MHS with operational expertise and financial resources to accelerate its overall growth strategy. Also in 2017, MHS's three Co-Founders established MHS Europe in order to provide MHS's European customers with the same high level of support and services that MHS is known for in North America. Subsequently in 2017 and 2018, Mouser, McReynolds, and Judge oversaw MHS's successful acquisitions of Atronix Engineering, Advanced Production Systems, A2i (News - Alert) Systems, Officia Costruzioni Meccaniche (OCM), and VanRiet Material Handling Systems, further improving the Company's infrastructure and bolstering its engineering and technical capacity.



Carlisle continued, "Scott, Greg, and Tony are exceptional leaders, and together they have been responsible for growing MHS into a world-class automation systems provider for the most reputable, global logistics and e-commerce businesses. As MHS accelerates into its next chapter, we welcome Scott into the CEO role with Greg supporting him as President. We also thank Tony for his tremendous contributions to MHS as CEO over the last 20 years. We are enthusiastic about his continuing work as Special Projects Advisor, leveraging his extensive industry experience and capabilities with large clients while supporting MHS at its various worksites." "When we began succession planning, our main goals were to ensure an orderly leadership transition and to identify an executive who would continue building on our successful track record and grow the business into adjacent markets and internationally," said Mouser. "We firmly believe we have achieved those goals by elevating Scott, an experienced leader who helped establish MHS as a customer-focused industry leader and manage its daily operations, to the position of CEO. I am extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish thus far, and look forward to supporting Scott, Greg, and the rest of our highly-qualified management team through this transition and beyond."

"I am deeply honored to assume this new position and to have the opportunity to lead MHS forward as CEO with Greg as our President," said McReynolds. "Driven by our commitment to engineering talent, technological innovation, and serving our customers' needs, MHS is well-positioned for continued growth and product diversification. I thank Tony for his leadership and collaboration over the years, and look forward to his continuing contributions to MHS." About Material Handling Systems, Inc. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Material Handling Systems, Inc. has drawn from its experience and expertise to become a leading global provider of turnkey systems integration and engineering, advanced automation equipment and software and aftermarket services. For more information, please visit http://www.mhsglobal.com. About Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. ("THL") is a premier private equity firm investing in growth companies headquartered in North America. THL focuses its investment activity across four industry sectors: Business & Financial Services, Consumer & Retail, Healthcare and Media, Information Services & Technology. Since its founding in 1974, THL has raised more than $25 billion of equity capital, invested in over 140 companies and completed more than 360 add-on acquisitions representing an aggregate enterprise value at acquisition of over $200 billion. With dedicated sector and operating teams, THL brings deep domain expertise and resources to build great companies by helping to accelerate growth, improve operations and drive long-term sustainable value in partnership with management. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005290/en/

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[April 30, 2019] infra // STRUCTURE Offers a Glimpse of the Future of Hyperscale

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading cloud service providers are beginning to leverage the opportunities presented by the evolution of hyperscale cloud and the trend towards decentralized infrastructure. Industry executives will be gathering at the go-to industry event: infra // STRUCTURE, being held May 1-2 in downtown Toronto. Total Product Marketing is pleased to support cloud consultants and managed service providers with our sponsorship of this year's infra // STRUCTURE summit. Infrastructure service providers will have the opportunity to network, learn, and make valuable connections with leading operators, developers, end users, suppliers and financiers. This is a vendor-neutral event that is replacing traditional industry trade shows that are stuck in old conversations and driven by vendors. The infra // STRUCTURE is forward-looking and hard-hitting and presents an environment where all members of the value chain can meet and discuss challenges and opportunities in this dynamic sector. Held at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in the heart of Toronto, infra // STRUCTURE will feature two days of presentations and panel discussions from leading industry experts. "Hyperscale cloud continues to gain market share and is forcing infrastructure service providers to get moe focused and specialized. In a hyperscale world, differentiation through value-add and specialization is becoming increasingly crucial to success," said Philbert Shih, Managing Director, Structure Research. "It is this transition that infra // STRUCTURE will focus on, charting a new course for the entire sector."



The global transition to outsourced infrastructure is a trend that's here to stay, but the enterprise world is still dominated by traditional deployment models where organizations of all sizes struggle with complexity and a lack of resources. The discussions at infra // STRUCTURE will revolve around this unique opportunity for service providers to lead this transition into a hyperscale-led world. Join Total Product Marketing at this year's infra // STRUCTURE Summit to learn how your organization can leverage these exciting trends.

Total Product Marketing is proud to be a sponsor of infra // STRUCTURE. Celebrating our eighth year as an agency, we provide inbound and channel marketing services to some of the leading names in the cloud hosting and technology sector. About Total Product Marketing

Total Product Marketing is a digital marketing and design services company focused on Cloud, Hosting and Technology companies. TPM provides on-demand product marketing, strategic marketing, content, design and branding services. Clients include IngramMicroCloud, Intelisys, Adobe, and PayPal. Learn more about TPM at http://www.totalproductmarketing.com About Structure Research

Structure Research is an independent research and consulting firm with a specific focus on the cloud and data centre segments within the Internet infrastructure market. SR is devoted to understanding, tracking and projecting the future of infrastructure service providers. Learn more about Structure Research at https://structureresearch.net/ Media Contact:

Dean Ara, Principal, Total Product Marketing

[email protected]

1-855-646-8662 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/infra--structure-offers-a-glimpse-of-the-future-of-hyperscale-300840098.html SOURCE Total Product Marketing

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[April 30, 2019] Decibel Advances Digital Experience Intelligence with Record Bookings and Continued Customer Growth

Decibel, the leading global digital experience intelligence provider, today announced continued growth into 2019, marked by a 124 percent increase in year-over-year bookings and record year-over-year revenue growth. This momentum is driven by strong industry partnerships, world-leading Digital Experience Intelligence platform capabilities and a recognizable customer bench, which has collectively exceeded an impressive 91 percent retention rate. To continue supporting this global network of brand customers and partners, Decibel has also leveled up its strict data privacy policies and certifications. "The customer experience industry momentum is drastically picking up, and Decibel is core to that ecosystem and pushing full steam ahead," said Ben Harris, CEO, Decibel. "Decibel provides global, modern brands with the intelligence required to increase customer lifetime value and ROI through engaging experiences and does so with exacting attention to the growing data privacy standards that are critical. Brands are no longer competing on product and price alone." 2018 Momentum (News - Alert) Sets Stage for Strong 2019

Decibel's platform is powered by the Digital Experience Score (DXS), the first-ever metric for brands to quantitatively measure customer experience across their digital properties. As a result of its ability to provide brands with such a powerful, yet simple metric, Decibel has dramatically strengthened its position in the travel, retail, automotive and finance industries, as businesses around the world recognize the importance of customer experience. Throughout the year, Decibel has enhanced its Digital Experience Intelligence platform capabilities, introducing Decibel for Apps to support mobile app experiences and Journeys to show the exact steps customers take on their online journey. Backed by these new and enhanced solutions and a rich product pipeline for the first half of 2019, Decibel saw substantial investments from major clients in 2018 as more brands than ever discover a direct link between DXS, conversion rates and revenue. The world's leading tourism group, TUI, for example, implemented Decibel and found a strong correlation between a higher DXS and conversion-in fact, a one-point improvement in DXS allowed TUI to predict $30 million in revenue growth. As such, TUI executives are now planning, forecasting and budgeting for future investments in digital experience.



Air France-KLM Group is one of several brands to have signed on with Decibel over the past year. "With customers relying on our digital properties to browse our flight options, it's essential for our online experiences to be flawless," said Frederic Jeugnet, Manager QOS, Air France-KLM Group. "We recently signed on with Decibel to meet that objective. Working with the company to pinpoint and improve every digital customer experience will be a crucial part of our digital strategy moving forward." Additionally, the partner and integration ecosystems remain essential for Decibel's continued expansion. Over the past year, Decibel strengthened its Adobe Exchange Premier Partner status by building an integration into Adobe Audience (News - Alert) Manager and participating in their Leaders & Learners program. Decibel also built key integrations with Qualtrics, Domo, Medallia, AT Internet, Usabilla and Blueconic to expand its reach into business intelligence tools and customer data platforms. Decibel's platform and innovation did not go unnoticed by industry organizations either, as the company was listed as a Gartner Cool Vendor and received awards from Martech Breakthrough and Red Herring.

Decibel's achievements can also be attributed to its fast-growing, global team. Last year, Decibel made strategic executive-level hires, surpassed the 100-employee mark globally and expanded its Boston and San Francisco teams. In 2019, it expects to increase its employee headcount by 35 percent. Furthering a Commitment to Data Privacy and Security Standards

To support its growing customer roster and their need to ensure data privacy, Decibel also recently received an ISO 27001 certification for information security management by the British Standards Institution (BSI), the world's first National Standards Body. While Decibel has adhered to the ISO 27001 standard since the company's inception, achieving this internationally recognized, strict certification showcases Decibel's commitment to ensuring a positive, protected consumer experience. The company has also once again successfully passed the Cyber Essentials Certification from the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, safeguarding against a wide variety of the most common cyber attacks. "It's vital in today's digital world for organizations to demonstrate that they are safeguarding sensitive information to give peace of mind to customers," said Carla Whyte, Key Accounts Proposition Manager at BSI. "Decibel should be delighted that they have achieved this certification, proving that the company is committed to ensuring information is well-managed and that it has a robust information security management system in place." For more about Decibel, please visit www.decibelinsight.com. About Decibel

Decibel provides real-time intelligence that enables businesses to measure and improve online customer experiences - at scale. Pioneering the world's first technology designed specifically to quantify experiences, Decibel's Digital Experience Intelligence platform captures unique experience data, enriched by machine learning, to reveal digital body language, understand user state of mind and pinpoint problem areas on your website, web applications and native apps. Our go-to, universal metric for measuring experiences online, the Digital Experience Score (DXS) automatically rates the quality of experiences and can be segmented across your entire digital offering and audience for immediate insight into where the biggest wins lie. This intelligence powers best-in-class forensic tools that allow digital teams to investigate exactly how and where to optimize for better experiences. Built on a flexible, fast, open API, Decibel makes it easy to integrate and export smart experience data to enrich your entire stack or model in-house. The world's largest companies including Lego, General Motors (News - Alert), British Airways and AllState Insurance use Decibel to discover opportunities to transform digital experience, drive brand loyalty and grow their businesses. Find out more at www.decibelinsight.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005583/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Unbound Innovations Selected by Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) to Deliver the 2019 Edition of 'Fintech Abu Dhabi Festival'

ABU DHABI, UAE, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Unbound Innovations (Unbound), an award-winning global innovation ecosystem builder with a successful track record of creating innovation festivals around the world, is delighted to announce that it has been selected by Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the award-winning international financial centre in Abu Dhabi, to deliver its annual FinTech Abu Dhabi festival. Building on the success of the previous two editions, Unbound will be working closely with ADGM, to deliver all aspects of FinTech Abu Dhabi 2019. ADGM's ambition is to make FinTech Abu Dhabi the leading FinTech festival in the MENA region and one of the largest in the world. The three-day event will be held over 21  23 October 2019 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and aims to attract more than 5,000 participants from around the world. This year's edition will propel the festival to new heights with a brand-new format, greater scale and a more immersive programme. As part of the festival, the third edition of the global 'FinTech Abu Dhabi Innovation Challenge' will seek to attract global FinTech startups to Abu Dhabi to co-develop their FinTech solutions with local and regional partners, and then showcase them at the Festival. The centrepiece of this program will be a regional and global roadshow to recruit the best 50 FinTech startups to help solve innovation challenges in Abu Dhabi and the region. This will help attract talent into the Abu Dhabi FinTech ecosystem, create business opportunities, and benefit customers from all walks of life. Daniel Seal, Founder and CEO of Unbound, said: "We are delighted to have this opportunity to support ADGM, and to bring Unbound's expertise at building innovation ecosystems, and world-class large-scale innovation festivals, to the UAE. "We share ADGM's vision to grow FinTech Abu Dhabi to become one of the world's leading FinTech festivals and to bring together founders, entrepreneurs, banks, financial institutions and other corporates, investors, national and international government representatives as well as the local academic community to help build a regional FinTech hub in Abu Dhabi." Ahmed Al Hashimi, Corporate Communications Director of ADGM, said: "ADGM is pleased to be working with Unbound this year as we scale our FinTech Abu Dhabi event t become a truly global platform. ADGM remains commitment to being an enabler and trusted partner of the FinTech ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, and to support the needs of businesses so that they can set up, thrive and expand. In the coming weeks and months, you will hear more from us about the exciting program in store for you at FinTech Abu Dhabi this year."



For media enquiries and to request photos of the event, please contact John Gill on behalf of FinTech Abu Dhabi & Unbound Innovations: About Unbound Innovations

Founded by Daniel Seal in the UK in 2013, Unbound has grown rapidly into a powerful, trusted brand with a globally respected voice on innovation. Unbound bridges the gap, enabling a fusion of grassroots entrepreneurs, established corporate business, dynamic brands, governments and trade agencies to inspire communities and fuel a digital future. It encourages innovation by showcasing pioneering ideas and empowering entrepreneurship, creating digital ecosystems around the world. Majority owned by the Singapore Government's Investment Company, Temasek's wholly owned subsidiary, SingEx, Unbound, has created award-winning innovation festivals around the world. In 2018, Unbound festivals welcomed over 25,000 of the finest minds in tech to hear from future-focussed speakers, and take part in immersive brand experiences, pitch sessions and startup battles. For more details of Unbound, please visit www.unbound.live or follow us on Twitter: @unboundglobal Instagram: UnboundGlobal, Linkedin: UnboundGlobal About FinTech Abu Dhabi 2019 Bringing together global and local financial institutions, FinTech start-ups, investors, regulatory agencies and the business community to network, collaborate and exchange expertise and knowledge in FinTech developments in Abu Dhabi, the wider MENA region and internationally. For more details of the ADGM's FinTech Abu Dhabi event, visit www.fintechabudhabi.com to register interest and follow us on @FinTechAD, #FinTechAD and #InnovationChallengeAD About Abu Dhabi Global Market Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), an international financial centre (IFC) located in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, opened for business on 21 October 2015. Established by UAE Federal Decree as a broad-based financial centre, ADGM augments Abu Dhabi's position as a global hub for business and finance and serves as a strategic link between the growing economies of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and the rest of the world. ADGM's strategy is anchored by Abu Dhabi's key strengths including private banking, wealth management, asset management and financial innovation. Comprising three independent authorities: ADGM Courts, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority and the Registration Authority, ADGM as IFC governs the Al Maryah Island which is a designated financial free zone. It enables registered financial institutions, companies and entities to operate, innovate and success within an international regulatory framework based on Common Law. Since its inception, ADGM has been awarded the "Financial Centre of the Year (MENA)" for three consecutive years for its initiatives and contributions to the financial and capital markets industry in the region. For more details of ADGM, please visit www.adgm.com or follow us on Twitter: @adglobalmarket @FinTechAD, #FinTechAD and Linkedin: ADGM For ADGM media queries, please contact Rawand Al Qadi on [email protected] Contact: John Gill

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +44-(0)-207-324-5493 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unbound-innovations-selected-by-abu-dhabi-global-market-adgm-to-deliver-the-2019-edition-of-fintech-abu-dhabi-festival-300840735.html SOURCE Unbound Innovations

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[April 30, 2019] Wildflower's Acquisition of City Cannabis to Include Cambie Street Location

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire  Wildflower Brands Inc. (CSE: SUN , OTC: WLDFF ) (the Company) is excited to announce that the City of Vancouver has approved and issued a building permit for City Cannabis Cos 2317 Cambie Street location. Wildflower recently announced a letter of intent to acquire City Cannabis Co. With the City of Vancouvers Letter of Recommendation to the Provincial Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, City Cannabis is on track for the opening of their third Vancouver location with a target opening in Summer 2019.

The Cambie Street location is two blocks away from the intersection of Broadway and Cambie which is one of the busiest corners of the city. The location will be connected by two Skytrain rapid transit lines (Broadway-UBC coming soon) and is situated amongst high traffic big-box stores including Whole Foods, Save-On-Foods, Canadian Tire, Best Buy, Home Depot, London Drugs, Winners and one of the busier BC Liquor stores in Vancouver. The arterial flow of traffic coming into the city over the Cambie Street Bridge has 30,000 vehicles daily during the morning workday commute. The pedestrian traffic between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. continues to grow year-over-year with a current measure of 12,000 plus per day. The growth experienced with-in the retail trade area of Cambie Village has a measurable trajectory that is extremely favorable. William MacLean, CEO of Wildflower Brands, says, City Cannabis is the first multiple location operator to come out of British Columbia and has a proven track record in opening and licensing premier cannabis retail locations. With the addition of the Cambie Villge location, their current 610 Robson Street location will congruently continue to strengthen brand dominance. BC has always been considered the most cultured cannabis market in the world and City Cannabis is building a cohesive network of operations that will provide consumers with the ultimate retail experience anywhere in Canada.



ABOUT CITY CANNABIS CO. City Cannabis is a cannabis retailer holding two of the three City of Vancouver licenses to sell cannabis and the only company with multiple licenses in the Province of B.C. City Cannabis has been profitably operating various dispensaries in Vancouver since Vancouver commenced licensing cannabis retailers.

ABOUT WILDFLOWER BRANDS INC. Wildflower Brands is a Vancouver-based company developing and designing brands that focus on plant-based health and wellness products. All of our brands work in synergy, toward becoming a global wellness leader. On Behalf of the Board of Directors William MacLean

____________________________________

William MacLean

Director and CEO Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements and information are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "appear", "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "approximate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "would" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the risks associated with the marijuana industry in general such as operational risks in growing; competition; incorrect assessment of the value and potential benefits of various transactions; ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; failure to obtain required regulatory and other approvals and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws and government regulations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws or the Canadian Securities Exchange. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The Canadian Securities Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Corporate Communications: NetworkWire (NW)

New York, New York

www.NetworkNewsWire.com

212.418.1217 Office

[email protected]

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[April 30, 2019] New Research Shows Slow Database Deployments are a Primary Challenge for Companies Accelerating Application Releases

AUSTIN, Texas, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Datical , the leading provider of database release automation solutions, today announced the results of an independent survey that found database deployments continue to be a software delivery bottleneck, a process that has not improved within the past year. Additionally, the growing pressure to deliver application updates faster is greater than ever before. Companies with the fastest application release cycles suffered the biggest impact from slow, manual deployment of database schema changes.

The 2019 State of Database Deployments in Application Delivery research, conducted by Dimensional Research , surveyed application developers, application release engineers, enterprise architects, and DevOps engineers. Of those, 92% reported it is difficult to accelerate the deployment of database schema changes in an effort to match the pace at which they deploy application code changes. This finding shows there has been no improvement as the same statistic was reported last year in the 2018 State of Database Deployments in Application Delivery survey. The process of deploying database schema changes is very complex and demanding. It frequently involves spending hours, if not days, manually reviewing and validating every database change script and schema change within those scripts. In fact, 91% of survey respondents reported they have to re-work database changes multiple times before they are ready for production deployment. This backs up another key finding among survey participants - 80% agree thatit takes longer to deploy database code changes than other types of code changes.



Moreover, neglecting the database deployment process has proven to have significant business impacts. Enterprises rely on mission-critical applications and their databases to run the business and drive the customer experience. If database change errors occur and are not resolved quickly, application performance can suffer, service outages can occur, and the risk of data loss increases  all leading to brand reputation damage. The research found that 84% of application stakeholders had serious production issues due to database change errors; 57% of all application changes require a corresponding database schema change; and 88% report taking more than an hour to resolve these schema change issues, up from 81% a year ago. The lack of automated testing, change validation, and code deployment around database releases are the biggest threat to an organizations ability to accelerate application delivery and keep pace with customer demands, said Robert Reeves, CTO and co-founder of Datical. As executives search for ways to accelerate application delivery and remove errors, the resolution is simple - automate the database release process. This survey proves the database release process is a significant bottleneck to application delivery. Those that dont automate this process will see initiatives like agile and DevOps fail.

The overwhelming majority (92%) of enterprises realize that automating database deployments provides tremendous business value and accelerates overall application release cycles. According to survey respondents, the top benefits of database release automation include the ability for developers to find and fix database schema change errors faster (65%), reduced application downtime because of fewer, bad database schema changes (60%), and removing database deployment process bottlenecks in the application release process (52%). This research clearly shows the database deployment process is often considered the most frequent source of bottlenecks and risk to the application release cycle. This indicates a need to deliver error-free application experiences faster without increasing risk, said Diane Hagglund, principal researcher at Dimensional Research. This research clearly indicates that organizations see the benefits of automating their database deployment process, especially since the data proves that deployments get hard as application release cycles get faster. To view all survey findings, including the business impact of neglecting the database, as well as the benefits of automating database deployments alongside application deployments, download the full report here . Survey Methodology and Participant Demographics

The State of Database Deployments in Application Delivery survey, commissioned by Datical, was conducted in March 2019 and gathered responses from a total of 307 highly qualified application developers, application release managers, enterprise architects, and DevOps professionals at large enterprises. All had the responsibility for mission-critical applications that connected to enterprise databases, which included a mix of job levels, application responsibilities, databases used, and industry verticals. Resources Datical website: https://www.datical.com

Blog: https://www.datical.com/blog

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Datical

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/datical

Demo: https://www.datical.com/demo/ About Datical, Inc.

Daticals mission is to transform the way businesses build software so they can deliver better customer experiences faster. Datical solutions deliver the database release automation capabilities technology executives need to get the most out of their Agile, Cloud, DevOps and Continuous Delivery investments. With Datical database release automation, organizations can shorten the time it takes to bring applications to market while eliminating the security vulnerabilities, costly errors, data loss and downtime often associated with current database deployment methods. For more information, visit www.datical.com , call 737-402-7187 or connect via @datical . Media Contact

Danielle Salvato-Earl

Offleash for Datical

[email protected]

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Red Hat OpenStack Platform Drives Innovation Worldwide

Red Hat (News - Alert), Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that a number of organizations around the world have turned to its massively-scalable infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) solution - Red Hat OpenStack Platform. Customers such as Algar Telecom, the University of Adelaide and Vodafone Ziggo (News - Alert) are using Red Hat OpenStack Platform as their private cloud platform to more efficiently use, organize and manage compute resources.

With Red Hat OpenStack Platform, businesses can increase operational efficiency, accelerate their ability to innovate, avoid vendor lock-in, save money and standardize on a single scalable platform, while enhancing software security and data privacy. Some innovators benefitting from Red Hat OpenStack Platform include:

Algar Telecom , a leader for internet services in Brazil, was looking to grow its customer base in the commercial space. To achieve this, it needed to deliver innovative applications and services faster while scaling its infrastructure more easily and quickly to support an influx of new customers. Using Red Hat OpenStack Platform, Red Hat Ceph Storage and Red Hat CloudForms, Algar Telecom has deployed an agile private cloud infrastructure that is scalable and flexible, making it easier to manage, provision and upgrade infrastructure and resources.

, a leader for internet services in Brazil, was looking to grow its customer base in the commercial space. To achieve this, it needed to deliver innovative applications and services faster while scaling its infrastructure more easily and quickly to support an influx of new customers. Using Red Hat OpenStack Platform, Red Hat Ceph Storage and Red Hat CloudForms, Algar Telecom has deployed an agile private cloud infrastructure that is scalable and flexible, making it easier to manage, provision and upgrade infrastructure and resources. The University of Adelaide , a research-intensive, Australian public university, needed to provide staff and students with a reliable foundation to deploy virtual machines (VMs) with storage on a private cloud. After previously managing two OpenStack environments, one specifically for IT developers and a separate environment for researchers, the University was looking to consolidate and enable developers to deploy applications with higher availability. Their implementation of Red Hat OpenStack Platform running enterprise-grade Kubernetes with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform has given them a single user interface with multiple availability zones. This makes it easier for the University's developers and users to deploy, manage and upgrade applications independently. The private cloud platform also enables researchers to teach students critical problem-solving skills necessary to deliver technology solutions founded in real-world scenarios.

, a research-intensive, Australian public university, needed to provide staff and students with a reliable foundation to deploy virtual machines (VMs) with storage on a private cloud. After previously managing two OpenStack environments, one specifically for IT developers and a separate environment for researchers, the University was looking to consolidate and enable developers to deploy applications with higher availability. Their implementation of Red Hat OpenStack Platform running enterprise-grade Kubernetes with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform has given them a single user interface with multiple availability zones. This makes it easier for the University's developers and users to deploy, manage and upgrade applications independently. The private cloud platform also enables researchers to teach students critical problem-solving skills necessary to deliver technology solutions founded in real-world scenarios. VodafoneZiggo, a leading Dutch communications provider that delivers fixed, mobile and integrated telecommunications services to consumers and businesses, wanted to build a competitive edge by enhancing capacity and expanding its offerings. VodafoneZiggo selected Red Hat OpenStack Platform as the open, scalable foundation for its Virtualized Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) deployment, removing its reliance on legacy technologies and adding capabilities to more freely scale and innovate.

Continued focus to OpenStack innovation

As a major contributor to the OpenStack project, Red Hat continues to focus on helping the community bring capabilities to bear to support new enterprise workloads and use cases. With the latest OpenStack release, Stein, this includes vGPU support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) workloads such as time series forecasting. This enables many different business applications, from sales prediction tools to manufacturing or labor planning services.

In addition, Red Hat's continual refinement of IT architecture is helping to push OpenStack's bare-metal capabilities forward, as well as the ability to distribute compute power for edge computing initiatives. This can create a unified application and operations experience for workloads, on one of the four footprints (public cloud, private cloud, virtualized, or bare metal), across locations-whether a core datacenter or dozens of small edge computing sites and the device edge.

Red Hat OpenStack Platform 15, the next version of Red Hat's massively scalable Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solution, will be based on the innovations of the Stein release.

Supporting Quotes

Sandro Mazziotta, director, Product Management, NFV, Red Hat

"A highly-scalable private cloud foundation offers a smoother onramp to hybrid cloud computing, which we help to meet with Red Hat OpenStack Platform. Organizations like the Algar Telecom, University of Adelaide and Vodafone (News - Alert) Ziggo are able to empower their IT teams to innovate through cloud-native technologies, backed by greater confidence that they can expand, balance and manage the underlying infrastructure across their datacenter with Red Hat OpenStack Platform."







Pedro Fragola, IT Engineering Team Lead, Algar Telecom

"With Red Hat's team of local consultants and products including Red Hat OpenStack Platform, we have been able to provision new application environments in just a few hours, train and mentor customer teams to be immediately productive and scale our new infrastructure more quickly so that we can add resources and new capabilities on demand."

Additional Resources

Connect with Red Hat

About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat is the world's leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver reliable and high-performing Linux, hybrid cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Red Hat helps customers integrate new and existing IT applications, develop cloud-native applications, standardize on our industry-leading operating system, and automate, secure, and manage complex environments. Award-winning support, training, and consulting services make Red Hat a trusted adviser to the Fortune 500. As a strategic partner to cloud providers, system integrators, application vendors, customers, and open source communities, Red Hat can help organizations prepare for the digital future.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: risks related to our pending merger with International Business Machines Corporation, the ability of the Company to compete effectively; the ability to deliver and stimulate demand for new products and technological innovations on a timely basis; delays or reductions in information technology spending; the integration of acquisitions and the ability to market successfully acquired technologies and products; risks related to errors or defects in our offerings and third-party products upon which our offerings depend; risks related to the security of our offerings and other data security vulnerabilities; fluctuations in exchange rates; changes in and a dependence on key personnel; the effects of industry consolidation; uncertainty and adverse results in litigation and related settlements; the inability to adequately protect Company intellectual property and the potential for infringement or breach of license claims of or relating to third party intellectual property; the ability to meet financial and operational challenges encountered in our international operations; and ineffective management of, and control over, the Company's growth and international operations, as well as other factors contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K (copies of which may be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov), including those found therein under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic and political conditions, governmental and public policy changes and the impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Red Hat, the Shadowman logo, Ceph, CloudForms and OpenShift are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. The OpenStack Word Mark is either a registered trademark/service mark or trademark/service mark of the OpenStack Foundation, in the United States and other countries, and is used with the OpenStack Foundation's permission. Red Hat is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by the OpenStack Foundation, or the OpenStack community.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005589/en/
Landowners Allege Alliance Pipeline Must Compensate for Crop Yield Losses

Landowners in North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois filed a class action lawsuit against Alliance Pipeline L.P. for crop yield losses resulting from the operation of a liquid natural gas pipeline that runs from British Columbia, Canada to Chicago, Illinois.

Construction on the pipeline began in 1999. It runs nearly 900 miles, through 11,000 acres of prime farmland in the United States. Alliance entered into agreements with Attorneys General of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and Illinois which required that Alliance compensate landowners for crop yield losses for as long as they occurred. Alliance also negotiated and entered into Easements with North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois in which Alliance represented and agreed it would compensate landowners for crop yield losses for as long as they occurred.

In 2015, Alliance breached the Easements, the Attorney General Agreements, and the promises it made to induce landowners to sign the Easements by refusing to pay for further crop yield losses.

The North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois landowners allege that Alliance is responsible for crop yield losses from 2015-present, as well as forall future years in the operational life of the pipeline.







Click here for a copy of the complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. For more information about the case, contact Hellmuth & Johnson partner Michael R. Cashman at (952) 746-2118.

The landowners are represented by Michael R. Cashman, Richard M. Hagstrom, Anne T. Regan and Michael P. Srodoski of Hellmuth & Johnson, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Drew R. Ball and Steve E. McCann of Ball & McCann, Chicago, Illinois.

Hellmuth & Johnson

Hellmuth & Johnson, a Top 20 Minnesota law firm, represents clients ranging from individuals and emerging start-ups to multinational Fortune 500 companies. Focusing on antitrust, class actions, transactional law, trials, arbitration, and appeals, Hellmuth & Johnson attorneys are leaders in their fields. Founded in 1994, Hellmuth & Johnson has become one of Minnesota's fastest growing law firms. Learn more at www.hjlawfirm.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005172/en/
[April 30, 2019] ThreatConnect Joins ServiceNow Partner Program

ThreatConnect, Inc. is pleased to announce their acceptance into the ServiceNow (News - Alert) Technology Partner Program. Membership in this partner program authorizes ThreatConnect to refer, receive training, and provide implementation solutions to ServiceNow customers. The program membership also entitles ThreatConnect access to ServiceNow tools and resources enabling the company to accelerate IT service automation engagements. Designed by analysts, but built for the entire teamTM, the ThreatConnect Platform has use cases for threat intelligence, security operations, incident response, and security management. With an organization's entire team and all of their knowledge in one place, teams will drastically improve their ability to put security data in context with intelligence and analytics, establish process consistency with playbooks, workflows and a centralized system of record, and measure the effectiveness of their organization with cross-platform analytics and customizable dashboards. ThreatConnect EO Adam Vincent says, "Our goal at ThreatConnect is to enable security teams to make smarter, faster decisions. So, we are excited to be a part of the ServiceNow Technology Partner Program. ThreatConnect users will be able to bring in relevant intelligence from external feeds and their own tools, automatically enrich it, and then make that context available in ServiceNow for analysts to follow-through on cases."



About ThreatConnect ThreatConnect, Inc. provides a proactive and efficient approach to security by enabling enhanced detection, shortened response, and reduced risk. Designed by analysts but built for the entire team (security operations, threat intelligence, incident response and security leadership), ThreatConnect's intelligence-driven security operations platform is the only solution available today with intelligence, automation, analytics, and workflows in a single platform. To learn more about our threat intelligence platform (TIP) or security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) solutions, visit www.ThreatConnect.com.

ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, Now Platform, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005666/en/

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[April 30, 2019] XYZ Hemp, Inc. (GRPS) and RushNet, Inc. (RSHN) Announce Acquisitions, Products, Grants, New Personnel

Palm Coast, FL, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- XYZ Hemp Inc. (OTC Pink: GRPS) and RushNet, Inc. (OTC Pink: RSHN) are pleased to announce the engagement of Mr. Jason Jones as the COO of each of RSHN and GRPS. With more than 15 years of experience in cannabis manufacturing, cultivation, and business development, Jason not only brings a wealth of knowledge from this industry, but also the nutraceutical field. We are confident that Jason represents a perfect fit for the logistical operations of our growing businesses and future development.

Jumping in feet first, Jason related this regarding GRPS and RSHN: First of all, I was happy to be involved in a cannabis cultivation and manufacturing business invested heavily in the hemp industry, especially one that can use my expertise. But after I understood the totality of what Drs. Bond and Miller have developed, I was blown away. The years of practical nutraceutical experience that Dr. Bond lends to the creation of products enhanced with full spectrum CBD is exactly what this industry needs. These proven formulae targeting disease states will be miles ahead of other products with similar intent. Dr. Millers work on alternative administration of CBD is positively groundbreaking, and I have no doubt that it will be integral in the treatment of addictive disorders. Then I dug into the grants that are being lobbied on behalf of RSHN and GRPS, and could not believe the opportunity for the companies. With a degree in psychology, I was particularly intrigued with the VA initiative that allows wellness care for veterans that would utilize our specially formulated CBD/Nutraceutical blends to help heal veterans and prevent illness. I treasure the opportunity to help this most deserving sector of our great country. The $50,000,000 initiative will be a significant step forward in delivering outstanding medical care to our treasured veterans. Not only are there nine more grant initiatives, the cost of which filings were paid for by RSHN and GRPS, but RSHN and GRPS have recently funded an additional lobbying initiative with the Department of Homeland Security, with an innovative approach to containing school disasters that uses a logistics approach to a rapid physician response. What Im particularly excited about, continued Jason, is the ability to expand the product line to include an underserved niche in the marketplace: the recreational market. While the medical team has been focused on therapeutic entities, Ill be working closely with Dr. Bond and Miller on a radical new CBD/nutraceutical blend that fulfills a need to those looking for a legal, non-toxic way to relax, or experience euphoria, or even relief. Much like a good stiff drink, or something even stronger, our blends will answer to a different desire in the marketplace that we feel will be well received, and answer a critical psychological need for the chemically dependent individual. We are calling it, The Buzz Line. Jason stated further, Its a work in progress, but with the upcoming opportunities for company financing, this life-long dream seems a probable reality, and will be a welcome addition to our addiction kit. New acquisitions: In addition to our recent acquisition of New Earth Development Corporation, RushNet and XYZ Hemp Inc. jointly announce RushNet Inc.s acquisitions of, with significant profit participation by XYZ Hemp Inc., the following: Cal City Concentrates, a Cultivation and Manufacturing company, has been issued permitting by the city of California City, permit number APN: 216-010-31 . Cal Citys business operations are on 2.5 acres, utilities including main power line near the parcel, functioning water, and natural gas are present. These 2.5 acres is suitable for growing of CBD and processing, with a manufacturing facility. Experienced operator, Jason Jones, recently appointed as COO of RushNet and XYZ Hemp, seeks to expand and offer bottling for beverages and the capability to add infused CBD to beverages. This will also facilitate the product and beverage creation endeavors of RushNet and XYZHemp. In addition to the Cal City Concentrates acquisition, RushNet acquired Bella Buds Inc., Inc. in Georgia and Maryland, with principal offices at 2700 Braselton Hwy, Suite 10-137, Dacula GA 30019 (BBI). GRPS also enjoys significant interest in this acquisition. Bella Buds product line is best set forth in is website:



https://bellabudsonline.com/ With an impressive product line, Stephen Parente, Director of BBI, said, We feel blessed to forge this relationship with RushNet and with XYZ Hemp, which we feel will bring us to the next level. With the wealth of contacts enjoyed by the principals in the Associates of RushNet and XYZ Hemp, we are confident that this will enable our existing sales to grow. Stephen, along with his partner, Julian O Winston III, is a great resource for both RSHN and GRPS. BBIs Direct Retail sales include its Bella B Body Serum: Units in 3oz size; Anti Inflammation Emu; CBD Oil High CBD Hemp Flower Cigars and Mini Bella Blunts.

With this acquisition, Steven Parente affords us access to Theramus patented Emu oil, says Chief Medical Officer, Stu Miller, M.D. Emu is key to the efficient absorption of CBD and tolerance in delivery. It is a fundamental component of some of our new products. Emu oil, an all-natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory has been used medicinally for thousands of years for the treatment of pain and wound care. Emu oil is naturally antifungal and antimicrobial, and naturally boosts collagen production (natures Botox). Emu oil as a transdermal delivery system maximizes the bioavailability of our CBD. By contrast, competitive CBD products use coconut or olive oils in their formulas, which oils are not transdermal, and only penetrate 1-2 layers of the dermis. Emu oil penetrates 7-8 layers deep, carrying the CBD with it for faster, longer-lasting relief than other products in market. Emu oil contains EFA (essential fatty acids) which also maximizes the bioavailability of ingested CBD. The presence of emu oil in our Calm elixirs creates a liposo-mal effect so that the CBD is not consumed in the early stages of digestion, maximizing the bioavailability of the CBD where our bodies need it most. See Theramu.com for further information regarding Theramu and its products, which are available through Bella Buds. Theramus Emu oil is what is going to distinguish ours from other products by a large margin, Dr. Miller adds. Recognizing the void in the marketplace for financing of CBD related companies, Stephen also founded Investment Partner Holdings, LLC, - 1st Mortgage Lien and 2nd Mortgage financing, Mezzanine Loans, Equipment, Account Receivables, financing. RushNet also acquired Investment Partner Holdings. As other acquisitions are consummated, they too will be announced. Both RushNet and XYZ are very close on several. Only a very small portion of the acquisition costs have been paid in advance, funded by the principals of RushNet and XYZ; the balance of the payments are deferred; yet the acquisitions have been consummated. Product news Initial sampling has been well-received on RushNets Hempette cigarette alternative and a professionally created product is currently being created in a final step to get to market. Sample products are the key to this entree. The other nutraceutical/CBD blends, which are owned by XYZ, have been formulated and await further funding to create and go to market and include an innovative sleep blend to help with sustaining sleep as well as to facilitate sleep, a super anti-inflammatory blend, anxiety blend, pain blend, an all-natural energy/endurance blend, and a number of others with key potential market share. The names of the 14 different products formulated thus far, by the medical team are proprietary and cannot be mentioned at this time. However, the focus of the products include: an energy drink with CBD

an anti-inflammatory with CBD

a specialized CBD additive to alcoholic beverages to minimize many of the negative side effects of alcohol

an anti-stress formula with CBD

a CBD additive to coffee, including ginseng focused on giving and enhanced alertness while having a calming effect

a CBD formulation with other additives providing pain relief

an anti-inflammatory CBD formulation Grant Initiatives: The following initiatives, by a very high-powered and well-known lobbyist submitted to various well-funded government entities, at the behest of RSHN and GRPS and the payment for such related professional fees borne by RSHN and GRPS, seeking funding for subsidiaries and other companies with which one or both enjoy a strategic alliance: New Earth Development Corporation Proposal seeks $400,000,000 from the EPA

Freedom Fleet Initiative seeking $50,000,000 from the Department of Homeland Security

Great Rate Freight Inc. seeks $10,000,000 from the Federal Highway Association

Truckers Coalition of North America seeks $10,000,000 from the Federal Highway Association

Rhamnolipid, Inc. seeks $48,000,000 from the Department of Agriculture, including for the Purchase land and Biosurfactant tanks, Installation Drones/robots and software automation for its Sales of Biosurfactants and crop management Power replacement of electricity with Solar

XYZ Hemp, Inc.  seeks $50,000,000 from the Health Resources and Services Administration Development of Free Educational Platform to Alleviate the Shortage of Physicians and Eliminate Medical Student Loan Debt We are also seeking other funding initiatives which have not yet been filed. About RushNet, Inc.: RushNet, Inc. is an edibles and beverage based company with stand-alone products, including most enhanced with CBD. Currently, we have developed 14 Products that will take advantage of the natural and non-GMO grow, pristine mineral water enhancement and natural CBD. About XYZ Hemp Inc., formerly Gold River Production Services, Inc.: XYZ Hemp is a top of the line medical CBD company. With innovative products targeting specific disease states as supplements, XYZ Hemp, along with RushNet, is poised to take CBD to the next level. With two of its top officials being not only medical doctors, but well-versed in the field of cannabis, a team of scientists and technical experts have joined forces to utilize all that CBD and Hemp has to offer. About the joint venture between XYZ Hemp Inc. and RushNet, Inc.: This joint venture is a unique effort to secure all areas of hemp production from cultivation to extraction and retail with an emphasis on unique products and high-quality CBD. RushNet is more focused on product development, particularly edibles and beverages. XYZ Hemp addresses the more scientific elements of these pursuits, using the same formulations as nutraceuticals. Together, they are able to facilitate the vertical integration envisioned. Both are acquiring and joint venturing with companies in all aspects of the cannabis field as they jointly pursue a full integration cannabis and hemp business model. Safe Harbor Statement: This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include any that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain the words estimate, project, intend, forecast, anticipate, plan, planning, expect, believe, likely, should, could, would, may or similar words or expressions. Such statements are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the companys actual results and financial position to differ materially from those in such statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Companys ability to grow. Actual results may differ materially from those predicted and any reported should not be considered an indication of future performance. Potential risks and uncertainties include the Companys operating history and resources, economic, competitive, and equity market conditions. CONTACT: RushNet, Inc. [email protected] @RSHNOTC www.RushNetInc.com



[email protected]

www.XYZHemp.com @XYZHemp

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[April 30, 2019] Namely and Hire by Google Streamline Employee Onboarding Experience

NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Namely , a leading HR platform for mid-sized companies, today announced a new integration with Hire by Google , a recruiting app built for organizations using G Suite. Available to shared clients today, this solution helps companies connect their HR and applicant tracking systems in order to minimize time-consuming data entry and speed new hire onboarding. The seamless integration between Namely and Hire by Google benefits cross-functional departments, including human resources, recruiting, and IT teams through: Time Savings  Once a candidate accepts a job offer, Namely automatically retrieves that person's recruitment activity and contact information from Hire  including their name, email, and phone number  and creates a new employee record in the HR platform. This eliminates time that HR and IT teams previously spent manually setting up new accounts each time someone joined their company.

 Once a candidate accepts a job offer, Namely automatically retrieves that person's recruitment activity and contact information from Hire  including their name, email, and phone number  and creates a new employee record in the HR platform. This eliminates time that HR and IT teams previously spent manually setting up new accounts each time someone joined their company. Real-Time Data Accuracy  Leveraging Gogle's new Pub/Sub API, which enables event-driven messaging for data movement, Namely instantly captures all applicant updates as they occur in Hire, avoiding potential human error from manual data entry and ensuring all new employee data in Namely is correct.

 Leveraging Gogle's new Pub/Sub API, which enables event-driven messaging for data movement, Namely instantly captures all applicant updates as they occur in Hire, avoiding potential human error from manual data entry and ensuring all new employee data in Namely is correct. End-to-End Employee Lifecycle Management  In the coming months, Namely will also release its recently announced Google Cloud Identity integration, which will further accelerate the process of onboarding new hires. Once employee identities are pushed from Hire into Namely, Google Cloud Identity can sync with Namely to automate all provisioning and deprovisioning across the IT environment as employees get promoted, change roles, or leave the company.



Graham Younger , president and chief revenue officer, Namely. "By using Google's robust architecture to instantly create a new employee record in Namely each time an applicant is hired, we're speeding the onboarding process for HR, reducing even more burden for HR administrators, and creating a better employee experience from the initial interview to the first day on the job." "We're focused on collaborating with best-in-class HR systems like Namely as we extend our recruiting solution to help companies hire smarter," said Artem Chetverykov, head of product marketing, Hire by Google. "Our aim is to provide integrations that support all of an enterprise's recruiting needs, and together Namely and Google Hire are delivering on this promise by speeding up the employee onboarding process."

Hire is a recruiting app by Google that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make the hiring process faster and simpler. With Gmail, Google Calendar and other G Suite integrations, Hire streamlines administrative tasks so that companies can hire the best people, faster. In addition, through connections to human resources systems and job posting platforms, Hire makes the recruiting process even more efficient. About Namely

Namely is the first HR platform that employees actually love to use. Namely's award-winning, powerful, easy-to-use technology allows companies to handle all of their HR, payroll, time management, and benefits in one place. Coupled with best-in-class account support, every Namely client gets the software and service they need to deliver great HR and a strong, engaged company culture. Namely is used by more than 1,000 clients with over 200,000 employees globally. Headquartered in New York City, the company is backed by investors including Altimeter Capital, GGV Capital, Matrix Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, Tenaya Capital, and True Ventures. For more information, visit www.Namely.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/namely-and-hire-by-google-streamline-employee-onboarding-experience-300840653.html SOURCE Namely

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[April 30, 2019] Life Spine Announces Continued Revenue Growth of SIMPACT Sacroiliac Fixation System

Life Spine, a medical device company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets products for the surgical treatment of spinal disorders, announced today that they exited Q1 of 2019 at a month-over-month sales growth rate of 73% in 2019 for the SIMPACT Sacroiliac Joint Fixation system. "Sacroiliac Joint dysfunction is a debilitating condition and I wanted a solution that would help my patients to increase their quality of life as quickly and safely as possible," said Dr. Ali Mesiwala of the Southern California Center for Neuroscience and Spine. "The SIMPACT system helps me to achieve that goal with an implant design that saves the patient from drilling, tapping or malleting an implant into place as has bee done in earlier procedures. Additionally, the system offers intuitive instrumentation that helps to reduce my operating time which can in turn decrease recovery time. Since introducing the system into my practice, my patients have had outstanding results, so it is no surprise to me that there have been such rapid adoption rates."



About Life Spine Life Spine is dedicated to improving the quality of life for spinal patients by increasing procedural efficiency and efficacy through innovative design, uncompromising quality standards, and the most technologically advanced manufacturing platforms. Life Spine, which is privately held, is based in Huntley, Illinois. For more information, please visit: http://www.lifespine.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005778/en/

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[April 30, 2019] NEC Partner Entel Systems, Inc. Automates High-Volume Email Marketing with the Help of the ZINFI Partner Portal

Reaching a large audience with minimal effort has become a key strategy for Entel Systems as it seeks increased brand awareness and efficient lead generation PLEASANTON, Calif., April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZINFI Technologies, Inc. , a company leading the definition and creation of Unified Channel Management (UCM) solutions, today announced that NEC Corporation of America (NEC) partner Entel Systems, Inc. has been using the ZINFI partner portal for two years to dramatically streamline its email marketing programs touting NECs unified communications solutions. New Jersey-based Entel Systems is an authorized Solutions Integrator of NECs unified communications products, and currently provides telecommunications systems to more than 6,000 customers locally, in addition to its national customer base. NEC uses the web-based ZINFI partner portal to communicate with its global partner network, and provides partner organizations with access to the portal so they can take advantage of its extensive library of assets and tools for marketing and sales activities. Email campaigns are one of the most popular tools for portal users. Partners can easily co-brand and customize email templates to suit their local markets and specific target audiences. In a single email blast, Entel recently sent out 6,900 emails and was immediately rewarded with 900 opens to follow up on. Brand recognition is key in our industry, says Judi Davidson, Inside Sales Supervisor at Entel. You have to get your name in front of the customer as many times as you can. Entel has found that sending frequent email blasts using the ZINFI partner portal is the most efficient way to do that. Davidson says the partner portal quickly turned her into a one-woman marketing team. Davidson simply formats and uploads a prospect list, selects a NEC email template from the partner portal that fits the target audience and the specific product she is marketing, modifies the template with Entel-specific branding and messaging, and schedules a blast. NEC has some incredible ready-to-use templates in the ZINFI portal, which makes it easy to send several thousand emails in minutes. NEC partners using the portal can turn to ZINFIs partner marketing concierge support for assistance if they have questions about navigation or using specific marketing tools, or if they just need help becoming familiar with the technology. Entels Davidson now has plans to use other tools in the portal to help her business. She would like to experiment with incorporating microsites into campaigns, and she is also interested in integrating Salesforce data with the partner portal so that both tools are always synced and up to date. The ZINFI partner portal has helped me reach a large audience with minimal effort, says Davidson. I think every business could benefit from a portal like this. Companies of every size need to boost their marketing and presence in order to secure sales, an the less time you spend designing email blasts the more time you have to generate new leads.



For more information about Entel Systems use of the ZINFI partner portal, please click here . In 2018, ZINFI received recognition for its channel marketing automation leadership in two separate analyst reports from Forrester Research. Most recently, ZINFI was named a leader in The Forrester WaveTM: Partner Relationship Management, Q4 2018 report , earning 13 perfect (5.0) scores for a broad range of specific evaluation criteria. Forrester cited ZINFIs horizontal approach to the market and its strong engineering pedigree, noting that ZINFIs PRM solution provides robust global capabilities with excellent functionality, flexibility through a modular approach, and infinite customizations for complex channel environments. Earlier in 2018, ZINFI was named a leader in The Forrester WaveTM: Through-Channel Marketing Automation, Q2 2018 report , which praised the robust functionality, modularity, and customizations of ZINFIs Unified Channel Management (UCM) platformthe only solution in the marketplace developed as a native platform for complete integration of partner relationship management (PRM), partner marketing management (PMM) and partner sales management (PSM).

To access more information about ZINFIs Partner Relationship Management platform or to download a copy of ZINFIs best practices guide on Partner Relationship Management , please visit our website at https://www.zinfi.com/ . You can also follow ZINFI Technologies on LinkedIn and at the ZINFI Channel Marketing Best Practices blog . About Entel Systems

Entel Systems, Inc. is an authorized distributor of award-winning digital, hybrid, pure IP and hosted telephone and voicemail systems. Meeting the complex demands of today's fast-paced business environments requires Entel-ligent telecommunications solutions. From voice and data technology to responsible consultation from expert installation and rearrangements to time-sensitive, on-site tech support from authorized network services to comprehensive training, Entel Systems is your telecom partner for the life of your business. Visit us at www.entelsystems.com . About ZINFI Technologies

ZINFI Technologies, Inc. the leader in Unified Channel Management (UCM) innovation, enables vendors and their channel partners to achieve profitable growth predictably and rapidly on a worldwide level. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, USA and founded by channel veterans with extensive global channel management experience, we at ZINFI see an immense opportunity to build high-performing sales channels by deploying an easy-to-use, comprehensive and innovative state-of-the-art SaaS Unified Channel Management automation platform that streamlines and manages the entire partner lifecycle through three core state-of-the-art SaaS applicationspartner relationship management, channel marketing management and channel sales management. In 26 countries, these three core UCM SaaS applications are locally supported by ZINFIs global marketing services team members. About NEC Corporation of America

NEC Corporation of America (NEC) is a leading technology integrator providing solutions that improve the way people work and communicate. NEC delivers integrated Solutions for Society that are aligned with our customers' priorities to create new value for people, businesses and society, with a special focus on safety, security and efficiency. We deliver one of the industry's strongest and most innovative portfolios of communications, analytics, security, biometrics and technology solutions that unleash customers' productivity potential. Through these solutions, NEC combines its best-in-class solutions and technology, and leverages a robust partner ecosystem to solve today's most complex business problems. NEC Corporation of America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, a global technology leader with a presence in 160 countries and $25 billion in revenues. For more information, please visit www.necam.com . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d267797a-c601-41eb-857b-f56d3e040a2f Media contact: Melissa McNeil, [email protected]

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HanesBrands Employees Honored with 2019 Forsyth County Governor's Volunteer Award in Corporate Category

HanesBrands' volunteers are changing the future, one life at a time.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005823/en/

Samaritan Ministries nominated HanesBrands and its employees for a 2019 Forsyth County Governor's Volunteer Award for demonstrating a strong commitment to serving the homeless and hungry members of the community in a tangible way. The company's employees volunteer monthly to prepare and serve lunch in the organization's soup kitchen. (Photo: Business Wire)

The efforts of HanesBrands and its employees earned the company a 2019 Forsyth County Governor's Volunteer Award for making a significant contribution to its hometown community. Samaritan Ministries, a volunteer-based organization that operates a soup kitchen, shelter and other programs to support those living homeless and/or hungry in Forsyth County, nominated Hanes for the award in the corporate category.

"Hanes' volunteers make an invaluable contribution to Samaritan Ministries," said Sonjia Kurosky, the agency's executive director. "Whether serving on our board of directors or scrubbing pots and pans in our soup kitchen, the company's volunteers are eager to help and have never hesitated to ask if there was more they could do. And we are very grateful for their enthusiastic partnership and strong dedication to serving our guests."

During 2018, company employees, including members of its leadership team, volunteered more than 350 hours at Samaritan Ministries. Along with a monthly shift preparing and serving lunch in the soup kitchen, employees also organized several days of service to distribute socks, underwear and other apparel to more than 500 people.

"It is such an honor for our company and employees to win the 2019 Forsyth County Governor's Volunteer Award," said Chris Fox, HanesBrands' vice president of corporate social responsibility. "We are very proud to support Samaritan Ministries' mission to provide food, shelter and hope to those who need it most in our communty.







"We are also very fortunate to work for an organization that fosters and exemplifies good citizenship," he continued. "Employees are encouraged to 'do lunch' together by volunteering to serve others, and the company and its leadership team pitches in to help support our effort to make sure those living without shelter have the right apparel."

The Governor's Volunteer award follows the March announcement that Hanes earned a 12th United Way Spirit of North Carolina Award for exceeding its $1.8 million 2018 fundraising goal and demonstrating outstanding community support through United Way involvement. In addition to monetary contributions, Hanes' employees invested in their community through volunteering and organizing special events with proceeds benefitting the campaign.

The Forsyth County Governor's Volunteer Service Awards recognizes and honors volunteers who have made significant contributions to the local community through volunteer service. Created by the Office of the Governor in 1979 as a way to honor the true spirit of volunteerism, the Governor's Volunteer Service Awards are held annually in each of the State's 100 counties.

The awards are sponsored locally by HandsOn NWNC, United Way of Forsyth County, Salem College, and the Winston-Salem Journal on behalf of the NC Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service and the Office of the Governor.

Additional detail on the awards and a list of this year's other winners can be found at https://www.forsythunitedway.org/tag/philanthropy/. For more information on HanesBrands' corporate social responsibility program, visit Hanes For Good.

HanesBrands

HanesBrands (NYSE: HBI) is a socially responsible leading marketer of everyday basic innerwear and activewear apparel in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia-Pacific. The company markets T-shirts, bras, panties, shapewear, underwear, socks, hosiery, and activewear under some of the world's strongest apparel brands, including Hanes, Champion, Maidenform, DIM, Bali, Playtex, Bonds, JMS/Just My Size, Nur Die/Nur Der, L'eggs, Lovable, Wonderbra, Berlei, Alternative, Gear for Sports, and Bras N Things. More information about the company and its award-winning corporate social responsibility initiatives can be found at www.Hanes.com/corporate. Visit our newsroom at https://newsroom.hanesbrands.com/. Connect with HanesBrands via social media on Twitter (News - Alert) (@HanesBrands), Facebook (News - Alert) (www.facebook.com/hanesbrandsinc), Instagram (@hanesbrands_careers) and LinkedIn (News - Alert) (@Hanesbrandsinc).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005823/en/
[April 30, 2019] 2019 USPHS IPEC Award Winner and Finalists Recognized for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice with Underserved Populations

The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) are pleased to announce Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Professions as the winner of the 2019 Public Health Excellence in Interprofessional Education Collaboration Award. USPHS and IPEC commend MGH and schools across the country working to promote, encourage, and support interprofessional education and collaborative practice to ensure the health of individuals and populations. The IPE in Excellence Award acknowledges interprofessional education learning activities and experiences designed to enhance interprofessional team practice and improve healthcare delivery. "MGH's profoundly positive and effective approach exemplifies how an innovative collaboration can scale up to promote community health," notes Pamela M. Schweitzer, PharmD, BCACP, Rear Admiral (ret), U.S. Public Health Service. "These programs have changed lives and these changes will lead to improved efficiency and quality of care, with long-range outcomes addressing the social determinants of health and advancing health equity." In its third year, USPHS and IPEC received several inspiring applications from institutions around the country and applaud MGH's mission focused on bridge-to-care services to vulnerable populations. The MGH team will be recognized at the IPEC Meeting on June 13-14, 2019 at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Learning Center in Washington, DC. In addition to an overall awardee, USPHS and IPEC also recognize four honorable mention winners. A complete list of the 2019 winners follows: 2019 USPHS IPEC Award: Overall Winner

Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA

Crimson Care Collaborative: An Interprofessional Academic-Practice Partnership

Patricia A. Reidy, DNP, FNP-BC, RN, MGH Institute of Health Professions School of Nursing

Marya J. Cohen, MD, MPH, Harvard Medical School 2019 USPHS IPEC Honorable Mention: Health Communications and Health Technology

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL

Improving Access to Pre-Exposure Prphylaxis Through Student-Led, Interprofessional Collaboration







Javier Navarrete, PharmD Candidate, Rosalind Franklin University College of Pharmacy

Adam Koss, MPAS Candidate, Rosalind Franklin University College of Health Professions 2019 USPHS IPEC Honorable Mention: Public Health Infrastructure

University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY

University at Buffalo's Lighthouse Clinic: An Interprofessional Initiative to Address Prominent Health Disparities in Western New York

Jessica S. Kruger, PhD, University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions

Todd Sage, MSW, University at Buffalo School of Social Work

Danielle Pelfrey Duryea, JD, LLM, University at Buffalo School of Law

2019 USPHS IPEC Honorable Mention: Community Empowerment and Education

St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO

IPE 4900 Interprofessional Community Practicum

David Pole, PhD, MPH, St. Louis University Center for Interprofessional Education & Research

Terri Murray, PhD, APHC-BC, RN, FAAN, St. Louis University School of Nursing

Mardell Wilson, EdD, RD, LDN, St. Louis University Doisy College of Health Sciences 2019 USPHS IPEC Honorable Mention: At Risk and Vulnerable Communities

Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

Community Homeless Interprofessional Program (CHIP): Navigation and Functioning in Student Teams

Justine S. Gortney, PharmD, BCPS, Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Martha Schiller, PT, DPT, MSA, C/NDT, Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Jennifer Mendez, PhD, Wayne State University School of Medicine Project submissions were assessed for their lasting impact on community health. In addition, applicants were required to demonstrate a relationship between interprofessional collaborative care, health professions education, and health outcomes. "The Crimson Care Collaborative and other honoree projects demonstrate true interprofessional collaborative practice to support public health outcomes. In turn, their steadfast and successful efforts benefit students, patients, and communities," said Lucinda L. Maine, PhD, RPh, IPEC President and Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. "It's great to see how MGH has evolved its six-year project, after having received an honorable mention in 2017. Their continuous hard work and innovation offers a great interprofessional model of learning and practice." The 2020 application cycle will open in October 2019. For more details about the award winners and the submission process, visit IPEC's website. About the Interprofessional Education Collaborative IPEC's mission is to ensure that new and current health professionals are proficient in the competencies essential for patient-centered, community- and population-oriented, interprofessional, collaborative practice. Eligible institutional members must be associations that represent and serve academic units at institutions of higher education that provide an educational program leading to the award of one or more academic degrees to students in one or more of the health professions that provide direct care to patients. For more information about IPEC, visit www.ipecollaborative.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005844/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Cushion Announces a $2.8 Million Seed Round

SAN FRANCISCO, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cushion, the app that helps consumers in the US negotiate their bank and credit card fees, announced today that it raised $2.8 million in a Seed Round from existing investor, pre-seed fund Afore Capital, and new investors 9Yards Capital, Flourish, Green Cow Venture Capital, and Vestigo Ventures. Cushion uses an artificial intelligence (AI) bot to connect with banks on behalf of users to analyze their transaction histories, identify fees and interest charges, and negotiate their reduction or removal. "Americans spend over $200 billion every year on bank fees and credit card interest. These penalties chip away at people's hard-earned money and can do serious damage to their finances," says Paul Kesserwani, CEO and founder of Cushion. "A consistent problem in negotiating most of these fes is the time and effort involved. It is awkward and sometimes confrontational pleading with customer service representatives via phone, chat, or email to give your money backthat's where Cushion comes in."



Since its launch in 2018, Cushion has helped consumers secure more than $1 million in bank fee refunds. Among its customers, about 93 percent usually paid bank fees in one way or another in the past 90 days, and 85 percent have gotten some or all of their bank fees waived by using Cushion's fee fighting bot. Refunds range from a few dollars to over $2,500. "In a time when 70 percent of Americans are struggling with some aspect of their financial lives, Cushion's value proposition is more relevant than ever. It helps consumers address a real pain point now, while also creating awareness around the significance of these seemly small chargesa key learning for the future," said Emmalyn Shaw, managing partner at Flourish, a venture of The Omidyar Group, and one of the new investors in Cushion. "The business model is also clever: because the app is recovering money that consumers never expected to get back, it makes for an easy decision to pay Cushion 25 percent of their refunded amount."

Funds raised in this round will be used to hire engineers and data scientists in order to grow Cushion's customer base, scale the platform, and roll out the next suite of financial health-driven products. How does it work

In order to take advantage of Cushion's service, consumers can sign up at www.cushion.ai using their email address. From there, they are directed to Facebook Messenger and go through a 2-3 minute onboarding process, where they securely connect their accounts. Cushion never sees consumers' account login credentials, which are encrypted using a PCI-compliant service. Cushion then analyzes consumers' balance, payment history, and transactions looking for all types of fees, including ATM fees, overdraft fees, monthly service charges, late fees, and credit card interest charges, among others. The AI then runs a series of calculations to determine which fees should be negotiated and then engages the customer's bank via secure email or online chatjust like a human would. Most customers get their first refunds within 24 hours of signing up. From a technology point-of-view, one of the main advantages of Cushion is its independent infrastructurewhich does not use Plaid APIs to connect to customers' banks. This enables Cushion to take action by exchanging messages and conducting live chats with bank agents on behalf of users. About Cushion

Cushion is a technology company creating innovative services to help consumers optimize their finances, save money, and live financially healthier lives. Since launching in 2018, Cushion's first product has onboarded tens of thousands of customers and already put over $1 million back into their wallets by negotiating their bank fees and credit card interest charges. Cushion is built by a team of security experts with many years of experience in safeguarding digital data. The company is also committed to upholding consumers' privacydata used to power Cushion's platform is never sold nor rented to third-parties. To learn more, visit www.cushion.ai. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cushion-announces-a-2-8-million-seed-round-300840377.html SOURCE Cushion

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The Government of Mauritius has taken note of the statement made to the UK Parliament on 30 April 2019 by Sir Alan Duncan, Minister of State for Europe and the Americas of the UK, concerning the Advisory Opinion which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rendered on 25 February 2019 on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965.

The Government of Mauritius strongly values the close relations between Mauritius and the UK which are based on historical ties, and looks forward to their further consolidation.

The Government of Mauritius is, however, deeply disappointed at the stand taken by the UK following the Advisory Opinion of the ICJ, despite its professed commitment to respect for the international rule of law, the ICJ, and respect for fundamental human rights.

Emanating from the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, the Opinion of the ICJ is an authoritative statement of the law applicable to the conduct of the UK. It finds that the UK is an unlawful coloniser of the territory of Mauritius, having illegally excised the Chagos Archipelago from the territory of Mauritius prior to its independence.

The ICJ rejected the UKs argument that the matter before it was a bilateral dispute. Its Advisory Opinion relates to the decolonisation of Mauritius and was requested by the UN General Assembly in the fulfilment of its responsibilities as regards decolonisation.

The ICJ decided unanimously that it had jurisdiction to answer the two questions which were put to it by the General Assembly and that the request had been made in accordance with the UN Charter and that the two questions submitted to it are legal in character. The ICJ went on to hold by a majority of 12-2 that it ought to exercise its discretion to answer those questions.

On the substance, the ICJ ruled on the basis of customary international law. It concluded inter alia by an overwhelming majority of 13-1 that:

(a) the process of decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully completed upon its accession to independence in 1968 in view of the unlawful excision of the Chagos Archipelago from the territory of Mauritius;

(a) the UK is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible;

(b) all Member States are under an obligation to cooperate with the United Nations in order to complete the decolonisation of Mauritius.

Not a single judge voted in favour of the UK on the merits.

In reiterating its position that it has no doubt about [its] sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, the UK acts in flagrant disregard of the aforementioned conclusions of the ICJ. Its action is an affront to the rule of law, to the African continent, and to the United Nations. The ICJ has clearly stated that the Chagos Archipelago is an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius and that is a legal situation that cannot be questioned or doubted under the rules and principles of international law. It is therefore undeniable that the Republic of Mauritius is the sole State lawfully entitled to exercise sovereignty and sovereign rights in relation to the Chagos Archipelago and its maritime zones. The UK cannot and does not have sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.

It is of the utmost importance for respect of international law and human rights that the findings of the ICJ be promptly implemented by the UK. Disregard for the assertions by the ICJ would be tantamount to a dangerous precedence that can result in the total breakdown of international institutions that stand in support of peace and security in the world.

The UKs stand will prevent the resettlement of Mauritians, particularly those of Chagossian origin, in the Chagos Archipelago, thereby perpetuating a historically wrongful act vis-a-vis the forcibly evicted inhabitants of those islands.

The Government of Mauritius considers that the UKs claim in regard to defence and security is completely misplaced. It notes that in his appearance before the International Court of Justice, during the hearings, the UK Solicitor General made no reference to this matter. The UK did not argue that the principle of self-determination could ever be displaced by security considerations. Moreover, the Government of Mauritius has confirmed on various occasions to the UK and the US that it fully recognizes the military base in Diego Garcia and will take no action that would impede its continued operation. This position, which was reiterated by Mauritius at the UN General Assembly and before the ICJ, remains unchanged. The UK, on the other hand, did not ask the ICJ to give any consideration to the issue of defence and security.

The Prime Minister of Mauritius met the British Prime Minister on 18 March 2019 in London, and reassured her that Mauritius had no problem with the continued operation of the base in Diego Garcia.

The Prime Minister of Mauritius subsequently wrote to the British Prime Minister and the US President to reconfirm to them that Mauritius is prepared to enter into a long-term lease agreement with the US, or with the US and the UK, in respect of Diego Garcia, with the possibility of renewing the agreement for an extended period of time.

In view of the assurances provided by the Government of Mauritius, the position taken by the UK that UKs sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is essential for the continued operation of the military base in Diego Garcia is untenable.

The Government of Mauritius will spare no efforts to complete the decolonisation process of Mauritius. In this regard, Mauritius, together with other countries, will be tabling shortly before the UN General Assembly a draft resolution for the implementation of the Advisory Opinion.

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[April 30, 2019] Interface Security Systems Names Brent Duncan Chief Revenue Officer

ST. LOUIS, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Interface Security Systems Holdings, Inc., ("Interface" or the "Company") a leading North American provider of cloud-based, managed physical and cybersecurity services, today announced the appointment of Brent Duncan as the company's first Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective immediately. Interface Security Systems is a portfolio company of SunTx Capital Partners and Prudential Capital Group. Michael Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Interface, said, "Brent is a proven executive with a track record of successfully leading network and cybersecurity sales and marketing organizations. His expertise will further strengthen our go-to market team and bolster our efforts to serve clients in new vertical markets, while expanding our strong position in current verticals." Brent Duncan, Chief Revenue Officer of Interface, said, "Interface is uniquely positioned as an innovative provider of business intelligence (BI) platforms coupled with an array of security services delivered over managed software-defined networks and the latest 4G and 5G products. The Company plays a crucial role in guiding its customers through the rapidly evolving digital landscape and the consistently expanding Internet of Things. I'm looking forward to refining and scaling Interface's go-to-market efforts and continuing to work with customers and partners to ensure we are providing an evolving set of services that meet their needs." Craig Jennings, Partner of SunTx Capital Partners and Chairman of Interface's Board of Directors added, "As a pioneer and leader in managed services that bridge physical and cybersecurity, we are proud of the best-in-class services that Interface provides. We are excited to have Brent onboard to help accelerate the growth of the company." About Brent Duncan: Brent Duncan has more than 20 years of experience leading start-up and established managed service organiztions. Duncan most recently served at NTT America as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing where he led all go to market efforts for NTT's global IP network across the Americas. Prior to NTT Mr. Duncan was Vice President of Sales at Perimeter eSecurity a managed Internet security services firm that was acquired by BAE Systems in 2015. Duncan will oversee all marketing, sales, account management, business development, channel, solutions engineering, product, and sales operations functions at Interface.



About Interface: Interface is a managed security service provider (MSSP) headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Interface combines leading-edge business intelligence (BI) platforms with a broad range of physical and cybersecurity solutions to deliver a robust set of integrated network services to retail, hospitality and distributed enterprise customers. Interface operates two UL Approved 5-Diamond CSAA Certified Secure Operations Centers and a nationwide service delivery infrastructure. Interface is a portfolio company of SunTx Capital Partners and Prudential Capital Group. For more information on Interface, visit www.interfacesystems.com . About SunTx Capital Partners: SunTx Capital Partners, LP ("SunTx"), is a Dallas, Texas-based private equity firm that invests in middle market manufacturing, distribution and service companies. SunTx specializes in supporting talented management teams in industries where SunTx can apply its operational experience and financial expertise to build leading middle-market companies with operations typically in the Sun Belt region of the United States. SunTx was founded in 2001 and currently has over $700 million in assets under management. The capital committed by SunTx comes from the principals of SunTx as well as from institutional investors, including leading insurance companies, university endowments and corporate and public pension funds. More information about SunTx can be found at www.suntx.com.

About Prudential Capital Group: Prudential Capital Group has been a leading provider of private placements, mezzanine debt and equity to companies for more than 75 years. Managing a portfolio of more than $83 billion as of December 31, 2018, Prudential Capital offers senior debt, mezzanine financing, leveraged leases, project financing, credit tenant leases as well as asset financing to companies, worldwide. The global regional office network has locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City,1 Milan, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney.2 For more information, please visit prudentialcapitalgroup.com. 1 Operates through PGIM Real Estate Mexico S.C.

2 Operates through PGIM (Australia) Pty Ltd. Media Contact: Jeff Frye

Interface Security Systems CMO, EVP

(505) 934.0030

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/interface-security-systems-names-brent-duncan-chief-revenue-officer-300840803.html SOURCE Interface Security Systems

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[April 30, 2019] Halfaker and Associates, LLC, Announces Appointment of David Januchowski as Director, Health and Human Services (HHS) Programs

ARLINGTON, Va., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Halfaker and Associates, LLC, a technology solutions provider that supports the Federal Government's health, intelligence, defense, and security sectors, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Januchowski as its Director of Health and Human Services (HHS) Programs. David's depth of experience with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), both directly as a federal employee as well as in a consulting role, makes him an ideal choice to provide strategic leadership for Halfaker's Health and Human Services portfolio. Prior to joining Halfaker, David served as Deputy Group Director in the Information Technology office for CMS. In this role he was responsible for strategic planning and infrastructure management of data centers and IT operations supporting national programs for CMS. Following his tenure at CMS, David continued to support CMS as a Program Vice President with General Dynamics Informaton Technology (GDIT). In this role, he provided senior leadership supporting CMS's cloud transition, helping shift its applications from traditional data center hosting to the cloud.



David is uniquely qualified to offer strategic, data-driven guidance and leadership for our HHS clients, offering expertise gained over nearly four decades of working on both the federal and consulting sides of the house. "We are thrilled to welcome Dave to Halfaker," said Halfaker's Chief Operating Officer Ken Georgi. "His powerful combination of industry and government experience will make him an ideal fit for the role and bolster our abilities to deliver operational excellence to our HHS customers."

As Director of HHS Programs, David will support key projects including CMS's Legislative IT Lifecycle Support (LILS) and the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Submission Tracking and Reporting (CSTAR) Development, Modernization and Enhancement (DME), helping further the success of our HHS clients to meet their constituents' needs. About Halfaker

At Halfaker, we create, modernize, integrate, and secure mission critical systems for government organizations to improve the health, security, and well-being of all Americans. We are proud to be a service-disabled Veteran-owned, woman-owned, small business. To learn more about Halfaker, please visit www.halfaker.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/halfaker-and-associates-llc-announces-appointment-of-david-januchowski-as-director-health-and-human-services-hhs-programs-300840927.html SOURCE Halfaker and Associates, LLC

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[April 30, 2019] Informatica Announces Industry's First Enterprise Streaming Solution for Hybrid Data Management

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Informatica, the enterprise cloud data management leader, today announced it is offering the first enterprise data streaming and ingestion solution for hybrid deployments, enabling enterprises to make insightful, data-driven business decisions in real-time. The single solution allows users to adapt to emerging and rapidly changing streaming technologies to process massive amounts of data, manage complex deployments, and make decisions at the speed of business. The explosion of data is increasing yearly, with 20.6 zettabytes in global data center traffic by 2021 and 500 million business data users and growing*. Effective streaming data management now requires: Ingesting data at scale from any source, including real-time streams, files, databases and database change data capture, whether on-premises or in the cloud

Processing data at any latency, both real-time streaming and batch

Leveraging industry leading streaming and big data processing technologies such as Apache Spark, Spark Structured Streaming, Kafka, and more

Driving order of magnitude automation and recommendations with AI and machine learning

Supporting a hybrid, multi-cloud environment The Informatica Enterprise Streaming and Ingestion solution supports streaming data ingestion from a broad variety of sources, such as internet of things, machine and sensor data. The solution also includes change data capture for databases as well as connectivity to files, databases, apps and more, both on-premises and in the cloud. It is the industry's first solution to support Structured Streaming from Apache Spark for multi-latency data processing while leveraging the power of the Informatica CLAIRE engine for intelligent structure discovery and dynamically evolving schemas. In Gartner's recent report, "Adopt Stream Data Integration to Meet Your Real-Time Data Integration and Analytics Requirements," published on March 15, 2019 by Ehtisham Zaidi, W. Roy Schulte, and Eric Thoo, it is noted, "By 2023, over 70% of organizations will use more than one data delivery style to support their data integration use cases, resulting in preference for tools than can support the combination of multiple data delivery styles (such as ETL and stream data integration."** Supporting Quotes "Our customers rely on streaming data management for everything from fraud alert detection, to dynamic pricing and offers, all the way to monitoring patient data in real time. To do this, they require a single, comprehensive solution that ingests and processes data from any source, at any latency, and in any environment," said Ronen Schwartz , senior vice president and general manager, Cloud, Big Data and Data Integration, Informatica. "The Informatica Enterprise Data Streaming and Ingestion solution provides unparalleled capabilities, now available from one vendor, to support all real-time use cases in a single solution." Tweet this: News: @Informatica launches #industryfirst enterprise data streaming and ingestion solution http://infa.media/pr190430a About Informatica Informatica is the only proven Enterprise Cloud Data Management leader that accelerates data-driven digital transformation. Informatica enables companies to fuel innovation, become more agile and realize new growth opportunities, resulting in intelligent market disruptions. Over the past 25 years, Informatica has helped thousands of customers unleash the power of data. For more information, call +1 650-385-5000 (1-800-653-3871 in the U.S.), or visit www.informatica.com. Connect with Informatica on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. * Source: Cisco Global Cloud Index, 20162021, November 19, 2018 **"Adopt Stream Data Integration to Meet Your Real-Time Data Integration and Analytics Requirements" | Published: 15 March 2019 ID: G00385110 | Analyst(s): Ehtisham Zaidi, W. Roy Schulte, Eric Thoo Note: Informatica is a trademark or registered trademarks of Informatica in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other company and product names may be trade names or trademarks of their respective owners. The information provided herein is subject to change without notice. In addition, the development, release and timing of any product or functionality described today remain at the sole discretion of Informatica and should not be relied upon in making a purchasing decision, nor as a representation, warranty, or commitment to deliver specific products or functionality in the future.







Contact: Informatica Public Relations

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/informatica-announces-industrys-first-enterprise-streaming-solution-for-hybrid-data-management-300840942.html SOURCE Informatica

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[April 30, 2019] Atlanta Startup Runway Doubles Grants Thanks to Cox Enterprises, American Family Institute

Startup Runway Foundation, the nonprofit behind the largest pitch competition in the United States for under-represented startup founders, doubles its grant-making capacity from $10 to $20k this year thanks to presenting Sponsor Cox (News - Alert) Enterprises and a new sponsor, the American Family Insurance Institute for corporate & Social Impact. "We're thrilled that Startup Runway is becoming a destination for capital seeking returns with impact," says Sarah O'Brien, Startup Runway board chair and co-founding partner at Valor.VC, the Atlanta-based venture capital firm that founded Startup Runway. Startup Runway Finalists for the 6th edition include:







https://pangian.com/ https://www.automatedlabtech.com http://womp.xyz http://dontgetmadgetpaid.com https://soothi.com/ http://www.esbits.com https://wealthop.net http://www.civicdinners.com https://courtroom5.com https://www.musicbuk.com

"Startup Runway is a great partner for the American Family Insurance Institute," says Nyra Jordan, Social Impact Investment Director with the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact. "We're looking for the next visionary entrepreneurs who are building a more equitable and inclusive society, especially around issues such as social justice and incarceration. Startup Runway, with its lens on women and minority founders, is a key part of our sourcing strategy." The American Family Insurance Institute is sponsoring a new $10,000 Community Choice prize that will be granted based on audience voting. Every attendee with a ticket will be allowed one vote - tickets are available here. Cox Enterprises, the presenting sponsor of the Startup Runway since 2018, presents the signature $10,000 grant chosen by professional investors. A3Ventures, the Silicon Valley based venture arm of AAA; Crowdsmart, the funding platform from Los Angeles; and America's Impact Fund, a Silicon Valley based venture capital fund focused on inclusion are among the investors flying in to judge the prize. They are joined by Atlanta investors including Valor Ventures, Loeb Atlanta, Vocap Partners, Golden Seeds, and Forte Ventures. The sixth Startup Runway competition is held May 2nd, 2019 at The Gathering Spot from 4 pm to 7 pm. Get tickets here. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005934/en/

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[April 30, 2019] UW OMA&D Receives $3.6 Million Gift Commitment From Armon Dadgar and Joshua Kalla to Support Underrepresented Students

SEATTLE, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of Washington (UW) today announced a $3.6 million gift commitment awarded over 12 years to the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D). The gift commitment will fund full scholarship packages for approximately 30 underrepresented undergraduate students based on financial need.

Armon Dadgar, 28, and his partner Joshua Kalla, 27, made the commitment to establish the Armon Dadgar and Joshua Kalla Term Scholarship for Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Students. Dadgar graduated from the UW in 2011 with a degree in computer science and is the co-founder and CTO at San Francisco-based HashiCorp , the leader in multi-cloud infrastructure automation software. Dadgar has been recognized by Forbes Magazine on its 30 Under 30: Young Innovators Transforming Enterprise Tech list. Kalla is an assistant professor of political science and statistics and data science at Yale University. This transformational gift commitment will have an immediate impact on the lives of our students, as well as their families and communities, said Rickey Hall, UWs Vice President for Minority Affairs & Diversity and University Diversity Officer. We are incredibly grateful that Armon and Joshua recognize the needs of students to have access to a UW education. Their contribution speaks to the significance of OMA&Ds work, as well as greater diversity efforts across our campus communities. The scholarship will provide financial assistance to undergraduate students participating in the OMA&Ds Educational Opportunity Program or EOP. The EOP promotes academic success and graduation for underrepresented minority, economically disadvantaged and first-generation college students. The gift commitment is intended to cover room, board, tuition and related expenses until the student graduates and can be applied to any field of study the student chooses. As part of the scholarship, Dadgar and Kalla hope to serve as mentors and connect students with opportnities outside of the classroom.



"In life there are very few silver bullets but I think education might be one of the very few that exist," Dadgar said. Its hard to overstate the value of it. Our educations, especially the research opportunities outside the classroom, have been transformational to both Josh and me. We wanted to target this scholarship towards students underrepresented in higher education and ensure they were given the same immersive opportunities we had." Nationally, financial need remains a barrier for students to access higher education, especially first-generation students. Children of parents without degrees were less likely to persist through and graduate from college for economic and social reasons, according to a 2018 study published by the U.S. Education Departments National Center for Education Statistics.

The mission statement of a university is to improve the world today and for future generations, and I think thats such a valuable mission statement, Kalla said. Focusing on students who might not otherwise afford higher education and fall through the cracks of other financial aid programs was important to us. The recipients financial criteria do not qualify for Pell Grants and Husky Promise, but these students  both in-state and out-of-state  still struggle to afford all the costs associated with a university degree. The scholarships will really help us fill a growing, unmet need for our EOP students whose family financial contribution sits just above that low-income threshold, said Hall. Because of their financial hurdles, these students often must take out loans and spend their time working to make ends meet, rather than being able to take advantage of their full Husky Experience. The commitment will fund scholarship packages for three cohorts of approximately 10 students, depending on their financial need and will be awarded annually over the next 12 years. The first cohort will be extended scholarship offers by May 1 for the 2019-2020 academic year. Recipients will be incoming admitted first-year students who affiliate with EOP, either through self-identification or because admissions officials believe the student would benefit from EOPs services. A second cohort of students will be identified in 2023, and the third will be identified in 2027. EOP provides academic counselors who steward students through the selection and scheduling of classes, exploration of majors and development of career goals. The EOP team also helps students with financial aid, housing, personal matters and a host of additional support services. This support leads to results. For instance, EOP students who enrolled as freshmen in 2012 have a six-year graduation rate of 78% which sets the UW apart as a four-year, public institution that serves underrepresented minority, economically disadvantaged and first-generation college students. The gift commitment comes in the midst of the Universitys most ambitious philanthropic campaign in its history, Be Boundless  For Washington, For the World. Student scholarships are the backbone of transforming the student experience, a core pillar of our campaign, and more than 700 new scholarships have been established during the campaign thanks to donor support. Those wishing to donate to the Educational Opportunity Program can do so here . Established in 1968, OMA&D broadens college access and supports the academic success of underrepresented minority, first-generation and economically disadvantaged students, as well as cultivates a campus climate that enriches the educational experience for all. OMA&D college access programs serve over 25,000 students in K-12 school districts and two-year colleges across the state of Washington and its student success programs serve over 6,000 UW undergraduates. Media Contact:

Jackson Holtz

University of Washington

206-543-2580

[email protected]

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[April 30, 2019] Sentry Insurance announces data-driven enhancements to workers' compensation claims analytics program

STEVENS POINT, Wis., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sentry Insurance, one of the largest and most financially secure mutual insurance companies in the United States, has announced increased breadth and functionality in its workers' compensation claims analytics program. This program aligns with the company's longstanding dedication to effective claim resolutions while maintaining transparency and communication with their customers. By leveraging a series of predictive models, Sentry claims professionals are able to make an earlier, more comprehensive and continual assessment of each workers' compensation claim. "With this technology, our claims professionals will be able to instantly recognize key relationships between dozens of variables involved in each workers' compensation claim," said Michele Dufresne, Chief Claims Officer. "This insight is invaluable throughout the lifecycle of the claimparticularly whn it comes to managing potentially severe claims."



Sentry claims professionals are known for their experience across a range of industries, their commitment to communication, and their solution-focused approach. This program emphasizes these attributes, providing the team with a valuable tool built on cutting-edge technology. "Our program takes the results of comprehensive and complex data analytics and presents it to our claims staff in a clear and easy-to-understand format," said Dufresne. "We believe that the human element is just as powerful as technology. The way we put the two together in this program enhances our ability to achieve the best possible outcomes for all involved."

The workers' compensation claims analytics program assesses both structured and unstructured data, from first notice of loss throughout the lifecycle of the claim. Not only does this data assist claims professionals in determining appropriate courses of action, it also provides key information that can lead to quantifiable savings for employers and their employeesreduced claims costs and treatment expenses, more efficient claims resolutions, and improved return-to-work timelines for injured employees. To learn more about Sentry, including their experienced, highly trained claims professionals, visit sentry.com/why-choose-sentry . About Sentry Insurance

At Sentry, we understand what you're looking for in an insurance company. Because we've been there ourselves. We got our start in 1904, when members of the Wisconsin Retail Hardware Association formed their own insurance company. Backed by personalized care and Midwest roots, we've since grown to become one of the largest and most financially secure mutual insurance companies in the nation. As of May 2018, we've earned an A+ (superior) rating from A.M. Best*, the industry's leading rating authority, for 27 years in a row. *A+ (superior) A.M. Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) current as of May 2018. See ambest.com for rating information. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sentry-insurance-announces-data-driven-enhancements-to-workers-compensation-claims-analytics-program-300840993.html SOURCE Sentry Insurance

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[April 30, 2019] The CRTC authorizes a major change to Quebec's radio broadcasting landscape

OTTAWA, April 30, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, the CRTC authorized Leclerc Communication's application to acquire radio stations CHOI-FM in Quebec City and CKLX-FM in Montreal. In Quebec City, the CRTC requires that Leclerc Communication comply with the Common Ownership Policy for Radio, and refused the company's request for an exception. As a result, Leclerc Communication will not be able to operate more than two French-language commercial FM radio stations in this market. The CRTC has authorized an amendment to CKLX-FM Montreal's licence to remove the conditions related to its specialty spoken word format. This will allow CKLX-FM to become a mainstream music station and thus enhance music programming for the Montreal market and maintain a diversity of voices. Leclerc's proposed format will allow numerous Francophone Canadian artists, especially emerging artists, to increase their visibility. The new CHOI-FM (Quebec City) and CKLX-FM (Montreal) broadcasting licences will expire on August 31, 2024. Quote "Today we are approving a major change in Quebec's radio broadcasting landscape. The proposed format for the Montreal station includes the creation of a newsroom that will add a new editorial voice to the market, in addition to serving as a showcase for emerging artists. In Quebec City, the CRTC will continue to apply its policy to maintain a balance of competition in this market and avoid having any one playe dominate in terms of revenues and listenership."



- Dr. Caroline J. Simard, Vice-Chairperson, Broadcasting Quick Facts

Leclerc Communication currently owns two French-language commercial FM radio stations in the Quebec City market: CJEC-FM (WKND 91.9) and CFEL-FM (BLVD 102.1).

market: CJEC-FM (WKND 91.9) and CFEL-FM (BLVD 102.1). The Common Ownership Policy for Radio states that, in markets with eight commercial stations or more operating in a particular language, a person may be permitted to own or control as many as two AM and two FM stations in that language.

states that, in markets with eight commercial stations or more operating in a particular language, a person may be permitted to own or control as many as two AM and two FM stations in that language. The Policy aims to ensure that Canadians have access to a variety of editorial voices within the radio component of the broadcasting system and that a balance of competition between radio broadcasters in any particular market is maintained. Related Links Decision 2019-125 Common Ownership Policy for Radio Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2018-424 Transcript, Hearing of February 20, 2019 Presentations at hearing Stay connected

Follow us on Twitter @CRTCeng

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/crtceng SOURCE Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

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[April 30, 2019] Employee Health Systems Medical Group Files Suit Against CA Department of Managed Care for Violations of Public Records Act

Employee Health Systems Medical Group (EHS) has filed suit against the California Department of Managed Care (DMHC) in the Superior Court of the State of California for violations of the California Public Records Act. The suit also alleges an officer of DMHC made unfounded and defamatory comments about EHS in a public meeting of the Financial Solvency Standards Board (FSSB) and later destroyed/altered records to conceal her comments. At a FSSB meeting held on January 23, 2018, Shelley Rouillard, director of DMHC, made derogatory and unfounded remarks about EHS, stating that it had denied access to care to thousands of patients. EHS thereafter duly made Public Records Act requests for the electronic, written and other records of the January 23rd FSSB meeting. DMHC produced only the Final Minutes of the meeting. EHS alleges in the suit that the final minutes were altered to attribute Director Rouillard's comments about EHS to another Board member, one who is not a named defendant in a federal case EHS brought against the Department. EHS believes that the DMHC purposefully altered, falsified or destroyed the transcript and/or minute of the January 23, 2018, FSSB meeting.



EHS made several additional Public Records Act requests thereafter as well, on at least August 7, 2018, December 18, 2018, and March 13, 2019. In these instances, DMHC failed to produce all responsive documents. Again, DMHC failed to identify any specific documents withheld or the basis for any such withholding. The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling DMHC to produce those public records "We are disappointed that DMHC, under the direction of Director Rouillard, continues to delay, obfuscate and defame EHS," said Michael McClelland, attorney for EHS. "Since EHS has been deprived of the constitutional right to examine clearly public records, initiating legal action was the only appropriate course to take and we are confident this suit will be found in our favor."

As DMHC has flaunted the Public Records and Bagley Keene Acts, EHS is also asking Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert to investigate and prosecute the even more egregious acts committed by employees and officials of DMHC in altering public records. EHS has also raised concerns regarding the involvement of counsel at the California Department of Justice in EHS' PRA requests, asking Attorney General Xavier Beccera to recuse the office and appoint a neutral prosecutor to investigate the alteration of the FSSB records. In late 2017, the DMHC issued an Order terminating the health plan contracts of EHS due to the actions of another company, effectively terminating the care to more than 600,000 Medi-Cal patients managed by EHS across California from Sacramento to the Inland Empire. EHS contends in a separate federal case that this Order violated its due process and other legal rights as well as disrupted the care of thousands of Medi-Cal members across California. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006046/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Cambridge Advisors Surpass $100 Billion in Assets under Advisement

Cambridge announced a milestone achievement in surpassing $100 billion in assets under advisement. "The success of our advisors, is our success," said Amy Webber, Cambridge's President and CEO. "We are proud to partner with advisors who share our values of integrity, commitment, flexibility, and kindness - while reflecting diverse independent business models." Average Growth Rate of 10 Percent for Advisors

In addition to surpassing the $100 billion AUA milestone, the average growth rate for advisors was 10 percent, while Cambridge's revenues increased 12 percent in 2018 compared to the prior year. The firm utilizes a segmentation and specialization strategy designed to add value to all financial professionals, including those that are focused on growth and those that are in a different phase of their journey. Serving a broad variety of advisor business models, the segmentation includes: Solo advisor with or without staff

Ensembles of two to 10 advisors

Ensemble Enterprises of 10 or more advisors

Multi-advisor Teams of two to 35 advisors operating under separate marketing identities

Enterprises of 36 or more advisors operating under separate marketing identities The firm continues to identify specializations within these segments that could benefit from a unique approach. For example, advisory has been a long standing broad specialization for Cambridge, beginning with its innovative approach as an early adopter of fees and its perfection of the hybrid model. High Speed Advisor Revenue Growth

Growth oriented advisors are another specialization and the firm recently established a new department focused on 'High Speed Advisor Revenue Growth' led by Kyle Selberg, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer, and Barry Schmidt, Senior Vice President, Business Development. They are focused on independent financial professionals identifying revenue growth as their number one priority, or challenge. Bringing together a unique collaboration of internal and external sources, including key support from custodial and product partners, this initiative will give advisors access to a variety of specialized resources, peer-to-peer idea sharing, and coacing designed to provide:



More effective use of back office time - to enable more time with existing and new clients

Targeted leads viable for client prospecting - to expand engagement with new clients The High Speed Advisor Revenue Growth Team is in place and actively working one-on-one with independent financial professionals to customize specific initiatives to their business growth goals. This initiative includes a Growth Forum on Cambridge Nation - a Cambridge financial professional's only online social forum where advisors engage directly with each other to share ideas, questions, and experiences on a peer-to-peer basis. In addition to advisory and growth, other specializations include succession and acquisition, serving high net worth investors, retirement, college funding, small business, engaging next gen clients, and so on. Cambridge looks to maximize the value propositions for these specializations as momentum builds amongst the financial professionals in an area of specialization.

Cambridge's Digital Strategies: Simple, Efficient, and Productive - from the Advisor's View

Centralized technology with smooth, seamless integrations to multiple business applications are the heart of Cambridge's digital strategies designed to serve financial professionals. These digital solutions give independent financial professionals a single pane view where they can achieve their business goals, gain competitive advantage, and provide their clients with all aspects of life's planning needs. Continuously assessing advisor feedback, Cambridge is continually striving to consistently make it easier for the financial professional to conduct business through the Cambridge digital experience that is simple, efficient, and productive - from the advisor's view. Financial Professionals Can Work Anywhere, Anytime, on Any Device

As a firm, Cambridge believes the financial professional serving the current and future needs of their clients must be able to use digital solutions and tools in order to work anywhere, anytime, on any device - computer, tablet, or mobile phone. Cambridge continues to further optimize integrations with third-party applications and partners while adapting to unique advisor business models and relevant industry trends. Cambridge's CLIC Advisor and CLIC Client

Cambridge's newest digital financial solution is CLIC Advisor, an extension of its digital workstation for independent financial professionals, and CLIC Client, an investor center for clients of financial professionals. CLIC Advisor and CLIC Client utilize an innovative partnership with eMoney Advisor to deliver a unique, streamlined advisor experience with leading FinTech providers while supporting advisor choice. Cambridge's purpose is to make a difference in the lives of its advisors, their clients, and its associates. Celebrating its 38th year in the industry, Cambridge continues to be focused on listening to, engaging with, and being as responsive as possible to independent financial professionals striving to best serve their clients. About Cambridge

Cambridge Investment Group, Inc. is a privately-controlled financial solutions firm focused on serving independent financial advisors and their investing clients. Cambridge offers a broad range of choices regarding advisor-focused financial solutions: advice solutions, technology solutions, platform choice and business structure solutions, consulting solutions, and outsourcing solutions. Cambridge's national reach includes: Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. - a large corporate RIA; and Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. - an independent broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC, that is among the largest privately-controlled independent broker-dealers in the country. Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC, and investment advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Both are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Cambridge Investment Group, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006074/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Clearsight Advisors Continues Its Expansion with the Addition of Christine Frank

Clearsight Advisors, a leading boutique investment bank, is pleased to announce that Christine Frank has joined the firm as a Managing Director. Christine has more than 25 years of banking and advisory experience at several leading bulge bracket and boutique investment banks. Most recently, Christine was at Waller Capital Partners where she focused on providing M&A and private placement services for companies in the media technology, B2B information and data services, and online video ecosystem markets. Joel Kallett, Clearsight's Co-Founder, CEO, and Managing Director, remarked, "The Clearsight team is thrilled that Christine elected to join our firm. Our clients and colleagues will benefit greatly from her wealth of relationships and experience. I am confident that her industry leadership in the TMT sector coupled with her insights and network will broadly complement Clearsight's efforts to ecome the leading boutique focused on growth companies at the intersection of high-end professional services, software and data & analytics."



On joining the firm, Christine commented, "I am truly excited to join Clearsight, its experienced team, and marquee M&A advisory practice in Business Services, Data and Technology, which I can help expand in the TMT vertical. More importantly, the cultural fit and team atmosphere is refreshing and exciting. With 30 professionals, Clearsight has an impressive deal track record serving the Business Services, Data and Technology markets, a strong reputation for exceptional execution and deep market insights, particularly around digital transformation." Christine has previous experience at Bank of America Securities and Bear Stearns. Christine graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Communications and subsequently received her MBA from Columbia Business School. She is based in New York.

About Clearsight Advisors Clearsight Advisors is an independent merchant banking firm dedicated to providing world-class M&A and capital raising solutions exclusively to growth-oriented Business Services, Data and Technology companies. Clearsight combines deep market insights across software, services, and data. This market knowledge, combined with superior strategic and financial advice, allows Clearsight to act as a catalyst, enabling entrepreneurs, private equity owners, and Boards of Directors to successfully advance their vision. Clearsight Capital Advisors, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, is a registered member of FINRA & SIPC. For more information visit www.clearsightadvisors.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006076/en/

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[April 30, 2019] GEICO Honors 6 for Protecting Their Fellow Military Members and Civilian Neighbors

Six members of the military - one from each branch and the National Guard/Reserve - received 2018 GEICO Military Service Awards last night for their contributions to safety and drug prevention programs that have benefitted both military and civilian communities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006085/en/ 2018 GEICO Military Service Award winners (from left) Army Spc. Odailys Matos, U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Gregory Bogaczyk, Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Jack Hopson Jr., Air Force Master Sgt. Christopher W. Engelke, Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class John W. Cochrane and U.S. National Guard Technical Sgt. Carissa Ann Siry. (Photo: Business Wire) "These men and women personify leadership and service, both in their military roles and in the communities where they live," said GEICO President and CEO Bill Roberts, who presented the winners with their awards. "While they diligently safeguard the nation and its citizens, they also enthusiastically serve their military and civilian communities, and their efforts make those communities better places to work and live." The awardees are: Army Spc. Odailys Matos is a certified fire inspector whose attention to detail and dedication to her job ensures that nearly 200 soldiers have safe and functional living spaces. Her outstanding contributions earned an Army Achievement Medal. She is a Supply Clerk in the Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, 1st lnfantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. She is currently deployed to Afghanistan. She was honored for Fire Safety and Fire Prevention.

U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Gregory Bogaczyk created an anonymous Arrive Alive Program so that Marines who use it would not face repercussions for underage drinking. He also promotes bike safety as a program expert in the Naval Safety Center's Motorcycle Safety Representative Course. He serves as a Ground Safety Manager and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Chief for Marine Aircraft Group 41 at Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas. He was honored for Traffic Safety and Accident Prevention.

Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Jack Hopson Jr. is a devoted community volunteer and has assisted more than 12 non-profits in reviewing and updating their operations to meet code standards. He developed the U.S. Navy's first-ever firefighting course at the Naval Firefighting Facility in Rota, Spain. The course features plans of action for 15 different emergency scenarios. He is a 3M (News - Alert) safety trainer and inspector at Naval Air Forces Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia. He was honored for Fire Safety and Fire Prevention.

Air Force Master Sgt. Christopher W. Engelke rendered life-saving assistance after encountering a four-car collision while off-duty from his job as the highly-skilled emergency response leader for three Air Force installations. He is the Superintendent of Regional Dispatch for the Cheyenne Mountain Fire Emergency Services Flight, 721st Civil Engineer Squadron, 721st Mission Support Group at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was honored for Fire Safety and Fire Prevention.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class John W. Cochrane developed fire prevention and firefighting tactics for the newly-commissioned U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball crew. In addition, he shares his expertise with youth by volunteering with the Trail Life USA. He is assigned to the Kimball, based in Honolulu, and serves as the leading Petty Officer for the Damage Control & Repair Division and the Fire & Safety Division Manager. He was honored for Fire Safety and Fire Prevention.

U.S. National Guard Technical Sgt. Carissa Ann Siry helps more than 25 community-based coalitions and three major college campuses reduce youth substance abuse. She has also trained schools in grant-writing, equipping them to receive funds to support their substance abuse prevention efforts. She is a Civil Operations Specialist assigned to the New York National Guard Counterdrug Task Force in New York, New York. She was honored for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention.



GEICO Philanthropic Foundation. In the days prior to the awards ceremony, the honorees were treated to special events in around Washington, D.C., including a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where they laid a wreath. Transportation to Washington, D.C., and lodging for recipients and a guest were provided. Yesterday's ceremony marked the 30th year that GEICO has presented the awards. Military service members were among GEICO's very first customers when the company was founded more than 80 years ago. In addition to the awards, GEICO offers special savings to service members and has a special team dedicated to assisting military customers and supporting causes important to the military community.

About GEICO GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company), the second-largest auto insurer in the U.S., was founded in 1936 and insures more than 28 million vehicles. To make changes, report claims, print insurance cards and purchase additional products, policyholders can access their insurance policy here, connect via GEICO Mobile, phone or by visiting a GEICO local agent. Homeowners, renters, condo, flood, identity theft and term life coverages are written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc. Commercial auto and personal umbrella coverages are also available. Visit www.geico.com for a quote or to learn more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006085/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Spirit Electronics Announces Hiring of Two Sales Directors and a Pricing Analyst

Spirit Electronics, a preeminent value-added distributor based in Phoenix, Arizona, is pleased to announce its recent hire of three industry veterans: Patty Hannon and Kate Hopeman, who join Team Spirit as Strategic Account Managers; and Pam Santana, as a Pricing Analyst. They will support Spirit's current customer base in North America, focusing on its core competency of Aerospace and Defense. Each has more than 20 years of experience in the defense/aerospace electronics industry at Microsemi (News - Alert)/White Electronic Designs where they previously worked together: Hopeman as Director of Worldwide Sales, Hannon as Director of Strategic Customers, and Santana as Purchasing Manager, supplying memory, processor and GPS products to government subcontractors across many of the major weapons and aircraft platforms. The women are also active volunteers in several local community organizations. "The knowledge and experience that these three outstanding professionals bring to our company will immediately benefit our cutomers through direct contact support and improved integration," said Marti McCurdy, Spirit's CEO. "Their ability to understand our customers' needs and to develop strong relationships with our suppliers and customers is sure to contribute to our company's positive growth."



Spirit Electronics is a veteran-owned, woman-owned small business that provides elevated supply-chain solutions and electronic component distribution for global technology leaders in the aerospace, defense and communication industries. From fighter jets to guided missiles, Spirit plays a vital role in supplying world-class products and services to meet the highly demanding and rapidly changing needs of its clients. About Spirit Electronics:

For more than three decades, Spirit Electronics has been a valued distributor and partner to key technology sectors. Our status as a VOWOSB, SDB owned-company provides diversity requirement relief to defense and aerospace customers. Spirit specifically offers a wide range of electronic components and world-class value-added services, including SMI, Wafer and Component Electrical Testing, Design, Assembly, and End-of-Life Management. For more information, visit www.spiritelectronics.com. Spirit Electronics is located in Phoenix, AZ, with sales offices in San Jose and Irvine, CA (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006095/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Rappi Raises Up to $1 Billion from SoftBank Group Corp. and SoftBank Vision Fund

Rappi, an on-demand delivery startup operating in Latin America, today announced an investment of up to $1 billion from SoftBank Group Corp. ("SBG") and SoftBank Vision Fund ("Vision Fund"). The investment marks the largest technology financing to date in a Latin America-based company and, upon transfer to the Innovation Fund upon the fund's establishment, will be the first investment by the Innovation Fund, which launched in March 2019 and is the largest-ever technology fund focused exclusively on the fast-growing Latin American market. SBG and the Vision Fund will each invest up to $500 million in Rappi. Founded in 2015, Rappi has emerged as the leading service app in the Latin American region, improving the lives of its users by offering products across a range of categories, including restaurants, groceries, drugstore medications and digital payment services. The investment will enhance Rappi's presence in existing markets and accelerate growth into additional markets throughout the Latin American region, as well as into additional product and service areas. "This is the result of very hard work by all members of our team which is absolutely committed to transforming the quality of life of Latin Americans. We will continue to invest in Market-Creating innovations to provide opportunities for millions in the region. It is time for a technology-driven Latin America, and SoftBank's support is essential to lead this transformation," said Simon Borrero, Co-Founder and CEO of Rappi. Marcelo Claure, SoftBank Group's Chief Operating Officer, CEO of SoftBank Group International and CEO of Inovation Fund, said, "Rappi's founders have a bold vision to create the premiere multi-service 'super-app' for Latin America, improving the lives of millions in the region. In less than four years Rappi has become one of the fastest growing start-ups in Latin America. This rapid growth demonstrates the immense opportunity in the Latin American region. We are excited to be investing in this passionate team of entrepreneurs and believe Rappi will benefit from being a part of the greater SoftBank ecosystem."



"SoftBank's vision of accelerating the technology revolution deeply resonated with our mission of improving how people live through digital payments and a super-app for everything consumers need. We will continue to focus on building innovations for couriers, restaurants, retailers and start-ups that translate into new sources of growth," said Sebastian Mejia, Co-Founder and President of Rappi. Jeffrey Housenbold, Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, said, "We are investing ahead of an incredible long-term growth opportunity for Rappi. This rapidly-scaling company has the potential to expand far beyond its current business and become one of the most important technology companies in Latin America. By creatively addressing the unique market dynamics of the region, Rappi is building a robust technology platform of products and services designed to revolutionize the way consumers shop and live their lives."

In 2018, Rappi expanded the number of products delivered by seven times, and registered a monthly growth of 20% in the seven countries where it operates. Additionally, Rappi was accelerated by Y Combinator in 2016 and reached unicorn status last year. In connection with the agreement, Jeffrey Housenbold will join the Rappi Board of Directors. SBG and the Vision Fund join existing Rappi investors DST Global, Delivery Hero, Sequoia Capital (News - Alert), Andreesen Horowitz and Y Combinator. About Rappi Rappi is an all-purpose delivery application that aims to be the personal assistant for its users. The LatAm-based startup is present in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Peru. Through the platform, it is possible to buy products of different categories, from Restaurants, Supermarkets and Beverages to literally anything. In addition, the application has a virtual wallet, RappiPay, where it is possible to make transfers and even payments in establishments. In 2016, the company was accelerated by Y Combinator, the most important incubator of startups in the world. At the beginning of 2018, it received a contribution of US $185 million, which allowed its expansion in Brazil and Latin America; in September of 2018, it received a new contribution, this time US $220 million, becoming the new Latin American unicorn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006123/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Acorn International Files 2018 Annual Report on Form 20-F

SHANGHAI, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Acorn International, Inc. (NYSE: ATV) ("Acorn" or the "Company") today announced that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 30, 2019. The annual report can be accessed on the Company's investor relations website at http://www.acorninternationalgroup.com. Acorn will provide a hard copy of its annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be directed to the Company's IR representatives, or in writing to Acorn International, Inc., 5/F, YueShang Plaza, 1 South Wuning Road, Shanghai 200042, People's Republic of China. About Acorn International, Inc. Acorn International is a leading marketing and branding company in China, leveraging a twenty-year direct marketing history to monetize brand IP, content creation and distribution, and product sales, through digital media in China. Previously the leading TV infomercial company in China, Acorn today has three divisions suppor its growth: 1) Product Division, 2) Content Division, and 3) Influencer Management Division.



In the Product Division, Acorn sells product primarily through e-commerce channels in China, as well as through offline distribution and outbound marketing. In the Content Division, Acorn monetizes content. Specifically, in the Content Division, Acorn has redirected its direct marketing know-how to digital media in China, launching Acorn Streaming, which is primarily focused on live streaming and pre-recorded video content creation and distribution. In the Influencer Management Division, Acorn brings, through the creation of digital social content, leading U.S. celebrity talent and brands to China, representing their in-country digital presence. For more information visit www.acorninternationalgroup.com. Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "future," "going forward," "intends," "outlook," "plans," "target," "will," "potential," and similar statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions, and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control, which may cause the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties, or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. Investor Contact: Compass Investor Relations

Elaine Ketchmere, CFA

Phone: +1-310-528-3031

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/acorn-international-files-2018-annual-report-on-form-20-f-300841219.html SOURCE Acorn International, Inc.

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[April 30, 2019] Great Ajax Corp. Schedules Its First Quarter 2019 Financial Results Release For Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Great Ajax Corp. (NYSE: AJX), a Maryland corporation that is a real estate investment trust, today announces that it intends to release its financial results for the first quarter 2019 on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at approximately 4:05 p.m. ET. In conjunction with the release, Great Ajax will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 to review its financial results for the first quarter 2019. A live webcast of this conference call will be available on Great Ajax's website at www.great-ajax.com and a replay of the webcast will be archived on the website for 90 days. Listeners should login at least 20 minutes before the conference call is scheduled to begin in order to register, as well as download and install any necessary audio software. p> About Great Ajax Corp.



Great Ajax Corp. is a Maryland corporation that focuses primarily on acquiring, investing in and managing mortgage loans secured by single-family residences and, to a lesser extent, single-family properties themselves. We also invest in loans secured by multi-family residential and smaller commercial mixed use retail/residential properties, as well as in the properties directly. We are externally managed by Thetis Asset Management LLC. Our mortgage loans and other real estate assets are serviced by Gregory Funding LLC, an affiliated entity. We have elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust under the Internal Revenue Code. Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "intends," "expects," "projects," "anticipates," and "future" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions, many of which are beyond the control of Great Ajax, including, without limitation, the risk factors and other matters set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") and in its other filings with the Commission, and when filed, its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March, 31, 2019. Great Ajax undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006144/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Financial Times Recognizes Pipedrive Among Europe's 1000 Fastest Growing Companies

TALLINN, Estonia, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pipedrive, the first CRM platform developed from the salesperson's point of view, today announced that it has been recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe within the 2019 FT 1000 report . Pipedrive is ranked at 168 and is one of only three Estonian-founded companies honored in the report. Published by the Financial Times in partnership with Statista, the FT 1000 2019 report lists the companies in 31 European countries that have achieved the highest annual growth rates in revenue between 2014 and 2017. Timo Rein, CEO of Pipedrive, comments, "We are humbled by this recognition. This achievement was made possible, first and foremost, by our people who are relentlessly dedicated to providing sales teams with intuitive, powerful, visual 'sales software as a service.' Pipedrive was built by sales people for sales people -- and developed from the salesperson's point of view. At Pipedrive, we focus on daily improvement by listening to our customers and anticipating their needs. To listen, anticipate and take ation-- that takes great people."



Pipedrive is the first CRM platform developed from the salesperson's point of view. Pipedrive's goal is to make sales success inevitable - for individual salespeople and teams. About the FT 1000 Criteria:

To be included in the list of fastest growing companies in Europe, a company had to meet the following criteria:

Revenue of at least 100,000 generated in 2014

Revenue of at least 1.5m generated in 2017

The company is independent (the company is not a subsidiary or branch office of any kind)

The company is headquartered in one of 32 European countries

The revenue growth between 2014 and 2017 was primarily organic (e.g. "internally" stimulated) Companies from these countries were eligible to participate: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. About Pipedrive Inc. Founded in 2010, Pipedrive is the first CRM platform developed from the salesperson's point of view. Today, Pipedrive is used by sales teams at over 85,000 companies worldwide. Honored as a leading innovative technology company, Pipedrive has offices in Tallinn, London, Lisbon, New York, Tartu, and Prague, and has raised $90 million in funding. Learn more at Pipedrive.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/financial-times-recognizes-pipedrive-among-europes-1000-fastest-growing-companies-300841236.html SOURCE Pipedrive.com

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[April 30, 2019] Inaugural Blockchain Revolution Global event brings foremost enterprise blockchain leaders to Toronto

-- Attendees from two dozen countries attend world's premier enterprise blockchain conference  TORONTO, April 30, 2019 /CNW/ - More than 1,200 enterprise leaders came together in Toronto, Canada on April 24  25th for the inaugural Blockchain Revolution Global (BRG), an enterprise-focused conference organized by the Blockchain Research Institute, the world's leading blockchain think-tank and MCI Group, the global leader on building community. Supported by presenting partners, IBM and WISeKey, alongside more than two dozen other global companies, BRG sought to inform and inspire enterprise leaders as they accelerate their organization's blockchain transformation. More than 150 experts presented talks on a unique, centralized 360 degree stage designed to offer the most integrated and collaborative experience between brands and leaders from 20+ industries, discussing vertical and horizontal transformations for the global enterprise and government blockchain community. Interactive presentations each focused on an industry or vertical, from suppy chain management to digital identity and security.



"The idea for this conference came after we noticed a serious lack of blockchain events catering to enterprise leaders," said Don Tapscott, co-founder of the BRI and host of Blockchain Revolution Global. "We could not be more pleased with the results, and we look forward to watching this initiative grow year over year." The event featured announcements and sessions from some of the world's foremost industry leaders:

IBM's senior vice president, Bridget van Kralingen provided a framework for the 100+ projects IBM has built to date on Hyperledger, and featured several of those projects in conversations with executives from Maersk, Alectra, and Interac





provided a framework for the 100+ projects IBM has built to date on Hyperledger, and featured several of those projects in conversations with executives from Maersk, Alectra, and Interac FedEx Logistics' CEO, Richard Smith and FedEx CIO, Rob Carter called on government participation in the development of blockchain standards for international shipping





and FedEx CIO, called on government participation in the development of blockchain standards for international shipping WISeKey CEO, Carlos Moreira unveiled WISeKey's newest "Blockchain Center of Excellence" to be established in Saudi Arabia





unveiled WISeKey's newest "Blockchain Center of Excellence" to be established in Leaders from DHL, UPS, and FedEx shared the stage for the first time ever to discuss industry cooperation on open blockchain standards





Innovators representing the leading blockchain platforms such as Aion, Hedera Hashgraph, Hyperledger, ICON, and Cosmos shared their vision for the future of business and the enterprise





Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) executive director, Ron Resnick described EEA's new "Token Taxonomy Initiative" on stage for the first time





described EEA's new "Token Taxonomy Initiative" on stage for the first time Grammy-winning musician and innovator, Imogen Heap provided insights into her blockchain project "creative passports" for artists, and performed live at the Enterprise Blockchain Awards (EBA) Gala, BRG's sister event, on April 24th





provided insights into her blockchain project "creative passports" for artists, and performed live at the Enterprise Blockchain Awards (EBA) Gala, BRG's sister event, on 15-year old Alishba Imran, winner of the EBA for Young Leader , inspired the audience with her project using blockchain counterfeit drugs from reaching patients "The narrative that the drop in value for cryptoassets has stalled blockchain innovation is utterly false, and this conference demonstrated that," added Mr. Tapscott. "Quite the opposite, we saw that in the last year, global enterprise has invested more and accomplished more in blockchain than in all years prior." Accelerating the Blockchain Revolution

A partnership between the Blockchain Research Institute, the world's leading blockchain think-tank and MCI Group, the global leader on building community, Blockchain Revolution Global is the world's premier conference for enterprise and government. Its mission is to inspire and prepare enterprise leaders for the transformation that blockchain technology will bring to their businesses. Bringing more than 150 leading-edge practitioners and thinkers from around the world to the stage, BRG is creating a global arena to connect and learn across ten different streams including finance, healthcare, security & identity, supply chain, and regulation. Blockchain Revolution Global is part of Toronto Blockchain Week. SOURCE Blockchain Revolution Global

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[April 30, 2019] Study: Employee Ownership Narrows Gender and Racial Wealth Gaps

In the first-ever national study of low-income and moderate-income workers at employee-owned companies, researchers discovered employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) enable families to significantly increase their assets, shrinking-though not eliminating-gender and racial wealth gaps. The research by the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing suggests employee ownership can reduce wealth inequality in the U.S. "The top 10 percent of American households own more wealth than the bottom 90 percent combined," said Beyster Distinguished Professor Joseph Blasi, Director of the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. "This study demonstrates that employee share ownership can chip away at inequality by putting significant wealth in the hands of the working middle class." Supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a Rutgers-led team of researchers interviewed close to 200 employees at 21 companies that offer an ESOP retirement account. About half of the workers surveyed are defined as low-income or moderate-income based on earnings. The ESOP account gives them significant wealth, above and beyond their wages and other income. The three-year study finds: The low/moderate-income workers have ESOP account values ranging from $15,000 to $6 million, with a median value of $165,000. By contrast, the typical American household has just $17,000 in savings.

Of the low/moderate-income workers surveyed, those closest to retirement (ages 60 to 64) have 10 times more wealth than the typical American in that age group.

ESOPs do not eliminate gender and racial wealth inequality, but they significantly narrow the gaps.







Wealth Comparison by Gender and Race Median Wealth of Single Workers in the U.S. Median ESOP Account Value of

Low/Moderate-Income Workers

in Rutgers Survey African-American Women $200 $32,000 African-American Men $300 $180,000 Latina Women $100 $143,500 Latino Men $950 $200,000 White Women $15,640 $172,000 White Men $28,900 $323,500

Several workers in the survey borrowed against their ESOP account to pay for medical expenses, make the down payment on a home, or send their children to college. The ESOP kept them out of debt.

Many low/moderate-income workers-especially single women-told researchers the ESOP gives them a sense of economic security and enables them to think about retirement for the first time.

In ESOP firms with participatory management, workers improved their communication skills and learned open book management, which also enabled them to make better financial decisions at home. "Past research showed that employee-owned firms perform better on average, but we didn't know much about what employee ownership means to regular employees," said Distinguished Professor Douglas Kruse, Associate Director of the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. "This study provides rich data from the perspective of workers about the many ways in which employee ownership transforms the workplace." "This was a proof of concept study and we found the proof," said study co-author Janet Boguslaw, a Kellogg Fellow in the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing and a Senior Scientist at Brandeis University (News - Alert). "Low and mid-income employees who have the opportunity to share in the capital built through their labor have greater wealth than their non-employee owner peers. Period." "Employee ownership can have particular benefits for low-income women and people of color, who are often marginalized at the bottom of workplace organizations," said study co-author Lisa Schur, a Kellogg Fellow in the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing and Professor at Rutgers University. "Not only can employee ownership lead to economic rewards, but it can also help these workers attain increased voice and skills in the workplace." "The gender wealth gap is fundamental to inequality, and this study shows the potential of employee ownership to begin to address it," said Glenda Gracia-Rivera, a Kellogg Fellow in the Rutgers Center for Women and Work. Rivera served as project manager for the study, coordinating a team of 15 researchers from nine colleges and universities nationwide. "There simply was not evidence in the field that employee ownership and profit sharing actually worked for everyday people," said Jeanne Wardford, Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. "This research is pathbreaking, and will guide our investments to support poor families with small children, and - hopefully - stimulate more interest in the philanthropic world in developing new strategies for wealth creation." About ESOPs An ESOP is a retirement account that does not require employee contributions. The ESOP takes out a loan to buy shares of the company's stock. As the company repays the loan, its employees receive the shares-making them owners. The employees typically do not pay for the stock or provide collateral on the loan. ESOP account values are not taxed while the employee is earning, and they do not count as assets when determining eligibility for SNAP, Section 8, and other public assistance. There are approximately 7,000 ESOPs in the U.S., covering about 11 million participants. About the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations The Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) is the world's leading source of expertise on managing and representing workers, designing effective organizations, and building strong employment relationships. The Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at SMLR is the first academic institute dedicated to researching broad-based capital shares and their impact on the economy. About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast entrepreneur and innovator, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have equal opportunities to thrive, WKKF works to create conditions in underresourced communities for children can realize their full potential in school, work and life. The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the U.S. and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is made on priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty, and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006246/en/

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[April 30, 2019] Boston Properties Announces 545,000 Square Foot Long-Term Lease with Bank of America at 100 Federal Street

Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE: BXP), the largest publicly-traded developer, owner and manager of Class A office properties in the United States, announced today that Bank of America has signed a new, 15-year lease agreement for 545,000 square feet at 100 Federal Street in Boston, Massachusetts. This is an early renewal of Bank of America's lease that was scheduled to expire in 2022. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006258/en/



The Exchange at 100 Federal Street in Boston, Massachusetts (Photo: Business Wire)

100 Federal Street is a 1.2 million square foot, 37-story Class A, LEED Gold-certified office tower located across from Post Office Square Park, in the heart of Boston's Financial District. The property is 99% leased. Boston Properties recently completed the development of The Exchange, a dynamic, new, glass entrance atrium and event space featuring quick-service food and coffee options, a planned full-service restaurant, as well as dynamic media and art content. The Exchange serves as a year-round, enclosed complement to the adjacent Post Office Square Park, providing opportunities for connection and informal gathering, as well as programming throughout the year. "We are thrilled that Bank of America chose 100 Federal as its flagship Boston location," said Bryan Koop, Executive Vice President, Boston Region for Boston Properties. "The Exchange at 100 Federal has become a popular and vibrant new gathering space at the base of the tower and created new opportunities to enhance our customers' experience." Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP) the largest publicly-traded developer, owner and manager of Class A office properties in the United States, concentrated in five markets - Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC. The Company is a fully integrated real estate company, organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT), that develops, manages, operates, acquires and owns a diverse portfolio of primarily Class A office space. The Company's portfolio totals 51.4 million square feet and 196 properties, including eleven properties under construction. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006258/en/

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[April 30, 2019] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is Latest Regulatory Agency to Reaffirm that Glyphosate is Not Carcinogenic

WHIPPANY, N.J., April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer today issued the following statement regarding an interim registration review decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reapprove glyphosate for use in the U.S. The decision was accompanied by public comments by Assistant Administrator for the EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Alexandra Dunn, who stated, "There's no risk to public health from the application of glyphosate." "Though we are still reviewing the full interim decision, it is significant that the U.S. EPA and other expert regulators who have assessed the extensive body of science on glyphosate-based herbicides for more than 40 years continue to conclude that these products are safe when used as directed and that glyphosate is not carcinogenic. Bayer firmly believes that the science supports the safety of glyphosate-based herbicides, which are some of the most thoroughly studied products of their kind, and is pleased that the regulators tasked with assessing this extensive body of science continue to reach favorable conclusions." As part of the announcement, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler stated, "EPA has found no risks to public health from the current registered uses of glyphosate." Additionally, Ms. Dunn, in an interview with the Des Moines Register, stated, "Our available scientific data does not support a cause-and-effect relationship between exposure to glyphosate and Parkinson's disease or Non-Hodgkin lymphoma." Ms. Dunn also noted that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was "the only agency globally that has connected glyphosate to cancer." In the EPA's interim decision, the Agency also noted that its independent cancer assessment is "more robust" and "more transparent" than IARC's review, which only considered a subset of published studies included in the EPA evaluation and was reached with no meetings that were open to the public, public comment process or external peer review. Glyphosate has been approved for use in more than 160 countries, and today's EPA announcement is just the latest instance of a global regulatory agency reaffirming that glyphosate is not carcinogenic, following similar findings by multiple leading regulators around the world. Since IARC's assessment in 2015, regulatory and scientific bodies that have reaffirmed their conclsions about the safety of glyphosate-based products and that glyphosate is not carcinogenic include the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), German BfR, and Australian, Canadian, Korean, New Zealand and Japanese regulatory authorities, as well as the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR).



In January 2019, Health Canada concluded that "After a thorough scientific review," concerns about glyphosate safety "could not be scientifically supported when considering the entire body of relevant data." Health Canada also noted that the 20 scientists who conducted the review, who had not been involved in its 2017 re-evaluation of glyphosate, "left no stone unturned" and "had access to all relevant data and information from federal and provincial governments, international regulatory agencies, published scientific reports and multiple pesticide manufacturers." Health Canada lists 1,300 studies in its reference list relating to its 2017 re-evaluation of glyphosate, which supported its determination that glyphosate-based herbicides can be used safely. Similarly, EPA's 2017 cancer risk assessment considered 121 studies that it considered relevant  90 percent of which were sponsored by parties other than Monsanto. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) noted in 2017 that its 2015 assessment lists 700 scientific references alone in the area of mammalian toxicology. In a press release about the EPA's announcement, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today said, "If we are going to feed 10 billion people by 2050, we are going to need all the tools at our disposal, which includes the use the glyphosate," adding "USDA applauds EPA's proposed registration decision as it is science-based and consistent with the findings of other regulatory authorities that glyphosate does not pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans."

To access the EPA's Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision and Responses to Public Comments for Glyphosate, visit https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/proposed-interim-registration-review-decision-and-responses For more information on Roundup, visit https://www.bayer.com/en/glyphosate-roundup.aspx For more information on the Roundup litigation, visit http://www.glyphosatelitigationfacts.com/main/ About Bayer Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2018, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of 39.6 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.6 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com. Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments. Media Contact:

Chris Loder

Bayer U.S.

(201) 396-4325

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-environmental-protection-agency-is-latest-regulatory-agency-to-reaffirm-that-glyphosate-is-not-carcinogenic-300841375.html SOURCE Bayer

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[April 30, 2019] Strategy Analytics: Global Smartphone Shipments Dip 4 Percent in Q1 2019

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (News - Alert), global smartphone shipments fell 4 percent annually to reach 330 million units in Q1 2019. Global smartphone shipments are showing signs of stabilizing and the outlook is improving for later this year. Samsung (News - Alert) maintained first position with 22 percent global smartphone marketshare in the first quarter of 2019, staying ahead of Huawei in second, followed by Apple (News - Alert) in third place. Linda Sui, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global smartphone shipments dipped 4 percent annually from 345.4 million units in Q1 2018 to 330.4 million in Q1 2019. The global smartphone market has declined again on an annual basis, but the fall was less severe than before, and this was the industry's best performance for three quarters. Global smartphone shipments are finally showing signs of stabilizing, due to relatively improved demand in major markets like China. The outlook for later this year is improving." Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Samsung shipped 71.8 million smartphones worldwide in Q1 2019, dipping 8 percent annually from 78.2 million units in Q1 2018. Samsung remains the world's number one smartphone vendor, but it is coming under growing pressure from Huawei, who has larger presence in the huge China market. Huawei surged 50 percent annually and outgrew all major rivals to ship 59.1 million smartphones worldwide during Q1 2019, up from 39.3 million in Q1 2018. Huawei captured a record 18 percent global smartphone marketshare in Q1 2019. Huawei is closing in on Samsung and streaking ahead of Apple, due to its strong presence across China, Western Europe and Africa." Woody Oh, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Apple iPhone (News - Alert) shipped 43.1 million units to capture 13 percent global smartphone marketshare in Q1 2019, dipping from 15 percent a year ago. Apple lost ground in China during the quarter and is struggling to make headway in price-sensitive India. However, decent price cuts in China and India during recent weeks indicate the iPhone will bounce back slightly in those two countries in the next quarter." Linda Sui, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Xiaomi returned to fourth place, capturing 8 percent global smartphone marketshare in Q1 2019, broadly at the same level from a year ago. Xiaomi is very strong in India, but it is struggling in China. OPPO held fifth position with 8 percent global smartphone marketshare during the quarter, rising from 7 percent a year earlier. OPPO is now expanding hard into Western Europe, with new models like the Reno 5G, and this should help OPPO's worldwide presence to improve in the coming months." Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments and Marketshare in Q1 2019 1







Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units) Q1 '18 Q1 '19 Samsung 78.2 71.8 Huawei 39.3 59.1 Apple 52.2 43.1 Xiaomi 28.3 27.5 OPPO 24.1 25.4 Others 123.3 103.5 Total 345.4 330.4 Global Smartphone Vendor Marketshare (%) Q1 '18 Q1 '19 Samsung 22.6% 21.7% Huawei 11.4% 17.9% Apple 15.1% 13.0% Xiaomi 8.2% 8.3% OPPO 7.0% 7.7% Others 35.7% 31.3% Total 100.0% 100.0% Total Growth YoY -2% -4% Source (News - Alert): Strategy Analytics

The full report, Global Smartphone Shipments Dip 4 Percent in Q1 2019, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Smartphone Strategies (WSS) service, details of which can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y75uhw62. About Strategy Analytics:

Strategy Analytics is a global, independent research and consulting firm. The company is headquartered in Boston, USA, with offices in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India and China. Visit www.strategyanalytics.com for more information. 1 Numbers are rounded. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430006305/en/

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In the race to build 5G networks, T-Mobile 5G has raced to the head of the pack, with a nationwide reach and improving speeds as it integrates former rival Sprint into its network.

Other carriers may have beaten T-Mobile to the punch with launching 5G two years ago, but T-Mobile was the first to throw the switch on a 5G network that stretched across the country. It's only expanded coverage since then, while adding more 5G-ready phones to its inventory.

T-Mobiles 5G plans were well underway before the Sprint-T-Mobile merger became official during 2020, but adding Sprints 5G to its own network has certainly aided T-Mobiles effort to enhance 5G performance, as it uses Sprint's mid-band spectrum to speed up its own 5G performance. That's helped T-Mobile boost its unlimited data plans, offering truly unlimited data with its most expensive plan while also offering 5G through one of the cheaper plans out there.

Heres a closer look at what you can expect from T-Mobile 5G and what the carrier is planning going forward.

T-Mobile 5G bands: How they work

T-Mobile is using what it calls a layer cake approach to 5G, turning to different technologies to build out a far-reaching network with improved speeds and latency. Thus far, the focus has been on using sub-6GHz spectrum, which has an extensive reach, but only modestly faster speeds than LTE. This approach has formed the backbone of the nationwide 5G coverage T-Mobile launched in late 2019. (More on that below.) T-Mobile calls this coverage Extended Range 5G.

After its long-delayed merger with Sprint finally closed in 2020, T-Mobile began repurposing Sprints mid-band spectrum into its own network. Thats improving 5G performance in some of the cities that T-Mobile covers. "Together with Sprint, we're the only ones who can build 5G with breadth and depth," now-CEO Mike Sievert said at a November 2019 event detailing 5G initiatives under the new T-Mobile. This faster coverage is known as Ultra Capacity 5G.

(Image credit: T-Mobile)

T-Mobile also is eyeing millimeter wave (mmWave) technology to build out its 5G network, with some coverage in a handful of cities. Thats a stark contrast to rival Verizon, which made mmWave-based 5G the center of its initial 5G rollout efforts. As a result, Verizons 5G speeds were much faster during the last, but its initial network didn't reach as far as T-Mobiles. (That's changed somewhat, after Verizon launched nationwide 5G coverage of its own in the fall of 2019.) As fast as mmWave is, it cant penetrate obstacles like walls and windows  that means T-Mobiles slower network can reach indoors while Verizons has a more difficult time.

(Image credit: OpenSignal)

Its no surprise, then, that T-Mobile leads other carriers in 5G availability. As of April 2021, testing firm Opensignal says that T-Mobile's 5G availability has reached 33.1%. That's up from 22.5% in June 2020. More important, it's ahead of T-Mobile's rivals.

T-Mobile 5G coverage map

After flipping on some mmWave-based coverage in a half-dozen cities by mid-2019, T-Mobile turned its focus to using its sub-6 GHz spectrum to create a nationwide network. In December 2019, that network launched covering 5,000 cities and 200 million people.

(Image credit: T-Mobile)

T-Mobiles 5G coverage has only expanded since then, thanks in no small part to to its Sprint acquisition. These days, T-Mobile says its 5G signal reaches more than 8,300 cities and towns, covering 287million people. That makes T-Mobiles 5G network the largest, as Verizon says its nationwide coverage reaches 230 million people.

You can see if T-Mobile 5G extends to your part of the U.S. by checking out the carriers 5G coverage map .

Around a year ago, T-Mobile added Sprint's mid-band spectrum to its 5G service in Philadelphia and New York, broadening coverage depth while also boosting speed in those two cities. The New York expansion is particularly significant because that city was already served by T-Mobile's low-band and millimeter wave-based service. That means New York City is now served by all types of 5G through T-Mobile.

After those first two cities, T-Mobile added mid-band 5G coverage in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. By the end of September 2020, T-Mobile said this Ultra Capacity 5G coverage was live in 210 cities and towns, giving them a 7.5x improvement over LTE speeds on average. After the first three months of this year, T-Mobile said its Ultra Capacity 5G coverage reached 125 million people, with plans to go nationwide by the time 2021 draws to a close.

T-Mobile 5G speed

When T-Mobile turned on its nationwide network in 2019, we had a chance to test the service in Maui. At the time, the Uncarrier was promising a 20% boost on download speeds over its existing LTE coverage, which is roughly what we saw when testing T-Mobile 5G with a OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren . In some instances, 5G was much faster than T-Mobile LTE, though in a few spots, performance was actually worse.

One encouraging test we ran at time involved downloading The Irishman off of Netflix. That three-hour-plus movie took 3 minutes to download over 5G; we stopped trying after 10 minutes over LTE. Just as important as the time was the fact that we ran this test indoors, something you really cant do over faster mmWave-based 5G.

Testing T-Mobile's 5G network using a OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, we havent had the opportunity to go out and see how T-Mobile expansion in New York and other cities has improved its 5G performance. However, Ookla went out and did some testing, reporting a 25% jump in mean download speeds for New York between January and mid-May 2020. As of the end of September 2020, T-Mobile said the addition of Sprint's midband spectrum had boosted its average 5G download speeds to 300 Mbps. These days, if you're living in a place where T-Mobile has incorporated Sprint's mid-band spectrum, your speeds can range between 300 Mbps and 1 Gbps, T-Mobile says.

For what it's worth, OpenSignal's April 2021 report says T-Mobile has the fastest 5G speed  the testing firm says T-Mobile has an average 5G download speed of 71.3 Mbps. While that may not seem as fast as what you'd expect from 5G, it's ahead of the averages for AT&T (54.9 Mbps) and Verizon (47.7 Mbps).

Ookla says T-Mobile is the fastest, too, having inched ahead of previous 5G speed champ AT&T. RootMetrics said T-Mobile ended 2020 with the largest 5G footprint of any carrier, but described the carrier's 5G speeds as "similar to its speeds on 4G LTE."

T-Mobile 5G phones

All the major flagship phones with 5G connectivity  namely, the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Note 20 phones  are available through T-Mobile, and the iPhone 12 models have landed at the Uncarrier, too.

Outside of Samsung and Apple, you'll find 5G phones from the likes of Google, LG and OnePlus. Many of the 5G phones on sale at T-Mobile are still pretty pricey, but you'll find more affordable options like the Galaxy A52 5G and Motorola One 5G Ace. These days, T-Mobile will even offer you a free Galaxy A32 5G when you trade-in your current phone.

Here's a round-up of T-Mobile's featured 5G handsets:

T-Mobile 5G network plans and costs

If youve got a compatible phone thats capable of connecting to 5G, any one of T-Mobiles current data plans will include 5G coverage at no additional cost. And T-Mobile's plans are now a lot more attractive if you've got a 5G device.

The carrier's new $85-a-month Magenta Max plan, which replaces the similarly priced Magenta Plus plan, and removes any cap on high-speed data. All unlimited data plans aren't actually unlimited  carriers have a cap on the amount of data you can use each month before they slow down your speeds. T-Mobile's Magenta Max eliminates that cap completely while offering additional perks like the ability to stream videos in 4K when using Netflix. Magenta Max users also enjoy 40GB of mobile hotspot data.

The $70 Magenta plan remains, and includes 5G coverage. T-Mobile has doubled the cap on that plan from 50GB a month to 100GB before you might see speeds slowed. Hotspot data has been bumped to 5GB on this plan.

Cheaper plans like the $60-a-month T-Mobile Essentials Plan and $15-a-month T-Mobile Connect plan can access 5G, too (though that latter plan is a tiered data offering).

T-Mobile is something of a trailblazer when it comes to not charging extra for 5G support and making it available to all plans. AT&T originally limited 5G coverage to its most expensive unlimited data plans before extending that service to its cheapest unlimited plan last August. Verizon continues to charge $10 a month for its Start Unlimited plan on top of that plans regular monthly rate if customers want to access 5G, though 5G coverage is included with Verizons three other unlimited plans.

T-Mobile 5G home internet

T-Mobile has made no secret of its interest in using 5G to deliver home internet service. During the Sprint merger hearings, the carrier vowed to deliver high-speed wireless broadband to 90% of the country by 2024, and 5G figures heavily into that effort.

And that home internet service is now live, capable of reaching 30 million homes. T-Mobile Home Internet costs $60 a month, and speeds top 100 Mbps using the carrier's existing wireless towers. Check your eligibility at T-Mobile's ISP website.

T-Mobile 5G hotspot

T-Mobiles unlimited plans include hotspot data, but its either at LTE speed (5GB for the Magenta plan, 40GB for Magenta Max) or 3G. The carrier also sells a 5G mobile hotspot  the Inseego 5G MiFi M2000. That hotspot can support up to 30 devices, and T-Mobile's standalone hotspot plans start at $20 a month for 5GB of data.

You can see how the MiFi M2000 compares to other hotspot options at our best mobile hotspots page.

T-Mobile 5G network: Whats next

T-Mobile has big plans for the rest of 2021  continue to build out its 5G network, leveraging Sprints spectrum and maintain its lead over other carriers. With the iPhone 12 out since last fall, we can also expect the Uncarrier to add more 5G-ready devices  something it's already done in 2021 with the arrival of multiple Galaxy S21 and OnePlus 9 models.

T-Mobile has done a good job bringing its 5G network to the most people in the last year. Its focus going forward will be to improve overall performance, as it looks to make the case that 5G is a leap forward over LTE.
(Image credit: Longsys)

The popular saying that "today's wars are won with chips" applies to both traditional and economic warfare, and China's reliance on western technology is a strategic weakness that has the country embarking on multi-year initiatives to reduce its reliance on foreign chips.

To that effect, China instituted a plan to develop its own home-grown chips, providing incentives and other measures to indigenous manufacturers. Some of those measures have come to fruition through partnerships with U.S. companies, like AMD's licensing of its x86 architecture to Hygon, and the slow but steadily-increasing number of foreign-owned silicon fabs popping up in China. In either case, China's memory imports, which include the flash memory used in SSDs, have increased 40% since 2016, meaning this segment of the market continues to be a vexing issue for those in China's halls of power.

But what does all of this have to do with SSDs? Well, all the compute power in the world is worthless if you can't store the data, and SSDs are unequivocally the path forward for storage. That makes the recent Longsys announcement that it has developed a 100% China-produced SSD all the more interesting.

SSD performance largely hinges on the SSD controller, a microchip that orchestrates all of the various components, but these small processors are amazingly complex. They also tend to come from Western suppliers. To circumvent that issue, Longsys tapped China-based Yeetor Microelectronics and Maxio Technology's new GK2302 SSD controller design for its new SSDs. These controllers support capacities up to 4TB and come with a few key requirements for the Chinese market: Much like the AMD spin-off processors built by Hygon, these SSDs come with Chinese government-approved encryption and decryption mechanisms to keep out prying Western eyes.

With a China-indigenous SSD controller in hand, the company turned to China-native Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC), a subsidiary of the Chinese government-backed Tsinghua Unigroup, for the actual NAND flash. YMTC has its new 64-layer Xtacking 3D flash coming to market in 2019, which meshes well with Longsys's announcement that the fully China-made SSDs will come to market this year. YMTC also plans to move forward to 128-layer flash in 2020, which we expect will make an appearance in Longsys's future generations of SSDs.

Technical details are slight, but we do know that the Longys's as-yet-unnamed SSDs will come with the SATA 6 Gb/s interface and the company claims it will deliver up to 500 MB/s of throughput. That's standard for today's SSDs that saturate the SATA interface. The company claims the SSD controllers are 15% faster than their predecessors and have 6.5% lower power consumption. The company hasn't shared other fine-grained specifications, like random read and write performance. It also didn't share information about a DRAM supplier, likely meaning these are DRAM-less SSDs.

It isn't clear if these China-produced SSDs will ever come to the U.S. market, though it does seem unlikely. Given China's preferential treatment of indigenous manufacturers, these SSDs will likely be confined to the China market. Longsys currently sells its Foresee SSDs and Lexar products (bought from Micron in 2017) in the U.S., including USB flash drives, SSDs, memory cards, and embedded memory products.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Europes largest wireless operator, Vodafone Group Plc, revealed to Bloomberg that in 2011 and 2012 it found backdoors in the network equipment its Italian division purchased from Huawei. The issues appear to be resolved now, but Huawei reportedly avoided fixing them initially. Plus, the risk remains that new backdoors could silently appear in new router software versions in the future.

Huawei Backdoor In Vodafone Network

Vodafone previously identified hidden backdoors that could have given Huawei or the Chinese government unauthorized access to Vodafones Italian fixed-line network, which provides internet access to millions of customers and businesses. The revelation comes from Vodafone documents from 2009-2011, which Bloomberg received access to, as well as other sources inside Vodafone that were reportedly involved.

In 2011, Vodafone reportedly asked Huawei to remove backdoors from its home internet routers. Huawei offered assurances to Vodafone that it would comply and that the issues were fixed, but when Vodafone further analyzed the software, it learned that the vulnerabilities remained, according to documents seen by Bloomberg.

Additionally, Vodafone learned about backdoors in the optical service nodes, which are responsible for transporting internet traffic over fiber cables. The operator also found hidden backdoors in the broadband network gateways, which handle subscriber authentication and access to the internet, according to people familiar with the matter.

Huawei Defended the Backdoors

Vodafone started buying routers from Huawei in 2008, and in 2009, the operator started suspecting that the hardware had backdoors after it found 26 open security vulnerabilities in the routers. In its 2009 report, Vodafone urged Huawei to remove the telnet service, which could be used to give Huawei access to the devices remotely.

By 2011, Vodafone started a deeper investigation of the routers, including via an independent security auditing firm, which also found the telnet service to be the biggest security threat to Vodafones customers. Vodafone noted that many router manufacturers use the telnet service to configure the devices remotely, but Vodafone didnt allow this due to the security risk it presented.

Vodafone took two months to convince Huawei to disable the service. Huawei then assured Vodafone that the telnet service was disabled, but the operator later found that the service could still be launched. Huawei then said that it couldnt fully remove the telnet service because it still needs it itself to access the routers for remote configuration. Huaweis reluctance started worrying Vodafone executives even more because the Chinese company could pose a security threat for the operators customers.

Bryan Littlefair, the Chief Security Officer for Vodafone at the time, said in the companys report from 2011:

What is of most concern here is that actions of Huawei in agreeing to remove the code, then trying to hide it and now refusing to remove it as they need it to remain for quality purposes.'

Are European Operators Prioritizing Profit Over Security?

Despite all the recent accusations, findings and European operators having discovered themselves potential backdoors in Huaweis network gear, they still defend the Chinese company to regulators.

Vodafone itself has recently said that it will limit purchases from Huawei for core network gear. But this just be a compromise the operator made to pacify European regulators thinking about banning Huawei from European networks altogether.

Otherwise, Vodafone and other European wireless operators have defended Huawei in the wake of established relationships and 5G technology purchases already made/ If they were to discard those investments now, they risk losing significant money. Plus, they would need to install and then train employees on new equipment from other companies, which could put them behind in the race to 5G.

Another way of seeing this is that the European operators are more willing to risk their customers data, both home users and businesses, which could be stolen via firmware or hardware-level backdoors, over them losing out on their network investments or access to cheap Chinese-made equipment.
Kansas City Gunfire Connection

KC-area woman gunned down in Iowa shooting KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A 25-year-old woman from Lenexa was gunned down early Sunday morning in Waterloo, Iowa. Police say that around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Micalla Rettinger was driving a car along an Iowa highway when a bullet entered the car, striking Rettinger. Rettinger later died from her injuries.

Memorial Across State Line

KCK organization holds annual memorial for homicide victims KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Friends of Yates on Monday held its 20th annual candlelight memorial service to remember those who have recently been killed. The service brought out dozens of friends and family members to Forest Grove Baptist Church at Ninth Street and Oakland Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas.

Kansas Drug Life Consequences

Four inmates died in Kansas prisons. Illegal drugs may have played a role, KDOC says One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Kansas prison officials are investigating whether illegal drugs played a role in four inmate deaths in four days, including one who was a convicted child sex offender from Wichita.

Suspected Church Creeper Captured

KC police investigating string of church burglaries; suspect in at least one taken into custody KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A man who may be connected to a string of church burglaries in Kansas City was arrested over the weekend. Cody Lucker, 34, was seen on surveillance video last week trying to break into the New Birth Christian Center in South KC.

More Reporting On Local Tragedy

KCKPD investigates rape of toddler, child contracted an STD The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department is investigating the rape of a toddler.Police said the 2-year-old girl and her siblings were left at home with a friend of the family last week.

Family Court Success

Crowdsourcing Local Investigation

FOX4 viewer helps crack the mystery of the badge "case" KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Thanks to a FOX4 viewer, the Kansas City Police Department is one step closer to cracking the mystery of the badge "case." The Kansas City Police Department does not have officers or detectives assigned to the "case" of the badge mystery.

Quick glimpse at some of the more important local crime, punishment, court and police links for right now . . .Developing . . .
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Mourners gathered at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art Monday to pay tribute to a man who gave so much to Kansas City. It was not easy to put into words how much Henry Bloch meant to so many, but his family certainly tried.
Five reasons why wilderness is important

Its undeveloped and untouched by industry. In contrast to National Parks, state parks, or even city parks, federal wilderness areas by their very nature lack developed facilities and remain off-limits to extractive industries (e.g., mining, logging, ranching, etc.). Without interpretive visitor centers, bathrooms, campgrounds, or picnic tables, its just you, some critters, and the Earth. When all the trappings of civilization are swept away, youre able to finally appreciate all the creatures, processes, and interconnections of the natural world. Wilderness areas leave nature alone to simplybe. It can be scary. Many of us spend most of our days in climate-controlled buildings a short drive or bus ride away from food, drinking water, and medical care. Our homes might not be in danger from earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, volcanoes, or wildfires. But in the wilderness, its just you and the planet, where nature isnt exactly out to get you, but its not your friend, either. You could run out of water, break your leg, get bitten by a snake, or lose your tent. Spending time in the wilderness reminds us that were really just visitors on this planet who wont ever fully control the forces of nature.





It guards some amazing settings. Wildernesses safeguard some of the most stunning scenery in the country, from mountain vistas to cozy canyons and everywhere in between. Sure, National Parks protect and promote some of the most awe-inspiring places in the world, but certainly not all of them! Designation as a wilderness area encourages low-impact visitation to high-impact sights that you will marvel at, take pictures of, and soak all up. It takes you away from all the noise. Motorized travel is prohibited in wilderness areas. This means no trucks, ATVs, or motorbikesnot even Priuses or bicycles! Because federally designated areas are often in isolated stretches of the country, youll rarely ever hear airplanes overhead, nor will your cellphone be able to take robocalls calls. Do I even need to mention you wont have to deal with the din of traffic, buses, loud music, or construction? Being in the wilderness creates time and space to refresh and recharge, which is especially important for those of us who are introverted.

Its hard to get to. Rugged terrain, the lack of roads, and far-flung locations all put up barriers to entry for wilderness lands. Whereas National Parks feature asphalt-paved roads, parking lots, and walking trails, to get to the treasures that the wilderness holds, youre left to your own two feet. The vast majority of folks who might otherwise explore the wilderness are turned away by the effort you have to put in to visit. That, combined with all the time you have to spend on your feet, creates space for solitude, introspection, and relaxation, all precious commodities in our go-go-go world.

The changing status of U.S. public lands

A long but satisfying dayhike

Why hoodoos are special

How to get there

Wild open spaces have been important to me ever since I was a little kid. During recess or Field Day in middle school, my classmates and I would often hang out in the creek behind the school building on former farmland in the exurbs north of Dallas We built little shelters out of dried brush plants, blazed trails, and even explored the riparian ecosystem on a greenbelt north of the property. All this unstructured time was a formative experience for me because it gave me freedom to play, imagine, and breathe.Experiences like this are why I keep going back to the wilderness as an adult and why I did a day-hike in the fantastic landscapes northwest of Lake Powell over last Veterans Day weekend.I did a day-hike into the wilderness on a recent camping trip at Lake Powell, heading up Wahweap Creek in far-southern Utah to see some otherworldly hoodoos inIm reluctant to talk about this destination online because of the attention I might bring to the area, specifically, the damage that over-tourism could inflict.The Wahweap Hoodoos fall within the original boundaries of southern Utahs Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument . But Trump cut this monuments size in half in 2017 and decimated nearby Bears Ears National Monument. Yet earlier this year, Congress overwhelmingly passed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act that strengthened conservation and protection of public lands while also declaring new national monuments and setting aside more land as wilderness.Wahweap Creeka tributary to the Colorado River that drains into Lake Powellwas not included in the recent public lands package that converted hundreds of thousands of acres of Wilderness Study Areas into full-fledged wildernesses. While a WSA is treated as awilderness by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, or other agencies, this status can be removed at any time by Congress.Because of all this, I think its important to blog about these hoodoos despite the risk that added attention could bring. I dont put precise geolocations on my Instagram photos anymore, for example, because it could encourage others to visit the same locationsand stress the ecosystem, endanger rock formations, or encourage social-media antics (e.g., doing it for the Gram).These hoodoos arent exactly a secret; I first learned about them while browsing Atlas Obscuras map of curious places around the world and they appear on the cover of a prominent guide used by hikers in the region. But compared to the nearby Toadstool Hoodoos that you can get to by pulling off the side of the highway and walking 20 minutes, these guys put up much more of a challenge.First off, I stopped at the Bureau of Land Managements Big Water Visitor Center on the south side of highway 89 to get a paper map, check in, and swipe through an iPad with photos of the trail itself.After passing by a fishery in Big Water, it was fairly easy to find a place to park on the side of the dirt road just before Wahweap Creek. My little Corolla couldnt cross the mud and running water, but other folks in 4Runners or trucks had forded the creek, parking a little closer to the trailhead. A 15-minute stroll took me from my car to the fence that demarcates the wilderness, where I lifted up some metal loops on a gate to release it, squeezed through, and closed it behind me.The hike was fairly easy to follow with minimal routefinding required; I simply followed footsteps others had left and headed upstream through the creek bed. I can imagine the creek would be running heavily during the summer monsoon, but there was little water flowing and only small patches of mud here and there when I visited in mid-November.This time of year was dry and sunny, but not warm by any stretch. Hiking in driving cold wind for two hours, each direction, meant I needed long underwear layers beneath my jeans and jackets, plus a warm beanie for my ears.The Colorado Plateau is precious because there are so many remote placesso many wildernesseswhere you can finally enjoy some silence: no buses, no motorcycles, no trucks, no planes.But you can go walk in the fields in rural Texas and enjoy silence as well. What makes southern Utah different is the fragile desert ecosystems you get to coexist with and the amazing rock formations like the Wahweap Hoodoos youll run into along the way.Tiny shards of younger rock layers balance perilously on top of older, softer rock layers, giving you a peek into the sheer millions of years of our Earths history. Hoodoos not only show off all that has been deposited and built up over time, but they also reveal the more recent geological forces that have continued to weather away again at rock strataforces that have revealed crazy shapes and towers.Grown-Ups dont always let ourselves daydream, look for shapes in the clouds, or embrace the whimsical in our day-to-day lives. Its hard to resist the playfulness of hoodoos, though, as they force you to imagine dinosaurs, elephants, castles, or witches from fantasy worlds hiding out in the shadows and shapes of these fanciful rock towers.Encountering a rare collection of hoodoos makes you feel like youre leafing through one of Dr. Seusss illustrated books, landing on a Star Wars planet, or exploring a video game world. Munching on a sandwich in the shadow of a towering spire, bathed as it was in the dried lavender mud from a previous rainstorm, I felt transported to the landscapes of Mars, one of Jupiters moons, or Pluto.Hoodoos are something so totally out of the ordinary that they shock you into remembering that youre living onball of rock spinning aroundstar inmagnificent, spiral galaxy. Often we dream about what alien worlds might be like, but we forget we have eerie, spooky landscapes in our own backyards.You can find two primitive parking lots on either side of Wahweap Creek right outside of Big Water, Utah, a 20-minute drive from Page, Arizona, on U.S. Highway 89. Parking and admission is free. Make sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and a hat, as there is no shade on this trail, or multiple layers in the winter. Youll reach the hoodoos about four miles upstream on the western cliffs to your left. Try to stick to already blazed trails, as the ground is held together with a cryptobiotic soil crust that takes decades to recover from every footstep.
One of the (many) concerns about the Trump Administrations foreign policy is the impact it will have on US influence around the world. Will Trumps rhetoric and actions restore US dominance in the international system, or will they aggravate the world, leading them to look elsewhere for leadership? We can find some answers in the reports that Trump is considering branding the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

Most debating US influence under Trump think its waning. Dan Drezner has pointed to public opinion polling suggesting a turn away from the United States. The UN Secretary General agrees. And others have suggested America start learning lessons in hegemonic decline from Great Britain.

Yet, others argue that Trumps foreign policy has been a success. And some may look back to debates over the George W. Bush Administration. Bushs critics predicted a massive decline in US influence due to his unilateral approach to the world, but American leadership weathered the controversies Bush created.

So the debate continues. Trump critics will keep looking for evidence of declining respect for America, signs of other states abandoning America as a trading or alliance partner. Id argue we should look for evidence elsewhere, for America basically doing the bidding of supposedly weaker states.

The news about the Muslim Brotherhood is an excellent example. The idea of declaring the organization a terrorist group floated around DC a year or so ago. This time is different, however, as the idea seems to have come from a request by Egyptian President al-Sisi. As far as we can tell, it seems like al-Sisi asked Trump to change US policy, and Trump agreed.

Egypt isnt the only Middle Eastern country weve done this for. Brian Katulis has referred to US Saudi policy under Trump as a blank check policy; we basically give the Saudis whatever they ask. Trump officials try to argue US support for the Saudi war in Yemen is in US interests because of the threat of Iran, but were really there because the Saudis asked for our help. And the Trump Administration has refused to take action over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi for fear of upsetting the Saudis. Were so fearful of angering Saudi Arabia we apparently even look the other way when Saudis commit crimes in America.

A Trump defender could come up with reasons why we need to maintain ties with Egypt and Saudi Arabia. They are pivotal Middle Eastern states. They are important allies in counterterrorism efforts. The Saudis especially share US fears about Iran. This is all true. But America is, arguably, the dominant power in the world; it is definitely more powerful than Egypt and Saudi Arabia. So why do we seem to think we have no leverage over them? That is, why do we give in to their demands, assuming that if we dont they will turn on us?

This is the clearest sign of waning US influence under Trump. Not just anti-Americanism, which has existed before. Not disruptive US policies, which we have weathered in the past. Its the literal abdication of US leadership when dealing with weaker states. Most of the criticism over US policy has to do with these states repressive nature, which is valid. But its also worth conceptualizing these incidents as evidence for willful (and reversible) decline.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 29

Two local residents fell into the trap of fake travel agents and lost lakhs of rupees. In the first case, Suraj Kumar lodged a police complaint accusing Jaspal Singh of Krishna Nagar, Tarn Taran, of defrauding him of Rs 5.50 lakh. He said the accused promised him a Ukrainian work permit visa, but arranged a tourist visa due to which he was forced to return from a Ukraine airport as the authorities didnt allow him entry, he said.

Suraj had submitted his complaint to the city police commissioner and, following a probe by ACP (Investigations) and getting district attorney opinion, a case under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act was registered against Jaspal Singh at Kotwali police station here.

In another case, Gurnam Singh of Basti Dabbar village has been allegedly duped by Gurbhej Singh of the same village. Gurnam alleged that the accused took Rs 1.50 lakh for sending his son Ravinder Singh to Malaysia on a work permit, but he gave a tourist visa to him. The initial probe was conducted by a DSP-rank officer who recommended registration of the case.

Sections 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act have been slapped on the accused.

In both the cases, no arrest has been made till now. The police said raids were on to nab the suspects.

Such cases are frequently reported from not only Amritsar district but from across the state. Despite orders, a number of travel agents havent got themselves resigtered with the government.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 29

Unlike many of his contemporaries who go for a romcom for a debut, actor Dev Kharoud was introduced to Punjabi movie audience with a serious, social drama  Rupinder Gandhi. Dev Kharoud also came with the actor-only tag when most of the leading men were already known faces thanks to their singing talent. But he considers it as an advantage. I prefer to do intense roles, stories that have meaning to them, he said while interacting with media to promote his upcoming film  Blackia. The film is set in a time when borders between India and Pakistan were open and illegal trafficking and trade were a norm.

Produced by Vivek Ohri, the man behind films like Shareek, Jindua, Mel Karade Rabba, Jihne Mera Dil Luteya, the film has been directed by Sukhminder Dhanjal. The story, screenplay and dialogues have been written by Inderpal Singh. The film stars Ihana Dhillon in the lead, who also accompanied her co-star for promotions.

Dev supports the films serious undertones. Its a lifetime role for me as the story of the film is based on a very unique subject related to Indian history and something that most of our youth today may have not been even be aware of. Its amazing to work in such a film. Of course, as film it is a complete package, but its more of a serious drama.

Producer Vivek Ohri said, It was a challenge in itself to make a movie on a subject like the one we have, in Blackia. Its based on the times when there was open border between India and Pakistan and lots of illegal trading happened across the border.

Ihana Dhillon said, I feel blessed to work in a film that offers plenty of opportunity to learn and express your talent. The entire team was supportive to me and working with such talented team helped me grow as an actor too.

The film will release worldwide on May 3.
editorial@tribune.com

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 29

When it comes to medical diagnosis, Punjabis are more aware than their counterparts in the northern region, thanks to rapid urbanisation, improved health infrastructure and awareness. As per estimates, around 45% of population goes for diagnostic tests as compared to 30% nationally. Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir are way behind Punjab as far as medical diagnosis is concerned.

The lack of infrastructure and low awareness has pushed manufacturers and startups to aggressively target this region with new equipment and services.

The medical diagnostics scenario in India is in sorry state of affairs, as only 30% Indians go for medical diagnosis, mainly because of lack of awareness and facilities. Though people in Punjab are more aware than their counterparts nationally, the general scenario is not encouraging. In the region, Punjab is followed by Haryana (30%), Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir (10-15% each) in terms of people opting for diagnostic tests, said Suresh Vazirani, chairman and managing director of Mumbai-based Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd.

The company is engaged in manufacturing of In-vitro Diagnostic (IVD) equipment and is among the leading global players focused on emerging markets.

Preventive healthcare is in nascent stage not only in the region but also across the country. Diseases pertaining to lifestyle are growing at an alarming rate and preventive diagnosis and regular monitoring is the only solution to manage them.

"The northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have witnessed an upsurge in health statistics in recent years. Yet, there are some cases where these states have performed poorly among the health parameters. For example, Himachal Pradesh has been one of the worst-performing states in terms of anaemia among women of reproductive age while Punjab faces double burden of obesity and poor nutrition. Thus, it is essential that focus should be on preventive healthcare, said Neeraj Gupta, founder and CEO, Genes2Me.

To bridge the gap between patients and healthcare services, many of the startups have entered the region such as Gurgaon-based Genes2Me, Healthians and Delhi-based 3hcare.in.

The startups are offering concepts such as regular monitoring of health, lifestyle-based recommendations, health reports-based predictions and providing machine data to customers for transparency.

Neeraj said, To bring comprehensive preventive healthcare in the states struggling behind in health indicators, we are working towards transforming routine diagnostics to a truly personalised diagnostic service through molecular testing. The technologically driven preventive healthcare diagnosis results in early detection of diseases.

Recently 3hcare.in  an online portal providing healthcare services  announced its expansion of offline footprints throughout tier 3 & 4 cities by opening their laboratory in Jhajjar.

There is a gigantic gap between availability and demand for pathological labs in small villages and towns. This promises a huge potential for growth. With the recent launch of our laboratories, many local residents have been benefitted, said CA (Dr) Ruchi Gupta, founder and CEO of Delhi-based 3hcare.in.

Chart

State

Population (2011 census)

People opt for diagnostic test

Punjab

2.77 crore

45 %

Haryana

2.54 crore

30%

Himachal Pradesh

68.65 lakh

10-15%

J&K

1.25 crore

10-15%
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 29

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Harmohan Dhawan today filed his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections from the city. Accompanied by his supporters, Dhawan reached the office of the returning officer after holding a roadshow that saw a huge gathering.

AAP activists and Dhawans supporters from all walks of life started gathering outside his house in Sector 9 since early morning. A large number of AAP supporters reached Dhawans house on two-wheelers after moving across the city.

The gathering left the road opposite his house choked after which the traffic had to be diverted for some time.

Dhawan, along with his family and other party leaders, left his house followed by the AAP supporters, who danced to the beats of dhol. The convoy of vehicles, including two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws, moved slowly towards the Sector 17 Press light point from where they went to Matka Chowk before reaching the Deputy Commissioners office in Sector 17.

Chanting slogans, the AAP supporters made their presence felt among other Independent candidates, who had also arrived at the DC office to file their papers.

Flanked by a large number of supporters, Dhawan said, The massive gathering that has turned up in my support is a clear indication of who is a strong candidate in the city.

Dhawan said if given a chance to serve the city, he would fulfil all long-pending demands, which the Congress and the BJP had failed to address. He said allowing need-based changes in dwelling units and converting leasehold properties to freehold were among the major pending issues. I will address these issues, which affect a large number of residents, he said.

Money Meter

Dhawans assets up 65%

Total assets: Rs 24.30 crore (Includes wifes assets)

Moveable: Rs .35 crore

Dhawans moveable assets have decreased by Rs 1.19 lakh or 46.81 per cent in the past 10 years. His wife owns a diamond set worth Rs 12 lakh. He owns 50 gm of gold worth Rs 1.5 lakh and diamonds worth 3.5 lakh, taking the total to Rs 17 lakh. Dhawan has no car or any other motor vehicle.

Immoveable: Rs 22.94 crore

Dhawans immovable assets have grown by Rs 10 crore or 88 per cent. He has not purchased any property in the past 10 years. In fact, the 2009 affidavit mentions land in Kaimbwala, which is no longer there.The couples only immovable asset is a jointly owned house in Sector 9, Chandigarh.

Income

According to the last income tax returns filed by Dhawan and his wife in 2017-18, his income was Rs 3.25 lakh and his wifes Rs 4.29 lakh.Dhawan has listed his pension from his time as an MP as his source of income.

(Inputs by Kaveesha Kohli)

Railgate to haunt Bansal: AAP candidate

Asked about his competition with the Congress, Harmohan Dhawan said Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansals vote bank had gone down. He lost the last Lok Sabha elections by around 70,000 votes. Later, in 2016, the Congress managed to bag only four of the 26 seats in the MC elections. Railgate will not leave Bansal, he said, while addressing the media after filing his nomination.
Manoj Joshi

Manoj Joshi

Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation

The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was announced by President Xi Jinping at a function in Kazakhstan in 2013. It began as a Chinese national project, funded with Chinese money to serve Chinese national goals. Six years down the line, it is mutating and imposing a Chinese-designed layer on to the existing pattern of globalisation.

It has taken aboard criticism that its projects were creating debt traps to make countries vulnerable to Chinese geopolitical designs. Last week the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation was held in Beijing, providing us an outpouring of speeches, opinion pieces and research. It was as much a stock-taking exercise as the platform to announce the new directions to what is now a set Chinese policy that will impact the world in the coming decades.

These new directions have been shaped by the criticism of the BRI in India and other western countries, as well as the issues raised in the ongoing trade and technology war, where the US has charged Beijing with denying western companies market access, subsidising the activities of its state-owned enterprises abroad, compelling companies to make forced technology transfers and using opaque policies in issuing tenders and so on.

In his speech inaugurating the BRI Forum, President Xi signalled that China was willing to adjust its policies and shape a BRI which would emphasise international collaboration, transparency, high-quality products, procedures and processes, enhance market access, and promote imports of goods from developed and developing countries.

It must be noted, to start with, that the criticism of BRI has been somewhat over-the-top. Take for example the notion of that it encourages debt traps. For India this has been a major issue because of the manner in which the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota slid into the hands of a Chinese company under a 99-year lease. In an article in the New York Times last week, Deborah Brautigam of Johns Hopkins University noted that specialists studying the subject have found scant evidence that Chinese banks were lending to projects that had little prospect of profit for the sake of gaining strategic advantage for China. Looking at the data of two major US institutions studying the subject, she concluded that the risks of BRI are often overstated or mischaracterised. In both Latin America and Africa, fears that China was deliberately preying on countries in need are unfounded.

Even so, Beijing has moved to address these issues relating to the

$440 billion worth of loans it has so far provided for BRI projects. At a meeting of finance professionals at the second BRF, Yi Gang, Chinas Central Bank Governor, acknowledged the need for China to address the issue of the countries to service their borrowings at the time they were given the loans. At the same meeting, Li Kun, finance minister of China, said his country would develop a debt sustainability analysis framework which will use World Bank and IMF methodology as well to ensure that risks from debts did not go out of control. Both these measures have won praise from Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director, who was present at the meeting.

The new financing criteria are also designed to attract foreign investment partners in the BRI financing. Western firms have always sensed the opportunities that the BRI would present. Their problem was that they were more or less frozen out of the action by the Chinese who tilted the playing field against them. However, and this is to the credit of President Trump, those walls are now crumbling and the Chinese are understanding that it may actually be advantageous for them to have others share risks as well as the gains.

Another major development in the BRI has been the evolution of the third party cooperation model aimed at promoting shared development and spreading Chinas risks. The origin of this model lies in the political decision of Japan to cooperate with BRI in practice, if not in name. As part of this, the two countries agreed in 2018 to jointly execute 50 infrastructural projects across Asia. This would combine Chinas financial support and production capacity, with Japans rich overseas experience, advanced technology and risk management mechanisms. The UK has also expressed interest in getting involved in such projects. Both London and Tokyo figure that BRI is going to be around for a while and to oppose it is to deny their own companies the opportunity for profit. In the coming period, as the Chinese make their policy more open and market- friendly, other private players are also likely to jump in.

Chinese-led globalisation is a fact of life. BRI has already created facts on groundrail lines, highways, ports and pipelineswhich cannot be denied, leave alone reversed. Now, facing economic and political headwinds from the US and Europe, China is readjusting its policy. A great deal depends on the sincerity with which it can implement the changes it has spoken about.

Notwithstanding everything, BRI remains a Chinese-led project aimed at securing Chinese goals. They are not in it for altruistic purposes, but to enhance their own economic and political standing in the world. That is what all countries would do if they were in Chinas position.

But where BRI v1.0 provided a vision of a stark approach aimed at maximising Chinas advantage, v 2.0 indicates that Beijing has understood that it cannot be a zero-sum game and that if it wants its boat to rise in the harbour, it has to ensure that the other boats, too, do the same.

The writer was recently in Beijing to attend forum meetings
Rasheed Kidwai

Rasheed Kidwai

Senior Journalist & Author

DEBUTANTE Priyanka Gandhi Vadra seems to have perfected the art of making simple things look complex. The row over her reported move to contest from Varanasi is refusing to settle down. The BJP has earmarked it as a Congress folly of sorts.

Led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP is trying to project the no-show as a sure sign of Priyanka running away scared, while showcasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as invincible.

The Congress and the Gandhis have themselves to blame. If Priyanka was indeed interested in contesting from Uttar Pradesh, she should have opted for Amethi in the first place instead of waiting for Rahul Gandhi to win from both Amethi and Wayanad, vacate Amethi and then contest the byelection. Rahuls presence in Wayanad and Priyanka versus Smriti Irani in Amethi would have made the Congress story look better.

A closer scrutiny shows that field Priyanka from Varanasi was never a reality. Unlike the buzz about Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad, Priyankas Varanasi story did not have requisite in-house resolutions and calls from district and state units of the Congress. Her apolitical spin doctors floated the trial balloon, anticipating that Modi would opt for a second seat. The Prime Minister remained sure-footed, forcing the Congress to eat crow.

Though the young AICC general secretary has tried to put an end to the controversy, claiming that it was a collective decision not to contest from Varanasi, a question mark over the Grand Old Partys strategy will stay for a long time. Somewhere, Rahul-Priyankas inexperience and their reliance upon apolitical spin doctors will come under scrutiny once the 2019 elections conclude.

The Congress strategy for Uttar Pradesh has been problematic and contradictory. Its inability to join an anti-BJP mahagathbandhan is understandable, but the lack of tacit understanding with the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party has been glaring. Perhaps the answer lies in Sonia Gandhis absence from the alliance talks with Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Choudhury Ajit Singh. Sonia had set up a seven-member panel (Ahmed Patel as convener) in July 2017 to hold talks with like-minded parties. However, when Rahul Gandhi formally took over as the party chief in December 2017, the panel became defunct.

In Uttar Pradesh, Priyankas presence is proving to be a threat of sorts as three major social groups  Muslims, Dalits and Brahmins  have started looking at the Congress with renewed interest. Muslims have been most vocal and desperate. Groups of influential Muslims reportedly told UPCC chief Raj Babbar to move away from Moradabad. It saw the actor-politician changing his constituency to Fatehpur Sikri. Muslim pressure also reportedly helped Mayawati and Akhilesh come together and rope in Ajit Singh. In many western Uttar Pradesh constituencies, the Dalit-Muslim combination seems to be working; in eastern UP, Brahmin leaders have shown interest in Priyanka, making Mayawati sit up. The Congress is missing someone like Ahmed Patel, who could have worked behind the scenes to allay apprehensions and bridge the trust deficit.

The Congress shortcomings and lack of organisational base are, however, carefully covered up by Priyanka. The campaigner in Priyanka has shown a remarkable eye for detail and an ability to connect with the masses. During her roadshows in Kanpur and Unnao, the AICC general secretary was confronted with a crowd that chanted Modi Modi consistently. Priyanka quickly took off her floral mala (garland) and threw it sportingly at them. The gesture led to a momentary suspension of hostility. However, as a leader and campaigner, Priyanka is not speaking enough to convert her charisma into votes.

Priyankas handling of an in-house crisis has been unconventional. When AICC spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi was leaving the party, an eight-minute conversation is said to have taken place between her and Priyanka. There was speculation in party circles that Priyanka would be able to persuade Chaturvedi by offering sops. But the conversation was reportedly in a matter-of-fact way without any inducement or bargaining avenue.

As per one estimate, there are over two dozen requests for television interviews, but Priyanka is sitting on all of them. Her party managers and media consultants want her to start giving interviews to various TV news channels, but Priyanka reportedly does not want to overshadow her brother as someone who is more media-savvy and articulate. AICC media department chief Randeep Singh Surjewala is thus reduced to giving one-liners such as They (Modi and BJP) have television and we (Congress) have vision.

In case the 2019 verdict throws up a fractured mandate, the Congress needs to put in place its managers and interlocutors instead of indulging in idle talk. Barely after the completion of four phases of polling, some Congress leaders in Lutyens Delhi were heard contemplating if the party would get Finance and External Affairs portfolios in exchange for supporting a non-NDA, non-Congress PM. Even wishful thinking should have feasible limits.

The Congress would face a litmus test if it fails to dislodge Modi as Prime Minister. There will be an exodus and murmurs against Rahul Gandhi. Depending upon the number of seats that the Congress will be able to win, some party leaders can even go to the extent of seeking a leadership change. Such a scenario would pose a real challenge to Priyanka and 10 Janpath. No member of the Nehru-Gandhi family has failed or opted out of active politics in his or her prime.
uttara@tribuneindia.com

West Chester (US), April 30

A Sikh family was found dead at an apartment complex in Ohio where multiple gunshots were fired, reports said on Monday.

No suspect has been identified.

A man called 911 around 10 pm Sunday, saying he had arrived at the complex in a northern Cincinnati suburb to find four members of his familythree women and a manwounded, according to West Chester Township police.

"They are on the ground and bleeding," said the caller, often choking up and out of breath as the dispatcher struggled to get details from him. "They are all bleeding."

At times, he can be heard on the 911 audio frantically yelling "Help!" apparently to neighbours at the Lakefront at West Chester complex.

Township Police Chief Joel Herzog said at a news conference Monday that it's too early in the investigation to suggest a motive.

It will be up to the Butler County coroner to determine the cause of death and release the victims' identities, Herzog said.

Herzog said that it didn't appear that anyone had shot back at the perpetrator or perpetrators, whom police were still working to identify.

They were also interviewing family members and neighbours.

"It does not appear that the shooter is among the dead," Herzog said, adding that he doesn't believe there is any danger to the community.There was no lockdown in effect at a nearby school, he said.

"It appears to be isolated," Herzog said.

He added that the victims all appeared to have lived in the same apartment in the township, which is a growing, mostly suburban area roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Cincinnati.

The man who called 911 provided little information on the call about what appeared to have happened. The caller has spoken to investigators, Herzog said. He confirmed that the caller was a relative of the victims.

Police said it appeared the family was preparing dinner when attacked, and there was some smoke when they arrived from the abandoned meal preparation.

Authorities have said that multiple agencies, including the State Highway Patrol, have been assisting in the investigation.

Police established a perimeter around the apartment complex early Monday and used police helicopters and K-9 units to search for a suspect.

Herzog said: "We're actively searching with all the resources we can." Agencies
sanjiv@tribunemail.com

Educational institutions are witnessing incidents of toying with the dignity of girl students with startling frequency, calling for a closer examination on how these institutions are being run. In the latest, the hostel warden of a private university in Bathinda stripped female students to check who had dumped a soiled sanitary pad in the washroom. Consequently, hundreds of students staged a protest against what they believe was unacceptable conduct by hostel wardens. And rightly so. In a similar incident in November 2018, teachers at a girlsschool in Fazilka district had demanded students of a senior class to strip their juniors to find out who was responsible for the improper disposal of a pad in the school toilet. The Punjab CM ordered an inquiry, leading to action against the guilty. In March 2017, 70-odd girls of a residential school in Muzaffarnagar, UP, were stripped for the same reason.

The university, in a rather cavalier manner, dismissed the incident as a small mistake, but was forced to terminate the services of four employees. The aberration, which has caught the fancy of some persons in authority, needs to be condemned with the necessary strength and severity. Instead of belittling students, a weekly class on personal hygiene and public sanitation would be a more productive and civilised way to inculcate in them a sense of responsibility. All institutions should provide an effective disposal, cleaning and clearing system. There is no reason why the logic of things will not appeal to the young minds. Castigation is a limp effort that makes light of ones own responsibility as an education provider and facilitator. Wider diffusion of awareness is the only way to fix it.

Being impressionable, students may carry with them the scars of such degrading action through their lives. There are other more sensitive means of disciplining students. Heaping upon them a stinging sense of shame is not one, for it is corrosive. Such horrors point at the disquieting rational vacuity and an education net fashioned by apathy, which may have a damaging catalytic effect on the tender psyche of young girls.
sanjiv@tribunemail.com

The Gujarat Government has thrown its weight behind the potato farmers who have been sued by PepsiCo for allegedly growing the FC5 variety without authorisation. The multinational giant claims to have obtained the rights for this variety in 2016 under the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Right Act, 2001. However, the farmers are quoting the same legislation in their defence, saying that it allows them to save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce, including seed of a variety protected under this Act.

Amid the Lok Sabha elections, the issue has acquired political overtones after senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel accused the BJP dispensation in Gujarat of turning a blind eye to the farmers plight. Subsequently, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel announced that the state government would intervene in the legal battle. The company says it was compelled to take legal recourse to safeguard the interests of thousands of farmers associated with its collaborative potato farming programme. However, the alleged use of pressure tactics to make more of them join this venture is uncalled-for.

The food and beverage behemoth has offered to settle the dispute if the farmers toe the line. They can give an undertaking to purchase the specific seed variety from the company and later sell the produce to it. Such restrictions will make things tougher for potato growers, who are grappling with fluctuating crop prices, inconsistent quality and the vagaries of weather. The terms and conditions of the contracts signed between the two parties should be economically reasonable as well as mutually acceptable. Offering unfair advantage to one party defeats the purpose of these agreements. The government should step in at the right time so that the corporates dont ride roughshod over the beleaguered farming community. There is also a need to revisit the Act in question, which provides for the establishment of an effective system for the protection of plant varieties, the rights of farmers and plant breeders and to encourage the development of new varieties of plants. There should be no room for ambiguity or confusion regarding provisions of the law.
harinder@tribunemail.com

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Nidana (Rohtak), April 29

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar turned emotional as he addressed a poll meeting at his native village Nidana in the Meham Assembly seat today. Recalling his childhood days, he said: After Partition, my grandfather arrived at Nidana village in three sets of clothes and took to labour to feed the family.

Wiping tears. he said he was sharing old memories with the village youth to tell them that born on this soil, I am here not merely for this reason. I have come here to appeal to you that India is safe in the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched several policies for the poor and downtrodden, whereas the Congress is trying to weaken the country.

Without naming anybody, he targeted former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender Hooda, calling them dynasts. He called upon the villagers to end the political dynasty in Rohtak by ensuring the defeat of the father-son duo in the elections. Returning from the election meeting, Khattar stopped his cavalcade outside his ancestral house and touched the door-frame. This gesture of respect won him much admiration. The villagers could not stop talking about it.

Interacting with the media in Rohtak, the CM said PM Modi would address three rallies in Haryana, a rally each in Fatehabad and Kurukshetra on May 8 and the third in Rohtak on May 10.
harinder@tribunemail.com

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, April 29

Leaders of all major parties have stepped up campaigning in Sonepat, each one in his own style. Former CM and Congress candidate Bhupinder Singh Hooda and JJP-AAP candidate Digvijay Chautala entered the fray rather late. They have to cover all areas in the constituency in the next 11 days, even as the BJP candidate has taken the lead, covering more than 200 villages.

The Sonepat constituency comprises the Deswali belt, which is considered a Hooda citadel. The former Chief Minister does not campaign daily. He visits the constituency after two days, holding public meetings in both urban and rural areas.

The BJP too is campaigning aggressively. Party candidate Ramesh Kaushik has covered 200 villages in 20 days, addressing both big and nukkad meetings. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has held a rally and roadshow in Sonepats rural belt and several meetings in the city.

State minister Kavita Jain and media adviser to CM Rajiv Jain have been holding nukkad meetings in support of Kaushik. Clearly, it is a matter of prestige for both the Congress and the BJP.

Digvijay Chautala, the JJP-AAP candidate, has the youth brigade taking charge of his campaign  preparing the roster and working on strategies to blunt the attack by rivals. Digvijay, who entered the fray at the last moment, leaves home early in the day. He covers about 25 villages every day, spending 30- 45 minutes in each village.

The INLD candidate, Surender Chhikara, is not far behind. He too is going village to village, addressing crowds and seeking their support.
editorial@tribune.com

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, April 29

The Congress played the OBC card at a rally organized after the party candidate Pawan Kajal filed his nomination papers here today. In an impressive rally organized at Dharamsala, former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said that the Congress had given identity to the OBC community by fielding Pawan Kajal as a candidate.

Virbhadra Singh said that most of the development in Kangra was carried during his stint as Chief Minister. It was he who brought up the Vidhan Sabha in Dharamsala to give second capital status to the city. In case the present BJP government tried to close down the Vidhan Sabha, it should remember that it would be resisted tooth and nail by the Congress.

He appealed to the Congress workers to work for Pawan Kajal. The former Chief Minister said that he was close to Jai Ram Thakur but not at the cost of the party.

Anand Sharma, former union minister, criticized the Narendra Modi government. He said that most of the promises made by Modi during his campaign in 2014 parliamentary elections have not been fulfilled. Narendra Modi had spent thousands of crores of rupees on his publicity from the state exchequer. The unemployment has increased and small and medium enterprises have been hit hard due to failed demonetization and the GST, he said.

HPCC president Kuldeep Rathore, while addressing the rally, warned the state president of BJP Satpal Satti against giving volatile statements against Congressmen. Satti is talking of cutting off arms of Congressmen. However, these were the arms of the Congressmen that threw the British out from India. Congressmen are not afraid of such language, he said.

Mukesh Agnihotri, CLP leader, said that Pawan Kajals nomination rally was biggest in Himachal Pradesh. He attacked Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and said that the latter has been terming the announcements made in the Congress manifesto as useless and stating that the Congress was divided in the state. However, it was the BJP leaders who were leaving the ruling party and joining Congress on the eve of elections. There was so much infighting in the BJP that the Chief Minister might face a crisis to save his chair after the parliamentary polls, he said.

Agnihotri also said that Shanta Kumar was the most vocal critic of PM Narendra Modi at one time but it was strange that he was seeking votes in his name.

GS Bali former minister said that some leaders were claiming that he did not come for the filing of nomination of Pawan Kajal. I want to inform the leaders that I was at the airport to receive senior Congress leader Anand Sharma. Moreover, I was not informed or invited for the filing of nomination papers, he said.

Pawan Kajal said that most of the promises made by Modi during his last election campaign, including Swachta Abhiyan, Ganga cleanliness and bringing back black money from foreign banks, were never fulfilled. The party has itself forgotten the promises and now has come forward with a new rhetoric to befool voters, he said.
editorial@tribune.com

Our Correspondent

Chamba, April 29

The county lagged behind in development during the Congress government tenure at the Centre because the party neither had efficient leadership nor any tangible policy for development. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur stated this while addressing an election rally in Churah Assembly constituency of Chamba district today.

The Chief Minister said that the Congress government ruled the country for decades but remained busy in its own development rather than the development of the country. The party even worked for robbing the country which was manifested in various scams that were unearthed during the party rule.

The Chief Minister said it was after the Modi government came to power that the country started treading the path of rapid development. He said that the nation had become strong under the leadership of Modi.

Jai Ram Thakur said that the Congress could go to any extent to gain power without bothering for the interests of the country. He said the people would not be influenced by the selfish leaders of the Congress as they knew which party was their well-wisher.

Thakur said that the BJP candidates on four seats of Himachal Pradesh would win by a huge margin as the public had made up its mind to vote BJP to power. He said that so-called stalwarts of the Congress were not willing to contest elections owing to the fear of Modi. They knew that their defeat was inevitable.

Thakur said that BJP candidate Kishan Kapoor is an experienced and honest leader and is competent to get the works of the people done. He said that the public had special affection for Kishan Kapoor and expressed confidence that the public would ensure his victory with huge margin in the elections from Kangra Lok Sabha constituency.

Thakur also spoke about the schemes sanctioned by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the development to Himachali Pradesh. He also addressed election rallies in Dalhousie Assembly segment. The BJP Churah leader Hans Raj was also present on this occasion
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 29

The rural police today arrested two persons, including a Nigerian national, with one kg of heroin, worth Rs five crore as per international market, and one kg of opium, respectively, from their possession in separate incidents.

The suspects have been identified as Jude Austin (33), a resident of Ikorodu in Nigeria, at present residing in New Delhi and Jolludin, who hails from Dandiya village in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Jalandhar (rural), Navjot Singh Mahal, said the Goraya SHO inspector Lakhvir Singh was heading a police naka on the Dallewal bridge in Goraya, when a bus coming from the Ludhiana side stopped and a foreigner got off the vehicle.

He said the person, who was holding a carry bag in his right hand, started walking towards the opposite direction. On suspicion, the police party stopped him and seized one kg heroin from his carry bag. The accused was taken in custody and a case under Section 21 of the NDPS Act has been registered against him at the Goraya police station.

The SSP said In a separate incident, a team, led by sub-inspector Nirmal Singh, during a checking on the Bhogpur-Adampur road in Lahdara village, nabbed a passer-by, who was carrying a kitbag.

He said on seeing the police, the suspect left the kitbag and began urinating after which, the police, on suspicion, apprehended him and checked his bag in which one kg of opium was found.

A case under Section 18 of the NDPS Act has been registered against him.
editorial@tribune.com

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 29

While investigators continue to probe the reason behind the crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper in central Kashmirs Budgam district in February, the police said they were not aware if its black box was stolen by a crowd which had gathered at the crash site.

A senior police officer said the police had no knowledge whether the black box had been stolen or not. We cannot verify anything because a technical team of the IAF had scanned the crash site for evidence and is conducting the investigation, he said.

The officer said there were no reports with the police that the black box, which records communication and other valuable data, had been stolen by anyone in the crowd.

A news website had earlier reported that the black box of crashed chopper had been missing and quoted unnamed IAF officers that it was stolen by people who had gathered at the crash site.

Six IAF personnel and a civilian had died when an Mi-17 chopper had crashed in a field in February in Budgam district.

Villagers had rushed to the site immediately after the crash, even before the police and other security forces reached there. The technical teams of the IAF had later assessed the wreckage and also gathered evidence.

The crash had come at a time when the security forces were in a state of heightened alert following aerial dogfights between the air forces of India and Pakistan.
editorial@tribune.com

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 29

The security wing of the J&K Police withdrew the security cover of separatist leaders in February this year has refused to share the details of expenditure made on security and travel of three top Kashmiri separatists, saying it would endanger their life and physical safety.

The claim of the Security Headquarters in J&K has come after months-long flip-flop over security cover provided to separatist leaders in the Kashmir valley.

The Security Headquarters said it could not share the information pertaining to the amount spent on the security, travel and hotel stay of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik because the same is exempted from disclosure in terms of Section 8(1) (f) of the J&K RTI Act, 2009.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Security Headquarters, J&K, said this while responding to a query under the RTI Act, filed by a Jammu-based activist Rohit Choudhary, regarding the amount spent on security, travel and hotel stay of three top separatist leaders from January 2014 to December 2018.

The PIO claimed that no separatist leader had been provided hotel accommodation by the security wing for the period.

On February 20 this year, the government had started either withdrawing or downgrading the security cover to separatists, including Geelani and Malik, and politicians in the Valley. Malik has been sent to judicial custody till May 24 by a Delhi court in a case related to funding of separatists and terror groups in J&K.

Later in a statement, the Union Home Ministry, had said the authorities in J&K had withdrawn the security cover of 919 persons, both in the mainstream and separatist camps, after reviewing the ground-level threat perception against those given security covers including armed guards and bullet-proof vehicles. There were a total of 22 separatists among the 919 persons.
shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, April 30

Katrina Kaif has opened up about her breakup with Ranbir Kapoor. The Bharat actress, who had once called her break-up with the actor a blessing, said in a recent interview that she took full responsibility for her part in the relationship.

Katrina Kaif, who is known for being a complete professional, was first rumoured to be dating Ranbir while filming Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani in 2009.

Katrina said in the interview: I had to break before I could proceed to rebuild myself. I had to unravel and feel everything that had happened I had to take full responsibility for my part in the equation, what I could and should have done better. And accept that the parts that I was not responsible for were not my problem.

"One thought that helped me when I was at my lowest was something my mom told me, 'So many girls and women go through the same thing; you feel you are alone, but you are not.' That thought was very comforting," she added.

Katrina further said that she has always been very emotional and that she wasn't going to change that for anyone.

She continued: "I've always been emotional. Im a Cancerian and a sensitive soul. I'm not going to lose that or change that for anyone. But what I have learnt is that as a woman, you must protect and maintain your identity. Your sense of self-worth comes from within and not from another person. You come into this world alone, and you leave alone. Thats something you should not lose sight of."

"I'm not saying be guarded in love. No, love with all your heart. Being in a relationship is beautiful and I have a lot to give to a person. But I know now that nobody else gives you your identity," she said.

Last year, while talking about the positives of her life post her breakup with Ranbir, Katrina had said in an interview to 'Vogue' magazine: Its probably one of the first times in my life where I really had only myself to focus on. And when you focus on yourself, often, the first thing you realise is that you dont really know yourself. Its like a period of not knowing, a period of being uncomfortable because youre seeing yourself in your raw form without embellishments and then accepting that you dont really know who you are.

I now see it as a blessing because I was able to recognise my patterns, thought processes and things that I had been so sure of my whole life. I could see them from a whole different perspective," she had then concluded.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30

Admitting that he wrongly attributed his "chowkidar chor hai' jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the court's April 10 verdict on admissibility of certain documents in Rafale case, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday issued a verbal apology to the Supreme Court for his mistake.

"I am saying sorry.I sincerely apologise for attributing the comments to the honourable court," senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Gandhi, told a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

"But where is the apology in your affidavit? When you commit mistake, you should admit the mistake," said the Benchwhich also included Justice Sanjay Kishan Kual and Justice KM Joseph. "We have great difficulty in understanding what you want to say in the affidavit," it added.

I (Gandhi) will file a short affidavit unconditionally apologising to the court, Singhvi said. He said his client admitted that he made a mistake and expressed regret.

On behalf of contempt petitioner, Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Meenakshi Lekhi, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said Gandhi had only expressed regret and not apologised to the court.

Accusing Gandhi of dragging the top court into a political fight, Rohatgi said: Its like adding insult to the injuryYou either justify your comment or tender an unconditional apology.

The Bench too pointed out contradictions in Gandhi's affidavit and said he both admitting his mistake and justifying it.

"You make the statement and then justify it. Where in our order we have said so? How do you attribute all these statements to us?" asked the Bench, which had earlier clarified that it had never made such remarks about the Prime Minister.

When the Bench asked what Gandhi meant by regret, Singhvi said: Regret means apologyI have checked the dictionary.

When the senior counsel said he wanted to file a short affidavit unconditionally apologising to the court, the Bench gave him liberty to file a fresh affidavit and posted to the matter for further hearing on Monday.

This will be the Congress Presidents third affidavit on the issue. He had expressed only regret in his earlier two affidavits.

On Monday, Gandhi expressed "regret" for the second time for his "chowkidar chor hai" jibe at Narendra Modi wrongly attributed to the courts verdict on Rafale. He had urged the top court to dismiss Lekhis contempt petition against him.

"We make it clear that the views or representation attributed to the court in the alleged address made by the respondent (Rahul Gandhi) to the media and public at large has been incorrectly attributed to this Court. We had no such occasion to make such a comment during the hearing," it said on April 15 asking Gandhi to explain his remarks.

He filed an affidavit expressing mere regret for the lapse. This led to the court issuing his notice on April 23 and seeking a formal reply to Lekhis contempt petition.

In his affidavit filed in response to the Supreme Courts contempt notice, Gandhi again expressed regret and undertook not to attribute any views, observations or findings to the court in political addresses to the media and in public speeches, unless such views, observations or findings are recorded by the court.

Accusing Lekhi of dragging the court into a political controversy for personal gains and political mileage, he requested the top court to dismiss her contempt petition against him at the very threshold.

But on Tuesday, the top court repeatedly asked Singhvi to clarify how contempt was not made out against Gandhi.

While allowing Singhvis plea to file a short affidavit unconditionally apologising to it, the Bench made it clear that it would decide later whether to accept the apology.
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30

Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside conviction of 15 men held guilty of rioting and arson in a connection with anti-Sikh riots in East Delhis Trilokpuri in 1984.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said there was no direct evidence against these men and they were not identified by witnesses.

The Delhi High Court had upheld the 1996 verdict of the trial court convicting them of rioting and arson in November last year.

Police had recovered 95 dead bodies from Trilokpurione of the worst affected areas of Delhi in the riots that broke out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 30, 1984. More than 100 houses of Sikhs were also burnt.

But charges of murder could not be brought against any of the 80 accused.
harinder@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 29

Over 64 per cent voter turnout was witnessed in the 72 parliamentary constituencies of nine states that went to the polls in the fourth phase today, said the Election Commission. The turnout was up from the 2014 elections, when it was 61.48 per cent.

The voting, however, saw violence in West Bengal and EVM glitches in some areas. Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said: Barring a few incidents, polling remained almost peaceful.

Nearly 66 per cent turnout was recorded in the third phase, which saw polling in 116 seats. In the first two phases, polling was conducted in 91 and 95 seats on April 11 and 18, respectively.

In the Hindu heartland states, where the BJP had won 30 out of 32 seats in 2014, 67.65 per cent turnout was recorded in Rajasthan (13 seats), 58.02 per cent in Uttar Pradesh (13) and 66.92 per cent Madhya Pradesh (6).

West Bengal recorded the highest turnout of 76.66 per cent in the eight seats, though clashes broke out between supporters of rival parties in Nanoor, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Suri areas of Birbhum seat, leaving several persons injured. In Barabani, BJP candidate from Asansol and Union minister Babul Supriyos vehicle was vandalised allegedly by TMC workers outside a polling station, while in the Dubrajpur area, central security force personnel reportedly fired into the air to disperse people who attacked them on being prevented from entering the booths with mobile phones.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Lucknow, April 30

Targeting Narendra Modi for claiming that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said the Prime Minister should be banned for 72 years for his shameful speech.

The Election Commission has recently barred several leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Punjab Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu from campaigning for 72 hours due to poll code violations.

Vikas (development) is asking...Did you hear the shameful speech of Pradhanji (PM)? After losing the faith of 125 crore countrymen, he (Modi) is now relying on the unethical assurance of defection allegedly given by the 40 MLAs, he tweeted.

This reflects his (Modi) black money mentality. He should be banned for not 72 hours but for 72 years, he said.

On the campaign trail in West Bengals Serampore Lok Sabha seat in Hooghly district and Barrackpore constituency in North 24 Parganas, Modi assailed TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee over her prime ministerial ambitions, saying, Didi, Dilli door hai (Delhi is far away).

Didi, even your MLAs will desert you when the results of this election are out. Your 40 MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the election. Political ground has slipped from under your feet, Modi said.

With just a handful of seats, Didi, you cant reach Delhi. Delhi is far away. Going to Delhi is just an excuse. Her real intention is to politically establish her nephew, he said.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership was quick to hit back, accusing the Prime Minister of horse-trading, and saying it would complain to the Election Commission about it. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Bhopal, April 29

Madhya Pradesh is set to witness a direct contest between two main protagonists in the national arena, the BJP and the Congress, in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The entry of BJPs controversial candidate Sadhvi Pragya Thakur Singh in Bhopal has only made the battle more intense.

The question is whether the polarisation has added to the benefit of a rejuvenated Congress in the heart of the Hindi heartland or worked to the advantage of the BJP, which is waiting in the wings to wrest the state back after General Election, as many believe it is possible if Chief Minister Kamal Nath fails to deliver.

Observers believe it may be the best chance for the Congress to break the saffron hold on Madhya Pradesh, a state also known as the RSS bastion.

However, not all appears to have gone down well for the just formed government of Kamal Nath. Already there are murmurs in the powerful farming community regarding wheat procurement procedure and prices in the rabi season and the promise of farm loan waivers in Assembly elections, all of which the Opposition BJP in the state is making the most of.

But despite all this, it is as good as it can get for the Congress under its seasoned politician Kamal Nath, nine-time MP from Chhindwara, who in these elections has passed the constituency to son Nakul.

Kamal Nath may not be peoples type of a chief minister like BJPs Shivraj Singh Chouhan, but he has the reputation of an efficient administrator. What is also working to his benefit this time is a certain synergy with political rivals like Digvijaya Singh.

Add to it the absence of any wave on the ground this time (though some insist an undercurrent exists) and Madhya Pradesh becomes a good example of battle of equals, more than any other state in the country.

Interestingly, despite all these advantages, observers are giving the BJP a better chance, pegging the Congress figures in the range of nine to 10 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state. In other words, the probability of the BJP touching the figure of 20 (plus/minus two) is more.

Also, the chances of Congress sweeping the state like the BJP had in 2014 are lesser. In the last elections, the BJP had won all but two of the 29 Lok Sabha seats. Later, the Congress won Ratlam in 2015 byelections.

The reason of tilt in favour of the BJP is vote share in the recent Assembly polls. Despite losing, and to an extent because of spoilsport played by some of its own leaders, the BJP polled better percentage of votes-41%, as against Congress 40.9%.

But much has also changed here since 2014, which the BJP rode on the Modi wave and popularity of jagat mama Shivraj Singh Chouhan, its three-time popular chief minister, getting a boost.

An able administrator and manager of funds, Nath may not be backed by strength of cadres like the saffron party is, but his party is better placed in MP than anywhere else in the country

Madhya Pradesh has always given the BJP and the Congress some of their top leaders. If the BJP had Vijyaaraje Scindia, Sundarlal Patwa in the past and Uma Bharti and Chouhan now, the Congress had Shyama Charan Shukla, Vidya Charan Shukla, Madhavrao Scindia and Arjun Singh and now Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

When two saffron-robed politicians met

Pragya Thakur Singh (49), BJPs Bhopal candidate, was in tears during an emotional meeting with Union Minister Uma Bharti on Monday. The former MP of Bhopal embraced Pragya, kissed her forehead and sought blessings

The day didi maas (as she called Thakur) candidature was announced, it was decided that the BJP will win with a huge margin, Bharti told mediapersons with Pragya Thakur by her side

Uma also spoke about the alleged torture faced by Pragya during her days in jail. I believe that she is a great saint and patriot because the pain she suffered, no ordinary women will ever be able to handle, said Uma Bharti Anup Dutta

Tough face-off in Hindi heartland
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30

Giving a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Election Commission on Tuesday said there was no violation of Model Code of Conduct in his speech at Wardha in which he had said the Opposition was scared to field its leaders from constituencies where majority dominated.

Incidentally, Modis speech was in reference to Congress president Rahul Gandhis decision to contest Lok Sabha election from minority-dominated Wayanad constituency in Kerala.

The prime minister had also allegedly sought votes in the name of armed forces.

Announcing the decision of the poll panel, The EC spokesperson said, The matter relating to poll violation by the PM in Wardha, Maharashtra on April 1, 2019, has been examined in detail in accordance to the extant guidelines/provisions of the MCC, the Representation of the People Act and the report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra. Accordingly, the commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation has been noticed.

Modi had accused the Congress of insulting the Hindus. Leaders of that party are now scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by majority (Hindu) population. That is why they are forced to take refuge in places where the majority is in a minority, the prime minister was reported to have said.

The Congress had complained to the EC against Modi for his speech and sought action against his alleged divisive speech.

The Congress alleged that the PM made some hateful, vile and divisive remarks against Rahul Gandhi.

It is to be noted here that the ECs decision came on a day when the Supreme Court sought response from the poll panel on Congress MP Sushmita Devs plea accusing it of inaction on her partys complaints of MCC violation against Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30

The Indian Army has released pictures of massive footprints in the snow, saying its mountaineering expedition team could have encountered the mythical and mysterious snowman, the Yeti.

Moutaineering expedition team has sighted mysterious footprints of mythical beast Yeti, the Indian Army official Twitter handle said on Monday night. The yeti is also known as the big foot and the Abominable Snowman.

It said the footprints measured 32x15 inches and were found close to Makalu Base Camp on April 9. Makalu is in west-central Nepal.

On Tuesday morning Army sources said the Yeti sighting tweet is based on physical proof of on-the-spot narration, photos and videos.

The Army said it held on to the photographic evidence for some 10 days before handing it over to experts.

Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world (8,481 m), yet the trek to its base camp is a less-frequented route due to its relative inaccessibility.
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Jerusalem, April 30

Israel on Tuesday honoured Lt. Gen. (retd) Jack Farj Rafael (JFR) Jacob, who negotiated the historic surrender of Pakistani troops in Dhaka after the 1971 Bangladesh's liberation war, with a plaque on the Wall of Honour at the Ammunition Hill here.

Lt. Gen. Jacob, who died in 2016 at the age of 92, was one of the most prominent members of India's relatively small Jewish community, serving as a Lieutenant General in the Indian Army and later as a Governor of two Indian states-Goa and Punjab.

The Wall of Honour at the Ammunition Hill pays tributes to the heroism and courage of Jewish soldiers who fought in the defence of their countries they lived in "implementing values of bravery, loyalty, commitment and dedication to a mission, leadership, creativity, camaraderie and sanctity of life".

"The Wall has plaques honouring more than 340 people comprising privates, high ranking army officers, women, front line fighters and humble members of supporting units who embodied these virtues", a senior official at the Ammunition Hill told PTI.

Ammunition Hill was a fortified Jordanian military post in the northern part of Jordanian ruled East Jerusalem. It was the site of one of the fiercest battles of the Six Day War in which 21 Israeli soldiers were killed. It is now a national memorial site where young soldiers and officers are inducted into the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and salute the flag.

The 90-feet high structure with a flag was incidentally donated by an Indian Jew, Sam Marshall, who also initiated the move to honour Lt. Gen. Jacob at the Ammunition Hill Wall of Honour, in association with India-born Jewish Judge, Abe Sofaer of the US, who was the personal legal adviser to former US Secretary of State George Shultz.

"It is a wonderful tribute that you are giving to a very fine human being. His beloved India gave him the accolades reserved for people serving the nation with distinction," Lt. Gen. Jacob's close friend, Marshall, told the gathering at a ceremony to unveil the plaque reminiscing the funeral ceremony Government of India arranged for its famous son where then President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also present.

Narrating an incident from 2009 when Marshall, along with Lt. Gen. Jacob, met former Israeli President Shimon Peres, who offered the legendary warrior to immigrate to Israel, he said that prompt came Jacob's reply, "I am a son of India, I would die on Indian soil, I served my country and my beloved country." "He was not only a military strategist and a legendary General but a fine man who cared for fellow human beings. He was very active in charity work with Mother Teresa," said Marshall, who has been bringing Indian contingents to the Jewish Macabbiah games (commonly referred to as the Jewish Olympics).

India's Ambassador to Israel, Pavan Kapoor, said, "Lt. Gen. JFR Jacob's illustrious life will remain a source of inspiration for all Indians. It is my belief that by unveiling the wall plaque here today, the memory of this great soldier and fine man will usher even greater bonds of friendship between the peoples of India and Israel".

"Ammunition Hill commemorates the memory of the fallen soldiers of Israel as well as Jews living in other countries, in whose defense they fought. It is, therefore, a great privilege for me to be here today to honour the memory of one such soldier who served his mother country India with great distinction," he said.

Highlighting Lt. Gen. Jacob's contribution beyond the achievements as a military man, Kapoor said that "he had a strong sense of history and a deep respect for heritage".

"When he was appointed as the General officer CommandinginChief of the Eastern Command, in Calcutta, he set about restoring several heritage sites at the Headquarters of Eastern Command - Fort William - to their former splendour. One of them was St Peter's Church, which had stopped being a house of worship for some time. He had the Church ceremonially de-consecrated, and had its facade restored to its original glory. Today, it hosts the Command Library in it," he said.

"Lt. Gen. Jacob dedicated his entire life in the service of India. Proud as he was of being an Indian, he was also immensely aware of his Jewish heritage," he said.

Israel's former Ambassador to India Danny Carmon said, "For me, it was a pilgrimage to go and meet Lt. Gen. Jacob each time at his residence, to get his blessings, to get his encouragement. He was so happy to see what was happening in Indo-Israel relations. He was so much Indian and so much Jewish that it is unbelievable. He was a real inspiration for all of us.

"He was a bridge between India and Israel and contributed immensely to the partnership that we see in the last few decades. He told me, 'I was born in India, served India, I fought for India and I want to be buried in India'." Alon Wald, Director of Ammunition Hill, told PTI, that "the modest plaques for such giants of human beings is an inspiration to us all and adding one more significant name today is like adding an impressive strong link to the chain of values we stand for".

The Wall of Honour at the Ammunition Hill has one more plaque honouring an Indian Jewish soldier, Lt. Gen. Joseph 'Jerry' Jhirad, who died in the 1965 war against Pakistan. - PTI
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Beijing, April 30

China said on Tuesday that the vexed issue of designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN will be "properly resolved" but it did not give any timeline, days after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan here.

China put a technical hold in March on a fresh proposal to impose a ban on the head of Pakistan-based JeM which claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack. It was for the fourth time, China blocked Azhar's listing as a global terrorist by the UN.

"I can only say that I believe that this will be properly resolved," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing here.

He was responding to questions on the media reports that China has reportedly consented to lift its technical hold on a fresh proposal moved by France, the UK and the US to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

The US, the UK and France this time stepped up pressure on Beijing by taking the issue directly to the powerful UN Security Council (UNSC).

Though China can exercise its veto power as a permanent member of the UNSC, Beijing has staunchly opposed the issue to be taken to the apex UN body as it has to publically explain its stand on its reservations to list Azhar, whose group JeM has already been designated as terror outfit by UN, before exercising its veto.

China has accused the US of scuttling progress to resolve the issue by taking it to the UNSC and insisted that it should be resolved at the 1267 Committee whose proceedings are not publicised.

"Regarding the listing issue in the 1267 Committee, we have expressed our position many times and I just want to stress two points," Geng said answering a number of questions on Azhar's issue.

"First, we support the listing issue being settled within the 1267 committee through dialogue and consultation and I believe this is the consensus of most members. Second, the relevant consultations are going on within the committee and have achieved some progress. Third, I believe, with the joint efforts of all parties, this issue can be properly resolved," he said.

On reports that China would lift its technical hold on May 1, he said, "On the listing issue, China is still working with the relevant parties and we are in contact with all relevant parties within the 1267 Committee and I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved". Asked about the recent visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to Beijing during which he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as well as New Delhi shared the technical evidence of JeM's involvement in the Pulwama terror attack, Geng reiterated that China is still working with the relevant parties.

"I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved," he said.

The efforts to resolve Azhar's listing issue gathered momentum last week with the visit of Imran Khan to Beijing to attend China's 2nd Belt and Road Forum (BRF) which was held here from April 25-27.

During the visit, Khan held talks with Xi, besides meeting Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President Wang Qishan during which India-Pakistan tension following the Pulwama terror attack as well as listing of Azhar reportedly figured.

An official statement of China issued after Xi-Khan meeting on Sunday said the Chinese President had expressed hope that Pakistan and India can meet each other halfway and improve their relations.

Both leaders also exchanged views on the situation in South Asia. PTI
harinder@tribunemail.com

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 29

NDAs nationalism narrative has failed to strike a chord with Punjab voters. Though most call the Balakot airstrike in Pakistan a step in the right direction, they also believe the nationalism narrative has been jacked up with an eye on the poll.

Punjab saw the Dinanagar terror attack in 2015 and the Pathankot airbase attack in 2016, besides a series of Pakistans ISI-sponsored target killings. Nonetheless, border residents list jobs and cross-border trade as bigger issues while rooting for peace.

If any party guarantees peace and development after going to war with Pakistan, we are for it. If not, it is pointless. Nationalism is fine, but what of security on the streets? Farm distress, unemployment, drug addiction and rising crime are the issues that weigh on our minds, says Pargat Singh of Rania in Amritsar district.

Gurdaspur realtor Manjit Singh Dala cautions that war-mongering can be counter-productive. In a developing country like India, it is economic prosperity that matters most. Leaders should ensure that none goes hungry. Nationalism can wait.

Romesh Mahajan, who runs the Red Cross De-addiction Centre in Gurdaspur, disagrees. Nationalism is imperative, especially as our neighbours have nuclear arms. But war-mongering may do more harm than good.

Ferozepur residents believe the Pakistan chapter must be closed once and for all. We will back any party that upholds national pride, says Teja Singh (76) of Jallo ke, a stones throw from the border.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30

The Congress on Tuesday said the Home Ministrys notice on alleged dual citizenship of party president Rahul Gandhi was a political gimmick which would not cut any ice anymore.

Congress media head Randeep Surjewala said the allegation of dual citizenship on Gandhi had been dismissed by the Supreme Court through an order on November 30, 2015.

Is the Home Ministry above the Supreme Court? This myopic, petty and malicious attempt of the BJP to divert attention from the election issues will not work at all.

The Congress released documents related to a company directorship in the UK dated 2003 which mention Gandhi as an Indian citizen.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in his complaint to the government has said that Gandhi holds dual citizenship, British and Indian.

The Congress, however, said the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha also didnt give any orders in Gandhis alleged dual citizenship matter which was pending before it because there was no evidence to support the claim.

The BJP is anxious and is using all tricks to malign Rahul Gandhi, Surjewala said.
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Chennai, April 30

The Madras High Court on Tuesday held that Puducherry Lt-Governor Kiran Bedi cannot interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the elected government of the Union Territory, a decision hailed by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who termed it as victory of democracy.

Allowing a petition by K Laksminarayanan, a Congress MLA, Justice R Mahadevan set aside the two communications issued in January and June 2017 by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs elevating the power of the administrator.

Referring to the Supreme Court judgement on the tussle between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lt-Governor Anil Baijal, the judge said restrictions imposed on the Government of Delhi are not applicable to the Government of Puducherry.

The apex court has clearly held that there is a distinction between the National Capital Territory of Delhi and Puducherry, the judge said.

Though Puducherry was not a state, the Legislative Assembly would have the same powers as that of a state, he said.

Hailing the judgement, Congress leader and Chief Minister Narayanasamy, who has been at loggerheads with Bedi over various issues, said the court order was historic and demonstrates the victory of democracy.

In her reaction, Bedi said, We are examining the judgement.

The judge in his order said, The Administrator cannot interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the government. The decision taken by the Council of Ministers and the Chief Minister is binding on the Secretaries and other officials. The petitioner Lakshminarayanan is an elected member of the Puducherry assembly from the Raj Bhavan constituency.

He submitted that there were political differences between the elected Government of Puducherry and the Centre.

She (Bedi) conducts review meetings with the officials directly, by-passing the elected government, carries out inspections and issues on-the-spot orders and thereby runs a parallel and diametrically opposite government within the government, he claimed.

The petitioner also alleged that the Administrator was interfering in the day-to-day administration of the territorial government, its policies and programmes.

The judge observed that the court had already discussed the role of secretaries. They normally act only as a medium of communication, utmost to render their opinion at circumstances and have no power or authority to override the decisions of the Council.

Though they may report to the Administrator nominated by the President, still they cannot shed their duty to the decision of the Council of Ministers taken as per the procedure laid down in the Government of Union Territories Act and the Rules of Business of the Government of Pondicherry, 1963.

...they cannot jump the gun and run a parallel Government under the directions of the Administrator, the judge said.

The court said elected representatives of the government play a major role in decision making, or else, there would be no purpose in having an elected government, who are the true representatives of the people.

...the elected government functioning through the Council of Ministers cannot be defeated by the act of the Administrator, who is also functioning under the provisions of the Constitution, by way of interfering in the day to day affairs of the Government..., it said.

Alluding to the allegations over use of social media by the Administrator (Bedi) to summon officials, the Judge said, The Government officials cannot use their personal media to address the grievances of the public.

A public redressal forum in the form of official e-mails, telephone numbers are to be circulated and used, if already not put into use.

The Administrator has no exclusive authority to run the administration in derogation of the Constitutional Principles and the Parliamentary Laws governing the issue, he added.

Responding to the court order, Narayanasamy said: The High Court has in its order pointed out unequivocally that Kiran Bedi does not have independent powers and she must work in tandem with the elected government in administrative and service matters, financial aspect of governance.

We are examining the judgment, after which we shall take a view, Bedi said in a Whatsapp message to media.

She said the Model Code of Conduct in the context of the parliamentary polls was still in force and files which require Lt Governors approval such as service matters, promotions, appointments, disciplinary matters and financial sanctions for grant in aid are being received and being examined.

They are being cleared on merits of each case, she added.  PTI
harinder@tribunemail.com

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, April 29

Amateur navigators and inadequate safety arrangements are jeopardising the lives of adventure-seeking tourists who opt for river rafting in Kullu district.

A series of fatal mishaps have occurred over the past few years as raft operators have chosen to flout the safety norms. Two days ago, Mumbai tourist Sara Sagar Jagey (32), on holiday with husband Sagar Ramakant Jagey and son, was killed and four others injured when their raft deflated and capsized near Bhunter airport.

Her death has once again raised a question mark on the safety of unsuspecting tourists who are lured into adventure activities.

Several deaths have been reported in incidents linked to paragliding and river rafting in the recent past. Since 2013, seven persons have lost their lives in rafting-related accidents alone.

The administration had in the past asked the raft operators to procure safety equipment and deploy expert navigators, but to no avail.

Bhag Chand, District Tourism Officer, said: I had directed the raft operators to follow the safety norms and get registered with the Tourism Department, but most are yet to do so. Illegal rafting operations will be dealt with strictly.

The department will conduct surprise checks and impose heavy penalty on offenders.

So far, 82 companies have been registered to run rafting operations at three places between Raison and Bhunter on the Beas. Around 350 rafts are being used in adventure activities for tourists.

The raft involved in the latest incident, which left a woman dead, deflated moments before it capsized. It had a guide and five tourists on board, including the couple. While four tourists were saved, the victim drowned as she was swept away by the strong river current.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 29

A month after two ASIs went missing with Rs 6.66 crore robbed during a raid, the police have failed to trace them and now suspect that they might have fled the country using the Nepal border.

Sources in the police confirmed that ASIs Joginder Singh and Rajpreet Singh could have managed to flee to Nepal using Uttar Pradesh or Uttarakhand border. Their chances of using an airway to get out of the country are bleak as airports were sounded by the police. However, there is a possibility that they could have fled before a lookout notice was issued, they said. Officially, the two accused ASIs have been suspended and marked absent.

A senior official said the role of the Khanna Police was under the scanner till the two accused were arrested.

The accused were posted with the Patiala Police till March 25, but suddenly they did not report for duty. Even as the police started marking them absent, an order from the Punjab DGP office issued to the Khanna Police posted them in Khanna following a request by the Khanna Police. The third accused, informer Surinder Singh, is in the custody along with ASI Dilbagh Singh, for his collusion with the other accused.

However, the state government is yet to initiate action against senior Khanna police officers who hoodwinked and lied to the Election Commission and to their own department about the source of the recovered money.

While the state government is tightlipped about any action against the senior police officers, the SIT probing the case has scanned footage of CCTV cameras installed near the house of Father Anthony Madassery in Jalandhar on March 29, which shows uniformed men in cars going towards and then leaving from the house.

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju told The Tribune that it was a serious matter. We have forwarded the details about the role of the Khanna Police and the missing cash to the Chief Election Commissioner. We are yet to hear from them and action will be initiated after we receive instructions, he added.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, April 29

Parminder Dhindsa, SAD-BJP Sangrur candidate and former Punjab Cabinet minister, and Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA) candidate Jassi Jasraj today filed their nomination papers. Father of Parminder SAD Rajya Sabha MP and party rebel Sukhdev Dhindsa, who had resigned from all SAD positions last year and demanded the resignation of Sukhbir Badal, was not present during the filing of nomination citing health problems.

The wishes of my father are always with me and this morning he gave his blessings. He could not come due to health problems. But since my political opponents do not have anything against me, they are trying to create baseless impression that there is a problem in our family, said Parminder after filing his nomination papers in the Sangrur District Electoral Officers office.

Parminder did not organise any big road show or rally, but simply, along with his mother Harjeet Kaur, wife Gagandeep Kaur, SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal, former BJP minister Anil Joshi and some relatives, reached the District Electoral Officers office and filed his nomination papers.

I wanted to come, but doctors did not allow me as I am down with intense cervical pain. Like any father, I always want Parminder to win and my best wishes are with him, Sr Dhindsa told The Tribune.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, April 29

The SAD-BJP candidate from Ludhiana, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, today raised questions over Peoples Democratic Alliance (PDA) candidate Simarjit Singh Bains owning a toll plaza and a sugar mill. Addressing a series of public meetings in the city and adjoining villages, he said Bains, in his election affidavit, had stated that he owned a toll plaza and sugar mill. People of Ludhiana would like to know the source of his income that enabled him to own a mill worth crores, he said.

Accusing his rival of attempts to bully toll plaza managers at Ladhowal to befool the people while he was doing the same elsewhere, he raised questions on his honesty, claiming the voters had now seen his real face. The Akali leader also criticised Congress candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu and Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, charging them with facilitating cheap rice from Bihar and selling the same in Punjab at higher rates.

The scandal runs into hundreds of crores, he alleged, claiming that Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh too was in the know of things and may initiate action after the elections. For such misdemeanours, both Bittu and Ashu should be held accountable.

Grewal also claimed that because of cheap rice from Bihar, the total quantity of paddy sold in the mandis was much higher than the actual production. This was the reason why the Modi government decided to transfer cash assistance directly into the accounts of farmers and they have been regularly receiving the same without any obstacle, he told the crowds.

People of Ludhiana would like to know the source of his income that enabled him to own a mill worth crores.  Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Shiromani Akali dal
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 30

The Patiala police on Tuesday said two assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs), absconding for the past one month with a sum of Rs 6.66 crore recovered during a raid at a house, have been arrested by Kerala Police from Kochi.

A team is likely to bring them back by tomorrow evening. Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta has confirmed the development.

Their arrest is likely to help crack one of the biggest robberies of the state.

ASIs Rajpreet Singh and Joginder Singh will be questioned by the SIT, which was looking for them from the past fortnight. A Look Out Notice had also been issued against them.

Based on specific inputs by Punjab Police, Kerala Police arrested ASI Joginder Singh & ASI Rajpreet Singh of Punjab Police from Hotel Casa Linda, Kochi, Kerala at around 16:30 today. SIT Head Praveen K. Sinha, IPS, IGP, Crime, Punjab is leaving for Kochi to arrest the 2 accused.  DGP Punjab Police (@DGPPunjabPolice) April 30, 2019

Earlier, the SIT, probing the pilferage of the amount from Rs 16.65 crore cash recovered from a priest's house in Jalandhar last month, had arrested one more ASI-rank policeman for his collusion with the other accused.

After the raid, police said the Income Tax Department officials were informed about the cash seizure and investigations were launched.

The priest had claimed the money to be from business proceeds and had accused that police recovered Rs 16.65 crore from his house, but claimed it to be Rs 9.66 crore, while misappropriating the remaining account.

The priest had reportedly claimed that the money was kept at his house because company employees had refused to go and deposit it in the bank due to the model code of conduct in view of the Lok Sabha polls.

The two accused, who were posted with Patiala police till March 25, suddenly did not report to the duty. Even as the police started marking them absent, an order from the DGP office issued to Khanna police posted the two in Khanna following a request by Khanna police.

The third accused, informer Surinder Singh, is in the police custody along with ASI Dilbagh Singh for colluding with the other accused.

Police are yet to recover the cash from the accused ASIs and as per preliminary information, they were carrying limited cash for sundry expenses at the time of arrest.

The two accused were planning to move court through their counsel for a CBI probe in the case.

PK Sinha, the SIT head probing the robbery case, has rushed to Kochi to take custody of the two accused cops who were arrested following specific inputs by the Punjab police.

AIG Rakesh Kaushal will also leave for Kochi to arrest the accused formally as he is the investigating officer in the case.  With PTI inputs
editorial@tribune.com

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 29

The stakes in the Lok Sabha elections are high for the fledgling political outfit, Punjab Ekta Party, launched by rebel AAPMLAs Sukhpal Khaira and Baldev Singh. With their resignation as MLAs not yet accepted by Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh, the two face disqualification as MLAs under the Anti-Defection Law.

Till the time their resignation is not accepted, technically, they remain AAP MLAs. This means that they hold a public office as representative of the party on whose symbol they contested and won in 2017. But both are contesting the Lok Sabha polls as PEP candidates.

If the two MLAs  Khaira contesting from Bathinda, and Baldev Singh from Faridkot  win the election, they would have 14 days after the declaration of result on May 23, to decide whether they want to serve as MP or as MLA. But if the duo lost the May 19 poll battle, they could be disqualified as MLAs.

Satya Pal Jain, Additional Solicitor General of India, who specialises in constitutional law, told The Tribune that there was no bar on MLAs of a particular party contesting polls for the Lok Sabha from another party.

But it can be a ground for initiating disqualification proceedings against them from the public office they hold, in this case, the Vidhan Sabha, he said.

Khaira said canards were being spread against his filing of papers by his opponents, mainly Akalis. They are falsely claiming that my papers will be rejected as I am contesting on another partys symbol. They are doing so because they see me as a big challenge in Bathinda, he said.

Interestingly, even as Punjab AAP leaders maintain that they have so far not received the resignation of Jaito MLA Baldev Singh from the party, a petition seeking his disqualification was filed to the Speaker by Jalandhar resident Simaranjit Singh today. AAP leaders had themselves given a letter to the Speaker, saying that Khaira had resigned from the party earlier this year, and had launched his own political outfit. A complaint had also been filed against him by a voter from Bholath, seeking his disqualification as MLA.

The Speaker said he was still examining the complaint against Khaira, the letter written against him by AAP, as well as the resignation submitted by him. Sources in the Vidhan Sabha secretariat, however, told The Tribune, that after receiving the resignation, Khaira was called by the Speaker for personal hearing, but the latter has sought a date beyond May 19 (the date of polling in Punjab.
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Dehradun, April 30

The Uttarakhand Police on Monday said they had collected all the vital evidence in six-year-old girl's murder. She was first allegedly killed then raped by a security guard in Haridwar.

"We have collected all the vital evidence needed to establish the crime of Sonu (a security guard)," said Janmejay Khanduri, Senior Superintendent of Police, Haridwar. "The accused has been sent to 14 days judicial custody," Khanduri said. The police, however, ruled out narco test of the accused.

"In his confession, Sonu said he first killed and then raped the girl. We have picked up all the evidences. Some of them have already been sent to the forensic laboratory," said Khanduri.

The girl had gone missing on Friday from near her house in the Shyampur area, where she was playing with other children.

According to initial investigations, Sonu lured the girl to the forest adjoining Chidiyapur area and strangulated her to death when she tried to scream and later violated her body.

The girl's parents work as labourers in a nearby poultry farm where the accused was security guard. The victim's family belongs to the Bijnore district of Uttar Pradesh.

Sonu was arrested soon after the girl's body was recovered from the forest on Saturday morning. "During the interrogation, Sonu confessed to his crime," Khanduri said.

IANS
uttara@tribuneindia.com

San Diego, April 30

The 19-year-old accused gunman in a deadly California synagogue shooting is due in a San Diego court on Tuesday for arraignment in Saturday's attack, with officials adding a hate crime to his offenses.

John Earnest faces one count of murder, with a hate crime added as a special circumstance, as well as three counts of attempted murder and one count of arson, the San Diego District Attorney's Office said on Monday.

"We offer our condolences for the loss of a precious life and the violence that fell upon members of the Jewish congregation, gathered to celebrate the end of Passover," District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement.

Law enforcement officers are working around the clock on the case, she said.

Saturday's attack on Chabad of Poway synagogue in suburban San Diego happened six months to the day after 11 worshippers were shot to death at a Pittsburgh synagogue, the deadliest attack ever on American Jewry.

Earnest, who is being held without bail, appears to have written an online manifesto in which he also claimed responsibility for a pre-dawn arson attack at a nearby mosque last month and professed inspiration from the mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people in March.

Police and the FBI are still investigating a motive for the shooting that killed Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, a congregant, and wounded three others.

A funeral was held at the synagogue on Monday for Gilbert-Kaye, one of its founding members, and she was remembered as a deeply caring member of the community.

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, one of three people who were wounded, losing his right index finger in the shooting, presided over the memorial service.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said Earnest has no prior criminal record. If convicted, Earnest faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty, the district attorney's office said. Reuters
editorial@tribune.com

Madrid, April 29

Spains ruling Socialists were weighing options for forming a new government on Monday after they won a national election but fell short of a majority in a deeply fragmented parliament that could spell prolonged political uncertainty.

Playing down talk of possible coalition options, Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said the Socialists would try to govern alone, while party president Cristina Narbona said it was in no hurry to decide.

The Socialists will try to govern on their own, Calvo said in an interview on Cadena Ser radio. We have more than enough (votes) to steer this ship along the course it must follow. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose party celebrated into the small hours after increasing their representation in Sundays election to 123 seats from 84, declined to comment ahead of a strategy meeting on Monday afternoon.

If he does seek a coalition partner, he could opt for a complex alliance with fellow leftists Podemos that would likely require support from at least one Catalan separatist lawmaker, or he could risk upsetting his grassroots supporters by joining forces across the political divide with centre-right Ciudadanos.

Any coalition talks could take weeks or months and might end in deadlock, plunging Europes fifth largest economy into a new period of uncertainty as the continent wrestles with the complexities of Brexit and other challenges.

Concerns at home and abroad that Vox, a newcomer far-right party, would gain a share of power unprecedented since Spains return to democracy in the 1970s failed to materialise. It won 24 seats, fewer than expected, and split the right-wing vote.

For many observers, the Podemos option appears Sanchezs likelier path, even with the two parties 11 seats short of a majority. Podemos leader Pablo Iglesais said he would happily enter a coalition.

The chances of (Sanchez) getting a government (with Podemos are) at 90 per cent, or better, but the chances of him passing the budget are 40:60, said Javier Diaz-Gimenez, economics professor at business school IESE.

Pablo Simon, political science professor at Madrids Carlos III University, said he expected no deal on a government before next months European Parliament elections.  Reuters

Centre-right Ciudadanos claims leadership of opposition

The head of Spains centre-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) said his party would take on the leadership of the countrys opposition. With more than 99 per cent of votes counted, Ciudadanos was on 57 seats in the 350-seat parliament, against 66 for the mainstream conservative Peoples Party (PP). The PP had 137 seats in the outgoing parliament. The Socialists won 123 seats and far-left Podemos 42, according to the same Interior Ministry tally, leaving them 11 seats short of a majority.

Podemos option appears Sanchezs likelier path

For many observers, the Podemos option appears Sanchezs likelier path, even with the two parties 11 seats short of a majority. Podemos leader Pablo Iglesais said he would happily enter a coalition.

VOX a cause for concern

Concerns at home and abroad are that Vox, a newcomer far-right party, will gain a share of power unprecedented since Spains return to democracy in the 1970s failed to materialise. It won 24 seats, fewer than expected, and split the right-wing vote
It is good to see the delight on faces of the visitors to our beaches. It is also great to s
So Don McGahn is in the presidents crosshairs. Whose side are you on?

I ask because this is perhaps the perfect test for a special subgroup of Donald Trump supporters. Call them the But Gorsuchers.

At the beginning of the Trump administration, when things got off to a rocky start, the go-to response from many Trump boosters was some version of Yes, but we got Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court. As things got more chaotic, it became a joke to say, Yeah, but Gorsuch after every embarrassing revelation or disturbing tweet.

But from a conservative perspective that places a high priority on the court, this was an utterly defensible point of view. Many Republicans who were reluctant to vote for Trump came around only after he promised to pick judges exclusively from a list vetted by the conservative Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. This reassured the voters who had taken Trump seriously when he talked about putting his sister on the Supreme Court.

If the opportunity to put a conservative on the court  or deny Hillary Clinton a chance to do so  was why you ultimately voted for him, then But Gorsuch was a fair retort.

You dont hear But Gorsuch often these days, for two reasons. The first is entirely to Trumps credit  again from a certain Republican or conservative perspective. Brett Kavanaugh is on the Supreme Court, too. Scores of excellent judges have been appointed to the lower courts. Weve seen tax cuts, deregulation, the partial dismantling of Obamacare, and a number of other conservative accomplishments on Trumps watch. His supporters  reluctant and wholehearted alike  have every reason to count these things in the pro column.

Then theres the second reason, which is less favorable to Trump. Whether you call it the party line, right-wing political correctness, or simply a desire to cater to the presidents fragile ego, its simply not acceptable to publicly criticize Trump on the right. Prominent religious leaders feel compelled to dismiss Trumps sordid sexual history. Passionate constitutionalists simply shrug or celebrate Trumps words and deeds, no matter how contrary they may be to constitutional principles. You have to gush about his genius when theres little discernible wisdom in what he does, and you must marvel at his courage when theres none to be seen. Credit for Trumps wins is all his; blame for his losses is all somebody elses.

The But Gorsuch argument is also known as the transactional case for Trump. You dont have to like or approve of what he does, but its worth putting up with because of the results. This is what you hear when you talk to Republican politicians and many prominent conservative activists and donors in private. But when was the last time you heard it on TV or talk radio?

Indeed, the demand that everyone see the emperors new clothes is so powerful that criticizing  or even being inconvenient to  the presidents preferred messaging is seen not only as a kind of treason but as proof that the critic isnt really a conservative at all.

Which brings me to McGahn, who until recently was considered a widely respected, unimpeachably conservative lawyer. I have no idea what the former White House counsels personal views on Trump are. But based on his actions, he was at minimum a conservative transactionalist. He didnt attack the president; he joined Trumps team. It was McGahns job to shepherd Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and other judges through the confirmation process. By the time McGahn left the White House last year, not only had he scored two Supreme Court victories for the president, hed been a sherpa to 59 other federal judgeships.

Also, according to the Mueller report, McGahn may well have saved the Trump presidency by refusing to follow the presidents orders to derail the Mueller probe.

McGahn cooperated with special counsel Robert Muellers investigation. He didnt want to; he was told to by Trump and his legal team.

Now, Trump is calling McGahn a liar. The president denies he told McGahn to fire Mueller. Trump and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, have insinuated that McGahns handwritten notes from his conversations with the president are somehow fraudulent.

Well see how things unfold, but it looks as if a lot of people, when forced to choose, will opt to throw McGahn under the bus, because loyalty to the president is now the definition of what it means to be a Republican or a conservative. And saying But Gorsuch wont help McGahn.

Jonah Goldberg holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at the American Enterprise Institute and is a senior editor of National Review
Can you name all the countries in North Africa and their population? North Africa consist of various tribes each with their own culture and unique characteristics. The rich and diverse culture varies from one country to another yet the tribes share common customs that are unique to them. In addition, the religions are as diverse as the people.

Image: pixabay.com

Source: UGC

There are some fascinating details about this list of countries in North Africa. We will discuss each of the countries and what they are about including their population, culture and religion. Read on to get more information about these fascinating nations.

How many countries are there in North Africa?

North Africa is the northern part of the African continent and it consists of 7 countries which include:

Egypt Tunisia Algeria Sudan Western Sahara Morocco Libya

The above list of countries in North Africa is the one we are going to have an in-depth look at. The region is economically prosperous and one-third of Africas total GDP is generated from them.

The North African region intersects with the Arab geographically and has an Islamic population that is quite strong. It's known to have been the centre of the uprising of Arabs in 2011. We are going to expound on each of the nations to help you learn more about them.

North African countries and capitals

The following are North African countries and their capital.

Egypt

Image: pixabay.com

Source: UGC

Egypt is a nation located on the northern part of Africa which is known for its fascinating pyramids and other historical artefacts. It is a Mediterranean country that is bordered by Israel to the north, the Gaza strip, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Red sea, Libya to the west, and Sudan to the south. The capital city of Egypt is Cairo which is among the largest cities in Africa, the Middle East, and is ranked 15th in the globe. The current population in Egypt as of the year 2017 is 97.55 million. The nation has plenty of historical features and there has been evidence which shows rock carvings along the Nile terraces.

When it comes to the economy of Egypt, the nation depends on petroleum imports, tourism, media, and agriculture. Tourism is quite important in Egypt as millions of tourists visit the nation to see the great pyramids and other amazing historical features. In terms of religion the nation is mainly Islam because about 85 to 90% of the population is identified to be Muslim. When it comes to cultural practices Egypt is identified as a trend-setter in the Arab-speaking nations. Most of the Middle-Eastern and Arabic culture is influenced by Egypt. Music in Egypt is influenced by Mediterranean, western and African elements. Egypt holds festivals annually such as the Sham en Nisim which is an ancient spring festival, among many others.

READ ALSO: Best beaches in Africa

Tunisia

Which is the smallest northern African country? Tunisia is the smallest one. Tunisia is among the countries located on the northern part of Africa which has a population of 11.53 million people as of the year 2017, and covers approximately 163, 610 square kilometres. The nation is bordered by Libya on the south, Algeria on the west, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east and northern parts. The capital city of Tunisia is Tunis. Tunis is situated on the Northeast coast region of the nation. Tunisia has a Mediterranean climate on the northern part which features hot dry summers and winters with mild rains.

On the southern side of the nation there is a desert, which is where it merges with the Sahara desert. The economic growth of the nation has been negatively affected by corruption. This has made the country average only a 5% GDP growth since the 90s. It has a diverse economy although it mainly export-oriented. 11.6% of the countrys GDP is accounted for by the agricultural sector, while 25.7% and 62.8% are accounted for by the industrial and services sector respectively.

Tourism also plays a major role in the economic growth of the country, followed by energy as the country produces its own electricity locally. When it comes to ethnic groups, majority of the people in the country are Arabs which account for 98% of the population while the other 2% include Europeans, Jewish and others.

Algeria

Algeria is a country located on the Maghreb area of North Africa. The country has a population of 41.3 million people as of 2017, with an area covering approximately 2,381,741 square kilometres. Algeria is ranked number 10 among the largest countries in the world. It is the largest Arab country in the world and is bordered by Tunisia to the Northeast, the western Saharan territory on the Southeast, Libya on the East, Niger to the Southeast, and Morocco on the west, Libya on the East, Mali and Mauritania. The capital city of Algeria is Algiers. Algeria is a semi-presidential country with 1,541 counties otherwise known as communes, and 48 provinces.

Is Algeria safe for Westerners? There have been increased violence and repeated terror attacks against the foreigners which makes the country dangerous. It is the largest country in the Mediterranean Basin and also Africa. When it comes to the climatic conditions of the country, it can be hot all year round during midday. The coastal region experiences plenty of rains while the inland areas do not experience much rains.

Identified as an upper middle income country, the state dominates the economy although various protests have negatively affected the countrys economy over the years. The country experienced a 2.6% economic growth in 2011 from public spending, 10% growth in the agricultural sector, and 5.3% in the services sector.

Sudan

Image: pixabay.com

Source: UGC

Sudan is also a country located on the northeast part of Africa. The country is bordered by the Red Sea to the northeast, Egypt to the north, on the southeast by Ethiopia, on the east by Eritrea, on the south by South Sudan, on the northwest by Libya, and on the west by Chad.

The capital city of Sudan is Khartoum. Sudan has a population of 40.53 million people as of 2017, and covers an area of 1,886,068 square kilometres. Is Sudan poor? Sadly, Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the globe. Most of the people in the country live under very harsh conditions. Some of the ancient kingdoms historically known in the country include the kingdom of Kush, the medieval Nubian kingdoms, the Islamic kingdoms of Sennar and Darfur, and the Turkiya and Mahdist Sudan.

The climatic conditions of Sudan differ from one region to the other in the country. The northern and central parts are desert areas with only the southern part being the only area that experiences rainfalls. Sandstorms plague the dry regions that can even block the sun completely. Islamic sharia laws are the ones that govern the country. Unfortunately, most of Sudans neighbours have had trouble with the country as it is viewed as a stance of radical Islam. In terms of economy, Sudan has shown potential as it was ranked number 17 among the fastest growing countries in the world. Being an oil production company most of the countrys revenue is generated from oil export.

READ ALSO: Top 10 tallest mountains in Africa

Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a disputed territory located in the northwest coast and the Maghreb region of the west and North Africa. Western Sahara is partially occupied by Morocco and partially controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Why does Morocco control Western Sahara? Because it was relinquished control by Spain in 1975 which saw Morocco and Mauritania step in and claim the territory. The population of Western Sahara as of 2009 is 513,000 and covers an area of approximately 266,000 square kilometres. The Gaetuli were the earliest inhabitants of Western Sahara.

The economy of the country is contributed to by its rich fishing waters, phosphate reserves and few natural resources. The entire economy of Western Sahara is almost based on phosphate mining and fishing. The reason is because two-thirds of the workforce is employed by these two economic activities. When it comes to culture, the Sahrawis are the main ethnic group who occupy Western Sahara, followed by the Bedouin. It has a mixture of Arab-Berber descent.

Morocco

Morocco is a country situated on the Maghreb region of the Northwest of Africa. As of 2017 the country had a population of 35.74 million people and covers an area of approximately 710,850 square kilometres. The Moroccan state was founded by Idris in 788 AD but over time the country has been under the leadership different independent dynasties. The predominant religion of Morocco is Islam as 99% of people are Muslims according to a 2010 report by the Phew Forum. The official languages are Berber and Arabic. The capital city of Morocco is Rabat. The various dynasties which have ruled Morocco include the Saadi dynasty and the Alaouite dynasty. The two are referred to as the Sharifian dynasties.

Morocco was French and Spanish protectorate from 1912 to 1956. In terms of geography the country spans from the Atlantic Ocean, the mountainous areas, and to the Sahara desert. Being a Northern African country it borders the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Majority part of the country is quite mountainous. Morocco has a liberal economy with its GDP being mainly contributed by tourism, agriculture, narcotics, and energy.

Libya

Image: pixabay.com

Source: UGC

Libya is a country located in North Africa in the Maghreb region. The country is bordered to the east by Egypt, to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, to the southeast by Sudan, on the west by Algeria, southwest by Niger, on the south by Chad, and on the northwest by Tunisia. Libya was formerly colonized by Italians and gained independence on December 24th 1951. Libya has a population of 6.375 million people as of 2017, with an approximate area of 1.8 million square kilometres. The capital city of Libya is Tripoli which is located on the western part of the country. The capital city houses 6 million Libyans.

Libya is divided into 22 districts since 2007. When it comes to economy the oil sector contributes the primary revenue. It accounts to 97% exports and more than half of the countrys GDP. According to the World Bank, Libya is defined as an upper middle income economy together with other 7 countries from Africa.

Libya has a small population despite being a large country. The official language in the country is Arabic and also a bit of Berber languages. It is estimated that about 97% of Libyans are Muslims. What is Libya known for? The country is mostly known to be desert and rich in oil, the late Col Muammar Gaddafi who ruled the country for 42 years and after his departure the chaos that flooded the country.

The North Africa region encompasses an important part of the whole continent. The above list of countries in North Africa shows exactly what the region is all about and how each of the nation impacts the entire continent both in a negative or positive way.

READ ALSO: Tallest building in Africa

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- The High Court ruled the Political Party Dispute Tribunal (PPDT) erred in reinstating Osotsi as the party's secretary general

- The legislator was suspended by Amani National Congress (ANC) after the party established he misused funds while serving in that capacity

- Osotsi moved to PPDT to contest the decision by the Mudavadi-led party to suspend him arguing it was irregular and biased

- The tribunal reinstated him but ANC filed an appeal at the High Court challenging the decision

- The nominated MP now risks losing his seat

Amani National Congress Nominated MP Geoffrey Osotsi now risks losing his seat after the High Court overturned a Political Party Tribunal decision that reinstated him as the party's secretary general.

The Mudavadi-led party accused Osotsi of high handedness and misuse of party funds while serving as the secretary general in the run up to 2017 General Election.

READ ALSO: MPs register for Huduma Namba days after banning company providing technology

Court nullifies decision to reinstate ANC secretary general Geoffrey Osotsi.Photo:Geoffrey Osotsi/Facebook

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: KDF officer shoots 3 dead, kills self in Uasin Gishu

High Court Judge Cecelia Githua ruled that the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT) erred the case in its finding adding the nominated legislator had not exhausted the partys internal dispute resolution mechanism.

The decision of the tribunal dated April, 12, 2018 is set aside in its entirety, the court ruled.

READ ALSO: Video of Diamond Platnumz's ailing dad with slay queen causes online stir

The decision means removal of Osotsi from ANC's register still stands and he risks losing his seat as the party's nominated legislator.

He had moved to the PPDT to contest his removal as the partys secretary general, saying it was irregular.

The Tribunal granted his prayers and reinstated him but the party, however, filed an appeal at the High Court challenging the decision.

Osotsis lawyers then filed an application for a judicial review of the partys processes involved in kicking him out.

In March, at a Special National Executive Council (NEC), ANC adopted the report of its disciplinary committee recommending the expulsion of the MP over claims of misuse of funds and disrespecting the party leadership.

The first time legislator has been working closely with Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga and has openly disregarded his boss Musalia Mudavadi, something that has not gone down well with ANC's leadership.

Story by Zipporah Weru- TUKO Correspondent, Nairobi

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news

Kenya's Recycled Hair Market I Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Ailing Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti on Tuesday, April 30, temporarily delegated his duties to his Deputy Governor, Hamilton Orata, as he seeks medical attention.

According to Awiti's director of press service Juma Aluoch, who has been representing the county boss in several functions, Orata will run the county affairs for now.

READ ALSO: Kakamega clergy say prayers sanctify harambee money, defend politicians' donations

Ailing Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti has temporarily delegated his duties to his Deputy Governor, Hamilton Orata, as he seeks medical attention.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Ivy Wangechi: Naftali Kinuthia denies killing Moi University student

Speaking to Nation, Aluoch said there was no cause for alarm but did not confirm if Awiti had traveled to seek medical attention out of the country again.

All affairs of the county will be run by the deputy governor as it has been since the governor has been unwell, he said .

There is no cause for alarm and all residents will get relevant services from the county. There is no vacuum," he added.

READ ALSO: Court nullifies decision to reinstate ANC secretary general Geoffrey Osotsi

The county boss has been battling with partial blindness coupled by diabetes, and is said to have undergone eye surgery in German.

His absence from the limelight had sparked concerns over the running of the county affairs with local politicians accusing him of runaway corruption.

Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans Angry after Uhuru and Raila go to China for new loan

Source: TUKO.co.ke
A man accused of shooting a 16-year-old girl earlier this month remained in the Tulsa County jail Monday after a judge reduced his bail to $500,000  almost seven times the default amount for the charge.

Special Judge James Keeley reduced Mdabu Montazirs $1 million bail to $500,000 at a bond reduction hearing Monday afternoon.

Keeley said Montazir, 37, initially had an emergency order to remain jailed without bond after a Tulsa police detective called the court to express concern that Montazir, a U.S. citizen from Bangladesh, could be a flight risk. Bail was later set at $1 million.

Defense attorney Stephen Lee argued for a $75,000 bond, which is the default amount Tulsa County lists in its bond schedule for the charge of shooting with intent to kill. Montazir operates a convenience store in the Tulsa area and has a 2-month-old son with his wife, who has struggled to operate the familys business in Montazirs absence, Lee said.

This is not about punishment, Lee told Keeley of the bail amount. This is about ensuring hes going to show up to court.
About 1 p.m., officers responded to a report of a woman who had been assaulted by her boyfriend in the 1900 block of Lariat Circle. A man was seen running down the street taking his clothes off in the area shortly after police responded. About an hour later, officers chased a naked man in the 500 block of Gray Fox Run. An officer used a Taser on the man, but a fight continued between the officers and the man. The man was shot by an officer several times. He was taken to OU Medical Center where he died, police reported.
One person was killed and a juvenile was wounded in the parking lot of a midtown Walgreens late Monday in what police say was likely a self-defense shooting.

About 11 p.m., Andrew Stites rode a rental scooter to the store, 1440 S. Lewis Ave., to visit the pharmacy, police said. While he was leaving through the parking lot, Stites got into a verbal confrontation with a woman and a boy who were sitting in a parked car, Capt. Shellie Seibert said Monday.

Stites walked away but returned with a knife after throwing down the scooter. The juvenile grabbed a gun, accidentally shooting himself in the hand in the process, and shot Stites multiple times, Seibert said.

She said it did not appear that the parties knew each other.

The woman and juvenile drove to a hospital, where the boy was treated for his injuries, Seibert said. They both were cooperating with police, and it seemed that their stories matched up with witness statements and video footage from the store, Seibert said.

Homicide Sgt. Brandon Watkins said early Monday that the shooting most likely was done in self-defense.
William Slater Bill Banowsky, who served as the University of Oklahomas 10th president from 1978 to 1985, died Sunday. He was 83.

Banowsky came to the University of Oklahoma from Pepperdine University, where he had been president for seven years.

Born in Abilene, Texas, Banowsky grew up in Fort Worth and earned his bachelors degree from David Lipscomb College before earning a masters degree from the University of New Mexico and a doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Southern California, according to a statement from OU. He left OU to become chairman of the OPUBCO Broadcasting Co.

James Gallogly, OUs current president, said that although Banowsky left the university years ago, his legacy continues to serve students.

Presidents strive to leave a legacy that will support learning and passion for the university for generations to come, Gallogly said in the statement. Bill Banowsky was that kind of president.

We are saddened as Sooners by our loss and extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.
HUGO  Quin Jacobs is not yet sure how he will explain to his children why the police shot into the vehicle they were in.

On Monday, Jacobs did not even have those answers for himself.

These kids, they dont know no better, Jacobs said. I was telling them theyre (the police are) supposed to be there to protect and serve. Its kind of hard to tell them  they know who did it  but why they did it, because I dont know.

Three of Jacobs children  LaKvionn, 5, Asia, 4, and Daidriona, 1  were injured Friday during an officer-involved shooting in Hugo, in southeastern Oklahoma.

Monday marked three days of sustained protests in response to the shooting.

Hugo police have been mum. It was not until Monday afternoon that city officials produced a statement. The protests have been sustained for the purpose of seeking justice and answers, organizers said.
Impeaching the president is necessary for our nation to survive his attacks on our Constitution.

Presidents are immune to felony charges. However, impeachment resolutions by the House of Representatives would elaborate on special counsel Robert Mueller's report's surmise that there were numerous instances of behavior by this president which might call for "political investigation."

Remember, numerous felony charges have convicted at least six of President Trump's political operatives, and there are more to come.

Never mind that the highly partisan Senate will vote against removing the president. A majority of 67 votes are necessary for conviction, presently requiring about 20 Republican votes. Republicans will be in near unanimous support for acquittal.

So why is it important to file the impeachment resolutions?

It is to establish a clear track record for history. Without the resolutions, future presidents could fearlessly imitate this president's behavior.

A record of "insiders" sworn testimony will shine a light on what actually happened. Dictators need secrecy. Staving dictatorship is a noble goal.
The boundary of Western civilization begins with the Ukrainian border, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov has stated in greetings on the occasion of the Border Guards Day.

"At all times, a strong border was one of the key elements of state security. Today, the boundary of Western civilization begins with the Ukrainian border. And the guards of the forefront of defense heroically and selflessly carry out all the tasks that the Ukrainian people and the state leadership have defined, defend its independence, sovereignty, and peace of the citizens," Turchynov emphasized, the NSDCs press service reported.

In hard and dangerous times, when the enemy threatened the very existence of our country, the border guards were the first to bear the brunt in the east. "Many of those who stopped the enemy invasion did not return home, giving their lives for the independence of Ukraine. Eternal glory to the heroes who gave the most valuable - their lives - defending the Homeland," he said.

The State Border Guard Service reliably protects Ukraine not only at the frontline. "Deepening cooperation with the border authorities of the European Union member states, the Black Sea and Baltic regions, the United States of America, as well as with international law enforcement organizations, testifies to Ukraine's significant contribution to international and regional security, in the fight against transnational and trans-border crime," Turchynov noted.

According to the NSDC secretary, the restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, the liberation from the occupation of Donbas, the return of Crimea lay ahead, and the border guard authority is of great importance for the fulfillment of these tasks. "The state will continue its efforts to increase its ability to effectively confront the challenges and threats at the state border," Turchynov said.

As reported, on April 27, 2018, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on the establishment of the Border Guards Day in Ukraine on April 30.
04/17/2019

Lowell Sun

LOWELL-- The largest graduating class in UMass Lowell history will receive advice from a newly elected congresswoman and two internationally renowned educators.

Setting a record for the most graduates for the 12th consecutive year, more than 4,000 members of the class of 2019 will be celebrated at three ceremonies on Friday, May 17 at 10 a.m. and Saturday, May 18 at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. Since 2007, UMass Lowell's enrollment has increased 57 percent and this is the first year that the university has held three ceremonies to accommodate all of the graduates and their friends and families.

At Saturday's morning ceremony, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, elected in November 2018 to succeed Niki Tsongas in representing Massachusetts' Third District, will serve as Commencement speaker.

At the afternoon ceremony on Saturday, graduates will be addressed by Jack Wilson, president emeritus of the University of Massachusetts system, founder of UMass Lowell's Jack M. Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship and UMass Lowell distinguished professor of higher education, emerging technologies and innovation.

The Commencement address at Friday's ceremony will be delivered by UMass Lowell Distinguished University Professor Meg Bond, director of the UMass Lowell Center for Women and Work, professor of psychology and an internationally recognized scholar on issues of gender equality in the workplace.

"Graduates at each of UMass Lowell's Commencement ceremonies will hear from leaders in education, entrepreneurship, gender equity and government. We are honored to have them address our Class of 2019," said UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, who will preside over the three ceremonies and is a two-time graduate of the university.

At the morning ceremony on Saturday, students will receive bachelor's degrees from UMass Lowell's Francis College of Engineering, Kennedy College of Sciences and Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences. At the afternoon ceremony, bachelor's degrees will be presented to graduates of the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Manning School of Business.

All 2019 graduates can say that they are graduating in the same class as Oprah Winfrey, who received an honorary doctor of humane letters from UMass Lowell in November at the Chancellor's Speakers Series event, "A Conversation with Oprah Winfrey." The event raised $3 million - including a $1.5 million gift from Winfrey - for student scholarships and recognized the first of UMass Lowell's Oprah Winfrey Scholars.

Commencement will also feature the presentation of honorary degrees to Gerald and Joyce Colella of Seabrook Beach, N.H., and Naples, Fla., who met and earned bachelor's degrees at UMass Lowell.

Gerald Colella is chief executive officer of MKS Instruments Inc., of Andover, a $2 billion technology and solutions provider to the semiconductor and industrial technology markets that he has guided to a 300 percent increase in revenue and successful billion-dollar acquisitions, including of Newport Corp.

Joyce Colella '77, a Lowell native, has dedicated many years to education, including as an elementary school teacher in Lowell and southern New Hampshire prior to her retirement and as a member of the College of Education advisory board. Together, the couple has generously supported the Manning School of Business and other university initiatives, and recently established a scholarship for students in the College of Education. In 2014, they received the Distinguished Alumni Award at Commencement.

In addition to honorary degrees, UMass Lowell will present the Distinguished Alumni Award, Chancellor's Medal for Outstanding University Support and Chancellor's Medal for Public Service and Civic Engagement.

The Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented to Brian Rist '77 of Fort Myers, Fla., executive chairman of Florida-based Storm Smart Industries, the largest manufacturer and installer of hurricane-protection products in the U.S., and native of Stoughton. Rist holds a bachelor's degree in operations management from UMass Lowell and is earning his MBA through the university's award-winning online program.

Earlier this year, he and his wife, Kim, made a $5 million donation to the "Our Legacy, Our Place" campaign for UMass Lowell, the largest single gift to UMass Lowell in its history. Kim Rist will be presented with the Chancellor's Medal for Outstanding University Support at Commencement. In addition to their gift to the campaign, the couple established the Rist Families Endowed Scholarship and support other university programs.

The Chancellor's Medal for Public Service and Civic Engagement will be presented to Jack O'Connor and Therese O'Connor of Lowell.

Jack O'Connor is founder of O'Connor School Portraits, one of the largest individually owned businesses of its kind in the U.S., and co-founder of Commencement Photos Inc., which annually photographs graduates at more than 400 colleges and universities around the nation.

Therese O'Connor has devoted more than 35 years to community work around the Merrimack Valley, including serving on the boards of organizations and the UMass Lowell String Project and founding the Women Working Wonders Fund. With her husband, who also serves on numerous boards of local organizations, O'Connor has been a loyal supporter of UMass Lowell and its students through funding scholarships.

UMass Lowell will recognize the honorees and top student award winners at the annual Commencement Eve Celebration on Friday, May 17 at 5:30 p.m. at University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell. Since 2008, the benefit has raised millions of dollars for student scholarships.

For more on Commencement, visit www.uml.edu/commencement.
The World Economic Forum at Davos earlier this year saw a spirited debate on purpose, with several critics arguing that despite a more socially-inclined public veneer, buzzwords such as philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, impact investing and social enterprise are just that  buzzwords that fail to reduce inequalities.

There is a deepening frustration with the rhetoric of purpose, sustainability, and the notion that profits and social good can go together. These concerns are understandable. Despite talk of impact and social purpose, few businesses are putting these principles at the core of their operations. Yet to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the private sector will have to participate in equal measure.

The SDGs present an urgent challenge. But theyre also bringing to light some of the biggest investment opportunities in a generation, worth some US$12 trillion. And nowhere is the scale of this opportunity larger than in India. While many home-grown enterprises have stepped up to fill gaps, not everyone has benefited from Indias impressive progress.

Oxfam estimated that in 2018, 73 percent of the wealth generated went to the top one percent of Indians. A recent Pew Research Centre survey found that about half the mobile users in India use basic phones without internet connectivity  leaving millions without the means to participate in efforts such as Digital India. Women are particularly underserved  fewer than a third of all internet users in India are women.

So how do we encourage the private sector to bring its resources, innovation and agility to the SDGs? Businesses will pursue the SDGs only when core issues are addressed. The risks are high; underserved markets and regions impose particularly difficult operating conditions; and infrastructure and supply chains are often underdeveloped.

The government has a critical role to play. After Indias government set an ambitious target of generating 100 GW of solar power by 2022 and rejigged policy, it was private enterprise that took advantage of the conducive policy environment to open up new markets.

In 2019, large solar farms are estimated to generate more than 10,000 MW of electricity. Reduced prices and off-grid solar is bringing power to those who have been doing without. The UN also has an important role to play in bringing government and the private sector together.

We must also explore new and innovative approaches to financing that go beyond traditional debt and equity. The good news is that innovative financing is catching up in India.

The Educate Girls Bond in Rajasthan was the worlds first development impact bond in education. It sought to increase enrollment and learning for 18,000 children with payments tied to success. While the costs of putting it together were high, the bond produced results.

Similarly, HSBCs SDG bond, the first of its size issued by the private sector, was oversubscribed three times. Indonesias Sovereign Green Sukuk is another example, a global first that has raised US$1.25 billion for responsible, Sharia-compliant, green investments since it was first issued in 2018.

Blended finance is often spoken of as a solution that absorbs the risks that prohibit private sector investment by bringing non-commercial capital. We cant afford to view different sorts of capital, from the commercial to the altruistic, as separate from each other.

For any project or investment, the cost of financing is tied to the price of risk. This is where public, donor or aid funds  including domestic funding  must step up and bear greater risk to provide truly complementary financing.

Corporations should also put sustainability at the core of their businesses. Purpose-driven investing doesnt amount to purpose-washing. Thats where tools like SDG Impact, a global initiative launched last year, comes in. SDG Impact provides investors with the clarity, insights and tools to support and authenticate their contribution to achieving SDGs.

As BlackRocks Larry Fink noted in his 2018 letter to chief executives, its not just possible for corporations to make a positive contribution to society, its essential. Without investment in employees, innovation and sustainability, there can be no long-term growth  and no better-than-expected returns. Economic growth and human development are not contradictory; they are mutually reinforcing.

Responsible business attracts long-term sustainable investment where risks are better managed. More investments create opportunities for economic growth, which translates into more means for countries to empower disadvantaged communities. Business leaders and changemakers must act with urgency to do their part to transform our future. The price of doing nothing is too high.

Previously UNDP Resident Representative in India, Francine Pickup is now UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia
UNHCR staff distribute relief items to displaced families in Misrata, Libya.  UNHCR

In Libya, thousands of women, children and men have been forced to flee to Tripolis suburbs to escape clashes that continue to engulf the southern part of the city.

Indiscriminate shelling and heavy gunfire are causing destruction and displacement. And the number of people affected is rising. More than 42,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict began earlier this month. According to the World Health Organization, 345 people have died including 22 civilians, and another 1,652 are injured.

It is imperative that every effort is taken to ensure that civilians are not being caught in the crossfire, and to spare civilian infrastructure.

In the most conflicted-affected areas, there is an increasing sense of desperation. UNHCR staff in Libya say people are afraid to leave their homes. Water is in short supply, power is regularly cut off and there is scarce access to food, fuel and other key basic items.

In addition to our work in trying to protect refugees and migrants in Libya in the current difficult circumstances, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has been moving life-saving aid and assistance to support Libyan civilians in the worst affected areas. An urgent delivery of medicines and medical equipment provided this week to the Ministry of Health.

Three fully-equipped ambulances have been provided to Tripoli Central Hospital, Al Hadaba Alkhadra Hospital and the Tajoura National Heart Centre, all of which continue to provide medical treatment in extremely challenging conditions.

UNHCR, with our partner Libaid and other local organisations, has also delivered blankets, sleeping mats, solar lamps, kitchen sets, buckets and other key relief items to some 6,200 displaced people sheltering in collective shelters and urban areas in Tripoli, Azzawya, Sabratha, Garabulli and Misrata.

However, the extremely volatile security situation means access for UNHCR and other humanitarian organisations to some areas remains severely restricted.

UNHCR appeals for unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to all affected areas and to agree to a temporary humanitarian truce to allow for the provision of emergency services and the safe and voluntary passage of civilians out of conflict-affected areas.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
There were only two lawsuits lodged with the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeals, but they were rejected.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has officially declared Volodymyr Zelensky as winner of the presidential race in Ukraine.

The commission on Tuesday, April 30, announced the conclusions based on the results of 100% of the protocols submitted by the local election commissions and processed by the CEC, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

Read alsoZelenskys election proves Ukraine is a healthy democracy. Putin hates that: The Guardian

CEC Chairperson Tetiana Slipachuk read out the final statistics of the vote and declared Zelensky winner of the election.

"Presidential candidate Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky, 1978, [who has] a higher education degree, lives in Kyiv, [is] an art director of Kvartal 95, has no party membership, nominated by the Servant of the People Party, has been elected president of Ukraine," she said.

Slipachuk also said the CEC had no claims that could revoke the results of the voting. The CEC received a document from all the appellate courts that there were no cases in their trial that could have any impact on the established vote results.

There were only two lawsuits lodged with the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeals, but they were rejected.

The official results were established based on the signed protocol on the results of the presidential election. The protocol was signed by 15 of the 16 CEC members (one was absent at the meeting), as well as by authorized representatives of two presidential candidates Volodymyr Zelensky and Petro Poroshenko.

According to the data released by the CEC, Zelensky received 73.22% of the vote (13,541,528 voters cast their ballots for him), while incumbent President Petro Poroshenko had 24.45% of the vote (4,522,450 voters). Some 2.31% of ballots were declared invalid.

Under the Law on Presidential Elections, the newly elected president shall acquire authority after taking the oath to the Ukrainian people at an official meeting in parliament, after which the CEC shall present him or her a mandate of the President of Ukraine.
Simmons will take up her appointment in summer 2019.

Melinda Simmons has been appointed British Ambassador to Ukraine.

"Ms Melinda Simmons has been appointed Her Majestys Ambassador to Ukraine in succession to Ms Judith Gough CMG who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment," the British government said in a statement on its website.

Read alsoAmbassadors of Spain, Belgium, Britain recite Taras Shevchenko's poems on his 205th birthday (Video)

Simmons will take up her appointment in summer 2019.

Gough was appointed British Ambassador to Ukraine in March 2015.

From 2011 to 2013, Simmons was Deputy Director for Europe at the Department for International Development, a United Kingdom government department responsible for administering overseas aid.

From 2013 to 2016, she was Deputy Director for the Conflict Department at the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

From 2016 to 2018, she worked for the National Security Secretariat at different positions.
The activists were not detained.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on April 30 conducted new raids on Crimean Tatar activists' houses in Russia-occupied Crimea.

"06:15 a.m. local time. According to Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis [of the Crimean Tatar people] Nariman Dzhelyal, a raid took place at Crimean Tatar activist Rolan Osmanov's house. 06:30 a.m. Investigative activities in the house of another Crimean Tatar Dilyaver Bekirov, who lives on Zahorska Street in the village of Maliovnyche, were reported," the Crimean Solidarity community said on Facebook on April 30.

Later, it informed that the raids were over and the activists were not detained. The FSB reportedly told Osmanov that they had been searching for drugs.

Read alsoPolice detain Crimean Tatar woman staging single-person pickets near Khan's Palace in Bakhchisaray

In April 2018, Osmanov staged a one-person picket in defense of the Khan's Palace in the Russia-occupied town of Bakhchisaray. He held a poster saying, "Stop destroying Crimean Tatars' history under the guise of restoration!"

Osmanov lives on Yuvileina Street in the village of Urozhaine, Simferopol district. He is married, with two children, the youngest is six months old. His mother lives together with the family.

Dzhelyal also reported that the FBS had searched the house of Dilyaver Bekirov's son, Ruslan, 36, in the Russia-occupied city of Simferopol. The search was also conducted early in the morning. The FSB said they had found "documents calling for separatism" in the garage and "unknown powder in a bottle in one of the rooms." Ruslan Bekirov, who was reportedly not involved in any political and public activity, was brought to the police station in Simferopol's Kyivsky district, where he underwent drug testing and later released. He was told to remain in Simferopol until May 5 when the results of the tests are ready.

His lawyer Emine Avamileva said there were violations during the raids on the houses of Ruslan Bekirov, Dilyaver Bekirov, and Rolan Osmanov.

As UNIAN reported earlier, large-scale searches in Russia-occupied Crimea were previously reported early on March 27 when the FSB raided at least 25 houses of Crimean Tatars. Detainees were brought to Simferopol.
The villages of Lebedynske and Pisky have been attacked twice since Tuesday midnight.

The number of Russia-led forces' attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, on Monday, April 29, grew to eight instances.

In two instances, the enemy used banned weapons  82mm mortars, the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said on Facebook in a morning update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on April 30.

Also, grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms were used to shell Ukrainian positions.

Read alsoRussian command accelerates rotation of military units in occupied Donbas  intel

In particular, six attacks were reported in the Skhid (East) sector: 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms were used to attack the town of Maryinka; the village of Shyrokyne and the village of Pisky were attacked twice each  grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms were used. Fire from grenade launchers and small arms was opened near the village of Pavlopil.

Another two attacks were reported in the Pivnich (North) Sector near the village of Zolote-4 (82mm mortars) and the village of Travneve (grenade launchers).

According to Ukrainian intelligence reports, one enemy fighter was killed on April 29.

Since Tuesday midnight, the enemy has already mounted two attacks: grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms were used near the village of Lebedynske, while the enemy opened fire from grenade launchers of various systems near Pisky.

No Ukrainian army casualties were reported over the period under review. Ukrainian armed forces fired back after each of the attacks.

The situation along the contact line in Donbas is under control, the press center said. Ukraine's Joint Forces continue abiding by the Minsk peace agreements, it added.
The remaining passengers have been accommodated in hotels in the city of Oryol.

Fifteen Ukrainian citizens have been injured in a road accident in Russia's Oryol Oblast when a bus carrying 52 Ukrainians collided with a truck in the early hours of April 30.

"Fifteen citizens of Ukraine have been injured in a road accident," Deputy Director-General for Consular Service and Head of the Consular Support Department at Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Vasyl Kyrylych told UNIAN.

One of the injured is in a critical condition in Kromy district hospital, another two are in Oryol regional hospital. Others have been released from hospital after they received first medical aid.

Read alsoOne killed, another three injured as Ukrainian shuttle buses collide in Slovenia (Photo)

The remaining passengers have been accommodated in hotels in the city of Oryol.

"The consul is in touch with the local department of Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Relatives of the victims have been informed," Kyrylych said.

The accident occurred at 01:00 local time on April 30. Citizens of Ukraine were injured in a bus-truck collision in Kromy district, Oryol Oblast, the Russian Federation. After the collision, the bus overturned into a ditch.

According to first reports by Russian media, there were 21 injured.
This will be 74th anniversary of victory in World War II.

The Kremlin has announced that no foreign leaders are expected to attend Victory Day events in Moscow, Russia.

Special invitations to the heads of state to visit Moscow on May 9 were not sent out, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told the RIA Novosti edition.

Read alsoUkraine marks May 9 without military parade and St. George ribbons

In previous years, Peskov answered almost the same way to questions about foreign leaders' presence at Victory Day events in Russia. He explained that it was standard practice for "non-anniversary" years. However, Moldovan President Igor Dodon attended the May 9 parade in Moscow in 2017, the following year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrived in the Russian capital on May 9, 2018. Together with Putin, they took part in the "Immortal Regiment" event.

This year marks the 74th anniversary of victory in World War II.

At the celebration of the 70th anniversary in 2015, there were a number of foreign leaders in Moscow, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and President of China Xi Jinping. Western leaders, however, rejected Putin's invitation.
April 30 2019

Aberdeen Science Centre has asked Bancon Construction to begin work immediately on the transformation of old granite tram sheds at Constitution Street to create its 3m new home following a move to temporary premises on George Street.

Architects Halliday Fraser Munro have overseen design work for the facility which will repurpose the existing Satrosphere building as an exhibition and corporate space by adding a new build extension and inserting a mezzanine level to double available floor space.

As part of this work, the current roof will be renewed with its structure exposed to maximise natural daylight, illuminating a range of new interactive exhibits and displays.

Liz Hodge, chief executive of Aberdeen Science Centre, said: The awarding of this contract marks the start of an exciting milestone in our history and moves us closer to realising our long-term aspirations of revitalising Aberdeen Science Centre and creating a state-of-the-art facility people in the North-east can be proud of.

The new look science centre is expected to welcome the public from spring 2020.

Glasgow and Dundee science centres have separately received 4.3m in funding to improve their own offer.
April 30 2019

A masterplan prepared by Collective Architecture and LUC for Glasgows Hamiltonhill district has born its first fruits with the submission of plans to build 201 homes for Queens Cross Housing Association on the former Wester Common and St Cuthberts Primary School site.

Phase one plans focus on land bounded by Hobart, Bardowie, Carbeth and Stonyhurst Streets which will accommodate six distinct blocks comprising a mix of houses, townhouses, flats and wheelchair accessible properties.

Homes will be finished in brick predominantly with select use of metal cladding for variety in a bid to harmonise with the green space of the nearby Claypits Local Nature Reserve. Each property will sit within one of six character zones defined by their relationship to the nearest green space.

Explaining the evolution of their design approach the architects wrote: All perimeters are treated as frontages with public rooms facing the street and large openings promoting a strong relationship between building and streetscape.



Interest is generated in building form in response to topography and the need to step back at corners to allow existing service routes to be maintained and new surface water storage tanks to be located within adoptable areas; aesthetic and spatial benefits flow from the response to practical necessity.



Three further phases of 462 homes and parkland are pencilled in for delivery through to 2025.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The United Arab Emirates, in its capacity as the Chair of the Group of Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, has urged the international community to take united, practical measures to save the prospects for peace

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 30th Apr, 2019) The United Arab Emirates, in its capacity as the Chair of the Group of Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, has urged the international community to take united, practical measures to save the prospects for peace and the two-state solution during the quarterly Open Debate on the Situation in the middle East, including the Question of Palestine at the UN Security Council yesterday.

Speaking on behalf of the Group, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, underscored the organisation's commitment to an outcome that sees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the borders of 4th June, 1967, and with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the Madrid terms of reference.

"What is clear is that the situation on the ground in the Palestinian territories is fragile and cannot be neglected any longer," Ambassador Nusseibeh emphasised. "The conflict has critically destabilised the Middle East, paving the way for extremist groups to spread their messages of terrorism and violence."

Ambassador Nusseibeh called attention to the dire humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem. She noted that Israels near total closure of the Gaza Strip continues to harm the approximately 2 million Palestinians living in the territories, and that the generalised travel ban limiting travel to "exceptional humanitarian cases" and the severe restrictions on the entry and exit of goods to Gaza, pose significant consequences for Palestinian access to essential services.

She also called for support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, which provides aid to the majority of Gazas population and to refugees in need throughout the region.

In this regard, she also highlighted the endowment Fund for Palestine Refugees  announced during the 46th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in the UAE in March 2019  which aims to bolster the financial position of UNRWA, enabling it to deliver sustainable relief and services to Palestinian refugees.

Regarding the political process, Ambassador Nusseibeh stressed the importance of driving international momentum to resume progress. She noted the crucial role of the international community and the UN Security Council in reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the conflict and reiterated that the only viable solution to the conflict is the two-state solution.

Ambassador Nusseibeh emphasised that efforts towards international peace and security would not succeed without the end of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories. She called on Israel to stop its illegal settlement activities and for the end of any unlawful attempts to change the legal status of Jerusalem. Furthermore, she stated that any recognition of "Israeli sovereignty" over the occupied Syrian Golan does not alter the legal status of the Syrian Golan Heights under international law.

Additionally, she also highlighted the need for providing the necessary assistance and support for Palestinians to achieve economic and social development in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Nusseibeh concluded by affirming that the OIC will spare no efforts to advance international peace and security through the promotion of a two-state solution where Palestine and Israel live side by side in understanding, peace, and prosperity.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st May, 2019) Nicaragua has expressed its firm support for legitimate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the country's Foreign Ministry said in a Tuesday statement.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido urged Venezuelan civilians and servicemen earlier in the day to take to the streets to help depose legitimate President Maduro.

"The government of reconciliation and national unity and the Nicaraguan people condemn and categorically reject the innumerable provocation that has already been carried out today against the right to peace and stability of the Venezuelan people and its legitimate government, led by the constitutional president, comrade Nicolas Maduro," the statement reads.

Nicaragua also expressed its absolute support for all efforts by Maduro and the people of Venezuela to promote dialogue and reconciliation, and expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela.

Large-scale protests against Maduro began in Venezuela on January 21 soon after he was sworn in for a new term. Guaido proclaimed himself an interim leader of the country. A number of Western countries, including the United States, backed his claim. Maduro, in turn, has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as its puppet. Russia, China, and a number of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
The Holy Sees Permanent Observer Mission at the United Nations in New York on April 29 addressed an open debate at the Security Council on the Middle East situation and the Palestinian question.

By Robin Gomes

The Holy See is urging Israelis and Palestinians to alleviate the suffering of the people and pursue a future of peace and stability in the region.

Too many innocent civilians, on both sides, have paid the price of the indiscriminate use of violence and force, lamented Monsignor Tomasz Grysa, the First Counsellor of the Holy Sees Permanent Observer Mission at the United Nations in New York on Monday.

Listen to our report

Disunity

Speaking on behalf of the Holy Sees Permanent Observer, Archbishop Bernadito Auza, Msgr. Grysa noted that in Gaza, a disastrous humanitarian situation is feeding the despair among the Palestinian population, which at times is manipulated by extremist groups who resort to violence, while fear for Israeli security increases.

Underscoring the need for unity as essential for a politically stable and economically viable Palestine, the Holy See official commended the tireless efforts of neighbouring countries in forging talks with the various Palestinian factions and facilitating dialogue among them. These efforts, Msgr. Grysa pointed out are important towards respecting the inalienable rights, achieving the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and in attaining lasting peace and security for Israel.

Two-state solution

The increasingly fragmented Palestinian land, Msgr. Grysa noted, is making the two-state solution more difficult to realize. However, "difficulty does not mean impossibility", he pointed out, adding that it depends on Israelis and Palestinians, regional actors and the rest of the international community, to make every effort and use all their political and diplomatic persuasion to prevent this difficulty from becoming an impossibility.

Regarding a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem, he urged that the cycle of violence be broken and that both parties avoid unilateral actions.

The Holy See commended countries that have increased their donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which, while supporting the refugee population, especially children, is also helping wider regional development and security.

Status quo of Jerusalem

Msgr. Grysa also raised the issue of the identity of Jerusalem and its status quo, saying, it affects the fragile populations who live there and has potentially detrimental effects on peace and stability in the region.

In this regard, he recalled the joint appeal that Pope Francis and King Mohammed VI of Morocco signed in Rabat on March 30, that calls for preserving the Status quo of the Holy City of Jerusalem as the common patrimony of humanity and especially the followers of the three monotheistic religions, as a place of encounter and as a symbol of peaceful coexistence, where mutual respect and dialogue can be cultivated.
A member of the CIA helps evacuees up a ladder onto an Air America helicopter on the roof of 22 Gia Long Street on April 29, 1975, shortly before Saigon fell to advancing North Vietnamese troops.

Illustrating the Fall of Saigon, this is the most iconic picture of the evacuation of Saigon and there's no free replacement which captures the event in the same way. (Photograph: Hugh van Es)

Dutch photographer Hugh van Es , who died in 2009 at the age of 67, became famous for his iconic picture of Americans leaving Saigon, on one of the last helicopters out, on 29 April 1975, the day before the city was captured by the North Vietnamese army at the end of the Vietnam war. At the time he was working as a staff photographer for United Press International (UPI).The photograph has usually been assumed to be of the US embassy, but in a newspaper article Van Es wrote: If you looked north from the office balcony, towards the cathedral, about four blocks from us, on the corner of Tu Do and Gia Long, you could see a building called the Pittman Apartments, where we knew the CIA station chief and many of his officers lived. Several weeks earlier, the roof of the elevator shaft had been reinforced with steel plate so that it would be able to take the weight of a helicopter. A makeshift wooden ladder now ran from the lower roof to the top of the shaft. Around 2.30 in the afternoon, while I was working in the darkroom, I suddenly heard Bert Okuley [a UPI staffer who escaped that evening] shout Van Es, get out here, there's a chopper on that roof!Van Es grabbed his camera and dashed to the balcony. Looking at the Pittman Apartments, he said , I could see 20 or 30 people on the roof, climbing the ladder to an American Huey helicopter. At the top of the ladder stood an American in civilian clothes, pulling people up and shoving them inside. Of course there was no possibility that all the people on the roof could get into the helicopter, and it took off with 12 or 14 on board ... Those left on the roof waited for hours, hoping for more helicopters to arrive. To no avail.After shooting about 10 frames, Van Es went back to the darkroom and prepared a print for his regular 5pm transmission to Tokyo. It took about 12 minutes to send a single print with a caption but, as he laconically put it: Editors didnt read captions carefully in those days. The picture was erroneously described as showing the embassy roof and, after years of trying to put the record straight, the photographer gave up. Thus, he said later, one of the best known images of the Vietnam war shows something other than what almost everyone thinks it does.He was born Hubert van Es in Hilversum in the Netherlands and learned his profane and always apparently rudimentary English while hanging out with allied troops at the end of the second world war. He had decided he wanted to become a photographer at the age of 13, after going to a photo exhibition at the local museum which featured the work of the war photographer Robert Capa, who became his lifelong hero.Van Es began work as a photographer with thein Amsterdam in 1959. After arriving in Hong Kong as a freelance in 1967, he joined theas chief photographer, and the following year had a chance to go to Vietnam as a soundman with NBC News. After a brief stint there, he joined the Associated Press staff and was with them in Saigon until 1972, when he transferred to UPI, with whom he spent three years.The only money he ever made from the famous photograph was a one-off bonus of $150. Proud though he was of the picture, he was even more pleased with the shots he had taken during the battle for Hamburger Hill. Van Es stayed on in Saigon and took pictures of the North Vietnamese, made safer by the Vietnamese words, meaning Dutch Press, which he stuck in his camouflage hat along with a miniature plastic Dutch flag. After Vietnam, he made Hong Kong his base and also covered the Moro rebellion in the Philippines and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Rescue and relief operation are underway on a street submerged in flood waters in the Montreal suburb of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Quebec, Canada. (Sebastien St-Jean/AFP)

Meanwhile an operation is underway to rescue pets from homes in the area that had to be abandoned during evacuations.

Hardest hit was the town of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, west of Montreal, where more than 6,000 people were forced to flee rising waters over the weekend after a natural dike was breached.

Flooding in the town "is stabilising," Quebec Public Safety Minister Genevieve Guilbault told a press conference.

"Water levels are falling and we hope that we can protect the area," she said, noting that construction of new gravel barriers was underway to keep waters at bay.

About 9,000 people have been displaced in Quebec province, or twice the number in 2017, which had seen the region's worst flooding in a half-century.

In the rush to flee the rising water scores of pets were abandoned.

Eric Dussault, whose Animal Rescue Network is spearheading the effort to find the marooned pets, said an emergency shelter has been set up and people with training in animal rescues and expertise in cat and dog behaviors have been sent door to door.

"We have a huge number of animals we need to evacuate. We're working with a list of hundreds of animals supplied by their owners," he said.

About 40 animals were rescued since late Sunday, but the group was too late to save a dog, a guinea pig and another unspecified animal believed to have drowned or died of hypothermia.

"Flooding is incredibly stressful on animals," Dussault told AFP.

In New Brunswick, more than 1,000 people have been forced from their homes. A handful also were evacuated in the capital Ottawa.

Several thousand soldiers have been deployed throughout Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick to help with evacuations and fill sandbags.

Guilbault said she expects there will be a break in rainfall, but added that waters are likely take a long time to recede.
Bayer cites a strong partnership with government, farmers, and the private sector in helping to improve sustainability

As the government looks to develop sustainable agriculture, German life sciences giant Bayer has launched many innovative solutions for Vietnamese farmers to secure harvests and increase productivity. One initiative the group has developed for the Vietnamese market is the Much More Rice programme. The programme combines timely applications of seed treatments, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides connected with farmers practices as integrated crop management methodologies that helps them reduce inputs and improve rice yield and quality, and ultimately profitability. As a result, the programme is being broadly recognised and adopted by farmers, and has become a testament to Bayers efforts to support national objectives to lift productivity.

The company not only provides technical solutions but also enables farmers to have capability and market links via many initiatives, such as the Public-Private Partnership Taskforce for a sustainable and high quality brand of Vietnam Rice, Better Life Farming Alliance to develop sustainable and scalable business models benefitting smallholder coffee farmers, and the Better Rice Initiative Asia for improvement of rice value chains.

Riding on the achievement, Bayer continues to research and develop further solutions for other produce and fruits in Vietnam such as pepper, coffee, pomelo, dragon fruit, tomatoes, and cabbages. Thanks to Bayers Much More Coffee/Black Pepper/Fruits solutions, Vietnamese farmers can increase productivity, save labour costs, and raise quality and profit compared to normal farming cultivation practices. With better yield crops and sustainability, Bayer has helped Vietnam realise a rapid transition from quantity to quality to accelerate agricultural export in order to drive GDP growth.

The solutions set a good example of how industry can contribute to sustainable agriculture in Vietnam. The model Bayer has created in the country is a strong partnership between the government, farmers, and the private sector.

Recently, Bayer has joined forces with the Western Highland Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute and partner Netafim to introduce an advanced solution called Drip Protection. It is the combination of Much More Coffee and Velum, the soon-to-be-launched nematicide from Bayer, developed for a drip irrigation system. With Drip Protection, water and crop protection products are distributed through fields via the drip irrigation system and delivered directly to the roots of the crop.

For farmers, the solution brings better profitability and cost reduction as well as helping with risk management. As for the industry, this innovation is setting a new standard for further application and advancement. On top of that, the solutions underscore Bayers commitments to develop hi-tech agriculture as well as facilitating the government to enter the Industry 4.0 era.

The innovation of Bayer also makes its important contribution to timely and effective tackling of the epidemic in agriculture in Vietnam. For example, Bayers corn hybrids containing Fall Army Worm (FAW) spodoptera frugiperda resistance technology are considered as a safe and effective tool to tackle FAW, which has invaded the country and caused damage in some northern and north-central provinces as well as the south central coast.

According to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on its document issued on April 24, FAW is able to migrate far, causing serious damage mainly in corn and many other crops. Yield loss due to FAW can reach 30-60 per cent in corn. Therefore, timely and effective disease management, as well as the cultivation of corn hybrids containing FAW resistance technology is an urgent need for such massive epidemic attack.

Since 2014, this corn hybrid has been allowed by the government to be marketed in Vietnam. As reported by PG Economics from the UK, 125,000 farmers gained economic benefits by growing corn hybrids containing insect resistance and weed control, amounting to additional income per family farm of between $74 per hectare to $141 per ha.

As a result, Bayer is now a recognised trendsetter in the field of seeds and crop protection in Vietnam. These innovative crop solutions as well as seeds and traits have made enormous contributions to improving the lives of millions of Vietnamese farmers and make great contribution to Vietnams agricultural developments.

Beside agriculture, another focus area in Vietnam is the healthcare and pharmaceutical market. Vietnams growing and aging population, as well as an increase in cancer and chronic medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, have contributed to a growing demand for new and better medicines. Bayer, with its diverse portfolio of innovative medicines, will not only help Vietnam serve growing healthcare needs, but also increase Vietnamese patient access to these innovative medicines.

Lynette Moey, country head of the Pharmaceuticals Division of Bayer in Vietnam, said, Innovative medicines help patients live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. With incidents of chronic diseases predicted to increase, and to improve the current standard of care, Vietnam needs to evaluate and prioritise the removal of barriers for the introduction of innovative therapies for patients.

According to Moey, there is a need for governments to extend financial protection via social health insurance and publicly-supported healthcare to relieve patients from the cost burdens of treatments. Patients can also consider additional financing options through private health insurance.

Patient-assistance programmes supported by private companies, together with partners from local healthcare and NGOs, will also help close such gaps. In Vietnam, Bayer is among a few private companies sponsoring such a programme, managed by the Bright Future Fund, to provide Vietnamese patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma or advanced renal cell carcinoma with better access to first-line oral targeted therapy.

In addition, Bayer has also been active in hosting scientific information programmes to provide medical updates and knowledge sharing for healthcare providers in Vietnam. The company has tied up with various entities to enhance knowledge and awareness of key health issues and disease prevention in the country.

For example, Bayer partnered with the Ho Chi Minh City Stroke Association to enhance scientific knowledge of cardiovascular diseases in Vietnam. The symposia provided the most up-to-date insights on the use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in addressing unmet medical needs in thrombosis management.

Bayer has also empowered Vietnamese women with more awareness to make informed choices on contraception and their sexual health. On World Contraception Day last September, in partnership with the Government Office of Family Planning and the Vietnam Women Union, Bayer reported on the progress of the three-year joint collaboration programme Family Planning Education, aimed at improving womens access to contraception information.

These efforts have helped Bayer gain trust of patients, the medical community, and other healthcare partners over the last 25 years in Vietnam. It is clear that the companys dedication to the industry remains steadfast as Bayer sees Vietnam an important contributor to its pharmaceutical sales in the Asia Pacific region.

Last but not least, Bayer has contributed to many corporate social responsibility initiatives in Vietnam over the last quarter of a century. Efforts have been made through technical support in science and education, health and social needs, and agricultural development.

Moving forward, Bayer will continue to accompany the Vietnamese government in efforts to improve the lives of all Vietnamese people.
A flag-raising ceremony was held at the Hien Luong-Ben Hai historical relic site in Vinh Linh district, the central province of Quang Tri, on April 30 to mark the 44th anniversary of the Liberation of South Vietnam and National Reunification Day (April 30). (Photo: VNA)

As part of the national reunification festival co-organised by Nhan dan (Peoples) daily, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the provincial Party Committee and Peoples Committee, the event also aims to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu victory which ended French colonial rule in Vietnam (1954-2019) and the 47th anniversary of the liberation of Quang Tri (May 1, 1972).

The event was attended by Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) and Head of the CPVCCs Commission for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac, Nhan Dan Editor-in-Chief and Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association Thuan Huu, and VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi, among others.

Hien Luong Bridge across Ben Hai River, which divided North and South Vietnam during war, is 178 m long but it took 21 years for Vietnamese people from the North and the South to be united. The bridge is the witness to the Vietnamese people's fierce but glorious struggle and a reflection of their desire for and belief in victory. Historical relic sites located on both banks of the river have been recognised as special national historical relics.

Quang Tri was one of the most devastated localities during the war by thousands of tonnes of bombs and shells. The province was also well known for the fierce 81-day-and-night battle at the ancient Quang Tri Citadel.

In his opening remarks, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Hung highlighted major achievements Quang Tri has recorded over the past years across spheres, from economy to social affairs and national defence and security.

The flag-raising ceremony was followed by a Bai Choi singing performance at the southern bank of of the Hien Luong-Ben Hai special national historical relic site, a boat race on Ben Hai River and an inaugural ceremony of the project on upgrading the southern bank of the site.

Delegates paid tribute to fallen soldiers at the National Road 9 Martyrs' Cemetery, Truong Son Martyrs' Cemetery.

On April 29 night, an art programme entitled Aspiration for Unification was held at the historical relic site.

On this occasion, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi presented 1.8 billion VND (77,400 USD) to Quang Tri to build three classrooms at the kindergarten in Trieu Tai commune, Trieu Phong district. Nhan Dan newspaper and the Electricity of Vietnam also presented 1 billion VND (43,000 USD) to local social policy beneficiaries.

Addressing the event, Thuan Huu, who is also deputy head of the CPVPCCs Communication and Education Commission, said that the Geneva Agreement defined the Ben Hai River on the 17th Parallel to be the temporary military line 65 years ago and Quang Tri was an extremely fierce battlefield.

The Quang Tri people had to endure many sacrifices and hardships. Forty seven years after the Liberation Day, people in Quang Tri have promoted their resilient tradition to build a more prosperous province with remarkable achievements in economics, society, and security and defence, he noted.

The art programme featured songs and dances to honour the fighting spirit of the Vietnamese army and people and the aspiration for national unification.
Lam Le, RSM partner  Tax and Consulting

How have digital technologies transformed the private sector in Vietnam?

With the economic growth and pace of development, the private sector in Vietnam is growing strongly with nearly 620,000 operating businesses and contributing approximately 40 per cent of GDP. In particular, the private sector employs about 51 per cent of the national labour force and creates about 1.2 million jobs each year.

The development trends of the digital era require enterprises to not shy away from innovation and take on a more creative mindset. There is a definitive need for additional investment, but this is not beyond the capabilities of the majority of entrepreneurs. In addition, the application of AI, the internet of things, robotics, augmented reality, VR, blockchain, and big data does not require great expenses.

However, after implementing technology and buying machinery and digital equipment, many enterprises have encountered obstacles. Just like technology innovation, the biggest thing in digital transformation is changing the mindset of the involved people  apart from financial constraints, of course.

Enterprises are directly affected by the digital transformation. It refers to the adoption of digital tools and methods by an organisation, typically those that have either not been including the digital factor as part of their core activities or have not kept up with the pace of change in digital technologies.

As a new source of growth, efficiency or relevance in an increasingly digital world, digitisation usually includes new communication and service delivery channels, including via mobile devices, with internal and external users, data-informed decision making, and business processes based on larger and larger volumes of data, new procurement mechanisms, and enhanced human resources abilities.

In the private sector, while digital transformation has more tangible drivers such as profit, efficiency gains, market share, and the retention of talented people, among others, and often more immediate results. In many cases it is likely to implicate many other processes and systems, requiring that digital solutions be considered closer to organisations core functions and improve their ability to quickly reconfigure themselves.

This change is often seized as an opportunity to partially if not integrally redefine the organisations main goals, its core values, to shed outworn and habit-sustained roles, and functions and handle new levels of market demand.

A specific challenge regarding digital transformation involves the ability to hire new types of talent and integrate digital-related tools, methods, strategies, and culture  not only into strategies and plans, but also into daily habits.

How can RSM Vietnam help private firms harness digital transformation and drive their businesses forward?

The business world is evolving rapidly, and digital transformation has recently become the pathway to create revenue and new value, increase profitability, and improve employee and client retention. It can also help remove IT complexities, risks, and barriers to innovation, allowing organisations to meet evolving business demands.

In fact, most companies cannot meet their digital transformation goals and it directly impacts their business and operations. In this digital transformation, we understand that private businesses need an advisor who thinks ahead and rapidly responds to your changing needs.

At RSM, we build strong relations based on a deep understanding of what matters to private businesses the most.

As the influence of the middle market grows and becomes increasingly important to driving the success of business in Vietnam, we are pleased to provide real-time, middle market relevant diagnostic review to help clients anticipate and address the unique issues and challenges facing their businesses and the industries in which they operate.

Our insights and analysis benefit clients and others by deepening understanding of the importance of the digital transformation in economic growth and stability.

Most private enterprises need knowledgeable assistance that can help them traverse the digital landscape

What services and solutions can you provide private businesses to accelerate their digital transformation?

Methods and tools for digital transformation can vary widely depending on the depth of the organisations interest. For improvements in service delivery, digital service and product design methods work well. For digital transformations that affect an organisations core functions or have the ability to impact business, organisational and strategic design methods should also be considered.

Some typical digital transformation practices or methods RSM Vietnam offers to clients include information architecture, service design, user experience design, product management, interaction design, data science and computer science, and engineering.

What gains has RSM Vietnam brought to your clients to drive digital transformation?

Digital technologies have drastically changed the way businesses operate. Businesses are increasingly trying to provide a superior and seamless experience to their digital clients, and thus improving their bottom line.

The proliferation of mobile devices, advanced knowledge of consumer behaviour, powered by analytics and the emergence of the cloud has thrown up new opportunities as well as challenges to businesses. Companies are struggling to innovate and grow due to the fragmented technology landscape, constant product evolution, and changing consumer preferences.

RSM collaborates with clients on developing a digital business strategy that is aligned with clients key business objectives and leverages digital technologies to produce a significant competitive advantage.

With a comprehensive suite of services to aid in digital transformation, RSM helps support and accelerate an organisations journey to unlock productivity gains across all levels of the organisation. Our digital transformation consulting leverages a wide spectrum of digital technologies to help companies improve products and services, enhance customer experience, enter new markets, and increase revenues.

The digital transformation is also disrupting the entire service industry. What is RSM Vietnams plan to build digital capabilities and nurture technology talent?

Our team of highly skilled learning and development specialists have the skills required to define and implement digital technologies and are committed to the ongoing development of all our people. With a particular focus on the digital needs of middle market businesses, we understand the unique growth opportunities and resource constraints that our organisation faces.

We help our staff acquire the capabilities and skills required to execute a transformation successfully. We have a wide range of programmes that have been created to allow individuals to tailor their development and coach them in topics such as IT-related design thinking, innovation management, ideation processes, and business agility.
Bui Tuan Minh, tax partner of Deloitte Vietnam

Resolution No.10-NQ/TW dated June 3, 2017, issued by the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party on the development of businesses in private sector in Vietnam, has called attention to the rampant private businesses malpractice of making fraudulent financial statements and dodging tax. What do you think are the most common tricks used by enterprises?

I myself have observed such practices at some private enterprises, however, it is on a descending trend. In fact, tax optimum or tax evasion have never been a top priority for private businesses in their early phase of establishment, especially for start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises. However, when private businesses grow up to a certain scale, there are two common stances among business owners: either reducing tax costs by all means (including tax evasion) or optimising tax costs while ensuring legal compliance.

The second choice is a rising trend and is an increasing concern for all private enterprises, especially as the government is implementing various solutions to support private enterprises to actualise the growth target, enabling it to grow faster than the overall economy.

It is critical to distinguish between tax optimum and tax evasion. In a simple way, tax optimum is when businesses utilize the prevailing regulations in a lawful and smart way, when crafting their long-term tax strategies and the industry characteristics to minimise tax costs. Meanwhile, tax evasion are acts against this principle, including the submission of fraudulent financial statements or tax reports.

What are the most common acts of tax evasion and fraud among private enterprises in Vietnam?

Tax evasion happens in most countries in the world, and Vietnam is not an exception. Since 2004, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Developments Forum on Tax Administration has been issuing a list of common tax evasion techniques and recommends compliance management models for tax authorities.

In Vietnam, the methods that private enterprises most often use to reduce their taxes through evasion are keeping two sets of books; creating fake buying-selling transactions, using illegal invoices to increase input expenses; and declaring lower taxable income, among others.

In fact, the General Department of Taxation and the local tax departments also annually assess and summarise the violations of tax laws by enterprises, including the private sector, to keep tax management practices and solutions up to date.

Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department has publicly disclosed a list of common tax errors of enterprises in the area, categorising them by industry.

Specifically, most common tax-related mistakes include: not issuing sale-invoices then declaring lower revenue; purchasing services from related parties which are not actually performed; using the invoices of run-away enterprises; paying wages not in accordance with labour contracts; recording business expenses that do not match their revenue; recording interests after loans that were not taken up for business activities.

How will these acts of tax evasion affect private enterprises in Vietnam?

Tax evasion acts can bring immediate benefits, allowing private enterprises to reduce tax costs in the short-term, however, they are not long-term solution.

Specifically, enterprises shall be penalised from up to 300 per cent the deemed tax-evaded amount under the Law on Tax Administration. Their business licence might also be revoked under the Criminal Law.

This will negatively affect the enterprises reputation and operations and the value of the business will be at risk of amortisation.

Maintaining two sets of accounting books, one for tax declaration purposes (the taxable profit is generally lower than the actual profit) and one for internal management purposes, could lead to the business owner being unable to control accounting records and lead to fraud risk in the enterprise.

I think business owners need to change their mindset to prevent these consequences and developing a tax strategy to optimise tax costs while complying with the law, which could ensure its long-term sustainable business development.

You have mentioned to build a tax strategy as a solution for private enterprises to optimise tax costs effectively. Can you tell more about how this can help?

An effective tax strategy that can help enterprises to optimise tax costs generally includes the following factors: First, an internal tax administration system that clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of each department and division, and provides for an independent monitoring mechanism to manage the tax activities of enterprises.

A tax risk management system with effective procedures helps assess tax risks and corresponding solutions to manage them.

Second, tax planning, the most important element of an effective tax strategy. Tax planning helps businesses estimate and optimise future tax costs based on the prevailing tax laws, tax reform trends, business plans, and the actual situation of the business.

Finally, consultation with the tax authorities under an effective and transparent working method that helps to solve unclear tax issues quickly and effectively. Private enterprises should act together with the Government on unofficial cost of doing business issue towards for honest and transparent business environment.

In addition to the above factors, enterprises also need to focus on training tax accountants who are competent and qualified to handle tax issues.

At the same time, they need to enhance the application of information technology to raise the efficiency of management and tax compliance control.

In fact, there are many enterprises who, after developing to a certain stage, come up with plans to co-operate with foreign investors to expand and thus invite consulting companies to help develop a better tax strategy.

Setting transparency and compliance as the top priorities contributes to the sustainable development and creates trust among business partners. Optimising tax costs on the basis of legal compliance by enlisting a professional tax consultancy is necessary and will be an effective tool to reduce operating expenses and risks.

(*) The scope of this interview focusses on limited liability companies and joint stock companies, including family businesses, which are hereafter referred to as private enterprises.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc devliers a speech at a roundtable meeting of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BFR) in Beijing, China. (Photo: VNA)

He applauded the speech presented by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which highlighted important cooperative principles of cooperation of the the BRI.

PM Phuc stated Vietnam will continue to cooperate with China and other countries to build effective and win-win cooperation forms.

He also applauded the theme of the forum, which underlines the need to enhance connectivity, policy resonance and sustainable development.

Connectivity must be promoted comprehensively, including digital connection, and development of transport, energy, information and telecommunication, as well as coordination among countries to ensure favourable policies for successful connection, he said.

It is necessary to expand cooperation among countries, international organisations, and involvement of enterprises and people in the process, he said.

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) in BRI are similar to 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda of the UN for Sustainable Development, he said.

PM Phuc emphasised the need to ensure balance between short-term and long-term development targets, effectiveness on economy, sustainability on the environment and social harmony, and bring benefits to the people.

He highlighted the need to listen and respect opinions of small and big countries, adding that differences should be addressed through consultations and dialogues, to make their cooperation effective.

Cooperation should be transparent, open, sincere, mutually beneficial, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, international law, he said, noting that this is the foundation for successful connectivity and development.

In his speech, the Vietnamese leader shared Vietnams experience in the 30-year renewal process, stressing that development is responsibility of each country and that the promotion of potential and strength along with international integration is the basis for successful cooperation.

He affirmed that Vietnam is focusing on promoting its socio-economic development and international integration, including cooperation with BRI; while making every effort to realise SDGs of the UN.

Many leaders to the event expressed their support for Vietnams opinions stated in PM Phucs speech.

On the sidelines of the 2nd BRFs roundtable meeting, PM Phuc had meetings with leaders of Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Director General of the International Monetary Fund.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc left Beijing for Hanoi later the day, wrapping up his trip to China to attend the 2nd BRF.
Vietnam puts great value in education and training, setting the high demand for international standards

Vietnamese families usually spend an average of 47 per cent of their total expenses for their childrens education. In contrast with the huge demand, the market is still short of modern education models and courses using renowned international curricula, falling short of parent and student requirements.

Over the past few years, the Vietnamese private education scene has seen the entrance of big names like Vinschool, TH School, VAS Hanoi, Wellspring, Ecokids, and others.

The most highlighted example is Vingroups Vinschool. After more than five years in operation, Vinschool has become the largest education system in the country, with 27 campuses across mainly Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Haiphong, enrolling nearly 23,000 students for the 2018-2019 academic year. Vinschool has taken on a pioneer position by reforming education in Vietnam, both in curriculum and philosophy.

Doan Hong Nhung, education quality accreditor at Vietnam National Universitys School of Law, told VIR that the majority of private schools offer good training because they can afford far larger investments in material facilities than public schools. In addition, they are careful in selecting teachers by educational background and certificates.

However, there are also challenges to introducing new education models like the Cambridge curriculum in Vietnam. Tran Hanh An, founder and CEO of Hoi An International School, told VIR that her education model focuses on holistic, student-centred education that is academically rigorous, while at the same time nurturing individual talent, creativity, as well as cultural and social awareness. The school places emphasis on cross-cultural daily lessons as well as on community activities to encourage foreign students, staff, and teachers to learn and communicate in Vietnamese.

To gain the best results, private schools need to limit the number of students in each class, which reduces investment efficiency as the new, expensive facilities serve only a small number of students at one time.

Promising sector

It has been claimed that education offers long-term sustainable profit with high margins and fewer risks than other investment sectors. This is also the reason why investors keep pouring money into the sector. For instance, Cognita Education Fund purchased International School Ho Chi Minh City and International Primary School Saigon Pearl, while Nord Anglia Education Fund acquired British International School  with a plethora of deals between international funds and language centres.

Indeed, pouring capital into education is a stable investment, without the risk of irrecoverable debts because students have to pay tuition before enrolment.

Forbes Vietnam recounted that 43 universities and colleges have announced financial statements so far, with 77 per cent reporting far higher revenue than expenditures. Of this, the profit margin of foreign language institutions was the highest in the sector, ranging from 20 to 50 per cent.

Reputable foreign investors in education have been entering Vietnam, adding more colour and diversity to the palette of teaching models and courses. This is a great opportunity for local businesses to partner up with foreign investors to launch courses that suit the local market.

An education organisation reported that Vietnamese people spend around $3 billion annually to study overseas, a figure rising rapidly year by year. According to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), 98,000 students received education abroad in the 2010-2011 period, increasing to 130,000 in 2016. Australia gains an average of $17 billion a year from overseas students, with a part coming from Vietnamese families.

Investment in private education keeps booming

Thanks to the huge demand for private institutions, investments in private education are forecast to continue. Kieu Xuan Hung, chairman of University of Economic and Finances Management Board, said that investments in private universities will continue as they educate less than 15 per cent of students in the country, while the Vietnamese governments target is to raise the rate to 30 per cent.

Therefore, there is still room for private universities.

Troy Griffiths, deputy managing director of Savills Vietnam, said that during 2014-2017 an average of one million agricultural labourers transferred to work in the industrial and services sectors each year, showing that urbanisation will maintain its dizzying speed in Vietnam. Therefore, education and training has become a priority to improve the skills and productivity of local labourers.

Griffiths also said that 41 per cent of the Vietnamese population is under 24 years old, and the middle class and affluent classes have been growing sharply, meaning the number of high-spending customers is on the rise. It is forecast that the demand for higher education will stay high, but there are concerns about the supply actually falling short of the demand both in quality and quantity.

Aiming to meet the demand, the MoET in 2018 issued Decree No.86/2018/ND-CP easing the conditions to establish and operate international schools. Accordingly, international schools are permitted to have up to 50 per cent of their students being Vietnamese nationals, instead of the previous 10-20 per cent. Nguyen Kim Dung, legal director for Apollo and British University Vietnam, said that the decree has contribute to raising the number of local students in international schools, meeting the widespread demand among local parents.
The ceremony was held on April 19 in Ho Chi Minh City in the presence of local authorities, partners, and customers. At Innovation Day, Schneider Electric led visitors through its memorable journey in Vietnam as well as discussed the future of Vietnam and smart cities, especially in this Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Schneider Electrics celebratory Innovation Day

The 25-year journey

As a foreign corporation, Schneider Electric arrived in Vietnam when it entered into a collaboration with the government to develop the 500KV North-South Transmission Line Circuit 1 from 1991 to 1993. The intense thirst for electricity for production and business activities in South and Central Vietnam was satisfied by this historic construction which was followed by a prolonged period of significant production growth. It also laid a solid foundation for the long-term collaboration between Schneider Electric and Electricity of Vietnam.

Officially operating in Vietnam since 1994, Schneider Electric has been continuously merging and joining forces with big names in the industry to expand its product portfolio and improve its capacity and serve the needs of Vietnamese businesses and consumers. The new factory opened in 2017 in Saigon Hi-Tech Park also marked a milestone in its journey of providing high-quality products to local and foreign markets. Later, in November 2018, Schneider Electric signed a memorandum of understanding with FPT Corporation for the development and deployment of the EcoStruxure platform and the training of skillful human resources. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Over the past 25 years in Vietnam, Schneider Electric has continued to implement its brand strategy Life is ON, which revolves around ensuring a good life and modern civilisation everywhere, for everyone, and at every moment through effective energy management. Along with the business strategy, corporate social responsibility activities help unlock the full potential of the global corporation to strengthen its position in Vietnam as well as fulfill its commitment to the development of Vietnam through technological advances and human resource training with a view to managing energy efficiently.

Sustainability commitment

Taking the lead in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, Schneider Electric has developed products and solutions to meet the evolving demands of customers and enterprises entering the next phase of development  in which energy management plays a critical role for competitiveness in the global market. Besides, smart cities and smart buildings is also a focus of the corporation, which aligns with the governments strategy to develop sustainable smart city hubs across the country during 2018-2025.

According to Schneider Electric, EcoStruxure has been shaping up as the key solution to helping Vietnam manage energy efficiently and catch up with the trend of digital transformation, being utilised in diverse segments such as EcoStruxure for Building, EcoStruxure Machine & Plant, EcoStruxure Grid, EcoStruxure for Data Centers, among others.

Reflecting a part of Schneider Electrics strategy for the upcoming 25 years, Yoon Young Kim, country president of Schneider Electric Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia, said, We have been operating in Vietnam for 25 years, and we expect that in the next 25 years, Schneider Electric will make further positive contributions to the countrys socio-economic development. We will continue to research and introduce international-standard products at reasonable prices in Vietnam, especially with an emphasis on EcoStruxure solutions. We are ready to accompany Vietnamese enterprises in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The top Vietnamese enterprises are creating prosperity on their journey to the top

In the Forbes list of the richest billionaires in the world in 2019, Vietnam boasted five slots on the list, the biggest being Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong.

Vuong, said to hold a total asset value of $6.6 billion, is ranked 239th, higher than US President Donald Trump ($3.1 billion), former CEO of Uber Travis Kalanick ($5.8 billion), and many globally-famous figures.

This is the seventh consecutive year Vuong has been named on the Forbes list. Last year, his total assets were valued at $4.3 billion, making him the 499th richest person at the time.

Second in Vietnamese terms is Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, general director of Vietjet, who has been named for the third time on the Forbes ranking. Thao holds a total asset value of $2.3 billion and is now ranked 1,008th.

THACO chairman Tran Ba Duong made his second appearance, placing 1,349th with total asset value of $1.7 billion. The two new Vietnamese billionaires as cited by Forbes are Ho Hung Anh, chairman of Techcombank ($1.7 billion and placed 1,349th), and Masan chairman Nguyen Dang Quang ($1.3 billion and ranked 1,717th).

Tran Dinh Long, chairman of Hoa Phat Group listed by Forbes last year, does not appear in the 2019 edition, but in the real-time list of the magazine, Longs existing assets are valued by Forbes at around $1 billion.

These Vietnamese billionaires show that though Vietnam remains a developing nation, its private economic sector has been growing spectacularly. Their strong development has been partly thanks to the governments business-friendly policies, and that Vietnams law system has been made more favourable for enterprises.

However, the success of major groups such as Vingroup and THACO, or many other big enterprises like Vinamit, Tan Tan, TH, and Thanh Thanh Cong has been made by specific individuals.

These are enterprising businesspeople who have used their own business and investment methods to drive their enterprises forwards, through novel values and innovation.

They have one thing in common: instead of trying to joining global value chains via co-operation with foreign-invested enterprises, they developed their businesses on their own strengths. After their businesses have grown strongly enough, they then established investment chains which later became magnets to other enterprises.

This fact is manifesting the increasing growth of Vietnamese enterprises, and also mirroring their big responsibility in making the country more affluent.

National pride

Almost all major enterprises in Vietnams private economic sector are trying to make themselves the focus of national pride through the improvement of the material and mental life of Vietnamese people.

Inamori Kazuo, one of Japans biggest entrepreneurs, said, Such businesspeople must first place their biggest priorities into making their employees happy in terms of material and spirit. To this end, they must have an ambition to develop their company to a national level, then a regional level, and finally a global level.

Furthermore, they must be impartial, always make efforts to develop, display patience in their business, and know how to grasp opportunities.

Vietnam now can take pride in these strongly-growing private enterprises which are taking the lead in many sectors, and contributing remarkably to national development.

However, the country needs to create a level playing field for all private enterprises to play. They must be entitled to engage in the sectors currently largely invested in by state-owned enterprises, such as infrastructure in roads, waterways, railways, and aviation, as well as modern transport means.

These entrepreneurs also contribute to inspiring other enterprises to grow, with the startup spirit beginning to show nationwide.

Huynh The Du, lecturer in public policy at Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management, said that Vietnamese billionaires are a point of national pride thanks to the big values they create.

We can talk about Vietjet as an example, Du said. For me, Vietjet is the pride for Vietnam and a bright example for inclusive development because this firm has enabled almost all Vietnamese people to travel by air. In another case Vingroup, despite some debate over its development, is a pride story because it has provided better homes to hundreds of thousands of people thanks to their housing and urban development projects.

I have also visited THACO, and see that this is a success story of Vietnams industrial manufacturing industry that many big enterprises in the country have failed to replicate, Du added.

Journey to prosperity

Nguyen Dinh Cung, head of the Central Institute for Economic Management, has been mulling over the question on whether Vietnam can become a prosperous nation by 2045, when the country will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of National Day.

Cung helped compile the landmark Vietnam 2035 report, a joint Vietnam-World Bank Group study titled Toward Prosperity, Creativity, Equity, and Democracy.

Cung said, A prosperous economy can be measured by such criteria as GDP and per capita income. However, people are not interested in those criteria theoretically. They are only interested in how they can increase their income, how can they develop themselves fairly and safely, and what opportunities they can grab.

According to Cung, all issues must be solved by internal strength, such as national competitiveness, innovation, and renewal which must be developed based on modern state governance, transparency, and respect to law.

He said that all Vietnamese people have their own aspiration to make themselves rich and make their nation prosperous. This dream can be realised if they have favourable conditions.

During the wars, Vietnams leaders won great confidence from people, creating aggregate strength to liberalise the country. Now in more peaceful times, we must do the same: to foster confidence among people toward an affluent nation, Cung stressed.

To this end, the countrys leaders must have strong aspiration for national prosperity, and must have specific actions in order to inspire all people.
TH Group has grown remarkably with its fresh dairy products

For the last 10 years, TH Group, owner of the renowned TH true MILK brand in Vietnam, has been operating a $1.2 billion hi-tech concentrated dairy and fresh milk facility in Nghia Dan district of the central province of Nghe An.

Recognised by the Indian-based Asia Book of Records as the biggest hi-tech cow-raising facility in Asia, the farm has been applying high technology in all of its production stages.

There are many examples of a global footprint making a mark in the facility. The technology in cow management originates from Israels Afimilk, while animal health management tech is imported from New Zealands Totally VET. Elsewhere, the cow feed processing and managing comes from Israels Ration All and One 1.

Meanwhile, the cow-oriented water filtering is a product of Amiad, also of Israel, and the wastewater treatment technology is imported from Aqua in the Netherlands. Japans SunEarth produces the compost processing, while the financial management technology stems from Germany.

All of these are applied in integrated production chains. With this model, TH Group has been recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as the sole enterprise in Vietnam with such hi-tech applications.

Thanks to modern governance and machinery systems, the labour capacity at TH currently stands at a very high level. Specifically, only one or two workers are required to take care of thousands of cows. This is 10-20 times higher than through manual labour.

Currently, the group is also constructing the first phase of a major hi-tech concentrated dairy farm in the south-central province of Phu Yen. The 82-hectare phase has total investment capital of VND1.15 trillion ($50 million), with 5,000 dairy cows.

In the second phase, from 2019-2022, the number of cows will increase to 20,000, with total investment capital mounting to VND4.57 trillion ($198.7 million). All animals are imported from the United States.

Also at present, while constructing a $2.7 billion hi-tech concentrated dairy and fresh milk production project in Russia, TH Group is constructing a similar project in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of Russia.

A spectacular breakthrough

Since its initial development stage, TH Group has poured a great deal of money into importing the worlds most modern machinery and equipment for its dairy farms and fresh milk processing.

With her passion and great devotion to hi-tech agricultural projects and fresh milk production, group founder Thai Huong decided to utilise technological and scientific achievements to create the best milk products for the Vietnamese people.

Over the past decade, TH Group has marketed more than 70 types of different fresh milk-based products. Huong has also been recognised as the inventor of Vietnams safe fresh milk industry. She has also strived to make the Vietnamese milk market transparent and in line international standards.

TH Group has made a spectacular breakthrough in its growth. According to Nielsen, a leading global information and measurement company, TH true MILK products grew almost 22 per cent on-year in outputs in the first 11 months of 2018, while the countrys liquid milk industry saw almost no growth. At present, THs market share in fresh milk in urban areas is nearly 40 per cent, making the group the leader in this area.

Meanwhile in urban locations, where consumption of liquid milk products has been slowing down, THs fresh milk products have been enjoying an on-year 15 per cent increase.

In addition, according to the groups financial reports, its net profit hit VND319 billion ($13.9 million) in 2017, and VND450 billion ($19.56 million) last year, 15 times higher than in 2014.

In 2018, TH Group raked in more than VND7 trillion ($304 million) in revenue, far outpacing what founder Huong ever envisioned just a few years ago.

I produce fresh and clean milk, as if I am taking care of my children, Huong said.

The best milk for all

Before TH true MILK was created, the Chinese milk market was rocked by a melamine scandal caused by a milk production firm. At the time, Huong found that she must act quickly with her own safe fresh milk projects.

The users of milk are mostly children, who are of course Vietnams future. Thus the milk products for them must be safe, Huong said. But in order to implement projects, I needed a teacher. Thus I found the teachers in Israel, the worlds leader in raising dairy cows. Israel also has similar climate conditions as Vietnam.

One of the advantages for Vietnam is its potential-filled agriculture. It has taken time for Huong to find suitable products, but finally she decided to invest in producing fresh milk and other products such as vegetables, herbs, and fruit.

Vietnam once suffered a lack of fresh milk. Huong believed that the biggest reason was that the country did not have a big herd of dairy cows able to meet local demand for milk material. The country also did not have modern technology to raise cows that could produce high quality milk.

Thanks to our projects, Vietnams dairy cow herds have increased remarkably, and other milk makers will have to make greater efforts, she said.

Cows are also like humans. If they are treated well, they will give good milk, Huong added. If we are careless in milking, it will be contaminated with bacteria and consist of low quality. Dairy cows can easily be exposed to mastitis. Thus if we have no monitoring system to examine the milk before we milk the animals, the milk may be contaminated by blood or pus.

If a cow is found to have insufficient milk, it must be separated from the herd to be fed with more nutritious substances. Before the TH true MILK project was implemented, the country had no specific standards on producing fresh and clean milk, Huong added.

I am proud that I have paved the way for this industrys development. Production of fresh milk needs a perfect process from breed selection and taking care of cows, to product preservation and distribution.
The cold chain technology will boost the Expanded Programme on Immunisation

For decades, Vietnam has made great strides in the implementation of the countrys Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), initiated by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in 1981. It became a bright spot in the Southeast Asian region with regards to the coverage of the programme nationwide. So far, the EPI has benefitted millions of women and children, with 95 per cent of children under a year old being vaccinated.

The MoH has now set the goal to improve the proportion of vaccinations in areas that are at high risk of outbreaks and in locations which are geographically difficult to reach, such as remote, mountainous or island areas. However, ensuring the highest standards of a cold chain for vaccines has become a barrier to success.

Vaccines have strict requirements on preservation during transportation. It is essential that they are stored continuously at a temperature of between 2-8 degrees Celsius. Any deviation or interruption in the cold chain from production and storage to transport and use can potentially damage the integrity of the vaccine, resulting in reduced efficacy and safety in treatment.

Doan Huu Thien, director of the National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biologicals (NICVB), said, To meet the goal of the EPI, we have faced many challenges, such as access to local health centres, changes in temperature through different seasons and regions, and limited transport systems in remote areas. The importance of maintaining the cold chain to protect the prescribed temperatures during transport is crucial in helping to ensure the integrity and quality of pharmaceuticals, as well as patient safety.

Evidently, provinces in such remote areas are still unable to ensure the quality of the cold chain for vaccines. In these places, infrastructure under the EPI and funded by the government is being downgraded. In many communes, the majority of refrigerators have been in use for 15 years. In some districts, there is also no specific storage for vaccines.

Furthermore, employees of the medical prevention departments in these areas are not trained in vaccine management and preservation. For example, in the northern province of Son La, which is home to 204 communes and 112 underprivileged communes, Dr Nguyen Tien Dung, director of the Son La Centre for Disease Control in the northern province of Son La, said that it is difficult to ensure vaccination for children, especially those located in the most remote areas. As shown in a 2018 survey, about 464 out of a total of 3,323 villages in 101 communes do not have access to the EPI.

Ensuring the cold chain for vaccines is extremely important for vaccination. However, many refrigerators and other freezing facilities in the cold chain are currently spoilt and cannot be repaired, said Dung. Lack of staff is another headache for the province.

In view of this, NICVB, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and Zuellig Pharma have officially announced a $600,000 project to support the EPI in six northern provinces including Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Ha Giang, Son La, and Yen Bai. These provinces will be assisted through the use of the eZCooler, an innovative packaging technology that ensures the integrity of temperature-sensitive products to the last mile of transportation.

Under the project, Zuellig Pharma, one of the largest healthcare service groups in Asia, will contribute eZCoolers in three capacities of 8 litres, 12 litres and 96 litres to these provinces, while co-operating with the NICVB and the NIHE to provide training to employees of their medical prevention departments on international standards and Good Storage Practices under the World Health Organization for cold chain supply management and usage of the eZCooler itself.

Nguyen Minh Hang, deputy head of the MoHs Preventive Medicine Department, said at the project launch, We highly appreciate the NICVB, the NIHE, and Zuellig Pharma in launching this. The management board should co-operate with the NICVB and the NIHE in assessing its effectiveness so as to create a premise for the sustainable development of the cold supply chain in other localities in the future.

According to London-based market research firm Business Monitor International, Vietnams healthcare expenditure was estimated at $16.1 billion in 2017, representing 7.5 per cent of its GDP, and the ratio will continue to grow at 12.5 per cent a year to $22.7 billion by 2021. Vaccines and cold chain products make up a significant part of this expenditure.

Marc Franck, chief executive officer of Zuellig Pharma Vietnam, said, We are honoured to contribute our innovative solutions to this project to ensure that everyone in the country has easy access to vaccines. We have been entrusted by companies around the world to undertake the supply of pharmaceuticals for nearly a century in Asia, and nearly 20 years in Vietnam. Today, we are happy to be able to share our expertise and technology with the Vietnamese government and will work closely with all parties to make healthcare more accessible in the country.
The U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka joins us to discuss the recent bombings. North Korea coal sanctions are challenged. China's flower power. Drones help maintain buildings. An expanding universe, and a human library.
An independent U.S. watchdog group labeled sixteen nations Monday as "countries of particular concern" for engaging in "systematic, ongoing, egregious violations" of religious freedom. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom cited China as one the worst violators, detaining between 800,000 and two million adult Uighur Muslims in concentration camps and relegating some of their children to orphanages. VOAs Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
Activists are urging China not to repatriate seven North Koreans who were detained in an eastern Chinese province after leaving their homeland.

The group, which includes a nine-year-old girl, fled North Korea last month but was detained by Chinese authorities in the northeast province of Liaoning, according to activists.

China regularly sends defectors back to North Korea, where they face punishment including forced labor, imprisonment, torture, or execution.

About two dozen activists, including many who also fled North Korea, protested Tuesday in front of the Chinese embassy in Seoul, urging Beijing to release the group.

The nine-year-old girls mother, who left North Korea several years ago and now lives in South Korea, also attended the demonstration.

Im worried about my young daughter and her safety ... its been three years since Ive seen my daughter, said the woman, her voice quivering.

The woman, who did not wish to be identified, left a message in the Chinese embassys mailbox. An activist also shouted into the intercom outside the embassy entrance, but received no response.

Former senior North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho, who defected with his family to South Korea in 2016, helped organize the protest.

We should not let Chinas government repatriate their nine-year-old daughter back to North Korea, said Thae, who made appeals in Korean, Chinese, and English.

Thae, one of the highest level North Korean officials to defect in years, also urged the U.S. government to exert its influence on China to release the North Koreans.

The number of North Korean defectors has declined, in part because of China's expanded crackdown. In 2018, just 1,137 North Koreans defected to South Korea, according to Seouls Unification Ministry. In 2009, that figure stood at 2,914.

Though China has signed the United Nations refugee convention, it does not recognize North Koreans as refugees. It instead sees them as illegal economic migrants.

According to a 2017 Human Rights Watch report, China has increased the number of guards and laid more barbed wire fencing along the border.

China has also expanded CCTV surveillance on the border and increased checkpoints on roads leading away from the border, the group said.

Though not common, China has in the past released North Korean defectors. In 2018, China freed 30 defectors, following international pressure, according to South Korean media reports.

Many activists complain North Korean human rights have become less of a priority amid negotiations over North Koreas nuclear weapons program.
Commemorations for Leonardo da Vinci's 500th anniversary begin this week in Amboise, in the Loire Valley, with France and Italy setting aside recent tensions to honor the memory of the Renaissance genius in the town where he spent his final years.

In 1516, aged 64, Leonardo da Vinci left Italy to enter the service of King Francis I of France. Many of his masterpieces  St. John the Baptist, the Mona Lisa  followed him and were sold to the French monarch, forming a legacy now exhibited at the Louvre museum in Paris.

Amid diplomatic tensions between Rome and Paris, his legacy has become contentious, with Italy's Culture undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni in November telling Italian media she wanted to renegotiate the planned lending of his works to the Louvre for an anniversary exhibition, because "the French cannot have it all."

It is unclear, for example, whether the iconic drawing of the "Vitruvian Man" will eventually leave Venice to join the Louvre for the display.

But on Thursday, in Amboise, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella will seek to ease strains between the two normally close allies that have grown more acute since mid-2018, mostly over migration policy.

They will gather at Leonardo's tomb, a modest grave in a chapel of Amboise castle containing his presumed remains, and will pay a visit to his house nearby, the Clos Luce, where he died on May 2nd, 1519.

"It's an extremely solemn gesture, showing that the two countries have this shared memory, this figure, a culture that binds our two countries," the director of Amboise castle Jean-Louis Sureau told Reuters in an interview.

Da Vinci 's arrival in France was no accident, because King Francis I wanted him to join the Court to participate in its international influence and refinement, Sureau said.

"Leonardo da Vinci was unquestionably born in Italy, he's Florentine, but beyond that, he led a career at the service of several powerful men. This career, and his life, end here, in France," Sureau added.

During his three years in France, da Vinci focused on perfecting unfinished masterpieces, drawing and scientific writing, but also took part in organizing lavish parties for the King of France.

"This universal man, who, to be clear, was first and foremost Italian, can also be seen as the symbol of a European culture, built beyond traditional divisions," Catherine Simon Marion, delegate general of the Clos Luce, said.
Police in Bangladesh say security forces killed at least two people suspected of belonging to an Islamist militant group behind the 2016 attack on a Dhaka cafe.

Police say they raided a hideout suspected of belonging to Jamaat-ul-Majahideen Bangladesh early Monday in the capital's Bosila neighborhood after receiving a tip.

Officials say when security forces knocked on the door, the residents fired at them instead of opening the door. They say after the firefight, police detained three people, including the owner of the house.

Bangladesh launched a crackdown on Islamist extremists after the 2016 cafe attack in which 22 people were killed, most of them foreigners.

While Islamic State claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, Bangladesh officials said the attackers were members of Jamaat-ul-Majahideen Bangladesh, a domestic group that has been banned for more than 10 years.

Since the attack, Bangladeshi security forces have carried out nationwide raids and say they have killed nearly 100 Islamist militants. Hundreds of suspects have been detained.

Bangladesh has experienced a wave of attacks in recent years on secular bloggers, writers, publishers, members of minority groups and foreigners.
When authorities in Benin turned off the countrys internet during parliamentary elections Sunday, they became the ninth African government to restrict access this year.

The outages last hours or days and may target specific services  or the entire internet.

Governments dont often explain the outages, but when they do, they focus on the need for security and civil order. The shutdowns usually accompany protests, demonstrations and elections.

But data from The NetBlocks Group, a nonpartisan organization that tracks global internet freedom and monitors outages, indicate the serious economic and social impacts of even a short outage.

A blunt violation

In Benin, a one-day shutdown costs the country $1.54 million, according to data compiled by NetBlocks and The Internet Society, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization focused on internet freedom.

In more populous nations, such as Ethiopia, those numbers can climb five times higher, even while internet adoption rates remain relatively low.

Benins outage lasted 15 hours and encompassed all internet services, including social media, according to NetBlocks.

Press freedom and human rights groups, meanwhile, continue to sound alarms about the impact of internet outages on journalists abilities to gather and report news.

The decision to shut down access to the Internet and social media on an election day is a blunt violation of the right to freedom of expression, Francois Patuel, Amnesty Internationals West Africa researcher, wrote Sunday.

Gatekeepers

Citizens gain access to the internet via an internet service provider, or ISP. Each ISP acts as a gatekeeper to the internet, providing its subscribers access, but also, potentially, cutting them off.

In Africa, countries tend to have just one or two ISPs. For regimes intent on control, few ISPs makes it easier to turn off the entire internet for most of the population.

In contrast, thousands of ISPs provide access in the United States; shutting off the internet would require broad coordination, and cooperation across each independent organization.

In Africa, though, authorities often have an easy time controlling one or two state-owned ISPs. And governments have capitalized on that.

So far this year, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Mali and Zimbabwe have restricted internet access, according to Amnesty International. NetBlocks has observed additional disruptions in Algeria, Sudan and Egypt since January.

Freedom of expression

Journalists rely on internet access to do their work, and they tend to feel the effects of shutdowns more acutely.

Even partial outages can affect reporters abilities to communicate with sources, monitor events as they unfold and share news with audiences, in their countries and beyond.

Blocking internet access can affect freedom to assemble alongside freedom of expression. Protesters in Africa, and around the world, often use social media to organize.

But for governments experiencing tumultuous transfers of power, the internet can introduce unwanted volatility.

Most of the countries that have experienced outages this year, as in years past, have restricted access during elections or in the midst of protests and unrest.
Former Vice President Joe Biden is enjoying a strong start to his 2020 presidential campaign.

Several new polls show him surging to a big lead in the 20-person Democratic presidential field following his official announcement via video last week.

The latest CNN poll shows Biden leading the Democratic race with 39% support, followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with 15%. Bidens lead grew by 11 points since the last CNN survey in March.

In a new Quinnipiac University poll, Biden has jumped to 38%, up from 29% in March. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren places second with 12%, followed by Sanders at 11% and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 10%.

Trailing behind in single digits in both polls were California Sen. Kamala Harris and former Texas congressman Beto ORourke. The remainder of the field was largely at 2% or less.

Biden also got a bump in the latest Morning Consult poll where he now leads Sanders by a margin of 36% to 22%.

Rallying labor

On Monday, Biden held his first campaign rally in Pittsburgh and left no doubt he will target what he says is the divisive presidency of Donald Trump.

We have to let them know who we are. We Democrats and we independents who have the same view have to choose hope over fear, unity over division, and maybe most importantly, truth over lies, Biden told a cheering crowd of supporters and labor activists.

In his speech, Biden laid out three main reasons for his candidacy.

The first is to restore the soul of the nation. And the second is to rebuild the backbone of this nation. And the third is to unify this nation. We always do better when we act as one America.

Biden supporters in Pittsburgh were out early for the Monday event, including Marsha Williams.

I think Joe Biden is the guy with experience, and I think he is a good guy with an honest heart. And that really means the most to me, she said.

On ABC's "Good Morning America" Tuesday, Biden blasted Trumps governing style and said he would end this God-awful deliberate division that the president has pursued to aggrandize his own power.

In the interview, Biden was also pressed by GMA anchor Robin Roberts about several recent allegations from women who interacted with him but who felt uncomfortable with his close, intimate style. When asked if he really understood their complaints, Biden, who was accompanied in the interview by his wife, Jill, responded, I really do.

Trump on the attack

Trump has also been busy on the campaign trail.

At a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday, he launched a general barrage against the Democratic Party.

So, Democrats are now the party of high taxes, high crime, open borders, late-term abortion, hoaxes and delusions. The Republican Party is the party for all Americans. That is what it is. It really is. And common sense.

Trump has gone after Biden on Twitter and likes to highlight Bidens age by referring to him as Sleepy Joe.

I am a young, vibrant man. I look at Joe. I dont know about him. I dont know, Trump told reporters outside the White House last week.

Trump is 72. Biden is 76.

Election stakes

Even though Biden is now seen as the clear front-runner in the Democratic field, some Democrats argue that merely defeating Trump next year will not do much to fix what is wrong in the country.

Sanders is among those arguing that the nation needs sweeping change.

Our job is not just to win the White House. It is to transform the economy and government of this country, he told a rally in Texas last week.

George Washington University political expert Matt Dallek told VOA that so far, Bidens Democratic rivals do not appear intimidated by his front-runner status.

The field is much wider and open. And as for Biden, you know, it is just too early for the polls to really mean all that much, other than Biden has good name recognition and there is some affection for him.

Who can beat Trump?

Democrats can pick from a rich and diverse field of candidates for 2020 that include several female contenders, as well as minorities.

But many Democrats appear most interested in one key question, according to American University analyst Bill Sweeney.

We have the most diverse field in the history of the country, and Democratic voters have a great deal to choose from. But the other question that the Democrats are going to be looking at as candidates contest in the primaries is, 'Is this the person who can beat Donald Trump in 2020?'

So far, Democratic voters asking that question appear to prefer Biden, and analysts say that is the key reason for his recent surge in the polls.

In the CNN poll, 46% of Democratic voters said it was extremely important to nominate a candidate with a good chance of beating Trump.

In the latest Quinnipiac poll, 56% said Biden had the best chance to beat Trump, followed by Sanders at 12%.

In a statement accompanying the Quinnipiac poll, assistant polling director Tim Malloy said the results are a very clear indication that Democrats see Biden as the candidate who can send President Trump packing 18 months from now.

Trumps average approval rating is about 43%, according to a sampling of recent polls.

A Morning Consult/Politico poll from mid-April found Biden leading the president in a head-to-head matchup by a margin of 42% to 34%, with 19% undecided.
The CEO of Boeing defended the company's safety record and declined to take any more than partial blame for two deadly crashes of its best-selling plane even while saying Monday that the company has nearly finished an update that will make the airplane even safer.

Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg took reporters' questions for the first time since accidents involving the Boeing 737 Max in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people and plunged Boeing into its deepest crisis in years.

Muilenburg said that Boeing followed the same design and certification process it has always used to build safe planes, and he denied that the Max was rushed to market.

As in most accidents, there are a chain of events that occurred, he said, referring to the Lion Air crash on Oct. 29 and the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Max. It's not correct to attribute that to any single item.

The CEO said Boeing provided steps that should be taken in response to problems like those encountered by pilots of the planes that crashed. In some cases those procedures were not completely followed,'' he said.

The news conference, held after Boeing's annual meeting in Chicago, came as new questions have arisen around the Max, which has been grounded worldwide since mid-March.

Brief press conference

Southwest Airlines said over the weekend that Boeing did not disclose that a feature on the 737  an indicator to warn pilots about the kind of sensor failures that occurred in both accidents  was turned off on the Max. Southwest said it found out only after the first crash of the Lion Air Max. Boeing said the feature only worked if airlines bought a related one that's optional, and in any case the plane could fly safely without it.

Separately, published reports said that federal regulators and congressional investigators are examining safety allegations relating to the Max that were raised by about a dozen purported whistleblowers.

The Boeing event occurred on the same day that the Federal Aviation Administration convened a week-long meeting in Seattle of aviation regulators from around the world to review the FAA's certification of MCAS, a key flight-control system on the Max.

A spokesman said the FAA will share its technical knowledge with other regulators, but their approval is not needed before the plane resumes flying in the U.S.

Faulty sensors

Boeing has conceded that in both accidents, MCAS was triggered by faulty readings from a single sensor and pushed the planes' noses down. Pilots were unable to control the planes although the Ethiopian Airlines crew followed some of the steps that Boeing recommended to recover.

Muilenburg told shareholders that Boeing is close to completing an upgrade to flight software on the Max that will ensure accidents like these never happen again.

In the brief news conference that followed, Muilenburg took six questions from reporters, including whether he will resign  he has no intention of doing that  and left as reporters persisted, including one who pointed to the deaths of 346 people and urged the CEO to take more questions.

Besides the software update, Boeing will present the FAA with a plan for training pilots on changes to MCAS. The company is pushing for training that can be done on tablet computers and, if airlines want to offer it, additional time in flight simulators when pilots are due for periodic retraining.

A requirement for training in simulators would further delay the return of the Max because of relatively small number of flight simulators.

Union requests training

The union for American Airlines pilots wants mandatory additional training including, at a minimum, video demonstrations showing pilots how to respond to failures of systems on the plane. Dennis Tajer, a 737 pilot and union spokesman, said Boeing and the FAA must require more training rather than leaving the option to airlines.

Not every pilot that goes out there and flies is a Boeing test pilot, Tajer said. If something happens anywhere in the world, it affects all of us.

During the one-hour annual meeting, shareholders elected all 13 company-backed board nominees, including newcomer Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who lobbied for a Boeing plant there, and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Resolutions defeated

Several shareholder resolutions were defeated, including one to name an independent chairman whenever possible instead of letting the CEO hold both jobs. It got 34% support.

A chairman-CEO is not always a bad thing, but at times of crisis it's hardly ever a good idea, said Matt Brubaker, CEO of business-strategy consultant FMG Leading, who was not involved in the debate. The place they are in now, they need the scrutiny of an inwardly focused CEO to drive change.

Muilenburg opened Monday's meeting with a moment of silence for victims of the two crashes. Later that day, lawyers for two Canadian families who lost relatives in the Ethiopian Airlines crash filed the latest in a growing number of lawsuits against Boeing, claiming the plane maker was negligent about safety.

Hiral Vaidya, whose in-laws and four other family members died in the crash, said there were no remains left to cremate.

We have no closure, we have no peace, we have no answer, she said, fighting back tears.
President Donald Trump has boasted that adding two conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court is among his biggest achievements.

Except that one of Trumps picks hasnt quite followed the script.

Since being sworn in last October, Justice Brett Kavanaugh has defied the expectations of some by occasionally breaking with the courts conservative bloc to join liberals such as Justice Stephen Breyer.

An analysis of Kavanaughs 22 early decisions shows that hes stuck close to Chief Justice John Roberts, who has been gradually carving a more moderate path during the Trump era.

"The expectation was that he would probably be in the same or similar voting sections with his conservative colleagues more often than he would be with his liberal colleagues," said Adam Feldman, a court watcher who runs the blog Empirical SCOTUS.

Feldman, who conducted the analysis, said "the fact that [Kavanaugh] joined with the liberals in a higher percentage of decisions, in total, this term is somewhat surprising."

To be sure, its too early to draw conclusions based on such a small number of cases. Still, conservatives are less effusive of Kavanaughs record compared with Trumps other pick, Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Gorsuch is often compared to the late Antonin Scalia, the courts conservative intellectual anchor whom he replaced in 2017, while Kavanaugh veers to the right of Anthony Kennedy, the centrist former justice whose seat he occupies.

"Justice Kavanaugh, so far has been cautious in the sense that he usually almost always joins the majority," said Curt Levey, president of the conservative Committee for Justice.

"Hes voted the same as Roberts in the vast majority of cases," Levey said, "and Roberts has slowly been drifting towards the center."

Last summer, Kennnedy, a Republican appointee who had cast the decisive vote in a number of consequential cases in recent years, announced his retirement. Trump named Kavanaugh, who like Gorsuch had once been a law clerk for Kennedy, as his replacement.

Democrats worried Kavanaughs solidly conservative record as an appeals court judge in the Washington, D.C., circuit would threaten landmark rulings on abortion, gay marriage and other progressive causes.

The court has yet to decide more than half of the cases it has heard this term, which ends in June. Pending matters include such controversial issues as partisan gerrymandering of congressional district boundaries and whether to include a citizenship question in the 2020 census.

'Comfort' on the bench

Kavanaugh entered the court amid heated allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman while in high school. He strenuously denied the accusations, and a divided Senate eventually confirmed him by one of the narrowest margins for a Supreme Court justice in history.

But if Kavanaugh was rattled by the experience, he didnt show it on the day he joined the court last October. The justices heard arguments in two cases about a little-known law that stipulates steep sentencing to people who have committed certain offenses in the past.

Jeffrey Fisher, a special counsel at the O'Melveny law firm and a professor at Stanford Law School, argued one of the cases. He said he was struck by how at ease Kavanaugh appeared, sitting next to liberal Justice Elena Kagan, as he has every day since.

"You would never know whether he had just been confirmed 99 to nothing in the Senate or what we ended up having," said Fisher, who has argued 38 cases in the Supreme Court, including three this term. "His comfort with the legal issues showed through right away."

By all accounts, that level of comfort has continued. So too has Kavanaughs budding alliance with Roberts.

Conservative and liberal leanings

In December, Kavanaugh joined the chief and the four liberal justices in declining to review lower-court rulings that blocked efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, which supports abortion rights.

In a February, in a case known as Garza v. Idaho, Kavanaugh and Roberts joined the liberal wing to vote in favor of an Idaho inmates right to appeal even after he waived the right.

And in a March, Kavanaugh voted with the liberal to rule that manufacturers of asbestos-dependent equipment used on Navy ships had a duty to warn their users.

On more contentious issues, however, Kavanaugh has aligned with the conservative majority.

In March, he joined a 5-4 conservative ruling that the government could hold indefinitely immigrants who have completed sentences for crimes that subject them to deportation. This month, he joined them again to reject a death row inmates claim that Missouris execution method inflicts unconstitutionally cruel pain.

There is talk that the entente between Kavanaugh and Roberts could foil a rightward move of the court. But Levey said Kavanaugh and Roberts have their own reasons for being cautious.

"Roberts because hes the chief justice and he wants the court to be seen as not extreme, and Kavanaugh because hes new on the bench," Levey said.

Fisher added that if anything, the court has moved incrementally to the right.

"And the reason I would say that is that we havent yet seen Justice Kavanaugh cast a deciding vote with the liberals," Fisher said, "which is something Justice Kennedy used to do from time to time."
Congolese prosecutors have dropped an investigation into allegations opposition leader Moise Katumbi hired mercenaries, a document showed on Tuesday, opening the door for him to return home from three years in exile.

Katumbi, the former governor of Democratic Republic of Congo's copper-mining Katanga region, fled Congo in May 2016 in the face of accusations he had hired mercenaries, including a former U.S. soldier, as part of a plot against former President Joseph Kabila's government.

Katumbi denied the charges, which he said were aimed at preventing him from running in an election to replace Kabila.

The poll was meant to take place in 2016 but was delayed by two years amid accusations Kabila was trying to cling to power.

Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi was declared the winner of a Dec. 30 vote and has moved in the first three months of his presidency to reverse prosecutions of several politicians that Kabila's opponents said were politically motivated.

"Given that the president of the republic has made easing political tensions his priority ..., we consider it inopportune to continue the investigation," Congo's top military prosecutor, Timothee Mukuntu, wrote in a formal decision abandoning the probe into Katumbi.

The document was dated March 1 but was only made public on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, an appeals court overturned Katumbi's conviction in 2016 for real estate fraud, for which he was sentenced in absentia to three years in prison.

His lawyer said at the time his client could soon return to Congo, although Katumbi has yet to comment on the decisions.

Katumbi was blocked from re-entering Congo last year to file his candidacy for the presidential election a a race polls showed him leading. He ended up backing opposition leader Martin Fayulu instead.

Fayulu finished second to Tshisekedi, although multiple sources told Reuters the results were rigged in favor of Tshisekedi, who was seen by Kabila as less of a threat to the outgoing administration's interests.

Kabila and Tshisekedi's camps deny the vote was rigged.
Critics are voicing opposition to an effort by South Sudan to block the establishment of a special court aimed at investigating and prosecuting war crimes in that country.

It was announced recently that the government had hired U.S.-based lobbyists to stop the creation of the so-called African Union-South Sudanese hybrid court.

The contract calls for South Sudan to pay Gainful Solutions $3.7 million to "delay and ultimately block" the formation of the court. The agreement was disclosed earlier in April by the U.S. Department of Justice's Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The posted agreement says the consultant services will include, but not be limited to, improving bilateral relations between South Sudan and the Trump administration. It also references political advocacy to persuade the administration to reverse current sanctions and block potential ones.

No comment from South Sudan, Gainful Solutions

Officials from South Sudan and Gainful Solutions did not respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. ambassador to South Sudan, Thomas Hushek, called the two-year contract with Gainful Solutions "very disturbing," saying its aim is to obstruct justice by blocking the hybrid court.

Hushek said formation of the hybrid court is contained in a revitalized peace agreement signed last year by the parties to the conflict that began in 2013 as a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, who was vice president at the time.

Misplaced priority

Augustino Ting Mayay, an analyst with the Juba-based Sudd Institute, said the lobbying contract is a misplaced priority.

"If they were to have resources to seek institutions to lobby on its behalf, it should focus on programs that do not undercut the most important elements of the agreement. One being the dealing with the atrocities, crimes that were committed during war time and having the hybrid court being set up," Mayay told VOA's South Sudan in Focus program.

He said Juba's move to hire a lobbying firm shows there has been little to no dialogue involving diplomats from both countries, and demonstrates Juba's lack of commitment to implementing the peace deal.

"The government has signed an agreement. That is a commitment. To ask a foreign administration to block what the government has committed to doesn't really take away the responsibility of having signed that agreement already, in addition the moral of doing the right thing by the people to make sure the hybrid court is formed," Mayay said.

'Flagrant violation'

South Sudanese human rights activist Kenyi Yasin Abdallah voiced agreement.

"This a flagrant violation of the peace agreement which the people of South Sudan want implemented so that the victims can get justice," Abdallah told South Sudan in Focus.

Juba resident Atem Simon voiced surprise on hearing the government had $3.7 million dollars to pay lobbyists while claiming it had no resources to fund provisions of the peace agreement, such as security arrangements.

"Peace is the only way for strengthening the relations with the U.S.," Simon told South Sudan in Focus.

"If we go with political will and implement the agreement, that is what the U.S. wants from the warring parties to put an end to this senseless war," Simon added.

Separately, Amnesty International's deputy director for East Africa, Sarah Jackson, tells the Reuters news agency, "... It is disgraceful and unacceptable that the government (of South Sudan) is willing to pay millions to avoid justice." Reuters also cited Human Rights Watch as calling South Sudan's move "blatant obstruction."

Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese were killed and millions of people displaced during the conflict.
Most American politicians learned how to debate when they were students in school. Class debates are common in American schools, offering students an opportunity to marshal their arguments and defend their point of view. Iuliia Iarmolenko visited a school in Washington, D.C. to see how children like the art of debate. Anna Rice narrates her story.
Democrats are steeling for a no-holds-barred fight with President Donald Trump as the White House ignores subpoenas, denies access to witnesses and otherwise stonewalls congressional oversight in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

In the latest case, Trump, his family and the Trump Organization have filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One attempting to thwart congressional subpoenas into his financial and business dealings, asserting the requests are out of bounds.

That comes as Trump's Treasury Secretary is declining to produce the president's tax returns, Attorney General William Barr is threatening to back out of his agreement to appear this week before the Judiciary Committee and former White House Counsel Don McGahn and other officials are being told not to testify before Congress.

The standoff pits the legislative and executive branches in a constitutional showdown not seen since the Watergate era. Neither side is expected to back down. Trump says since Mueller finished his report of Russian interference into the election, there's no further need to investigate. And while Democrats say it's their duty to conduct oversight and are adamant that they will win in the end, they are also confronting the limits of their own enforcement powers.

"He's prepared to fight us tooth and nail. And we're prepared to fight him back," said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Ca., the chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee. "He obviously has something to hide."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is urging the committee chairmen to push forward with their oversight agendas, shelving for now calls from the left flank to launch impeachment hearings against Trump.

Congress has a range of tools available to try to force compliance from the White House, either through civil lawsuits compelling administration officials to testify or produce documents, or by holding others in contempt of Congress with fines or even, in rare cases, jail time.

On Tuesday, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, Adam Schiff, made a criminal referral to the Justice Department about Erik Prince, the founder of the security firm Blackwater, alleging he lied to the committee in 2017.

Schiff said Tuesday there is strong evidence that Prince, a prominent supporter of Trump, "willingly misled" the intelligence committee as it probed connections between Trump's campaign and Russia.

"The evidence is so weighty that the Justice Department needs to consider this," Schiff said.

Congress is buckling in for several actions in the aftermath of Mueller's report, which did not find that Trump or his campaign knowingly conspired with Russia in the 2016 election. But the report pointedly did not clear the president of obstruction of justice and, in fact, recounted 10 instances where Trump tried to interfere with the investigation.

For lawmakers, their ability to conduct oversight of the White House is a core responsibility that extends beyond investigating the president into agency actions that can touch the lives of Americans.

"If the executive branch can deny the legislative branch the ability to bring witnesses to testify under oath and for the production of documents, the executive branch will have essentially eliminated the oversight function of Congress," said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Yet while Democrats have vowed to go to court, those proceedings could last years, possibly past Trump's tenure. And if they chose to hold officials in criminal contempt, which would take a vote of the full House, it would be referred to Department of Justice officials unlikely to side with the Democrats.



Some Democrats have thrown out other options: daily fines for not showing up, for example, or cutting appropriations for an official's agency. But those ideas might not be politically popular.

There's also an option that would be even more contentious and hasn't been used in decades  trial and even imprisonment by Congress. Called "inherent contempt," this process was often used in the country's early years but hasn't been employed in almost a century. While Democrats have vowed to use all of the available legal tools, they have shown no interest in going that far.

Despite drawbacks, Democrats say they will have to fight on multiple fronts to get the witnesses and documents they need.

"If you let them get away with this, then what do you have?" said House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings on Monday. "If the president can get away with blocking any information and anybody from testifying before the Congress, what road are we going down?"

Schiff and Waters, whose committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and others in April over the president's finances, said in a joint statement that Trump's "unprecedented stonewalling will not work."

Schiff said he wants to know whether Russians used laundered money for transactions with the Trump Organization. Trump's businesses have benefited from Russian investment over the years.

Eric Trump, executive vice president of The Trump Organization, called Democrats "deranged" and the subpoenas a form of "presidential harassment."

In the other incident stemming from Schiff's committee, Prince testified to the panel that a meeting in the Seychelles islands with a Russian with ties to President Vladimir Putin was a chance encounter.

Mueller's report said investigators couldn't iron out the "conflicting accounts" about the meeting. Prince told Mueller's investigators that he had briefed Bannon about it, but Bannon told them they never discussed it. Part of the problem is that text messages between them were missing.
U.S. actress Elle Fanning, French graphic novelist Enki Bilal and the Oscar-nominated director of "The Favourite," Yorgos Lanthimos, will be among jury members at the Cannes Film Festival next month, organizers said on Monday.

The world's biggest cinema showcase kicks off on the French Riviera on May 14th, with Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu presiding over the panel that decides on prizes, including the top Palme D'Or award.

Split between four men and four women, the jury for the festival's 72nd edition will also include Pawel Pawlikowski, the Polish filmmaker and screenwriter named best director at Cannes last year for the impossible love story "Cold War."

Maimouna N'Diaye, who has directed documentaries and acted in films such as Otar Iosseliani's "Chasing Butterflies" will also sit on the panel, alongside two other female directors.

Kelly Reichardt of the United States, whose "Wendy and Lucy" starring Michelle Williams was a contender for Cannes' Un Certain Regard award in 2008, directed 2016's "Certain Women."

Italy's Alicia Rohrwacher won best screenplay at Cannes last year for her film "Happy as Lazzaro," a satirical fable about a peasant family.

French filmmaker Robin Campillo, who took Cannes by storm in 2017 with "120 BPM - Beats Per Minute," winning the Grand Prix for his movie about an AIDS activist, will complete the line-up.

Comic book creator Bilal, best known for his Nikopol trilogy of science fiction novels, has also directed feature films, including 2004's "Immortal," organizers said.

Fanning, who started working in movies as a child, has starred in several films in competition at Cannes in recent years, including "The Beguiled" by Sofia Coppola in 2017.

The May 14-25 festival will kick off with U.S. director Jim Jarmusch's latest film, "The Dead Don't Die."
A beluga whale found in Arctic Norway wearing a harness that suggests links to a military facility in Russia is so tame that residents can pet the mammal on its nose.

The white whale found frolicking in the frigid harbor of Tufjord, a hamlet near Norway's northernmost point, has become "a huge attraction" for locals, one resident said Tuesday. The whale is so comfortable with people that it swims to the dock and retrieves plastic rings thrown into the sea.

"The whale is so tame that when you call it, it comes to you," said Linn Saether, adding the whale also reacts to yells and when humans splash their hands in the water.

She said when she throws out a plastic ring, the beluga whale brings it back to her as she sits on the dock.

"It is a fantastic experience, but we also see it as a tragedy. We can see that it has been trained to bring back stuff that is thrown at sea," Saether, 37, told The Associated Press.



The whale was found with a tight harness reading "Equipment St. Petersburg" in English. The hamlet has a dozen permanent residents and less than 100 people in the warmer season.

"The talk in this hamlet is that it could have escaped from a Russian military facility or even have swam from St. Petersburg, Florida, because of the English-language text," Saether said.

It was not immediately known whether any of the dolphin and whale facilities in St. Petersburg, Florida, were missing a beluga whale.



On Friday, a fisherman jumped into the frigid Arctic water to remove the harness, which has a mount for a camera, from the whale. It wasn't clear why the strap was attached to the mammal.

Russian navy

Audun Rikardsen, a professor at the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe, northern Norway, said he believes "it is most likely that Russian Navy in Murmansk" was involved.

Murmansk is the headquarters for Russia's Northern Fleet, the single most powerful fleet in the Russian navy. The city is located on the Kola Peninsula, in far northwestern Russia close to the Norwegian border.

Russian authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the whale.

But Mikhail Barabanov, a Russian naval analyst at the Moscow-based Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies think tank, downplayed any links to the Russian military.

"Even if there are military programs for using marine animals for navy purposes, they are unlikely to belugas, and such animals are unlikely to be released into the open ocean," he told AP in an email.



"I think that these Norwegian idiots simply robbed certain Petersburg zoologists" who were trying to track whales, Barabanov said.
The former U.S. diplomat who secured the release from North Korea of American Otto Warmbier said on Monday that Washington should honor its pledge to pay Pyongyang $2 million for the student's hospital care.

Joseph Yun, the former U.S. special envoy for North Korea, confirmed to Reuters he had signed an agreement with the North Koreans for the payment of the money before Warmbier was flown out of Pyongyang in a coma on June 13, 2017.

He died days after returning home.

White House national security adviser John Bolton said in a television interview Sunday that while the agreement had been signed, no payment had been made to the North Koreans.

Yun, who retired from the State Department last year and is now a global affairs analyst for CNN, said on the network he believed the United States should honor its commitment.

"My view is, yes. If you've signed, if you promised another government from the U.S. government that you would make the payment, my view certainly is that we should go ahead and meet our end of the commitment," he said.

Yun said that as soon as North Korea made the demand, he contacted the then-secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who told him to go ahead and sign the agreement. Asked if he believed Tillerson had the approval of President Donald Trump, he replied: "That was my understanding. I never asked him. But that was my understanding."

The Washington Post reported last Thursday that Trump had approved payment of the $2 million bill from Pyongyang to cover its care of Warmbier, who was detained in North Korea for 17 months.

In a reply on Twitter, Trump said "no money was paid" but did not address whether any agreement had been made.

Warmbier died in the United States six days after his release from North Korea. An Ohio coroner said he died from a lack of oxygen and blood to his brain. North Korea has dismissed claims that it tortured the student and blamed food poisoning and a sleeping pill.

North Korea state media said Warmbier, a University of Virginia student visiting North Korea, was sentenced to 15 years hard labor for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel.
Children in Ghana are starting to get a new vaccine designed to stop malaria. Ghana is the second African country to get the vaccine, which is expected to reduce cases of the mosquito-borne and sometimes fatal disease. But experts caution that other malaria-prevention measures are still necessary.

It took more than thirty years and almost one billion dollars to develop the malaria vaccine launched in Ghana today.

The vaccine, known as RTS-S, reduces cases of the mosquito-spread disease in children by up to 40 percent.

Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi are participating in a pilot vaccination program, which began last week in Malawi. Over the next four years about one million babies are expected to be vaccinated with four doses of RTS-S.

Cape Coast is a city in one of three regions Ghana is targeting due to high levels of malaria.

The vaccine is considered an additional tool in the fight against the disease, alongside bed nets and indoor insecticide spraying. The World Health Organizations Richard Mihigo said the vaccine is needed because progress has stalled in recent years.

This is really something we are considering in public health as a dream coming true, because so far when you look at the intervention that has been used to fight the disease, we believe that this new vaccine is going to add a significant boost to the fight against malaria, he said.

The WHO says malaria infected 219 million people in 2017 and killed 435,000.

The disease remains one of the worlds leading killers, claiming the life of one child every two minutes. Most of these deaths are in Africa and more than a quarter million of them are children.

Ghanaian officials launched the vaccination program Tuesday with patients from the Ewim Polyclinic in Cape Coast. The clinic serves low-income Ghanaians, many of whom live in cramped conditions and prefer to sleep outside, where they are vulnerable to mosquito bites.

Since 2016 the clinic has seen over a thousand cases of malaria each year in children under five.

Nurse Agnes Morgue-Duncan is hopeful the vaccine will protect children and help eradicate malaria.

"Our communities are the main fisherfolks and there are a lot of people. We have a densely populated area. So sometimes you will see one room and so many people in one room and sometimes they mostly sleep outside before getting inside, so automatically or definitely they will be bitten by the mosquito and infected," said Morgue-Duncan.

The vaccine will be rolled out in Kenya in the coming weeks, and doctors will watch closely to see if malaria rates decline.
Major cities around the world have ramped up security, increasing police presence and even using drones to monitor crowds expected at May Day rallies.

International Workers' Day, which is commonly known as May Day, celebrates the international labor movement on the first day of May every year. Its a national holiday in more than 80 countries around the world.

France, which has been recently rankled by violent anti-government yellow vest protests, plans to deploy more than 7,400 police and dozens of drones in Paris.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said there was a risk that "radical activists" could join anti-government yellow vest protesters and union workers Wednesday in the streets of Paris and across the country. He said the goal was to protect demonstrators with "legitimate aspirations" and defend Paris from calls on social media to make it "the capital of rioting."

He said other cities around France were also on alert.

In Germany, more than 5,500 officers will be deployed in Berlin where protesters, led by the "1 May Revolutionaries," have been for weeks calling on people to demonstrate. As many as 20,000 activists are expected to protest against gentrification in the eastern district of Friedrichshain.

Across the world in Jakarta, police spokesman Commander Argo Yuwono said there will be 1,500 personnel deployed for a protest in the Istora Senayan area and 25,000 for a protest near the State Palace. He said more than 40,000 protesters are expected to take to the streets of Indonesia's capital.

Turkish police have barricaded Istanbul's Taksim Square, where May Day demonstrations have been held for years. The square was blocked off even though city authorities denied permits for rallies there this year. Taksim Square gained notoriety on May Day in 1977, when 34 demonstrators were killed when shots were fired from a nearby building. Hundreds of others were injured, but no one has been brought to justice for the shooting.

In Iran, 12 members of the Free Workers Trade Union of Iran have been arrested as they met to plan International Workers' Day celebrations, local media reported. Iran does not recognize labor unions independent of government-sanctioned groups.
The Honduran Congress announced on Tuesday it will suspend ratification of new health and education reforms that critics say would lead to privatization and job losses, after mass protests against the policies left three people wounded and several buildings aflame.

Marches and roadblocks continued in Honduras' capital city for a second day on Tuesday, with some schools and hospitals halting classes and some services after teachers and medical unions called for opposition to two health and education reforms approved in Congress last week that they said would encourage privatization and job dismissals.

Officials from the government of President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Tuesday denied that the bills, which must still be ratified in Congress, would lead to such outcomes.

"We have decided to suspend and archive those laws and to invite dialogue with the leaders of the health and teaching associations, with the aim of bringing peace," Mauricio Oliva, president of Congress, who leads Hernandez's National Party in the chamber, told local media.

Leaders of the teachers and medical unions said they accepted the invitation for dialogue.

But they said they will maintain pressure on the government with roadblocks across the country and in Tegucigalpa's commercial center, where supporters including high school and university students were taking to the streets.

On Monday, anti-riot police clashed with protesters, some of them hooded and armed with stones, sticks and Molotov cocktails.

At least three people were injured in the historic center of the capital and three public and one private building were partially burned down, according to the Fire Department and the Ministry of Security.
Expanding Chinese maritime interests in the Indian and Pacific oceans have emerged as a foreign policy priority across the region with Indonesia wanting and expected to play a key role as President Joko Jokowi Widodo settles in for his second term.

Two approaches are being pushed in diplomatic circles, but quietly, amid fears among smaller nations  like Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and even The Philippines  that opposing Beijings seaborne strategy would risk losing Chinese largesse and investment.

A trilateral relation between Indonesia, India and Australia is finding traction but is currently on ice with all three countries holding elections in the first half of this year. The second is the Indo-Pacific strategy, or Indo-Pac, an alliance between Indonesia,Australia, India, the US and Japan.

Kevin ORourke, an analyst with PT Reformasi Info Sastra, said the Indonesian economy remains Jokowis top priority and he is also reluctant to risk potential Chinese investment.

However, he does seem to have a decent rapport with the current foreign minister Retno Marsudi, so she should continue, and shes been a solid proponent of efforts to discuss the Indo-Pacific strategy, which has substantial support within elements of the foreign ministry,he said.

So I think that inclination for an Indo-Pacific strategy is going to continue in a second Widodo term.

Chinese Expansion

China launched its string of pearls strategy a forward line of ports and trade routes  at the turn of the century, crossing international sea lanes in the South China Sea and claiming disputed islands and reefs. Some within the Exclusive Economic Zone of its neighbors.

It has ignored its own signature to the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea and lost its claims to islands held by The Philippines at an international tribunal in The Hague.

Despite objections it pressed on.

On land, expansion was recast into Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), described by the US as avanity project,investing and lending heavily, then seizing assets when countries cannot afford to repay, known as debt traps.

Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean was forced to handover Hambantota Port. In the Pacific, Australia was forced to outbidChina for control of a debt-ladened port in Fiji, a traditional base in its US-Pacific alliance.

Mohan Malik, of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, said Australia and Indonesia were the quintessential Indian-Pacific nations, in the sense that both these countries are Pacific powers as much as they are Indian ocean powers.

Beijing also fell foul of Jakarta when it claimed Natuna Island  long recognized as Indonesian sovereign territory  as part of its nine dash line delineating its claims in the South China Sea. In a bid to reassert its sovereignty Jakarta renamed that maritime zone the North Natuna Sea.

Indonesia wants to be a global maritime fulcrum, how it can play that role is open to question, its a lofty concept, its identical to the Indo-Pacific construct, Malik said.

Twin strategies

Don Greenlees, a senior fellow with Australian National University, said Indonesias China policy remained a work in progress as it was difficult to predict what China would do next.

They do see the South China Sea as potentially quite a dangerous flashpoint. Theyve got their territorial problems there with China, north of Natuna, and so its a bit of a balancing act and I think its the same balancing act, frankly, that everybodys trying to grapple with, he said.

Indian elections will not be completed until May 19,Australians go to the polls on May 18 while the next Indonesian government will not be sworn in until October 1.

Any further movement on building a trilateral relation between the three or formalizing and expanding the Indo-Pac strategy to include other countries is unlikely until later this year.

Both would mean increased military exercises, joint-policing and naval bases to counter Chinese influence from spreading southeast and southwest. Last year Indonesia signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia and is expected to sign a similar pact with India soon.

Analysts said the trilateral relationship was the easier option because it was underpinned by common diplomatic sense and three regional powers with common interests.

However, the Indo-Pac strategy and efforts to coax support from other countries had been tainted by a heavy US influence and its trade war with China, which Malik said had made Indonesia reluctant to offer its support publicly.

What is very off is the security orientation or connotation that this concept has acquired under the US-Trump administration; free and open Indo-Pacific, which is seen as putting countries on notice in terms of choosing sides, Malik said. Other countries are torn between China and the U.S.

Ties that bind

In the meantime, all three countries are pushing ahead with their own strategies.

Indonesia and India are developing a 40 meter deep port at Sabang on the northern tip of Sumatra. Indias navy is building military facilities at Port Blair, including new airstrips, and is expanding its its reach across the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

In March, Australia launched the Indo-Pacific Endevour 19, a naval deployment with India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

That sends a very strong signal to China, Malik said, adding that naval drills between Australia, India and Indonesia could become routine.It would make sense for Indonesia to come out openly in favor of a Indo-Pacific concept.

India has objected to BRI saying, in part, it violates its sovereignty because of developments built in Pakistan controlled areas that India regards as its own.

It was also a pointed no show at this weekends second BRI Forum in Beijing, which attracted delegates from 150 nations, including 36 leaders. Indonesia was the only country from Southeast Asia not to send its head of state while Australia mustered a mid-level delegation.
A U.S. government body that monitors global religious freedom says conditions in Iran worsened last year, with escalated government targeting of non-Shi'ite Muslims and minority Bahais and Christians.

In its annual report published Monday, the bi-partisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said Iran merits designation as one of 16 countries of particular concern based on conditions in 2018.

The State Department has made that designation for Iran every year since 1999, a move that enables the United States to impose travel restrictions and other sanctions on Iranians responsible for perceived religious freedom abuses.

USCIRF uses its religious freedom findings to make policy recommendations to the U.S. president, State Department and Congress.

Sadly, this year [our report] shows no progress in Iran at all between last year and this year, USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer told VOA Persian at a Monday presentation of the report at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. [Iran]) continues to persecute various religious minorities including Muslim minorities that don't agree with its Shiite regime.

There was no immediate response to the USCIRF report in Iranian state-approved media.

Iran is an overwhelmingly Muslim nation led by Shiite clerics who established the Jaafari school of Shia Islam as the state religion in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Of the 99% of Iranians who are Muslims, U.S. government data show 9095% are Shiites while 510% are Sunnis.

Irans constitution permits the practice of four schools of Sunni Islam. But, it does not recognize Sufism, a mystical form of Islam whose adherents, known as Dervishes, are seen as a heretical minority by Irans ruling clerics. USCIRFs report said hundreds of Sufis were arrested and scores were sent to solitary confinement and beaten in prison last year.

USCIRF said Tehran also discriminated against minority Sunnis by rejecting their repeated requests to build an official mosque in the Iranian capital last year. It said several Iranian Sunni clerics were targets of violence, with a gunman killing one last July in southern Iran.

Irans estimated 300,000 Bahais, who constitute the nations largest non-Muslim minority, faced ongoing arbitrary detention, harassment and imprisonment based on their religion last year, according to the report. The Iranian government does not recognize the Bahai faith as a religion and labels its followers as heretics as well. [Iran] continued its long-term practice of egregious economic and educational persecution of the [Bahai] community, USCIRF said.

Iran recognizes Christianity, but the USCIRF report said it drastically escalated arrests of the nations almost 300,000 Christians last year. USCIRF said Iranian authorities arrested 171 Christians in 2018, most of them in the first week of December ahead of the Christmas holiday. It said Iran arrested only 16 Christians the year before.

USCIRF said another Iran-recognized religious minority, a community of 15,000 to 20,000 Jews, faced a government-driven anti-Semitic sentiment that was less pronounced than in previous years. But, it said Iran continued to propagate and tolerate anti-Semitism, highlighting an Iranian presidential aides role in organizing an October 2018 Tehran conference that accused Jews of manipulating the global economy and exploiting the Holocaust.

The Iranian government regularly calls for a second Holocaust when they call for the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world, USCIRF Commissioner Bauer told VOA Persian.

The USCIRF report urged the U.S. government to speak out frequently at all levels about what it called severe religious freedom abuses in Iran; to freeze the assets of Iranian officials responsible for such abuses and bar their entry into the United States; and to press for the release of all prisoners of conscience in the country.

We have asked both the [Trump] administration and Congress to keep religious liberty and human rights as a central part of our dealings and negotiations with Iran, Bauer said.

The Trump administration has said it wants to negotiate a new deal with Iran to end an alleged nuclear weapons program and other perceived malign behaviors. But Iranian leaders have rejected any negotiations until the United States lifts all sanctions re-imposed on Tehran since Trump withdrew last year from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

This article originated in VOAs Persian Service.